Collision
Date: May 31, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in the early days of the build towards All In and that means it is time to start getting going towards the biggest show of the year. It helps that two of the major matches are already set but before we get there, we have a four way for the International Title next week. One of those spots will be filled tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Komander

For a spot in the International Title match on Dynamite. We get an insert promo where Komander says he is ready to win in the heart of lucha libre country. Castagnoli starts fast and stomps away in the corner, followed by a shoulder to cut off Komander’s comeback. A shot to the face lets Komander walk the ropes and grab a springboard armdrag.

Komander’s dive is countered into the Swing though and they head outside, where Castagnoli sends him into the barricade. Castagnoli gets in a drop onto the barricade and they head back inside, where Komander hits another double springboard into a headscissors. This time Castagnoli is sent outside but the rope walk takes so long that Castagnoli runs back in to pull him out of the air for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

The half crab doesn’t last long as Komander fights up but it’s too early for Cielito Lindo. Castagnoli fireman’s carries him to the top, where Komander snaps off a super hurricanrana for the counter. Something like Whisper In The Wind is blocked though and Castagnoli Neutralizes him for the win at 7:38.

Rating: B-. Komander being in a match of this magnitude is all but a guarantee that he’s going to lose and that’s getting a bit annoying. Having a jobber to the stars is fine, but unless he wins something of note at some point, this might as well have been a bye for Castagnoli. You know what you’re getting with Komander and that is very rarely going to be success.

We recap the fallout of Hangman Page winning the Owen Hart Tournament, with Swerve Strickland not being willing to stand behind him, even if it means taking out the Death Riders.

Strickland still isn’t in on this but Will Ospreay wants him to get on the same page. Strickland will not accept that Page is the best option and brings up that Ospreay hasn’t beaten him. A fight breaks out.

Don Callis Family vs. Paragon/Tomohiro Ishii

Don Callis is on commentary and the Family jumps them from behind to start fast. Takeshita sends Ishii into the barricade but Strong makes the save with some chops. O’Reilly hits a running charge to take the villains out and we settle down to Ishii chopping away at Romero in the corner. Romero gets over for the tag off to Beretta though and O’Reilly gets taken into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Strong Angle Slamming his way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to O’Reilly. House is quickly cleaned and it’s off to Ishii vs. Romero, which is apparently a feud. Takeshita comes in and gets dropped with a suplex, followed by the sliding lariat for two. Back up and Takeshita gets two off a Blue Thunder Bomb and they trade the big shots to the face. Romero hits Ishii low though and it’s the Raging Fire to give Takeshita the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C+. Ishii is one of the standard guest stars around here and while he’s still good enough, it’s getting less and less interesting to see him. Granted it doesn’t help to have him in there with RPG Vice, who aren’t much to see in their own right. I could go for Takeshita against Adam Cole for the TNT Title though, and there is a real possibility that is coming up.

Anthony Bowens vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title and Billy Gunn is here with Bowens. Okada backs him into the ropes to start and we get the tap on the chest. Bowens does the same, but offers a scissoring pose instead. The running jumping Fameasser takes Okada down for two and they head outside to strike it out. Okada gets in a knockdown on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Okada dropping the top rope elbow but the middle finger is cut off with some scissoring. Bowens cuts him off on top and hits a spinning hanging DDT. Okada misses the dropkick and gets rolled up for two but comes back with the Air Raid Crash onto the knee. The Money Clip is broken up and Bowens hammers away. The Rainmaker misses and a superkick gives gives Bowens a quick breather. The Mollywop is cut off with a Rainmaker though and Okada gets the pin at 10:31.

Rating: C+. I really hope that Bowens isn’t falling into the trap of “well he has good matches and that makes up for not winning”. It’s something that has been an issue around here for a long time and it would be a shame to see it happen to someone with his potential. Things seemed to be coming together for Bowens and now he’s on a losing streak, which doesn’t bode well for his future.

Matt Menard tries to perk up a disappointed Daniel Garcia. Don Callis, with Lance Archer, comes in to mock Menard but he might want Garcia on the team. Callis wants him to think for a change. It would at least be something for Garcia to do.

Tony Schiavone brings out FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a chat. Well not really as Schiavone leaves, with Hathaway talking about how FTR crushed Daniel Garcia and Nigel McGuinness at Double Or Nothing. They’re close to the Mexico border and issue a challenge (which they have written down) to any team from south of the border. Cue Templario and Atlantis Jr. (good thing they were by the entrance) but Wheeler says they’re somewhat living lucha legends themselves.

Maybe they should go win the CMLL Tag Team Titles. Wheeler brings up the upcoming Arena Mexico show and asks what it’s like to be popular with your countrymen. After mocking the “Power Ranger masks”, Harwood says he knows Tony Khan will have big plans for FTR at the show, so they can’t have the match. Harwood tells Atlantis Jr. to tell his dad to stay away from the team, earning some insults in Spanish. The brawl is on but the luchadors fight back to clear the ring. Did it really have to be Atlantis Jr.? I’ve yet to see him do anything interesting either here or in ROH.

We look at Mercedes Mone and Toni Storm’s face to face showdown from Dynamite.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Skye Blue

The fight over a lockup doesn’t get them anywhere to start so Shirakawa gets the better of an exchange of forearms. A snap suplex drops Shirakawa but she grabs the wrist and runs the ropes for a dancing clothesline. Blue plants her on the apron and we take a break. Back with Shirakawa hitting a running knee but Blue powerbombs her out of the corner for two. A superkick staggers Shirakawa again but she hits Blue in the face for a breather. Shirakawa’s super sling Blade gets two and they trade rollups for two each. More strikes to the face set up Shirakawa’s Glamour driver for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. Again, Blue is back and losing, making her big return after nearly a year away feel completely wasted. She wasn’t going to be a major star, but you can’t have her win a few quick matches before taking losses like this one? If that’s the case, why bother making her return into a thing at all?

Post match Julia Hart jumps Shirakawa but Toni Storm (holding her skirt) makes the save.

Video on the Gates Of Agony.

Gates Of Agony vs. Gmo Kaminari/Cosmo Orion

Kaun gleefully beats up Orion in the corner to start and an Irish Curse sets up a running suplex. Orion tries a hurricanrana and it goes horribly, earning himself a toss across the ring. Kaminari comes in and gets beaten up as well, setting up Open The Games for the double pin at 2:19. Yeah yeah I’m sure this will be the time when the Gates break out. Any day now.

Max Caster teaches fans how to do his chant and gets them to sign a petition saying he is in fact the greatest wrestler alive. Now he’s supposed to take photos…but he runs down the hallway for some reason instead. Ok then.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Top Flight/AR Fox

Leila Grey is here too. La Faccion jumps them to start and a turnbuckle pad is quickly pulled off. Fox sends Dralistico to the apron and flips onto Mortos, leaving Dante to hit the big flip dive. Back in and Dante’s tornado DDT gets two on Rush and we continue the string of running shots to the face. Rush crushes Fox in the corner and hits the mocking boot, followed by the Tranquilo pose as we take a break.

Back with a string of running dropkicks in the corner hitting Fox but he gets in a shot off the top for a needed breather. Darius comes in to clean house, including a shotgun dropkick into a DDT on Rush. An assisted cutter gets two on Dralistico, who is right back with a springboard Canadian Destroyer. The springboard Codebreaker into a dive has Dante down on the floor, leaving Rush to Bull’s Horns Darius for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: B-. Top Flight is in the same spot as Komander, as you know they’re probably going to lose the second you hear that music. They might not be the greatest team in the world, but they deserve a better spot than they have at the moment. Again: they aren’t good enough for the ROH Tag Team Titles? Really? That’s beyond their abilities?

Post match Rush chokes Darius with a camera cord but Mike Bailey and Komander make the save.

Mark Briscoe had to tell his son that he did NOT quit in the six man tag on Dynamite. Now he wants Jon Moxley one on one.

Hechicero vs. Mascara Dorada

For the final spot in the International Title match on Dynamite. They fight over wrist control to start with Dorada taking him down into an early leglock. Hechicero reverses into one of his own and grabs a quickly broken surfboard. Dorada grabs one of his own but Hechicero is out and starts the sliding underneath the ropes.

That doesn’t work for Dorada, who grabs a running hurricanrana around the post and out to the floor. Back in and Hechicero scores with the running hurricanrana driver. We take a break and come back with Dorada snapping off a hurricanrana to the floor. That means a dive to drop Hechicero again but he flips Dorada into a choke. That’s broken up as well and they trade some quick near falls.

A double knockdown gives them a double breather, followed by Dorada’s anklescissors getting two. Hechicero grabs a dragon screw legwhip over the rope, followed by a top rope elbow for two of his own. They strike it out until Dorada grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by a springboard super poisonrana (geez). The shooting star press gives Dorada the pin at 13:52.

Rating: B. It helps a lot when you can see just how good these people are in the ring. Hechicero is someone who has out wrestled Daniel Bryan and Dorada is incredibly smooth with everything he does. It made for a very entertaining match and I like that they went with the star who hasn’t done as much around here, as it gave a bit of a surprise result.

Overall Rating: C+. While it wasn’t the case in every match, there were too many instances here where the results were pretty obvious coming in. That’s something that happens on every show, but having stuff like Okada beating Bowens, Komander and Top Flight doing their usual and the latest Gates squash all in one show makes for kind of a tedious night. It’s not that the action was bad, but you probably could have guessed who would win all but the main event without much doubt. As usual, shifting some of the bigger stuff over from Dynamite, even a bit of it, would help, but that doesn’t seem to be likely.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Komander – Neutralizer
Don Callis Family b. Paragon/Tomohiro Ishii – Raging Fire to Ishii
Kazuchika Okada b. Anthony Bowens – Rainmaker
Mina Shirakawa b. Skye Blue – Glamour Driver
Gates Of Agony b. Gmo Kaminari/Cosmo Orion – Double pin
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Top Flight/AR Fox – Bull’s Horns to Darius
Mascara Dorada b. Hechicero – Shooting star press

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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Double Or Nothing 2025
Date: May 25, 2025
Location: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for another full fledged pay per view and that means the show is likely going to run long. In this case we have what is mostly a two match show and that could create some issues. The big matches here are Anarchy In The Arena, plus the Men’s Owen Hart Tournament final between Hangman Page and Will Ospreay. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay/Harley Cameron

Bayne powers Cameron into the corner to start and faceplants her down, followed by a hair pull from Ford in the corner. It’s off to Ford for a slap to Cameron before Jay comes in for a running spinning kick in the corner. Cameron then sends Ford’s face into the back of Jay’s tights, which is enough to bring Ford back up for a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Jay is back up with a basement dropkick and a neckbreaker over the middle rope…wakes Ford up for a clothesline.

Bayne sends Jay flying with a t-bone suplex and Ford’s running dropkick to the back gets two. Some stomping and choking in the corner but Jay gets in a kick to the face, allowing a middle rope Blockbuster to connect. Cameron comes in to clean house and Bayne splashes Ford by mistake. A double DDT gives Cameron two but Bayne is back up to double German suplex both of them.

That’s not impressive enough so Bayne tosses Ford onto the two of them at ringside. Back in and a parade of knockdowns leaves everyone on the mat, allowing Bayne to go up top. A double superplex brings her down for a crash and a two but Bayne is back up for a double clothesline. A Doomsday Device is broken up though and Bayne goes outside with Jay, leaving Cameron to hit Her Finishing Move on Ford for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: C+. This was a match which could have been on any given episode of Dynamite and that means it is a great choice for a spot like this one. Sometimes you need to have a fun tag match, which is exactly what you got here. Cameron needed a win after some recent setbacks and Bayne was a monster, which is about as well as it could have gone.

Kickoff Show: Cru/RPG Vice vs. AR Fox/Bandido/Los Titantes del Aire

The villains jump them from behind to start and it’s Bandido getting caught in the corner for some running clotheslines. That’s broken up and we settle down to Romero getting taken into the wrong corner for a running shot to the face. Komander grabs a chinlock for a bit before Bandido comes back in for the delayed vertical suplex. That’s broken up and Cru double teams Bandido down so Los Titantes come in to knock them outside.

A double suplex onto the apron puts Komander in trouble but it’s back to Bandido for a top rope corkscrew crossbody. Fox comes in and cleans house with a cutter and slingshot hilo, setting up a suicide dive to the floor. Beretta drops Fox on the floor though and Rush forearms him down for two back inside. Fox is back up with a double top rope clothesline but a spike Strong Zero plants him for two.

Andretti clotheslines Fox back down but he’s right back up for the tag off to Hologram to clean house. Komander adds a running hurricanrana as everything breaks down again. A quadruple dive takes out the villains on the floor so they’re thrown back inside for a quadruple splash off the top for two. An assisted 21 Plex finishes Andretti at 13:18.

Rating: B-. Take a bunch of people, let them go nuts and do a bunch of high spots. I could have gone for the match being a bit shorter as these things tend to go better in short stretches, but it went well enough. I’m still not sure when Hologram is going to actually do something important, but that hasn’t stopped AEW with him for months now.

And now, the show proper.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament Finals: Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter

Non-title. They stare each other down to start and lock up, with Hayter powering her into the corner. Mone slips away and fires off some forearms, only to get knocked down for a quick two. Mone’s rollups get two each, sending them into a battle over leg cranks. Hayter finally pulls her into a half crab but Mone rolls out and hits the running knees against the ropes. Another running shot sends Hayter crashing out to the floor and it’s time to crank on some limbs back inside.

A Backstabber sets up a cross arm choke until Hayter powers up and drives her into the corner. The middle rope Meteora hits Hayter but she’s right back up with some right hands in the corner. Mone pulls her crashing down onto the buckle for two more and some running knees to the back make it even worse. Hayter is fine enough to snap off a suplex and a middle rope dropkick sends her into the corner. Some running knees rock Mone but she’s right back with the Three Amigos.

A Backstabber looks to set up the Mone Maker but Hayter superkicks her into a hard clothesline. They go to the floor and Hayter hits a step up clothesline off the steps (with a quick slip) and they’re back inside. Three straight Backstabbers set up the Mone Maker, which is broken up rather quickly. Something like a middle rope seated senton gives Mone two but Hayter pulls her into a rear naked choke.

That’s broken up and Mone pulls her into the Statement Maker. Mone tries to kick herself back to the middle of the ring but Hayter gets up and hits a backbreaker for two. Back up and a Tombstone gives Hayter two more (with a heck of a sell from Mone) and she loads up Hayterade but gets small packaged to give Mone the pin at 21:18.

Rating: B-. I liked it well enough, though it felt like they were getting a bit repetitive in there. Hayter managed to make it feel like she could pull it off once or twice here, which is a lot more than I was expecting off what felt like a layup coming in. Mone vs. Toni Storm (more than likely) is a dream match around here and this gets us ready on the long road to All In.

Commentary wishes Jim Ross good health in a nice moment.

We recap FTR vs. Daniel Garcia/Nigel McGuinness. FTR went full evil by attacking Cope and Tony Schiavone didn’t like it. This sent them after Schiavone, so McGuinness stood up for his broadcast partner. Garcia didn’t like it either so it’s time for a tag match, with McGuinness admitting that he and Garcia are likely in trouble.

FTR vs. Nigel McGuinness/Daniel Garcia

Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR while Matt Menard is with McGuinness/Garcia. Wheeler and Garcia lock it up to start before shoving away out of the corner. Garcia punches him down and Wheeler backs away, meaning it’s off to Harwood vs. McGuinness. Harwood chops and strikes away in the corner and then does it again in another corner to keep things level.

Everything breaks down and FTR is cleared out to the floor for a breather. Back in and McGuinness takes both of them down in the corner but they send him outside. Some rams into the apron and announcers’ table have McGuinness in trouble and they go back inside. Harwood gets a hard whip to send McGuinness into the buckle and lays down to mock him a bit, like most good villains should.

Wheeler goes outside to mock Schiavone and we hit the chinlock back inside. McGuinness fights up and manages a rebound lariat, which is enough for the diving tag to Garcia. Some clotheslines take FTR down and a belly to back suplex gets two on Harwood. Wheeler quickly breaks up the Sharpshooter and Harwood escapes the Tower Of London. Garcia helps McGuinness hit a Tower Of London in the middle of the ring and FTR gets caught in stereo holds. Hathaway offers a distraction to break that up and the fight heads to the floor, where Wheeler gets in a cheap shot.

Back in and Garcia hits his rolling superplexes on Harwood but Wheeler breaks them up. A spinning superplex into Wheeler’s top rope splash gets two, leaving Hathaway frustrated. FTR takes McGuinness outside for a Shatter Machine, which is enough for Schiavone to get up and seemingly beg for mercy. Garcia fights back inside until a piledriver is countered to give Harwood two. A spike piledriver gives Harwood two, followed by a Sharpshooter to keep Garcia in trouble. McGuinness is held back and Garcia passes out at 22:30.

Rating: C+. WAY too long here for a match that probably could have been cut in half without missing match. It didn’t help that it was a fairly random pairing against one of the best teams going today, as the result wasn’t exactly in doubt. I wasn’t feeling this one and the length was the biggest problem, as there was no need for this to break fifteen minutes, let alone twenty two.

We recap Mark Briscoe vs. Ricochet. They don’t like each other, Ricochet uses scissors, stretcher match. Totally logical sequence of steps there.

Mark Briscoe vs. Ricochet

Stretcher match, where you have to be put on n stretcher and into an ambulance, which would usually make it an ambulance match. Ricochet jumps him to start and takes things out to the floor, where Briscoe fires off some chops. Briscoe sends him into the ambulance and so Ricochet jumps out and SPRINTS to the ring in a funny bit.

Back at ringside and Briscoe rams him with the stretcher but it’s too early for a Bang Bang Elbow. Ricochet knocks him onto the stretcher but the shooting star press from the apron only hits stretcher. Now the Bang Bang Elbow can hit Ricochet and a chair to the ribs keeps him in trouble. A table is set up but Ricochet gets whipped into the barricade and it’s time to get….some cleaning products?

Briscoe of course polishes Ricochet’s head (that’s worthy of a chuckle), followed by a bucket to the (well polished) head. A tribute to Sabu takes too long though and Ricochet gets in a shot to the head to take over. Some cleaning products to the eyes cuts Briscoe off again and it’s time to take the padding off the stretcher.

The bloody Briscoe is carried back to the ambulance but he uses a crutch to block the door. A fire extinguisher blast blinds Ricochet and they go back to the ring, where Briscoe hits a Jay Driller. Now the table is set up for the Froggy Bow but Ricochet fights back. The scissors to the head staggers Briscoe but he gets the scissors and swings away. A low blow cuts him off though and Ricochet sends him into the ambulance to win at 16:03.

Rating: B. It was a bloody, violent fight and that made for a change of pace from what we’ve seen so far. I’m still not sure why this needed to be a stretcher match but it had some funny moments and Ricochet won in the end, as he should have. That’s all this needed to accomplish, and they did it with Briscoe bleeding a gusher.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The Hurt Syndicate are the dominant champions and the Sons Of Texas have been the Ring Of Honor champions for several months due to reasons I have yet to begin to fathom. Now Dustin Rhodes wants a third title and Sammy Guevara is here too.

Tag Team Titles: Sons Of Texas vs. Hurt Syndicate

The Syndicate, with MVP and MJF, is defending (unlike the Sons Of Texas). Rhodes and Lashley start things off with the latter driving him into the corner a few times. Rhodes fights out and gets shouldered down so it’s off to Benjamin. Some right hands stagger Benjamin, who is right back with a German suplex. A running knee lift gets Rhodes over for the tag off to Guevara to clean some house.

Benjamin sends him flying with a German suplex as well and Lashley hits a heck of a spinning spinebuster. Guevara is sent outside for a cheap shot from MJF, which the fans don’t seem to like. Back in and something like a Dominator plants Guevara, who manages a quick cutter for a needed breather. Rhodes comes back in and slugs away, including a powerslam to Lashley.

The Canadian Destroyer drops Lashley and MJF’s accidental distraction lets Rhodes hit Benjamin with Shattered Dreams. Benjamin is back up with a quickly broken ankle lock and Rhodes hits a quick Cross Rhodes for two. Rhodes goes up and gets pulled back down so MJF offers Benjamin the ring. That’s not happening so MJF backs off, leaving Lashley to spear Guevara. Rhodes breaks up the pin so MJF goes after him, with Lashley breaking up a ring spot. A spear sends Rhodes through the barricade and Benjamin cuts off a dive attempt. Benjamin superkicks Guevara for the pin at 12:39.

Rating: C. The Sons Of Texas still aren’t interesting, they’re nothing special in the ring and thank goodness MJF didn’t accidentally (or on purpose) help them win the titles. I didn’t care when they became the #1 contenders and the match wasn’t anything more interesting. Thankfully the Hurt Syndicate beat them here, as I can’t take anymore of Rhodes holding titles for months at a time.

We recap the Continental Title match, which doesn’t have much of a story other than Mike Bailey asking for and receiving the shot.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Mike Bailey

Okada is defending. They stare at each other for a bit before locking up and going to an early standoff. A fight over wrist control lets Okada slap him on the chest and they’re quickly on the floor. Bailey hits a crane kick and goes back inside for the bouncing kicks, only to get taken down with a dragon screw legwhip.

They’re quickly back on the floor for a DDT from Okada but Bailey dives back in to beat the count. Back in and Okada does the taunting kicks, followed by a far more serious running kick to the face. A baseball slide puts Bailey on the floor but he is right back up for his “avoid the dive and hit a moonsault” sequence. Back in and a missile dropkick connects, setting up the running shooting star press for two.

Okada shoves him off the top and hits the Air Raid Crash onto the knee. The falling top rope elbow hits Bailey and Okada gets in a middle finger. Bailey kicks him down and tries the shooting star press, which hits raised knees. They forearm it out until Bailey hits a superkick and goes up, only to get dropkicked out to the floor.

The fight heads to the apron, where Bailey hits the moonsault knees. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon misses and the tornado kick is dropkicked away. Bailey kicks him down again for two and ducks the Rainmaker, followed by another kick to drop Okada. It’s back up top, but this time Okada dropkicks him out of the air. The Rainmaker retains the title at 16:04.

Rating: B-. Bailey is one of those guys where you’re either going to like him a lot of not at all and I’m more in the latter category. He did well here, but I can only get so much out of all those kicks and the stupid little bowing deal. Okada was only a bit better here, but the bigger issue was they have all but said it’s Okada vs. Kenny Omega at All In, so this didn’t have the most drama.

We recap Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa. Storm is on the way to All In but wanted a title defense before she got there. Shirakawa returned and won a #1 contenders match, which had Storm excited.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa

Storm is defending and gets taken down for some early kicks to the leg. That’s reversed and Storm dances a bit before grabbing a headscissors. Shirakawa reverses into a dancing double stomp to the knees but Storm makes the ropes to escape. The leg is kicked out again and wrapped around the post but Storm is fine enough to hit a snap suplex on the floor.

Back in and Storm gets two off a fisherman’s suplex, only for Shirakawa to hit a springboard tornado DDT. A clothesline hits Storm and she bails to the floor, where Shirakawa beats up Luther. Shirakawa isn’t done and uses Luther as a launchpad to tag Storm out again. Back in again and Shirakawa grabs a Figure Four, with Storm turning over for the escape.

They trade strikes to the face and both fall down for a double breather. Storm snaps off some suplexes but the knee won’t let her do the running hip attack. Shirakawa is smart enough to go after the knee again but Storm makes the rope to escape another leglock. A reverse implant DDT gives Shirakawa two and the Figure Four goes on again. That’s broken up with another grab of the ropes and they trade small packages for two each. Then Storm grabs a quick Storm Zero for the pin to retain at 15:54.

Rating: B-. The ending was absolutely out of nowhere, but that kind of fit as Storm was only able to do so much with her bad leg. Much like the previous match, there was only so much drama here, as Shirakawa vs. Mone doesn’t feel like quite the same level of showdown. What we got here was good, which is more impressive as they were in a pretty tight spot.

Post match, respect is shown.

We recap Anarchy In The Arena. The Death Riders and the Young Bucks are the two evil groups so a bunch of good guys (and Willow Nightingale) are fighting back. Therefore, it’s time for anything to go in a wild brawl.

Young Bucks/Death Riders vs. Opps/Swerve Strickland/Kenny Omega/Willow Nightingale

Anarchy In The Arena so anything goes. Swerve has some special gear which might be the Predator, while Omega is Captain America…and there is no Joe. The Death Riders come in from a bunch of different entrances and the Bucks get another big entrance about how great they are because this joke is still a thing. They’re the founding fathers and have their own patriotic sounding music, which plays for a bit as the brawl starts.

Joe pops up in the crowd to brawl with Castagnoli and we go to a quadruple screen for the four brawls. We settle down to a bunch of people in the ring and Omega asks for some new music, which is….I’m So Excited. The villains get pummeled in the corners and we cut to Joe beating up Castagnoli at a merchandise stand. Back in the ring and Omega says that doesn’t fit so we’ll play some Bodies by Drowning Pool, which is a better fit for this kind of thing.

Omega even leads some fans in a singalong as the fight heads into the crowd. Moxley forks Hobbs’ head and Yuta cuts off Omega’s dive from a balcony. Instead Yuta is tossed onto the pile and then Omega follows with a moonsault. Joe uses the Captain America shield trashcan lid to beat on Castagnoli at ringside before Moxley brings Hobbs into the ring. Moxley takes him down in the corner and grabs a table, with Hobbs spearing him through it (you knew that was coming).

Matt is pulled in for You Can’t Escape from Omega as Shafir and Nightingale have brawled outside. Back inside and Shibata puts Yuta in a laundry cart and rams him into a wall. A barbed wire kick has Yuta in more trouble and we cut back to Swerve and Omega beating up the Bucks. Castagnoli uppercuts Swerve out of the air though and swings him into a speaker (cutting off the music).

The women are back now and Shafir hits Nightingale with a frying pan. The Bucks are back up to send Omega through a table at ringside as Nightingale’s ear has been chained to the post. A bunch of people go back towards the entrance and Nick Swantons through Hobbs on a table. Hobbs fights up but gets kneed back down, followed by a chair to the head. Hold on though as here is Swerve on a forklift to Swerve Stomp onto the Bucks and Moxley.

Hobbs snaps off some spinebusters inside as Nightingale is finally unlocked. Joe and Moxley grab a choke each, as do Shibata and Shafir. Swerve and Matt break those up with 450s and Matt grabs a staple gun. Hobbs isn’t having any of that, including one to his head and Swerve has his own staple gun. A low blow cuts Matt off but Shafir hits Swerve low and his tongue gets stapled. Omega fires off some snapdragons, including one to Shafir (who spat on him).

The Bucks are back up with superkicks, including a double to the referee. Nightingale is back up for the Tombstone half of a Meltzer Driver to Matt for two. Joe plants Moxley out of the corner and Hook is back to go after Castagnoli. The MuscleBuster into the Koquina Clutch has Moxley in trouble but Gabe Kidd is here to break it up. Kidd piledrives Omega and Yuta puts thumbtacks into Omega’s mouth for an EVP Trigger.

Joe breaks up a bulldog choke from Moxley and they go up to the entrance, where Mark Briscoe is back to take out Kidd. The Death Riders are put in the ambulance, leaving the Bucks alone with Omega and Swerve. The Bucks are dropped in a hurry and Prince Nana brings in the special shoes, with Omega One Winged Angeling Matt through an exploding table. A Swerve Stomp with tacks on his shoes gives Swerve the pin on Nick at 35:11.

Rating: B+. This is one of the perfect examples of a match where your individual tastes are going to make all of the difference. If you like this kind of stuff, you’ll have a great time but if you don’t like this style, this was a huge waste of time. I had a good time with it, partially because while they had some barbed wire and tacks, it was far from the dominant feature. This was about people beating each other up until the ending and I had a fun time, which is all you can get in this thing.

We recap Paragon vs. the Don Callis Family. Neither had anything to do on the show so they’re having a match.

Paragon vs. Don Callis Family

Lance Archer and Don Callis are here with the Family. Cole and Takeshita trade arm cranking to start with Takeshita backing him into the corner. O’Reilly comes in to work on the arm as well before it’s off to Fletcher, who gets struck in the corner. That’s broken up and Alexander comes in to send Strong to the apron for the running crossbody to the back. Even Callis gets in a shot of his own but Strong is able to Angle Slam Takeshita. Alexander is right back to cut off the tag…for all of a few seconds as Strong dives over to bring Cole in.

House is quickly cleaned and it’s back to O’Reilly to go after Alexander’s arm. That doesn’t work so they clothesline each other for a double down. Takeshita is back in with a superbomb for two on Strong but he’s right back up with a running dropkick off the apron. Back in and we get a rapid string of strikes until O’Reilly’s guillotine is broken up. Fletcher grabs the brainbuster for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: B-. Oh man they were stuck in a rough spot here and it showed badly. There is just no way to follow that previous match and the lack of a big story other than “neither of us have anything else to do” didn’t help. They were all working hard and trying, but a six man tag after that wild thirty five minute war beforehand is not going to be easy.

Post match (because we needed a post match as it’s almost midnight with the main event to go) the Family jumps Paragon again but Brody King, Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi make the save.

We recap the main event. Hangman Page and Will Ospreay both want to be World Champion and they’re in the finals of the Owen Hart Tournament for the All In World Title shot. Ospreay wants to win because he wants to be the best, while Page wants to prove that he can still do it and that his first reign wasn’t a fluke.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament Finals: Hangman Page vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay easily wrestles him to the mat to start so Page grabs a headlock. Back up and Page hits a running shoulder, with Ospreay nipping right back up as he is known to do. Page backs him into the corner and they trade legsweeps for two each, giving us a staredown. The Oscutter is blocked and Page backdrops him before avoiding a quick Hidden Blade attempt. That means another standoff as they definitely seem to have a lot of time here.

A running hurricanrana sets up a corkscrew moonsault to give Ospreay an early two. Page knocks him out of the corner but gets caught with a quick Phenomenal Forearm. Ospreay’s slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and a fall away slam sends Ospreay into the barricade. Back in and Page hits a corner clothesline into a German suplex for two, with Taz being right there to explain the science behind the throw.

Page’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he kicks Ospreay, which just fires him up. A Stundog Millionaire into a rolling kick sends Page to the floor and now the dive connects. Back in and Ospreay’s spinning torture rack bomb gets two but Page breaks up a dive off the top. Page hits a big moonsault to the floor, followed by a Sharpshooter back inside. The rope gets Ospreay out of trouble and Page’s chops just wake him up.

A kick to the face rocks Page, who hits a clothesline and they’re both down. They go to the corner for a Cheeky Nandos Kick to Page but he’s back with a flipping lariat. Ospreay breaks up the Buckshot Lariat though and hits a knee to the head for two. Page is back up with a Tombstone and Angel’s Wings for two but misses a Best Moonsault Ever. Instead Ospreay is back up with a Hidden Blade and they stagger out to the apron.

Ospreay powerbombs him onto the apron and hits a Styles Clash to the floor. Naturally Page is able to dive back in and beat the count, setting up an Oscutter for two. Another Hidden Blade gets two more and a frustrated Ospreay hammers away. A big boot knocks Page to the floor so Ospreay rams him face first into the announcers’ table. They get onto the table and load up…something that they don’t get to do as the table breaks.

Page gets the better of things and, after a staredown, hits a Buckshot Lariat for two. Ospreay is right back with a Stormbreaker but misses the Hidden Blade to leave them both down. Back up and Ospreay hits a V Trigger and something close to a One Winged Angel gets two. Ospreay can’t hit another Stormbreaker and Page hits a quick clothesline, setting up the Buckshot Lariat to finish Ospreay at 37:02.

Rating: A. This match had one of the best possible things going for it, as I had no idea who was going to win here. You could have gone either way and while I had guessed Ospreay, Page is the hotter hand right now and it makes for a better story. Other than that though, this was an outstanding story with the high flying Ospreay being far more athletic and skilled but Page going with more of his brawling and heart. I wanted to see where this was going and it was excellent stuff throughout as they more than lived up to the huge hype. Check this one out if you get the chance as it’s an instant classic.

Post match Page celebrates but comes back to check on Ospreay. A handshake ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. It’s too long. I know that’s not the most positive way to start a final thought but that was the biggest issue here and I was worried about it coming in. Counting the Kickoff Show (and if there are matches taking place, it sure does count), this ran about six hours. I get the idea of “giving them their money’s worth” and all that jazz, but my goodness man, stop having every match go so long. Garcia/McGuinness vs. FTR going 22 minutes? Everything getting at least 12 minutes? Come on already. I was sick of watching this show about halfway through and then it kept going. Quality aside, that isn’t a good thing.

Now with all of that out of the way, this was a rather good show, with the main event being outstanding and Anarchy In The Arena being a lot of fun (though I can get mileage varying). They covered a lot of stuff here and nothing was bad, but I’m not sure how much some of it needed to be on the card.

For a show that felt at least partially like a preview for All In, this show was more than worth a look. Just trim a good number of the matches down by a few minutes (if not moving them to TV) and it’s that much better. It’s a two match show and those matches were both good to great, which is more than enough to carry a perfectly acceptable undercard. Now it’s off to All In, and thankfully they’re off to a positive start.

Results
Anna Jay/Harley Cameron b. Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford – Her Finishing Move to Ford
Los Titantes del Aire/Bandido/AR Fox b. Cru/RPG Vice – 21 Plex to Andretti
Mercedes Mone b. Jamie Hayter – Small package
FTR b. Daniel Garcia/Nigel McGuinness – Sharpshooter to Garcia
Ricochet b. Mark Briscoe when Ricochet put Briscoe in the ambulance
Hurt Syndicate b. Sons Of Texas – Superkick to Guevara
Kazuchika Okada b. Mike Bailey – Rainmaker
Toni Storm b. Mina Shirakawa – Storm Zero
Kenny Omega/Swerve Strickland/Opps/Willow Nightingale b. Young Bucks/Death Riders – Swerve Stomp to Nick
Don Callis Family b. Paragon – Brainbuster to O’Reilly
Hangman Page b. Will Ospreay – Buckshot Lariat

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We’re back to the big time pay per views with one of the main AEW cards of the year. In this case the main event is going to be a preview for All In, but my goodness they have made me want to see what is going to happen. Other than that, we have a rather big Anarchy In The Arena, which as usual has the potential to be one heck of a spectacle. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay/Harley Cameron

As you might expect, this is likely going to be a showcase for Bayne and that is not a bad thing. She is by far the most prominent of these four at the moment, as Jay and Ford never win anything important and Cameron has cooled down since her big loss in Australia. The good thing is Cameron is still hilarious and over with the fans, but that isn’t likely to be enough here.

I don’t see any reason to believe that Bayne and Ford will lose here so we’ll take them. There is a chance that Jay or Cameron get a quick win over Ford, but I’m not sure why AEW would want to have Bayne left out like that. Bayne winning and moving on to something bigger makes the most sense and while the other three can get a bit of spotlight, this should be her next featured presentation.

Mark Briscoe vs. Ricochet

I like the idea of these two getting on the show, but having this be a stretcher match feels…unnecessary. It comes off more like “here’s something we haven’t done before so let’s do it here”, which isn’t a great feeling. Ricochet definitely deserves this kind of a spot as he’s been doing rather well lately and Briscoe can work with anyone, so it’s hardly some kind of a ridiculous idea.

Since Briscoe rarely wins big matches, I’ll take Ricochet to win here, likely through some nefarious means. He gets a win on pay per view and can brag about it for weeks, which is what he would likely do no matter the result. That’s the mark of a good heel and he should be able to make it work well with Briscoe here. I’m still not sure why it’s a stretcher match, but I’ll take that over Briscoe getting pinned again.

FTR vs. Daniel Garcia/Nigel McGuinness

Speaking of matches where it feels like they came up with the idea first and then the story to back it up later, we have McGuinness’ latest return to the ring. I like the idea of McGuinness getting back in the ring no matter what as he is a special talent, but he was right when he said that he and Garcia have never teamed before and will likely get crushed. That’s a weird way to set up a match yet here we are.

Of course I’ll take FTR, as even McGuinness thinks there is no reason to believe he and Garcia will win. FTR are freshly heel and can likely get back into the title picture with a few wins. You don’t have them lose a prominent match so soon into their new roles so they should and will win here. This doesn’t feel overly important, and there isn’t much that can be done to overcome that issue.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Mike Bailey

This is one of those matches where it is entirely going to depend on how you feel about the people involved. Okada is someone who has a very hit and miss record when it comes to working hard in AEW and Bailey is a case of “you know exactly what you are going to get”. It could make for a good back and forth match, but at the same time, it’s a match where you likely know what you’re going to get.

It’s a bit of a cheap way out, but there is no reason to believe that Bailey is winning here as Okada vs. Kenny Omega has been teased for All In for months now. That makes this match little more than a formality, and hopefully Okada will put in some work here to make the match better. Bailey will do all of his kicks and look rather ridiculous in the process, but Okada will win in the end, as he should.

Paragon vs. Don Callis Family

Here we have a match which was literally added on during Collision, with Adam Cole saying the Paragon had nothing to do on the show and agreeing to face the Family as a result. That doesn’t really feel like a big time match, though they are the kind of people who belong on a show given how often they are presented on the regular television shows. That is better than nothing, but it is putting more pressure on the match.

I’ll go with the Family to win here, as they have a tendency to win quite often, possibly with the winner being the next challenger to Cole’s TNT Title. Cole has flat out said he has nothing going on so he could use a challenger from the Family at this point. That can be accomplished here and even if it feels like a television match thrown onto the show, it could at least accomplish a goal.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament Final: Jamie Hayter vs. Mercedes Mone

They’re in another tight spot here as you have the undefeated Mone, who seems like she is on a collision course with (likely) Toni Storm at All In. That leaves Hayter as someone who is just enough of a threat to be noteworthy but not likely enough of a threat to be a serious contender. That doesn’t bode well for her changes, though I’ve been brought in a bit more through their recent promos.

However, that’s not enough to sway my guess, and I’ll take Mone to win here and go on to the title match at All In. If nothing else, it might be due to the false hope of the idea that the Women’s and TBS Titles could be unified to get rid of one of them already. Other than that, this has the potential to be a good match, as Mone’s issues have never been between the bells. If Hayter is laying it in as she can, this could be quite the final.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Mina Shirakawa

I’m really not sure why you would put Shirakawa, who is freshly debuted as a full time AEW star, in this spot when she doesn’t seem to have much of a chance. The problem with this show rears its head again, as All In is waiting for the winners and that doesn’t leave much room for a title change about a month and a half out. Shirakawa is awesome, but she’s in a weird place here and there isn’t much of a way around it.

In case the previous match didn’t give you much of a hint, I’ll take Storm to retain here. As over the top as she is, Storm has long since been established as the most successful Women’s Champion in AEW history. If that is meant to set up a showdown with Mone in Texas, there is no reason to have her lose here. Shirakawa is still new enough that she shouldn’t be losing, but that charisma of hers is more than enough to make up for a loss in a hurry.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate(c) vs. Sons Of Texas

I’ve been trying to avoid this match as I still do not see the appeal of the Sons Of Texas. It felt like someone wanted to give Dustin Rhodes a lifetime achievement award and then forgot to wrap it up. They’ve been the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champions since August and have one of the longest reigns in the titles’ history. That’s on top of Rhodes being part of the Six Man Tag Team Champions, which he’s held even longer. It makes me worried that AEW might want him to be a triple champion at All In, but hopefully that’s just the paranoia talking.

I’m going to go with what should be the obvious logical answer and say the Syndicate retains. While I could see the idea of having MJF cost them the titles, I’m hoping that’s held off for awhile, as there are so many better teams. The Syndicate is clearly the class of the tag division, and having them lose so soon, especially to Rhodes and Sammy Guevara, would be a huge misstep. Just please let me be right about this one.

Anarchy In The Arena

This is one of those matches that is so unique and over the top that it’s hard to really describe. It isn’t so much about the result but rather all of the insanity that takes place on the way there. I’m sure the ending will set up something for later, but this is the definition of a spectacle match, with everyone going as nuts as they can and doing whatever crazy shenanigans they can think of in the building.

I’ll go with the heroes to win here, as there are so many combinations where one of the Death Riders or Bucks could lose without being hurt too badly. If nothing else, why else would you have Wheeler Yuta out there? This should be a blast as AEW knows how to crank up the insanity and if they do it well here, we could be in for one of the matches that really makes AEW stand out.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament Final: Hangman Page vs. Will Ospreay

It’s pretty rare for wrestlers to talk me into wanting to see a match but these two have done it with this one. I want to see these two fight because I want to see how far they are willing to go to get a World Title shot. They have set the stakes for their match and now we get to see just how well the whole thing will go. That’s how you build a good match and if they can deliver, it has all of the potential.

I keep going back and forth on this one as Page is the more compelling story but Ospreay is the more logical story. You have Page wanting to prove that his time on top wasn’t a fluke and that he has grown into a more mature star, while Ospreay is the closest thing AEW has to a superhero who should be taking down the big bad in Jon Moxley. I want to say Page here because it would be the more emotional win, but I’ll take Ospreay, as it feels like a better match for All In. As long as it doesn’t end in a triple threat, I’m happy either way though.

Overall Thoughts

The name Double Or Nothing is very appropriate as this is as much of a two match show as I’ve seen in a long time. The main event and Anarchy In The Arena both feel huge while the rest is just kind of there. If those two matches deliver and a few others step up (which they likely will), we should be in for a good night. At the same time, if one of those two matches doesn’t deliver, AEW could be in a lot of trouble.

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Collision
Date: May 22, 2025
Location: Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Adam Cole

It’s the last show before Double Or Nothing and in this case the show is taking place on Thursday rather than the usual Saturday spot. In theory that should mean AEW is going to try something a bit bigger than usual, with likely more people watching the show than their traditional audience. Or they’ll just do a show with low level people to fill in time. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings out Adam Cole to join commentary.

Here are FTR/Stokely Hathaway, Daniel Garcia (with Matt Menard) and Nigel McGuinness for a contract signing. Cash Wheeler gives them one more time to get out of this because they still see Garcia as a son. McGuinness has been hiding behind the commentary desk and making jokes but there is no one to save him on Sunday. FTR signs but Garcia says they’re the ones who turned on him.

The reality is that Garcia is standing up for everyone FTR has hurt. They might be one of the greatest teams of all time but Sunday is going to be a fight. Garcia has seen the fire in McGuinness’ eyes and he knows McGuinness still has it. Garcia signs and McGuinness says we’ll see if he still has it at Double Or Nothing. Before he signs though, he wants a guarantee that FTR ignores himself and Schiavone for good. McGuinness goes to sign but Dax Harwood stops him.

Harwood says he needs to know that this isn’t all about McGuinness. If he wants FTR to finish him off, sign the contract. Otherwise, McGuinness can go sit down and we’ll forget about all of this and maybe be friends. This is just business, because otherwise, Harwood would have already dropped McGuinness. The brawl is on and FTR get put in stereo holds before they run off. McGuinness was bringing it as well as he could here, but it’s really hard to believe that a thrown together team is going to have a chance against FTR.

Toni Storm is ready to see Mina Shirakawa ended and it’s time for them to fight. They’ll make every cactus cream itself and then, decades from now, when they’re giving Brutus Beefcake a lap dance at the wrestlers’ retirement home, she’ll look at Shirakawa and say they lived. That’s quite the image.

Don Callis Family vs. Outrunners/Bandido

That would be Los Outrunners, just in case there is any confusion. Bandido takes over on Beretta to start and gives him the very delayed suplex. The Outrunners hit suplexes of their own and we take an early break. Back with Bandido cleaning house, setting up a showdown with Takeshita.

The corkscrew crossbody takes Takeshita down but he’s right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Back up and it’s off to Floyd for some slams as house is cleaned. The Mega Powers Elbow hits Romero but Total Recall is broken up. Lance Archer gets in a cheap shot from the floor and a double spike piledriver finishes for Takeshita at 9:36.

Rating: B-. The Family being around is a good enough feature on the show, as they’re established names and can eat up a portion of the night. I’m not sure how much help RPG Vice brings to the group but I guess you need someone to take the fall later on. At the same time, it’s almost sad to see what has happened to the Outrunners, who never felt like they were used in a meaningful way.

Video on Gabe Kidd, who is working with the Death Riders and the Young Bucks because they’re going to eat AEW alive.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Reyna Isis

Mone is defending and Excalibur describes Isis as “tearing it up lately on Ring Of Honor”. This translates to “she has won two matches, most recently last October”. They trade rollups for two each to start and it’s off to an early standoff. Hold on though as Isis stops to dance, allowing Mone to grab a headscissors.

The Statement Maker is blocked so Isis kicks her in the back and follows with some running knees. Isis runs her over again for two and hits some kneelifts, only to get caught with a running headscissors. Mone hits a Meteora in the corner but dives into a Codebreaker for two. A quick Backstabber gives Mone two and she pulls on the Statement Maker for the tap at 5:20.

Rating: C+. Normally I would get annoyed at someone like Isis, who has pretty much no meaningful history around here, getting a title shot but they billed it as an open challenge. That’s its own set of issues, but at least they didn’t say she had earned the #1 contendership. Mone seems all but destined to win on Sunday so we’ll call this a nice warmup for her.

Post match Jamie Hayter comes out for a staredown but security is right there in advance.

Video on the Sons Of Texas, with Dustin Rhodes wanting to become a triple champion.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Jay Lethal

Lance Archer is here with Fletcher and Don Callis is on commentary. Feeling out process to start before Lethal takes him into the corner and hammers away. That’s broken up (as Callis doesn’t approve) and Fletcher knocks him down (Callis does improve) but Lethal goes for the legs. Fletcher is knocked outside for a suicide dive, only to come back with a powerbomb onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Lethal striking away until a backslide gets two. Lethal goes for the legs again with some hard kicks but the Lethal Injection is blocked. The Figure Four goes on and Fletcher is in some trouble. They move around until Fletcher gets to the rope so Lethal goes up. After knocking Fletcher down, Lethal’s top rope elbow only hits raised knees. The brainbuster gives Fletcher the pin at 11:13.

Rating: B-. The match was good, as you would expect given who was in there, but it’s also a fine example of a match that didn’t need to go this long. Lethal has not been treated as anything important in a long time and he got over eleven minutes with an up and coming star. This could have been done in far less time and accomplished the same, if not even more. That’s been a flaw around here for a good while and hopefully AEW fixes it, at least a bit.

Post match the Don Callis Family comes in for the beatdown so Adam Cole gets up. The Paragon comes in and the villains bail.

Paragon vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

O’Reilly and Drake trade arm control to start and Drake rolls him up for two. A backbreaker into a running kick to the chest gets two on Drake but Gibson saves him from a suplex. O’Reilly comes back in to strike away on Gibson but the Veterans fight up and kick Paragon out to the floor. Drake drops O’Reilly on the floor and yells at Cole as we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly kicking Drake away, allowing the tag off to Strong. A Codebreaker out of the corner cuts Strong down though and Drake hits a Coast To Coast dropkick to the ribs. O’Reilly makes the save and it’s a four way slugout. High/Low cuts Drake off for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. The Veterans do indeed still work here, even if you might have forgotten that given their absence from the ring. I’m not sure why you would have Gibson , one of the most annoying talkers in all of wrestling today, here and not let him talk though. If AEW wants the Veterans to matter, the key is to let Gibson drive everyone nuts and that hasn’t been the case in a long time.

Adam Cole challenges the Don Callis Family for Double Or Nothing.

Josh Alexander vs. AR Fox

Don Callis is on commentary again and accepts Paragon’s challenge. Alexander takes Fox down to start and then pulls him out of the air. Back up and Fox kicks him out of the corner, setting up a springboard Stunner. Fox ducks a clothesline and nips up for a cutter, with even Callis having to compliment him. Alexander avoids a 450 and counters a rolling cutter into a German suplex. The C4 Spike finishes for Alexander at 4:12.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but that was kind of the point. This was designed to make Alexander look like more of a monster, which has been lacking since he got to AEW. Having Alexander pull Fox in and then give him a beating for the win is a good way to go, even if Alexander feels like just another lackey for Callis.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Hangman Page.

Mascara Dorada/Mistico/Templario vs. Los Depredadores

Templario and Rugido slug it out to start until Templario shoulders him down. Magnus comes in and gets armdragged down and it’s off to Dorada, who flips away from Rugido in the corner. A double springboard armdrag sends Rugido outside and Volador Jr. comes in. That means more flips from Dorada, setting up a hurricanrana out to the floor.

Mistico comes in and gets dropkicked in the back, meaning everything breaks down. We take a break and come back with Mistico and company hitting stereo dives. Back in and Mistico cleans house with headscissors, followed by a dive to the floor. Magnus is sent back inside, where Dorada poisonranas him into a shooting star press for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: B. Take six talented luchadors, including two of the biggest names in the style at the moment, and let them fly around for a bit. This was different from what you usually get on the show and that makes things feel so much better. The fans were into it too and that makes all the difference. Fun match here, with Mistico getting to show off his superstar power.

Video on Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay/Harley Cameron, with the tag match being set for the Buy In.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Kris Statlander isn’t sure what she did to Willow Nightingale….other than choking her with a chain and spearing her off a stage. Statlander: “You may have a point.” Either way, she isn’t pleased with Nightingale and sounds a bit threatening.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Mike Bailey/Komander

Dralistico runs in from behind and starts hammering away to start fast. Rush wrecks both of them on the floor, including an energy drink to the head. We settle down to Dralistico chopping Bailey, who quickly kicks his way out of trouble. Komander comes in with a double springboard missile dropkick but the villains block some dives as we take a break.

Back with Komander kicking his way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to Bailey for the rapid fire kicks. The running shooting star press gets two on Dralistico before Rush and Bailey get to strike it out. Rush knocks him into the corner and hits the cocky kick to the face but Bailey is back up with a superkick.

Bailey and Komander hit dives to the floor, followed by stereo shooting star presses for two each. Back in and Rush hits a snap German suplex into a knee to Bailey and Dralistico’s super Pedigree gets two. Komander is back up with a Canadian Destroyer though and Bailey’s tornado kick sets up Cielito Lindo for the pin on Dralistico at 12:15.

Rating: C+. If you want Komander and Bailey’s flips and dives to stand out, you might not want to put them on after the CMLL match. Other than that, this really didn’t feel like a main event match but rather just the match that happened to go on last. Bailey is a fine enough challenger for Okada, even if Okada feels all but locked in to face Omega at All In.

Post match Kazuchika Okada comes out and flips Bailey off, earning himself a kick to the face. The big running flip dive takes Okada down and Bailey holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. If they were trying to make me more interested in Double Or Nothing, I wouldn’t call this the biggest success. There was very little on here that you needed to see, even if there was some good action, including the CMLL match. I’m really not sure why AEW doesn’t do more with these Thursday Collisions, as they feel more like shows where they don’t want to get the extra attention, despite it being such a better time slot. Either way, Double Or Nothing has potential and that’s a good thing to see.

Results
Don Callis Family b. Outrunners/Bandido – Double spike piledriver to Floyd
Mercedes Mone b. Reyna Isis – Statement Maker
Kyle Fletcher b. Jay Lethal – Brainbuster
Paragon b. Grizzled Young Veterans – High/Low to Drake
Josh Alexander b. AR Fox – C4 Spike
Mascara Dorada/Mistico/Templario b. Los Depredadores – Shooting star press to Magnus
Mike Bailey/Komander b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Cielito Lindo to Dralistico

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: May 21, 2025
Location: Rio Ranchos Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the last Dynamite before Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to put most of the final touches on the pay per view. Odds are that means something getting us ready for Anarchy In The Arena, plus a bunch of build towards the Owen Hart Cup finals. That should be more than enough to get us through the night so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out Will Ospreay and Hangman Page for a chat. They agree to get physical and Ospreay has the security go to the back, though he does promise they’ll get paid (nice guy). He asks if Page still drinks and apologizes for the shot to the face last week. Ospreay has some beers brought in but puts his down and says he has an official request for Tony Khan: the two of them should be in the main event at Double Or Nothing.

That is a lot of pressure, but the winner goes on to All In and the winner has the responsibility of taking the World Title back. Ospreay flies around all the time and is jet lagged every Tuesday but puts on his crime fighting pants and says ring the bell. That’s what he wants more than anything else. He wants to be the World Champion at Forbidden Door in London, thirty minutes from his house.

More than that though, he wants his six year old to look at him as the World Champion. Ospreay knows Page wants it, but he wants it that much more. Page says that’s the difference between them. Ospreay wants it bad and Page has had that feeling before. There is no greater prize than being the World Champion, but for Ospreay, it could be a professional accomplishment.

It’s just that though: professional. Page calls it personal for him though because he doesn’t want it, but rather needs it. Page has not won anything in two years and those moments have killed him more every day. He needs his son to look at him and see his father and for his wife to look at him and see her husband. What he needs is for Ospreay to be wrong when he said it was “too little, too late” for Page.

Ospreay asks what Page is going to do about it. Wrap a chair around his skull? On Sunday, he is showing up and doing his best, which hasn’t been enough before. Yes he has lost but he has never given less than everything. Page asks if that is enough to beat Jon Moxley and the Death Riders but Ospreay doesn’t know. Ospreay asks if what Page is now is enough either.

The best of Ospreay has beaten a lot of people because he is the best in the world. Anything can happen when that bell rings and if Page wins and needs someone to have his back at All In, Ospreay has his back. He hopes Page will do the same if Ospreay wins, so meet him in the desert. They both drink the beers and stare hard at one another. They go up the aisle and get to the entrance at the same time for quite the staredown. This was GREAT, with both of them laying out why they want to win. I’m not sure who is going to win, but I’m almost more curious to see what happens when one of them loses.

Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir arrive, with Moxley saying the spoils will go to those who embrace the anarchy.

Jon Moxley/Young Bucks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs/Samoa Joe/Swerve Strickland

Marina Shafir and Prince Nana are here too. Joe and Moxley slug it out to start with Joe having to be held back. Hobbs and Matt come in with Hobbs running him over but not being able to hit the powerslam. Swerve comes in to backbreaker Nick and hits a neckbreaker as everything breaks down. Moxley’s dive is cut off by Hobbs so he dives onto Hobbs instead. The Bucks superkick Joe down but Swerve plants Matt and hits a dive to take him out as well. Now Joe can hit his suicide elbow as we take a break.

Back with Moxley hammering on Hobbs in the corner before going after the knee. For some reason Nick decides to slap Hobbs in the back, earning himself a World’s Strongest Slam. Swerve comes in to plant Nick, who avoids a running shot, allowing Matt to superkick Swerve down. Back in and an assisted Sliced Bread plants Swerve, who gets his knees up to cut off a Swanton. That’s still not enough for the tag though as Moxley is back in for a Crash Landing on Swerve.

Matt dives onto Joe and Hobbs, followed by Risky Business for two more. The hanging Swanton gets two on Swerve with Hobbs having to make the save this time. We take another break and come back again with Moxley’s piledriver (with a middle finger to the fans) getting two more. Something like the Rings Of Saturn bring the fans back to cheer Swerve so Moxley grabs a full nelson.

A headbutt drops Moxley and it’s Joe coming in to clean house, followed by Hobbs’ frog splash for two. Everything breaks down and the Bucks head fake Hobbs into a double DDT. Joe drops them with a double clothesline but Moxley is back in to take Joe down. Swerve gives Moxley the House call and adds a Swerve Stomp off the apron onto the Bucks. Back in and Hobbs busts out some spinebusters to clean house but Moxley is there to send him into Swerve. A double superkick puts Joe down but Swerve rolls Matt up for the pin at 21:17.

Rating: B. The length helped here, as the match had the time to build up rather than having to hurry through everything. As good as that part was though, it was another example of why the Bucks can be so annoying. Just like always, they got in all of their stuff, beat up just about everyone, and then lose on a fluke rollup. I’m sure they’ll get some kind of heat back later, because the Bucks just have to be part of everything no matter what.

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat the winners down but Katsuyori Shibata returns for the save. Marina Shafir cuts Shibata off with a low blow though so here is Willow Nightingale to Pounce Shafir. Kenny Omega runs in for the real save. A table is set up and Matt has to be saved from a One Winged Angel. The villains leave but Joe says they’re coming after them tonight.

The Hurt Syndicate says MJF should be the excited one tonight and he has a new suit for the occasion.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to officially induct MJF into the team. MJF comes out and says his mom told him that the most important day of his life is the day you marry the love of your life. MJF: “It’s clear that that b**** never joined the Hurt Syndicate!” MJF and MVP take turns mocking the fans who boo a lot and everyone but Bobby Lashley signs. Lashley seems unsure but ultimately signs, and yes there is a commemorative hat.

Cue the Sons Of Texas, with Dustin Rhodes telling MJF to shut up. Rhodes and MVP have a long history of respect but Rhodes thinks he shouldn’t trust MJF. We hear about how they changed the business and now they want more gold. If they like to hurt people, jump on Rhodes and try to hurt him. They have been beaten up and hurt by bigger people and now they’re ready to fight with heart. He would bet on the Day One guys. As usual, Sammy Guevara is the guy just standing there nodding as Rhodes does everything.

Kazuchika Okada isn’t letting Mike Bailey call him out for Double Or Nothing….because he’s calling Bailey out instead. And no catchphrase!

Ricochet vs. Anthony Bowens

Billy Gunn is here with Bowens and this is to crown the true Scissor King. Bowens jumps over him in the corner to start and hits a clothesline to the floor. Ricochet stops to glare at Gunn, earning himself another shot from Bowens. They go back in where Bowens hits a quick knee, only to get sent hard into the post.

We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting the running Fameasser into something like a reverse Angle Slam. They trade forearms until Bowens hits a superkick for a quick two. The Arrival sets up the Mollywop but Ricochet is knocked outside. The referee goes after Gunn, allowing Ricochet to pull out a pair of scissors to stab Bowens. Stabbing a man in the head is of course a setup for the Spirit Gun to give Ricochet the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C+. I really don’t know if Bowens should be losing so soon into his singles run, but at least it was to a bigger name and through some cheating. That being said, I still have no idea why Ricochet uses scissors. It’s such a random weapon with no real connection for him, but that’s what he gets to do. On top of that, he’s in for kind of a weird gimmick match on Sunday, though at least he’s on the show.

Post match Mark Briscoe brings out a stretcher and beats up Ricochet.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Stokley Hathaway, with FTR, wants to sign the contract for the Double Or Nothing tag match face to face. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia can even bring Matt Menard.

Renee Paquette brings out Jamie Hayter and Mercedes Mone for their own face to face interview (with chairs). Hayter says so be it if she is seen as the underdog because she is used to being there. She will fight back every single time because that is who she is. Hayter doesn’t have people running around here doing her dirty work and yes she is rough around the edges.

This means more to Hayter and they both know that, because it’s about not being forgotten. If she doesn’t win, what does it mean for her? Mone laughs it off and calls herself the Beyonce of wrestling. She’s going to All In to win the Women’s Title because she is the greatest TBS Champion of all time.

Mone hasn’t gotten here through luck because it’s about leaving her legacy. Hayter’s chapter finally ends at Double Or Nothing. Hayter points out Mone losing the NJPW Strong Women’s Title and that is going to be her destiny. Mone jumps her but gets dropped with Hayterade. Cue Toni Storm, who will be on commentary for the main event. It’s hard to believe that Mone is in any danger, and my goodness she gets less and less interesting every week.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Julia Hart

Toni Storm is on commentary. Hart grabs a wristlock to start and hits Old School but Shirakawa does something similar, albeit with some hip shaking. Shirakawa goes outside to mock Storm, allowing Hart to take her down as we go to a break. Back with Shirakawa hitting a running knee, followed by some clotheslines.

Hart grabs something like a Tarantula but Shirakawa hits a spinning backfist. A not great top rope crucifix bomb gets two on Hart but she’s back up with a knockdown of her own. The moonsault misses though and Shirakawa goes after the knee. The spinning backflst looks to set up the Glamorous Driver but Hart rolls out. That’s reversed into a cradle to give Shirakawa the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird choice for the main event, but there is only so much you can do on a three match show. Shirakawa is in a good place where she’s not new but she’s still fresh, so she doesn’t have to really be built up that much for the title shot at Storm. I can’t imagine she wins the title, but having her lose so soon in a high profile match would be a fairly odd way to go.

Post match Hart goes after Shirakawa, who ties up Hart’s bad leg. Skye Blue comes in to deck Shirakawa so Storm makes the save. Shirakawa and Storm get in a tug of war over the belt and Shirakawa goes after Storm’s knee, tying it around the post with the Figure Four.

The Young Bucks try to leave but Powerhouse Hobbs and Samoa Joe jump them. Cue the rest of the people in Anarchy In The Arena for the weapons filled brawl. The fight goes into the arena where the Bucks beat up Kenny Omega, who fights back as this is anarchy in the arena to set up the Anarchy In The Arena. Gabe Kidd runs in and helps the villains with the beatdown and the Bucks hit stereo dives to put Omega and Swerve through tables to end the show. This was a good example of a week that didn’t need an overrun as this was just a long brawl to set up the already announced long brawl at the pay per view.

Overall Rating: B. Double Or Nothing is going to be quite the booking challenge, as so many people are in one match. That leaves the two tournament finals to carry the thing and thankfully the men’s match got an incredible go home segment that really elevated things. Those are by far the two biggest things on the show, and it should be interesting to see if the rest of the card can live up to that hype. I’ll take a two match show, but they are in for a challenge if one of those matches doesn’t deliver.

Results
Samoa Joe/Powerhouse Hobbs/Swerve Strickland b. Young Bucks/Jon Moxley – Rollup to Matt
Ricochet b. Anthony Bowens – Spirit Gun
Mina Shirakawa b. Julia Hart – Cradle

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

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Collision
Date: May 17, 2025
Location: NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second night of Beach Break and that means we should be in for something a bit bigger than normal. You never know what you might see on a show like this though and that can make for something interesting. The big feature match is the Sons Of Texas vs. Cru for a future Tag Team Title shot so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Megan Bayne vs. Anna Jay

Penelope Ford and Harley Cameron are here too. Bayne wastes no time in driving her into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs and a big boot puts her on the floor. A hard whip sends Jay into the barricade and Bayne drops her back first onto the apron. Back in and the bearhug sets up a throw to keep Jayne in trouble but a backsplash misses.

Jay slugs back and hits a dive to take out Bayne and Ford on the floor. Bayne is right back up with a Falcon Arrow but Fate’s Descent is countered into a DDT. Jay grabs a sleeper, which is enough for Bayne to drive her into the corner. Ford grabs a turnbuckle pad so she and Cameron fight to the back. The Queenslayer goes on but Bayne rams her into the exposed buckle. A powerbomb into Fate’s Descent finishes for Bayne at 7:31.

Rating: C+. This was more about Bayne getting to run through Jay, who was fighting as well as she could. The point is to make Bayne into a monster, though she’s going to need to win some gold to make her feel like a big deal. Maybe that’s coming after Double Or Nothing, but there is a good chance the titles are going to be tied up. You could have her go after Athena’s Ring Of Honor Women’s Title, but that might be asking too much.

We run down tonight’s card.

Nigel McGuinness agrees to team with Daniel Garcia to face FTR at Double Or Nothing.

Kyle Fletcher vs. AR Fox

Don Callis is on commentary. Fletcher runs him over to start and stomps away in the corner but Fox sweeps the leg. A leg lariat knocks Fletcher down and a very springboardy sitout bulldog drops him again. Back up and Fletcher grabs a swinging Side Effect and we take a break.

We come back with Fox grabbing a rolling cutter and dropkicking him on top. Another cutter gets two but Fletcher is back with a half and half suplex. Fox is right back up and sends him to the apron for the flipping stomp, followed by the big dive. Back in and a Michinoku Driver gives Fletcher two but Fox’s small package gets the same. That’s enough for Fletcher, who brainbusters him for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: B-. Fox isn’t the kind of star who is going to become a big deal or a top star, but he can do some incredibly entertaining stuff in the ring. He’s out there to pop the crowd and he has been doing that rather well in recent weeks. I could go for him doing something a bit more important, but Fletcher needed to do something and beating Fox here is fine enough for the time being

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Hangman Page.

Don Callis Family vs. Brody King/Tomohiro Ishii/Bandido

Ishii fights off RPG Vice to start before handing it off to King for a slugout with Archer. King kicks Archer out to the floor, where Beretta knees King in the chest. Everything breaks down and we take a break. Back with Ishii German suplexing Romero for two but getting kicked in the face by Archer. The chokeslam gives Beretta two but it’s King coming back in to clean house. King sends Romero into the corner and the team hits a series of running shots. The Cannonball finishes Romero off at 6:55.

Rating: C+. There is pretty much no reason for a six man tag which runs just shy of seven minutes to have a commercial. Other than that, it was a rather odd collection of stars beating up the lower end of the Family. That’s not much more than what felt like a house show match but it was fine enough to fill in some time.

Post match the Family beats the winners down until the Outrunners make the save.

The Paragon is interrupted by the Grizzled Young Veterans, who accuse them of going soft. A match is made for next week, with Adam Cole saying the pressure is on the Veterans.

Mike Bailey vs. Blake Christian

Lee Johnson is here with Christian. Bailey starts fast and fires off some kicks but Christian pulls him face first into the buckle for the crash. 450 knees to the ribs give Christian two and they’re both back up for an exchange of shots to the face. Christian gets superkicked out of the air and it’s time for an exchange of chops. That just wakes Bailey up though and he hits a crane kick, setting up the triangle moonsault to the floor. Johnson’s distraction lets Christian get in his own dive but a 450 misses. Christian gets taken down with a super hurricanrana and the Tornado Kick finishes for Bailey at 5:09.

Rating: C+. Bailey is about as AEW of a wrestler as you can get. He has a fairly weird look, his stuff is designed to look cool rather than make sense, and he really loves those flips. In other words, he’s about as perfect of a wrestler as you can get for the stereotypical AEW style. Christian is…I’m not sure why but I kind of like him. It’s like he’s trying to be as lame as possible and it’s oddly working.

Post match Bailey challenges Kazuchika Okada for the International Title. Cue Okada to say his catchphrase but Dralistico and Rush jump Bailey from behind.

Video on Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Gates Of Agony.

We look at Jon Moxley retaining the World Title against Samoa Joe in a cage on Dynamite, with the fallout setting up Anarchy In The Arena at Double Or Nothing.

Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Gates Of Agony

Street Fight so the brawl, with the weapons, starts on the floor. Bill knocks the barbed wire baseball bat away from Liona and hits a splash inside. Liona is back up with a spear to send Keith through a table in the corner though and grabs a kendo stick. Said stick is broken over Liona’s own head and Bill realizes this could be an issue.

The slugout is on and Liona is sent to the apron, where Kaun wraps him up in barbed wire. They crash into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Liona hitting a Banzai Drop onto a trashcan with Keith inside for two, with Bill making the save. Bill whips out a backpack and finds some bricks, one of which is smashed against the post.

A trashcan lid to the head just annoys Liona, who takes it away and…charges into another kid to the head. Liona knocks him over the barricade and Bill is knocked over the announcers’ table. Keith is back up and rakes his eyes to get out of Liona’s fireman’s carry, allowing Bill to kick Liona through some tables at ringside. A piece of what looks like drywall is broken over Kaun’s head and Bill hits the chokeslam for the pin at 13:54.

Rating: B-. Well, Liona was doing his best Roman Reigns impression here, down to the stuff with the barricade (though Reigns is more a through the barricade than over it). With that out of the way, the problem here was everything that has happened to the Gates beforehand. After having them treated as such loses for so long, there was no reason to believe they were going to win here. It was nice to see Liona treated like a monster, but the “let’s get Chris Jericho to like us again” tour continues.

Mina Shirakawa is ready to face Toni Storm again. Storm may be timeless, but Shirakawa is NOW.

We get a tribute to Steve McMichael. His wife comes out to talk about how great it is to be here. Next up is Dean Malenko…who doesn’t say anything but is in fact present. Tony Schiavone talks about McMichael’s wrestling career and his foundation to help fight ALS. Ric Flair is brought out and puts over McMichael, including the fight through his disease. And that’s about it.

Then, about 85 minutes into the show, TNT starts airing Black Adam, apparently due to transmission issues.

Sons Of Texas vs. Cru

The Sons’ ROH Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and the winners get an AEW Tag Team Title shot. Rhodes and Andretti start things off with the much taller Rhodes backing him into the corner. Rush’s cheap shot doesn’t do much good as Rhodes hits the drop down uppercut. Guevara comes in for a standing moonsault and a dive to take Andretti out on the floor. Rhodes teases his own dive but stops to dance instead. The fight heads outside again but Rush is back up for the suicide dives.

We take a break and come back with Cru working on Rhodes’ legs, only for him to low bridge Andretti to the floor. The powerslam plants Rush and it’s Guevara coming back in to clean house. A top rope cutter plants Andretti but the 450 misses. Rush slips out of Cross Rhodes so Rhodes gives him a Canadian Destroyer. Andretti superkicks Rhodes but gets caught with the GTH to give Guevara the pin at 11:01.

Rating: C. At this point, I’m honestly continues that the Sons actually have a chance against the Hurt Business. Yeah it sounds ridiculous, but after everything they’ve done in the last eight or so months, it’s almost hard to imagine them losing. I don’t think they get the titles, but my goodness it at least feels like a possibility. As for Cru…I really have no idea what is supposed to be special about them.

Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale argue again.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta jumps him during the entrance and for some reason decides to slap him in the face. Hobbs grabs him by the throat and starts tossing him around, with Yuta needing to go for the eyes. An Oklahoma Stampede plants Yuta and Hobbs tosses him outside without much trouble. Some slams onto the apron have Yuta in more trouble and there’s a superplex to give Hobbs two. Back up and Yuta pulls him off the top for a crash before starting in the knee.

We take a break and come back with Yuta staying on the bad leg, including some yanking and cranking. A basement dropkick puts Hobbs on the floor and he gets knocked off the top back inside. Yuta’s top rope splash gets two but Hobbs is right back with a powerslam. Some hard corner clotheslines and a spinebuster finish Yuta at 11:45.

Rating: B-. Well, they did have a story here with Yuta trying to slow down the monster Hobbs before the strength just got to be too much to them. Hobbs continues to feel like someone who should be a big deal but it just doesn’t happen for some reason. Being part of the Trios Champions isn’t the move either, but at least he got a win in a fairly featured spot here.

Post match Marina Shafir runs in to go after Hobbs’ knee. Willow Nightingale runs in for the save. Yuta and Shafir bail, with Kris Statlander watching from the entrance to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’ve said things like “that certainly felt like Collision” before and that’s the case again here. Most of the show was spent building up smaller stories and slightly touching on the bigger ones. That’s going to happen when so much happens on Dynamite and it would be nice to see some more balance between the two shows. As usual, it’s a show that you don’t really need to see but if you did watch, you’ll be fine.

Results
Megan Bayne b. Anna Jay – Fate’s Descent
Kyle Fletcher b. AR Fox – Brainbuster
Brody King/Tomohiro Ishii/Bandido b. Don Callis Family – Cannonball to Romero
Mike Bailey b. Blake Christian – Tornado Kick
Big Bill/Bryan Keith b. Gates Of Agony – Chokeslam to Kaun
Sons Of Texas b. Cru – GTH to Andretti
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Wheeler Yuta – Spinebuster

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: May 14, 2025
Location: NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Taz, Excalibur

It’s Beach Break and that means it is time for the World Title to be in tone line. Jon Moxley is going to be defending the title inside of a steel cage against Samoa Joe, which has the potential to be a heck of a fight. Other than that, we don’t have much time left before Double Or Nothing and it’s time to build up the card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Will Ospreay/Hangman Page vs. Don Callis Family,

They’re so excited about the opener that the entrances go to the split screen which is usually saved for commercials. Ospreay and Takeshita trade legsweeps for two each to start and it’s quickly off to Alexander. A middle rope dive misses for Ospreay and Alexander catches him with a flapjack to take over. Page gets drawn in so Alexander can choke on the ropes. That doesn’t last long as Ospreay gets up and hands it off to Page, who moonsaults off the apron onto Alexander.

Back in and a Death Valley Driver gets two on Takeshita, followed by a pop up sitout powerbomb for the same. Ospreay comes back in for a basement lariat into a standing shooting star press for two. Alexander is right back with a knockdown to the apron, setting up the running crossbody to the back.

We take a break and come back with Alexander grabbing a northern lights suplex for two on Page. Alexander pulls him into an ankle lock, which is broken up for the tag off to Ospreay to clean house. Page is back in to run Takeshita over, followed by back to back top rope dives to take the Family down again. Back in and Ospreay’s handspring is countered into a spinning torture rack bomb.

Takeshita gets a kind of weird Blue Thunder Bomb for two and it’s Page coming back in, with Alexander giving him a German suplex. Alexander rolls some German suplexes on Ospreay but he’s right back up with the Oscutter. Another one takes Alexander down for two but Page tags himself in, only to almost hit the Buckshot Lariat on Ospreay. Page and Ospreay get in an argument and the Hidden Blade almost hits Page. With the issues out of the way, the Buckshot Lariat and the Hidden Blade hit Alexander at the same time for the pin at 18:33.

Rating: B. This was the long form tag match that AEW tends to do well, especially with Ospreay and Page’s issues being advanced on the way to Double Or Nothing. That’s a nice way to go, as Page and Ospreay could go either way when we get there and they set things up here. Good opener here, with the four of them all working hard and getting a lot of time.

Post match Takeshita jumps both of them and the fight is on again wish Ospreay fighting back. Ospreay accidentally hits Page and immediately tries to calm things down, which doesn’t exactly work. Both leave in a huff. More logical and effective stuff here.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Samoa Joe.

Top Flight and Leila Grey are sick of MJF and are ready to face the Hurt Syndicate tonight. The Sons Of Texas come in with Dustin Rhodes talking about how good Top Flight is. Oh and Sammy Guevara is there too.

Ricochet vs. Zack Gowen

Yes that Gowen and yes Ricochet has stolen his prosthetic leg. Gowen drops to the mat to start and Ricochet is already bailing to the floor. A boot through the ropes takes Ricochet down but he drops Gowen onto the barricade. We take a break and come back with Ricochet crotching himself on the ropes. He’s fine enough to counter a tornado DDT though and a springboard 450 crushes Gowen.

A shooting star press gives Ricochet two more and Vertigo connects for the same. The scissors are brought in but the referee takes it away, allowing Gowen to get in the prosthetic leg shot for two. The moonsault misses though and the Spirit Gun finishes for Ricochet at 7:22.

Rating: C. Naturally the first thing I thought of here was the episode of the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air when Ashley’s date wants to blow in her ear. Ashley gives a very confused response of “Why?” and the date realizes he has no idea why he’s asking about it other than he was told to. It’s the same thing here: why in the world is Zack Gowen wrestling in this spot in 2025? Ricochet stealing Gowen’s leg was a fine heel spot but putting him in the ring on Dynamite? Why?

Post match Ricochet gives him another Spirit Gun but Mark Briscoe makes the save.

MJF wants to be back on the top of the company and everyone knows he likes to work hard. That involves joining the Hurt Syndicate and he’ll make it happen. He’s asked about what happens if the team says no and it seems to make him think. The Hurt Syndicate comes in to say join them in the ring. MJF looks shaken, which you don’t see happen very often.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Top Flight

Non-title and MVP and Leila Grey are both here too. Top Flight starts fast but Lashley pulls Dante’s dive out of the air. Darius adds a dive of his own to break that up but Benjamin sends Darius flying with a suplex back inside. Lashley plants Darius on the apron and drops him with a neckbreaker, setting up Benjamin’s release German suplex. Dante tries a springboard to make the save but gets kneed out to the floor. The spear crushes Dante and the Hurt Lock finishes him off at 4:26.

Rating: C-. So Top Flight is leaving right? This was a total destruction that you do not see very often with actual established names. Top Flight got in pretty much nothing here and were completely decimated. And for what exactly? The sake of clearing the way for DUSTIN RHODES getting another big spot?

Post match the Sons Of Texas come out to say cut it out. The challenge is on but here is Cru to interrupt. They want the title match as well but Rhodes says not so fast. MVP calls it off and says make it a #1 contenders match instead. I have no idea why I would want to see that.

Post break and the Hurt Syndicate is still in the ring with MVP calling out MJF. There’s no MJF so Benjamin goes to the back to find him, with MJF hiding at the Gorilla Position. A rather scared looking MJF comes to the ring and it’s time for the official voting. MVP and Benjamin give him the thumbs up and that leaves Lashley. With his arm around MJF, Lashley teases the thumb going down and then puts it up, with MJF officially joining the team. Next week, the official contract signing. That’s a big surprise and I’m curious about the next step. I’d call that a good sign.

Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa vs. AZM vs. Skye Blue

Non-title Eliminator match and this is Blue’s first match in a very long time after breaking her ankle. We see a clip of AZM winning the NJPW Women’s Strong Openweight Title from Mercedes Mone (albeit in a triple threat with Mone not factoring into the decision). It’s a brawl to start with Storm and Blue fighting to the floor. Shirakawa and AZM trade rollups for two each, with Shirakawa’s dance being cut off.

The pairings trade places and Blue hits a springboard tornado DDT to drop Storm. Back up and Shirakawa and Storm have a staredown, which quickly breaks down into an exchange of forearms. AZM comes in as Shirakawa ties up Storm’s legs, only to suplex AZM at the same time. Storm makes it to the ropes to break the Figure Four and goes outside, with Shirakawa taking her out with a dive. AZM hits a dive of her own and Blue takes all three of them out with her own dive.

We take a break and come back the four of them fighting in the ring until Storm and AZM are dropped. That’s broken up as well and Storm hits a series of running hip attacks in the corner. Shirakawa kicks Blue in the head but gets suplexed by Storm. The chokebomb plants Blue but she’s fine enough to come back with Code Blue. AZM comes off the top for the save and plants Blue for two. Storm Zero gets two on AZM, only for Shirakawa to small package Storm for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B-. Good, action packed match here, though I have no idea why Blue was brought back in her hometown and put in the middle of a four way match where pretty much anyone could have been in the spot. Shirakawa is at least someone the fans know and who has a bit of a history around here so making her the next #1 contender is a good enough way to go.

Post match the title match is set for Double Or Nothing and arguing ensues. Cue Mercedes Mone to jump AZM from behind and put her in the Bank Statement. Jamie Hayter makes the save. Let me guess: Mone gets a chance to win her title back on Dynamite or Collision against someone who has pretty much no history around here but Mone wants to do it so here we are.

Commentary pays tribute to Sabu, with Taz breaking down in tears.

MJF can’t believe he’s part of the team and MVP is pleased…but MJF calls in his lawyer Mark Sterling to check out the contract. MVP doesn’t seem pleased.

Here is Nigel McGuinness to address the FTR situation. After apologizing to Tony Schiavone (in the ring with him), he asks Daniel Garcia to come out for an apology as well. McGuinness immediately apologizes to Garcia for costing him the chance to win a match and promises it won’t happen again. Garcia says McGuinness did exactly what he should have done and he wants McGuinness to join him for a fight.

Cue Stokely Hathaway to interrupt and ask what is McGuinness’ problem. McGuinness didn’t like someone getting physical with him but Hathaway doesn’t accept. He issues the challenge to a match with FTR, but McGuinness keeps it simple: he and Garcia barely know each other and FTR are a great team so it wouldn’t be close.

Garcia doesn’t care and says he’s overcome the odds for his entire career and wants McGuinness to take the mat. Hathaway taunts McGuinness, saying he can’t beat FTR when he barely beat hepatitis. That makes McGuinness get way more serious but here is FTR from underneath the ring to jump the good guys. Matt Menard makes the save with a crowbar. That’s an interesting way to go and I kind of love McGuinness being realistic about the whole thing.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision.

The cage is lowered (and it comes down fast).

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is challenging in a cage. They go with the grappling to start and go nowhere so it’s time to slug it out. Joe sends him into the cage before it’s off to the chopping. A running knee in the corner rocks Moxley and a big elbow gets two. Moxley starts going after the leg to take over, meaning it’s time for some cranking. A Figure Four has Joe in more trouble for a bit, only for Moxley to get back up for a big boot.

We take a break and come back with the Death Riders at ringside. Moxley and Joe are busted open as they slug it out as the Opps are here too. Joe wins the slugout and hits some atomic drops into the big boot and backsplash for two. The powerbomb into the STF into the crossface has Moxley in trouble but he makes the rope. For a break. In a cage match.

Back up and Moxley’s clotheslines rock Joe, setting up a cutter for two. A cross armbreaker is blocked so Moxley goes with the bulldog choke. That’s broken up as well and Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch, meaning it’s time for everyone on the floor to brawl. Joe lets go of the Clutch though and a guy in a black hoodie slides in the briefcase so Moxley can knock Joe out to retain at 14:57.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t a bad match at all, but it felt like a countdown to whatever way there was for Moxley to escape with the title again. In this case it was someone else interfering to take Joe out, possibly giving him a new opponent. Hopefully Moxley loses the thing at All In, but at this point I’m not getting my hopes up.

And it’s Gabe Kidd from New Japan. The cage is raised and everyone else gets in a big brawl on the floor. Cue the Young Bucks to offer a handshake to Moxley but cue Kenny Omega to go after the Death Riders. Kazuchika Okada takes Omega out and throws him inside as the cage is lowered again. Mike Bailey comes out and brawls to the back with Okada but the big beatdown is on.

Swerve Strickland comes in and climbs the cage to dive onto the villains. The cage is raised so the Death Riders and company leave. Strickland issues the challenge for Anarchy In The Arena at Double Or Nothing. That’s a tradition for the show and it lets Moxley keep the title until he gets to a new challenger at All In.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where the bigger parts worked well but there was a stretch that really didn’t work so well. It did a nice job of getting things ready for Double Or Nothing so we’ll call those segments a success. I’m not sure if this really felt like a special, though the main event did feel big. It’s just time to get beyond the Death Riders stuff though, as it stopped being interesting a long, long time ago.

Results
Will Ospreay/Hangman Page b. Don Callis Family – Buckshot Lariat/Hidden Blade to Alexander
Ricochet b. Zack Gowen – Spirit Gun
Hurt Syndicate b. Top Flight – Hurt Lock to Dante
Mina Shirakawa b. AZM, Skye Blue and Toni Storm – Small package to Storm
Jon Moxley b. Samoa Joe – Briefcase to the face

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: May 7, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Taz, Excalibur

We’re less than a month away from Double Or Nothing, but before we get there, we have a World Title showdown between AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and Samoa Joe. That’s going to take place inside a steel cage next week in Chicago, so it’s time to really set things up a bit more. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence, I believe with a new theme song. Thankfully not I’m So Excited again.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. He has no idea why anyone would cheer for him after everything he has done but they certainly seem happy to see him. Page talks about the horrible things he has done to Swerve Strickland and how he was so close to closure but it never came. He didn’t know why, and then he channeled that anger at everyone around him. While he can never forget what Strickland did, he can put it behind him. That brings him to Double Or Nothing, where he will face Will Ospreay for a World Title shot.

Cue Ospreay, who says this is the first time they have ever actually met. Ospreay understands what this means to Page and talks about Page’s history here in AEW. Then he lost it and things went bad, but last week, for the first time in a good while, Page smiled again. While a lot of people want to see Page be happy again, Ospreay isn’t losing at Double Or Nothing. Ospreay has been doing all of Page’s jobs, from meet and greets to media to photos with kids. Just because Page is smiling again doesn’t mean he can take that spot back, because that doesn’t mean cowboy s*** to Ospreay.

This is about his ascension…and here is the Don Callis Family to interrupt. Callis calls Ospreay an idiot for leaving the team so Ospreay issues the challenge for a tag match…but Page doesn’t seem interested. That’s fine with Callis, who says the match is on for next week, assuming Page doesn’t have another mental breakdown before then. The Ospreay vs. Page stuff was good with Ospreay’s promo being rather strong, but as usual, Callis brings everything down several notches.

FTR and Stokely Hathaway comes up to commentary and mocks Tony Schiavone, who is almost ready to fight Hathaway. FTR cuts that off and is ready to beat up Daniel Garcia on Collision. They’ll see Nigel McGuinness tomorrow night too.

Harley Cameron and Anna Jay have the T & A (tenacity and aggression) to win tonight. Jay thinks they have the more common definition as well, with Cameron agreeing.

Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa vs. Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford

Non-title eliminator match and there’s no Cameron, even though Jay was riding her to the ring. Jay and Ford brawl to the floor to start and Rosa hits a running dropkick against the ropes for two on Storm. Back up and Storm hammers on Jay until Ford breaks it up. Ford takes both of them down with a moonsault to the floor but Rosa hits a dive onto all three.

We take a break and come back with Jay dropping Rosa for two before suplexing Ford on the floor. Ford is right back up to dive onto all three of them but Storm hip attacks Ford and Jay in the corner. Cue Megan Bayne to take out everyone but Ford, including a sitout powerbomb to Jay. Harley Cameron comes in with a pipe to clear the ring but Storm gets the TCM Chickenwing to make Ford give up at 10:53.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t bad, but Storm running through three potential challengers is quite the interesting way to go. At the same time, having two people interfere in the match made it even messier than it was coming in, which wasn’t exactly necessary. Having Storm in the ring so often because she doesn’t have a match (yet) at Double Or Nothing is kind of an odd move, but at least she’s not losing.

Cru is in the crowd.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate for a chat. They are the best tag team in AEW so who is here to challenge them? Cue Top Flight to interrupt, saying they know they’re underdogs but they’re ready to show they belong again. MJF, far less formally dressed than usual, jumps Top Flight from behind and lays them both out. Lashley, who looks pleased, seems to be ready to give MJF an answer next week. It’s nice to see the big moment coming up and I’m not sure where it’s going.

The Elite and Ricochet are ready for their matches tonight.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Nick Wayne vs. ???

Wayne is defending against someone from Christian Cage’s (here with the rest of the Patriarchy) past. In this case it’s…hometown boy Rhino! Wayne actually takes him down and grabs a chinlock, only to miss a standing moonsault. The Patriarchy’s distraction doesn’t work as Wayne walks into a spinebuster, only to avoid the Gore. The Killswitch gives Wayne the clean pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Well that was certainly a thing. I’m not sure why you would bring in someone like Rhino and have him lose clean like this but odds are this is only going to be a one or two off appearance for Rhino. The match was nothing, but Rhino continues to be someone who can do his basic stuff well, with the fans being behind him of course.

Post match Cage goes to put the belt on Wayne but then throws it down before leaving on his own.

Rush wants revenge on Kevin Knight for costing him $100k on Collision.

Mike Bailey/Swerve Strickland/Mark Briscoe vs. Young Bucks/Ricochet

Strickland and Ricochet start things off with Strickland striking away. Bailey and Briscoe come in for some shots of their own but the villains fight up and strike a pose. That earns then a trip out to the floor but the Bucks leave Ricochet on his own in a pretty on point move. Stereo dives take out Ricochet and the Bucks, setting up Redneck Kung Fu on Ricochet back inside. The Bucks are right back up with stereo dives to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Briscoe fighting out of trouble and bringing Bailey in to fire off the kicks. The shooting star press misses though and everything breaks down. We hit the parade of knockdowns and after a breather, Bailey’s diving tag is cut off. Bailey kicks the Bucks away though and it’s off to Strickland to clean house. Ricochet gets powerbombed and a series of knockdowns sets up the Froggy Bow for two on Matt, with Nick making the save. With the other four on the floor, Matt rolls Strickland up for the pin at 14:16.

Rating: C+. And that’s a Young Bucks match. They get to do all their stuff, the survive a bunch of moves, and they win in the end. This comes after they get to do their usual promo about being awesome and then they still don’t get much in the way of comeuppance. But I’m sure it’s coming any day now.

MJF interrupts Will Ospreay and they argue a bit, with MJF wanting to face him again to show that Ospreay isn’t on his level. Ospreay says he is on another level.

We get a sitdown interview with Jamie Hayter, who doesn’t think Mercedes Mone is much like Owen Hart. She wants to know the real Mone, who says that Hayter is like her. That doesn’t work for Hayter, who doesn’t have the same resume as Mone, but she has integrity, grit and truth. This is about showing Mone that she isn’t everything she thinks she is because Mone is looking past her. Mone runs in for a cheap shot and the chase is on. They brawl out into the arena and Mone runs off again, only to come back and grab the Bank Statement. They’re trying with Hayter but this match still doesn’t feel very important.

Willow Nightingale wants a title shot but Kris Statlander interrupts. Nightingale doesn’t want to talk to her, but they can have a match on Collision.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kevin Knight

Non-title eliminator match. Hold on though as Rush jumps Knight from behind during the entrance and beats him down but here is Mike Bailey to interrupt. Granted that means posing at Rush while he chokes Knight, because Bailey isn’t all that smart. Knight wants to fight anyway and Okada hits a DDT for a fast two. A Flapjack gives Okada two more and he sends Knight outside as we take a break.

Back with Knight grabbing a quick powerbomb for two but Okada slams him down again. The top rope elbow connects and Okada gets to flip off the crowd. Some rollups give Knight two each and he scores with a dropkick. Okada dropkicks him out of the air though and the Rainmaker finishes Knight at 8:30.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have time to do much here and the story was that Knight was banged up to start. The match wound up being pretty good as they’re both talented, but there is only so much you can do with that little time in the first place, plus a break. Okada still seems destined to face Kenny Omega at All In, so this was just a week to give him something to do on the way to the big showdown.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Bailey runs in for the save.

The Don Callis Family tells the Outrunners to get some partners to face the Don Callis Family.

The Hurt Syndicate’s lawyer tells Bobby Lashley to not say anything about MJF.

Samoa Joe vs. Claudio Castagnoli

After conducting the fans in their JOE’S GONNA KILL YOU chants, Joe drives him into the corner and then takes it to the floor. Castagnoli gets sent into the barricade but then does the same to Joe to take over. Joe fights back and they get inside again where the beating continues on Castagnoli.

An arm snap over the top rope cuts Joe off though and we take a break. Back with Joe fighting out of a cobra clutch and hammering away. A powerslam into a running big boot gets two on Castagnoli, who is right back with the springboard spinning uppercut. That’s fine with Joe, who pulls him into the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 10:42.

Rating: B-. Much like the previous match, they only had so much time here and the match was more about setting up Joe for next week’s title match by having him take out a member of the Death Riders. Granted that’s pretty much what happened with Cope but Joe is a bit more intimidating. I don’t buy Joe having much of a chance to win the title, but at least he makes for an intimidating presence.

Post match the Death Riders come to the ring but Powerhouse Hobbs runs in with a chair for the save. Castagnoli gets beaten up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t so much a big show as much as it was the show getting us ready for the big show and that’s not a bad thing. It helps when most of the matches were good and they set some things up for later. With so many major events coming up, including next week’s Dynamite, you need a show like this and it worked well enough.

Results
Toni Storm b. Thunder Rosa, Anna Jay and Penelope Ford – TCM Chickenwing to Ford
Nick Wayne b. Rhino – Killswitch
Young Bucks/Ricochet b. Mike Bailey/Swerve Strickland/Mark Briscoe – Rollup to Strickland
Kazuchika Okada b. Kevin Knight – Rainmaker
Samoa Joe b. Claudio Castagnoli – Koquina Clutch

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 30, 2025
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Double Or Nothing and in this case it is time to start finalizing the card. Another big piece of that will be covered this week with the other semifinal of the Men’s Owen Hart Tournament. Other than that, we are probably going to get some more on the way to Samoa Joe vs. Jon Moxley for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Mark Briscoe/Kenny Omega/Kevin Knight/Mike Bailey vs. Kazuchika Okada/Young Bucks/Ricochet

Commentary says there has been nonstop talk about Omega and Okada being in a match together since this was announced. The multiple times that Schiavone brought it up on Collision counts I guess, as I’m only so interested in seeing another pairing between two people whose last singles match was almost seven years ago. Omega and Okada start things off but all four villains come in to beat Omega down instead. Nick pokes Omega in the eye and Matt snaps the arm over the top rope a few times.

Ricochet’s top rope stomp on the arm lets Matt do the arm snap again (while not looking). Naturally Omega reverses and makes Matt do it to Ricochet (the classics always work). It’s off to Bailey to kick away at Ricochet and a double basement dropkick….well it only half connects as Knight misses his version. Briscoe comes in and gets hit in the face, allowing Matt to come in. That’s fine with Matt, who kicks him in the face to even things up and it’s time for everyone to miss an elbow drop.

That gives us an eight way standoff (Schiavone LOVES this) and the good guys clear the ring as we take an early break. Back with Bailey slipping out of a powerbomb attempt but Ricochet knocks all of his partners off the apron. Ricochet can’t hit a brainbuster and neither can Okada so all of the villains come in. They all shout BRAINBUSTER and have them reversed into suplexes to the floor.

Stereo dives take them out again, leaving Bailey to missile dropkick Okada down back inside. Knight’s spinning splash hits Matt’s knees but it’s back to Omega to clean house. The Bucks get in a double shot to Omega’s bad stomach though and we take another break. Back again with Matt planting Omega with a DDT but Ricochet gets taken down. Briscoe comes in to clean house and a fisherman’s buster gets two on Okada.

The Jay Driller is countered into an Air Raid Crash onto the knee but Bailey kicks a middle finger away. Knight is back in for a double Pele Kick to the Bucks and now we get the Omega vs. Okada slugout. The One Winged Angel is broken up and Okada hits the dropkick. Everyone else comes back in and Matt/Ricochet go up top for a double top rope backsplash/double spike Tombstone for two each.

Briscoe is back in with the Jay Driller for two on Okada with Ricochet making the save. Ricochet gets dropkicked onto a pile on the floor and Omega hits a big running flip dive. Excalibur: “You don’t have to go to Reseda, California for this one!” Then Okada hits the Rainmaker to finish Briscoe at 26:25.

Rating: B+. Yeah this is where AEW tends to shine, as they know how to have a bunch of people go nuts in the ring and do all kinds of stuff. It’s a total AEW party match and that’s always going to be entertaining. Focusing it around Omega vs. Okada is a fine way to go, though I certainly hope hope their singles match can live up to the hype. That’s not going to be easy, especially when they start hyping it up this far out.

The Hurt Syndicate beat up some guys in the back and MVP gives them another MJF sales pitch. It still seems to be a possibility.

Opps vs. Nick Comoroto/Rhett Titus/Myles Hawkins

Non-title. Joe works on Titus’ arm to start and then hammers away in the corner. The enziguri in the corner connects and it’s off to Shibata vs. Comoroto. They chop it out until Shibata drops him with a running pump kick. Hobbs comes in to spinebuster Hawkins for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: C. That’s about all it needed to be with the champs getting to slaughter another set of opponents. In this case they are people you might have heard of, with Comoroto getting to come back and…well at least he’s back. As usual, the Trios Champions need opponents and that’s not likely going to be the case anytime soon.

Post match the Death Riders run in for the brawl with the Opps. Joe and Jon Moxley brawl into the aisle, leaving Shibata to get taken out. Rather than going after revenge, he says he wants his title match with Moxley next week to be in a cage.

Renee Paquette sits down with Mercedes Mone and brings up her various international titles. Mone cares about honoring the Harts but this whole thing is about her of course. She knows she’s coming up against Jamie Hayter, who is bigger and stronger, but she’s not greater.

Jay Lethal interrupts the Patriarchy and says he wants to face Nick Wayne tonight. Christian Cage accepts on behalf of an uncertain Wayne.

Toni Storm vs. Miyu Yamashita

Non-title and Yamashita is a big star from Tokyo Joshi Pro. They fight over wrist control to start until Storm hits a Thesz press and hammers away. A backbreaker puts Yamashita down but she’s back up with a kick to the head on the top. Storm misses a hip attack on the apron though and Yamashita fires off some kicks. Luther gets kicked down and Yamashita drops Storm with another kick as we take a break.

Back with an exchange of forearms going to Storm, though Yamashita walks through a bunch of shots to the head. Storm’s release German suplex works a bit better but she charges into a kick to the head for two. A Sky High gives Storm two and a fisherman’s suplex connects for the same. Yamashita kicks her in the head but gets German suplexed into the corner. The hip attack and Storm Zero finish for Storm at 9:21.

Rating: C+. This was the same problem as always with these guest stars: Yamashita means nothing in AEW/ROH. She’s wrestled here about five times and hasn’t had a match for either company in over two years. That more or less makes her a stranger but here she is getting almost ten minutes with the World Champion. The match itself wasn’t bad, but I need a lot more of a reason to care other than Excalibur telling me about what Yamashita has done in a promotion I don’t watch.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes out to tell the fans to shut up. She’s coming for the title but here is Jamie Hayter to run in and deck Mone. Storm….well she drops to the mat and kind of shakes a lot.

Don Callis is ready for Kyle Fletcher to win tonight and go on to win the Owen Hart Cup.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate for a chat. MVP talks about how all three of them have to agree to induct a new member so here is MJF to try again. MJF gets right to the sucking up and gets a thumbs up from Shelton Benjamin and MVP. That leaves Bobby Lashley, who teases a yes but then says no. MJF is sick of this and points out Lashley’s baldness, so Lashley takes him into the corner. If MJF wants to impress Lashley, hurt someone like the team does.

We look at FTR joining Stokely Hathaway last week.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Nick Wayne vs. Jay Lethal

Wayne is defending but Christian Cage’s theme music cuts Wayne’s off, with the champ not approving. They trade headlock takeovers to start and Wayne already needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Lethal fires off some loud chops in the corner before the basement dropkick connects.

Wayne is right back with a toss out to the floor and the hurricanrana takes Lethal out again. Lethal gets sent into the steps and we take a break. Back with Lethal grabbing la majistral and the Lethal Combination for two each. Hail To The King connects but Wayne reverses into a rollup for two of his own. Wayne kicks him down though and hits a fisherman’s buster to retain at 9:22.

Rating: C+. Wayne is getting a bit better in the ring and having him there against an old hand like Lethal is going to help. They have a little something with Cage and Wayne not getting along and if they play it right, Wayne could get a long way as a result. That hasn’t happened yet, but the pieces are being put in place for it to work.

Post match Cage takes the title…and wraps it around Wayne’s waist.

Samoa Joe vs. Jon Moxley is officially in a cage.

We take a quick look at the Owen Hart Cups.

Men’s Owen Hart Cup Semifinals: Kyle Fletcher vs. Hangman Page

Don Callis and Lance Archer are here with Fletcher. They fight over arm control to start as Callis sits in on commentary and argues with Taz. Page knocks him to the floor and is smart enough to not chase Fletcher outside. Back in and Page hammers him down again but it’s too early for the Buckshot Lariat. Instead Page clotheslines him on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher bleeding from the back and Page fighting out of a choke. Page hits a hard clothesline and we get a double breather. A backdrop and elbow have Fletcher in more trouble and a Death Valley Driver gets two. Page’s triangle clothesline puts Fletcher on the floor but he’s fine enough to hit a brainbuster onto the apron. Page is right back with a Tombstone on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Page getting the better of a slugout and a powerbomb gets two. Page plants him down again, only to have his moonsault hits raised boots. They go to the apron, where Page hits the Deadeye and since Fletcher is on his feet less than fifteen seconds later, Page hits a moonsault to the floor. Back in and the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a low blow and brainbuster for two. They go up top where Page clotheslines him down, setting up a flipping clothesline from the top. The Buckshot Lariat sends Page to Double Or Nothing at 23:25.

Rating: B. This was a bit of a weird match as Fletcher never felt like he had a serious chance to win. It made for a different kind of match as Page was doing his usual stuff and won in the end, even without facing a ton of adversity. That being said, I definitely like Page vs. Will Ospreay better than another Ospreay vs. Fletcher match as that feud is done.

Overall Rating: B. Another solid show here with everyone working hard and some stuff being set up for the coming weeks. They’ve done a good job setting up options in the men’s Owen Hart Cup and I’m curious to see where it goes. The women’s version isn’t as strong but at least we’re getting ready for some of the upcoming events. Now just make the buildup to them work and it’s all good.

Results
Kazuchika Okada/Young Bucks/Ricochet b. Mark Briscoe/Kenny Omega/Kevin Knight/Mike Bailey – Rainmaker to Briscoe
Opps b. Nick Comoroto/Rhett Titus/Myles Hawkins – Spinebuster to Hawkins
Toni Storm b. Miyu Yamashita – Storm Zero
Nick Wayne b. Jay Lethal – Fisherman’s buster
Hangman Page b. Kyle Fletcher – Buckshot Lariat

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 9, 2025
Location: Baltimore And Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re done with Dynasty and that means both Double Or Nothing and All In are on the horizon. Well the distant horizon but the horizon nonetheless. Jon Moxley is still the World Champion and will need a new challenger, which we should get closer to finding if the Owen Hart Cup continues tonight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynasty if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley, with the Death Riders, talks about how the roster might be talented but no one can get together to take him out. The Young Bucks have returned and Moxley sees it as a power play. He doesn’t recognize the Bucks anymore and he hasn’t in a long time. They better think before they make a move.

Jon Moxley vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Non-title and Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. They go with the grappling to start and Shibata gets on a quickly broken headscissors. Back up and they fight over a lockup until Shibata hits a rather loud chop. Shibata then stands still so Moxley can chop him, with the exchange of chops going to Shibata as Moxley staggers. An Octopus goes on but Moxley slips out and grabs a piledriver…with Shibata not even going down and kicking Moxley in the chest. Moxley goes to the eye though and gets a rear naked choke for the win at 5:39.

Rating: C+. There wasn’t much to see here as this was more about seeing Moxley get a win over someone talented. Yes Moxley cheated to get the win, but this didn’t exactly make me think much of Shibata as a result. Moxley being in the ring is slightly better than him talking, but that’s not much of a bar to clear.

Post match the Young Bucks come out, with Moxley saying something we can’t hear and leaves with Shafir. The Bucks talk about costing Swerve Strickland the World Title, which was a favor to Hangman Page, who is still their friend. As for helping the Death Riders, consider it a peace offering. The Bucks and the Death Riders have a lot in common, as they both want the locker room to rise up and make AEW better so they can change the world. They couldn’t even get the World Title so what about the Death Riders and the Elite together?

Cue Kenny Omega to say the Bucks didn’t seem to remember him as part of the Elite. The last time he saw them, they were shoving Omega off a stretcher during the height of his diverticulitis. When Omega was in high school, he had a friend with two dogs who were kind of annoying. The dogs kept relieving themselves and it became a bit hard to take, so Omega suggested that they move it to his house instead.

That’s how AEW was without Omega around to clean up after the Bucks. The last time we saw the Bucks, they were shredding documents, which was to cover up various expenses they had billed to AEW. Omega didn’t like the Bucks trying to kill the company he gave his life to so let’s just fight.

Cue Kazuchika Okada but Swerve Strickland comes through the crowd with a chair (Omega looks surprised) to chase the Elite off. Omega shows some respect/thanks to Strickland before leaving in peace. Strickland says it is time to go Buck hunting and he’s ready to blast them. The Bucks just couldn’t leave well enough alone…and here is Pac from behind to jump Strickland before their scheduled match. The more I see the Elite talking about their backstage stuff, the more it feels like a less interesting McMahons saga.

Pac vs. Swerve Strickland

We come back for the opening bell, with Swerve hitting a Snake Eyes into a running big boot. Swerve knocks him outside but Pac flips over him, only to get buckle bombed for his efforts. Pac gets sent outside…and he grabs his ankle and goes down. The referee holds Swerve back as Pac gets up and rolls back inside. Swerve hits a superkick and the Swerve Stomp finishes Pac off at 4:16.

Rating: N/A. I’m not going to rate the match, which was only getting going before Pac seemingly got injured. Assuming that’s a legitimate injury (and it seems to be given how fast they went home), we’ll just have to hope for the best. Swerve was probably going to win anyway, but they just stopped cold out there and that’s never a good sign.

Ricochet, Cru and the Beast Mortos are ready for an eight man tag for $400,000. The other three aren’t happy about the idea of Ricochet being the captain.

Mark Briscoe, Will Ospreay, Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight talk about what they might use their winnings on. Bailey wants shoes, Knight wants to go to Atlantic City, Ospreay wants to go to Disney World and Briscoe…wants to diversity his portfolio.

Commentary recaps the evening so far.

We look back at the first round of the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament, including the matches still to come.

Renee Paquette talks to Hangman Page, who doesn’t know what to say because he’s facing a wild card in the Owen Hart Cup. He storms into Swerve Strickland’s locker room but only finds Prince Nana. Page was NOT trying to help Swerve at Dynasty and if Swerve gets involved in his tournament matches, he’ll pick up where he left off. Nana goes to say something to Page, who cuts him off and storms out.

Ricochet/Cru/The Beast Mortos vs. Mark Briscoe/Will Ospreay/Mike Bailey/Kevin Knight

The winning team gets $400,000. Ricochet starts with Bailey but immediately tags out to Mortos instead. Bailey is fine with kicking away before scaring Ricochet outside again. Ospreay comes in and gets taken down in the corner, where Cru gets to stomp him down. Everyone comes in and Ricochet runs his mouth enough that he gets pummeled. The villains are sent into the corners for right hands to the head, followed by a toss to the floor.

A string of dives, capped off by Bailey’s moonsault, drops everyone again. Ricochet tries a dive but has to land on his feet, earning a quadruple shot to the head in a funny bit. We take a break and come back with Bailey kicking away at Mortos, who catches him with a Backstabber. Ricochet comes in but misses Bailey, instead settling for knocking Bailey’s partners to the floor.

Bailey does the same to Ricochet’s partners but gets caught with a jumping double stomp. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of knockdowns, including Ospreay hitting a double backflip kick to drop Cru. Ricochet Death Valley Drivers Bailey, who comes back up with some crane kicks to Mortos. The Oscutter hits Mortos and Knight hits his spinning frog splash for two with a big save (they got me on that one). The Hidden Blade finishes Mortos at 12:00.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun and I can go for the occasional adding in of a prize that isn’t a traditional title. The money means nothing going forward (in theory, as I could go for more of Briscoe’s stock tips) but it did make the match feel a bit more interesting. They had talented people doing their stuff, with that look on Ricochet’s face after he landed on his feet being great. Just a fun match here and I can always go for something like that.

We look back at FTR turning on Cope and laying him out at Dynasty. Cope is out indefinitely and Tony Schiavone goes OFF on FTR, calling it the worst thing he has ever seen in wrestling. Dax Harwood’s daughter is probably disappointed in her father too.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to celebrate their successful title defense, albeit with an unexpected assist from MJF. They bust out the champagne for a toast but here is MJF to interrupt. MJF stands next to the team and is happy to be with them, because it means he can skip the line and get his World Title back sooner than later. He helped them retain the Tag Team Titles and now they can help him win the World Title. So what is the initiation process?

Bobby Lashley tells MJF to shut up because they didn’t need MJF’s help. The Syndicate does not need him and Lashley gets into an argument with MJF (who insults Lashley’s new glasses). MVP and Shelton Benjamin break that up and MVP says it’s time to vote, with MJF needing three thumbs up to get in. MVP is a yes and Benjamin is in the middle….but says no. That’s enough for the Syndicate to leave and MVP just shrugs at MJF. This is going to keep on and I’m curious to see how MJF tries to change the team’s minds.

Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford are ready to move forward, with Bayne being at Collision.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Kris Statlander vs. Thunder Rosa

Toni Storm is on commentary, having stolen one of the commentators’ cars and returning their keys, albeit apologizing for the tobacco juice she left in there. Statlander runs her over with a shoulder to start but Rosa grabs an armbar. Back up and Statlander hits a running dropkick but misses a slingshot elbow. The running dropkick in the ropes knocks Statlander to the floor, setting up a seated senton off the apron. Back up and Statlander knocks her to the floor as well and we take a break.

We come back with Rosa grabbing a springboard hurricanrana into a northern lights suplex for two. Statlander gets a Blue Thunder Bomb, with Storm admiring her “juicy muscles”. A Canadian Destroyer gives Rosa two but Statlander powers up and hits Staturday Night Fever for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: B-. This was a strong showing from Statlander and that’s kind of weird to see when she is in there against Rosa. While Rosa didn’t get squashed here, it was more about Statlander looking dominant. Statlander might be a long shot to win the whole thing, but she’s already on a nice start.

Don Callis is ready for Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita to win the Owen Hart Cup. The team has injuries though and now it’s time to recruit some new members.

Adam Cole is happy to have gotten his moment but Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong want their own moment. Cole says they’re back and seems to dub the team the Paragon.

Here is an angry Chris Jericho for TV Time. Jericho is no longer the Ring Of Honor World Champion as he lost his match, his tooth and his title. He gives credit where credit is due to Bandido, who won the match, albeit with help from his brother and his STOOGE of a mother. Bandido has his family but so does Jericho, who brings out Big Bill and Bryan Keith.

Jericho gets on them for losing at Dynasty but Bill cuts him off. He joined up with the Learning Tree because Jericho is one of the best ever, but he is not here to be a punching bag when things go wrong. If all Jericho is going to do is berate him, then let him know now and it’s over.

Jericho says that’s not why he brought them out here, but rather so he can yell at them for not helping him retain the Ring Of Honor World Title. But that’s not what Jericho believes at all, because he isn’t angry. He’s just disappointed. Then he hits his TV monitor with a baseball bat, shouting about how he is disappointed…..in Bill. Jericho wants Bill to fix this and leaves. I really could have gone with no Jericho for a bit but that’s just not going to happen.

We look at Anthony Bowens returning to take out Max Caster.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

The Hurt Syndicate is in the back and Lashley says they don’t need or trust MJF. Benjamin thinks MJF is kind of funny and Lashley walks off, with Benjamin going to talk to him. MJF comes in to yell about how badly the rest of the Syndicate is treating him. MJF: “I’M MJF!” MVP: “That’s the problem.” He suggests that MJF find out what the rest of the team wants and give it to them.

Chris Jericho goes to leave and bashes more things with his bat.

Death Riders vs. Opps

Yuta’s waistlock doesn’t work on Joe to start and a forearm just annoys Joe even more. Castagnoli comes in for a strike off, with Joe sending him into the corner for a jumping enziguri. Hook comes in and gets slammed by Castagnoli but sidesteps Yuta’s dive in a nice tribute. Some rolling German suplexes have Yuta in trouble but he sends Hook to the apron for a double stomp from Castagnoli.

We take a break and come back with Yuta hitting an Angle Slam on Hook. A suplex gets Hook out of trouble but Yuta knocks Joe off the apron. That means a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination (that looked good) for two on Hook, leaving Joe to go after Castagnoli. Hook goes for Redrum but here is Jon Moxley to offer a distraction. Cue Katsuyori Shibata to choke Moxley and Redrum has Yuta down for the tap at 11:40.

Rating: B-. It was a nice enough main event tag match and I can go for seeing the Death Riders lose. While it seems like we are coming up on the Opps getting a Trios Title shot and Pac is injured, Moxley could be swapped in to defend the titles if necessary. That might be what the ending was setting up, but for now, it’s nice to see the Opps getting somewhere.

Post match Marina Shafir comes in with a chair to take down the Opps. Castagnoli gives Hook a Neutralizer onto an open chair so Joe comes in to chase them off. Joe says the Opps are coming for the Trios Titles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was good here but the storytelling wasn’t holding up as well. The Young Bucks, the Death Riders and Jericho got a lot of focus here and that didn’t help the show. There was a lot of doubling down on stars who have not seemed to be getting the best reception in recent months and that’s quite the way to go. Hopefully we get more of the fun stuff that AEW has been doing and less of the annoying stories, because AEW can be very entertaining when they don’t go in the wrong directions.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Katsuyori Shibata – Rear naked choke
Swerve Strickland b. Pac – Swerve Stomp
Mark Briscoe/Will Ospreay/Mike Bailey/Kevin Knight b. Ricochet/Cru/The Beast Mortos – Hidden Blade to Mortos
Kris Statlander b. Thunder Rosa – Staturday Night Fever
Opps b. Death Riders – Redrum to Yuta

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