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

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

Here is All In if you need a recap.

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

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

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

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

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hangman Page

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

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

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

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

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

Jamie Hayter vs. Harley Cameron

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

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

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

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

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

We look at Ricochet’s debut at All In.

Learning Tree/Roderick Strong vs. Conglomeration/Hook

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kyle Fletcher vs. Ricochet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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All In 2024
Date: August 25, 2024
Location: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinnness, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s the biggest show of the year and they’re in London for the second time in a row. That alone should make the show feel important but in this case the card is mostly living up to the hype. The main event will see Bryan Danielson challenging Swerve Strickland for the World Title in a title vs. career match, which has all of the makings. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Private Party/Ariya Daivari/Dark Order/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh/Anthony Ogogo vs. Kyle Fletcher/Rocky Romero/Kip Sabian/Tommy Billington/Lio Rush/Action Andretti/Top Flight

Don Callis is on commentary as Billington and Lethal strike it out to start. Sabian and Ogogo come in for a lockup until Sabian hits a dropkick to kick him down. Everything breaks down and we’re left with Singh and Rush for the visual. Rush’s chops to the stomach don’t work so he grabs Singh’s leg, with Singh walking around anyway. Singh isn’t having that and launches Rush over the top and down onto the pile.

Back in and Silver slams Andretti down and chokes on the ropes, allowing Evil Uno (one of the many extras on the floor) throwing the papers ala Brodie Lee. Private Party hit slingshot hilos and Daivari chops him down for two. Andretti handspring elbows his way out of trouble though and it’s back to Sabian to pick up the pace.

Fletcher comes in with a middle rope cutter to Lethal before knocking Singh off the apron. A brainbuster gets two on Reynolds and everything breaks down, meaning it’s time for the dives. Silly String hits Sabian and Gin and Juice makes it worse. Ogogo gets to punch at various people but Darius is back in with a double DDT onto the Order. Dante drops Daivari and hits a frog splash for the pin at 11:36.

Rating: C+. It was an entertaining match but it was such a mess with that many people in there that no one really got to stand out (save for maybe Fletcher). This was the definition of “get a bunch of people on the show”, but it was also the definition of “most of these people don’t mean much and they’re out there in front of a half empty stadium because the show doesn’t start for over an hour”. That’s not exactly a great start and the wide shot of all the empty seats at the start made me feel more sad for them than excited for the show.

Zero Hour: Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Willow Nightingale

The winning team picks the stipulation for Statlander vs. Nightingale next month at All Out. Hathaway is brought to the stage on a sedan, because of course he is. Ishii starts with Hathaway, who isn’t having this and bails out, meaning it’s Nightingale vs. Statlander. Nightingale gets sent into the corner for some shots to the face but comes back with a spinebuster for two.

We pause for some yelling at Hathaway, allowing Statlander to get in some cheap shots to take over. Back up and Nightingale makes the clothesline comeback, only to walk into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Nightingale slips out of a Death Valley Driver and drops a backsplash for two of her own. The double tag brings in the men and for some reason, Hathaway fires off some chops.

This goes as well as you would expect and Ishii runs him over. Statlander comes back in to forearm away at Ishii, allowing Hathaway to actually hit a spinebuster. The fans are rather happy as Ishii pops back up, with Hathaway hammering away in the corner. That doesn’t last long as Nightingale Pounces Statlander, leaving Ishii to hit the sliding lariat for the pin on Hathaway at 8:15.

Rating: C+. This was all about Hathaway and of course he made it work in his limited chances. The bigger story is going to be the stipulation for Nightingale vs. Statlander, which almost has to be either a hardcore match or Nightingale fighting both of them at once. Perfectly fine match here and it would have fit in on any given Rampage.

Zero Hour: Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs vs. Kingdom/Cage Of Agony

Kevin Von Erich is here with the good guys and it’s a big brawl in the aisle before the bell. We get a quadruple Shattered Dreams to the villains and, with the referee ok with all of that, it’s the opening bell with Guevara and Kaun starting things off. Guevara quickly clears the ring and stares it down with Cage, who gets dropped with a top rope cutter. Kaun pulls Guevara outside for a whip into the barricade and they head back inside with Guevara caught in the wrong corner.

A backbreaker/springboard elbow drop combination gets two but Taven misses a frog splash. Rhodes comes in to take over and the snap powerslam puts Taven down. We hit the parade of knockdowns as Excalibur can barely keep track of everyone. Taven is back up with the Flight Of The Conqueror so Rhodes teases a dive but dances into a pose instead. Cage tries a running flip dive but mostly misses, leaving Guevara to shooting star onto the pile.

Back in and Cage gets the worst of a Tower Of Doom, leaving Rhodes to hit Cross Rhodes for two on Taven with the Gates making the save. Rhodes gets tossed into a powerbomb for two but Guevara hurricanranas his way out of the same thing. Shibata’s running dropkick hits Bennett in the corner and Marshall’s top rope moonsault gets the same. Rhodes hits Taven with the Final Reckoning and Guevara adds the Swanton so Rhodes can get the pin at 11:03.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what Rhodes has on AEW but he has been the most active guy in the company (and in Ring Of Honor, because that’s a thing as well) for the last few weeks. That being said, Texas Takes England wasn’t the most thrilling story, especially when it came after a tag match with even more people. This was another bunch of people doing stuff until someone got the pin. The Texas guys don’t do anything for me because I’ve seen them more than I could possibly want to recently, but at least it didn’t go that long.

Post match the villains jump them but Kevin Von Erich makes the save, meaning it’s a group claw to get rid of the bad guys.

Here are the Outcasts, with Saraya’s entire family, for her big moment. Harley Cameron says Saraya is mad, with Saraya going into a rant about not being on the show despite being the best British woman ever in wrestling. And cue the returning Jamie Hayter (now with red hair) to march her way to Saraya, with Sweet Saraya (Saraya’s mother) getting in a cheap shot. The younger Saraya escapes, allowing Hayter to take out Cameron and stand tall.

The last nine minutes of the pre-show are spent on the entrances to the opener so the main show can start fast.

Trios Titles: Patriarchy vs. Pac/Blackpool Combat Club vs. House Of Black vs. Bang Bang Gang

The Patriarchy is defending in a ladder match. The bell rings and Cage runs away to start, leaving everyone else to brawl on the floor. That means a table is already set up on the floor but Austin has to cut Matthews down from a climb attempt. A bunch of people go up but get pulled down, with King dropping Pac with a clothesline. Robinson hits a running flip dive off the apron to take out Castagnoli, leaving Matthews to hit a big flip dive over the top.

Pac dives onto all of them but gets caught with What’s Up from the Gunns. King hits the big suicide dive…and here is Cage again. Cage goes up but gets pulled down by King, who takes Cage outside to be surrounded by a mob. That leaves Mother Wayne to go up, with the Gunns cutting her off and talking some sense into her. Killswitch comes in with chokeslams abounding, including one onto a ladder.

Wayne’s World through a table drops King so Luchasaurus goes up, only for Cage to go up at the same time for the sake of getting the glory. That’s broken up as well so it’s Castagnoli getting to wreck the Gunns. There’s the Swing to Robinson but the Gunns make the save, meaning it’s time for the tables. A bunch of people go up and crash through said tables, leaving Robinson to pull Black off the ladder. Wayne goes up and gets knocked hard through another table so let’s bring in the really big ladder, which is grazing against the bottom of the titles.

Pac goes up but gets pulled back down as Mother Wayne passes something off to Cage. That would be a spray of some kind, which goes into Yuta’s eyes to bring him off the ladder. Cage puts a ladder onto him and unloads with a chair but Robinson blocks Mother Wayne’s spray and sprays her instead. Luchasaurus knocks Robinson through a table, leaving Cage and Matthews to go up a pair of ladders. Cage spears him down through a table but might have hurt his own head in the process. Luchasaurus picks Cage up and climbs but Pac goes up as well and kicks Cage down. Pac gets the titles at 19:10.

Rating: B. Well that was a ladder match with a bunch of weapons and even more people involved. It’s something that has been done time after time and while it can be fun, it’s not something I’m going to get excited to see. This would also be the case with a thrown together team winning the titles. I’m sure it’s to get a British champion on there, but there are going to be more than a few on here without doing this title change.

We recap Mariah May challenging Toni Storm for the Women’s Title. May was Storm’s understudy but then won the Owen Hart Tournament to earn the shot and violently attacked Storm. Now Storm is being serious for the first time in a good while and wants revenge.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Mariah May

Storm is defending and has Luther with her. They glare at each other and argue to start before slugging it out. May Day and Storm Zero are both broken up so May dropkicks her into the corner. They chop it out until Storm grabs a DDT, with the fans approving. Storm misses a running hip attack in the ropes and gets powerbombed out onto the floor for a nasty landing.

Back in and May hits a running dropkick, followed by Stratusphere for two. Storm fights up from a slap and hammers away, only to get suplexed back down. May even goes outside and dropkicks Luther, which is just not that nice. To make it even worse, May slaps HER OWN MOTHER (in the crowd) but the delay lets Storm hit Storm Zero onto the steps. Storm goes over to hug May’s mother and now May is busted open.

Back in (because the champ’s piledriver onto the steps barely keeps May down for a minute) and Storm throws her around, including a chokebomb for two. May kicks her in the head and hits a bunch of hip attacks but the big one takes too long. Storm is back up and hits her own hip attack, setting up Storm Zero for two.

May goes after the fingers and kicks Storm low before stereo headbutts leave them both down. Back up and May Day gets two so it’s time to grab the title, with Luther pulling it away. Instead May grabs the bloody shoe but Storm takes it away..and can’t bring herself to hit May, who rolls her up for two. May knees her in the face, kisses Storm on the head, and hits Storm Zero for the pin and the title at 15:11.

Rating: B. That was the only result that made sense as Storm’s time as champion had come and gone. It was a hard hitting fight with Storm wanting revenge but coming up short, which is how it should have gone. It wouldn’t shock me to see Storm go a bit more back to normal now, as she can only go so much nuttier. Good stuff here, which overcame a bit of a weak build.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Hook for the FTW Title. Jericho has already beaten Hook but has had to jump through hoops to get another shot at him.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending and gets played to the ring by Fozzy. It’s FTW Rules so the Learning Tree gets in and beats Hook down to start. The Codebreaker connects for one but Hook is back up with a German suplex. Jericho drops him again and hits the Lionsault for two, meaning it’s weapons time. That takes too long so Hook grabs another suplex and pulls out a cricket bat. Hook even grabs some cricket balls and hits them at Jericho but Keith comes in with a trashcan lid.

The Walls are broken up so Hook grabs his own version, only to have Bill make the save. They go outside with Keith setting up a barbed wire board on another table. Hook slips out of a chokeslam but Jericho goes after the good eye to blind him again. One heck of a trashcan shot puts Hook down but the Judas Effect is countered into a t-bone suplex, allowing Hook to reveal that his patched eye has healed and he could really see (Remember when Jericho blinded Jon Moxley and Moxley wore an eyepatch but then Moxley revealed he could really see during their match? Just a random thought.).

Redrum goes on with Bill making the save, only to have Jericho accidentally knock him into the barbed wire board. Keith gets up for a cheap shot, which FINALLY draws Taz off commentary to Tazmission Keith down. Redrum makes Jericho tap and gives Hook the title back at 10:11.

Rating: C+. And that should be it for these two. Hook gets his (latest) win over Jericho and Jericho gets to…well probably move on to a bigger feud because he has to be involved in something important every week. For now though, it’s a feel good moment and that’s all it needed to be.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The Acclaimed and FTR both want the Young Bucks’ titles but since the Bucks almost never defend them, we have both of them getting a shot at once.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. FTR vs. Acclaimed

The Bucks are defending and Caster rushes through his rap, possibly due to nerves. Harwood works on the arm to start but FTR and the Acclaimed get in a shoving match, all while the Bucks approve. The Bucks do come in but are quickly dispatched, leaving Wheeler to get caught in a Scissor Me Timbers attempt. That takes too long though and Nick makes the save, setting up an assisted standing Sliced Bread to Wheeler. Matt grabs a chinlock for a bit before Wheeler fights up and hands it off to Bowens to pick up the pace.

Now Scissor Me Timbers can hit Nick and we pause for some scissoring. Harwood is back in with the German suplexes, including one to both Bucks at once. The PowerPlex only hits raised knees but so does Nick’s 450. The Tony Khan Driver is broken up as well though with Nick being shoved into a moonsault onto the Acclaimed. Matt walks into the Shatter Machine but Nick pulls the referee out.

Back up and Matt hits a tornado DDT to plant Bowens on the floor, leaving Matt and Caster to hit a VIP Trigger to Harwood. Wheeler makes a save but gets sent outside, leaving the Acclaimed to load up Nick. Matt makes the save with a low blow and it’s time for the superkicks. That’s not enough for Matt, who grabs a title, earning himself a Fameasser from Billy Gunn. The Arrival connects but Nick makes the save. Harwood rolls Nick up for two but gets belt shotted for two. The EVP Trigger to Harwood is enough for the pin to retain the titles at 13:21.

Rating: B-. It was a good match but not top level stuff. The Bucks getting their win back in Wembley wasn’t exactly shocking and now we get to find out who they’ll defend against, maybe by Halloween or so. The story coming in wasn’t overly exciting and it dragged things down a bit, though I do appreciate them not going crazy long, which just wasn’t needed.

Post match the Grizzled Young Veterans come in for a staredown with the Young Bucks, who leave instead. Heaven forbid we get that match here of course, because we needed to repeat the previous combinations instead.

Casino Gauntlet Match

This is a 21 person gauntlet match with staggered entrances, but the fall can happen at any time, even if it is only the first two entrants. The winner gets a World Title shot at any time (basically MITB). Orange Cassidy is in at #1 and Kazuchika Okada is in at #2. Okada doesn’t seem worried so Cassidy dropkicks him down into the nip up. NIGEL MCGUINNESS is in at #3 and the fans go coconuts, especially as he and Okada go with the grappling. Nigel takes Okada down and it’s Kyle O’Reilly in at #4.

O’Reilly ties up Okada’s arm but gets caught in an armbar from Nigel at the same time. Cassidy is back in with a Stundog Millionaire and Zack Sabre Jr. is in at #5. We get the Nigel vs. Sabre showdown and the fans are VERY pleased. They go with the grappling before trading rollups for two each until Okada takes Nigel’s place. Sabre gets in a weird neck crank but Okada slips out and hits the top rope elbow. Back up and Sabre goes for the leg but Roderick Strong is in at #6.

Strong’s entrance takes so long that Mark Briscoe is in at #7 by the time he gets to do anything. House is quickly cleaned and it’s Hangman Page in at #8. Clotheslines abound and it’s Jeff Jarrett in at #9. We get the strut before Jarrett gets to hammer on Page in the corner. Page breaks that up and powerbombs Jarrett onto a pile as Ricochet makes his debut at #10. Ricochet starts firing off the kicks and goes to the floor to hammer on Page. Christian Cage limps in at #11 but Ricochet cuts him off.

Okada dropkicks Page, who fights back and loads up the Buckshot Lariat. That’s broken up with a guitar shot, leaving Okada to Rainmaker Jarrett. Cassidy is back up to clean house until he walks into End Of Heartache. Briscoe is in to wreck everyone until he accidentally helps Nigel hit the Tower of London (hanging Stunner) on Sabre. Cage drops Nigel though and it’s Luchasaurus in at #12. He starts firing off the chokeslams, including one to O’Reilly, with Cage stealing the pin at 25:50.

Rating: B. They were rocking here for a bit before a kind of downer ending. Cage being added to the match and stealing it in the end felt like something out of Unforgiven 2008 with a banged up Chris Jericho winning the World Title. That being said, the good stuff here more than outweighed the bad, with Nigel being a crazy great surprise and Ricochet being a cool moment. I liked this, but make it an annual PPV event, as this is the third time we’ve sen it this year.

We recap MJF defending the American Title against Will Ospreay. MJF beat Ospreay in a match that went about an hour via some cheating and now Ospreay wants the title back.

American Title: Will Ospreay vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is defending and comes out dressed as Uncle Sam, while Ospreay gets an Assassin’s Creed entrance. Just to make it worse, MJF has a big American flag come down from the rafters, which Taz calls “heat”. They slug it out to start with Ospreay getting the better of things to send him outside. That means a Sasuke Special to drop MJF, who is right back with a running boot against the barricade. Back in and Ospreay can’t hit the Oscutter so they trade rollups for two each.

MJF powerbombs him onto the knee and adds a Kangaroo Kick. That means we get a hip swivel but Ospreay is back up with an enziguri for two. A skytwister press gets two and MJF heads outside, where he catches Ospreay’s dive in a Tombstone on the floor. Ospreay is back on his feet 51 seconds later and catches MJF’s Moonsault in a Spanish Fly. Back in and MJF is draped over the top for a shooting star to the back for two more.

Stormbreaker is countered into Cross Rhodes for two, only for Ospreay to come back with the Oscutter for the same. MJF hits a quick piledriver for two more but has to counter Stormbreaker into a discus forearm. He takes too long to follow up though and walks into the Stormbreaker for two. The Hidden Blade is loaded up but MJF rolls out to the apron instead. The Oscutter misses as Ospreay only hits mat in a nasty crash. A Canadian Destroyer on the apron knocks Ospreay even sillier, to the point where he collapses before MJF can try a Hidden Blade.

The Heatseeker is blocked and NOW the Oscutter on the apron connects. The crash takes out a production crew member though and Ospreay goes to check on him, allowing MJF to grab the title. Ospreay superkicks MJF and goes after him again, only to bump the referee. MJF hits him low and loads up another shot but a man in black jumps up to cut him off. It’s Daniel Garcia, with MJF threatening him as he leaves. The running forearm drops MJF and the Tiger Driver 91 gives Ospreay the title back at 25:36.

Rating: B. This got going and turned into a showdown, with Garcia being a fine way to go. It was either going to be him or Adam Cole and while I’m not a Garcia fan, I’d rather they go with him over reheating Cole vs. MJF. The match was the kind of hard hitting special that works well for Ospreay, though MJF better be out of action for the better part of ever after all the hype the Tiger Driver 91 received. I know he won’t be, but that’s how he should be after the story they were telling.

Post match Christopher Daniels presents Ospreay with the International Title as the America’s Title goes away.

We recap Britt Baker challenging Mercedes Mone for the TBS Title. Mone is the dominant champion but Baker is back to get into the title hunt again.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Britt Baker

Mone, with Kamille, is defending and comes to the ring in a carriage with her corgis. They run the ropes to start until Mone hits a dropkick but Baker is back up to knock her to the floor. Kamille catches her though and Mone poses with the title as a villain should. Back in and it’s too early for the Lockjaw so Baker settles for a superkick. Kamille offers a distraction though and Mone grabs a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle for two.

Another backbreaker keeps Baker in trouble but she fights up. A kick to the back cuts her off and Banks grabs Three Amigos. Baker fights up again and takes Mone up, only to get slammed down from the middle rope for a nasty crash. Back up and Baker tries a stomp but gets countered into a powerbomb. A quick cutter drops Mone but she goes to the back again for some near falls. Mone loads up…something, only to be reversed into the Air Raid Crash for two.

They go up top and Mone tries another slam, which is reversed into a wicked super powerslam to give Baker two more. Mone tries a belt shot but gets caught, allowing Kamille to tease one, only for Baker to drop down, Eddie Guerrero style. Kamille is ejected and the Panama Sunrise hits Mone for two. Lockjaw goes on but Mone bites the fingers and grabs the Mone Maker to retain at retain the title at 17:20.

Rating: C+. This went long and it hurt things a lot, as they could have wrapped it up about five minutes earlier. As usual, Mone is much more about the sizzle and setup than the match itself, though she was doing well here. Just find a finisher that doesn’t look terrible all the time and she’ll be in a much better place. I’m not sure what is next for Baker, but she could use a win in a good feud. Maybe Deonna Purrazzo?

We recap Darby Allin challenging Jack Perry for the TNT Title. Allin doesn’t like how Perry was handed the title and since Perry is the Most Interesting Wrestler Ever, he wants it to be a Coffin Match.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Jack Perry

Allin is challenging in a Coffin Match and goes after Perry with a chair to start. They go to the floor with Perry being sat in the chair for a dive, meaning it’s time for the coffin. Perry cuts off a dive though and it’s already time for a bag of broken glass. The fans sing CRY ME A RIVER so Perry swears at them, only for Allin to drive a skateboard into his back, sending him into the glass.

They go outside with Allin hitting a dive, only to get rammed into the coffin. Now it’s time to go up the ramp and Allin gets thrown off the stage and through a table. Perry throws him into a bodybag and carries him back to the ring….where Allin is thrown into the coffin. A running knee is enough to knock Allin out and retain the title at 10:35.

Rating: C+. Well, there’s your Jack Perry win over someone who is more interesting and better than him. It’s not exactly a shock and Allin is on the way to bigger things with the World Title shot at Grand Slam, but as usual, this felt more about Perry and….yeah it’s still the same guy. The tough guy thing isn’t working for him and they had to get the glass spot in, which might not be the most lucrative call back.

Post match the Young Bucks come out to light the casket on fire…..but STING returns for the save. Perry chairs him in the back for no effect so Perry runs off, leaving Sting to lay the Bucks out. Then Allin is helped out of the coffin to pose, which doesn’t exactly make Perry look like a killer. Granted that might be minor to having a 62 year old retired legend take out the top heel stable on his own.

We recap the AEW World Title match with Swerve Strickland defending against Bryan Danielson. That’s not big enough so Danielson, whose neck is held together by paper clips and a dream, is putting his career on the line.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Bryan Danielson

Swerve is defending and gets rapped to the ring. After the Big Match Intros, Danielson chops away to start but gets taken down by the arm, allowing Swerve to glare at Danielson’s family in the crowd. Back up and Danielson goes to the arm but it’s too early for the LeBell Lock attempt. Swerve misses a dive so Danielson is up with a springboard flip dive to take him down on the floor.

Back in and Danielson starts in on the arm, which is fine enough for Swerve to grab a suplex. The confidence starts to pick up as Swerve knocks him into the corner. Swerve heads outside but gets caught in a triangle choke over the ropes. Back up and Swerve tries a Death Valley Driver, with the referee getting knocked down. That lets Prince Nana slide in the title, with the Driver onto the belt knocking Danielson silly and busting him open in the process.

Swerve asks why we have to do this when Danielson’s family is watching, though he’s fine enough to hit a middle rope elbow to the back. They head back outside where Swerve stomps at the bloody Danielson and then yells at Danielson’s family. The Swerve Stomp misses though and Danielson pulls him into an STF.

That’s broken up but Danielson is right back with a clothesline for the double knockdown. The Cattle Mutilation is broken up so Danielson settles for the YES Kicks. A tiger superplex drops Swerve again and we hit the Cattle Mutilation again. This time Swerve powers out and hits a Vertebreaker for the big, scary crash. That’s enough to pause for the medical team to come in and check on Danielson but deem him ok to continue.

The Swerve Stomp gets two so Swerve hits back to back House Calls…for two more. Swerve is stunned as Danielson gets up and strikes away, setting up a triangle choke. After we cut to Danielson’s daughter not watching the match, Danielson suplexes Swerve down and hits the running knee…which Swerve brushes off. Another House call drops Danielson and the JML Driver gets two.

Swerve loads up his own running knee but cue Hangman Page for a distraction. That’s enough for Danielson to hit the running knee for two, with Nana almost diving in for the save. They slug it out until Swerve tries a roll but gets kneed down. Another running knee to the back sets up the LeBell Lock but Swerve powers out, only to get pulled into a Rings of Saturn variant for the tap at 25:45.

Rating: A-. They did a good job here of making me wonder how it was going to end and that’s a nice feeling. When in doubt, going for a feel good Danielson win is as safe of a moment as you can have and it worked here. It felt like the last hurrah of a legendary career and while he probably won’t hold the title for very long, he had one last great one (so far). Strickland can move back into the Page feud, and thankfully the interference didn’t lead directly to the ending. Heck of a main event and it felt important, which is how a match of this magnitude should go.

Danielson’s family gets in the ring to celebrate, with the Blackpool Combat Club (and Pac) joining them to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The matches that needed to deliver did so and they nailed the big happy ending. There were some weaker parts, such as the Coffin Match, Baker vs. Mone and Hook vs. Jericho, plus having SO MANY PEOPLE on the show, but the good stuff was more than enough to make this work. It’s absolutely AEW’s biggest event of the year and they worked out some of the kinks from last time, with a show that not only felt big but was better. Rather solid stuff here, and if they can leave some of the people alone next time, it could be even stronger. Heck of a show, with the big feeling taking it higher.

Results
Private Party/Ariya Daivari/Dark Order/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh/Anthony Ogogo b. Kyle Fletcher/Rocky Romero/Kip Sabian/Tommy Billington/Lio Rush/Action Andretti/Top Flight – Frog splash to Daivari
Willow Nightingale/Tomohiro Ishii b. Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway – Sliding lariat to Hathaway
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs/Katsuyori Shibata b. Cage Of Agony/Kingdom – Swanton to Taven
Pac/Blackpool Combat Club b. Patriarchy, House Of Black and Bang Bang Gang – Pac pulled down the titles
Mariah May b. Toni Storm – Storm Zero
Hook b. Chris Jericho – Redrum
Young Bucks b. FTR and Acclaimed – EVP Trigger to Harwood
Christian Cage won the Casino Gauntlet – Chokeslam to O’Reilly
Will Ospreay b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Tiger Driver 91
Mercedes Mone b. Britt Baker – Mone Maker
Jack Perry b. Darby Allin – Perry put Allin in the coffin
Bryan Danielson b. Swerve Strickland – LeBell Lock

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This is the biggest AEW show of the year, if nothing due to the outstanding atmosphere. Last year’s edition looked like a Wrestlemania level event and that is a hard trick to pull off. The crowd is going to be a bit smaller this time, but the card is feeling a bit bigger. It’s not exactly perfect, but I’m curious enough to see what we’ll be getting on this size of a stage. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway vs. Willow Nightingale/Tomohiro Ishii

This is part of the long running Statlander vs. Nightingale feud and the winning team gets to name the stipulation for their match next month at All Out. That could make things interesting here as it could go either way. You could have Nightingale pick a match where she can get revenge, or you could have Statlander pick a match where she is a heavy favorite. Either way it likely winds up being some kind of a hardcore match, but how do we get there?

I’ll go with Statlander and Hathaway winning here, as Ishii can torment Hathaway without getting the win. This feels like a way for Hathaway to steal a pin on Nightingale for some humiliation before she comes back and gets revenge on both of them next time. The Hathaway stuff should be funny, but he and Statlander win to stack the beck against Nightingale in the blowoff.

Zero Hour: Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs/Katsuyori Shibata/Sammy Guevara vs. Kingdom/Cage Of Agony

And here is your “we’re just throwing stuff out there” match, as Dustin Rhodes and the Von Erichs apparently must be on EVERY POSSIBLE SHOW. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not a fan of how much they’ve been around, just because I’m tired of seeing them over and over. The match will be the Ring Of Honor showcase, which just has to happen because reasons, even if I’m not sure how much interest Ring Of Honor could possibly have.

There is zero reason to believe that the villains will win here as Texas gets to annex England once and for all. The cage Of Agony could not be treated as bigger loses and I can’t imagine the Kingdom gets a win on a stage like this. It feels like another big thank you to Rhodes, because apparently being a double champion in his late 50s while having him appear more than he has in years just isn’t enough. But yeah, the good guys win.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks(c) vs. FTR vs. Acclaimed

This is the closest thing to a rematch that we have from last year, as the Bucks manage to have their second title defense in four months as champions. It doesn’t help that FTR doesn’t have much of a claim to a title match and the Bucks could not be more ice cold if they moved into a freezer. On top of that, the Acclaimed isn’t exactly on fire either, and that leaves one option.

I’ll take the Bucks to win here as they get their win back after putting FTR over last year. It’s not a result that needs to happen, but for some reason AEW seems to think that there is something to the Bucks as some o the top heels in the company. This isn’t something I’m looking forward to, making it rather similar to most of what the Bucks have been doing during their title reign.

Trios Titles: Patriarchy(c) vs. Bang Bang Gang vs. House Of Black vs. Pac/Blackpool Combat Club

This is a ladder match, marking the third ladder match on pay per view out of five shows this year. As usual, I would wonder what would happen if any other gimmick was used that much, but that’s another problem. The other issue here is THAT’S A LOT OF PEOPLE in one match, especially when Pac and the Club are pretty clearly there because they have nothing else going on.

That being said, I’ll go with the Patriarchy to retain here, as there is little reason for it to go another way. Christian Cage has been great in his role and it would be a shame for them to lose the titles so soon. The Gang and the House have both held the titles recently enough, leaving either the champs to retain or the makeshift team to win. Either is possible, but I’ll hope for some sanity with the Patriarchy holding the belts.

FTW Title: Chris Jericho(c) vs. Hook

Remember when Ricky Starks beat Jericho and then had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get his rematch so he could do it again? That’s exactly what we have again here and somehow it’s even less interesting. I know Jericho has some defenders (mainly himself) but it’s really not working for me so far. There is a really good chance that this wraps up the feud and we move on to Jericho doing something even bigger, because that’s just kind of how Jericho rolls in AEW.

I’ll go with Hook getting the big win here, which he certainly needs more than Jericho. At the same time, I don’t expect Jericho to be downgraded whatsoever after the match while Hook continues to do the same stuff he’s been doing for months. This whole feud has felt like such a waste of time but I guess the idea is Jericho puts Hook over on the big stage in the end. It doesn’t make up for everything, but it’s better than nothing.

TNT Title: Jack Perry(c) vs. Darby Allin

Why does Perry want this to be a Coffin Match? Other than trying to be the cool heel that he SO CLEARLY ALREADY IS (because Perry is obviously the most amazing heel ever), why would he want that stipulation? On top of that, the bigger question is whether or not Perry will make a glass reference, because that is the kind of thing that can’t be let go no matter what happens.

Normally I would go Allin here but he seems to have bigger fish to fry with the World Title match in about a month at Grand Slam. Allin can lose via some shenanigans here, or perhaps by doing something really stupid to cost him the match, but odds are Perry wins. For reasons I still can’t fathom, AEW sees something special in him and odds are here gets a big win here.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Mariah May

This is one of the more personal feuds on the show but unfortunately it reached its peak about a month ago and now they are limping to the finish. Storm has held the title for what feels like forever and May seems ready to move into the spotlight, but other than that big attack, they haven’t really done much that makes me want to see them fight. It should be intense, especially if Storm is playing it more straight, but I’m not sure how much they can do.

This is May’s to win as there is no reason to keep the title on Storm after everything she has already done as champion. May has a good bit of star power and deserves the win, while Storm can move on to….I have no idea actually, but she’ll probably be gone for a bit before she gets there. I can’t imagine May losing here as there is no reason for her to, so we’ll say the title changes hands.

Casino Gauntlet

I’m not sure what to do here as I don’t know most of the people in the match. The one thing I do know is that the rules have apparently been changed to make this more or less Money In The Bank, because THAT is something AEW needs. We only know a handful of the people involved, but there is one name that stands out above the rest and seems to be a likely candidate.

In short, this has to be Hangman Page right? He is the bigger singles star (in AEW) of the Elite/their associates and it wouldn’t shock me to see him winning here to have a chance at stealing the World Title from Swerve Strickland. While there is a chance that he does it to end the show, I’ll assume he saves it for later, meaning he has to win it first, which is what we’ll go with here.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone(c) vs. Britt Baker

This has been an interesting feud in the last few weeks, even if the match itself might not have the most drama. Mone is still treated as one of the biggest stars in the company and certainly in the women’s division but Baker is one of the most successful women AEW has ever seen. That makes for a more interesting match and it certainly feels big, which is exactly what this needs to be.

That being said, there is almost no way that Mone is going to lose the title so far. Mone hasn’t exactly hit the ground running so far in AEW and needs a major win. That is exactly what she can do here, perhaps with an assist from Kamille. What matters the most here though is that she gets the win over Baker, who can move on to something else after the loss. Money on the other hand gets to keep telling us how big of a star she is while actually having a win to back it up so….progress?

American Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Will Ospreay

On paper, this should be one of the easiest matches on the card, but the fact that I’m not sure about the result has me wondering. While Ospreay winning the title seems like the obvious way to go, he’s in there against someone who is on another level in MJF. There is a chance that MJF does retain through some shenanigans, but it is almost hard to fathom Ospreay losing another major pay per view match.

I’ll go with the safe pick here and say Ospreay gets the title back here in front of his home country crowd, as it makes a lot more sense. At the end of the day, this one could go either way but one of the ways fits a lot better than the other. Ospreay is near the top of the popularity charts in AEW and a big win could move him up to an even higher level, which would be quite the accomplishment.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland(c) vs. Bryan Danielson

Now we have what is starting to feel like a big main event as it’s title vs. career, even if Strickland has gone from a pretty likable face over the summer into a full on villain again seemingly overnight. While it would seem that Danielson winning for the big feel good moment would be the way to go, his neck and overall health is just enough to make me wonder if things are going in another way. That’s a good trick to pull off and AEW has managed to do it.

That being said, I don’t think I can go with the idea of Danielson losing again, so we’ll say he gets the World Title in the big moment. There is almost no chance he keeps it long (I’ve got Nigel McGuinness costing him the title at Grand Slam, setting up Danielson’s retirement match with McGuinness at WrestleDream) but that has never stopped a great moment before. Danielson wins the title here, as he absolutely should.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about this show, the more I’m talking myself into being excited about it. There are some problems with the card (WAY too many people being one of them), but the idea of Danielson having one more major World Title win is a good way to go. This week’s Dynamite did a lot of good for the show and if they can live up to the hype, we could be in for something strong, but more importantly, special.

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Collision
Date: August 24, 2024
Location: Utilita Arena, Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the European debut for the show and that means we should be in for some good stuff. At the same time, it’s the day before All In and even though most of the card is set, there is still a spot to be filled in the four team ladder match for the Trios Titles. Throw in the final push towards the show and we could be in for a good one here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Conglomeration vs. Undisputed Kingdom

Tomohiro Ishii is on commentary. Briscoe and Bennett start things off by trading chops before it’s off to O’Reilly for a kick to the face. O’Reilly and Strong strike it out with O’Reilly getting the better of it again, meaning it’s off to Taven so O’Reilly can beat up two people at once. Cassidy comes in for the lazy kicks and a double hurricanrana to the Kingdom, followed by a toss into a tornado DDT to Bennett.

Back up and Bennett’s Hail Mary is blocked but Cassidy gets sent into the corner to put him in trouble for a change. That doesn’t last long as Cassidy escapes a sunset flip and hands it off to Briscoe as everything breaks down. Cassidy dives onto Strong but Taven dives onto both of them. Bennett moves the chair to prevent Briscoe’s dive but puts it back so Strong can slam Briscoe onto it. We take a break and come back with Briscoe in trouble and Strong mocking the hands in the pockets, which draws in an irate (well as irate as he gets) Cassidy.

Not that it matters as Briscoe gets over for the tag off to O’Reilly, who gets to wreck the whole team at once again. Bennett’s leg gets dragon screwed over the ropes and it’s the Froggy Boy into the lazy elbow for two with Taven making the save. Everything breaks down again and Bennett Death Valley Drivers O’Reilly for two.

A Rock Bottom backbreaker gives Strong two on O’Reilly but the Conglomeration all grab stereo holds. Those are broken up at the same time and everyone is down in a heap. Strong backbreaker O’Reilly but gets caught with Cassidy’s top rope DDT. NOW Briscoe can get the chair and there’s the big step up dive onto the pile at ringside. O’Reilly guillotines Taven for the win at 15:23.

Rating: B+. This was a blast with everyone doing a bunch of stuff, but O’Reilly was the absolute star. He wrecked the villains multiple times and felt almost unstoppable, which is quite the performance. I’m not sure how much of a preview this was for the Casino Gauntlet, but I had a really good time with this as they got a lot into and out of the opener. This doesn’t include Ishii, who didn’t say a word as far as I could tell. He did however sneer a lot, as is his custom.

Video on the Trios Title situation, which naturally set up a four team ladder match for the titles, even though the story had been about three teams and one more is being added for the sole purpose of putting more people in the match.

Willow Nightingale vs. Harley Cameron

Ishii is still on commentary as Cameron chokes (and screams) in the corner to start. Nightingale fights out of that and hits a running shoulder in the corner, followed by some rapid fire clotheslines. A Russian legsweep gives Cameron two and an elbow to the face is good for the same. Eat Defeat and a running knee give Cameron two more and she drives some elbows into the neck. Nightingale gets fired up and hits a quick Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin (it’s as sudden as it sounds) for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: C+. Cameron got to do some stuff here but this was about getting Nightingale ready for her tag match tomorrow. There’s nothing wrong with giving her a nice boost like this and the match didn’t overstay its welcome. I could see Cameron eventually evolving into a bigger deal, but she’s not there yet.

Private Party are the official emcees for All In. I have no idea why that is necessary.

Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara issue an open challenge for All In. They’re also bringing the Von Erichs and Katsuyori Shibata. I have no idea why that is necessary.

Jay Lethal vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Both of their usual friends are here too. They fight over arm control to start and Lethal has to go to the ropes for the early clean break. Back up and Shibata goes right back to the arm, only to get taken down for the basement dropkick. Lethal starts going for the leg but the Figure Four is broken up, allowing Shibata to go right back to the arm.

We take a break and come back with Lethal putting on a Figure Four, sending Shibata to the ropes this time. The Lethal Combination drops Shibata again but Hail To The King is countered into a quickly broken cross armbreaker. Back up and Shibata suplexes him for two and it’s time to strike it out. Shibata grabs the claw (as taught to him by the Von Erichs) and pulls him into the cross armbreaker for the win at 9:49.

Rating: B-. This is one of those matches was going to work because of who was involved and that is a nice thing to see. Lethal is someone else who can be put out there with anyone for at least a passable match. If you put someone as good as Shibata in there with him, it wound up being all the better for a nice TV match.

Post match everyone else gets in and Shibata offers Lethal a handshake, which he eventually accepts.

Video on Will Osprey vs. MJF.

We go to Create A Pro Wrestling Academy where Kris Statlander trains Stokely Hathaway, who does surprisingly well.

Stokely Hathaway/Kris Statlander vs. Nina Samuels/Kid Lykos 2

Statlander runs them both over to start and gives Lykos a Babe With The Powerbomb. Hathaway gets dropped onto Lykos for the pin at 58 seconds.

Post match Hathaway calls that a preview for tomorrow at All In.

Ben Mankiewicz narrates a video on Toni Storm vs. Mariah May, explaining May being something of an understudy who was never quite accepted. Then May won the Owen Hart Tournament and attacked Storm, setting up the personal title match.

Hook vs. Big Bill

Chris Jericho and Bryan Keith here with Bill and the fans don’t seem overly thrilled with Hook. Jericho even joins commentary as Bill throws him out on the corner to take over fast. Hook gets beaten down into the corner and Bill goes after the bandaged eye. A big boot sends Hook to the floor and we take a break. Back with the fans going a bit nuts over Bill, who grabs a bearhug.

With that broken up, Bill hammers away and the fans start slapping the barricade so loudly that I thought it was someone’s music in a run-in. Hook fights up and low bridges him to the floor before hammering away in the corner. A northern lights suplex drops Bill but he grabs a Hook by the throat (to a MONSTER reaction). That’s broken up but Hook slaps on Redrum out of the corner for the tap at 10:47.

Rating: C+. The match itself was just kind of there, but this was ALL about the absolutely incredible reaction to Bill. It must be one of those things where a wrestler can be over in a certain place and it would suggest that Bill should move to Wales as soon as possible. That was one of the most ridiculously positive receptions I’ve ever seen and it was a sight to behold.

Video on Jack Perry vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Title.

We look at the Bryan Danielson/Swerve Strickland showdown from Dynamite, with Danielson dropping Strickland to end the show.

Ariya Daivari vs. Jeff Jarrett

Karen Jarrett is here with Jeff. The fans sing for Jeff to get things even more hyped up, meaning the pose off is rather one sided. Daivari knocks him down and does the Fargo Strut before hitting a running shoulder. Back up and a hiptoss lets Daivari strut for the third time but Jarrett sends him hard into the buckle. Jarrett knocks him to the floor and teases a strut of his own (BIG pop) and we take a break.

We come back with the fight on the floor and Jarrett sending him into various hard objects. They do Jarrett’s signature sleeper exchange sequence until Jarrett rams him into the corner to break it up. A Russian legsweep gives Jarrett two and an enziguri sets up the running crotch attack against the ropes. NOW we get the real strut, with the fans coming to their feet in a cool moment. The Figure Four is blocked but Jarrett hits the Stroke for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C+. This was similar to the previous match as the wrestling was just ok, but the fans carried this to a much more entertaining level. The fans were absolutely insane for Jarrett here and the reaction to the Stroke was great. I’m not a big Jarrett fan but he clearly loved this, as he did his basic stuff but the fans were way into it, mainly due to him being an actual legend. This was a lot of fun.

Video on Hologram.

All In rundown, with the Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara challenge now a ten man tag, because of course it is.

Lio Rush/Top Flight vs. Pac/Blackpool Combat Club

For the final spot in the four way ladder match for the Trios Titles at All In. Darius grabs a cravate on Yuta to start but gets pulled into a quickly broken bow and arrow. Back up and a dropkick staggers Yuta and it’s off to Pac, who misses a charge at Dante. Pac gets in his own flips as well so it’s off to Rush vs. Castagnoli. Rush tries his own Swing, which is broken up just as quickly and Castagnoli gets triple teamed down into the corner.

We take a break and come back with Yuta in control on Darius and knocking Top Flight off the apron. Darius fights up and hands it back to Dante to pick up the pace, including some kicks to the head. Rush adds a bottom rope Asai moonsault to Pac for two back inside as commentary just kind of stops for a few seconds. Yuta grabs a nasty German suplex on Dante and Rush kicks Castagnoli in the head. Pac is back up with an overhead German suplex to Rush but a series of splashes hit Pac for two. Dante hits a dive but Castagnoli cuts off one from Rush, setting up the Black Arrow to give Pac the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B. This was another action packed match and that’s all it needed to be. While I could go for a regular team being in the ladder match (or the ladder match not having four teams, or ladders for that matter), I do like getting some of these people on the show. At least they got there after very fast paced match as well.

Post match here is Christian Cage, with Mother Wayne, to mock the Welsh fans’ accents. The distraction lets the Patriarchy come in with chairs for the beatdown, only for the Bang Bang Gang to come in and whip out some tables. Then the lights go out and the House Of Black come in, leaving all nine of the challengers to brawl while the Patriarchy leaves. Sweet goodness that is a lot of people for one ladder match.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and main event were both pretty great, with the rest of the matches being forgettable….at least on their own. What mattered here was a white hot crowd, as they were carrying everything up more than a few levels. They drew me way into this show and I was more interesting than I would have been based on what I was getting from what AEW was doing. Not a great show, but one that was a really good time to watch.

Results
Conglomeration b. Undisputed Kingdom – Guillotine choke to Taven
Willow Nightingale b. Harley Cameron – Babe With The Powerbomb
Katsuyori Shibata b. Jay Lethal – Cross armbreaker
Stokely Hathaway/Kris Statlander b. Nina Samuels/Kid Lykos 2 – Splash to Lykos
Hook b. Big Bill – Redrum
Jeff Jarrett b. Ariya Daivari – Stroke
Pac/Blackpool Combat Club b. Lio Rush/Top Flight – Black Arrow to Rush

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Dynamite
Date: August 21, 2024
Location: Utilita Arena, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the final Dynamite before All In and the show has some work to do. While the pay per view card is set, there are still some matches that could use some additional build. AEW still has time to make that happen, but they are going to need to do it well this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings out Britt Baker and Mercedes Mone (with Kamille) to sign their contract. Mone says she is the future but Baker is the past before signing. Baker says there was a DMD before there was a CEO and signs as well. Mone doesn’t like the DMD chant and thinks Baker having another career means she isn’t all in.

Baker laughs it off and says that Mone is one of four but she is one of one. She praises Mone for being a trailblazer and hopes Mone finds that person again, because it’s who Baker wants to beat. Baker says she’ll agree to not get violent with Mone to start but then jumps Kamille, who is knocked into Mone to send the villains running. It’s hard to imagine Baker winning, but she looked strong here.

Chris Jericho talks about how he was on his way to Cardiff, England and wonders why Tommy Billington is bidding himself as the Dynamite Kid. Billington isn’t as good as the original Dynamite Kid and doesn’t even belong on Dynamite!

Chris Jericho vs. Tommy Billington

Non-title and the Learning Tree is here with Jericho. Billington grabs a headlock to start but gets sent outside, where the Learning Tree jumps him for a posting. We take a break and come back with stereo crossbodies leaving both of them down for a breather. Billington strikes away for two but gets pulled into the Walls in the middle of the ring. The rope is grabbed so Billington hits the snap suplex before diving onto Bryan Keith. That’s enough of a distraction for Jericho to hit the Codebreaker for the pin at 9:23.

Rating: C+. Billington is still brand new around here but they’re certainly putting him in there with some big names. That could take him a long way if they do it right and at least the start has gone well. Jericho was his usual self here, but he was going to lead a match like this no matter what, just due to the massive experience edge.

Post match Jericho says he would beat Hook up if he was here so cue Hook, who gets chokeslammed by Big Bill.

Women’s Title: Saraya vs. Toni Storm

Storm is defending and Harley Cameron is here with Saraya. Storm’s headlock into a rollup gets an early two and she jumps over Saraya a bit, setting up another rollup for another two. Back up and Saraya sends her outside, where Cameron tosses Storm into the barricade. Saraya adds a cannonball and we take a break. Back with Storm grabbing a DDT an a fisherman’s suplex for two. Storm Zero is countered into the Nightcap to give Saraya two and the Rampaige gets two more. Back up and Storm grabs a quick chokebomb for two before kissing Saraya and hitting Storm Zero for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C+. I can go for tying up a loose end and that’s what they did here, as Saraya gets and loses her title rematch. Storm has a bigger deal with May anyway, but this gave Saraya a nice moment before she won’t be on the pay per view card. The match was ok enough as well, and it gave Storm some momentum before All In.

Post match Mariah May jumps Storm and leaves her laying.

The Conglomeration is ready for Collision and All In. Mark Briscoe is rather animated, as you might expect.

Here is Will Ospreay for a chat but cue MJF, in an American flag suit, to interrupt. MJF asks the crowd to shush but gets soundly booed, leaving Ospreay to request a resounding weapon. Ospreay talks about everything he has done to get here and all the tiny places he has wrestled in over the years. Sunday is about cleaning up everything MJF has done and promises to finish him at All In.

MJF says he didn’t have to break his body like Ospreay, because all he had to do was tease a kangaroo kick. The reality is that MJF came back early from an injury because the bosses want him to clean up Ospreay’s mess. A lot of people have heard about this wrestling first promotion but then MJF was the World Champion. The joke went on too long and now the owner is asking Ospreay not to make their match about wrestling, because the champion can’t do it.

All In is about restoring the feeling and Ospreay is that feeling. MJF laughs it off because Ospreay is only where he is because the fans like him. The reality is that MJF is the youngest World Champion in AEW history and Ospreay doesn’t have the nerve to use the tiger driver. Ospreay talks about being the best in the world in all kinds of countries and that is what he has to defend at All In in front of his family and country. MJF loses it over the OSPREAY chants but says he talked to Ospreay’s wife and so called kid earlier today.

The reality is that Ospreay is the kid’s stepfather, but after the talk MJF had with Ospreay’s wife, the next kid she has won’t be Ospreay’s either. Ospreay asks Tony Schiavone about the fine if he jumps MJF right now and that would be about $127,000. It’s worth it, so the fight is on with security not being able to break it up. The diamond ring shot drops Ospreay (and busts him open) and a brainbuster leaves him laying. Security breaks up a tiger driver attempt from MJF. That move better connect on Sunday and it better put MJF on the shelf for eleventy billion weeks after the hype it has received.

Hangman Page has been asked to leave the building following an unexplained altercation. He’s in the Casino Gauntlet at All In, but here is Evil Uno to say he’s in too. Page drops him and talks about wanting to ruin Swerve Strickland.

Continental Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending and backs him into the ropes to start, meaning it’s a fairly sarcastic break. Castagnoli backs him right back up against the ropes as well before both the Rainmaker and Neutralizer are broken up. Okada strikes away so Castagnoli tells him to bring it, earning himself a running forearm.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli muscling him over for a suplex before knocking Okada outside. Back in and they forearm it out with Castagnoli getting the better of things. A DDT gets Okada out of trouble and a neckbreaker gives him two. Castagnoli blocks a Tombstone attempt though and they crash out to the floor in a big heap.

We take another break and come back again with Castagnoli muscling him over with a gutwrench suplex and stomping him down for two. Okada’s dropkick sends Castagnoli outside though and the top rope elbow gets…well no cover, but Okada does get to flip the crowd off.

Castagnoli is back with the Giant Swing but Okada cuts off the clothesline with a dropkick. The Air Raid Crash onto the knee leaves both of them down as the fans approve again. They slug it out from their knees and we have a minute left in the time limit. Swiss Death sends Okada mostly outside and the time limit expires at 20:00 as Castagnoli can’t quite get the cover.

Rating: B. This was Okada at middle of the road speed and believe it or not, it still worked. Okada is long past the point where he is expected to be his old self, but I can go for this version of him from time to time. Castagnoli was his usual self and they had a good match, which thankfully didn’t see Castagnoli lose another big one. Strong chance they run it back at All Out.

Post match the Young Bucks come out to ask if the fans want five more minutes…but that isn’t going to happen. They ask Castagnoli to leave and threaten violence before the main event, only to be interrupted by their opponents.

FTR/Darby Allin vs. Young Bucks/Jack Perry

The brawl starts on the floor before the bell until we get Harwood elbowing Perry in the face for two. Allin comes in and hits a dive onto Perry as everything breaks down. The Bucks dive onto FTR and it’s a Doomsday kick to Allin’s chest as we take a break. Back with the powerbomb/corner enziguri getting two on Allin, who dives over for the tag to Harwood anyway.

Harwood rolls the German suplexes and gets two off a brainbuster to Perry. Wheeler comes in and gets superkicked down for two but the EVP Trigger misses. Back up and FTR/Allin grab stereo Sharpshooters, all of which are broken up. The villains tease leaving but get caught, with Allin hitting a Canadian Destroyer. Perry reverse DDT’s Allin but walks into the Shatter Machine. The PowerPlex into the Coffin Drop finishes Nick at 9:57.

Rating: B-. This was a good bit shorter than I was expecting and one of the Bucks getting pinned didn’t feel like that big of a deal. It’s hard for me to fathom them losing the titles on Sunday, but the three way deal makes it more of a possibility. At the same time, I had forgotten that Allin vs. Perry was a coffin match, as it doesn’t really add much to the whole thing. That being said, this was a nice enough way to promote two matches in one segment, which is always nice to see.

Post match here is the Acclaimed to say they’re better than the Bucks and FTR.

Bryan Danielson tells Will Ospreay to DO IT. He means beat MJF, perhaps with the tiger driver 91, in case you thought he was wanting Ospreay to quit wrestling and become a beekeeper.

Nigel McGuinness is in the ring to moderate the final showdown between Swerve Strickland and Bryan Danielson. Swerve is out first and Nigel calls him a huge favorite in the title match. Swerve lists off the people he has hurt and promises to take Danielson apart. Nigel goes to introduce Danielson, but Swerve says he feels disrespected by Danielson wanting to win the title and walk away.

Swerve doesn’t want Danielson to be able to wrestle again, so if Danielson loses and wants to wrestle at some small show in Washington, Swerve will be there to beat him down. If Danielson wants to put on a mask and wrestle in Arena Mexico, Swerve will be there to beat him down. Swerve brings up Danielson’s family and here is Danielson to clear the ring.

Danielson says it’s not just a catchphrase, because he is the best wrestle in the world and has been for the last 20 years. Swerve is going to have to near kill him to beat him on Sunday. The question is whether or not Danielson can win the title and the answer is….well the fans chant YES and Danielson says they know the answer. This was an effective final showdown, though it felt like I saw a very, very similar thing (down to the family talk) between MJF and Ospreay about an hour ago.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt more like a recent WWE go home show for a pay per view and that isn’t a bad formula to follow. They pushed the big stories for Sunday and while I’m still not entirely feeling the show, this was a step in the right direction. Danielson vs. Swerve could go either way and Ospreay vs. MJF feels a bit more personal. All In has the pressure on it but they did a good job at building it up here.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Tommy Billington – Codebreaker
Toni Storm b. Saraya – Storm Zero
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kazuchika Okada went to a time limit draw
FTR/Darby Allin b. Young Bucks/Jack Perry – Coffin Drop to Nick

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Dynamite
Date: August 14, 2024
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We have about a week and a half to go before All In and that means the card is mostly set up. This week has its own things going o though, with the Young Bucks defending the Tag Team Titles (which they won in April) for the first time. Other than that, Mariah May has a film of her own for us so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Hikaru Shida

Mone, with Kamille, is defending. Mone knocks her down to start and, shockingly enough, does her dance. Back up and Shida hits her own running shoulder knockdown, setting up a hurricanrana into the corner. A snap suplex gives Shida two and she sends Mone to the apron, where Kamille cuts her off with a glare. Mone uses said distraction to hit the running knees off the apron, followed by a regular version for two back inside.

The kickouts have Mone frustrated and Shida’s enziguri makes it worse. Shida comes back with a running knee but Mone grabs a Backstabber. A middle rope Meteora connects but Three Amigos are countered into the Falcon Arrow. The threat of Shida’s Katana sends Mone outside, where Shida beats up Kamille with the kendo stick. Mone takes it away though, allowing Kamille to get in a cheap shot. The Mone Maker (somehow worse than usual) retains the title at 10:41.

Rating: C+. This picked up near the end but they felt like they were in different books to start. Mone is being presented as a major star but it’s just not clicking most of the time. That was the case here and it didn’t get much better until Shida started her comeback. It’s good to give Mone some momentum, but can we please give her a new finisher to go with it? That Mone Maker is horrible and it’s managing to get worse, which I didn’t think was possible.

Post match Britt Baker’s music plays so Kamille beats up a masked fan…and of course here is Baker through the crowd. The threat of the Lockjaw is broken up by Kamille and the villains bail.

We look at Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal and Hangman Page brawling backstage after last week’s show.

Page jumps Jarrett and Lethal again to start his scheduled match.

Hangman Page vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal starts fast and sends him outside for five straight suicide dives. Page is back up with a Deadeye on the apron and sends Lethal over the barricade as we take a break. Back with page hammering away and grabbing a belly to belly suplex for two. A Death Valley Driver gets two more but Lethal grabs some rollups for two of his own. Lethal tries the Figure Four but Page goes to the eyes, setting up a heck of a discus lariat to drop Lethal. The Buckshot Lariat finishes Lethal at 9:29.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty decisive win for Page and that’s a good use for someone like Lethal. He’s long since established as a veteran and if he can give Page a boost on his way towards a bigger match, it should help things out that much more. Page is rather insane still and will probably face Swerve Strickland again, which could make for quite the unhinged match.

We look at MJF attacking Will Ospreay’s friend Michael Oku at a Rev Pro (London) event, with Ospreay making the save.

Video on Ospreay vs. MJF, with both of them claiming to be the best in the world. The Tiger Driver 91 gets quite a bit of focus as well, to the point where it almost has to be used in the match.

Pac talks about being #1 contender to the International Title but he’s not going to Wembley for his title shot. He’ll face the winner at All Out instead.

We look at Darby Allin’s recent momentum.

Allin talks about killing himself on the indies for nothing (“We’re talking $25 or $50 a night.” That’s a very interesting definition of “nothing”.) and he heard about Jungle Boy Jack Perry. He didn’t see much in him, but now Perry is being himself. Allin is ready for him at All In.

Here is Allin for a match but Perry runs him over with a knee. Perry takes him to the back and drops a metal door on Allin’s ribs before calling him names. An anvil case to the head is broken up by security. Perry challenges Allin to make it a Coffin Match at All In.

Mariah May burns her Toni Storm style gear and talks about how bad it is to be forgotten. They’ll both die, but May will write Storm’s eulogy.

Mina Shirakawa is back and says she hasn’t talked to May since she attacked Storm. She still loves both of them and isn’t sure what happens at All In.

Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong

For the #1 spot in the casino gauntlet match at All In. Cassidy starts fast and knocks Strong outside or a dive. O’Reilly holds the ropes open for him and we take a break. Back with Strong knocking both of them down for two, followed by a backbreaker for two on more Cassidy. A double Stronghold goes on but that’s rather hard to maintain and doesn’t last long. Strong puts Cassidy on top for a loud chop instead but O’Reilly is back up with a guillotine choke.

Cassidy breaks it up with the lazy elbow and everyone is down again. Cue the Kingdom but the Conglomeration runs out and cuts them off with the brawl to the back. A chair (in the ring from the Kingdom) lets Cassidy sit down so Strong misses a charge to the floor, where Strong sends Cassidy into the apron.

We take another break and come back with Cassidy firing off kicks at both of them. A double hurricanrana sets up a tornado DDT to O’Reilly and the Beach Break for two on Strong. Back up and O’Reilly and Strong go high/low on Cassidy but the referee won’t count a double cover. Cassidy is right back up with a crucifix for the pin on Strong at 15:57.

Rating: B. They went with the style of match that often works, with three people working hard throughout a pretty lengthy match. Having the match be for the #1 spot in the gauntlet adds some psychology to it as well, as they could have even had someone not wanting to win because of the risk involved. Good match here, with the logical winner not being a bad thing.

Claudio Castagnoli and Kazuchika Okada have a face to face staredown about their Continental Title next week. Okada says he’s going into the Continental Classic as the best tournament wrestler ever and he’ll win. B****. Okada leaves and Castagnoli says he wants the Rainmaker next week.

We look at Christian Cage causing a #1 contenders match for the Trios Titles to end in a draw.

Cage says we’ll have to find a new team to challenge for the titles because he is on the way to winning every title in AEW. He has Renee Paquette leave because she’s probably a worse mother than she is an interviewer.

Here is Hook, with his eye still bandaged, for a chat. He can still see out of his other eye and now he wants to fight Chris Jericho for the FTW Title. Cue the Learning Tree, but Jericho isn’t doing it tonight. Instead he’ll do it at All In, but it’s going to be Hook’s LAST shot at the title. First though, he has to face Big Bill next week. We get some promises of people being stuffed inside of Taz before Hook accepts.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Acclaimed

The Bucks are defending (for the first time in their four month reign) but the Acclaimed jump them on the stage. Bowens dives off the ramp onto the Bucks, who get inside and hit dropkicks through the ropes. Slingshot dives put the Acclaimed down again as the bell finally rings. The Acclaimed takes back over with some double hiptosses as Billy Gunn comes out to watch. That doesn’t last long though as Caster gets knocked into the corner and we take a break.

Back with Matt being scared of Gunn, who gets ejected after being falsely accused of throwing a chair. The Bucks beat on Caster in the corner, with Matt taking him outside and ripping up a fan’s sign. Caster throws said sign at him and that’s enough for the tag back to Bowens. The comeback is cut off almost immediately with an assisted standing Sliced Bread into a knee to the face for two. We hit the chinlock on Bowens and take another break.

Back again with Bowens hitting a double clothesline and handing it off to Caster to pick up the pace. A high crossbody gets two on Nick as everything breaks down. An exchange of superkicks leaves everyone own until Nick is up with a bulldog to Caster. The Swanton hits raised knees but Matt powerbombs Bowens off the apron to break up the tag. The TK Driver is broken up and the ref gets bumped, allowing Matt to kick Caster low. Matt loads up a belt shot but here is FTR to break it up. Matt spits at Harwood, who double legs him down and that’s a DQ (with almost eerie silence from the fans) at 18:08.

Rating: B-. Oh that ending could not have been much flatter if they tried. The Bucks literally did not defend the titles or about four months and then the ending is there to set up either a #1 contenders match or a three way. The crowd reactions through the match weren’t exactly great either and it’s not much of a surprise. It’s felt like the Bucks have been in their own world for a long time now and the fans didn’t seem to care here, which is not exactly a great sign.

Christopher Daniels doesn’t like this and makes FTR vs. Acclaimed on Collision for the All In title shot.

We get a video on Bryan Danielson’s AEW career (with some clips from his days on the independent circuit), set to Time Of Your Life by Green Day. It’s a cool video, despite my utter disdain for that song.

Swerve Strickland vs. Wheeler Yuta

Non-title and Bryan Danielson is in the front row. Swerve knocks him to the floor to start and yells at Danielson, who cheers Yuta on in response. Back in and Swerve hammers Yuta down again and yells at Danielson some more, meaning more cheerleading ensues. Swerve grabs something like a torture rack but kneels down on one knee and bends Yuta sideways at the same time (it’s kind of hard to describe) before switching to a more basic leglock.

That’s broken up and Yuta sends him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Yuta armdrags him down into the hard elbows but the seatbelt only gets two. Swerve smiles off some strikes and hits a pair of House Calls, followed by a third for no cover. Instead Swerve pounds away and the referee calls it at 9:23.

Rating: C+. You could see the match playing out this way almost from the second it was announced. Thankfully it didn’t go on too long and it did make Swerve look like more of a killer, even though I have no idea why he needs to be turned into one when he was quite popular just a few weeks ago. I could still go for less of Yuta, but at least he wasn’t presented as a major threat to the champ.

Post match Swerve promises to cripple Danielson into retirement. Then he sneaks back in for a House Call and does a slow motion YES pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was one of the weirdest Dynamites I’ve seen in a long time, with a very talk heavy first hour and then stories that weren’t keeping me interested in the second half. The Bucks stuff was dreadful, the Learning Tree was its usual stuff and Swerve vs. Danielson just doesn’t feel big. Maybe it was the Bucks stuff being that uninteresting and Swerve being all evil again after months of not needing to be but this was a show where the wrestling bailed out some pretty lame….well almost everything else. I’m a lot less interested in All In than I was coming in and that’s not good.

Results
Mercedes Mone b. Hikaru Shida – Mone Maker
Hangman Page b. Jay Lethal – Buckshot Lariat
Orange Cassidy b. Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly – Rollup to Strong
Young Bucks b. Acclaimed via DQ when FTR interfered
Swerve Strickland b. Wheeler Yuta via referee stoppage

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Dynamite
Date: July 3, 2024
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re done with Forbidden Door and that means it is time to start getting ready for All In next month. It’s too early to know what is going to happen on the show, but they have at least teased MJF vs. Will Ospreay. That could be addressed this week, as Ospreay defends the International Title against Daniel Garcia. Let’s get to it.

Here is Forbidden Door if you need a recap.

Daniel Garcia, described as someone becoming “the backbone of AEW”, is ready for the biggest match of his life. MJF comes in to praise him and offers to be in Garcia’s corner. Works for Garcia, as well as Matt Menard.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals: Pac vs. Bryan Danielson

Feeling out process to start and they go technical with an exchange of armdrags. Back up and Pac chops away in the corner, only for Danielson to moonsault over him. The running clothesline misses though and they trade crossbodies for a double knockdown. Back up and Pac kicks him to the floor for one heck of an Asai moonsault. The Brutalizer sends Danielson over to the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Danielson kicking away against the ropes and hitting the running knee off the apron. A superkick cuts Danielson off though and a springboard elbow drop gets two back inside. Pac tombstones him for two but Danielson pulls him into the LeBell Lock, sending Pac over to the ropes.

Back up and Danielson hits a running dropkick in the corner but Pac crotches him on top. The top rope superplex drops Danielson for two but the Black Arrow misses. Danielson is back with the running knee for a very delayed two, with Pac turning the cover into the Brutalizer. That’s reversed into the LeBell Lock, which is reversed into a rollup, which is reversed into a crucifix to pin Pac at 16:45.

Rating: B. I don’t think there is any surprise to this being good. These two beat the fire out of each other and it was a heck of an opener with Danielson managing to survive again. I’m not sure if he wins the whole thing, but at least he’s getting some wins rather than piling up loss after loss.

Willow Nightingale is sick of being mocked by Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway because they don’t understand what Smile Anyway is all about. She’s ready to fight to become the first ever two time Women’s Owen Hart Cup champion.

Here is Mark Briscoe for a chat. He isn’t scared of anything but he was so close to being the TNT Champion. Jack Perry must have had an extra bowl of Lucky Charms because he took the TNT Title at Forbidden Door. For now though it’s Shark Week and that makes him think of blood. As in Blood & Guts, so he’s on Team AEW. Cue Perry to jump Briscoe from behind, with Kazuchika Okada joining in the beating. Cue the Young Bucks, with the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to make the save. I still have no idea what being the Ring Of Honor World Champion adds to Briscoe.

Toni Storm cradles Mariah May, who is set to face Hikaru Shida on Rampage. Storm gives her a pep talk. May does Storm’s catchphrase.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals: Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander

The brawl starts on the stage, where Nightingale Pounces her all the way to ringside in an awesome spot. They get inside for the opening bell with Statlander knocking her into the corner as we take an early break. Back with the two of them heading to the apron to slug it out again. Statlander tries a German suplex off the apron and crashes down to the floor, allowing Nightingale to hit a big cannonball.

Back in and Statlander grabs a German suplex for two but Statlander runs her over again. Nightingale goes up top but gets pulled back down, setting up a trade of rollups for two. Statlander’s F5 gets two so she grabs a chain, which almost hits Hathaway by mistake. The accidental distraction lets Nightingale get the rollup pin at 8:10.

Rating: C+. This was ok but mostly didn’t feel like a showdown between two women who hated each other. Nightingale gets to move forward and there is a chance that Statlander costs her in the finals, which could set up the big blowoff match. For now though, it’s nice to see Nightingale win, though I can’t imagine that happens in the next round.

Jeff Jarrett has nothing to say about the Owen Hart Tournament match tonight. Jay Lethal says Jarrett has never been more focused.

Tony Schiavone brings out Britt Baker for a chat. She says she missed us but she was thinking about what she should say in her first time back. Instead of over thinking it, she’s going to talk about things we all have: a past, a present and a future. The past is our lesson, the present is a gift and the future is our motivation. For the last ten months, people have been saying she’s been injured but people who know her know that it takes more than injuries to keep her gone.

Then one day she started to feel sick and her arm was tingling. She looked in the mirror and said she was good, but she couldn’t open a body of water. Then her whole right side stopped functioning and was diagnosed with a mini stroke. So it turned out she wasn’t good so she had to stay home and get better. Now she’s back and healthy, but she was never more nervous than she was at Forbidden Door. She wasn’t sure if anyone was going to care that she was there or not but the fans welcomed her back with open arms and DMD chants. For that, she will always be in our corner because she is one of us.

That brings us to the future and the motivation, so always go through your hard times. With all of that out of the way, it’s time to talk about the new female face of AEW. She can’t imagine how hard it must be to have to work to get someone to chant three letters after your name. The only letters that matter are DMD, but here is Mercedes Mone on screen getting out of a car and running into the Young Bucks. They say get the props ready for a championship celebration, which come to the ring while Baker is still in the ring.

Mone comes out and Baker accuses her of one upping her, just like Baker did to Mone at Forbidden Door. Mone brags about her title win and Baker talks about her history at All In. The challenge is laid out but Mone says get to the back of the line because there is a price to pay. Baker felt so much more natural out there and came off much better here.

There was a lot to this one, but Baker sounded completely genuine (likely because she was telling the truth, or at least most of it) while Mone, as always, felt like she was remembering her script. Baker came off far, far better here and while I can’t imagine her beating Mone for the title so soon, she absolutely feels like a star and is on (or above) Mone’s level.

Don Callis interrupts Will Ospreay, who says he wants out of the Family because he’s not that guy anymore. Callis isn’t used to doing that but he’ll do the favor. Maybe Ospreay can repay it one day. That’s so foreshadowing it might as well be sixshadowing.

Here is Chris Jericho to talk about how Hook broke a rule by using someone else’s finisher. Jericho: “That doesn’t work for me brother.” What was worse was Taz, who stood up and cheered like a mark. He’s spoken to the Young Bucks and since he’ll be on commentary here, Taz is ejected from the building.

Cage Of Agony vs. Samoa Joe/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata knocks Liona into the corner to start so it’s off to Hook, who is kicked to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Hook throwing suplexes until Liona hits him in the face. Kaun gets two off a gutbuster but Hook fights back up and everything breaks down. Cage’s F5 is countered into a DDT and Joe comes back in to start cleaning house. Liona gets caught in the corner for the running shots to the face, setting up a double suplex. Joe’s backsplash gets two and triple chokes finish the villains at 9:45.

Rating: B-. Perfectly nice match here with Joe and company getting another win after their big one on Sunday. The Learning Tree feud continuing is certainly a choice though, as there is little reason to keep it going when Jericho got pinned clean at the pay pr view. For now though, Joe and company get some more momentum.

Post match Jericho applauds the winners but the Learning Tree runs in with chairs to lay them out. Shibata’s arm gets Pillmanized and Jericho gets in the worst belt shot I’ve ever seen. Bill gets in some rather lame chair shots to Joe and Hook is laid out with some brass knuckles. Hook is put through a table as well. Dang that was a heck of a beatdown and in no way shape or form means a feud that should have wrapped up gets to continue.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals: Jeff Jarrett vs. ???

It’s Hangman Page. Jarrett isn’t sure what to do and they go with the brawling until Page kicks him down. Page hammers away and kicks him in the ribs, followed by a fall away slam. They go outside with Jarrett’s head being rammed into the steps as we take a break. Back with Jarrett hitting a Stroke on the apron but the Figure Four is blocked.

The Sharpshooter is blocked as well, allowing Page to hit the Deadeye. Instead of covering, Page tries the Buckshot Lariat but gets reversed into a Sharpshooter for the tribute spot. Page makes the ropes and sends him throat first into the ropes. The Buckshot and another Deadeye finish Jarrett at 10:14.

Rating: B-. The point of this was to have Page wrecking the fans’ hopes for Jarrett, which isn’t bad, but it feels like it would have gone a lot better if this was deeper into the tournament. Once Jarrett was announced as facing a wild card, it was pretty clear that he was losing here, which mad the great vignettes feel like a waste of time. Page did look good, but dang it could have been better.

The Learning Tree jumps Hook and throws fire in his face. Geez did Hook show Tony Khan the Dynamite ratings or something?

The Young Bucks ask Hangman Page to be their fifth man in Blood & Guts but he says he isn’t the Elite’s man anymore. He’s in the Owen Hart Cup and he’s going to win. That’s a bit of a twist and a good one.

International Title: Will Ospreay vs. Daniel Garcia

Ospreay is defending and MJF is in Garcia’s corner. Ospreay knocks him down to start, with MJF giving Garcia a pep talk. Garcia gets taken down with a headlock takeover, followed by the Cheeky Nandos kick to the floor. The dive connects, but Ospreay stops to stare at MJF. We take a break and come back with Ospreay chopping away in the corner, which just fires Garcia up.

Some rolling neckbreakers drop Ospreay and a DDT does it again. Ospreay fights up and hits a Phenomenal Forearm for two and things slow down a bit. Garcia fights back up and hits some dancing hip attacks, followed by a piledriver for two. A Styles Clash gives Ospreay two but the Oscutter is countered into a piledriver for two more. MJF slips in the ring but Garcia won’t accept it….so the Hidden Blade retains the title at 13:26.

Rating: B-. And Garcia loses again. That’s kind of a pattern with him but it’s a better choice than putting him over Ospreay, which would have felt like a stretch no matter the circumstances. If nothing else, they still haven’t had the Don Callis Family turn on Ospreay so they’re not jumping the gun with what should seem like a logical move. For now though, Ospreay wins and Garcia goes back to being pushed despite not winning anything important.

Post match Ospreay consoles Garcia and shows respect before leaving. MJF says that was on him instead of Garcia….then he kicks Garcia low. The ring shot and a bunch of left hands bust Garcia open and a middle rope tombstone makes it worse. Ospreay FINALLY comes back (presumably after trying to find a hot pretzel) out to chase MJF off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’m really not sure what to make of this show. It was certainly eventful and I’ll take this kind of a show over “and here is this person from this other promotion and this person is cool because they won this title in this other country and just trust us about all of them”, but dang there wasn’t much to cheer for here.

MJF turning heel again feels like a retreat back to something safe while Page being back opens a few new doors. It was a bunch of stuff happening in two hours, but that’s kind of what you need with All In about six weeks away. Blood & Guts will likely get more attention going forward though, so this show was a bit more needed this week.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Pac – Crucifix
Willow Nightingale b. Kris Statlander – Rollup
Samoa Joe/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata b. Cage Of Agony – Triple choke
Hangman Page b. Jeff Jarrett – Deadeye
Will Ospreay b. Daniel Garcia – Hidden Blade

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

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AND

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It’s that time again as we have the show built around the idea of gust stars from a variety of other promotions. You get to wrestlers from around the world coming in to compete against the stars of AEW, which can make for some rather interesting situations. The buildup to the show is not often the strongest but you can see one heck of a night of action. That should be the case again so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Kris Statlander/Momo Watanabe vs. Willow Nightingale/Tam Nakano

This, along with the other two Zero Hour matches, were not important enough to be announced on Dynamite but rather a few hours later on Twitter. I’m not sure I get the thinking, but it isn’t exactly making me interested in what we’ll be seeing here. In this case, Statlander vs. Nightingale is the big draw, as they are already set to face off in the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament.

I’ll go with Statlander and Watanabe winning here to give a bit of doubt about Nightingale being able to make it to the finals of the tournament. That should make for a good match here, but Watanabe and Nakano are people who have not been around AEW very much over the years. That doesn’t exactly make for a big time match, but that is kind of the point in having the match on the Zero Hour show.

Zero Hour: Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Mariah May vs. Saraya

It’s a little weird to have May on the show when she already has a major role in another, bigger match on the card. For now though, we could be in for a nice match as either of them going forward could be an interesting way to go. Both of them could make for an a solid choice for the next round, though there is some logic that comes into play here which should determine the winner.

At the end of the day, May being involved in the Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa match is a lot more important and there is pretty much no reason for her to go into that spot as a loser. May going over here makes a lot more sense and while there is something to the idea of Saraya going on towards a title shot in London, it isn’t the best option that they have available here.

Zero Hour: Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Mistico/Lucha Bros

The big draw here is that Mistico and the Bros have never teamed together before. That isn’t the biggest draw in the world but it is certainly a cool enough moment and better than nothing. In other words, this feels like an excuse to get Mistico onto the show and that is not a bad idea. The match itself is only so important here, but that is often the case on Zero Hour.

There is pretty much no reason for Mistico and the Bros to lose here as Mistico can do his stuff and pop the crowd. There are some talented people in Los Ingobernables but it feels like they are here for the sake of making Mistico look that much bigger. It’s not a bad idea either, so hopefully they at least have an entertaining match on the way to the main show proper.

Zero Hour: House Of Black vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Kyle O’Reilly vs. Gabriel Kidd/Roderick Strong vs. Private Party

Yes there is a fourth match on this show, which was added during this week’s Collision. This feels like little more than a way to get a bunch more people onto the card, which is often not the most thrilling way to go. In this case we do have some big names who probably should have been on the show, but that doesn’t exactly make for the most exciting match possible.

I’ll take the House Of Black here, as they’re the biggest of the two regular teams (at least in AEW) and it makes the most sense to give them the win. This is going to be the insane match with everyone going nuts all over the place and trying to get in as much as they can, which isn’t going to be easy given how many people are involved. Odds are it should be fun though and that’s what you want out of a match like this one.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Orange Cassidy

We’ll start the main card here as Sabre wants revenge on Cassidy for beating him at last year’s show in a four way match. The other idea is that Cassidy isn’t good enough to beat Sabre on his own and is going to need some kind of special trick to pull it off. I’m not sure what that is going to be, but then again that’s kinds of the point of watching the match in the first place.

As much as I want to take Sabre here, it feels like a situation where Cassidy is coming in as the huge underdog but manages to pull it off somehow anyway, as tends to be his custom. It might not be the most thrilling way to go but that has never really stopped AEW with Cassidy before. It’s always fun to see whatever Sabre can do to torment someone else so we should be in for a good one here with Cassidy winning.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Hechicero

This is a bit early for a match involving someone as big as MJF but it isn’t like AEW has treated it like anything important. For the second year in a row, MJF’s Forbidden Door match feels like it was thrown on for the sake of giving him something to do and I do not get the thinking behind that move. It’s MJF’s first pay per view match since December and he’s more or less an after thought. That’s quite the odd way to go, but at least it’s an easy pick.

Save for some wacky interference, there is no reason for Hechicero to win here so we’ll take MJF in what should be an easy one. MJF will probably get in some trouble here but then wind up winning anyway, because there is pretty much no reason for Hechicero, who is probably not sticking around, to beat one of the biggest stars in the company. I’m still not sure I get the thinking here, but MJF wins.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi

The roller coaster that is the last full time year of Danielson’s career continues and that means we have another match against a hard hitter. That is kind of his trademark at this point and in this case he actually has a better chance to pull it off. It’s quite the way to go for a first round match in a #1 contenders tournament, but Danielson has a tendency to go a bit nuts anyway.

While Danielson might not have the best win/loss record, there is no reason to believe he goes down here. Takagi is another guy who isn’t likely to be around for the long term, which would likely include another match in the tournament. That leaves Danielson to win a heck of a fight, which isn’t something you get to say very often in AEW but it makes all the sense in the world here.

Learning Tree/Jeff Cobb vs. Samoa Joe/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata

Cobb is substituting for an injured Bryan Keith as Jericho’s latest weird character gets a pay per view match. The good thing about Jericho being in the match is that he can’t talk, which would be about as bad as it could get around here. Joe vs. Cobb is the hoss fight fans would want to see while the rest…well they’re all involved as well, no matter how odd it might be.

I’ll take the Learning Tree and Cobb to win here, as it seems like we’re going to be seeing Jericho do his thing for a long time to come, no matter how much of a mess it might be. That doesn’t go well if he loses his big match as part of the team, so odds are Cobb pins Shibata to get the win, giving Jericho something else to talk about. The match itself should be ok, but egads this has been a rough sit for a good while now.

Elite vs. Acclaimed/Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tanahashi is replacing Billy Gunn for the sake of it’s Forbidden Door and therefore Tanahashi has to be on the show. Much like the Learning Tree match, the good thing here is that if the Bucks are in the match, they can’t be talking (in theory at least) and that should make things a bit less annoying. This feels like a match that should be on Dynamite but here we are instead, though at least the addition of Tanahashi makes it feel more special.

It’s hard to imagine the Bucks losing a big match until Blood And Guts at the earliest so we’ll say the Elite wins here and keeps things going. Odds are we get a rematch of this later on with Gunn in there rather than Tanahashi, but for now at least we should be in for something good enough. The Elite go over though, as they’re a bigger deal than another makeshift team.

TNT Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Dante Martin vs. El Phantasmo vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Lio Rush vs. Jack Perry

Here we have a ladder match for the vacant title as Adam Copeland decided that jumping off a cage and landing on his feet was a good idea. The ladder match part makes it all the more eye roll inducing because it’s such a cliché at this point, but it also lets someone potentially steal the title without having to get a pinfall. That opens up some doors, but I think you know where this is going.

As much as I’d love to see someone like Martin, who could actually be made by something like this, get the title, this feels like it’s Perry all day. AEW is obsessed with getting this guy over one way or another and it feels like he’ll do it here as a way to become that much bigger of a deal. The match will be the usual car crash, meaning it’s only going to be so good, but it should be exciting.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Mina Shirakawa

This is both a title match and part of a love triangle, as both of them are trying to woo Mariah May. That has made for quite the unique story but it is something that has been set up well enough that I’m curious to see where it goes. The match quality itself might be up in the air as Shirakawa doesn’t have a long track record in AEW, but that is far from the most interesting part here.

I’ll go with Storm to win of course, as the title isn’t likely changing hands here, though the question becomes what happens with May. It would not surprise me at all to see her side with Storm before eventually winning the Owen Hart Tournament and getting a shot against Storm at Wembley. For now though, all is right in the world as May signs with Storm and moves forward, though it could be quite the path there.

AEW TBS Title/NJPW Women’s Strong Title: Mercedes Mone(c) vs. Stephanie Vaquer(c)

We’re going title for title here and…I have almost no idea what to expect here as all I’ve seen from Vaquer is most of an eight minute match this week on Collision. Other than that it’s been all hype videos and promos from Mone, which isn’t the best way to go. What matters though is that we have what could be a huge match which could go either way, as the title vs. title stipulation shakes things up.

While there is a chance that Vaquer wins, I can’t imagine Mone loses anywhere near this close to her AEW debut. AEW knows that she is a star and isn’t about to have her lose a big match, or any match for that matter, here. They have also hyped up the idea that she needs to win the NJPW belt, even if that means we are going to be seeing another title running around AEW, because we haven’t had that in a bit.

IWGP World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Tetsuya Naito

This is the other World Title match on the show, which is arguably a bigger match than the main event. Thankfully AEW has managed to avoid treating this as such a big deal, as that would be about as bad of a result as you could get for the AEW World Title. Moxley is already one of the biggest stars in AEW, but that brings up the question of whether or not he gets to retain the title here.

This one could go either way, but I’ll take Naito to win here, as I can’t imagine Moxley being the next big thing in AEW. Naito can get back the title that Moxley took fro him and we could be in for a rather good match on the way there. It also gives the other promotions their big win on the show, which very well could otherwise be dominated by AEW. This one could go either way of course, but I’ll take Naito to get the title back.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland(c) vs. Will Ospreay

Here we have the biggest match on the card and thankfully the best built up story. It’s an idea that has been done before, as you have Ospreay as the new ace of the company and Strickland being the “not so fast” champion. Ospreay has pretty much been able to do no wrong so far in AEW and Strickland can work well with anyone. That opens up the door for something great, but there is one thing in the way.

That thing is the Don Callis Family and unfortunately I’m expecting them to be what costs Ospreay the match here. Ospreay getting the World Title at some point seems to be an inevitability, but I would hope that Strickland gets at least one successful defense in the main event spot. Strickland has done incredibly well in this role and this could be another great one, though odds are the Family gets involved to cost Ospreay. It’s predictable, but that’s about all I can expect to happen.

Overall Thoughts

As you can probably tell from here, this is going to be a very long show. Fourteen matches and a show that could go around six hours makes for one heck of a marathon and I’m worried about things getting bogged down by sheer volume. There is a great show in there somewhere but AEW has a tendency to put in way too much on any pay per view. Hopefully they can find a way around it, but they’ve got a big challenge in front of them.

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

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AND

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Collision
Date: June 29, 2024
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness

We’re a day away from Forbidden Door and that means it is time for the big final push towards the show. That could go in a variety of ways but with most of the show already set, this is likely going to be about pushing things that have already been set up. That could still make for a good show so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Orange Cassidy/Tomohiro Ishii vs. TMDK

Haste wants to check on Cassidy’s pockets to start but with nothing happening, it’s off to Ishii instead. They go head to head to no avail so we’ll try Eagles vs. Cassidy instead. Cassidy takes him down without much trouble and sends Eagles into the corner so many times that Eagles has to grab the referee. Tis but a ruse though, as Haste drops Cassidy onto the apron, allowing Eagles to hit a bit flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Cassidy kicking Haste into Eagles, allowing the tag off to Ishii to clean house. Haste’s kick to the face is shrugged off and Ishii grabs a Saito suplex for two. Ishii and Cassidy hit the alternating strikes in the corner and Cassidy’s top rope elbow gets two. Back up and a Falcon Arrow plants Cassidy but he’s back with Stundog Millionaire. Eagles plants him again but Ishii makes the save. Cassidy kicks Haste into the corner though and grabs the Beach Break for the pin at 10:46.

Rating: C+. This was about getting Cassidy in the ring with Zack Sabre Jr.’s teammates and little more, which made for kind of a weird match. Cassidy is working rather hard as of late and might be more than a bit worn down for Sabre, which tends to be exactly what he tends to do most of the time. Not bad at all here, but it feels a bit off from the matches Cassidy and Ishii have tomorrow.

We get a Hangman Page vignette as he sits and drinks in his empty house. That very well could be the wildcard from the Elite. Or he’s just a loner drunk again.

The Learning Tree is in the back and walks into the trainer’s area to complain about faulty wrist taping. Chris Jericho also advocates stealing tape.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Lady Frost

Non-title and here is Mercedes Mone to watch. Vaquer puts her down to start and then spins out of a wristlock. An STF sends Frost over to the ropes and they head outside, where Frost snaps off a hurricanrana. Frost tries a handstand on the apron but gets superkicked, leaving us with a Mone/Vaquer staredown as we take a break.

Back with Frost hitting some faceplants to send Frost into the mat but Frost kicks her in the head. A twisting high crossbody gives Frost two, with Mone approving at ringside. Vaquer is back with a spinning DDT for two and some headbutts in the corner have Frost in more trouble. A package backbreaker finishes Frost at 7:58.

Rating: C+. Well at least they finally got Vaquer in the ring for once before her title match against Mone. That’s what we’ve been needing since the match was announced as Vaquer hasn’t wrestled in AEW prior to this, which doesn’t give fans much to go on. This was better than nothing, but the story is only going to be so interesting going into tomorrow.

Post match Mone comes in for the staredown but Vaquer leaves. Vaquer’s partner, Zeuxis, comes in to jump Mone, allowing Vaquer to lay Mone out.

The Lucha Bros are ready for Forbidden Door when Los Ingobernables de Japon come in to challenge Death Triangle. The Bros are going to pass because Pac is in the Owen Hart Cup, but they’ll team with Mistico instead. Los Ingobernables are cool with that. Well Takahashi isn’t, as he’s kind of panicking over the Mistico idea.

Serena Deeb vs. Kelly Madan

Deeb chops away to start and hits a neckbreaker over the middle rope. A hammerlock lariat into Deebtox finishes Madan at 1:15.

Post match Deeb says she isn’t going into wrestling purgatory and wants some competition. And cue Riho for the staredown, because it’s time to pretend she’s amazing again.

The Learning Tree critiques hand washing techniques.

Post match the Learning Tree tries to ride a Zamboni machine but get beaten up by Samoa Joe and pals. The fight heads into the arena, where Jeff Cobb runs in to even things out so the Learning Tree can stand tall.

Video on Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Orange Cassidy.

Cassidy says his world is falling apart but he’s here, unlike Sabre. Cue Sabre to say he knows what Cassidy is going to do, so Cassidy offers to pin him with his hands in his pockets. Cassidy grabs him by the shirt, with Sabre saying he’s already won.

Hechicero vs. Kevin Blackwood

Hechicero takes him down and ties up the leg before switching to an ankle lock. Some elbows to the face and a flapjack set up a Mad Scientist Bomb to rock Blackwood again. The Rings of Saturn with the legs makes Blackwood tap at 2:22.

The Patriarchy wants the Trios Titles so here is the Bang Bang Gang for the argument. Jay White mocks the team but gets why Christian Cage wants to latch onto him.

Daniel Garcia vs. The Butcher

They’re both from Buffalo. They fight over a lockup to start until Butcher powers him into the corner for some stomping. Garcia fights back but gets taken outside for a ram into the barricade. Garcia’s running boot is countered into a backdrop onto the barricade and we take a break. Back with the fans declaring this awesome as Butcher keeps Garcia in trouble. Garcia fights back and grabs a swinging neckbreaker for the breather. Back up and Garcia shrugs off a big boot before dropping Butcher with a clothesline. The piledriver finishes for Garcia at 9:00.

Rating: C+. The fans were into it, but I’m really not sure what the point is in having the fans split between two hometown stars before Garcia gets his big title match next week. Garcia isn’t likely to win, but this wasn’t the best way to get the fans behind him on the way there. Then again there have always been some rather odd choices for Garcia in AEW.

Post match dancing ensues and respect is shown.

The Don Callis Family interrupts Will Ospreay, who still says he can win the World Title on his own. That works for Callis and we pan out to show Rush standing with the Family.

Brodie Lee is getting his own custom shoe.

Jack Perry wants the TNT Title but doesn’t want to wrestle tonight. Christopher Daniels pops in to say Perry wrestles tonight or he’s out of the title match. Fans chant for CM Punk.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Hikaru Shida vs. Deonna Purrazzo

They fight over wrist control to start before switching to an exchange of forearms. Purrazzo gets knocked into the corner with an enziguri and then out to the floor, with Shida hitting a big dive. Back up and Purrazzo kicks her down and we take a break. We come back with Shida hitting some running knees for two but Purrazzo legsweeps her down. The Fujiwara armbar goes on but Shida slips out again. A step up kick to the head drops Purrazzo and the Falcon Arrow connects. The Katana finishes Purrazzo at 9:09.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised that Purrazzo lost here as she was on something of a roll. That being said, Shida is possibly the most successful star in the history of AEW’s women’s division so losing to her is hardly some career killer. They did well here with Shida getting another win, and while I can’t imagine her winning the whole thing, someone will get a nice boost from beating her.

Post match Purrazzo jumps Shida again but Thunder Rosa runs in for the save.

We get another rather serious video from Jeff Jarrett, talking about what it means to honor Owen Hart’s legacy. The rest of Jarrett’s friends are ready to have his back, though he wants to go to the ring on his own. They all seem ok with this and will be with him in spirit.

We get a very slow pan up Toni Storm as she talks about how she is ready to beat Mina Shirakawa. As you might expect, this is rather over the top, as only Storm can do.

Mark Briscoe/Dante Martin/Lio Rush vs. Konosuke Takeshita/Jack Perry/El Phantasmo

Rush and Perry start things off but let’s try Takeshita instead. Rush gets two off a quick rollup before getting kicked in the face for his efforts. Phantasm comes in and all three opponents send him into the corner for some running clotheslines. We settle down to Rush’s suplex getting two on Phantasmo but he fights back up for a breather. Hold on though as Perry drops to the floor instead of tagging. Briscoe dropkicks Perry through the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Martin hurricanranaing Phantasm and Takeshita at the same time, allowing the tag back to Briscoe. Phantasmo kicks Briscoe in the head so Rush can come back in to pick up the pace. A suicide dive take Takeshita down but Phantasm and Martin hit dives of their own. Back in and Martin’s frog splash gets two with Perry making the save.

Briscoe’s running flip dive from the apron misses though and Takeshita comes back in to clean house. Martin catches him on top with a super hurricanrana, only o have Perry break up something on top. The distraction lets Takeshita hit the Blue Thunder Bomb into the running knee to finish Martin at 10:51.

Rating: B-. This was the preview for the ladder match which has nothing to do with ladders but that’s how ladder matches are built up. It’s hard to imagine anyone but Perry winning but at least there is quite the lineup of talent involved. It also helps that it was the best match of the night so far, though the lineup has only been so good this week.

Post match Perry decks Takeshita, who gets superkicked by Phantasmo, who gets Stunnered by Rush, who gets in a tug o war with Martin, who is knocked down by a ladder shot from Briscoe, who climbs the ladder and throws the title onto the pile before hitting a flip dive onto everyone.

Forbidden Door rundown.

We get the weigh-in for the World Title match between Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay, with Prince Nana as moderator. Ospreay weighs 220 and Swerve weighs 230. They go nose to nose and pose for photos before Ospreay says they are 24 hours away from ushering in a new era. Swerve talks about how he’s a businessman and offers Ospreay’s wife a contract. That’s enough for the fight to be on, with all of the seconds getting into it as well. Ospreay manages a quick Hidden Blade and poses over Swerve to end the show. This has been the best built match on the pay per view, but I’m worried that it’s going to get overshadowed.

Overall Rating: B-. The ending segment was good, but this was a show that seemed more designed as a big preview for tomorrow’s event. While that makes sense on paper, there is only so much that you can get out of having a preview of what is supposed to be a bunch of one off special matches. It also doesn’t help that this was a two hour show which came the day before an hour long show and the day before a four plus hour pay per view (with an hour and a half pre-show). Not a bad show, but not one you really needed to watch.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Tomohiro Ishii b. TMDK – Beach Break to Haste
Stephanie Vaquer b. Lady Frost – Package backbreaker
Serena Deeb b. Kelly Madan – Deebtox
Hechicero b. Kevin Blackwood – Rings of Saturn with legs
Daniel Garcia b. The Butcher – Piledriver
Hikaru Shida b. Deonna Purrazzo – Katana
Konosuke Takeshita/Jack Perry/El Phantasmo b. Mark Briscoe/Dante Martin/Lio Rush – Running knee to Martin

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

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AND

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

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

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

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

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

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

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

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

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video on Mercedes Mone vs. Stephanie Vaquer.

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

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

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

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kyle O’Reilly

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

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

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

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

Swerve Strickland/Will Ospreay vs. Gates Of Agony

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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