Rampage
Date: January 28, 2022
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Taz, Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Ricky Starks

It’s another Friday and Jon Moxley is back in the ring. That should be enough to make the show work, but we also have a pair of title matches, as Jade Cargill defends the TBS Title against Julia Hart and Private Party challenges for the Tag Team Titles. That’s not bad for an hour so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Anthony Bowens vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley gets a great ovation. Castor’s rap is about every thing happening to Moxley as of late, save for his rehab. Moxley jumps Bowens before the bell and beats him up, including taking it to the floor. He even stops to bow to and pose with referee Aubrey Edwards. The fight goes into the crowd with Bowens getting beaten up out there too. Back to ringside with Bowens managing to post him to slow things down.

They get back in with Bowens starting in on the arm but Moxley fights out of a suplex. Bowens neckbreakers him back down though and we take a break. Back with Moxley’s super Paradigm Shift being countered though as Bowens takes him down again. Moxley sends him outside and hits a suicide dive onto Caster, only to have Bowens catch him on the way back in.

A twisting hanging DDT drops Moxley for two but Bowens is back with a series of strikes. Moxley grabs a quick piledriver for his own two though and they’re both down. Bowens knees him in the face for two and hits a kind of belly to belly for the same. Caster throws in the boom box but it gets taken away, allowing Bowens to pull out a chain. Moxley isn’t having that and knocks Bowens silly, setting up the Paradigm Shift for the pin at 13:04.

Rating: B-. I liked this one a lot more than I would have expected, as Bowens got in a good deal of offense. There wasn’t any drama about the win and that’s ok in this case, as Bowens made Moxley put in the work. It’s a way to give Bowens a rub while Moxley gets back in the swing of things and that is a smart way to go.

Bryan Danielson is watching Moxley from the back.

Nyla Rose is ready to destroy Ruby Soho on Dynamite.

Andrade El Idolo comes in to see Darby Allin and offer him a contract. Allin didn’t realize that Andrade really believed Allin worked for Sting before talking about how money doesn’t matter. Andrade leaves without incident, saying he’ll talk to Allin’s boss.

Brock Anderson/Lee Johnson vs. FTR

Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard are here too. Johnson uses some power to slow Wheeler down to start before it’s off to Harwood, who can’t do much with Anderson. Brock slips out of a headlock and teases a right hand, making Harwood pause for a breather. Everything breaks down and FTR is sent outside for a pair of dives from Johnson. We take a break and come back with Johnson hitting a neckbreaker but Wheeler cuts off the hot tag attempt.

Then the tag goes through to Anderson a few seconds later, meaning it’s time for the comeback. A suplex takes Harwood down and it’s a gutwrench suplex to plant Wheeler. Harwood gets knocked off the apron, leaving Wheeler to get DDTed. A spinning frog splash gives Johnson two, with Wheeler having to put a foot on the rope. Anderson gets taken outside, leaving Tully to get into a staredown with Arn. Tully gets punched out, but it’s a spike piledriver to finish Johnson at 9:57 back inside.

Rating: C. Anderson and Johnson had no chance here but they lasted long enough to make this an old Superstars level main event. Anderson has improved some since he was last on television and Johnson can put in a good effort when he is given the chance. That is what we got here, but ultimately FTR wasn’t going to be in any real danger.

Thunder Rosa and Mercedes Martinez are ready to end each other next week.

We look at Serena Deeb beating up Hikaru Shida and putting her on the shelf.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Julia Hart

Cargill is defending and doesn’t seem to mind when Hart jumps her early on. Hart’s forearms are shrugged off and Cargill gets in some situps. Back up and Hart charges at her in the corner, setting up a hurricanrana for two. That earns her a kick to the face, setting up Jaded to retain the title at 2:24.

We get the face to face interview, with Christian Cage mocking Matt Hardy’s handling of Private Party. Matt yells back at him, with Jungle Boy saying there is no comparison between the two of then and they’re about to prove it.

Tag Team Titles: Private Party vs. Jurassic Express

Private Party is challenging and has more of the AHFO outside. Before the bell, the champs get in an argument with the Gunn Club at ringside, allowing Private Party to jump them from behind. It’s Gin and Juice for an early two on Jungle Boy and a neckbreaker gets the same as we take an early break.

Back with Luchasaurus getting crotched against the post so Kassidy can miss a charge into the barricade. Luchasaurus gets back in but Hardy sends Kassidy back inside to break up the tag. That’s fine with Luchasaurus, who keeps walking towards the corner, with Private Party grabbing a leg apiece. The hot tag brings in Jungle Boy to clean house, including some dives to take Private Party out.

Back in and Kassidy hits an enziguri for two, which sets up a Doomsday Device. That’s fine with Jungle Boy, who counters into something like a tabletop suplex to send Quen crashing down. Luchasaurus comes back in but gets taken down by the Silly String for two. The Snare Trap goes on but Quen breaks it up with the shooting star (with commentary thinking that might have taken a bit too long). Gin and Juice is loaded up but Jungle Boy reverses into a Canadian Destroyer. The Throwassic Express retains the titles at 7:14.

Rating: B-. Another good match here as Jurassic Express keeps mowing down teams. They’re trying something different with these guys, as the idea seems to be to get them in the ring a lot more frequently. That isn’t a bad way to go, as it is going to make whoever takes the titles from them look that much better. Good main event here, with the Express being put to another test.

Post match the Gunn Club comes in and lays out Jurassic Express to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Another packed yet still rather good edition this week, with nothing bad and a lot of hard work, as usual. That’s about all you can ask for out of Rampage, though it would still be nice to see them let the show breathe a little more. They do get a lot out of their time though and the ending sets up the next mini feud for Jurassic Express. Good show this week.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Anthony Bowens – Paradigm Shift
FTR b. Brock Anderson/Lee Johnson – Spike piledriver to Johnson
Jade Cargill b. Julia Hart – Jaded
Jurassic Express b. Private Party – Throwassic Express to Quen

 

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: July 28, 2021
Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

It’s another huge show with Fight For The Fallen. The card is stacked again, including the IWGP US Title, the ten man elimination match, and the mainstream debut of Nick Gage. The latter is going to get the most attention for the sake of freak show appeal, which may or may not be a disaster. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the card.

We get a video on what it means to be a cowboy, which seems to mean being loyal to your friends and ready to fight.

Elite vs. Dark Order/Hangman Page

After hearing about how serious this is and seeing how Omega and company looked scared of facing Page, the Elite has a full on Space Jam theme, complete with music, basketballs and Elite Squad jerseys. It does seem to be a sponsored deal though, which makes things a bit better. At least they’re getting paid for turning another big match into a joke of some kind. Anderson and Page start but everything breaks down in a hurry, with a superplex from the top taking down the pile on the floor.

Back in and the Good Brothers get caught in the corner until a Stunner/running clothesline combination gets two on Anderson. A rollup with trunks gets rid of Alex Reynolds at 3:53. The rest of the Dark Order and Page surround Anderson and a quick Fatality evens things up at 4:50. We take a break and come back with Grayson enziguring Gallows with Omega having to make a save. A bunch of people go outside and Grayson tries a skytwister press to take everyone down, though they didn’t exactly catch him. Gallows kicks Grayson over the barricade but gets taken down as both guys are counted out at 11:15.

Back in and Uno’s Downward Spiral gets two on Omega but the Swanton only hits knees. The V Trigger into the One Winged Angel gets rid of Uno at 12:30, leaving us with Page/Silver vs. Omega/Young Bucks. Silver spears Matt and hammers away until Matt pokes him in the eye. A bulldog plants Silver again and a leg lariat drops him as well as we take a break. Back with Silver getting to clean house until Omega is back in to take him down.

Silver is sent outside as the basketball goal is loaded up. The Indytaker, with a missed dunk, plants Silver on the floor and the academic pin gets rid of him at 19:05. Page is left on his own and Omega takes off the jersey to make it serious. They slug it out until a V Trigger into a pair of superkicks rocks Page. There’s the Snapdragon into a triple superkick for two. Page gets draped in the ropes for the 450 but he is back with a double clothesline to the Bucks.

The moonsault onto the floor takes out all of the Elite and Nick is grabbing his knee. Back in and the Buckshot Lariat is broken up, as is the Indytaker. A double Buckshot Lariat gets rid of Matt at 23:58 so Omega grabs the belt. That’s countered into the Deadeye for two but Nick grabs the leg so Omega can get in the belt shot….for two. A pair of V Triggers get two and the One Winged Angel finishes Page at 25:37.

Rating: B. I love the Survivor Series and it was so nice to have something on the line in one of these things for a change. The action was good and there was little reason for the Elite to have trouble against the Dark Order. The end result is not likely to be permanent and that’s fine, as Page can still get the shot and the title at All Out somehow. Good match, and if AEW can make some money off of the Space Jam deal, so be it.

Pac isn’t worried about the Lucha Bros not being here so here are Chavo Guerrero, Andrade and the interpreter to say the Bros are coming in a limo. Chavo explains the idea of a limo and Andrade says (I think) that they better be ready to fight.

Taz introduces Ricky Starks for his FTW Championship Celebration. A band plays Starks to the ring, where he talks about how worthless Brian Cage has been. Cage never even checked on him when he had a broken neck because Cage is a selfish guy. Starks is a star, which Cage didn’t figure out in seventeen years. Cue Cage to beat up the band and chase Starks off.

Hiroshi Tanahashi wants to be the IWGP US Champion and is challenging the winner of tonight’s match. That’s a big cameo.

Santana/Ortiz vs. FTR

This should be great with Konnan and Tully Blanchard at ringside. Ortiz and Wheeler feel each other out to start until it’s off to Santana and Harwood for the slugout. A few Amigos give Santana two and everything breaks down, with a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination dropping Harwood. We take a break and come back with Ortiz getting the tag to clean house, including a powerbomb to Harwood out of the corner.

An O’Connor roll gets two on Harwood but the kickout sends Ortiz onto Wheeler on the floor. Back in and a powerbomb into a frog splash gets two on Harwood. A forearm just angers Santana, who snaps off a German suplex. Everything breaks down and Wheeler springboard tornado DDTs Ortiz. Santana powerbombs Harwood for two and they’re both down.

Back up and Harwood superplexes Ortiz, who reverses the landing into a small package for two. As the cover goes down, you can see Wheeler grabbing his arm and walking towards the back, which does not seem to be a good sign. Harwood is back up with a kick to the ribs and the brainbuster to finish Ortiz at 11:05. That felt really sudden and the injury might be a reason.

Rating: B-. This was the good, hard hitting match that you would expect with the arm injury likely cutting things short. Fair enough if that’s the case and hopefully it is a bad cut instead of a major injury. What we got here was good and I can’t blame them a bit for having a sudden ending if someone got hurt. Just bad luck and hopefully Wheeler is ok.

Post match Harwood goes over to check on Wheeler, who is surrounded by medics and is bleeding from the arm.

Britt Baker knows Nyla Rose is tough but she made Rose tap out last week with a broken wrist. She’s awesome, because she’s Britt Baker DMD.

Tony Schiavone announces that the second Rampage (August 20) will take place in the United Center in Chicago for the First Dance. Fans: “CM PUNK!”

Darby Allin says he’ll be in Chicago. He has heard people talking about being the greatest, and you can prove that in AEW. Come prove that you are the…..best in the world.

IWGP US Title: Hikuleo vs. Lance Archer

Hikuleo is challenging and has his father, Haku, in his corner. Archer hammers away on the taller Hikuleo but gets clotheslined out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Archer in trouble after Haku used the Tongan Death Grip during the break. Archer fights back with the Old School moonsault to rock Hikuleo again. A top rope superplex connects for two, setting up the Blackout to retain at 7:14.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it was more about the spectacle than anything else. Haku was a fine legend appearance and it was nice to have them show the Tongan Death Grip….eventually. Archer vs. Tanahashi (confirmed to be in Japan rather than here) will be good and this was a nice way to set that up.

Cody Rhodes is in the back for an interview but Malakai Black jumps him from behind. They fight into the arena with Black kicking him in the face. Some other wrestlers come out to check on him but Black kicks Fuego del Sol out as well.

Miro is ready for next week’s open challenge for the TNT Title, but no one is going to be taking the title from him. He is blessed with this title and a double joined wife, so come get it.

Hardy Family Office vs. Christian Cage/Luchasaurus/Jungle Boy

That would be Angelico/Private Party for the Office, the rest of whom is at ringside along with Marko Stunt. Boy and Angelico start things off with Angelico sending him outside. Hardy hits him in the face, so Christian and Stunt chase Hardy to the back. That leaves it 3-2 so Boy brings in Luchasaurus to clean house. Private Party flips out of a double chokeslam but Christian is back…and gets kicked outside. Boy dives onto Angelico and Kassidy, leaving Quen to get chokeslammed. Christian’s frog splash is good for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, as the Christian vs. Hardy feud isn’t doing anything for me. I’ll take bringing in other people to spice it up a bit though, especially if that doesn’t involve Stunt in the ring. It’s quite the downgrade for Boy after his World Title feud, but Christian is looking better week to week.

Post match, the Blade sneaks in to deck Christian with the brass knuckles.

Julia Hart vs. Thunder Rosa

Big reaction for Rosa in her first match as an official member of the roster. Rosa takes her down with ease to start but Hart pops up to wave at the fans. That earns her another takedown, meaning Hart needs a rope break. A running clothesline knocks Hart down in the corner and the slingshot knees make it worse. Rosa misses a charge but is fine enough to grab a kneebar. Hart makes the rope again so it’s a Fire Thunder Driver to give Rosa the pin at 4:02.

Rating: D+. This was a squash and not the most interesting one. Hart is very, very green but she plays the cheerleader well. Rosa getting to maul someone that innocent and sweet is a good idea and made her look like a monster all over again. Not a competitive match or anything, but it didn’t need to be.

Jon Moxley talks about how everything changed when he lost the IWGP US Title last week. No one seems to be caring about him anymore, but no matter because he wants Hiroshi Tanahashi. Moxley will be waiting on the other side of the Forbidden Door.

Nick Gage vs. Chris Jericho

No rules and Jericho is the Painmaker. MJF, with popcorn, joins commentary. Gage wastes no time in cutting Jericho’s arm open with the pizza cutter and the slugout is on. A spinebuster puts Jericho down and they head outside to slug it out. Back in and Gage hits a superplex, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two. Jericho gets the Walls out of nowhere so Gage grabs the rope….which has no effect so he has to crawl out of the ring to escape instead.

They go outside with Gage grabbing the light tubes but Jericho has Floyd the baseball bat. Jericho bats him down but Gage hits a chokebreaker. The pizza cutter is out again and Jericho’s head is carved up. We take a break and come back with Gage bridging a pane of glass between two chairs. The Vader Bomb takes too long though and Jericho hurricanranas him through the glass for two instead.

The Codebreaker is countered into a spinebuster onto the glass and Jericho screams a lot. Back to back light tube shots have Jericho in trouble and it’s time to stab Jericho in the head with the broken tubes. Gage grabs another one, but Jericho hits him with the mist. Tubes to the head rock Gage and the Judas Effect gives Jericho the pin at 12:45.

Rating: D. Your tastes may vary here (and I’m sure they will) but deathmatches are not my thing. Hey look he’s using light tubes! Well now he’s using MORE light tubes! I’m a bit conflicted here though, because on one hand, the light tubes are stupid. On the other hand, my dad worked in a light bulb factory for 45 years so……this kind of thing paid for me to go to college so I have to feel a bit guilty about part of it. The match was still bad though so it makes up for a bit of the trouble.

Post match MJF says that the next labor is going to involve Jericho hitting a move off the top. We see a clip of Jericho and MJF arguing in 2019, with Juventud Guerrera being referenced. Next week it’s Jericho vs. Guerrera, in Guerrera’s first appearance on TNT in fifteen years. Not exactly, but math isn’t AEW’s deal. They didn’t say it, but I’m guessing Jericho has to hit a 450?

Overall Rating: B. The best thing I can say about this show is it flew by. Dynamite is not a boring show and even the main event felt fast. There is something very positive to be said about seeing that it is 9:15 and wondering where the show has gone. Stories were advanced, the opener was good and we’re done with Gage (in theory). What more can you ask for in two hours? Other than less Gage and a healthy Wheeler of course.

Results
Elite b. Hangman Page/Dark Order last eliminating Page
FTR b. Santana/Ortiz – Brainbuster to Ortiz
Lance Archer b. Hikuleo – Black Out
Christian Cage/Luchasaurus/Jungle Boy b. Hardy Family Office – Frog splash to Quen
Thunder Rosa b. Julia Hart – Fire Thunder Driver
Chris Jericho b. Nick Gage – Judas Effect

 

 

 

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: June 18, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Jim Ross, Taz

The Friday series continues with a special match inside an MMA cage. That may or may not be your taste, but it is certainly something different, which you have to do at some point. This time around it is Jake Hager vs. Wardlow, which is about as logical of a move as you can get. Let’s get to it.

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

Jake Hager vs. Wardlow

Chris Jericho and Shawn Spears are the seconds here and it is a full octagon, complete with cage. Justin Roberts does his best Bruce Buffer impression, which makes me scared to hear his worst. Wardlow makes sure to turn his back on Hager during the intros, just to show off a bit more. We have three five minute rounds here and you can only win by submission or knockout (no judges).

They circle each other for a bit to start until Hager starts going with the striking. Wardlow doesn’t seem to know what to do with him here as Hager hits a few shots and then walks off to let Wardlow think about it. Hager’s attempt at a double leg gets him tossed away with raw power so Hager tries it again, this time with more success.

Wardlow blocks a kick to the ribs and hits him in the face, followed by a double leg takedown. Some right hands on the mat have Hager a bit more woken up but Wardlow easily wins a slugout. A Superman punch off the cage has Hager rocked and Warlow unloads on him until the round ends.

We start the second round with Hager in big trouble so he tries the grappling. That earns him another trip to the mat with Wardlow hammering away. A cross armbreaker is broken up so Hager floats over into a cover for some right hands to the face. Now Hager’s cross armbreaker is blocked but he grabs a triangle to put Wardlow in more trouble. That’s broken up so Hager grabs an ankle lock, which is broken up with a kick to the chest.

Back up and Wardlow powerbombs him into the cage, followed by a running hurricanrana. A spear lets Wardlow hammer away but Hager pulls him into the head and arm choke. Wardlow powers up but it’s a Rock Bottom right back into the hold in the middle of the ring. Hager cranks away as Wardlow flips off Jericho and passes out at 4:00 into the second round (10:00 total).

Rating: B-. I’m really not sure what to call something like this as it was a wrestling/MMA hybrid. It helps that they had someone who knows how to do that style in the face place and didn’t bother going far too long with the thing. Keep something like this relatively short and go with more wrestling than MMA and it will work out, which is what they did here.

Post match respect is teased but Spears comes in to jump Hager. Jericho comes in but the beatdown is on, with MJF coming in to put Jericho in the Salt of the Earth. Cue Dean Malenko for the save so MJF hits him as well. Now it’s Sammy Guevara coming in for the real save to clear the cage.

Frankie Kazarian, Penta and Eddie Kingston are ready for the Elite tonight, with Kazarian quoting the Bible about letting God take care of vengeance. He doesn’t quite agree with that because it is time to take out the Elite tonight. Kingston says pray to your God to take your souls because your a**** belong to them. Penta: “Cero miedo!”.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Team Taz, minus Brian Cage, knows there are issues with the team but let’s focus on Hangman Page. He won a handicap match last week so let’s have Page vs. Powerhouse Hobbs next week.

Men Of The Year vs. Darby Allin

Allin has asked Sting to not be here. Ethan Page starts for the team and gets taken down with an early springboard armdrag. Allin takes him down again but a cheap shot puts him down. A hard toss sends Allin into the corner and it’s off to Sky as we take a break. Back with Sky hitting a backbreaker but Allin grabs a rollup for two. Page taunts Allin over having no one to tag but Allin manages a Scorpion Death Drop. It’s back to Sky as Allin tags himself and hits a Code Red for two.

The referee doesn’t like the double teaming so Allin whips out a zip tie to tie up Page’s legs. Some rollups get two on Sky and the flipping Stunner is good for the same, with Page making the save. Page finds a tool box to cut himself free and there’s a hard posting to knock Allin silly. Back in and Page takes him up top but Allin bites the hand to escape. That earns him a crotching from Sky, setting up the Ego’s Edge to finish Allin at 11:58.

Rating: C. The zip tie was clever but I can’t bring myself to get into Page and Sky. They’re the definition of just there for me and that makes for some pretty weak appearances. That being said, they needed the win here and are the kind of team who should be bragging about winning a handicap match. Allin looked stupid for taking the match, but he has never been presented as the brightest guy.

Cezar Bononi vs. Orange Cassidy

The Wingmen and the Best Friends are all at ringside. Bononi throws Cassidy into the corner to start and forces Cassidy’s hands into his pockets. Cassidy gets tossed outside so the Wingmen can spray tan him. Back in and Bononi throws him outside again, where they mess with Cassidy’s hair and put him in Ryan Nemeth’s HUNK jacket.

Bononi joins him for a change and this time Cassidy jumps onto him, only to get caught. The Best Friends finally get involved and put Cassidy’s glasses on him, setting up the huge toss dive (with the Wingmen standing there while it is being set up). Back in and the Orange Punch finishes Bononi at 5:14.

Rating: D-. Yeah I know I’m old and don’t know how to have fun but this was absolutely not for me. The idea of Peter Avalon having a stable is an even bigger stretch than QT Marshall and this was just a mess. Way too many people running around and the Wingmen standing there for ten seconds while the Best Friends set something up made it even worse. I know a lot of people love Cassidy and that’s all well and good, but this really did not work for me.

Kenny Omega and Don Callis run into Jungle Boy, with Omega saying that Boy tarnished his image last week. Omega doesn’t like being disrespected and is ready to fight right now. Boy gets ready but Michael Nakazawa gets in a cheap shot from behind. Boy fights back so the villains run to their golf cart, with Omega kicking Nakazawa off and shouting he’ll get Boy next week. Omega: “NEXT WEEK!!!” Eh points for a Dr. Claw moment.

The Hardy Family Office thinks there might have been some people working together in the Casino Battle Royal. Matt Hardy doesn’t like Christian Cage, who pops up to try and go after him. Cage gets locked in….well in a cage actually, with Hardy offering him a deal to stop this, but Cage doesn’t seem interested.

Brock Anderson/Cody Rhodes vs. Aaron Solow/QT Marshall

This is Brock (Arn’s son) debut and he does not exactly have the most impressive physique. He takes Solow down to start so Marshall comes in instead. Brock grabs Marshall by the arm so it’s right back to Solow, with Cody diving onto Marshall. Back in and Cody can’t grab an armdrag so Solow takes him into the corner. That doesn’t last long so Brock comes back in for some gutwrench suplexes, only to walk into Marshall’s spinebuster.

We take a break and come back with Brock getting out of the corner and diving over to Cody. Solow is smart enough to offer a distraction though, meaning the referee doesn’t see it. A belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination gets two on Brock but he avoids a charge and gets over to Cody for the hot tag. House is cleaned in a hurry as everything breaks down. Cody takes Marshall out to the ramp and Brock jacknife rolls Solow up for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C-. This is a tricky one as it was Brock’s debut and it’s not quite fair to grade him like a seasoned veteran. That being said, if he wasn’t Arn’s son, he would be laughed out of most tryouts. He had no physique to speak of and was as generic of a guy in trunks as you could ask for. The match wasn’t bad due to how fast paced they kept things, but Brock needs to be a one off for the time being.

Jake Roberts says Lance Archer couldn’t be a doctor because he has no patience.

Earlier today, JR sat down with Andrade El Idolo and asked him why he’s here in AEW. Andrade says that he deserves an opportunity at the top titles around here. JR brings up Vickie Guerrero, with Andrade saying they’re perfect together because they both come from big wrestling families. But wait, because they have a surprise.

The Dark Order is happy because John Silver’s shoulder is healed. Hangman Page doesn’t want to talk about the World Title, but he would like to praise Evil Uno for his work last week.

Julia Hart vs. Penelope Ford

Haven’t seen Ford in a bit. Hart gets headlocked down to start and sent to the apron for a slingshot knee drop. We take an early break and come back with Hart hitting her clotheslines but she misses a running version in the corner. Ford tries a flipping clothesline but gets caught in a sunset flip for two. Ford’s next clothesline connects for two and she catches Hart’s kick to the ribs. A slap sets up a fireman’s carry gutbuster but Ford misses a moonsault. Hart misses a split legged moonsault though and it’s a Muta Lock to give Ford the win at 7:08.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here and that sequence in the corner was nearly brutal. Ford hasn’t been around for a bit but she is still a big enough deal to beat Hart, who has mainly been a manager. This wasn’t exactly good, but it was a fair enough way to bring Ford back onto the show.

Post match the hold stays on so the Varsity Blondes make the save. Miro runs in to go after Brian Pillman Jr. and they have to be held apart. I could go for this.

Vickie Guerrero interrupts Britt Baker and Reba to say they smell bad and like cheeseburgers. She has done them a favor and set up the two of them against Nyla Rose and herself next week. Britt certainly approves.

Video on FTR vs. Santana/Ortiz. They come from different parts of the country and both of them know how tough they are. FTR brags about having accomplished more in six months than Santana and Ortiz have in two years, so their next win will be another notch in their legacy. No date is given, but FTR not having a regular tag match on Dynamite since February needs to be fixed soon.

Mark Sterling and Jade Cargill have a deal with a hotel in Toronto so her opponents can have a place to recover. She is going to continue her winning streak because she is that b****.

Matt Jackson/Good Brothers vs. Frankie Kazarian/Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo

Don Callis joins commentary as the Nick Jackson and Brandon Cutler are at ringside. Matt takes Kazarian down to start so it’s off to Penta to clean a bit of house. Kingston comes in to brawl to the floor with Gallows as everything breaks down. We take a break and come back with Kingston hitting a release belly to belly on Matt for a breather.

The hot tag brings in Penta to wreck things, including a kick to put Anderson on the floor and a big flip dive onto both Brothers. Everything breaks down with Matt getting hit with something from everyone, capped off by Angel’s Wings from Kazarian with Gallows making the save. The Magic Killer is broken up but Anderson kicks Penta in the face. The Backstabber out of the corner drops Anderson but Nick Jackson sprays the cold stuff into Penta’s eyes. A top rope neckbreaker gives Anderson the pin on Penta at 14:02.

Rating: C-. These Buck matches are getting rougher and rougher, as they continue to survive against everyone while getting the last laugh. It’s ok to give up something at some point, especially in a match where the team isn’t even together. The match was also all over the place and never stopped moving, which was a bit much here. It’s ok to slow things down a bit, but that was never going to be the case for these guys.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t one of their better shows but the energy remained high and there was enough good stuff in there to carry it. You still get the feeling that these shows are a little less important than others, but again, what are you expecting from a show ending at midnight on a Friday in the middle of June? AEW is just riding this time out and that makes sense given the situation they’re in at the moment.

With all that being said, this show really, really needs to cut down on the amount of people they include every week. There are just WAY too many people on this show, with most of them in factions. You had six groups (Inner Circle, Pinnacle, Best Friends, Wingmen, Nightmare Family, Nightmare Factory) featured in the first four matches. It’s overwhelming and having so many people out there distracts from the ones who are supposed to be featured. Just cool it down a bit and let the people with the star power shine instead of having an entourage for everyone.

Results
Jake Hager b. Wardlow – Head and arm choke
Men of the Year b. Darby Allin – Ego’s Edge
Orange Cassidy b. Cezar Bononi – Orange Punch
Brock Anderson/Cody Rhodes b. Aaron Solow/QT Marshall – Jackknife rollup to Solow
Penelope Ford b. Julia Hart – Muta Lock
Good Brothers/Matt Jackson b. Frankie Kazarian/Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo – Top rope neckbreaker to Penta

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: May 5, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

We are less than three weeks away from Double Or Nothing and the card is pretty much non-existent so far. You can probably guess where things are going, but it would be nice to start setting things up. Now, forget about all of that because it’s BLOOD & GUTS, which is going to be one of the biggest matches in Dynamite history, as we get an old fashioned WarGames match with the Pinnacle vs. the Inner Circle. Let’s get to it.

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

We even have a parental advisory on this one. Oh yeah this is going to be big.

Michael Nakazawa/Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston

Hold on though as Don Callis says Kenny Omega isn’t here tonight so Nakazawa (in his work clothes with the headset, because apparently he is too stupid to know he has a match) can wrestle it alone. Commentary says they saw Omega here earlier today as Moxley and Kingston make their entrances….and get jumped from behind by Omega. Nakazawa hammers on Moxley to start and Omega comes in to send him into the corner.

That’s too much for Moxley, who comes in to knock Nakazawa down as well. An Omega distraction lets Nakazawa hit Kingston low ans the double teaming in the corner is on again. The Kitaro Crusher gives Omega two but Kingston comes back with the chops out of the corner. An enziguri puts Kingston back down but he comes back with a clothesline.

That’s enough for the hot tag to Moxley and house is cleaned in a hurry. A German suplex into a piledriver gets two on Nakazawa with Omega making the save. Moxley chokes Nakazawa as Kingston holds Omega off, but Omega walks out instead of coming in. A half nelson suplex/running clothesline combination finishes Nakazawa at 8:04.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what you were expecting from this match as Kingston and Moxley are top level stars and they were in a glorified handicap match. I’m still not sure why Moxley and Kingston wanted this match instead of a title match of some kind but logic can be iffy in wrestling at best. It went as you probably would have expected though, and thankfully they didn’t go in some weird direction.

Post match here are the Young Bucks (looking like they raided a Hawaiian shirt store) for a distraction, allowing the Good Brothers to come in for the beatdown. Kenny Omega and Brandon Cutler come in as well, with Omega giving Kingston the One Winged Angel.

Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall

Arn Anderson and the Nightmare Factory are here too. Cody starts fast and hammers away, including the drop down uppercut. It’s time for the belt but the referee takes it away, allowing Marshall to pull out his own belt and get in a whipping. Cody fights back and heads up top, only to have Marshall run the corner for a superplex back down. A German suplex drops Cody again so Marshall sends him outside.

For some reason Marshall thinks it is a good idea to go after Anderson, who sends him into the post and crushes Marshall’s head against the steel. That’s good fro an ejection and we take a break. Back with Cody chopping away until stereo crossbodies put them both down. Marshall kicks him down but Cody pulls his trunks for a little blurring, followed by a DDT to plant Marshall again.

The Cody Cutter is countered into the Cross Rhodes to give Marshall two Marshall calls for a Diamond Cutter but Cody fights out, only to get buckle bombed. Cody reverses a Tombstone but Marshall reverses a Tombstone but Cody reverses a Tombstone into one of his own for two more. Cross Rhodes gets two more on Marshall so Cody, with his eye bleeding, puts on the Figure Four for the tap at 12:08 (which Cody promised he wouldn’t do to Marshall when this started).

Rating: B. And that should be it for Marshall, as he was built up for one match and then lost. That is probably for the best as there is very little that is going to make me care about Marshall as anything more than a low level midcarder who is a good hand in the ring. In other words, it’s a similar situation to Cody vs. Shawn Spears from a little over a year ago.

Post match, Anthony Ogogo comes in to drop Cody.

We look back at Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page jumping Sting and Darby Allin last week.

Sky says that Steve’s time is over and SHOWTIME is done. Page talks about his history with Allin, but admits no one has seen their matches. The face paint is there to cover a dent he left in Allin’s face and the metal in his elbow is from Page as well. Cue Allin to jump both of them, including climbing a ladder to hit a Coffin Drop on Page. Sky hits Allin with a trashcan though and they send Allin HARD down a flight of stairs for a scary looking crash. The medic comes in to check on Allin, who is holding his arm.

Britt Baker vs. Julia Hart

Baker starts fast with a Sling Blade and an Air Raid Crash. Lockjaw finishes Hart at 1:28. As effective as you would need it to be.

We get a new Technique With Taz, breaking down and criticizing Christian’s bad leg strength and footwork. Christian will be in trouble against Brian Cage.

Jurassic Express vs. Varsity Blonds vs. SCU vs. Acclaimed

The winners get a future Tag Team Title shot, even though SCU seemed to secure one last week. Caster’s rap says the Varsity Blonds are going to be on Dark Side of the Ring in ten years. Kazarian takes Jingle Boy down to start but he comes back up with a headlock. That goes as long as the average headlock is going to go so Boy grabs a backslide for two instead. Caster and Pillman tag themselves in as everything breaks down to send us to a break. Back with Caster getting two on Daniels and Bowens coming in for a belly to back suplex.

Daniels fights out of the corner though and grabs a running STO but Luchasaurus tags himself in to clean house. Pillman gets chokeslammed and Garrison is chokeslammed onto him but Kazarian comes in to chop away. Everything breaks down again and Boy plants Pillman but gets caught on top. Daniels dives off the apron for a Downward Spiral to take Luchasaurus down to the floor, leaving Kazarian to clothesline Boy down. Pillman rolls Kazarian up for two but Daniels is back in for the BME to finish Pillman for the pin and the title shot at 9:10.

Rating: C+. I’m never sure what to make of these things as you can only get so much out of eight people out there flying around and doing their thing. SCU winning was the obvious ending and the only right way to go, though I really can’t imagine them getting the titles back next week. Still though, fun match with the energy you would have expected.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Yuji Nagata. Moxley is ready to fight him and respects no one. Uh, yay New Japan (I’m aware that Nagata is a legend).

Kenny Omega, with Nakazawa holding his belts, comes out to hype up Blood & Guts but he isn’t overly interested. He would rather find out who he is facing at Double Or Nothing, so Tony Schiavone announced a #1 contenders match between Orange Cassidy and Pac for next week.

Omega laughs off the idea of Cassidy being in the match but here is Cassidy to interrupt. That sends Omega into a less than serious speech about how Cassidy is a joke who ripped off Omega’s sunglasses look. Omega takes the sunglasses and gives them to Nakazawa, because they look better on him anyway. Cassidy can come see him when he grows up in about ten years. I’m curious about Pac vs. Omega. Cassidy vs. Omega headlining a pay per view though….egads.

Here’s Miro to say that he is facing Darby Allin for the TNT Title next week, no matter how injured Allin is. Miro is going to make him even more injured.

Pinnacle vs. Inner Circle

Blood & Guts, meaning WarGames with the same rules: each team sends in one man for five minutes. After the time is up, the team with the advantage (Pinnacle) sends in its second man for a two minute advantage). The teams alternate until everyone is in and then it’s first submission wins. Sammy Guevara starts for the Circle and walks into Dax Harwood’s spinebuster for….well a cover but no count as Harwood’s instincts took over for a bit there.

Sammy hits a springboard kick to the face and they head outside of the ring (with a bit of space between the ring and the cage) to send Harwood into the cage over and over. The beating continues (with Sammy’s arm cut) until Shawn Spears comes in with a chair to give the Pinnacle an advantage. A Sky High plants Sammy and the VERY bloody Harwood is up to chair Sammy in the head. The beating continues until Ortiz is in to even things up. House is cleaned and Sammy is back up on the top (as in the middle of the rope).

Harwood winds up on the other rope and Ortiz tosses a chair at his back, sending Harwood into the super Spanish Fly. Things slow down a bit until Cash Wheeler gives the Pinnacle the advantage again. An assisted brainbuster plants Ortiz and Sammy gets sent into the cage. Spears puts Sammy in a Sharpshooter and Ortiz gets Gory Bombed into the cage. That’s enough to have him fall down between the cage and the mat to send him to the floor.

Santana comes in to start cleaning house, including a swinging Rock Bottom on Wheeler. We take a break and come back with Wardlow in as well (and Ortiz back in the ring) to clean house. Jake Hager evens things up again and starts wrecking everyone, including making Spears tap to the ankle lock. We get the big Hager vs. Wardlow showdown with Hager being sent over the ropes and then into the cage.

They keep fighting by the steel and it’s MJF coming in to complete the Pinnacle. Hager gets taken out at the knee as Wheeler is bleeding from the face as well. Chris Jericho comes in to complete the entire field and now it’s the big staredown on opposite sides of the rings. They charge at each other and the fight is on with Jericho choking Spears in the corner.

We take another break and come back with the ring mat having been pulled up and a double spike piledriver planting FTR. Sammy goes Coast To Coast with a dropkick into a chair to knocks Spears even sillier. Jericho hits MJF with a turnbuckle ala WarGames 1992 and there’s a fork into MJF’s bloody head. Jericho decks MJF in the forehead but Wardlow is back up to clean some house.

Chair shots and a clothesline take him down so the Inner Circle can pose….as we take a third break. Back with MJF on the roof and Jericho putting on the Walls, only to get caught with a low blow. MJF grabs the Salt Of The Earth until Jericho escapes, only to put it back on again. With that broken up, MJF loads up the Dynamite Diamond to knock Jericho silly. MJF shouts that he is going to throw Jericho off the top unless the Inner Circle surrenders, so Sammy gives it up at 34:19.

Rating: B. It was violent, it was bloody, and above all else, it felt like a WarGames match rather than what we get in NXT (which I also like a lot, despite it not being WarGames). The problem here was the length, as this went on FAR longer than it needed to, making it feel like they were stalling for time. Something to remember: the two (arguably) best received WarGames (1991/1992) both clocked in at less than twenty four minutes. Both this and the NXT versions went on about ten or more minutes longer than they needed to. Go with quality, not quantity.

Now that being said, I had a great time with most of this and was excited coming in. They got the essence of the match a lot better than NXT does and it felt like you were watching a modern WarGames match. If that is what they were going for, then it was certainly a hit and probably the best version in nearly thirty years. For a free TV main event, this was an absolute success, though it did need some adjustments to get to the next level.

Post match, MJF shoves Jericho off the cage and through the steel (completely real steel of course) set. I actually laughed at how weak of a landing that was. They might as well have had a big sign with an arrow pointing to the crash pad. Everyone panics about Jericho as MJF stands on the cage and shouts THANK YOU to Jericho to end the show. If they can’t make those big spots look better, they really need to stop trying them.

Overall Rating: A-. This show was built around one match and that match delivered for about the last 40 minutes of the show. On top of that you had the four way tag and some stuff set up for both the coming weeks and Double Or Nothing. I had a very good time with this show and it felt like something special, which is the point of a show like this. Now it’s time to get ready for Double Or Nothing, but dang they did a nice job of making this feel like an event on its own.

Results

Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston b. Michael Nakazawa/Kenny Omega – Half and half suplex/running clothesline combination to Nakazawa

Cody Rhodes b. QT Marshall – Figure Four

Britt Baker b. Julia Hart – Lockjaw

SCU b. Acclaimed, Varsity Blonds and Jurassic Express – BME to Pillman

Pinnacle b. Inner Circle when Sammy Guevara submitted

 

 

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.