Dynamite
Date: November 5, 2025
Location: Bayou Music Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson, Tony Schiavone

We are a week away from Blood & Guts and therefore this week’s show is going to focus on setting up the two cage matches. In this case that means determining who will have the advantage in the matches, which can be rather important. Other than that, we’ll have some more build towards Full Gear, which isn’t very far away. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and….there is going to be something called the National Title introduced. Cue the Opps to interrupt, with Samoa Joe not being happy with Schiavone for the deal with Hangman Page at the end of last week’s show. Cue Page for the save, with Eddie Kingston and Hook joining him. They’re already set for a six man tag tonight and Hook thinks it should be a Trios Titles match. Works for a ticked off Joe.

Men’s Blood And Guts Advantage Series: Orange Cassidy vs. Claudio Castagnoli

First of a three match series. Cassidy fires off the suicide dives before the bell and the ten right hands connect against the barricade. Castagnoli manages a ram into the ropes though and gets inside for the opening bell. A tornado DDT cuts Castagnoli off but they go outside with Cassidy being dropped over the barricade. Castagnoli grabs a suplex and walks him up the steps (because that’s something a human can do) to throw him back inside.

Cassidy’s sleeper goes on and Castagnoli can’t even swing him off. It’s finally reversed into the regular swing and Cassidy is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy putting his hands in his pockets, which earns him a gutwrench suplex in a smart move from Castagnoli. Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets again and shrugs off a string of punches in the corner.

Castagnoli is sent outside for a diving tornado DDT before planting Castagnoli for two back inside. A sitout powerbomb gives Castagnoli two and he grabs a crossface. That and a basement uppercut give Castagnoli two but the apron superplex is countered into a super Stundog Millionaire (that was great). An Orange Punch rocks Castagnoli but he’s right back with Swiss Death for the pin at 12:21.

Rating: B-. I was worried that Cassidy would survive that kind of a beating and win on a fluke so it was nice to see Castagnoli get a clean win like this for a change. He’s been just a guy in the Death Riders for a long time now and it’s good for him to have something other than just another loss. Cassidy is just kind of floating around at the moment, but he’ll be fine given the way the fans care about him.

Mark Briscoe is in the back with Kyle Fletcher, who hasn’t responded to Briscoe’s challenge for Full Gear. Briscoe lost to him at WrestleDream thanks to a low blow so let’s do it No DQ next time. Don Callis has an idea though: if Briscoe loses, he joins the Family.

The Young Bucks haven’t officially joined the Don Callis Family but Callis offers Kazuchika Okada as a testimony on what it means to join.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron vs. Mercedes Mone/Athena

The villains jump them to start fast as we hear about Queen Aminata being injured and therefore out of Blood & Guts. Mone chokes Cameron on the ropes a bit but Cameron manages a belly to back suplex. Nightingale comes in for a middle rope dropkick as the house cleaning is on. It’s already back to Cameron, who gets dropped onto Mone for two. Everything breaks down and a Meteora drops Nightingale, leaving Athena to drop Mone onto Cameron for two.

We take a break and come back with Mone taking too long on Three Amigos, allowing Cameron to escape. The big tag brings in Nightingale to clean house, with a Cannonball hitting Athena for two. Athena cuts her off with a hard forearm and everything breaks down. A double Codebreaker sets up the Statement Maker on Cameron so Nightingale Pounces Athena into the two of them for the save.

Nightingale clotheslines Mone down but Athena is up with a spinning knee to the head. Athena puts Nightingale into a fireman’s carry and then fall away slams Cameron at the same time (geez). Cue Athena’s minion Billie Starkz to hand Athena a title but Kris Statlander cuts her off. The Babe With The Powerbomb into That’s Her Finisher to pin Athena at 12:44.

Rating: C+. Odds are that sets up Cameron as the next victim for Athena and I’ve heard worse ideas. One such bad idea would be to have Mone get closer to winning a tag team title in addition to all of her singles belts so at least they did the right thing here. The tournament has me wondering who is going to wind up with the titles so they’re certainly off to a nice start.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring to announce a Casino Gauntlet Match for Full Gear for the inaugural National Title. Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin, the first entrants, come out with MVP for a chat. MVP talks about the history of the National Title, which apparently will have lineage with the original NWA version.

Cue the Demand to interrupt, with Ricochet mocking the Syndicate for being old. MVP is ready to fight but Ricochet says he’ll be the next National Champion. I’d hope that they don’t go any further with the lineage/heritage of the National Title, as the NWA, which still sanctions it to this day, might have some issues.

Jurassic Express leaves the Young Bucks $100 to deal with their money issues.

Men’s Blood And Guts Advantage Series: Darby Allin vs. Daniel Garcia

If Garcia wins, the Death Riders clinch the advantage. Allin rolls around to start and grabs a headlock takeover. That’s broken up and Garcia chokes in the corner, only for Allin to put Garcia’s arm into the post (as in the hole on the top). Some biting keeps the arm in trouble before Allin sends him into the barricade. Garcia hits a big boot to the head to cut Allin off though and we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of chokes, with Allin backflipping onto him for two. Garcia takes him up top for a superplex but Allin rolls through into a Scorpion Death Drop. They head outside, with Garcia putting Allin’s arm between the steps and post for a running dropkick. Cue Pac for a cheap shot with a clothesline and Allin has to dive back in to beat the count. The bleeding Allin is put in the Sharpshooter but manages to reverse it into the Scorpion Deathlock for the tap at 13:26.

Rating: B-. There wasn’t much in the way of drama here as not only was it the second match in a best of three series, but Garcia wasn’t likely to beat Allin in any way. At least they didn’t do anything too nuts here, as Allin gets to go through and win a match he should have. Now just get him away from the Death Riders already, because the story needs to be done.

Post match the Death Riders run in for the beatdown, with Orange Cassidy’s save attempt getting cut off as well.

Here is FTR to call out Bandido/Brody King for a chat. The champs don’t show up though and we see their locker room door locked. Back in the arena, Harwood goes over to meet Bandido’s family with some less than great Spanish. Harwood mocks Bandido’s grandmother for being too old and does the keep pulling his microphone away before she can say much. She finally slaps him and Bandido’s brother jumps the barricade for the brawl. We cut to the back where Brody King punches through the wall and grabs Stokely Hathaway so the champs can escape for the save.

Video on Blood & Guts as narrated by….Dean Malenko?

Women’s Blood And Guts Advantage Series: Mina Shirakawa vs. Megan Bayne

Toni Storm is on commentary. Bayne shrugs off some shots to the ribs to start so Shirakawa gives her a running dropkick to the floor. Back in and Shirakawa kicking her in the head out of the corner but Bayne grabs an impressive release German suplex. Shirakawa fights back and hurricanranas Bayne into the corner. Cue Marina Shafir to jump Storm for the brawl, which distracts Shirakawa. The running Liger Bomb finishes for Bayne at 9:36.

Rating: C+. Bayne getting to wreck someone else is a good thing and this was little more than a preview for the big match next week. They’re almost putting everyone of note in the division into Blood & Guts, which is certainly a way to go. It has me interesting in what’s going to happen though and Bayne getting to be a smashing machine is a fun thing every time.

Post match the beatdown is on until Storm makes the save with a chair. Most of the rest of the teams come in for a brawl, with Mercedes Mone stopping short. Kris Statlander comes out to jump her from behind and the heroes stand tall.

Trios Titles: Opps vs. Hangman Page/Eddie Kingston/Hook

The Opps are defending. Joe does the really played out “yeah I’ll start but I’m tagging out before I make contact” deal and hands it off to Shibata. A quick slugout goes to Page and it’s Hook coming in for a suplex. Hobbs comes in for some backbreakers but Hook manages a nice overhead suplex to get a breather.

We take a break and come back with Joe putting Kingston in a nerve hold. That’s broken up and Page comes back in to clean house, including posting Hobbs on the floor. The top rope moonsault press gives Page two and it’s back to Kingston, which brings in the banged up Hook. Hobbs drops Page onto the apron and decks Kingston into a German suplex from Shibata. Page is taken up to the stage for a World’s Strongest Slam through the table, leaving Joe rather pleased. The injured Hook tries to make the save with Redrum, only to get reversed into the torture rack to give Hobbs the submission at 12:03.

Rating: B-. Hook being there to take the fall was fine, as this was about Hobbs and Page having a nice angle before Page defends against Joe at Full Gear. That’s the kind of thing that the Trios Titles can do rather well, as it gives them another reason for them to fight. Now just make the Joe vs. Page rematch a bit more interesting and they’ll be in business.

With about three seconds left in the show, Hobbs vs. Page, falls count anywhere, is announced for next week.

Overall Rating: B-. The majority of this show was built around setting up Blood & Guts and that’s not a bad thing. The show is going to be one heck of a detour on the way to Full Gear, so giving it a week mostly dedicated to preparation is a smart move. Full Gear is going to need some work in the last week after Blood & Guts, but there is a good chance those matches will build towards the pay per view. Good enough show here, with the really important ones coming.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Orange Cassidy – Swiss Death
Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron b. Athena/Mercedes Mone – That’s Her Finisher to Athena
Darby Allin b. Daniel Garcia – Scorpion Deathlock
Megan Bayne b. Mina Shirakawa – Running Liger Bomb
Opps b. Hangman Page/Eddie Kingston/Hook – Torture rack to Hook

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

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

Dynamite
Date: October 29, 2025
Location: Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur

We continue the road to Full Gear and it seems that some of that will be similar to the build towards WrestleDream. There is a good chance that will include Samoa Joe coming after the World Title again and that might be set up tonight in a four way for the #1 contendership. Hopefully the pay per view can be spiced up soon so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

It’s Fright Night so we have a big castle theme with some pumpkins and bats.

Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin vs. Death Riders

Tornado Tag, which AEW certainly loves. Allin whips Cassidy into Yuta and Garcia to start fast and stereo backdrops put them down again. They head outside with Allin chairing Yuta in the back and then flip diving through him for a bonus. The fight goes into the crowd, where Allin is right there to dive onto the Riders and save Cassidy. They go back to ringside with Allin dropkicking Garcia from the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Yuta kicking Allin into the corner, leaving the Riders to set up a table. Cassidy tornado DDTs Yuta but gets guillotine choked by Garcia. Yuta puts Cassidy through the table so Allin grabs the skateboard, which he offers to Garcia for a free shot. Instead it’s a Code Red for two on Garcia but Yuta breaks up the Coffin Drop. Cassidy’s top rope DDT plants Yuta though and the Coffin Drop gets two, with Garcia making the save. Cassidy Orange Punches Garcia to the floor for a suicide dive through a table, allowing Allin to Scorpion Deathlock Yuta for the win at 11:27.

Rating: B-. This was a rather AEW match, with violence and everyone running around in a match that doesn’t exactly have much staying power. The good guys beating the Death Riders is a good way to go, though I have no idea why Allin is still dealing with the team. The I Quit match should have wrapped it up, though it seems we’ll be seeing at least one more match.

Hook is ready to be the underdog in the #1 contenders match, but he’s also wanting to make sure Samoa Joe doesn’t get another title shot.

Don Callis is ready for tonight’s Family summit but calls the Young Bucks over. Callis pitches the Bucks joining the Family and has a special entrance set up for them. The Bucks head to the ring, passing a cow, a man in black and the Staypuft Marshmallow Man.

Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express vs. Jet Speed vs. FTR

For the Tag Team Title shot at Full Gear and Callis does the Bucks’ entrance, complete with pyro scaring them. Harwood backs Bailey up against the ropes to start and slugs away, only for Bailey to kick him in the chest. Bailey and Perry trade some flips and it’s Jet Speed double teaming Luchasaurus down. The good guys have a staredown until the other teams jump them from behind but Luchasaurus fights out of trouble.

Knight comes in and gets beaten down, only to come back and bring Perry in to clean house. Wheeler kicks Matt out to the floor and Harwood superplexes Knight onto the pile at ringside. Knight comes up holding his knee and we take a break. We come back with Perry fighting out of trouble, allowing Luchasaurus to come back in and wreck things. Some chokeslams have the Bucks down and Luchasaurus’ standing moonsault gets two.

Knight is back in with a running DDT to cut Luchasaurus off and then dropkicks Perry onto the pile at ringside. Bailey moonsaults onto them as well as Knight hits a springboard splash for two on Luchasaurus. The Bucks get back in to superkick the Express and Bailey. FTR get superkicked and the Shatter Machine hits Yuta. The BTE Trigger gets two on Knight but Luchasaurus is back up to clean house again. Bailey moonsaults onto Wheeler and Luchasaurus but a quick Shatter Machine finishes Knight at 13:42.

Rating: B+. It was a bunch of wild insanity for the better part of fifteen minutes and that worked rather well. FTR is one of the only teams who can be plugged into the title picture at anytime and Bandido/Brody King beating them would be a big step forward. If nothing else, it’s not the Bucks or Bailey so I’ll call this a positive.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

Here is the Don Callis Family for their summit. First up, we have four very important questions. Rocky Romero asks the first question: who is the Don Callis Family? They are the most dominant faction in all of wrestling, including the missing Konosuke Takeshita. Romero unveils a painting of the Family with a very muscular Callis in the center. Josh Alexander asks the second question: what is the Don Callis Family? We take care of that with a video package on the Family.

The third question is asked by Kyle Fletcher, who asks why the Don Callis Family. He reads a pledge they all signed before joining the Family (basically saying it’s all about the team) but here is Takeshita to interrupt. Callis tells Takeshita that this is a family of Alphas, as Takeshita and Okada go face to face.

There is no I in team, but there is one in Family, so Callis needs Takeshita to put his issues with Okada aside. Callis refers to the IWGP Title as “theirs” and demands that they shake hands. Takeshita eventually extends his hand but Okada flips him off. Callis says they have work to do so they’ll team up on Collision to prove what they can do.

Video on Olympia, who is going to challenge Mercedes Mone for the CMLL Women’s Title.

Kris Statlander is willing to meet Mercedes Mone face to face tonight if Mone has anything to say to her.

Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Moxley goes after him to start fast and has to escape an armbar attempt. Back up and Moxley flips him off and they trade some forearms. A backdrop sends O’Reilly out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Moxley getting two off a piledriver, followed by a crossface. That’s broken up and O’Reilly hammers away, setting up an ankle lock. A running knee to the back of the head gets two and the triangle choke has Moxley in more trouble.

With that broken up, Moxley hits a rebound lariat but the Death Rider is countered into the ankle lock. Moxley is sent outside and taken out with a dive, followed by a dragon screw legwhip into the barricade. A Death Rider attempt onto a chair is countered into a guillotine…and they’re both counted out at 11:49.

Rating: B-. Another hard hitting match here, though I was only so interested in seeing them fight again after last week. Moxley being around and active so soon after WrestleDream doesn’t make the pay per view match feel very important. If Moxley giving up is such a big deal, maybe have him seem a bit more upset by it?

Post match O’Reilly takes issue with the referee, who is decked by Marina Shafir. Claudio Castagnoli runs in to take O’Reilly out but Roderick Strong runs in for the attempted save. The Death Riders run in to take Strong out but the rest of the Conglomeration and Darby Allin makes the save. Mark Briscoe says the Riders like to run off, so Cassidy has an idea: Blood & Guts. So are we doing two of them or is the women’s version just not happening?

Kris Statlander and Mercedes Mone brawl in the back and come into the arena. Mone sends her into the ring and Athena is in with the O Face. Cue Harley Cameron and Willow Nightingale to make the save.

Bandido is ready to face Mascara Dorada on Collision and recently even brought his grandmother to see him wrestle live for the first time.

Penelope Ford is apparently injured and out of the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament and Blood & Guts. So there’s your answer about the women’s edition.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Sisters Of Sin vs. Jamie Hayter/Queen Aminata

Aminata and Hayter double team Hart down, leaving Aminata to give Blue the hips to the face. Some snap suplexes drop Blue for two so Hart comes in, with a double suplex taking the Sisters down. Back up and a double flapjack drops Hayter and we take a break. We come back with Hayter suplexing her way out of trouble so Aminata can come back in to clean house.

Hayter is right back in with a missile dropkick and everything breaks down. The Sisters are dropped with stereo German suplexes but they pop up with superkicks. A four way clothesline leaves everyone down and Hayter rolls to the floor. Cue Thekla to spear her down, leaving the Sisters to hit an assisted swinging Rock Bottom to finish Aminata at 10:01.

Rating: C+. Well, it’s nice to have the tournament start and the result helps set up Blood & Guts. That’s what they need to do and the story is already starting to come together, but Thekla vs. Hayter as the main feud is only getting me so far. For now though, I’ll take a start to the tournament, which will have more long term impact.

Penelope Ford confirms that she has injured her arm and promises pain in the future. Megan Bayne has a new partner: Marina Shafir. Jon Moxley approves.

Hook vs. Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Ricochet

For the World Title shot at Full Gear. Ricochet and Lashley go to the floor to start but Ricochet is back in to dropkick Lashley off the apron. Back up and Lashley takes turns with Hook as they suplex Ricochet. For reasons of general stupidity, Hook slugs away at Lashley, earning himself a spinebuster onto the apron. Joe is back up with the suicide elbow to Ricochet and Lashley as we take a break.

We come back with Joe wrecking various people, including Hook with the snap powerslam for two. Back up and Ricochet tries a dive on Joe, who casually walks away. That gives us the big Lashley vs. Joe brawl, with Lashley hitting a spinebuster. Ricochet is planted with a Dominator but Joe clotheslines Lashley.

Hook is back up to suplex Joe and Ricochet hits a running flip dive to hit Lashley on the floor. The shooting star press gets two on Hook but the Spirit Gun is countered into Redrum. Joe breaks that up but Lashley breaks up the MuscleBuster with a spear. Ricochet makes a save of his own and chairs Lashley, who chases him up the aisle. That lets Joe Koquina Clutch Hook for the win at 11:52.

Rating: B. There were some rather good saves in there and I had a fun time with the match, even if there was only so much doubt about the winner. Save for maybe Lashley, there was no reason to believe that anyone but Joe was going to win. It’s a good main event and Hook being the perfect choice to take the fall.

Post match the Opps are in the ring because it’s time for the contract signing. Cue the Dynamite crew, meaning the people in costumes from earlier, now with the Marshmallow Man, a cow, a chicken, and some meat. Hobbs and Shibata clear out the non-Marshmallow Man, who is unveiled as….a guy. Joe knocks him down and signs the contract before promising to win the title. Tony Schiavone offers them beers for a toast but Schiavone…is Hangman Page in a mask to jump Joe. Referees break it up to end the show as I try to figure out how Page set that whole thing up and if he would have done it if Joe hadn’t won.

Overall Rating: B. It was a fun night of wrestling and they did set some things up, but the last few weeks haven’t exactly made me think much of WrestleDream. Moxley is right back to what he’s been doing and is ready for Blood & Guts while Page and Joe are right where they were coming into their previous match. Hopefully they make it into a better and bigger game changer of a show, as AEW needs something fresh soon. For now though, the wrestling carries things again, as it tends to do around here.

Results
Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy b. Death Riders – Scorpion Deathlock to Yuta
FTR b. Young Bucks, Jurassic Express and Jet Speed – Shatter Machine to Knight
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jon Moxley went to a double countout
Sisters Of Sin b. Jamie Hayter/Queen Aminata – Assisted swinging Rock Bottom to Aminata
Samoa Joe b. Hook, Bobby Lashley and Ricochet – Koquina Clutch to Hook

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

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

Collision
Date: October 25, 2025
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Point, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with WrestleDream and it’s time to start getting ready for Full Gear. That could make for some interesting issues around here, though we already have something special this week. This time we’ll be seeing the Young Bucks teaming with FTR in an attempt to win $400,000, which is a thing again here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. That’s what the Opps did after spending a year fighting the Death Riders. After all of those battles, Page gave Samoa Joe a World Title match where he beat Joe, just as he promised. Then the Opps stabbed him in the back and now Page is ticked off. Page promises to ruin Joe’s life to wrap it up. This was pretty much a big recap.

Pac promises to hurt Tomohiro Ishii.

Pac vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Thank goodness they had a match scheduled. Otherwise Pac might have had trouble fulfilling his promise. The Death Riders are here with Pac, who trades forearms with Ishii to start. They both miss big shots and that’s good for an early staredown. Ishii’s suplex sends Pac out to the apron, where Daniel Garcia offers a distraction so Pac can take over. A missile dropkick drops Ishii again and we take a break.

We come back with Ishii chopping away and running him over, setting up a delayed vertical superplex for two. A powerbomb gives Ishii two but Ishii comes up favoring his arm. Pac snaps the arm across the top rope and they trade German suplexes. They knock each other down before Pac gives him a Tombstone into another German suplex. Pac’s brainbuster gets two more and he sends Ishii outside for the running knee from Wheeler Yuta. That’s enough for Pac to hit a running clothesline for the pin at 12:10.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much exactly what you would have expected it to be, with both of them hitting the other hard. Pac cheats with the Death Riders and the designated jobber of the Conglomeration loses again. It was entertaining, but absolutely nothing out of the norm from these guys.

Thekla vs. Mina Shirakawa

Shirakawa dances a lot to start but misses a charge into the corner. A running dropkick works better for Shirakawa and we hit the surfboard. Some dancing stomps onto the hands have Thekla in even more trouble but she cuts off another dance and throws Shirakawa down. That’s broken up and Shirakawa starts in on the leg as the Sisters Of Sin come out to watch.

Thekla uses the distraction to knock Shirakawa outside and we take a break. We come back with Shirakawa hitting a Sling Blade and running knee to take over. A slingshot corkscrew splash gives Shirakawa two but it’s too early for the Figure Four. Thekla catches her up top with the spider superplex but Shirakawa strikes her down again. The spinning backfist drops Thekla for two and the top rope Sling Blade gets the same. That’s enough for the Sisters to offer a distraction, allowing Thekla to hit a spear into the Death Trap for the tap at 13:55.

Rating: C+. The ball of charisma that is Shirakawa loses again, as tends to be her custom in recent weeks. That’s not exactly encouraging, though she should be fine when she teams with Toni Storm coming up. Thekla needs the win to build her up for the likely spot in Blood & Guts (lineups would be nice) so I guess there was no choice than to have Shirakawa lose again.

Anna Jay and Tay Melo have been getting ready for the Women’s Tag Team Titles for years. Cue Miranda Alize and Nixon Newell (Tegan Nox) to issue the challenge for a tag match. Game on.

Here is MxM TV for their Casting Call. First though, Mansoor mocks the ring announcers’ weight, because reasons. Anyway, the match.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Olympia

Valkyrie isn’t happy and gets stomped in the corner to make it worse. A running seated senton crushes Valkyrie again, leaving Olympia to dive onto the rest of the team. Back in and a sitout F5 (with squats) finishes Valkyrie at 2:35.

On Dynamite: Hook vs. Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe for the World Title shot at Full Gear.

Ace Austin vs. Bryan Keith

Feeling out process to start with Austin kicking away. That’s broken up and Keith fires away before sending Austin out to the apron. Austin’s springboard high crossbody connects and they head outside with Austin winning a strike off. The handstand on the apron sets up a kick to Keith’s chest but Keith knocks him right back down. Keith boots him in the face on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Austin rolling through an exploder suplex and striking away again. A Russian legsweep gets two on Keith, who is right back up with a running headbutt. Austin is right back with a kick to the head though and the Fold (running Blockbuster) finishes Keith at 11:40.

Rating: B-. That’s what we needed to see here, as Austin needs to be established around here and winning matches is the way to make that happen. Austin might not be the biggest guy but he can hang with the more talented stars. If nothing else, the Fold continues to be a sweet finisher that he can hit on just about anyone, so there is some potential here.

Don Callis talks about how families have issues at times and that is the case with Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita. He’s in charge though and the Family is having a summit on Dynamite.

The Outrunners and Dalton Castle are interrupted by the still bickering Anthony Bowens and Max Caster. The Outrunners mumble a lot, which Castle says is the secret to their success.

Hook vs. Griff Garrison

Eddie Kingston and the Frat House are here too. Garrison works on the arm to start and gets taken down with a quick suplex. Hook takes him to the mat and hammers in some forearms to the face but Garrison is back with a running boot. That’s shrugged off and Hook grabs Redrum for the tap at 2:08.

Olympia wants the CMLL Women’s Title and challenges Mercedes Mone for Collision.

Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata are ready to take out the Sisters Of Sin and win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Young Bucks/FTR vs. Jet Speed/Jurassic Express

Perry brings a beach ball with him, which Wheeler crushes with a chair (good man). Matt headlocks Knight to start and gets dropkicked for his efforts. Bailey comes in off a blind tag for a double hiptoss so it’s off to Wheeler. Some kicks take Wheeler down just as fast but he’s able to drop Perry with a clothesline. It’s off to Harwood, who gets backed off by Luchasaurus. Some slams drop FTR as everything breaks down, with Bailey missile dropkicking Matt. The non-dinosaur good guys hit dives to the floor, leaving Luchasaurus to grab a chokeslam back inside.

We take a break and come back with the villains cleaning house and Wheeler hitting a dive of his own. A standing Sliced Bread to Perry sets up Harwood’s Sharpshooter, which is broken up rather quickly. Knight comes back in to clean house and Jet Speed hit stereo slingshot dives to the floor. A super hurricanrana sends Matt into Bailey’s sitout powerbomb for two but Nick throws powder in Knight’s eyes. Matt superkicks Knight for two and we take another another break.

We come back with Knight fighting his way out of trouble and handing it back to Luchasaurus. Everything breaks down and Perry hurricanranas Matt off the apron onto Harwood. Back in and the PowerPlex drops Luchasaurus into a 450 for two. The Bucks and FTR hit a Shatter Machine apiece but the double EVP Trigger misses. The Countdown To Extinction hits Harwood and the tornado kick gives Bailey the pin at 20:33.

Rating: B. Hey look: the Bucks are still broke. I wonder if they’ll be given another chance to make a bunch of money in a match because they’re oh so wacky with their money. I have no idea why this is supposed to still be entertaining because the joke has been told multiple times now. I’m also pretty much over seeing the Bucks and FTR interact, as it’s been done enough already.

FTR and the Bucks argue.

One more thing: these four teams will be in a four way match on Dynamite for a Tag Team Title shot at Full Gear. Well of course they are.

Overall Rating: B-. This was certainly an episode of Collision, with the usual action and little being done other than having some matches announced for Dynamite. That’s often the featured attraction for this show, unless you want to see Olympia built up before she gets to lose to Mercedes Mone next week. Run of the mill show here, meaning it’s fun if you watch it but nothing you need to see.

Results
Pac b. Tomohiro Ishii – Running clothesline
Thekla b. Mina Shirakawa – Death Trap
Olympia b. Taya Valkyrie – Sitout F5
Ace Austin b. Bryan Keith – The Fold
Hook b. Griff Garrison – Redrum
Jet Speed/Jurassic Express b. FTR/Young Bucks – Tornado kick to Harwood

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

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

WrestleDream 2025
Date: October 18, 2025
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back with the annual Antonio Inoki tribute show because…well it was the best theme they could think of at the time. The big draw here is an I Quit match between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin, which should be more about who will attempt to maim the other one (or themselves) worse. Samoa Joe is also challenging Hangman Page for the World Title so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Death Riders vs. Conglomeration/Roderick Strong

Strong knocks Garcia down to start and it’s off to O’Reilly to strike away. Cassidy adds his basement dropkick but Yuta slams him down to cut things off. We take a break and come back with Ishii and Castagnoli trading forearms until Ishii is knocked into the corner. The Riders take turns beating on him until a double clothesline drops Garcia and Yuta.

The tag brings in Cassidy to clean house but Castagnoli is back in with a Swing. That’s reversed into a choke and the other Riders all get caught in abdominal stretches. Those are all broken up and we take a second break. We come back again with Cassidy not being able to sunset flip Castagnoli.

Instead he gets over for the tag off to Strong and everything breaks down. Ishii rolls some German suplexes but Castagnoli blocks one to him. Pac is back up with a German suplex to Ishii but Cassidy grabs a tornado DDT. Ishii lariats Pac, only for a chop block to cut him down. The running knee gives Pac the pin at 15:46.

Rating: B-. Well that was long. If there is one way to get the fans into a show, it’s a heavy dose of Garcia and Yuta, as the two of them can bring down just about anyone if given a chance. The Riders needed the momentum after some less than successful outings and it’s not like Ishii is going to be hurt by taking a fall. This makes the most sense, but dang that’s a long opener of a Kickoff show.

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. Frat House

The Frat House is answering an open challenge and we immediately go to a split screen interview with La Faccion Ingobernable at the bell. We go back to full screen with Hook throwing Garrison down but a cheap shot drops Kingston. Karter comes in with a dropkick but Kingston manages a middle rope shoulder. It’s back to Hook to clean house until Garrison breaks up a suplex attempt. Everything breaks down and Kingston hits the spinning backfist. The Redrum finishes Karter at 3:22.

Rating: C. That’s what this needed to be as there was no reason to do anything but have Kingston and Hook win a squash. Kingston and Hook aren’t likely to be a big deal in the tag division as it feels like the latest attempt to get Hook over by attaching him to someone popular. It hasn’t really worked yet, but at least they kept it short here.

The Costco Guys are going to face the Don Callis Family at Full Gear when Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta interrupt. AJ is beaten down.

Kickoff Show: Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne vs. Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron

Nightingale knocks Ford into the corner and fires off the clotheslines to start. Cameron comes in for a basement dropkick but she’s smart enough to hand it back to Nightingale to face Bayne. Nightingale clotheslines both villains down at once and drops Cameron down onto Ford. That doesn’t last long as Ford is up with a moonsault to the floor onto both of them and we take a break.

We come back with Cameron managing a spinning DDT to drop Bayne, allowing the tag off to Nightingale. The Babe With The Powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and Bayne tosses Ford into Nightingale for a Stunner. Everything breaks down and a series of knockdowns leaves them all on the mat.

Nightingale clotheslines Bayne, who is right back with a middle rope double clothesline. Cameron rolls out of a Doomsday Device but Ford hits a fireman’s carry….we’ll say gutbuster to drop Cameron for two. Cameron’s pumphandle suplex drops Ford though and the Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin at 12:13.

Rating: B-. They were working hard here and I like Nightingale getting a win. In theory these people might be a part of the upcoming Blood & Guts match, though Bayne still needs to be moving on to the next level already. Unfortunately there is a good chance that she and Ford will be going after the Women’s Tag Team Titles, which doesn’t exactly feel like what is best for Bayne. For now though, I’ll take Nightingale getting a pin.

Kickoff Show: FTR vs. Jet Speed

So the bell rings with 4:20 to go before the pay per view starts so yes, this show (one of two Kickoff Shows) is going to have an overrun. Knight gets taken into the wrong corner to tart but he jumps over them and brings in Bailey to clean house. FTR is sent outside and taken down again with some stereo dives. Knight dives off the barricade to take Harwood down but a running DDT is blocked back inside.

They all crash to the floor…and the Kickoff Show ends, meaning we’ll pick it up on the main show. We get some pyro while the match is going on and Harwood piledrives Bailey for two. Knight’s DDT gets the same and he rams Wheeler into Stokely Hathaway. Wheeler sends Bailey into the apron and the Sharpshooter goes on, with Knight having to make the rope.

The PowerPlex is broken up but the Shatter Machine connects, only for Bailey to shooting star knee in for the save. Bailey kicks away at Harwood and another PowerPlex attempt is blocked with raised knees. Bailey’s suplex is broken up with a trip from Hathaway, who holds the leg so Harwood can get the pin at 12:19.

Rating: B. The match was fine, though the break between shows in the middle didn’t so much make me think it was interesting as much as “good grief this is already feeling really long”. Aside from that, at least FTR won their first big match after the big attack on Beth Copeland, which feels like it has already been forgotten for the time being. At least Jet Speed didn’t win either, which is always a nice perk.

We recap Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla. Hayter returned and was attacked by Thekla, leading to a long running feud. It seems to have set up Blood & Guts next month, with this as a stopping point.

Lou Thesz’s widow is here.

Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter

Everyone is banned from ringside. Hayter kicks her in the face to start and hammers away on the mat before pulling Thekla back up. Thekla needs a breather on the floor, so Hayter follows her out for some rams into various things. Some chops connect in front of Thesz’s widow (a rather sweet woman named Charlie) but Thekla is back up with a big dive off the top to the floor. Hayter’s back seems to have been banged up on the crash, which tends to be a recurring theme for her.

Back in and Thekla slows things down, including the triangle choke over the ropes. Hayter gets in a forearm to cut her off though and snaps off a suplex for a needed breather. A running clothesline looks to set up a brainbuster but Thekla knees her in the head for the escape. Thekla catches her on top, only to get dropped with a headbutt. Some kicks to the head set up a fireman’s carry backbreaker to put Thekla down again.

They forearm it out from their knees until Thekla is back up with a Black Widow. Well that makes sense. Hayter reverses with a backbreaker but Thekla pulls her into something like a Black Widow on the mat. That’s broken up as well and the rather small Thekla hits a spear. Hayter shrugs that off and hits a clothesline, followed by Hayterade for the pin at 15:25.

Rating: B-. This was rather long and didn’t really feel like anything but a Collision main event. It’s ok enough for the start of a show (or at least the first match that aired in full) and should help build towards Blood & Guts. In theory it would be better for Thekla to win as she’s not quite as big of a deal as Hayter, but they both needed to win here given their current situations.

Post match Queen Aminata comes out to celebrate with Hayter.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express. The Express returned last month and the Bucks attacked them. As a bonus, the Bucks are broke and this is for $500,000.

Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express

For $500,000 (which is just sitting in a bag on the announcers’ table). We get a graphic showing that the Bucks have about $32 and a repeating electronic voice saying “INSUFFICIENT FUNDS, TRANSACTION DENIED”. Perry and Matt start things off with an exchange of shoves until Matt hammers him down. That’s cut off and Perry goes after the arm before handing it off to Luchasaurus.

Nick comes in and gets powerbombed onto Matt so the Bucks head outside, where Luchasaurus moonsaults onto both of them. Perry dives onto them as well and gives a rather Adam Cole looking smile. Matt is able to come back with a Sliced Bread on the floor, leaving Nick to check on the money. Back in and a backbreaker/slingshot legdrop combination has Perry in more trouble.

Matt knees Luchasaurus off the apron and drops Perry again, allowing the Bucks to do their double biceps pose. Perry is hung on the top rope for a double stomp to the back…which makes him bounce off for a hurricanrana to Matt. That’s either terribly stupid, totally awesome or both. Either way it allows the tag off to Luchasaurus who has to flip away from the double superkicks. Matt gets chokeslammed onto Nick and a reverse powerbomb/cutter combination gets two.

It’s back to Perry, who gets draped over the top rope, with the double stomp into the sitout powerbomb working this time. Perry gets kicked in the head and winds up on Matt’s (on the floor) shoulders. Nick winds up on Luchasaurus’ shoulders and it’s time for an electric chair slugout. That doesn’t last long until Perry has to escape the TK Driver. A powerbomb onto the apron sets up a spike piledriver/double stomp combination (ala the Lucha Bros), followed by the BTE Trigger for two, with Luchasaurus making the save.

Back up and a chokeslam into a standing moonsault gives Luchasaurus two and a Doomsday Device gets the same. A TK Driver gets two on Matt with Nick making the save this time. The Bucks fire off the superkicks and the BTE Trigger gets two on Perry. Luchasaurus is back in as Perry grabs a poisonrana, followed by the Extinction for the pin on Matt at 23:08.

Rating: B. Good match here as you might have expected given the talent involved, though the Broke Bucks thing has lost a lot of its charm. It feels like something we’ve done to death at this point and thankfully we don’t have to watch them lose it again. At the same time, the Express is getting a bit of momentum after their return, which could turn into something good if it continues.

Post match Perry teases making amends with the Bucks but the Don Callis Family runs in to beat him down. The Bucks leave so cue Kenny Omega to glare at the Bucks and then run in for the save. Omega gets a red scarf and does a quick Antonio Inoki tribute because that’s still a theme on this show.

We recap the Hurt Syndicate vs. the Demand. They’ve been fighting for a few weeks and traded wins so it’s time for a tornado tag to blow it off.

Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand

Tornado Trios match and the winners get a future Trios Titles match. The brawl starts in the aisle with the Demand taking over and sending MVP into the barricade. A running Spirit Gun cuts Lashley down and he gets sent into the steps. Back in and Benjamin takes over on the Gates until Ricochet makes a save. Ricochet’s suicide dive and Liona’s Pounce drop Lashley and he’s laid on a table.

Benjamin is Open The Gates’d through him and the table, leaving MVP mostly surrounded. Ricochet knocks him down and some running shots in the corner set up running boot/Russian legsweep combination for two. MVP manages to send them outside though and Lashley is back up with some running clotheslines. The Dominator gets two on Ricochet but a superplex is turned into a double powerbomb for a slightly modified Tower Of Doom.

Benjamin suplexes Ricochet over the top onto the pile at ringside and then busts out a great looking running flip dive (being able to do that at any age, let alone 50, is nuts). MVP is back in with Ballin to Ricochet but Liona makes the save. Benjamin gives Liona an enziguri and Lashley spears him to the floor. That leaves Ricochet alone against the entire Syndicate (nice mirroring from earlier) but Kaun pulls him outside to take his place. The spear gives Lashley the pin at 13:27.

Rating: B. These guys work well together, though the Syndicate moving forward is the right move. They feel like bigger stars and while I don’t care to see them go after the Trios Titles, I’ll take it over the Demand winning. Just let this be it for the feud, which it certainly seems to be.

We recap Kyle Fletcher defending the TNT Title against Mark Briscoe. They’ve done this four times now and this is round five.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is challenging and takes him down by the arm to start, which is broken up rather quickly. Fletcher gets up and strikes a double bicep but Briscoe knocks him outside. Back in and they stare each other down as commentary bickers over Briscoe’s IQ. Briscoe knocks him outside and chops away, setting up the Bang Bang Elbow. A superkick knocks Fletcher back to the floor, where Briscoe sits him in a chair.

The big running flip dive sends Fletcher through the chair but he’s able to get back up and superkick Briscoe down. Fletcher powerbombs him onto the steps and stomps away in the corner, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two. Back up and they trade forearms, big boots, and then clotheslines to put them both down again. Briscoe fights up but can’t get a Death Valley Driver or a Jay Driller.

Fletcher’s sitout powerbomb gets two, with Briscoe’s belt being broken on the impact. They go to the corner where Fletcher slips out of a super Razor’s Edge and grabs a top rope superplex for the big crash instead. They head out to the apron again where Briscoe hits a Jay Driller, leaving them both down on the floor. Back in and Fletcher can’t hit another superplex, instead being laid on the top rope for a Froggy Bow (that’s a new one).

Another Froggy Bow to the floor connects with a standing Fletcher, followed by a regular version for two back inside. Briscoe Jay Drillers him down but Fletcher reaches over and gets a single finger on the rope. The Cutthroat Driver is broken up but Fletcher slips out and nearly crushes the referee. A low blow and brainbuster get two, followed by a lawn dart into the corner. The brainbuster onto the turnbuckle retains the title at 24:47.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match with the two of them beating the fire out of each other. Fletcher getting a win helps make up for last month’s loss and it was cool to see him come out fighting after surviving a bunch of things from Briscoe. I liked this a good deal and Fletcher’s rather impressive rise continues.

Post match the Conglomeration comes out to help Briscoe up.

We recap Toni Storm challenging Kris Statlander for the Women’s Title. Statlander won the title last month by pinning Storm in a four way. Storm needs to know if she can win one on one and now it’s the big showdown. Logical storytelling there.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Kris Statlander

Statlander is defending and Storm gets a weird entrance, talking about how she is ready to meet her murderer but death isn’t ready for her. Statlander gets a singing entrance, which sounded like either Storm or Harley Cameron. They go with the grappling to start and Storm grabs a headlock takeover. Statlander’s headlock is broken up with a headscissors but she slaps it right back on.

Storm is able to send her to the apron for a hip attack but the tornado DDT to the floor is broken up. Instead Statlander kicks her to the floor for a quick moonsault, followed by a slingshot hilo for two back inside. A bodyscissors stays on Storm’s ribs and a hard lariat drops Storm for another near fall. Storm is back up with a shot of her own, setting up a tiger driver.

Statlander shrugs that off and electric chairs her into something like a Black Widow on the mat. Storm’s leg makes the rope and her choke sends Statlander over to the ropes as well. Something like a Blue Thunder Bomb puts Storm back down and a 450 gives Statlander a rather near fall. Storm shrugs off a German suplex but walks into Staturday Night Fever. A headscissor choke with the arm trapped has Storm in more trouble until another Staturday Night Fever retains the title at 16:35.

Rating: B-. This was a hard enough hitting match but it never hit that next level. I like the idea of Statlander winning and it’s the right call, though having her try for the submission and then let it go, seemingly in frustration, wasn’t the best look. It was a good enough match with the right result though and that’s what matters the most.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes to the ring for the big staredown. She brings up her open challenge for a title vs. title match and it’s on.

TBS Title/ROH Interim Women’s TV Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Mina Shirakawa

Title for title. Shirakawa kicks at the knee to send Mone outside, meaning it’s time for some quick dancing. Back in and the Statement Maker is broken up but a second attempt works a bit better for Mone. That’s broken up so Mone goes with a Backstabber into a gutbuster for two. Mone knees her out of the corner for two and Three Amigos connect. Shirakawa breaks up a Figure Four attempt and gets Meteoraed right back down.

Back up and they trade forearms until Mone twists the knee around. The knee is bent over the rope and Shirakawa hits a top rope Sling Blade for two. The Glamorous Driver and Mone Maker are both blocked so Shirakawa grabs a Glamorous Driver for another near fall. Now the Figure Four can put Mone in trouble but she gets to the ropes rather quickly. Naturally that means a running Meteora, followed by a middle rope version AND a running version in the corner.

The third one misses so Shirakawa hits a discus forearm and a big kick to the head. Another Figure Four is escaped so Mone pokes her in the eye and gets two off a rollup. The Statement Maker goes on until Shirakawa reverses into a rollup for two. The Mone Maker connects with Shirakawa getting a hand on the rope to save herself. Mone is rammed into the buckle a few times but reverses into a rollup and puts a foot on the rope to retain at 16:12.

Rating: B-. Well at least Mone won. It’s been so long since she won anything that the only solution was to give her another win. They’re trying to promote the idea that she has all of the titles and…yeah I’m still not caring, as ROH means nothing in the first place so the Interim (again: stupid concept that needs to go FAR away) midcard title doesn’t exactly mean much. Throw in Mone not selling the knee and it was a bit annoying to watch. If Mone won’t sell the knee, why should Shirakawa even bother?

Post match Kris Statlander comes out to scare Mone off.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. Bandido and Brody King are the new champions who have been an instant success, while Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita are having trouble getting along.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King vs. Don Callis Family

The Family is challenging. Bandido and Okada lock up to start and we actually get a clean break. Okada gets backed up against the ropes for a standoff but manages to take Bandido down for an elbow. Takeshita comes in for the exchange of forearms and it’s off to King, who gets knocked into the wrong corner. Okada’s neckbreaker drops King again and Okada knocks Bandido off the apron in a smart move.

King gets fired up and fights back, allowing Bandido to come back in with a spinning high crossbody. Bandido’s big moonsault to the floor takes the Family down, followed by King dropping Bandido onto Takeshita back inside. We pause for the Macarena, with Okada breaking it up in a hurry (as he should have). That leaves Okada to do a middle finger Macarena before going after Bandido’s banged up shoulder. Takeshita sends the arm into the buckle, followed by a posting from Okada.

King gets knocked outside and sent into the barricade, leaving Okada to drop a top rope elbow. The Family bickers though and Bandido chops away, allowing the much needed tag off to King. That means the Family gets stacked up in the corner for a double Cannonball but Okada is back with an Air Raid Crash onto the knee. Bandido’s Code Red gets two on Takeshita and they trade some big strikes to the face. Takeshita counters the 21 Plex though and Okada dropkicks Bandido into the corner.

King Cannonballs Okada again and Takeshita gets planted for a shooting star press from Bandido for two in a great sequence. Back up and Takeshita shrugs off Bandido’s chops and knocks him down hard. The running knee is loaded up but Okada tags himself in, much to Takeshita’s annoyance. The confusion lets Bandido get over for the tag to Bandido and Takeshita is sent outside. Running shots in the corner set up a fire thunder driver for two on Okada.

Takeshita slips out of a Doomsday Device attempt and manages to wheelbarrow suplex King. The 21 Plex is blocked though…leaving King to German suplex all three of them at once. Everyone is down so King is sent outside, leaving Bandido to kick at both of them. Okada Rainmakers Takeshita by mistake…and doesn’t seem to mind. Naturally Bandido can X Knee Okada with one arm but the arm gives out on the 21 Plex. King is back up with a suicide dive to Takeshita though and now the 21 Plex can hit Okada to retain the titles at 27:30.

Rating: A-. This turned into a heck of a match at the end, which is a great thing to see. Bandido is doing some incredible work at the moment and King compliments him very well. This was a nice mixture of multiple stories at the same time, with Takeshita and Okada’s issues possibly near the top. Awesome match here, as tends to be the case with Bandido and King.

Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa say they’ve lost everything but still have each other. Sounds like the Tag Team Titles are up next.

We recap Samoa Joe challenging Hangman Page for the World Title. Page accidentally disrespected Joe (even Page said he was confused by what happened) and it’s time to fight.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe

Page is defending and after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Joe backs him into the corner for a cocky clean break to start before grabbing a headlock. That’s broken up so Joe knocks him hard to the floor for a breather. Back in and Page’s kick to the face is shrugged off, allowing Joe to run him over with an elbow. Page fights out again and tries the moonsault, which is broken up rather quickly.

Instead Joe is low bridged to the floor, where he avoids the moonsault again. Page dropkicks him against the barricade and they head back inside, where Joe plants him with the Rock Bottom out of the corner. The double arm crank keeps Page in trouble and the backsplash gives Joe two. Page charges into a powerslam for two but the jabs to the face just wake him up. An enziguri staggers Joe and they trade kicks to the head.

A running boot sends Joe outside so he slides back in, where Page almost entirely misses a moonsault. It gets two anyway but Joe powerbombs him into the STF. That’s switched into the crossface, which is switched into something like the Rings of Saturn. Page gets out and powerbombs him out of the corner for two more. The Deadeye is broken up and Joe shouts COME ON MOTHERF*****, which is exactly what Page does. The comeback is cut off with a Koquina Clutch, with Page getting a foot onto the rope. Joe can’t get the MuscleBuster and walks into a Deadeye for two. Three straight Buckshot Lariats retain the title at 19:02.

Rating: B. This still didn’t feel like a big time title match but it had some good moments. The good thing about these two is they can have a hard hitting fight and make it work. That’s what they managed to make happen here, with Joe always being able to bring it and Page more than holding up his end. I wasn’t buying the threat of a title change, but that’s ok in a match like this.

Post match the Opps come out to check on Joe and respect is shown…and then the Opps beat Page down. The MuscleBuster onto the belt knocks Page silly. I’m glad to see Joe as a heel again, but it might be better had he not just gotten pinned clean.

Mercedes Mone yells about Kris Statlander ruining her big night and wants the Women’s Title at Full Gear.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin. They hate each other, they’ve hated each other for a long time, and they hate each other enough to have an I Quit match. And something about climbing Mt. Everest.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

I Quit and Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. Allin whips out the flag from the top of Mt. Everest and they’re already on the floor. That doesn’t last long as Moxley comes back in and snaps off a shotgun dropkick. Moxley starts hammering away and sends him ear first into the rope. Allin is sent into the steps and the barricade before Moxley stretches the arm across the steps. Shafir brings in some skewers, which are jammed under Allin’s fingernails.

After making sure that his nail is still there, Allin wins a slugout and grabs a Code Red for a needed breather. Allin gets simple by choking with the flag before just hamming on the apron. The Coffin Drop only hits apron though and Moxley stomps on his head. Some whipping with a belt sets up a piledriver and Moxley yells at him a lot. Allin invites him to whip with the belt and is immediately knocked down again.

Somehow Allin gets over to the corner and whips out some lighter fluid to spray in Moxley’s eyes. More Death Riders run in but get chased off, allowing Moxley to hit a cutter. Moxley wipes the fluid off and shocks him with a taser (of course). A Stomp sets up a bulldog choke but Allin flips him off instead of quitting. Castagnoli gorilla presses Allin from the ring onto the announcers’ table and Moxley adds a Death Rider through a regular table at ringside. The fans declare this murder and it’s time for…an aquarium?

The Death Riders put water into said aquarium so Moxley can attempt to drown him. Rather than murder Allin, Moxley lets him out and yells a lot…as the lights go out. STING is here (with white hair and a big white/black beard) to clear out the Death Riders (and smash the aquarium). Sting throws Allin the bat and leaves, kidnapping Shafir in the process. Moxley tells Allin to hit him with the bat, which he does, followed by a Scorpion Death Drop with the flag. The Coffin Drop into the Scorpion Deathlock (in the water from the aquarium) makes Moxley give up at 26:05.

Rating: B. I’m not sure what to say here and that’s a good thing in this case. My biggest worry coming into the match was that it was going to be total insanity with some really stupid ending. The aquarium got close but it didn’t quite get that far. Sting not attacking Moxley was a good touch as well, as he didn’t so much help Allin beat Moxley as much as he evened the odds, which is a fine way to go. It didn’t go too far and it didn’t reach a level of insanity, so I’ll call this about as much of a success as it could be.

Allin celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I’ll call it a good show overall, with the Tag Team and TNT Title matches being the highlights. As usual, there’s nothing bad on the show but the biggest problem is that it ran so long. I wasn’t so much interested by the end as much as I was wondering how much longer this was going to go. Other than that though, it’s hard to get overly annoyed here, as tends to be the case with the pay per views.

Results
Death Riders b. Conglomeration/Roderick Strong – Running knee to Ishii
Hook/Eddie Kingston b. Frat House – Redrum to Karter
Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron b. Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne – Babe With The Powerbomb to Ford
FTR b. Jet Speed – Rollup with Hathaway holding the leg
Jamie Hayter b. Thekla – Hayterade
Jurassic Express b. Young Bucks – Extinction to Matt
Hurt Syndicate b. The Demand – Spear to Kaun
Kyle Fletcher b. Mark Briscoe – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Kris Statlander b. Toni Storm – Staturday Night Fever
Mercedes Mone b. Mina Shirakawa – Rollup with foot on the ropes
Bandido/Brody King b. Don Callis Family – 21 Plex to Okada
Hangman Page b. Samoa Joe – Buckshot Lariat
Darby Allin b. Jon Moxley – Scorpion Deathlock

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

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

AEW is back on pay per view and it doesn’t seem like they’ve been away for very long. The card is not so much centered around the main event for the World Title as much as it is built around a violent grudge match. That is something that could work out well, though hopefully they aren’t still going into Sunday morning. The card is looking ok enough though so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. ???

It’s an open challenge, because wrestling loves those things these days. Kingston is the latest star Hook is being attached to in an effort to get him over and as usual, it’s only kind of working. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but it almost has to be better than watching Kingston wrestle on his own. Hopefully it winds up working here, but it might depend on the opponents.

I’ll bet on Hook and Kingston winning here and it’ll likely be against the Swirl (or the MxM Collection). Either way, it’s not a match that needs to be on this show at all and is just a way to get Kingston back in the ring. As usual, AEW feels the need to get as much action as they can out there and Hook/Kingston are hardly the most interesting idea, as the whole “we’re from New York” deal doesn’t feel like it has the longest shelf life.

Kickoff Show: FTR vs. Jet Speed

Well, it’s better than no FTR. Jet Speed is the latest team that AEW is pushing every chance they can, though that shouldn’t matter when FTR is coming off what happened at All Out. FTR had the big angle with Adam and Beth Copeland and yet here they are on the Kickoff Show. That’s quite the way to go, though it’s not like they have anything else going on at the moment.

I’ll take FTR to win here as they have a bigger story going on, though you never know with what they might do around here. Hopefully sanity prevails here, as there is no reason to have them lose in their first pay per view match after the whole taking out Beth Copeland. The match should be good, even though it feels like it should be the main event of a Collision, which is almost what this show is so maybe it fits.

Kickoff Show: Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron vs. Divine Vanity

So here we….hang on. DIVINE VANITY? Sweet goodness can we stop with the team names that sound like discount perfume? Megan Bayne is a star and could be the next challenger for the Women’s Title, but she’s now part of a team with a horrible name. I have no idea who thinks of these names but they do it in all kinds of promotions these days and it’s really annoying.

With that out of the way, give me Bayne and Ford to win, with Bayne hopefully getting away from the tag team almost immediately. She’s been presented as a major star and a dominant force, though that’s only going to last so long if she’s stuck going after the Tag Team Titles. Odds are that’s what happens, but either way she should be on the winning side here.

Kickoff Show: Conglomeration/Roderick Strong vs. Death Riders

It feels like we’ve seen this match about a dozen times in recent weeks, but that might just be due to how frequently the Death Riders are in the ring. This is likely the big main event of the Kickoff Show and should get a bit of time, with the Death Riders being such a big deal. At the same time, it isn’t a guarantee that they’ll win, as they have only had so much success as of late.

Give me the Death Riders to win here, as it would be strange to have Pac lose again so soon after his big return. Orange Cassidy already beat him once so doing it again might be a bit of a stretch. Either way, I could certainly go for a break from the Death Riders, as the idea has been beaten into the ground for a long time now and the impact is rapidly losing its impact. Odds are they win here though, as they are always featured in some way.

Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla

This is another match in the build towards next month’s Blood & Guts, which is happening despite the story not really feeling like it’s going in that direction. Thekla vs. Hayter has definitely been a feud that has been set up for a few months now, though this definitely doesn’t feel like the big blowoff to the whole thing. Both of them need a win before they get to the big match in November, so we’ll see where we go from here.

I’ll take Hayter to win here, as she can beat Thekla and then get beaten down by the rest of the Triangle Of Madness. That allows both of them to move forward towards November, which is the whole point of this. It’s a great example of a match that could be taken off the show without much being taken away, or it should have been on the Kickoff Show at best. Either way, I’ll take Hayter to win here as she continues to get back to where she was before her injury.

Jurassic Express vs. Young Bucks

This is another match for money, because just having a match for the sake of winning a match is too passe. I’m also not sure why Tony Khan would put the Bucks, who have wasted his money for years and abused their power, in a match where they can get what they want more than anything else. Other than that, it’s the Express’ first real match since they came back so now we get to see how serious they’ll be treated.

In theory, there is no reason for the Express to lose here so I’ll take them to win. They’re freshly back and seemingly popular, plus the whole point of the Bucks is that they need to be broke. Otherwise, how could they be on TV doing their wacky comedy that they’ve been doing for weeks now? Just let the Bucks lose again, as I’ll take that over them dominating the tag division for months on end.

Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand

Speaking of terrible names, we have the Demand getting another shot here, albeit in a Tornado Trios match. I’m glad they added the stipulation as it was looking like a regular six man tag coming into this, would would make for a terrible rematch after the street fight. They’ve done a nice job of making me wonder who wins here, and that’s made this a lot more interesting than it could have been.

I’ll actually go with the Demand to win here, mainly on a total hunch. In theory, they’ve got something to do going forward, as the Hurt Syndicate has already had a long Tag Team Title reign. Unless they’re going after the Trios Titles (please no), it might be time for them to see what they can do in some singles matches. The Demand might be interesting getting a push of their own and they can start that with a win here.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher(c) vs. Mark Briscoe

These two have been feuding for a good while now and it’s nice to see Briscoe getting this kind of a chance. They’re in their fifth match together and that should make for a bit more drama. It’s easier to believe that the title could change hands here, though I’m not sure I can buy the idea of Fletcher losing on back to back pay per views. That’s where things kind of fall apart here.

As you might guess, I’ll take Fletcher to retain the title here as it would be a not so great idea to have him lose another pay per view title match. Fletcher is likely going to become a big star in AEW sooner than later and is already one of the bigger names in the Don Callis Family. I’ll go with him winning here, as Briscoe winning another big match feels like quite the stretch.

Women’s Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Toni Storm

Statlander took the title from Storm last month in a four way match where she did manage to pin Storm, so at least she doesn’t feel like a paper champion. They did need to do a singles version of the title match as well though and this is it, even with Storm’s rather odd way to build towards the showdown. They could have a good match here, though I have a feeling I know where it’s going.

I’m going with Statlander to retain here due to a mixture of two things. First of all, Storm has had the title for such a long time now and it’s well past the time for someone new to get a chance. Statlander can be that someone, at least for the time being, as that brings us to the other factor. That would be Megan Bayne, who seems like she could be ready to be the first (and perhaps last) challenger to Statlander’s title reign. For that to happen, Statlander has to win here, which she will.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King(c) vs. Don Callis Family

So here we have something of a dilemma, as there are two options in this case. You could go with Okada and Takeshita falling apart and losing the title shot as a result, leaning into their long teased feud. On the other, and far more annoying hand, there is the option of “these guys don’t get along but they’re the new Tag Team Champions!” That doesn’t interest me in the slightest, so here we go.

I’ll take the Family to win, as the idea of the two of them being partners who don’t get along but have to face off in the Continental Classic is likely too tempting for Tony Khan to pass up. Bandido and King have been a nice surprise as champions, but the idea of someone being the IWGP World Champion and an AEW champion is something that AEW would pounce on if given the chance, which is what they have here. New champions abound in an annoying booking trope.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page(c) vs. Samoa Joe

This is the latest mostly thrown together title match for Page, who really hasn’t had much to do since winning the belt. That’s quite the problem, but it’s what you get when there are about fifteen people tied up in two heel stables. Your options to come for the title are limited and that’s what we’re seeing here. Joe is a fine choice for a challenger, but it all feels like we’re treading water until we get to the real challenger.

I don’t see any reason to believe that Joe is winning here so we’ll go with the logical pick of Page retaining. Page needs to beat some big names before MJF gets back to be his major challenger and Joe meets the qualifications, though he has pretty much no chance of winning here. That was obvious from the time the match was set, but at least they’ll get to beat the daylights out of each other.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

Whether it goes on last or not, this is absolutely the real main event of the show in the form of an I Quit match. The idea here is that these two will do all kinds of horrible violent things to each other and….yeah I don’t care. I’ve been utterly sick of the Death Riders and Moxley in particular for months now, and the whole deal with Allin pulling out a Molotov Cocktail the other night was the point of no return for me. It’s silly at this point and….something about climbing Mount Everest? Either way, they’re going to fight and that’s what matters here.

The thing is though, I actually think Moxley wins. They’ve been building up the idea that ALLIN WILL NOT QUIT NO MATTER WHAT for weeks now and it feels like a way to set up some big swerve where he does in fact quit. Giving Moxley another win is about as dumb of an idea as they can have, but it would not surprise me in the slightest to see them do this one more time at Full Gear. I’ll pick Moxley in a choice that already feels wrong but AEW can do some wacky things.

Overall Thoughts

As has been the case with a few of AEW’s recent shows, this does not feel like a major pay per view. The World Title match feels slapped on, the Tag Team Title match is more about the challengers’ issues with each other and Moxley vs. Allin feels like it’s going to be about doing the wackiest stunts possible. There are some interesting matches on here (Joe vs. Page should at least be entertaining and the Hurt Syndicate is always worth a look), but a 12 match card that is likely to go about five hours total (minimum) is going to make for a long, long night. As always.

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

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

Collision
Date: October 15, 2025
Location: Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, Missouri
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second half (or last third, depending on how technical you want to get) of the night as we have another hour of AEW to go. This is the last show before we get to WrestleDream on Saturday and we’ve got a good bit more build towards the show to go. Hopefully the show is on the better end of Collisions so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Death Riders vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Orange Cassidy

Yuta immediately tags out from Cassidy (just like Josh Alexander did with Kenny Omega on Dynamite) so Garcia wrestles Cassidy down to the mat. Back up and Cassidy mocks Garcia’s dance before a suplex lets O’Reilly come in. O’Reilly hammers away and it’s some kicks/lazy chops up against the ropes. Yuta gets chopped as well until Garcia pulls him outside and we take a break.

We come back with Yuta and Garcia taking turns elbowing at O’Reilly before doing it at the same time. O’Reilly kicks his way out of trouble and manages a double dragon screw legwhip. Cassidy comes in to send both of them into the buckle and a tornado DDT plants Yuta hard.

The Orange Punch is loaded up but Jon Moxley is in the crowd (Excalibur: “It’s the first time we’ve seen him since the first hour of our broadcast.” That long eh?) for a distraction. Garcia and O’Reilly strike it out as Cassidy dives onto Yuta. Marina Shafir distracts the referee, allowing Pac to jump Cassidy. O’Reilly goes after Pac but gets jumped by Claudio Castagnoli, leaving Garcia to get the pin at 12:23.

Rating: C+. Hey did you know there are a lot of Death Riders and they cheat to win? I wasn’t sure if you had gotten the point yet but here they are again. This was pretty much every Death Riders match you would see on this show, with not much of note until the ending with all of the cheating going on.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Tomohiro Ishii and Roderick Strong failing to make the save. Moxley grabs the microphone but Darby Allin limps out…and gets run over by Castagnoli. Allin keeps crawling to the ring, where Shafir gives him a running shot to the head. Allin climbs inside as everyone else but Moxley brawls to the back. That leaves Allin to pull out the AEW flag from Mt. Everest and say that Moxley can always quit. Moxley gives him a Death Rider onto the flag.

Megan Bayne comes out for her match but FTR and Stokely Hathaway join her with something to say. Actually Bayne gets the microphone to say that Willow Nightingale gave her everything she had but it wasn’t enough. Now Nightingale is coming at her with another partner and that just makes Nightingale stupid. No matter what, Nightingale will always bow down to her.

Hathaway praises Kevin Knight, but doesn’t understand why Knight hangs out with Mike Bailey, who looks like Billy Ray Cyrus with an autoimmune disorder. Harwood brags about FTR’s success but Jet Speed, Nightingale and Harley Cameron pop up on screen. They aren’t scared and are ready to fight so here they are (apparently with some tricky video work as they’re in the ring rather quickly) to take FTR out. And now for our scheduled match.

Megan Bayne vs. Harley Cameron

Bayne kicks her down to start fast but misses a charge into the corner. A running splash crushes Cameron and Bayne gives her an overhead belly to belly suplex. Back to back slams make Cameron fight back and she uses her legs to choke in the ropes. Bayne manages to pull her back in with a bottom rope superplex and we take a break.

We come back with Bayne going up top and getting pulled into the Tree Of Woe. Cameron hits a running dropkick into a spinning DDT for two as the fans approve. Bayne’s Falcon Arrow gets two but a sunset bomb out of the corner gives Cameron the same. Bayne has had it and this a running clothesline into Fate’s Descent…for two? A running Liger Bomb finishes for Bayne at 8:07.

Rating: B-. Cameron was trying hard here but she’s not going to be someone who beats Bayne at this point. Bayne is pretty clearly on her way into the title scene sooner rather than later (or at least she should be) so stacking up wins is the right way to go. I wouldn’t have had Cameron kick out of Fate’s Descent, but at least the powerbomb looked good.

Eddie Kingston and Hook want to move into the tag division so it’s an open challenge for Tailgate. It’s going to be the Swirl isn’t it?

Anthony Bowens and Max Caster bicker again and beg Tony Khan to not make them team again. AND IT’S NOT THE ACCLAIMED!

Don Callis Family vs. Mark Briscoe/Bandido/Brody King

Briscoe and Fletcher start things off and Fletcher immediately tags out (third time tonight) to Romero. Briscoe beats him up but gets distracted for a shot to the back of the head. Archer comes in and gets kicked in the head, meaning it’s off to Fletcher. That’s fine with Briscoe, who sends him into the corner so all three good guys can run him over.

We take a break and come back with Briscoe and Fletcher clotheslining each other, allowing King and Archer to come in for the slug out. Archer’s running crossbody hits King and he goes after the still banged up Bandido. Romero gets two off a double stomp but Bandido gives him the press slam. King’s backsplash gets two with Fletcher making the save. Briscoe’s running Blockbuster off the apron takes out Fletcher, leaving Romero to get caught with a sitout Tombstone for the pin at 10:57.

Rating: B. Usual nice, fast paced main event tag match here, even with Callis continuing to do the same stuff he always does to the detriment of anything he’s involved with on the show. I would have expected Briscoe to pin Fletcher here to give their match some more momentum, but this works as well with Bandido and King still establishing themselves as a top team. Good stuff here and easily the best match on the show.

Briscoe and Fletcher brawl to the back and here is El Clon for a distraction. Kazuchika Okada comes in to take out Bandido and Brody King on his own to pose with the titles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice enough show here, though I’m only somewhat interested in WrestleDream. AEW just does not have much in the way of hot stories at the moment and it was showing here. Instead, it’s a lot more of the Death Riders and the Don Callis Family, which doesn’t offer much in the way of excitement. The action was good, but come up with something a bit more interesting to get that action going.

Results
Death Riders b. Kyle O’Reilly/Orange Cassidy – Clothesline to O’Reilly
Megan Bayne b. Harley Cameron – Running Liger Bomb
Mark Briscoe/Bandido/Brody King b. Don Callis Family – Sitout Tombstone to Romero

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

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

Collision
Date: October 11, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s Homecoming, meaning we’re back where the show has only been a few times over the years. It’s hard to say what we’re getting here, but with WrestleDream in a week, I would hope that some more of the pay per view card starts to come together. Hopefully the show is a bit more interesting this time around. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Triangle Of Madness, Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander, Toni Storm, Bryan Keith, Big Bill, Anthony Bowens, Max Caster (bickering with Bowens), FTR, Penelope Ford, Jet Speed and Willow Nightingale are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Kota Ibushi vs. Josh Alexander

Don Callis is here with Alexander. Feeling out process to start with Alexander taking him up against the ropes. They do the same thing with the roles reversed and Alexander bails out to the floor. Back in and Alexander shoulders him down but Ibushi slips out of a fireman’s carry to send Alexander outside. The slingshot dive drops Alexander again but he’s right back with a DDT on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Ibushi grabbing a powerslam but getting caught on the top. Ibushi slips out of that and grabs a dragon suplex before kicking Alexander in the face. A standing moonsault gives Ibushi two but Alexander rolls through into an ankle lock. That doesn’t last long (it rarely does for Alexander) and he hits a torture rack bomb.

Ibushi shrugs that off and hits a running knee for two more. Alexander is right back with a World’s Strongest Slam onto the apron, followed by a running forearm for another near fall. They go up top and crash down to the floor…Ibushi has broken his leg. Alexander wins via a quick countout at 14:01.

Rating: B-. They were getting going near the end here before the injury and egads there is nothing good about that. I’m not sure how much of a future Ibushi is going to have given his injury issues, but odds are this is going to be another long time away from the ring. That’s going to be a big change of pace for everyone and hopefully AEW has a fresh idea in mind for where to go next.

Post match Callis grabs the mic and says this is what happens when you mess with the Family. Mark Davis returns to go after Ibushi but Kenny Omega runs in for the save. It was a messy angle, but given the circumstances, I’m thinking that can be excused.

Mark Briscoe knows Kyle Fletcher fears him and it’s time for Briscoe to finally win the TNT Title.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

Bryan Keith/Big Bill vs. Max Caster/Anthony Bowens

Caster and Keith start things off, mainly due to Caster tagging himself in. Keith takes him down to start but Bowens tags himself in, with Caster kicking some of Bowens’ magazine covers away. A facebuster takes Keith down and it’s off to Bill for a change. Caster and Bowens argue over who has to fight him until Caster gets his eyes raked and back forearmed.

A shot to the face staggers Bill though and Bowens comes in with a running Fameasser. Bowens and Caster stare at each other until Bill pulls Bowens outside. Caster gets double teamed and we take a break. We come back with Keith holding Bowens in a headlock, which is broken up so Caster can springboard in to start the comeback. A Death Valley Driver gets two on Keith but Bowens breaks up a top rope elbow. That’s enough for Bowens and Caster to argue, leaving Bowens to Mollywop Keith for the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C+. Well, it’s better than the five minute challenges and Bowens just floating around with nothing important to do. I’m not sure where this is going, but it seems something like a reunion where they get along in spite of their issues. The team was great in their day and it’s not like either of them was doing anything on their own anyway, so this is at least an upgrade.

The Bang Bang Gang is in the back when Bryan Keith and Big Bill run in for the argument.

Anna Jay/Tay Melo vs. Dream Girl Ellie/Carolina Cruz

Jay backs Cruz into the corner to start and a double hip attack crushes her head. A running faceplant drops Ellie and everything breaks down. Some running kicks in the corner set up a Gory Bomb into a knee from Melo for the pin at 2:11.

The Conglomeration is ok while Mark Briscoe is away. They don’t like that other Kyle and Willow Nightingale does Briscoe’s sendoff. And better than she should be doing.

Video on the Demand vs. Hurt Syndicate, who will fight again at WrestleDream.

We look back at Darby Allin almost lighting a Molotov Cocktail on Dynamite. Because that was a thing. Nigel McGuinness: “They have lost the plot.” Allin and Jon Moxley got in a fight at New York City Comic Con as well.

The Death Riders don’t think much of Allin, with Pac accusing him of using too many weapons and props.

Toni Storm/Kris Statlander/Harley Cameron vs. Triangle Of Madness

Storm jumps Thekla and knocks her into the corner to start, followed by a Thesz press. Cameron comes in and, after escaping Blue’s fireman’s carry, hits a basement dropkick. Statlander drops Cameron onto Blue for two but Blue pulls Statlander into the corner. Hart comes in and takes Cameron down with a DDT and we take a break.

We come back with Cameron fighting out of trouble but Blue knocks Storm off the apron. That doesn’t last long as Storm is back up and gets the tag to come in and clean house. Storm Zero is broken up and Blue’s superkick allows the tag back to Hart. The double suplex is broken up and Storm hands it back to Statlander, who drops Blue onto Hart for two. Everything breaks down and Statlander almost superkicks Storm by mistake so the villains throw them into each other. Thekla spears Cameron for the win at 11:27.

Rating: C+. The Triangle is a good enough team, though I’m almost worried about who is going to join them for Blood & Guts next month. The lineups are still moving around a bit, though Storm and Statlander would make perfect sense. This was a nice way to get the Triangle looking stronger, which has been done fairly well since their debut.

Kenny Omega is sick of Don Callis and is ready to deal with him. Jack Perry comes in and Omega isn’t happy, but Perry is sorry for what happened to Kota Ibushi. Perry has his back and goes to leave but Omega wants to know what is going on. Perry says they have the same enemies, though Omega isn’t convinced. He does not have Perry’s back, but if Perry wants to prove something, he can do it on Dynamite. This was a more serious than usual Omega.

Kris Statlander and Harley Cameron say things are not getting tense between Statlander and Toni Storm. Cameron says she can’t team with Statlander to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles but Statlander gets it, as she has to defend the Women’s Title. Cameron thinks that means she’s a tag team orphan (she manages to make that sound so sad) but Wheeler Yuta interrupts. Storm interrupts the interruption and yells at Statlander before pulling her shirt open.

Here is MxM TV for their casting call. They’re ready to fight, as last week the Don Callis Family failed to defeat them, just like the people here failed to make their parents proud.

MxM TV vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

Dralistico takes over on TV to start and drops him with a spinning kick to the head. Guevara comes in for a dropkick but gets to face Maddin, who chokebombs him down for two. Dralistico and Rush come in for a double basement dropkick to Maddin, only for Taya Valkyrie to hurricanrana Dralistico on the floor. Everything breaks down and Dralistico hits a top rope Codebreaker on Mansoor. The Bull’s Horns and an ugly Swanton finishes Mansoor at 3:47.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but they crammed in quite a bit with the amount they had. LFI is getting some more attention and television time in the last few weeks, which is only so much of a good idea in a company with multiple big heel stables. TV losing over and over isn’t a bad thing, though it feels a lot like what Max Caster was doing a few months ago.

Eddie Kingston vs. The Beast Mortos

They trade running shoulders to start with Kingston getting the better of things. The threat of the spinning backfist sends Mortos bailing to the floor, with Kingston grabbing a headlock back inside. Mortos knocks him down though and we take a break. We come back with Mortos getting two off a running clothesline but missing a running knee in the corner. A hangman’s neckbreaker gives Kingston two and they take turns biting each other’s hands. Mortos gets two off a spear but he misses a corkscrew moonsault. The spinning backfist finishes for Kingston at 8:00.

Rating: C+. This was the best Kingston has looked since he’s come back, which might be due to the match not running very long. At the same time, Kingston got to brawl a bit more here, which suits him that much better. He’s still finding his footing after such a long break, but there is only so much you can get out of matches like these.

The Triangle Of Madness is jumped by Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata. Security breaks it up.

Katsuyori Shibata is back and issues a challenger to LFI for a Trios Titles match on Dynamite.

FTR/Megan Bayne vs. Jet Speed/Willow Nightingale

Stokely Hathaway and Penelope Ford are here too. The women start things off and shove each other away a few times, with an exchange of shoulders goes nowhere. Bayne knocks her down but Nightingale is back up with some clotheslines in the corner. Knight and Harwood come in, with Harwood taking over, only for Knight to fire off some dropkicks. Wheeler gets dropkicked off the apron and Knight hits a springboard clothesline on Harwood. Nightingale Cannonballs Harwood to give Knight two but Bayne shoves Harwood out of the way of a dive.

We take a break and come back with Bailey getting the tag to clean house, including Knight dropkicking Harwood into a rollup for two. Everything breaks down and Bayne hits a dive to the floor. Harwood brainbusters Bailey for two but Bailey is back with his bouncing kicks. A tornado DDT drops Wheeler but Bayne comes in to forearm Bailey. He takes her down for a change and hands it off to Nightingale, who beats up FTR (to the fans’ delight).

Knight dives onto Wheeler as Nightingale spinebusters Harwood for two. Ford’s distraction breaks up the Babe With The Powerbomb but the villains get caught in stereo half crabs. Those are broken up so Jet Speed dives onto FTR on the floor. That leaves Bayne to powerbomb Nightingale out of the corner for the pin at 14:41.

Rating: B. This was a fun brawl with Nightingale being strong enough to hang with FTR. That made for some good moments, though Bayne continues to smash through most of the competition. There is a good chance that she’ll wind up in Blood & Guts, though after that she needs to win some singles gold in a hurry.

Post match Bayne and Ford go after Nightingale again but Harley Cameron makes the save with a guitar handle.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice show here, though they are banking a lot on that women’s Blood & Guts match. It’s the dominant story around here and that’s kind of an issue, as we don’t even know a lot of the lineup yet. You can piece enough of it together from here, but dang that’s a bit of a gamble. Other than that, it was the usual midcard content around here, which went well enough, though it was a pretty run of the mill week.

Results
Josh Alexander b. Kota Ibushi via countout
Max Caster/Anthony Bowens b. Bryan Keith/Big Bill – Mollywop to Keith
Anna Jay/Tay Melo b. Dream Girl Ellie/Carolina Cruz – Gory Bomb/knee lift combination to Ellie
Triangle Of Madness b. Toni Storm/Kris Statlander/Harley Cameron – Spear to Cameron
La Faccion Ingobernable b. MxM TV – Swanton Bomb to Mansoor
Eddie Kingston b. The Beast Mortos – Spinning backfist
FTR/Megan Bayne b. Jet Speed/Willow Nightingale – Powerbomb to Nightingale

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

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

Dynamite
Date: October 7, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson, Taz

It’s Title Tuesday and that means it’s time to get ready for WrestleDream in just over a week. As usual, this show is going to be focused on titles and there are quite a few to pick from around here. In this case, we have an open challenge for the TBS Title and a tag match which could determine a #1 contender for three different titles. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page and Samoa Joe for a face to face chat. Page talks about the various things he has done on this show over the years, from arson to dressing up as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but he has never been as confused as he was last week when Samoa Joe lost it. That makes him think Joe is angry and he has been for a long time.

Now Joe is going to get the World Title shot and Page is making sure that he gets it because he owes Joe. That ends at WrestleDream though. Joe says everything Page has said is true and now it’s time for him to say some uncomfortable truths. The reality is that Page isn’t a real champion because he’ll give someone an opportunity of a lifetime and then face them in ten minutes to pad his stats.

That’s not going to work with Joe at WrestleDream, where he’s going to choke Page out and take his title. Page knows he’s going to take a beating at WrestleDream but he’ll hit Joe twice as much. Then Page is going to beat him once and for all and after, he hopes Joe can shake his hand and admit that Page is the World Champion. Thankfully they kept this short as they didn’t have much to say and it didn’t need to go long.

The Conglomeration is ready to win tonight and on Collision. Kyle O’Reilly better not hear one LET’S GO KYLE chant when he faces Kyle Fletcher because he can’t stand anyone else with that name. What a specific issue.

Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. Shockingly enough, they trade strikes to start and then go outside for more forearms. Ishii gets the better of things but Shafir gets in a distraction, allowing Moxley to knock him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Moxley hammering away in the corner again, which wakes Ishii up. A suplex drops Moxley, who is right back with a sleeper, which is reversed into a belly to back suplex.

Moxley hammers away in the corner until a powerbomb gets Ishii out of trouble. Ishii hits a running clothesline for two and they trade hard shots to the head until both of them are down. Moxley grabs a jumping cutter for two but Ishii pops up from a powerbomb. A curb stomp gives Moxley two so Ishii goes for a choke, which is countered into the Paradigm Shift. The rear naked choke finishes for Moxley at 12:41.

Rating: B-. As soon as Ishii got up from the Paradigm Shift, I was expecting Ishii to lose by submission within about fifteen seconds, which is pretty much exactly what happens. It’s a recurring pattern in AEW’s match structures, much like trading a lot of forearms in the middle of the ring. You know what you’re going to get with an Ishii match and it was on full display here.

The Young Bucks are trying to talk to Tony Khan (they need money, again) but will be there to watch the Jurassic Express later.

Video on Kris Statlander vs. Toni Storm.

We look at the Triangle Of Madness laying out Statlander and Storm on Collision.

Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand

Street fight. They start the brawl on the ramp until Liona takes Lashley inside for a Samoan drop onto some chairs. They’re already outside with Ricochet and MVP coming inside to grapple against the ropes. A crutch to the back has Kaun in trouble and he gets inside with Benjamin. That doesn’t last long as they go outside as well, where Ricochet hits a big running flip dive to knock the pile down.

We take a break and come back with the Demand in control, including some slams on the floor. Lashley gets knocked down and a chair but gets up, where his spear is cut off with a chair to the head. The Gates send Lashley through a table and Kaun’s elbow puts him through a second. MVP and Liona crash through a barricade, leaving Benjamin to get double spinebustered for two.

Ricochet shooting stars Benjamin on a table, which doesn’t break (OUCH), so Liona and MVP crash onto Benjamin to really break the thing. Somehow Benjamin gets back up to strike away and backdrop Ricochet out to the floor. Ricochet gets back in and takes a knee from Benjamin to save Liona as Lashley is back up. The spear drops Ricochet and then Liona, followed by a spinebuster to put Kaun through a table. Back in and Benjamin gives Ricochet a GREAT release German suplex through a table for the pin at 16:36.

Rating: B. This one worked quite a bit better than the previous version, as the Demand winning before made me believe they could do it again here. That sounds minor, but it made all the difference in the matches. They also got a nice bit of time and were able to make it feel like a fight, which is what you want out of something like this. Good match, with the weapons and violence feeling more appropriate.

The Don Callis Family has some matches coming up, with Don Callis accusing Kyle O’Reilly naming himself after Kyle Fletcher. They’re ready to beat everyone they’re facing.

Jurassic Express vs. O’Ryan/KM

Perry (and it’s now Jungle Jack Perry, which is light years ahead of Jungle Boy if he’s supposed to be taken seriously) takes O’Ryan (who doesn’t even get a first name) into the corner and then hurricanranas him down. A dropkick connects as the Young Bucks are stuck sitting in the crowd with some random kids.

Luchasaurus comes in for a suplex and just drops O’Ryan in a good spot. A beach ball is thrown in and thrown back out (amen) and the Extinction finishes O’Ryan at 2:40. This was an effective squash, with Jurassic Express doing well with the big man/little man style. That can work very well for them, as long as Perry isn’t treated as too serious of a star again.

Post match the Bucks run in and beat the Express down. Well it was nice while it lasted. The Bucks challenge the Express for WrestleDream and then lay Perry out with a TK Driver.

The Death Riders, now seemingly with Pac as an official member, are outside, where they promise to take out Orange Cassidy tonight.

TNT Title: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher (with Lance Archer) is defending and we’re finally at a title match almost halfway into the show. Don Callis joins commentary as O’Reilly takes Fletcher down. A kneebar sends Fletcher over to the ropes so O’Reilly goes after the arm instead. O’Reilly double legs him and hammers away to send Fletcher outside. The running knee drops Fletcher again but he’s right back with a Michinoku Driver as we take a break.

We come back with O’Reilly hitting a German suplex and going back to the arm, including a hammerlock guillotine. O’Reilly switches back to the leg, with Fletcher heading over to the rope. They strike it out on the apron until O’Reilly hits a big running dive off the apron. Back in and Fletcher can’t get a brainbuster but can lawn dart him into the buckle. They slug it out until O’Reilly grabs a reverse fisherman’s suplex for two. A Boom gives O’Reilly two more and he goes back to the ankle lock. Fletcher breaks that up and hits a brainbuster, followed by another brainbuster to retain at 13:11.

Rating: B. These two have good chemistry together and they made it work again here, with O’Reilly not being the most likely new champion but giving it a heck of a go on the way. The idea of trying to take Fletcher apart limb by limb is a good story for the match and it worked well. Fletcher is going to need a bigger challenger soon though and there are more than a few options to come for the title.

Post match Archer goes after O’Reilly but the Conglomeration comes in for the save. More of the Don Callis Family comes in so Mark Briscoe is in as well to stare Fletcher away.

Post break Fletcher is not pleased with Briscoe coming out there after a big title match. To make it worse, he has to defend against Briscoe at WrestleDream.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. ???

Mone is defending against…Lacey Lane (formerly Kayden Carter in WWE), who is from Florida as Mone requested. Mone works on the arm to start but gets rolled up for two. Lane avoids a running dropkick in the corner and gets two more on Mone, who has to bail outside. That lets Lane dance a bit, followed by a basement superkick back inside. A hanging Pedigree gives Lane two and we take a break.

We come back with Lane kicking her down but Mone grabs Three Amigos. The frog splash hits raised knees though and they trade some strikes to the face. A Codebreaker sends Lane into the corner, where the running knees miss. Lane is back with a springboard spinning legdrop for two and they trade rollups for two each. Mone manages a quick Mone Maker to retain at 9:24.

Rating: B-. It was a nice debut for Lane (which came after her debut in ROH a few weeks ago) who put in a solid first appearance. She gave Mone a good fight and while there was no reason to believe she was going to win the title, which is an issue for everyone who challenges for the title. Either way, good stuff here and far better than it could have been.

Sammy Guevara promises that The Beast Mortos will destroy Eddie Kingston on Collision.

Kingston, with Hook, will see them on Collision.

Don Callis Family vs. Bandido/Brody King

Non-title, but if either Bandido or King win they get a Unified Title shot, but if the Family win, they get a Tag Team Title shot. Kazuchika Okada’s entrance cuts off Konosuke Takeshita’s, which isn’t sitting well with the latter. Bandido, with his bad shoulder, starts with Takeshita, who is smart enough to go after the bad arm.

An armdrag sends Takeshita into the corner for a shot from King, who drops Bandido onto him for a bonus. Okada comes in and gets chopped hard in the corner before Bandido adds a dropkick. King gets sent to the apron and high/lowed to the floor, where Takeshita and Okada have a staredown as we take a break.

We come back with King belly to back suplexing his way out of trouble and hitting a double clothesline. Bandido comes back in and scores with a spinning high crossbody on Okada. A suplex gets two with Takeshita making the save King drops Okada so this time Takeshita shoves Bandido into them for the save. King is back up with a Boss Man Slam to Takeshita but Okada gets smart by going after the bad arm.

Takeshita gets in a rather impressive wheelbarrow suplex to King and he goes after the bad arm to drop Bandido again. Takeshita’s running knee hits Okada by mistake and the X Knee connects for Bandido. The arm gives out on the 21 Plex attempt though and Takeshita grabs a poisonrana. The running knee is loaded up but Okada tags himself in and hits the Rainmaker for the pin on Bandido at 12:02.

Rating: B. You had two stories taking place here at the same time and they meshed together well enough to set up the title match later on. Takeshita and Okada are still having troubles and those very well could boil over when they get to the title match. Bandido’s shoulder being banged up cost them the match and it made sense for the villains to work on it throughout. Good stuff here and the rematch should be better.

Jet Speed and Willow Nightingale aren’t worried about FTR and Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne.

Stokely Hathaway and FTR can respect Jet Speed just a bit, but they don’t think much of Willow Nightingale. Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford don’t either.

Bandido and Brody King are ready to defend the Tag Team Titles against the Don Callis Family at WrestleDream.

Orange Cassidy vs. Pac

They fight over wrist control to start before Cassidy does the lazy kicks. Pac isn’t having that and picks the leg to grind away on a headlock. A flying mare into an armbar gets Cassidy out of trouble and they head outside, where Pac gets in a suplex. We take a break and come back with Pac hitting a missile dropkick before shrugging off the lazy chops. They trade some more aggressive forearms until Pac grabs a rebound German suplex.

Cassidy knocks him right back down and we get a double breather. The fight heads outside again and Cassidy hits a Stundog Millionaire, followed by a DDT. There’s an Orange Punch onto the announcers’ table, followed by the hands in the pockets…fall? Dive? Either way, Cassidy follows it up with a tornado DDT back inside.

Cassidy goes up so Pac slowly rolls away (as Cassidy did to him once before) and they go out into the crowd. Pac Tombstones him onto a platform and Cassidy rolls down the steps…but Darby Allin pops up to tape Cassidy’s foot to a railing. Cassidy manages to get back in (What Tombstone?) and Pac dives over the top as well, only for Cassidy to roll him up for the pin at 15:39.

Rating: B. The ending was more than a bit overbooked, but that’s pretty normal for AEW> Pac losing so soon after his return is a bit of a stretch, though I’ll take it over Cassidy losing again so soon. These two have a history together and it does feel like a big enough match, so this was a good way to go for the main event.

Post match Allin yells at Pac, who gives chase but gets cut off by a taser. The rest of the Death Riders chase Allin as well and security cuts Allin off before he can….light a Molotov cocktail. Because that’s a thing. Security holds Allin down to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this was a heck of a show, ridiculously goofy ending aside. There was nothing close to bad on here and everyone was working hard throughout. They also boosted up WrestleDream, which is looking like a better card than it was coming into this week. Daily’s Place seems to bring out the best in AEW and that was certainly the case here.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Tomohiro Ishii – Rear naked choke
Hurt Syndicate b. The Demand – Release German suplex to Ricochet through a table
Jurassic Express b. O’Ryan/KM – Extinction to O’Ryan
Kyle Fletcher b. Kyle O’Reilly – Brainbuster
Mercedes Mone b. Lacey Lane – Mone Maker
Don Callis Family b. Bandido/Brody King – Rainmaker to Bandido
Orange Cassidy b. Pac – Rollup

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

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

Dynamite
Date: September 24, 2025
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Bryan Danielson

We’re done with All Out and only so many things came out of the show. There is only so much coming out of the pay per view, which saw Hangman Page retaining the World Title, though Kris Statlander won the Women’s Title in a huge upset. We’re coming up on WrestleDream in less than a month so let’s get to it.

Here is All Out if you need a recap.

Hangman Page praises Kyle Fletcher for his efforts at All Out and warns him to not waste his chance. As for tonight, he’s facing Lee Moriarty, who better be ready.

Tag Team Titles: Gates Of Agony vs. Bandido/Brody King

Bandido/King are defending and before the match, Ricochet promises that the Gates will win. King and Liona start things off but Bandido wants to come in for a loud chop. That just seems to annoy Liona, who takes Bandido into the corner so Kaun can come in. Kaun runs him over and gives him a slam, followed by Liona coming in to do the same. Bandido manages to slip away from Liona though and it’s back to King to power away on both Gates.

Kaun can’t get King in a fireman’s carry so King hits a hard clothesline. The Gates get back up for a middle rope elbow/Backstabber combination for two and we take a break. We come back with a double belly to back slam and a pair of backsplashes getting two on King. Liona is sent into Kaun in the corner and King manages a Cannonball. The much needed tag brings in Bandido who…dances and gyrates his hips? Liona misses a charge into the corner and Bandido GORILLA PRESSES Kaun into him (ok that got me) for two.

Liona blocks the 21 Plex and Bandido is put on top, where King electric chairs the Gates down. King takes Liona outside for the crossbody against the barricade but…well we’re not sure as the camera misses it, but we do see Liona throwing King over the barricade. Bandido misses a frog splash so Ricochet tries to bring in a chair, which is quickly cut off and earns Ricochet an ejection. Kaun drops Bandido with a clothesline and Open The Gates gets two, with King making the save. King dives onto Liona, leaving Bandido to hit the 21 Plex to retain the titles at 14:55.

Rating: B. This was a hard fought match, though I’m not sure why you would have the Gates win on Saturday and then lose here. The team’s biggest issue is that they rarely win in big matches so once they get a big win, they’re right back to losing in another big match. It was another good win for Bandido and King, though I’m almost scared to know who is going to be coming after them next.

The Conglomeration is ready to take out the Don Callis Family tonight and they have a surprise partner. The WORD OF THE DAY is MYSTERY but ORANGE you glad they have so many options to pick from. However, you will not be able to SQUEEZE this JUICY information out of him. Their future is so bright that they have to put on their sunglasses. Kyle O’Reilly calls the interviewer Jane, asks where his mind is, and whistles as he leaves. It’s going to be Jerry Sags isn’t it?

Hologram’s clone video plays.

Kris Statlander (with cheerleader Harley Cameron) is sore from her match but happy to win the title. She needs to face Mina Shirakawa tonight because someone needs to be first. As for being associated with the Death Riders, she says you can make fast decisions.

Video on Lee Moriarty.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Lee Moriarty

Page is defending. They shake hands to start (as Moriarty is a good guy for one night only) as Danielson gets in his regular praise for Blue Panther. Moriarty takes him down into a headscissors, which is broken up rather quickly for a standoff. A test of strength takes Moriarty down but Page lets him up and hits a big boot.

We take a break and come back with Moriarty landing on the apron, where he hits a springboard clothesline for two. They lock hands and strike it out until a fall away slam sends Moriarty falling away. Moriarty counters a Deadeye into an Octopus and then the Border City Stretch. That’s broken up in a hurry though and Page hits a quick Deadeye to retain at 9:55.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t exactly a match where there was supposed to be doubt about the win and it was good to Moriarty basically dropping Shane Taylor Promotions for one night. If he’s the hometown star, you don’t want to see him lose while as a villain so this was the way it should have gone. Page winning a quick match like this is fine, though hopefully it isn’t something that happens too often, as the title being on the line should feel special.

Back at All Out, Adam Copeland was rather nervous about what happened to his wife Beth. Copeland said he can’t do this anymore because it’s not the first time his family has been hurt. He has to go take care of his family and he isn’t sure if he’ll be back. Christian Cage said he doesn’t have a family anymore so Copeland can go take care of his. Copeland says Cage does have a family and offers a handshake, which Cage accepts. Are we doing this thing again where Beth is destroyed by a single move? I’m guessing we’re just forgetting that she’s a Hall Of Fame wrestler who has survived a lot before but this just wrecks her.

Here is FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a chat. Cash Wheeler talks about how what happened at All Out was never supposed to happen. They wanted to get rid of Copeland and Cage and move back towards the Tag Team Titles. What happened was ALL Copeland’s fault and Hathaway forgives Beth for what she did. He was coming out to introduce himself and he ALLOWED her to spear him.

The reality is Copeland and Cage needed her to win and that b….that BETH doesn’t even work here. Dax Harwood isn’t going to apologize for attacking Copeland, but he would never hurt Beth on purpose. The reality is he was blinded because his eyes were watering and he gave her a piledriver by mistake.

This brings out Willow Nightingale, who suggests that they are in fact LYING. She’s here to talk about Beth Phoenix, who is one of the reasons she became a wrestler. Women like Beth are the reason that women like her don’t take s*** from guys like Harwood. Hathaway tells her to watch the Proud Family and go to sleep so Nightingale goes after him. FTR grabs her but Jet Speed runs in for the save.

After All Out, MJF talks about how he was the biggest star in the world. Then he lost everything and went away for a bit and while he’s glad he accomplished so many things, he’s been doubting himself so much. The tacks in his back represent doubts and he’s going away for awhile. He’s not coming back until he can be back to his old self. And he’ll do it his way.

Here is the Don Callis Family for the six man tag, but first Don Callis wants to unveil his new painting. The painting is wheeled out and it’s….destroyed by the returning Orange Cassidy! Dang it I was really hoping for Jerry Sags. Anyway the fight is on fast.

Don Callis Family vs. Conglomeration

Cassidy dropkicks some of the Family down to start until Briscoe makes the save. The good guys clean house with dives, with Cassidy adding a fall off the top. That’s enough of the pre-match stuff so we actually get the opening bell. Cassidy and Hechicero start things off before it’s off to Briscoe to rain down right hands in the corner. Hologram gets to do the same, with Cassidy getting to put in one punch for a funny moment.

We settle down to Hologram coming in but getting taken down by Hechicero, who grabs a crossarm choke. A cutter plants Hologram again and we take a break. We come back with Hechicero going after Hologram’s knee but Hologram is back with a rather spinning headscissors. Okada comes in to run people off the apron but Hologram ducks a tag and brings in Briscoe. A fisherman’s buster gets two on Okada and Cassidy adds a Stundog Millionaire.

Everything breaks down and Cassidy hurricanranas Takeshita and Okada at the same time. Hechicero is back in with a headscissor driver to Hologram but Briscoe suplexes Okada. Takeshita gives Hologram a kneeling tombstone but Hologram is right back with a Canadian Destroyer. Cassidy gives Hechicero an Orange Punch and Hologram’s spinning torture rack bomb finishes him off at 10:36.

Rating: B-. This was the usual fun stuff and it was nice to have Cassidy back. Like him or not, he’s one of the most popular stars in AEW and having him back was a big upgrade for the show. He’s someone who is going to be slotted into an important spot almost immediately and now we get to see what is next for him, and maybe even Hologram. And Briscoe, who won a big match and is put into a six man where the focus was on his mystery partner.

Post match here is Kyle Fletcher, who says he will be World Champion one day. He felt terrible on Sunday and he’s going to become the greatest TNT Champion ever. That can start next week against….Hologram. Well it’s about time someone brought that up.

Mina Shirakawa is worried that she hasn’t heard from Toni Storm, but tonight she’s going to fight for the title.

Video on Jurassic Express, who reunited after a LONG time apart at All Out.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Hobbs comes through the crowd and hammers away to start, meaning it’s time for a slugout. That leaves both of them staggered but Hobbs is back up with some slams. A belly to back suplex doesn’t do much to Hobbs, who slams him a few more times. Castagnoli’s chinlock doesn’t work as they crash out to the floor, where they slug it out again. Hobbs misses a charge into the steps though and Castagnoli sends him over the barricade.

That’s not enough so Castagnoli drops him onto the barricade and we take a break. We come back with Hobbs powering out of a camel clutch but getting knocked back down for two. Hobbs gets back up for the slugout and some running splashes in the corner have Castagnoli in more trouble. Castagnoli is able to catch him on top with a superplex though and that’s quite the big crash from someone like Hobbs.

A snap powerslam plants Castagnoli though and the corner clotheslines rock him again. Two more slams plant Castagnoli but he blocks the third and tries some clotheslines. That just wakes Hobbs up for a clothesline of his own and a slam, but here is Pac for a distraction. Castagnoli gets a small package for the pin at 11:36.

Rating: B-. There was something fun about watching two big strong guys like this beat the fire out of each other and it was a solid performance for Hobbs. The interference helps protect him, though Pac looking like an overly muscular Austin Aries isn’t helping him. It’s good to have him back for the time being though, even if it isn’t likely to last long.

Post match Samoa Joe chases Pac off and Hobbs clotheslines Castagnoli to the floor. The Death Riders run in for the beatdown but Hangman Page makes the save (returning a favor to the Opps).

President Tony Khan has a big announcement: the introduction of Women’s Tag Team Titles. Renee Paquette gets to unveil the new titles. The division has some teams so it’s not out of nowhere, but there are SO MANY titles already and so much else going on that there is barely time for everything AEW already has going on. If that isn’t fixed, these titles are going to get lost in the shuffle really, really fast.

Women’s Title: Mina Shirakawa vs. Kris Statlander

Statlander is defending and Wheeler Yuta is at ringside. A shoulder puts Shirakawa down to start and a standing moonsault gives Statlander two. Shirakawa ducks a clothesline and does her dance, earning her a quick belly to back suplex. Statlander misses a charge into the corner though and Shirakawa starts in on the knees. Said knees are sent into the apron and steps but Statlander drops all of her onto the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Shirakawa hitting a Sling Blade, followed by a dancing double knee stomp. Statlander is able to get back up for a high kick into a Falcon Arrow for two but Shirakawa takes the knee out again. A top rope Sling Blade gives Shirakawa two and she rolls into the Figure Four. The rope is reached so Shirakawa strikes her down for two but Statlander is right back with the seatbelt to retain at 11:07.

Rating: B. Putting Statlander out there for a win is fine, though dang it feels like Shirakawa loses a lot. In theory Statlander is going to get a rematch with Toni Storm sooner than later, and that’s the kind of win that’s going to really make her a big deal. Assuming it happens of course.

Post match Yuta gets in the ring to celebrate but here is Harley Cameron to even things out. The Death Riders, including Jon Moxley, show up as well and Statlander seems to join the team…only to clothesline Yuta. She even flips off Moxley and runs off into the crowd. Eh it’s close enough to DDP and the NWO that I’ll take it. Cue Darby Allin with a flamethrower to scare the team away. Allin issues a challenge for an I Quit match at WrestleDream. Oh that could go very badly.

Overall Rating: B+. This was quite the show, with solid action throughout and some stuff being made for upcoming shows. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going after a good pay per view and a rather strong Dynamite. The ending made Statlander look like a fresh star and that is something the women’s division has been needing for a good while. Throw in Cassidy being back and anything involving Pac vs. Joe and AEW has me interested going forward.

Results
Bandido/Brody King b. Gates Of Agony – 21 Plex to Kaun
Hangman Page b. Lee Moriarty – Deadeye
Conglomeration b. Don Callis Family – Spinning torture rack bomb to Hechicero
Claudio Castagnoli b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Small package
Kris Statlander b. Mina Shirakawa – Seatbelt

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

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

All Out 2025
Date: September 20, 2025
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Bryan Danielson

It’s back to pay per view and the show is looking decent at best. The main event, or at least the World Title match, is Hangman Page defending against Kyle Fletcher, whose TNT Title isn’t on the line. Other than that we have Darby Allin facing Jon Moxley in a coffin match, which could go in a few ways. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Opps vs. WorkHorsemen

Henry strikes away at Hobbs to no avail to start and gets slammed down a few times to start. Drake breaks up the seventh or so slam, only to take it himself. It’s off to Joe for the snap jabs to the seated Drake but Henry comes back in with a DDT for two. Joe is right back with a powerslam and it’s back to Hobbs to run both WorkHorsemen over. Drake tries a dropkick and Joe walks away, setting up the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 5:22.

Rating: C-. This is a good example of a match that works fine if it starts ten minutes before the pay per view to warm the fans up a bit. Instead, it’s one of four matches with a team who is two thirds of the Trios Champions beating a team that means absolutely nothing in AEW. This added nothing other than content for the sake of content and that’s not the most thrilling start.

Kickoff Show: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Daniel Garcia

Marina Shafir is here with Garcia. Shibata charges in and boots him in the face to start fast as they’re quickly out on the floor. Garcia gets sent into the barricade as Shibata is more aggressive than usual here. We actually take a break and come back with Garcia ignoring Matt Menard (smart move) and dropkicking the steps into Shibata’s head. A basement forearm gives Garcia two and they trade forearms, as is their custom.

An exchange of German suplexes leaves Garcia down in the corner but he escapes a triangle choke. They go to the apron with Garcia hitting a Death Valley Driver and we take another break. We come back with an exchange of slaps leaving both of them down. Another exchange of forearms lets Garcia get a front chancery into a piledriver for two. Shibata is back up with the sleeper and Garcia taps but Shafir has the referee. The distraction lets Garcia hit a Gotch style piledriver and a curb stomp for the pin at 14:48.

Rating: C+. Well, Garcia is now a villain and getting to do matches like this. I mean, nothing is really different about him and he’s still about as dull as he was before, but now he has Shafir helping him win. He’s perfectly acceptable as a midcard guy, but if AEW tries to push him beyond that, I don’t see it going well.

Kickoff Show: Hologram/Paragon vs. Frat House

The Frat House jump the good guys to start but that’s broken up in a hurry. Strong suplexes Hologram onto Vance but a distraction lets him send O’Reilly throat first into the ropes. O’Reilly is right back up for the tag off to Hologram to clean house and a triple strike puts Vance down. Hologram hits a big dive and a top rope double stomp finishes Garrison at 3:18.

Rating: C. It was a match you might see on any given edition of Ring Of Honor, though I can appreciate just getting them in and out rather than wasting time on something where the result was never in doubt. The Frat House means nothing in AEW (and have barely ever wrestled here) while Hologram never loses (and never moves up the card). At least Paragon didn’t lose again, though I’m sure they will in the next match that matters in the slightest.

Kickoff Show: Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford/Triangle Of Madness vs. Harley Cameron/Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale

Tornado Tailgate Brawl, basically meaning a street fight. Cameron and company get into a football formation to start and throw something, which is enough of a distraction for them to run over the villains. Bayne isn’t having that and starts throwing people to the floor before getting a slugout with Nightingale. Everyone gets back in and it’s a quadruple suplex for Bayne’s team to get sent flying. It’s time to bust out the weapons and we take an early break.

We come back with Nightingale being powerbombed onto…I think it’s a cooler? Shirakawa and Aminata come back in and swing a cooler each to take over. Ford is put in a trashcan for a handspring elbow in the corner before Nightingale Pounces Bayne. The Triangle is put in a barbecue grill, leaving Ford to get caught in the Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin at 11:29.

Rating: B-. I had fun with this as it was a big themed brawl, but more importantly, the match had been set up in recent weeks. This was the biggest match on the Kickoff Show and it made things feel more important. It’s also nice to see Nightingale get a win, though I’m more curious about what is next for Bayne, as she is kind of lacking anything to do at the moment.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the bigger matches on the card, with a theme of going north. To Canada you see.

Bryan Danielson comes out for commentary.

We recap Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. FTR. The Canadians don’t really like each other, but they’re agreeing to get back together to help each other with their respective problems.

Earlier today, Copeland and Cage arrived and ran into some Toronto Maple Leaf legends. And a guy in a messed up mask with a makeshift title belt named the Green Bastard. That last one was a bit odd.

FTR vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage

Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR and Harwood has a broken nose. Fans: “OH F*** THE REVIVAL!” Cage backs Harwood into the corner to start and it’s an early clean break. Harwood takes Cage down and walks on his back, only to be sent into the post for his efforts. Copeland comes in for a double hiptoss and Wheeler comes in for a change. Wheeler grinds away on a headlock, which is reversed into a Thesz press so Copeland can fire off some right hands.

It’s back to Cage, who bites Wheeler in the corner as the fans sing about wanting Cage to be their a******. Wheeler stomps on Cage’s back to take over and we hit the chinlock. Harwood takes Wheeler’s place but Cage fights up, only for Wheeler to distract Copeland in a simple but classic move. Back in and Wheeler’s Vader Bomb hits raised boots, which is enough for the big tag off to Copeland.

The Edge-O-Matic gets two on Harwood, who is sent into the post. Copeland even returns the favor from a recent Smackdown with a Five Knuckle Shuffle, which gets the fans chanting for someone who will be wrestling on another company’s show later tonight. Cage cuts off a Hart Attack to Copeland and it’s a double Sharpshooter, with Hathaway having to offer an assist for the save. Stokely gets scared on the floor and the brawl heads outside with the Canadians taking over again.

Back in and a Twist Of Fate is broken up, with Harwood sending Cage into Copeland for the crotching on top. The Shatter Machine is broken up and Copeland/Cage use each other’s finishers to put FTR down again. Hathaway has to pull the referee…which brings out Beth Copeland (Phoenix) to drop him with a spear. Wheeler brings in the ring bell but Copeland cuts him off. Harwood begs Copeland’s forgiveness before Cage is sent into the announcers’ table.

A bell to the head and a spike piledriver get two on Copeland but he’s right back with a pair of Impalers. FTR is back with the Shatter Machine for two as the kickouts are getting ridiculous again. Another Shatter Machine connects…and Copeland staggers up for a spear to Wheeler for the pin at 18:03 as Cage cuts Harwood off.

Rating: B-. The fan reaction was fun and really made this better, as did the Beth interference, but WOW that ending was ridiculous, as Copeland got hit with a bell, a spike piledriver, and two Shatter Machines but popped back up with his finisher for the win anyway. The match was good but never reached some higher level, though it felt like it was more for the live fans than anything else. Seeing Copeland and Christian together again was fun though, and a run at the titles shouldn’t be out of the question.

Post match Mother Wayne and Nick Wayne come out for a distraction, allowing FTR to jump Cage and Copeland from behind. Copeland gets handcuffed to the ropes as Kip Sabian comes in to help with the beatdown, including a spike piledriver. Beth fights back as well but gets caught in a spike piledriver of her own.

We recap Big Bill vs. Eddie Kingston. Bill randomly started calling Kingston out as Kingston had been out of action for almost a year and a half after a leg injury. Now Kingston is back and that’s about it.

Big Bill vs. Eddie Kingston

Bryan Keith is here with Bill. Kingston, in a CLAUDIO SUCKS EGGS shirt, gets a big reaction and chops away at Bill to start fast. A big boot drops Kingston in a hurry and Bill mockingly pounds him down, with Kingston telling him to bring it. Bill’s clothesline gets two but Kingston catches him with a backfist.

The exploder sends Bill flying but the spinning backfist is countered into a not so great swinging Boss Man Slam. A better version gets two but Kingston DDTs his way out of a chokeslam attempt. The spinning backfist gets one and Bill kicks Kingston down again. Bill misses a charge into the corner though and another spinning backfist (which really didn’t seem to connect) finishes for Kingston at 7:25.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t the greatest return for Kingston, as the feud pretty much came out of nowhere and then the match itself wasn’t exactly smooth. Kingston looked banged up and slow and the ending came out of absolutely nowhere. Not much to this one, as while it’s nice to have Kingston back, it wasn’t a good return.

Post match Keith comes in for the beatdown but Hook comes in for the save.

We recap Mark Briscoe vs. MJF. They hate each other and have cost each other title shots. MJF wants to fight Briscoe so much that he’s allowing Briscoe to pick the stipulation. Therefore, it’s a Tables And Thumbtacks match, which can’t possibly go well.

Mark Briscoe vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Tables And Tacks with wins coming by pin or submission and MJF is in white so you know what’s coming. MJF immediately heads to the floor, leaving Briscoe to pour out a bunch of tacks. Then he pours out even more but MJF stalls even more, which is enough for MJF to come outside and start hammering away. A low blow gets MJF out of trouble and they get inside, with the tacks scaring MJF again.

They slug it out and tease slams onto the tacks before trying to send the other’s face into the tacks. MJF gets the first slam to send Briscoe into the tacks and then presses him head first into the tacks. It’s time for the first table, which MJF puts right back under the ring. Back in and an Alabama slam sends Briscoe into the tacks again and MJF drags him over the tacks. MJF puts some tacks into Briscoe’s mouth for a right hand but Briscoe is back with a backdrop.

As MJF looks like he wants to cry, Briscoe rips off MJF’s shirt and then powerbombs him onto the tacks for two. It’s too early for the Froggy Bow so MJF rolls outside, where Briscoe (with tacks in his back) hits a running flip dive. The table is set up and MJF is quickly put through it and it’s already time for another table. MJF is elbowed through that one as well so Briscoe sets up a third one, only for MJF to throw tacks into Briscoe’s eyes.

Briscoe powerbombs him onto the tacks again and it’s time for a thumbtack chair. MJF takes it away and hits Briscoe to the back, followed by a Tombstone onto the tacks for two. With Briscoe down, MJF puts a table up in the ring and pours more tacks on top. They go up top, where Briscoe knocks him down and then puts him through the table. The Froggy Bow sets up the Jay Driller onto the tacks to finish MJF at 19:23.

Rating: C+. What is there to say about this? They used the tacks and then they used the tacks and then they used the tacks and then they used some tables and then they used tacks on a table and then they used more tacks. It was fun to see MJF get hurt, but it was really hard to get interested when it was the same weapons time after time. I don’t care for this kind of match in the first place and this wasn’t an interesting way to go either.

Earlier this week, Jerry Lynn got the former Acclaimed a tag match for next week because he knows they work well together. They don’t want to do it but Lynn threatens them with suspensions.

We recap the Gates Of Agony/Ricochet vs. the Hurt Syndicate. The Gates and Ricochet coat them the Tag Team Titles and now the Syndicate wants some revenge, with MVP even getting in the ring.

Gates Of Agony/Ricochet vs. Hurt Syndicate

Ricochet and the Gates are known as “The Demand”, as the names for teams actually get worse around here. MVP and Kaun get things going but MVP wants Ricochet. That’s exactly what he gets but Ricochet bails out to the floor for the always dumb “my time” response. Kaun comes in and gets drop toeholded, followed by a jumping knee. Benjamin comes in and is having none of Kaun’s clothesline before grabbing an ankle lock.

That’s broken up so Lashley comes in to take over on Ricochet. The delayed suplex connects, with Ricochet’s foot hitting MVP on the way down. Ballin hits Ricochet for two and MVP exploders him out of the corner for the same. Liona comes in off a distraction though and kicks MVP’s knee out to put him in trouble for a change. A clothesline puts Ricochet down for a breather and MVP sends him to the apron, allowing the tag off to Lashley.

We get the Lashley vs. Liona showdown but it’s quickly back to Benjamin to send Ricochet flying. Benjamin German suplexes Kaun and Ricochet at the same time (because that’s a thing) and Lashley’s spear cuts Kaun down. Ricochet makes the save with a springboard 450 and Kaun hits a Backstabber into a running elbow.

Everything breaks down and Benjamin hits a step up knee on the floor, only for Ricochet to hit a big running flip dive over the post to take Benjamin down as well. Liona is sent into Lashley and Benjamin but MVP suplexes Ricochet anyway. The Playmaker is broken up with a chop block though and the Spirit Gun finishes for Ricochet at 13:46.

Rating: B-. It was a fun and pretty wild match, with MVP being the weak link in the team, which shouldn’t be a stunning result. It is kind of a stunning result to see Ricochet and the Gates win, as the Gates aren’t exactly known for winning a big match. I’m not exactly convinced this is leading to something big, but it’s certainly a surprise win for a change.

We recap Riho challenging Mercedes Mone for the TBS Title. Mone is defending because she is the eternal champion and Riho is challenging because she exists and therefore must get title shots after being gone for long stretches.

TBS Title: Riho vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending and comes out with a team of guards, all wearing her titles. Riho doesn’t like being shoved in the face to start so she rolls Mone up and goes after the leg. Mone’s arm is tied up in the arm and Riho stops to mock her dance. A 619 puts Mone on the floor and a double stomp off the apron has her in more trouble.

Riho hits a second off of the announcers’ table but she misses a third off the top. A crucifix bomb gets two on Mone but she’s back with a ram into the announcers’ table on the floor. The Meteora off of said table gets two and Mone hits a dropkick, with Mone’s boot hitting Riho in the throat. Mone stomps her down but gets pulled into an armbar, followed by a crossface.

That’s broken up so Riho hits a double stomp to the banged up ribs and a German suplex gets two. Mone is back up with Three Amigos because we needed another Eddie Guerrero tribute. The frog splash hits raised knees and Riho hits the top rope double stomp for two. Mone is back up with the running knees in the corner but Riho ties up the leg again. The leg is grabbed for the escape so Riho switches to a northern lights suplex for two. Mone goes to the eyes and the Moneymaker retains the title at 15:53.

Rating: B-. Hey look: Mone wins again. She lost her one match to Toni Storm and now it’s back to what it always is: her bragging about all of the titles she’s won in promotions that mean absolutely nothing, followed by keeping the TBS Title in a pretty good match. She’s been champion for about a year and a half now. Find something else for her to do already.

We recap the Unified Title match. It’s a rather unnecessary tournament to set up a triple threat for the title, with the champion having to win a qualifying match to earn the right to defend his title.

Unified Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada

Okada is defending. Dorada is sent outside and runs back in to split the other two up, making it all the clearer that he doesn’t need to be in this match. Takeshita takes over with a boot to put Dorada down as Don Callis and Bryan Danielson explain Japanese wrestling culture, because we apparently need to know that to understand the match. Back up and Okada is sent to the floor, followed by Dorada’s hurricanrana to send Takeshita outside.

Dorada’s dive is cut off though and he gets dropped hard on the floor, setting up a camel clutch back inside. That’s broken up and Okada comes in for a DDT, with Takeshita not being happy on the cover. Dorada uses the distraction to send both of them outside, with a big dive taking Takeshita down. Back in and Dorada takes over, with Excalibur wondering if Dorada can defeat “the greatest tournament wrestler of all time.”

As I cringe so hard at the fact that someone in this company thinks that’s a good moniker, Dorada gets two off an electric chair flipped into a neckbreaker. Takeshita is back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Okada but Dorada is back with a running Canadian Destroyer for two. Okada and Takeshita go up top so it’s a double springboard hurricanrana from Dorada, which even has Callis impressed. That earns Dorada a double big boot to put him back down so the other two trade forearms.

An exchange of suplexes put them both down so Dorada moonsaults both of them for two. Takeshita is back up with a Last Ride but Okada blocks a knee lift. Back up and Takeshita German suplexes both of them at once, but Dorada manages to stick the landing. A hurricanrana gets two on Takeshita and a DDT puts Okada down on the apron. Back in and Takeshita gives Dorada Raging Fire but Okada makes the save and hits the Rainmaker to pin Okada and retain at 20:57.

Rating: A-. Dorada looked great in there and Takeshita was his usual awesome self. At the same time, hearing about Okada being “the greatest tournament wrestler of all time” is every bit as dumb as it was in the first place. Putting together some nothing qualifying matches to officially make this a tournament is as much of a stretch as you can get, as having that many tournaments is hardly some kind of a great idea. All that being said, match of the night by a lot here, with Dorada getting an absolute star making performance before we get to Okada vs. Takeshita down the line.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley in a coffin match. They hate each other, Moxley is violent and Allin likes coffins.

Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin

Coffin match and Allin jumps him in the crowd to start fast, with a Coffin Drop from a balcony dropping Moxley again. Moxley manages to cut him off for a drop onto the barricade and they fight to ringside, with Allin going after the ear. Moxley knocks the coffin over but Allin puts him inside for a near close.

That seems to freak Moxley out so he hits a Crash Landing to put Allin onto the coffin for a nasty crash (landing). Cue the rest of the Death Riders to help the bleeding Moxley put the coffin inside. Moxley actually sends the team to the back and mockingly kicks Allin, who whips out a fork to stab Moxley in the head. Allin twists the fingers around and hits a Coffin Drop before finding a pipe.

More ear assaulting continues, with Allin biting said ear. Moxley drops him onto the coffin again but Allin blocks the lid from being closed. Allin hits him with a pipe and whips out a plastic bag to choke Moxley out. Fans: “THIS IS MURDER!” Cue Pac for the save (of course) and a toss Razor’s edge over the top onto the other coffin. Pac puts Allin in a body bag and Allin is put in the coffin (by Pac) to give Moxley the win at 19:16.

Rating: C-. The action was fine, but good grief I can’t stand this nonsense. Between the fork, the ear nonsense, the plastic bag over the head, and of course HAHA MOXLEY WINS AGAIN, I was getting more and more annoyed watching the match. It’s more stupid stunts and violence for the sake of stunts and violence and the good guy doesn’t even win after his big return because Moxley has to instead. Just more nonsense and incredibly annoying.

Mark Briscoe and the Conglomeration are happy with their wins so Briscoe issues a challenge for a six man tag against the Don Callis Family. We even get a tease of the return of Orange Cassidy.

We recap the Women’s Title match, with Toni Storm defending against three challengers in a big movie.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Thekla vs. Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter

Storm is defending. Wheeler Yuta comes out to give Statlander her usual applause before leaving again, making things that much better. Statlander clears the ring rather quickly to start and moonsaults off the apron to drop Hayter. Storm and Thekla crash outside as well (with one of them asking if the other is ok) before Storm is put on top back inside. A spider suplex takes her down and Hayter gets the same treatment.

Storm is back up with some running hip attacks but Hayter fires off some hard clotheslines. Statlander comes back with some kicks and forearms until Hayter and Storm team up to get rid of her. Staturday Night Fever plants Thekla on the floor but Storm hits a hip attack and Storm Zero for a fast two. Thekla is back in with a leg choke on Storm (naturally Danielson is right there to explain the physics behind the move) until Hayter breaks it up. Thekla hits a heck of a spear to knock Hayter off the apron…and Statlander uses the seatbelt to pin Storm and win the title at 11:59.

Rating: B. They kept the energy going here and it was a rather nice good match as a result. It’s a fine example of a match where they got in, did their thing, and got out before it went too long. The ending is a bit odd, but Statlander is instantly launched up the ranks and that’s a great thing to see. Much better than I was expecting here.

We recap the Tag Team Title ladder match. There are champions and three sets of challengers. Since it’s a ladder match, tagging means nothing so it’s time for another car crash.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King vs. Young Bucks vs. Don Callis Family vs. Jet Speed

Bandido and King are defending in a ladder match. The Family cleans house to start until Jet Speed come in to take them out. The Bucks get to take over until Bandido breaks that up, including an X Knee to Matt. King comes back in and German suplexes three people at once before bringing in the first ladder.

Bailey is there to take them out with a dive so the Family sends him into a ladder in the corner. Alexander is sent into a ladder as well and has to get checked out, leaving the Bucks to beat up Bailey. King comes back in and tries a dive, which is cut off with a ladder to the head. Nick hits a dive to crush King on the ladder but Knight is back in to make a save. Jet Speed goes up so King cuts them off, only for Bailey to fire off the kicks.

Alexander ankle locks Bailey as he climbs the ladder so they both go up. Hechicero is back in and bridges a ladder into the standing one. Bailey knocks him down and hits moonsault knees before it’s time to set up tables on the floor. The Bucks and Hechicero hit a bunch of dives to put people through tables, with Bailey and King getting the worst of things as they went through a ladder. Knight is one of the few people left standing and go up, with Matt going up for the slugout.

That’s broken up and King climbs as well, until Alexander pull shim down for a crash. Knight goes up again so a bunch of people pick up the ladder and carry him over to the ropes for a crash through a table. The Bucks hit the BTE Trigger and go up until King turns the ladder over. King hands the ladder to Bandido to flip onto a pile of people, leaving him to go up and retain the titles at 24:36.

Rating: B. It’s fun, the spots were good, and I’m rather happy the champions retained. I’m just sick of ladder matches, especially ones where they have this many people. Either way, it’s the definition of “turn your brain off and have fun” and I’ll absolutely take it over the tacks and screwdriver and all that nonsense.

Post match everyone but the Bucks leave…and Jack Perry is back. He flips them off and takes out an interfering Rocky Romero but gets superkicked by the Bucks. The lights go out and we see a car coming to the arena…and a video shows Perry reviving Luchasaurus. The Jurassic Express is back, as that’s apparently a thing again.

Jon Moxley is in the back with the coffin and sends the Death Riders off. Allin pops out of the coffin and fights back to put Moxley in a body bag. Which he lights on fire. Because of course he does.

Tony Khan will have a big announcement on Dynamite. Oh geez.

We recap the main event. Hangman Page won the World Title but Kyle Fletcher wants to prove he’s ready. Page sees potential in him but wants to avoid interference so Fletcher can prove what he can do. Works for Fletcher and we’re on.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Kyle Fletcher

Only Page is defending and the Don Callis Family is barred from ringside, though Callis himself is on commentary. The lights appear to go blue here (I kind of like it) as Fletcher takes over on the arm to start. They chop it out until Fletcher head fakes him into a superkick for a smart move. Fletcher takes Page outside and sends him over the barricade for a big running dive.

Back in and Fletcher elbows away at the neck, followed by a powerbomb onto the apron. The table (because we haven’t had enough of those tonight) is loaded up but Page fights out of a brainbuster from the apron. Instead Fletcher grabs a hanging DDT for two, followed by a Michinoku Driver for the same. The Boston crab keeps Page in trouble but he manages to fight up and hit a backdrop.

A fall away slam sends Fletcher into the corner for two but Page keeps favoring his neck. Page grabs a pop up powerbomb for two and tries a middle rope moonsault, which is superkicked out of the air. A sitout powerbomb gives Fletcher two and they head outside, with Page managing a Tombstone on the floor. Page’s hanging DDT onto the floor has Fletcher in more trouble (Danielson: “An eye for an eye and a neck for a neck!”) and they get a double breather.

Fletcher kicks him down and hits a brainbuster through the timekeeper’s area. The brainbuster gets two back inside and they trade hard shots to the face. Page is back up with the Deadeye off the apron and through the table (at a scary angle) for the big double down. Back in and Fletcher collapses as Page tries the Buckshot Lariat and they’re both down again.

Page is up with a V Trigger but the One Winged Angel is broken up. Instead Page hits a Deadeye for two and then plants him for two more. The Buckshot is countered into a brainbuster for another near fall, which has Callis and Danielson losing it on commentary. With nothing else working, Fletcher pulls off a turnbuckle pad and takes Page into the corner. The super brainbuster is blocked though and it’s a super Deadeye into the Buckshot to retain the title at 38:07.

Rating: B+. Really good match here, though my goodness get over it with the tables and the weapons and all that jazz. You have two people here who can have a great match without them but they’re involved anyway. All that being said, this was a lot better than I was expecting as Fletcher more than hung in there with a much bigger star. Solid main event, albeit at the end of a very long show.

Overall Rating: B. The show is good overall with most of the big matches delivering, but they have got to cut back on the garbage wrestling/weapons stuff. It’s choking the life out of these shows as it feels like putting things in the matches for the sake of having them there. The Unified Title match and main event are both worth seeing, but there is still a lot that could be cut off the show. I liked it, but as usual I’m exhausted and not wanting to see AEW for a long time, which is always the case on these pay per views.

Results
Opps b. WorkHorsemen – Koquina Clutch to Drake
Daniel Garcia b. Katsuyori Shibata – Curb stomp
Hologram/Paragon b. Frat House – Top rope double stomp to Garrison
Harley Cameron/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale/Mina Shirakawa b. Triangle Of Madness/Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford – Babe With The Powerbomb to Ford
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage b. FTR – Spear to Wheeler
Eddie Kingston b. Big Bill – Spinning backfist
Mark Briscoe b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Jay Driller onto tacks
Ricochet/Gates Of Agony b. Hurt Syndicate – Spirit Gun to MVP
Mercedes Mone b. Riho – Moneymaker
Kazuchika Okada b. Mascara Dorada and Konosuke Takeshita – Rainmaker to Dorada
Jon Moxley b. Darby Allin – Allin was put in the coffin
Kris Statlander b. Toni Storm, Thekla and Jamie Hayter – Seat belt to Storm
Bandido/Brody King b. Young Bucks, Don Callis Family and Jet Speed – Bandido pulled down the titles
Hangman Page b. Kyle Fletcher – Buckshot Lariat

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

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