Dynamite
Date: February 9, 2022
Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

This is another big night and that is because Tony Khan has promised a huge debut in a qualifying match for the Face of the Revolution ladder match. As a result, there has been a lot of excited speculation and that has made the show feel that much more important. Other than that, we are probably seeing some more from the potential Jon Moxley/Bryan Danielson pairing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Wardlow with some cardboard cutouts of MJF sitting on CM Punk’s chest and MJF putting Punk in the sleeper. Wardlow looks annoyed as he hands Justin Roberts some cards with introductions for FTR with Tully Blanchard and Shawn Spears, who has his own introduction for MJF. As you might expect, it is as over the top as you can get, including talking about how he beat punk TWICE in the garbage heap that is Chicago in the mid-mid-mid-midwest.

MJF comes out on a throne carried by various men and kisses one of the women nearby. Confetti falls and the Pinnacle (minus Wardlow) celebrates before MJF talks about how he has proven that he is the best in the world. Actually, he is better than the Best In The World, but he couldn’t have done it without that big strapping muscular man…..Shawn Spears (Wardlow is not pleased). Speaking of Spears, he has a gift for MJF: his new Better Than The Best In The World shirt!

MJF is happy, but now he wants to be World Champion. Cue CM Punk to the stage, with Tony Schiavone going up with a microphone. Punk mocks MJF’s spray tan but realizes that he’s at a numbers disadvantage. That’s why he has some friends with him. Cue Sting and Darby Allin with baseball bats, with Punk saying he’s getting what he wants or beats it out of him: he wants a rematch.

MJF says no, but Punk wants a rematch with the man who really beat him: Wardlow. Dax Harwood is ready to fight, but MJF has an idea. We’re in Atlantic City so let’s gamble: Punk can pick any partner save for Sting/Allin and if he can beat the Revival, he can face MJF in any kind of match he wants. As for Wardlow, who is in a suit, he has a match right now!

There was a lot here, but something stuck out when Punk came to the stage. One thing I love about AEW is that when someone comes out with a microphone, it sounds like a person talking rather than a wrestler reciting lines given to them. Punk sounds different than MJF who sounds different than Hangman who sounds different than Britt Baker etc. It feels like people talking instead of people performing. That was the case here, as I’m not sure anyone else saying these lines would have worked, as they felt natural coming from these people. That’s a huge difference to what you hear in WWE and it helps a lot.

Andrade is in the back with Sting and Darby Allin and asks about Sting owning him. Sting says Allin has already explained this and Allin, who isn’t a boy, doesn’t need Sting to speak for him. Allin says he wants the TNT Title back, but Andrade says he’s the next champion.

Blade vs. Wardlow

Blade stomps him into the corner to start but Wardlow snaps off an overhead belly to belly. They head outside with Wardlow driving him into various hard things and we take a break. Back with Wardlow hitting a suplex and then the first powerbomb. The Powerbomb Symphony finishes Blade at 6:11.

Rating: C-. I doubt enough was shown for a rating but this was near total dominance, as it should have been. Wardlow continues to rise up the ranks and this time he beat someone with some more status. The Powerbomb Symphony is over and when Wardlow FINALLY turns on MJF, the reaction is going to be incredible.

Post match Wardlow celebrates and Shawn Spears chairs Blade in the back. Wardlow doesn’t look happy.

Penta El Zero Miedo is ready to destroy Malakai Black.

Here is part of the Inner Circle for a chant. Chris Jericho (who looks like he has slimmed down) says they haven’t seen Santana and Ortiz all day, but here they are to their own entrance and not in their Inner Circle gear. Jericho talks about how they wouldn’t tag him in during a six man tag a few weeks ago and wants to know what is up. Santana says it boils down to Jericho only caring about himself.

Every time Santana and Ortiz get closer to winning the Tag Team Titles, they have to come save Jericho from whatever he is doing. The days of bailing Jericho out are over because Santana and Ortiz need the titles. Jericho says Santana reminds him of Eddie Guerrero and says this is all because of Eddie Kingston getting in their ears. Kingston has never done anything but it was Jericho who brought them in and is responsible for their success.

Jericho brings up them losing the Tag Team Title shot against the Young Bucks about a year ago, which had nothing to do with him. He brought them into the Inner Circle and he can kick them out, because maybe he brought in the wrong members of LAX. Jericho: “Hey Jake, do you have Homicide and Hernandez….” and Santana lunges for him.

Sammy Guevara cuts them but Jericho tells him to shut up. Guevara tells Jericho to save it and while he loves these guys, he’ll quit again if the team can’t figure this out. Guevara leaves and Ortiz yells at Jericho about how he keeps talking about things. Instead of talking, they can fight it out next week. Jericho accepts the match on Hager’s behalf against the two of them and attendance is mandatory next week. Hager never said anything during the whole showdown.

Roppongi Vice is ready for the Young Bucks, who show up and are ready to fight right now. Adam Cole jumps Vice from behind and the big beatdown is on, including the BTE Trigger to Rocky Romero. Cue Jay White to take out Romero and seem to be happy with Cole and the Bucks.

Face of the Revolution Qualifying Match: Isiah Kassidy vs. ???

The mystery opponent is…..Keith Lee, who looks like he has gotten in better shape. The fans sing BASK IN HIS GLORY and Lee LAUNCHES Kassidy with a beal to start. Kassidy gets sent outside but comes back in to fight out of the Spirit Bomb. A dropkick has no effect on Lee, who Pounces him out of the ring. Matt Hardy walks out on the match so Marq Quen grabs Lee’s leg. The distraction lets Kassidy get in a corkscrew dive to actually knock Lee down, but Lee swats a kick to the face out of the way. The Big Bang Catastrophe finishes for Lee at 4:26.

Rating: B-. But remember: there was nothing for him to do in WWE. You know what you have him do? Beat up people every week and wow the crowd, then have him do it to a bigger name. That’s how wrestling has worked for the better part of ever, but for some reason WWE couldn’t think of something for him. Either way, at least he’s here now and got a great debut.

Post match Quen goes after Lee, who gets knocked to the floor. Then he catches a diving Kassidy, followed by catching a diving Quen.

Mercedes Martinez is ready to end Thunder Rosa in a No DQ match, because we need one every week or so.

FTR vs. CM Punk/???

The partner is…..Jon Moxley in a good choice. Harwood works on Punk’s wrist to start but Punk is out without much effort. Moxley comes in for a headlock takeover but it’s quickly back to Punk. Everything breaks down in a hurry with FTR being sent outside for a dive from Punk (who is favoring his leg).

We take a break and come back with Moxley getting choked down in the corner. Some legdrops put Moxley in more trouble but he manages a belly to back on Wheeler for a save. That’s not enough for the save though as it’s a Veg-O-Matic (old Midnight Express move) for two on Moxley.

Back up and the big clothesline gets Moxley out of trouble, allowing the hot tag off to Punk. Everything breaks down and it’s a Doomsday Device for a close two on Harwood. Wheeler pulls Moxley outside for a tornado DDT before grabbing the ring bell. Punk rolls Harwood up for two and the kickout lets Wheeler hit Punk with the bell.

The brainbuster gets two on Punk but the GTS is countered into the Big Rig for two more, with Moxley having to make a save. A simultaneous GTS/Paradigm Shift is broken up so Punk pulls Harwood down into the Anaconda Vice for the tap….which the referee doesn’t see. Instead Tully Blanchard hits Punk with a jacket so it’s a GTS (after some stumbling) to Tully. Now the Paradigm Shift/GTS can connect for the stereo pins at 19:36.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was great and I don’t think that’s the biggest surprise. I don’t think there is any shame in losing to a pair of former World Champions and it isn’t like FTR has meant much in the last few months anyway. What mattered here was having a great match with Punk and Moxley fighting through all kinds of trouble to get the win. I don’t think Punk vs. MJF II is a shock, but Moxley getting involved, even slightly, is interesting. Heck of a match.

Jade Cargill vs. AQA

Non-title and the debuting AQA was trained by Booker T. AQA goes after the arm to start but her short armscissors is countered with a deadlift into a slam. A dropkick puts Cargill on the floor but she blasts AQA with a forearm. We take a break and come back with Cargill hitting an Ultimate Warrior gorilla press slam but AQA knocks her down again. A heck of a shooting star press gets two on Cargill but she catches AQA with a Tour of the Islands. Jaded finishes AQA at 7:31.

Rating: C+. This was longer than it needed to be but AQA showcased herself well. She looked smooth and crisp in the ring and felt like she knew what she was doing. At the same time, Jade continues to be a force of nature, though she is clearly still rather green. That being said, leaving her to basic power moves that show off her natural skills is a great thing and works very well for her.

The Young Bucks, with Adam Cole, are ready to go after Roppongi Vice. Cole says Jay White can have their back next time, but the Bucks aren’t wild on Cole bringing in White without giving them a heads up. Don’t worry though, because Cole says it’s cool.

Serena Deeb vs. Katie Arquette

This is part of Deeb’s new Professor’s Five Minute Rookie Challenge, meaning there is a five minute time limit. Deeb knocks her into the corner, pulls her down, waits for a second, and finishes with the Serenity Lock at 58 seconds.

The Gunn Club is ready to win the Tag Team Titles on Friday.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Lance Archer

Page is defending in a Texas Death Match and the fight is on in the back before the bell. They come to the stage with the bell ringing and Page hitting a running belt shot. Page sends him through a glass wall and Archer is busted open. They get inside where Page hits the Buckshot Lariat to send Archer outside for a seven count. A suicide dive is cut off with a trashcan lid to the head, but here is Dan Lambert to unhook a turnbuckle. Page has to superkick his way out of a chokeslam and it’s a moonsault off the barricade to take Archer down. They head back inside, where the top rope is down, meaning no Buckshot Lariat.

We take a break and come back with two tables set up at ringside. The Black Out and the Deadeye are both broken up so Page (also bleeding) kicks Archer in the face twice but gets knocked down again. Jake Roberts hits the short arm clothesline on the floor but Archer won’t let him hit the DDT for some reason.

Instead Page hits one behind Jake’s back but a bunch of kendo stick shots wake Archer up. The chokeslam onto the trashcan knocks Page silly but Archer would rather whip out a fork to stab Page in the head. He even licks the blood off as it feels like we’re in ECW again. Archer pulls out a barbed wire chair before hitting the Blackout onto the side of the steps.

Instead of winning, Archer picks him up though and Page pulls the barbed wire off the chair. The Hangman Page, using the referee instead of a rope, with wire around the arm, drives Archer through the tables at ringside. That’s finally enough to finish Archer and retain the title at 15:24.

Rating: B. The ending was cool, but egads this was up there in the “violence for the sake of violence” category. I’m not sure how much drama there was over the result but at least they beat each other up. That being said, the fork and the licking of the blood was WAY too far for me, as it didn’t so much make me think thata the match was extreme. Instead, it made me think I was watching something out of XPW or some hardcore indy and that’s not a good thing.

Post match Adam Cole comes down and picks up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This show was built around surprise moments and energy and they both made for an awesome night. Lee wasn’t the biggest surprise, but you could feel that he was bringing something different and it worked on all levels. Jay White is a very cool addition and Moxley made for a great partner in an outstanding match. The main event is going to be hit or miss for a lot of people, but it was a hard fought cap on one of the more entertaining nights I’ve seen around here in a long time.

Results
Wardlow b. The Blade – Powerbomb Symphony
Keith Lee b. Isiah Kassidy – Big Bang Catastrophe
Jon Moxley/CM Punk b. FTR – Double pin
Jade Cargill b. AQA – Jaded
Serena Deeb b. Katie Arquette – Serenity Lock
Hangman Page b. Lance Archer when Archer couldn’t answer the ten count

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: January 26, 2022
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for Beach Break, which is in Cleveland because when you think of going to the beach, you think of a place that is currently 12 degrees and on a lake. This week’s show is stacked, with a ladder match for the TNT Title and a Lights Out match where Orange Cassidy can beat Adam Cole but it doesn’t count. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara

Ladder match for the undisputed title. Cody starts fast with a dropkick and goes for the drop town uppercut, only to get blocked. The technical wrestling (which defines ladder matches) ensues until they head outside with Cody grabbing the ladder. That’s broken up so they head into the crowd (with Cody having to check on a fan he bumps into). Cody wins a slugout but stops to high five the fans, allowing Sammy to dive over the barricade with a cutter.

Back in and Sammy loads up the ladder but Cody is fine enough to break that up without much trouble. The collision knocks both of them down and they slowly climb, with Cody hitting a scary delayed vertical suplex off the ladder (with the referee holding it in place). We take a break and come back with Cody dropping Sammy ribs first on an upside down ladder. Cody grabs a Figure Four with Sammy’s legs tied in the rungs of a ladder but lets go pretty soon.

Sammy fights back and kicks away but his springboard is cut off with a ladder to the face. That lets Cody go up, but Sammy hits a springboard (off the top of another ladder) into a super cutter to send them both crashing down. It’s Sammy going up again but Cody shoves the ladder over, sending Sammy crashing into the rope. Somehow Sammy is back up so it’s Cross Rhodes to bring him back down, almost sending the ladder into the referee.

They both go up but wind up hanging onto the bar the belts are attached to. That means a double crash and they both roll outside for a breather. Cody ties the leg in the ladder but here is Fuego Del Sol to beg for some mercy. That earns him a Jay Driller inside but Sammy is back up with a save and the GTH on the floor. Sammy adds a big flip dive to the floor to take Cody down again.

Cody is laid over a ladder bridged between the ring and the barricade, allowing Sammy to climb the BIG ladder (not inside under the title, because that would make too much sense). The Swanton hits Cody, with the ladder not giving whatsoever. They’re both down and then slowly go up, with Sammy hitting him in the head with one of the belts for the big knockdown. Sammy pulls down the titles to win at 22:07.

Rating: B. This was the definition of a spotfest, with a bunch of the moves not making sense as they could have gone for the title. That being said, SWEET GOODNESS there were some amazing spots here, with that cutter being one of the cooler things I have seen in one of these in a long time. This was awesome, turn your brain off stuff and Sammy winning was a nice treat.

Earlier today, Team Taz had Tony Schiavone come to the freezing beach in Cleveland. They want to take out Dante Martin and Jay Lethal, but Tony thinks his hand has frozen to the microphone.

Wardlow vs. Elijah Dean/James Alexander

Wardlow is the hometown boy and it’s the Powerbomb Symphony for the double stack pin at 1:17.

Inner Circle vs. 2.0/Daniel Garcia

Santana and Ortiz/Chris Jericho here with the former two beating on Parker, including a splash for two. Garcia comes in and gets kicked down as well, though there is not even a look at Jericho for a tag. Jericho tags himself in out of frustration but Santana tags himself right back in.

The argument is on and the Inner Circle gets jumped as we take a break. Back with Oritz fighting out of trouble and ignoring Jericho’s hand to tag in Santana. Everything breaks down and Jericho looks on from the floor. Jericho pulls Lee outside though, followed by a Judas Effect through the ropes to Parker. Santana piledrives Parker for the pin at 8:44.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much drama in this outside of Jericho screwing over his partners, but they were a bit heavy handed with Santana and Ortiz not trusting him. The split still seems imminent and after the Inner Circle has been a thing for so long, that is not a bad idea. Jericho could use his latest freshening up and Santana and Ortiz will be fine on their own so the breakup wouldn’t be awful.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Lance Archer, which will be a Texas Deathmatch. Page, upon hearing that, has his eyes bug out as he asks “a WHAT?” in a funny bit.

We get a showdown between Jurassic Express and Private Party, with Christian Cage and Matt Hardy. Matt hypes up the team but Jungle Boy points out that Party’s watches are fake.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He is trying to look tough tonight but Cleveland makes him smile. Everyone knows who Punk wants to fight and he wants the fans chanting for MJF so it can happen for the only time ever. Punk opens the jacket to reveal the scarf, and apparently you can get a 12 pack on Amazon for $5. He has beaten everyone MJF has so bring him out here.

Cue MJF to ask the fans if they want to see them wrestle right here right no. MJF: “No.” They can do the match next week in Chicago, with MJF finally saying he’ll have the match. MJF says he’ll beat him in Chicago (Punk: “Do it here b****, do it here.”) and talks about Punk walking out in Cleveland about eight years ago. All Punk is going to do is walk out and then talk about it on a podcast.

Punk says MJF will be listening because he is a fan. Leaving was the best thing he ever did and now being back is the best thing he ever did. Punk wants MJF to go put in his three inch lifts and come out here to fight. These people love him because he keeps getting up and fights, just like Cleveland and Chicago.

MJF wants to test that theory, so here is the rest of the Pinnacle, including Shawn Spears coming in from behind. The big beatdown is on, but Wardlow stands back and doesn’t get involved. MJF tells Wardlow to powerbomb Punk and, after thinking about it, Wardlow does so, albeit without much force. MJF sits on Punk’s chest ala the Pipebomb to wrap it up. That was awesome, and it’s time for Punk to finally crush him, possibly with Wardlow turning.

The Acclaimed doesn’t like Jon Moxley and promise that Anthony Bowens will beat his “Oskar Kokoshka looking a**.” I did not have a Hey Arnold reference on this show.

Mark Sterling interrupts a Varsity Blonds interview and gives Julia Hart the next TBS Title shot against Jade Cargill. Griff Garrison says she needs time to heal properly but she cuts him off, saying she can fight her own battles.

Leylah Hirsch vs. Red Velvet

Hirsch pulls her down to the floor for a whip into the barricade and grabs a suplex as we take a break. Back with Velvet hitting the running knees to the back but favoring her shoulder. Hirsch hits a suplex and grabs the Legit Lock, sending Velvet over to the rope. Back up and Velvet tries a rollup, only to get reversed into a cradle with Hirsch grabbing trunks for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: D+. This was WAY too long as there is no reason to believe Velvet would hang with Hirsch that long. On top of that, it wasn’t even a clean finish, which shouldn’t be the case for Hirsch against someone on Velvet’s level. The match wasn’t even very good, which makes this one of the bigger headscratchers they’ve had in awhile around here.

Post match the beating stays on but Kris Statlander makes the save.

The House of Black threatens Pac because they are inevitable.

Here is Tony Schiavone to introduce Britt Baker, who won a bunch of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Awards. She talks about how the Steelers beat the Browns and lists off a bunch of Baker Mayfield’s failures. Then she does it again before saying she is the Baker you can count on. This was oddly repetitive.

Vickie Guerrero brings out Nyla Rose, who rants about how Ruby Soho cost her the TBS Title. A challenge is thrown out.

Adam Cole vs. Orange Cassidy

Unsanctioned lights out. Cassidy takes the glasses off and crushes them, setting up the big brawl. The fight to the floor with Cole being sent into the barricade. Cole is back with a shot of his own, sending Cassidy down in a heap. It’s time to get a chair….and Cole pulls Danhausen out with him. Danhausen seems to curse him before leaving, but Cole is fine enough to superkick a chair into Cassidy’s face. Cassidy’s Orange Punch hits post to damage his hand though and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy hitting a Michinoku Driver on the open chairs. Cue a bunch of people to brawl at ringside, leaving Cassidy to hit the Orange Punch. It hurts the band hand though and it’s Cole hitting him low….only to find out that Cassidy is wearing a cup with thumbtacks attached. Cassidy hits his own Panama Sunrise for two and it’s time to fight to the back. After running Jerry Lynn off, it’s an AA to send Cassidy through a table for two.

They go back to the stage where Cole blocks an Orange Punch with a light to knock Cassidy silly. Cole climbs the set but Cassidy gets away and climbs up after him. A low blow cuts Cole down and he gives Cole a hug, setting up a dive through the stage. Cassidy lands on top and wins at 17:00.

Rating: C+.I’ve had to sit here for a bit and let this one soak in. On one hand, Cassidy winning makes sense based on the story they have been telling. On the other hand, it’s still Orange Cassidy, the guy who does the lazy kicks and the thumbs up, beating Adam Cole. This isn’t going to kill Cole and he’s not dead, but this is a case where it’s ok for Cassidy to fight hard and then lose in the end. The “but it doesn’t count!” deal will be the defense for it, but ultimately, Cassidy pinned Cole and that’s a bit much to swallow.

Overall Rating: B. This was a huge improvement over last week, which gives me some very solid hope that last week was just a misstep. The opener and main event were both good brawls, though the main event result still doesn’t quite sit right. It was a better show than last week, but there is still a little something missing from these shows. I’m not sure what it is, but the spark isn’t as bright as it was for a long time.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Cody Rhodes – Guevara pulled down the titles
Wardlow b. Elijah Dean/James Alexander – Double pin
Inner Circle b. 2.0/Daniel Garcia – Piledriver to Parker
Leylah Hirsch b. Red Velvet – Rollup with trunks
Orange Cassidy b. Adam Cole – Slam through the stage

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.

Full Gear 2021
Date: November 13, 2021
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s time for what is likely going to be one of the best AEW shows in history as the card is stacked. AEW has shown that they can put together an awesome card and then deliver on the potential. I’m looking forward to more than a few things on the show and that is a great feeling to have. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In: Thunder Rosa/Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose/Jamie Hayter

The four of them are matched up in the TBS Title tournament and Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose/Hayter. Rosa and Rose start things off with Rosa grabbing some rollups for two each. A basement dropkick has Rose staggered and it’s off to Shida for a running knee in the corner. It’s back to Rosa, who gets powered into the wrong corner though, meaning the stomping is on. Rosa manages to roll away and brings Shida back in to start striking away as Serena Deeb is watching from ringside.

Hayter runs Shida over and grabs a chinlock before sending her into the corner for a bite from Rose. A double chokeslam gets two on Shida and it’s an Irish Curse to put her down again. Shida finally manages a German suplex and that’s enough for the hot tag off to Rosa. Everything breaks down and some running kicks to the face put the villains on the floor. The stereo dives take them down again but a Deeb distraction lets Vickie get in a shot to Shida’s knee. Back in and Rosa and Hayter fight straight back to the floor, leaving Shida to hurricanrana Rose for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C. This was all it needed to be as they started with a fun, fast paced tag match. You don’t need to do anything more than that in a spot like this and the match worked out rather well. Shida pinning Rosa is the best possible outcome and it came after a rather nice opening match to get the already warmed up fans going even hotter.

We run down the card.

Darby Allin vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is introduced as “the man who can beat Darby Allin with a headlock takeover”. Allin’s intro video this time shows him driving a car with LOSER painted on the side, which blows up after a wreck. MJF takes him to the mat with the headlock takeover for some early near falls as the mind games are on. A shoulder puts Allin down, allowing MJF to bust out the cartwheel. Allin armdrags him down and they bridge up at the same time.

MJF gets driven into the corner but comes out with a right hand as JR says these are two of the four “pillows” of AEW. Allin is sent outside and then back inside, with MJF stopping to yell at the fans. That’s not a good idea as Allin is right there with a big suicide dive to take him out, only to miss the Coffin Drop onto the apron. Back in and MJF slowly hammers away, with Allin’s backbreaker not getting him very far. A superplex is loaded up but Allin bites his way to freedom.

The super flipping Stunner is blocked and MJF loads up a super Tombstone, which thankfully is countered into the flipping Stunner. That bangs up the back again though and MJF hammers away at a kneeling Allin. The right hands just make Allin rise back up though and now the comeback is on, only to have MJF pike him in the eye. Allin kicks the knee out but Code Red is countered into a heck of a powerbomb for two.

The Scorpion Deathlock has Allin in more trouble but Allin punches at the knee to escape. A chop block slows MJF down until he gets in a shot of his own. MJF hits a middle rope stomp to the arm but Salt of the Earth is blocked. Instead, Allin goes for the knee again and slaps on the Figure Four in a smart move. The rope is finally grabbed and they fight to the apron to slug it out.

Allin tries a bit of a running start but gets caught in a jumping Tombstone. The impact bangs up the knee again though and they’re both down on the floor. They both beat the count back in but MJF’s knee gives out, allowing Allin to small package him for two. They fight over some small packages for two each and roll around the ring until breaking it up. MJF tries the headlock takeover for two but Allin reverses into one of his own.

MJF’s powerbomb is countered into Code Red for a heck of a near fall and that’s a standing ovation (kind of hard to argue after that kind of a sequence). The Coffin Drop is loaded up so MJF rolls outside before it can launch. That’s fine with Allin, who hits said Coffin Drop on the floor instead.

Back in and another Coffin Drop hits raised knees to make Allin scream. Cue Wardlow and Shawn Spears but Sting runs out to cut them off. MJF rolls Allin up with tights for two so it’s time to grab the skateboard. He offers it to Allin and drops to his knees so Allin can use the skateboard, but that’s not happening. The referee gets rid of it, allowing MJF to get in the shot with the ring. Allin is out cold so it’s a headlock takeover to give MJF the pin at 22:48.

Rating: B+. This was great and that’s all you should have expected. AEW knows that they have some very talented younger stars on the roster and they know how to let them go out there and tear the house down. MJF might be the best talker in wrestling today and he can have some great matches to go with it too. Excellent stuff here and another star making performance from both. MJF’s bragging alone will be worth the whole thing.

Team Taz is in a sky box.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. FTR

The Lucha Bros are defending and it’s Alex Abrahantes/Tully Blanchard as the seconds. The Bros’ entrance features a lot of explosions and some people ducking for cover. Penta takes Wheeler down for an early rollup and that’s good for the quick standoff, sending Harwood outside for a breather. Back in and Wheeler gets taken down but Harwood saves him from a double superkick. Instead the Bros’ dives are caught, with Fenix being thrown at Penta to drive him into the barricade.

Wheeler chokes Fenix on the ropes but it’s quickly back to Harwood and Penta, with the former getting caught with an assisted Cannonball in the corner. Everything breaks down and the Bros tie FTR’s legs together before grabbing a Crossface and Octopus at the same time. The referee isn’t having any of that so it’s down to Penta hammering on Harwood in the corner. Tully offers a distraction so Wheeler can get in a cheap shot to take over though and the champs are in trouble.

Penta’s mask gets tied to the rope so the beating can continue for a bit. With that broken up, Harwood grabs a chinlock to slow things down a bit. Penta fights up and kicks Harwood in the ribs before using Wheeler to roll himself over for a jumping DDT. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Fenix for a bunch of kicks all around. A double cutter drops FTR for two on Harwood but Fenix’s rolling DDT is countered.

Fenix tries an O’Connor roll but accidentally knocks Penta off the apron. The kickout sends Fenix into the AAA title belt (as held by Wheeler) to set up a brainbuster for a very close two. Back in and Penta cleans house but stops to yell at Tully, allowing Harwood to try Three Amigos.

That’s broken up so Fenix can do the real version, setting up a heck of a frog splash for two. Penta gets sent outside again and the spike piledriver gets two on Fenix. Back up and Fenix superkicks Harwood and it’s a Fear Factor/Code Red for stereo near falls. It’s time to get creative so Wheeler (illegal) puts on a mask and grabs a rollup for two. The spike Fear Factor pins Wheeler at 18:38

Rating: B. I liked it better than their first match and that’s a good thing. The ending was all about setting up a rematch, which should be another good one. I could see it being a way for the Bros to get the AAA Tag Team Titles back to wrap it up, but they might even have a surprise to get the belts back on FTR. Either way, good, exciting match here as the first two matches have worked out well.

We recap Miro vs. Bryan Danielson for the #1 contendership. Danielson wants to win to prove he is the best and Miro wants to win the title to return to his wife.

World Title #1 Contenders Eliminator Tournament Finals: Miro vs. Bryan Danielson

Miro still isn’t interested in a handshake so Danielson kicks away at the thigh to start. Some more strikes stagger Miro until he hits a knee to the stomach to put Danielson outside for a needed breather. Back in and Miro is ready for the moonsault out of the corner so Danielson (not Daniel Bryan JR) kicks away in the corner. Miro knocks him outside for his own breather though and Danielson gets whipped into various hard objects.

Back in and we hit the chinlock, complete with another “Daniel Bryan” from JR. Miro whips him hard into the corner but stops to grab his own leg, allowing Danielson to strike away again. Some more strikes rock Miro and the Affirmative Kicks have him in trouble in the middle of the ring. Danielson grabs a kneebar but Miro powers out with a gutwrench suplex. Another hard kick gives Danielson two more and it’s a front facelock for some knees to Miro’s head.

The hard stomps have Miro down again but he cuts off the running knee. Game Over goes on but Danielson eventually slips out and grabs the LeBell Lock. Miro slips out again and tries to hammer down right hands but gets pulled into the triangle choke. Danielson adds the elbows to the head until Miro powers his way out. Back up and Miro invites Danielson to keep kicking him, though said kicks don’t do much damage. Miro takes him up top but Danielson reverses into a tornado DDT, setting up a guillotine choke for the win at 20:00.

Rating: B+. Commentary described this as a struggle and that’s exactly how it felt. This was about Miro powering his way through Danielson’s offense until Danielson finally found the weak point. It felt like two guys trying to break the other one down and that’s a great way to go. Awesome stuff here as this show is on a crazy roll to start.

Superkliq vs. Christian Cage/Jurassic Express

Falls count anywhere and the Bucks are all in purple, which is too much for Tony. JR: “Looks like a Bret Hart meet and greet.” It’s a brawl to start with the Bucks being sent outside, where Luchasaurus takes them down with a moonsault from the apron. That leaves Cole to charge into Christian’s elbow to put him down. Back in and the Bucks block Jungle Boy’s springboard double wristdrag so Luchasaurus makes a save of his own. Cole comes in as well and gets a chair thrown into his face but the Bucks break up a powerbomb onto an open chair.

Jungle Boy takes the Bucks down from the chair and has a seat, allowing Cole to knee him in the face. The BAY BAY pose takes too long though and Christian reverse DDTs Cole onto the chair. Everyone heads outside with Luchasaurus getting in a trashcan shot for two, much to JR’s annoyance. Luchasaurus kicks Cole in the face so Jungle Boy can send him face first into a chair.

A table is set up at ringside but Jungle Boy would rather load up a Conchairto on Cole. That’s broken up by the Bucks so Jungle Boy and Nick fight off towards the stage. Cole is busted open bad as Luchasaurus kicks him in the corner but Cole slips out of a Razor’s Edge. That means a parade of superkicks until Jungle Boy hurricanranas Cole off the apron through the table at ringside.

Matt springboard elbows Luchasaurus through another table at ringside and everyone is down. We cut to the stands where Brandon Cutler sprays Nick by mistake, allowing Christian to go up onto a balcony and crossbody down onto both of them for two. Back to ringside and Christian gets sent knees first into the steps, followed by Jungle Boy getting wheelbarrow suplexed into the apron. It’s time for the thumbtacks, which go into Jungle Boy’s mouth, but we need to stop for the double kiss to Cole.

With that out of the way, the double superkick gets two on Jungle Boy with Cage making the save. Since we need to check it off of a list, a ladder is put in the corner but Christian is back in. A tornado DDT (with Christian’s foot getting caught in the ladder) drops Nick as Luchasaurus gets back in. Cole gets tossed HARD onto the ladder in the corner and there’s a chokeslam to put Nick onto it as well.

The standing moonsault connects for two as Matt makes the save with a trashcan. A superkick gets one on Luchasaurus (JR: “Never count down a dinosaur Tony. EVER!”) so Matt walks up the ramp, only to have Jungle Boy charge out and grab the Snare Trap. Cole makes the save this time and everyone winds up on the ramp. Luchasaurus’ double chokeslam to the Bucks is broken up by Cole’s low blow and Cage catapults Nick onto the set.

Cage charges into a superkick from Cole so Nick dives down onto his for a bonus. Jungle Boy and Cole fight near the set until Cole hits a Panama Sunrise onto the stage for two more. A bunch of superkicks put Luchasaurus down and Cole busts out a thumbtack kneepad (Tony: “A THUMBTACK KNEEPAD???”). The Superkliq all have one and a three man BTE Trigger….gets two as Jungle Boy makes another save.

Jungle Boy suplexes Nick and Cage spears Matt, leaving Cole to be chokeslammed off the ramp and onto Cutler/Nakazawa. Luchasaurus shooting stars down onto everyone and Jungle Boy is impressed. Cage loads up the Conchairto to Matt, but Jungle Boy wants to do it instead. Matt’s head is crushed for the pin at 22:18.

Rating: B. This was the wild brawl you would have expected with some crazy spots, but it went too long and that hurt things. This needed to have about five minutes cut off as they could have dropped at least a few of the false finishes. That being said, good choice in having Jungle Boy pin one of the Bucks, as that image at the end was a great way to elevate Jungle Boy, who needs to get higher up the card. Luchasaurus looked more like a monster than usual too so this was a good way to move people up.

We recap Malakai Black/Andrade El Idolo vs. Cody Rhodes/Pac. Black and Cody have been feuding so Black got El Idolo to help him. Pac has been feuding with El Idolo so everything is combined.

Malakai Black/Andrade El Idolo vs. Cody Rhodes/Pac

Jose and Arn Anderson are at ringside. Pac and Andrade start but Cody tags himself in, earning even more booing. Hold on though as Pac tags himself in, with Andrade finally hitting Pac to get started. Black comes in to work on the arm as JR isn’t sure on the quality of the teamwork here. Pac gets over to the corner and it’s back to Black, who distracts Cody long enough for Andrade to get in a cheap shot. Cody fights back and suicide dives onto Jose, setting up the powerslam on Andrade back inside.

Pac tags himself back in and gets taken into the corner. Black’s belly to back suplex doesn’t work as Pac sticks the landing and staggers into the corner for Cody’s blind tag. The Cody Cutter hits Black but Pac makes another tag, just as Black kicks Cody’s head off. Pac sends the villains (not Cody in this case) to the floor for a big dive, leaving Arn Anderson to punch Jose out.

They fight to the back (read as Jose runs as Arn walks after him) as Andrade sends Pac outside for the running flip dive. Back in and Black kicks away, setting up Andrade’s split legged moonsault for two. Pac finally gets in a shot of his own but Cody is STILL down on the floor. Andrade uses the distraction to hit a pendulum DDT onto the apron for two back inside. Cody is back on the apron as Pac and Black kick each other down. The hot tag brings in Cody, which does not sit well with the fans.

House is cleaned in a hurry and Andrade gets crotched on top, setting up the reverse superplex. Cody grabs the Figure Four but Pac tags himself in and hits a 450 for two as Andrade grabs the rope. Everything breaks down again and Pac’s big running flip dive takes Cody out. Back in and Black knees Pac to set up a German suplex for two with Cody making the save. Black hits a heck of a running kick to the face to put Cody over the barricade, sending them both crashing into the crowd. Pac suplexes Andrade into the corner, setting up the Black Arrow for the pin at 16:55.

Rating: B-. They had a lot going on here but this Cody stuff isn’t going to work much longer. Having him get booed out of the arena every time isn’t exactly a great look and they are going to need to come up with something to fix it. The ending likely sets up something else with Cody and Pac, which doesn’t exactly leave Andrade looking good or Black with anything to do. I’m sure they’ll find something, but this feels like a flat way to end the feud.

Post match FTR runs in to jump Pac and Cody, probably setting up a big Dynamite main event.

We recap Tay Conti vs. Britt Baker for the Women’s Title. Conti thinks Baker has had everything handed to her but Baker thinks Conti keeps coming up short in the big matches.

Women’s Title: Britt Baker vs. Tay Conti

Baker, with Rebel and Jamie Hayter, is defending and is played to the ring by the guitarist from Fozzy. Some early rollups give Baker two but she can’t get Lockjaw. Baker takes her into the corner but gets caught in a cross armbreaker over the ropes. With that broken up, Baker works on the arm as well before kneeing Conti in the face. Conti fights out of the Lockjaw again with some shots to Baker’s formerly broken hand. A running knee rocks Baker and the comeback is on for Conti.

Some running boots in the corner set up a high crossbody for two on Baker. A neckbreaker out of the corner gives Conti the same but Baker is back with a running stomp for her own near fall. The Lockjaw glove is loaded up (with Rebel being VERY excited) but Conti grabs a cutter for two. They fight to the apron, where Baker hits an Air Raid Crash. Somehow that’s only good for two so it’s the Lockjaw, with Conti going straight to the rope.

They trade some rollups for two each until the TayKO gives Conti two more. A Gotch style piledriver gets another near fall on Baker but Rebel offers a distraction. Hayter gets in a cheap shot on the floor and Baker adds a stomp on the steps. Another stomp back inside sets up the Lockjaw….which is reversed into a cradle for two. Conti kicks her to the floor but can’t follow up due to exhaustion.

Eventually Conti moonsaults down onto Rebel and Hayter as Baker walks away. Instead, Conti spins Baker down into a slam on the floor, setting up the DDTay for two back inside. A bunch of kicks to the head rock Baker again but she pulls Conti into Lockjaw, which is countered into a rollup. Baker counters the countered rollup into a rollup of her own to retain at 15:30.

Rating: B-. The lack of drama hurt this a good bit, but Conti was trying hard and it is amazing how far she has come in the last year or so. Conti is going to be a big star in the near future, but it’s really hard to buy anyone not named Thunder Rosa as a threat to Baker’s title. Another good match though, with probably just a few too many false finishes for its own good.

We recap Eddie Kingston vs. CM Punk. They’re similar, but Kingston thinks Punk doesn’t respect him. Punk thinks Kingston keeps failing to live up to his potential and now it’s Kingston’s chance to prove himself in his biggest match ever.

CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston

Punk marches to the ring and doesn’t even stop for his signature stuff. Kingston isn’t waiting either and hits the spinning backfist before the bell. Punk is knocked outside as the match officially starts, with Punk hitting a few shots in the corner as they go back inside. Another shot in the corner is countered with a t-bone suplex and Kingston unloads on him in the corner.

Punk gets in another shot and takes it to the apron for a big kick to Kingston’s head. Kingston’s hand gets crushed in the steps as the fans are behind both of these guys. Punk has been busted open somewhere in there but he throws Kingston back inside anyway….for John Cena’s Five Moves Of Doom, albeit with a middle finger instead of You Can’t See Me. Kingston flips him off right back so Punk hammers away again and hits Three Amigos.

Back up and Kingston catches him on top with a shot to the face, setting up a top rope superplex. They pull themselves up and slug it out, allowing Excalibur to drop an old school UFC reference. Why he wouldn’t drop an old wrestling reference is beyond me, but Excalibur can be a strange duck. Kingston knocks him down again but walks into a GTS. Punk can’t follow up though so it’s a double breather. After Kingston pulls himself up though, he misses the backfist and it’s another GTS for the pin at 11:11.

Rating: B. As much as I would have liked to see Kingston get the big win, this was about the only way they could have gone. Punk is one of the biggest stars in the company and it would be a bit much to see him losing anytime soon. Kingston got the run of his life here and he’ll be getting another shot at something down the line. Heck of a fight, with the right ending.

Post match Kingston pulls himself up but walks away from the offer of a handshake.

We recap American Top Team/Men of the Year vs. the Inner Circle. Dan Lambert has run his mouth over and over and Chris Jericho is fed up. Tonight Lambert gets in the ring and it’s time for revenge in a street fight.

Baron Von Raschke of all people is here.

American Top Team/Men of the Year vs. Inner Circle

Street fight and Dan Lambert is in a blue tracksuit. Since that’s a lot of groups, that would be Dan Lambert/Andrei Arlovski/Junior Dos Santos/Scorpio Sky/Ethan Page vs. Chris Jericho/Jake Hager/Santana/Ortiz/Sammy Guevara. Scorpio Sky starts with Sammy Guevara (because there are tags in this thing) and drives him into the corner for a rake to the eyes. Sammy comes back with a middle rope kick to the chest and a dropkick into a nipup.

Santana and Ortiz hit a double suplex and another suplex is handed off to Hager. Arlovski comes in for a slugout but Hager pulls him into a failed ankle lock attempt. Hager gets taken down and Dos Santos comes in for a double shoulder. It’s off to Jericho, who gets suplexed down as well, setting up a standing moonsault (with Dos Santos’ head crashing into Jericho’s chest) for two.

Now Lambert comes in to slap Jericho in the face as everything breaks down (as it should have from the beginning). Lambert has to run away, allowing Ethan Page to hit Jericho with a hockey stick. Sammy hits a dive of his own but Sky and Hager hits a big dive onto a bunch of people. The weapons (Minneapolis things) come in, including a Prince sign, setting off a PURPLE RAIN chant. A chair gets wrapped around Ortiz’s throat and then sent into the post, leaving Santana to get beaten double teamed inside.

That doesn’t last long as Ortiz is back in to put a trashcan over Page’s head, allowing Santana and Ortiz to beat on him with hockey sticks. Then we get a Gory Stretch/Boston crab/camel clutch combination from Santana/Ortiz to the Men of the Year (that’s a new one, or maybe two or three), with Sammy throwing a football at Sky’s open ribs. Arlovski comes back in to clean house but Hager busts out a toaster to take everyone out.

Jericho has to save Hager with a water ski but Lambert trips him down. Sammy is back in with a double springboard cutter to the Men of the Year and a Swanton to Sky for two. A table is set up at ringside but Arlovski makes the save with a bundt cake pan. Santana and Ortiz superplex Dos Santos off the top as Sammy is climbing a really high ladder. The big Swanton drives Sky through the table but Ethan Page goes to yell at Hager’s wife.

That earns him a Baron Von Raschke claw, leaving Santana to take Page over the barricade. Lambert poses in the ring but gets caught by Jericho, who chops him down in a hurry. Jericho shouts for Dos Santos, who pops up to block the Lionsault so Lambert can get two. Lambert’s Walls are broken up with kendo stick shots….and Jericho pulls out a stapler for a shot low. Another frog splash finishes Lambert at 20:01.

Rating: C+. It was wild and nutty, but it wasn’t as good as the other big brawl from earlier. The ending wasn’t exactly great either, as it was all about Jericho beating up a manager when his team had an advantage. This really needs to be it though, as this wasn’t exactly an enthralling story in the first place and then it wasn’t a great blowoff match.

Tony Schiavone brings in the newest AEW star: Jay Lethal. He is officially All Elite and wants to answer the TNT Title open challenge Wednesday on Dynamite. Cue Sammy to say it’s on.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega for the World Title. They used to be friends (a long time ago) but Page had all kinds of self doubt and drank his way out of his problems. Now it’s time to redeem himself and win the title, though Omega isn’t quite nervous.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page

Page is challenging and we see a video of him riding a horse through the street as clips of Page’s various failures play on screens behind him. Once he gets in the arena, Page’s chiron says “We’re Proud Of You – Graphics Team”. They stare each other down to start with Page taking him into the corner to hammer away. Don Callis grabs Page’s boot though and Omega gets in a shot from behind to take over.

Page backdrops him to the apron though and it’s a springboard clothesline to send Omega outside. Omega gets the better of things on the floor though and brings Page back inside for the running reverse bulldog for two. Callis offers a distraction so Omega can knock Page outside again, setting up the Terminator dive. Back in and Page cuts him off, including kicking Omega in the face.

This time it’s Omega being knocked outside for the suicide dive from Page, setting up the moonsault out to the floor. They get back up to their feet and head up top, where Omega hits a springboard super Liger Bomb to knock Page silly. There’s the snapdragon to set up the V Trigger but the One Winged Angle is countered into the victory roll to give Page two. The Deadeye is countered into a tiger driver 98 for two and Omega bites at the cut on Page’s head from Dynamite.

Omega goes up but gets crotched, allowing Page to bite away for a change. The super flipping fall away slam into a cover gives Page his own two and Omega is down on the floor. Page hits a big clothesline from the top but might have banged up his knee in the process. Back in and Page misses his own V Trigger but Omega pulls the referee in the way of a charge.

Callis grabs the belt but Page scares him away, setting up the Deadeye for two on Omega. Page picks up the title, only to throw it right back down so the slugout can be on instead. Omega slugs him down to one knee and then knees Page in the head. More knees set up the V Trigger but Page cuts him off and strikes away. The next V Trigger connects but Page is back up with a discus elbow.

Some Kawada kicks rock Page, who comes back (after an F bomb) with a heck of a clothesline. Cue the Young Bucks (Tony: “Dip**** alert.”) as Page drops Omega on the top of his head with a belly to back suplex. The Buckshot lariat is countered with the V Trigger but the One Winged Angel is countered into one from Page for a near fall. Now the Buckshot lariat hits Omega from behind but Page stops to look at Matt Jackson. A nod sets up the Buckshot lariat to give the pin and the title at 25:06.

Rating: B. They didn’t have another choice here and thankfully they pulled the trigger at the right time. There was no reason to keep the title on Omega any longer and hopefully this wraps up the main portion of the Elite saga. Page had to win here or I’m not sure if he ever would have otherwise. The match was rather good, though not quite great, but what matters is the ending, which was the right call.

Post match the Dark Order comes out to celebrate with Page and the big hug ends the show.

Overall Rating: A. Another classic show from AEW, which tends to be the case when they get on the big stage. There was nothing resembling a bad match all night long with even the worst match on the show being completely fine. Some of the matches probably went a big longer than they needed to, but I’m not about to complain about a show that delivered this well. Awesome night and the big title change wraps it up, so well done all around.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Darby Allin – Headlock takeover
Lucha Bros b. FTR – Spike Fear Factor to Wheeler
Bryan Danielson b. Miro – Guillotine choke
Christian Cage/Jurassic Express b. Superkliq – Conchairto to Cole
Cody Rhodes/Pac b. Malakai Black/Andrade El Idolo – Black Arrow to El Idolo
Britt Baker b. Tay Conti – Rollup
CM Punk b. Eddie Kingston – GTS
Inner Circle b. American Top Team/Men of the Year – Frog splash to Lambert
Hangman Page b. Kenny Omega – Buckshot lariat

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It’s always fun to see AEW back on pay per view as they really have figured out the formula. They know what they are doing with the whole thing and we should be in for another one this time around. The card is absolutely stacked from top to bottom and we could be in for one of the more historic moments in AEW’s history to date. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Hikaru Shida/Thunder Rosa vs. Jamie Hayter/Nyla Rose

It’s a battle of four people who are still in the TBS Title tournament and I’ve heard worse reasons to have a pre-show tag match. There isn’t much else connecting these women and they haven’t interacted much on TV, but it should do rather well as a way to get things rolling for the evening. It isn’t like Shida and Rose don’t know each other so maybe they can have a good match through familiarity.

I’ll go with Shida and Rosa to win here as there is little reason to go with having the popular wrestlers lose to open the night. This isn’t the kind of a match that needs to be anything more than a few competitive minutes while commentary plugs the tournament as much as they can. It would be nice to see the tournament move forward a bit more, but Shida and Rosa winning here will work for now.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros(c) vs. FTR

We’ll get going on the main card with a match that could go either way. I liked their first match against each other but there is a bad chance of this getting sloppy in a hurry. It is going to come down to the idea of whether FTR can keep things a bit more down to earth than usual, but that is no guarantee. That’s the way to put the match together, but it needs a winner as well.

I’m not sure on this one, but I think I’ll go with the Lucha Bros, as they can retain the titles to even the series and then win the AAA Tag Team Titles at an upcoming show in Mexico. Other than that though, we should be in for a fun match, as their first match worked out pretty well. At the same thing though, there is always the chance that it could go bad in a hurry, which makes things that much more fun.

Cody Rhodes/Pac vs. Andrade El Idolo/Malakai Black

Let’s keep going with the tag theme here and get a rather odd pair of pairings out of the way. Believe it or not, this is mainly about Rhodes, which tends to be the case far more often than it probably needs to be. Pac doesn’t like El Idolo and Black and Rhodes are still feuding for some reason, with El Idolo going after Rhodes to tie the whole thing together. Sounds like a great way to get Rhodes on pay per view no?

This could go either way but I’ll go with Rhodes and Pac winning here, as Black probably takes the fall. I’m at the point where I have no idea what to make of Rhodes these days and it is getting harder and harder to figure it out. Hopefully they can figure out what to do with him sooner than later, because throwing him out there to try and make him the most popular guy in the company isn’t exactly working.

Darby Allin vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

We’ll mix it up a bit here with a match that could (and should) be between two of the company’s stars of the future. That has even been the focus of the feud, as Friedman has talked about how these two are pillars of the company. Allin has mainly been sitting around letting Friedman say whatever he wants, but he has a history of turning it on when he gets the chance on the big stage.

I’ll go with Friedman here, as Allin is someone who is going to be over no matter what he does, while Friedman would seem to be on the road to a (rather) eventual World Title run. Allin is the kind of wrestler who will be popular with the fans based on how hard he goes whenever he is in the ring. Hopefully they can steal the show here, as tends to be the case when these two are on the big stage.

Inner Circle vs. Men Of The Year/American Top Team

To recap: we have a bunch of mixed martial artists, a tag team and a gym owner vs. five wrestlers in a street fight where the wrestlers got to pick sixty percents of who they are fighting. Got all that? This match has all kinds of details included and I’m not sure how well it is going to play out on paper. What matters is how it goes, but also how much longer they want the feud to continue.

Somehow this is a flip of the coin as I have no idea who is winning here. I’ll go with the Inner Circle to finally wrap up the feud though, which is probably how things should go. The idea is likely going to be built around Dan Lambert running away, which is probably the best thing for everyone involved. I’ll say Guevara pins one of the Men Of The Year, which is the pick that is most likely to be wrong of the show.

Women’s Title: Britt Baker(c) vs. Tay Conti

This is in a rough place and I’m not sure how well they are going to be able to get out of it. At the end of the day, it’s hard to imagine Baker losing the title to anyone before her eventual showdown with Rosa, as they almost have to get to the big rematch. That leaves almost any other challenger, including Conti, as a bit of a lame duck no matter what they do on the way to the title match.

Of course I’ll go with Baker here, as there is little reason to believe Conti has much of a chance. It might wind up being a good match, but at the same time it does not have the most drama. Conti is someone who could become a huge star down the line (and probably will), but we are still in Baker’s time and that is not going to stop anytime soon, or at least not until she runs into Rosa again.

Christian Cage/Jurassic Express vs. Superkliq

Falls Count Anywhere, because we need another wild tag team brawl. These guys have been feuding since Cage debuted and this does feel like a bit of a big blowoff to the whole thing. Then again, this is a feud that could go in a few directions, such as Cole vs. Jungle Boy or Cage, both of which would be good. Add in the absence of Marko Stunt and this is already getting more interesting.

That being said, you know full well there is practically no chance of the Superkliq losing a big time match so I’m not sure if there is any real drama here. The other three will fight hard and there will likely be a big spot, but ultimately this will involve several superkicks and end with the Boom to Jungle Boy. Why not Luchasaurus you may ask? Heck if I know, but that’s probably how it ends.

CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston

This is the one that everyone is talking about with good reason. Between the amazing exchange last week and the equally awesome Kingston piece in the Players Tribune (go out of your way to read that), Kingston is white hot going into this match. That’s going to tie into everything that Punk has been talking about too, as all of the pressure is going to be on Kingston in this one.

As much as I would really, really love to see AEW go nuts and have Kingston get the biggest win of his career, I can’t validate having Punk lose at any point in the near future. Punk is someone with a lot of star power and while a loss to Kingston wouldn’t kill that, it isn’t the kind of thing that needs to happen. I would love to see Kingston win, but I don’t think it is going to happen.

Bryan Danielson vs. Miro

Now we’re getting to the important stuff, as the last two matches on the card are tied together. This is the finals of the #1 contenders tournament and I could easily see this going either way. You could go with almost any combination of these two and either World Champion (save for probably Miro vs. Kenny Omega) and have a major title match, which is a sign that they are doing something right.

I think I’ll take….Danielson here, as he opens up more doors and was the original finalist anyway. Miro losing to some kind of a choke to focus on his bad neck works, but e pluribus gads it would be amazing to see him go nuts and slaughter Danielson. It’s so nice to have both as possible options here, but ultimately I think it’s Danielson’s to win and set up the huge title showdown. He’ll need an opponent though, which leaves us with this.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega(c) vs. Hangman Page

Here we go. This is the big one that AEW has literally been building towards for years. While some might think that is a big much and they should have gotten to the point a good while ago, it’s time to finally have this big showdown. They have set this up from several interesting angles and there is something to the idea of FINALLY having Page win. At the same time though, there might be something to having Danielson take the title off of Omega and finally slay the dragon.

But I think we’ll go with the sane idea here and have Page just win the match and take the title off of Omega. It is already the longest title reign in AEW history (nearly double the second place reign) and Omega hasn’t exactly led AEW to the promised land as champion. I don’t know if Page is going to be the one to do it, but I think he wins the title here, finally paying off a story that is a few years in the making.

Overall Thoughts

There is the potential for an incredible show here and that is kind of what you expect from AEW these days. I could go for seeing whatever they do here, as there is a good shot at some history being made in the main event. Other than that, the rest of the show looks great and maybe it can help boost their audience back up (which they kind of need these days). I’m excited for the show, and that’s always a good starting point.

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 10, 2021
Location: Indianapolis Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s the go home show for Full Gear and that means things might actually be interesting around here. AEW knows how to stick the landing on their way to a pay per view and there is still some stuff that they need to cover. Odds are they’ll hit a lot of those points this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson vs. Rocky Romero

Orange Cassidy is here with Romero. They go technical to start and the fans are behind Danielson as he grabs a headlock. The threat of an armbar sends Danielson over to the ropes so Romero elbows him in the face. Danielson flips over Romero in the corner but misses the running clothesline. Instead, Romero sends him outside, where Cassidy gives Danielson the hands in the pockets.

The delay lets Romero score with a suicide dive but Danielson is back with the kicks and chops in the corner. A kick to the back sets up a knee to Romero’s face but Romero is back with a springboard tornado DDT. Romero drapes him over the ropes and hits a dropkick to the side of the head. There’s a running Sliced Bread for two and it’s off to a triangle choke.

Danielson stacks him up for two and then grabs a sitout powerbomb for the real break. Another cross armbreaker is broken up and Danielson kicks him in the face for a breather. Romero tries another Sliced Bread but gets countered into the stomps to the face. The LeBell Lock is blocked so Danielson switches to something like a Tequila Sunrise for the tap at 10:53.

Rating: B. This was the match that you would have expected from these two as they both know how to work this exact style. Danielson continues to be a wrestling machine on this show as he will fight anyone, often in a match that gets some time. That is a great thing to see and fits Danielson so well, which is all you can ask for from him.

Commentary runs down the card.

Tony Schiavone brings out the Inner Circle for a chat but American Top Team jumps them and lays everyone out, including sending them into various things. Dan Lambert gives Chris Jericho an assisted powerbomb through a table and gets to brag a lot. The Men of the Year promise to destroy the Inner Circle at Full Gear, where Lambert will pin Jericho. Tonight though, they’re going to make Lambert tap Jericho out, so put him in the Walls! Lambert puts it on and shouts about it being a Boston crab. Scorpio Sky grabs Jericho’s hand and slaps the mat to really rub it in. Classic heel stuff here and it worked as a result.

Tay Conti/Anna Jay/Thunder Rosa vs. Rebel/Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter

Rosa and Baker start things off and you can see Baker getting more serious about this one. Rosa can’t hit a quick Fire Thunder Driver and the fans are split. Baker bails over to Rebel to hammer on Rosa but it’s off to Anna. Rosa whips Anna into Rebel in the corner but it’s Anna being knocked outside for the double teaming.

We take a break with Anna in trouble and come back with her suplexing her way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Conti to clean house until the numbers game gets the better of her. Rosa comes in and gets to run some people over as everything breaks down. Rosa dives onto Hayter and CRUSHES HER with a high crossbody to the floor (with Rosa immediately checking on her). Conti loads up the TayKO, glares at Baker, and plants Rebel for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: C. Not much of a match here, but again it was about building things up for Sunday. I don’t know if Conti has the greatest chance of winning the title at Full Gear but you have to do something like this to set her up as a potential threat. Just Baker looking scared of her at the end is enough to get her somewhere, so this worked out perfectly well given what they were trying to do.

Video on Ruby Soho vs. Kris Statlander.

Anthony Bowens vs. Jungle Boy

Max Caster’s rap insults Jungle Boy’s physique and wonders why he leaves his girlfriend (Anna Jay) alone with seven guys. Feeling out process to start until Bowens takes him down and poses. Bowens chops away in the corner but Jungle is right back with his own set of chops to take over.

Caster offers a distraction though and Bowens hits a Codebreaker over the ropes as we take a break. Back with Jungle striking away and grabbing the Snare Trap but Caster offers a distraction. That earns Caster a suicide dive but Bowens gets in a kick to the head and a twisting hanging DDT for a near fall. That’s about it for Bowens, as Jungle pulls him into the Snare Trap for the win at 10:07.

Rating: C. This is what the match should have been, as it was the same thing that happened with Bowens vs. Bryan Danielson on Rampage: Bowens can only get the advantage over a bigger star when his partner is helping him, which makes perfect sense for a tag team wrestler. Bowens has a lot of the tools but needs to be built up a little more, which can happen in the future. Jungle gets to overcome some odds and win though, which is what he should be doing.

Post match here is Bobby Fish to take out Jungle Boy, with Luchasaurus and Christian Cage making the save.

We get a video on Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega, with both guys plus some talking heads going into what it means for Page. Omega says he never loses big matches and Page never wins them, so Page doesn’t have a chance.

Adam Cole introduces Bobby Fish to the Young Bucks, who the Bucks know very well. There is no dispute around here though, because this era is about the Elite. Cole has an idea: Fish vs. Jungle Boy on Rampage, but he’d like Fish to leave just a little piece for Cole on Saturday. Deal.

We get a video on CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston, featuring a bunch of clips from their time on the independent scene, cut together with clips from their epic argument on Rampage.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Wardlow

The Best Friends are here too. Yuta starts fast and kicks away, only to miss a dropkick. Wardlow hits a heck of a powerbomb and then does it again. Two more powerbombs set up the knee to the face in the corner to finish Yuta at 2:18. Total dominance.

Post match the Hardy Family Office jumps the Best Friends. Matt Hardy wraps a chair around Orange Cassidy’s neck and hits the Twist of Fate to leave Cassidy writhing in pain. Can we please just get to the match already? This is reaching Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks levels of GET ON WITH IT.

CM Punk and Eddie Kingston have to be held apart in the parking lot. Those are always cool to see.

Lio Rush/Dante Martin vs. Lee Moriarty/Matt Sydal

Moriarty works on Martin’s arm to start but they trade leg sweeps for no counts each. Martin rolls him up for two and then Moriarty rolls him up for two as they’re flying through this stuff. They go to a standoff and the fans give them a standing ovation. It’s off to Rush vs. Sydal, with Rush dodging around to avoid anything from Sydal.

Moriarty gets in a shot from the apron but Rush dodges more right hands. A springboard hurricanrana takes Sydal down and Moriarty gets knocked off the apron, setting up a big showdown. We take a break and come back with Rush and Moriarty coming in off the double tag to pick the pace right back up.

Everything breaks down again and Rush nails Sydal with a sinning kick to the face. Moriarty gets kicked to the floor as well and the fans seem very pleased with him. A double handspring elbow drops Sydal and Moriarty again, setting up back to back suicide dives. Sydal loads up something on top but gets pulled down, leaving Moriarty to hit a running uppercut for two on Martin. Rush enziguris Sydal and kicks Moriarty in the head again, setting up the double springboard moonsault press to finish Moriarty at 10:18.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked and a lot of that was due to Rush going insane to hit everything he could think of in a pretty short amount of time. The rest of the people involved were holding up their ends as well, as this was all about getting in as much as they could. It might have been a total spotfest, but dang it was a fun one.

Miro asks if Bryan Danielson thinks his God is messing with him. Would he trade Miro’s bad neck for Danielson’s bad neck? Danielson should fear him because this is going to hurt.

Dax Harwood vs. Pac

Tully Blanchard is here with Harwood. A lockup doesn’t go anywhere so Harwood cranks on the arm instead. Pac shoulders him down and starts taking over, including a bunch of chops in the corner. They forearm it out in the corner until ac sends him into the ropes for a German suplex. A clothesline puts Harwood on the floor and Pac nails a big running flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Harwood on top and getting kicked in the head to stagger him again. The top rope brainbuster (geez) connects and they’re both down in quite the heap. Pac knocks him into the corner again but Harwood rolls away before the Black Arrow can launch. Instead, Tully pulls Harwood out of the corner to avoid a charge, allowing Harwood to hit a brainbuster of his own for two.

Pac superkicks him out of the corner but the Black Arrow is broken up again. Harwood’s belly to back superplex drops Pac but he can’t follow up. Pac is back up but can’t hit a German suplex. Instead Harwood elbows him in the face, setting up a Liger Bomb for two. A backslide gives Pac two before he grabs the Brutalizer for the very fast tap (with commentary making it clear that Harwood doesn’t want to be hurt for Full Gear) at 13:47.

Rating: B. This was another hard hitting match with both guys doing everything they could. It helped that they got some extra time and they had a rather clever way out of either of them taking a definitive loss. Harwood tapping so fast made a lot of sense and it came after a heck of a fight.

Post match Cash Wheeler runs in for the beatdown and the lights go out. Cue Malakai Black and Andrade to help stomp Pac, drawing out Cody Rhodes and the Lucha Bros for the big brawl.

Here’s what’s coming on Rampage and at Full Gear.

Video on MJF vs. Darby Allin, which is a battle of two of the pillars of AEW.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring for the contract signing between Hangman Page and Kenny Omega. Before he signs, Page says that he can’t wait to get his hands on Omega and win the World Title. Page signs but Omega talks about how this could have all been for Page in the first place. Then Page had to deal with his insecurities and failures and it was always the Elite helping him up to do his cowboy s***.

Omega did it because he saw himself in Page but how wrong he was. Page brings up Omega’s former (unnamed partner) and maybe he didn’t live up to that partner either. Last year, Omega said that he was proud of Page, but the truth is Omega was scared. Omega didn’t want Page to become what he could become, which he will do at Full Gear.

They shake hands and Omega says he’s proud of Page before leaving (without signing)….and the cameraman jumps Page. It’s Don Callis and the beating is on, with Page being busted open. Omega signs the contract in blood to end the show. The Callis deal was a nice surprise, until you remember that it’s Don Callis.

Overall Rating: B+. This show did a rather good job of hyping up Full Gear, as they were in full on final push mode. I want to see the show more than I did coming in so at least they are on the right path with most of this stuff. They had some rather entertaining wrestling to go with it so it was a very well put together use of two hours. Now keep up their regular work on pay per view and they’ll be in better shape than usual.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Rocky Romero – Tequila Sunrise
Tay Conti/Anna Jay/Thunder Rosa b. Rebel/Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter – TayKO to Hayter
Jungle Boy b. Anthony Bowens – Snare Trap
Wardlow b. Wheeler Yuta – Knee to the face
Lio Rush/Dante Martin b. Matt Sydal/Lee Moriarty – Double springboard moonsault press to Moriarty
Pac b. Dax Harwood – Brutalizer

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: October 16, 2021
Location: James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, CM Punk

We’re on a rare Saturday night due to the MLB playoffs and they are going to have a hard time topping what they did last night with Rampage. Tonight we see the brackets for the #1 contenders tournament, as Full Gear is less than a month away. Add in a AAA Tag Team Titles match and we should be good to go. Let’s get to it.

Here is Rampage if you need a recap.

Guest commentator CM Punk gets his big entrance.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Malakai Black vs. Dante Martin

Lio Rush is here with Black. Some armdrags put Martin down to start but he sends Black outside. It’s too early for a dive though as Black comes back in and elbows him in the face. A powerbomb sets up a half crab to put Martin in trouble but he slips out in a hurry. That earns Martin and STO and shinbreaker, setting up a kneebar. Martin makes the ropes to escape and goes up top, only to have his springboard blocked. A sunset flip gives Martin two and a poisonrana out of the corner staggers Black.

With Black out on the ramp, Martin hits a springboard flip dive (with a bit of a slip) to drop him again. Back in and a double springboard moonsault misses for Martin, setting up a slugout. Black kicks him down and scores with a top rope double stomp, setting up a kick to the head. There’s a hard German suplex to drop Martin hard so he heads up top. That’s broken up with a super hurricanrana but Black is right back with a half crab. Martin escapes again and tries to go up again, only to get caught with Black Mass (Rush is NOT pleased) for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B. They pulled me into this one as I wasn’t exactly thinking that it was great at the start. That was all changed by the end as these guys were beating the heck out of each other, with one big spot after another. I didn’t buy Martin as possibly winning, but it would have been too much of a stretch to have that take place anyway. Rather good match here as Black continues to prove that WWE was totally wrong about him every single week.

Post match Black goes to leave but stops to nod at Martin in respect.

The Jurassic Express talks about being banged up but the Elite comes in to beat them down. Kenny Omega manages to powerbomb Luchasaurus through the table to show that he can do it.

Here is the Inner Circle, fresh off their loss last night, to quite the reception. Santana isn’t happy about American Top Team, which brings them out with Dan Lambert to brag about their MMA success. Jericho tells us to welcome the “fat faced dip****” and yes the fans chant the name. Jericho accuses Paige Vanzant of having a thing for him, but he wouldn’t touch her with her husband’s genitalia. Punk: “I don’t believe him. I think he would.”

The challenge is on for the ten man tag but Lambert insults the team, including talking about the size of Jake Hager’s head. Lambert is down if the Inner Circle will accept their challenge, but he’ll give them the terms next week. Scorpio Sky says he has pinned Chris Jericho twice, but the fans think he still sucks. Sammy Guevara is ready to fight right now and he’ll see them next week. Vanzant continues to look like a star every time she’s on camera.

AAA Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. Las Super Ranas

The Ranas (the Super Frogs) are two guys in green suits with masks and challenging. Punk: “I don’t know if the Lucha Bros care, but that’s clearly FTR.” We’ll say #1 starts with Fenix, who spins the arm around to start until #1 takes him down and goes for the mask. A victory roll faceplant takes #1 down and everything breaks down, with the Bros going for the masks. Commentary confirms that it’s FTR, mainly due to the lack of flips. The masks come off and FTR clotheslines the Bros down to take over as we go to a break.

Back with Fenix getting dropped ribs first on top but Penta is back in for the brawl. Fenix gets a running start to springboard onto both of them, setting up the Lucha version of What’s Up. Everything breaks down and FTR tries to bring in the belts, only to get kicked down in a hurry. Cue Tully Blanchard (in matching green) for a distraction though, allowing Harwood to belt Fenix out of the air. A brainbuster gives Harwood the pin and the titles at 8:14.

Rating: C+. The frogs deal was weird but points for a surprise title change. FTR getting some gold is certainly a nice thing to see and I could go for another match between these two. The AAA Tag Team Titles have enough meaning for this to be an important win so nice job in a surprise, even if it doesn’t last long. It was also nice for commentary to sound smart, as they weren’t exactly fooled by the disguises.

Lio Rush says Dante Martin failed because he screwed up but Martin can be successful if he just listens. From this point forward, they’re tag partners, though Martin doesn’t seem convinced.

Andrade and FTR celebrate the win. MJF comes in to celebrate with them and gets paid by Andrade, seemingly to rent FTR for the night. MJF’s horrible Spanish is that much better.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley jumps him to start, puts Yuta down, and finishes with the Paradigm Shift at 1:11. Well that worked, though Orange Cassidy staring down at Moxley as Yuta is checked on by the medics seems to give us a future.

Serena Deeb beat Hikaru Shida last week but she’s not happy with how the division has been since she went on sabbatical. It was time to drag the division back up but here is Shida to jump her from behind.

Dark Order vs. Superkliq

It’s Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds and John Silver for the team here but the Superkliq jump them before the bell. Silver escapes the TripleBomb (because the Elite is the Shield these days) on the ramp with Reynolds coming in to help out. They get back inside for the opening bell and Cole gets triple dropkicked to the floor. We settle down to Silver having to kick all three of them away but a Don Callis distraction lets Matt kick him down.

Cole cuts off Reynolds’ dive with an enziguri and it’s a double superkick into a brainbuster onto the knee on the floor to drop him again. JR: “You might want to bother counting.” More kicks and shots to the face have Silver in trouble and we take a break. Back with Nick losing a shoe as Silver makes the comeback, allowing the tag to Uno. That means a full on Mr. Socko return, because AEW doesn’t like to put together the most unique stuff. Uno runs wild for a bit until a few more shots cut him (and the crowd) off.

Cole gets Uno in a camel clutch and the Bucks load up the double kiss, but the rest of the Order takes their place for the kiss instead. A double backdrop puts Cole on the floor and the Order gets to pose for a change. Something Evil gets two on Cole as everything breaks down again. The Order is sent outside and get take out by dives, leaving Cole to kick Reynolds down. A rollup gives Reynolds two and he knees Cole in the face for a bonus. The Bucks are back in with superkicks and the Panama Sunrise into the BTE Trigger into the Boom finishes for Cole at 10:48.

Rating: C+. I can forgive the Superkliq for not exactly taking the Dark Order seriously but they ultimately had to put in some effort to win. Cole getting the pin works as well as he continues to pad his resume while the Bucks take a bit of a step back from him. Silver continues to look like a star, though I’m not sure how much of a future he has in this 837 member group.

Post match here is Jungle Boy to go after the Superkliq, who run off because he grabs a chair. Brandon Cutler is left alone to try the cold spray, which is blocked by the chair. The Snare Trap has Cutler in trouble, with Boy adding the spray to Cutler’s eyes. Now see how easy it is to make Jungle Boy look good? Get rid of the freak show and he’s a star. It’s not that hard.

Cody Rhodes appears at his wrestling academy, where his fellow coaches (or maybe students) aren’t happy with him. Arn Anderson puts him through a drill where everyone goes after him one at a time. Cody wants to know what this is supposed to teach him so Anderson pulls out a photo of Dusty Rhodes beating him up back in the day. Arn talks about how Cody never wanted to disappoint kids, but would kids have thought Dusty was bad for busting Arn open that night? Of course not, because Arn had it coming. Malakai Black has it coming too.

Here is MJF to say he is stuck in a place that smells like hookers and gasoline. He doesn’t like not being announced for his match, even though there is no match scheduled. Punk: “You know how I can tell? No Wardlow.” MJF doesn’t think Darby Allin is ready to fight him so maybe he did break Allin mentally. After telling a fat guy to shut up, MJF feigns shock over hearing about Allin being attacked last week. MJF: “TONY SCHIAVONE! DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS???”

MJF is going to give us a match with Allin, so Wardlow brings out a referee to count the ten. The count is on….and here’s Sting to answer. A baseball bat shot to the ribs drops Wardlow and MJF runs into the snow. MJF teases running back in but runs despite Sting dropping the bat, much to commentary’s disgust.

Britt Baker interrupts Anna Jay’s interview and talks about how the Superkliq beat the Dark Order. Anna: “They are not losers!” Baker talks more trash and the fight is on with referees breaking it up in a hurry.

Kiera Hogan vs. Penelope Ford

The Bunny is here with Ford. Hogan grabs a headlock to start as Punk wants to know if there is any relation, though commentary isn’t sure which Hogan he could possibly mean. Tony is right there to bring them back to focus on the TBS Title as Ford misses a running boot in the corner, setting up a takedown to give Hogan two. Ford bulldogs her into the corner to take over again though and we go to a break. Back with Hogan hitting a superplex but not being able to follow up. A sliding kick to the face in the corner rocks Ford for two more but Ford hits a running cutter. The Muta Lock finishes Hogan at 7:53.

Rating: D+. Not the best match here, but neither of these two are exactly known as a ring general. They were both trying but ultimately you’re only going to be able to get so much out of them. Hogan is someone who has potential due to her amazing charisma and it’s clear that AEW sees a lot in Ford. Keeping it short was the right call here, and it’s not like this dragged down the show.

Post match here is Ruby Soho to jump Ford in revenge from last night. The beating is on but the Bunny comes out to….do nothing actually.

Miro isn’t sure what happened that caused him to lose the TNT Title. He thinks his God has turned on him because he was given a body of granite and a neck of sand. Miro will either be a champion or an enemy and it is time to destroy. He hasn’t seen his wife since losing the title and he will not again until he is God’s favorite champion again.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Tony Schiavone recaps Page’s feud with Kenny Omega, leaving Page to talk about how the Elite left their home in Ring of Honor in 2019. Their world changed and then he lost his big matches on the way. It felt like he started to lose a bit more, including his confidence. The one thing that it felt like he never lost was the fans chanting COWBOY S***, which means we have to pause for a chant.

That meant taking his shot on day one and learning to let the past live in the past and accept new friends in his life. It meant taking his chance to stick his neck out like his friends did so many times. It means having the guts to go back home for the birth of his son, but last week he finally picked up the phone and took a shot.

Page feels the people still believe in him though, and for the first time in his life, he does too. The promise he can make is that he will give us everything at Full Gear, including COWBOY S***! This was a heck of a promo and it was nice to have Page finally say these things instead of having to figure out the big story for ourselves. It wasn’t hard to figure out, but it’s nice to hear it from the source for a change.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes III and tournament matches.

Bryan Danielson vs. Bobby Fish

Feeling out process to start with Fish’s headlock not working, as Danielson kicks him into the corner. Back up and Fish strikes away, only to get knocked outside. Fish gets posted but is fine enough to cut off the running knee from the apron as we take a break. Back with Fish working on the knee and hitting a sliding lariat for two more.

The half crab goes on but Danielson is back up with a suplex to send Fish flying. Danielson evens things up by wrapping the knee around the post but Fish is back in with a backdrop driver. Fish takes him up top for a super Falcon Arrow and starts tying up the knee. They both get kneebars until Danielson kicks him in the head for the break. A heel hook makes Fish tap at 12:28.

Rating: B. Fish got in a lot here, which is the kind of thing that makes AEW work so well. They know how to make someone look good in defeat, albeit in a match they had no business winning. There is nothing wrong with Fish losing to a much bigger star and Danielson gets a win over someone with some name value. AEW has figured out that formula and that is a great thing to see.

With less than a minute to go in the show, here is the bracket for the #1 contenders tournament:

10
Jon Moxley

Orange Cassidy
Powerhouse Hobbs

Dustin Rhodes
Bryan Danielson

Lance Archer
Eddie Kingston

That’s….interesting. I guess?

Overall Rating: B. Not so great brackets aside, this was another good show from AEW, who don’t seem to know how to had a bad one these days. They throw in at least two exciting matches to keep you hooked and the rest is all gravy. The title change was a nice surprise too, though I’m not completely sure why the frog suits were included. Anyway, another good night here, as AEW is on fire (again).

Results
Malakai Black b. Dante Martin – Black Mass
Las Super Ranas b. Lucha Bros – Brainbuster to Fenix
Jon Moxley b. Wheeler Yuta – Paradigm Shift
Superkliq b. Dark Order – Boom to Reynolds
Penelope Ford b. Kiera Hogan – Muta Lock
Bryan Danielson b. Bobby Fish – Heel hook

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.

Rampage
Date: October 15, 2021
Location: James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Ricky Starks, Taz

This is another special edition of the show as we have a bonus first hour airing on YouTube, which seems to be retaliation for WWE running an extra half hour of Smackdown this week. The bonus hour will feature Bryan Danielson vs. Minoru Suzuki while the regular show has CM Punk against Matt Sydal. Let’s get to it.

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

Buy-In: Tay Conti vs. Santana Garrett

Anna Jay is here with Conti, who takes Garrett down by the arm to start. Neither of them can hit am armdrag as commentary hypes up the Rampage card, including a commercial free opener. Conti’s leglock has Garrett in more trouble and she kicks Garrett in the face for two. Garrett is sent to the apron but misses a kick to the face, allowing Conti to roll her back inside for two.

There’s a forearm to Conti’s face to stagger her again and a running elbow in the corner makes it worse. Conti fights out of a leglock and a double hair takedown leaves both of them laying. Garrett’s handspring is broken up and Conti kicks her in the face. Some running kicks to the face in the corner rock Garrett again and the DDTay finishes Garrett at 4:47.

Rating: C. They hit/kicked each other hard here and it was a good way to start the show. The fans respond to Conti and Garrett is someone who can make anyone look better than they already are. You can see that Conti is going somewhere sooner than later and a big run towards the TBS Title would not be a surprise.

Video on Dan Lambert/American Top Team/Men of the Year vs. the Inner Circle. This includes various talking heads (and masks, because Excalibur is here too) talking about how Lambert is getting away with everything he says because of the MMA fighters behind him. As a result, we hear about their careers, which sounds more like reading a Wikipedia entry about their careers. Jorge Masvidal joins in and says they’re going to destroy the Inner Circle tonight. They’re ready to prove their dominance again.

Buy-In: Lee Moriarty vs. Bobby Fish

They go to the mat for the grappling to start before going to an early slugout. Moriarty takes him down by the arm but Fish punches his way to freedom. Fish grabs an armbar and drives Moriarty into the corner for some elbows to the face. Moriarty takes him down though and scores with a running kick to the arm. That’s broken up with a drive into the corner into a dragon screw legwhip to put Moriarty down again. Fish kicks him in the knee and gets two off a snap suplex.

Back up and Moriarty goes after the arm to take Fish down again, setting up the double stomp for two. Another comeback doesn’t get Fish very far as Moriarty suplexes him down for another near fall, complete with holding the bad arm. Fish reverses a suplex into a choke and a jumping knee gives him two. An exploder suplex sends Moriarty into the ropes and a big kick to the face finishes for Fish at 7:53.

Rating: B-. Yeah this worked, and it’s great to see Moriarty getting a chance. He really was one of the better indy stars going before he was signed to AEW so they certainly have an eye for talent. On top of that, Bobby Fish getting a chance to shine as a singles star is great as well, even if he might not go very far beyond being a good hand.

Video on Bryan Danielson, who is awesome and impressive, but his toughest test is tonight against Minoru Suzuki.

Buy-In: Bryan Danielson vs. Minoru Suzuki

They fight over arm control to start with Suzuki getting the better of things. The fans say this is wrestling as Danielson can’t get anywhere with an armbar. A snapmare takes Danielson down into a chinlock and he has to go to the ropes to escape a kneebar. Back up and Suzuki (mostly) blocks a dragon screw legwhip and tells Danielson to bring it. The fans do the YES pose and chant SI (ok that’s really clever) as it’s time to trade big shots.

Suzuki stands in the middle of the ring for a kick to the chest and actually gets staggered for a surprise. One heck of a forearm puts Danielson down and he seems to be immediately regretting this decision. Danielson is back up to take Suzuki to the mat for the hammer and anvil elbows. The threat of Cattle Mutilation sends Suzuki bailing to the ropes, where he pulls Danielson into a cross armbreaker.

Suzuki takes him to the floor and strikes away but lets Danielson get back in like a good monster. Danielson’s strikes don’t get him very far as the fans seem split. The armbar goes on, with Danielson getting to the rope as fast as he can. They head outside again with Danielson getting in a shot of his own, setting up the running knee off the apron. Back in and Danielson starts kicking at the chest, which just fires Suzuki up even more.

The SI stomps set up Cattle Mutilation but Suzuki rolls out, leaving Danielson to unload with strikes in the corner. Suzuki kicks him right back down so this time it’s Danielson pulling himself up to a strong reaction. The Fujiwara armbar has Danielson in trouble but he makes the rope again. That’s not cool with Suzuki but Danielson pulls him into the LeBell Lock. Somehow Suzuki rolls him over into the ropes for the break and they have to pull themselves back up.

Suzuki isn’t even pretending to be scared of Danielson and the big slugout is on. Stereo shots to the face put both of them down to a standing ovation. The delay lets Taz insult any fans who are watching TV at the moment rather than this before they’re back up for another slugout. Suzuki can’t get the sleeper but Danielson can’t get the LeBell Lock again. Back up and the running knee finishes Suzuki at 19:17.

Rating: A-. This was exactly what you would have wanted it to be and it was great stuff. What matters here is having two guys hit each other really hard until one of them couldn’t get up again. That’s all you could have asked for out of the match and Danielson gets a pretty big win over a legend. Suzuki is someone who can take loss after loss and not lose a thing, so this was about as great as it could have been.

Video on CM Punk’s time in AEW so far, because he has that IT factor. Tonight he has Matt Sydal, who is getting this match as a favor from Lio Rush. They know each other well and we see a clip from their first match in 2005, complete with Sydal talking about how Punk followed him to AEW. Everyone knows it’s going to be big, mainly because Punk is going to be involved.

CM Punk vs. Matt Sydal

We open the regular show with an exchange of arm control and an ICE CREAM BARS chant. Punk throws him into the ropes, possibly by the hair, to get out of an armbar and Sydal isn’t pleased. Sydal flips out of a suplex and they’re at another standoff. Punk gets in a slam and the fans chant OTRA VEZ (ONE MORE TIME) but another attempt is countered with a whip into the ropes.

A kick to the face rocks Punk and we hit the chinlock, with Sydal trapping the arms into a cradle for two in a nice move. It’s time to start in on Punk’s knee for kind of a reverse Muta Lock. The GTS and Lightning Spiral are both blocked and Punk gets two off a dropkick. The leg lariat puts Sydal down again but he is back up with a shot to Punk’s face. They head to the apron with Punk hitting a slam to drop Sydal back first for a nasty landing.

Back up and they both go to the top where an exchange of punches send them crashing to the floor. They get back inside, where Sydal hits him in the face for a near fall. Another Lightning Spiral attempt is countered into a neckbreaker to give Punk a breather and they take their time getting up.

Sydal grabs something like a reverse Texas Cloverleaf (like the Billy Goat’s Curse but with a Cloverleaf instead of a Boston crab) before trying to switch to a cobra stretch. That’s reversed into an Anaconda Vice attempt but Sydal is in the ropes in a hurry. A big kick to the head sets up the Lightning Spiral for two and they’re both down off the kickout. Sydal tries a crucifix but Punk counters into the GTS for the pin at 14:48.

Rating: B. This was the kind of match that Punk needs at the moment, as he had to go long to get a good win. It shows that he can still do it against good wrestlers, as Sydal can have a solid match with anyone. It’s easily Sydal’s best match in AEW and Punk broke a serious sweat to get there. Commentary did a nice job throwing in their history with each other to make it even better. Heck of a TV match here.

Respect is shown post match.

The Dark Order is back together and they’re ready for Adam Cole and the Young Bucks.

Bunny vs. Ruby Soho

Ruby goes after the arm to start before getting serious with a knee to the face for one. Bunny avoids a charge in the corner though and hits a dropkick to send Ruby into the buckle for two. Ruby manages to kick her away and goes up, only to get pulled down head first onto the buckle. Bunny’s sliding elbow in the corner rocks Ruby again and we take a break.

Back with Bunny in trouble on the floor thanks to a Downward Spiral. Soho unloads with chops in the corner and pulls her face first into the middle buckle. A running shot to the back of the head gives Ruby two but Bunny is back with a German superplex for two of her own. Down The Rabbit Hole is loaded up but Ruby reverses into a backslide for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine match here with Ruby picking up a win over a high profile enough name. Bunny might not be the best in the ring but she has a presence that makes her feel important. Ruby is still a big deal and looks different enough to stand out, so she should be someone to watch in the TBS Title tournament.

Post match Penelope Ford comes in to help double team Ruby and the brass knuckles knock her silly.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite and next week on Rampage.

We get the split screen interview with Dan Lambert and American Top Team being ready to destroy the Inner Circle. The Inner Circle isn’t scared though and promises that Junior Dos Santos’ grandmother can make him a cake.

Inner Circle vs. Men of the Year/Junior Dos Santos

Dan Lambert and Jorge Masvidal are here with Dos Santos and company, with Lambert wanting a lot more respect. Sammy Guevara starts for the Circle and dropkicks Scorpio Sky down, setting up a quick bow. It’s off to Chris Jericho for a clothesline but Dos Santos comes in, with Jericho trying to punch with him for some reason. This goes very badly for Jericho, who is punched out to the floor in a hurry.

Jake Hager comes in for the showdown with Dos Santos taking him into the corner, only to be powered down as well. Dos Santos knees Hager in the face and the beating is on until Hager knees Sky down. The hot tag brings in Jericho, who goes outside to get into Masvidal’s face. The distraction lets Ethan Page get in a cheap shot from behind to take over as we go to a break. Back with Dos Santos powerslamming Jericho for two and handing it off to Page. An enziguri gets Jericho out of trouble and the hot tag brings Guevara back in.

The double springboard cutter drops Sky and there’s a Spanish Fly to Page. Guevara’s running shooting star press gets two on Sky as everything breaks down. The Lionsault gets two on Skyw ith Page making a save. Everyone else goes to the floor with the fans going nuts off….I think a big Guevara dive that the camera missed. Dos Santos gets Rock Bottomed through a table to put him down with Hager still on top of him. Back inside and Jericho gets Sky in the Walls but Paige Vanzant jumps the barricade for a distraction. Masvidal uses the distraction to hit the running knee on Jericho, giving Sky the pin at 11:27.

Rating: B-. Pretty good brawl here with Dos Santos more than hanging in there despite a lack of experience. This feud seems to have a long way to go and it will get better once the rest of the Inner Circle gets involved. Right now they don’t have much to counter all of the MMA guys, but taking it to the streets might work a little better. For now though, this was a nice win for the villains and the feud should be able to continue at a high level.

Post match the big beatdown is on (including Paige Vanzant taking selfies, because she’s an amazingly natural heel) until Santana and Ortiz run in for the save and clear the rung to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Heck of a night here, even with the extra run time. Having this as a one off two hour special was quite good, though I would hope that they don’t think it should be a regular idea. What we got here was mostly rather good, with Danielson vs. Suzuki being exactly the kind of match this audience would want to see. Punk’s match was good and the main event was a nice match and angle rolled into one. Pretty awesome stuff here and hopefully a good amount of people watched the whole thing.

Results
Tay Conti b. Santana Garrett – DDTay
Bobby Fish b. Lee Moriarty – Kick to the head
Bryan Danielson b. Minoru Suzuki – Running knee
CM Punk b. Matt Sydal – GTS
Ruby Soho b. The Bunny – Backslide
Men of the Year/Junior Dos Santos b. Inner Circle – Running knee to Jericho

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: July 7, 2021
Location: James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re officially back on the road and that means there are fresh fans in attendance. That is certainly a good thing and something that did not feel possible over the last year plus. First up we have Road Rager, featuring the Tag Team Titles on the line, a strap match and the debut of Andrade El Idolo. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall

South Beach Strap Match with the four corner version. Cody dives on him before the bell and the fight is on with Cody pulling Marshall into the ropes. We look at various UFC fighters at ringside as Marshall gets in a shot to the ribs. A moonsault only designed to get knocked out of the air gets knocked out of the air and Cody hits a few buckles. Aaron Solow breaks it up but Dustin Rhodes fights him into the crowd to get rid of one goon.

Nick Comoroto follows and Cody gets three buckles, only to get German suplexed back down. They go outside with Cody posting him to draw some blood. Back in and the lights go out to reveal…..that the lights just happened to go out (though Cody’s surprised/confused face was amusing). Cody slaps a few more buckles but gets caught in a superbomb to put him in trouble for a change.

Marshall ties the strap around Cody and hits a hanging cutter out of the corner for three buckles. The fourth is cut off though and things are reset. Cody makes the comeback and strikes away, setting up the flying headscissors. There’s the Cody Cutter to drop Marshall again and a low blow makes it even worse. Cody goes for the fourth buckle but Marshall spits at him. That earns Marshall three straight Cross Rhodes and Cody hits all four buckles to win at 10:38.

Rating: C. Hey Cody wins a big match over an opponent who was never close to his level. It’s the right call but it doesn’t exactly come off as a great moment as you got what you would have expected. Cody beating Marshall is good and it should end the match, but Cody having some long term adversity could be a bit better. AEW is back to touring again and where they’re going, they might not need Rhodes (I watched Back To The Future earlier today).

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We look back at Shawn Spears jumping Sammy Guevara with a chair last week.

Spears says he got Guevara….and gets chaired down by Sammy, who sits in a chair to say he got Spears, b****.

Tony Schiavone brings out Don Callis and Kenny Omega for a chat. Callis gets rid of Tony but the fans remind Callis that he got fired (from Impact). That doesn’t matter though as Callis goes over Omega’s recent successes and brings up that there are no challengers left. That’s a problem as Omega is supposed to defend the title at Fight For The Fallen….so the fans say they want Hangman.

Callis says he’ll tell them what they want but here is the Dark Order to interrupt. Evil Uno gets into the ring alone and wants to know why Omega is scared of Uno’s friend. Fans: “COWBOY S***!” Omega talks about how Uno is stupid and then kicks him low. Cue the rest of the Elite to take out the Dark Order but Hangman Page runs in to break up the belt shot. House is cleaned and the Buckshot Lariat is loaded up on Omega but Page stares at him instead. Another run-in is cut off but the distraction allows Omega to escape. I’d be surprised if they did this at Fight For The Fallen, but it’s coming sooner or later.

Earlier today, Jim Ross sat down with Ethan Page and Darby Allin. JR is disturbed by the idea that these two are going to fight to injure the other’s career and wants to know how we got here. Page takes his sunglasses off by Allin says hang on. Allin talks about how his success made Page jealous. Page never left his hometown and was content being the big fish in the small pond.

Page says that’s all true, but he plucked Allin from obscurity and taught him the lessons that brought him to AEW. Ever since he was a kid, people have told him that he would be a star and now he has to see Allin paint his face and get to be on Dynamite. That’s why Page is going to take him out in the Coffin Match. JR has a bad feeling about it, and Allin says he should.

Pinnacle vs. Inner Circle

FTR/Wardlow vs. Jake Hager/Santana/Ortiz here with Tully Blanchard and Konnan in the corners. Santana starts fast with a pair of Amigos into a German suplex to send Harwood into the corner. Ortiz comes in for a leg lariat but Wardlow comes in to plant him with a gutwrench powerbomb. It’s back to Harwood who gets planted with a powerbomb, allowing the hot tag to Hager for the house cleaning.

We take a break and come back with Ortiz coming in to clean house (again) but gets taken into the corner. The step up cannonball plants Wheeler but Wardlow makes a save of his own. We settle back down to Ortiz countering Harwood’s suplex into a brainbuster, allowing the hot tag back to Hager. The ankle lock makes Wheeler tap but Harwood was legal, meaning Hager has to kick him in the face. As usual, Hager wants Wardlow and the slugout is on. The rest of the Pinnacle comes in and a quick Big Rig plants Hager to give Wardlow the pin at 9:00.

Rating: C+. This felt like a big time Saturday Night main event with three members of one group against three members of the other, which is all it needed to be. It wasn’t supposed to be anything huge or beyond that and it did its job. I can go for a match that is only supposed to keep a feud going and they made it work just fine.

Post match Konnan goes after the Pinnacle but gets taken down for a beating of his own.

Video on Karl Anderson vs. Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Title next week.

It’s time for a showdown/contract signing with MJF and Chris Jericho, with the latter soaking in a lengthy sing-a-long. A fan tries to run in and gets knocked down so we cut to a crowd shot for a bit. Jericho and MJF (after he challenges any other fan to come in and get beaten up) sit down at the long table with MJF talking about how everyone wants a rub from him. MJF makes the mistake of calling him Y2J, so Jericho says he should have let the fat guy come in here and beat MJF up, but now he’ll do whatever it takes to get a match with him. Jericho: “I’ll even have sex with your mother.”

That has MJF a little annoyed so he talks about following Jericho’s career. We hear about Jericho’s issues with Jon Moxley and what it took for Moxley to get a match. Jericho had Moxley face every member of the Inner Circle and karma is a b****. MJF wants to up the ante a bit and talks about how he loves mythology. The name Demo God comes from demagogue, even though Jericho isn’t in the key demo anymore. MJF loved the labors of Hercules and thinks that Jericho needs to win a few matches.

We’ll make that four matches, with MJF picking the opponents and stipulations. If Jericho wins those four matches, he’ll get his match with MJF. Jericho is ready for the challenge so he can ruin MJF’s life. Jericho signs but MJF isn’t done yet because he comes from the greatest place in the world: Long Island, New York. They have to shake hands or the deal is off. The shake ensues, but Jericho pulls him into the Judas Effect to leave MJF laying. I’m a mythology fan so the theme was cool here and it probably gets them to All Out.

Britt Baker rants about being around the dangerous Nyla Rose. Look what happened when the innocent Reba got in the unsafe ring. Baker blames Tony Khan and now Vickie Guerrero brought in Andrade El Idolo. They got all of their money so maybe next week Dynamite can run in Saudi Arabia! Baker is ready to take out Nyla in Dallas at Fyter Fest and the town is going to be renamed the Big DMD.

Matt Sydal vs. Andrade El Idolo

Vickie Guerrero is here with Andrade, who comes out in a mask and suit, both of which go away. Andrade takes him down to start and hits the double moonsault for an early two. Sydal is back up with a shot to the face but gets knocked off the top for a crash. We take a break and come back with Sydal scoring with some shots to the face and rolling him up for two.

The jumping knee misses though and Andrade blasts him with a clothesline. Sydal gets tied in the Tree of Woe but the Alberto double stomp misses. Instead Sydal comes off the top with a Meteora for two but Andrade sends him into the corner for the running knees. El Idolo (the hammerlock DDT) finishes Sydal at 7:37.

Rating: C. This was a fine enough debut for Andrade who just needed to come in with a win. He could be a pretty big player as time goes on around here and the match was competitive enough without going too far. I’m curious to see where things go for Andrade, though I’m really not sure how much good Vickie is going to do for him.

Video on Matt Hardy vs. Christian Cage, who face off next week. They have always been in the same place, with Hardy accusing Christian of following him.  The match is 20 years in the making and it ends next week.

Here is Arn Anderson in the ring and he is rather happy to be in Miami. The lights go out….and this time it’s the former Aleister Black in the ring to hit Black Mass on Anderson. Cody Rhodes runs in for the staredown, with Excalibur identifying Black as Tommy End. This is followed by the announcement of “THAT IS NOT TOMMY END!” Apparently his name is Malakai Black, and he hits Black Mass on Rhodes.

Earlier today, Ricky Starks came to the ring with security but Taz comes out to say this is nonsense. Starks says Brian Cage is the embarrassing one and if he has to do this to get ready for the FTW Title match next week. Where he comes from, the W stands for wife, and Starks means Cage’s wife. Cue Cage to chase Starks off and beat up security. That was a great line from Starks.

Orange Cassidy/Kris Statlander vs. Bunny/Blade

Blade is checked for weapons before the match and the referee actually finds some brass knuckles. Bunny yells at Cassidy, who puts his hands in his pockets and hits the lazy kicks before the bell. Blade comes in for the bell and gets taken down at the bell but it’s too early for the Beach Break. It’s also too early for the tornado DDT, meaning Cassidy can get planted with a powerslam.

Stundog Millionaire takes Blade down and it’s off to the women, with Bunny hitting a running knee. Statlander is back up for some chops in the corner, setting up a delayed vertical suplex. The flipping legdrop misses though and Bunny sends her throat first into the ropes. We take a break and come back with Statlander hitting a spinning fisherman’s driver for two. Bunny catches her with a German suplex off the ropes though and it’s off to Blade to face Statlander.

Cassidy comes in (as he has to) with a high crossbody and now the spinning DDT can connect for two. Bunny gets knocked off the apron and Statlander busts out a 450 (Area 451, and a good one at that) to give Cassidy two with Bunny making the save. Blade uses the distraction to pull out more knuckles and knock Cassidy silly….but Statlander tagged herself in, allowing her to hit the Big Bang Theory for the pin at 8:27.

Rating: C. That 450 alone made this work as Statlander nailed that thing. They played with the mixed tag stuff here and what we got worked well enough. I’m not exactly feeling the Hardy Family Office vs. Best Friends thing but it’s fine for a midcard feud, as that’s about where everyone involved should be.

Earlier today, Jungle Boy got a nice trophy for being the first AEW wrestler to fifty wins.

American Top Team’s (MMA) Dan Lambert (a huge wrestling fan with an awesome belt collection) was glad to come to the show but he didn’t agree to an interview, even with Jorge Masvidal and Amanda Nunes here with him. He wasn’t happy because AEW sucks and if he wanted to enjoy some wrestling, it would mean watching tapes from Championship Wrestling From Florida from the 70s and 80s.

The sad truth is that wrestling has gone downhill since the late 1990s and this product is unwatchable. Tony Khan said Lambert is wrong because AEW has something from every style and the fans make it even better. Well he was right, as this is awful. Cue Lance Archer to knock Lambert silly with the Black Out. This was good, as Lambert is a great heel who can make you want to punch him in the face.

Tag Team Titles: Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks, in jean shorts, are defending and this is a street fight. The streamers fly and Don Callis is on commentary as the fight is on fast. They head outside early on the stereo superkicks hit Michael Nakazawa by mistake, allowing Kingston and Penta to take over. Back in and Brandon Cutler threatens them with cold spray, allowing the Bucks to come in with some chair shots.

The Bucks are sent into the open chair though and some kicks take them down again. The modified What’s Up has Nick down and it’s time for a pair of tables. Matt goes after Penta and gets Canadian Destroyed through the table. We take a break and come back with Nick hitting a Swanton onto a trashcan onto Kingston for two. A running Cannonball into an enziguri rocks Kingston in the corner but he’s back up with a half and half suplex to Nick.

There’s a rear naked choke on Matt but Nick makes the save with a 450 to the ref. Matt taps with no one to see it so Nick breaks it up. Cue the Good Brothers (who could have come out at any time given that it was a street fight) and Cutler is back up on the apron with the cold spray. Penta keeps shaking his head so Cutler misses as Frankie Kazarian comes in to powerbomb Cutler through a table. The Fear Factor into the spinning backfist drops Matt and another referee runs in to count the two with Nick making the save.

Kazarian drops Nick but gets taken down by the Good Brothers. Kingston busts out some thumbtacks but Matt picks them up to throw in Kingston’s face. Penta breaks up a powerbomb onto the tacks with a trashcan to the head before going up top with Nick. A super hurricanrana sends Penta into the tacks but Eddie shoves Matt into the cover for the save. There’s a double superkick to Kingston and some tacks are thrown into Penta’s face. Matt shoves tacks into Kingston’s mouth and another superkick retains the titles at 14:18.

Rating: B. It was a good brawl with the weapons feeling (mostly) in place, though I’m not sure how much drama there was. That being said, this wasn’t exactly supposed to feel like some big, epic match where the titles could change hands. Kingston and Penta were given a bit of a build last week and they paid it off here. That’s all it needed to be and the match was certainly energetic, so I’ll take it for a solid main event.

Overall Rating: B. This was a big show and it felt like one, which is all you can ask for out of AEW. It felt special to have the fans back and they got a pretty stacked card, with things being set up for the future as well. For a free two hour weekly show, this was rather good and felt like one of the AEW shows of old. Nice job and welcome back to touring, which really does make a difference.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. QT Marshall – Rhodes touched all four turnbuckles
Pinnacle b. Inner Circle – Big Rig to Hager
Andrade El Idolo b. Matt Sydal – El Idolo
Kris Statlander/Eddie Kingston b. Blade/Bunny – Big Bang Theory to Bunny
Young Bucks b. Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo – Superkick to Kingston

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: June 11, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

The Friday night escapades continue as we move towards the return of fans in a little over a month. That means we could be in for a big card tonight but there is always something interesting going on around here. I’m not sure what to expect and that can often be a good thing with AEW. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Hardy Family Office is in the ring to get things going. Matt Hardy rants about how Christian Cage is jealous over Matt making more money in his career so tonight, Angelico is going to give Christian such a beating that he will never financially recover.

Angelico vs. Christian Cage

They fight over arm control to start so Angelico offers him his leg to keep things interesting. Christian doesn’t fall for that and hits Angelico in the face instead. Some right hands in the corner stagger Angelico even more but he is right back up to pull Christian off the top. Angelico stomps on the arm and sends Christian hard into the corner.

The arm is wrapped around the rope and Angelico adds a PK to the shoulder. Something like a short armscissors goes on with Christian having to get to the ropes. Christian starts the comeback but gets pulled down by the arms again. Angelico goes up but dives into raised boots and it’s a small package to give Christian two. A collision puts both of them down and they get up in opposite corners. Christian is over this and grabs the Killswitch for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C. Not a bad opener but Christian still hasn’t quite caught fire around here. He’s perfectly solid and in no way looking horrible, but at the same time, he isn’t exactly great so far. The idea of Matt Hardy vs. Christian in 2021 doesn’t do much for me, though Christian doesn’t need to go any higher than that whatsoever.

Post match Jack Evans runs in to lay out Christian, allowing Matt to hit another Twist of Fate.

Here’s the July schedule:

July 7 – Road Rager
July 14 – Fyter Fest Night One
July 21 – Fyter Fest Night Two
July 28 – Fight For The Fallen

They’re really pushing this return.

Tony Schiavone is here for a chat, but first he has an announcement: next week it’s QT Mar-Shall (as it was pronounced in Ring Of Honor)/Aaron Solow vs. Cody Rhodes and…..Brock Anderson, the son of Arn Anderson. Here are Cody, Brock and Arn, with Cody talking about how Brock is going to prove that he wasn’t born on third base. Cue QT Marshall to say he’s tired of all of Cody’s vanity projects (preach it).

Cody has been ducking the up and coming stars but the people who are really behind Cody are the fans. Marshall: “Not the IWC. The real paying fans.” Marshall wants to end this with Cody in a South Beach Strap match when all of the fans are back. Cody is ready to do it right now but Marshall decks Arn and Brock jumps him until referees pull him off.

Pac/Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston vs. Young Bucks/Brandon Cutler

Don Callis joins commentary as Pac sends Cutler (in a mask to protect his injured face) into the corner to start and kicks him down. Penta comes in to kick him down and chop the skin off of Cutler’s chest. Kingston comes in for a double stomp and Pac kicks him even more, meaning he wants the Bucks for a change. Matt comes in and gets dropped, allowing Pac to mock the Bucks’ pose. Nick trips over the rope getting inside so Pac knocks him to the floor again. Matt is back up to kick Pac in the face and we take a break.

Back with Pac fighting his way out of the corner so Kingston can come in to clean house. Penta comes in with a high crossbody and kicks Cutler in the mask. Matt gets dropped and Nick kicks Cutler in the face by mistake. The Backstabber drops Nick and the Pentagon Driver gets two with Cutler making the save.

A series of kicks in the corner look to set up the Black Arrow but Cutler’s distraction breaks it up. Kingston cleans house and takes Nick to the floor as Penta dives onto Cutler. Pac hits the 450 into the Brutalizer on Matt but Nick…can’t break it up despite kicking Pac in the head. Kingston and Pac hit dives onto Nick and Cutler, leaving Matt to roll Pac up with trunks for two. Pac gets buckle bombed into a pair of kicks, but Cutler misses a springboard elbow. Kingston hits the spinning backfist to give Pac the pin on Cutler at 13:06.

Rating: C+. It was certainly fast paced, though the ending wasn’t the biggest surprise. You know the Bucks aren’t losing, like ever, including when Pac had the Brutalizer. Cutler was there to take the fall so that worked out fine, though building up Pac/Penta for a title shot is not quite as thrilling when the Bucks already beat them.

Post match the Bucks are on Penta and Pac a mere five seconds after the bell (that’s our Bucks), with the Good Brothers coming in to help with the beatdown. Kazarian comes in for the save and Cutler is left alone, with Kazarian planting him with a clothesline.

We get a Don Callis/Kenny Omega produced video on the Double Or Nothing World Title match, complete with some questionable subtitles.

Here is the Pinnacle for their first comments since Double Or Nothing. Dax Harwood talks about how Stadium Stampede did not go as well as they hoped, but FTR doesn’t want to hear about Santana and Ortiz. Harwood has a family to take care of and is going to take money out of Santana and Ortiz’s pockets. How have they not won the Tag Team Titles in two years?

Shawn Spears says he is the hero instead of Sammy Guevara and they aren’t done. Wardlow thinks that Jake Hager is obsessed with him and needs him around. Is that because Hager brings out the best in him? Next week, they can meet in an octagon, where Wardlow will show that everywhere is his world.

MJF says he’s getting a little tired because he was the best so soon. No one here can relate to that, because they won’t be the best at anything. That brings him to Chris Jericho, with MJF watching every match and listening to every promo. MJF was at the Double Or Nothing Rally in 2019 and spoke on the stage. Then he saw Chris Jericho, his idol. MJF couldn’t believe it because he was going to get the chance to work with Jericho, but that isn’t how it went.

One night it hit him: he had spent all of this time idolizing a false god. Jericho is not even remotely on his level so he has nothing to prove to the fans. The match request is denied, so MJF is moving on to Sammy Guevara. Sammy can’t compete in the talking department because he has the verbal skills of Helen Keller. MJF is better than Sammy and he knows it, but here is Chris Jericho on the screen.

The Pinnacle can walk home, because the Inner Circle is destroying the Pinnacle’s limo. Tires are slashed, windows are broken, spray paint is applied, and I lose count of how many cars or vehicles have been used in this company’s history. Cue Jake Hager with a forklift to crush the limo all over again, including lifting it into the air and dropping it down. Jericho thinks the Pinnacle is going to need an Uber and Sammy is ready to fight anytime. MJF’s promo was good, but a feud should probably be done after WarGames and Stadium Stampede.

Darby Allin wants Sting to stay home for his handicap match with Ethan Page and Shawn Spears. Sting says Allin has nothing to prove because he was the TNT Champion when Sting got here. Allin: “It’s not about that. Just stay home this one time please.” Sting agrees and they bump fists because everything is cool.

Evil Uno talks about what Brodie Lee meant to the Dark Order. He wants to bring the TNT Title back to the Dark Order to honor Lee again.

TNT Title: Miro vs. Evil Uno

Uno is challenging and has some of the Dark Order with him. Miro slams him down in a hurry but Uno chops him out to the floor. That’s fine with Miro, but he punches a post and gets taken down with a flip dive from the apron. Back in and Miro off the ropes and into a Saito suplex as we take a break.

Back with Uno being knocked outside in a heap but the Dark Order’s pep talk gets him back inside. That earns the Order a beating and Miro rips the turnbuckle pad off. Uno gets in some shots to the face, including a running big boot. A Swanton connects and the rest of the Dark Order comes out to cheer Uno on. Miro can’t hit a spinout Rock Bottom and gets kicked into the exposed buckle for two. A hard clothesline drops Uno though and it’s Game Over to retain the title at 9:36.

Rating: C+. This was a match that had no business being good and they made it work anyway. I was getting into the idea of wanting Uno to win the title in Lee’s memory, though Miro should not be losing for a good while to come. Good stuff here, as they turned what should have been just a quick match into enough of a story to pull me in. Nice job.

Video on Andrade El Idolo, who seems rather rich and is billed as the Face of Latinos.

Here are Kenny Omega and Don Callis for a chat. Callis talks about the AEW conspiracy to get the title off of Kenny Omega, so Jungle Boy did a good job at becoming the #1 contender. But to Callis, Jungle Boy is just like the band that sings his theme song: a one hit wonder. Omega talks about how he is supposed to sell the match but he can’t bring himself to say anything bad about Jungle Boy.

When he looks at Boy’s long hair and underwear model body, Omega sees a bit of himself. There is something missing though, and Callis thinks it is the guts. Cue Jungle Boy, with Omega saying he has never heard Boy talk. Omega doesn’t think this will be the battle of wits or the greatest promo of all time.

If he has anything to say, he has five five second to say it because Omega is getting tired of this. Boy says Omega talks to much so Omega swings, only to get punched up against the ropes. Omega gets pulled into the Snare Trap but the Young Bucks run in to clear Boy out. This was good once Boy came in, but Omega talking is not the best thing.

Jade Cargill and Mark Sterling are rather happy that their monetization plan has been a success. Next up: marketing the catchphrase, because Cargill is that b****.

Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky aren’t impressed with Darby Allin but they are going to take him out again. They are going to chop him down, step on his body and move up, because it is all up from here for the Men Of The Year. What an odd name for a team.

Lance Archer vs. Chandler Hopkins

Archer jumps him to start but Hopkins actually gets out of the chokeslam. Archer knocks Hopkins out of the air and this the big chokeslam. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 52 seconds.

Archer storms out of the arena immediately after the win.

The Wingmen offer Orange Cassidy a chance to get his wardrobe upgrade, or Cesar Bononi will mess up his face.

Nyla Rose vs. Leyla Hirsch

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose. Leyla chases Vickie out to start and gets slammed for her efforts. That doesn’t seem to cause much trouble though as a cross armbreaker has Rose in trouble. A dropkick puts Rose on the floor but the suicide dive is cut off, with Leyla being driven into the apron. Back in and Rose drops a knee for two, setting up a neck crank to send us to a break.

We come back with Leyla hitting a slingshot dropkick in the corner for two, setting up a release German suplex. A running knee rocks Rose again and a rope walk moonsault (with barely a cover) gets two. Leyla can’t suplex her, with Rose draping her over the top instead. The top rope knee drop is broken up though and Leyla goes up, only to get super Beast Bombed back down to give Rose the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C. They made a bit of a go with it here, though I’m not sure how much I could buy Rose being in danger here. What worked was having Leyla show off with some power and technique, which really do make her look legit. Rose is on her way to another title shot (because of course) and a win over someone with some credibility will help her get there.

Britt Baker doesn’t like Nyla Rose making fun of Leyla Hirsch’s height but let’s get back to her. Baker has endorsement deals flying in left and right, which was never the case when Rose was champion. That’s cool with Baker though, because she’ll add Rose to the list of jealous b****** in the back. Rose needs the title because it makes her, but Baker is making the title.

Here is what’s coming next week.

Hangman Page/10 vs. Brian Cage/Powerhouse Hobbs

Page, who has lost all sense of time, gets driven into the corner to start so Cage can drive shoulders into the corner. Some forearms get Page out of trouble for a bit but his sliding lariat is countered. Cage misses a basement dropkick though and Page hits a standing shooting star press for two. 10 comes in but walks into an assisted powerbomb from Hobbs, who starts getting a bit cocky. A running knee to the ribs drops 10 and we take a break.

Back with 10 hitting a pump kick each to Hobbs and Cage, allowing Page to come in for a running boot to Cage. They head outside with Page posting Cage, setting up a moonsault press for two on Hobbs. A crossbody gives Hobbs two on Page but Cage is back in with a 619 to knock 10 silly.

Page is back in with a springboard shot to Cage’s face and 10 busts Hobbs spine. Cage comes back with a running clothesline in the corner and a sloppy high/low gets two on 10. Ricky Starks throws Cage the FTW Title but Cage throws it away, earning a slap from Starks. Cage chases Starks off so Hobbs buts a spinebuster for two on 10. A ripcord cutter drops Hobbs though and the Buckshot Lariat is enough to give Page the pin at 10:18.

Rating: C+. There was a lot going on here, with the continuing split of Team Taz being the biggest story. Cage vs. Starks will be good, though they are going to have to stretch things out a lot due to Starks’ injury. Hobbs vs. Cage will do for the time being though, assuming that is the way they go. At the same time, it is a good sign to see Page being treated as a big deal again, as he should have been for a long time now.

The Dark Order comes out to celebrate with some beers to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was another week where they kind of took the night off, but it wasn’t as bad as last time. Right now they are building towards the June 26 show with the World Title match, though I’m not sure what else is going to be seen as a big deal on that show. This was a completely watchable show with some good action, as they got me to care about matches that weren’t all that interesting in the first place. Nice job here, though it’s another skippable show.

Results
Christian Cage b. Angelico – Killswitch
Pac/Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston b. Brandon Cutler/Young Bucks – Spinning backfist to Cutler
Miro b. Evil Uno – Game Archer
Lance Archer b. Chandler Hopkins – Blackout
Nyla Rose b. Leyla Hirsch – Super Beast Bomb
10/Hangman Page b. Brian Cage/Powerhouse Hobbs – Buckshot Lariat to Hobbs

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: June 4, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and things are on a bit of a roll around here. I’m curious to see how they follow up on a pretty awesome pay per view which saw the Inner Circle survive by winning Stadium Stampede over the Pinnacle. There are a few directions they can take before All Out in September so let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac vs. Young Bucks

Non-title and apparently the Bucks attacked Rey Fenix before the match, including a bunch of V Triggers. Michael Nakazawa, Brandon Cutler and the Good Brothers are here but cue Frankie Kazarian to jump Nakazawa, causing the Brothers to chase him off. Don Callis joins commentary as Pac and Penta (looking Jokerish tonight) hit big dives to the floor. A pair of backdrops keep the Bucks in trouble and they head inside for the opening bell.

Penta comes in to roll Matt up for two with Nick making the save and ragging Matt to the corner. Pac comes in to hit a standing shooting star press for two on Matt but the Bucks set him outside. Matt takes forever to load up the dive, then runs outside and goes to the floor for a running clothesline instead. Back in and Matt spears Pac down to hammer away but a few shots allow the tag off to Penta. A Backstabber takes Nick down and Pac’s pop up powerbomb gets two.

Penta adds a Canadian Destroyer to send Nick into the corner. Matt comes back in with a Canadian Destroyer of his own and everyone winds up on the same apron. Nick German suplexes Pac and Penta Fear Factors Matt, leaving Nick to fight Penta back inside. The referee gets poked in the eye so Nick pulls off Penta’s mask, revealing a second mask. That means a low blow into the Fear Factor, setting up Pac’s Black Arrow for two as Matt dives back in for the save. Pac goes up again but Brandon Cutler hits him in the leg, allowing Nick to grab a rollup pin at 9:42.

Rating: C+. Yeah of course they did. Is there any surprise that the Bucks survive multiple finishers (including one on the apron) to win in the end? I barely blinked off the near fall because the Bucks could get launched out of a cannon into a brick wall and kick out at 2 and a half. Such is life in the Bucks’ matches, even if it means pinning Pac in the process.

Post match the beatdown seems ready to continue but Eddie Kingston runs in for the save.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Tony Schiavone brings out Mark Henry for his big debut. Henry talks about how how he isn’t here to fix AEW because it isn’t broken. Instead he will be here because he loves wrestling and it is time to see what he can offer. Tony asks if Henry is going to get back in the ring, but Henry can’t say yes to that yet. What he can say is that he has a lot left in the tank but here is Vickie Guerrero to interrupt. She has a surprise for us tonight…..and here is Andrade El Idolo. Well that’s a good surprise. Andrade is here to be the new face of AEW and Vickie demands some applause.

QT Marshall/Anthony Ogogo vs. Cody Rhodes/Lee Johnson

Johnson hits Marshall in the face to start and a quick dropkick gets two. Ogogo comes in and takes Cody into the corner but it’s right back to Johnson for a neckbreaker on Marshall. Johnson gets dropped on the floor though and we take a break. Back with Johnson sending Marshall outside, allowing Cody to come back in and hammer away.

The powerslam sets up the Figure Four on Marshall but Ogogo makes the save with a frog splash. A Diamond Cutter gets two on Cody with Johnson making a save of his own. The Cross Rhodes is loaded up but here is Aaron Solow to offer a distraction. Ogogo punches Cody out and Marshall gets the pin at 9:21.

Rating: C. Ogogo continues to get a push, though it is still hard to make myself care about anything Marshall does, especially with him in charge of a group. He isn’t interesting and doesn’t stand out in any way, though at least Ogogo looked like a star with the big right hand. Granted he should have gotten the pin at Double Or Nothing, but I’ll take this.

Post match Marshall shouts at Tony Schiavone about how he told him so.

We look at the Inner Circle winning Stadium Stampede.

Here is the Inner Circle for a chat. Chris Jericho brags about the win and has a gift for everyone here: an Inner Circle Stadium Stampede t-shirt! Well that’s pretty cool. Jericho hands it off to Sammy Guevara, who won the match for them on Sunday. Sammy talks about hitting a 630 to win, just like he used to do off of his mom’s house (Sammy: “Hi mom!”). He can’t believe he got to do it at Double Or Nothing and is so proud that they won.

We get the big hug, followed by Santana promising that this isn’t over because FTR tried to take their careers. Jake Hager says this isn’t over until the Inner Circle says it is over and calls out Wardlow to fight him in an MMA cage. Jericho isn’t done though because thinking of every member of the Pinnacle makes him mad.

The worst of them all is MJF though, because he tried to end Jericho’s career and his life. He thinks about it every day and wakes up in a cold sweat. MJF calls Jericho the greatest of all time and Jericho doesn’t know about that, but he does think that if he wants to keep moving forward, he has to beat MJF. That is exactly what he is going to do, and the middle finger salute wraps it up. It was a fired up promo, but I’m not wild on another huge gimmick match coming and going as little more than a pit stop in the feud.

The Best Friends say this isn’t over between Orange Cassidy and Kenny Omega.

Kenny Omega and Don Callis are ready to blow the lid off of this conspiracy to get the AEW World Title off of Omega next week. Omega isn’t worried about his title defense against Jungle Boy either. They hum along to Boy’s theme song for a bonus. My only conclusion to this: I never need to hear of a conspiracy on a wrestling show again.

Jungle Boy/Christian Cage vs. Private Party

Matt Hardy is here too. Private Party, in street/club clothes, takes over on Boy’s arm to start but he flips over Kassidy and kicks Quen in the ribs. A double springboard wristdrag sends Private Party outside and it’s off to Christian. Hardy offers a distraction though and Quen knocks Christian down as we take a break.

Back with Private Party mocking the five second pose and taking Boy off the apron. Christian manages a double reverse DDT, allowing the tag back to Boy. A brainbuster gets two on Quen and Kassidy has to break up the Snare Trap. Kassidy pokes Boy in the eyes and rolls him up for two but Christian breaks up the Gin and Juice. The Snare Trap makes Quen trap at 11:20.

Rating: C. This worked well as a way to set up Boy’s title shot against Omega later this month. The best way to make him look like a threat is to give him win after win and that is what they had here. Some singles wins would be better, but Boy looked and felt like a star here and that is the right idea.

Post match Hardy hits a Twist of Fate to drop Christian on the ramp.

Taz promises that Team Taz is going to wreck Hangman Page and someone from the Dark Order. Ricky Starks walks off in the middle.

Tony Schiavone brings out Sting and Darby Allin for a chat. Sting talks about how he has a lot of memories in wrestling but he will never forget what he did at Double Or Nothing. The fans let him know that HE STILL HAS IT but Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page pop up on screen to mock both of the two of them. They have a challenge: Allin can go find anyone but Sting and prove them wrong. Allin pulls the mic up but doesn’t bother to say anything.

A bunch of people are in the ring (complete with a table of cheeseburgers) for Britt Baker’s official championship celebration. Baker is very pleased with everyone being here and says everyone is getting a coupon for a free burger. Actually never mind as they are all on the table for her, because she did all of the work. She promised that this was the start of an all new era and she was absolutely right.

It is the start of the DMD era and now it’s time for the burgers, but only two of them are allowed. Tony and Rebel are the only ones allowed to have them, but Nyla Rose throws them away. The heavy sigh at the idea of Rose probably getting ANOTHER title shot sums it up as well as anything else I can say here.

Pac and Penta ask Eddie Kingston what was up with that save. Kingston says the enemy of his enemy is his friend.

Bunny vs. Red Velvet

Blade is here with Bunny. A cheap shot from Bunny doesn’t works as Velvet kicks her down and hits a splash for two. Bunny is sent outside and Velvet hits a dive, almost landing on her head (and making me cringe harder than I have in a long time). Thankfully she pops back up and chokes in the corner, only to get superkicked off the top.

Another superkick sends Velvet outside and we take a break. Back with Velvet hitting some clotheslines but Bunny superkicks her down. Blade offers a distraction so KiLynn King and Big Swole protest. The distraction lets Blade send in the brass knuckles but Bunny walks into Just Desserts for the pin at 7:00.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here outside of another match with a good chunk taking place during the break. Velvet’s continued development is still nice to see as she has come a VERY long way in the last few months. Bunny has more or less vanished from the big shows, but she has enough of a reputation to matter a bit. She might be better served as a manager though, as it seems to work out better for her.

The Dark Order is fired up for John Silver’s birthday because Tony Khan has given him a TNT Title shot. He’s hurt though, so Evil Uno can have it instead! Uno promises to make the team proud.

Miro thanks God for his power and his wife for being hot. He isn’t worried about Uno because he is bigger, stronger and faster. You come after him when you can’t survive.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Nick Comoroto

Bullrope match and you win by pinfall or submission. Aaron Solow is here with Comoroto and the brawl starts on the ramp before the bell. Rhodes is thrown inside and the rope is tied up, meaning we can officially start. Comoroto chokes with the rope on the apron as JR longs for the days of headlocks. Rhodes comes back with a Cactus Clothesline to the floor and they head into the crowd.

Fuego del Sol gets shoved down by Comoroto and then tossed onto some chairs, allowing Rhodes to send them back to ringside. A powerslam plants Comoroto on the floor but he comes back with a bell shot to the face. Comoroto comes up bleeding from the head as Rhodes is barely able to stand. Rhodes posts him but gets dropped onto the apron as we take a break.

Back with Solow putting up a table on the floor but Rhodes hits Comoroto in the face with the rope. That just earns him a powerbomb through the table for two back inside so Solow gets on the apron and removes the turnbuckle pad. Cue Colton Gunn to beat up Solow as Rhodes hits a bulldog and the Final Reckoning on the cowbell….for one. A low blow staggers Comoroto and it’s a middle rope bulldog to put him down again. Rhodes gets smart and hogties him for the pin at 10:08.

Rating: C-. I don’t think this was anything more than a way to close out the show, as it seems AEW figured out that not a lot of fans are going to stick around until midnight on a Friday. There is nothing wrong with that, but I can sympathize with JR not liking another violent match. This is the first time these two have fought and they go right to the violent stuff. Just let it build up a bit first and save the violence for later. Also, Rhodes wins here? Over this monster caveman who looked untouchable for most of the match?

Overall Rating: C. They definitely took a bit of a breather this week and that is a good idea. It makes sense as they have a long way to go before they get to another major show and you don’t want to run through everything. Throw in the fact that these Friday shows are not going to draw a big audience (not AEW’s fault) and there is little reason to put a lot on them. They did the right thing by front loading it too, so they seem to be learning a bit.

Results

Young Bucks b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac – Rollup to Pac

Anthony Ogogo/QT Marshall b. Cody Rhodes/Lee Johnson – Right hand to Rhodes

Jungle Boy/Christian Cage b. Private Party – Snare Trap to Quen

Red Velvet b. Bunny – Just Desserts

Dustin Rhodes b. Nick Comoroto – Middle rope bulldog

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.