Dynamite
Date: December 18, 2024
Location: Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re coming up on the end of the Continental Classic and that means it is time to get in some more matches this week. In this case it’s the Holiday Bash special, which may or may not actually have all that much in the way of being special. Other than that, we are coming up on Worlds End and that means the show needs to be set up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Jay White isn’t sure about relying on Hangman Page tonight and here is Page to shove aside White and Orange Cassidy to say Jon Moxley belongs to him tonight.

Darby Allin says it’s showtime.

Will Ospreay says we’re in for a dream match with Allin.

We get a quick card rundown.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Anna Jay

Mone is defending and slaps Jay in the face to start, meaning it’s time to bail up against the ropes. Back up and Jay slaps her in the face, only to get caught in Three Amigos. The frog splash misses though and Jay gets two but Mone is back with a running Meteora for two. Mone chokes away a bit and we take a break.

Back with Jay hitting a Blockbuster for two and a running spinwheel kick in the corner sets up an Iconoclasm for the same. The Queenslayer is broken up with a bite to Jay’s arm and Mone gets the Statement Maker. That’s broken up and Money hits a sunset bomb into the corner. Another Meteora sets up the Mone Maker to retain the title at 10:07.

Rating: C+. Yeah Anna Jay lost a big match. I’m as shocked as you are. This is what happens with Jay, in that she gets a bit of momentum (she went to Japan you know) and then loses the match that matters. I’m sure she’ll start the same cycle again and we’ll do this one more time because it never changes, much like it being hard to get invested in the idea that she’s actually going to win something.

FTR has no issues with the Death Riders (despite the beating and kidnapping) but they’re out for the rest of the year. They’ll be back on January 1 to fight the Death Riders and they’re not coming alone. Perhaps with Adam Copeland in his new hometown of Asheville?

Here is MJF for a chat. He complains about the fans’ opinions and mocks the Washington Wizards basketball team (which the fans agree with) before promoting Hanukkah over Christmas. Fans: “SANTA!” MJF says Hanukkah is all about giving so he has started a charity. We see a fake Adam Cole photo and a QR code to order Worlds End. If you get the show, a portion of your purchase will go towards MJF taking care of this tiny little yellow bay-bay. You can thank him later for that but here is Cole on the screen.

Cole had a meeting with Tony Khan and if MJF wants his Dynamite Diamond Ring back, he has to deal with the Undisputed Kingdom. Then Cole pops up in the ring to superkick MJF, who bails before the Panama Sunrise. Remember when the doctored photos were a staple of badly written Vince McMahon WWE TV? It’s still bad here.

Jamie Hayter wants Julia Hart at Fight For The Fallen.

Video on Kenny Omega, who will be back soon.

Patriarchy vs. Katsuyori Shibata/Hook

Wayne goes after Hook’s bad arm to start but it’s quickly off to Shibata vs. Cage. Some chops have Cage in trouble so Hook comes in to backdrop him over the top and onto Wayne. Back in and Hook tries the Redrum but Cage snaps his bad arm over the top for a quick save.

We take a break and come back with Wayne kicking Hook in the face but Hook manages a suplex. Shibata comes back in to clean house, including back to back STO’s. Wayne dives into the sleeper but Mother Wayne offers a distraction. The Killswitch drops Shibata and Nick gets the pin at 11:45.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as Hook feels like such a side story for Christian as we (continue to) wait on him to cash in his title shot. I’m not sure if he’s going to win the title or not but it feels like he’s had that stupid contract forever. Shibata losing to Wayne likely sets up a singles match between the two of them and that isn’t exactly exciting either.

Chris Jericho goes to New York and claims to be the king of the city. And yes, this really is the best thing they have for a World Title match at the biggest ROH show of the year.

Bandido video, minus the old west motif.

Mariah May isn’t sure why Thunder Rosa is a wrestler but sure they can have a Tijuana street fight.

Here is Ricochet for a chat but before he can get very far, here is the Hurt Syndicate to interrupt. Ricochet praises their fashion sense and hopes that the team has noticed his success lately. Bobby Lashley grabs him by the throat and MVP says no one likes a kiss a**.

Continental Classic Blue League: Shelton Benjamin (6 points) vs. The Beast Mortos (0 points)

MVP is on commentary. Benjamin slams him down to start but Mortos snaps off a running headscissors. Mortos pulls him down and twists the leg but a rope walk is broken up with a knee to the floor. We take a break and come back with Mortos planting him for two as MVP talks about Benjamin having a recent knee procedure. A corkscrew Swanton gives Mortos two but Benjamin is right back with a running powerslam. Benjamin superkicks him down and starts throwing the suplexes. Some running knees in the corner set up the exploder to give Benjamin the pin at 8:49

Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this one and the ending felt flat, with Benjamin just hitting Mortos over and over to win. Benjamin has looked great since coming to AEW and I could go for seeing him make the pay per view part of the tournament. As for Mortos…egads it would be nice to see him actually win something.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 4 points (2 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (1 match remaining)

Post match the Hurt Syndicate beats up Mortos and MVP threatens Daniel Garcia. Cue Garcia, with Mark Briscoe following, for the brawl. The Hurt Syndicate beats them all down and Benjamin poses with the TNT Title.

We recap the weekend in the Continental Classic.

Ricochet is ready for Will Ospreay this weekend but Swerve Strickland interrupts. Swerve is ready for the same old Trevor to pop up but Ricochet promises to win the Continental Classic.

Toni Storm sits down with RJ City and still can’t believe she’s here. And no she doesn’t remember anything she’s done in AEW. She does however remember Saraya, who hadn’t debuted when she first got here.

Continental Classic Gold League: Will Ospreay (6 points) vs. Darby Allin (3 points)

Ospreay misses a chop up against the ropes to start and has to flip out of the high angle springboard armdrag. Allin gets the feet up in the corner but an elbow to the face knocks him outside. Back up and Allin drops him again, only to miss the Coffin Drop to the apron. We take a break and come back with Allin hitting a flipping Stunner but his back is banged up. Ospreay is back with a Cheeky Nandos and a Hidden Blade but Stormbreaker is countered into a Code Red to give Allin two.

They strike it out with Ospreay getting the better of things but the Oscutter is countered. A springboard Coffin Drop gives Allin two and they’re both down again. They go to the apron and Ospreay hits a Styles Clash to the floor but bangs up his knee on the landing. Naturally Allin beats the count back in but the Oscutter connects for two. Allin flips away again and hits a Scorpion Death Drop, setting up a pair of Coffin Drops for the pin at 14:40.

Rating: B. It was a hard hitting fight with Allin fighting from beneath and getting the fans behind him, but dang Ospreay losing again feels disappointing. It feels like that’s been the case far too often lately and that’s not a good thing to see. At least Allin isn’t losing again so soon after going after the Death Riders at Full Gear, but he hasn’t done much about it since then. Anyway, fun match, but Ospreay being a superhero again would be nice.

Gold League Standings

Darby Allin – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Ricochet – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Komander – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Death Riders vs. Jay White/Hangman Page/Orange Cassidy

Cassidy and Yuta slug it out to start with Cassidy sending him to the floor for a springboard corkscrew dive. Back in and Moxley’s piledriver attempt is countered into a backdrop and it’s off to Page, who wants Moxley. Instead White tags himself in but can’t give Moxley a Blade Runner. A piledriver drops White and we take an early break.

Back with Page having walked out and Cassidy down on the floor, leaving White alone for the moment. Pac grabs a slingshot cutter but White is back with a suplex. Cassidy gets up for a top rope DDT to Moxley and fires off some kicks. A spinning DDT plants Moxley but Yuta and White come back in to trade suplexes. Cassidy’s Orange Punch is countered into a cutter from Moxley but Page is back. Cassidy cuts off the Buckshot Lariat and gets sent into Page before grabbing a Stundog Millionaire to Yuta. The Buckshot Lariat hits Yuta and White gives Pac the Blade Runner. Then Moxley rolls Cassidy up for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B-. And of course the Death Riders outsmart our heroes again, showing that they are not only tougher, but smarter. The theme continues to be “the Death Riders, and especially Moxley, are just better” and that doesn’t make me want to see the heroes win. I get the idea of the good guys can’t get along to stop Moxley, but shouldn’t the idea be more that one of them CAN beat him? I haven’t seen much evidence to suggest that.

Post match the bickering is on so the Death Riders try to jump the good guys, only to be chased off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I wasn’t feeling a lot of this show but it did get better as it went on. The Death Riders still aren’t interesting and the Continental Classic is starting to wear out its welcome. The show wasn’t bad by any means but I’m only somewhat interested in Words End. As has been the case for far too long in AEW, nothing is really jumping off the page at me and that’s becoming an issue. It needs something to spice it up a bit and Jon Moxley being brilliant and tough isn’t it so far.

Results
Mercedes Mone b. Anna Jay – Mone Maker
Patriarchy b. Katsuyori Shibata/Hook – Killswitch to Shibata
Shelton Benjamin b. The Beast Mortos – Exploder
Darby Allin b. Will Ospreay – Coffin Drop
Death Riders b. Jay White/Hangman Page/Orange Cassidy – Rollup to Cassidy

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

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AND

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

Dynamite
Date: December 4, 2024
Location: Fishers Events Center, Fishers, Indiana
Commentators: Excalibur, Matt Menard, Tony Schiavone

We’re on the road to Worlds End and that means we’ll be having another show focused on the Continental Classic. Other than that, we’re going to need to start putting together the pay per view card. That is likely going to have a big focus on the Death Riders, which is still the big focus of the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of week one of the Continental Classic.

Continental Classic Blue League: Shelton Benjamin (3 points) vs. Kyle Fletcher (3 points)

Don Callis is on commentary. Benjamin takes him into the corner to start as Excalibur rapid fires off their history in round robin tournaments. Fletcher is drive into the corner and then bails out to the floor as they’re still waiting to really get going here. They take turns lounging on the ropes before Benjamin gets in a slap to the back. A Cactus Clothesline takes them both to the floor and we take a break.

Back with an exchange of forearms until they head outside, with Fletcher being sent into the steps. Fletcher is right back with a running clothesline and a Michinoku Driver for two. Benjamin hits the Dragon Whip into a powerbomb and something like an STF sends Fletcher to the ropes. Back up and Fletcher drops him again, setting up a top rope elbow for two. Some German suplex rock Fletcher and have the fans rather excited but he grabs a rollup, and the rope, for the pin at 15:47.

Rating: B. This was starting to rock near the end and the fans were way into it by the time they were wrapping it up. The ending felt a bit disappointing but I’ll take what we got over Benjamin doing a clean job. Heck of a show here, with the two of them both working hard and doing the kind of match that feels like it belongs in a tournament like this.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 1 point (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 1 point (4 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Juice Robinson is out of the tournament due to injury and will be replaced by Komander. Because of course it’s Komander.

Here is Hook for a chat. He’s heard Nick Wayne’s challenge for a few weeks but he wants to fight Christian Cage in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York instead. Cue the Patriarchy and the beatdown is on, with a Conchairto crushing Hook’s hand/wrist.

Mercedes Mone doesn’t care about Mercedes Mone, but she’ll be paying attention to Anna Jay’s match.

MVP is disappointed in Shelton Benjamin, who beats up a production worker to blow off some steam.

Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal

Adam Cole, Mark Davis, Rocky Romero, Kyle O’Reilly, Dante Martin, Darius Martin, Lance Archer, Evil Uno, Lio Rush, The Butcher, Action Andretti, Brian Cage

The final two will face off next week and the winner of that faces MJF for the Dynamite Diamond Ring at Worlds End. Uno does Cole’s pose to start and is kicked out by Davis for the first elimination. A bunch of people go after Archer before Rush and Andretti take out Top Flight (on purpose) to clear out part of the ring.

Cage and Archer get rid of Davis and we take a break. Back with Andretti being kicked out with Rush being knocked out as well. Romero is sent out as well and Cole eliminates Butcher, leaving us with Cole, O’Reilly, Cage and Archer. The monsters are sent to the apron and then kicked out to give Cole and O’Reilly the win at 10:09.

Rating: C. They kept this relatively short and that is the right idea, as there was no reason for anyone but Cole and O’Reilly to move forward here. We’ll either see Cole or both of them face MJF at Worlds End, which should hopefully wrap up everything for good. The story is ready to wrap up and has been for a long time, but here we have the next step ready to set up the next step.

Post match O’Reilly leaves, shoving Cole a bit in the process.

Julia Hart is still hunting Jamie Hayter.

Billy Gunn and Anthony Bowens tell Max Cole to prove how good he is.

Swerve Strickland vs. Max Caster

Strickland cuts off the rap and sends him into the barricade a few times to start fast. They get inside and the bell rings with Swerve snapping off a German suplex. Caster’s dropkick is shrugged off and it’s the House Call to put him down. Another House Call finishes at 2:15. Total destruction.

Post match Swerve adds a Swerve Stomp.

MJF says all of this is Adam Cole’s fault, including Roderick Strong having a broken arm. He knows Cole can’t beat Kyle O’Reilly and we’ll see that next week.

Video on Pac vs. Jay White.

Pac vs. Jay White

Wheeler Yuta is here with Pac. An early distraction attempt doesn’t work as Pac is knocked to the floor, where he yells at Yuta in frustration. Back in and White hits a backdrop for two and another seconds Pac outside again. Yuta gets in a cheap shot though and Pac sends White into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with White suplexing him into the corner and grabbing a DDT for two. A double knockdown gives us a breather before Pac kicks him down again. The Black Arrow misses but the Blade Runner is blocked as well. White’s half and half suplex looks to set up the Blade Runner but Pac reverses into a standing Brutalizer. The rope is grabbed so Yuta gets in a running knee, which the referee somehow doesn’t see. Not that it matters as White is right back with the Blade Runner out of nowhere for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B-. This was starting to pick up near the end but it’s nice to see White getting another win. AEW needs something fresh so why not let White show what he can do? It wouldn’t stun me to see him getting the title shot against Jon Moxley at Worlds End, which isn’t a bad idea. It’s different, and that is nice to see around here.

Post match Yuta goes after White but gets taken out with the Blade Runner. Cue the rest of the Death Riders to take White out but Hangman Page shows up….and Orange Cassidy jumps Moxley from behind. All three of them get together to lay Moxley out, with Christian Cage popping up with the contract.

Jamie Hayter doesn’t know what Julia Hart has against her but she’s ready to win the International Women’s Cup. For now, she’s willing to come find Hart though.

Chris Jericho is ready to defend the Ring Of Honor World Title at Final Battle. We’ll find out more about his challenger tomorrow night on Ring Of Honor.

We get an old west themed video, talking about how someone is coming back but the sheriff is scared. The wanted poster shows that Bandido is on his way back. Cool.

Video on Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford.

Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford

They shove each other to start until Jay hits a running forearm. Ford is back with a knock out to the floor, with some knees keeping Jay in trouble. We take a break and come back with Ford hitting a handspring elbow in the corner but Jay crotches her on top. A basement Blockbuster gives Jay two but the Queenslayer is countered into a Stunner for two. The Muta Lock sends Jay over to the ropes and she’s right back up with the Gory Bomb for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C+. Jay wins again and seems to be coming up on a feud with Mercedes Mone, but it isn’t going to matter if Jay loses yet another high profile math. As for this, Ford was her usual decent self, so the match could have been far worse. They did something by showing their history here, but thankfully it wasn’t presented as anything overly important.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes out to laugh off the idea of Anna Jay being a threat to the title. Jay can come back when she has done something in wrestling, so Jay slaps her, sending Mone scrambling.

We get a sitdown interview with Mariah May, who doesn’t think much of Renee Paquette. May wants Mina Shirakawa to do something other than shake her chest, so here is Mina to hand her the champagne bottle. Mina says do it to her face, which has May a bit shaken.

Continental Classic Gold League: Brody King vs. Claudio Castagnoli

They strike it out to start with King getting the better of things but Castagnoli goes after the arm. Castagnoli sends him into the corner and wraps the arm around around the post as we take a break. Back with Castagnoli going after the arm again to cut off a comeback bid. Swiss Death and the Death Valley Driver get two each but King is back with a hard clothesline.

A running splash in the corner drops Castagnoli again for two and King plants him with a top rope superplex. The piledriver gives King two and Castagnoli bails out to the floor. King follows by gets sent over the barricade and has to beat the count. Back in and King hits a lariat but can’t get the Ganso Bomb. Instead Castagnoli kicks him low and the Neutralizer finishes King at 14:18.

Rating: B. This was two big, strong guys beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up any more. That’s a good way to go and it worked well here, with King getting in his big shots before falling in the end. It was a good match and it’s nice to see Castagnoli getting a win in a featured spot.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Ricochet – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Komander – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B. As usual, the tournament makes the show a good bit easier to watch as you’re guaranteed a nice bit of content focusing on the in-ring side. Other than that, it looks like we might be coming up on a four way match for the World Title at Worlds End. Some of the pay per view card started coming together here and that’s a good sign with just a few weeks to go. Nice stuff here, as the tournament is helping the company a lot.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Shelton Benjamin – Rollup while holding the rope
Adam Cage and Kyle O’Reilly won the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal last eliminating Brian Cage and Lance Archer,
Swerve Strickland b. Max Caster – House Call
Jay White b. Pac – Blade Runner
Anna Jay b. Penelope Ford – Gory Bomb
Claudio Castagnoli b. Brody King – Neutralizer

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: November 27, 2024
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with Full Gear and it is time to start the Continental Classic. The tournament was one of the bigger hits of last year and there is a good chance that they can continue it this year. Other than that, Darby Allin seems to be next in line for the World Title shot, which is certainly an interesting choice after how Allin has done lately. Let’s get to it.

Here is Full Gear if you need a recap.

Long Full Gear recap.

We get a quick Continental Classic preview, with some entrants saying they’ll win. Quick look at the rules:

• 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss

• Round Robin format, meaning it’s not single elimination.

• 20 minute time limits, no one allowed at ringside.

• The winner of the Blue League will face the runner up of the Gold League and vice versa at Worlds End, with winners of those matches facing off the same night to crown a winner.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate for a chat. MVP compares Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin to Michael Jordan and Walter Payton, but anyone who turns down the Hurt Syndicate isn’t all that bright. Like Swerve Strickland, and we see a clip of Lashley taking Strickland out at Full Gear.

Continental Classic Blue League: Mark Briscoe vs. Shelton Benjamin

Briscoe starts fast and knees him out to the floor but Benjamin is back up with some whips into various things. Back up and Briscoe hits a running flip dive, only for Benjamin to run the corner for a superplex. We take a break and come back with Benjamin forearming away in the corner.

That just fires Briscoe up and he knocks Benjamin down for the Froggy Bow, which hurts himself in the process. Another Froggy Bow only hits raised knees though and Benjamin snaps off some release German suplexes. A Jay Driller attempt is countered and the Dragon Whip into a superkick gives Benjamin two. The exploder finishes Briscoe clean at 11:11.

Rating: B-. Good, back and forth match here, though I’m a bit surprised that Briscoe just lost clean. You don’t see that happen very often and it’s a nice win for Benjamin, who is still new around here. Briscoe is probably going to be getting back into the Ring Of Honor World Title picture though and this didn’t really help him.

Blue League Standings

Shelton Benjamin – 3 Points (4 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Kyle Fletcher – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 Points (4 matches remaining)

Here are Mercedes Mone and Kamille for a chat. Tony Schiavone praises Mone’s match with Kris Statlander, with Mone calling it money. She also suggests that Kamille isn’t that bright, which is enough for Kamille to quit. That’s certainly sudden, but I’d rather they just do it than drag things out.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Jericho is defending and Big Bill is on commentary. They start with the exchange of chops (get used to it) and after nearly three minutes of them, it heads out to the apron. Jericho gets in a DDT onto said apron to take over and they head back inside. An exchange of slaps to the face has Ishii taking over for a change and we take a break.

Back with Jericho hitting a superplex but Ishii pops up and slugs away. A German suplex drops Ishii but he blocks the Judas Effect with a clothesline to the back of the head. Jericho is back up with a Judas Effect into a Codebreaker for one but Ishii can’t stand. He can however counter the Walls attempt and grab a Codebreaker of his own, followed by an enziguri. Jericho catches him with another Judas Effect though and the Lionsault retains at 13:15.

Rating: B-. Ishii never felt like a threat to win the title and while the kickout of the Judas Effect and Codebreaker was good, it wasn’t enough to make me believe that he was going to win. Jericho gets to hold onto the title even longer and now we’re going to see who is next. A rematch with Mark Briscoe at Final Battle wouldn’t shock me, but dang that’s not the most appealing thing in the world.

Swerve Strickland talks about how hard Bobby Lashley hit him but Max Caster interrupts. Caster brings up Strickland’s losses and the fight is on.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat about everything he did at Full Gear. He isn’t happy with Christian Cage screwing up his chance to cash in his World Title contract because Page would win the title and go home to eat some stuffing. Cue Jay White to bring up beating Page twice in a row, so he wants the World Title. Cue the Death Riders to take both of them out, with Jon Moxley choking White out.

Continental Classic Gold League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ricochet

Castagnoli knocks him down to start but Ricochet is back up with a hurricanrana to the floor. Ricochet’s moonsault to the floor is cut off though and Castagnoli drops him onto the barricade. Ricochet is back up with a suicide dive but a springboard is cut off back inside. We take a break and come back with Castagnoli being sent to the floor but coming back in with a big boot for two.

A rather spinning anklescissors sends Castagnoli to the floor and a middle rope moonsault gives Ricochet two back inside. Another springboard is elbowed out of the air for two and Castagnoli gets the Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Castagnoli’s Riccola Bomb is countered into a hurricanrana for two. They go outside again with Ricochet getting crotched on the barricade for a near countout. Back in and Castagnoli hits a hard lariat for the pin at 13:03.

Rating: B. This was a match where you probably knew what you were going to get coming in and it still worked out pretty well. Castagnoli got to show off his power stuff and Ricochet flew around as well as ever. At the same time though, Castagnoli doesn’t feel like he’s in some big monster heel group during his matches. This felt like any Castagnoli match from any point in his career, which makes anything he does with the team outside of the ring feel like it’s from another place.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 3 Points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Brody King – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Juice Robinson – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Ricochet– 0 Points (4 matches remaining)

Don Callis and Kyle Fletcher brag about Fletcher beating Will Ospreay. That was proof that Fletcher is better and the Continental Classic will prove it again.

Here are Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom, with the former calling out MJF. Instead he gets Kyle O’Reilly, who offers to fight MJF. Cole wants to do it but MJF pops up on screen to say he’s too focused on next week’s Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal. O’Reilly and Cole enter as well, for a chance to get a shot at MJF. I really, really, really could go for dropping the whole “MJF has to defend the diamond ring” deal. Not everything has to be some annual tradition.

Since two tournaments at once aren’t enough, we’re also getting a qualifying tournament for the AEW spot in the Wrestle Dynasty International Women’s Cup, with the first semifinal starting tonight. Here are the brackets:

Jamie Hayter
Queen Aminata

Serena Deeb
Willow Nightingale

International Women’s Cup Qualifying Tournament Semifinals: Jamie Hayter vs. Queen Aminata

Hayter powers her into the corner to start and grabs a front facelock. That’s broken up with a hiptoss and they go into the corner for an exchange of chops. Hayter snaps off a suplex and we take an early break. Back with Hayter slugging away but missing the lariat. Aminata gets in a suplex of her own, setting up a running knee to the face for two. Aminata’s top rope double stomp misses though and Hayter hits an Irish Curse for two of her own. They trade rollups for two each until Hayter kicks her in the face, setting up Hayterade for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: C+. The match was fine and thankfully this mini tournament only has four people. I know AEW loves itself some tournaments but a tournament to qualify for a four way match for bragging rights against stars from other companies feels like a bit of overkill. Just say Hayter or Nightingale is going to Wrestle Dynasty and move on.

Post match the lights dim and a spotlight comes on…but no one is there.

We get a sitdown interview with Mina Shirakawa, who knew Mariah May could turn on her. She was ready for what was coming and showed the real Mina…and then May hits her in the back of the head with a bottle. May says she wants the real Mina.

Continental Classic Gold League: Brody King vs. Darby Allin

Allin is all taped up and gets shoved down to start. A slap to the face just annoys King, who runs Allin over for two. King sends him flying with a beal and a nasty chop knocks Allin outside as we take a break. Back with Allin getting crotched on top and no commentary for some reason. King knocks him off the top for two but a super Code Red gives Allin two. King gets knocked outside for a Coffin Drop, followed by a second one to leave King laying. Back in and another Coffin Drop is countered into a choke but Allin slips out. That just earns him a Ganso Bomb to give King the win at 9:36.

Rating: B-. These two work well together but that’s an interesting way to go with Allin, who seemed like he was getting ready for a World Title chase. Maybe that’s where they’re going anyway, but he’s on quite the losing streak on the way there. King got to be more of a monster here and that suits him well because…well look at him.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 3 Points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 Points (4 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Juice Robinson – 0 Points (5 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Ricochet– 0 Points (4 matches remaining)

Post match here is Claudio Castagnoli with a chair but Brody King cuts him off. Castagnoli and King stare each other down to end the show, setting up their tournament match next week.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing about these Continental Classic shows is they focus on what AEW does best, which is the in-ring side of things. You get a bunch of clean finishes and good matches rather than trying to cram in as many things as they can. It made for a much easier to watch show, even though it’s the first step in a long process. Good show here, and a welcome change of pace from what Dynamite has been doing.

Results
Shelton Benjamin b. Mark Briscoe – Exploder
Chris Jericho b. Tomohiro Ishii – Lionsault
Claudio Castagnoli b. Ricochet – Lariat
Jamie Hayter b. Queen Aminata – Hayterade
Brody King b. Darby Allin – Ganso Bomb

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

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Dynamite
Date: November 20, 2024
Location: Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Matt Menard

It’s the last Dynamite before Full Gear and that means we’re likely getting some more matches set for the pay per view. Other than that, it’s likely the final big showdown between Orange Cassidy and Jon Moxley. That should be enough, but we might even get the November Rain video again. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a Full Gear preview, set to Guns N Roses’ November Rain.

Ricochet/Powerhouse Hobbs/Will Ospreay/Mark Davis vs. Don Callis Family

It’s a big brawl on the floor to start until Takeshita and Davis go inside to get things going. Davis’ shoulders don’t get him very far so he backdrops Takeshita down, leaving Ricochet to hit a dive. Hobbs catches Fletcher on top but Cage crushes Hobbs’ leg against the steps. Back in and Ricochet slips out of the Blackout and headscissors Archer down. The villains clear the ring though and we take a break.

Back with Ricochet rolling Takeshita up for two and it’s back to Fletcher to pick up the pace. Davis holds Takeshita up for an assisted cutter but Cage and Archer give Davis an assisted DDT. Cue the hobbling Hobbs (who was apparently taken to the back due to his leg) to clean house, including a double clothesline to Cage and Archer. Davis piledrives Takeshita for two and it’s time for the brawl with Fletcher. We hit the parade of knockdowns until Ospreay and Fletcher get to strike it out. Ospreay accidentally elbows Davis in the face though and Takeshita’s running knee finishes Davis off at 14:33.

Rating: B. Well I don’t think there was any secret as to why Davis was in there. It was billed as an All Star match and Davis being the non-All Star made him the perfect choice for the one to take the fall. The action was good and Hobbs looked good, though the villains needed to win here, especially given some of the upcoming matches.

Jon Moxley swears that Wheeler Yuta is going to destroy Orange Cassidy.

Darby Allin is ready to take out Claudio Castagnoli.

Video on the Continental Classic.

The Hurt Syndicate arrives to announce that Bobby Lashley will be wrestling tonight. Cue Swerve Strickland with to drop Lashley with a chain.

Here is a very orange Adam Cole for a chat. Cole isn’t going to get to face MJF on Saturday but he’s happy that Roderick Strong will. Cue Kyle O’Reilly to interrupt and talk about their history around here. O’Reilly knows him better than anyone and that means he needs to be the one to tell Cole to end the crusade against MJF. Cole doesn’t know how to take this but O’Reilly says MJF is manipulating everything. O’Reilly won’t shake his hand and leaves.

Orange Cassidy is ready to fight Jon Moxley on Saturday and he wants to do it alone. The Conglomeration is ready to fight with him but Cassidy gets serious and says he wants to do this on his own. The team agrees, knowing it’s going to be 5-1.

Kris Statlander vs. Hikaru Shida

They go with the grappling to start with Statlander elbowing her in the face but getting caught with a running knee in the corner. Statlander shrugs that off and cranks on both arms before being reversed into a cross arm choke. A middle rope dropkick drops Statlander and the running knee sends her to the floor as we take a break. Back with Statlander snapping off a powerslam and getting two off a Falcon Arrow. Shida is back with another knee to the face but still can’t bring herself to fire the Katana. Shida’s Falcon Arrow gets two more but another Katana is countered into the Staturday Night Fever for the win at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Shida is someeone who can put over just about anyone and make them look better, which is what we got here with Statlander. That’s a good thing with Statlander on her way to losing to Mercedes Mone in the TBS Title match. This was a nice step for Statlander and it didn’t overstay its welcome so it could have been far worse.

Post match Mercedes Mone and Kamille (in a sling) come out to mock Philadelphia and Statlander. Mone sends Kamille after Statlander, who beats her up with Shida’s help. Mone’s interference is cut off as well and Statlander drops her quick.

The Hurt Syndicate beat up someone wearing Swerve Strickland’s coat.

Video on Jay White vs. Hangman Page.

Bobby Lashley vs. Joe Keys/Cheeseburger

Dominator to Cheeseburger, spear and Hurt Lock to Keys for the win at 2:03. There’s an “I can has cheeseburgers” joke in there somewhere.

Post match here is Swerve Strickland to take out the Hurt Syndicate with the chain. Swerve bails into the crowd as the team gets up. This was an excellent way to make Swerve look like a threat to Lashley and one of the better segments he’s one in a good while.

Mariah May, with Marina Shirakawa, are ready to team together before their champagne celebration at Full Gear. They dance.

Darby Allin vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Allin’s grappling can’t get him very far to start but a springboard armdrag works a bit better. Castagnoli can’t get the Swing so Allin sends him outside, where a dive is cut off. A running uppercut sends Allin over the barricade as Tony is calling the match “phenomenal” just over two minutes in. Castagnoli grabs a suplex and walks him up the steps for the toss back inside (which Tony has somehow never seen).

We take a break and come back with Allin hitting a dive, only to get caught with a gutwrench superplex. Castagnoli unloads in the corner and takes it outside for the Swing into the steps. The announcers’ table is loaded up and Allin is launched into the timekeeper’s area for the huge crash. Allin dives back in to beat the count at nine, where is is promptly clotheslined and pinned at 13:45.

Rating: C+. This was pretty squashtastic with Castagnoli smashing his way through Allin, who only got in a few shots here and there. In theory this is knocking Allin down to rock bottom before he fights back to get a future title shot against Moxley. That’s a path that has been taken before, but I’m not sure how smart it is to have one of your bigger stars beaten up this badly.

Private Party is ready for Full Gear when the Costco guys interrupt, saying they have a big announcement. I’m sure the Costco guys have a fan base but I have no idea who they are so this isn’t exactly for me.

MJF throws money to make a homeless person leave. Then he sits on his car and talks about Roderick Strong’s poor childhood, which is why Strong and Adam Cole are friends. MJF doesn’t like either of them and he’s ready to beat Strong on Saturday to send him back to the trailer park. Then Strong will wish his mother had shot him instead of his father. That’s a story I believe I’ve heard before in a vignette, but I don’t think it was in AEW. They might want to work on that.

The Costco guys are ready for their match against QT Marshall. Apparently the bigger one is a former wrestler and Marshall insulted some cookies. The announcement: the kid’s friend the Rizzler will be guest timekeeper. I have no idea what any of that means.

Here are Roderick Strong and the Undisputed Era, with Strong ranting about MJF and the story about Strong’s parents. That story made him realize he had to earn it while MJF had to be spoon fed everything. Strong promises to hurt MJF and beat some humility into him. Unless I’ve blocked it out, this story about Strong’s parents has not been mentioned on AEW TV during the build to his match with MJF (if ever). That’s a heck of a lot to drop in our laps three days before their match.

On Collision, Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard attacked Jack Perry and tied him to the front of his Scapegoat van. We get some footage of Perry still kidnapped, with Garcia yelling at him and talking about taking power. Perry talks about right and wrong and sacrifice but Garcia cuts him off and laughs. Then Garcia beats on the van with a crowbar. Perry: “That’s it?” I have no idea who approved any of this, but they shouldn’t have a job in wrestling.

We go to the locker room for the contract signing between Chris Jericho and Tomohiro Ishii for the Ring Of Honor World Title match. Jericho takes it to his legal team before he signs, with Ishii slowly stalking him. Some obstacles in his way don’t slow things down as they go up some steps and then into the concourse, with the slow motion “chase” continuing.

They go into the arena and then in the ring, where Ishii has a pen so Jericho signs. The Learning Tree comes in to beat Ishii down but Mark Briscoe and Rocky Romero run in for the save. The Conglomeration cleans house and Ishii signs too. That chase was so dumb that it was almost funny. Almost.

Jamie Hayter isn’t sure why Julia Hart interrupted her last week…and we get another Hart vignette. She shoots arrows and we see some clips of her with an arrow in her chest. Then she hits a bull’s eye.

Orange Cassidy vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta dropkicks him before the bell but Cassidy is back with a backslide for two. The Stundog Millionaire sends Yuta outside for the dive, where Yuta brainbusters him onto the barricade. Yuta adds a DDT onto the apron and we take a break. Back with Cassidy winning a slugout and kicking him in the head, followed by a suplex (called a brainbuster) getting two.

Yuta comes back with a clothesline and the Angle Slam before hitting the elbows to the face. Cassidy pops up with a Michinoku driver for two more but Yuta ties up his legs and hits a Tombstone for another near fall. Cattle Mutilation sends Cassidy to the ropes so Yuta grabs a chair and misses. Cassidy grabs a quick rollup for the pin at 12:14.

Rating: C+. So Cassidy is three days away from headlining a pay per view for the World Title against the monster champion and needed 12 minutes to beat the lowest member of the champion’s team. That’s not how you make a challenger strong for their title match, but I guess Yuta had to be protected. Why I’m not sure, but that’s how AEW tends to work.

Post match the Death Riders run in and duct tape Yuta down for a huge beating. The Death Riders leave and the Conglomeration come out to cut Cassidy free. Cassidy puts on his sunglasses and puts his hands into his pockets to end the show. Have your money ready for Saturday people!

Overall Rating: C. This is the most AEW show I can remember in a long time. The wrestling was fine to good, but my goodness I am so uninterested in almost every story going on. Between Kamille being treated as a stupid lackey to MJF’s latest “you’re trash” to O’Reilly and Cole having issues from 14 years ago to the Death Riders being the latest NWO monster heel stable, there was almost nothing on here I would want to see. Other than Swerve vs. the Hurt Syndicate, the storytelling is not getting anywhere for me and Full Gear is sounding like the most uninteresting pay per view AEW has presented to date.

Results
Don Callis Family b. Will Osprey/Mark Davis/Powerhouse Hobbs/Ricochet – Running knee to Davis
Kris Statlander b. Hikaru Shida – Staturday Night Fever
Bobby Lashley b. Joe Keys/Cheeseburger – Hurt Lock to Keys
Claudio Castagnoli b. Darby Allin – Clothesline
Orange Cassidy b. Wheeler Yuta – Rollup

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

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Dynamite
Date: November 13, 2024
Location: Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re closing in on Full Gear and the big story continues to be the Death Riders taking over everything. That changed a bit last weekend though as Orange Cassidy and friends stood up to the villains, with Cassidy himself scaring Jon Moxley off. The rest of the show could use some time of their own though so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Christian Cage/Hangman Page vs. Bang Bang Gang

Cage has the Patriarchy here with him. White backs Page up against the ropes to start and elbows him in the face but Cage tags himself in. Robinson comes in as well and flips Cage off but Cage manages to send him outside. Nick Wayne gets in a cheap shot on the floor and the slow beating continues. Cue Hook to choke Wayne over the barricade and drag him into the crowd though, allowing Robinson to hit a reverse DDT on the floor. Back in and the tag brings in White for a reverse DDT on Cage, plus a suplex into the corner to Page.

Everything breaks down and Robinson gets crotched on top, followed by a triangle clothesline to White. A super all away slam brings Robinson down for two but White is back in. Cage’s spear is countered into the Blade Runner but White has to duck the Buckshot Lariat. Back to back suplexes put the villains down and the Blade Runner sends Cage into the barricade. Back in and Robinson slugs away at Page, who gets sunset flipped for two. Kip Sabian gets in a contract shot to Robinson though and the Deadeye finishes at 12:33.

Rating: B-. Good opener here with something that felt a little bit different. Throwing something like Page and Cage together is an interesting way to go and the Gang was protected with the interference. I like this kind of thing every so often and it was a nice way to go for a change.

Here’s what’s coming at Full Gear and later tonight.

Mercedes Mone blames Kamille for the car issues last week and tells her to take care of her jacket. Then Kris Statlander shows up for a brawl, with Statlander driving Mone through a wall and onto Kamille. As the destruction of Kamille continues.

Here is Will Ospreay, who gets straight to the point by calling out Kyle Fletcher. Cue Fletcher, who threatens violence and then asks what Ospreay wants to talk about. Ospreay doesn’t buy this and tells Fletcher to drop whatever weapons he has because this is just for a talk. Fletcher throws a screwdriver down before Ospreay talks about their history together.

Fletcher knows everything about him, down to where his kids go to school, so why is all of this happening? That sends Fletcher into a rant about how Ospreay was selfish over the years and turned on a bunch of people, which is why Ospreay would have done the same thing in Fletcher’s spot. Ospreay asks what Fletcher has done, and he doesn’t mean Aussie Open. Fletcher wants a match at Full Gear, which sends Ospreay into a rant about how he’s Mr. PPV around here. He’s fought all kinds of champions on pay per view and stolen the show each time (yet he’s not like, in the title picture at the moment).

The match is set, with Lance Archer and Brian Cage coming in. Ospreay has friends of his own with Mark Davis and Powerhouse Hobbs so the fight is on. Cue Roderick Strong to go after Archer for their scheduled (falls count anywhere) match and we’re ready to go. Other than that, this was another long segment built around things that happened years ago and mostly not in AEW, which happens rather frequently around here.

Roderick Strong vs. Lance Archer

Falls count Anywhere and Archer sends him through some things as we take an early break. Back with Archer missing a charge into the barricade but Brian cage pops up to try a powerbomb. The Undisputed Kingdom makes the save but Archer is back up with a chokeslam to send Matt Taven into security. Strong comes back with a chair to the face and a jumping knee for the pin at 6:42.

Rating: C+. What do you say about something like this? It was a big brawl with a bunch of interference and a good chunk of it was spent in the break. Strong gets another win on the way to the MJF match and Archer loses again, which tends to be the case in any match that matters. Not much to see here, as the falls count anywhere aspect was little more than a way to have a bunch of interference.

Post match Strong promises to come after MJF (as he has not secured his match with his third win) but cue Konosuke Takeshita to jump him from behind. Cue Adam Cole for his scheduled match with Takeshita.

Adam Cole vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Non-title. Cole knocks him out to the floor to start while the theme song is still going, only for Takeshita to come in side and take over as we take a break. Back with Cole hitting the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two but Takeshita hits a Blue Thunder Bomb. Back up and Cole hits him in the face, only to miss the Boom. A brainbuster onto the knee gives Cole two but Takeshita is back with his modified Tombstone into a wheelbarrow suplex.

The big lariat gets two but another is cut off by Cole’s superkick. The Panama Sunrise connects, only for Takeshita to roll outside before the Boom. Takeshita whips out the Dynamite Diamond Ring and the referee turns away for the sake of plot convenience. The big shot to the head gives Takeshita the pin at 9:29.

Rating: C+. Well the ending did surprise me, and thankfully we won’t be getting a triple threat match with Cole, Strong and MJF. If nothing else, I’m not sure why Cole was getting a chance to equal Strong’s three wins but it wound up not mattering. Not a great match, which shouldn’t be a surprise given that it’s Cole, but at least the right person won.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kyle O’Reilly runs in for the save, with Ricochet coming out to fight Takeshita to the back. Cole and Strong shake hands but O’Reilly walks away.

The Hurt Syndicate is ready for Bobby Lashley to make an example out of Swerve Strickland.

Here are the Death Riders beating up JD Drake. Jon Moxley hijacks a cameraman and talks about what he has done to Orange Cassidy’s friends. Chuck Taylor is drinking through a straw and Wheeler Yuta believes in Moxley because Cassidy couldn’t save him. Cassidy is going to learn a lesson and the Death Riders have the power. Cue Cassidy to interrupt, with Rocky Romero and Mark Briscoe joining him.

Cassidy talks about how the World Title gives Moxley power so they’re going to wrestle for the title at Full Gear, where Cassidy will beat him. First though, he has to take out some pawns, like Wheeler Yuta, who he’ll face next week, before he can take down the king. The villains go to leave but Darby Allin dives off the balcony onto them. The Riders try to leave again (leaving Yuta behind) but Allin dives onto the back of their truck. Claudio Castagnoli swings him into a garage door and Yuta dives into the back of the truck to escape. That was a lot in one segment, though Cassidy still feels like his loss is just a formality.

Chris Jericho, with the Learning Tree, talks about Tomohiro Ishii being a young boy thirty years ago and having to wash Jericho’s back in the shower. Jericho accepts Ishii’s challenge and the match is n for two weeks.

Britt Baker vs. Penelope Ford

They fight over wrist control to start until Ford kicks her out to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Ford hitting a handspring elbow in the corner, only to get caught with a discus lariat. Ford Matrixes away from a clothesline and tries a….well commentary calls it a cutter but I’m not sure they made contact. Baker kicks her down and loads up the Lockjaw but takes too much time. Ford pulls her into the Muta Lock, which is reversed into the Lockjaw to finish Ford at 8:55.

Rating: C. Baker feels like she is just going through the motions here and that has been the case for a good while. She just doesn’t feel like she is doing anything overly good these days. At the end of the day, she has just stopped evolving and the rest of the division has, which doesn’t work out well. Ford is trying rather hard and while it’s not exactly getting her anywhere, it’s definitely noticeable.

Post match Serena Deeb comes out for a staredown with Baker.

Mina Shirakawa is back and read for a champagne celebration with Mariah May. Cue Harley Cameron, who says Shirakawa is called the Harley Cameron of Japan. Cameron: “Well welcome to the Harley Cameron of Harley Cameron!” They get into a chest shaking contest until Renee Paquette yells at them to stop.

Lio Rush vs. Swerve Strickland

They take turns flipping away from each other to start before going out to the floor. Rush rakes the eyes and yells a lot but gets sent ribs first into the apron. Rush sends him into the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Swerve kicking him in the head on the apron and adding a suplex for two. Rush is back with a cutter for two of his own, followed by the Final Hour for another near fall. Rush’s rollup with ropes doesn’t work so he hits a rolling kick to the head. Strickland has had enough of this and hits the JML Driver for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, as we get our required Rush appearance. Swerve had to fight through some adversity to win as Rush continues to try and get the Hurt Syndicate’s attention. Swerve having some issues with Rush made sense and it went the way it should have without hurting Swerve in any way.

Post match Swerve calls out Bobby Lashley for the brawl (saying we’re in Stamford, Connecticut). Cue Lashley and MVP and, after a THIS IS BRIDGEPORT chant, MVP says they have the numbers advantage and here is Shelton Benjamin to jump Swerve from behind. Prince Nana has to watch as Swerve is taken out. Lashley beats up Nana for a bonus.

Jamie Hayter is coming after one thing. Then the lights go out and we get a Julia Hart vignette, showing her recovering from being shot with an arrow in another vignette. Brody King calls her and says it’s time to come back. Then she seems to have a mental breakdown and screams a lot. Then she is handed a crossbow and puts on a hat.

Kings Of The Black Throne vs. FTR

For a spot in the Tag Team Title match at Full Gear, meaning Private Party is watching. Wheeler tries to pick up the pace against King to start but gets backdropped down hard. Black comes in to strike away at Harwood, who misses a right hand so Black drops down to the mat. Black kicks Harwood to the floor, where FTR gets in a shot of their own to take over. We take a break and come back with Black fighting his way out of trouble, allowing the tag back to King. Wheeler catches King on top though and a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination gets two.

Black moonsaults onto Wheeler on the floor as King powerbombs Harwood for two back inside. King gets taken up top again but he gets knees up to block the PowerPlex. Black’s top rope double stomp hits Harwood for two and the Shatter Machine gets the same with Black making the save. A spike piledriver onto the apron plants Black but King is there with a dive. Back in and a pair of lariats into a sleeper finish Harwood at 13:28.

Rating: B. Another hard hitting match here and I like the result. FTR has been done to death in the title picture and it will add at least a little spice when they turn on the Outrunners at the show. The Kings Of The Black Throne needed a win to give them some momentum, even if it’s hard to buy that they are going to win the titles at Full Gear.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to make of this show. It was absolutely not boring, but the biggest thing is I’m not really overly interested in Full Gear. A lot of the matches feel like things we have to get through on the way to whatever is next and that’s not a great feeling to have. All of the run-ins and people interfering here didn’t really boost my interest as much as it made me want the show to calm down. It certainly felt like they were trying something different, though I’m not sure how well it worked.

Results
Hangman Page/Christian Cage b. Bang Bang Gang – Deadeye to Robinson
Roderick Strong b. Lance Archer – Jumping knee
Konosuke Takeshita b. Adam Cole – Punch with the Dynamite Diamond Ring
Britt Baker b. Penelope Ford – Lockjaw
Swerve Strickland b. Lio Rush – JML Driver
Kings Of The Black Throne b. FTR – Sleeper to Harwood

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: November 9, 2024
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re closing in on Full Gear and this week will see a Trios Titles match as the Death Riders defend against the Conglomeration. That should be enough to carry the end of the show, but there is going to need to be more. We could be seeing that coming in a few different ways, some of which should work. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

House Of Black vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages

King knocks Bronson around without much trouble to start and the House gets in some running shots in the corner. Jameson comes in for some quick shots on Matthews, which go about as well as you would expect. King hits a dive to the floor to take out all three of them, followed by a Jackhammer to Boulder. The triple strike in the corner finishes Jameson at 3:27.

Rating: C. If the House is being turned good, this was a nice way to go about making it happen. They smashed their way through some annoying villains and the match was never in any real doubt. That’s what something like this should have been and the ending looked rather devastating.

Post match FTR interrupts the House and say they want the Tag Team Titles back. They want one more match with the House, so Black and King step up.

Lio Rush says there is a shift happening around here and that’s why he has one of MVP’s business cards. He’s been on a roll lately and wants to feel alive again, so he wants Swerve Strickland.

Outrunners vs. Top Flight

For one of the three spots in the Tag Team Title match at Full Gear so Private Party is out to watch. Magnum and Darius start things off with Darius hitting a flying shoulder to put Magnum down early. Floyd and Dante come in as everything breaks down, with an atomic drop staggering Darius.

We take a break and come back with Dante elbowing Magnum for two and sending him outside. Darius doesn’t like Magnum getting too close to Leila Grey so he hits a dive, which Dante doesn’t like for some reason. Back in and Top Flight gets dropped, with Floyd slamming Magnum onto Dante. Darius makes the save and breaks up a double suplex, with the Outrunners being knocked outside. Magnum is back in to Hulk Up, meaning it’s Total Recall to finish Dante at 10:18.

Rating: C+. The Outrunners getting a chance is a good thing to see as they’re one of the most popular teams going today, but sweet goodness it’s hard to believe it’s ever going to happen for Top Flight. They seem like they should be ready to move up to the title scene but here they are losing clean again. I’m not sure why they can’t get that kind of a push, though it doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.

The Acclaimed are ready to take out La Faccion Ingobernable but here is the Hurt Syndicate to say Max Caster should be more serious. Anthony Bowens tells them to drop it and leaves, but MVP knows Caster still has his business card.

Roderick Strong vs. The Beast Mortos

Mortos looks confused to start so he hits Strong in the face but Mortos knocks him down. A powerslam gives Mortos one but he continues to be conflicted over what to do. Strong gets planted with a crucifix slam and we take a break with Mortos in control. Back with Strong firing off some running forearms and the Sick Kick gets two. Mortos is back with a backbreaker into a discus lariat for two of his own but Mortos is conflicted again. The distraction lets Strong hit a jumping knee for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: C+. The idea here seems to be that Mortos is having issues deciding which side he wants to be on, which is fine. What isn’t fine is having him lose so often, as it’s hard to get interested in someone who can’t win a big match to save his life. There’s a story here, but wins and losses have a big impact on these people.

Post match Brian Cage and Lance Archer run in to take out Strong.

Mariah May used to love women’s wrestling but now that she is the Women’s Champion, she realizes she hates everything about it. She’s going to kill women’s wrestling because no one can touch her.

Anna Jay promises to choke May out and wants a third match, No DQ.

We look back at Will Ospreay returning on Dynamite.

Kris Statlander vs. Ashley Vox

Staturday Night Fever finishes Vox at 44 seconds.

Post match Mercedes Mone runs in to choke Statlander out.

La Faccion Ingobernable yells at The Beast Mortos and Jake Roberts is ready to take out the Acclaimed.

TNT Title: Jack Perry vs. Action Andretti

Perry is defending in an open challenge. They trade wrist control to start until Perry takes him outside for a whip into the steps. We take an early break and come back with Andretti getting two off a rollup. A Falcon Arrow gives Andretti two and they head to the apron for a slugout. Andretti hits a Death Valley Driver onto said apron and a top rope splash gets two more. Perry comes back with a superkick into a buckle bomb into a brainbuster for two but a running knee is countered. The second and third attempts both connect to finish Andretti at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was the latest Perry win as he gets to do his thing, which went as well as most of his matches. Stealing the running knee from Danielson isn’t making Perry feel special, much like everything else he does. Perry needs better competition, though that’s only going to go so far as he’s not connecting, and there isn’t much of a way around that.

Post match Daniel Garcia comes out to call Perry a multi millionaire nepo baby while Garcia fights for everyone in the back. The challenge is on for Full Gear, with Perry accepting but saying Garcia isn’t ready.

We see Julia Hart as a cheerleader but she sees her evil version in the empty stands. Said evil version shoots the cheerleader version in the heart with an arrow.

Video on the Outrunners.

Matt Menard gives Daniel Garcia a pep talk.

AR Fox vs. Nick Wayne

Wayne says this is the anniversary of Fox’s dad’s death and a prodigy never forgets (referencing Fox attacking Wayne at his home over a year ago). Fox wastes no time in hitting a big dive but gets crotched on the barricade as we take an early break. Back with Fox hitting another big dive, setting up a Swanton for two.

A rolling cutter is countered into a dragon suplex to give Wayne two but Fox powerbombs him for the same. Lo Mein Pain looks to set up the 450 but Fox has to deal with Kip Sabian, meaning the 450 misses. Wayne dragon suplexes him into the double underhook Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C+. So this match was set up on Ring Of Honor as the two of them had a match each, plus a post match brawl. It wound up being about twenty minutes to set up this eight minute match, which seems to be tied to an angle that took place over a year ago when these two were rather different people. That seems like quite the setup for this match, which really didn’t need it in the first place. For now though, at least it should be over, even though neither of them have anything going on.

Post match Wayne staples a picture of Fox’s father to his head.

The MxM Collection has slid into Jonathan Television’s DM’s and they will get to be in his corner next week. They do TV’s pose and leave, as a cart wheels them out.

Trios Titles: Death Riders vs. Conglomeration

The Conglomeration is challenging. O’Reilly and Yuta go to the mat to start with O’Reilly striking away to take over. Briscoe comes in for some chops in the corner before handing it off to Ishii, who isn’t having any of Yuta hitting him in the face. It’s already back to Briscoe, who gets taken into the corner for some uppercuts from Castagnoli.

Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside, with Briscoe hitting the step up flip dive off a chair. Back in and Yuta gets caught against the ropes but Pac comes in to take over on O’Reilly. We take a break and come back with a backbreaker/middle rope double stomp combination hitting O’Reilly for two. A Tombstone gets the same with Briscoe having to make a save.

O’Reilly is able to get up and bring in Ishii for the big house cleaning. Briscoe comes in with a fisherman’s buster for two on Castagnoli but the Jay Driller is blocked. A running flip dive takes out Castagnoli and the Froggy Bow gets two on Yuta with Pac making the save. Everyone is down so cue Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir. That brings out Orange Cassidy, with O’Reilly ankle locking Yuta. With that broken up, Shafir gets in a briefcase shot to O’Reilly, setting up the running knee to give Yuta the pin at 19:09.

Rating: B. Now this is more like it with the Death Riders. They spent their first few weeks running through people like the Dark Order and Top Flight/Action Andretti. That wasn’t going to get them anywhere and while the Conglomeration weren’t going to win here, they were a vast improvement over what we had been seeing. The Conglomeration at last feels like a team who could give the champs some trouble and that’s what the story has been needing.

Post match Cassidy Orange Punches Yuta and goes after Moxley and the big fight is on. Moxley bails so Cassidy dives onto the pile. Moxley looks worried to end the show. Cassidy has a grand total of no chance at Full Gear, but having Moxley show some fear is the right way to go. He has to have some kind of vulnerability or this isn’t going to go anywhere.

Overall Rating: C+. Not a great show here, but good enough with a nice main event and a better post match brawl. The rest of the show featured some bolstering of the midcard feuds, which they did need. As usual it feels nowhere near as important as Dynamite, but it did feel more important than what we usually get around here. Good show this week, and hopefully a new trend in how the show is going.

Results
House Of Black b. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Triple strike to Jameson
Outrunners b. Top Flight – Total Recall to Dante
Roderick Strong b. The Beast Mortos – Jumping knee
Kris Statlander b. Ashley Vox – Staturday Night Fever
Jack Perry b. Action Andretti – Running knee
Nick Wayne b. AR Fox – Double underhook Canadian Destroyer
Death Riders b. Conglomeration – Running knee to O’Reilly

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

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Dynamite
Date: November 6, 2024
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

This is coming off of a pretty strong show last week and that is a good sign with a few weeks to go before we get to Full Gear. The main event is now set, with Orange Cassidy challenging Jon Moxley for the World Title. The rest of the show needs to be set up and we might get some of that this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to get things going. MVP gets rid of Tony Schiavone and introduces the team. Their business card is like your golden ticket, but if you reject it, it can ruin your career. We look at the team taking out Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana last week and here they are, only to be held back. Swerve gets to the point and issues the challenge for Full Gear with MVP accepting for Lashley.

We look at Orange Cassidy standing up and challenging Jon Moxley, setting up their Full Gear title match.

Death Riders vs. Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin

The Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli/Pac in this case) are the former Blackpool Combat Club. They go after Cassidy in the aisle to start but Allin dives off the set for the save as the brawl starts. The brawl keeps going on the floor until Cassidy and Pac get inside for the opening bell. Pac kicks away, including a boot in the corner to cut Cassidy off. The top rope superplex is broken up though and Cassidy hits the top rope DDT for two. Castagnoli makes the save with some backbreakers and we take an early break.

Back with an over the shoulder backbreaker giving Castagnoli two but he misses a charge into the post. Allin comes in to clean house, including getting out of a giant swing. Instead a big backdrop puts Allin down and another backbreaker gets two as Castagnoli does his best Roderick Strong impression.

Pac’s brainbuster gets two and a super brainbuster gets the same with Cassidy making the save. That’s enough for Allin to get up and dive over for the tag as everything breaks down. Cassidy hits a tornado DDT but cue Marina Shafir to kick the referee to the floor. Jon Moxley runs in to choke Cassidy and Wheeler Yuta adds a skateboard to Allin’s back for the DQ at 13:33.

Rating: C+. This was starting to cook when the rest of the Death Riders came in. It’s almost weird to see AEW use a DQ but they have been happening more and more often lately. It still fits what they’re doing here though, as you can’t have the villains lose but you also don’t want either Cassidy or Allin taking a fall at this point.

Post match the fight is on with Allin getting the skateboard to fight back…but the Death Riders take them out again. The Conglomeration runs in for the real save. Now that’s more like it with giving the villains some actual opposition. The Conglomeration isn’t going to be the ones to stop them, but they’re a heck of a lot more interesting than the Dark Order and Top Flight.

Ricochet has a mystery partner against the Don Callis Family tonight but he’s keeping it under his hat. The Hurt Syndicate comes in and likes his suit, but seem to have their eye on him for later.

Conglomeration vs. Learning Tree

Fight Without Honor, meaning a street fight. It’s a brawl to start with Briscoe having to escape an early chokeslam attempt. Jericho escapes a Jay Driller from the apron through a table but Bill is there with the big boots. Briscoe hits a heck of a step up flip dive from the apron to the floor before O’Reilly and Keith go through a table at ringside. Bill chokeslams Briscoe through a ladder and we take an early break.

Back with Briscoe and Jericho having a chair duel with Briscoe getting the better of things. Bill breaks that up as well so O’Reilly and Ishii double team him down. Jericho’s Liontamer attempt is broken up and it’s an electric chair/superplex combination to put Jericho and Keith down. Bill and O’Reilly brawl up near an entrance, where O’Reilly grabs a guillotine choke to pull him through some tables for a big crash. Back in and the Jay Driller hits Jericho, setting up a Froggy Bow from a ladder through a table with Keith making the save. Ishii hits the sliding lariat into the brainbuster to pin Jericho at 13:29.

Rating: C+. Remember back in September when Jericho pinned the Ring Of Honor World Champion in a six man match where there were no tags and it set up a title match? One might think they might wait three months before doing the same thing again yet here we are, likely with Ishii getting a title shot. I would certainly hope they have something better than that for Final Battle, as Ishii does not feel like a top challenger.

Jon Moxley says Wheeler Yuta is not Orange Cassidy’s friend no matter how their past went. Yuta is Moxley’s soldier and it is time to show that he is not playing.

Adam Cole vs. Malakai Black

They trade takedowns to start before Black blocks Cole’s superkick attempt. Black takes him with a wristlock but an armdrag gets Cole out of trouble. Black sends him outside and tries a dive off the apron, only to have Cole hit a superkick as we take a break. Back with a Panama Sunrise connecting for Cole but Black knees him down for two.

Cole gets in another superkick and the brainbuster onto the knee, only for Black to hit the End for a rather near fall. Another Panama Sunrise and another superkick put Black down so he hits there and tells Cole to do it. That’s enough for Cole to hit the Boom for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C+. Commentary was hyping up this being the first time that Cole had ever beaten Black and while that is a big deal, I’m more interested in the fact that Cole kicked out of the End. If anyone has ever kicked out of that, it isn’t something that happens very often and I’m not wild on having it just happen here. Cole is piling up some wins, but it’s only getting him so far. At least the fans weren’t cheering for the villain this time.

Respect is shown post match. Black leaves and that means it’s Storytime With Adam Cole (Catchphrase). Cole puts Black over and says he and Roderick Strong are going to get their three wins to get their hands on MJF. If they both get the three wins, it’s a triple threat at Full Gear, with violence being promised.

MJF calls someone and says he wants that person to pay someone a visit.

Jay White is ready for Hangman Page, showing that White was not ready for Page. The fight is on with Page crushing White’s leg in the barricade. Juice Robinson comes in with a chair for the save and White is up. Page runs into the crowd and White promises to beat him at Page, maybe even by submission.

Mercedes Mone and Kamille (driving) try to hit Kris Statlander with a car but can’t make it work. Mone yells at Kamille but Statlander slams Mone onto the hood of the car.

Here is the Patriarchy for a chat. Kip Sabian is officially part of the team because he is a fatherless person looking for some guidance. Sabian saved him from cashing in his World Title contract because Sabian knew interference would cost him the title, which is more than Cage’s other sons have ever done. Cue Hook, with Cage saying Hook has crazy eyes and Cage needs a son like him. Yes Cage attacked Taz because he wanted Hook to be a wrestler like him instead of an announcer. Cage wishes Taz was dead so Hook charges the ring and beats up security.

Video on Lance Archer/Brian Cage.

Don Callis is given an envelope and a ring, plus a phone message from MJF (from the call earlier).

Penelope Ford vs. Jamie Hayter

Hayter wastes no time in starting the beatdown but Ford is back with a handspring elbow in the corner. Ford’s kick to the ribs cuts off a charge but a moonsault misses. A brainbuster drops Ford, who is right back up with a kick to the head for two. What looks like a Go To Sleep is countered into the Hayterade to give Hayter the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point and that’s all it needed to be. There was no reason to think that this was going to be some kind of epic feud as Ford is just not on Hayter’s level. Hayter is someone who should be on the way to a title picture sooner than later and she has now cleared Ford out with no issue.

Mina Shirakawa is back next week.

Video on Kazuchika Okada, who is defending the Continental Title in the Continental Classic.

Don Callis Family vs. Ricochet/???

Ricochet says that he did some digging and found out that someone’s contract with the Don Callis Family expired in October. No one seemed to notice and that man is now upset. Cue Powerhouse Hobbs and the brawl is quickly on. Hobbs runs them over with a double shoulder and the fight heads outside in a hurry. We settle down to Hobbs suplexing Fletcher before it’s off to Ricochet, who gets caught with a hanging DDT.

We take a break and come back with Hobbs coming in to clean house off the clotheslines. A super powerslam gets two on Fletcher and the straps come down, setting up the Takeshita vs. Hobbs slugout. Fletcher is back in with a sitout powerbomb to Ricochet, who gets caught with a Doomsday Device for two. Hobbs gets caught in a German suplex but Ricochet snaps off a hurricanrana for two. The shooting star press gives Ricochet two more and the running elbow finishes Takeshita at 14:34.

Rating: B-. This was a fast paced match but it was a little messy at times, with almost nothing resembling a regular match for large portions. Ricochet’s win should continue setting up his title shot, likely at Full Gear, which should be a heck of a showdown. For now though, it was a good enough match, even if it’s the second tag match on the show that ends with the likely challenger pinning the champion.

Post match Fletcher chairs Ricochet and loads up a tiger driver 91 but Mark Davis makes the save. The Don Callis Family beats him down so here is Adam Cole to go after Takeshita. Will Ospreay makes his big return but Fletcher gets away from the Hidden Blade to end the show. Bringing out Ospreay for the superhero return is a nice feel good moment that has been lacking a lot in recent weeks.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing about this show is that there were some hope spots. The Death Riders stuff is still not doing anything for me, but at least they have some bigger name stars coming aafter them for a change. That’s what AEW has been needing to do and while Full Gear still feels like little more than a pit stop for the big stories, it’s better than what we have been doing in recent weeks. Overall, a good enough week, with just enough bright spots to keep me interested.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin b. Death Riders via DQ when Wheeler Yuta interfered
Conglomeration b. Learning Tree – Brainbuster to Jericho
Adam Cole b. Malakai Black – The End
Jamie Hayter b. Penelope Ford – Hayterade
Ricochet/Powerhouse Hobbs b. Don Callis Family – Running elbow to Takeshita

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

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