Dynamite
Date: March 20, 2024
Location: Coca Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’re north of the border this week and that means a big title match featuring some Canadians. In this case we have Adam Copeland challenging Christian Cage for the TNT Title in an I Quit match. Other than that, Kazuchika Okada is challenging for the Continental Crown, as the titles unified in the Continental Classic are already coming undone.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Mercedes Mone for a chat. She is so glad to be here and last week was so amazing. This is what she wants to do, but her dream was almost taken away from her ten months ago. We see a highlight reel of things she has done in and out of the ring before Mone talks about how she isn’t here to lea a revolution, because she has done that before. Instead, she is here to lead a GLOBAL revolution (that might not have been the best wording).

She wants to face some people and hits the catchphrase to wrap it up, but here are Julia Hart and Skye Blue. Mone fights them off but Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander run in with chairs for the save. The villains leave via blackout but Nightingale is still holding up the chair behind Mone. That gives us a standoff and egads standing in the ring talking is not Mone’s strong suit.

The Young Bucks mock Alex Marvez for not speaking Japanese to Kazuchika Okada. They won’t be ringside for the Continental Title match tonight but they will be on the headsets producing.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Eddie Kingston

Kingston is defending and only one of the three titles are on the line. They start slowly and take their time to lock up until Kingston hits a hard chop. Kingston knocks him out to the floor and the chase is on, with Okada jumping him on the way back in. Okada starts working on the arm and Kingston is down as we see the Bucks sitting next to Tony Khan producing the show. That great dropkick puts Kingston down again and we take a break.

Back with Kingston hitting a suplex and grabbing an STO for a needed breather. Kingston strikes away and hits another suplex but gets caught with the dropkick to put him back down. The elbow misses for Okada though and Kingston hits the spinning backfist for two. Back up and Kingston has to block the discus lariat before knocking Okada down again. A running clothesline scores for Kingston, whose half and half suplex is broken up with a rake to the eyes. An enziguri takes Okada down but another spinning backfist misses. Okada hits a powerslam, followed by the Rainmaker for the pin and the title at 15:50.

Rating: B-. That was a pretty definitive win for Okada and so much for Kingston’s big run. There’s no shame in losing to a star like Okada, but egads they’re really splitting up the titles they unified less than three months ago. Odds are the NJPW Strong Title goes away, leaving the Continental Title and the ROH Title, which makes the unified deal feel all the more worthless in the first place. Also: we are 16 days away from ROH’s Supercard Of Honor and the TV, Tag Team and World Champions have all lost on AEW TV this month alone.

Post match Pac comes out for the staredown and we likely have a Dynasty match.

Swerve Strickland suggests Samoa Joe is scared of him because of the chain. We’re in Toronto tonight and he wants to fight so the open challenge is on.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander are ready for their street fight with Julia Hart and Skye Blue tonight. Mercedes Mone interrupts and says she has Statlander’s back tonight. Willow looks to say something but Mone says she’s done enough. Stokely Hathaway brings up Nightingale breaking Mone’s leg and Statlander isn’t pleased. I would sincerely hope they aren’t trying to turn Willow heel out of all this. Statlander sure, but Willow feels like the definition of someone born to be good.

Chris Jericho vs. Hook

Non-title and Hook suplexes him down at the bell. We pause for the referee to check on Jericho before he fires off some chops. A reverse t-bone suplex drops Jericho for two as it’s pretty much one sided to start. Jericho cuts him off with a shot to the head but a string of German suplexes drop Jericho again.

We take a break and come back with Jericho still being suplexed and Hook strolling around the ring. Jericho finally reverses a suplex and hits some shoulders but Hook suplexes him again. A big boot “hits” for Jericho and he scores with the Lionsault for a delayed two. Back up and Jericho tries a suplex but instead kind of drops Hook on his face. They go up top but Hook grabs Redrum, which has Jericho down in the middle. Jericho slips out and throws some VERY slow punches until Hook reverses into a cradle for the pin at 10:51.

Rating: C-. Well that didn’t go well for Jericho, and I’m not sure where this is leading. Given what happened with Jericho when Powerhouse Hobbs squashed him, I can’t imagine it’s going to go well for Hook, but he was basically Brock Lesnar to Jericho’s John Cena out there. The Redrum should have been the finish, but odds are we’re going to be seeing these two together for a lot longer.

Adam Cole is furious about Wardlow losing last week and says it is Wardlow’s job to keep the gold in the Undisputed Kingdom. Don’t screw it up.

Post break Chris Jericho says he wanted to face Hook, who showed him a lot tonight. Hook is as much of a bad man as people say he is and next week, Jericho will have a proposition for him.

Here is Will Ospreay for a chat. He was a little bit of a naughty boy the last time he was here and now he is here for the betterment of AEW. Ospreay apologizes for what he did to Kenny Omega in Toronto, but in return for his elite wrestling he needs….some of that maple syrup! As for Bryan Danielson, he hopes that you saw him face Katsuyori Shibata on Collision. When Ospreay went over to Japan (“Where you wanted to be a big star.”), he saw Danielson’s shoes, but they weren’t big enough for Ospreay.

What Danielson did in Japan was great, but Ospreay elevated wrestling over there. Ospreay lists off his accomplishments in Japan and now he’s ready to prove he can walk in his shoes. He met Shibata before but now he has cats, dogs and a mortgage to pay. The challenge is mad for next week and since Tony Khan is apparently watching the show from Shibata’s house, the match is made official about ten seconds later.

Video on Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage.

Mariah May/Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo/Thunder Rosa

It’s a brawl to start with May taking Purrazzo down so it’s off to Storm. Rosa comes in to strike away in the corner and a sliding clothesline gets two on Storm. A Luther distraction lets Storm knock Rosa outside though and we take a break. Back with Purrazzo striking away at May but not being able to get the Fujiwara armbar. Instead Purrazzo boots her in the ace but Rosa tags herself in, which Purrazzo doesn’t like. Rosa comes in to plant May but gets German suplexed by Storm. The hip attack connects, only to have Rosa roll Storm up for the pin at 7:10.

Rating: C. Again, a seven minute match does not need to have a commercial in the middle. The ending came out of nowhere but Rosa vs. Storm is a fresh match as we shift away from Purrazzo challenging. May seems to be the long term goal, but Rosa, who never lost the title in the first place, will do just fine for now.

Swerve Strickland vs. The Butcher

Swerve starts fast by knocking him into the corner, setting up the middle rope elbow to the back. A half nelson backbreaker puts Swerve down though and Butcher hits him in the face a few times. Back up and Swerve kicks him down, setting up the House Call. Butcher sits down for a good while, allowing Swerve to hit the Swerve Stomp into something like a short armscissors for the tap at 3:22.

Rating: C. This was perfectly acceptable booking as Butcher is just established enough to make Swerve work but not enough to be a threat to him. Swerve took a few shots but fought back and won clean. It’s exactly what it needed to be and I can always go for something logical and efficient.

Post match Swerve grabs his chain and says he keeps thinking about using it to choke Samoa Joe out. Every week, Joe can send security after him and Swerve will keep beating them up until Joe gives him what he wants. Cue Joe to interrupt, saying contrary to what Swerve believes, Joe beat him at Revolution. Joe says he has learned what to do with someone like Swerve: give him exactly what he wants.

Cue Don Callis of all people to interrupt, saying Konosuke Takeshita and Swerve Strickland have the same amount of wins. Takeshita is undefeated outside of the Don Callis Family so maybe he needs to show Swerve whose house this is. Swerve is in to face Takeshita, and then he’s coming for Joe. Yay more Callis N Pals.

TNT Title: Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage

Cage is defending in an I Quit match. Copeland starts fast and they go out to the floor with the brawl heading into the crowd. Copeland grabs a Boston Bruins jersey to put over Cage before grabbing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey for himself (the fans approve). Cage is knocked around even more as we take a break. Back with Copeland bridging a ladder between the announcers’ table and the barricade. An Edge O Matic onto the ladder has Cage in more trouble and we get a breather.

The ladder is turned upside down inside, where Cage is dropped ribs first onto said ladder. A table is set up against the barricade but Cage breaks up the spear attempt. The busted open Copeland is staggered and Cage hits a dive off the top to send him through the table. Back in and Copeland is catapulted into a ladder but still won’t quit. A quick Grindhouse is broken up and they both try spears at the same time for a double knockdown.

We take a break and come back with Cage being launched off the stage but cue Mother Wayne with a hockey stick to hit Copeland low. Cage sticks away inside and it’s time for a barbed wire chair. The Conchairto is loaded up but Copeland moves just in time. Neither can hit a Killswitch onto the ladder so Copeland hits him with the hockey stick. The Grindhouse, with the stick in Cage’s mouth, gets an incoherent answer so Copeland uses the draw string from his tights.

Cue the Patriarchy for the save but cue Matt Menard and Daniel Garcia for the save. Copeland sets up a ladder and dives onto the Patriarchy before handcuffing them in the corner. Mother Wayne runs away and cage gets speared down, meaning he can be cuffed as well. A low blow isn’t enough for Cage to quit so Copeland kicks him several more times. Spike (the 2×4 with nails) is pulled out for a major low blow….and the video goes off for a second (presumably the end of Dynamite/the start of Rampage), only to come back with Copeland loading up a shot to the head. That’s enough for Cage to quit at 25:43.

Rating: B. There was quite a bit here (to say the least) but it feels like a nice cap on the whole feud. Copeland getting the win in what very well may be the final match between the two in his hometown is a good way to go, with the rapid fire low blows in the corner feeling like the kind of humor these two would love. At the same time, I can’t help but think the lure of a ladder/TLC match will be too much for the two of them/AEW to resist.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where the opener and main event bookended the show well, but the wrestling in the middle left a good bit to be desired. Mone was still a focal point here and does come off as a star but we still need to see what they have planned for her first feud. Other than that, you had some things teased for the coming weeks plus Dynasty, but this was all about the main event and it worked well enough.

Results
Kazuchika Okada b. Eddie Kingston – Rainmaker
Hook b. Chris Jericho – Rollup
Deonna Purrazzo/Thunder Rosa b. Mariah May/Toni Storm – Rollup to Storm
Swerve Strickland b. The Butcher – Short armscissors
Adam Copeland b. Christian Cage when Cage quit

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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Collision
Date: March 16, 2024
Location: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

The road to Dynasty continues and in this case that means we have quite the big match. This week will see Bryan Danielson vs. Katsuyori Shibata in a match that was literally announced yesterday. It would be nice to have that big of a match announced further in advance but at least it is happening. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Bryan Danielson vs. Katsuyori Shibata

They aren’t wasting time here. Feeling out process to start until Danielson takes him down by the arm as Nigel talks about his history of beating up Danielson. That’s broken up and they go back to the standoff until Danielson goes back to the arm. Shibata isn’t having that and forearms him down with Nigel saying Danielson keeps coming back like a fungus. Some chops have Danielson taking Shibata back to the mat but Shibata sends him outside as we take a break.

Back with Danielson striking away in the corner until Shibata reverses for strikes of his own. There’s the running dropkick in the corner as Nigel wonders if Danielson is missing a chromosome. They trade ankle locks before knocking each other down for a double breather. Back up and they exchange knees to the chest until Shibata grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. Some elbows to the head rock Danielson but he’s right back with the running knee for two of his own.

Danielson gets the LeBell Lock until Shibata puts a foot on the rope. The kicks to the chest rock Shibata but he wants more. The running kick to the chest brings Shibata back to his feet and he fires off the Kawada Kicks. Now Danielson sits down so Shibata can kick him, leading to a seated slap off. Danielson kicks him in the head for the knockdown but the running knee is blocked. The octopus goes on but Danielson slips out and gets two off a rollup. Danielson’s LeBell Lock attempt is countered into a rollup, which Danielson counters into a rollup for the pin at 19:33.

Rating: B. I get the appeal of this kind of thing and it was a hard hitting, physical match, but this was the latest in the tour of “Danielson wrestles someone in a dream match and then we move on”. There are far worse uses of television time, but it’s a match that comes and goes and really just feels like something that happened because Danielson wanted it to. I’m sure he’ll do something else again and it’ll be good, but it would be nice to have it feel like something other than “here’s a cool pairing you’ve never seen before”.

Respect is shown post match.

We look at Mercedes Mone’s debut.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Trish Adora

Hart is defending and the special rule is….the loser is banned from ringside for the House of Black vs. Infantry match later tonight. Adora takes her to the mat and does the splits on Hart’s back while cranking on the arms. They go to the floor, with Adora blocking a whip and elbowing Hart in the face. Hart sends her hard into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Adora fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent into the corner for some running elbows. Adora’s bridging German suplex gets two so Hart superkicks her down. The moonsault retains the title at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Adora continues to look strong in the ring and can do some rather impressive things. At the same time though, this was about giving Hart another win as her rise continues. She is on the way to a showdown with Willow Nightingale for the title and having her win here is a good way to boost her up even further.

Zak Knight and Harley Cameron are happy with Angelo Parker wanting to fight Knight. Poutine insults ensue…and never mind as Knight says they’ll fight on his terms, meaning not tonight.

Daniel Garcia vs. Lee Moriarty

Shane Taylor is here with Moriarty and Matt Menard is on commentary. They go to the mat to start with Garcia slipping out of a headscissors and hitting a running basement dropkick to send him outside. The Taylor distraction lets Moriarty come back with a suicide dive to take over, allowing him to STEAL GARCIA’S DANCE! Moriarty works on the arm back inside but Garcia is back up to pound him into the corner. Garcia starts in on the leg before a Saito suplex gets two. Garcia’s piledriver attempt is cut off so Moriarty hits a double stomp. Not that it matters as Garcia pulls him into a heel hook for the tap at 5:12.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see a short match like this one where they got to the point and gave Garcia a pretty definitive win. That’s a good thing to see after he lost at Revolution so there seems to be something of a bright spot for him going forward. Moriarty can work well with just about anyone and he did well here by making Garcia look better.

We look at Bullet Club Gold breaking Darby Allin’s foot on Dynamite.

Pac vs. Aaron Solo

Solo wastes no time by knocking him to the floor to start, setting up the running flip dive. Back in and Pac stomps him down in the corner, followed by some boot choking. Pac kicks him in the head and hits a missile dropkick, setting up the Black Arrow into the Brutalizer for the win at 4:36.

Rating: C+. I was worried that Solo was going to get in a bunch of offense here but instead Pac shrugged it off and squashed Solo as he should have. Pac is one of those people who has a bunch of presence and feels like a star every time he’s out there. The problem continues to be that he can’t stay around, which makes getting behind him that much harder.

Post match Pac says he’s looking for trouble. Either Tony Khan can find it for him or he can find it himself.

Bryan Danielson talks about how he and Katsuyori Shibata were both told that they couldn’t wrestle again but they just did it tonight. Danielson is grateful for that, just like he’s grateful for getting to face Will Ospreay at Dynasty. It’s live or die, but Danielson isn’t ready to die. He doesn’t think Ospreay is ready.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Lance Archer

They shove each other around to start and trade shoulders to see both of them staggered. We’re already on the exchange of forearms until Castagnoli takes over with some clotheslines. A running version puts Archer on the floor, only to have Castagnoli miss a clothesline off the apron. Archer’s running flip dive drops Castagnoli and we take a break.

Back with Archer hitting a swinging Rock Bottom for two but Castagnoli grabs a suplex. Archer hits him in the face and goes up, only to have his Old School broken up. The Swing is broken up as well though and Archer knees him on the top. A chokeslam gives Archer two but the Blackout is countered into a Death Valley Driver to give Castagnoli two. Castagnoli gets creative with a cutter off the middle rope for another near fall, followed by a springboard spinning uppercut. The Swing is on but here is the Righteous to jump Castagnoli fir the DQ at 11:08.

Rating: B-. I could have gone with a better finish than something that is likely setting up a six man with the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club but it was fun to see two monsters beating on each other. That’s all you needed from these two and they had a heck of a brawl. Castagnoli’s power continues to be impressive and him getting to throw someone like Archer around worked well.

Post match the beatdown is on so Bryan Danielson runs in for the save. When that doesn’t work, Katsuyori Shibata runs in with a chair for the real save.

Angelo Parker and Ruby Soho aren’t happy that Zak Knight won’t fight Parker tonight. Parker is ready to go find him, but Soho says that’s what Saraya and company want, so she won’t be with him. That’s enough to get Parker to calm down.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Bryan Keith

Keith grinds away on a headlock to start but O’Reilly slips out for another standoff. O’Reilly is knocked outside but gets right back in for an exchange of strikes. A grapple off doesn’t go well for O’Reilly as Keith kicks him in the face, followed by a DDT for two. We take a break and come back with O’Reilly kneeing him in the ribs.

We pause for a second for the referee to check on Keith, followed by a quick kneebar from O’Reilly. That doesn’t work so O’Reilly goes for a triangle choke to slow Keith down. Keith is fine enough to catch him on top, setting up a hard kick for two. An enziguri staggers O’Reilly again but he’s back with a heck of a lariat. The cross armbreaker makes Keith tap at 11:30.

Rating: B-. Keith was a good choice for O’Reilly’s first opponent back as O’Reilly needed to show he could still hang around here without putting him against too big of a name. Odds are this will be followed by something with the Undisputed Kingdom, and I’m not sure where that is going to go. Nice match back for O’Reilly here, as he has a lot of time to make up for from the last few years.

Post match the Undisputed Era come in to celebrate.

Deonna Purrazzo and Thunder Rosa are ready for Toni Storm and Mariah May.

Tag Team Title Tournament Wildcard Match: House Of Black vs. Infantry

Julia Hart is here with the House, who jump the Infantry from behind before the bell. The beating goes outside with the Infantry being beaten down until the House gets inside. The Infantry wants to go so we ring the bell, allowing King to hit a Cannonball for two. Matthews kicks Dean on the floor and we take an early break.

Back with Bravo grabbing a rollup for two on Matthews and diving over for the tag to Dean. King comes in and runs Dean over with a heck of a clothesline, followed by Dante’s Inferno for two with Bravo making the save. King takes Bravo outside for an AA onto the announcers’ table, setting up a piledriver onto the same table. Julia Hart gets up to argue for some reason and here’s Mark Briscoe with a chair shot to Matthews. Briscoe runs off with King giving chase, allowing Dean to get the upset pin at 7:44.

Rating: C+. This was almost more of an angle than a match, as it was mostly a squash until the end when Briscoe interfered. It’s nice to see Briscoe costing the House the win as it ties together and gives us quite the twist to start the tournament. Odds are this leads to something big between Briscoe and the House, though waiting until Dynasty might be a bit much.

Post match here is Malakai Black to glare.

Video on Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage.

Here is Copeland, still with the box labeled SPIKE. Copeland talks about his history here in Ottawa and, after rolling his eyes a bit at the hatred for Toronto, he sits in a chair in front of the box. He was looking forward to sitting around with Christian Cage when their careers were over but now everything has changed.

Copeland failed at World’s End and took a Conchairto. Now he has talked to someone who helped make him who he is (implying but not saying Mick Foley) and pulls out spike, which is a 2×4 covered in nails (better known as Janice in TNA). He and Spike are going to end Cage and make him say I QUIT in Toronto. Shouting I QUIT before an I quit match might not be the best idea.

Overall Rating: B-. This was quite the show, with nothing that really felt bigger than the rest and a pair of return matches before a big upset in the main event. It was a show with a bunch of things happening and most of it was anywhere from completely decent to solid. Next week’s Dynamite should be a big deal and this show did enough to help set it up, albeit without anything that felt like a main event.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Katsuyori Shibata – Rollup
Julia Hart b. Trish Adora – Moonsault
Daniel Garcia b. Lee Moriarty – Heel hook
Pac b. Aaron Solo – Brutalizer
Claudio Castagnoli b. Lance Archer via DQ when the Righteous interfered
Kyle O’Reilly b. Bryan Keith – Cross armbreaker
Infantry b. House Of Black – Chair shot to Matthews from Mark Briscoe

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: March 13, 2024
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

So it’s Big Business and Mercedes Mone is going to debut tonight. That hasn’t been officially announced, but AEW has beaten us over the head with the hints to the point where you can’t be any more obvious. Other than that, Samoa Joe is defending the World Title against Wardlow. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Renee Paquette is in the back when a nice car comes in. The door opens and let’s go to the arena.

We aren’t wasting time this week as here is Mercedes Mone (dubbed the CEO) fr the big debut. Mone talks about how great it is to be here and how much magic we will be seeing. Wrestling has given her hopes and dreams, with people like Eddie Guerrero making it feel so special. Those dreams made her the first woman to main event a pay per view in this building. She dropped out of school at 13 to take care of her brother and went to a place near here called Chaotic Wrestling. Now she is here so let’s get down to business.

She’s looking forward to tearing it up with everyone back there, including the two women in the main event: Willow Nightingale (who injured Mone’s foot/ankle last year and put her out for months) and Riho. For now though, she is All Elite and thanks Tony Khan for the tweet announcing it. Dancing ensues. This wasn’t exactly a bombshell shocker (and it wasn’t supposed to be) but it did what it needed to do and gave Mone a nice start.

Samoa Joe promises to take out Wardlow, whose time has come. He doesn’t lose titles at the Garden.

Adam Cole reads a story about a man named Wardlow, who had to fight for his freedom from an evil man (MJF). He was ready to win more titles and now he is ready to destroy Samoa Joe and win the World Title. The end.

AEW Wold Title: Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow

Wardlow, with the Undisputed Kingdom, is challenging. They start fast and head to the floor, with Joe being whipped into various things. Back in and Wardlow hammers away, only to have Joe chop his way out of the corner. Joe kicks him down but Wardlow heads up top for something like a Whisper In The Wind.

We take a break and come back with Wardlow hitting a middle rope shoulder. Joe is back with a knockdown and backsplash, setting up a slugout. What appeared to be an over the shoulder powerslam is broken up though and Wardlow hits his knee out of the corner for two. The Swanton misses so Joe hammers away in the corner, only to get powerbombed down. The Powerbomb Symphony is loaded up but Joe reverses into the Koquina Clutch to retain at 11:04.

Rating: B-. Well that happened. Wardlow was built up as a serious challenger for a few weeks and was then put away without much trouble. The match was good and felt like a title fight, but it was the latest example of Wardlow losing after being treated like a big deal. Swerve Strickland is the real next challenger for Joe, which makes the Wardlow thing feel like that much more of a waste of time.

Post match a livid Swerve Strickland comes out with his chain but a smirking Joe walks off.

The Elite is not happy with Alex Marvez disrespecting Kazuchika Okada and promise vengeance on Pac/Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo. Marvez also has to sing Happy Birthday to Matthew.

Elite vs. Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac

Okada and Kingston start things off but Okada brings in Matt before doing anything. One heck of a chop rocks Matt so it’s Pac coming in for a running shoulder. A hurricanrana into a backbreaker puts Matt down so it’s off to Penta. That means a rolling cutter from Nick, which only makes Penta kick him in the face a few times.

An AA powerslam gives Penta two and something like What’s Up sends Matt rolling outside. Okada comes in to chop it out with Kingston, setting up a dropkick to put Kingston in trouble. A triple strike in the corner puts Kingston down and we take a break. Back with Matt diving into an exploder suplex but Okada and Nick break up the tag attempts. Kingston fights up again and gets the big tag, meaning everything can break down.

Penta and Pac hit stereo dives, setting up a top rope double stomp on Nick. Pac’s springboard 450 gets two with Okada making the save. Okada DDTs Kingston and Matt wheelbarrow faceplants Pac. Penta hits a Canadian Destroyer but Nick takes him down. A low blow into the Rainmaker finishes Kingston at 12:38.

Rating: B. This was the kind of wild match that you would have expected from the people involved and that is a good thing. The ending should set up the title match between Kingston and Okada, which very well could see the title changing hands. Other than that, it was the usual wild AEW six man, as going nuts and ignoring the rules tends to be the norm for these things.

Tony Schiavone brings out Will Ospreay for a chat. Ospreay has spent years trying to be like Bryan Danielson, who is one of the best ever. He has seen Danielson doing things to hurt his body over the years and that has Ospreay wanting to see what happens when they face each other. It’s the best wrestler ever against the best in the world today and Ospreay is ready to show he is on another level. Ospreay can bring some fire in his promos.

Deonna Purrazzo challenges Mariah May and Toni Storm to a tag match next week. Partner to be named.

Jay White vs. Darby Allin

White has Bullet Club Gold with him and Allin is heavily bandaged. White takes it to the mat to start and grinds away but Allin fights back up and sends him outside. The big flip dive connects, followed by a suicide dive to make it worse. A ram sends Allin into the barricade instead and a big whip over the steps has Allin crashing again as we take a break. Back with Allin fighting back and flipping away from White.

The Blade Runner is countered into a flipping Stunner, followed by a sunset flip for two. A springboard Coffin Drop is countered into a German suplex but Allin is back with a Scorpion Death Drop for two more. The Coffin Drop to the apron only hits apron and Allin is in trouble. He dives back in to beat the count and White hits the Blade Runner for the pin at 12:15.

Rating: B-. Maybe it’s the leftovers from the Revolution main event but I’m rather over seeing Allin doing his stunt show out there. It feels like that’s the entire point of his matches, which is annoying as he is capable of doing so much more. The action was good and White winning as Allin is going away for a bit is the right way to go, so call the whole thing a success.

Post match White teases respect but the Club jumps Allin instead. A Pillmanizing is loaded up but the Acclaimed runs in for the save. Then White chairs Billy Gunn down and the Club destroys the Acclaimed. With the Acclaimed down, Allin’s ankle is Pillmanized to send him away. To climb Mt. Everest.

Hook/Chris Jericho vs. Gates Of Agony

Hook and Jericho starts fast with a pair of double suplexes and the ring is quickly cleared. Toa takes over on Jericho in the corner as we settle down. Jericho is sent outside and we take a break. Back with Hook coming in to clean house, including grabbing a northern lights suplex. Jericho comes off the middle rope with a shoulder, leaving Hook to suplex Toa down. Kaun’s fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two but he gets knocked down. Redrum and a Walls combination goes on, with Jericho letting go to take out Toa, leaving Kaun to tap at 8:43.

Rating: C. Much like the earlier tag match, this turned into another wild brawl, but this one was more than a bit sloppy with some of Jericho’s stuff not looking very sharp. It wasn’t exactly must see stuff and having Jericho teaming up with another young star isn’t the most interesting. Odds are they’ll be in the upcoming tournament, which will probably lad into a regular feud before Jericho moves on to some other young star. As he tends to do.

Kyle O’Reilly talks about how banged up he was but now he’s healed up. He’s just wondering if he can hang, which he’ll get to find out this week on Collision against Bryan Keith. The Undisputed Kingdom come in and seem to be cool with him fighting on his own. O’Reilly: “Yeah….on my own.”

Video on Riho vs. Willow Nightingale.

Riho meets Mercedes Mone.

Chris Jericho is happy to have teamed with Hook, then challenges him to a match next week on Dynamite.

Riho vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale blocks an early whip attempt and runs Riho over without much trouble. A dropkick takes Riho down again and we take an early break. Back with Riho hitting a suplex and going up top. That’s broken up and Nightingale hits a heck of a Pounce to send Riho outside. The flip dive off the apron misses though and Riho hits a stomp off the apron. A top rope stomp off the top gets two but Nightingale is right back up. Riho gets planted so Nightingale takes the straps down, setting up the Babe With The Powerbomb to give Nightingale the pin at 9:28.

Rating: B-. Good match here, which is nice to see even if it feels like this is in the main event spot so Mone can do something after the match. Nightingale continues to feel like someone who should be ready for a big push somewhere in the near future, but at some point it has to actually happen. For now though, Nightingale gets a solid win and hopefully that continues. I was expecting this to be Riho getting a win to cut Nightingale off again and it’s nice to see that not being the case.

Post match the lights go out and here is Julia Hart for a distraction. Skye Blue runs in for the cheap shot from behind but Mercedes Mone comes in for the save (Kris Statlander, Nightingale’s friend and partner who was there for her entrance, was apparently off getting a hot pretzel). A lot of dancing ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show started off feeling huge and that first hour and fifteen minutes or so were enough to make up for the rest of the show not being the strongest. Mone coming in here was a big deal and it makes sense to focus on her. I’m curious to see where that goes from here, but it was off to a nice start. Hopefully the audience is up after last week, as the show was good enough to warrant strong viewership.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Wardlow – Koquina Clutch
Elite b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac/Eddie Kingston – Rainmaker to Kingston
Jay White b. Darby Allin – Blade Runner
Hook/Chris Jericho b. Gates Of Agony – Redrum to Kaun
Willow Nightingale b. Riho – Babe With The Powerbomb

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

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Rampage
Date: March 8, 2024
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re done with Revolution and the big story coming out of Dynamite is the debut of Kazuchika Okada. Not only did he show up, but he has officially joined the Elite along with the Young Bucks. That should make for an interesting future, but we should also be seeing something else here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta vs. Kip Sabian/Butcher

Cassidy and Sabian start things off but it’s off to Butcher before anything happens. Trent comes in as well and gets shoved down a few times as Excalibur runs through the card. A suplex doesn’t work for Butcher as Trent slips out, only to break up the tornado DDT. Trent gets taken into the corner and it’s back to Sabian, who is quickly backdropped. Cassidy comes in for his half of a double suplex and they go to the mat for some quick rollups. It’s back to Butcher, who plants Cassidy down with a powerslam to further wreck Cassidy’s…everything. Sabian comes back in to stay on Cassidy and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy putting his hands in his pockets and rolling under Sabian to get to Trent (though Cassidy doesn’t want to take his hands out for the tag). Butcher accidentally runs Sabian over and Trent knocks Butcher outside for the slingshot dive. A running knee gets two on Sabian but Butcher is back in to kick Trent in the face. Sabian’s top rope double stomp gets two, with Cassidy making the save. Everything breaks down and Sabian is dropped, leaving Butcher to get caught with the Orange Punch into Strong Zero for the pin at 11:12.

Rating: C+. The way the promo on Dynamite had sounded, I thought this was going to be the first round of the tournament but instead it was Cassidy and Beretta just having a match against a team of guys who have lost a good deal of matches before. That being said, the fans are always going to respond to Cassidy and it makes the show feel more important by having him around.

Video on the Infantry.

Ruby Soho is in tears and says Angelo Parker is hurt, possibly with torn ligaments in his knee. Soho hates Saraya, who is an ugly person deep down. Saraya and her inbred family are going to get what’s coming.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Robyn Renegade

Hart is defending in an open challenge House Rules match, with the rule being nothing off the top rope. They go to the mat to start with Hart grabbing a headlock and then bashing said head against the mat. Choking on the ropes has Renegade in more trouble and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Hart sends her into the corner, setting up Hartless for the win at 3:40.

Rating: C-. Total squash for Hart here with the top rope thing not playing any sort of role. There was little reason to believe that Renegade was going to be a threat of any sort and that is exactly what happened, as Hart ran through her with no trouble. Hart is likely coming up on a title defense against Willow Nightingale or Riho and that should be a bit more competitive.

Renee Paquette (being recorded by a phone and the main camera for some reason) is interrupted by the Outcasts, who swear vengeance against Ruby Soho and Angelo Parker. Saraya slaps something out of a man’s hand so that it hits Zak Knight, causing violence.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Action Andretti

Andretti doesn’t care for Penta’s shouting to start and takes him down with a double leg. Back up and a tornado DDT plants Penta, who is right back with a shot to the face. They head to the floor, where Penta wins a chop off and sends him into the steps. Andretti is right back with a hurricanrana off the apron as we take a break.

Back with Andretti hitting a flip splash off the apron, only to get superkicked out of the air. Andretti is fine enough to grab a Spanish Fly for two, followed by Penta hitting a Death Valley Driver powerslam (I guess Keith Lee isn’t around) for the same. Penta knocks him out of the air again and the Fear Factor finishes Andretti at 9:08.

Rating: B-. They were trading their big flips and flashy moves until one of them won and that’s almost always going to work. It might not have been a classic or anything, but there are far worse ways to fill in about ten minutes. Penta has been getting some more television time in recent weeks and that is nice to see after he was just kind of hanging around for so long.

Video on Titan (Tee-Tahn), who faces Chris Jericho on Collision.

Private Party vs. Top Flight vs. Komander/Bryan Keith

Keith and Quen start but the latter tags in Kassidy, who tags in Dante. Everything breaks down in a hurry and it’s a big brawl with Top Flight clearing the ring. We take a break and come back with Quen kicking Keith down but Keith crotches Kassidy on top. Quen gets taken down as well but Komander has been knocked to the floor, meaning Keith has to tag in Darius.

Komander is back up to tag himself in for a rope walk dropkick. Private Party tries to double team Komander but Keith makes the save. Komander rolls Dante up for two but gets kneed in the face for his efforts. Dante dives onto a bunch of people, leaving Darius to hit the Ripcord to finish Komander at 11:00.

Rating: B-. This was pretty much exactly what you would expect from this kind of a match, as they were going all over the place until one of the established teams beat the makeshift team. It’s similar to what has been going on with Ring Of Honor for weeks now and it had about the same impact. It’s fine for a one off match, but it’s little more than a showcase for Private Party and Top Flight.

Overall Rating: B-. It wasn’t a bad show and it was an improvement over last week, but this still felt like a show that could have complete disappeared without missing a thing. This show came and went with pretty much nothing that made a difference in the slightest, with the biggest part being Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta beating a pretty nothing team. The action was good and even entertaining, but it was nothing that you need to see.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Butcher/Kip Sabian – Strong Zero to Butcher
Julia Hart b. Robyn Renegade – Hartless
Penta El Zero Miedo – Fear Factor
Top Flight b. Private Party and Bryan Keith/Komander – Ripcord to Komander

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: March 6, 2024
Location: Gas South Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the Dynamite after Revolution, which was quite the smashing success. Now though comes the hard part in following up on what they did. Samoa Joe is still the World Champion after the triple threat and now we are on the way towards both Big Business next week and Dynasty next month. Let’s get to it.

Here is Revolution if you need a recap.

Opening sequence. We have a new theme song and set/logo. The song works well enough and the set/logo….well they’re a set/logo.

Tony Schiavone brings out Swerve Strickland, with Prince Nana, for a chat. Swerve talks about how he came up short in his house on Sunday. That isn’t cool with him because he remembered signing with AEW about two years to the day at Revolution 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Strickland was going to give it his all but here he stands with no gold. Maybe he is paying for all of the bad things he has done around here and maybe he isn’t supposed to be a champion here.

Maybe instead he is supposed to be a role player, but then he hears the reactions he is receiving and people have even flown in from his home state of Washington to see him. Whether Samoa Joe is still World Champion or not, Swerve is coming for the title because Swerve’s house. Cue Samoa Joe, complete with using the towel to polish up the belt. Joe thinks Swerve is talking funny after that beating at Revolution, because here we are in Swerve’s house, but that house is in Joe’s world. Swerve is ready to go right now but here is the Undisputed Kingdom to interrupt.

Adam Cole talks about how great the team did at Revolution and in a few months, no one is going to remember Swerve’s name. The only person that matters is Wardlow, who is going to win the title and bring it back where it belongs. Swerve calls out Cole going to the back of the line over and over. If he needs extra clients, he has Britt Baker’s phone number in his pocket. Cole doesn’t like that so how about we do Swerve/Joe vs. The Kingdom next week. Swerve says let’s do it right now and Tony Khan agrees.

Kingdom vs. Samoa Joe/Swerve Strickland

Non-title and Joe hammers Bennett down into the corner to start. Taven’s running splash in the corner misses (with Joe just stepping aside as only he can) and his middle rope dropkick hits Bennett (again with the sidestep). The Kingdom finally manages to kick Joe in the face to put him down and we take a break. Back with Swerve getting the tag to clean house, with Joe not being pleased at anything happening. Swerve hits the Swerve Stomp to Bennett and glares over at Joe, who still looks unhappy. The House Call sets up the JML Driver to finish Bennett at 6:54, with Joe still being furious over the whole thing.

Rating: C. That might have been the most WWE opening I’ve ever seen from outside of WWE. We had people interrupting promos, an impromptu match and the champions losing clean. Odds are this won’t have any impact on the titles (and it certainly shouldn’t as those are WAY beneath Joe and Swerve), but it’s yet another unnecessary blow to Ring Of Honor, which does in fact want you to pay for its show in thirty days (no matches announced thus far either).

Post match Wardlow comes out to glare at Swerve, who gets choked out by Joe.

Chris Jericho interrupts Hook and talks about Taz dropping him on his head in his first ECW match. Jericho sees talent in Hook, who isn’t impressed and walks away.

We look at Hangman Page going nuts at Revolution.

The Young Bucks, in a parody of Tony Khan, have two huge announcements, which they’ll make later tonight.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Brian Cage

Hook is defending under FTR Rules. Cage starts fast by snapping off some suplexes before wedging a chair in the corner. Hook comes back with the fire extinguisher blast and some trashcan lid shots to the face. A dive off the steps is powerslammed out of the air though and Hook crashes down hard on the floor. Cage misses a charge through the barricade and crashes out into the crowd as we take a break.

Back with Cage chairing Hook down but Hook DDTs him onto the chair for a breather. A suplex into the barricade in the corner gives Hook two so Cage grabs an F5 onto the chair for two of his own. It’s time for thumbtacks but Hook suplexes him into said tacks, leaving…not that many in Cage’s back. Redrum goes on so Cage drops him back into the tacks, which doesn’t work and Cage is out at 10:06.

Rating: C-. That was a bit much for this kind of a match and that’s not a good thing in this case. I know they’ve had issues, but going from soe tag matches to this in their first singles match is a little bit much to take. They were also sloppy in some spots with a few big moves missing and the whole thing not exactly making Hook look good.

Post match the Gates Of Agony run in to beat Hook down but Chris Jericho makes the save. Oh joy: Jericho teaming with a young guy.

We’re having a tournament to crown new Tag Team Champions.

Orange Cassidy wans a new title and the Best Friends are ready to get the Tag Team Titles…but Chuck is still hurt. Instead, Cassidy and Trent Beretta should win the tournament, and they happen to have their first round match on Rampage.

Killswitch vs. Matt Menard

Menard is fighting for revenge after Revolution and Christian Cage is on commentary. A bunch of right hands in various corners rock Luchasaurs and some clotheslines put him on one knee. That doesn’t last long as Luchasaurus is up with a chokeslam, followd by the running clothesline to finish Menard at 1:56.

Post match Daniel Garcia runs in for the brawl but Nick Wayne runs in to take him out. The villains go to leave but Adam Copeland is back to jump the Patriarchy. Mother Wayne’s low blow is blocked and Copeland chases Cage into the crowd. We follow the chase through the tech area and into the back, with Cage running into the parking lot where he steals someone’s car to escape. Copeland issues the challenge for an I Quit match for the title in two weeks in Toronto. Since two seconds have passed, Tony Khan has made the match official.

Kyle O’Reilly is happy to be back and he is medically cleared.

We look at Sting’s final match at Revolution.

Here are the Young Bucks, who throw Tony Schiavone out for bringing up their loss. They aren’t happy with Sting’s sons, who are 6’8 and 305lbs because THEY CHEATED! The Bucks are going to get their Tag Team Titles back, but first they have to take care of some things. First of all, Hangman Page put his hands on some officials at Revolution and is suspended indefinitely. The other item is Kenny Omega, who has no showed various dates for no good reason (commentary brings up his health issues) so he’s fired from the Elite.

Cue Eddie Kingston, who says you might as well fine him now because he’s got something to say. They try to cool things down but the fight is on, with a low blow cutting Kingston off….and Kazuchika Okada is here. The staredown is on and Okada lays out Kingston with the Rainaker because Okada is Elite. That’s certainly a way to go for Okada, who does work better as a villain. I’m worried about putting him with the Bucks, but the debut could have been a lot worse.

We look at Will Ospreay winning his debut match over Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution.

Kris Statlander vs. Riho

Stokely Hathaway is here with Statlander. Riho gets slammed down to start and tries to pick up the pace, only to get knocked straight back down. Statlander powers her into the corner and slams her down as we take a break. Back with Riho striking away in the corner, despite needing to get ont he bottom rope to be close to Statlander’s size.

Statlander tries a powerbomb but gets hurricanranaed into the 619. Riho’s high crossbody doesn’t work so she grabs a dragon suplex for two. Statlander knocks her down again so Hathaway throws her a chain, which Statlander drops onto the floor. Some hard suplexes rock Riho but she grabs a victory roll for the pin at 9:21.

Rating: C+. It’s time for the Riho push again because…well for some reason AEW insists. Statlander was on fire as TBS Champion and now here she is instead, teaming with Willow Nightingale and having her main issue with a manager. The match itself was a good big vs. Small format and Riho’s offense looked nice as usual, but egads it’s hard to try and make myself care about anything she does.

Toni Storm is happy to retain her Women’s Title and presents Mariah May with her first shirt. Yes Storm is getting a cut.

Willow Nightingale is ready to face Riho next week because she wants to be a champion herself. She’s coming for the TBS Title.

Here is Daby Allin to talk about being happy with Sting’s retirement match. He has Jay White next week and then in three weeks, he’s off to climb Mount Everest. He might not come back alive so next week, he’s going to go out fighting for his life. Allin lays down the Tag Team Title belt and congratulates whoever holds them next but here is Bullet Club Gold to interrupt.

Jay White talks about how Allin has been doing some great things but warns him about what is going to hapen if they get in the ring. Instead of a match, how about Allin comes hang with the Bang Ban Scissor Gang. We can even call him Darby Scissorhands! Allin doesn’t want to hear it and says White should climb Everest too. He’ll see White next week. I’m really not sure why that one off match for next week needed this much hype.

Julia Hart issues an open challenge for Rampage.

The House Of Black is ready to burn Mark Briscoe. Do they need to dig one grave or three?

Mark Briscoe talks about walking through flames and dancing with the devil. He’s ready for a street fight, but Jay Lethal comes in to say it’s time he mans up to help Briscoe. Mark says don’t bring Jeff Jarrett, but Lethal says trust him. Commentary implies Jarrett will be there.

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

Non-title and Don Callis is on commentary. They trade takedowns to start until a hsoulder doesn’t get Ospreay very far. Back up and Ospreay ducks some shots to the head before snapping off a headscissors. Fletcher hits a heck of a chop to drop Ospreay and we take a break. We come back with Ospreay hitting a dive to the floor but the Oscutter is countered into a hard suplex for two.

They grab hands and chop it out with Ospreay getting the better of things, only to have another Oscutter countered. The powerbomb countered is countered into a DDT to plant Fletcher but he ducks the Hidden Blade. A middle rope Snake Eyes hits Ospreay but he’s back with a cutter on the apron and we take a break (at 9:57). Back with Ospreay planting Fletcher and going up top, where Fletcher crotches him. Ospreay has to flip out of dragon superplex before grabbing a Liger Bomb for two.

Some kicks to the face set up a failed Stormbreaker attempt so Fletcher hits a double underhook slam of his own. Fletcher hits a heck of a sitout powerbomb for two before putting Ospreay on top. That’s broken up for Cheeky Nandos into a super poisonrana, followed by a running back elbow for two. Back up and a Spanish Fly is countered so Fletcher hits a superkick, only to get caught with the Spanish Fly for two. The Oscutter gets two and the Hidden Blade finishes for Ospreay at 19:23.

Rating: B. This was very similar to the Takeshita match from Revolution but there is quite the difference between Taekeshita and Fletcher. Some of the kickouts in here didn’t leave me wanting more like I did on Sunday, but rather wondering why in the world Fletcher was getting to survive this long. Ospreay is a lot of fun, but hopefully they don’t have him doing the same kind of match week in and week out, or the spark is going to be lost quickly.

Post match Bryan Danielson comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sure what to make of this show. It definitely moved things forward into the next pay per view cycle and the new look/set made things feel fresh, but some of the stuff wasn’t exactly great. Having Ring Of Honor be treated like the whipping boy around here a month before their big show is a choice and having more of Riho and the Young Bucks is not the most intriguing. What matters here is it feels like they know where they want to go and that is a very nice thing to see with a month and a half before their next pay per view.

Results
Samoa Joe/Swerve Strickland b. Kingdom – JML Driver to Bennett
Hook b. Brian Cage – Redrum
Killswitch b. Matt Menard – Running clothesline
Riho b. Kris Statlander – Victory roll
Will Ospreay b. Kyle Fletcher – Hidden Blade

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

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AND

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Revolution 2024
Date: March 3, 2024
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back on pay per view with one of the big four events, which should make for a good night. There are a few major matches on tap for the show, including Samoa Joe defending the World Title against Samoa Joe and Hangman Page. In what should be the real main event though, Sting and Darby Allin are defending the Tag Team Titles against the Young Bucks in Sting’s retirement match. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Bang Bang Scissor Gang vs. Private Party/Willie Mack/Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh

Max Caster still can’t get the rap right as he seems to have the yips. Kassidy headlocks Austin to start but gets shoved away and dropkicked down. Colten comes in for a dropkick to Quen and Bowens adds Scissor Me Timbers. It’s back to Colten, who gets knocked into the corner by Mack but manages to knock Kassidy down. Bowens comes in to clean house but a distraction lets Jarrett grab a Russian legsweep.

Back up and is able to hit a Blockbuster and the big tag brings in Billy to clean house. Singh offers a distraction though and it’s a Mack Stunner into Lethal’s cutter. Quen hits a 450 and Mack gets two, with the fans being impressed by the kickout. The Blade Runner is broken up and it’s Singh coming in to wreck everyone. White and Billy manage to get him down for a Fameasser and White grabs the Blade Runner for the pin on Mack at 12:16.

Rating: C+. This was a match where there were so many people that it was hard to stand out. The Gang winning was the only way to go, but at the end of the day I can’t imagine the team lasting that much longer. There is little reason to have both of the six man champs together when neither of them defend their titles, so hopefully the unification is coming soon enough. Perfectly fine opener, even if it was really busy with so many people around.

Post match White puts over the team and brags about their success. After hyping up the card, he teases doing something of his own on March 13.

Zero Hour: Kris Statlander/Willow Nightingale vs. Skye Blue/Julia Hart

Stokely Hathaway is on commentary. Blue kicks Nightingale into the corner to start but gets whipped away, allowing Statlander to elbow her in the jaw. Statlander’s slam is escaped though and it’s off to Hart, who gets crossbodied by Nightingale. Stereo suplexes put the villains down for two on Hart and Statlander’s belly to back suplex gets the same. Blue comes back in and kicks Nightingale into the corner, meaning the villains can take turns stomping away.

Three straight whips into the corner wake Nightingale up for some reason and she gets over for the tag back to Statlander. House is quickly cleaned with a shot to the face getting two on Blue. Hart’s sliding lariat to the back of the head gets two on Statlander so Blue goes up, only to have her high crossbody pulled out of the air. Nightingale Death Valley Drivers Hart for two as Blue superkicks Statlander on the floor.

Statlander and Hart slug it out back inside until Hart knocks her down. The moonsault gets two and it’s Blue coming back in to kick Statlander in the face a few times. Statlander gets in a shot of her own though and brings Nightingale back in to Pounce Blue. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Blue at 13:16.

Rating: C. This felt like an extended Collision or Rampage match and that’s not a bad choice for a Kickoff Show match. Nightingale very well could be in for a TBS Title shot and this could put her into contention. Now that Hart is healthy again, it would be nice to see her actually defend the belt. Nightingale has needed a big win and while this wasn’t that, it could set her up for something in the near future.

And now, the show proper.

TNT Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Christian Cage

Cage, with the Patriarchy, is defending. They fight over a lockup to start with Garcia being taken up against the ropes but getting a clean break. Cage takes him down into a front facelock but Garcia fights up and knocks him outside without much effort. Back in and Garcia takes him down again, with Cage suggesting a leg injury. Naturally that’s a fake for a thumb to the eye and Garcia is back in trouble.

We hit the chinlock with a knee in Garcia’s back but he fights up again, only to be sent out to the floor. The big dive to the floor drops Garcia again but he’s able to hit a chop block back inside. Garcia’s ankle lock doesn’t last long as Cage sends him outside and then does it again for a bonus. The back of the neck snap across the top rope but Garcia finally fights up and hits some forearms to the head.

Cage goes up and gets legdragged down, allowing Garcia go roll him up for some near falls. They go outside again, this time with Cage’s knees being sent into the steps. Back in and the reverse DDT onto the knee gives Cage two but Garcia snatches on the ankle lock again. Cage manages to send him into the corner, where Killswitch gets in a chokeslam (the referee seemingly thinking Garcia knocked himself down), setting up Cage’s top rope splash for two.

Cue Matt Menard to go after Killswitch but Mother Wayne offers a distraction. Menard brawls with Killswitch to the back, leaving Garcia to hit the piledriver for two. Garcia’s rollup gets two more as Cage grabs the rope this time. Cue Nick Wayne for a Stunner over the ropes, setting up the Killswitch to retain at 16:43.

Rating: B-. This was a bit longer than it needed to be but they had a good match. Garcia wasn’t ready to win the title here and thankfully he got in some near falls here. The interference got a bit annoying but I’ll take it for a way to keep the title on Cage. Garcia has come a long way in recent weeks but this was the right way to go, especially with Adam Copeland likely coming back soon.

Continental Classic: Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson

Kingston is defending and Danielson has to shake his hand if he doesn’t win the titles. Danielson takes him into the corner to start but Kingston fires off the chops to leave Danielson’s chest in trouble. A suplex puts Danielson down on the floor and Kingston hits a big dive before they head up to the apron. Kingston’s chop only hits post though and Danielson suplexes him off said apron to the floor before taking him back inside to stay on the bad hand.

A middle rope dropkick to the shoulder keeps Kingston in trouble and Danielson does it again for a bonus. Danielson goes up again but dives into an exploder suplex to give Kingston a breather. The Stretch Plumb has Danielson in trouble so he goes after the bad hand to break it up. Kingston uses the good arm to fire off his own elbows but Danielson sends him into the corner for a running dropkick.

Another running dropkick misses so Danielson settles for a dragon suplex instead. Danielson kicks away in the corner and puts Kingston on top for a running dropkick. Oddly Kingston doesn’t react so Danielson butterfly superplexes him into a failed LeBell Lock attempt. That’s escaped so Kingston hits a spinning backfist into the northern lights bomb for a near fall.

Danielson goes back to the hand though and hits a running kick, setting up the running knee for an even nearer fall. Danielson’s triangle choke has Kingston in trouble but the arm drop doesn’t work. Instead Kingston gets his feet into the ropes, sending us into dueling chants from the fans. Danielson starts kicking away and Kingston tells him to bring it before winning an exchange of suplexes. They strike it out until Danielson reverses the powerbomb attempt, only to have the running knee clotheslined away. Kingston’s powerbomb retains the title at 19:43, leaving McGuinness rather pleased.

Rating: B+. This was Kingston’s specialty: fighting from behind and coming back up to win in the end as the fans get behind him. There is something so easy to get behind with Kingston and that was the case here. Heck of a match, which shouldn’t even be that surprising with Danielson involved.

Post match Danielson teases not shaking the hand but goes through with it before leaving.

Hook vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Lance Archer vs. Brian Cage vs. Wardlow vs. Dante Martin vs. Chris Jericho vs. Magnus

Non-title and one fall to a finish for a World Title shot. The four power guys clear the ring to start and are left alone, giving us a MEAT chant. Said monsters have a pose down before slamming into each other. A bunch of clotheslines are no sold until it’s Wardlow and Archer slugging it out inside. Archer walks the rope to take Wardlow down and then goes after Hobbs, only to have Jericho come in to Codebreaker Wardlow for two.

The vegetarian options come in to slug it out, doing the same things the meat guys did. Martin hits a dive onto the floor and Hook hits a top rope ax handle onto Cage on the floor. Wardlow and Archer are back in as we miss some of the others doing something rather loud. Cage apron superplexes Hook and everyone but Martin is down, with Martin hitting a frog splash for two. Martin’s middle rope crossbody gets two on Jericho, with Magnus making the save.

Magnus goes after Martin in the corner but gets hiptossed down by Archer, who hits the chokeslam for two. Jericho is back in to take Archer down for stereo Lionsaults along with Magnus. Hobbs is back in to powerslam Archer, who rolls outside. Hook and Cage get to have their showdown until Wardlow is back in to throw some suplexes. Hook breaks up the powerbomb to Cage by grabbing Redrum but Jericho puts the Walls onto both of them. Cage breaks up the Walls and Hook lets go of Redrum for no logical reason before staring Jericho down.

Hobbs breaks that up and sends Hook outside, leaving Jericho to triangle dropkick him to the floor. Hobbs plants Jericho on the floor but he’s back up with a fog machine of all things to cut him off. Back in and Cage knees Hook into an F5 but Martin gets two on Magnus. Archer breaks that up so Martin kicks him in the head. Wardlow cleans more house and breaks up Redrum, setting up the powerbomb to finish Martin at 16:19.

Rating: C. The result helps a lot as Wardlow cutting those fired up promos and then being put out there to lose wouldn’t have made a ton of sense. At the same time, the match was long, had WAY too much going on and as is usually the case with these things, it felt like someone hit one move to win rather than someone being the best. Wardlow is the best option but this really didn’t work.

We recap the International Title match. Roderick Strong wants the title and Orange Cassidy is willing to give him a shot, which set up a feud between Cassidy and the Best Friends and the Undisputed Kingdom.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Roderick Strong

Strong, with the Kingdom, is challenging and Cassidy is here on his own by his request. Strong misses an early Sick Kick attempt and they go to the floor, where Cassidy’s banged up ribs are sent into the barricade. Back in and Cassidy manages a high crossbody but bangs up his ribs in the process. The backbreaker keeps Cassidy in trouble and Strong wisely hammers away on the ribs.

They go up top with Strong hitting a crazy gutwrench superplex to send Cassidy bouncing onto the top turnbuckle (GEEZ). Strong sends him into the corner and is already rather confident, even getting his his own lazy kicks. The threat of a chop makes Cassidy go face down and Strong is even happier.

Back up and End Of Heartache is countered into a Stundog Millionaire to give Cassidy a breather. The Stronghold goes on but Cassidy slips out and hits the tornado DDT. The middle rope DDT gives Cassidy two and he hits his own Panama Sunrise. Beach Break is broken up so they trade big shots to the face. The second Beach Break connects for two but Strong comes back with the End Of Heartache for the pin and the title at 12:45.

Rating: B-. Strong might not be the most interesting star in the world but he is someone who can have a good match with just about anyone. Working on the back/ribs over and over is a fine way to go and Cassidy really needed to get away from the title for a bit. They also didn’t go too long, which makes for a nice change of pace on the show.

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom celebrates, with Kyle O’Reilly returning. He’s in too for a nice return.

FTR vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Rematch of the teams going to a draw and the Club comes out in pretty bad looking Road Warriors style spikes. FTR on the other hand has the Midnight Express lighting, which hopefully goes better than the time the Express fought the Warriors. Harwood and Castagnoli trade rollups for two each to start but Castagnoli is back up to knock him into the corner.

They slap it out and then trade strikes with neither being able to get very far. Schiavone talks about Dean Martin as Moxley comes in to take over on Wheeler. That’s broken up and Moxley is knocked into the corner, only to kick Wheeler in the face. It’s back to Castagnoli, who gets Russian legsweeped to put him down in a hurry. Wheeler comes back in and gets sent outside in a heap, followed by a gutwrench suplex for two back inside.

The Club trade front facelocks as the fans trade supportive chants. Moxley takes Wheeler up top for a back rake into a superplex for two. We get the trash talk in the corner, which is enough for Wheeler to fight up and hand it back to Harwood. Striking abounds but Castagnoli slips out of a suplex. Harwood hits him in the face but the spike piledriver is broken up and Harwood is sent into the post. Castagnoli snaps off a powerslam for two as Harwood is busted open rather badly.

Moxley and Harwood have their slugout but Wheeler is back in with the spike piledriver for two more. The Club is back in with a Doomsday Device (European uppercut variation) for two on Harwood and everyone is down. Moxley grabs a cutter into the Swing with a dropkick for two more on Harwood and everyone is down again. Moxley takes Harwood up top for some elbows and biting to the cut, with Castagnoli adding a running big boot.

Wheeler is back in for the save and a powerbomb/top rope clothesline gets two, setting up the Shatter Machine for two with Castagnoli making the save. A Neutralizer hits Wheeler on the floor but Harwood plants Castagnoli as well. Back in and Moxley Death Riders Harwood for two, with Harwood rolling him up for the same. The choke finishes Harwood at 21:43.

Rating: A-. This was very good and they got the crowd into it, with all kinds of big near falls and quite the violent edge. I could have gone for FTR winning instead of more of the Club’s dominance but that’s just going to happen. Heck of a fight here and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Club going after the Tag Team Titles in the near future.

We recap Toni Storm defending the Women’s Title against Deonna Purrazzo. They used to be friends but now Purrazzo wants the old Storm back. Plus the title.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Storm is defending and has Mariah May, who dresses as old school Storm, plus Luther, with her. Feeling out process to start with Purrazzo going technical to take over. Storm is back up to fight over a hammerlock until Purrazzo takes her down into a headscissors. Purrazzo can’t get the Fujiwara armbar so she goes for it again, only to be taken into the corner for some shots to the face.

Storm kicks her low to take over and then stomps the chest, setting up a bit of dancing. Purrazzo gets up and slugs away, setting up the clothesline comeback. Storm rolls out of the armbar so Purrazzo kicks her in the face for another knockdown. A missed charge in the corner sets up Storm’s hip attack and a DDT gives Storm two.

Storm grabs an ankle lock but Purrazzo gets out and kicks her to the floor, where Luther makes a catch. Purrazzo hits a dive onto both of them and the Fujiwara armbar goes on back inside. Storm taps but Luther has the referee, allowing May to offer her own distraction. That’s enough for Storm to grab the piledriver to retain at 12:16.

Rating: C. This was ok, but they never hit that level that you might have expected on a pay per view title match. Neither of them have exactly hit a high point in the ring in recent matches, but this was miles better than Purrazzo’s disaster against Madison Rayne a few weeks ago. Storm still seems destined to face Mariah May, which is going to need to be built up a bit more before we get there.

We recap Konosuke Takeshita vs. Will Ospreay. This is Ospreay’s in-ring debut as a full time AEW star and they’re both in the Don Callis Family, though there is some tension.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Will Ospreay

Don Callis is on commentary. The fans are clearly amped for this and the OSPREAY chants are off to a fast start. The fight over a lockup goes to the ropes, where Ospreay slaps him in the face. Ospreay snaps off a running hurricanrana before it’s time to slug it out. A springboard clothesline drops Ospreay and a delayed superplex gives Takeshita two. Takeshita takes him down again but Ospreay comes back up with the hard chops.

Ospreay is back with a springboard elbow and then knocks Takeshita outside in a heap. Back in and Takeshita fires off his own strikes, setting up a running kick to the face to send Ospreay outside. There’s the big running flip dive to take Ospreay down again, followed by a NASTY bridging German suplex for two. A release version cuts Ospreay off but he’s back with a running Spanish Fly to put them both down. Ospreay knocks him down again and we need the referee to check on him for a second.

Back up and Takeshita hits a heck of a headbutt, which doesn’t knock Ospreay down. Another headbutt wakes Ospreay up and he’s back with the Kawada Kicks. Back up and neither can hit a powerbomb variation so Ospreay kicks him in the face a few times. The tiger driver gives Ospreay two but the Oscutter is knocked out of the air for two. Takeshita can’t get in Rolling Chaos Theory so Ospreay kicks him in the head again. There’s the Oscutter for two but the Hidden Blade is countered with a shot to the face for two of his own.

Takeshita puts him on top but Ospreay slips out and hits the Cheeky Nandos kick. The super hurricanrana is blocked and Takeshita hits an El Generico Brainbuster, with Ospreay’s back taking a terrifying landing. Takeshita takes down the knee pad but his running knee is blocked. The Stundog Millionaire and a poisonrana have Takeshita in trouble but he’s right back with a wheelbarrow piledriver.

Ospreay pops up with a Hidden Blade for one and they’re both down again. Back up and Takeshita’s running knee is countered into a Styles Clash for two and they’re both down again. Ospreay is back up with a tiger driver 91, setting up the Hidden Blade for the pin at 21:48.

Rating: A-. This is the definition of “if you like this style, you’ll love this” and there is nothing wrong with that. It was a great spectacle with one cool looking move after another and if you can ignore some no selling issues, it was a blast. I had a good time with it and it’s a great debut for Ospreay, though some of those spots had me cringing in a less than good way.

Post match Kyle Fletcher comes out to celebrate with Ospreay.

We recap the AEW World Title match. Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland are still in their blood feud but Samoa Joe, the reigning champion, is still involved in the whole thing and promises violence.

AEW World Title: Samoa Joe vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page

Joe is defending. They circle each other to start until Page is knocked into the corner, with Joe getting to step away from Swerve’s middle rope elbow. Swerve is sent outside for the suicide elbow, with Joe kicking Page in the head for daring to try a dive. Joe gets knocked down on the floor though and Swerve is back in to stomp away on Page. Swerve goes outside to drop Joe again, setting up a springboard dropkick to Page for another near fall.

Page is back up with a belly to belly for two of his own with Joe making the save this time. Back in and Joe powerbombs Page into the STF into the crossface so Swerve makes a save of his own. Joe and Swerve go up top with the former hitting a headbutt out to the floor. Swerve is right back in though and a double powerbomb plants Joe for a triple breather. Page and Swerve slug it out until Page middle rope moonsaults into a tombstone for two on Swerve.

Joe gets dropped again and Swerve suplexes Page for two with Joe being right there for a save. Back up and Joe gets to strike away, setting up the MuscleBuster for Page. Swerve Stomps Joe though and everyone is down. There’s the House Call to Joe and another to Page but the delay lets Joe break up the cover. With Page on the floor, Swerve hits a 450 to Joe’s back for no cover. Swerve knocks Joe down again for two but Page pulls the referee. A belt shot hits Swerve in the head and Page yells at him a lot, followed by a pair of Buckshot Lariats.

Here’s another referee to count the two but another Buckshot is pulled into the Koquina Clutch. Swerve breaks that up with a Sky Twister Press and grabs a foreign object, only to throw it down instead. Joe grabs the Clutch on Swerve but Page takes out another referee. Back up and Joe runs Page over but he’s back up with a Buckshot Lariat. Swerve hits Page with a Buckshot of his own into the JML Driver but Joe suplexes Swerve down. The Clutch finishes Page to retain the title at 19:40.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but it got a lot better by the ending. They did have a setup where all three could have pulled it off, though Joe winning does make the most sense….I think. Swerve is going to be champion one day but winning in a three way doesn’t quite feel great. For now, it’s a good title match that was in a rough spot after Takeshita vs. Ospreay.

Post match commentary suggests that Page gave up to cost Swerve the chance of winning. That’s….certainly a way to go.

AEW Dynasty is in St. Louis on April 21.

We recap Sting and Darby Allin defending the Tag Team Titles against the Young Bucks. It’s Sting’s retirement match and the Bucks have gotten violent. Oh and Ric Flair is here too because of course he is.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Darby Allin/Sting

Allin and Sting are defending, it’s a tornado match, Ric Flair is here and Ricky Steamboat is here as a guest time keeper. With everyone else here, we get an amazing entrance, with Sting sitting in a theater and watching a highlight reel of his career. Sting says it’s showtime for the last time. We get some old era Sting’s on the stage (apparently played by Sting’s kids) and Seek & Destroy is back for one last time.

Allin starts fast against the Bucks with all three Sting’s getting in a Stinger Splash. A double Scorpion Deathlock has the Bucks in trouble but they slip out and head to the floor. Some tables are set up at ringside and Nick is slammed off the barricade. There’s a backdrop to put Matt down as well, leaving Allin to Coffin Drop off the top onto both of them. Sting whips out a pane of glass (JR: “You think we might be taking things a bit too far?”) but Sting misses a baseball bat shot and shatters it.

They go up to the stage with Matt having to break up a Scorpion Death Drop. Instead Matt suplexes him through a pair of tables and Sting appears to be mostly done. The Bucks take Nick back to the ring and toss him into a ladder in the corner. Allin fights back and loads up some chairs with glass on top on the floor before climbing up the ladder and flip diving through the glass and chairs onto the floor. Sting is back in as the medics check on Allin’s very bloody back.

The comeback is on and Matt is put on the table, with Sting going up the ladder (oh geez), only to be sent through a table. Sting pops up but gets knocked down through the glass again for two. The Bucks go to grab more weapons but Steamboat makes an attempted save. That’s broken up so Flair gets in the ring to protect Sting. A superkick drops Flair and Steamboat is taken out as well, setting up a belt shot to Sting for two.

The Bucks superkick Sting again (“WE HATE YOU!”) but he pops up and hits the Death Drop for two on Matt. The EVP Trigger gets two more and another….gets one. Sting laughs at them and Allin is back up to break up the Meltzer Driver. The Scorpion Death Drop gets two on Matt and the still bleeding from the back Allin hits the Coffin Drop. Sting puts on the Deathlock to retain at 20:56.

Rating: B. I have no idea how to rate something like this as it’s barely a wrestling match and is all one big ridiculous sendoff for Sting. I could have gone for not having the glass nonsense or Allin attempting his latest dumb idea, but I’ve been a Sting fan for more than thirty years and my goodness did he get a respectful sendoff. That’s all this was supposed to be and they didn’t do anything ridiculous with the result so we’ll call it a positive.

Post match Allin says we have three minutes left so let’s show some love for Sting. After soaking in some cheers, Sting thanks the fans for being there with him since the 80s and that he hoped he gave them a night to remember. Sting thanks Allin as the greatest partner he ever had and wonders how many stitches Allin needs. Sting talks about being a risk taker but hang on because he’s getting cues….and we’re done because the show went long. As usual, AEW can never time anything right, but at least we got the gist of it.

Overall Rating: A-. This is a show where the good was excellent and the worst was still fine. There is a one-two punch of the Ospreay vs. Takeshita match and FTR vs. the Club, plus the big emotional moment for Sting (that video is top notch). I’m not sure if it’s the best thing AEW has ever done but it was back to form after some weaker entries at the end of last year. Great stuff here, and check out most of it (with the fast forward ready for that scramble).

Results
Bang Bang Scissor Gang b. Willie Mack/Private Party/Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh – Blade Runner to Mack
Kris Statlander/Willow Nightingale b. Skye Blue/Julia Hart – Babe With The Powerbomb to Blue
Christian Cage b. Daniel Garcia – Killswitch
Eddie Kingston b. Bryan Danielson – Powerbomb
Wardlow won the All Star Scramble – Powerbomb to Martin
Roderick Strong b. Orange Cassidy – End Of Heartache
Blackpool Combat Club b. FTR – Rear naked choke to Harwood
Toni Storm b. Deonna Purrazzo – Piledriver
Will Ospreay b. Konosuke Takeshita – Hidden Blade
Samoa Joe b. Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland – Koquina Clutch to Page
Sting/Darby Allin b. Young Bucks – Scorpion Deathlock to Matt

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: February 28, 2024
Location: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before Revolution and in this case that means we are seeing the final appearance of Sting on the show. Other than that, we will be getting more of the build towards the show, plus possibly something else being added to the pay per view card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page, on a crutch, to get things going. Page, looking rather disappointed, talks about how he said the title match at Revolution should be a singles match, but it’s going to be the wrong two people. Due to his injury, he is not going to be involved in the World Title match at Revolution.

Cue Swerve Strickland to say the two of them have been to war in the last six months, with both of them trying to kill the other. Swerve targeted him because of what Page has done in AEW but he didn’t want this to happen. You can’t escape fate though, which is why he is going to Revolution to win the World Title.

Cue Samoa Joe to mock the idea of them talking about destiny. After calling Page Hopalong, Joe promises to beat up one or two of them at Revolution. Joe goes to leave, but Swerve says he went from unemployed to headlining pay per views. He is the same man who broken into a wrestling school and left an 18 year old bleeding.

Swerve is the man who broke into a house and threatened a child and after he gets done with Joe, it might be time for Joe to go back to commentary wearing a poncho again. Then Page blasts Swerve with the crutch and says he’s winning the title, as his ankle is fine. That’s a lot of effort to get in a few crutch shots but at least the match isn’t changing. Also, Swerve was bringing the emotion here and he feels like a top star.

The Young Bucks arrived and want to conduct an interview with Sting. They just happen to be carrying baseball bats. Note that as they arrived, there was a picture of Ruby Soho on the back of a truck, making it look like a giant Soho was leaning around the Bucks’ car to look at them.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR/Eddie Kingston

Kingston wants Danielson to start but settles for a shoulder to drop Castagnoli instead. Harwood comes in to take Danielson down, only to have Danielson grab a headscissors. That’s broken up as well so Moxley comes in to unload on Wheeler in the corner. Everything breaks down and it’s a big fight n the floor as we take a break.

Back with Wheeler fighting out of trouble and jawbreakering Castagnoli. A shot to Moxley is enough for the hot tag to Harwood but Danielson take shim down and taunts Kingston. Moxley sends Harwood shoulder first into the post and Danielson sends Kingston into the barricade. A running basement dropkick hits Kingston on the floor as Harwood is beaten down back inside.

We take another break and come back again with Harwood fighting out of a chinlock. Not that it matters as Harwood gets taken down for a top rope shot to the back. Everything breaks down and Kingston exploders Castagnoli but Danielson cuts him off. The Swing into the dropkick sets up the piledriver from Moxley for two, with Harwood making the save.

FTR comes back in and hit a Steiner Bulldog to give Kingston two on Danielson but the other two make the save. The Club get everyone down for chokes/elbows but they’re all broken up for the triple rapid fire chops in the corner. A Shatter Machine hits Castagnoli and we hit the parade of finishers. Danielson’s running knee hits Kingston and stomps on his head, setting up the triangle choke to knock Kingston out at 21:53.

Rating: B. It was rather good, but this felt like it should have been the pay per view match. They had all kinds of time here and the action was good, with everything feeling like it mattered. Danielson vs. Kingston should be pretty awesome, but seeing the Club against FTR in a regular match doesn’t feel as important after seeing them go to a draw and then going this long here.

We look at Chris Jericho wrestling Atlantis 30 years ago in CMLL. Tonight, he’s facing Atlantis Jr.

Jericho promises violence.

Here is Tony Schiavone in the ring to bring out Will Ospreay for a chat. Ospreay talks about how he had to get through with some contractual obligations in New Japan, but now he’s here full time. We hear about his time in AEW so far, which includes being part of the Don Callis Family…and here they are. Callis talks about the talent in the Family and is ready for Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution. Ospreay and Takeshita shake hands but neither will let go, with Callis approving. Ospreay came off as an absolute star here and I’d be stunned if he’s still in the Family within two weeks.

The Young Bucks interrupt Eddie Kingston in the back and don’t like what he’s been saying about them. Oh and Kingston needs to dress better, so a dress code might be in order. They’re off to look for Sting.

International Title: Nick Wayne vs. Orange Cassidy

Wayne, with the Patriarchy, is challenging. Cassidy takes him to the mat with a headlock but Wayne reverses into a headscissors. That’s broken up but Wayne reverses the Beach Break, only to miss Wayne’s World. They go outside with Cassidy being taken down again but he rolls away back inside. Wayne takes him up top but gets shoved down, only for Christian Cage to crotch Cassidy. The referee ejects the Patriarchy and we take a break with Cassidy down.

Back with Cassidy being sent into the corner but sending Wayne into the buckle. The tornado DDT gives Cassidy two and Wayne’s fisherman’s suplex gets the same. Cassidy penalty kicks him but gets German suplexed. Not that it matters as Cassidy hits the Beach Break for two…and here is the Kingdom for a distraction. Cue Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta to take care of the Kingdom, allowing Daniel Garcia to come down for a distraction. Cassidy hits the Orange Punch to retain at 10:58.

Rating: C+. That was quite a bit, as you had a stable being ejected, plus five people interfering in a match featuring Orange Cassidy vs. Nick Wayne. Cassidy shouldn’t have needed more than about six minutes to put Wayne away but it went WAY more complicated than that. It felt like this was designed to fill in time and the interference was more than it needed to be.

Post match Roderick Strong runs in for the beatdown on Cassidy.

The Bang Bang Scissor Gang comes up with a new wacky lineup.

Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

Willow Nightingale, Stokely Hathaway and Julia Hart are all here too. Blue charges at her to start but gets taken into the corner for some hard chops. Blue’s headscissors is countered with a whip into the corner but she sends Statlander to the apron. A knee to the face puts Statlander on the floor but she catches Blue and throws her over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Statlander getting a knockdown. They forearm it out until Statlander sends her into the corner for a running knee. A powerslam gives Statlander two and she suplexes Blue on the apron. Hart and Nightingale almost get into it on the floor, allowing Blue to get in a cheap shot of her own. Back in and a Canadian Destroyer but Statlander is back with a Michinoku Driver. Hathaway offers the use of a chain but the distraction lets Hart get in a belt shot. Code Blue finishes for Blue at 9:38.

Rating: C+. Another match with a lot of people involved, including Hart with a rather terrible looking belt shot. Other than that, Statlander having issues with Hathaway should be interesting, as should Blue actually beating someone of note. Granted it isn’t going to matter if AEW doesn’t follow up on it, but it’s a start.

The Young Bucks go into Sting’s locker room and find a bunch of baseball bats hanging from the ceiling. And a mirror.

Chris Jericho vs. Atlantis Jr.

Atlantis Sr. is here too. Jericho goes right after him to start but Atlantis is back with some monkey flips. The Walls have Atlantis in trouble but he makes the ropes, leaving Jericho to go after the mask. They go outside with Atlantis catapulting him into the post and loading up the steps. Jericho drops him onto the steps though and we take a break.

Back with Jericho knocking him down for two but not being able to get the Walls. Instead Atlantis is back with a wheelbarrow German suplex for two and Jericho is banged up. Atlantis snaps off a powerslam for two and sends Jericho outside for the dive. Back in and Jericho knocks him off the top but misses the Judas Effect. Something close to a spinning torture rack is reversed into the Walls so Atlantis Sr. throws in the towel at 12:15.

Rating: C. This match is a great example of one of AEW’s underlying problems: I’m sure it was something Jericho wanted to do and I’m sure he had a good time with it, but that doesn’t mean the masses are going to want to see it. AEW has a bad tendency to think that what certain wrestlers, and presumably Tony Khan, want to see is what everyone wants to see and that doesn’t always seem to be accurate. The video package on Jericho in CMLL helped, but why is that supposed to make it interesting? It’s just Jericho vs. a guy in pretty generic looking gear having a pretty standard match.

Respect is shown post match.

Revolution rundown.

Here are the Young Bucks to look for Sting. They find a bunch of guys in Sting masks, one of whom is Darby Allin. The fight is on but the numbers game puts Allin down. Back in and the baseball bats have Allin trouble….and Ric Flair comes out with a big smile. Flair takes one of the bats and turns on the bucks, only to get taken down with a low blow.

The beating stays on until Sting makes the save….by repelling from the ceiling one last time. Allin is back up with a Coffin Drop and the Scorpion Death Drop lays out Nick to end the show. As has been the case, the Flair stuff was bad but Sting saved it, with him repelling in one last time being an awesome flashback.

Overall Rating: C+. There were good parts here, but this show felt like it had a lot of filler. Between the rather long opener, Cassidy’s latest title defense and the Jericho match, this show felt like it was designed to just get through the two hours and move on to Revolution. The Sting deal at the end was cool, but I could go for something big involving someone who will be here next week. The good parts save it, but this didn’t feel like a show you really needed to see.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. FTR/Eddie Kingston – Triangle choke to Kingston
Orange Cassidy b. Nick Wayne – Orange Punch
Skye Blue b. Kris Statlander – Code Blue
Chris Jericho b. Atlantis Jr. – Walls of 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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Rampage
Date: February 23, 2024
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re almost to Revolution and as usual with this show, it could mean almost anything. I’m not sure what to expect around here, though there will likely be a nice mixture of different things. That tends to be the formula for Rampage, though you never can tell what you’re going to get. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Matt Sydal/Private Party vs. Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander/Bryan Keith vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

One fall to a finish and Sydal/Andretti get things going. Sydal takes him down with some headlocks to start but Andretti runs the corner for a wristdrag. Darius comes in and gets kicked in the face for his efforts so it’s off to Keith, who is forearmed by Quen. Penta and Quen have a big staredown but Dante tags himself in before things can get physical. Komander rope walks into a springboard armdrag (seems like a lot of work for the payoff) and we hit the parade of people hitting one move before being knocked down.

We take a break and come back with Dante elbowing Private Party down and hitting a springboard high crossbody for two. Everything breaks down and Dante hits a big dive onto the floor, leaving Sydal to hit a top rope Meteora to Komander on the apron. Back in and Penta counters the Gin and Juice into a middle rope Canadian Destroyer and Komander is launched over the top to take down a bunch of people. That leaves Penta to Fear Factor Sydal for the pin at 11:31.

Rating: B-. This is one of those matches where it’s all about the flipping and the diving and nothing at all about a coherent match. They kept things a bit more structured at first and then went completely nuts, with everyone hitting a bunch of big moves. For a match that felt important it was a waste of time, but as a total spectacle, it was a fun time.

Saraya freaks out that Ruby Soho is on a date with Angelo Parker but has good news: her brother Zak Knight is ALL ELITE. Saraya: “THIS COULD HAVE BEEN YOURS RUBY!” Harley Cameron: “LOOK AT HIM! HE’S HOT! I mean her whole family is hot. Look at daddy. And mommy. And you.” Saraya sprays her down with the water bottle, says things are about to get spicy around here, and gives Cameron a quick spank as they leave. That went in a direction.

Young Bucks vs. Jonny Lyons/Cappuccino Jones

Nick hammers on Lyons to start and hands it off to Matt for an elbow to the face. Jones comes in and gets dropped by a DDT, followed by a heck of a discus lariat. A top rope Meltzer Driver (now dubbed the Tony Khan Driver) finishes for Matt at 1:18.

Post match Nick threatens the referee with a fine for improper name use. Tony Schiavone is called into the ring, with Nick saying it was an accident when he tripped into Schiavone. They even give him a $25 Amazon gift card. The fine will NOT be rescinded though and now they are ready to beat up Darby Allin and Sting at Revolution.

Post break Schiavone is still in the ring and brings in Sammy Guevara for a chat. Guevara isn’t happy with what Don Callis said about him, or Powerhouse Hobbs putting him through a table. Hobbs is a force on his own and doesn’t need Don Callis, but it’s too late for now. Guevara calls out Hobbs but gets Callis instead. Cue Hobbs from behind but Guevara cuts him off instead. Some chair shots have Hobbs staggered….until Sammy tries the GTH and gets laid out as a result.

Skye Blue isn’t happy with Stokely Hathaway but Julia Hart interrupts. Hart promises to dig graves for Hathaway, Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander, but Blue wants someone to step up.

Anna Jay vs. Mariah May

May takes her up against the ropes to start and hits a chop against the ropes before doing it again in the corner. We take a break and come back with Jay catching her on top and pulling May back down for two. May knees her in the face but has to break out of the Queenslayer. Jay’s backbreaker gets two and the Queenslayer goes n. May actually bites her way out and hits May Day for the pin at 7:47.

Rating: C. And that’s a women’s match on Rampage. It’s what they do almost every week, to the point where I was just waiting for the commercial. May getting a win is nice to see as she is still relatively unproven in the ring around here. At the same time, this is what Jay does: gets heated up by a win or two, loses two or three in a row, starts the cycle over. I get that AEW wants her to be a thing, but she has to break this cycle if that is ever going to happen.

Angelo Parker and Ruby Soho had a nice date but Soho says it’s clear Saraya needs her instead of the other way around. When Soho starts talking about Parker, it gets serious. So next week, let’s just have everyone out there at once to deal with it. Parker: “You’re very hot when you’re mad.” They’re off for a drink.

Jake Hager vs. Roderick Strong

Hager has the Tulsa Drillers’ mascot with him while Strong has the Kingdom. Strong chops him to no avail so Hager glares him out to the floor. Back in and Hager fires off some much harder chops in the corner but has to chase Strong outside. Hager plants him down for two and we take an early break. Back with Strong hitting a knee to the face and grabbing an Angle Slam for two.

The mascot tries to play cheerleader and gets scared off by the Kingdom. A confetti cannon just annoys the Kingdom so here is Orange Cassidy to…throw Hager his hat. We now remember that there is a match going on as Hager cleans house. The Vader Bomb gets two and a Doctor Bomb sets up the ankle lock. Strong kicks his way out and the Kingdom offers a distraction. That’s enough for the jumping knee to finish Hager at 10:17.

Rating: C+. Maybe it was being at home or something, but Hager was feeling it here and put in one of his better showings in a good while. At the same time, Strong needed the win to help get him ready for Cassidy at the pay per view. Having him get beaten up for the better part of ten minutes didn’t help that, but the story has enough issues so far.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, this felt like the C show but the action we got was good enough. They covered quite a few things and did well with most of it, though very little of it feels like it will make a big impact. Saraya and Soho’s segments were good and the opener was wild, which should be enough to get you through most of this show.

Results
Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander/Bryan Keith b. Top Flight/Action Andretti and Matt Sydal/Private Party – Fear Factor to Sydal
Young Bucks b. Jonny Lyons/Cappuccino Jones – Tony Khan Driver to Jones
Mariah May b. Anna Jay – May Day
Roderick Strong b. Jake Hager – Jumping knee

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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Collision
Date: February 10, 2024
Location: Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, Nevada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

We’re less than a month away from Revolution and that feels like a rather long time away. The good thing is you can see a lot of the card from here and they’re starting to get closer to putting everything together. That still leaves a good number of things to cover and we should get some of them out of the way here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.Opening sequence.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Esfinge/Star Jr.

Moxley and Star start things off by going to the mat and Star gets him into something like a bow and arrow. Castagnoli comes in and a double superkick puts him on the floor. The Club walks away before the dives can launch and it’s Castagnoli coming back in to swing Esfinge. Moxley hammers away in the corner but Esfinge flips over and brings in Star for a double knockdown. Stereo flip dives take the Club out on the floor but they’re right back up to take over.

We take a break and come back with Moxley bleeding and Star taking Castagnoli down to make the tag back to Esfinge. Everything breaks down and Esfinge’s spinning leglock cover is broken up by Castagnoli. Star takes Castagnoli down with a corkscrew dive to the floor, leaving Moxley and Esfinge to strike it out. Back in and Castagnoli tosses Star into a cutter for two. A toss powerbomb drops Esfinge and Moxley cross armbreakers Star for the win at 12:46.

Rating: C+. This has been the latest match in this rivalry between the Blackpool Combat Club and CMLL and….yeah it’s certainly a thing that’s happening. It doesn’t feel important in the slightest and this was another example of two people from CMLL being put out there with no reason to be interested in what they’re doing. I need a bit more of a reason to care about this feud other than “they’re from a different company” and I’m not quite getting that (yet).

Post match Moxley says take that message back to CMLL and tell them that anyone who steps up gets stepped on. Cue FTR for a staredown with the Club and they quickly get in a brawl.

Daniel Garcia vs. Shane Taylor

Matt Menard is on commentary and Lee Moriarty is here with Taylor. Garcia works on the arm to start but has to duck the big right hand. Taylor runs him over with a shoulder and even gets in his own Garcia dance. One heck of a chop wakes Garcia up and he snaps off a dragon screw legwhip.

Garcia starts in on the leg and we take an early break. Back with Taylor dropping him with a headbutt, only to miss the apron legdrop. Garcia kicks him into the corner and stomps away, setting up a running dropkick to the leg. Taylor is back up with the big forearm for two but Garcia takes out the leg again. We hit the kneebar…and Taylor actually taps at 9:05.

Rating: C+. This worked well enough with Garcia picking apart the monster and then winning with a hold he worked on throughout. Garcia getting a clean singles win is a good sign and he seems to be on his way to a TNT Title shot. This did exactly what it needed to do and there actually wasn’t much to criticize about it (my goodness that’s weird to say).

We look at Sting and Darby Allin winning the Tag Team Titles before being attacked by the Young Bucks.

Eddie Kingston finds what the Bucks did to be disgusting, just like what Bryan Danielson did when he took the attention from Bryan Keith last week. Kingston wants to face Danielson at Revolution and if he wins, Danielson has to shake his hand. No word on the title being on the line.

Brian Cage vs. Outrunners

The Outrunners have the Las Vegas Golden Knights’ mascot with them. Cage throws Floyd into the corner to start and hammers away before suplexing both of them at once. A powerbomb into a modified Texas Cloverleaf gives Cage the win at 1:12.

Post match the mascot dances with Prince Nana but gets jumped by Cage. Hook comes in for the brawl.

The Undisputed Kingdom tell Tomohiro Ishii that they’re coming for him if he wins the International Title tonight.

Here is Adam Copeland for a chat. Since he is ranked #3, he can pick to go after the TNT or International Title. Copeland likes the idea of going after Eddie Kingston’s dozens of championships but you probably know where he is leaning. Cue Daniel Garcia to say he means no disrespect but he wants the title as well. Copeland respects him but how about they face each other for the title shot. Garcia is currently not in the top 5 but apparently beating Taylor and Copeland is guaranteed to get him into the top 3? I think?

Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale, with Stokely Hathaway, are in the back with Hathaway comparing themselves to the cast of Full House. He doesn’t think much of Skye Blue and the women aren’t pleased with Blue turning on them. Nightingale wants a match with Blue but Stokely can’t do it because Tony Khan has blocked his number. He’ll work on it.

Brody King vs. Mark Briscoe

Julia Hart is here with King. Briscoe hammers away to start but gets launched out of the corner with raw power. A backsplash gives King two but Briscoe knocks him to the floor. The chair is brought in for a step up dive and now let’s get a table. Instead Briscoe tries a dive, which is pulled out of the air so King can send him through a chair.

We take a break and come back with King getting two off a Boss Man Slam. King fights up and hits a running boot in the corner, followed by a bunch of right hands. Briscoe knocks him to the floor and goes up top for a flipping dive but King runs him over with a hard lariat back inside. Briscoe is back up again and tries the Froggy Bow, only to have Hart offer a distraction. King shoves him off the top and through the aforementioned table at ringside. Back in and the Ganso Bomb finishes for King at 12:58.

Rating: B. Unnecessary table spot aside, this was two hard hitting people hitting each other hard. King feels like he is in line for some kind of a monster run at some point and if he isn’t, he should be. Briscoe loses so much that it makes me wonder if that’s what he wants to do, because otherwise it feels like AEW is completely wasting him.

Post match Hart comes in and hits Briscoe in the head with a spike.

Bryan Keith is looking for big matches and wants to climb the ranks to collect his bounty.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kiera Hogan

They fight over arm control to start until Hogan sends her into the ropes for a running hip attack. Purrazzo is right back up to take over on the arm before grabbing a cross arm choke. A Backstabber gives Purrazzo two but Hogan fights up. That’s cut off almost immediately and Purrazzo grabs the Venus de Milo (double arm crank) for the tap at 4:34.

Rating: C. Nice short win for Purrazzo here as she is turning into a formidable star on the way to Revolution. That being said, the Mercedes Mone tease is going to change everything and I’m not sure how big of a deal Purrazzo is going to be once Mone debuts. For now though, she picked Hogan apart and won so they’re at least starting off well with her.

Queen Aminata vs. Toni Storm

Non-title. Storm takes her down by the arm to start and then marches around the ring with a headlock. A Thesz press puts Aminata down and we take a break. Back with Aminata hitting a running kick to the chest for two. Storm grabs a DDT for the same but Aminata hits an Air Raid Crash for two more. That’s enough for Storm, who is back up with Storm Zero for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C. This got more time than the previous one and the way commentary was talking, Aminata was the featured attraction. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen AEW (or any promotion for that matter) decide that someone was going to be a thing and run with it this much. Aminata isn’t bad at all but I have no idea why she’s getting this much time and attention.

Post match Storm lays in the ring and says she’ll be releasing a new film on “Die-nah-mah-tay.” She also doesn’t think much of Purrazzo.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Ishii is challenging and powers him up against the ropes to start. Cassidy is sent outside and wants Ishii to join him but has to come back inside to shoulder Ishii instead. Some forearms in the corner just annoy Ishii, who drops Cassidy with a single chop. We take a break and come back with Cassidy hitting a Stundog Millionaire.

The tornado DDT plants Ishii again and a second one gets two. A top rope DDT gives Cassidy two more before they trade running shouts to the face. Ishii Pounces him down and they both get a breather. A hard shot to the face gives Ishii two and he suplexes Cassidy hard. Cassidy tells him to chop before collapsing, allowing Ishii to hit a powerbomb.

The sliding lariat misses though and Cassidy gets some rollups for two each. The Orange Punch and Beach Break give Cassidy two but Ishii clotheslines him for the same. Ishii’s brainbuster is escaped but the Orange Punch won’t put him down. With nothing else working, Cassidy small packages him to retain at 15:24.

Rating: B. The action was good and such but this was the latest in the “here’s a title match against a random opponent and Cassidy survives again”. I liked it a bit more in the first twenty or so times they did it rather than the most recent forty or so. I get that there’s a history between them because of their time in a faction in Japan but I’m going to need more than that to be interested in a match here.

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom runs in to beat Cassidy down but Ishii makes the save.

Overall Rating: B. The usual good wrestling helps and there were some stories being advanced, but AEW still has a bad tendency to lean on “oh well it’s a good match, we don’t need much more than that”. It can work for awhile, but at some point I could use more in a lot of cases. The opener and main event would fit that description here, as the CMLL invasion (if it counts as one) is just there and Cassidy doing the same thing he’s done for more than a year now isn’t interesting. Good action on the show, but it’s hit and miss in the storytelling department.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Esfinge/Star Jr. – Cross armbreaker to Star Jr.
Daniel Garcia b. Shane Taylor – Kneebar
Brian Cage b. Outrunners – Texas Cloverleaf to Magnum
Brody King b. Mark Briscoe – Ganso Bomb
Deonna Purrazzo b. Kiera Hogan – Deonna Purrazzo
Toni Storm b. Queen Aminata – Storm Zero
Orange Cassidy b. Tomohiro Ishii – Small package

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: February 9, 2024
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re still in Arizona and there is a heck of a crowd for the show this week. That alone should make the energy that much better and everything else should be fine. Rampage has quite the success rate, if nothing else for the sake of the show having so little pressure involved. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta vs. Kingdom/Roderick Strong

The fight starts in the aisle and Cassidy even throws the sunglasses at Strong to show how serious he is. Then he puts his hands in his pockets to take care of that. Cue Adam Cole and Wardlow to watch as Trent takes out Bennett’s legs to start. Taven comes in and gets draped over the top, setting up a top rope knee to the back.

It’s off to Strong, who gets German suplexed for his efforts. Trent finally gets pulled into the corner so the beating can be on, including a suplex from Bennett. Taven’s top rope splash misses though and it’s Cassidy coming in with a high crossbody. The tornado DDT plants Taven but Bennett is back with a spinebuster to put Cassidy down. Everything breaks down until Taven kicks Cassidy down to block the Orange Punch.

We take a break and come back with a low blow cutting Cassidy down and the Hail Mary getting two. The powerbomb/Zig Zag combination hits Trent but he rolls outside before a cover. Instead the Kingdom goes after Romero, who is right back in for a big dive. Back in and Romero hits the Forever Clotheslines but Strong cuts him off with the End of Heartache for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. This was the match to help set up Cassidy vs. Strong for the International Title at Revolution, which brings up the bigger problem: the match is almost a month away. The match was set up really far in advance and that doesn’t make for the best setup. I’m not sure how the match is going to go, but I’m also worried about how the story is going to go on the way there.

Post match Romero is sent through a bunch of chairs to make it even worse.

We look at Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland going to a time limit draw on Dynamite, meaning they both get a shot at Samoa Joe for the World Title at Revolution.

Young Bucks vs. Mondo Rox/Robbie Lit

The Bucks are still in their bloodstained white suits from Dynamite. Matt runs over Lit to start and stomps away in the corner. Nick comes in with a Blockbuster into a backbreaker and doesn’t even lose his hat on the way down (that’s talent). A Matt distraction lets Nick get in a low blow and the EVP Trigger finishes at 2:11.

Post match the Bucks say they want more respect and congratulate Sting and Darby Allin for winning the Tag Team Titles. Sting and Allin are apparently banged up though and the Bucks are thinking of them. That being said, they still want the titles back and they are going to play by the rules to get there.

Video on Tomohiro Ishii.

Mistico vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal offers respect while Menard goes on a rant about how AEW has to fight to feed their families when other companies are invading. Mistico snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor and naturally follows with a dive. Another dive is cut off though and Sydal grabs a bow and arrow. A standing corkscrew backsplash gets two on Mistico and we take a break.

Back with Sydal hitting a jumping knee to the face and an Air Raid Crash gets two. They strike it out with Mistico getting the better of things but Sydal gets his boots up to block a moonsault. Mistico snaps off a powerslam though and they’re both down. They go up top and Mistico grabs a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C+. They had to give the CMLL guys a few more wins after they’ve lost their big matches to the Blackpool Combat Club. It’s not exactly a huge win but Mistico got to showcase himself a little bit and that’s a good thing to see. I’m still not sure how long this feud can go on, but you can almost guarantee that some AEW stars will wind up in Arena Mexico at some point out of all this.

Brian Cage issues a challenge for a handicap match on Collision to show he’s better than Hook.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander vs. Saraya/Ruby Soho

Stokely Hathaway is on commentary and Harley Cameron is at ringside. Soho looks at a note in her pocket on the way to the ring but doesn’t want the others to see it. Statlander headlocks Saraya over to start and nails her with a basement dropkick. Soho comes in and gets armdragged down as Excalibur rapid fires off things coming on Collision.

Nightingale’s fisherman’s suplex gets two on Soho and Statlander runs her over with a shoulder. Some running backsplashes in the corner connect but Saraya pulls Nightingale off the ropes as we take a break. Back with Nightingale hitting a big boot and the double tag bringing in Statlander and Soho.

Statlander’s powerslam gets two as everything breaks down. Saraya knees Statlander down for two but accidentally hits Soho. Statlander is back up to drop Saraya for two and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same. Saraya tries to get over to Soho….who drops to the floor and walks out (including decking Cameron on the way). The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Saraya at 10:38 as Soho watches.

Rating: C. This was a match for the sake of an angle and there’s nothing wrong with that. Soho has been having issues with the team for weeks now and the whole note in her pocket should make things more interesting. It’s not like the Outcasts have been doing much in recent weeks anyway so having Soho walk away is the best choice.

Post match Skye Blue comes out to stare down Nightingale and Statlander. Then the lights go out and Julia Hart is next to Blue. The lights go out again and they vanish to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Yeah this was ok. That’s just slightly below average for Rampage as it’s a show that takes an hour, has about one or two things that feel like they might matter and then we move on to the important shows. While it might not be the most important show, it’s the kind of show that you can watch without needing some deep backstory and have a good time. It worked well and goes by quickly, which is a nice change after how intense Dynamite and Collision tend to be.

Results
Kingdom/Roderick Strong b. Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta – End of Heartache to Romero
Young Bucks b. Mondo Rox/Robbie Lit – EVP Trigger to Lit
Mistico b. Matt Sydal – Super Spanish Fly
Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander b. Saraya/Ruby Soho – Babe With The Powerbomb to Saraya

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.