Dynamite
Date: July 17, 2024
Location: Simmons Bank Arena, Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the 250th episode and that means the show is going to be a stacked one. In this case, that means we have MJF challenging Will Ospreay for the International Title, along with a champion vs. champion match between Swerve Strickland and Kazuchika Okada. It’s also a week before Blood & Guts so we should get the final push. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

International Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Will Ospreay

MJF is challenging and bails to the floor to start. Back in and MJF has to duck the Bidden Blade before dodging a bunch of shots to the face. Ospreay flips over him and MJF isn’t sure what to do. His best idea seems to be bailing out to the floor, where Ospreay hits a big flip dive. Back in and MJF manages a quick Stunner for two, meaning frustration is staying on. Ospreay fights up again and knocks him to the floor for the Sasuke Special.

A sky twister press gets two on MJF and it’s time to set up a table at ringside. Instead they head back inside with Ospreay chopping away until is back with a Cheeky Nandos Kick. The fake knee injury lets MJF hit a piledriver for two and Ospreay is down. The Figure Four goes on but Ospreay gets over to the ropes. MJF whips him into the corner and the knee gives out, which has MJF rather pleased. Ospreay gets back up again and knocks him down for a needed breather, only to get his leg taken out again.

The brainbuster (which MJF shouts in advance) is countered into a Stundog Millionaire and MJF rolls outside. Back in and the Oscutter misses as MJF just kind of falls down and we take a break. We come back with Ospreay hitting a handspring kick to the head for the double knockdown but coming up favoring his shoulder. They go out into the crowd with Ospreay (leg seeming fine) striking away, and letting a kid get in a few shots (ok that was great).

They head back to ringside where MJF gets another beating. They go back inside to trade rollups for two each. Ospreay grabs a poisonrana but MJF is back with the Long Island Sunrise for two. MJF heads outside and has some water, which he throws around with a nice look on his face before breaking the count. The delay lets Ospreay get in a shot of his own and Cross Rhodes (with a wink) connects for two.

Back up and MJF pokes him in the eye, setting up a stomp to the arm. A hammerlock DDT gets two on Ospreay but MJF crotches him on top. They go to the apron and fight over a piledriver attempt until Ospreay hits a Styles Clash for two. Ospreay plants him down for two more and we take another break.

Back again with MJF hitting a Tombstone for two and they head to the apron, followed by a middle rope elbow to the back of MJF’s head for two. MJF takes him up but gets reversed into a super Styles Clash for a rather delayed near fall. Ospreay is put on the table for the top rope elbow and the huge crash sends us to another break. Back again with MJF holding the abdominal stretch until he gets caught cheating, allowing Ospreay to hiptoss his way to freedom.

One heck of a backbreaker gives MJF two and he takes Ospreay to the top where, after some pelvic thrusting, his super hurricanrana is flipped out of the air for a standoff. They trade rollups for two each before the brainbuster is countered into another Stundog Millionaire. Another poisonrana sets up a countered Stormbreaker and a Spanish Fly gives Ospreay two.

They fight to the top again where Ospreay has to fight out of a super Tombstone. The Oscutter and a running elbow to the face gets two on MJF, who can barely move. The Hidden Blade misses so Ospreay teases the Tiger Driver 91 as we have a minute left. Ospreay picks him up but can’t bring himself to go through with it. He doesn’t drop MJF but the referee gets bumped. Back up and the big shot with the ring gives MJF the pin and the title at 59:58.

Rating: A. This started hot and then kept going with some great stuff. While it dragged a bit at times and the leg injury was just dropped, they played up a great back and forth match with MJF finally cheating in the end while Ospreay wanted to do it the right way. This was Ospreay getting to show that he still has it and they had an awesome match throughout.

Post match MJF gets some oxygen before bragging about his win.

The Acclaimed want in on Blood & Guts so Mark Briscoe and Swerve Strickland agree.

It’s time for TV Time with the Learning Tree, with Big Bill introducing Chris Jericho. After the “hi guys” and a lecture about how Little Rock needs to work on its crime rates, Jericho says this is the 250th Dynamite and he’s been on almost all of them (Taz: “Shocking.”). Jericho promises to be on every show until episode #500 before talking about how many “accidents” there have been in recent weeks.

Who would be crazy enough to not want to listen to the Learning Tree? Cue Minoru Suzuki, with a paper in his hand. Next week it’s Suzuki vs. Jericho with Bill and Bryan Keith banned from ringside. I know he’s a legend, but I’m having more and more trouble caring about Suzuki every time he shows up.

The Elite aren’t going to lose their Tag Team Titles and threaten to beat up Swerve Strickland so much that the World Title is vacated. Mercedes Mone comes in to thank them for banning Britt Baker from the building. Okada requests she do her dance, which she obliges, leaving Okada rather, uh, bothered.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Nyla Rose

Mone is defending and is placed on the ropes, where it’s already time to dance. Rose’s suplex is blocked so Mone tries a tornado DDT. Rose blocks that as well (Rose: “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND???”) and plants Mone down as we take a break. Back with Rose powering out of a suplex and hitting a splash in the corner.

The Cannonball gets two but Mone kicks her off the ropes and hits a Vader Bomb. The middle rope Meteora gives Banks two and a middle rope bulldog puts Rose down again. Mone loads up a CEO glove (ala Britt Baker) and grabs Lockjaw, with Rose just biting her hand for the break. Instead the Statement Maker (Bank Statement) makes Rose tap at 9:18.

Rating: C+. I know the ending was never in doubt whatsoever but egads it’s frustrating to see Rose be such an incredibly charismatic star only to come up short. Mone is by far the bigger star but I’m still having trouble caring about almost anything she does. It’s like she got to skip all of the stuff that she would need to do to connect with the audience and is just on top because of everything else she’s done. That makes sense, but it’s not the easiest thing to watch.

Post match Mone rips up a DMD > CEO sign…and yeah of course it’s Britt Baker.

We look back at Mariah May snapping on Toni Storm.

Jack Perry doesn’t care about Darby Allin beating up Brandon Cutler, and proceeds to beat Cutler up himself. Allin can come find him tonight. This would work better if there was any reason to care about Cutler.

Here is Toni Storm……as played by Mariah May. Schiavone: “Speak b**** come on now.” Taz and Excalibur: “WHOA TONY!” May says everyone but Storm saw it coming because Storm was giving it all away. The question shouldn’t be why, but rather why May took so long. She didn’t think it would take this long either. It was so easy though and she had so much fun stringing her along. She was ready to turn on Storm but then she figured she might as well beat her at Wembley.

Don’t worry though: she still loves Storm, who she never loved more than when she was on her knees, bleeding in front of May. The greatest performance will be at All In, because AEW is All About Mariah. She didn’t exactly tell us anything we didn’t know here, but it wasn’t supposed to be/didn’t need to be that kind of an explanation.

On Collision, the Bang Bang Gang was stripped of the Trios Titles but promise to win them back in their match for the vacant titles on Saturday. This still seems WAY more complicated than it needs to be.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Swerve Strickland

Non-title. Okada takes over to start but Swerve slips out and grabs a headscissors into the corner. Swerve gets in a bit of dancing before they head outside, where Okada plants him with a DDT. We take a break and come back with Swerve favoring his wrist, allowing Okada to knock him down again.

The top rope elbow connects but Okada spends too much time posing, allowing Swerve to roll him up for two. Okada is back up with the dropkick though and they both need a breather. Swerve is back up with a backbreaker into a powerslam but the Swerve Stomp misses. Okada is back up with a Tombstone but the Rainmaker is countered into the Swerve Stomp. Cue the Young Bucks to jump Swerve for the DQ at 11:28.

Rating: B-. This didn’t have the time to really go anywhere, especially with the break in the middle and little chance of a clean ending (which shouldn’t have happened). The did at least get some time to make it feel important, but it was always going to end with the big Blood & Guts preview. That’s the right way to go as well, as neither of these two should be taking a pin.

Post match the Acclaimed, Jack Perry and Mark Briscoe all run in for the brawl. Hangman Page runs in as security can’t break it up. Since team AEW is outnumbered, here is Darby Allin….from the ceiling ala Sting to even things up. The huge brawl ends the show.

Overall Rating: A-. When half of your show is spent on an instant classic, you’re pretty much playing with the house’s money. This was a heck of a show with a pair of huge matches and nothing bad to bring it down. While some parts of it might not have been as interesting (Mone/Jericho/Suzuki), that opener was more than enough to carry it. They only needed one other good thing to make this an easy win and the May promo was more than enough. Great show here, with that opener being more than PPV quality.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Will Ospreay – Punch with Dynamite Diamond Ring
Mercedes Mone b. Nyla Rose – Statement Maker
Swerve Strickland b. Kazuchika Okada via DQ when the Young Bucks interfered

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: June 19, 2024
Location: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are about a week and a half away from Forbidden Door and there is a good chance that we will see some more matches added this week. Other than that, we have a pay per view quality match with Rush facing MJF to open the show. That could open the door for both of them to do something else at the pay per view so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Rush

This is commercial free. Rush slugs away to start and drops down, only to have MJF strut over him. MJF loads up a chop, teases it for a long time, and then pokes him in the eye instead. The referee checks on Rush in the corner, which is enough of a distraction for Rush to headbutt him down. Back up and Rush hits him in the face and then unloads with forearms in the corner, allowing the Tranquilo pose. As you might expect, MJF charges at him and hammers away but Rush knocks him down again.

The Bull’s Horns misses though and MJF gets two off a small package. A lifting DDT (ala Saraya’s Rampaige) gives MJF two and a piledriver gets the same, allowing a quick breather. MJF’s charge is suplexed into the corner and a cross arm piledriver gives Rush two. They go outside for some hard rams into the barricade and MJF is in big trouble.

Rush throws a chair inside, and the distraction allows him to get in some whipping with an electric cable. A missed charge sends Rush into the barricade but he’s fine enough to suplex a charging MJF off the apron. Back in and the Bull’s Horns is cut off with a hard clothesline and MJF grabs a spinebuster. The Heatseeker into a brainbuster finishes for MJF at 14:19.

Rating: B. It was a hard hitting match though thankfully not as dominant as most of Rush’s matches. MJF had to get in his shots where he could and that worked out well, which is about all you can ask for in something like this. MJF should be on his way to something big at Forbidden Door, as he’s going to need something important after his comeback win here.

Post match, the Cage of Agony pops up to announce MJF vs. Hechicero at Forbidden Door. The match is apparently not official so MJF….has nothing to say.

Mark Briscoe and friends are ready for revenge and redemption….but Jack Perry walks by to annoy them. For tonight though, it’s an all-star tag match. Then Orange Cassidy gives Renee Paquette a bracelet.

Here are Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland for a face to face chat. Ospreay brags about his success and calls himself the best in the world, but Swerve says that’s him. They’ve taken different career paths but here they are, coming to Forbidden Door at the same time. Swerve asks if Don Callis is going to be helping Ospreay try (yes try) to win the World Title. Ospreay says he can do this by himself and lists off his wins. Ospreay: “Bruv, while you had a hit row, I had a hit list.”

What if that kill shot from Swerve is just a bit off? It doesn’t matter what Ospreay does to Swerve, because Swerve is going to wake up without that World Title. Swerve says Ospreay can thank him for his firs pay per view main event but what if Swerve breaks Ospreay’s leg? If Ospreay can’t wrestle, who is he? Swerve doesn’t think Ospreay is ready to sacrifice the love of his wife or his son, with the mention of the latter making Ospreay much more serious.

Prince Nana has to break it up, but Swerve asks what if he does make it personal. Send his regards to Ospreay’s wife and son, which has the two of them going face to face but it doesn’t get physical. This was a heck of a segment, with both of them bringing the intensity and Swerve selling the stakes of the match, both with and without the title.

Don Callis tells the Family that it’s all going to be fine.

Mark Briscoe/Kyle O’Reilly/Orange Cassidy/Dante Martin vs. Kyle Fletcher/Roderick Strong/Zack Sabre Jr./Konosuke Takeshita

It’s a brawl to start with Cassidy and Sabre being left in the ring. That’s broken up so Fletcher sends Briscoe outside for a suicide dive. O’Reilly grabs a kneebar on Strong in the ropes, with Sabre putting Cassidy in an octopus next to them. Briscoe nails the step up flip dive onto Fletcher, with Martin adding a springboard flip dive as we take a break.

Back with a tag match breaking out and Sabre flipping Cassidy into a sunset flip for two. Takeshita comes in and drops Cassidy but he gets over to O’Reilly rather easily. Strong drops O’Reilly, who gets back up and slugs his way to freedom. Martin comes in but gets caught with a heck of a powerbomb, with Briscoe making the save.

We take another break and come back with Briscoe coming back in to clean house. Takeshita gets put down and it’s the Froggy Bow into a frog splash into Cassidy’s falling top rope elbow for two with Sabre making the save. Red Neck Kung Fu takes Sabre down but we hit the parade of knockdowns. Martin hits a pair of dives and Briscoe adds the apron Blockbuster to Takeshita. Sabre’s European Clutch gets two on Cassidy but O’Reilly shoves him out of the way to take Strong’s running knee. The Orange Punch finishes Strong at 16:44.

Rating: B+. This is one of the places where AEW tends to shine as it was a bunch of insanity with everyone going nuts and getting in their stuff. The Cassidy vs. Sabre stuff helps build towards their Forbidden Door match while last week had already seemingly set up Briscoe vs. Fletcher. That should be enough but maybe we get another match or two out of here in some combination.

Post match Jack Perry comes in to deck Martin, leaving Cassidy and Sabre to stare each other down.

Mercedes Mone is ready for Stephanie Vaquer.

Don Callis comes in to see Rush.

Young Bucks vs. Acclaimed

Non-title, Billy Gunn isn’t here and Caster’s rap is cut off again, with Kazuchika Okada being shown turning off the microphone. It’s a brawl before the bell, with Matt being caught in a neckbreaker/backbreaker combination. Scissor Me Timbers hits Nick so it’s off to Matt, who walks into a hiptoss. The Bucks take over on Caster though and we take an early break.

Back with Bowens hitting the jumping Fameasser on Matt but his bad leg gives out again. A superkick gives Matt two and the Swanton in the ropes gets the same. Caster is knocked outside but Bowens blocks the EVP Trigger. Stereo superkicks get two with Caster making the save. The EVP Trigger connects but Caster breaks it up again. A powerbomb/Sliced Bread combination gets two on Bowens and the Bucks are stunned. Nick brings in the belt but hits Matt by mistake, setting up the Arrival into the Mic Drop for the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see the Bucks giving a team a win, even if there is a grand total of zero chance the Acclaimed win the titles whenever they get their shot. Bowens kicking out of the powerbomb combination was good, but this felt more like the Acclaimed won when the Bucks screwed up rather than beating them. That doesn’t exactly make me want to see a rematch, but the Bucks are the stars so they’re going to be the focus no matter what anyway.

Samoa Joe and Hook talk about….calzones, before storming the Premiere Athletes’ locker room. They find a note with a challenge for a six man, with Katsuyori Shibata, holding the camera, being in as well.

Here is Mariah May to emcee the contract signing between Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa. After extensive cheek kissing, May says she loves them both but Shirakawa tells her to shut up. Shirakawa says Storm was a big deal in Stardom but she is weak as champion. The fans want Shirakawa, so she’s taking the title and May at Forbidden Door. Shirakawa signs but Storm threatens to slap her chest off if she talks to May again.

Storm signs but Shirakawa says May must choose. Cue the Outcasts to say enough of this, with Anna Jay sneaking in from behind. The beatdown is on but Storm takes her shoe off to clean house. Storm’s hip attack misses though and she goes through the table. I’m not sure I get the backstory, but I get enough of the story of Storm vs. Shirakawa and that’s more than I get for most of the Forbidden Door card.

Video on Claudio Castagnoli vs. Pac.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Kris Statlander vs. Nyla Rose

Stokely Hathaway is here with Statlander, who slugs away to no avail to start. Rose is back up with a crossbody but Statlander sends her outside as we take a break. Back with Rose powering her into the corner and hitting a running clothesline, setting up the Cannonball. The Beast Bomb is countered and Statlander kicks her in the head for two. The 450 misses for Statlander but she crotches Rose up top. Wednesday Night Fever finishes for Statlander at 7:52.

Rating: C+. This was a good enough power match, assuming you could get much out of a match that runs about eight minutes and has a break in the middle. We very well could be heading for a Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale showdown, which has been set up for a few weeks now. It also shows how much it helps when you have a monster like Rose, as beating her makes Statlander look that much more important.

Post match Stokely calls out Willow Nightingale, who pops up on screen to say she’ll see Statlander in the second round.

We look at Private Party beating up the Learning Tree last week.

Private Party is ready for their upcoming match but the Learning Tree comes in, with Chris Jericho warning them to avoid the piledriver. “That doesn’t work for me brother!” More of the usual from Jericho.

Daniel Garcia vs. Rhett Titus

Titus starts fast but gets dropkicked into the corner. Some neckbreakers set up the Red Cross for the pin at 1:00.

Post match the Cage of Agony runs in to beat down Garcia and Matt Menard (who was on commentary). MJF makes the save but gets beaten down, so Will Ospreay makes the real save. The Ospreay vs. MJF staredown gets the fans’ attention.

Post break, Brian Cage and Will Ospreay yell at each other and a match is made for Collision.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Pac vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Bryan Danielson is on commentary. Pac starts fast and knocks him to the floor, only to charge into one heck of a Swiss Death as we take a break. Back with Pac slugging away and avoiding a charge to send Castagnoli into the post. Pac snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor and an Asai moonsault drops Castagnoli again. A springboard elbow hits Castagnoli again and it’s time to slug it out.

Pac’s German suplex just wakes Castagnoli up again so Pac kicks him down, only to miss the Black Arrow. Castagnoli’s uppercut gets two so he sends Pac swinging. The Riccola Bomb is loaded up but Pac reverses into the Brutalizer, which is reversed into the Sharpshooter. With that almost broken up, Castagnoli switches into a crossface, which is escaped as well. They trade rollups for two each until Pac manages to keep him down for the pin at 11:07. Danielson is impressed.

Rating: B. It’s nice to see Pac getting a win here and beating Castagnoli is quite the mountain to conquer. Pac is still an impressive star and it’s nice to have him around for a slightly extended period of time for a change. If nothing else, we could be seeing Danielson vs. Pac later in the tournament and that could be a rather good one.

Post match Castagnoli won’t shake hands, with Danielson trying to calm him down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. As usual, you get a better AEW show when they are mainly focused on the in-ring action rather than anything else. The Young Bucks didn’t get to talk and Chris Jericho only had a quick backstage segment so things were a bit better than usual. At the same time, you had the Forbidden Door build, which was as rapid fire as usual, but there are enough good things on there to make it work. Rather strong show this week.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Rush – Brainbuster
Mark Briscoe/Kyle O’Reilly/Orange Cassidy/Dante Martin b. Kyle Fletcher/Roderick Strong/Zack Sabre Jr./Kazuchika Okada – Orange Punch to Strong
Acclaimed b. Young Bucks – Mic Drop to Matt
Kris Statlander b. Nyla Rose – Wednesday Night Fever
Daniel Garcia b. Rhett Titus – Red Cross
Pac b. Claudio Castagnoli – Rollup

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: May 15, 2024
Location: Angel Of The Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We’re a week and a half away from Double Or Nothing and that means we could be in for a show building towards the pay per view. In this case, we have the Blackpool Combat Club vs. the Don Callis Family in what should be quite the fight. Other than that, Swerve Strickland needs some revenge on Brian Cage. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Don Callis Family vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Kyle Fletcher and Jeff Cobb for the Family here, with the latter as a hired gun for the week. The brawl starts on the floor with Danielson’s music still playing and the Club taking over. We settle down for the bell ringing and Danielson striking away at Cobb in the corner. Moxley comes in for a running dropkick to the leg in the corner as the Club starts picking Cobb apart.

Fletcher comes in and fires off some chops, which don’t have much effect on Moxley. A superplex gives Moxley two but Cobb breaks up a cross armbreaker attempt. Fletcher is draped over the top rope so Danielson can hit a top rope knee as we take a break. Back with Moxley staggering out of the corner and snapping off a suplex to Cobb. Danielson comes back in and starts firing off the strikes but Cobb suplexes him out of the air. Moxley and Fletcher trade kicks to the face until Cobb runs Moxley over. What looks to be a Doomsday Device is broken up though and Moxley Death Riders Fletcher for the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B-. Yes the Ring Of Honor TV Champion took the fall again and yes that happens over and over again and yes you are still expected to pay to see the television show (which isn’t on television) he represents. The match was the usual big party fight that you see around here, with Cobb looking like a monster as tends to be the case whenever he’s in AEW. Just find someone other than Fletcher to take the fall next time? Or have him drop the title?

Post match the Family goes after Moxley again but Claudio Castagnoli runs in for the save.

Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Christian Cage.

Here is Adam Copeland for a chat but the House Of Black jumps him from behind. Copeland is knocked out and Malakai Black steals his wedding ring. Kyle O’Reilly tries to make the save but gets beaten down as well.

We look at Eddie Kingston being injured at a New Japan event over the weekend at the hands of the Elite.

The Elite mocks Kingston for getting hurt and think Anarchy In The Arena will be 4-3.

The Young Bucks have their own shoes. Sure.

FTR thinks they have a replacement for Anarchy In The Arena. More on this later.

Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels

Non-title and Jack Perry is on commentary. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll only refer to Sydal as Sydal and Matt Buck as Matt. Sydal rolls Matt up to start and it’s quickly off to Daniels to hammer away in the corner. Nick comes in and cleans house, followed by Matt’s top rope ax handle to Sydal as we take a break. Back with Daniels coming in to beat up the Bucks, including a Downward Spiral/DDT combination. Sydal misses a dive to the floor though and Matt sends him over the barricade, leaving Daniels to get Tony Khan Drivered for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C+. This was about what it seemed likely to be, with the Bucks getting beaten up for a bit and then winning in the end. Daniels and Sydal weren’t exactly a major threat to them and it lets the Bucks get a win before going into the pay per view. You know, because they haven’t looked strong enough lately.

Post match the Bucks yell at Daniels for talking down to him last week. They’re trying to clean up the toxicity in the locker room so Daniels is fired. Perry pours a drink on Tony Schiavone too.

Toni Storm, while holding Mariah May, threatens Harley Cameron.

Malakai Black looks at Adam Copeland’s wedding ring and accepts his challenge for a barbed wire steel cage match at Double Or Nothing.

Hook vs. Sebastian Wolfe

Redrum in 28 seconds.

Post match Hook calls out Chris Jericho, so here he is, along with Big Bill. Jericho doesn’t want to hurt Hook but offers him a qualifying match to get a title shot. Hook likes the idea and then hits him in the face, only to have Big Bill get involved. Katsuyori Shibata makes the save.

Swerve Strickland is ready for Christian Cage but first he has to take out Brian Cage.

Swerve Strickland vs. Brian Cage

Non-title and Swerve gets the big hometown reaction. Cage slugs away in the corner to start but gets sent outside with Swerve stomping on the arm. The arm is snapped over the top rope but Cage sends him into the corner again. Swerve’s half nelson is broken up and Cage hits a gorilla press slam into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Swerve slipping out of a powerbomb attempt and sending Cage face first into the buckle. A middle rope elbow to the back has Cage in more trouble and Swerve brainbusters him for two. The rolling Downward Spiral is cut off but Swerve escapes Weapon X as well. Swerve ties him in the ropes for a slingshot stomp to the chest, setting up a 450 for two. Cage’s sitout powerbomb gets two more and they trade shots to the face. Another powerbomb is loaded up but Swerve Stomps his way out in a nice counter. The House Call finishes Cage at 14:48.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that works well for Swerve: have him get in trouble and then fight back to win in the end. He has a history with Cage and it was nice to see him getting a win that means something to him. Rather good match here, which should completely sever Swerve from the Mogul Embassy.

Post match Swerve grabs a chair but the Patriarchy comes in to beat Swerve down. Nick Wayne breaks a photo of Swerve and his family over Swerve’s head. Christian says that’s payback for Swerve attacking Nick last year and asks if Swerve’s daughter is proud of her absentee father. He rubs Swerve’s blood on the photo for a personal touch.

Hook is willing to face anyone to get the shot at Chris Jericho, including Katsuyori Shibata, who wants Jericho as well. Samoa Joe comes in to yell at Hook for not focusing, with Shibata’s translator saying Joe’s flowery shirt doesn’t look good.

Toni Storm vs. Harley Cameron

Non-title. They trade headlocks to start with Storm taking her to the mat. Storm sends her to the apron and adds a running hip attack to take her down again. Cue Serena Deeb for a distraction though as Cameron takes over. We take a break and come back with Storm hitting a Backstabber into a DDT. A fisherman’s buster gets two on Cameron, who is right back with Eat Defeat. Cameron’s running knee gets two but Storm grabs a chokebomb. Storm Zero finishes Cameron at 7:04.

Rating: C. Cameron seems to be trying but it really isn’t working for her in the ring. She feels like someone who hasn’t been in the ring that long, which might be due to her only debuting about two years ago. I’m not sure why that means she should be in the ring on national TV, but it isn’t exactly working.

Will Ospreay and the Undisputed Kingdom have a staredown in the back, with Ospreay saying he won’t go after Roderick Strong because he knows the rest of the team would be on him. Strong has never had any respect for him and Ospreay’s feelings are mutual. Things get heated, wish Strong bringing up Ospreay’s family and saying Ospreay is a child/fraud. Ospreay accuses Strong of burying him to Ring Of Honor people and promises to take the title. This still feels like a huge downgrade for Ospreay.

Here are Mercedes Mone and Willow Nightingale, with Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway, for the contract signing. Willow asks if Mone respects the TBS Title because Willow is the face of TBS. This smiling face comes to the ring every time and says nothing else matters because you can have fun. She isn’t going to let Mone come into AEW and take all of that away.

Willow signs, leaving Mone saying the best part of Willow’s career is beating her, which will be the case after Double Or Nothing. Willow says the last time they wrestled, she walked out a champion but Mone didn’t walk out at all. The fight is on and Mone is put through the table. Mone is going to need to have the match of the century to make up for how useless she’s been since debuting.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Dax Harwood

Harwood is challenging and goes after Okada’s legs to start, sending him outside. Back in and Okada shoulders him down and sends Harwood shoulder first into the post as we take a break. We come back with Harwood being sat on top and dropkicked out to the floor. A running boot against the barricade hits Harwood, followed by a DDT to knock him silly.

Back in and Harwood falls down to avoid the Rainmaker, followed by a German suplex. Harwood hits a dragon suplex as well but Okada kicks off a Sharpshooter attempt. Okada goes up and gets superplexed down for the big crash, leaving them both down for a minute in a needed breather.

The slingshot sitout powerbomb is blocked and they fight over a Tombstone until Harwood plants him for two. The Sharpshooter goes on but is broken up just as quickly. Okada is frustrated and goes to grab the belt, which the referee takes away, allowing Okada to get in a low blow. The Rainmaker retains the title at 16:05.

Rating: B. Well, that certainly was a top singles guy taking a long time to beat one half of a tag team who never wins anything important on his own. They’re continuing with the idea of the Elite looking unstoppable going into Anarchy In The Arena, which isn’t exactly making me want to see the match. At the same time, points for not having the Bucks run in, as seeing less of them is nice.

Post match the Elite comes in for the beatdown so Cash Wheeler and Bryan Danielson run in. Darby Allin, in a purple fur coat, runs in from behind for the real save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was mainly focused on building things up for Double Or Nothing but the show is only looking so good at the moment. The main focus is, again, on the Elite and they aren’t exactly working so far. Allin being back is a good surprise and he’ll help the match, but it feels like the latest way for the Elite to be better than everyone else and that’s not the most thrilling story. Other than that you have Strickland vs. Cage, which is coming off as a rather midcard feud despite being for the World Title. They had a focus here, but the storylines just aren’t doing it for me at the moment.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Don Callis Family – Death Rider to Fletcher
Young Bucks b. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal – Tony Khan Driver to Daniels
Hook b. Sebastian Wolfe – Redrum
Swerve Strickland b. Brian Cage – House Call
Toni Storm b. Harley Cameron – Storm Zero
Kazuchika Okada b. Dax Harwood – Rainmaker

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Dynamite
Date: May 1, 2024
Location: Canada Life Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re coming in off a big story last week as the Elite attacked Tony Khan and left him laying to end the show. That opens up a bunch of questions about where things are going, but right now that seems to mean more Young Bucks. Other than that we find out who is challenging Swerve Strickland at Double Or Nothing later this month. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony Khan joins us from Jacksonville, Florida and says he’ll be running the show remotely this week as he isn’t cleared to travel. Then the Young Bucks cut the feed and, in short, say that since Khan isn’t here and they’re still EVP’s, they’re in charge and have the contacts to prove it. Hit that new intro, now featuring all the Elite! So Tony Khan is the dumbest human in wrestling history right? He fell for Jack Perry’s nonsense last week and agreed to those contracts? But we’re supposed to cheer for him?

Here is Swerve Strickland, with Prince Nana, for a chat. Strickland talks about being around a lot lately and how that’s what this company deserves. As for the Bucks, what they did to Tony Khan was a b**** move. Now though he needs a challenger for Double Or Nothing, so who is it? Cue the Bucks on the screen to fine him for swearing (here here) and send out the new #1 contender: the returning Christian Cage.

The brawl is on without a word and a Patriarchy distraction lets Cage hit the Killswitch onto the title. Nana gets taken out as well and Cage says he hasn’t forgotten Strickland attacking Nick Wayne months ago. They were a team at All In and Swerve lost so now it’s time for some revenge. Cage is going to beat him up so badly that Swerve’s daughter doesn’t know him, but Cage will be her father. Then Luchasaurus pulls out some of Swerve’s hair. Cage getting the title shot out of nowhere is a bit weird for AEW but I was expecting Jack Perry so I’ll take this.

We recap Adam Copland vs. the House of Black, with the House getting the better of things recently and earning a TNT Title shot this week.

TNT Title: Buddy Matthews vs. Adam Copeland

Copeland is defending and shrugs off Matthews’ headlock to start. Copeland takes him down but Matthews pops back up for a staredown. Matthews is knocked outside for a big dive and we take a break. Back with Matthews catching him with a hanging DDT and they’re both down.

Matthews is back up with a kick to the back and a chinlock, with Taz being right there to explain the physics. Copeland fights out and the flapjack puts Matthews down for a change. Both of them head up on the same corner before crashing back down, meaning it’s a double dive back inside to beat the count. Back in and they hit stereo crossbodies, leaving Matthews to be checked on by medics and we take a break.

We come back again with the match continuing and Matthews getting two off a sitdown powerbomb. Matthews heads up top, where Copeland cuts him off and hits a super Impaler DDT for two more. The spear is cut off with some knees to the face and a Jackhammer gives Matthews two, followed by a quick crossface. Copeland fights up, avoids the stomp, and hits a spear to retain at 21:03.

Rating: B-. Rather long match here and it made for a good one, with Copeland feeling like he survived. Copeland can’t do everything he did before and Matthews is a better athlete in the first place, but Copeland gets to use his wits to survive. Odds are this sets up Malakai Black for the Double Or Nothing title match and that should be rather snazzy.

Post match Copeland loads up the Conchairto but the lights go out with Malakai Black appearing. Black tells Copeland to do it but Copeland won’t, allowing Black to disappear. Commentary questions if Black has pushed Copeland that far, suggesting that Copeland needs to be pushed to go violent, and also suggesting that they know very little about Copeland.

Samoa Joe vs. Isiah Kassidy

Kassidy mocks Joe’s towel pose to start and is dropped face first onto the mat to cut that off. A springboard neck snap across the top rope gives Kassidy an opening but the running dive is casually avoided, as is Joe’s custom. Back in and Kassidy tries a monkey flip for some reason, earning himself the MuscleBuster to give Joe the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C. Even in a match this short, Kassidy almost got in too much offense. I was expecting Joe to massacre him and he only beat him up rather easily. That being said, I could still watch Joe do that walk away spot every night as it is so fitting for him and makes everyone else look beneath what he is doing. Anyway, short and to the point here as it needed to be.

Skye Blue wants a TBS Title shot on Rampage.

Here is Orange Cassidy for a chat. He hates what has been going on and wanted the Best Friends to reunite after everything that has happened. Instead, he is told that Chuck Taylor will never wrestle again after what Trent Beretta did to him last weekend. Cue Beretta to say Cassidy is making it about him again, meaning security has to hold them apart. Don Callis comes out to walk Cassidy to the back. That’s quite the change.

The Young Bucks say they have had too much TV time tonight and let Jack Perry have some. Perry talks about how Tony Khan made him the scapegoat and now we are in a new era under the Elite.

FTW Title: Chris Jericho vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Jericho is defending under FTR rules. Shibata wrestles him down into a wristlock to start but Jericho elbows him down and hits a Lionsault (onto the legs) less than a minute and a half in. Taz rants about how Jericho has ruined the FTW Title as Jericho brings in an FTW trashcan lid. Jericho whips out a bag of hockey pucks (Taz: “Ok that’s creative”) but Shibata slams him onto them instead. Back up and they chop it out as we take a break.

We come back with Jericho throwing a hockey puck at him and grabbing the Walls. Shibata slips out and grabs the Figure Four so Jericho throws another puck at him for the break. Jericho puts a trashcan over Shibata’s head and beats on it with a kendo stick, only to have Shibata stand up (still in trashcan) and slowly stalk Jericho into the corner. The trashcan comes off and Shibata hands him a kendo stick so they can sit down and trade stick shots to the head.

The fight goes to Shibata so let’s get a table in here. Shibata nails him with a clothesline and moves the table from leaning in the corner to in front of the corner…and here is Big Bill to put Shibata through the table. Jericho gets the pin at 15:24 without having to do anything.

Rating: C+. This had some creative spots (the pucks were a nice touch) but this felt more like “hey what would happen if Shibata had a hardcore match”. We’re waiting for Hook to come back and win the title to avenge himself and Taz, because this is more or less the same story that we had with Ricky Starks/Jericho. Hopefully it doesn’t last much longer, as the story was only so interesting in the first place and now it’s becoming more about Jericho than anything else.

Kris Statlander apologizes to Willow Nightingale for Mercedes Mone interrupting her last week. It’s cool with Nightingale, who is ready to take out Skye Blue tonight. Stokely Hathaway goes on a rant about the Young Bucks, who send in a text to say Hathaway and Statlander are banned from ringside and Nightingale loses the title if there is any interference.

Brian Cage vs. Claudio Castagnoli

We hear from Castagnoli during his entrance, where he talks about being the best because he is so consistent. They trade clotheslines to start until Cage grabs a suplex. Castagnoli is back up with a spinning backbreaker and a double stomp but Cage catches him on top. The apron superplex connects and we take a break. Back with Cage hitting a discus lariat for two but Castagnoli runs him over as well. Castagnoli’s Swiss 1 9 sets up his own discus lariat for his own two. Swiss Death gets two more and Castagnoli Swings him into the Sharpshooter for the win at 9:53.

Rating: C+. It was two big guys hitting big guy moves until Castagnoli got the win. That worked as well as could be expected, though it felt like any match we’ve seen from Cage for years. You know what you’re getting from him and while it can be entertaining, it’s something that has been done pretty much to death.

Rocky Romero isn’t siding with anyone in the Best Friends’ drama because no one wins. He’s doing his own thing and now he wants a title shot. Romero wants Kyle O’Reilly, may the best man win.

Mariah May vs. Serena Deeb

Toni Storm and Luther are here with May. They go with the grappling to start with May getting tied up in a Paradise Lock for a dropkick. May is back up with a Stratusphere into a dropkick of her own and we take an early break. Back with Deeb neckbreakering her over the middle rope and hitting a fisherman’s neckbreaker to make it worse. A hammerlock lariat gives Deeb two but May kicks her in the head.

May’s missile dropkick sets up a hip attack and It’s Gotta Be May gets two. A rather spinning backslide gives Deeb two but May suplexes her back down. Deeb blocks another Stratusphere and grabs the half crab, even slamming May’s knee into the mat. That’s enough for Storm, who throws the towel in for the old school ending at 10:32.

Rating: C+. This was good enough as May can wrestle a good match when you ignore all of the shenanigans going on. At the same time you have Deeb, who might be as polished in the ring as anyone in the women’s division. She is long overdue to get at least a chance at this level and it will be nice to see what happens when she gets her likely Double Or Nothing title shot.

Deeb’s title shot is official for Double Or Nothing.

Adam Copeland seems a bit shaken up by the House Of Black when Kyle O’Reilly comes in to say he has Copeland’s back if he ever needs it. Copeland is appreciative of the offer, but thinks O’Reilly might have eyes for the TNT Title. As long as there isn’t lust in his eyes, he’ll be ok.

Here is Kenny Omega so Justin Roberts does his big entrance. Omega says he has never been good about talking about injuries and illness, but last year he was diagnosed with diverticulitis. He’ll leave out the gory details but he was 24 hours away from dying. Omega wanted to get fixed up quick but was told he needed surgery, which would leave him needing a colostomy bag for several months, if not the rest of his life.

Omega wanted to avoid surgery, which meant he would have a time bomb in his stomach. If he ever took a shot to the stomach again, he could wind up in the hospital having the surgery anyway. That had him thinking he might have to retire, but then he saw Dynasty and he got scared of being a wrestler. He stated shaking from withdrawals and he needed to be in this ring again.

There are people talking about being the best in the world and he is already being forgotten. He is going to exhaust every option to get back in this ring, bag or no bag. Omega: “We’re talking about colostomy bags, so why not talks about two other ***** while we’re at it?”

He brings up the Young Bucks, who are EVP’s, but so is Omega himself. Part of the power in this company belongs to him, but here is Kazuchika Okada to interrupt (Schiavone: “My God.”). Omega greets him in Japanese and offers to run it back one more time if Okada can give him a few months. Okada declines, saying he is the Best Bout Machine now.

Cue Jack Perry to jump Omega from behind and then grab a chair but Omega fights back. The dragon suplex connects but Okada offers a distraction, allowing Perry to hit Omega in the stomach with a chair. The Young Bucks come in and hit the EVP Trigger, with FTR running out for the save to end the show.

There is a lot to go through here. First, Omega gave one of the best emotional promos I’ve ever seen from him, as it felt like he was either telling the truth or telling something very close to it. I was feeling sorry for him and that’s a good sign for someone who is dealing with some serious issues.

Then we move on to the real story though and that is, again, the Young Bucks. They’ve been all over the show and are now running things, which will likely continue for a good while. It wouldn’t shock me to see this go to some Blood & Guts or Anarchy In The Arena match, possibly even at All In, for control of the company (Tony Khan getting involved physically would be almost expected at this point). I really don’t know how much interest there is in that, but it seems a likely destination. Hopefully we get another Omega vs. Okada match, which while not something I really need to see, sounds a heck of a lot better.

For now though, this was their big moment and it winds up being the Young Bucks again, despite them not being interesting and not being interesting for a long time. AEW seems obsessed with always bringing the main story back to the Elite and it seems that the audience has just moved on from them. It’s been five years plus and this story of “what’s going on with the Elite” keeps coming up. The options are find something new or keep doing the same stuff with a slightly different look over and over, and we seem to be getting the latter here.

Overall Rating: C+. And that’s AEW in a nutshell: solid action from bell to bell, but the stories between the matches don’t go so well. There was no blow away match but the opener was good and Deeb vs. May was rather entertaining. As has been the case for a good while though, your feelings on this show are probably going to be tied to the Young Bucks. If you like them then it was a nice show, but otherwise, it feels like the start of a very long road to…well probably whatever the next big Elite story is after this one is over.

Results
Adam Copeland b. Buddy Matthews – Spear
Samoa Joe b. Isiah Kassidy – MuscleBuster
Claudio Castagnoli b. Brian Cage – Sharpshooter
Serena Deeb b. Mariah May when Toni Storm threw in the towel

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

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Dynasty 2024
Date: April 21, 2024
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back on pay per view and this time around we have a few big matches. First of all, Samoa Joe is defending the World Title against Swerve Strickland. In the match that might be bigger than that though, Bryan Danielson is facing Will Ospreay in a dream match. Finally, we have FTR vs. the Young Bucks in a ladder match for the vacant Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Trent Beretta vs. Matt Sydal

Trent comes out to the Best Friends theme to really crank up the villainy. Sydal knocks him to the floor to start and drops him again on the floor before going back inside. A standing Sliced Bread and a standing twisting moonsault give Sydal two but Beretta is back up with a brainbuster. Sydal gets sent outside but comes back in with a knockdown, allowing him to strike away.

A leg trap cradle gives Sydal two, only for Beretta to grab a half and half suplex. Sydal takes him down again and hits the top rope Meteora for two of his own. They go to the corner, where Beretta drops him face first onto the buckle to knock him silly. The Gotch Style piledriver gets two on Sydal, setting up the running knee into something like a triangle choke for the win at 8:11.

Rating: C. Total Rampage match here and that’s all it was ever going to be. Beretta is fresh off of his heel turn and is gearing up for a showdown with Orange Cassidy. On the other hand you have Sydal, who is the guy you put out there for the sake of making someone else look good. This was only going to be Beretta winning a not very long match and that’s what we got.

Post match Beretta won’t let go so Matt’s brother Mike and Chuck Taylor make the save. Beretta gives Taylor until Dynamite to make up his mind about where he stands. Orange Cassidy comes out for his match and Beretta bails, mainly due to the threat of violence from Cassidy’s partner.

Zero Hour: Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Anthony Ogogo is on commentary as Moriarty takes Cassidy down by the arm to start. Moriarty cranks on said arm but Cassidy uses the power of the pockets to escape and send Moriarty down. Shibata comes in and wins a wrestle off before knocking Moriarty into the corner. It’s off to Taylor for an exchange of chops and forearms with Shibata getting the better of things.

Cassidy comes in and takes Moriarty outside, where Ogogo comes off commentary for a distraction. Taylor knocks Cassidy silly and the big apron legdrop crushes him to make it worse. Back in and Moriarty grabs an abdominal stretch but Taylor misses a splash in the corner. The tag brings Shibata in to kick away, including the running dropkick to Moriarty.

Taylor breaks up an abdominal stretch so Shibata takes him into the corner so the double striking can ensue. Beach Break is broken up and Moriarty snaps Cassidy’s fingers, only to have Cassidy grab the tornado DDT. Shibata kicks Taylor outside, leaving Cassidy to Orange Punch Moriarty for the pin at 12:44.

Rating: C. Another match that could have been on this week’s TV shows rather than taking up time here. I’m guessing the idea was the showdown between Cassidy and Trent Beretta, plus getting Shibata on the card. It’s not a bad match, but there’s a reason this was only thrown on at the last minute with little story.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles/AEW Trios Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

Winner take all and Caster gets an extended rap for a change. Bowens takes Austin into the corner to start before jumping over him and grabbing a backdrop. Colten comes in and has a seat so it’s off to Billy, which has Colten a little more nervous. Billy gets to clean house but gets taken into the wrong corner, meaning the beating is on. White’s chops just annoy Billy but Austin hitting him in the back makes it even worse.

A right hand drops Austin and it’s back to Caster for an armdrag into an armbar. Bowens neckbreaker Austin into a backbreaker from Caster and there’s Scissor Me Timbers. A cheap shot lets White take Caster outside though and whip him into the barricade. Back in and Colten grabs the chinlock but Caster is right back up for the tag to Bowens. Everything breaks down and Bowens gets dropkicked out to the floor with White throwing him back in.

Austin kicks him down and grabs another chinlock, with Bowens suplexing his way to freedom. That’s enough for the tag off to Billy so house can be cleaned. Billy misses a Fameasser and Austin hits his own for two. 3:10 To Yuma gets two more but the Acclaimed is back in for the save. That’s broken up as well so Billy has to power out of the sleeper suplex. The real Fameasser gets two on White, who is right back with the Blade Runner for the pin at 14:48.

Rating: C+. This was a bit long but what matters the most is they got rid of one see of titles. There has never been a reason for two sets of six man titles and thankfully one of them is going away. Acclaimed and Gunn winning would have made less than zero sense as they are ice cold right now so this was the logical result in both ways.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the big matches and talks about building a dynasty.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Pac

Pac is challenging and the fans are VERY interested at the opening bell. They start slowly and exchange wrist control until Pac grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Pac hurricanranas him to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive. Pac whips him into the barricade, with Okada seeming to favor his shoulder. A super brainbuster (geez) gives Pac two so he goes up, only to get dropkicked off for a hard crash onto the apron.

Back in and Okada hits a running kick to the head, followed by the dropkick to put Okada on the floor again. The hanging DDT plants Pac, who barely beats the count back in, and a regular DDT gets two. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Pac fights up and sends him to the floor, setting up the top rope Asai moonsault. Back in and a missile dropkick gives Pac two and he snaps off a German suplex, only to get dropkicked into the corner. Okada grabs the Air Raid Crash onto the knee, setting up the top rope elbow for two more.

Pac is back up and kicks him in the head and muscles him over with a German suplex. A Helluva Kick looks to set up the Black Arrow but Okada gets out just in time. Okada grabs the Tombstone but the Rainmaker is reversed into the Brutalizer. That’s broken up as well and Pac hits a nasty Tombstone of his own, only to have the Black Arrow hit raised knees. The Rainmaker retains the title at 21:52.

Rating: B+. This was a match designed to have two guys beat the fire out of each other for a good while and that’s exactly what happened. It was a heck of a fight with Pac being the perfect choice to go after Okada in his first title defense. There’s a reason Pac has this kind of a reputation and it’s a shame that he has to miss so much time due to various reasons.

Post match Pac gets the big respectful ovation.

We recap the House Of Black vs. Adam Copeland/Eddie Kingston/Mark Briscoe. The House went after Copeland and now he has some friends, who happen to have recently fought over the Ring Of Honor World Title, on his side.

Adam Copeland/Eddie Kingston/Mark Briscoe vs. House Of Black

Taz can’t believe that Copeland is teaming with Kingston and Briscoe, showing he doesn’t watch Collision either. Matthews takes Briscoe up against the ropes to start but it’s quickly off to Copeland to hammer away in the corner. Black comes in, stares at Copeland, and then hands it off to King instead. King misses a clothesline so Kingston comes in for the strike off, which goes rather badly for him.

Kingston fights up and knocks him to his knees, setting up a big chop, followed by the rapid fire chops in the corner. King is back up and knocks Kingston into the other corner, where Matthews takes over for a change. It’s back to Black for the chinlock but Kingston fights up and strikes away (you might notice a theme here). The big tag brings in Briscoe to clean house, including an enziguri to send Matthews to the floor.

There’s the running dropkick through the ropes so Matthews….throws him a chair, allowing Briscoe to hit the step up flip dive to take Matthews down again. King comes over to Death Valley Driver Briscoe into the barricade, meaning the beating is taken into the wrong corner. Black grabs a chinlock but Briscoe fights up again, allowing the tag back to Copeland. King chops him off the top for a nasty crash so Kingston comes in to chop away instead.

Copeland is back up with a top rope superplex to bring King down again and everyone needs a breather. King gets up and hits a discus lariat on Briscoe, only to get spinning backfisted by Kingston. Copeland adds a spear and Briscoe’s Froggy Bow gets two. Black comes back in for the staredown with Copeland but Briscoe cuts it off. The House cleans house but the good guys are back with triple spears for another knockdown. We settle down to Black vs. Copeland…and it’s the mist into the end to give Black the pin at 17:41.

Rating: B. This got some time and the ending was the right way to go, with Black getting the win to likely set himself up as the next challenger to the TNT Title. They teased the heck out of the Copeland vs. Black showdown and then it lasted all of ten seconds, which makes things all the more interesting. Good stuff here, and it even set up something extra down the road.

We recap Julia Hart vs. Willow Nightingale for the TBS Title. Hart has the title, Nightingale wants it, end of recap.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Willow Nightingale

Hart is defending and Nightingale has Kris Statlander with her. Nightingale starts fast and knocks her out of the corner before going up. That takes a bit too long though and Hart knocks him to the floor, with Nightingale being knocked over the announcers’ table. The reverse chinlock goes on until Nightingale powers up and pulls her into a sleeper. Hart slips out so Nightingale plants her with a spinebuster for two. Nightingale charges into some boots in the corner but manages to raise her boots to block the moonsault. The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin and the title at 6:00.

Rating: C+. That was the way the result needed to go as Nightingale FINALLY wins something important. While this is probably setting up her dropping the title to Mercedes Mone next month, at least she has the title in the first place and that is great to see. Nightingale could be a star due to her high level of likability, but she needed this kind of a win to move her forward.

Post match Nightingale celebrates with Statlander and Stokely Hathaway, only to have Mercedes Mone come out for the staredown. With that out of the way, Nightingale gets to celebrate again.

We recap the International Title, with Roderick Strong defending against Kyle O’Reilly. They used to be friends and now they’re fighting for the title.

International Title: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong

Strong is defending and they go technical to start with O’Reilly’s ankle lock being broken up. Back up and Strong hits the jumping leg lariat for two but O’Reilly knocks him back again. Strong catches him on top and drops him hard onto the buckle. Another backbreaker cuts O’Reilly off but he comes back with a bunch of strikes to get a breather. Strong comes right back with an Angle Slam into the running forearms against the ropes.

The running boot against the ropes is blocked though and O’Reilly grabs the kneebar. That’s broken up so O’Reilly strikes away, only to get pulled into another backbreaker for another two. A top rope superplex gives Strong two but O’Reilly ties the legs up into a small package for the same.

Another exchange of strikes lets O’Reilly grab a German suplex but Strong knees him in the face for the double knockdown. Cue Wardlow for a distraction so Strong can get two off a small package. Back up and O’Reilly hits a brainbuster, setting up the cross armbreaker to send Strong over to the ropes. Strong is back up with End Of Heartache for the pin to retain at 17:19.

Rating: C+. It was technically sound but this match didn’t feel interesting coming in and they lost my interest rather quickly. Anything with the Undisputed Kingdom is running with an anchor right now and that was the case here. Strong had to keep the title to keep the group going, but could they please find something to do other than another Undisputed Era reunion?

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom, including Adam Cole, comes out to celebrate.

We recap Hook vs. Chris Jericho for the former’s FTW Title.

Hook vs. Chris Jericho

Hook is defending under FTW Rules and they show respect to start. Feeling out process to start until Hook grabs the first suplex. They go to the floor with Hook….I think missing an apron clothesline but it came off like some miscommunication. Jericho loads up a table but Hook is back with the trashcan lid shots. With that broken up, Jericho trashcans him down as well and they go back inside.

Jericho knocks him to the apron, where Hook suplexes him down through a table for a nasty crash and a near fall on the floor. Back in and Jericho hammers away but stops to grab a trashcan, allowing Hook to snap off a German suplex. The trashcan is put over Jericho and Hook grabs the kendo stick for the beating.

Another suplex, with Jericho in the can, lets Hook load up another table in the corner. Jericho grabs a Codebreaker and they’re both down. They slug it out from their knees with Jericho getting the better of things, only to miss a Rockers’ fist drop. Redrum goes on until Jericho drives him through the table for the break.

The Judas Effect is countered into a kneebar but Jericho reverses into the Walls. Hook reverses into a small package for two and grabs Redrum, only to have Jericho kick him low (which the camera misses). Now the Judas Effect (with an “I’m sorry”) can connect for two so Jericho hits it again…for two again. Jericho grabs the baseball bat, says he’s sorry, and knocks Hook cold to win at 16:50.

Rating: D+. When I was writing up my preview for this show, I could not shake the feeling that AEW would give Jericho the win here because it would be the dumbest thing possible. Jericho is just a disaster right now and having him beat Hook, who already beat him once, is a mind blowing concept. The fans are not interested in seeing Jericho right now yet here he is, complete with a new title. He needs to go away for a bit, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

We recap Toni Storm defending the Women’s Title against Thunder Rosa. Storm is on a roll as champion but Rosa never lost the title so this is her big rematch.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa

Storm, with Mariah May, is defending and Rosa isn’t wearing face paint for a change. They fight into the corner with Storm powering her around, only to get hit in the face. Storm kicks her in the ribs for a breather but Rosa knocks Storm out to the floor. There’s the big corkscrew dive but Rosa has to stop and glare at May. The forearms to the chest give Rosa two, only to have Storm come back with a backbreaker for the same.

Some shots to the back let Storm take her to the top, where Rosa powerbombs her down for two more. A Death valley Driver onto the apron plants Storm (Nigel McGuinness: “OH THE HUMANITY!”) for two more. Storm is back with a Backstabber out of the corner, followed by a bottom rope DDT of all things. A fisherman’s suplex gives Storm two but Rosa’s stomp connects for the same.

Storm grabs a chokebomb for two so Rosa slugs away, only to charge into a headbutt. May offers a distraction so here is Deonna Purrazzo to brawl with her to the back. Storm grabs a German suplex to set up the hip attack. Storm Zero gets two so Storm busts out the Texas Cloverleaf. Rosa gets out and grabs a Backstabber into a cobra clutch but Storm escapes as well. A low kick sets up another Storm Zero to retain at 15:05.

Rating: B. This was a nice surprise and better than I was expecting. It was one of the better Storm matches in AEW and Rosa’s best since her return as it felt like a big time fight. Storm is in a weird place as champion though as the only person to come after the title is May, and that is going to need some adjusting to set up. For now though, rather good stuff.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay. It’s going to be good. End of story.

Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay

Don Callis is on commentary. Nigel talks about Danielson saying his version of Heaven is bleeding in a ring. Nigel: “My version of Heaven is him dying from bleeding in a ring.” Osprey grabs a front facelock to start but Danielson reverses into a headlock as the feeling out process begins. That’s broken up and the fans hit that BRUV chant. Another exchange goes to another standoff and the fans find this awesome.

Danielson goes with the chops but it’s too early for the LeBell Lock. Ospreay misses the big kicks to the head and the fans are way into this. Ospreay flips over and scores with a dropkick but Danielson strikes away against the ropes. A running boot knocks Danielson outside and there’s the big dive to take him out again. Back in and Danielson gets smart by going after the knee/ribs but Ospreay escapes again.

Danielson is sent into the corner and a running boot connects for two. Ospreay sends him outside for the big corkscrew dive to leave them both down. Back in again and Danielson grabs a tiger suplex for two, followed by the heavy elbows. Cattle Mutilation goes on for a bit until Danielson puts him into the corner for the running dropkick. Ospreay sticks the landing on a super hurricanrana so he goes up top, only to get caught with a tiger superplex for the huge crash.

Danielson’s kicks to the chest wake Ospreay up and one heck of a shot drops Danielson for a change. They go to the apron to slug it out and the Oscutter drops Danielson hard. The referee checks on Danielson so Ospreay gets in a Hidden Blade from the apron as the fans think they aren’t worthy. Danielson beats the count and Ospreay stacks him up for two. Danielson grabs La Mistica of all things into the LeBell Lock and then a double arm crank but Ospreay makes the rope.

The running knee is countered into a powerbomb but Danielson counters into a hurricanrana for two instead. Now the running knee connects for two and Danielson is frustrated. The stomping to the head looks to set up another LeBell Lock but Ospreay slips out and fires off forearms to the face. Danielson pulls him into a triangle choke and even the powerbomb can’t break it.

Instead Ospreay picks him up for a Styles Clash but he can’t follow up. They get to their feet with Danielson slapping the heck out of him and grabbing a suplex, only to have Ospreay pop up with the Hidden Blade. The Oscutter is loaded up but Danielson knees it out of the air for the big double down. Danielson does the YES pose in the corner and Ospreay goes to the other corner, where he takes off the elbow pad. The running knee is cut off with the Hidden Blade into the tiger driver onto the neck. Danielson is all vibrating but Ospreay Hidden Blades him for the pin at 32:19.

Rating: A. Back in the late 1920s, a man was driving his Model T Ford when it stopped running. He wasn’t very good with mechanical stuff and was in a bit of a jam when an older man came driving up. The older man asked if he could take a look and fixed it without much trouble. That older man was Henry Ford. Now what does this have to do with Ospreay vs. Danielson?

Nothing. It was outstanding and there was nothing else to say about it so I didn’t bother trying.

Post match the medics check on Danielson and Ospreay is scared, even as his arm is raised.

We recap FTR vs. the Young Bucks for the vacant Tag Team Titles. It’s the latest in their long running series and this is a ladder match.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. FTR

For the vacant titles in a ladder match. FTR takes over to start and goes for the ladders but the Bucks cut them off. The dives drop FTR and it’s time for the ladder to be brought in. FTR cuts that off for a change so it’s time to put some tables up at ringside. That takes too long as well so Wheeler is laid across the ladder for a dive from Matt. Back in and Harwood is busted open as the Bucks beat him down with chairs.

There’s a whip to send Harwood into the ladder in the corner as the blood is gushing. They go outside again with Harwood being sent into a bridged ladder but Wheeler is back up with a moonsault off of said ladder. The Bucks are right back up to crotch Wheeler on the ladder, setting up the EVP Trigger. Harwood gets knocked down again back inside but Wheeler is back in with a powerslam.

FTR hits a bulldog to plant Matt and a slingshot powerbomb puts him down again. That’s not enough as Matt gets knocked off the apron, sending him hard into the barricade. Nick hurricanranas Harwood off the apron and through a table for another nasty crash. All four are back up and go for the climb, with everyone but Matt crashing down. Harwood pulls Matt’s shoes off before FTR busts out the PowerPlex off the ladder for the big crash.

Nick is back up with a 450 to Wheeler through a table, leaving Harwood to piledrive Matt onto a bridged ladder. Wheeler pulls Nick down from the ladder but his suicide dive only hits table. Matt and Harwood go up, earning a PLEASE BE CAREFUL chant. Harwood knocks him down so here is a masked man for the save. And yeah of course it’s Jack Perry. The Bucks win at 21:47.

Rating: B. This was in fact a ladder match and there was almost no reason to believe that the ending was going to be anything else, even down to the interference. There was no way FTR was going to win here as the Bucks are being treated as a big deal again. This match cranked up the violence and it worked well enough, but the ladder gimmick didn’t make things much better.

We recap Samoa Joe defending the World Title against Swerve Strickland. Joe beat Hangman Page to retain in a triple threat match at Revolution so now it’s the singles match for Swerve’s big shot.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending. They take their time to start until Joe hits a knee to the ribs to take over. Joe takes him outside for a toss over the announcers’ table but Swerve gets in a knee to the face. That earns him a hard planting on the floor and they head back inside, with Joe keeping the pace slow.

Joe plants him again and grabs the neck crank as the dominance continues. Swerve tries to fight up and gets elbowed in the face to send him back outside. The floor mats are peeled back but Swerve gets in some shots of his own for a needed breather. Back in and Swerve has to strike his way out of the Koquina Clutch, setting up the rolling Downward Spiral for two. Swerve grabs a headscissors choke but Joe powers him into the corner for the Muscle Buster and another near fall.

Back up and Swerve hits the House Call into a 450 into the Swerve Stomp for two and they need a breather. Joe is right back up with the Koquina Clutch but can’t get the full grip. That lets Swerve get out and hit the House Call for two more. They both go up and Swerve knocks him off again, setting up the Swerve Stomp for the pin and the title at 17:55.

Rating: B. Well, it wasn’t bad and they did the big ending properly, though it didn’t quite get to that top level. The best thing here is that Swerve won the title in what might as well have been his last chance and that is what matters. I’m not sure what is next for either of them right now, but they got the big moment right after a hard hitting match. Well done and a nice way to wrap up the show.

Swerve celebrates for a long time to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Some of the matches in the undercard were a bit weak and some of the decisions (ok so just Jericho) were out there, but that Danielson vs. Ospreay match was outstanding and there were several others that hit or even exceeded their mark. Awesome show here and worth a long long, but you might want to fast forward some parts, as this was another very, very lengthy show. An excellent one, but long.

Results
Trent Beretta b. Matt Sydal – Triangle choke
Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Orange Punch to Moriarty
Bullet Club Gold b. Billy Gunn/Acclaimed – Blade Runner to Gunn
Kazuchika Okada b. Pac – Rainmaker
House Of Black b. Adam Copeland/Mark Briscoe/Eddie Kingston – The End to Copeland
Willow Nightingale b. Julia Hart – Babe With The Powerbomb
Roderick Strong b. Kyle O’Reilly – End Of Heartache
Chris Jericho b. Hook – Baseball bat shot
Toni Storm b. Thunder Rosa – Storm Zero
Will Ospreay b. Bryan Danielson – Hidden Blade
Young Bucks b. FTR – Bucks pulled down the titles
Swerve Strickland b. Samoa Joe – Swerve Stomp

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This is another of the new pay per view and it is in a bit of a tough spot. While it has an absolutely stacked card, we are just over a month away from Double Or Nothing, which is one of the major shows. That could leave this show in something of a weird place, but the talent is more than capable of carrying it to a solid event. The potential is right there so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Matt Sydal vs. Trent Beretta

This is fallout from Beretta turning on Orange Cassidy a few weeks ago, which was followed by Beretta attacking Sydal for daring to help Cassidy. Beretta is actually something of a hot heel at the moment as the fans did not like him turning on one of their favorites. In other words, as usual, a personal issue is something fans will care about and it could do Beretta a lot of good.

There is a grand total of no reason for Sydal to win here and as a result, this is the biggest layup on the entire card. Beretta needs to win here and should do so in short order as this is little more than a Rampage main event. Sydal is the guy you put out there to make someone else look good and Beretta is pretty much locked in for a big match against Cassidy at Double Or Nothing. Beretta wins here with no doubt whatsoever.

Zero Hour: Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

This feels like a way to get Cassidy and Shibata on the show and the Promotions are the current designated jobbers. You can only get so much out of that kind of a match as, again, it feels like something that belongs on Rampage. I’m not entirely thrilled by the idea of having to see Shibata again as he is the definition of not my style, but here we are again anyway.

While it isn’t as huge of a layup as Sydal vs. Beretta, there is pretty much no reason to believe Cassidy and Shibata are losing here. Barring interference from Beretta, this should be Cassidy and Shibata winning again. The Promotions are nothing more than people there to look intimidating and then lose, which is what they will do here as the fans get to cheer for Cassidy.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles/AEW Trios Titles: Bullet Club Gold(c) vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn(c)

It took long enough. That is the only thing I can think of here as my goodness there is barely enough of a reason to have one set of six man titles but here we have TWO. While neither of them needs to be there, it will be nice to get this down to one set so we can have less gold floating around. Other than that, it’s a bit of a personal feud with Gunn vs. his kids, but that’s about the extent of the interest.

I’ll go with the Club winning here, as Acclaimed and Gunn are ice cold right now. It makes sense for the Club to win, if nothing else because the star of their team isn’t 60 years old. Let Jay White get his win here and hopefully continue figuring things out, as he hasn’t exactly been a smash hit so far. Also of note: I’ve heard that this is and isn’t on Zero Hour but it would be a nice main event before we can get on to the stuff that matters a lot more.

FTW Title: Hook(c) vs. Chris Jericho

Let’s get one of the weaker ones out of the way. Despite Jericho desperately needing to just go away for a bit, here he is getting a title shot against some young star. I’m not sure how well that is going to go, but the segments setting it up have not been good coming in. As usual, this is going to be a hardcore match because that’s pretty much all Hook does on his own these days.

I’ll go with Hook, just for the sake of maintaining my own sanity. The worst part is I could very easily see Jericho winning the title as some kind of weird deal where Hook has to get it back, even though Hook already beat Jericho (ala Ricky Starks). Hopefully they don’t go nuts and let Hook win here and move on, though the more I think about this, the more worried I get over them doing something stupid. Hook wins, or at least I hope he does.

Adam Copeland/Mark Briscoe/Eddie Kingston vs. House Of Black

This is a weird one as Copeland gets his big win to retain the title yet he’s here in a six man tag. The House has come after Copeland and now he has some friends, who happen to have been fighting over the Ring Of Honor World Title just a few weeks ago. That should make for an interesting story, though it still makes me wonder why we aren’t getting Copeland in a title defense.

I’m not sure why a makeshift team should be able to defeat an established one so we’ll say the House wins here. If nothing else, someone pinning Copeland or Briscoe could set them up for a title match down the line. It’s what makes the most sense and there are different options to choose, though Kingston taking the fall to protect the champions would not surprise me in the slightest. Either way, the House wins here, as they should.

TBS Title: Julia Hart(c) vs. Willow Nightingale

I’ve been saying this for a long time now but e pluribus gads Nightingale needs to win something already. She has been that one star who never really wins anything but manages to lose a bunch of title shots. Winning the title here would help, even if she is going to be sacrificed at the altar of Mercedes Mone next month anyway. While Hart is good, she is just kind of there at the moment and that isn’t a good sign for her title reign.

I’ll go with Nightingale FINALLY winning here, as it is not only long overdue but it makes a lot more sense for Nightingale to win and feud with Mone. That’s what has been teased for weeks now and even if Nightingale loses the title quickly, it’s better than never winning it in the first place. Go with what makes sense here, which is Nightingale powerbombing the heck out of Hart to win the title so Mone can come out for a dancing staredown.

International Title: Roderick Strong(c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Yes believe it or not we are seeing more of the Undisputed Era members fighting again because that’s just what they do. O’Reilly is back after missing quite a bit of time due to health issues and now he’s getting a title shot after winning a handful of matches. As luck would have it, that means we get more from the Undisputed Kingdom, which has one swimmingly thus far. But yeah, this is our pay per view title match.

I’ll take Strong retaining, as the team is more or less worthless if he loses the title. I haven’t been been interested in either of them for a good while and while the match should be good, it hasn’t made for the best build. I’m sure the in-ring action will work though, which is almost always the case with everyone involved. Just come up with something more interesting for them to do? Please?

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. FTR

It’s a tournament final for the vacant titles and naturally it’s a ladder match. I can give them points for trying something new with the feud but egads can we just stop with the ladders? And FTR vs. the Bucks? And the Bucks in general? This is a match where the result has more or less been telegraphed, all the way down to how it happens, which is where this is probably going.

Yes I’ll take the Bucks winning here because they need to beat FTR again and get their big push again, because the fans just love everything about them. Throw in the likely return of Jack Perry to help them and we’ve got all the makings of a heel stable. AEW has been doubling down on the Bucks despite them running fans off in droves and now they seem to be getting some titles to go with it.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Pac

The fact that I had to think about which of the THREE midcard titles Okada held should tell you there are too many of those things running around. Anyway, this is Okada’s first defense since winning the title from Orange Cassidy and that doesn’t leave a ton of drama about the result. The good thing is that Pac is here for his one big match before leaving for whatever reason and that should make for a heck of a showdown.

Of course Okada wins here, as not only is he friends with the Bucks and needs to be part of their team as they rise up, but there is almost no way that he is going to lose so soon after debuting. The good thing is that the match should be a heck of a showdown and we could be in for two guys beating the living daylights out of each other. What we won’t be in for is a new champion, as Okada retains.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Thunder Rosa

This is a place where we could use a “none of the above” option. Storm is desperately in need of a face turn as she can be her goofy self, but for some reason we’re stuck with her as a villain. On the other hand you have Rosa, who has not felt anywhere near special since her return. That doesn’t make for the strongest set of options, but maybe it’s just a weak feud.

I’ll go with Storm retaining, as she has stuff going on with Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa, so keeping the title on her makes sense. It would help if the May story actually got going for a change, but we could still be a long way off from that happening. For now though, hopefully the match works, but it should end with Storm winning, hopefully before turning good and breathing some life into her.

Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay

I’m not completely certain this isn’t the headliner as it has been the bigger story in recent weeks. The idea here is pretty simple: they’re both really good at wrestling and want to have the best match possible. That might not be the most interesting story, but it’s what we’re getting for at worst the co-headliner of the show. The main question here would seem to be “how good can they be” and that response could be quite high.

For the life of me I can’t imagine a reason for Danielson to win here as Ospreay gets to continue his rise up AEW. He’s been presented as one of the biggest things in AEW and this would be his signature win so far. Hopefully it helps get him away from the Don Callis Family, or at least Callis himself, as Ospreay deserves much more. For now though, we should be in for a classic, but good luck on living up to the hype they have built up.

AEW World Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Swerve Strickland

Strickland has to win here and that’s pretty much point blank. He has been built up as this huge star but without winning the World Title, that doesn’t mean much. Joe hasn’t been champion all that long (at least by AEW standards) but right now it is time to move the belt on to Strickland, just for the sake of giving him the big boost that he needs. I’m not sure where things go for him from there, but without the title win, Strickland doesn’t have a chance.

I’ll go with what needs to happen here and say Strickland wins. At the end of the day, Joe has been a made man for a very long time now and it makes sense for him to put Strickland over. Strickland doesn’t even have to be champion long, but what matters is that he gets the big win. Give him his win and then move on to whatever else, but don’t waste someone who has gotten that over without pulling the trigger on him.

Overall Thoughts

That is one heck of a stacked card, if nothing else for the amount of titles that are going to be on the line. AEW has more titles than it knows what to do with most of the time but it can lead to a show like this where you are going to get all kinds of title matches for a change. That is going to be the case this weekend and if the show lives up to its potential, we should be in for a heck of a show.

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

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Dynamite
Date: April 17, 2024
Location: Farmer’s Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

Things took a big turn last week and now we get to see things get back on the right track. One of the biggest ways to do that might be having the return of Jon Moxley, who is now the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. It’s also the last Dynamite before Dynasty and that could mean some last minute additions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Jon Moxley to get things going. Moxley talks about how he won one of his first titles right here in Indianapolis and even back then, a lot of people were talking about how he wasn’t what he needed to be. His answer is still the same: watch him do what he does, which is what this IWGP World Heavyweight Title is all about. He’s been chasing the title for five years and no it wasn’t impossible if you know what is beating in his chest.

AEW is about being willing to show the world what you are all about, which brings him to the Don Callis Family. Moxley doesn’t like what is going on with the Family and Bryan Danielson so he’s challenging Powerhouse Hobbs to a match next week. Pain and violence are promised. This started as the latest AEW Rah Rah speech but they did shift away from that pretty quickly. Also, I’m not sure how much we needed a celebration of the new IWGP World Champion on the same week AEW asks you to pay to see an already only so strong AEW World Title match.

Mercedes Mone is not happy with being attacked in the dark last week and the locker room is ON NOTICE (feel free to retire that line anytime soon). She’ll be watching tonight’s mixed tag match.

Adam Copeland/Willow Nightingale vs. House Of Black

Hold on though as Nightingale has been attacked in the back so here is Brody King to jump Copeland from behind. The beating is on before the bell and Copeland is sent into the steps. Copeland gets inside and the bell rings, with the commercial coming in eleven seconds into the (handicap) match.

Back with Copeland fighting out of a superplex and knocking him down, meaning it’s time to strike it out. Copeland hits a running boot in the corner for two, followed by a neckbreaker to put King down again. The spear is cut off but King misses the Cannonball in the corner. Cue Nightingale to go after Hart and hit a Cannonball on King. The distraction lets Hart get in a chain shot, setting up Hartless on the unconscious Nightingale for the win at 8:49.

Rating: C. This was more or less Copeland vs. King until the angle at the end. That doesn’t have me feeling the strongest about Hart’s injury status, but at least she did get in the ring near the end to do something physical. Nightingale needs to win the title so she can have something important on her resume, but I’m not sure I can go for Hart losing the title yet.

Post match Mercedes Mone runs in to chase Hart off. Mone picks up the chair and stares at Nightingale before throwing it down.

Samoa Joe talks about how Swerve Strickland won’t stay down but Joe is ready to beat him again. He’ll have to get the title belt disinfected after Prince Nana touched it but let’s talk about Swerve coming up short every single time. Joe is ready to do his thing as usual and end Swerve once and for all.

The Young Bucks have bumped a package about FTR but promise to beat them on Sunday. Oh and Kazuchika Okada will take care of Pac. Why Tony Khan is just sitting there bewildered isn’t clear.

Young Bucks/Kazuchika Okada vs. Daniel Garcia/Pac/Penta El Zero Miedo

Penta kicks at Matt’s leg to start before sending Nick to the floor. There’s a superkick to Matt as everything breaks down. Matt kicks Garcia from the apron and we take an early break. Back with Matt on a headset doing live commentary (which can be heard in the arena) as he gets the tag. He can’t talk his way out of a belly to back suplex from Garcia so it’s Pac coming in to clean house (with Matt’s mic seemingly being turned off).

Pac hits a moonsault to the floor and goes after Okada, only to get cheap shotted from behind. Everything breaks down and Pac gets in a neck snap over the top to take over. Pac gets smart by dragging Penta over for the tag but the Black Arrow is broken up. Garcia is kicked into Okada’s Tombstone and there’s one for Penta as well. The Rainmaker finishes Garcia at 12:18.

Rating: B-. The action was good but Garcia might as well have worn a shirt saying “I’m taking the pin”. Pac is getting a title shot and Penta feels like too big of a star. That didn’t make for the most drama about the result, though Pac vs. Okada should be a heck of a match when they get the chance to do something. Otherwise, now we can move on to the Bucks winning the titles as the fans continue to leave, but at least AEW can stand their ground.

Post match the winners load up a ladder but Pac makes the save with his ring bell hammer.

Here are Chris Jericho and Hook for a chat with Taz moderating. Jericho thanks Taz for getting this out here before saying Hook wasn’t listening to him as much as he should have last week. Some people think he is great and the truth is Jericho IS the learning tree. Anyone who comes into the Jericho Vortex comes out better and now he’s ready to achieve greatness with Hook. What do you say? Hook: “No.” He doesn’t need Jericho’s help, so Jericho tells him to not be stupid.

Taz tries to cut it off but Jericho says he’s giving Hook some proper guidance like Taz should have a long time ago. Jericho goes on a rant about Hook not being ready and decks Taz for trying to intervene again. Hook grabs Jericho by the shirt and tells him to get out of his ring. Jericho does, as I try to figure out how this is supposed to make Hook like good in any way. We’ve established Hook can beat Jericho up but here he just shoves him a bit and tells him to get away? After Jericho hit Hook’s dad, who had to retire due to injuries and hasn’t wrestled a serious match in 20+ years?

We get a sitdown interview with Swerve Strickland, who doesn’t think much of Samoa Joe calling him a choke artist. Swerve has stumbled before and we hear about some of the horrible things that have happened to him this year. No matter what though, he’s still here. Joe can call him whatever he wants but on Dynasty, Joe can call him champ. Swerve is going to say something to Joe’s face tonight.

Mariah May vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Toni Storm is here too. May takes her into the corner to start but Purrazzo legdrags her way to freedom. It’s way too early for the Fujiwara armbar as May slips to the floor and whips Purrazzo into the barricade. Back in and the Stratusphere is broken up so May shoves her outside instead as we take a break.

We come back with Purrazzo slugging away before grabbing the Fujiwara armbar. May makes the rope again so Purrazzo tries a powerbomb which….doesn’t exactly work. Instead May sends her into the corner for a hip attack into a tornado DDT. Storm doesn’t seem happy and it gets a lot worse as Purrazzo rolls May up for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: C-. Purrazzo is boosted back up as May seems to disappoint Storm yet again. I’m not sure what is next for Purrazzo, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see May get yelled at by Storm, leaving Mina Shirakawa to pick up the pieces. The match itself wasn’t the best either though, as it had multiple sloppy moments and Purrazzo doesn’t exactly look great for winning here.

Post match the beatdown is on until Thunder Rosa runs in to save Purrazzo.

Bullet Club Gold challenges the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn for a winner take all match at Dynasty.

Gunn and the Acclaimed are in.

Shane Taylor vs. Orange Cassidy

The rest of Shane Taylor Promotions are here with Taylor but he says he’s got this. The team stays as Cassidy hits a dropkick to start, only to get draped over the top for a Stunner. Taylor drops him again and we take an early break. Back with Cassidy slugging away but Moriarty and Ogogo offer distractions, allowing Taylor to grab him by the throat. Stundog Millionaire gets Cassidy out of trouble but Taylor hits him in the face. Not that it matters as the Orange Punch gives Cassidy the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C. Taylor has been getting quite a bit of television time in recent weeks and beating him still means just enough. That being said, Cassidy vs. Trent Beretta is one of the most interesting stories going in AEW today and a lot of that has to do with how it feels personal. That can go a long way and it has done so thus far in their story.

Post match the beatdown is on so Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal run out for the save…but are cut off by Trent Beretta, because Orange Cassidy cannot have any friends.

Video on Roderick Strong vs. Kyle O’Reilly.

Will Ospreay vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli grabs a rollup for two to start before blocking a hurricanrana with pure power. An uppercut cuts Ospreay off rather quickly but he knocks Castagnoli outside. Castagnoli walks away from the tease of a dive so Ospreay takes over on the floor, only to have a springboard cut off back inside. They forearm it out with Ospreay managing to knock him outside. Another dive is pulled out of the air and Ospreay is planted as we take a break.

Back with Ospreay getting two off a Phenomenal Forearm before they trade Sharpshooters. With Castagnoli’s broken up, he switches over to a crossface, which is reversed into a tiger driver to give Ospreay two. Back up and Castagnoli hits a hard clothesline for two, followed by Ospreay’s rollup for the same.

Ospreay springboards into a Burning Hammer for another near fall so Ospreay switches to a Spanish Fly for two of his own. Castagnoli grabs the Swing but Ospreay rolls his way up for a DDT (that was sweet). Spiral Tap gives Ospreay two more and the Hidden Blade finishes Castagnoli at 14:23.

Rating: B. These guys had a heck of a match and that shouldn’t be a surprise at this point. That’s kind of what Ospreay does and putting him in there against Castagnoli is a guaranteed good match. Ospreay will be ready for Bryan Danielson at Dynasty and this brings it a bit closer to home, but “yeah this was a good match, but wait until you see THIS MATCH” is still only getting me so far.

Post match the Don Callis Family comes in for the beatdown so here is Jon Moxley to go after Powerhouse Hobbs.

We run down the Dynasty card.

Here is Swerve Strickland (a minute after the show was supposed to end) for a chat. People have been asking why he thinks he’s going to beat Samoa Joe but last week Joe showed him everything he needed to see. Now Swerve is out here waiting for Joe to come out here and hear it face to face.

Cue Joe so security comes out, only to have Swerve come off the top and Stomp them to land in front of Joe. The brawl is on, with Prince Nana offering a distraction so Swerve can kick Joe in the face. Joe catches him on top and plants him down before posing with the title to end the show. Swerve’s dive was great, but he almost has to win the title on Sunday.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling continues to be good, though I’m having a hard time getting into Dynasty. Between the Young Bucks continuing to take the interest out of everything they touch, the lack of anything more than “Danielson vs. Ospreay will be great” and Jericho getting his hooks into Hook, there is a lot of stuff here that really isn’t making me care. That being said, Cassidy vs. Beretta has potential, Okada vs. Pac should be a war and Swerve vs. Joe had a heck of a nice final push. Good stuff from the wrestlers, less so from the storytelling, making it quite the AEW show.

Results
House Of Black b. Adam Copeland/Willow Nightingale – Hartless to Nightingale
Young Bucks/Kazuchika Okada b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac/Daniel Garcia – Rainmaker to Garcia
Deonna Purrazzo b. Mariah May – Sunset flip
Orange Cassidy b. Shane Taylor – Orange Punch
Will Ospreay b. Claudio Castagnoli – Hidden Blade

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

(I’m sorry about the delay.  I came home from Philadelphia with a bad sinus infection and I more or less slipped into a coma after last night’s show and forgot to put it up.)

Dynamite
Date: April 10, 2024
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

And now, we jump back to August of last year, because we are going to be seeing footage of the backstage incident between CM Punk and Jack Perry at All Out. This comes after Punk gave an interview that wasn’t so nice about AEW and now all of a sudden we just need to see the footage. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Samoa Joe vs. Dustin Rhodes

Non-title…and non-match as Swerve Strickland jumps Joe before the bell and spears him through a table. Referees break it up. Dustin never appeared.

We look at Trent Beretta turning on Orange Cassidy last week.

Cassidy will have a match on Rampage and will comment on what happened.

TNT Title: Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Adam Copeland

Copeland is defending. They shove each other around to start with Penta knocking him down and hitting a top rope double stomp for two. Copeland is knocked to the floor and gets chopped back inside as we take a break. Back with….what looks to be some production graphic on the screen before we see Copeland grabbing a headscissors. Penta isn’t having that and hits a basement superkick for two.

Copeland leapfrogs him three times in a row before they trade headscissors. Stereo big boots leave them both down and we actually get a countdown clock until the Young Bucks segment. Penta sends him outside for a dive and gets in some stomping as we take another break. Back again with Copeland knocking him off the top, giving them another double breather.

Penta goes for the arm but gets pulled into the Grindhouse, with Penta having to reach the rope. They go to the apron with Penta charging into a powerslam to put them both on the floor. Copeland loads up a spear but hits Alex Abrahantes and the fans are not pleased. Back in and Copeland takes him up top, only to get caught with a super Canadian Destroyer. Then Copeland hits the spear to retain at 20:42.

Rating: B. This was a longer match than I was expecting and it did fairly well. Copeland can have a good enough match with anyone and while Penta isn’t what he once was, he has that odd charisma that makes it work. For a match with no build due to it being another open challenge, this was good enough.

Post match the lights go out and Julia Hart pops in. Brody King appears to choke out Copeland but here is Willow Nightingale for a distracting save.

Chris Jericho, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata are ready for Shane Taylor Promotions. Jericho is ready for both of them to sit underneath his learning tree, with both of them agreeing. With Jericho gone, Shibata, through his translating machine, isn’t sure what’s going on, but he does like Renee Paquette’s necklace.

We look back at FTR vs. the Young Bucks over the years.

Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston are ready to team together at Dynasty despite being beaten up. Adam Copeland comes in and makes sure they’re good for next week. Stokely Hathaway and Willow Nightingale come in….with Stokely wanting Nightingale to get a TNT Title shot next week. Copeland thinks a mixed tag against the House of Black sounds better and Willow is in.

We go to the Young Bucks for footage from All In in London last year. Before we get there though, we talk about their history with FTR. With that out of the way, we hear about Jack Perry, the scapegoat, in the whole thing, being involved in a backstage altercation at All In. Perry is a friend of theirs, and the other, unnamed person is friends with FTR.

Maybe FTR was behind the whole thing to mess with them. They had no time to hydrate or even pray! There should be an asterisk next to FTR’s victory, but that’s not even the worst part. The incident is short and resembles a high school scrap but it threatened to take down their biggest show ever.

We see the (silent) footage of CM Punk coming up to Perry, who doesn’t look interested in talking to him. They do talk for a few seconds, Punk turns and says something to some other people (one of whom appears to be Tony Khan), then Punk shoves Perry, grabs him in a front facelock, and has it broken up. Punk does lunch in the direction of Khan, albeit with a desk and a person between them. The whole clip runs about 1:15 the time between Punk initially shoving him and the two being separated is about 8 seconds.

Back to the Bucks, who say that wasn’t even the worst part of the whole thing. The worst thing was creating a wrestling show and filling a building with that many people, only to lose because they were distracted by something so stupid. They aren’t shaking FTR’s hands at Dynasty.

Ok so regarding the footage:

If anyone, and I mean ANYONE, in AEW management, told Tony Khan that airing that on national television, or any kind of television for that matter, was a good idea, they should be tried on crimes against wrestling.

That was the most nothing, completely unmemorable moment that I’ve seen in wrestling in a long, long time. The time from Punk initially shoving him to them being separated was about eight seconds. We just waited eight months for a clip that lasted as long as Diesel beating Bob Backlund for the WWF Title in 1994.

I’m sure this will be part of some big return for Perry, but my goodness, an old, broken down Punk just grabbed him in a front facelock (which is as basic of a wrestling hold as there is so screw off with the “he’s a trained fighter” stuff) and held him for a few seconds. If that is some big, game changing and possibly show ruining moment, there are WAY more problems with your show and company than an army of Punk’s on their best behavior could ever fix.

Lanny Poffo told a story about a wrestler I can’t remember giving him crap in the locker room. They were in a match together and Poffo grabbed a sugar hold (a legitimate grappling move) and gave it the tiniest bit of pressure while asking if they were going to have any more problems. They were fine after that. But yeah, this was some game changer that had to be addressed EIGHT MONTHS LATER because Punk said something mean about AEW. Cry me a river.

We cut back to the desk and Tony Schiavone looks like he would rather having his teeth ripped out than be here right now.

Cue FTR, unscheduled, for a chat. Cash Wheeler wants to know why we’re doing this and what that was supposed to accomplish (preach it brother). We are doing some great things but why are we looking at stuff from eight months ago (PREACH IT BROTHER!)? Harwood thinks the Young Bucks might be on to something about how important they are because without them, Harwood might still be shaving Wheeler’s back.

The Bucks used to be about AEW but now they’re about the letters EVP. Harwood says on the backs of everyone who helps to work and build this place, they will keep this place going for the future of professional wrestlers. This place is for the people who go to work for one ticket to get lost in their drama and action. But this isn’t about All In, because it’s about Dynasty and proving who the best team really is.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay.

Here is Will Ospreay for a chat. First up, there is this rumor going around that Ospreay is afraid of the grind of wrestling (meaning he’s afraid of the WWE schedule). Normally he would rise to this type of bate, but the person who said it is only in the position he’s in because he was grinding on the boss’ wife. With that flashback to 2004 out of the way, Ospreay talks about how Bryan Danielson is ready to try his hand at beating the unbeatable Ospreay. A lot of people have tried to do it and now he’s ready to show why he’s the best. On April 21, Danielson will find out why Ospreay was on another level.

Julia Hart is ready for Willow Nightingale at Dynasty.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Chris Jericho/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata

Jericho and Anthony Ogogo (who returned and joined the team over the weekend) start things off and it’s Moriarty coming in less than ten seconds later. Jericho takes over on Moriarty in the corner and hands it off to Shibata to strike away. Hook comes in to strike away at Taylor, who knocks him into the corner. We take a break and come back with Shibata coming in to clean house. Moriarty gets knocked into the corner but Shibata runs into Jericho by mistake. Hook and Jericho argue on the floor, leaving Taylor to knock Shibata silly with a right hand. Moriarty’s Fang finishes Shibata at 8:16.

Rating: C. If there is an interesting point coming up with this Hook/Jericho stuff, it would be nice if they got to it sooner rather than later. Hook and Jericho have teamed together twice or so and now they’re already having issues. I’m sure we’ll be seeing something between them in some form at Dynasty and my goodness it’s really hard to get interested at Jericho doing something like this again.

Post match Hook helps Shibata up and Jericho leaves by himself.

Samoa Joe is cleared for the main event and Dustin Rhodes is ready for him because he has nothing left.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Cristiano Argento

Non-title and Okada takes him down without much trouble. The dropkick and Rainmaker finish for Okada at 1:22.

Post match Okada accepts Pac’s challenge for Dynasty. Pac comes out for the staredown but the Young Bucks jump him from behind for the beating. FTR makes the save as the fans chant for CM PUNK. Okada grabs a chair and the good guys are beaten down.

We look at Bullet Club Gold beating down Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed at Supercard Of Honor.

The Club liked that beating and want to do it again on Rampage. Jay White says find him an opponent.

Here are Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm for a champagne toast. Storm immediately hits her with the glass and the beatdown is on, with Rosa’s paint being rubbed off. Deonna Purrazzo makes the save and Mariah May comes in…and she has a match right now. Storm even throws in a good luck kiss on the cheek.

Anna Jay vs. Mariah May

They slap and strike it out to start until Jay hits a running Blockbuster. May powers her straight into the corner and grabs a Stratusphere. Jay is back with a hanging neckbreaker over the apron (throwing in a kiss to the cheek) as we take a break. We come back with May hitting a running dropkick, followed by a running spinwheel kick in the corner. An Iconoclasm gives Jay two but she runs into a boot in the corner. A missile dropkick sets up May’s hip attack for two but Jay kicks her down for the same. May comes right back with a sunset flip for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C. Well at least it feels like they’re getting ready for the May/Storm…whatever it is that they’re doing. May needs some more wins and Jay has enough credibility for it to matter. Other than that, it was a good enough match, though Jay still feels like she is in the same place in the ring as she has been for the last year plus.

Post match Jay grabs the Queenslayer until Stardom’s Mina Shirakawa (who had a reunion with former stablemate May at a Stardom event over the weekend, with Storm interrupting and teasing a Forbidden Door match with Shirakawa) makes the save. Then Shirakawa gives May champagne and kisses her.

Mercedes Mone is ready to debut at Double Or Nothing. She talks about her ankle injury but has a plan and a mission…and then someone turns the lights out and attacks her.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Samoa Joe

Non-title and Dustin jumps the banged up Joe in the corner. Joe fights back and hits a hard headbutt to knock Rhodes outside. Rhodes is busted open so Joe hammers on the cut as we take a break. Back with the rather bloody Dustin snapping off a powerslam for a breather. Dustin hammers away and grabs a Code Red for two but the bulldog is broken up.

They go outside with Joe getting posted, allowing Dustin to grab the title. With that taken away, Dustin grabs the Cross Rhodes for two but Joe release Rock Bottoms him out of the corner. Joe grabs the chain and loads up a swing but the referee takes it away. That leaves Joe to hit him with the belt for the pin at 9:34.

Rating: C+. Good enough here, though it’s another match with the break taking up a good chunk of the time. It’s very much going with the idea of a Rhodes vs. a Samoan, but at least it’s a good ways off from a bearded guy like Eric Young winning the TNA World Title a week after Daniel Bryan’s Wrestlemania XXX moment. Perfectly fine match, with Joe getting to be all violent, which tends to be his best stuff.

Post match Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch but Swerve Strickland runs in to knock Joe out. Swerve holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I don’t have the first clue what to think of this show. The wrestling ranged from fine to good with the opener being fun and the main event being a Samoa Joe special. Throw in Okada wrecking someone and whatever the women are doing (and I’m not entirely sure but it feels Forbidden Doorish) and that stuff was good enough.

And unfortunately, a grand total of none of that is going to be remembered by the masses, as this was ALL about the special footage thing. While they tied it into the FTR vs. Bucks match, it’s pretty clear there is at least one ulterior motive here and that isn’t going to make for the best reception. At worst, it feels petty on AEW’s part and at best, it’s another situation where whatever bump they might get is going to be buried underneath the various negative perceptions. I have no idea how that was the best possible outcome but it’s already out there, and hopefully that’s the last of it.

Results
Adam Copeland b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Spear
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Chris Jericho/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata – Fang to Shibata
Kazuchika Okada b. Cristiano Argento – Rainmaker
Mariah May b. Anna Jay – Sunset flip
Samoa Joe b. Dustin Rhodes – Belt shot

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: April 6, 2024
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We are on a delay this week with the show airing at 11:30pm due to the NCAA Final Four and (unofficially) Wrestlemania. That is a good move from AEW as there is little reason to run the show at the normal time against that kind of competition. The big feature this week is FTR vs. Top Flight for the shot against the Young Bucks for the Tag Team Titles at Dynasty. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: FTR vs. Top Flight

Wheeler and Darius trade arm control to start until Wheeler grabs a backslide for two. Dante comes in for a kick to the back and FTR needs a breather on the floor. Back in and FTR take over on Darius, with Wheeler chopping him into the corner. Dante comes back in for a rollup into a middle rope crossbody for two before taking Harwood into the wrong corner.

Something close to Poetry In Motion knocks Harwood outside as commentary talks about Trent Beretta turning on Orange Cassidy. Harwood gets smart by tricking Wheeler outside for a cheap shot from Wheeler as we take a break. Dante reversing a superplex into a crossbody for two and handing it back to Darius.

A crucifix gets two on Harwood and everything breaks down with a dive taking Wheeler out on the floor. Darius’ springboard cutter gets two on Harwood but raised knees cut off a frog splash attempt. Darius is back up with a high crossbody for two so Wheeler sends Dante outside. That leaves Darius to go up and dive into a Shatter Machine for the pin at 15:40.

Rating: B. Good match as FTR continues to be the team that lures their opponents in to catch them in the end. That’s exactly what happened here, with Darius going for one too many high risks moves and got caught in the Shatter Machine. Now it’s on to Dynasty, where the Bucks will likely get their win back so they can get the titles again as more fans change the channel.

Video on Kazuchika Okada.

Pac vs. Encore Moore

Pac starts fast and whips him hard into the corner so the stomping can ensue. Some rolling suplexes have Moore down again and the Brutalizer finishes at 2:24.

Post match Pac challenges Kazuchika Okada.

Bryan Danielson talks about wanting to be the best version of himself and that needs to be the case against Will Ospreay. He is excited to test himself because someone was with Danielson and said Ospreay might be the best wrestler ever. The build makes sense but it’s not quite hooking me in.

Hook/Chris Jericho vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Jericho and Taylor start things off with Taylor easily punching him into the corner. Jericho as to cover up but manages a shot to the face, followed by a double suplex to put Taylor down. Hook stays in and gets taken into the wrong corner, only to fight right back out. It’s back to Jericho who tries the Walls on Moriarty but has to dropkick Taylor down instead.

We take a break and come back with Jericho knocking Moriarty down for the Lionsault. The tag brings Hook back in to clean house but he can’t suplex Taylor. Moriarty pulls Jericho into the Border City Stretch, which is reversed into the Walls. Hook manages the t-bone on Taylor, leaving Moriarty to tap at 8:55.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t bad and Jericho/Hook worked well enough together but it’s really not that interesting to see them together. It feels like Jericho’s latest project and those have been hit and miss at best. Maybe it will work out, but I could go for a long break from Jericho and now it seems we’ll be seeing him doing this for awhile.

Post match Anthony Ogogo of all people comes in to lay out Jericho and Hook before joining Shane Taylor Promotions. For those of you wondering, the answer to “how long has he been gone” is “his last (non-dark) match for AEW was in August 2022.”

Dustin Rhodes wants to show he can still do it so he wants Samoa Joe for the World Title on Dynamite.

Will Ospreay is ready to face Bryan Danielson at Dynamite. No word on why Renee Paquette changed her clothes since she talked to Danielson.

House Of Black vs. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal/Bryan Keith

Black headlocks Keith to start before firing off the kicks. King comes in so Sydal wants Keith’s help against him. That’s fine with King, who wrecks them both and knocks Daniels down as we take a break. Back with Sydal coming in to clean house, including a very spinning headscissors to Matthews.

A jumping knee to the face gets two on Matthews but he’s back up with a knee of his own. Dante’s Inferno hits Sydal and Keith gets run over as well. A triple kick to the head in the corner hits Keith but Daniels makes the save. The End drops Daniels and Matthews’ swinging pumphandle slam finishes at 9:26.

Rating: C. Good enough here but it was a long match before the only realistic result. The House is setting up for a big match and needed a warmup like this one, which went well enough. At the end of the day, Daniels being on a team more or less guarantees he’s going to lose, which makes a nearly ten minute match feel that much longer.

Post match here is Adam Copeland from behind to go after the House but he has a staredown with Black. That lets the House beat him down but Mark Briscoe and FTR run in for the save. Cue the Young Bucks to brawl with FTR, leaving the good guys to stand tall.

Rocky Romero wants an eliminator match against Roderick Strong. Cue the Undisputed Kingdom with Strong granting the match.

The Young Bucks are going to present backstage footage from All In on Dynamite. In theory that would be the CM Punk/Jack Perry footage and if so…why?

Chris Jericho wants to fight Shane Taylor Promotions and Hook presents Katsuyori Shibata to even things up. Shibata continues his translator program for promos.

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Trish Adora

This is Adora’s reward for losing to Serena Deeb. Adora grabs a headlock to start and takes Sakazaki down, with Sakazaki nipping right back up. A Boss Man Slam onto the knee puts Sakazaki down again and we take a break. Back with Adora grabbing a not great looking Crossface but Sakazaki is right next to the ropes.

Sakazaki pounds on Adora’s back but can’t manages a suplex. Some forearms put Adora down again and Sakazaki drops her with a suplex. That takes enough out of Sakazaki that Adora is back up with a suplex of her own for two. A spinning hammerlock slam drops Adora again and a top rope splash finishes for Sakazaki at 8:34.

Rating: C. Sakazaki has been gone from AEW for over a year and this didn’t exactly have me wanting to see her around more frequently. It was just a match for the most part with neither showing off anything special. Odds are Sakazaki is just here for a quick appearance and hopefully she picks it up a bit as this didn’t exactly blow any doors off.

Post match Serena Deeb comes out to stare down Sakazaki.

Matt Menard praises Daniel Garcia but says he wants more. Garcia wants to move up the ladder.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. The Butcher

They fight over the power lockup to start before an exchange of shoulders doesn’t go anywhere. A flying shoulder works a bit better for Castagnoli but Butcher is back with a backbreaker. The chinlock doesn’t last long for Butcher as Castagnoli fights up, setting off an exchange of forearms. Castagnoli muscles him up for a Death Valley Driver and fires off the uppercuts in the corner. The Swing sets up the Neutralizer to finish Butcher off at 5:04.

Rating: C+. Rather basic power match here but it’s always fun to see Castagnoli throwing someone around like that. This should set up whatever is next for the Club, as they need a big feud again. If nothing else, maybe Castagnoli gets to do something on his own for a change, as it tends to go fairly well.

Julia Hart is ready for Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Mone later.

Samoa Joe is down to face Dustin Rhodes, but we’ll make it non-title.

Komander vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

Penta kicks away to start but gets rolled up for an early two. Stereo nip ups give us a staredown before Komander snaps off a hurricanrana. Back up and Penta kicks him in the ribs but another hurricanrana sends him outside. Komander’s dive is countered with a gorilla press (not bad) and it’s time to strut as we take a break.

We come back with Komander headscissoring him to the floor, setting up a more successful dive. Penta is right back with with a Canadian Destroyer for two, only to have Komander pull him into something like a half crab. With that broken up, Komander plants him with a Spanish Fly but Penta plants him right back with a springboard Canadian Destroyer onto the apron.

Back in and they slug it out from their knees until Penta grabs Made In Japan for two. Komander blocks a superplex and runs the corner for a twisting top rope splash. Cielito Lindo is loaded up but Penta reverses into a Codebreaker, setting up the Fear Factor for the win at 14:12.

Rating: B-. At the end of the day, you just have to accept that they are just not going to sell that much. It’s about hitting one big, flashy move after another until someone hits their finisher and win. That makes for a fun, junk food kind of match but there is only so much for it otherwise. For now though, Penta gets a nice boost on the way towards his title match on Dynamite and that’s all it needed to be.

Adam Copeland comes out for the staredown with Penta before their TNT Title match on Dynamite.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a really rough spot as there is only so much you can do with a show airing around midnight on Wrestlemania Saturday (with the two shows overlapping for a bit). The other problem is that after the opener and maybe the Hook/Jericho match, a grand total of nothing here felt like it mattered in the slightest. That being said, the wrestling was either good or perfectly acceptable, assuming you ignore how unimportant a lot of it felt. That was all they should have done with this show though, as the time slot is making this little more than a punt.

Results

FTR b. Top Flight – Shatter Machine to Darius

Hook/Chris Jericho b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Walls Of Jericho to Moriarty

House Of Black b. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal/Bryan Keith – Swinging pumphandle slam to Daniels

Yuka Sakazaki b. Trish Adora – Top rope splash

Claudio Castagnoli b. The Butcher – Neutralizer

Penta El Zero Miedo b. Komander – Fear Factor

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: March 27, 2024
Location: Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Dynasty and the card is starting to come together. With Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay as the likely co-main event, we need someone to challenge Samoa Joe for the World Title. Odds are we’ll be finding that out tonight as Swerve Strickland faces Konosuke Takeshita. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata

The fans are behind Ospreay as Shibata takes him to the mat and an armbar sends Ospreay over to the ropes. Ospreay takes him down into a headscissors but Shibata slips out, only to miss a kick to the chest. Back up and Ospreay sends him to the floor and hits a dive, followed by the strikes to Shibata’s face. As usual, these have no effect and he suplexes Ospreay in the aisle. Back in and Shibata shrugs off some chops and hits another suplex as we take a break.

We come back with Ospreay being sent into the barricade but Ospreay scores with a Phenomenal Forearm for two back inside. Shibata is fine enough to hit a running boot in the corner and forearms him down. Ospreay fights up but gets chopped down and put into a quickly broken ankle lock.

Shibata’s kick is cut off and they trade forearms until Ospreay manages an enziguri for a double knockdown. Back up and Shibata grabs the sleeper for two arm drops, only for Ospreay to drape him in the ropes. A top rope kick to the head sets up the Oscutter for one and the running elbow gets two. Ospreay plants him with a tiger driver so Shibata sits up, meaning the Hidden Blade can finish him at 18:58.

Rating: B-. Yeah I’m going to get yelled at for this one but I cannot see the good in having Shibata no sell a bunch of stuff and then trade forearms for the better part of ever. Ospreay’s thing seems to be having one long match after another and while that can be entertaining, there’s something a bit off putting about Shibata just sitting there and waiting for the finisher. Ospreay looked good for the most part here, but these Shibata matches are not doing it for me and mostly never have.

Video on Bryan Danielson’s career, including his time before AEW.

The Young Bucks are proud of doing what they want, including retiring Sting. Now it’s time to get rid of their loss to Private Party. Oh and Renee Paquette needs to smile some more.

Kazuchika Okada arrives.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Young Bucks vs. Private Party

The Bucks pitch to Excalibur for an announcement of Double Or Nothing being in Las Vegas during their entrance for a very on point move. Matt takes Say down to start and everything breaks down, with Private Party hitting the superkicks. The Bucks head outside and there are the stereo dives. Silly String off the barricade drops Matt, leaving Nick and Quen to slug it out on said barricade. A Falcon Arrow off the barricade drops Quen on the floor and the Bucks try for the countout. With that not working, they drop Quen again inside and we take a break.

Back with Say getting the hot tag to clean house, including a kick to the head and an Asai moonsault to take out Nick on the floor. A springboard high crossbody gets two on Matt but he’s back up with a German suplex onto the apron to Quen. Say is back up with the save and it’s Gin and Juice to send Nick outside. More Bang For Your Buck hits Matt for two with Nick having to make the save. Quen tries a 630 but only hits mat (as opposed to Matt), setting up a totally botched EVP Trigger (Nick didn’t make contact) for the pin at 13:27.

Rating: B-. That ending took a lot of the air out of the place and that’s a shame as they were starting to cook until the last few minutes. The problem here is the story of the match was that Private Party scored a fluke upset on the Bucks about four and a half years ago. Things have changed quite a bit since then and it was a bit much to buy that happening again with a match that went fairly long. The Bucks winning is the only move to make here, but they could have done it a good bit faster.

Video on Konosuke Takeshita.

Darby Allin is with Tony Hawk and promotes Hawk’s skate park charity. His now canceled Mount Everest climb was going to benefit said charity, which is always nice to hear.

Chris Jericho praises Hook and offers to mentor him, with Hook accepting despite knowing what Jericho is all about.

Willow Nightingale vs. Anna Jay vs. Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

For a TBS Title shot and Mercedes Mone is on commentary. Statlander and Blue fight to the floor to start, leaving Nightingale to crush Jay in the corner. A basement crossbody gives Nightingale two but Blue is back in to kick Nightingale away. Blue DDTs Nightingale for two but Jay is back up. Nightingale heads outside to Pounce Blue and glares at Mone as we take a break.

Back with Jay and Blue kicking Nightingale to the floor but Statlander plants Blue for two. Jay superplexes Statlander but Nightingale makes the save with a backsplash to crush both of them. The Babe With The Powerbomb is countered with Blue’s hurricanrana, followed by Code Blue for two. Nightingale is back up to plant Blue on the apron with a Death Valley Driver, leaving Blue to roll Statlander up for two. Back in and the Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Jay at 9:49.

Rating: C. This was another match where there was too much going on at once and it hurt things a bit. It didn’t feel like there was anything in the way of a story to the match and instead it was four people doing a bunch of moves to each other until someone got the pin. At the same time, Mone was VERY subdued on commentary here and sounded somewhere between bored and tired, which is quite the change after her first appearances. Nightingale getting the title shot is good, but egads it would be nice for her to actually win a championship that mattered.

Post match Julia Hart jumps Nightingale from behind and glares down at Mone.

Dustin Rhodes talks about the talent level in AEW and how great all of his matches have been. Butcher comes in and the match is set up for Rampage. Dustin says he’s a natural born legend and Butcher will find out why everyone loves him.

Toni Storm is in the TCM studios with Ben Mankiewicz, who congratulates her for her accomplishments. Storm congratulates him for….whatever he does around here. She tries to get him to say her catchphrase and then drops a shoe.

Swerve Strickland is ready for Konosuke Takeshita.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta vs. Kingdom

Non-title and Chuck Taylor/Roderick Strong are here as well. Cassidy starts fast and they head to the floor, with Bennett hitting a big flip dive. That’s fine with Cassidy, who dives onto everyone for a crash. Back in and Beretta German suplexes Taven until Bennett makes the save. A piledriver on the apron knocks Beretta silly and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy coming in to clean house, including a high crossbody to Taven. The Stundog Millionaire takes Bennett down and Taven is sent outside, leaving Bennett to get hit with a spike Strong Zero for two. We pause for a hug but Strong offers a distraction, only to be pulled down by Taylor. Cassidy cuts Strong off, leaving Beretta to escape Hail Mary and roll Bennett up for the pin at 9:33.

Rating: B-. Now why do I have a feeling that Cassidy and Beretta, who were teaming in ROH earlier this month, are not going to be in line for an ROH Tag Team Title shot after beating the champions here? Other than that, this was a fast enough paced match, though I still could go for more of the Kingdom as a dangerous team. Cassidy and Beretta still feel like the Cinderella team in the whole thing though and that is a great spot for them.

Post match the Young Bucks come out for the staredown.

Kyle O’Reilly is still sure he’s doing this on his own.

Video on Adam Copeland winning the TNT Title back last week. The Cope Open is coming back.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Swerve Strickland

Don Callis is on commentary and Prince Nana is ringside. Takeshita takes over on the arm to start but Swerve flips away and grabs a rollup for two. A hard clothesline drops Strickland as we see Samoa Joe watching in the back. Swerve fights up and takes over, only to have Takeshita come back for the exchange of forearms. A backbreaker gives Swerve two but Takeshita grabs a heck of a brainbuster.

Swerve tries to get back up but is rocked with some forearms against the ropes. Takeshita misses a charge and gets German suplexed, only to forearm Swerve out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Swerve fighting out of a chinlock and sending Takeshita out to the floor. A running hurricanrana takes Takeshita down and a high crossbody connects for two back inside.

Swerve tries to strike away but his neck/shoulder gives out (thanks to the brainbuster earlier), leaving him to shoulder Takeshita in the ribs. Takeshita counters a rolling neckbreaker into a sitout F5 to send Swerve outside. The big flip dive takes Swerve down again but he’s able to break up a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle. A DDT out of the corner plants Takeshita but he’s right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.

Swerve is back up with a rolling Downward Spiral for two, only to miss the Swerve Stomp. Takeshita wheelbarrow suplexes him into the running knee for another near fall and they’re both down. Another Swerve Stomp misses so Swerve settles for an anklescissors into the corner. The House Call sets up the Swerve Stomp for two and Swerve is stunned. A standing stomp sets up the JML Driver to give Swerve the pin at 19:41.

Rating: A-. This is the kind of match I was hoping for when AEW started: two incredibly talented people getting the chance to showcase themselves on a big stage for the first time. The match told a story of Takeshita hurting Swerve early and Swerve having to fight around the injury and win in the end. Throw in some high impact offense and some hot near falls and this is one of the best matches I’ve ever seen on Dynamite. Loved this.

Overall Rating: B-. The show wasn’t their best effort for the most part but my goodness that main event was great. In other words, it felt like an In Your House and that is not the worst way to present television. The focus here was on setting up some things for Dynasty, with the TBS Title match officially being set and the Tag Team Title tournament getting rid of some teams. Not an excellent show, but dang check out that main event (and the opener, depending on your taste in Shibata).

Results
Will Ospreay b. Katsuyori Shibata – Hidden Blade
Young Bucks b. Private Party – EVP Trigger to Quen
Willow Nightingale b. Skye Blue, Kris Statlander and Anna Jay – Babe With The Powerbomb to Jay
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Kingdom – Rollup to Bennett
Swerve Strickland b. Konosuke Takeshita – JML Driver

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