Collision
Date: December 9, 2023
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

The road to Worlds End continues as we have more Continental Classic matches to cover. That should be enough to carry things through the week but some other things need to be set up for the pay per view aside from just one title match. There is a chance we could see something like that covered this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite you need a recap.

Ethan Page, Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, Andrade El Idolo, Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Continental Classic Blue League: Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Kingston hits the spinning backfist and Saito suplex to send Castagnoli to the floor early. Back in and a northern lights bomb gives Kingston two but Castagnoli is right back with the Neutralizer for two of his own. A running double stomp hits Kingston and it’s the Swing into a Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Castagnoli unloads with some forearms in the corner for two before cutting off a comeback with a clothesline.

Boots to the face in the corner keep Kingston in trouble as the beating continues. A top rope superplex gives Castagnoli two as we take a break. Back with Castagnoli grabbing a suplex for two and telling Kingston to do more. Kingston does just that by nailing some suplexes for two. The rapid fire chops in the corner and a lariat give Kingston two more but he can’t get the stretch plum.

Something like a powerbomb gives Castagnoli two and we hit the crossface. Kingston makes the rope and escapes the Riccola Bomb as well, only to get blasted by an uppercut for two. Kingston gets in a hard shot of his own for a very close two with three minutes left in the time limit. The spinning backfist looks to set up a powerbomb but Castagnoli reverses into a hurricanrana, which is reversed into a sunset flip to give Kingston the upset pin at 18:03. Castagnoli’s stunned face is great.

Rating: B. These two work well together and that was on display again here, as they had a hard hitting match. The rollup finish makes sense as Castagnoli tried to use his better skills to escape, only to get caught by Kingston’s wrestling for once. That’s not something I would have expected and we wound up with a good ending to a very awesome match.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 3 points (5 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Jon Moxley says he wasn’t scared of Rush. It was a hard match but no, he wasn’t scared. Swerve Strickland is going to be a hard match too but Strickland is going to be in over his head. Pack a lunch.

Hook is interrupted by Wheeler Yuta, who brags about beating Hook last week. Yuta says he can beat Hook under either set of rules so we’ll do it under FTW rules. Works for Hook.

Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez

Martinez has Diamante with her. They take turns powering the others into the corner until Martinez stomps her down. Nightingale is back up for some clotheslines against the ropes and a backsplash sends Martinez outside. Diamante offers a distraction though, allowing Martinez to send Nightingale into the barricade. A DDT off the barricade plants Nightingale and takes us to a break.

Back with Nightingale rolling some suplexes and getting two off a bulldog. The cannonball gives Nightingale two but another Diamante distraction lets Martinez grab a fisherman’s buster for her own near falls. Some Saito suplexes plant Nightingale again and Martinez hits something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator…and is quickly small packaged to give Nightingale the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C+. Slightly ridiculous ending aside, Nightingale winning here was the right call. She needs a win to get her back to some prominence and Martinez can help make anyone look good. It might not have been a classic, but it did what it needed to accomplish with some good action at the same time. What more could you need?

Post match Martinez and Diamante stomp Nightingale down and it’s time for a small ladder. Diamante grabs a lead pipe but Kris Statlander makes the save with a chain.

Jake Hager interrupts Matt Menard and Angelo Parker (hometown boys) to rant about Danhausen putting Hager’s hat down his pants. With Hager gone, Parker and Menard go off about how they have always wanted to be here. Saraya, Anna Jay and Ruby Soho come in to yell at the guys, though Soho seems pleased with Parker. The guys leave so Saraya yells at Soho, who faces Riho next week.

Swerve Strickland says he is the leader of this company no matter what and he’ll be World Champion. First up though it’s the Continental Classic so he hopes Jon Moxley is ready. The level of confidence is rising and it’s pretty awesome.

Wardlow vs. Willie Mack

Mack goes for a double leg to start and is easily powered away. A dropkick staggers Mack but a missed charge puts him on the floor. Mack’s dive only bounces off of him but Mack trips him down inside. The standing moonsault gets two but Mack’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb. The wind up clothesline sets up the powerbomb for the referee stoppage at 3:14.

Rating: C+. This is how you bring Wardlow up to the top level again, as he is still smashing people but he’s moving up the ladder with better competition. That is a story that has worked for years, but at the end of the day, it isn’t going to matter if AEW cuts his legs out again. For now, things are working, but we’ll have to see where it goes.

Video on the House of Black wanting FTR to join the team.

We look at Ricky Starks and Big Bill hurting Chris Jericho’s arm.

Kenny Omega vs. Ethan Page

Page has a banged up arm coming in. They shake hands to start with Omega hitting a running shoulder, only to have Page come back with some right hands in the corner. Omega knocks him to the floor but the dive takes way too long, allowing Page to come back in with a springboard cutter. They go outside again with Omega being whipped into the barricade, only to moonsault off of some barricade to take Page down.

The Kitaro Crusher gets two on Page back inside but he’s fine enough for a suplex over the top and out to the floor in a nasty crash. We take a break and come back with Omega hitting a powerbomb into the V Trigger for two. Page manages an Iconoclasm into a DDT for two of his own and they both need a breather.

Omega can’t quite hit You Can’t Escape but he can hit a pair of snapdragons (Schiavone: “Man he snaps those off.”). They head up top, where Page grabs a super powerslam for two more as things slow down a bit. The One Winged Angel is broken up and an exchange of rolls ups gets two each. Some V Triggers rock Page and the One Winged Angel gives Omega the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Here’s a good example of Tony Khan doing self-inflicted damage (no this isn’t some game changer). One of the biggest matches at Final Battle is Ethan Page vs. Tony Nese. Page faces Kenny Omega six days prior on Collision and loses clean. Why did that need to happen? Of course Page shouldn’t be beating Omega, but why book someone set for a big pay per view match in a meaningless match here? Is a battle of two Canadians in Montreal that important? The match was good, but it had almost no build and just came and went, with Page’s status taking a hit on the way to Final Battle.

Post match here is Big Bill to boot Omega in the face. Page chases him off.

CJ Perry hypes up Andrade El Idolo against Bryan Danielson tonight. Miro comes in to ask when Perry last said so many good things about him. He is the breadwinner and she stays at home. When his father caught the fish, his mother cleaned them! Once the tournament is over, El Idolo is done. So Miro is now a full on heel and rather misogynistic. Got it.

Julia Hart is ready for Abadon.

Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

The fans go nuts for Menard and Parker in a nice moment. We get a DADDY MAGIC chant as he waits for Penta to take off his glove. Instead Penta takes him into the corner for a kick to the head and it’s off to Parker, who kicks Komander in the face. Komander fights up with the kicks to the face and it’s an assisted dropkick in the corner. The double dives are broken up though and we take a break.

Back with Penta cleaning house and sliding to the floor for stereo superkicks. Parker slugs away at Penta, who knocks him right back down. Menard is back in with a Boston crab but Penta makes the save. An assisted Codebreaker gets two on Komander but a shooting star spike Fear Factor finishes Parker at 10:01.

Rating: C+. The result doesn’t quite matter here as Menard and Parker just getting to show up at an event like this is a cool moment. Seeing them get that kind of a reaction was awesome and you could see how much it meant to them. I’m not quite sure how much Komander and Penta needed the win, but it’s hardly some terrible result.

Video on Keith Lee vs. Shane Taylor at Final Battle.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on the upcoming Continental Classic matches.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Andrade El Idolo

We get a handshake to start before they fight over a wristlock. A test of strength results in Danielson getting a monkey flip so Andrade grabs a headlock. Commentary points out that the forearm is going around the eye in a nice touch, even as Danielson fights up with some kicks. A few dragon screw legwhips take Danielson down but he sends Andrade to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Andrade hammering away at the eye but getting backdropped to the floor. Andrade is right back in with a Figure our. That’s broken up so Andrade puts Danielson (bleeding from the eye) on the top for a superplex. Danielson cuts it off with some headbutts (the man isn’t that bright) and a missile dropkick drops Andrade again. The YES Kicks rock Andrade but the LeBell Lock is broken up. Danielson blocks the Figure Four attempt and knocks Andrade down again for a needed breather.

They slug it out until Andrade gets him in an inverted Gory Stretch and drives Danielson into the corner. Danielson crotches him on top and grabs a belly to back superplex. The LeBell Lock sends Andrade to the ropes and the spinning back elbow gives Andrade two. They slug it out again with three minutes left and Andrade knocks him into the corner. The running knees to the back connect and Danielson is mostly out. The hammerlock DDT finishes clean for Andrade at 18:23.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and the eye injury played into everything as well. Danielson is still the major star around here and the key player in the whole tournament but he had to lose at some point. Andrade continues his recent roll, which is likely going to come to a crashing end at the hands of Miro. For now though, heck of a match and the clean win is a big deal for Andrade.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 6 points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Medics come out to check on Danielson, with the Blackpool Combat Club coming in to get rid of Andrade (who was concerned) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was one of the better AEW TV shows in a good while with a pair of rather awesome matches. You don’t get that kind of thing on free TV very often and the effort was clearly a bit higher tonight. The tournament matches are still holding strong and I want to see how they go, though having some other things get a bit more time would be nice. For now though, one of the best Collisions yet and a rather good night.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Claudio Castagnoli – Sunset flip
Willow Nightingale b. Mercedes Martinez – Small package
Wardlow b. Willie Mack via referee stoppage
Kenny Omega b. Ethan Page – One Winged Angel
Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Spike Fear Factor to Parker
Andrade El Idolo b. Bryan Danielson – Hammerlock DDT

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: December 8, 2023
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

It’s kind of a special show this week with a Continental Classic match between Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia. That should get us back to pretty much even after Danielson missed the first week of the tournament and now we get to see where it goes from here. Maybe World’s End can get a boost as well, though that’s not normally Rampage’s style. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Angelico

Cassidy, with Danhausen (to cancel out Serpentico) is defending and this actually ties back into Ring Of Honor, where Cassidy and Danhausen saved Christopher Daniels from Angelico and Serpentico. Angelico goes after the arm to start but Cassidy reverses into a crucifix for two. The threat of the Orange Punch sends Angelico bailing to the floor and that means its time for the first of probably fourteen All In tickets on sale mentions on the night.

Back in and Angelico goes after the knee to slow Cassidy down and the leg is tied up (with another leg behind Cassidy’s neck to make it worse). That’s broken up and we take a break, coming back with Angelico taking out the leg again. Cassidy sends him into the corner but Serpentico’s distraction lets Angelico score with a big boot. That means Danhausen can go after Angelico, complete with a curse. Angelico is fine enough to grab a leglock but Cassidy gets his hands in his pockets (Tony: “IT GIVES HIM POWER!”) and rolls over to the ropes. The Orange Punch retains the title at 11:45.

Rating: C+. Angelico has been built up over the last month or two in Ring Of Honor and it made him a better challenger here. That being said, since Ring Of Honor is so rarely mentioned around here, that is only going to be so much of a boost. As for this match, the hands going into the pockets being a source of power for Cassidy is a bit much even for him, so hopefully it doesn’t go quite so on the nose in the future.

Trish Adora vs. Abadon

Adora chops away in the corner, setting up some kicks to the chest for one. Abadon gets a boot up in the corner though and unloads with forearms. A superkick and running knee set up the Black Dahlia to finish Adora at 3:32.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time to get anywhere here but Abadon being around outside of Halloween isn’t a bad thing. It’s nice to see Abadon around more often, though it isn’t going to matter much if it’s just a one off here or there. I’m still not sure why Adora is used as nothing more than a punching bag, as there is certainly something there with her.

Post match the lights go out and Julia Hart pops up to taunt Abadon with the title. Then Hart, and the title, disappear.

Video on Mercedes Martinez vs. Willow Nightingale.

Don Callis Family vs. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels

Don Callis joins commentary. Daniels chops away at Hobbs to start before firing off some forearms for some more luck. Hobbs runs him over and Takeshita adds a middle rope backsplash for two. Sydal comes in and armdrags Takeshita into a break. Back with Hobbs throwing Sydal down again before running Daniels over as well. The World’s Most Dangerous Slam finishes Daniels at 8:40.

Rating: C. This was mostly a squash and that’s about what it needed to do. Hobbs and Takeshita are pretty good as a monster team but there is only so much you can go with Callis around. Callis manages to pull any interest he can have out of any segment and having him do nothing more than stand around doing the same things over and over isn’t helping. Nice squash though, especially if you ignore Callis.

Action Andretti and Top Flight are ready to face Penta El Zero Miedo and company.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia

Danielson takes him down by the arm to start and suplexes Garcia over as Garcia is in over his head to start. The big kick misses though and Garcia grabs a rollup for two. Neither can get their big hold and it’s a standoff as things reset a bit. Danielson starts kicking at the leg but Garcia kicks away in the corner to take over again. Garcia ties him in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick but Danielson snaps off a German suplex.

We take a break and come back with….Schiavone shilling All In tickets again. They slug it out again until Danielson pulls him into the triangle choke with elbows to the head. The rope gets Garcia out of trouble but it’s too early for the running knee. Instead Garcia pulls him into the Dragonslayer but Danielson slips out. A hard piledriver plants Danielson for two so Garcia loads up his own running knee. That takes too long (due to dancing) and Danielson hits the real running knee for two. The LeBell Lock goes on and Garcia passes out at 15:27.

Rating: B-. Good match here with both of them working hard, though the focus was more on Garcia trying to be serious but falling apart because he went with the goofy dancing. That’s certainly a story with him, but Garcia is still going to need to find something that makes him more interesting. Winning a match or two might be a nice place to start.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Danielson spits on him to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It was nice to have a main event that felt a good bit more important, but this show summed up the issue with Rampage. On its own, Rampage is completely fine if not good most of the time. The problem is it comes in the middle of Dynamite and Collision (and Ring Of Honor if you like torture). When you have all that other content, a seventh hour (when Ring Of Honor goes over two hours, as it often does) can feel like quite the chore. That was kind of the case this week, which is a shame as the show was pretty good for the most part.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Angelico – Orange Punch
Abadon b. Trish Adora – Black Dahlia
Don Callis Family b. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels – World’s Most Dangerous Slam to Daniels
Bryan Danielson b. Daniel Garcia – LeBell Lock

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

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Dynamite
Date: November 29, 2023
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur, Taz

It’s the second week of the Continental Classic and that seems to be the focal point of the show again. That went well enough last week, but I’m curious to see how well it holds up week after week. Other than that, Christian Cage has to respond to Adam Copeland’s challenge for a TNT Title match next week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson joins commentary.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal takes him down rather fast to start but the figure four doesn’t last long. Instead Lethal knocks Moxley outside for the suicide dive, only to have Moxley come right back with a dive of his own. Moxley comes up favoring his knee so Lethal is right back to go after the knee. Lethal knocks him off the apron and we take a break.

Back with Moxley grabbing a cutter but Lethal pulls him off the top with a super dragon screw legwhip. More shots to the knee have Moxley down but he sends Lethal into the corner. Moxley’s rear naked choke is broken up though and now the Figure Four can go on for a lot longer. The rope is grabbed though and it’s a Paradigm Shift into a pulling piledriver. The rear naked choke goes on though and Lethal is done at 11:20.

Rating: B-. Lethal continues to be one of the most consistent stars in AEW as he can have a nice match against anyone. That was the case here, with Lethal working on the knee, even if Moxley only sold it so much. Moxley feels like a strong candidate to go to the finals, so stacking him up with wins to start makes sense.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Rush – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Following his loss on Collision, Eddie Kingston says he didn’t deserve to win and now he has to face Bryan Danielson. Time to heal up.

Danielson is all fired up and says he’s coming to win.

Tony Schiavone announces the Revolution will take place on March 3 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Naturally this means a discussion about the Clash Of Champions match between Sting and Ric Flair, who come in to talk about said match. Sting thanks Flair for putting him on the map that night and Flair talks about how awesome Sting was that night. Trivia for you: according to AEW, that was the only match these two have ever had and now they’re legends 35 years later with nothing in between.

Continental Classic Gold League: Rush vs. Mark Briscoe

They go right to the slugout to start with Briscoe knocking him into the corner. Rush switches places with him and takes Briscoe out of the corner before they head outside. An exchange of whips into the barricade has Rush down, setting up the Bang Bang Elbow off the apron. Back in and Rush hits a superkick but Briscoe hits a hard lariat as we take a break.

We come back with Rush holding a leglock, with Briscoe making it over to the ropes. Rush sends him flying into the corner but a spear cuts off the Bull’s Horns for two. They fight to the apron until Briscoe charges into a suplex out to the floor. Back in and Rush gets knocked off the top, setting up the Froggy Bow for two. The Jay Driller is broken up though and the Bull’s Horns finishes for Rush at 11:22.

Rating: B-. This was the fight you would expect from these two and it was a fun brawl. Rush winning does get him on the board, but it’s rather frustrating to see Briscoe lose so often. He has so much charisma and could be a steady hand in the midcard. Instead he seems there to put people over, but maybe things can change in the next few weeks.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Rush – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Toni Storm is proud of winning the Women’s World Title but she’s a bit tired from celebrating and has some gout.

Here is MJF, on a cane, for a chat. He’s set to defend the World Title against Samoa Joe next month and he respects Joe very much. We hear a story about MJF seeing Joe in TNA and knowing what kind of a monster he saw. Then Joe went to WWE, who didn’t see his talents or make him a World Champion. The road Joe paved brought MJF to wrestling though so thank you…..but MJF has gone down his own road as well. MJF talks about the names he has beaten and now their match is about MJF’s own legacy.

On December 30, MJF doesn’t care about his injuries because it is going to be about how much fight he has in him. If Joe wants the title, he’ll have to put MJF down. Then the lights go out and the Devil minions show up, only to have Joe make the save. Then the screen goes back and a text crawl comes up, with someone challenging Joe and MJF to team together to face the unknown in a tag match. An angry MJF says it’s on and promises to unmask people.

Commentary says their IT security is looking into who keeps taking over.

Wardlow vs. AR Fox

Fox knocks him over the top and out to the floor to start the beating on the floor. They get inside with Wardlow suplexing him over the top to get us to the opening bell. Wardlow takes him back outside to keep up the beating but Fox kicks him down back inside. A 450 gives Fox two but Wardlow calmly powerbombs him. A Swanton crushes Fox and another powerbomb makes the referee stop it at 3:13.

Rating: C+. This was another slow step forward for Ward low as he gets to beat up a slightly bigger nae this week. That is a nice way to keep him moving but it is only going to mean so much if there isn’t some consistency. Wardlow has been higher than this before, only to have everything stop out of nowhere. Keep this up and it should work.

Hardys/Brother Zay vs. Action Andretti/Top Flight

Andretti sunset flips Matt for two to start but the Hardys take Andretti down without much trouble. It’s off to Zay, who gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Dante to come in for a running corner clothesline. We take a break and come back with Jeff taking Andretti into the corner.

Andretti fights back to take Matt down and the hot tag brings Dante back in. Everything breaks down and Zay takes Dante down for two. Jeff cuts Darius off the apron (the fans do not approve), leaving Dante to get caught in a double electric chair/springboard missile dropkick combination for two. Back up and a dropkick into a German suplex gives Dante the pin on Zay at 9:46.

Rating: C+. This was about getting Dante back in the ring to show that he can still do it. You can see the athleticism there and Top Flight has looked like a potential breakout team for a long time now. What matters though is how long they can stay healthy, as it feels like they have spent years apart due to the injuries destroying them. For now though, I can go with the Hardys putting someone else over, as it’s what they do best at the moment.

Post match, Penta El Zero Miedo, Hijo del Vikingo and Komander seem to want to face Top Flight and Action Andretti.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Emi Sakura

Hart is defending and due to House Rules, the match cannot end by submission. Hart starts fast by knocking her into the corner for a running elbow. Sakura chops her way out of trouble but gets taken down by the arm. They head outside with Sakura hitting a running crossbody against the steps as we take a break.

Back with Sakura hitting the delayed butterfly backbreaker, only to have Hart pull her into a triangle choke. Since that doesn’t work, Hart hits a running forearm to the back, setting up the moonsault to retain at 7:34. Sakura seemed to try to roll away and it looked like Hart almost had to hold her down for the pin.

Rating: C. The match was nothing of note but I’m a bit curious about that ending. I’m not sure if that was a communication issue or something that didn’t work like they were planning. Either way, it’s another win for Hart, who is on a roll at the moment and getting win after win is the right way to go.

Here is Christian Cage, with security, to call out Adam Copeland for a chat. Cue Copeland, so Cage sends security away. Cage talks about their history together and how much success they had on their own and together. We hear about their history, including Cage and Copeland being friends as children. Copeland was raised as Cage’s brother so they should do it one more time. Copeland seem to agree but then catches the low blow. He’s coming for the title next week and says “go f*** yourself”, which is NOT censored on the TNT feed. Good stuff here, as Copeland knew Cage and didn’t fall for his tricks.

Continental Classic Gold League: Swerve Strickland vs. Jay White

Feeling out process to start and they’re quickly out on the floor. Swerve sends him hard into the barricade and fires off some chops back inside. Things head back outside with Swerve dropping him over the barricade, followed by an apron double stomp to the back. White manages a DDT on the way back inside though and we take a break.

Back with White cranking on both arms but Swerve comes up with some chops. White doesn’t seem to mind and suplexes him into the corner, meaning it’s time to yell a lot. Swerve’s rolling Downward Spiral is blocked but so is the swinging Rock Bottom. A quick suplex gives Swerve two but White grabs what looked to be a Downward Spiral.

Swerve hits a quick clothesline though and they slug it out. White goes back to the knee and a swinging Rock Bottom gets two. Back up and White tries the low blow but gets taken down instead. The Swerve Stomp gets two more but White grabs a quick Blade Runner. Swerve rolls to the apron before the cover though and they chop it out with five minutes left…when Swerve grabs a cradle out of nowhere for the pin at 15:26.

Rating: B. These two tore it up here as Swerve continues to FINALLY get the chance to show what he can do. It feels like we’ve been waiting to see it happen for the better part of ever now and at least it seems to finally be going somewhere. Beating White clean is a pretty big deal, so well done on making someone feel like a much bigger deal, which isn’t easy to do.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Rush – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B. The tournament is by far the biggest focus for the show and that is good enough, but they also focused on the other important stories on the show. That would include the Cage vs. Copeland title match next week, plus the banged up MJF vs. Samoa Joe. Good show here, though I continue to wonder how long the tournament is going to be able to last at this level.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Jay Lethal – Rear naked choke
Rush b. Mark Briscoe – Bull’s Horns
Wardlow b. AR Fox via referee stoppage
Action Andretti/Top Flight b. Hardys/Brother Zay – German suplex to Zay
Julia Hart b. Emi Sakura – Moonsault
Swerve Strickland b. Jay White – Rollup

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: November 25, 2023
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

It’s time for the second half of the first week of the Continental Classic and in this case we’re going to see a few more matches that look rather strong on paper. Other than that, Adam Copeland is here with something to say, which will likely be about Christian Cage. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Eddie Kingston, Brody King and Daniel Garcia are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

We get a quick look at the Continental Classic rules:

20 minute time limits
3 points for a win
1 point for a draw

Everyone else is banned from ringside.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Daniel Garcia

Castagnoli runs him over fast to start but Garcia is back with a quickly broken guillotine choke. Garcia tries to slug away and is quickly dropped with an uppercut. With that not working, Garcia manages to send him to the apron for a knock into the barricade. This doesn’t seem to please Castagnoli, who swings him into the barricade over and over to take over.

We take a break and come back with Garcia grabbing another guillotine choke, followed by a sleeper. Castagnoli fights out of that as well as an ankle lock before running Garcia over. The Riccola Bomb is countered but Castagnoli reverses the counter in the Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Garcia makes the fired up comeback, only to get dropped with an uppercut. Now the Riccola Bomb can finish for Castagnoli at 10:26.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have much to go off of as it was mainly Castagnoli beating Garcia up and then doing it again until he could get the win. Garcia continues to be someone who seems to be a project but at some point he has to win something. That isn’t likely to be the case here though as Garcia is likely to be a tackling dummy for his entire block. Castagnoli making a big run wouldn’t be a surprise though and they have made their first step in that direction.

Blue League Standings
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Brody King – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Post match Wheeler Yuta comes in to congratulate Castagnoli.

Eddie Kingston doesn’t want to talk but has to do it to avoid being fined. He’s putting his titles on the line in the tournament because he’s done what he wanted by wrestling in Japan.

Killswitch vs. The Boys

One Boy is chokeslammed onto the apron and the other is clotheslined hard in the back of the head for the pin at 1:22.

Post match Brandon gets chokeslammed through a chair but cue Adam Copeland for the save with a chair of his own. A piece of the chair is broken off so Edge can choke him out in the crossface. The Conchairto…doesn’t leave Killswitch laying so Copeland stomps him head first into the chair. Another Conchairto leaves Killswitch laying.

Post break Copeland goes on a heck of a rant against Christian Cage, who is so insecure about Copeland being here. From now on, Copeland is hunting Cage and is even challenging him for the TNT Title on December 6 in Montreal.

Malakai Black/Buddy Matthews vs. Gravity/Komander

Somehow this is the first time Black and Matthews have teamed on their own in AEW. Matthews and Gravity get things going as Nigel gets annoyed at the other commentators talking about ANYTHING but Adam Copeland threatening Christian Cage. With Matthews not being able to do much, Black comes in to strike away. Komander’s hurricanrana takes Black down but he plants Komander as we take a break.

Back with Komander hitting a jawbreaker but not being able to dive over to Gravity. The tag goes through a few seconds later as Gravity comes in with a high crossbody to both of them. Black knees the heck out of Gravity but Komander is back in to pick up the pace. Cielito Lindo is loaded up but Matthews offers a distraction.

Everything breaks down and the House is sent to the floor, where they pull Gravity’s dive out of the air. Gravity manages to get back to the apron though, leaving Komander to walk the ropes to dive onto the House instead. Back in and a pair of top rope dives hit raised knees and a bunch of knees have the good guys down. Black sits down so Komander can crawl over to him, allowing Matthews to hit the Stomp for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B-. I liked this well enough as Black and Matthews are kind of a unique team. It was nice to see them get out there and wreck some people, even if it took some time to get there. What matters is getting the House some momentum, and it’s not like Komander and Gravity are going to take long to get back to where they were before.

Darius Martin and Action Andretti…are cut off by an NBA commercial, but they come back to reveal the returning Dante Martin.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Lady Frost

Hart is defending under House Rules and the chosen stipulation is….no countouts. They fight over a lockup to start with Frost taking her into the corner but having what looked to be a slap easily blocked. They take turns dodging each other until Hart drops to the floor for a trip onto the apron. Hart rams her into the apron and it’s time to grab a chair. The referee breaks that up so Hart superkicks her into the chair instead. They go onto the ramp where Hart hits a running clothesline to knock her out of the chair. Back in and Frost kicks her in the head but gets kind of choke shoved. Hartless retains the title at 5:07.

Rating: C. What a weird match this was, as Frost has barely been a thing in AEW and picked a rather bizarre stipulation. It’s not like AEW really does much without countouts anyway so this was almost just a way to explain why they were fighting on the floor. Hart never felt like she was in danger and it didn’t exactly feel like the most important match.

Don Callis, with Powerhouse Hobbs, doesn’t understand how Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega got a Tag Team Title shot. Hobbs implies he can beat Omega and Jericho on his own.

FTR vs. The Righteous

Vincent hammers on Wheeler in the corner to start but Wheeler is up with an elbow to the face. Harwood comes in and gets elbowed down as well, followed by a heck of a clothesline from Dutch. Harwood’s springboard is knocked out of the air but he manages to clothesline Dutch outside. Vincent follows his partner and we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting out of a chinlock but Dutch cuts him down again. A powerbomb puts Harwood down, only to have Dutch miss a middle rope backsplash. Harwood slides between Vince’s legs and brings Wheeler in to pick up the pace. A series of standing switches lets Vincent tag Dutch, who is knocked outside. Vincent gets tagged back in and the Shatter Machine finishes for Harwood at 9:12.

Rating: B-. There was no Jake Roberts here with the Righteous so the experiment is either over or AEW is not that interested in making it a success. FTR got a nice win here, or at least whatever they can get out of beating the Righteous. I’m not sure what is next for FTR, but it doesn’t feel like they’re going to be near the titles anytime soon. Granted they’ve been there enough lately that they might not need to be.

Post match the House Of Black says there is no one to save FTR, meaning no Wheeler Yuta or CM Punk. Malakai Black says this isn’t a brotherhood and the lights go out, with the House disappearing.

We see the full Action Andretti/Top Flight promos, which more or less says they need Dante to complete the team.

We look at Big Bill and Ricky Starks attacking Chris Jericho, with his bad arm, after Full Gear.

Here are Ricky Starks and Big Bill for a chat. Starks talks about how he was expecting more of a fight from the challengers at Full Gear. For now though, he isn’t surprised that Chris Jericho is back, but now he has a challenger. Starks and Bill say they don’t know each other (Starks: “Bill, what’s my birthday?” Bill: “No idea.” Starks: “See?”) but Starks talks about Bill being a monster.

Bill talks about his health issues and always believing that he would be back at the top. They’re going to beat up Omega and Jericho and we hear about a variety of NBA duos. Bill lists off a bunch of Chicago Bulls but he only Jericho and Omega as the guys who hand Michael Jordan his gum. Starks doesn’t know who those players are, but he likes what Bill is saying. These guys work well together and that exchange about the birthday was funny.

The winners from the Gold League matches on Dynamite are happy and ready to keep going.

Keith Lee vs. Lee Moriarty

They miss a bunch of strikes to start until Keith knocks him down without much effort. There’s the Pounce to send Moriarty down and us to a break. Back with Moriarty striking away before grabbing an armbar. Keith powers his way out and uses the good arm for a hard clothesline. Moriarty hits a middle rope bulldog but a kick to the head is easily blocked. Keith headbutts him out of the air and the Big Bang Catastrophe finishes Moriarty at 7:21.

Rating: C. Keith continues to be someone who is just kind of floating around doing nothing important. I’m not sure why that is, but he is definitely not the same star he was before his health issues came up. For now though, at least he is on TV and winning, but it would be nice to have him do something of note.

Post break Keith Lee says he was going to praise Lee Moriarty but instead he would rather talk about his lack of opportunity. He is coming for someone, but won’t say who. They know who he means though.

Continental Classic Blue League: Brody King vs. Eddie Kingston

Kingston’s titles aren’t on the line. A headlock and some shoulders have no effect on King so they chop it out, which is more to Kingston’s liking. King knocks him into the corner for the Cannonball and Kingston needs a breather on the floor. Another chop off goes to King but he drop toeholds a charging King into the steps. King is fine enough to hit a crossbody against the barricade as this is following the NO COUNTOUTS idea from the TBS Title match earlier. Back in and King hits a running backsplash as we take a break.

We come back with King grabbing a superplex, leaving Kingston to collapse on a whip into the corner. Kingston manages a desperation clothesline and now the rapid fire chops in the corner can connect. The spinning backfist out of nowhere gives Kingston two and they chop it out, complete with a lot of cringing.

Kingston’s DDT gets two but King is back with something like a Boss Man Slam. Kingston is back up with a half and half suplex and a Saito suplex gets two. King gets a piledriver for two, which shouldn’t have counted anyway as the foot was underneath the rope. Kingston snaps off a spinning backfist but King lists him up for a sitout powerbomb and the pin at 16:43.

Rating: B. I could see this one getting some mixed reviews, as they beat each other up but it wasn’t exactly the smoothest looking match. This was about two guys beating each other up and they did it rather well. That being said, it’s more than a bit disappointing to see Kingston fight so hard to get to the Ring Of Honor World Title and then have the title reigns disrupted over this tournament. It just feels unnecessary, but here we are anyway.

Blue League Standings
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B-. This was the House Of Black show and that stuff worked well enough, but it wasn’t exactly a thrilling edition otherwise. As was the case last week, having Rampage and Collision back to back hurts the last hour out of the three as I’m ready for a break from AEW by that point. The tournament stuff gives the show a bit more structure, but that might lose its charm in a few weeks. Not a bad show at all, but it didn’t feel important, as has been the case most of the time in recent weeks, if not months.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Daniel Garcia – Riccola Bomb
Killswitch b. The Boys – Clothesline to the back of Brandon’s head
Malakai Black/Buddy Matthews b. Gravity/Komander – Stomp to Komander
Julia Hart b. Lady Frost – Hartless
FTR b. The Righteous – Shatter Machine to Vincent
Keith Lee b. Lee Moriarty – Big Bang Catastrophe
Brody King b. Eddie Kingston – Sitout powerbomb

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Full Gear 2023
Date: November 18, 2023
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to one of the main pay per views and that should mean a heck of a show. This time around we’ve got MJF defending the World Title against Jay White, who has the physical title. Other than that, Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page has the potential to be a heck of a violent fight. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor World Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Jay Lethal

Kingston is defending, Ring Of Honor executive Stokely Hathaway is on commentary, and Lethal’s friends are here, despite Kingston saying he wanted this to be one on one. Kingston sweeps the leg down for two to start and sends Lethal outside but he’s smart enough to not follow him (as Lethal is quickly surrounded).

Lethal pulls him down for a posting and some right hands, setting up a triple strut from Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Sonjay Dutt. A forearm from Dutt rocks Kingston again as Hathaway is promising some stern talkings after the match. Lethal grabs a chinlock before stomping away at the ribs/arm.

Kingston fights up and gets in the boot scrapes in the corner. A distraction cuts that off but Lethal can’t hit the top rope elbow. The Lethal Injection is countered into a Saito suplex but Kingston has to take out Dutt. Cue Ortiz to guitar Dutt as another Lethal Injection is countered into the half and half. The spinning backfist retains Kingston’s title at 10:53.

Rating: C+. Lethal never felt like a serious threat to win the title but it’s smart to have Kingston face a former World Champion to add another win to his resume. I’m not sure who is going to be challenging Kingston at Final Battle, but they seem to be teasing Ortiz. I know there’s a history there, but that hardly feels like a headlining match on the biggest show of the year.

Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Buddy Matthews

They slug it out to start but Castagnoli can’t get the swing. Instead they go outside where Castagnoli sends him into the barricade, setting up the running uppercut. Matthews gets in a hard shot of his own though and the top rope Meteora gets two back inside. The chinlock keeps Castagnoli down for a bit, only to have him come back with the discus lariat. Some kicks set up another failed swing attempt so Castagnoli uppercuts him for two.

Back up and Matthews tries another Meteora, only to get pulled into the swing. They go up top where Castagnoli fires off headbutts until Matthews slips out and hits a Cheeky Nandos Kick. A Jackhammer gives Matthews two and he grabs a Crossface. That’s broken up as well and Castagnoli grabs a Riccola Bomb into the Scorpion Deathlock for the tap at 10:26.

Rating: B. Sometimes you just need two big, strong guys to hit each other really hard for a little while and that is what we got here. It was an entertaining, hard hitting match and Castagnoli won. I could still go for Matthews getting a better push, but for now I can settle for him getting something of a showcase match here.

Post match Castagnoli offers a handshake but Matthews bails.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Samoa Joe vs. The Gunns

MJF and Joe are defending and of course they’re in Los Angeles Lakers gear. The Gunns take over on MJF to start but Joe cuts off a whip into the corner like a good partner. MJF says he doesn’t need Joe, but they send the Gunns outside for a heck of a suicide dive from Joe. Back in and Joe snaps off the right hands in the corner, setting up an enziguri.

It’s back to MJF, who gets caught in the wrong corner and has to send both Gunns outside. A roll underneath a double clothesline sets up a big boot for two on Austin. Joe loads up the MuscleBuster but MJF tags himself in and tries his own version. That’s broken up so MJF can hit a double DDT, only to have Joe break up the Kangaroo Kick. The Gunns escape stereo MuscleBusters and 3:10 To Yuma hits Joe. MJF breaks up the cover…and Adam Cole is here! The distraction lets Joe Koquina Clutch Colten to retain at 9:23.

Rating: C+. This is about what it was always going to be, as the Gunns might be good but they’re not going to beat the World Champion and his next likely challenger. I could certainly go for getting the titles off of MJF already so they can do something in Ring Of Honor again, but the champs retaining here makes sense in the bigger story with MJF and Joe.

Post match Joe leaves and the Gunns jump MJF again to wreck his knee. The Gunns Pillmanize the leg and MJF has to be stretchered into an ambulance. MJF shouts to Cole to not let him take his title.

The opening video looks at the show’s matches and talks about how people are fighting for prizes and honor

We open with a recap of MJF’s injury.

We run down the card.

Christian Cage/Luchasaurus/Nick Wayne vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland

A children’s choir sings Cage to the ring for a nearly creepy bonus. Ric Flair is here with Sting and company. Edge has his own face painted as well for a nice touch. Allin cranks away on Wayne’s arm to start, setting up the springboard high angle armdrag. Sting comes in to send Wayne outside for a whip into the barricade.

Back in and it’s off to Cage vs. Copeland but of course it’s off to Luchasaurus instead. Copeland tries to slug away before Allin comes in, with Cage getting in a cheap shot. A chokeslam over the top to the apron leaves Allin down, meaning the villains get to take turns beating on him. Wayne stomps away and mocks Flair before hitting a backsplash for two. They go up top, where Allin manages a super Code Red for a needed breather.

That’s not going to be enough though as Cage slides underneath the ring and pulls Copeland off the rope to break up the tag. Cage misses a spear though and it’s Copeland coming in, meaning Luchasaurus and Wayne bail from an attempted tag. Everything breaks down and Allin hits a dive through the ropes, followed by Sting hitting one off the apron.

Back in and a double Scorpion Death Drop puts Luchasaurus down. Luchasaurus fights back up and wrecks the good guys, leaving Cage to get in a fight with Flair on the floor. Cage hits him low but accidentally hits Luchasaurus with the TNT Title, allowing Copeland to chase Cage into the crowd. The spear and Coffin Drop finish Luchasaurus at 15:01.

Rating: B-. Good choice for an opener here as the fans are always going to be into whatever Sting is doing. As usual, Cage is a phenomenal heel and I’m sure his next promo will play into this perfectly. Copeland vs. Cage is probably coming next month or at Revolution, but for now I’ll take a good enough opener as part of Sting’s retirement tour.

Jay White is brought to the stage where we’re told the MJF vs. White match is canceled and White is…..cut off by Adam Cole. There is no way that White is leaving with the title, so he has talked to Tony Khan. If MJF can’t wrestle tonight, Cole will do it in his place. White is fine with that. If Cole talked to Khan already, why was Schiavone out there to award the title to White?

We recap Orange Cassidy defending the International Title against Jon Moxley. Cassidy lost to Moxley in September at All Out but then a string of injuries have put us right back where we started.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley

Cassidy is defending and gets jumped in the corner to start. Moxley sends him into the corner and then out to the floor. Some rams into the announcers’ table have Cassidy in even more trouble and a release suplex makes it worse back inside. Moxley stomps away in the corner before cutting off a charge with a swinging Boss Man Slam. They go up top where Cassidy fires off some headbutts, setting up a superplex for the big crash.

Moxley, now busted open, gets dropped with a diving DDT for two. Cassidy sends him outside and over the announcers’ table, meaning the suicide dive can connect. The suicide elbow connects as well but Moxley is right back with the hammer and anvil elbows. The Bulldog choke is broken up but Cassidy can’t hit the Beach Break.

Instead Cassidy grabs the Redrum until Moxley grabs the buckle to escape, pulling off the pad in the process. A cutter puts Cassidy down and a Gotch style piledriver gives Moxley two. Moxley gets set into the buckle, setting up three straight Orange Punches to….barely keep Moxley down. Three more set up the Beach Break to retain at 12:00.

Rating: B. It’s a good fight and the ending felt like Cassidy was slaying a giant, but this would have been better if Cassidy hadn’t won the title back in the first place. It makes Cassidy feel like a bigger deal, though I’m not sure where they’re supposed to go with him from here. He’s already had the big long term title reign and now he has beaten a former World Champion, so the main event scene would seem to be the only thing left. That might be a stretch, but it seems to be the only remaining outcome.

Post match their friends come in to check on them, with Wheeler Yuta bumping into Hook.

Mark Briscoe is in the Continental Classic. He eats continental breakfasts!

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Hikaru Shida

Storm, with Luther, is challenging and rips up the script to show you how serious this is. Shida slugs away to start and hits a running knee in the corner. Chops in the corner and more in the corner have Storm in trouble as Nigel confuses the rest of commentary with silent movie references. Storm fights back with the windup punch as Mariah May is watching in the back. Shida is back with a running knee but Storm knocks her down again. Luther sticks something in Storm’s trunks and hands her a shoe, which knocks Shida down for two.

Shida strikes away and gets two off a Falcon Arrow, only to hurt her leg coming of the top. An ankle lock of all things has Shida in trouble but a quick grab of the rope gets her out of trouble. Another shoe shot is blocked so Shida grabs the kendo stick and unloads on Luther. Back in and Shida rolls her up for two, only for Storm to grab a German suplex. The hip attack, with a metal tray included in Storm’s tights, finishes Shida at 10:22.

Rating: B-. That ending was more than a little weird as Storm, the big face of the match, has to cheat to win despite Shida not having some big kickout beforehand. Not that it really matters though, as this was ALL about getting the title back on Storm. The Timeless deal is the hottest thing in the women’s division at the moment and it would have been insane to not ride that momentum while it’s going so strong.

Post match Mariah May comes out to give Storm some flowers. Luther takes Storm to the back.

Eddie Kingston is in the Continental Title and says his titles will be on the line in the tournament, which is to crown a Continental Title.

Tag Team Titles: Kings Of The Black Throne vs. FTR vs. La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Ricky Starks/Big Bill

Starks and Bill are defending in a ladder match. It’s a brawl to start with FTR breaking up a Bill vs. King showdown. Harwood brings in a ladder, which is sent into his face for a knockdown. Wheeler and Rush slug it out inside until Wheeler hits a dive onto a bunch of people. Dralistico hits a bigger dive onto the pile, followed by a moonsault from Black and a superplex from Harwood.

Back in and Harwood and Rush have a ladder duel until Harwood can do the Terry Funk spot. Rush kicks Wheeler in the face in the corner and hits the Tranquilo pose. Black throws a ladder into Wheeler’s face but Wheeler gets in a low blow and a piledriver onto a ladder. Starks comes back in and cleans some house, including a rope walk shot to Harwood’s head.

With everyone else down, King goes up so Bill tips the ladder over to send him into another ladder in the corner. Dralistico hits a springboard Codebreaker to Bill and it’s time for a bunch of people to go up a group of ladders. With that broken up, Dralistico hits a poisonrana on King, who is right back with a Ganso Bomb onto a bridged ladder. Wheeler dives onto King onto a ladder so Harwood and Starks go up. With Harwood knocked down, Starks drops Wheeler as well and retains at 20:34.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches that you’ve seen done a bunch and it does still entertain. That was the case again here, with a bunch of high spots that set up a bunch of crashes. It wasn’t a great ladder match as they did stuff that has been done better before, but at least Starks and Bill get to continue their rather entertaining reign.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

Statlander is defending and slams them both to start. Hart is sent into the corner so we get a Statlander vs. Blue showdown. With that not working, they go outside so Statlander can suplex both of them at once. Back in and Statlander gets knocked down, leaving Blue and Hart to shake hands (with left hands) before fighting as well. Blue hammers away and gets two off a kick to the face. Statlander is back up and all three are knocked down for a breather.

Hart is knocked outside and Statlander faceplants Blue before going up. That lets Hart knock her back down and moonsault Blue for two as Statlander makes a save. Blue reverses Saturday Night Fever and grabs Code Blue for two of her own. Hartless has Blue in trouble until Statlander suplexes both of them down (Excalibur: “One could describe her as a human suplex machine!” Taz: “EASY THERE PARTNER!”). Statlander grabs Saturday Night Fever to Blue but Hart knocks Statlander off and steals the pin for the title at 11:19.

Rating: C+. This was quite the triple threat match and not much more than that. The “one person hits their finish and someone else steals the pin” is as played out as you can get. While I wasn’t wild on how she did it, I’m rather pleased with Hart winning the title. She probably should have gotten it last month, but at least she got the title here, as she should have.

Tony Schiavone brings in the new big signing for AEW….and it’s Will Ospreay. Cue Ospreay to say he’s got to finish up with New Japan and then he’ll be on the road to Revolution, where he’ll be all yours. He’s ready for the best in AEW, especially at Wembley Stadium. This wasn’t exactly a shocking surprise, but it’s probably about as big of a star as they could have realistically brought in.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland in a Texas Death match. They’ve been feuding for a few months now and Swerve made it personal by breaking into Page’s house. Page is out for blood and revenge.

Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page

Texas Death match, meaning you can only win by submission or knockout (still not how a Texas Death match works but whatever). Prince Nana is here with Swerve and does his dance with a dance team. Page jumps Swerve during his entrance and hits a powerbomb into a Buckshot Lariat as I don’t think the bell ever rang. They go outside with Page whipping him into the barricade over and over. Page grabs some duct tape and ties his hands together for a staple to the bicep.

A chair to the head knocks Swerve silly again and we’ve got blood. Page stables a paper to Swerve’s face and lets Swerve’s blood drip onto his face (the fans aren’t sure about that). A barbed wire chair shot to the head is cut off by a low blow to give Swerve a breather. Swerve gets his hands untied and Page staples him in the chest…to no effect. A hard shot to the face knocks Page down the barbed wire chair is wedged in the corner. Page is sent into said chair but he’s back up for a slugout.

They fight to the apron, where Swerve hits a Death Valley Driver onto a cinder block. Somehow that’s not enough for a knockout so Swerve piledrives him onto the barricade (giving us a shot of Swerve’s face, which is COVERED in blood). Back in and more right hands seem to wake Page up so he hits a pair of fall away slams. Page rakes some barbed wire over Swerve’s face and then wraps it around his chest for another fall away slam.

With Swerve on the floor, Page grabs the barbed wire chair for the moonsault to knock Swerve down again. Back in and the Buckshot Lariat is blocked so Swerve kicks the barbed wire chair into his face. Page is right back with a Tombstone onto the barbed wire chair but Nana breaks up the ten count. Swerve manages a powerbomb onto the chair, setting up the Swerve Stomp onto Page onto the chair. Page is up again so let’s grab a bag of glass….which is stomped onto Page’s back as well.

The JML Driver gets nine so Swerve Cactus Clotheslines him….and pulls out a barbed wire board. Said board is bridged between two chairs in the ring but Page slams him through said board. Then a powerbomb and Dead Eye onto the wire lets Page wrap the wire around Swerve’s neck. The Buckshot Lariat….still doesn’t finish as Nana pulls Swerve to the floor to break the count.

Cue Brian Cage to wreck Page and set up a table, but Page saves himself with some barbed wire shots. Nana tries to come in but gets Dead Eyed through the table at ringside. Swerve is back up with the remains of the cinder block to the head though and then chokes Page out with a chain to FINALLY win at 29:56.

Rating: A-. Well, if you’re going to go violent and death matchish, do it like this. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other and it felt like they had been through a war. It was one of the best fights I’ve seen in a good while, which has been Swerve’s forte over the years. The one drawback here is it went about five to seven minutes long, which hut it a bit. I’m not sure if Page losing was the right call, but at least the numbers caught up with him. What might matter the most here is giving Swerve the big win that he needs, as this was one heck of a fight and worth seeing, assuming you don’t mind quite a bit of blood.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega/Chris Jericho. The Bucks aren’t happy that Omega is teaming with Jericho and want to fight about it. If Omega and Jericho win, they get the Bucks’ Tag Team Title shot but if the Bucks win, Omega and Jericho can no longer team together.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega vs. Young Bucks

Don Callis is on commentary as Omega runs Nick to start. The springboard spinning armdrag takes Omega down and we get a handshake before it’s off to Matt vs. Jericho. That doesn’t get very far so Omega comes back in but doesn’t seem overly thrilled. Everything breaks down and Jericho triangle dropkicks Nick to the floor. The Bucks are back up to crush Jericho’s arm in the steps and the villains take over back inside.

The arm is wrapped around the post as Nick pulls away, only to have Jericho score with a middle rope dropkick. Omega comes in and tells Matt that he can’t escape, only for Matt to escape. Instead Omega moonsaults onto Nick at ringside, followed by Jericho Lionsaulting onto both of them. The Walls have Matt in trouble and Omega breaks up Nick’s springboard save.

Jericho’s arm gives out though and Matt slips out, allowing him to hit the double northern lights suplex (because Matt Jackson, who had a back injury for years, can shrug off about a minute in a Boston crab and suplex two men at once). Nick German suplexes Omega onto the apron and Nick’s Swanton to a hanging Omega gets two. Back in and the referee checks on Omega, allowing Matt to kick Jericho low. It works so well on Jericho that Omega gets one as well and a Judas Effect gets two on Jericho.

The BTE Trigger hits Jericho for two more but he’s able to send Matt’s kick into Nick. Matt kicks Jericho in the arm but Omega is back up to knock both of them into the ropes. Omega has to decide who to V Trigger and goes with Matt, only to have the One Winged Angel broken up. Matt hits Omega with his own One Winged Angel but Omega is back up with a German suplex for two more. Jericho is back up with a superkick but gets superkicked down. Back up and Omega grabs the One Winged Angel to finish Matt at 20:44.

Rating: B. It was good stuff and a heck of a match which didn’t get to that epic level. It doesn’t help that it’s so similar to Omega/Hangman Page vs. the Bucks from a few years ago but I can go with the slightly watered down version just as well. If nothing else, this gives the Bucks something else to complain about, just in case they only have five things to whine about this week. I do like the idea of Omega and Jericho continuing as a team though as they work well together.

Post match the Bucks turn down a handshake and rant a lot.

AEW World Title: Adam Cole vs. Jay White

So Cole is defending on behalf of MJF but White has the title….and never mind as here is MJF, as they set up an angle to run for about four and a half hours.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Jay White

MJF, with a very banged up leg (and Cole), is defending and the Gunns are here too. White, being intelligent, goes right after the knee to take over. A suplex into the corner gives White two and MJF sends him outside, where the Gunns get caught with a chair. That’s good for an ejection and MJF gets a breather, but White tells Cole to get in. MJF gets fired up and tells White to hit him, which he does, square in the knee.

Back up and MJF hammers him into the corner for a bite to the head, followed by the Kangaroo Kick. For some reason MJF loads up a dive but White kicks out the leg without much trouble. White’s knee gives out when he’s whipped across the ring but he manages to kick White in the corner. White is back up with a swinging Rock Bottom and dumps him out to the floor. MJF manages to fight back again and sends him through the announcers’ table, setting up a top rope elbow to the floor.

Back in and the dragon screw legwhip over the rope puts MJF down again and the bad leg is tied in the Tree of Woe. The leg is fine enough for MJF to pull himself up and superplex White back down. White goes up to bring him back down with a super swinging Rock Bottom for two more. The chops make MJF tell him to bring it so White Downward Spirals him. The Blade Runner is countered into an exchange of rollups for two each and they knock each other down.

White blocks the Heatseeker….so MJF hits a running cutter over the top and out to the floor. Back in and the knee gives out again as MJF can’t even stand. The doctor asks if MJF wants to stop it so MJF hits himself in the knee. White grabs some dragon screw legwhips and we hit the Figure our. Cole teases tossing in the towel but MJF manages to turn it over. White escapes and yells at Cole before trying to grab the ROH Tag Team Title belt.

The pulling sends it into MJF’s head for two and the fans are still into it. The referee gets bumped though and Cole loads up the diamond ring. White goes for the leg though and grabs the ring instead, so MJF goes low to save himself. The Gunns come in and are quickly dispatches, setting up a ring shot to retain the title at 29:56.

Rating: B+. This was a weird match as MJF was the fighting underdog throughout and then cheated to even out a bunch of the cheating White had already done. The story they had went rather well, though it could have been trimmed down a bit at the end of a really long show. At the same time, it doesn’t exactly make White look good to not be able to beat someone on one leg who had already wrestled that night.

MJF and Cole celebrate and limp up the ramp to end the show. No Devil stuff at all.

Overall Rating: A-. Another rather good pay per view from AEW, even with the show feeling rather long at times. As usual, there was nothing close to a bad match with the weakest match being completely fine. The Texas Death match is the best match on the show with the main event being a close second. I’m not sure if this felt like one of the biggest shows AEW has run, but it’s certainly worth a look, assuming you don’t mind some of the matches going a good bit longer than they need to.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Jay Lethal – Spinning backfist
Claudio Castagnoli b. Buddy Matthews – Scorpion Deathlock
Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Samoa Joe b. The Gunns – Koquina Clutch to Colten
Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland b. Christian Cage/Nick Wayne/Luchasaurus – Coffin Drop to Luchasaurus
Orange Cassidy b. Jon Moxley – Beach Break
Toni Storm b. Hikaru Shida – Running hip attack with metal tray
Ricky Starks/Big Bill b. FTR, La Faccion Ingobernable and Kings Of The Black Throne – Starks pulled down the titles
Julia Hart b. Kris Statlander and Skye Blue – Saturday Night Fever to Blue
Swerve Strickland b. Hangman Page when Page could not answer the ten count
Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega b. Young Bucks – One Winged Angel to Matt
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Jay White – Right hand with diamond ring

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AEW has changed up its pay per view schedule so much that their original Big Four do not exactly feel as important these days. While the promotion isn’t ice cold, they don’t have the hottest product in the world going into this show. That being said, AEW’s pay per view record is more than good enough to rally things up in the blink of an eye. The main event and a few other things have me interested and that might be enough to carry things. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor World Title: Eddie Kingston(c) vs. Jay Lethal

So this match, which felt like it could have headlined Final Battle next month, is instead taking place here and might not even main event the pre-show. Lethal’s friends helped him beat Kingston to set this up and now Kingston wants to face him one one one. That should work out rather well as Lethal is capable of wrestling a good, simple match against anyone and we could be in for something nice here.

I’ll go with Kingston winning, as Lethal isn’t exactly on fire right now. There is little reason to change the title here since this feels like a way to give Kingston a win over an ROH legend. I’ve heard worse ideas, though I’m not sure who is going to face Kingston at Final Battle. They teased something with Ortiz on Rampage, but that’s for next month. For now, Kingston wins here and moves on to Final Battle.

Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Buddy Matthews

The two stables have been kind of teasing each other in recent weeks and then Castagnoli saved Wheeler Yuta from Matthews after their match on Collision. Therefore, we have a heck of a rather hard hitting showdown and that should be more than enough to make for some entertaining television. Matthews continues to feel like someone who could be a breakout star and it’s nice to see him getting this kind of spot.

For now though, Castagnoli wins here, as the only way I can imagine seeing Matthews win is through some House Of Black interference. This is one of those matches that sounds goo on paper and will probably be even better when they actually get in the ring. Castagnoli is about as dependable as you can get and we should be in for a good, hard hitting, ten or so minute match here.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Samoa Joe(c) vs. The Gunns

Joe is teaming with MJF in the place of Adam Cole, though I’m not sure if it’s going to be a permanent thing. At the same time, Joe is probably going to want some compensation for helping MJF, which likely leads to a title match next month in Long Island. For now though, they have to deal with a talented team who can be a threat to win the titles. Granted they’re fighting to be the champions of a show they’ve never wrestled on.

As much as I’d love to see MJF get away from the titles and have them actually be around in ROH, I’m not sure I can picture the Gunns winning here. MJF and maybe Joe will have to lose the titles at some point in the future, though that might not happen until Final Battle. ROH needs the titles back, but this doesn’t feel like the spot where that is going to happen just yet.

AEW Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Toni Storm

I try to get what I think are the most obvious results out of the way in these things and that seems to be the case here. Shida is a good champion and has been one of the most dependable people in all of AEW, but she’s up against a different kind of force here. Storm has tapped into something with this Timeless deal and that feels like it is going to be enough to go somewhere.

Of course I’ll take Storm here as I can’t see any reason to keep the title on Shida. While she’s very good and one of the workhorses of the division, but Storm is on another level entirely at the moment. It makes all the sense in the world to give her the title as it’s a case of striking while the iron is hot. This should be a layup, and unless Mariah May costs Storm the title, Storm gets the gold here.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue

We’ll stick with the women here and another match that has a somewhat clear favorite. Hart seemed ready to take the title last month at WrestleDream but lost to Statlander, which makes me wonder how things are going to go here. This feels like it should be Hart’s to lose, though Blue being in there is a wild card given how much it seems AEW has wanted to push her.

It’s trickier than I thought but I’ll go with Hart winning here. At some point the House Of Black needs some gold and it would make sense for Hart to get them back on the champions’ list here. Hart has been built up very well in recent months and it fees like the time to go somewhere with that. Statlander has become a star during her reign, but it’s ok to move her out here and maybe into the main Women’s Title picture. Hart wins here, though Blue is a longshot option too.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega vs. Young Bucks

This is the Bucks’ title shot vs. the Canadians’ future as a team because, believe it or not, the Bucks can’t handle Omega having another friend. They did a bit of a rushed buildup to this one as the Bucks weren’t happy with Omega and Jericho teaming together because Omega seems to have forgotten the Elite. Thankfully that means the Bucks have turned heel again, which suits them so much better.

I’ll take Jericho and Omega to win here, as it would make the Bucks all the more frustrated and get them out of the title picture at the same time. The Bucks are going to find something else to whine about anyway so maybe the loss is enough to do just that. Omega and Jericho have done well enough as a team and I could see them going for the Tag Team Titles, even if it feels like a rehash of Omega and Hangman Page. Then again, the Elite’s whole thing is about repeating the same melodrama so that kind of fits. Omega and Jericho win here, or at least I think they do.

International Title: Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Jon Moxley

So this headlined a show about two and a half months ago but now we’re right back where we started before All Out. It felt like we were going to get back here eventually and maybe we’re here a bit earlier than expected, but the rematch is on. Moxley no sold the Orange Punch on Dynamite to scare Cassidy, which puts this in quite the different place than the original version.

As much as it would make sense for Cassidy to win here and tie the series, it feels like AEW wants to get back to where this was supposed to be when Moxley won at All Out. Maybe that means Cassidy comes back and wins the third match down the line, but Moxley was champion for all of a few weeks before the concussion screwed things up. I’ll go with Moxley here, despite a feeling that Cassidy could win with a rollup for a shock victory.

Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage/Luchasaurus/Nick Wayne

And yes, Ric Flair with be here with Sting and company. That’s likely going to get a bunch of the focus and yes there is always the chance that Flair turns on Sting again because we must repeat history every chance we can. For now though, it seems much more like a way to set up Copeland vs. Cage down the line and that is not the worst idea given how rarely they have fought over the years.

Outside of Flair cheating though, this should be Copeland and company’s to win. Wayne can be right there to take a fall without damaging anything major going forward, as tends to be the case in a six man like this. Things will probably break down multiple times, but this is another step in Sting’s retirement tour and having him get a win on pay per view is a fine way for him to step away from California.

Tag Team Titles: Ricky Starks/Big Bill(c) vs. La Faccion Ingobernable vs. FTR vs. Kings Of The Black Throne

Say it with me: it’s a ladder match. That feels like a requirement that AEW has to cover every so often and we’re getting it here for reasons of “Bill is tall”. That’s not exactly a great reason to have a ladder match but that’s modern wrestling for you. The only team you can probably write off here is FTR as they’ve had the titles so recently that getting them again doesn’t make a ton of sense. That leaves us with three options and it could be either of them.

I’ll take the champs to retain here, as I could go for seeing more of what they can do. They won the titles about a month and a half ago and have wound up doing some nice things with them. Let them get a defense in here, even though it might not be the most traditional match. What matters is getting ready for another match against one of these teams later on, but that might have to wait for Omega and Jericho if all things stand. For now though, the champs retain.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

This is the “steal the show” match as it feels like they’re having two young stars get the chance to break through in a Texas Death Match (or Last Man Standing to everyone else). That’s a bit weird when Page is already one of the most decorated stars in AEW history, but Page is out for revenge/blood on Strickland and that often makes for a much more interesting situation.

This feels like Page getting his revenge so I’ll take that here after one heck of a fight. Strickland has been waiting for that big breakout moment and while it has been said over and over again, it should be coming one day. I just don’t think it’s here, as the idea of having Page get his home violated like that and then lose in the big fight seems like a bad idea. Page wins here, after a war.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Jay White

If this wasn’t the main event (or at least it should be), I would have put it high up because this doesn’t feel like the highest drama. White stole the belt at the start of their feud and has mostly kept it since, but now MJF wants the belt and the win. They’ve done a nice job with making me want to see MJF beat White and get everything back, but they might have tilted it a bit too far one way.

Naturally MJF retains here and gets the belt back. That’s not exactly a deep story and it’s hard to fathom that it doesn’t end with MJF getting the belt back here. Samoa Joe is all but guaranteed to be waiting for MJF next month in Long Island and having MJF win here is kind of required to make that work. White has done well enough but it’s time to move on without him as champion.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about it, the more I would consider Strickland vs. Page headlining. It might not be the highest profile match on the show, but it certainly feels like the hottest one. I’m worried that it might be good enough that nothing can follow it and that could ruin whatever comes after. The show looks good enough, though having it come so soon after the previous one feels off in AEW> I’ll still take them as having a real chance to make this work though as Full Gear seems like it has a good deal of potential, as usual.

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Collision
Date: November 17, 2023
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly, Tony Schiavone

It’s the night before Full Gear and therefore the schedule is a little wacky, as Collision is taking place before Rampage and in the same building. That is going to make things a bit more interesting, but Collision has been up and down in recent weeks. It would be nice to have a more old school feel to this one….or as old school as a show about five months old can be. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone (in a very green suit) brings out Christian Cage and company to start things off. Cage is ready for the six man tag tomorrow night, plus a TNT Title defense tonight on Rampage. Other than that though, in a town full of phony people, we need some reality. Cage says tomorrow is going to be Sting’s last match because he has been living off his past name and reputation for fifteen years. Darby Allin is going to need a father figure and Cage knows someone who can do that for him.

As for Adam Copeland, Cage knows he is here to steal the spotlight but Cage is a different person than he was back then. Beth Phoenix needs to keep the girls up late because Cage is breaking Copeland’s neck. It doesn’t matter who he is facing tonight, but he can beat any of the four in the qualifying match anyway. Fans: “PROVE IT!” Cage quotes not so popular NBA player James Harden, saying he doesn’t work within the system because he is the system.

Ricky Starks and Big Bill have a new stipulation for their four way Tag Team Title defense: we’ll make it a LADDER match. WELL OF COURSE WE WILL.

Miro vs. Daniel Garcia

Miro throws him down without much trouble to start and then suplexes him out of the corner for a bonus. A gutwrench suplex drops Garcia again so Miro loads up the Garcia dance. You don’t do that though as Garcia strikes away, only to be caught in a swinging release Rock Bottom. We take a break and come back with Miro grabbing a chinlock but Garcia fights up. Some slugging in the corner has Miro in trouble and he can’t swat a dropkick away.

Garcia’s running knee to the face just annoys Miro, who superkicks him down. It’s too early for Game Over though and Garcia slaps away, setting up a belly to back suplex. The dance is loaded up but cue Matt Menard to break it up. Not that it matters as Garcia pulls him into a crossface, which he switches into the Dragontamer. The bending back too far is a bad idea for Garcia though, as Miro slams his head into the mat or the break. Game Over finishes Garcia at 10:14.

Rating: C+. This was what it needed to be, as Miro is mad at Garcia for approaching his wife and wrecked him as a result. That’s all this should have been, as Garcia got in some offense before losing. Miro seems likely for a showdown with Andrade El Idolo sooner or later and this should be a good warmup.

CJ Perry and Andrade El Idolo are happy with their new business relationship, which is why Perry has entered into the Continental Classic. If he wins, he gets extra money.

Kings Of The Black Throne vs. The Boys

Brent goes after Black’s wrist to start and is easily shoved away. King comes in so it’s off to Brandon as everything breaks down. Brandon’s enziguri doesn’t do much to Black as it’s Dante’s Inferno to give King the pin at 2:09. Pretty much a squash.

Julia Hart, Skye Blue and Kris Statlander are ready to win/keep the TBS Title.

Trent Beretta vs. Brian Cage vs. Komander vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

The winner gets a TNT Title shot on Rampage and Prince Nana is here with Cage. The fans aren’t sure who they like here so Penta stops to take his glove off. That earns him a shot to the face before Cage gets triple teamed to the floor. Trent elbows Penta down before a jumping knee sets up a half and half suplex. Back in and Cage apron superplexes Komander onto the other two to send us to a break.

We come back with Penta striking away at Cage, followed by Trent suplexing Komander a few times. Penta gets suplexed as well but Cage blocks one without much trouble. A discus lariat knocks Trent silly and there’s a faceplant for two on Komander with Penta making the save. Penta is back up with a Canadian Destroyer to Komander and a Sling Blade to Cage. The big springboard flip dive hits Cage, leaving Komander’s rope walk shooting star to not quite hit Trent. The Scrunchie finishes Komander at 10:34 to give Trent the title shot.

Rating: B-. This felt like something you would see at a house show to set up a title match later in the night. That isn’t a bad thing either as it at least gives the match some stakes, even if Beretta doesn’t seem like a heavy favorite in the title match. For now though, good all action match and that’s what it needed to be.

Don Callis and Powerhouse Hobbs are proud of getting rid of Paul Wight with a heck of a slam onto a car on Dynamite. Hobbs tells Wight to stay away because anyone can get it.

Wardlow vs. Evan Daniels

Powerbomb, Swanton, Powerbomb for the stoppage at 57 seconds.

Full Gear rundown.

Dax Harwood vs. Rush

Ricky Starks is on commentary (Big Bill is with him but wasn’t introduced for some reason) and the rest of LFI is here. They shove each other around to start until Rush backdrops him out to the floor. Some rams into the barricade have Harwood in even more trouble as Starks does a Harwood impression.

Harwood gets sent shoulder first into the post and Rush unloads in the corner, setting up the single boot. We take a break and come back with Harwood chopping his way off the top. That lasts all of three seconds as Rush is back up with a superplex for two. They strike it out for a double knockdown before getting back up to trade clotheslines.

Rush can’t get a backslide so Harwood is right back with a piledriver for two of his own. The fight heads outside with Rush hitting a jumping knee to the face, setting up a posting. Rush goes after Starks before loading up the Bull’s Horns, only to have Starks come in with the spear to Rush for the DQ at 14:01.

Rating: B-. This was quite the Rush match, as he mostly beat the fire out of Harwood, though at least Harwood got in a bit of offense of his own. That being said, I’ll absolutely take having one of them avoid a pin before a title match, as that has always felt like the biggest waste of time. Rush continues to feel like a star, but he certainly likes being on offense. Maybe a bit too much at that.

Post match the beating is on until the other people in the ladder match run in for the huge brawl. Referees can’t break it up as we take a break. Of note: we’re told Tony Khan says this is a no contest. I know he’s a big wrestling fan, but in my day, someone coming in and attacking a single wrestler was a DQ.

Action Andretti is cut off by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom, the former of which says he has found his next victim.

Buddy Matthews vs. Wheeler Yuta

Matthews works on the arm to start but Yuta flips out to escape and crank away as well. Yuta even offers him a shot to grab the leg before pulling it back. Instead Yuta sends him outside, where a dropkick through the ropes makes it worse. That’s not ok with Matthews, who beats him up around ringside.

They head to the apron for a slugout until Yuta is LAUNCHED onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Matthews striking him down until Yuta is back up with a heck of a forearm. Yuta manages to knock him down to one knee but Matthews is back with a shot of his own.

A rollup and German suplex give Yuta two each and there’s a superkick to put Matthews on the floor. They fight on the apron until Matthews drops him ribs first onto the turnbuckle. Yuta kicks his way out of trouble and drapes him over the top for an ax handle. Matthews hits a heck of a powerbomb though and the Stomp finishes Yuta at 13:43.

Rating: B. I can always go for a power vs. speed match and they had a nice one here, with Yuta doing what he could against the far stronger Matthews. That’s a formula that has worked forever in wrestling and they did it here with two potential stars. Matthews has long since felt like he could be moving up the ladder whenever he’s given a chance but there is only so much that can be done with the rest of the House Of Black around. See also Yuta with the Blackpool Combat Club, as he is by far the lowest member of the team but is still a talented star. Anyway, pretty sweet match here and that’s always nice to see.

Post match Matthews grabs a chair but here is Claudio Castagnoli to cut him off. Castagnoli says the House Of Black has his attention so he and Matthews can fight at Full Gear.

Orange Cassidy and Jon Moxley are ready to fight again at Full Gear.

Ruby Soho/Saraya vs. Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida

Shida and Soho grapple around to start as we hear about Angelo Parker “pitching woo” about Soho. Nigel is of course all over Kelly for that one as Statlander comes in to take over on Saraya. Back up and Statlander shoulders her down for two as Julia Hart is watching in the back. Statlander suplexes both villains down at once and hands it back to Shida as we see Skye Blue watching in the back as well. The villains pull Shida down out of the corner and we take a break.

Back with Parker watching at ringside as Saraya kicks Shida in the ribs. That brings Statlander and Soho back in, with Statlander hitting a Falcon Arrow for two. Statlander has to get Soho back inside, but sees Parker in a Soho shirt. Saraya comes back in and gets to clean some house, setting up a forearm off with Shida. After a double knockdown, Shida is back up with a knee each for Saraya and Soho, which has Parker checking on the latter. Saraya is livid as Statlander clotheslines Parker (seemed to be aiming for Soho). That leaves Shida to Katana Saraya for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: B-. This wound up being more of a focus on the Parker stuff and that might be a bit more interesting than the match. Saraya is already starting to feel forgotten around here and it’s not like her matches are tearing the house down. Maybe she ties in with the Parker story, but she certainly needs something. Shida probably will as well, as it feels almost impossible to imagine her leaving Full Gear with the title. Statlander might be in a safer spot, but Hart winning feels long overdue. They covered a bit here, but it didn’t quite feel like a big time main event.

We get a sitdown interview with MJF, who is defending the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles to keep his promise to Adam Cole. The Gunns are very ugly but he’ll beat them anyway. Other than that, he doesn’t like Jay White stealing his title belt, but he’ll get that back at Full Gear. Schiavone brings up MJF winning the title a year ago, sending MJF into a rant about overcoming the odds over the years. He likes the odds against White, so we’ll see them tomorrow. This was fired up MJF and that is often the best kind.

Overall Rating: B. There was good action throughout and the Yuta vs. Matthews match was quite good, but it did feel like a show that didn’t really need to be here. I was hoping they would have pulled the show from the schedule for the sake of the PPV but we got a decent enough push towards Full Gear. The pay per view still doesn’t exactly feel must see, though this show did a nice job of boosting it up a bit.

Results
Miro b. Daniel Garcia – Game Over
Kings Of The Black Throne b. The Boys – Dante’s Inferno to Brandon
Trent Beretta b. Brian Cage, Komander and Penta El Zero Miedo – Scrunchie to Komander
Wardlow b. Evan Daniels via referee stoppage
Rush b. Dax Harwood via DQ when Ricky Starks interfered
Buddy Matthews b. Wheeler Yuta – Stomp
Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander b. Saraya/Ruby Soho – Katana to Saraya

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: November 11, 2023
Location: Oakland Arena, Oakland, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re taped for a rare situation this week with only seven days to go before Full Gear. In theory that should mean we get a few things built up towards the pay per view, which could make things interesting. You never know what you’re going to get around here but an in-ring focus tends to be the case. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Sting, Darby Allin, Adam Copeland, the Righteous, Lance Archer, Jake Roberts, La Faccion Ingobernable, Powerhouse Hobbs, Daniel Garcia and Andrade El Idolo are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Daniel Garcia

CJ Perry is here with Andrade. Feeling out process to start with Andrade getting the better of things. Garcia sends him into the ropes for the Tranquilo pose, meaning it’s time for the slugout. The frustrated Garcia is sat on top for a dropkick out to the floor as things get worse. Back in and Andrade strikes away until Garcia gets in a knee snap over the ropes.

Garcia knees him off the apron and out to the floor but it’s time to stare at Perry. That means some dancing from Garcia, though Perry actually dances back a bit. Garcia takes it back inside for a German suplex and we take a break. Back with Garcia putting on the ankle lock and Andrade pounding the mat.

With that broken up, Andrade hits some running clotheslines and nips up. The running knees in the corner give Andrade two, followed by Garcia hitting a brainbuster for the same. Andrade runs him over again and hits the double moonsault for two more. Another shot to the knee sets up the Figure Eight to give Andrade the win at 15:41.

Rating: C+. This was longer than it needed to be and there was only so much that you can get out of these two going for almost sixteen minutes. It was a good enough match, but it was feeling long and came off more like they were trying to fill in time. Andrade winning does at least boost him up though and now we should be in for a big Miro vs. Andrade match in the near future.

In the back, Miro is not pleased.

We look at the end of Dynamite, with the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn being taken out by masked men. MJF was upset but Samoa Joe seemed amused.

Nick Wayne vs. Dalton Castle

Christian Cage and Luchasaurus are here with Wayne while the Boys are here with Castle. Feeling out process to start with Wayne taking over and stopping for a pose. Castle wrestles him down without much trouble and grabs a gutwrench to send Wayne flying. Wayne gets in a shot of his own to set up more posing though and we hit the face ripping.

That’s broken up and Castle snaps off some suplexes but the Bang A Rang is blocked. Wayne’s World is blocked as well so Luchasaurus gets on the apron. The Boys make the save and get double chokeslammed, allowing Wayne to send Castle into the corner. Wayne’s World finishes Castle at 6:47.

Rating: C+. And there’s your next challenger to the Ring Of Honor World Title, as he loses to Christian Cage’s lackey two days after issuing the challenge. AEW has that big of a roster but apparently here was no one else to take this loss than Castle. Other than that, it was nice to see Castle on television again, as that star power and charisma are always worth a look.

Hangman Page is livid at Swerve Strickland for invading his home, so it’s time for a Texas Death Match at Full Gear. He’s ready to kill Strickland and then take his son to his grave every year for a visit. Heck of a promo from Page here, as he continues to do well when he’s serious.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Workhorsemen

Dralistico gets taken into the wrong corner to start and the alternating beatdown is on. A quick shot allows the tag to Rush though and Drake is quickly struck down. The fight heads outside and we take a break. Back with Rush slapping Drake in the face and posing before forearming Henry down. Back up and Drake runs Rush over, setting up a missed moonsault. Dralistico hits a top rope Codebreaker, setting up a running flip dive to Henry. The Bull’s Horns finishes Drake at 8:25.

Rating: C. This was another match that felt a bit longer than it needed to be, though at least La Faccion never really felt like they were in any serious trouble. The Workhorsemen have been around Ring Of Honor for a long time without much success and now they seem to be moving into the same jobbers to the stars roles around here. There are worse spots for them, but they’re not exactly must see TV.

Post match the House Of Black pops up to say they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles at Full Gear. As for Julia Hart, she’ll beat Willow Nightingale tonight and then gets a rematch for the TBS Title at Full Gear.

Kris Statlander thinks Willow Nightingale should get a title shot and has no comment on Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue next week. Apparently the winners of Hart vs. Nightingale and Velvet vs. Blue get into a triple threat title match at Full Gear. Velvet has wrestled twice since returning and is 1-1 but is a win away from a title shot?

Roderick Strong vs. Darius Martin

Strong, with the Kingdom, is wheeled to the ring. They start fast with Strong hammering away in the corner before hitting a half nelson backbreaker. One heck of a chop in the corner lets Strong drop him in the corner again. A dropkick cuts off Martin’s comeback and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. With that broken up, Martin flips out of the corner for a kick to the head, followed by a bulldog onto the middle rope. Back in and Strong hits the Sick Kick, setting up the End of Heartache for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. Strong’s story continues, though I’m not sure where it is supposed to go. The ans are getting behind Strong and that might create some issues for everyone involved. For now though, at least Strong is getting back in the ring so there are some more options available. Maybe just tone down the comedy stuff if Strong is supposed to stay a heel?

Post match the beatdown is on until Action Andretti makes the save.

Tony Khan is with Bryan Danielson and announces that Danielson will be at next year’s All In. Also, we’ll be getting the Continental Classic, a 12 man round robin tournament over the next month and a half, with the finals taking place at World’s End. The first entrant: Bryan Danielson. Round robins haven’t gone so well in America and a month and a half is a lot, but the talent should be there.

Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart

They start slowly with Hart not knowing what to do with Willow’s power. Hart slugs away but gets slammed down without much trouble. With that not working, they head outside where Willow hits a suplex to plant Hart as we take a break. Back with Hart working on the arm, meaning Nightingale can’t pick her up for the gutwrench powerbomb. Hart hits some running shots in the corner and a running forearm to the back of the head.

Hartless is blocked so they head outside where Nightingale misses a charge into the steps. Back in and Willow pulls her off the top for a full nelson slam and another near fall. The Babe With The Powerbomb….doesn’t quite work as Hart lands sitting down. Another running forearm drops Willow and the moonsault gives Hart the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. And so, Nightingale loses again, as tends to be her custom. That being said, Hart seems all but destined to win the title at Full Gear, as Kris Statlander hasn’t had much of note or a bit now. Hart’s moonsault still looks great too as she has come a long way in a short amount of time. Just give her the title while not having Nightingale lose as much and they’ll get somewhere.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks won’t fight the House Of Black at Full Gear. That’s true, because they’ll be fighting the House of Black, La Faccion Ingobernable and FTR. Starks isn’t worried.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. ???

Paul Wight is on commentary. Spinebuster and World’s Strongest Slam finish for Hobbs at 53 seconds.

Post match, Don Callis mocks Chris Jericho and calls Wight Jericho’s last friend in wrestling. Callis praises Wight but says he’s scared of Hobbs. The fight is teased but nothing happens.

FTR wants the Tag Team Titles back.

Lance Archer/The Righteous vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland

Copeland strikes away at Dutch to start and finally clotheslines him down. Allin (with a taped up shoulder) comes in to headlock Vincent before it’s off to Archer vs. Sting. After a WOO off, Sting knocks him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Sting in trouble as Archer gets to stomp him down in the corner. Sting fights away and, after a clothesline to Archer, brings Allin back in.

What looks to be the Code Red is blocked and Dutch hits a running clothesline as we take another break. Back again with Allin fighting out of trouble and bringing Copeland back in to clean house. Allin dives onto Archer on the floor but Dutch takes Copeland down. Sting makes the save and it’s a Death Drop/middle rope elbow combination to drop Dutch. The spear finishes Dutch at 16:21.

Rating: B-. Copeland was looking like a star in here and was moving better than he did during some of his time in WWE. At the same time, Sting continues to look good on the way towards retirement and if he can keep it going for a few more months, we should be in for a nice run. I could have gone with the Righteous not losing so soon into their teaming up with Roberts, but at least it was to a team with much higher star power.

Christian Cage and company come out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While it wasn’t a bad show, I couldn’t get into things this week. It felt like there wasn’t a ton of effort put into this show and very little involving the top stories took place. I can go with a show focused more on the midcard feuds, but nothing n here really stood out for the most part. It’s far from terrible, but I was bored more than once and that makes for a long show.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Daniel Garcia – Figure 8
Nick Wayne b. Dalton Castle – Wayne’s World
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Workhorsemen – Bull’s Horns to Drake
Roderick Strong b. Darius Martin – End Of Heartache
Julia Hart b. Willow Nightingale – Moonsault
Powerhouse Hobbs b. ??? – World’s Strongest Slam
Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland b. Righteous/Lance Archer – Spear to Dutch

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Dynamite
Date: November 8, 2023
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We are a week and a half away from Full Gear and that means we should be getting the final push towards the show. This week that includes MJF defending the World Title against Daniel Garcia and an interesting main event of Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe. Other than that, we have a heck of a showdown between Keith Lee and Samoa Joe for the ROH TV Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings in MJF to talk about his lost last week but MJF says it will never happen again. Adam Cole calls him so MJF throws it to a video screen and says MJF should take Samoa Joe up on his offer. MJF isn’t sure why but here is Daniel Garcia (challenging MJF for the title tonight) to laugh a bit. Garcia says tonight, MJF is getting the professional wrestler. With Garcia gone, the Kingdom wheels in Roderick Strong, who offers MJF some tips. MJF walks off, which Strong says is what the devil would do. It’s time to remind people who Strong is.

Opening sequence.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia, with Matt Menard and Angelo Parker, is challenging. MJF hits him in the face to start so Garcia does the same, only to have his friends break up the dance (as tends to be their custom as of late). An armbar has Garcia down and a rollup gives MJF two. We take a break and come back with Garcia hitting a one armed German suplex and dancing a bit.

MJF is right back on the arm before a hammerlock DDT gets two. Garcia kicks the leg out and hits a one armed piledriver for two. They’re doing something there with the arm not working at full strength. The Dragontamer goes on but MJF escapes and grabs the Salt Of The Earth to retain the title at 10:38.

Rating: B-. Not too bad at all here, though Garcia continues to not exactly be the most interesting star in the world. He’s a strong technician, but that doesn’t do much to help his charisma. Thankfully they didn’t let this go on too long, as there was no way to make Garcia feel like a serious threat to the title.

Post match MJF wants to shake hands but Garcia’s friends won’t allow it.

Mark Briscoe is ready for Jay White.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Outrunners

Allin headlocks Magnum to start but gets take into the corner for a stomping from Floyd. A suplex is broken up and String comes in to clean house. The Scorpion Deathlock finishes Floyd at 2:58. That’s how it should have gone.

We have a sitdown interview (in black and white) between Hikaru Shida and Toni Storm. Shida promises to beat her again as usual but Storm doesn’t seem to buy it. They sign the contract and go face to face.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Swerve Strickland

Feeling out process to start until Swerve takes him into the corner for a kick to the leg. Swerve bites the fingers but Penta is back with some chops. A Backstabber sends Swerve outside, where he is able to drop Penta face first onto the steps. Penta strikes away and hits a big running flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Made In Japan and the JML Driver both being blocked, leaving us with a double knockdown. A Death Valley Driver gets Penta two and he drops Swerve hard onto the apron to leave Swerve on the floor. Back in and Swerve reverses a headscissors out of the corner by flipping Penta into the corner. A 450 is blocked and Made In Japan gives Penta two. Swerve is back with his own Death Valley Driver and snaps Penta’s arm. The Swerve Stomp gives Swerve the pin at 13:33.

Rating: B. One of AEW’s greatest strengths is being able to take any two wrestlers out of a huge number available and have them put on a good match. That’s what they did here as these two came pretty close to tearing the house down. If you can get Penta away from doing his CERO MIEDO line over and over again and let him do his thing, he can put in a heck of a performance and that was the case here. At the same time you have Swerve continuing to showcase just how good he really is as his roll continues.

Post match Swerve goes for the mast but Hangman Page runs in to lay Swerve out with a Deadeye off the stage and through some tables. It seems WAY too early for that as it could have come during their Full Gear match instead.

Jay White is ready to beat up Mark Briscoe tonight and hopes MJF is watching.

The Don Callis Family is ready for serious violence next week against Chris Jericho and pals.

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega are ready to fight next week, but the Young Bucks come in to bring up an idea of the Elite. They think Jericho is just here to get a paycheck, but Jericho thinks he and Omega are a better team. They agree to fight at Full Gear, with Jericho wanting the Bucks’ Tag Team Title shot on the line. That works with the Bucks, but if they win, Jericho and Omega are done as a team and they get back to being the Elite. Omega says he’s beaten the Bucks before so he can do it again.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Keith Lee

Joe is defending and grabs a headlock to start. Lee isn’t having that and runs Joe over with a shoulder. Some choking on the rope keeps Joe down but he’s back up with the snap jabs in the corner. Back up and Lee leapfrogs over him and knocks Joe outside to send us to a break. We come back with Joe taking out the leg, including hitting a dragon screw legwhip. Lee manages a pop up powerbomb for a delayed two but Joe is right back up. Joe pulls him into the Koquina Clutch to retain the title at 11:26.

Rating: B-. This was the hoss match it was advertised as being and that made for a good fight. While I could go for more of Lee being a monster who runs people over, there is little shame in losing to someone as dominant as Joe. That being said, this felt like a match that could have been built up a lot better, but that is the case for a lot of things on AEW TV.

Post match Joe says he’s vacating the title to go after the AEW World Title. After a year and a half and Joe retaining the title when it seemed perfect for Joe to lose, he just walks away from it without putting anyone over? And not even on the ROH show. This has been your weekly reminder that RING OF HONOR MEANS NOTHING.

Orange Cassidy, with Hook, is rather serious and says he has to beat Jon Moxley.

Gunns b. Bollywood Boyz

3:10 To Yuma finishes Gurv at 42 seconds.

Post match the Gunns promise to beat up MJF and win the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

Jon Moxley says he’s in for the Full Gear title shot against Orange Cassidy, but he and Wheeler Yuta might crush Cassidy and Hook before they get there.

Wardlow is ready to end MJF.

Julia Hart vs. Red Velvet

This is Velvet’s return after nine months on the injured list. Velvet snaps off some armdrags to start and strikes away in the corner. Hart knocks her out of said corner though and we take a break. Back with Velvet making the clothesline comeback and hitting some running knees. An Iconoclasm out of the corner gives Velvet two but Hart kicks her down. The moonsault finishes for Hart at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Hart gets some momentum back after losing at WrestleDream and still looks like she’s keeping most of her momentum. She seems to have turned a corner in recent months and that moonsault looks good every time. It’s also nice to have Velvet back as you never want to see someone on the shelf, especially for that long.

Post match Hart goes after Velvet but Skye Blue comes out for the staredown. Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale come in to break it up before things get physical.

Mariah May is ready to debut in AEW and is excited about Toni Storm being here.

Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe

The rest of Bullet Club Gold is at ringside. Mark sends him outside to start and White needs an early breather. Back in and Mark chops away, setting up a suplex to put White down again. Redneck Kung Fu puts White on the floor and there’s the Bang Bang Elbow to make it worse. The Club knocks Mark off the top though and we take a break.

Back with White kicking the knee out but getting cut off with a middle rope dropkick. They strike it out with Mark getting the better of things and hitting a fisherman’s buster for two. A dragon screw legwhip over the ropes hits White again and there’s a Death Valley Driver. The Froggy Bow gets two but White snaps off the swinging Rock Bottom. White goes for the knee but the Blade Runner is countered into an exploder suplex. More chops have Mark down again and the sleeper suplex drops him hard. The Blade Runner finishes for White at 14:00.

Rating: B. Another good one here, though I’m not wild on having Briscoe lose so soon after his comeback. Granted it’s against a big name in White who has a major match coming up, but it’s still a bit of a weird choice. That being said, Mark getting to showcase himself is a good thing as he really is one of the better hands in the ring around here.

Post match MJF comes out with the diamond ring to chase White off but he still can’t get the belt back. For the first time ever, MJF has a reason to fight for everyone in the arena and wants to know if White can pull the trigger.

The lights go out and we cut to the back where the masked men are attacking Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed. Anthony Bowens is sent through some glass as we see the person in the devil mask watching. MJF runs to the back, where Samoa Joe pops up to say MJF is running out of friends.

Overall Rating: B. Better show than last week and it’s nice to see things getting a bit back to normal. They had more of a focus this week as they get ready for Full Gear and things got more interesting with the angle at the end. Throw in some good wrestling up and down the card and it made for a good Dynamite. Now just get to Full Gear with the same efficiency and everything should work very well.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Daniel Garcia – Salt Of The Earth
Sting/Darby Allin b. Outrunners – Scorpion Deathlock to Floyd
Swerve Strickland b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Swerve Strickland
Samoa Joe b. Keith Lee – Koquina Clutch
Gunns b. Bollywood Boyz – 3:10 To Yuma to Gurv
Julia Hart b. Red Velvet – Moonsault
Jay White b. Mark Briscoe – Blade Runner

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Collision
Date: November 4, 2023
Location: InTrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

We are two weeks away from Full Gear and a good chunk of the card is already set. This show is going to be in a big of a rough patch in the coming weeks though, as Bryan Danielson is going to be out of action. Someone is going to have to step up and I’m not sure who that will be. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

FTR, Big Bill, Ricky Starks Lance Archer and Darby Allin are ready to fight. Swerve Strickland is as well but AR Fox jumps him to start their match fast.

Opening sequence.

AR Fox vs. Swerve Strickland

They fight to the ring with Swerve in trouble and bailing to the floor, meaning Fox can be right there for the big running flip dive. Back in and a rolling cutter gives Fox two but Swerve sends him outside to take over. Cue the Gates of Agony (Prince Nana dances) as Swerve pulls Fox off the top as we take a break.

We come back with Swerve fighting back and hitting a hanging DDT. The 450 gives Fox two and Lo Mein Pain is good for the same. Swerve is back with the House Call for two of his own, followed by a knee first hard toss into the buckle. A powerbomb flipped into a powerslam (that was cool) sets up the Swerve Stomp to give Swerve the pin at 10:07.

Rating: B-. I don’t think there’s any surprise that these two had a good match as they’re both talented stars who have shown chemistry in the past. They made this work well and that flipping powerslam looked very good. Swerve is on the rise though and it should be interesting to see what he gets to do next.

Post match the Gates of Agony are ready to go after Fox but FTR runs in for the save. Ricky Starks and Big Bill run in to help the Gates with the beatdown but LFI makes the real save. FTR and LFI don’t seem to get along.

The House Of Black is watching.

Video on Daniel Garcia vs. MJF for the World Title at Dynamite. Geez what did we do to deserve that?

MJF rants about Jay White needing all of the Bullet Club Gold to catch him off guard and pin him. White has been in wrestling twice as long as MJF and White is twice as stupid!

Bullet Club Gold sings about beating MJF and say they’re taking a break from Collision. They’ll be back on Dynamite with another World Title eliminator though.

Kip Sabian is mad at Mark Briscoe for last week and brings in the Workhorsemen. Briscoe needs two partners tonight.

Kingdom vs. Brixton Nash/James McGregor

Roderick Strong interrupts Dasha’s entrance and complains about the lack of being neck strong. The Kingdom jumps them before the match and a spike piledriver finishes McGregor at 1:17.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Strong running in for a shot of his own.

We look at Christian Cage recruiting Nick Wayne.

Mark Briscoe is happy to be back when FTR comes in to offer to work twice tonight to team with him. Mark appreciates that but he has two people in mind, which is cool with FTR. When asked who his partners are, Mark shouts that he “CANNOT DIVULGE THAT INFORMATION!”

Darby Allin vs. Lance Archer

Jake Roberts is here with Archer. Allin strikes away a bit to start but is promptly Pounced out to the floor. Back in and Archer’s Old School is countered and they fight to the floor. That’s fine with Archer, who LAUNCHES Allin with a release suplex onto the ramp. Archer tosses him again as we take a break.

Back with Allin raking the eyes but getting caught with a running knee to the face in the corner. Allin slips out of the Black Out but gets chokeslammed over the top and onto the apron. Roberts loads up a skateboard shot, only to be ejected before he can swing. That leaves Archer to go up top but Allin catches him with a super sunset bomb for the pin at 9:51.

Rating: B-. Much like the opener, these two work well together and have every time I’ve seen them square off. It’s a natural idea to have Allin vs. the monster and these two work that style very well. Archer continues to feel like someone who could be in a bigger role but that is only going to last so long when he loses matches like this one.

Post match Roberts says that’s not how it’s going to be and introduces his new friends….the Righteous. Allin is distracted and gets chokeslammed by Archer. Again: only feels so impressive when Archer just got pinned.

Kris Statlander again attempts to calm things down with Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale. Blue says she helped Willow for Willow and wishes her luck tonight. Statlander does the same.

Alex Abrahantes is happy with Penta El Zero Miedo’s win on Rampage. Swerve Strickland comes in and gets a match with Penta on Dynamite. He even threatens to take Penta’s mask.

Here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to celebrate 69 day (as in days as Trios Champions). Gunn loves all of the fans’ signs and we launch the confetti. Caster gets a special present: a video from MJF talking about how he respects Caster and says Caster is starting to grow on him. MJF: “Like a fungus, but it’s starting.” He wishes us a happy 69 day and says “uh, yay scissoring.”

Caster’s amazed face is great but he’s even happier because they have a trophy! They make a bunch of jokes about the holiday (Gunn seems to be having a blast) but as they’re about to wrap it up, here are Dalton Castle and the Boys to interrupt. The Boys grab the trophy (Kelly: “These two are idiots.”) and hand it to Castle, who throws it out to the floor. The brawl is on and let’s have a match.

Trios Titles: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

Castle and the Boys are challenging. The Boys hit a double dropkick to tart but a pinata is brought in. The Acclaimed take it away and beat the other three up with it, revealing….Acclaimed stuff inside! We take a break and come back with Castle knocking Gunn off the apron as apparently this is the result of an open contract which was only discovered during the break. The champs fight back and it’s Scissor Me Timbers into a Fameasser into the Arrival into the Mic Drop to retain at 6:24. Not enough shown to rate but maybe they could have waited to set this match up instead of doing it immediately?

Andrade El Idolo will have his answer for CJ Perry next week.

Kip Sabian/Workhorsemen vs. Mark Briscoe/???/???

Briscoe’s partners are Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee. Sabian jumps Briscoe to start and it’s off to Henry, even as Briscoe fights up. Drake cuts him off as we hear about Drake being a professional bowler, which has the rest of commentary interested. The beating continues until Mark manages a suplex. Lee comes in and powerbombs Sabian onto Henry, allowing Briscoe to come back in with the Froggy Bow for the pin on Sabian at 4:28.

Rating: C. It’s very nice to have Briscoe back in the ring after such a long absence. He has so much charisma and it is a blast to watch him out there doing just about anything. At the same time, it should be interesting to see where things go for him, as I can’t imagine the Lee/Rhodes pairing is anything more than a one off.

Post break, Briscoe says he has been watching while he was injured and now he sees an impostor. Jay White is running around with a title that isn’t his, so he challenges White to put the title shot on the line next week on Dynamite.

Willow Nightingale vs. Emi Sakura

They run at each other to start until Nightingale slams her down. The fight heads outside with Nightingale being sent into the steps. A crossbody against said steps crushes her hard and Sakura drops her again inside. We take a break and come back with Nightingale hitting a Death Valley Driver on the floor. The Doctor Bomb is countered though and Sakura hits a reverse swinging neckbreaker. Nightingale fights up and hits a spinebuster, followed by the Doctor Bomb for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: B. That was a heck of a match as these two beat the fire out of each other. You don’t get to see that kin of a fight very often and it worked well here. Nightingale is still someone who feels like she should be a much bigger deal but for some reason this tends to be the highest level of win she is going to get. For now though, they had a rather good match and I’ll take what I can get for Nightingale.

Samoa Joe says he has beaten everyone….but Keith Lee pops in to say not EVERYONE. They’ll fight on Dynamite.

FTR/La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Big Bill/Ricky Starks/Gates of Agony

Vance strikes away at Bill in the corner and moves around to do it again. Kaun comes in and gets taken down by FTR. Toa slams Harwood and drops a headbutt for two. It’s off to Starks, but Rush takes him outside for some whips into various barricades. We take a break and come back with Harwood in the wrong corner, allowing Starks to walk the rope for an elbow to the head.

Harwood fights over to the corner and hands it back to Rush to clean house. The cocky kick to the face hits Starks in the corner and he charges into a powerslam for two. It’s back to Vance, who avoids a charge to send Toa into the post. Bill chokeslams Vance as everything breaks down. Harwood comes in o slug away at Kaun until Rush plays Wheeler in a Big Rig. Wheeler dives onto Toa and the Bull’s Horn finishes Kaun at 14:52.

Rating: B-. It was smart to not take this one to the near thirty minute lengths that some Collision main events get but or now I’ll settle for another solid enough match. LFI looked good in their return and they should be in for some kind of strong push in the future. FTR almost has to get another title shot at some point, though the House Of Black might be looming before they get there.

Post match LFI leaves without shaking FTR’s hands. The House Of Black pops up to threaten FTR….and then they’re in the ring to make good on the threats. Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli run in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Good show here, with solid wrestling up and down the card. The best thing to say about this show was nothing got boring, as it felt like there was at least someone interesting or an important match out there the whole night. That isn’t always the case with AEW and it is nice to see them fixing things up a bit. Dynamite is looking stacked and it would be nice to see AEW follow up this show with another good one.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. AR Fox – Swerve Stomp
The Kingdom b. Brixton Nash/James McGregor – Spike piledriver to McGregor
Darby Allin b. Lance Archer – Super sunset bomb
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Dalton Castle/The Boys – Mic Drop to Brent
Mark Briscoe/Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee b. Kip Sabian/Workhorsemen – Froggy Bow to Henry
Willow Nightingale b. Emi Sakura – Doctor Bomb
FTR/La Faccion Ingobernable b. Gates Of Agony/Big Bill/Ricky Starks – Bull’s Horns to Kaun

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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