Ring Of Honor
Date: July 25, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re a day away from Death Before Dishonor and a few more matches have been announced since last week’s show. Normally I would suggest that some more might be announced during this show, but that’s not how Ring Of Honor tends to go. Hopefully we at least get a nice preview for tomorrow so let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

We look at Mark Briscoe’s recent efforts, including in Blood & Guts.

Last night after Blood & Guts, a bloody Briscoe was jumped by Roderick Strong.

The Kingdom hasn’t heard from Tony Khan so they must have Death Before Dishonor off. Paul Wight of all people comes in to say he has been named to the ROH Board Of Directors so they will be defending against Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O’Reilly. This would stem from Rampage when the two of them and Orange Cassidy beat the Undisputed Kingdom (Cassidy got the pin). Ishii has not wrestled in Ring Of Honor since 2019 and O’Reilly has not wrestled in Ring Of Honor since 2016.

They have teamed together once as a two man tea, losing a four way match at this year’s Forbidden Door, meaning they have never won a two on two tag match. Now with that out of the way, let’s make sure to watch any tag matches tonight, because they will obviously be VERY important to the title picture.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Moriarty and Yuta start things off in a preview of tomorrow’s Pure Rules Title match. They go with the grappling to tart with Yuta working on the arm. Moriarty fights up and is promptly armdragged back into another armbar. It’s off to Castagnoli vs. Ogogo for the power lockup with Ogogo hitting him in the ribs. That doesn’t work for Castagnoli, who knocks Ogogo down and hands it back to Yuta. A big boot drops Yuta in a hurry but he’s back with a dropkick for a breather.

Moriarty comes in and gets armbarred right over to the ropes for the break. Back up and Yuta dives over for the tag to Castagnoli, who gets to clean house. Castagnoli knocks Moriarty for a running uppercut against the barricade and a double stomp gets two back inside. Ogogo comes back in for a running clothesline in the corner but Castagnoli is back with Swiss Death. Yuta sends Moriarty outside for a suicide dive, leaving Castagnoli to Swing Ogogo into a heck of a lariat for the pin at 11:24.

Rating: B-. This was a good, back and forth match which was longer than most matches get around here. That’s a nice thing to see and the star power helped, though I’m not sure how much it did to boost up Moriarty vs. Yuta at the pay per view. Given that the title hasn’t been defended in almost seven months, one might thing it could get more of the focus here.

Post match Yuta and Moriarty have to be separated and Shane Taylor drops Yuta with the big right hand.

Here are Queen Aminata and Red Velvet for a chat. Lexi Nair won’t let Velvet talk and, after asking Aminata about attacking the one legged Athena, won’t let her talk either. Aminata takes the mic and says the b**** got what she deserved. Cue Athena, who hitches a ride on the back of a security guard, before leaning on Nair to say the other two are too uncultured for an interview.

They have even called her and Billie Starkz names, including THE B WORD a second ago. Athena calls them “raggedy a** lot lizards” and here is Starkz (in matching gear to Athena), who starts walking around just fine. The beatdown is on and Athena swears to retain the title. One of them has to lose right?

Spanish Announce Project vs. Gates Of Agony

Serpentico gets pulled into the wrong corner to start but manages to dodge out to the apron. Angelico comes in and pulls Kaun down into a choke, sending Kaun over to the ropes. The Project takes turns working on Kaun’s arm until Kaun just blasts Angelico down to take over. Liona’s backsplash gets two and he steps on Angelico’s head.

Angelico gets stomped down in the corner and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Kaun trips him down, setting up a quick splash to the back to give Liona two. Angelico manages to kick them together though and it’s back to Serpentico as the pace picks up. Not that it matters as Open The Gates finishes Serpentico at 7:04.

Rating: C. This was exactly what you would expect from these four as the Gates continue to be right in the same place they feel like they have been in for the better part of ever. There is no reason to get excited about them and the same is true for the Project. Granted I’ll take this over another match with Cole Karter and Griff Garrison.

EJ Nduka vs. Jon Cruz

Nduka, who is in great shape, powers Cruz into the corner to start and walks him around the ring for a delayed toss suplex. It works so well that he does it again, setting up one heck of a running shoulder. The most casual big boot you’ll ever see sets up a belly to back slam for the pin on Cruz at 2:55. Short match but Nduka looked impressive with the power stuff.

The MxM Collection is ready to debut at Death Before Dishonor.

Johnny TV/Shane Taylor vs. Lio Rush/Atlantis Jr.

TV Title match preview and Taya Valkyrie is here with the villains. TV and Rush start things off but TV drops to the floor for some personal time with Valkyrie. The distraction lets Rush take TV down but Taylor drops Rush as well. Back in and Rush tries to dodge away from Taylor, who pulls a middle rope crossbody out of the air. That’s escaped as well and Atlantis comes in for a headscissors to TV. Rush and Atlantis take turns striking away on Taylor until Valkyrie trips Rush up.

Taylor hits a heck of a spinebuster to take over and it’s TV getting to stomp him down into the corner. TV knocks Rush outside before handing it back to Taylor to stay on the ribs. Rush finally gets in a shot on TV and it’s a double knockdown for a needed breather. The tag brings Atlantis back in for a missile dropkick but Taylor pulls his high crossbody out of the air as well. Rush high crossbodies into both of them for the double knockdown but Atlantis superkicks Rush by mistake. The Marcus Garvey Driver pins Atlantis at 9:53.

Rating: C+. Completely run of the mill tag match here which did little to change the fact that was know almost nothing about Atlantis. He had that one match with Chris Jericho a few months ago, worked in some tag matches, and then hey he’s the TV Champion. It isn’t about a lack of talent, but he’s the definition of a guy who is just thrown out there with nothing to make him stand out, which isn’t going to work most of the time.

Abadon vs. Dulce Tormenta

Abadon wastes no time in stomping away in the corner but gets hit in the face for a quick two. Back up and a cutter drops Tormenta, setting up the Black Dahlia for the pin at 1:58. Close enough to a squash.

Action Andretti/Fuego del Sol/Komander/Top Flight vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson/Nick Comoroto/Anthony Henry

Andretti and Jameson start things off with Andretti busting out some clap pushups. Henry comes in and gets taken into the corner, only to kick Dante in the ribs to take over. Komander comes in and has to kick his way out of Boulder’s powerbomb, setting up a springboard missile dropkick to Bronson. It’s off to Fuego for a springboard hurricanrana but Henry takes over without much trouble. Comoroto’s running elbow gets two as commentary asks about the whereabouts of Jacoby Watts.

Bronson sits on Fuego’s chest for two and the villains take turns doing the same. Boulder’s Vader Bomb misses though and an enziguri allows the tag to Dante. A springboard Downward Spiral gets two on Comoroto as everything breaks down. Comoroto misses a charge into the corner and we get the triple dives from Top Flight and Komander. Fuego hits a tornado DDT and a series of top rope splashes sets up Dante’s frog splash to pin Comoroto (because the IRON SAVAGES must be protected) at 9:24.

Rating: B-. This was the “get a bunch of people on the show” match and they did well enough with all of the dives and flips near the end. I’m not sure if Fuego being back for the first time in about a year and a half is as big of a deal as commentary made it out to be but I’ve seen worse ideas. Fun match here, as you knew it would be.

Red Velvet and Queen Aminata are ready to win the titles tomorrow.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

Dark Order vs. Von Erichs

Oh yeah we’re near Dallas and yes Kevin is here too. Ross and Silver start things off but it’s quickly off to Marshall for a dropkick. Silver’s running dropkick takes Marshall down though and it’s already time for some stomping in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Ross for some big boots, plus a suplex for two. A grab of the leg from the floor slows Ross down though and Silver powerbombs him onto Reynolds’ raised knees.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as it’s back to Reynolds for a cheap shot to Marshall. Choking seems to fire Ross up but he gets pulled down into a front facelock. Ross fights up and hands it off to Marshall for the hot tag. The Claw is broken up but Reynolds stops to yell at Kevin, allowing Marshall to hit a lariat for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C. They’re still the Von Erichs and they’re still not that interesting. They’re just such a generic, basic tag team and it shows every time they’re out there. I’m sure we’ll see more of them so their dad can make his special appearances and all that, but I was glad this was as short as it was. The team just isn’t very fun to watch and this match didn’t change that feeling.

Post match the Dark Order goes for the beatdown but Dustin Rhodes makes the save in a preview for their Death Before Dishonor match. That would be the match to decide who faces the Undisputed Kingdom at Battle Of The Belts for the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles. That’s because A, the title match is happening on an AEW show because of course it is, and B, THE SIX MAN TAG TEAM TITLES ARE BACK BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY ARE! Anyway Iron Clawing sends the Order running to end the show. Yeah that’s it. No hype package, no one last promo, nothing else. Just the Von Erichs and Rhodes celebrating.

Overall Rating: C+. As completely good (at worst) that Death Before Dishonor will be, the more astounded I am at how little effort there is going into it. The World Champion can’t even appear on the show to hype it up? The Tag Team Title match is announced backstage with a new team getting the shot? Some matches getting no build whatsoever? But not that it matters anyway, as in a week or two we’ll be back to the same lack of attention that it always gets, because that’s how Ring Of Honor works.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Lariat to Ogogo
Gates Of Agony b. Spanish Announce Project – Open The Gates to Serpentico
EJ Nduka b. Jon Cruz – Belly to back slam
Shane Taylor/Johnny TV b. Atlantis Jr./Lio Rush – Marcus Garvey Driver to Atlantis Jr.
Abadon b. Dulce Tormenta – Black Dahlia
Action Andretti/Fuego del Sol/Komander/Top Flight b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson/Nick Comoroto/Anthony Henry – Frog splash to Comoroto
Von Erichs b. Dark Order – Lariat to Reynolds

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.

Dynamite
Date: June 26, 2024
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before we get to Forbidden Door, meaning it’s time for the final push towards the show. There is a good chance that more matches will be added either tonight or on Rampage or Collision, which doesn’t leave much time to get things ready. Other than that, we have some Owen Hart Tournament matches to cover so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is MJF to get things going but Daniel Garcia (hometown boy) cuts him off. MJF is glad the fans love Garcia, but tread lightly. Garcia thanks him for the save last week but says this is his town and his business. He is here to do something new: say nice things about MJF! That works for MJF, so Garcia talks about MJF’s accomplishments, including beating Garcia in a World Title match.

That loss set him off on the run of a lifetime, so why settle for being a pillar when he can be the workhorse around here? For that, he thanks MJF, but does mention MJF being two faced. MJF hypes up Forbidden Door (getting the date wrong) but then thanks Garcia for actually thanking him for what he does behind the scenes. Garcia got his title shot because he earned it and because he reminds MJF of himself.

The thing to remember though is that MJF beat Garcia, but maybe he should get one more shot…say at All In. Garcia says that’s huge but here is Will Ospreay to interrupt. Ospreay says he appreciates Garcia, who has been earning a shot by earning win after win. Not only that, but he’s been doing it faster than Ospreay “lasts in the bedroom Bruv.”

After an apology to his lady friend at home, Ospreay says the title shot is on for next week…and we’ll make it a World Title match too since Ospreay is winning that at Forbidden Door. Works for Garcia, so Ospreay leaves and MJF isn’t happy. MJF tells him to focus on his big shot and leaves in a hurry. The fact that MJF’s match against Hechicero on Sunday was barely mentioned isn’t a great sign for that one, but it’s not like they have anything to talk about anyway.

Swerve Strickland doesn’t get why Ospreay isn’t making promises he won’t be able to keep, because that isn’t very World Champion-esque. Fans: “WE CAN’T HEAR YOU!”

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Bryan Danielson is on commentary and it’s Titan/Shingo Takagi/Hiromu Takahashi for Los Ingobernables. Castagnoli runs Takagi over with a shoulder to start and they slug it out, as you might have expected. A hiptoss puts Castagnoli down and he’s rather impressed. Takahashi comes in for a running hurricanrana to Yuta and it’s off to Titan for a running clothesline in the corner. There’s the big dive to the floor but Castagnoli comes back in and pulls Titan out of the air to take over.

We take a break and come back with Titan kicking Castagnoli’s leg out but it’s off to Moxley, who gets hit in the face. Everything breaks down and it’s a slugout between Moxley and Takagi. Moxley bites his face but gets put down with a clothesline, meaning it’s off to Yuta vs. Takahashi. A rather snappy German suplex sends Takahashi down but he’s back with a Death Valley Driver. Then Moxley hits Takahashi with a chair for the DQ at 10:48.

Rating: B-. It was fun while it lasted but the ending was kind of out of nowhere. Maybe they’re playing up the idea that Moxley is wild and violent before his IWGP World Title defense against Tetsuya Naito on Sunday but it only went so far. Other than that, this was the Club against another group of guest stars, which has kind of been done to death lately.

Post match the brawl is on until Tetsuya Naito comes in for the brawl. Takagi hammers on Yuta until Danielson makes the save.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Jay White vs. Rey Fenix

The rest of the Bang Bang Gang is here with White while Penta El Zero Miedo is here with Fenix. Everyone at ringside wants to grab a chair so the referee ejects them all before the bell. Fenix grabs a very fast rollup for two so White chops away at him to take over. Fenix is right back up with a springboard armdrag to send White outside, which of course means a big dive to take him down again. Back in and White grabs a quick flipping neckbreaker for two as we take a break.

We come back with White firing off more chops but Fenix kicks him down. A frog splash gets a rather delayed two but White spins him into a DDT for a knockdown. The brainbuster gives White two, only to have Fenix reverse the Blade Runner into a rollup for two of his own. Fenix tries the Fire Thunder Driver but White reverses into the Blade Runner for the pin at 9:18.

Rating: C+. This only had so much time and I was expecting a bit more from them. White getting a singles win is almost weird to see as he has spent so much time as part of a team. I’m not sure I can imagine him going very far in the whole thing but giving him a single win isn’t going to hurt anything.

Post match the Bang Bang Gang comes back and here is the Patriarchy to stare them down. Then the Patriarchy leaves.

The Young Bucks blame the Acclaimed for the cheating in last week’s match as the Bucks were pushed to it. With that out of the way, they brag about the Elite’s success and next week, they’ll get to pick their own Wild Card into the Men’s Owen Hart Tournament so the World Title can come to the team.

Here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn for a chat. Caster refers to the Bucks as the “cucks” and showed how inept they are at running anything. They’re going to decide when to issue the challenge for the Tag Team Titles….but here is the Elite to interrupt. They get right to the point and issue the challenge for a six man tag at Forbidden Door. Gunn says he’s kind of a big deal and knows a president, so we get a video from Hiroshi Tanahashi, who says he is coming to Forbidden Door to fight the Elite. So did Gunn have that video ready just in case the Elite issued a challenge for a six man?

The Conglomeration is ready to win everything on Sunday, with Kyle O’Reilly calling Zack Sabre Jr. a scalawag. Mark Briscoe goes into a rant about various horrible things that Sabre Jr. is like, including Peppa Pig. Orange Cassidy thinks that went well, which has been the case every time they’ve let Briscoe go insane.

Mina Shirakawa/Toni Storm/Mariah May vs. Outcasts/Anna Jay

May is dragged to the entrance by Storm but stays on the stage to come to the ring with Shirakawa (following a rather snazzy dance routine). Jay and Shirakawa start things off with the former sliding down and dancing a bit. Back up and a springboard kick to the face rocks Jay so it’s off to May for some shaking. Cameron comes in for some elbows to the back but May isn’t sure who she should tag. Instead she stays in, allowing Saraya and Jay to pull Storm and Shirakawa to the floor.

We take a break and come back with May and Cameron grabbing stereo hair takedowns. Storm comes in and sends Saraya flying with a German suplex, setting up the hip attack. Shirakawa tags herself in and everything breaks down, with the Mina Driver (I think) finishing Cameron at 6:57.

Rating: C+. They are playing the heck out of the triangle deal here and it’s working well enough. I’m curious to see where they go on Sunday but odds are they have some kind of a way out of it. Other than that, I’m a bit relieved that Jay didn’t take the pin here, as she seemed to be added for little more than that.

Post match May has the other two toast the champagne. May then dances with Storm, leaving Shirakawa to grab the champagne bottle….which hits May by mistake. Storm is not pleased and seething ensues.

Video on Mercedes Mone vs. Stephanie Vaquer.

Mone is here and says it’s funny that Vaquer isn’t. Vaquer will be wrestling on Collision and Mone will be there too.

Here is the Learning Tree for a chat, with Bryan Keith’s arm in a sling. They aren’t happy with Keith’s arm being injured, but Samoa Joe and company has challenged them to a six man anyway. The Sensei of the Sickos (Chris Jericho that is) has an idea though, so here is their third man: Minoru Suzuki!

But hang on, as Suzuki says he wants to fight Jericho for the FTW Title rather than team with him. Jericho said that he hadn’t watched the video (and that Suzuki was a fellow Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall Of Famer). Cue Samoa Joe and company, with Joe saying this is awkward. Katsuyori Shibata sums up the situation with his computer saying “this guy sucks” and the fight is on, with the Learning Tree bailing.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Orange Cassidy is on commentary and Roderick Strong is watching from ringside. They go to the grappling to start (shocking I know) with O’Reilly flipping over him into a standoff. Sabre goes after the arm but O’Reilly is away just as quickly and we have a standoff. O’Reilly takes over on the mat by cranking on the leg but Sabre slips out and stomps him down as we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly striking away until Sabre pulls him into an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as well so it’s time for O’Reilly to win a strike off. O’Reilly suplexes him into a cross armbreaker before switching into an ankle lock. That’s broken up so O’Reilly snaps off a German suplex for the knockdown. They exchange kicks to the head and then slap it out until Sabre pulls him into a Disarm-Her for the tap at 10:59.

Rating: B. This was exactly what you would have expected it was going to be from these two and it went rather well. It was two guys who are masters at technical wrestling getting to do their thing for a good while until one of them gave up. Solid match, though I’m still only so interested in seeing Sabre vs. Cassidy on Sunday.

Post match Cassidy goes to the ring to check on O’Reilly as Sabre’s partners, the Mighty Don’t Kneel, come in. Cue Tomohiro Ishii to even things out and the villains run off.

Swerve Strickland/Will Ospreay vs. Gates Of Agony

The Gates jump them at the bell and the beating is on in a hurry. We settle down to Ospreay jumping over Kaun and sending him flying with a monkey flip. A standing moonsault hits Kaun and Swerve gets two, only to have to block an accidental big boot from Ospreay. The distraction lets Liona run both of the over with a clothesline and we take a break.

Back with Swerve kicking his way up from the mat but Kaun pulls Ospreay off the apron to break up the tag. Kaun dropkicks Liona by mistake though and the tag brings Ospreay in to clean house. The standing shooting star press gets two on Kaun but he catches Ospreay on top for a super Jackhammer. Swerve is back with a Stomp from the apron to the floor to take Kaun down. Back in and Ospreay superkicks Swerve by mistake, leaving Kaun to hit a Pounce for two. Swerve is back up but his boot misses Ospreay (in theory) and hits Liona, setting up the Oscutter for two more. The Hidden Blade finishes Liona at 10:08.

Rating: C+. This was about adding more spice to the World Title match and it worked well enough, or at least as well as you can get with the Gates being involved. Strickland vs. Ospreay should be a heck of a match on Sunday, though I’m worried about how overshadowed it might be. Maybe this match boosts it up a bit, but they have some work to do.

Post match Ospreay picks up both titles and gets House Called for his efforts to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The show was fine enough but my goodness I do not care about Forbidden Door and I never can. The show always winds up being good but the build always comes off as “and then we have this person and this person and this person and this person” as guest stars.

It certainly has an audience of some kind, though I can never bring myself to get interested in this. That was on full display this week as we have a bunch of people added to the show at the last minute. Forbidden Door will be good, but I don’t care for the build and never have. Some of the other stuff worked well, like the Women’s Title match and the World Title, but that’s only a portion of a rather long two-plus hour show.

Results
Los Ingobernables de Japon b. Blackpool Combat Club via DQ when Moxley used a chair
Jay White b. Rey Fenix – Blade Runner
Mina Shirakawa/Toni Storm/Mariah May b. Outcasts/Anna Jay – Mina Driver to Cameron
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Kyle O’Reilly – Disarm-Her
Swerve Strickland/Will Ospreay b. Gates Of Agony – Hidden Blade to Liona

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: June 22, 2024
Location: PPL Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to wrap up the build for Forbidden Door, with just over a week to go before the event. In this case we have a major match as Kazuchika Okada will face CMLL legend Ultimo Guerrero in a rather unique international match. Other than that, we have the International Title on the line as Will Ospreay defends against Brian Cage so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Samoa Joe/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Premiere Athletes

Joe and Tony Nese start things off with Joe running him over off a shoulder. An elbow to the face does it again and it’s off to Hook for some clubberin in the corner. Daivari comes in and takes Hook down for a seated full nelson, with Hook fighting up rather quickly. It’s off to Shibata vs. Woods, who strike it out for a bit before fighting over arm control on the mat. Nese comes in for a cheap shot to the knee but Shibata just sidesteps a top rope moonsault (Joe approves).

In addition to approving, Joe also comes in but a distraction lets Woods get in a neck snap across the top rope to take over. That doesn’t last long either as Joe is back with a backsplash and Hook comes in to beat up the Athletes. Woods manages a release German suplex so Shibata comes back in and dropkicks Nese in the corner. The cross armbreaker finishes Nese at 7:35.

Rating: C+. I’d think we’re done with Joe and company against the Athletes, which we should have been done with a few weeks ago. If nothing else, it’s another case where people treated as bigger deals in Ring Of Honor are massacred on the main roster, but it’s also Joe and company taking longer than they needed to in order to beat a weak set of opponents. Joe and company could have something, but they need better competition.

The Bang Bang Gang isn’t happy that Juice Robinson isn’t an official Trios Champion. Now the House Of Black is getting a title shot so Jay White is going to come back with TEN ABS.

Learning Tree vs. Private Party

Bryan Keith is here with the Learning Tree. Jericho starts with Quen but hands it off to Bill before anything can happen. Bill hammers away in the corner and then sends Quen flying right back out of it. A missed charge gives Quen a breather but Bill drops him with a right hand. Jericho comes in but charges into a boot in the corner, allowing Kassidy to come in and hammer away. The Silly String gives Kassidy two on Jericho and it’s Quen coming back in to rain down his own right hands. Jericho gets in a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with Quen managing to knock Jericho down and bring Kassidy back in. The pace is picked up until Jericho knocks Quen down, leaving Kassidy to dive onto Bill. Quen’s 450 gets two on Jericho but Bill gets in a big boot to give Jericho two of his own. A hurricanrana is countered into the Walls but Kassidy makes the rope. The very swinging Boss Man Slam gets two more and Bill chokeslams Quen onto Kassidy for the same. Kassidy is back up with a step up dropkick to Bill and Gin and Juice into a Codebreaker gets two on Jericho. Keith is back up with a foreign object to knock Kassidy silly though, giving Jericho the pin at 14:53.

Rating: C+. The best thing here is the fact that it wasn’t Jericho talking. Jericho having more followers isn’t the worst idea but the talking is quite a bit to take. Beating Private Party is fine, but the Learning Tree needs someone better to feud against than a fairly low level tag team.

Post match the villains go for the beatdown but Hook/Samoa Joe/Katsuyori Shibata come in for the save. The challenge is made for the six man at Forbidden Door. Jericho seems in as Keith seems to have hurt his arm.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Non-title and Guerrero is in a mask here despite having lost his mask in 2014. Okada slaps his hand in respect to start and they trade armdrags for an early standoff. We pause for Guerrero to play to the fans as commentary says their Spanish isn’t great. Guerrero plants Okada for two and chops away in the corner before grabbing the chinlock. With that broken up, Guerrero goes after the leg and then the arm, only for Okada to come back with White Noise onto the knee as we take a break.

Back with an exchange of running shots in the corner for a double knockdown. They fight to the floor with Guerrero firing off a chop before heading back inside. Guerrero has to adjust his mask for about the fourteenth time, allowing Okada to come back with the dropkick. Guerrero’s belly to back superplex is broken up but the Rainmaker is blocked as well. Not that it matters as Okada pulls the mask off and hits the Rainmaker for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of what’s wrong with the way these international guest stars are introduced. Guerrero is a legend and has done all kinds of amazing things in wrestling but unless you’ve watched him in CMLL or elsewhere, he’s just a guy who was brought in and lost to Okada in about twelve minutes. If you want to do some kind of dream match, set it up a bit better than just throwing it on Collision with a few days’ notice and nothing from Guerrero coming in.

Dante Martin talks about breaking his leg in a ladder match and some people say he’s crazy for getting in another one. It’s going to take a bit of crazy to make him TNT Champion. Lio Rush comes in and says he has Top Flight’s back, but he wants the TNT Title for himself. They’ll see each other at Forbidden Door.

We look at the Patriarchy attacking Buddy Matthews last week.

Patriarchy vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages

Christian Cage joins commentary, despite being in the match. Bronson takes a sip of the Savage Sauce to start and gets dropped, allowing Wayne to get in a cheap shot from behind. Bronson gets up and hits a backdrop before rubbing Wayne’s face into Boulder’s chest. It’s off to Killswitch to clean house and Wayne dives onto Boulder and Jameson on the floor. Back up and Bronson clotheslines Killswitch to one knee, only for Killswitch to come back with a chokeslam. Now Cage is willing to go to the ring and hit the Killswitch for the pin on Bronson at 4:40.

Rating: C. Jameson and the Savages are at or near the top of the worst acts in all of AEW or ROH and that was the case again here. They talk trash, they do the stupid hairy chest deal, and then they lose. I’m not sure who I was supposed to be cheering for here and the way both teams acted didn’t make it any less complicated.

We look at Mercedes Mone going to Arena Mexico and getting in a big brawl with Stephanie Vaquer. Still not shown in AEW: Vaquer having a match.

Toni Storm/Mariah May vs. Lady Frost/Leyla Hirsch

Storm and Hirsch start things off and fight over a lockup with neither being able to get very far. Storm front facelocks her into the corner and brings May in to chop away at Frost. A running hip attack puts Frost on the floor and we take a break. Back with Storm hitting a Backstabber out of the corner for two on Hirsch.

A cross armbreaker has Storm in trouble but May hits a running knee for the save. Stereo hip attacks miss in the corners though and Hirsch hits running knees on May (Nigel: “SHE’S JUST A CHILD!!!”). Everything breaks down and Storm and May hit stereo German suplexes. The running hip attacks set up Storm Zero to pin Hirsch at 8:05.

Rating: C+. Not bad here and a good way to show Storm and May working well together. That’s the kind of thing that plays into the story with May needing to pick between Storm and Mina Shirakawa, which continues to be one of the best things going into Forbidden Door. I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to be interested in Shirakawa, but I’ll take what I can get.

Serena Deeb talks about being on a losing streak but she won’t give up. Open challenge next week.

House Of Black vs. LSG/MSG

Black and MSG start things off with Black striking away, as you might have expected. King comes in and chops the soul from LSG, setting up Dante’s Inferno to finish MSG at 1:52.

Post break the House Of Black says revenge is a straight line and they feel nothing.

Hechicero vs. Matt Menard

The Gates Of Agony are here with Hechicero. Menard strikes away to start and is quickly knocked out to the floor. Hechicero bites away at his head and hits a backdrop before snapping Menard’s arm. A missed charge in the corner lets Menard strike away and a cutter gets two. Hechicero is right back with the headscissor driver into an armbar using his legs for the tap at 3:19.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly a major showcase for Hechicero and I’m still not sure why he is the one getting MJF’s first pay per view match after six months away. He has some cool technical stuff and his match with Bryan Danielson was rather good, but it was only kind of on display here. Also, they didn’t have anyone other than Menard to be the designated victim here? Why do that to one of your commentators?

We get a rather emotional interview with Jeff Jarrett talking about his friendship with Owen Hart. Jarrett, fighting back tears, talks about how he wants to be there for Owen’s kids and how this means more to him than anything else. This was really good, though it’s hard to imagine that Jarrett is making it past the first round.

International Title: Will Ospreay vs. Brian Cage

Ospreay is defending and Cage charges at him in the corner to start. The champ gets dropped fast and his running hurricanrana attempt is pulled out of the air. Cage misses a charge over the top though and Ospreay takes him out with a slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Ospreay fighting out of a bearhug and scoring with an enziguri.

A Phenomenal Forearm gets two on Cage but he snaps off a German suplex to drop Ospreay again. The apron superplex gets two on Ospreay so the fans try to get behind him. Ospreay is back with a shot to the face but the Hidden Blade and Oscutter are both blocked. A sitout powerbomb puts Cage down for no cover and they slug it out from their knees. Cage is back up with an F5 for two and we take another break.

Back again with Ospreay firing off some kicks to the face but Cage gives him a helicopter bomb. Ospreay’s hard shot to the head gets two so he puts Cage up. The super hurricanrana is loaded up but Cage reverses into a super swinging powerslam (that’s a new one) for two. They go up top again and this time the super hurricanrana puts Cage down. A Stundog Millionaire into a poisonrana drops Cage and the Oscutter gets two. The Hidden Blade finishes Cage at 17:21.

Rating: B. It’s the kind of match where the ending wasn’t in doubt and that’s perfectly fine. Ospreay can get an audience into just about anything and that’s what he did here. There is something fun about watching Ospreay fight back against a monster and win in the end, though I’m still not sure if I can imagine him winning the World Title next weekend.

Overall Rating: B-. Your taste in this show is going to depend on whether you like the international guest stars and the Learning Tree. That and the main event were the majority of this show and it went well enough, with a bit more interest than in most weeks. I’m not sure what they are going to do once Forbidden Door is over as it is going to take away a lot of their content, but hopefully they have something to make up for it.

Results
Samoa Joe/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata b. Premiere Athletes – Cross armbreaker to Nese
Learning Tree b. Private Part­ – Foreign object to Kassidy
Kazuchika Okada b. Ultimo Guerrero – Rainmaker
Patriarchy b. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Killswitch to Bronson
Toni Storm/Mariah May b. Leyla Hirsch/Lady Frost – Storm Zero to Hirsch
House Of Black b. LSG/MSG – Dante’s Inferno to MSG
Hechicero b. Matt Menard – Armbar
Will Ospreay b. Brian Cage – Hidden Blade

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: June 15, 2024
Location: Covelli Center, Youngstown, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re closing in on Forbidden Door but we have a holiday weekend to get through first. As a result, we get Christian Cage celebrating Father’s Day, which could go in a variety of directions. Other than that, CMLL Hechicero is here to face Dalton Castle, which could be rather good. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Christian Cage welcomes us to the one year anniversary of Collision. He put this show on the map the first week it was on the air when he won the TNT Title (not quite) and tonight he’s here to celebrate the most important holiday of the year.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Lio Rush/Rocky Romero/TMDK

Rush and Danielson start things off with Rush flipping around to make Danielson miss. Yuta can’t catch Rush either so it’s off to Romero, who gets pummeled into the corner. Castagnoli comes in and gets caught in a hurricanrana, allowing the tag to Mikey Nicholls (part of TMDK, along with Shane Haste). Danielson pulls him into the LeBell Lock but everything breaks down, including the hold. Instead, Danielson fires off the kicks to the chest but gets knocked to the apron as we take a break.

Back with Romero hitting the Forever Clotheslines on Danielson, who grabs a super atomic drop of all things for the break. Castagnoli comes in and gets to clean house, including going to the floor to keep up the beating. Back in and Nicholls has to break up the Swing to Haste so Moxley grabs a quick cutter. A double clothesline puts Moxley an Nicholls down, with Rush adding a frog splash for two on Moxley. Danielson is back in with the running knee to Nicholls but gets knocked outside again. The Swing sends Romero flying and Moxley Death Riders Rush for the pin at 13:23.

Rating: B-. What else were you expecting from an established team against a makeshift team? I get the idea of facing wrestlers from New Japan before Forbidden Door, but it would be nice if more than one of the eight people involved had a match on the show announced. Not a bad match, but it was more waiting around for the Club to win than anything else.

Post match Moxley grabs the mic and says Forbidden Door will be Tetsuya Naito’s final chance at the title. Moxley is coming to end him once and for all.

Video on MJF vs. Rush.

Here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn for a chat. Caster talks about how he has been fined $5,000 by the Young Bucks, but that isn’t what the fans want. The fans want to see them do their thing and for the Acclaimed to win the Tag Team Titles on Dynamite. Bowens talks about how they’ll do anything to get the titles back but here is Brandon Cutler to cut off the rap. More fining ensues but here is Christopher Daniels to say Tony Khan has reversed the fines. Daniels drops Cutler and the Acclaimed give him Scissor Me Timbers. We needed a full segment for that announcement? With two authority figures?

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Thunder Rosa

No DQ and Purrazzo jumps her from behind during the entrance. Rosa sends things outside and hits a dive off the ropes to the floor. Back up and Purrazzo slams the arm into the steps and it’s time to bring in the weapons. Rosa’s Death Valley Driver gets two but she takes too long getting a table, which is dropkicked into her face.

We take a break and come back with Rosa kicking a chair into Purrazzo’s face and Samoan dropping her onto an unopened table. Purrazzo catches Rosa on top and ties her in the Tree of Woe for a running shoulder. Rosa is right back up to put a trashcan over Purrazzo’s head and then dives off a table to crush her in the corner. Purrazzo fights back and tries the Venus de Milo but can’t quite get it on. Instead she goes outside and grabs a camera from a photographer, which she uses to knock Rosa silly. A double arm crank in the ropes finishes the unconscious Rosa at 10:26.

Rating: C+. If you’re going to have what seems to be some big blowoff match, or at least what should be a major match in their feud, you might not want to have about a third of it taking place during a break. I like the ending with Purrazzo knocking her senseless but then making sure she won submission anyway as it suits her and should give Purrazzo a nice boost. Rosa has been missing something since her return and it didn’t get much better here.

Video on the first year of Collision.

Dalton Castle vs. Hechicero

Castle even has the Outrunners as some of his Boys while Hechicero has the Gates of Agony. Hechicero takes Castle down to start but has to spin out of a quick Bang A Rang attempt. Back up and Castle grabs a suplex before kicking Hechicero square in the mask. Hechicero is right back with a running knee in the corner and a headscissors driver for the pin at 3:50.

Rating: C. What in the world was that? This was the match that had me the most intrigued and then it just ends like that? I was hoping this would get some time and let Castle showcase himself but we just didn’t get anything close here. For the life of me I don’t get how there isn’t a better use for Castle, even if it isn’t as a featured star. He’s good enough for a bigger spot.

Post match the beatdown is on so the Outrunners come in and…are taken down with ease. Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard run in with chairs for the save.

Dante Martin is ready for a TNT Title qualifying match against Lee Moriarty tonight. Lio Rush comes in to wish him luck and says he’ll see them later. Tony Schiavone is confused.

Here is the Patriarchy to introduce Christian Cage. Christian talks about how this is the anniversary of the death of Buddy Wayne (Nick’s dad), which is the best thing that ever happened to Nick. Speaking of Nick, he has a Father’s Day card for Christian, talking about how he hopes to be as good as Christian.

Killswitch has made a painting of Christian, which he thinks is ok, before raving about the card again. As for Killswitch, why can’t he be more like Nick? Killswitch goes to leave, but Christian calls him back. Cage wants the World Title but he’ll start with winning the Trios Titles. It’s his present to his children, just like Tony Khan’s father gave him the money to start AEW. Well from now on, this is Christian’s company. He is the greatest signing in this company’s history and now he is Tony Khan’s father. Well at least that’s something new for him to do.

The Bang Bang Gang know they have a lot of challengers and the Patriarchy can get in line.

TNT Title Qualifying Match: Dante Martin vs. Lee Moriarty

They trade takedown attempts to start and neither get anywhere. Moriarty takes him down by the leg but misses a charge and crashes out to the floor. There’s a dropkick through the ropes to drop Moriarty again and we take a break. Back with Martin hitting a springboard spinning crossbody for two but Moriarty faceplants him down. The Border City Stretch goes on and Moriarty even stomps the hand, only to have Martin make the rope anyway. Martin comes back with a knee out of the corner and a frog splash for the pin at 8:53.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much exactly what you probably expected it to be, meaning that while the action was good, the result wasn’t quite shocking. Martin has been in those ladder matches before as he’s there for the high flying aspect, while Moriarty is little more than part of a losing team. Perfectly fine use of a match, but not much in the way of drama.

Post match Shane Taylor Promotions comes in for the beatdown but Darius Martin and Action Andretti make the failed save attempt as they’re beaten down as well. Lio Rush comes in to make the real save as Dante seems to have suffered an arm injury.

Hikaru Shida is in the Owen Hart Cup.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Anthony Henry

Roderick Strong, with the Kingdom, is on commentary. They go to the mat to start with O’Reilly backdropping hits way out of an armbar. Henry grabs a Russian legsweep and kicks away, but O’Reilly just gets annoyed. Back up and O’Reilly suplexes him into the cross armbreaker for the win at 2:50.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Bang Bang Gang vs. House Of Black

Non-title, with commentary making it clear that the Bang Bang Gang is NOT using the Freebird Rule. Black runs Robinson over to start and then sits up to freak Robinson out a bit. Austin comes in, hits Black in the face, and then hands it off to Colten, who gets to face King. The Gang is quickly cleared from the ring but run back in to cut off the dive. The brawl goes back to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Robinson snapping off a suplex to Black, followed by a leg lariat for two. Robinson grabs the chinlock (“ASK HIM!”) but spends too much time shouting about a CANNONBALL before he misses one. Matthews comes in and gets to clean house, including a Jackhammer to Austin. The top rope Meteora connects but Matthews hurts his knee on the landing.

We take another break and come back with Matthews having been taken to the back. Robinson’s Cannonball gets two on King, who manages a shot of his own and brings Black back in. A German suplex gets two on Austin but Colten’s running shot to the back gets the same. The 3:10 To Yuma hits King but he isn’t legal. Cue Pac to distract Austin, allowing Black to hit the End for the pin at 18:24.

Rating: B-. Oh that knee did not seem like a good thing and now all we can do is wait and see how it is going. Matthews is one of the more entertaining guys in all of AEW and it would be terrible to see him added to their already long injured list. In theory the House is coming after the Trios Titles again, but now we’ll have to see just how bad things are. In other words, the result might not matter, which is a shame as it was a pretty good match.

Post match the Patriarchy pops up on screen, revealing that they have laid out Matthews with a Conchairto to end the show. That’s a really scary sign for Matthews, but I wonder if they had something similar planned with or without the knee injury.

Overall Rating: C+. That’s how Collision works. It’s a show where it feels like the biggest stars aren’t going to bother, leaving a bunch of things that don’t feel overly important. There are things happening, but what was the big development here? Purrazzo winning? Martin qualifying for a match he isn’t going to win? Between this and Rampage, it’s a lot of time being spent on things that don’t feel overly important, especially with Dynamite so crammed full. As usual, Collision was ok, but it’s not something you need to watch straight through.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Lio Rush/Rocky Romero/TMDK – Death Rider to Rush
Deonna Purrazzo b. Thunder Rosa – Double arm crank in the ropes
Hechicero b. Dalton Castle – Headscissors driver
Dante Martin b. Lee Moriarty – Frog splash
Kyle O’Reilly b. Anthony Henry – Cross armbreaker
House Of Black b. Bang Bang Gang – The End to Austin

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.

Rampage
Date: June 7, 2024
Location: Blue Arena, Loveland, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

The road to Forbidden Door continues and for once I’m almost believing we might get something new this week. Rampage has been built up a bit more in recent weeks and that has made things more interesting. It is nice to see the show feel a bit more important and hopefully that continues here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. The Butcher

They shove each other around to start until Butcher knocks him down and hammers away against the ropes. Penta fights back and strikes away in the corner, setting up a handstand dropkick to rock Butcher again. A headscissors sends Butcher to the floor, where he runs over Alex Abrahantes.

The distracted Penta gets run over and clotheslined against the apron as Butcher takes over. Butcher works on the arm and kicks him in the shoulder as we take a break. Back with Penta hitting a Sling Blade for two and the Backstabber out of the corner gets the same. Butcher’s half nelson backbreaker gets the same but Penta Fear Factors him to win at 9:48.

Rating: C+. This was a nice way to give Penta a boost as he lost to Takeshita recently. Penta is someone who continues to feel like he could be something if given the chance, though beating Butcher is only going to get him so far. For now though, I’ll take a good match that runs about ten minutes to open the show.

Here is the Learning Tree so Chris Jericho can critique Matt Menard’s commentary. That’s it.

Acclaimed vs. Hunter Grey/Parviz

Grey and Parviz look like bad Missing Link cosplayers. It’s a brawl to start but Caster hits an AA on Grey. The Mic Drop finishes Grey at 55 seconds as that is quite the poor use of guys with a good look.

Post match, scissoring ensues.

Shane Taylor Promotions wants Action Andretti/Top Flight. If you’re to the point where you’re challenging Top Flight and Andretti, it might be time to hang it up.

Gates Of Agony vs. Private Party

Kassidy starts fast and hits a springboard Stunner on Toa but a Pounce on the floor has Private Party rocked as we take a break. Back with Kassidy hitting a bit flip dive onto the Gates, setting up a Swanton for two. Kaun takes both of them down in the corner and hands it back to Toa to take over. Quen avoids a Vader Bomb and it’s back to Kassidy for a 450, with Quen adding a shooting star for two. Toa is right back with a swinging Rock Bottom and Open The Gates finishes Kassidy at 7:47.

Rating: C+. They had a completely fine match but it’s hard to believe that either of these teams is going to be going anywhere anytime soon. I can’t imagine the Gates doing anything important as they have been built up and then beaten back down over and over. Private Party is pretty much the same, as they have yet to really do much of anything other than beat the Young Bucks years ago. It was an entertaining showcase, but I don’t buy either of them as having a bright future.

Toni Storm is ready to make cinema with Lady Frost on Collision.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Caleb Crush/Chris Wilde/Tyler Payne

The Gunns let Robinson start and he runs Crush over, knocks Wilde off the apron, and pulls Payne in. A spinebuster into a Cannonball sets up the forward DDT to finish Crush at 1:34. Robinson’s charisma continues to be great.

Post match Jay White brags about the team’s success and calls Robinson the Stray Bullet. White names Robinson a quarter of the Trios Champions so we might have a Freebird Rule.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Serena Deeb

Mina dances to start before Deeb works on a standing armbar. That’s reversed into a wristlock but Deeb reverses the reversal into the Paradise Lock. With that broken up, Mina kicks the leg out and drops some elbows onto said leg before just dropping it onto the mat. Back up and Deeb manages a neckbreaker over the middle rope for a breather. We take a break and come back with Mina enziguring her way to freedom.

The bad knee won’t let her follow up immediately but she’s fine enough to rock Deeb with a discus forearm. Another forearm hits Deeb in the corner and a top rope knee to the shoulder gets two. They trade standing switches until Deeb hits a hard German suplex. The hammerlock lariat gives Deeb two but Deebtox is blocked.

Mina is right back with a Figure Four and they even slap it out while the hold is still on. The rope is eventually grabbed for the break but Deeb’s knee is shot. Somehow it’s fine enough to hit a powerbomb into a stretch muffler of all things. Deeb takes out Mina’s knee for a change and rams it into the mat. There’s no Serenity Lock though as Mina grabs a reverse sitout implant DDT for the pin at 13:19.

Rating: B-. It’s nice that Shirakawa won a match on the way to Forbidden Door as she hasn’t been in the ring much. Other than a one off match against Anna Jay back in April, she hasn’t wrestled for AEW and that needed to be fixed. Beating Deeb is a good enough deal, though it seems Deeb is falling back down into jobberland, which is more disappointing than anything else.

Post match Mariah May comes out to celebrate but Toni Storm, in a bathrobe and with a towel over her head, comes out to glare. May invites her in and we do get a handshake with Mina. They both hold the ropes open for May to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a show where the goal was to get multiple people into the ring and that’s not a terrible way to go. As usual, the problem feels like very little of this is going to make a difference in the bigger shows. At the same time, keeping it at three hours helps a lot as it can’t overstay its welcome. Nice show, but nothing you need to see.

Results
Penta El Zero Miedo b. The Butcher – Fear Factor
Acclaimed b. Hunter Grey/Parviz – Mic Drop to Grey
Gates Of Agony b. Private Party – Open The Gates to Kassidy
Bang Bang Gang b. Caleb Crush/Chris Wilde/Tyler Payne – Forward DDT to Crush
Mina Shirakawa b. Serena Deeb – Reverse sitout implant DDT

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: May 25, 2024
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the last show before Double Or Nothing and the show has a little more work to be done. There is a good chance that a match or two, plus something on the Buy-In, could be added here as they have a lot of people with nothing to do. Other than that we should be in for some interesting action, including the Gunns vs. the Lucha Bros. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is Jon Moxley for a chat and it is five years to the day of his AEW debut. Before he can say anything, cue Don Callis to interrupt. Callis talks about how he and Moxley got together to beat Kenny Omega last year. Moxley is blamed for putting the 24 stitches in Callis’ head, with the fans wanting it ONE MORE TIME.

Then Moxley said Callis was one of them now, because they are two of the same people. They’re both high functioning sociopaths and if they got together, no one could stop them. He wants to know what it takes to get this deal with Moxley done. Moxley offers to put 24 more stitches in his head but here is Konosuke Takeshita to jump Moxley from behind. Moxley’s arm is Pillmanized and the Blackpool Combat Club come in for the too late save.

After Dynamite, a ticked off and bloody Will Ospreay swore vengeance against Roderick Strong. Ospreay can bring the intensity when he needs to and it was on full display here.

Claudio Castagnoli/Daniel Garcia/??? vs. Righteous/Lance Archer

The good guys need a partner and here is….Hiroshi Tanahashi! Well that works. The fans are impressed and it’s Castagnoli trading shoulders with Dutch to start. Dutch easily slams him but Castagnoli gives him one of his own. Garcia comes in and knocks Vincent into the corner before Tanahashi comes in for Twist And Shout to Archer. Tanahashi’s guitar accompanies Garcia’s dancing but Archer breaks it up as we take a break.

Back with Garcia suplexing his way out of trouble and handing it off to Tanahashi to forearm away at Archer. Everything breaks down and Castagnoli plants Archer but the High Fly Flow is broken up. Orange Sunshine hits Tanahashi but Castagnoli makes the save. Everything breaks down and Tanahashi Sling Blades Archer down. The High Fly Flow gives Tanahashi the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. The action was ok enough but obviously this was about the surprise with Tanahashi of all people showing up as a mystery partner. There’s a good chance that this is the first step towards Forbidden Door and if that is the case, it makes sense to start with a huge name. Not a great match, but a fine way to use ten minutes.

Video on the greatness of the Young Bucks and everything they have done for AEW, with Team AEW daring to stand up to them.

Lucha Bros vs. The Gunns

If the Bros win, tomorrow’s six man match is for the titles. Penta and Colten start things off with the Bros clearing the ring rather quickly. The Gunns take over on the floor and it’s Penta in trouble in the corner back inside. Austin comes in to hammer away and we take a break. Back with Penta hitting a superkick and handing it off to Fenix to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and a Fameasser gets two on Fenix, with Penta making the save. The 3:10 To Yuma is broken up and the spike Fear Factor finishes Colten at 8:14.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to have the Lucha Bros back, though it’s hard to fathom that they are actually going to stick around for a long time. When they’re on their game, they’re one of the best teams around though and it should be a good fight tomorrow with the Trios Titles on the line. They didn’t waste time with this one and it wound up being a hot enough match.

Chris Jericho, with Big Bill, knows he has to work hard tomorrow to win but he believes he can do it. Bryan Keith comes in to say Jericho will see him again. Jericho: “Thanks Bryan!”

Kyle O’Reilly vs. KM

KM strikes away to start but charges into a boot in the corner. O’Reilly pulls him into the cross armbreaker for the tap at 1:09.

Video on Mercedes Mone.

We look at Mone brawling with Willow Nightingale last night on Rampage.

Here is Nightingale for a chat. Nightingale says you can’t have a show on TBS without the TBS Champion but last night, Mone put her hands on the title. They are way past respect and Nightingale promises to wreck Mone tomorrow night. She broke her neck a few years ago and fought through that, so Mone isn’t going to stop her. Mone can’t beat her at any percent and tomorrow night, she’ll prove she’s the better woman. Fired up promo from Nightingale here.

Trent Beretta promises to show the world what he has known for a long time. Rocky Romero comes in to say that no matter what happens tomorrow night, he hopes they can put this behind them. Trent says that is not happening and never interrupt him again.

House Of Black vs. Gates Of Agony vs. Infantry vs. Acclaimed

Caster and Bravo trade rollups to start and it’s off to Bowens vs. Matthews, with the latter tagging himself in. Kaun comes in to face Matthews instead but it’s quickly off to Toa vs. King, with the big clotheslines staggering both of them. Everything breaks down and King hits a big suicide dive and we take a break.

Back with Murphy chinlocking Caster but the Infantry breaks it up. A bunch of superkicks send Matthews into the corner for the tag to King but Toa comes in to wreck people as well. Everything breaks down and Toa Samoan Drops King for two. The Infantry hit stereo dives to the floor but Matthews saves King from Boot Camp back inside. A Cannonball/running boot combination hits Bravo to give King the pin at 10:30.

Rating: B-. This felt like the main event of a Ring Of Honor show and that’s not the worst thing. I’m not sure how much this is going to make a difference for any of the teams going forward, but the team with the most going on getting the win is the right way to go. They kept things going here and it wasn’t boring so there are worse ways to use time on this show.

Adam Copeland knew that Malakai Black was going to come after him because he lives in the shadows Copeland cast. Black wanted this version of Copeland, but imagine the kind of force he and Black could be. Imagine if he beats Black and the House joins him. When you see the evil in a man’s eyes, it’s already too late.

Toni Storm, still in agony after Serena Deeb’s attack, says she’ll make Deeb’s seizures feel like a walk in the park.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Mariah May

May chops away to start but Hirsch backs her up. That earns Hirsch a chest to the face (Nigel: “I wish I was wrestling again.”) and a dropkick as we take a break. Back with Hirsch missing a moonsault but blocking a running shot in the corner. Hirsch grabs a German suplex for two but May is back with a headbutt into a running knee for the pin at 7:14.

Rating: C+. As is the case with most of the women’s matches in this slot on any show, so much of the match was in the commercial that there wasn’t time to do much. May gets a win to keep her going towards…whatever the story is with her and Toni Storm and company. Hirsch continues to feel like someone who could go somewhere, but that isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.

Serena Deeb is ready for Deeb Or Nothing and she’s ready to stretch Toni Storm.

Video on Christian Cage vs. Swerve Strickland.

FTR/Bryan Danielson vs. Satnam Singh/Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal

Sonjay Dutt and Karen Jarrett are here with the villains. Danielson and Jarrett start things off and Jarrett gets in an early strut. Lethal comes in instead and gets kneed in the ribs. It’s off to Harwood to take over on Lethal, with Wheeler getting to send him into the corner. Singh grabs Wheeler by the throat though and drops him throat first across the top as we take a break.

Back with Harwood small packaging Lethal for two but getting caught in the Lethal Combination. Singh comes in for some chokeslams from his knee, with Wheeler’s middle rope ax handle breaking it up. It’s back to Danielson to hammer away on Jarrett in the corner but Lethal breaks up the LeBell Lock.

Danielson and Wheeler hit stereo dives before Singh accidentally posts himself. Everyone gets together to kick away at Singh, with a bunch of knees putting him down. Lethal is back in for a double Lethal Injection but the referee catches Karen sending in the guitar. Instead it’s a chair coming in but Jeff chairs Singh by mistake. The running knee finishes Jeff at 10:30.

Rating: B-. This was a nice warmup for Team AEW before their match tomorrow, with commentary playing up the idea that the Young Bucks had paid off the villains to soften the heroes up. It’s a simple story but they did it well, which shouldn’t surprise you given who was out there. Jarrett and company might not be a top level stable, but they’re fine for short term villains to be taken down after giving the good guy a sweat.

Post match Wheeler says FTR debuted here four years ago and now he will live, breathe, fight and die for this company. Everyone is better off because of AEW and they are banged up but they are going to fight for AEW tomorrow night. Harwood says they are fighting for everyone who watches at home and if they die tomorrow, they’ll go out as your heroes. AEW certainly loves these rah rah speeches lately and this was another one of them.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this well enough and now I need to see them do their thing tomorrow with the big show. They did enough to build up some things for Sunday, with a stipulation being added to the trios match and some stories being slightly advanced. Double Or Nothing needs to be a solid hit and this helped set the stage for it, which is about as good as you could expect with what they had to offer tonight.

Results
Hiroshi Tanahashi/Claudio Castagnoli/Daniel Garcia b. The Righteous/Lance Archer – High Fly Flow to Archer
Lucha Bros b. The Gunns – Spike Fear Factor to Colten
Kyle O’Reilly b. KM – Cross armbreaker
House Of Black b. Gates Of Agony, Infantry and Acclaimed – Cannonball/running boot combination to Bravo
Mariah May b. Leyla Hirsch – Running knee
Bryan Danielson/FTR b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh – Running knee to Jarrett

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.

Rampage
Date: May 24, 2024
Location: Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We are two days away from Double Or Nothing and that means this show should be about hyping up the pay per view. That shouldn’t be hard to do as there are a lot of big matches already set for the show. We might even get some extra star power this week as the show is at least back on its normal day. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Pac vs. Rocky Romero

Chris Jericho, with Big Bill, is on commentary. Romero tries to take him down to start but has to avoid a big boot to the chest, allowing him to pull Pac into the ropes. Pac isn’t having that and knocks him to the floor for a dive as we take a break. Back with Romero hitting a running Sliced Bread for two, followed by a nasty tornado DDT to send Pac outside. The suicide dive gives Romero two but Pac sends him into the corner for a snap German suplex. The Brutalizer makes Romero tap at 7:12.

Rating: C+. The action was fast, but it’s another Romero lost. He’s a good hand, but why is he getting this much ring time if he isn’t going to win any important matches? I get the whole international connections thing, though you would think at some point there would be a better option to put out there.

Pac takes his time letting go but joins the Lucha Bros on the stag. He says the Bros will see the Gunns tomorrow and then they’re coming for the Trios Titles at Double Or Nothing.

Chris Jericho grabs the mic and says his triple threat match at Double Or Nothing is under FTW Rules and he can’t wait to face both Katsuyori Shibata and Hook. The insincerity is strong but Shibata comes in to go after Jericho, with Hook coming up to give Jericho the Redrum. Jericho and Hook brawl into the crowd.

Post break Hook promises to get the FTW Title back but Samoa Joe pops in. Hook tells him to worry about getting his own title back. Joe says he’s biding his time and he thought there was something special about Hook. He isn’t impressed with Hook or Katsuyori Shibata. Joe and Hook leave, with Shibata saying he’s going to see Carrot Top after he wins the title.

Samoa Joe vs. Dom Kubrick

Kubrick fires off a dropkick, which seems to annoy Joe. That earns Kubrick some shots into the corner and the MuscleBuster gives Joe the pin at 1:20. Ticked off Joe is always fun.

Deonna Purrazzo wants a wrestling match with Thunder Rosa at Double Or Nothing….on the Buy-In.

Rush vs. Isiah Kassidy

Rush jumps him at the bell and hits the Bull’s Horns but steps off at two. They head to the floor, with Kassidy being sent into the barricade a few times. Rush hammers away and throws a chair inside, which is enough of a distraction to let him whip Kassidy a few times with a camera cable.

Back in and the Bull’s Horns is loaded up but instead he slaps Kassidy in the face and poses as we take a break. We come back with Kassidy hitting a dive and adding a Swanton for two. They chop it out on the apron but Kassidy gets suplexed out to the floor. Back in and the Bull’s Horns finishes for Rush at 9:04.

Rating: C+. What a weird match, as Rush’s custom is to squash people, but instead he needed that much time to beat a career tag wrestler. I’m not sure what the point of Rush is at the moment, other than being rather intense, as he hasn’t done anything important since his return last month. This probably should have been a squash, but Kassidy’s comeback being cut off so fast was entertaining enough.

Brian Cage and the Gates Of Agony say the Mogul Embassy is done and brag about Cage beating Anthony Bowens last week. The team is now apparently called the Cage Of Agony in a name that probably took weeks to put together.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander vs. Anna Jay/Alex Windsor

Stokely Hathaway is here with Nightingale and Statlander. Jay gets tossed out of the corner by Statlander to start so it’s off to Windsor, who gets caught with a basement crossbody. The Pounce knocks Windsor silly so it’s off to Jay, who manages a neckbreaker over the ropes to cut Statlander off. We take a break and come back with Statlander German suplexing Windsor, allowing the tag back to Nightingale. The spinebuster gets two on Jay but Windsor is back in with a Shining Wizard for the same. Nightingale has had it and runs Windsor over, setting up the Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, which is impressive as Nightingale and Statlander are a good bit higher up on the food chain than Jay and a debuting Windsor. Jay and Windsor worked well together and it was nice to see some fresh blood in there. Nightingale winning a pretty big match on the way to Double Or Nothing is nice so well done on going the right way.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes out to brawl with Nightingale and they’re pulled apart to end the show. Mone getting physical is nice to see after so many weeks of talking, but dang she has her work cut out for her.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing I can say about this show is that it had more energy. Rampage has a bad tendency to just feel kind of there, and at least this one built up towards some Double Or Nothing matches. Mone alone felt like something special and I’m somewhat more excited for the pay per view. Just make it work on Sunday and everything will be fine. Nice show this week, and a more energetic effort than previous weeks.

Results
Pac b. Rocky Romero – Brutalizer
Samoa Joe b. Dom Kubrick – MuscleBuster
Rush b. Isiah Kassidy – Bull’s Horns
Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander b. Anna Jay/Alex Windsor – Babe With The Powerbomb to Windsor

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

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

AND

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

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

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

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Top Flight

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

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

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

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

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

Lee Moriarty vs. Will Ospreay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daniel Garcia vs. KM

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

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

Dax Harwood vs. Tommy Billington

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

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

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

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

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

Dax Harwood is ready to face Kazuchika Okada on Dynamite.

Thunder Rosa vs. Robyn Renegade

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming on various show.

TNT Title: Adam Copeland vs. Kyle O’Reilly

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

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

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

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

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

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

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

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

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

AEW Wold Title: Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jay White vs. Darby Allin

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

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

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

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

Hook/Chris Jericho vs. Gates Of Agony

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

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

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

Video on Riho vs. Willow Nightingale.

Riho meets Mercedes Mone.

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

Riho vs. Willow Nightingale

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: March 9, 2024
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re still near Atlanta for the third show of the week, though this show is going to be a bit of a follow up from Dynamite. In this case we have the first match for the new Elite, as the Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada are now the new big evil trio. Other than that, we have a street fight, because that’s what we do around here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Shane Taylor vs. Bryan Danielson

Lee Moriarty is here with Taylor, who backs Danielson into the corner to start. The test of strength goes to Taylor of course but Danielson kicks away at the chest. That only goes so far so Danielson goes for the leg and uses the ropes to slow Taylor down. Nigel: “He’s using the ropes! That’s illegal!” Tony: “You never used the ropes during your career?” Nigel: “Of course!”

Taylor’s leg is tied up in the ropes so Danielson hits a running dropkick but a right hand sends Danielson outside (and us to a break). Back with Taylor hitting the apron legdrop for two but missing a splash in the corner. Danielson ties the leg around the post and kicks away to put Taylor down back inside.

The big kick to the head gets one and Danielson can’t believe the kickout. The running dropkicks in the corner just wake Taylor up though and it’s a big clothesline for two on Danielson. Taylor’s cannonball misses so he tries a powerslam, only for Danielson to take him down for the kicks to the head. The running knee finishes for Danielson at 14:00.

Rating: B-. Danielson is this generation’s wrestler who can get the best out of any opponent and that is amazing to see. Taylor had a good match here and wrestled like a power monster should, which made for a good showing. You could see Danielson trying to take him apart out there and it worked well in the end. Good opener.

Post match Will Ospreay comes out and says he’s here for a chat. After praising Danielson and Taylor, Ospreay praises…the sandwiches backstage before talking about how so many people are in awe of Danielson. Ospreay then calls him a “cheeky little slag” for interrupting him on Dynamite and wonders if Danielson has a question for him. Danielson praises Ospreay’s match with Konosuke Takeshita, but he’s also heard Ospreay talking about how great he is the best in the world, so the challenge is on for Dynasty. Ospreay is in.

Young Bucks/Kazuchika Okada vs. Jon Cruz/Liam Gray/Adrian Alanis

Nick and Cruz start things off but it’s Okada coming in instead. Okada takes him up against the ropes for a pat on the head to start so the bigger Alanis comes in. The forearms just annoy Okada so he hits the dropkick, followed by the Rainmaker to pin Gray at 2:03. That’s what it should have been.

Post match Eddie Kingston runs in and gets beaten down so here is Penta El Zero Miedo…who gets beaten down as well. Cue Pac to come in and stare up at Okada (Nigel: “TAKE MY MONEY! TAKE MY MONEY! TAKE MY MONEY!”) before striking him out to the floor. Pac says he’s here to look for trouble and a six man is set up for Dynamite.

Video on Darby Allin vs. Jay White on Dynamite.

Mariah May vs. Trish Adora

May works on a wristlock to start as Nigel completely swoons over Mariah’s…well everything. Adora takes her down a few times without much effort but May grabs a running headscissors. A running dropkick puts Adora on the floor and we take a break. Back with Adora hitting a pump kick into a backsplash for two. Adora grabs a German suplex from her knees, only to have May hit a running knee. May Day finishes Adora at 6:13.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why a match that barely breaks six minutes needs a break but unfortunately that’s the AEW women’s division for you. May’s rise continues and having her dressed as rocker Toni Storm could be going in a few different directions. Not much in the way of a match, but what are you supposed to do with so little time and so much of that in a break?

Post match here is Toni Storm to present the first ever Toni Award (Storm: “That’s Toni with an I so we don’t get sued.”). May is the only nominee and she does indeed win. Cue Deonna Purrazzo to go after Storm but May lays her out with a DDT.

Video on Riho vs. Willow Nightingale.

Nick Wayne vs. Adam Priest

The rest of the Patriarchy is here too. Wayne starts fast and hammers away before sending Priest outside. A running boot rocks Priest again but he fires back, only to get a glare from Luchasaurus. Back in and Wayne chokes on the ropes, setting up Wayne’s World for the pin at 3:12.

Rating: C. More or less a squash here for Wayne, who still doesn’t have much in the way of interest. He’s Christian’s secondary lackey but having him beat up a relative unknown for a few minutes is hardly the worst thing. They kept this short and that’s the right way to go for a match like this one.

Post match someone in a mask pulls Cage into the crowd (Tony: “Is this a luchador? Is this someone from CMLL?” That’s a perfectly reasonable reaction and you don’t get many of those in wrestling today.) before diving onto the Patriarchy. It’s Adam Copeland, who gets in the ring and grabs the TNT belt, plus a metal case. Copeland opens it and Cage sees it (we don’t see what’s in there), making him back up. The match seems ready for Dynamite March 20.

Jeff Jarrett says Mark Briscoe can trust him tonight. Mark isn’t sure but they’ll fight together.

Chris Jericho vs. Titan

Jericho wastes no time in pulling him into a surfboard, which is broken up just as fast. Back up and they chop it out until Titan knocks him to the floor. That means a big suicide dive to drop Jericho and a whip sends him into the steps. Back in and they both go up, with Jericho hitting a super faceplant for two as we take a break. We come back with Titan kicking him out to the floor, setting up another dive.

That bangs Titan up a bit though and it’s a butterfly backbreaker to put him down again. The Lionsault misses though and Titan grabs a springboard tornado DDT for two. Titan’s top rope double stomp gets two but his leglock is countered into a failed Walls attempt. The Judas Effect misses as well and Titan grabs a spinning Death Valley Driver for two. Titan tries a springboard hurricanrana but gets pulled into the Walls for the submission at 11:59.

Rating: B. I liked that a good bit more than I thought I would have and Jericho hung in there with the younger high flier well enough. That being said, I’m still waiting on some kind of a point to these CMLL guys being around other than “here they are”. They had the feud with the BCC but that seems to have mostly wrapped up (thanks to the visa situation). Are we just going to have random matches like this with nothing really happening?

Post match the Gates Of Agony run in to beat down Jericho but Hook makes the save.

Here is FTR for a chat. Things didn’t go how they wanted at Revolution but that’s life. They’re officially throwing their names into the hat for the Tag Team Title tournament but they know it’s going to be difficult. Harwood isn’t sure they belong in the tournament but they will give everything they have if they get a chance. Cue the Infantry to interrupt, with a quick introduction. They say the tag division needs a revival and we get some of the old Revival theme song. Harwood: “The revival is dead and if we meet you in the tournament, you will be too.” Well that was efficient.

Mistico vs. Angelico

Serpentico is here with Angelico. They fight over wrist control to start and Angelico gets up for something of a dance. Mistico grabs some armdrags for a standoff and we take a break. Back with Mistico hitting a 619 into a springboard missile dropkick, followed by a slingshot hurricanrana to the floor. A slingshot corkscrew splash gets two on Angelico and a Swanton is good for the same. Angelico grabs la majistral for two and they trade running clotheslines in the corner. Both of them are knocked down but Mistico is back up with a very spinning rollup for two. La Mistica finishes Angelico off at 9:26.

Rating: B-. Again, nice match but it’s kind of hard to get interested in Mistico, as big of a star as he is, facing someone the caliber of Angelico. It’s a match that came and went with some nice high flying, but it doesn’t seem to have any connection to anything else going on. That’s fine once in awhile, but this is the second match on the show with the same stuff. It would be nice to have this tied into something, as otherwise it’s just wrestling for the sake of wrestling.

Respect is shown post match.

House Of Black vs. Mark Briscoe/Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal

Street fight. The brawl starts on the floor with Briscoe and Black slugging away inside. The good guys start in with the dives before it’s time to set up some tables. Lethal sends a charging King into an open chair but King is back up to crush Lethal through a table. Briscoe and Matthews slug it out until Briscoe’s dive off the top completely misses a table, hitting chairs instead.

We take a break and come back with Matthews pouring lighter fluid over a table but Sonjay Dutt offers a distraction. Cue Julia Hart with gasoline, which Matthews pours on Dutt. Karen Jarrett cuts off the whole murder thing so Hart gives her the mist. Lethal and Jarrett hit the Infantry’s Boot Camp (Russian legsweep/running big boot combination) to put King down but he’s back up with the sleeper to Lethal.

Jarrett makes the save with a heck of a guitar shot, only to walk into the End from Black. Hart slips in the spike but Briscoe blocks a stabbing and Jay Drillers Black. Briscoe’s big flip dive is pulled out of the air and the table is set on fire. The powerbomb puts Briscoe through said table and Black gets the pin at 12:47.

Rating: C+. Yeah it was another big brawl and had the spots and carnage but how many of these hardcore matches are we supposed to be interested in? This one had the fire theme but there was so much going on that it was just another big wild fight than anything else. It kept my interest but it feels like we get some kind of big weapons brawl every few weeks. Slow down with them already.

Overall Rating: B-. They were going back and forth from stuff that felt important to stuff that felt like it was just there to fill in time, which makes for a rather long two hours. The show was good enough, but after a pay per view on Sunday and three hours of AEW since then, the two CMLL matches, another brawl and a quick Elite match isn’t quite enough to make this a great show.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Shane Taylor – Running knee
Young Bucks/Kazuchika Okada b. Jon Cruz/Liam Gray/Adrian Alanis – Rainmaker to Gray
Mariah May b. Trish Adora – May Day
Nick Wayne b. Adam Priest – Wayne’s World
Chris Jericho b. Titan – Walls Of Jericho
Mistico b. Angelico – La Mistica
House Of Black b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Mark Briscoe – Powerbomb through a flaming table to Briscoe

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.