Dynamite
Date: May 28, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to start getting ready for All In, which is about a month and a half away. That is going to be one of the biggest AEW shows in history and we now have two of the top matches already set. Hangman Page and Mercedes Mone will be challenging for the World and Women’s Titles and they’ll likely have a lot to say. Let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how fleeting triumph can be, but the same is true for loss. At Double Or Nothing, they both knew that one of them would lose and thank you Will Ospreay for giving him the fight of his life. Ospreay can be the man who carries this company forward, but one of them won. This victory is fleeting as well though, because it is time to hand off the Owen title, because someone will win it next year.

Now it is time to win the World Title, which has been locked in a briefcase for seven months. That title was supposed to be a symbol to everyone and he promises to win the title, which will be held high for all to see. Cue Swerve Strickland to interrupt and he shows us a clip of why he’s here. We see a clip from April 9, with the Young Bucks saying they came back to cost Swerve the World Title. Back in the ring, Swerve says he had the title won, but then the Bucks cost him.

Page was in the ring at the same time and Swerve is calling collusion on this. Swerve wants a straight answer: did Page have anything to do with what the Bucks did? Page: “Well, dumba**,”. Page says that he even considered helping Swerve at Dynasty but he implies he wasn’t working with the Bucks. Swerve: “You’re still full of s***.” Cue Will Ospreay to say he doesn’t want to do this but he tells Swerve that he’s wrong about Page. On Sunday, Page came back to the ring and helped him up, which is what Swerve did to him last year.

People are starting to believe in them again, and the reality is that Page is the guy who can get the title back. They have one shot at this and they need to work together. Swerve slaps the mic from Ospreay and he insists he will NEVER work with Page. That seems to be mutual from Page, who storms off as well. This is very reminiscent of Cody Rhodes and company coming together to take the WWE Championship from Roman Reigns and that is a story worth doing again.

Video on Anarchy In The Arena.

Death Riders vs. Willow Nightingale/Mike Bailey/Mark Briscoe

Kidd and Briscoe slug it out to start and everything breaks down in a hurry. Bailey hits a running kick to Moxley and Briscoe adds a big flip dive as we take a break. Back with Briscoe getting over for the tag off to Bailey, who fires off the kicks to Moxley. The double tag brings in Shafir and Nightingale to slug it out with Nightingale hitting a spinebuster for two. Shafir comes back up with a shot of her own and it’s back to Bailey vs. Moxley.

They waste no time in going outside, where Moxley throws him over the barricade for a crash as we take another break. Back again with Bailey being dropped over the top rope and kicked in the face. Bailey comes back up with some kicks to the chest and the standing moonsault knees hit Kidd.

Briscoe comes in to clean house, including a dropkick through the ropes to Moxley. Bailey hits a dive of his own and Briscoe’s Froggy Bow gets two on Kidd. Claudio Castagnoli offers a distraction but here is Komander (facing Castagnoli on Collision) to take him out. Moxley uses the distraction to come in and choke Briscoe out for the win at 18:42.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard six man tag here and the two breaks in the middle cut off some of the momentum. At the same time, this felt like the way for the Death Riders to get some momentum back after Sunday’s loss. The match is nothing that hasn’t been done multiple times around here but the flips were good enough.

MJF is ready to help the Hurt Syndicate retain the Tag Team Titles against anyone. It’s just business.

Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne want revenge on Anna Jay and Harley Cameron in a No DQ match.

Ricochet talks about wanting to get some gold around here but he sees how things are going around here. It’s clear that he needs a group and we’ll be working on that.

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay/Harley Cameron

No DQ and it’s a brawl on the floor to start with the weapons being brought in fast. A trashcan lid to the back gets two on Ford with Bayne making the save. Bayne shrugs off a chair shot and hits a double clothesline but gets knocked down again. That means it’s time to get the table and we take a break. Back with Bayne getting chaired in the head, sending her off the apron and through a table. That doesn’t last long either and it’s Bayne getting back up to send Cameron face first into the steps. Back in and Bayne clotheslines Jay down, setting up a Doomsday Device for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: C+. This was what the Double Or Nothing match should have been, as it was all about making Bayne look like a killer. She smashed through the two of them and it made for a great showcase. Ford was there as well, with Jay and Cameron being good cannon fodder. Bayne feels like she is on the way up again, and that is as obvious of a move as you can get.

Mercedes Mone arrived in a low rider.

Opps vs. Frat House

Non-title and the Frat House is from Ring Of Honor. Joe is not impressed at Jakked Jameson’s discussions of recruitment parties and the beating is on fast. Joe hammers away and it’s off to Shibata, who shrugs off some forearms and marches at Garrison, even as Garrison forearms away. It’s off to Hobbs for some clotheslines so some of the pledges come in, earning a string of spinebusters. A less than great looking spinebuster gives Hobbs the pin at 3:13.

Rating: C. Total destruction here and that’s what it needed to be. Hobbs looked good enough (save for that not very good spinebuster finish) and that’s something that needs to happen every so often. Occasionally you need a team to just smash through everyone in front of them and the Opps know just how to do that.

Renee Paquette brings out Jamie Hayter for a chat. Before she can say much though, the lights go out and Thekla, formerly of Stardom and recently of the spiders on screen, is here to lay Hayter out.

Video on Mistico, who isn’t on the card tonight. So they promote him when he isn’t there and don’t promote him when he is there?

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far. Cole knocks him into the corner for some stomping and SHOUTS HIS NAME. A superkick sends Fletcher outside but RPG Vice is there to cut off a dive. Cue Paragon to take them out, leaving Fletcher to give Cole a TERRIFYING apron powerbomb, with Cole’s head slamming into the apron as we take a break.

Back with Fletcher hitting a spinning slam but Cole catches him with a superkick. Cole strikes away and hits a Death Valley Driver onto the knee for two. The Panama Sunrise is blocked so Cole goes with a brainbuster onto the knee. Cue Josh Alexander to jump Cole for the DQ at 9:35.

Rating: B-. They were starting to roll before the DQ and it seems like we have the Paragon vs. Don Callis Family coming for the next few weeks. There is a good chance that one of them will take the title from Cole, which is not a bad way to go. This was a good match, but dang Fletcher needs to work on that powerbomb, because that could have gone far worse.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Brody King makes the save with a chair.

Brody King vs. Josh Alexander

For a spot in a four way International Title match next week. They go straight to the brawling with King getting the better of things. They go outside where King gets in a few shots, only to be knocked up against the barricade. Alexander sends him into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Alexander working on the arm but King hits a hard clothesline. They brawl out to the apron, where Alexander snaps off a German suplex. King shrugs that off and hits the running crossbody against the barricade. The Cannonball misses back inside though and Alexander locks up the apron. As tends to be the case, that’s broken up rather quickly so Alexander goes with the bridging German suplex for two. King raises the knees to cut off the moonsault and the Ganso Bomb finishes Alexander (who was busted open somewhere in there) at 14:11.

Rating: B. Take two big guys, have them beat the fire out of each other for the better part of fifteen minutes until one of them can’t get up. King needed the win after a stretch of bad results, though Alexander could use a good one of his own. Either way, good, hard hitting match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision.

Adam Cole and Kyle Fletcher get in another fight in the back.

Here is Mercedes Mone for a chat. Mone talks about what it means to win the Owen Hart tournament (which she ties into Eddie Guerrero) but here is Toni Storm to cut her off. Storm says Mone has never spoken to her and she told Anthony Khan how much she wanted this match. So what took so long? Mone says this is about her because she is the Beyonce of women’s wrestling. They met years ago and Mone is no longer a Boss but rather a CEO. Storm talks about how they were in the same place and now they are in AEW where they can be their real selves.

The difference is while Mone wants all of the titles, Storm only needs one (that’s a great line). Storm has bled, cried and died for the Women’s Title. They will meet in 45 days and a little girl will be watching. That little girl will say “holy s*** these b****** are crazy” and Storm will still be timeless. Mone says it’s time for Storm to come to an end. Mone offers a handshake and Storm kisses it, leaving them to both miss their finishers, sending Mone running to end the show. This felt like a major showdown and that’s what it needed to be, as this is probably going to be the second biggest match at All In.

Overall Rating: B. That ending segment boosted this up a bit as I want to see Storm and Mone fight. Other than that, the show was the usual collection of good action as we move towards the four way next week, plus All In a little over a month from now. Good, hard working fallout show from the pay per view, but now it’s time to get ready for All In and that’s going to be difficult.

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: May 21, 2025
Location: Rio Ranchos Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the last Dynamite before Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to put most of the final touches on the pay per view. Odds are that means something getting us ready for Anarchy In The Arena, plus a bunch of build towards the Owen Hart Cup finals. That should be more than enough to get us through the night so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out Will Ospreay and Hangman Page for a chat. They agree to get physical and Ospreay has the security go to the back, though he does promise they’ll get paid (nice guy). He asks if Page still drinks and apologizes for the shot to the face last week. Ospreay has some beers brought in but puts his down and says he has an official request for Tony Khan: the two of them should be in the main event at Double Or Nothing.

That is a lot of pressure, but the winner goes on to All In and the winner has the responsibility of taking the World Title back. Ospreay flies around all the time and is jet lagged every Tuesday but puts on his crime fighting pants and says ring the bell. That’s what he wants more than anything else. He wants to be the World Champion at Forbidden Door in London, thirty minutes from his house.

More than that though, he wants his six year old to look at him as the World Champion. Ospreay knows Page wants it, but he wants it that much more. Page says that’s the difference between them. Ospreay wants it bad and Page has had that feeling before. There is no greater prize than being the World Champion, but for Ospreay, it could be a professional accomplishment.

It’s just that though: professional. Page calls it personal for him though because he doesn’t want it, but rather needs it. Page has not won anything in two years and those moments have killed him more every day. He needs his son to look at him and see his father and for his wife to look at him and see her husband. What he needs is for Ospreay to be wrong when he said it was “too little, too late” for Page.

Ospreay asks what Page is going to do about it. Wrap a chair around his skull? On Sunday, he is showing up and doing his best, which hasn’t been enough before. Yes he has lost but he has never given less than everything. Page asks if that is enough to beat Jon Moxley and the Death Riders but Ospreay doesn’t know. Ospreay asks if what Page is now is enough either.

The best of Ospreay has beaten a lot of people because he is the best in the world. Anything can happen when that bell rings and if Page wins and needs someone to have his back at All In, Ospreay has his back. He hopes Page will do the same if Ospreay wins, so meet him in the desert. They both drink the beers and stare hard at one another. They go up the aisle and get to the entrance at the same time for quite the staredown. This was GREAT, with both of them laying out why they want to win. I’m not sure who is going to win, but I’m almost more curious to see what happens when one of them loses.

Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir arrive, with Moxley saying the spoils will go to those who embrace the anarchy.

Jon Moxley/Young Bucks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs/Samoa Joe/Swerve Strickland

Marina Shafir and Prince Nana are here too. Joe and Moxley slug it out to start with Joe having to be held back. Hobbs and Matt come in with Hobbs running him over but not being able to hit the powerslam. Swerve comes in to backbreaker Nick and hits a neckbreaker as everything breaks down. Moxley’s dive is cut off by Hobbs so he dives onto Hobbs instead. The Bucks superkick Joe down but Swerve plants Matt and hits a dive to take him out as well. Now Joe can hit his suicide elbow as we take a break.

Back with Moxley hammering on Hobbs in the corner before going after the knee. For some reason Nick decides to slap Hobbs in the back, earning himself a World’s Strongest Slam. Swerve comes in to plant Nick, who avoids a running shot, allowing Matt to superkick Swerve down. Back in and an assisted Sliced Bread plants Swerve, who gets his knees up to cut off a Swanton. That’s still not enough for the tag though as Moxley is back in for a Crash Landing on Swerve.

Matt dives onto Joe and Hobbs, followed by Risky Business for two more. The hanging Swanton gets two on Swerve with Hobbs having to make the save this time. We take another break and come back again with Moxley’s piledriver (with a middle finger to the fans) getting two more. Something like the Rings Of Saturn bring the fans back to cheer Swerve so Moxley grabs a full nelson.

A headbutt drops Moxley and it’s Joe coming in to clean house, followed by Hobbs’ frog splash for two. Everything breaks down and the Bucks head fake Hobbs into a double DDT. Joe drops them with a double clothesline but Moxley is back in to take Joe down. Swerve gives Moxley the House call and adds a Swerve Stomp off the apron onto the Bucks. Back in and Hobbs busts out some spinebusters to clean house but Moxley is there to send him into Swerve. A double superkick puts Joe down but Swerve rolls Matt up for the pin at 21:17.

Rating: B. The length helped here, as the match had the time to build up rather than having to hurry through everything. As good as that part was though, it was another example of why the Bucks can be so annoying. Just like always, they got in all of their stuff, beat up just about everyone, and then lose on a fluke rollup. I’m sure they’ll get some kind of heat back later, because the Bucks just have to be part of everything no matter what.

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat the winners down but Katsuyori Shibata returns for the save. Marina Shafir cuts Shibata off with a low blow though so here is Willow Nightingale to Pounce Shafir. Kenny Omega runs in for the real save. A table is set up and Matt has to be saved from a One Winged Angel. The villains leave but Joe says they’re coming after them tonight.

The Hurt Syndicate says MJF should be the excited one tonight and he has a new suit for the occasion.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to officially induct MJF into the team. MJF comes out and says his mom told him that the most important day of his life is the day you marry the love of your life. MJF: “It’s clear that that b**** never joined the Hurt Syndicate!” MJF and MVP take turns mocking the fans who boo a lot and everyone but Bobby Lashley signs. Lashley seems unsure but ultimately signs, and yes there is a commemorative hat.

Cue the Sons Of Texas, with Dustin Rhodes telling MJF to shut up. Rhodes and MVP have a long history of respect but Rhodes thinks he shouldn’t trust MJF. We hear about how they changed the business and now they want more gold. If they like to hurt people, jump on Rhodes and try to hurt him. They have been beaten up and hurt by bigger people and now they’re ready to fight with heart. He would bet on the Day One guys. As usual, Sammy Guevara is the guy just standing there nodding as Rhodes does everything.

Kazuchika Okada isn’t letting Mike Bailey call him out for Double Or Nothing….because he’s calling Bailey out instead. And no catchphrase!

Ricochet vs. Anthony Bowens

Billy Gunn is here with Bowens and this is to crown the true Scissor King. Bowens jumps over him in the corner to start and hits a clothesline to the floor. Ricochet stops to glare at Gunn, earning himself another shot from Bowens. They go back in where Bowens hits a quick knee, only to get sent hard into the post.

We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting the running Fameasser into something like a reverse Angle Slam. They trade forearms until Bowens hits a superkick for a quick two. The Arrival sets up the Mollywop but Ricochet is knocked outside. The referee goes after Gunn, allowing Ricochet to pull out a pair of scissors to stab Bowens. Stabbing a man in the head is of course a setup for the Spirit Gun to give Ricochet the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C+. I really don’t know if Bowens should be losing so soon into his singles run, but at least it was to a bigger name and through some cheating. That being said, I still have no idea why Ricochet uses scissors. It’s such a random weapon with no real connection for him, but that’s what he gets to do. On top of that, he’s in for kind of a weird gimmick match on Sunday, though at least he’s on the show.

Post match Mark Briscoe brings out a stretcher and beats up Ricochet.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Stokley Hathaway, with FTR, wants to sign the contract for the Double Or Nothing tag match face to face. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia can even bring Matt Menard.

Renee Paquette brings out Jamie Hayter and Mercedes Mone for their own face to face interview (with chairs). Hayter says so be it if she is seen as the underdog because she is used to being there. She will fight back every single time because that is who she is. Hayter doesn’t have people running around here doing her dirty work and yes she is rough around the edges.

This means more to Hayter and they both know that, because it’s about not being forgotten. If she doesn’t win, what does it mean for her? Mone laughs it off and calls herself the Beyonce of wrestling. She’s going to All In to win the Women’s Title because she is the greatest TBS Champion of all time.

Mone hasn’t gotten here through luck because it’s about leaving her legacy. Hayter’s chapter finally ends at Double Or Nothing. Hayter points out Mone losing the NJPW Strong Women’s Title and that is going to be her destiny. Mone jumps her but gets dropped with Hayterade. Cue Toni Storm, who will be on commentary for the main event. It’s hard to believe that Mone is in any danger, and my goodness she gets less and less interesting every week.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Julia Hart

Toni Storm is on commentary. Hart grabs a wristlock to start and hits Old School but Shirakawa does something similar, albeit with some hip shaking. Shirakawa goes outside to mock Storm, allowing Hart to take her down as we go to a break. Back with Shirakawa hitting a running knee, followed by some clotheslines.

Hart grabs something like a Tarantula but Shirakawa hits a spinning backfist. A not great top rope crucifix bomb gets two on Hart but she’s back up with a knockdown of her own. The moonsault misses though and Shirakawa goes after the knee. The spinning backflst looks to set up the Glamorous Driver but Hart rolls out. That’s reversed into a cradle to give Shirakawa the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird choice for the main event, but there is only so much you can do on a three match show. Shirakawa is in a good place where she’s not new but she’s still fresh, so she doesn’t have to really be built up that much for the title shot at Storm. I can’t imagine she wins the title, but having her lose so soon in a high profile match would be a fairly odd way to go.

Post match Hart goes after Shirakawa, who ties up Hart’s bad leg. Skye Blue comes in to deck Shirakawa so Storm makes the save. Shirakawa and Storm get in a tug of war over the belt and Shirakawa goes after Storm’s knee, tying it around the post with the Figure Four.

The Young Bucks try to leave but Powerhouse Hobbs and Samoa Joe jump them. Cue the rest of the people in Anarchy In The Arena for the weapons filled brawl. The fight goes into the arena where the Bucks beat up Kenny Omega, who fights back as this is anarchy in the arena to set up the Anarchy In The Arena. Gabe Kidd runs in and helps the villains with the beatdown and the Bucks hit stereo dives to put Omega and Swerve through tables to end the show. This was a good example of a week that didn’t need an overrun as this was just a long brawl to set up the already announced long brawl at the pay per view.

Overall Rating: B. Double Or Nothing is going to be quite the booking challenge, as so many people are in one match. That leaves the two tournament finals to carry the thing and thankfully the men’s match got an incredible go home segment that really elevated things. Those are by far the two biggest things on the show, and it should be interesting to see if the rest of the card can live up to that hype. I’ll take a two match show, but they are in for a challenge if one of those matches doesn’t deliver.

Results
Samoa Joe/Powerhouse Hobbs/Swerve Strickland b. Young Bucks/Jon Moxley – Rollup to Matt
Ricochet b. Anthony Bowens – Spirit Gun
Mina Shirakawa b. Julia Hart – Cradle

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: May 14, 2025
Location: NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Taz, Excalibur

It’s Beach Break and that means it is time for the World Title to be in tone line. Jon Moxley is going to be defending the title inside of a steel cage against Samoa Joe, which has the potential to be a heck of a fight. Other than that, we don’t have much time left before Double Or Nothing and it’s time to build up the card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Will Ospreay/Hangman Page vs. Don Callis Family,

They’re so excited about the opener that the entrances go to the split screen which is usually saved for commercials. Ospreay and Takeshita trade legsweeps for two each to start and it’s quickly off to Alexander. A middle rope dive misses for Ospreay and Alexander catches him with a flapjack to take over. Page gets drawn in so Alexander can choke on the ropes. That doesn’t last long as Ospreay gets up and hands it off to Page, who moonsaults off the apron onto Alexander.

Back in and a Death Valley Driver gets two on Takeshita, followed by a pop up sitout powerbomb for the same. Ospreay comes back in for a basement lariat into a standing shooting star press for two. Alexander is right back with a knockdown to the apron, setting up the running crossbody to the back.

We take a break and come back with Alexander grabbing a northern lights suplex for two on Page. Alexander pulls him into an ankle lock, which is broken up for the tag off to Ospreay to clean house. Page is back in to run Takeshita over, followed by back to back top rope dives to take the Family down again. Back in and Ospreay’s handspring is countered into a spinning torture rack bomb.

Takeshita gets a kind of weird Blue Thunder Bomb for two and it’s Page coming back in, with Alexander giving him a German suplex. Alexander rolls some German suplexes on Ospreay but he’s right back up with the Oscutter. Another one takes Alexander down for two but Page tags himself in, only to almost hit the Buckshot Lariat on Ospreay. Page and Ospreay get in an argument and the Hidden Blade almost hits Page. With the issues out of the way, the Buckshot Lariat and the Hidden Blade hit Alexander at the same time for the pin at 18:33.

Rating: B. This was the long form tag match that AEW tends to do well, especially with Ospreay and Page’s issues being advanced on the way to Double Or Nothing. That’s a nice way to go, as Page and Ospreay could go either way when we get there and they set things up here. Good opener here, with the four of them all working hard and getting a lot of time.

Post match Takeshita jumps both of them and the fight is on again wish Ospreay fighting back. Ospreay accidentally hits Page and immediately tries to calm things down, which doesn’t exactly work. Both leave in a huff. More logical and effective stuff here.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Samoa Joe.

Top Flight and Leila Grey are sick of MJF and are ready to face the Hurt Syndicate tonight. The Sons Of Texas come in with Dustin Rhodes talking about how good Top Flight is. Oh and Sammy Guevara is there too.

Ricochet vs. Zack Gowen

Yes that Gowen and yes Ricochet has stolen his prosthetic leg. Gowen drops to the mat to start and Ricochet is already bailing to the floor. A boot through the ropes takes Ricochet down but he drops Gowen onto the barricade. We take a break and come back with Ricochet crotching himself on the ropes. He’s fine enough to counter a tornado DDT though and a springboard 450 crushes Gowen.

A shooting star press gives Ricochet two more and Vertigo connects for the same. The scissors are brought in but the referee takes it away, allowing Gowen to get in the prosthetic leg shot for two. The moonsault misses though and the Spirit Gun finishes for Ricochet at 7:22.

Rating: C. Naturally the first thing I thought of here was the episode of the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air when Ashley’s date wants to blow in her ear. Ashley gives a very confused response of “Why?” and the date realizes he has no idea why he’s asking about it other than he was told to. It’s the same thing here: why in the world is Zack Gowen wrestling in this spot in 2025? Ricochet stealing Gowen’s leg was a fine heel spot but putting him in the ring on Dynamite? Why?

Post match Ricochet gives him another Spirit Gun but Mark Briscoe makes the save.

MJF wants to be back on the top of the company and everyone knows he likes to work hard. That involves joining the Hurt Syndicate and he’ll make it happen. He’s asked about what happens if the team says no and it seems to make him think. The Hurt Syndicate comes in to say join them in the ring. MJF looks shaken, which you don’t see happen very often.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Top Flight

Non-title and MVP and Leila Grey are both here too. Top Flight starts fast but Lashley pulls Dante’s dive out of the air. Darius adds a dive of his own to break that up but Benjamin sends Darius flying with a suplex back inside. Lashley plants Darius on the apron and drops him with a neckbreaker, setting up Benjamin’s release German suplex. Dante tries a springboard to make the save but gets kneed out to the floor. The spear crushes Dante and the Hurt Lock finishes him off at 4:26.

Rating: C-. So Top Flight is leaving right? This was a total destruction that you do not see very often with actual established names. Top Flight got in pretty much nothing here and were completely decimated. And for what exactly? The sake of clearing the way for DUSTIN RHODES getting another big spot?

Post match the Sons Of Texas come out to say cut it out. The challenge is on but here is Cru to interrupt. They want the title match as well but Rhodes says not so fast. MVP calls it off and says make it a #1 contenders match instead. I have no idea why I would want to see that.

Post break and the Hurt Syndicate is still in the ring with MVP calling out MJF. There’s no MJF so Benjamin goes to the back to find him, with MJF hiding at the Gorilla Position. A rather scared looking MJF comes to the ring and it’s time for the official voting. MVP and Benjamin give him the thumbs up and that leaves Lashley. With his arm around MJF, Lashley teases the thumb going down and then puts it up, with MJF officially joining the team. Next week, the official contract signing. That’s a big surprise and I’m curious about the next step. I’d call that a good sign.

Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa vs. AZM vs. Skye Blue

Non-title Eliminator match and this is Blue’s first match in a very long time after breaking her ankle. We see a clip of AZM winning the NJPW Women’s Strong Openweight Title from Mercedes Mone (albeit in a triple threat with Mone not factoring into the decision). It’s a brawl to start with Storm and Blue fighting to the floor. Shirakawa and AZM trade rollups for two each, with Shirakawa’s dance being cut off.

The pairings trade places and Blue hits a springboard tornado DDT to drop Storm. Back up and Shirakawa and Storm have a staredown, which quickly breaks down into an exchange of forearms. AZM comes in as Shirakawa ties up Storm’s legs, only to suplex AZM at the same time. Storm makes it to the ropes to break the Figure Four and goes outside, with Shirakawa taking her out with a dive. AZM hits a dive of her own and Blue takes all three of them out with her own dive.

We take a break and come back the four of them fighting in the ring until Storm and AZM are dropped. That’s broken up as well and Storm hits a series of running hip attacks in the corner. Shirakawa kicks Blue in the head but gets suplexed by Storm. The chokebomb plants Blue but she’s fine enough to come back with Code Blue. AZM comes off the top for the save and plants Blue for two. Storm Zero gets two on AZM, only for Shirakawa to small package Storm for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B-. Good, action packed match here, though I have no idea why Blue was brought back in her hometown and put in the middle of a four way match where pretty much anyone could have been in the spot. Shirakawa is at least someone the fans know and who has a bit of a history around here so making her the next #1 contender is a good enough way to go.

Post match the title match is set for Double Or Nothing and arguing ensues. Cue Mercedes Mone to jump AZM from behind and put her in the Bank Statement. Jamie Hayter makes the save. Let me guess: Mone gets a chance to win her title back on Dynamite or Collision against someone who has pretty much no history around here but Mone wants to do it so here we are.

Commentary pays tribute to Sabu, with Taz breaking down in tears.

MJF can’t believe he’s part of the team and MVP is pleased…but MJF calls in his lawyer Mark Sterling to check out the contract. MVP doesn’t seem pleased.

Here is Nigel McGuinness to address the FTR situation. After apologizing to Tony Schiavone (in the ring with him), he asks Daniel Garcia to come out for an apology as well. McGuinness immediately apologizes to Garcia for costing him the chance to win a match and promises it won’t happen again. Garcia says McGuinness did exactly what he should have done and he wants McGuinness to join him for a fight.

Cue Stokely Hathaway to interrupt and ask what is McGuinness’ problem. McGuinness didn’t like someone getting physical with him but Hathaway doesn’t accept. He issues the challenge to a match with FTR, but McGuinness keeps it simple: he and Garcia barely know each other and FTR are a great team so it wouldn’t be close.

Garcia doesn’t care and says he’s overcome the odds for his entire career and wants McGuinness to take the mat. Hathaway taunts McGuinness, saying he can’t beat FTR when he barely beat hepatitis. That makes McGuinness get way more serious but here is FTR from underneath the ring to jump the good guys. Matt Menard makes the save with a crowbar. That’s an interesting way to go and I kind of love McGuinness being realistic about the whole thing.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision.

The cage is lowered (and it comes down fast).

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is challenging in a cage. They go with the grappling to start and go nowhere so it’s time to slug it out. Joe sends him into the cage before it’s off to the chopping. A running knee in the corner rocks Moxley and a big elbow gets two. Moxley starts going after the leg to take over, meaning it’s time for some cranking. A Figure Four has Joe in more trouble for a bit, only for Moxley to get back up for a big boot.

We take a break and come back with the Death Riders at ringside. Moxley and Joe are busted open as they slug it out as the Opps are here too. Joe wins the slugout and hits some atomic drops into the big boot and backsplash for two. The powerbomb into the STF into the crossface has Moxley in trouble but he makes the rope. For a break. In a cage match.

Back up and Moxley’s clotheslines rock Joe, setting up a cutter for two. A cross armbreaker is blocked so Moxley goes with the bulldog choke. That’s broken up as well and Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch, meaning it’s time for everyone on the floor to brawl. Joe lets go of the Clutch though and a guy in a black hoodie slides in the briefcase so Moxley can knock Joe out to retain at 14:57.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t a bad match at all, but it felt like a countdown to whatever way there was for Moxley to escape with the title again. In this case it was someone else interfering to take Joe out, possibly giving him a new opponent. Hopefully Moxley loses the thing at All In, but at this point I’m not getting my hopes up.

And it’s Gabe Kidd from New Japan. The cage is raised and everyone else gets in a big brawl on the floor. Cue the Young Bucks to offer a handshake to Moxley but cue Kenny Omega to go after the Death Riders. Kazuchika Okada takes Omega out and throws him inside as the cage is lowered again. Mike Bailey comes out and brawls to the back with Okada but the big beatdown is on.

Swerve Strickland comes in and climbs the cage to dive onto the villains. The cage is raised so the Death Riders and company leave. Strickland issues the challenge for Anarchy In The Arena at Double Or Nothing. That’s a tradition for the show and it lets Moxley keep the title until he gets to a new challenger at All In.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where the bigger parts worked well but there was a stretch that really didn’t work so well. It did a nice job of getting things ready for Double Or Nothing so we’ll call those segments a success. I’m not sure if this really felt like a special, though the main event did feel big. It’s just time to get beyond the Death Riders stuff though, as it stopped being interesting a long, long time ago.

Results
Will Ospreay/Hangman Page b. Don Callis Family – Buckshot Lariat/Hidden Blade to Alexander
Ricochet b. Zack Gowen – Spirit Gun
Hurt Syndicate b. Top Flight – Hurt Lock to Dante
Mina Shirakawa b. AZM, Skye Blue and Toni Storm – Small package to Storm
Jon Moxley b. Samoa Joe – Briefcase to the face

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: May 7, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Taz, Excalibur

We’re less than a month away from Double Or Nothing, but before we get there, we have a World Title showdown between AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and Samoa Joe. That’s going to take place inside a steel cage next week in Chicago, so it’s time to really set things up a bit more. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence, I believe with a new theme song. Thankfully not I’m So Excited again.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. He has no idea why anyone would cheer for him after everything he has done but they certainly seem happy to see him. Page talks about the horrible things he has done to Swerve Strickland and how he was so close to closure but it never came. He didn’t know why, and then he channeled that anger at everyone around him. While he can never forget what Strickland did, he can put it behind him. That brings him to Double Or Nothing, where he will face Will Ospreay for a World Title shot.

Cue Ospreay, who says this is the first time they have ever actually met. Ospreay understands what this means to Page and talks about Page’s history here in AEW. Then he lost it and things went bad, but last week, for the first time in a good while, Page smiled again. While a lot of people want to see Page be happy again, Ospreay isn’t losing at Double Or Nothing. Ospreay has been doing all of Page’s jobs, from meet and greets to media to photos with kids. Just because Page is smiling again doesn’t mean he can take that spot back, because that doesn’t mean cowboy s*** to Ospreay.

This is about his ascension…and here is the Don Callis Family to interrupt. Callis calls Ospreay an idiot for leaving the team so Ospreay issues the challenge for a tag match…but Page doesn’t seem interested. That’s fine with Callis, who says the match is on for next week, assuming Page doesn’t have another mental breakdown before then. The Ospreay vs. Page stuff was good with Ospreay’s promo being rather strong, but as usual, Callis brings everything down several notches.

FTR and Stokely Hathaway comes up to commentary and mocks Tony Schiavone, who is almost ready to fight Hathaway. FTR cuts that off and is ready to beat up Daniel Garcia on Collision. They’ll see Nigel McGuinness tomorrow night too.

Harley Cameron and Anna Jay have the T & A (tenacity and aggression) to win tonight. Jay thinks they have the more common definition as well, with Cameron agreeing.

Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa vs. Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford

Non-title eliminator match and there’s no Cameron, even though Jay was riding her to the ring. Jay and Ford brawl to the floor to start and Rosa hits a running dropkick against the ropes for two on Storm. Back up and Storm hammers on Jay until Ford breaks it up. Ford takes both of them down with a moonsault to the floor but Rosa hits a dive onto all three.

We take a break and come back with Jay dropping Rosa for two before suplexing Ford on the floor. Ford is right back up to dive onto all three of them but Storm hip attacks Ford and Jay in the corner. Cue Megan Bayne to take out everyone but Ford, including a sitout powerbomb to Jay. Harley Cameron comes in with a pipe to clear the ring but Storm gets the TCM Chickenwing to make Ford give up at 10:53.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t bad, but Storm running through three potential challengers is quite the interesting way to go. At the same time, having two people interfere in the match made it even messier than it was coming in, which wasn’t exactly necessary. Having Storm in the ring so often because she doesn’t have a match (yet) at Double Or Nothing is kind of an odd move, but at least she’s not losing.

Cru is in the crowd.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate for a chat. They are the best tag team in AEW so who is here to challenge them? Cue Top Flight to interrupt, saying they know they’re underdogs but they’re ready to show they belong again. MJF, far less formally dressed than usual, jumps Top Flight from behind and lays them both out. Lashley, who looks pleased, seems to be ready to give MJF an answer next week. It’s nice to see the big moment coming up and I’m not sure where it’s going.

The Elite and Ricochet are ready for their matches tonight.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Nick Wayne vs. ???

Wayne is defending against someone from Christian Cage’s (here with the rest of the Patriarchy) past. In this case it’s…hometown boy Rhino! Wayne actually takes him down and grabs a chinlock, only to miss a standing moonsault. The Patriarchy’s distraction doesn’t work as Wayne walks into a spinebuster, only to avoid the Gore. The Killswitch gives Wayne the clean pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Well that was certainly a thing. I’m not sure why you would bring in someone like Rhino and have him lose clean like this but odds are this is only going to be a one or two off appearance for Rhino. The match was nothing, but Rhino continues to be someone who can do his basic stuff well, with the fans being behind him of course.

Post match Cage goes to put the belt on Wayne but then throws it down before leaving on his own.

Rush wants revenge on Kevin Knight for costing him $100k on Collision.

Mike Bailey/Swerve Strickland/Mark Briscoe vs. Young Bucks/Ricochet

Strickland and Ricochet start things off with Strickland striking away. Bailey and Briscoe come in for some shots of their own but the villains fight up and strike a pose. That earns then a trip out to the floor but the Bucks leave Ricochet on his own in a pretty on point move. Stereo dives take out Ricochet and the Bucks, setting up Redneck Kung Fu on Ricochet back inside. The Bucks are right back up with stereo dives to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Briscoe fighting out of trouble and bringing Bailey in to fire off the kicks. The shooting star press misses though and everything breaks down. We hit the parade of knockdowns and after a breather, Bailey’s diving tag is cut off. Bailey kicks the Bucks away though and it’s off to Strickland to clean house. Ricochet gets powerbombed and a series of knockdowns sets up the Froggy Bow for two on Matt, with Nick making the save. With the other four on the floor, Matt rolls Strickland up for the pin at 14:16.

Rating: C+. And that’s a Young Bucks match. They get to do all their stuff, the survive a bunch of moves, and they win in the end. This comes after they get to do their usual promo about being awesome and then they still don’t get much in the way of comeuppance. But I’m sure it’s coming any day now.

MJF interrupts Will Ospreay and they argue a bit, with MJF wanting to face him again to show that Ospreay isn’t on his level. Ospreay says he is on another level.

We get a sitdown interview with Jamie Hayter, who doesn’t think Mercedes Mone is much like Owen Hart. She wants to know the real Mone, who says that Hayter is like her. That doesn’t work for Hayter, who doesn’t have the same resume as Mone, but she has integrity, grit and truth. This is about showing Mone that she isn’t everything she thinks she is because Mone is looking past her. Mone runs in for a cheap shot and the chase is on. They brawl out into the arena and Mone runs off again, only to come back and grab the Bank Statement. They’re trying with Hayter but this match still doesn’t feel very important.

Willow Nightingale wants a title shot but Kris Statlander interrupts. Nightingale doesn’t want to talk to her, but they can have a match on Collision.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kevin Knight

Non-title eliminator match. Hold on though as Rush jumps Knight from behind during the entrance and beats him down but here is Mike Bailey to interrupt. Granted that means posing at Rush while he chokes Knight, because Bailey isn’t all that smart. Knight wants to fight anyway and Okada hits a DDT for a fast two. A Flapjack gives Okada two more and he sends Knight outside as we take a break.

Back with Knight grabbing a quick powerbomb for two but Okada slams him down again. The top rope elbow connects and Okada gets to flip off the crowd. Some rollups give Knight two each and he scores with a dropkick. Okada dropkicks him out of the air though and the Rainmaker finishes Knight at 8:30.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have time to do much here and the story was that Knight was banged up to start. The match wound up being pretty good as they’re both talented, but there is only so much you can do with that little time in the first place, plus a break. Okada still seems destined to face Kenny Omega at All In, so this was just a week to give him something to do on the way to the big showdown.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Bailey runs in for the save.

The Don Callis Family tells the Outrunners to get some partners to face the Don Callis Family.

The Hurt Syndicate’s lawyer tells Bobby Lashley to not say anything about MJF.

Samoa Joe vs. Claudio Castagnoli

After conducting the fans in their JOE’S GONNA KILL YOU chants, Joe drives him into the corner and then takes it to the floor. Castagnoli gets sent into the barricade but then does the same to Joe to take over. Joe fights back and they get inside again where the beating continues on Castagnoli.

An arm snap over the top rope cuts Joe off though and we take a break. Back with Joe fighting out of a cobra clutch and hammering away. A powerslam into a running big boot gets two on Castagnoli, who is right back with the springboard spinning uppercut. That’s fine with Joe, who pulls him into the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 10:42.

Rating: B-. Much like the previous match, they only had so much time here and the match was more about setting up Joe for next week’s title match by having him take out a member of the Death Riders. Granted that’s pretty much what happened with Cope but Joe is a bit more intimidating. I don’t buy Joe having much of a chance to win the title, but at least he makes for an intimidating presence.

Post match the Death Riders come to the ring but Powerhouse Hobbs runs in with a chair for the save. Castagnoli gets beaten up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t so much a big show as much as it was the show getting us ready for the big show and that’s not a bad thing. It helps when most of the matches were good and they set some things up for later. With so many major events coming up, including next week’s Dynamite, you need a show like this and it worked well enough.

Results
Toni Storm b. Thunder Rosa, Anna Jay and Penelope Ford – TCM Chickenwing to Ford
Nick Wayne b. Rhino – Killswitch
Young Bucks/Ricochet b. Mike Bailey/Swerve Strickland/Mark Briscoe – Rollup to Strickland
Kazuchika Okada b. Kevin Knight – Rainmaker
Samoa Joe b. Claudio Castagnoli – Koquina Clutch

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: April 30, 2025
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Double Or Nothing and in this case it is time to start finalizing the card. Another big piece of that will be covered this week with the other semifinal of the Men’s Owen Hart Tournament. Other than that, we are probably going to get some more on the way to Samoa Joe vs. Jon Moxley for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Mark Briscoe/Kenny Omega/Kevin Knight/Mike Bailey vs. Kazuchika Okada/Young Bucks/Ricochet

Commentary says there has been nonstop talk about Omega and Okada being in a match together since this was announced. The multiple times that Schiavone brought it up on Collision counts I guess, as I’m only so interested in seeing another pairing between two people whose last singles match was almost seven years ago. Omega and Okada start things off but all four villains come in to beat Omega down instead. Nick pokes Omega in the eye and Matt snaps the arm over the top rope a few times.

Ricochet’s top rope stomp on the arm lets Matt do the arm snap again (while not looking). Naturally Omega reverses and makes Matt do it to Ricochet (the classics always work). It’s off to Bailey to kick away at Ricochet and a double basement dropkick….well it only half connects as Knight misses his version. Briscoe comes in and gets hit in the face, allowing Matt to come in. That’s fine with Matt, who kicks him in the face to even things up and it’s time for everyone to miss an elbow drop.

That gives us an eight way standoff (Schiavone LOVES this) and the good guys clear the ring as we take an early break. Back with Bailey slipping out of a powerbomb attempt but Ricochet knocks all of his partners off the apron. Ricochet can’t hit a brainbuster and neither can Okada so all of the villains come in. They all shout BRAINBUSTER and have them reversed into suplexes to the floor.

Stereo dives take them out again, leaving Bailey to missile dropkick Okada down back inside. Knight’s spinning splash hits Matt’s knees but it’s back to Omega to clean house. The Bucks get in a double shot to Omega’s bad stomach though and we take another break. Back again with Matt planting Omega with a DDT but Ricochet gets taken down. Briscoe comes in to clean house and a fisherman’s buster gets two on Okada.

The Jay Driller is countered into an Air Raid Crash onto the knee but Bailey kicks a middle finger away. Knight is back in for a double Pele Kick to the Bucks and now we get the Omega vs. Okada slugout. The One Winged Angel is broken up and Okada hits the dropkick. Everyone else comes back in and Matt/Ricochet go up top for a double top rope backsplash/double spike Tombstone for two each.

Briscoe is back in with the Jay Driller for two on Okada with Ricochet making the save. Ricochet gets dropkicked onto a pile on the floor and Omega hits a big running flip dive. Excalibur: “You don’t have to go to Reseda, California for this one!” Then Okada hits the Rainmaker to finish Briscoe at 26:25.

Rating: B+. Yeah this is where AEW tends to shine, as they know how to have a bunch of people go nuts in the ring and do all kinds of stuff. It’s a total AEW party match and that’s always going to be entertaining. Focusing it around Omega vs. Okada is a fine way to go, though I certainly hope hope their singles match can live up to the hype. That’s not going to be easy, especially when they start hyping it up this far out.

The Hurt Syndicate beat up some guys in the back and MVP gives them another MJF sales pitch. It still seems to be a possibility.

Opps vs. Nick Comoroto/Rhett Titus/Myles Hawkins

Non-title. Joe works on Titus’ arm to start and then hammers away in the corner. The enziguri in the corner connects and it’s off to Shibata vs. Comoroto. They chop it out until Shibata drops him with a running pump kick. Hobbs comes in to spinebuster Hawkins for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: C. That’s about all it needed to be with the champs getting to slaughter another set of opponents. In this case they are people you might have heard of, with Comoroto getting to come back and…well at least he’s back. As usual, the Trios Champions need opponents and that’s not likely going to be the case anytime soon.

Post match the Death Riders run in for the brawl with the Opps. Joe and Jon Moxley brawl into the aisle, leaving Shibata to get taken out. Rather than going after revenge, he says he wants his title match with Moxley next week to be in a cage.

Renee Paquette sits down with Mercedes Mone and brings up her various international titles. Mone cares about honoring the Harts but this whole thing is about her of course. She knows she’s coming up against Jamie Hayter, who is bigger and stronger, but she’s not greater.

Jay Lethal interrupts the Patriarchy and says he wants to face Nick Wayne tonight. Christian Cage accepts on behalf of an uncertain Wayne.

Toni Storm vs. Miyu Yamashita

Non-title and Yamashita is a big star from Tokyo Joshi Pro. They fight over wrist control to start until Storm hits a Thesz press and hammers away. A backbreaker puts Yamashita down but she’s back up with a kick to the head on the top. Storm misses a hip attack on the apron though and Yamashita fires off some kicks. Luther gets kicked down and Yamashita drops Storm with another kick as we take a break.

Back with an exchange of forearms going to Storm, though Yamashita walks through a bunch of shots to the head. Storm’s release German suplex works a bit better but she charges into a kick to the head for two. A Sky High gives Storm two and a fisherman’s suplex connects for the same. Yamashita kicks her in the head but gets German suplexed into the corner. The hip attack and Storm Zero finish for Storm at 9:21.

Rating: C+. This was the same problem as always with these guest stars: Yamashita means nothing in AEW/ROH. She’s wrestled here about five times and hasn’t had a match for either company in over two years. That more or less makes her a stranger but here she is getting almost ten minutes with the World Champion. The match itself wasn’t bad, but I need a lot more of a reason to care other than Excalibur telling me about what Yamashita has done in a promotion I don’t watch.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes out to tell the fans to shut up. She’s coming for the title but here is Jamie Hayter to run in and deck Mone. Storm….well she drops to the mat and kind of shakes a lot.

Don Callis is ready for Kyle Fletcher to win tonight and go on to win the Owen Hart Cup.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate for a chat. MVP talks about how all three of them have to agree to induct a new member so here is MJF to try again. MJF gets right to the sucking up and gets a thumbs up from Shelton Benjamin and MVP. That leaves Bobby Lashley, who teases a yes but then says no. MJF is sick of this and points out Lashley’s baldness, so Lashley takes him into the corner. If MJF wants to impress Lashley, hurt someone like the team does.

We look at FTR joining Stokely Hathaway last week.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Nick Wayne vs. Jay Lethal

Wayne is defending but Christian Cage’s theme music cuts Wayne’s off, with the champ not approving. They trade headlock takeovers to start and Wayne already needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Lethal fires off some loud chops in the corner before the basement dropkick connects.

Wayne is right back with a toss out to the floor and the hurricanrana takes Lethal out again. Lethal gets sent into the steps and we take a break. Back with Lethal grabbing la majistral and the Lethal Combination for two each. Hail To The King connects but Wayne reverses into a rollup for two of his own. Wayne kicks him down though and hits a fisherman’s buster to retain at 9:22.

Rating: C+. Wayne is getting a bit better in the ring and having him there against an old hand like Lethal is going to help. They have a little something with Cage and Wayne not getting along and if they play it right, Wayne could get a long way as a result. That hasn’t happened yet, but the pieces are being put in place for it to work.

Post match Cage takes the title…and wraps it around Wayne’s waist.

Samoa Joe vs. Jon Moxley is officially in a cage.

We take a quick look at the Owen Hart Cups.

Men’s Owen Hart Cup Semifinals: Kyle Fletcher vs. Hangman Page

Don Callis and Lance Archer are here with Fletcher. They fight over arm control to start as Callis sits in on commentary and argues with Taz. Page knocks him to the floor and is smart enough to not chase Fletcher outside. Back in and Page hammers him down again but it’s too early for the Buckshot Lariat. Instead Page clotheslines him on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher bleeding from the back and Page fighting out of a choke. Page hits a hard clothesline and we get a double breather. A backdrop and elbow have Fletcher in more trouble and a Death Valley Driver gets two. Page’s triangle clothesline puts Fletcher on the floor but he’s fine enough to hit a brainbuster onto the apron. Page is right back with a Tombstone on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Page getting the better of a slugout and a powerbomb gets two. Page plants him down again, only to have his moonsault hits raised boots. They go to the apron, where Page hits the Deadeye and since Fletcher is on his feet less than fifteen seconds later, Page hits a moonsault to the floor. Back in and the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a low blow and brainbuster for two. They go up top where Page clotheslines him down, setting up a flipping clothesline from the top. The Buckshot Lariat sends Page to Double Or Nothing at 23:25.

Rating: B. This was a bit of a weird match as Fletcher never felt like he had a serious chance to win. It made for a different kind of match as Page was doing his usual stuff and won in the end, even without facing a ton of adversity. That being said, I definitely like Page vs. Will Ospreay better than another Ospreay vs. Fletcher match as that feud is done.

Overall Rating: B. Another solid show here with everyone working hard and some stuff being set up for the coming weeks. They’ve done a good job setting up options in the men’s Owen Hart Cup and I’m curious to see where it goes. The women’s version isn’t as strong but at least we’re getting ready for some of the upcoming events. Now just make the buildup to them work and it’s all good.

Results
Kazuchika Okada/Young Bucks/Ricochet b. Mark Briscoe/Kenny Omega/Kevin Knight/Mike Bailey – Rainmaker to Briscoe
Opps b. Nick Comoroto/Rhett Titus/Myles Hawkins – Spinebuster to Hawkins
Toni Storm b. Miyu Yamashita – Storm Zero
Nick Wayne b. Jay Lethal – Fisherman’s buster
Hangman Page b. Kyle Fletcher – Buckshot Lariat

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: April 23, 2025
Location: Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Taz, Excalibur

They have a lot to live up to after last week’s excellent show but things have been going well enough lately that I could see it happening. That’s not going to be easy, but we do at least have a few matches set which have potential. If nothing else, we’ll get the finals of the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament set this week so let’s get to it.

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

Tony Schiavone brings out hip hop legend Master P (of WCW fame of course) for a chat. He brings out the Opps (assuming Powerhouse Hobbs is officially part of the team) for a chat after winning the Trios Titles last week. Samoa Joe praises Master P and the work he has been doing for the local university but here are the Death Riders to jump the champions. Jon Moxley has a staredown with Master P and gets choked out by Joe. Cue the Elite to jump Joe but Swerve Strickland and Kenny Omega make the save. Joe says he’s coming for the World Title.

Christian Cage takes the ROH TV Title from Nick Wayne and says the title win is due to him. See what happens when Wayne listens to him? Wayne goes to grab the title back but Cage says he and Mother Wayne celebrated extensively. If you stick to the plan, you actually win titles. Cage gives him the belt back.

Ricochet vs. Mark Briscoe

Ricochet bails to the floor to start but comes back in to get punches in the face. A running boot to the face puts Ricochet on the floor and the beating continues, with Ricochet bailing to the apron. That’s fine with Briscoe, who knocks him to the floor again and hits a Bang Bang Elbow. Back in and Ricochet hides behind the referee, which is enough for him to pull Ricochet into the buckle.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet cuttering him for two but Briscoe hammers him in the head. A rollup and backslide give them two each and Ricochet’s brainbuster gets the same. Briscoe pulls him out of the air for a high collar suplex but it’s too early for the Froggy Bow. Ricochet drops him again and hits the springboard 450 for two but Briscoe knocks him to the floor. The running flip dive into a lariat gets two and Ricochet is rocked. Back in and the Jay Driller is countered into a rollup for two bur Briscoe reverses into a rollup of his own for the pin at 14:31.

Rating: B. These two worked well together and I’m rather pleasantly surprised at the upset. You don’t see Briscoe get big wins like this very often and especially over someone who has been presented like Ricochet. That’s a rather nice thing to see and something Briscoe has been needing for a long time now.

Post match Ricochet chairs him down and loads up the scissors but Kevin Knight makes the save.

And the Rock N Roll Express are here too.

Tony Schiavone brings out FTR, but Stokely Hathaway of all people comes out to handle the introduction. FTR shakes Schaivone’s hands and Hathaway says it’s time to address the elephant in the ring. There are all kinds of criminals around here like Swerve Strickland, Hangman Page and Jon Moxley, but none of them get punished. Based on that, Hathaway is getting the suspension ended and their fine for attacking Schiavone rescinded, because he is their new agent.

Cash Wheeler talks about beating up 2.0 and Daniel Garcia when they came after FTR first. Dax Harwood doesn’t like the hostility and that brings him to the Rock N Roll Express. They get in the ring but Harwood won’t let them talk. Harwood says the Midnight Express was a bit better and won’t let them answer anything. Ricky Morton says this isn’t happening but Hathaway pulls out an FTR: Living Legends Killer shirt. The spike piledriver plants Morton and the Paragon runs in for the save.

Young Bucks vs. Mike Bailey/Kevin Knight

Matt and Mike trade missed kicks to the head to start before the Bucks are sent outside. Stereo dives take them out again but the Bucks are back with the slingshot Fameasser. A moonsault to the floor drops Knight and we take a break. Back with Bailey getting two off a small package and enziguring Matt for a breather.

The tag brings in Knight to pick up the pace but a rolling DDT is countered into the rolling northern lights suplexes. Knight gets pulled out of the corner into a powerbomb for two but Bailey blocks the superkick party. Everyone is knocked down for a quadruple breather before Matt and Knight wind up on their partners’ shoulders.

They slug it out for another four way knockdown, setting up a high/low on Matt. The moonsault knees into a frog splash get two on Matt and they go outside. A Doomsday Device off the apron hits Knight and the Meltzer Driver off the barricade knocks Bailey silly. Back in and Knight hits a rolling double DDT but here is Ricochet to grab his feet. The EVP Trigger finishes Knight at 15:02.

Rating: B-. The Bucks are still the same team they’ve always been and that means the match was fine but so similar to things we’ve seen them do before. Bailey is similar to the Bucks in the ring and that left Knight as the only person doing something even somewhat different. I’m sure the Bucks will be involved in some big story and it’s only going to work so well because the Bucks are going to be the same no matter what they do.

Toni Storm is ready for the winner of the Owen Hart Tournament and to be on the red carpet this weekend. A Championship Eliminator is set up for Collision and here is Queen Aminata to accept the challenge.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate for a chat. MVP brings up that every team they have beaten has disappeared and hands the mic to Bobby Lashley, but here is MJF to interrupt. MJF brings up the good time he gave the Hurt Syndicate last week. He asks about the thumbs up again and this time gets Shelton Benjamin. It’s not because of the women and the watch though, but rather MVP.

That works for MJF, so it’s up to Lashley, who puts his thumb in the middle. MJF says if they work together, they can run wrestling and he knows how things work around here like no one else. He even apologizes to getting off on the wrong foot with Lashley and then offers his car. They agree to go look at the car and MJF hands him the keys. Lashley and Benjamin drive off, with Lashley giving him a thumbs down. MVP goes off to talk with MJF.

Hangman Page is ready to take out Kyle Fletcher but MJF comes in to mock him. Page brings up the missing car but MJF mocks him over not being able to win the big one. As usual, Page will choke.

Will Ospreay/Brody King vs. Don Callis Family

Ospreay and Takeshita start things off as Don Callis sits in on commentary. Alexander comes in as well for a double belly to back suplex but Ospreay knocks Alexander down. The standing moonsault misses and Alexander gets the ankle lock. That’s broken up and Ospreay hurricanranas him into an armbar. King comes in and hammers on Alexander before chopping Ospreay for a tag. Alexander drops Ospreay though and we take a break.

Back with Ospreay hitting a double handspring Pele, allowing the tag off to King. House is quickly cleaned and the villains are crossbodied up against the barricade. Back in and Takeshita wins a slugout with Ospreay, setting up the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. King comes back in for a clothesline on Alexander, setting up the Cannonball. Lance Archer offers the distraction though, only to be taken out by Ospreay. Back in and Takeshita Helluva Kicks Alexander and a double discus elbow gets two. A running knee into the C4 Spike (Jay Driller) finishes for Alexander at 13:20.

Rating: B. Another good tag match here, though King couldn’t have been more of the designated pinee if his life depended on it. It’s smart to give Alexander a pin here and thankfully it wasn’t over Ospreay, who is in line for a big match in the tournament coming up. Nice stuff here, and the extra time helped as well.

Post match the beatdown is on and Ospreay’s save is cut off with a chokeslam. Cue Kyle Fletcher but Hangman Page comes out as well, only for Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero to jump Page from behind.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals: Jamie Hayter vs. Kris Statlander

They trade strikes to the face to start, including some big boots. Hayter sends her into the corner for a running Meteora but gets sent into the buckle. They fight to the apron with Statlander being knocked outside. A running knee drops her again and we take a break. Back with Statlander ducking an enziguri and getting German suplexed into a dragon sleeper.

That’s broken up so Statlander hits an electric chair faceplant. Staturday Night Fever is countered into a rollup for two and Statlander hits a powerbomb for two more. Hayter is back up with the Hatebreaker and they’re both down. Statlander puts her down again for a 450 and a near fall so Statlander goes up again. This time though Hayter pulls her down for a clothesline, setting up Hayterade for the pin at 11:43.

Rating: B-. You could have gone either way here and the result would have worked so I can’t get too annoyed with either result. Hayter vs. Mone should be good and while Mone is a likely favorite, Hayter is just good enough to be a threat. Solid main event here, with the Hayterade looking nice as always.

Mercedes Mone comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. While it wasn’t quite as good as last week’s classic, this was still a rather good show with everything clicking and some good action throughout. The Briscoe win was a surprise and Hayter vs. Mone should be a hard hitting match when we get to Double Or Nothing. Even a Young Bucks match couldn’t bring this one down so you know it was working.

Results
Mark Briscoe b. Ricochet – Rollup
Young Bucks b. Mike Bailey/Kevin Knight – EVP Trigger to Knight
Don Callis Family b. Will Ospreay/Brody King – C4 Spike to King
Jamie Hayter b. Kris Statlander – Hayterade

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

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Dynamite
Date: April 16, 2025
Location: MGM Music Hall Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re still on the road to Double Or Nothing and in this case that could make for some interesting options. There is a long time to get the card ready but there is a good chance we see the beginnings being put together here. We also have two title matches this week, with the Trios and Tag Team Titles on the line. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

The Death Riders have attacked Hook, who is at the hospital. The Trios Titles are still on the line though.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals: Mercedes Mone vs. Athena

Non-title. They lock up to start and go to the mat before crashing out to the floor in a heap. The lockup keeps going and they go all the way up to the stage before breaking it up. They get back in the ring with Athena’s headlock not getting her very far. Instead they trade shoulders to no avail as commentary talks about all of the upcoming international shows. They fight over some rollups but can’t get anywhere until Mone knocks her into the corner.

The running knees connect for one on Athena, leaving Mone rather stunned. Athena is back up with an enziguri and a flipping elbow connects in the corner. Mone is right back with the Bank Statement but they fall out to the floor, where Mone has to let it go. Back in and Athena winds up hanging upside down by her feet above the floor but Mone misses a double stomp. Athena grabs a quick Stunner on the floor and we take a break.

Back with a battle over a Tombstone until Mone throws her up for a gutbuster. Mone hits a spinning DDT for two and they’re both down again. Three Amigos connect but Athena blocks a fourth and hits three powerbombs. The fourth is countered into a Backstabber though and they’re both down again. Athena misses a charge into the corner and gets dropped with a running knee to send her outside. Ever the hero (ok not really), Mone tries a German suplex from the apron before going for a sunset flip, only to get stomped on the apron instead.

Athena kicks her down and adds a slam on the apron for two. Back in and Athena grabs a crossface, which is reversed into a failed Bank Statement attempt. Athena manages a spinning knee to the face but Mone crashes out to the floor. A missed charge takes Athena out again though and they fight onto the barricade. Athena throws her down and hits a shotgun dropkick against the barricade. Back in and the O Face is countered into a rollup with tights to give Mone the pin at 20:49.

Rating: B+. You could tell these two wanted to have a heck of a match and that is exactly what they did here. They were working hard and going at it with everything they were trying, with Mone thankfully cheating to get the win. Athena losing in the tournament isn’t a surprise as it’s what happened last year, but it would be nice to have her FINALLY move up to the main show full time, though I’m not sure I can see it happening.

Toni Storm and Luther applaud Mone from the crowd.

Hangman Page is interrupted by the Elite, who think Page should be happy that they cost Swerve Strickland the World Title. Now Page can win the title and bring it back to the Elite, but Page doesn’t seem impressed. Kazuchika Okada calls him a b**** and then backs off in a hurry.

A former Boston Bruin is here with the Stanley Cup.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Hangman Page vs. ???

And it’s….Josh Alexander. Well you knew he was coming in sooner or later. They fight over arm control to start with Alexander being the better wrestler, leaving Page getting a bit frustrated. Alexander takes him down in a hurry but Page is right back with a fall away slam. Page sends him outside, where Alexander misses a running boot over the barricade. A dive off the stage drops Alexander and we take a break.

Back with Alexander getting two off a German suplex but Page flips out of another one and hits a discus lariat for a double down. They fight to the apron where Page hits a backdrop, allowing him to score with a heck of a moonsault to the floor. Alexander is back with a forearm to the back of the head and a spinning torture rack slam, setting up the ankle lock. Page breaks out of that in a hurry and hits a Tombstone, only to get caught with a World’s Strongest Slam onto the apron. Back in and Page slips out of another ankle lock, setting up a small package for the fast pin at 13:09.

Rating: B. Yeah Alexander is going to be fine around here, as he’s more than a skilled enough wrestler and someone who can work well with just about anyone. Having someone out there who can wrestle a hard hitting style and has the credibility to back it up is a great addition to the card. Page winning is the logical way to go, though I do wonder: if the Bucks, who are still in charge, wanted Page to win the tournament, why did they let him a tough opponent?

Post match Kyle Fletcher, Page’s second round opponent, comes out for the staredown. Don Callis tells Fletcher to go for it and the brawl is on, with Page hitting a clothesline. Callis talks to Alexander though and Alexander jumps Page, as we seem to have a new Family member. Fletcher plants Page with a brainbuster and stands tall.

Nick Wayne says the Patriarchy is a hierarchy but his father is gone…until he isn’t as Christian Cage is here. Cage gets in Wayne’s face and says he gave Wayne a month to find himself. In addition, he has gotten Wayne a spot in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in New Japan. As for tomorrow, he has a Ring Of Honor TV Title shot, and he’ll win it by himself. Then Cage slaps him in the face.

We look back at FTR turning on Cope and then taking out Daniel Garcia.

Tag Team Titles: Gates Of Agony vs. Hurt Syndicate

The Syndicate, with MVP, is defending and get jumped at the bell. Benjamin gets stomped in the corner as MVP joins commentary. Lashley comes back in though and hits a running shoulder to Kaun in the corner. The Downward Spiral into a belly to belly suplex has Kaun in trouble as we take a break.

Back with Liona hitting a Samoan drop on Benjamin and dropping a backsplash for two. Liona fires off the clotheslines to Lashley in the corner but has to be saved from the Hurt Lock. Benjamin is back in with a release German suplex to Kaun, leaving Lashley to spear Liona on the floor. Another spear finishes Kaun to retain at 9:10.

Rating: C+. The Gates are in the bad place of being wrestlers who are there to be thrown into matches like this and then lose. The problem is there is no reason to believe that the titles were in any danger and that made this more of a countdown towards the Syndicate retaining. If nothing else, have the Gates beat some other teams to make you think this time might be different, rather than giving them one win and then setting up the title shot.

Post match here is MJF to say he knows how great he is and praise the Hurt Syndicate. Well maybe not MVP. MJF has some, ahem, talent in the back so he brings them out to meet the Syndicate. The rather attractive women have Benjamin’s attention but he needs a little more time to make his decision. By that he means the watch off MJF’s wrist, but that’s not enough to get Benjamin’s acceptance. MJF likes the idea and is willing to offer something else. As for Lashley, MJF is just better than him and he knows it.

Post break Benjamin and Lashley agree to have a nice night with the ladies.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Will Ospreay

Don Callis is on commentary as they fight over wrist control to start. Takeshita knocks him down but gets caught in an armdrag. A pop up hurricanrana drops Takeshita and a slingshot hilo makes it worse. Takeshita cuts off a springboard though and hits a release F5, followed by a basement dropkick to the floor. The big running flip dive connects on Ospreay and we take a break.

Back with Ospreay knocking him down, setting up a Phenomenal Forearm for two. A hard clothesline drops Ospreay and some t-bone suplexes put him down again. Ospreay catches him on top though and it’s a super Stundog Millionaire to bring Takeshita back down. An Oscutter connects on the ramp and after countering a Blue Thunder Bomb, another Oscutter gives Ospreay two. The Stormbreaker is countered and Takeshita German suplexes him into a rollup for two more.

They slug it out with Takeshita getting the better of things with a big forearm. Raging Fire is broken up but Takeshita drops to the mat to avoid the Hidden Blade. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two and he forearms Ospreay out of the air. Ospreay’s running forearm gets one but the Hidden Blade is blocked. A wheelbarrow piledriver into a wheelbarrow suplex gets drops Takeshita but he’s back with his own Hidden Blade.

Ospreay cuts him off again and they go up top, where Takeshita hits a hard clothesline, only for Ospreay to backflip onto his feet. Now the Hidden Blade connects for two on Takeshita, whose Raging Fire is countered into a hurricanrana into a Styles Clash to give Ospreay two more. Back up and Takeshita hits a running knee, only to charge into the Stormbreaker to give Ospreay the pin at 21:33.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was about as exciting of a match as you’re going to get on free TV and it was good stuff throughout, with both of them just going nuts and leaving it in the ring. Takeshita has been built up as a force in AEW so Osprey getting to beat him is a big deal. Awesome stuff here, with some of those sequences at the end being pretty breathtaking.

Trios Titles: Death Riders vs. Opps

The Riders are defending (with Jon Moxley replacing the injured Pac) but Hook is injured as well. The Opps have a replacement of their own though with….Powerhouse Hobbs getting the spot. It’s a brawl to start (shocking I know) and Hobbs takes over on Yuta in the corner. Moxley comes in for a save but runs away from Hobbs, who plants Yuta with a powerslam.

It’s off to Joe, who hammers Yuta down in the corner before Shibata comes in to chop away. Shibata is sent outside though and gets dropped by Castagnoli, who comes in as we take a break. Back with Shibata still in trouble but not being able to fight out of the corner. Shibata fights out on the second attempt and brings in Joe to clean house. Moxley grabs a chair but here is Willow Nightingale to take it away.

Everything breaks down and Joe drops Moxley with a clothesline so here are the Young Bucks. Cue Swerve Strickland to cut them off as Shibata chokes Castagnoli on the ramp. Yuta breaks up the MuscleBuster to Moxley and gets planted on the announcers’ table for his efforts. Marina Shafir chairs Hobbs but gets taken down by Nightingale. Back in and Joe pulls Moxley into the Koquina Clutch for the win and the titles at 13:52.

Rating: B-. Good action here, with the title change being almost necessary after Pac’s injury. That being said, it wouldn’t stun me if the Opps were going to win the titles the whole time, as they have been built up for a good while now. This was the big feel good moment to wrap up the night and it made for a good win, with the Death Riders FINALLY losing something important.

Some wrestlers come out with champagne to celebrate the title change to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. Yeah this was a pretty outstanding show, with a string of pay per view quality matches. Even the worst match on the show was a perfectly acceptable Tag Team Title match which suffered more from the lack of drama than anything else. It felt like they were going for a major show here and it worked very well, with one of the better Dynamites I can remember seeing. Check this out if you have the time, as it’s going to be a hard mark to beat this weekend.

Results
Mercedes Mone b. Athena – Rollup with tights
Hangman Page b. Josh Alexander – Small package
Hurt Syndicate b. Gates Of Agony – Spear to Kaun
Will Ospreay b. Konosuke Takeshita – Stormbreaker
Opps b. Death Riders – Koquina Clutch to Moxley

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: April 9, 2025
Location: Baltimore And Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re done with Dynasty and that means both Double Or Nothing and All In are on the horizon. Well the distant horizon but the horizon nonetheless. Jon Moxley is still the World Champion and will need a new challenger, which we should get closer to finding if the Owen Hart Cup continues tonight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynasty if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley, with the Death Riders, talks about how the roster might be talented but no one can get together to take him out. The Young Bucks have returned and Moxley sees it as a power play. He doesn’t recognize the Bucks anymore and he hasn’t in a long time. They better think before they make a move.

Jon Moxley vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Non-title and Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. They go with the grappling to start and Shibata gets on a quickly broken headscissors. Back up and they fight over a lockup until Shibata hits a rather loud chop. Shibata then stands still so Moxley can chop him, with the exchange of chops going to Shibata as Moxley staggers. An Octopus goes on but Moxley slips out and grabs a piledriver…with Shibata not even going down and kicking Moxley in the chest. Moxley goes to the eye though and gets a rear naked choke for the win at 5:39.

Rating: C+. There wasn’t much to see here as this was more about seeing Moxley get a win over someone talented. Yes Moxley cheated to get the win, but this didn’t exactly make me think much of Shibata as a result. Moxley being in the ring is slightly better than him talking, but that’s not much of a bar to clear.

Post match the Young Bucks come out, with Moxley saying something we can’t hear and leaves with Shafir. The Bucks talk about costing Swerve Strickland the World Title, which was a favor to Hangman Page, who is still their friend. As for helping the Death Riders, consider it a peace offering. The Bucks and the Death Riders have a lot in common, as they both want the locker room to rise up and make AEW better so they can change the world. They couldn’t even get the World Title so what about the Death Riders and the Elite together?

Cue Kenny Omega to say the Bucks didn’t seem to remember him as part of the Elite. The last time he saw them, they were shoving Omega off a stretcher during the height of his diverticulitis. When Omega was in high school, he had a friend with two dogs who were kind of annoying. The dogs kept relieving themselves and it became a bit hard to take, so Omega suggested that they move it to his house instead.

That’s how AEW was without Omega around to clean up after the Bucks. The last time we saw the Bucks, they were shredding documents, which was to cover up various expenses they had billed to AEW. Omega didn’t like the Bucks trying to kill the company he gave his life to so let’s just fight.

Cue Kazuchika Okada but Swerve Strickland comes through the crowd with a chair (Omega looks surprised) to chase the Elite off. Omega shows some respect/thanks to Strickland before leaving in peace. Strickland says it is time to go Buck hunting and he’s ready to blast them. The Bucks just couldn’t leave well enough alone…and here is Pac from behind to jump Strickland before their scheduled match. The more I see the Elite talking about their backstage stuff, the more it feels like a less interesting McMahons saga.

Pac vs. Swerve Strickland

We come back for the opening bell, with Swerve hitting a Snake Eyes into a running big boot. Swerve knocks him outside but Pac flips over him, only to get buckle bombed for his efforts. Pac gets sent outside…and he grabs his ankle and goes down. The referee holds Swerve back as Pac gets up and rolls back inside. Swerve hits a superkick and the Swerve Stomp finishes Pac off at 4:16.

Rating: N/A. I’m not going to rate the match, which was only getting going before Pac seemingly got injured. Assuming that’s a legitimate injury (and it seems to be given how fast they went home), we’ll just have to hope for the best. Swerve was probably going to win anyway, but they just stopped cold out there and that’s never a good sign.

Ricochet, Cru and the Beast Mortos are ready for an eight man tag for $400,000. The other three aren’t happy about the idea of Ricochet being the captain.

Mark Briscoe, Will Ospreay, Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight talk about what they might use their winnings on. Bailey wants shoes, Knight wants to go to Atlantic City, Ospreay wants to go to Disney World and Briscoe…wants to diversity his portfolio.

Commentary recaps the evening so far.

We look back at the first round of the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament, including the matches still to come.

Renee Paquette talks to Hangman Page, who doesn’t know what to say because he’s facing a wild card in the Owen Hart Cup. He storms into Swerve Strickland’s locker room but only finds Prince Nana. Page was NOT trying to help Swerve at Dynasty and if Swerve gets involved in his tournament matches, he’ll pick up where he left off. Nana goes to say something to Page, who cuts him off and storms out.

Ricochet/Cru/The Beast Mortos vs. Mark Briscoe/Will Ospreay/Mike Bailey/Kevin Knight

The winning team gets $400,000. Ricochet starts with Bailey but immediately tags out to Mortos instead. Bailey is fine with kicking away before scaring Ricochet outside again. Ospreay comes in and gets taken down in the corner, where Cru gets to stomp him down. Everyone comes in and Ricochet runs his mouth enough that he gets pummeled. The villains are sent into the corners for right hands to the head, followed by a toss to the floor.

A string of dives, capped off by Bailey’s moonsault, drops everyone again. Ricochet tries a dive but has to land on his feet, earning a quadruple shot to the head in a funny bit. We take a break and come back with Bailey kicking away at Mortos, who catches him with a Backstabber. Ricochet comes in but misses Bailey, instead settling for knocking Bailey’s partners to the floor.

Bailey does the same to Ricochet’s partners but gets caught with a jumping double stomp. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of knockdowns, including Ospreay hitting a double backflip kick to drop Cru. Ricochet Death Valley Drivers Bailey, who comes back up with some crane kicks to Mortos. The Oscutter hits Mortos and Knight hits his spinning frog splash for two with a big save (they got me on that one). The Hidden Blade finishes Mortos at 12:00.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun and I can go for the occasional adding in of a prize that isn’t a traditional title. The money means nothing going forward (in theory, as I could go for more of Briscoe’s stock tips) but it did make the match feel a bit more interesting. They had talented people doing their stuff, with that look on Ricochet’s face after he landed on his feet being great. Just a fun match here and I can always go for something like that.

We look back at FTR turning on Cope and laying him out at Dynasty. Cope is out indefinitely and Tony Schiavone goes OFF on FTR, calling it the worst thing he has ever seen in wrestling. Dax Harwood’s daughter is probably disappointed in her father too.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to celebrate their successful title defense, albeit with an unexpected assist from MJF. They bust out the champagne for a toast but here is MJF to interrupt. MJF stands next to the team and is happy to be with them, because it means he can skip the line and get his World Title back sooner than later. He helped them retain the Tag Team Titles and now they can help him win the World Title. So what is the initiation process?

Bobby Lashley tells MJF to shut up because they didn’t need MJF’s help. The Syndicate does not need him and Lashley gets into an argument with MJF (who insults Lashley’s new glasses). MVP and Shelton Benjamin break that up and MVP says it’s time to vote, with MJF needing three thumbs up to get in. MVP is a yes and Benjamin is in the middle….but says no. That’s enough for the Syndicate to leave and MVP just shrugs at MJF. This is going to keep on and I’m curious to see how MJF tries to change the team’s minds.

Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford are ready to move forward, with Bayne being at Collision.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Kris Statlander vs. Thunder Rosa

Toni Storm is on commentary, having stolen one of the commentators’ cars and returning their keys, albeit apologizing for the tobacco juice she left in there. Statlander runs her over with a shoulder to start but Rosa grabs an armbar. Back up and Statlander hits a running dropkick but misses a slingshot elbow. The running dropkick in the ropes knocks Statlander to the floor, setting up a seated senton off the apron. Back up and Statlander knocks her to the floor as well and we take a break.

We come back with Rosa grabbing a springboard hurricanrana into a northern lights suplex for two. Statlander gets a Blue Thunder Bomb, with Storm admiring her “juicy muscles”. A Canadian Destroyer gives Rosa two but Statlander powers up and hits Staturday Night Fever for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: B-. This was a strong showing from Statlander and that’s kind of weird to see when she is in there against Rosa. While Rosa didn’t get squashed here, it was more about Statlander looking dominant. Statlander might be a long shot to win the whole thing, but she’s already on a nice start.

Don Callis is ready for Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita to win the Owen Hart Cup. The team has injuries though and now it’s time to recruit some new members.

Adam Cole is happy to have gotten his moment but Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong want their own moment. Cole says they’re back and seems to dub the team the Paragon.

Here is an angry Chris Jericho for TV Time. Jericho is no longer the Ring Of Honor World Champion as he lost his match, his tooth and his title. He gives credit where credit is due to Bandido, who won the match, albeit with help from his brother and his STOOGE of a mother. Bandido has his family but so does Jericho, who brings out Big Bill and Bryan Keith.

Jericho gets on them for losing at Dynasty but Bill cuts him off. He joined up with the Learning Tree because Jericho is one of the best ever, but he is not here to be a punching bag when things go wrong. If all Jericho is going to do is berate him, then let him know now and it’s over.

Jericho says that’s not why he brought them out here, but rather so he can yell at them for not helping him retain the Ring Of Honor World Title. But that’s not what Jericho believes at all, because he isn’t angry. He’s just disappointed. Then he hits his TV monitor with a baseball bat, shouting about how he is disappointed…..in Bill. Jericho wants Bill to fix this and leaves. I really could have gone with no Jericho for a bit but that’s just not going to happen.

We look at Anthony Bowens returning to take out Max Caster.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

The Hurt Syndicate is in the back and Lashley says they don’t need or trust MJF. Benjamin thinks MJF is kind of funny and Lashley walks off, with Benjamin going to talk to him. MJF comes in to yell about how badly the rest of the Syndicate is treating him. MJF: “I’M MJF!” MVP: “That’s the problem.” He suggests that MJF find out what the rest of the team wants and give it to them.

Chris Jericho goes to leave and bashes more things with his bat.

Death Riders vs. Opps

Yuta’s waistlock doesn’t work on Joe to start and a forearm just annoys Joe even more. Castagnoli comes in for a strike off, with Joe sending him into the corner for a jumping enziguri. Hook comes in and gets slammed by Castagnoli but sidesteps Yuta’s dive in a nice tribute. Some rolling German suplexes have Yuta in trouble but he sends Hook to the apron for a double stomp from Castagnoli.

We take a break and come back with Yuta hitting an Angle Slam on Hook. A suplex gets Hook out of trouble but Yuta knocks Joe off the apron. That means a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination (that looked good) for two on Hook, leaving Joe to go after Castagnoli. Hook goes for Redrum but here is Jon Moxley to offer a distraction. Cue Katsuyori Shibata to choke Moxley and Redrum has Yuta down for the tap at 11:40.

Rating: B-. It was a nice enough main event tag match and I can go for seeing the Death Riders lose. While it seems like we are coming up on the Opps getting a Trios Title shot and Pac is injured, Moxley could be swapped in to defend the titles if necessary. That might be what the ending was setting up, but for now, it’s nice to see the Opps getting somewhere.

Post match Marina Shafir comes in with a chair to take down the Opps. Castagnoli gives Hook a Neutralizer onto an open chair so Joe comes in to chase them off. Joe says the Opps are coming for the Trios Titles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was good here but the storytelling wasn’t holding up as well. The Young Bucks, the Death Riders and Jericho got a lot of focus here and that didn’t help the show. There was a lot of doubling down on stars who have not seemed to be getting the best reception in recent months and that’s quite the way to go. Hopefully we get more of the fun stuff that AEW has been doing and less of the annoying stories, because AEW can be very entertaining when they don’t go in the wrong directions.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Katsuyori Shibata – Rear naked choke
Swerve Strickland b. Pac – Swerve Stomp
Mark Briscoe/Will Ospreay/Mike Bailey/Kevin Knight b. Ricochet/Cru/The Beast Mortos – Hidden Blade to Mortos
Kris Statlander b. Thunder Rosa – Staturday Night Fever
Opps b. Death Riders – Redrum to Yuta

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Dynamite
Date: April 2, 2025
Location: Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re less than a week away from Dynasty and that means it’s time for the final push towards the show. That can be a tricky thing to pull off as you’re only going to get so much out of this show with the pay per view so soon. Hopefully the action works here, though that is rarely an issue for AEW. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley/Marina Shafir vs. Willow Nightingale/Swerve Strickland

It’s a brawl on the floor to start, with Shafir hitting a snap suplex. Moxley and Shafir pull out a table and the women fight inside as we get the opening bell. Strickland sends Moxley into the steps before the pairs trade places. A dropkick rocks Moxley and Nightingale is back in with a middle rope version to put him down again.

Strickland’s middle rope elbow to the back connects and he and Nightingale dance a bit. That earns them a beating from the villains again and Shafir chokes Nightingale on the ropes. Back in and Strickland grabs the JML Driver on Shafir and holds her up as Moxley teases the Death Rider to Nightingale. Both women are let go and they shove the men into each other before slugging it out on the apron. Shafir hits a powerbomb off the apron and through a table, which almost went rather wrong.

We take a break and come back with Shafir and Moxley taking turns raking Strickland’s back. Nightingale hits a Tower Of Doom and slugs away, including a Cannonball to Moxley. Nightingale’s spinebuster gets two on Shafir but Moxley gets the choke on Strickland. That’s broken up with a powerbomb to send Shafir onto Moxley and everyone is down. The women brawl to the floor, leaving Moxley and Strickland to slug it out. The rolling Downward Spiral hits Moxley but Strickland’s House Call hits Shafir, who shoved Moxley out of the way. Nightingale hits The Babe With The Powerbomb to finish Shafir at 13:32.

Rating: B-. Nice fight with the two feuds getting to beat each other up for a little while. It’s a little surprising to see Shafir take a fall, as she has been well protected for a good while now. At the same time, it’s nice to have Nightingale get the win, as she has done little more than brawling with Shafir in recent weeks.

Post match Moxley gives Nightingale a Death Rider for the big serious moment.

We look at Wheeler Yuta pinning Dax Harwood on Collision, resulting in Harwood shoving Cash Wheeler after the match.

Harwood pays his $10,000 fine and gives it to the referee. He apologizes to Wheeler as well and says it’s time for them to win the Trios Titles. Harwood goes to hug him but Wheeler says they’ll team together at Dynasty, but then they need to talk.

We see the brackets for the Men’s Owen Hart tournament:

Will Ospreay
Kevin Knight

Brody King
Konosuke Takeshita

Mark Briscoe
Kyle Fletcher

Hangman Page
Wild Card

We look at Kevin Knight almost beating Jay White, who is injured, with Knight replacing him in the tournament.

Here are the Women’s Owen Hart tournament brackets:

Jamie Hayter
Billie Starkz

Thunder Rosa
Kris Statlander

Julia Hart
Mercedes Mone

Harley Cameron
Athena

Toni Storm vs. Penelope Ford

Non-title. Storm knocks her to the floor to start but Ford gets in a boot to the face on the way back in. A quick suplex hits Ford but she avoids the running hip attack in the corner. Ford gets booted down again and we take a break. Back with Ford hitting a handspring elbow in the corner, followed by a Helluva Kick.

Storm fights up and slugs away, setting up a Thesz press. Now the hip attack connects and a DDT gets two on Ford. An STF sends Ford over to the ropes and she knocks Storm outside for an apron moonsault. Back in and a gutbuster gives Ford two and she counters Storm Zero into a backdrop for two. Storm is right back with Storm Zero for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C+. Nice outing from Ford here, though there was no reason to believe that Storm was in any serious danger. That’s what happens with most of Ford’s matches, as she hasn’t won anything significant in the better part of ever. At least she can still do some nice enough things in the ring before losing to bigger names, which is what happened again here.

Post match Megan Bayne comes out but won’t get in the ring with Storm.

Willow Nightingale is getting checked by the medics. Swerve Strickland isn’t pleased with this and swears vengeance on Jon Moxley tonight.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley (minus Shelton Benjamin, who couldn’t make it to the show due to bad weather) for a chat. Before they can say anything though, here is MJF to interrupt. After praising MVP’s fashion choices, MJF introduces himself to Lashley (“Bob”), who he says has been around the block.

This is AEW though, meaning it is the block that MJF built. MJF knows what it takes to set records around here, and he and the Hurt Syndicate could help each other. He puts his hand on Lashley’s shoulder, saying Lashley needs him. Lashley says that out of respect for MVP, he won’t drop MJF where he stands. He doesn’t like or trust MJF and suggests that MJF get out right now, which is what MJF does. I’m curious where this is going, but they could only do so much with Benjamin out for the week.

Learning Tree vs. ???/???

The Learning Tree offer Lashley and MVP a chair in the aisle but they’ll stand instead. Keith’s running knee into the chokeslam finishes at 1:14.

Post match Bill issues the challenge for the Tag Team Title shot at Dynasty and it seems to be on.

Mercedes Mone is ready for Julia Hart at Dynasty. She’s also ready to team up with Harley Cameron….who pops up with the puppet. Mone isn’t interested and storms off, with Cameron saying they could be the Mone Wrath Train. Taz: “I want to buy a puppet.”

Will Ospreay/Kevin Knight vs. Blake Christian/Lee Johnson

Ospreay shoulders Christian down to start so Christian grabs a quickly broken headlock. Back up and Ospreay gets in a strut and a hip swivel before handing it off to Knight for a twisting splash. Everything breaks down and the villains are dropkicked to the floor for stereo running dives. Back up and Christian drops Knight before spearing Ospreay off the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Ospreay coming in off the diving tag and starting to clean house. A springboard is broken up though and Christian hits a 450 stomp (geez). Ospreay is back up with the Stundog Millionaire though and it’s Knight coming back in to take over. Knight makes Johnson poisonrana Christian outside (yep) for a dive from Ospreay and Knight’s springboard clothesline finishes Johnson at 9:15.

Rating: B-. This was the fast paced tag match you probably expected, with Knight getting to showcase himself again. Odds are he doesn’t make it out of the first round of the Owen Hart tournament but he should be able to have an impressive performance. Other than that, Christian continues to do well and his “I’m boring” stuff is kind of amusing.

Post match, Ospreay and Knight are told that their match will take place at Dynasty. Respect is shown.

Samoa Joe says he started the Opps because things are changing around here. They’ll be watching at Dynasty.

Lance Archer vs. Brody King

They fight over a lockup to start as Don Callis joins commentary. They trade shots to the face until Archer clotheslines him to the floor. King sends him into the barricade but Archer is back with a ram into the steps. We take a break and come back with Archer missing a charge into the corner and getting dropped with a German suplex. King wins a strike off and drops a backsplash for two. A swinging Boss Man Slam and chokeslam give Archer the same but King clotheslines him down in the corner. Now the Cannonball connects to give King two and a big clothesline finishes Archer at 10:28.

Rating: C+. Well, at least King didn’t lose again. That’s not exactly glowing praise but at this point, it’s about as good as he’s going to get. The match was another big hoss fight and it went well enough. Also, a few bonus points for having King face a member of the Don Callis Family before facing Konosuke Takeshita in the tournament.

Dynasty rundown.

Cope vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli jumps him in the corner to start and they go to the floor, where Cope is sent into the barricade. Back in and Cope kicks away, followed by a running forearm off the apron. Cope forearms him against the barricade and they head back inside to trade clotheslines. The Edge O Matic gets two and a spear through the ropes takes Castagnoli off the apron. Another dive is cut off with an uppercut though and we take a break.

Back with the two of them going up top, with Cope grabbing a super bulldog. Castagnoli hits a quick double stomp into the Swing for two. The Sharpshooter goes on but Castagnoli switches into a Crossface to keep Cope in trouble. Cope reverses that into the Grindhouse, sending Castagnoli over to the ropes. They go to the apron where Castagnoli grabs a powerslam and throws Cope over the barricade.

Castagnoli demands a ten count, as we suddenly have countouts around here. Cope beats the count and boots him down but the spear is countered into Swiss Death for two. Castagnoli grabs some chairs so the referee gets rid of them, allowing Cope to get in a low blow. The spear finishes Castagnoli at 17:48.

Rating: B-. Well that was…lengthy. This was the latest long Cope match where he looked pretty good and then goes over in the end. The match helps set up the title match on Sunday, where we’re likely to see FTR and Cope come close but ultimately lose to the Death Riders. It wasn’t a bad match, but it never went to a higher gear.

Swerve Strickland is still looking for Jon Moxley but runs into Hangman Page. Security immediately runs in as Page shouts about how Swerve broke into his home. Swerve: “YOU BURNED MY HOUSE DOWN!” Page: “YOU DESERVED IT!” Swerve: “I KNOW!” That has Page confused and he storms off, but here are the rest of the Death Riders to jump Swerve. The villains throw him into some glass and then carry him into the arena. A bag of glass is poured out and Castagnoli gives Swerve a Riccola bomb into the glass. Swerve, with glass in his back, sits up and glares at Moxley to end the show.

First of all, Page and Swerve have are likely going to team together one day and it’s been a long, drawn out and well done story with both of them growing a lot. On the other hand, Swerve being slammed onto glass and then popping back up to end the show is a bit insane and not in a good way.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did enough to help boost Dynasty up, though your taste in tournaments may bring this up or down. There wasn’t anything you really needed to see, but it did set up enough things for both Dynasty and beyond, which is a good use of the show. While Dynasty doesn’t seem like the biggest show, this did boost it up a bit, which should help on Sunday.

Results
Willow Nightingale/Swerve Strickland b. Jon Moxley/Marina Sharif – Babe With The Powerbomb to Shafir
Toni Storm b. Penelope Ford – Storm Zero
Learning Tree b. ???/??? – Chokeslam
Brody King b. Lance Archer – Clothesline

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 26, 2025
Location: Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are about a week and a half away from Dynasty and that means it is time to start getting the card officially put together. With Cope out of the way for Jon Moxley, all roads lead to Swerve Strickland, who is getting the pay per view title shot. Other than that, some of the matches are announced but there is still some work to do. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence, featuring clips from the upcoming Minecraft movie.

Kenny Omega vs. Blake Christian

Non-title and Lee Johnson is here with Christian. They go with the grappling to start as Taz is right there to explain the physics and technique, which goes very well, as always. Christian fights back and hits a dropkick to the apron, where a spear sends Omega outside. Back in and Omega decks Johnson before hitting a snapdragon suplex. The V Trigger sets up the One Winged Angel to finish Christian at 4:53.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to do much here but that was kind of the point. Christian got in a bit of offense but Omega shrugged it off and hits his signature stuff to win. You don’t see that kind of stuff very often but it works when it’s done in the right way, which was the case with this one.

Post match Omega says he’s glad that he got to make it quick this week. That won’t be the case with Dynasty, as he has to deal with Ricochet and Speedball Mike Bailey. Cue Bailey to interrupt to say Omega is an inspiration to him and Bailey admires him. That doesn’t mean he’s going to hold anything back at Dynasty though because he’s coming for the title.

Cue Ricochet on the screen to say he’s not here in person to slap both of them in the face. He’s dressed up for the best day of his life (looking like his wedding day) until Dynasty, when he leaves with the girl and the gold. Omega says Dynasty isn’t about making friends (Omega: “I have a cat. I don’t need anymore.”) and promises to keep the title. The catchphrase takes us out.

We look at Bandido taking Gravity’s mask back from Chris Jericho on Collision.

Jericho complains about the Learning Tree screwing up and tells them to go prove themselves. With the two of them gone, Jericho says he wants Bandido’s mask, so it can be title vs. mask at Dynasty. Not at the ROH pay per view, but at Dynasty.

Here is MJF, who says Michael Jackson is a bigger star than Prince, before talking about the business card that MVP gave him. He asks MVP to join him for an answer, and gets his wish. MJF gets straight to the point and says that he wants to be in the business of hurting people, but here is the rest of the team to cut him off.

Bobby Lashley wants the card back and threatens MJF with a beating. MVP calls him off though and MJF walks away. Cue the Learning Tree to mock the Syndicate, but MVP isn’t impressed. Big Bill wants the Tag Team Titles back because he never got a rematch for the titles. The challenge is on, but MVP tells them to go win a match first. That’s an interesting way to go with MJF, and hopefully they don’t do anything stupid with the Syndicate.

Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa are ready to team up tonight, with Rosa bringing up their bad history together. Storm brushes it off and dubs the team Thunder T***. Is that swearing? Eh better safe than sorry.

Brody King vs. Kyle Fletcher

Don Callis is here with Fletcher, who jumps King before the bell. That goes badly for him as King is back with a chop and the big forearms in the corner. Fletcher fights up and stomps him down, only to get sent outside as we take a break. Back with Fletcher in control and hammering away, allowing him to pose a bit.

King gets in a knockdown of his own and hits a backdrop to send Fletcher outside. The required dive connects and the fans are rather appreciative. Fletcher manages to post him though and a top rope elbow gets two back inside. Back up and King suplexes him into the corner for a needed breather. A Death Valley Driver on the apron knocks Fletcher silly and we take a break.

We come back with the two of them slugging it out but Fletcher kicks him down and hits a Tombstone for two. King knocks him silly with a clothesline but cue Mark Davis to break up the Cannonball. Fletcher kicks him in the head and hits the brainbuster onto the turnbuckle for the pin at 17:48.

Rating: B. Yes, King loses again. It makes my head spin to see King getting what seemed to be a renewed push but he’s won two matches this year (over Max Caster and a jobber) and a single tag match. If you have him lose over and over again, it stops mattering rather quickly, which is the point they’re reaching. I get that Fletcher shouldn’t lost here, but then maybe don’t have the match.

Post match the double teaming ensues but Powerhouse Hobbs comes in through the crowd for the save. So I guess we’re not going to get any kind of “next step” that was promised for Fletcher? Or was just winning another match the “next step”?

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Mark Davis

They trade clotheslines to start and Hobbs no sells a suplex. Davis knocks him down in the corner but Hobbs is back with a powerslam. The spinebuster finishes Davis at 2:36. Exactly how it should have gone with Hobbs looking dominant.

The Patriarchy, minus Christian Cage, talks about how Nick Wayne is seeing how things are changing and will address Cage face to face. Last week, you saw what happens when things go as they’re supposed to go.

Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page argue in the back.

Earlier today, we had a sitdown interview with Cope and FTR. Dax Harwood apologizes for getting too emotional last week because FTR took four months away from going after the Tag Team Titles and it didn’t work. Cope says he didn’t ask them to step away but Cash Wheeler says he can’t be between the two of them. Wheeler says he owes a lot to both guys, including Cope giving him a place to live at some point. Harwood thinks getting the Tag Team Titles back is a good idea but Wheeler thinks they should go after the Trios Titles. Works for Harwood, and the challenge is issued for Dynasty. Makes sense.

Here is Swerve Strickland for a chat. Swerve wastes no time in calling out Jon Moxley, who comes straight through the crowd. Swerve asks what happened to Moxley, because instead of being what the World Title is all about, he’s hiding behind the Death Riders. Maybe Moxley hides the title in the briefcase because he can’t bear to look at it anymore. Everything Moxley used to describe himself is now what is looking at him face to face.

Cue Claudio Castagnoli behind Prince Nana on the floor (Nana doesn’t seem to notice). Moxley asks what Swerve thinks he is, because Moxley isn’t sure. Swerve has a chance at Dynasty, but how far is he willing to go? What is Swerve going to do when the weight of the world is on his shoulders? The reality is Swerve hasn’t suffered enough. Moxley’s sport has been taken over by billionaires and talent agencies, but Swerve gives him hope for the future.

Cue Marina Shafir with a crowbar but Willow Nightingale is right there with a pipe to cut her off (though they don’t get physical). Swerve says Moxley has bled but Swerve has bled buckets. Moxley has been in Texas death matches while Swerve has won them. He’s going to win the title at Dynasty and Moxley can keep playing himself on TV. The Death Riders leave but Shafir jumps Nightingale and has to be held back. As usual, these segments work better when people stand up to the Death Riders and that was the case here from Swerve.

Samoa Joe asks Hook why he choked out Max Caster. Hook: “He’s fun to choke out.” They run into Caster and Joe chokes him out, then hugs Hook, saying he was right. They also hug Top Flight and AR Fox as it seems Katsuyori Shibata is filming. That was hilarious.

Jay White is in the Owen Hart Tournament. If anyone thinks they’re better than him, come prove it on Collision.

Top Flight vs. Devo Knight/Alex Findley

Darius wrestles Knight to the floor to start as the Learning Tree is watching backstage. Findley comes in and gets sent outside, with Dante hitting a kick to the face and a springboard high crossbody. Darius plants Knight and Dante’s frog splash finishes at 2:56.

The Learning Tree (facing Top Flight on Collision) and Cru (in the crowd) isn’t impressed.

Will Ospreay is back next week.

Mark Briscoe vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis is here with Takeshita. Briscoe shrugs off a shoulder to start and fires off some Red Neck Kung Fu to take over. Back up and Takeshita knocks him down for some choking on the ropes. A big boot drops Briscoe again and a DDT on the apron sends us to a break. Back with Briscoe slugging away, including some shots to the chest in the corner.

The running flip dive through the ropes connects and the Cactus Elbow hits off the barricade. The Froggy Bow misses though and they slug it out, with the fans being rather engaged. They trade exploders until Takeshita’s running knee gets two. The Jay Driller gets the same as Takeshita puts a foot on the ropes. Takeshita kicks him in the head though and it’s the Raging Fire for the pin at 11:40.

Rating: B-. Takeshita can do just about anything in the ring at the moment and it’s fine to see him beating a name like Briscoe. While I could go for seeing Briscoe having some more success, it makes sense for him to lose here. Takeshita very well could be in the Owen Hart Tournament (if he isn’t yet) and him making a nice run would be a good way to go.

The Death Riders are in to face Cope and FTR for the Trios Titles at Dynasty.

The Hurt Syndicate is still not on the same page about MJF. MVP is the only one who seems to like him, mainly because MJF is reprehensible. If the other two don’t want MJF in, MVP will respect it, but they’re on the same page about the Learning Tree.

Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne vs. Toni Storm/Thunder Rosa

Rosa and Bayne start things off with Rosa shouting the team’s new name. Rosa’s strikes to the chest don’t work very well so it’s off to Storm, who gets taken down by Ford. A running knee is shrugged off though and Storm suplexes her down. We take a break and come back with Bayne clotheslining Rosa, allowing Ford to throw her out of the corner for two. Rosa and Ford hit a double clothesline and it’s off to Storm to take over on Bayne.

A tornado DDT on the floor drops Bayne but Ford grabs a cutter back inside. Bayne is back in with Fate’s Descent to Rosa but Storm throws her into the corner for the hip attack. That’s shrugged off and Storm is terrified that old faithful didn’t work. Bayne pump kicks Ford by mistake though and Storm gets two off a rollup. Fate’s Descent finishes Storm at 9:33.

Rating: C+. That’s something that has been done for years and it still works to this day. The result lets you see that Bayne can beat Storm and it adds more drama to their title shot at Dynasty. It was a perfectly fine match and served a purpose without actually having Ford take the pin for a change.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the show where they gave a lot more focus towards Dynasty, as matches that were already announced were advanced and something new was added. That’s the kind of show that you need to have and it made for a good one here. While there were some moves that I wasn’t feeling, this took some positive steps on the way to Dynasty and that’s what the show needs.

Results
Kenny Omega b. Blake Christian – One Winged Angel
Kyle Fletcher b. Brody King – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Mark Davis – Spinebuster
Top Flight b. Devo Knight/Alex Findley – Frog splash to Knight
Konosuke Takeshita b. Mark Briscoe – Raging Fire
Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford b. Toni Storm/Thunder Rosa – Fate’s Descent to Storm

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