Collision
Date: September 14, 2024
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re getting closer and closer to Grand Slam and this is another taped show after the kind of weird taping schedule following All In. Dynamite was not the strongest show in the world so hopefully they can bounce back a bit here. That could be easily done as Collision can have some strong shows when given the chance. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

TNT Title: Jack Perry vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels is challenging and strikes away in the corner to start. A clothesline gives Perry a quick two and he does that cross pose in the corner. Perry gets two off a running clothesline and a neckbreaker, followed by a more basic kick to the head for one. A missile dropkick gives Perry two more, with Nigel saying Bryan Danielson stole that from Perry. Daniels manages a quick STO and the Death Valley Driver for two. The Angel’s Wings is countered and they trade rollups for two each. Perry puts him down again though and the running knee (with middle fingers, because Perry is tough like that) retains at 5:07.

Rating: C. If you must have Perry in the ring so often, this is the kind of win that is going to help boost him up. Daniels is still a name and even though he is miles past his prime, it’s still a nice win for Perry and didn’t take that long. Perry is going to need a bigger challenger coming up though, and I’m not sure who can deal with someone as interesting/tough/amazing as him.

Perry leaves, getting in the Scapegoatmobile, while saying the people who hate him can’t handle the truth.

We kind of look at what happened to Bryan Danielson.

Wheeler Yuta is very upset about what happened and hasn’t talked to the rest of the team. He has a match tonight but you can tell his mind is everywhere else. Yuta sold this rather well.

Conglomeration/Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos/Premiere Athletes

Mark Sterling is here with the Athletes and says he paid Mortos off to team with them tonight. O’Reilly works on Nese’s arm to start and it’s off to Briscoe to stay on the arm. Nese takes him into the corner and Daivari comes in, with Nigel talking about how rich Daivari certainly is. Briscoe isn’t having that and staggers Daivari so O’Reilly can come in with a boot to the face.

O’Reilly stays on Daivari’s arm (he likes that) so Mortos comes in and knocks Hologram out of the air. A rather springboardy armdrag takes Mortos down though and an armdrag gets two on Nese. Everything breaks down and, after a weird wide shot, Josh Woods offers a distraction so O’Reilly can be taken out. We take a break and come back with Briscoe coming in to clean house, including a suplex for two on Nese.

Mortos breaks up the Jay Driller but gets knocked out to the floor. Hologram takes Nese off the top for two with Daivari making the save. Nese dives onto O’Reilly but gets taken out by Hologram’s running flip dive. Mortos hits an even bigger dive, only for Sterling to cut off Briscoe’s dive. That doesn’t work for Briscoe, who hits his own big dive over Sterling to take a bunch of people out. Back in and Hologram hits a tornado DDT into a crucifix to pin Nese at 10:37.

Rating: B. Take Hologram To Your Match Day continues with the Conglomeration getting a turn. It’s not the worst idea and Hologram is getting to rub elbows with some big names, though I’m not sure I know anything about him yet other than he flips a lot. Either way, it was another fun match, with the stars getting to showcase themselves a good bit.

Post match Mortos spears Hologram down, with the Conglomeration making the save.

We look at Orange Cassidy winning at CMLL’s Anniversary show and taking out Chris Jericho to end the show.

The Learning Tree jump Orange Cassidy and put the backpack over his head so Chris Jericho can smash the picture from Dynamite over his head. Well over the bag over his head.

Someone who looks like Stokely Hathaway (we never saw his face) watches a DVD of the Briscoes vs. FTR III.

Mariah May isn’t having her championship celebration this week and still wants Mina Shirakawa back. She can’t have her celebration without her. Yuka Sakazaki comes in to say she wants a title shot. May says she can get in line so May can rip her head off. Sakazaki: “OK! BYE!”

Wheeler Yuta vs. Anthony Henry

Yuta is not into this and Henry has Beef with him. Henry headlocks him down to start and Yuta doesn’t seem to care. A takedown lets Henry kick him in the back but Yuta comes back with a slam, only to miss a backsplash. Henry sends him outside for a suplex into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Henry getting two off an Air Raid Crash but Yuta spins through the ropes and grabs a German suplex for two. Yuta is sent outside again and into the barricade, setting up a top rope double stomp for two. Henry dares to mention Danielson though and Yuta snaps, hammering away in the corner to knock Henry outside for a change. There’s the big suicide dive and Yuta kicks Beef in the face for a bonus. Back in and a missile dropkick into the elbows to the neck into Cattle Mutilation finish Henry at 9:01.

Rating: C+. This is an interesting one as it’s just ok as a match, but it told a story of Yuta, who is usually dull and rather lackluster when it comes to intensity, snapping over his mentor’s name. It’s certainly something, and while it wasn’t a great match, it made me more interested in seeing where this is going, which is a good sign. If nothing else, I’ll take this over Yuta’s Pure Rules stuff, which has turned into one of the dullest things around here.

Post match Yuta almost goes after the referee but calms himself down and leaves in peace.

Serena Deeb wants Queen Aminata to watch her match later, but she doesn’t think Aminata is ready. Aminata doesn’t have time for this, but Deeb will show her how it’s done.

Anna Jay is back from Japan and talks about how much she has grown in Japan. Now she wants a title. If she can actually maintain some momentum, it would mean more than anything she learned elsewhere.

Private Party/Komander vs. Ren Jones/Lord Crewe/Jon Cruz

I wonder if these are the same guys Private Party and Komander were going to face on Dynamite. Kassidy flips over Jones to start but has to throw Crewe over the top. Komander takes Crewe down with a flip dive and Cielito Lindo hits Cruz. Gin and Juice finishes Jones at 1:06. That worked.

Nigel McGuinness explains that while he doesn’t know if Bryan Danielson can go at Grand Slam, he’ll be ready just in case. Tony Khan booked the match almost as a stop gap, with Darby Allin putting his title shot on the line against Jon Moxley because Danielson might not be able to go.

That’s one heck of a way to go to get around a bait and switch and….yeah I’m not quite buying that Allin was told “Danielson is indisposed” and Tony Khan was TOTALLY FINE with changing a match that might still be able to happen (as well as GIVING THE MAN WHO TRIED TO KILL THE WORLD CHAMPION a #1 CONTENDERS MATCH) all in the span of about ten minutes.

McGuinness shows us a video on his history with Bryan Danielson and knows Danielson is still scared of him. If Danielson shows up, Nigel is going to end his career.

Serena Deeb vs. Yuka Sakazaki

The bell rings and Mariah May comes out to join commentary. Then the bell rings again and May tells Sakazaki, who is returning after a broken leg, to break a leg. Deeb ties Sakazaki up in the Paradise Lock as May says Sakazaki is a child so May can’t beat her up. Sakazaki fights up but gets neckbreakered over the rope as we take a break. Back with Sakazaki hitting a missile dropkick as May says she wants to put Sakazaki over her knee and spank her (with a certain look at Nigel).

Deeb hits a hammerlock lariat for two but Deebtox is countered into a sliding lariat for two. Back up and Deeb powerbombs her into a Brock Lock, with Sakazaki crawling over to the ropes. They trade standing clotheslines with Deeb getting the better of things, only for Sakazaki to hit a scoop brainbuster. The Magical Girl Splash finishes Deeb at 10:39.

Rating: C+. I guess it’s time for Sakazaki to be a thing again, as May apparently knows her from her time in Japan and isn’t a fan. Sakazaki is coming back from an injury that kept her out of action for a long time and…well apparently she’s just jumping right into the title picture, despite never being anything significant around here in the first place. That being said, May was an absolute star here, with a great mixture of anger, humor and flirting, plus some outstanding facial expressions. Do more of this everywhere else.

Post match May goes after Sakazaki, who kicks May in the face and picks up the Women’s Title.

Video on the Outrunners, and yes they are training in less than pristine quality video, because….well would you expect anything else?

Top Flight and company had a nice dinner but Action Andretti is ticked off at their losses this week. Why aren’t they winning bigger matches? Andretti says he wants the House Of Black and leaves.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Cage Of Agony

Toa powers Robinson into the corner, where Robinson gives him a quick spank as he slips out. Kaun comes in to chop away at Colten but it’s Austin coming in to trip Kaun down. It’s off to Cage to drop Austin though and we take a break. Back with Austin diving at his partners, who have been knocked to the floor, only for Colten to come back up for the tag a second later.

Colten snaps off some suplexes until Kaun Pounces the heck out of him. The toss sitout powerbomb gets two with Austin making the save. Toa misses a charge and it’s back to Robinson to pick up the pace. Cage blasts him with a discus lariat and powerbombs Austin but Robinson makes the save. The big left into the 3:10 To Yuma into the forward DDT finishes Cage at 10:30.

Rating: C+. The trios division continues to just not be very interesting. So often it feels like a team is either thrown together and wins the titles (like now) or comes out of nowhere to win them. At the same time, you can all but guarantee that the Cage Of Agony will be around, as they are just kind of there no matter what.

Queen Aminata mocks Serena Deeb’s loss.

Queen Aminata vs. Robyn Renegade

Aminata takes her down with a bodyscissors without much trouble and grabs an early crossface. That’s broken up so Renegade snaps her down again, only to get dropkicked into a DDT for two. Aminata is back with a swinging neckbreaker and the headbutt for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: C. It’s amazing how much easier it is to watch Aminata now that she isn’t being featured time after time. There was a stretch there where she was wrestling 2-3 times on TV every week and it was getting old fast. This was a dominant enough performance and she should have a match with Deeb coming. That might not be the most thrilling, but I do like having a feud over something other than a title for a change.

Post match Deeb runs in and takes Aminata out.

The House Of Black knows a bunch of people are coming for them so bring them on.

FTR vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Harwood and Gibson start things off but it’s a four way stand off in short order. Drake comes in and gets shouldered down before it’s off to a test of strength. Wheeler comes in to chop away but it’s back to Gibson to strike away on Harwood. The Veterans clear the ring but Harwood is back in for two off a sunset flip. A belly to back superplex drops Drake hard and we take a break.

Back with Drake cutting off a tag to Wheeler but getting clotheslined down. Harwood makes it over to Wheeler…but the referee doesn’t see it, only to see it a few seconds later. Some rollups give Wheeler two, at least until Gibson comes in to grab him so Drake can score with an enziguri. Wheeler drops Gibson with a clothesline but the spike piledriver is broken up. What looked like a Doomsday Device is broken up as well and Harwood Sharpshooters Drake for the tap at 11:05.

Rating: B. This was just getting going when it came to an end and…the Veterans just lose. One of the biggest problems with AEW’s tag division is how the same teams have been at the top for so long and the Veterans being some fresh blood could have helped. Instead, they lose their first big match in about eleven minutes to FTR, who have been around for the better part of ever. Such is life in the tag division.

Post match the Veterans jump FTR again but the Outrunners make the save to a big reaction. The big handshake and a lot of posing (Harwood is so impressed that he faints)

Overall Rating: C+. There was good stuff in here and it wasn’t a bad show by any means, but it is the textbook definition of a show that feels like it should have been an hour long but was stretched out to two. There was a fair amount of stuff that felt like it was added in to fill time, which is not the best way to go. That being said, it was a totally watchable show with nothing too bad. I can go with bored for a bit over getting annoyed for large segments, so call this a decent enough show.

Results
Jack Perry b. Christopher Daniels – Running knee
Conglomeration/Hologram b. Premiere Athletes/The Beast Mortos – Crucifix to Nese
Wheeler Yuta b. Anthony Henry – Cattle Mutilation
Private Party/Komander b. Ren Jones/Lord Crewe/Jon Cruz – Gin and Juice to Jones
Yuka Sakazaki b. Serena Deeb – Magical Girl Splash
Bang Bang Gang b. Cage Of Agony – Forward DDT to Cage
Queen Aminata b. Robyn Renegade – Headbutt
FTR b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Sharpshooter to Drake

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

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Dynamite
Date: September 11, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are rapidly approaching Grand Slam in New York but it is also the All out fallout show. The big stories were the attempted murders of Bryan Danielson and Swerve Strickland at the hands of Jon Moxley and Hangman Page respectively. Neither of them should be here this week but strange things have happened. Let’s get to it.

I was in attendance for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the video screen slightly to my right. The attendance was very bad, with probably around 2,500 people, though the arena holds over 20,000. Seeing the amount of seats tarped off and empty made me say “wow” when I first walked in.

We open with a clip from All Out, with Jon Moxley explaining that he does not like Bryan Danielson’s ego and attacked him because it is Moxley’s nature. That’s a good enough explanation.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out the Patriarchy for a chat. Christian Cage has been told that he has “infinite aura” and now that he has the contract for a World Title match, he knows it is undeniable. When he saw Killswitch grab him by the throat, he knew that he had the perfect monster under his control. The fans chant LUCHASAURUS as Cage talks about how he’s coming for Bryan Danielson. The beating he’ll give Danielson will make his wife Brie wish she was the one with CTE. Cage makes it clear that he is the UNDISPUTED next World Champion.

Don Callis cashes in his favor with Will Ospreay to team with Kyle Fletcher for tonight’s Casino Tag Team Gauntlet Match. Fletcher talks Ospreay into doing it, saying there is no one he would rather team with t do this. As Mark Davis continues to become less and less important.

TNT Title: Jack Perry vs. Lio Rush

Perry is defending and comes to the ring in his Scapegoatmobile while Rush just has Action Andretti. Perry jumps him to start and the beatdown is on in the corner but Rush fights up with a dropkick to the floor. Rush tries a moonsault to the floor but gets dropped onto the apron for the crash as we take a break.

Back with Rush fighting out of a chinlock but getting dropped, which is enough for Andretti to come after him. That’s enough for an ejection but Rush fights up and hits a running Spanish Fly for two. Perry lawn darts him into the buckle though and a snapdragon puts Rush down again. Rush is right back with a poisonrana for a breather but Perry breaks up the springboard Stunner. The running knee finishes for Perry at 8:39.

Rating: C+. This was the way to give Perry some momentum back after his loss on Saturday and could have been a lot worse. Perry is far more tolerable when he stays around this level, which unfortunately does not happen very often. I’m not sure why Rush got this show but there were worse options to come after the title.

Perry goes to leave, saying people like him are crucified in this life so they can be glorified in the next.

We look at Hangman Page beating Swerve Strickland at a rather horrible level at All Out.

Page talks about how he has gone this far to beat Strickland and he would have spent an eternity in pain for a chance to hurt Strickland. Now if anyone stood in the way of him and his revenge, he is coming for them too. Page walks over and glares at Top Flight/Action Andretti before seeing the Dark Order, who don’t know him anymore. Then he runs into Jeff Jarrett, who says Page went too far when he put his hands on Jeff’s wife. The fight is on and has to be broken up.

Private Party and Komander come out for a match….and get jumped by the Blackpool Combat Club. Pac talks about how this company is broken and diplomacy has failed.

The Learning Tree arrives in a Bentley with a HI GUYS license plate. They’re going to show what they found in Orange Cassidy’s backpack tonight.

Ricochet vs. Sammy Guevara

They trade strikes to start until Ricochet sends him outside for the big running flip dive. The fight heads to the stage with Ricochet being sent into part of the set, allowing Guevara t moonsault off the tunnel as we take a break (note that they have been on the floor for 1:13 before the break and the ten count has not even started).

Back with Ricochet being sent to the floor (Fan: “Sorry.”) and into the barricade. Ricochet fights up and hits a jumping flip dive off the barricade) that was great) for two back inside. The Benydriller is countered into a Canadian Destroyer and Guevara hits a top rope cutter for two more. Guevara’s GTH misses and Ricochet kicks him in the head, setting up an ax kick stomp (egads) into Vertigo for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: B. This was definitely a better showing from Ricochet, who got to do his usual stuff and beat someone with some stature. It’s good to have Guevara back, but he has definitely lost a lot of his status in his hiatus. The flips were good and that ax kick stomp was awesome, making this a good match with Ricochet looking like a star.

Post match the Beast Mortos runs in to spar Ricochet, with Guevara making the save.

We look back at Kris Statlander beating Willow Nightingale in the Chicago street fight.

Kazuchika Okada mocks his title defense on Saturday when Konosuke Takeshita and Don Callis come in and want the Continental Title shot. Okada seems interested, complete with the b****.

Here is Darby Allin (to the reaction of the night, with people rising to their feet) for a chat. He gets right to the point and calls out Jon Moxley, who comes to the ring with Marina Shafir. Moxley talks about how nothing has changed between them but Allin cuts him off. Allin talks about how he was a homeless dishwasher and everything he owned fit in the trunk of his car. That’s why he wrestles the way he does and he loved what he saw in Moxley, who wouldn’t change for anyone.

They first wrestled in a high school gym and Allin was so nervous. Then he saw what Allin did to Bryan Danielson, which Allin could never do to someone like Sting. So what does Moxley want? It turns out Moxley wants Allin’s World Title shot at Grand Slam, because Danielson is going to be out of commission. Allin: “What are you stupid? You get dropped on your head? You been drinking again?”

After that gasp from the crowd, the fans hear Allin say Moxley has to earn it, with Moxley offering to earn it in New York. Allin accepts the challenge for Grand Slam, presumably with the title shot on the line. That’s quite the bait and switch for Grand Slam, which sold tickets based off the idea of the title match.

Nigel McGuinness interrupts Christopher Daniels and wants to talk to Tony Khan.

Commentary talks about September 11, which is a nice touch that would be nicer if it was going to a break instead of crammed between matches.

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

Non-title. They both miss some kicks to start and trade rollups for two each. An exchange of strikes to the face goes to Aminata but May ties her in the ropes and hammers away. We take a break and come back with May hitting a missile dropkick into the corner. Aminata kicks her away again and snaps off some suplexes. The running boot against the ropes gives Aminata two but May is back with a hanging DDT for two of her own. May’s running knee into Storm Zero finishes at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Not bad here with May getting a win, but she’s still missing a little something since she won the title. She’s still a good heel and is good at talking down to people but it’s not quite clicking. At the same time, Aminata seemed a bit shaky here and it wouldn’t surprise me if she was banged up somewhere in there.

Post match May lays on the mat with the belt and says she needs to have her championship celebration, but she wants Mina Shirakawa back too.

The Young Bucks mock the fans who say they want a new team to come after them. That’s why they have booked the tag team gauntlet match for tonight.

Learning Tree vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages

Boulder knocks Jericho into the corner to start so it’s off to Bill for the big forearms. Everything breaks down and Jameson is booted in the face. Keith adds Diamond Dust and Jericho’s arrogant cover gets the pin at 2:27.

Post match Jericho goes on a rant about how he wants his $7000 back from Orange Cassidy, which is why he took the backpack. Inside the backpack is a picture of Cassidy and the former Best Friends. Cassidy pops up on screen and says he has the money. Cue Mark Briscoe driving a big machine full of coins, which he pours into Jericho’s fancy car. Cassidy adds some cash and that should be it. Fans: “KEEP THE CHANGE!” Pouring a bunch of coins into a car seems more mildly inconvenient than anything else.

Here is Nigel McGuinness for a chat. There is not going to be a World Title match at Grand Slam, which must be a breath of air for Bryan Danielson. Like when he let go of choking Justin Roberts with his tie. The World Champion should be in action at Grand Slam, which brings him to the contract he has in his hand. The success that he has should be his and Tony Khan has made the match. At Grand Slam, it’s Danielson vs. McGuinness. So if he can have that match, why can’t he have the Allin match?

Hook wants Roderick Strong for the FTW Title.

Here are the Young Bucks, in AEW office chairs, to watch the main event.

Tag Team Casino Gauntlet

First fall wins and there is no guarantee that all of the teams get in. FTR is in at #1 and Kyle Fletcher/Will Ospreay are in at #2. Ospreay snaps off a hurricanrana to Wheeler to start but a sitout powerbomb gives Harwood two. Fletcher is knocked outside and the PowerPlex gets two. The Righteous are in at #3 and a Boss Man Slam into a Swanton gets two on Wheeler. Fletcher is back in to clean some of the house until the Kingdom is in at #4.

Fletcher gets knocked down to start and a running knee gets two on Ospreay as we take a break. Back with the Acclaimed coming in at #5 (the fans approve) and cleaning house. An AA gets two on Dutch and a pair of Fameassers put Harwood down. The MxM Collection is in at #6 to a big reaction of their own. Everyone brawls until the good guys manage a triple suplex. We take another break and come back with everyone brawling on the floor again with Top Flight coming in at #7.

This time they get to clear the ring until Ospreay kicks Dante in the head. The Shatter Machine hits Bowens but everyone makes the save. The Outrunners are in at #8 and the fans are way into them as well. This time they clean house as well, including the Paisan elbow to Vincent. The Grizzled Young Veterans are in at #8 as Floyd superplexes Mansoor onto the pile at ringside. We hit the parade of secondary finishers inside until Dante’s top rope splash hits raised knees. Ospreay hits the Hidden Blade on Dante to give Fletcher the pin at 22:14.

Rating: C+. This was the weakest of these matches so far as the strength of the matches comes from the surprises and we didn’t have any here. The Outrunners and the Collection got big reactions but it was the makeshift tam winning to continue the “Ospreay is really good at these things” deal. It wasn’t a bad match, but it felt long and was just a bunch of people doing stuff at times.

Overall Rating: C. This was not great by any means and was one of the weaker Dynamites in a good while. There was nothing worth going out of your way to see and the whole Danielson/Nigel/Allin/Moxley stuff is feeling very much like a bait and switch. This show did not feel like fallout from All Out, which was going to be hard to do with so many people missing. It wasn’t a terrible show, but you didn’t need to see it and that’s not a good way to go in this spot.

Results
Jack Perry b. Lio Rush – Running knee
Ricochet b. Sammy Guevara – Vertigo
Mariah May b. Queen Aminata – Storm Zero
Learning Tree b. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Diamond Dust to Jameson
Will Ospreay/Kyle Fletcher won the Tag Team Casino Gauntlet Match

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

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AND

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

Collision
Date: September 6, 2024
Location: NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re on a Friday due to All Out being in the regular spot. That means we should be in for a hard push towards the show, which will include qualifying matches for the Continental Title match at the pay per view. Other than that, we are going to be seeing the rest of the card getting some build of its own, which could go rather well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with a look at Hangman Page burning down Swerve Strickland’s childhood home. Their cage match is now LIGHTS OUT UNSANCTIONED, because putting them in a cage wasn’t violent enough.

We run down the card for both tonight and tomorrow at All Out.

Continental Title Qualifying Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Lance Archer

Briscoe’s ROH World Title isn’t on the line and Archer jumps him from behind on the way to the ring, as is his custom. They get inside for the opening bell and the fans are rather behind Briscoe. A missed charge puts Briscoe (bleeding) on the floor for some chops against the barricade. Briscoe fights up and gets the chair for the step up flip dive to drop Archer. A spinebuster puts Briscoe down again though and we take a break.

Back with Archer knocking him to the floor again, this time for a chokeslam onto the apron. Briscoe shrugs that off and hits the Blockbuster off the apron, setting up a Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow for two. Archer breaks up the Jay Driller and hits a chokeslam into a buckle bomb for two, leaving Archer surprised. Briscoe knocks him off the top and hits a Froggy Bow for….not even one. A third Froggy Bow finishes Archer at 11:25.

Rating: B. This was two guys beating the heck out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up again. They kind of screwed up the timing with one Froggy Bow getting a near fall and then Archer doing the big kickout but that’s pretty minor. I wouldn’t have Briscoe fighting for another title at the pay per view (as he did earlier this year) as being Ring Of Honor World Champion should be enough, but that would imply Ring Of Honor mattered in the slightest. Good opener here.

The Learning Tree is impressed by the Conglomeration but it’s not the right time for Chris Jericho to face Tomohiro Ishii again…and we pan down to Ishii, who is out cold with a chair around his neck.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Iron Savages

Gibson and Boulder start things off with the former hammering away and kicking him in the face. Drake comes in to pound away but the much bigger Boulder suplexes them both down (commentary doesn’t actually talk about it). The Veterans manage to send them both outside but Bronson is back in to slug away on Gibson. A double hot shot staggers Bronson though and Grit Your Teeth is good for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: C. Short and to the point here with the Veterans getting a win to establish themselves around here. They’re likely to have a much more important match against FTR sooner rather than later (likely next week on Collision) and that should be a good watch. Nice start for the newcomers, even if they are already pretty well known from elsewhere.

Post match FTR comes in to beat up the Veterans, leaving Jacked Jameson (the Savages’ manager) to get hit with the Shatter Machine.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Pac.

Orange Cassidy promises to take out Bryan Keith and go on to win the Continental Title, which he’ll put in his backpack next to the $7,000 he’s keeping from Chris Jericho. Cassidy took the glasses off here to make it a much different vibe.

Continental Title Qualifying Match: Bryan Keith vs. Orange Cassidy

The rather serious Cassidy doesn’t even put his hands in his pockets before dropkicking him to the floor for the suicide dive. Two more dives connect with Keith and Cassidy whips him into the barricade as Schiavone and Nigel talk about how All Out will be starting before NFL kickoff (the NFL being the next day makes it easier). Keith gets in a shot of his own and we take an early break.

Back with Cassidy putting his hands in his pockets and knocking Keith into the corner for the lazy kicks. Keith goes after the banged up arm but can’t get him up for a piledriver. A running knee to the chest just annoys Keith but he charges into a boot in the corner. Cassidy’s top rope DDT is countered into a t-bone suplex into the corner and a Michinoku Driver gets two. The Stundog Millionaire and Beach Break give Cassidy two but Keith knees him in the face for the same. Cassidy cuts off a knee with the Orange Punch though and it’s the tornado DDT into the top rope DDT for the pin at 11:14.

Rating: B-. Cassidy’s evolution has been a nice upgrade for him as you can only do the same stuff for so long before it loses is charm. Having a bit more of an edge and a better finisher with the top rope DDT could do him some good. Nice enough match here and it keeps the Conglomeration vs. the Learning Tree going, because that has to be a thing.

Post match Chris Jericho comes up on screen and steals Cassidy’s backpack, which he threatens with scissors. Is…..this some weird parody of the CM Punk stolen bracelet?

Mercedes Mone isn’t worried about not having Kamille in her corner at All Out. Why is Christopher Daniels in her business? Kamille isn’t barred tonight though and you’ll see what she can do.

Outrunners vs. Davey Bang/August Matthews

Erica Leigh is here with the Outrunners. Matthews chops Magnum to start and that just doesn’t seem smart. Magnum shows him how the chopping is done and does it to Bang as well. Floyd comes in for a suplex and the double elbow his Bang. A powerslam/running neckbreaker combination (Total Recall) finishes Bang at 2:17, which is somehow the Outrunners’ first win in AEW.

We get a sitdown face to face interview with Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale. Statlander talks about being there for Nightingale but when Nightingale won the TBS Title, Statlander never got a rematch. Nightingale thinks this is Stokely Hathaway getting in Statlander’s head and they’re both happy with tomorrow’s match being a street fight so the violence can ensue.

Continental Title Qualifying Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. The Beast Mortos

Don Callis is on commentary and they shove each other to start. Mortos kicks him in the head in the corner but misses a charge and crashes out to the floor. Takeshita hits a big dive and then whips him into the barricade, only for Mortos to hit a dive of his own. Back in and Takeshita hits a top rope superplex for the big crash and we take a break.

We come back with Mortos hitting a reverse Sling Blade. A backbreaker and Samoan drop get two on Takeshita, who is back with a German suplex and the Blue Thunder Bomb for two of his own. Mortos hits a spear for one but Takeshita rocks him with a headbutt. The running knee and the Raging Fire (spinning Falcon Arrow) finish Mortos at 11:18.

Rating: B. This was a match about two people beating the tar out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. It’s good to have Takeshita back, as he is one of the more consistently impressive stars in all of AEW. I don’t buy him winning the title tomorrow, but at least he got a good win here.

The Outcasts don’t like Jamie Hayter and accuse her of stalking them. Trouble is promised.

Mariah May says the best way to get to know a woman is to make her scream at your feet. Her championship celebration will be at All Out.

Hikaru Shida vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo drives her into the corner for some kicks to the ribs to start before they trade rollups for two each. Shida hits a big boot but gets sent into the corner as we take an early break. Back with Shida hitting a missile dropkick and hammering away in the corner. Purrazzo pulls her into the Fujiwara armbar, sending Shida over to the ropes. Shida grabs a Falcon Arrow for two and the Katana finishes at 9:28.

Rating: C+. This was the way to boost Shida up for her title shot against Mercedes Mone, which is not likely to go as well for her. Shida is already one of the most successful stars in the history of the division so she doesn’t need much more of a push towards the title match. Other than that, Purrazzo continues to kind of float around, though being in a match like this is better than nothing.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes out for a distraction, allowing Kamille to jump her from behind. Mone grabs the kendo stick but hits Kamille by mistake, with Shida hitting the Katana to send Mone running.

FTR wants the Grizzled Young Veterans next week on Collision.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn say they can beat anyone. The MxM Collection come in and say they’re better, with the Acclaimed NOT liking their finger thing.

Blackpool Combat Club/Pac vs. Elite

Everyone is a champion, because AEW. Danielson and Okada start things off but we’ll go with Perry instead to take Danielson into the corner. The stomping from Perry allows Matt to come in, only to be taken straight into the corner as well. The Bucks dropkick Yuta into the corner so it’s off to Pac, who chokes Matt down without much effort. Castagnoli hits a backbreaker and everything breaks down with the Elite getting hammered in various corners.

We take a break and come back with Okada hitting a backbreaker on Pac as everything breaks down again. Matt’s 450 hits Pac and Castagnoli as they hang in the ropes and things settle back down. Nick poses a bit and stomps on Pac before Perry’s neckbreaker can get two. Pac sends the Bucks together and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two, allowing Castagnoli to come back in. A Hart Attack hits Matt but Nick makes the save. Okada and Castagnoli strike it out until Castagnoli hits a suplex, allowing the tag off to Danielson.

Perry comes in as well and they trade kicks in the corner. Danielson flips over him and hits the running clothesline but gets DDTed by Nick. Perry gets taken down by a missile dropkick and Danielson fires off the kicks as Collision ends and Rampage officially begins. The LeBell Lock is broken up but it’s Yuta coming in to strike away at Perry. The Rainmaker misses but the Bucks superkick Yuta into the Tombstone. That means the Bucks can hit dives, with Okada teasing a dive, only to pose instead.

Pac dives onto the Bucks and hits a springboard 450 for two on Okada. The Club takes over on Okada in the corner, with Danielson adding a middle rope dropkick. We take another break and come back with the Bucks saving Okada from the Brutalizer. Everything breaks down and all of the villains other than Perry get Tombstoned at the same time. A suplex/high crossbody combination hits Matt and Danielson chases Perry into the crowd. The Bucks hit the EVP Trigger on Yuta with Pac making the save. That means the Swing into Yuta’s dropkick can finish Matt at 28:28.

Rating: B+. This got all kinds of time and it felt like a special match before the much more important matches tomorrow. The ending is a tease of the Young Bucks losing but….yeah I don’t buy it either. Anyway, one heck of a main event here and it had the kind of insane action that makes AEW work most of the time.

Overall Rating: B+. The extra time was a one off thing due to the back to back Collision/Rampage deal but we had two rather awesome matches here, with the main event being worth a look. The show also helped set up the Continental Title match, with a rather unique group of challengers. Throw in the Outrunners and Takeshita and this was an easy success.

Results
Mark Briscoe b. Lance Archer – Froggy Bow
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Iron Savages – Grit Your Teeth to Bronson
Orange Cassidy b. Bryan Keith – Top rope DDT
Outrunners b. Davey Bang/August Matthews – Total Recall to Bang
Konosuke Takeshita b. The Beast Mortos – Raging Fire
Hikaru Shida b. Deonna Purrazzo – Katana
Blackpool Combat Club/Pac b. Elite – Giant Swing/dropkick combination to Matt

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Collision
Date: August 31, 2024
Location: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in the middle of All In and All Out and that means things should be happening here. There are a few matches set for the pay per view but it would not be surprising to see some more added on this show. Throw in the good action you tend to get around here and we could be in for a solid week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Conglomeration/Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos/Johnny TV/Lee Moriarty

Shane Taylor and Taya Valkyrie are here with the villains. O’Reilly and TV get things going with some stand up grappling until Strong grabs a quickly broken cross armbreaker. Cassidy comes in for a basement dropkick and it’s off to Hologram for a monkey flip. Moriarty can’t do much with Cassidy on the mat so it’s back to Hologram, who gets rolled up for a fast two.

Hologram dropkicks him out to the floor so Mortos comes in, earning himself a rather spinning headscissors. Everything breaks down and we get a submission chain from almost everyone, with Mortos having to shoulder it apart. It’s time to head outside so Hologram can hit a big rope walk flip dive as we take a break. Back with Cassidy fighting out of trouble and getting over for the tag to O’Reilly. House is quickly cleaned but Mortos cuts that off, including a reverse Sling Blade.

O’Reilly gets over and hands it off to Hologram, who gets to clean house, including spite the spinning session to take down all of the villains in a row. Cassidy and O’Reilly fire off kicks to Mortos, setting up Cassidy’s Stundog Millionaire. Cassidy DDTs Mortos but gets suplexed by Moriarty. TV takes too long setting up Starship Pain to Hologram though and gets taken down with a reverse Spanish Fly, setting up a rollup to give Hologram the pin at 15:39.

Rating: B. This is one of those things that AEW does really well, as they took a bunch of people and put them into the ring at the same time for a fun match. It isn’t likely to be about much more than helping boost Hologram up but it was a match that went rather well for what it was supposed to be. It’s a good example of a match that didn’t take itself seriously and that’s how you can have a lot of fun with something like this.

We look back at Jon Moxley’s rather bizarre return on Dynamite.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Premiere Athletes

Austin and Nese start things off with the latter driving him into the corner with raw power. Woods comes in and a quick distraction lets the villains triple team Austin in the corner. Daivari gets in a knockdown of his own for two but Austin manages a quick Quick Draw, allowing the tag off to Robinson to pick up the pace. House is quickly cleaned, including a spinebuster to Woods. Everything breaks down and Colton gets two off a dropkick. Nese is sent into Mark Sterling at ringside and 3:10 To Yuma finishes Woods at 4:35.

Rating: C. The Gang gets a nice win here to put them back on the right track after some recent losses. That’s not a bad way to go and we could be in for some nice stuff from them going forward, though hopefully against some fresh opponents. The team is starting to gel, but Jay White coming back soon enough could take things in a different way.

We look at Mercedes Mone defending her NJPW Women’s Strong Title for NJPW.

Hikaru Shida (in tonight’s four way match for a TBS Title shot at All Out) is ready.

We look at Kevin Von Erich getting to do the Claw at All In.

FTR vs. Kingdom

Taven takes Harwood down to start but Harwood is right back up with a hiptoss. Some chops have Taven in trouble and it’s Wheeler coming in for a double hair toss. A double backdrop into a double clothesline has Taven on the floor and Bennett is sent out with him. Back in and Taven slips out of the slingshot suplex, allowing Bennett to get in a cheap shot as we take a break.

We come back with Harwood getting a VERY delayed two off a small package due to a distracted referee. Wheeler comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down. A top rope double clothesline puts the Kingdom down and it’s a German suplex into a flipping rollup for two on Bennett. Taven rakes the eyes to avoid a Sharpshooter but the Hail Mary is broken up. The Shatter Machine to Bennett sets up a PowerPlex to finish Taven at 10:08.

Rating: B-. Just in case the Kingdom losing on Rampage wasn’t enough I guess. FTR is in a similar place to the Bang Bang Gang from the previous match in that they need something to elevate them back up after a loss. There are worse ways to do it than this and the match went fine, though FTR needs something new in a hurry, which very well could be the Grizzled Young Veterans.

Post match the Grizzled Young Veterans come in to take out FTR. They’re tired of being compared to FTR but you will remember their name.

Thunder Rosa is ready for the four way.

Lance Archer abuses various production workers and security. One of them having their feet sticking up from a trashcan is a funny visual.

Top Flight/Action Andretti/Lio Rush vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson/Turbo Floyd

Leila Grey and Truth Magnum (odd) are here too as Andretti and Floyd start things off. And never mind as Boulder comes in to run Rush over but we get a series of rapid tags without anything in between, leaving Darius in the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long either as Darius dives over to Dante, who actually airplane spins Bronson. A four man suplex drops Bronson but Floyd cleans house on his own. Everything breaks down and a Downward Spiral sets up a frog splash to give Dante the pin on Jameson at 4:46.

Rating: C+. This was a strange one as they had a weird lineup on the villains side and then it didn’t have much time to go anywhere. It certainly wasn’t boring though and I’ll take that over some of the other options. Not much to see here, but what were they supposed to do with these circumstances?

Queen Aminata and Serena Deeb are both ready to win the four way. Deeb knows she can beat the other three but offers an alliance, which has Aminata intrigued.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Don Callis joins commentary. They forearm it out before trading shoulders, with Ishii getting the better of things. Fletcher is back with a slam and right hands in the corner but Ishii runs him over with a headbutt. Ishii takes him to the apron, where Fletcher is back with a brainbuster and we take a break.

Back with Ishii hitting a hard clothesline in the corner and sending him flying off a suplex. Fletcher manages a kick out to the floor into a dive but Ishii manages a powerbomb for a double breather. Back up and one heck of a clothesline gives Ishii two but Fletcher lawn darts him into the buckle. They go up top and Ishii busts out a jumping hurricanrana of all things, only to have Fletcher hit a brainbuster for two. Fletcher’s clothesline wakes Ishii up so it’s a Tombstone to put him back down for two more, followed by the piledriver to give Fletcher the pin at 12:46.

Rating: B-. The match was what you would expect, but this is a good example of how Tony Khan can burn through wrestlers. Between this, Dynamite and Ring Of Honor, I’ve watched more than half an hour of Ishii in the last four days. Seeing Ishii on the card this week didn’t have me interested, but rather saying “geez, again?”. With the amount of wrestlers that Khan has available, I don’t get the thinking in having someone show up that often and burn out their interest so quickly.

Video on Queen Aminata, also in the four way.

Video on Bryan Danielson winning the AEW World Title and being attacked by Jack Perry on Dynamite. The title match is official for All Out.

Pac is ready to face Will Ospreay at All Out and take the International Title. Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly come in and a tag match seems set for Dynamite.

Buddy Matthews vs. Komander

Matthews takes him down by the arm to start but Komander is back up with a wristlock of his own. A dropkick sends Matthews outside, where he reverses a dive into a suplex as we take a break. Back with Matthews hitting a hard knee on the apron but Komander grabs a running hurricanrana driver. Matthews strikes away until a poisonrana sends him to the floor, with Komander nailing a dive. Back in and a tornado DDT gives Komander two so he goes up, only to dive into another knee. Murphy’s Law finishes for Matthews at 10:00.

Rating: B. They got rolling near the end here and it was one of the more entertaining Komander matches I’ve seen. Who knew that if you stopped letting Komander run across the ropes while everyone waits around like a moron, things would get better? This was a heck of a match between the two as Matthews gets to show off, which he often does well.

The MxM Collection want the House Of Black next week. The House is in.

Video on Serena Deeb, the final entrant in the four way.

Serena Deeb vs. Queen Aminata vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Thunder Rosa

For a TBS Title shot at All Out. Shida slugs away at the other three of them to start and whips them into the same corner for a running knee. Deeb pulls Shida to the floor though and has a slugout with Rosa. Back in and Shida breaks it up, only for Shida and Rosa to be taken down with a double suplex. We take a break and come back with Aminata snapping off some suplexes, followed by some running kicks in the corner.

Deeb gets up and cleans house (including on Aminata, as the alliance is already gone) but Rosa breaks up the half crab on Shida. Rosa Backstabbers Aminata and hits some running dropkicks against the ropes for two. Deeb gets an Indian Deathlock on Rosa and suplexes Shida at the same time for a bonus. Rosa and Shida slug it out until Rosa snaps off a super hurricanrana. Rosa’s Death Valley Driver plants Shida but Deeb puts Rosa in a half crab. Aminata breaks that up but Shida hits the Katana to pin Aminata at 14:25.

Rating: B-. Shida is a good call here as she is still probably the most accomplished woman in AEW history. Letting her get a shot at the title, even in a match that doesn’t have much build, is a smart way to go. If nothing else, she should be able to have a quality match with Mercedes Mone, which is one of the reasons you would put her in a match like this one.

Overall Rating: B. Rather impressive show here with a bunch of stuff that kept my interest and a pay per view match being set up by the main event. That’s not a bad use of two hours, especially with so little time between pay per views. As usual, AEW is at its best when its wrestlers get to wrestle and we were seeing that for a long time this week, making for a higher level Collision.

Results
Conglomeration/Hologram b. Johnny TV/The Beast Mortos/Lee Moriarty – Rollup to TV
Bang Bang Gang b. Premiere Athletes – 3:10 To Yuma to Woods
FTR b. Kingdom – PowerPlex to Taven
Top Flight/Action Andretti/Lio Rush b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson/Turbo Floyd – Frog splash to Jameson
Kyle Fletcher b. Tomohiro Ishii – Piledriver
Buddy Matthews b. Komander – Murphy’s Law
Hikaru Shida b. Queen Aminata, Serena Deeb and Thunder Rosa – Katana to Aminata

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

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Rampage
Date: August 30, 2024
Location: State Farm Arena, Champaign, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re done with All In and rapidly approaching All Out but the big story this week is the return of Konosuke Takeshita, who is returning after heading back to Japan for the G1 Climax Tournament. Tonight he’s in a four way, which is certainly a unique way to bring him back. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal vs. Kingdom vs. Private Party

Kassidy and Taven start things off with grappling that goes nowhere. Instead Taven hits a dropkick but Kassidy is back with a shot to the face. A neckbreaker/top rope kick to the chest combination drops Taven as it’s almost all Private Party to start. Taven finally gets in a shot of his own though and it’s Bennett coming in for the choking. Lethal tags himself in to slug away at Taven but three straight Figure Four attempts (on different people) are blocked.

Instead Bennett knocks Lethal down and we take an early break. Back with Lethal fighting up against the Kingdom and handing it off to Jarrett to take over in the corner. The running hip attack in the ropes sets up the strut, which is broken up just as fast. Silly String hits Taven and Quen’s 450 gets two with Bennett making the save. Taven slips out of the Stroke but gets caught in the Figure Four, with Lethal grabbing the same thing on Bennett for the double tap at 9:54.

Rating: C+. That’s a perfectly fine way to get Jarrett and Lethal a win as Jarrett has been on something of a roll as of late. It’s likely a mostly meaningless tag match but the fans were into what Jarrett was doing and it was a quick, well enough done outing from everyone. That being said, sweet goodness the Kingdom still feel like they could be something but that just isn’t going to happen.

Video on Konosuke Takeshita.

Video on the Beast Mortos.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Missa Kate

Shirakawa slides around to start and dances a bit, as she tends to do. A Russian legsweep puts Kate down and a dancing double knee stomp has her in even more trouble. Shirakawa’s frog splash gets two but Kate kicks her in the face for the same. Back up and Shirakawa fires off some strikes to the face, setting up a reverse inverted sitout DDT for the pin at 3:05.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash here and that’s what it should have been, as Shirakawa gets to go out there and do her thing in a short match. Shirakawa is still in the weird place of being an important part of the new Women’s Champion but not really doing much around here. Getting her in the ring, even on occasion, can help that and that’s what they did here.

Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander are annoyed at Willow Nightingale for picking a street fight when the only street Nightingale knows is from a Justin Bieber song. They bring in a production worker so Statlander can drop him.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Outrunners

Erica Leigh is here with the Outrunners. Gibson and Magnum trade headlocks to start before it’s off to Drake to work on the arm. Magnum manages a slam but Drake knocks him down and gets in some spitting. Floyd gets knocked off the apron for a crash to the floor and we take a break. Back with Gibson saving Drake from a suplex but Magnum slips away and brings Floyd back in to clean house. The Veterans cut that off though and a Doomsday Device plants Floyd. Grit Your Teeth finishes for Drake at 9:52.

Rating: C+. Fun match here, with the Outrunners being such goofy stars that it’s hard not to notice them. They know exactly what they’re supposed to be and they work very well together. The Veterans are all but set for a big time title match sooner than later (possibly at All Out) so giving them a dominant enough win here is a good idea.

Video on Komander.

Nyla Rose vs. Aminah Belmont

Rose hits a clothesline to start and hammers away in the corner, followed by another clothesline. A chokeslam and the Beast Bomb finish Belmont at 1:34.

Video on Lio Rush.

Lio Rush vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. The Beast Mortos vs. Komander

Takeshita and Mortos take over on the smaller two to start but get sent into each other for their efforts. Everyone goes to the floor where Takeshita and Mortos ram the other two together. That’s enough working together though as Takeshita and Mortos slug it out, only to get dropped by a pair of dives. Rush and Komander fight inside until Mortos and Takeshita come in to break it up. Komander sends Takeshita outside and the rope walk twisting moonsault drops Takeshita again. Mortos is right there with a dive though and we take a break.

Back with Rush hitting his springboard Stunner on Takeshita but getting faceplanted by Komander. Mortos misses a charge and gets sent to the apron, setting up a Spanish Fly into a German suplex. Komander breaks up the double cover but Mortos misses the top rope clothesline half of a Doomsday Device. A springboard poisonrana takes Mortos down for two but Cielito Linda misses for Komander. Mortos spears Rush but gets kneed by Takeshita, who hits a Falcon Arrow to pin Komander at 13:52.

Rating: B. While it would seem that a singles match would have been a better way to bring Takeshita back, this was a fast paced and non-stop action match, which is quite a way to go. Everyone looked good here and I had fun with what we got out of what was little more than a showcase for Takeshita and Mortos. Now do something important with Takeshita already.

Overall Rating: B-. This is where Rampage shines as it is one of the more consistently entertaining shows from any promotion. You’re going to get some entertaining matches and some fun spots, which is all you can ask for in a show that only runs an hour. No it doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things, but when you have a show that is often as packed as Dynamite, this is a nice change of pace if you want your AEW fix.

Results
Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett b. Kingdom and Private Party – Double Figure Fours to Kingdom
Mina Shirakawa b. Missa Kate – Reverse inverted sitout DDT
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Outrunners – Grit Your Teeth to Floyd
Nyla Rose b. Aminah Belmont – Beast Bomb
Konosuke Takeshita b. Komander, The Beast Mortos and Lio Rush – Falcon Arrow to Komander

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

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Dynamite
Date: August 28, 2024
Location: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with All In and that means it is time to start getting ready for All Out, which is just under two weeks away. That might include a title defense by new World Champion Bryan Danielson, who took the title from Swerve Strickland on Sunday. Some of the pay per view card is already set but they have some work to do. Let’s get to it.

Here is All In if you need a recap.

We open with a look back at Bryan Danielson winning the World Title at All In.

Cue the returning Jon Moxley, with new music and a rather serious look on his face. Tony Schiavone gets in the ring to ask how Moxley is doing, with Moxley saying he’s been doing a lot of thinking about things that need to get done. He’s here looking for a man who isn’t here to have a conversation.

The man is nothing like him because it’s Darby Allin. It’s time they had a talk and he won’t be hard to find. And with that, Moxley teases leaving but comes back and say this is not Schiavone’s company anymore. Excalibur and Taz have no idea what that means. This was really weird and felt like a very new direction for Moxley, which isn’t a bad thing.

The Conglomeration and Hook are ready for their matches tonight. Mark Briscoe talks about how the team had mixed results at All In and Willow Nightingale picks a Chicago Street Fight against Kris Statlander at All Out. Briscoe declares the word of the day to be indefatigable because they cannot be fatigued.

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hangman Page

They forearm it out to start with neither being able to get the better of it despite trading the forearms for over a minute. Ishii shoulders him down and then they chop it out with Ishii being knocked into the corner. We take a break and come back with Page hitting a DDT onto the apron, with Ishii standing on his head for a bit. That’s good for a delayed two back inside and a backbreaker gives Page two more.

Page ties up the leg and kicks away but Ishii fights back with a belly to back suplex. Page is back with a Death Valley Driver but Ishii knocks him down again and we take another break. We come back again with an exchange of clotheslines and Ishii not being able to hit a brainbuster. Instead Page hits him in the face and sends him flying with a release German suplex. Ishii is back up with a jumping Deadeye and a hard clothesline gets two. Back up and a bunch of clotheslines set up the Deadeye to Ishii, meaning the Buckshot Lariat can finish at 16:53.

Rating: B. I can’t imagine there is going to be much more divisive on the show than this one. It was a long, back and forth match but they were using a style that isn’t going to please a lot of people. The exchange of forearms at the beginning was coming off more like a joke than a fight, and that’s not something I tend to like seeing. It was certainly intense though and the right person won, but it could have probably shaved off a few minutes to make it a good bit better.

Post match here is Swerve Strickland, to say that Page threw a tantrum at All In because he keeps getting further and further from success. This will always be Swerve’s house because Page has always failed. Page says Swerve is not a champion because he is a piece of s*** who could never beat him on his own. He wants Swerve one more time, with Swerve saying we’ll do it in a cage at All Out. Swerve brings up Revolution and how he went up to Page’s house the morning Page cost him the World Title.

That was the morning Page escorted his pregnant wife down the stairs. That was when Page was about to become a father for the second time. That was the man Page was supposed to become, but it made Swerve realize he needed to focus on the World Title, which will happen again. Page can’t do anything because he’s too obsessed with Swerve. In that cage, what kind of man is Page going to be? Or what kind of man is he going to show his kids he can be? Page leaves in disgust. At some point, you have to bring Page back down to earth and this felt like they were going in that direction.

Jamie Hayter vs. Harley Cameron

Saraya is here with Cameron, who gets stomped down into the corner to start. Hayter shrugs off a kick to the face and hammers away before kicking her out to the floor. Soul Food into some Irish Curses and a hard lariat finish Cameron at 3:06.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t great but it was the match that Hayter needed to have back. She came in, she beat Cameron up, she leaves, people remember that she’s good. That’s all this needed to be as Hayter has been gone for a really long time. Let her get her feet wet again and go on from there.

The Learning Tree and Roderick Strong are ready for tonight, with Big Bill seemingly understanding that the fans won’t like him as much as they did in Cardiff. Chris Jericho takes credit for Hook winning the FTW Title and Strong, in glasses, is glad to be in the Jericho Vortex, even for one night. Oh and Jericho hasn’t forgotten Orange Cassidy for ruining his $7,000 jacket all those years ago.

Here is MJF, who is in a lot of pain after taking the tiger driver 91. He has such a headache and does not want to hear from these fans. MJF renounces his American citizenship, save for Long Island of course. He accuses Will Ospreay of cheating to beat him and promises to beat him again with a smile on his face.

That brings him to Daniel Garcia….who jumps him from behind and tries a piledriver of the middle rope. That doesn’t work as security breaks it up, so Garcia says he stole the Dynamite Diamond Ring and hocked it to get a flight to England (ok points for tying that up). Ruining Garcia’s life is now his fetish (his words) and now he wants MJF at All Out. MJF is in. I know they had to transition from Ospreay to Garcia really fast because of All Out, but dang I was expecting more than “oh, my neck hurts” from a move which seemed to send Ospreay into PTSD for months. ESPECIALLY from MJF!

We look at Ricochet’s debut at All In.

Learning Tree/Roderick Strong vs. Conglomeration/Hook

Cassidy takes Keith down to start as commentary makes jokes about road trips. Briscoe comes in with a suplex and kicks Keith over for the tag off to Bill. Everything breaks down and the big brawl is on as we take a break. Back with Jericho getting a full nelson on Cassidy, who gets his hands in his pockets for the break.

Briscoe comes in and gets taken down by Strong, allowing Keith to hammer away as commentary continues to chatter about…whatever their latest inside joke is this week. That doesn’t last long as Briscoe gets up and hands it off to O’Reilly, who goes for the kneebar on Strong. Bill breaks that up and clears the ring, including a big swinging Boss Man Slam to Cassidy as we take another break.

Back again with Bill missing a charge into the corner, allowing Hook to…well not suplex him as Strong makes the save. Strong gets STO’d and NOW Hook can t-bone suplex Bill. Jericho comes back in and runs the ropes before stopping for his HI GUYS wave. Strong hits the fireman’s carry gutbuster on Hook but gets kicked outside by O’Reilly. Cassidy dives into Keith and Briscoe hits a big step up flip dive. Back in and Hook Redrums Strong for the tap, despite Strong’s feet being in the ropes, at 16:30.

Rating: B. This felt like “here are a bunch of people doing stuff for a good chunk of the show” and that’s not a bad thing. It might not be the most interesting or the most important, but it works for a one off match. The ending pretty clearly gives us an All Out match and that’s the bigger point long term.

Post match the beatdown is on and the Kingdom beats down Hook, with Strong holding up the FTW Title.

Mercedes Mone is celebrating her win at All In when Private Party comes in. Marq Quen hits on her but Kamille and Kazuchika Okada of all people cut him off. Mone: “Okada-san, how d you say bye b****** in Japanese?” Private Party is shipped out. This was….I’m not sure what but it wasn’t good.

Here is Mariah May for a chat on the stage but her title celebration has been postponed because…well it’s just not happening in this town. This town is called Champaign but it should be renamed “Flat, p*** warm beer.” She opens her robe to reveal the title (Tony Schiavone approves) and leaves because that’s enough. This felt like they gave May the least interesting thing imaginable to say and just played on the reveal at the end.

We see a clip from after the Tag Team Title match at All In, with the Grizzled Young Veterans threatening the Young Bucks, who aren’t intimidated.

The Grizzled Young Veterans aren’t impressed with the Bucks and are ready to show what they can do on Rampage.

We look at Konosuke Takeshita in the G1 Climax in New Japan.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Ricochet

Don Callis is on commentary. Fletcher gets in a flip of his own to start but Ricochet send shim outside, only to miss a dive. Instead Fletcher hits a leg lariat out to the floor, setting up the suicide dive to send Ricochet into the barricade. Back up and Ricochet dives off the barricade to drop Fletcher and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher kicking away at him, only to have Ricochet knock him down down. The running shooting star press gives Ricochet two and he hits a rolling dropkick to send Fletcher outside. Back in and Ricochet’s top rope splash misses, allowing Fletcher to hit a running knee to the face. Ricochet shrugs it off and hits Vertigo (reverse inverted DDT) for the win at 11:58.

Rating: B-. This was a great contrast to the Hayter match earlier, as this was a good bit longer than it needed to be and didn’t have me wanting to see more from Ricochet. Instead, it felt like he was trying to beat someone who is a middle of the road star around here at best. That doesn’t make me want to see more of Ricochet, but rather more that he’s just kind of another person being added to the roster.

Post match Will Ospreay comes out to stare down Ricochet but Pac comes in and gives Ospreay a nasty poisonrana onto the stage. Pac tells Ricochet to go to the back of the line, because Ospreay is his at All Out.

Jon Moxley yells at security guards and Marina Shafir of all people beats them up, with Moxley saying we need lessons in humility around here.

Here is Bryan Danielson for his big celebration as champion. His daughter was happy…which may have been due to being on a double decker Peppa Pig tour bus. Seeing his peers so happy for him was the greatest moment of his career, but then he went to the press event. The reality is that his contract expired earlier this month, his neck needs to get fixed and his family wants him home.

Danielson thanks everyone who helped make the company great and looked at everyone who will wrestle here in the future. It is probably time for him to go home….BUT NOT YET. He is going to fight for the title as much as he can and there are a lot of heads to kick in. First come, first serve, so come get a shot. And then Jack Perry pops up on screen to say he is making his own future and taking Danielson out. Danielson’s future is behind him…and Perry jumps him from behind. The beatdown is on to end the show. And yes, it continues, as AEW will do everything they can to make Perry a thing no matter what.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a rough spot as it was both the fallout from All In, the start of the build towards All Out and a show where it felt like a lot of things were taking a breath after the huge pay per view. At the same time, the lack of a more proper build from All In to All Out is making a lot of the show feel like it’s thrown together, which isn’t exactly something that makes me want to put my money down. They still have time to cobble things together, but this was only an ok starting point for the show.

Results
Hangman Page b. Tomohiro Ishii – Buckshot Lariat
Jamie Hayter b. Harley Cameron – Lariat
Hook/Conglomeration b. Learning Tree/Roderick Strong – Redrum to Strong
Ricochet b. Kyle Fletcher – Vertigo

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

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Wrestling Revolver X House Of Glory
Date: April 5, 2024
Location: Trinity Center For Urban Life, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jason Solomon, JD From New York, Veda Scott

So we have another competing show here, with Wrestling Revolver vs. House Of Glory. I’ve seen a bit from both promotions and those looks have been positive, so this has me interested. Shows like this can be very hit or miss and it’s likely all going to be about the action, which could work rather well. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow either promotion so I apologize in advance for missing any story or character points.

House Of Glory Title/Pro Wrestling Revolver Title: Mike Santana (HOG) vs. Alex Shelley (Revolver)

Title vs. title and the fans prefer Santana. The main camera shot is VERY wide and it’s making for a weird visual. They fight over arm control to start and Santana shoves him into the corner off what seemed to be trash talk. Santana fights out of a headlock and hits a running shoulder before sending Shelley outside. A big dropkick through the ropes connects for Santana and he fires off some hard chops.

Shelley manages a posting though and they head back inside, where Santana blocks a slingshot splash. Santana sends him back to the apron but a dragon screw legwhip takes things to the floor again. Back in and Shelley goes after the arm again, with Santana being sent hard into the corner.

Shelley switches it up with the Figure Four, but a rope is quickly reached. Santana’s knee is fine enough for a step up kick in the corner and a cutter gets two. Shelley goes evil with a cheap shot and grabs one of the belts, only for Santana to kick the referee down by mistake. Back up and Santana hits his big spinning clothesline with another referee coming in to count the pin at 12:04.

Rating: B. That ending felt screwjobbish but at least it felt like that at the end of a good match. Santana has been impressive since coming back from his injury and Shelley can wrestle with anyone. This was a heck of an opener and if Santana’s selling hadn’t been a weak spot, it would have been one of the better matches of the weekend.

HOG – 1
Revolver – 0

Post match yeah it’s a screwy finish with a Revolver referee coming out to DQ Shelley, meaning Shelley is still champion.

HOG Tag Team Titles: Mane Event (HOG) vs. Rascalz (Revolver) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans (HOG) vs. Red (Revolver)

That would be Jay Lyon/Midas Black (Mane, defending) vs. Trey Miguel/Zachary Wentz (Revolver) vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson (HOG) vs. Alex Colon/Ricky Shane Page (Revolver) and it’s one fall to a finish. It’s a brawl to start with the Rascalz clearing the ring and double teaming Gibson down. Page comes in to take over on Wentz but it’s quickly off to the Event to take over on Colon. It’s off to Midas, who is quickly taken apart by the Veterans as they take over.

Gibson’s suplex gets two and it’s Drake coming back in for a slam. Page tags himself in, much to Drake’s annoyance, and Red gets to stomp Midas in the corner. Now it’s Gibson tagging himself in and mocking Red, which allows Black to dive through the legs and bring Lyon in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Wentz suplexes Drake, setting up a spinebuster into a backbreaker/stomp combination.

Red comes back in and gets to take over on Miguel, who has to hand it back to Lyon. An assisted Death Valley Driver plants Lyon, with almost everyone else coming together to make the save. The Rascalz superkick the Veterans to the floor and hit stereo suicide dives, followed by a dive each from Lyon and Page. Back in and the Event hits an assisted X Factor to finish Colon and retain at 9:15.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match that you know you’re going to see on a show like this one. They had all kinds of people running around and getting in what they could, which is about all you could get in a match with eight people and around nine minutes. I’ve seen a decent amount from the Event in recent weeks and they’re…I don’t quite know, but they feel more weird than good, which isn’t the best place to be.

HOG – 2
Revolver – 0

Post match Charles Mason, a HOG villain, comes in with a chair to beat up the Event and referees. He even pulls off Lyon’s mask.

HOG Crown Jewel Title: Carlos Ramirez (HOG) vs. 1 Called Manders (Revolver)

Manders, a cowboy, is challenging and Ramirez is rather tall. Ramirez powers him into the corner to start and it’s already time for a chop off. The fight heads to the floor with Manders taking over and hitting more chops. Back in and Ramirez manages a Randy Savage jump over the top neck snap, setting up the rather early chinlock.

With that broken up, Manders fights out of the corner and it’s a double knockdown. They slug it out from their knees until Manders snaps off an exploder suplex for two. The lariat is cut off with a heck of a rolling Liger kick to give Ramirez two of his own. Ramirez misses a flying headbutt and gets lariated down for two more. Back up and a powerbomb plants Manders for another near fall, meaning it’s time to…lift the referee. The distraction lets Ramirez kick Manders low, setting up a pumphandle into a piledriver to retain at 9:15.

Rating: B-. Nice power match here, with Manders being a pretty standard cowboy hoss while Ramirez is a big man who can do some impressive looking things. Ramirez is someone who looks like he should wrestle one style but he mixes it up with some different stuff to keep things more interesting. This is the kind of match I like to see as you have two people you might not know and it wound up being good.

HOG – 3
Revolver – 0

Mike Bailey (HOG) vs. Masha Slamovich (Revolver)

I’m kind of guessing with the promotions here, as Bailey wrestles for both of them (shocking I know) and Slamovich has only wrestled for Revolver a handful of times but it’s as good as we’re going to get here. Bailey dropkicks her before the bell and hits a brainbuster for an early two. Slamovich fights up and hits a dropkick out to the floor, setting up another dropkick through the ropes. Some hard chops send Bailey back inside and he’s right back with a suicide dive.

Back in and a Boston crab sends Slamovich bailing over to the ropes, leaving Bailey to drop her throat first onto the rope. Bailey plants her down but misses something like a Vader Bomb. A rolling Liger kick gives Slamovich two so she grabs a crossface. With that broken up, Slamovich hits a backsplash and grabs a seated abdominal stretch. Bailey is out of that as well and kicks her down for a running shooting star press.

Slamovich is sent outside for a triangle moonsault but the Flamingo Driver is blocked back inside. Instead Slamovich hits a German superplex and they’re both down in a heap. Back up and they slug it out rather hard, with Slamovich’s kicks to the head getting two. Bailey kicks her back and hits a Falcon Arrow into a shooting star press for two.

One heck of a superkick gets two but Slamovich rolls away from the Ultimate Weapon. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence until Slamovich grabs a rear naked choke. That doesn’t work so it’s a sleeper suplex for two before Slamovich grabs the choke again. This time they head out to the apron, where Slamovich hits a piledriver to knock him silly for the pin at 12:39.

Rating: B. These two beat the daylights out of each other, with the idea that Bailey has never been able to beat Slamovich and was getting more and more desperate to pin her. It was another physical, hard hitting match and I wanted to see how one of them was going to put the other away. Slamovich has been a beast this weekend while Bailey has been…well he’s been around a lot.

HOG – 3
Revolver – 1

Charles Mason (HOG) vs. Steve Maclin (Revolver)

Street fight and Mason has Jay Lyon’s mask, while Maclin has Killer Kelly. The bell rings and Kelly gets in Mason’s (who is wearing dress clothes) face, only to have him spit on her. That doesn’t work for Maclin, who starts the beating in a hurry by knocking Mason out to the floor. They fight into the crowd and them go outside and hold up traffic before fighting back inside.

Maclin hits him in the back with a chair, sends him into the ring again, and then clotheslines him right back out. Mason cuts off a dive and hits a slingshot DDT onto the apron to take over. Kelly has to dodge a chair shot so Maclin chairs Mason down instead. Back up and Mason grabs an Upside Down choke but stop to trade chokes with Kelly.

Maclin’s backbreaker and a running clothesline set up a pair of powerbombs for two. Mason gets tied in the Tree of Woe and Maclin puts a chair in front of him, only to have it pelted at his charging head. Mason pulls off his belt for some choking and grabs a rolling Death Valley Driver for two. It’s time for a trash bag but Maclin fights off the suffocation. Maclin puts him in the Tree of Woe again for the spear and KIA is enough to finish Mason at 11:00.

Rating: B-. Well it certainly wasn’t boring. They have something with Mason as the pure evil guy but he was almost in a handicap match, which made things a little weird. At the same time, Maclin is a bigger name from a bigger promotion (TNA that is) and it’s not stunning to have him beat almost anyone around here. Going outside certainly made things a bit more interesting and I could go for more of Mason.

HOG – 3
Revolver – 2

Revolver Remix Title: Gringo Loco (Revolver) vs. Ace Austin (Revolver) vs. KC Navarro (HOG) vs. Myron Reed (Revolver) vs. Nolo Kitano (HOG) vs. Raheem Royal (HOG) vs. Aigle Blanc

One fall to a finish, Loco is defending and this is the only match Blanc has ever wrestled for either promotion. Austin has Gia Miller with him to uneven things up. Before the match, Reed apparently adds himself in rather than having been in the match in the first place (I think, as the audio on the house mic is almost non-existent).

It’s a big fracas to start with Austin and Reed clearing the ring off a bunch of superkicks. That’s broken up and we settle down to Kitano vs. Royal. As expected, that doesn’t last long as Blanc comes in for a running headscissor driver. Loco is back up to trade takedowns with Blanc but Navarro comes back in to take both of them down. Navarro and Blanc slug it out until Reed comes back in to clear the ring.

Austin and Reed double superplex Blanc before Royal and Kitano springboard into a mid-air collision to leave everyone down. Kitano is back up with some kind of a spinning neckbraker for two on Reed. Navarro hits a quick suplex powerbomb for two on Kitano and Blanc is back in with a 450 for two on Royal. Blanc Tombstones Royal for two but gets rolled up by Austin for the same. Loco is back in to clear Austin out and hits a super spinning electric chair powerbomb to pin Blanc and retain at 9:55.

Rating: B. Much like the big tag match earlier, there is only so much that you can do when you have so many people and so little time. This kind of match is almost standard for a show like this one and while it was entertaining, popcorn match style wrestling, you pretty much know exactly what you’re getting. I’ve seen Blanc in a few matches this weekend and I could see him being a prospect if he spends more time here rather than in his native France. Good, chaotic fun here.

HOG – 3
Revolver – 3

Amazing Red vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali isn’t really part of either promotion so we’ll call this a showcase with the score being a tie (though Red is firmly HOG). Hold on though as Red says let’s make this a TNA X-Division Title match. Works for Ali, who mocks him with the title before the bell.

TNA X-Division Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Amazing Red

Ali is defending and they trade misses to start until a running headscissors sends Red outside. Red accepts Ali’s invitation back in and grabs a headlock. A rollup gives Red two, with Ali bridging out and not thinking much of Red in the process. Some chops annoy/damage Ali so he forearms Red down to slow the pace again. A springboard is broken up and Ali is knocked to the floor for a big dive from Red.

Ali chops the post to hurt his hand and Red kicks him in the head for two back inside. The chinlock goes on, though the fans are behind the rather villainous Ali. That’s broken up so Red hits a clothesline for two more as things have slowed down a lot. Ali shoves him off the top and flips forward into a running clothesline. The rolling neckbreaker lets Ali put him on the top but Red shoves him away, only to get dropkicked out of the air.

Red puts him on top this time but gets caught with a sunset bomb, though Red lands on Ali’s legs for a nasty crash. Back up and Red knocks him silly with a hard shot of his own and they’re both down again. They slug it out from their knees until Red kicks him into the corner. A DDT gives Red two but the referee gets distracted, allowing Ali to break up the Code Red with a low blow. Ali drops the 450 to retain at 13:46.

Rating: B. Red is someone who wasn’t seen as the biggest deal during the peak of his career but he was absolutely an inspiration to the current generation. It’s no surprise that he was given a featured spot here and commentary was hyping up how important and special this was. It might not have been a classic, but Ali is among the biggest thing in the indies these days and he was in there with quite the legend.

Post match Ali grabs the mic and praises Red for making people like himself and Ricochet and Will Ospreay. Ali praises him again, though the audio is almost impossible to understand. Ali leaves and Red thanks the fans and calls Ali one of the true friends in wrestling. One more handshake and hug wrap up the show. This was quite the emotional exchange and you could tell they both meant everything they were saying.

Overall Rating: A-. I had heard really good things about this show coming in and the praise was well deserved. There was a lot of solid wrestling here, with nothing resembling a bad match and a nice mixture of established names and up and coming stars. HOG is a bit different than a lot of independent promotions and Revolver has some bigger names due to Sami Callihan’s connections. This was probably the best of the Wrestlemania Weekend shows thus far and that is clearing quite the bar. Check this one out.

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

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AND

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Collision
Date: April 27, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re doing another double shot this week with Collision and Rampage going back to back. That makes for a rather interesting night, as last week’s Collision was great while the following Rampage definitely took its foot off the gas. Odds are we’ll be getting an update on what happened to Tony Khan on Dynamite, which is suddenly the top story in AEW. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Swerve Strickland winning the World Title at Dynasty.

Here is Swerve Strickland, with Prince Nana, for a chat. Nana introduces Swerve as the boss of bosses, one h*** of a wrestler and the new World Champion. Swerve runs down what we have been seeing around here over the last week, including Jack Perry and the Young Bucks attacking Tony Khan. Swerve has done a lot of things in wrestling, but that sounds like a b**** move.

The biggest thing in wrestling though is him winning the World Title and he got here while making some sacrifices. Swerve’s oldest daughter said she doesn’t really know him and he can’t make up for lost time, but he can make sure that this is all worth it. He beat Kyle Fletcher on Dynamite so let’s do the open challenge tonight. Cue Claudio Castagnoli in a suit and I think we have a main event. Swerve says he’ll see him tonight in whose house? Castagnoli takes the mic and says it’s going to be his.

We look at the attack on Tony Khan.

Tony Schiavone says Tony Khan has suffered multiple head and neck injuries. Khan cannot travel but he can run AEW remotely from Jacksonville. Nigel McGuinness asks what happens if Khan something happens and Khan isn’t there. Are we really to believe that Khan can’t be expected to call/text in orders? That isn’t what was said, but I would hope they have a better explanation than “he’s not here in person”.

Trios Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

The Club is defending. White and Dante start things off with Dante striking away until White chops him into the corner. The Gunns come in for a clothesline into a knee lift as the villains start taking turns on Dante. A quick dive cuts Austin off though and it’s Darius coming in to clean house. Darius’ Downward Spiral gets two on Austin but White plants him face first onto the apron as we take a break.

Back with Dante and Andretti being pulled off the apron but Colten avoids a splash. Darius rolls over and brings Andretti in to pick up the pace. A split legged moonsault into a Spanish Fly gets two on Colten as everything breaks down. White crotches Andretti on top and the swinging Rock Bottom plants Dante. 3:10 To Yuma plants Darius but Andretti dropkicks White into the corner. Not that it matters as Andretti handsprings into the Blade Runner to retain the titles at 11:13.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly good first title defense for the champs as Andretti and Top Flight were fine challengers. The division is hardly deep in the first place so it is nice to see a regular team getting a title shot. They don’t need to defend the titles every week but they did need to defend them at least once to get the unified reign off to a nice start.

We look at the Young Bucks winning the Tag Team Titles over FTR in a ladder match at Dynasty, albeit with help from Jack Perry.

The House Of Black is happy with beating Adam Copeland again at Dynasty. One of them will be accepting the Cope Open on Dynamite.

Rey Fenix vs. Beast Mortos

This is Fenix’s first match since October. Fenix fires off kicks to start and bounces off the ropes, right into a powerslam from Mortos. With Fenix sent outside, Mortos takes him down with a corkscrew dive. Back in and Mortos hits a crucifix bomb, followed by a heck of a clothesline for two.

Mortos starts in on the leg and gets in something like a reverse Figure Four, with Fenix having to roll to the ropes. It’s time to go after Fenix’s mask, because that is something we have to see quite often around here. We take a break and come back with Fenix striking away and snapping off a hurricanrana out of the corner. Fenix fires off some more kicks before running and…stepping up onto Mortos’ head, because that’s something someone can do.

Mortos doesn’t like having his head stepped on and knocks Fenix out of the air for a double knockdown. Back up and Fenix knocks him to the floor for the required dive but Mortos grabs a nasty gutbuster for two back inside. Fenix kicks him away again and hits a superkick into a frog splash for two. A rollup gives Fenix the pin at 15:11.

Rating: B-. Well they certainly got some time. This was a long match that let Fenix showcase his athleticism while letting Mortos get in his own power stuff. It made for a good match and a nice return, though there were some points when it felt like it was going long for the sake of going long.

Video on Trent Beretta turning on Orange Cassidy, with Chuck Taylor standing up to Beretta.

Cassidy is scared of what Taylor and Beretta are going to do to each other in the parking lot. Kris Statlander comes in to say Beretta needs them.

Rush vs. Martin Stone

Rush, in his first match since December, snaps off a German suplex to start and knocks Stone outside to choke against the barricade. Some whips with the TV cables make things worse and they head back inside. Rush suplexes him into the corner and the Bull’s Horns completes the squash at 2:15.

Post match Rush hits another Bull’s Horns for a bonus.

We look at Serena Deeb saying she’s coming after the Women’s Title.

Deeb says she is the obvious #1 contender and it is now or never. After all these years of being told she’s great, she needs to be Women’s Champion.

Toni Storm vs. Anna Jay

Non-title and Mariah May (in black for a change) is here with Storm. They lock up to start until Storm grabs a headlock and grinds away. Jay sends her into the corner for a running kick to the face, setting up a hip attack. That just wakes Storm up and she is back with a Thesz press, followed by some hips to the face. Another hip attack knocks May down, allowing Jay to grab a neckbreaker and Nigel to panic as we take a break.

Back with Storm hitting a Backstabber into a DDT into a fisherman’s suplex for two. A Gory Special gives Jay two and we hit the Queenslayer. Nigel: “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME! THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!” Storm fights up and knocks her into the corner, setting up the big hip attack and Storm Zero finishes Jay at 9:22.

Rating: C+. Something has clicked for Storm in the ring lately and it has been going much better. She has the character stuff to be incredibly entertaining, but the in-ring part has been going way up lately. That helps a lot and has made things that much better, which is quite good given the amount of challengers coming for the title.

Chuck Taylor, with his dog, tells Orange Cassidy that he has to do this on his own. Works for Cassidy.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Acclaimed

This is the Veterans’ (James Drake/Zack Gibson) debut and Billy Gunn is here with the Acclaimed. Gibson and Caster start things off with the former working on the arm and handing it off to Drake for the same. Bowens comes in and grabs a neckbreaker, setting up a slugout. Gibson isn’t having that and comes in for some double teaming, setting up something close to a Poetry In Motion to knock Caster off the apron as we take a break.

Back with Drake hitting a dive on Caster as Tony manages to figure out what Nigel means by “don’t GAF.” Gibson’s chinlock doesn’t last long and Caster ducks a spinwheel kick allowing the tag off to Bowens. House is quickly cleaned and Caster tags himself back in (rather quickly) for Scissor Me Timbers to Drake.

Gibson gets back in to distract Caster, allowing Drake to hit a running boot to the face. Bowens gets Codebreakered out of the corner, with Drake adding a missile dropkick for two. With nothing else working, Gunn offers a distraction so Bowens can come back with the Arrival, setting up the Mic Drop for the pin on Gibson at 12:10.

Rating: B-. If the Veterans want to stick around, they probably earned themselves a job with this match. They looked like a polished, experienced team and were running circles around the Acclaimed here. I’m not sure what has happened to the Acclaimed, but they seem to have just stopped evolving or advancing in the ring whatsoever. They feel like a colder version of the same act from a year ago and that is a really bad sign. The team needs something to change them up and it needs to happen soon.

Katsuyori Shibata is ready to beat up Shane Taylor Promotions himself tonight and then he’ll beat up Chris Jericho. Daniel Garcia comes in to offer some help and Shibata accepts, saying “save the last dance for me.”

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Strickland is defending. Feeling out process to start until Castagnoli wrestles him to the mat without much trouble. They fight over a test of strength on the mat with neither being able to get very far. Swerve twists up to his feet but Castagnoli is right there with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Castagnoli knocks him to the apron but Swerve comes back with a hurricanrana on the ramp for a nasty crash.

Back in and a high crossbody knocks Castagnoli down again, setting up some rolling neckbreakers for a new idea. Castagnoli isn’t having this and knocks him outside, where a hard running uppercut against the barricade takes us to a break. Back with Swerve hitting a basement superkick to send Castagnoli outside, where another kick to the chest makes it worse. The rolling Downward Spiral gives Swerve two and a forearm puts Castagnoli on the floor again.

Swerve gets sat up on the stage and a running flip dive brings him back off, while dropping Castagnoli at the same time. Back in and a 450 gives Swerve two but Castagnoli hits a running stomp of his own. That just fires Swerve up and he strikes away, at least until Castagnoli runs him over for a double knockdown. Swerve muscles him over with a suplex and there’s the Swerve Stomp for a rather near fall.

The House Call is loaded up but Castagnoli reverses into the Swing, setting up the Sharpshooter to put Swerve in a lot more trouble. The crossface goes on but Swerve gets out, earning himself a heck of a running clothesline for two. Swerve grabs a DDT and goes up for the Stomp…but Castagnoli just blocks him in the air and slams him down. A running stomp drops Castagnoli though and it’s the House Call to retain the title at 21:04.

Rating: B+. Now this was more like it, as Swerve had to work to get through a rather tough opponent. It takes someone special to be able to hang with Castagnoli and Swerve not only did it but even looked better at times. Castagnoli is one of those guys you call if you want to make an opponent look good and he did it in spades here, with a rather excellent match.

Respect is shown post match.

Overall Rating: B+. This had some pretty quality wrestling matches and I had a good time with the show. That’s two weeks in a row with high level Collisions and I could certainly go for more of this. While Dynamite needs to spread the important parts around to the other shows, it’s nice to Have a show that isn’t packed with storylines and lets the wrestlers do their thing. Rather strong stuff here as Collision is getting into a heck of a groove.

Results
Bullet Club Gold b. Top Flight/Action Andretti – Blade Runner to Andretti
Rey Fenix b. Beast Mortos – Rollup
Rush b. Martin Stone – Bull’s Horns
Acclaimed b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Mic Drop to Gibson
Swerve Strickland b. Claudio Castagnoli – House Call

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

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AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 11, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

There have been some rather good wrestling matches around here lately and that has been great to see. This time around isn’t going to have anything to do with that, as the main event is a Monster’s Ball match between PCO and Kon. That should be enough to carry things but we also have just over a week before Rebellion. Let’s get to it.

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

We are joined in the arena with Hammerstone brawling with Josh Alexander. Security tries to break it up but Alexander hits the big flip dive onto everyone. Cue Tommy Dreamer to be the voice of reason and he actually manages to get the bleeding Alexander to leave. Dreamer gets in the ring and talks to Hammerstone about how Alexander is the face of this company.

Dreamer is the reason Hammerstone is here and now Hammerstone is taking a shortcut. Hammerstone doesn’t need to go down that path because his legacy is not set yet. The fans chant ECW at Dreamer because it’s his legacy, so go have the best match at Rebellion and tell everyone to top that. Dreamer tells the fans that this will be a great show and goes to leave, only to be jumped by Hammerstone. Alexander runs back in for the save before saying the match at Rebellion will be Last Man Standing. Good way to go, as seeing Dreamer in pain is always fun.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Digital Media Title: Laredo Kid vs. Crazzy Steve

Steve is defending and goes right for the mask. Kid lunges at him and Steve knocks him into the corner to take over. A springboard something is broken up, with Steve nailing a clothesline to the back of the head. The neck crank goes on, with Steve switching it into something like an Octopus hold on the mat. Kid fights up and knocks him into the corner to start the comeback, setting up a pair of moonsaults. The top rope version is broken up and Steve pulls him down to start with the stomping. Steve goes for the mask again so Kid jumps him. The referee tries to break it up and gets shoved down, with Kid getting DQ’d at 8:34.

Rating: C. I continue to be confused by Laredo Kid, who feels like he should be a big star but he never actually wins anything. That was the case again here, but odds are we are going to be seeing this match again. At some point Kid needs to win a title of some kind and he seems to be potentially having another chance soon.

Alex Shelley apologizes to Chris Sabin and Kushida, who seem cool with things.

ABC vs. First Class

Austin grabs a headlock on Francis to start and is powered into the corner for his efforts. Swann comes in but Austin trips him down for a kick to the back. It’s off to Bey for a double dropkick but Francis gets in a cheap shot as we take a break. Back with Austin still in trouble as everything breaks down. Francis hits his world’s strongest slam/fireman’s carry drop on both of the ABC (that’s nuts) to take over. We settle down to a double kick to Swann, followed by a big flip dive to Francis on the floor. The 1-2-Sweet is broken up though and Swann grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 11:02.

Rating: C+. ABC is a team who can work well with anyone but it was cool to see Swann and Francis working well together. Francis might not be the biggest star in the world but he is getting somewhere with this new stuff. The power/speed team works for First Class and they can be annoying enough to back it up. Not bad, assuming they can keep it going.

Post match here is Joe Hendry to explain the problem with First Class. This results in a slightly changed version of the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air theme, including Francis being called a fat Uncle Phil. At Rebellion, it’s Hendry vs. Swann.

Ash By Elegance and her handler think Ash should get the Knockouts Title shot at Rebellion because Steph de Lander was filling in for her. No.

Mustafa Ali complains to the Grizzled Young Veterans about Jake Something getting an X-Division Title shot. Something comes in to say the match is happening.

It’s time for the contract signing between Jordynne Grace and Steph de Lander, with Santino Marella running things. Cue de Lander, with Matt “Qdoba” and Grace, with Cardona hyping de Lander up. De Lander signs but Grace says she’s not laying down that easily. Grace lists off her resume, with Cardona bringing up that he beat her for the Digital Media Title. Grace asks if de Lander is going to say anything or just let Cardona talk for her.

De Lander says her resume is too long to list and thinks Grace is too focused on other things. Like the Royal Rumble! With that odd reference to a one off match two and a half months ago, Grace talks about how she’s beaten Cardona, de Lander and Cardona’s wife. Grace: “I’m the juggernaut b****.” Cardona: “DON’T YOU TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!” Grace: “I wasn’t talking to her, b****.” With that, Grace signs and the brawl is on, with Cardona getting in a cheap shot. De Lander chokeslams Grace through the table. Of all the contract signings I’ve seen in wrestling, this was the most recent.

The System interrupts Masha Slamovich and ask her about teaming with Alicia Edwards again. Masha answers in Russian and no one knows what that means.

Jonathan Gresham is still in group therapy and talks about wearing three different masks. One of them is never seen, with the group leader saying that’s the truest reflection of who he is. We see the octopus mask, with a voice talking about seeing a tree and being told to cut it down.

Moose vs. Trent Seven

Non-title and the System is here with Moose, while Mike bailey is here to counter them. Seven fires off chops in the corner to start and is promptly release Rock Bottomed down. Some hard whips into the corner have Seven in more trouble but he chops his way to freedom. A DDT plants Moose again and Bailey cuts off Eddie Edwards’ interference. Bop and Bang puts Moose down but he escapes the Birminghammer. The spear finishes Seven at 3:55.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and that’s what it should have been. Moose is on his way to a huge title match next week and there is no reason to have him get into a long match here against Seven. It was far from a squash and they did a nice job of making Seven look good in short order.

Post match the beatdown is on but Time Machine makes the save.

Post break the System yells at Santino Marella, who makes the System vs. the Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Titles next week. The winners of that face Speedball Mountain at Rebellion. With all of those people gone, Decay comes in to say they want their rematch for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Rebellion. Works as well.

Jake Something vs. James Drake

Zack Gibson is here too. Something powers Drake into the corner to start but Gibson gets in a cheap shot to take over. The chinlock goes on but Something fights up with a hard forearm. Gibson offers another distraction though, allowing Drake to hit a running dropkick in the corner. Cue Deaner to cut off Gibson so Something can hit Into The Void for the pin at 3:52.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but Something setting the win on the way to the title match is what matters most. At the same time they kept Deaner vs. the Grizzled Young Veterans going, though I’m not sure where they’re heading with that. Not a great match here, but an efficient one.

Post match Mustafa Ali comes out to rant about how the X-Division need limits and Something defies those limits. Something goes after him but the Grizzled Young Veterans make the save. Deaner’s save attempt is broken up as well and the villains stand tall.

Kon vs. PCO

Monster’s Ball, meaning street fight/anything goes. PCO grabs the kendo stick so Kon uses a chair as a shield in a smart move. With Kon sent outside, PCO loads up a dive but gets knocked out of the air with a trashcan. We take a break and come back with PCO in a trashcan so Kon can beat on him with a chain. A table is set up at ringside but PCO fights back and puts Kon on it, setting up the big flip dive from the top.

Back in and Kon gets in some more shots but goes up top, allowing PCO to knock him through another table at ringside. That’s not enough to keep Kon down either, as he gets up and sends PCO face first into a bridged ladder. An Iconoclasm sends PCO through the ladder and now it’s time for thumbtacks. Kon puts the tacks into PCO’s mouth, which just wakes him up for a chokeslam onto the tacks. The PCOsault onto Kon onto the tacks finishes for PCO at 14:15.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need to have two people beat the fire out of each other to blow off a feud and that is what they did here. It was a good way to wreck Kon for good, though he’ll be fine in a bodyguard role sooner than later. Good main event here as it felt like a clash of the titans, though PCO needs to do something fresh rather soon.

Overall Rating: C+. Good enough show here with the main event being the highlight. It was a show that added a few things to Rebellion while also cranking up some of the matches that were already made for the pay per view. In other words it was another efficient Impact, which is where they tend to shine.

Results
Crazzy Steve b. Laredo Kid via DQ when Kid shoved the referee
First Class b. ABC – Rollup with tights to Bey
Moose b. Trent Seven – Spear
PCO b. Kon – PCOsault

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 28, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are less than a month away from Revolution and that means the card needs to start being filled in. The top matches have already been announced but there are still some things that can be added in advance. TNA has been doing rather well in recent weeks and it would be nice to see that continue. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside vs. Ash By Elegance vs. Dani Luna vs. Alisha Edwards vs. Havok vs. Jody Threat vs. Masha Slamovich vs. Rosemary

For a Knockouts Title shot at Rebellion and this is an 8-4-1 match, meaning we start with an eight woman tag (Ash/Brookside/Rosemary/Luna vs. Havok/Threat/Slamovich/Alisha). The winning team then has a four way and the winner gets the title shot. Hold on though as Elegance has a toothache and is out. Therefore we have a replacement in the form of the returning Steph de Lander.

De Lander starts with Havok, who scares her over for an early tag to Rosemary. Havok is sent into de Lander so it’s off to Alisha, who is powered down by Luna. A bulldog gives Alisha two and Slamovich comes in to take over on Luna. Threat gets to fire off some clotheslines in the corner to Brookside, who is back with a running headscissors. Everything breaks down and Luna hits a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Slamovich.

They trade rollups for two each until Luna small packages her for the pin at 5:16. So now it’s Luna vs. Rosemary vs. Brookside vs. de Lander for the title shot. Hold on though as Slamovich jumps Luna and sends her into the post to leave her laying. Brookside is sent crashing into Ash (at ringside) so Ash posts her hard. That’s enough for an elimination and we go back to the ring where Matt Cardona runs in to hit Radio Silence on Rosemary. A sitout TKO gives de Lander the pin and the title shot at 8:10.

Rating: C. This is an interesting concept in theory but there is only so much that you can do with an eight minute match that runs two falls and had a bunch of stuff on the outside. The final four were only in the ring together for a staredown before three people interfered. De Lander and Cardona being back is a big deal, though I’m not sure if this was the best way to bring them back as the match was kind of all over the place and rushing through with the limited time they had.

We look at Chris Sabin and Steve Maclin getting into it earlier this week to set up a match tonight.

The Motor City Machine Guns and Kushida are in the back with Sabin being glad the tension is over. Alex Shelley gets offended by the idea of Sabin having issues over a singles match and leaves.

Ace Austin isn’t happy with Chris Bey going after the X-Division Title last week when they have a rematch for the Tag Team Titles coming up. Bey brings up Austin facing Frankie Kazarian so he’ll go find Kazarian too.

The Grizzled Young Veterans call out Deaner, who comes out to say he can face either of them right now. Deaner puts it up to the people and Zack Gibson gets the call. Well actually we’ll make that both so Deaner goes after both of them. Sure.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Deaner

Deaner slugs away to start and it goes as well as you would expect to start. Drake knocks him down and it’s off to Gibson, who is caught in an atomic drop. The Deaner DDT is broken up and it’s a cheap shot from Drake on the apron. Grit Your Teeth finishes Deaner at 2:22.

Nic Nemeth…is interrupted by Alex Shelley, who knows how to beat the System. Shelley praises Nemeth, who says he’d be honored to give Shelley the first title shot after he beats Moose. Shelley would rather do it tonight so they’ll try to get it set up.

Here is Josh Alexander who wants to get revenge on Hammerstone. He has an open contract for tonight and calls Hammerstone out but gets….Tracy Williams instead. Williams is ready to fight because he has been wanting his opportunity around here. If Hammerstone doesn’t want to fight, Williams will do it. Works for Alexander.

Josh Alexander vs. Tracy Williams

They both try a hold to start but it just leads to a standoff. Alexander loads up a suplex and they go over the top to crash out to the floor. Back up and Alexander hits his running crossbody to send Williams outside again and we take a break. We come back with Williams blocking a C4 Spike attempt and dropping Alexander instead. A butterfly superplex sets up an armbar on Alexander, who bails straight to the ropes.

Alexander is back with a Regal Roll into an ankle lock but Williams makes the ropes this time. That earns Williams a powerbomb backbreaker for two but he breaks up another C4 Spike. Williams DDTs him onto the turnbuckle and hits a Death Valley Driver into the crossface. They trade shots to the face until Alexander rolls into the C4 Spike to put Williams away at 10:24.

Rating: B-. This was the weekly good match of the show and that’s a nice tradition to have. Williams coming in, even for a one shot, is a fine addition and I could go for having him around more often. He’s the kind of wrestler who can work well with anyone and it gives Alexander another boost before his likely showdown with Hammerstone at Rebellion. Should Williams stick around, he should work out well as he has the skill to back up the pretty intense promo he had here.

Post match, respect is shown but here is Hammerstone (looking very Brock Lesnarish) to jump them both. Williams gets torture racked.

Mustafa Ali is happy to be on the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated but tells Santino Marella that he shouldn’t be defending the X-Division Title against Jake Something. Ali mocks the name, with Santino saying anyone with any name can be X-Division Champion. Like Rhino! Ali wants to know what kind of a name that is. Ali: “He’s behind me isn’t he?” Rhino pops in and gets an Old School Rules match with Ali next week.

Mike Bailey vs. Eddie Edwards

Trent Seven, Alisha Edwards and Brian Myers are all here too. Bailey kicks away to start and knocks Eddie outside for the dive. Chopping ensues but a Myers distraction lets Edwards take over with some chops of his own. Back in and Bailey fights up with a kick to the chest but gets poked in the eyes for his efforts. A middle rope dropkick works a bit better for Bailey and he kicks Eddie down, setting up a running shooting star press.

Bailey kicks him outside for a corkscrew Asai moonsault, only to miss the tornado kick back inside. Eddie’s Backpack Stunner gets two but Bailey is back with the very rapid fire kicks. The moonsault knees hit Eddie but Myers offers a distraction. Seven cuts him off, leaving Bailey to kick Eddie in the head. Alisha’s distraction doesn’t work though the Ultimate Weapon misses anyway. The Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 10:56.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, though the ending was a bit weird as it looked like Eddie just beat him clean. I’m not sure how that makes me more interested in seeing the title match but at least it was a singles match rather than a tag match. That being said, seeing Bailey lose after doing all of his ridiculous kicks is often soothing and that was the case again here.

PCO wants Kon in a Monster’s Ball match.

The FBI is coming next week. For those of you keeping track, it is only a mere 23 years after ECW ended.

Frankie Kazarian is ready to end Eric Young for good but Chris Bey comes in to say he wants Kazarian next week.

We look at Rich Swann joining forces with AJ Francis.

Here are Francis and Swann for a chat. They are collectively known as First Class, with Francis getting to mock the Philadelphia Eagles. Swann talks about how he is a former World Champion but he has been in a slump lately. Francis was the only person there for him and he offered to take Swann to even higher heights than ever before.

Swann wasn’t sure, but then he was about to get his first win in a long time. Joe Hendry made that blind tag and stole the win though and Swann was crushed. Then he saw Francis again and the persistence impressed him. Swann won his World Title when there was no one around, so he doesn’t need these people. If you’re not First Class, you’re last.

Laredo Kid talks about his history in wrestling and making it up the ladder. He tries to have success everywhere he goes but after winning a big match over El Hijo del Vikingo, he had a serious internal injury and almost died. It made him want to work harder and now he is coming for Crazzy Steve’s Digital Media Title.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Chris Sabin vs. Steve Maclin

Sabin snaps off an armdrag to start and then does it again for a bonus. The wristlock doesn’t work so Sabin armdrags him into an armbar as the slow start continues. Maclin fights up and they go to the floor, where Sabin sends him shoulder first into the post. Back in and Sabin grabs another armbar, with Maclin not being able to roll his way out of trouble. Instead Maclin sends him into the buckle for the escape and we take a break.

We come back with Maclin loading up a superplex but Sabin breaks it up and hits a missile dropkick. A neckbreaker sends Maclin into the corner and a quick DDT gives Sabin two. Sabin stays smart with a crossface but Maclin gets out to the floor. Maclin knees him out of the air for two but the spear in the corner misses.

Instead Maclin grabs Mayhem For All for two and they’re both down. The Jar Headbutt misses as well and they slug it out until Maclin forearms him to the floor. Maclin’s Scud misses on the floor and they’re both down again. After barely beating the count, Maclin charges into a tornado DDT to give Sabin two. Maclin catches him on top though and now the spear hits in the corner. The KIA finishes Sabin clean at 15:23.

Rating: B. It’s strange to see Sabin losing clean like this but it does give Maclin the big win that he has been needing for more than a bit. I’m not sure what Maclin is being built up for but it doesn’t likely mean anything good for Sabin and company. Sabin is still capable of having a good match with anyone though and beating him is a big deal for Maclin, so well done if that is the direction things seem to be going.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this show a good bit as they advanced some things for Rebellion and had the good action to back it up. While there is still a long way to go before the pay per view, there are enough stories that have me wondering where things are going. Good show here, which is a pretty longstanding tradition around here.

Results
Steph de Lander b. Xia Brookside, Dani Luna, Alisha Edwards, Havok, Jody Threat, Masha Slamovich and Rosemary – Sitout TKO to Rosemary
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Deaner – Grit Your Teeth
Josh Alexander b. Tracy Williams – C4 Spike
Eddie Edwards b. Mike Bailey – Boston Knee Party
Steve Maclin b. Chris Sabin – KIA

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.