Full Gear 2025
Date: November 22, 2025
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back on pay per view with a rare rematch in the main event. In this case that would be Hangman Page defending the World Title against Samoa Joe, this time inside of a cage. Other than that, we have the return of the Casino Gauntlet match to crown the inaugural National Champion. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Bang Bang Gang vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Outrunners vs. Max Caster/Anthony Bowens

For $200,000 and Dalton Castle is on commentary. Gunn punches Bowens to start and the big shot to the head drops Bowens in a hurry. Back up and Bowens hits an atomic drop, prompting Caster to do the clapping. Bowens yells at him, saying he has this so Caster tags himself in. Robinson comes in to take over on Caster but Magnum tags himself in to dropkick Caster.

It’s off to Bill for the big boot to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Floyd coming in to clean house, including the Mega Powers elbow on Keith. The Unacclaimed break that up but Scissor Me Timbers is cut off. The Arrival into the Mic Drop has Keith in trouble and Caster wants to scissor. Bowens isn’t sure but Bill interrupts anyway. Bowens strikes him down but Robinson steals the rollup pin on Bowens at 7:27.

Rating: C+. Not a bad all over the place match here and I’ll take that over the Unacclaimed winning and being all annoying with the WE DON’T LIKE EACH OTHER deal. The Gang has been needing a win of some sort and this is as good as anything they’re going to do at the moment. Just let Robinson talk some more and they should be fine.

Kickoff Show: RPG Vice vs. Big Boom AJ/QT Marshall

Paul Wight and Don Callis are on commentary. Vice is beaten up to start and AJ powerslams Romero. Beretta gets punched off the apron and they all brawl to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Marshall fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent outside. The Rizzler checks on Marshall but Romero shoves Big Justice (AJ’s son) down, which draws Wight over to scare them away.

Back in and the tag brings in AJ to clean house, including some powerslams. A gorilla press and full nelson slam give AJ two with Romero making the save. AJ loads up the Powerboom but Callis offers a distraction. Beretta gets in a cast shot and the running knee connects for two. Strong Zero gets two on AJ with Marshall making the save from the top. Romero grabs the cast but Justice comes in with a Diamond Cutter. Beretta goes after Justice and gets punched by Wight, setting up a Powerboom/Blockbuster combination to finish Beretta at 9:14.

Rating: C. The match was fine and while I’m not a fan of the Costco Guys, they seemingly have an audience and there’s no harm in having them in a less than serious Kickoff Show match. It’s not like RPG Vice is doing anything important right now anyway. You can pretty safely call this “harmless” and that’s an acceptable use of time on this show.

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. Workhorsemen

The Workhorsemen jump them on the floor to start and it’s Hook in trouble in the corner to start. Drake chops him up against the ropes but Hook suplexes his way to freedom. It’s off to Kingston (in street clothes) for a DDT and the pin at 1:52. I’m going to assume this was shortened due to time and hopefully not due to Kingston’s knee, which he was favoring at the end.

Kickoff Show: CMLL Trios Titles: Don Callis Family vs. Sky Team

Sky Team (Mistico/Neon/Mascara Dorada) is defending but there is no Kazuchika Okada, who apparently hasn’t arrived yet. Hechicero and Konosuke Takeshita jump the champs from behind to start, with Hechicero crushing Mistico’s arm with a chair. The arm is sent into the steps and then twisted around a chair as Takeshita chinlocks Dorada inside. We get the opening bell and it’s Dorada flipping over Takeshita and handing it off to Neon.

A top rope armdrag takes Hechicero down as we cut to Okada arriving in a rather fancy car. The Kickoff Show ends and we pick things up on the proper pay per view everyone brawling. Mistico has been taken out and now Okada manages to get to the ring. Hechicero tries to get his partners on the same page but Okada flips Takeshita off. The champs block superplex attempts and here’s a taped up Mistico to fight back. A springboard double high crossbody connects and a spinning wristdrag drops Okada.

Back in and Neon does the same to Okada but Takeshita grabs a kind of wheelbarrow Tombstone. Takeshita loads up Raging Fire but Okada breaks it up. The Family gets in a shoving match and a Rainmaker accidentally hits Takeshita. Dorada and Neon are back in to take Hechicero down, setting up stereo moonsaults to the floor. Mistico poisonranas Hechicero and La Mistica retains the titles at 13:44.

Rating: B. The Sky Team continues to be a blast, which shouldn’t be a surprise. The catch here though is that the titles were totally secondary to the stuff with the Family, which has been going on for a long time now. I’m not sure what that’s going to mean, but at least they seem to be setting up the big showdown, likely at World’s End.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Pac. Allin has been going after the Death Riders for what feels like ever and now it’s time to have him face someone other than Jon Moxley. The catch this time is that Pac wants it one on one with no shenanigans.

Pac vs. Darby Allin

After a quick video of a bandaged Allin getting ready to fight, with Allin’s face being fine (not so much with his taped up arm and ribs). Allin takes him down by the arm to start and cranks away, including an armbar. A shotgun dropkick sends Pac outside but he reverses a hurricanrana back inside. Allin grinds away on a headlock instead before switching to a leglock, which has Pac in the ropes.

Pac is back up with a gorilla press onto the floor, which isn’t going to do well on those bad ribs. That’s only good for an eight count so Allin ribs the tape off Allin’s arm and gives him an Indian burn. A hard whip sends Allin through the corner and outside again for a nasty crash. Back in and Pac scores with a missile dropkick but Allin ties him in the ring skirt and hammers away.

A dive drops Pac and Allin puts him in a chair for a missile dropkick. Back in and Pac grabs a snap German suplex, followed by a toss into the corner. Allin fights up with a knockdown of his own but Pac blasts him with a lariat for two. The Brutalizer goes on, with Allin getting his feet into the ropes for the break. Allin sweeps the leg and gets the Scorpion Deathlock but here is Wheeler Yuta for a distraction. That makes Allin let go and a baseball bat to the face finishes for Pac at 16:57.

Rating: B. Allin wanting to do this clean and then cheating in the end is about as on point for the Death Riders as you can get, though I’m almost scared to know how much longer the team is going to be fighting Allin. Odds are Allin will want revenge and that sounds like a reason for quite the violent match. Again.

We recap the women’s four way tag. They’re all in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament. Pretty much end of recap.

Sisters Of Sin vs. Timeless Love Bombs vs. Babes Of Wrath vs. Megan Bayne/Marina Shafir

The winners get to pick the stipulation for their semifinals match in the tournament. It’s a brawl to start with Storm and Shafir being left alone in the ring. Storm gets sent into the corner for the rapid fire kicks and forearms from Shafir and Bayne. A suplex sends Storm flying into the corner again but she’s able to flip Shirakawa onto Bayne for a quick two.

Back up and Bayne takes over on Shirakawa so Shafir can come back in for some choking. Blue comes in with a quick swinging neckbreaker but the Babes come in to take Blue down. Hart gets a chance to take over on Cameron but stops to shove Shafir. This doesn’t go well for Bayne, who gets in a shot of her own so Shafir can take over on Cameron. A tornado DDT finally gets Cameron out of trouble and the much needed tag brings in Nightingale.

That doesn’t last long either as it’s off to Shirakawa, who takes over on the Sisters. Shafir is right back in with Mother’s Milk but Storm makes a quick save. That’s enough for Storm to come in and clean house but Cameron tags herself in. A high crossbody gives Cameron two on Storm but Bayne German suplexes the Sisters at the same time. Everything breaks down and Shirakawa hits a dive to the floor, leaving Storm to small package Cameron for the pin at 13:10.

Rating: C+. Bayne got to show off a bit, but as usual there is only so much you can do with so many people in one match at one time. It also doesn’t help that this was for a stipulation in a tournament semifinal match. That doesn’t exactly make it feel must see, but with so much of the women’s division in the tournament, it was about all they could do.

We recap FTR vs. Bandido/Brody King for the Tag Team Titles. FTR are the all time team around here but King/Bandido are the hot team.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King vs. FTR

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is challenging and we get a quick video from Hathaway where he walks in a dimly lit room and looks at footage of the champs. I’m assuming he’s not a fan. Bandido and Wheeler start things off with Wheeler working on the arm but Bandido is back with some armdrags. Harwood and King come in to slug it out with King taking over and hitting a quick backsplash for two.

Bandido comes in and slams King onto Harwood, meaning it’s Macarena time. Hathaway’s distraction doesn’t do much as Bandido dives over him, only to get dropped face first onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Harwood grabs a Gory Stretch but Bandido is out with a kind of double spinebuster (or a double flapjack that didn’t work). It’s still not enough for the tag though as Bandido gets pulled into the corner.

That doesn’t last long either as he kicks his way to freedom and brings in King to wreck both of them. A Death Valley Driver sends FTR into the corner for a cannonball but Harwood low bridges Bandido out to the floor. King is able to block the PowerPlex though, with Bandido coming in with a frog splash back to Harwood. King’s dive onto Hathaway only hits the floor, leaving Bandido to roll Harwood up for two.

The sitout powerbomb into a top rope splash gets two on Bandido, who is right back with a one armed gorilla press to send Wheeler outside. The big dive takes FTR out again and Bandido counters the Shatter Machine back inside. That’s enough to set up the 21 Plex but Harwood pops up for a Shatter Machine, with King having to make the save. Wheeler grabs a title and knocks Bandido silly for two but he’s right back up for a Shatter Machine to Harwood for two.

The monkey flip 450 is broken up, just like the Doomsday Device, as Bandido powerslams Wheeler out of the air for two more. King tries to get back in and is quickly spike piledriven onto the apron. Something like a double reverse AA plants Bandido for two and the spike piledriver gets the same. The Shatter Machine gives FTR the titles back at 20:12.

Rating: B. This was the kind of high speed, action packed match you would expect, but dang some of the lack of selling took me out of it. People were hitting big moves and the other person just kept popping up. That’s a good way to derail things a bit, as it made me roll my eyes more than anything else. FTR getting the titles back is fine as Bandido and King never felt like a long term team. That being said, can we do something with Bandido already? I’d say he’s earned it.

We recap the Casino Battle Royal for the inaugural National Title. Well recap it as much as possible, as we only know a few of the entrants so it’s basically just about Ricochet and the Hurt Syndicate.

National Title: Casino Gauntlet Match

For the inaugural title. The idea is basically a Royal Rumble with unknown entrants, untimed entrances and the first fall wins, meaning it could be over with only two entrants. Bobby Lashley is in at #1 and Shelton Benjamin is in at #2 and they show respect to start. Lashley goes for the leg and can’t get anywhere so they circle a bit until Ricochet is in at #3 after quite the disappointing segment.

Ricochet says we want violence so here are the Gates Of Agony to jump the Syndicate. MVP gets jumped on the floor while Benjamin is dropped onto a chair and Lashley is sent into the steps. The Gates are sent to the back as Ricochet dances and Claudio Castagnoli is in at #4. Ricochet’s dive is cut off by an uppercut and Castagnoli throws him back inside. The Swing sets up the running uppercut in the corner but Ricochet manages a headscissors out to the floor.

Daniel Garcia is in at #5 to choke Ricochet from the apron, allowing the Riders to crush him in the corner. Orange Cassidy is in at #6 and gets picked up by Castagnoli. The spinning DDT is blocked so it’s a Stundog Millionaire for Castagnoli as Wheeler Yuta is in at #7. Cassidy and Yuta’s staredown is cut off by the Death Riders, with Ricochet getting in on the running shots in the corner.

Kevin Knight is in at #8 and takes out Garcia on the floor but gets cut off by Ricochet. The Riders take over again and it’s Roderick Strong in at #9 with a Sick Kick for two on Ricochet. Mark Davis is in at #10 for a spinning piledriver on Ricochet and another one to Cassidy. Mike Bailey is in at #11 with a DDT to Davis but Bailey and Knight aren’t sure who should cover. Knight rolls Bailey up for a fast two so he kicks Knight in the face. Garcia grabs a Dragontamer on Bailey but Matt Menard is in at #12.

Menard and Garcia yell at each other and it’s Davis vs. Castagnoli, which is cut off by the returning Hurt Syndicate. Davis and Castagnoli are sent outside so Ricochet comes back in and immediately realizes his screwup. The Syndicate quickly beats him up but Cassidy is back in with some Orange Punches. Lashley misses a charge into the barricade and Wheeler knees Cassidy for two, with Knight making the save. Knight hits the UFO splash but Ricochet drops him with the Spirit Gun for the pin and the title at 22:55.

Rating: B-. This was a bit weaker than some of the previous editions of the match as it was pretty much just Ricochet vs. the Hurt Syndicate with some other stuff going on. Most of the people involved were little more than warm bodies and there wasn’t much drama about a lot of them winning the title. Ricochet is a good choice though, as he’s been doing some great stuff in recent weeks.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly. Moxley has been broken by submitting so he’s facing a submission expert, who has made him tap out before. This time though it’s No Holds Barred, which is a bit less violent after the last time Moxley tapped out inside Blood & Guts.

Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly

No Holds Barred. O’Reilly strikes away at the bell to start and they go to the grappling. That’s broken up and O’Reilly kicks him into the corner, with Moxley sticking out his face for some free shots. A bend of the finger sets up an abdominal stretch on Moxley, which O’Reilly switches into an ankle lock. Moxley bails out to the floor before coming back inside to work on the arm.

That’s enough wrestling, so Moxley whips out a fork to stab O’Reilly in the head. The blood starts flowing and Moxley bites away at his head. Moxley works on the arm and bites a finger before switching to a full nelson. That’s reversed into another ankle lock, which is countered into a stabbing of O’Reilly’s nipple (Schiavone: “You want to describe that one Excalibur?”).

O’Reilly grabs a choke and dragon screw legwhips Moxley over the rope. A catapult sends Moxley into the post and the ankle lock goes on again back inside. The kneebar has Moxley in trouble and O’Reilly stabs him in the head with the fork for a change. O’Reilly grabs a chain and they take turns wrapping it around each others’ neck before fighting for a suplex. Moxley is the one getting suplexed but they’re still connected so neither can go anywhere.

They trade forearms until Moxley shrugs off some kicks and bulldog chokes him. That’s reversed as well until Moxley gets an STF, which is broken up with a stab to the hand. Moxley stomps him onto the chain (the fans do Seth Rollins’ song) and it’s time to Pillmanize the arm. The Death Rider sets up a Kimura, which is reversed into an ankle lock with the chain to make Moxley tap at 19:18.

Rating: C+. They were getting close to some good stuff here with the grappling but then it kept getting derailed by the fork nonsense. The chain was fine and the chair fit in well, but the fork stuff felt like it was from a totally different match. I do like the stuff with Moxley’s tough man image being broken as it fits the long term story for him. Just stop with the ultraviolent garbage and let the match work on its own.

Post match Moxley beats him down again but gives what looks like a look of respect.

We recap Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Title. They’ve traded wins but Briscoe wants one more shot at the title. If he loses though, he has to join the Don Callis Family.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is challenging, Don Callis is on commentary and it’s No DQ. We get a special video with Briscoe talking about trying to find a new family after his brother passed away. He found that with the Conglomeration and now his future family depends on this match. This was really good and it hit the emotional notes perfectly well to sell the stakes for Briscoe. They forearm it out to start (as tends to be the case in AEW) but Briscoe can’t get an early Jay Driller.

Instead Fletcher sends him outside, where Briscoe gets in a trip off the apron. Some chairs are brought in, with one of them hitting Fletcher in the back. The Bang Bang Elbow is pulled out of the air though and Briscoe gets brainbustered onto the chair. A short ladder is brought in and Briscoe’s missed running flip dive sends him through it for a crash. The bleeding Briscoe is taken inside and whipped into the ladder again.

Briscoe fights out of trouble though and it’s a missile dropkick to send the ladder into Fletcher. That’s enough to get Callis off commentary and Briscoe grabs a table. Fletcher gets off of said table before the dive though and suplexes Briscoe on the floor instead. A bunch of chairs are loaded up on the floor but Briscoe gets up and sends him onto them. That takes too long as well, allowing Fletcher to shove him off the top and through the table for the big crash.

Back in and something like a running Alabama slam sends Briscoe through another table in the corner for two. As Callis tries to figure out if he has to feed Briscoe’s kids if Briscoe joins the Family, Fletcher pours out the thumbtacks (of course). The powerbomb onto the tacks is broken up and Briscoe gives him a fisherman’s buster onto the tacks. Briscoe grabs a barbed wire table, plus a ladder and a regular table (yet somehow, Fletcher can’t be kept down for three seconds at the moment).

They go to the apron, where Briscoe drives him into the group of open chairs. Back in and they both climb the ladder, with Briscoe getting to the top for an elbow to drive Fletcher through the table (onto the tacks) for two. That means that either Fletcher is winning or they missed the point where it should have ended. Fletcher is back up with the screwdriver (yep they missed it) but after stabbing Briscoe, gets it stuck in the turnbuckle. A brainbuster onto the tacks gets two on Fletcher, who manages to turn the screwdriver upside down in the buckle.

The super brainbuster onto the pointed up screwdriver is teased (this is stupid), only to be reversed to avoid a bad case of death. The Cutthroat Driver is broken up with a stab to the head and a running stab sets up the brainbuster to give Fletcher two more. They go up top, with Briscoe managing a toss Razor’s Edge through the barbed wire table. That and the Jay Driller are enough to finish Fletcher at 25:16.

Rating: B-. I know what they were going for here and what makes it all the more frustrating is THEY HAD IT. If this ended with Briscoe’s big elbow from the ladder (and maybe a Jay Driller for the family thing), it would have been great and easily the best thing on the show. Instead, they went another five minutes and had the stabbing stuff, which is, in a word, REALLY FREAKING STUPID. Forgive me for not buying the image of Fletcher teasing impaling Briscoe’s head on a screwdriver. The first twenty or so minutes were great and the last five minutes were dumb, which makes this quite the irritating situation.

We recap the Young Bucks/Josh Alexander vs. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express for a million dollars. The Bucks have been broke for a bit but are teasing joining the Don Callis Family for the sake of getting their money back.

Young Bucks/Josh Alexander vs. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express

For a million dollars. Nick works on Perry’s arm to start and they flip around a bit until they both try dropkicks. Matt and Luchasaurus come in with Luchasaurus working on the arm. It’s quickly off to Omega for more of the same, though Omega comes up favoring his recently damaged ankle. The villains take over on Omega, who manages to hurricanrana Nick to the floor.

The ensuing dive slows Omega down though and it’s back to Perry, who gets World’s Strongest Slammed onto the apron. Nick dives onto Luchasaurus and hands it back to Matt for Risky Business on Perry. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Perry hits a nice running diving DDT, allowing the much needed tag off to Luchasaurus. The Bucks superkick him down but he manages a double knockdown of his own and it’s back to Omega.

House is quickly cleaned but Alexander escapes You Can’t Escape. Everything breaks down and it’s a springboard Destroyer to Luchasaurus but Perry hits a running knee to leave everyone down. Omega and Alexander get up to slug it out until Omega grabs a snapdragon. The Bucks come in to take Omega down and we hit the ankle lock, which is broken up via the ropes. Matt gets caught in a spike Tombstone but the Countdown To Extinction is broken up.

Alexander clotheslines Matt by mistake though and now the Countdown To Extinction connects, with Alexander making the save. Perry hits a double Doomsday Device on the Bucks, who completely no sell it (because a springboard double clothesline has no effect) and start firing off the superkicks. Some of those superkicks hit Alexander, who gets planted with the One Winged Angel on the floor. A rollup gives Perry two but it’s the BTE Trigger to finish Perry at 19:06.

Rating: B+. I’m not big on the Bucks but they know how to do an exciting six man tag. I wasn’t expecting the Bucks to win here, as it felt like Alexander was only there to take the loss. The match was rather entertaining, though you can tell Omega is a far shell of what he used to be. That’s no surprise given what he’s been through, but dang it’s getting rough to see him out there.

Post match the Bucks get their money and Callis says they’re in the Family. Alexander and the rest of the Family jump Omega and the Express, with the Bucks almost being dragged away by Callis. The Bucks come back for the big save and make peace with the Express, followed by the big hug with Omega. Oh good grief ENOUGH WITH THE ELITE MELODRAMA ALREADY. Omega has to be helped to the back and even collapses on the ramp. The Family seems to have left with all of the money, so the Bucks are still broke.

We recap Mercedes Mone challenging Kris Statlander for the Women’s Title. Mone beat her before and now wants to do it for her 385th title.

Women’s Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander

Only Statlander is defending. Mone goes for the leg to start but gets rolled up for two instead. The Statement Maker is broken up as well so Mone sends her outside in a crash. Statlander is able to roll through a dive though and a nice superplex drops Mone hard. It’s too early for the 450 though as they’re definitely starting fast. Statlander rolls outside and seems to be favoring her elbow, with Mone hitting a running Meteora off the apron.

A big stomp to the arm has Statlander in even more trouble and it’s off to a Fujiwara armbar back inside. Back up and the bad arm is sent into the buckle but she uses the good arm to elbow Mone in the face. Mone uses her feet to bend the arm again and snaps off a tornado DDT for two. Fourteen Amigos have Statlander down and the fans cheering for Mone (the villain, because doing something cool is more important).

The frog splash lands on raised feet and Statlander manages a backdrop, followed by something like a Michinoku Driver for two. The bad arm gets crushed again but Statlander gives her a Blue Thunder Bomb on the floor. Back in and Mone hits a Codebreaker into a Backstabber into a sunset bomb into the corner. The running Meteora is cut off with a clothesline so Mone kicks at the bad arm again.

Statlander’s crossface is reversed into one from Mone, which is broken up as well. A super gutbuster (Dean Malenko style) drops Mone for a delayed two but the arm is too banged up for Staturday Night Fever. Instead it’s a package piledriver for two, with Mone having to grab the rope for the escape. Mone is back with a hurricanrana and running knees against the ropes for two and they fight over a Tombstone. Statlander finally sends her into the corner and muscles her up into the Staturday Night Fever to retain at 23:06.

Rating: B+. This was rather good as well and would have been even better had Mone not seemingly been more about getting cheered than winning. What matters the most is that Statlander won, which is what should have happened. There was no reason for Mone to win here and while she will likely get the title down the line, at least she didn’t get it here, as Statlander picks up probably her biggest win ever. Really nice match here, with the arm injury telling a good story as Statlander didn’t have her usual power advantage.

The Don Callis Family is happy with having the money and Callis says that it’s time for the team to come together for the Continental Classic. Konosuke Takeshita says he’ll be in, as does an angry Kyle Fletcher. Well that was obvious, but in a good way.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe. Page retained the World Title over a good Joe last month so now it’s evil Joe in a cage.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe

Page is defending in a cage and apparently comes to the ring to a song from Red Dead Redemption 2. They tease rams into the cage to start with Page getting the better of things to bust Joe open early. Page takes his boot off to hammer Joe in the head for two but Joe sends him into the cage right back.

Now it’s Page busted open and getting his face raked against the cage, which isn’t a good sign. Page is back up to win a slugout and even tries his own Koquina Clutch. Joe’s release Rock Bottom out of the corner drops Page and he takes a turnbuckle pad off. Another comeback lets Page tease the Deadeye but here is Katsuyori Shibata for the distraction.

Eddie Kingston cuts him off but the referee gets crushed against the cage. The Deadeye connects for no count and here is Powerhouse Hobbs to break through the door. Page sends him into the cage and hits a Buckshot Lariat on Joe for no count. Instead here’s Hook to deck Page with the title and reveal an Opps shirt. Commentary acts like this is some shocking moment, as someone joining a stable he was part of just a few months ago is shocking. The Elite has done that what, half a dozen times? Anyway, Joe hits the MuscleBuster to retain the title at 16:02.

Rating: B. It was a violent, bloody brawl in a cage, which might have had a bit more impact had there not been two blood baths earlier in the night and two far bloodier cage matches just ten days ago. On the other hand, I do kind of like Joe winning the title again, as Page was (again) coming off as a huge afterthought as champion. I don’t get why that’s the case, but Joe is more interesting almost by definition. Good, violent match here, though a heel on top of a stable as champion, AGAIN, isn’t the most thrilling way to go.

Post match the Opps (complete with a group of Opps Dojo goons) celebrate but the lights go out. We see a burning home and Swerve Strickland is back. The Opps bail and Swerve takes out the goons (Like a…..house of fire?), with Page getting up to help to end the show. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Overall Rating: B+. This did exceed my expectations, which weren’t overly high coming into the show. What matters the most is that they changed the World Title, which just wasn’t an interesting situation for a long time. At the same time, we got some rather good matches, with the six man and Women’s Title matches being pretty close to excellent. I really could go with a lot less of the blood and more hardcore violence, but that’s just baked into a lot of modern wrestling. Either way, more than solid show tonight with some very good moments, even at five and a half hours (yes, the Kickoff Show counts, as always).

Results
Bang Bang Gang b. Max Caster/Anthony Bowens, Outrunners and Big Bill/Bryan Keith – Rollup to Bowens
Big Boom AJ/QT Marshall b. RPG Vice – Powerboom/Blockbuster combination to Beretta
Hook/Eddie Kingston b. Workhorsemen – DDT to Henry
Sky Team b. Don Callis Family – La Mistica to Hechicero
Pac b. Darby Allin – Baseball bat to the face
Timeless Love Bombs b. Sisters Of Sin, Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne and Babes Of Wrath – Small package to Cameron
FTR b. Bandido/Brody King – Shatter Machine to Bandido
Ricochet won the Casino Gauntlet Match – Spirit Gun to Knight
Kyle O’Reilly b. Jon Moxley – Ankle lock with a chain
Mark Briscoe b. Kyle Fletcher – Jay Driller
Young Bucks/Josh Alexander b. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express – BTE Trigger to Perry
Kris Statlander b. Mercedes Mone – Staturday Night Fever
Samoa Joe b. Hangman Page – MuscleBuster

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I’m not sure if it’s due to Blood & Guts last week or something with the build itself, but it’s been a bit difficult to get up for this show. Part of it comes down to a lack of a hot main event. I’m assuming the main event is the cage match, but there is only so much you can get when Page already beat Joe last month. Hopefully the action is able to carry things over the finish line so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Big Boom AJ/QT Marshall vs. RPG Vice

So the Costco Guys are back and that means it’s time to act like they’re really interesting all over again. While AJ is far from terrible or even bad, it’s still hard to get interested in whatever the story is with himself and Marshall, which has been going on for way too long now. At least it’s in this spot and it’s not like Vice is going to lose much when they get beaten here.

In case that’s quite the spoiler, go back in time and insert your own warning. Of course there’s no reason to believe that the celebrity team is going to lose here. AJ is one of the bigger names that AEW can get at the moment so he’ll need to win here to keep his star power. It does help quite a bit that this is about as low level on the ladder as you can get, which at least keeps this from taking up more important time.

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. Workhorsemen

In addition to the World Title match, here we have what is basically another rematch, or at least a repeat of the same setup. In this case, we have Kingston and Hook teaming up in an open challenge, only with the Workhorsemen accepting rather than the Frat House. I get the idea of wanting to get Kingston and Hook on the show, but maybe come up with something a bit more interesting?

As uninspired as this feels, there’s pretty much no doubt about the winner here, as this is all about trying to get Kingston and Hook to mean something. I’m not sure which one one is seen as the bigger star at the moment, but neither of them are exactly on fire right now. Maybe they can find something to spark them up a bit, but it’s hard to believe that them winning here will change much.

Kickoff Show: Max Caster/Anthony Bowens vs. Bang Bang Gang vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Outrunners

It’s another match for a bunch of money which is code for “we have nothing else for these people to do but here they are anyway”. Caster and Bowens are by far the most important team at the moment, even if they’re not really a team. I could go for seeing the two of them together more often as the singles stuff was only so good, but either have them get back together or not.

That being said, I’ll take the Gang to win, partially due to how fun it could be to see Juice Robinson doing his stuff about the money, as you saw earlier this week. It sounds better than Caster and Bowens’ will they/won’t they deal, though that is the more likely pick. Maybe it’s due to me not caring much about Caster and Bowens, but hopefully the Gang wins here.

Kickoff Show: CMLL Trios Titles: El Sky Team(c) vs. The Don Callis Family

This is a bit of a confusing one as the names involved would make it feel like it belonged on the main card. While the titles might be in jeopardy, this feels like it’s much more about Konosuke Takeshita’s and Kazuchika Okada’s issues, which very well may spill over here. That has been teased for a good while now and it can only be stretched out so much longer. At the same time, getting the titles is something certainly in the realm of possibility.

I’ll take the champions to retain, as the Family doesn’t need to do much more at this point. Let them have some issues, possibly with a big showdown coming up in the Continental Classic. The Sky Team is fun to watch and it should make for a good match here, with the Family having some variety to spice it up a bit. The champs retain, but the focus is going to be on the Family, as tends to be the case.

National Title: Casino Gauntlet Match

We’ll start the main show with this one because it’s hard to say what we’re going to be seeing. While we are likely to have about twenty entrants, we only have five coming into the show. That doesn’t give us much in the way of the knowing where this is going as we’ll have to pick from the limited options that we have, which is hardly the best way to go but it’s the problem with a match like this.

Of the five options that we have (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight and Ricochet), I’ll take Ricochet as the most likely choice. Given that he’s been getting a good bit of screen time and actually needs to win something, this would be a good way to start. I’m not sure who else is going to be in there and there is always the chance that it’s someone out of nowhere, but Ricochet seems like at least a safe bet.

Darby Allin vs. Pac

This is the next match in Allin’s seemingly never ending war with the Death Riders. The idea here is that this is going to be a regular match with no extra shenanigans. I know that’s quite the concept on a wrestling show, but it would be nice to see after all of the insanity that Allin has been doing lately. If nothing else, it’s not Allin vs. Jon Moxley for a change and the breather should be nice.

There’s no reason to think Allin will lose here so we’ll go with him getting the win. In theory Allin is going to be going over the Death Riders in the end, though I have no idea what kind of big closing match they’re going to have. This doesn’t feel like a pay per view match, but at least it’s something different than what we’ve been seeing from Allin for such a long time now.

Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express vs. Young Bucks/Josh Alexander

This is the other money match (a million dollars in this case), as Tony Khan continues to give the evil and annoying Young Bucks a chance to make a huge sum all at once. At the same time, there was something of a tease of an Elite reunion earlier this week, which sums up just how annoying this whole thing has been. The Bucks doing all of their stuff is one thing but my head might implode if I’m supposed to cheer for them again.

Ultimately, this feels like Omega and the Express’ to win, as the Bucks need to fall even further before they can turn it around. Omega probably does not have many big matches left in him as his body is breaking down so quickly, but at least he’s still in the ring for the time being. Alexander feels like he’s there to take the fall, which has been the case for a long time now. Either way, the good guys win here.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher(c) vs. Mark Briscoe

Title vs. Briscoe joining the Don Callis Family, which makes me think that it’s going one certain way. The Family continues to do pretty much whatever it wants, which doesn’t make for the most thrilling story. On the other hand you have Briscoe, who rarely wins the big one and has been chasing this title for a VERY long time now. One of those things is going to have to give and that is where we are today.

I’ll take Briscoe to win here, as Fletcher has held the title for a very long time now and there isn’t much to gain by having him keep it any longer. On the other hand you have Briscoe, who needs to win the title again before he starts losing his status. Fletcher is at the point where a loss won’t hurt him very much and he seems likely to move up to the main event scene anyway. Briscoe winning here makes more sense.

Babes Of Wrath vs. Sisters Of Sin vs. Timeless Love Bombs vs. Megan Bayne/Marina Shafir

I can’t get my head around this one, as it’s that dumb of an idea. In this case we have the four semifinalists for the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament (which as of this coming Wednesday will be one of three ongoing title tournaments under the Tony Khan banner). The winner of this match gets to pick the stipulation for their semifinal match, which is likely happening this coming week. Yes, this is the best they could come up with for a pay per view.

As this has such little impact on who wins the titles, give me the Bombs to win, just to see whatever wacky idea Storm gives us in the semifinals. I still can’t fathom that this was the best they could do for this show, though I guess it’s due to Blood & Guts taking up a week. It’s almost like AEW tries to do too much and isn’t great at pacing its stuff out, but that must be nonsense of course.

Women’s Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Mercedes Mone

So this is Mone’s chance to win her….I believe it’s 14th title? The idea is that Mone has been TBS Champion for about 37 years now and has all kinds of other titles but failed in her one attempt to win the AEW Women’s Title. I’m still not sure what the appeal of the Belt Collector deal is supposed to be yet here we are, with the whole thing somehow still continuing.

I think I’ll go with Statlander retaining here, as Mone needs to lose something here sooner than later. While I’m sure she’ll get the title at some point and that’s fine, Statlander hasn’t had it very long yet and deserves a better run as champion. Hopefully it doesn’t turn into another case of “let’s all praise Mone”, but that is probably what winds up happening in the end.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King(c) vs. FTR

This is another case where we’ve seen FTR as champions so many times now that it’s hard to bring myself to care about the possibility of seeing it again. Bandido and King have done really well with the titles thus far and it would be nice to get to see that continue. At the same time though, there is a real chance that the “real” team wins the belts here as Bandido moves on to whatever else.

Give me the champs retaining here, if nothing else for the sake of I’ve enjoyed seeing them more often. What I don’t need to see is FTR winning and then defending against a reunited Copeland/Cage, which is a rather strong possibility. Maybe it’s just me having false hope, but hopefully King and Bandido get to hang onto the titles here, as they’ve earned the right to keep them for awhile.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jon Moxley

This is No DQ and could be another big step in the already rather lengthy downfall of Moxley. The idea is that Moxley keeps giving up in matches after months of talking about how tough he is and it’s not exactly holding up. In theory this leads to the downfall of the entire Death Riders, which has LONG since run its course. On the other hand though…it’s O’Reilly.

As little sense as it might make, I’ll take O’Reilly to win here, as that’s the story that has been built up. Maybe it comes with some shenanigans, but there is no reason to have Moxley win here after losing so many times in recent weeks. The Death Riders desperately need to come to an end already and this is as good of a way to do so as there is right now. It’s hard to imagine O’Reilly as the guy to make it happen, but for now, the pieces are there.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page(c) vs. Samoa Joe

So this is a case where had it been anything other than the World Title and likely the main event, I would have put this way higher as there just isn’t much doubt over the winner. We’ve already seen this last month with Page retaining over Joe clean, which set up the ensuing heel turn. I’m not sure why I would want to see this again here, but someone has to challenge for the title.

Of course I’ll take Page to win here, as there is no reason to believe that Joe is taking the title. This has felt like quite the filler feud for the title, which isn’t exactly much to see. I’m sure the fight will be good enough as these two know how to make it work, but Page really needs to move on to something else, as the two matches with Joe haven’t exactly felt that important. At least this one is different though.

Overall Thoughts

Dang that’s a lot of matches. I know four of them are officially on a separate show, but it’s one big block of AEW without much in the way of a top match. That’s been an issue for a good while now in AEW, as they really don’t seem to have a major story going on. Maybe that changes soon, but it’s not making for the most interesting pay per view, at least on paper. That’s been the case for the last few shows too, and that really needs to change.

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Dynamite
Date: November 19, 2025
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s another long form night of AEW, with a two hour Dynamite and an hour long Collision. At the same time, it is the last night before this weekend’s Full Gear. As a result, we have a mixture of prep for the pay per view as well as fallout from last week’s Blood & Guts, which could make for quite the night. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Bobby Lashley vs. Ricochet

For the #1 spot in the Casino Gauntlet at Full Gear and MVP is here with Lashley. The bell rings and Ricochet grabs the mic and says FLY EAGLES FLY. He hates this state and the only good thing to come out of here is his beautiful wife. As for MVP, he’s getting old and might have dementia because he said this was about the International Title rather than the National Title.

It’s the National Title and Ricochet is going to be the inaugural champion. Lashley finally jumps him and throws him over the top, with Ricochet screaming into the mic all the way down in a funny bit. The Gates Of Agony are sent over the announcers’ table but Lashley misses a charge into the corner. Ricochet hits a running shooting star press for two and then hides in the corner, which is enough to avoid the spear. Back up and Lashley hits a spinebuster, followed by the spear for the pin at 5:25.

Rating: C+. More than half of that was on Ricochet’s promo but the whole thing was still rather entertaining. There’s a lot to be said about having someone with as big of a mouth as Ricochet and then getting to see him get shut up. Lashley smashing through people is always worth a look and this went well, even with only so much action.

The Opps are ready to wreck Hangman Page after what he did to Powerhouse Hobbs. Tonight, Page is getting a beating at the hands of Katsuyori Shibata.

Renee Paquette asks the Young Bucks if they’re joining the Don Callis Family. Cue Callis to come in and say that there’s no gotcha journalism tonight. He’ll even do the Bucks’ entrance for them.

Young Bucks/Josh Alexander vs. SkyFlight

Nick and Dante start things off as Don Callis sits in on commentary. Dante gets taken down with a rope walk wristdrag but Nick misses an enziguri. They both miss dropkicks and it’s off to Alexander to whip Darius into the corner. Darius sends him into another corner though and it’s off to Dante for a quick elbow in the corner. Sky comes in and everything breaks down, including the series of dives to the floor. Alexander low bridges Sky to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Matt accidentally hitting Alexander in the face, allowing Sky to get over for the tag to Darius. House is quickly cleaned, with Alexander getting dropped off a powerbomb/Nose Dive combination, with the Bucks having to make a save. Sky is tossed into a spear, leaving the Bucks to fire off the superkicks. Dante is up with the big flip dive over the top onto the Bucks but Alexander cuts off a dive. Back in and Alexander shoves Dante into the Meltzer Driver, with Alexander adding in the ankle lock for the tap at 10:38.

Rating: B. Good, fast paced match here, even if it’s beyond tiring to see SkyFlight (especially Top Flight) losing so often. The Bucks and Alexander get their momentum before their match for a million dollars at Full Gear. I’m still not sure why that’s supposed to be interesting, but it’s what we get over and over.

Post match Callis gets in the ring and again tries to convince the Bucks to join the Family. They aren’t wild on that so Callis starts making with the threats. He even brings up what happened to Kenny Omega, who comes out with a pipe, only to get dropped by Alexander. Callis wants a BTE Trigger but before they can do it, here is the Jurassic Express (with a shovel and a vacuum cleaner) for the save.

The Babes Of Wrath are ready for the Sisters Of Sin and are rather enthusiastic about it.

We get a tribute to Bob Caudle, a former NWA announcer who passed away earlier this week at the age of 95. That’s a nice touch.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Mike Bailey

For the #2 spot in the Casino Gauntlet match at Full Gear and MVP is here with Benjamin and Kevin Knight is here with Bailey. We do get a handshake to start and Benjamin shrugs off a chop in the corner. They go outside with Benjamin’s arm being sent into the post. An armbar doesn’t work well for Bailey as he gets sent into the barricade, only for Bailey to grab some rollups for two back inside.

Another armbar is reversed into a quickly reversed ankle lock and they’re right back on the floor. Benjamin slams him down out there and we take an early break. We come back with Benjamin grabbing a chinlock, with MVP telling him to stop playing with their food so they can go eat. Bailey fights up and kicks away but still can’t get very far with the cross armbreaker.

Benjamin gets sent outside for a knockdown but manages to beat the count. Back in and a superkick sets up a shooting star press for two on Benjamin, with the moonsault knees getting the same. Benjamin powers his way out of trouble with a rather impressive toss, followed by a nasty superkick for two. A running knee in the corner sets up another superkick to pin Bailey at 12:08.

Rating: B-. That superkick looked great and I’m not sure why it wasn’t the finish here. Anyway, Benjamin vs. Lashley to start the Casino Gauntlet should be fun, though it’s still hard to get interested in another big match for yet another title. At least they’re trying something new, even if it’s just the start of a much bigger match.

Death Riders vs. Orange Cassidy/Roderick Strong

Cassidy and Moxley brawl to the floor to start with Strong dropkicking Castagnoli inside. Moxley comes back in to chop block Strong but Cassidy is back in with a high crossbody. Castagnoli rolls through though and takes Cassidy outside for a toss into the barricade. The Riders are sent over the barricade and Cassidy hits a dive to take them both out as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy not being able to get his hands in his pockets as Castagnoli sends him into the corner instead.

Cassidy’s diving DDT gets him out of trouble and the much needed tag brings in Strong to clean house. The alternating running forearms hit Moxley in the ropes but he’s back with a Paradigm Shift. Everything breaks down and Strong hits a top rope superplex on Moxley. Cassidy has to chase after an interfering Wheeler Yuta though, allowing Castagnoli to hit Swiss Death. Moxley’s bulldog choke finishes Cassidy at 12:21.

Rating: B-. This was the rebound win that the Riders, and Moxley in particular, needed after last week’s loss. I’m assuming it’s going to be a brief bump on the road of Moxley’s collapse. I’m not sure of where this is going, but it’s not likely going to end well for him one way or another. Either way, that might be a good thing for him, as it could mean some time away from AEW TV, which could be just what he needs.

Post match Moxley stays on Cassidy so here is Kyle O’Reilly to ankle lock Moxley, who taps again. The Death Riders finally make the save, even with Cassidy and Strong back up in the fight. O’Reilly issues the challenge to Moxley and we’ll make it No Holds Barred.

Brody King and Bandido are ready for FTR at Full Gear.

Kenny Omega, with the Jurassic Express, is ready for Full Gear and no money can save the Bucks and Josh Alexander. As usual, Omega is a lot better when he’s playing it serious.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Timeless Love Bombs vs. Riho/Alex Windsor

Shirakawa backs Riho up against the ropes to start and gives her a running shoulder, followed by a quick Shirakawa dance. They trade legsweeps and it’s a standoff, meaning a double tag to Storm and Windsor. A quick dance off sets up a test of strength, followed by an exchange of armdrags. Windsor takes over by bringing her into the corner for something like Poetry In Motion.

Storm comes out with a backbreaker, allowing Shirakawa to come back in with a slingshot dive. Windsor is right back in to send her throat first into the top rope, setting up Riho’s big dive out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Shirakawa DDTing her way out of trouble so Storm can clean house. A quick DDT gives Storm two, followed by an assisted splash for two on Windsor.

Back up and Windsor knocks Storm off the apron for a cannonball but Riho misses a top rope splash. Shirakawa backfists Riho down and grabs a Figure Four. That’s turned over, leaving Storm and Windsor to headbutt each other and fall on top for the break. Everything breaks down and the Bombs hit stereo running hip attacks in the corner. Storm Zero finishes Windsor at 12:53.

Rating: C+. Well they weren’t going to have one of the few close to regular teams in the tournament losing to a thrown together pairing. Storm and Shirakawa have gone from friends to what feels like the latest Storm performance art thing and that’s not a bad idea. Storm and Shirakawa have great chemistry together so pushing them towards the titles could go a long way.

We get a new Full Gear announcement: there will be a four way between the semifinalists at Full Gear with the winners getting to pick the stipulations for their semifinal match. Sweet goodness that is about as overbooked as you can get.

Mark Briscoe and Kyle Fletcher are in the back, with Briscoe talking about how failure is not an option because it’s No DQ and he’s going to make his family proud. Then the Don Callis Family jumps him, with Fletcher promising to make Briscoe’s sons orphans. Kazuchika Okada says he did this because Konosuke Takeshita couldn’t.

Pac is ready for Darby Allin at Full Gear but wants it as a straight match because with everything taken away, Allin can’t contend with him.

Hangman Page vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Non-title with Samoa Joe on commentary. Page jumps him from behind in the aisle to start fast but Shibata gets in a running boot to knock Page off the apron. The bell rings and Shibata sends the taped up Page into the barricade a few times, only for Page to fight out of trouble. They get inside with Page stomping away, followed by a backbreaker into a clothesline for two. Joe’s distraction lets Shibata get in a shot from behind into a suplex on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Page hitting a springboard clothesline out to the floor, meaning it’s another stare at Joe. Back in and an STO drops Page, who catches the PK. Instead Shibata takes him into the corner for a running kick to the, ahem, thigh. Page misses a clothesline and gets hit low, allowing Shibata to get the cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so Shibata shifts over to the ankle lock. Page loses his boot on the escape but knocks Shibata down again. The boot is replaced and the Buckshot Lariat finishes for Page at 10:49.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here, with Page getting by one of Joe’s friends before they face off again at the pay per view. Page fought through the odds again and won, which is a great way to present a top star in the company. They didn’t make this more complicated than it needed to be and it went well enough.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked the show well enough, but the focus being on more titles being introduced and a match coming up for a bunch of money (one of two) isn’t making the most thrilling Full Gear. Unfortunately it doesn’t make for the best build towards a pay per view. That absolutely does not mean that things are going to go badly on Saturday, but it’s not doing the best job of making me want to see the show.

Results
Bobby Lashley b. Ricochet – Spear
Young Bucks/Josh Alexander b. SkyFlight – Ankle lock to Dante
Shelton Benjamin b. Mike Bailey – Superkick
Death Riders b. Roderick Strong/Orange Cassidy – Bulldog choke to Cassidy
Timeless Love Bombs b. Alex Windsor/Riho – Storm Zero to Windsor
Hangman Page b. Katsuyori Shibata – Buckshot Lariat

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Dynamite
Date: October 29, 2025
Location: Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur

We continue the road to Full Gear and it seems that some of that will be similar to the build towards WrestleDream. There is a good chance that will include Samoa Joe coming after the World Title again and that might be set up tonight in a four way for the #1 contendership. Hopefully the pay per view can be spiced up soon so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

It’s Fright Night so we have a big castle theme with some pumpkins and bats.

Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin vs. Death Riders

Tornado Tag, which AEW certainly loves. Allin whips Cassidy into Yuta and Garcia to start fast and stereo backdrops put them down again. They head outside with Allin chairing Yuta in the back and then flip diving through him for a bonus. The fight goes into the crowd, where Allin is right there to dive onto the Riders and save Cassidy. They go back to ringside with Allin dropkicking Garcia from the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Yuta kicking Allin into the corner, leaving the Riders to set up a table. Cassidy tornado DDTs Yuta but gets guillotine choked by Garcia. Yuta puts Cassidy through the table so Allin grabs the skateboard, which he offers to Garcia for a free shot. Instead it’s a Code Red for two on Garcia but Yuta breaks up the Coffin Drop. Cassidy’s top rope DDT plants Yuta though and the Coffin Drop gets two, with Garcia making the save. Cassidy Orange Punches Garcia to the floor for a suicide dive through a table, allowing Allin to Scorpion Deathlock Yuta for the win at 11:27.

Rating: B-. This was a rather AEW match, with violence and everyone running around in a match that doesn’t exactly have much staying power. The good guys beating the Death Riders is a good way to go, though I have no idea why Allin is still dealing with the team. The I Quit match should have wrapped it up, though it seems we’ll be seeing at least one more match.

Hook is ready to be the underdog in the #1 contenders match, but he’s also wanting to make sure Samoa Joe doesn’t get another title shot.

Don Callis is ready for tonight’s Family summit but calls the Young Bucks over. Callis pitches the Bucks joining the Family and has a special entrance set up for them. The Bucks head to the ring, passing a cow, a man in black and the Staypuft Marshmallow Man.

Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express vs. Jet Speed vs. FTR

For the Tag Team Title shot at Full Gear and Callis does the Bucks’ entrance, complete with pyro scaring them. Harwood backs Bailey up against the ropes to start and slugs away, only for Bailey to kick him in the chest. Bailey and Perry trade some flips and it’s Jet Speed double teaming Luchasaurus down. The good guys have a staredown until the other teams jump them from behind but Luchasaurus fights out of trouble.

Knight comes in and gets beaten down, only to come back and bring Perry in to clean house. Wheeler kicks Matt out to the floor and Harwood superplexes Knight onto the pile at ringside. Knight comes up holding his knee and we take a break. We come back with Perry fighting out of trouble, allowing Luchasaurus to come back in and wreck things. Some chokeslams have the Bucks down and Luchasaurus’ standing moonsault gets two.

Knight is back in with a running DDT to cut Luchasaurus off and then dropkicks Perry onto the pile at ringside. Bailey moonsaults onto them as well as Knight hits a springboard splash for two on Luchasaurus. The Bucks get back in to superkick the Express and Bailey. FTR get superkicked and the Shatter Machine hits Yuta. The BTE Trigger gets two on Knight but Luchasaurus is back up to clean house again. Bailey moonsaults onto Wheeler and Luchasaurus but a quick Shatter Machine finishes Knight at 13:42.

Rating: B+. It was a bunch of wild insanity for the better part of fifteen minutes and that worked rather well. FTR is one of the only teams who can be plugged into the title picture at anytime and Bandido/Brody King beating them would be a big step forward. If nothing else, it’s not the Bucks or Bailey so I’ll call this a positive.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

Here is the Don Callis Family for their summit. First up, we have four very important questions. Rocky Romero asks the first question: who is the Don Callis Family? They are the most dominant faction in all of wrestling, including the missing Konosuke Takeshita. Romero unveils a painting of the Family with a very muscular Callis in the center. Josh Alexander asks the second question: what is the Don Callis Family? We take care of that with a video package on the Family.

The third question is asked by Kyle Fletcher, who asks why the Don Callis Family. He reads a pledge they all signed before joining the Family (basically saying it’s all about the team) but here is Takeshita to interrupt. Callis tells Takeshita that this is a family of Alphas, as Takeshita and Okada go face to face.

There is no I in team, but there is one in Family, so Callis needs Takeshita to put his issues with Okada aside. Callis refers to the IWGP Title as “theirs” and demands that they shake hands. Takeshita eventually extends his hand but Okada flips him off. Callis says they have work to do so they’ll team up on Collision to prove what they can do.

Video on Olympia, who is going to challenge Mercedes Mone for the CMLL Women’s Title.

Kris Statlander is willing to meet Mercedes Mone face to face tonight if Mone has anything to say to her.

Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Moxley goes after him to start fast and has to escape an armbar attempt. Back up and Moxley flips him off and they trade some forearms. A backdrop sends O’Reilly out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Moxley getting two off a piledriver, followed by a crossface. That’s broken up and O’Reilly hammers away, setting up an ankle lock. A running knee to the back of the head gets two and the triangle choke has Moxley in more trouble.

With that broken up, Moxley hits a rebound lariat but the Death Rider is countered into the ankle lock. Moxley is sent outside and taken out with a dive, followed by a dragon screw legwhip into the barricade. A Death Rider attempt onto a chair is countered into a guillotine…and they’re both counted out at 11:49.

Rating: B-. Another hard hitting match here, though I was only so interested in seeing them fight again after last week. Moxley being around and active so soon after WrestleDream doesn’t make the pay per view match feel very important. If Moxley giving up is such a big deal, maybe have him seem a bit more upset by it?

Post match O’Reilly takes issue with the referee, who is decked by Marina Shafir. Claudio Castagnoli runs in to take O’Reilly out but Roderick Strong runs in for the attempted save. The Death Riders run in to take Strong out but the rest of the Conglomeration and Darby Allin makes the save. Mark Briscoe says the Riders like to run off, so Cassidy has an idea: Blood & Guts. So are we doing two of them or is the women’s version just not happening?

Kris Statlander and Mercedes Mone brawl in the back and come into the arena. Mone sends her into the ring and Athena is in with the O Face. Cue Harley Cameron and Willow Nightingale to make the save.

Bandido is ready to face Mascara Dorada on Collision and recently even brought his grandmother to see him wrestle live for the first time.

Penelope Ford is apparently injured and out of the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament and Blood & Guts. So there’s your answer about the women’s edition.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Sisters Of Sin vs. Jamie Hayter/Queen Aminata

Aminata and Hayter double team Hart down, leaving Aminata to give Blue the hips to the face. Some snap suplexes drop Blue for two so Hart comes in, with a double suplex taking the Sisters down. Back up and a double flapjack drops Hayter and we take a break. We come back with Hayter suplexing her way out of trouble so Aminata can come back in to clean house.

Hayter is right back in with a missile dropkick and everything breaks down. The Sisters are dropped with stereo German suplexes but they pop up with superkicks. A four way clothesline leaves everyone down and Hayter rolls to the floor. Cue Thekla to spear her down, leaving the Sisters to hit an assisted swinging Rock Bottom to finish Aminata at 10:01.

Rating: C+. Well, it’s nice to have the tournament start and the result helps set up Blood & Guts. That’s what they need to do and the story is already starting to come together, but Thekla vs. Hayter as the main feud is only getting me so far. For now though, I’ll take a start to the tournament, which will have more long term impact.

Penelope Ford confirms that she has injured her arm and promises pain in the future. Megan Bayne has a new partner: Marina Shafir. Jon Moxley approves.

Hook vs. Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Ricochet

For the World Title shot at Full Gear. Ricochet and Lashley go to the floor to start but Ricochet is back in to dropkick Lashley off the apron. Back up and Lashley takes turns with Hook as they suplex Ricochet. For reasons of general stupidity, Hook slugs away at Lashley, earning himself a spinebuster onto the apron. Joe is back up with the suicide elbow to Ricochet and Lashley as we take a break.

We come back with Joe wrecking various people, including Hook with the snap powerslam for two. Back up and Ricochet tries a dive on Joe, who casually walks away. That gives us the big Lashley vs. Joe brawl, with Lashley hitting a spinebuster. Ricochet is planted with a Dominator but Joe clotheslines Lashley.

Hook is back up to suplex Joe and Ricochet hits a running flip dive to hit Lashley on the floor. The shooting star press gets two on Hook but the Spirit Gun is countered into Redrum. Joe breaks that up but Lashley breaks up the MuscleBuster with a spear. Ricochet makes a save of his own and chairs Lashley, who chases him up the aisle. That lets Joe Koquina Clutch Hook for the win at 11:52.

Rating: B. There were some rather good saves in there and I had a fun time with the match, even if there was only so much doubt about the winner. Save for maybe Lashley, there was no reason to believe that anyone but Joe was going to win. It’s a good main event and Hook being the perfect choice to take the fall.

Post match the Opps are in the ring because it’s time for the contract signing. Cue the Dynamite crew, meaning the people in costumes from earlier, now with the Marshmallow Man, a cow, a chicken, and some meat. Hobbs and Shibata clear out the non-Marshmallow Man, who is unveiled as….a guy. Joe knocks him down and signs the contract before promising to win the title. Tony Schiavone offers them beers for a toast but Schiavone…is Hangman Page in a mask to jump Joe. Referees break it up to end the show as I try to figure out how Page set that whole thing up and if he would have done it if Joe hadn’t won.

Overall Rating: B. It was a fun night of wrestling and they did set some things up, but the last few weeks haven’t exactly made me think much of WrestleDream. Moxley is right back to what he’s been doing and is ready for Blood & Guts while Page and Joe are right where they were coming into their previous match. Hopefully they make it into a better and bigger game changer of a show, as AEW needs something fresh soon. For now though, the wrestling carries things again, as it tends to do around here.

Results
Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy b. Death Riders – Scorpion Deathlock to Yuta
FTR b. Young Bucks, Jurassic Express and Jet Speed – Shatter Machine to Knight
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jon Moxley went to a double countout
Sisters Of Sin b. Jamie Hayter/Queen Aminata – Assisted swinging Rock Bottom to Aminata
Samoa Joe b. Hook, Bobby Lashley and Ricochet – Koquina Clutch to Hook

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

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Collision
Date: October 25, 2025
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Point, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with WrestleDream and it’s time to start getting ready for Full Gear. That could make for some interesting issues around here, though we already have something special this week. This time we’ll be seeing the Young Bucks teaming with FTR in an attempt to win $400,000, which is a thing again here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. That’s what the Opps did after spending a year fighting the Death Riders. After all of those battles, Page gave Samoa Joe a World Title match where he beat Joe, just as he promised. Then the Opps stabbed him in the back and now Page is ticked off. Page promises to ruin Joe’s life to wrap it up. This was pretty much a big recap.

Pac promises to hurt Tomohiro Ishii.

Pac vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Thank goodness they had a match scheduled. Otherwise Pac might have had trouble fulfilling his promise. The Death Riders are here with Pac, who trades forearms with Ishii to start. They both miss big shots and that’s good for an early staredown. Ishii’s suplex sends Pac out to the apron, where Daniel Garcia offers a distraction so Pac can take over. A missile dropkick drops Ishii again and we take a break.

We come back with Ishii chopping away and running him over, setting up a delayed vertical superplex for two. A powerbomb gives Ishii two but Ishii comes up favoring his arm. Pac snaps the arm across the top rope and they trade German suplexes. They knock each other down before Pac gives him a Tombstone into another German suplex. Pac’s brainbuster gets two more and he sends Ishii outside for the running knee from Wheeler Yuta. That’s enough for Pac to hit a running clothesline for the pin at 12:10.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much exactly what you would have expected it to be, with both of them hitting the other hard. Pac cheats with the Death Riders and the designated jobber of the Conglomeration loses again. It was entertaining, but absolutely nothing out of the norm from these guys.

Thekla vs. Mina Shirakawa

Shirakawa dances a lot to start but misses a charge into the corner. A running dropkick works better for Shirakawa and we hit the surfboard. Some dancing stomps onto the hands have Thekla in even more trouble but she cuts off another dance and throws Shirakawa down. That’s broken up and Shirakawa starts in on the leg as the Sisters Of Sin come out to watch.

Thekla uses the distraction to knock Shirakawa outside and we take a break. We come back with Shirakawa hitting a Sling Blade and running knee to take over. A slingshot corkscrew splash gives Shirakawa two but it’s too early for the Figure Four. Thekla catches her up top with the spider superplex but Shirakawa strikes her down again. The spinning backfist drops Thekla for two and the top rope Sling Blade gets the same. That’s enough for the Sisters to offer a distraction, allowing Thekla to hit a spear into the Death Trap for the tap at 13:55.

Rating: C+. The ball of charisma that is Shirakawa loses again, as tends to be her custom in recent weeks. That’s not exactly encouraging, though she should be fine when she teams with Toni Storm coming up. Thekla needs the win to build her up for the likely spot in Blood & Guts (lineups would be nice) so I guess there was no choice than to have Shirakawa lose again.

Anna Jay and Tay Melo have been getting ready for the Women’s Tag Team Titles for years. Cue Miranda Alize and Nixon Newell (Tegan Nox) to issue the challenge for a tag match. Game on.

Here is MxM TV for their Casting Call. First though, Mansoor mocks the ring announcers’ weight, because reasons. Anyway, the match.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Olympia

Valkyrie isn’t happy and gets stomped in the corner to make it worse. A running seated senton crushes Valkyrie again, leaving Olympia to dive onto the rest of the team. Back in and a sitout F5 (with squats) finishes Valkyrie at 2:35.

On Dynamite: Hook vs. Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe for the World Title shot at Full Gear.

Ace Austin vs. Bryan Keith

Feeling out process to start with Austin kicking away. That’s broken up and Keith fires away before sending Austin out to the apron. Austin’s springboard high crossbody connects and they head outside with Austin winning a strike off. The handstand on the apron sets up a kick to Keith’s chest but Keith knocks him right back down. Keith boots him in the face on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Austin rolling through an exploder suplex and striking away again. A Russian legsweep gets two on Keith, who is right back up with a running headbutt. Austin is right back with a kick to the head though and the Fold (running Blockbuster) finishes Keith at 11:40.

Rating: B-. That’s what we needed to see here, as Austin needs to be established around here and winning matches is the way to make that happen. Austin might not be the biggest guy but he can hang with the more talented stars. If nothing else, the Fold continues to be a sweet finisher that he can hit on just about anyone, so there is some potential here.

Don Callis talks about how families have issues at times and that is the case with Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita. He’s in charge though and the Family is having a summit on Dynamite.

The Outrunners and Dalton Castle are interrupted by the still bickering Anthony Bowens and Max Caster. The Outrunners mumble a lot, which Castle says is the secret to their success.

Hook vs. Griff Garrison

Eddie Kingston and the Frat House are here too. Garrison works on the arm to start and gets taken down with a quick suplex. Hook takes him to the mat and hammers in some forearms to the face but Garrison is back with a running boot. That’s shrugged off and Hook grabs Redrum for the tap at 2:08.

Olympia wants the CMLL Women’s Title and challenges Mercedes Mone for Collision.

Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata are ready to take out the Sisters Of Sin and win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Young Bucks/FTR vs. Jet Speed/Jurassic Express

Perry brings a beach ball with him, which Wheeler crushes with a chair (good man). Matt headlocks Knight to start and gets dropkicked for his efforts. Bailey comes in off a blind tag for a double hiptoss so it’s off to Wheeler. Some kicks take Wheeler down just as fast but he’s able to drop Perry with a clothesline. It’s off to Harwood, who gets backed off by Luchasaurus. Some slams drop FTR as everything breaks down, with Bailey missile dropkicking Matt. The non-dinosaur good guys hit dives to the floor, leaving Luchasaurus to grab a chokeslam back inside.

We take a break and come back with the villains cleaning house and Wheeler hitting a dive of his own. A standing Sliced Bread to Perry sets up Harwood’s Sharpshooter, which is broken up rather quickly. Knight comes back in to clean house and Jet Speed hit stereo slingshot dives to the floor. A super hurricanrana sends Matt into Bailey’s sitout powerbomb for two but Nick throws powder in Knight’s eyes. Matt superkicks Knight for two and we take another another break.

We come back with Knight fighting his way out of trouble and handing it back to Luchasaurus. Everything breaks down and Perry hurricanranas Matt off the apron onto Harwood. Back in and the PowerPlex drops Luchasaurus into a 450 for two. The Bucks and FTR hit a Shatter Machine apiece but the double EVP Trigger misses. The Countdown To Extinction hits Harwood and the tornado kick gives Bailey the pin at 20:33.

Rating: B. Hey look: the Bucks are still broke. I wonder if they’ll be given another chance to make a bunch of money in a match because they’re oh so wacky with their money. I have no idea why this is supposed to still be entertaining because the joke has been told multiple times now. I’m also pretty much over seeing the Bucks and FTR interact, as it’s been done enough already.

FTR and the Bucks argue.

One more thing: these four teams will be in a four way match on Dynamite for a Tag Team Title shot at Full Gear. Well of course they are.

Overall Rating: B-. This was certainly an episode of Collision, with the usual action and little being done other than having some matches announced for Dynamite. That’s often the featured attraction for this show, unless you want to see Olympia built up before she gets to lose to Mercedes Mone next week. Run of the mill show here, meaning it’s fun if you watch it but nothing you need to see.

Results
Pac b. Tomohiro Ishii – Running clothesline
Thekla b. Mina Shirakawa – Death Trap
Olympia b. Taya Valkyrie – Sitout F5
Ace Austin b. Bryan Keith – The Fold
Hook b. Griff Garrison – Redrum
Jet Speed/Jurassic Express b. FTR/Young Bucks – Tornado kick to Harwood

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

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WrestleDream 2025
Date: October 18, 2025
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back with the annual Antonio Inoki tribute show because…well it was the best theme they could think of at the time. The big draw here is an I Quit match between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin, which should be more about who will attempt to maim the other one (or themselves) worse. Samoa Joe is also challenging Hangman Page for the World Title so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Death Riders vs. Conglomeration/Roderick Strong

Strong knocks Garcia down to start and it’s off to O’Reilly to strike away. Cassidy adds his basement dropkick but Yuta slams him down to cut things off. We take a break and come back with Ishii and Castagnoli trading forearms until Ishii is knocked into the corner. The Riders take turns beating on him until a double clothesline drops Garcia and Yuta.

The tag brings in Cassidy to clean house but Castagnoli is back in with a Swing. That’s reversed into a choke and the other Riders all get caught in abdominal stretches. Those are all broken up and we take a second break. We come back again with Cassidy not being able to sunset flip Castagnoli.

Instead he gets over for the tag off to Strong and everything breaks down. Ishii rolls some German suplexes but Castagnoli blocks one to him. Pac is back up with a German suplex to Ishii but Cassidy grabs a tornado DDT. Ishii lariats Pac, only for a chop block to cut him down. The running knee gives Pac the pin at 15:46.

Rating: B-. Well that was long. If there is one way to get the fans into a show, it’s a heavy dose of Garcia and Yuta, as the two of them can bring down just about anyone if given a chance. The Riders needed the momentum after some less than successful outings and it’s not like Ishii is going to be hurt by taking a fall. This makes the most sense, but dang that’s a long opener of a Kickoff show.

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. Frat House

The Frat House is answering an open challenge and we immediately go to a split screen interview with La Faccion Ingobernable at the bell. We go back to full screen with Hook throwing Garrison down but a cheap shot drops Kingston. Karter comes in with a dropkick but Kingston manages a middle rope shoulder. It’s back to Hook to clean house until Garrison breaks up a suplex attempt. Everything breaks down and Kingston hits the spinning backfist. The Redrum finishes Karter at 3:22.

Rating: C. That’s what this needed to be as there was no reason to do anything but have Kingston and Hook win a squash. Kingston and Hook aren’t likely to be a big deal in the tag division as it feels like the latest attempt to get Hook over by attaching him to someone popular. It hasn’t really worked yet, but at least they kept it short here.

The Costco Guys are going to face the Don Callis Family at Full Gear when Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta interrupt. AJ is beaten down.

Kickoff Show: Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne vs. Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron

Nightingale knocks Ford into the corner and fires off the clotheslines to start. Cameron comes in for a basement dropkick but she’s smart enough to hand it back to Nightingale to face Bayne. Nightingale clotheslines both villains down at once and drops Cameron down onto Ford. That doesn’t last long as Ford is up with a moonsault to the floor onto both of them and we take a break.

We come back with Cameron managing a spinning DDT to drop Bayne, allowing the tag off to Nightingale. The Babe With The Powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and Bayne tosses Ford into Nightingale for a Stunner. Everything breaks down and a series of knockdowns leaves them all on the mat.

Nightingale clotheslines Bayne, who is right back with a middle rope double clothesline. Cameron rolls out of a Doomsday Device but Ford hits a fireman’s carry….we’ll say gutbuster to drop Cameron for two. Cameron’s pumphandle suplex drops Ford though and the Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin at 12:13.

Rating: B-. They were working hard here and I like Nightingale getting a win. In theory these people might be a part of the upcoming Blood & Guts match, though Bayne still needs to be moving on to the next level already. Unfortunately there is a good chance that she and Ford will be going after the Women’s Tag Team Titles, which doesn’t exactly feel like what is best for Bayne. For now though, I’ll take Nightingale getting a pin.

Kickoff Show: FTR vs. Jet Speed

So the bell rings with 4:20 to go before the pay per view starts so yes, this show (one of two Kickoff Shows) is going to have an overrun. Knight gets taken into the wrong corner to tart but he jumps over them and brings in Bailey to clean house. FTR is sent outside and taken down again with some stereo dives. Knight dives off the barricade to take Harwood down but a running DDT is blocked back inside.

They all crash to the floor…and the Kickoff Show ends, meaning we’ll pick it up on the main show. We get some pyro while the match is going on and Harwood piledrives Bailey for two. Knight’s DDT gets the same and he rams Wheeler into Stokely Hathaway. Wheeler sends Bailey into the apron and the Sharpshooter goes on, with Knight having to make the rope.

The PowerPlex is broken up but the Shatter Machine connects, only for Bailey to shooting star knee in for the save. Bailey kicks away at Harwood and another PowerPlex attempt is blocked with raised knees. Bailey’s suplex is broken up with a trip from Hathaway, who holds the leg so Harwood can get the pin at 12:19.

Rating: B. The match was fine, though the break between shows in the middle didn’t so much make me think it was interesting as much as “good grief this is already feeling really long”. Aside from that, at least FTR won their first big match after the big attack on Beth Copeland, which feels like it has already been forgotten for the time being. At least Jet Speed didn’t win either, which is always a nice perk.

We recap Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla. Hayter returned and was attacked by Thekla, leading to a long running feud. It seems to have set up Blood & Guts next month, with this as a stopping point.

Lou Thesz’s widow is here.

Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter

Everyone is banned from ringside. Hayter kicks her in the face to start and hammers away on the mat before pulling Thekla back up. Thekla needs a breather on the floor, so Hayter follows her out for some rams into various things. Some chops connect in front of Thesz’s widow (a rather sweet woman named Charlie) but Thekla is back up with a big dive off the top to the floor. Hayter’s back seems to have been banged up on the crash, which tends to be a recurring theme for her.

Back in and Thekla slows things down, including the triangle choke over the ropes. Hayter gets in a forearm to cut her off though and snaps off a suplex for a needed breather. A running clothesline looks to set up a brainbuster but Thekla knees her in the head for the escape. Thekla catches her on top, only to get dropped with a headbutt. Some kicks to the head set up a fireman’s carry backbreaker to put Thekla down again.

They forearm it out from their knees until Thekla is back up with a Black Widow. Well that makes sense. Hayter reverses with a backbreaker but Thekla pulls her into something like a Black Widow on the mat. That’s broken up as well and the rather small Thekla hits a spear. Hayter shrugs that off and hits a clothesline, followed by Hayterade for the pin at 15:25.

Rating: B-. This was rather long and didn’t really feel like anything but a Collision main event. It’s ok enough for the start of a show (or at least the first match that aired in full) and should help build towards Blood & Guts. In theory it would be better for Thekla to win as she’s not quite as big of a deal as Hayter, but they both needed to win here given their current situations.

Post match Queen Aminata comes out to celebrate with Hayter.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express. The Express returned last month and the Bucks attacked them. As a bonus, the Bucks are broke and this is for $500,000.

Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express

For $500,000 (which is just sitting in a bag on the announcers’ table). We get a graphic showing that the Bucks have about $32 and a repeating electronic voice saying “INSUFFICIENT FUNDS, TRANSACTION DENIED”. Perry and Matt start things off with an exchange of shoves until Matt hammers him down. That’s cut off and Perry goes after the arm before handing it off to Luchasaurus.

Nick comes in and gets powerbombed onto Matt so the Bucks head outside, where Luchasaurus moonsaults onto both of them. Perry dives onto them as well and gives a rather Adam Cole looking smile. Matt is able to come back with a Sliced Bread on the floor, leaving Nick to check on the money. Back in and a backbreaker/slingshot legdrop combination has Perry in more trouble.

Matt knees Luchasaurus off the apron and drops Perry again, allowing the Bucks to do their double biceps pose. Perry is hung on the top rope for a double stomp to the back…which makes him bounce off for a hurricanrana to Matt. That’s either terribly stupid, totally awesome or both. Either way it allows the tag off to Luchasaurus who has to flip away from the double superkicks. Matt gets chokeslammed onto Nick and a reverse powerbomb/cutter combination gets two.

It’s back to Perry, who gets draped over the top rope, with the double stomp into the sitout powerbomb working this time. Perry gets kicked in the head and winds up on Matt’s (on the floor) shoulders. Nick winds up on Luchasaurus’ shoulders and it’s time for an electric chair slugout. That doesn’t last long until Perry has to escape the TK Driver. A powerbomb onto the apron sets up a spike piledriver/double stomp combination (ala the Lucha Bros), followed by the BTE Trigger for two, with Luchasaurus making the save.

Back up and a chokeslam into a standing moonsault gives Luchasaurus two and a Doomsday Device gets the same. A TK Driver gets two on Matt with Nick making the save this time. The Bucks fire off the superkicks and the BTE Trigger gets two on Perry. Luchasaurus is back in as Perry grabs a poisonrana, followed by the Extinction for the pin on Matt at 23:08.

Rating: B. Good match here as you might have expected given the talent involved, though the Broke Bucks thing has lost a lot of its charm. It feels like something we’ve done to death at this point and thankfully we don’t have to watch them lose it again. At the same time, the Express is getting a bit of momentum after their return, which could turn into something good if it continues.

Post match Perry teases making amends with the Bucks but the Don Callis Family runs in to beat him down. The Bucks leave so cue Kenny Omega to glare at the Bucks and then run in for the save. Omega gets a red scarf and does a quick Antonio Inoki tribute because that’s still a theme on this show.

We recap the Hurt Syndicate vs. the Demand. They’ve been fighting for a few weeks and traded wins so it’s time for a tornado tag to blow it off.

Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand

Tornado Trios match and the winners get a future Trios Titles match. The brawl starts in the aisle with the Demand taking over and sending MVP into the barricade. A running Spirit Gun cuts Lashley down and he gets sent into the steps. Back in and Benjamin takes over on the Gates until Ricochet makes a save. Ricochet’s suicide dive and Liona’s Pounce drop Lashley and he’s laid on a table.

Benjamin is Open The Gates’d through him and the table, leaving MVP mostly surrounded. Ricochet knocks him down and some running shots in the corner set up running boot/Russian legsweep combination for two. MVP manages to send them outside though and Lashley is back up with some running clotheslines. The Dominator gets two on Ricochet but a superplex is turned into a double powerbomb for a slightly modified Tower Of Doom.

Benjamin suplexes Ricochet over the top onto the pile at ringside and then busts out a great looking running flip dive (being able to do that at any age, let alone 50, is nuts). MVP is back in with Ballin to Ricochet but Liona makes the save. Benjamin gives Liona an enziguri and Lashley spears him to the floor. That leaves Ricochet alone against the entire Syndicate (nice mirroring from earlier) but Kaun pulls him outside to take his place. The spear gives Lashley the pin at 13:27.

Rating: B. These guys work well together, though the Syndicate moving forward is the right move. They feel like bigger stars and while I don’t care to see them go after the Trios Titles, I’ll take it over the Demand winning. Just let this be it for the feud, which it certainly seems to be.

We recap Kyle Fletcher defending the TNT Title against Mark Briscoe. They’ve done this four times now and this is round five.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is challenging and takes him down by the arm to start, which is broken up rather quickly. Fletcher gets up and strikes a double bicep but Briscoe knocks him outside. Back in and they stare each other down as commentary bickers over Briscoe’s IQ. Briscoe knocks him outside and chops away, setting up the Bang Bang Elbow. A superkick knocks Fletcher back to the floor, where Briscoe sits him in a chair.

The big running flip dive sends Fletcher through the chair but he’s able to get back up and superkick Briscoe down. Fletcher powerbombs him onto the steps and stomps away in the corner, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two. Back up and they trade forearms, big boots, and then clotheslines to put them both down again. Briscoe fights up but can’t get a Death Valley Driver or a Jay Driller.

Fletcher’s sitout powerbomb gets two, with Briscoe’s belt being broken on the impact. They go to the corner where Fletcher slips out of a super Razor’s Edge and grabs a top rope superplex for the big crash instead. They head out to the apron again where Briscoe hits a Jay Driller, leaving them both down on the floor. Back in and Fletcher can’t hit another superplex, instead being laid on the top rope for a Froggy Bow (that’s a new one).

Another Froggy Bow to the floor connects with a standing Fletcher, followed by a regular version for two back inside. Briscoe Jay Drillers him down but Fletcher reaches over and gets a single finger on the rope. The Cutthroat Driver is broken up but Fletcher slips out and nearly crushes the referee. A low blow and brainbuster get two, followed by a lawn dart into the corner. The brainbuster onto the turnbuckle retains the title at 24:47.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match with the two of them beating the fire out of each other. Fletcher getting a win helps make up for last month’s loss and it was cool to see him come out fighting after surviving a bunch of things from Briscoe. I liked this a good deal and Fletcher’s rather impressive rise continues.

Post match the Conglomeration comes out to help Briscoe up.

We recap Toni Storm challenging Kris Statlander for the Women’s Title. Statlander won the title last month by pinning Storm in a four way. Storm needs to know if she can win one on one and now it’s the big showdown. Logical storytelling there.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Kris Statlander

Statlander is defending and Storm gets a weird entrance, talking about how she is ready to meet her murderer but death isn’t ready for her. Statlander gets a singing entrance, which sounded like either Storm or Harley Cameron. They go with the grappling to start and Storm grabs a headlock takeover. Statlander’s headlock is broken up with a headscissors but she slaps it right back on.

Storm is able to send her to the apron for a hip attack but the tornado DDT to the floor is broken up. Instead Statlander kicks her to the floor for a quick moonsault, followed by a slingshot hilo for two back inside. A bodyscissors stays on Storm’s ribs and a hard lariat drops Storm for another near fall. Storm is back up with a shot of her own, setting up a tiger driver.

Statlander shrugs that off and electric chairs her into something like a Black Widow on the mat. Storm’s leg makes the rope and her choke sends Statlander over to the ropes as well. Something like a Blue Thunder Bomb puts Storm back down and a 450 gives Statlander a rather near fall. Storm shrugs off a German suplex but walks into Staturday Night Fever. A headscissor choke with the arm trapped has Storm in more trouble until another Staturday Night Fever retains the title at 16:35.

Rating: B-. This was a hard enough hitting match but it never hit that next level. I like the idea of Statlander winning and it’s the right call, though having her try for the submission and then let it go, seemingly in frustration, wasn’t the best look. It was a good enough match with the right result though and that’s what matters the most.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes to the ring for the big staredown. She brings up her open challenge for a title vs. title match and it’s on.

TBS Title/ROH Interim Women’s TV Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Mina Shirakawa

Title for title. Shirakawa kicks at the knee to send Mone outside, meaning it’s time for some quick dancing. Back in and the Statement Maker is broken up but a second attempt works a bit better for Mone. That’s broken up so Mone goes with a Backstabber into a gutbuster for two. Mone knees her out of the corner for two and Three Amigos connect. Shirakawa breaks up a Figure Four attempt and gets Meteoraed right back down.

Back up and they trade forearms until Mone twists the knee around. The knee is bent over the rope and Shirakawa hits a top rope Sling Blade for two. The Glamorous Driver and Mone Maker are both blocked so Shirakawa grabs a Glamorous Driver for another near fall. Now the Figure Four can put Mone in trouble but she gets to the ropes rather quickly. Naturally that means a running Meteora, followed by a middle rope version AND a running version in the corner.

The third one misses so Shirakawa hits a discus forearm and a big kick to the head. Another Figure Four is escaped so Mone pokes her in the eye and gets two off a rollup. The Statement Maker goes on until Shirakawa reverses into a rollup for two. The Mone Maker connects with Shirakawa getting a hand on the rope to save herself. Mone is rammed into the buckle a few times but reverses into a rollup and puts a foot on the rope to retain at 16:12.

Rating: B-. Well at least Mone won. It’s been so long since she won anything that the only solution was to give her another win. They’re trying to promote the idea that she has all of the titles and…yeah I’m still not caring, as ROH means nothing in the first place so the Interim (again: stupid concept that needs to go FAR away) midcard title doesn’t exactly mean much. Throw in Mone not selling the knee and it was a bit annoying to watch. If Mone won’t sell the knee, why should Shirakawa even bother?

Post match Kris Statlander comes out to scare Mone off.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. Bandido and Brody King are the new champions who have been an instant success, while Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita are having trouble getting along.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King vs. Don Callis Family

The Family is challenging. Bandido and Okada lock up to start and we actually get a clean break. Okada gets backed up against the ropes for a standoff but manages to take Bandido down for an elbow. Takeshita comes in for the exchange of forearms and it’s off to King, who gets knocked into the wrong corner. Okada’s neckbreaker drops King again and Okada knocks Bandido off the apron in a smart move.

King gets fired up and fights back, allowing Bandido to come back in with a spinning high crossbody. Bandido’s big moonsault to the floor takes the Family down, followed by King dropping Bandido onto Takeshita back inside. We pause for the Macarena, with Okada breaking it up in a hurry (as he should have). That leaves Okada to do a middle finger Macarena before going after Bandido’s banged up shoulder. Takeshita sends the arm into the buckle, followed by a posting from Okada.

King gets knocked outside and sent into the barricade, leaving Okada to drop a top rope elbow. The Family bickers though and Bandido chops away, allowing the much needed tag off to King. That means the Family gets stacked up in the corner for a double Cannonball but Okada is back with an Air Raid Crash onto the knee. Bandido’s Code Red gets two on Takeshita and they trade some big strikes to the face. Takeshita counters the 21 Plex though and Okada dropkicks Bandido into the corner.

King Cannonballs Okada again and Takeshita gets planted for a shooting star press from Bandido for two in a great sequence. Back up and Takeshita shrugs off Bandido’s chops and knocks him down hard. The running knee is loaded up but Okada tags himself in, much to Takeshita’s annoyance. The confusion lets Bandido get over for the tag to Bandido and Takeshita is sent outside. Running shots in the corner set up a fire thunder driver for two on Okada.

Takeshita slips out of a Doomsday Device attempt and manages to wheelbarrow suplex King. The 21 Plex is blocked though…leaving King to German suplex all three of them at once. Everyone is down so King is sent outside, leaving Bandido to kick at both of them. Okada Rainmakers Takeshita by mistake…and doesn’t seem to mind. Naturally Bandido can X Knee Okada with one arm but the arm gives out on the 21 Plex. King is back up with a suicide dive to Takeshita though and now the 21 Plex can hit Okada to retain the titles at 27:30.

Rating: A-. This turned into a heck of a match at the end, which is a great thing to see. Bandido is doing some incredible work at the moment and King compliments him very well. This was a nice mixture of multiple stories at the same time, with Takeshita and Okada’s issues possibly near the top. Awesome match here, as tends to be the case with Bandido and King.

Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa say they’ve lost everything but still have each other. Sounds like the Tag Team Titles are up next.

We recap Samoa Joe challenging Hangman Page for the World Title. Page accidentally disrespected Joe (even Page said he was confused by what happened) and it’s time to fight.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe

Page is defending and after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Joe backs him into the corner for a cocky clean break to start before grabbing a headlock. That’s broken up so Joe knocks him hard to the floor for a breather. Back in and Page’s kick to the face is shrugged off, allowing Joe to run him over with an elbow. Page fights out again and tries the moonsault, which is broken up rather quickly.

Instead Joe is low bridged to the floor, where he avoids the moonsault again. Page dropkicks him against the barricade and they head back inside, where Joe plants him with the Rock Bottom out of the corner. The double arm crank keeps Page in trouble and the backsplash gives Joe two. Page charges into a powerslam for two but the jabs to the face just wake him up. An enziguri staggers Joe and they trade kicks to the head.

A running boot sends Joe outside so he slides back in, where Page almost entirely misses a moonsault. It gets two anyway but Joe powerbombs him into the STF. That’s switched into the crossface, which is switched into something like the Rings of Saturn. Page gets out and powerbombs him out of the corner for two more. The Deadeye is broken up and Joe shouts COME ON MOTHERF*****, which is exactly what Page does. The comeback is cut off with a Koquina Clutch, with Page getting a foot onto the rope. Joe can’t get the MuscleBuster and walks into a Deadeye for two. Three straight Buckshot Lariats retain the title at 19:02.

Rating: B. This still didn’t feel like a big time title match but it had some good moments. The good thing about these two is they can have a hard hitting fight and make it work. That’s what they managed to make happen here, with Joe always being able to bring it and Page more than holding up his end. I wasn’t buying the threat of a title change, but that’s ok in a match like this.

Post match the Opps come out to check on Joe and respect is shown…and then the Opps beat Page down. The MuscleBuster onto the belt knocks Page silly. I’m glad to see Joe as a heel again, but it might be better had he not just gotten pinned clean.

Mercedes Mone yells about Kris Statlander ruining her big night and wants the Women’s Title at Full Gear.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin. They hate each other, they’ve hated each other for a long time, and they hate each other enough to have an I Quit match. And something about climbing Mt. Everest.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

I Quit and Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. Allin whips out the flag from the top of Mt. Everest and they’re already on the floor. That doesn’t last long as Moxley comes back in and snaps off a shotgun dropkick. Moxley starts hammering away and sends him ear first into the rope. Allin is sent into the steps and the barricade before Moxley stretches the arm across the steps. Shafir brings in some skewers, which are jammed under Allin’s fingernails.

After making sure that his nail is still there, Allin wins a slugout and grabs a Code Red for a needed breather. Allin gets simple by choking with the flag before just hamming on the apron. The Coffin Drop only hits apron though and Moxley stomps on his head. Some whipping with a belt sets up a piledriver and Moxley yells at him a lot. Allin invites him to whip with the belt and is immediately knocked down again.

Somehow Allin gets over to the corner and whips out some lighter fluid to spray in Moxley’s eyes. More Death Riders run in but get chased off, allowing Moxley to hit a cutter. Moxley wipes the fluid off and shocks him with a taser (of course). A Stomp sets up a bulldog choke but Allin flips him off instead of quitting. Castagnoli gorilla presses Allin from the ring onto the announcers’ table and Moxley adds a Death Rider through a regular table at ringside. The fans declare this murder and it’s time for…an aquarium?

The Death Riders put water into said aquarium so Moxley can attempt to drown him. Rather than murder Allin, Moxley lets him out and yells a lot…as the lights go out. STING is here (with white hair and a big white/black beard) to clear out the Death Riders (and smash the aquarium). Sting throws Allin the bat and leaves, kidnapping Shafir in the process. Moxley tells Allin to hit him with the bat, which he does, followed by a Scorpion Death Drop with the flag. The Coffin Drop into the Scorpion Deathlock (in the water from the aquarium) makes Moxley give up at 26:05.

Rating: B. I’m not sure what to say here and that’s a good thing in this case. My biggest worry coming into the match was that it was going to be total insanity with some really stupid ending. The aquarium got close but it didn’t quite get that far. Sting not attacking Moxley was a good touch as well, as he didn’t so much help Allin beat Moxley as much as he evened the odds, which is a fine way to go. It didn’t go too far and it didn’t reach a level of insanity, so I’ll call this about as much of a success as it could be.

Allin celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I’ll call it a good show overall, with the Tag Team and TNT Title matches being the highlights. As usual, there’s nothing bad on the show but the biggest problem is that it ran so long. I wasn’t so much interested by the end as much as I was wondering how much longer this was going to go. Other than that though, it’s hard to get overly annoyed here, as tends to be the case with the pay per views.

Results
Death Riders b. Conglomeration/Roderick Strong – Running knee to Ishii
Hook/Eddie Kingston b. Frat House – Redrum to Karter
Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron b. Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne – Babe With The Powerbomb to Ford
FTR b. Jet Speed – Rollup with Hathaway holding the leg
Jamie Hayter b. Thekla – Hayterade
Jurassic Express b. Young Bucks – Extinction to Matt
Hurt Syndicate b. The Demand – Spear to Kaun
Kyle Fletcher b. Mark Briscoe – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Kris Statlander b. Toni Storm – Staturday Night Fever
Mercedes Mone b. Mina Shirakawa – Rollup with foot on the ropes
Bandido/Brody King b. Don Callis Family – 21 Plex to Okada
Hangman Page b. Samoa Joe – Buckshot Lariat
Darby Allin b. Jon Moxley – Scorpion Deathlock

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

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AEW is back on pay per view and it doesn’t seem like they’ve been away for very long. The card is not so much centered around the main event for the World Title as much as it is built around a violent grudge match. That is something that could work out well, though hopefully they aren’t still going into Sunday morning. The card is looking ok enough though so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. ???

It’s an open challenge, because wrestling loves those things these days. Kingston is the latest star Hook is being attached to in an effort to get him over and as usual, it’s only kind of working. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but it almost has to be better than watching Kingston wrestle on his own. Hopefully it winds up working here, but it might depend on the opponents.

I’ll bet on Hook and Kingston winning here and it’ll likely be against the Swirl (or the MxM Collection). Either way, it’s not a match that needs to be on this show at all and is just a way to get Kingston back in the ring. As usual, AEW feels the need to get as much action as they can out there and Hook/Kingston are hardly the most interesting idea, as the whole “we’re from New York” deal doesn’t feel like it has the longest shelf life.

Kickoff Show: FTR vs. Jet Speed

Well, it’s better than no FTR. Jet Speed is the latest team that AEW is pushing every chance they can, though that shouldn’t matter when FTR is coming off what happened at All Out. FTR had the big angle with Adam and Beth Copeland and yet here they are on the Kickoff Show. That’s quite the way to go, though it’s not like they have anything else going on at the moment.

I’ll take FTR to win here as they have a bigger story going on, though you never know with what they might do around here. Hopefully sanity prevails here, as there is no reason to have them lose in their first pay per view match after the whole taking out Beth Copeland. The match should be good, even though it feels like it should be the main event of a Collision, which is almost what this show is so maybe it fits.

Kickoff Show: Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron vs. Divine Vanity

So here we….hang on. DIVINE VANITY? Sweet goodness can we stop with the team names that sound like discount perfume? Megan Bayne is a star and could be the next challenger for the Women’s Title, but she’s now part of a team with a horrible name. I have no idea who thinks of these names but they do it in all kinds of promotions these days and it’s really annoying.

With that out of the way, give me Bayne and Ford to win, with Bayne hopefully getting away from the tag team almost immediately. She’s been presented as a major star and a dominant force, though that’s only going to last so long if she’s stuck going after the Tag Team Titles. Odds are that’s what happens, but either way she should be on the winning side here.

Kickoff Show: Conglomeration/Roderick Strong vs. Death Riders

It feels like we’ve seen this match about a dozen times in recent weeks, but that might just be due to how frequently the Death Riders are in the ring. This is likely the big main event of the Kickoff Show and should get a bit of time, with the Death Riders being such a big deal. At the same time, it isn’t a guarantee that they’ll win, as they have only had so much success as of late.

Give me the Death Riders to win here, as it would be strange to have Pac lose again so soon after his big return. Orange Cassidy already beat him once so doing it again might be a bit of a stretch. Either way, I could certainly go for a break from the Death Riders, as the idea has been beaten into the ground for a long time now and the impact is rapidly losing its impact. Odds are they win here though, as they are always featured in some way.

Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla

This is another match in the build towards next month’s Blood & Guts, which is happening despite the story not really feeling like it’s going in that direction. Thekla vs. Hayter has definitely been a feud that has been set up for a few months now, though this definitely doesn’t feel like the big blowoff to the whole thing. Both of them need a win before they get to the big match in November, so we’ll see where we go from here.

I’ll take Hayter to win here, as she can beat Thekla and then get beaten down by the rest of the Triangle Of Madness. That allows both of them to move forward towards November, which is the whole point of this. It’s a great example of a match that could be taken off the show without much being taken away, or it should have been on the Kickoff Show at best. Either way, I’ll take Hayter to win here as she continues to get back to where she was before her injury.

Jurassic Express vs. Young Bucks

This is another match for money, because just having a match for the sake of winning a match is too passe. I’m also not sure why Tony Khan would put the Bucks, who have wasted his money for years and abused their power, in a match where they can get what they want more than anything else. Other than that, it’s the Express’ first real match since they came back so now we get to see how serious they’ll be treated.

In theory, there is no reason for the Express to lose here so I’ll take them to win. They’re freshly back and seemingly popular, plus the whole point of the Bucks is that they need to be broke. Otherwise, how could they be on TV doing their wacky comedy that they’ve been doing for weeks now? Just let the Bucks lose again, as I’ll take that over them dominating the tag division for months on end.

Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand

Speaking of terrible names, we have the Demand getting another shot here, albeit in a Tornado Trios match. I’m glad they added the stipulation as it was looking like a regular six man tag coming into this, would would make for a terrible rematch after the street fight. They’ve done a nice job of making me wonder who wins here, and that’s made this a lot more interesting than it could have been.

I’ll actually go with the Demand to win here, mainly on a total hunch. In theory, they’ve got something to do going forward, as the Hurt Syndicate has already had a long Tag Team Title reign. Unless they’re going after the Trios Titles (please no), it might be time for them to see what they can do in some singles matches. The Demand might be interesting getting a push of their own and they can start that with a win here.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher(c) vs. Mark Briscoe

These two have been feuding for a good while now and it’s nice to see Briscoe getting this kind of a chance. They’re in their fifth match together and that should make for a bit more drama. It’s easier to believe that the title could change hands here, though I’m not sure I can buy the idea of Fletcher losing on back to back pay per views. That’s where things kind of fall apart here.

As you might guess, I’ll take Fletcher to retain the title here as it would be a not so great idea to have him lose another pay per view title match. Fletcher is likely going to become a big star in AEW sooner than later and is already one of the bigger names in the Don Callis Family. I’ll go with him winning here, as Briscoe winning another big match feels like quite the stretch.

Women’s Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Toni Storm

Statlander took the title from Storm last month in a four way match where she did manage to pin Storm, so at least she doesn’t feel like a paper champion. They did need to do a singles version of the title match as well though and this is it, even with Storm’s rather odd way to build towards the showdown. They could have a good match here, though I have a feeling I know where it’s going.

I’m going with Statlander to retain here due to a mixture of two things. First of all, Storm has had the title for such a long time now and it’s well past the time for someone new to get a chance. Statlander can be that someone, at least for the time being, as that brings us to the other factor. That would be Megan Bayne, who seems like she could be ready to be the first (and perhaps last) challenger to Statlander’s title reign. For that to happen, Statlander has to win here, which she will.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King(c) vs. Don Callis Family

So here we have something of a dilemma, as there are two options in this case. You could go with Okada and Takeshita falling apart and losing the title shot as a result, leaning into their long teased feud. On the other, and far more annoying hand, there is the option of “these guys don’t get along but they’re the new Tag Team Champions!” That doesn’t interest me in the slightest, so here we go.

I’ll take the Family to win, as the idea of the two of them being partners who don’t get along but have to face off in the Continental Classic is likely too tempting for Tony Khan to pass up. Bandido and King have been a nice surprise as champions, but the idea of someone being the IWGP World Champion and an AEW champion is something that AEW would pounce on if given the chance, which is what they have here. New champions abound in an annoying booking trope.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page(c) vs. Samoa Joe

This is the latest mostly thrown together title match for Page, who really hasn’t had much to do since winning the belt. That’s quite the problem, but it’s what you get when there are about fifteen people tied up in two heel stables. Your options to come for the title are limited and that’s what we’re seeing here. Joe is a fine choice for a challenger, but it all feels like we’re treading water until we get to the real challenger.

I don’t see any reason to believe that Joe is winning here so we’ll go with the logical pick of Page retaining. Page needs to beat some big names before MJF gets back to be his major challenger and Joe meets the qualifications, though he has pretty much no chance of winning here. That was obvious from the time the match was set, but at least they’ll get to beat the daylights out of each other.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

Whether it goes on last or not, this is absolutely the real main event of the show in the form of an I Quit match. The idea here is that these two will do all kinds of horrible violent things to each other and….yeah I don’t care. I’ve been utterly sick of the Death Riders and Moxley in particular for months now, and the whole deal with Allin pulling out a Molotov Cocktail the other night was the point of no return for me. It’s silly at this point and….something about climbing Mount Everest? Either way, they’re going to fight and that’s what matters here.

The thing is though, I actually think Moxley wins. They’ve been building up the idea that ALLIN WILL NOT QUIT NO MATTER WHAT for weeks now and it feels like a way to set up some big swerve where he does in fact quit. Giving Moxley another win is about as dumb of an idea as they can have, but it would not surprise me in the slightest to see them do this one more time at Full Gear. I’ll pick Moxley in a choice that already feels wrong but AEW can do some wacky things.

Overall Thoughts

As has been the case with a few of AEW’s recent shows, this does not feel like a major pay per view. The World Title match feels slapped on, the Tag Team Title match is more about the challengers’ issues with each other and Moxley vs. Allin feels like it’s going to be about doing the wackiest stunts possible. There are some interesting matches on here (Joe vs. Page should at least be entertaining and the Hurt Syndicate is always worth a look), but a 12 match card that is likely to go about five hours total (minimum) is going to make for a long, long night. As always.

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

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Dynamite
Date: October 15, 2025
Location: Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, Missouri
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s another special night as we have WrestleDream coming up in three days. As a result, this week sees Dynamite and Collision going back to back, which means we’ll be seeing the final pushes to the pay per view in one night. That means we’ll be seeing quite a bit here so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We look at Kota Ibushi breaking his leg on Collision, leading to Jack Perry saving Kenny Omega from a post match brawl. Omega doesn’t trust Perry but says we’ll see where it goes tonight.

We run down the card.

Renee Paquette sits down with Toni Storm and Kris Statlander for their final words before the title match. After they all take off their jackets (including a frustrated Paquette), Storm says she needs the title back and is ready to do anything to get it. If that means being murdered by Statlander, so be it. Statlander says she is constantly evolving, so the woman who beat Storm for the title is already gone. She is the champion and will be forever. Storm gets up and they go face to face, with Storm saying they’ll meet each other in the ring. Paquette is frustrated and wants her jacket back.

Here are Storm and Statlander in the ring and the fight is on. Storm hands her the belt and drops to her knees, only to German suplex Statlander down. Then Statlander drops to her knees as Storm picks up the title, which she hands to Statlander and leaves.

Jack Perry is cutting a piece of wood and says he doesn’t hate the Young Bucks. He is happy with what they did together but they weren’t there when he needed them. That’s why he had to look to his past for help, which is why he is back with Luchasaurus.

Gates Of Agony vs. Hurt Syndicate

Ricochet and MVP are here too. Benjamin and Kaun start things off and slug it out, with Benjamin shrugging off the beating in the corner. Kaun gets kicked down and it’s off to Lashley for a double shoulder. A delayed suplex drops Kaun but he kicks the ropes into a low blow on Lashley.

Liona gets in a Samoan drop on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Liona charging into an overhead belly to belly, allowing Benjamin to come in and clean house. Benjamin’s running DDT plants Kaun and Lashley collides with Liona on the floor. The distraction lets Ricochet come in with a Spirit Gun to Benjamin, allowing Kaun to steal the pin at 9:38.

Rating: B-. There is something fun about watching these teams throw each other around with some rather impressive power. It’s little more than a preview for the six man tag at WrestleDream and in that case, the Gates really needed the win to give them some more momentum. Nice match here, with the villains cheating to win as they should.

We look at Darby Allin getting in a fight with Jon Moxley at New York Comic Con.

Earlier today, Moxley and Allin had a face to face meeting with some glass between them. Moxley says the game is rigged in both directions because neither of them will ever quit. Allin can join the Death Riders and end this but he doesn’t respect Moxley. Why would he want to join someone who treated Bryan Danielson the way they did?

Moxley says sacrifices have to be made but Allin talks about how he saw the freedom at the top of Mount Everest. Now Moxley is chipping away at everything around here, though Moxley says Allin is fighting ghosts of the past. Then Pac comes in to jump Allin, whose blood winds up on the glass. I am out of words to explain how sick I am of Moxley and everything he says and does.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Roderick Strong

They go with the grappling on the mat and then against the ropes to start. Strong avoids a charge in the corner and chops away before chopping away even more. Castagnoli’s headlock is broken up so he grabs it again, followed by a hard elbow. Strong fights up and gets out to the floor, where Castagnoli swings him into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli grabbing a crossface, which sends Strong into the ropes. That’s enough to start the comeback and sending Castagnoli outside for a drop onto the barricade. Back in and Strong drops him onto the turnbuckle, only to charge into Swiss Death for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: B-. As usual, the match was fine, but it’s kind of hard to get interested in a match between two people who have been beaten down this much. Castagnoli is in a better place than Strong, though that’s not saying much. Strong hasn’t won anything important since he’s been in AEW, so how much does it matter for either of these two to win here?

The Don Callis Family is having a birthday party for Don Callis. After a quick song, Callis says this is all about power and is presented with….a video from Konosuke Takeshita, who promises to win the IWGP World Title for Callis. Kazuchika Okada cuts the video off and they toast to family.

We see Konosuke Takeshita winning the IWGP World Title earlier this week.

Don Callis Family vs. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express

Omega and Alexander start things off, with Alexander immediately tagging Hechicero. Omega’s leg is taken out and twisted around, setting up a dragon screw legwhip. The comeback is cut off as Omega won’t tag and gets taken down by the leg again. Alexander works on the leg in the ropes but Omega gets out and rolls over for the tag to Perry. That means Alexander is quickly beaten down Davis runs Perry over as we take a break.

We come back with Alexander pulling Perry into the ankle lock, which is quickly broken up. Omega dramatically gets on the apron for the tag, with even Callis admitting that Omega is on fire here. A running knee gets two on Alexander as everything breaks down. Davis and Luchasaurus knock each other down but Luchasaurus is back up to take over.

Callis offers a distraction to cut off the V Trigger but Perry sacrifices himself to take a clothesline from Davis. A piledriver gets two on Omega and Hechicero grabs a cross armbreaker, with Luchasaurus having to chokeslam Alexander onto them for the break. Everything breaks down and a springboard Doomsday Device finishes Hechicero at 13:57.

Rating: B. The match was pretty good, though there is only so much interest that is coming from the Don Callis Family. They’ve been around for so long and are so dull most of the time that it’s making their matches run with an anchor. Throw in the drama between Perry and Omega being solved in all of a few minutes and this wasn’t the most dramatic match.

Post match the Young Bucks run in to jump the Express, with Omega coming in to yell until Luchasaurus makes the save. Perry moonsaults onto the Don Callis Family.

Skye Blue vs. Jamie Hayter

Julia Hart is here with Blue. Hayter grabs a front facelock to start before switching into a headlock takeover. Back up and Hayter sends her into the buckles, followed by a snap suplex for two. They go outside where Hart’s distraction lets Blue grab a neckbreaker as we take a break.

We come back with Hayter hitting a missile dropkick and a Saito suplex getting two. They trade shots to the face and Hayter’s backbreaker leaves both of them down. Hayter takes her outside for a throw, followed by a fireman’s carry backbreaker back inside. Hayterade finishes Blue off at 12:05.

Rating: C+. The long build towards Blood & Guts continues and it’s still only so interesting. It’s a feud that has been going on for a bit, though it still doesn’t feel violent or angry enough for that kind of a match. I do like that Hayter is at least getting some wins, as she was on fire before her crazy long injury layoff and needs to be built back up in a big way.

Post match Thekla pops up on the screen to say she attacked Hayter (back in May) because Hayter was there. At WrestleDream, they’ll get toxic to the core.

Mercedes Mone brags about winning her tenth title (in DENMARK), which ties Ultimo Dragon’s record. She’s going to defend her CMLL Women’s Title on Friday and on the same day, become the longest reigning TBS Champion of all time. Then she’ll win at WrestleDream! And yes, you are supposed to be impressed that Mone is winning all of these tiny independent titles. That’s really what they’re doing here.

Trios Titles: Opps vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

The Opps are defending and Hangman Page is on commentary. Hobbs and Mortos start things off with Hobbs firing off the clotheslines in the corner. Mortos is right back with a Sling Blade so Rush comes in and requests Shibata. They chop it out and trade German suplexes until Shibata’s STO leaves them both down. Joe comes in to fire off the jabs at Mortos before it’s right back to Shibata, who is quickly triple teamed. A triple dropkick drops Shibata again and we take a break.

We come back with Shibata still in trouble, including with Dralistico sending Mortos into him for a spear in a cool sequence. Shibata suplexes his way out of trouble and it’s back to Hobbs to clean house. Joe is in as well and starts to run people over, with a powerslam getting two on Dralistico. Everything breaks down and the Koquina Clutch finishes Dralistico at 11:25.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t a great match, but I definitely appreciate the titles being defended. There is little more frustrating than for titles to just sit on the shelves for months on end so getting a title defense in there is a good move. Joe gets to look dominant enough going into the title match on Saturday, which is even more important than anything involving these titles.

Post match LFI jump Joe and Rush spits at Page, who comes in to clean house, with LFI bailing to the floor. Joe gets the World Title and, eventually, hands it to Page before leaving to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Not a bad show at all and it did a nice enough job building towards a lot of the WrestleDream matches. At the same time, sweet goodness they have got to get away from the Death Riders and Don Callis Family. I’m not sure who thought it was a good idea to have two huge heel stables, but it’s even worse with having them be so dull. This company really needs some better villains, because what they’ve got at the moment is not working. As usual, the in-ring side of things was fine, but the rest left a good bit to be desired.

Results
Gates Of Agony b. Hurt Syndicate – Spirit Gun to Benjamin
Claudio Castagnoli b. Roderick Strong – Swiss Death
Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express b. Don Callis Family – Springboard Doomsday Device to Hechicero
Jamie Hayter b. Skye Blue – Hayterade
Opps b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Koquina Clutch to Dralistico

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

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Dynamite
Date: October 7, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson, Taz

It’s Title Tuesday and that means it’s time to get ready for WrestleDream in just over a week. As usual, this show is going to be focused on titles and there are quite a few to pick from around here. In this case, we have an open challenge for the TBS Title and a tag match which could determine a #1 contender for three different titles. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page and Samoa Joe for a face to face chat. Page talks about the various things he has done on this show over the years, from arson to dressing up as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but he has never been as confused as he was last week when Samoa Joe lost it. That makes him think Joe is angry and he has been for a long time.

Now Joe is going to get the World Title shot and Page is making sure that he gets it because he owes Joe. That ends at WrestleDream though. Joe says everything Page has said is true and now it’s time for him to say some uncomfortable truths. The reality is that Page isn’t a real champion because he’ll give someone an opportunity of a lifetime and then face them in ten minutes to pad his stats.

That’s not going to work with Joe at WrestleDream, where he’s going to choke Page out and take his title. Page knows he’s going to take a beating at WrestleDream but he’ll hit Joe twice as much. Then Page is going to beat him once and for all and after, he hopes Joe can shake his hand and admit that Page is the World Champion. Thankfully they kept this short as they didn’t have much to say and it didn’t need to go long.

The Conglomeration is ready to win tonight and on Collision. Kyle O’Reilly better not hear one LET’S GO KYLE chant when he faces Kyle Fletcher because he can’t stand anyone else with that name. What a specific issue.

Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. Shockingly enough, they trade strikes to start and then go outside for more forearms. Ishii gets the better of things but Shafir gets in a distraction, allowing Moxley to knock him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Moxley hammering away in the corner again, which wakes Ishii up. A suplex drops Moxley, who is right back with a sleeper, which is reversed into a belly to back suplex.

Moxley hammers away in the corner until a powerbomb gets Ishii out of trouble. Ishii hits a running clothesline for two and they trade hard shots to the head until both of them are down. Moxley grabs a jumping cutter for two but Ishii pops up from a powerbomb. A curb stomp gives Moxley two so Ishii goes for a choke, which is countered into the Paradigm Shift. The rear naked choke finishes for Moxley at 12:41.

Rating: B-. As soon as Ishii got up from the Paradigm Shift, I was expecting Ishii to lose by submission within about fifteen seconds, which is pretty much exactly what happens. It’s a recurring pattern in AEW’s match structures, much like trading a lot of forearms in the middle of the ring. You know what you’re going to get with an Ishii match and it was on full display here.

The Young Bucks are trying to talk to Tony Khan (they need money, again) but will be there to watch the Jurassic Express later.

Video on Kris Statlander vs. Toni Storm.

We look at the Triangle Of Madness laying out Statlander and Storm on Collision.

Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand

Street fight. They start the brawl on the ramp until Liona takes Lashley inside for a Samoan drop onto some chairs. They’re already outside with Ricochet and MVP coming inside to grapple against the ropes. A crutch to the back has Kaun in trouble and he gets inside with Benjamin. That doesn’t last long as they go outside as well, where Ricochet hits a big running flip dive to knock the pile down.

We take a break and come back with the Demand in control, including some slams on the floor. Lashley gets knocked down and a chair but gets up, where his spear is cut off with a chair to the head. The Gates send Lashley through a table and Kaun’s elbow puts him through a second. MVP and Liona crash through a barricade, leaving Benjamin to get double spinebustered for two.

Ricochet shooting stars Benjamin on a table, which doesn’t break (OUCH), so Liona and MVP crash onto Benjamin to really break the thing. Somehow Benjamin gets back up to strike away and backdrop Ricochet out to the floor. Ricochet gets back in and takes a knee from Benjamin to save Liona as Lashley is back up. The spear drops Ricochet and then Liona, followed by a spinebuster to put Kaun through a table. Back in and Benjamin gives Ricochet a GREAT release German suplex through a table for the pin at 16:36.

Rating: B. This one worked quite a bit better than the previous version, as the Demand winning before made me believe they could do it again here. That sounds minor, but it made all the difference in the matches. They also got a nice bit of time and were able to make it feel like a fight, which is what you want out of something like this. Good match, with the weapons and violence feeling more appropriate.

The Don Callis Family has some matches coming up, with Don Callis accusing Kyle O’Reilly naming himself after Kyle Fletcher. They’re ready to beat everyone they’re facing.

Jurassic Express vs. O’Ryan/KM

Perry (and it’s now Jungle Jack Perry, which is light years ahead of Jungle Boy if he’s supposed to be taken seriously) takes O’Ryan (who doesn’t even get a first name) into the corner and then hurricanranas him down. A dropkick connects as the Young Bucks are stuck sitting in the crowd with some random kids.

Luchasaurus comes in for a suplex and just drops O’Ryan in a good spot. A beach ball is thrown in and thrown back out (amen) and the Extinction finishes O’Ryan at 2:40. This was an effective squash, with Jurassic Express doing well with the big man/little man style. That can work very well for them, as long as Perry isn’t treated as too serious of a star again.

Post match the Bucks run in and beat the Express down. Well it was nice while it lasted. The Bucks challenge the Express for WrestleDream and then lay Perry out with a TK Driver.

The Death Riders, now seemingly with Pac as an official member, are outside, where they promise to take out Orange Cassidy tonight.

TNT Title: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher (with Lance Archer) is defending and we’re finally at a title match almost halfway into the show. Don Callis joins commentary as O’Reilly takes Fletcher down. A kneebar sends Fletcher over to the ropes so O’Reilly goes after the arm instead. O’Reilly double legs him and hammers away to send Fletcher outside. The running knee drops Fletcher again but he’s right back with a Michinoku Driver as we take a break.

We come back with O’Reilly hitting a German suplex and going back to the arm, including a hammerlock guillotine. O’Reilly switches back to the leg, with Fletcher heading over to the rope. They strike it out on the apron until O’Reilly hits a big running dive off the apron. Back in and Fletcher can’t get a brainbuster but can lawn dart him into the buckle. They slug it out until O’Reilly grabs a reverse fisherman’s suplex for two. A Boom gives O’Reilly two more and he goes back to the ankle lock. Fletcher breaks that up and hits a brainbuster, followed by another brainbuster to retain at 13:11.

Rating: B. These two have good chemistry together and they made it work again here, with O’Reilly not being the most likely new champion but giving it a heck of a go on the way. The idea of trying to take Fletcher apart limb by limb is a good story for the match and it worked well. Fletcher is going to need a bigger challenger soon though and there are more than a few options to come for the title.

Post match Archer goes after O’Reilly but the Conglomeration comes in for the save. More of the Don Callis Family comes in so Mark Briscoe is in as well to stare Fletcher away.

Post break Fletcher is not pleased with Briscoe coming out there after a big title match. To make it worse, he has to defend against Briscoe at WrestleDream.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. ???

Mone is defending against…Lacey Lane (formerly Kayden Carter in WWE), who is from Florida as Mone requested. Mone works on the arm to start but gets rolled up for two. Lane avoids a running dropkick in the corner and gets two more on Mone, who has to bail outside. That lets Lane dance a bit, followed by a basement superkick back inside. A hanging Pedigree gives Lane two and we take a break.

We come back with Lane kicking her down but Mone grabs Three Amigos. The frog splash hits raised knees though and they trade some strikes to the face. A Codebreaker sends Lane into the corner, where the running knees miss. Lane is back with a springboard spinning legdrop for two and they trade rollups for two each. Mone manages a quick Mone Maker to retain at 9:24.

Rating: B-. It was a nice debut for Lane (which came after her debut in ROH a few weeks ago) who put in a solid first appearance. She gave Mone a good fight and while there was no reason to believe she was going to win the title, which is an issue for everyone who challenges for the title. Either way, good stuff here and far better than it could have been.

Sammy Guevara promises that The Beast Mortos will destroy Eddie Kingston on Collision.

Kingston, with Hook, will see them on Collision.

Don Callis Family vs. Bandido/Brody King

Non-title, but if either Bandido or King win they get a Unified Title shot, but if the Family win, they get a Tag Team Title shot. Kazuchika Okada’s entrance cuts off Konosuke Takeshita’s, which isn’t sitting well with the latter. Bandido, with his bad shoulder, starts with Takeshita, who is smart enough to go after the bad arm.

An armdrag sends Takeshita into the corner for a shot from King, who drops Bandido onto him for a bonus. Okada comes in and gets chopped hard in the corner before Bandido adds a dropkick. King gets sent to the apron and high/lowed to the floor, where Takeshita and Okada have a staredown as we take a break.

We come back with King belly to back suplexing his way out of trouble and hitting a double clothesline. Bandido comes back in and scores with a spinning high crossbody on Okada. A suplex gets two with Takeshita making the save King drops Okada so this time Takeshita shoves Bandido into them for the save. King is back up with a Boss Man Slam to Takeshita but Okada gets smart by going after the bad arm.

Takeshita gets in a rather impressive wheelbarrow suplex to King and he goes after the bad arm to drop Bandido again. Takeshita’s running knee hits Okada by mistake and the X Knee connects for Bandido. The arm gives out on the 21 Plex attempt though and Takeshita grabs a poisonrana. The running knee is loaded up but Okada tags himself in and hits the Rainmaker for the pin on Bandido at 12:02.

Rating: B. You had two stories taking place here at the same time and they meshed together well enough to set up the title match later on. Takeshita and Okada are still having troubles and those very well could boil over when they get to the title match. Bandido’s shoulder being banged up cost them the match and it made sense for the villains to work on it throughout. Good stuff here and the rematch should be better.

Jet Speed and Willow Nightingale aren’t worried about FTR and Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne.

Stokely Hathaway and FTR can respect Jet Speed just a bit, but they don’t think much of Willow Nightingale. Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford don’t either.

Bandido and Brody King are ready to defend the Tag Team Titles against the Don Callis Family at WrestleDream.

Orange Cassidy vs. Pac

They fight over wrist control to start before Cassidy does the lazy kicks. Pac isn’t having that and picks the leg to grind away on a headlock. A flying mare into an armbar gets Cassidy out of trouble and they head outside, where Pac gets in a suplex. We take a break and come back with Pac hitting a missile dropkick before shrugging off the lazy chops. They trade some more aggressive forearms until Pac grabs a rebound German suplex.

Cassidy knocks him right back down and we get a double breather. The fight heads outside again and Cassidy hits a Stundog Millionaire, followed by a DDT. There’s an Orange Punch onto the announcers’ table, followed by the hands in the pockets…fall? Dive? Either way, Cassidy follows it up with a tornado DDT back inside.

Cassidy goes up so Pac slowly rolls away (as Cassidy did to him once before) and they go out into the crowd. Pac Tombstones him onto a platform and Cassidy rolls down the steps…but Darby Allin pops up to tape Cassidy’s foot to a railing. Cassidy manages to get back in (What Tombstone?) and Pac dives over the top as well, only for Cassidy to roll him up for the pin at 15:39.

Rating: B. The ending was more than a bit overbooked, but that’s pretty normal for AEW> Pac losing so soon after his return is a bit of a stretch, though I’ll take it over Cassidy losing again so soon. These two have a history together and it does feel like a big enough match, so this was a good way to go for the main event.

Post match Allin yells at Pac, who gives chase but gets cut off by a taser. The rest of the Death Riders chase Allin as well and security cuts Allin off before he can….light a Molotov cocktail. Because that’s a thing. Security holds Allin down to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this was a heck of a show, ridiculously goofy ending aside. There was nothing close to bad on here and everyone was working hard throughout. They also boosted up WrestleDream, which is looking like a better card than it was coming into this week. Daily’s Place seems to bring out the best in AEW and that was certainly the case here.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Tomohiro Ishii – Rear naked choke
Hurt Syndicate b. The Demand – Release German suplex to Ricochet through a table
Jurassic Express b. O’Ryan/KM – Extinction to O’Ryan
Kyle Fletcher b. Kyle O’Reilly – Brainbuster
Mercedes Mone b. Lacey Lane – Mone Maker
Don Callis Family b. Bandido/Brody King – Rainmaker to Bandido
Orange Cassidy b. Pac – Rollup

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

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

Dynamite
Date: October 1, 2025
Location: Hard Rock Live At Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Hollywood, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson, Taz

It’s a special event as we have the sixth anniversary of Dynamite. Naturally that means the show is an extra half hour longer, because if there is one thing AEW knows how to do, it’s go long. The big draw this week is a six man tag as Kenny Omega is back, though we also need to start getting ready for WrestleDream. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

Earlier today, Matt Jackson had an idea for a big entrance, but Nick Jackson lost their money at a casino.

Young Bucks/Josh Alexander vs. Bandido/Brody King/Kenny Omega

The Bucks are now introduced as the Broke Bucks with an account balance of 0.00. Don Callis joins commentary as Omega and Alexander start things off. A running shoulder takes Omega down as the fans do not approve of Callis. Matt and King come in, with King getting to fire off some clotheslines. Bandido ducks a bunch of superkicks and starts to dance but the Bucks flip out of a springboard armdrag.

The Bucks’ dance is cut off with a double hurricanrana and Omega comes in for his own dancing. Omega and Bandido hit some dives before King slams various people onto Alexander. Not to be outdone, Bandido slams King onto Alexander in a nice bit. Alexander is able to come back with a needed backbreaker and the Bucks can connect with some superkicks. We go to a weird overhead camera shot as Omega fights back on the Bucks, who cut off a big dive. The Bucks are sent to the apron but catch Omega with a triple dive, including an assist from Alexander.

We take a break and come back with Omega avoiding More Bang For Your Buck and bringing King back in to clean house. Bandido comes back in off a blind tag as Callis is hiding from Omega. Everything breaks down and Omega hits a big running flip dive. Back in and a triple Tombstone gives Bandido two but Alexander starts German suplexing Omega.

The double superkicks let Alexander German suplex King and a superkick into a double Neutralizer gets two. More superkicks don’t do much as Omega is back up with the snapdragons. The poisonrana into the V Trigger hits Alexander. King hits a dive and it’s the 21 Plex into the One Winged Angel for the pin on Alexander at 15:41.

Rating: B. They basically stopped with the tagging part in the middle, making this rather perfect for a big time AEW show. The Bucks got to do a lot of their stuff, including the spamming of superkicks, but at least Omega was able to be in the ring. Like him or not, he’s one of the biggest stars AEW has ever had and it means a lot to have him around when he’s healthy enough.

Post match Omega has to be turned around for the pose at the camera. Bandido and King leave and we get the tease of a reunion with Omega and the Bucks…but Alexander breaks it up before anything can happen. The beatdown is on and the Bucks aren’t sure what to do. Cue the Jurassic Express to take the Bucks out, leaving Jack Perry and Omega to argue a lot.

Perry keeps going after the Bucks and Omega is left alone. Omega talks about the journey that it took to get here and he’s glad to have fans who have been here since the beginning or who are just starting out. He hits the catchphrase and the lights go out….and Andrade El Idolo is back to lay Omega out. And yes, of course he’s with Callis.

We look back at the last six years of Dynamite. That’s a nice touch and there have been some great highlights.

Mark Briscoe says this is a night for celebration and reflection. The last few weeks have seen his life consumed by MJF, who let Mark’s brother’s name out of his mouth. He recaps the TNT Title situation and will be happy to see Orange Cassidy win the title tonight, while MJF will still be pulling tacks out of his a**.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is challenging and blocks some early brainbuster attempts. A backslide attempt doesn’t work so Cassidy just stops running on an Irish whip attempt in a funny bit. Fletcher knocks him outside but Cassidy runs back inside for a suicide dive. Cassidy gets knocked outside though and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher kicking away but Cassidy makes a comeback, only to get kicked in the head. The lawn dart is countered into an armdrag though and Fletcher is sent into some buckles. A high crossbody is countered into a Michinoku driver to give Fletcher two but Cassidy grabs a Stundog Millionaire.

Fletcher’s powerbomb attempt is countered into a DDT for two but Cassidy’s rollup is countered into a tombstone for the same. They trade superkicks until Fletcher kicks him in the head on the top. Don Callis gets up for a distraction so here is Hologram (that is not Hologram), who chases Callis off and then crotches Cassidy on top. Fletcher brainbusters Cassidy onto the turnbuckle for the win at 14:15.

Rating: B-. This was good enough, though the “that’s Hologram” deal was straight out of the “THAT IS STING” from the Nitro days. At the same time, I’m not sure how smart it is to have Cassidy lose so soon after his return. It helps Fletcher, but maybe build up a match like this and put someone else in there instead?

Post match the beatdown is on as Hologram seems to have joined Callis as well. The Paragon runs in for the save. The rest of the Family runs in, with Hologram revealing that he is in fact the Clone.

We look back at Andrade joining the Don Callis Family. Callis has been around for almost the entire first hour of the show.

Mercedes Mone is still wanting her tenth belt but she’s willing to defend her TBS Title next week on Title Tuesday. She wants to face someone local in Florida but we’ll figure out who that will be. Mone is asked about the Women’s Tag Team Titles and needs a partner, so here is Harley Cameron, with the Mone puppet. Arguing ensues, as Mone isn’t interested in Cameron’s pitch.

Death Riders vs. Hangman Page/Samoa Joe/Powerhouse Hobbs

Castagnoli charges in at Joe to start fast and gets taken into the corner so Joe can easily slug him down. Moxley comes in and knocks Joe into the wrong corner for some knees to the face, allowing Garcia to choke on the ropes. That’s broken up and Joe backsplashes Garcia, allowing the big tag off to Page.

House is quickly cleaned and Page sends Garcia outside for a slingshot dive. Hobbs comes in and fires off the shoulders and clotheslines to drop the villains again. Moxley gets crushed in the corner and slammed onto the apron as we take a break. We come back with Hobbs in trouble and striking it out with Castagnoli. A gutwrench suplex drops Hobbs for two and Castagnoli knocks Page off the apron.

The distraction lets Hobbs get in a powerslam, allowing the tag off to Page for the comeback. Moxley slips out of a Deadeye attempt and grabs a piledriver, followed by a big running uppercut from Castagnoli. Hobbs is back in for the save and Joe knocks Garcia off the apron. A Paradigm Shift drops Joe and Castagnoli clotheslines Page for two. Page is right back up with the Deadeye into the Buckshot Lariat to pin Castagnoli at 14:32.

Rating: B. This was the kind of hard hitting brawl that you would expect, with everyone working with the effort to make it work. I’m not sure who is next for Page, but it doesn’t seem like it is going to be another member of the Death Riders. The team seems to be shifting away from Page, which is what needs to happen. On the other side…well it’s not like the Trios Titles mean anything anyway.

Post match Joe gets in Page’s face, apparently mad that he didn’t get a tag in the match. Security (and Hobbs) break it up. Joe says Page never beat him (aha) and that seems to be a WrestleDream title match.

Willow Nightingale and Jet Speed want to take out FTR and Stokely Hathaway, with a singles match coming on Collision.

Post break Hangman Page is very confused by what Samoa Joe did (which was apparently about handing him a title). Page knows it’s about the World Title and he has it partially because of what Joe did at All In. If Joe wants a title shot, we can do it at WrestleDream, but don’t come at him like that again.

Toni Storm vs. Tay Melo

Storm is in a trench coat and fedora and looking a bit shaken up. We get a handshake to start as Storm is in more regular clothes and not gear. Storm hits a running shoulder and basement dropkick to set up a backbreaker. Melo sends her outside but gets dropped onto the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Melo hitting some running boots in the corner but Storm grabs a running faceplant. They slug it out until Storm grabs a DDT, only to miss the running hip attack. Melo kicks her in the face in the corner but Storm snaps off a German suplex. The hip attack sets up the Storm Zero to pin Melo at 7:59.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Storm win a short match instead of going long, as she should be able to run through someone at Melo’s level. Storm is likely going to be facing Kris Statlander in a singles match for the title so boosting her up again like this is fine. Then again, you never know with Storm as she can be a bit, shall we say, out there.

Post match Storm, in black and white, says she heard a silence at All Out and it completely gobbled her up. What is she without the title? She’s not finished with Kris Statlander so she’s ready anywhere, anytime.

Sammy Guevara is ready for Eddie Kingston on Collision….to face Dralistico.

Kingston doesn’t speak Spanish but tells Dralistico to not let Guevara speak for him.

Samoa Joe isn’t surprised by Hangman Page because maybe they aren’t friends. He has been so distracted by the Death Riders so maybe it’s time to get back to what he is. Page is all about cowboy s*** but if he messes with Joe, welcome to the world of deep s***.

Gates Of Agony vs. Swirl

Ricochet is here with the Gates and sits in on commentary. Johnson slips out of Liona’s suplex to start so Kaun comes in for a rather loud chop. Christian comes in and gets caught with a fireman’s carry gutbuster as we take a break. We come back with Christian getting planted for two but he fights out and brings Johnson back in. Everything breaks down and Johnson hits a big running flip dive, with Christian adding a dropkick. The Gates are right back up to drop Christian, followed by some running shots in the corner to drop Johnson. Open The Gates finishes Johnson at 7:59.

Rating: C+. You know what you’re getting with the Gates and that’s what you got here. They beat up a team that is beneath them and didn’t have much trouble doing so. The Swirl might mean something in Ring Of Honor, but they don’t mean much of anything in AEW and that was on display here.

Post match Ricochet gives Christian a Spirit Gun but here is the Hurt Syndicate to interrupt. MVP asks if there are any Miami locals around here and then apologizes to his partners for getting pinned at All Out. Maybe he isn’t as good as he used to be, but he knows he can still fight. That’s why he wants a street fight rematch next week. Ricochet says it’s on.

Kris Statlander says she has never faced Toni Storm one on one so they can do it at WrestleDream. Harley Cameron comes in to approve, but hides Mini Mone.

Don Callis, with Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita, says the two of them will be facing Bandido/Brody King next week. They don’t seem thrilled, but Callis assures them it will be fine.

Darby Allin/Kris Statlander vs. Death Riders

Tornado Tag and Allin/Statlander jump them during their entrance to start the fight in the crowd. Statlander jumps off a wall to take Shafir down, leaving Allin to chair Yuta in the back at ringside. A big dive only hits chair though, leaving Shafir to strike away at Statlander as we take a break.

We come back with Statlander faceplanting Shafir, who is right back with a headscissor driver onto the apron. Yuta German suplexes Allin onto the pile of chairs but Allin pops up for a top rope superplex onto the pile of chairs. Back up and Yuta drops Allin onto the apron and whips out the bag of thumbtacks.

Yuta Angle Slams Statlander, who suplexes him onto the chairs. Shafir comes after Statlander but gets dropped feet first onto the tacks. Allin ducks powder from Yuta, which goes into Shafir’s eyes. That leaves Shafir to choke Yuta, leaving Statlander to hit a 450 onto both of them at once. The Coffin Drop finishes Yuta (with Statlander covering too) at around 12:30 (the bell didn’t ring to start).

Rating: B-. Good, wild main event here and it was something that had to be on the show for the sake of AEW’s history. Allin gets a win over the Death Riders (rough night for them) on the way to facing Jon Moxley at WrestleDream while Statlander gets to do more with whatever she’s doing with Yuta.

Post match Toni Storm comes out to brawl with Statlander. With the two of them gone, Allin whips Yuta with a belt but Pac runs in to beat Allin down. Moxley says Allin can’t make him quit and while he doesn’t know how he’ll do it, he’ll make Allin quit at WrestleDream.

Overall Rating: B. While I’m not sure if this needed to be a special extended show, it did a nice job of getting things ready for both next week as well as WrestleDream. The action here was mostly ok, though I could go a long time without seeing the Don Callis Family or the Death Riders. The latter seems to be on a downward trend while the Family is somehow getting even bigger. Good enough show here, though they really need some better top heels.

Results
Kenny Omega/Bandido/Brody King b. Josh Alexander/Young Bucks – One Winged Angel to Alexander
Kyle Fletcher b. Orange Cassidy – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Hangman Page/Powerhouse Hobbs/Samoa Joe b. Death Riders – Buckshot Lariat to Castagnoli
Toni Storm b. Tay Melo – Storm Zero
Gates Of Agony b. Swirl – Open The Gates to Johnson
Darby Allin/Kris Statlander b. Death Riders – Coffin Drop to Yuta

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

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