Dynamite
Date: February 22, 2023
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We have two weeks to go to before Revolution and that means it is time to start finalizing the card. That is a little tricky when one of the matches is going to be a sixty minute Iron Man match, but AEW does know how to throw in a few surprises. Tony Khan has promised a big surprise for tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Wheeler Yuta

Only Cassidy is defending after Yuta wants revenge for Cassidy and the Best Friends forgetting about him. They go technical to start and get some near falls each until Yuta bails to the floor. Back in and Cassidy uses Yuta’s own Seatbelt rollup for two, meaning it’s time for another breather outside. Cue Claudio Castagnoli to slap Yuta in the face to wake him up.

That’s enough to make Yuta counter the Orange Punch and send Cassidy outside for some whips into the barricade. A posting ensues and Yuta strikes away back inside, despite Cassidy putting his hands in his pockets. Cassidy hits a dropkick ad sends him into the corner a few times. There’s an enziguri from Yuta, followed by a top rope forearm for two. We take a break and come back with Yuta hitting a brainbuster into an Angle Slam for another near fall.

Cassidy manages some rolling German suplexes for two but Yuta uses Cassidy’s Mousetrap for two more. They spit at each other and knock each other down before heading to the apron. Cassidy gets the better of things and hits the diving DDT to the floor. Back in and they trade the driving elbows to the face until the Orange Punch gives Cassidy two. The Orange Punch retains the title at 16:48.

Rating: B. This turned into a hard hitting fight and that is the kind of thing that you do not see from Cassidy very often. Yuta can wrestle the technical style very well and made his half of things work here. They had a better match than I was expecting and this worked very well for a long, back and forth opener.

Post match Cassidy loads up the hug but Castagnoli tells Yuta to get out, with Yuta listening and leaving with Castagnoli.

Evil Uno is ready for Jon Moxley and wants Hangman Page to stay out of there from bell to bell. The Dark Order has to stand up for itself.

Here is Ricky Starks for a chat. Over the last few months, he has been dealing with Chris Jericho, who doesn’t want a rematch with him. Therefore, he is moving away from Jericho and now he has an open contract for a match at Revolution. Cue Jericho, who says Starks is enjoying that one win he got but it is never going to happen again. Starks isn’t at his level so good luck with the open challenge.

Cue Peter Avalon to try to accept the challenge but Jericho beats him down. Jericho gets in the ring and says this is what happens when you issue an open challenge. Starks says if Jericho signs, he’ll just bring the Appreciation Society, because apparently he needs them to win. That’s too far for Jericho, who agrees to the terms…..but he doesn’t have a pen. Starks: “D***. I do!” And after the big dramatic click, Jericho adds a line about the Society staying in the back and signs for the match. That took some time but it was some nice mind games from Starks.

A bunch of tag teams are ready for the battle royal.

Lee Moriarty/Big Bill vs. Acclaimed

Stokely Hathaway and Billy Gunn are here too. Caster’s rap makes fun of Moriarty and Bill, including Bill’s mother. Caster doesn’t get far with an armbar as a Bill cheap shot lets Moriarty take over. Bowens comes in for the blind tag though and something like a neckbreaker onto Caster’s raised knees gets two.

We take a break and come back with the Gunns out to watch as Bowens gets the hot tag and cleans house on Moriarty. Bill comes back in to kick Gunn and Bowens down though, allowing the Gunns to stomp their dad down. The Acclaimed chases them off and Caster poses Bill. The Arrival into the Mic Drop finishes Moriarty at 7:08.

Rating: C. They kept this short and sweet here as the Acclaimed gets some momentum back on their way to the four way title match. I’m not sure I can imagine them getting the titles back so soon, but at least they are beating teams they should beat. The title change still feels like it came out of nowhere though, and that might not be the best move.

Christian Cage comes out for an interview but Jungle Boy jumps him from behind. Jungle Boy loads up a Conchairto but takes too long, allowing Cage to low blow his way out of trouble. Cage hits him in the head with the chair and then rams said head into the other chair a few times. Jungle Boy is busted open and referees break it up.

Video on Wardlow vs. Samoa Joe.

Saraya vs. Skye Blue

Toni Storm is here with Saraya. Blue starts fast but a Storm distraction lets Saraya pull her off the top. Saraya takes over on the arm and plants Blue down for two. As Tony and Taz discuss the difference between making friends and making money, Saraya can’t superplex her down, allowing Blue to hit a high crossbody. Blue nails a running kick to the face but Storm offers a distraction, allowing Saraya to hit a superkick. The Scorpio Crosslock makes Blue give up at 3:45.

Rating: C. The fact that Saraya is now needing help to beat Blue isn’t a good sign for her future, but things haven’t exactly been going well for her for a good while. This us vs. them story is only so good and Saraya continues to be a letdown since she has been back. It was cool to see her wrestle again, but the charm is wearing off quickly.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker make the save. Cue Ruby Soho to signal that she wants the title shot. Hayter doesn’t seem opposed.

Here is Bryan Danielson for a chat. Danielson is ready to do everything he can to win the World Title but first he needs to talk about what MJF said last week. MJF hurt Danielson’s mentor William Regal…and here is MJF to interrupt. MJF says these people love Danielson but MJF is the guy who has been shoved away by everyone he has ever loved. Then he met a girl and fell in love with her, to the point where he got down on one knee and said he wanted to start a family with her.

Then she left him, meaning the only thing that that stops him from taking a fist full of pills and calling it a day is this title. Everyone loves Danielson though, and they’ll shout YES at the top of their lungs. Danielson has a family that he takes for granted but do you know why MJF hates him? Danielson has had concussions and seizures but he’s still wrestling. Every time Danielson gets in the ring, he is saying wrestling is more important than his family and his children.

Every time Danielson gets in the ring, he is spitting in MJF’s face because he disrespects everything MJF wants. Danielson is worse than his drug addicted mentor so he’ll get all of the spotlight he wants at Revolution when MJF beats him do badly. MJF talks into the camera to Danielson’s children and promises to hurt their daddy at Revolution, to the point where Danielson can’t play with them again.

For some reason Danielson doesn’t move, but MJF gets in the ring and promises early onset CT…..and Danielson jumps him. Security eventually breaks it up. This was a weird segment, as it didn’t so much make me want to see MJF lose the title, but rather make me want to buy him a hot sandwich and give him a hug.

Jamie Hayter thinks Ruby Soho and Saraya deserve a title shot, so let’s make it a triple threat at Revolution.

Tag Team Battle Royal

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal, Top Flight, Best Friends, Lucha Bros, La Faccion Ingobernable, Aussie Open, Ari Daivari/Tony Nese, Jericho Appreciation Society, Butcher and the Blade, Dark Order

The winners move on to Revolution for a Tag Team Title shot and both members must be thrown out for an elimination. It’s a brawl to start with some teams on the floor and others fighting inside. Nese and Penta fight to the apron but here is Mark Briscoe to go after Josh Woods, because that feud is still going. Penta Fear Factors Nese for the elimination and Daivari is tossed out shortly thereafter as we take a break.

Back with no eliminations during the break but Aussie Open is tossed at the same time. Dark Order gets rid of Blade and Darius Martin was tossed somewhere in there. Butcher eliminates Reynolds and Penta kicks Vance out. Vance helps Rush get rid of Penta but Penta kicks Rush out to get rid of La Faccion.

The Society finally gets in and goes after the Best Friends, only to have to deal with Danhausen. They toss him out so he fires off a curse, with the Society being tossed out at the same time. Jarrett and Lethal get rid of Taylor, leaving us with Jarrett, Lethal, butcher, Fenix, Trent and Dante Martin as we take another break.

Back again with a mini six man having broken out and Butcher knock Fenix through the ropes to the floor (not an elimination). Dante gets knocked out but Fenix dumps Butcher as well. Jarrett and Lethal toss Fenix and we’re down to the two of them plus Trent. The double teaming is on but Trent makes the comeback, only to have Satnam Singh make the double save.

Jarrett hits the Stroke and sends Trent….to the apron, where Orange Cassidy makes a save of his own. Sonjay Dutt’s interference doesn’t help as Trent manages to get rid of Lethal. Danhausen chases Dutt to the back but Singh saves Jarrett from another elimination. Another Strike lets Jarrett toss him out for the win at 18:31.

Rating: C+. The ending was a bit much and they had a bunch of stuff going on at once, but Jarrett and Lethal being added to a four way title match isn’t a bad idea. You’re going to need a team to keep things a bit more under control and that is where Jarrett and Lethal can shine. Fun match here, though it did run for a good while.

The House Of Black wants the Trios Titles.

Tony Khan joins us for a big announcement….which will be made by Adam Cole: AEW is getting a reality series called All Access, which debuts next month after Dynamite. On a more personal note: Cole is making his in-ring return the same night as the show’s debut. I get that it’s an announcement and a cool deal for AEW, but hyping this up as a “major announcement” was destined to fail. Put out a press release, mention it on Dynamite, and then talk about it rather than making a big deal that isn’t likely to go over very well. And yes, I understand that it’s likely a mandate from WBD. Just maybe present it a little smarter.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and company are excited but here are the Gunns to interrupt. Mocking ensues, but nothing gets physical.

Jon Moxley vs. Evil Uno

Uno jumps him to start and the beating is on fast, with Moxley having to fight his way out of trouble. Moxley gets sent outside for the top rope flip dive and Uno hammers away some more. A whip into the steps cuts Uno off though and Moxley sends him head first into the steps for a bonus. Uno is busted open and Moxley hammers away back inside, only to get caught with a pair of piledrivers. Moxley shrugs them off and chokes Uno out at 6:18.

Rating: C. You mean the former World Champion and one of the biggest stars in AEW history bet a guy who has been treated as little more than a comedy goof since AEW began? I’m really not sure why this was given the main event slot, as just having Moxley out there isn’t likely to give them that much attention. It was a bloody brawl, but there was zero drama to it and Moxley didn’t exactly seem to be worried.

Post match Moxley won’t let go so the Dark Order, the Blackpool Combat Club and Hangman Page run in (Page promised not to be out there from bell to bell so he kept his word). Page loads up what looks to be barbed wire but Moxley bails from the threat of a Buckshot Lariat to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show as everything worked out well enough from a presentation standpoint and the wrestling was fine to good, but man alive AEW is ice cold going into Revolution. The MJF vs. Danielson feud is just weird, Page vs. Moxley has been done over and over, the women’s feud has a ton of moving parts and the Tag Team Title stuff is overcrowded. This wasn’t a bad show by any means, but AEW needs to figure out what they want to focus on and fast.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Wheeler Yuta – Orange Punch
Acclaimed b. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill – Mic Drop to Moriarty
Saraya b. Skye Blue – Scorpion Crosslock
Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal won a tag team battle royal last eliminating the Best Friends
Jon Moxley b. Evil Uno – Rear naked choke

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

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Dark: Elevation
Date: January 30, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Matt Menard, Paul Wight

It’s the 100th edition of the show and I happened to be in the house for it so let’s take a look at this show. Thankfully this is now just the series of dark matches before Dynamite and not the insane marathon sessions this/Dark had back in the day. If nothing else we should get a nice main event so let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the middle deck for this show with the big screen on my right. Traffic did cause me to miss the first ten or so minutes though.

Red Velvet vs. Billie Starkz

Velvet takes her down without much effort but Starkz is back with a German suplex. It wasn’t quite as good as the commentators made it seem, as Velvet Iconoclasms her off the top for two. A kick to the face out of the corner rocks Velvet again but Velvet hits a running knee to the back. Starkz tiger suplexes her for two and a Swanton is good for the same. Velvet is right back with a poisonrana into the Final Slice for the pin at 3:18.

Rating: C. Starkz impressed while she had the chance and that German suplex was pretty good. I can see why she has the hype that she has been receiving at this point in her career, though she needs something to set her apart. Velvet seems likely to be fed to Jade Cargill soon, because that is a feud the world has been waiting to see wrapped up.

Athena takes over her own interview as she looks for a tag partner for tonight. Diamante (with Athena being reminded of her name) will do, with Athena offering a future title shot in exchange for a win. That’s enough for Diamante.

Workhorsemen vs. Dark Order

John Silver and Alex Reynolds, with Evil Uno, for the Order here. Silver and Henry start things off with Silver running him over without much trouble. Drake comes in with a slingshot hilo on Silver and a falling headbutt gets two. Silver manages to roll away from Henry though and it’s off to Reynolds to clean house. A tiger driver gets two on Henry but he’s back up with a flipping faceplant. Drake kicks Reynolds in the face but accidentally gets dropkicked by Henry. That’s enough for a series of strikes to Henry, setting up the cutter into the German suplex into the flipping rollup to give Reynolds the pin at 4:23.

Rating: C. The Dark Order have settled into a nice role: the team who is there to do nothing more than fire up the crowd in a pretty nothing match. That is a valuable piece to have and what is left of the team plays it well. Just don’t try to make them too serious and everything should work out well for them.

Rush vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

I had forgotten Pillman Jr. was still here. Rush chops away to start and rakes the eyes over the top for a bonus. A hard right hand sends Pillman outside, with commentary getting to talk about the new barricades. Preston Vance gets in a few cheap shots and Rush is able to kick away at Pillman’s head back inside. Pillman actually wins a strike off and hits a dropkick, only to get knocked into the corner. The Bull’s Horns finishes Pillman at 4:06.

Rating: C. This show is already getting into a funk of having matches on a similar level over and over. This one at least had some more star power to it, as Rush certainly feels like a big deal, even if he hasn’t really done much around here. Pillman Jr…..dang I just don’t know what happened. He felt like he had the potential and it just never took off. It still could, but he might need to go somewhere else and build himself up first.

Post match Rush whips him with an electrical cord and bends Pillman’s arm.

Diamante/Athena vs. Yuka Sakazaki/Skye Blue

Madison Rayne is here with Blue/Sakazaki. Diamante runs Sakazaki over to start but Sakazaki pops up with a sliding lariat for two. The camera goes a bit nuts for a second as Blue comes in and headscissors Athena into the corner. A Diamante distraction lets Athena knock Blue off the top though and Athena pats Diamante on the head.

The villains take turns suplexing Blue until she kicks Athena away for the hot tag. Sakazaki gets to clean house, including a missile dropkick to Athena. Everything breaks down and Athena powerbombs Sakazaki. Back up and Sakazaki hits Diamante in the face, setting up a spinning armtrap faceplant for the pin at 7:08.

Rating: C+. They had some more time with this one and it helped let them flesh things out a bit. Sakazaki is a ball of energy and Blue has come a long way in her time around here. At the same time, Athena is growing into her heel role rather well and I’m curious to see how far she can take it after her previous pushes have stalled so often.

Top Flight vs. Ari Daivari/Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Daivari and Nese and offers free soap to everyone here. There is allegedly a bar of soap under their seat, but everyone who checks is declared guilty of breaking Kentucky’s showering laws. Darius dropkicks Nese down to start as we hear about Sterling’s toy podcast. Dante comes in with a slingshot hilo but Nese gets in a cheap shot from behind.

The springboard moonsault gives Nese two on Darius and the villains double team him down in the corner. A double hurricanrana is enough to get Darius over for the tag though and everything breaks down. Dante and Darius both hit big flip dives but the Nose Dive is countered back inside. Instead it’s a Dominator/sliding cutter for two on Dante but he is right back up with the Nose Dive for the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C+. This was another fun one as Top Flight continues to rack up wins. I could see the team getting somewhere in AEW and a title reign is not out of the question. The fact that they went from little more than an ok team to one of the most entertaining acts around. Go with that and have them do their thing here and there.

Yuka Sakazaki is asked about Athena but the Dark Order comes in to offer her a spot on the team. She says “hai” (yes in Japanese) but they don’t quite get it and leave.

Kings Of The Black Throne vs. Turbo Floyd/Truth Magnum

Floyd and Magnum have rather toothpaste colored gear. Black spins Magnum around to start and has a seat to wait on him, much to Magnum’s shock. Turbo and King come in, with King chopping away at Floyd and Magnum. Everything breaks down and the toss over the shoulder piledriver finishes for King at 2:52. The House Of Black is getting a bigger and bigger reaction every week. They’re going to be turned face sooner than later at this rate.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Blake Christian.

Castagnoli is defending and runs Christian over to start. A shot to the face drops Christian again but he manages to knock Castagnoli outside. That’s fine with the champ, who drops Christian chest first onto the apron. Back in and Castagnoli is not looking worried but an attempt at a Samoan drop changes things.

Christian gets a boot up in the corner though and Castagnoli gets kicked down. With Castagnoli on the apron, Christian cuts him down with a spear and adds a top rope double stomp for two back inside. Back in and Castagnoli tries the Swing but gets rolled up for two. Christian hits a springboard 450 for two but gets pulled into a powerbomb. The Swing makes Christian tap at 7:17.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t a classic but Castagnoli let Christian get in some nice stuff near the end. Castagnoli is one of the better things that AEW has been doing as of late, especially with the Ring Of Honor World Title not being the focus so often. Christian is someone who has looked good during his appearances so we should be in for something good when he gets to stick around.

Overall Rating: C+. This is another one of those shows that is almost entirely wrestling rather than advancing any stories. That makes a lot of sense as ultimately, it is the second internet show that AEW produces every week and it doesn’t mean much. For about an hour of action a week though, it is about as harmless as it could go, which is at least one way to go. This show was far from great and it’s still too long, but getting the stars out there to do something is better than having them sit at home. Pretty good show here.

Results
Red Velvet b. Billie Starkz – Final Slice
Dark Order b. Workhorsemen – Rollup to Henry
Rush b. Brian Pillman Jr. – Bull’s Horns
Yuka Sakazaki/Skye Blue b. Diamante/Athena – Spinning armtrap faceplant to Diamante
Top Flight b. Ari Daivari/Tony Nese – Nose Dive to Nese
Kings Of The Black Throne b. Turbo Floyd/Truth Magnum – Toss over the shoulder piledriver to Floyd
Claudio Castagnoli b. Blake Christian – Swing

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 28, 2022
Location: 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s another stacked show this week with another Death Triangle vs. Elite match, plus the TNT Title is on the line as Samoa Joe defends against Wardlow. Other than that, we are going to hear from MJF, but Bryan Danielson might have something to say about him. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson vs. Ethan Page

Stokely Hathaway is here with Page…and hang on as here is MJF in a sky box to watch. The distraction lets Page jump Danielson, with MJF having his own mic to mock him for a bonus. Page hits a slam but Danielson is right back with a running clothesline. The chops rock Page and the kicks in the corner make it even worse. Page knocks him back down but Danielson manages to knock him off the top.

The top rope dropkick drops Page but Danielson has to knock Hathaway’s hat off. The distraction doesn’t work for Page, who gets dropkicked to the floor. Page gets in a cheap shot on the floor though and we take a break. Back with Danielson missing the running knee off the apron, thanks to Hathaway shoving Page out of the way.

A powerslam on the floor plants Danielson again and they head back inside, where Danielson grabs a tornado DDT. The LeBell Lock goes on but Page gets a boot on the rope for the save. They head up top again where Danielson fires off the hammer and anvil elbows, only to be reversed into a super powerslam for two. The Ego’s Edge is broken up though and it’s the running knee into the stomps to Page’s head. Danielson grabs a Regal Stretch for the tap at 16:21.

Rating: B. Danielson got in a good win here and made Page look maybe as good as he ever has. Page continues to be a perfectly fine hand in the ring and someone who can do good things under the right circumstances. Working with Danielson is about as good of a set of circumstances as you can find, so this was a very solid match between two talented guys.

Video on Wardlow vs. Samoa Joe.

Wardlow is ready for Joe, who runs in and blasts Wardlow in the knee with a pipe.

Hangman Page doesn’t think much of Renee Paquette asking about his concussion status but apologizes for being rude. He still isn’t cleared, but has to be held back from going to fight Jon Moxley right now. The doctor says he’s on the right track though and he could be back in the ring in about two weeks. Page seems to approve, albeit impatiently.

Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli vs. Top Flight

Top Flight clears the ring to start but their dives don’t work so well as both of them are sent into the barricade. Back in and we officially start with Castagnoli slamming Darius, allowing Moxley to come in and kick him in the ribs. Darius manages to get over to Dante for the tag and some of the house is cleaned. The Club is in trouble and we take an early break. Back with Dante having to avoid the Swing but Darius gets caught in it instead.

That leaves Dante to jump over the swinging Darius (that was awesome) until he can make the save. Castagnoli suplexes Top Flight at the same time but a superkick cuts him off. A springboard Downward Spiral plants Castagnoli with Moxley (holding his knee) having to make the save.

Everything breaks down and Darius reverses the uppercut into a backslide for two. The Neutralizer hits Darius….for two, with Castagnoli giving us a well deserved stunned kickout face. Castagnoli hammer and anvil elbows Darius as Moxley Paradigm Shifts Dante on the floor. Darius tries to fight up but gets BLASTED with an uppercut to give Castagnoli the pin at 13:21.

Rating: B+. This is a prime example of a team getting a lot out of a loss, as Top Flight just hung with two World Champions. The Club felt like they had to work for this one and that is a great way to go. I was way into this one and the idea of Top Flight pulling off the huge upset wasn’t out of the cards. Very good stuff here and it accomplished its goal as well as possible.

Moxley applauds Dante after the match and Castagnoli looks impressed with Darius.

Kip Sabian wants one more match with Orange Cassidy but Trent says he tossed Sabian so he should get the shot. That’s apparently official for Rampage.

Hook vs. Baylum Lynx

Non-title, suplexes, crossface shots, Redrum finishes for Hook at 55 seconds.

Post match the Firm comes out to stare down Hook but Jack Perry comes out to even things up a bit. Perry takes Lee Moriarty down as Hook stares Big Bill down. Hook can’t t-bone him but Perry comes in with a 2×4 shot to Big Bill’s back to send him running. Hook seems appreciative.

We look at Chris Jericho’s recent issues, including with Ricky Starks.

Jericho is ready for Starks on January 4 and brags about burning Action Andretti last week.

Swerve Strickland brags about Mogul Affiliates but still doesn’t name the tattooed guy. Wheeler Yuta comes in to talk about violence and gets a match with Swerve on Rampage.

Elite vs. Death Triangle

Match #6 in the best of seven series with Death Triangle up 3-2. This is Falls Count Anywhere so they start the brawl in the back, with the fight going from a hall into what looks to be catering. Pac moonsaults off a pile onto a bunch of people, followed by Nick diving off what looks to be some risers for a flip dive through Penta and a table with snacks.

They go into the arena for the first time with Fenix hitting a big corkscrew dive off the set to take the Bucks down. Omega comes in with a running knee to Fenix, leaving Pac and Matt to slug it out. Matt rolls his northern lights suplexes down the ramp and we take a break. Back with Omega in trouble in the ring and having a trashcan put over his head. A triple dropkick into the trashcan gets two but Matt is back in with a running knee to Pac in the corner.

Penta superkicks Matt and hits the Sling Blade. Matt hits a destroyer but Fenix hits a frog splash. Omega is back in with the snapdragon to Pac to leave everyone down. Penta double stomps Omega on the floor for two with the Bucks making a save. Back in and Penta takes out both Bucks, setting up the flip dive to Omega and Michael Nakazawa on the floor.

The running Meltzer Driver off the apron plants Penta on the floor with Pac making the save. Back in and the BTE Trigger gets two more on Penta with Pac making another save. Matt superkicks Nick by mistake, allowing Pac to grab the Brutalizer. At the same time, Kenny One Winged Angels Fenix off a platform through a table for the pin at 17:15.

Rating: B. The match was a lot of fun and pure energy, but it was one of those matches where you knew the result from the second the Elite went down 3-1. That being said, that was a heck of a creative finish and it fit into the match they were having. Now just get this feud over with already so they can move on to ANYTHING else.

The Acclaimed raps about Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal, complete with a Global Force reference, plus a reference to losing to Ric Flair in Flair’s Last Match. Look this up as it was hilarious.

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

Nightingale can’t quite get to Melo to start so it’s off to Jay. That’s fine with Ruby, who hammers away at the face to try and even the broken nose score. Nightingale comes back in to waistlock Melo but gets taken down as we take a break. Back with Nightingale fighting out of trouble and handing it back to Ruby to hammer on Melo’s face again.

No Future gets two on Melo and Anna pump kicks Nightingale. With Nightingale and Anna on the floor, Melo and Soho headbutt each other down. The referee yells at Nightingale and Jay, leaving Melo to throw a chair at Ruby. Soho holds onto it so Melo can hit a kick to the chair, followed by the Tay KO (with the knee not really getting close to connecting) for the pin at 11:56.

Rating: C. This didn’t exactly work, as the whole thing was about Soho getting her revenge. Not only did her finisher only get two, but then she took the pin after a not so great ending. I’m not sure what the thinking was here, but hopefully it isn’t setting up Jay and Melo as the first Women’s Tag Team Champions.

The Gunn Club leaves rather than deal with FTR.

Here’s what is coming on various shows.

Ricky Starks is ready to beat Chris Jericho next week.

TNT Title: Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow

Joe is defending but hold on because there is no Wardlow. As Joe mocks the Denver Broncos, here is a limping Wardlow for the opening bell. Joe hammers away until a spinebuster cuts him off. The Rock Bottom out of the corner plants Wardlow but he’s right back with a hard clothesline. A shot to the knee cuts Wardlow off again though and we take a break.

Back with Wardlow getting back in despite the doctor not exactly approving. Joe goes after the knee again but Wardlow fights up and knocks him down. The Swanton gets two on Joe, followed by a Whisper in the Wind for the same. Wardlow’s wind up clothesline gets two more but Joe gets in a kick to the ribs. Joe hammers away in the corner until a powerbomb plants him down. Wardlow loads up the Powerbomb Symphony but the knee gives out. The Koquina Clutch goes on and Wardlow is out at 11:51.

Rating: B. It was a good fight, with Wardlow trying to get through the pain but coming up short. If you ignore Wardlow losing again and him being able to do Jeff Hardy’s signature stuff on one leg, this felt like a big time brawl. The knee injury lets Wardlow have an out and probably sets up a rematch, but he better win something bigger soon, as this has been a rough few months.

Post match Wardlow eventually gets up but Joe knocks him down again. With Wardlow out, Joe finds some scissors in a toolbox, headbutts the referee, and cuts off Wardlow’s hair. Then Darby Allin comes out with a skateboard shot to Joe’s back to clear the ring and end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. There were some questionable booking moves here, but dang you are not going to find a much better collection of matches in a two hour TV show. This was one show stealer after another and the two hours flew by. Great show here to wrap up the year, as things have seemed a bit more focused in the last few weeks.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Ethan Page – Regal Stretch
Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli b. Top Flight – Uppercut to Darius
Hook b. Baylum Lynx – Redrum
Elite b. Death Triangle – One Winged Angel through a table to Fenix
Anna Jay/Tay Melo b. Ruby Soho/Willow Nightingale – Koquina Clutch
Samoa Joe b. Wardlow – Koquina Clutch

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Rampage
Date: December 23, 2022
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re still in front of one of those crazy Texas crowds and in this case there is a rather unique match. This time around we are having a Casino Trios Battle Royal, with the winning team splitting $300,000. That should be enough to make things interesting, and seems to be the big focal point this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Three Kings Christmas Casino Battle Royal

So this is a nine team Casino Battle Royal (basically the Royal Rumble) for $300,000 and all three members of the team have to be eliminated. We start with the Best Friends/Orange Cassidy, La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush/Preston Vance/Kalistico) and Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian. Triple brawls break out in various corners until the Best Friends and Cassidy are kicked into the middle of the ring for the Big Hug.

Cassidy is sent outside but not eliminated, allowing Rush (also not eliminated) to deck him from behind. Rush chokes Cassidy on the floor as Preston Vance spinebusters Taylor inside. That’s enough to get rid of Taylor as the Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta) are in as well. The brawling is on as the ring is already too full. With nothing going on for two minutes, the Dark Order (John Silver/Alex Reynolds/Evil Uno) are in as well to fill up the ring even more.

A bunch of people go to the floor (again without being eliminated, because battle royals think that’s a good idea), leaving the Dark Order to triple team Vance. Moxley is sent to the apron but gets back inside, followed by Cassidy getting beaten down for a change. We take a break and come back with Cassidy, Blade and Sabian being tossed in a row. The Spanish Announce Project (Angelico/Luther/Serpentico, because OF COURSE those three are a team) jumps off the Spanish announce team and get inside to keep up the brawling.

Angelico is out fast and Silver gets rid of Kalistico. Rush tosses Silver and Moxley gets rid of Uno. Castagnoli tosses Luther as they’re certainly getting rid of people faster. Ari Daivari/the Varsity Athletes (Tony Nese/Josh Woods) are in, with Mark Sterling insulting the fans on the way to the ring. Trent gets sent outside (again, not eliminated) for a triple teaming and Reynolds is eliminated, meaning the Dark Order is completely out.

Rush hits Yuta with the Bull’s Horns in the corner and throws him out. Vance gets rid of Serpentico, meaning the SAP are out as well. Top Flight (Dante/Darius Martin) and AR Fox are in to complete the field as Castagnoli eliminates Daivari. There goes Vance, with Woods and Nese out as well to get rid of another team.

Trent piledrives Butcher on the apron to get rid of him but gets dropkicked out by Rush. Castagnoli and Rush have a showdown ad wind up on the apron for a chop off. A hard series of forearms and the uppercut get rid of Rush, leaving us with the Club (Moxley/Castagnoli) vs. Fox/Top Flight (AR Fox/Top Flight). Moxley gets rid of Fox almost immediately and it’s 2-2.

Cue Hangman Page to run in and go after Moxley as a brawl breaks out. Security comes in, allowing Top Flight to eliminate Moxley. That’s fine with Moxley, who dives on Page to keep up the fight. Back in and Castagnoli picks up both Martin at once but they fight back in from the apron. Castagnoli fights off a double slam out but gets DDTed and double clotheslined to the apron. A running hurricanrana gets rid of Castagnoli to give Fox/Top Flight the money at 21:59.

Rating: C-. This is a great example of “your mileage may vary” but this was a long match where only the last few minutes felt important. There were far too many stretches with too many people in the ring at once, but granted when you can just go to the floor at any point, it doesn’t matter as much. It’s a fun concept for a match and Fox/Top Flight winning is smart, but I can only get so much out of another battle royal with a bunch of rather low level teams.

Here are Eddie Kingston and Ortiz for a chat. They want to fight the House of Black but can’t get the contract signed, so here is Julia Hart to….point at the screen, where the House is waiting for a chat. Malakai Black suggests that Ortiz is really Kingston’s enemy, but Ortiz and Kingston are both a bit confused. I’m still confused as to why the House Of Black talks so much.

Daniel Garcia doesn’t like much about Sammy Guevara but if Chris Jericho tells them to be together, so be it. Sammy gets in Garcia’s face….and hugs him. They’ll be fine.

Jade Cargill vs. Vertvixen

Non-title and the Baddies are here with Jade. Cargill powers her down to start and hits a slam as we take a break forty seconds in. Back with Vertvixen getting kicked in the ribs and back of the head, setting up the pump kick for the pin at 5:01. Again: there is no reason for a five minute match to need a break. We saw about a minute and twenty seconds of the match. Why is there a commercial? The only positive: Vertvixen’s name sounds like the villain from Garfield’s Pet Force: Vetvix. I love Garfield’s Pet Force.

Ruby Soho is sick of Anna Jay helping Tay Melo so she’s getting Willow Nightingale to help her.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Wardlow doesn’t believe Samoa Joe is some unstoppable king and is ready to get his title back.

Powerhouse Hobbs has grabbed a man outside and says he’s taking everything. Hobbs lunges at the camera and that’s it.

Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett and company are ready to beat up Billy Gunn and Anthony Bowens. Anthony wants Jarrett to LISTEN and hear that everyone loves the Acclaimed.

Billy Gunn/Anthony Bowens vs. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal

Max Caster, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt are here. Max Caster handles the pre-match rap, promising to send them back to the Impact Zone with the Not So Great Khali. Bowens and Lethal lock up to start with Bowens having to chop his way out of the corner. A quick Figure Four attempt is blocked so Bowens chops away some more and hits a jumping bulldog for two.

Gunn comes in to face Jarrett, with the latter sending him into the ropes for the running crotch attack to the back. It’s back to Lethal, who gets punched out of the air, allowing Bowens to slam him. A double scissoring elbow (just go with it) gets two on Lethal but Bowens is sent outside for a clothesline from Jarrett. We take a break and come back with Lethal holding a chinlock.

Bowens fights up and slugs it out with Jarrett, capped off by a superkick to put them both down. The double tag brings in Gunn to clean house, including a clothesline to cut off Singh. The One And Only gets two on Lethal but a Dutt distraction lets Jeff hit the Stroke on Bowens. Caster accidentally distracts the referee though and it’s a low blow from Dutt, followed by the Lethal Injection to give Lethal the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C. The match was ok, but Caster’s line at the beginning tells you everything you need to know: Lethal and Jarrett feel like Team TNA and that is not something you want to see. I don’t think they’re going to win the titles, but I have no idea why this team exists and even less of an idea why they are getting a push. Gunn losing doesn’t diminish the Acclaimed, though putting them against Lethal and Jarrett isn’t helping them.

Overall Rating: D+. The most important thing about this show is the date. This show is taking place at 10pm the night before Christmas Eve. AEW knew that no one was going to be watching and almost completely punted as a result. The battle royal was little more than a gimmick attraction, Cargill did the same thing she has done about forty times and the main event featured Jeff Jarrett and Billy Gunn. This show was the definition of skippable, and there is a good chance that a lot of people did just that.

Results
Top Flight/AR Fox won the Three Kings Christmas Casino Battle Royal last eliminating the Blackpool Combat Club
Jade Cargill b. Vertvixen – Pump kick
Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal b. Anthony Bowens/Billy Gunn – Lethal Injection to Gunn

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 2, 2022
Location: Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We are eight days away from Final Battle and the card is in need of some work. There are a few matches set but nowhere near enough to carry a full pay per view. Maybe we can get something new added tonight, but you never can tell with this show. At least the wrestling tends to be fun so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin vs. Cole Karter

Before the match, Allin beats up Nick Comoroto with the baseball bat to cut him off. With that not being enough, Allin dives onto Karter on the floor but an apron powerbomb cuts him off. Back in and a buckle bomb rocks Allin again as we take a break. We come back with Karter missing a Stinger’s Splash but hitting a jumping knee to the face. Allin goes after the knee though and grabs a Code Red for two, leaving them both down. Karter drops him again and goes up, only to miss a 450. A hammerlock Scorpion Death Drop sets up the Coffin Drop to finish Karter at 7:41.

Rating: C+. Well they certainly did get rid of the loose end from a bad segment from a few weeks ago. Karter is the definition of “I’m not sure why he’s here”, as he has a good physique and nothing else that makes him stand out in any way. He’s certainly ok, but bringing him in felt like just an excuse to sign someone else. Pretty decent match though, as Allin does his signature style and as usual, it works.

Keith Lee is in the back when his former partner Shane Taylor comes in to interrupt. Taylor accuses Lee of always walking away, so let’s do it at Final Battle: Taylor/JD Griffey vs. Lee and whomever he can find. Taylor leaves and a grinning Swerve Strickland comes in. Lee hopes he can trust him. Why Taylor didn’t want to do this one on one isn’t clear, but having Taylor around is a good thing.

We recap 10 turning his back on the Dark Order and joining Rush last week. The Dark Order is crushed and La Faccion Ingobernable is rather pleased.

Here is the Acclaimed, with Billy Gunn, for a chat. After a rap of various topical statements, Bowens talks about how everyone wants a title shot, but there is one team that has been waiting for a very long time to get a chance. The fans think that might be FTR and since the Acclaimed are fighting champions…..and here is the Gunn Club to interrupt. The Gunns don’t think much of the champs but Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh interrupt. The villains argue but Billy cuts them off, saying they want the best. Cue FTR for the handshake with the Acclaimed and a match seems set.

Video on Hikaru Shida vs. the Bunny, who will face off next week for Shida’s Regina Di Wave Title next week.

Private Party vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett

Singh, Dutt and Matt Hardy are here too. As commentary reminds us that Jeff Jarrett last wrestled on TNT 21 years ago, Kassidy flips out of Lethal’s headlock and armdrags him down. That earns Kassidy a trip into the corner so Jarrett can come in to stomp away. Jarrett gets taken into the corner as well and it’s time to start in on the arm. As the seconds get in a staredown on the floor, Kassidy is sent into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Quen getting the hot tag to clean house, including a suicide dive to Jarrett on the floor. There’s the Silly String to Lethal but he avoids the 450. Quen is fine enough to grab a rollup but Jarrett makes the save, setting up a Stroke/Lethal Injection combination for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C. So we have Lethal and Jarrett having a perfectly competent tag match that wasn’t much in the way of interesting and probably drew more TNA chants than AEW would like. I’m still not sure why Jarrett is wrestling on this or any AEW show, but it had been a full 21 years since he had wrestled on this channel and thankfully that has been rectified.

Saraya sits down with Renee Paquette and still can’t believe that she got back in the ring at Full Gear. She was amazed that her brother could be there for the match and will be back in the ring soon. Not much to say here.

Athena vs. Dani Mo

Athena decks her to start and hits Two Amigos into a swinging neckbreaker for two. Mo’s superkick has no effect so Athena forearms her in the face, setting up the over the shoulder backbreaker spun into a Codebreaker for the pin at 1:27. Total squash to get Athena ready for her ROH Women’s Title match at Final Battle.

Post match Athena sends her out to the floor and beats her up some more. This is FAR better from Athena than whatever she was doing before.

Juice Robinson wants Samoa Joe for the ROH TV Title at Final Battle. There’s your “you know this guy and now he’s getting a random title match” random title match.

The Factory is ready for the lumberjack match with Orange Cassidy. The Best Friends, dressed as lumberjacks, seem to be more ready.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, including FTR vs. the Acclaimed for the Tag Team Titles on Dynamite.

Darby Allin wants the TNT Title and gets a shot on Dynamite, with promises of no Sting.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. QT Marshall

Cassidy is defending in a lumberjack match…but the Best Friends and Danhausen can’t bring their axes to the ring. Eh they’re lumberjacks and they’re ok without them. Cassidy starts fast with the dropkick and Marshall is on the floor ten seconds in. The Best Friends throw him back inside, where he throws Cassidy outside too. That earns the Factory some lazy kicks but Marshall pulls Cassidy’s high crossbody out of the air back inside. Some backbreakers drop Cassidy and he gets thrown outside again.

Hold on though as Ethan Page stares at Matt Hardy and then ejects him. Does he have lumberjack rights over Hardy too? We take a break and come back with the lumberjacks coming in and getting cleared out. The distraction lets Marshall hit a handspring enziguri, only to get caught with the Stundog Millionaire.

A pop up right hand rocks Cassidy but he’s fine enough to hurricanrana his way out of a powerbomb. Marshall loads up a powerbomb on the apron but gets cursed by Danhausen. Another lumberjack brawl breaks out on the floor, leaving Cassidy to hit a heck of a springboard dive. Cue Penelope Ford (JR approves) for a distraction so Kip Sabian can push Cassidy into a cutter for two. Not that it matters as the Beach Break retains the title at 9:32.

Rating: C+. Fun match, but nothing that Cassidy hasn’t done before. The stuff with the lumberjacks was the usual for a match like this but I’m not exactly going to get excited over the prospects of Kip Sabian getting a title match. Fine for a Rampage main event, even if it was hardly a classic.

Post match Cassidy goes after Sabian, because it’s his turn to be reheated again. Everyone brawls until the lights go out and the House of Black appears. Carnage ensues and the House stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Rampage is an interesting subject, as the wrestling is usually completely watchable, but you need to accept that most of it means absolutely nothing. This show’s goal tends to be to set up things for either Dynamite or the next pay per view, which doesn’t exactly seem to be the best use of one third of your weekly television time. We got some stuff set up for next week’s Dynamite/Rampage/Final Battle and if that is what Rampage is for, good for it. I’m not sure if that’s the best use of the show, but I guess you can call it a direction. Maybe?

Results
Darby Allin b. Cole Karter – Coffin Drop
Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal b. Private Party – Lethal Injection/Stroke combination to Quen
Athena b. Dani Mo – Backbreaker spun into a Codebreaker
Darby Allin b. QT Marshall – Beach Break

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: November 25, 2022
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

It’s time for the other Chicago show of the week and we have a title match this time around. The Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles are on the line as FTR defends against Top Flight, which has me wondering what is next for them at Final Battle. Speaking of Final Battle, it might be smart to announce something for the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Top Flight

FTR is defending. Harwood takes Darius down to start before quickly handing it off to Wheeler for some chops. Darius armdrags him into an armbar and it’s off to Dante, who gets forearmed in the head over and over. It’s back to Darius off a blind tag for a heck of a DDT and a near fall. Top Flight gets in some double teaming to take FTR down and they all brawl to the floor as we take a break.

Back with FTR missing right hands and getting dropkicked down. Stereo clotheslines send the champs outside but they’re right back in to take over. Wheeler gets two off a top rope splash but Top Flight sends him outside. Darius hits a tornado DDT into Dante’s top rope splash for two more. Wheeler is back in to uppercut Darius, who Spanish Flies him down. That just earns him a brainbuster from Harwood, who gets small packaged for two. A blind tag brings in Wheeler and Dante misses the Nose Dive. The Big Rig finishes Dante at 11:15.

Rating: B-. They were flying through this and Top Flight continues to be worth looking at most of the time. On the other hand you have FTR, who are worth looking at no matter what they are doing period. It’s nice to see them in the ring, even if it is in one of these thrown together tag matches with no build. Good opener and very fast paced.

Post match the Gunn Club comes in for the staredown.

We see Powerhouse Hobbs in what appears to be his hometown and the places he grew up. Hobbs Hobbs talks about how there is a side of him you don’t know. He’s coming to take something from you.

Here is the Jericho Appreciation Society for a chat. After a bit intro, Chris Jericho talks about how much work and effort he has put into winning the Ring Of Honor World Title. Not even Claudio Castagnoli coming out on stage for a cheap shot can shut him down. So who is going to uncrown the king of the Ring Of Honor?

Cue Castagnoli to say he needs to stop Jericho. That doesn’t work for Jericho, who mocks Castagnoli over the Blackpool Combat Club falling apart. He needs the title shot, so Matt Menard throws out the offer: Claudio gets a title shot, but if he loses, he has to join the JAS. Jericho likes the offer so much that it makes his nipples hard and he repeats the idea. Castagnoli is in. It’s hard to imagine Jericho keeping the title, but Castagnoli losing one more time is never out of the question.

Toni Storm isn’t happy with losing the Women’s Title but she never saw is as the interim anything. She broke her face winning the title and she’ll do it again to get it back. Tony: “I’m glad the interim was stripped from her title reign.” JR: “Bury that title forever.”

Darby Allin vs. Anthony Henry

Sting is here with Allin and JD Drake is here with Henry. Allin gets knocked to the apron to start but comes right back in, setting up the heck of a suicide dive to drop Drake. Back in and Henry drops Allin throat first onto the apron, setting up an STO onto the same apron. We take a break and come back with Henry grabbing a neckbreaker out of the corner for two. Allin is sent outside for a hard lariat from Drake so Sting hits a clothesline of his own. Sting whips him into the barricade but Henry hits a superplex. Allin reverses a suplex into the Scorpion Death Drop though, setting up the Coffin Drop for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure why we need a break in the middle of an eight minute match but that is an AEW staple. Other than that, Allin coming from behind and beating someone else is a nice thing to see almost every time. Henry isn’t exactly a star but Allin beat him without being in any serious jeopardy.

Athena rants about all of the bad things that have happened to her as of late but she isn’t going to apologize to Aubrey Edwards. After scaring the interviewer off, Athena talks about how she was wondering when Mercedes Martinez was showing up. She has beaten trash bag wrestler after trash bag wrestler and now she wants the Ring Of Honor Women’s Title.

Hikaru Shida vs. Queen Aminata

Before the match, Penelope Ford and the Bunny come out to watch, which is enough of a distraction for Aminata to get in a cheap shot. Shida is right back with the Falcon Arrow and the Katana for the pin at 1:18. Well that was quick.

The Dark Order is ready to fight with or without the missing 10. Rush/Butcher/Blade are ready to fight, no matter where 14, 27 or 10 are.

FTR talks about how great their 2022 has been and Harwood challenges….Bryan Danielson for Dynamite. I didn’t have that one coming.

Dark Order vs. Rush/Butcher and the Blade

There is no 10 and Bunny is here with the villains. It’s a brawl to start as the Order is down 3-2 early on. Silver Angle Slams Blade but his dive to Butcher is pulled out of the air. Rush gets in a shot of his own and we take an early break. Back with Silver hitting a standing Sliced Bread but Rush breaks up the hot tag. Cue Negative 1 and 10, the latter of whom charges to the ring to stare down Rush….and then deck Silver. Evil Uno charges to the ring but is held back as Rush hits the Bull’s Horns for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C. The match was just a backdrop for the angle, which is for some reason about the Dark Order and Rush. 10 has teased jumping for months now and has finally done it, which doesn’t exactly make me care about him all that much more. Maybe they have some twist in the story to make it better, but I’m not exactly getting my hopes up.

Post match 10 blasts Silver with a discus lariat as Negative 1 is distraught. Evil Uno gets beaten up and has his mask ripped open as he is already bleeding from the forehead. Alex Reynolds is put through a table. 10 goes up to Negative 1, takes off his mask, and throws it at Negative 1’s feet. Rush, 10 and company pose, with Negative 1 crushed, to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. FTR being the best thing on the show isn’t a surprise, but other than that we had the pretty obvious Final Battle main event set up and….what else that mattered? That’s Rampage in a nutshell: something kind of big/good starts the show off and then most of the rest of the show feels a few steps down. Not a very good show here, but the opener was the usually solid FTR showing.

Results
FTR b. Top Flight – Big Rig to Dante
Darby Allin b. Anthony Henry – Coffin Drop
Hikaru Shida b. Queen Aminata – Katana
Rush/Butcher and the Blade b. Dark Order – Bull’s Horns to Silver

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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It’s time for another AEW pay per view and as has been the case for a pretty good while now, things are not exactly feeling the most interesting at the moment. The World Title match doesn’t have the most personal setup and the rest of the show is feeling a bit hit or miss. That being said, the idea of AEW having a bad pay per view seems completely insane so I have quite a bit of confidence in what they are going to do. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Jun Akiyama vs. Eddie Kingston

This is a match that was added after this week’s Rampage went off the air. In short, this is Kingston’s dream match and….I’m struggling to come up with a reason that should interest me. Akiyama is a legend, but there is no real reason for the two of them to be fighting other than Kingston just saying he wanted it to happen. For some reason this is added to the pre-show and now the night is even longer than it needed to be.

I’ll go with Akiyama winning, as AEW seems to like the idea of doing everything they can to waste Kingston. I don’t remember the last time he had something important to do and while I’m sure he would love to do the honors for Akiyama, it doesn’t make any sense. That being said, I almost can’t picture Kingston winning anything more than a squash at this point so we’ll go with Akiyama here, despite a lack of logic for doing so.

Zero Hour: Best Friends vs. The Factory

Ten man tag and also added on Rampage, but at least there is a bit of a history here. This is a good choice for the Zero Hour as you have fan favorites like Orange Cassidy and Danhausen in there against a bunch of clueless putzes like the Factory. There is almost no way to screw this up and I have every confidence that AEW will do the right thing with this one.

Of course the Best Friends win here, likely with Cassidy Orange Punching let’s say Aaron Solo for the win. The fans can pop for the Best Friends spots, the Factory can get heat on one of them in the corner and Cassidy can come in as the hero. As goofy as it is, this is the kind of fun match that they need to have and it is nearly impossible to mess up, as it is almost a science at this point. Best Friends win a fun match.

Zero Hour: Full Gear Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Ricky Starks vs. Brian Cage

This is the semifinal instead of the final due to Starks being banged up last week, meaning things had to be changed up a bit (fair enough). The good thing is that there is a bit of history here as these two used to be part of Team Taz together so it isn’t a completely fresh match. Starks is going to be banged up because it’s a rather effective way to build towards a David vs. Goliath style match, but that might not be enough.

I’ll take Starks here, as I can’t imagine Cage vs. Ethan Page in the finals. Starks is a much more natural fit and after he gets the fire beaten out of him by Cage, we can get to the important part where he wins to move on to Dynamite. That is a formula that will work well and I think it is what we are going to get here, after what should be a better than expected match.

TNT Title: Wardlow(c) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

This was added this week on Dynamite but it has been building for a good while. Wardlow is the monster at the moment but is up against a submission master and a literal powerhouse so this could be quite the issue. The match comes after Wardlow has been dealing with both of them, as Joe doesn’t like the idea of Wardlow getting multiple titles. Hence why his ROH TV Title isn’t on the line.

Wardlow retaining here makes the most sense so we’ll go with that, though I could absolutely go with Hobbs winning his first title here. Other than that, there is a good chance that this sets up the Wardlow vs. Joe showdown, which has a bit more of a background. For now though, this is going to be a hoss fight and that is a good thing to have on any show. We should be in for a fun one here though and if Wardlow wins, things are that much better.

Trios Titles: Death Triangle(c) vs. The Elite

Let’s get this one over with early. The Elite is back, so far with no explanation for where the heck they have been or what the vanishing videos meant (to be fair, we haven’t actually heard from them yet) but it’s already back to the title picture. There are going to be some fans who are mad about the Elite being back and vice versa, but they are in a title match and that is what we are going to be seeing.

I’ll go with what the result should be here, which would be Death Triangle retaining. I would hope that AEW wouldn’t look at their biggest scandal in history, shrug, and move right back to what they were doing before the Elite were suspended. That being said, the Elite is the reason the titles were around in the first place so them winning the titles back wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. I’ll go with Death Triangle retaining, but with absolutely no confidence.

Luchasaurus vs. Jungle Boy

We’re in a cage here and that should be an obvious ending, but that isn’t often how things work around here. Jungle Boy’s focus continues to be on ultimately getting his hands on Christian Cage, who isn’t ready to get back in the ring just yet. Therefore, we get a big showdown with the monster instead, which could make quite a nice moment for Jungle Boy, assuming it is done right.

Jungle Boy winning here would be the right call so we’ll go with that, as it should clear him out to get Jungle Boy ready for Cage (not the cage, but Cage) down the line. The question now is how far down the line, but even still, this feud has already been stretched out quite a long time already. Cage turned on Jungle Boy four months ago so it would be nice to get to the point, but for now, Jungle Boy wins.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal vs. Sting/Darby Allin

There are two things that come to me as I think about this match. First: someone watched Ric Flair’s match, looked at the team that Flair BEAT, and thought “yeah I want them here two”. Second: Allin has completely stopped developing or evolving. How long has he been Sting’s partner or at the same level in AEW? It feels like years at this point, which isn’t good when the company isn’t four years old.

Of course this is Sting and Allin’s match to win, as I believe they are still undefeated as a team and aren’t about to lose their first match to Lethal and Jarrett. Bringing Jarrett in is one thing but I don’t think even AEW is insane enough to have him go out and win a match on pay per view in his debut. That being said, having him IN a match on pay per view is enough of a sign of insanity that it has me wondering about everything else. But yeah, Sting and Allin win here.

Britt Baker vs. Saraya

Here is your terrifying match of the show, as Saraya lasted what, a month or two in her last return to the ring? This has already become the top feud in the women’s division as Toni Storm sheds another tear for her completely dead in the water title reign. The interesting thing about this match though is they seem to be doing a double turn with Saraya becoming a heel to Baker’s face, and that could shake things up a bit.

As much sense as it would make for Baker to stand up for AEW and win here as a face after so much awesomeness as a heel, I’ll go with Saraya to win. It would be almost insane to bring her in and have her lose after several years away, but letting her say some of the things she has said is questionable enough. Saraya wins here, but it is going to be interesting in a confusing and terrifying way at the same time.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill(c) vs. Nyla Rose

Even though Rose has the title itself. I have a bad feeling that I know what this is going to be and that makes me rather sad. There is little to no reason for Cargill to be having the same matches she has been doing for a year plus now, but that is what AEW seems to have her doing time after time. At some point she needs to be able to do something else and that has not come just yet. At least now Rose has been doing something different with Cargill for a bit, they have to take the next step.

As much as I would love for Rose to win here so Cargill can FINALLY move on to something else, I think they’ll have Cargill retain here and get the title back so we can get back into what she has been doing for months on end. Cargill badly needs to evolve at least a little bit because the undefeated streak is killing her growth at this point, but she keeps the title here, even if she shouldn’t.

Tag Team Titles: Acclaimed(c) vs. Swerve In Our Glory

It’s almost weird to see a trilogy match in AEW but that is where we are with this one. It isn’t a bad idea for the most part as there is a story behind it, but with so many good teams in AEW, it is a little rough seeing the same match so many times. That being said, the Acclaimed is so crazy popular that you need to have them doing something and they should be in for another good one here.

Acclaimed retains here, as there is no reason for them to lose here as they are still crazy popular. This needs to end the feud though, as Swerve In Our Glory has gotten everything they can out of the feud already. I’m not sure what is next for the Acclaimed, but as long as they keep getting this kind of a reaction, they shouldn’t be anywhere close to losing the titles anytime soon.

Interim Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Jamie Hayter

Poor Storm. She came here to get away from nonsense in WWE and now she not only gets stuck behind (at least) Saraya vs. Baker and Cargill, but she has to be the INTERIM champion, just rubbing in the idea that she isn’t the first choice. Since Tony Khan is incapable of letting the interim deal go, this is what we get here, even if Thunder Rosa is STILL gone with nothing to indicate she will be back soon.

In addition to all of her problems, I think Storm loses the title here, as Hayter is on a roll right now and it would give her a boost to the next level. Storm is dead in the water at the moment and there is no reason for her to keep the title. Give it to Hayter and drop the interim thing so we can move on and have a decent reign, because Hayter (and Storm) is good enough to get such treatment.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Sammy Guevara

The Ring Of Honor obsession continues as we have the match that has gotten more focus on TV in recent months. I’m as shocked as you are that Jericho is still one of the top stars around but here we are. This is at least a Ring Of Honor style match and it should be action packed. Unfortunately it should also be the end of the story, but I don’t think that is where we are going.

Instead I’ll take Jericho to retain here, likely to set up the big savior of Ring Of Honor (possibly Castagnoli or Danielson) at Final Battle. There is also the chance that Guevara turns on Jericho to win the title, only to reunite with him for the 49^th or so time a month later, but for now I’ll say Jericho retains, setting up his big loss in a few weeks, which will totally happen. For sure. No question about it.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

So here we are, with the other match that has gotten some serious focus, though the match still feels like it isn’t that personal. Again, that is the problem with what is more or less a Money In The Bank briefcase title shot: there is no reason for the match to happen other than the challenger saying “we’ll do it then”. That doesn’t leave things feeling personal and the build has been a bit off as a result.

As for a winner….they have to put it on MJF here right? If they don’t, I don’t know what else there is to do. That being said, there is a rather strong chance that it happens at the hands of William Regal turning on Moxley, setting up a heck of a promo down the line. If nothing else, that is the kind of storyline shakeup that they need. We can worry about things after that later, but MJF needs to walk out of here as a villainous champion and they have set the stage perfectly.

Overall Thoughts

The show does have a lot of potential because of the talent involved, but it also has a lot of matches, which tends to be an issue for AEW shows. I still don’t need this thing to be close to five hours, but that is probably where we are going. They need to stick the landing with some stuff here and there are a lot of problems that the company needs to solve in the grand scheme of things. The good news it that AEW knows how to nail pay per views and there is a strong chance they’ll do it again here.

Rampage
Date: November 18, 2022
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho, Excalibur

It’s the go home show for Full Gear and the show has quite a bit set up in advance. The main story is advancing a tournament whose finals have been moved from Full Gear to next week, which is the best option that AEW had all things considered. Other than that, we have a special guest star so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Full Gear Contenders Tournament First Round: Ricky Starks vs. Lance Archer

We start in the back (as originally planned and with Starks in street clothes) with the two of them taking turns sending each other into a metal garage door. Archer sends a backstage worker into a bunch of chairs and now they head into the arena, with Archer dragging him towards the ring. A right hand knocks Starks most of the way over a barricade and they go into the crowd with Starks diving onto him. They get to ringside, where Archer runs him over and leaves Starks rocked.

They’re finally inside for the opening bell, with Starks hammering away and clotheslining him over the top. The chokeslam onto the apron plants Starks though and we take a break. Back with Starks hitting a top rope shoulder and a tornado DDT, only to have Archer blast him down with a lariat for two. A second tornado DDT gives Starks two but the Roshambo is blocked. Archer loads up a Pounce but Starks dives over, setting up a spear straight into a rollup (Jericho sounded really impressed) to pin Archer at 5:25.

Rating: C. The ending alone was cool to see and they were going rather quickly throughout the whole thing. It’s good to see Starks getting a win and now he has to take out another monster in Brian Cage at the Zero House show tomorrow. Archer is a dragon to be slain and they both did this rather well.

Post match Brian Cage and Prince Nana come out for a distraction, allowing Archer to chokeslam Starks onto the steps.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. MJF, who have a long history together but Moxley isn’t afraid.

Chris Jericho is ready for the Blackpool Combat Club to implode at Full Gear so he can retain the Ring Of Honor World Title. With Jericho gone, Sammy Guevara says he isn’t sure about that.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is challenging and has Stokely Hathaway with him. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get the better of the grappling. Hook takes him down with a waistlock and goes for the arm. That’s switched into a kind of bow and arrow hold but Moriarty is right back up. That’s fine with Hook, who flips out of a hiptoss and drops Moriarty again. A Hathaway distraction lets Moriarty kick Hook down though and we take a break.

Back with Hook blocking a crossface shot and hitting a hard clothesline. There’s an STO into a fisherman’s toss to have Moriarty in even more trouble. Moriarty manages to grab a quick Kimura though, sending Hook straight to the ropes. The Border City Stretch goes on instead but Hook slips out and reverses into Redrum for the win at 8:37.

Rating: C. Hook is getting better in the ring every time and it is a good sign that he is able to last these longer matches instead of a short squash. Being able to hang technically with someone like Moriarty is impressive as well and now we are well on our way to Hook turning into something other than quick wins. That’s quite the success and well done on turning him into a thing.

We recap John Silver costing Rush his #1 contenders tournament match last week.

Jose the Assistant and Rush yell at the Dark Order, including Silver. Several insults seem to set up a match.

Athena vs. Madison Rayne

Before the match, Rayne talks about how she doesn’t like the disrespect Athena has been showing after her matches. The inset promo goes on so long that we miss Athena dropkicking Rayne during her entrance as they start fast. Thankfully we see the replay as Rayne fights back and knocks her outside. That’s fine with Athena, who picks her up for an easy swing and then takes it back inside. Athena grabs a suplex but Rayne reverses it into a DDT for the double knockdown. Back up and CrossRayne is countered into a flipping Stunner. An over the shoulder backbreaker spun into a Codebreaker finishes Rayne at 2:48.

Post match Athena punches out Aubrey Edwards and grabs a Crossface. Cue the returning Mercedes Martinez for the save.

We look back at Danhausen costing Lee Johnson last week.

The Best Friends and the Factory have a staredown with Best Friends showing them a video of Danhausen….playing with teeth. A ten man tag is set for Full Gear.

The House Of Black is still ready to come back and destroy everything. The team is shown beating up a lot of people as we hear what sounds to be a prayer for their success.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz are ready for Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama. Kingston’s dream match is Akiyama so this is a big deal for him.

Full Gear rundown.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Jun Akiyama/Konosuke Takeshita

Eddie shoves Takeshita around to start and snaps off a belly to belly. Ortiz comes in to work on the arm, even as Kingston runs over to elbow Akiyama in the head. Takeshita breaks that up and brings in Akiyama, who kicks Kingston off the apron. A piledriver gets two on Ortiz and Kingston comes in for the glaring breakup. Ortiz gets dropped with a belly to back suplex/running clothesline combination for two and we take a break.

Back with Kingston fighting both of them off, setting up a DDT for two on Takeshita. They knock each other down and it’s a double tag to bring in Akiyama and Ortiz. A jumping knee drops Ortiz but Kingston comes in to strike it out with Akiyama. Everything breaks down and Kingston grabs a suplex on Takeshita to leave all four down. They knock each other down again until Akiyama exploders Ortiz for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure how much this match needed to take place but for a one off Rampage main event, it worked out well enough. Akiyama is a legend and it was certainly a big deal for Kingston to get to face him, even if it was in a nothing tag match on the B show. There wasn’t much Kingston vs. Akiyama and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a singles match take place somewhere.

Overall Rating: C. This was another show where it felt like they could have done some more stuff for the pay per view but instead we got a tournament match and a bunch of unrelated stuff. For the life of me I don’t get why AEW treats this show as a place where they can just throw whatever on there but that is what most of Rampage feels like. Pretty weak show this time, but the main event was good. Not exactly important in any way, but good.

Results
Ricky Starks b. Lance Archer – Spear into a rollup
Hook b. Lee Moriarty – Redrum
Athena b. Madison Rayne – Codebreaker
Jun Akiyama/Konosuke Takeshita b. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz – Exploder suplex to Ortiz

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: November 9, 2022
Location: Aggaris Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We are just over a week away from Full Gear and the card could use some help. So far the main matches are a four way for the Ring Of Honor World Title and MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title. Other than that we a few title matches and the finals of a tournament that hasn’t started yet. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Gunn Club/Swerve In Our Glory vs. FTR/Acclaimed

Billy Gunn storms the ring before the bell but gets ejected for jumping Swerve. We settle down to Wheeler hammering on Swerve in the corner as the fans are rather pleased with the goings on. The good guys take turns on Swerve, including the scissoring from the Acclaimed, as everything breaks down, with the four villains getting punches rained down in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Harwood suplexing his way out of trouble and avoiding a splash in the corner. The hot tag brings in Bowens as everything breaks down, including the Gunn Club stealing the Big Rig. All eight get up for the big showdown and it’s Lee picking Bowens up to swing into various people (points for a cool visual). A spinning forearm strike to the back of the head drops Bowens and a corkscrew dive off the top takes out the big pile.

Harwood is back up with a superplex to send Colton onto the pile. Back in and Austin does a Road Dogg shaky punch (complete with a crotch chop) but gets pulled into a Sharpshooter (that feels like a reference to Road Dogg saying he was a better sports entertainer than Bret Hart earlier this week) from Harwood. Everything breaks down and we hit the finisher parade until the Big Rig gives Bowens the pin on Austin at 12:05.

Rating: B-. Hot tag match to start and that is always a smart way to go. At the same time, you get the Tag Team Title feud for the pay per view on the show and FTR…well I’m sure they’ll face the Gunn Club at some point. For now though, it’s a good eight man tag with a fast pace and almost all action.

We hear from MJF on the Pardon My Take podcast, where he says he is banged up from the Acclaimed’s beating. His focus is on Jon Moxley at Full Gear because MJF is a generational talent. MJF is ready to face Moxley, who really impresses him because of everything he has done over the years.

After all of those years of working for $15 after driving hundreds of miles, Moxley has become the #1 star in the world but now the throne is up for the taking. MJF has had other people take the spotlight from him throughout his career, from a neck tattoo to Matt Hardy taking a fall to a year of Chris Jericho to a press conference. Now though, he is coming for the title because he is MJF. The mic gold is plentiful with this one.

Stokely Hathaway talks about how he thought he and MJF were friends but now he’ll do things however he can. He’ll also see Max in h***.

Full Gear Contenders Tournament First Round: Ethan Page vs. Eddie Kingston

Stokely Hathaway and Ortiz are the seconds. Page bails into the corner to start but comes right back with a middle rope shoulder. That’s enough to Kingston to the floor for a shoulder off the apron, meaning it’s time to stomp away on the floor. Back in and Kingston snaps off a butterfly suplex, only to be taken back to the floor for a suplex from Page.

We take a break and come back with the two of them slugging it out from their knees. The Stretch Plum goes on Page but Hathaway offers a distraction so the tap is missed. Back up and Page kicks Kingston in the head, only to get caught up top. That’s fine with Page, who hits a super Ego’s Edge for the pin at 9:12.

Rating: C+. The ending looked great as Kingston went flying, but it’s a little weird to see Page getting a push all of a sudden. He’s fine enough but out of everyone on the roster, him? Then again this is just winning the first round of a #1 contenders tournament so it might not mean anything, but it’s still coming a bit out of nowhere.

Jose the Assistant tells the Dark Order that once Rush wins the World Title, he’ll give 10 the first title shot. The others members will never get one, so John Silver calls him a Rush (Roosh) bag. The fight is on.

Here is Ari Daivari to offer his butler to Wardlow for the TNT Title.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Ari Daivari

Wardlow, with Samoa Joe, retains with a four movement Powerbomb Symphony at 1:47, with some clotheslines in between.

Post match Wardlow calls out Powerhouse eHobbs for a fight so here he comes….and Samoa Joe decks Wardlow, setting up the Koquina Clutch. Joe glares at Hobbs before leaving. Unify the titles and we’re all good.

Nyla Rose is ready to take the TBS Title back at Full Gear.

Tony Schiavone brings out Britt Baker and Saraya for a face to face chat. Saraya gets to the point: she is cleared to return to the ring and therefore this is HER HOUSE. Baker mocks her for being a “superstar” and coming to the place Baker helped make. She doesn’t remember Saraya laying a single brick but now Saraya is walking into her house. Baker: “We don’t take walk-ins so b****, make an appointment.”

Saraya talks about how long she has been in this business and how Baker has everything handed to her. Saraya worked all over the UK for free and wrestled the same day she was hit by a car. She has what it takes to be a superstar and has been in MSG, the 02 and the Tokyo Dome.

Baker doesn’t know what it’s like to be publicly humiliated and battle her drug addiction in front of the world. At Full Gear, it’s Saraya vs. Baker, so Baker tries to jump her. That just earns Baker a whatever we’re calling the Rampaige now. The fans were SILENT for Saraya’s promo, which came off as the most condescending, talking down speech I’ve heard in a long time.

The Best Friends run into the Factory in a stairwell and after some Danhausen yelling, we get Lee Johnson vs. Orange Cassidy for the All-Atlantic Title on Rampage.

Earlier today, the Best Friends ran into Jay Lethal and company, where accusations of scumbaggery were made. Trent vs. Lethal was set up for later.

Trent vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal chop blocks him during the entrance and starts in on the leg after the bell. A dragon screw legwhip drops Trent but here are Chuck Taylor and Danhausen as we take a break. Back with Trent rolling some suplexes, setting up a half and half superplex. The running knee looks to set up the Strong Zero but we pause for Danhausen to try and curse Satnam Singh. Instead he punches Sonjay Dutt low, leaving Trent to jump Singh. The distraction lets Lethal hit a Lethal Injection for the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C. This was a case where the action was fine enough, but my goodness it is nearly impossible to care about Lethal and company. They’re the most midcard team I can imagine and adding in Jeff Jarrett hasn’t made them any more interesting. The match was ok enough, but a standard distraction finish isn’t the way to get around the boring that is Lethal.

Post match Dutt brings out Jeff Jarrett, who puts over Satnam Singh as being a real monster (while taking a shot at Braun Strowman). Jarrett is told to wrap it up so he chases a stage manager off with the guitar.

Jungle Boy wants to end this with Luchasaurus and Christian Cage so the challenge is made for Rampage.

Here is Jon Moxley with William Regal for a chat. Moxley talks about the first time he met Regal and wanting to be just like him. He tried to pick a fight with Regal and the beating was very bad. Then Moxley got mad and kneed Regal’s ear off his head. That was enough for Regal to take Moxley under his wing, but then the real work began.

Moxley is getting ready for MJF, who he first fought about a year or two ago. They know that MJF has potential and want him to fulfill it, but MJF doesn’t know what it means to have any pressure on him. Then MJF started calling himself the devil, but Moxley has met the devil and looked into his eyes. MJF is not the devil and doesn’t know what is coming for him. Pretty standard stuff but Moxley can sell it well.

More Elite deletion vignettes.

Video on the Ring Of Honor four way World Title match with Chris Jericho defending against Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson.

Skye Blue vs. Jamie Hayter

Rebel, Britt Baker and Toni Storm are here too. They go straight to the floor to start with Blue getting in a shot to the face but Baker offers a distraction. Hayter grabs a backbreaker into a suplex and we take a break. Back with Blue hitting an enziguri into the Code Red for two. Not that it matters as Hayter grabs the ripcord lariat for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C. I have no idea why this needed the extra time for a break, but Hayter continues to feel like a force. She has the look, the power game and the fans seem into her. That is a great combination and I’m not sure why she needed that much time to be Skye Blue. It’s ok to wreck more than one person a show and it would have worked here.

Post match, Storm chases Hayter off.

Video on Dante Martin vs. Brian Cage in the #1 contenders tournament.

Lance Archer beats up Ricky Starks before their tournament match.

Bryan Danielson vs. Sammy Guevara

2/3 falls, Tay Melo is here with Sammy and William Regal is on commentary. Danielson starts fast with the strikes but Sammy picks up the flips and dropkicks him to the floor. The suicide dive is cut off though and Danielson hits a missile dropkick to the floor. Danielson looks at Melo so Sammy throws a chair at him for the DQ and the first fall at 2:22.

Sammy unloads with mic shots to the head and eye as we take a break. Back with Danielson’s eye busted open and Sammy looking rather cocky. Sammy hits a great looking GTH to tie it up at 7:42. Danielson gets in a few shots but Sammy jumps the ropes (with a bit of a slip). That’s fine with Danielson, who knocked him down but misses a Swan Dive. Sammy slaps on the Crossface but Danielson makes the rope as we take a break.

Back with Melo being ejected and Danielson tying him in the Tree of Woe for the YES Kicks. Sammy gets out though and hits a hard running knee to knock Danielson to the floor. A shooting star takes Danielson down in a heap but he’s right back with the LeBell Lock back inside. That’s countered into the Walls of Jericho but Danielson slips out and knees Sammy in the head. The LeBell Lock goes on and Danielson cranks it up with….let’s call it a LeBell Rings of Saturn for the third fall and the win at 20:37.

Rating: B. These guys put in some work and it does help them get ready for the Full Gear match. Daniels winning here is a bit of a surprise but it certainly isn’t a ridiculous stretch. The four way should be good as it does feel like a match where any of them could win and this served as a nice preview, with the 2/3 falls being a nice way to give Sammy a pin.

Overall Rating: B-. Solid show throughout, but there wasn’t any big thing that was must see. The good thing is that they built up Full Gear in a way that they needed to and that helped the card a lot. The wrestling was mostly good and I’m more interested in the pay per view than I was before so I’ll take that as a nice use of two hours.

Result
Acclaimed/FTR b. Gunn Club/Swerve Glory – Big Rig to Austin
Ethan Page b. Eddie Kingston – Super Ego’s Edge
Wardlow b. Ari Daivari – Powerbomb Symphony
Jay Lethal b. Trent – Lethal Injection
Jamie Hayter b. Skye Blue – Ripcord lariat
Bryan Danielson b. Sammy Guevara 2-1

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

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Rampage
Date: October 14, 2022
Location: Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re still north of the border and that should make for a rather energized show. AEW has never gone international (at least on land) before and the crowds are often enough to carry the night. Hopefully they like Ring Of Honor stuff though, because that’s the main event this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli vs. Butcher and the Blade

Bunny is here with Butcher and the Blade. It’s a brawl to start with the fight starting at the bell. They’re quickly on the floor with Blade being sent over a table and then chopped up against the barricade. We settle down to Moxley chopping Blade into the corner before it’s off to Castagnoli as we see Hangman Page watching in the back. A poke to the eye gets Blade out of trouble, meaning Butcher can come in to fight over a suplex with Castagnoli. Butcher gets muscled over and the running uppercuts make it even worse.

Bunny finally rolls inside to cut off the uppercut to Blade, meaning Butcher can get in a cheap shot. We take a break and come back with Castagnoli fighting out of a chinlock but Moxley has been knocked to the floor, meaning there is no one to tag. The second attempt at the tag works just fine though and Moxley comes in to clean house.

A back rake on the top sets up a piledriver for two on Blade and frustration seems to be setting in. Butcher breaks up a series of stomps to the head (JR: “Crossbody from a big tattooed hairy man.”) but Castagnoli breaks up a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination. The big showdown is on with Moxley and Castagnoli dropping them with stereo clotheslines. Blade gets Death Ridered and the Riccola Bomb finishes Butcher at 8:38.

Rating: B-. Butcher and Blade are a rather decent power team and it felt like Moxley and Castagnoli had to break a sweat to win here. This was a match where the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt but it was a hard hitting fight to get there. I could go for more of Castagnoli on his own but teaming with Moxley works too.

Post match Moxley says it doesn’t matter who they face, because it’s time to take out Hangman Page next week.

Swerve Strickland laughs about beating Billy Gunn but what’s even better is Acclaimed losing the scissoring stuff. Keith Lee doesn’t like Swerve’s attitude, or his cheating to beat Gunn on Dynamite. Maybe Swerve is swerving into the wrong lane. Swerve needs to think about that.

The Dark Order is disappointed with their loss but Jose the Assistant interrupts. 10 gets recruited again but he’s tired of this. Next week on Rampage, 10 will face Rush and when 10 wins, LEAVE HIM ALONE. That gets rid of Jose and here is the returning Stu Grayson to join in on the team huddle. Jubilation occurs.

Here is the Jericho Appreciation Society for a chat. Matt Menard: “DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT MAKES DADDY MAGIC’S NIPPLES HARD?” Tony: “NO!” The team is rather pleased with Daniel Garcia making his loyalties known and Anna Jay gives him an official welcome. Garcia thanks Chris Jericho for helping him see the way and even though Bryan Danielson is his hero, he will never be a pro wrestler.

Jericho taught him how to win by hitting him in the head with a title belt, and that is how he learned sports entertainers win every time. Garcia is a sports entertainer and Jericho promises to beat every former Ring Of Honor World Champion. Cue Dalton Castle to say that as a former World Champion, he is sick to see that title around Jericho’s waist.

Castle broke his back for that title and now he’ll break Jericho’s to give the fans what they deserve. You can feel the Peacock Power in this building and his heart beating keeps the lights on. So give him a title shot next week on Dynamite! Jericho says it’s on and promises to pluck Castle’s feathers. All Honor The Ocho. Castle was a nice surprise and keeps the Jericho vs. Honor run going for another week.

Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida are ready to fight for Storm’s Interim Women’s Title on Dynamite.

Nyla Rose vs. Anna Jay

The rest of the Vicious Vixens are here with Rose, who has the TBS Title but isn’t the champion. Rose takes her down to start before grabbing some rather easy looking slams. A legdrop gets two on Jay but she avoids the Cannonball in the corner. We take a break and come back with Nyla missing a top rope knee to the back of the head and getting her throat snapped across the top. Anna grabs a chinlock but Rose fights up and hits the Beast Bomb for the pin at 6:28.

Rating: C. Pretty to the point match here as Rose beat her up, didn’t exactly stay in trouble for any significant amount of time, and then won clean with the Beast Bomb. Rose seems to have shifted face, or at least close to it, and with the sense of humor she has, that has some serious potential. Just don’t have her lose clean to Jade Cargill and preserve the bit of momentum she has here.

Post match Vickie Guerrero holds up a 1-0 sign. Cue Jade Cargill with the Baddies, with Jade clearing out security without much effort. The distraction lets the Vixens run off with the title.

Ariya Daivari is sick of Hook turning down the $50,000 offer for the FTW World Title. Next week, he’ll take it himself.

Isaiah Kassidy vs. Ethan Page

Matt Hardy and Marq Quen are here with Kassidy, who gets suplexed to start. A kick to the face lets Page do the Jeff Hardy dance but Kassidy is back with a tornado DDT. Page bails to the floor so there’s the running spinning dive. Stokely Hathaway offers a distraction though, meaning Kassidy misses the Swanton. A Twist of Fate and the Ego’s Edge gives Page the pin at 2:15.

The Best Friends want the Trios Titles.

FTR and Shawn Spears are ready for the Embassy, whose feelings are mutual.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

FTR/Shawn Spears vs. Embassy

Prince Nana is here with the Embassy and it’s almost weird to see Spears doing the 10 thing again. Spears and Kaun grapple away to start with Spears grabbing something like an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Spears is taken to the floor, where the Gates put him down as we take a break.

Back with Cage hitting the apron superplex for two on Spears but the F5 is countered into a DDT. Kaun breaks up a tag attempt but of course the diving tag goes through a few seconds later. It’s Harwood coming in to clean house and the fans are behind FTR again. There’s the spinebuster to Kaun but Cage is back up to drop FTR. A top rope elbow gets two on Harwood and there’s the F5 to Spears. FTR is back up though and stereo Sharpshooters go on, with Spears grabbing one on Nana for a bonus. Loa breaks that up but gets cleared out. The hart Attack hits Kaun and the C4 finishes for Spears at 10:31.

Rating: B-. The Embassy continue to be little more than warm bodies for other people to beat up but they’re Ring Of Honor so they have a place on this show. Other than that, FTR was FTR and Spears got to do his stuff as Tye Dillinger rather than himself. While Spears doesn’t feel like a top star, he is better this way than as the chair swinging villain so it was a nice comeback.

Post match the Kingdom (Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett/Matt Taven) debut to interrupt and ask how FTR can be the Top Guys without ever facing them. That’s enough of a distraction for the Embassy to jump FTR and Spears, with the Kingdom joining in. Samoa Joe and Wardlow make the save to end the show. I like the Kingdom, but AEW bringing in more people right now is almost hard to fathom.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case for a good while now with AEW, the wrestling and in-ring work bail out some pretty weak stories. This was another show with a heavy focus on Ring Of Honor and it’s still hard to find a way to care. There are only a handful of interesting stories and Chris Jericho and company trying to make Ring Of Honor into a sports entertainment company isn’t exactly great stuff. The wrestling here was good, as it almost always is, but they need to find something to draw in some interesting on the story side. Otherwise, they’ll be more like Ring Of Honor than they probably planned.

Results
Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli b. Butcher and the Blade – Riccola Bomb to Butcher
Nyla Rose b. Anna Jay – Beat Bomb
Ethan Page b. Isaiah Kassidy – Ego’s Edge
FTR/Shawn Spears b. Embassy – C4 to Kaun

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