Death Before Dishonor 2024
Date: July 26, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium, Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the second of three pay per views from Ring Of Honor and the show has quite the variety. First up, the World Title will be on the line as Mark Briscoe defends against Roderick Strong. Other than that we have Athena defending the Women’s Title against Queen Aminata and the Undisputed Kingdom defending the Tag Team Titles against Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O’Reilly. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: MxM Collection vs. Spanish Announce Project

That would be Mason and Mansoor, formerly known as the Maximum Male Models in WWE. Mansoor shoulders Serpentico down to start and it’s time to strike a pose. A finger tip tag brings Mason in as we keep hearing audio from the production team. Serpentico can’t do much so it’s off to the bigger Angelico, who gets caught in the corner.

A standing legdrop gives Mason two and it’s back to Mansoor for a spinebuster. Mason’s running hip attack sends Angelico outside and more pose striking ensues. Back up and Serpentico takes over on Mansoor’s arm, with Angelico adding a middle rope elbow to the shoulder. Serpentico mocks the posing, allowing Mansoor to bring Mason back in. Mason gets low bridged to the floor but is fine enough to come back in with a spinebuster.

Everything breaks down and Mansoor is dropped back first onto the turnbuckle. Serpentico hits a big suicide dive for two but Mansoor flips back over to Mason for the tag. House is cleaned in a hurry and an assisted double underhook implant DDT (the Centerfold) finishes Serpentico at 9:08.

Rating: C+. This was all about the Collection’s charisma and it was on full display, as it should have been. They were a lot of fun and had the crowd loving what they were doing, which is a great sign for their future. At the same time, the match went longer than it should have and they could have cut out of the heat segments from the Project, as it felt like they just did the same thing twice.

Post match Maria Kanellis comes out to applaud, with the Collection seeming intrigued.

Zero Hour: Angelica Risk vs. Marina Shafir

Mother’s Milk ends Risk at 58 seconds.

Zero Hour: Infantry vs. Griff Garrison/Anthony Henry

Maria is here with Garrison and Henry, the latter of whom is a substitute for Cole Karter. Henry gets knocked into the corner to start and it’s ff to Garrison. Bravo gets sent into the wrong corner so Henry can stomp away, setting up a leg crank. The posing STF goes on for a bit, followed by the running knees in the corner for two.

Garrison chops away so Henry can get in a kick to the back. Bravo gets in a quick knockdown though and the diving tag brings in Dean to clean house. Book Camp is broken up though and a superplex into a double stomp gets two on Dean. The screaming Maria gets on the apron but gets knocked into Garrison’s arm, allowing Boot Camp to finish Henry at 9:08.

Rating: C. The problem here is it felt like a match that we’ve seen before, even if it wasn’t a regular team. The Infantry has been bouncing around the tag division for the better part of ever and never feel like they’re getting anywhere. The match was completely run of the mill as well and could have easily been dropped without adding even more content to the needlessly packed pre-show.

Zero Hour: Top Flight vs. Outrunners

Erica Lee is here with the Outrunners. Darius gets knocked into the corner to start and Floyd gets to pose a bit. Magnum comes in and gets dropkicked down, meaning it’s off to Dante for a headlock. The fans are split as Floyd gets double legtripped down but Erica grabs the foot so the Outrunners can take over.

Alternating beatings have Darius in trouble and a clothesline gets two. The sleeper is broken up though and it’s Dante coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Floyd is kneed to the floor, setting up stereo running shots to Magnum in the corner. Dante dives onto Floyd and what looked to be an F5 (the camera missed the setup) finishes Magnum at 8:33.

Rating: C. This was pretty boring for the most part with Top Flight’s comeback being the highlight. The Outrunners work best in short spurts or the joke starts to wear thin in a hurry. That was the case here, as you can only watch so much of the same beatdown before it stops being interesting. At least the right team won.

The opening video takes a pretty standard look at the main matches.

Komander vs. Beast Mortos

Mortos wastes no time in knocking knocking him down but Komander is back up with the kicks to the legs. A dropkick sends Mortos outside but the big running flip dive is pulled out of the air. Komander gets powerbombed into Alex Abrahantes against the barricade and they head back inside. Mortos chops the spit out of him but Komander grabs a quick rollup for two. Back up and Mortos drops him again, meaning it’s time to pull off a turnbuckle cover.

Komander gets in a quick shot for a breather but gets caught on top to cut him off again. A step up hurricanrana off the apron sends Mortos to the floor and a tornado DDT off the apron makes it worse. Komander walks the ropes to set up a big flip dive, followed by a poisonrana for two back inside. A dive hits raised feet though and one heck of a pop up Samoan drop gives Mortos two.

Komander reverses a backbreaker into a crucifix driver and then spins into a Canadian Destroyer. Mortos shrugs that off and hits a spear to leave them both down. They slowly get up and head to the same corner, where Mortos hits the super gorilla press slam. Komander is back with another Destroyer, only to miss the Cielito Lindo. The spinning piledriver gives Mortos the pin at 13:30.

Rating: B-. It was a good speed vs. power match and that made for a nice opener, though it never quite hit that next level. What mattered here was giving the fans something to get them going. Komander is a fun high flier, but there are a lo of them running around and it makes it difficult to really stand out. Mortos on the other hand always stands out, but his lack of success holds him back a bit. That being said, nice job of getting things going here.

The MxM Collection calls out FTR for Collision. These guys are great but that’s probably a loss.

We recap the Tag Team Title match, which is pretty much just an announcement.

Tag Team Titles: Kingdom vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Kyle O’Reilly

Ishii and O’Reilly, in their second match ever as a team, are challenging. Bennett and Ishii start things off and chop it out, with Ishii getting the better of things to take over. O’Reilly comes in to crank on Taven’s arm but Taven is back up with a nice dropkick. Back up and O’Reilly takes over on the arm and Ishii comes in for some cranking of his own. O’Reilly adds the abdominal stretch with the knuckles to the ribs, followed by strikes to both champions.

Bennett manages to knock Ishii into the corner, including a slap. The fans know he screwed up and Ishii fights over to O’Reilly to take over. Everything breaks down and Ishii is sent outside for a suicide dive, only to have O’Reilly hit a running knee off the apron. Back in and Bennett cuts off O’Reilly’s Rebound lariat, allowing Taven to crush him back to the floor. The champs take turns with the beating back inside and Taven adds an elbow for two.

O’Reilly finally kicks his way to freedom and it’s back to Ishii to clean house. A pair of suplexes gets two on Taven but Bennett is back in with the Hail Mary…but Ishii pops back up. Everything breaks down again and Ishii’s brainbuster sets up a top rope knee to Bennett’s back. Taven makes the save and hits the frog splash before all four are knocked down.

They all get up for the slugout with the champs getting the better of the exchange of strikes. O’Reilly is back up with some kicks of his own, setting up Ishii’s super brainbuster. Chasing The Dragon gets two with Taven having to make the save. O’Reilly and Bennett fight over a suplex but here are Kyle Fletcher and Don Callis to interrupt. The distraction lets Bennett hit a low blow to retain the titles at 19:41.

Rating: B. The biggest problem here was the lack of drama, as it was really hard to buy the idea that a new team was going to take the titles here. The Undisputed Kingdom isn’t a great team but they’ve been champions for a long time and it is going to take some time to get the titles off of them. Ishii and O’Reilly did well, but they aren’t a regular team and probably shouldn’t have gotten the shot here, as it made all of the other tag matches coming into the show feel worthless.

We recap Leyla Hirsch vs. Diamante. They hate each other, they’ve had a bunch of matches, tonight it’s a Texas Death Match.

Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch

Texas Death Match, meaning submission or Last Man Standing rules to win (again, not a Texas Death Match but it’s what Tony Khan calls it). Diamante jumps her on the ramp to start fast and throws her off the stage and through a table for nine. They go to the ring where Diamante sends in a bunch of chairs. Hirsch is tied in the Tree of Woe and one of the chairs is dropkicked into her face.

The bloody Hirsch comes back with a chair shot of her own to take get a breather and the now bleeding Diamante is sent into a chair in the corner as well. The thumbtacks are poured out and a sunset German superplex sends Diamante crashing into them for the nasty landing. Hirsch’s moonsault only hits tacks though (geez), allowing Diamante to grab some duct tape to attach Hirsch to the rope. Diamante whips out a shoe to keep up the beating and then grabs a shoe with tacks embedded.

The tacks go into Hirsch’s head and, since she’s tied up, Diamante can set up a bunch of chairs and a barbed wire board. Diamante has to loosen her up to do anything though, allowing Hirsch to hit a Samoan drop through the board. It’s ladder time and let’s throw in a table as well. That takes WAY too long to set up but Hirsch manages to tape Diamante to the table and go up for a huge moonsault off the top of the ladder through said table for the win at 15:39.

Rating: B-. Maybe it was the fact that we just saw them have a hardcore match a few weeks ago or how long it took to set up a bunch of the spots but I couldn’t get into this one. The bleeding made things more interesting and it was certainly intense, but this missed that high level for some reason. It kind of felt like violence for violence’s sake, and when I just saw the thumbtacks and bleeding in Blood & Guts on Wednesday, this didn’t have the same impact.

We recap the Pure Rules Title match, with Lee Moriarty surviving a Proving Ground match to earn the shot. This is Wheeler Yuta’s first title defense since January.

Pure Rules Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Lee Moriarty

Yuta is defending and they waste no time in going to the grappling. Moriarty takes him down and cranks on the arm, even throwing in a bicep pose. Yuta reverses into a leglock and Moriarty has to use his first break. A headscissors slows Moriarty down even more and Yuta switches over to a hammerlock. Moriarty reverses into a hold of his own and Yuta uses his own break to even things up.

Yuta backs him into the corner and tries to sneak in a right hand but gets caught, earning his official warning. Moriarty uses the distraction to get in a right hand of his own and since this is a Pure Rules match, it’s absolutely devastating. Yuta is back up with an armbar to make Moriarty use his second break. Back up and they slug it out with Moriarty grabbing a suplex to take over.

Moriarty catches him on top again and grabs a top rope superplex for the big crash and a double down. Back up and Moriarty punches him (official warning) into the Border City Stretch, with Yuta using his second rope break. They fight to the apron and crash out to the floor for another double breather. Back in and Moriarty faceplants him down, with Yuta’s shoulder giving him trouble.

A neck and arm crank makes Yuta use his last rope break. Yuta puts on a quick Cattle Mutilation and Moriarty burns his last break as well. Moriarty muscles him up for a crash down onto the apron and out to the floor, only to have Yuta come back in with a Fujiwara armbar. That’s reverses into a rollup with Moriarty using the ropes (legal, as they were out of rope breaks) to steal the pin and the title at 19:57.

Rating: B. They were going back and forth and it was a technical showcase, but it’s kind of hard to suddenly get interested in a title that hasn’t been defended in almost seven months. It doesn’t help that neither guy is all that interesting in the first place and it added up to a match where I was interested in some of the things that we being done but not the people doing them.

We recap Billie Starkz defending the Women’s TV Title against Red Velvet. Starkz cheated to win the title and Velvet doesn’t like it, so it’s time to come after the belt herself.

Women’s TV Title: Billie Starkz vs. Red Velvet

Starkz is defending. Velvet starts by hammering on the ribs, only to have Starkz grab her by the hair to take over. An electric chair drop onto the top turnbuckle rocks Velvet and Starkz ties her in the Tree Of Woe. After Velvet crashes back down, Starkz chops away in the corner and gets in some choking. A suplex out of the corner gives Velvet two and her belly to back gets two.

Velvet grabs a DDT for two more and there’s a running knee to the back of the head against the ropes. Starkz gets in a quick shot and goes up but a super victory roll gives Velvet two. Another knockdown lets Starkz grab a choke, followed by a brainbuster onto the knee for two more. Starkz: “I’m gonna kill you!” Riccaboni: “You’ll go to jail if you do that.” Velvet slips out and hits the Mix for two.

They go up top and Starkz is knocked to the floor, where she injures her neck again. Commentary doesn’t buy it and since it’s a real, legitimate injury, the medics put her back inside. Starkz is of course fine and hits a knee to the head to drop Velvet again. Velvet pops up and then plays dead, setting up a slam off the middle rope. The flipping faceplant (basically Natural Selection) gives Velvet the pin and the title at 14:53.

Rating: B. Thankfully they didn’t go too far with the faked injury as it would have been terrible to see Velvet fall for the obvious ruse. Velvet winning is a nice moment, though it’s hard to get around the idea of thinking of her as the woman obsessed with cooking. Athena and her Minions had to lose something though and this works as well as anything else.

We recap the Dark Order vs. Dustin Rhodes/the Von Erichs. This is for a spot in the Six Man Tag Team Title match at tomorrow’s Battle Of The Belts, which has so much wrong with it that I don’t know where to start. Other than that, it’s an established team vs. three Texans.

Dark Order vs. Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs

The Order jumps them to start and the fight heads to the floor, with none of the six in the ring as the opening bell rings. We settle down to Ross Sling Blading Uno and it’s off to Marshall for a slam on Silver. Everything breaks down and Dustin clotheslines Reynolds to the floor. Uno uses the distraction to get in a cowbell shot to Ross and the slow beating begins.

Ross manages to flip out of a double belly to back suplex though and it’s Marshall coming back in to clean house. The villains cut him off and knocks him to the floor though, with Uno’s suplex into a front facelock keeping him in trouble. Rhodes tries to make a save but gets sent into the steps, allowing the Order to mock the cowboy hat. Back in and a piledriver gets two on Marshall but Reynolds misses a moonsault.

Marshall powerslams his way out of trouble and it’s back to Rhodes to clean house. Cross Rhodes gets two on Reynolds with Uno making the save. Everything breaks down and Marshall is sent over the barricade, leaving Dustin to get enziguried into a Stunner into a bridging German suplex for two. Rhodes slips out of a Shattered Dreams attempt and hits a Canadian Destroyer into his own Shattered Dreams. Well the attempt at least as Silver breaks it up, only to get clawed by Marshall. The Claw goes on as Rhodes hits Shattered Dreams into the Final Reckoning to finish Reynolds at 14:22.

Rating: C. Remember how I said it was hard to get interested in a hardcore match when I saw Diamante and Leyla Hirsch have a street fight a few weeks ago? Well it was even harder when I saw the Von Erichs and the Order have a match this week on the regular Ring Of Honor show. It also doesn’t help that the Von Erichs are still not that interesting and that was on full display here.

Post match Katsuyori Shibata comes out to praise the Von Erichs.

We recap the TV Title match, which is a six way elimination match without much in the way of a setup.

TV Title: Atlantis Jr. vs. Johnny TV vs. Lio Rush vs. Shane Taylor vs. Brian Cage vs. Lee Johnson

Atlantis Jr. is defending and this is under elimination rules. Rush knocks Atlantis to the floor to start and hits a big slingshot dive to take him down fast. The villains consider an alliance but it winds up with Cage and Taylor trading clotheslines and neither going down. Atlantis is back in to take over on Cage and send him outside. Rush gets caught in an inverted Gory Special but Rush slips out and hits a Stunner for two.

Johnson is back in with a neckbreaker and kick to the chest for two but TV is in to rake Johnson’s eyes. TV is back in for a superkick to Taylor, who chokebombs him for two. Back in and Rush dodges Taylor until Taylor hits a running shooting star press for two of his own. Atlantis gets back up and hits a suicide dive onto Taylor, setting up Johnson’s big running flip dive. TV adds his own big flip dive and Cage hits one of his own. Taylor’s dive is cut off and everyone goes after him for the big beatdown. Taylor cleans house but gets knocked down, setting up Rush’s frog splash to get rid of Taylor at 9:52.

Johnson avoids another frog splash and grabs the Big Shot Drop for the elimination of Rush at 11:24. TV and Cage stomp Johnson down in the corner and a double suplex gets two, despite the referee’s hand hitting the mat a third time. The beating is on in the corner again until Johnson sends TV out to the floor. Back in and a powerbomb/Flying Chuck combination gets rid of Johnson at 15:01.

TV sends Cage to the floor bu Atlantis is back up with the chops. Cage grabs the apron superplex to plant Atlantis but Taya Valkyrie comes in for a distraction. The low blow staggers Cage, who is right back with the Drill Claw to get rid of TV at 18:24. We’re down to Cage vs. Atlantis for the title and Cage nails a discus lariat. The Drill Claw is loaded up but Atlantis reverses into a cradle to retain at 19:00.

Rating: B. The action was good and there were some cool spots, but I’m still having trouble getting into Atlantis. He’s still just kind of there but happens t have a title. I could still go for Johnson to win the title and finally get somewhere, but that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. Odds are someone wins it back in Mexico, but for now, just another long match on a long show full of them.

We recap Athena vs. Queen Aminata for the Women’s Title. Athena has been champion for the better part of ever but has been faking a knee injury. Aminata doesn’t like this and is coming for the title.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Queen Aminata

Athena is defending and gets a big intro from Lexi Nair, telling a story about a legendary warrior’s destiny. They go to the mat with Aminata not being able to break Athena’s bridge. Athena sends her outside and hits the running dive and adds a ram into the barricade. The running knees only hit steps but so does Aminata’s running hip attack.

A gordbuster plants Aminata on the floor but she chops away back inside. Aminata strikes her down and hits a running boot in the ropes. A double stomp gets two on Athena, who is back up with the big right hand for two. Aminata is back up with a German suplex into the corner but a springboard spinning…I think stomp misses.

They forearm it out until Athena pulls her into a half crab, which she swaps out for a crossface. That’s broken up too so Athena throws her over the top and onto the steps. Back in and the O Face retains the title at 20:03 as the seemingly never ending reign is going to continue.

Rating: B-. I can go with Athena retaining the title over Aminata but Athena has to lose that thing sooner or later. That being said, Aminata winning the title wouldn’t have been the best fit. She is only starting to get over her pretty lame start in AEW/Ring Of Honor and having her get the huge win would seem weird. Someone is going to have to beat Athena at some point but Aminata didn’t feel like the right choice.

We recap the World Title match, with Roderick Strong winning a #1 contenders match and then attacking Mark Briscoe.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong

Briscoe is defending and they take their time to start. Strong takes over on the mat but Briscoe slips out and it’s an early standoff. They head to the floor with Briscoe sending him into the barricade but the Froggy Bow hits raised knees back inside. Back up and Strong strikes away in the corner, only for Briscoe to fire off some chops.

A running big boot staggers Strong again and he goes outside, where Briscoe hits a running dropkick through the ropes. They fight back to the apron where Briscoe is rammed into the steel to give us some blood. Strong grabs a backbreaker into an Angle Slam into anther backbreaker. The Stronghold sends the rather bloody Briscoe over to the ropes. Briscoe makes the clothesline comeback and goes up, only to get super Angle Slammed back down for two more.

We get the required exchange of strikes with Briscoe getting the better of things. The Jay Driller is broken up and cue the Kingdom, with Mike Bennett getting in a belt shot for two. The Sick Kick gives Strong two so here is the Conglomeration to chase the Kingdom off. Briscoe fights up again and they head up top, where Strong gets knocked bard hard. The Froggy Bow retains the title at 19:30.

Rating: B. This felt as big as it could have on such short notice. There was almost no build to the match and that wasn’t going to help anything going in. While Briscoe doesn’t need to be champion and it doesn’t really add anything to him, it wouldn’t have felt right to give Strong the title either. I’m not sure if it was good enough to headline a pay per view, but it was a perfectly fine World Title match, albeit with a ton of blood.

Overall Rating: B. The theme that I kept coming back to here is the same thing that has been a problem with Ring Of Honor since its inception: so many things on here felt thrown together at the last minute. The majority of the matches either had no story or very little story (TV Title, Tag Team Titles, World Title and so on).

As is always the case: the wrestling is good because the wrestlers work hard to make the biggest shows feel important, but if you’ve watched week after week, this show felt like it was from another promotion. I would hope there was a reason to believe that is going to change, but there is nothing to indicate that is going to happen. Solid show, but not exactly the norm week to week around here.

Results
MxM Collection b. Spanish Announce Project – Centerfold to Serpentico
Marina Shafir b. Angelica Risk – Mother’s Milk
Infantry b. Griff Garrison/Anthony Henry – Boot Camp to Henry
Top Flight b. Outrunners – Faceplant to Magnum
Beast Mortos b. Komander – Spinning piledriver
Undisputed Kingdom b. Kyle O’Reilly/Tomohiro Ishii – Low blow to Ishii
Leyla Hirsch b. Diamante – Moonsault through a table
Lee Moriarty b. Wheeler Yuta – Rollup with ropes
Red Velvet b. Billie Starkz – Flipping faceplant
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Dark Order- final Reckoning to Reynolds
Atlantis Jr. b. Shane Taylor, Johnny TV, Brian Cage, Lee Johnson and Lio Rush – Rollup to Taylor
Athena b. Queen Aminata – O Face
Mark Briscoe b. Roderick Strong – Froggy Bow

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Dynamite
Date: June 12, 2024
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We have less than three weeks to go before Forbidden Door and last week saw some more of the card coming together. In addition to all of that though, Will Ospreay is the #1 contender and will be challenging Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Title. On the New Japan front, Jon Moxley will be defending the IWGP Title against former champion Tetsuya Naito. We have 18 days to get to those matches though so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Swerve Strickland, with Prince Nana, for an opening chat. He hypes up the Forbidden Door title match against Will Ospreay and praises Ospreay’s recent successes. Ospreay has been an assassin, but that won’t be the case at Forbidden Door. Strickland is called Killshot because if you don’t pull the trigger, he will. Ospreay is a fighting champion, unlike the Young Bucks….which brings out the Elite to interrupt.

The Bucks brag about how they have cleared out half the roster and that means they want the best of AEW to Blood & Guts at some point in the future. The Elite gets in the ring and offer Swerve a spot on the team as the fifth man. They throw in an offer of their new shoes, but they aren’t Swerve’s size so he throws them into the crowd. The fight is teased but the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn run in for the save. Christopher Daniels pops in to say get out of the ring because we have a match to get going. I’m not sure when Blood & Guts is happening but it very well might be the big blowoff to the whole Elite thing.

TNT Title Qualifying Match: Dustin Rhodes vs. Jack Perry

Perry is in street clothes and they brawl out to the floor to start, with Perry sending him into the steps. A piledriver onto the exposed concrete is countered into a backdrop to put Perry down and we take a break. Back with Rhodes busted open and Perry choking on the rope. Perry takes too long though and gets caught in a snap powerslam for a breather.

They slug it out until Rhodes snaps off a bulldog and hammers away as well. Cross Rhodes is broken up so we get an old Flip Flop And Fly. Now Cross Rhodes can connect for two but Perry sends him into an exposed buckle (apparently the pad was pulled off earlier). Dustin gets dropped onto the exposed concrete but beats the count. Back in and Perry gets in a low blow, only for Dustin to flip him off. The running knee finishes for Perry at 10:06.

Rating: C+. I still do not get the Perry hype and this didn’t change that stance. The match was full of things like low blows and cheap shots and it didn’t make me care about Perry any more or less. He’s still just a guy in the ring whose best attribute seems to be the friends he keeps and that’s not exactly making him feel like a star. Odds are he wins the TNT Title, though maybe sanity will prevail instead.

We look at Kyle O’Reilly and Willow Nightingale saving Orange Cassidy on Collision.

Cassidy is happy to have O’Reilly, Nightingale and Mark Briscoe behind him. Briscoe calls them a conglomeration and goes into a crazed rant about how they are going to hurt the Don Callis Family (O’Reilly’s jaw dropping in awe makes it even better). That was some amazing stuff from Briscoe, who just turned up the insanity and went nuts on his opponents.

Rush vs. Deonn Rusman

Rush knocks him to the floor, beats him up, and hits the Bull’s Horns for the pin at 1:29.

Post match Rush grabs the mic and calls Rusman a typical weak American. Cue MJF and the brawl is on, with MJF and Rush stopping to beat up security. The fight heads into the crowd and then into the back, with Christopher Daniels failing to break it up. The locker room and agents break it up.

We look at Samoa Joe and Hook attacking the Premiere Athletes on Collision.

Mark Briscoe/Orange Cassidy/Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong/Kyle Fletcher/Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis is on commentary and Trent Beretta and the Kingdom are here with the villains. Strong wants to face O’Reilly to start before handing it off to Fletcher instead. Briscoe comes in and strikes away at Takeshita and it’s off to O’Reilly as the rapid fire tags continue. Everything breaks down and Fletcher hits a big dive, followed by one from Cassidy. Trent offers a distraction though and Takeshita drops Cassidy as we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly getting the tag and starting to clean house. Everything breaks down and Red Neck Kung Fu clears the ring. Cassidy’s top rope DDT gets two on Fletcher but Takeshita counters the Jay Driller into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Stundog Millionaire hits Fletcher but Strong distracts Cassidy on top. Fletcher gets dropped with a brainbuster and Briscoe adds the Froggy Bow for two. A cheap shot drops Briscoe and Fletcher hits the piledriver for the pin at 13:05.

Rating: B. They didn’t even try to have a normal tag match here and they shouldn’t have. This was all about getting in as much as they could and it was a blast once they just went full speed ahead. I’m not wild on the Ring Of Honor World Title being made to look less important, but that whole thing has been a wash for a long time now. Really fast paced, entertaining match here.

Post match the villains keep up the beatdown so Willow Nightingale tries to make the save. Kris Statlander cuts that off though and Stokely Hathaway threatens more violence.

Rey Fenix is ready for Will Ospreay.

Shingo Takagi is in the Owen Hart Cup.

Christopher Daniels says Tony Khan is putting the Elite in Eliminator Matches next week, with all seconds barred from ringside.

Hook/Samoa Joe vs. Premiere Athletes

Hook and Joe jump them during their entrance and Katsuyori Shibata is a cameraman. We start with Joe hammering away on Nese before it’s off to Hook, who gets stomped down in the corner. Hook sidesteps Daivari’s dive (Joe approves) and stereo chokes finish the Athletes at 2:30. Now can we please stop presenting the Athletes as a big deal on ROH? Of course not, but this isn’t going to make me care about them any more.

Stephanie Vaquer is ready to face one of the best in Mercedes Mone.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Zeuxis

Zeuxis (Vaquer’s regular partner) is challenging and sends her into the ropes to start. That doesn’t get her very far as Mone gets in her dancing before taking Zeuxis down for two. A spinning kick staggers Mone but she takes the legs out, only for Zeuxis to pop back up. The running dropkick puts Mone on the floor as we take an early break.

Back with Zeuxis hitting a fireman’s carry into a powerbomb for two. Mone’s middle rope sunset flip is countered into a stomp to the ribs for two more. Back up and Mone hits a middle rope Meteora for two of her own. Three Amigos are countered into a Backstabber for two on Mone but she’s right back with the Mone Maker for the pin at 10:07.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of why Forbidden Door season is a problem. We barely know who Stephanie Vaquer is and now we’re supposed to be interested in Mone wrestling Vaquer’s partner. These stories tend to go at about a million miles an hour (as they don’t have time to do anything else) and if you aren’t familiar with the guest stars, it can be really hard to get into these matches. Zeuxis was good enough, but I’m having a real hard time getting into this Mone vs. Vaquer match and this didn’t help things.

Video on Mina Shirakawa and her friendship with Mariah May.

May, cuddled up to Toni Storm, promises to run next week’s contract signing, though Storm isn’t worried.

Big Bill introduces Chris Jericho for TV Time (and yes there is now a Learning Tree set). Jericho tells the local farmers how to grow better corn but thinks Private Party needs to learn. Cue Private Party, with Jericho not thinking much of their fundamentals. He learned from Stu Hart and explains how to go up top like Owen Hart. Then Private Party beats up the villains and clear the ring. Well at least this should be the lone Jericho segment this week.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Tetsuya Naito at Forbidden Door.

The Bang Bang Gang isn’t impressed by the House Of Black so the challenge is issued for Collision.

Daniel Garcia vs. Nick Comoroto

Jacoby Watts is here with Comoroto (for those of you who don’t watch ROH). With MJF watching in the back, Garcia grabs a guillotine and hits the Red Cross for the win at 1:10.

Will Ospreay is ready for tonight and Forbidden Door.

A ticked off Pac enters the Owen Hart Cup.

International Title: Will Ospreay vs. Rey Fenix

Ospreay is defending and Swerve Strickland is watching in the crowd. They trade missed kicks to the head to start and it’s an early standoff. A pop up hurricanrana sends Ospreay outside and a frog splash gives Fenix two. We take a break and come back with Fenix grabbing a quickly broken Black Widow.

As we’re told that Blood and Guts is on July 24 in Nashville, Ospreay flips out of a super hurricanrana to stick the landing. They trade kicks until Ospreay’s spinning Air Raid Crash gets two, sending us to another break. Back again with Ospreay getting the better of a strike off until Fenix grabs another Black Widow.

A crucifix bomb gives Fenix two and a German suplex gets the same. The Oscutter gives Ospreay two but the Hidden Blade is countered with a jumping hurricanrana. Fenix’s flip is forearmed out of the air and Ospreay (with a stare) hits his own Swerve Stomp. The Hidden Blade retains the title at 15:11.

Rating: B. I don’t think there was any doubt to this one but it was a way to give Ospreay another big win on the way to Forbidden Door. Fenix is someone who can wrestle an exciting match with anyone and of course Ospreay can do that kind of thing rather well too. It was a big spot fest and that’s what it should have been, with the pretty obvious result not being a problem.

Post match Strickland gets in the ring and won’t shake hands. Strickland accuses Ospreay of thinking this is still a game and says he isn’t strong enough to hold this on his shoulders. Ospreay takes the title and puts it on his shoulder so Swerve takes it back. Swerve says he’d kill Ospreay if they weren’t friends and leaves, with Ospreay pointing at the Forbidden Door sign (oh dear) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where the wrestling carried it, though they did build up more than a few things for Forbidden Door. While I am having a really hard time caring about what happens there as almost nothing has my attention, they did a nice enough job of making what they have feel more important. I can go with a show that has a goal and makes a good effort to accomplish it, even if it’s not my style. Nice show this week.

Results
Jack Perry b. Dustin Rhodes – Running knee
Rush b. Deonn Rusman – Bull’s Horns
Roderick Strong/Kyle Fletcher/Konosuke Takeshita b. Mark Briscoe/Orange Cassidy/Kyle O’Reilly – Piledriver to Briscoe
Samoa Joe/Hook b. Premiere Athletes – Redrum to Daivari
Mercedes Mone b. Zeuxis – Mone Maker
Daniel Garcia b. Nick Comoroto – Red Cross
Will Ospreay b. Rey Fenix – Hidden Blade

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: June 8, 2024
Location: Mid-American Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We have about three weeks to go before Forbidden Door and there is a chance we’ll see some more build towards it this week. Toni Storm is set to defend her Women’s Title against Mina Shirakawa and has a warmup match against Lady Frost this week, which could see Shirakawa get involved. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR

For the same of simplicity, I’ll only refer to Cash Wheeler as “Wheeler” and Wheeler Yuta as “Yuta”. Wheeler (in long tights for a change, just like Harwood) wrestles Yuta to the mat to start and it’s off to Castagnoli vs. Harwood. They go around the ropes to start until Castagnoli uppercuts him out to the floor. Back in and Harwood hits a hard chop but Castagnoli knocks him right back down.

Yuta comes in to strike away in the corner and a backsplash gets two. A hard shot to the face gets Harwood out of trouble and it’s back to Wheeler to uppercut the heck out of Yuta. FTR catapults Yuta throat first into the bottom rope for two but he’s right back over to Castagnoli for the tag anyway. Wheeler breaks up the Swing on Harwood but we get stereo Sharpshooters from Harwood and Castagnoli. An exchange of slaps break those up and everything breaks down again with the fights heading outside.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli grabbing a superplex for two on Harwood. Yuta comes in to cut off Wheeler but Harwood is back with a spinebuster for two of his own. Everyone is down for a bit before Wheeler gets Giant Swung into the dropkick from Yuta for two more. Castagnoli uppercuts the heck out of Wheeler for two and everyone is down again.

Wheeler is back up with a Sharpshooter of his own to Castagnoli, who reverses it int the same thing. That’s broken up and Yuta dives onto Harwood. Wheeler’s piledriver gets two on Castagnoli and we have a minute left in the time limit. Castagnoli superplexes Wheeler and rolls through into the Neutralizer for two. A crossface into the Rings of Saturn have Wheeler in trouble but the time limit expires at 20:00.

Rating: A-. I was wondering why one of these teams was going to lose and I’m rather pleased with the outcome we got instead. FTR can still work a good to great match with anyone and they had me wondering who was going to win all the way until the end. This was one of the best TV matches I’ve seen in a while and I had a lot of fun with the whole thing.

Post match Harwood wants five more minutes but Brandon Cutler is here on behalf of the Young Bucks (oh geez) to say no. Castagnoli swings Cutler and FTR adds the Shatter Machine. Ok so the Bucks don’t work Collision, but Tony Khan was here last week to make a ruling. Is Khan not here this week, or is he just not paying attention or doesn’t care here? Either way, assuming this isn’t just a one off, this is now FIVE PEOPLE with authority in this company. With that out of the way, Castagnoli says a handshake is too much of a cliché, but they’ll have a rematch anytime.

Kyle O’Reilly respects Orange Cassidy but the Undisputed Kingdom interrupts. They think someone or something is missing for O’Reilly and the team is cheering for him tonight. O’Reilly doesn’t want to hear it. Strong tells O’Reilly to remember what he said when he came back, but we don’t know what that is.

Kris Statlander vs. Robyn Renegade

Statlander powers her into the corner to start and fires off some shoulders to the ribs. Renegade slips out of a powerbomb out of the corner but the second attempt works just fine. Saturday Night Fever finishes Renegade at 1:33. Statlander looked awesome here.

Post match Stokely Hathaway praises Statlander and as of earlier today, she is officially in the Owen Hart Foundation Cup.

Post break, Willow Nightingale says she’s in the tournament too and hopes to see Statlander there.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Johnny TV

Taya Valkyrie is here with Johnny. Dustin slugs away to start and goes outside to annoy Taya for a bonus. A hard chop against the barricade rocks TV but Taya’s yelling lets him come back with a running flip dive through the ropes. They both step onto Dustin for some kissing on the steps as we take a break.

Back with Dustin fighting back and getting two off the scoop powerslam. The flipping neckbreaker gives TV two but Dustin hits a Destroyer (with TV appearing to give him a lot of help), setting up Shattered Dreams. The Cross Rhodes gives Dustin two, with Taya putting the foot on the rope. That’s enough for an ejection, with TV using the distraction to hit a superkick for two. Some knees to the face set up a missed Starship Pain and Cross Rhodes gives Dustin the pin at 9:33.

Rating: C+. I know it’s impressive that he’s been around for the better part of ever, but Dustin’s matches haven’t done much for me in a good while. It’s cool to see him still be able to have a decent match this late in his career, but odds are this is going to lead to another “I don’t know if I still have it in me but I’m going to give it all I’ve got” speech. That might work a bit better if we hadn’t heard it from him since AEW started.

Post match Dustin says he’s getting old. He’s got two things to talk about tonight, starting with the fans, who have not abandoned him after almost 37 years. Dustin thanks the production crew before moving on to the second thing, which is Jack Perry. AEW missed Perry when he left and they were happy to see him come back, but then Perry attacked the boss.

Perry has been talking about sacrifice despite being born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Dustin has been sacrificing for his family for decades but Perry has been a follower for years. If you’re a follower for that long, the view never changes. Dustin is facing Perry on Dynamite and Dustin promises to destroy his little punk a**. Perry will never forget his name. This was close enough to Dustin’s normal stuff, and that means it was good enough but not exactly exciting.

Zack Sabre Jr. wants Orange Cassidy at Forbidden Door.

Premiere Athletes vs. Trip Gordon/Dante Leon

The Athletes jump them to start and an over the shoulder Tombstone finishes Leon at 48 seconds.

Scorpio Sky offers to be our hero, our voice, and our champion.

Toni Storm vs. Lady Frost

Non-title and Luther and Mariah May are here with Storm. Frost gets taken down to start and Storm dances a bit before they fight over wrist control. Storm is knocked to the floor for an apron moonsault and we take a break. Back with Storm hitting the hip attack in the corner for two but Frost’s Air Raid Crash gets the same. Frostbite misses and Storm Sky Highs her for two more. Storm Zero finishes Frost at 7:57.

Rating: C+. Storm gets a nice win over someone who can work hard in the ring and that’s about all it needed to be. What mattered here was making Storm feel strong again, which should often be the case for a champion on the way into a big title match. Frost has a unique look, but she sems destined to be there to make people look better.

Post match Storm hugs May and says she knows how rough it is for May to see Storm and Mina Shirakawa fighting. As a distraction, Storm demands that May is entered into the Owen Hart Tournament. They’ll get through this together.

Dante Martin and Lee Moriarty argue over an Owen Tournament spot, with their respective partners getting in on it too.

Samoa Joe and Hook, after arguing about lacrosse, jump the Premiere Athletes.

Daniel Garcia vs. Tate Mayfairs

Mayfairs is from Progress Wrestling and this is his AEW debut. Garcia takes him down into a wristlock to start but Mayfairs knocks Garcia into the corner for some posing. Mayfairs hammers away both on the mat and on their feet but Garcia rolls some swinging neckbreakers. The Saito suplex into the shotgun dropkick into the Red Cross finishes for Garcia at 3:19.

Rating: C+. I guess it’s time for the next Garcia push, though I’m not likely to get my hopes up for this one being the time where everything comes together for him. Garcia has been a project for AEW for a long time now but it has never quite clicked. He’s come a long way, but seeing him make it up to the next level does not seem like the most likely result.

Post match, dancing ensues.

Video on Zeuxis, who faces Mercedes Mone on Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Orange Cassidy talks about how bad things are going for him and now he has to deal with Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door. He has to go deal with things, including Kyle O’Reilly tonight.

Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O’Reilly

O’Reilly takes him to the mat to start as the Undisputed Kingdom is watching from the crowd. Cassidy makes it over to the ropes so O’Reilly sits down and tells him to bring it. Instead Cassidy tries a monkey flip but has to get to the ropes to escape an armbar. They trade rollups for two each before a neck crank sends Cassidy to the floor and us to a break. Back with Cassidy grabbing a headlock takeover but O’Reilly reverses into a sleeper.

That’s reversed into a cradle to give Cassidy two but Cassidy has to escape a standing choke. The hands go into the pockets so O’Reilly sweeps the leg without much trouble. O’Reilly starts in on the arm before switching to a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes. They head outside and the Kingdom distracts O’Reilly but he’s fine enough to dragon screw Cassidy into the barricade. It works so well that O’Reilly does it again and there’s a fourth back inside.

We take another break and come back again with Cassidy working on O’Reilly’s arm. Cassidy sends him outside for a dive, followed by the high crossbody back inside. O’Reilly kicks the leg out and snaps off a German suplex, only for Cassidy to do the same, leaving them both down. Back up and they trade lazy kicks until Cassidy’s Stundog Millionaire is countered into a cross armbreaker.

Cassidy slips out of that and hits a Michinoku Driver for two, followed by a hard kick to the face. The Orange Punch is countered into a chickenwing, with O’Reilly putting his own hand into Cassidy’s pocket in a…..I guess you can call it smart touch. Cassidy powers him up for a Beach Break and a standing Orange Punch staggers O’Reilly. The more regular version finishes for Cassidy at 19:37.

Rating: B. Another good back and forth match here with the two of them both working hard. Cassidy needed a win after having some bad luck as of late, though O’Reilly losing again isn’t the best thing to see. Maybe he joins the Undisputed Era after some more losses, but egads I could go for a long, as in permanent, break from that entire team getting together again. Rather good main event here, with the fans still loving Cassidy.

Post match Trent Beretta and Kyle Fletcher come in to jump Cassidy but O’Reilly makes the…well the failed save attempt actually as the villains take over. Kris Statlander comes in as well and shakes hands with Trent. Willow Nightingale runs in to chase Statlander off to end the show

Overall Rating: B+. The opener was outstanding and the main event was rather good, which is enough to make this a heck of a show. They focused on the wrestling here and as usual, it made for a solid AEW offering. It still amazes me how much easier AEW is to watch when they don’t focus on the top storylines, but I can easily take something like this week to week. Check out the opener, as it was rather awesome.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR went to a time limit draw
Kris Statlander b. Robyn Renegade – Saturday Night Fever
Dustin Rhodes b. Johnny TV – Cross Rhodes
Premiere Athletes b. Trip Gordon/Dante Leon – Over the shoulder Tombstone to Leon
Toni Storm b. Lady Frost – Storm Zero
Daniel Garcia b. Tate Mayfairs – Red Cross
Orange Cassidy b. Kyle O’Reilly – Orange Punch

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.

(I’m sorry about the delay.  I came home from Philadelphia with a bad sinus infection and I more or less slipped into a coma after last night’s show and forgot to put it up.)

Dynamite
Date: April 10, 2024
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

And now, we jump back to August of last year, because we are going to be seeing footage of the backstage incident between CM Punk and Jack Perry at All Out. This comes after Punk gave an interview that wasn’t so nice about AEW and now all of a sudden we just need to see the footage. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Samoa Joe vs. Dustin Rhodes

Non-title…and non-match as Swerve Strickland jumps Joe before the bell and spears him through a table. Referees break it up. Dustin never appeared.

We look at Trent Beretta turning on Orange Cassidy last week.

Cassidy will have a match on Rampage and will comment on what happened.

TNT Title: Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Adam Copeland

Copeland is defending. They shove each other around to start with Penta knocking him down and hitting a top rope double stomp for two. Copeland is knocked to the floor and gets chopped back inside as we take a break. Back with….what looks to be some production graphic on the screen before we see Copeland grabbing a headscissors. Penta isn’t having that and hits a basement superkick for two.

Copeland leapfrogs him three times in a row before they trade headscissors. Stereo big boots leave them both down and we actually get a countdown clock until the Young Bucks segment. Penta sends him outside for a dive and gets in some stomping as we take another break. Back again with Copeland knocking him off the top, giving them another double breather.

Penta goes for the arm but gets pulled into the Grindhouse, with Penta having to reach the rope. They go to the apron with Penta charging into a powerslam to put them both on the floor. Copeland loads up a spear but hits Alex Abrahantes and the fans are not pleased. Back in and Copeland takes him up top, only to get caught with a super Canadian Destroyer. Then Copeland hits the spear to retain at 20:42.

Rating: B. This was a longer match than I was expecting and it did fairly well. Copeland can have a good enough match with anyone and while Penta isn’t what he once was, he has that odd charisma that makes it work. For a match with no build due to it being another open challenge, this was good enough.

Post match the lights go out and Julia Hart pops in. Brody King appears to choke out Copeland but here is Willow Nightingale for a distracting save.

Chris Jericho, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata are ready for Shane Taylor Promotions. Jericho is ready for both of them to sit underneath his learning tree, with both of them agreeing. With Jericho gone, Shibata, through his translating machine, isn’t sure what’s going on, but he does like Renee Paquette’s necklace.

We look back at FTR vs. the Young Bucks over the years.

Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston are ready to team together at Dynasty despite being beaten up. Adam Copeland comes in and makes sure they’re good for next week. Stokely Hathaway and Willow Nightingale come in….with Stokely wanting Nightingale to get a TNT Title shot next week. Copeland thinks a mixed tag against the House of Black sounds better and Willow is in.

We go to the Young Bucks for footage from All In in London last year. Before we get there though, we talk about their history with FTR. With that out of the way, we hear about Jack Perry, the scapegoat, in the whole thing, being involved in a backstage altercation at All In. Perry is a friend of theirs, and the other, unnamed person is friends with FTR.

Maybe FTR was behind the whole thing to mess with them. They had no time to hydrate or even pray! There should be an asterisk next to FTR’s victory, but that’s not even the worst part. The incident is short and resembles a high school scrap but it threatened to take down their biggest show ever.

We see the (silent) footage of CM Punk coming up to Perry, who doesn’t look interested in talking to him. They do talk for a few seconds, Punk turns and says something to some other people (one of whom appears to be Tony Khan), then Punk shoves Perry, grabs him in a front facelock, and has it broken up. Punk does lunch in the direction of Khan, albeit with a desk and a person between them. The whole clip runs about 1:15 the time between Punk initially shoving him and the two being separated is about 8 seconds.

Back to the Bucks, who say that wasn’t even the worst part of the whole thing. The worst thing was creating a wrestling show and filling a building with that many people, only to lose because they were distracted by something so stupid. They aren’t shaking FTR’s hands at Dynasty.

Ok so regarding the footage:

If anyone, and I mean ANYONE, in AEW management, told Tony Khan that airing that on national television, or any kind of television for that matter, was a good idea, they should be tried on crimes against wrestling.

That was the most nothing, completely unmemorable moment that I’ve seen in wrestling in a long, long time. The time from Punk initially shoving him to them being separated was about eight seconds. We just waited eight months for a clip that lasted as long as Diesel beating Bob Backlund for the WWF Title in 1994.

I’m sure this will be part of some big return for Perry, but my goodness, an old, broken down Punk just grabbed him in a front facelock (which is as basic of a wrestling hold as there is so screw off with the “he’s a trained fighter” stuff) and held him for a few seconds. If that is some big, game changing and possibly show ruining moment, there are WAY more problems with your show and company than an army of Punk’s on their best behavior could ever fix.

Lanny Poffo told a story about a wrestler I can’t remember giving him crap in the locker room. They were in a match together and Poffo grabbed a sugar hold (a legitimate grappling move) and gave it the tiniest bit of pressure while asking if they were going to have any more problems. They were fine after that. But yeah, this was some game changer that had to be addressed EIGHT MONTHS LATER because Punk said something mean about AEW. Cry me a river.

We cut back to the desk and Tony Schiavone looks like he would rather having his teeth ripped out than be here right now.

Cue FTR, unscheduled, for a chat. Cash Wheeler wants to know why we’re doing this and what that was supposed to accomplish (preach it brother). We are doing some great things but why are we looking at stuff from eight months ago (PREACH IT BROTHER!)? Harwood thinks the Young Bucks might be on to something about how important they are because without them, Harwood might still be shaving Wheeler’s back.

The Bucks used to be about AEW but now they’re about the letters EVP. Harwood says on the backs of everyone who helps to work and build this place, they will keep this place going for the future of professional wrestlers. This place is for the people who go to work for one ticket to get lost in their drama and action. But this isn’t about All In, because it’s about Dynasty and proving who the best team really is.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay.

Here is Will Ospreay for a chat. First up, there is this rumor going around that Ospreay is afraid of the grind of wrestling (meaning he’s afraid of the WWE schedule). Normally he would rise to this type of bate, but the person who said it is only in the position he’s in because he was grinding on the boss’ wife. With that flashback to 2004 out of the way, Ospreay talks about how Bryan Danielson is ready to try his hand at beating the unbeatable Ospreay. A lot of people have tried to do it and now he’s ready to show why he’s the best. On April 21, Danielson will find out why Ospreay was on another level.

Julia Hart is ready for Willow Nightingale at Dynasty.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Chris Jericho/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata

Jericho and Anthony Ogogo (who returned and joined the team over the weekend) start things off and it’s Moriarty coming in less than ten seconds later. Jericho takes over on Moriarty in the corner and hands it off to Shibata to strike away. Hook comes in to strike away at Taylor, who knocks him into the corner. We take a break and come back with Shibata coming in to clean house. Moriarty gets knocked into the corner but Shibata runs into Jericho by mistake. Hook and Jericho argue on the floor, leaving Taylor to knock Shibata silly with a right hand. Moriarty’s Fang finishes Shibata at 8:16.

Rating: C. If there is an interesting point coming up with this Hook/Jericho stuff, it would be nice if they got to it sooner rather than later. Hook and Jericho have teamed together twice or so and now they’re already having issues. I’m sure we’ll be seeing something between them in some form at Dynasty and my goodness it’s really hard to get interested at Jericho doing something like this again.

Post match Hook helps Shibata up and Jericho leaves by himself.

Samoa Joe is cleared for the main event and Dustin Rhodes is ready for him because he has nothing left.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Cristiano Argento

Non-title and Okada takes him down without much trouble. The dropkick and Rainmaker finish for Okada at 1:22.

Post match Okada accepts Pac’s challenge for Dynasty. Pac comes out for the staredown but the Young Bucks jump him from behind for the beating. FTR makes the save as the fans chant for CM PUNK. Okada grabs a chair and the good guys are beaten down.

We look at Bullet Club Gold beating down Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed at Supercard Of Honor.

The Club liked that beating and want to do it again on Rampage. Jay White says find him an opponent.

Here are Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm for a champagne toast. Storm immediately hits her with the glass and the beatdown is on, with Rosa’s paint being rubbed off. Deonna Purrazzo makes the save and Mariah May comes in…and she has a match right now. Storm even throws in a good luck kiss on the cheek.

Anna Jay vs. Mariah May

They slap and strike it out to start until Jay hits a running Blockbuster. May powers her straight into the corner and grabs a Stratusphere. Jay is back with a hanging neckbreaker over the apron (throwing in a kiss to the cheek) as we take a break. We come back with May hitting a running dropkick, followed by a running spinwheel kick in the corner. An Iconoclasm gives Jay two but she runs into a boot in the corner. A missile dropkick sets up May’s hip attack for two but Jay kicks her down for the same. May comes right back with a sunset flip for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C. Well at least it feels like they’re getting ready for the May/Storm…whatever it is that they’re doing. May needs some more wins and Jay has enough credibility for it to matter. Other than that, it was a good enough match, though Jay still feels like she is in the same place in the ring as she has been for the last year plus.

Post match Jay grabs the Queenslayer until Stardom’s Mina Shirakawa (who had a reunion with former stablemate May at a Stardom event over the weekend, with Storm interrupting and teasing a Forbidden Door match with Shirakawa) makes the save. Then Shirakawa gives May champagne and kisses her.

Mercedes Mone is ready to debut at Double Or Nothing. She talks about her ankle injury but has a plan and a mission…and then someone turns the lights out and attacks her.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Samoa Joe

Non-title and Dustin jumps the banged up Joe in the corner. Joe fights back and hits a hard headbutt to knock Rhodes outside. Rhodes is busted open so Joe hammers on the cut as we take a break. Back with the rather bloody Dustin snapping off a powerslam for a breather. Dustin hammers away and grabs a Code Red for two but the bulldog is broken up.

They go outside with Joe getting posted, allowing Dustin to grab the title. With that taken away, Dustin grabs the Cross Rhodes for two but Joe release Rock Bottoms him out of the corner. Joe grabs the chain and loads up a swing but the referee takes it away. That leaves Joe to hit him with the belt for the pin at 9:34.

Rating: C+. Good enough here, though it’s another match with the break taking up a good chunk of the time. It’s very much going with the idea of a Rhodes vs. a Samoan, but at least it’s a good ways off from a bearded guy like Eric Young winning the TNA World Title a week after Daniel Bryan’s Wrestlemania XXX moment. Perfectly fine match, with Joe getting to be all violent, which tends to be his best stuff.

Post match Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch but Swerve Strickland runs in to knock Joe out. Swerve holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I don’t have the first clue what to think of this show. The wrestling ranged from fine to good with the opener being fun and the main event being a Samoa Joe special. Throw in Okada wrecking someone and whatever the women are doing (and I’m not entirely sure but it feels Forbidden Doorish) and that stuff was good enough.

And unfortunately, a grand total of none of that is going to be remembered by the masses, as this was ALL about the special footage thing. While they tied it into the FTR vs. Bucks match, it’s pretty clear there is at least one ulterior motive here and that isn’t going to make for the best reception. At worst, it feels petty on AEW’s part and at best, it’s another situation where whatever bump they might get is going to be buried underneath the various negative perceptions. I have no idea how that was the best possible outcome but it’s already out there, and hopefully that’s the last of it.

Results
Adam Copeland b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Spear
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Chris Jericho/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata – Fang to Shibata
Kazuchika Okada b. Cristiano Argento – Rainmaker
Mariah May b. Anna Jay – Sunset flip
Samoa Joe b. Dustin Rhodes – Belt shot

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.

Collision
Date: April 6, 2024
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We are on a delay this week with the show airing at 11:30pm due to the NCAA Final Four and (unofficially) Wrestlemania. That is a good move from AEW as there is little reason to run the show at the normal time against that kind of competition. The big feature this week is FTR vs. Top Flight for the shot against the Young Bucks for the Tag Team Titles at Dynasty. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: FTR vs. Top Flight

Wheeler and Darius trade arm control to start until Wheeler grabs a backslide for two. Dante comes in for a kick to the back and FTR needs a breather on the floor. Back in and FTR take over on Darius, with Wheeler chopping him into the corner. Dante comes back in for a rollup into a middle rope crossbody for two before taking Harwood into the wrong corner.

Something close to Poetry In Motion knocks Harwood outside as commentary talks about Trent Beretta turning on Orange Cassidy. Harwood gets smart by tricking Wheeler outside for a cheap shot from Wheeler as we take a break. Dante reversing a superplex into a crossbody for two and handing it back to Darius.

A crucifix gets two on Harwood and everything breaks down with a dive taking Wheeler out on the floor. Darius’ springboard cutter gets two on Harwood but raised knees cut off a frog splash attempt. Darius is back up with a high crossbody for two so Wheeler sends Dante outside. That leaves Darius to go up and dive into a Shatter Machine for the pin at 15:40.

Rating: B. Good match as FTR continues to be the team that lures their opponents in to catch them in the end. That’s exactly what happened here, with Darius going for one too many high risks moves and got caught in the Shatter Machine. Now it’s on to Dynasty, where the Bucks will likely get their win back so they can get the titles again as more fans change the channel.

Video on Kazuchika Okada.

Pac vs. Encore Moore

Pac starts fast and whips him hard into the corner so the stomping can ensue. Some rolling suplexes have Moore down again and the Brutalizer finishes at 2:24.

Post match Pac challenges Kazuchika Okada.

Bryan Danielson talks about wanting to be the best version of himself and that needs to be the case against Will Ospreay. He is excited to test himself because someone was with Danielson and said Ospreay might be the best wrestler ever. The build makes sense but it’s not quite hooking me in.

Hook/Chris Jericho vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Jericho and Taylor start things off with Taylor easily punching him into the corner. Jericho as to cover up but manages a shot to the face, followed by a double suplex to put Taylor down. Hook stays in and gets taken into the wrong corner, only to fight right back out. It’s back to Jericho who tries the Walls on Moriarty but has to dropkick Taylor down instead.

We take a break and come back with Jericho knocking Moriarty down for the Lionsault. The tag brings Hook back in to clean house but he can’t suplex Taylor. Moriarty pulls Jericho into the Border City Stretch, which is reversed into the Walls. Hook manages the t-bone on Taylor, leaving Moriarty to tap at 8:55.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t bad and Jericho/Hook worked well enough together but it’s really not that interesting to see them together. It feels like Jericho’s latest project and those have been hit and miss at best. Maybe it will work out, but I could go for a long break from Jericho and now it seems we’ll be seeing him doing this for awhile.

Post match Anthony Ogogo of all people comes in to lay out Jericho and Hook before joining Shane Taylor Promotions. For those of you wondering, the answer to “how long has he been gone” is “his last (non-dark) match for AEW was in August 2022.”

Dustin Rhodes wants to show he can still do it so he wants Samoa Joe for the World Title on Dynamite.

Will Ospreay is ready to face Bryan Danielson at Dynamite. No word on why Renee Paquette changed her clothes since she talked to Danielson.

House Of Black vs. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal/Bryan Keith

Black headlocks Keith to start before firing off the kicks. King comes in so Sydal wants Keith’s help against him. That’s fine with King, who wrecks them both and knocks Daniels down as we take a break. Back with Sydal coming in to clean house, including a very spinning headscissors to Matthews.

A jumping knee to the face gets two on Matthews but he’s back up with a knee of his own. Dante’s Inferno hits Sydal and Keith gets run over as well. A triple kick to the head in the corner hits Keith but Daniels makes the save. The End drops Daniels and Matthews’ swinging pumphandle slam finishes at 9:26.

Rating: C. Good enough here but it was a long match before the only realistic result. The House is setting up for a big match and needed a warmup like this one, which went well enough. At the end of the day, Daniels being on a team more or less guarantees he’s going to lose, which makes a nearly ten minute match feel that much longer.

Post match here is Adam Copeland from behind to go after the House but he has a staredown with Black. That lets the House beat him down but Mark Briscoe and FTR run in for the save. Cue the Young Bucks to brawl with FTR, leaving the good guys to stand tall.

Rocky Romero wants an eliminator match against Roderick Strong. Cue the Undisputed Kingdom with Strong granting the match.

The Young Bucks are going to present backstage footage from All In on Dynamite. In theory that would be the CM Punk/Jack Perry footage and if so…why?

Chris Jericho wants to fight Shane Taylor Promotions and Hook presents Katsuyori Shibata to even things up. Shibata continues his translator program for promos.

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Trish Adora

This is Adora’s reward for losing to Serena Deeb. Adora grabs a headlock to start and takes Sakazaki down, with Sakazaki nipping right back up. A Boss Man Slam onto the knee puts Sakazaki down again and we take a break. Back with Adora grabbing a not great looking Crossface but Sakazaki is right next to the ropes.

Sakazaki pounds on Adora’s back but can’t manages a suplex. Some forearms put Adora down again and Sakazaki drops her with a suplex. That takes enough out of Sakazaki that Adora is back up with a suplex of her own for two. A spinning hammerlock slam drops Adora again and a top rope splash finishes for Sakazaki at 8:34.

Rating: C. Sakazaki has been gone from AEW for over a year and this didn’t exactly have me wanting to see her around more frequently. It was just a match for the most part with neither showing off anything special. Odds are Sakazaki is just here for a quick appearance and hopefully she picks it up a bit as this didn’t exactly blow any doors off.

Post match Serena Deeb comes out to stare down Sakazaki.

Matt Menard praises Daniel Garcia but says he wants more. Garcia wants to move up the ladder.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. The Butcher

They fight over the power lockup to start before an exchange of shoulders doesn’t go anywhere. A flying shoulder works a bit better for Castagnoli but Butcher is back with a backbreaker. The chinlock doesn’t last long for Butcher as Castagnoli fights up, setting off an exchange of forearms. Castagnoli muscles him up for a Death Valley Driver and fires off the uppercuts in the corner. The Swing sets up the Neutralizer to finish Butcher off at 5:04.

Rating: C+. Rather basic power match here but it’s always fun to see Castagnoli throwing someone around like that. This should set up whatever is next for the Club, as they need a big feud again. If nothing else, maybe Castagnoli gets to do something on his own for a change, as it tends to go fairly well.

Julia Hart is ready for Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Mone later.

Samoa Joe is down to face Dustin Rhodes, but we’ll make it non-title.

Komander vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

Penta kicks away to start but gets rolled up for an early two. Stereo nip ups give us a staredown before Komander snaps off a hurricanrana. Back up and Penta kicks him in the ribs but another hurricanrana sends him outside. Komander’s dive is countered with a gorilla press (not bad) and it’s time to strut as we take a break.

We come back with Komander headscissoring him to the floor, setting up a more successful dive. Penta is right back with with a Canadian Destroyer for two, only to have Komander pull him into something like a half crab. With that broken up, Komander plants him with a Spanish Fly but Penta plants him right back with a springboard Canadian Destroyer onto the apron.

Back in and they slug it out from their knees until Penta grabs Made In Japan for two. Komander blocks a superplex and runs the corner for a twisting top rope splash. Cielito Lindo is loaded up but Penta reverses into a Codebreaker, setting up the Fear Factor for the win at 14:12.

Rating: B-. At the end of the day, you just have to accept that they are just not going to sell that much. It’s about hitting one big, flashy move after another until someone hits their finisher and win. That makes for a fun, junk food kind of match but there is only so much for it otherwise. For now though, Penta gets a nice boost on the way towards his title match on Dynamite and that’s all it needed to be.

Adam Copeland comes out for the staredown with Penta before their TNT Title match on Dynamite.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a really rough spot as there is only so much you can do with a show airing around midnight on Wrestlemania Saturday (with the two shows overlapping for a bit). The other problem is that after the opener and maybe the Hook/Jericho match, a grand total of nothing here felt like it mattered in the slightest. That being said, the wrestling was either good or perfectly acceptable, assuming you ignore how unimportant a lot of it felt. That was all they should have done with this show though, as the time slot is making this little more than a punt.

Results

FTR b. Top Flight – Shatter Machine to Darius

Hook/Chris Jericho b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Walls Of Jericho to Moriarty

House Of Black b. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal/Bryan Keith – Swinging pumphandle slam to Daniels

Yuka Sakazaki b. Trish Adora – Top rope splash

Claudio Castagnoli b. The Butcher – Neutralizer

Penta El Zero Miedo b. Komander – Fear Factor

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

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Rampage
Date: March 29, 2024
Location: Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re still in Canada and that could mean a rather rowdy crowd. I’m not sure what to expect around here, which is rather normal on this show anymore. The main event will see Matt Menard facing Roderick Strong in a non-title match, which could make for a hearty reaction. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Dustin Rhodes vs. The Butcher

This is billed as a “big time grudge match” and it was set up with a minute long promo on Dynamite. Butcher powers him into the corner to start but gets caught with a backslide for two. Back up and Butcher is ready for the drop down uppercut but gets low bridged to the floor for his efforts. Butcher snaps the arm over the top rope and it’s time to start in on said arm. They head outside with the arm being sent into the steps and post and we take a break with Dustin in trouble.

Back with Dustin getting two off a Code Red, setting up the clothesline comeback. Dustin rains down the right hands in the corner and grabs the snap powerslam for two. Butcher is right back with a quick crossface but Dustin is out rather quickly. The Final Reckoning finishes Butcher at 10:39.

Rating: C+. Rather basic stuff here and that is not a bad thing. It was more or less a way to get Dustin on the card for his periodical match and as usual it went well enough. Butcher continues to be fine as a midcard villain who can look intimidating and then lose to someone like Dustin for a quick moment.

Bullet Club Gold goes to Billy Gunn’s house and mess with stuff until Billy comes home and they drop the camera.

We recap the Tag Team Title tournament matches from Dynamite.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rose

Rose backs her into the corner to start but Purrazzo is right back with a shot to the arm. The arm is snapped and we hit the armbar before a crank with the legs gives Purrazzo two. Rose gets in some strikes but Purrazzo BLASTS HER with a pump kick. The Fujiwara armbar finishes for Purrazzo at 3:50.

Rating: C. Pretty much just a squash here with that pump kick looking awesome. Purrazzo wrecked her here and that is the kind of win that she needed after not doing so well against Toni Storm. Purrazzo still feels like she would be better as a villain but it might be a bit before we get there.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay.

Mariah May vs. Nikita

May is substituting for Toni Storm (who has injured her hamstring but won’t dare tell us how). A running shoulder sets up a basement dropkick to put Nikita down early and we take a break. Back with May hitting a running dropkick in the ropes but Nikita gets in some shots of her down. May shrugs that off and hits a headbutt, the hip attack and May Day for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C. This was more or less an extended squash and about half of it was during the break. May continues to be built up as the likely successor to Storm but we could be a good ways off from seeing that. The story is taking its sweet time and that is not a bad thing, but it would be nice to see May against someone other than the latest jobber.

Harley Cameron (playing with/tasting interviewer Lexi Nair’s hair) and Zak Knight aren’t worried about Angelo Parker, who runs in to beat Knight up with a pipe. Knight and Cameron run off so Ruby Soho is here to get mad at Parker for getting violent. She kisses him and leaves. This is one of the weirdest feuds as it has almost exclusively taken place backstage. Are we going to get a match out of this anytime soon?

The Righteous are weird.

Roderick Strong vs. Matt Menard

Non-title and the Kingdom is here with Strong. Menard yells at the Kingdom in French and the fans approve before Menard snaps off some armdrags. A breather on the floor goes badly for Strong as Menard is right on him with more forearms. Back in and a Kingdom distraction lets Strong get in a cheap shot, only to be knocked away as we take a break.

We come back with Menard fighting out of a seated abdominal stretch but getting pulled into a camel clutch. Menard Hulks Up though and hammers away, followed by a Rock Bottom for two. A Boston crab sends Strong over to the ropes so Menard cutters him for two. Back up and a Kingdom distraction lets Strong hit the jumping knee for the pin at 12:49.

Rating: C+. This is one of those things that Tony Khan tends to do, as this was about a hometown star getting a big match. That makes sense in theory, but at the same time, it was a nearly 13 minute Matt Menard match which wasn’t even for the title. That’s only so interesting in the first place and makes me think that a squash win for Menard would have been more effective. It likely would have been for the people watching.

Post match the beatdown is on until Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta run in for the save. Cue the Young Bucks to lay them out as well to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The key to enjoying Rampage is accepting that there are almost no stakes to anything here. This show was a one off match set up on Dynamite, a pair of squashes and a match designed to give the local fans a thrill before setting up the Young Bucks deal at the end. It does tie into some stories, but they are the lowest level stories going in AEW today. The wrestling is perfectly fine and it’s only an hour long so it doesn’t overstay its welcome. If you can accept that, you can have a good time here and that was the case this week, again.

Results
Dustin Rhodes b. The Butcher – Final Reckoning
Deonna Purrazzo b. Rose – Fujiwara armbar
Mariah May b. Nikita – May Day
Roderick Strong b. Matt Menard – Jumping knee

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

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Dynamite
Date: March 27, 2024
Location: Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Dynasty and the card is starting to come together. With Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay as the likely co-main event, we need someone to challenge Samoa Joe for the World Title. Odds are we’ll be finding that out tonight as Swerve Strickland faces Konosuke Takeshita. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata

The fans are behind Ospreay as Shibata takes him to the mat and an armbar sends Ospreay over to the ropes. Ospreay takes him down into a headscissors but Shibata slips out, only to miss a kick to the chest. Back up and Ospreay sends him to the floor and hits a dive, followed by the strikes to Shibata’s face. As usual, these have no effect and he suplexes Ospreay in the aisle. Back in and Shibata shrugs off some chops and hits another suplex as we take a break.

We come back with Ospreay being sent into the barricade but Ospreay scores with a Phenomenal Forearm for two back inside. Shibata is fine enough to hit a running boot in the corner and forearms him down. Ospreay fights up but gets chopped down and put into a quickly broken ankle lock.

Shibata’s kick is cut off and they trade forearms until Ospreay manages an enziguri for a double knockdown. Back up and Shibata grabs the sleeper for two arm drops, only for Ospreay to drape him in the ropes. A top rope kick to the head sets up the Oscutter for one and the running elbow gets two. Ospreay plants him with a tiger driver so Shibata sits up, meaning the Hidden Blade can finish him at 18:58.

Rating: B-. Yeah I’m going to get yelled at for this one but I cannot see the good in having Shibata no sell a bunch of stuff and then trade forearms for the better part of ever. Ospreay’s thing seems to be having one long match after another and while that can be entertaining, there’s something a bit off putting about Shibata just sitting there and waiting for the finisher. Ospreay looked good for the most part here, but these Shibata matches are not doing it for me and mostly never have.

Video on Bryan Danielson’s career, including his time before AEW.

The Young Bucks are proud of doing what they want, including retiring Sting. Now it’s time to get rid of their loss to Private Party. Oh and Renee Paquette needs to smile some more.

Kazuchika Okada arrives.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Young Bucks vs. Private Party

The Bucks pitch to Excalibur for an announcement of Double Or Nothing being in Las Vegas during their entrance for a very on point move. Matt takes Say down to start and everything breaks down, with Private Party hitting the superkicks. The Bucks head outside and there are the stereo dives. Silly String off the barricade drops Matt, leaving Nick and Quen to slug it out on said barricade. A Falcon Arrow off the barricade drops Quen on the floor and the Bucks try for the countout. With that not working, they drop Quen again inside and we take a break.

Back with Say getting the hot tag to clean house, including a kick to the head and an Asai moonsault to take out Nick on the floor. A springboard high crossbody gets two on Matt but he’s back up with a German suplex onto the apron to Quen. Say is back up with the save and it’s Gin and Juice to send Nick outside. More Bang For Your Buck hits Matt for two with Nick having to make the save. Quen tries a 630 but only hits mat (as opposed to Matt), setting up a totally botched EVP Trigger (Nick didn’t make contact) for the pin at 13:27.

Rating: B-. That ending took a lot of the air out of the place and that’s a shame as they were starting to cook until the last few minutes. The problem here is the story of the match was that Private Party scored a fluke upset on the Bucks about four and a half years ago. Things have changed quite a bit since then and it was a bit much to buy that happening again with a match that went fairly long. The Bucks winning is the only move to make here, but they could have done it a good bit faster.

Video on Konosuke Takeshita.

Darby Allin is with Tony Hawk and promotes Hawk’s skate park charity. His now canceled Mount Everest climb was going to benefit said charity, which is always nice to hear.

Chris Jericho praises Hook and offers to mentor him, with Hook accepting despite knowing what Jericho is all about.

Willow Nightingale vs. Anna Jay vs. Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

For a TBS Title shot and Mercedes Mone is on commentary. Statlander and Blue fight to the floor to start, leaving Nightingale to crush Jay in the corner. A basement crossbody gives Nightingale two but Blue is back in to kick Nightingale away. Blue DDTs Nightingale for two but Jay is back up. Nightingale heads outside to Pounce Blue and glares at Mone as we take a break.

Back with Jay and Blue kicking Nightingale to the floor but Statlander plants Blue for two. Jay superplexes Statlander but Nightingale makes the save with a backsplash to crush both of them. The Babe With The Powerbomb is countered with Blue’s hurricanrana, followed by Code Blue for two. Nightingale is back up to plant Blue on the apron with a Death Valley Driver, leaving Blue to roll Statlander up for two. Back in and the Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Jay at 9:49.

Rating: C. This was another match where there was too much going on at once and it hurt things a bit. It didn’t feel like there was anything in the way of a story to the match and instead it was four people doing a bunch of moves to each other until someone got the pin. At the same time, Mone was VERY subdued on commentary here and sounded somewhere between bored and tired, which is quite the change after her first appearances. Nightingale getting the title shot is good, but egads it would be nice for her to actually win a championship that mattered.

Post match Julia Hart jumps Nightingale from behind and glares down at Mone.

Dustin Rhodes talks about the talent level in AEW and how great all of his matches have been. Butcher comes in and the match is set up for Rampage. Dustin says he’s a natural born legend and Butcher will find out why everyone loves him.

Toni Storm is in the TCM studios with Ben Mankiewicz, who congratulates her for her accomplishments. Storm congratulates him for….whatever he does around here. She tries to get him to say her catchphrase and then drops a shoe.

Swerve Strickland is ready for Konosuke Takeshita.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta vs. Kingdom

Non-title and Chuck Taylor/Roderick Strong are here as well. Cassidy starts fast and they head to the floor, with Bennett hitting a big flip dive. That’s fine with Cassidy, who dives onto everyone for a crash. Back in and Beretta German suplexes Taven until Bennett makes the save. A piledriver on the apron knocks Beretta silly and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy coming in to clean house, including a high crossbody to Taven. The Stundog Millionaire takes Bennett down and Taven is sent outside, leaving Bennett to get hit with a spike Strong Zero for two. We pause for a hug but Strong offers a distraction, only to be pulled down by Taylor. Cassidy cuts Strong off, leaving Beretta to escape Hail Mary and roll Bennett up for the pin at 9:33.

Rating: B-. Now why do I have a feeling that Cassidy and Beretta, who were teaming in ROH earlier this month, are not going to be in line for an ROH Tag Team Title shot after beating the champions here? Other than that, this was a fast enough paced match, though I still could go for more of the Kingdom as a dangerous team. Cassidy and Beretta still feel like the Cinderella team in the whole thing though and that is a great spot for them.

Post match the Young Bucks come out for the staredown.

Kyle O’Reilly is still sure he’s doing this on his own.

Video on Adam Copeland winning the TNT Title back last week. The Cope Open is coming back.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Swerve Strickland

Don Callis is on commentary and Prince Nana is ringside. Takeshita takes over on the arm to start but Swerve flips away and grabs a rollup for two. A hard clothesline drops Strickland as we see Samoa Joe watching in the back. Swerve fights up and takes over, only to have Takeshita come back for the exchange of forearms. A backbreaker gives Swerve two but Takeshita grabs a heck of a brainbuster.

Swerve tries to get back up but is rocked with some forearms against the ropes. Takeshita misses a charge and gets German suplexed, only to forearm Swerve out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Swerve fighting out of a chinlock and sending Takeshita out to the floor. A running hurricanrana takes Takeshita down and a high crossbody connects for two back inside.

Swerve tries to strike away but his neck/shoulder gives out (thanks to the brainbuster earlier), leaving him to shoulder Takeshita in the ribs. Takeshita counters a rolling neckbreaker into a sitout F5 to send Swerve outside. The big flip dive takes Swerve down again but he’s able to break up a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle. A DDT out of the corner plants Takeshita but he’s right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.

Swerve is back up with a rolling Downward Spiral for two, only to miss the Swerve Stomp. Takeshita wheelbarrow suplexes him into the running knee for another near fall and they’re both down. Another Swerve Stomp misses so Swerve settles for an anklescissors into the corner. The House Call sets up the Swerve Stomp for two and Swerve is stunned. A standing stomp sets up the JML Driver to give Swerve the pin at 19:41.

Rating: A-. This is the kind of match I was hoping for when AEW started: two incredibly talented people getting the chance to showcase themselves on a big stage for the first time. The match told a story of Takeshita hurting Swerve early and Swerve having to fight around the injury and win in the end. Throw in some high impact offense and some hot near falls and this is one of the best matches I’ve ever seen on Dynamite. Loved this.

Overall Rating: B-. The show wasn’t their best effort for the most part but my goodness that main event was great. In other words, it felt like an In Your House and that is not the worst way to present television. The focus here was on setting up some things for Dynasty, with the TBS Title match officially being set and the Tag Team Title tournament getting rid of some teams. Not an excellent show, but dang check out that main event (and the opener, depending on your taste in Shibata).

Results
Will Ospreay b. Katsuyori Shibata – Hidden Blade
Young Bucks b. Private Party – EVP Trigger to Quen
Willow Nightingale b. Skye Blue, Kris Statlander and Anna Jay – Babe With The Powerbomb to Jay
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Kingdom – Rollup to Bennett
Swerve Strickland b. Konosuke Takeshita – JML 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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Rampage
Date: February 16, 2024
Location: H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

The long road to Revolution continues as things are really starting to come together. At the same time, there are several matches that still need to be set up. While there isn’t much likely to be added to the card on this show, we are in for a twelve man tag, which should be quite the visual. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jeff Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

No DQ and Matt Hardy is here with Jeff. They trade slaps to start and then slug it out with Jeff dropping him. It’s already time for a ladder but Guevara knocks it into Jeff, sending him into the announcers’ table. Jeff sends him into the barricade and hits a clothesline off the apron, only to have Guevara fight back up onto the apron. A middle rope knee to the face drops Jeff and they fight onto the floor again, with Jeff hitting Poetry In Motion against the barricade.

Back in and the ladder is set up and they both climb for no logical reason. They slug it out until Jeff grabs a super Twist of Fate for two and we take a break. Back with Jeff putting Guevara on a table at ringside and climbing a big ladder on the floor. They get back inside with Guevara wrapping a chair around Jeff’s head and hitting a middle rope cutter for two of his own.

Guevara puts him on the table at ringside and there’s the huge Swanton off the bigger ladder through Jeff through the table. Back in and a shooting star press hits raised knees, though Guevara’s knee slams into Jeff’s face for a scary landing. The GTH finishes for Guevara at 12:33.

Rating: C+. Other than the names involved, was there any reason for this to be a No DQ match? They used a bunch of weapons and Guevara’s big spot with the Swanton looked good but there is only so much to be gotten from a match with this much violence and so many weapons without a reason. It had its moments, but I could go for more than a match for the sake of someone saying “wouldn’t it be cool if we did this”.

Post match Powerhouse Hobbs comes in to wreck Guevara.

Brian Cage is ready for next week’s six man tag because he gets his hands on Hook.

Private Party wants the Tag Team Titles and have an enforcer/bouncer named Cheesecake.

The Blackpool Combat Club thinks FTR is stupid and Jon Moxley is ready to choke them. Claudio Castagnoli says when you’re great, people tell you, so they’ll see FTR next week.

The Outcasts interrupt Ruby Soho and say they forgive her. Soho knows Saraya was behind everything the whole time and walks off. Harley Cameron is ready to get Soho with her knife, but pulls out a spoon and hits Saraya in the chest with said spoon.

Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs vs. Romero Crews/Hitt/Shimbashi

Rhodes uppercuts Hitt into the corner to start and it’s off to Ross for an armdrag into an armbar. Everything breaks down and Cross Rhodes hits Crews with the other two making the save. The Von Erich’s grab stereo Claws as Dustin hits the Final Reckoning for the pin on Crews at 1:49. Well that was to the point.

Toni Storm snaps over Deonna Purrazzo’s threats and ankle locks Mariah May to blow off some steam.

Video on Sting/Darby Allin vs. the Young Bucks.

Queen Aminata vs. Anna Jay

They shake hands to start and Aminata grabs a wristlock to work on the arm. A headlock takeover has Jay down but she sends Aminata into the corner for a Backstabber. We take a break and come back with Aminata fighting out of a chinlock so they can chop it out. Aminata snapmares her down into a running kick to the chest. Aminata’s running hip attack and running kick to the face in the corner get two but Jay grabs a quick Downward Spiral. The Queenslayer goes on but Aminata flips out and hits a headbutt for the pin at 8:01.

Rating: C. Say it with me: there is only so much you can get out of a match with eight minutes in the ring and a commercial eating up about half. The important thing here is that Aminata got a win over someone who matters. AEW has been trying to push her as someone who matters but that is only going to work if she wins some matches. This might not be a huge win but it’s certainly a place to start.

Respect is shown post match.

Willow Nightingale isn’t happy with Stokely Hathaway cheating to help her win but Kris Statlander plays peacemaker.

Angelo Parker gives Ruby Soho a Valentine’s Day present and talks about everything they’ve been through lately. They’ll have a date next Wednesday.

Bang Bang Scissor Gang vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Dark Order

Lethal and White start things off by fighting over a lockup. An exchange of headlocked doesn’t go anywhere so Uno comes in and gets chopped. Colten comes in for a Stinger Splash into a dropkick, setting up Scissor Me Timbers. Everything breaks down and the villains are cleared out as we take a break.

Back with Austin in trouble in the corner and Jarrett hitting a running crotch attack against the ropes. Singh throws Austin into the corner but a missed clothesline allows the tag off to Billy to clean house. Everything breaks down and Singh is knocked outside. We hit the parade of secondary finishers until the 3:10 To Yuma finishes Reynolds at 10:47.

Rating: C. This was a spectacle rather than an important match and there is nothing wrong with something like that. The Bang Bang Scissor Gang is certainly an idea but they are going to have to do something at some point. I still think/hope it winds up with the two sets of titles being merged, though we might be waiting a bit before we get to that point. Like Double Or Nothing say.

Overall Rating: C. And now we’re back to Rampage being little more than an extra hour of AEW content with little going on. The big story here was Soho and Parker agreeing to go on a date next week. The matches were good enough and there was nothing bad, making this a show that was more about having an easy week. If you’re not looking for much of anything that matters but is completely watchable, have fun with this one.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Jeff Hardy – GTH
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Romero Crews/Hitt/Shimbashi – Final Reckoning to Crews
Queen Aminata b. Anna Jay – Headbutt
Bang Bang Scissor Gang b. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Dark Order – 3:10 To Yuma to Reynolds

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Dynamite
Date: January 17, 2024
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Taz

It’s time for a special main event with Hook challenging Samoa Joe for the World Title. That should make for an interesting learning experience for Hook but the question seems to be what happens next. We’re coming up on Revolution and the show needs a card to be set up so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a video on Hook vs. Samoa Joe.

TNT Title: Christian Cage vs. Dustin Rhodes

Cage, with Killswitch and Nick Wayne, is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and roll around the ropes with neither getting anywhere. Cage hammers away in the corner but Rhodes is right back with the rolling powerslam for two. The fight heads outside with Cage being sent into the steps and Rhodes hitting a clothesline off of those steps. Back in and Cage knocks him off the top and out to the floor, setting up a big dive.

We take a break and come back with Rhodes missing a crossbody to fall outside. Rhodes gets back in to slug it out from their knees until the bulldog gives Rhodes two. The Code Red gets two more so Cage goes outside, where he cuts off a dive. Back in and a frog splash gives Cage two so he grabs the belt, only to have it taken away.

Rhodes grabs a small package but Wayne turns it over to give Cage two more. Back up and Shattered Dreams connects and Cross Rhodes connects for a VERY near fall. Rhodes stops to go after Wayne so Cage hits a spear into the Killswitch….for two. Cage is stunned so he hits another Killswitch to retain at 15:26.

Rating: B. I wasn’t looking forward to this one coming in and they had a heck of a match with Rhodes trying everything he could but coming up short in the end. Rhodes as the guy who just does not age is rather impressive and Cage’s great run continues. Awesome match here and they were absolutely rolling by the end.

Swerve Strickland is going to be focused on the main event because he’s watching everything. Yes he wants the World Title but yes he’s also watching Hangman Page. The thing is, Page could beat everyone in AEW to the Lord himself…but he can’t beat Swerve.

Chris Jericho wants revenge on the Don Callis Family. Matt Sydal of all people comes in to say he wants a match tonight so they’re on (with Jericho making a Bourne reference).

Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy vs. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo

Cassidy and Penta go face to face to start with both of them taking the other to the mat for a string of misses. Trent comes in and reverses Komander’s springboard dive into a half and half suplex. We take a break and come back with Komander sending Trent to the floor, followed by the big running flip dive.

Back in and the spike Fear Factor is broken up, allowing Trent to come back inside to hammer on Komander. Penta kicks Trent in the head though and adds a Canadian Destroyer. Cassidy has to dive over the referee for the save so Komander goes up top. The Phoenix splash misses though and Trent adds the running knee. Cassidy hits Penta with the Beach Break, followed by the Orange Punch to Komander. The Crunchy finishes for Trent at 10:16.

Rating: B-. This was another fast paced match with Cassidy and Trent hanging in there with the faster team. I could go for more of Trent as he’s an underrated star, but at the same time, Cassidy seems all but destined for a big showdown with Roderick Strong. Penta and Komander were just opponents here, but their high flying stuff was as entertaining as ever.

Post match here is the Undisputed Kingdom, with Roderick Strong wanting Orange Cassidy to take off his glasses for the staredown. Strong wants an International Title shot because he is coming for the title. Fans: “SHUT THE F*** UP.” Cassidy is willing to put the title on the line right now….but let’s wait until Revolution because Strong wants Cassidy to think about it. Strong is a dumb villain.

Hangman Page (looking more like Magnum TA every week) wants the World Title back. Oh and it doesn’t matter if he can’t beat Swerve Strickland, because Swerve isn’t World Champion.

Here is Mark Briscoe, with his family in the crowd, for a chat on the anniversary of his brother’s death. Jay’s daughters were in the car with him and one was told she would never walk again. Well here she is, walking on her own (with presumably her sister and brother). That’s awesome.

Video on Jay Briscoe.

We get a sitdown interview with the Young Bucks, who want to be called by their full names because they are Executive Vice Presidents. You have heard some things about them, but what would you do to protect your family? Things were changing and they needed to stop leaning on yesterday’s self serving cancerous stars. Sting is the last of a dying breed so it’s time to get rid of him too. When asked if that’s a direct call out for Revolution, they leave for the sake of a meeting. I can’t believe it but somehow they’re more annoying than they were before.

Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Mogul Embassy

The Club is challenging. Kaun strikes away at White to start so it’s off to the Gunns to take him down. Cage comes in with a superkick and it’s Kaun coming back in for an elbow as we take a break. Back with Colten cleaning house and getting two off a neckbreaker. The Embassy takes him back down though and a sitout powerbomb into an Air Raid Crash gets two.

Colten backdrops his way out of trouble and hands it back to White to strike away at Kaun. 3:10 To Yuma hits Cage but a Prince Nana distraction lets Kaun hit a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Cue Anthony Bowens for a distraction though and White hits the Blade Runner for the pin and the titles at 9:31.

Rating: C+. If there is any sanity around here, this will lad to a unification match to get rid of one set of the Six Man Titles. There has never been any need to have two sets of them around and now it’s time to get rid of one. Other than that, you had a good enough match with a title change that needed to happen due to Cage’s injury.

Post match the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn come out for the staredown.

Adam Cole hypes up Wardlow as the new wrecking ball on his way to the World Title.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay

Toni Storm is on commentary. Purrazzo spins out of a wristlock to start and rolls Jay up for a fast one. Jay has to bail over to the ropes, where she grabs a neckbreaker over the ropes. We take a break and come back with Purrazzo getting two off a clothesline. Jay kicks her in the face for two more but the Queenslayer is countered into a quickly broken armbar. They forearm it out until Purrazzo pulls her into the Venus de Milo (double armbar) for the tap at 6:40.

Rating: C. There was barely enough to rate here with the commercial involved and that’s pretty normal for a lot of women’s matches around here. Purrazzo is off to a good start and I wouldn’t be surprised if she got the next title shot either on a big Dynamite or at Revolution. As usual, Anna loses after building up some momentum, which tends to be her case.

Post match Purrazzo says she doesn’t know what is up with Toni Storm, but Purrazzo has changed as well. Storm has never met the Virtuosa, but Storm calls her an artificially tanned hag. The shoe is thrown and Purrazzo chases her off.

Top Flight vs. Private Party

Kassidy takes Darius down to start but they nip up for the staredown. Everyone gets in for the staredown and it’s off to Dante vs. Quen. Dante takes him down by the arm but Kassidy is back in with a springboard crossbody. We take a break and come back with Darius working on Kassidy’s arm as commentary talks about almost anything else. Kassidy fights up and brings in Quen to clean house, including a 450 to Dante. Everything breaks down and Dante knees Quen in the face. Gin and Juice takes Dante down, leaving Quen to roll up Darius (while grabbing the rope) for the pin at 10:11.

Rating: B-. Take two high flying teams and let them go nuts for a bit. It’s a little strange to see Private Party come back and have a fairly high profile match like this one but at least they won. I can go for Private Party as villains, but AEW needs to actually go somewhere with them or it won’t matter.

Video on Sting and Darby Allin.

AEW World Title: Hook vs. Samoa Joe

Only Joe’s title is on the line. Hook goes right after him to start and they’re already on the floor, where Joe strikes away. Back in and Joe hits a jumping enziguri in the corner, followed by the hard kick to the chest. Hook gets in some shots of his own and knocks Joe outside, setting up the big forearm from the apron. Joe isn’t having that and release Rock Bottoms him through the announcers’ table.

That earns him a double middle finger so Joe powerbombs Hook onto the apron. Back in and Joe snaps off a powerslam for two, followed by a Death Valley Driver for the same. The MuscleBuster gets one but Hook is back up with some running clotheslines and the t-bone suplex. Redrum goes on but Joe reverses into the Koquina Clutch for the knockout win at 8:45.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a match that was pretty much exactly what you would have expected but better. Hook wasn’t going to win the title here but he brought the energy and Joe felt like he was in a fight. Granted I could have gone without the new World Champion’s finisher only getting a one count, but otherwise Joe looked like a killer as usual.

Post match Joe gives him another MuscleBuster but here is Hangman Page to chase Joe off. Swerve Strickland is watching from the crowd and stares at Page as Hook leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that focused on the wrestling and that ranged from pretty good to very good. They also took some steps towards Revolution as you can see a lot of the card from here. If you take out the Young Bucks making me want to put my head through a wall, it’s that much better of a show. Rather strong show this week and I had a good time throughout.

Results
Christian Cage b. Dustin Rhodes – Killswitch
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo – Crunchy to Komander
Bullet Club Gold b. Mogul Embassy – Blade Runner to Kaun
Deonna Purrazzo b. Anna Jay – Venus de Milo
Private Party b. Top Flight – Rollup to Darius while grabbing the rope
Samoa Joe b. Hook – Koquina Clutch

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Collision
Date: January 13, 2024
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

This show is going to have some troubles as it is up against the NFL Playoffs. That opens up the question of whether or not AEW is going to more or less punt to next week, which might not be the worst idea. Adam Copeland has another open challenge this week, because modern wrestling LOVES open challenges. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.Opening sequence.

Here is Adam Copeland for his Open Challenge, though first he says hello to a fan with a sign about how excited he is over finally getting to see Copeland live. That’s so cool.

Adam Copeland vs. Lee Moriarty

After a video on Moriarty (with Shane Taylor), he promises to make Copeland tap out. Copeland headlocks him down and fires off some forearms in the corner. Moriarty escapes a suplex though and we take a break. Back with Copeland hitting a faceplant but getting armdragged off the top for a nasty crash.

Moriarty grabs the Border City Stretch, sending Copeland straight over to the rope. That means Moriarty goes up top, only to get caught with a super all away slam for the double down. Taylor offers a distraction to break up the spear so Copeland dives on him instead. Back in and they forearm it out with Copeland getting the better of things, setting up a backbreaker. The Grindhouse (Crossface) makes Moriarty tap at 11:11.

Rating: C+. Words cannot express how relieved I was when the opponent wasn’t Cole Karter after last week’s match against Griff Garrison. I can go for the idea of Copeland having to face various opponents and while Moriarty wouldn’t have been in my top list of guesses, it’s cool to see Copeland getting in there with some of the newer generation for a little while.

Post match Copeland says he’s still coming for Christian Cage.

FTR and Daniel Garcia are ready to work together to fight the House Of Black.

Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. Lance Archer/Righteous

The Embassy is defending, Prince Nana and Jake Roberts are the seconds, and Cage forearms away at Archer to start. Archer is back with a clothesline but Cage is backer with a German suplex. It’s off to Toa to splash Vincent and then tie him up in the corner to start in on his leg. Everything breaks down rather quickly and we take a break.

Back with Dutch running Kaun over with a crossbody but Kaun fights his way out of the corner. Kaun uses Vincent to springboard into a dropkick to Dutch but Archer comes in to cut him off. Dutch comes in sans tag to clean house, including a big dive to the floor. Hold on though as Roberts cuts off an interfering Nana, leaving Toa to run Vincent over. Kaun Pedigrees Vincent for the pin at 11:43.

Rating: B-. This got better once they stopped trying to have a tag match and just went nuts. That’s often a good way to go and it worked out here. I’m a bit surprised that the Embassy retained after Brian Cage announced his back injury, but that team feels like they are going to hold those titles for the better part of ever.

Post match Nana laughs about Bullet Club Gold wanting the Six Man Titles. Since the Embassy is so great, they’ll challenge the Club for the titles on Dynamite.

Roderick Strong and the Kingdom interrupt Preston Vance. That doesn’t work for Vance, who will face Strong next week.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Willie Mack

They trade armdrags to start so Mack snaps off a loud chop. A headlock is quickly broken up but Mack runs him over and hits the standing moonsault for two. The Six Star misses though and Dustin is back with a running Canadian Destroyer. Rhodes’ powerslam gets two so it’s the Cross Rhodes into the Final Cut to finish Mack at 4:03.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see Rhodes get a win, but I’m not sure why it needed to happen. Rhodes is the definition of someone whose status has been set for years so why put him over anyone but a jobber? Mack might not be a top start, but you would think that he should be the one beating Rhodes rather than the other way around.

Bullet Club Gold is in to win the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

The Patriarchy interrupts Dustin Rhodes, who tells them to shut up and wants Christian Cage to put the TNT Title on the line on Dynamite. Works for Cage, who brings up Dusty Rhodes being dead for the staredown.

JD Drake vs. Hangman Page

Anthony Henry is here with Drake. Page takes over to start but is quickly powered down. A dropkick sets up a headlock takeover to put Drake down, followed by some right hands in the corner. Page’s top rope moonsault to a standing Drake sets up the running shooting star press for two.

Drake is able to knock him outside though and we take a break. Back with Page sending him to the apron for a springboard crossbody, followed by a high crossbody for two back inside. A Death Valley Driver gets two more but the Deadeye is blocked. Drake sends him into the corner but misses the moonsault, allowing Page to hit the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 11:32.

Rating: C+. As has been the case around here before, this accomplished what it was supposed to do but also went on too long. For now though, Page is seemingly ready to move up again while things go on around him. Drake is a big guy who can make others look good, and as a result, he’ll be around for a pretty long time.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Red Velvet

Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far. The grappling continues until the threat of Purrazzso’s Virtuosa (Fujiwara armbar) sends her over to the ropes. Purrazzo stays on the arm but gets sent into the corner, allowing Velvet to start hammering away herself. Back up and they trade kicks tot he face until Purrazzo pulls her into the Virtuosa. With that broken up, Purrazzo grabs the Venus d Millo (double arm crank) for the win at 6:10.

Rating: C+. That’s how it needed to go, as this was about making Purrazzo look like a killer on her first night. She didn’t beat anyone too big but she won with the painful looking hold. The action was good enough to get by, but the point here was getting Purrazzo over as a threat and that worked well.

Hook vs. Kevin Matthews

Non-title and Hook starts fast with a suplex. Another suplex has Matthews on the floor and Redrum finishes for Hook at 1:12. Simple and effective.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

FTR/Daniel Garcia vs. House Of Black

Matt Menard is on commentary. Matthews and Harwood fight over a lockup to start and neither can get very far. Harwood sends him into the ropes so Wheeler can come in for a double catapult into said rope. It’s off to Black, who armdrags Garcia into an armbar. Garcia sits down ala Black, who flips him off as a result. Everything breaks down and the House is cleared out, allowing FTR and Garcia to sit down together as we take a break.

Back with FTR striking away at King and finally going for his legs to take him down. Some chops just annoy King, who is back with a chokebomb for two on Harwood. Black comes in for a headlock takeover but Harwood is up and gets to the middle rope. A missed something bangs up Harwood’s knee though and the beating takes him outside for a bit. Back in and a snap suplex drops Harwood again as we take a break.

We come back with Harwood not being able to get out of the corner, as a double knee to the face gets two. Not that it matters as a DDT out of nowhere is enough for the tag off to Garcia. Everything breaks down and Garcia slips out of King’s choke to send him outside. Garcia takes out Black’s knee and Wheeler hits a dive to take out the others. King is back in and a triple spike piledriver gives Garcia two.

Black is back in to kick away until he and Garcia kick each other down for a needed breather. Everyone goes to the corners until Black gets caught in a Steiner Bulldog for a rather near fall. The PowerPlex doesn’t work as Garcia lands on Black’s raised knees. Black kneebars Harwood, who has to make the rope for the break. Matthews tags himself in as Black moonsaults onto Wheeler. Some powerbombs get two on Harwood, who is right back up with a piledriver for another near fall. Back in and Black kicks Harwood in the head, setting up the Stomp to give Matthews the pin at 24:37.

Rating: B+. This had time to get going and they were going nuts by the end of it. That’s what you expect from a match like this one and my goodness did it work. It doesn’t happen every time, but when FTR is given time to really put something together, this is the kind of match you can get. Awesome stuff here with the House evening the score a bit.

Post match Menard comes in to check on Harwood, leaving black to kick him in the head. The good guys make the save with chairs to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event was by far the best part and it carried an otherwise just ok show. It was pretty clear that a lot o this was filler to make some of the bigger names look good. That’s ok in small doses, but they aren’t going to be able to do this kind of show again for very long. As a one off though and with a rather good main event, we’ll call it the In Your House of Collision.

Results
Adam Copeland b. Lee Moriarty – Grindhouse
Mogul Embassy b. Lance Archer/Righteous – Pedigree to Vincent
Dustin Rhodes b. Willie Mack – Final Cut
Hangman Page b. JD Drake – Buckshot Lariat
Deonna Purrazzo b. Red Velvet – Venus de Milo
Hook b. Kevin Matthews – Redrum
House Of Black b. FTR/Daniel Garcia – Stomp to Harwood

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

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AND

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