Dynamite
Date: February 16, 2022
Location: Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

They have their work cut out for themselves after last week’s show but AEW has a tendency to make something like that work more often than not. We are less than three weeks away from Revolution as well so it is time to start hammering home the card. The good thing is that you probably know what you’re getting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with CM Punk sitting in the middle of the ring, where he explains the idea of straightedge, which means he is better than you. That kind of a statement might sound familiar because he said it for the first time over twenty years ago. It inspired some people to be wrestlers and some people to be straightedge. Heck it even inspired some people to sit like him, ala Maxwell Jacob Friedman.

That would be the same MJF who beat him in his hometown of Chicago (twice). MJF tries to make himself seem like some all time great but in reality he’s the same s***** little MJF from s***** little Long Island. Now though, after last week, and thanks to Jon Moxley for the assist, Punk gets to pick the rules of their rematch. That will be March 6 at Revolution in Orlando, Florida, but what kind of a match should it be?

Punk had been thinking about a cage match, but Wardlow can still tear things apart and MJF can still run away. The thing is, most important losses of Punk’s career are the kind of matches where he has left a piece of himself behind. MJF has been talking about Piper in Portland though, and that has Punk thinking. He opens a box in front of him and pulls out a dog collar with a chain attached.

Punk wants MJF out there to hear this from his mouth so here he is. Before MJF can say anything, Punk has one more thing: a photo of MJF as a kid meeting Punk. Punk: “For your, it was the greatest day of your life, but for me, it was Friday.” Revolution is going to be the worst day of your life, but for Punk, it is going to be Sunday, when the canvas will be stained with MJF’s blood. MJF picks up a mic to say something, only to drop it and walk away instead. That’s a nice choice for a stipulation and I could go for the violence that comes with it.

Video on Bryan Danielson trying to get Jon Moxley to join him in teaching the new generation.

Jurassic Express is defending their Tag Team Titles in a three way at Revolution and there will be a pair of battle royals over the next two weeks to determine their challengers (this company LOVES battle royals). Jungle Boy says he knows something about winning battle royals and taps Christian Cage on the shoulder in a nice, subtle moment. That’s cool with the champs.

Bryan Danielson vs. Lee Moriarty

Matt Sydal is here with Moriarty and this could be pretty great. Danielson offers a handshake but pulls it away when Moriarty goes for it. They go technical to start until Danielson slaps him in the face. Moriarty takes him down again by the ankle but gets reversed into a surfboard with a dragon sleeper. That’s escaped as well and Moriarty hits a running kick to the arm. Danielson’s legs are still fine enough for a moonsault over Moriarty, who gets tied in the ropes for the kicks to the chest.

We take a break and come back with Danielson holding Moriarty on the mat with a knuckle lock but not being able to break his bridge. Instead they lock legs (while still holding hands) and stand on their heads, where they start slapping each other (it’s quite the visual). Since that’s a bit nuts, Danielson tries to switch into the LeBell Lock but Moriarty makes the rope. Moriarty suplexes him down but gets kicked down to his knees.

The big kick is blocked though and Moriarty hits a clothesline. A belly to belly gets two on Danielson and it’s time for some forearms to the back. The Border City Stretch (Gargano Escape) has Danielson in more trouble but he reverses into a reverse fisherman’s suplex for the break. The running knee sets up the stomps to the head into the triangle choke to knock Moriarty cold at 12:12.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up rather well and that’s what they should have been doing. Sometimes you need a hard hitting match and the two of them did just that here. Danielson beating him down and winning in the end made sense, but Moriarty got to show what he can do as well. Moriarty is a very skilled star in his own right and it was nice to see him get this kind of a showcase. Good stuff here, as is a guarantee with Danielson these days.

Post match Danielson says that he needed to teach Moriarty a thing or two about violence but he wants Jon Moxley to help him. He has asked Moxley for his help and now he wants an answer. Cue Moxley through the crowd to talk about how he used to be just like Moriarty. When he was young, broke and a bit dumb, he wanted to take a shot at the American Dragon.

It was at a small show in Ohio but Danielson was late to the show because bad weather delayed his flight. After Tracy Smothers stalled for about 45 minutes, Danielson arrived in his gear and then got in the ring with Moxley. He fought hard, but ultimately Danielson beat him, as he has done every time. Moxley has never beaten him before and now he wants that one win that has eluded him.

But now Danielson wants to team up with him and yeah, Moxley has thought about it. Imagine the legacy of violence they could put together. He really couldn’t think of one good reason to say no, but then he got to thinking. Does Danielson want to be his partner to create things, or is it because he doesn’t want to be across the ring from Moxley? So what is Danielson saying? Either way, Moxley isn’t standing next to someone until he bleeds with them first.

That story was a great touch for this and it gave this a nice personal touch, especially with Danielson being the big monster that Moxley wants to slay. I’m not sure where this is going, but between Violence Unlimited and Violent By Design, I could go without another violence themed stable.

Keith Lee is happy with last week’s win, but it’s step one on the way to being the Face of the Revolution.

Face of the Revolution Qualifying Match: Wardlow vs. Max Caster

Shawn Spears and Anthony Bowens are here too. Caster’s rap mocks local Nashville teams and suggests that Wardlow is MJF’s b**** boy. Wardlow doesn’t like that and goes right for him, including sending Caster into the corner. We take a break and come back with Caster using a chain around his hand to escape the Powerbomb Symphony. The Mic Drop gets two but Wardlow is back up with the first powerbomb. The Powerbomb Symphony finishes Caster at 5:27. Not enough shown to rate but Wardlow dominated what we got to see.

Post match Bowens goes after Wardlow and gets powerbombed down for his efforts. Wardlow doesn’t seem interested in Spears’ approval.

Mercedes Martinez, with Britt Baker and company, is ready for the No DQ match with Thunder Rosa but Baker tells her to get this done already. A man (apparently a villain in the Karate Kid movies series….which I haven’t actually seen) comes in to say no mercy. That seemed to be a rather cool cameo.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Before he can say more than a few words, here is Adam Cole to cut him off and ask the fans to give Page a round of applause. Cole was impressed by the war that Page went through to retain the title last week and he has earned the right to be called champion. Now Cole has been a World Champion everywhere he has gone too, but for right now, Page has the title. Page talks about how Cole’s friends built up a company without him and this is the one World Title he has never had.

Cole brings up that the Young Bucks and the Dark Order have all left Page, who says Cole doesn’t have the best record with friends either. That makes Cole chuckle, but the truth is that Page is always known as the other Adam. Page rolls up the sleeves but Cole sucks up to him, saying they will fight for the World Title at some point. May the best man win, and they shake hands, with Cole walking away in peace. Cue ReDDragon to jump Page from behind though and Cole joins in for the big beatdown. Security comes in for the save, with Dark Order coming in as well. 10 even beats up security, with the Order having to hold him back.

Darby Allin talks about how wrestling is therapy to him, just like it is to Sammy Guevara. Sammy talks about their history together and now they’re fighting again.

Chris Jericho/Jake Hager vs. Santana/Ortiz

The Inner Circle implodes and here is the returning Eddie Kingston to make things all the bigger. Ortiz sends Jericho into the corner to start and it’s Santana coming in to chop away. A middle rope dropkick to a seated Jericho gets one and Ortiz’s fisherman’s suplex gets two. Jericho clotheslines his way out of trouble though and it’s Hager coming in for a belly to belly. The Vader Bomb gets two on Ortiz and we take a break.

Back with Jericho slapping Ortiz in the head but getting caught with a clothesline. Santana comes in to clean house, only to get powerslammed to give Hager two. It’s back to Jericho, who gets planted down without much trouble. The Street Sweeper gives Ortiz two and it’s time for some stunned kickout faces. Jericho is right back with the Walls of Jericho on Santana, with Kingston begging him to make the ropes. That earns Kingston a shot to the face but Santana is back up with a discus lariat to finish Jericho at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This was a solid enough tag match as Kingston’s issues with Jericho continue to cause problems. You can probably pencil them in for a match at Revolution, which very well could be Kingston’s big win. It wasn’t quite a classic, but they advanced the story as Santana and Ortiz win while Jericho gets taken down a peg.

Post match Jericho freaks out and gets in a fight with Kingston.

Adam Cole and ReDDragon ask the Young Bucks where they were earlier but the Bucks don’t have much to say. Cole is cool with that though as they are going to win both of their matches on Rampage and then they’re going to dominate the tag team battle royals. This turns into an argument over which team has the better fathers, with Cole trying to place peacemaker. Cole isn’t sure which way to go so he tells Brandon Cutler to turn off the camera instead.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Thunder Rosa

No DQ and John Kreese (the Karate Kid guy) is in the front row, where he is identified as Britt Baker’s sensei (you can imagine how this goes with JR). Rosa comes out looking like the Bride from Kill Bill and they start with the brawl in the aisle. The fans chant something I can’t make out as the fight is already heading back to the floor. Rosa pulls out the table but gets sent into the steps for her efforts.

Martinez throws some chairs inside but Rosa whips her through the barricade. They head into the crowd, where Rosa hits a dive off another barricade to take her down. We take a break and come back with Martinez hitting a fisherman’s buster off the apron through a table. Some chair shots send Rosa back inside but she counters a superbomb with a hurricanrana.

Rosa puts a trashcan over Martinez’s head and hits a running dropkick for two. Martinez is fine enough to catch her on top with a German superplex, setting up a top rope elbow (with a nasty landing) for two. A bunch of chairs are piled up but Rosa manages a crucifix bomb. The Fire Thunder Driver onto the chairs finishes Martinez at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Another good brawl and what matters most is Rosa gets closer and closer to the showdown with Baker. I would assume the title match is coming at Revolution, but I could also see it being the main event of a huge episode of Dynamite. Martinez is someone who continues to be a solid gatekeeper heel and she is perfect for this kind of a match when you need to make someone look a lot better. Not a classic fight, but Rosa got what she needed out of it.

Post match, Martinez shows respect but here are Britt Baker and company. Baker comes up to Kreese, who tells her to finish this. Jamie Hayter and Rebel run in to jump Rosa, with Martinez coming back in. She teases hitting Rosa with a lead pipe but can’t do it, meaning Hayter jumps her from behind and poses with Baker.

The House of Black talks about how they want to hurt people. A third member seems to be teased.

Jay White is ready to prove himself on Rampage.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin

Sammy is defending and Sting lets Allin do this one on his own. They stare each other down to start and then shake hands to get things going. Allin headlocks him over but has to slip out of a rollup. Back up and Sammy flips over him, only to get knocked into the corner. They head up top with Sammy getting him in a fireman’s carry and dropping him ribs first onto the top turnbuckle.

Back in and Sammy drapes him over the top for a Swanton to the back, sending Allin FLYING out to the floor in a cool looking crash. We come back from a break with Allin taking out Guevara’s knee and then falling backwards onto it to make things even worse. Allin ties him in the Tree of Woe and pulls on a loose leg to bang up the knee in a more unique way. There’s a half crab in the Tree of Woe (cool) but Sammy powers up and hits a super Spanish Fly.

Sammy’s springboard is countered into a Figure Four but they slap it out for the break. The flipping Stunner and GTH are both countered so Allin grabs the Last Supper for two. Now the flipping Stunner can connect to send Sammy outside but he counters a dive into a cutter for a big crash on the floor.

Back up and Sammy misses a Swanton onto the apron, with the landing leaving him down on the floor for a good while. They get back inside where Allin loads up the Coffin Drop but here is Andrade’s assistant Jose for a distraction. Sting takes him out, allowing Andrade to run in and hit Allin with the iPad. Sammy, who didn’t seem to see what happened, hits GTH for the pin to retain at 14:52.

Rating: B. Good stuff here and I don’t think that’s any kind of a surprise. This wasn’t so much about the wrestling but rather the big moves that leave one of them knocked silly or flying away. That’s a different way to go and it is the kind of match where these two excel, making this a solid main event, which even advanced Allin vs. Andrade. Granted your mileage on Andrade may vary, but at least they have an idea.

Post match Matt Hardy runs in to beat on Allin with Sammy making the save. Andrade hits him with the iPad poses with the TNT Titles (because there are still two of them) until Sting chases him off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Another awesome show here and that is what I have come to expect in the last few weeks. They are getting the formula right and it has me wanting to see what they are going to do from week to week. You had a bunch of matches here, but more importantly there are several things set up for later. That covers two bases at once, as we now have something to look forward to, but also the proof that they have a plan here. The plan might not be your taste, but they have something there and that is a great thing to see. Much like this show.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Lee Moriarty – Triangle choke
Wardlow b. Max Caster – Powerbomb Symphony
Santana/Ortiz b. Jake Hager/Chris Jericho – Discus lariat to Jericho
Thunder Rosa b. Mercedes Martinez – Fire Thunder Driver onto a pile of chairs
Sammy Guevara b. Darby Allin – GTH

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: February 9, 2022
Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

This is another big night and that is because Tony Khan has promised a huge debut in a qualifying match for the Face of the Revolution ladder match. As a result, there has been a lot of excited speculation and that has made the show feel that much more important. Other than that, we are probably seeing some more from the potential Jon Moxley/Bryan Danielson pairing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Wardlow with some cardboard cutouts of MJF sitting on CM Punk’s chest and MJF putting Punk in the sleeper. Wardlow looks annoyed as he hands Justin Roberts some cards with introductions for FTR with Tully Blanchard and Shawn Spears, who has his own introduction for MJF. As you might expect, it is as over the top as you can get, including talking about how he beat punk TWICE in the garbage heap that is Chicago in the mid-mid-mid-midwest.

MJF comes out on a throne carried by various men and kisses one of the women nearby. Confetti falls and the Pinnacle (minus Wardlow) celebrates before MJF talks about how he has proven that he is the best in the world. Actually, he is better than the Best In The World, but he couldn’t have done it without that big strapping muscular man…..Shawn Spears (Wardlow is not pleased). Speaking of Spears, he has a gift for MJF: his new Better Than The Best In The World shirt!

MJF is happy, but now he wants to be World Champion. Cue CM Punk to the stage, with Tony Schiavone going up with a microphone. Punk mocks MJF’s spray tan but realizes that he’s at a numbers disadvantage. That’s why he has some friends with him. Cue Sting and Darby Allin with baseball bats, with Punk saying he’s getting what he wants or beats it out of him: he wants a rematch.

MJF says no, but Punk wants a rematch with the man who really beat him: Wardlow. Dax Harwood is ready to fight, but MJF has an idea. We’re in Atlantic City so let’s gamble: Punk can pick any partner save for Sting/Allin and if he can beat the Revival, he can face MJF in any kind of match he wants. As for Wardlow, who is in a suit, he has a match right now!

There was a lot here, but something stuck out when Punk came to the stage. One thing I love about AEW is that when someone comes out with a microphone, it sounds like a person talking rather than a wrestler reciting lines given to them. Punk sounds different than MJF who sounds different than Hangman who sounds different than Britt Baker etc. It feels like people talking instead of people performing. That was the case here, as I’m not sure anyone else saying these lines would have worked, as they felt natural coming from these people. That’s a huge difference to what you hear in WWE and it helps a lot.

Andrade is in the back with Sting and Darby Allin and asks about Sting owning him. Sting says Allin has already explained this and Allin, who isn’t a boy, doesn’t need Sting to speak for him. Allin says he wants the TNT Title back, but Andrade says he’s the next champion.

Blade vs. Wardlow

Blade stomps him into the corner to start but Wardlow snaps off an overhead belly to belly. They head outside with Wardlow driving him into various hard things and we take a break. Back with Wardlow hitting a suplex and then the first powerbomb. The Powerbomb Symphony finishes Blade at 6:11.

Rating: C-. I doubt enough was shown for a rating but this was near total dominance, as it should have been. Wardlow continues to rise up the ranks and this time he beat someone with some more status. The Powerbomb Symphony is over and when Wardlow FINALLY turns on MJF, the reaction is going to be incredible.

Post match Wardlow celebrates and Shawn Spears chairs Blade in the back. Wardlow doesn’t look happy.

Penta El Zero Miedo is ready to destroy Malakai Black.

Here is part of the Inner Circle for a chant. Chris Jericho (who looks like he has slimmed down) says they haven’t seen Santana and Ortiz all day, but here they are to their own entrance and not in their Inner Circle gear. Jericho talks about how they wouldn’t tag him in during a six man tag a few weeks ago and wants to know what is up. Santana says it boils down to Jericho only caring about himself.

Every time Santana and Ortiz get closer to winning the Tag Team Titles, they have to come save Jericho from whatever he is doing. The days of bailing Jericho out are over because Santana and Ortiz need the titles. Jericho says Santana reminds him of Eddie Guerrero and says this is all because of Eddie Kingston getting in their ears. Kingston has never done anything but it was Jericho who brought them in and is responsible for their success.

Jericho brings up them losing the Tag Team Title shot against the Young Bucks about a year ago, which had nothing to do with him. He brought them into the Inner Circle and he can kick them out, because maybe he brought in the wrong members of LAX. Jericho: “Hey Jake, do you have Homicide and Hernandez….” and Santana lunges for him.

Sammy Guevara cuts them but Jericho tells him to shut up. Guevara tells Jericho to save it and while he loves these guys, he’ll quit again if the team can’t figure this out. Guevara leaves and Ortiz yells at Jericho about how he keeps talking about things. Instead of talking, they can fight it out next week. Jericho accepts the match on Hager’s behalf against the two of them and attendance is mandatory next week. Hager never said anything during the whole showdown.

Roppongi Vice is ready for the Young Bucks, who show up and are ready to fight right now. Adam Cole jumps Vice from behind and the big beatdown is on, including the BTE Trigger to Rocky Romero. Cue Jay White to take out Romero and seem to be happy with Cole and the Bucks.

Face of the Revolution Qualifying Match: Isiah Kassidy vs. ???

The mystery opponent is…..Keith Lee, who looks like he has gotten in better shape. The fans sing BASK IN HIS GLORY and Lee LAUNCHES Kassidy with a beal to start. Kassidy gets sent outside but comes back in to fight out of the Spirit Bomb. A dropkick has no effect on Lee, who Pounces him out of the ring. Matt Hardy walks out on the match so Marq Quen grabs Lee’s leg. The distraction lets Kassidy get in a corkscrew dive to actually knock Lee down, but Lee swats a kick to the face out of the way. The Big Bang Catastrophe finishes for Lee at 4:26.

Rating: B-. But remember: there was nothing for him to do in WWE. You know what you have him do? Beat up people every week and wow the crowd, then have him do it to a bigger name. That’s how wrestling has worked for the better part of ever, but for some reason WWE couldn’t think of something for him. Either way, at least he’s here now and got a great debut.

Post match Quen goes after Lee, who gets knocked to the floor. Then he catches a diving Kassidy, followed by catching a diving Quen.

Mercedes Martinez is ready to end Thunder Rosa in a No DQ match, because we need one every week or so.

FTR vs. CM Punk/???

The partner is…..Jon Moxley in a good choice. Harwood works on Punk’s wrist to start but Punk is out without much effort. Moxley comes in for a headlock takeover but it’s quickly back to Punk. Everything breaks down in a hurry with FTR being sent outside for a dive from Punk (who is favoring his leg).

We take a break and come back with Moxley getting choked down in the corner. Some legdrops put Moxley in more trouble but he manages a belly to back on Wheeler for a save. That’s not enough for the save though as it’s a Veg-O-Matic (old Midnight Express move) for two on Moxley.

Back up and the big clothesline gets Moxley out of trouble, allowing the hot tag off to Punk. Everything breaks down and it’s a Doomsday Device for a close two on Harwood. Wheeler pulls Moxley outside for a tornado DDT before grabbing the ring bell. Punk rolls Harwood up for two and the kickout lets Wheeler hit Punk with the bell.

The brainbuster gets two on Punk but the GTS is countered into the Big Rig for two more, with Moxley having to make a save. A simultaneous GTS/Paradigm Shift is broken up so Punk pulls Harwood down into the Anaconda Vice for the tap….which the referee doesn’t see. Instead Tully Blanchard hits Punk with a jacket so it’s a GTS (after some stumbling) to Tully. Now the Paradigm Shift/GTS can connect for the stereo pins at 19:36.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was great and I don’t think that’s the biggest surprise. I don’t think there is any shame in losing to a pair of former World Champions and it isn’t like FTR has meant much in the last few months anyway. What mattered here was having a great match with Punk and Moxley fighting through all kinds of trouble to get the win. I don’t think Punk vs. MJF II is a shock, but Moxley getting involved, even slightly, is interesting. Heck of a match.

Jade Cargill vs. AQA

Non-title and the debuting AQA was trained by Booker T. AQA goes after the arm to start but her short armscissors is countered with a deadlift into a slam. A dropkick puts Cargill on the floor but she blasts AQA with a forearm. We take a break and come back with Cargill hitting an Ultimate Warrior gorilla press slam but AQA knocks her down again. A heck of a shooting star press gets two on Cargill but she catches AQA with a Tour of the Islands. Jaded finishes AQA at 7:31.

Rating: C+. This was longer than it needed to be but AQA showcased herself well. She looked smooth and crisp in the ring and felt like she knew what she was doing. At the same time, Jade continues to be a force of nature, though she is clearly still rather green. That being said, leaving her to basic power moves that show off her natural skills is a great thing and works very well for her.

The Young Bucks, with Adam Cole, are ready to go after Roppongi Vice. Cole says Jay White can have their back next time, but the Bucks aren’t wild on Cole bringing in White without giving them a heads up. Don’t worry though, because Cole says it’s cool.

Serena Deeb vs. Katie Arquette

This is part of Deeb’s new Professor’s Five Minute Rookie Challenge, meaning there is a five minute time limit. Deeb knocks her into the corner, pulls her down, waits for a second, and finishes with the Serenity Lock at 58 seconds.

The Gunn Club is ready to win the Tag Team Titles on Friday.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Lance Archer

Page is defending in a Texas Death Match and the fight is on in the back before the bell. They come to the stage with the bell ringing and Page hitting a running belt shot. Page sends him through a glass wall and Archer is busted open. They get inside where Page hits the Buckshot Lariat to send Archer outside for a seven count. A suicide dive is cut off with a trashcan lid to the head, but here is Dan Lambert to unhook a turnbuckle. Page has to superkick his way out of a chokeslam and it’s a moonsault off the barricade to take Archer down. They head back inside, where the top rope is down, meaning no Buckshot Lariat.

We take a break and come back with two tables set up at ringside. The Black Out and the Deadeye are both broken up so Page (also bleeding) kicks Archer in the face twice but gets knocked down again. Jake Roberts hits the short arm clothesline on the floor but Archer won’t let him hit the DDT for some reason.

Instead Page hits one behind Jake’s back but a bunch of kendo stick shots wake Archer up. The chokeslam onto the trashcan knocks Page silly but Archer would rather whip out a fork to stab Page in the head. He even licks the blood off as it feels like we’re in ECW again. Archer pulls out a barbed wire chair before hitting the Blackout onto the side of the steps.

Instead of winning, Archer picks him up though and Page pulls the barbed wire off the chair. The Hangman Page, using the referee instead of a rope, with wire around the arm, drives Archer through the tables at ringside. That’s finally enough to finish Archer and retain the title at 15:24.

Rating: B. The ending was cool, but egads this was up there in the “violence for the sake of violence” category. I’m not sure how much drama there was over the result but at least they beat each other up. That being said, the fork and the licking of the blood was WAY too far for me, as it didn’t so much make me think thata the match was extreme. Instead, it made me think I was watching something out of XPW or some hardcore indy and that’s not a good thing.

Post match Adam Cole comes down and picks up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This show was built around surprise moments and energy and they both made for an awesome night. Lee wasn’t the biggest surprise, but you could feel that he was bringing something different and it worked on all levels. Jay White is a very cool addition and Moxley made for a great partner in an outstanding match. The main event is going to be hit or miss for a lot of people, but it was a hard fought cap on one of the more entertaining nights I’ve seen around here in a long time.

Results
Wardlow b. The Blade – Powerbomb Symphony
Keith Lee b. Isiah Kassidy – Big Bang Catastrophe
Jon Moxley/CM Punk b. FTR – Double pin
Jade Cargill b. AQA – Jaded
Serena Deeb b. Katie Arquette – Serenity Lock
Hangman Page b. Lance Archer when Archer couldn’t answer the ten count

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.

Dynamite
Date: January 19, 2022
Location: Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s a big night around here as we have the return of Jon Moxley after a nearly three month absence. Moxley has been out of action due to undergoing alcohol rehabilitation treatment and it is great to have him back. What matters most is that he is healthy and if that is the case, I’m glad he can be around here again. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Jon Moxley to a hero’s welcome to get things going. Moxley gets in the ring and, after telling a fan “Go f*** yourself, get that piece of s*** out of here” (completely uncensored on the broadcast), Moxley talks about having a dream where a demon told him he would never make it. He has more scars on his body than most people and those are the things that tell our story. Those scars are the ones that tell us the story of who we are. Nobody is perfect and no one should be afraid to stand up and bare it all.

Everything that makes you the person you are, scars and all, should make you say THIS IS ME. If you want to write him off, he’ll tell you where to shove all that s***, just like he told that demon. For everyone who has supported him, thank you. He is going on a pilgrimage and do whatever he wants to the world of professional wrestling because he is truly free. No one here can put him through worse than he has been through and these days, all he drinks is blood. Well that was amazing, and one of the most emotional speeches you’ll see in a LONG time.

MJF talks about CM Punk needing to steal a win by using the hair and trunks last week to beat Wardlow (who could have escaped with a bit more experience). As for this week, it is Wardlow’s birthday and MJF offers him a sincere apology for losing it last week. Wardlow seems to appreciate that….but MJF is docking Wardlow’s pay for putting his hands on him. MJF moves on to Shawn Spears, who is going to hand PG Punk his first loss, while teaching Wardlow a lesson. The turn is going to be incredible when we finally get there.

Adam Cole/Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander/Orange Cassidy

The women start but Baker tags out almost immediately. Then Cole tags out, meaning Statlander has to come back in. Hold on though as Cassidy does the lazy kicks, earning himself a stomp to the food. Statlander comes in to slam the posing Baker but it’s too early for the Big Bang Theory. It’s back to the men, meaning Cassidy can hit a tornado DDT to send Cole outside.

Back in and Statlander grabs a delayed vertical suplex on Baker, with Cassidy shoving it over. Cassidy hits a rather low dive on Cole before stopping for a pose, allowing Baker and Cole to superkick them down. A nice kiss sends us to a break and we come back with Cassidy taking Cole down.

The women come back in with Statlander hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for her own two. A neckbreaker takes Statlander down though and it’s back to Cole for the superkick to Cassidy’s knee. Cole hits an enziguri but Stundog Millionaire gets Cassidy out of trouble. Baker comes in off the blind tag to break up Beach Break and Stomp Cassidy down. Statlander kicks her in the face and hits something like a Falcon Arrow for two.

Area 451 is loaded up but Cole covers Baker….which is fine with Statlander, who splashes both of them. The Beach Break hits Cole for two but he superkicks a dive out of the air. Baker takes Statlander to the ramp for a Canadian Destroyer, leaving Cole to Panama Sunrise Cassidy for two. With nothing else working, Cole loads up a table at ringside (because we need tables), only to have Cassidy accidentally knock Baker through it. Cole is livid and it’s a low blow into the Boom for the pin at 14:22.

Rating: C+. That’s it for the feud right? There is no reason for Cole and Cassidy to feud any longer and hopefully we can move on and let Cole do something more important. The match was your usual AEW match with big kickouts and went on a bit longer than necessary, but it did have the entertaining bits that you would expect.

Chris Jericho tells Eddie Kingston to GFY but Santana and Ortiz don’t like him talking about Kingston that way. Actually, when has Jericho even had their back? Maybe next week, they can prove that they don’t need Jericho. That seems to shake Jericho a bit.

Adam Cole is sick of Orange Cassidy. He has beaten Cassidy every way he can, but now Cassidy is attacking Baker? Next week, it can be No DQ, anything goes, lights out. It might not be a good idea to point out that you have beaten the guy over and over before challenging him to another match. And great, ANOTHER hardcore match.

CM Punk vs. Shawn Spears

MJF is on commentary as the GTS finishes Spears at 12 seconds. Much like last week: that’s how I like my Spears matches.

Post match Punk poses so MJF tries to sneak in, only to have Punk jump in his face. Punk grabs the scarf but MJF bails from the threat of a right hand.

Billy Gunn stops Christian Cage in the back and says his sons have earned a Tag Team Title shot against Cage’s friends, the Jurassic Express. Cage says make a statement and they’ll talk. Cue the Gunn Club to jump Christian and send him head first into the steel door. Billy as a mouthpiece for his kids is a completely acceptable idea and an upgrade over what he has been doing.

Here is Cody Rhodes, with a huge ladder in the ring. Rhodes talks about CM Punk’s pipe bomb, which was the beginning of a revolution. Some of the things Punk were saying were the blueprint for what AEW would do. After pausing for some negative chants, Cody talks about how Punk made the comeback of the decade and we are all living it. Cody starts yelling about how he carried the revolution and since “you ask me why I won’t turn heel”, it’s because they cheered him when he needed it the most.

There are industry journalists who talk about opening the forbidden door…and now let’s talk about how ReDRagon passed hiptoss class. There are wrestlers elsewhere named Gunner McGillcutty or whatever it is but then he was gone for two weeks and there is an Interim TNT Title. Fans have been taught to believe that any title without the word World in it doesn’t matter.

That’s why he wants to face Sammy Guevara in a ladder match at Beach Break for the undisputed title. I got the gist of what Cody was saying here, but this was all over the place with one idea after another thrown out there but he kept moving on before getting to the point. The ladder match (because this company loves ladder matches) is a fine way to unify the titles, but this was a rambling mess of an insider/shoot promo and it was all about Cody, again, without making much sense until the end.

Jade Cargill has issued an open challenge for the TBS Title and Anna Jay is ready to accept it. Jay talks about the hardcore match from a few weeks ago to show she’s ready.

Kings of the Black Throne vs. Varsity Blonds

Brody shoves Garrison around to start and sends him outside, meaning it’s off to Pillman. That doesn’t work though as Pillman won’t try Air Pillman. Instead he drops outside to talk to Garrison, who is driven into the steps. Back in and Black sweeps Pillman’s leg so Garrison can hit a backsplash. Garrison is taken out again and Dante’s Inferno finishes Pillman at 1:48.

Post match Black tells the House of Black to rise but Pac, still blind, pops up on screen to say he is beyond Black’s reach.

Video on Lance Archer vs. Hangman Page, with Jake Roberts returning to say Archer is ready for Page.

Roppongi Vice steals Brandon Cutler to challenge the Young Bucks to a match on Rampage. They beat the Bucks in Japan once so they can do it again. Cutler thinks the Bucks are going to kill him. Romero: “Then turn the camera off bro.”

Lance Archer vs. Frankie Kazarian

Jake Roberts and Dan Lambert are in Archer’s corner. Archer hammers him down before the bell and then stands on Kazarian’s neck. The beating continues with Archer slowly pounding away as Kazarian can’t get anything going. Kazarian gets dropped again and again and we take a break.

We come back with Archer loudly saying “F*** YOU” (seemingly to a fan) and sending Kazarian chest first into the buckle. The Blackout is broken up with Kazarian finally getting in a little something. That doesn’t work for Archer though and he chokeslams Kazarian down as this is going WAY too long. Archer finally finishes with the Blackout at 10:01.

Rating: D. This was a bad miss, as Archer didn’t look like a monster but rather a guy lumbering around and (very) slowly beating Kazarian down. I don’t know if they were told to fill in time or what, but they took what should have been a three minute match and stretched it way further than it needed to be. This doesn’t make me want to see Archer vs. Page, but rather seeing a big audible call.

Post match, Dan Lambert goes on another cowboy rant against Hangman Page, but Archer cuts him off because he’s sick of this s*** (as we have even more swearing, which isn’t as edgy as AEW seems to think it is). Archer loads up a chokeslam off the ramp but here is Hangman Page for the save. Page gets kneed down so he pulls off his cowboy boot to blast Archer in the head. The Buckshot Lariat is blocked so Page forearms him out to the floor. Page stands tall.

Dante Martin is ready for Team Taz, with Lee Moriarty and Matt Sydal having his back until his brother gets back.

Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs are going to prove Martin is all alone because he’ll need someone to watch every side.

Leyla Hirsch breaks up a Red Velvet/Kris Statlander interview to complain about their loss on Friday. Velvet says it was miscommunication and gets her arm barred as a result.

Serena Deeb vs. Skye Blue

Deeb takes her down to start and sends Blue to the apron to keep up the beating. Back in and some uppercuts to the back of the heck set up a fisherman’s neckbreaker. The Serenity Lock finishes Blue at 2:50. I can absolutely go for more of this Deeb.

Ethan Page wants a big match on Rampage and tells Tony Khan to put the franchise player in.

On Rampage: Ethan Page vs. Jon Moxley, plus Roppongi Vice vs. the Young Bucks. We get some New Japan footage of their previous matches.

Video on Hook.

Matt Hardy has signed Andrade El Idolo 51% of the Hardy Family Office but he is still in charge of the board of directors. Andrade will be the president though, and they are now the AHFO. Now, they want Darby Allin. I’ll take them combining some of their more boring acts into one.

Acclaimed vs. Darby Allin/Sting

Caster’s rap promises to make this worse than Starrcade 97 so you know it’s serious. The Acclaimed jump them before the bell as Tony says he still can’t explain Starrcade 1997. A chair is wrapped around Allin’s neck and Caster whips it into the post. Sting is back up as medics check on Allin but he’s willing to fight on his own. Sting takes the Acclaimed down to start but the Stinger Splash hits an exposed buckle, giving Bowens two.

We take a break and come back with Sting putting Caster in the Deathlock. Bowens hits a discus forearm but Sting yells and doesn’t let go. A superkick breaks it up but Allin comes back in to make the save. Allin gets taken down again so the Mic Drop can give Caster two. Sting backdrops Bowens over the top and splashes Caster through a table at ringside. Fans: “YOU STILL GOT IT!” I don’t think YOU STILL GOT IT is a term that applies to something that Sting rarely did, but fair enough. The Coffin Drop finishes Bowens at 9:20.

Rating: C+. Sting matches are all smoke and mirrors, but dang they’re fun smoke and mirrors. They aren’t doing anything too bad and the fans’ reactions alone carry the matches to another level. That being said, Sting and Allin have to be close to being #1 contenders right? They’re undefeated and just beat the #1 contenders, so shouldn’t their title shot be coming soon? That’s not a bad thing, but it should be addressed.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what happened tonight but this might have been the biggest miss Dynamite has had to date. There were good parts to it (Gunn being moved into a manager role (at least for now), Deeb’s squash, the main event, Spears going short again and King/Black’s debut) but the rest was a bit of a mess. It felt like they didn’t have a plan tonight and it was kind of all over the place.

The biggest standout part was the Cody promo, which started and ended well but took a right turn into lala land in the middle. I still don’t know what he was trying to say with a lot of that and it was one of the bigger head scratchers in recent memory. In addition, you have Cole saying that he has done everything he can to Cassidy, including pinning him tonight, but now we’re going to do it AGAIN, and this time in a hardcore match.

That is where AEW is starting to slip a bit for me, as it feels like they are trying to be a modern day ECW. Between the constant hardcore based matches (I believe Cole vs. Cassidy makes three since December 31), the table spots (two tonight) and ALL THE SWEARING, it feels like they are trying to push the envelope for the sake of pushing the envelope. When you do that kind of thing all the time, the impact goes away very fast and that is what they are doing now. Just pull it back a bit and save that stuff for when it matters, not whenever you can throw it out.

Overall, this show just did not feel like AEW quality. Dynamite has been good to excellent most of the time but they have been missing a bit in recent weeks. I don’t know if that is due to some kind of Covid deal shaking things up backstage or something else, but the shows have not been the best as of late. Maybe they need to change something backstage, because this is starting to trend in a bad direction.

Results
Adam Cole/Britt Baker b. Orange Cassidy/Kris Statlander – Boom to Cassidy
CM Punk b. Shawn Spears – GTS
Kings of the Black Throne b. Varsity Blonds – Dante’s Inferno to Pillman
Lance Archer b. Frankie Kazarian – Blackout
Serena Deeb b. Skye Blue – Serenity Lock
Sting/Darby Allin b. Acclaimed – Coffin Drop to Bowens

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Rampage
Date: December 31, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ricky Starks

It’s the very last show of the year for any company, as this one is going all the way to an hour before the New Year on the east coast. There is a fairly big card tonight with an anything goes women’s tag and Cody Rhodes defending the TNT Title. That doesn’t sound too bad so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Anthony Bowens vs. Darby Allin

Max Caster’s rap is about the booster shot and putting people away like Ghislaine Maxwell. Allin starts fast with an early rollup for two, sending Bowens bailing to the floor in a hurry. Back in and Allin ducks a clothesline and dropkicks Bowens right back to the floor. We take a break and come back with Bowens catching a splash in the corner but Allin grabs some rollups for two each anyway.

Allin heads up for the Coffin Drop but gets knocked down, with his arm landing pretty hard. A twisting DDT out of the corner gives Bowens two so he goes up, only to have Allin run the corner and step on his hand. Sting and Caster get in a fight on the floor, allowing Bowens to send Allin into the barricade. Back in again and Allin grabs a Code Red for two, setting up a flip dive to the floor to take out the Acclaimed. The Coffin Drop finishes Allin at 10:08.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice match here as they gave Allin an opponent he should beat and then did just that. It’s the kind of match that works out well as Bowens has no business beating someone like Allin while Allin gets a win over someone he should beat. I could go for more like this, especially when it didn’t overstay its welcome.

Post match, Andrade El Idolo comes out for a distraction, allowing the Acclaimed to blast Sting with the boombox.

We get the return of Technique With Taz, looking at Hook. These are always cool and show a very different side from an analyst. Like analysis.

Penelope Ford/The Bunny vs. Tay Conti/Anna Jay

No DQ and the fight is on in a hurry. Conti and Jay take them down to start and set up a table on the flor but Ford posts Jay hard. A bicycle kick takes out Conti and Ford goes up top for a moonsault onto Conti onto the table….which doesn’t budge an inch in a very painful looking crash.

Back in and Ford breaks a bottle over Conti’s head to knock her silly. A bunch of weapons, including a very specially painted table (including a brass knuckles design) goes in, with Bunny and Conti already busted open. The table is put in the corner and the villains load up some open chairs in the middle of the ring. Back in and Jay suplexes Bunny onto the chairs and we take a break.

We come back with Jay trying the Queenslayer but getting driven through the table for her efforts. It’s already time for some thumbtacks, with Jay superplexing Bunny onto said tacks for two, with Ford diving in for the save. The save sends Ford’s hands into the tacks but she is fine enough to kick Conti down. Some stomps onto a chair crush Conti, setting up a piledriver from the apron through a table to knock Conti silly. Back in and Bunny grabs the brass knuckles but Jay wraps barbed wire around her arm and grabs the Queenslayer to finish Bunny at 11:19.

Rating: B. This one took some time to sink in and I’m still not sure what to think about it. They were working very hard and it felt like they were trying to prove a point, but it also felt like they were trying a bit too hard. I’m not wild on having all of the blood and violence and carnage in any match and this was no exception. Throw in that I’m not sure the feud warranted such a violent match in the first place and this was a lot. That being said, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it and can absolutely appreciate the effort so I’ll go with a pretty solid performance here.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Bryan Danielson.

Here’s what’s coming at various show.

The face to face interview has Dan Lambert talking about how Cody Rhodes made a bunch of deals to get where he is. Arn Anderson doesn’t want to hear it and says tonight, Cody is going to show something.

TNT Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Ethan Page

Cody, with Arn Anderson to counter Scorpio Sky and Dan Lambert, is defending. They start fast with Cody headlocking him down but Lambert grabs a foot to cut things off. Page grabs a suplex for two but they head to the apron, where Cody can’t hit Cross Rhodes. Back in and Cody goes after the leg, setting up an Indian Deathlock as we take a break.

We come back with Page hitting a gordbuster and Sky getting in a cheap shot. Cue Dustin Rhodes to go after Sky, but the distraction lets Cody hit Cross Rhodes for two. Cody takes him up top but gets caught in a heck of a super powerslam for two more. They slug it out with an exchange of kicks to the head, only to have Cody come back with the Cody Cutter. Cody goes up and gets pulled down with the Iconoclasm. The Ego’s Edge is escaped though and it’s a string of Cross Rhodes into the Tiger Driver 98 to finish Page at 14:18.

Rating: C+. As usual, it’s a perfectly serviceable Cody Rhodes match and little more. While he might not be the most popular name in the world right now, he can still put in a completely watchable, if not good, match with just about anyone. That is his firm ceiling most of the time though and a match without much drama in this spot wasn’t breaking through anything. This was more a way to get Cody on the show for a first title defense and it did both things successfully.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure what kind of an audience this is going to draw, but it had three good matches with a very memorable street fight in the middle. Rampage has figured out what kind of a show it needs to be and now we’re getting some more entertaining shows as a result. The street fight is the only thing worth seeing, but dang it was a spectacle to behold.

Results
Darby Allin b. Ethan Page – Coffin Drop
Tay Conti/Anna Jay b. The Bunny/Penelope Ford – Queenslayer to Bunny
Cody Rhodes b. Ethan Page – Tiger Driver 98

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: December 22, 2021
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back with yet another special show, this time in the form of Holiday Bash. That should make for another big card, though this time around the major draw is Sting being back in Greensboro. I’m still not sure why that should matter to anyone but the live audience, though seeing Sting team with CM Punk and Darby Allin against MJF and FTR should be fun. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy vs. Adam Cole

They stare each other down to start and trade headlock takeovers. Cassidy grabs a rollup for two and it’s right back to the mat, with Cassidy bouncing out of a headscissors. Cole kicks him down again and grabs a chinlock as they keep fighting for minor victories to start. Cassidy fights up again and grabs some rollups for two each. Back up and Cole hits a Backstabber out of the corner, setting up a hard whip into another corner to put Cassidy in trouble.

Cassidy blocks a superplex attempt and hits a high crossbody into the tornado DDT. Cue the Young Bucks and Brandon Cutler, with Cassidy diving onto the latter. The Best Friends run out to take care of them but the distraction lets Cole send Cassidy into the steps. The Boom only hits steps though and we take a break.

Back with Cole winning a slugout, setting up the brainbuster onto the knee for two. Another one is countered into the Stundog Millionaire though and Cassidy grabs a top rope DDT for the same. Cole kicks him down again but gets small packaged for two more anyway. Another superkick rocks Cassidy and the Panama Sunrise sets up a cover, with Cole’s hands in the trunks, for two. The Boom misses though and Cassidy hits Beach Break for another near fall. Cue Bobby Fish for a distraction though and it’s the debuting Kyle O’Reilly to strike away at Cassidy. Now the Boom can connect to finish Cassidy at 17:04.

Rating: B. These guys were working hard here and the O’Reilly debut is going to get some interest. I almost bought the idea of Cassidy getting the win off the Beach Break too so well done on the tease. This was a pretty awesome match and I wouldn’t have bet on that so call this a very nice surprise.

Post match the Best Friends come back in but get taken down in a hurry, including the High/Low from Fish and O’Reilly. The Young Bucks come down and don’t seem to have known this was coming. Cole, O’Reilly and Fish leave together.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Bryan Danielson’s classic last week. The rematch is on January 5.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how hard he fought last week but at the end, he had never felt less like a champion. Cue Bryan Danielson to cut him off and call Page an entitled millennial cowboy. Danielson beat him up for sixty minutes and should be the champ. He would have won, but he was a bit injured after that match with Evil Uno. Therefore, Danielson is not going to wrestle again until January 5 so he can take the title as he should.

But what if Page stalls again and retains off another draw? Danielson wants judges, who will guaranteed that he wins because he is clearly better. Page thought of a variety of options from a ladder match to a cage match to an inferno match, but it is clear that something needs to be different. He was three seconds away from winning, so sure the judges are fine. Just make sure the judges are paid off in advance because Danielson isn’t going to win. Page has given way too much for this title to be told that he isn’t good enough, or a B+ player. Can Page beat him in less than an hour? YES. More Danielson greatness.

The Pinnacle has a meeting and MJF wants to know why Wardlow didn’t have the champagne ready in time last week so he could have protected MJF from CM Punk. MJF sees right through Punk saving Sting because that good guy mask is slipping off faster than Sting’s Krusty the Clown makeup. FTR has no problem with Sting but now he is coming after the kings of wrestling. Now it’s time for the kings to destroy him.

Shawn Dean vs. Wardlow

Four powerbombs finish Dean in 1:12.

Post match, Shawn Spears comes in to chair Dean down.

Video on Cody vs. Sammy Guevara for the TNT Title on Christmas night.

Dan Lambert and the Men of the Year are in the balcony to talk about leadership. Lambert doesn’t think much about the people who run this company. On the other hand, he runs the best MMA gym in the world and has to make the right decisions to keep things fair. Tony Khan is the flip side of that: if you’re his friend you’re an executive vice president, but if you’re not his friend, you’re stuck in the midcard.

Look at what Khan has tasked him with doing: get people to cheer Cody Rhodes. Instead, Lambert wants the Men of the Year to face the winner of Guevara vs. Rhodes for the TNT Title. Lambert continues to be great, even with the inside wrestling stuff. That’s kind of the point, but he goes a bit too far with it at times.

We go to Britt Baker’s Christmas party, complete with her lackeys and Tony Schiavone. She isn’t worried about never beating Riho because she is bigger, stronger and better. Then she’ll prove that she is the best around, meaning we can hit the catchphrase.

Video on the Owen Hart tournaments, meaning a lot of clips of Owen, with the wrestlers talking about how much of an inspiration/influence he really was. The home movie stuff was rather cool.

TBS Title Tournament Semifinals: Nyla Rose vs. Ruby Soho

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose, who jumps Soho on the way in. Soho’s jacket gets pulled over her head so Rose can hammer away, setting up a face rake. Back up and Soho cranks away on an armbar but can’t hit an STO. A powerbomb doesn’t work for Rose so she blasts Soho with a clothesline instead. They head outside with Soho winning a slugout but missing a charge into the steps (thanks to Vickie pulling Rose out of the way).

We take a break and come back with Soho hitting a bunch of clotheslines into a tornado DDT for two. Rose grabs a chair but gets it knocked into her face for the big knockout shot. Vickie shoves Soho off the top though, allowing Rose to hit the top rope knee to the back for two. Rose sends her shoulder first into the buckle to bang it up even worse. Some kind of a slam is countered into a dragon sleeper though, drawing Vickie up to the apron. The referee doesn’t see Rose tap but Soho lets go anyway. The powerbomb gives Rose two so she goes up, only to get pulled into the Soho Kick (cool) for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: C+. Pretty good stuff here, though the tournament has dragged on for so long that I’ve lost almost all interest in the thing. I’m glad to see Soho win though, as she could be a heck of a first champion, especially if it means handing Jade Cargill her first loss. Rose is a good obstacle to overcome and she looked like a monster here, as usual.

Video on Serena Deeb vs. Hikaru Shida, with the former saying it will never be over.

Malakai Black vs. Griff Garrison

Brian Pillman Jr. is here with Garrison, who charges into a kick to the face to start. Black goes after Pillman instead but the delay lets Garrison come back with a suicide dive. The head back in and Black grabs a kneebar to send Garrison over to the ropes. Back in and Black strikes away but Garrison kicks him in the face. A rolling elbow knocks Black down again but he rocks Garrison with an awesome looking jumping knee to the face. Black Mass is loaded up but Black would rather take out the knee, setting up a half crab for the tap at 3:15.

Rating: C. Those strikes from Black were vicious and this is the only way the match should have gone. Black is head and shoulders above the Blonds and there was no reason for this to be competitive. Sometimes that’s the best way to go, even if Garrison was fighting on emotion for revenge here.

Post match, Pillman tries to come in and gets his head kicked off.

We look at Jurassic Express and the Lucha Bros’ staredown from Rampage.

Matt Hardy wants Private Party to be the new #1 contenders. As for Jurassic Express, Isaiah Kassidy wants to spend Christmas pounding Jungle Boy.

Jungle Boy is fine with the challenge. Christian Cage tells people to get their new Christmas shirt.

Here’s what’s coming over the next few shows.

CM Punk/Sting/Darby Allin vs. FTR/Maxwell Jacob Friedman

We get the MJF vs. Punk (in Sting face paint/gear) showdown to start so they circle each other…and MJF tags out without doing anything. Commentary knew that was coming as Dax Harwood comes in to feel Punk out a bit. The amateur off goes nowhere so Punk slaps him into the corner. Wheeler comes in and gets slammed so Allin can come in and knock Wheeler into the corner. It’s off to MJF, who runs away from Punk again and tags Wheeler right back in.

Sting (with CM Punk face paint/gear) gets to come in and cranks away on the arm but it’s too early for the Scorpion. A meeting on the floor means MJF can come in, only to bail from the Punk threat. Punk chases him into the crowd and they circle around the arena until they’re back at ringside. Back in and MJF’s diving tag hands it off to Harwood but Allin dives onto all three of them.

We take a break and come back with Allin in trouble and Wheeler spitting water in Punk’s face to mess with him even more. A bunch of stomping sets up a hard slam on Allin but he avoids a charge in the corner. Allin slams Wheeler down and dives over to Sting for the hot tag. Stinger Splashes abound but Wheeler breaks up the Deathlock and we take another break.

Back again with Sting fighting out of an abdominal stretch and hitting the falling headbutt low blow on MJF. Tony wants to see a hundred replays as Punk comes in to clean house. Punk’s high crossbody gets two on Wheeler and a swinging neckbreaker gets the same on Harwood. The top rope elbow takes too long though and Punk gets crotched, setting up a slugout with Harwood on top. Now the superplex can connect, with Wheeler turning it into the PowerPlex for a rather near fall.

Allin is back up (sans tag) to clean house but Punk kicks Harwood in the head for a double knockdown. They get back up for a slugout until the GTS is loaded up. That’s countered into the Big Rig but Sting makes the save. MJF’s DDT has no effect on Sting, who crotches MJF on the ropes. MJF gets tossed over the top onto FTR and lands ON HIS HEAD (with Wheeler and the referee immediately checking on him). Thankfully he’s ok enough for Sting to dive off the top onto all three of them for the huge crash. Back in and the GTS into the Death Drop into the Coffin Drop finishes Harwood at 25:53.

Rating: A-. This was an absolute blast and a great time in a match that felt like a house show main event. It got time, it had star power and the big spots all worked. Just all kinds of fun here and the ending with Harwood taking a huge beating for the loss was great. One thing though: AEW has to find some way to cut down on the near horrible botches, as MJF almost landed on his head on the floor. That happens way, way, WAY too often around here and people have already gotten hurt in something similar. Find a way to cut that out, immediately.

Overall Rating: A-. The opener and main event were very good to great, the Danielson/Page promo worked and there wasn’t a bad thing on the show. I had a great time with this show and it was one of the better Dynamites to date. If there is one thing AEW knows how to do, it is let the fans have a great time for two hours and that is what they did here. Great show and worth checking out, especially that main event.

Results
Adam Cole b. Orange Cassidy – Boom
Wardlow b. Shawn Dean – Powerbomb
Ruby Soho b. Nyla Rose – Soho Kick
Malakai Black b. Griff Garrison – Half crab
Sting/CM Punk/Darby Allin b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman/FTR – Coffin Drop to Harwood

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: December 15, 2021
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s Winter Is Coming and this time there is a huge main event, as Hangman Page defends the World Title against Bryan Danielson. Other than that, we have the Dynamite Diamond match between MJF and Dante Martin, which seems primed for some interference. Odds are we’re getting some debuts tonight as well so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

AEW World Title: Bryan Danielson vs. Hangman Page

Danielson is challenging as we’re starting fast. Feeling out process to start with Page not being able to get very far, allowing Danielson to snap off some jumping jacks. Page’s wristlock is broken up with a bunch of flips and Page is frustrated in the corner. Back up and Bryan avoids some chops, allowing more corner jumping jacks. The grappling doesn’t work so well but Page gets in a boot to the chest and NOW Danielson gets more serious. Page isn’t stupid enough to take a handshake so Danielson shoves him away and hides in the ropes.

A slam and a chop rock Danielson again but he picks the ankle and cranks on the legs instead. The surfboard with a dragon sleeper has Page in even more trouble but he manages to break out. They trade shots in the corner until Danielson goes right back to the leg. Danielson hammers at the champ’s face before sending him to the apron. The Buckshot Lariat attempt is broken up so Page settles for a shot to the face instead. There’s a clothesline to put Danielson on the floor, setting up a dive to drop him again.

Back in and Page goes up, only to dive into a kick to the ribs for the crash. Danielson ties Page’s arms in the ropes and kicks at the chest, setting up a top rope knee to the back of the head for two. We take a break and come back with Page making the comeback, including a fall away slam into the nip up. Danielson is knocked outside so there’s the suicide dive to drop him again. The moonsault to the floor keeps Danielson in trouble and Page’s Death Valley Driver gets two back inside.

Danielson crotches him on top though and a cradle gets two. The Deadeye is countered into a cradle as well so Danielson grabs the ankle lock. Page breaks that up so Danielson takes him into the corner for back to back running dropkicks. Danielson’s third attempt is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two and the fans are right back into this. The threat of the Buckshot Lariat sends Danielson back to the floor but he shoves Page off the top to break up another moonsault attempt.

Page seems to have hurt his shoulder so Danielson posts the arm a few times. Danielson is rather pleased as Page is busted open and we take a break. Back with Danielson kicking him into the barricade and hitting the running knee off the apron. Another running knee on the apron lets Danielson wrap the arm around the post as Page is in big trouble. A bridging German suplex gives Danielson two and the Cattle Mutilation goes on.

Page slips up to his knees though and rolls over to the ropes for the break. Danielson goes with the kicks but hits the post by mistake to give Page a breather. The bad leg is sent into the post and the Figure Four goes on. Danielson makes it over to the ropes though and we take a third break. Back again with both guys pulling themselves up for the slugout. Danielson reverses a powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana for two, followed by an armbar.

The triangle choke makes it worse and Page can’t even powerbomb his way to freedom. Page rolls over to the ropes for the break and Danielson is favoring his knee. Back up and Page manages a Tombstone for two and they’re both slow to get up. A superplex is broken up and Danielson’s reverse fisherman’s suplex gets the next near fall. Danielson likes the suplexes so it’s a belly to back superplex for a delayed two.

Another armbar attempt is countered and they head to the apron, where Page hits a heck of a Deadeye. Danielson is down on the floor but Page misses the big dive and goes through the ringside table. We take another break and come back again with Page hitting a German suplex of his own. Apparently Danielson hit a DDT on the exposed concrete during the break, which isn’t something that should be taking place during a commercial. Page can’t follow up though and his clotheslines barely have any effect.

Danielson takes him up top for another belly to back superplex but Page lands on his feet, setting up the discus lariat for the double knockdown. They slug it out and trade rollups for two each until Danielson kicks him in the head. Danielson stomps away but the running knee is countered into the Deadeye for another near fall. The Buckshot Lariat is loaded up but Danielson reverses into the LeBell Lock. That’s escaped as well and Page blasts him with a clothesline, setting up the Buckshot Lariat…as time expires at 59:56 (close enough).

Rating: B+. Your mileage may vary here but it was a rather action packed match. They didn’t exactly hide that the time limit was going to expire though and the last half hour didn’t have a ton of drama as a result. It was very good, but there were stretches where it felt like they were just getting stuff in to cover time rather than building towards a finish.

Now that being said, there were some awesome big moves in here and these guys beat the fire out of each other. The ending leaves the door open for a rematch which absolutely should come, though I’m not sure what kind of a stipulation they can add. What we got here was rather great, but I wouldn’t put it up to a masterpiece. It isn’t even Danielson’s best time limit draw of the year.

The Superkliq and Bobby Fish are sick of the Best Friends. They suggest an eight man tag, after which they can beat up Trent’s mom. Adam Cole has a special Christmas present for the Young Bucks next week.

Wardlow vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal kicks away but gets powerbombed down in a hurry. Another powerbomb has Shawn Spears telling Wardlow to get the pin already, but Wardlow hits another one for the win at 1:23.

Post match, Spears beats on Sydal with the chair but has to answer the phone. It’s MJF, who wants Warlow to go pick up some champagne for the post match celebration.

Tay Conti is sick of Penelope Ford and promises to finish her.

Malakai Black talks about how evil humans are. He will appreciate the teachings the house has bestowed upon him because the house always wins. Black also mentions that someone is so much more than a king. Brody King would be the likely choice, but I believe Matt Taven wore a crown as well.

Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb

Shida throws her kendo stick at Deeb’s leg to start but Deeb takes control and goes after the leg. Said leg is fine enough for Shida to miss a charge into the corner though, allowing Deeb to send it into the steps. A leglock around the post has Shida rocked and we take a break. Back with Shida striking away and hitting a suplex for two but Deeb goes back to the knee.

Something like a Muta Lock stretches Shida’s neck, followed by some rolling neckbreakers. Shida shrugs them off though and grabs a Falcon Arrow for a breather. They both offer some counters until Deeb pulls her into a half crab. That’s broken up as well so they slug it out until a turnbuckle pad is pulled off. Deeb goes back for the leg but gets kicked into the exposed buckle. Shida grabs a rollup (with the bad leg in the air) for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: C+. This feud has lost a bit of steam since the start but hopefully this wraps things up. I don’t know if it will given its ending, but it isn’t a match that needs to go again. Both of them are talented and could be used elsewhere, so maybe they can find something else to do for a change.

The Varsity Blonds are mad at Malakai Black over what he did to Julia Hart last week. Griff Garrison wants a match next week, though Brian Pillman Jr. doesn’t seem as sure. Garrison promises to break Black’s jaw.

Video on Hook’s debut from Rampage.

Eddie Kingston is done with 2.0 and Daniel Garcia, so let’s have a ten man tag. He’ll bring the Lucha Bros and Santana/Ortiz, so go find yourselves some partners.

Dynamite Diamond Ring: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Dante Martin

Before the match, MJF insults Texas a few times before moving on to CM Punk. Last week, all Punk could do was insult the local sports team. Then he wanted to move on to the World Title, but why should he get there after some forgettable matches? All that does is make Punk the next Ryback! MJF is already a top talent and he’s 25 years old, so get Martin out here so MJF can win the ring for the third time.

MJF grabs the headlock takeover for the early two but Martin hits him in the face. The Nose Dive is loaded up but MJF bails to the floor before things can go bad. Martin tries another dive but gets sent into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Martin reversing a powerbomb into a rollup for two but getting put on top. Martin saves himself from a superplex attempt and starts scoring with the dives, including one out to the floor.

A big running moonsault to the floor (dang) drops MJF again, setting up a springboard shooting star….which Martin overshoots and kicks MJF in the face. Back in and they trade rollups for two each, then trade several more rollups for two each. MJF grabs a sitout powerbomb for two but Martin knocks him down again. The Nose Dive connects this time but here is Ricky Starks to put the foot on the ropes. MJF is back up with the Salt of the Earth for the tap and the ring at 12:55.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to make of this one, as it was rather different than most MJF matches. Martin was flying all over the place and MJF wanted to avoid the dives (makes sense), but then they did a straight WWE ending with a distraction into the finish. MJF winning the ring for the third straight year isn’t exactly interesting, though Martin with a big diamond ring doesn’t really suit him either. Good, athletic match, but it wasn’t what you would expect.

Post match FTR comes in for the celebration but the lights go out….and we’ve got Sting and Darby Allin. FTR and MJF beat down Sting and Allin but here is CM Punk with a baseball bat for the save. Punk says next week, it’s a six man tag, which seems to be a match Tony Khan was expected to be announced. Uh, ok then. No Wyatt or Briscoes debut, but at least we get Sting wrestling in a city he hasn’t wrestled in since the 90s, complete with someone he has no connection with whatsoever.

Overall Rating: A. More than half of the show is spent on a great match so everything else was pure gravy. I wasn’t wild on the kind of a lackluster ending, but Wardlow crushing people and a fine main event made up for any problems this might have had. They built this up as a huge show and it felt like it, though the fans were very burned out by the end of the World Title match. Makes sense of course, but it did hurt some of the rest of the show.

Results
Hangman Page vs. Bryan Danielson went to a time limit draw
Wardlow b. Matt Sydal – Powerbomb
Hikaru Shida b. Serena Deeb – Rollup
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Dante Martin – Salt of the Earth

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: December 10, 2021
Location: UBS Arena, New York City, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

We’re still in New York and this time there is a pretty big match on the card, as the Lucha Bros are defending the Tag Team Titles against FTR. Other than that, we have the in-ring debut as Hook, which should be a heck of a moment in its own right. This show tends to do well with the faster pace so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. FTR

FTR, with Tully Blanchard, is defending. Fenix grabs Harwood by the wrist to start and takes Wheeler down at the same time. Penta comes in to help take FTR down and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Penta takes off his glove but manages to roll Wheeler up for two. Now the glove is tossed to Wheeler, allowing Penta to catch him with a superkick. Fenix springboards in with a high crossbody but the momentum sends him outside.

That means Harwood can drop Fenix back first onto the apron and the champs are in trouble. Back in and Harwood knocks Penta off the apron but takes too long going up, allowing Fenix to snap off a super hurricanrana. We take a break and come back with Wheeler rolling Penta up for two but getting caught by Made In Japan for two. It’s back to Fenix for a slingshot Liger Bomb so FTR loads up the belts. Fenix takes it away and hits Harwood by mistake (allowing us to get in the required Eddie Guerrero tribute), setting up rope walk kick to the face.

The frog splash only hits belt though, giving Harwood two of his own. The Big Rig connects but Penta dives in with a high crossbody to Wheeler to break up the pin. They strike it out until Fenix tries the rolling cutter. That’s countered into a Gory Bomb from Wheeler, who has to block Penta’s Fear Factor. Instead, the spike Fear Factor retains the titles at 13:56.

Rating: B. They went with the all action format here and it worked well. This should wrap up the feud, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see one more match between them to really blow it off. The teams have developed better chemistry together over the last few matches though and this was another good one.

Nyla Rose/Bunny/Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay/Tay Conti/Ruby Soho

Vickie Guerrero is here with the villains. Bunny takes Conti down to start and hits a chop, allowing Penelope to drive Conti into the corner. Rose comes in to hold Conti in said corner, allowing Bunny to yell at Conti’s partners. Back up and Jay forearms Ford, who takes her down with a faceplant. The hot tag brings in Soho to clean house, including an STO for two on Ford.

We take a break and come back with Jay hitting a basement crossbody for tow on Rose as everything breaks down. The parade of secondary finishers kicks off and everyone is left laying. Vickie slips Bunny the brass knuckles to knock Jay silly, leaving Rose to hit the Beast Bomb for the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C. Not too bad here as everyone was putting in the effort. There wasn’t a lot of interest here though as they put everyone into a match and let them go, with the main story being the TBS Title tournament. That’s fine on its own, but the tournament feels like it has been going on for the better part of ever and it’s hard to build up that much interest until we get to the end.

Sting and Darby Allin are being interviewed about a show in two weeks when FTR and Tully Blanchard jump them. This is really becoming a tired deal for AEW and they need to drop it for a good while.

Hook vs. Fuego del Sol

Hook takes him down by the head to start and flips him over with a headlock takeover. Fuego has to elbow his way out of something like an STF so Hook takes him into the corner for some shots to the ribs. Another suplex rocks Fuego but he’s back up with a dropkick into the corner. The tornado DDT is blocked though and Hook clotheslines him down. Some crossface shots set up the Tazmission to finish Fuego at 3:19.

Rating: C+. Well who saw that coming? Hook destroyed him and looked smooth doing so, which was quite the surprise. Hook knows his grappling and does feel like a Taz inspired wrestler. They were smart to keep this short and to the point and the match worked pretty well as a result. Total surprise, and nicely done at that.

The Elite is ready to destroy the Best Friends, who aren’t sure what this promo should be about. They steal the Bay Bay catchphrase though and Adam Cole is ready to fight.

Adam Cole vs. Wheeler Yuta

The Best Friends and the Elite are here, because you need ten people for a one on one match. Cole elbows him in the face to start but la majistral is countered into a rollup to give Yuta two. Back up and Cole hits a superkick out of the corner before avoiding a high crossbody to send Yuta crashing. Cole kicks him down again and sets up a neck crank, followed by the fireman’s carry backbreaker for…no cover as Cole is a bit too confident.

Yuta is sent outside so Cole can stare Orange Cassidy down. Back in and Yuta counters the Panama Sunrise into a cradle for two. Now the high crossbody can connect but Yuta can’t cover. An enziguri sends Cole into the corner and a top rope forearm gives Yuta two. A bridging German suplex gets the same but Cole catches him on top. Yuta gets in a slam, only to have his top rope splash hit raised knees. The Boom finishes Yuta at 7:09.

Rating: C. There wasn’t and shouldn’t have been much drama with this one, as Yuta wasn’t going to be a threat to Cole. The best part was the lack of a big brawl or all kinds of interference from everyone on the floor. It was little more than a squash for Cole, so this could have been a lot worse under some different circumstances.

Post match everyone gets in the ring but Bobby Fish comes in to take out the Best Friends. The Elite beats everyone down and Cole poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Not as good as some of their previous shows but still a rather nice hour of wrestling. As has been the case in recent weeks with AEW though, they are trying to put too many people and too many things on a show and everything feels rushed. That can get annoying in a hurry, along with the interrupted interviews. It’s ok to not do the same thing time after time and it would be nice for AEW to learn that with those concepts.

Results
Lucha Bros b. FTR – Spike Fear Factor to Wheeler
Nyla Rose/Penelope Ford/Bunny b. Anna Jay/Tay Conti/Ruby Soho – Beast Bomb to Jay
Hook b. Fuego del Sol – Tazmission
Adam Cole b. Wheeler Yuta – Boom

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: December 1, 2021
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Hangman Page, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re two weeks away from Winter Is Coming and that could be a heck of a big night. You can probably guess some of the card from here and that means AEW has a path to take on the way to the show. Other than that, we have a street fight this week as Cody Rhodes faces Andrade El Idolo. Let’s get to it.

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

Jim Ross isn’t here tonight so Hangman Page is filling in.

In two weeks: Page vs. Bryan Danielson for the World Title.

Bryan Danielson vs. Alan Angels

Danielson wastes no time in starting with the kicks as Angels is in trouble early. The fans are behind Angels and Danielson throws in a Hulk Hogan hand to the ear to turn up the anger another notch. The kicks and chops in the corner make it even worse, followed by the running corner dropkick. Angels fights back but gets pulled into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so Angels sends him outside for a pair of dives, setting up the standing Spanish Fly back inside. Danielson cuts that off with the running knee and the stomps near the head lay Angels out again. A kneebar (complete with the bicep pose) finishes Angels at 6:09.

Rating: C. This was exactly what it should have been as Danielson beat him up, survived a bit of a comeback, and then finished him decisively. There was no reason for Angels to get in any more offense than this and it didn’t go too far. Simple, to the point, and went as it was supposed to.

Post match Danielson says he kicked Angels’ head in in his hometown and he’s heard he can do the same thing next week in Long Island. Then he’ll do it again to Hangman Page in two weeks in the home of the Cowboys. Page is ready to fight tonight but John Silver cuts him off, saying Page can’t touch Danielson tonight. Silver says he can touch him though and charges the ring but Danielson says Silver is beneath him and bails. He’d love to slap Page in the face tonight (Page: “DO IT!”) but these people don’t deserve it.

Miro talks about trying to figure out what he should do next but then he received a vision. Now it is time to find what he is doing. He will repair one of the problems in his life but the other he will embrace.

Lee Moriarty vs. CM Punk

Hold on though as here is MJF (in an amazing Hanukkah suit) to join commentary. Punk spins out of Moriarty’s wristlock to start but gets pulled right back in. The wristlock sets up an armbar but Punk drives him into the corner for another escape. A leg lariat puts Moriarty down and we take a break.

Back with Punk slipping out of a suplex and getting a boot up in the corner. The springboard spinning high crossbody is rolled into a Gargano Escape but Punk escapes again. Moriarty heads up top but Punk blasts him in the face, only to come back with a super sunset flip. They trade near falls for two each until Punk kicks him in the head for a knockdown. Moriarty kicks him in the head and the kickout triggers a freak out. Punk is back up with a reverse suplex, which he flips into the fireman’s carry and the GTS for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. Moriarty got a lot out of this as he gets to hang with one of the biggest stars AEW has to offer. I’ve liked Moriarty since the first time I saw him and now he is getting the chance to showcase himself. Give him something to do and he could go somewhere in a hurry. Punk is starting to find a style around here, as he was getting a bit more athletic this time around, with the GTS being the big blockbuster finish to get him out of trouble.

Post match MJF says cut the music to say the only thing Punk is the best in the world is at trying to get into Britt Baker’s pants. MJF says Punk looks confused….just like Baker would look if he got her in bed. Punk says MJF is wearing Larry David pajamas and calls him out for making fun of him for taking time to beat QT Marshall and Lee Moriarty. They’re both better than MJF and he knows it.

The challenge is on again but MJF turns him down for the second week in a row. MJF brags about winning next week’s Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal and promises to be better than Piper in Portland, Bret in Canada and Punk in Chicago. That’s not it though, because he promises to put Larry (Punk’s dog) to sleep if he sees him again. That’s too far for Punk, but Wardlow comes out to get between the two of them. More good stuff from these two, as you would expect.

Britt Baker isn’t happy about having to face Riho again but she’ll do it anyway. Jamie Hater gets called out for losing to Thunder Rosa, but she points out that Baker lost to her as well. Don’t worry about that though as Baker is ready for Hayter to beat Riho next week to get back in the good graces.

Adam Cole comes to the ring and then joins commentary. Cue Orange Cassidy to stare Cole down but the Young Bucks show up. Cassidy turns his back on Cole and does the lazy kicks, earning himself a low blow and a big beatdown. I know Cassidy has his shtick, but this made him look like a moron in every sense of the word.

Tony Nese is ready to take the TNT Title on Rampage.

Wardlow vs. AC Adams

Four straight powerbombs end Adams at 1:38.

Penta is ready for FTR and he’ll have Pac as his partner. Pac, with his eye patched up, is ready to fight on Rampage.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Gunn Club

Sting has Allin styled face paint, it’s Colton/Billy for the Club and Team Taz is on commentary. Allin armdrags Colton down to start and dropkicks him into the corner for a bonus. Sting comes in for the staredown with Billy, who bails outside from the threat of the Stinger Splash. Back in and Billy hits a heck of a cobra clutch slam on Darby before taking him into the corner as we take a break.

We come back with Allin getting over for the hot tag off to Sting, who cleans house with the Stinger Splash. The Scorpion Deathlock goes on but Billy offers a distraction so Austin can get in a cheap shot. Allin dives onto Austin but Billy gets the Fameasser to give Colton two. Another dive takes out Billy on the floor (as the top of Allin’s head is busted open) and the flipping Stunner sets up the Death Drop for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C. So ends the Gunn Club’s run, putting an end to their more or less negligible value. It’s not like Sting pinning a guy best known for his time on Dark is going to hurt him at all so this completely acceptable. That cobra clutch slam looked awesome and thankfully Allin “only” busted himself open on that dive, as he looked to land on his head.

Chris Jericho denies helping Eddie Kingston last week because he wanted to beat up 2.0 and Daniel Garcia. Cue Daniel Garcia and 2.0 to beat him down. Why you can hear the earlier Superkliq/Orange Cassidy segment taking place at the same time is anyone’s guess.

Team Taz, still at commentary, is ready for next week’s Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal but here is Lio Rush to interrupt. Rush says that as a commentator, Taz should know who he is. He has a chance to win the battle royal too but Taz says they already took Dante Martin away from him. Rush talks about being a fighter and says he’ll be there, even if he has a one percent chance. Forgive me for not feeling emotional about a split of a pairing that was together…three weeks?

Jade Cargill is ready to take out Thunder Rosa’s student on Rampage. Rosa comes in to say she’ll be on commentary and rants in Spanish.

TBS Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho

Statlander takes her down to start but the threat of a right hand has Statlander staring at Soho. Back up and Soho drops to the mat, where Statlander teases a boot but pauses in time, instead going with the boop. Soho scores with a Flatliner for a quick two and we take a break.

We come back with Statlander grabbing a headlock and countering a Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Soho is back up to avoid a charge in the corner, setting up a poisonrana for two, giving us some of the biggest bugged out eyes I’ve ever seen. Statlander loads up the Big Bang Theory but gets rolled up for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t great as they were kind of all over the place with Statlander looking lost more than once. I’m not sure if it is a lack of experience on the big stage or what but she has never been able to make it to that next level. Soho needed this win, as she came in red hot and then hasn’t done much of anything since, which has made for a weird path for her so far in AEW. Maybe a run to the finals (or a win) can fix that.

Post match they shake hands but here is Vickie Guerrero to yell at Statlander. The distraction lets Nyla Rose come in and take out Soho.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Cody Rhodes

Street fight and Andrade brings a knife. Well that’s serious. It’s a brawl in the aisle to start and Cody hits him with a trash can full of trash. They make it to ringside with Cody getting in a chair shot but Andrade is right back with a shot of his own. Andrade hits him in the back with the weightlifting belt and throws the belt into the crowd before pulling out….a laptop? Tribute to the York Foundation perhaps?

That’s broken over Cody’s head and Andrade hits him with the broken pieces. Andrade puts a chair over Cody’s chest and hits the split legged moonsault for two (With the kickout showing some weird stuff on Cody’s back. It almost looks like he has feathers stuck to him.). Cody is knocked outside hard as we take a break.

Back with Cody throwing a chair into Andrade’s face to break up a moonsault and the slugout is on. A powerslam plants Andrade but he blocks a suicide dive with a chair to the head. The floor pad is pulled back but the Shadow (the new name for the hammerlock DDT) is broken up with a backdrop. Cody, now busted, pulls out a sledgehammer….which he throws down to pick up a golden shovel. Cue Jose with a taser, but Cody hits him with the shovel.

The distraction lets Andrade hit a dive from the top, setting up the running knees into the chair into Cody’s face in the corner. That’s good for a delayed two so Andrade sets up a table, only to be hiptossed through it. Another table is set up and Cody loads up a superplex….as Brandi Rhodes pops up to pour lighter fluid on the table (ah so that’s what’s on Cody’s back). The reverse superplex through the table finishes Andrade at 19:29. Ignore that Andrade barely grazed the table and Cody’s ARM WAS ON FIRE during the pin.

Rating: B-. This is one where your mileage may completely vary as I have no idea what to make of this match. They packed A LOT into this one and the violence was good, but I’m not sure this feud warranted this kind of chaotic brawl. It wasn’t bad or even close to it, but it felt like Cody trying to have some breakthrough match to get the fans behind him and I don’t think that worked.

Then there’s the big finish and…no. Cody took most of the landing himself and again it felt like it was going too far for the sake of going too far. It wasn’t something that needed to be there and it looked more like a stunt for the sake of a stunt than something that should have taken place in this situation. It didn’t ruin the match, but it’s all people will remember about it and that’s not a good thing.

Overall Rating: C. They were all over the place this week and it was a lot to keep track of in two hours. A lot of the stuff was good and they did the right thing in a lot of their stories, but at the same time a lot of it felt stupid (Cassidy/flaming table) or like they were trying too hard (see also flaming table). Winter Is Coming should still be great just because of the action, but this felt really out of step with some of their more recent shows, which were a lot more smooth.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Alan Angels – Kneebar
CM Punk b. Lee Moriarty – GTS
Wardlow b. AC Adams – Powerbomb
Sting/Darby Allin b. Gunn Club – Scorpion Death Drop to Colton
Ruby Soho b. Kris Statlander – Rollup
Cody Rhodes b. Andrade El Idolo – Reverse superplex through a burning table

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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Rampage
Date: November 19, 2021
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Taz, Ricky Starks

We’re fresh off of Full Gear and the next big thing, probably for their upcoming Clash Of Champions style special, is Hangman Page defending the World Title against Bryan Danielson. That will be more than enough to carry the shows for a bit, but we should be in for some other stuff this week. What other stuff? Well probably some AEW stuff. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Billy Gunn vs. Darby Allin

The Gunn Club and Sting are all here. Feeling out process to start with Gunn not seeming that worried here. A test of strength isn’t happening but Gunn hits a heck of a backdrop to send Allin bailing for a breather. Gunn follows him out and sends him back inside, albeit with a pause for a staredown with Sting. After a hug to Austin Gunn, Billy pulls Allin out from under the ropes for a crash to the floor.

Another Sting distraction doesn’t do much for Allin, who misses a dive and crashes into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Allin biting his way out of a superplex attempt and diving onto the rest of the Club. Allin gets back inside but is sent into the corner. Billy does the Sting shout but misses the Stinger Splash. Instead Allin hits a flipping Stunner into the Coffin Drop for two. Another Coffin Drop pins Gunn at 8:51.

Rating: C. Gunn still looks great but it’s hard not to look at him and think back to twenty five years ago when he was still pretty deep into his career. That being said, Allin beat him and got the win so it isn’t like they did anything crazy here. I’m not sure why Billy had to kick out of the first Coffin Drop, but the pin is what matters here.

Post match the Gunn Club beats down Sting and Allin to leave them laying. The Sting vs. Billy showdown doesn’t do much for me.

We recap CM Punk interrupting MJF without saying a word.

QT Marshall wants to beat up CM Punk in his hometown of Chicago. Various threats are made to Punk and Tony Schiavone isn’t impressed.

The Men of the Year say that the Inner Circle won at Full Gear, but this isn’t over. Beating a manager doesn’t mean anything and you’ll see American Top Team Again.

TBS Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Red Velvet vs. Jade Cargill

Velvet goes right at her to start and ducks a pump kick. Cargill tries a powerbomb but Velvet counters with a failed sunset flip attempt. A fall away slam sends Velvet flying and there’s a knee to the ribs to make it worse. Back up and Velvet kicks dropkicks her to the floor for a crash.

Velvet loads up a dive but pauses to get hung up in the ropes, allowing Cargill to get in a slap. A chokeslam onto the apron connects and we take a break with Velvet in trouble. Back with Cargill unloading in the corner and then stopping for some pushups. Velvet uses the distraction to kick away at the ribs, setting up some running knees to the back. Cargill is right back up with a big boot to the face to cut Velvet off in a hurry but Jade is blocked. The Final Slice is blocked as well though and a fast Jaded gives Cargill the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C-. While I wouldn’t call it exactly good, it is impressive to see just how far Cargill has come in a pretty short time. She did well enough in a nearly ten minute match here, which is amazing considering how short everything as for her a long time. Velvet has gotten a lot better to and it’s great to see that much progress. She’ll get there one day, but this was Cargill’s to win.

Thunder Rosa is ready to beat Jamie Hayter and move on to the next round. Rosa yells in Spanish a lot.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

CM Punk is ready to face QT Marshall in Chicago. You don’t come into his hometown on the day before Thanksgiving because we’ll find out who the turkey is.

We look back at the confrontation between Bryan Danielson and Hangman Page on Wednesday with Danielson going evil before their title match.

We get the face to face showdown between the Superkliq and Bobby Fish and Jurassic Express/Christian Cage. Cole rants about the Conchairto being used to try to get rid of them but Jungle Boy talks about how he has beaten Fish before. Christian thinks it’s interesting to see the Superkliq talk when they have the numbers advantage. Fish can be there, but Cage is bringing his own friend, which means a chair.

Bobby Fish/Adam Cole vs. Jurassic Express

Jungle Boy chops at Cole to start and hits the very spinny springboard armdrag. Cole kicks him in the face and brings Fish in to strike away in the corner. Back up and Jungle Boy starts spinning around a bit more, including the same spinny springboard armdrag. Luchasaurus comes in to clean more house on Fish but a cheap shot slows Jungle Boy down.

The villains start beating on Jungle Boy in the corner as we take a break. Back with Jungle Boy fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a rebound lariat. That’s broken up but Jungle Boy can’t get to the ropes. Cole misses the Boom though and it’s Luchasaurus getting the tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Express starts cleaning house. The Extinction Level Event gets two on Cole but Luchasaurus is sent outside.

What used to be Chasing the Dragon gets a very close/surprising near fall on Jungle Boy. The Snare Trap is blocked but a springboard is cut off by Cole’s superkick. The Panama Sunrise is countered into a powerbomb but Fish breaks up the cover. Fish hits a running splash to Jungle Boy in the corner and it’s time to kick at the legs. Jungle Boy suplexes a charging Fish into the corner and here are the Young Bucks for a distraction. Christian comes out to chase off Cole and the Bucks, leaving Jungle Boy to Snare Trap Fish for the tap at 15:07.

Rating: B. This one felt like a big time tag match and that’s how ti should have gone. Above all else, Jungle Boy’s star continues to rise and it would not surprise me to see him move into more of a solo act going forward. Fish is there to take the fall on the reunion tour, which leaves Cole and Jungle Boy strong for their eventual faceoff.

Replays and posing take us out.

Overall Rating: C+. Not one of their stronger Rampages, but it was still a fine show with a good main event. There wasn’t a major match taking place this week, though Jungle Boy getting a big win in the main event was good for him. If this is on the weaker ends of this show, it is going to be just fine going forward.

Results
Darby Allin b. Billy Gunn – Coffin Drop
Jade Cargill b. Red Velvet – Jaded
Jurassic Express b. Adam Cole/Bobby Fish – Snare Trap to Fish

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: November 17, 2021
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re done with Full Gear and Hangman Page is FINALLY the AEW World Champion. To say this is a long time coming is an understatement but now we get to see where things go from here. That could be in a variety of directions but this week is all about the big celebration. We have a long way to go before Revolution next year so let’s get to it.

Here is Full Gear if you need a recap.

We open with a Full Gear recap.

The Elite is in the back and Kenny Omega is rather sad. He hasn’t watched the match with Hangman Page back but he knows he has some things to fix. Omega wants them to hold the fort down while he’s gone and Adam Cole says they’ve got it. Omega just meant the Bucks though and they walk off. This would be the write off for Omega so he can go have shoulder surgery.

The Dark Order is in the ring and here is Hangman Page, in a Virginia Is For Lovers shirt. Fans: “YOU DESERVE IT!” Page: “I’m gonna stop you right there. I didn’t deserve it. I f’ing earned it.” Page says he doesn’t usually come out here and talk but since he’s the World Champion, he’s going to do whatever he wants. He’s still just a man with a boss to answer to and that boss is the fans.

The title means a lot and now his responsibility is Bryan Danielson….and here is Danielson to interrupt. Danielson is here to say one thing: congratulations. He’s excited for the match, but he’s a bit disappointed that it isn’t Kenny Omega standing across the ring from him. Page says it’s not Omega because he beat Omega at Full Gear…and he did it in less than 30 minutes. Danielson isn’t here to start anything but he’s here for some wrestling instead of flapping his gums.

When he won the World Title at Wrestlemania, he wrestled the very next day (Without actually doing a move!). The fans aren’t thrilled and Danielson isn’t surprised that Virginia doesn’t appreciate hard work. Danielson is here in his gear while Page is in cowboy boots and….whatever that vest is. Page says we might not have the match here in Virginia, but we can have a fight. The Dark Order breaks that up and Danielson mocks Page for hiding behind his friends. I can absolutely go for heel Danielson so this is a nice change of pace. It’s more interesting than the idea of good vs. good so well done.

Bryan Danielson vs. Evil Uno

Danielson takes him down in a hurry and grabs a half crab. Some shots to the mask and an Affirmative Kick to the chest have Uno in trouble. More kicks to the back allow Danielson to say HE HAS UNTIL FIVE. Uno tells Danielson to kick him so Danielson obliges, only to get caught with a neckbreaker. Danielson just blasts him with a shot to break up the comeback and then slaps away in the corner. There’s the running knee but Danielson would rather stomp away than cover. The triangle choke knocks Uno out at 6:24.

Rating: C+. This was exactly as it should have been, with Danielson toying with someone who was out of his league. Uno was destroyed throughout here and Danielson knows just how to come off as evil. Good stuff here, as Page is going to be angry at Danielson for hurting his friend to make the title match all the more personal.

Post match Danielson says he is going to take out the Dark Order one by one. Next week they’re in Chicago and that is the hometown of Colt Cabana. If Cabana is interested, come get your head kicked in.

MJF talks about being covered in Darby Allin’s shame. He has destroyed every wrestler who thinks he can do nothing but talk. Yeah his knee is banged up but he got every one of your little mark chants and then won anyway. He has the best right hand in wrestling and now everyone has to admit it.

We look at Eddie Kingston vs. CM Punk, with Kingston walking away from a post match handshake.

Daniel Garcia and 2.0 come up to Kingston to say they’re tired of the losses. Kingston isn’t cool with 2.0 calling Garcia their son and a fight is proposed. With them gone, Kingston goes to catering while complaining about never being able to get in one promo without being interrupted.

Butcher and the Blade vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Orange Cassidy

Matt Hardy, the Bunny and Rocky Romero are here. Ishii and Butcher start things off but it’s quickly off to Cassidy to put his hands in his pockets. That earns him a knock to the floor and we take an early break with Cassidy in trouble. Back with Ishii suplexing Blade for two so Butcher comes in for the big power brawl. Some chops in the corner just wake Ishii up and he walks through some forearms, backing Butcher (who is still firing off strikes) into the corner.

A superplex gives Ishii two with Blade making the save. It’s off to Cassidy for a Stundog Millionaire and a tornado DDT to Blade for the near fall. Butcher and Blade hit a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for two with Ishii making a save this time. Ishii comes back in and unloads on Butcher in the corner but Matt Hardy and the Bunny offer a distraction. Bunny slips in the brass knuckles but Rocky Romero breaks it up, with Cassidy diving onto Matt and Blade. Cassidy throws Blade back in so a heck of a clothesline and the brainbuster can finish for Ishii at 11:24.

Rating: C. The Cassidy vs. Hardy N Pals feud continues, though I did miss the elbow being involved this time around. They have to be setting up the hair vs. hair match at this point and that could very easily headline the first hour of an upcoming Dynamite. Other than that, it was cool to see Ishii here, as his presence alone is worth a look.

Andrade El Idolo, with FTR, brags about beating Cody Rhodes and Pac clean. Now he’s going to show them his good size. FTR says they’re so annoyed that they’ll wave their fee, get Malakai Black in there, and make it an eight man tag against Rhodes/Pac/the Lucha Bros. Tully Blanchard even threatens Arn Anderson because he has one more fight in him.

We recap Tay Conti vs. Britt Baker at Full Gear, with Conti saying she’s coming out of her next title shot as champion.

Britt Baker can’t wait to see Jamie Hayter destroy Thunder Rosa and make her not a thing.

TBS Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose. Shida takes her into the corner to start but gets powered over with a suplex. That earns Rose a kick to the head and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Rose drives some shoulders into the ribs before slowly starting in on the knee. They head outside with Shida sending her into the barricade and then setting up the chair. It turns out that setting up a chair and then yelling at the camera is enough for Rose to make a comeback (good, because Shida looked stupid there), only to cannonball off the apron and through the chair.

Vickie tries to take the kendo stick away and gets blasted with it instead. The delay (the second one) lets Shida get slammed off the top and we take a break. Back with Serena Deeb, who popped up during the break, jumping Shida and sending her back inside. Rose adds the top rope knee to the back for two but Shida pulls her into a triangle choke. That’s broken up with a powerbomb but Shida raises the knees to block a backsplash. Shida misses something off the top though and it’s a stretch muffler to give Rose the win at 10:59.

Rating: C. The ending surprised me a bit here and Rose moving forward makes sense. This also opens up a third match between Deeb and Shida, which should work out fine. I could see Rose making it to the finals of the tournament as the next monster for the winner to slay. That’s a classic formula and it should work fine if they do it here.

Malakai Black is ready for next week’s eight man tag.

Here is MJF, flanked by Wardlow and Shawn Spears, the latter of whom talks about how MJF can beat any hero with a headlock takeover. MJF says he’s the man who will start a bidding war in 2024. He could take your hometown horse and send him straight to the glue factory. The rankings won’t tell you this, but he deserves to be the next World Champion. There is no one in that locker room on his level….and here is CM Punk. The fans (and JR) like this while telling MJF to shut up. MJF extends his hand but Punk walks away without saying a word. Yeah I think this is going to be fine.

Darby Allin says he’ll face MJF again but for now, he wants the biggest and the baddest AEW has to offer. Cue the Gunn Club, with Billy accepting the challenge.

The Superkliq doesn’t like Jurassic Express so on Rampage it’s the two of them against Bobby Fish/Adam Cole.

Acclaimed vs. Dante Martin/Lio Rush

Stereo dives take out the Acclaimed to cut off the rap (about Martin and Rush’s issues with relationships) and Caster in trouble to start. Martin gets sent outside for a ram into the barricade, setting up a middle rope stomp back inside. It’s Martin getting stomped in the corner, setting up Caster’s neckbreaker for two.

We take a break and come back with Rush coming in to clean house, including the spinning kick to Bowens’ head. Caster gets kicked to the floor and an ax kick gives Rush two on Bowens. Rush has to bail out of the frog splash and Bowens strikes away to put him down. Martin springboards in with a missile dropkick though and everyone is down. Back up and Caster clotheslines Rush’s head off and Bowens plants him with a spinning slam. Caster drops a top rope legdrop for two but Martin makes a save. Martin plants Bowens down and a heck of a frog splash gives Rush the pin at 10:24.

Rating: B-. These guys know how to do this kind of thing and they didn’t waste time here. This was about flying around and letting Martin/Rush look good over a team with a reputation. The Acclaimed might not be the flashiest team but they know how to get the fans annoyed at them in a hurry, which is a lot more important most of the time.

Post match here is Team Taz for another sales pitch to Martin. They think Martin could be a heck of an addition to the team, but saying no might be a bad idea.

Christian Cage and Jurassic Express are ready for Adam Cole/Bobby Fish at Rampage because you don’t bring a fish to a fist fight.

Video on Red Velvet vs. Jade Cargill.

Here’s what’s coming on Rampage and Dynamite.

The Lucha Bros are ready for next week’s eight man tag.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is challenging in his company debut. Guevara (with bad ribs) tries a quick GTH but settles for an exchange of rollups for two each into a standoff. Lethal hits his hiptoss into the basement dropkick for two and starts in on the bad ribs. A jumping knee sends Lethal outside though and there’s the big flip dive. Back in and the shooting star press hits raised knees and Guevara is in trouble.

We take a break and come back with Sammy blocking the Lethal Injection to hit a Spanish Fly. Lethal rolls outside for a breather before they change places so Lethal can try the suicide dive. That’s blocked in a hurry though and Sammy hits a brainbuster on the floor. Sammy loads up the Swanton but only hits a table at ringside for the huge crash.

Back in and Lethal’s Hail To The King elbow is countered into a cradle for two. He’s right back up with a reverse fisherman’s suplex into a faceplant, setting up the Figure Four. Sammy grabs the rope and is back with another knee but the ribs won’t let him hit the GTH. That means another jumping knee to rock Lethal and now the GTH retains the title at 12:55.

Rating: B. Lethal looked awesome in his debut but they’re not taking that title off of Guevara until they want to take away a piece of the audience’s soul. The fans know who Lethal is and what he has accomplished so he already has a leg in the door. Guevara fighting through an injury and winning with his hard hitting finisher was the right way to go here and Lethal is going to be fine going forward.

Tony Nese (in the crowd) is not impressed. The Inner Circle comes out to celebrate and Lethal shakes Sammy’s hand. Lethal gets some respect from the team to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show started off well, hit some lulls in the middle and then bounced back strong for the last thirty minutes or so. The important thing here was setting up a bunch of stuff for the future and that is looking bright. Odds are we’ll see another special Dynamite in December for some of these matches and that should be enough to get us to the Clash of Champions style show in January. Another solid week here, as they come off the pay per view looking good.

Results
Daniel Bryan b. Evil Uno – Triangle choke
Tomohiro Ishii/Orange Cassidy b. Butcher and the Blade – Brainbuster to Blade
Nyla Rose b. Hikaru Shida – Stretch muffler
Dante Martin/Lio Rush b. Acclaimed – Frog splash to Bowens
Sammy Guevara b. Jay Lethal – GTH

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.