Rampage
Date: April 27, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re still in Jacksonville for the second half of tonight’s double shot. In this case, that means we have a live parking lot brawl between Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta as their friendship is over. Other than that, it’s Rampage, and that could go in all kinds of directions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Chuck Taylor vs. Trent Beretta

They’re in the parking lot for the brawl inside a circle of cars, with Trent starting fast by sending Taylor into a car. Taylor is busted open but is more than capable of sending Trent onto a hood. They climb onto a truck, with Beretta knocking him through a piece of plywood. We take an early break and come back with a TV being thrown and Taylor suplexing him though a door.

Some shovel shots to the back have Trent in trouble but he manages to slam Taylor onto a table of light tubes. Taylor is right back with a toss powerbomb through a windshield for two more. They’re both gushing blood as they climb onto the top of a car for another slugout. A low blow gets Beretta out of trouble and he piledrives Taylor onto the top of the car. That sets up a triangle choke and Taylor is out at 10:08.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of bloody, violent brawl that you do not get to see very often. It’s also something that you will either like or not like and as a result, your mileage may vary in a big way. The good thing is Beretta gets the win over someone who matters in his career and can move on to what is likely a showdown with Orange Cassidy at Double Or Nothing.

Post match Beretta grabs a wrench as Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander come in. Beretta says this is Cassidy’s fault and crushes Taylor’s ankle with the wrench.

Don Callis watches approvingly.

Kyle O’Reilly is happy to come to his hometown and do what he does best: wrestle.

Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Rosa talks trash to start and they fight over a lockup with neither being able to get very far. A chinlock doesn’t last long for Rosa as Purrazzo fights up and goes after the leg. Rosa ties the limbs up in the ropes for a running dropkick, followed by a Liontamer to amp up the pain. Rosa is right next to the ropes for the break and sends Purrazzo outside for the dive.

Purrazzo kicks her in the face for a knockdown of her own and we take a break. Back with Rosa hitting a running kick to the face, followed by a running dropkick against the ropes. Purrazzo comes back but can’t get the Fujiwara armbar, instead settling for a kick to the face. Rosa fights back and goes up, only to dive into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up with a rollup, which is reversed back into the Fujiwara armbar, which is reversed into another rollup to finally give Rosa the pin at 11:05.

Rating: C+. Rosa gets a nice win to boost herself back up after losing at Dynasty. She could be sticking around the title picture for a good while now and that makes sense as she is still one of the bigger names in the division. At the same time you have Purrazzo, who might be a talented star but you only get so far with her when she keeps losing.

Post match Rosa goes to leave but Purrazzo jumps her for a ram into the barricade. The brawl is on and referees have to break it up.

We look at Will Ospreay earning an International Title shot.

The Undisputed Kingdom want Tony Khan to stay neck strong but then move on to Will Ospreay, who will finally fall before the messiah of the Backbreaker.

Big Bill vs. Trevor Blackwell

Bill kicks him in the face to start and shouts about how he’s doing this to show Chris Jericho. More kicks to the face set up a rather delayed chokeslam to give Bill the win at 1:39.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Katsuyori Shibata/Daniel Garcia

Anthony Ogogo is on commentary. It’s a brawl to start and everyone fights to the floor with the Promotions taking over. Taylor sends Shibata inside and it’s off to Moriarty to stomp away in the corner. Shibata is able to get away for the tag to Garcia, meaning suplexes abound. A quick distraction lets Moriarty pull Garcia down with a hanging apron DDT to the floor as the villains take over. Garcia tries to fight out but gets hit in the face, setting up a splash for two.

We take a break and come back with Taylor missing a middle rope splash but Moriarty cuts off the tag. Garcia finally gets smart and sends them together, allowing the tag back to Shibata. Everything breaks down and the Promotions are sent int the corner for stereo right hands to the head.

Running dropkicks have the villains in even more trouble and Garcia dances as Shibata pounds Taylor down. Moriarty is back in to strike away at Shibata in the corner and yeah that’s not the best idea. Shibata kicks Taylor away so Garcia can grab a sleeper, with Shibata doing the same to Moriarty. Garcia suplexes Taylor and Shibata PK’s Moriarty for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: C+. This felt like a way to get Shibata featured on the show, which might have a bit of a bigger impact if he wasn’t around so often all the time. Putting Garcia out there with him should mean a nice rub, even if beating the Promotions again might not mean as much. For now though, it’s a nice enough main event on a rather weak looking show. Just get them to do something like this on Dynamite and their stock could rise nicely

Overall Rating: B-. The opener being a bigger deal helped, but there was only so much that could be done to hide how little this show meant. While it’s better than some of the recent Rampages, it still comes off as a show that has to be done rather than one AEW wants to do. Not every single important thing has to be on Dynamite and as usual, it leaves Rampage feeling kind of weak. Good, but weak.

Results
Trent Beretta b. Chuck Taylor – Triangle choke
Thunder Rosa b. Deonna Purrazzo – Rollup
Big Billy Trevor Blackwell – Chokeslam
Katsuyori Shibata/Daniel Garcia b. Shane Taylor Promotions

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: April 24, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We are done with Dynasty and the show was quite the event. First and foremost, Swerve Strickland is the new World Champion, defeating Samoa Joe for a heck of a special moment. Other than that, Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay had a match that was the definition of ok. We’re about a month away from Double Or Nothing so it’s time to get ready for the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynasty if you need a recap.

The Elite arrives and allow Jack Perry to come in, because he’s with them.

Here is Orange Cassidy for a chat but Trent Beretta jumps him from behind and beats him down in the ring. Trent tells Chuck Taylor to come out here for his decision. Cue Chuck, with Trent talking about how he should have beaten up Cassidy a long time ago. Trent says give the people what they want and loads up the hug but Chuck says he’s always known Trent was a piece of s*** and hits him with the microphone. Chuck can’t get cleared for a match but he wants to fight Trent in the parking lot.

Jon Moxley says he is the IWGP Champion but he isn’t underestimating the monster that he is facing tonight. Powerhouse Hobbs has an instinct and it is only going to take one mistake for Moxley’s world to come crashing down. The Don Callis Family put a hit out on his friend so he knows how far they’re willing to go. He wants the biggest and the baddest and tonight he is reminding the world just how bad he is.

Swerve Strickland vs. Kyle Fletcher

Non-title and Don Callis is on commentary. Swerve grabs a hammerlock to start but Fletcher slips out and they both try kicks to the ribs. Fletcher gets pulled out of the corner and knocked down, allowing Swerve to dance a bit. Back up and Fletcher kicks him out to the floor but Swerve gets in a kick from the apron as we take a break. We come back with Fletcher hitting a Michinoku Driver to put them both down. Swerve knocks him to the apron for the stomp but comes up favoring his ankle.

That’s fine with Fletcher, who grabs a logical ankle lock, complete with a grapevine. Swerve makes the ropes and Fletcher kicks away, only to get caught with a rolling Downward Spiral. A brainbuster gives Swerve two and they fight over a Tombstone attempt, with Fletcher hitting a jumping version for two. Callis tells him to get a table but Fletcher goes with a running boot in the corner instead. Swerve knocks him into the Tree of Woe and hits the Swerve Stomp for two. The House Call finishes Fletcher at 14:41.

Rating: C+. This was a weird choice for Swerve’s first match as champion, as Fletcher got in a lot of offense and even kicked out of the Stomp. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t have Swerve go out and win a five or so minute match instead of this but I guess we have to keep the Don Callis Family strong in losses. At the same time, was there no one but the ROH TV Champion who could take this fall?

Thunder Rosa is happy with her effort at Dynasty and isn’t going to make excuses. Deonna Purrazzo comes in and they get in a shoving match.

We look at Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Anna Jay

Mariah May is here with Shirakawa, who kicks Jay down rather quickly to start. A kick to the face gives Shirakawa two and she dances a bit. Jay gets in a neck snap across the top rope for two and we take a break. Back with Shirakawa kicking her down, only to gt caught in a Gory Bomb for two. The shock delay lets Shirakawa hit a missile dropkick for two but Jay is right back with the Queenslayer. May offers a distraction though and Shirakawa grabs a rollup for the pin at 8:55.

Rating: C. This was a way to get Shirakawa a bit more familiar to the TV audience before what is likely to be some kind of a match at Forbidden Door. She and May have a history in Stardom, which is probably something we’ll hear about in the coming weeks. For now though, pretty run of the mill match as Shirakawa beat her up pretty handily.

Post match May comes in to pose with them but Jay jumps them both. The Queenslayer goes on but Toni Storm makes the save. Cue Serena Deeb to pose with the title and say…something that sounds like a challenge to Storm.

Here are Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander to sing (or rhyme) Willow Nightingale’s praises to start her championship celebration. Nightingale comes out and says it wasn’t working with Hathaway to start (Hathaway says she was like a fungus) but here is Mercedes Mone to interrupt. Nightingale doesn’t like Mone interrupting her but Mone says she’ll be the TBS Champion at Double Or Nothing. They argue over who attacked Mone before moving on to Nightingale injuring Mone’s ankle. They aren’t sure if it was intentional or not but Nightingale wants Mone at 100% at Double Or Nothing. Mone slaps Nightingale and leaves.

Jack Perry leaves Tony Khan’s locker room but won’t say if he’s reinstated. Kazuchika Okada and the Young Bucks won’t say either. Matt Jackson says things are uncertain but Khan has agreed to meet with Perry live tonight in the ring.

Double Or Nothing Gauntlet Match

For the International Title shot at Double Or Nothing and commentary doesn’t know how many people are involved. Jay White is in at #1 and Dante Martin is in at #2, but apparently there will be more added and it is the first fall wins. Martin kicks him down for two to start and they head outside, where White fires off the chops. White knocks him down again and it’s Penta El Zero Miedo in at #3.

A high crossbody takes White down and Penta hits a Sling Blade each. We take a break and come back with Kyle O’Reilly coming in at #4 and striking away. White gets his ankle locked and Will Osprey is in at #5 to a heck of a reaction. Ospreay wins a strike off with O’Reilly and then stares White down for a New Japan flashback. White gets knocked down and it’s Lance Archer in at #6.

Archer gets to clean house until O’Reilly grabs a guillotine choke. That’s broken up and Archer sends everyone else to the floor as we take a break. Back with Komander coming in at #7 and hurricanranaing Archer off the apron through some tables (because of course tables). Komander hits a rather spinning DDT for two on Ospreay with White making the save. A Ligerbomb gives Ospreay two on White and the Hidden Blade is loaded up. Jay Lethal is in at #8 and gets to clean house until Osprey does the same.

Ospreay and O’Reilly strike it out as commentary says there could be up to 21 entrants. Ospreay’s running elbow gets two so he loads up the Tiger Driver 91 but can’t bring himself to do it. Komander comes in with the Cielito Lindo to O’Reilly…but Ospreay hits the Hidden Blade for the pin and the title shot at 18:37.

Rating: B-. This was a bit of a weird concept and it took me some time to get with it but it wound up being fun. They did a nice job of mixing in the big names with the normal names you would expect here as it made the music playing that much more of a surprise. Ospreay getting the title shot more or less guarantees he’s winning the belt and that should be about it for the Undisputed Kingdom.

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom comes out for a staredown.

Here is Chris Jericho for his big celebration as FTW Champion. The letters now mean FOR THE WORLD because he won it for the people (Taz sounds like he is about to be sick). He talks about Terry Funk wanting him to do this and also wanting to mold Hook into something better. Hook FORCED him to hit him with two Judas Effects and a baseball bat but cue Big Bill to interrupt. Bill says he needs to be part of the Learning Tree and he’ll prove his worth to Jericho, who says he’ll be watching. Jericho gets a heel stable. It’s remarkable.

Don Callis wants to know why Will Ospreay didn’t hit the tiger driver but Ospreay was worried about hurting someone. Callis says Fletcher would have lost anyway (Fletcher isn’t pleased) and says the Family is winning a title tonight.

IWGP World Title: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. Moxley kicks at the legs to start and grabs a German suplex, only to have Hobbs pop back up. A t-bone suplex puts Moxley on the floor, where Moxley sends him into the barricade. They fight into the crowd and brawl for a good while until we take a break in the middle of Schiavone talking. We come back (again in mid-sentence) with Moxley fighting out of a bearhug and hammering away in the corner (as Hobbs seems to be favoring his knee). The Paradigm Shift gets two and Moxley grabs the rear naked choke…and Hobbs is out at 10:50.

Rating: D+. This was really, really rough and probably the worst Moxley match I’ve seen in a long time. Almost half of it was spent brawling on the floor and then Moxley fought back and just won with a choke in a really flat finish. Granted it didn’t help that a grand total of no one believed Hobbs was going to win and that made it a countdown until the finish.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out to signal he wants the next title shot. Moxley seems in as medics check on Hobbs.

Katsuyori Shibata is ready to take the FTW Title from Chris Jericho next week under FTW Rules.

Tony Schiavone brings in Jack Perry, so the fans sing OH CRY ME A RIVER. He talks about the great times he’s had in this place but there is business to be done. Perry requests and received Tony Khan, who he asks for a reinstatement. They shake hands and Perry decks Khan, bringing out the Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada and that means a Tony Khan Driver to Tony Khan. The Bucks thank the fans and everyone leaves (under orders of Aubrey Edwards, the real power around here). Some wrestlers come out to check on Khan with Shad Khan himself making an appearance to end the show.

I have no idea what to make of that but I don’t think it went as they planned. The fans seemed happy that Khan got beaten up and I have no idea where this is supposed to go. Presumably Tony gets some wrestlers to fight for him, but at the end of the day, this was all for Tony, the Bucks and Perry. I’m not sure how much of a bigger audience this is going to have, but it’s happening because they want it to and that’s a very risky hill to go out on.

Overall Rating: C. The show has been over for about ten minutes now and I have no idea what I just watched. This was ALL OVER the place, with the new AEW World Champion being, at best, the fourth biggest story on the show. It felt like they were trying to start the builds for Double Or Nothing and Forbidden Door at the same time while also doing the big angle at the end.

The wrestling was mostly overshadowed by some out there moves and I’m almost scared to know what happens if they don’t have the good in-ring action to lean on. I can’t say it was a terrible show and it CERTAINLY wasn’t boring, but egads this was insanity and I don’t think that is the best thing.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. Kyle Fletcher – House Call
Mina Shirakawa b. Anna Jay – Cradle
Will Ospreay won the Double Or Nothing Gauntlet Match – Hidden Blade to Komander
Jon Moxley b. Powerhouse Hobbs – 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:

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AND

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Dynasty 2024
Date: April 21, 2024
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back on pay per view and this time around we have a few big matches. First of all, Samoa Joe is defending the World Title against Swerve Strickland. In the match that might be bigger than that though, Bryan Danielson is facing Will Ospreay in a dream match. Finally, we have FTR vs. the Young Bucks in a ladder match for the vacant Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Trent Beretta vs. Matt Sydal

Trent comes out to the Best Friends theme to really crank up the villainy. Sydal knocks him to the floor to start and drops him again on the floor before going back inside. A standing Sliced Bread and a standing twisting moonsault give Sydal two but Beretta is back up with a brainbuster. Sydal gets sent outside but comes back in with a knockdown, allowing him to strike away.

A leg trap cradle gives Sydal two, only for Beretta to grab a half and half suplex. Sydal takes him down again and hits the top rope Meteora for two of his own. They go to the corner, where Beretta drops him face first onto the buckle to knock him silly. The Gotch Style piledriver gets two on Sydal, setting up the running knee into something like a triangle choke for the win at 8:11.

Rating: C. Total Rampage match here and that’s all it was ever going to be. Beretta is fresh off of his heel turn and is gearing up for a showdown with Orange Cassidy. On the other hand you have Sydal, who is the guy you put out there for the sake of making someone else look good. This was only going to be Beretta winning a not very long match and that’s what we got.

Post match Beretta won’t let go so Matt’s brother Mike and Chuck Taylor make the save. Beretta gives Taylor until Dynamite to make up his mind about where he stands. Orange Cassidy comes out for his match and Beretta bails, mainly due to the threat of violence from Cassidy’s partner.

Zero Hour: Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Anthony Ogogo is on commentary as Moriarty takes Cassidy down by the arm to start. Moriarty cranks on said arm but Cassidy uses the power of the pockets to escape and send Moriarty down. Shibata comes in and wins a wrestle off before knocking Moriarty into the corner. It’s off to Taylor for an exchange of chops and forearms with Shibata getting the better of things.

Cassidy comes in and takes Moriarty outside, where Ogogo comes off commentary for a distraction. Taylor knocks Cassidy silly and the big apron legdrop crushes him to make it worse. Back in and Moriarty grabs an abdominal stretch but Taylor misses a splash in the corner. The tag brings Shibata in to kick away, including the running dropkick to Moriarty.

Taylor breaks up an abdominal stretch so Shibata takes him into the corner so the double striking can ensue. Beach Break is broken up and Moriarty snaps Cassidy’s fingers, only to have Cassidy grab the tornado DDT. Shibata kicks Taylor outside, leaving Cassidy to Orange Punch Moriarty for the pin at 12:44.

Rating: C. Another match that could have been on this week’s TV shows rather than taking up time here. I’m guessing the idea was the showdown between Cassidy and Trent Beretta, plus getting Shibata on the card. It’s not a bad match, but there’s a reason this was only thrown on at the last minute with little story.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles/AEW Trios Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

Winner take all and Caster gets an extended rap for a change. Bowens takes Austin into the corner to start before jumping over him and grabbing a backdrop. Colten comes in and has a seat so it’s off to Billy, which has Colten a little more nervous. Billy gets to clean house but gets taken into the wrong corner, meaning the beating is on. White’s chops just annoy Billy but Austin hitting him in the back makes it even worse.

A right hand drops Austin and it’s back to Caster for an armdrag into an armbar. Bowens neckbreaker Austin into a backbreaker from Caster and there’s Scissor Me Timbers. A cheap shot lets White take Caster outside though and whip him into the barricade. Back in and Colten grabs the chinlock but Caster is right back up for the tag to Bowens. Everything breaks down and Bowens gets dropkicked out to the floor with White throwing him back in.

Austin kicks him down and grabs another chinlock, with Bowens suplexing his way to freedom. That’s enough for the tag off to Billy so house can be cleaned. Billy misses a Fameasser and Austin hits his own for two. 3:10 To Yuma gets two more but the Acclaimed is back in for the save. That’s broken up as well so Billy has to power out of the sleeper suplex. The real Fameasser gets two on White, who is right back with the Blade Runner for the pin at 14:48.

Rating: C+. This was a bit long but what matters the most is they got rid of one see of titles. There has never been a reason for two sets of six man titles and thankfully one of them is going away. Acclaimed and Gunn winning would have made less than zero sense as they are ice cold right now so this was the logical result in both ways.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the big matches and talks about building a dynasty.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Pac

Pac is challenging and the fans are VERY interested at the opening bell. They start slowly and exchange wrist control until Pac grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Pac hurricanranas him to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive. Pac whips him into the barricade, with Okada seeming to favor his shoulder. A super brainbuster (geez) gives Pac two so he goes up, only to get dropkicked off for a hard crash onto the apron.

Back in and Okada hits a running kick to the head, followed by the dropkick to put Okada on the floor again. The hanging DDT plants Pac, who barely beats the count back in, and a regular DDT gets two. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Pac fights up and sends him to the floor, setting up the top rope Asai moonsault. Back in and a missile dropkick gives Pac two and he snaps off a German suplex, only to get dropkicked into the corner. Okada grabs the Air Raid Crash onto the knee, setting up the top rope elbow for two more.

Pac is back up and kicks him in the head and muscles him over with a German suplex. A Helluva Kick looks to set up the Black Arrow but Okada gets out just in time. Okada grabs the Tombstone but the Rainmaker is reversed into the Brutalizer. That’s broken up as well and Pac hits a nasty Tombstone of his own, only to have the Black Arrow hit raised knees. The Rainmaker retains the title at 21:52.

Rating: B+. This was a match designed to have two guys beat the fire out of each other for a good while and that’s exactly what happened. It was a heck of a fight with Pac being the perfect choice to go after Okada in his first title defense. There’s a reason Pac has this kind of a reputation and it’s a shame that he has to miss so much time due to various reasons.

Post match Pac gets the big respectful ovation.

We recap the House Of Black vs. Adam Copeland/Eddie Kingston/Mark Briscoe. The House went after Copeland and now he has some friends, who happen to have recently fought over the Ring Of Honor World Title, on his side.

Adam Copeland/Eddie Kingston/Mark Briscoe vs. House Of Black

Taz can’t believe that Copeland is teaming with Kingston and Briscoe, showing he doesn’t watch Collision either. Matthews takes Briscoe up against the ropes to start but it’s quickly off to Copeland to hammer away in the corner. Black comes in, stares at Copeland, and then hands it off to King instead. King misses a clothesline so Kingston comes in for the strike off, which goes rather badly for him.

Kingston fights up and knocks him to his knees, setting up a big chop, followed by the rapid fire chops in the corner. King is back up and knocks Kingston into the other corner, where Matthews takes over for a change. It’s back to Black for the chinlock but Kingston fights up and strikes away (you might notice a theme here). The big tag brings in Briscoe to clean house, including an enziguri to send Matthews to the floor.

There’s the running dropkick through the ropes so Matthews….throws him a chair, allowing Briscoe to hit the step up flip dive to take Matthews down again. King comes over to Death Valley Driver Briscoe into the barricade, meaning the beating is taken into the wrong corner. Black grabs a chinlock but Briscoe fights up again, allowing the tag back to Copeland. King chops him off the top for a nasty crash so Kingston comes in to chop away instead.

Copeland is back up with a top rope superplex to bring King down again and everyone needs a breather. King gets up and hits a discus lariat on Briscoe, only to get spinning backfisted by Kingston. Copeland adds a spear and Briscoe’s Froggy Bow gets two. Black comes back in for the staredown with Copeland but Briscoe cuts it off. The House cleans house but the good guys are back with triple spears for another knockdown. We settle down to Black vs. Copeland…and it’s the mist into the end to give Black the pin at 17:41.

Rating: B. This got some time and the ending was the right way to go, with Black getting the win to likely set himself up as the next challenger to the TNT Title. They teased the heck out of the Copeland vs. Black showdown and then it lasted all of ten seconds, which makes things all the more interesting. Good stuff here, and it even set up something extra down the road.

We recap Julia Hart vs. Willow Nightingale for the TBS Title. Hart has the title, Nightingale wants it, end of recap.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Willow Nightingale

Hart is defending and Nightingale has Kris Statlander with her. Nightingale starts fast and knocks her out of the corner before going up. That takes a bit too long though and Hart knocks him to the floor, with Nightingale being knocked over the announcers’ table. The reverse chinlock goes on until Nightingale powers up and pulls her into a sleeper. Hart slips out so Nightingale plants her with a spinebuster for two. Nightingale charges into some boots in the corner but manages to raise her boots to block the moonsault. The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin and the title at 6:00.

Rating: C+. That was the way the result needed to go as Nightingale FINALLY wins something important. While this is probably setting up her dropping the title to Mercedes Mone next month, at least she has the title in the first place and that is great to see. Nightingale could be a star due to her high level of likability, but she needed this kind of a win to move her forward.

Post match Nightingale celebrates with Statlander and Stokely Hathaway, only to have Mercedes Mone come out for the staredown. With that out of the way, Nightingale gets to celebrate again.

We recap the International Title, with Roderick Strong defending against Kyle O’Reilly. They used to be friends and now they’re fighting for the title.

International Title: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong

Strong is defending and they go technical to start with O’Reilly’s ankle lock being broken up. Back up and Strong hits the jumping leg lariat for two but O’Reilly knocks him back again. Strong catches him on top and drops him hard onto the buckle. Another backbreaker cuts O’Reilly off but he comes back with a bunch of strikes to get a breather. Strong comes right back with an Angle Slam into the running forearms against the ropes.

The running boot against the ropes is blocked though and O’Reilly grabs the kneebar. That’s broken up so O’Reilly strikes away, only to get pulled into another backbreaker for another two. A top rope superplex gives Strong two but O’Reilly ties the legs up into a small package for the same.

Another exchange of strikes lets O’Reilly grab a German suplex but Strong knees him in the face for the double knockdown. Cue Wardlow for a distraction so Strong can get two off a small package. Back up and O’Reilly hits a brainbuster, setting up the cross armbreaker to send Strong over to the ropes. Strong is back up with End Of Heartache for the pin to retain at 17:19.

Rating: C+. It was technically sound but this match didn’t feel interesting coming in and they lost my interest rather quickly. Anything with the Undisputed Kingdom is running with an anchor right now and that was the case here. Strong had to keep the title to keep the group going, but could they please find something to do other than another Undisputed Era reunion?

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom, including Adam Cole, comes out to celebrate.

We recap Hook vs. Chris Jericho for the former’s FTW Title.

Hook vs. Chris Jericho

Hook is defending under FTW Rules and they show respect to start. Feeling out process to start until Hook grabs the first suplex. They go to the floor with Hook….I think missing an apron clothesline but it came off like some miscommunication. Jericho loads up a table but Hook is back with the trashcan lid shots. With that broken up, Jericho trashcans him down as well and they go back inside.

Jericho knocks him to the apron, where Hook suplexes him down through a table for a nasty crash and a near fall on the floor. Back in and Jericho hammers away but stops to grab a trashcan, allowing Hook to snap off a German suplex. The trashcan is put over Jericho and Hook grabs the kendo stick for the beating.

Another suplex, with Jericho in the can, lets Hook load up another table in the corner. Jericho grabs a Codebreaker and they’re both down. They slug it out from their knees with Jericho getting the better of things, only to miss a Rockers’ fist drop. Redrum goes on until Jericho drives him through the table for the break.

The Judas Effect is countered into a kneebar but Jericho reverses into the Walls. Hook reverses into a small package for two and grabs Redrum, only to have Jericho kick him low (which the camera misses). Now the Judas Effect (with an “I’m sorry”) can connect for two so Jericho hits it again…for two again. Jericho grabs the baseball bat, says he’s sorry, and knocks Hook cold to win at 16:50.

Rating: D+. When I was writing up my preview for this show, I could not shake the feeling that AEW would give Jericho the win here because it would be the dumbest thing possible. Jericho is just a disaster right now and having him beat Hook, who already beat him once, is a mind blowing concept. The fans are not interested in seeing Jericho right now yet here he is, complete with a new title. He needs to go away for a bit, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

We recap Toni Storm defending the Women’s Title against Thunder Rosa. Storm is on a roll as champion but Rosa never lost the title so this is her big rematch.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa

Storm, with Mariah May, is defending and Rosa isn’t wearing face paint for a change. They fight into the corner with Storm powering her around, only to get hit in the face. Storm kicks her in the ribs for a breather but Rosa knocks Storm out to the floor. There’s the big corkscrew dive but Rosa has to stop and glare at May. The forearms to the chest give Rosa two, only to have Storm come back with a backbreaker for the same.

Some shots to the back let Storm take her to the top, where Rosa powerbombs her down for two more. A Death valley Driver onto the apron plants Storm (Nigel McGuinness: “OH THE HUMANITY!”) for two more. Storm is back with a Backstabber out of the corner, followed by a bottom rope DDT of all things. A fisherman’s suplex gives Storm two but Rosa’s stomp connects for the same.

Storm grabs a chokebomb for two so Rosa slugs away, only to charge into a headbutt. May offers a distraction so here is Deonna Purrazzo to brawl with her to the back. Storm grabs a German suplex to set up the hip attack. Storm Zero gets two so Storm busts out the Texas Cloverleaf. Rosa gets out and grabs a Backstabber into a cobra clutch but Storm escapes as well. A low kick sets up another Storm Zero to retain at 15:05.

Rating: B. This was a nice surprise and better than I was expecting. It was one of the better Storm matches in AEW and Rosa’s best since her return as it felt like a big time fight. Storm is in a weird place as champion though as the only person to come after the title is May, and that is going to need some adjusting to set up. For now though, rather good stuff.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay. It’s going to be good. End of story.

Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay

Don Callis is on commentary. Nigel talks about Danielson saying his version of Heaven is bleeding in a ring. Nigel: “My version of Heaven is him dying from bleeding in a ring.” Osprey grabs a front facelock to start but Danielson reverses into a headlock as the feeling out process begins. That’s broken up and the fans hit that BRUV chant. Another exchange goes to another standoff and the fans find this awesome.

Danielson goes with the chops but it’s too early for the LeBell Lock. Ospreay misses the big kicks to the head and the fans are way into this. Ospreay flips over and scores with a dropkick but Danielson strikes away against the ropes. A running boot knocks Danielson outside and there’s the big dive to take him out again. Back in and Danielson gets smart by going after the knee/ribs but Ospreay escapes again.

Danielson is sent into the corner and a running boot connects for two. Ospreay sends him outside for the big corkscrew dive to leave them both down. Back in again and Danielson grabs a tiger suplex for two, followed by the heavy elbows. Cattle Mutilation goes on for a bit until Danielson puts him into the corner for the running dropkick. Ospreay sticks the landing on a super hurricanrana so he goes up top, only to get caught with a tiger superplex for the huge crash.

Danielson’s kicks to the chest wake Ospreay up and one heck of a shot drops Danielson for a change. They go to the apron to slug it out and the Oscutter drops Danielson hard. The referee checks on Danielson so Ospreay gets in a Hidden Blade from the apron as the fans think they aren’t worthy. Danielson beats the count and Ospreay stacks him up for two. Danielson grabs La Mistica of all things into the LeBell Lock and then a double arm crank but Ospreay makes the rope.

The running knee is countered into a powerbomb but Danielson counters into a hurricanrana for two instead. Now the running knee connects for two and Danielson is frustrated. The stomping to the head looks to set up another LeBell Lock but Ospreay slips out and fires off forearms to the face. Danielson pulls him into a triangle choke and even the powerbomb can’t break it.

Instead Ospreay picks him up for a Styles Clash but he can’t follow up. They get to their feet with Danielson slapping the heck out of him and grabbing a suplex, only to have Ospreay pop up with the Hidden Blade. The Oscutter is loaded up but Danielson knees it out of the air for the big double down. Danielson does the YES pose in the corner and Ospreay goes to the other corner, where he takes off the elbow pad. The running knee is cut off with the Hidden Blade into the tiger driver onto the neck. Danielson is all vibrating but Ospreay Hidden Blades him for the pin at 32:19.

Rating: A. Back in the late 1920s, a man was driving his Model T Ford when it stopped running. He wasn’t very good with mechanical stuff and was in a bit of a jam when an older man came driving up. The older man asked if he could take a look and fixed it without much trouble. That older man was Henry Ford. Now what does this have to do with Ospreay vs. Danielson?

Nothing. It was outstanding and there was nothing else to say about it so I didn’t bother trying.

Post match the medics check on Danielson and Ospreay is scared, even as his arm is raised.

We recap FTR vs. the Young Bucks for the vacant Tag Team Titles. It’s the latest in their long running series and this is a ladder match.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. FTR

For the vacant titles in a ladder match. FTR takes over to start and goes for the ladders but the Bucks cut them off. The dives drop FTR and it’s time for the ladder to be brought in. FTR cuts that off for a change so it’s time to put some tables up at ringside. That takes too long as well so Wheeler is laid across the ladder for a dive from Matt. Back in and Harwood is busted open as the Bucks beat him down with chairs.

There’s a whip to send Harwood into the ladder in the corner as the blood is gushing. They go outside again with Harwood being sent into a bridged ladder but Wheeler is back up with a moonsault off of said ladder. The Bucks are right back up to crotch Wheeler on the ladder, setting up the EVP Trigger. Harwood gets knocked down again back inside but Wheeler is back in with a powerslam.

FTR hits a bulldog to plant Matt and a slingshot powerbomb puts him down again. That’s not enough as Matt gets knocked off the apron, sending him hard into the barricade. Nick hurricanranas Harwood off the apron and through a table for another nasty crash. All four are back up and go for the climb, with everyone but Matt crashing down. Harwood pulls Matt’s shoes off before FTR busts out the PowerPlex off the ladder for the big crash.

Nick is back up with a 450 to Wheeler through a table, leaving Harwood to piledrive Matt onto a bridged ladder. Wheeler pulls Nick down from the ladder but his suicide dive only hits table. Matt and Harwood go up, earning a PLEASE BE CAREFUL chant. Harwood knocks him down so here is a masked man for the save. And yeah of course it’s Jack Perry. The Bucks win at 21:47.

Rating: B. This was in fact a ladder match and there was almost no reason to believe that the ending was going to be anything else, even down to the interference. There was no way FTR was going to win here as the Bucks are being treated as a big deal again. This match cranked up the violence and it worked well enough, but the ladder gimmick didn’t make things much better.

We recap Samoa Joe defending the World Title against Swerve Strickland. Joe beat Hangman Page to retain in a triple threat match at Revolution so now it’s the singles match for Swerve’s big shot.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending. They take their time to start until Joe hits a knee to the ribs to take over. Joe takes him outside for a toss over the announcers’ table but Swerve gets in a knee to the face. That earns him a hard planting on the floor and they head back inside, with Joe keeping the pace slow.

Joe plants him again and grabs the neck crank as the dominance continues. Swerve tries to fight up and gets elbowed in the face to send him back outside. The floor mats are peeled back but Swerve gets in some shots of his own for a needed breather. Back in and Swerve has to strike his way out of the Koquina Clutch, setting up the rolling Downward Spiral for two. Swerve grabs a headscissors choke but Joe powers him into the corner for the Muscle Buster and another near fall.

Back up and Swerve hits the House Call into a 450 into the Swerve Stomp for two and they need a breather. Joe is right back up with the Koquina Clutch but can’t get the full grip. That lets Swerve get out and hit the House Call for two more. They both go up and Swerve knocks him off again, setting up the Swerve Stomp for the pin and the title at 17:55.

Rating: B. Well, it wasn’t bad and they did the big ending properly, though it didn’t quite get to that top level. The best thing here is that Swerve won the title in what might as well have been his last chance and that is what matters. I’m not sure what is next for either of them right now, but they got the big moment right after a hard hitting match. Well done and a nice way to wrap up the show.

Swerve celebrates for a long time to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Some of the matches in the undercard were a bit weak and some of the decisions (ok so just Jericho) were out there, but that Danielson vs. Ospreay match was outstanding and there were several others that hit or even exceeded their mark. Awesome show here and worth a long long, but you might want to fast forward some parts, as this was another very, very lengthy show. An excellent one, but long.

Results
Trent Beretta b. Matt Sydal – Triangle choke
Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Orange Punch to Moriarty
Bullet Club Gold b. Billy Gunn/Acclaimed – Blade Runner to Gunn
Kazuchika Okada b. Pac – Rainmaker
House Of Black b. Adam Copeland/Mark Briscoe/Eddie Kingston – The End to Copeland
Willow Nightingale b. Julia Hart – Babe With The Powerbomb
Roderick Strong b. Kyle O’Reilly – End Of Heartache
Chris Jericho b. Hook – Baseball bat shot
Toni Storm b. Thunder Rosa – Storm Zero
Will Ospreay b. Bryan Danielson – Hidden Blade
Young Bucks b. FTR – Bucks pulled down the titles
Swerve Strickland b. Samoa Joe – Swerve Stomp

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

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Rampage
Date: April 12, 2024
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Chris Jericho

It’s another week around here and hopefully there will be less eight month old footage included. With a little over a week to go before Dynasty, there is only so much time left to build up the card, though thankfully most of the matches are made. Maybe we get something new this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy vs. Alex Reynolds

John Silver is here with Reynolds. Silver and Reynolds hug at the start to mess with Cassidy, who is going through a best friend breakup. Cassidy knocks him outside and sends him into the steps, with Silver getting taken out as well. Reynolds heads back inside for a distraction, allowing Silver to grab a brainbuster onto the floor. Cassidy goes back in but gets sent outside again, only to come back in with a sunset flip for two.

Reynolds knocks him down again though and we take a break. Back with Cassidy Hulking Up and dropkicking him into the corner for the stomping. There’s a dive onto Silver but the distraction lets Reynolds grab a Cactus piledriver for two. A super Stunner (Whippersnapper for you old fans) connects for Reynolds but he dives onto Silver by mistake. Back in and Cassidy decks him with the Orange Punch for the pin at 10:35.

Rating: C+. This was built around the idea of Cassidy coming back to the ring after the big betrayal and it was pretty much a run of the mill match. Cassidy basically being up against two people makes sense as he’s on his own without his friend so the match made sense. Reynolds doesn’t get much time on his own in the ring so it was nice to see for a change, especially that Stunner.

Post match Cassidy is asked about Trent Beretta turning on him but here is Beretta to interrupt. Chuck Taylor pops up to scare Beretta off but leaves instead of siding with Cassidy either.

Anna Jay wants this place to be more serious. Stardom’s AZM comes in to say she doesn’t think much of Toni Storm.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hart is defending and Brody King is banned from ringside. Hirsch stats fast by sending her to the floor but Hart is right there with a forearm to the face from the outside. Back in and Hart chokes on the ropes before sending her into the buckle. Hirsch pulls her out of the air and then sends her outside, with Hart coming up holding her arm. Back in and Hart hits a quick kick into a small package to retain at 3:14.

Rating: C. That definitely felt like an injury at the end and that’s not a good thing. Hart was sent outside and they went home almost immediately. I’m not sure what’s going to happen if she’s hurt long term, but that was a nasty way to wrap up the show. Hirsch didn’t get a chance to showcase herself, though it is hard to fathom the match was supposed to go that fast and end that way.

Don Callis doesn’t care if his Family beats Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli tomorrow. Instead, he just wants Danielson hurt before he faces Will Ospreay at Dynasty.

Angelo Parker vs. Zak Knight

Saraya and Harley Cameron are here with Knight and Parker jumps him in the aisle before the bell. Knight slugs away on the floor and Parker is busted open. They get inside anyway and the bell rings but Parker is quickly knocked into the corner. We take an early break and come back with Parker hitting a running Blockbuster, setting up an implant DDT.

The women offer a distraction and are quickly ejected, allowing Knight to hit a quick powerbomb for two. Knight shouts that he’ll take good care of Ruby and that’s enough to fire Parker up for the comeback. Not that it matters as a running forearm finishes for Knight at 7:44.

Rating: C. I was wondering how they would give Parker the win over a beast like Knight and that was the answer: they didn’t do it. One of the next steps is a Ruby Soho getting back together with Parker to focus him for a rematch but that doesn’t feel likely fro here. Or they all just move on and pretend this never happened.

Kyle O’Reilly wants to face Rocky Romero, who says they can do it after he wins the International Title. Romero leaves and Roderick Strong comes in to seem unhappy with O’Reilly wanting the title. O’Reilly says it would be cool to be champ, but Strong says he can’t be International Champ.

Video on the Blackpool Combat Club vs. the Don Callis Family.

Jay White vs. Matt Sydal

The Gunns are here with White and yes this is the main event. They fight over control in the corner until Sydal kicks away at the leg. A kick to the leg and a spinning kick to the face have White down again, followed by a headscissors to send him outside. The Meteora off the apron drops White but he’s back up to drop Sydal face first onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with White holding him in a chinlock. Sydal fights up and hits a jumping knee to the face, followed by a question mark kick for two. A rollup gets two more but White is back with the swinging Rock Bottom. The Bladerunner is countered into a poisonrana but White is right back with the Bladerunner for the pin at 11:25.

Rating: C+. Unlike the previous match, this was a good enough match but it feels so meaningless. White is in a six man team while Sydal is a jobber to the stars. That doesn’t make for much of a main event but at least they had a nice match. Just find a way to make it feel more important next time.

Overall Rating: C. While the wrestling itself is fine, Rampage has turned into a chore to watch. The wrestling is fine but here you had Orange Cassidy beating a member of a comedy stable, a TBS Title match that wouldn’t have felt important even if Hart’s shoulder had been ok, the first match in a long running story and an ok main event. Nothing on here felt overly important and that makes for a pretty long hour of wrestling. If you really like AEW and anything it does you’ll have a good time, but otherwise it’s the most skippable show going today (yes, even more than Ring Of Honor).

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Alex Reynolds – Orange Punch
Julia Hart b. Leyla Hirsch – Small package
Zak Knight b. Angelo Parker – Running forearm
Jay White b. Matt Sydal – Bladerunner

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: April 3, 2024
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Dynasty and that means it is time to start hammering home the card. First up we are likely set for Swerve Strickland challenging Samoa Joe for the AEW World Title. In addition, Will Ospreay will face Bryan Danielson in a dream match, but first Ospreay has to face Will. Hobbs that is. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Adam Copeland to get things going. He’s here to have some fun and, after some microphone feedback (Copeland: “Live TV baby!”), he talks about all of the run he has had over the years. Copeland watched all kinds of wrestling in his life, including the WWF, the NWA, places in Canada and everywhere else and now he’s here where he sees the best roster he can imagine.

There are all kinds of wrestlers he can face for the first time ever and he has never had more fun in his career. AEW has pushed this industry into a better place and it gives more people a chance to do what they have never done before. This is where the best wrestle and now he’s calming down after getting fired up. Now it is time to move forward and there is a reason so many stars came here. For now, Copeland introduces Will Ospreay and some respect is shown. This was a rather nice rah-rah speech and Copeland knows how to give them as well as anyone.

Will Ospreay vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Don Callis is on commentary as Hobbs knocks Hobbs out of the air to start. Ospreay gets smart by going after the knee and knocks him to the floor before hitting a dive. Hobbs is sent into the steps but he catches Ospreay on the barricade and plants him onto the steps. There’s the toss over the announcers’ table to drop Ospreay again and we take a break.

Back with Ospreay dropping Hobbs off a handspring kick to the face before going up. Hobbs pulls him down by the throat but a Stundog Millionaire gets Ospreay out of trouble again. Hobbs gets in another knockdown but misses a splash off the top of all things. The Hidden Blade is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam, which is countered into a small package to give Ospreay two.

Hobbs blasts him with a clothesline to take over, setting up a middle rope swinging powerslam (that was cool) for two more. Another powerslam attempt is countered into a DDT and a sky twister press puts Hobbs down again. The Hidden Blade finishes for Ospreay at 14:15.

Rating: B. Ospreay’s run continues and I liked this one more than some of the other things he’s done so far. It felt more like Ospreay was fighting up against the monster Hobbs before slaying the beast in the end. At the same time, it should be about it for his stuff with the Callis Family, which has been done pretty much to death so far. Good stuff here, and the shorter time helped it a bit.

Post match Callis has to break up Ospreay and Hobbs before Ospreay goes to leave. Cue Bryan Danielson for a staredown as we take a break.

Bryan Danielson vs. Lance Archer

Archer starts fast and takes over by knocking Danielson down. Danielson gets sent into the corner but avoids a charge, setting up a dragon screw legwhip. Cranking on and kicking at the leg have Archer in more trouble, followed by a running dropkick to the leg in the corner. They go outside, with Archer running Danielson over and slamming a production worker onto him for an impressive spot.

We take a break and come back with Danielson moonsaulting over him but getting run over with a crossbody. Danielson fights out of the corner and scores with some running dropkicks. Archer slips out of the LeBell Lock and bails outside, where Danielson hits a running knee off the apron.

Back in and Danielson hits a missile dropkick, followed by the YES Kicks. Archer doesn’t care for that and hits a hard chokeslam, only to have the Blackout broken up with elbows to the face. Danielson’s sleeper is broken up so Danielson kicks him in the head three straight times. The running knee finishes Archer at 15:38.

Rating: B-. This was the latest instance of Danielson having a good match around to keep up with Ospreay. If nothing else I do like the idea of having Danielson face someone different than Ospreay as it adds a fresh direction. It’s always fun watching Danielson strike down a monster and Archer has enough credibility to make Danielson seem like a big deal here so well done.

Here is Chris Jericho on the stage to call out Hook so hit that signal. Cue Hook, with Jericho praising him and asking Hook to believe in him. Hook does, to the point where they can team together this week on Collision. Works for Jericho.

Shane Taylor Promotions are ready to face Hook and Jericho on Collision.

Jay White vs. Billy Gunn

Gunn jumps White on the stage during his entrance and the beating begins around ringside. They get inside, the bell rings, and White punches him out to the floor. The fight heads into the crowd as White can’t get anything going to start. White gets knocked back to ringside but avoids a superkick, which hits the steps instead. A clothesline puts White on the floor again though and we take a break.

Back with White unloading in the corner but Gunn runs him over again. We see the Acclaimed down in the back, with the distraction letting White set up the Blade Runner. The One And Only connects instead and Gunn grabs a chair. Cue the Gunns to beg for mercy though, allowing White to hit a low blow for the DQ at 11:39.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what this was but I think we can safely call it a bad miss. This was barely a match until the last minute and a half and then they went to a DQ (which is becoming more common around here). I’m liking the idea of the titles being unified, but this was really not a good way to help get us there. The fact that I had to pause this a few times out of pure boredom isn’t a good sign and it just got less interesting as it kept going.

Post match the beatdown is on until the Acclaimed make the save. The Gunns save White from going through the announcers’ table.

Willow Nightingale, with Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander, is feeling mother fluffin great about getting a TBS Title shot and talks about how she worked hard in this town for years. This is a home away from home for her and if she can be convinced she belongs here, anyone can do it. Now she’s ready to win the TBS Title and she thanks the fans for their love and support. Hathaway is proud of Willow’s win but here is Mercedes Mone to interrupt. She wants the winner of Willow and Hart, because money changes everything. Then Mone dances.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta vs. Young Bucks

Chuck Taylor and Sue are here with Cassidy and Beretta. Matt gets suplexed down to start but he’s back with the rolling northern lights suplex for two. The Bucks are sent to the floor where they trip Beretta down to take over. Matt even jumps on commentary to send us to a break. Back with Cassidy hitting a high crossbody but his double hurricanrana is blocked. Matt’s ram into an exposed turnbuckle is blocked but Cassidy gets knocked down anyway.

The EVP Trigger misses though and Cassidy’s top rope DDT gets two on Matt. Cassidy and Beretta hit their own TK river and it’s Soul Food into the half and half suplex to send Matt flying. Back up and Matt fires off some superkicks but stops to threaten Sue, who slaps him instead. The spike Strong Zero gets two on Matt with Nick making the save. Sue gives Trent the reviving kiss on the cheek….but Matt sends him into the exposed buckle. A rollup with tights pins Beretta at 12:28.

Rating: C+ This got some time but it never quite moved up to the higher level I was expecting. Cassidy and Beretta were a thrown together team but they did well in their limited time in the role. The Bucks have been all but penciled in for the finals since the tournament started so this was almost a formality, Not a bad match, but it seemed more built around Sue near the end and that’s not quite how a chance for a title shot should feel.

Post match the Bucks mock Sue before leaving. Beretta loads up the Big Hug but gives Cassidy a running knee instead. Chuck Taylor isn’t sure what to think as Beretta leaves. I haven’t been a big fan of the Best Friends stuff but this will be a big deal to a large portion of the AEW audience. Also more Beretta is a good thing.

Mariah May vs. Thunder Rosa

Toni Storm is on commentary and the winner gets the Dynasty title shot. Rosa chops away in the corner to start but May takes over and hits the running hip attack. Back up and Rosa hits a spinning faceplant before knocking May hard to the floor. May wins a strike out on the apron but gets hurricanranaed onto the floor. We take a break and come back with May striking away, followed by a Saito suplex. A Stratusphere is blocked so May hits a running knee for two instead. May Day is loaded up but Rosa reverses into a Backstabber, setting up the Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C+. They didn’t give Rosa much until she won in the end, though that’s what matters more than anything else. Rosa does need her title shot after never being defeated for the title and the ending should have May in some hot water with Storm. They might not have taken the most interesting route to get there but they got the title shot right, which is all that matters.

Penta El Zero Miedo wants a TNT Title shot against Adam Copeland next week on Dynamite.

Penta El Zero Miedo receives a TNT Title shot against Adam Copeland next week on Dynamite.

Here are Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe for the contract signing for Dynasty. Joe signs without saying anything but then warns Swerve before he can sign as well. He has been watching Swerve’s rise to the top but Swerve has received some bad information, saying that he’s going to win the World Title. Joe threatens violence and gives Swerve a chance to walk, but instead Swerve says he has wanted this moment his entire life.

Swerve has worked to get here and he’ll do anything to win the title. At Dynasty, he’s going to show that he’s every bit of the man Joe is. The fight is on but Joe breaks up a chain shot and chases Swerve off. The beatdown leaves Swerve down in the corner. Joe leaves but a bloody Swerve laughs and crawls over to sign the contract in his own blood. That’s fine with Joe, who comes back in to put Swerve through the table to end the show. Joe being freaked out by Swerve crawling to the contract was good, and it was entirely logical for Joe to come back and beat him up again.

Overall Rating: B-. This show had a bit of a different feel to it as it came off more focused on a few things than on several things at once. At the same time, they helped set things up for the next few weeks, including Dynasty. The action (save for Gunn vs. White) was good and it made for a pretty solid show all around. Nice show, and points for making it feel a bit different.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Hidden Blade
Bryan Danielson b. Lance Archer – Running knee
Billy Gunn b. Jay White via DQ when White hit Gunn low
Young Bucks b. Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy – Rollup with tights to Beretta,
Thunder Rosa b. Mariah May – Tijuana Bomb

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.

Rampage
Date: March 15, 2024
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re slowly on the way towards Dynasty and that means we are going to be needing some things set up for the show. Odds are we won’t get anything big this time around, but we could be getting some smaller things here or there. That should be combined with some solid action so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta vs. Dark Order

Chuck Taylor is here with Cassidy and Beretta. Uno’s headlock on Cassidy doesn’t work to start but Cassidy asks him to wait for the hand/pocket merging. Silver breaks that up so Beretta comes in to shoulder the Order down. We get a forced Dark Order hug, followed by the real version, referee and Chuck included. Silver is back up with a gorilla press drop on Cassidy, followed by Uno neckbreakering Beretta.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy kicking away at the Order. Beretta rolls some German suplexes Silver a few times but Uno breaks up Strong Zero. Everything breaks down and we start the flip dives to the floor. Back in and Silver gets two on Beretta with Cassidy having to shove Uno into the cover for the save. That leaves Cassidy to Orange Punch Silver into Strong Zero for the pin at 9:42.

Rating: B-. Fast paced match here and they didn’t stay out there for a long time, meaning there was less Dark Order than was necessary. Cassidy and Beretta are getting primed for the tournament and they could make a nice run for a round or two. As for the Order, they’re fine in a role like this, which thankfully doesn’t involve them talking.

The Righteous talks about how you have to die to grow again.

Zak Knight and Angelo Parker get in a fight as the Outcasts watch on.

Mariah May/Toni Storm vs. LMK/Kayla Sparks

Before the match, Storm asks us to turn off all cellular devices. Also, if Deonna Purrazzo and her partner want a tag match, watch this. Storm jumps the two of them to start, with May adding a hard basement dropkick. Mae and Storm pose for a bit before Storm hits LMK with some hip attacks (including a dance before one of them). It’s back to Mae for a running knee to the face, followed by back to back running hip attacks. Storm Zero finishes Sparks at 3:07.

Rating: C. Total dominance here as May becomes more and more like Storm every time she’s out there. That should take us towards something interesting between the two of them and it could go in a few ways. Other than that, Storm gets to look dominant before we find out who Purrazzo has as a partner.

Post match here is Deonna Purrazzo with her partner…Thunder Rosa. Cool, as it’s been too long since she’s had anything important to do.

Video on Queen Aminata, who wants the ROH Women’s TV Title.

We get the brackets for the Tag Team Title tournament:

Young Bucks
Private Party

Undisputed Kingdom
Best Friends/Don Callis Family

Ricky Starks/Big Bill
Top Flight

FTR
Infantry/House Of Black

The lack of Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli is interesting.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Komander

Takeshita shoulders him down to start but Komander nips up. Komander avoids a running knee and hits a quick Lionsault, sending Jericho into a rant about a stolen move. Back up and Takeshita kicks him in the face to take over before snapping off a nasty release German suplex. We take a break and come back with Komander hitting a rope walk moonsault to the floor for the double knockdown.

Back in and a springboard hurricanrana gives Komander two but a springboard crossbody is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Komander kicks him off the rope though and hits a springboard Canadian Destroyer. Cielito Lindo hits raised knees though and Takeshita scores with a running knee. A spinning Falcon Arrow finishes Komander off at 9:38.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of win that gets Takeshita back on the right track after losing his big showdown with Will Ospreay at Revolution. Takeshita is someone who feels like he has had to take a back seat multiple times and it would be nice to see that change. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe that will be the case this time around.

Serena Deeb is back and ready to hurt people.

Video on the Undisputed Kingdom vs. Top Flight.

Undisputed Kingdom vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

Strong jumps Dante to start and the villains take turns stomping away in the corner. Dante slips out to the apron and springboards in with a flip dive. A rolling DDT is cut off though, leaving Dante to bring in Darius to keep the pace up. Strong comes in to knock Darius into the corner and some hard chops have him in trouble. It’s already back to Dante for two off a sunset flip and Andretti comes in for a running shooting star press. Everything breaks down and the good guys hit running dives as we take a break.

Back with Taven missing a Lionsault (Jericho: “Another one? You have got to be kidding me.”), allowing Dante to come back in for a springboard high crossbody. A springboard 450 gives Andretti two but Bennett makes the save. Andretti slips out of the spike piledriver and cleans house, only to get spike piledriven anyway. The End of Heartache gives Strong the pin at 11:25.

Rating: B-. It was the usual fast paced, entertaining match with Andretti and Top Flight doing exactly what they should have done. At the same time, it’s kind of nice to see the Undisputed Kingdom getting to do something, even if it’s had to buy into them as a threat to anyone of note. The match was fine for a Rampage main event, but I’m not sure how much of a future the villains have without a bunch of adjustments.

Overall Rating: B-. This show felt a bit more important than the last few weeks and that’s nice to see. There weren’t exactly higher stakes but there were some bigger names and Rosa joining forced with Purrazzo should be good. Other than that, they set a few things up for future shows and that made for a nice enough show. It’s still nothing worth seeing, but you won’t be disappointed if you do see it.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Dark Order – Strong Zero to Silver
Mariah May/Toni Storm b. LMK/Kayla Sparks – Storm Zero to Sparks
Konosuke Takeshita b. Komander – Spinning Falcon Arrow
Undisputed Kingdom b. Top Flight/Action Andretti – End of Heartache to Andretti

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: March 14, 2024
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are less than a month away from Supercard Of Honor and it should be time to announce some matches. That could make things all the more complicated as there isn’t much time left to build up the card. Then again ROH has a tendency to just throw things together and that will probably be the case again here. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Diamante vs. Billie Starkz

They trade rollups to start until Diamante knocks her into the corner for a running dropkick. The beating heads outside with Starkz being knocked into the barricade. Starkz is right back with a hurricanrana off the steps to take over. Diamante drives some shoulders in the corner and we hit the neck crank. Starkz fights up but gets splashed for two, only to kick her back to the floor.

There’s the suicide dive, followed by two more to make it worse. Back in and a suplex onto the knee gives Starkz another near fall, followed by a faceplant to plant Diamante on her face. Diamante is back with a rolling Chaos Theory out of the corner for two, only to have Starkz blast her with a clothesline. They forearm it out (of course) until Diamante grabs a quick Stunner. A standing Sliced Bread #2 gives Diamante two but Starkz kicks her in the face. The Swanton gets two so Starkz goes for a half nelson crossface for the tap at 11:38.

Rating: B-. This got rolling near the end and I was digging what they were doing. The tournament matches have been made a good bit more exciting s there is SOMETHING for these people to fight over. The fact that there was a pretty obvious winner in Starkz but they had me wondering on some of those near falls is proof that they were doing something right. Good stuff here and one of Starkz’ better matches to date.

Lee Johnson vs. Aaron Solo

They trade arm control to start until Johnson grabs a headlock takeover. That’s broken up and Solo gives him a sarcastic handshake. Solo is sent outside and shakes the fans’ hands but runs into a dropkick back inside. Back up and Solo sends him hard into the ropes with Johnson seemingly hitting his throat on the top rope to cut him down fast. A suplex gives Solo two and we hit the chinlock.

Johnson fights up and sends him throat first into the ropes to even things up with a double knockdown. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Johnson two but the Big Shot Drop is broken up. Solo kicks him down for two and a top rope double stomp gets the same. A butterfly powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana from Johnson, who lawn darts Solo into the buckle. The Big Shot Drop finishes Solo at 10:22.

Rating: C+. Lee Johnson is being pushed, with six straight wins coming into this match. This was near his hometown of Atlanta. It took him ten minutes to beat a perennial jobber in Solo. There was little reason for this to be anywhere near as competitive if Johnson is supposed to be something important. In theory he is on the way to a title shot, but why should I believe he can beat someone important if it is this hard to beat Solo?

Robyn Renegade vs. Lady Frost vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Leyla Hirsch

Renegade gets triple teamed down to start, leaving the other three to fight in the ring. Frost sends Hirsch into the corner but gets legdropped by Hogan for two. Robyn comes back in but gets choked by Hirsch, only to have Hogan break it up with some kicks to the head. They all slug it out until Frost sends them into the corner for a pair of flipping Cannonballs. Hogan is back up with a running hip attack against the ropes to Renegade, followed by Face The Music for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C. Hey look: another four way match where the winner is no further ahead than she was before the match. It also didn’t get a ton of time so they didn’t have the time to shine or get anything going. The action was fine enough, but these things coming and going every week have taken away almost all of their interest.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter are ready for their big match but Maria Kanellis-Bennett comes in to blame their lack of Collision appearances on Garrison’s loss to Adam Copeland. Don’t disappoint her.

Athena vs. Aisha

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning Aisha gets a title shot if she survives the ten minute time limit or wins. Athena starts fast with a toss suplex but Aisha kicks her into the corner. They head outside with Athena sending her into the barricade a few times. Aisha comes back with a spinebuster for two inside but Athena grabs the Codebreaker. Something like an abdominal stretch makes Aisha tap at 4:29.

Rating: C. This is what you get from an Athena Proving Ground match and there isn’t much to be gained from them. The good thing is they got through the match rather quickly and Aisha didn’t put up much of a fight. Athena needs a new challenger and we’ll probably get that sooner than later, but for now there isn’t much for her to do.

Post match Athena keeps up the beating and runs down the city of Atlanta. Cue Hikaru Shida to interrupt and we seem to have a challenger for Supercard of Honor. That would be another person from outside ROH getting the title shot because the division has been wrecked so badly by this Athena title reign that could have ended months ago without her losing a thing. But then again it’s not like this show matters in the slightest so why should I expect it to be well put together?

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Iron Savages

Before the match, we get a drink off between the Savage Sauce and Andretti’s water. Andretti wins and we’re ready to go, with Top Flight/Andretti hitting dives out to the floor. Back in and Dante kicks away at Bronson and everything breaks down again. Dante avoids going into a hairy chest and brings Darius back in to clean house.

Darius gets knocked down in the corner but Bronson spends too much time on pelvic thrusting and misses the moonsault. A kick to the face out of the corner allows the tag to Dante, meaning things pick up again. Everything breaks down and Jameson gets caught with a shooting star press followed by a frog splash to give Dante the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C+. Nice six man here with Top Flight and Andretti continuing to work well together. That being said, it’s another case where a team is floating around from win to win without getting much of a chance to go anywhere. Granted it might help if the Six Man Tag Team Titles had been defended here but that hasn’t happened on this show since September.

Lee Johnson is just getting started.

Workhorsemen vs. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto

The Workhorsemen jump them from behind to start and Comoroto is knocked into the wrong corner. Comoroto slugs his way out of corner but Henry kicks him down for two. Everything breaks down and Drake suplexes Comoroto, setting up Henry’s top rope double stomp for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: C. This is a good example of a match that was fine but since it didn’t really add anything, it probably didn’t need to be on a show that is running over two hours. The Workhorsemen have been around here for months and don’t seem to be going anywhere, which again might have something to do with the champions almost never being around here (with their one title defense since winning the titles in December).

Post match Watts holds the ropes for Comoroto and they take their time leaving together.

Lance Archer vs. Darian Bengston

Jake Roberts bothers to show up for once. Archer misses a charge into the corner but pulls Bengston out of the air without much trouble. Another missed charge lets Bengston strike away but Archer plants him with a chokeslam. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 2:17.

We look at Dalton Castle losing the Boys to Johnny TV/Taya Valkyrie two weeks ago.

Taya Valkyrie is thinking about buying the Boys matching outfits but Dalton Castle comes in to say he can smell them. They shout at each other over the boys diets (sushi vs. tater tots) until security drags Castle away. This was amusing.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Mercedes Martinez vs. Abadon

Abadon slugs away to start and hits some running knees in the corner. Martinez is knocked outside and taken down again, only to come back with a big boot. Back in and some rolling butterfly suplexes have Abadon in trouble and a clothesline gives Martinez two. Abadon fights up and hits a running Codebreaker for two, only for Martinez to come back with a hard suplex.

The half crab has Abadon crawling over to the ropes for the break, followed by a quick cutter to send Martinez outside. Martinez is back up with a hard knee on the apron, setting up a hanging neckbreaker to the floor. Back in and Abadon grabs a quick DDT for two…but someone pops out from under the ring to deck Abadon. The fisherwoman’s buster gives Martinez the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t as good as the opener but it was still a nice showdown between two talented stars. Martinez going forward is a good choice as she is at least a minor threat to win the title but also someone who can be beaten to give someone a rub. I’m curious about the interference, as it’s at least a fresh ending for one of the tournament matches.

And it’s Diamante as the interfering scoundrel.

The final four:

Billie Starkz
Mercedes Martinez

Red Velvet
Queen Aminata

Slim J vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. AR Fox vs. Komander

Oh this is ROH in 2024 all right. J isn’t interested in a handshake and instead flips everyone off before heading to the floor for the bell. Fox takes him out with a dive, as he won’t stand for that kind of disrespect. That leaves Komander to miss a charge in the corner so Cartwheel hits a flipping elbow for two. J is back in to hit Fox low and another one cuts off Cartwheel, setting up a running cutter for two more. Fox flips J off the top and steps through into a cutter of his own for two of his own.

Komander has to make a save before kicking J down in the corner. Komander’s backbreaker puts Fox down before going to the top with Cartwheel. A middle rope Codebreaker on the apron rocks Cartwheel but J is there with a suicide dive to drop Komander. Back in and a top rope reverse DDT gives J two on Fox before Cartwheel and Komander go flipping up (and down) the ramp. Komander gets the better of things, setting up Cielito Lindo to finish J at 8:20.

Rating: B-. Remember the women’s version of this match earlier, where it was more or less the same kind of match that they’ve had for months and it is mainly just flashy yet meaningless? Same thing here, but with the men instead. It was entertaining enough, but when you’ve seen it over and over again for weeks, it’s hard to get interested again.

Eddie Kingston says Mark Briscoe was supposed to get a World Title shot last year. He can have it this year at Supercard Of Honor instead. There is no mention of anything but the ROH World Title on the line. Naturally this had to be a pre-tape because the champ isn’t going to be on the regular show.

Cole Karter/Griff Garrison vs. Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy

Maria Kanellis Bennett is here with Karter and Garrison so Chuck Taylor is here to cancel her out. Karter misses an armdrag attempt to start so Cassidy puts his hands in the pockets to take over. Beretta comes in to hiptoss Garrison, setting up a quick double suplex for two. Cassidy sends Garrison face first into the buckle over and over but Karter is back in with a snap suplex.

Cassidy manages to kick his way to freedom though and there’s the hot tag to Beretta. A dive to the floor takes out Garrison but some double teaming puts Beretta in trouble for a change. Karter misses a 450 though and Beretta suplexes Garrison, allowing the real tag off to Cassidy. A bunch of kicks put the villains down and Garrison gets high crossbodied. The tornado DDT gets two on Karter but Maria offers a distraction, meaning it’s time for an exchange of kicks to the head. Maria gets up for another distraction and offers a hug, but Beretta would rather hug Chuck. The Orange Punch finishes Karter at 10:58.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, even if it is near impossible to care about Karter and Garrison no matter what they do. They have been up and down for months and still seem to be going nowhere as I still wonder why Maria is stuck with them. Cassidy and Beretta were the big guest stars and it makes perfect sense to close with them, even if they needed better opponents.

Post match the Spanish Announce Project comes in to get Serpentico’s mask back but manage to get beaten down. Cassidy and Beretta make the save and pose with the Project to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. And we’re back to the old format with two hours of stuff, much of which could have easily been dropped with absolutely nothing being lost. The four ways feel like little more than ways to get people on the show and when they feature a lot of the same people week in and week out, it’s rather hard to care. Other than that you had a bunch of the usual stuff, with the tournament matches at least feeling important. So yeah, it’s back to what makes ROH annoying after weeks of having it be what it should have been.

Results
Billie Starkz b. Diamante – Half nelson crossface
Lee Johnson b. Aaron Solo – Big Shot Drop
Kiera Hogan b. Robyn Renegade, Lady Frost and Leyla Hirsch – Face The Music to Renegade
Athena b. Aisha – Abdominal stretch
Top Flight/Action Andretti b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Frog splash to James
Workhorsemen b. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto – Top rope double stomp to Comoroto
Lance Archer b. Darian Bengston – Blackout
Mercedes Martinez b. Abadon – Fisherwoman’s buster
Komander b. AR Fox, Slim J and Jack Cartwheel – Cielito Lindo to J
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Griff Garrison/Cole Karter – Orange Punch to Karter

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

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Rampage
Date: October 13, 2023
Location: Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, Missouri
Commentators: Paul Wight, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re back to the normal schedule after a pretty stacked Dynamite and this time we’re on the way to Full Gear. The show still has a little over a month to go and that means there is a lot of time to get things set up for next month. We aren’t likely to get much about that this week but maybe the matches will be good. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hardys/Brother Zay vs. Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

Jake Hager is here with the latter and Zay works on Garcia’s wrist to start. We pause for Garcia to dance, allowing Zay to snap off an armdrag. Matt Hardy comes in with a middle rope elbow to the back before Jeff drops a middle rope splash for two. It’s back to Zay, who gets taken into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs.

Parker’s elbow to the back gives Garcia two but Zay slips away and makes the diving tag. Matt Hardy gets to come in and clean house again, including a sitout powerbomb out of the corner for two on Parker. Garcia loads up the dance again but this time Menard tags himself in to stay on offense. Everything breaks down and the villains need a breather on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Matt Hardy hitting a clothesline on Menard and bringing Jeff in to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Zay dropkicks Garcia, who is right back up with a belly to back suplex. The Hardys take over on Parker and Zay adds a splash in the corner. The Twist of Fate looks to set up the Swanton but Hager crotches Jeff down. Zay is right back with a step up dive onto Menard and Hager, only to have Garcia knock Zay down back inside. Garcia gets to do his dance and an elevated gutbuster finishes Zay at 9:36.

Rating: C+. I was a bit surprised by the result but it’s the right call. The Hardys don’t win anything important and Garcia’s dance is one of the most popular things in AEW at the moment. Give the former Society a win as they try to find a new boss, as they could be valuable lackeys to someone else if that’s the direction they take.

Post match the winners argue over Garcia’s dancing.

At Dynamite, Bullet Club Gold interrupted an interview with Penta El Zero Miedo and mock him and Rey Fenix for not having titles. Penta says Fenix won his title and calls Jay White a thief. Arguing ensues and Penta seems interested in the stolen AEW World Title belt.

Matt Menard doesn’t like Daniel Garcia’s dancing but Angelo Parker says they just won. Jake Hager doesn’t want to hear this arguing and says squash this. Menard says everyone needs to squash it and walks off.

Jay Lethal vs. Trent Beretta

All of Lethal’s cronies and Chuck Taylor are here too. Lethal chokes in the corner and calls out Eddie Kingston for the Ring Of Honor World Title. Trent fights up and gets in a few shots, only to be sent into the corner. Lethal can’t get a Figure Four but a standing hurricanrana can give Trent two. Back up and Trent’s running crossbody only hits ropes and he crashes to the floor in a nasty landing. Taylor grabs a chair to keep things as even as possible but Lethal is right there to post Trent.

Back with Trent hitting a slingshot dive and getting two off a backslide. Some rolling German suplexes put Lethal down and a half and half suplex gives Trent two. Lethal is right back with the Figure Four but Trent reverses into a small package for two. A superkick to the bad knee sets up the Lethal Injection to give Jay the clean pin at 10:16.

Rating: C+. So Lethal seems to be the next important challenger for the Ring Of Honor World Title, which is better than nothing as he at least has a history with the title, though it would be nice to not have that on an AEW show. Trent is a good opponent for Lethal as he can make most people look better, and it’s nice to see Lethal used on his own a bit more.

Ortiz talks about Mike Santana believing in him when he didn’t believe in himself. Santana was just next to him though instead of being with him. Cue Santana to ask where Ortiz was when he was out. They ask where each other was the whole time. A challenge is issues and they talk a lot of trash to each other. Santana says it wasn’t karma that took out his knee, but carrying Ortiz.

Emi Sakura vs. Skye Blue

Sakura blocks a rollup to start and they trade chops until Blue misses a charge. Blue gets dumped out to the floor and a hard running crossbody crushes her against the steps. Back in and the surfboard has Blue in more trouble but she leans back for two and a break. Blue gets a boot up in the corner and a DDT gets two. Skyfall is broken up and Sakura hits a very delayed butterfly backbreaker for two of her own. Back up and Blue hits a superkick and grabs Code Blue for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. Blue’s presence continues to exist around here and while she’s better than she was before, she’s still not exactly a top level star. It would be nice to have her do something more than show up, do ok and win with the Code Blue. Sakura is still about the same as she always has been, in that she’s fine at what she does but isn’t likely to move up the ladder anytime soon.

We look back at Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on the Gates of Agony vs. the Blackpool Combat Club.

Gates of Agony vs. Blackpool Combat Club

It’s Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta for the Club and Prince Nana is here with the Gates. Kaun and Yuta start things off with Kaun taking him down into a headlock. Back up and Kaun powers him into the corner but Yuta slams him down and drops a backsplash for two. Castagnoli comes in for a stomp to the ribs but it’s too early for the Swing. It’s back to Yuta, who is sent outside and nailed with another shot to the ribs.

A hard whip into the apron keeps Yuta in trouble and Kaun runs him over to make it even worse. We take a break and come back with Yuta snapping off a German suplex. The tag brings Castagnoli back in for the parade of uppercuts. The hard clotheslines in the corner have Toa in more trouble but the Neutralizer is blocked.

Toa blocks the Swing as well and Kaun is back in with a gutbuster to Castagnoli. That’s finally enough for Castagnoli, who swings Toa into Yuta’s dropkick but Kaun makes the save. Castagnoli chases the interfering Prince Nana to the back, leaving Yuta to get facebustered for two. The double standing clothesline and the double spinebuster gets two on Yuta but here is Castagnoli again. Yuta hits an Angle Slam on Kaun and the Fastball Special finishes him off at 12:15.

Rating: B-. Castagnoli leaving at the end had me wondering if they might go with the surprise result here but ultimately sanity prevailed. It’s hard to fathom the Gates actually winning an important match so they went with what made sense has as the Club wins. I’m sure they’ll be off to something bigger in the future and that’s what they should be doing sooner than later.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, the wrestling was completely fine but it feels like this show exists to fill in time until we can get back to Dynamite, where things actually happen. It feels like a comic book miniseries to fill in gaps that the main series doesn’t have time to talk about. The show is far from terrible and isn’t a nightmare at just an hour, but it feels like absolutely nothing of note would be lost if it was dropped. Completely watchable show, but don’t waste your time.

Results
Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard/Angelo Parker b. Hardys/Brother Zay – Elevated gutbuster to Zay
Jay Lethal b. Trent Beretta – Lethal Injection
Skye Blue b. Emi Sakura – Code Blue
Blackpool Combat Club b. Gates of Agony – Fastball Special to Kaun

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

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

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Zero Hour: Other The Budget Charity Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And now, the show proper.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TNT Title: Luchasaurus vs. Darby Allin

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

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

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

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

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

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Miro

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

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

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

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

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

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho

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

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

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

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

Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita

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

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

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

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

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

Bullet Club Gold vs. FTR/Young Bucks

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

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

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

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

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

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley

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

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

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

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

Cassidy gets the standing ovation to end the show.

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

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

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: August 2, 2023
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Taz, Excalibur

It’s the 200th episode and you know that means we should be in for something good. The most important thing here is that it is time to start getting ready for All In, which needs something announced already. Other than that, we have a Women’s Title match as Hikaru Shida challenges Toni Storm. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

The old set is back for a nice touch.

Sammy Guevara/Daniel Garcia vs. Chris Jericho/Konosuke Takeshita

Jericho and Takeshita have Don Callis with them. Guevara and Jericho chop it out until the former scores with a jumping knee. Garcia and Guevara get to strike a pose before Garcia chops it out with Jericho. Takeshita comes in to kick Garcia down so Jericho comes back in for a suplex. Jericho drops Garcia again and we take a break.

Back with Guevara coming in to clean house, including a suicide elbow to Jericho and a running flip dive to Takeshita. They get back in and Takeshita gets the Blue Thunder Bomb on Guevara but can’t get the Walls Of Takeshita (which is apparently a thing). Jericho is back in with the Codebreaker for two as all four get in again. Guevara kicks Takeshita to the floor as Garcia gets the Dragontamer on Jericho. Callis bats Garcia down but Jericho doesn’t approve….but does get the pin at 12:21.

Rating: B-. This was about Callis still trying to recruit Jericho, who might be getting with the program a bit. Other than that, you had Garcia and Guevara being entertaining enough as a team and Takeshita feeling like a star. Odds are this is heading towards Jericho vs. either Takeshita or someone else from Callis’ family down the line, but we might be a good way off from that point just yet.

Tony Khan says we are on the way to the biggest wrestling event of all time (no) and we see a highlight package from some of the best moments in Dynamite history.

Matt Menard tells Chris Jericho has to be at a mandatory meeting of the Jericho Appreciation Society.

Here is Jack Perry to say that he wants Jerry Lynn out here to end this. Lynn comes out to say that he isn’t going to come down there and beat up Perry, because that would be child abuse. On top of that, his neck is so banged up that no doctor would ever clear him. Instead, he’s made a phone call to a friend of his, who wrestled in ECW and still wrestles today. Cue Rob Van Dam to chase Perry off, with Perry hiding behind a young girl. Was there anyone else who could have stood up for ECW and been something of a big deal?

Video on the Women’s Title match with Hikaru Shida challenging Toni Storm.

Trent Beretta vs. Jon Moxley vs. Penta El Cero Miedo

The introduction make it clear that this is anything goes. Trent and Penta hit dives to start but Moxley is back up and grabs the 2×4 with nails. Penta ducks a swing and Backstabs Moxley, only to get a trashcan lid kneed into his face. Moxley piledrives Trent but Penta is right back to take Trent outside. Some tables are set up at ringside and the already bleeding Trent superplexes Moxley through them as we take a break.

Back with Penta hitting a super Canadian Destroyer to drive Trent through a table, followed by Moxley spearing Penta through a table in the corner. Moxley gets the thumbtacks and opens Penta’s shirt, setting up a piledriver into the tacks for two. Trent, for some reasons not in an ambulance, is up with the Crunchy to Moxley into the tacks but Penta makes the save. Moxley Paradigm Shifts Penta but Trent hits the running knee to steal the pin at 12:21.

Rating: C. Yeah fine. You knew you were going to see some kind of violent match on here whether it made sense for the story or not and they even had one of the fan favorites get a pin on a milestone show. The Canadian Destroyer through the table not knocking Trent out of the match was nonsense but that ship has long since sailed. I still can’t stand this kind of stuff, and they really didn’t need the weapons and violence.

Post match Moxley chokes Trent out and the Blackpool Combat Club comes out to help. Cue Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor to cut them off and clear the ring, with Taylor issuing the challenge for a parking lot fight on Rampage.

Rob Van Dam challenges Jack Perry for the FTW Title next week. When Van Dam wins the title, he’ll just retire the thing.

Here is MJF to talk about having ADD, but also a condition that makes it difficult for him to accept rejection. One day when he was a kid, some people threw quarters at him and said “pick it up, Jew boy, pick it up.” It made him believe that he had to stab everyone in the back before he did it to them, but that’s no way to live.

It’s tough for him to trust people, but he’s not scared anymore because of all these people. These people have sympathy for the devil, even if he’s still a scumbag. But dang it he’s ready to be YOUR scumbag. He also has to thank Adam Cole, so here is Cole to see MJF face to face.

Cole says MJF is not alone and knows that there is a good guy down in there. The people here are proud of him, which has MJF thanking him for the kind words. That brings MJF to the promised title match, which Cole doesn’t deserve. That’s because Cole deserves THE match in the main event of the biggest show AEW has ever seen, in the main event of All In. Cole signs the contract (fans: “READ IT!”) without reading it and they hug. MJF has told that story before but it still has impact. Other than that, they’re building towards someone turning and it’s going to be a big moment when it happens.

Roderick Strong breaks a bunch of stuff in the back but here is the Kingdom to say they Cole is forgetting his real friends.

Elite vs. Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal

Brandon Cutler, Sonjay Dutt and Karen Jarrett are here too. Jeff slams Omega down to start but Matt comes in to take over. That brings in Singh, with Omega and Nick immediately backing away. Singh shrugs off some dropkicks and crossbodies both of the Bucks, meaning the villains get to most the Elite’s pose.

We take a break and come back with Nick getting over to bring Omega back in for the pace to pick up. You Can’t Escape is broken up by Singh, allowing Lethal to get his knees up on the moonsault. The Bucks kick Singh down the though and Omega adds the V Trigger to put him completely down. Dutt has to break up the One Winged Angel and Karen offers a distraction. That earns her a cold spray from Cutler as the Hardys come out to beat up the villains as well. Cue Hangman Page to jump Jarrett with the Buckshot Lariat, meaning (after an Omega guitar solo) the One Winged Angel can finish Lethal at 8:58.

Rating: B-. Much like some of the other stuff on this show, they absolutely had to get the Elite on here somehow and putting them in a fun match like this one was the way to go. They were the centerpiece of the company for a long time and getting them on a show like this, even in a match where they weren’t going to be in serious trouble, was a requirement.

Post match Page announces that the Elite have re-signed with AEW. Omega says you’ll be seeing more of them everywhere, including Collision. We get the old goodnight and goodbye catchphrase to wrap it up. That’s a nice little flashback.

The Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland/AR Fox in this case) is happy with beating up Darby Allin and we see them going to Nick Wayne’s gym (which is in a garage). Wayne and some students get beaten up and Swerve breaks something made of glass over Wayne’s head. Swerve puts down a photo of Wayne and his father, before calling Darby Allin to show the bloody Wayne. It’s that easy to make a phone call, so why didn’t Allin call AR Fox when he got to AEW? The beating continues to wrap up one heck of a segment. This felt like Swerve and Fox getting to show what they can do and it was really effective.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Aussie Open vs. Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo

The Aussies are defending. Fletcher and Vikingo start things off with the latter avoiding a charge in the corner. Vikingo’s springboard crossbody takes Fletcher down so it’s off to Davis, who gets superkicked outside. We settle back down to Fletcher clotheslining Komander, who is right back up with the chops in the corner. Komander’s springboard is broken up so it’s of to Vikingo instead. The champs are sent outside but they are fine enough to cut off the stereo dives as we take a break.

Back with Vikingo getting caught with a flipping Iconoclasm for two, leaving Fletcher frustrated. Vikingo is put in a fireman’s carry but Komander tags himself in, jumps on Vikingo’s back, and hits a Canadian Destroyer. The challengers walk the ropes at the same time for stereo moonsaults, setting up stereo 450s for two on Davis. Vikingo is taken down though and the rope walk shooting star press misses for Komander. The double clothesline sets up Coriolis to retain the titles at 9:57.

Rating: C+. There was some nice stuff in here with the Aussies using their power offense to hold off the rather flashy high fliers. I’d like to believe that this is just a one off as I really do not need the Ring Of Honor titles on the show again, but at least they had an entertaining match and didn’t go too long. It’s also always nice to see Vikingo, as some of that stuff he does is hard to fathom.

Video on Ricky Starks vs. CM Punk on Collision.

Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Toni Storm

Shida is challenging and Storm has the rest of the Outcasts with her. Shida starts fast and knocks Storm to the floor, followed by some right hands back inside. They go outside again and this time Storm takes over, only for Shida to head back inside and suplex her into the corner. Storm gets in a shot of her own and adds the running hip attack to knock Shida outside again. The Outcasts get in some stomping and we take a break.

Back with Shida hitting an enziguri into a German suplex but Storm pulls her off the top. The hip attack in the corner and a DDT get two on Shida (which would not be stealing it, despite what Excalibur says). They strike it out until Shida knees her in the face and hits a Falcon Arrow for two. Saraya throws in the kendo stick but Shida takes it away and takes out the other two. Storm uses the distraction to hit the spray paint into the Storm Zero for two more. Shida is right back with a rollup for the pin and the title at 13:16.

Rating: B. And there’s your big moment to make the show feel special. Storm hadn’t exactly been doing anything as champion and wont he title from an injured Jamie Hayter. The story coming into this was that Shida deserved to have a title run in front of people rather than empty chairs and that is exactly what she is going to get. Good match here, with Shida getting a nice moment to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: B. I kept saying that they had to get this and that in, but they managed to cover everything and had a heck of a show as a result. This was a nice look back at Dynamite’s history, while also giving a feel good moment at the end and also setting up something for All In. That’s a heck of a way to spend two hours and I smiled more than I have in a good while with an AEW show.

Results
Chris Jericho/Konosuke Takeshita b. Sammy Guevara/Daniel Garcia – Baseball bat shot to Garcia
Trent b. Jon Moxley and Penta El Cero Miedo – Paradigm Shit to Penta
Elite b. Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal – One Winged Angel to Lethal
Aussie Open b. Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo – Coriolis to Komander
Hikaru Shida b. Toni Storm – Rollup

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

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AND

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