Rampage
Date: June 9, 2023
Location: Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re back to normal this week after last week’s rather interesting turn towards a bunch of other stuff. Forbidden Door has started to take shape and there is a good chance that we’ll hear more about it this week. In addition, we have a four way for a shot next week at the AEW Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Lucha Bros/Bandido vs. Big Bill/Ethan Page/Lee Moriarty

Fenix hurricanranas Page to start but Page is right back with one of his own. With that standoff, Bandido and Moriarty, the latter dancing, come in for a change. Bandido picks up the pace and snaps off a top rope corkscrew crossbody, followed by a hurricanrana of his own. Penta and Bill come in to complete the trilogy of showdowns. Bill isn’t impressed by CERO MIEDO so he pulls Penta out of the air.

Everything breaks down and Penta clears the ring but Bill breaks up the dive. The fight continues on the floor with Moriarty taking over on Bandido, followed by Bill choking Penta inside. We take a break and come back with Penta striking away, allowing the hot tag off to Bandido. That doesn’t exactly last long as Bill kicks him in the face and Page adds a powerslam for two. Bandido enziguris his way out of trouble and brings Fenix in to really clean house.

A superkick drops Fenix and the Bros kick Bill down. Bandido hits the big dive to the floor and the Bros kick away a lot more. Moriarty is back in with a discus forearm to Bandido but Fenix drops him with a rolling cutter. The spike Fear Factor plants Moriarty on the apron but Bandido’s moonsault hits raised boots. The Ego’s Edge is loaded up, only to have the Hardys come out to say they’re disappointed in him. He’s told to extend his Hardy sleeves, but the distraction lets Bandido hit the 21 Plex for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of opening match that has worked forever and it did so again here. The fans are going to react to the flying and the flipping not matter what and you had three very good ones here. The former Firm are good enough for low level goons and if they stay around that area, everything should be fine.

QTV wants to be edgier on the way to Collision. Solo: “What if we buy the fans ice cream?” Or they could make an announcement that they have an announcement. Instead, they decide to give us a Collision preview.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Caleb Crush

Hobbs drops him ribs first onto the top rope to start and tosses him around a bit. The spinebuster finishes Crush at 1:09.

Arn Anderson says his son Brock will be ok but Christian Cage and Luchasaurus made a mistake. Wardlow agrees, but he’s ready for his match with Jake Hager on Dynamite.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

Caster’s rap is about the Denver Nuggets, Pride Month and Lauren Boebert (he’s not a fan of one of the three). Angelico tries to scissor with Bowens but misses three times in a row. A knee works a bit better but Bowens is right back up with a dropkick to send him into the corner. Serpentico comes in and is sent outside, with Luther quickly joining him.

Scissor Me Timbers his Angelico but Serpentico breaks up scissoring. Luther does as well and we take a break. In THIS match? Back with Gunn coming in to clean house but Angelico enziguris him down so Luther can get two. The Acclaimed come in for a kind of torture rack faceplant/enziguri combination to Luther. The Arrival and Mic Drop finish him off at 8:25.

Rating: C. Bit longer than it needed to be for Gunn and the Acclaimed to beat these goofs but at least they got to the right ending. I’m still not sure what is next for them but after losing the Trios Title shot, there isn’t much at the moment. The fans still seem interested in them so maybe they can find something new, but for now, this is about all they can be doing.

Dynamite recap.

Renee Young brings out Jeff Jarrett and company (Serpentico’s team can get a name but these guys just have one name after another) for a chat. Karen Jarrett cuts things off though and wants Aubrey Edwards out here right now. Cue Aubrey and Mark Briscoe, with Aubrey threatening violence. Briscoe says simmer down, but he has some bad news. AEW won’t sanction a Karen vs. Aubrey match, but he can get a mixed trios match, which has Dutt planning things out. We’ll have the Jarretts and Lethal vs. Aubrey/Briscoe and…..PAPA BRISCOE? That’s going to be bonkers and at least they’re not in the title picture anymore.

Video on the women’s four way.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Skye Blue vs. Britt Baker vs. Nyle Rose

For a Women’s Title match next week on Dynamite. It’s a brawl to start as Marina Shafir (Rose’s manager) comes in to choke Martinez. Hikaru Shida runs in to chase her off with the kendo stick as we take a break. Back with Baker shoving Rose off the top for a big crash to the apron and then the floor.

A Sling Blade gives Baker one on Martinez but Lockjaw is broken up by Rose. Baker and Sky superkick away at Rose before Baker kicks Skye down. Rose is back up with a chokeslam to Baker, with Martinez making the save this time. Baker’s Stomp hits Rose but Martinez kicks her to the floor. With Baker and Martinez on the floor, Blue grabs Code Blue for the pin and the title shot at 8:54. Baker’s “Huh, well what do you know about that?” look is rather good.

Rating: C+. Good enough here and it sets Blue up as the next victim for the Outcasts. The other positive thing about one of these matches is that you can have Blue get a win without hurting two of the other women in the match, with Baker being a prime example. Martinez being back is a nice boost as well, as having a veteran who can make anyone look better is always a plus. Fine enough main event and it sets up a Dynamite title match, which is all you can ask for here.

Overall Rating: C+. This was back to normal for Rampage, with a lot of stuff that was entertaining but felt like things that weren’t interesting or important enough for Dynamite. With Collision coming up, I’m almost scared to see how far Rampage falls, as the likely star power around here very well could plummet. For now though, nice effort, even if it is probably one of the last times Rampage might matter.

Results
Lucha Bros/Bandido b. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill/Ethan Page – 21 Plex to Page
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Caleb Crush – Spinebuster
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Spanish Announce Project – Mic Drop to Luther
Skye Blue b. Nyla Rose, Britt Baker and Mercedes Martinez – Code Blue to Rose

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: June 7, 2023
Location: Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Forbidden Door and there is a good chance that some matches will be made official tonight. A few matches have either been teased or all but confirmed so now the only thing left to do is confirm them. At the same time, we have another big Collision announcement so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Swerve Strickland

Cassidy is defending and Prince Nana is here with Strickland. The hands are quickly in the pockets for the early exchange of flips until Strickland takes him down. Strickland goes after the arm but Cassidy is up into a bit of a lazy octopus. A headscissors sens Strickland outside, where he puts his hands in his pockets. Cassidy follows but gets sent into the barricade, followed by his hand being sent into the post. Back in and Cassidy knocks him to the floor again, setting up a suicide dive. They both go up top and crash down onto the buckle to send us to a break.

Back with Cassidy knocking Strickland down and hitting some rather lazy right hands. The tornado DDT sends Strickland to the apron, where he pulls Cassidy off the ropes with a Death Valley Driver. Since it’s just a Death Valley Driver on the apron, Cassidy is back up with a running DDT off the apron. A top rope DDT gives Cassidy two more back inside but Nana gets up on the apron.

Strickland is sent into him though and it’s the Orange Punch into the Beach Break for a rather near fall. Cassidy dives at Strickland on the floor but gets caught with a brainbuster. The House call connects back inside and the Swerve Stomp gets two more. Strickland grabs a rollup with tights for two, only to have Cassidy reverse into one of his own, also with tights, for the retaining pin at 15:38.

Rating: B. So yeah, Cassidy wins again, as he goes over someone else who has been needing a big win. At this point, I’m not sure who is supposed to beat Cassidy but there’s a good chance that the run will keep going for a long time. It was an entertaining and fast paced match, but Cassidy needs to put someone over already, as we’re almost at eight months of this reign. Oh and please stop ruining the DDT even more. The move is dead. Move on already.

Post match the Mogul Embassy runs in for the save but the lights go out it’s….Sting/Darby Allin for the save.

Video on Ricky Starks vs. Jay White, who have their big showdown tonight.

Video on Bryan Danielson challenging Kazuchika Okada for Forbidden Door, with the match being officially made.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Chaos

It’s Rocky Romero/Best Friends for Chaos and Bryan Danielson is on commentary. Taylor throws a chair at Moxley to start fast and the Club is sent outside. After a rather chaotic hug, the Club is back in with a Hart Attack for two on Taylor as we take a break. Back with Romero and Barreta cleaning house and taking Moxley down, including a sliding kick to the face for two. Strong Zero gets the same, with Castagnoli having to make a save. Romero’s cross armbreaker is broken up and Moxley grabs the choke out to finish Romero at 8:12.

Rating: B-. This was designed to advance Danielson (Blue) vs. Okada (Chaos) and if Okada isn’t going to be here in person (fair enough), this is as good of an idea as they had. Chaos was working hard here but they weren’t about to beat the top heel faction in the company in a regular six man tag. Good match, and it served a purpose.

Hangman Page and the Young Bucks say that was a good Club match (Page: “I didn’t see it, but it sounded good”.) and challenge the Club to face them next week. Danielson accepts.

Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay II is set for Forbidden Door.

Here is MJF to tell the crowd (or drug addicts as he calls them) to keep their mouths shut. MJF complains about the lack of competition in Colorado before saying the fans’ mothers’ swallows. Cue Adam Cole to interrupt, with MJF cutting him off to talk about CM Punk ruining his fandom as a kid. Then he saw Ring Of Honor and Adam Cole caught his eye. MJF followed his career from CZW to NXT, where he was the greatest champion they ever had, and that is undisputed.

MJF went to CZW and the independent scene and then came to AEW, where he is the champion. MJF: “What happened to you man?” Cole used to be the Panama City Playboy and now he’s on Twitch while Britt Baker leaves the house with his testicles in her purse. And didn’t Cole used to have the physique of a world champion. We hear about the fans complaining about everything before MJF talks about how the way to make him cool is to ring the bell.

MJF brings up Vince McMahon not seeing much in Cole and he thinks Vince was right. Cole finally gets to talk and says first off, Britt could beat MJF up on his own. The other thing though is MJF keeps bringing up relationships, which might be because his own fiance left him. Cole brings up the comments about his body, which he shifts to his body of work, which MJF can’t touch.

He accuses MJF of being on steroids and says no one in the back respects him. MJF: “How about I cry into all my money about it?” MJF brings up the rumor of Cole being Keith Lee’s manager in WWE (that’s the third WWE reference), but Cole says if MJF wasn’t a coward, he would fight him. The match seems to be made.

Well that was a lot about WWE, and I’m guessing that’s supposed to be enough to fuel the feud. Cole getting the title shot makes sense and a lot of the insults were quite the zingers, but Cole is going to need some work after a pretty lame Chris Jericho feud. For now though, Cole needs a fresh challenger and Cole fits the bill well.

The Hardys welcome Ethan Page to the team and insist that he apologize to Brother Zay. Page does, albeit reluctantly.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Hook/Jungle Boy

La Faccion (Preston Vance/Dralistico) jump them from behind to start and the fight heads into the crowd as we take a break. Back with Hook fighting back and Vance COVERED in blood. A discus lariat drops Hook and Vance chokes him with a chain. Hook reverses into a t-bone suplex to send Vance through the table for a big crash. Jungle Boy DDTs Dralistico onto a chair but Jose the Assistant makes the save. Hook chokes him out and it’s the Snare Trap to finish Dralistico at 8:50.

Rating: B-. Well that was intense, even if so much of it was spent during the break. Vance was GUSHING blood and that made things look all the more violent. They crammed a lot into this and that’s nice to see, though I could have gone without a break taking up so much of what looked to be a hot match.

Tony Khan announces the main event of the first Collision: Jay White/Juice Robinson/Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk/FTR.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Damon Ace

Don Callis is here with Takeshita, who comes out without music. As we keep seeing Callis stabbing Kenny Omega on the big screen, Takeshita hits some headbutts in the corner, setting up the running knee for the pin at 1:25.

Post match Takeshita speaks Japanese and Callis calls Kenny Omega a cancer, which must be cut out.

Christian Cage promises revenge on Arn Anderson….and reveals that Luchasaurus has attacked Arn’s son Brock.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Anna Jay

Jay, with Matt Menard, is challenging and starts running away early on. Menard cuts Statlander off on the floor but she’s fine enough to shoulder Jay down for two. A shot in the corner takes Statlander down though and we go to a break. Back with Jay hitting a Gory Bomb for two but the Queenslayer is broken up pretty quickly. The Tombstone retains the title at 8:23.

Rating: C. What we saw was good, but I could go without these eight minute matches having a commercial eating up such a huge chunk of their time. Statlander is still getting back and having her pick up a bunch of wins is a good way to reestablish her. Even before she left, she had only dropped the alien stuff for a short while, so this is still a relatively new version of Statlander. It’s working so far though, and that’s nice to see.

The Outcasts are ready for whomever wins a four way on Rampage for a Women’s Title shot.

Ricky Starks vs. Jay White

Juice Robinson is banned from ringside. Starks jumps him before the bell (that’s a really common theme tonight) and the fight starts on the floor, with White being chopped against the barricade. They get inside with Starks hitting a backdrop, only to go outside and find….nothing for the time being. The fight heads up the ramp and up to the stage, only to come back down with White taking over. White messes with the steps but Starks grabs a suplex on the floor as we take a break.

Back with White cutting off a tornado DDT and hitting a top rope superplex for two. The Bladerunner is blocked and now the tornado DDT gives Starks two of his own. White counters the Roshambo into a swinging Rock Bottom but Starks is back with a heck of a spear. The Roshambo connects but the ref is bumped. Cue the Gunns to lay out Starks, allowing White to hit the Bladerunner for the pin at 13:28.

Rating: B. The Gunns interfering is interesting as we’re probably coming up on the Club vs. FTR, though I’m not sure which team is going to be facing them at the moment. Other than that, White gets a big win, even if the Starks feud probably isn’t done. It was a good match and Starks did get cheated in the win, but White is what matters here and he looked more like his usual great self.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing here, or at least the biggest relief, is that the build to this year’s Forbidden Door is off to a rather good start. Last year felt like AEW was throwing as many names as they could at us while this year has some logical matches being announced one by one. Other than that, you had a bunch of solid matches and stories being moved forward. Your mileage on Cole vs. MJF may vary due to how shooty/insidery they got, but it’s a fresh feud and more traditional after the Pillars stuff. All in all, a good show here, and it felt more like your normal Dynamite.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Swerve Strickland – Rollup with tights
Blackpool Combat Club b. Chaos – Bulldog choke to Romero
Hook/Jungle Boy b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Snare Trap to Dralistico
Konosuke Takeshita b. Damon Ace – Running knee
Kris Statlander b. Anna Jay – Tombstone
Jay White b. Ricky Starks – Bladerunner

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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Double Or Nothing 2023
Date: May 28, 2023
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Taz

We’re back to viewing on a pay per basis and that normally means some very good things from AEW. This show has an unofficial double main event, with the Four Pillars World Title match, plus Anarchy in the Arena. That should make things all the more interesting and the rest of the card is rather stacked. Let’s get to it.

Commentary is ringside here for a change. If that isn’t a first time for AEW, it’s only one of a handful of times ever.

Buy-In: Hardys/Hook vs. Ethan Page/The Gunns

If the Hardys/Hook win, Matt Hardy owns Page’s contract and Brother Zay is with the Hardys/Hook. JR: “Now is he Isiah Kassidy or is he Brother Zay?” Excalibur: “Well right now he’s injured!” Hook works on Austin’s wrist to start and wrestles him down before it’s off to Matt to stay on the arm.

Everything breaks down and the villains are cleared out, only to be throw back in. Colten starts in on Hook back inside and sends him into the corner. Hook manages a quick El Camino though and the hot tag brings in Matt to clean house. The Gunns are sent outside so they go after the injured Zay, leaving Matt to make the save. That takes too long though and it’s a double teaming to take Matt down for a change.

Matt avoids some charges to sent the Gunns outside but Hook and Jeff are pulled off the apron in a smart move. Colten misses a splash in the corner though and it’s Jeff coming in to take over. The middle rope splash looks to set up a Twist of Fate but Jeff tweaks his knee. The Whisper in the Wind is loaded up but Jeff slips and falls down in a crash.

Hook comes back in for a clothesline to Colten, allowing Matt to come in for Poetry In Motion (as Jeff’s knee seems ok). The 3:10 to Yuma cuts Matt off but Jeff Swantons in for the save. Everything breaks down again and Redrum is broken up. Stereo Twists of Fate take the Gunns down and it’s a Twisting Stunner into the Twist of Fate into Redrum to finish Page at 15:43.

Rating: C+. This was a long Kickoff Show match but it did well enough. The Hardys are going to get a strong reaction no matter what they do and that was the case here. Jeff has been gone for a long time now and it will be nice to have him around again, though pushing him in a big role would be more than risky. For now though, he did ok enough in a limited role.

The opening video looks at the majority of the card, including a special look at the main event.

International Title: Blackjack Battle Royal

Orange Cassidy, Bandido, Chuck Taylor, Trent, Lee Moriarty, Big Bill, Tony Nese, Ari Daivari, Komander, Butcher, Blade, Kip Sabian, Jay White, Juice Robinson, Dustin Rhodes, Keith Lee, Ricky Starks, Rey Fenix, Penta El Zero Miedo, Swerve Strickland, Brian Cage

Cassidy is defending and Sabian tries to get rid of him early on. A bunch of people brawl on the floor to start (as they were all on the floor before the bell and haven’t been inside yet) and Komander does a big rope walk dive to take everyone down. The four luchadors take over the middle of the ring so Bandido can get in a very delayed suplex on Nese. As I try to figure out why anyone but the Varsity Athletes would want to break that up, Nese is tossed out for the first elimination.

Daivari and Penta fight on the apron until Fenix walks the ropes to kick Daivari out for the elimination. Cage finally comes in and gets to clean house, including holding up Bandido and Komander at the same time. The Bros kick Cage down but White and Robinson jump them from behind. White knocks Komander out and it’s a Shield Bomb from the Best Friends/Cassidy to Sabian.

With Sabian out, Big Bill is back up to toss Chuck (with what seemed to be an accidental low bridge from Cassidy). Lee tosses Blade and slugs it out with Cage as Swerve gets in for the first time. Swerve and Lee slug it out (without having a match of course, because that’s just loony) and the Lucha Bros kick Butcher out. Moriarty kicks Bandido out (that’s an upset) but Trent suplexes Moriarty on the apron for the elimination.

Trent takes a big boot meant for Cassidy and gets eliminated in the process as the ring is clearing out a good bit. Cage tosses Lee but Rhodes cuts him off with Cross Rhodes. Fenix is sent to the apron and Penta accidentally knocks him out. Starks tosses Robinson and it’s White vs. Penta for a weird showdown. A springboard is cut out with a Blade Runner but Starks spears White and tosses him out.

Robinson pulls Starks outside (not eliminated) and beats him down, including a whip into the steps. Back in and Bill kicks Stars out (eliminated this time) before Dustin Canadian Destroys Cage on the apron for an elimination. Swerve knocks Rhodes out and we’re down to Swerve, Bill, Penta and Cassidy. Penta fires off a bunch of superkicks and adds a Backstabber to Cassidy.

Bill kicks Penta in the face though and clotheslines him out, followed by a swinging Boss Man Slam to Cassidy. Swerve surprises Bill and tosses him out, leaving us with Swerve vs. Cassidy. They tease tossing each other out until Cassidy hits the Stundog Millionaire. A dropkick to the back stops Cassidy though and they’re both down. The Swerve Stomp connects but Swerve mocks Cassidy instead of throwing him out. Fans: “YOU F***** UP!”

Cassidy catches him with back to back tornado DDTs and the Orange Punch sends Swerve to the apron. Swerve pulls Cassidy out to the apron, where a Prince Nana distraction slows Cassidy down. The Swerve Stomp only hits raised boots and Cassidy knocks him out to retain at 22:25.

Rating: B-. The ending was good, but there were only so many people who were going to be viable options to win, making the battle royal a bit unnecessary. Cassidy winning makes sense, but at some point someone is going to have to crush him good and hard to take the title. Perhaps Powerhouse Hobbs this week on Dynamite.

We recap Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho in an unsanctioned match. Jericho handcuffed Cole to the ropes while Saraya beat up Cole’s girlfriend Britt Baker, meaning Cole wants revenge. Due to reasons, he brought in Sabu. Yes Sabu.

Chris Jericho vs. Adam Cole

Unsanctioned and Sabu is the guest enforcer, with the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society and Roderick Strong here too. We start with a chair duel between Jericho and Sabu until Sabu chairs him down. Sabu goes up top and dives (meaning falls) onto what looked like Matt Menard to drive him through a table. That’s enough for everyone else and they all head to the back to even things up.

Back in and Cole takes Jericho down and wraps his leg around the post to take over. Jericho is fine enough to catch him with a suplex off the apron to the floor for a big crash. They get back inside and Jericho hits a clothesline but Cole sends him face first into a chair wedged in the corner. Cole superkicks him down but the Panama Sunrise is countered into the Walls. Making it to the ropes means nothing so Cole grabs a fire extinguisher to blast Jericho and break things up.

The blinded Jericho takes Cole down for two and sprays him with the extinguisher to make it worse. The kendo stick is loaded up but here is Britt Baker with a stick of her own to beat Jericho down. Saraya comes in and gets caned down again, with the women heading to the back. A table is set up but Jericho chairs Cole in the face, knocking him through said table. Jericho whips out a chain…with handcuffs on the ends.

That takes took long though and Cole DDTs him onto the chain for two. Cole chains himself to Jericho and hits the Panama Sunrise for two. The Boom misses and Jericho whips him with the chain. Cole manages a quick Boom but Cole doesn’t cover. Instead he wraps the chain around the knee and hits another Boom. Some right hands with the chain knock Jericho out for the referee stoppage at 19:01.

Rating: C-. And that’s being a bit generous. The match was by no means bad, but it was long, never got exciting, and felt like they were going off a Greatest Street Fight Hits list. I didn’t feel like Cole was out for blood or anything like than and the ending was the only part that felt remotely violent. Add in Sabu with the most pointless cameo in AEW history and this was REALLY disappointing.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. FTR and Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett are both claiming Mark Briscoe as a friend, so naturally he’s the guest referee.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett

FTR is defending, Satnam Singh, Karen Jarrett and Sonjay Dutt are here too and Mark Briscoe is guest referee. Harwood takes Lethal down to start and frustration is setting in early. Back up and Lethal is taken into the corner for some hard chops, which has Lethal even more annoyed. Jarrett and Lethal need a breather on the floor and even try the clap behind the referee’s back for the fake tag.

With that not working, FTR hits a double backdrop and everyone heads outside, with Jarrett sending Wheeler into the barricade. Back in and Jeff takes over with a legsweep and some choking on the ropes, allowing Karen to get in a cheap shot. JR yells at Dutt a lot as the beating continues, only to have Wheeler get over for the hot tag to Harwood. House is cleaned and Harwood rolls some German suplexes on Lethal. Another suplex is blocked though and Lethal drops Harwood for a double knockdown.

Everything breaks down and Harwood crotches Lethal on top, setting up a top rope superplex. Harwood isn’t done though and Wheeler goes up for a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination. Dutt gets involved for a distraction and that’s enough for the dramatic ejection from Briscoe.

Karen whips out a guitar and blasts Briscoe so here is Aubrey Edwards….who she guitar downs as well. Lethal hits a double Lethal Injection on FTR but there is no one to count. Harwood is back up with a piledriver to Lethal but Jarrett gets in a belt shot. The Stroke connects and Briscoe comes in to count two. Jeff slaps Mark, who slaps him back, and right into the Shatter Machine to retain the titles at 19:47.

Rating: B-. It was a fun, entertaining match that went all in on the insanity, as it should have. Cut it down by about five minutes and it’s even better, but there was little reason to believe that Jarrett and Lethal were going to be a major threat in the first place. Thankfully they didn’t do something stupid like having Briscoe turn, so this went pretty well all things considered.

Juice Robinson and Jay White jump Ricky Starks but FTR make the save.

Chris Jericho and Saraya are mad and want a tag match against Britt Baker and Adam Cole on Dynamite. Jericho throws a fireball at a production worker, because that’s a thing again.

TNT Title: Christian Cage vs. Wardlow

Cage is challenging in a ladder match. They take their time to start until Christian fires off some rights. Wardlow isn’t having that and runs him over but has to block the Killswitch. It’s time for the ladder, but Christian dropkicks it into Wardlow. Cage’s dive is blocked with a ladder in a hard crash and now it’s time for the tables, because of course it is.

That takes too long though and Cage knocks him onto the ladder in a hard crotching. Cage hits him with the ladder and puts it up in the ring, only to have Wardlow get back up and run him over. With Cage knocked down, cue Luchasaurus to throw him back in so Wardlow can be cut off. The reverse DDT off the ladder plants Wardlow again and Cage goes up. For some reason Wardlow goes up and dives at the ladder, which breaks as he lands on it.

Wardlow tries to climb the broken ladder, allowing Luchasaurus to hit a pair of chokeslams. Cue Arn Anderson to bite Luchasaurus’ thumb, which starts gushing blood. That lets Wardlow put Luchasaurus on a pair of tables for a CRAZY Swanton off the ladder and they’re both down. Cage pops up and tries for the title but Anderson offers a distraction. Wardlow hits a powerbomb on Christian and retains at 17:06.

Rating: C+. I have no idea why this needed to be a ladder match other than it involved Christian. Wardlow gets a win, albeit with help from Arn Anderson (who might need to see Britt Baker to look at those teeth). It was a violent enough ladder match and some of the spots were good (that Swanton was nuts), but this felt like they threw a ladder match out there so they could have one, not because the match needed one.

We recap Jamie Hayter defending her Women’s Title against Toni Storm. This is part of the Outcasts vs. the other women feud and Hayter is coming in with a bad shoulder, thanks to the Outcasts. Therefore, it’s about the title and revenge.

Women’s Title: Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm

Hayter is defending….and gets jumped backstage and falls down the ramp. The Outcasts send her into various things but Hayter says she can go, so ring the bell. Storm goes right for the near fall but the referee gets bumped on an interfering Soho. Hayter sends her into an exposed buckle but some spray paint to the face sets up the hip attack for two. Cue Hikaru Shida to go after Soho as Storm is sent into the buckle. Hayterade gets two but Storm sends her into the buckle again. Storm Zero gives Storm the title back at 2:55. This wasn’t good, but I’m thinking that can be blamed on Hayter’s injury.

Trios Titles: House Of Black vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

The House is defending against mystery opponents, despite the Acclaimed and Gunn all but saying they were challenging on Rampage. Caster’s rap mentions the House of Black being Caucasian and referencing Dominik Mysterio (as Rhea Ripley is Buddy Matthews’ real life girlfriend). Black takes over on Bowens to start, allowing Black to sit down to mess with Bowens’ head.

Bowens tells him to bring it so it’s Matthews coming in to stomp on Bowens’ arm. Caster comes in and gets taken down as well as the one sidedness continues. It’s back to Bowens, who is taken down into a kneebar and then taken down into a kneebar to mix it up a bit. Matthews adds a top rope Meteora as we’re firmly in the slow beating process. Some cannonballs down onto the leg keep Bowens in trouble as we get a WHO’S YOUR MAMI chant.

Bowens tries to fight up again but gets knocked down hard into the corner again. King’s Cannonball crushes him but Dante’s Inferno is broken up. Bowens is almost over to Gunn but King pulls him down just in time. Back up and the hot tag FINALLY brings in Gunn to clean house, including a Fameasser each to King and Matthews. Black is right back up to kick Gunn in the head and retain at 15:39.

Rating: B-. Nice enough match here for something with more or less no build, though I’m still not sure who the House is supposed to be feuding with next. Gunn and the Acclaimed were one of the biggest trios left and now the House is likely back to feuding with a random pairing. For now though, this was a by the book but well done match with Bowens getting beaten down and Gunn coming in to take the fall (as he should have). Perfectly acceptable way to get the titles on the show.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Taya Valkyrie

Cargill, with Mark Sterling and Leila Grey, is defending and comes to the ring with a rapper and her dancing sorority sisters. Road To Valhalla and Jaded are both blocked early so Jade is sent outside. That lets Taya hit a dive onto Sterling and then hits the sliding German for a big crash.

Back in and Jade manages a spinning spinebuster for two before beating on her outside again. Jade pulls on both arms at the same time but Taya fights back up and hits a Blue Thunder Bomb. Back up and Jade tries a springboard but gets kneed out of the air. Taya hits a Curb Stomp for two, followed by Road To Valhalla for the same. Jade is right back with Jaded to retain at 8:48.

Rating: C. It was nice to see Jade do something different and her athleticism continues to be insane, but this was just kind of there for the most part, with Jade getting to do a move and then waiting for the next one. I’ll certainly take it over what she does most of the time though, as she finally had someone who actually tested her.

Post match Mark Sterling says there is no one let to face Jade….and Kris Statlander is back. And let’s ring the bell!

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Jade Cargill

Statlander is challenging and elbows her in the face. A Jackhammer is broken up and it’s a pump kick into a failed Jaded attempt. Statlander is right back with Sunday Night Fever to finish Jade for the pin and the title at 46 seconds. Well, it’s nice to have Jade finally lose, and for someone who showed up in a surprise and pinned her after a rough match, Statlander could have been worse.

We recap the World Title match between the Four Pillars. Everyone wants a shot at MJF’s title and after a mini tournament, Sammy Guevara agreeing to lay down and then changing his mind and the match being announced, we’re ready to go.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Jungle Boy vs. Darby Allin

MJF is defending and Sammy has Tay Melo with him. They’re here with cue cards….and Melo is going to have a baby! Even Jungle Boy has to clap for that one. Allin’s intro is a mini movie where he interrupts a wedding officiated by Elvis and with the groom being a dummy with an MJF mask on.

Allin comes in and beats him up, then has Elvis help him hide the body. Then he comes into the arena in an Elvis jumpsuit, making me think that he killed Elvis and left his body somewhere. Then MJF appears in his devil mask and sitting on a throne. Oh and there are masked women trying to reach for him on the way to the ring, leaving Jungle Boy looking rather plain.

Everyone goes after MJF to start and he gets chopped out to the floor. Everyone gets the chance to flip over each other until MJF is back in to drop Allin. That means the strut is on but Allin knocks him to the floor. The parade of dives is on and Sammy shooting stars onto everyone else. Back in and Jungle Boy gets caught in the Tree of Woe but manages to sit up, causing Guevara to superplex Allin into MJF for a big crash.

Back up and Guevara and Jungle Boy are sent outside, setting up the headlock takeover to give Allin two on MJF. Allin tries a dive but gets cuttered down by Guevara. The frog splash gives Guevara two on MJF, who is right back with a pumphandle driver to Allin. MJF: “I DON’T LIKE YOU DARBY!” He goes into why but that’s as good of an example as anything.

Jungle Boy is back in but gets dropkicked by Allin, leaving everyone down. Allin hits a Scorpion Death Drop, Jungle Boy hits a Killswitch and MJF hits a Cross Rhodes on Jungle Boy for two, leaving us with a stunned face after a cute sequence. Hold on though as MJF grabs a mic (Tony: “Just text it to us.”) and says Sammy is having a baby and needs the money, so lay down already. Sammy says he’ll do it and the ensuing small package gets two on MJF.

The GTH is countered but so is MJF’s Salt Of The Earth. Instead Guevara grabs a Boston crab on MJF and Allin gets the Scorpion Deathlock on Jungle Boy. Neither gives up so they’re both broken up, leaving Allin to Figure Four Guevara….who ankle locks MJF….who chinlocks Allin for a circle submission. With that broken up, Allin hits a Canadian Destroyer on MJF but Jungle Boy hits one of his own, leaving everyone down again. Another Canadian Destroyer (off MJF and Allin’s backs) hits Guevara for two and it’s time to go outside.

Allin gets a running start and knocks MJF and Jungle Boy over the barricade in a nasty crash. Back in and Guevara hits a top rope Spanish Fly to drive MJF onto the other two, leaving all of them down. They get inside and slug it out until MJF fires off the eye pokes. A triple superkick drops MJF and Guevara hits a Cody Cutter on MJF into Allin’s Code Red into Jungle Boy’s sliding forearm to the back of the head.

We get a pinfall reversal sequence (for a round of applause from the crowd) until Allin Code Reds Guevara for two. MJF breaks up the Coffin Drop though and superbombs Allin, seemingly hurting his wrist in the process. Guevara and Jungle Boy go up top to chop it out until Jungle Boy crashes down. Allin skateboards MJF in the head and hits the Coffin Drop but grabs a headlock takeover instead.

Jungle Boy makes the save and hits Allin for a double knockdown. MJF brings in the title but Jungle Boy takes it away…and throws it to the ring instead of hitting Allin. That earns him a Last Supper for two and it’s Guevara back in to fire off knees. The GTH hits and Sammy goes up but Sammy shoves him down. Allin loads up the Coffin Drop, only to have MJF put the title on Jungle Boy. Allin crashes and the headlock takeover retains MJF’s title at 27:49.

Rating: A-. This was a heck of a match and they tied a bunch of stuff in to make it better. It’s also a great example of a build not exactly working out perfectly but the match made up for it very well. They didn’t have it be two in the ring and two on the floor, as there were several sequences with everyone involved at once. I got way into this one and the action worked throughout, even if MJF winning wasn’t that much of a shock.

We recap the Elite vs. the Blackpool Combat Club. They hate each other and it’s time for Anarchy In The Arena.

Elite vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Anything goes, falls count anywhere. A band plays Wild Thing live and keeps going through the start of the match and the brawling is on in the crowd. Nick hits a big flip dive off the barricade as Don Callis joins commentary. Moxley dives off of the announcers’ table onto Omega and then drops him onto said table. A Figure Four on the floor has Omega in trouble as the referee is somehow bleeding.

Back in and Page rips off the eyepatch to reveal….a completely fine eye. Page pulls out the screwdriver but gets beaten down by the Club. The rest of the Elite comes in to beat the Club down and clear the ring with superkicks. The Elite hit stereo dives, leaving the Bucks to finally superkick the band to cut off the music. Omega hits Moxley with a piece of the announcers’ table as the Bucks dive off the stage.

Page comes back in to help beat on Moxley until Danielson makes the save. Omega gets suplexed onto the ramp as Danielson chokes Page inside. A bunch of people head to the concourse as Moxley busts out a barbed wire poker chip. Omega gets suplexed onto said chip before Moxley drives a fork into his head. We go split screen (thank goodness) as Castagnoli swings Matt Jackson near the concession stand. Back in the ring and Yuta chairs Page before Moxley knees Omega in the head.

We see Castagnoli piledriving Matt into a truck and that should leave him down for a bit. More people start getting back to ringside as the Elite continues to get beaten down. Page gets dropped onto a leaf blower (because there’s a leaf blower) but comes back with a Deadeye to Moxley on the apron. Omega, in Captain America tights, puts a trashcan lid on his arm ala Captain America and starts cleaning house. Castagnoli breaks that up but the Bucks are back in for the save.

Moxley hits the King Kong lariat into a Gotch style piledriver or two on Nick, setting up a crossface/Boston crab combination. Cue Matt and an exploding…something to the head (just go with it) clears Moxley out. A bunch of superkicks into the Buckshot Lariat gets two on Yuta and it’s Castagnoli punting…I believe Matt’s shoe. Moxley whips out the tacks (of course) and Matt goes bare foot into them, setting up a Death Rider for two.

Nick Swantons in to break up Danielson’s heel hook, with Nick’s face hitting the tacks. Castagnoli breaks up Omega’s V Trigger so Omega hits him with it instead. Danielson knees Omega down and then does it to Page as well. Moxley pours tacks in Matt’s mouth for Castagnoli’s uppercut, setting up a German suplex from Yuta.

It’s Page making the save and Omega gets up with him, as they’re family again. Danielson is back up and it’s the Deadeye into the One Winged Angel for two as Yuta makes the save. Callis offers a distraction though and slips Yuta a screwdriver. That takes Page down so Omega goes after Callis…..and it’s Konosuke Takeshita to knee Omega down. Yuta screwdrivers Omega in the head and grabs the seat belt for the pin at 27:02.

Rating: B+. This was really good as well, but just like the previous version or Stadium Stampede, it’s not really a match that you can call step by step in the traditional sense. Instead it was a bunch of fights that were all over the place, which is exactly what its name says it was supposed to be. The ending sends things into a bit of a different direction, though anytime someone wants to get Callis off the screen for the better part of ever, I’d be happy. Hard hitting, violent match here and that’s exactly what it needed to be after all the hatred to get us here.

Post match Callis chokes Omega with a belt to knock him even more out. The Club celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show took its time to get going and did have some rocky points, but it got that much better by the end, with the last two matches being awesome. There were some rather violent matches here and some of them felt like a definitive end to a story, but it did go a bit overboard with the insanity. This show had a battle royal, a ladder match, an unsanctioned match, a four way and Anarchy in the Arena. It would have been nice to slow things down a bit and have some more regular matches, but the last two matches carried it pretty high. Not a bad show at all, but pretty low on the AEW PPV chart.

Results
Hardys/Hook b. Ethan Page/Gunns – Redrum to Page
Orange Cassidy won the Blackjack Battle Royal last eliminating Swerve Strickland
Adam Cole b. Chris Jericho via referee stoppage
FTR b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal – Shatter Machine to Jarrett
Wardlow b. Christian Cage – Wardlow pulled down the title
Toni Storm b. Jamie Hayter – Storm Zero
House Of Black b. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn – Spinning kick to Gunn
Jade Cargill b. Taya Valkyrie – Jaded
Kris Statlander b. Jade Cargill – Sunday Night Fever
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Jungle Boy, Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara – Headlock takeover to Allin
Blackpool Combat Club b. Elite – Seat belt to Omega

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We’re back on pay per view for AEW and that should make for a good night. The best thing about AEW’s pay per views is you can almost guarantee that these things will work more often than not. At the moment, the card has ten matches announced, which should at least let things breathe a little bit. Now just keep it that way until we’re ready to go. Let’s get to it.

Buy In: Ethan Page/The Gunns vs. Hardys/Hook

This is part of the somehow still going Ethan Page vs. Matt Hardy feud but this time Matt can reverse everything by getting Page’s contract. While I have absolutely no reason to be interested in this story, which was only so good in the first place, keep going in the opposite direction, there is almost no way the Hardys are losing here in Jeff’s big return match after the hiatus.

So yeah, there’s no reason to hide the idea that this is going to be in doubt. With Hook added in, this shouldn’t be anything more than a quick destruction by the heroes (Jeff being a hero is a stretch in the first place but work with me here). Let the fans cheer for the Hardys again and let Page get humiliated so we can keep going with the contract stuff, because that’s what you think of with the Hardys. As in the team who wins here.

Women’s Title: Jamie Hayter(c) vs. Toni Storm

Here we have the latest match in the Outcasts vs. whatever the non-Outcasts are called, but there is a big red flag with the whole thing. In this case, Hayter’s storyline shoulder injury is legitimate (or at least some sort of injury she is dealing with is) and that makes me wonder if she is going to have to drop the title as a result. That opens up a big door, and now we get to see where it goes.

I’ll take Storm to win here, on a mixture of the injury and the Outcasts needing to actually win something makes the title change more likely. While it might not be the most thrilling story, the Outcasts seem to be sticking around and as good as she is, Hayter is fairly cold as champion at the moment. Storm doesn’t have to be the next big, long term champion, but her team needs the win here.

Trios Titles: House Of Black(c) vs. ???/???/???

So we’ll get the easy part out of the way here: barring a big surprise, there is no reason to believe that this will be anyone but Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed challenging for the titles. That might not be the most thrilling title match, but it isn’t like there are very many legitimate challengers to come after the belts right now. The Acclaimed and Gunn make sense and at least they have something to do here.

In theory though, that something to do would involve losing, as I can’t imagine the House losing the titles so soon. They are an established trio and they have their big House Rules deal going on. While I don’t know how long that is going to go, it would be weird to have them lose here. At the same time, AEW has shown that they have no issues with having Acclaimed and Gunn lose, so I think that’s what happens here too.

Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho

This is an unsanctioned match, which of course had a contract signing this week on Dynamite. It also had Sabu on Dynamite, because he’ll be there as the enforcer. I’ll leave the various questions I have about that situation for now and just hope that Cole can have his first big match back with Jericho. That should work out well for the two of them, as it is at least coming in off a hot angle with Britt Baker a few weeks back.

I’ll go with Cole winning here, as there is no real reason for Jericho to win here. Cole is fresh off his return from injury and has a personal issue to deal with, while Jericho is just kind of doing his thing at the moment. Above all else, what this needs to be is a one off match, as there is no reason for this to be dragged out for any longer than this week. Just let Cole get his win and move on, because that is what makes sense here.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill(c) vs. Taya Valkyrie

Ok so now we have something interesting here, as for one of the only times in far too long, Cargill feels like she might be in danger. Valkyrie is someone who can match up with her physically and now that the Road To Valhalla is legal, there is a chance that Valkyrie takes the title here. I’m not sure that she will, but the fact that there is even some actual drama here is a great sign.

Now do they actually change the title here? I….egads I’m not sure but I don’t think they’re going to pull the trigger on Cargill losing just yet. Instead, hopefully this is the kind of match that gives Cargill a test and makes her work a lot harder than usual to retain the title. While Cargill needs to lose already so she can move on, this should give her enough credibility to do the same stuff she has been doing for a few months now. Cargill wins, even though I wish she wouldn’t.

International Title: Blackjack Battle Royal

When I think of this match, the first thing I think of is the most obvious thing: AJ Lee skipping around with the Divas Title in her Chuck Taylor’s. Back in 2014, she won a 14 Divas match at Wrestlemania XXX and retained her title, only to lose the title the next night to the debuting Paige. While I don’t think the details are going to be about the same with Orange Cassidy, I do think it is going to be similar.

In other words, I think Cassidy wins here and then moves on to Dynamite where he gets crushed by someone like Powerhouse Hobbs to end the plucky champion story for good. As tends to be the case in a battle royal, there are only about five people here who are viable winners for the match, but AEW has to battle royal somewhere in there. For now though, Cassidy wins, but doesn’t hold the title much longer.

Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal

So now we have this, as Mark Briscoe is stuck in the middle of his friends as the guest referee. Since AEW’s tag division (and Trios division) has fallen into the abyss in recent months, seeing Jarrett and Lethal as the challengers again isn’t the big of a surprise. They’re a talented team in the ring, but they aren’t exactly someone I’m going to rush out to see. Therefore the drama is from Briscoe, and that’s about all there is here.

For the life of me I can’t imaging Jarrett actually winning a title in AEW so I’ll say FTR retains here. They’re freshly back and even though there aren’t many teams for them to face at the moment. For now, it’s pretty much going to be stuff like this and while the farm segment was funny, it’s not exactly enough to get my interest going. FTR retains here, and hopefully finds a good team to face in the future.

TNT Title: Wardlow(c) vs. Christian Cage

Say it with me: it’s a ladder match, because that’s what Cage did twenty years ago so that’s what he’s going to be doing now. I’m not sure why this needs to be a ladder match other than Cage is involved and it lets us have a ladder match on the show (because we need to have one every so often), but here we are anyway. Cage is still possibly the best heel in the company but Wardlow losing the title again would be an absolutely idiotic idea right now.

I’ll go with Wardlow here, as there is almost no reason to have him lose AGAIN after getting the title back just a few weeks ago. Wardlow has lost the title in short order far too often and doing it again would put him right back on the treadmill. Let him do his thing here and beat up Cage, who hopefully doesn’t try to do anything too stupid here. If nothing else, Luchasaurus can be Wardlow’s next opponent, as he should retain the title in this case.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Jungle Boy vs. Darby Allin

This is the match that has been built up for about six weeks now and it just isn’t working. At the end of the day, the Four Pillars idea feels like something that they came up with years ago, forgot about, and picked up again for the sake of a title match. Friedman destroyed Guevara by pointing out that he has been Jericho’s lackey for two years now and Jungle Boy just isn’t a World Title contender at the moment. In other words, it should be a singles match but here we are anyway.

I don’t see any viable option here other than going with Friedman retaining and hopefully getting on to someone else who might feel like a challenge. Friedman has been trying as hard as he can here, but ultimately there just isn’t much to work with here as the Pillars concept isn’t working. It certainly isn’t a bad idea for a match, but having it be anything but a TV main event or a midcard match doesn’t feel right. The champ retains here, almost out of necessity.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Elite

Like it or not, this is the top story in AEW at the moment and this is the match that needs to headline the show. It’s Anarchy in the Arena, which means it is going to be a huge fiasco and hard to keep track of anything, but that is kind of what AEW loves to do in these things. It certainly won’t be dull, but it is going to be all over the place in what I guess qualifies as a good way.

The winner here almost doesn’t matter as it is going to wind up being even more drama between the groups, but I’ll take the Club as they don’t need to be losing a big match. If nothing else, there is always the chance that Don Callis is going to do something here to cost the Elite. I’m not sure how easy it is going to be to keep track of, but in the end, the Club wins to end the night.

Overall Thoughts

The first thing I see when I look at this card is that it doesn’t feel overly crammed full of stuff. A nine match pay per view card with a one match Kickoff Show is not going too far and that is nice to see. Hopefully the show can live up to AEW’s pay per view reputation, which is quite the standard to reach. If the show is as solid as it looks on paper, we should be in for a rather nice night, as tends to be the case around here.

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Rampage
Date: May 26, 2023
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Chris Jericho

It’s the go home show for Double Or Nothing and thankfully this show is back at its normal time instead of midnight on Saturday night as an NHL series wrapped up early. In theory most of Double Or Nothing is set up in advance, but there is always the chance that something new will be added here (including to the pre-show) so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

Caster’s rap insults the opponents and says they’re here to win mas rapido. Dralistico isn’t interested in scissoring with Bowens so they trade chops in the corner instead. A running hurricanrana doesn’t do much to Bowens, who is right back with the jumping Fameasser. Vance and Caster come in with a fall away slam sending Caster flying. Gunn wants to try his luck and tells Vance to suck it.

Scissor Me Timbers is loaded up but Rush makes the save and everything breaks down. La Faccion takes over on the floor and it’s Caster alone in the ring. We take a break and come back with Bowens having been thrown over the barricade, where Dralistico keeps hammering away. Back in and Caster gets beaten down inside but manages a clothesline for a breather.

That’s enough for the tag to Gunn, who takes forever to load up the Fameasser but connects on Vance anyway. Jose the Assistant puts the foot on the rope though, earning himself Scissor Me Timbers. Three way scissoring is broken up and Vance discus lariats Gunn down for two. Dralistico adds a springboard Codebreaker to Bowens, who is right back with the Arrival (that was some pretty egregious no selling). The Mic Drop gives Caster the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t exactly a classic but the important thing is Acclaimed/Billy Gunn are being built up as contenders for the Trios Titles. Right now the champions don’t have many serious contenders so go with the popular team for a big time title match. It’s also nice to see them beating a team with a bit of value in La Faccion, who have at least been around for more than a bit.

Post match Bowens grabs the mic and makes a reference to the House Of Black and I think we have something coming. As luck would have it, we hear about an open challenge for the Trios Titles at Double Or Nothing.

Ethan Page/The Gunns vs. FrescoMatic/Jeaux Braxton/Watson

Colton elbows Fresco down to start and hands it off to Austin for some stomping in the corner. A running knee lift and running clothesline puts Fresco down again. Page takes too long posing and gets caught with a shot to the face, allowing Braxton to come in and pick up the pace a bit. Everything breaks down and an Iconoclasm sets up a flapjack into a Downward Spiral for the pin at 2:50.

Post match Page promises to take out the Hardys because Isiah Kassidy is out of action. Cue the Hardys to say they have a third man: Hook. The villains run off.

Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee are ready to beat up Brian Cage and Swerve Strickland in the Blackjack Battle Royal (which Dustin says is for a SHOT at the International Title, which I’d assume was a mistake).

Britt Baker/Hikaru Shida vs. Marina Shafir/Nyla Rose

Rose powers Shida into the corner to start and it’s off to Shafir. Shida fights up and knocks Rose into the corner before suplexing Shafir into her. Baker comes in to forearm away at Shafir, setting up the Sling Blade for two. It’s off to Rose to choke Baker down though and we take a break.

Back with Baker being send into the corner but Rose misses a splash. Shida comes in and gets to hammer away at Shafir in the corner, followed by a missile dropkick for two. Everything breaks down and Baker is draped over the top, only to have Rose miss the knee. Shida Meteoras Rose off the apron and comes back in for the Katana on Shafir. The Lockjaw finishes Shafir at 8:59.

Rating: C+. There was enough talent in here to make the match work and it was nice to not have the Outcasts for a bit. If nothing else, having Rose out there almost felt weird as she hasn’t been around much lately. Thankfully Shafir took the fall here, as there was no need to have it go any other way. Nice match here and that is always a good thing.

Post match we see the Outcasts on screen and Jamie Hayter down at their feet. That sounds violent.

Video on Big Bill/Lee Moriarty vs. the Best Friends.

Mark Henry hits the main event.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Big Bill/Lee Moriarty vs. Best Friends

Almost everyone in the Blackjack Battle Royal is in the crowd. Moriarty sends Trent down to start and Trent isn’t sure what to do. Kicking Moriarty in the ribs doesn’t work as Moriarty rakes the eyes, only to have Taylor get in a cheap shot from the apron. Taylor comes in for a double suplex, complete with bicep posing. Bill doesn’t care for this and cleans house as we take a break.

Back with Trent rolling suplexes on Moriarty but Bill chokeslams him onto the apron. They get back in for the Soul Food/half and half suplex combination. Bill is back up with a Boss Man Slam to Trent though and a suplex/full nelson slam combination gets two, with Chuck having to make the save. The Best Friends manage to superplex Bill but Moriarty makes the save. Bill has had it with this and chokeslams Taylor for the pin at 10:48.

Rating: C+. The best thing about this match was Bill acting like a monster. He has been doing it more and more lately and that is a great thing to see. Bill’s best asset is his size and it is cool to see him getting to use it more often. The Best Friends are going to be fine after a loss so this was a nice change of pace and it did some good things for Bill and Moriarty.

Post match the Battle Royal participants get in a fight and Orange Cassidy joins them. Cue Brian Cage, Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee to join the fracas. Swerve Strickland comes out to watch but Lee stalks him to the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more like it as they gave the battle royal some focus and set up the likely Trios Titles match. That’s enough for this show, which has been showing some nice signs of life in recent weeks. Granted it’s hard to imagine it lasting once Collision shows up, but I’ll take it while it lasts.

Results
Billy Gunn/The Acclaimed b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Mic Drop to Dralistico
The Gunns/Ethan Page b. FrescoMatic/Jeaux Braxton/Watson – Flapjack into a Downward Spiral to Braxton
Britt Baker/Hikaru Shida b. Marina Shafir/Nyla Rose – Lockjaw to Shafir
Big Bill/Lee Moriarty b. Best Friends – Chokeslam to Taylor

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: May 19, 2023
Location: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

The tossed around schedule continues as we are on three and a half hours earlier this week. What matters here is having some higher star power this week, as Rampage has been all over the place with who actually appears on the show. Odds are the Hardys will be back again and once again dealing with Ethan Page so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Best Friends/Bandido vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Yeah I’d call this a bigger match. Moxley takes Bandido into the corner to start but Bandido flips out and hits a dropkick. It’s quickly off to Yuta vs. Chuck with Yuta taking over, allowing Castagnoli to add a suplex. Back up and the Best Friends clear the ring, setting up the stereo dives, with Bandido adding an Asai moonsault. Trent tries a high crossbody on Moxley back inside but Castagnoli uppercuts him out of the air for a bit knockdown.

We take a break and come back with Chuck hitting a tornado DDT on Moxley for a needed breather. Bandido gets the hot tag and comes in with the corkscrew high crossbody. A suplex into the Soul Food/dragon suplex drops Yuta and Chuck adds his piledriver for two. Everything breaks down and the Club clears the ring. The Death Rider into an assisted top rope splash gives Yuta the pin on Chuck at 9:43.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing I wouldn’t mind being featured a lot more on Rampage: some bigger names getting some time to showcase themselves in a match you might not see otherwise. The Club are involved in one of the two biggest angles going today and the fans are always going to respond to the Best friends. It was a good match as a bonus, but this already felt like one of the more interesting things on Rampage in a bit.

Video on Kyle Fletcher vs. Orange Cassidy.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Danni Bee

Cargill, with Mark Sterling, is defending and retains with the pump kick at 37 seconds.

Post match Mark Sterling says get another challenger out here.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Jennasis

Jade is defending and retains with a pump kick into Jaded at 30 seconds.

Sterling says that’s 59-0 so let’s make it 60. Another challenger comes out but here is Taya Valkyrie to take her out. Taya gets in the ring and hits Jade with the Road To Valhalla. The challenge is on for Double Or Nothing.

Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Varsity Athletes

Caster takes Woods down into an armbar to start before Gunn comes in to knock him into the corner. It’s off to Daivari, who has to avoid the Fameasser attempt. That means Nese comes in to pose a bit, with Gunn taking his shirt off to match things up. Gunn plants Nese and we take an early break. Back with Caster and Woods knocking each other down, allowing Bowens to come in and clean house. Nese kicks him down but Bowens is right back with the Arrival. The Mic Drop gives Caster the pin at 7:26.

Rating: C. They kept this one quick as Acclaimed and Gunn seem likely to be on their way towards a Trios Title shot. The fans don’t quite care about them as much as they did but they are still warm enough to be reheated to that level rather easily. Now just keep the Varsity Athletes off television/Ring Of Honor for a good while and I’m much happier.

QTV is in the Blackjack Battle Royal for the International Title. Other than that, they’re happy for Powerhouse Hobbs to be on Collision, where the real story begins.

Here are the Hardys and Brother Zay for a chat. They are happy with their recent success but want the Tag Team Titles. Cue Ethan Page to say this match for his contract isn’t happening because he’s done with all of this. Page talks about how he and Zay were close and gets a rather forceful hug, only to have the Gunns come in and jump the Hardys with chairs. Zay’s neck gets Pillmanized for a bonus and the match is set for Double Or Nothing.

We look at Adam Cole costing Chris Jericho his match against Roderick Strong on Dynamite.

Jericho calls Cole a coward and swears vengeance. Cole pops up on split screen and says he’s going to make Jericho’s life a nightmare. Jericho isn’t having this and rips up the agreement saying Cole can’t be in the same arena. He’ll even face Cole in an unsanctioned match at Double Or Nothing! Cole comes inside and after a break, comes into the arena for the brawl. Security can’t quite keep them apart until Jericho is taken to the back.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Bishop Kaun

Prince Nana is here with Kaun, who jumps Rhodes at the bell. Dustin fights back and knocks him to the floor to take over. They trade chops against the barricade with Kaun dropping him hard as we take a break. Back with a rather busted open Rhodes getting planted, which seems to fire him up. Dustin hammers away and hits a Code Red for two. A piledriver gets the same and it’s a bulldog to drop Kaun again. The Final Reckoning finishes Kaun at 8:58.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of violent match that you would expect in Texas and it was nice to see Rhodes win here. If nothing else, it was a lot better without having commentary letting us know how this was his hometown over and over. In theory this keeps us on the road to Swerve Strickland vs. Keith Lee, though it would be nice to actually get there someday.

Post match Brian Cage comes in and beats up Rhodes, with Swerve Strickland joining in to watch. Cue Keith Lee the save but Cage and Kaun breaks up the staredown with Strickland. Cage hits an F5 and puts Lee in a chair for Swerve’s Stomp. The Mogul Embassy stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Perfectly nice show here, but more importantly it felt like some things actually mattered in the grand scheme of AEW. Maybe last week was just a misfire, but this felt like one of the more interesting/important editions of Rampage in a good while. Granted none of that matters as Collision is going to leave this show obsolete, but I’ll take a week of things being a good bit better.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Best Friends/Bandido – Assisted top rope splash to Taylor
Jade Cargill b. Danni Bee – Pump kick
Jade Cargill b. Jennasis – Jaded
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. Varsity Athletes – Mic Drop to Nese
Dustin Rhodes b. Bishop Kaun – Final Reckoning

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: May 5, 2023
Location: CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s a special show this week, as we have both an earlier airtime and the Firm Deletion match from the Hardy Compound. Other than that, we have the push towards Double Or Nothing, which may or may not be addressed this week. I’m almost scared to see what they have planned for the Firm Deletion match so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

QT Marshall/Aaron Solo/Powerhouse Hobbs vs. El Hijo del Vikingo/Lucha Bros

Vikingo flips around to avoid Marshall to start, allowing Marshall to try his own flip and fall on his face. A springboard missile dropkick sends Marshall into the corner, setting up the inverted flip into the hurricanrana out of said corner. The middle rope Phoenix splash gets two on Marshall so it’s off to Fenix vs. Solo. Fenix walks the ropes in the corner for a wristdrag, followed by a roll into a failed kneebar.

Penta comes in with a high crossbody to Hobbs, followed by a superkick. Hobbs runs him over with a clothesline and forearms Fenix out of the air. There’s a shot for Vikingo as well before Hobbs gets to plant Penta again. Marshall posts Penta and we take a break. Back with Penta kicking his way out of trouble and handing it back to Fenix. Vikingo comes back in with a springboard hurricanrana, setting up the triple dives to the floor. Back in and the wheelbarrow splash gets two on Solo, who flips Fenix face first down.

Marshall suplexes Vikingo into a powerbomb but Penta is back with a running Canadian Destroyer off of Vikingo’s back. Everyone is down so commentary talks about the Double Or Nothing main event. The villains are up first but Fenix knees his way out of Solo’s suplex. Vikingo tags himself back in but gets caught n top by Marshall. That’s fine with Vikingo, who hits a super Canadian Destroyer. The big lip dive through the table is broken up by Harley Cameron, leaving Solo to get caught with the spike Fear Factor for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B. Take six people and let them go nuts. Marshall was doing his thing well and Hobbs still looks like a monster and Solo was fine enough in what she did. For now it was nice to see the Bros and Vikingo wreck some people, especially after rumors of Fenix needing some time away due to injuries.

We see a clip from after Dynamite with MJF losing it backstage after the Double Or Nothing main event became a four way.

Chris Jericho is worried about Adam Cole attacking him, hence him not doing commentary tonight. He is working on various assurances to keep himself safe and we’ll hear more about that on Dynamite.

Jade Cargill vs. Gia Scott

Non-title. Jaded finishes the screaming Scott at 33 seconds.

Mark Briscoe….doesn’t get to talk as Jeff Jarrett and company. The team wants Briscoe to get FTR to give them a Tag Team Titles shot but he has a match. Jay Lethal thinks Briscoe will do the right thing.

Mark Briscoe vs. Preston Vance

Briscoe knocks him to the floor to start and scores with the running Blockbuster off the apron. A posting drops Vance again and Briscoe sits him in a chair, only to miss a middle rope flip dive, sending him into said open chair (OUCH). Vance whips him into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Briscoe having to climb the corner to escape a full nelson. A German suplex drops Briscoe but he pops back up and kicks Vance in the face.

They forearm it out, including a running version each, until Briscoe drops him with a running clothesline. Vance is right back with a shot of his own and goes for a chair, but settles for a slingshot spear. The chair is brought in again but it gets kicked out, allowing Vance to hit him low for two (JR: “He’s got testicles of steel!” Excalibur: “Well he has eight kids.” Schiavone: “That was terrible.”). Briscoe knocks him outside and uses the chair as a springboard to drop Vance again. Back in and the Jay Driller finishes Vance at 11:54.

Rating: B-. Vance might not ever be a star but he is good for a hoss fight like this, as the two of them beat each other up rather well for what they had the chance to do. Briscoe’s weird charisma is able to carry him a long way, but the stuff with Jarrett and company is only working so well. Then again, if that is what he wants to do right now, good for him.

Post match Briscoe’s family get in the ring to celebrate with him.

Dustin Rhodes is looking forward to AEW coming to his hometown of Austin, Texas on May 17. Brian Cage jumps him though and Swerve Strickland comes in for trash talk. Keith Lee makes the save.

Video on Anna Jay vs. Julia Hart, who are fighting on Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Video on Daniel Garcia vs. Orange Cassidy.

Hardys/Isiah Kassidy/Hook vs. The Firm

This is the Firm Deletion match, meaning cinematic, at the Hardy Compound with Hardy/Kassidy’s freedom from the Firm on the line. The Firm (Big Bill/Lee Moriarty/Ethan Page/Stokely Hathaway) break the mailbox before going through the gates, where they are met by Vanguard1 (the drone). Matt Hardy’s face is projected to say they are going through the space time continuum. Then it’s night and the Hardys and company are shoot fireworks at them.

We actually have commentary as a bunch of referees pop up to try and keep track of things. Kassidy gets chokeslammed against a tree as Matt beats up Page. The Twist of Fate is broken up and Page drops Matt for two. Jeff breaks a tree limb over Bill’s back and chokes him with another one. Hathaway is left alone and we see clips of his walk of shame from a few weeks ago. Then two of Matt’s kids almost run him down with a miniature car. Bill hits Jeff in the head with a limb as Matt and Ethan fight into a well lit barn, complete with a ring, as we take a break.

Back with Matt kicking out and Page yelling about the count. The Twist of Fate drops Page for two as we cut to Hathaway in a lounge, watching the match on a couch. Matt’s family pops in, with Senior Benjamin (the odd gardener) tazing him. We cut back to the Firm covering the Hardys in gasoline. Bill pulls out a lighter but Brother Zay (Kassidy, in different gear), dives onto them (Matt: “Brother Zay, I KNEW YOU’D COME!”).

Back in the barn, Reby Hardy (Matt’s wife) sends Stokely into the ring for a Twist of Fate and Matt’s son Maxel adds a Swanton, but Reby sends him to bed. Zay legdrops Bill off a ladder through a table and we cut back to the barn, where everyone beats up Page. The Twist of Fate into the Swanton finishes Page at we’ll say 14:00 (there was no opening bell).

Rating: B-. I have no idea what to say about something like this as it’s kind of in its own little universe. While they did go nuts with a lot of the stuff, they didn’t go completely over the top like the previous versions. It was more a match in the woods/the barn with a few Deletion match elements thrown in, making it a lot less insane.

On the negative side though, this is still about Matt Hardy vs. Ethan Page, which has been going on since October and never got all that interesting in the first place. It’s kind of hard to buy the Firm, who has never been treated as anything serious, as a threat to the Hardys and an undefeated Hook, though granted it was never quite presented as an even standoff. I didn’t dislike it, but this is still the definition of “not for me”, though there is certainly an audience for the Hardys’ totally out there antics.

Jeff leaves and goes outside to light a huge Hardys symbol on fire in the yard. Jeff thanks God and we’re done.

Overall Rating: B. While your mileage may vary on the main event, this was the most entertaining Rampage in a good bit. The biggest thing here is the fact that while insane and not the biggest story, the main event actually felt special. So often Rampage will start with its biggest thing and then meander around for the next 45 minutes. They went in the opposite direction here and it made for a good show, though that main event may be a complete and total miss for a lot of people.

Results
El Hijo del Vikingo/Lucha Bros b. QT Marshall/Aaron Solo/Powerhouse Hobbs – Spike Fear Factor to Solo
Jade Cargill b. Gia Scott – Jaded
Mark Briscoe b. Preston Vance – Jay Driller
Hardys/Hook/Isiah Kassidy b. The Firm – Swanton to Page

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

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Dynamite
Date: May 3, 2023
Location: CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Double Or Nothing and tonight we should get the final announcement of the main event. This week’s main event will see Jungle Boy and Darby Allin vs. MJF/Sammy Guevara. If the former win, the Double Or Nothing World Title match is a four way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Roderick Strong/Bandido/Adam Cole vs. Jericho Appreciation Society

That would be Jake Hager/Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Daniel Garcia for the Society. Chris Jericho himself joins commentary as Cole hammers away on Parker to start. Cole stomps Parker down in the corner and chokes away before Bandido comes in for a snap powerslam. Everything breaks down and we get a big brawl on the floor, with the Society taking Cassidy down.

Bandido hits a big flip dive to take them down and Cole goes after Jericho. With that broken up by the Society, Bandido’s delayed vertical suplex is broken up. He suplexes Parker and Menard at the same time instead and we take a break. Back with Hager bearhugging Cassidy, who slips out and hits a Stundog Millionaire on Menard.

Everything breaks down and Strong hits an Angle Slam for two on Hager. Garcia gets Cassidy in the Dragon Slayer but it get broken up, setting up the parade of secondary finishers. Cassidy’s Beach Break gets two on Garcia, followed by the lazy tags. It’s back to Strong for a jumping knee to Parker’s face and Cole hits The Boom for the pin at 14:19.

Rating: B. This was the kind of fun opening match that you often need to have. It was a bunch of wrestlers who the fans like beating up wrestlers they don’t like and that is almost always going to work. Cole gets the win to start his revenge on the Society, which is likely setting up a violent match at Double Or Nothing. Good opener here and the fans seemed to like it a lot.

Post match Cole charges up the barricade to go after Jericho and even breaks the set down while jumping him.

Jungle Boy and Darby Allin are ready to get their main event title shot at Double Or Nothing.

Security takes Adam Cole out of the arena as Chris Jericho shouts about how dangerous Cole is. Britt Baker comes in to slap Jericho down.

The Blackpool Combat Club talks about (after starting with the volume down) how Kenny Omega thinks he is a legend. Bryan Danielson is better than him though and is the best wrestler in the world today. If not, it’s one of his teammates. The future of wrestling is better because of him though and he wants someone like Wheeler Yuta to be better. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. Jon Moxley talks about how they work to make each other better and next week, he’s facing Omega in a cage.

Saraya vs. Willow Nightingale

The rests of the Outcasts are here with Saraya. Nightingale heads outside to yell at the other two, allowing Saraya to grab a choke back inside. With that broken up, Nightingale sends her into the corner and then out to the apron. This time, the rest of the Outcasts get in some cheap shots and we take a break. Back with Willow hitting a spinebuster for two, followed by a Death Valley Driver for…nothing, because the Outcasts break it up. Nightingale Pounces Soho and drops Storm, only to get the Midnight (Rampaige) for the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C. In a shock, the Outcasts use their numbers advantage to win a match over someone they have beaten before. This story has been running in place for months now and I’m almost worried about where it is going. The problem continues to be that the team isn’t that interesting and they have such a revolving door of opponents. Find something more concrete for them to fight over and it could work, but until then, stop trying to recreate the NWO without what made the NWO work.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Hikaru Shida runs in for the save….and then joins the Outcasts. Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker come in for the save….and Shida helps them beat down the Outcasts.

The House Of Black throw down the Trios Titles and want them to mean more. We hear about the Open House: any three people can come challenge for the belts, but under House Rules, it’s a 20 count on the floor, no rope breaks and DQ is enforced under Dealer’s Choice. The House Always Wins, including having black titles. Sure why not, as these titles continue to suck the life out of the tag division.

Tres de Mayo Trios Battle Royal

El Hijo del Vikingo/Lucha Bros, Varsity Athletes, Dark Order, Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian, QTV/Powerhouse Hobbs, Billy Gunn/The Acclaimed

All three members have to be eliminated. It’s a brawl on the floor to start (because of course) before everyone gets inside for the start. Scissoring/CERO MIEDO leads to a standoff and Evil Uno gets rid of Daivari. Uno is kicked out just as fast and Fenix runs the ropes to kick Nese out. Vikingo eliminates Woods and the Athletes are all gone. Marshall knocks Reynolds out but the Lucha Bros toss Marshall and Solow.

Hobbs goes after the Bros and shrugs off their kicks, only to have QTV offer a distraction. Now the Bros are eliminated but Vikingo goes after Hobbs. That earns Vikingo a toss out and it’s Hobbs running Gunn over. The Acclaimed dumps Hobbs but Butcher breaks up the scissoring to get rid of Caster.

We’re down to Butcher/Blade/Sabian vs. Gunn/Bowens vs. Silver, with the villains taking over without much trouble. Silver grabs a delayed vertical suplex on Blade but he’s back up to get rid of Silver, leaving us at 3-2. Blade Stuns Gunn but Bowens tosses him as well to even it up. Bowens gets thrown over the top but Gunn makes a save. Stereo Fameassers set up the double elimination to give Gunn/Bowens the win for their trio at 9:31.

Rating: C+. It was a team battle royal, which is one of AEW’s favorite weird matches. It also shows you how far things have shifted from a regular tag teams to the trios stuff, which still doesn’t hook me as well. Maybe this is something else for the Acclaimed, but I would still like to have the two divisions more merged together. Or just get rid of the Trios Titles altogether, though that doesn’t seem likely.

Sammy Guevara isn’t happy with MJF, who interrupts him to say they’re still friends. For tonight, they’ll make sure the Double Or Nothing main event is just them. MJF has a bad back from carrying the company, which is enough for Guevara to buy his excuse.

Kenny Omega and Don Callis are ready for Jon Moxley next week. Moxley is a crazy man and Omega will be ready for him. Even if Moxley makes Omega bleed it won’t be enough, because Omega is ready to end it next week.

Wardlow vs. Logan Laroux

Non-title and the Powerbomb Symphony finishes Laroux at 1:27. Lash would have done better.

Post match Wardlow wants to finish this with Christian Cage and Luchasaurus. Cue the two of them, with Cage saying not tonight. Oh and Luchasaurus isn’t challenging, but rather Cage. Interesting enough.

Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal come to see Mark Briscoe to calm things off. Mark puts them to work on the farm, along with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh. They wind up sitting around with Jeff playing guitar but Papa Briscoe comes in to glare. With everyone down, Papa tells him to be worried about all of them. The team has a peace offering though: a singles match for Briscoe on Rampage. This was hilarious, with the villains playing wannabe hillbillies just fine.

Ricky Starks vs. Juice Robinson

Robinson slaps him out of the corner to start so Starks hammers him in the face. They fight to the floor with Robinson whipping him into the barricade but not being able to add a piledriver. Starks gets sent hard into the steps but Starks manages a quick posting. A slam off the steps drops Robinson on the floor as we take an early break.

Back with Starks hitting a clothesline and a tornado DDT getting two on Robinson. Starks sends him into the corner for the running Cannonball, followed by a hard clothesline of his own for two. The forward DDT is countered a few times and Starks hits the spear. The Roshambo finishes Robinson at 9:16.

Rating: C+. Nice match but it’s still not exactly a great feud. Starks was red hot for a little while now but instead he is here with what feels like the New Japan refugees. Robinson and Jay White are talented stars, though they don’t have much in the way of success around here. At the same time, Starks did get the pin, but I have no reason to believe that this story is anywhere near done with Double Or Nothing less than a month away.

Post match Jay White runs in to help beat down Starks, who still needs another partner.

Video on the Firm Deletion match.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

MJF pitches an alliance with Jungle Boy, who he says he loves like a brother. Jungle Boy isn’t sold because he wants the title. Darby Allin comes in and looks suspicious.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin/Jungle Boy

If Allin and Jungle Boy win, they’re added to the Double Or Nothing World Title match. Guevara’s headlock on Jungle Boy doesn’t last long so he shoulders Jungle Boy down for some early posing. It’s quickly off to Allin vs. MJF, with the former getting two off a rollup. MJF drives Jungle Boy into the corner, where Guevara gets knocked to the floor. A double elbow drops MJF but Guevara comes back in to choke away on Allin.

More choking (with the scarf) is made worse by the referee dealing with the other two on the floor. Allin reverses into his own choke though and hits MJF with a flipping Stunner. MJF is fine enough to cut Jungle Boy off before the hot tag though and we take a break. Back with Allin fighting his way out of trouble, and diving between the villains for the hot tag to Jungle Boy. Everything breaks down and Allin dives onto MJF.

Jungle Boy’s tiger driver drops Guevara on the back of his head for two but MJF cuts Jungle Boy off again. It’s back to Allin to clean more house but a Code Red is countered into a sitout powerbomb to give MJF two. Jungle Boy comes in off the blind tag and Snare Traps MJF, with Guevara making a save. The villains tease a double dive, with only Guevara diving onto the other two.

Back in and MJF’s lifting DDT gets two on Jungle Boy, leaving quite the angry reaction. Guevara’s Swanton gives MJF two, but hold on as Guevara isn’t happy with that cover. MJF isn’t happy and slaps Guevara in the face. The argument earns MJF a superkick, allowing Jungle Boy to roll Guevara up for two, followed by the basement superkick. Allin tags himself in and hits the Coffin Drop to pin Guevara at 15:55.

Rating: B. This match had a tricky job to pull off, as the result wasn’t exactly in doubt but they had to draw in some interest anyway. To their credit, they did in fact make it work, as this was a good match with a lot of storytelling elements included. Instead of just having three people who want to get rid of MJF, you have three people who also want to beat each other. Rather strong main event here, which is even more impressive given the not exactly stunning result.

Jungle Boy and Allin have some words but seem pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show started to get Double Or Nothing more together, though they are going to need to make some matches official before too long. Doing so with the main event was the important part here and that part worked, along with some other fun matches at the same time. Now just turn the potential into something worthwhile and we could be on to something for the big show later this month.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Bandido/Roderick Strong/Adam Cole b. Jericho Appreciation Society – Boom to Parker
Saraya b. Willow Nightingale – Midnight
Acclaimed won Tres de Mayo Trios Battle Royal last eliminating Butcher & the Blade/Kip Sabian
Wardlow b. Logan Laroux – Powerbomb Symphony
Ricky Starks b. Juice Robinson – Roshambo
Darby Allin/Jungle Boy b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Sammy Guevara – Coffin Drop to Guevara

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: April 28, 2023
Location: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

We’re on at another weird time slot as the playoffs continue to wreck havoc on the AEW schedule. As usual, it’s hard to say what you are going to get from Rampage, though I would assume a heavy focus on stories that aren’t going to matter much elsewhere. Things do happen around here, but it would be nice if it felt more important. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Bullet Club Gold vs. Ricky Starks/Shawn Spears

It’s a brawl at the bell and they all head to the floor to keep it up. White chokes Spears with a camera cord as Starks chops Robinson inside. A White cheap shot from the apron lets Robinson take over though and we go to a break. Back with White chopping Spears in the corner, with Ross liking the physicality.

Spears manages to fight over to the corner though and the hot tag brings in Starks to clean house. It’s right back to Spears but the C4 is broken up with a rake to the eyes. A Sky high gives Spears two on White but another C4 attempt is broken up as well. The Blade Runner finishes Spears at 9:47.

Rating: C+. Putting White in a team right off the bat isn’t exactly making me care about what he does and tying him in with the Bullet Club again doesn’t help. Starks isn’t exactly getting much higher up the ladder by teaming with Shawn Spears, making me wonder what the point of a lot of this is. The match itself was good enough, though the rest is only so intriguing.

The Hardys and Hook are mad about the Firm kidnapping Isiah Kassidy. The Firm pops up on screen to demand to know when the Firm Deletion match is taking place. We’ll make it next week on Rampage, and then Big Bill chokeslams Kassidy off camera.

Naturally Limitless vs. Brady Pierce/Charlie James

Dustin punches Pierce in the face to start and snaps off the powerslam. Lee comes in for his half of a double backdrop before knocking James down. There’s the Uncle Phil toss to James before Dustin tells Lee to throw him at both guys. The pop up Spirit Bomb finishes James at 2:08. Total dominance.

Post match the Mogul Embassy comes out for a staredown.

Tay Melo interrupts a Sammy Guevara interview and yells at him for agreeing to lay down for MJF. It’s his turn to listen instead.

Anna Jay vs. Ashley D’Amboise

Anna gets in a few shots to start and bends Ashley’s back around the post as we take an early break. Back with Ashley fighting out of a suplex but getting dropped with a neckbreaker. The Queenslayer finishes Ashley at 5:43. Not enough shown to rate as more than half of that was in the commercial but Jay’s dominance continues.

Post match Julia Hart pops up to brawl with Jay, who bends her around the post as well.

The Outcasts are ready for Saraya to beat up Willow Nightingale on Dynamite.

Billy Gunn/Acclaimed vs. Cameron Stewart/Dante Casanova/Ryzin

Fameasser, Arrival, Mic Drop finishes Stewart at 52 seconds, a lot of which was Gunn standing there looking at Stewart.

Jay Lethal and Cash Wheeler are ready for the main event.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

Jay Lethal vs. Cash Wheeler

Mark Briscoe is the guest enforcer and Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Sonjay Dutt/Dax Harwood are all here too. Lethal gets knocked outside to start before coming back in for an aggressive lockup. Some slams let Lethal put him down but Wheeler armdrags him into an armbar. Back up and it’s too early for Lethal Injection, meaning Wheeler can clothesline him to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Lethal grabbing an abdominal stretch as we see Wheeler’s bruised ribs. Briscoe doesn’t let Dutt cheat and Wheeler escapes, only to get caught in a hot shot. Lethal gets in a strut but Hail To The King hits raised knees. Wheeler slugs back and grabs a powerslam into a DDT for two on Lethal. The ribs give out on a piledriver attempt though and the Lethal Combination drops Wheeler. The Lethal Injection is countered into a Gory Bomb but Dutt gets on the apron for a distraction. Briscoe goes after Dutt but Lethal sends Wheeler into Briscoe for the big crash. Now the Injection can finish Wheeler at 12:18.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough and now that we have the Tag Team Champions losing out of the way, we can move on to the title match. Hopefully this doesn’t lead to Briscoe wondering why Wheeler hit him, as I don’t think I can take another story where watching the tape would solve everything but no one does it. It was a perfectly sound match, even if it didn’t feel all that important.

Overall Rating: C. And that’s being about as generous as I can be. This show felt a lot more like a bad Ring Of Honor show than anything else, as it was just a bunch of midcard stuff that didn’t have anything worth seeing. It was a rare case of me feeling like I was wasting my time watching an AEW show and I have a bad feeling that is going to get worse around here, especially when Collision comes around. Certainly not a bad show, but a total “here’s an hour of wrestling that fulfills a requirement” show, which is often a lot worse.

Results
Bullet Club Gold b. Ricky Starks/Shawn Spears – Blade Runner to Spears
Naturally Limitless b. Brady Pierce/Charlie James – Pop up Spirit Bomb to James
Anna Jay b. Ashley D’Amboise – Queenslayer
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. Cameron Stewart/Dante Casanova/Ryzin – Mic Drop to Stewart
Jay Lethal b. Cash Wheeler – Lethal Injection

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: April 22, 2023
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s a Saturday show due to the NHL playoffs and that means…well I have no idea what it means as the audiences for these shows can be all over the place. The big story advertised is Jeff Hardy talking about some stuff, which isn’t exactly an incredibly intriguing draw. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Christopher Daniels

They go technical to start with Daniels taking him to the mat for a facelock. Back up and Daniels chops away before backdropping Moxley outside. That means the dive, even as Excalibur and JR ignore the match to talk about what is coming tonight. Moxley sends him into the steps though and we take a break.

Back with Moxley putting him on top for a back rake, only to have Daniels shove him down. A high crossbody gives Daniels two but Moxley blasts him with the King Kong lariat. The piledriver into the choke has Daniels in more trouble but he slips out and grabs a backdrop. Angel’s Wings gets a delayed two, only to have Daniels break up the Best Moonsault Ever. Moxley chokes him out for the win at 9:00.

Rating: B-. Daniels is a good example of someone who will give you a good match against anyone and it still feels like it means something when someone beats him. That was the case again here and what we got worked well. Moxley is already dealing with the Elite and this was a nice boost to keep him going towards whatever the big match is going to be.

Jade Cargill and Mark Sterling are ready for Taya Valkyrie on Dynamite, where the Road To Valhalla is illegal for Taya.

Here are the Hardys, with Isiah Kassidy and Hook for a chat. Jeff says he is happy to be back after working so hard but the best thing he can do is retire….from screwing up. Stokely Hathaway pops up to ask about the details for the Firm Deletion match. Cue the Firm to jump the four of them and the good guys are laid out.

We look at the Outcasts beating down Britt Baker as Adam Cole had to watch.

Baker was in the medical room as Cole kept apologizing to her.

Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes are back next week.

Kiera Hogan vs. Julia Hart

Hogan starts fast by dropping her down but Julia goes for the throat to even things up. A snapmare sets up a kick to the back for two and counters Hartless into a rollup for two, only to have Hartless go on the second time to make Hogan tap at 3:07.

Rating: C-. Hogan hasn’t done anything since splitting from Jade Cargill and company but at least they’re doing something with Hart. The move to the House of Black has at least let her stand out some more, though she still isn’t exactly great in the ring. Just a quick match to give Hart something to do, which isn’t exactly a great sign.

Post match Anna Jay comes in for the brawl with Hart.

The Blackpool Combat Club interrupts a Christopher Daniels interview. Daniels is ready to fight but Jon Moxley comes in to cut them off. Then he lays out Daniels on his own.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/FTR vs. Varsity Athletes/Slim J

Mark Sterling, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt are here too. Slim J takes Harwood into the corner and hammers away but Harwood snaps off a suplex to take over. Wheeler comes in and gets caught with a headscissors so Lethal and Jarrett come in to take over instead. FTR and Lethal/Jarrett have a faceoff and we take a break.

Back with Woods chinlocking Wheeler to keep him down until a kneelift gets him out of trouble. Daivari gets caught with a suplex and it’s back to Harwood to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Jarrett doesn’t notice Nese rolling Harwood up for two. Harwood yells at Jarrett for not making the save so Nese charges in. That earns him a Stroke, with Jarrett letting Harwood get the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C. What were you expecting here? Lethal and Jarrett are find hands with almost nothing interesting about them and the Varsity Athletes are the Varsity Athletes. FTR are great but they can only carry a story this dull so far. It’s still very early in their new title reign, but I would hope that FTR has something better to do at Double Or Nothing.

Post match Mark Briscoe has to come out and play peacemaker.

Video on Orange Cassidy’s run as International Champion.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

The Butcher and the Blade are ready for Kenny Omega/Konosuke Takeshita on Dynamite.

AAA Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Dralistico

Vikingo is defending and gets dropped in the aisle by a flying Dralistico during his entrance. They get inside with Dralistico chopping away until a spinning kick to the head cuts him down. A poisonrana gives Vikingo a breather and a quick Canadian Destroyer sends us to a break. Back with Dralistico hitting a middle rope moonsault to the floor, followed by a springboard Codebreaker for two. They both go to the corner, where Vikingo hits another Canadian Destroyer onto the apron.

Cue La Faccion Ingobernable to jump Vikingo, who is fine enough to kick Dralistico down. A top rope double stomp gets two but Dralistico is back with a top rope hurricanrana to the floor. Back in and Dralistico grabs La Mistica until Vikingo slips out. The running knees in the corner set up the 630 to retain the title at 11:30.

Rating: B-. This was quite the step down for Vikingo, who only got to do a few of his usual big stuff. At the same time, there hasn’t been much of anything from him since the Omega match, as the same flips and dives are going to lose their impact the more you see him. As I saw Vikingo two days ago on Ring Of Honor, this didn’t do nearly as much and I can’t say that’s any kind of a surprise. Entertaining match, but either give Vikingo a feud or stop featuring him so often.

Post match La Faccion beats up Vikingo to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was good enough to get by but it has the traditional Rampage problem: nothing on here feels even remotely important and there is nothing to suggest that it is getting better. What even was the big story here? The Club takes out someone who was friends with the Young Bucks years ago? Hopefully they pick the pace up again next week, because this wasn’t much of a show. At least not one worth seeing.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Christopher Daniels – Bulldog choke
Julia Hart b. Kiera Hogan – Hartless
FTR/Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett b. Varsity Athletes/Slim J – Stroke to Nese
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Dralistico – 630

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.