Dynamite
Date: August 2, 2023
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Taz, Excalibur

It’s the 200th episode and you know that means we should be in for something good. The most important thing here is that it is time to start getting ready for All In, which needs something announced already. Other than that, we have a Women’s Title match as Hikaru Shida challenges Toni Storm. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

The old set is back for a nice touch.

Sammy Guevara/Daniel Garcia vs. Chris Jericho/Konosuke Takeshita

Jericho and Takeshita have Don Callis with them. Guevara and Jericho chop it out until the former scores with a jumping knee. Garcia and Guevara get to strike a pose before Garcia chops it out with Jericho. Takeshita comes in to kick Garcia down so Jericho comes back in for a suplex. Jericho drops Garcia again and we take a break.

Back with Guevara coming in to clean house, including a suicide elbow to Jericho and a running flip dive to Takeshita. They get back in and Takeshita gets the Blue Thunder Bomb on Guevara but can’t get the Walls Of Takeshita (which is apparently a thing). Jericho is back in with the Codebreaker for two as all four get in again. Guevara kicks Takeshita to the floor as Garcia gets the Dragontamer on Jericho. Callis bats Garcia down but Jericho doesn’t approve….but does get the pin at 12:21.

Rating: B-. This was about Callis still trying to recruit Jericho, who might be getting with the program a bit. Other than that, you had Garcia and Guevara being entertaining enough as a team and Takeshita feeling like a star. Odds are this is heading towards Jericho vs. either Takeshita or someone else from Callis’ family down the line, but we might be a good way off from that point just yet.

Tony Khan says we are on the way to the biggest wrestling event of all time (no) and we see a highlight package from some of the best moments in Dynamite history.

Matt Menard tells Chris Jericho has to be at a mandatory meeting of the Jericho Appreciation Society.

Here is Jack Perry to say that he wants Jerry Lynn out here to end this. Lynn comes out to say that he isn’t going to come down there and beat up Perry, because that would be child abuse. On top of that, his neck is so banged up that no doctor would ever clear him. Instead, he’s made a phone call to a friend of his, who wrestled in ECW and still wrestles today. Cue Rob Van Dam to chase Perry off, with Perry hiding behind a young girl. Was there anyone else who could have stood up for ECW and been something of a big deal?

Video on the Women’s Title match with Hikaru Shida challenging Toni Storm.

Trent Beretta vs. Jon Moxley vs. Penta El Cero Miedo

The introduction make it clear that this is anything goes. Trent and Penta hit dives to start but Moxley is back up and grabs the 2×4 with nails. Penta ducks a swing and Backstabs Moxley, only to get a trashcan lid kneed into his face. Moxley piledrives Trent but Penta is right back to take Trent outside. Some tables are set up at ringside and the already bleeding Trent superplexes Moxley through them as we take a break.

Back with Penta hitting a super Canadian Destroyer to drive Trent through a table, followed by Moxley spearing Penta through a table in the corner. Moxley gets the thumbtacks and opens Penta’s shirt, setting up a piledriver into the tacks for two. Trent, for some reasons not in an ambulance, is up with the Crunchy to Moxley into the tacks but Penta makes the save. Moxley Paradigm Shifts Penta but Trent hits the running knee to steal the pin at 12:21.

Rating: C. Yeah fine. You knew you were going to see some kind of violent match on here whether it made sense for the story or not and they even had one of the fan favorites get a pin on a milestone show. The Canadian Destroyer through the table not knocking Trent out of the match was nonsense but that ship has long since sailed. I still can’t stand this kind of stuff, and they really didn’t need the weapons and violence.

Post match Moxley chokes Trent out and the Blackpool Combat Club comes out to help. Cue Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor to cut them off and clear the ring, with Taylor issuing the challenge for a parking lot fight on Rampage.

Rob Van Dam challenges Jack Perry for the FTW Title next week. When Van Dam wins the title, he’ll just retire the thing.

Here is MJF to talk about having ADD, but also a condition that makes it difficult for him to accept rejection. One day when he was a kid, some people threw quarters at him and said “pick it up, Jew boy, pick it up.” It made him believe that he had to stab everyone in the back before he did it to them, but that’s no way to live.

It’s tough for him to trust people, but he’s not scared anymore because of all these people. These people have sympathy for the devil, even if he’s still a scumbag. But dang it he’s ready to be YOUR scumbag. He also has to thank Adam Cole, so here is Cole to see MJF face to face.

Cole says MJF is not alone and knows that there is a good guy down in there. The people here are proud of him, which has MJF thanking him for the kind words. That brings MJF to the promised title match, which Cole doesn’t deserve. That’s because Cole deserves THE match in the main event of the biggest show AEW has ever seen, in the main event of All In. Cole signs the contract (fans: “READ IT!”) without reading it and they hug. MJF has told that story before but it still has impact. Other than that, they’re building towards someone turning and it’s going to be a big moment when it happens.

Roderick Strong breaks a bunch of stuff in the back but here is the Kingdom to say they Cole is forgetting his real friends.

Elite vs. Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal

Brandon Cutler, Sonjay Dutt and Karen Jarrett are here too. Jeff slams Omega down to start but Matt comes in to take over. That brings in Singh, with Omega and Nick immediately backing away. Singh shrugs off some dropkicks and crossbodies both of the Bucks, meaning the villains get to most the Elite’s pose.

We take a break and come back with Nick getting over to bring Omega back in for the pace to pick up. You Can’t Escape is broken up by Singh, allowing Lethal to get his knees up on the moonsault. The Bucks kick Singh down the though and Omega adds the V Trigger to put him completely down. Dutt has to break up the One Winged Angel and Karen offers a distraction. That earns her a cold spray from Cutler as the Hardys come out to beat up the villains as well. Cue Hangman Page to jump Jarrett with the Buckshot Lariat, meaning (after an Omega guitar solo) the One Winged Angel can finish Lethal at 8:58.

Rating: B-. Much like some of the other stuff on this show, they absolutely had to get the Elite on here somehow and putting them in a fun match like this one was the way to go. They were the centerpiece of the company for a long time and getting them on a show like this, even in a match where they weren’t going to be in serious trouble, was a requirement.

Post match Page announces that the Elite have re-signed with AEW. Omega says you’ll be seeing more of them everywhere, including Collision. We get the old goodnight and goodbye catchphrase to wrap it up. That’s a nice little flashback.

The Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland/AR Fox in this case) is happy with beating up Darby Allin and we see them going to Nick Wayne’s gym (which is in a garage). Wayne and some students get beaten up and Swerve breaks something made of glass over Wayne’s head. Swerve puts down a photo of Wayne and his father, before calling Darby Allin to show the bloody Wayne. It’s that easy to make a phone call, so why didn’t Allin call AR Fox when he got to AEW? The beating continues to wrap up one heck of a segment. This felt like Swerve and Fox getting to show what they can do and it was really effective.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Aussie Open vs. Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo

The Aussies are defending. Fletcher and Vikingo start things off with the latter avoiding a charge in the corner. Vikingo’s springboard crossbody takes Fletcher down so it’s off to Davis, who gets superkicked outside. We settle back down to Fletcher clotheslining Komander, who is right back up with the chops in the corner. Komander’s springboard is broken up so it’s of to Vikingo instead. The champs are sent outside but they are fine enough to cut off the stereo dives as we take a break.

Back with Vikingo getting caught with a flipping Iconoclasm for two, leaving Fletcher frustrated. Vikingo is put in a fireman’s carry but Komander tags himself in, jumps on Vikingo’s back, and hits a Canadian Destroyer. The challengers walk the ropes at the same time for stereo moonsaults, setting up stereo 450s for two on Davis. Vikingo is taken down though and the rope walk shooting star press misses for Komander. The double clothesline sets up Coriolis to retain the titles at 9:57.

Rating: C+. There was some nice stuff in here with the Aussies using their power offense to hold off the rather flashy high fliers. I’d like to believe that this is just a one off as I really do not need the Ring Of Honor titles on the show again, but at least they had an entertaining match and didn’t go too long. It’s also always nice to see Vikingo, as some of that stuff he does is hard to fathom.

Video on Ricky Starks vs. CM Punk on Collision.

Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Toni Storm

Shida is challenging and Storm has the rest of the Outcasts with her. Shida starts fast and knocks Storm to the floor, followed by some right hands back inside. They go outside again and this time Storm takes over, only for Shida to head back inside and suplex her into the corner. Storm gets in a shot of her own and adds the running hip attack to knock Shida outside again. The Outcasts get in some stomping and we take a break.

Back with Shida hitting an enziguri into a German suplex but Storm pulls her off the top. The hip attack in the corner and a DDT get two on Shida (which would not be stealing it, despite what Excalibur says). They strike it out until Shida knees her in the face and hits a Falcon Arrow for two. Saraya throws in the kendo stick but Shida takes it away and takes out the other two. Storm uses the distraction to hit the spray paint into the Storm Zero for two more. Shida is right back with a rollup for the pin and the title at 13:16.

Rating: B. And there’s your big moment to make the show feel special. Storm hadn’t exactly been doing anything as champion and wont he title from an injured Jamie Hayter. The story coming into this was that Shida deserved to have a title run in front of people rather than empty chairs and that is exactly what she is going to get. Good match here, with Shida getting a nice moment to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: B. I kept saying that they had to get this and that in, but they managed to cover everything and had a heck of a show as a result. This was a nice look back at Dynamite’s history, while also giving a feel good moment at the end and also setting up something for All In. That’s a heck of a way to spend two hours and I smiled more than I have in a good while with an AEW show.

Results
Chris Jericho/Konosuke Takeshita b. Sammy Guevara/Daniel Garcia – Baseball bat shot to Garcia
Trent b. Jon Moxley and Penta El Cero Miedo – Paradigm Shit to Penta
Elite b. Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal – One Winged Angel to Lethal
Aussie Open b. Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo – Coriolis to Komander
Hikaru Shida b. Toni Storm – Rollup

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: July 28, 2023
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

For the second week in a row, the featured match is a battle royal, though this time it is a tag team battle royal for a future Tag Team Title shot. Other than that, we might get more on the upcoming All In card, as no matches have been announced though you can probably guess quite a few from here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Battle Royal

Luther/Serpentico, Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh, Hardys, Brother Zay/Ethan Page, Big Bill/Brian Cage, Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal, Butcher/The Blade, Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

Both members have to be eliminated and the winners get a future Tag Team Title shot. Everyone goes after Bill to start but can’t get anywhere. It’s the usual brawling to start with no one going anywhere until Luther gets a knee in to Cage. Bill isn’t having that and dumps Luther, with Blade getting rid of Serpentico a few seconds later.

The fans seem to approve of Big Bill, even as Parker hits him in the ribs. Singh gets rid of Zay and Sydal follows him out. The Hardys get rid of Parker and Singh dumps Page. The Hardys get smart and ram Singh into Lethal for another elimination, leaving Page and Lethal to brawl up the aisle as we take a break.

Back with Menard being dumped, leaving us with Bill, Cage, Butcher, Blade, the Hardys, Singh and Daniels. Butcher and Blade toss Daniels but Matt can’t do much with Singh, who tosses him with ease. Jeff manages to stagger Singh and Cage/Bill help out with a double clothesline to put Singh out. Butcher and Blade dump Jeff and we’re down to the two of them vs. Cage/Bill in what sounds like a good hoss fight.

Cage gets knocked down with a fisherman’s neckbreaker and a Stunner into a lariat drops Bill. Back up and Cage saves Bill but Blade hits him in the face. Bill pulls himself up and hits his own double clothesline as the fans still seem to approve. A powerbomb/clothesline combination gets rid of Blade but Butcher fights away. Bill’s splash hits Cage in the corner and a backbreaker puts Cage down again. That’s it though as a clothesline/chokeslam combination knocks Butcher silly for the win at 16:36.

Rating: C+. This went on for a good while and Bill continues to get bigger and bigger reactions. I do like having some fresh blood in the division and Cage/Bill have done well so far. The division has fallen through the floor in recent months and maybe they can start building things back up a bit here. It also makes me want to see more Butcher and the Blade, as they still feel like they could be the big bruising heels of the division at any time.

Video on the Kingdom getting a second chance at being great in Ring Of Honor. Why Maria Kanellis-Bennett isn’t here isn’t clear.

Komander vs. Kip Sabian

Komander is replacing the injured Scorpio Sky and Alex Abrahantes and Penelope Ford are here as well as Sabian takes him down to start. Sabian sends him outside and mocks the salute, earning himself a knock out to the floor and a dive. We take a break and come back with Sabian getting the better of a slugout.

A headscissors gives Komander two and a cradle gets the same. Sabian knocks him back down and hits a running shooting star press for two. Komander fights up but gets his eyes raked by Ford, allowing Sabian to hit a hanging suplex for two more. That’s enough for Komander, who hits a springboard Canadian Destroyer into the rope walk shooting star press to put Sabian away at 10:19.

Rating: C+. This was a bit better than most Komander matches as he didn’t do a bunch of his usual stuff. His matches have a tendency to be centered around trying to set up one convoluted match after another but this one was about fighting back and hitting a spot here and there. Nice match here, even if Sabian is still as middle of the road as you can be.

Video on Jack Perry disrespecting the memory of ECW and getting called out by Jerry Lynn.

The Kingdom vs. Hayden Backlund/Hyaung-Jae Lee

Taven kicks both of them down to start and hands it off to Bennett for a Death Valley Driver. Just The Tip sets up the Proton Pack to finish Backlund at 42 seconds. I can go for more of the Kingdom.

Video on the Dark Order beating the Righteous and Stu Grayson in a Fight Without Honor at Death Before Dishonor. They will NOT be disrespected and it is time to rebuild. Can it be time for the Dark Order to be dropped already?

Video on FTR vs. MJF/Adam Cole.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose, a feud with quite the history.

Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose

Marina Shafir is here with Rose, who jumps Shida fast to start. Rose grabs the kendo stick but throws it away after realizing that would be stupid. Back up and Shida headscissors her into the corner and rains down some right hands square into the turnbuckle. Rose knocks her outside though and we take a break.

Back with Shida hitting a running elbow and managing a suplex for two. They fight to the apron with Shida hitting a knee to the head, setting up a dropkick from the apron. Shida loads up a springboard but gets chokeslammed down for two. Back up and Shida hits a Falcon Arrow but Rose runs her over with a clothesline. Rose goes up but gets crotched down, setting up a super Falcon Arrow. Shafir puts the foot on the rope though, earning her a heck of a kendo stick shot. Rose loads up the Beast Bomb but gets reversed into the Katana to give Shida the pin at 10:57.

Rating: B-. This is one of the feuds that has been around since the start of AEW and it works well enough, even though both of them have fallen a bit down the ladder. Pushing Shida again isn’t a bad idea and that stick shot to Shafir was loud enough to get some attention. On the other hand you have Rose, who feels like she hasn’t won anything of note in, like, ever.

Post match the Outcasts come out for the staredown.

Overall Rating: C+. Oh this was the full on B show this week and there was no hiding it. While they did set some things up for the future with the title shot (or possibly shots with Shida), the show didn’t feel important whatsoever with the lack of star power or really anything involving the big stories. It’s a completely skippable show, but you won’t be bored if you watch it either.

Results
Brian Cage/Big Bill won a tag team battle royal last eliminating Butcher and the Blade
Komander b. Kip Sabian – Rope walk shooting star press
The Kingdom b. Hayden Backlund/Hyaung-Jae Lee – Proton Pack to Backlund
Hikaru Shida b. Nyla Rose – Katana

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: July 7, 2023
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

It’s the 100th episode of the show and we have something of a grudge match on our hands. This time around, Hangman Page/the Young Bucks are facing the Dark Order, who still aren’t happy with how Page has treated them. Other than that, we have more tournament shenanigans to get through so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Young Bucks/Hangman Page vs. Dark Order

Reynolds shoulders Nick down to start so it’s off to Page. That means Reynolds needs to bail a bit and then he does it again on the floor. This time Nick kicks him in the head and it’s time for the Elite to start diving. Back in and Matt rolls the northern lights suplexes on Reynolds before adding Silver for the last one. Risky Business gets two on Reynolds and the fans describe this one sided match, which hasn’t lasted four minutes yet, as AWESOME.

Silver gets in a cheap shot from the floor though and Evil Uno comes in to strike away in the corner. Nick tries to flip over to the corner but the Order pulls Page and Matt down and we take a break. Back with Matt knocking Reynolds off the top and diving onto Uno and Silver. Page comes in to clean house, including a clothesline to send Reynolds outside for a slingshot dive.

Everything breaks down and Un is sent tot he apron for a big boot from Page. The Bucks catch Uno, allowing Page to hit the running shooting star from the apron. Back in and Matt hits a slingshot Canadian Destroyer on Reynolds, followed by a top rope elbow for two. Silver is back in for a kick to the head but Nick makes the save, setting up the Meltzer Driver on Matt for two with Uno making the save.

Page and Uno slug it out until the Bucks come back in to clean house with the superkicks. Page can’t bring himself to Buckshot Lariat Uno so the Bucks dive onto the rest of the Order. Cue Konosuke Takeshita for a distraction, allowing Claudio Castagnoli to hit a heck of an uppercut on Page. Uno gets the pin at 13:56.

Rating: B-. Pushing the Dark Order as something serious is certainly a choice, though it’s not like this was some clean win that is going to change their fortunes. The action was good as Silver and Reynolds are still a pretty decent tag team. Castagnoli or Takeshita vs. Page could make for a good showdown and that’s what matters here, especially if it gets Page away from the Dark Order again.

Post match Kenny Omega comes out to clear the ring.

QTV is still relatively clueless, including Harley Cameron thinking she’ll make a cute couple with Anthony Bowens. In a related story, Johnny TV doesn’t like Max Castor’s music.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament: Daniel Garcia/Sammy Guevara vs. Matt Hardy/Jeff Jarrett

The rest of Jarrett’s cronies are here too. Garcia waistlocks Matt to start but gets reversed into a headlock. Guevara comes in and gets hiptossed by Jarrett, setting up the strut. That earns Guevara a dropkick to the floor and garcia gets in his own strut. The running flip dive takes out Jay Lethal by mistake though and we take a break. Back with Matt hitting Splash Mountain for two on Garcia and punching Guevara out of the air. Jarrett’s cronies try to offer a distraction (despite Jeff’s partner being in control) so the guitar can be slid in. Matt is sent into Lethal, allowing Guevara to hit the GTH, though Garcia steals the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. They got the result right here, as the Society team moves forward over a team who wasn’t going to work together well. Both Garcia and Guevara need to break free of Jericho, but they do work well together without him. Matt not wanting to cheat like Jarrett and his friends made sense, though I’m almost scared of the Hardys getting together to fight Jarrett and his cronies.

Post match the beatdown is on and Brother Zay’s save attempt doesn’t work. Ethan Page makes the real save.

Video on Collision.

Hikaru Shida vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir kicks her down to start but Shida is back with a bunch of kicks. A running knee gets two on Shafir and the Falcon Arrow gets the same. The Katana finishes Shafir off at 3:30.

Rating: C. It’s nice to have Shida out there getting a win, even if it is over Shafir. I’m not sure if it is the constant having to head back to Japan or something else, but you would think Shida would be worth a stronger push. She has all the tools, with the striking being on display in this one.

Kris Statlander is a fighting champion and she’ll face anyone anywhere. She is the defeater of the undefeated (and thinks that would be a good shirt) and Kris Stat is where it’s at. Those are some pretty terrible taglines but giving Statlander camera time is a good thing.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament First Round: Trent Baretta/Matt Sydal vs. Brian Cage/Big Bill

Cage runs Sydal over without much trouble to start and it’s off to Bill vs. Trent. Some shots to the face stagger Bill and Trent knocks him outside, where Bill chokeslams him onto the apron. A fall away slam sends Trent flying and we take a break. Back with Trent DDTing his way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to Sydal. Cage and Bill get struck down and stereo double stomps to the back keep Bill in trouble. Cage is back up with a double clothesline and all four head outside.

Sydal Meteoras Bill on the floor but Cage and Bill hit stereo slams for two back inside. Bill and Cage clothesline each other by mistake but Cage is back up with a discus lariat to Trent. Sydal ducks another discus lariat but the top rope Meteora is blocked. Trent release German superplexes Cage and adds a piledriver, setting up a top rope Meteora from Sydal for two. Back in and Bill runs the good guys over and it’s a powerbomb/clothesline combination to finish Sydal at 12:24.

Rating: B. This match was a blast with everyone going hard and fast for a long time. Cage and Bill are rather good as a pair of monsters while Sydal and Trent worked well for a first time team. What mattered here was just letting everything go nuts and have a good time, which is all you can ask for out of something like this. Fun stuff.

Overall Rating: B-. You had a pair of fun matches here and the tag tournament is starting to take some shape. It made for an easy show to watch and that is what you need from Rampage. The show almost never feels important compared to Dynamite and Collision so letting it be an easy hour of TV is as important as it gets. Nice stuff here, and I’ll take something like this week to week.

Results
Dark Order b. Hangman Page/Young Bucks – Uppercut to Page
Daniel Garcia/Sammy Guevara b. Matt Hardy/Jeff Jarrett – GTH to Hardy
Hikaru Shida b. Marina Shafir – Katana
Brian Cage/Big Bill b. Matt Sydal/Trent Beretta – Clothesline/powerbomb combination to Sydal

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: June 30, 2023
Location: First Ontario Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’ll close out the first half of the year with the first Rampage after Forbidden Door. This week’s Dynamite was a bit off (but still good) and now we get to see if Rampage is the same. The big draw this week is Claudio Castagnoli defending the Ring Of Honor World Title, which should make for something interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kommander

Castagnoli is defending and drops Kommander with a forearm to start. Kommander balances himself in the corner and snaps off a headscissors. The sleeper is broken up and Castagnoli plants him hard to break up a rollup attempt. The Swing sends Kommander flying again but the Riccola Bomb is armdragged to the floor. Kommander’s dive is pulled out of the air so he fires off some knees to the head to escape again.

Castagnoli isn’t having this though and kicks Kommander over the barricade for a nasty crash. Back in and a DDT gets two as we take a break. We come back with Kommander needing a super hurricanrana to counter a superbomb. Kommander spins around Castagnoli’s shoulders to send him outside, setting up the big flip dive. Castagnoli misses another running boot so Kommander (very slowly) walks the barricade for a shooting star to the back.

A top rope hurricanrana gives Kommander two back inside but Castagnoli drops him with an uppercut. Back up and Kommander climbs onto Castagnoli’s shoulders, jumps backwards, and then tornado DDTs him down. A double jump phoenix splash gives Kommander two but the rope walk shooting star misses. Castagnoli uppercuts him out of the air and that’s enough for a knockout via referee stoppage at 13:45.

Rating: B. This was some crazy amped up version of power vs. high flying as Kommander was doing all of his nutty stuff and Castagnoli finally just stopped it with straight strength. Kommander cut down on some of the ridiculous time it takes to set up some of his stuff here and it made for a more exciting match. Castagnoli just knocking him silly for the win was a great way to go and the champion looks as dominant as possible given how much Kommander threw at him.

Shawn Spears vs. The Blade

The Butcher is here with Blade. They go to the floor for a chop off to start with Spears getting the better of things. Spears thinks his chop was a ten and drops Blade back first onto the apron. Butcher gets in a cheap shot though and Blade drops Spears face first inside. More chops just wake Spears up though and he strikes away to take over. The left hands in the corner set up the C4 to finish Blade at 4:02.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here and neither guy is exactly the best choice to keep things fired up. Spears hasn’t been around much in recent months but I’m sure the Canadian crowd was happy to see one of their own. The match was far from boring and Spears had to overcome some cheating so it was a completely fine use of some time.

Video on the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament matches on Collision.

QTV vs. Matt Hardy/Brother Zay

It’s QT Marshall/Johnny TV with Harley Cameron and Ethan Page as the respective seconds. Zay works on Johnny’s arm to start before Marshall comes in to hit Zay in the face. It’s off to Matt for a double elbow but QT drives him into the corner for some alternating shots to the face.

Matt shrugs it off and hands it back to Zay for a springboard crossbody. Zay tells Cameron to call him until he is sent outside, setting up a heck of a dive from Johnny. We take a break and come back with Zay kicking Johnny into the corner…and right back to QT. Zay shrugs it off and brings Matt back in to clean house as the pace picks up.

A powerbomb out of the corner gets two on Johnny, followed by the middle rope elbow to the back of the neck. Everything breaks down and Johnny’s Flying Chuck gets two. Johnny can’t hit his flipping neckbreaker and it’s back to Zay, who hits a big dive onto both villains on the floor. Back in and a Cameron distraction lets QT crotch Zay on top. Starship Pain finishes Zay at 10:12.

Rating: C+. Well at least Marshall didn’t get the pin. I’ll take TV in here as the ace of QTV over Powerhouse Hobbs as if nothing else he feels like a more natural fit. Beating Matt Hardy and Zay won’t hurt them a bit, especially when it’s just a temporary thing with Jeff out of action. If they keep QTV on low level stuff like this, they’re a fine nothing heel group.

Post match Page offers a save but gets superkicked. The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn make the real save.

Video on Hikaru Shida vs. Taya Valkyrie.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Wheeler Yuta vs. Kenny Omega next week on Dynamite.

Hikaru Shida vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya powers her into the corner to start but gets caught with a running knee. Shida hammers some right hands and knocks Taya outside, meaning it’s time for the chair. The launched knee misses but an enziguri connects back inside. Taya sweeps the leg though and wraps it around the post as we take a break.

Back with Shida barely able to stand but being able to hit some strikes to the head. The knee is fine enough to hit a jumping knee but Taya knocks her off the ropes. Shida gets in another shot to set up the running Meteora off the apron. The Katana is blocked and Taya hits the running knees in the corner for two. Road To Valhalla is loaded up but Shida reverses into a cradle for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Shida getting a win for a change and the knee being fine enough to do some of her stuff didn’t even go too far. Taya has fallen hard since those losses to Jade and I’m not sure how much she is going to be able to come back from them. Shida is a rather successful star around here, but it’s another loss as Taya has yet to beat anyone that really matters.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was good and the last two matches were certainly fine. This feels like a better than average version of the normal Rampage, with matches that don’t have much major impact on storylines and little more than some people getting in the ring. It’s a show that can be rather entertaining, but it’s not important or required viewing in any way.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Kommander via referee stoppage
Shawn Spears b. The Blade – C4
QTV b. Matt Hardy/Brother Zay – Starship Pain to Zay
Hikaru Shida b. Taya Valkyrie – Cradle

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: 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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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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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

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Dynamite
Date: May 17, 2023
Location: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We have less than two weeks to go before Double Or Nothing and coming into this show, two matches have been announced. That should be easy to solve as there are several matches all but ready to announce, though AEW does like to take their time actually making things official. Don Callis also owes us an explanation so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Wardlow to get straight to the point. He calls out Christian Cage, who comes out with Luchasaurus. Christian and Wardlow argue with Christian loading up some spot in the face. Luchasaurus breaks that up and a low blow drops Wardlow so the beating can be on. A ladder is brought in and Luchasaurus chokeslams Wardlow through it for a nasty crash. An Unprettier onto the ladder drops Wardlow again and Christian holds up the TNT Title. It has been what, two months since we’ve had a ladder match around here?

Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin vs. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill

Moriarty and Cassidy trade rollups to start and wind up sitting on the mat for a quick slap off. Bill comes in to throw Darby around but everything breaks down and stereo suicide dives drop the villains. We take a break and come back with Bill loading up a delayed vertical suplex. It’s so delayed that Cassidy manages to tag out but the referee doesn’t see it and gets Allin out before Cassidy is dropped.

Cassidy manages to roll away and bring in Allin officially to clean house. Bill cuts Allin off with a Boss Man Slam for two, meaning Allin has to bring Cassidy back in. Moriarty gets Cassidy in a Border City Stretch but that’s broken up as well, allowing Cassidy to drive him into the corner. It’s Bill coming back in for a double clothesline but an assisted Code Red puts him down. The Beach Break from Cassidy sets up the Coffin Drop to Moriarty….for no cover. Instead, Allin grabs a headlock takeover for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: B. This got rolling near the end and I was digging what they were doing. The headlock takeover was a nice addition as it gave the match a tie into what Allin is doing and it isn’t like Moriarty has anything to lose. It’s kind of a weird set of teams to open the show, but the fans liked it and the action got rather intense by the end.

The Young Bucks say Kenny Omega is banged up when the Blackpool Combat Club comes in to beat them down. Jon Moxley declares the Club the Elite in this business.

Wardlow is being checked out when Arn Anderson comes in to yell at him. The result: Wardlow challenges Christian Cage to a ladder match for the TNT Title at Double Or Nothing. Well of course he did.

Orange Cassidy will fight everyone, including Kyle Fletcher, at Double Or Nothing.

Sammy Guevara vs. Exodus Prime

GTH finishes Prime at 19 seconds. I guess Sammy doesn’t mind paying for shipping.

Post match Guevara talks about working his way up through the Texas independents and knowing what it took to get here. At Double Or Nothing, he’s winning the title. Uh yeah home state or not, he was taking a check to take a dive three weeks ago so the face turn isn’t quite working for me.

Video on the Four Pillars match.

Tony Schiavone brings out Sonjay Dutt and company for a chat. Well never mind as FTR runs in and jumps Satnam Singh to knock him off the stage, starting the brawl with Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal. With Lethal losing a good portion of his pants, Jarrett is left inside to get double teamed. Cue Karen Jarrett of all people to how blow Wheeler, allowing Jarrett to Stroke Harwood. Singh is back in and guitar shots abound.

Darby Allin says that was a message to MJF but Sammy Guevara comes in. He isn’t going to be a follower, but offers an alliance with Allin to take the title from MJF. Sure.

Outcasts vs. Hikaru Shida/Britt Baker

The Outcasts (with Saraya) start fast but the running hip attack is broken up. Shida hits a middle rope dropkick to drop Soho and it’s off to Baker. Saraya’s distraction lets Storm hip attack her to the floor, where Saraya gets in a few more shots. We take a break and come back with Shida coming in to fire off on Shida, allowing Baker to hit a suplex.

Shida’s top rope Meteora gives Baker two as Storm has to make a save. Baker does the always ridiculous looking spot where her neckbreaker makes Storm DDT her partner but Lockjaw is countered. No Future drops Baker and it’s back to Storm, who gets caught with an Air Raid Crash. Saraya pops up for a distraction though and Storm spray paints Baker in the face, setting up Storm Zero for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. Storm almost has to be next in line for Jamie Hayter, assuming she is back in time for Double Or Nothing. The ending felt like a heel stable cheating to win and was one of the first times I’ve felt like the Outcasts were getting things right. It was a nice upgrade from their usual team stuff and that could be trouble for whomever they face next.

Orange Cassidy is told that twenty people want the International Title so he’ll fight them all, say in a Blackjack Battle.

Tony Khan’s big announcement is the debut of Collision on June 17 (location TBA) and we hear about some upcoming cities. Collision was announced earlier today, so the Big Announcement is a mixture of that and upcoming cities for Collision tapings?

Chris Jericho vs. Roderick Strong

Falls Count Anywhere and Adam Cole/the JAS are barred from the arena. Strong starts fast and they trade chops, with Strong getting the better of things. A running clothesline sends Strong to the floor and the beating continues, setting up the Walls back inside. Strong makes the rope for the break (If it’s falls count anywhere, why did the hold need to be broken? In the ropes counts as anywhere.) and a commercial break.

We come back with Jericho suplexing Strong through a table in the concourse as commentary tells us about the death of Superstar Billy Graham (might want to time that better people). They fight into a stairwell and Jericho hits a running forearm on a platform above the stairs for two. The fight goes into the concession area and Strong throws plastic cutlery at Jericho. Some ice cream to the face drops Jericho again but Strong heads outside. Jericho follows….and Adam Cole is waiting right there to jump Jericho and beat him down. Strong adds the jumping knee to the face for the pin at 13:01.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of a match where they all but flat out said what the ending was going to be and it was exactly how it should have gone. As soon as you could see daylight, you knew Cole would be there and everything leading up to that was just ice cream on the cake. Entertaining brawl, but more importantly a solid step forward for Cole vs. Jericho.

Rush vs. Jungle Boy

They fight straight to the floor with Rush getting the better of things and sending Jungle Boy into the barricade. We take an early break and come back with Jungle Boy’s clothesline having no effect. Jungle Boy manages to stagger him and get up top for a super hurricanrana.

The Snare Trap goes on in the middle of the ring but Rush makes the ropes anyway. They go to the apron to chop it out until Rush belly to bellies him over, with Jungle Boy BARELY getting his head around to avoid crashing into the floor. Back in and Rush stomps away in the corner but stops to yell at the referee, allowing Jungle Boy to grab a rollup with trunks for the pin at 9:58.

Rating: C+. This was quite the miss as I’m not sure how it was supposed to make Jungle Boy look good. Unless they were trying to do something with Jungle Boy pulling the trunks at the end, this made Jungle Boy look rather weak, especially as he comes up on the biggest match of his career. Rush got in WAY too much offense here and Jungle Boy looked beneath him for a good portion of the match, which is not the way this should have gone.

Post match Rush and company beat down Jungle Boy, with Darby Allin’s save attempt not working. Sammy Guevara comes out for the real save and Guevara, Allin and Jungle Boy stare at each other.

MJF knocks Renee Paquette’s microphone away when asked about the title match.

Toni Storm wants Jamie Hayter for the Women’s Title at Double Or Nothing.

Jay White vs. Ricky Starks

Juice Robinson is in White’s corner. White starts fast and sends Starks outside, only to be sent into the barricade for his efforts. Back in and White gets two off a hot shot as we take an early break. We come back with Starks kicking him down and grabbing a springboard tornado DDT for two. White drops him ribs first on top to bang up the ribs though and a swinging Rock Bottom gives White two more.

Starks tries to fight back but gets sent over the top in a big crash to the floor. Back in and a quick Michinoku Driver gives Starks two but Robinson trips him up. The Blade Runner is countered into a rollup to give Starks two, followed by the spear. Robinson brings in a chair but gets it taken away from him, allowing Starks to unload on him. Another chair to White’s back is enough for the DQ at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This got going near the end but the ending felt a lot more like a way to keep the feud going. I’m just not sure why that is the case though, as White vs. Starks hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire. White was brought in and put into this feud completely on his reputation. He really could use more mic time to show what he can do and what he is all about, but that might not be coming for a long time.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Here is Don Callis, with security, for his big explanation. He is the real victim in the Kenny Omega situation, because he carried Omega to everything in his career. Omega tries to fight through them but the Blackpool Combat Club jumps him hard. The Club gets in the ring as Omega tries to get up, which draws out the Young Bucks to even things up a bit.

Cue the returning Hangman Page (with eye patch) for the save and big brawl. Page announces Anarchy In The Arena for Double Or Nothing, leaving Moxley looking worried to end the show. Omega looked like a star here and Page’s return was rather good. The Four Pillars match will probably headline, but it’s hard to imagine that this isn’t going to be the real main event.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show here, though the Four Pillars match still isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire. Other than that, the main event angle was good and the opener went well. Add in the Cole interference going precisely as it should have and this was a completely watchable show overall. They need a strong show next week to get us to Double Or Nothing, and that feels like a possibility given this one setting the table for the table setting.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin b. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill – Headlock takeover to Moriarty
Sammy Guevara b. Exodus Prime – GTH
Outcasts b. Hikaru Shida/Britt Baker – Storm Zero to Baker
Roderick Strong b. Chris Jericho – Jumping knee to the face
Jungle Boy b. Rush – Rollup with trunks
Jay White b. Ricky Starks via DQ when Starks used a chair

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: January 18, 2023
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re about six weeks away from Revolution and that means Bryan Danielson is still on the road to getting his Iron Man match with MJF for the World Title. Other than that, Orange Cassidy is defending the All-Atlantic Title against Jay Lethal and Ricky Starks continues his issues with the Jericho Appreciation Society. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Jay Briscoe.

All-Atlantic Title: Jay Lethal vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is defending and there are no seconds, though here are Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt through the crowd to take fans’ seats. They start fast with Cassidy grabbing a small package and backslide for two each before Lethal knocks him outside. Cue Danhausen, who is now an usher, demanding to see Jarrett and company’s tickets. Because reasons, they hand them over, and Danhausen waves over the Best Friends (with concessions) to sit behind them.

In the melee, Cassidy hits a suicide dive but Lethal knocks him back down without much effort. Now Danhausen is at ringside as Lethal drives Cassidy into the apron. A hard posting (great bump) has Cassidy in more trouble and Lethal gets to strut. Back in and Hail To The King is loaded up but Cassidy rolls away, even as Lethal tries multiple buckles.

The Stundog Millionaire and tornado DDT hit Lethal for two but he’s right back with the Lethal Combination. The Lethal Injection connects, only for Cassidy to roll outside. Hold on though as the referee goes to yell at Jarrett and company, allowing Danhausen to steal the guitar. Lethal gives chase and runs into the Orange Punch to retain the title at 9:09.

Rating: C. This was a tricky one as the match itself was entertaining but there is only so much you can do with all of the shenanigans going on outside. I’m not sure why the Jarrett/Best Friends and company stuff was supposed to be entertaining but it felt like we were going into what Danhausen thought of Memphis. The match worked well enough, but the outside stuff was so distracting that it brought things back down.

Post match everyone else gets in and Cassidy gives Dutt the lazy kicks. Dutt has to be held back and we don’t get much physicality. Well Cassidy and Danhausen do have some popcorn if that counts.

Video on Kushida vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Title later tonight.

Top Flight vs. Young Bucks

Brandon Cutler is here too. Nick cranks on Dante’s wrist to start and with the traditional wrestling out of the way, they start trading the flips until it’s a standoff. Dante hits Nick in the face so it’s off to Matt, who gets tripped down by Darius via the blind tag. Everything breaks down and Dante gets caught on the middle rope. Darius gets sent outside and we take a break.

Back with Nick breaking up a hot tag attempt by punning Darius to the floor. A bulldog/dropkick combination hits Dante and a 450/standing moonsault combination gives Nick two. Dante manages to hurricanrana his way out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Darius to clean house. A high crossbody gets two on Matt and everything breaks down again. Dante hits a springboard Downward Spiral on Nick and springboards outside to dive onto Matt.

The powerbomb/Nose Dive combination gets two on Matt with Nick making a fast save. Nick gets to do his rapid fire comeback, with a slingshot Canadian Destroyer getting two on Dante. Matt, after adjusting his JAY armband, loads up a Doomsday Device for two on Darius with Dante making his own diving save. The BTE Trigger is loaded up but the Darius misses so the knees collide, allowing Darius to grab a rollup pin at 12:14.

Rating: B. Top Flight continues to get better and better, as they are becoming that high flying team that you almost need to have on your roster. Beating the Bucks still means something and hopefully this is a sign that Top Flight could be on their way up the ladder. It wouldn’t stun me to see them getting the Tag Team Titles this year and they seem to be on their way.

Here are the Gunns for a chat. The take credit for the Acclaimed’s success (“WE EVEN GAVE THEM OUR DAD!”) and promise there will never be any more embarrassment. Cue the Acclaimed and, after an argument over whether Caster can rap, Caster raps about how the Gunns are the worst kids since Hunter Biden and…something that is censored. Gunn talks about how the Gunns are pathetic and tells the Acclaimed to start acting like champions. Next week: family therapy. Billy leaves on his own.

Hangman Page feels great after last week’s fight with Jon Moxley. Page said he would knock Moxley out if he had to and then he did just that. As for his future, he won’t go into it, but Page does ask Renee Paquette how Moxley is doing and seems sincere. He asks her to tell him….never mind. Nice touch by not ignoring the big personal side there.

Jake Hager vs. Ricky Starks

Chris Jericho is on commentary and the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society is at ringside. Hager, with hat, starts fast but Starks takes the hat away and they head outside. Hager posts him and Starks tries to dive through the ropes to avoid the contact, only to crash into them to make it even worse (that looked bad).

We take a break and come back with Starks dropkicking him through the ropes to the floor. A springboard crossbody hits Hager and a running clothesline takes him down again. Starks plants him with a DDT but takes a long time posing, allowing the Society to get up on the apron. That fails as well, allowing Starks to hit the spear for the pin at 6:22. Not enough shown to rate, but Starks continues his rise.

Video on Adam Cole’s return. He could be a heck of a mega face if he is given the chance.

The Jericho Appreciation Society wants to end Ricky Starks, so next week they’re facing Starks and Action Andretti. Hold on though as Daniel Garcia wants to take Sammy Guevara’s place. Guevara says cool, but only if Garcia can beat Andretti on Rampage. Guevara, who seemingly had no knowledge this was happening in advance, has new leather pants ready for Garcia.

Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido

They shake hands to start and we’re ready to go. They go to a quick standoff until Danielson headlocks him down. Back up and Bandido takes him down for a change, setting up the surfboard. That’s broken up and Danielson does the double leg stomp. They trade finger guns until Bandido ties up the legs and arms at the same time. Danielson sits up to escape but has to get out of a Texas Cloverleaf attempt as well.

Back up and Danielson knees away but gets hiptossed down, setting up…something where he ties up Danielson’s arms and legs and lifts him up. That can’t last long so Danielson rolls outside, allowing Bandido to hit the running flip dive. We take a break and come back with Danielson striking away at the ribs but getting small packaged for two. Danielson uppercuts him into the corner for the kicks to the chest.

Bandido isn’t having that and hits a springboard twisting crossbody. The delayed vertical suplex takes Danielson down again but he pulls Bandido into the LeBell Lock. Bandido gets a foot on the rope so Danielson fires off the YES Kicks. The big one is blocked and Bandido hits the X Knee. Danielson flips out of the 21 Plex though and la majistral gets two.

Back up and Bandido is sent outside for a dropkick through the ropes. There’s the running knee off the apron and they head back inside, where Bandido takes him up top. The super fall away slam sets up the 21 Plex for two and they strike it out. Danielson can’t pull him back into the LeBell Lock, allowing Bandido to pull him back up. That’s broken up and the running knee finishes Bandido at 17:53.

Rating: B+. This was the chess match that I was hoping it would be as you could see both of them trying to get into the right place to knock the other one off. What made it different though is it felt like they were going through a game plan throughout the match and had planned for everything the other had to offer. Awesome match, but that shouldn’t be a surprise with Danielson these days.

Post match MJF pops up on screen to say he doesn’t like how Danielson is treating him. So far Danielson has only dealt with Masked Max, but the further Danielson goes down this road, the more the mask comes off. Even the Dragon is no match for the Monster behind the mask.

Saraya and Toni Storm aren’t happy with Hikaru Shida screwing up in their match last week.

Next week it’s Bryan Danielson vs. Brian Cage, so MJF offers Cage a lot of money to Cage to unleash the hate. He even intentionally messes with Cage to make him angrier, which has MJF rather pleased.

Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale

Saraya is here with Storm. Nightingale shoulders her down to start and hits a spinning belly to back suplex. Back up and Storm slaps her in the face as Hikaru Shida comes out. We take a break and come back with Nightingale hitting a spinebuster, followed by a middle rope dropkick. The Cannonball misses though and Storm is back with the running hip attack. A tornado DDT plants Nightingale for two but she Pounces Storm into the corner. Now the Cannonball can connect for two….but then Saraya gets on the apron for a distraction so Storm can roll her up for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C. What was that ending? Why would you have Saraya get on the apron after Storm had already kicked out? It makes sense that Saraya was worried, but why make Nightingale look bad in the process? Anyway, Nightingale gets knocked back a bit, which is a shame as she is starting to move up and while it was screwy she probably didn’t need to lose.

Post match Saraya and Storm beat on Nightingale until Ruby Soho runs in for the save. Shida stayed neutral in the whole thing.

Video on Jungle Boy vs. Ethan Page.

Konosuke Takeshita is honored to have fought Bryan Danielson, and now he wants MJF. There’s the next match that Takeshita gets to lose.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Kushida

Kushida, with some students from the Los Angeles New Japan Dojo is here, with Sting in Allin’s corner. Kushida misses some kicks to start and gets pulled into a quick chinlock. With that broken up, Allin sweeps the leg for two and rolls over into an exchange of armbar attempts. The grappling continues until Kushida slips out of an armdrag, setting up the basement dropkick to send Allin outside.

Back in and Kushida kicks him in the arm before cranking on said arm. That’s broken up and Allin hits a fast Code Red, setting up the big flip dive to the floor onto the Dojo students. Kushida uses the distraction to take Allin down by the arm though and we take a break. Back with Kushida kicking at the arm, which only fires Allin up again. A Scorpion Death Drop plants Kushida for a double knockdown but he’s able to send Allin outside.

Kushida goes after the arm, only to have Allin come back with a flipping Stunner onto the apron. Allin knocks Kushida into an open chair and goes up for the Coffin Drop, only to get pulled into the cross armbreaker. Back in and Kushida cranks on the arm on top, setting up an arm crank top rope superplex (egads). The Hoverboard Lock goes on and the students offer Sting a towel to throw in. Sting wipes his face with it and throws it into the crowd. Allin slips out and grabs the Last Supper to retain at 13:40.

Rating: B. Another solid match here, as Kushida is going to be able to have a good one against anyone. Allin gets a win over an established name as he continues his nice resurgence. I could go for more of Kushida around here and that might be the case, though Sting shrugging off students might have been better.

Respect is shown after the match and Kushida wants to do it again. Excalibur gives Jay Briscoe one more shout out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show had a nice mixture of stuff and it made for a rather fun night of stuff. A lot of that was due to a series of good to excellent matches, but there were also some moments of things being a bit overthought. What mattered though is you can see a lot of the Revolution card starting to take shape and this show advanced a few of those stories. Very good show here, with the wrestling carrying things.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Jay Lethal – Orange Punch
Top Flight b. Young Bucks – Rollup to Matt
Ricky Starks b. Jake Hager – Spear
Bryan Danielson b. Bandido – Running knee
Toni Storm b. Willow Nightingale – Rollup
Darby Allin b. Kushida – Last Supper

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: December 21, 2022
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Ricky Starks

It’s the Holiday Bash and that means we are about to wrap up the year in a big way. That should make for a good week, but you never know what you are going to see around here. Last week saw Bryan Danielson seemingly line himself up as the next challenger to MJF so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of MJF cheating to retain the World Title over Ricky Starks.

Here is Ricky Starks to get things going. He makes one thing clear: he was ready for MJF last week and it took some cheating to beat him, but Starks is going to be even more ready next time. Now bring him whoever he needs to beat to get another title shot, but here is the Jericho Appreciation Society to interrupt. Jericho praises Starks and says he’ll be a World Champion one day. It just won’t be anytime soon, but maybe Starks just needs some extra guidance from Jericho.

Starks says Jericho looks like a single father on his fifth divorce. He’s going to pass on the offer, because the J in JAS might as well stand for jobbers. Starks calls the other two JAS-Holes and asks what Jericho has done for either of them. The challenge is on for January 4 but here is Jake Hager to jump Starks from behind. Action Andretti runs in for the save. Starks has jumped MILES ahead in recent weeks and it’s pretty awesome to watch.

Elite vs. Death Triangle

Match #5 with Death Triangle up 3-1 and no DQ. Death Triangle clears the ring to start and there are the big flip dives. Back in and Penta gets caught in the corner for some running shots but we pause for Michael Nakazawa to get in some shots. Then Brandon Cutler, dressed as an elf, gets cut off by Alex Abrahantes. That means a parade of superkicks, followed by Penta hitting a heck of a trashcan shot to Omega. A faceplant puts nick Jackson down and we take a break.

Back with Matt being sent into a Christmas tree in the corner (Excalibur: “Into those unforgiving artificial pine needles!”) but Nick dives onto all of Death Triangle. Pac goes after Matt’s ankle though, only to have Omega break up the Pillmanizing. Omega takes Pac out with a trashcan and it’s table time on the floor. With two of them set up, Omega pulls out a barbed wire broom, which goes over Fenix’s back. The Bucks dive through Pac and Fenix and the tables, leaving Omega to tiger driver 98 Fenix onto the barbed wire broom for a delayed two.

Abrahantes’ interference doesn’t work so Omega tries the One Winged Angel, only to have Fenix reverse into a hurricanrana for two more. The hammer to the head gives Fenix two so the Triangle goes for triple submissions (including the Brutalizer to Omega with tinsel). Matt slips out and makes the save and Omega snapdragons Fenix. That leaves Matt, with a bad ankle, to hit a Meltzer Driver to drive Fenix into a chair for the pin at 13:48.

Rating: C+. If your previous matches barely have rules, does it really matter than much when you get rid of the rules you have? This was more of what the series has been devolving into: an entertaining enough mess that is stringing the idea out even longer, to the point where I never want to see these teams fight again. I’m sure we’ll get to the big blowoff in Los Angeles and then everyone can move on, but dang they are killing my interest on the way there.

Post match Death Triangle massacres the Elite, leaving Matt busted open.

After last week’s successful title defense, MJF was livid at Bryan Danielson for interfering. Now he wants to give Danielson more than he deserves.

Action Andretti is happy with beating Chris Jericho, which draws in the Jericho Appreciation Society to yell. It’s a ruse though, allowing Jericho to throw a fireball at Andretti.

Here is Bryan Danielson for a chat about how he isn’t happy with William Regal turning on the Blackpool Combat Club. The fans might remember that he trained in San Antonio and had his first match just up the road from this building. His trainers were Rudy Boy Gonzalez and Shawn Michaels (pause for HBK chants) but William Regal taught him how to be a wrestler. When Regal was in the hospital, Danielson cried because Regal made him who he is. One thing Regal taught him was that there are consequences to his actions, which is what MJF needs to learn.

Cue….Ethan Page and Stokely Hathaway instead, to talk about how Page is always finishing in second place but Danielson (or Vegetable Man) wants to jump the line anyway. Danielson says that Hathaway’s bald head is distracting him so grow some hair. Also, did Page just call him Vegetable Man? Hathaway: “You raggedy b****.” Page says that he is going to turn Danielson into a vegetable so Danielson is ready to fight. But nah, we’ll do it next week instead. They’re certainly trying with Page and that’s a good sign. I’m not sure how well it’s going, but they have picked someone and are going for it so well done.

Jon Moxley is ready for the $300,000 Trios Casino Christmas Battle Royal on Rampage. Other than that though, he’s ready for Hangman Page, who can brawl with him all across Texas if he wants. What is there to settle though? Page got knocked out, but what did you think Moxley was trying to do with that clothesline? Comb Page’s hair? For tonight though, Moxley is going to teach Darius Martin a hard lesson.

Samoa Joe wishes Wardlow Happy Holidays because he won’t have a Happy New Year. The beating is coming on December 28.

Hook vs. Exodus Prime

Redrum finishes Prime at 1:00.

Post match we see the Firm beating up Jack Perry in the back, including a Big Bill chokeslam into a dumpster.

Jon Moxley vs. Darius Martin

Dante Martin and Claudio Castagnoli are here too. Moxley elbows him in the face to start but a dropkick sends him outside. They fight into the crowd early with Moxley putting him down but pausing to celebrate too long. Darius hits a heck of a suicide dive to drop Moxley and they head back in. Moxley is fine enough to drop him hard on the floor before starting in on the arm.

A superplex drops Darius and there are the hard elbows to the face. Darius gets in a shot of his own and a Pele out of the corner gives him a breather. There’s a springboard Downward Spiral for two on Moxley, who rolls through a high crossbody. That means a bunch of stomps to Darius’ head, setting up the hammer and anvil elbows. The bulldog choke into the Death Rider finishes for Moxley at 8:35.

Rating: C. This wasn’t the greatest from either guy but Moxley did have to work rather hard to get the win in the end. Moxley needed to do something to get back on track after having some rough times lately, as well as keeping himself ready for Hangman Page. At the same time, as sad as it is, you have to worry if one of the Martins is going to get hurt at any given time. It’s sad to see, but after everything they have been through, it’s hard to not think about.

Hikaru Shida is ready to take the Women’s Title from Jamie Hayter.

We get more from the Book Of Hobbs, who talks about watching his uncle overdose and various other horrible things as a kid.

FTR vs. The Gunns

Dax is very taped up so Austin pounds on the bad ribs to take over. Wheeler comes in instead for some atomic drops before avoiding a dropkick. The Gunns are sent outside in a heap and we take a break. Back with Wheeler fighting out of trouble and handing it back to Harwood to clean house.

Wheeler has to make a diving save to block a spike piledriver on the floor and everything breaks down. The Sharpshooter is broken up back inside but Harwood’s back gives out before the piledriver can be loaded up. Harwood tries an O’Connor roll but Austin reverses into one of his own and grabs some help for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B-. The Gunns get a big win, but FTR continues to feel like they are on a pretty downward path. They are on a bit of a losing streak and have already lost the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles. Maybe they are on their way out of AEW, but dang it is sad to see what could have been an all time run being reduced to “we gave you all these other titles, that’s enough”.

Sonjay Dutt has a rap video about the Acclaimed.

Hip hop mogul Rick Ross is here to moderate a meeting between Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland. After Ross calls Lee a “big motherf***** (uncensored)”), Swerve comes out to say we need to be doing this his way. Swerve tells Lee to keep looking behind him, so here is Parker Boudreaux (in the same shirt as Swerve) to brawl with Lee. Boudreaux gets sent outside without much effort and Lee goes to stare at Swerve…as a guy with a lot of tattoos jumps Lee. Boudreaux and the unnamed lackey put Lee on a table so Swerve can double stomp a cinder block on his chest. And yes, we have a new stable. This was really, really bad.

The Best Friends/Orange Cassidy and the Dark Order are ready for the Rampage battle royal. Both Trent and Cassidy wanting to buy Chuck’s mom a house is funny.

Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Jamie Hayter

Hayter, with Britt Baker and Rebel, is defending. They strike away to start with Shida getting the better of things and knocking it to the floor. Shida drops her again and scares Baker away as we take a break. Back with Shida in control and snapping off a suplex but a double clothesline puts them both down. It’s Shida up first with a dropkick and they head to the apron, where Shida hits a jumping knee. A suplex to the floor drops Hayter HARD and we take another break.

Back again with Hayter missing a moonsault and getting kneed in the face. A snap German suplex drops Hayter so Baker gets on the apron with the kendo stick. Rebel offers a distraction as Shida springboard kicks baker down. The distraction lets Hayter hit a powerbomb for two, followed by the running clothesline for the same. The Hayterade is enough to retain the title at 16:16.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a fight and the women were both working hard to get it over. The ending was a nice change of pace as they had Shida survive a few times before ultimately being taken out. Shida looks good but Hayter looks like a killer, which is about all you can hope for here. Awesome match and hopefully the women get more chances like this, as they nailed it here.

Post match the beatdown is on but Toni Storm and then Saraya run out for the save to end the show.

It’s the Holiday Bash and that means we are about to wrap up the year in a big way. That should make for a good week, but you never know what you are going to see around here.: B-. There were a few weak parts on here (the Lee/Swerve segment in particular) but overall, this was a fast paced and pretty nice edition of Dynamite. You can see where they are going for their next big edition of TV and that should be enough to carry things over to the Revolution build in March. For this week though, good stuff, with the main event standing out.

Results
Elite b. Death Triangle – Meltzer Driver onto a chair to Fenix
Hook b. Exodus Prime – Redrum
Jon Moxley b. Darius Martin – Death Rider
The Gunns b. FTR – Assisted rollup to Harwood
Jamie Hayter b. Hikaru Shida – Hayterade

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.