Dynamite
Date: January 15, 2025
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re getting closer to Grand Slam and the card needs to start getting built up. Before we can get there though, we have Maximum Carnage, which should have quite the card. That includes the in-ring return of Kenny Omega, plus Powerhouse Hobbs getting a World Title shot at Jon Moxley. Let’s get to it.

We open with a big preview of the show.

Brian Cage vs. Kenny Omega

Don Callis is on commentary. Omega strikes away to limited avail as Cage grabs him for the curls into the toss. A clothesline drops Omega but Omega counters a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. Lance Archer offers a distraction though and Omega, whose head is cut open, is sent outside and sent into the announcers’ table. Callis gets in a few shots of his own and we take a break.

Back with Omega still in trouble but firing off a running knee. The F5 gives Cage two so he goes up top, only to get caught with a super sunset bomb. Omega’s running knee gets two and the V Trigger rocks Cage. The One Winged Angel (it took a second but he got cage up) finishes for Omega at 11:38.

Rating: B-. This was never going to be a match where the result was in doubt but what matters the most is that Omega got back in the ring and looked good enough. That wasn’t exactly guaranteed just a few months ago so it’s nice to see him in the ring again. He’s instantly one of the biggest names in AEW and having him beat a big enough name like Cage is a nice start on his road back.

Post match the beatdown is on but Will Ospreay runs in for the save. The Family beats them down though.

MVP is ready to get back in the ring.

The Learning Tree is ready for their match on Collision in Cincinnati, in the heart of the Bluegrass State. They can get along with the Death Riders.

Here is Ricochet, to quite the negative reception, for a chat. Before anything can be said, as the fans are not pleased, Swerve Strickland’s music hits and it’s Prince Nana with a chair shot to Ricochet’s back. Swerve chases Ricochet off and outside, complete with the snow.

We look at a Day In The Life Of Mercedes Mone. She shops, trains and is apparently all around swell. Keeping anything involving her talking short is appreciated.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Mark Briscoe/Private Party

The Syndicate jumps them to start and MVP kicks Briscoe in the face as we get going. Briscoe is sent outside and Benjamin drops him onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Briscoe still in trouble until he clotheslines his way out of trouble. Kassidy comes in to clean house and it’s off to Quen for some dropkicks. Everything breaks down and a jumping Downward Spiral hits Benjamin. Poetry In Motion does it again but Lashley is in with a spear. Benjamin’s release German suplex into a superkick finishes Quen at 9:26.

Rating: C+. This is what it needed to be and now we need to get to the next step of the Hurt Business winning the Tag Team Titles. There isn’t anything to keeping them on Private Party at this point as the champs have hardly done anything special with the belts. The Hurt Business is looking awesome at the moment and that was on full display again here.

We look at Cope brawling with Pac on Collision, setting up their match this weekend.

Video on Rated FTR.

Here is Jeff Jarrett for a chat but MJF cuts him off before he can get very far. MJF didn’t think much of Jarrett saying the last few weeks have been humbling but Jarrett calls him lazy for not wanting to enter the Casino Gauntlet. MJF snaps and says Jarrett has convinced a lot of people he’s a lot better than he is. MJF calls Jarrett the last thing any wrestling company sees before it dies.

We get some jokes about Jarrett’s alcohol issues before MJF offers to have some fun with Karen Jarrett before sending her back to Tennessee. That way Jarrett can know the taste of a generational talent and an Olympic gold medalist. Jarrett laughs everything off because he’s heard it before. The reality though is Jarrett did all of this before but he did it better. Jarrett says it must be really tough being raised by a call girl mother and an ambulance chasing father.

When MJF was in the ring going sixty minutes, his girlfriend was doing it too….just in the parking lot with other wrestlers. The reality is MJF needs Jarrett because he’s a scared little boy. MJF goes on a rant about how far he carried this company but then he got screwed out of a bunch of things. He needs to win the World Title so he can shove it down a whole lot of throats. But then he needs to wait for JEFF JARRETT?

The reality is no one has ever cared about Jarrett, who thinks his friendship with Owen Hart entitles him to a grand finale. That’s enough for Jarrett and the fight is on and security, plus Karen Jarrett, break it up. MJF grabs Karen for a second but lets her go before leaving. Jarrett is on to something with MJF being a one trick pony, as he has incredible delivery but almost every big time promo exchange like this breaks down to “here’s a list of insults about things in your past and I’m better than you.” It’s still good, but it feels like MJF might as well just be inserting names into a formula.

Video on Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii.

Hook vs. Christian Cage

Hook jumps him on the ramp to start and the fight is on with Hook hammering away on the floor. The beating goes up the ramp and then back into the ring. Cage gives him a hug but gets suplexed for his efforts. Cage is sent into the buckle and we take a break. Back with Taz getting annoyed at Cage as he drops a splash for two. The spear gives Cage two more but the Killswitch is countered into a fisherman’s suplex for two more. Hook hammers away until Cage sends him into the post for a crash out to the floor. The Patriarchy is fought off and it’s the Redrum back inside, only for the Patriarchy to run in for the DQ at 11:38.

Rating: C. Of course it’s going to keep going. This is a feud that has been going on for a few months now and as long as Cage has that contract, almost anything he does feels like he’s just killing time. That isn’t doing Hook any favors and having him possibly dealing with Cage’s goons isn’t going to help either. The match was another brawl with interference, which is rather common around this place.

Post match the beatdown is on but Taz stands up….and Samoa Joe is back to clean house. Katsuyori Shibata runs in for the assist and the good guys stand tall.

The Undisputed Kingdom wants gold.

Dustin Rhodes interrupts Jeff Jarrett, saying MJF has no idea how this business works. Rhodes wants Jarrett to fulfill his dream.

Women’s Casino Gauntlet

For a shot at Mariah May, on commentary, at Grand Slam. Kris Statlander is in at #1 and Jamie Hayter is in at #2 as we have unknown entrants and uneven intervals. May immediately asks Taz if he wants to roll around on that new knee but he’s happily married. And retired. Hayter takes her down to start but gets planted as Megan Bayne (she’s rather tall and rather strong, leaving May looking worried) is in at #3.

Bayne elbows Statlander into the corner (May: “What does she eat for breakfast? Babies?”) and Hayter small packages her way out of a suplex as May is still worried. Julia Hart is in at #4 and is immediately suplexed on the ramp by Hayter. We take a break and come back with Willow Nightingale coming in at #5 but getting dropped by Bayne.

A double suplex drops Bayne and it’s Toni Storm in at #6. House is quickly cleaned as May is nervously laughing. Hart fights up and helps clear the ring before slugging it out with Hayter. Harley Cameron is in at #7 and grabs some rollups but Hayter plants Hart. Back up and Hart mists Cameron, only to get small packaged by Storm for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B-. Bayne looked like a star and that was good to see, but this was pretty much a big countdown until Storm won. Who else was going to win the match and the title shot for a show coming up in Australia? I’m sure we’ll get the next big step in the evolution of Storm going forward, but for now she was the only realistic option here and that’s not a bad thing.

AEW World Title: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley, the hometown boy, is defending and has the Death Riders with him. Hobbs hammers away to start and a running shoulder puts Moxley on the floor. They fight into the crowd with Moxley getting the better of things and hammering away back inside. Hobbs bites the ear for a breather though and we take a break.

Back with Moxley, bleeding from the ear, getting knocked down but telling Hobbs to bring it. The Paradigm Shift is blocked and Hobbs runs him over again. A spinning slam gives Hobbs two but Moxley pulls him into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so here is Wheeler Yuta for a cheap shot. Hobbs is back with a spinebuster but Marina Shafir gets in a briefcase shot so the Paradigm Shift can get two. The bulldog choke retains the title at 13:05.

Rating: B-. And the Death Riders interfere to keep the title on Moxley. Again. Like so many other heel stables have done over the years. That’s the problem with the Death Riders in general: it feels like something we’ve seen so many times now and that’s not overly interesting. The team’s mission is only so defined in the first place and we’re just sitting around waiting until someone steps up for the big moment. That makes for some tedious stuff, and that was the case again here.

Post match the beatdown is on, including a Pillmanizing of the leg. Rated FTR clear the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure how big this show felt, but it was far from a bad week. Mega being back is a nice thing to see and they set up what very well may be the main event of Grand Slam with Storm vs. May. Other than that, it was a slightly above the normal show, albeit one that felt like it was designed to set up something else down the line. Good enough show, but not exactly an all time classic.

Results
Kenny Omega b. Brian Cage – One Winged Angel
Hurt Syndicate b. Private Party/Mark Briscoe – Superkick to Quen
Hook b. Christian Cage via DQ when the Patriarchy interfered
Toni Storm won the Women’s Casino Gauntlet – Small package to Hart
Jon Moxley b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Paradigm Shift

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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Wrestle Kingdom 19
Date: January 4, 2025
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
Commentators: Walker Stewart, Chris Charlton

It’s that time again as we have the biggest international wrestling show of the year. The show is always worth a look as the action will be quite good, even if the company might not be as hot as it was in past years. The main event is Zack Sabre Jr. defending the IWGP World Title against Shota Umino so let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow New Japan closely at all, with Wrestle Kingdom being the only show I watch every year. I know most of the names but I have no idea on storylines or character development. I apologize in advance for any details I miss or get wrong as I’m going entirely off what I see and what commentary tells me.

Pre-Show: New Japan Ranbo

This is basically a Royal Rumble with one minute intervals but in this case the winner gets a World Title shot rather than qualifying for the KOPW Title match. Great O Khan is in at #1 and Josh Barnett is in at #2. They go with the grappling to start (as is Barnett’s custom) and that’s a stalemate until Oleg Boltin is in at #3. With O Khan down and holding his knee, Boltin and Barnett grapple until Hirooki Goto is in at #4 (as the intervals are already getting wacky).

They pair off and the clock speeds way up as Yuji Nagata is in at #5. Nagata and Barnett (they have a history) pair off but Boltin breaks it up. Boltin and Barnett crash out to the floor for our first eliminations and Togi Makabe is in at #6. Makabe chokes O Khan in the corner (I don’t think the chain is legal) and Kenta is in at #7. Kenta knocks Nagata to the apron and kicks him out as Yoshi-Hashi is in at #8.

Kenta and Hashi strike it out with Kenta getting the better of things as Yujiro Takahashi is in at #9. Hashi sends Kenta to the apron but gets tossed out as Toru Yano is in at #10. As tends to be his case, Yano knocks Kenta to the apron and sends Takahashi into him for an elimination, followed by the rollup pin on Takahashi for the double upset. Hiroyoshi TTenzan is in at #11 and strikes away until longtime partner Satoshi Kojima is in at #12.

They beat up Yano but he sends them into each other and pins Tenzan for another surprise elimination. Tomoaki Honma is in at #13 as Makabe keeps kicking out. Sanada is in at #14 (after main eventing last year) and is immediately beaten up by Kojima and Makabe. Sanada kicks Kojima low though and tosses him out as Taichi is in at #15. Taichi and Sanada fight to the floor without being eliminated and it’s Tomohiro Ishii in at #16.

Honma jumps Ishii but gets forearmed out of the air and braibustered for the pin. Alex Zayne is in at #17 to complete the field, giving us a final grouping of O Khan, Goto, Yano Sanada, Taichi, Ishii and Zayn as Makabe has apparently been eliminated. Taichi gets caught trying to kick Sanada low and that’s a DQ, only for Taichi to kick Sanada out anyway.

Yano tries his turnbuckle shot but misses the swing and gets tossed. Ishii is out and we’re down to Zayne, Goto and O Khan. Zayne is sent to the apron and sent out, leaving us with two. O Khan hammers away to start but charges into the GTR, allowing Goto to send him to the apron. A running clothesline gives Goto the win at 34:37.

Rating: B-. Having the stakes being bigger and not having the whole final four advance deal made things better. Goto is a big enough name to earn a title shot and it makes sense to send him forward, so this does feel important. It’s still a nice way to get a bunch of people on the show and this worked as well as it needed to.

The opening video looks at the bigger matches and runs down the card (in order, as usual).

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles: Intergalactic Jet Setters vs. Ichiban Sweet Boys vs. Catch 2/2 vs. Bullet Club War Dogs

The Jet Setters (Kevin Knight/Kushida) are defending in a ladder match against Robbie Eagles/Kosei Fujita (Sweet Boys), TJP/Francesco Akira (Catch 2/2) and Clark Connors/Driller Mahoney (War Dogs). It’s a brawl to start (of course) with Knight being left in the ring until the Boys bring in the first ladder. The Dogs bring in some chairs to increase the violence before going up, only for Kushida to take out their ladder.

Everyone is on the floor and Knight is knocked out of the air by a flying chair. Something like a running piledriver onto the floor knocks Kushida silly but TJP won’t let Akira be sent through a table. Some people get back inside with Knight setting up a ladder and bridging another inside. Eagles hits a springboard 450 to Connors on the ladder and an electric chair cutter drops Fujita. Some mist blinds Eagles and he gets sent through the bridged ladder for a huge crash.

Knight goes to the top of the ladder and tries a Motor City Machine Guns Skull And Bones, only to pretty much completely miss Maloney for the huge crash. Fujita gets thrown off a ladder and Knight goes up, only to have the ladder shoved over. TJP knocks Maloney off a ladder, leaving Catch 2/2 and the Boys to go up at the same time. The brawl is on until Fujita is left with Akira. Some choking is enough for Fujita to pull down the titles at 13:07.

Rating: B. It’s rare for NJPW to run this kind of a match but it worked rather well. I can go for seeing something like this as a special treat and that is the kind of thing you want to see on a show like Wrestle Kingdom. It was a total car crash match with one big spot after another and that worked out rather well. Good opener, with the fans into what they were seeing.

IWGP Women’s Title: Mayu Iwatani vs. AZM

Iwatani is defending and they slug it out to start. AZM knocks her to the floor and hits a big running dive to take her out. Back in and Iwatani hits a running dropkick against the ropes but AZM catches her on top. A top rope double stomp gets two on Iwatani but she’s right back with a heck of a superkick. Iwatani’s moonsault misses and AZM grabs a Canadian Destroyer. A double underhook Canadian Destroyer gets two but Iwatani gets her feet up to knock her out of the air. They trade German suplexes until Iwatani hits a Tombstone. A moonsault gives Iwatani two and a dragon suplex retains the title at 8:47.

Rating: B. I’m not sure what to say about a match like this as there was very little story given by commentary (though they do seem to have a history) so they were just doing a bunch of moves to each other. That being said, it was quite the action packed match and they were laying their stuff in so it was an easy match to watch with both of them looking rather talented. Good stuff here, even if it didn’t have time to do much.

NJPW TV Title: Jeff Cobb vs. Ryohei Oiwa vs. El Phantasmo vs. Ren Narita

Narita is defending. Cobb and Oiwa trade big shoulders to start with Oiwa actually getting the better of things. An armbar is broken up but Narita is back in for some choking to Oiwa and a kneebar to Cobb. Phantasmo slips out of the Tour Of The Islands but gets knocked off the top onto the other two. Cobb is back up with a big running flip dive onto the other three, followed by a standing moonsault for two on Narita.

A Tower Of Doom plants Phantasmo but Narita is back in with a top rope knee to Cobb for a near fall of his own. Narita’s board is taken away by Phantasmo’s manager Jado, leaving Cobb to plant Phantasmo out of the air. A doctor bomb gets two on Cobb with Narita pulling the referee out at two. Back in and Cobb hits Tour Of The Islands on Narita but Phantasmo makes the save. Phantasmo’s springboard splash pins Narita for the title at 9:59.

Rating: B-. This was another all over the place match with Cobb as a monster, Narita breaking up everything he could and Phantasmo feeling like the star. Oiwa was there as well but didn’t really stand out. It wasn’t as good as some of the other matches but Phantasmo, who is recently back after winning a battle with cancer, winning was a nice moment.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Evil

Lumberjack match and Tanahashi’s career is on the line. They fight over a top wristlock to start until Evil grabs the hair like an evil villain. A quick crossbody staggers Evil but he catches Tanahashi skinning the cat and bites his leg (as you do). Evil sends him through a chair at ringside and Evil’s House Of Torture beats up Tanahashi’s lumberjacks.

Back in and a suplex gives Evil two but Tanahashi goes classic with a dragon screw legwhip. The middle rope flipping splash gives Tanahashi two but the threat of a Sling Blade sends Evil outside. One of the lumberjacks solves that rather quickly and it’s Twist And Shout to drop Evil again. The House Of Torture comes in to beat Tanahashi down and Dick Togo gets in a low blow.

Tanahashi’s friends make the save but Tanahashi misses a charge into an exposed buckle. That’s shrugged off and it’s a dragon suplex into a Sling Blade but Tanahashi crotches him on top. Powder to the eyes blinds Tanahashi and Darkness falls gets two. The Scorpion Deathlock goes on but Evil lets go, setting up an STO….but Tanahashi rolls him up for the pin out of nowhere at 15:07.

Rating: B. The action itself was good enough, but this was all about the storytelling. It’s one of those stories that anyone could understand, as it was light vs. darkness, with good winning in the end. That’s as basic of a story as you can get and it worked well here. I liked this, with Tanahashi overcoming the House Of Torture, who have been annoying every time I’ve seen them.

Post match the brawl is on with the House beating the good guys down. Katsuyori Shibata makes the save though and, with the villains gone, challenges Tanahashi for tomorrow at Wrestle Dynasty. Works for Tanahashi.

AEW International Title/NEVER Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shingo Takagi

Title for title and Don Callis is here with Takeshita. They trade running shoulders to start with Takeshita missing a charge into the corner to slow him down. Back up and one heck of a forearm drops Takagi and a Vader Bomb gets two. Takagi isn’t having much of a chinlock and they go to the floor where he hits a pop up Death Valley Driver. A superplex into a sliding lariat gets two on Takeshita but he blocks Made In Japan.

Some German suplexes put Takagi down but Takeshita is too banged up to stay with him. A wheelbarrow German suplexes drops Takagi, who pops back up with a heck of a lariat to leave both of them down again. Made In Japan gives Takagi two but Takeshita grazes him with a jumping knee.

Another attempt connects far better for one, followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Takagi is back with Last Of The Dragon but for some reason he doesn’t cover. They trade poisonranas before Takeshita forearms him in the back of the head for another knockdown. Another forearm sets up Raging Fire to make Takeshita a double champion at 12:43.

Rating: B+. This was two hard hitters beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up. That’s always something that is going to work and it more than worked here, with Takeshita continuing his rise up the wrestling world. Heck of a fight here, and the best match on the show so far.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Douki vs. El Desperado

Desperado is challenging. They stare each other down to start and Desperado bails out to the floor. A quick switch lets Desperado hit a running flip dive, with his legs slamming into the barricade. They trade forearms on the floor for a bit before getting back in, earning some nice applause. Back in and Desperado plants him own, setting up a quickly broken Texas Cloverleaf. Douki sends him outside and hits a dive off the top, only to land on his arm and COMPLETELY wreck the elbow. The referee immediately stops the match, making Desperado champion at 5:51. I won’t rate it due to the injury but it was starting well.

Post match Desperado says he and Douki will do this again.

IWGP Global Title: Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay

Finlay, with Gedo, is defending and Tsuji needs to win his first singles title to start realizing his potential. Tsuji knocks him outside to start but Finlay gets away before the dive. Finlay plants him on the floor before hammering away back inside. Tsuji blocks what looked like a Rock Bottom though and hits a stomp to put Finlay down for a breather.

A running hurricanrana sends Finlay outside and there’s the big running flip dive. Back in and a Cactus Clothesline puts both of them on the floor again, allowing Finlay to get in a nice posting. A whip through some chairs has Tsuji in trouble but he beats the count back in, as you probably guessed.

Tsuji manages a suplex into the corner and catches him on top with a kick to the head, leaving Finlay looking a bit dead. Finlay is fine enough to hit three straight Dominators for two but Tsuji is right back up. A missed moonsault lets Finlay grab a powerbomb for two more and we get a double breather.

Tsuji is back up with a spinning top rope double stomp to the back for another near fall and they’re both down again. Finlay cuts him off with a cutter and a brainbuster onto the knee gets two. The Stundog Millionaire into a spear gives Tsuji two and frustration is setting in. They trade shots to the face but Finlay knees him in the face for two more. Tsuji hits his own knee, setting up a powerbomb into another spear for the pin and the title at 19:35.

Rating: B-. It was good, but I’m not sure if it was as big of a moment as commentary tried to make it seem. Maybe I’m missing something here but it felt like just kind of a match rather than a big showdown or a moment. There is definitely potential in Tsuji, though I’m not sure if he’s going to be the next big thing around here. Maybe that’s due to me being sick of the spear, but this never got to that next level.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiromu Takahashi

This is billed as fifteen years in the making, with Takahashi being said to have saved Naito’s career but it’s apparently their first ever match. Takahashi comes out in a costume that is…we’ll go with big and weir and I won’t try to go further than that. Takahashi seems to show some disrespect to start and the fans don’t like that as the bell rings.

They go with the grappling to start and Naito takes him down for a basement dropkick. Naito ties up the neck as we hear about his terrible eye issues until Takahashi makes the ropes for the break. Back up and a clothesline sets up Takahashi’s running basement dropkick for two more. Naito picks up the pace and armdrags him into another basement dropkick, meaning it’s time to pose.

Takahashi grabs an AA for two and there’s a German suplex to put Naito down again. Naito’s DDT is blocked so Takahashi can take him down but Naito grabs a quick Destino. Another Destino gets two but Takahashi counters a third. Back up and Naito hammers away on the neck, only to get tied up with a cradle for two. Takahashi hits his own Destino, setting up Time Bomb II for two. Back up and Naito hits his own Destino for two more but Takahashi grabs the leg to cut him off. One more Destino finishes Takahashi at 17:09.

Rating: B. This is a match where there is definitely a major backstory that I haven’t seen but commentary did a great job of explaining why I should care about what is going on. It’s a good sign when I can get the gist of what they’re going for without having seen any of their history and they pulled it off here. They seemed to be going for a match of respect here, which is a hard one to pull off. Nice stuff here, with what felt like a long history culminating with a good match.

Post match, Takahashi does show respect.

We recap the main event. Zack Sabre Jr. wants to become the first foreigner to walk in and out of Wrestle Kingdom as champion while Umino just wants to be champion. This doesn’t exactly feel like the hottest main event.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shota Umino

Sabre is defending and has his TMDK stable with him. Feeling out process to start and they fight over wrist control with neither getting anywhere. Umino grabs some full nelsons and Sabre gets annoyed that he can’t stay away. A running dropkick puts Sabre down and we finally have someone taking over. Some elbows have Sabre down as commentary points out how many times Umino has beaten Sabre, despite never winning a title or major tournament.

That’s a story that makes sense and it was summed up rather quickly there. Sabre starts in on the arm with some cranking and stomping as we hear about Sabre’s training in how to hurt people. An abdominal stretch lets Sabre switch things up a bit as he’s starting to pick Umino apart. Umino gets out and grabs a PerfectPlex for two, setting up a slingshot DDT onto the apron to knock Sabre silly.

Back up and Umino sends him into the barricade, followed by another dropkick. A hanging DDT off the barricade drops Sabre hard, setting up a top rope dropkick to the side of the head back inside. Sabre dropkicks him right back though and we get a double breather. Umino sits up and wants some kicks to the back, with Sabre being glad to oblige. Sabre starts in on the arm before tying both of them up to make it much worse. The double arm crank is blocked so Sabre switches to a triangle choke but Umino powers out for another double down.

Back up and Sabre hits a heck of a clothesline, only to walk into a reverse Twist And Shout. They trade uppercuts, with Umino hitting one to really rock Sabre. An exchange of kicks goes to Sabre but Umino is back with a springboard tornado DDT. The Zack Driver gives Sabre two and they’re both down again. Umino is back with a lifting DDT for two and a spinning double arm DDT gets the same.

Sabre starts going after the ankle with a variety of holds, including something like a reverse figure four. The rope is finally reached and Umino fights up with some not so great forearms. Another DDT works a bit better as Umino keeps trying to fire up and get the fans behind him. A super Zack Driver is blocked and Umino grabs a super Death Rider to leave both of them down.

Umino stomps away and shoves the referee, which the fans don’t like. Some more stomps keep Sabre down until he drops Umino and kicks away. Another exchange of strikes puts Umino down but he reverses another ankle lock. The ankle gives out though and another Zack Driver gets another two. A Gotch Style piledriver and a Sabre Driver (really creative names there champ) retains at 43:44.

Rating: C+. So the story of the match was Umino needed to step up and finally claim the title to become a star and he just didn’t. The fans never quite seemed to get into him and I only bought Sabre as being somewhat in danger. While not a bad match, it doesn’t feel like a main event of the biggest show of the year. It felt like a match to set up a big moment later, perhaps next year, and that’s only so exciting. Cut off ten to fifteen minutes and this is MUCH better.

Post match Sabre says he’ll be waiting for Umino again and he’ll win tomorrow in another main event. Happy New Year, and it will be the year of TMDK.

Overall Rating: B. This is a show where the action was quite good and nothing on the card is anything close to bad, but there was nothing on this show that felt like it was a must see match. I can go with a collection of good matches, but I could also go with some kind of a special moment of something that makes me want to see what is next. Tsuji winning feels like the start of a long term project and maybe we get some kind of torch passing moment next year, but that doesn’t leave much on this show. I certainly didn’t dislike the show, though it’s definitely not something that makes me think that NJPW is must see right now.

Results
Hirooki Goto won the New Japan Ranbo last eliminating Great O Khan
Ichiban Sweet Boys b. Intergalactic Jet Setters, Catch 2/2 and Bullet Club War Dogs – Fujita pulled down the titles
Mayu Iwatani b. AZM – Dragon suplex
El Phantasmo b. Jeff Cobb, Ryohei Oiwa and Ren Narita – Springboard splash to Narita
Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Evil – Small package
Konosuke Takeshita b. Shingo Takagi – Raging Fire
El Desperado b. Douki via referee stoppage
Yota Tsuji b. David Finlay – Spear
Tetsuya Naito b. Hiromu Takahashi – Destino

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

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AND

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Worlds End 2024
Date: December 28, 2024
Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re at the end of the year and that means we should be in for a pretty big night. In this case, we have the semifinals and finals of the Continental Classic, which might as well headline the whole thing. Other than that, Jon Moxley is defending the World Title in a four way. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Toni Storm vs. Leila Grey

We get a handshake to start before Storm grabs a headlock. Grey pulls her to the mat with an armbar and they hit the grappling. Back up and Storm hits a dropkick into a backbreaker for two but Grey rolls her up for the same. Back up and Grey hammers away in the corner as commentary talks about Storm’s taste in music. A dragon sleeper sends Storm over to the ropes and she comes back with a Thesz press. The hip attack in the corner sets up a PerfectPlex for two but Grey gets in a Blockbuster for the same. Grey loads up a suplex, only to get reversed into a small package to give Storm the pin at 6:54.

Rating: C. This was mainly a way to get Storm on the show, as she continues her road back to….I’m not sure what this is supposed to be at the moment. So far she’s acting like a rookie despite never having acted this star struck in her career. I’d assume it’s setting up a return to being Timeless, but I could go for seeing more of her like this (minus the rookie stuff) for a change, as it’s working well enough.

Zero Hour: QT Marshall vs. Jeff Jarrett

We get a pose off to start and the fans aren’t impressed with Marshall. Some right hands stagger Jarrett but he grabs a hiptoss. A clothesline to the floor lets Jarrett get in the strut and he mocks Marshall’s dance. Marshall hammers away and this a handspring kick to the face for two.

The sleeper is broken up with a belly to back suplex and an enziguri gives Jarrett two of his own. Marshall gets slammed off the top and a Sharpshooter….is broken up by Aaron Solo. Marshall’s Stroke gets two but Jay Lethal comes in to take the guitar from Solo. Jarrett is right back with the Stroke for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: C+. This is where Jarrett can shine, as he is still capable of wrestling a perfectly competent match. It’s not going to be anything flashy but there is always a place for a basic match on a show. Jarrett isn’t in a big featured spot and he did his thing here, beating up an annoying villain. There’s nothing wrong with that and the match went just fine.

Zero Hour: Top Flight/Outrunners vs. Murder Machines/Action Andretti/Lio Rush

Darius dropkicks Archer to start and is quickly sent into the wrong corner to start the beating. Cage comes in for some curls and a toss to drop Darius again. Rush and Andretti come in for a staredown with Top Flight and we settle down to Dante kicking Rush to the floor. Archer cuts off the ensuing dive so Dante clotheslines Rush for two instead. The Outrunners come in for some double atomic drops but Andretti gives Magnum a Regal Roll for two of his own.

Archer adds some running elbows in the corner and Cage cuts off a tag attempt. Magnum suplexes his way to freedom though and it’s Floyd coming in to clean house. A double suplex drops Cage and a double Mega Powers elbow hits Cage and Andretti. Everything breaks down and the Machines come in to wreck the humans. Rush tags himself in though and the Final Hour finishes Dante at 10:48.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of thing that works well on a Kickoff Show as it was fast paced and featured a variety of stars that could pop the crowd. The fans like the Outrunners no matter what they do and it was a good way to get things going. Rush getting the pin at least boosts he and Andretti up before their Tag Team Title shot, which is going to need some help.

Continental Classic Semifinals: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher blocks an early hurricanrana attempt but can’t hit a brainbuster. They both miss kicks to the head and Fletcher bails to the floor for an early breather. Back in and they trade chops in the corner until Ospreay clotheslines him out to the floor. There’s the required big dive but a hurricanrana off the steps is countered into a hard powerbomb to send Ospreay into the apron.

Fletcher stops to mock the fans and Ospreay is busted open bad off something. Back in and Fletcher kicks away at the cut, followed by some Kawada Kicks. A lawn dart into the buckle gives Fletcher two and egads that’s a lot of blood. Fletcher takes his time loading up a running knee and gets dropped by a hard clothesline. Ospreay hits a standing corkscrew moonsault for two and a standing Spanish Fly gets the same. Ospreay wants him to bring it so they trade chops, with Fletcher going down.

They both escape powerbombs and the Oscutter gives Ospreay two. A poisonrana drops Fletcher but he’s back up with a running forearm and they’re both down. They trade headbutts from their knees until Ospreay superkicks him out of the air. A rollup with ropes gives Fletcher two, followed by a superkick into the brainbuster. The Liger Bomb gives Fletcher two more but another brainbuster is countered into a hurricanrana. Ospreay grabs the Styles Clash for the pin at 16:32.

Rating: A-. These two beat the heck out of each other and odds are this sets up a trilogy match in Australia in February. Ospreay needed a win like this to set him up for something bigger down the line (as in later tonight) and he was wrestling like his old superhero self. Throw in the blood to make him feel like an even bigger underdog and this was a heck of an opener.

We get a quick recap of Ricochet vs. Kazuchika Okada in the other Continental Classic semifinal.

Continental Classic Semifinals: Ricochet vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title. The fans are rather behind Okada as Ricochet takes him into the corner to start. Okada does it right back and then runs him over with a running shoulder. A hard elbow puts Ricochet down and Okada looks out at the crowd in that less than interested look that he has. Okada sits Ricochet down, gets a running start, and slaps him in the back of the head for some applause.

Back up and Ricochet knocks him to the floor for the suicide dive and the confidence is up again. They get back inside where Ricochet can hit a running headbutt to the back but Okada isn’t pleased with being chopped. A DDT gives Okada two but Ricochet suplexes him down and hits a Lionsault for two of his own. Ricochet’s 450 misses and Okada gives him the White Noise onto the knee.

The Rainmaker is countered but Okada is back up with a dropkick. Vertigo gives Ricochet two and a nice looking shooting star press connects for the same. The Spirit Gun is loaded up but Ricochet stops to look at the fans for some reason, earning himself another dropkick. The Rainmaker sends Okada to later tonight at 13:28.

Rating: B. This wasn’t quite up to the level of the opener but it was a heck of a fight with Okada getting to do his usual stuff to cut Ricochet off. That being said, I’m not sure how smart it is to have Ricochet lose here when he has been on such a roll in recent weeks. Winning his League was a big deal, but losing to Okada in relatively quick fashion isn’t doing him any favors.

Post match Swerve Strickland comes out and congratulates Ricochet for getting as far as Swerve did last year. Ricochet promised to win though and Swerve promised to embarrass him if he didn’t win. Swerve is here to clean up Ricochet’s mess, so here is Prince Nana to throw toilet paper to the fans. Then the fans throw the toilet paper while Ricochet….stands there. Ok then.

The still very bloody Will Ospreay is getting checked out but says it doesn’t matter. He’s ready to win the title and wants the fans to help carry him through.

We recap Mariah May defending the Women’s Title against Thunder Rosa in a Tijuana Street Fight. May is rather mean and Rosa wants to beat her in her own match. May isn’t sure why we’re having this match and doesn’t like Rosa’s dad to make it more serious.

Women’s Title: Thunder Rosa vs. Mariah May

May is defending in a street fight with falls counting anywhere and goes outside to mock Rosa’s father in the front row. This doesn’t go well for her as Rosa dives off the apron to start hammering away. They get inside with Rosa hitting a basement clothesline into a backsplash for two. May misses a dropkick and Rosa gets in a shot to the back before grabbing the first batch of weapons.

That’s enough for May to bail but she catches Rosa with a DDT on the stage for two. May throws some trashcans at her but Rosa gets in a shot to the face for two more. Rosa chokes with a chair and shouts about her dad (you never want to make things personal), with the delay letting May come back with a running knee. A spinning Death Valley Driver gives Rosa two and it’s time for the pinata. Naturally it is full of thumbtacks (that doesn’t seem safe) but May grabs May Day onto the tacks for two.

Hold on though as May heads outside and grabs Rosa’s father’s cane, which is enough of a delay for Rosa to come back and plant her on the floor for another near fall. May gets sent hard into the barricade and beaten with the cane before, naturally, it’s table time. A dropkick off of said table gets two back inside, meaning it’s time to choke May with a chain. It works so well that Rosa does it again, only for May to find a bag of dirt. Rosa is blinded and a piledriver through the table at ringside retains the title at 13:22.

Rating: B. This was the kind of brawl that you expect from AEW and it worked about as well as it could have. Rosa’s father being involved didn’t add much and I’m still not sure how much he needed to be there. It also didn’t help that there was no reason to believe Rosa was going to win with Toni Storm back, as Australia in February is looming over them.

We recap MJF vs. Adam Cole. MJF is back and Cole and all of his friends are trying to stop him. Their efforts here involve trying to take the Dynamite Diamond Ring, which hopefully ends the feud a year after it started.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Adam Cole

The Undisputed Kingdom is here too, guarding the Dynamite Diamond Ring at ringside. Cole jumps him to start and hammers away on the floor but it’s too early for the Panama Sunrise. MJF knocks him to the floor but stops to tell the fans to shut the F up. Cole is sent into various metal objects, allowing MJF to get in a little mockery of Cole’s posing. With Cole busted open, MJF bites away at the cut and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and a powerbomb backbreaker gives MJF two but Cole manages a Backstabber. The brainbuster onto the knee gets two but MJF is right back with a chop block to take out the leg. The leg is bent around the ropes and Cole goes down, meaning MJF can wrap it around the post. That takes too long though as MJF yells some more, allowing Cole to pull him into the post to bust MJF open as well.

Back in and Cole hammers away in the corner, setting up the Boom for two. They pull themselves up from the ropes and shout insults before going at it for the hockey fight style slugout. Cole gets the better of things but MJF pulls him down by the leg and grabs the Figure Four. With that broken up, MJF heads outside and sends himself into the steps, which he blames on the Undisputed Kingdom. The ejection ensues so Cole grabs the ring….and gets kicked low, allowing MJF to hit the Heatseeker to get the pin at 14:50.

Rating: B. It was a good fight and they felt like they went through a battle, but at the same time it didn’t exactly feel like a big blowoff. Instead, this felt like a way to keep the feud going, which has me worried. This feud hasn’t exactly been the best stuff AEW has done in recent months and unfortunately this has me worried that it is going to continue. MJF gets a win and continues driving the fans crazy, though hopefully he has a new target sooner than later.

Post match MJF loads up a chair but Roderick Strong runs in for the save. Kyle O’Reilly comes out as well and throws MJF back inside. A high/low cuts MJF down and everyone, including the Undisputed Kingdom, gets to pose together. That’s a heck of a pose after MJF beat Cole on his own.

We recap Powerhouse Hobbs challenging Konosuke Takeshita for the International Title. Hobbs was injured and the Don Callis Family forgot about him, so it’s time for revenge. That’s not the best way to present Hobbs, but at least he could get in some smashing.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Takeshita is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. They slowly forearm it out to start and Hobbs wins an exchange of shoulders to send Takeshita outside. Hobbs slams him onto the apron a few times but Takeshita goes after the recently repaired knee to take over. Said knee is wrapped around the post, marking the second match in a row built around working on the leg. The leg is wrapped around the rope as Callis talks about his time in Japan.

Hobbs gets back up and hits a running crossbody, followed by quite the series of corner clotheslines. A running powerslam gets two but the knee gives out, a known side effect from running powerslams. Takeshita grabs his leg trap Tombstone for two and they trade standing clotheslines. A German suplex seems to wake Hobbs up and he snaps off another powerslam.

One heck of a clothesline gives Hobbs two but Takeshita hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for….one, sending Callis into a panic. They go up top together and Takeshita grabs a top rope superplex, only to charge into the spinebuster for two. Both of them head up again, with Hobbs managing a super powerslam. Hobbs takes off his own knee brace, allowing Takeshita to hit him in the face. Takeshita grabs a guillotine choke, setting up Raging Fire for the pin at 15:45.

Rating: B. They beat each other up rather well again, but the finish was pretty flat. Hobbs threw everything he could at him and then lost in the end when Takeshita just choked him out and beat him with the finisher. That’s not the most interesting way to go, but again, it feels like Takeshita is being saved for a major showdown at Wrestle Dynasty or Grand Slam, which again isn’t leaving much for this show.

Kazuchika Okada is going to beat Will Ospreay like his little brother. B****.

We recap Mercedes Mone defending the TBS Title against Kris Statlander. Mone beat her last month in a close match and now we’re having a rematch.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending and gets powered down to start, meaning it might be time to think of a new strategy. A running headscissors doesn’t work either as Statlander snaps off a cartwheel but Mone armdrags her to the floor. Mone sends her into the steps but gets dropped onto the apron. A powerslam into a backbreaker into a fall away slam has Mone rocked and they go up top.

Mone manages to knock her onto the apron for a big crash and the running knees in the corner make it even worse. The top rope Meteora is countered into a powerbomb though and they’re both down. One heck of a running knee into rolling Chaos Theory drops Mone for two but she’s back with a springboard tornado DDT for the same. Mone hits about eight Amigos and the fans chant for Eddie Guerrero, which is exactly what a villain in a match should be doing.

The frog splash gives Mone two but she misses the running knees in the corner, allowing Statlander to hit a package piledriver for two. They forearm it out and head outside, where the Mone Maker plants Statlander. For some reason Mone breaks up the countout and goes after the leg, which gets tied up in the ring structure.

Statlander taker her boot off and hits an F5 onto the apron, followed by a regular one in the ring for two. Mone knocks her off the top and hits a sitout Tombstone on the apron for a nine on the floor. Back in and Mone’s STF sends Statlander to the apron and an ankle lock has to be broken up as well. Back up and Mone spins her around into an arm trap cradle for the pin to retain at 25:10.

Rating: B-. Well that was lengthy and not in the best way. I was rolling my eyes rather hard at the things Mone was kicking out of near the end and it was hard to believe that Statlander would beat the biggest star in the history of ever. It didn’t help that this was the third straight match where the villain was working on the leg, because doing the same thing over and over is cutting edge stuff.

Statlander gets a big ovation.

Continental Classic/Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay

Okada is defending and Ospreay still has blood on his chest, as a shower was apparently out of the question. Okada backs him up to the ropes to start and does the slaps to the chest, earning himself a knock out to the floor. Ospreay jumps onto the barricade but comes back so Okada can hit him with a DDT. A second DDT on the floor lets Okada take him back inside for the mocking kicks to the face as Ospreay has lost the bandage on his head.

Ospreay is back up with a dropkick and an elbow to the face gets two. Okada dropkicks him off the top, interrupting commentary’s New Japan recap. A kick to the face lets Ospreay hit a quick Oscutter off the barricade, followed by a regular one back inside. The Styles Clash is countered into the White Noise onto the knee and Okada’s top rope elbow connects. The Rainmaker is countered into the Styles Clash for two, only for the Rainmaker to connect for the same.

Ospreay can barely stand up but manages to reverse another Rainmaker into a Spanish Fly for two more. Stormbreaker gets another near fall, setting up the Hidden Blade attempt. That’s ducked under but the Rainmaker is countered as well, only for another Rainmaker to finish Ospreay at 19:15.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was another great one, with that last forty five or so seconds being outstanding. Ospreay felt like he was fighting from underneath for most of the match and it made for an excellent fight with both of them working hard near the end. I wanted to see how this was going to end, with Ospreay feeling more like he got caught rather than got beat.

That’s it for this year’s Continental Classic and while it wasn’t quite as exiting as last year’s, it was still rather good. That being said, it’s also the second year when someone defending the title coming in leaves as the champion, which in this case puts us right back where we were when it started. There’s nothing wrong with having a series of great matches, but after last year’s titles being unified for all of three months and now Okada just retaining, it doesn’t feel like the most impactful tournament in the world.

Post match Christopher Daniels comes out to say that he is no longer an EVP, but this man is. Cue Kenny Omega to present Okada with the title and stare him down (with the All In: Texas banner between them).

We recap the World Title match. Jon Moxley is defending and the challengers are fighting for the soul of AEW, whatever that means this week.

AEW World Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Jay White vs. Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley, with Marina Shafir, is defending and bails to the floor to start, with Cassidy diving onto him. All three challengers go after him at once and the chase goes into the crowd as Schiavone is wondering about a countout. The Death Riders pop up to brawl with brawl with Page and White, leaving Moxley to take over on Cassidy.

We pause for Cassidy to put his hands in his pockets, allowing Page and White to come hold Moxley for the Orange Punch. Cassidy is put through the announcers’ table, leaving the other three to brawl inside. Page and White fight to the floor with page getting the better of things, allowing him to go back inside to face Cassidy. White breaks that up and gives Cassidy a cutthroat suplex. Moxley (bleeding from the back of his head) is back up and shrugs off Cassidy’s PK to give him a cutter.

Page and Moxley slug it out but all four get back in for a four way knockdown. We hit the parade of finishers until Moxley gets Orange Punched, only for Page to pull the referee. Page gives Moxley the Deadeye but Wheeler Yuta breaks up the Buckshot Lariat. The second attempt works but Cassidy rolls Page up for two. White is back in with the Blade Runner to Moxley for two with Yuta making the save. Another Blade Runner hits Shafir but Moxley is there with the Death Rider to pin White and retain at 15:40.

Rating: B. This was pretty much non-stop action from start to finish but dang the “there are too many Death Riders” trope didn’t help things. It was hard to imagine that Moxley was losing here and then he just wins again to keep this whole thing going. I never bought Moxley as being in danger throughout the build to the match and then the match didn’t change that feeling whatsoever. Good action, but it felt like a countdown to Moxley retaining.

Post match the beatdown is teased but FTR…and Adam Copeland come in for the save. FTR takes out the Death Riders and Copeland stares Moxley down. A spear drops Moxley and Copeland puts on the crossface with the bar of the chair. Castagnoli pulls Moxley to the floor so Copeland grabs the mic. After it doesn’t work to start, Copeland says that Rated FTR are coming for everything to end the show. I’m not buying Copeland as the big savior, but at least it’s a fresh match with an A list star.

Overall Rating: B+. I’m kind of split on this show, as the action was rather good (Ospreay put in two show stealing matches) and there was more than enough quality action to justify watching it. That being said, of the nine matches on the main card, the hero won precisely one match, with Ospreay winning the opener. Throw in no title changes or really anything significant happening as the result of a match (as in not counting Omega and Copeland returning) and this didn’t feel like the most eventful show. It’s definitely worth a look for Ospreay alone, but dang it feels like we’re waiting a long time on the really bit stuff to happen.

Results
Toni Storm b. Leila Grey – Small package
Jeff Jarrett b. QT Marshall – Stroke
Murder Machines/Action Andretti/Lio Rush b. Top Flight/Outrunners – Final Hour to Dante
Will Ospreay b. Kyle Fletcher – Styles Clash
Kazuchika Okada b. Ricochet – Rainmaker
Mariah May b. Thunder Rosa – Piledriver through a table
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Adam Cole – Heatseeker
Konosuke Takeshita b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Raging Fire
Mercedes Mone b. Kris Statlander – Arm trap cradle
Kazuchika Okada b. Will Ospreay – Rainmaker
Jon Moxley b. Orange Cassidy, Hangman Page and Jay White – Death Rider to White

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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 19, 2024
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the night before Final Battle and that probably means we’re going to be getting a bunch of matches added to the card. That should open up the door for some important stuff, but this show has a hit and miss track record. Hopefully the show makes me want to see Final Battle more than I do coming in so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Lee Johnson vs. Bishop Kaun

EJ Nduka and Toa Liona are here too. Johnson can’t do much with the power to start as Kaun easily powers him into the corner. Back up and Johnson picks up the pace, with a running dropkick sending Kaun outside. The dive connects but Kaun is smart enough to tie the leg up in the ropes to take over. After a random stomp on the arm, Kaun cranks on the leg and dragon screw whips it out of the corner.

The half crab sends Johnson over to the ropes so Kaun blasts him with a clothesline. The goo leg lets Johnson hit a basement superkick into an enziguri, setting up a standing moonsault for two. Kaun catches him on top for a superplex though and some knees to the ribs get two of his own. A double underhook is loaded up but Johnson reverses into a jackknife rollup for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C+. Standard speed vs. power match here with Johnson hanging in there against the rather strong Kaun. It makes Johnson 1-1 against the Gates of Agony an odds are it leads to a tag match at Final battle to give Nduka a showcase. That’s not a bad idea and it comes after a good enough match here.

Post match a fight is teased but Kaun whispers something to Liona, who backs down from Nduka.

Lee Moriarty is ready for anyone at Final Battle.

Leyla Hirsch and Red Velvet go face to face in the back and they’re ready to fight at Final Battle.

Lady Frost vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata shoves her down to start and they trade forearms, with Aminata getting the better of things. Frost gets in some kicks to drop Aminata and a standing moonsault gives her two. A fisherman’s suplex gives Frost two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Aminata kicks her in the face for two but Frost scores with a kick of her own. The handspring cannonball gives Frost two more but she misses a spinning kick to the head. Aminata ties her up in something like an Octopus with the legs wrapped up for the tap at 6:44.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of a match between two people who have nothing going on. They’re both just kind of there and having decent matches without moving up the ladder. The match was ok enough but neither of them are going anywhere and it’s hard to get interested in whatever they’re doing here.

The Righteous go to Dustin Rhodes’ wrestling school and jump him (as he’s vacuuming the ring). They choke him out and bust him open before calling Sammy Guevara to promise more at Final Battle.

Murder Machines vs. Iron Savages

Don Callis and Jacked Jameson are here too. Cage and Boulder trade shoulders to start until Cage snaps off a suplex. Bronson comes in and Archer crossbodies him down without much trouble. A crossbody out of the corner gets Boulder out of trouble and a double chokeslam drops Archer. The Beefcake Bomb gets two but Cage is back in for the save. Archer’s splash gets two more and everything breaks down. The chokeslam/powerbomb combination finishes Bronson at 5:23.

Rating: C. Archer and Cage are a fine power team but my goodness I never need to see the Savages again. They’re the whipping boys of ROH/AEW and just hearing their music makes me want to fast forward. The Machines beat them up well enough here but it’s another case of “here’s a match to remind you that the winners are in fact still here”.

QT Marshall is late to a face to face meeting with Jay Lethal. They bicker about Lethal wanting to get back to the top of ROH while Marshall has to deal with a neck injury. Lethal was in the match where Marshall got hurt but it wasn’t his fault. Marshall hits him in the face. Why in the world is Jay Lethal vs. QT Marshall getting roughly 10x the build that the main event is getting?

From Final battle 2023 and from a previous review:

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Billie Starkz

Athena, the hometown star with a broken nose, is defending. Starkz knocks her fast into the corner and they fight out to the floor. Athena sends Starkz face first into the barricade a few times, with Starkz coming up bleeding. Back in and Athena keeps up the beating, including a neck crank as the blood continues to flow. Starkz gets sent to the floor as this has been much more of a brawl than a match so far.

Athena cuts off a comeback attempt but Starkz fights out of the Tree of Woe and suplexes her into the corner. They both mix kicks to the face before Starkz grabs a dragon suplex. Starkz spears her down and pulls off the mask, setting up some less than great looking forearms. The Swanton connects for two so Athena goes outside, with Starkz hitting a suicide dive into the barricade.

Athena gets in a shot of her own and loads up the announcers’ table but Starkz suplexes her down to the floor. A fireman’s carry is escaped and Starkz pulls her down by the hair. They fight onto the barricade again and it’s a reverse Sling Blade to send Starkz face first onto the floor. It’s time to really try something new so they head back inside for a top rope German superplex for two on Starkz. Back up and the ref gets bumped so Athena asks guest ring announcer (and head Minion) Lexi Nair to hand her the title.

Starkz dropkicks Athena into Nair and Starkz’s End gets two. Back up again and they fight to the apron, where Starkz hits an electric chair driver to knock Athena silly on the floor. The Swanton misses back inside and Athena punches her in the face for a double knockdown. Athena wins a slugout and hits Despicable Knee for two. They trade some rollups for two each until Athena ties her up in something like a modified Octopus hold for the tap to retain at 28:21.

Rating: B. I would bet that this had to be more of a brawl than a match due to the injury, as the style let Athena take a few long breaks in there. Other than that….my goodness who is left to take the title from Athena? This is the match that has been built up for months now and, again, Athena just retains. I’m not sure who in the world is supposed to take the title from her, but it might not be happening for a bit. It’s cool to see a milestone like the women headlining, but it would also be cool to see a heel lose a major title match around here.

Sidney Akeem vs. Serpentico

They fight over arm control to start and flip around a bit until Akeem is sent to the apron. Serpentico’s baseball slide misses and some spinning knees give Akeem two. Serpentico grabs a hurricanrana into a clothesline for two, followed by a double stomp for the same. Akeem sends him into the corner for a running clothesline into something like a Swerve Strickland House Call. Akeem’s top rope standing moonsault press gets two and they trade forearms. Back up and Akeem goes with a double backflip into a cutter for two more but Serpentico knocks him off the top. The Swanton finishes for Serpentico at 6:26.

Rating: C+. If you like flips and video game style matches, you’ll like this. There was very little here to be seen, as a lot of the stuff has been done to death around here. Neither of them has anything going on with the pay per view and this was little more than a way to extend this show, which feels like quite the bad idea on a long show before the biggest event of the year.

Respect is shown post match.

Billie Starkz/Athena vs. Missa Kate/Blair Onyx

Athena chops Starkz so she can start, with a German suplex dropping Kate. A kick to the head and hurricanrana out of the corner drop Onyx but Kate kicks Starkz in the face. Kate gets slammed onto Starkz for two before Athena comes in to throw Starkz at both of them. Starkz gets suplexed onto Onyx before Athena chokes her out for the win at 3:18.

Rating: C. There were some creative spots in there with Athena using Starkz as a weapon but my goodness it is hard for me to fathom that Starkz vs. Athena is the main event of Final Battle again. It feels ice cold compared to last year’s match and they are going to need a lot more than this to make me interested.

Post match Starkz steals the custom Athena title and rips her picture off. The fight is on with Athena beating her down.

Final Battle rundown.

Chris Jericho is in the back of a car and says that Matt Cardona is making a big mistake. We look at Jericho invading a GCW show and attacking Cardona. The summary of why this whole thing feels off: Jericho is wearing an AEW shirt rather than something from Ring Of Honor.

Video on Lee Moriarty.

Grizzled Young Veterans/Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Dark Order/Undisputed Kingdom

Gibson and Reynolds fight over a lockup to start and get nowhere. Reynolds takes him down and nips up, allowing Uno to come in. That means Moriarty comes in and takes over on the arm and a basement forearm connects for two. Back up and Uno sends Moriarty into a triple boot in the corner and it’s Bennett coming in for a Thesz press on Drake.

Taylor comes in for a chokeslam to Taven and the villains take over. Drake and Gibson take turns on Taven until he enziguris his way to freedom. Everything breaks down and it’s a parade of strikes until Taylor is low bridged to the floor. The Order and the Veterans brawl to the back, leaving Bennett to knock Taylor outside. Moriarty then rolls Bennett up for the pin (while grabbing the rope) at 10:12.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match but again, I’m not sure how this is the best way to wrap up a show before the biggest pay per view Ring Of Honor offers. The Veterans are just kind of there and Moriarty is a singles champion. That doesn’t exactly make me interested in seeing what Moriarty (the only one on the actual pay per view card) is going to do. As usual with a match like this, it was a lot of people running around until someone got a (cheating) win, which isn’t going to let anyone really stand out.

Overall Rating: C. Again, if this is supposed to make me want to watch Final Battle, they really didn’t do a good job. As usual, there is a bunch of stuff from people who have nothing to do with the bigger stories, or really any story, and it makes things a lot less interesting. Ring Of Honor’s biggest problem is there is too much content without the interesting stars to back it up and that was on full display here. Not a bad show on its own, but for a show designed to draw interest in Final battle, it didn’t work so well.

Results
Lee Johnson b. Bishop Kaun – Jackknife rollup
Queen Aminata b. Lady Frost – Leg tie Octopus
Murder Machines b. Iron Savages – Chokeslam/powerbomb combination to Bronson
Serpentico b. Sidney Akeem – Swanton
Billie Starkz/Athena b. Missa Kate/Blair Onyx – Choke to Onyx
Grizzled Young Veterans/Shane Taylor Promotions b. Dark Order/Undisputed Kingdom – Rollup with rope to Bennett

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Rampage
Date: December 20, 2024
Location: Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard, Ian Riccaboni

We’re on the second night of Holiday Bash and that should make for an interesting show. We’ll get some more of the Continental Classic, which only has a week left at this point and is starting to come into focus. Other than that, we are in for more of a build towards next weekend’s Worlds End so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone bring out the Don Callis Family for a chat. Don Callis, now in a hat, brags about the team being the 1%ers of the wrestling world and brags about their recent efforts. Kyle Fletcher claims biased refereeing cost him his most recent Continental Classic match and now it is time to take out Daniel Garcia. Callis is ready to see Powerhouse Hobbs taken out at Worlds End.

Powerhouse Hobbs/Mark Davis vs. Konosuke Takeshita/Brian Cage

Don Callis is on commentary. Takeshita has to escape from an early spinebuster attempt and Hobbs isn’t pleased. Cage comes in to ram into Hobbs, who takes over. Davis comes in for a double shoulder but Takeshita breaks up a double suplex attempt. Takeshita hammers on Hobbs in the corner and gets in a bite as we slow down a bit. A suplex gets Hobbs out of trouble and it’s back to Davis to drop Cage. The backsplash hits knees though and Takeshita grabs the Blue Thunder Bomb for two as we take a break.

Back with a double tag bringing in Hobbs and Takeshita with the former cleaning house. A running powerslam plants Cage and there’s another one to Takeshita, with Callis not being pleased. The spinebuster hits Takeshita but Cage shoves Davis onto the cover for the save. Cage grabs a pumphandle faceplant for two and they all get in to trade big strikes. Hobbs Cactus Clotheslines Cage to the floor, leaving Davis to hit a running forearm to Takeshita in the corner. Takeshita is back up with a knee though and Raging Fire finishes Davis at 12:27.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting match between four rather strong guys. Davis is still little more than a person who is there to fill in a spot but I’ll take him losing over someone with more value. Hobbs isn’t likely to win the title at Worlds End but I can go for seeing him getting a title shot to pay off his time in the Don Callis Family.

Willow Nightingale is fired up for Wrestle Dynasty. Kris Statlander comes in, almost sheepishly, and wishes her good luck.

Action Andretti/Lio Rush vs. Goldy/Myles Hawkins

Rush sends Goldy to the floor to start and Hawkins is kicked outside too. Back in and some strikes have Hawkins in trouble, setting up Andretti’s torture rack neckbreaker for the pin on Hawkins at 1:11.

Post match Private Party come out for the staredown but Top Flight makes the save.

Harley Cameron and Penelope Ford agree to watch each others’ backs, after some confusion over what is on Cameron’s back.

Willow Nightingale vs. Harley Cameron

Nightingale powers her down to start and grabs a belly to back suplex for an early two. Some corner clotheslines have Nightingale in more trouble and we take a break. Back with Nightingale missing a Cannonball, allowing Cameron to hit a Shining Wizard for two. Cameron reverses an electric chair into a victory roll for two but the Babe With The Powerbomb finishes her off at 6:45.

Rating: C. I really could go for less of Cameron losing. She has quite a few tools to be a star and the biggest of them all is that the fans care about her. That is a lot more than some stars can say and Cameron is starting to put things together in the ring to back it up. She shouldn’t be beating Nightingale or anything, but she doesn’t need to be losing as often either.

Post match Penelope Ford comes in for the save but Kris Statlander makes the save. Statlander leaves before any hugging can ensue.

Video on Thunder Rosa vs. Mariah May.

Jeff Jarrett teases doing something new in 2025.

Continental Classic Gold League: Brody King (3 points) vs. Komander (0 points)

Komander backs away to start, which is probably his best possible idea. Some strikes don’t do much to King, who drops Komander with a single shot. King slowly chops him around and hits some hard forearms to the side of the head. Back up and Komander’s very springboardy wristdrag is broken up with a chop and we take a break.

We come back with Komander still in trouble but managing something like an on the back abdominal stretch. A crucifix bomb sends King outside but he sends a diving Komander into the barricade. The running crossbody only hits barricade though and Komander is right there with a running flip dive to take King out again.

Back in and a heck of a sunset bomb sets up a 450 to give Komander two more. King misses a charge into the post and a double springboard moonsault to the floor drops him again. Cielito Lindo to the back has King in more trouble but he pulls Komander out of the air into a Ganso Bomb for the pin at 14:54.

Rating: B-. Komander has come a good way in the last few weeks and this was a good example. He was trying to bounce off a monster like King as well as he could and it went fairly well. As usual, King knows how to play a monster rather well and that was the case here. King gets a breather in the tournament and Komander continues to lose, which is just kind of expected at this point.

Gold League Standings

Darby Allin – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Ricochet – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Komander – 0 points (1 match remaining)

Overall Rating: B. Rampage really has found something of a rhythm but again the biggest aspect of the whole thing is that the show feels like it matters. That is a lot more than I would have expected after such a long time of not much going on around here and it is nice to see. Good show this week and it would be nice to see it continue with what is likely the last show next week.

Results
Konosuke Takeshita/Brian Cage b. Powerhouse Hobbs/Mark Davis – Raging Fire to Davis
Action Andretti/Lio Rush b. Goldy/Myles Hawkins – Torture rack neckbreaker to Hawkins
Willow Nightingale b. Harley Cameron – The Babe With The Powerbomb
Brody King b. Komander – Ganso Bomb

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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Collision
Date: December 14, 2024
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

The road to Worlds End continues and that means we are going to be seeing more of the Continental Classic. Odds are that means some good action and if the trend continues, it will be more than enough to carry the show. The rest of the pay per view could use some attention as well so hopefully this show finds a good balance. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Claudio Castagnoli attacking Will Ospreay on Dynamite with Darby Allin making the save.

Allin asks Ospreay to help him fight the Death Riders but Ospreay is more focused on the Continental Classic. After it’s over, we’ll see.

The people involved in tonight’s Continental Classic matches are ready.

International Women’s Cup Qualifying Match: Willow Nightingale vs. Jamie Hayter

They go technical to start with neither getting very far. Hayter’s running shoulder doesn’t get her very far so Nightingale runs her over with a shoulder. Neither of them can get a backslide so they chop/slug it out instead to fire things up a bit. They go to the apron where Hayter gets in a DDT but Nightingale is right back up with a cannonball off said apron.

We take a break and come back with Hayter grabbing a superplex, followed by a basement lariat for two. Back up and they trade clotheslines for no impact so they trade big boots for a double knockdown. Nightingale’s torture rack backbreaker sets up a Lionsault (and a good one at that) for two. Hayter is back up with an Irish Curse for two but Nightingale muscles her up with the Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: B. These two were beating the fire out of each other and that’s what you want from a hoss fight like this one. It’s nice to see Nightingale get a win, but at the same time I’m not sure if I would have had Hayter lose here. It’s a case where Nightingale could have beaten just about anyone to get this spot but Hayter takes the loss. Anyway, rather good match with two hard hitters.

Respect is shown post match. Nightingale leaves and here is Julia Hart to take Hayter out.

Video on the Continental Classic.

Continental Classic Blue League: Kazuchika Okada (4 points) vs. The Beast Mortos (0 points)

Non-title. Okada takes him up against the ropes to start and slaps him on the chest before Mortos hits a hard running shoulder. The snap powerslam out of the plants Okada and Mortos sends him outside, setting up the big flip dive. Mortos misses a charge into the steps though and we take a break.

Back with Mortos hitting the reverse Sling Blade as the fans certainly seem to approve. A trio of backbreakers give Mortos two but Okada is right back with a flapjack. They strike it out until Mortos hits a headbutt for the double knockdown. Okada is back up with a slam into the top rope elbow but the Rainmaker is countered into a discus lariat. Mortos’ Samoan drop gets two but he misses a twisting Swanton. Back up and Okada hits the dropkick and the Rainmaker finishes Mortos at 12:42.

Rating: B-. At this point, I’m just hoping Mortos gets a win for the sake of not squandering the reactions he’s receiving. I get that you can’t have him beat Okada (certainly after Okada just lost) but Mortos needs to do more than squash a jobber on Rampage. The match was pretty good with Okada being able to have a passable match in his sleep, but it felt more like a countdown to the Rainmaker more than anything else.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 4 points (2 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

We look at Toni Storm returning on Dynamite, now without being Timeless.

Toni Storm vs. Shazza McKenzie

Storm shoulders her down to start and grabs a backbreaker but McKenzie gets two off a backslide. A German suplex drops McKenzie though and a running hip attack in the corner sets up Storm Zero for the quick pin.

Post match Storm officially declares herself All Elite. They wouldn’t do like, an amnesia deal….right?

Mariah May is ready to do whatever she has to do to keep the title, including to Thunder Rosa.

Thunder Rosa is ready for Mariah May anytime, but Toni Storm comes in to introduce herself. And she’s excited to meet Tony Schiavone. With that out of the way, Rosa issues the challenge for Worlds End in a street fight. More importantly though, yes they really do seem to be going with “she has amnesia.

Video on Darby Allin vs. Will Ospreay next week on Dynamite.

Top Flight vs. Action Andretti/Lio Rush

For a Tag Team Title shot and Leila Grey is here with Top Flight. Dante and Rush start things off with Dante grabbing an early rollup for two. Darius and Andretti come in for an exchange of rollups before Darius sends Rush into the corner. Everything breaks down and Top Flight are kicked out to the floor and we take a break.

Back with a rather choreographed sequence of flips and counters until Darius DDTs Rush for two. A double suplex gets two on Darius and Rush’s dodging sets up a clothesline to Dante. Some dives to the floor take Grey out and everyone is worried. Back in and the Final Hour into the springboard 450 pins Darius at 10:45.

Rating: B-. It was a fun match, though you might not care for the sequences that felt like they were carefully planned out backstage. At the same time, it’s hard to fathom that Rush and Andretti are getting a title shot when AEW has this may other teams who haven’t gotten a shot on a major stage. Like Top Flight.

Kris Statlander vs. Tootie Lynn

They trade kicks to start until Statlander grabs a rather delayed suplex for two. A hurricanrana out of the corner puts Statlander down but a clothesline into Staturday Night Fever finishes Lynn at 1:50.

Dustin Rhodes is ready to beat up the Righteous at Final Battle. He doesn’t mention his partner.

Outrunners/Orange Cassidy/Daniel Garcia/Komander vs. Premiere Athletes/MxM Collection

Woods takes Garcia up to the apron to start and mocks his dancing, which can’t be a good idea. Garcia takes him down for the cradle, setting up the real dancing. Cassidy comes in to stomp on Nese, who blocks the Stundog Millionaire. The Collection comes in to take Komander down and strike a pose as we take a break. Back with Komander getting powerbombed as everything breaks down. Garcia gets in a shot on the floor and Komander hits the rope run flip dive. The Orange Punch finishes Woods at 8:49.

Rating: C+. Well that happened. It had ten people involved with a good chunk of the match spent during the break. You can only get so far on a match like that, especially with that many people involved. I’m not sure why Cassidy was involved here but the fans liked him so this could have been worse.

Don Callis wants revenge on Mark Davis and Powerhouse Hobbs. That’s why it’s Hobbs vs. Konosuke Takeshita at Worlds End.

Continental Classic Blue League: Mark Briscoe (3 points) vs. Kyle Fletcher (9 points)

They take their time to start and Fletcher goes outside for an early breather. Back in and Fletcher takes him down into a headlock before a hard stomp wakes Briscoe up. Briscoe fights to his feet and knocks him to the floor for some running flip dives. Fletcher is back in to kick Briscoe outside but Briscoe is right back up for the apron Blockbuster.

A backdrop on the floor gets Fletcher out of trouble and he hits a running dive over the barricade to drop Briscoe again. Briscoe drops him right back though and we take a break. Back with Briscoe hammering away and grabbing a high collar suplex, followed by a fisherman’s buster for two. A clothesline into a basement clothesline has Fletcher down but he avoids the Froggy Bow.

Fletcher gets two off a Michinoku driver but Briscoe slips out of a powerbomb and they strike it out. The Cutthroat Driver is blocked, only for Fletcher to get caught using the ropes on a rollup. Back up and Briscoe catches him in the corner for the Cutthroat Driver, setting up a Froggy Bow to a standing Fletcher on the floor. The regular Froggy Bow gets two back inside and after blocking a low blow, the Jay Driller finishes Fletcher at 19:44.

Rating: B. They were teasing the time limit running out near the end and it made for some nice drama. Briscoe winning is a surprise, especially over Fletcher, who has been on the biggest roll so far in the tournament. For now though, it gives Briscoe some much needed life and that could make things a bit more interesting for the last week.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 4 points (2 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

The Death Riders jump and kidnap FTR.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual, it’s a perfectly good show which would have been that much better if they cut it down to an hour or just past an hour. Throw in Storm seemingly having amnesia and the kind of weird choice for new #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles and there were a few odd choices here. In other words, it was all about the Continental Classic and that helped things out more than anything else.

Results
Willow Nightingale b. Jamie Hayter – Babe With The Powerbomb
Kazuchika Okada b. The Beast Mortos – Rainmaker
Toni Storm b. Shazza McKenzie – Storm Zero
Action Andretti/Lio Rush b. Top Flight – Springboard 450 to Darius
Outrunners/Orange Cassidy/Daniel Garcia/Komander b. Premiere Athletes/MxM Collection – Orange Punch to Woods
Mark Briscoe b. Kyle Fletcher – Jay Driller

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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Collision
Date: December 7, 2024
Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

As has been the case for the last few shows, we’re in for a big focus on the Continental Classic. That should be enough to carry a lot of the show, but we are also three weeks away from Worlds End and that show is going to need some build of its own. Odds are we get some of that here so let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the Continental Classic.

Continental Classic Gold League: Darby Allin (0 points) vs. Komander (0 points)

Komander armdrags him out of the corner to start but gets reversed into a headlock. A rollup gives Allin two and he slows things down with a chinlock. Komander gets up and walks the ropes before springboarding off of them, only for his armdrag to be blocked. Allin gets sent to the floor though and a big dive takes him down. Back in and a phoenix splash gives Komander two, setting up a nice superkick to the floor. Allin fights back and puts him in a chair, only for the running flip dive to only hit said chair.

We take a break and come back with Allin hitting a Code Red for two and they’re both down. Allin goes up but gets super Spanish Flied back down. With the high flying not working, Allin goes with a more violent back rake instead, setting up a Coffin Drop with Komander draped over the top. Komander is right back with a poisonrana on the apron but Cielito Lindo takes too long. That’s enough for Allin to tie up the legs for a rollup and the pin at 13:11.

Rating: B-. Well, they ha to get Allin on the board and who better than Komander to take the loss? At the end of the day, Komander is mainly there to make others look good and he is doing a nice job of doing so. Allin needs to make a run in this thing, as once it’s over, there is a good chance he is getting into the World Title picture again.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Ricochet – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Komander – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita are interrupted by Powerhouse Hobbs. He gets straight to the point by saying he wants an International Title match. Callis says Hobbs deserves a shot but he’ll get back to him later.

International Women’s Cup Qualifier Tournament Semifinals: Willow Nightingale vs. Serena Deeb

Deeb goes after the arm to start and takes her down, only to get run over with a shoulder. They trade rollups for two each until Nightingale gets a fisherman’s suplex for two. Deeb sends her outside in a heap though and we take a break. Back with Nightingale hitting some clotheslines but the Babe With The Powerbomb is blocked. A hammerlock lariat gives Deeb two but the Deebtox is blocked as well. Nightingale misses a Cannonball and the Deebtox connects to give two. That just earns Deeb the Pounce and the Babe With The Powerbomb finishes for Nightingale at 10:04.

Rating: C+. I still have no idea why this needs to be a tournament but at least they’re getting to the point fairly quickly. Nightingale getting a win here could help send her on to Japan but Jamie Hayter is a tough out in the finals. For now though, nice match, as Deeb can make anyone look good out there and it’s not like Nightingale needs that much help.

Thunder Rosa wants the next Women’s Title match and reads some insults about Mariah May off a piece of paper.

We look at Jay White, Orange Cassidy and Hangman Page beating up Jon Moxley with Christian Cage hovering around.

Here are the Death Riders for a chat. Jon Moxley talks about how no one in this building wants to be AEW World Champion. Some people might think they do, but the responsibilities would crush them. People like Jay White wants to be champion but doesn’t get what it takes. Hangman Page will crush himself before he gets close to another title reign.

Then we have Orange Cassidy, who has already come up short. Cue Cassidy to say he can live without ever being champion but he can’t live with Moxley being champion. The only way Moxley can stop him is to kill him and Cassidy takes his jacket off. The beatdown is quickly on and Cassidy is carried to the back as we take a break. Well at least they only beat up one person this week.

FTR talks about how they’re going to fight for hurricane relief in Asheville, North Carolina…but we cut over to the Death Riders attempting to spray some kind of cleaning fluid in Orange Cassidy’s mouth. FTR makes the save but things don’t get violent. FTR getting involved in this is at least something fresh so I can go for this.

Continental Classic Blue League: Kyle Fletcher (6 points) vs. Kazuchika Okada (4 points)

Non-title. Fletcher works on the arm to start and snapmares him into a chinlock. The fans aren’t pleased, as we are somehow seeing Okada as the crowd favorite. Fletcher grinds away on a headlock, with McGuinness saying he’s won a bunch of matches with a headlock. McGuinness: “One guy gave up during the instructions.” Eh funnier when Bobby Heenan said it thirty five years ago.

Okada fights up and they head to the floor for a DDT to Fletcher. Back in and Fletcher hits a hanging DDT (as the Randy Orton comparisons continue) to send us to a break. We come back with Okada fighting out of a chinlock but Fletcher knees him down. Okada is back with a kick to the head and a quickly broken cobra clutch. Instead Okada settles for a flapjack and the air raid crash onto the knee.

The top rope elbow and the dropkick sends Fletcher to the floor. The Tombstone on the floor is countered into a half and half suplex, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two on Okada back inside. A non-wind up Rainmaker connects but the regular version is cut off by a superkick. The referee almost gets bumped in the corner and it’s a low blow into the brainbuster to give Fletcher the win at 16:58.

Rating: B. The ending might seem a bit lame but you don’t want Okada to lose a clean fall. At the same time, like him or not, they are trying with Fletcher and that is a good thing. AEW needs some fresh stars and if they think Fletcher can be the guy, points for trying to push him as such. The best way to make that happen is with a string of wins and he’s certainly putting those together.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 4 points (3 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 4 points (2 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

There will be a special on-sale event for All In Texas this Monday.

Winter Is Coming is coming.

The Beast Mortos vs. Aaron Solo

Mortos jumps him, shrugs off a kick to the head, hits a powerbomb backbreaker and finishes with a discus lariat at 58 seconds.

Top Flight, with Leila Grey, isn’t happy with Lio Rush and Action Andretti in the tag team battle royal. Rush says it’s time for he and Andretti to go after the Tag Team Titles because Top Flight keeps losing. It’s time to settle this in the ring.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Emi Sakura

Sakura jumps her to start and hits some chops against the ropes. Shirakawa fights up and takes her down for some kicks but has to slip away. That means a bit of dancing, which only annoys Sakura. A bite to the hand has Shirakawa down and we take an early break. Back with Shirakawa fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a springboard kick to the face for two.

The Glamorous Driver is broken up so Sakura is back up with a rather delayed butterfly backbreaker as Thunder Rosa is watching from ringside. Sakura is back with a middle rope sling blade for two before diving over the referee to hit a splash. A top rope Sling Blade finishes Sakura at 9:51.

Rating: B-. That’s all it should have been as Shirakawa is coming up on the Women’s Title shot and needs a win to make her feel more important. That’s exactly what she got here and it was a good enough match all around. I’m not sure if she wins the title, but Toni Storm is likely going to be back soon and that is going to be a problem for Mariah May, which could cost her said title.

Video on Mariah May vs. Mina Shirakawa, complete with a history of their time in Japan and the triangle involving Toni Storm.

Mark Briscoe says he’s ready to beat Daniel Garcia “tomorrow” on Collision. Garcia wants Briscoe to bring it “tomorrow”.

Continental Classic Blue League: Mark Briscoe (0 points) vs. Daniel Garcia (4 points)

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with Garcia mocking red neck kung fu and grabbing a rollup for an early two. Garcia powers him into the corner and a rub to the face doesn’t sit well with Briscoe. A dropkick to the floor sets up a big flip dive through the ropes to take Garcia down for a change.

Back up and Garcia’s choke over the ropes sends Briscoe back to the floor, where Briscoe kicks him up against the barricade. Garcia hammers away as well and, after a dance, hits a running dropkick as we take a break. Back with Briscoe hammering away but not being able to superplex him out to the floor. They forearm it out and seem to be rather pleased, just like the crowd.

Briscoe gets the better of things and sends him to the floor for the Bang Bang Elbow. A fisherman’s buster gives Briscoe two but the Froggy Bow is reversed into a top rope superplex into a piledriver. Briscoe breaks up another superplex though and hits the Froggy Bow for two of his own. With nothing else working, Briscoe busts out the Cutthroat Driver (close to a Burning Hammer) for the pin at 17:04.

Rating: B. this is the problem with having a fellow champion in a tournament like this, as he just lost clean to Briscoe. In theory that should set Briscoe up as the #1 contender, but it might take a few weeks before we can get to that match. At the same time, Garcia probably shouldn’t be losing so soon after he won the title in the first place and hopefully this doesn’t damage him too much.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 4 points (2 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 4 points (2 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Another good week of Classic action, slightly annoying result in the main event aside. I like what they’ve been doing with the tournament, but at some point it’s going to end and AEW needs to have something good to take up the slack. The rest of the show was ok enough, with the Death Riders stuff thankfully being limited to just one segment. As usual, AEW is at its best when the wrestling carries things and that was the case again here.

Results
Darby Allin b. Komander – Rollup
Willow Nightingale b. Serena Deeb – The Babe With The Powerbomb
Kyle Fletcher b. Kazuchika Okada – Brainbuster
The Beast Mortos b. Aaron Solo – Discus lariat
Mina Shirakawa b. Emi Sakura – Top rope Sling Blade
Mark Briscoe b. Daniel Garcia – Cutthroat Driver

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: December 4, 2024
Location: Fishers Events Center, Fishers, Indiana
Commentators: Excalibur, Matt Menard, Tony Schiavone

We’re on the road to Worlds End and that means we’ll be having another show focused on the Continental Classic. Other than that, we’re going to need to start putting together the pay per view card. That is likely going to have a big focus on the Death Riders, which is still the big focus of the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of week one of the Continental Classic.

Continental Classic Blue League: Shelton Benjamin (3 points) vs. Kyle Fletcher (3 points)

Don Callis is on commentary. Benjamin takes him into the corner to start as Excalibur rapid fires off their history in round robin tournaments. Fletcher is drive into the corner and then bails out to the floor as they’re still waiting to really get going here. They take turns lounging on the ropes before Benjamin gets in a slap to the back. A Cactus Clothesline takes them both to the floor and we take a break.

Back with an exchange of forearms until they head outside, with Fletcher being sent into the steps. Fletcher is right back with a running clothesline and a Michinoku Driver for two. Benjamin hits the Dragon Whip into a powerbomb and something like an STF sends Fletcher to the ropes. Back up and Fletcher drops him again, setting up a top rope elbow for two. Some German suplex rock Fletcher and have the fans rather excited but he grabs a rollup, and the rope, for the pin at 15:47.

Rating: B. This was starting to rock near the end and the fans were way into it by the time they were wrapping it up. The ending felt a bit disappointing but I’ll take what we got over Benjamin doing a clean job. Heck of a show here, with the two of them both working hard and doing the kind of match that feels like it belongs in a tournament like this.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 1 point (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 1 point (4 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Juice Robinson is out of the tournament due to injury and will be replaced by Komander. Because of course it’s Komander.

Here is Hook for a chat. He’s heard Nick Wayne’s challenge for a few weeks but he wants to fight Christian Cage in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York instead. Cue the Patriarchy and the beatdown is on, with a Conchairto crushing Hook’s hand/wrist.

Mercedes Mone doesn’t care about Mercedes Mone, but she’ll be paying attention to Anna Jay’s match.

MVP is disappointed in Shelton Benjamin, who beats up a production worker to blow off some steam.

Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal

Adam Cole, Mark Davis, Rocky Romero, Kyle O’Reilly, Dante Martin, Darius Martin, Lance Archer, Evil Uno, Lio Rush, The Butcher, Action Andretti, Brian Cage

The final two will face off next week and the winner of that faces MJF for the Dynamite Diamond Ring at Worlds End. Uno does Cole’s pose to start and is kicked out by Davis for the first elimination. A bunch of people go after Archer before Rush and Andretti take out Top Flight (on purpose) to clear out part of the ring.

Cage and Archer get rid of Davis and we take a break. Back with Andretti being kicked out with Rush being knocked out as well. Romero is sent out as well and Cole eliminates Butcher, leaving us with Cole, O’Reilly, Cage and Archer. The monsters are sent to the apron and then kicked out to give Cole and O’Reilly the win at 10:09.

Rating: C. They kept this relatively short and that is the right idea, as there was no reason for anyone but Cole and O’Reilly to move forward here. We’ll either see Cole or both of them face MJF at Worlds End, which should hopefully wrap up everything for good. The story is ready to wrap up and has been for a long time, but here we have the next step ready to set up the next step.

Post match O’Reilly leaves, shoving Cole a bit in the process.

Julia Hart is still hunting Jamie Hayter.

Billy Gunn and Anthony Bowens tell Max Cole to prove how good he is.

Swerve Strickland vs. Max Caster

Strickland cuts off the rap and sends him into the barricade a few times to start fast. They get inside and the bell rings with Swerve snapping off a German suplex. Caster’s dropkick is shrugged off and it’s the House Call to put him down. Another House Call finishes at 2:15. Total destruction.

Post match Swerve adds a Swerve Stomp.

MJF says all of this is Adam Cole’s fault, including Roderick Strong having a broken arm. He knows Cole can’t beat Kyle O’Reilly and we’ll see that next week.

Video on Pac vs. Jay White.

Pac vs. Jay White

Wheeler Yuta is here with Pac. An early distraction attempt doesn’t work as Pac is knocked to the floor, where he yells at Yuta in frustration. Back in and White hits a backdrop for two and another seconds Pac outside again. Yuta gets in a cheap shot though and Pac sends White into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with White suplexing him into the corner and grabbing a DDT for two. A double knockdown gives us a breather before Pac kicks him down again. The Black Arrow misses but the Blade Runner is blocked as well. White’s half and half suplex looks to set up the Blade Runner but Pac reverses into a standing Brutalizer. The rope is grabbed so Yuta gets in a running knee, which the referee somehow doesn’t see. Not that it matters as White is right back with the Blade Runner out of nowhere for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B-. This was starting to pick up near the end but it’s nice to see White getting another win. AEW needs something fresh so why not let White show what he can do? It wouldn’t stun me to see him getting the title shot against Jon Moxley at Worlds End, which isn’t a bad idea. It’s different, and that is nice to see around here.

Post match Yuta goes after White but gets taken out with the Blade Runner. Cue the rest of the Death Riders to take White out but Hangman Page shows up….and Orange Cassidy jumps Moxley from behind. All three of them get together to lay Moxley out, with Christian Cage popping up with the contract.

Jamie Hayter doesn’t know what Julia Hart has against her but she’s ready to win the International Women’s Cup. For now, she’s willing to come find Hart though.

Chris Jericho is ready to defend the Ring Of Honor World Title at Final Battle. We’ll find out more about his challenger tomorrow night on Ring Of Honor.

We get an old west themed video, talking about how someone is coming back but the sheriff is scared. The wanted poster shows that Bandido is on his way back. Cool.

Video on Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford.

Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford

They shove each other to start until Jay hits a running forearm. Ford is back with a knock out to the floor, with some knees keeping Jay in trouble. We take a break and come back with Ford hitting a handspring elbow in the corner but Jay crotches her on top. A basement Blockbuster gives Jay two but the Queenslayer is countered into a Stunner for two. The Muta Lock sends Jay over to the ropes and she’s right back up with the Gory Bomb for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C+. Jay wins again and seems to be coming up on a feud with Mercedes Mone, but it isn’t going to matter if Jay loses yet another high profile math. As for this, Ford was her usual decent self, so the match could have been far worse. They did something by showing their history here, but thankfully it wasn’t presented as anything overly important.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes out to laugh off the idea of Anna Jay being a threat to the title. Jay can come back when she has done something in wrestling, so Jay slaps her, sending Mone scrambling.

We get a sitdown interview with Mariah May, who doesn’t think much of Renee Paquette. May wants Mina Shirakawa to do something other than shake her chest, so here is Mina to hand her the champagne bottle. Mina says do it to her face, which has May a bit shaken.

Continental Classic Gold League: Brody King vs. Claudio Castagnoli

They strike it out to start with King getting the better of things but Castagnoli goes after the arm. Castagnoli sends him into the corner and wraps the arm around around the post as we take a break. Back with Castagnoli going after the arm again to cut off a comeback bid. Swiss Death and the Death Valley Driver get two each but King is back with a hard clothesline.

A running splash in the corner drops Castagnoli again for two and King plants him with a top rope superplex. The piledriver gives King two and Castagnoli bails out to the floor. King follows by gets sent over the barricade and has to beat the count. Back in and King hits a lariat but can’t get the Ganso Bomb. Instead Castagnoli kicks him low and the Neutralizer finishes King at 14:18.

Rating: B. This was two big, strong guys beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up any more. That’s a good way to go and it worked well here, with King getting in his big shots before falling in the end. It was a good match and it’s nice to see Castagnoli getting a win in a featured spot.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Ricochet – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Komander – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B. As usual, the tournament makes the show a good bit easier to watch as you’re guaranteed a nice bit of content focusing on the in-ring side. Other than that, it looks like we might be coming up on a four way match for the World Title at Worlds End. Some of the pay per view card started coming together here and that’s a good sign with just a few weeks to go. Nice stuff here, as the tournament is helping the company a lot.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Shelton Benjamin – Rollup while holding the rope
Adam Cage and Kyle O’Reilly won the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal last eliminating Brian Cage and Lance Archer,
Swerve Strickland b. Max Caster – House Call
Jay White b. Pac – Blade Runner
Anna Jay b. Penelope Ford – Gory Bomb
Claudio Castagnoli b. Brody King – Neutralizer

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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Collision
Date: November 30, 2024
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the first half of an AEW double shot this weekend, with Rampage set to follow. Thankfully this week is going to be focused on the Continental Classic, which all but guarantees that we have some good action. Other than that, we’re still dealing with the fallout from Full Gear so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Continental Classic Gold League: Will Ospreay vs. Juice Robinson

They take turns flipping away from each other until Ospreay snaps off a hurricanrana. A dropkick in the Tree of Woe takes Robinson down but the Octopus is blocked. Robinson’s backsplash hits knees but he drops Ospreay to slow things down again though. Another hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb to drop Ospreay and we take a break.

Back with Ospreay hitting a forearm to the floor and adding a slingshot dive. A standing corkscrew splash gives Ospreay two more but Robinson is back up with a leg lariat. Ospreay manages a Stundog Millionaire but walks into a left hand for two. A question mark kick into the Styles Clash gives Ospreay two more and the Hidden Blade finishes Robinson at 12:35.

Rating: B. Robinson got a chance to showcase his abilities here, which he doesn’t get to do on his own very often. That’s kind of a shame too as he’s rather good at this kind of match. On the other hand, Ospreay needed a win after his clean loss to Kyle Fletcher, which still doesn’t make a ton of sense but here we are anyway. Good opener here.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Will Osprey – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Ricochet – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Juice Robinson – 0 points (4 matches remaining

Mariah May says she and Mina Shirakawa are closer than ever because Mina loves America and wants to be champion. If that’s what she wants, come take the title. Mina can bleed and cry, but she can’t say May didn’t love her.

MxM Collection/Johnny TV vs. Private Party/Mistico

Mistico runs the ropes to start and snaps off a hurricanrana into the La Mistica faceplant to TV. Private Party comes in to double team Mansoor down but it’s back to TV to stomp away. Mansoor and TV tie up Quen’s legs for Madden’s running kick, which Nigel finds rather amusing. Quen flips out of a belly to back suplex and rolls over for the much needed tag to Kassidy.

Everything breaks down and Kassidy hits a big running flip dive to take out TV on the floor. Back in and Kassidy misses a Swanton as everything breaks down. Madden plants Quen for two but the Centerfold is broken up. TV gets crotched on top and Mistico hits a dive, leaving Private Party to hit Gin & Juice for the pin on TV at 8:18.

Rating: B-. This was the fast paced match you were probably expecting, though it continues the tradition of AEW not doing much to advertise Mistico. He’s one of the biggest stars in the world but you would never know it given that he gets all of three days’ notice for these appearances. As usual, the match went well and everyone was getting to do their thing, though it’s kind of an odd pairing of good guys.

Anna Jay talks about her career going up and down but she lost everything against Mariah May. There are other titles though and she can take the big swing. Maybe it’s time to try someone else.

Continental Classic Blue League: Kyle Fletcher vs. The Beast Mortos

Don Callis is on commentary. They trade shoulders to start until Mortos hits a hard clothesline to put him down. A monkey flip and a powerslam give Mortos two but Fletcher puts him on top for a big right hand to the floor. We take a break and come back with the Michinoku Driver giving Fletcher two but Mortos hits a running flipping DDT. The big corkscrew dive to the floor takes Fletcher down again, only to have him avoid a moonsault back inside. Mortos gets creative with a top rope crucifix driver but Fletcher forearms him in the face. A hard clothesline drops Mortos and a brainbuster finishes for Fletcher at 9:53.

Rating: B. These two beat the fire out of each other and while it seems that we are on the way to Ospreay vs. Fletcher II in a major tournament match, Fletcher needs some more wins to get ready for something that big. That means beating Mortos for a start, though that isn’t exactly the most unique accomplishment. For now though, it’s a nice first step as Fletcher’s push continues.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

We recap Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole entering the battle royal to get a chance at MJF

The Undisputed Kingdom ask O’Reilly to respect them and let them finish this. O’Reilly says he respects the plan, which they don’t understand.

We look back at Konosuke Takeshita retaining the International Title against Ricochet at Full Gear.

Don Callis is proud of Takeshita, but he’s even more excited about the coming year.

Outrunners vs. Iron Savages

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages. Boulder throws Magnum into the corner to start and the Savages mock the Outrunners spin. A corner splash sets up some hip thrusting but Bronson slips off the middle rope. Floyd comes in for a big wind up punch and a slam to Bronson. An assisted slam puts Boulder down and Total Recall finishes Bronson at 2:57. Exactly what it should have been, maybe without the Savages.

Post match here is FTR

Max Caster, with his ripped jacket, wants Swerve Strickland at Dynamite. As the leader of the Acclaimed, he gave the rest of the team the week off after Bowens lost at Full Gear.

Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta

Page easily takes him down to start and Yuta rethinks things a bit. A slam puts Yuta down again and Page rams him into the corner over and over. They go to the floor where Yuta is dropped face first onto the apron and a toss into the barricade has him in more trouble. Back in and a springboard clothesline misses for Page, allowing Yuta to take out the leg. Some twisting of the leg has Page in more trouble as commentary talks about this being “classic Death Rider strategy.” Thankfully Nigel goes with what “work on a limb” is by dubbing it “wrestling 101”.

We take a break and come back with Page throwing him off the top and kneeing Yuta out to the floor. Yuta is sent into the barricade a few times, followed by a Death Valley Driver for two back inside. Cue the Death Riders through the crowd and the distraction lets Yuta get two off a small package. The Buckshot Lariat doesn’t work due to the knee but the seatbelt only gives Yuta two. The Deadeye finishes for Page at 12:11.

Rating: B-. I can go for Page getting back into the main event scene, though it makes his losses to Jay White all the odder of a choice. Other than that, he’s going to need some help and as long as that isn’t in the form of the Elite, it could be interesting. For now though, more Page is a good thing, though he wasn’t quite as insane here.

Post match Page glares at the Death Riders and wraps a chair around Yuta. Cue Jay White to give Yuta a Blade Runner and say he’s coming for the World Title.

Thunder Rosa plugs tonight’s lucha libre Rampage and suggests she wants the Women’s Title match at Winter Is Coming.

Christopher Daniels talks to Hangman Page and tells him to be the man that AEW needs. Page doesn’t want to hear it from an old man like Daniels.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Leila Grey

Grey grabs a headlock to start but Shirakawa is quickly out for some dancing. They slug it out until Shirakawa kicks her in the face. A running clothesline gives Shirakawa two and a spinning backfist gets the same. The Glamorous Driver is broken up but the second attempt finishes for Shirakawa at 3:23.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point as it should have been as there was no reason to have someone of Grey’s status giving Shirakawa a real run for her money. Grey has improved a lot but she was in over her head here. Shirakawa is ready for the Women’s Title shot against Mariah May and she needed to win here.

Willow Nightingale is ready to put in the work and win the Women’s International Cup at Wrestle Dynasty.

Continental Classic Blue League: Kazuchika Okada vs. Daniel Garcia

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with Garcia’s running shoulder not having much effect. An exchange of rollups wakes Garcia up and he knocks Okada outside as we take an early break. Back with Okada missing a backsplash and a slingshot hilo but Garcia has to fight out of a cobra clutch.

Some running clotheslines in the corner connect for Garcia and he grabs a sleeper. The running kick to the chest (ala Katsuyori Shibata) gets two and they head outside with Okada being sent into the barricade. The running dropkick (with double middle fingers) hits Okada but he suckers the referee in, allowing a chair shot to Garcia.

We take another break and come back again with Garcia hitting a superplex for a delayed two. Okada is back up with an Air Raid Crash onto the knee for two but Okada spends too much time posing and gets his ankle locked. That’s broken up and Garcia fires off the chops until a double knockdown gives them a breather. The Rainmaker is loaded up but Garcia reverses into the Sharpshooter. The hold stays on for over a minute and the time limit expires at 20:00.

Rating: B. It was long, but it never really came close to that next level. Okada has only gotten into that higher gear a few times in AEW and he didn’t do it again here. That being said, I was worried about how this match was going to go as neither of them should be taking a fall, especially Garcia. The draw was the right way to go and thankfully they didn’t do anything insane here.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 1 point (4 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 1 point (4 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Okada flips him off and leaves rather than shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Two hours of solid action with results that actually matter and some storylines being advanced. You don’t get that kind of a show very often and I will absolutely take it over some of the things AEW has been doing lately. The tournament stuff helps these shows a lot and that was on display here, as things instantly felt more important. I’m not sure how long that is going to last, but I’ll take it even as a one off show.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Juice Robinson – Hidden Blade
Mistico/Private Party b. Johnny TV/MxM Collection – Gin & Juice to TV
Kyle Fletcher b. The Beast Mortos – Brainbuster
Outrunners b. Iron Savages – Total Recall to Bronson
Hangman Page b. Wheeler Yuta – Deadeye
Mina Shirakawa b. Leila Grey – Glamorous Driver

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: November 27, 2024
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with Full Gear and it is time to start the Continental Classic. The tournament was one of the bigger hits of last year and there is a good chance that they can continue it this year. Other than that, Darby Allin seems to be next in line for the World Title shot, which is certainly an interesting choice after how Allin has done lately. Let’s get to it.

Here is Full Gear if you need a recap.

Long Full Gear recap.

We get a quick Continental Classic preview, with some entrants saying they’ll win. Quick look at the rules:

• 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss

• Round Robin format, meaning it’s not single elimination.

• 20 minute time limits, no one allowed at ringside.

• The winner of the Blue League will face the runner up of the Gold League and vice versa at Worlds End, with winners of those matches facing off the same night to crown a winner.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate for a chat. MVP compares Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin to Michael Jordan and Walter Payton, but anyone who turns down the Hurt Syndicate isn’t all that bright. Like Swerve Strickland, and we see a clip of Lashley taking Strickland out at Full Gear.

Continental Classic Blue League: Mark Briscoe vs. Shelton Benjamin

Briscoe starts fast and knees him out to the floor but Benjamin is back up with some whips into various things. Back up and Briscoe hits a running flip dive, only for Benjamin to run the corner for a superplex. We take a break and come back with Benjamin forearming away in the corner.

That just fires Briscoe up and he knocks Benjamin down for the Froggy Bow, which hurts himself in the process. Another Froggy Bow only hits raised knees though and Benjamin snaps off some release German suplexes. A Jay Driller attempt is countered and the Dragon Whip into a superkick gives Benjamin two. The exploder finishes Briscoe clean at 11:11.

Rating: B-. Good, back and forth match here, though I’m a bit surprised that Briscoe just lost clean. You don’t see that happen very often and it’s a nice win for Benjamin, who is still new around here. Briscoe is probably going to be getting back into the Ring Of Honor World Title picture though and this didn’t really help him.

Blue League Standings

Shelton Benjamin – 3 Points (4 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Kyle Fletcher – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 Points (4 matches remaining)

Here are Mercedes Mone and Kamille for a chat. Tony Schiavone praises Mone’s match with Kris Statlander, with Mone calling it money. She also suggests that Kamille isn’t that bright, which is enough for Kamille to quit. That’s certainly sudden, but I’d rather they just do it than drag things out.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Jericho is defending and Big Bill is on commentary. They start with the exchange of chops (get used to it) and after nearly three minutes of them, it heads out to the apron. Jericho gets in a DDT onto said apron to take over and they head back inside. An exchange of slaps to the face has Ishii taking over for a change and we take a break.

Back with Jericho hitting a superplex but Ishii pops up and slugs away. A German suplex drops Ishii but he blocks the Judas Effect with a clothesline to the back of the head. Jericho is back up with a Judas Effect into a Codebreaker for one but Ishii can’t stand. He can however counter the Walls attempt and grab a Codebreaker of his own, followed by an enziguri. Jericho catches him with another Judas Effect though and the Lionsault retains at 13:15.

Rating: B-. Ishii never felt like a threat to win the title and while the kickout of the Judas Effect and Codebreaker was good, it wasn’t enough to make me believe that he was going to win. Jericho gets to hold onto the title even longer and now we’re going to see who is next. A rematch with Mark Briscoe at Final Battle wouldn’t shock me, but dang that’s not the most appealing thing in the world.

Swerve Strickland talks about how hard Bobby Lashley hit him but Max Caster interrupts. Caster brings up Strickland’s losses and the fight is on.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat about everything he did at Full Gear. He isn’t happy with Christian Cage screwing up his chance to cash in his World Title contract because Page would win the title and go home to eat some stuffing. Cue Jay White to bring up beating Page twice in a row, so he wants the World Title. Cue the Death Riders to take both of them out, with Jon Moxley choking White out.

Continental Classic Gold League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ricochet

Castagnoli knocks him down to start but Ricochet is back up with a hurricanrana to the floor. Ricochet’s moonsault to the floor is cut off though and Castagnoli drops him onto the barricade. Ricochet is back up with a suicide dive but a springboard is cut off back inside. We take a break and come back with Castagnoli being sent to the floor but coming back in with a big boot for two.

A rather spinning anklescissors sends Castagnoli to the floor and a middle rope moonsault gives Ricochet two back inside. Another springboard is elbowed out of the air for two and Castagnoli gets the Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Castagnoli’s Riccola Bomb is countered into a hurricanrana for two. They go outside again with Ricochet getting crotched on the barricade for a near countout. Back in and Castagnoli hits a hard lariat for the pin at 13:03.

Rating: B. This was a match where you probably knew what you were going to get coming in and it still worked out pretty well. Castagnoli got to show off his power stuff and Ricochet flew around as well as ever. At the same time though, Castagnoli doesn’t feel like he’s in some big monster heel group during his matches. This felt like any Castagnoli match from any point in his career, which makes anything he does with the team outside of the ring feel like it’s from another place.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 3 Points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Brody King – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Juice Robinson – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Ricochet– 0 Points (4 matches remaining)

Don Callis and Kyle Fletcher brag about Fletcher beating Will Ospreay. That was proof that Fletcher is better and the Continental Classic will prove it again.

Here are Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom, with the former calling out MJF. Instead he gets Kyle O’Reilly, who offers to fight MJF. Cole wants to do it but MJF pops up on screen to say he’s too focused on next week’s Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal. O’Reilly and Cole enter as well, for a chance to get a shot at MJF. I really, really, really could go for dropping the whole “MJF has to defend the diamond ring” deal. Not everything has to be some annual tradition.

Since two tournaments at once aren’t enough, we’re also getting a qualifying tournament for the AEW spot in the Wrestle Dynasty International Women’s Cup, with the first semifinal starting tonight. Here are the brackets:

Jamie Hayter
Queen Aminata

Serena Deeb
Willow Nightingale

International Women’s Cup Qualifying Tournament Semifinals: Jamie Hayter vs. Queen Aminata

Hayter powers her into the corner to start and grabs a front facelock. That’s broken up with a hiptoss and they go into the corner for an exchange of chops. Hayter snaps off a suplex and we take an early break. Back with Hayter slugging away but missing the lariat. Aminata gets in a suplex of her own, setting up a running knee to the face for two. Aminata’s top rope double stomp misses though and Hayter hits an Irish Curse for two of her own. They trade rollups for two each until Hayter kicks her in the face, setting up Hayterade for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: C+. The match was fine and thankfully this mini tournament only has four people. I know AEW loves itself some tournaments but a tournament to qualify for a four way match for bragging rights against stars from other companies feels like a bit of overkill. Just say Hayter or Nightingale is going to Wrestle Dynasty and move on.

Post match the lights dim and a spotlight comes on…but no one is there.

We get a sitdown interview with Mina Shirakawa, who knew Mariah May could turn on her. She was ready for what was coming and showed the real Mina…and then May hits her in the back of the head with a bottle. May says she wants the real Mina.

Continental Classic Gold League: Brody King vs. Darby Allin

Allin is all taped up and gets shoved down to start. A slap to the face just annoys King, who runs Allin over for two. King sends him flying with a beal and a nasty chop knocks Allin outside as we take a break. Back with Allin getting crotched on top and no commentary for some reason. King knocks him off the top for two but a super Code Red gives Allin two. King gets knocked outside for a Coffin Drop, followed by a second one to leave King laying. Back in and another Coffin Drop is countered into a choke but Allin slips out. That just earns him a Ganso Bomb to give King the win at 9:36.

Rating: B-. These two work well together but that’s an interesting way to go with Allin, who seemed like he was getting ready for a World Title chase. Maybe that’s where they’re going anyway, but he’s on quite the losing streak on the way there. King got to be more of a monster here and that suits him well because…well look at him.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 3 Points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 Points (4 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Juice Robinson – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Ricochet– 0 Points (4 matches remaining)

Post match here is Claudio Castagnoli with a chair but Brody King cuts him off. Castagnoli and King stare each other down to end the show, setting up their tournament match next week.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing about these Continental Classic shows is they focus on what AEW does best, which is the in-ring side of things. You get a bunch of clean finishes and good matches rather than trying to cram in as many things as they can. It made for a much easier to watch show, even though it’s the first step in a long process. Good show here, and a welcome change of pace from what Dynamite has been doing.

Results
Shelton Benjamin b. Mark Briscoe – Exploder
Chris Jericho b. Tomohiro Ishii – Lionsault
Claudio Castagnoli b. Ricochet – Lariat
Jamie Hayter b. Queen Aminata – Hayterade
Brody King b. Darby Allin – Ganso Bomb

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