Dynamite
Date: May 29, 2024
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and in for the build to Forbidden Door next month. That means we are likely going to be getting a bunch of guest stars on the show and that could make for some interesting situations. Other than that, we have a Casino Gauntlet match for the #1 contendership to the World Title and that should be a blast. Let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

Here is Mercedes Mone for her big championship celebration, complete with balloons. She asks if she was worth the wait (eh…..) and brags about tearing the house down with Willow Nightingale. Mone knew Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway would screw Nightingale over but she wants Nightingale to come back better than ever. We are about a month away from Forbidden Door and….here is Skye Blue to pop up on screen and reveal that she attacked Mone a few weeks ago. Then Blue runs in to attack her and pose with the belt. This felt like Mone was all good again and….I have no idea why that would even be suggested.

Long video on Double Or Nothing.

Swerve Strickland vs. Killswitch

Non-title. Killswitch knocks him to the floor but Swerve gets in a kick to the knee to slow him down. A neckbreaker in the ring and another on the floor drop Killswitch but he sends Swerve into the steps. They go back inside for some pummeling in the corner and we take a break.

Back with Swerve not being able to get a triangle choke on but kicking Killswitch down anyway. Swerve can’t get a suplex so Killswitch chokeslams him down for two instead. Killswitch grabs a chair but gets it pulled away, allowing Swerve to hit the Stomp off the apron. Swerve gets knocked down again back inside but comes right back with a German suplex. The House Call into the Swerve Stomp gets two, because the World Champion can’t get a clean pin off his finisher. Another House Call finishes for Swerve at 11:42.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what the point was in having the World Champion (who is in the second segment rather than opening the show) hit one of his finishers for a near fall in a pretty nothing match but oh well. At least Swerve didn’t have some kind of screwy result here, as he’s not exactly treated as the top star in the company. In theory this moves him on from the Patriarchy, and at least Killswitch gets to look strong in defeat because….I still have no idea why that needed to happen.

Swerve gets his hair back from Killswitch.

We get an announcement from Tony Khan by way of Tony Schiavone: Mercedes Mone is defending against Skye Blue tonight. This was hyped up earlier as a big announcement. I think we can call that a stretch.

Jon Moxley is ready for Rocky Romero tonight and lists off a bunch of places he’ll be wrestling, mainly in Japan.

It’s time for Chris Jericho’s TV Time segment, the Learning Tree. Big Bill talks about how important it is to learn before Jericho talks about how many get called but few actually go. You should always have a cherry on top of your ice cream, and now we see the new member of the Learning Tree: Bryan Keith! Cue Keith, who thinks more people should respect Jericho, who yells at fans for swearing. Cue Hook to go after them but Samoa Joe cuts him off. I have no idea what they’re going for with the Jericho stuff but I can’t believe they’re going this badly on purpose. This was terrible.

We look at Jon Moxley beating Konosuke Takeshita at Double Or Nothing, though commentary thought it was a look at a woman named Stephanie Vaquer.

Video on Stephanie Vaquer, who is probably going to be at Forbidden Door.

Jon Moxley vs. Rocky Romero

Non-title and Moxley’s shoulder is in bad shape coming in. Romero goes right after the bad arm and kicks away at it before sending Moxley out to the apron. The arm is cranked around the ropes as Moxley is still in trouble as we take a break. Back with Moxley hitting a one armed superplex, followed by an exchange of strikes.

Moxley knocks him into the corner but gets caught in a tornado DDT. Romero gets the cross armbreaker and cranks away until Moxley manages to get to his feet. Some stomping gets Moxley out of trouble and a big clothesline into the Death Rider finishes Romero off at 10:46.

Rating: C+. The problem here is Romero has been treated as a jobber for months. Fans have learned to believe that he isn’t going to win a match. That makes it really hard to care about him facing a big star because there is zero reason to believe that he’s going to win. It’s watching a long term winner facing a long term loser but it’s getting time anyway. That’s going to leave fans feeling like their time is being wasted and that’s not good.

Samoa Joe and Hook seem to threaten the Learning Tree.

Here is Don Callis to offer a contract to Orange Cassidy. Cue Cassidy, who rips the contract up. Cassidy: “Hey Don. No.” Callis is livid, but here are Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway to reveal that their friend has joined the Don Callis Family. Cue Trent Beretta, in a suit, to jump Cassidy and bust him open. Trent and Callis hug as I try to figure out why the feud is continuing after Cassidy pinned Trent clean.

Daniel Garcia is ready to come after the International Title.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Skye Blue

Mone is defending and knocks Blue down fast. They’re quickly on the floor with Mone hitting the Meteora off the apron for two back inside. A hanging neckbreaker gives Blue two and we take an early break. Back with Mone hitting a Backstabber for two but Blue is back with the spinning full nelson faceplant for two of her own. Code Blue is loaded up but Mone reverses into the Mone Maker for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C. So Mone’s first AEW match was hyped up with about a month’s notice, but her second gets about an hour? This felt like a quick way to close a storyline threat with the mystery attacker and points for that, but it’s also quite the quick way to wrap it up. That’s not a bad thing and I like them at least covering it, though having it as Mone’s first title defense was a bit weird.

Post match Stephanie Vaquer comes out to stare Mone down. That’s quite the rushed “dream” match but that’s kind of the nature of Forbidden Door.

Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander do not like Willow Nightingale. Statlander says everyone is going to need protection from her.

Video on MJF, who has signed a new long term deal with the company.

Here is the Elite to address the future of the TNT Title. They all brag about how great the week has been for the team, including Double Or Nothing and their shoe launch. The Bucks have a present for Okada, and we see a black Lamborghini in the parking lot, with RAIN MAKR plates. Okada is in tears but now we have to move on to business.

Adam Copeland has broken his leg (as Matt told him to do before the match), meaning Copeland is stripped of the TNT Title. And Jack Perry is the new champion! Cue Christopher Daniels to say not so fast, because Tony Khan has named him the Interim Executive Vice President, so he’s here to make announcements for Khan. Perry isn’t the champion because we’re going to have a bunch of qualifying matches….for the LADDER MATCH for the TNT Title at Forbidden Door. The Elite go after Daniels but Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed make the save.

So Tony Khan is back at AEW TV (or at least events, as he was at Double Or Nothing) and gave a message by way of Schiavone earlier tonight, yet for some reason he now has to have an official talker as Daniels is their version of a General Manager. This is feeling like the dark days of WWE, when you needed a chart to keep track of how many people have power. They really don’t need to continue with this and with Khan back in person at all, as he seems to be, the Bucks should more or less be out of authority in the first place.

Swerve Strickland is ready for all challengers.

Rush calls out MJF, who will be here next week. Not this week, but next week.

Casino Gauntlet

The winner gets a World Title shot at Forbidden Door and it is one fall to a finish, which could come at any time. There are 21 entrants and they come out at “random times”, with Jay White in at #1 and Pac in at #2. Pac jumps him to start and they’re quickly on the floor with White being sent into various hard objects. A big flip dive takes White out again and a missile dropkick gets two.

Mistico is in at #3 and clears the ring as I wonder why they didn’t, I don’t know, advertise having one of the biggest stars in the world on their show. A big dive takes out White and Pac and we take a break. Back with Will Ospreay in at #4 and going straight after Mistico. Ospreay and Pac yell at each other but Mistico breaks it up. Shota Umino (Jon Moxley’s former lackey) is in at #5 and gets to clean house but White knocks him down.

Claudio Castagnoli is in at #6 and uppercuts Umino for a fast two. There’s the Swing to White and we take another break. Back again with Lio Rush (geez) in at #7 and kicks Castagnoli out to the floor. Umino and Rush trade clotheslines until Castagnoli runs them both over.

Orange Cassidy, with a taped up head, is in at #8 and has to knee his way out of Castagnoli’s suplex. A running DDT plants Castagnoli but Ospreay is back up for the staredown with Cassidy. That’s broken up and Hechicero is in at #9 to clean house again. Mistico is back up with a headscissors to put Castagnoli on the floor, setting up a big hurricanrana from the top. White and Pac are back in but Ospreay breaks up the Blade Runner. Cassidy hurricanranas Ospreay for two but gets caught with the Oscutter for the pin at 22:15.

Rating: B. Match quality aside (as there is only so much you can do in this kind of a match), this was FUN. They have something with this idea and if they can fine tune it a bit, and maybe not do it as frequently, they’ve got a match type that works for this kind of thing. I wanted to see who was coming through that curtain next and that is a very cool feeling to have. Ospreay winning is certainly weird, but if he wins the World Title, at least it will streamline the top of the card on the good guys’ side a bit.

Strickland comes out to stare Ospreay down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Yowza this show felt all over the place. Between Strickland winning a match that felt like it should have set up his match with Christian, Moxley needing ten minutes to beat Romero, Mone’s attacker being revealed and then beating her in an hour, the EVP nonsense and Jericho’s talk show train wreck, I had no idea what the focal point of any of this show was supposed to be. It felt like something from the late 90s on Raw when things were just thrown out there with the slightest bit of logic or reasoning with the hopes that no one would notice.

But then there was that main event and it felt like what AEW was supposed to be about. It was a case of mixing up a bunch of cool stars who you could see getting the chance and then one of them got there. Yes it was complete chaos, but it was FUN chaos. That’s something that can do a lot of good for a show, and this one certainly needed it. The first hour and forty minutes of this were a near car crash with stuff feeling like it was being written as fast as possible, but the main event was the wrestlers getting to showcase themselves in a good way. Maybe it was an off week, but they need to change some things up.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. Killswitch – House Call
Jon Moxley b. Rocky Romero – Death Rider
Mercedes Mone b. Skye Blue – Mone Maker
Will Ospreay won the Casino Gauntlet match – Oscutter to Cassidy

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Double Or Nothing 2024
Date: May 26, 2024
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s back to one of the biggest pay per views on the AEW calendar as it’s the five year anniversary show. The show has a triple main event, though Anarchy In The Arena has been presented as by far the biggest thing on the card. Other than that, Swerve Strickland defends the World Title against Christian Cage and Mercedes Mone makes her in-ring debut. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In: Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Rosa backs her into the corner to start and snaps off a running headscissors. A running dropkick puts Purrazzo on the floor and there’s a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and Purrazzo gets in a shot of her own to take over and starts in on the arm. The armbar goes on but Rosa fights up, with a double crossbody putting both of them down. A neckbreaker drops Purrazzo again and Rosa hits the hard running dropkick against the ropes.

Purrazzo catches her in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder to the ribs but Rosa is right back with a cobra clutch of all things. That’s escaped so Rosa hits a discus forearm for two but the Tijuana Bomb is countered into the Fujiwara armbar. Rosa slips out and hits a Backstabber into the cobra clutch again. This time Purrazzo stacks her up and uses the ropes for the pin at 10:13.

Rating: C+. I’m surprised by the ending but at least Purrazzo might be getting a renewed push. She’s rather good at the evil heel thing and gets even better when you throw in the submission skills. Rosa losing again isn’t the best sign for her but she has the charisma to build herself right back up with a few wins.

Buy-In: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Cage Of Agony

Caster and Kaun start things off, with the latter powering him into the corner. Kaun misses a charge but scores with a clothesline for a fast two. It’s off to Gunn, who wants, and receives, Cage for a pose off. Cage shoulders him into the corner and strikes a double bicep before yelling on the ropes a lot. Gunn knocks him over and poses as well before punching Cage into the corner.

Everything breaks down and all of them brawl out to the floor, where Bowens is sent knee first into the steps. Back in and a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle drops Caster, setting up Cage’s apron superplex. Kaun chokes in the corner and Cage drives in the shoulders to the ribs. Caster gets in a shot of his own though and nails a high crossbody on Kaun. Toa is right there to cut the tag off, only to miss a middle rope splash.

A kick away is enough for the tag off to Gunn as the pace picks up. Everything breaks down and Toa runs Gunn over, leaving Cage to discus lariat Caster. Bowens dives in for the limping save but is knocked outside in a hurry. Cage grabs a chair but the Las Vegas Golden Knights mascot runs in to take it away. The distraction lets Gunn grab a small package to pin Kaun at 11:43.

Rating: C. So now the Acclaimed and Gunn are getting reheated again? After Cage and the Gates just turned on Swerve a few weeks ago? That’s quite the interesting choice, as you would think the villains getting a win could establish them as something. Anyway, not a terrible match, but absolutely not something that needed to be added to the card.

Post match we get a scissoring with the mascot. Ah so that’s why they won.

The opening video talks about whether wrestlers will claim their dreams or leave them in the desert. The graphics with the casino theme work well here.

International Title: Roderick Strong vs. Will Ospreay

Strong, with the Kingdom, is defending, Don Callis is on commentary, and Ospreay tries a Hidden Blade at the bell. That doesn’t work but Ospreay knocks him outside, where Strong gets in a quick shot. Ospreay flips out of an attempted backbreaker onto the barricade and nails Strong as they head back inside. A backbreaker puts Strong down but the Kingdom manages to interfere and hit a Doomsday Device on the floor, with Ospreay landing head first on the floor in a terrifying spot. The fans get quiet but Ospreay is ok enough to go back inside and they slug it out.

Strong flips out of a quick abdominal stretch attempt and tries a not so complete crossface. That’s broken up and Strong chops away but Ospreay knocks him out of the air and hits a running boot in the corner. The Kingdom offers another distraction and Wardlow comes in, only to get caught as well. Somehow none of this is a DQ so Ospreay goes up and hits a corkscrew moonsault onto all of the villains, who are ejected.

A top rope clothesline gives Ospreay two back inside, followed by a bridging suplex for the same. Ospreay knocks him off the top and tries a twisting moonsault but has to stick the landing, only to damage his knee in the process. Strong is right there with a Texas Cloverleaf, with Ospreay crawling over to the ropes. Strong’s faceplant gets two and a superplex gets the same as frustration is setting in. A kick to the head is loaded up but Ospreay reverses into a sitout powerbomb for the double down.

Back up and they slug it out with Ospreay escaping End Of Heartache. Ospreay’s Styles Clash is countered and the Oscutter connects, only for the bad knee to give Strong enough time to kick out. The referee checks on Strong so Callis tells Ospreay to hit the tiger driver 91 since Strong “is going to the hospital anyway”. Ospreay loads it up but can’t bring himself to do it, allowing Strong to hit an Angle Slam. The Sick Kick gets two but End Of Heartache is escaped. A running elbow sets up the Hidden Blade to give Ospreay the pin and the title at 17:57. Callis: “WE WON!”

Rating: B. There were a lot of shenanigans going on around here and while they were a bit much, how else were you going to add drama to this? Strong is a solid star but Ospreay has been presented as one of the biggest stars in the company since he debuted. They had a good back and forth match but Strong wasn’t winning here no matter what happened.

Post match here’s Adam Cole for a chat. He shouldn’t be here because he should be back there with the Undisputed Kingdom or the Young Bucks, or maybe rehabbing his ankle. Cole pulls out the Devil mask and says he’ll be back to make you give the Devil his due. Then the lights go out and we see what looks like a point of view shot inside MJF’s house, with the person pulling out a torn picture of Cole and MJF.

Cue MJF, in a 2002 HHH leather jacket/sleeveless vest look, to hug Cole and then kick him low. A brainbuster plants Cole and MJF calls him a “noodle armed Bobble Head son of a b****.” Cole is carried out and MJF says he trusted him, which is never happening again. MJF says he is the greatest wrestler in the world and hits the catchphrase. The catch is he doesn’t need a New Japan or a Vince McMahon (big gasp on that) because MJF made MJF.

We’re done with the Kangaroo Kicks and associated BS because it’s time for him to bring the hate again. MJF picks up the mask, which he says adorn cowards who want to hide. He’s done hiding and apologizing for the fact that he is the best. It’s not his fault that all of your favorites suck a big old bag of donkey d**** but this mask, and everything it symbolizes, can go straight to h***. He drops a Ric Flair elbow on the mask and says he’s all in, double or nothing. As for his contract status, he points to an AEW tattoo on his leg and says you can bet on him, because he’s not f****** (not censored) leaving.

This was VERY long but MJF looks great and feels like the biggest star in the company all over again. He has more ability on the mic than almost anyone you could imagine and the fans are buying everything he does. Just get done with the Devil stuff already and let it be over for good.

We recap the Trios Title match, which saw the Bang Bang Gang annoying Pac, who reformed Death Triangle to come after the titles.

Trios Titles: Death Triangle vs. Bang Bang Gang

The Gang is defending and Pac runs Colten over to start. Austin and Penta come in, with the Triangle wasting no time in triple teaming him down. One heck of a What’s Up but White takes Pac down with a neckbreaker to take over. The villains take Pac into the corner where he strikes away, only to get dropped throat first across the top rope. The half crab goes on but Pac kicks his way out and rolls between the Gunns for the tag off to Penta.

House is cleaned, with Fenix being launched up for a splash to Austin with White making the save. White gets kicked into a twisting Death Valley Driver for two and everything breaks down for a six way knockdown. Pac goes up for the Black Arrow but the Gunns slid in a bat, allowing Juice Robinson to run in and crotch Pac. The Blade Runner retains the titles at 12:18.

Rating: B-. The ending is nice to see as the Gang retains the titles and gets back the person who made them feel special in the first place. Robinson is a great addition and I’m curious to see where they go from here. The match was entertaining but it never hit that level I was expecting. Maybe they could have gotten there with more time, though I can take a good match any day.

We recap Toni Storm defending the Women’s Title against Serena Deeb. Storm has beaten a bunch of people with different styles and Deeb is the wrestling genius. Deeb is also back after some serious medical issues and is ready to FINALLY win the title. Storm doesn’t seem impressed, as tends to be her custom.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Serena Deeb

Storm is defending and has Mariah May and Luther in her corner. They go with the grappling to start, with Deeb tying her up in the Paradise Lock for the running dropkick. Deeb grabs a dragon screw legwhip to start in on the knee, setting up an Octopus. With that broken up, Deeb hits another dragon screw and the knee is in event more trouble.

Deeb cranks away on the mat but Storm fights up, only to get slapped several times in a row. A neckbreaker drops Storm again as the fans start chanting for her, much to Nigel McGuinness’ happiness. They fight over a standing switch until Deeb suplexes her down for two. Back up and they slap it out again until Storm’s chokebomb gets two more. Deeb pulls her into a half crab to go back to the knee, with May teasing throwing in the towel.

Luther cuts that off and Storm sees him, which doesn’t go well. Back in and Storm Zero gets two so they head to the apron, where another Storm Zero can’t hit. A third dragon screw legwhip has Storm in trouble and Deebtox on the apron, followed by another in the ring, gets two. Storm catches her on top with a super piledriver, followed by Storm Zero to retain at 15:38.

Rating: B-. This was slower and more to the point with Deeb taking apart the knee, but much like the opener, it was hard to fathom that the title was in any serious jeopardy. Storm feels like a major star and Deeb comes off as the challenger of the month. Deeb’s style made sense, but it was hard to buy her as being a threat to win.

We recap Trent Beretta vs. Orange Cassidy. They were best friends and then Beretta turned on him, saying Cassidy was self centered. Cassidy already beat him, but then Trent ended the career of their former friend Chuck Taylor. Therefore, it’s time for revenge.

Orange Cassidy vs. Trent Beretta

Don Callis is on commentary…and there is no Cassidy. Hold on though as he comes out to his old music (the better one), including a dark shirt and dark jeans. They slug it out with Trent knocking him down off a shot to the throat. Cassidy sends him into the corner and hits a high crossbody, setting up a DDT out to the floor. They fight on the floor, with Cassidy knocking him around ringside until another shot to the throat cuts him down.

Back in and Beretta hits a German suplex, followed by another to keep Cassidy in trouble. Cassidy slowly starts getting up and puts his hands in his pockets…so Trent knocks him down in the corner in a smart move. Cassidy gets back up and rolls away, allowing him to kick Trent into the corner for some stomping. Trent rolls to the apron before Cassidy can come off the top, where he kicks Cassidy out of the air for the crash.

A piledriver onto the apron knocks Cassidy silly but he’s fine enough to hit a Beach Break on the floor. Back in and Trent wants a hug but gets Michinoku Drivered instead. The Stundog Millionaire is blocked, as is the spinning DDT. Instead Trent hits a clothesline, setting up Strong Zero for two more. Trent’s running knee is countered into a Beach Break for two but the Orange Punch is countered into a Codebreaker. Trent tries a choke but gets reversed into a rollup for the pin at 13:55.

Rating: B-. Now, that should end the feud for good right? Cassidy has beaten him twice now and this was 100% clean. There is no reason for the feud to continue but commentary was already saying it was far from over. Cassidy winning is fine if this is done, but get him something more important to do. He’s done the random matches for months now and it’s time to either move him up or find something completely fresh.

Post match Rocky Romero comes out to check on Trent, who says he isn’t doing this and walks out through the crowd.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending and chops it out with Shibata to start. Hook suplexes Jericho down and it’s already time for the tables. Jericho breaks that up and sends Hook into the barricade before dropping Shibata as well. It’s time for the bag of…dice, about two and a half minutes into the match. Hook suplexes Jericho onto them and Shibata adds a slam as commentary makes craps references.

Hook suplexes both of them again but Shibata suplexes Hook to leave everyone down. It’s time for some kendo sticks, with the challengers shrugging off Jericho’s shots and beating him down with their sticks instead. Shibata knocks Hook down and whips out a table of his own. More suplexes abound and Jericho is laid on the table, with Shibata Death Valley Drivering Hook onto Jericho but not through the table. Shibata sends Jericho through the tale in the corner and adds a dropkick for two.

Hook is back up with a suplex but looks rather staggered after the table crash. Redrum goes on but Big Bill comes in for the save. Bill and Hook go crashing off the apron for a nasty landing, leaving Shibata to Figure Four Jericho. Hook comes in and adds the Redrum but here is someone in a hoodie with a trashcan for the save. And it’s Bryan Keith, who gets beaten down by Hook. Jericho Judas Effects Hook and pins Shibata (in the trashcan, meaning the shoulders weren’t on the mat so it shouldn’t have counted but that might be a bit nitpicky) to retain at 12:45.

Rating: C+. The Jericho stuff isn’t exactly thrilling and now his stable gets to grow even more. This is a match that was pretty much only there for the reveal, as Hook has to jump through another hoop to get the title back, despite being Jericho once before. The FTW Title is more or less the Hardcore Title these days and that’s not exactly something I need to see on a regular basis, especially with Jericho around so much.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita, with Don Callis wanting Moxley to join his team but getting nowhere.

Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Non-title and Moxley has a bad shoulder thanks to Takeshita attacking him last night. Moxley slugs away to start but gets dropped with a flying clothesline. Takeshita starts taking off the tape before hitting a hammerlock slam. Moxley gets dropped hard onto the apron but bites at the head for a breather. The fans get on Callis as Takeshita fights back and chokes against the barricade.

Back in and Takeshita drops him to his knees with a single forearm. A brainbuster plants Moxley again and we hit the crossface chickenwing. That’s broken up so Takeshita kicks him in the face, only to get caught with a desperation cutter. Moxley can’t get a piledriver so Takeshita pulls him into a Fujiwara armbar instead. The rope is reached so Takeshita rips at the face for a change of pace. That gets a stern lecture from the referee, allowing Moxley to send Takeshita outside for a dive.

Back in and Moxley uses the good arm for a big clothesline but Takeshita is back with the kneeling piledriver. Takeshita loads up the running knee but gets cut off with a Paradigm Shift. They slug it out until Takeshita drops him with one heck of a forearm. Instead of covering, Takeshita hits a running knee for two and frustration is setting in.

Moxley is back up with a choke but can’t get the Death Rider. The arm is sent into the post and another big forearm, setting up Takeshita’s Death Rider for two. Callis says finish this so Takeshita grabs some chairs…but Moxley stomps him onto the chair. The Death Rider finishes Takeshita at 17:24.

Rating: B. This was another match that went long but didn’t exactly get to that next level. Moxley was working through the arm and Takeshita worked on it over and over, but much like earlier in the night, it was hard to believe that Takeshita was winning. Moxley losing in the first place is a rare sight and the IWGP World Champion losing would be even weirder.

We recap Malakai Black vs. Adam Copeland for the latter’s TNT Title. Black wanted the violent Copeland so he stole Copeland’s wedding ring. That earned him a bloodbath, and it’s in a barbed wire cage too.

TNT Title: Adam Copeland vs. Malakai Black

Copeland is defending in a barbed wire cage so naturally there are a bunch of weapons included. The End and the spear both miss so Copeland sends him over the ropes for a boot against the cage. Copeland grabs some barbed wire and rips Black’s head open but the spear is cut off with a knee. Black grabs a barbed wire baseball bat so commentary argues about Take Me Out To The Ball Game.

The bat goes into Copeland’s head to bust him open too. Black takes too long to follow up though and gets batted in the ribs. Copeland rakes Black’s face against the cage and it’s time to set up a table. It takes too long to go up though and Black superkicks Copeland down to crotch him on the ropes. A sunset bomb through the table gives Black two but the End is cut off with a standing spear (not a great one either) to give Copeland two.

Another piledriver knocks Black silly and Copeland puts him onto a table…where he wraps Black in barbed wire. Copeland goes to the top of the cage and kind of elbows him (while landing on his feet) for a rather delayed two. The spear is countered with the End for two and they both slowly get up. Black whips out…some kind of big spike, which he stabs through the mat as he misses Copeland. Black kicks him through the door and they go outside, where Copeland hits another spear.

Cue the House Of Black….to stand next to Copeland. Then they turn (?) on him about two seconds later and beat him down before heading back inside. Black whips out Copeland’s wedding ring and puts it around his neck as the House wraps Copeland in barbed wire. Then the lights go red and black and Gangrel pops up through the mat. The blood is sprayed and the former Brood cleans house, with Copeland tying Black up with the barbed wire and putting on the Grindhouse for the win at 20:11.

Rating: C. Yeah I wasn’t feeling this one, with the Gangrel appearance being the only thing that really helped it. I kept having flashbacks to last year when Copeland and Finn Balor had almost the same feud (minus the wedding ring) and it was taking away from this one. Also, just way too many weapons and barbed wire, with the cage not really being necessary. I’m sure there are going to be people who loved this and I more than get it, but WAY longer than it needed to be with too much going on in too similar of a story to what Copeland did last year.

Don Callis talks about how great a night it has been for the Family. He’ll have a contract on Dynamite for…someone, presumably Orange Cassidy.

We recap Mercedes Mone challenging Willow Nightingale for the TBS Title. Mone is making her in-ring debut and is in her first match after injuring her ankle against Nightingale in Japan. Now Mone wants revenge and to show that she is a star.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale, with Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway, is defending and Mone gets a big entrance, complete with a bunch of drummers and showgirls. Mone begs off from Nightingale to start and we hit the dueling chants. The threat of a clothesline sends Mone bailing out to the floor, with Mone running away in a chase. Back in and Mone grabs a springboard sitout bulldog for two but Nightingale pops back up.

They head outside again where Mone gets in a kick from the apron, only to get caught with the Babe With The Powerbomb onto the same apron. Back in and Nightingale throws her hard into the corner A super Babe With The Powerbomb is broken up and Mone ties her ankle in the corner for some cranking. The jumping Meteora gets two and Mone grabs a leglock to keep Nightingale in trouble.

With that broken up, Mone grabs a dragon screw legwhip (Nightingale landed on her) and puts on an ankle lock. That’s broken up so Mone hits a Backstabber for two. An octopus goes on but Nightingale reverses into an ankle lock of her own. Mone slips out of that as well so Nightingale Pounces the heck out of her. Back up and Nightingale unloads with clotheslines in the corner, setting up a hard spinebuster for two.

The Babe With The Powerbomb is countered so Nightingale lifts her up for another powerbomb. Nightingale puts her on top but can’t get a superplex, instead settling for a shinbreaker on the apron. A swinging Prism Trap has Mone in more trouble but she avoids the Cannonball. Mone stomps on the ankle and a middle rope Meteora gets two. Nightingale rolls outside and there’s another Meteora off the apron to knock her silly.

Statlander and Hathaway get on the apron to yell, allowing Nightingale to hit the Babe With The Powerbomb…but the arguing continues. The delayed cover gets two but Mone reverses another Babe With The Powerbomb into a weird STF. That’s broken up so Mone goes up and kicks her down. The Mone Maker (a Gory Stretch spun into a knee to the face, which doesn’t go well) gives Mone the pin and the title at 18:04.

Rating: B. Well that felt inevitable. Mone might as well have had her name put on the title the second Nightingale won the thing, which is quite the shame as Nightingale FINALLY won something important and then loses it to put Mone over. I get why Mone is the bigger star, but dang this was a bit of a punch to the gut. They were having a good match with the leg work making sense, but the result is a bit saddening.

Post match Hathaway yells at Nightingale but Statlander shoves him down. Then Statlander turns on Nightingale and leaves with Hathaway.

We recap Swerve Strickland defending the World Title against Christian Cage. Strickland is mad at the Young Bucks so they’re sending Cage and the Patriarchy to take him out. Cage is also mad at Strickland for injuring Nick Wayne last year.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Christian Cage

Strickland, with Prince Nana (to counter Cage’s Patriarchy), is defending and we get a video about his rise to the top. They yell at each other to start and fight over a lockup as they’re not exactly going fast to start here. Cage kicks him in the ribs but gets run over with a shoulder, allowing Swerve to step on his back. The reverse DDT puts Swerve down but he avoids top rope splash.

They head outside with Swerve being sent into the barricade and Cage gets to pose back inside. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the frog splash to give Cage two. Nick Wayne gets in a cheap shot but Swerve sends Cage hard into the corner for a breather. Cage tries a spear but Swerve lifts him up into a powerbomb, which he swings into a powerslam for two. Swerve grabs the turtleneck for some rolling neckbreakers, followed by a hanging neckbreaker over the ropes.

With Cage on the floor, Swerve hits a big flipping dive, kicking him in the head on the way down. The House Call is countered into a Sharpshooter, which is reversed into a small package for two. The Patriarchy tries to grab the belt but Nana takes it away, only to be ejected for being caught with the belt in hand. Cage distracts the referee so the Patriarchy can hammer away like good villains. Mother Wayne offers a distraction but Killswitch headbutts Cage by mistake.

Nick is taken out but the Swerve Stomp misses. The spear gives Cage two so Nick tries another distraction but this time Killswitch gets caught before the interference. That’s good for a group ejection as commentary talks about Englebert Humperdink. Swerve hits his rolling Downward Spiral for two, followed by the rolling suplex on the floor. The steps are loaded up but they roll to the apron instead, with Cage raking the eyes and trying a powerbomb.

That’s reversed into a Swerve Stomp onto the apron but Cage knocks him off the apron and HARD onto the steps. Cue Nick Wayne with Wayne’s World off the steps so the Killswitch can give Cage two. Cue Prince Nana with a pipe to chase Nick off so Cage loads up the announcers’ table.

The Killswitch is countered into a Swerve Stomp onto (not through) the table for a NASTY crash/noise. Back in and the JML Driver is countered into a rollup for two and Cage snaps the back of Swerve’s neck over the top rope. The spear is countered so Swerve hits a running House Call into the swerve Stomp for…no cover. Another House call Retains at 24:45.

Rating: B. This started slowly but got rolling by the end, with Swerve getting the big win. Cage never felt like a threat to win the title but he’s good enough to have a solid match and make Swerve look like a star in defeat. Like many things on this show, it went longer than it needed to and they did one or two too many interference spots, but it was probably the best match on the show so far.

We recap Anarchy In The Arena, which is the Young Bucks taking over AEW and a makeshift team fighting against them for the soul of the company.

Elite vs. Team AEW

That would be the Young Bucks/Jack Perry/Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson/Darby Allin/FTR and it’s Anarchy In The Arena, meaning anything goes and falls count anywhere in an arena wide fight. The brawl is on before the bell (which rings at 12:02am) and Allin runs in wearing a mask with thumbtacks. Allin’s music keeps playing until the Bucks say play THEIR music instead. Danielson: “TURN THAT S*** OFF!” He wants the best theme music in wrestling history so the Final Countdown is on.

The brawl starts going into the crowd with Harwood and Nick fighting into the concourse. Allin dives off part of the balcony onto a pile of people and we go to a four way screen for a few moments. We pause for the wrestlers to pose a bit but Matt says cut the music because it costs about $200,000 per play (ok point for a funny line).

The camera keeps cutting to different fights, with one at ringside, two in the crowd and one backstage. The fans want music and then swear about the Bucks when it doesn’t play. Okada, at ringside, pulls out a sign that says Rainmaker Drive before diving onto Danielson. Allin throws Perry in a bucket of cold water in the back but Perry chokes him with a pipe. Back in the ring, the Bucks hit a Shatter Machine for two on Harwood (who is busted open).

We cut back to outside where Perry is in a SCAPEGOAT bus to run over a pile of stuff, which may or may not contain Allin (see because Allin got hit by a bus a few weeks ago). Perry is out off the crash and we cut back to Matt getting hit with a spike piledriver (I believe the tenth or so piledriver variation of the show) onto the apron. The PowerPlex gets two with Okada making the save.

Okada’s top rope elbow hits Harwood and he flips off the fans, with Wheeler coming in to bite the finger. Allin comes back to the ring and gets two off a Code Red on Okada. The Bucks are back up to powerbomb Okada onto a bunch of chairs….and they call for the slot machine set to be raised up. They put him under the raised set but Danielson is back up to punch away. Danielson is thrown off the ramp and the TK Driver onto the big poker chips. FTR come up, with Wheeler getting dropped onto the chip but Harwood DDTs Matt onto the chip.

A bunch of superkicks knock people off the ramp and Nick pops up after a piledriver on the stage. A table is pulled out and of course the fans want fire. Okada elbows Harwood through one and Nick adds a Swanton to put Wheeler through another. We cut to Perry backstage….and he grabs Tony Khan. Perry takes him away and Allin comes into the ring with the flamethrower. Allin lights Perry on fire (finally managing to make him a hot heel) so here are the Bucks with fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire.

They go back to the ring (because LIGHTING PERRY ON FIRE wasn’t the end of the match) and Allin kicks Okada low. The Coffin Drop gets two with the Bucks making the save. With nothing else working, the Bucks tie up Allin’s legs and…FTR comes back in with a Shatter Machine (Tony: “End it already!”) for two. Nick whips out an exploding chair to take out Harwood, followed by a superkick to Wheeler.

Okada brings out an arm sleeve with thumbtacks and the Rainmaker hits Allin, but it’s time to bust out the Young Bucks’ new shoes. These come with tacks (Okada to Matt: “TRY THESE!”) and Allin is raised up, hanging upside down by his feet. The Bucks put the shoes on and pump them up for tacked superkicks to Allin. Danielson comes in and gets taken out as well but Nick kicks Matt by mistake.

Danielson hits a running knee and takes one of the shoes, which knocks out the Bucks. A bunch of kicks have the Bucks down and a running knee into a chair hits Matt for two as Okada makes the save. Tony: “WHEN WILL THIS THING END?” The Bucks are back up with the EVP Trigger as the fans want help for Allin (who is STILL hanging upside down). Perry hits a running knee to pin Danielson at 29:55, as he shrugs off being lit on fire and pins one of the biggest stars in the world as Perrymania continues to not be a thing.

Rating: D+. Yeah I know some people are going to love this and cool if you did but DANG this was long and came at the end of a 5+ hour show. This was a total stunt show that needed about fifteen minutes cut out. It had some rather creative and painful looking stuff, but when someone is set on fire and the match goes on for ten more minutes, you’re going too long.

The Bucks get to keep running roughshod over the company, despite Tony Khan being back for the shows, making their power worthless. I’m sure that won’t be the case because the Bucks must continue, but that’s another problem for another time. The best thing here was that Khan didn’t join the Elite (yet) but this went WAY too long and I was long past ready for the show to end.

The Elite celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show went off the air at 12:33am and that sums up the biggest problem. Sunday was the fifth straight day of Tony Khan produced wrestling that I’ve watched and it’s too much. That was the case this week and it was DEFINITELY the case with this show, which went on and on. There is such a thing as burning out fans on a show and that’s what I was feeling by the end, as it just kept going.

The wrestling wasn’t exactly great either, with Strickland vs. Cage being the best thing on the show and even then it wasn’t something I want to watch again. I’m sure there are going to be very different opinions on the main event, but after a barbed wire cage match (with vampire cameo), the FTW hardcore match and chairs in Moxley vs. Takeshita, plus other assorted violence, I really wasn’t that interested in a bunch of people walking around and no selling stuff for thirty minutes.

Overall, this show just wasn’t very interesting. It wasn’t terrible or even bad, but there were a lot of results that felt obvious coming in and nothing on the show that I’d want to watch again. The show didn’t have me interested coming in and then it didn’t exactly deliver, which isn’t a good sign as AEW has long since lived off its great pay per view reputation. Maybe next month’s show is better, but this didn’t quite click for me.

Results
Deonna Purrazzo b. Thunder Rosa – Rollup with ropes
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. Cage Of Agony – Small package to Toa
Will Ospreay b. Roderick Strong – Hidden Blade
Bang Bang Gang b. Death Triangle – Blade Runner to Pac
Toni Storm b. Serena Deeb – Storm Zero
Orange Cassidy b. Trent Beretta – Rollup
Chris Jericho b. Hook and Katsuyori Shibata – Trashcan shot to Shibata
Jon Moxley b. Konosuke Takeshita – Death Rider
Adam Copeland b. Malakai Black – Grindhouse
Mercedes Mone b. Willow Nightingale – Mone Maker
Elite b. Team AEW – Running knee to Danielson

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We’re back on pay per view and the card is looking like it could go in a variety of ways. AEW is promoting this as a triple main event with a rather interesting set of matches on top, though your taste in the recent storytelling efforts may vary. The good thing is AEW tends to focus on the in-ring wrestling with its pay per views and that tends to go rather well. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In: Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo

This is a feud that has been built up in recent weeks and now we get to see what happens when they face off. Both of them could use a big win and they are going to be given the chance to make it happen here. Purrazzo has lost rather frequently but Rosa is the bigger star and a former Women’s Champion. That leaves you with a pair of viable options, which makes this more fun.

I’ll go with Rosa to win here, as she is the bigger star and could easily be moved into either Women’s Title picture. Rosa has been driven nuts by Purrazzo in recent weeks and it should be time to see her get revenge. Purrazzo is not exactly in the best place either, and while I would like to see her win, it makes more sense for Rosa to win here, as she has more potential to jump up the ladder.

Buy-In: Billy Gunn/Acclaimed vs. Brian Cage/Gates Of Agony

Here we have a match between two groups who are in rather different places. Gunn and the Acclaimed lost the Trios Titles not that long ago but they could not feel colder if they were actively trying. They have nothing going on and it’s hard to fathom them getting back to the top of the mountain anytime soon. At the same time, Cage and the Gates aren’t doing much better, but that is pretty normal for them.

This almost has to be Cage and the Gates here, as they just recently split from Swerve Strickland and need to get a win to make themselves feel less worthless. Gunn and the Acclaimed probably need the win more, but I don’t think I can picture it happening. At some point the Acclaimed need to find something to do away from Gunn and hanging another loss on them might make them go in the right direction.

Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita

This is non-title but if Takeshita wins, he gets a future IWGP World Title shot. The whole thing is taking place because of international wrestling politics, which makes it quite the mess, but maybe they can tie it into Forbidden Door. For now though, we should be in for a heck of a fight, as Moxley will brawl with anyone and Takeshita is always a treat to watch no matter what he is doing.

Since it’s Takeshita in a high profile match, I’ll go with Moxley winning, making the stipulation an even bigger waste of time. Maybe Don Callis helps Takeshita win, but at the end of the day, AEW likes having Takeshita look great on the way to big matches, put on a heck of a performance, and then come up short. This should be a good one though, and hopefully they get the chance to show just how good Takeshita is. Before he loses.

Trent Beretta vs. Orange Cassidy

This is a rematch from a few weeks ago where Cassidy won the first match against his big rival/ex-friend. That should mean we’re in for a more violent match, but in this case we’re not seeing any kind of special stipulation. Cassidy has an extra reason to go after Beretta following the attack on Chuck Taylor, but right now he isn’t exactly getting a big chance to get revenge.

I’ll go with Beretta winning here, as there is pretty much nothing left for him to do at the moment if he loses. Beretta has been built up as a pretty impressive heel as he went after one of the most popular stars on the roster. That being said, I’m not sure I can imagine Cassidy losing, even if it makes more sense for it to happen. I’ll stick with Beretta here, though him losing wouldn’t surprise me at all.

International Title: Roderick Strong(c) vs. Will Ospreay

This is one of the weirder matches on the show, as you do not often see the champion feeling like such a huge underdog. Ospreay has been presented as an ace since the day he debuted for the company and there is no reason to believe that doesn’t continue. Strong is the best thing about the Undisputed Kingdom, but I’m really not sure how much that means.

Give me Ospreay to win here, as I’ll go with what makes the most sense. I’m not sure I can imagine Ospreay losing so soon, as there is a very good chance that he is going to wind up in a top match at All In later this year. While the title is beneath what Ospreay has been doing lately, maybe he can elevate it up a bit. Ospreay wins here, as he is a few miles ahead of what Strong is doing.

TNT Title: Adam Copeland(c) vs. Malakai Black

Their feud is about the title, a weird obsession with being creepy, and Black stealing Copeland’s wedding ring. In addition to all of that, the match is going to be in a barbed wire steel cage, because we’re going to be seeing something rather violent and insane. Or it winds up being a huge disappointment, which is a tendency with big gimmick matches around AEW.

I’ll take Black winning here, as he needs to do something other than lose over and over. His team has been wrecked over and over by Copeland but giving him the win and the title should help things out quite a bit. It should be a violent match, but maybe Kyle O’Reilly comes in to cost Copeland the title for some reason or something like that. Either way, Black needs the win here more than Copeland, though it should be a violent war no matter what.

Trios Titles: Bang Bang Gang(c) vs. Death Triangle

It’s nice to see actual teams competing for the titles, as there are only so many viable options to come after them. While Death Triangle feels like a relic of the past, they do at least look like a heck of a threat to come after the titles. This has the potential to be a heck of a fight, and if they go completely insane, it will have a chance to steal a lot of the rather large show.

I’m thinking the Gang retains, as there is little reason to suggest that Death Triangle will stick around. The three of them are often leaving in one way or another and it would be a bit of a stretch to put the titles on them. The Gang doesn’t have much else going on, but seeing them carry that many belts around is kind of amusing. The champions retain here, and hopefully they do it in an awesome fight.

FTW Title: Chris Jericho(c) vs. Hook vs. Katsuyori Shibata

This is one of the more controversial stories in AEW at the moment, as Jericho is doing a weird condescending heel deal where he tries to be all nice but the fans are sick of him because it isn’t that good. He is also taking credit for everyone’s success, including Hook and Shibata. That makes for a rather odd match but here we are anyway, with the title on the line.

I’ll go with what makes sense in such a triple threat and say Jericho retains, likely after one of the other two does all the work for the finish but Jericho steals it. That would be the logical way to go for what he has been doing lately, but I’m not sure how well it will be received. Jericho is trying something new at the moment but that really doesn’t mean he is making it work. It should be enough to retain here though.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Serena Deeb

I’m not sure I can explain what Storm is doing at the moment, but she seems to be feuding or dealing with Mina Shirakawa, Mariah May and Deeb all at once. This feud seems to be the most personal of the three, as Deeb has attacked Storm’s knee, with Storm promising revenge. The quality of the match is going to depend on how serious Storm takes this, which could go in a bunch of ways.

As messy as Storm’s situation is, I’m not sure I can imagine her losing here so we’ll say she retains. Storm has a lot going on at the moment and while Deeb can wrestle a good match with anyone, I can’t picture her winning the title. Looking at everything else Storm has been doing, it is clear that she has a lot going on and I don’t think she is going to lose the title before she gets there.

TBS Title: Willow Nightingale(c) vs. Mercedes Mone

Here we have the first of the three main events and while it might not seem like the biggest match, it has definitely been treated incredibly seriously. That being said, your mileage may on how Mone has been doing as she has only been so interesting since showing up. Maybe she can knock it out of the park here, but I’ve only been somewhat interested in what she has been doing since debut.

I’ll likely regret this one but I’ll actually take Nightingale to win here. She’s the one the fans want to see right now and while AEW loves itself some heels, it would feel like a horrible idea to take the title off of Nightingale. I’m sure Mone is going to get the title sooner than later as AEW has poured a lot of money into her, but having her come in and take the title in her first match would not feel right. I’ll take Nightingale in a pick I’m pretty sure is going to be wrong.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland(c) vs. Christian Cage

Strickland is the star that the AEW fans chose and yet he might be the third biggest story in the company right now. It’s a shame as he could be in for a great story, but instead we’re getting Cage seeking revenge for Strickland attacking Nick Wayne a year ago. That might be logical, but it doesn’t exactly make for the most thrilling situation. Strickland gave Cage a good beatdown on Dynamite, though we need something a bit better to make it work.

There is almost no reason to believe Cage is winning here, as he seems much more of a person there to give Strickland a nice win. That is a perfectly fine way to go, though Strickland is only going to be able to get so much when he is so far from the top of the company. Hopefully that changes after this, but for now it should be Strickland retaining in a good match.

Elite vs. Team AEW

Whether it goes on last or not, this is absolutely the main event of the show. It’s Anarchy In The Arena, which should be a wild brawl all over the place. The big story here would seem to be the return of Tony Khan, who popped up in a car on Dynamite to bring Darby Allin, and a flamethrower, to the show. That’s certainly a way to go and it has me worried about what we’ll see.

While there is a very good case for this being the end of the evil Young Bucks, I’ll take the Elite to win and continue their dominance. What scares me the most is the idea of Khan joining the team in some weird Vince McMahon/Eric Bischoff deal, but if that doesn’t happen and Khan is back, I’m not sure why it should continue anyway. Either way, the Elite win and I’ll be scared about how it happens.

Overall Thoughts

There is potential here for this to be a really good show. While the storylines have been hit or miss as of late, AEW has an incredibly talented roster who can pull off some near miracles. If they are able to do that here then we should be in for a strong night, but they are going to have to nail quite a few things, especially near the top of the card. That main event could go in a few different ways though and odds are that is what will get the focus after the night is over.

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Dynamite
Date: May 15, 2024
Location: Angel Of The Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We’re a week and a half away from Double Or Nothing and that means we could be in for a show building towards the pay per view. In this case, we have the Blackpool Combat Club vs. the Don Callis Family in what should be quite the fight. Other than that, Swerve Strickland needs some revenge on Brian Cage. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Don Callis Family vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Kyle Fletcher and Jeff Cobb for the Family here, with the latter as a hired gun for the week. The brawl starts on the floor with Danielson’s music still playing and the Club taking over. We settle down for the bell ringing and Danielson striking away at Cobb in the corner. Moxley comes in for a running dropkick to the leg in the corner as the Club starts picking Cobb apart.

Fletcher comes in and fires off some chops, which don’t have much effect on Moxley. A superplex gives Moxley two but Cobb breaks up a cross armbreaker attempt. Fletcher is draped over the top rope so Danielson can hit a top rope knee as we take a break. Back with Moxley staggering out of the corner and snapping off a suplex to Cobb. Danielson comes back in and starts firing off the strikes but Cobb suplexes him out of the air. Moxley and Fletcher trade kicks to the face until Cobb runs Moxley over. What looks to be a Doomsday Device is broken up though and Moxley Death Riders Fletcher for the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B-. Yes the Ring Of Honor TV Champion took the fall again and yes that happens over and over again and yes you are still expected to pay to see the television show (which isn’t on television) he represents. The match was the usual big party fight that you see around here, with Cobb looking like a monster as tends to be the case whenever he’s in AEW. Just find someone other than Fletcher to take the fall next time? Or have him drop the title?

Post match the Family goes after Moxley again but Claudio Castagnoli runs in for the save.

Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Christian Cage.

Here is Adam Copeland for a chat but the House Of Black jumps him from behind. Copeland is knocked out and Malakai Black steals his wedding ring. Kyle O’Reilly tries to make the save but gets beaten down as well.

We look at Eddie Kingston being injured at a New Japan event over the weekend at the hands of the Elite.

The Elite mocks Kingston for getting hurt and think Anarchy In The Arena will be 4-3.

The Young Bucks have their own shoes. Sure.

FTR thinks they have a replacement for Anarchy In The Arena. More on this later.

Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels

Non-title and Jack Perry is on commentary. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll only refer to Sydal as Sydal and Matt Buck as Matt. Sydal rolls Matt up to start and it’s quickly off to Daniels to hammer away in the corner. Nick comes in and cleans house, followed by Matt’s top rope ax handle to Sydal as we take a break. Back with Daniels coming in to beat up the Bucks, including a Downward Spiral/DDT combination. Sydal misses a dive to the floor though and Matt sends him over the barricade, leaving Daniels to get Tony Khan Drivered for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C+. This was about what it seemed likely to be, with the Bucks getting beaten up for a bit and then winning in the end. Daniels and Sydal weren’t exactly a major threat to them and it lets the Bucks get a win before going into the pay per view. You know, because they haven’t looked strong enough lately.

Post match the Bucks yell at Daniels for talking down to him last week. They’re trying to clean up the toxicity in the locker room so Daniels is fired. Perry pours a drink on Tony Schiavone too.

Toni Storm, while holding Mariah May, threatens Harley Cameron.

Malakai Black looks at Adam Copeland’s wedding ring and accepts his challenge for a barbed wire steel cage match at Double Or Nothing.

Hook vs. Sebastian Wolfe

Redrum in 28 seconds.

Post match Hook calls out Chris Jericho, so here he is, along with Big Bill. Jericho doesn’t want to hurt Hook but offers him a qualifying match to get a title shot. Hook likes the idea and then hits him in the face, only to have Big Bill get involved. Katsuyori Shibata makes the save.

Swerve Strickland is ready for Christian Cage but first he has to take out Brian Cage.

Swerve Strickland vs. Brian Cage

Non-title and Swerve gets the big hometown reaction. Cage slugs away in the corner to start but gets sent outside with Swerve stomping on the arm. The arm is snapped over the top rope but Cage sends him into the corner again. Swerve’s half nelson is broken up and Cage hits a gorilla press slam into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Swerve slipping out of a powerbomb attempt and sending Cage face first into the buckle. A middle rope elbow to the back has Cage in more trouble and Swerve brainbusters him for two. The rolling Downward Spiral is cut off but Swerve escapes Weapon X as well. Swerve ties him in the ropes for a slingshot stomp to the chest, setting up a 450 for two. Cage’s sitout powerbomb gets two more and they trade shots to the face. Another powerbomb is loaded up but Swerve Stomps his way out in a nice counter. The House Call finishes Cage at 14:48.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that works well for Swerve: have him get in trouble and then fight back to win in the end. He has a history with Cage and it was nice to see him getting a win that means something to him. Rather good match here, which should completely sever Swerve from the Mogul Embassy.

Post match Swerve grabs a chair but the Patriarchy comes in to beat Swerve down. Nick Wayne breaks a photo of Swerve and his family over Swerve’s head. Christian says that’s payback for Swerve attacking Nick last year and asks if Swerve’s daughter is proud of her absentee father. He rubs Swerve’s blood on the photo for a personal touch.

Hook is willing to face anyone to get the shot at Chris Jericho, including Katsuyori Shibata, who wants Jericho as well. Samoa Joe comes in to yell at Hook for not focusing, with Shibata’s translator saying Joe’s flowery shirt doesn’t look good.

Toni Storm vs. Harley Cameron

Non-title. They trade headlocks to start with Storm taking her to the mat. Storm sends her to the apron and adds a running hip attack to take her down again. Cue Serena Deeb for a distraction though as Cameron takes over. We take a break and come back with Storm hitting a Backstabber into a DDT. A fisherman’s buster gets two on Cameron, who is right back with Eat Defeat. Cameron’s running knee gets two but Storm grabs a chokebomb. Storm Zero finishes Cameron at 7:04.

Rating: C. Cameron seems to be trying but it really isn’t working for her in the ring. She feels like someone who hasn’t been in the ring that long, which might be due to her only debuting about two years ago. I’m not sure why that means she should be in the ring on national TV, but it isn’t exactly working.

Will Ospreay and the Undisputed Kingdom have a staredown in the back, with Ospreay saying he won’t go after Roderick Strong because he knows the rest of the team would be on him. Strong has never had any respect for him and Ospreay’s feelings are mutual. Things get heated, wish Strong bringing up Ospreay’s family and saying Ospreay is a child/fraud. Ospreay accuses Strong of burying him to Ring Of Honor people and promises to take the title. This still feels like a huge downgrade for Ospreay.

Here are Mercedes Mone and Willow Nightingale, with Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway, for the contract signing. Willow asks if Mone respects the TBS Title because Willow is the face of TBS. This smiling face comes to the ring every time and says nothing else matters because you can have fun. She isn’t going to let Mone come into AEW and take all of that away.

Willow signs, leaving Mone saying the best part of Willow’s career is beating her, which will be the case after Double Or Nothing. Willow says the last time they wrestled, she walked out a champion but Mone didn’t walk out at all. The fight is on and Mone is put through the table. Mone is going to need to have the match of the century to make up for how useless she’s been since debuting.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Dax Harwood

Harwood is challenging and goes after Okada’s legs to start, sending him outside. Back in and Okada shoulders him down and sends Harwood shoulder first into the post as we take a break. We come back with Harwood being sat on top and dropkicked out to the floor. A running boot against the barricade hits Harwood, followed by a DDT to knock him silly.

Back in and Harwood falls down to avoid the Rainmaker, followed by a German suplex. Harwood hits a dragon suplex as well but Okada kicks off a Sharpshooter attempt. Okada goes up and gets superplexed down for the big crash, leaving them both down for a minute in a needed breather.

The slingshot sitout powerbomb is blocked and they fight over a Tombstone until Harwood plants him for two. The Sharpshooter goes on but is broken up just as quickly. Okada is frustrated and goes to grab the belt, which the referee takes away, allowing Okada to get in a low blow. The Rainmaker retains the title at 16:05.

Rating: B. Well, that certainly was a top singles guy taking a long time to beat one half of a tag team who never wins anything important on his own. They’re continuing with the idea of the Elite looking unstoppable going into Anarchy In The Arena, which isn’t exactly making me want to see the match. At the same time, points for not having the Bucks run in, as seeing less of them is nice.

Post match the Elite comes in for the beatdown so Cash Wheeler and Bryan Danielson run in. Darby Allin, in a purple fur coat, runs in from behind for the real save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was mainly focused on building things up for Double Or Nothing but the show is only looking so good at the moment. The main focus is, again, on the Elite and they aren’t exactly working so far. Allin being back is a good surprise and he’ll help the match, but it feels like the latest way for the Elite to be better than everyone else and that’s not the most thrilling story. Other than that you have Strickland vs. Cage, which is coming off as a rather midcard feud despite being for the World Title. They had a focus here, but the storylines just aren’t doing it for me at the moment.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Don Callis Family – Death Rider to Fletcher
Young Bucks b. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal – Tony Khan Driver to Daniels
Hook b. Sebastian Wolfe – Redrum
Swerve Strickland b. Brian Cage – House Call
Toni Storm b. Harley Cameron – Storm Zero
Kazuchika Okada b. Dax Harwood – Rainmaker

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Collision
Date: May 11, 2024
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re still in Canada, where every arena is apparently named Rogers. The big draw this week is Kyle O’Reilly getting a TNT Title shot against Adam Copeland, which is quite the Canadian showdown. Other than that, you can expect your regular assortment from Collision so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Top Flight

Danielson and Darius start things off, with Nigel thinking the fans are most excited about seeing him. Darius fights out of a wristlock but gets shouldered down for his efforts. It’s off to Dante as Danielson is taken into the corner for some chopping as the fast start continues. Castagnoli comes in and gets headscissored down, with Darius adding a slingshot hilo for one.

Castagnoli isn’t having that and drapes Darius over the top rope for a dropkick from Danielson. The surfboard keeps Darius in trouble as the fans already think this is awesome. Darius is knocked hard to the floor and we take a break. Back with Danielson kicking away at Darius in the corner, only to have Darius use the corner for a Pele kick. Dante comes back in to clean house as Tony thinks Castagnoli is Swedish.

Dante’s frog splash gets two on Castagnoli, who is right back with the Swing into the Sharpshooter. That’s broken up with a Downward Spiral as everything breaks down. Darius dives onto Danielson and Dante’s Nose Dive gets two on Castagnoli. Back in and Danielson hits the running knee, leaving Castagnoli to drop Darius with a running uppercut for the pin at 13:48.

Rating: B-. This was a way to get Danielson back in the ring after his loss to Will Ospreay at Dynasty and to help get him ready for Anarchy In The Arena. It helps the Top Flight are a rather nice team who can work well with anyone. I could go for seeing them get a better spot in AEW but that doesn’t seem likely at the moment. Good match to start the show here.

Post match Danielson gets the mic and asks for some respect for Top Flight. Danielson talks about hearing an AEW chant at the start of this match and that is why he is willing to get back into Anarchy In The Arena. He loves this place and the Elite is not what AEW is all about. The Young Bucks aren’t even here tonight and Danielson is wanting to fight because he loves what AEW represents and he will do anything to protect it. Very fired up stuff from Danielson, and the Bucks not being around makes things even better.

Lee Moriarty vs. Will Ospreay

Roderick Strong, with the Undisputed Kingdom, is on commentary and Shane Taylor is here with Moriarty. Ospreay gets caught in a wristlock to start but flips up to a rather positive reaction. They fight over an exchange of flips until Ospreay snaps off the running hurricanrana to the floor. The slingshot dive takes Moriarty down again and we take a break.

Back with Moriarty working on the neck, including grabbing a cravate. Ospreay breaks that up and nips up to start the comeback, with the fans being rather pleased. A Phenomenal Forearm gives Ospreay two but he backs out of the Tiger Driver 91 attempt. Moriarty uses the distraction to plant him for two, only to get caught with the Cheeky Nandos kick. Taylor gets superkicked off the apron but the Oscutter is countered into the Border City Stretch. That’s broken up as well and Stormbreaker finishes for Ospreay at 10:26.

Rating: B-. Ospreay gets another win as he is on his way to the title match with Strong, which brings up the issue: Ospreay feels like he is punching WAY down to Strong and the International Title. Maybe they are trying to boost the title up by having Ospreay fight for it, but when you go from an instant classic with Danielson to this, it feels more than a little bit off. For now though, Ospreay having one awesome match after another is an acceptable way to go.

Post match Strong offers a distraction so Taylor can jump Ospreay from behind.

Mercedes Mone threw out the first pitch at a Rex Sox game. At least she’s actually doing a star thing rather than just saying she’s a star.

Gates Of Agony/Brian Cage vs. Evan Rivers/Voros Twins

Cage suplexes Rivers down to start and the Twins are knocked off the apron. The toss sitout powerbomb gives Cage the pin on one of the Twins (we’ll call him Porkchop) at 1:09.

Post match Tony Schiavone asks Cage why he attacked Swerve Strickland, and apparently it’s due to Swerve being selfish. The team wanted real leadership like the Young Bucks but here is Strickland with a chain for the beatdown. Kaun is chained to the post but Toa runs Swerve over for the save. Toa tries a running charge but Swerve whips out a cinder block to cut him off. A Conchairto on the steps crushes Toa again as Cage escapes. See how cool it is when the World Champion gets to look awesome for once?

Post break Swerve talks about trying to be the company guy as the World Champion and now a bunch of people are after him. Brian Cage is all that’s left of the Mogul Embassy so they can fight on Dynamite. This is the Swerve that felt like a big star.

Daniel Garcia vs. KM

The rather large KM powers him into the corner to start and does his own dance. Garcia fights back and stomps away in the corner before hammering away, meaning some crotch thrusts to the face. A dragon sleeper makes KM tap at 2:07.

We look at the end of Dynamite with Anarchy In The Arena being set up.

Dax Harwood vs. Tommy Billington

That would be Dynamite Kid’s nephew and Cash Wheeler is here Harwood. They fight over a lockup to start and Billington is looking rather surly (it must be a family thing). Harwood grabs a headlock takeover before switching into a hammerlock. Back up and Billington actually runs him over with a shoulder but Harwood hits a heck of an elbow to the face. Billington manages a running crossbody to send them both crashing out to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Billington hitting a big dive to the floor, followed by a missile dropkick back inside. A top rope elbow gets two on Harwood but he catches Billington going up again. The top rope superplex leaves both of them down as the fans find this awesome. They trade rolling German suplexes until Billington tries a rollup, which is reversed into a slingshot sitout powerbomb for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: B. They had a heck of a match and Billington looks like he has the potential to be something if he stays at it. That being said, I’m not quite sure I get the idea of having Harwood go 50/50 with an unproven star for twelve minutes about two weeks before he’s likely headlining a pay per view. With all of the people on the AEW roster, Harwood was the only person who could have this match that has nothing to do with the upcoming pay per view match? Odd decision, though the match was quite good.

After Dynamite, Kazuchika Okada challenges Dax Harwood for Dynamite and Jack Perry brags about his awesomeness. Christopher Daniels comes in and doesn’t like how they talk to him, with a threat ensuing.

Daniels talks about how the Young Bucks have forgotten where they came from. The company is about to turn five years old and Daniels has been there from the beginning. This Wednesday, Daniels is teaming up with Matt Sydal to face the Bucks and someone will be punished, but it won’t be who the Bucks expect. Daniels told the story here and while he and Sydal are going to get wrecked, he put in the energy to make it feel important.

Dax Harwood is ready to face Kazuchika Okada on Dynamite.

Thunder Rosa vs. Robyn Renegade

Rosa takes her down with a headlock to start so Robyn sits Rosa on the top. The trash talk just makes Rosa send her into the ropes and fire off the hard chops. Robyn gets sent to the apron for a kick to the head but rams Rosa into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Robyn’s running stomp getting two as some frustration is setting in. Rosa fights back and hits the running dropkick against the ropes for two more. Robyn is able to kick her down again, only to miss a moonsault. A seated cobra clutch makes Robyn tap at 7:41.

Rating: C+. Robyn got in a lot of offense here and that’s not a bad thing, as she and her sister have looked solid during their Ring Of Honor appearances. At the same time, Rosa got to showcase something a bit different here, with that seated cobra clutch being a new way to go. Solid back and forth match here as Rosa gets a hard fought win.

Taya Valkyrie and Johnny TV are happy to be here, with Johnny issuing a challenge to Pac. That doesn’t sound overly smart.

Hook says Chris Jericho doesn’t know anything about him but he’ll learn soon enough.

Here’s what’s coming on various show.

TNT Title: Adam Copeland vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Copeland is defending and looks rather happy to be here. They shake hands to start and then go to a clean break off a lockup. The fans dub this awesome about a minute in, more than forty seconds of which were spent on staring. They (the wrestlers, not the fans) go to the grappling with O’Reilly headlocking him down.

O’Reilly drives in some knees but Copeland whips him chest first into the buckle to get a breather. Another whip has O’Reilly down again and Copeland gets to go after the back for a change. Copeland knocks him outside and we take a break. Back with O’Reilly’s superplex attempt being blocked but he pulls Copeland out of the air for the cross armbreaker.

That’s reversed into the Grindhouse, with O’Reilly having to go to the rope. A suplex gutbuster sends O’Reilly into the rope but he bounds back with a rebound lariat and they’re both down again. Back up and O’Reilly strikes away, setting up a suplex into a kneebar. Copeland makes the rope so O’Reilly drops a top rope knee to the back for two. The cross armbreaker is broken up and they trade shots to the face again.

The spear misses and O’Reilly rolls him up for two, allowing Copeland to grab a choke. That’s broken up as well so Copeland hits a gutbuster for another double knockdown. They go up top with O’Reilly grabbing a flying armbar for a nasty crash. Another shot to the ribs has O’Reilly back down but he tells the referee he can go. Copeland’s spear is countered into a guillotine choke but that’s reversed into the Impaler (cool). The spear retains the title at 19:36.

Rating: B+. This is pretty much what you know you’re getting from Copeland: a long, pretty high quality match against a random challenger of the week. Copeland is likely going to face Malakai Black at Double Or Nothing for the title and these warmup matches should make that feel bigger. For now though, he and O’Reilly had a hard hitting, back and forth match, which is what you should have expected from them.

Overall Rating: B+. Collision is often at its best when the wrestlers are allowed to go out there and do their thing, which is what happened here. While Dynamite is often the storytelling/talking heavy show, Collision has proven to be the opposite, which makes it a nice change of pace. I liked this show quite a bit, with one good match after another and nothing bad throughout. That momentum won’t likely last until Dynamite, but I can certainly go for a show like this week to week.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Top Flight – Running uppercut to Darius
Will Ospreay b. Lee Moriarty – Stormbreaker
Brian Cage/Gates Of Agony b. Evan Rivers/Voros Twins – Sitout powerbomb
Daniel Garcia b. KM – Dragon sleeper
Dax Harwood b. Tommy Billington – Slingshot sitout powerbomb
Thunder Rosa b. Robyn Renegade – Seated cobra clutch
Adam Copeland b. Kyle O’Reilly – Spear

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 8, 2024
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re still in Canada with less than three weeks to go before Double Or Nothing. Much like last week, Kenny Omega is here for a special announcement about…well whatever he’s announcing. Other than that, we have the showdown between Trent Beretta and Orange Cassidy so let’s get to it.

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

Adam Copeland is worried about the House Of Black so tonight, he’s facing Brody King in a No DQ -TNT Title match.

Orange Cassidy vs. Trent Beretta

Cassidy starts fast and knocks him outside to start, with the suicide elbow dropping Beretta again. Beretta manages a posting and hammers away but Cassidy goes into the crowd and puts his hands in his pockets before continuing the beating. The running Orange Punch is backdropped over the barricade and they get back to ringside. Cassidy gets kneed in the face but comes right back with the Orange Punch for the double knockdown. Cue Don Callis to ringside and we take a break.

Back with Callis on commentary as Cassidy fires off forearms. Stundog Millionaire is countered so Cassidy grabs the tornado DDT instead. Beretta manages a half and half suplex and they’re both down again. Back up and Beretta drops him with a piledriver, followed by another piledriver and a running knee. The turnbuckle is ripped off but Cassidy rips off one of his own. Beretta is sent face first and the rollup gives Cassidy the pin at 13:09.

Rating: B-. Good fight between the two of them (ignore the complete lack of a count for such a long stretch of brawling) and the ending should leave the door open for a rematch at Double Or Nothing. I’m not sure if I would have had them do a full match like this one if they’re supposed to do it again in a few weeks but at least what we got was pretty nice. That being said, Beretta losing so soon isn’t exactly the wisest move.

Post match Beretta jumps him again and hits a piledriver onto the steps. Cassidy gets sent into various things so Beretta grabs a toolbox. Cassidy has a chair but Callis breaks it up before anything else happens. That would be Cassidy on his feet about a minute and a half after a piledriver on the steps.

Earlier today, the Elite was in their car and took Tony Khan’s parking spot.

We look back at Kenny Omega returning and being attacked by the Elite.

Jack Perry thinks Omega isn’t as tough as he thinks he is because Omega was a coward when the Elite needed him. Now they are going to change the world without him.

Omega joins us from the emergency room and says May 26 is when this all started. He issues the challenge for Anarchy In The Arena with the Elite vs. FTR/….two people we’ll find out tonight.

Here is Serena Deeb for a chat. She’s happy to be here and excited to face Toni Storm at Double Or Nothing. She has been out of action for a long time but we pause for a LET’S GO OILERS chant. Last year she suffered three seizures and talks about how serious they are but here is Toni Storm to say this sounds like a charity case. Deeb tells her to be serious because Deeb will be fighting to win the title at Double Or Nothing. Storm doesn’t care and the fight is on, with security breaking it up.

Rocky Romero checks on Orange Cassidy, saying that if he beats Jay White tonight, the two of them and a third partner get a Trios Title shot. Maybe it could be Trent Beretta. Cassidy isn’t convinced.

Harley Cameron vs. Mariah May

Saraya is here with Cameron, who kicks May own to start and talks a lot. May fights up and hits a quick basement dropkick to send Cameron to the apron. That earns May a neck snap over the top and a kick to the back as we take a break. Back with Saraya yelling at fans and May winning a slugout. A chokebomb gives May two and a heck of a headbutt puts Cameron down. It’s too early for May’s hip attack as Saraya pulls Cameron to the floor, earning herself a hard shot from May. Back in and May Day finishes Cameron at 9:02.

Rating: C. Well that’s a match that happened. I’m not sure why May needed nine minutes to beat Cameron, who hasn’t wrestled in over a year, but that’s what we got. May continues to be in a weird place as she doesn’t really have anything going on, though it seems like she might be up for something with Forbidden Door. Either that or get to the point with her and Toni Storm already.

Post match the beating is on but Mina Shirakawa makes the save and toasts the champagne with May.

Bullet Club Gold cuts off Pac (who was talking about bringing back Death Triangle), with Jay White saying he should go after Kazuchika Okada, who he beat before.

Malakai Black talks about having to destroy Adam Copeland so he can live again.

We get a very positive Young Bucks video.

The Bucks praise the video and say they don’t want more Kenny Omega updates.

Here is Swerve Strickland to say he is in a really bad mood. We look at the Patriarchy taking Swerve out last week, with Luchasaurus ripping out part of Swerve’s hair. Swerve can’t say he wouldn’t do the same thing, but he is the Conor McDavid (local hockey hero) of AEW. He wants the Patriarchy out here right now so here they are, with Christian Cage saying he is going to take something from Swerve every single week.

That leads to Double Or Nothing, when the wave Swerve has been riding will come crashing down. Violence is teased but Swerve says he wasn’t coming alone. Cue the Mogul Embassy so Swerve makes Drake/Kendrick Lamar references. Then the Embassy turns on him, apparently sick of hearing people talk about those two because nothing else is happening in the world whatsoever. Swerve is put through the announcers’ table. That was a good close to a loophole, but hopefully Swerve beats Brian cage next week to get his revenge and then moves on.

The Patriarchy goes to the back and runs into the Young Bucks, who seem to have had something to do with that. More business together is teased.

We look at Willow Nightingale beating Skye Blue in a street fight on Rampage.

Willow Nightingale says no one can beat the smile off her face. As for Mercedes Mone, she better be ready at Double Or Nothing, because Willow is always ready. Mone is in for the fight of her life.

Rocky Romero vs. Jay White

Romero starts fast and knocks him outside, followed by some of the Forever Clotheslines in the corner. White gets in a hard clothesline of his own though and we take a break. Back with Romero fighting out of a chinlock and taking it to the floor to hammer away. Back in and Romero hits a jumping knee, followed by a backslide for two. White knocks him out of the air though and grabs the Bladerunner for the pin (with one finger) at 8:04.

Rating: C+. Why am I supposed to care about Rocky Romero? He’s perfectly fine in the ring but you know what you’re going to get from him and he isn’t going to win any big matches. Other than his ties to New Japan, what about him warrants having him around so often? It just seems like there are a lot of people who could benefit from getting as much time as he does but instead it’s more of hearing about how great he is when he never wins anything.

Post match the beatdown is on until Pac makes the save.

Samoa Joe training video.

Big Bill/Chris Jericho vs. Mo Jabari/Harlon Abbott

Jericho knocks Jabari down to start and hands it off to Bill, who slowly pounds away. The chokeslam plants Abbott and Jericho gets the pin at 2:27.

Post match Jericho praises Bill and talks about facing Katsuyori Shibata and Hook. He’s not sure where Hook is, but get well soon!

TNT Title: Brody King vs. Adam Copeland

Copeland is defending and this is No DQ. A headlock has Copeland in some trouble to start but he has to escape an early Ganso Bomb attempt. King is sent to the apron where he gets a boot up to stop a charge. A neckbreaker over the ropes drops Copeland and we take a break.

Back with King missing a running crossbody and crashing into the barricade. Copeland chairs him in the back a few times and they go up to the apron. A DDT onto the chair onto the apron plants King, who comes up busted open. Copeland hammers away for two more so it’s time to grab another chair (just in case there wasn’t enough blood already, as King is gushing). It’s time to break the bar off of a chair, with the delay allowing King to hit a heck of a clothesline. Copeland is sent face first into a chair in the corner and we take a break.

Back with an exchange of shots tot he face leaving both of them down again. King sends him into the corner for the Cannonball but Copeland is back with the Edge-O-Matic for two. They go to the apron where Copeland manages a Death Valley Driver, followed by the spear through the ropes to send King through a table in a nasty crash. Back in and another spear retains the title at 18:26.

Rating: B. There was A LOT of blood in this match and there is a good chance that will go a long way in determining how much you liked this. It certainly felt intense at times, but it also felt long, with the Malakai Black promo earlier all but guaranteeing that he’s the next big challenger, likely at the pay per view. Copeland’s matches are mostly good, but they’re lacking that something to get them to the next level, which makes giving him this much time a bit weird.

Post match King jumps Copeland but Kyle O’Reilly makes the save.

Mercedes Mone is ready for Double Or Nothing. Yes she’s ready because Willow Nightingale took a year from her career. Now it’s time to get the title because she is that b****. This was every Mone promo: She’s a star, she’s been hurt for a year, did I mention she’s a star?

Adam Copeland thanks Kyle O’Reilly for the help and O’Reilly challenges him for the Cope Open on Collision. Copeland is in.

Here is the Elite (three minutes after the show was scheduled to end) for a chat. Kazuchika Okada tells Kenny Omega to get well soon. Matt Jackson says Tony Khan is the best boss he has ever had but they had to get him out of the way. They’re in for Anarchy In The Arena, which draws out FTR. They don’t like the Young Bucks so here are Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson to complete their team. The brawl is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. That was a really strange way to end the show, as it wasn’t like the last thing went long and they had to wrap it up. Instead, they just started doing three more segments when the show was supposed to be ending. That is asking a lot when the middle of this show was more than a bit tedious.

The opener and main event were both good, but the matches between them felt like filler, which tends to be the case way too often in AEW. I’ve lost track of how many times it feels like they have about an hour of important stuff and then need to fill in the rest. That was the situation here, which makes me wonder just how a three hour block is going to go this Saturday.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Trent Beretta – Rollup
Mariah May b. Harley Cameron – May Day
Jay White b. Rocky Romero – Bladerunner
Big Bill/Chris Jericho b. Harlon Abbott/Mo Jabari – Chokeslam to Abbott
Adam Copeland b. Brody King – Spear

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

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Collision
Date: April 20, 2024
Location: Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the last Collision before Dynasty but also the first half of a double shot tonight, as Rampage will air after the show. In this case we have Bryan Danielson in a Bunkhouse Brawl, as the Blackpool Combat Club is facing the Don Callis Family. That should be enough to carry things so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Adam Copeland/Eddie Kingston/Mark Briscoe vs. Action Andretti/Top Flight

Briscoe starts with Andretti, who wants some Redneck Kung Fu. Never ask someone who looks like Briscoe for either Redneck or Kung Fu. They fight over wrist control until Briscoe grabs a headlock on the mat. Back up and Andretti hits a dropkick into a moonsault for two but Briscoe runs him over. Copeland comes in to share a double running shoulder with Briscoe but Andretti kicks him in the knee in a smart move.

It’s off to Darius for a dropkick, with Dante adding a running clothesline in the corner. Dante tries to jump a few too many times though and gets caught with a running powerslam. We get Kingston for the first time, with Dante getting knocked into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Darius coming in to clean house as everything breaks down. Andretti hits a running shooting star press on Kingston, with Copeland making the save. They all get up and have the six way staredown, setting up a triple clothesline to put them all down. Kingston wins a slugout with Andretti but gets kicked down by Dante. Copeland grabs the implant DDT on Dante and it’s a Jay Driller to Darius. The spear and the Froggy Bow finish the destruction at 12:17.

Rating: B-. Nice start to the show as the winners get a boost before their showdown with the House Of Black at Dynasty. It’s not exactly a career making win but I’ll take them at least teaming together before going into that match. You don’t often see three singles champions against an established team but that’s what we’ll be seeing at the pay per view, which is quite the big match.

Post match the House Of Black pop up on screen with various threats to the winners.

Video on Samoa Joe vs. Swerve Strickland.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. CJ Espersa

Don Callis is on commentary and Hobbs takes it to the floor. Some slams onto the apron and a torture rack complete the destruction of Espersa at 1:24.

Post match Callis gets in the ring and announces that Hobbs’ match with Jon Moxley on Dynamite will be for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, as he has called in some favors.

Will Ospreay is ready for Bryan Danielson.

We look at Chris Jericho yelling at Hook and shoving Taz on Dynamite.

Jericho apologizes to Hook and Taz but he’s asked Tony Khan for a match against Hook at Dynasty for the FTW Title.

Gunns vs. Acclaimed

Jay White and Billy Gunn are here too. The Gunns tease walking out but Tony Khan, by way of Tony Schiavone, threatens to cancel the Dynasty match. Acclaimed jump them to start and the fight is on, with the Gunns taking over in the corner as we take a break. Back with Caster caught in a double half crab but he kicks his way to freedom. The diving tag brings Bowens in to clean house, including a jump over the back Fameasser for two on Colten.

Everything breaks down and Colten’s rollup, even with feet on the ropes, only gets two. Austin grabs Bowens’ leg from the floor, allowing Colten to hit a Fameasser for two more. The 3:10 To Yuma doesn’t work so Colten rakes the eyes. Caster is back in to plant Colten but gets crotched as he goes up. Now the 3:10 To Yuma can hit Bowens but Caster hits the Mic Drop on Austin. Back up and Austin grabs a rollup (and the bat as extended by White) for the pin on Caster at 10:01.

Rating: C+. AEW really likes running this match and have the history to prove it. The matches are ok, but the interesting thing is how far the Gunns have come in a few years. You can absolutely see the improvement and that is nice to see for a team with that much potential. Then you have the Acclaimed, who are pretty much exactly what they were a few years ago, if not downgraded.

We look at the Blackpool Combat Club attacking the Don Callis Family on Dynamite.

Bryan Danielson talks about feeling alive but he wonders what Don Callis is up to. Tonight he gets revenge on Konosuke Takeshita and tomorrow he gets Will Ospreay. Cue Ospreay to say he had nothing to do with Takeshita attacking him because he wants Danielson at 100%. Danielson doesn’t seem convinced.

Toni Storm, in color to show what happened to her, is not pleased with Thunder Rosa putting paint on her face. Rosa wants to bring her to h***, but she makes love to demons every night.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Don Callis Family

Bunkhouse Brawl, meaning anything goes, and the Family (Kyle Fletcher/Konosuke Takeshita in this case) jumps the Club from behind to start. The fight starts in the crowd with Danielson striking away at Fletcher and beating him up through the people. The two of them get to ringside while Castagnoli cleans up some garbage in the crowd. Takeshita grabs the ring bell hammer to beat on Castagnoli before they get inside to slug it out.

Castagnoli grabs the Swing and Danielson adds the dropkick but Fletcher throws in a chair (busting Danielson open in the process) for the save. Some powder to the eyes lets Fletcher hit a powerbomb for two on Castagnoli and we take a break. Back with Castagnoli ramming Fletcher into the steps over and over to bust him open as well.

Danielson hits a top rope knee to the back of Takeshita’s head and then a hard kick to the front of his head. Fletcher is back in to kick Castagnoli down and it’s time for a chain (everyone uses a chain these days). The Club fights back and hit the stereo elbows to the face but here is Powerhouse Hobbs to clean house. Jon Moxley runs in to brawl with Hobbs through the crowd, leaving Danielson to super hurricanrana Takeshita onto an open chair. Castagnoli wraps the chain around his arm for an uppercut to Takeshita. Danielson knees Fletcher into the LeBell Lock (with the chain) for the win at 16:04.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that AEW really likes to present and as usual, the result depends on the level of talent involved. With these four in there, it was almost impossible for it not to work and they even tied it in with Hobbs vs. Moxley next week on Dynamite. It was a wild brawl, but dang there are a lot of those in AEW.

Post match Danielson says he’s doing this match because his Heaven is bleeding in this ring in front of these people. He’ll beat Will Ospreay at Dynasty.

Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale and Stokely Hathaway are fired up for Nightingale to win the TBS Title at Dynasty.

Skye Blue vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hirsch rushes her to start and hits a boot to the face, with Blue having to bail out to the floor. Blue gets in a shot outside though and a hanging swinging neckbreaker drops Hirsch hard. They get back in and Hirsch slugs away, only to get dropped with a forearm to the chest. A belly to back and wheelbarrow suplex get Hirsch out of trouble but Blue catches her with a Cheeky Nandos kick. Hirsch fights back up and hits a superplex, only to slip off the ropes. Blue grabs a dragon sleeper for the tap at 5:09.

Rating: C+. Blue has felt somewhere between cold and non-existent in recent weeks so it’s nice to see her getting a win here. It seems she’s passed her peak so far, but giving her a few wins could bring her back. That being said, seeing her make someone like Hirsch tap out is more than a little weird.

Dynasty rundown.

Elite vs. FTR/Pac

Pac and Okada start things off and, after Pac cuts off the Bucks’ interference, he takes Okada into the corner so Wheeler can stomp away. The Bucks pull Okada to the floor and the big brawl is on. Back in and Harwood strikes it out with Okada but Matt tags himself in. That earns him a quick beating so it’s right back to Okada, with Pac starting in on the arm. Everything breaks down again and they all head to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Wheeler getting stomped down in the corner, setting up Matt’s chinlock. Wheeler suplexes his way out but Nick is right there to cut him off again. A splash misses though and it’s a diving tag to bring Pac back in to clean house. The big running flip dive to the floor takes out the Bucks but it’s too early for the Black Arrow. Okada distracts the referee so the Bucks can send Pac into the steps and we take another break.

Back again with the Bucks’ powerbomb/corner enziguri combination not exactly working and the big tag brings Harwood back in. A brainbuster plants Okada and FTR sends the Bucks into each other for a double low blow in the corner. Harwood slugs away at Okada, who cuts him right back off with the dropkick. The Rainmaker is blocked though and Harwood pulls him into the Sharpshooter.

Various superkicks break that up and Matt adds a top rope elbow for two. Everything breaks down again and the PowerPlex hits Matt. They all get up for the slugout and the Bucks give Pac a Shatter Machine for two, followed by the EVP Trigger for the same. Wheeler dives onto Nick and Okada, leaving Pac to hit the Black Arrow for the pin on Matt at 22:15.

Rating: B. Yeah of course this was good and that shouldn’t be any kind of a surprise. There is always something to combining two pay per view matches into one main event and they made it work here, with Pac getting a pin to keep him hot for the title match. Odds are the Bucks win the titles tomorrow, but at least we didn’t have to hear about building momentum towards a ladder match.

Post match the villains ump the winners but Daniel Garcia runs in for the save. Okada gets caught in the Brutalizer with the Bucks pulling him out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was quite the stacked show and it made for a rather strong two hours on the way to Dynasty. It helps that they didn’t really have to do anything new here and most of the show was built around building up things for Dynasty. Either way, this was a rather awesome show and one of the best Collisions in a good while.

Results
Adam Copeland/Eddie Kingston/Mark Briscoe b. Action Andretti/Top Flight – Froggy Bow to Darius
Powerhouse Hobbs b. CJ Espersa – Torture rack
Gunns b. Acclaimed – Rollup to Caster while grabbing a baseball bat
Blackpool Combat Club b. Don Callis Family – LeBell Lock with a chain to Fletcher
Skye Blue b. Leyla Hirsch – Dragon sleeper
FTR/Pac b. Elite – Black Arrow to Matt

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 24, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We are done with Dynasty and the show was quite the event. First and foremost, Swerve Strickland is the new World Champion, defeating Samoa Joe for a heck of a special moment. Other than that, Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay had a match that was the definition of ok. We’re about a month away from Double Or Nothing so it’s time to get ready for the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynasty if you need a recap.

The Elite arrives and allow Jack Perry to come in, because he’s with them.

Here is Orange Cassidy for a chat but Trent Beretta jumps him from behind and beats him down in the ring. Trent tells Chuck Taylor to come out here for his decision. Cue Chuck, with Trent talking about how he should have beaten up Cassidy a long time ago. Trent says give the people what they want and loads up the hug but Chuck says he’s always known Trent was a piece of s*** and hits him with the microphone. Chuck can’t get cleared for a match but he wants to fight Trent in the parking lot.

Jon Moxley says he is the IWGP Champion but he isn’t underestimating the monster that he is facing tonight. Powerhouse Hobbs has an instinct and it is only going to take one mistake for Moxley’s world to come crashing down. The Don Callis Family put a hit out on his friend so he knows how far they’re willing to go. He wants the biggest and the baddest and tonight he is reminding the world just how bad he is.

Swerve Strickland vs. Kyle Fletcher

Non-title and Don Callis is on commentary. Swerve grabs a hammerlock to start but Fletcher slips out and they both try kicks to the ribs. Fletcher gets pulled out of the corner and knocked down, allowing Swerve to dance a bit. Back up and Fletcher kicks him out to the floor but Swerve gets in a kick from the apron as we take a break. We come back with Fletcher hitting a Michinoku Driver to put them both down. Swerve knocks him to the apron for the stomp but comes up favoring his ankle.

That’s fine with Fletcher, who grabs a logical ankle lock, complete with a grapevine. Swerve makes the ropes and Fletcher kicks away, only to get caught with a rolling Downward Spiral. A brainbuster gives Swerve two and they fight over a Tombstone attempt, with Fletcher hitting a jumping version for two. Callis tells him to get a table but Fletcher goes with a running boot in the corner instead. Swerve knocks him into the Tree of Woe and hits the Swerve Stomp for two. The House Call finishes Fletcher at 14:41.

Rating: C+. This was a weird choice for Swerve’s first match as champion, as Fletcher got in a lot of offense and even kicked out of the Stomp. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t have Swerve go out and win a five or so minute match instead of this but I guess we have to keep the Don Callis Family strong in losses. At the same time, was there no one but the ROH TV Champion who could take this fall?

Thunder Rosa is happy with her effort at Dynasty and isn’t going to make excuses. Deonna Purrazzo comes in and they get in a shoving match.

We look at Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Anna Jay

Mariah May is here with Shirakawa, who kicks Jay down rather quickly to start. A kick to the face gives Shirakawa two and she dances a bit. Jay gets in a neck snap across the top rope for two and we take a break. Back with Shirakawa kicking her down, only to gt caught in a Gory Bomb for two. The shock delay lets Shirakawa hit a missile dropkick for two but Jay is right back with the Queenslayer. May offers a distraction though and Shirakawa grabs a rollup for the pin at 8:55.

Rating: C. This was a way to get Shirakawa a bit more familiar to the TV audience before what is likely to be some kind of a match at Forbidden Door. She and May have a history in Stardom, which is probably something we’ll hear about in the coming weeks. For now though, pretty run of the mill match as Shirakawa beat her up pretty handily.

Post match May comes in to pose with them but Jay jumps them both. The Queenslayer goes on but Toni Storm makes the save. Cue Serena Deeb to pose with the title and say…something that sounds like a challenge to Storm.

Here are Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander to sing (or rhyme) Willow Nightingale’s praises to start her championship celebration. Nightingale comes out and says it wasn’t working with Hathaway to start (Hathaway says she was like a fungus) but here is Mercedes Mone to interrupt. Nightingale doesn’t like Mone interrupting her but Mone says she’ll be the TBS Champion at Double Or Nothing. They argue over who attacked Mone before moving on to Nightingale injuring Mone’s ankle. They aren’t sure if it was intentional or not but Nightingale wants Mone at 100% at Double Or Nothing. Mone slaps Nightingale and leaves.

Jack Perry leaves Tony Khan’s locker room but won’t say if he’s reinstated. Kazuchika Okada and the Young Bucks won’t say either. Matt Jackson says things are uncertain but Khan has agreed to meet with Perry live tonight in the ring.

Double Or Nothing Gauntlet Match

For the International Title shot at Double Or Nothing and commentary doesn’t know how many people are involved. Jay White is in at #1 and Dante Martin is in at #2, but apparently there will be more added and it is the first fall wins. Martin kicks him down for two to start and they head outside, where White fires off the chops. White knocks him down again and it’s Penta El Zero Miedo in at #3.

A high crossbody takes White down and Penta hits a Sling Blade each. We take a break and come back with Kyle O’Reilly coming in at #4 and striking away. White gets his ankle locked and Will Osprey is in at #5 to a heck of a reaction. Ospreay wins a strike off with O’Reilly and then stares White down for a New Japan flashback. White gets knocked down and it’s Lance Archer in at #6.

Archer gets to clean house until O’Reilly grabs a guillotine choke. That’s broken up and Archer sends everyone else to the floor as we take a break. Back with Komander coming in at #7 and hurricanranaing Archer off the apron through some tables (because of course tables). Komander hits a rather spinning DDT for two on Ospreay with White making the save. A Ligerbomb gives Ospreay two on White and the Hidden Blade is loaded up. Jay Lethal is in at #8 and gets to clean house until Osprey does the same.

Ospreay and O’Reilly strike it out as commentary says there could be up to 21 entrants. Ospreay’s running elbow gets two so he loads up the Tiger Driver 91 but can’t bring himself to do it. Komander comes in with the Cielito Lindo to O’Reilly…but Ospreay hits the Hidden Blade for the pin and the title shot at 18:37.

Rating: B-. This was a bit of a weird concept and it took me some time to get with it but it wound up being fun. They did a nice job of mixing in the big names with the normal names you would expect here as it made the music playing that much more of a surprise. Ospreay getting the title shot more or less guarantees he’s winning the belt and that should be about it for the Undisputed Kingdom.

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom comes out for a staredown.

Here is Chris Jericho for his big celebration as FTW Champion. The letters now mean FOR THE WORLD because he won it for the people (Taz sounds like he is about to be sick). He talks about Terry Funk wanting him to do this and also wanting to mold Hook into something better. Hook FORCED him to hit him with two Judas Effects and a baseball bat but cue Big Bill to interrupt. Bill says he needs to be part of the Learning Tree and he’ll prove his worth to Jericho, who says he’ll be watching. Jericho gets a heel stable. It’s remarkable.

Don Callis wants to know why Will Ospreay didn’t hit the tiger driver but Ospreay was worried about hurting someone. Callis says Fletcher would have lost anyway (Fletcher isn’t pleased) and says the Family is winning a title tonight.

IWGP World Title: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. Moxley kicks at the legs to start and grabs a German suplex, only to have Hobbs pop back up. A t-bone suplex puts Moxley on the floor, where Moxley sends him into the barricade. They fight into the crowd and brawl for a good while until we take a break in the middle of Schiavone talking. We come back (again in mid-sentence) with Moxley fighting out of a bearhug and hammering away in the corner (as Hobbs seems to be favoring his knee). The Paradigm Shift gets two and Moxley grabs the rear naked choke…and Hobbs is out at 10:50.

Rating: D+. This was really, really rough and probably the worst Moxley match I’ve seen in a long time. Almost half of it was spent brawling on the floor and then Moxley fought back and just won with a choke in a really flat finish. Granted it didn’t help that a grand total of no one believed Hobbs was going to win and that made it a countdown until the finish.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out to signal he wants the next title shot. Moxley seems in as medics check on Hobbs.

Katsuyori Shibata is ready to take the FTW Title from Chris Jericho next week under FTW Rules.

Tony Schiavone brings in Jack Perry, so the fans sing OH CRY ME A RIVER. He talks about the great times he’s had in this place but there is business to be done. Perry requests and received Tony Khan, who he asks for a reinstatement. They shake hands and Perry decks Khan, bringing out the Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada and that means a Tony Khan Driver to Tony Khan. The Bucks thank the fans and everyone leaves (under orders of Aubrey Edwards, the real power around here). Some wrestlers come out to check on Khan with Shad Khan himself making an appearance to end the show.

I have no idea what to make of that but I don’t think it went as they planned. The fans seemed happy that Khan got beaten up and I have no idea where this is supposed to go. Presumably Tony gets some wrestlers to fight for him, but at the end of the day, this was all for Tony, the Bucks and Perry. I’m not sure how much of a bigger audience this is going to have, but it’s happening because they want it to and that’s a very risky hill to go out on.

Overall Rating: C. The show has been over for about ten minutes now and I have no idea what I just watched. This was ALL OVER the place, with the new AEW World Champion being, at best, the fourth biggest story on the show. It felt like they were trying to start the builds for Double Or Nothing and Forbidden Door at the same time while also doing the big angle at the end.

The wrestling was mostly overshadowed by some out there moves and I’m almost scared to know what happens if they don’t have the good in-ring action to lean on. I can’t say it was a terrible show and it CERTAINLY wasn’t boring, but egads this was insanity and I don’t think that is the best thing.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. Kyle Fletcher – House Call
Mina Shirakawa b. Anna Jay – Cradle
Will Ospreay won the Double Or Nothing Gauntlet Match – Hidden Blade to Komander
Jon Moxley b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Rear naked choke

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

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Dynamite
Date: March 13, 2024
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

So it’s Big Business and Mercedes Mone is going to debut tonight. That hasn’t been officially announced, but AEW has beaten us over the head with the hints to the point where you can’t be any more obvious. Other than that, Samoa Joe is defending the World Title against Wardlow. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Renee Paquette is in the back when a nice car comes in. The door opens and let’s go to the arena.

We aren’t wasting time this week as here is Mercedes Mone (dubbed the CEO) fr the big debut. Mone talks about how great it is to be here and how much magic we will be seeing. Wrestling has given her hopes and dreams, with people like Eddie Guerrero making it feel so special. Those dreams made her the first woman to main event a pay per view in this building. She dropped out of school at 13 to take care of her brother and went to a place near here called Chaotic Wrestling. Now she is here so let’s get down to business.

She’s looking forward to tearing it up with everyone back there, including the two women in the main event: Willow Nightingale (who injured Mone’s foot/ankle last year and put her out for months) and Riho. For now though, she is All Elite and thanks Tony Khan for the tweet announcing it. Dancing ensues. This wasn’t exactly a bombshell shocker (and it wasn’t supposed to be) but it did what it needed to do and gave Mone a nice start.

Samoa Joe promises to take out Wardlow, whose time has come. He doesn’t lose titles at the Garden.

Adam Cole reads a story about a man named Wardlow, who had to fight for his freedom from an evil man (MJF). He was ready to win more titles and now he is ready to destroy Samoa Joe and win the World Title. The end.

AEW Wold Title: Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow

Wardlow, with the Undisputed Kingdom, is challenging. They start fast and head to the floor, with Joe being whipped into various things. Back in and Wardlow hammers away, only to have Joe chop his way out of the corner. Joe kicks him down but Wardlow heads up top for something like a Whisper In The Wind.

We take a break and come back with Wardlow hitting a middle rope shoulder. Joe is back with a knockdown and backsplash, setting up a slugout. What appeared to be an over the shoulder powerslam is broken up though and Wardlow hits his knee out of the corner for two. The Swanton misses so Joe hammers away in the corner, only to get powerbombed down. The Powerbomb Symphony is loaded up but Joe reverses into the Koquina Clutch to retain at 11:04.

Rating: B-. Well that happened. Wardlow was built up as a serious challenger for a few weeks and was then put away without much trouble. The match was good and felt like a title fight, but it was the latest example of Wardlow losing after being treated like a big deal. Swerve Strickland is the real next challenger for Joe, which makes the Wardlow thing feel like that much more of a waste of time.

Post match a livid Swerve Strickland comes out with his chain but a smirking Joe walks off.

The Elite is not happy with Alex Marvez disrespecting Kazuchika Okada and promise vengeance on Pac/Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo. Marvez also has to sing Happy Birthday to Matthew.

Elite vs. Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac

Okada and Kingston start things off but Okada brings in Matt before doing anything. One heck of a chop rocks Matt so it’s Pac coming in for a running shoulder. A hurricanrana into a backbreaker puts Matt down so it’s off to Penta. That means a rolling cutter from Nick, which only makes Penta kick him in the face a few times.

An AA powerslam gives Penta two and something like What’s Up sends Matt rolling outside. Okada comes in to chop it out with Kingston, setting up a dropkick to put Kingston in trouble. A triple strike in the corner puts Kingston down and we take a break. Back with Matt diving into an exploder suplex but Okada and Nick break up the tag attempts. Kingston fights up again and gets the big tag, meaning everything can break down.

Penta and Pac hit stereo dives, setting up a top rope double stomp on Nick. Pac’s springboard 450 gets two with Okada making the save. Okada DDTs Kingston and Matt wheelbarrow faceplants Pac. Penta hits a Canadian Destroyer but Nick takes him down. A low blow into the Rainmaker finishes Kingston at 12:38.

Rating: B. This was the kind of wild match that you would have expected from the people involved and that is a good thing. The ending should set up the title match between Kingston and Okada, which very well could see the title changing hands. Other than that, it was the usual wild AEW six man, as going nuts and ignoring the rules tends to be the norm for these things.

Tony Schiavone brings out Will Ospreay for a chat. Ospreay has spent years trying to be like Bryan Danielson, who is one of the best ever. He has seen Danielson doing things to hurt his body over the years and that has Ospreay wanting to see what happens when they face each other. It’s the best wrestler ever against the best in the world today and Ospreay is ready to show he is on another level. Ospreay can bring some fire in his promos.

Deonna Purrazzo challenges Mariah May and Toni Storm to a tag match next week. Partner to be named.

Jay White vs. Darby Allin

White has Bullet Club Gold with him and Allin is heavily bandaged. White takes it to the mat to start and grinds away but Allin fights back up and sends him outside. The big flip dive connects, followed by a suicide dive to make it worse. A ram sends Allin into the barricade instead and a big whip over the steps has Allin crashing again as we take a break. Back with Allin fighting back and flipping away from White.

The Blade Runner is countered into a flipping Stunner, followed by a sunset flip for two. A springboard Coffin Drop is countered into a German suplex but Allin is back with a Scorpion Death Drop for two more. The Coffin Drop to the apron only hits apron and Allin is in trouble. He dives back in to beat the count and White hits the Blade Runner for the pin at 12:15.

Rating: B-. Maybe it’s the leftovers from the Revolution main event but I’m rather over seeing Allin doing his stunt show out there. It feels like that’s the entire point of his matches, which is annoying as he is capable of doing so much more. The action was good and White winning as Allin is going away for a bit is the right way to go, so call the whole thing a success.

Post match White teases respect but the Club jumps Allin instead. A Pillmanizing is loaded up but the Acclaimed runs in for the save. Then White chairs Billy Gunn down and the Club destroys the Acclaimed. With the Acclaimed down, Allin’s ankle is Pillmanized to send him away. To climb Mt. Everest.

Hook/Chris Jericho vs. Gates Of Agony

Hook and Jericho starts fast with a pair of double suplexes and the ring is quickly cleared. Toa takes over on Jericho in the corner as we settle down. Jericho is sent outside and we take a break. Back with Hook coming in to clean house, including grabbing a northern lights suplex. Jericho comes off the middle rope with a shoulder, leaving Hook to suplex Toa down. Kaun’s fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two but he gets knocked down. Redrum and a Walls combination goes on, with Jericho letting go to take out Toa, leaving Kaun to tap at 8:43.

Rating: C. Much like the earlier tag match, this turned into another wild brawl, but this one was more than a bit sloppy with some of Jericho’s stuff not looking very sharp. It wasn’t exactly must see stuff and having Jericho teaming up with another young star isn’t the most interesting. Odds are they’ll be in the upcoming tournament, which will probably lad into a regular feud before Jericho moves on to some other young star. As he tends to do.

Kyle O’Reilly talks about how banged up he was but now he’s healed up. He’s just wondering if he can hang, which he’ll get to find out this week on Collision against Bryan Keith. The Undisputed Kingdom come in and seem to be cool with him fighting on his own. O’Reilly: “Yeah….on my own.”

Video on Riho vs. Willow Nightingale.

Riho meets Mercedes Mone.

Chris Jericho is happy to have teamed with Hook, then challenges him to a match next week on Dynamite.

Riho vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale blocks an early whip attempt and runs Riho over without much trouble. A dropkick takes Riho down again and we take an early break. Back with Riho hitting a suplex and going up top. That’s broken up and Nightingale hits a heck of a Pounce to send Riho outside. The flip dive off the apron misses though and Riho hits a stomp off the apron. A top rope stomp off the top gets two but Nightingale is right back up. Riho gets planted so Nightingale takes the straps down, setting up the Babe With The Powerbomb to give Nightingale the pin at 9:28.

Rating: B-. Good match here, which is nice to see even if it feels like this is in the main event spot so Mone can do something after the match. Nightingale continues to feel like someone who should be ready for a big push somewhere in the near future, but at some point it has to actually happen. For now though, Nightingale gets a solid win and hopefully that continues. I was expecting this to be Riho getting a win to cut Nightingale off again and it’s nice to see that not being the case.

Post match the lights go out and here is Julia Hart for a distraction. Skye Blue runs in for the cheap shot from behind but Mercedes Mone comes in for the save (Kris Statlander, Nightingale’s friend and partner who was there for her entrance, was apparently off getting a hot pretzel). A lot of dancing ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show started off feeling huge and that first hour and fifteen minutes or so were enough to make up for the rest of the show not being the strongest. Mone coming in here was a big deal and it makes sense to focus on her. I’m curious to see where that goes from here, but it was off to a nice start. Hopefully the audience is up after last week, as the show was good enough to warrant strong viewership.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Wardlow – Koquina Clutch
Elite b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac/Eddie Kingston – Rainmaker to Kingston
Jay White b. Darby Allin – Blade Runner
Hook/Chris Jericho b. Gates Of Agony – Redrum to Kaun
Willow Nightingale b. Riho – Babe With The Powerbomb

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: August 23, 2023
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s Fyter Fest, which is also serving as the final Dynamite before Sunday’s All In. That means most of the pay per view is already set, but now the question becomes what more can be done this week. I’m curious to see if anything else is added, including the Blackpool Combat Club’s mystery partners. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

In Memory Of Terry Funk.

Elite vs. Bullet Club Gold

Jay White is here with the Club. It’s a brawl before the bell with Juice Robinson grabbing a chair. The referee takes it away so Robinson decks him as the fight continues. The bucks are taken out and White comes in to help with the beatdown. Konosuke Takeshita comes in to help lay out Omega but here is FTR to help the Bucks clear out the Club. That leaves Omega and Takeshita in the ring, with the threat of a One Winged Angel sending Takeshita running. No match of course.

MJF has a sitdown interview with Renee Paquette, who talks about how tight his trunks are going to be with 80,000 people chanting his name. MJF: “I’m like the British Bulldog if he was Jewish and a good public speaker.” If the fans chant for him, he’ll buy them all a pint! Renee: “Really?” MJF, in a whisper: “No of course not Renee. I’m going to get that mark Tony Khan to pay for it. We can edit that out right?” He is ready to show that he is the best when he wrestles twice at All In, but we move on to his relationship with Adam Cole.

We see a clip of the two of them and MJF says that he’s not trying to work us, but Cole has made him a better person. He understands why people don’t trust him and for once, he’s vulnerable. He’d like us to go with him, and he’s ready to be your scumbag. I still have no idea who is turning in this story (and it might not happen on Sunday) but dang it is going to be huge.

Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix knocks him outside fast to start and there’s the suicide dive to drop Moxley again. Moxley is back up and rakes the eyes, setting up a stomp onto the floor to really rock him. Moxley sends the rocked Fenix into the barricade and the rocking level increases. Back in and Fenix misses a rope walk kick but hits a running elbow in the corner. One heck of a clothesline drops Fenix for two and we take a break.

We come back with Fenix fighting back but his rolling cutter is countered into a choke. Moxley takes it to the mat but Fenix flips out and hits the rolling cutter for two. Fenix hits a frog splash for two more but Moxley catches him on top. A super Death Rider gets two (of course), followed by the rear naked choke to finish Fenix at 13:45.

Rating: B-. There is something about Fenix’s matches that makes him feel like he is in a fight every time and it works very well. He’s a special talent and I could go for seeing more of him on his own. What I could really not go for is more of a middle rope version of a former World Champion’s finisher getting two and then going straight to the choke finish. Either don’t do the super Death Rider or don’t cover him after. It’s not that hard but for some reason, AEW insists on doing things like this far too often.

Post match the Blackpool Combat Club come in to go after Fenix with a crowbar. Eddie Kingston and Penta come out but cue the returning Santana and Ortiz to cut them off. Fenix gets crowbarred in the head (which the camera misses) and the villains leave. This would seem to be a way to make it 5-5 on Sunday instead as Fenix is stretchered out.

Post break Eddie Kingston won’t talk to Renee Paquette over what her husband just did. He’ll fix it in London.

Earlier today, the former Jericho Appreciation Society and Sammy Guevara argued over Chris Jericho’s loyalties.

It’s time for the contract signing between Chris Jericho (with Sammy Guevara) and Will Ospreay (with Don Callis) for All In. Callis can’t wait for Ospreay to destroy Jericho once and for all, with Ospreay talking about wanting to get money to put his kid through school. Ospreay says his contract is coming up and he is already better than everyone around here and Jericho’s legacy is just rocket fuel for his future.

Ospreay signs and Jericho, after taking his jacket off for some reason, talks about how he knew Ospreay would be great. We get references to the sheets and Dave Meltzer before Jericho talks about how important this match is going to be. Jericho takes credit for Ospreay not being in a wheelchair today so Ospreay gets in his face. The fight is on and they have to be held back to wrap it up.

Ospreay knocked it out of the park here and Jericho was good enough to make this a heck of a segment. The idea of trying to get Ospreay booed in London is idiotic, but dang I want to see the match more than I did coming in. Can we just get rid of Callis though? He’s really not needed in the whole thing.

We now get a sitdown interview with Adam Cole, who looks at a highlight package of his friendship with MJF. We also see some clips of Roderick Strong and the Kingdom having some issues with both of them, which has Cole on his feet yelling at her for causing problems. Cole snapped fast there.

Darby Allin/Nick Wayne vs. Mogul Embassy

Tornado tag. Wayne is sent outside fast to start and Fox hits the flip dive. The Embassy goes after Wayne’s mom in the front row but Allin is back up with a Coffin Drop onto the two of them on the floor. We take a break and come back with Wayne being suplexed on the floor before everyone heads back inside.

A neckbreaker gives Swerve two as Allin makes the save. Allin takes Swerve outside for a ram into various things, only to have a quick shot take him down. Back in and the double teaming plants Wayne, including a spinning fisherman’s suplex for two. Fox misses the 450 though and Wayne rolls him up for the pin at 9:51.

Rating: C+. Well ok then. That’s the kind of thing that I would not have expected coming in but for some reason here we are, with Wayne beating Fox here. That would seem to be the kind of thing you save for All Out (assuming AEW believes Wayne is PPV ready) but here we are instead, with one of All In’s matches suddenly being a lot less interesting.

Post match Allin and Wayne leave so Fox laughs and calls this disappointing. He blames Fox for the loss and has Prince Nana fire him. Cue Brian Cage to lay Fox out but Allin, Wayne and Sting make the save. Allin forgives Fox for everything and Allin asks Swerve who he has to replace Fox. Cue Christian Cage and Luchasaurus, with Christian reminding Wayne that his father, is in fact, dead. Well Christian had never heard of Wayne’s father so he must not have been a very good wrestler. Christian likes the idea of being a mentor to wrestlers with dead fathers so maybe Wayne will listen to him one day.

This might have been the most confusing segment I’ve seen in AEW. Why did Allin think that someone other than Brian Cage was the new partner? Why wasn’t Cage the new partner? Why would Christian accept a spot in this match? Why have Fox in the match in the first place if it’s going to be changed a week or two later? This felt like a way too complicated

We get a sitdown interview with FTR and the Young Bucks. The Bucks think FTR need to win this match more than them, while FTR talk about legacies again. The Bucks cut them off and say they’re the reason FTR is here in the first place. One day, when this is all said and done, the Bucks hope FTR will “give them their flowers”, but FTR seems more interested in fighting.

The Outcasts are ready for a tag match on Rampage.

Ruby Soho vs. Skye Blue

Soho jumps her fast to start and takes things into the corner. Blue fights up and sends her to the floor for a crossbody off the apron. We take a break and come back with Soho fighting out of Skyfall but not being able to hit a Saito suplex. Blue hits a neckbreaker and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. A quick Skyfall gives Blue two but she can’t hit Code Blue. Instead it’s a No Future into Destination Unknown to finish Blue at 7:28.

Rating: C-. This would be your weekly women’s match with a break in the middle so we missed most of the thing. Soho seems primed to go after the TBS Title and that’s a good spot for her at the moment. That being said, this wasn’t exactly a great match, as Blue continues to be ok at best in the ring. They were doing some stuff that seemed beyond her here and her lack of polish was showing more than once.

Roderick Strong and the Kingdom will be watching.

The House Of Black talk about getting rid of Billy Gunn.

Here is a rather serious Acclaimed to call out the House Of Black. The fight is on but cue the returning Billy Gunn for the save. Gunn talks about how the House has taken everything from him and his family, so now the challenge is on for a match at All In. Billy even promises the REAL Bad A** is coming.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Aussie Open vs. Hardys

The Aussies are defending and it’s a brawl to start with the champs being sent into the corner. The Hardys send them outside and keep up the beating as we take an early break. Back with Jeff in trouble but Jeff fights up and hits a Whisper in the Wind. The tag brings in Matt to clean house as everything breaks down. Matt superplexes Fletcher into a middle rope splash for two, with Davis making the save. Back up and the Aussie Arrow finishes Jeff at 8:01. Well that was abrupt.

Rating: C. The Hardys are feeling less and less special out there every time and they lost again here, even in a title match. Why did they even get a title match anyway? They lost to the Young Bucks a few weeks ago and here’s a title shot. Anyway, not much to see here, but at least the Aussies got a win before their big match on Sunday.

Post match the Aussies promise to keep the titles but here are MJF and Adam Cole to interrupt. The Aussies beat them down but Cole and MJF fight back, only to have the Kangaroo Kick blocked. Cole’s superkick almost hits MJF, who catches it coming in and glares at Cole with a different look on his face. MJF walks past him and loads up the diamond ring but hugs Cole instead to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that was NOT about the wrestling and there is nothing wrong with that. AEW is four days away from the biggest show they are probably ever going to run and this Dynamite was about getting things ready. It was a heck of a show when it came to getting ready for All In and that was entirely the point. Heck of a show here in that regard and that’s what it needed to be.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Rey Fenix – Rear naked choke
Darby Allin/Nick Wayne b. Mogul Embassy – Rollup to Fox
Ruby Soho b. Skye Blue – Destination Unknown
Aussie Open b. Hardys – Aussie Arrow to Jeff

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