It’s Revolution and things are not exactly feeling hot coming into the show. The main event is a sixty minute Iron Man match with Bryan Danielson challenging MJF for the World Title, which means there won’t be as much time for the usual deep card this time. Other than that, we have Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley in a Texas Death Match and Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy in what seems to be a Buried Alive match. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Mark Briscoe/Lucha Bros vs. Ari Daivari/Varsity Athletes

The Mark Briscoe vs. Mark Sterling and company feud continues for reasons I don’t think I follow. Briscoe also has some new friends in the Lucha Bros and that means we could be in for a new trio. The division could certainly use them, but for now they have to get rid of something like this, as AEW is giving them a nice spot to get their feet wet as a three man team.

Of course I’ll take Briscoe and the Bros here, as there is no reason to suggest that Daivari and company will ever be winning anything important. If nothing else, it is nice to see Briscoe getting to do something, as that mention of Jay he made on Rampage was one of the sadder things I’ve heard in wrestling in forever. The obvious choice here is obvious though, and hopefully Briscoe gets to move on from the Sterling feud.

Tag Team Titles: Gunns(c) vs. Acclaimed vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett vs. Orange Cassidy/Danhausen

For the life of me I still don’t get why the Acclaimed lost the titles in the first place, but they are already feeling nothing like they were just a month ago. This is another match where there are going to be a lot of people doing as much as they can, probably at the same time. That is not going to make it an easy match to keep track of, but that might be part of the plan.

I’ll take the Gunns to retain here, but I’m really curious to see what AEW has planned for them next. The tag team division has taken a hit in recent months (right around the time of the rise of the Trios Titles) and it could use a good match here. That is only going to get so far with four teams in there at once, but the champs win here, leaving the Acclaimed to continue their rapid fall down the mountain.

TNT Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Wardlow

This is a feud that has been going on for a good while now and has reached the point where Wardlow needs the win. Joe has not only beaten him but also taken away part of his hair. That should be grounds for Wardlow winning and winning big, but there is always the chance that things are not going to follow the strongest logic. On top of that, we already have Powerhouse Hobbs waiting on the winner, putting us….right back where we were months ago.

Anyway, I’ll take Wardlow to win here, as he almost needs to at this point. Wardlow has been beaten at almost every point so far and that means he has to pull this one off. Joe is someone who can be reheated almost immediately, even after he takes a long form Powerbomb Symphony. Let Wardlow win here, as he needs to get back on track after quite the derailment.

Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page

This is a Texas Deathmatch as we hopefully wrap up a feud that felt like it should have wrapped up with their Los Angeles match. Instead, we are getting a match where these two can beat the fire out of each other, which does fit with what they have done to get here. Now that being said, these two can have one heck of a fight, and if they do that here, then we should be in for a pay per view quality brawl.

Page needs to win here and we’ll go with that, as Moxley can absorb a loss like almost no one else around AEW. This is going to be about the two of them beating each other over and over until one can’t get up, which is a good way to make a star. Page could use a big win here and surviving everything Moxley can throw at him can help him. Moxley winning wouldn’t surprise me, but Page going over makes more sense.

Women’s Title: Jamie Hayter(c) vs. Saraya vs. Ruby Soho

The three sided feud continues, with the originals vs. the newcomers vs. Soho. This feud has dominated the women’s division over the last few weeks and Soho has established herself as a weird third wing. That is where we are with the title match, as all three branches are fighting over the championship. It could change the way the feud goes, and that should tell you where things are going.

As much as I would think Hayter retaining the title would make sense or giving Soho the win be some fresh blood in the title scene, I’m thinking Saraya leaves as champion. It is the kind of story that would keep the feud going the longest while also attempting to get something else out of Saraya. Hayter should retain the title, but my gut says Saraya gets it here in what will be treated as a big deal.

Ricky Starks vs. Chris Jericho

I’m still not sure what to think about this feud. While Starks has gotten one of the biggest wins of his career and may have outsmarted Jericho to keep the Jericho Appreciation Society away, the entire feud has been built on a horrible premise. Starks has already beaten Jericho, who has then put up every roadblock he can find to avoid facing Starks again. It doesn’t make the most sense, yet here we are anyway.

I keep having to shake the feeling that Jericho will get the win here to somehow try and stretch this story out for one more match. Ignoring that though, I’ll assume that AEW doesn’t go insane and Starks just wins here. Starks needs to get away from Jericho and if he wins again here, he can do that with his next big win here. I would say I’m not sure what is next for Jericho, but it is probably going to be going after the next young and popular stars.

Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy

And now, Buried Alive. Or the Final Burial, but based on what they’re saying, it sounds a lot like Buried Alive. The idea is that Cage has insulted Jungle Boy’s deceased father once too often, but their first “match” was Cage hitting the Killswitch on a beaten up Jungle Boy and then going away for six months. That seems like quite the leap to this level of a match, but why go sane when you can go nuts?

There is no reason for Jungle Boy to lose here so we’ll go with that, as he finally gets to show his aggression and beat Cage. I’m not sure what that means for Cage after this as a Buried Alive match kind of gets rid of you for awhile, but maybe they have some kind of out. For now though, I’m still trying to get my head around the stipulation, which feels like something created by a random number generator. Or a nine year old who thinks it sounds cool.

Trios Titles: Elite(c) vs. House Of Black

This one has me worried, as there is one way this match should go and quite a bit of reason for making me think it will not go that way. The Trios Titles seem to be made to give the Elite something to do and at the moment, there isn’t much of a division to fight over them. The House Of Black are the most viable challengers, but if the Elite wins, who are they supposed to fight anytime soon?

I’ll go with the logical hope and say the House Of Black wins here, but the Elite squeaking out a win wouldn’t surprise me either. The House Of Black has always felt like they should be this unstoppable force but at some point they need to actually win something to validate their hype. Starting with these titles would be a smart move. This should be a layup, but the Trios Titles have been weird so far to say the least.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Bryan Danielson

This is a sixty minute Iron Man match and probably the reason for a bunch of multiman matches earlier in the show. The idea here is that Danielson can out wrestle Friedman any day and then….something about Friedman’s personal life falling apart and he’ll do anything to win and then he might have framed his ex-girlfriend for a car wreck. In other words, this whole story has been weird as they seem to have booked the match and then tried to put the rest of the story together, which is rarely a good sign.

I’ll go with Friedman retaining, either via a draw or just barely escaping with the last fall. This feud has been uneven to say the least but it is almost impossible to fathom Friedman losing the title so soon after he won it. Danielson also has seemingly gone on a quest to put over as many people as he can and he will probably be doing that again here, albeit with some shenanigans.

Overall Thoughts

Here’s the thing about AEW: the TV builds to pay per views can be all over the place (this one has been particularly weak) but they have such a sterling reputation on pay per view that I fully expect this show to work. The action will be good and people will be working hard, which will make for another very good show. That’s kind of what AEW does, and I’m looking forward to the show, not so great hype aside.

Rampage
Date: March 3, 2023
Location: Cow Palace, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s the final show before Revolution and that means this week is live. Normally I would say a pay per view card is set two days before the show but AEW has a tendency to throw in a bunch of stuff at the last minute. This week will also see Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee vs. Mogul Affiliates so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Aussie Open vs. Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta vs. Top Flight vs. Dark Order

The Dark Order jumps Castagnoli/Yuta in the aisle to start but Top Flight dives onto all four of them. Aussie Open drives Top Flight together as JR talks about needing to win to get a pay per view pay day. Ross: “Am I right about that?” And he is completely ignored, as that doesn’t seem to be right.

We get inside for the bell with Top Flight dropkicking Aussie Open with Davis being knocked to the floor. Reynolds comes in and hits a running elbow on Fletcher as Jericho talks about the attractiveness of Tony Schiavone’s grandmother. It’s off to Silver to take Castagnoli down and hammer away. Silver hits a running flip dive to take Davis down on the floor, runs over more people, and then gets pulled out of the air by Castagnoli.

A backbreaker gets two on Silver as we see La Faccion Ingobernable watching backstage. Castagnoli and Yuta kick Reynolds down and we take a break. Back with Reynolds flipping out of a belly to back suplex as Maria and the Kingdom are watching at ringside. Yuta comes in but gets stomped down by Reynolds, allowing a double tag off to Dante vs. Fletcher.

Dante forearms him down and hits the big running flip dive to the floor. Back in and Silver has to make a save but the Aussies superkick Dante out of the air. An assisted flip powerslam gets two with Yuta making the save. Davis blasts Fletcher by mistake though and it’s the Dark Order coming in to clean house. The Stunner into the German suplex hits Darius but Yuta comes in with the Seatbelt for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: B. This was your “here are a bunch of people doing a bunch of stuff” match of the week and it was an entertaining one. While I do think these matches tend to run together quite a bit, they worked well here and the Blackpool Combat Club’s nefarious ways continue. The Aussies still feel like they should be a bigger deal around here but maybe their infrequent appearances are slowing them down. As for Top Flight, can they please get a few wins already?

Post match Dark Order jumps Castagnoli and Yuta until things are separated.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley in Sunday’s Texas Death Match.

We look at the Jericho Appreciation Society beating up Ricky Stars on Dynamite.

Jungle Boy wants to end Christian Cage…and it seems like it’s going to be something like Buried Alive. That seems like quite the jump after one 30 second match, jokes about Jungle Boy’s dad or not.

Riho vs. Emi Sakura

Sakura, Riho’s mentor, kicks her in the ribs to start and pulls the crossbody out of the air. Riho is back with a snap suplex for two and a headscissors puts Sakura on the floor. Sakura is fine enough to catch a charging Riho in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Riho gets crushed against the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Riho forearming away and hitting a 619. A high crossbody gets two on Sakura but she’s back with a running crossbody in the corner for two of her own. La Majistral gives Sakura two more and her moonsault….well it hits Riho but it doesn’t seem like it was supposed to. Riho misses the top rope double stomp but spins around Sakura into a rollup for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Riho is back and seems to be getting a strong push, which could lead up to a big match, perhaps against say Jade Cargill. This win makes her 2-0 this week and that should be enough of a stepping stone to somewhere. Sakura is someone else who can wrestle a good match with anyone and she was just right for putting Riho over here.

Video on Ruby Soho vs. Saraya vs. Jamie Hayter for the Women’s Title.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Serpentico

Town Business finishes Serpentico at 41 seconds. As it should be.

Don Callis recruits Konosuke Takeshita, who seems intrigued.

Mark Briscoe talks about being sick of Mark Sterling. He was ready for a tag team battle royal but he couldn’t find his brother Jay, because Jay must have already been out there (well dang). But no, he’s up there with the Lord now so Mark Briscoe went after Mark Sterling on his own. Then he saw the Lucha Bros in there and here they are with their friend. The six man tag is set for Revolution.

Revolution rundown.

The four teams in the four way Tag Team Title match are all ready to fight.

Video on Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee vs. Mogul Affiliates.

Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee vs. Mogul Affiliates

It’s a brawl to start with Lee and Boudreaux slugging it out. Boudreaux’s shots to the face just wake Lee up and it’s Dustin coming in to rain down right hands in the corner. Those are shrugged off but Boudreaux won’t tag for no logical reason. We take a break and come back Strickland throwing Dustin out of the corner and dropkicking Lee off the apron. Dustin backdrops his way out of trouble but there’s no Lee, leaving Dustin to powerslam Strickland instead.

That’s enough for the tag to Lee, who Pounces Boudreaux for the big crash. Strickland comes in and realizes he has to face Lee, leading to panic. One heck of a high angle spinebuster plants Strickland as everything breaks down. Strickland moonsaults off of Lee’s chest to take Dustin out on the floor. That leaves Lee to get Swerve Stomped for two but Dustin is back in. Lee crossbodies Boudreaux and Dustin hits a Canadian Destroyer on Strickland. Dustin gets tossed onto Boudreaux and the Big Bang Catastrophe finishes Boudreaux off at 11:03.

Rating: B-. This was about how the match should have gone, as Lee looks like a monster who is going to get his hands on Swerve at some point. I’m a bit surprised that it isn’t at Revolution, but it should make for a nice Dynamite main event in a few weeks. You also have Dustin holding things together for the incredibly inexperienced Boudreaux and it made for a nice main event.

One more Revolution rundown….doesn’t finish the show as Ricky Starks jumps Chris Jericho and brawls with him to end the show. That was a nice surprise.

Overall Rating: B+. While a lot of the matches didn’t exactly feel important (JR thinking there was a prize for the winner was really bad), this was a very easy to watch show with good stuff up and down the card. It was a mixture of different stories and kinds of matches to keep things interesting and that made for a solid Rampage. Now just get Revolution right (which they probably will) and maybe AEW can get back on track.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta b. Top Flight, Dark Order and Aussie Open – Seatbelt to Darius
Riho b. Emi Sakura – Rollup
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Serpentico – Town Business
Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee b. Swerve Strickland/Parker Boudreaux – Big Bang Catastrophe to Boudreaux

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: March 1, 2023
Location: Cow Palace, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the go home Dynamite for Revolution and that means we have a stacked show. This time around that includes the Face of the Revolution ladder match plus a Casino tag team battle royal to determine the fourth team in Sunday’s four way Tag Team Title match. That should be more than enough to carry the show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Big Bill

Bill, with Stokely Hathaway, is challenging. Cassidy gets backed to the floor to start and the chase is on, with Cassidy messing with Bill’s mind. With nothing else working, Cassidy even steals Stokely’s glasses before tumbling away from Bill. Back in and the tornado DDT is countered into a side slam to plant Cassidy for the first time.

A running big boot puts Cassidy on the floor and it’s time to set up the table (which they do move to the end of the ramp for once). Cassidy’s comeback is broken up and the chokeslam puts him through the table as we take a break. Back with Danhausen at ringside and Billy hitting a suplex. The full nelson has Cassidy in trouble but he falls down from the threat of a big boot.

They go outside with Cassidy grabbing Danhausen but Hathaway decks Danhausen with the cast instead. Cassidy takes Bill out with a suicide dive, setting up an Orange Punch to the knee. Back in and the Stundog Millionaire into the tornado DDT rock Bill, followed by back to back Orange Punches. A top rope Orange Punch finishes Bill at 12:26.

Rating: C. This was something resembling a power vs. speed match and while Cassidy winning is fine, it’s still a bit much to accept that someone his size doing a Superman Punch is beating a giant. That aside, Cassidy has absolutely found his niche as the low level champion and it is going to be a big deal when he loses. Bill was good enough as a monster for Cassidy to slay, but this took longer than it needed to in order to get to the point.

After last week’s Dynamite, a bloody Jon Moxley says it tastes like victory and life. Moxley shouts about how he has come back from dealing with Hangman Page, but Page was the one getting all the attention when he was hurt. With the blood falling on the floor, Moxley promises to protect what is his. The Texas Deathmatch is on.

Here is the Elite but the lights go out and the House of Black is here to jump them. The House poses with the Trios Titles. Why was the Elite coming out there? That’s not important right now.

Kommander vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. AR Fox vs. Action Andretti vs. Ortiz vs. Eddie Kingston vs. Sammy Guevara

Ladder match and the winner gets a shot at TNT Champion Samoa Joe (on commentary) next week. It’s a brawl to start with Kommander walking the rope to kick the ladder down, only to get run over by Hobbs. Back up and Guevara gets to clean house but Andretti sends him outside for the dive. Kommander runs the rope to dive onto everyone else at ringside and we take a break.

Back with Guevara going the latter but Andretti climbs up a two ladder structure from the floor to the top of the ladder, setting up a horrible Falcon Arrow onto the ladder to leave Andretti and Guevara hopefully not badly injured. Kommander 450s onto a ladder to Fox before going up, only to have Andretti springboard in for a save.

Cue Daniel Garcia to clean house and then bridge a ladder over some chairs. Guevara Swantons onto Andretti onto the ladder but gets shoved off the ladder. Takeshita goes up but Hobbs runs him over, breaking the ladder in the process. The referee comes in again to hold the ladder so Hobbs can win at 13:43.

Rating: C+. I have no idea what to say on this one but it was an absolute mess. Kingston and Ortiz fought off almost from the start and were gone for most of the match. Other than that, you still had too many people running around and way too many instances of people going for a big spot rather than trying to win. That stuff always drives me crazy in these things and this was even messier than most such matches. This didn’t work very well, though it did have the expected impressive dives. Just slow it down a bit next time.

Post match Hobbs goes after Joe but Wardlow returns to take Joe out. Hobbs stands back and watches, saying he has time.

The Best Friends are hurt and can’t be in the battle royal. Danhausen and the banged up Orange Cassidy are in instead.

Chris Jericho vs. Peter Avalon

Avalon jumps him to start and Jericho is sent outside, setting up the suicide dive. Back in and a pump kick gives Avalon two, followed by a springboard DDT for two. Then he walks into the Codebreaker to give Jericho the pin at 2:27.

Post match Jericho beats up Avalon until Ricky Starks makes the save. Jericho promises to win on Sunday and here is the Jericho Appreciation Society to beat Starks down. This whole thing absolutely could have been moved to Rampage.

Hangman Page is ready to take everything from Jon Moxley on Sunday.

Here is Christian Cage for a chat. He talks about how glad he’ll be to not be back in San Francisco again for another ten years. A few weeks ago he turned on Dynamite and heard Jungle Boy saying he was going to win a singles title this year. Cage: “Over my head body.” Christian promises to win a singles title this year before going into a rant about how people like Jungle Boy treat his business like a video game.

Christian treats this business like an ATM and promises to treat Jungle Boy like the nothing that he is. He wants Jungle Boy in a fight at Revolution but the lights go out. We get a video from Jungle Boy burying something, with clips of him attacking Christian included. I guess the match is on. This was GREAT stuff from Christian, who sold the entire match in about a minute and a half. Jungle Boy’s video was weird, but at least we have the match/fight set and Cage is still doing some of the best talking in AEW.

Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker are sick of Saraya and promise that Hayter will retain the Women’s Title.

FTW Title: Matt Hardy vs. Hook

Hardy, with Stokely Hathaway/Isiah Kassidy/Ethan Page, is challenging and starts fast by sending Hook outside. Page posts Hook to put him in trouble and Hardy follows with a neckbreaker. Hardy sends him into the buckle but Hook suplexes him out of the corner. A sliding lariat gives Hook two but Hardy is right back with a Side Effect. Ethan Page gets in a shot with Stokely’s cast for two. The Twist of Fate is broken up and Redrum makes Hardy tap immediately (seemed like he was trying to get out of the match to screw with Stokely).

Rating: C. Again, there was a lot going on here when doing less would have worked. Hook still needs ring time and having him in there for a 7-8 minute match with Hardy walking him through the whole thing would have been good all around. Instead, we got another chapter in the Hardy/Ethan Page/Stokely Hathaway story that feels like it has been going on forever. Hook getting a match on Dynamite is a good sign though, as his future looks bright.

The House of Black wants the Trios Titles.

Riho vs. Toni Storm

Saraya is here with Storm. They start fast with Riho picking up the pace to take over and put Storm down a few times. Saraya gets in a cheap shot though and Riho is down on the floor. Cue Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter as we take a break. Back with Riho hitting a big dive to the floor, followed by a high crossbody.

Another high crossbody is loaded up but Storm crotches her down to catch her on top. A super Storm Zero (yeah that would be a bad idea) is countered into a blocked sunset bomb so Storm runs her over. Baker offers a distraction though and Riho gets the (messy) rollup pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. That ending didn’t do anyone any favors and Storm losing weakens someone in the biggest story in the women’s division right now. Again, there was a lot going on here as they cram in a bunch of stuff, especially when this was a match to set up a title match with none of the people involved included. Riho still feels enough like a star, but this was a weird place to have her come back and beat Storm.

Post match Baker and Storm brawl, with Ruby Soho coming out to slap Hayter in the face. Another brawl starts and referees break it up.

Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee are ready for Mogul Affiliates on Rampage.

Casino Tag Team Battle Royal

For the final spot in the four way Tag Team Title match on Sunday and it’s basically a tag team Royal Rumble with both members having to be eliminated. The Dark Order is in at #1 but the Blackpool Combat Club (the #2 team) jump them from being. The beating is on and we take a break before the bell.

We’re joined in progress with La Faccion Ingobernable coming in at #3. They get to clean house a bit until the Lucha Bros are in at #4. Everyone brawls with no one getting tossed as Aussie Open is in at #5 (with the intervals getting all wacky in a hurry). The Combat Club gets rid of the Dark Order and we take a break. Back with the Jericho Appreciation Society having come in at #6 and Top Flight coming in at #7.

Matt Menard is out as the Kingdom is in at #8. Cue Ari Daivari and company for a distraction and La Faccion is out. Top Flight gets tossed out and Danhausen/Orange Cassidy are in at #9 (probably three minutes after the previous entrance). Cassidy dumps Parker to get rid of the Jericho Appreciation Society and the Lucha Bros went out somewhere in there. Butcher and the Blade are in at #10 as the Kingdom accidentally superkick Maria (their manager) before being knocked out.

Cue the Dark Order to distract the Blackpool Combat Club, allowing Orange Cassidy and Danhausen to toss them out. We’re down to Butcher and Blade vs. Orange Cassidy/Danhausen with Cassidy being sent to the apron. The double teaming can’t get rid of them but Danhausen dumps Butcher and Blade at the same time to win at 18:56.

Rating: D. This was one of the biggest messes I’ve ever seen from AEW and it absolutely did not work. I lost track of who was in and out more than once, with the time intervals being so all over the place that I wasn’t sure if we were getting more teams. They could have done this match in half the time (and with about half of the teams) but instead they overloaded it again and while the end result is a surprise, it came after a terrible match.

Post match Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal run in for the beatdown with the Gunns watching. The Acclaimed run in for the save.

Long video on Bryan Danielson vs. MJF in the Iron Man match at Revolution.

Here is Bryan Danielson, with part of his entrance cut off (we have less than four minutes in the show) to talk about chasing your dreams. Cue MJF to interrupt but Danielson won’t let him get a word in. Danielson says MJF is jealous of his wife and family and says it makes sense for MJF’s fiance to leave him. MJF is ready to fight but Danielson goes on a rant about how he has had to fight his whole life (from poverty to the authority).

Before Danielson came here, he had a job that could have kept him well paid for the rest of his life but he came here to fight. He wants the World Title and he is willing to fight for it. MJF better be ready to fight on Sunday or he is going to get his censored head kicked in. MJF storms off without ever saying a word as we are out of time. Danielson was great here and having him keep MJF from talking for a change was an awesome switch from the norm.

Overall Rating: C. Wow. I’m not sure where to start here, but this didn’t work for the most part. The good talking segments bailed a lot of it out, but between having WAY too much stuff going on (include a ladder match AND a battle royal), not doing much to make me care about the pay per view and having most of the matches not be anything memorable, it didn’t work very well. Not a good show here, and that comes down to one major problem.

There were multiple instances tonight where a match or in-ring segment would end and we would jump right back to the next thing, have a minute long something else and then go to whatever is next in the ring. Nothing had time to breathe or set in and as a result, the show felt like it was racing to get through everything multiple times.

AEW really, really need to learn better pacing, which might include just cutting some stuff. They couldn’t shave three minutes off of the battle royal and/or ladder match to give something else some time later? It was plaguing the show all night and it dragged things way down more than once. Not a terrible show, but they need to avoid something like this again.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Big Bill – Super Orange Punch
Powerhouse Hobbs won the face Of The Revolution Ladder Match
Chris Jericho b. Peter Avalon – Codebreaker
Hook b. Matt Hardy – Redrum
Riho b. Toni Storm – Rollup
Danhausen/Orange Cassidy won the Casino Battle Royal last eliminating Butcher and the Blade

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: February 10, 2023
Location: County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We are still in Texas with less than a month to go before Revolution. That should make for a few interesting weeks but this week’s lineup doesn’t exactly offer much in the way of hope. The Blackpool Combat Club is here though and that is one of the better things Rampage could do. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian

Sabian drives Yuta into the corner to start but a sunset flip gets Yuta out of trouble. Yuta is sent outside and Castagnoli comes in, with Butcher getting to come in as well for the power staredown. They yell at each other and slug it out, with both of them staggering. Moxley and then Yuta come in to take turns on Butcher as Jericho talks about the Impractical Jokers cast stealing his baseball bat.

Sabian is able to grab a flipping Stunner on Yuta for a breather and Blade gets to stomp away. That doesn’t last long and it’s Moxley coming back in to bite Sabian in the head. Moxley goes for the Kimura and elbows at the head, only to get kneed in the face. Sabian sends him outside and we take a break.

Back with Moxley fighting out of trouble and handing it off to Castagnoli for the running uppercuts in the corner. A running dropkick puts Blade down and Sabian has to save him from the Swing. That means the Swing has Sabian in trouble and the Blade gets caught in the Sharpshooter. Butcher makes the save but gets cuttered and we hit the parade of big shots to the face. Castagnoli plants Blade for two with Sabian making the save. Moxley cutters a springboarding Sabian out of the air and Castagnoli finishes with the uppercut at 13:27.

Rating: B. This was similar to last week’s Elite match, as there was no reason to believe there was an upset coming, but it was a lot of fun to watch. That’s the kind of no pressure match that could do a lot of good around here as you get star power, entertaining action and nothing that really matters. Very fun stuff here and it’s not like Sabian and company are hurt by the loss.

Darby Allin promises to not go after the TNT Title again as long as Samoa Joe is champion. He and Sting have something planned though.

We get a short sneak preview of a sitdown interview with Adam Cole. He’s interested in facing some people on the roster.

Ricky Starks wants Chris Jericho again and he’ll beat up Daniel Garcia to take his first step there.

Here are the Impractical Jokers with Chris Jericho’s bat. It’s a lot smaller than they were expecting but here is the Jericho Appreciation Society to beat them down. One is put on a table, with Hager powerbombing the other through him.

Dustin Rhodes says Swerve Strickland crossed the line by mentioning his family. Rhodes has been doing this longer than Strickland has been alive. Rhodes: “What are those three triangles on your chest? They look like Doritos, and I like Doritos!” He’s coming for Strickland’s blood and soul so here are Parker Boudreaux and Trench to beat him down. Strickland comes in to say the match is on for next week.

Ruby Soho vs. Marina Shafir

Vickie Guerrero is here with Shafir. They go to the mat to start with an exchange of arm cranking. Back up and Soho hits a running forearm as we take a break. Back with Soho hitting a kind of reverse fisherman’s suplex but missing a top rope something. No Future is countered so Soho hits some headbutts. Destination Unknown finishes Shafir at 6:40.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do anything here, especially with half of the match in the commercial. Soho continues to be the What If in the originals vs. newcomers feud and odds are we’ll get to see something develop there soon. Shafir is fine in this role and Soho beating her feels like a bit of an accomplishment. Granted Soho beating anyone at this point is a bit of a surprise.

Post match Saraya and Toni Storm come out to talk to Soho but Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter run in for the big brawl as Soho looks on.

Mark Briscoe is feeling real good about wrestling again on Dynamite next week. Mark Sterling comes in to offer his services but Briscoe “will be flying solo on this excursion.” The brawl is teased but Josh Woods comes in for the staredown, saying this isn’t Sandy Fork.

Jungle Boy vs. Ryan Nemeth

Jungle Boy knocks him outside for a suicide dive in less than ten seconds. Back in and Nemeth rolls through a high crossbody for two, setting up a DDT. Nemeth gyrates a bit so Jungle Boy hits a sliding forearm to the back of the head for the pin at 1:24. Well that was efficient.

Post match Brian Cage comes out for the staredown.

Ortiz isn’t going to let Eddie Kingston become a follower of the House Of Black.

Stokely Hathaway and Danhausen are ready for Lee Moriarty vs. Orange Cassidy.

Hangman Page is livid over losing to Jon Moxley again and says it’s not over yet. Kip Sabian comes in with Penelope Ford to mock Page, who lunges at him before walking away.

All Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Lee Moriarty

Cassidy is defending with Danhausen and Stokely Hathaway here too. Moriarty grabs a hammerlock to start and even steals Cassidy’s glasses. As Cassidy slips out, JR sends best wishes to Jerry Lawler, with Jericho immediately talking about how much he loves Lawler. Cassidy uses the hands in the pockets to escape but gets shouldered down. That means some lazy kicks from the mat (Jericho: “Like Inoki against Ali!”) before Cassidy is sent to the apron.

Some rams into the buckle rock Moriarty but Cassidy misses a top rope clothesline. A European Clutch gives Moriarty two and he slams the arm onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Cassidy hitting the top rope clothesline, allowing Excalibur to rapid fire off the preview for next week’s shows. The Stundog Millionaire rocks Moriarty but he blocks the tornado DDT. Cassidy grabs a sleeper but Moriarty drops backwards for the break.

The Border City Stretch is blocked so Moriarty elbows away at the shoulder instead. With Cassidy on the floor, Danhausen goes for his low blow on Hathaway, who blocks it with the cast on his left arm. Cassidy hits his dive onto Moriarty and grabs the top rope DDT back inside. The Orange Punch is countered into a hard lariat but Cassidy Beach Breaks him for two. Now the Orange Punch can connect but the arm is too banged up. Moriarty gets the Border City Stretch, only to have Cassidy roll him up to retain at 11:27.

Rating: C+. Rampage as something like the Orange Cassidy Show isn’t the worst idea, as the fans love him and he holds the most worthless of the AEW titles. It really only has value to Cassidy and having him beat one midcard challenger after another is a fine way to go. That was on full display here and the formula still works.

Post match Satnam Singh comes in for the staredown but Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal run in from behind. Lethal hits Cassidy and Danhausen with the Golden Globe. The Best Friends try to come in but get beaten down as well. Jarrett loads up the guitar….but the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn run in with chairs to end the show. What an odd choice for the save.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show here, though the ending was more than a little head scratching. What matters is that Rampage is starting to find itself again. AEW has made it pretty clear that they have no long term interest in making Rampage important so just do something like this every week: a few big names, feature the people who aren’t on Dynamite that often, and just have a good time. If that’s all Rampage is going to be, I can think o worse uses for the hour.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade – Uppercut to Sabian
Ruby Soho b. Marina Shafir – Destination Unknown
Jungle Boy b. Ryan Nemeth – Sliding forearm
Orange Cassidy b. Lee Moriarty – Rollup

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

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Rampage
Date: February 3, 2023
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

Rampage continues to be a bit all over the place as you know most of the card/lineup in advance but it still feels like a show that could go in a bunch of different directions. That could be the case again this week as there is some star power with the Elite around to defend the Trios Titles. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Trios Titles: Elite vs. Isiah Kassidy/Matt Hardy/Ethan Page

The Elite is defending and for the sake of simplicity, Matt Hardy will be referred to as Hardy and Matt Jackson will be referred to as Matt. Nick Jackson and Kassidy trade some flips and takedowns to start before Matt comes in to take over. Kassidy gets over to Hardy for the tag, so Omega gets the overly dramatic tag (Omega is a big deal, but spare me with the Hardy stuff at this point).

Hardy sends Omega outside and goes up but Page tags himself in to take over instead. Omega snaps off a hurricanrana and it’s the Bucks coming back in for a pop up hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and Nick hits a big flip dive to the floor. Back in and Matt rolls the northern lights suplexes on Hardy but Page makes the save as we take a break.

Back with Nick in trouble and Hardy going up, only to have Page tag himself back in. The delay lets Omega come back in to take over, including You Can’t Escape to Page. Everything breaks down and Kassidy tries to play Jeff Hardy in Poetry In Motion, only to get superkicked out of the air. Omega and Hardy hit stereo clotheslines, leaving Kassidy to hit a super swinging Downward Spiral on Matt.

Kassidy and Nick slug it out but the triple superkick is broken up. A Canadian Destroyer sends Nick into the corner and the Twist of Fate gives Kassidy two on Nick. Kassidy’s cutter gets two more on Nick but Omega is back in with a heck of a V Trigger sets up the One Winged Angel. The BTE Trigger retains the titles at 15:44.

Rating: B-. Good enough action here, but the lack of drama was impossible to ignore. No one was buying half of a tag team, plus a pair of guys who can’t get along, as a threat to the Trios Titles. I know Hardy is a legend but so much of the special feeling is gone whenever he does anything. That leaves Page, who is talented but not enough to overcome these odds. Not a bad match at all, ubt it was a bunch of waiting around for the Elite to retain.

Ricky Starks is ready to run the gauntlet to get to Chris Jericho because he’ll always find a way.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt/Satnam Singh brag about stealing the Golden Globe and using it to beat the Best Friends and Danhausen.

The Best Friends and Danhausen kind of swear revenge but Danhausen seems a bit confused.

Swerve Strickland vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Parker Boudreaux and Trench (yeah Trench) are here with Swerve. They fight over arm control to start and then lock up until Pillman sends him into the corner. A running dropkick sends Swerve outside and Pillman takes a victory lap as we take a break. Back with the traditional exchange of forearms with Strickland getting the better of things.

A kick to the face gives Pillman two but Swerve hits his step up kick to the back of the head for two of his own. Pillman manages a neck snap across the top rope but the goons’ interference lets Swerve hit the Death Valley Driver on the apron. The Swerve Stomp finishes for Strickland at 8:18.

Rating: C-. Pillman Jr. is trying and looks so much like his dad that it’s scary, but he’s another case where it just isn’t working. The fire isn’t there and you can see it more and more every time he is in the ring. I know he is proud of his name, but being the Jr. version of his famous dad seems to be destroying his career. Granted it also would have helped if he hadn’t been thrown onto national TV before he was ready, but that’s a bigger AEW problem.

Post match the beatdown is on but Dustin Rhodes makes the save.

Malakai Black talks about poisoning Eddie Kingston. They don’t want him in the House of Black but they are glad he has gone to the dark side.

Toni Storm/Saraya vs. Renegade Twins

Storm and Robin start things off with a rather aggressive lockup until Storm hits a Thesz press. Saraya gets in some knees from the apron and the hip attack sends Robin crashing to the floor. There’s a whip into the barricade and it’s Saraya coming in for a running knee in the corner. A running knee to the face gets two on Robin and Storm grabs the chinlock. Back up and Robin is able to nail an enziguri, allowing the hot tag off to Charlotte. Everything breaks down and a quick Storm Zero gives Storm the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C. I know they’re jobbers and a lot of what they do is because of being twins, but there is something about the Renegades that makes me interested. They feel like they are giving it everything they have every time and that makes for a fun time whenever they’re out there. Saraya is starting to shake the ring rust off too, as while she wasn’t in there long, she looked smoother than she has recently. Maybe things are looking up for her.

Post match Saraya and Storm spray paint L’s on the Twins. Because they’re losers you see.

Adam Cole is ready to get back in the ring.

Video on Rush vs. Christopher Daniels.

Here’s what is coming on Dynamite.

Rush vs. Christopher Daniels

Jose the Assistant and Preston Vance are here too. They go with the grappling to start as Tony lists off Daniels’ ROH resume. Daniels knocks him to the floor and hits the required suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Rush kicking away at the ribs and Jose/Preston throwing money on Danielson’s back.

Some chops out of the corner give Danielson a break and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. The Koji Clutch keeps Rush in trouble but Vance puts the foot on the rope for the save. The Best Moonsault Ever hits raised knees though and Rush suplexes him into the corner. Rush hits the Bull’s Horns for the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C. As has been the case with a few Rampage matches in recent weeks, this was an “oh, ok then” match. Was anyone thinking that they needed to see this match before it was announced? They made Rush look more like a killer before the Danielson match next week, but that was about all you could get from this one. Again, not a bad match, but it had no spark or interest and that hurts things badly.

Overall Rating: C. I think it’s safe to say that Tony Khan’s attempts to make Rampage feel special are gone. Having the Elite in there for a pretty nothing title defense was nice, but you need more than fifteen minutes of important to make the show matter. It’s another week that felt like they just picked people who were backstage to be on the show and fill time, which shouldn’t be how a TV show feels. Completely watchable, but again, nothing you need to see and that hurts.

Results
Elite b. Isiah Kassidy/Matt Hardy/Ethan Page – BTE Trigger to Kassidy
Swerve Strickland b. Brian Pillman Jr. – Swerve Stomp
Saraya/Toni Storm b. Renegade Twins – Storm Zero to Charlotte
Rush b. Christopher Daniels – Bull’s Horns

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

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Rampage
Date: January 27, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Chris Jericho

We’re still in Kentucky and in this case that means it’s time for Hangman Page to face Wheeler Yuta on his way to next week’s showdown with Jon Moxley. Other than that, Jamie Hayter is in a Women’s Title eliminator match and we should be in for a treat there. The show continues to be up and down, but maybe they can make it work this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the middle deck with the video screen on the right.

Opening sequence.

Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta knocks him into the corner to start and hammers away. The Octopus has Page in early trouble before Yuta switches to the legs. They trade slaps to the face until Yuta bridges back into a leglock. Page fights up and knocks Yuta down for a change and a fall away slam sends Yuta to the apron. There’s the springboard clothesline to send him outside, setting up a slingshot dive.

Page sends him back inside where Yuta hits a very fast dive of his own. That earns Yuta a pop up powerbomb onto the apron, followed by the Liger Bomb for two back inside. We take a break and come back with Yuta hitting a middle rope dropkick. A top rope forearm drops Page again but he catches Yuta on top. The super Death Valley Driver gets two (Why debut a huge move like that if it’s a two count?) and a release German suplex drops Yuta again.

Yuta grabs his own German suplex and ties Page’s leg in the rope for some elbows to the head. Another German suplex on the apron and another on the floor (with Yuta flipping him backwards because EGADS) drops Page hard. Yuta adds a heck of a dive on the floor but a frog splash only hits knees. The Buckshot Lariat is countered into an Angle Slam, setting up a frog splash to give Yuta two. They strike it out again until Page sends him through the ropes. Yuta hangs on so Page goes to the apron, setting up the Buckshot Lariat. A Jon Moxley Death Rider finishes Yuta at 14:59.

Rating: B-. Good fight here, though that super Death Valley Driver was a good bit annoying. Other than that you have Page trying to get more and more violent for the sake of getting ready for Moxley next week. Yuta tried hard and looked good in defeat, but can we please have another champion stop losing over and over?

Action Andretti and Ricky Starks aren’t done with the Jericho Appreciation Society, who had to cheat to win.

Eddie Kingston is done fighting and understands the House of Black. He’s ready to go home.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh vs. Best Friends/Danhausen

Sonjay Dutt and Orange Cassidy are the seconds here. Danhausen even has a ukulele and gets in a contest with Jarrett’s guitar. Not musical of course, but just who the fans like more. Then Singh steals the ukulele and breaks it with ease, allowing Lethal to jump Taylor from behind. The Beat Friends elbow Lethal down and it’s off to Jeff, who gets elbowed in the face as well.

Danhausen comes in for a single kick before handing it back to the Best friends for a double shoulder. We get a quadruple double bicep pose from the good guys and it’s Soul Food into the half and half suplex on Lethal. The Big Hug is broken up though and Trent makes the mistake of going after Singh, earning himself a hard whip out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Trent flipping out of a German suplex so Taylor can come back in to take over.

The Koji Clutch has Lethal in trouble but Jarrett makes the save. Taylor Figure Fours Jarrett and Lethal’s Hail To The King misses. Jarrett inches over for the tag off to Singh though and Danhausen comes in for the, ahem, showdown. Danhausen slugs away and clotheslines the stomach but Singh misses a charge in the corner. All four of the good guys get in a neck snap over the top rope. Danhausen grabs the guitar but the distraction lets Jarrett use the Golden Globe to knock out Danhausen so Singh can get the pin at 10:02.

Rating: C-. I really wasn’t feeling this one as it was a bunch of goofy shenanigans that didn’t exactly make Singh look good. Other than shrugging off offense, he didn’t do anything that made him feel like a monster. I can definitely go with this version of Jarrett/Lethal/Singh rather than them going after the Tag Team Titles, but this match wasn’t exactly great.

Britt Baker tells Ruby Soho to grow a backbone and pick a side. If she’s smart, she knows which one to pick.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Tony Gunn

Gunn is a former OVW Champion. Hobbs powers him around, plants him and hits a reverse Attitude Adjustment for the pin at 1:12.

Top Flight want to team up with AR Fox to go after the Trios Titles.

Dustin Rhodes is back after a rough month (losing his mother) but Mogul Affiliates interrupt. Swerve talks about Dustin’s brother having a slick mouth and Dustin’s daddy….and that’s too far. A fight seems imminent.

Video on Jamie Hayter vs. Emi Sakura.

Mark Henry does his catchphrase.

Jade Cargill is interrupted by Red Velvet and has a 50th opponent.

Jamie Hayter vs. Emi Sakura

Women’s Title eliminator with Britt Baker, Rebel and Sakura’s royal court. They strike away to start with Jamie Hayter as Baker has found a rather nice HAYTERADE sign in the crowd to hold up. The fight heads outside with Sakura whipping her from the apron and into the barricade over and over. Back in and Sakura strikes away in the corner before grabbing the surfboard.

We take a break and come back with Hayter grabbing some exploder suplexes. Hayter pounds her down in the corner and grabs a Haytebreaker for two. Sakura counters a sliding forearm into a crucifix for two of her own but Hayter blasts her with clotheslines. A Tower Of London drops Hayter but Sakura avoids a moonsault. Sakura’s Tiger Driver gets two and a moonsault connects for the same. The ripcord lariat is countered into a suplex from Sakura but Hayter BLASTS her with a clothesline. Hayterade finishes Sakura at 12:33.

Rating: B. Hayter continues to look like an absolute star and Sakura gave her a heck of a match. These two beat each other up and looked solid in the process. It felt like a main event and Hayter got a great boost out of it. She has turned herself face with all of the good things she does and it is kind of amazing to see. Heck of a main event.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event carries a lot of this show and the opener is good, but there is a big half an hour gap in the middle with only a Hobbs squash being noteworthy. It was another enjoyable show, but like Rampage most of the time, it felt like little more than a preview for Dynamite. If that is what Rampage wants to be then cool, but it still feels like a bit of a waste of TV time.

Results
Hangman Page b. Wheeler Yuta – Death Rider
Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh b. Best Friends/Danhausen – Golden Globe to Danhausen
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Tony Gunn – Reverse Attitude Adjustment
Jamie Hayter b. Emi Sakura – Hayterade

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 18, 2023
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re about six weeks away from Revolution and that means Bryan Danielson is still on the road to getting his Iron Man match with MJF for the World Title. Other than that, Orange Cassidy is defending the All-Atlantic Title against Jay Lethal and Ricky Starks continues his issues with the Jericho Appreciation Society. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Jay Briscoe.

All-Atlantic Title: Jay Lethal vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is defending and there are no seconds, though here are Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt through the crowd to take fans’ seats. They start fast with Cassidy grabbing a small package and backslide for two each before Lethal knocks him outside. Cue Danhausen, who is now an usher, demanding to see Jarrett and company’s tickets. Because reasons, they hand them over, and Danhausen waves over the Best Friends (with concessions) to sit behind them.

In the melee, Cassidy hits a suicide dive but Lethal knocks him back down without much effort. Now Danhausen is at ringside as Lethal drives Cassidy into the apron. A hard posting (great bump) has Cassidy in more trouble and Lethal gets to strut. Back in and Hail To The King is loaded up but Cassidy rolls away, even as Lethal tries multiple buckles.

The Stundog Millionaire and tornado DDT hit Lethal for two but he’s right back with the Lethal Combination. The Lethal Injection connects, only for Cassidy to roll outside. Hold on though as the referee goes to yell at Jarrett and company, allowing Danhausen to steal the guitar. Lethal gives chase and runs into the Orange Punch to retain the title at 9:09.

Rating: C. This was a tricky one as the match itself was entertaining but there is only so much you can do with all of the shenanigans going on outside. I’m not sure why the Jarrett/Best Friends and company stuff was supposed to be entertaining but it felt like we were going into what Danhausen thought of Memphis. The match worked well enough, but the outside stuff was so distracting that it brought things back down.

Post match everyone else gets in and Cassidy gives Dutt the lazy kicks. Dutt has to be held back and we don’t get much physicality. Well Cassidy and Danhausen do have some popcorn if that counts.

Video on Kushida vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Title later tonight.

Top Flight vs. Young Bucks

Brandon Cutler is here too. Nick cranks on Dante’s wrist to start and with the traditional wrestling out of the way, they start trading the flips until it’s a standoff. Dante hits Nick in the face so it’s off to Matt, who gets tripped down by Darius via the blind tag. Everything breaks down and Dante gets caught on the middle rope. Darius gets sent outside and we take a break.

Back with Nick breaking up a hot tag attempt by punning Darius to the floor. A bulldog/dropkick combination hits Dante and a 450/standing moonsault combination gives Nick two. Dante manages to hurricanrana his way out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Darius to clean house. A high crossbody gets two on Matt and everything breaks down again. Dante hits a springboard Downward Spiral on Nick and springboards outside to dive onto Matt.

The powerbomb/Nose Dive combination gets two on Matt with Nick making a fast save. Nick gets to do his rapid fire comeback, with a slingshot Canadian Destroyer getting two on Dante. Matt, after adjusting his JAY armband, loads up a Doomsday Device for two on Darius with Dante making his own diving save. The BTE Trigger is loaded up but the Darius misses so the knees collide, allowing Darius to grab a rollup pin at 12:14.

Rating: B. Top Flight continues to get better and better, as they are becoming that high flying team that you almost need to have on your roster. Beating the Bucks still means something and hopefully this is a sign that Top Flight could be on their way up the ladder. It wouldn’t stun me to see them getting the Tag Team Titles this year and they seem to be on their way.

Here are the Gunns for a chat. The take credit for the Acclaimed’s success (“WE EVEN GAVE THEM OUR DAD!”) and promise there will never be any more embarrassment. Cue the Acclaimed and, after an argument over whether Caster can rap, Caster raps about how the Gunns are the worst kids since Hunter Biden and…something that is censored. Gunn talks about how the Gunns are pathetic and tells the Acclaimed to start acting like champions. Next week: family therapy. Billy leaves on his own.

Hangman Page feels great after last week’s fight with Jon Moxley. Page said he would knock Moxley out if he had to and then he did just that. As for his future, he won’t go into it, but Page does ask Renee Paquette how Moxley is doing and seems sincere. He asks her to tell him….never mind. Nice touch by not ignoring the big personal side there.

Jake Hager vs. Ricky Starks

Chris Jericho is on commentary and the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society is at ringside. Hager, with hat, starts fast but Starks takes the hat away and they head outside. Hager posts him and Starks tries to dive through the ropes to avoid the contact, only to crash into them to make it even worse (that looked bad).

We take a break and come back with Starks dropkicking him through the ropes to the floor. A springboard crossbody hits Hager and a running clothesline takes him down again. Starks plants him with a DDT but takes a long time posing, allowing the Society to get up on the apron. That fails as well, allowing Starks to hit the spear for the pin at 6:22. Not enough shown to rate, but Starks continues his rise.

Video on Adam Cole’s return. He could be a heck of a mega face if he is given the chance.

The Jericho Appreciation Society wants to end Ricky Starks, so next week they’re facing Starks and Action Andretti. Hold on though as Daniel Garcia wants to take Sammy Guevara’s place. Guevara says cool, but only if Garcia can beat Andretti on Rampage. Guevara, who seemingly had no knowledge this was happening in advance, has new leather pants ready for Garcia.

Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido

They shake hands to start and we’re ready to go. They go to a quick standoff until Danielson headlocks him down. Back up and Bandido takes him down for a change, setting up the surfboard. That’s broken up and Danielson does the double leg stomp. They trade finger guns until Bandido ties up the legs and arms at the same time. Danielson sits up to escape but has to get out of a Texas Cloverleaf attempt as well.

Back up and Danielson knees away but gets hiptossed down, setting up…something where he ties up Danielson’s arms and legs and lifts him up. That can’t last long so Danielson rolls outside, allowing Bandido to hit the running flip dive. We take a break and come back with Danielson striking away at the ribs but getting small packaged for two. Danielson uppercuts him into the corner for the kicks to the chest.

Bandido isn’t having that and hits a springboard twisting crossbody. The delayed vertical suplex takes Danielson down again but he pulls Bandido into the LeBell Lock. Bandido gets a foot on the rope so Danielson fires off the YES Kicks. The big one is blocked and Bandido hits the X Knee. Danielson flips out of the 21 Plex though and la majistral gets two.

Back up and Bandido is sent outside for a dropkick through the ropes. There’s the running knee off the apron and they head back inside, where Bandido takes him up top. The super fall away slam sets up the 21 Plex for two and they strike it out. Danielson can’t pull him back into the LeBell Lock, allowing Bandido to pull him back up. That’s broken up and the running knee finishes Bandido at 17:53.

Rating: B+. This was the chess match that I was hoping it would be as you could see both of them trying to get into the right place to knock the other one off. What made it different though is it felt like they were going through a game plan throughout the match and had planned for everything the other had to offer. Awesome match, but that shouldn’t be a surprise with Danielson these days.

Post match MJF pops up on screen to say he doesn’t like how Danielson is treating him. So far Danielson has only dealt with Masked Max, but the further Danielson goes down this road, the more the mask comes off. Even the Dragon is no match for the Monster behind the mask.

Saraya and Toni Storm aren’t happy with Hikaru Shida screwing up in their match last week.

Next week it’s Bryan Danielson vs. Brian Cage, so MJF offers Cage a lot of money to Cage to unleash the hate. He even intentionally messes with Cage to make him angrier, which has MJF rather pleased.

Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale

Saraya is here with Storm. Nightingale shoulders her down to start and hits a spinning belly to back suplex. Back up and Storm slaps her in the face as Hikaru Shida comes out. We take a break and come back with Nightingale hitting a spinebuster, followed by a middle rope dropkick. The Cannonball misses though and Storm is back with the running hip attack. A tornado DDT plants Nightingale for two but she Pounces Storm into the corner. Now the Cannonball can connect for two….but then Saraya gets on the apron for a distraction so Storm can roll her up for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C. What was that ending? Why would you have Saraya get on the apron after Storm had already kicked out? It makes sense that Saraya was worried, but why make Nightingale look bad in the process? Anyway, Nightingale gets knocked back a bit, which is a shame as she is starting to move up and while it was screwy she probably didn’t need to lose.

Post match Saraya and Storm beat on Nightingale until Ruby Soho runs in for the save. Shida stayed neutral in the whole thing.

Video on Jungle Boy vs. Ethan Page.

Konosuke Takeshita is honored to have fought Bryan Danielson, and now he wants MJF. There’s the next match that Takeshita gets to lose.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Kushida

Kushida, with some students from the Los Angeles New Japan Dojo is here, with Sting in Allin’s corner. Kushida misses some kicks to start and gets pulled into a quick chinlock. With that broken up, Allin sweeps the leg for two and rolls over into an exchange of armbar attempts. The grappling continues until Kushida slips out of an armdrag, setting up the basement dropkick to send Allin outside.

Back in and Kushida kicks him in the arm before cranking on said arm. That’s broken up and Allin hits a fast Code Red, setting up the big flip dive to the floor onto the Dojo students. Kushida uses the distraction to take Allin down by the arm though and we take a break. Back with Kushida kicking at the arm, which only fires Allin up again. A Scorpion Death Drop plants Kushida for a double knockdown but he’s able to send Allin outside.

Kushida goes after the arm, only to have Allin come back with a flipping Stunner onto the apron. Allin knocks Kushida into an open chair and goes up for the Coffin Drop, only to get pulled into the cross armbreaker. Back in and Kushida cranks on the arm on top, setting up an arm crank top rope superplex (egads). The Hoverboard Lock goes on and the students offer Sting a towel to throw in. Sting wipes his face with it and throws it into the crowd. Allin slips out and grabs the Last Supper to retain at 13:40.

Rating: B. Another solid match here, as Kushida is going to be able to have a good one against anyone. Allin gets a win over an established name as he continues his nice resurgence. I could go for more of Kushida around here and that might be the case, though Sting shrugging off students might have been better.

Respect is shown after the match and Kushida wants to do it again. Excalibur gives Jay Briscoe one more shout out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show had a nice mixture of stuff and it made for a rather fun night of stuff. A lot of that was due to a series of good to excellent matches, but there were also some moments of things being a bit overthought. What mattered though is you can see a lot of the Revolution card starting to take shape and this show advanced a few of those stories. Very good show here, with the wrestling carrying things.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Jay Lethal – Orange Punch
Top Flight b. Young Bucks – Rollup to Matt
Ricky Starks b. Jake Hager – Spear
Bryan Danielson b. Bandido – Running knee
Toni Storm b. Willow Nightingale – Rollup
Darby Allin b. Kushida – Last Supper

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Rampage
Date: January 13, 2023
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re still in Los Angeles and you know that is going to mean a big show. I’m not sure what all it is going to entail but that is some of the fun of Rampage. This week’s Dynamite was a strong show so they have a lot to live up to this week. If nothing else, there is a street fight so that means violence. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Juice Robinson vs. Darby Allin

Allin is defending. Feeling out process to start with Robinson grabbing a waistlock to send the champ to the ropes. A headlock slows Robinson down but he grabs a belly to back suplex to escape. The backsplash only hits knees though and Allin is back with another headlock. This time Robinson sends him up and over the top for a nasty crash to the floor, followed by some whips into various hard things. A drop onto the steps rocks Allin again and we take a break.

Back with Allin shrugging off the snap jabs and sending Robinson outside for the suicide dive. They get back in, where Robinson leg lariats him down for two, meaning frustration is setting in. Now the backsplash can connect for two and a fireman’s carry gutbuster gets the same. Allin hits a Code Red for a fast two but gets crotched on top for a middle rope clothesline. Robinson takes him up top but the superplex is countered into a super Scorpion Death Drop (that looked GREAT). The Coffin Drop retains the title at 11:45.

Rating: B-. More solid work here and it’s nice to have Allin face someone closer to his size for a change. He’s great as the giant killer but you have to mix it up every so often. The important thing is that the fans love him and are completely behind him, meaning everything he does receives quite the energetic response.

Post match Sting comes out to celebrate. Kind of a weird cameo there as he didn’t do anything.

Powerhouse Hobbs is ready to spread ashes over everyone.

Here is the Acclaimed to accept their stars on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The team is VERY happy to be here (as Bowens lives in Los Angeles) and want the scissors held high. They want everyone to come after them to know that EVERYONE LOVES THE ACCLAIMED. They put the scissors down in the cement….and the Gunns interrupt, because this feud is still going.

The Gunns say the Acclaimed is only popular because they stole Billy Gunn. Billy agrees (with a huge wink at the Acclaimed) and thinks the Gunns should get to put their prints in the cement. The Gunns go to do so and get their pants removed, allowing certain parts of them to be shoved into the cement.

Mogul Affiliates introduces another rapper to talk about how great they are.

House Of Black vs. Ortiz/Eddie Kingston

Malakai Black/Brody King for the House here. Ortiz strikes away at King to start and can’t get very far. A front facelock works a bit better for Ortiz as he brings King over for the tag to Kingston. Black comes in and gets chopped hard enough that he needs a walk around the ring. They both miss spinning shots to the face and sit down for a staredown as we take a break.

Back with King hitting a Cannonball on Kingston but Kingston manages a knockdown of his own. Ortiz comes in sans tag for a jumping DDT on Black, leaving Kingston to grab a suplex for two. Kingston’s spinning backfist misses though and Black hits a jumping knee. King tries to come in but gets sent outside and here are Buddy Matthews and Julia Hart.

The former brings in a chair, which Kingston takes away and uses to threaten Julia (who hits some Melina level high notes in a scream). Kingston doesn’t swing but Ortiz yells at him anyway, with Kingston saying he thought it was Black. The distraction lets Black kick Kingston’s head off and shove Ortiz down, allowing him to pin Kingston at 9:46.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see the House Of Black winning here, though I’m still not sure why this feud is supposed to be interesting. Kingston is better on his own but he’s no Santana when it comes to being Ortiz’s partner. The match got going by the end and worked, though the stuff with the chair could have gone a bit more smoothly.

Black seems to say Ortiz did well, though it’s not clear if Ortiz heard him.

Jade Cargill doesn’t like the idea of Red Velvet and fires her from the Baddies. Hadn’t she already left?

Actor Paul Walter Hauser is here to talk about how much he loves wrestling and always bypasses Connecticut to come to Jacksonville. You never know what is going to happen here and here is Danhausen. Since Hauser (a recent Golden Globe winner, with the trophy in hand) wants to talk about awards, Danhausen brings up being the #1 merchandise seller last year.

After thanking the fans, Danhausen asks if he can have the Golden Globe. Cue Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Sonjay Dutt/Satnam Singh to interrupt, but Hauser says this isn’t Memphis. Hauser says Jarrett looks like a woman who owns a Crunch Fitness and he never plays that guitar.

The other guys look like they are dressed for a home school prom, which is enough for the villains to beat Hauser down, leaving Singh to stand in front of Danhausen in the corner. The guitar shot drops Hauser but Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends run in for the save. Why the villains, who are even in numbers and have a SEVEN FOOT FOUR GIANT, runs isn’t clear. They do steal the Golden Globe though.

We recap Tay Melo/Anna Jay vs. Willow Nightingale/Ruby Soho. They’ve hurt each other so now it’s a street fight.

Mark Henry doesn’t even bother interviewing the women because it’s time to get violent.

Tay Melo/Anna Jay vs. Willow Nightingale/Ruby Soho

Street fight so Nightingale jumps Melo and Jay from behind with a hockey stick. They set up a table next to the stage but the fight heads down to ringside instead. Nightingale and Melo fight on top and fall to the floor as commentary talks about everything else. Soho got busted open somewhere in there as Jay jumps off the apron to stomp a trashcan around Nightingale.

We take a break and come back with an assisted Gory Bomb sending Nightingale into trashcan for two. The barbed wire is busted out to choke Nightingale but Soho makes the save with a chain. Jay trashcan lids Soho (whose face is COVERED in blood) hard and piles up some chairs but Nightingale turns it into a Tower of Doom. Melo gets a chair shot to Nightingale to save Jay in the corner. Nightingale sends Melo outside though and it’s a Cannonball into a trashcan into Jay for two. Everyone goes to the floor and it’s No Future to Melo.

Another table is set up at ringside as Nightingale and Jay fight up the ramp. Nightingale grabs a Batista Bomb off the stage and through the table….which Jay COMPLETELY MISSES, sending her straight onto the floor as Nightingale crashes through the able instead. Back at ringside and Melo piledrives Soho through the table for two, giving us a well earned shocked face. It’s thumbtacks time because of course it is but Soho throws some of them into Melo’s face. Destination Unknown finishes Melo at 12:34.

Rating: B. This is the definition of a “your mileage may vary” match, as the four of them beat the fire out of each other. That Soho cut was absolutely sick though and one of the worst looking ones I’ve seen in a lot time. What mattered was it felt like they were wanting to hurt each other and end this, but EGADS learn how to place a table. That Jay landing shouldn’t have happened and could have been made a lot better than it was otherwise.

Soho and Nightingale show respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Well it was certainly an energetic and eclectic show, even if there was very little that felt like it mattered long term. If AEW isn’t going to turn this into a show that matters, having an energized supplement is about as good as it is going to be. I had a good time with it though and the main event was definitely different enough to stand out. Good show, though AEW might want to try to find a way to have something a little more important on here occasionally.

Results
Darby Allin b. Juice Robinson – Coffin Drop
House Of Black b. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz – Black Mass to Kingston
Ruby Soho/Willow Nightingale b. Anna Jay/Tay Melo – Destination Unknown into thumbtacks to Melo

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Dynamite
Date: January 11, 2023
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re in for a big show this week as things head back to Los Angeles. AEW knows how to bring it on the bigger stages and that is what should happen here. This week is centered around the ladder match to end the Best Of Seven series between the Elite and Death Triangle for the Trios Titles. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page

They go right to the fighting with Page sending him into the corner for a running boot to the face. Page forearms him down but Moxley fights up and starts the swagger. The cross armbreaker doesn’t work for Moxley so he knocks Page off the apron instead. Back in and Moxley blasts him with a clothesline for two and we take a break.

We come back with Moxley hitting another clothesline to set up the exchange of forearms. Page hits the fall away slam and nips up to knock Moxley outside. The moonsault to the floor connects but Moxley counters the Buckshot Lariat into the Death Rider for two. Page gets out of the choke so Moxley hits a hard piledriver for two more. The Deadeye is broken up as well and now the Deadeye connects. Moxley staggers to the ropes though and hits the Stomp to leave both of them down. Back up and the slug it out with Page getting the better of things and hitting the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 14:10.

Rating: B. Good fight, though it didn’t quite hit that level they had built the match up towards. The important thing here is that Page won, as he pretty much had to given everything that had happened. He had a personal issue with Moxley but also needed to win to boost himself back up so well done with the whole thing.

Post match Moxley is checked out by the doctors and Page walks away without a second look. That might be Moxley’s long awaited vacation.

Here is Tony Schiavone to bring out….the returning Adam Cole! It’s Story Time with Adam Cole, who always wanted to be a professional wrestler, and here he is in an AEW ring in Los Angeles. He’s been going through a bunch of health issues, from a destroyed shoulder and two serious head injuries. Someone told him that they don’t care if Cole wrestles again but all he wants is Cole to be ok.

For six months, he has given the fans nothing but the fans still seem to care about him. For that he is eternally grateful and we pause for the ADAM COLE chants. Cole has some bad news though….and it’s not for him. The bad news is for everyone else because he is BACK! Remember this day because the new Adam Cole is being born, and one day he is going to be at the top of the AEW mountain. Cool moment here as it’s nice to have Cole back and seemingly as a good guy.

The Acclaimed is getting stars on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Oh boy.

Lee Moriarty/Big Bill vs. Hook/Jungle Boy

Stokely Hathaway is here with Bill/Moriarty. Hook and Moriarty start things off with Moriarty having to fight out of a short armscissors attempt. Jungle Boy comes in for a basement dropkick but Bill grabs him by the throat. The chokeslam onto the apron is broken up by Hook’s baseball slide though and Bill gets to dance a bit. Jungle Boy is knocked to the floor and we take a break. Back with Jungle Boy fighting out of Moriarty’s triangle choke and bringing Hook in. House is quickly cleaned and Hook manages to suplex Bill. With Bill looking stunned, Jungle Boy Snare Traps Moriarty for the tap at 7:38.

Rating: C+. The story here is Hook, who is now getting to work longer and more complicated matches as he is coming along nicely. You can only get so much out of a few suplexes and Redrum so having him live in a match with a more serious story is a great sign. Hook seems like he could have something in the future and I could go with seeing how they use him.

An actor named Paul Walter Hauser has a present for Danhausen and Orange Cassidy, which he’ll give them on Rampage. The Best Friends come in and everything is cool.

The Elite has nothing to say.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Bryan Danielson

Hold on though as before Danielson comes out, here is MJF (with his chyron saying he is looking to avoid a match with Danielson at Full Gear instead of Revolution) to say KONICHIWA. He loves Takeshita, even though he has never seen a second of his stuff. MJF mocks Takeshita’s name and tells him to win tonight, earning a yell in Japanese. Takeshita is ready to fight but the referee holds him back.

MJF says people are accusing him of being scared of lasting an hour, but ask your mama about that. He’s all about pinning shoulders to the mats and bending rats but everyone here is irrelevant. Actor Ken Jeong is here, with MJF mocking his career stalling a bit. Freddie Prinze Jr. is here too and gets the same round of insults. Cue Danielson to chase MJF off (dude can run when he is wearing a belt) and we’re ready to go.

They start fast and wrestle to an early standoff as some people are standing up and talking in the front row. Takeshita works on the arm but Danielson pulls him into a surfboard with a dragon sleeper. That’s reversed into Takeshita’s attempt at a dragon sleeper but he goes with forearms to the face instead. Danielson goes for the arm but Takeshita bails to the rope for the save. Back up and Danielson charges into a heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and they chop it out as we take a break.

We come back with Danielson trying a dive off the apron into….I think the running knee but he gets spun around and lands hard on the floor. Takeshita grabs a brainbuster on the floor but a springboard Swanton hits raised knees back inside. Danielson grabs the LeBell Lock but Takeshita gets a foot on the rope.

They slug it out again until both of them go down for a breather. Takeshita’s running knee is countered into the elbows to the head but Takeshita is back with a wheelbarrow driver. A wheelbarrow suplex looks to set up the running knee but Danielson hits it instead for two. The stomps to the head set up the Regal Stretch to finishes Takeshita at 14:17.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was great and I don’t think that was any kind of a surprise. Danielson can work wonders with just about anyone and Takeshita has been a treat almost every time he is in the ring. Danielson is on the road to Revolution and an Iron Man match with MJF for the title, but MJF’s stand up set might not be over by then. The jokes before the match didn’t do much and MJF running away was the highlight of his appearance.

Juice Robinson wants to face Darby Allin on Rampage for the TNT Title.

Saraya/Toni Storm vs. Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter

Hikaru Shida and Rebel are the seconds here. Storm and Hayter fight over a lock up to start with Storm taking over and bringing Saraya in. Saraya knees her in the ribs for two but Baker offers a distraction. That doesn’t seem to matter as Saraya sends Hayter into the steps as Baker punches Storm as we take a break.

Back with Baker coming in to get clotheslined by Saraya. A knee gives Saraya two and it’s back to Storm, who hits the running hip attack in the corner. Baker takes her into the corner though and a super Air Raid Crash gets two. The quick piledriver gives Storm two on Hayter as everything breaks down. Baker gets in a kendo stick shot to Storm and Hayterade gives Hayter the pin at 11:45.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough, but after teasing Mercedes Mone and not delivering her, it felt a bit flat. A lot of that was built on fan theory, but when Baker called herself a boss, they were leaning into it quite hard. As for the match, it’s Storm losing again, which shouldn’t be a surprise anymore.

Here’s what’s coming on Rampage.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz don’t seem to be on the same page for Friday, but Kingston says he’ll prove himself.

Here is the Jericho Appreciation Society for a chat. We hear about how great the team is, including their PWG invasion over the weekend. On top of that, Tay Melo/Anna Jay are totally going to wreck Willow Nightingale and Ruby Soho on Rampage. Cue Ricky Starks and Action Andretti to interrupt with Starks bragging about beating Chris Jericho last week. Andretti mocks Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara, the latter of whom can’t even control his own wife. Guevara can’t control where his wife’s hands go, because last week they were between Andretti’s legs.

Garcia rants about how pro wrestlers like Andretti don’t get it because he isn’t a sports entertainer. Starks wants Jericho to move aside so he can talk to the idiot in the purple hat. Jake Hager was a top athlete but then he got with Jericho and became the village idiot. Starks wants to fight next week, with Excalibur saying the match has already been made. Hager talks about his hat and MMA career before promising to slap Starks’ face off his face (yes). Starks continues to feel like a star in recent weeks and that is great to see.

Trios Titles: Elite vs. Death Triangle

Death Triangle is defending in the final match of a Best Of Seven series and this is Escalara de la Muerte (TLC match). The brawl is on to start with Omega and Pac being left inside for the slugout. Matt and Penta come in for the Backstabbers and slug it out on their own but it’s too early for the Fear Factor. Death Triangle clears the ring with Penta hitting a running flip dive to take Omega down on the floor.

Back in and the first ladder is set up but Fenix springboards in with an armdrag to pull Nick down. Omega grabs some snapdragons but misses a running flip dive through a table at ringside. Matt hits a high crossbody to dive Pac through a table though and we take a break. Back with Nick being dropped legs first onto a ladder and Omega’s hand being stomped inside another ladder.

Omega is fine enough to try a One Winged Angel but Pac reverses into a poisonrana. The Bros hit dives but the Bucks are back up with superkicks. Nick 450s Penta through a table at ringside and it’s time for Matt to go up…and get shoved over by Alex Abrahantes. Brandon Cutler cold sprays Abrahantes and the ladder is bridged into the standing version. Penta and Omega fight up the ladder, with Omega hitting the One Winged Angel to knock him silly. The Black Arrow hits Omega’s raised knees and Omega pulls down the titles at 14:49.

Rating: B. This was the violent carnage you would have expected coming in. It’s also the result you probably expected, as the Elite get their titles back, making the last few months more or less a total wash. The series was fun and gave us some good matches, but I’m sick of seeing these teams against each other. Both of them need to be far, far apart from each other and that’s probably going to be best for everyone involved.

Overall Rating: A-. They felt like they were trying for the pay per view level Dynamite here and it was a success. You could tell that being in Los Angeles made things feel more important and that made the show feel much more important. Nothing was bad (save for maybe MJF’s jokes) and there was one awesome match after another. That’s a heck of a two hour show and this was a smash.

Results
Hangman Page b. Jon Moxley – Buckshot Lariat
Hook/Jungle Boy b. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill – Snare Trap to Moriarty
Bryan Danielson b. Konosuke Takeshita – Regal Stretch
Jamie Hayter/Britt Baker b. Toni Storm/Saraya – Hayterade to Storm
Elite b. Death Triangle – Omega pulled down the titles

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Battle Of The Belts V
Date: January 6, 2023
Location: Portland Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re back with another of these shows that doesn’t feel like all that important to AEW. It’s another three match card and all of them have titles on the line. This includes a rematch from Dynamite, where the Acclaimed retained the Tag Team Titles over Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal. This time it’s No DQ though so let’s get to it.

We open with Darby Allin leaving the ring after his Rampage main event.

Tag Team Titles; Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett vs. Acclaimed

The Acclaimed is defending, No Holds Barred, and Satnam Singh/Sonjay Dutt/Billy Gunn are here too. The champs get jumped from behind before the bell and the fight is on fast. Lethal gets a Figure Four on Bowens on the ramp but it gets broken up rather quickly. We settle down to a regular tag match with Bowens grabbing a Blockbuster to take over.

Caster comes in, runs the ropes, drops to the floor and punches Singh in the face (no effect) as everything breaks down again. Jarrett saves Lethal from Scissor My Timbers, setting up a double strut as we take a break. Back with Bowens and Lethal slugging it out until Bowens blasts him with a clothesline. The double tag brings in Caster and Jarrett, with the former cleaning house. An Angle Slam drops Jarrett and, after pulling off the invisible straps, Caster grabs the ankle lock.

With that broken up, Singh takes out Caster, leaving Bowens to hit the running jumping Fameasser. The referee got bumped in there somewhere so it’s a second one sliding in to count the late two. Jarrett grabs the guitar but Gunn makes the save and blasts Singh with the guitar. A Stroke takes Gunn down but Jarrett walks into an AA from Caster.

Singh chokeslams both champs though and then does it to the referee as well. Dutt puts the referee shirt on (Jericho: “It even matches his black trousers!”) and counts two with Aubrey Edwards coming out to break it up. Then she breaks his pencil and shoves Dutt down, leaving Lethal to get caught with the Arrival and the Mic Drop to retain the titles at 10:53.

Rating: C. Well that was a lot. I’ve never quite gotten the concept of starting with rules and then breaking down into no rules but that’s a modern wrestling issue. What got me here was Edwards going after Dutt, as if ANYTHING he did would have mattered in the first place. That came off as a spectacle for the save of involving the referee in a match that was already way overloaded. Gunn’s guitar shot to Singh was good but that was about it for the decent weapons stuff. Total insanity here and I absolutely didn’t need to see these teams fight twice in three days.

Will Hobbs has the Book Of Hobbs with him, which includes everything that has happened to him. Now it’s going to happen to you.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz aren’t sure what is going on with the House of Black but they’ll fight next week on Rampage.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Skye Blue

Jade, with Leila Grey, is defending. Blue goes right at her to start and snaps off a crucifix for two. After a quick breather on the floor, Jade comes back in and knocks her to the floor with a rather hard forearm. A chokeslam on the ramp plants Blue again but cue Red Velvet to stare Cargill down from the stage.

We take a break and come back with Blue snapping off a rather spinning headscissors. One heck of a pump kick drops Blue though and it’s Velvet coming down to check on her. Back in and Jaded is countered into a victory roll for two, followed by Code Blue for the same. Blue loads up a springboard hurricanrana but Jade catches her and spins it (after a few movements) into Jaded to retain at 9:13.

Rating: C+. They were working here and that finish was awesome. There is something really impressive about Cargill managing to manipulate a full sized human around like that into Jaded and she made it look easy. Blue was putting in the effort, but as I’ve said multiple times now: until they put Jade in there with some big name, there is little reason to believe the title is in serious jeopardy.

The Firm is ready for Junglehook (yes, combining names is very clever) on Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Ruby Soho/Willow Nightingale vs. Ruby Soho/Tay Melo in a street fight next week on Rampage.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian

Sabian, with Penelope Ford, is challenging and Danhausen here is with Cassidy. They start fast with a more ticked off than usual Cassidy getting headlocked. That earns Sabian a bunch of right hands, meaning it’s time for a breather on the floor. Cue the Bunny so Sabian can hide behind the women, which is enough of a distraction for a cheap shot on Cassidy.

Hold on though as Danhausen loads up the curse, only to have Sabian bite his finger. The distraction lets Cassidy hit the suicide dive, followed by the Stundog Millionaire back inside. They head back outside though, with Sabian hitting a hanging neckbreaker to the floor. We take a break and come back with Cassidy still in trouble, though he avoids the reverse Cannonball.

Cassidy knocks him off the top but Bunny grabs the leg. That’s enough for an ejection for both Bunny and Danhausen so here are Butcher and Blade to beat up Danhausen. Cassidy and Sabian slug it out, with Sabian trying his own lazy strikes. That wakes Cassidy up but Sabian knees him in the face for two.

Another hanging neckbreaker gets two on Cassidy so Sabian hits his own Orange Punch. Cassidy fights back up and the Beach Break gets two. The frustration makes Cassidy hammer away in the corner until he accidentally shoves the referee away. Sabian tries to go after him again but back to back Orange Punches finish to retain the title at 16:44.

Rating: B-. So Cassidy wins over Sabian, who isn’t exactly the most enthralling opponent. They did something with Sabian getting underneath Cassidy’s skin but that doesn’t really make up for a lot of Sabian’s flaws. I know he has been around since the beginning but I’ve still yet to have much of a reason to get interested in anything he does. Cassidy continues to own Friday night and that’s a good place for him as the fans still love everything he does.

Overall Rating: C+. That’s the latest Battle Of The Belts and while it was certainly entertaining enough, it still doesn’t feel important. That has been the biggest flaw of this series since it started and nothing about this changed it. AEW might be better off by having an expanded Rampage instead of one of these, as that’s pretty much what you got here. It was good on its own and combined with Rampage, this was a rather nice two hour Friday night show.

Results
Acclaimed b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal – Mic Drop to Lethal
Jade Cargill b. Skye Blue – Jaded
Orange Cassidy b. Kip Sabian – Orange Punch

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

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