Collision – December 23, 2023: That’s A Wrap

Collision
Date: December 23, 2023
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re a week away from Worlds End and that means we need some more semifinalists in the Continental Classic. The Blue League should be getting down to its final two this week and maybe we can even add in some new matches to the pay per view card. On top of that, Thunder Rosa is back in the ring tonight after more than a year away. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli powers him around to start before grabbing a test of strength to keep Danielson in trouble. Danielson takes it to the mat by the leg though and rips at the face for two. Back up and Danielson goes for the leg again but Castagnoli fights up for another test of strength. They go to the mat with the hands interlocked and bridge up at two each until Castagnoli blasts him with an uppercut.

Danielson tries the LeBell Lock but Castagnoli bails to the floor, where a knee off the apron takes him down again. Back in and Castagnoli fires off an uppercut but Danielson shrugs if off and hits the running corner dropkicks. Castagnoli shrugs that off just as well and grabs the Swing for two. A headbutt and clothesline put Danielson on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Danielson hitting a belly to back superplex for a nasty crash and a delayed near fall. The LeBell Lock goes on again but Castagnoli makes the rope again. We have five minutes left as Danielson takes him to the top, only to get caught in a spinning superplex for a sweet counter.

The Riccola Bomb is countered into a triangle choke, which is countered into something close to a Neutralizer for two. Another Neutralizer is countered and the running knee gives Danielson two. They trade stomps to the face before locking hands and kicking each other even more. Castagnoli pulls him into the Sharpshooter with a minute to go before letting Danielson out. An uppercut drops Danielson again but time expires at 20:00.

Rating: B. Well at least they finally had a draw. This was another heck of a fight with both guys beating the fire out of each other, which made for a good brawl. Danielson is still likely moving on to the next round and it’s nice to see Castagnoli get a draw instead of taking another loss. You knew these two were going to bring it and thankfully neither of them went evil in the process.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 10 points (0 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

Danielson officially advances to the semifinals. Castagnoli is frustrated but respect is shown.

We look at Dynamite’s Gold League matches.

Trios Titles: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

The Acclaimed and Gunn are defending with Bowens kicking Darius in the face to start. A superkick gets two so it’s quickly off to Andretti to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and we get a big staredown until Gunn and Andretti trade SUCK IT’s. Andretti gets taken into the wrong corner though and we take a break.

Back with Gunn missing a Stinger Splash, allowing Andretti to get over to Dante. A springboard high crossbody hits Caster as everything breaks down again. Gunn gets triple teamed (the fans don’t seem to approve) so the Acclaimed make the save, leaving Gunn to hit a tilt-a-whirl slam. Scissor Me Timbers takes too long though as all three champs get kicked down. Top Flight dives onto Gunn and Bowens on the floor but Caster avoids the running shooting star press and pins Andretti to retain at 9:14.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised at the result here as Andretti and Top Flight have been built up rather strong in recent weeks. That match on Rampage last week was more than enough to get them some attention but we’ll be continuing with the Acclaimed and Gunn for the moment. That’s not a terrible idea, but I was almost expecting a fluke title change.

Commentary thinks Caster might have pulled the tights.

Hook wants Wheeler Yuta in an FTW Rules match for the FTW Title at Worlds End.

Brian Cage vs. Keith Lee

Prince Nana is here with Cage and yes Lee is wearing a Santa hat. They fight over a lockup to start with Lee shoving him away but Cage is back with a headlock. A running headscissors takes Lee down and now it’s time to get a bit more serious. Lee snaps off his own headscissors so Cage kicks him in the head. Cage’s running tornado DDT plants Lee and we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a running splash in the corner and hammering away to put Cage in more trouble. Lee throws him down for two more but Cage is back with a 619. For some reason Cage tries the apron superplex, which goes as badly as expected. Instead a top rope superplex plants Lee for two (with about 30 “2” signs in the first few rows). An F5 gives Cage two….so let’s get a cinder block. That’s too far for Lee, who comes back with a Big Bang Catastrophe or the pin at 9:54.

Rating: B-. This was the spectacle match and it worked very well for what it was supposed to be. Lee seems on his way to the Swerve Strickland match because waiting a year and a half is more than fine. Cage did get to showcase his crazy power and cool moves here, which made for a heck of an entertaining match.

Post match Lee brings up the cinder block attack from….someone (Swerve Strickland) in this building about a year ago. He’ll be at Dynamite to make his point clear.

Toni Storm isn’t sure who Mariah May, who is standing behind her, actually is. May says they’ve met before but more importantly, her wrestling license is here. Storm is ready for Riho.

Here is Christian Cage, with Nick Wayne, for a chat. Cage brings up Shayna Wayne attacking Adam Copeland and brings her out for the official explanation. Shayna is surprised that the fans are booing her (A MOTHER!) for what she did to Copeland. She was just protecting her son, who Copeland hit with a Conchairto a few weeks earlier. The only person who cares about her son is Cage, who goes into a speech praising Shayna.

You would think Copeland would understand what it’s like to grow up with a single mother. Cage kind of wishes Copeland’s mother was still alive so she could see what her son became. We head suggestions of what happened between Cage and Shayna after he beat Copeland (she seems pleased) and Cage dubs her the Matriarch, Mother Wayne. And sure Copeland can have another title shot at Worlds End, because Cage can finish him for good.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks say their Tag Team Title match at Worlds End is off. Cue Chris Jericho to say it’s still on (date not clear) and he’s looking for a new partner.

Continental Classic Blue League: Daniel Garcia vs. Brody King

Garcia slaps him in the face to start so King unloads with forearms in the corner. The Cannonball gives King two and Garcia heads to the apron, where he gets forearmed in the face. King breaks up a choke and grabs one of his own, with Garcia falling out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with King slamming him down by the hair and dropping a backsplash for two. Garcia stands up and won’t be put down by chops as the fans seem to approve. King lets him chop away and Garcia’s running forearms manage a staggering. Garcia finally muscles him over with a belly to back suplex but King is back with a Death Valley Driver. A hard clothesline into the Ganso Bomb gets two on Garcia and King is stunned. Another Ganso Bomb is loaded up but Garcia reverses into a jackknife rollup for the upset pin at 10:18.

Rating: B-. This was another step in Garcia’s road to…something, as he continued to fight through the odds and win in the end. His tournament didn’t exactly go so well but at least he didn’t lose the whole time. This told a nice story and should pay dividends later, while King’s tournament comes to something of a bad halt.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 10 points (0 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Daniel Garcia – 3 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)

Post match the lights go out and the House Of Black goes after Garcia. Matt Menard tries to come in for the save but FTR offers the real save, with the House running. The challenge is issued for some point in the future.

Skye Blue/Julia Hart vs. Abadon/Thunder Rosa

Blue is now all evil and Rosa is in her first match in over a year. Blue stomps Abadon into the corner to start and hands it off to Hart for some forearms. A swinging Rock Bottom lets Abadon hammer away but Blue cuts Rosa off. Blue and Hart chop away at Abadon and we take a break.

We come back with Abadon hitting a double Downward Spiral, allowing the hot tag to Rosa, which the fans appreciate. Rosa cleans house, including running knees in the corner to Blue. A northern lights suplex gets two with Hart making the save. Blue catches her in the corner though and a powerbomb brings Rosa back down. Everything breaks down and Rosa hits the Tijuana Bomb to finish Blue at 8:18.

Rating: C+. Rosa is indeed back and that is a good thing, as she can be put into a variety of spots on the roster immediately. If nothing else, she should be getting a guaranteed Women’s Title shot in the near future, but for now she’s off to a good start with a win here. Hart vs. Abadon is already set and that should be a nice addition to Worlds End, as Hart gets to be protected here to continue her momentum.

Continental Classic Blue League: Eddie Kingston vs. Andrade El Idolo

Kingston advances with a win while Andrade advances with a win or a draw. An early spinning backfist misses for Kingston so Andrade grabs a headlock. Andrade takes him into the corner and then grabs an armbar as commentary plugs upcoming pay per views. Back up and Kingston hits a hard clothesline and we take a break.

We come back with Andrade fighting out of a chinlock, setting up some dragon screw legwhips. The running knees in the corner give Andrade two and Three Amigos are good for the same. Andrade goes up but dives into a kick to the face, which damages Kingston’s bad leg even more. Kingston unloads with the chops in the corner but Andrade sends him outside for a moonsault.

The double moonsault gives Andrade two back inside but Kingston’s belly to back gets the same. It takes a bit for Andrade to get up and he scores with the spinning elbow for two. Kingston gets caught in the Figure Four but is straight into the ropes. Back up and the spinning backfist into the northern lights bomb gives Kingston the pin at 15:30.

Rating: B-. Kingston felt like he was fighting to survive here and that is pretty much exactly what he was doing. It made for a good fight as the two of them were both doing their thing, including Andrade continuing to be on quite the roll as of late. This sets up Kingston vs. Danielson in a heck of a showdown though and that should be enough to help carry Dynamite.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 10 points (0 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Brody King – 6 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Daniel Garcia – 3 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)

Overall Rating: B. This show covered a good bit more than just the Continental Classic, making it that much more interesting than Dynamite. The tournament has been full o good action, but I’m kind of glad to see this phase of it wrapping up. We’ve seen these same six people wrestling for weeks now and there comes a point where it doesn’t have quite the same impact. Other than that, Keith Lee’s path to Swerve Strickland continues and Thunder Rosa is back. That’s a nice use of two hours and we should be moving into something new next time.

Results
Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli went to a time limit draw
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Top Flight/Action Andretti – Rollup to Andretti
Keith Lee b. Brian Cage – Big Bang Catastrophe
Daniel Garcia b. Brody King – Rollup
Abadon/Thunder Rosa b. Skye Blue/Julia Hart – Tijuana Bomb to Blue
Eddie Kingston b. Andrade El Idolo – Northern lights bomb

 

 

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Collision – December 16, 2023: They Hit Each Other Hard

Collision
Date: December 16, 2023
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

We’re two weeks away from Worlds End and that means we have more Continental Classic matches this week. The tournament field is starting to thin out and that should make things more interesting. Another thing they might want to work on is building up the pay per view card, as with Kenny Omega now stuck on the sidelines, the Tag Team Title match is off for now, leaving the card with two matches. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Eddie Kingston, Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castagnoli, Andrade El Idolo, Brody King, Bryan Danielson and Orange Cassidy (who is a bit confused) are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Continental Classic Blue League: Andrade El Idolo vs. Claudio Castagnoli

They fight over a lockup to start before an exchange of shoulders doesn’t get either of them anywhere. Andrade knocks him outside but Castagnoli is back in with a hard clothesline. It’s too early for the Swing though as Andrade hurricanranas him to the floor. A dropkick through the ropes has Castagnoli in more trouble but he nails an uppercut. Back in and Castagnoli shrugs off a dragon screw legwhip and hits Swiss Death as we take a break.

We come back with Andrade hitting a running forearm but the Swing puts him down. The Sharpshooter goes on but Andrade reverses into a Figure our. That’s enough to send Castagnoli bailing to the ropes for the break so Andrade goes up, taking off the turnbuckle covering at the same time. A super sunset bomb gives Andrade two and the running knees in the corner get the same.

Castagnoli catches him on top though and it’s a superplex back down, only to have Andrade roll some Amigos. They trade kicks to the face until Andrade scores with a spinning elbow to the face. Andrade goes up again and tries a super hammerlock DDT, only to get crotched onto the turnbuckle. Hold on though as the referee notices the removed pad, allowing Castagnoli to get in a low blow. The Neutralizer finishes Andrade at 15:30.

Rating: B-. That adds a bit of drama to the tournament and it’s kind of nice to see Andrade get what was coming to him after cheating multiple times. Castagnoli gets to stay alive while Andrade’s spot in the semifinals isn’t entirely locked up yet. The match was the good stuff you would expect from these two, and it certainly didn’t feel like that long of a match.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining, eliminated)

We recap the Dynamite Continental Classic matches.

Abadon vs. Jazmin Allure

Abadon jumps her to start and hits a swinging Rock Bottom. A running knee and the Black Dahlia finish Allure at 1:07.

Post match here is Julia Hart for the brawl, with Abadon laying her out and posing with the title. Cue Skye Blue to jump Abadon and the double teaming is on. Cue the returning Thunder Rosa (who was on Spanish commentary earlier) for the save.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn are back and want revenge on the Devil and his henchmen. Action Andretti and Top Flight come in for a challenge to a title match next week. Game on.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Bryan Keith

Keith is challenging and the fans certainly seem to like him. A headlock takeover puts Cassidy down to start but he’s back up to put his hands in his pockets. Cassidy starts picking up the pace but gets kicked in the face as we take a break. Back with Cassidy hitting the tornado DDT and suicide dive to send Keith into the barricade.

Keith is able to catch him on top though and a running knee drops Cassidy. The tiger driver is countered into Beach Break for two and Cassidy needs a breather. Cassidy kicks away but Keith does the same, setting up Diamond Dust for two more. The tiger driver is loaded up again but this time Cassidy reverses into the mouse trap to retain at 9:12.

Rating: B-. As has been the case every time I’ve seen him, Keith put in a rather nice match with the intensity being on full display. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him around here a lot more often as there are far worse prospects. At the same time, Cassidy adds another win to his tally as we wait for another serious challenger to come up against him.

Miro wants to beat up Andrade El Idolo and it isn’t just because El Idolo is being managed by Miro’s wife.

Komander is interrupted by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom, with Strong mocking Komander for not winning the ROH TV Title. Strong wants a match and Komander seems interested.

Here is FTR for a chat about the House Of Black. Wheeler talks about the success they’ve had around here but the House is still unrealized potential. If the House wants a fight, come get one. Cue the House on the screen to say no one can save FTR, but Buddy Matthews has a question for Wheeler: who loves you? Everyone loves Harwood, but who loves Wheeler? Malakai Black holds up a photo of Harwood’s family and burns it, saying the House is their family now. FTR runs off.

Video on Keith Lee, who beat Shane Taylor at Ring Of Honor Final Battle. Taylor is not the “him” that Lee has been looking for.

Kris Statlander/Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez/Diamante

Street fight, with weapons provided. Believe it or not the brawl is on to start and they’re quickly on the floor, where Nightingale gets hit in the head with a bottle. Martinez tears away at the cut but Nightingale and Statlander can cut off Diamante’s dive off the steps. A barbed wire bat to the head cuts Diamante open but Martinez is back in with a tire iron for the save. Martinez hits a release German superplex to drop Nightingale onto some chairs for two and we take a break.

Back with Statlander being sent through a piece of plywood but Nightingale sends the villains into each other. A Pounce sends Martinez into a board in the corner but Diamante gets in a shot to Nightingale. Statlander is back in to beat on Martinez, only to have Diamante come back in with a briefcase (that Statlander and Nightingale brought to the ring). Said briefcase is full of thumbtacks and glass and it’s time for people to be dropped onto the contents. Diamante dropkicks Nightingale into a powerbomb through a table at ringside but Statlander hits a discus lariat with a chain to pin Diamante at 10:31.

Rating: C+. I have no idea what to say about this, but it was certainly a violent sprint. At the same time, I’m not sure if this feud warrants this kind of a bloody match, as it doesn’t quite seem like the right fit. Statlander and Nightingale winning is good as they could go for moving up the ladder, though they need something to move towards. I’m not a fan of the glass and thumbtacks though, even if they might have been the logical call in this kind of a match.

Toni Storm is ready to face either Saraya or Riho at Worlds End. Mariah May is getting her American wrestling license and wants Storm to commentate her first match. Storm isn’t sure but wants Saraya and Riho to beat each other up.

Adam Copeland wants to face Christian Cage at Worlds End in a No DQ match.

Brian Cage vs. Karl Wright

Kick to the head, release German suplex, fall away slam, powerbomb, Drill Claw gives Cage the win at 1:28.

Post break the Mogul Embassy is proud of Cage’s win but Keith Lee comes in to say that Cage can tell “him” (suggesting Swerve Strickland) that his patience is running thin.

Continental Classic Blue League: Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia

Matt Menard is on commentary. Kingston wants him to bring it to start so Garcia loads up the dancing. Instead he chops away and actually gets the better of things, with Kingston favoring his throat. A dragon screw legwhip off the apron drops Kingston again and it’s time to crank away on that leg back inside. Kingston isn’t having that and fights up to drop Garcia as we take a break.

Back with Garcia fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught in the corner for the rapid fire chops. Garcia tries some weak dancing, earning himself even more chops. Even more dancing, this time with Garcia down in the corner, actually starts a comeback, setting up a running knee in the corner.

A kneebar sends Kingston bailing to the rope so Garcia pulls him back in with an ankle lock, complete with a grapevine. That’s broken up as well and Kingston suplexes him into the corner, setting up the spinning backfist for two. Back to back Saito suplexes give Garcia two but Kingston hits a half and half suplex. Another spinning backfist finishes Garcia at 12:10.

Rating: B-. They had a story here of Garcia turning into a hybrid of the dancing goof and the serious wrestler, which made for a good mix. That version had Kingston on the ropes but still came up short, which feels like it’s going to be the perfect way to set up Garcia stealing a win in his final match. Kingston surviving, and possibly even advancing to the finals, makes sense as you don’t want him to just lose his title without even making a run in the tournament. Good match here, with some of the stories being set up for later.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Brody King

King backs him into the corner so Danielson starts kicking away at the leg to slow things down. That’s not working for King, who knocks him right back down and rakes away at the eyes in the corner. There’s the Cannonball in the corner to knock Danielson silly and they head outside, with King sending him face first into the announcers’ table. One heck of a crossbody up against the barricade crushes Danielson and we take a break.

Back with Danielson’s bad eye busted open and the fight heading outside again. This time King misses another crossbody into the barricade, allowing Danielson to hit a shotgun dropkick back inside. King crotches him on top for a clothesline and they both need a breather. Danielson manages a quick half crab before kicking away at the leg even more.

The hammer and anvil elbows rock King but he’s right back with the Death Valley Driver for two. Back up and Danielson’s running knee gets two so he fires off kicks at King’s head. A hard clothesline takes Danielson’s head off for two but he’s back up with the fabled small package for two. Three straight running knees, with the last one to the back of the head, finishes King at 14:48.

Rating: B+. This started a bit slow but once they got going, they were beating the fire out of each other. That’s about what you have to expect from Danielson in a tournament like this, as he can bring out the best in anyone. King’s run definitely seems to be fading, as Danielson seems to be almost a lock for the semifinals. For now though, awesome big man vs. little man match and they had the crowd going nuts on those kickouts at the end.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling here was quite good and they built up a few things other than the tournament. The whole league portion of the tournament is over in a week and that means we can move on to the bigger stuff. For now though, it means we’re still getting in some solid matches, including a pretty awesome main event. I’m a bit worried about what they’re going to do when the tournament is over, but things are still working well for the moment.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Andrade El Idolo – Neutralizer
Abadon b. Jazmin Allure – Black Dahlia
Orange Cassidy b. Bryan Keith – Mouse trap
Kris Statlander/Willow Nightingale b. Mercedes Martinez/Diamante – Discus lariat with a chain to Diamante
Brian Cage b. Karl Wright – Drill Claw
Eddie Kingston b. Daniel Garcia – Spinning backfist
Bryan Danielson b. Brody King – Running knee to the back of the head

 

 

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

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Final Battle 2023: A Two Day Event!

Final Battle 2023
Date: December 15, 2023
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the biggest Ring Of Honor show of the year and that could mean all kinds of things. The main event is again about the Women’s Title, as Athena, in her hometown, defends against Billie Starkz. Other than that, we’ll be getting a new TV Champion in a six way match with five wrestlers announced. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jazmin Allure

Bonus match and Johnny TV is with Valkyrie. A hard shot to the face puts Allure down to start and it’s time to choke on the ropes. Allure’s right hand doesn’t get her very far as Valkyrie hits the sliding German suplex. The running knees in the corner hit Allure for two and we hit the chinlock. Allure fights up and slugs away but gets caught up top, meaning it’s a top rope superplex. The curb stomp finishes Allure at 4:26.

Rating: C. So this week on Ring Of Honor, Valkyrie won a match over a bigger name but on the pay per view Kickoff Show, she beats someone who has only popped up here and there. Not much to see with this one but having Valkyrie around is a good thing. She’s a talented veteran and that adds a lot to the division. I’m not sure why this needed to be on the show, but at least Valkyrie was pretty dominant.

Zero Hour: Von Erichs vs. Outrunners

The Von Erichs in Dallas and you don’t advertise it better than this? Ross (which I know because commentary is smart enough to say which Von Erich is which since they aren’t known in Ring Of Honor) takes Magnum down to start and hits a dropkick, followed by a standing hurricanrana for two. Marshall comes in and clears the Outrunners out, meaning it’s time for a meeting on the floor.

Back in and Ross scares the Outrunners back to the floor where they hit…something on Ross that the camera misses. The beating is on back inside but Floyd has to cut off a hot tag. Ross kicks his way to freedom anyway though and it’s Marshall coming in to clean house. Monkey flips have the Outrunners flying and stereo Claws make the Outrunners tap at 6:11.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t very good but this was as much of a layup as you could get. You have the most famous family in the history of Dallas wrestling in a match close enough to Dallas and they won with their family’s signature move. This couldn’t have been an easier idea and they went exactly as they should have with it. Aside from the Outrunners losing of course, because that should never happen.

Zero Hour: Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Bryan Keith vs. Jack Cartwheel

Keith grabs a headlock to start and grinds away until Cartwheel reverses into one of his own. Cartwheel cartwheels away but a headscissors is broken up so Keith can kick him down for two. An enziguri staggers Keith, who boots Cartwheel in the face for his efforts. Back up and a cartwheel into a dragon screw legwhip drops Keith and a slingshot spinning elbow gets two.

A cartwheel into a powerslam plants Keith and a cartwheel Death Valley Driver is good for another near fall. With Keith on the floor, Cartwheel hits the big rolling flip dive but misses a shooting star press back inside. Keith avoids a shooting star press though and hits a Tiger Driver 97 for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. Having something on the line here helped a lot as that hasn’t been the case with the other two so far. I’m not sure why Johnny TV didn’t get this spot as he’s been feuding with Dalton Castle and is named TV but I guess we needed some Texas flavor to it instead. Keith has done well in the appearances I’ve seen from him over the years while Cartwheel is incredibly athletic, even if it seems like he’s just adding stuff to moves that would already be good on their own.

Tony Khan comes out to talk about his history around here and Jay Briscoe’s legacy at this event. For now though, we have one more bonus match.

Zero Hour: Daniel Garcia vs. Blake Christian

Feeling out process to start and they take turns driving each other into the corner for some dancing. They strike it out a bit until a butterfly suplex gives Garcia two. One heck of a chop puts Christian down again and the fans want it one more time. Christian motions for Garcia to bring it and then hits a basement dropkick.

Something like stereo kicks to the back keep Garcia down but he fights out of a rear naked choke. Garcia gets knocked into the corner and kicked in the face but he’s fine enough to suplex Christian into the corner. A backbreaker gets Christian out of trouble so he does it again and hits Garcia in the back of the neck.

They trade kicks to the face until Christian hits a running Spanish Fly for two more. Garcia is right back with a leglock into an ankle lock but Christian sends him outside for a big flip dive. A springboard 450 gives Christian two but Garcia pulls him into the Dragon Tamer for the tap at 12:15.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, which might be due to the amount of time they received. It made the match feel a bit more important, but at the same time, there is only so much that you can get out of this kind of a match. There was no story and it was added with no notice, meaning it was only going to be so interesting, especially with a newcomer like Christian.

Tony Khan has another announcement but Ring Of Honor World Champion comes in to say he wants to be on the card. Anthony Henry comes in to say he’ll fight so the Proving Ground match is on. That’s how the World Champion is booked for the biggest show of the year, less than two minutes before the show starts.

And now, the show proper.

AAA Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Black Taurus

Taurus is challenging and isn’t interested in the Code Of Honor. The much smaller Vikingo is sent flying to start and Taurus knocks him out of the air. Back up and Taurus misses a running knee in the corner but the big running flip dive is countered into a powerbomb. They head back inside where Taurus hits a ripcord powerslam for two as the pace slows down again.

A clothesline puts Vikingo over the top, with his head bouncing off the apron on the way down. Taurus follows with the rather large flip dive and a reverse Sling Blade back inside. One heck of a pop up Samoan drop plants Vikingo but he avoids a big dive. Vikingo gets two fight back with a big flip to send Taurus outside.

Vikingo loads up two springboard flip dives but has to bail out and hits a standard dive, with Taurus standing there waiting the entire time (my goodness people just don’t do the dive if it takes that long). Back in and Taurus runs him over and they go upside, with Vikingo snapping off a super hurricanrana. They strike it out on the apron until Vikingo hits a not great looking running sunset bomb. Vikingo springboard dropkicks him into the corner but misses a charge into the corner.

A top rope gorilla press plants Vikingo (geez) but Vikingo kicks him in the face a few times. Vikingo hits a moonsault Samoan driver (because someone can do that) but Taurus spears him down for a double knockdown. Taurus is sent outside for a 720 (yes a 720), which thankfully doesn’t land on his head. Back in and one heck of a backbreaker plants Vikingo but he’s able to knock Taurus into the corner. The running knees and the 630 retain the title at 16:30.

Rating: B. Yes they botched quite a bit and it went a bit long, but my goodness I wanted to see Vikingo beat the monster put in front of him. This was a heck of an opener and Vikingo, despite being rather small, can get a crowd behind him like few others. This was about the entertainment value rather than the quality (which wasn’t exactly terrible) and I had a heck of a time with it. Just don’t stand there waiting on a dive like that again. Ever. That was terrible.

Commentary runs down the card.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. TMDK

TMDK (Shane Haste/Bad Dude Tito/Kosei Fujita) is challenging. Kaun and Fujita start things off with Kaun taking over and dropping him with a kick to the chest. Fujita is back up with a spinning kick to the face, allowing the tag off to Tito to take over on Kaun. It’s back to Fujita, who gets taken into the corner for the tag to Cage.

One heck of a powerslam plants Fujita for two and his right hands don’t do much good. Fujita does manage to punch his way out of trouble and everything breaks down. Haste kicks Toa into the corner and Haste nails a running kick to the face for two. The Gates aren’t having any of this and run Fujita over but Tito makes the save. Haste knees his way out of trouble but Toa cuts him in half with a spear for two.

Tito counters Cage’s discus lariat into a Death Valley Driver for two and Fujita springboard dropkicks Kaun for the same. Cage grabs the apron superplex to plant Fujita for two more with Tito making the save this time. Open The Gates hits Haste, leaving Fujita all alone against the champs. Running shots in the corner set up a toss sitout powerbomb to give Cage the retaining pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Nice match here as everything went nuts in a smart move. At the same time, and much like earlier, there is only so much you can get out of the champs defending against a team that got their build in a tournament in Japan which was only mentioned before the match. It wasn’t a bad match, but this really could have been dropped from the card without much being lost.

We recap Tony Nese vs. Ethan Page in an I Quit match. Page was on a winning streak but Nese and his friends cut it off and then got on Page’s nerves. Now it’s time for an I Quit match, which is quite the escalation after one match. Also of note, commentary calls them former friends, which certainly hasn’t been a major part of the story.

Tony Nese vs. Ethan Page

I Quit match and Mark Sterling is here with Nese but is handcuffed to the ring. Well he is eventually that is, complete with Mark Henry coming out to make sure it happens. Nese jumps Page from behind to start fast and hammers away, only to get elbowed in the face to cut him off. They head outside where a Sterling distraction lets Nese get in another cheap shot to take over again. Hold on though as Sterling grabs some protein powder, which is thrown into Nese’s eyes by mistake.

They fight outside again, where Page is sent face first into the handcuffs for a fairly creative spot. Nese grabs the mic and tells Page to quit on behalf of the people. That’s not happening so Nese stomps away at the bloody Page, who fights back again. That means Nese is knocked over the barricade but comes back with a weight (as in the kind you put on a bench press).

The big shot misses but Nese sends him into the barricade to take over. Back in and Nese grabs a jump rope for some whipping, only to have Page fight back without much trouble. Nese teases quitting but uses the distraction to hit page with the microphone. That sets up the big flip dive to the floor, meaning some tables can be set up. Page gets in a shot to break things up and heads to the top, where he is knocked back down.

Not that it matters as Page grabs the slingshot cutter to send Nese through the tables. Back in and some chairs are set up with Nese hurricanranaing Page….completely over the chairs. Thankfully commentary acknowledges that it didn’t make contact and Page doesn’t quit. Nese goes to grab the keys to the handcuffs and, after taking out the referee, unlocks Sterling.

The stomping is on and then it’s time to handcuff Page so Nese can smash him with the weight, with Sterling promising to show the tape to Page’s daughter. Well that’s the plan at least as Sterling explains the idea without actually doing anything, allowing Scorpio Sky to come in for the save. Page is able to stomp Nese’s fingers underneath the plate and then DDT him into it.

Sterling gets hit in the face with the plate (probably should have killed him) and the Ego’s Edge drops him again. Sky takes Sterling to the back but Nese is back up with a chair to the head, meaning Page can indeed be handcuffed. Nese gives him one last chance to quit but Page shouts “F*** YOU” and makes the no hands comeback. The referee uncuffs Page, who hits Nese with the chair and chokes him with the handcuffs for the win at 20:01.

Rating: C+. I have no idea what to think of this, but the thing that stands out the most is how overbooked this was. It felt like they weren’t sure if they wanted to have the violent, bloody brawl or some kind of goofy match with all of the exercise equipment. While I wouldn’t call it bad, they could have cut out a lot of this and had a tighter match. It never felt like the biggest match ever as Nese has never been more than a midcard star at best, but at least Page gets a signature win over someone other than a jobber.

Nyla Rose vs. Vertvixen

Another bonus match. Rose starts fast and loads up the Beast Bomb in less than a minute but Vertvixen punches her way to freedom. Another hard shot drops Vertvixen but Rose pulls her up at two. The top rope knee to the back and the Beast Bomb finish for Rose at 2:39. Well that happened.

We recap the TV Title match, which is the result of Samoa Joe vacating the title. Therefore Survival Of The Fittest was brought back with the winner being the new champion.

TV Title: Survival Of The Fittest Finals

Dalton Castle, Lee Moriarty, Kyle Fletcher, Lee Johnson, Bryan Keith, Komander

Elimination rules but only two are in the ring at once. Castle and Moriarty start things off with a handshake before going to the mat. Fletcher comes in and gets beaten up without much effort, meaning it’s off to Johnson vs. Moriarty. It’s Johnson cleaning house and sending Castle outside but getting headscissored by Komander. Keith comes in and cuts off Komander, meaning it’s time for a showdown with Castle. That’s broken up by Fletcher, who tells Castle to bring it.

The fans are way behind Castle as he throws Fletcher outside, much to the fans’ delight. Komander and Fletcher both go up and stare at each other until Komander walks the ropes to dive onto everyone else. Back in and Johnson takes over on Keith but Moriarty slips out of a powerbomb attempt. Moriarty pulls Johnson into the Border City Stretch for the tap and the elimination at 8:47.

The Boys warm Castle up so he can take Moriarty down, followed by a suplex. Cue Johnny TV to drop…someone the camera misses on the floor. Apparently he dropped the Boys, which distracts Castle enough for Moriarty to hit a suplex Downward Spiral for the elimination at 11:17.

The fans are NOT happy, even as Moriarty, Keith and Fletcher slug it out. Komander is back in as a mini tag match breaks out, resulting in the Tower Of Doom leaving all four down. Keith is up with a fireman’s carry backbreaker for one on Moriarty, followed by a tiger driver to get rid of Moriarty for the pin at 15:39. That leaves Fletcher, Keith and Komander, with Keith kneeing Fletcher down. The tiger driver is blocked though and Fletcher Tombstones Keith for the pin at 16:54.

Fletcher and Komander slug it out with Fletcher getting rocked up against the ropes. The spinning Tombstone is broken up and Komander kicks the leg out, setting up a poisonrana. A slingshot hurricanrana to the floor is countered as well and Fletcher hits the jumping Tombstone on the apron to leave them both on the floor. Komander barely beats the count and it’s a brainbuster to give Fletcher two.

Fletcher puts him on top but Komander kicks the leg out and hits a springboard Canadian Destroyer for a rather near fall. A rope walk 450 onto the apron sets up a regular 450 for two and they’re both down. Komander goes up again but gets caught, setting up a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle for another near fall. Another jumping Tombstone gives Fletcher the pin and the title at 26:03.

Rating: B. The big positive here was they got the Survival part right. Fletcher felt like he survived against the others and that was a heck of a finishing sequence. That being said, it was another long match on a show that is going to go late into the night and it features another heel champion. Ring Of Honor needs to give us something more to cheer about and that is rarely the case when it comes to titles. Very energetic match, but dang some of those kickouts were a bit ridiculous.

Pure Rules Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Tom Lawlor

Lawlor is challenging in his ROH debut. They go to the mat to start with Lawlor getting the better of things and leaving Yuta a bit shaken. Lawlor’s armbreaker has Yuta going to the ropes for his first break and Lawlor seems pleased. Yuta gets in a right hand behind the referee’s back so Lawlor punches him back, earning his official warning.

Yuta takes over again and goes for the leg, sending Lawlor over to the ropes for his first break. They strike it out, with Lawlor favoring his leg, including as they trade discus forearms. Lawlor is back with a spear but Yuta goes straight back to the knee to take over again. An Octopus Hold into an abdominal stretch into a rollup gives Yuta two but Lawler suplex slams him down for the same.

A monkey flip breaks up another leglock attempt and Lawlor starts in on the arm, including a hammerlock piledriver for another near fall. Something like an Anaconda Vice sends Yuta to the ropes for another break, followed by a right hand to drop Lawlor again. They go up top with Lawlor grabbing a Kimura, which he holds while superplexing Yuta back down.

Another Kimura has Yuta using his final rope break so Lawlor goes with Becky Lynch’s Disarm-Her. Yuta reverses that into an ankle lock, which is reversed into another Kimura. That’s escaped as well and Yuta grabs the seatbelt for the…..pin at 13:12, despite Lawlor’s shoulder being a good foot off the mat and his feet being in the ropes.

Rating: B-. This was a technical battle between two rather skilled technical wrestlers and it worked well, aside from the terribly screwed up ending. The Pure Rules thing can work very well and it was good enough here, but this was another match with no backstory and an outsider getting a random title match. Hook is already feuding with Yuta, but here is Lawlor instead. That can get old fast and I wasn’t a fan of it here.

Post match Yuta stays on Lawlor but Hook makes the save. Yuta low blows Hook before leaving.

We recap Shane Taylor vs. Keith Lee. They were a monster team back in the original ROH but Lee went on to WWE and left Taylor to start over. Now Taylor wants revenge. That’s an actual story and I could have gone for it getting some more development than it received.

Shane Taylor vs. Keith Lee

They stare each other down to start before going to the test of strength. Taylor’s headlock has Lee in some trouble but he breaks out so they can run the ropes. One heck of a shoulder drops Taylor and he’s more than a bit stunned. Lee chops away and hits a slingshot crossbody for one.

Taylor is back with a Tower Of London for two and the apron legdrop crushes Lee again. We hit the chinlock back inside, followed by a knee to the face to give Taylor two. Back up and the forearm exchange goes to Lee, who hits a splash in the corner. Taylor knocks him back down and hits a middle rope splash for two more.

Lee knocks him down again and goes to the corner, only to have Lee Moriarty pop up for a distraction. The sitout powerbomb drops Moriarty but Taylor gets in a knee to the back of the head for two. Taylor goes up top and hits a super Canadian Destroyer….for two more. Back up and Keith grabs the Big Bang Catastrophe for the pin out of nowhere at 14:33.

Rating: B-. It was a good hoss fight with some big heavy shots, but again it ran longer than it needed to. There were too many times where they were slowing way down and it would have been better with a few minutes less. I’m not sure how much sense it makes for Keith to win here, but it won’t matter if he doesn’t get a stronger push than he has had in recent months.

Post match Keith pulls Taylor up and Taylor acknowledges the crowd.

Bryan Keith wants gold so Orange Cassidy comes in to say come collect the International Title on Collision.

We recap the Blackpool Combat Club vs. Mark Briscoe/FTR, which is a big tribute to Jay Briscoe and little more.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Mark Briscoe/FTR

After Dax Harwood goes over to glare at a fan on her phone, we start with Harwood vs. Moxley with neither getting very far. Castagnoli comes in to drive Harwood into the corner before it’s off to Danielson to strike it out with Wheeler. Briscoe gets to come in to a rather strong reaction and hammers away in the corner. It’s back to Harwood, who gets caught by the arm (now bleeding) with Danielson cranking away.

Castagnoli’s Swing has Harwood in more trouble but he German suplexes his way out of trouble. Wheeler gets the tag to clean house, including Redneck Boogie for two on Danielson. Back up and Danielson loads up the Swan Dive but gets caught with the PowerPlex into the Froggy Bow. The Doomsday Device is broken up so Danielson loads up a superplex on Briscoe. That’s broken up as well but Briscoe’s second Doomsday Device attempt lands on Castagnoli’s uppercut.

Moxley is back in with a cutter but Wheeler brainbusters him down. The Shatter Machine is broken up and it’s the running knee to Wheeler. Briscoe fights up to slug away at Moxley and Danielson but Castagnoli comes in with a Neutralizer for two. FTR is back in and a triple Shatter Machine gets the same on Castagnoli. The Jay Driller is broken up and the triple stomping has Briscoe down again.

The Club tries its own Doomsday Device but it gets broken up, meaning the brawl heads to the floor….where it’s a double countout at 19:17. Briscoe is NOT having that though and yeah we’re restarting it….as a Fight Without Honor (street fight, which I believe it was advertised as in advance). The fight is on in the crowd until Briscoe and Moxley head inside. The bloody Briscoe sends him outside and uses a chair for a step up flip dive. FTR loads up a table but let’s bring out a barbed wire ladder instead.

Moxley uses a fork on Harwood’s eye, followed by a curb stomp onto a chair back inside. Danielson is back in for a LeBell Lock to Wheeler, with Moxley adding barbed wire across the eyes. Briscoe makes the save but Moxley grabs a choke. Harwood makes the save this time so let’s throw in a bunch of chairs. A spike piledriver onto the chairs is broken up so Moxley is piledriven off the apron through a board covered in tacks. Danielson kicks away at Briscoe, who isn’t overly impressed. Briscoe fights up and hits a Jay Driller onto the chairs to finish Danielson at about 31:15 overall.

Rating: B. Yeah it was a mess and I’m not sure what was going on with the rules, but my goodness this was an entertaining fight. Much like the opener, they weren’t going for some classic match here as this was more about people beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. At the very least, it’s great to see Briscoe getting a big win and I’m sure Danielson was more than happy to let him get something that big. Heck of a fight here, which was what they were trying to do.

Eddie Kingston vs. Anthony Henry

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Henry wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. They start fast and fight out to the floor, where Henry hits a running boot against the barricade. Back in and a double stomp gives Henry two, followed by another kick for two. Kingston gets up and they chop it out, with Kingston snapping o the rapid fire corner chops. Henry is right back with an enziguri into a German suplex for two and they both need a breather. A top rope double stomp misses though and Kingston hits the spinning backfist. The stretch plum finishes Henry at 5:42.

Rating: C. It was a fine match but it’s a Proving Ground match, which has so far been a guaranteed win for the champion. I like the idea of Kingston being on the show, but it would have been nice to have something better for him than a midcard tag wrestler. It wasn’t exactly must see either, but at least they kept it short.

We recap the main event, with Athena defending the Women’s Title against Billie Starkz. Athena was training her as a minion but Starkz rebelled, setting up the title match. Athena has also added that she’s gone if she loses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post match Starkz goes to leave but Athena pulls her back. Starkz shows respect and poses with Athena and Nair to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Wow indeed. This show, counting the Zero Hour (which I do as it was advertised and played a role in the show, plus it’s playing if you go to watch Final Battle on Honor Club), was over five hours and, as tends to be the case, the good guys/women didn’t do very well in title matches. Ring Of Honor has a really bad record of pulling the trigger on a big title change (the biggest they’ve had in months, with Eddie Kingston, wasn’t even in ROH) and that was the case again here. There were some nice moments like the six man and Lee/Taylor making up, but those were pretty few and far between.

As has been the case for months, the wrestling is far from the problem around here. Instead, the problem is in how everything is thrown together with SO MUCH CONTENT included. This show had five matches added the day of the show and even more that were only added within the last two days. That doesn’t leave me wanting to see more ROH, but rather hoping that they never do that again. The weekly show continues to feel mostly disconnected to the PPVs and there is no reason to believe that will change.

Overall, it’s a good show because the wrestlers are so talented, but this was another pay per view that felt like it was thrown together at the last minute, with Tony Khan adding whatever came to his head in the car that morning. Ring Of Honor isn’t enjoyable to watch most of the time and a lot of the reasons why were on display here. As usual it isn’t about the action, which is strong, but the way that action is presented. Fix that and you have a heck of a show, but otherwise, you have a big mess which just keeps going.

Results
Taya Valkyrie b. Jazmin Allure – Curb Stomp
Von Erichs b. Outrunners – Double Iron Claws
Bryan Keith b. Jack Cartwheel – Tiger driver
Daniel Garcia b. Blake Christian – Dragon Tamer
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Black Taurus – 630
Mogul Embassy b. TMDK – Toss sitout powerbomb to Fujita
Ethan Page b. Tony Nese – Choke with handcuffs
Nyla Rose b. Vertvixen – Beast Bomb
Kyle Fletcher won Survival Of The Fittest last eliminating Komander
Wheeler Yuta b. Tom Lawlor – Seat belt
Keith Lee b. Shane Taylor – Big Bang Catastrophe
Mark Briscoe/FTR b. Blackpool Combat Club – Jay Driller to Danielson on a pile of chairs
Eddie Kingston b. Anthony Henry – Stretch plum
Athena b. Billie Starkz – Octopus hold

 

 

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Collision – December 9, 2023: They Can Do Good TV

Collision
Date: December 9, 2023
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

The road to Worlds End continues as we have more Continental Classic matches to cover. That should be enough to carry things through the week but some other things need to be set up for the pay per view aside from just one title match. There is a chance we could see something like that covered this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite you need a recap.

Ethan Page, Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, Andrade El Idolo, Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Continental Classic Blue League: Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Kingston hits the spinning backfist and Saito suplex to send Castagnoli to the floor early. Back in and a northern lights bomb gives Kingston two but Castagnoli is right back with the Neutralizer for two of his own. A running double stomp hits Kingston and it’s the Swing into a Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Castagnoli unloads with some forearms in the corner for two before cutting off a comeback with a clothesline.

Boots to the face in the corner keep Kingston in trouble as the beating continues. A top rope superplex gives Castagnoli two as we take a break. Back with Castagnoli grabbing a suplex for two and telling Kingston to do more. Kingston does just that by nailing some suplexes for two. The rapid fire chops in the corner and a lariat give Kingston two more but he can’t get the stretch plum.

Something like a powerbomb gives Castagnoli two and we hit the crossface. Kingston makes the rope and escapes the Riccola Bomb as well, only to get blasted by an uppercut for two. Kingston gets in a hard shot of his own for a very close two with three minutes left in the time limit. The spinning backfist looks to set up a powerbomb but Castagnoli reverses into a hurricanrana, which is reversed into a sunset flip to give Kingston the upset pin at 18:03. Castagnoli’s stunned face is great.

Rating: B. These two work well together and that was on display again here, as they had a hard hitting match. The rollup finish makes sense as Castagnoli tried to use his better skills to escape, only to get caught by Kingston’s wrestling for once. That’s not something I would have expected and we wound up with a good ending to a very awesome match.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 3 points (5 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Jon Moxley says he wasn’t scared of Rush. It was a hard match but no, he wasn’t scared. Swerve Strickland is going to be a hard match too but Strickland is going to be in over his head. Pack a lunch.

Hook is interrupted by Wheeler Yuta, who brags about beating Hook last week. Yuta says he can beat Hook under either set of rules so we’ll do it under FTW rules. Works for Hook.

Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez

Martinez has Diamante with her. They take turns powering the others into the corner until Martinez stomps her down. Nightingale is back up for some clotheslines against the ropes and a backsplash sends Martinez outside. Diamante offers a distraction though, allowing Martinez to send Nightingale into the barricade. A DDT off the barricade plants Nightingale and takes us to a break.

Back with Nightingale rolling some suplexes and getting two off a bulldog. The cannonball gives Nightingale two but another Diamante distraction lets Martinez grab a fisherman’s buster for her own near falls. Some Saito suplexes plant Nightingale again and Martinez hits something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator…and is quickly small packaged to give Nightingale the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C+. Slightly ridiculous ending aside, Nightingale winning here was the right call. She needs a win to get her back to some prominence and Martinez can help make anyone look good. It might not have been a classic, but it did what it needed to accomplish with some good action at the same time. What more could you need?

Post match Martinez and Diamante stomp Nightingale down and it’s time for a small ladder. Diamante grabs a lead pipe but Kris Statlander makes the save with a chain.

Jake Hager interrupts Matt Menard and Angelo Parker (hometown boys) to rant about Danhausen putting Hager’s hat down his pants. With Hager gone, Parker and Menard go off about how they have always wanted to be here. Saraya, Anna Jay and Ruby Soho come in to yell at the guys, though Soho seems pleased with Parker. The guys leave so Saraya yells at Soho, who faces Riho next week.

Swerve Strickland says he is the leader of this company no matter what and he’ll be World Champion. First up though it’s the Continental Classic so he hopes Jon Moxley is ready. The level of confidence is rising and it’s pretty awesome.

Wardlow vs. Willie Mack

Mack goes for a double leg to start and is easily powered away. A dropkick staggers Mack but a missed charge puts him on the floor. Mack’s dive only bounces off of him but Mack trips him down inside. The standing moonsault gets two but Mack’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb. The wind up clothesline sets up the powerbomb for the referee stoppage at 3:14.

Rating: C+. This is how you bring Wardlow up to the top level again, as he is still smashing people but he’s moving up the ladder with better competition. That is a story that has worked for years, but at the end of the day, it isn’t going to matter if AEW cuts his legs out again. For now, things are working, but we’ll have to see where it goes.

Video on the House of Black wanting FTR to join the team.

We look at Ricky Starks and Big Bill hurting Chris Jericho’s arm.

Kenny Omega vs. Ethan Page

Page has a banged up arm coming in. They shake hands to start with Omega hitting a running shoulder, only to have Page come back with some right hands in the corner. Omega knocks him to the floor but the dive takes way too long, allowing Page to come back in with a springboard cutter. They go outside again with Omega being whipped into the barricade, only to moonsault off of some barricade to take Page down.

The Kitaro Crusher gets two on Page back inside but he’s fine enough for a suplex over the top and out to the floor in a nasty crash. We take a break and come back with Omega hitting a powerbomb into the V Trigger for two. Page manages an Iconoclasm into a DDT for two of his own and they both need a breather.

Omega can’t quite hit You Can’t Escape but he can hit a pair of snapdragons (Schiavone: “Man he snaps those off.”). They head up top, where Page grabs a super powerslam for two more as things slow down a bit. The One Winged Angel is broken up and an exchange of rolls ups gets two each. Some V Triggers rock Page and the One Winged Angel gives Omega the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Here’s a good example of Tony Khan doing self-inflicted damage (no this isn’t some game changer). One of the biggest matches at Final Battle is Ethan Page vs. Tony Nese. Page faces Kenny Omega six days prior on Collision and loses clean. Why did that need to happen? Of course Page shouldn’t be beating Omega, but why book someone set for a big pay per view match in a meaningless match here? Is a battle of two Canadians in Montreal that important? The match was good, but it had almost no build and just came and went, with Page’s status taking a hit on the way to Final Battle.

Post match here is Big Bill to boot Omega in the face. Page chases him off.

CJ Perry hypes up Andrade El Idolo against Bryan Danielson tonight. Miro comes in to ask when Perry last said so many good things about him. He is the breadwinner and she stays at home. When his father caught the fish, his mother cleaned them! Once the tournament is over, El Idolo is done. So Miro is now a full on heel and rather misogynistic. Got it.

Julia Hart is ready for Abadon.

Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

The fans go nuts for Menard and Parker in a nice moment. We get a DADDY MAGIC chant as he waits for Penta to take off his glove. Instead Penta takes him into the corner for a kick to the head and it’s off to Parker, who kicks Komander in the face. Komander fights up with the kicks to the face and it’s an assisted dropkick in the corner. The double dives are broken up though and we take a break.

Back with Penta cleaning house and sliding to the floor for stereo superkicks. Parker slugs away at Penta, who knocks him right back down. Menard is back in with a Boston crab but Penta makes the save. An assisted Codebreaker gets two on Komander but a shooting star spike Fear Factor finishes Parker at 10:01.

Rating: C+. The result doesn’t quite matter here as Menard and Parker just getting to show up at an event like this is a cool moment. Seeing them get that kind of a reaction was awesome and you could see how much it meant to them. I’m not quite sure how much Komander and Penta needed the win, but it’s hardly some terrible result.

Video on Keith Lee vs. Shane Taylor at Final Battle.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on the upcoming Continental Classic matches.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Andrade El Idolo

We get a handshake to start before they fight over a wristlock. A test of strength results in Danielson getting a monkey flip so Andrade grabs a headlock. Commentary points out that the forearm is going around the eye in a nice touch, even as Danielson fights up with some kicks. A few dragon screw legwhips take Danielson down but he sends Andrade to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Andrade hammering away at the eye but getting backdropped to the floor. Andrade is right back in with a Figure our. That’s broken up so Andrade puts Danielson (bleeding from the eye) on the top for a superplex. Danielson cuts it off with some headbutts (the man isn’t that bright) and a missile dropkick drops Andrade again. The YES Kicks rock Andrade but the LeBell Lock is broken up. Danielson blocks the Figure Four attempt and knocks Andrade down again for a needed breather.

They slug it out until Andrade gets him in an inverted Gory Stretch and drives Danielson into the corner. Danielson crotches him on top and grabs a belly to back superplex. The LeBell Lock sends Andrade to the ropes and the spinning back elbow gives Andrade two. They slug it out again with three minutes left and Andrade knocks him into the corner. The running knees to the back connect and Danielson is mostly out. The hammerlock DDT finishes clean for Andrade at 18:23.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and the eye injury played into everything as well. Danielson is still the major star around here and the key player in the whole tournament but he had to lose at some point. Andrade continues his recent roll, which is likely going to come to a crashing end at the hands of Miro. For now though, heck of a match and the clean win is a big deal for Andrade.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 6 points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Medics come out to check on Danielson, with the Blackpool Combat Club coming in to get rid of Andrade (who was concerned) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was one of the better AEW TV shows in a good while with a pair of rather awesome matches. You don’t get that kind of thing on free TV very often and the effort was clearly a bit higher tonight. The tournament matches are still holding strong and I want to see how they go, though having some other things get a bit more time would be nice. For now though, one of the best Collisions yet and a rather good night.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Claudio Castagnoli – Sunset flip
Willow Nightingale b. Mercedes Martinez – Small package
Wardlow b. Willie Mack via referee stoppage
Kenny Omega b. Ethan Page – One Winged Angel
Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Spike Fear Factor to Parker
Andrade El Idolo b. Bryan Danielson – Hammerlock DDT

 

 

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Collision – December 2, 2023: That Thing They Do

Collision
Date: December 2, 2023
Location: Erie Insurance Arena, Erie, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

We’re back in the regular time slot this week with no major competition (at least from WWE) and that means the audience might be a bit stronger this time around. As was the case last week, the focus is going to be on the Continental Classic, which has another three matches this time around. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Brody King, Claudio Castagnoli, Andrade El Idolo (with CJ Perry), Daniel Garcia, Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

We recap the Continental Classic to this point.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King

They strike it out to start with Castagnoli getting fired up by getting hit hard. Neither can clothesline the other down so they eventually clothesline each other down for a double breather. They head outside for another clothesline off before King drops him with a big boot back inside. Castagnoli knocks him outside, where King drops him with a clothesline and sends him over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli fighting out of a chinlock and unloading with uppercuts in the corner. A running double stomp gives Castagnoli two and a rather impressive Swiss Death gets the same. The Swing sets up the Sharpshooter but King makes the rope. Back up and Castagnoli misses a charge into the post, allowing King to nail a heck of a cannonball. Castagnoli pops up at one and hits a Death Valley Driver (or Canadian Destroyer according to Schiavone) for the same. King’s piledriver gets two and a heck of a lariat finishes Castagnoli at 12:32.

Rating: B. This was your big men hitting each other really hard match and as you might have expected, it worked rather well. That’s exactly what they were going for here and I’m more than a bit surprised at the result. If nothing else, that’s probably the biggest singles win of King’s career and makes him a good bit more of a threat in the tournament. Nice job and a solid opener.

Blue League Standings
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Jon Moxley talks about being banged up and thinking being in this tournament might not be the best idea. His head isn’t on straight and he’s all over the place, but he’s sick and tired of being sick and tired. He’s going to wrestle his way out of it though and win this tournament. No one in this tournament can put him through worse than what he goes through every day.

Abadon vs. Kiera Hogan

Hogan looks scared to start but manages a dropkick into the corner. Abadon is back with some strikes in the corner but Hogan manages a running kick to the face for two. Back up and a swinging Boss Man Slam plants Hogan, followed by a springboard cutter for two more. A lick to the face seems to fire Hogan up so she strikes away, setting up a neckbreaker for two. Abadon is right back with a kick to the head, followed by Black Dahlia for the pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. I guess it’s time to heat Abadon up again, which I’ll take at a time other than Halloween for once. Abadon is a unique enough star that a push is worth a try, though it’s hard to imagine this going very far. For now though, things are off to a good start, even if the follow up is what matters.

Post match the lights go out, Julia Hart pops up, and the lights go out again.

Samoa Joe is interrupted by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom. Strong is willing to forgive him for the near broken neck thing but Joe needs to understand that MJF is the Devil. Joe laughs them off and leaves.

Continental Classic Blue League: Andrade El Idolo vs. Daniel Garcia

Matt Menard is on commentary. Garcia grabs a fast rollup for two and teases Andrade that he was so close. Back up and Garcia sends him into the ropes, where Andrade gets to chill for a bit. A dropkick puts Garcia on the floor and a slingshot dive gives Andrade two back inside. Garcia fights back by going after the leg for one, with Menard promising to dance with Garcia if he wins the tournament. Andrade knocks him hard to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Garcia winning a slugout and tying Andrade in the Tree of Woe to hammer on the knee. A spinning brainbuster gives Garcia two but Andrade is fine enough to send him into the corner. The third Amigo is broken up though and Garcia grabs a sleeper. That’s broken up with a trip into the corner and a superplex to Garcia, setting up Three Amigos for two. Garcia is right back with the Dragon Slayer but tries something else, allowing Andrade to roll into the hammerlock DDT to finish Garcia at 11:03.

Rating: B-. Another nice back and forth match here with Garcia seemingly fitting into his role as the whipping boy who tries really hard in every match. It makes sense for Andrade to go over here, especially with what seems to be a big showdown against Miro on the horizon. For now though, I’ll settle for a pretty decent TV match.

Blue League Standings
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Respect is shown post match.

We look at the Dynamite Continental Classic matches.

We look at Wardlow smashing AR Fox.

Willie Mack isn’t happy with Wardlow hurting his friend and wants some revenge next week.

Kingdom vs. Iron Savages

Roderick Strong is here with the Kingdom and dedicates this match to his friend Adam Cole. The brawl is on fast until Boulder hits a crossbody to take the Kingdom down. Bronson dives onto the Kingdom as well, followed by a chokebomb for two on Taven. Boulder misses a middle rope moonsault though and it’s a Death Valley Driver into Just The Tip. The spike piledriver finishes for Bennett at 2:31.

Post match Strong jumps out of the wheelchair for a jumping knee, seemingly breaking the chair in the process.

Ethan Page is back and wants to be the King Of Canada, so he wants Kenny Omega in Collision.

Video on Mercedes Martinez vs. Willow Nightingale, which took place last year at Supercard of Honor and flared up again on Rampage.

Buddy Matthews/Malakai Black vs. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels

Matthews powers Sydal down to start before rolling through a high crossbody without much trouble. A tornado DDT doesn’t work for Sydal so he kicks Matthews in the head and hands it off to Daniels. Black comes in and Daniels slows down a bit, allowing Black to kick him into the corner. Daniels is sent outside and Black hits a heck of a middle rope moonsault as we take a break.

Back with Sydal coming in to strike away until Black catches him on top. Matthews and Sydal score with top rope Meteoras but Black pulls Sydal outside. Daniels dives onto Black but Black is fine enough to knee Sydal out of the air. The spinning kick to the head knocks Daniels silly for the pin at 8:39.

Rating: C+. Daniels and Sydal have been the team you put out there to make the other team look good since they got back together and they did it again here. This was far from some classic, but the House Of Black looked pretty strong in their win. They’ve been something of a focal point in recent weeks and I could go or more of them filling that role.

Post match here is FTR, with Black thinking they are here to join the House Of Black. The House has been there for FTR, which the fans seem to like. Then the House jumps FTR and the beatdown is on, with Harwood having to watch Wheeler get kicked in the head. Harwood gets kicked down as well, with FTR being reminded that they have no friends.

Earlier this week, Toni Storm is tired of her hair not being done. She’s not a fan of Skye Blue, who can be the first challenger.

Post break, Blue calls Storm pathetic so they can fight soon.

Video on Christian Cage vs. Adam Copeland, with Cage accusing Copeland of grabbing his coat tails and always being better than Copeland could hope for. They fight on Dynamite.

El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Kip Sabian

This (along with the previous match) is described as a standby match because the Continental Classic matches aren’t reaching their time limits. That’s actually a nice bit of continuity so I’ll take it. Sabian works on the arm to start and Vikingo actually can’t roll his way to freedom. Vikingo slips out and hits a double springboard armdrag but Sabian kicks him out to the floor. There’s Sabian’s springboard moonsault to the outside as we take a break.

Back with Vikingo missing a running knee in the corner but managing a torture rack knee to the face. The middle rope Phoenix splash gives Vikingo two but Sabian is back with a springboard hurricanrana for two of his own. Sabian is knocked outside though and there’s the corkscrew moonsault to drop him again. Now the 630 can finish for Vikingo at 8:08.

Rating: C+. Sabian was a lot more fired up here than usual and they had a pretty nice match. The problem is Viking continues to be put in and out of spots without getting to do much. That doesn’t really work long term, though at least he’s out there getting to showcase the incredibly athletic things that he can do.

Post match, Sabian turns down a handshake.

Keith Lee is asked about who “him” is but Shane Taylor interrupts. Taylor wants Lee at Final Battle and game on.

Miro tries to crush Andrade El Idolo but CJ Perry talks him out of doing it. He finally calms down and leaves.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston

Danielson has an eye patch. Feeling out process to start, with Danielson striking away. Kingston backs away into the corner but manages one heck of a chop to drop Danielson. Back up and Danielson strikes away, with Kingston telling him to bring it. A suplex sends Kingston to the floor but he counters a dive into a suplex to leave them both down.

We take a break and come back with Kingston’s superplex being broken up, allowing Danielson to hit a missile dropkick. Danielson eventually gets the LeBell Lock but can’t get it all the way on. Instead they strike it out until Danielson misses the running knee and gets planted with a suplex. The spinning backfist gives Eddie two and some knees to the bad orbital bone make it worse.

Danielson is back with the YES Kicks but Kingston chops him very hard. Kingston shrugs them off and hits an enziguri until Danielson gets in a suplex for the double knockdown. Danielson kicks away some more at the five minute call. A suplex puts Kingston down and Danielson stomps away until Kingston needs a breather from the exhausted Bryan. Not that it matters as Bryan is back up with the running knee for the pin at 13:32.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting strike off that you would have expected here and it’s good to see Danielson getting on the board. What isn’t so good to see is Kingston losing again, as it doesn’t bode well for his future. At the same time, it doesn’t exactly make the two titles he gave up look valuable when he has lost his first two matches clean. Good main event though, as more Danielson is a wise idea.

Blue League Standings
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B. This was the show where they were focusing on the in-ring aspect almost entirely. That made for a good night with some solid back and forth action as the Continental Classic rolls on. The most important thing here though was the show felt like it mattered, which can be an issue for some AEW offerings. It wasn’t the case here though and AEW wraps up its week rather nicely.

Results
Brody King b. Claudio Castagnoli – Lariat
Abadon b. Kiera Hogan – Black Dahlia
Andrade El Idolo b. Daniel Garcia – Hammerlock DDT
Kingdom b. Iron Savages – Spike piledriver to Bronson
Buddy Matthews/Malakai Black b. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels – Spinning kick to Daniels’ head
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Kip Sabian – 630
Bryan Danielson b. Eddie Kingston – Running knee

 

 

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

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AND

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Collision – November 25, 2023: House Party

Collision
Date: November 25, 2023
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

It’s time for the second half of the first week of the Continental Classic and in this case we’re going to see a few more matches that look rather strong on paper. Other than that, Adam Copeland is here with something to say, which will likely be about Christian Cage. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Eddie Kingston, Brody King and Daniel Garcia are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

We get a quick look at the Continental Classic rules:

20 minute time limits
3 points for a win
1 point for a draw

Everyone else is banned from ringside.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Daniel Garcia

Castagnoli runs him over fast to start but Garcia is back with a quickly broken guillotine choke. Garcia tries to slug away and is quickly dropped with an uppercut. With that not working, Garcia manages to send him to the apron for a knock into the barricade. This doesn’t seem to please Castagnoli, who swings him into the barricade over and over to take over.

We take a break and come back with Garcia grabbing another guillotine choke, followed by a sleeper. Castagnoli fights out of that as well as an ankle lock before running Garcia over. The Riccola Bomb is countered but Castagnoli reverses the counter in the Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Garcia makes the fired up comeback, only to get dropped with an uppercut. Now the Riccola Bomb can finish for Castagnoli at 10:26.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have much to go off of as it was mainly Castagnoli beating Garcia up and then doing it again until he could get the win. Garcia continues to be someone who seems to be a project but at some point he has to win something. That isn’t likely to be the case here though as Garcia is likely to be a tackling dummy for his entire block. Castagnoli making a big run wouldn’t be a surprise though and they have made their first step in that direction.

Blue League Standings
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Brody King – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Post match Wheeler Yuta comes in to congratulate Castagnoli.

Eddie Kingston doesn’t want to talk but has to do it to avoid being fined. He’s putting his titles on the line in the tournament because he’s done what he wanted by wrestling in Japan.

Killswitch vs. The Boys

One Boy is chokeslammed onto the apron and the other is clotheslined hard in the back of the head for the pin at 1:22.

Post match Brandon gets chokeslammed through a chair but cue Adam Copeland for the save with a chair of his own. A piece of the chair is broken off so Edge can choke him out in the crossface. The Conchairto…doesn’t leave Killswitch laying so Copeland stomps him head first into the chair. Another Conchairto leaves Killswitch laying.

Post break Copeland goes on a heck of a rant against Christian Cage, who is so insecure about Copeland being here. From now on, Copeland is hunting Cage and is even challenging him for the TNT Title on December 6 in Montreal.

Malakai Black/Buddy Matthews vs. Gravity/Komander

Somehow this is the first time Black and Matthews have teamed on their own in AEW. Matthews and Gravity get things going as Nigel gets annoyed at the other commentators talking about ANYTHING but Adam Copeland threatening Christian Cage. With Matthews not being able to do much, Black comes in to strike away. Komander’s hurricanrana takes Black down but he plants Komander as we take a break.

Back with Komander hitting a jawbreaker but not being able to dive over to Gravity. The tag goes through a few seconds later as Gravity comes in with a high crossbody to both of them. Black knees the heck out of Gravity but Komander is back in to pick up the pace. Cielito Lindo is loaded up but Matthews offers a distraction.

Everything breaks down and the House is sent to the floor, where they pull Gravity’s dive out of the air. Gravity manages to get back to the apron though, leaving Komander to walk the ropes to dive onto the House instead. Back in and a pair of top rope dives hit raised knees and a bunch of knees have the good guys down. Black sits down so Komander can crawl over to him, allowing Matthews to hit the Stomp for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B-. I liked this well enough as Black and Matthews are kind of a unique team. It was nice to see them get out there and wreck some people, even if it took some time to get there. What matters is getting the House some momentum, and it’s not like Komander and Gravity are going to take long to get back to where they were before.

Darius Martin and Action Andretti…are cut off by an NBA commercial, but they come back to reveal the returning Dante Martin.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Lady Frost

Hart is defending under House Rules and the chosen stipulation is….no countouts. They fight over a lockup to start with Frost taking her into the corner but having what looked to be a slap easily blocked. They take turns dodging each other until Hart drops to the floor for a trip onto the apron. Hart rams her into the apron and it’s time to grab a chair. The referee breaks that up so Hart superkicks her into the chair instead. They go onto the ramp where Hart hits a running clothesline to knock her out of the chair. Back in and Frost kicks her in the head but gets kind of choke shoved. Hartless retains the title at 5:07.

Rating: C. What a weird match this was, as Frost has barely been a thing in AEW and picked a rather bizarre stipulation. It’s not like AEW really does much without countouts anyway so this was almost just a way to explain why they were fighting on the floor. Hart never felt like she was in danger and it didn’t exactly feel like the most important match.

Don Callis, with Powerhouse Hobbs, doesn’t understand how Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega got a Tag Team Title shot. Hobbs implies he can beat Omega and Jericho on his own.

FTR vs. The Righteous

Vincent hammers on Wheeler in the corner to start but Wheeler is up with an elbow to the face. Harwood comes in and gets elbowed down as well, followed by a heck of a clothesline from Dutch. Harwood’s springboard is knocked out of the air but he manages to clothesline Dutch outside. Vincent follows his partner and we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting out of a chinlock but Dutch cuts him down again. A powerbomb puts Harwood down, only to have Dutch miss a middle rope backsplash. Harwood slides between Vince’s legs and brings Wheeler in to pick up the pace. A series of standing switches lets Vincent tag Dutch, who is knocked outside. Vincent gets tagged back in and the Shatter Machine finishes for Harwood at 9:12.

Rating: B-. There was no Jake Roberts here with the Righteous so the experiment is either over or AEW is not that interested in making it a success. FTR got a nice win here, or at least whatever they can get out of beating the Righteous. I’m not sure what is next for FTR, but it doesn’t feel like they’re going to be near the titles anytime soon. Granted they’ve been there enough lately that they might not need to be.

Post match the House Of Black says there is no one to save FTR, meaning no Wheeler Yuta or CM Punk. Malakai Black says this isn’t a brotherhood and the lights go out, with the House disappearing.

We see the full Action Andretti/Top Flight promos, which more or less says they need Dante to complete the team.

We look at Big Bill and Ricky Starks attacking Chris Jericho, with his bad arm, after Full Gear.

Here are Ricky Starks and Big Bill for a chat. Starks talks about how he was expecting more of a fight from the challengers at Full Gear. For now though, he isn’t surprised that Chris Jericho is back, but now he has a challenger. Starks and Bill say they don’t know each other (Starks: “Bill, what’s my birthday?” Bill: “No idea.” Starks: “See?”) but Starks talks about Bill being a monster.

Bill talks about his health issues and always believing that he would be back at the top. They’re going to beat up Omega and Jericho and we hear about a variety of NBA duos. Bill lists off a bunch of Chicago Bulls but he only Jericho and Omega as the guys who hand Michael Jordan his gum. Starks doesn’t know who those players are, but he likes what Bill is saying. These guys work well together and that exchange about the birthday was funny.

The winners from the Gold League matches on Dynamite are happy and ready to keep going.

Keith Lee vs. Lee Moriarty

They miss a bunch of strikes to start until Keith knocks him down without much effort. There’s the Pounce to send Moriarty down and us to a break. Back with Moriarty striking away before grabbing an armbar. Keith powers his way out and uses the good arm for a hard clothesline. Moriarty hits a middle rope bulldog but a kick to the head is easily blocked. Keith headbutts him out of the air and the Big Bang Catastrophe finishes Moriarty at 7:21.

Rating: C. Keith continues to be someone who is just kind of floating around doing nothing important. I’m not sure why that is, but he is definitely not the same star he was before his health issues came up. For now though, at least he is on TV and winning, but it would be nice to have him do something of note.

Post break Keith Lee says he was going to praise Lee Moriarty but instead he would rather talk about his lack of opportunity. He is coming for someone, but won’t say who. They know who he means though.

Continental Classic Blue League: Brody King vs. Eddie Kingston

Kingston’s titles aren’t on the line. A headlock and some shoulders have no effect on King so they chop it out, which is more to Kingston’s liking. King knocks him into the corner for the Cannonball and Kingston needs a breather on the floor. Another chop off goes to King but he drop toeholds a charging King into the steps. King is fine enough to hit a crossbody against the barricade as this is following the NO COUNTOUTS idea from the TBS Title match earlier. Back in and King hits a running backsplash as we take a break.

We come back with King grabbing a superplex, leaving Kingston to collapse on a whip into the corner. Kingston manages a desperation clothesline and now the rapid fire chops in the corner can connect. The spinning backfist out of nowhere gives Kingston two and they chop it out, complete with a lot of cringing.

Kingston’s DDT gets two but King is back with something like a Boss Man Slam. Kingston is back up with a half and half suplex and a Saito suplex gets two. King gets a piledriver for two, which shouldn’t have counted anyway as the foot was underneath the rope. Kingston snaps off a spinning backfist but King lists him up for a sitout powerbomb and the pin at 16:43.

Rating: B. I could see this one getting some mixed reviews, as they beat each other up but it wasn’t exactly the smoothest looking match. This was about two guys beating each other up and they did it rather well. That being said, it’s more than a bit disappointing to see Kingston fight so hard to get to the Ring Of Honor World Title and then have the title reigns disrupted over this tournament. It just feels unnecessary, but here we are anyway.

Blue League Standings
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B-. This was the House Of Black show and that stuff worked well enough, but it wasn’t exactly a thrilling edition otherwise. As was the case last week, having Rampage and Collision back to back hurts the last hour out of the three as I’m ready for a break from AEW by that point. The tournament stuff gives the show a bit more structure, but that might lose its charm in a few weeks. Not a bad show at all, but it didn’t feel important, as has been the case most of the time in recent weeks, if not months.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Daniel Garcia – Riccola Bomb
Killswitch b. The Boys – Clothesline to the back of Brandon’s head
Malakai Black/Buddy Matthews b. Gravity/Komander – Stomp to Komander
Julia Hart b. Lady Frost – Hartless
FTR b. The Righteous – Shatter Machine to Vincent
Keith Lee b. Lee Moriarty – Big Bang Catastrophe
Brody King b. Eddie Kingston – Sitout powerbomb

 

 

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

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

AND

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

 




Full Gear 2023: Rather Well Violence

Full Gear 2023
Date: November 18, 2023
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to one of the main pay per views and that should mean a heck of a show. This time around we’ve got MJF defending the World Title against Jay White, who has the physical title. Other than that, Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page has the potential to be a heck of a violent fight. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor World Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Jay Lethal

Kingston is defending, Ring Of Honor executive Stokely Hathaway is on commentary, and Lethal’s friends are here, despite Kingston saying he wanted this to be one on one. Kingston sweeps the leg down for two to start and sends Lethal outside but he’s smart enough to not follow him (as Lethal is quickly surrounded).

Lethal pulls him down for a posting and some right hands, setting up a triple strut from Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Sonjay Dutt. A forearm from Dutt rocks Kingston again as Hathaway is promising some stern talkings after the match. Lethal grabs a chinlock before stomping away at the ribs/arm.

Kingston fights up and gets in the boot scrapes in the corner. A distraction cuts that off but Lethal can’t hit the top rope elbow. The Lethal Injection is countered into a Saito suplex but Kingston has to take out Dutt. Cue Ortiz to guitar Dutt as another Lethal Injection is countered into the half and half. The spinning backfist retains Kingston’s title at 10:53.

Rating: C+. Lethal never felt like a serious threat to win the title but it’s smart to have Kingston face a former World Champion to add another win to his resume. I’m not sure who is going to be challenging Kingston at Final Battle, but they seem to be teasing Ortiz. I know there’s a history there, but that hardly feels like a headlining match on the biggest show of the year.

Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Buddy Matthews

They slug it out to start but Castagnoli can’t get the swing. Instead they go outside where Castagnoli sends him into the barricade, setting up the running uppercut. Matthews gets in a hard shot of his own though and the top rope Meteora gets two back inside. The chinlock keeps Castagnoli down for a bit, only to have him come back with the discus lariat. Some kicks set up another failed swing attempt so Castagnoli uppercuts him for two.

Back up and Matthews tries another Meteora, only to get pulled into the swing. They go up top where Castagnoli fires off headbutts until Matthews slips out and hits a Cheeky Nandos Kick. A Jackhammer gives Matthews two and he grabs a Crossface. That’s broken up as well and Castagnoli grabs a Riccola Bomb into the Scorpion Deathlock for the tap at 10:26.

Rating: B. Sometimes you just need two big, strong guys to hit each other really hard for a little while and that is what we got here. It was an entertaining, hard hitting match and Castagnoli won. I could still go for Matthews getting a better push, but for now I can settle for him getting something of a showcase match here.

Post match Castagnoli offers a handshake but Matthews bails.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Samoa Joe vs. The Gunns

MJF and Joe are defending and of course they’re in Los Angeles Lakers gear. The Gunns take over on MJF to start but Joe cuts off a whip into the corner like a good partner. MJF says he doesn’t need Joe, but they send the Gunns outside for a heck of a suicide dive from Joe. Back in and Joe snaps off the right hands in the corner, setting up an enziguri.

It’s back to MJF, who gets caught in the wrong corner and has to send both Gunns outside. A roll underneath a double clothesline sets up a big boot for two on Austin. Joe loads up the MuscleBuster but MJF tags himself in and tries his own version. That’s broken up so MJF can hit a double DDT, only to have Joe break up the Kangaroo Kick. The Gunns escape stereo MuscleBusters and 3:10 To Yuma hits Joe. MJF breaks up the cover…and Adam Cole is here! The distraction lets Joe Koquina Clutch Colten to retain at 9:23.

Rating: C+. This is about what it was always going to be, as the Gunns might be good but they’re not going to beat the World Champion and his next likely challenger. I could certainly go for getting the titles off of MJF already so they can do something in Ring Of Honor again, but the champs retaining here makes sense in the bigger story with MJF and Joe.

Post match Joe leaves and the Gunns jump MJF again to wreck his knee. The Gunns Pillmanize the leg and MJF has to be stretchered into an ambulance. MJF shouts to Cole to not let him take his title.

The opening video looks at the show’s matches and talks about how people are fighting for prizes and honor

We open with a recap of MJF’s injury.

We run down the card.

Christian Cage/Luchasaurus/Nick Wayne vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland

A children’s choir sings Cage to the ring for a nearly creepy bonus. Ric Flair is here with Sting and company. Edge has his own face painted as well for a nice touch. Allin cranks away on Wayne’s arm to start, setting up the springboard high angle armdrag. Sting comes in to send Wayne outside for a whip into the barricade.

Back in and it’s off to Cage vs. Copeland but of course it’s off to Luchasaurus instead. Copeland tries to slug away before Allin comes in, with Cage getting in a cheap shot. A chokeslam over the top to the apron leaves Allin down, meaning the villains get to take turns beating on him. Wayne stomps away and mocks Flair before hitting a backsplash for two. They go up top, where Allin manages a super Code Red for a needed breather.

That’s not going to be enough though as Cage slides underneath the ring and pulls Copeland off the rope to break up the tag. Cage misses a spear though and it’s Copeland coming in, meaning Luchasaurus and Wayne bail from an attempted tag. Everything breaks down and Allin hits a dive through the ropes, followed by Sting hitting one off the apron.

Back in and a double Scorpion Death Drop puts Luchasaurus down. Luchasaurus fights back up and wrecks the good guys, leaving Cage to get in a fight with Flair on the floor. Cage hits him low but accidentally hits Luchasaurus with the TNT Title, allowing Copeland to chase Cage into the crowd. The spear and Coffin Drop finish Luchasaurus at 15:01.

Rating: B-. Good choice for an opener here as the fans are always going to be into whatever Sting is doing. As usual, Cage is a phenomenal heel and I’m sure his next promo will play into this perfectly. Copeland vs. Cage is probably coming next month or at Revolution, but for now I’ll take a good enough opener as part of Sting’s retirement tour.

Jay White is brought to the stage where we’re told the MJF vs. White match is canceled and White is…..cut off by Adam Cole. There is no way that White is leaving with the title, so he has talked to Tony Khan. If MJF can’t wrestle tonight, Cole will do it in his place. White is fine with that. If Cole talked to Khan already, why was Schiavone out there to award the title to White?

We recap Orange Cassidy defending the International Title against Jon Moxley. Cassidy lost to Moxley in September at All Out but then a string of injuries have put us right back where we started.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley

Cassidy is defending and gets jumped in the corner to start. Moxley sends him into the corner and then out to the floor. Some rams into the announcers’ table have Cassidy in even more trouble and a release suplex makes it worse back inside. Moxley stomps away in the corner before cutting off a charge with a swinging Boss Man Slam. They go up top where Cassidy fires off some headbutts, setting up a superplex for the big crash.

Moxley, now busted open, gets dropped with a diving DDT for two. Cassidy sends him outside and over the announcers’ table, meaning the suicide dive can connect. The suicide elbow connects as well but Moxley is right back with the hammer and anvil elbows. The Bulldog choke is broken up but Cassidy can’t hit the Beach Break.

Instead Cassidy grabs the Redrum until Moxley grabs the buckle to escape, pulling off the pad in the process. A cutter puts Cassidy down and a Gotch style piledriver gives Moxley two. Moxley gets set into the buckle, setting up three straight Orange Punches to….barely keep Moxley down. Three more set up the Beach Break to retain at 12:00.

Rating: B. It’s a good fight and the ending felt like Cassidy was slaying a giant, but this would have been better if Cassidy hadn’t won the title back in the first place. It makes Cassidy feel like a bigger deal, though I’m not sure where they’re supposed to go with him from here. He’s already had the big long term title reign and now he has beaten a former World Champion, so the main event scene would seem to be the only thing left. That might be a stretch, but it seems to be the only remaining outcome.

Post match their friends come in to check on them, with Wheeler Yuta bumping into Hook.

Mark Briscoe is in the Continental Classic. He eats continental breakfasts!

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Hikaru Shida

Storm, with Luther, is challenging and rips up the script to show you how serious this is. Shida slugs away to start and hits a running knee in the corner. Chops in the corner and more in the corner have Storm in trouble as Nigel confuses the rest of commentary with silent movie references. Storm fights back with the windup punch as Mariah May is watching in the back. Shida is back with a running knee but Storm knocks her down again. Luther sticks something in Storm’s trunks and hands her a shoe, which knocks Shida down for two.

Shida strikes away and gets two off a Falcon Arrow, only to hurt her leg coming of the top. An ankle lock of all things has Shida in trouble but a quick grab of the rope gets her out of trouble. Another shoe shot is blocked so Shida grabs the kendo stick and unloads on Luther. Back in and Shida rolls her up for two, only for Storm to grab a German suplex. The hip attack, with a metal tray included in Storm’s tights, finishes Shida at 10:22.

Rating: B-. That ending was more than a little weird as Storm, the big face of the match, has to cheat to win despite Shida not having some big kickout beforehand. Not that it really matters though, as this was ALL about getting the title back on Storm. The Timeless deal is the hottest thing in the women’s division at the moment and it would have been insane to not ride that momentum while it’s going so strong.

Post match Mariah May comes out to give Storm some flowers. Luther takes Storm to the back.

Eddie Kingston is in the Continental Title and says his titles will be on the line in the tournament, which is to crown a Continental Title.

Tag Team Titles: Kings Of The Black Throne vs. FTR vs. La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Ricky Starks/Big Bill

Starks and Bill are defending in a ladder match. It’s a brawl to start with FTR breaking up a Bill vs. King showdown. Harwood brings in a ladder, which is sent into his face for a knockdown. Wheeler and Rush slug it out inside until Wheeler hits a dive onto a bunch of people. Dralistico hits a bigger dive onto the pile, followed by a moonsault from Black and a superplex from Harwood.

Back in and Harwood and Rush have a ladder duel until Harwood can do the Terry Funk spot. Rush kicks Wheeler in the face in the corner and hits the Tranquilo pose. Black throws a ladder into Wheeler’s face but Wheeler gets in a low blow and a piledriver onto a ladder. Starks comes back in and cleans some house, including a rope walk shot to Harwood’s head.

With everyone else down, King goes up so Bill tips the ladder over to send him into another ladder in the corner. Dralistico hits a springboard Codebreaker to Bill and it’s time for a bunch of people to go up a group of ladders. With that broken up, Dralistico hits a poisonrana on King, who is right back with a Ganso Bomb onto a bridged ladder. Wheeler dives onto King onto a ladder so Harwood and Starks go up. With Harwood knocked down, Starks drops Wheeler as well and retains at 20:34.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches that you’ve seen done a bunch and it does still entertain. That was the case again here, with a bunch of high spots that set up a bunch of crashes. It wasn’t a great ladder match as they did stuff that has been done better before, but at least Starks and Bill get to continue their rather entertaining reign.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

Statlander is defending and slams them both to start. Hart is sent into the corner so we get a Statlander vs. Blue showdown. With that not working, they go outside so Statlander can suplex both of them at once. Back in and Statlander gets knocked down, leaving Blue and Hart to shake hands (with left hands) before fighting as well. Blue hammers away and gets two off a kick to the face. Statlander is back up and all three are knocked down for a breather.

Hart is knocked outside and Statlander faceplants Blue before going up. That lets Hart knock her back down and moonsault Blue for two as Statlander makes a save. Blue reverses Saturday Night Fever and grabs Code Blue for two of her own. Hartless has Blue in trouble until Statlander suplexes both of them down (Excalibur: “One could describe her as a human suplex machine!” Taz: “EASY THERE PARTNER!”). Statlander grabs Saturday Night Fever to Blue but Hart knocks Statlander off and steals the pin for the title at 11:19.

Rating: C+. This was quite the triple threat match and not much more than that. The “one person hits their finish and someone else steals the pin” is as played out as you can get. While I wasn’t wild on how she did it, I’m rather pleased with Hart winning the title. She probably should have gotten it last month, but at least she got the title here, as she should have.

Tony Schiavone brings in the new big signing for AEW….and it’s Will Ospreay. Cue Ospreay to say he’s got to finish up with New Japan and then he’ll be on the road to Revolution, where he’ll be all yours. He’s ready for the best in AEW, especially at Wembley Stadium. This wasn’t exactly a shocking surprise, but it’s probably about as big of a star as they could have realistically brought in.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland in a Texas Death match. They’ve been feuding for a few months now and Swerve made it personal by breaking into Page’s house. Page is out for blood and revenge.

Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page

Texas Death match, meaning you can only win by submission or knockout (still not how a Texas Death match works but whatever). Prince Nana is here with Swerve and does his dance with a dance team. Page jumps Swerve during his entrance and hits a powerbomb into a Buckshot Lariat as I don’t think the bell ever rang. They go outside with Page whipping him into the barricade over and over. Page grabs some duct tape and ties his hands together for a staple to the bicep.

A chair to the head knocks Swerve silly again and we’ve got blood. Page stables a paper to Swerve’s face and lets Swerve’s blood drip onto his face (the fans aren’t sure about that). A barbed wire chair shot to the head is cut off by a low blow to give Swerve a breather. Swerve gets his hands untied and Page staples him in the chest…to no effect. A hard shot to the face knocks Page down the barbed wire chair is wedged in the corner. Page is sent into said chair but he’s back up for a slugout.

They fight to the apron, where Swerve hits a Death Valley Driver onto a cinder block. Somehow that’s not enough for a knockout so Swerve piledrives him onto the barricade (giving us a shot of Swerve’s face, which is COVERED in blood). Back in and more right hands seem to wake Page up so he hits a pair of fall away slams. Page rakes some barbed wire over Swerve’s face and then wraps it around his chest for another fall away slam.

With Swerve on the floor, Page grabs the barbed wire chair for the moonsault to knock Swerve down again. Back in and the Buckshot Lariat is blocked so Swerve kicks the barbed wire chair into his face. Page is right back with a Tombstone onto the barbed wire chair but Nana breaks up the ten count. Swerve manages a powerbomb onto the chair, setting up the Swerve Stomp onto Page onto the chair. Page is up again so let’s grab a bag of glass….which is stomped onto Page’s back as well.

The JML Driver gets nine so Swerve Cactus Clotheslines him….and pulls out a barbed wire board. Said board is bridged between two chairs in the ring but Page slams him through said board. Then a powerbomb and Dead Eye onto the wire lets Page wrap the wire around Swerve’s neck. The Buckshot Lariat….still doesn’t finish as Nana pulls Swerve to the floor to break the count.

Cue Brian Cage to wreck Page and set up a table, but Page saves himself with some barbed wire shots. Nana tries to come in but gets Dead Eyed through the table at ringside. Swerve is back up with the remains of the cinder block to the head though and then chokes Page out with a chain to FINALLY win at 29:56.

Rating: A-. Well, if you’re going to go violent and death matchish, do it like this. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other and it felt like they had been through a war. It was one of the best fights I’ve seen in a good while, which has been Swerve’s forte over the years. The one drawback here is it went about five to seven minutes long, which hut it a bit. I’m not sure if Page losing was the right call, but at least the numbers caught up with him. What might matter the most here is giving Swerve the big win that he needs, as this was one heck of a fight and worth seeing, assuming you don’t mind quite a bit of blood.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega/Chris Jericho. The Bucks aren’t happy that Omega is teaming with Jericho and want to fight about it. If Omega and Jericho win, they get the Bucks’ Tag Team Title shot but if the Bucks win, Omega and Jericho can no longer team together.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega vs. Young Bucks

Don Callis is on commentary as Omega runs Nick to start. The springboard spinning armdrag takes Omega down and we get a handshake before it’s off to Matt vs. Jericho. That doesn’t get very far so Omega comes back in but doesn’t seem overly thrilled. Everything breaks down and Jericho triangle dropkicks Nick to the floor. The Bucks are back up to crush Jericho’s arm in the steps and the villains take over back inside.

The arm is wrapped around the post as Nick pulls away, only to have Jericho score with a middle rope dropkick. Omega comes in and tells Matt that he can’t escape, only for Matt to escape. Instead Omega moonsaults onto Nick at ringside, followed by Jericho Lionsaulting onto both of them. The Walls have Matt in trouble and Omega breaks up Nick’s springboard save.

Jericho’s arm gives out though and Matt slips out, allowing him to hit the double northern lights suplex (because Matt Jackson, who had a back injury for years, can shrug off about a minute in a Boston crab and suplex two men at once). Nick German suplexes Omega onto the apron and Nick’s Swanton to a hanging Omega gets two. Back in and the referee checks on Omega, allowing Matt to kick Jericho low. It works so well on Jericho that Omega gets one as well and a Judas Effect gets two on Jericho.

The BTE Trigger hits Jericho for two more but he’s able to send Matt’s kick into Nick. Matt kicks Jericho in the arm but Omega is back up to knock both of them into the ropes. Omega has to decide who to V Trigger and goes with Matt, only to have the One Winged Angel broken up. Matt hits Omega with his own One Winged Angel but Omega is back up with a German suplex for two more. Jericho is back up with a superkick but gets superkicked down. Back up and Omega grabs the One Winged Angel to finish Matt at 20:44.

Rating: B. It was good stuff and a heck of a match which didn’t get to that epic level. It doesn’t help that it’s so similar to Omega/Hangman Page vs. the Bucks from a few years ago but I can go with the slightly watered down version just as well. If nothing else, this gives the Bucks something else to complain about, just in case they only have five things to whine about this week. I do like the idea of Omega and Jericho continuing as a team though as they work well together.

Post match the Bucks turn down a handshake and rant a lot.

AEW World Title: Adam Cole vs. Jay White

So Cole is defending on behalf of MJF but White has the title….and never mind as here is MJF, as they set up an angle to run for about four and a half hours.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Jay White

MJF, with a very banged up leg (and Cole), is defending and the Gunns are here too. White, being intelligent, goes right after the knee to take over. A suplex into the corner gives White two and MJF sends him outside, where the Gunns get caught with a chair. That’s good for an ejection and MJF gets a breather, but White tells Cole to get in. MJF gets fired up and tells White to hit him, which he does, square in the knee.

Back up and MJF hammers him into the corner for a bite to the head, followed by the Kangaroo Kick. For some reason MJF loads up a dive but White kicks out the leg without much trouble. White’s knee gives out when he’s whipped across the ring but he manages to kick White in the corner. White is back up with a swinging Rock Bottom and dumps him out to the floor. MJF manages to fight back again and sends him through the announcers’ table, setting up a top rope elbow to the floor.

Back in and the dragon screw legwhip over the rope puts MJF down again and the bad leg is tied in the Tree of Woe. The leg is fine enough for MJF to pull himself up and superplex White back down. White goes up to bring him back down with a super swinging Rock Bottom for two more. The chops make MJF tell him to bring it so White Downward Spirals him. The Blade Runner is countered into an exchange of rollups for two each and they knock each other down.

White blocks the Heatseeker….so MJF hits a running cutter over the top and out to the floor. Back in and the knee gives out again as MJF can’t even stand. The doctor asks if MJF wants to stop it so MJF hits himself in the knee. White grabs some dragon screw legwhips and we hit the Figure our. Cole teases tossing in the towel but MJF manages to turn it over. White escapes and yells at Cole before trying to grab the ROH Tag Team Title belt.

The pulling sends it into MJF’s head for two and the fans are still into it. The referee gets bumped though and Cole loads up the diamond ring. White goes for the leg though and grabs the ring instead, so MJF goes low to save himself. The Gunns come in and are quickly dispatches, setting up a ring shot to retain the title at 29:56.

Rating: B+. This was a weird match as MJF was the fighting underdog throughout and then cheated to even out a bunch of the cheating White had already done. The story they had went rather well, though it could have been trimmed down a bit at the end of a really long show. At the same time, it doesn’t exactly make White look good to not be able to beat someone on one leg who had already wrestled that night.

MJF and Cole celebrate and limp up the ramp to end the show. No Devil stuff at all.

Overall Rating: A-. Another rather good pay per view from AEW, even with the show feeling rather long at times. As usual, there was nothing close to a bad match with the weakest match being completely fine. The Texas Death match is the best match on the show with the main event being a close second. I’m not sure if this felt like one of the biggest shows AEW has run, but it’s certainly worth a look, assuming you don’t mind some of the matches going a good bit longer than they need to.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Jay Lethal – Spinning backfist
Claudio Castagnoli b. Buddy Matthews – Scorpion Deathlock
Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Samoa Joe b. The Gunns – Koquina Clutch to Colten
Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland b. Christian Cage/Nick Wayne/Luchasaurus – Coffin Drop to Luchasaurus
Orange Cassidy b. Jon Moxley – Beach Break
Toni Storm b. Hikaru Shida – Running hip attack with metal tray
Ricky Starks/Big Bill b. FTR, La Faccion Ingobernable and Kings Of The Black Throne – Starks pulled down the titles
Julia Hart b. Kris Statlander and Skye Blue – Saturday Night Fever to Blue
Swerve Strickland b. Hangman Page when Page could not answer the ten count
Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega b. Young Bucks – One Winged Angel to Matt
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Jay White – Right hand with diamond ring

 

 

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Full Gear 2023 Preview

AEW has changed up its pay per view schedule so much that their original Big Four do not exactly feel as important these days. While the promotion isn’t ice cold, they don’t have the hottest product in the world going into this show. That being said, AEW’s pay per view record is more than good enough to rally things up in the blink of an eye. The main event and a few other things have me interested and that might be enough to carry things. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor World Title: Eddie Kingston(c) vs. Jay Lethal

So this match, which felt like it could have headlined Final Battle next month, is instead taking place here and might not even main event the pre-show. Lethal’s friends helped him beat Kingston to set this up and now Kingston wants to face him one one one. That should work out rather well as Lethal is capable of wrestling a good, simple match against anyone and we could be in for something nice here.

I’ll go with Kingston winning, as Lethal isn’t exactly on fire right now. There is little reason to change the title here since this feels like a way to give Kingston a win over an ROH legend. I’ve heard worse ideas, though I’m not sure who is going to face Kingston at Final Battle. They teased something with Ortiz on Rampage, but that’s for next month. For now, Kingston wins here and moves on to Final Battle.

Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Buddy Matthews

The two stables have been kind of teasing each other in recent weeks and then Castagnoli saved Wheeler Yuta from Matthews after their match on Collision. Therefore, we have a heck of a rather hard hitting showdown and that should be more than enough to make for some entertaining television. Matthews continues to feel like someone who could be a breakout star and it’s nice to see him getting this kind of spot.

For now though, Castagnoli wins here, as the only way I can imagine seeing Matthews win is through some House Of Black interference. This is one of those matches that sounds goo on paper and will probably be even better when they actually get in the ring. Castagnoli is about as dependable as you can get and we should be in for a good, hard hitting, ten or so minute match here.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Samoa Joe(c) vs. The Gunns

Joe is teaming with MJF in the place of Adam Cole, though I’m not sure if it’s going to be a permanent thing. At the same time, Joe is probably going to want some compensation for helping MJF, which likely leads to a title match next month in Long Island. For now though, they have to deal with a talented team who can be a threat to win the titles. Granted they’re fighting to be the champions of a show they’ve never wrestled on.

As much as I’d love to see MJF get away from the titles and have them actually be around in ROH, I’m not sure I can picture the Gunns winning here. MJF and maybe Joe will have to lose the titles at some point in the future, though that might not happen until Final Battle. ROH needs the titles back, but this doesn’t feel like the spot where that is going to happen just yet.

AEW Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Toni Storm

I try to get what I think are the most obvious results out of the way in these things and that seems to be the case here. Shida is a good champion and has been one of the most dependable people in all of AEW, but she’s up against a different kind of force here. Storm has tapped into something with this Timeless deal and that feels like it is going to be enough to go somewhere.

Of course I’ll take Storm here as I can’t see any reason to keep the title on Shida. While she’s very good and one of the workhorses of the division, but Storm is on another level entirely at the moment. It makes all the sense in the world to give her the title as it’s a case of striking while the iron is hot. This should be a layup, and unless Mariah May costs Storm the title, Storm gets the gold here.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue

We’ll stick with the women here and another match that has a somewhat clear favorite. Hart seemed ready to take the title last month at WrestleDream but lost to Statlander, which makes me wonder how things are going to go here. This feels like it should be Hart’s to lose, though Blue being in there is a wild card given how much it seems AEW has wanted to push her.

It’s trickier than I thought but I’ll go with Hart winning here. At some point the House Of Black needs some gold and it would make sense for Hart to get them back on the champions’ list here. Hart has been built up very well in recent months and it fees like the time to go somewhere with that. Statlander has become a star during her reign, but it’s ok to move her out here and maybe into the main Women’s Title picture. Hart wins here, though Blue is a longshot option too.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega vs. Young Bucks

This is the Bucks’ title shot vs. the Canadians’ future as a team because, believe it or not, the Bucks can’t handle Omega having another friend. They did a bit of a rushed buildup to this one as the Bucks weren’t happy with Omega and Jericho teaming together because Omega seems to have forgotten the Elite. Thankfully that means the Bucks have turned heel again, which suits them so much better.

I’ll take Jericho and Omega to win here, as it would make the Bucks all the more frustrated and get them out of the title picture at the same time. The Bucks are going to find something else to whine about anyway so maybe the loss is enough to do just that. Omega and Jericho have done well enough as a team and I could see them going for the Tag Team Titles, even if it feels like a rehash of Omega and Hangman Page. Then again, the Elite’s whole thing is about repeating the same melodrama so that kind of fits. Omega and Jericho win here, or at least I think they do.

International Title: Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Jon Moxley

So this headlined a show about two and a half months ago but now we’re right back where we started before All Out. It felt like we were going to get back here eventually and maybe we’re here a bit earlier than expected, but the rematch is on. Moxley no sold the Orange Punch on Dynamite to scare Cassidy, which puts this in quite the different place than the original version.

As much as it would make sense for Cassidy to win here and tie the series, it feels like AEW wants to get back to where this was supposed to be when Moxley won at All Out. Maybe that means Cassidy comes back and wins the third match down the line, but Moxley was champion for all of a few weeks before the concussion screwed things up. I’ll go with Moxley here, despite a feeling that Cassidy could win with a rollup for a shock victory.

Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage/Luchasaurus/Nick Wayne

And yes, Ric Flair with be here with Sting and company. That’s likely going to get a bunch of the focus and yes there is always the chance that Flair turns on Sting again because we must repeat history every chance we can. For now though, it seems much more like a way to set up Copeland vs. Cage down the line and that is not the worst idea given how rarely they have fought over the years.

Outside of Flair cheating though, this should be Copeland and company’s to win. Wayne can be right there to take a fall without damaging anything major going forward, as tends to be the case in a six man like this. Things will probably break down multiple times, but this is another step in Sting’s retirement tour and having him get a win on pay per view is a fine way for him to step away from California.

Tag Team Titles: Ricky Starks/Big Bill(c) vs. La Faccion Ingobernable vs. FTR vs. Kings Of The Black Throne

Say it with me: it’s a ladder match. That feels like a requirement that AEW has to cover every so often and we’re getting it here for reasons of “Bill is tall”. That’s not exactly a great reason to have a ladder match but that’s modern wrestling for you. The only team you can probably write off here is FTR as they’ve had the titles so recently that getting them again doesn’t make a ton of sense. That leaves us with three options and it could be either of them.

I’ll take the champs to retain here, as I could go for seeing more of what they can do. They won the titles about a month and a half ago and have wound up doing some nice things with them. Let them get a defense in here, even though it might not be the most traditional match. What matters is getting ready for another match against one of these teams later on, but that might have to wait for Omega and Jericho if all things stand. For now though, the champs retain.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

This is the “steal the show” match as it feels like they’re having two young stars get the chance to break through in a Texas Death Match (or Last Man Standing to everyone else). That’s a bit weird when Page is already one of the most decorated stars in AEW history, but Page is out for revenge/blood on Strickland and that often makes for a much more interesting situation.

This feels like Page getting his revenge so I’ll take that here after one heck of a fight. Strickland has been waiting for that big breakout moment and while it has been said over and over again, it should be coming one day. I just don’t think it’s here, as the idea of having Page get his home violated like that and then lose in the big fight seems like a bad idea. Page wins here, after a war.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Jay White

If this wasn’t the main event (or at least it should be), I would have put it high up because this doesn’t feel like the highest drama. White stole the belt at the start of their feud and has mostly kept it since, but now MJF wants the belt and the win. They’ve done a nice job with making me want to see MJF beat White and get everything back, but they might have tilted it a bit too far one way.

Naturally MJF retains here and gets the belt back. That’s not exactly a deep story and it’s hard to fathom that it doesn’t end with MJF getting the belt back here. Samoa Joe is all but guaranteed to be waiting for MJF next month in Long Island and having MJF win here is kind of required to make that work. White has done well enough but it’s time to move on without him as champion.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about it, the more I would consider Strickland vs. Page headlining. It might not be the highest profile match on the show, but it certainly feels like the hottest one. I’m worried that it might be good enough that nothing can follow it and that could ruin whatever comes after. The show looks good enough, though having it come so soon after the previous one feels off in AEW> I’ll still take them as having a real chance to make this work though as Full Gear seems like it has a good deal of potential, as usual.

 

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Collision – November 11, 2023: This Show Was Boring And Long

Collision
Date: November 11, 2023
Location: Oakland Arena, Oakland, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re taped for a rare situation this week with only seven days to go before Full Gear. In theory that should mean we get a few things built up towards the pay per view, which could make things interesting. You never know what you’re going to get around here but an in-ring focus tends to be the case. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Sting, Darby Allin, Adam Copeland, the Righteous, Lance Archer, Jake Roberts, La Faccion Ingobernable, Powerhouse Hobbs, Daniel Garcia and Andrade El Idolo are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Daniel Garcia

CJ Perry is here with Andrade. Feeling out process to start with Andrade getting the better of things. Garcia sends him into the ropes for the Tranquilo pose, meaning it’s time for the slugout. The frustrated Garcia is sat on top for a dropkick out to the floor as things get worse. Back in and Andrade strikes away until Garcia gets in a knee snap over the ropes.

Garcia knees him off the apron and out to the floor but it’s time to stare at Perry. That means some dancing from Garcia, though Perry actually dances back a bit. Garcia takes it back inside for a German suplex and we take a break. Back with Garcia putting on the ankle lock and Andrade pounding the mat.

With that broken up, Andrade hits some running clotheslines and nips up. The running knees in the corner give Andrade two, followed by Garcia hitting a brainbuster for the same. Andrade runs him over again and hits the double moonsault for two more. Another shot to the knee sets up the Figure Eight to give Andrade the win at 15:41.

Rating: C+. This was longer than it needed to be and there was only so much that you can get out of these two going for almost sixteen minutes. It was a good enough match, but it was feeling long and came off more like they were trying to fill in time. Andrade winning does at least boost him up though and now we should be in for a big Miro vs. Andrade match in the near future.

In the back, Miro is not pleased.

We look at the end of Dynamite, with the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn being taken out by masked men. MJF was upset but Samoa Joe seemed amused.

Nick Wayne vs. Dalton Castle

Christian Cage and Luchasaurus are here with Wayne while the Boys are here with Castle. Feeling out process to start with Wayne taking over and stopping for a pose. Castle wrestles him down without much trouble and grabs a gutwrench to send Wayne flying. Wayne gets in a shot of his own to set up more posing though and we hit the face ripping.

That’s broken up and Castle snaps off some suplexes but the Bang A Rang is blocked. Wayne’s World is blocked as well so Luchasaurus gets on the apron. The Boys make the save and get double chokeslammed, allowing Wayne to send Castle into the corner. Wayne’s World finishes Castle at 6:47.

Rating: C+. And there’s your next challenger to the Ring Of Honor World Title, as he loses to Christian Cage’s lackey two days after issuing the challenge. AEW has that big of a roster but apparently here was no one else to take this loss than Castle. Other than that, it was nice to see Castle on television again, as that star power and charisma are always worth a look.

Hangman Page is livid at Swerve Strickland for invading his home, so it’s time for a Texas Death Match at Full Gear. He’s ready to kill Strickland and then take his son to his grave every year for a visit. Heck of a promo from Page here, as he continues to do well when he’s serious.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Workhorsemen

Dralistico gets taken into the wrong corner to start and the alternating beatdown is on. A quick shot allows the tag to Rush though and Drake is quickly struck down. The fight heads outside and we take a break. Back with Rush slapping Drake in the face and posing before forearming Henry down. Back up and Drake runs Rush over, setting up a missed moonsault. Dralistico hits a top rope Codebreaker, setting up a running flip dive to Henry. The Bull’s Horns finishes Drake at 8:25.

Rating: C. This was another match that felt a bit longer than it needed to be, though at least La Faccion never really felt like they were in any serious trouble. The Workhorsemen have been around Ring Of Honor for a long time without much success and now they seem to be moving into the same jobbers to the stars roles around here. There are worse spots for them, but they’re not exactly must see TV.

Post match the House Of Black pops up to say they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles at Full Gear. As for Julia Hart, she’ll beat Willow Nightingale tonight and then gets a rematch for the TBS Title at Full Gear.

Kris Statlander thinks Willow Nightingale should get a title shot and has no comment on Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue next week. Apparently the winners of Hart vs. Nightingale and Velvet vs. Blue get into a triple threat title match at Full Gear. Velvet has wrestled twice since returning and is 1-1 but is a win away from a title shot?

Roderick Strong vs. Darius Martin

Strong, with the Kingdom, is wheeled to the ring. They start fast with Strong hammering away in the corner before hitting a half nelson backbreaker. One heck of a chop in the corner lets Strong drop him in the corner again. A dropkick cuts off Martin’s comeback and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. With that broken up, Martin flips out of the corner for a kick to the head, followed by a bulldog onto the middle rope. Back in and Strong hits the Sick Kick, setting up the End of Heartache for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. Strong’s story continues, though I’m not sure where it is supposed to go. The ans are getting behind Strong and that might create some issues for everyone involved. For now though, at least Strong is getting back in the ring so there are some more options available. Maybe just tone down the comedy stuff if Strong is supposed to stay a heel?

Post match the beatdown is on until Action Andretti makes the save.

Tony Khan is with Bryan Danielson and announces that Danielson will be at next year’s All In. Also, we’ll be getting the Continental Classic, a 12 man round robin tournament over the next month and a half, with the finals taking place at World’s End. The first entrant: Bryan Danielson. Round robins haven’t gone so well in America and a month and a half is a lot, but the talent should be there.

Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart

They start slowly with Hart not knowing what to do with Willow’s power. Hart slugs away but gets slammed down without much trouble. With that not working, they head outside where Willow hits a suplex to plant Hart as we take a break. Back with Hart working on the arm, meaning Nightingale can’t pick her up for the gutwrench powerbomb. Hart hits some running shots in the corner and a running forearm to the back of the head.

Hartless is blocked so they head outside where Nightingale misses a charge into the steps. Back in and Willow pulls her off the top for a full nelson slam and another near fall. The Babe With The Powerbomb….doesn’t quite work as Hart lands sitting down. Another running forearm drops Willow and the moonsault gives Hart the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. And so, Nightingale loses again, as tends to be her custom. That being said, Hart seems all but destined to win the title at Full Gear, as Kris Statlander hasn’t had much of note or a bit now. Hart’s moonsault still looks great too as she has come a long way in a short amount of time. Just give her the title while not having Nightingale lose as much and they’ll get somewhere.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks won’t fight the House Of Black at Full Gear. That’s true, because they’ll be fighting the House of Black, La Faccion Ingobernable and FTR. Starks isn’t worried.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. ???

Paul Wight is on commentary. Spinebuster and World’s Strongest Slam finish for Hobbs at 53 seconds.

Post match, Don Callis mocks Chris Jericho and calls Wight Jericho’s last friend in wrestling. Callis praises Wight but says he’s scared of Hobbs. The fight is teased but nothing happens.

FTR wants the Tag Team Titles back.

Lance Archer/The Righteous vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland

Copeland strikes away at Dutch to start and finally clotheslines him down. Allin (with a taped up shoulder) comes in to headlock Vincent before it’s off to Archer vs. Sting. After a WOO off, Sting knocks him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Sting in trouble as Archer gets to stomp him down in the corner. Sting fights away and, after a clothesline to Archer, brings Allin back in.

What looks to be the Code Red is blocked and Dutch hits a running clothesline as we take another break. Back again with Allin fighting out of trouble and bringing Copeland back in to clean house. Allin dives onto Archer on the floor but Dutch takes Copeland down. Sting makes the save and it’s a Death Drop/middle rope elbow combination to drop Dutch. The spear finishes Dutch at 16:21.

Rating: B-. Copeland was looking like a star in here and was moving better than he did during some of his time in WWE. At the same time, Sting continues to look good on the way towards retirement and if he can keep it going for a few more months, we should be in for a nice run. I could have gone with the Righteous not losing so soon into their teaming up with Roberts, but at least it was to a team with much higher star power.

Christian Cage and company come out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While it wasn’t a bad show, I couldn’t get into things this week. It felt like there wasn’t a ton of effort put into this show and very little involving the top stories took place. I can go with a show focused more on the midcard feuds, but nothing n here really stood out for the most part. It’s far from terrible, but I was bored more than once and that makes for a long show.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Daniel Garcia – Figure 8
Nick Wayne b. Dalton Castle – Wayne’s World
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Workhorsemen – Bull’s Horns to Drake
Roderick Strong b. Darius Martin – End Of Heartache
Julia Hart b. Willow Nightingale – Moonsault
Powerhouse Hobbs b. ??? – World’s Strongest Slam
Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland b. Righteous/Lance Archer – Spear to Dutch

 

 

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Rampage – November 10, 2023: FTR Can Do It

Rampage
Date: November 10, 2023
Location: Oakland Arena, Oakland, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the rather rare live Rampage as AEW is shaking up its schedule a bit. As usual though, the card is kind of all over the place, as we’re getting a rare non-Collision FTR match. Rampage can be so random that it is hard to guess what we’ll be getting and that can make for a fun night. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ricky Starks vs. Preston Vance

This isn’t quite as interesting as I was expecting after the RUSH graphic came on the big screen. Big Bill joins commentary as they trade chops in the corner to start. Vance knocks him to the floor but Starks rams him into the barricade. That’s enough for Starks to jump in on commentary to praise himself before suplexing Vance on the ramp.

We take a break and come back with Starks’ apron legdrop getting two. Vance hits a middle rope shoulder into a spinebuster but Starks hits a springboard tornado DDT. A Samoan driver plants Starks but he counters the full nelson into a rollup for two. Vance gets up so Bill offers a distraction, setting up the spear to finish for Starks at 7:08.

Rating: C+. This continues the interesting multi-team feud that seems to be breaking out on Collision. The good thing about a feud like that is it opens up a variety of options for matches as AEW can run all kinds of singles and tags out of there. Starks getting a win is good as well and it’s not like Vance has anything to lose.

Post match the beatdown is on but La Faccion Ingobernable makes the save.

Chris Jericho is ready to face Konosuke Takeshita in Japan and thinks Takeshita needs to be ready for one of the best wrestlers in the world. Revenge is promised.

Don Callis, with Prince Nana, is asked about who will be the fourth member of the Don Callis Family in the upcoming street fight. That would apparently be Brian Cage, who is being rented from the Mogul Embassy. Geez Sammy Guevara is still not cleared from his concussion? That’s not a good sign.

Jeff Jarrett and company are ready to see Jay Lethal win the Ring Of Honor World Title whenever he gets his title shot. Ortiz comes in to say he wants them to say what they’ve been saying from his face. Ortiz knows he’s going down, so he’s going down swinging. The fight is on and off rather quickly.

Ruby Soho vs. Red Velvet

Soho is doing this on her own, with Saraya happily heading to the back. Velvet throws her down to start and hits a leg lariat to drop Soho again. Velvet sends Soho into the corner but gets sent into the same corner for her efforts. Soho gets in a shot of her own and we take a break.

Back with Velvet making the clothesline comeback and hitting a standing moonsault for two. Some basement superkicks put Velvet right back down for two and a pair of Saito suplexes knock Velvet silly. Hold on though as someone delivers Soho flowers, allowing Velvet to strike away. A spinning kick to the head gives Velvet the big upset at 9:02.

Rating: C+. Velvet is doing a bit better than she was before the injury though it’s almost hard to fathom her beating Soho. It wasn’t a clean win but the result itself is quite the surprise. I’m curious to see where the secret admirer (assuming that’s what it is) idea goes as that could have quite the variety of options. Now just don’t screw it up.

We look back at the end of Dynamite with the masked men attacking Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed, much to MJF’s chagrin.

Kingdom vs. ???/???

Roderick Strong is here with the Kingdom and dedicates the match to his best friend Adam Cole. The Kingdom jumps them to start and finishes with the Neck Check at 50 seconds.

Post match Strong gets out of the wheelchair for a Backstabber and then gets back in for the ride up the ramp.

Daniel Garcia and pals challenges Andrade El Idolo for Collision. Ruby Soho, with flowers and Saraya, come in so the latter can accuse Angelo Parker of sending them. Storming off ensues.

The Kingdom and Roderick Strong are interrupted by Action Andretti and Darius Martin. A match is teased for some point in the future.

El Hijo del Vikingo/Komander vs. FTR

Harwood and Komander start things off with Komander grabbing a rollup for a fast two. That’s broken up so it’s off to Wheeler vs. Vikingo for a change. Vikingo kicks him into the corner and Wheeler is sent outside, setting up a suicide dive…which goes straight into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Vikingo hitting a dive off the top to drop Wheeler on the floor again. Komander hits a high crossbody on Harwood and Vikingo’s missile dropkick gets two. Harwood catches Vikingo on top with a superplex but Komander breaks up the….I guess Power as it’s part of the PowerPlex.

Wheeler catches Komander in a Gory Bomb and Harwood Tombstones Vikingo for two. Back to back slingshot powerbomb attempts are countered into hurricanranas for two on Harwood but the third attempt connects. Komander takes both of them down in the corner but walks into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B. Every time I start to get a little over FTR, they come up with something like this match. This was a completely different kind of match from them and it worked very well for a heck of a main event. The idea of FTR not being able to keep up with the luchadors and having all of them usual stuff getting countered was a cool way to go and I had a good time here. Heck of a match and a nice twist off of the usual.

Respect is shown….and the House of Black pops up on the screen for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event was by far the best part of the show but the rest was good enough. I can go with having a randomly awesome main event to go with a few stories getting advanced, though it’s hard to believe that will continue. For now though, pretty nice Rampage and having more FTR around is a good thing.

Results
Ricky Starks b. Preston Vance – Spear
Red Velvet b. Ruby Soho – Spinning kick to the head
Kingdom b. ???/??? – Neck Check
FTR b. Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo – Shatter Machine to Komander

 

 

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