Collision
Date: February 24, 2024
Location: Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We are just over a week away from Revolution and the card seems pretty much set. That allows the remaining shows to focus on some other things, which will be the case again here. In this case we have Bryan Danielson facing another Japanese legend in Jun Akiyama, which should be awesome. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Sammy Guevara vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

No DQ and all of the Don Callis Family is barred from ringside. Guevara tries a knee to the face to start and it’s a Cactus Clothesline out to the floor. Hobbs misses a charge into the barricade but pulls a diving Guevara out of the air. The World’s Strongest Slam onto the steps plans Guevara and Hobbs does a bunch more of them onto the apron. Hobbs feels creative and goes over to steal Kevin Kelly’s belt (various threats are made), meaning Guevara takes a whipping.

Guevara is back up with some chair shots but Hobbs easily tosses him over the barricade. Back in and Guevara sends him onto the steps and it’s time for a pair of tables. Guevara takes too long though and it’s a spinebuster from the apron through the two tables as we take a break.

We come back with Hobbs missing a charge into the corner and getting pulled into the GTH for two. A monitor to the head knocks Hobbs fairly silly and it’s time for another table. Guevara’s springboard is pulled into another World’s Strongest Slam though and Guevara is rocked again. Another table is loaded up and we’ll make that two but Guevara manages a posting for a breather.

A beer bottle to the head puts Hobbs on the table and Guevara breaks a second over Hobbs’ head for a bonus. Now it’s a ladder being set up in the ring so Guevara climbs up and Swantons him through the two tables. Back in (less than a minute after the crash) and Guevara sets up another table but Hobbs shoves the referee to crotch Guevara. The World’s Strongest Slam from the middle rope through the table finishes Guevara at 17:03.

Rating: B-. Jake Roberts once asked why he should bother using the DDT on someone if hitting them with a sledgehammer doesn’t put them down. Hobbs got hit in the head with two beer bottles and took a Swanton from a ladder in the ring through two tables at ringside but was back on offense about a minute and a half later. Why should I believe that any move is going to be able to pin him now? The match was your usual weapons fest with both of them doing whatever they could think of until one move was enough for the pin. It was garbage fun, but not much more than that.

The Blackpool Combat Club talks about how the team came together, including Claudio Castagnoli walking twenty miles from an airport to a gym. They’re not cool with a time limit draw against FTR so they’re in for Revolution. Castagnoli talks about FTR wanting to bring back the past but the Club is the future. Good promo here with the ending tying it together.

FTR vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Harwood and Moriarty start things off but it’s quickly off to Wheeler, who chases Moriarty into the corner. An elbow to the face sets up an armbar on Moriarty before it’s off to Harwood vs. Taylor. Harwood picks up the pace with a slide between the legs but a hard clothesline puts him down. Moriarty is back in for a chop off with Harwood but Taylor runs him over as we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting out of a bearhug, only to have Taylor knee him in the face. Taylor’s middle rope splash though and a diving tag brings Wheeler back in to clean house. Wheeler’s jumping neckbreaker gets two on Moriarty so Taylor punches Wheeler in the face. Harwood makes a blind tag though and it’s a powerbomb/top rope combination to finish Moriarty as Wheeler cuts off Taylor at 10:19.

Rating: B-. That was one of the slickest finishing sequences I’ve seen in a good while as the whole thing from the blind tag to Wheeler picking Moriarty up to the pin was one motion. That is where tag team wrestling can be so fun to watch and FTR does it as well as anyone has in a very long time. Good stuff here as the Promotions were good villains to be vanquished in not quite short order.

Post match FTR talks about how the Blackpool Combat Club can’t get rid of them that easily. People are scared of Jon Moxley but Harwood thinks Moxley is mad because FTR isn’t scared of him. They’ll have to kill FTR to beat them so see you at Revolution.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama as Danielson’s final year tour continues.

Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Bird Monroe

Rosa wrestles her down to start and fires off some chops in the corner, complete with yelling at the camera in Spanish. Monroe’s chops don’t get her anywhere as Rosa hits a running dropkick against the ropes and grabs the Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 2:07.

Stokely Hathaway doesn’t like what Julia Hart and Skye Blue have been saying about Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander. Never mind though as Statlander cuts him off and wants to beat up Blue next week.

Colten Gunn/Jay White/Billy Gunn vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson

Max Caster botches his rap this week and just drops it halfway through. Billy pokes Boulder in the yes to start but run over, only to shove the Savages into each other. Colten comes in but misses the Stinger Splash, earning himself a face first drop onto the top turnbuckle. Boulder comes in for some dancing, only to be low bridged to the floor.

The diving tag brings in White (with Colten bypassing Billy) to clean house, with Bronson accidentally splashing Jameson. Billy comes in with the Fameasser to Bronson….who stands up and jumps over the top rope in one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen. Anyway, White grabs the Blade Runner to finish Jameson at 4:45.

Rating: C-. That bizarre moment from Bronson alone is enough to bring this down as there was only so much good in the first place here. The big thing would seem to be Colten tagging in White instead of Billy, as the two sides of the team might be having issues. That still needs to build towards the unification match at Double Or Nothing, as the titles need to be unified and the show’s name couldn’t be more perfect.

Bryan Danielson puts over Jun Akiyama as one of the best ever. Akiyama is Eddie Kingston’s hero but Danielson doesn’t respect Kingston. If Kingston was doing this promo, he would ramble on and then storm off. Kingston had all of the potential and has wasted it until the last year, which is why Danielson is going to beat him at Revolution. Danielson doesn’t get this fired up very often and it worked.

Malakai Black vs. Bryan Keith

This is Black’s first singles match in AEW since June 2022. Black takes him down by the leg to start but Keith is right back up for a standoff. A suplex into a knee drop gets two on Black, who elbows Keith out to the floor. We take a break and come back with an exchange of forearms until Keith makes the clothesline comeback. A tornado DDT plants Black and they’re both down for a breather.

They slug it out again and go up top, with Black shoving him down. A top rope double stomp into a German suplex gets two on Keith and frustration is setting in. Black Mass misses and Keith Tiger Drivers him for two of his own. Back up and Keith charges into Black Mass (which may be called The End) for the pin at 10:58.

Rating: C+. It was nice to see Black back in the ring on his own for a change and Keith is someone who has been built up as enough of a star to make it feel like something of a challenge. The match was the usual back and forth stuff you would expect from a match like this one but that spinning kick still looks great. Nice return to singles action for Black here, and it would be cool to see it continue.

Post match the lights go out and here is Mark Briscoe with a kendo stick. Briscoe grabs the spike but stabs the turnbuckle pad by mistake. The rest of the House Of Black comes in to beat Briscoe down.

Video on Darby Allin/Sting vs. the Young Bucks.

Serena Deeb vs. Lady Frost

Frost trips her down to start and they go to a test of strength on the match. Deeb reverses that into a cross arm choke and we’re off to a staredown. A dropkick to the back puts Deeb down but she ties up the leg into something of a reverse Figure Four. Frost makes the rope and we take a break.

Back with Deeb snapping off a dragon screw legwhip to stay on the leg before firing off some left hands. A swinging neckbreaker gives Deeb two but Deebtox is broken up. Frost hits something like a spinning Break for two but Deeb hits a hammerlock lariat. A half crab makes Frost tap at 8:42.

Rating: C. The commercial break during the sub-ten minute AEW women’s match has become something of a running joke and unfortunately it isn’t that funny. They weren’t having a classic or anything but it’s annoying to have so much of a match missed due to a commercial. This happens almost all the time and it keeps me from wanting to see what they are doing, which is just hurting the energy of the show.

Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama

Eddie Kingston is on commentary. They go with the standing grappling to start as Kingston talks about how much he loves and respects Akiyama. Danielson takes him up against the ropes for a clean break so Akiyama comes back with some running shoulders. With that not working, Danielson goes after the knee and twists it around on the mat. Akiyama’s cross armbreaker is broken up and Danielson is right back to the knee.

The Muta Lock goes on so Akiyama rakes the eyes for the break. Danielson fights up and sends him outside but the suicide dive is cut off by an elbow to the face. We take a break and come back with Akiyama dropping a knee on the apron but Danielson hits a missile dropkick. The running corner dropkicks connect but Akiyama blasts him with a clothesline. Danielson grabs the LeBell Lock, sending Akiyama straight to the ropes.

Back up and Akiyama knees him out of the air for two but a running knee is countered into a half crab. A German suplex drops Akiyama again, only to have him grab a not locked in guillotine choke. Danielson kicks him in the head and grabs a German suplex, only to have Akiyama exploder suplex him down. Back up and they both try running knees, meaning it’s another double knockdown. Danielson scores with a hard knee to put Akiyama down, setting up the running knee to finish at 15:57.

Rating: B. I don’t think there was much of a surprise here as Akiyama is a legend and Danielson has done rather well with this kind of a match during his current run. It was also nice to have Akiyama tied into the Danielson vs. Kingston feud rather than a random one off match. Akiyama did well here, and it wouldn’t shock me to see him win a quick match elsewhere on AEW just to give him a nice moment.

Respect is shown post match but Danielson flips off Kingston. That’s not cool with Akiyama so Danielson kicks him low. Kingston runs in for the brawl and it’s Claudio Castagnoli running in to beat Kingston down. FTR runs in for the save and yes indeed Tony Khan makes a six man tag in all of three seconds’ notice for Dynamite.

Overall Rating: B-. There was good action here, but a lot of it felt like it was about setting up things for later. That’s a good idea with Revolution just over a week away and I’m getting more excited for the show, meaning things are going well. As usual, Collision was more wrestling based and it went well, with the main event being the highlight, also as usual.

Results
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Sammy Guevara – Super World’s Strongest Slam through a table
FTR b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination to Moriarty
Thunder Rosa b. Lady Bird Monroe – Tijuana Bomb
Colten Gunn/Jay White/Billy Gunn b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Blade Runner to Jameson
Malakai Black b. Bryan Keith – The End
Serena Deeb b. Lady Frost – Half crab
Bryan Danielson b. Jun Akiyama – Running knee

 

 

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GCW vs. DDT
Date: March 31, 2023
Location: Ukranian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Veda Scott

I think the title for this one says it all and that could go in a few different directions. I wasn’t thrilled with the DDT show from earlier in the week and GCW is hit or miss a lot of the time. Shows pitting two promotions against each other can be quite a mess but that’s part of the fun of seeing what they have. Let’s get to it.

Jack Cartwheel/Wasted Youth/Gringo Loco (GCW) vs. Daisuke Sasaki/Kanon/Sanshiro Takagi/Takeshi Masada (DDT)

Wasted Youth is Marcus Mathers/Dyln McKay and this is one fall to a finish. Takagi and Cartwheel start things off and Scott volunteers to be the official cartwheel counter. Cartwheel does a cartwheel and Takagi manages one of his own as I don’t think this is going to be overly serious. It’s already off to Sasaki vs. Mathers with Mathers sending him into the corner and snapmaring him back out.

With that going nowhere, McKay comes in to headlock Masada, who is right back out with a dropkick. McKay is fine enough to come back with a spinning brainbuster for two and everything breaks down. We settle back to Kanon fist dropping onto McKay and it’s back to Takagi to stay on McKay. Some rapid fire chops are enough to get over to Loco for the tag and everything breaks down fast.

Cartwheel hits a big flipping elbow over the top, setting up a big dive to the floor (with a Loco assist). Back in and Kanon chops away at Loco before Sasaki faceplants him down. Takagi is back in for a bunch of Stunners but McKay is there with an enziguri to Masada. Loco adds a moonsault, McKay hits a shooting star press, Mathers puts in a 450 and Cartwheel finishes with a Red Arrow for the pin at 10:39.

Rating: C+ This was a good way to start as you got a nice mixture of the two sides, with GCW getting to showcase themselves a bit. DDT didn’t stand out quite as much, but there is only so much you can do when most of you are in black and getting beaten up in the end. Fun match and they’re on the right path so far.

GCW – 1
DDT – 0

Saki Akai (DDT) vs. Dark Sheik (GCW)

Feeling out process to start as they circle each other until Sheik drops her with a shoulder. Back up and Akai hits a big boot but Sheik kicks her down even harder. A slingshot legdrop into a slingshot hilo keeps Akai down, followed by a splits splash for two. Akai manages to come back with a kick of her own and a high crossbody for two.

Sheik gets her leg swept out so a running knee can give Akai two. They slug it out, including boots to the head, with Akai getting the better of it and knocking her down. Akai grabs the abdominal stretch but Sheik reverses into a small package for the surprise pin to extend the lead at 7:19.

Rating: C. Nice match here as they felt even enough (maybe a slight advantage to Akai) as the good start to the show continues. I’ve seen Akai twice so far and she has done well in both matches, as there is a little something about her that makes you want to keep watching. On the other hand you have Sheik, who seems like she has something going for her and I could go for a few more matches.

GCW – 2
DDT – 0

East West Express (GCW) vs. Moonlight Express (DDT)

That would be Nick Wayne/Jordan Oliver vs. Mao/Mike Bailey. Wayne and Bailey start things off with a standoff so it’s off to Mao to shoulder Oliver (I had been waiting to see him this weekend). A dropkick puts Oliver down so Wayne comes in to help Oliver clear the ring. Naturally that means stereo dives but they try again and get punched out of the air by Bailey and Mao. Back in and Mao hits a springboard knee to keep Oliver in trouble, meaning it’s time to start in on the arm.

Mao rolls him into an abdominal stretch so Wayne makes the save, only to be knocked outside. Bailey moonsaults onto Wayne and Mao moonsaults onto Oliver for two, only to have Oliver blasts Bailey with a clothesline for two. The hot tag brings in Wayne to clean house until Mao drops him hard. Mao literally wiggles his way out of a waistlock but Wayne is back with a handspring Stunner.

It’s back to Oliver to take over on Bailey, including a running boot in the corner and sitout powerbomb for two. Wayne comes back in and gets caught with Bailey’s bouncing kicks. Oliver and Wayne are sent outside and stereo moonsaults from Mao and Bailey (from the same corner, with their arms around each other) drop them again. Wayne is busted open (it’s a bad one too) and it’s a double clothesline into a double hiptoss for two on Bailey.

Mao and Bailey are back with stereo backflip slams (Cameron Grimes does it in NXT) for two each. The Ultimate Weapon hits Oliver but Mao’s 450 hits knees. A tiger suplex gets two with Bailey shoving Wayne into the cover for the save. Wayne is kicked to the floor and the Tornado Driver (something like Aussie Open’s Coriolis) gets a rather close two. Oliver and Bailey trade rollups until a double team middle rope cutter plants Bailey for the pin at 16:20.

Rating: B+. This took its time to get going but I was way into it by the end and they had it rocking. I hadn’t seen these teams together before but you can tell they have the experience and skill to work well together. Heck of a match here and one of the better things I’ve seen so far this weekend.

GCW – 3
DDT – 0

Veda Scott swaps out with someone named Nick Knowledge.

Starboy Charlie (GCW) vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT)

The much bigger Higuchi takes him into the corner and gives Charlie a rub of the head before letting him go. Charlie tries to pick up the pace and goes for the leg, setting up a basement dropkick. Higuchi’s chop takes Charlie down and a running splash gets two. The neck crank goes on but doesn’t keep Charlie down long, leaving Higuchi to knock him down again.

A middle rope elbow hits Charlie for two, so he begs Higuchi not to chop him. That makes Higuchi chop him hard enough to put Charlie down but he’s back up with a Thesz press of all things. Charlie gets sat on top, where he manages to slip through Higuchi’s legs and hit a heck of a powerbomb. For some reason Charlie tries to chop it out, even nipping up when Higuchi knocks him down.

Charlie’s chest is blood red and Higuchi blasts him with a clothesline for two. A missed charge sends Higuchi into the post and out to the floor, allowing Charlie to get in a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and a middle rope corkscrew moonsault gets two, allowing Charlie to pull his straps up….and then right back down.

Higuchi has had it with this and grabs a doctor bomb for two, with the kickout just getting on Higuchi’s nerves. The claw slam is countered into a crossface and Charlie even rolls back into the middle. With the rope not working, Higuchi muscles him up for an Oklahoma Stampede. For some reason Charlie flips him off and gets flattened with a running shoulder. Now the claw slam can finish Charlie at 11:40.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t exactly a great match but it told a story and that made it work. You could see Higuchi go from toying with Charlie to having to put in the work to beat him, making this get more interesting as it went on. Charlie didn’t get in a ton of offense but what he did looked effective, which isn’t easy given the size difference. They pulled me in with this one and that isn’t easy to do so nice job.

GCW – 3
DDT – 1

Veda Scott comes back.

Joey Janela (GCW) vs. Yuki Ueno (DDT)

Ueno shoulders away to start but gets taken into the corner. Janela stomps on the fingers and starts in on the arm, including a hammerlock. Ueno fights out and sends him into the corner before tying him in the ropes. A running faceplant on the apron rock Janela, who is fine enough to come back with a Death Valley Driver for two. Janela sends him outside for the suicide dive, followed by the Fujiwara armbar on the bad arm back inside.

That’s broken up as well but Ueno misses a knee. A superkick just makes Ueno snap off a dropkick for two, only to have Janela hit the brainbuster. Janela goes up top but gets caught with a super hurricanrana. That and a flipping Fameasser (as in a Fameasser with the arm trapped and they flip forward until Janela lands on his face) for the pin at 10:24.

Rating: C. Janela still isn’t the best in the ring but there is a weird charisma to him that makes him watchable. At the same time Ueno is someone who feels like he could be a star with some more experience and seasoning. It didn’t make for the best match, but Ueno’s offense was enough to keep it interesting.

GCW – 3
DDT – 2

Tony Deppen/Homicide (GCW) vs. Tetsuya Endo/Jun Akiyama (DDT)

Akiyama and Homicide look at each other a lot to start before it’s time to exchange wristlocks. It’s too early for Akiyama’s exploder so it’s off to Deppen vs. Endo. Deppen gets caught in a headlock and then gets shouldered to the mat. Deppen is back up for a nice looking dropkick and it’s back to Homicide for a running clothesline. Akiyama comes in and goes to the floor with Homicide instead.

The other two go to the floor as well and we have to go split screen for the double brawls. Homicide bends Akiyama’s fingers before heading back inside where Deppen can wrap the arm around the rope. Biting in the corner has Akiyama in more trouble but he comes back with a jumping knee. Endo comes back in to pick up the pace, including a springboard double clothesline.

Homicide manages a shot to take Endo down though and Deppen comes in off the top with a double stomp for two. Endo Boston crabs Deppen with Homicide grabbing a cutter for the save. That leaves Akiyama to come back in for the throws. With Deppen down, Endo adds the Burning (shooting) Star press for the pin at 12:20.

Rating: C+. Nice enough stuff here as you had a unique styles match here. Homicide can wrestle with just about anyone and Deppen has such a punchable face that it is easy to want to see him get beaten up. Akiyama and Endo both did well too, which shouldn’t be a surprise. I’m not with on a lot of Homicide’s stuff but it meshed well here.

GCW – 3
DDT – 3

Second Gear Crew (GCW) vs. Chris Brookes/Shunma Katsumata/Mizuki Watase (DDT)

The Crew is 1 Called Manders/Matthew Justice/Mance Warner and they get jumped from behind during their entrances. The fight starts on the floor and I’m not sure how much tagging you should expect here. Warner chairs Brookes but Brookes throws it at Warner’s already bleeding head. Back in and Manders takes off his boots to hammer away at some heads, only to run into some Legos (while wearing only socks).

Brookes breaks some kind of bin over Justice’s head and it’s Warner coming back in for a bunch of jabs to Brookes’ face. Warner grabs a ladder and does the helicopter spin until a low blow cuts him off. Katsumata puts the ladder around his own neck but gets picked up and speared down in a big crash. The DDT guys get back up and stack the bins together, setting up a top rope backsplash to drive Justice through the bins (they broke well) and into the Legos for two.

Everyone is back up for the strike offs with DDT taking over. Brookes grabs the staple gun and staples the Crew’s heads, only to have them all fight back. Katsumata gets stapled in a variety of places and now it’s time for the door. The PowerPlex through the door gets two so Manders manages to pick up both of his partners at once (geez). The charge misses though and Manders drives both of them through another door in the corner.

DDT all goes up for a triple Van Terminator and a triple near fall. The doors are set up again on the floor and Katsumata dives off a ladder to drive Justice through them. Back in and the Crew starts swinging doors to take over, followed by a chair to Watase’s head. Watase just screams a lot and sends Warner outside. Manders lariats Katsumata and Warner adds a DDT for the pin at 15:19.

Rating: C. This is the kind of hardcore match that you kind of expect from GCW but they didn’t get into the stupid/over the top stuff that gives the place its reputation. The Crew is a team that feels like they could be a constant in GCW as they work well together and have a good look. The DDT guys were fine, but I absolutely didn’t need to see one of them get chaired in the head like that. Cut that stuff out.

GCW – 4
DDT – 3

We run down some upcoming shows while the ring is cleaned up.

Pheromones (DDT) vs. Bussy (DDT)

That would be Danshoku Dino/Yuhi Ino vs. Effy/Allie Katch and I still have nightmares about that one Pheromones match. After a somewhat personal weapons check, we’re ready to go. Allie and Ino start things off but hang on as Ino needs to pose on the middle rope (Effy seems VERY interested). Allie finally kicks Ino in the gut after nearly two minutes of posing but he takes her down and exposes his nipples.

Effy comes in to face Dino and they lock it up, with Allie having to prevent a kiss. With that not working, Effy goes for a waistlock and Dino bends over. Everything breaks down and Effy is rather pleased with the idea of Ino unzipping his singlet. Dino slaps at Effy’s trunks, with Effy sitting on the buckle for easier access. That finally breaks up and a double atomic drop gets two on Ino.

Effy and Ino have a gyrate off until Ino starts to strip. That means only the jockstrap is left and Effy needs a minute. Dino takes his trunks off too and Effy is officially on their team. The Pheromones do their Merry Go Round deal (it involves rubbing various parts of their bodies over someone’s face) to Allie but Effy throws her aside to take her place. Then Effy takes his own trunks down and makes it a three person Merry Go Round.

Effy breaks up the cover so Allie gets caught in a Boston crab/headscissors, meaning her face goes between Ino’s legs. Effy finally throws some forearms and Allie kicks Ino low as this just keeps going. Allie takes down her own trunks and hits some cannonballs in the corner. A Stunner and Pedigree get stereo near falls because THIS JUST KEEPS GOING. Effy takes Ino into the corner for some hip thrusts to the face before putting him in another corner. A Human Centipede ensues, including various referees, which is finally a no contest at 13:38.

Rating: F. Nope.

GCW – 4
DDT – 3

A triple kiss ensues post match.

Ironman Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko (DDT) vs. Cole Radrick (GCW)

Yoshihiko (still a blow up sex doll) is defending. Radrick shakes her hand to start and gets taken down with a headlock takeover. Another headlock takeover cuts Radrick down and an armdrag sends him to the floor. A big flip dive over the top is pulled out of the air though and Yoshihiko is launched into the wall. They go back to ringside where Yoshihiko hits a tornado DDT on the floor and gets two back inside.

Radrick’s powerbomb attempt is countered into a very spinning headscissors for two. A splash in the corner is broken up and Yoshihiko grabs a super hurricanrana to send Radrick outside. The big flip dive drops Radrick again but he’s fine enough to hit an Air Raid Crash into the corner. It’s time for a door because of course it is, plus a bunch of chairs (some of which land on Yoshihiko).

The door is sat on some tables but Radrick takes too much time to go up, allowing Yoshihiko to sit up. There’s the superplex through the table for two but Radrick is back with a running Death Valley Driver through a door in the corner. Yoshihiko’s piledriver gets two and she throws some chairs at his head. Back up and Radrick Death Valley Drivers her onto a chair for the pin at 14:36.

Rating: C. As was the case in the previous Yoshihiko match, this is a different kind of entertainment and the wrestling really isn’t there. This is all about the fans having a good time and I can give the human points for some creativity with some of this stuff. At the very least, it is something different that the fans like. I won’t argue with anyone who thinks it’s idiotic or a waste of time, but given the other stuff on this show, it was brilliant.

GCW – 5
DDT – 4

Post match they shake hands and Yoshihiko kicks him low. A small package gives her the title back.

Overall Rating: C. This is a tricky one because there is some good stuff on here, but the bad is just so awful that it’s hard to get my head around it. There is a special skill needed to do something that awful and stupid and they managed to pull both of them off here. Other than that and the main event (the ultimate your mileage may vary deal), the rest of the show was up and down, with the tag match being very good but some of the other stuff just being kind of there. I probably won’t be back to DDT anytime soon, but the GCW talent has some potential. Not a great show, but that’s mainly due to a few things rather than the whole.

 

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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DDT Goes Hollywood
Date: March 30, 2023
Location: Ukranian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Veda Scott

This is DDT Pro, a rather interesting Japanese promotion that produced Konosuke Takeshita. The company has quite a bit of good, pure wrestling but also has a tendency to lean into the insane, including a female blow up doll being incredibly popular. I’ve looked at one of their shows before and remember having some fun so hopefully it continues here. Let’s get to it.

Note that I’m coming into this mostly blind. Please forgive me for any mistakes involving history, continuity, characters etc.

37Kamina vs. Chris Brookes/Yoshihiko

37 is Mao (“A f***** up wrestler for a f***** up world!”) and Shunma Katsuma. Yoshihiko is the Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion (parody of the WWF Hardcore Title on a heavy amount of steroids, to the point of well over 1,000 reigns in the title’s history) and….yeah she’s a female sex doll. To be fair, she comes out to the Undertaker’s Corporate Ministry theme (just go with it) so it’s a bit better. Brookes and Katsuma (a foot or so shorter) start things off, with the latter offering to play this entirely straight for one night only.

That results in a handshake being offered and pulled away before Katsuma grabs a wristlock. The rope walk with a bunch of springboards just annoys Brookes, who slaps the leg out to crotch Katsuma down. Brookes gets knocked into the corner though and it’s off to Mao….and Yoshihiko. Mao gets caught in a hard lockup and goes to the ropes for the early break.

We actually get a test of strength with Mao taking her down for some near falls but Yoshihiko bridges up. Yoshihiko grabs a headlock but a pull of the hair (of which there is none) gets Mao out of trouble. Mao sends her outside and rams her into the apron over and over, followed by a HARD powerbomb from the apron to the floor. A brainbuster gets two and it’s back to Katsuma to rake the eyes across the top.

Stomping to the head has Yoshihiko in more trouble but she manages to counter a double suplex into one of her own. That’s enough for the tag off to Brookes for the house cleaning. Brookes grabs a double Octopus hold (ok then) but everything breaks down and Yoshihiko comes back in.

Yoshihiko’s hurricanrana sends Katsuma into a cutter from Brookes but Katsuma fires off kicks to the head. Mao comes back in and gets O’Connor rolled for two (by Yoshihiko) and 37 gets double suplexed. Brookes comes back in to knock 37 to the floor and launches Yoshihiko onto them, setting up the dive. Back in and a double top rope backsplash gets two on Mao, with the kickout sending Yoshihiko to the floor.

Yoshihiko comes back in to slug it out with Mao before a very spinning headscissors into a standing hurricanrana gives Yoshihiko two (the bell rang but the referee had to wave it off). Mao hurricanranas both of them and hits a springboard 450 in the vicinity of Yoshihiko for….one.

A poisonrana into a bridging German suplex plants Mao but Katsuma frog splashes in for the save. Brookes breaks that up until Mao hits a spinning kick to Brookes’ head. Back in and Mao knees Yoshihiko in the face for two as this needs to wrap up. A Blockbuster gives Mao the pin on Yoshihiko (making Mao the Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion) at 18:23.

Rating: C+. This is going to be one of those matches where you either get the joke or hate it and I can easily see both ways. Yes, it’s a total joke and they were doing moves to themselves, but that’s what these fans came to see. It’s a funny joke and some of the athleticism to make it work (as much as it can) is impressive, but it went on a good bit too long here. If this isn’t your thing, I certainly won’t argue as it really isn’t mine either, though it was amusing at times.

Post match Katsuma rolls Mao up for two but Brooks grabs a Jay Driller to pin Mao and win the title for himself. Then Yoshihiko hits three straight Canadian Destroyers to get the title back.

Takagi Army vs. Pheromones

That would be Sanshiro Takagi/Michael Nakazawa vs. Danshoko Dino/Yuki Ino. Takagi has needed help against the Pheromones and wanted help from AEW, who sent Nakazawa (they have a history) over. The Pheromones come out to rather bouncy music and come to the ring in bathrobes to reveal….a lot of pink. Takagi and Ino start things off, with Ino posing on the ropes and exposing some nipple.

Ino takes him down and exposes the other nipple, setting up the tag off to Dino. Nakazawa (in polo shirt, khakis and headset) comes in as well and gets wristlocked over to the ropes. Dino takes Nakazawa down and removes his trunks to reveal a thong. That is sat down onto Nakazawa before Ino comes back in. A slam lets Ino sit down crotch first onto Nakazawa’s face….and then he unzips his gear to reveal a jockstrap (and nothing else) so he can drop down again.

Nakazawa is so serious that he pops up and takes off his own shirt but Ino just strips off the singlet. A spear cuts off Ino’s comeback and it’s back to Takagi, who dropkicks him down. Dino comes back in to help knock Takagi down, allowing the Pheromones to go back to back and rub their….oh I think you get the idea, over Nakazawa’s face. Fans: “WE WANT A*******!”

Ino goes to the top and Takagi sticks his fingers inside of him before putting said fingers in Dino’s face. Nakazawa hits a top rope shoulder for two but misses a charge to go straight into Ino, who is still on top. Takagi gets the same treatment and hold on, as the Pheromones have an offer for Nakazawa. He seems interested, even if he doesn’t understand.

With Ino laid on the mat, Dino pulls out a robe and offers something we can’t hear. Apparently it’s going to be magic, and yes the audience wants to see it. Then Dino kicks him low and sends him face first between Ino’s legs, with the jock strap being the thing that disappears. The jockstrap goes over the referee’s face and the robe is pulled away. The referee calls for the bell at 11:04 for….does it matter?

Rating: F. I’m not going to explain about the lack of humor here (I’m sure some found it funny) but this was in the gross out style of comedy and I’ve never found it funny. It was a bunch of body stuff and nothing more, with Nakazawa somehow being one of the more serious things here. I don’t care for it and that isn’t going to change so we’ll move on.

Post match Dino kisses the referee and a towel appears to cover Ino as he leaves. It’s officially a no contest.

Takeshi Masada/Kazusada Higuchi vs. Andrew Everett/Nick Wayne

Wayne and Masada (the rookie prodigies) start things off with Wayne snapping off a hurricanrana. A double tag brings in Higuchi and Everett (who is dressed like Andre The Giant/The Giant) despite being pretty average size (if not smaller). Everett stands there so Higuchi can chop him, only to have Higuchi block a chokeslam attempt.

Taguchi chops him in the corner and it’s back to Wayne vs. Masada. Wayne takes him down by the arm and cranks away before Everett comes back in. Higuchi is back in as well and runs Everett over before knocking Wayne off the apron. A running powerslam gets two but Everett hits a springboard moonsault to drop Higuchi.

It’s back to Wayne for a breather until Higuchi grabs a brainbuster. Masada comes in and has to avoid Wayne’s cutter before knocking Wayne back down. Everett and Higuchi get to chop it out with Everett grabbing him by the throat. They go up top with Higuchi having to fight off a chokeslam attempt. Instead Everett hits a superkick but Higuchi blocks another chokeslam. The claw slam gives Higuchi the pin at 11:04.

Rating: C+. Maybe it was getting away from….whatever it was earlier but this was a fine change of pace. Wayne certainly has some skill for a seventeen year old but he absolutely needs seasoning. Everett’s chokeslam stuff got annoying fast as it wasn’t exactly a funny gag in the first place. Not a great match, but at least it was wrestling instead of that other stuff.

Respect is shown post match.

Vert Vixen vs. Saki Akai

They look at each other a bit before going into the forearm exchange. Akai hits a running knee to drop Vixen, who is right back with a running Downward Spiral for two. They fight over a suplex with Akai getting the better of it to send her outside. Akai dives onto Vixen before bringing her back inside, where Vixen hits a quick Stunner. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Vixen two so Akai grabs a choke. Vixen is right in the ropes, allowing Akai to knock her down for two. An abdominal stretch flipped over into a slam finishes Vixen at 6:10.

Rating: C-. This was just kind of there and it didn’t have time to work. Maybe they were cut short on time or something but Akai beat her up, took a few moves and then won without much trouble. It felt like something that would be put on a TV show to get Akai over rather than something on a featured show like this. Not bad or close to it, but I’m not sure why they did it this way.

Respect is shown post match.

Joey Janela vs. Tetsuya Endo

Endo’s Universal Title isn’t on the line and Janela is in a Bam Bam Bigelow shirt. They take turns flipping out of wristlocks (Janela isn’t so graceful) before Janela hits a hard chop. A chop off goes to Endo and he dropkicks Janela to the floor. Janela cuts off a suicide dive and neckbreakers him over the middle rope to take over. A brainbuster on the floor knocks Endo silly and it’s a neck crank into a neckbreaker back inside.

Endo manages a forearm in the corner and knocks Janela outside, setting up the Sasuke Special (that’s harder to block). Janela blocks a torture rack bomb back inside and hits a package piledriver for….nothing as Endo is next to the rope. Endo catches him going up and it’s a super C4 for two (Janela kicked out faster than usual there).

This time it’s Endo getting caught up top with Janela hitting a super brainbuster for two of his own. They’re both staggered so they slug it out, with Janela running into a raised boot. They trade German suplexes until Endo grabs a poisonrana. Janela hits a lariat though and they’re both down for a needed breather.

Endo follows him to the apron where he has to escape a Death Valley Driver. Instead it’s a Canadian Destroyer to plant Janela on the apron, followed by a spinning torture rack bomb for two back inside. The Burning (shooting) Star press is finally enough to finish Janela off at 15:30.

Rating: C+. Good fight here but it went longer than it needed to and started to drag by the end. Janela is someone who is much more about presentation and charisma than what he can do in the ring, though Endo helped bring him up here. You knew Janela would get in a big spot here and it could have been far worse.

Respect is shown post match (again).

Eddie Kingston/Jun Akiyama vs. Daisuke Sasaki/Kanon

Kingston and Kanon start things off and they go to the mat with neither having an advantage. With that broken up, Kingston slaps on a headlock which goes nowhere. Instead it’s off to Akiyama, who gets taken to the floor for a DDT from Kanon. With Sasaki distraction the referee, Kanon pulls out a wrench to choke away and it’s Sasaki coming in to kick away.

Akiyama tries to fight back but gets knocked down, only to avoid Sasaki’s top rope elbow. Kingston comes in for the rapid fire chops and the Stretch Plum goes on. That has to be let go as Kanon comes in, only to get kicked in the head. Kanon spins Kingston into the a choke but that’s broken up rather quickly.

A chop knocks Kanon out of the air and Akiyama hits a crossbody for two. Everything breaks down and Sasaki and Kingston head outside, leaving Kanon to hanging DDT Akiyama for two. Back in and Kingston exploder suplexes Sasaki as Akiyama does the same to Kanon. Akiyama’s running knee gets two, followed by another exploder for the pin at 10:44.

Rating: C+. Another hard hitting match here and you can see the good Kingston shining through. Granted it helps when he is teaming with one of his idols (again) but it’s nice to see the version with all that talent out there. Sasaki and Kanon seem to be more of a regular team and likely a big deal, but a legend like Akiyama and a higher profile star like Kingston aren’t likely to lose here.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yuki Ueno

Like anyone else could main event. These two are friends and run the ropes to start until both try dropkicks, leaving them down. Back up and Takeshita hits a heck of a chop but Ueno forearms his way out of trouble. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Takeshita fights out rather quickly. The Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into a headlock takeover, with Takeshita grabbing a headscissors.

Ueno headstands his way out, only to get pulled into a short piledriver for a cool counter. Takeshita neckbreakers him down but tries another, only to get hit in the face. With Takeshita on the floor, Ueno hits a big slingshot corkscrew dive to take him down in a crash. Back up and Ueno flips out of a German suplex (the angle made it look like he got dropped on his head at first) before grabbing his own bridging German suplex for two.

Takeshita misses the running knee and gets Canadian Destroyed, only to come back with the Blue Thunder Bomb for a close two. Ueno gets knocked outside for a breather before they go up top, with Ueno snapping off a super hurricanrana. Back up and they slug it out until one heck of a discus lariat gives Takeshita…one. The running knee is blocked again and Ueno’s flipping DDT gets two. Ueno hits a running knee to the back of the head and a dropkick drops Takeshita again. Takeshita is right back with a kneeling piledriver into a wheelbarrow suplex into the running knee to finish Ueno at 14:56.

Rating: B. For a match where there was almost no reason to believe that Takeshita was going to lose, they managed to turn it into a competitive back and forth match. Takeshita is one of the better things about AEW today and it was great to get to see him as the biggest star in DDT. Solid main event here, with Takeshita being the main event distraction.

Post match Takeshita addresses the crowd and puts over Ueno, even giving him the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This one didn’t quite click as well as some others, as while there was some good action, it wasn’t exactly great stuff. It doesn’t help that the first two matches feel like they are out of a completely different promotion (or universe in one case). It’s not a bad show by any means, but there are better wrestling shows you can pick, especially this weekend. In the case of that second match, there must be some kind of documentary on the mating habits of fruit flies somewhere to check out instead. Anyway, a disaster, but a pretty mediocre show overall.

 

 

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Full Gear 2022
Date: November 19, 2022
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for another AEW pay per view and that should be a good thing a the company certainly has the reputation for putting on great ones. The main events here are MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title and Chris Jericho defending the Ring Of Honor World Title in a four way match. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Best Friends/Rocky Romero/??? vs. Factory

The Best Friends are missing a partner to start, though they had advertised a very evil mysterious partner. Chuck shoulders Solo down to start and it’s off to Trent. A knee from the apron cuts Trent off but he’s fine enough to drop Johnson. Everything breaks down and Romero hits the Forever Clotheslines on Johnson in the corner. Marshall gets punched by a variety of people and Cassidy rather slowly joins in.

Cassidy takes so long setting up the big punch that Marshall falls down. The big four way hug is broken up by the rest of the Factory, who do their own hug. Trent gets whipped over the corner and out to the floor but he’s fine enough to get his knees up on Carter’s frog splash. A suplex to Marshall allows the double tag to Cassidy and Comoroto, with the lazy kicks having their intended effect. The annoyed Comoroto gets sent outside and Cassidy sends Marshall face first into the buckle over and over. The tornado DDT is broken up though and a right hand drops Cassidy.

Trent is back in with the tornado DDT and it’s the half and half into the Soul Food. Cassidy penalty kicks Johnson and hits the tornado DDT but Carter is back with a running flip dive….onto his own partners. Back in and Marshall catches the Orange Punch in a Diamond Cutter before loading up a piledriver on the steps. Cue Danhausen with a jar of teeth and a spike to clean house, allowing Cassidy to Orange Punch Comoroto. The teeth are poured into Comoroto’s mouth and a shot to the face gives Danhausen the pin at 11:46.

Rating: C. The wrestling itself wasn’t the point here and the match was nothing overly great. What mattered here was getting a popular act in front of the fans and having them go nuts. This was a great choice to open the night and Danhausen coming in for the pin was fine. It was about having fun and they did that rather well in a smart opener.

Post match Danhausen hits Marshall with the spike, setting up the big hug.

Zero Hour: Full Gear Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks

The winner gets Ethan Page, on commentary, in the finals on Dynamite and Prince Nana is here with Cage. Starks is banged up coming in and the fight is on before the bell. Cage gets the better of the brawl and they fight to the floor with Cage hammering away. Back in and Starks can’t get anything going against the power. Starks is sent face first into the middle buckle (ow) and Cage does it again for good measure. Page is rather pleased with the carnage but wants more beating on both of them.

Starks fights back with a running elbow in the corner and a running clothesline drops Cage again. Cage pulls him out of the air though and a swinging Rock Bottom backbreaker gets two (much to Page’s delight). A springboard tornado DDT gets two more on Cage but the Roshambo doesn’t work. Weapon X is countered as well and Starks hits the spear for another near fall. Cage takes his head off with a discus lariat for two but the top rope elbow misses. Starks hits a Canadian Destroyer into Roshambo for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. David vs. Goliath formula here and it went just fine. Starks, especially a banged up Starks, coming from behind to win over someone like Cage will always work and you have a tournament final that could go either way. It’s a shame that they couldn’t have the final here, but it was good enough action with a better story.

Zero Hour: Jun Akiyama vs. Eddie Kingston

This is Kingston’s dream match and fallout from a Rampage tag match. Akiyama’s jumping knee is blocked and Kingston knocks him into the ropes. A headlock doesn’t get Akiyama anywhere so we’ll go with the tried and true exchange of shouting strikes. Kingston sends him into the corner but charges into a boot. A right hand knocks Akiyama outside but he’s fine enough to grab a DDT on the apron.

Back in and a curb stomp knocks Kingston silly so Akiyama goes up. Kingston is back up to knock him to the floor and the machine gun chops…do very little to Akiyama. They trade suplexes until a knee strike puts both of them down. Kingston is up first with a DDT and the spinning backfist gets two. Another backfist is blocked and a hard knee gives Akiyama two of his own. Back up and another backfist finishes Akiyama at 10:26.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure why this needed to be added to tonight’s card but at least it was rather good. Kingston beating up legends is a way to go for him, but it would be nice if he was doing something a bit more important than living out his wrestling fantasies. Akiyama is a legend and did his thing as usual so it was nice enough for a treat for the fans.

Post match Kingston grabs the mic, thanks various Japanese legends, and tells us to order the pay per view so we can see Jon Moxley beat up MJF.

Luchasaurus vs. Jungle Boy

In a cage with Christian Cage at ringside. Jungle Boy strikes away at the legs to start but his springboard gets caught. The shove into the cage doesn’t work as Jungle Boy grabs onto the wall and a missile dropkick staggers Luchasaurus again. A face first ram into the cage cuts Jungle Boy off though and we’ve got some blood. Commentary talks about how long they have known each other and Luchasaurus him into the cage over and over.

A running powerbomb into the cage leaves Jungle Boy stuck between the wall and the ring. JR wants the match stopped (we’re not even six minutes in), though not so much as Jungle Boy gets an armbar over the top. Luchasaurus plants him again and yells at the referee for only counting two. The distraction lets Christian pull the key away from the outside referee. The door is opened and Christian is ejected, only to have Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy fight to the floor.

A catapult sends Jungle Boy into the cage and it’s table time, because a bloody cage match isn’t complete without a table. The chairs are thrown inside too and it’s a big boot to drop Jungle Boy again. A dropkick puts Luchasaurus down though and Jungle Boy sends him into the cage. That just earns Jungle Boy another ram into the cage and a chokeslam through an open chair gets a rather near fall.

Back up and Jungle Boy manages Sliced Bread before busting out an Undertaker sit up. Luchasaurus headbutts him down but Jungle Boy keeps bouncing up. A piledriver drops Luchasaurus for two so Jungle Boy sets up the table. Luchasaurus grabs a chokeslam attempt before switching into a Tombstone and a reverse powerbomb (cool) for two. Jungle Boy slips out of another chokeslam and grabs a choke, which knocks Luchasaurus out enough to put him on the table. One heck of an elbow from the top of the cage puts Luchasaurus through the table and the Snare Trap finishes him off at 18:51.

Rating: B+. This was a violent, old school fight and that is how it should have gone. Jungle Boy gets his big win in the personal fight and that’s all it needed to be. These guys beat each other up and the big elbow at the end looked great. If the only complaint is them going outside for a nothing spot and the still unnecessary table, they did something quite well.

We recap the Elite vs. Death Triangle. The Elite is back after being suspended and now it’s time for Death Triangle to defend the titles that the Elite next lost.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Elite vs. Death Triangle

The Elite is challenging and get a special entrance with the lyrics to Carry On My Wayward Son playing on the Titantron….and the song as their entrance music. Eh they’re no Sam and Dean. Don Callis is on commentary as Omega and Pac start things off. Omega kicks the knee out but Pac is back up with a spit in the face. Nick comes in and dropkicks Fenix before avoiding a rolling cutter. It’s off to Penta who charges into a pair of kicks in the corner and the Elite clears the ring, setting up a running dive from Nick (with a fan giving him a drink).

Back in and Pac goes after Omega’s knee, allowing the champs to take turns kicking him in the head. Omega manages to get over to Matt for the tag and the rolling northern lights suplexes take Penta down. Fenix makes the save and it’s the double stomp What’s Up to crush Matt. It’s back to Nick to clean house for a bit before Omega comes in and cleans house on Pac.

Nick’s big dive takes out everyone but it’s a triple Tombstone to knock the Elite silly back inside. Fenix dives off of Penta’s shoulder (with Penta on the middle rope) to crush Omega and Pac (bleeding) hits Omega’s back. The Brutalizer goes on but gets broken up, leaving the Lucha Bros to dive onto the Bucks. Pac throws Fenix the hammer but Omega is back up with a V Trigger.

A Tiger Driver 98 gets two on Fenix and triple superkicks drop Penta. The BTE Trigger hits Fenix for two with Pac making the save. Nick dives onto Pac (with hammer) and Matt moonsaults onto a bunch of people. Omega V Triggers Fenix, who gets the hammer from Pac. The One Winged Angel is broken up with the hammer shot to retain the titles at 18:51.

Rating: B+. As much as I can’t stand the Elite and how they get their heroes’ return after the whole All Out melee, they know how to put on a crazy exciting and entertaining match. I’m glad the Elite didn’t win the titles here, even if it means Fenix goes over to the dark side. Sometimes you need to change things up a bit and if the Elite are going to be presented as the heroes (which is hardly a surprise), this had to be done.

TBS Title: Nyla Rose vs. Jade Cargill

Rose is challenging (despite having the title belt) and gets the Eddie Guerrero low rider entrance. Jade on the other hand is in Thunder Cats gear and sends her into the corner to start. Rose fights up and gets sent outside but manages to send Jade face first into the steps. Some slams drop Jade again and there’s a splash for one.

Back up and Jade gets a boot up in the corner before going up, only to dive onto a raised boot. A neckbreaker gives Rose two and she drapes Jade on the top for the knee to the head and two more. The Beast Bomb is blocked and Jade elbows the heck out of her for a breather. Jade manages a Beast Bomb of her own for two but Rose grabs her own Jaded for two more. The Swanton misses for Rose and Jade kicks her in the face. Jaded retains the title at 7:55.

Rating: C-. Cargill continues to do just about the same stuff that she has done for months now as the lack of development is hurting her a lot. At the same time, this wasn’t exactly a crisp match as the two of them weren’t quite clicking. I don’t know if Rose needed to win here, but Jade needs to lose already because the title/undefeated streak are holding her back from getting much better.

We recap the Ring of Honor World Title match. Chris Jericho is defending and wants to ruin the legacy of Ring of Honor. Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson want to stand up for the promotion, with Sammy Guevara here to even things out. Guevara has made some eyes at the title though and that could give Jericho some problems.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Bryan Danielson

Jericho is defending and it’s one fall to a finish with Ian Riccaboni on commentary. The brawl is on to start with Castagnoli sending Jericho into the barricade as the other two fight inside. Guevara is sent outside so Danielson and Castagnoli can beat up Jericho. Back in and Guevara gets beaten up as well, leaving Danielson vs. Castagnoli. The uppercuts rock Danielson but he pulls it into a cross armbreaker.

Jericho comes back in and gets taken into a double half crab, with Danielson getting to show off the biceps. Guevara gets back in for a double suplex on Danielson and Jericho grabs an AA for two, with Guevara looking conflicted over the break up. Danielson is back up and kicks away, including a big one for two on Guevara. A super hurricanrana is broken up as Guevara flips over and lands on his feet.

The Spanish Fly plants Danielson but Jericho Lionsaults onto both of them. Castagnoli comes back in this time and springboards into a Codebreaker for two with Guevara making the save. Jericho yells at Guevara and the fight is on with Guevara charging into a raised boot in the corner. Guevara grabs a Codebreaker but can’t put on the walls. Instead Jericho gets the real thing so Jericho makes the save.

Castagnoli is back in with the Sharpshooter to Jericho….who crawls over and covers Danielson in a smart idea. That’s broken up and Danielson puts the LeBell Lock on while the Sharpshooter is still on. Guevara makes a save of his own and gets a hug from Jericho….who gets caught with the GTH. The shooting star press gets two on Jericho and everyone is down. Guevara goes for the hammer and anvil elbows on Danielson, who will not have that gimmick infringement.

Castagnoli launches Guevara outside but walks into the running knee from Danielson for a close two. Danielson pulls Guevara into the LeBell Lock but Jericho is back in for the save. Castagnoli is back up to whip Jericho into the barricade over and over, followed by a Neutralizer to Danielson on the floor. Guevara shooting stars onto Castagnoli, who pop up uppercuts him for two back inside. There’s the Swing but Jericho tries a jumping Judas Effect….which crazes Castagnoli in the ribs. Thankfully Jericho hits a better one to retain at 21:42.

Rating: A-. This was all action and that made for one heck of a match. It gave you questions about who was going to win, which says a lot when Jericho losing the title at Final Battle seems to be the most logical option they have. They managed to tell some stories here while also piling on the action in quite the trick. Heck of a match and now we get to see who goes after Jericho in December.

We recap Saraya vs. Britt Baker. Saraya is in her first match in nearly five years after a spine injury and they’ve argued over whose house this is.

Saraya vs. Britt Baker

They fight over a lockup to start until Baker takes her down. That doesn’t last long as Saraya is back up with a boot to the face but Baker knocks her to the floor for the crash. Baker drags it over to the apron for some shouting from Saraya’s brother, followed by a neck crank back inside. A neckbreaker gives Baker two and a neckbreaker gives Baker two as they certainly have a theme here.

Baker sends her outside but gets dropped face first onto the apron. A crossbody off the apron drops Baker as commentary suggests Saraya is working on Baker’s formerly injured nose. Back in and the Night Cap (Paige Turner) gets two but Baker grabs an Air Raid Crash for two more.

A Stomp gives Baker another two and frustration/shock is setting in. Saraya gets a powerbomb out of the corner but Baker sends her face first into the middle buckle. A ripcord right hand sets up a fisherman’s neckbreaker on Saraya, followed by another stomp for two. Back up and a pair of what used to be known as the Rampaige finishes Baker at 13:24.

Rating: C. The main thing keeping this from being a good bit lower is the fact that Saraya has wrestled a handful of matches in six years. She was going to be rusty coming in and there was no way around it. That being said, having her pin Baker clean is pretty questionable when Baker was trying to defend what AEW had built when Saraya basically came in saying “yeah I’m better than all of you”. Well, she was here, and it was clean.

Quick recap of the TNT Title match. Powerhouse Hobbs wants the title, Samoa Joe turned on Wardlow, Wardlow will fight both of them at once.

TNT Title: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow

Wardlow is defending. They all go to the floor to start with Hobbs taking over, including sending Wardlow into the steps. Back in and a delayed vertical suplex drops Wardlow but Joe is back in for the chopping. Hobbs suplexes Joe and chokes Wardlow in the corner while shouting DO SOMETHING. Wardlow fights up and busts out a Whisper In The Wind but Joe is back up with the backsplash.

Joe guillotines Hobbs until Wardlow spears him down, causing Joe to DDT Hobbs. They head back to the floor with Hobbs driving Joe hard into the barricade, followed by the spinebuster for two back inside. Wardlow slips out of Town Business and manages a quick powerbomb. Another one connects but Joe comes in to belt shot Wardlow and chokes out Hobbs for the title at 9:56.

Rating: B-. This was a nice power match and all three of them worked hard, but more than anything else it makes me hope that Joe unifies the titles at some point. There is no need to have both of them around, but that’s a point for later. For now, this was the hoss fight that took the show in a different direction and that’s a good thing. Solid stuff, but it’s a shame that Hobbs had to take another fall.

Chris Jericho, with Jake Hager, says that was competitiveness with Sammy Guevara. Orange Cassidy comes in to say Tomohiro Ishii wants Jericho for the ROH Title at Dynamite. Jericho thinks of Ishii as a young boy, so come get your shot. Jericho leaves, so Cassidy offers Hager an All-Atlantic Title shot. Oh and nice hat. Hager: “YOU’RE D*** RIGHT IT IS! I LIKE THIS HAT!”

We recap Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal vs. Sting/Darby Allin. Lethal and Allin have been feuding and Lethal is bringing Jarrett in to help deal with Sting, because the world was waiting for Jarrett being back.

Tony Schiavone replaces JR on commentary.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett

No DQ. Jarrett brings out an army of fake Stings for….I guess old times’ sake? Allin comes charging out and fires off skateboard shots to the fake Stings. The real Sting pops up behind Jarrett to start things off and we get a TNA chant (always a good sign). Lethal gets dropped hard onto the apron and everyone fights into the crowd, with the fans chanting OVER HERE.

Allin sets up a ladder and tries a dive off the stage onto Jarrett, but Satnam Singh pulls him out of the air for a drop onto the ramp. Sting is back up with a dive of his own onto Lethal as Jarrett takes Allin back to ringside. We settle down to Lethal and Allin colliding in the ring with the legends on the apron. Allin brings in Sting, who is chokeslammed by Singh to give Jarrett two.

Allin and Lethal slug it out again until Lethal hits a Lethal Combination for two of his own. A double team is broken up but the Coffin Drop is knocked out of the air with a guitar shot. Then Allin pops up and does the Sting beating on his chest until the real Sting comes back in for a Coffin Drop/Scorpion Death Drop combination to Singh. The Lethal Injection is countered into another Death Drop and the Coffin Drop finishes Lethal at 10:55.

Rating: C+. It was an entertaining and wild brawl, but it’s similar to what we’ve seen from Sting and Allin for a long time. Allin seems like he is the same person he was for at least the last year and I don’t know when he is actually going to change. That needs to happen at some point and it wasn’t taking place here. Also, when do Sting and Allin get their Tag Team Title shot? Haven’t they earned one by now?

Quick recap of Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm for the Interim Women’s Title. Hayter is on a roll and wants the title, but there’s a personal issue to it as they used to be close friends. Now it’s over the title and a former friendship.

Interim Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter

Hayter is challenging and seems to be the crowd favorite. A headlock has Storm in trouble early but she fights out and takes it to the floor. Storm sends her into the barricade but gets sent into it as well. Various hair pulling ensues as they are sent into various things, with Hayter getting the better of it.

Back in and Hayter slams her face first into the mat before grabbing the chinlock to keep things slow. Hayter stops to yell at the referee, but does offer him a handshake while stepping on Storm’s head. Storm fights up and hits the running hip attack in the corner for two but can’t follow up. They slug it out again but here is Rebel for the belt shot and one heck of a near fall.

Hayter misses the ripcord lariat and gets caught with one from Storm for two. Back up and Hayter sends her outside, where a disguised Britt Baker hits a Stomp on the belt for a very near fall back inside. Hayter hits Storm Zero for two, followed by Storm hitting Storm Zero for two.

The Cloverleaf is loaded up but a Baker distraction breaks it up. The Haytebreaker gets two so Hayter hits a clothesline in the corner. Baker gets up again but is knocked right back down, ripping the turnbuckle pad off in the process. Hayter sends Storm into the buckle and nails the ripcord lariat for the pin and the title at 15:16.

Rating: B-. They went more than a little too far with all of the shenanigans but it was long past time for Hayter to win the title. Storm was trying as hard as she could but there were too many things going against her for the title reign to be a success. You can almost guarantee Baker vs. Hayter coming sooner or later, and that Interim name being dropped (the one that never should have been there in the first place) might be what sends Baker over the edge. For now though, they did it at the right time and it went well enough.

The heels celebrate together.

Swerve In Our Glory is ready to win the titles back. They might not think the same way, but they work well together and both want the belts.

Tag Team Titles: Swerve In Our Glory vs. Acclaimed

Acclaimed is defending and Caster’s rap is about various topical references including Kanye West, Twitter and Donald Trump speeches. Oh and Keith Lee is large. They start fast with Swerve sending Caster into the barricade, leaving Bowens (with a bad shoulder) to strike away at Lee. That doesn’t work so well as Lee knocks him to the floor but stops to yell at Swerve.

Caster gets back up on the apron as Bowens tries some left handed shots. Swerve comes in to work on Bowens’ arm before it’s right back to Lee. A reverse hurricanrana gets Bowens out of trouble though and it’s Caster coming in to pick up the pace. Caster grabs a middle rope hurricanrana to Lee and a top rope Fameasser drops him again. Everything breaks down and Caster goes up for a high crossbody off the apron to send Lee onto the top of the announcers’ table (which was bridged to the apron).

Back in and Swerve hits the rolling Downward Spiral on Bowens and a kick to the head gets two. Swerve kicks him in the head twice more, talks some trash, and hits a fourth kick for a rather near fall. Bowens catches him on top and it’s the Arrival into the Mic Drop for two, with Lee making the save. Swerve brainbusters Caster and Lee runs Bowens over for two as commentary references a fan being ejected.

Lee picks Caster up and swings him into Bowens for a bonus. They head outside with Caster being sent over the table, allowing Swerve to pull out some pliers. Billy Gunn comes out to go after Swerve but gets cut off before making contact. Swerve tells Lee to use the pliers but that’s a no….so Swerve slaps him in the face. That’s enough for Lee to walk out and Bowens rolls Swerve up for a very close two. Caster springboards back in with a missile dropkick and they load Swerve up for what looks like a Magic Killer, only to flip him forward into a double slam for the retaining pin at 19:41.

Rating: B. This got better as it went and the split was telegraphed for the last few months. The Acclaimed had to retain here as there was no need to have them lose the titles back to Lee and Swerve. It probably could have had a few minutes cut off, but they did the right thing and Acclaimed gets a pay per view title defense so it could have been a lot worse.

We recap MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the World Title. MJF wants to do this the right way so he challenged in advance, but Moxley isn’t worried.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is challenging and, after the Big Match Intros, gets hit in the face to start. As William Regal heads to the back for some reason, MJF fights back but stops for a strut. Moxley is sent outside so MJF teases a dive, only to run the ropes and then pose instead. Back in and Moxley sends him into the corner, followed by a double middle finger to the pro-MJF crowd.

A Falcon Arrow into an armbar has MJF in trouble but he stacks Moxley up for two and the break. They fight outside with MJF slugging away, only to get whipped into the steps. Back in and MJF fires off more right hands, followed by the big left for the knockdown. MJF heads outside to set up a table but comes back in to get pummeled by the champ. They fight to the apron and MJF hits a Tombstone, banging up his knee in the process.

Another piledriver is teased but Moxley reverses into one of his own, sending MJF through the table in a massive crash. Back in and Moxley gets smart by grabbing a Figure Four on MJF’s bad knee. MJF fights out by turning it over so Moxley goes right back to the leg to keep him in trouble. The fans get on Moxley as they head up top, with MJF getting crushed by the hammer and anvil elbows. A super Paradigm Shift gets two with MJF putting his finger on the rope.

Moxley comes up favoring his elbow but tells MJF to take his best f****** shot. The slugout goes to Moxley but MJF pulls the referee into a charge. MJF busts out the Dynamite Diamond, only to have Regal come back and tell him to put it down. For some reason MJF actually does, allowing Moxley to grab a choke. That’s broken up and another referee gets knocked down. Moxley grabs the bulldog choke to make MJF tap (no referee)….and Regal slides MJF the brass knuckles. The knockout shot gives MJF the pin and the title at 23:06.

Rating: B+. They had to go here and the match worked well as a result. Regal turning was fairly telegraphed and that is not a bad thing whatsoever. MJF had to win here and he could be a heck of an evil champion, as he should have been for a long time now. Moxley felt like a transitional champion when he got the belt back and keeping it warm for MJF is a good way to go. Heck of a main event with a great moment to close things out.

MJF limps up the ramp to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. With that many good to great matches in a night, this was another excellent AEW pay per view. You had multiple big moments and nothing that was too awful (though Cargill vs. Rose didn’t work so well), but the show did go on longer than it needed to. Overall though, this is what AEW does well and they did it again. There are some problems with the promotion but pay per view isn’t one of them, which was on display here. Another great major event.

Results
Best Friends/Rocky Romero/Danhausen b. The Factory – Punch to Comoroto
Ricky Starks b. Brian Cage – Roshambo
Eddie Kingston b. Jun Akiyama – Spinning backfist
Jungle Boy b. Luchasaurus – Snare Trap
Death Triangle b. Elite – Hammer shot to Omega
Jade Cargill b. Nyla Rose – Jaded
Chris Jericho b. Sammy Guevara, Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson – Judas Effect to Castagnoli
Saraya b. Britt Baker – Rampaige
Samoa Joe b. Powerhouse Hobbs and Wardlow – Koquina Clutch to Hobbs
Sting/Darby Allin b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal – Coffin Drop to Lethal
Jamie Hayter b. Toni Storm – Ripcord lariat
Acclaimed b. Swerve In Our Glory – Double flipping slam to Strickland
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Jon Moxley – Punch with brass knuckles

 

 

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It’s time for another AEW pay per view and as has been the case for a pretty good while now, things are not exactly feeling the most interesting at the moment. The World Title match doesn’t have the most personal setup and the rest of the show is feeling a bit hit or miss. That being said, the idea of AEW having a bad pay per view seems completely insane so I have quite a bit of confidence in what they are going to do. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Jun Akiyama vs. Eddie Kingston

This is a match that was added after this week’s Rampage went off the air. In short, this is Kingston’s dream match and….I’m struggling to come up with a reason that should interest me. Akiyama is a legend, but there is no real reason for the two of them to be fighting other than Kingston just saying he wanted it to happen. For some reason this is added to the pre-show and now the night is even longer than it needed to be.

I’ll go with Akiyama winning, as AEW seems to like the idea of doing everything they can to waste Kingston. I don’t remember the last time he had something important to do and while I’m sure he would love to do the honors for Akiyama, it doesn’t make any sense. That being said, I almost can’t picture Kingston winning anything more than a squash at this point so we’ll go with Akiyama here, despite a lack of logic for doing so.

Zero Hour: Best Friends vs. The Factory

Ten man tag and also added on Rampage, but at least there is a bit of a history here. This is a good choice for the Zero Hour as you have fan favorites like Orange Cassidy and Danhausen in there against a bunch of clueless putzes like the Factory. There is almost no way to screw this up and I have every confidence that AEW will do the right thing with this one.

Of course the Best Friends win here, likely with Cassidy Orange Punching let’s say Aaron Solo for the win. The fans can pop for the Best Friends spots, the Factory can get heat on one of them in the corner and Cassidy can come in as the hero. As goofy as it is, this is the kind of fun match that they need to have and it is nearly impossible to mess up, as it is almost a science at this point. Best Friends win a fun match.

Zero Hour: Full Gear Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Ricky Starks vs. Brian Cage

This is the semifinal instead of the final due to Starks being banged up last week, meaning things had to be changed up a bit (fair enough). The good thing is that there is a bit of history here as these two used to be part of Team Taz together so it isn’t a completely fresh match. Starks is going to be banged up because it’s a rather effective way to build towards a David vs. Goliath style match, but that might not be enough.

I’ll take Starks here, as I can’t imagine Cage vs. Ethan Page in the finals. Starks is a much more natural fit and after he gets the fire beaten out of him by Cage, we can get to the important part where he wins to move on to Dynamite. That is a formula that will work well and I think it is what we are going to get here, after what should be a better than expected match.

TNT Title: Wardlow(c) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

This was added this week on Dynamite but it has been building for a good while. Wardlow is the monster at the moment but is up against a submission master and a literal powerhouse so this could be quite the issue. The match comes after Wardlow has been dealing with both of them, as Joe doesn’t like the idea of Wardlow getting multiple titles. Hence why his ROH TV Title isn’t on the line.

Wardlow retaining here makes the most sense so we’ll go with that, though I could absolutely go with Hobbs winning his first title here. Other than that, there is a good chance that this sets up the Wardlow vs. Joe showdown, which has a bit more of a background. For now though, this is going to be a hoss fight and that is a good thing to have on any show. We should be in for a fun one here though and if Wardlow wins, things are that much better.

Trios Titles: Death Triangle(c) vs. The Elite

Let’s get this one over with early. The Elite is back, so far with no explanation for where the heck they have been or what the vanishing videos meant (to be fair, we haven’t actually heard from them yet) but it’s already back to the title picture. There are going to be some fans who are mad about the Elite being back and vice versa, but they are in a title match and that is what we are going to be seeing.

I’ll go with what the result should be here, which would be Death Triangle retaining. I would hope that AEW wouldn’t look at their biggest scandal in history, shrug, and move right back to what they were doing before the Elite were suspended. That being said, the Elite is the reason the titles were around in the first place so them winning the titles back wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. I’ll go with Death Triangle retaining, but with absolutely no confidence.

Luchasaurus vs. Jungle Boy

We’re in a cage here and that should be an obvious ending, but that isn’t often how things work around here. Jungle Boy’s focus continues to be on ultimately getting his hands on Christian Cage, who isn’t ready to get back in the ring just yet. Therefore, we get a big showdown with the monster instead, which could make quite a nice moment for Jungle Boy, assuming it is done right.

Jungle Boy winning here would be the right call so we’ll go with that, as it should clear him out to get Jungle Boy ready for Cage (not the cage, but Cage) down the line. The question now is how far down the line, but even still, this feud has already been stretched out quite a long time already. Cage turned on Jungle Boy four months ago so it would be nice to get to the point, but for now, Jungle Boy wins.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal vs. Sting/Darby Allin

There are two things that come to me as I think about this match. First: someone watched Ric Flair’s match, looked at the team that Flair BEAT, and thought “yeah I want them here two”. Second: Allin has completely stopped developing or evolving. How long has he been Sting’s partner or at the same level in AEW? It feels like years at this point, which isn’t good when the company isn’t four years old.

Of course this is Sting and Allin’s match to win, as I believe they are still undefeated as a team and aren’t about to lose their first match to Lethal and Jarrett. Bringing Jarrett in is one thing but I don’t think even AEW is insane enough to have him go out and win a match on pay per view in his debut. That being said, having him IN a match on pay per view is enough of a sign of insanity that it has me wondering about everything else. But yeah, Sting and Allin win here.

Britt Baker vs. Saraya

Here is your terrifying match of the show, as Saraya lasted what, a month or two in her last return to the ring? This has already become the top feud in the women’s division as Toni Storm sheds another tear for her completely dead in the water title reign. The interesting thing about this match though is they seem to be doing a double turn with Saraya becoming a heel to Baker’s face, and that could shake things up a bit.

As much sense as it would make for Baker to stand up for AEW and win here as a face after so much awesomeness as a heel, I’ll go with Saraya to win. It would be almost insane to bring her in and have her lose after several years away, but letting her say some of the things she has said is questionable enough. Saraya wins here, but it is going to be interesting in a confusing and terrifying way at the same time.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill(c) vs. Nyla Rose

Even though Rose has the title itself. I have a bad feeling that I know what this is going to be and that makes me rather sad. There is little to no reason for Cargill to be having the same matches she has been doing for a year plus now, but that is what AEW seems to have her doing time after time. At some point she needs to be able to do something else and that has not come just yet. At least now Rose has been doing something different with Cargill for a bit, they have to take the next step.

As much as I would love for Rose to win here so Cargill can FINALLY move on to something else, I think they’ll have Cargill retain here and get the title back so we can get back into what she has been doing for months on end. Cargill badly needs to evolve at least a little bit because the undefeated streak is killing her growth at this point, but she keeps the title here, even if she shouldn’t.

Tag Team Titles: Acclaimed(c) vs. Swerve In Our Glory

It’s almost weird to see a trilogy match in AEW but that is where we are with this one. It isn’t a bad idea for the most part as there is a story behind it, but with so many good teams in AEW, it is a little rough seeing the same match so many times. That being said, the Acclaimed is so crazy popular that you need to have them doing something and they should be in for another good one here.

Acclaimed retains here, as there is no reason for them to lose here as they are still crazy popular. This needs to end the feud though, as Swerve In Our Glory has gotten everything they can out of the feud already. I’m not sure what is next for the Acclaimed, but as long as they keep getting this kind of a reaction, they shouldn’t be anywhere close to losing the titles anytime soon.

Interim Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Jamie Hayter

Poor Storm. She came here to get away from nonsense in WWE and now she not only gets stuck behind (at least) Saraya vs. Baker and Cargill, but she has to be the INTERIM champion, just rubbing in the idea that she isn’t the first choice. Since Tony Khan is incapable of letting the interim deal go, this is what we get here, even if Thunder Rosa is STILL gone with nothing to indicate she will be back soon.

In addition to all of her problems, I think Storm loses the title here, as Hayter is on a roll right now and it would give her a boost to the next level. Storm is dead in the water at the moment and there is no reason for her to keep the title. Give it to Hayter and drop the interim thing so we can move on and have a decent reign, because Hayter (and Storm) is good enough to get such treatment.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Sammy Guevara

The Ring Of Honor obsession continues as we have the match that has gotten more focus on TV in recent months. I’m as shocked as you are that Jericho is still one of the top stars around but here we are. This is at least a Ring Of Honor style match and it should be action packed. Unfortunately it should also be the end of the story, but I don’t think that is where we are going.

Instead I’ll take Jericho to retain here, likely to set up the big savior of Ring Of Honor (possibly Castagnoli or Danielson) at Final Battle. There is also the chance that Guevara turns on Jericho to win the title, only to reunite with him for the 49^th or so time a month later, but for now I’ll say Jericho retains, setting up his big loss in a few weeks, which will totally happen. For sure. No question about it.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

So here we are, with the other match that has gotten some serious focus, though the match still feels like it isn’t that personal. Again, that is the problem with what is more or less a Money In The Bank briefcase title shot: there is no reason for the match to happen other than the challenger saying “we’ll do it then”. That doesn’t leave things feeling personal and the build has been a bit off as a result.

As for a winner….they have to put it on MJF here right? If they don’t, I don’t know what else there is to do. That being said, there is a rather strong chance that it happens at the hands of William Regal turning on Moxley, setting up a heck of a promo down the line. If nothing else, that is the kind of storyline shakeup that they need. We can worry about things after that later, but MJF needs to walk out of here as a villainous champion and they have set the stage perfectly.

Overall Thoughts

The show does have a lot of potential because of the talent involved, but it also has a lot of matches, which tends to be an issue for AEW shows. I still don’t need this thing to be close to five hours, but that is probably where we are going. They need to stick the landing with some stuff here and there are a lot of problems that the company needs to solve in the grand scheme of things. The good news it that AEW knows how to nail pay per views and there is a strong chance they’ll do it again here.

Rampage
Date: November 18, 2022
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho, Excalibur

It’s the go home show for Full Gear and the show has quite a bit set up in advance. The main story is advancing a tournament whose finals have been moved from Full Gear to next week, which is the best option that AEW had all things considered. Other than that, we have a special guest star so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Full Gear Contenders Tournament First Round: Ricky Starks vs. Lance Archer

We start in the back (as originally planned and with Starks in street clothes) with the two of them taking turns sending each other into a metal garage door. Archer sends a backstage worker into a bunch of chairs and now they head into the arena, with Archer dragging him towards the ring. A right hand knocks Starks most of the way over a barricade and they go into the crowd with Starks diving onto him. They get to ringside, where Archer runs him over and leaves Starks rocked.

They’re finally inside for the opening bell, with Starks hammering away and clotheslining him over the top. The chokeslam onto the apron plants Starks though and we take a break. Back with Starks hitting a top rope shoulder and a tornado DDT, only to have Archer blast him down with a lariat for two. A second tornado DDT gives Starks two but the Roshambo is blocked. Archer loads up a Pounce but Starks dives over, setting up a spear straight into a rollup (Jericho sounded really impressed) to pin Archer at 5:25.

Rating: C. The ending alone was cool to see and they were going rather quickly throughout the whole thing. It’s good to see Starks getting a win and now he has to take out another monster in Brian Cage at the Zero House show tomorrow. Archer is a dragon to be slain and they both did this rather well.

Post match Brian Cage and Prince Nana come out for a distraction, allowing Archer to chokeslam Starks onto the steps.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. MJF, who have a long history together but Moxley isn’t afraid.

Chris Jericho is ready for the Blackpool Combat Club to implode at Full Gear so he can retain the Ring Of Honor World Title. With Jericho gone, Sammy Guevara says he isn’t sure about that.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is challenging and has Stokely Hathaway with him. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get the better of the grappling. Hook takes him down with a waistlock and goes for the arm. That’s switched into a kind of bow and arrow hold but Moriarty is right back up. That’s fine with Hook, who flips out of a hiptoss and drops Moriarty again. A Hathaway distraction lets Moriarty kick Hook down though and we take a break.

Back with Hook blocking a crossface shot and hitting a hard clothesline. There’s an STO into a fisherman’s toss to have Moriarty in even more trouble. Moriarty manages to grab a quick Kimura though, sending Hook straight to the ropes. The Border City Stretch goes on instead but Hook slips out and reverses into Redrum for the win at 8:37.

Rating: C. Hook is getting better in the ring every time and it is a good sign that he is able to last these longer matches instead of a short squash. Being able to hang technically with someone like Moriarty is impressive as well and now we are well on our way to Hook turning into something other than quick wins. That’s quite the success and well done on turning him into a thing.

We recap John Silver costing Rush his #1 contenders tournament match last week.

Jose the Assistant and Rush yell at the Dark Order, including Silver. Several insults seem to set up a match.

Athena vs. Madison Rayne

Before the match, Rayne talks about how she doesn’t like the disrespect Athena has been showing after her matches. The inset promo goes on so long that we miss Athena dropkicking Rayne during her entrance as they start fast. Thankfully we see the replay as Rayne fights back and knocks her outside. That’s fine with Athena, who picks her up for an easy swing and then takes it back inside. Athena grabs a suplex but Rayne reverses it into a DDT for the double knockdown. Back up and CrossRayne is countered into a flipping Stunner. An over the shoulder backbreaker spun into a Codebreaker finishes Rayne at 2:48.

Post match Athena punches out Aubrey Edwards and grabs a Crossface. Cue the returning Mercedes Martinez for the save.

We look back at Danhausen costing Lee Johnson last week.

The Best Friends and the Factory have a staredown with Best Friends showing them a video of Danhausen….playing with teeth. A ten man tag is set for Full Gear.

The House Of Black is still ready to come back and destroy everything. The team is shown beating up a lot of people as we hear what sounds to be a prayer for their success.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz are ready for Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama. Kingston’s dream match is Akiyama so this is a big deal for him.

Full Gear rundown.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Jun Akiyama/Konosuke Takeshita

Eddie shoves Takeshita around to start and snaps off a belly to belly. Ortiz comes in to work on the arm, even as Kingston runs over to elbow Akiyama in the head. Takeshita breaks that up and brings in Akiyama, who kicks Kingston off the apron. A piledriver gets two on Ortiz and Kingston comes in for the glaring breakup. Ortiz gets dropped with a belly to back suplex/running clothesline combination for two and we take a break.

Back with Kingston fighting both of them off, setting up a DDT for two on Takeshita. They knock each other down and it’s a double tag to bring in Akiyama and Ortiz. A jumping knee drops Ortiz but Kingston comes in to strike it out with Akiyama. Everything breaks down and Kingston grabs a suplex on Takeshita to leave all four down. They knock each other down again until Akiyama exploders Ortiz for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure how much this match needed to take place but for a one off Rampage main event, it worked out well enough. Akiyama is a legend and it was certainly a big deal for Kingston to get to face him, even if it was in a nothing tag match on the B show. There wasn’t much Kingston vs. Akiyama and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a singles match take place somewhere.

Overall Rating: C. This was another show where it felt like they could have done some more stuff for the pay per view but instead we got a tournament match and a bunch of unrelated stuff. For the life of me I don’t get why AEW treats this show as a place where they can just throw whatever on there but that is what most of Rampage feels like. Pretty weak show this time, but the main event was good. Not exactly important in any way, but good.

Results
Ricky Starks b. Lance Archer – Spear into a rollup
Hook b. Lee Moriarty – Redrum
Athena b. Madison Rayne – Codebreaker
Jun Akiyama/Konosuke Takeshita b. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz – Exploder suplex to Ortiz

 

 

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AND

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