Dynamite
Date: May 27, 2026
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and MJF got the World Title back from Darby Allin. That’s the big story, but it wasn’t the last part of the show. After the title change, Kevin Knight came to the ring and attacked Allin, turning evil in the process. Other than that, we are about a month away from Double Or Nothing and we need some Owen Hart Cup finalists. Odds are we’re get closer to those this week, especially since we have another hour of Collision after this show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

Back at Double Or Nothing, Will Ospreay was happy with his win and ran into Kenny Omega. They get to the point, with Omega asking why Ospreay is hanging out with the Death Riders. Omega said Ospreay could have trained with him if he wanted the World Title, but Ospreay points out that Omega is barely ever here.

That leaves Omega without much of a defense but as a friend, he wants Ospreay to watch out for the Death Riders. Ospreay doesn’t seem offended but here is Jon Moxley to say that’s good advice. Moxley gives Ospreay a bag of ice and says the truck is outside. With Moxley gone, Omega says Ospreay can call anytime and they seem to part as friends.

Here is Kevin Knight for a chat. He knows everyone wants to know why he attacked Darby Allin. The answer is because Allin let them all down and even though they’re in Philadelphia, he’s not trusting the process. Knight was the last person to beat MJF but he didn’t get a title shot.

Instead Knight was sitting on the bench even though he isn’t a bench player. He wasn’t wasting any time because he should be in the main event. This brings out Mike Bailey (in a less than nice jacket) who thinks Knight can turn around and apologize. Knight ignores the handshake and lays Bailey out. That’s a smart move.

Ricochet, with the Demand, isn’t worried about Chris Jericho tonight, even if everyone else is banned from ringside.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet

Everyone is banned from ringside. I take it that doesn’t involve commentary or the production crew but I guess that’s implied. Ricochet starts fast and kicks him into the corner but Jericho is up with a backdrop to the floor. Jericho hits a dive and loads up the announcers’ table for the Walls on said table. With that broken up, Ricochet sweeps the leg off the apron and starts going after the leg as we take a break.

We come back with Jericho hitting a Death Valley Driver on the apron and they’re both down on the floor. They get back inside where Jericho tries the Lionsault but has to switch to a springboard back elbow as Ricochet gets up. The threat of the Judas Effect sends Ricochet back outside and he snapmares Jericho over the top. The suicide dive and running flip dive connect, as does a springboard Phoenix splash to give Ricochet two back inside.

Jericho is right back up with another Walls but Ricochet goes after the banged up knee to escape. Ricochet uses the referee as a distraction and hits Jericho low but misses the 630. Jericho’s Codebreaker gets two and there’s the Judas Effect into a not so clean Lionsault to pin Ricochet at 13:57.

Rating: B. This was the kind of match that Jericho needed as they didn’t do any shenanigans and he won clean (well, mostly clean as the Lionsault landed on Ricochet’s face) in the end. That’s how this should have gone and it wound up being a good TV match. Jericho can still go in the ring when he has to, but the situation has to be set up right, as it was here.

Post match Jericho celebrates but Tommaso Ciampa runs in to jump him from behind. The running knee leaves Jericho laying.

Andrade El Idolo wants the world Title because he’s that awesome and better than MJF.

Orange Cassidy vs. Lio Rush vs. Brian Cage vs. Rush

For the sake of simplicity, Lio Rush is “Lio” and Rush is “Rush”. Cage sends Lio outside to start and Cassidy is tossed as well, leaving the power guys to go at it. Rush cuts off a charge with a shot to the face but they knock each other down, allowing Cassidy and Lio to come in and get two each.

Lio starts running the ropes to confuse Cassidy before sending him to the apron. A handspring kick to the head knocks Cassidy outside but Cage pulls a suicide dive out of the air. Back in and Rush hits the Tranquilo pose as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy dropping his top rope elbow on Cage, who muscles him up with an apron superplex. Lio is dropped with a Falcon Arrow for two more but Cassidy manages a Stundog Millionaire to send Cage outside.

The diving tornado DDT plants Cage again but here is Lance Archer to cut Cassidy off. Cue the returning Jake Doyle to go after Cassidy, with Roderick Strong running in for the save. The teams brawl off, with Cassidy being carried to the back. Lio hits a quick springboard Stunner on Rush but misses the Final Hour. Rush sends him into the barricade and chokes a bit, setting up the Bull’s Horns for the win at 12:10.

Rating: B-. It was little more than a showcase match and that’s how it was described. Thankfully once two of them left, Rush didn’t waste time in running through Lio, which is how this should have ended. It was a good enough match with Cassidy doing his thing and Cage and Rush beating each other up. If nothing else, Rush beating someone with some actual status is nice to see.

MJF runs into Kevin Knight and thanks him for the beatdown on Sunday. Knight says he’s coming for the World Title, which doesn’t sit well with MJF. Kyle Fletcher comes in to stare Knight down and Don Callis likes what he sees.

Video on Mark Briscoe, including some cool old Briscoe Brothers footage.

The Brawling Birds aren’t happy with Jamie Hayter losing on Sunday but Alex Windsor is ready for whomever she is facing in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup.

Here is MJF for some bragging. He’s rather pleased with being a three time World Champion by the time he’s thirty years old and they will talk about him for years to come. The banner and confetti fall but here is Mark Briscoe to interrupt. He calls MJF a stranger in a strange place here in Philadelphia, almost like he’s a penguin.

Briscoe accuses MJF of thinking he’s above everyone else, but Briscoe beat him not too long ago. So he wants a title shot and asks if MJF is going to man up. That’s a firm “no” because this is a business and Briscoe isn’t business. MJF goes to leave but gets cut off by Rush, who wants the title as well. MJF says no to tonight but actually agrees for next week. That sounds shenanigansy.

Jack Perry is on his bus and uses the loudspeaker to say he’s ready for Mark Davis. Then he does a Rocky training montage.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King

They fight over a lockup to start and neither can get anywhere so they stare at each other a bit more. A big running clothesline sends Castagnoli outside where King chops away and we take a break. We come back with the two of them slugging it out and hitting stereo clotheslines.

They forearm it out with Castagnoli getting the better of things but King knocks him into the corner. A forearm knocks Castagnoli into the corner for the cannonball but he’s able to cut off a suicide dive. The Neutralizer is cut off so Castagnoli uppercuts away. Swiss Death is shrugged off though and King’s big clothesline finishes at 12:02.

Rating: B-. This was about two big guys beating the fire out of each other and that’s exactly what you knew it would be the second the match was announced. I do like King advancing as there is no reason to pretend that Castagnoli is going to make a serious run in the tournament. He’s there for one purpose and he served that purpose right here.

Here are Adam Copeland and Christian Cage for a chat after winning the Tag Team Titles at Double Or Nothing. Cage loads up his catchphrase and says it wasn’t that bad, because he didn’t bang of the fans’ mothers. Ok maybe he did. Either way, FTR was the top team but not the tippy top team. Copeland is so happy that he’s bringing back the FIVE SECOND POSE!

Cage points out that there is no such thing as flash photography again, but Copeland whips out a bag of disposable cameras, which he stocked up on 25 years ago just in case. Cage is STUNNED (that’s one of the funniest facial reactions I’ve seen in a good while) as Copeland hands them out and explains the concept but the Dogs attack them to break up the pose. The beatdown is on and Cage’s bad arm is injured again. The Dogs do their own pose and promise to win the titles.

Swerve Strickland is happy with his first round win and is ready to take out Brody King in the second round.

Tay Melo/Anna Jay vs. Ava Everett/Allie Katch

After an insert promo from Lena Kross and Megan Bayne about how they aren’t impressed by Melo and Jay, we’re ready to go. Katch is sent into the corner and hit with some running shots to the face to start. Everett comes in and gets kicked down as well, setting up a Gory Bomb into Melo’s knee for the pin at 1:13. Total squash.

Mike Bailey wants to face Kevin Knight.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Mark Davis vs. Jack Perry

Non-title and Davis jumps him to start fast so the beating can ensue. Back up and Perry takes Davis’ eye patch and sends him outside for the suicide dives. There’s the running flip dive as well and we take a break with Davis in trouble. We come back with King fighting back and sending him hard into the barricade.

Perry can’t piledrive him on the apron but can knock him put him on the ropes for a hurricanrana. Back in and top rope moonsault gets two, followed by a step up backsplash for two more on Davis. Perry sends him outside and hits a sliding wheelbarrow bulldog but Davis is fine enough to hit a suplex onto the apron.

We take another break and come back with Perry having lost his shoes but being able to hit a top rope DDT. They trade rollups for two each and Perry hits his own piledriver for two. The Snare Trap goes on until Davis makes the rope and is up with a huge clothesline. They go up top and Davis knocks him into a super piledriver for the pin at 17:25.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was fun to see Davis getting another win. If nothing else, it’s good to see a champion get a pin rather than losing right out of the blocks. Perry is going to be fine and he lost to that big of a move so it’s not like it’s some quick upset.

Overall Rating: B+. They had a good followup to the pay per view here with enough action and storyline advancement to make for a fun show. MJF having to deal with a bunch of people makes sense, and it seems like we’re well on the way to Ospreay getting the big title win in England. Good stuff here and I could go for seeing what they’re setting up for the summer.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Ricochet – Lionsault
Rush b. Orange Cassidy, Brian Cage and Lio Rush – Bull’s Horns to Lio
Brody King b. Claudio Castagnoli – Clothesline
Tay Melo/Anna Jay b. Ava Everett/Allie Katch – Gory Bomb into a knee to Everett
Mark Davis b. Jack Perry – Super piledriver

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

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

CMLL
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Johnny Loquasto, Jorge Rivera

This is an interesting one as CMLL has been a regular feature in AEW over the last year plus but this is a show from the promotion itself. I have no idea what to expect here but they’ve been around for over ninety years so they probably know how to put on a good show. This should be interesting so let’s get to it.

Opening video.

If I’m understanding commentary right, this is CMLL’s first ever show in America, or at least their first broadcast. Dang indeed.

Kemalito/Periquito Sacaryas vs. Chamuel/Tengu

Minis match. Sacaryas (who is a bird of some sort) gets taken down a few times to start and it’s off to Kemalito vs. Chamuel. Kemalito grabs a headscissors but Tengu is in with a double underhook faceplant. It’s back to Sacaryas, who is chopped into the corner and a running dropkick has him down again. Tengu gorilla presses Kemalito ten times in a row before going after the mask like a true rudo.

Chamuel drops a leg but Tengu dropkicks him to the floor by mistake. Sacaryas hits a dive and Kemalito comes in, slowly climbs, goes over to the corner, and then grabs the referee’s hand before diving. Thankfully the other team was nice enough to just stand there and wait on him the entire time. Sure they look like morons but at least they’re polite.

Back in and Sacaryas grabs a headscissors out of the corner but gets kicked into the corner. Kemalito comes back in for some armdrags until Tengu gives him a butterfly suplex. Kemalito is back up with a running seated senton for…two, though everyone else seemed to think that was the pin. A quick splash gives Kemalito two more and a Vader Bomb (from the middle of the rope) finishes Tengu at 12:06.

Rating: C+. This is a very different style than you’ll see and it’s weird to see it played…well as straight as it can be played when one of the wrestlers is a bird. These guys can wrestle rather well and it wasn’t a comedy match, making for a rather unique opener. It did have some problems though, with that dive being so delayed that they would have been better off just scrapping the thing. I did like seeing something different though and that’s what we got here.

Women’s Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Persephone

Persephone is defending. Blanchard takes her to the mat to start and works on the leg before they go with some grappling. Blanchard’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Persephone grabs a belly to belly. Back up and Blanchard sends her into the corner for a running right hand and Persephone is rocked. Granted she isn’t rocked enough as she’s back up with a missile dropkick.

Persephone goes up but gets taken out by the leg as the fans are rather into this. Blanchard kicks her in the head and a springboard splash gets two. It’s back to the leg so Persephone punches her in the face for the break. A dropkick puts Blanchard outside but the leg is banged up. Persephone is able to hit a superkick but Blanchard stomps her on the apron in a nasty crash.

A ram into the post has Persephone in more trouble and they head back inside. Blanchard stays on the leg before firing off some kicks to the chest. They go to the apron for a slugout and Persephone grabs a German suplex to rock Blanchard for a change. Back in and Blanchard hits three straight running cutters for two. Persephone fights back and puts her up top but has to block a sunset bomb. A spear into a Razor’s Edge retains the title at 14:50.

Rating: B+. This was a hard hitting, well fought match between two talented wrestlers. Blanchard has a lot of baggage holding her back because otherwise she would be headlining the WWE women’s division. She’s more than good enough to hang in there and it would be great to see her have a chance on the big stage. On the other hand you have Persephone, who is showing she can hang with anyone anywhere. This was a heck of a match and I got way into it, as it felt like you had two women fighting over a prize. Nice job.

Blue Panther vs. Ultimo Guerrero

They’re both legends and Guerrero jumps him to start fast and they’re quickly on the floor with Guerrero chopping away. Back in and Guerrero chops him into the corner for a baseball slide back out to the floor. The fans certainly approve as Guerrero goes after the mask (which Panther has lost before but he gets to wear it due to a special occasion).

With the mask still on, Guerrero chops away but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Panther to knock him outside. There’s the big dive from Panther and he takes his mask off on his own. Panther hits another dive off the ramp but Guerrero grabs a big powerbomb back inside.

That’s fine with Panther, who hits a pair of dives, followed by another dive off the ropes to drop Guerrero again. Back in and Guerrero knocks him down but misses a top rope flip dive. Panther’s top rope hurricanrana gets two and Guerrero goes up, only to get super armdragged down for the pin at 12:53.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of a match that was all about the legends getting in the ring and it worked out well enough. Panther does look a bit out of place in there but he was more than capable of doing the athletic stuff and looked good in the process. I liked this more than I was expecting and you certainly can’t argue the star power.

Post match respect is shown and money is thrown.

Barboza/Difunto/Soberano Jr. vs. Esfinge/Valiente Jr./Xelhua

2/3 falls. Xelhua and Soberano start things off and lock up against the ropes to no avail. They go to the mat with Soberano working on the let but getting rolled up for two. Xelhua takes him down by the arm and ties up the legs but Soberano reverses into a leglock of his own. Difunto and Valiente come in with Valiente flipping around, including rolling on the rope (awesome) into an armdrag.

Everything breaks down but Valiente and company’s triple dives are cut off. Valiente gets chopped against the ropes and a triple basement dropkick gets two on Xelhua. Esfinge gets sent into the corner for some clotheslines, followed by a top rope rope walk dropkick to give Difunto the first fall at 8:28.

Difunto goes after Esfinge’s mask and a double flapjack puts Xelhua down. A running boot drops Xelhua and Valiente gets beaten down as well. Valiente gets thrown into the air but lands with a hurricanrana to Barboza in a sweet counter. Esfinge is back in with a high crossbody before firing off some tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. A rather crazy leg trap rollup pins Difunto and we’re tied at 14:01.

We pause for a bit before Soberano and Barboza tease a brawl before hugging instead. Xelhua cleans house and it’s off to Esfinge, who gets kicked down from the apron so the rudos can stomp away. Esfinge fights back and hits a Lethal Injection for two on Soberano. Valiente and Soberano trade superkicks with the latter grabbing a suplex for two. Difunto comes in and gets kicked down by Esfinge, who hands it back to Xelhua.

Valiente’s standing moonsault hits Difunto for two and Esfinge fights out of the corner. Soberano’s top rope splash gets two on Esfinge, leaving Valiente to hit a dive to the floor. Back in and Esfinge and Xelhua hit stereo frog splashes for two each. Xelhua hits a dive and Valiente does the same, leaving Valiente to Spanish Fly Soberano for two more. Back up and Soberano grabs a sitout Tombstone to finish Valiente for the win at 27:21.

Rating: B+. Here’s how I can tell this worked: I barely know anything about these guys (I know a few names) but they were paired together and I understood the story they were telling. That’s one of those things that goes beyond language and makes wrestling work so well. It was a good match and the time flew by, as this was great stuff.

Commentary talks for a bit while the ring announcer hypes the crowd.

Captain Suicida/Flip Gordon vs. Mascara Dorada/Neon

They trade rapid fire takedowns to start until Gordon hand walks away from Neon. A springboard wristdrag takes Gordon down and Dorada comes in with a high crossbody to Suicida. Gordon and Dorada trade missed shots until Gordon hits a springboard missile dropkick. Suicida is back in with a dive to Dorada on the floor.

Everything breaks down again and Neon and Dorada hit a superkick each. The running flip dives take Suicida and Gordon down again, followed by Dorada’s standing shooting star press for two on Gordon. Suicida gets in a cheap shot from the apron and Gordon adds a moonsault but Neon kicks him in the head.

Gordon is back up with a springboard spinning Stunner to Dorada and everyone is down. Back up and a rather spinning armdrag out of the corner brings Gordon down, with Dorada adding a super Spanish Fly for two. Suicida is fine enough to hit a twisting Swanton on Neon, who pops up for a poisonrana. Neon and Dorada hit big dives to the floor, followed by an inverted 450 and shooting star press for the stereo pins at 11:43.

Rating: B. There’s a reason Dorada/Neon and Mistico are such big deals in CMLL as they can fly around with the best of them. It was fun to see these guys tearing the house down, with Gordon and Suicida more than holding up their side. Rather fun stuff here and it was good to see them getting a chance on this big of a stage.

Atlantis Jr. vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli jumps him to start and even whips him with his own cape. Atlantis is back up with a headscissors to the floor but Castagnoli is out of the way before a dive can launch. Castagnoli hammers away against the barricade before working on the arm back inside. It’s too early to take off Atlantis’ mask so he sends Castagnoli outside for a suicide dive.

Back in and a rolling cutter gives Atlantis two but Castagnoli cutters him off the top for two more. The Neutralizer is blocked but they clothesline each other down for a double breather. Atlantis’ short DDT gets two so he goes up, only to get butterfly superplexed right back down.

Castagnoli misses a charge into the corner and gets powerslammed down, with Atlantis dropping a frog splash for two. Another frog splash misses and Castagnoli hits Swiss Death for a rather near fall, followed by a basement uppercut for the same. The Swing sets has Atlantis in trouble and the Neutralizer finishes him off at 14:31.

Rating: B. It was almost surprising to see Castagnoli win here but he is a former CMLL World Champion so this did fit in all things considered. The end was Castagnoli activating Beast Mode, which is where he shines the most. There is a level he can reach which makes him feel like an unstoppable monster and that was more than enough to run through Atlantis.

Post match respect is shown before Castagnoli leaves in a hurry.

Angel de Oro/Hechicero vs. Mistico/Templario

2/3 falls. Hold on though as Angel walks up the ramp, with Hechicero having to go get him. Templario and Hechicero start things off with Hechicero tying the leg up in the ropes. They go to the mat for some grappling, with Templario actually managing to send him into the corner. Hechicero isn’t having that and they trade rollups until Templario is taken into the wrong corner.

Angel comes in and gets armdragged down, allowing Mistico to come in for quite the reaction. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker hits Angel but Hechicero goes after Mistico’s mask. Mistico elbows his way out of trouble and it’s Templario with a superkick. Templario’s Samoan driver and Mistico’s Swanton (the latter of which doesn’t come close) are good for the first fall at 6:57.

Angel comes back in to forearm away at Templario, who is fine with fighting back as well. Templario walks the rope for a hurricanrana and then Spinaroonis up. Mistico comes in for an exchange of bows to the crowd but Hechicero sneaks in a dropkick. That doesn’t get them very far as Mistico hits a 619 into a springboard missile dropkick. The suicide dive is pulled out of the air before the rudos pull at Templario’s legs. A spinning faceplant drops Mistico and Angel’s top rope frog splash gets the pint o tie it up at 14:17.

Templario comes back in and gets superkicked, leaving Mistico to get chopped in the corner again. The good guys are back up with some running hurricanranas, followed by Mistico’s Code Red. Hechicero hits his swinging backbreaker but gets dropped by Templario. Angel cuts him off as well but Templario does…something to Hechicero on the floor. La Mistica makes Angel tap at 19:27 for the win.

Rating: B. There was no way the main event was going to be anyone but Mistico and that’s what we got here. Templario is more than good enough to hang in there and Hechicero is the World Champion. That leaves Angel, who did rather well in his own right. The fans were into everything they were seeing here, which isn’t surprising as it had one of the most popular stars in the world.

The winners celebrate to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: A-. There’s a reason this promotion is on such a hot streak and they showcased it right here. There was nothing close to bad and the action was pretty much non-stop. I completely get that this style isn’t for everyone, but dang this wound up being an outstanding show. Really fun stuff here and you can enjoy it without following CMLL whatsoever, which is a great bonus.

Results
Kemalito/Periquito Sacaryas b. Chamuel/Tengu – Springboard splash to Tengu
Persephone b. Tessa Blanchard – Razor’s Edge
Blue Panther b. Ultimo Guerrero – Super armdrag
Soberano Jr./Difunto/Barboza b. Valiente Jr./Xelhua/Esfinge 2-1
Neon/Mascara Dorada b. Captain Suicida/Flip Gordon – Double pin
Claudio Castagnoli b. Atlantis Jr. – Neutralizer
Mistico/Templario b. Angel de Oro/Hechicero 2-1

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

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

Dynamite
Date: April 15, 2026
Location: Angel Of The Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Bryan Danielson

It’s the first show after Dynasty, which was another good pay per view that ended with MJF retaining the World Title over Kenny Omega. That is the kind of ending that would leave you wondering where the title picture is going next, but this isn’t the most common situation. In this case we have Darby Allin coming after the title after beating Andrade El Idolo on Sunday. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynasty if you need a recap.

MJF arrives and ignores Renee Paquette but talks to Don Callis. After an exchange of pleasantries and praise, MJF says Andrade will never be title material because he screwed up. Renee finally yells at MJF to get his attention: Allin wants his title match TONIGHT and it’s RIGHT NOW. MJF: “WHAT THE F***???”

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Darby Allin

MJF is defending but hang on because he says this isn’t happening and threatens to sue everyone from Allin to that pervert Justin Roberts. MJF says that Allin is talented but not that good so…and Allin cuts him off. Allin says you only need one night to turn the wrestling world on its head.

He’s crying as he talks about how he hung posters for this show. He worked so hard to get here and climbed Mount Everest and now he wants the World Title. RING THE BELL! Actually hang on as Bryan Danielson grabs the mic and says Tony Khan agrees that it isn’t fair for MJF to defend the title on no notice. So he can defend it against Allin….in tonight’s main event or be stripped of the title. MJF is ticked and Allin is thrilled. No match here.

After Dynasty, Kenny Omega didn’t have much to say but ran into Will Ospreay in the trainer’s room. Omega doesn’t think he has much time left but Ospreay has the heart of a wrestler and years to go. Ospreay wants the World Title and thinks Omega can do it too. He calls Omega his hero and leaves. The hero bit gets to Omega, who thinks he might still have a chance and asks for the cameras to be cut. This was good stuff, as Omega being the legend who isn’t sure if he has it anymore and Ospreay as the current version of what Omega used to be is interesting.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Dezmond Xavier

Ciampa stomps away to start fast and sends him into the barricade. Xavier flips over the steps and sticks the landing, followed by a dropkick back inside. Ciampa is ready for the dive and it’s a staredown as we take a break. We come back with Ciampa grabbing a chinlock and throwing up the bicep.

Xavier fights up and strikes away, setting up a middle rope tornado DDT for two. The 450 misses though and Ciampa hits a discus forearm, only to get knocked out to the floor. Xavier hits a dive and now the 450 connects for two. Ciampa knees a springboard out of the air though and Project Ciampa connects. The running knee finishes Xavier at 9:38.

Rating: B-. Ciampa continues to do his thing and should be moving up to the next level at some point. They had a good, fast paced match as Ciampa cut off the high flying and won in the end. I’m not sure where Ciampa is going, but he’s done well with everything he’s done around here thus far. Just find something bigger for him to do.

Post match Ciampa says he wants it all. As in the World Title. Well that’s bigger. Ciampa gets in a cheap shot on Xavier before leaving.

Video on MJF vs. Darby Allin, including MJF beating him with an armdrag takeover.

Here is FTR, with Stokely, for a chat. Harwood talks about how the fans are losers, just like Adam Copeland and Christian Cage when they lost at Dynasty. Stokely talks about all of the teams FTR has beaten and Wheeler wants a moment of silence for Copeland and Cage. We go old school with a ten second pose from FTR to wrap it up.

TNT Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kevin Knight

Knight is defending after winning the title on Dynasty. Some early rollups give Knight two and he dropkicks Castagnoli out to the floor. Castagnoli is back up with an uppercut and a hard slam, followed by the neck crank. That’s broken up and Knight sends him outside for a dive as we take an early break.

We come back with Castagnoli missing an elbow and getting rolled up for two. A top rope clothesline hits Castagnoli and Knight grabs a slam of his own. Castagnoli is sent outside for a big running flip dive and they head right back inside. The super hurricanrana is blocked, as is the super Neutralizer (because that might hurt a lot).

Knight tries a super DDT, which is countered into…something close to a pop up uppercut (it didn’t seem to make contact but fair enough as that was a pretty complicated spot). Knight is back up and springboards into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, meaning it’s time to go Swinging. A catapult sends Knight into the corner but he bounces back with a spinning clothesline. The UFO Splash retains the title at 9:44.

Rating: B. I could go for more of Knight as he’s getting better and more confident in the ring almost every day. That’s a great thing to see as Knight has all kinds of talent and it works to have him in the ring like this. At the same time, Castagnoli is someone who is at his best when he is making someone else look good and beating him clean still feels like a pretty big deal. Nice match.

Post match Knight praises Castagnoli and says he’s not mad at Mike Bailey about losing the Trios Titles. This is moving through another door and he’s ready to go.

Video on Ricochet beating Chris Jericho at Dynasty.

Here is Jericho for a chat. Jericho soaks in some cheering before saying he might have lost at Dynasty because he was down 3-1. Cue the Demand, with Ricochet saying he had the chance to win on Sunday by using what is now the Ricosault. Now Jericho should just leave for good as we’ve seen everything he has.

Jericho thinks Ricosault is a brutal name and keeps calling out Ricochet for being bald while issuing the challenge to come down here one on one. Ricochet gets in the ring and Jericho beats him up, only for the Gates Of Agony to come in and drop Jericho without much trouble. Ricochet even adds a Ricosault. So who does Jericho get to help him?

At Dynasty, Konosuke Takeshita mocked Kazuchika Okada after their loss, which Takeshita intentionally caused.

Will Ospreay vs. Hechicero

Hechicero’s CMLL World Title isn’t on the line. Hechicero takes him down by the arm to start before going after Ospreay’s taped up neck. A headscissors is broken up but Ospreay’s neck is in trouble. Ospreay is able to hit a running hurricanrana into a slingshot dive and we take an early break.

We come back with Hechicero hitting his swinging hammerlock backbreaker. Hechicero spins the neck around and Ospreay has to bail out to the floor. Back in and Hechicero grabs the surfboard but Ospreay escapes for a handspring kick to the head. Hechicero gets up and takes his straps down, allowing Ospreay to fire off some chops. The Hidden Blade is countered into a headscissor driver and we take another break as the medics look at Ospreay’s neck.

We come back again with Hechicero choking on the apron and then knocking him out to the floor. A top rope elbow to the back of the neck gives Hechicero two but Ospreay hits a Stundog Millionaire. Ospreay kicks him in the head but the Oscutter is blocked. Hechicero tries the cross armbreaker so Ospreay stands up and reversed into the Styles Clash (that was slick). The Hidden Blade finishes Hechicero at 17:56.

Rating: A-. You know what this was? An awesome comic book miniseries. Hechicero wasn’t going to beat a star like Ospreay but the superhero fought back against the lesser known villain and beat him after an entertaining fight before moving on to the bigger issues. You could see Ospreay trying to find a way around Hechicero’s skills and hit his big shot, which is exactly what happened in the end. Awesome match here and I got way into this.

Post match Mark Davis runs in to take out Ospreay and gives him a piledriver.

After being attacked by Kamille at Dynasty, Willow Nightingale says she’s ready to take Kamille out on Dynamite.

Renee Paquette is here to talk to…someone but Thekla interrupts. She says the Toxic Spider is in the house and brags about beating Jamie Hayter. Cue Alex Windsor who wants a fight of her own and calls out Thekla for getting fired from Japan. Thekla: “I did not get fired from Japan! Ok I did get fired from Japan!”

Japan couldn’t handle her, just like Windsor can’t do it. The challenge is on and here are the Sisters Of Sin, who are taken out just as fast. Thekla is one of the best, or certainly most entertaining, on the mic in the company, with her firing line being hilarious. Even if she just slipped up, she rolled with it and it worked fine.

Jon Moxley, with the Death Riders, doesn’t feel bad about going after Will Ospreay’s neck to beat him at Dynasty. He’ll be facing Nick Wayne on Collision and doesn’t know much about him, so hopefully Wayne has a surprise.

TBS Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Kamille

Nightingale is defending and strikes away to start fast. Kamille is back to work on the bad arm and twists it down as we take an early break. We come back with Nightingale sending her into the corner for the Cannonball. A running X Factor and Rough Ryder give Kamille two so she tries a cross armbreaker. Nightingale stacks her up for two and sends Kamille into the corner. A backslide retains the title at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Well that came out of nowhere. I’m not sure what the point was in having Kamille come back to win a squash at Dynasty and then lose in a title match three days later. I like Nightingale getting this kind of a win, but this felt like it was rushed through at the last minute rather than at the beginning, which is basically the case coming straight off of a pay per view.

Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander are ready to win at Collision. Well Shida is at least, as Statlander can’t get a word in edgewise.

Darby Allin is asked about the main event….and Sting shows up. Allin says it’s showtime, but Sting says it’s YOUR time. Allin has to win here right? Like….he has to right?

AEW World Title: Darby Allin vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Allin is challenging and after the Big Match Intros, MJF backs away and asks for time. MJF gives the ring to the referee and uses the distraction to kick Allin low. Allin shoves MJF away though and the referee ducks, allowing Allin to hit a low blow of his own. The Scorpion Death Drop sets up four straight Coffin Drops….and Allin grabs a headlock takeover for the pin and the title at 2:15.

The locker room comes out to celebrate with Allin and even Grandpa Sting shows up for the big feel good moment.

Whoo boy. Ok then. I’m not a big Allin fan, but this couldn’t have gone much better. Allin is someone who has felt ready to move up to the title picture more than once and they threw a curve ball by having him do it this way. They had the very nice touch thrown in of MJF cheating first so Allin’s low blow was evening the score instead of cheating as well.

The headlock takeover was great as well and the whole thing went so fast that you were left wondering if it would actually happen. Normally I would say “save it for the PPV”, but I like the change of pace here with the out of absolutely nowhere ending. It is absolutely not something you can do very often, but if you nail it like this, it’s ok if done very infrequently. Great moment.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this went pretty great, with the outstanding shock title change unfortunately overshadowing an incredible Ospreay vs. Hechicero match. There wasn’t much else worth seeing on the show, but I’m thinking a 1-2 punch like they had here was more than enough. I’m not sure I’d call this a big reset, but it was a huge moment in the end and that went about as perfectly as possible. Awesome show here, though I have no idea where things are going from here (which isn’t a bad thing).

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Dezmond Xavier – Running knee
Kevin Knight b. Claudio Castagnoli – UFO Splash
Will Ospreay b. Hechicero – Hidden Blade
Willow Nightingale b. Kamille – Backslide
Darby Allin b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Headlock takeover

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

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

PWG Eight
Date: July 23, 2011
Location: American Legion Post #308, Reseda, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Hero, Chuck Taylor, Kevin Steen

This promotion is often all over the place, but it can have some rather entertaining shows. Usually the bigger the shows, the better they get, and this one happens to be an anniversary show. As usual, I have no idea what is going on here as I’ve only seen random events, though storylines only mean so much around here anyway. Let’s get to it.

Pac vs. Kevin Steen

This is Pac’s return to PWG and Steen realizes that Pac has bulked up. Steen: “YOU GOT F****** HUGE!” Actually hang on as Steen sees Pac’s arm band and runs to the back to get one of his own. They finally lock up nearly three minutes in and Steen powers him into the corner, with commentary asking how you pronounce “Pac”.

A hard shot to the face knocks Steen into the corner so Steen shouts something that we can’t hear because Excalibur won’t stop running his mouth. They go to the test of strength, with Steen kicking him in the ribs as he knows he’s in trouble. Steen hits the ropes for the hard running shoulder but Pac is back with a running hurricanrana. The standing shooting star has Steen bailing out to the floor for some intense staring. The referee tells Steen to get back inside. Steen: “You fight him!” Fan: “We want wrestling!” Steen: “THIS IS WRESTLING YOU F*** FACE!!!”

We go back to the test of strength with Steen snapping off a monkey flip and stomping Pac’s head down for quite the crash. That lets Steen stop for some pushups but Pac actually wins an exchange of forearms. A dropkick sends Steen outside, where he sidesteps a running flip dive. Steen spinebusters him onto the apron and there’s a slow motion Bang Bang elbow off the apron. This lets commentary make a bunch of video game references and…yeah fair enough as this is a place where you can get away with it.

Steen seems to stick his finger in Pac’s nose before dropping a backsplash for two. The fans start getting on Steen so he stands on Pac’s hair (Hero: “Utilizing one of Kelly Kelly’s favorite moves!”). They get back up and slug it out, with Steen going to the apron and trying a superplex. That doesn’t work so Pac grabs a slingshot cutter to knock Steen silly instead.

The corkscrew Asai moonsault to the floor sets up a high crossbody for two on Steen back inside as commentary talks about Youtube videos. Another cutter is countered into an F5 (with a diverticulitis reference) to drop Pac for two but Steen stops to respond to a fan (Steen: “I’M A LITTLE BUSY A******!”). That lets Pac kick him into a German suplex and a running enziguri catches Steen on top. A running Frankensteiner is countered into a super Regal Roll for two and Steen can’t believe the kickout.

Steen hits a pair of moonsaults, the latter onto the legs, into the Sharpshooter but Pac dives over to the rope. Pac knocks him down and goes up for an inverted 450 (because that’s something that can be done) so Pac goes up again. This time Steen is there to catch him with a top rope hanging DDT for two more. Steen is livid and Pac blocking the package piledriver makes it worse. A poisonrana drops Steen on his head but the shooting star press hits raised knees, allowing Steen to get the small package pin at 23:08.

Rating: B+. This was very much a PWG match, with Steen yelling a lot and a good deal of crowd play to go along with the hard hitting stuff. Pac was starting to get somewhere with the bigger size and incredible aerials, which is why he was signed so soon after this. On the other hand you have Steen, who certainly feels like a major star around here. Rather fun match here and a heck of an opener which didn’t feel nearly that long.

Post match Pac gets the PLEASE COME BACK chant.

Brian Cage-Taylor vs. Brandon Gatson

Cage is…oh a good sixty pounds lighter than his crazy muscular look. They have some issues ringing the bell before Gatson starts with a wristlock. Cage gets to the ropes as commentary goes into stories about beating up plants. Gatson cuts off some knees to the ribs and hits a running forearm, only for Cage to come back with a left armed Stunner. Cage sends him outside where the big dive is cut off with a forearm.

That means a standing Tarantula of all things can go on, followed by something like a Stunner to the leg. A PerfectPlex gives Gatson two but he slingshots into a release German suplex. The chinlock goes on as commentary starts talking about Chris Benoit coming out to a song about killing a baby. The abdominal stretch doesn’t last long for Cage, who plants him down hard for two instead.

A kind of Angle Slam gives Cage two as commentary goes on about the former Gorgeous George (90s edition) and how she caused Randy Savage to drive into a tree (no). Gatson comes back with some spinning kicks to the head and some rolling neckbreakers have Cage down again. The third neckbreaker is countered into a northern lights suplex for two and they knock each other down. Gatson is up first and misses a moonsault, only to come back with a moonsault for two.

Back up and Gatson tries to jump over him but Cage gets in a shot to the ribs for two more. Cage’s suplex to the floor is cut off by a nasty superkick but Gatson misses a Sasuke Special. Gatson is fine enough to kick him in the face though and they’re both down again. Another superkick drops Cage again and they get back inside. Something resembling a McGillicutter has Gatson in trouble for a change and Weapon X (without a smooth landing) finishes Gatson at 14:08.

Rating: B-. This match had the problem of following the much better opener, which had a lot more time and better stars. Cage looking so small was the amazing part of this one, as he looked nothing like his more famous version. I’ve seen Gatson a few times now and he’s not bad at all. I could have seen him going further but it never happened for some reason.

Alex Shelley/Roderick Strong vs. El Generico/Ricochet

Yeah this should be good. Generico and Shelley start things off with a rather tentative test of strength until Shelley grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Shelley is ready for a leapfrog, meaning the headlock goes on again. Generico gets up and flips over him, setting up some rapid fire armdrags. Ricochet (with his weird mohawk) comes in and grabs a headlock, with Shelley grabbing the hair in a smart move.

Granted it doesn’t work but it’s smart. Shelley bites the hand to escape and grabs his own headlock and hands it off to Strong. That means it’s time for Ricochet to pick up the speed with the dives before grabbing a front facelock on Shelley. That’s reversed into a rocking horse of all things, which naturally doesn’t last long with Ricochet getting back over to Generico.

The chinlock goes on to keep Shelley in trouble and Ricochet is back in with a double arm crank. Shelley starts to break it up but Generico comes in with a chop to cut that off in a smart move. Generico comes back in with a high crossbody to send Shelley outside, where a big running flip dive takes him out again. Strong picks Ricochet up and throws him over the top for a crash as well.

Ricochet gets dropped face first onto the apron, followed by what would be known as the Devil’s Kiss back inside. Strong slams him down again and we hit the chinlock, with the fans already rhythmically clapping. A Liontamer version of a Texas Cloverleaf (or something like one) goes on before Shelley comes right back in to hammer away. It’s right back to Strong for a basement superkick and a suplex gets two.

An Irish Curse gives Strong two and Shelley is back in to knock Generico off the apron. Ricochet manages to backflip out of a double belly to back suplex and sends the….I guess villains into each other, followed by a double Pele. That’s enough for the tag off to Generico, who cleans house, including a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Strong. Back up and Strong kicks Generico in the face, followed by an Angle Slam for two on Ricochet.

What looks like End Of Heartache is countered into a hurricanrana to give Ricochet two but Strong drops Ricochet again. Shelley hits a painful looking top rope double stomp for two, with Generico having to dive in for the save. The Helluva Kick/enziguri combination hits Shelley in the corner and it’s another Helluva Kick into a brainbuster. Generico isn’t legal though so Ricochet misses a 450. A nasty End Of Heartache finishes Ricochet at 22:06.

Rating: B+. Another action based match and that was a fun thing to see. Generico was doing his thing as usual and the other three were more able to hang with him. This was the kind of match I was expecting from PWG, as it was all about having people flying around the ring until one more finisher was enough for the win. Good stuff as the hot start continues.

Post match Generico and Ricochet aren’t on the same page. Ricochet looks close to swinging but stops, with Generico shoving him instead. The fans want the bell to ring but Ricochet spits at him and runs off.

Peter Avalon vs. Ryan Taylor

Taylor works on the arm to start as commentary tries to figure out how the Taylor boys are related. Avalon escapes an armbar as the fans are all over Taylor, with Avalon playing right into it. Avalon’s headlock works a bit better as we hear about the first PWG show taking place near a Magic The Gathering competition. Taylor twists the arm down onto the mat and stomps away but lands on some knees in what might have been an intentional low blow.

We pause for a Booker T. pose from Avalon, with Taylor cutting it off. Taylor does the same thing and Avalon breaks it up as well, so they decide that they should both do Spinaroonis. Excalibur: “And they both sucked.” Taylor goes back after the arm but gets driven into the corner as commentary previews a tag match. Avalon knocks him outside for a suicide dive, followed by an elbow to the jaw for two back inside.

Taylor ducks a big kick to the face and scores with a clothesline to leave them both down. Back up and Taylor strikes away, followed by a Rock Bottom for two. A kick to the head gives Taylor two more and he drives Avalon into the corner. That lets Avalon hit a middle rope knee to the back of the head and Taylor rolls outside. With nothing else working, Avalon grabs a chair but here is Brian Cage-Taylor to take it away. Avalon rams the Taylors together though and a small package, with trunks, pins Ryan at 12:06.

Rating: C+. This was the weakest part of the show thus far but it was still perfectly fine. That’s not a bad thing to see, as not every match on the card can be some kind of all time classic. They had a good, hard hitting match here though with Taylor showcasing himself well. I still don’t get much out of Avalon, but he’s fine enough most of the time.

RockNES Monster vs. The Dynasty

That would be Johnny Goodtime/Johnny Yuma vs. Scorpio Sky/Joey Ryan. The Dynasty dropkick them to the floor to start fast and hit some dives for the double knockdown. They split off and brawl on the floor, with Goodtime hitting Ryan in the head with a water bottle. Apparently the match hasn’t started yet as Ryan and Goodtime go out into the crowd. Yuma manages to come over and help stomp at Ryan so Sky gets a charge on the apron and hits a big dive.

Yuma and Ryan go inside and we actually get the opening bell. Sky kicks Goodtime down and the Dynasty knee him in the head, which looks rather painful. Goodtime manages to backdrop Sky out to the floor for a crash, only to get dropkicked by Ryan. One heck of an Asai moonsault takes Sky down and there’s a headscissors to do it again. Back in and Goodtime high crossbodies Ryan for two but Sky is back in.

That’s fine with Goodtime, who suplexes him over the top but crashes out as well. Yuma tries a springboard but gets superkicked down, leaving Ryan to get missile dropkicked by Goodtime. Ryan is back up to spear Yuma and Goodtime sends Sky chest first into the buckle. A pumphandle suplex puts Ryan in the corner but is right back up with a Tombstone into Sky’s frog splash.

That just earns Sky a powerbomb into Ryan in the corner and a leg lift DDT drops Ryan for two. Back up and Yuma is knocked outside, meaning it’s a series of strikes to knock Goodtime into Sky’s TKO. Cue the Young Bucks for a distraction though, allowing the Monsters to hit an enziguri/cutter combination on Ryan. Goodtime Death Valley Drivers Yuma onto Ryan for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: B-. Another fun enough match here, though Goodtime was wrestling like such a superhero that prime John Cena would have found it a bit much. The Dynasty was a team that was around for a long time in PWG and had quite the success so I’d assume we can call this a big upset. Either way, it was another good match, though the lack of time took away from it a bit.

Young Bucks vs. Kevin Steen/Cima

The Bucks’ Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. The Bucks jump them from behind to start and double team Steen inside. Cima is back in for the save as apparently this is about the Bucks disrespecting Cima’s stablemate Akira Tozawa. Hold on though as Matt wants to prove that he can do pushups, allowing Cima to stomp him down without much trouble. Steen slams Cima onto Matt but Cima can’t slam Steen onto Nick. Well not at first at least, as the fans have to help him make it work.

Steen goes to slam the referee but gets chop blocked to cut him off. A double apron bomb has Steen in more trouble and we settle down to Steen biting Nick’s finger. Matt isn’t having that and takes Steen into the corner for some right hands. Steen spits at him and Cima comes in to rake the eyes, which doesn’t get him very far. Nick starts mocking Dixie Carter, with Excalibur suggesting that the Bucks slept with Carter to get their jobs in TNA. A front facelock has Steen in more trouble until he bites the leg, followed by the face, to escape.

The Bucks go after Steen’s knee again to cut him back down but the Scorpion Deathlock is broken up. Steen is able to get over to Cima to clean house but the Bucks cut him off again. A springboard splash connects with Steen having to make a save. Steen gets caught on the apron and kicked out to the floor, allowing the Bucks to kick away some more. The Bucks drape Steen in the ropes for a 450 and a near fall, meaning it’s time to look shocked.

More Bang For Your Buck is broken up though and Steen hits a package piledriver. Steen’s top rope Meteora gets two with Matt making the save. Matt spits on Steen, who blocks another Scorpion Deathlock attempt. A powerbomb drops Matt and Steen grabs the Scorpion as Cima Air Raid Crashes Nick. Cima adds a top rope Meteora to Matt while the hold is still on and Matt taps at 15:04.

Rating: B. I can always go for seeing the Bucks take a beating and it worked well here. Steen is having a rather nice night thus far and you can see the star power that WWE saw in him. Cima is someone I’ve only seen so much of and he’s worked well every time. Good match here as the Bucks may be annoying but they can be entertaining.

Post match Nick reveals it was a non-title match, which was already mentioned by commentary. The Bucks also want back in TNA so they can fight real stars like Eric Young and Shark Boy. Matt talks about how they built this company and Cima hasn’t been relevant since 2006. Steen can go get fired by another promotion, which is enough for him to chase the Bucks off. Cima thanks the fans, who want him back. The Bucks have left a belt behind and Steen tells them to come get it.

PWG World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero

Castagnoli is defending. They test the top rope, after it apparently broke in their previous match. Castagnoli works on the arm to start but Hero wrestles him down and starts in on the leg. That’s broken up with Castagnoli going after Hero’s leg, which is enough for a standoff. Castagnoli ties up the leg again but steps on the rope, with Kevin Steen (on commentary) calling him out for being a cheater.

Hero reverses into a leglock of his own as commentary mocks the idea of various wrestlers sleeping with Dixie Carter. Back up and Hero grabs a full nelson, with Castagnoli swinging him around but not being able to break it. Steen of course wants to see the Uncle Slam, ala the Patriot, which lets Excalibur blow his mind by revealing that Tom Brandi/Salvatore Sincere later wrestled as the Patriot.

The hold is broken up and it’s time to make fun of Test for being dead. A cravate holds Castagnoli in place as Excalibur gets to tell Steen about the Chris Benoit joke from earlier. Excalibur: “Twice in one night folks. That’s what you get with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.” Castagnoli gets a headlock and Hero wiggles out, only to get pulled right back into the same thing.

The hold stays on for a good while as Excalibur brings up the Benoit joke AGAIN. Hero reverses into a headscissors but Castagnoli reverses into a handstand as commentary seems envious of Castagnoli’s physique. Castagnoli works on the arm for a good while until Hero is back up with a boot to the face. That’s enough to send Castagnoli outside, with Hero hitting a running boot to the face through the ropes for the big crash. Castagnoli chops the post by mistake as Steen is yawning on commentary.

Back in and Hero strikes away, including some rather hard chops. The shoulders in the corner keep Castagnoli in trouble and Hero crushes him with a backsplash. Castagnoli rolls outside, where he catches Hero with a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes to bang up the knee. Back in and Castagnoli stays on the leg, including a reverse Indian deathlock. The bad leg is wrapped around the post and Castagnoli even uses the post for some painful looking cranks.

A running dropkick takes out the knee again and Castagnoli pulls on it inside, at least until Hero kicks him in the head. Castagnoli is fine enough to grab the Figure Four, with Hero having to go to the eyes for the break. They go outside with Hero getting slammed onto some chairs, followed by a snapmare to send the knee into the ropes. Castagnoli switches over to the back with a camel clutch and Hero’s knee gives out as he tries to stand up. The hold is broken anyway and Hero snaps off a very painful sounding chop.

A flipping cravate neckbreaker puts Castagnoli down but Hero needs a breather, even to the point of changing knee pads. Some shots to the face put Castagnoli down and Hero grabs another neckbreaker. Hero goes up but gets dragon screw legwhipped back down, allowing Castagnoli to grab a half crab. That’s broken up and Hero forearms him out of the air, followed by la majistral for two. Some boots to the face just seem to make Castagnoli scream a lot but Hero finally knocks him out to the floor.

That’s good for a nineteen count before Castagnoli comes back in, where an elbow to the face gives Hero two more. Hero tries a Riccola Bomb of his own but Castagnoli reverses into a one legged Swing. The Neutralizer (a Brock Lock rather than the piledriver faceplant) goes on, with Hero bailing over to the rope. Somehow Hero escapes that as well and goes up, where a super flipping cravate neckbreaker gets two. Hero loads up the discus elbow but his knee gives out. Instead he fires off a cyclone boot for two more but Castagnoli uppercuts him into another Neutralizer for the tap at 37:08.

Rating: B. This was a good example of a match that was rather good but would have been even better if it was shorter. They went longer than they needed to, though there was something awesome about seeing Castagnoli working on the leg like that and then cranking it until Hero gave up. Of course they had great chemistry together as they always did, though shaving off about eight or so minutes would have helped a lot.

Post match Kevin Steen comes to the ring and asks for a title shot, which he has officially earned after his recent victories. Steen wants a title shot at the next…and the fans say no. They seem to want to see it right now and Steen is in. Castagnoli moves the referee out of the way and then says no. That’s fine with Steen, who says Castagnoli will have to face him eventually. Then Castagnoli runs back in and kicks him in the head, bumping the referee in the process. That’s enough for a bell and we’re on.

PWG World Title: Kevin Steen vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli is defending and tries the Riccola Bomb but Steen reverses into a Sharpshooter. Cue the Young Bucks to superkick Steen for the save as another referee comes down. The Dynasty runs in to take out the Bucks and Castagnoli hits a big lariat. The Riccola Bomb is countered into a Code Red for two, followed by the package piledriver to make Steen champion at 1:34.

The fans declare this awesome and thank Castagnoli as Chris Hero comes back in to help Castagnoli up to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this was pretty awesome stuff, with nothing but either rather awesome or at worst good action throughout. It’s the definition of popcorn wrestling as they’re just throwing matches out there to pop the crowd and it worked rather well. PWG is a good example of a company where you know exactly what you’re getting and it worked well here. I had a good time and they nailed what is probably their biggest show of the year.

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

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

Collision
Date: March 7, 2026
Location: Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We are eight days away from Revolution and the card has mostly already come together. There are still a few spots to be filled though and some of those might be taken care of this week. Other than that, the Tag Team Titles are on the line here as the Rascalz challenge FTR. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Rascalz

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is defending and Myron Reed is here with the Rascalz. Wentz takes Wheeler down to start so it’s off to Harwood for a hiptoss. Harwood takes him into a corner for a slap, only to get slapped out to the floor. Xavier comes in and slugs away but gets elbowed in the face. With Xavier on the floor and fighting off both champions, Wentz is there with a big corkscrew dive to take out FTR.

Back in and Wentz stomps on Harwood’s arm, setting up a quickly broken armbar. Harwood takes Wentz outside and suckers him into a clothesline from Wheeler. We take a break and come back with Wentz kicking FTR down and rolling through the legs for the tag off to Xavier. Harwood isn’t having any of this comeback thing and drops Xavier with a clothesline as everything breaks down.

The Rascalz hit stereo dives and Wentz hits a Swanton for two back inside. Wheeler takes Xavier out on the floor and Harwood’s top rope belly to back superplex gets two on Wentz. Harwood and Wentz strike it out until Wentz gets a small package for two. The Hot Fire Flame (or Flash according to Nigel) hits raised knees and FTR is back with a BTE Trigger to Wentz. The Tony Khan Driver is broken up though and Wentz strikes away, only to walk into the Shatter Machine to retain the titles at 15:06.

Rating: B+. There was no reason to believe that FTR was losing the titles here but I was pulled into the match well enough that I was buying some of the Rascalz’s near falls. That takes quite the effort and they made it work here. FTR gets to show what they can do, which is a nice reminder as they have mainly just been talking on the way to Revolution.

Post match Mark Briscoe comes out to do commentary for the next match and has a tense yet respectful meeting with FTR.

Anthony Bowens tells Hook he can be a killer so Hook says take over the camera from Katsuyori Shibata. Hook then Redrums a random wrestler and has Bowens follow them.

Daniel Garcia vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Mark Briscoe is on commentary. Ciampa wrestles Garcia to the mat to start and Garcia is in the ropes for a trip to the floor. Back in and Ciampa fires off some running chops in the corner, followed by a Garcia style dance on the middle rope. Garcia slips out of a suplex though and dragon screws the leg, which is wrapped around the post.

We take a break and come back with Garcia diving into a jumping knee to the face to leave both of them down. Ciampa knees him outside for some rams into the announcers’ table but Garcia gets in another dragon screw legwhip. The STF is broken up so Garcia dropkicks him into the corner instead. Garcia hammers away, only to be reversed into Project Ciampa for two. Back up and Garcia goes outside to shove Briscoe, with the distraction allowing Ciampa to be shoved into Briscoe. Garcia grabs a rollup to pin Ciampa at 10:18.

Rating: B-. The midcard is starting to develop a bit more and that is nice to see, especially with a title not being directly involved. You need to be able to do something away from championships all the time and this is getting somewhere. It helps that Briscoe and Ciampa are both a blast and Garcia is good enough in the ring to hang in there with them. Nice match here.

Post match Garcia leaves and Ciampa wants nothing of Briscoe’s handshake. Cue FTR and Stokely Hathaway again to go after Ciampa. Briscoe gets in to even things up before any violence breaks out and Ciampa is appreciative. Then Ciampa jumps Briscoe and lays him out with a knee.

Video on Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita, which went to a time limit draw in the Continental Classic.

Swerve Strickland vs. Gravity

Prince Nana is here with Swerve, who kicks Gravity down to start and seems rather confident. Gravity is back with a kick between the shoulder blades, which just seems to annoy Swerve. That earns Gravity a knockdown on the apron and a Swerve Stomp, allowing Swerve to go after the mask. Another Swerve Stomp connects inside and the House Call finishes at 4:00.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but this was Swerve coming in and mauling Gravity for the most part. That’s what the match should have been, as Swerve is starting to feel it with his new heel style and this kind of a win makes him look dangerous. Swerve is one of the best things going in AEW today and seeing him back it up in the ring is rather fun to see.

Kris Statlander wants Thekla one more time at Revolution, 2/3 falls.

Post break here is Thekla to say no in a variety of languages. Since when does she have to listen to some b**** from outer space? What even makes Statlander think she can win twice in one night? Thekla sent Thunder Rosa back to the graveyards. Everything Statlander is afraid of is what Thekla is. Great line to end a kind of odd promo, though Thekla’s charisma carries everything.

We get a clip of Renee Paquette’s interview with Jon Moxley, who knows he can beat Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution.

LFI vs. The Swirl vs. Private Party vs. Outrunners

For $200,000 and Dalton Castle is on commentary. Johnson headlocks Magnum to start and it’s off to Dralistico to run Quen over. LFI takes Quen outside for some whips into the barricade, with Kassidy being whipped around as well. Back in and the Swirl/LFI hit some running splashes to Kassidy, followed by a quadruple dropkick. Dralistico is back up with a heck of a springboard hurricanrana to Christian and Rush drops Johnson as we take a break.

We come back with Kassidy backdropping his way out of trouble and handing it back to Floyd. Castle loses his mind as Floyd cleans house, including Christian being superplexed onto a pile at ringside. LFI breaks that up but Kassidy takes them out, only for Dralistico to hurricanrana him off the apron. Back in and Rush’s Bull’s Horns is cut off by Quen but the Swirl is back in with a poisonrana. The top rope Canadian Destroyer drops Quen for two, with Kassidy making the save. Private Party hits their top rope double stomp/neckbreaker combination and a Doomsday Cutter gives Kassidy the pin on Johnson at 11:52.

Rating: B-. This was your weekly “here are a bunch of people going nuts for awhile” match and that’s not a bad way to go. The money prizes don’t exactly feel important, but at least Private Party got to do something for a change. They’re a team who could be given a shot here or there, but this might be the best they can do for the time being.

We look at the Don Callis Family winning the Trios Titles on Dynamite.

Jet Speed will be teaming with Mistico against the Family for the titles at Revolution. That’s a great example of a match that doesn’t need to be on pay per view, or even Zero Hour. Anyway, Swerve Strickland comes in to tell Kevin Knight to be more of a killer.

Megan Bayne and Lena Kross jumped the Babes Of Wrath earlier today.

Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Timeless Love Bombs

Bayne powers Shirakawa (Nigel calls her the former Ring Of Honor Women’s TV Champion when it was actually the INTERIM Women’s Champion. Geez get your totally unnecessary titles right McGuinness.) until Storm comes in for the save. That earns the Bombs stereo fall away slams but Storm gets the tag to come in and clean house. Some hiptosses and a hip attack to the face have Bayne down and Shirakawa hits a big dive to the floor to take out both villains.

Storm is staggered though and Bayne is up with a heck of a dive of her own to put the Bombs down again. We take a break and come back with Storm fighting out of the corner and rolling over for the tag to Shirakawa. A springboard tornado DDT and La Mistica put Bayne down, followed by something like a spinning Big Ending to drop Shirakawa onto her. Bayne is back up to fall away slam both of them, leaving Kross to hit a Tower Of Doom.

We hit the parade of strikes until Storm DDTs Bayne, who gets caught in Shirakawa’s Figure Four. Kross and Storm take turns turning the hold over until Kross actually breaks it up. Cue Marina Shafir to choke Storm under the ring, leaving Kross to Jackhammer Shirakawa for the win at 12:47.

Rating: C+. It’s kind of sad that my first though was “how does Shirakawa get pinned this time?”. One would think that somebody with that kind of talent and charisma would be able to do something other than lose all the time. Instead, she’s basically the designated jobber and that’s a bit sad to see. At the same time, Kross has fit in rather well with Bayne, as a pair of monsters like that will always have a place in a tag division.

Mark Briscoe says he’s known Tommaso Ciampa for a long time but something has felt off. Then tonight Ciampa jumped him and that’s the Ciampa he knows. Now Ciampa is aligned with FTR so Briscoe will just team with Dem Bucks on Dynamite.

The Dogs vs. Cosmo Quarry/Gino Catanari/Kayden Monroe

I’m going off my best guess for the latter’s names as there’s no graphic. Kidd knocks all three of them down and one heck of a powerbomb knocks Monroe silly. An implant DDT, a piledriver and a suplex knee to the face finish Monroe at 1:46. Total decimation and the Dogs looked impressive.

Here is a ticked off Toni Storm who wants to face Marina Shafir at Revolution, seemingly anything goes. Then she wants her title back.

We look at Persephone winning the CMLL Women’s Title from Mercedes Mone last night.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Non-title and Jon Moxley is on commentary. They go to the mat to start with Takeshita working on the leg. Back up and they trade running shots in the corner, with Castagnoli getting to stomp him down. Takeshita hits a leg lariat but gets his arm snapped across the top rope to put him in trouble. A hurricanrana takes Castagnoli down and Takeshita sends him face first into the buckle over and over.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli taking him down by the arm but not being able to keep a short armscissors. Back up and Takeshita forearms him out of the air before snapping off a suplex. Castagnoli is right back with a Swing into an armbar with the legs tied up.

That doesn’t last long either as Takeshita is up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Castagnoli fights back again and throws in some chairs, allowing him to grab the CMLL World Title. Hechicero comes in to take it away, allowing Takeshita to hit a running knee for two. Another knee is blocked and they trade the big forearms. The Riccola Bomb is countered though and the running knee into Raging Fire finishes Castagnoli at 14:36.

Rating: B. This was Takeshita’s warmup for the match with Moxley at Revolution and that’s a great spot for Castagnoli. It’s pretty firmly established that Castagnoli isn’t going to be THE guy, but having him as Moxley’s policeman is a good fit for him. Let him play to his strengths and make Takeshita look good, which is exactly what happened here. Sidenote: like him or not, Moxley is actually pretty good at commentary, as he sounds like he is having a great time out there every time.

Post match the Don Callis Family and Death Riders brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Another rather good Collision again, as they don’t have matches or angles that really extend stories but they have solid in-ring action. That was the case again here and I had a good time watching the whole thing. Collision works best when they don’t do much talking and that was what they did again here. Rather fun show and the time flew by for a change (but please don’t make the overruns a thing here too).

Results
FTR b. Rascalz – Shatter Machine to Wentz
Daniel Garcia b. Tommaso Ciampa – Small package
Swerve Strickland b. Gravity – House Call
Private Party b. LFI, The Swirl and Outrunners – Doomsday Cutter to Johnson
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Timeless Love Bombs – Jackhammer to Shirakawa
The Dogs b. Cosmo Quarry/Gino Catanari/Kayden Monroe – Suplex knee to Monroe

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

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

Collision
Date: February 21, 2026
Location: Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re inching closer to Revolution and things are starting to pick up, with a few matches officially set. That doesn’t include the World Title match, which has a few stipulations which may or may not be added in. There is a good chance we hear something about that match this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Trios Titles: Hangman Page/Jet Speed vs. The Demand

Page/Jet Speed are defending and my goodness they’re actually on screen together. The Demand takes over to start but Page backdrops Ricochet to the floor. Jet Speed dropkicks the Gates out to the floor and we settle down to Kaun chopping at Knight. That doesn’t last long as it’s off to bailey for the rapid fire kicks. Everything breaks down and Liona does a Braun Strowman run around the ring series of tackles. The Demand gets to pose on the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Bailey kicking away at Liona, who misses a backsplash. Bailey dropkicks Liona down and it’s off to Ricochet vs. Page. Everything breaks down again with Page being knocked down so Ricochet can hit a springboard 450. Jet Speed start firing off superkicks but Liona fall away slams both of them at once.

We get a parade of knockdowns until Page Tombstones Ricochet, leaving everyone down. Liona gets Deadeyed onto the apron but Ricochet pulls the referee in the way to stop the Buckshot Lariat. Vertigo gets two but here is Jack Perry for a distraction (My goodness that feud is STILL going?), allowing Page to hit the Buckshot Lariat to retain at 14:29.

Rating: B. Why? Why would you keep the titles on Page and Jet Speed? They had teamed together once before winning the titles and then barely associate with each other after winning them. Also, Ricochet has beaten Perry twice and there is no reason to keep this feud going. Let someone else come after that useless title already instead of just doing the same thing over and over. As usual, these titles have pretty much no reason to exist whatsoever.

The Rascalz are in a smoky room when FTR come in to complain about the smoke. They’ll have a match tonight.

Young Bucks vs. The Swirl

The Bucks’ family is in the front row and Jay Lethal is here with the Swirl. He even dubs the team the Lethal Swirl because EVERYONE HAS TO HAVE A STUPID NAME THESE DAYS. Matt gets double stomped down to start and everything breaks down, with Christian and the Bucks doing a string of standing switches. The Bucks are sent outside for a running flip dive through the ropes from Christian but come back inside for more superkicks. The top rope elbow/splash connect for the Bucks as we take an early break.

We come back with Nick being kicked outside, leaving Matt to be caught in the Tree Of Woe for a 619. Matt northern lights suplexes both of them and brings Nick back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Bucks’ top rope stomp flips Christian into a sitout powerbomb for two. Matt hits a super hurricanrana to Christian and the Doomsday Device knocks Johnson onto Christian with a moonsault. The BTE Trigger finishes Christian at 10:00.

Rating: B-. This was indeed a Young Bucks match, where they did all of their impressive athletic stuff, posed a lot and followed the clearly defined step by step instructions for the match. Naturally they’re back in the title picture because they have to be every so often and hey look it’s against FTR. Again. Because this is a thing that has to happen.

We look back at the MJF vs. Hangman Page showdown from Dynamite.

MJF was at an indy show last night, where according to Schiavone, he defended the Ring Of Honor World Title. Naturally he retained, despite interference from Andrade El Idolo.

After the match, MJF went after Andrade, who said he wanted the title. MJF makes it clear that he’s going to beat Hangman Page, then he’ll deal with Andrade.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

CMLL World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Josh Alexander

Castagnoli is defending and gets jumped to start fast, including a slam to put him down. A clothesline puts Alexander on the floor and a running uppercut knocks him down again. Back in and they chop it out with Castagnoli easily getting the better of things. They head back outside where Castagnoli is sent knees first into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Alexander slowly hammering away even more. Castagnoli manages a quick gutwrench suplex and uppercuts away in the corner to stagger Alexander. A jumping double stomp puts Alexander down again and the pop up uppercut gets two. Alexander is right back with the ankle lock but Castagnoli muscles him up into a suplex for two more. The Swing and Neutralizer retain the title at 13:46.

Rating: B-. It’s another hard hitting fight between two big men which wasn’t enhanced whatsoever by having a foreign title involved. Granted that’s the case with a lot of the titles around here and odds are it isn’t going to change anytime soon. Castagnoli is in pretty much the same place he’s been for years and Alexander has been beaten so many times that wins over him mean nothing, but it was a title match so that makes it interesting.

Megan Bayne vs. B3cca

Bayne throws her around to start and sends her into some buckles. The Mega Bomb finishes for Bayne at 1:32.

Tommaso Ciampa would love to face Mark Briscoe again, but he also wants the TNT Title back because he isn’t done with Kyle Fletcher.

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

Takeshita and the hatted Yuta start things off with Takeshita kicking him down. Clon comes in and exchanges flips with Pac. A monkey flip is cut off though and Pac gets sent into the corner, where Davis comes in to choke him down. Pac gets over for the tag off to Moxley, who comes in to hammer away on Davis. The Riders take turns firing off running shots in the corner until Moxley grabs the bulldog choke.

We take a break and come back with Moxley fighting out of a chinlock and sending Takeshita outside. Davis German suplexes Moxley, who pops up with a clothesline and brings Pac back in to pick up the pace. Pac’s big moonsault to the floor takes the Family out as everything breaks down.

Moxley’s double DDT only half works as Clon flips away and trades stereo kicks with Pac. Marina Shafir takes a chair away from Davis, who gets Cactus clotheslined out to the floor. Takeshita charges into a superkick and the Fastball Special gets two. Back up and Takeshita starts clearing the ring with kicks to the face. That leaves Yuta to get Raging Fired for the pin at 14:33.

Rating: B. Good stuff here, with a push towards the Moxley vs. Takeshita rematch, which should be a heck of a fight. At the same time you have more of the same feud between these two teams that has been going on for a few matches now. I’m not sure where that leads, but Blood & Guts seems like a realistic option.

Post match Moxley gives Takeshita a Paradigm Shift.

The Babes Of Wrath aren’t worried about Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Thunder Rosa vs. Julia Hart

This is Rosa’s first match in months and she snaps off some armdrags to start in a hurry. Hart rakes the eyes to cut her off and grabs a neckbreaker over the rope as we take a break. We come back with Rosa hitting a running clothesline in the corner, followed by a running dropkick against the ropes. Hart pulls her into a quick Tarantula and then a Black Widow to keep up the theme. A leg trip sets up the moonsault but Rosa gets her feet up for a painful looking block. The package piledriver slam finishes for Rosa at 9:11.

Rating: C+. It’s a nice comeback for Rosa, but she feels like a relic of the past after being gone for so long. That’s not her fault, but it’s her second really long layoff in just a few years. She’s basically starting from scratch for the time being and while she has the talent to make it work, that’s going to be tricky. At least she’s back though and that’s what matters.

Post match Thekla pops up to insult Rosa, who is apparently rather stupid. AEW is now toxic and Hart tries to jump Rosa, only for Kris Statlander to make the save.

Private Party is having a party and glad to be back.

Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors pop up to say they want to get rid of Darby Allin. Oh and Orange Cassidy is going to take a beating as well.

Rascalz vs. FTR

Non-title eliminator match, Myron Reed is here with the Rascalz and Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR. Harwood slaps Wentz in the face to start so Wentz flips around and hits him in the jaw. Back up and Harwood strikes away in the corner, allowing Xavier to hit a twisting splash for two. A cutter and rollup give Xavier two on Wheeler but Harwood low bridges him to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Wentz hitting a middle rope moonsault to the floor, leaving Xavier to get two off a sunset flip. Harwood drops Xavier with a clothesline as commentary reveals Swerve Strickland was fined $100,000 for his attack on Kenny Omega on Dynamite. A tiger driver gives Harwood two on Wentz and everyone but the illegal Wheeler is down.

Wentz is back up for a handspring spinning kick to Harwood’s head but Harwood pops up with a brainbuster for two. Wheeler drives Reed into the steps and loads up his glasses but here are the Young Bucks to distract him. That’s enough for the Hot Fire Flame to pin Harwood at 10:55.

Rating: B-. It was a nice win and thank goodness if this results in the Tag Team Title match being something other than the Bucks vs. FTR, but the Rascalz aren’t exactly standing out. They’re just another team who can do a bunch of cool looking flips and dives, which is already covered around here. It’s not that they’re a bad team, but other than the smoke jokes, what makes them stand out?

Post match the Gates Of Agony run in to jump the Rascalz and FTR jumps the Bucks’ family. The big beatdown is on, including a spike piledriver to the Bucks’ brother, and the villains stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was back to normal for Collision, as there was pretty much nothing going on that made the show feel important. The Trios Titles haven’t meant anything in the better part of ever and the CMLL World Title means even less. I do like having Thunder Rosa back and the Rascalz winning gives me a bit of hope, but this show being cut down to an hour would do it wonders. While there is no chance of that happening anytime soon, all I can do is keep waiting for the big stuff on Dynamite.

Results
Hangman Page/Jet Speed b. The Demand – Buckshot Lariat to Ricochet
Young Bucks b. The Swirl – BTE Trigger to Christian
Claudio Castagnoli b. Josh Alexander – Neutralizer
Megan Bayne b. B3cca – Mega Bomb
Don Callis Family b. Death Riders – Raging Fire to Yuta
Thunder Rosa b. Julia Hart – Package piledriver slam
Rascalz b. FTR – Hot Fire Flame to Harwood

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

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

Collision
Date: February 7, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s another title match tonight as the new TNT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is defending in a three way match against Claudio Castagnoli and Roderick Strong. Other than that, the Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz continues (for some reason) in an eight man parking lot brawl. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Young Bucks vs. Gates Of Agony

The winners are in a three way #1 contenders match on Dynamite. Liona shoves Matt down to start so Nick comes in and charges into a slam from Kaun. Everything breaks down and the Bucks take over by sending the Gates outside. The stereo dives are pulled out of the air and it’s off to a double nerve hold on Matt back inside.

The Gates hit each other by mistake but Nick’s running flip dive is cut off as well. That means the Bucks can be rammed into each other and a headbutt drops Matt as we take a break. We come back with Matt sliding between Kaun’s legs and making the tag off to Nick to clean house. A high crossbody gets two and everything breaks down (meaning the referee gets to just stand there) as the Bucks take over.

The Bucks come off the top at the same time for stereo near falls but Liona is back with a double Samoan drop. The Gates hit their own dives onto the floor (because they can do that), followed by a wheelbarrow cutter for two on Matt. Nick is back in to help with the BTE Trigger for two, with Kaun making the save. The TK Driver finishes Kaun at 13:56.

Rating: B. It’s a good match, though the idea of getting anywhere closer to the Bucks vs. FTR again makes my head hurt. The Bucks got to do their usual stuff so it was entertaining enough, though I still don’t see much of a reason to get interested in them. It’s a good example of match quality not making the biggest impact, as they continue to just be there, often in a prominent spot.

Post match FTR and Stokely Hathaway pop up on screen. Hathaway can’t believe that in the year of our lord Beyonce Knowles, the Elite still wants to hold all of the gold like in the good old says. Dax Harwood says that’s the problem with the good old days: they’re not here anymore, unlike FTR, who are the top guys. And they’re out.

Video on the TNT Title triple threat.

Brody King is ready to win the World Title next week.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Here is Kris Statlander to announce the stipulation for her rematch with Thekla. Cue Thekla to spear her down though, with the Triangle Of Madness holding Statlander to the mat. Thekla whips her with the belt and promises to make things toxic no matter what. The villains go to leave but Statlander calls Thekla a stupid b**** and makes it a strap match.

Kyle Fletcher wants the TNT Title back and here is Kazuchika Okada for a quick pep talk.

Scorpio Sky vs. Kevin Knight

Christopher Daniels, Leila Grey and Mike Bailey are here too. They stare at each other to start and we get an SCU chant, which doesn’t impress Knight. The fight over a lockup goes around the ropes but doesn’t get either very far. A test of strength lets Sky shoulder him down and they exchange nipups. Knight makes fun of Sky’s lack of hair and gets chopped into the corner but Knight sends him outside.

The big dive drops Sky on the ramp and we take a break. We come back with Sky planting him down for two but Knight’s small package gets the same. A DDT gives Knight two more but Sky catches him on top with a superplex. Knight is right back with a springboard clothesline, followed by the UFO Splash for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: C+. This was kind of a weird one, as it felt like they were having something of a personal issue, despite the two of them not having any important interactions in a good while. I do like Knight winning a match on his own though, as he’s quite fun to watch. At the same time, given that most of the team wrestles in singles matches at the moment, I have no idea why Knight/Bailey/Hangman Page are the Trios Champions. Then again, the Opps barely ever defended them anyway so this does at least continue the tradition.

Hook says Samoa Joe is out injured so in the time being, he’s the new captain of the Opps. Sure. I completely believe that this will be the thing that gets Hook over after years of trying.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Viva Van

Shirakawa works on the arm to start but Van flips away and does Shirakawa’s dance. Some knees to the face put Shirakawa down and Van snapmares her into a chinlock. That’s broken up and Shirakawa starts firing off the kicks. A Stunner to the leg over the rope sets up a slingshot dive but Van blocks the Figure Four. Back up and Van’s flipping kick to the head gets two but Shirakawa is back with the top rope Sling Blade. They trade strikes to the head until the Figure Four finishes Van off at 5:42.

Rating: C-. This was a bit of a disappointment, as it felt like Van was wrestling in slow motion and not exactly working smoothly. It doesn’t help that Shirakawa is just kind of floating around at the moment while her partner teams with Orange Cassidy. She needs something to do, and a five minute match on Collision isn’t exactly much to see.

Death Riders vs. Sky Flight

Jon Moxley is on commentary. It’s a brawl to start with the men going outside while Shafir easily wrestles Steel down. The leglock is reversed into a quick choke and Steel gets two off a small package. A distraction from the floor lets Shafir get in another knockdown but it’s off to Dante Martin to take over. That lasts all of ten seconds before Yuta pulls him down into a chinlock and we take a break.

We come back with Yuta holding Martin up top and raking his back. One heck of a chop puts Yuta down though and the top rope flip dive connects. Yuta is back with a bridging German suplex into the elbows to the head but Martin fights up again. Steel comes in to take over on Shafir and even gets in a shot to Yuta on the apron. Shafir pulls Steel out of the air though and Mother’s Milk (with Shafir yelling at the camera and treating Steel like an afterthought in a nice touch) finishes at 9:21.

Rating: B-. This was basically a warmup for the Riders before their big hair vs. hair match next week and naturally Steel needed to take the loss. That’s all she’s done since showing up around here, which is apparently the new favorite way to debut stars. At the same time, Martin (and Sky Flight in general) feel even less important than ever, which is quite the feat.

Post match the Riders go for Steel’s hair but Toni Storm and Orange Cassidy make the save.

A man hits on Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter, earning himself a beating. They dub themselves the Brawling Birds.

After Dynamite, MJF went nuts and ranted about all the people coming for his title, which he’ll keep. He’s at his most dangerous when his back is against the wall and that will be the case next week.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Thekla vs. Brittnie Brooks

Thekla knocks her down to start and finishes with the spear at 28 seconds.

Post match Thekla whips Brooks with the strap and…no one makes the save.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita next week for the Continental Title.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Rascalz vs. Grizzled Young Veterans/Big Bill/Ortiz

Parking Lot Brawl. Kingston throws in a trashcan full of weapons and charges in as the brawl is on with a fast start. A missed shot breaks a car window and Bill kicks a side view mirror off. We settle down to general chaos until the Rascalz hit Hot Fire Flame off the top of a car. Bill takes over again with the heavy forearms before tossing Xavier over the top of a car for a big crash.

We take a break and come back with Keith and Xavier fighting over a hammer until Wentz and Xavier fight into the back of the limo. Kingston cleans house with a stick and Xavier shooting stars off the limo roof. Bill is up again to start wrecking everyone and Wentz is chokeslammed through a windshield (with a camera suddenly inside the car). Some double teaming drops Bill on the concrete and a double suplex drops Keith on the top of the limo.

The Veterans get in a slugout with Kingston and Ortiz, with Kingston getting choked. Ortiz is up with a cable of some kind but Isla Dawn pops up to hit Ortiz in the head with a sheet. Myron Reed (the third Rascal) pops up with a flip dive off a car before stealing Dawn. Kingston DDTs Gibson onto the car for the pin at 12:31.

Rating: C+. Ok then. I mean what else am I supposed to think here? Kingston has destroyed the Veterans for the entirety of their feud and he did it again with this match. I’m not sure why this match needed to exist, as it felt like AEW wanted to do another parking lot brawl and then put the feud into the match as a result. It was your usual good carnage, but I had no reason to care about any of these people.

Post match Schiavone has trouble remembering how many people were in the match.

Roderick Strong says he needs to change things around here but Mark Briscoe interrupts. Briscoe thinks Strong has what it takes to win the title, but he wants a title shot against the winner. Strong appreciates that, though he’s not in the Conglomeration.

TNT Title: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Roderick Strong vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Only Ciampa is defending. Castagnoli is knocked outside to start fast and the other two are left to strike it out. Strong is sent flying over the top, with Castagnoli easily catching him to show off a bit. Back in and Ciampa kicks Castagnoli in the face but Strong is back with a jumping knee to Ciampa. Castagnoli hits his running shots in the corner but Ciampa grabs a Downward Spiral/DDT to drop both of them.

A double suplex drops Castagnoli and the other two get to strike it out a bit. They all head outside with Strong chopping away against the barricade and a charging Castagnoli is sent into said barricade. Naturally Castagnoli is fine enough to drop Ciampa face first onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. We come back with Castagnoli striking Ciampa down again and muscling him up top.

Strong pulls Castagnoli down though and dropkicks Ciampa out of the air. A backbreaker sets up the Stronghold, with Castagnoli making the save. Castagnoli gets to show off a bit with a double suplex but Ciampa is right back with a DDT. The Fairy Tale Ending gets two on Castagnoli but the running knee is cut off. Castagnoli’s Swing is broken up as well and an uppercut hits Strong for two. Strong’s jumping knee drops Castagnoli but Ciampa’s running knee knocks Strong silly to retain at 11:43.

Rating: B. So this was the match designed to prove that Ciampa’s win last week wasn’t a fluke. That’s a fine way to go as Ciampa was more than good enough to hang in there. It made for a strong main event with Castagnoli getting to show off the insane power. Strong can work well with anyone as well and that made Ciampa look even better retaining. Odds are he loses it to a big name soon, but at least they’re starting somewhere.

Post match Kyle Fletcher comes out to hold the title, which he hands back to Ciampa. Fletcher asks how it feels to know that Ciampa will never fill his shoes. He wants the title match next week and it seems to be set for Dynamite (I’m assuming Ciampa kissing him on the cheek counts) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the run of the mill Collision, with good action but little that felt important. The opener and main event both felt big enough that it made for a good show, though as usual, it’s not exactly a show you need to see. At least next week is Grand Slam so things should feel bigger. The show looked good on paper and lived up to the hype, though it had its usual Collision issues.

Results
Young Bucks b. Gates Of Agony – TK Driver to Kaun
Kevin Knight b. Scorpio Sky – UFO Splash
Mina Shirakawa b. Viva Van – Figure Four
Death Riders b. Sky Flight – Mother’s Milk to Steel
Thekla b. Brittnie Brooks – Spear
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Rascalz b. Grizzled Young Veterans/Big Bill/Ortiz – DDT onto a car to Gibson
Tommaso Ciampa b. Roderick Strong and Claudio Castagnoli – Running knee to Strong

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

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

Collision
Date: January 24, 2026
Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight, Excalibur

This is kind of a weird one as the show was originally going to air live but the weather forced a double taping after Dynamite. That could mean a bit of a rushed show but hopefully the talent can make it work out. The big main event this time is for the CMLL World Title as Claudio Castagnoli defends against Roderick Strong. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hangman Page vs. Katsuyori Shibata

They go straight to the slugging to start and head outside, with Shibata being sent into the announcers’ table. Shibata misses a running big boot and gets booted over the barricade, meaning it’s time to brawl in the timekeeper’s area. Page keeps hammering away and takes him inside for a fall away slam. The triangle clothesline is cut off with an elbow to the face though and Shibata starts in on the leg. An early Figure Four is reversed, with Page making it to the rope.

We take a break and come back with Page cutting off the kicks the chest so they can chop it out. Shibata hits a running boot in the corner and they trade release German suplexes. They knock each other down for a double breather and the fans approve, as usual. The referee misses Shibata’s low blow and they head to the apron, where Page hits the Deadeye (that low blow didn’t exactly do a lot of damage). The moonsault to the floor hits Shibata but he’s right back with some kind of a neck crank. That’s broken up and Page hits a clothesline into the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 13:23.

Rating: B-. It was a hard hitting fight as Page and JetSpeed continue their battle against the Opps. Odds are we’ll see a big showdown as a Dynamite main event in the near future, though the Trios Titles still don’t feel overly important. At least Page is getting some nice wins, as he feels like one of the biggest stars in the company and is coming off like one, which is something he has been needing.

Earlier this week, Don Callis and Ricochet were on a golf course and seem to be on the same page. Davis and Doyle beating people up in the background was funny.

Isla Dawn vs. Kris Statlander

Non-title and the Grizzled Young Veterans are here with Dawn. Statlander forearms away in the corner to start and a catapult sends Dawn into the corner. Dawn avoids a charge though and forearms away, followed by a Saito suplex for two. Statlander is right back with a Falcon Arrow into Staturday Night Fever for the fast pin at 2:49.

Post match Thekla pops up on screen wearing a Statlander shirt, which she takes off, spits on, and makes a Star Trek reference.

Jack Perry, holding his knife, says he wants Ricochet’s National Championship. Ricochet took Perry’s friend from him and now he’s taking the title, but it won’t be enough. Nice promo here.

We actually talk about Ace Austin winning on Ring Of Honor but he can’t be here due to travel issues (I’m guessing due to not being there for Dynamite, which is fine), so we have a replacement.

Don Callis Family vs. Billy Gunn/Austin Gunn

Don Callis is on commentary. Fletcher backs Austin up against the ropes to start and then throws him down without much trouble. Austin is back up with a running neckbreaker and it’s off to Billy, who is starting to look his age. Billy tells Fletcher to suck it so it’s off to Takeshita instead. Takeshita powers him into the corner and then out to the floor, where Callis offers a distraction. That means a cheap shot to put Billy down and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher avoiding the Fameasser, only to get caught with the second attempt. The 3:10 To Yuma drops Fletcher, with Takeshita having to make the save. The Quick Draw is blocked though and Fletcher hits a dragon sleeper to put Austin down. Takeshita comes in with the Blue Thunder Bomb and Billy has to make the save. The running knee misses so Fletcher kicks Austin in the corner, setting up Raging Fire for the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C+. This was little more than a nice moment with Billy teaming with his son under bad circumstances. There wasn’t much else they could have done so this was about as good as it could have gone. Fletcher and Takeshita weren’t going to lose a match to the regular Bang Bang Gang lineup so this was actually a slight upgrade.

Post match Takeshita and Fletcher seem to be ok but here is Kazuchika Okada. Fletcher has to hold Takeshita back, which can’t be good.

Ricochet says Jack Perry will get his National Title shot in Las Vegas, which is the only place with enough luck for a Jack to have a chance against a King.

The Grizzled Young Veterans are still mad at Eddie Kingston and Ortiz and weapons are teased. Why in the world would this feud continue? The Veterans have lost every time. Why?

Alec Price/Jordan Oliver vs. Davis and Doyle

Doyle runs both of them over without much trouble to start and Davis comes in for a German suplex. Price and Oliver are tossed at each other in a nice idea and we settle down to Davis dropping Oliver. The kickout just annoys Davis so it’s off to Price for a running boot in the corner. Oliver and Price are thrown at each other again and a piledriver/swinging Boss Man Slam get the double pin at 3:53.

Rating: C. I can go with an entertaining squash as Davis and Doyle got to run through these two, with the toss spots being rather fun. Davis and Doyle are a good example of what happens when you do what should be obvious, as they’re big guys who look alike. Don’t make this more complicated than it should be and you’ll be fine. Unlike Price and Oliver, who are losing so much that they’re reaching levels of pitiful.

Post match Callis talks about having a vision of destroying FTR and owning the Tag Team Titles.

FTR and Stokely Hathaway pop up on screen, with Hathaway saying Callis lies a lot so FTR is keeping the titles.

Darby Allin goes to see Bam Margera and they skateboard a lot.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale is defending and they start with some running, followed by blocking the other’s hiptoss attempt. Hart bounces off of her, which doesn’t seem to be a great idea. A fisherman’s suplex gives Nightingale two so Hart strikes away to some more success. An Old School hurricanrana drops Nightingale, who pops right back up.

Cue Skye Blue for a distraction so here is Harley Cameron to cut her off. Nightingale’s Cannonball misses though and Hart grabs a neckbreaker for two. We take a break and come back with Hart hitting some running corner clotheslines. Nightingale hits a much harder clothesline (Wight: “She started swinging in Florida and stopped in Nebraska.”) but Hart superkicks her off the corner.

They head outside, where Nightingale pulls her off the barricade for a suplex and the Cannonball gets two back inside. Hart is right back with something like a Black Widow, which is broken up just as quickly. The Babe With The Powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana for two, only for the second attempt to retain Nightingale’s title at 10:43.

Rating: B-. Hart continues to look smooth in the ring and she’s good at this kind of a match, where there is only so much drama about a title change but it’s an entertaining match anyway. Nightingale getting to beat someone is a good thing to see and the fans still love her. That’s a fine use of time on this show and I was never bored so call it a success.

The Rascalz are eating and talking about the nice couch they have. They’re ready to fight the Cru and Myron Reed is eventually out after losing some Rock Paper Scissors. This wasn’t as funny as the team usually is but they’re still new.

Magnus vs. Andrade El Idolo

Andrade chops him up against the ropes to start and a backdrop puts Magnus down again. A very loud chop connects for Andrade but Magnus knocks him outside. The dive is cut off, allowing Andrade to seemingly give a woman his number. We take a break and come back with…Andrade having lost his pants. Dang it that’s never good.

Andrade hits Three Amigos into an Eddie Dance but pulls Magnus up at two. The double arm crank goes on and Andrade gets to start untying the mask, which isn’t overly nice. Magnus fights back and hits a dive into the announcers’ table, followed by a Swanton for two back inside. Andrade sends him hard into the corner though and the running knees set up the DM for the pin at 11:08.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would expect from Andrade, as he had a fine match that didn’t exactly offer much in the way of interest. It was just Andrade doing his stuff and getting a win over someone who doesn’t mean much around here. Magnus got in a bit of offense but at least he only dragged this a bit beyond a squash.

Post break Andrade says he wants the World Title and is coming for Swerve Strickland on Dynamite.

CMLL World Title: Roderick Strong vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli, with Wheeler Yuta, is defending, Jon Moxley is on commentary and Strong has Orange Cassidy with him. Castagnoli jumps him during the entrances but Strong chops back and tells Castagnoli to hit him harder. A headlock works a bit better for Castagnoli but Strong is back up with some right hands in the corner. They go outside with Strong striking away, only to get dropped hard onto the barricade.

Back in and Castagnoli starts in on the leg with some cranking, plus a slam to send the leg into the rope. A neckbreaker doesn’t work for Castagnoli as Strong sends him outside, only for Castagnoli to ram the leg into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Castagnoli staying on the leg but Strong kicks him to the floor. A dropkick through the ropes connects and Strong is back in with the belly to back faceplant for two.

Castagnoli goes right back onto the leg but the Neutralizer is blocked. Instead Castagnoli goes with an uppercut for two and kicks away at the leg in the corner. They go up top where Strong manages a super Angle Slam for two, setting up the Stronghold. The rope is grabbed (Moxley: “Oh boy.”) and Castagnoli Swings him into the half crab.

Strong gets out so the knee is wrapped around the post, with Yuta getting in a cheap shot. Cassidy Orange Punches him, only for Castagnoli to drop Cassidy right back. They head back inside, with Strong hitting a knee to the face but Castagnoli goes back to the leg. A one legged Swing sets up the Neutralizer to retain the title at 18:20.

Rating: B. This was a solid main event with Castagnoli getting to avenge his loss to Strong in the Continental Classic. That’s a good way to set up the main event of Collision and while the title doesn’t mean much around here, it’s at least something with a bit of a connection to AEW. The leg stuff worked well too, with that swinging single leg crab looking awesome. Nice job here.

Overall Rating: B. Maybe they should tape the show after Dynamite more often. This was a rather entertaining show and while it felt like it was another case of setting up Dynamite, it did so well enough. That’s mostly what Collision tends to be and while it didn’t have anything you really needed to see, it did a nice job of making me more interested in Dynamite. Throw in a good main event and I’ll take that week to week.

Results
Hangman Page b. Katsuyori Shibata – Buckshot Lariat
Kris Statlander b. Isla Dawn – Staturday Night Fever
Don Callis Family b. Billy Gunn/Austin Gunn – Raging Fire to Austin
Davis and Doyle b. Jordan Oliver/Alec Price – Double pin
Willow Nightingale b. Julia Hart – Babe With The Powerbomb
Andrade El Idolo b. Magnus – DM
Claudio Castagnoli b. Roderick Strong – Neutralizer

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

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

Collision
Date: December 13, 2025
Location: Utilita Arena, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re overseas for this one as Collision is on earlier in the day, likely due to Saturday Night’s Main Event. That should make for an interesting situation as we’re also getting more of the Continental Classic. The tournament is off to a good start with an awesome match taking place earlier this week on Dynamite. It would be great if they could keep up their momentum so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

We look at Hangman Page’s comments on Dynamite, saying he wants the World Title.

Swerve Strickland vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is described as being “red hot” lately. No. Don Callis sits in on commentary as they fight over a lockup to start. Alexander’s kick to the ribs is countered into a backbreaker and a knee drop keeps him down. Prince Nana yells at Callis as Strickland is pulled off the apron and dropped knees first onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with an exchange of forearms until Alexander goes after the knee some more.

Strickland is back by loading up a powerbomb but he whips Alexander over into a powerslam (that was slick) for two. Alexander is taken up top for a super Angle Slam and another near fall but he has to reverse a Figure Four attempt. A half crab goes back to Strickland’s knee so he goes to the ropes for the quick break. Alexander misses a top rope knee though and Strickland is up with the rolling Downward Spiral. The House Call…gets two, so it’s the JML Driver to finish Alexander at 13:24.

Rating: B. Well so much for the, ahem, red hot Alexander with his…let’s see…ah yes, one singles win (via countout, when Kota Ibushi broke his leg) since May. Anyway, it’s nice to see Swerve fight through the injury and get a win as he’s back to being one of the top good guys in the company. He has the ability and crowd reception to make that work so go with what works.

Post match Swerve says he’s back for the World Title and wants to take the belt from Samoa Joe.

Video on the Elite vs. the Don Callis Family for the million dollars.

The Timeless Love Bombs are going to be at the Babes Of Wrath’s championship toast.

Kris Statlander/Jamie Hayter vs. Sisters Of Sin

Thekla comes to the stage for a distraction and the Sisters run in from behind for a cheap shot. Blue gets taken down though and the other team takes turns slamming each other onto her. Hart comes in for a rope walk hurricanrana but Hayter crushes her in the corner. A quick Blue distraction lets Hart take Hayter down though and a standing moonsault gets two.

We take a break and come back with Statlander cleaning house, including a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Blue. The double superkick drops Statlander for two and Hayter has to clothesline Blue for a save. We get the four way slugout but Hayter and Statlander clothesline each other by mistake. Back up and Blue hits Hart by mistake, allowing Hayter to give Blue a German suplex. The Hayterade finishes Hart at 10:14.

Rating: B-. This was a fast paced match with Statlander and Hayter pretty definitively taking care of the Sisters, which should hopefully wrap up their feud. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Hayter get the next shot at the title at World’s End. That would be a nice announcement to make so close to her home and they even set it up a bit with the misfire in the match.

Thekla is watching from a sky box.

Post match Hayter challenges Statlander for World’s End and the match seems to be on.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli (6 points) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (6 points)

Non-title. They fight of a lockup to start with Castagnoli backing him up against the ropes for an early standoff. Takeshita backs him against the ropes and shoves him in the chest before getting in a hard knockdown. Back up and Castagnoli drops him face first onto the turnbuckle for the break and it’s time to trade the forearms. Castagnoli knocks him outside with a hard shot and then drops him face first. They go to the ramp where Takeshita hits a DDT, only to charge into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

We take a break and come back with Takeshita snapping off a middle rope hurricanrana to send Castagnoli outside. The big flip dive takes Castagnoli down again and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two back inside. Castagnoli’s uppercut gets two more and he taunts Takeshita with some boots to the head. They slug it out again until Takeshita’s kneeling tombstone plants him into a wheelbarrow suplex for two.

A Hidden Blade drops Castagnoli again but he’s back with Swiss Death for two with five minutes left. Castagnoli’s springboard uppercut connects and they knock each other down again. Another forearm exchange takes them both to the apron, where Takeshita kicks him in the head. They slug it out on the floor until Castagnoli boots him down. A big forearm drops Castagnoli, who beats the count back inside at nine. Takeshita knees him down but the Raging Fire is countered into the Neutralizer for two…and time expires at 20:00.

Rating: B+. This was about taking two big men and having them beat the fire out of each other for a good while. That’s a fine way to go and it worked well here, as even if the draw felt pretty clear (they weren’t going to have one company’s World Champion beat another), the match was still a heck of a fight. I had a good time with this and it’s nice to see two champions survive like this.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 7 points (2 matches left)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (1 match left)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches left)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches left)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (2 matches left)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (3 matches left)

Post match they keep slugging it out until referees have to break it up. The Death Riders and Don Callis Family have to really split them apart.

Kevin Knight and Mike Bailey are ready to fight and want the other to bring it. Deal.

Here are the Babes Of Wrath to talk about their history together. They met early in Cameron’s time in the company but here are the Timeless Love Bombs to interrupt. They’re happy to have given the Babes a fight to remember but here is Mercedes Mone to interrupt. Mina Shirakawa tells her to shut up but Mone doesn’t want to fight tonight. She’ll have friends this week in Manchester for Dynamite. Storm: “We will raise a glass and we will wax your a**!” Mone uh, covers up, and leaves.

Ricochet is entering the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal and going on to win the World Title.

Video on the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal, with various people entering. Bobby Lashley is injured though and Shelton Benjamin will take his place.

Continental Classic: Kevin Knight (3 points) vs. Mike Bailey (3 points)

I do like the little background/factoids that Renee Young throws in during the entrances. That’s a very nice touch. They take turns dodging big shots to start until Bailey gets backed into the corner. A high angle springboard armdrag sends Knight outside for a triangle moonsault and we take a break.

We come back with Knight hitting a springboard clothesline to the floor. Back in and the Flamingo Driver is blocked and Knight grabs a running DDT for two. Bailey kicks him out to the apron though and hits the moonsault knees to the ribs. They get back inside with Knight hitting a superplex but Bailey ties up the legs in a small package for two more. They trade rollups for two each until Knight hits a hard dropkick.

Another springboard is kicked out of the air though and we’re ten minutes in. Knight sends him into the corner and hits that great Coast To Coast but the UFO Splash hits raised knees. The tornado kick gives Bailey two but the Ultimate Weapon misses. They trade more rollups until Bailey kicks him in the head. The Flamingo Driver finishes Knight at 12:57.

Rating: B. Another solid performance here as Bailey’s tournament run continues. Knight still feels like a great prospect though and has done some rather good stuff in the tournament thus far. It would be nice to see what he can do as a singles star, though odds are the Jet Speed stuff is going to keep going for a good while.

Gold League Standings

Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (2 matches to go)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (2 matches to go)
Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (2 matches to go)
Pac – 3 points (3 matches to go)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (2 matches to go)
Jack Perry – 0 points (3 matches to go)

Kyle Fletcher is ready for Pac and promises to get his momentum back.

Pac says he’s a different breed and Fletcher will soon learn that.

TNT Title: Mark Briscoe vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia, with Wheeler Yuta, is challenging. They go to the mat to start fast with Garcia slapping him in the back of the head a few times. Briscoe is right back up but Garcia slips out of a suplex. One heck of a right hand sends Garcia outside and there’s a dropkick through the ropes. A running knee knocks Briscoe off the apron but he’s right back to knock Garcia off the apron as well. The Bang Bang Elbow is broken up though and Briscoe gets tied into the ring skirt for a beating.

We take a break and come back with Garcia yelling at him, which brings Briscoe back up with a running forearm. Briscoe strikes away and a high collar suplex gets two. Garcia’s suplex is shrugged off but Shafir breaks up the Froggy Bow. The referee didn’t see it so the fans tell him and he…does nothing.

Instead Garcia hits a top rope superplex, which he rolls into two more, with Briscoe bouncing up from the third. A brainbuster drops Garcia for a change and they’re all down. Back up and they strike it out until Briscoe hits a hard clothesline. The Jay Driller is cut off by Shafir and this time it’s enough for an ejection. Wheeler Yuta comes in for a cheap shot but Briscoe is right back up with the Jay Driller to retain at 14:46.

Rating: B. Solid stuff here, even if I’m rather sick of seeing Garcia and Yuta no matter where they are. They’re all over AEW/ROH programming these days and Garcia still isn’t interesting in the slightest. At the same time, Briscoe is finally getting some recognition with a title that feels somewhat important and that is LONG overdue. Hopefully he gets to face someone else soon, as there is quite the crop of potential opponents.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show, with more good action as the Continental Classic continues to do what it’s designed to do. What mattered the most is that this show felt more important than most Collisions, with the tournament going a long way in making that happen. AEW has had a good week with a second pretty awesome show and that is nice to see.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. Josh Alexander – JML Driver
Kris Statlander/Jamie Hayter b. Sisters Of Sin – Hayterade to Hart
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita went to a time limit draw
Mike Bailey b. Kevin Knight – Flamingo Driver
Mark Briscoe b. Daniel Garcia – Jay Driller

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

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

Collision
Date: December 6, 2025
Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Ian Riccaboni

It’s still Continental Classic season and that means we’ll still be seeing some rather quality matches. We’re still pretty early in the tournaments and it can be interesting to see who goes where. In addition, Ricochet is ready to defend the National Title, which could make for something fun. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Continental Classic Blue League: Orange Cassidy (0 points) vs Roderick Strong (0 points)

Strong wins an early grapple off to start but Cassidy grabs the foot to slow him down. Cassidy can’t do much from there but eventually manages a headlock to grind Strong down. A spinning backbreaker can’t get Strong out of trouble as Cassidy stays on the headlock. They head outside with Strong hitting another backbreaker to really take over, followed by another back inside.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy hitting a spinning DDT. Cassidy makes what counts as a fired up comeback and sends Strong outside for the rams into the buckles. A high crossbody is countered into a powerslam to give Strong two and Cassidy is back with a slingshot tornado DDT. Another tornado DDT gives Cassidy two but Strong gives him another backbreaker. Cassidy’s rollup gets two and he manages the Stundog Millionaire. Strong tries another backbreaker but Cassidy slips out and cradles him for the pin at 13:24.

Rating: B. They had a hard fought match here and that’s what you want to see in something like this. Cassidy gets the win to get on the board, which isn’t overly surprising as Strong isn’t someone who gets a big push in this kind of a tournament most of the time. Good opener here, which is always nice to see.

Blue League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Post match, Strong storms off.

Darby Allin is officially out of the tournament due to injuries and Jack Perry is taking his place.

Allin talks about how the Death Riders are winning the war because they’re out here doing pushups. He was wrestling Kevin Knight and he couldn’t feel his legs. It was the first time he was ever scared and while he’s never seen eye to eye with Perry, go win the whole thing. He’s not sure about his own future though.

Here is FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a chat. Hathaway is happy with his win but he has to address what happened this week on Dynamite. The fans boo him out of the building over and over, but Hathaway makes it clear: they want the Bang Bang Gang right now. Wheeler says that the Gang will always be Billy’s boy and Mr. Toni Storm (Robinson’s “is that a bad thing?” look is great).

Harwood brags about FTR’s all time success and they’re willing to let Robinson touch the belt because he’s a man of his word. Gunn says he’s the son of a Hall Of Famer. Robinson is the son of a carpenter, Wheeler is the son of his first cousin, and Harwood is just a son of a b****. Gunn brings up beating FTR recently and now they want a title match. Apparently the match is officially set for the United Kingdom next week, with the Gang promising to TOUCH the belts.

The Death Riders are ready to destroy Mark Briscoe and take the TNT Title.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli (6 points) vs. Mascara Dorada (0 points)

They fight over a lockup to start and neither can get very far. Dorada handles his own in a wrestle off until Castagnoli gives him a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Back up and Dorada flips around a lot until Castagnoli is sent outside. Castagnoli cuts off a dive with an uppercut and Dorada is dropped onto the barricade as we take a break.

We come back with Castagnoli going for the mast but the Swing is escaped rather quickly. Castagnoli gets caught with a quick headscissors and Dorada sends him outside rather quickly. A top rope armdrag sends Castagnoli down again so a rollup can get two back inside. Castagnoli’s tilt-a-whirl cuts Dorada off as we’re halfway through the time limit. A rather spinning headscissors brings Castagnoli down but he’s right back up to try a superplex. That’s broken up as well and Dorada’s shooting star press is good for the pin at 12:00.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by the result here but it’s good to see Dorada get a win. He’s shown that he can hang in the ring with just about anyone but at some point that has to translate into some wins. It doesn’t matter as much in the tournament, though it’s certainly better than nothing. Castagnoli was never going to run the table in this thing anyway, so getting the loss out of the way is fine.

Blue League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Earlier today, the Timeless Love Bombs and the Babes Of Wrath sat down for champagne. Storm talked about how she and Shirakawa love each other no matter what and she’s beaten both Babes. Cameron says the Babes have wrath but Shirakawa says they’re here for the titles. A toast is had.

Here is Swerve Strickland for a chat. Swerve talks about how he’s freshly back from three months out due to injury. When he was champion, he made it clear that he was going to bring everything and that brings him to Samoa Joe. Swerve beat him the last time they fought and now he has to go through a bunch of people to get to the Opps. It doesn’t matter though as Joe will fall.

That brings him to Hangman Page, and Swerve is willing to have his back for one night at Winter Is Coming. Cue Josh Alexander of all people to say this is Don Callis’ house. Why isn’t Swerve looking for revenge on the people who hurt him? Alexander thinks he should get the title shot so a match is set for Winter Is Coming….and Katsuyori Shibata sneaks in to chop block Swerve’s recently repaired knee.

Mercedes Mone does NOT want to talk about last night’s loss at Final Battle and now it’s time for some revenge.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Leila Grey

Grey is challenging and has Christopher Daniels with her. Mone jumps her to start fast and sends Grey outside, with a Meteora off the apron hitting Daniels. Back in and Grey slugs away but gets sent face first into the buckle. Grey’s bulldog out of the corner is blocked and we take a break. We come back with Grey hitting a running knee in the corner but Mone pulls her into the Statement Maker for the tap at 5:49. Not enough shown to rate but they didn’t waste time with Mone getting back to winning.

Post match the hold stays on until Daniels breaks it up, earning himself a low blow.

Eddie Kingston talks about how he’s been doing this for twenty five years and he doesn’t like Samoa Joe taking wrestlers down the wrong path. That all starts with the World Champion and Kingston wants it to change for the good. He’s not just doing this for the title but to show people how to do it the right way, as AEW was supposed to be.

The Triangle Of Madness have jumped a bunch of women. They’ll be in Cardiff.

National Title: Ricochet vs. Ace Austin

Ricochet, with the Gates Of Agony, is defending. Austin’s headlock doesn’t last long to start so he tries it again, which is broken up just as well. Ricochet is sent outside before getting la majistraled for two back inside. That’s enough for Ricochet to grab the bell hammer but the Gates trip Austin down so Ricochet can take over.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet missing a running dropkick in the corner, allowing Austin to drop a leg. After avoiding a Gates distraction, Austin hits a springboard clothesline into a doctor bomb. Ricochet is back with a dropkick into a standing shooting star press for two. The Spirit Gun misses though and Austin grabs a small package for two. A superplex into a running stomp gives Austin two more but he almost runs into the referee. Ricochet hits a quick clothesline into Vertigo to retain at 10:04.

Rating: B-. They only had so much time here given the commercial but Austin was able to showcase himself a bit. At the same time though, it’s still freshly into Ricochet’s title reign and the fans dislike him enough that he should hold onto the belt for a good while. Nice enough match here and a good way to feature both of them.

Post match FTR runs in to beat down Austin with the Bang Bang Gang making the save. The Gang holds up the titles, meaning they have to touch them, as FTR demanded never happen again.

Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley (0 points) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (3 points)

Non-title. Feeling out process to start and they go to the mat with Moxley’s headlock not lasting long. Takeshita reverses into a leglock before they trade shoulders. A running elbow takes Moxley down and he seems to be favoring his recently injured ankle. Said ankle is rammed into the barricade and it’s a dragon screw ankle whip back inside.

We take a break and come back with Takeshita staying on the leg in the corner but Moxley goes after Takeshita’s ankle. A stomp on the apron rocks Takeshita and a double clothesline leaves both of them down. They trade forearms until Moxley’s running clothesline drops Takeshita hard. Moxley’s ankle lock sends Takeshita over to the ropes and he knocks Moxley outside. Takeshita can’t get a running start due to his ankle but a second attempt sets up a big running flip dive.

The Blue Thunder Bomb sends Moxley through the announcers’ table and he has to dive to beat the count. Unfortunately he dives right into a frog splash from Takeshita for another near fall but Moxley is back with a cutter. A double middle finger sets up the Paradigm Shift but Takeshita gets a foot on the rope. Moxley charges into a knee for two and a running knee into Raging Fire gives Takeshita the pin at 17:48.

Rating: A-. Well dang that worked. This started slowly and then turned into a heck of a fight, though I’m almost scared as it felt like they were teasing a Moxley face turn out of this whole thing. I get why that would be the case but the idea of this version of Moxley as a hero is disturbing. Otherwise, Takeshita’s incredible run continues, as he can basically do no wrong at this point.

Blue League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B+. Rather solid show here as the Continental Classic continues to deliver. This was about a bunch of people having solid matches, plus Mone running through Grey. It’s still relatively early in the tournament so this can keep going for a bit, though that main event is going to be hard to top. Solid show here, as it mainly focused on one thing, which is often where Collision works best.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Roderick Strong – Rollup
Mascara Dorada b. Claudio Castagnoli – Shooting star press
Mercedes Mone b. Leila Grey – Statement Maker
Ricochet b. Ace Austin – Vertigo
Konosuke Takeshita b. Jon Moxley – Raging Fire

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

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