Dynamite
Date: July 21, 2021
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s another special show this week with Fyter Fest Night Two, headlined by the IWGP United States Title Texas Deathmatch between Jon Moxley and Lance Archer. The recent shows have been pretty good as of late and I’m curious to see how well they can keep it up. Odds are they will, as they tend to do. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Spears

Tully Blanchard is at ringside, MJF is on commentary, Spears can use a chair but Jericho can’t. Jericho knocks him down to start but gets the chair taken away from him. That means Spears can chop him into the corner, only to be sent outside. A whip sends Spears into the barricade and Jericho heads back inside, leaving Spears to grab another chair. The triangle dropkick is cut off with a chair being pelted at the head.

Jericho scores with an enziguri but gets belly to belly superplexed back down. Spears crushes the arm with the chair but Jericho is back with some running shoulders. A top rope ax handle hits Spears again and Jericho adds in some pretty bad looking top rope right hands. Jericho hurricanranas him down but runs into a superkick for two.

Spears goes for the chair but Jericho pulls him into the Walls. Blanchard grabs the referee as Spears taps, so here is Sammy Guevara to pull Blanchard down. Sammy ducks a right hand and takes Blanchard to the back as Spears slips out of the Walls. A chair to the head into the C4 gets two so Spears tries another onto the chair, only to have Jericho slip out. Spears is sent into the chair in the corner and the Judas Effect finishes for Jericho at 10:59.

Rating: C+. I can get behind the idea of the Five Labors as it’s a cool idea and a story that makes enough sense. The chair stipulation was a little weird but at least they’re doing something that MJF would find a good idea. Throw in Guevara needing to redeem himself (and likely becoming a Labor later on) and it’s a story that should work well.

Post match MJF praises Jericho for his win but it gets a little harder next week. The second Labor of Jericho is going to be a No DQ match against…..sweet goodness it’s against Nick Gage. Well, so much for having fun on this show.

Miro is ready for his title defense at Homecoming in two weeks.

Doc Gallows vs. Frankie Kazarian

Karl Anderson is here too. Kazarian slugs away to start but gets knocked outside, where Anderson gets in a clothesline. We take a break and come back with Gallows holding a chinlock until Kazarian fights up with right hands. A running clothesline drops Gallows and the springboard legdrop gets two. Anderson offers a distraction by grabbing Kazarian around the waist, with JR accurately asking how the referee can’t see that. Kazarian gets rid of him but it’s a kick to the head into a chokebomb to give Gallows the pin at 6:36.

Rating: D+. This was a pretty short match as a good bit of it was during the break. Kazarian losing to Gallows is a little weird but odds are it leads to someone else coming to his aid for a tag match. I could go for a lot less (as in none at all) of the Good Brothers but at least they kept it short.

Post match the Good Brothers beat down Kazarian, including the Magic Killer. Cue Kenny Omega and Don Callis to say the Elite Hunter has become the Elite Hunted (which Callis had to whisper to Omega). They’re ready to show what is going to happen to Hangman Page, who comes out to interrupt. Callis thinks Page is just drunk so the fight is on, with the Dark Order running in for the save.

Team Taz is ready for Ricky Starks’ celebration next week.

Brian Cage says he loves celebrations.

Darby Allin vs. Wheeler Yuta

Sting and Orange Cassidy are here too. Allin takes him down by the arm to start but Yuta gets smart by sending him into the corner to bang up the ribs. We hit the Octopus but Allin bites the rope for the escape. Allin knocks him down and we get the Sting vs. Cassidy showdown on the floor, with an exchange of lazy kicks. Sting even does some lazy pounding on the chest, only to be cut off by Yuta grabbing some rollups for two. The flipping Stunner drops Yuta though and the Coffin Drop finishes for Allin at 4:21.

Rating: C. This was fun while it lasted but it didn’t last long. Yuta is someone who has looked good every time I’ve seen him and he was doing fine here as well. The Sting vs. Cassidy stuff was perfectly fine, with Sting’s chest pounding making me chuckle. Allin keeps building himself up, though I’m not sure what he is going to do later.

Post match (because there is always a post match), Blade comes in to knock Cassidy out with brass knuckles.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer in a Texas Deathmatch.

Women’s Title: Nyla Rose vs. Britt Baker

Baker is defending and Vickie Guerrero/Rebel are the seconds. Rose gets taken down by the arm to start but gets out in a hurry. A running armdrag doesn’t work for Baker so Rose gives her a gorilla press into a backsplash. Rose goes up top but Rebel gets Baker out of harm’s way. Instead it’s Baker sending Rose into the corner as we take a break. Back with Rose hitting a fall away slam but missing a charge into the corner. A backslide gets two on Rose and a DDT is good for the same.

Lockjaw is broken up in a hurry and Rose puts her over the top rope for the knee to the back of the head for two. Baker kicks her in the head for two of her own but walks into a chokeslam for the same. Back up and Baker kicks her down, setting up a few Curb Stomps for two. With nothing else working, the title is thrown in to Baker, who throws it to Rose and drops down. Vickie isn’t having that and throws the title back to Rebel, who isn’t DQ’d. Instead Rose hits a Beast Bomb for two, but another is escaped. Baker pulls her into Lockjaw to retain at 12:08.

Rating: B-. They were hitting each other rather hard here and it worked well, though it might have gone on one big near fall too many. There was no doubt over the winner here and that is not the worst thing in a first title defense. Baker is one of the biggest stars the promotion has and she isn’t (or shouldn’t) be losing anytime soon.

We get a press conference between Santana/Ortiz and FTR before they face off next week. FTR doesn’t think much of them but Santana goes on a rant (with photos) about how his family had to fight for everything. Dax Harwood says he only cares about God, his family and wrestling. The fight is on next week but security has to break it up this week.

Here is Andrade El Idolo, with translator, for a chat. Andrade gets right to the point and brings out his new executive consultant: Chavo Guerrero. After a nice reaction, Chavo puts over Andrade as a great star but here is Death Triangle to interrupt. Pac doesn’t like hearing Andrade talk about how Death Triangle is afraid of him, so Andrade talks about how he knows they’re great.

Chavo talks about how Pac’s waist isn’t shiny enough so Andrade suggests that the Lucha Bros jump ship. Pac says neither of them work for anyone because they’re a family. Andrade’s translator says they aren’t on Andrade’s level and those are fighting words. Referees prevent violence.

Earlier tonight, the Hardy Family Office beat up Jurassic Express until Christian Cage made the save.

Christian Cage thought it was over with Matt Hardy but we aren’t done yet. Next week, we can have a six man and get rid of the Hardy Family Office for good.

QT Marshall is going to apologize to Tony Schiavone.

Blade vs. Orange Cassidy

Bunny is here with Blade and Cassidy is banged up coming in. Cassidy starts fast anyway but gets knocked into the corner. That doesn’t last long as Blade is claiming a knee injury and we have to pause. Somehow that actually works on Cassidy, who gets jumped by a fine Blade. Stundog Millionaire cuts Blade off though and Cassidy goes up, only to get gutwrench dropped onto the top.

Back with Cassidy hitting a high crossbody and grabbing a DDT for two. Bunny gets on the apron but Kris Statlander cuts her off. The guys go outside where Blade is sent into Bunny (Tony: “SHE DROPPED HER EARS!!!”). Back in and another DDT is cut off, with Cassidy being dropped onto the top. A heck of a lariat sets up a spinning Tombstone for two on Cassidy and Blade is stunned. The Beach Break is broken up but the second attempt gives Cassidy two. Statlander has to deal with Bunny again but this time Bunny gets the knuckles. The Orange Punch breaks that up and gives Cassidy the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C. Not too bad here with the knuckles making for a fine story. It’s amazing how much more I can take Cassidy now that he is in a place he belongs on the card. They don’t feel like he is being forced here whatsoever, which is a welcome change. I can see the appeal of him like this and it is working out pretty well.

Post match Cassidy hits another Orange Punch with the brass knuckles, which he keeps for a bonus.

Chris Jericho, with his back to the camera, is fine with facing Nick Gage next week…..because the Painmaker is back.

Video on Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes, who meet in two weeks.

IWGP United States Title: Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer

Hometown boy Archer is challenging in a Texas Deathmatch. They go with the kendo sticks to start with Archer knocking him to the floor. A stick shot to the back rocks Moxley some more and they fight into the crowd. Archer throws a fan at Moxley and they head back into the ring. The floor mats are peeled back but Moxley grabs a quick Paradigm Shift onto the concrete for eight. The bloody Archer gets back up so Moxley busts out a fork to gash him open even more.

We take a break and come back with Archer punching a trashcan lid into Moxley’s face so Moxley bites his cut. Archer is back up with a kick to the face into a swinging Rock Bottom but remembers he can’t cover. Back up and Moxley hits a low blow before setting up a pair of chairs back to back, which will not end well.

Archer chokeslams him HARD onto the edges but Moxley is right back up. A big lariat into another Paradigm Shift….has Archer popping up, so Moxley forks him down again. With nothing else working, Moxley busts out a barbed wire board, which he puts onto a pair of tables. Archer forks Moxley for a change this time though and the chokeslam through the tables for the ten count and the title at 16:34.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a brawl which is totally not my style. I can go for the hardcore stuff in the right circumstances but stuff like the forks and the barbed wire are too much for me. That turns it into more of a freak show than a match or even a fight and I’m not wild on that almost all of the time. I was surprised by the title change, which is a good idea as it establishes that a New Japan title can change hands here rather than being little more than a photo op. Not my style, but I know there are people who are going to be all over this.

Post match Hikuleo (Haku’s son from New Japan) comes in for a staredown with Archer (who is shorter) before their title match next week.

Overall Rating: B-. Well it certainly wasn’t boring. This show was packed with stuff, some of which will be better received than the rest. I liked most of the matches and the angle advancement made sense, but the debuts didn’t do much for me. Chavo Guerrero is the definition of “really?” and Gage…we’ll move on from that garbage. The big thing here was the energy though and that alone made this show a lot of fun to watch. Good show, with some weak parts.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Shawn Spears – Judas Effect
Doc Gallows b. Frankie Kazarian – Chokebomb
Darby Allin b. Wheeler Yuta – Coffin Drop
Britt Baker b. Nyla Rose – Lockjaw
Orange Cassidy b. Blade – Orange Punch
Lance Archer b. Jon Moxley – Moxley could not answer the ten count

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

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AND

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There is something cool about the idea of an anniversary show. If nothing else, it reminds you just how long a promotion has been around, which can often be lost when you don’t think about it very often. Impact Wrestling has somehow been around nineteen years this month and it very well may be around for a lot longer to come. They tend to make the most of their anniversary shows so maybe there is some optimism here. The fans are back in person too so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Fire N Flava(c) vs. Rosemary/Havok

It’s another thrown together team challenging for the titles but at least there is a theme this time. Fire N Flava have been together for a good while now and feel like they have held the titles for the better part of ever, so it is certainly time for some fresh blood in there. Granted that has been the case several times before as Impact has yet to pull a trigger that lasts.

We’ll go with a title change to start things off hot. The pre-show is often where you put a change like this so maybe they have something here. It’s an idea that has worked before and Rosemary/Havok winning the titles would be a nice moment. Just go with something fun to energize the crowd in their first match back. It has worked before and it can work here too.

Matt Cardona/??? vs. Tenille Dashwood/Brian Myers

We might as well start with this one as it is going to be the underlying theme of the show: a bunch of people coming over from WWE. The idea here is a mixed tag and the tease is that Cardona’s partner is a “hot mess”. Assuming no shenanigans, you should know what that means and it could make for a fun moment, though I’m not sure how long such a change would last.

Since this should be an easy one, I’ll take Cardona and Chelsea Green/Laurel Van Ness. They’re engaged to be married so putting them together in a mixed tag match should be pretty much a layup. Green never got a chance in WWE and it would make sense to have her go back to the place where she had her greatest success. I’m not sure if she is going to stick around, but for a one off moment, it should work out well.

Eddie Edwards vs. W. Morrissey

Awful name aside, Impact has done a heck of a job with Morrissey, who has gone from a cross between a joke and a cautionary tale to a pretty good power monster. That is hard to do but they have managed to pull it off, so well done with the career rehab. Morrissey has done his part as well and I’m curious to see what is going to happen when he has his first major match.

When I say curious, I mean how well will his first win go, as Morrissey should win here in pretty dominant fashion. Edwards knows how to make a comeback and get the fans behind him, but ultimately this is going to be Morrissey dominating and then winning in the end with Edwards getting in a few flurries. That’s how it should be, as Edwards has been a made man in Impact for years now.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo(c) vs. ???

This is one of those where it is hard to make a pick because I don’t even know what to expect. It could be just about anyone who used to be in WWE, or someone we haven’t seen before, or someone from Impact’s past. That leaves you with quite a few options and it could go in a bunch of directions. I’m not sure what to do with this because it isn’t an easy pick to make, so a guessing we will go.

I’ll take……oh why not Mickie James to return and win the title. James is certainly a legend and she was teased for a return a few weeks ago. It isn’t like there are that many big names available for Impact, and it would be weird to have someone come in as a mystery opponent for a title shot and lose. The new reign might not last long, but it would be a good spot for James to return and put Purrazzo over down the line.

Chris Sabin vs. Moose

Here we have a grudge match as Impact squeezes everything they can out of the Motor City Machine Guns. Sabin is indeed a former World Champion and a tag team legend, but this feels like a heck of a downgrade for Moose, who was challenging for the World Title last month. Moose seems ready to be at the top of the company, but that has been the case for years now so it isn’t like anything changes.

Of course I’ll take Moose here because why in the world would you take Sabin? Moose needs a rebound win and it isn’t like Sabin has been a singles star in the better part of ever anyway. Much like Morrissey vs. Edwards earlier, Sabin gets in some offense before losing to the monster with the (maybe) brighter future. It’s an easy match and story to set up and the people are talented enough to make the execution work.

X-Division Title: Josh Alexander(c) vs. Petey Williams vs. Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin vs. Rohit Raju

We’ll continue the theme of matches where you cannot begin to guess who is going to win with any certainty as this is the Ultimate X mess. It is a great way to get the title off of someone who is ready to be rocketed up the card, but at the same time, a champion retaining here is considered a huge feather in their cap (or headgear in Alexander’s case). It could go in a lot of ways and that is good….I think.

That being said, I’ll throw in a bit of a curve here and say Bey wins. He has been featured multiple times in the build to the match and other than Alexander has stood out more than anyone else in recent weeks. I’m not sure about this whatsoever, but at least there is something here to get the crowd hyped. Alexander may very well retain, but he seems ready to move on to the main event scene.

Tag Team Titles: Violent By Design(c) vs. Good Brothers vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Fallah Bahh/???

Now this has some possibilities, as they have a few different ways to go. Violent By Design is getting a big push, but I could easily see then non-Bahh teams walking out with the titles. That makes things all the more interesting and hopefully Impact goes with something that keeps the interest going. That does not necessarily mean a title change, but I don’t think I would be complaining about one.

As much as I want to take Swann and Mack to win here, ultimately I think the titles go back to the Good Brothers because….well because they need to do something to validate their existence on two shows. The team is going to be every bit as annoying as they were before, but they are treated as the biggest team in Impact today and it would make sense to put the gold back on them. Oh and since TJP is out, we’ll go with Hernandez as Bahh’s partner. Why Hernandez? Eh why not?

Impact Wrestling World Title: Kenny Omega(c) vs. Sami Callihan

That leaves us with this as the Omega Saga continues. Omega is the World Champion of what feels like everything outside of WWE these days and now he gets to defend his second most well known title. Callihan has been treated as the big threat to the title in the last few weeks and Omega seems a bit shaken by what is waiting on him. Your tastes on Callihan may vary, but they have made him feel like a real threat to the title.

I’m still going to take Omega to retain though, as I think it’s too soon for Omega to start dropping titles. He is coming up on the title defense against Hangman Page (unofficially but come on) and I can’t imagine him taking a loss before we get to that one. Omega needs to be seen as invincible heading into that match and AEW has done a good job of making that the case so far. Dropping this title to Callihan isn’t what is best for AEW and ultimately, that is what is going to matter.

Overall Thoughts

While nothing really jumps off the page here, I’m interested enough by what they are offering to make this show intriguing. It is ultimately going to come down to how well the matches are executed and who they have coming in as a surprise, but this could wind up being another quality Slammiversary. If they can avoid the post-Slammiversary decline from last year, we could be in for the start of something good around here.

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

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AND

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

Dynamite
Date: July 14, 2021
Location: H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s another special show this week with Fyter Fest Night 1 as they’re out of Florida for the first time in over a year. The big story this week is the return of Jon Moxley to defend the IWGP United States Title against Karl Anderson, as we have an AEW wrestler defending a New Japan Title against an Impact wrestler. I for one can’t wait on the recreation of Taz vs. Mike Awesome so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

IWGP United States Title: Jon Moxley vs. Karl Anderson

Moxley is defending and here’s Eddie Kingston with a pipe to jump Doc Gallows before the bell. They slug it out to start and then proceed to slug it out some more, this time with Moxley winning a battle of the forearms. Back up and Anderson knocks him to the floor for a ram into the barricade. Moxley comes back with some microphone choking but Anderson kicks him off the apron for a crash. Anderson grabs a spinebuster for two and goes up, with Moxley biting his head to cut that off.

The superplex plants Anderson but Moxley can’t cover. Instead he has to block the Gun Stun and it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Anderson is back up and tries an Owen Hart piledriver but stumbles and nearly drops Moxley on his head for two. A middle rope neckbreaker gives Anderson two and a quick Gun Stun is good for the same. Anderson’s TKO gets two more but Moxley grabs a short arm clothesline. The Paradigm Shift retains the title at 9:40.

Rating: C+. It was hard hitting and back and forth, with Kingston getting rid of Gallows being a nice plus. Moxley is a great choice to open the show as he is one of the most popular wrestlers around here tonight. If nothing else, maybe the Good Brothers will be gone from the rest of the show, or at least we can only hope.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Lance Archer wants the IWGP US Title back. Jon Moxley took the title from him in a Texas Death Match in Japan, so let’s have another one next week in Dallas.

Andrade El Idolo asks where the Death Triangle has gone because he is looking for them.

FTW World Title: Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks

Starks is challenging in his first match back from a broken neck and the rest of Team Taz is in a neutral corner. Taz is on commentary and offers some insight of how these two were backstage today (Starks was more serious, Cage was more outgoing). Cage can’t quite get some kind of slam to start so he goes with a gorilla press instead. Some whips into the corner put Starks on the top rope and the kicks to the ribs crotch Starks on the top.

Cage misses a charge into the corner though and Starks kicks away at the arm. Said arm is snapped across the middle rope and a middle rope dropkick gives Starks two. We take a break and come back with Starks getting two off a crucifix bomb as Excalibur calls the FTW Title an outlaw championship. Cage heads outside so Starks slides to the floor for a clothesline. Back in and Starks grabs a choke, only to get driven into the corner.

Cage kicks him in the head and nails a pumphandle faceplant for two. Starks’ springboard tornado DDT is blocked and Cage hits a superkick for two more. Starks slips out of the apron superplex and hits a sitout powerbomb for his own near fall. With nothing else working, Starks goes for the title belt but Powerhouse Hobbs won’t let him. That allows Cage to hit the F5 for two so Hook distracts the referee. Hobbs blasts Cage with the title and Starks’ spear connects for the pin and the title at 9:23.

Rating: C. Starks looked a bit rusty here but that’s quite understandable given the injury and time off. Cage losing the title is fine and he can probably go off on his own after the loss. It could be interesting to see Starks as the star of the team for once as he has all of the skills you could need to go somewhere.

We look at Malakai Black debuting last week and kicking Cody Rhodes’ head off.

Here is an annoyed Cody (in a white suit) to the announcers’ table to call out Tommy End/Malakai Black. All Black needed to do was make a phone call and he could have been here. We don’t kick a 62 year old man in the face around here though so please bring him a mic so he can head to the ring. Cody doesn’t win every fight he’s in but he has a better chance when he knows it’s coming. This is Fyter Fest and he feels like fighting.

Black appears on screen to ask if Cody heard the fans cheer when Black kicked him in the face last week. Black talks about a man having a horse who took him everywhere but one day that horse was done. The man took him to a nice field, put a bag over the horse’s head and finished him. Cody calls Black out again so the lights go out and here he is in the ring. Referees break it up in a hurry.

Tully Blanchard talks about attacking Konnan last week when he runs into Santana and Ortiz, who bust out a tire iron. The shot to the head is teased, but they say next time won’t be so nice. Tully promises to get his boys.

Here is Hangman Page, who is feeling weird, for a chat. Page talks about how he wanted to be World Champion from day one, but he failed. He tried to hide from his failure but he still needs that championship. That’s why he is here to challenge….and here are Don Callis and the Elite to cut him off. They insist that Page is not that guy, with Matt Jackson going to the ring to say something to Page’s face.

Matt knows there is only one person to blame for Page’s issues and he is one step away from being the next great wrestling tragedy. The fight is on with the Elite coming in but the Dark Order runs in for the save. Page issues the challenge to Omega but we’ll make that a ten man elimination tag instead. That’s fine with Page, who says if they win, he gets the World Title and the Dark Order gets a Tag Team Title shot against the Bucks. Omega: “YOU DIDN’T EARN IT!!! NONE OF YOU EARNED IT!!!”

Omega thinks Page is making a lot of demands so he’ll make one of his own: if Page’s team loses, there are no title shots and Page is done. He can’t wait for the COWBOY S*** chant to turn into BELT COLLEC-TOR. Page gets in Omega’s face and says yes, which freaks Omega out a bit. They had a lot of people here, but it got the job done.

Chris Jericho recaps the Five Labors of Jericho that MJF has set up for him, but points out that Hercules won in the end. MJF can send Superman or the Black Panther out after him because Jericho will walk across broken glass to get MJF again. Jericho is the god of thunder and the god of war….and here is Shawn Spears to hit him in the throat with a chair. MJF pops in to make the match against Spears next week, where Spears can use a chair but Jericho can’t. Spears gets in a bonus chair shot to the arm.

Matt Hardy vs. Christian Cage

They grab a lockup to start and fall out to the floor with the lockup continuing. Christian slides back in and tells Matt to bring it, only to slide outside and send Hardy face first into the apron. A big dive takes Hardy down again and a reverse DDT gives Christian two back inside. The right hands in the corner keep Matt in trouble until he sends Christian shoulder first into the post to take over for the first time. Choking on the ropes sets up the catapult to send Christian throat first into the rope and we take a break.

Back with Christian countering the Twist of Fate and hitting a spear for two. The frog splash gets the same but the tornado DDT is countered. Instead Matt takes him up top for a superplex into the near fall and extra breathing is required. Back up and Matt grabs the referee to block a Killswitch. The low blow into the Twist of Fate gets two and it’s back to the floor for the Leech (double underhook neck crank) but Christian makes it back in at nine. The Killswitch finishes Hardy out of nowhere at 12:59.

Rating: C. This was your nostalgia match of the week and that is about all it was going to be good for here. Neither of them are what they were in the ring before but at least they did their thing without getting bad. The ending was out of nowhere but the whole thing worked out well enough.

Post match the Hardy Family Office comes in but Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus run in for the save.

Miro talks about a man who had to figure out what he was and then went on to destroy everyone. He holds up the TNT Title (which appeared to have been redesigned) and says this is his reward, which he will defend anywhere.

Tony Schiavone brings in Britt Baker to talk about facing Nyla Rose next week. Baker has been through tables, ladders and chairs and nothing has scared here, just like Rose won’t next week. Rose might be at the top of the food chain but Baker is off the menu. Baker knocks Vickie Guerrero is listening and she has the name to keep her relevant in wrestling. Rose doesn’t have that and needs the title to be mean something. She isn’t getting it back next week, because with the title, Baker is the hottest thing in wrestling. Without it though, she is still Britt Baker DMD. Baker continues to be feeling it on the mic.

Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero promise to take the title next week.

Sammy Guevara vs. Wheeler Yuta

Sammy gets the big hometown pop as Bunny and Blade are watching from ringside. Yuta runs the ropes to start so Sammy flips over him and loads up a dive, only to flip back inside. The posing brings Yuta back in and charges into a powerslam, setting up the running shooting star press to give Sammy two. The shooting star press hits knees and Yuta walks the ropes for a middle rope dropkick. A German suplex drops Guevara and a huge top rope splash gets one. Guevara is back up with a backdrop into an enziguri out of the corner. The double springboard cutter into the GTH finishes Yuta at 3:43.

Rating: C+. This was just a step beneath a squash and it gave Guevara the nice hometown win. That’s all it was supposed to be and Yuta looking good in defeat was a nice bonus. You don’t need much more than that and they had a pretty good spectacle here. Guevara still seems ready to explode and getting a win here was the right call.

Earlier today, QT Marshall poured coffee onto Tony Schiavone’s head.

Penelope Ford vs. Yuka Sakazaki

This is Sakazaki’s first match in AEW in 16 months. They start fast with Ford being sent outside for a middle rope flip dive. Back in and Ford chokes on the ropes as we take a break. We come back with Sakazaki muscling her up for a suplex, setting up a rolling kick to the face. A middle rope elbow to the face gets two but Ford is back with some pump kicks for two. Sakazaki throws Ford on her shoulder for a spinning faceplant, setting up a spinning splash for the pin at 7:30.

Rating: C-. Just a match here as Sakazaki is back. I’m not sure if she was exactly a big deal around here in the first place but the division could use some extra blood at this point. The match itself wasn’t anything of note, but Ford is hardly the one that you bring in for a great in-ring performance.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page

Coffin (casket) match with Allin jumping him to start. Allin pulls off his jacket to reveal a metal plate attached to his back. A springboard body block drops Page and it’s time to go to the casket….with Scorpio Sky inside. Cue Sting to take care of Sky and the two of them fight into the crowd, with Sky getting crotched on a barricade. Back to the actual match, with Page being thrown over the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Page throwing he steps in, along with the unhooked bottom turnbuckle. Page uses the actual hook to pull Allin down by the neck….so Allin hooks his Page’s mouth. Point to Allin. They fight outside into the coffin to slug it out until Allin gets launched out. Back inside and Allin hits his flipping Stunner off the steps but the bleeding Page catches him on top. The super Ego’s Edge onto the steps leaves Allin down but he busts out the skateboard for a shot to the back, sending Page into the coffin for the win at 11:40.

Rating: B. Much like Kingston taking out Doc Gallows, it was nice to have Sting get rid of Sky here. This was a big grudge match and in theory it should wrap everything up between the two of them. There isn’t much left for them to do as it wasn’t exactly a huge feud in the first place. Allin is ready to move on to something else, though I’m not sure what that is going to be.

Post match, Allin hits the Coffin Drop through the coffin and….well pretty close to Page. That man’s poor spine.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty good show here with a bunch of mostly fine matches. It wasn’t quite last week, but they set up enough going forward and the main event was fun. I’m curious to see where AEW is going with some of these things and that is one of the best things that you can say about a wrestling show. Not their best stuff tonight, but it was more than enough to get by. Also, thankfully they dropped the Fyre Fest deals this time as the idea was played out when it first aired.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Karl Anderson – Paradigm Shift
Ricky Starks b. Brian Cage – Spear
Christian Cage b. Matt Hardy – Killswitch
Sammy Guevara b. Wheeler Yuta – GTH
Yuka Sakazaki b. Penelope Ford – Spinning splash
Darby Allin b. Ethan Page – Allin put Page in the coffin

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 8, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We’re almost up to Slammiversary and that means it is time for the final push towards the show. The Elite got to stand tall at the end of last week’s show but they are going to have to get what is coming to them sooner rather than later. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them lose a bit of ground here, but you never can tell with them. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Kenny Omega and Don Callis are here for the contract signing between Omega and Sami Callihan, who doesn’t have them worried.

Opening sequence.

Brian Myers vs. Jake Something

The loser has to admit the other is a professional and Sam Beale is here with Myers. Something slugs away to start and they’re on the floor in a hurry with Myers being sent face first into the steps. They head back inside where Myers is clotheslined straight back to the floor in a hurry.

This time Myers gets in a shot of his own, setting up a suplex onto the ramp. Josh: “Jake Something experiencing what it is like to get suplexed onto the ramp. You fans can experience what it is like to see Impact Wrestling live!” Points for a good transition. Beale gets in a cheap shot from the floor but Something is back with a powerbomb. Myers grabs a DDT for two and goes up top for the elbow and a rather near fall. The Roster Cut is countered into the swinging Black Hole Slam to give Something the fast win at 5:19.

Rating: C. Ignoring the stupid Something name, this could have been worse and the ending was clean. It had a personal story behind it and that is about all you can ask for in something like this. They only had about five minutes so they did what they could, which is a little bit more than I was expecting.

Post match Something tells Myers to say it but Myers stalls until Beale can get in a cheap shot. Matt Cardona comes in for the save, likely setting up the tag match.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready to keep the Knockouts Title without Kimber Lee and Susan. She is so confident that it’s open challenge time. I still need a moratorium on those things already.

Sami Callihan is ready for the contract signing when he is arrested for assaulting Don Callis. Sami: “I DID NOTHING THIS TIME!!!”

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. ???

Purrazzo is defending against….the debuting Lady Frost (Dave Penzer: “From somewhere cold!”). Purrazzo doesn’t seem overly intimidated and takes Frost into the corner to stomp away. A roundhouse kick takes Purrazzo down but Frost misses a moonsault, injuring her ankle in the process. With Frost down, the Fujiwara armbar makes her tap at 2:35.

Post match Purrazzo calls Frost another brick in the age of the Virtuosa. She is the greatest Knockouts Champion of all time but here is Gail Kim to interrupt. Kim is here to talk about Slammiversary but she is NOT challenging for the title. Instead, Kim and Scott D’Amore have found a challenger for the title at Slammiversary and Purrazzo isn’t finding out until the show. Be ready for the fight of your life.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Mickie James retains the Knockouts Title over Angelina Love at Slammiversary 2011.

Chris Sabin comes in to the empty Swinger’s Palace but Johnny Swinger isn’t there. Sabin asks one of the Swingerellas about her cat’s surgery but here’s Moose to jump both Sabin and Hernandez.

Chris Bey has made his decision about his side in the X-Division war, but he isn’t friends with anyone on his side.

W. Morrissey vs. Jason Page/Manny Smith/Deontay Evans

Before the match, Morrissey accepts Eddie Edwards’ challenge for Slammiversary and promises to demonstrate what is coming for him. Clotheslines and splashes set up a chokeslam and a powerbomb to put all three down at once. The release F5 lets Morrissey stack them up for the pin at 1:54. Well that was effective.

Video on the Knockouts division and how awesome the whole group is.

Don Callis is rather serious about the assault and isn’t taking this lightly. He even has footage of what happened and we see “Callihan” (mostly from behind and with his face covered) hitting him. Scott D’Amore says the contract signing is taking place tonight anyway.

Susan/Kimber Lee vs. Rosemary/Havok

Susan panics at having to start with Rosemary and it’s off to Havok for a double clothesline. Lee comes in and hammers away to no avail before being screamed down. Havok tosses Lee around with ease so Rosemary comes back in. This time Lee actually manages to do something of her own, with a series of kicks to the head. Susan and Lee start taking turns on Rosemary in the corner, which lasts all of ten seconds before she gets away for the tag off to Havok. Everything breaks down and Havok knocks Lee off the top to the floor. Rosemary spears Susan for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: D+. Remember when Susan was Su Yung, the indestructible monster of the division? Well now she’s losing in a mostly one sided tag match in about four minutes. At least they turned her into some kind of a joke with the pants suit, because that’s what you should do with someone as unique and talented as Yung. As usual, this company makes some really strange choices from time to time.

We go to the locker room for It’s All About Me, with Jazz (in a Shad Gaspard shirt) as this week’s guest. She gets to ask Tenille Dashwood a question, but Dashwood asks her about Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace’s instead. With that not working, Kaleb With A K asks what it means for Dashwood, who blames Jazz for everything falling apart. Dashwood thinks that sounds like Jazz’s career before backing away. Jazz gets shoved into the camera to wrap it up.

Post break, Grace and Ellering come in to check on Jazz. Revenge is sworn, with Ellering not being happy with Jazz being treated like this. Seems like a mixed tag is set for next week.

Here are Rich Swann and Willie Mack for a chat. Swann talks about how they like to fight straight up but Violent By Design jumped them last week. The challenge is sent out for the Tag Team Title shot but TJP and Fallah Bahh interrupt instead. The line starts behind them in the same promo you’ve heard a hundred times. Cue Violent By Design for the showdown but the Good Brothers come in as well, with both guys talking about how great they are in a southern preacher style. Cue Tommy Dreamer to announce a four way tag at Slammiversary. Great. Speaking of great, it’s time for a four way.

Deaner vs. Rich Swann vs. TJP vs. Karl Anderson

We start fast after with the partners on the floor and everyone else brawling inside. Swann and TJP are left alone in the ring and it’s time to start running the ropes in a hurry. TJP gets sent outside but Deaner is right there to jump Swann from behind. The chinlock goes on but here is TJP to kick Deaner down in the corner. Deaner reverses and hits a running dropkick to drive TJP’s neck into the corner for two. Back up and TJP sends Deaner and Anderson to the floor, only to be sent outside by Swann. That means a huge flip dive from Swann and we take a break.

Back with Swann running into Deaner’s knee to the ribs as Anderson gets back in. Deaner jumps him rather than agreeing to an alliance before Swann is back in. Everyone knocks each other down until TJP kicks Anderson into the corner for the boot wash. The Detonation Kick is blocked but so is the Gun Stun, leaving TJP to hit the Detonation Kick on Anderson. The Mamba Splash misses though and a Deaner DDT gets two on Swann. TJP is sent outside, leaving Anderson to Gun Stun Deaner for the pin at 13:21.

Rating: C+. The match was as energetic as you would have expected, despite one of the Good Brothers winning to make me roll my eyes. I’m not expecting them to get a title shot but there is always that chance. That alone should be a scary thought and I’m not sure what to expect at Slammiversary.

Post match the Good Brothers have their big staredown with Violent By Design, with everyone else getting involved.

Kimber Lee has a backup plan for Susan, revealing James Mitchell (yeah he’s great but HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS THING), who is going to help things out.

Slammiversary rundown.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan.

Scott D’Amore is in the ring for the Omega vs. Callihan contract signing. Since there is no Callihan, here are Omega and Don Callis, with the latter bragging about Callihan not being around. D’Amore says they have nine days to get Callihan to sign so Omega signs. The lights go out though and we see footage of Callis being slapped by the fake Callihan and praising him for doing it well.

Cue the real Callihan with the baseball bat to Omega, who is back up nine seconds later for the brawl. Callihan plants him with the package piledriver and then signs the deal. Omega is put through the table to end the show. This was contract signing 101, but if Callihan can’t keep him down for ten seconds with a baseball bat, why bother with the match?

Overall Rating: C-. They did a few things that make me want to see Slammiversary more and that is what matters the most. The wrestling here wasn’t great but it also wasn’t the point of the show. What mattered here was making me want to see the pay per view and job well done enough. The show still isn’t great, but they have found their rhythm and seem to be sticking with it and that’s a good thing.

Results
Jake Something b. Brian Myers – Swinging Black Hole Slam
Deonna Purrazzo b. Lady Frost – Fujiwara armbar
W. Morrissey b. Jason Page/Manny Smith/Deontay Wilder – Triple pin
Rosemary/Havok b. Susan/Kimber Lee – Spear to Susan
Karl Anderson b. Rich Swann, Deaner and TJP – Gun Stun to Deaner

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: July 7, 2021
Location: James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re officially back on the road and that means there are fresh fans in attendance. That is certainly a good thing and something that did not feel possible over the last year plus. First up we have Road Rager, featuring the Tag Team Titles on the line, a strap match and the debut of Andrade El Idolo. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall

South Beach Strap Match with the four corner version. Cody dives on him before the bell and the fight is on with Cody pulling Marshall into the ropes. We look at various UFC fighters at ringside as Marshall gets in a shot to the ribs. A moonsault only designed to get knocked out of the air gets knocked out of the air and Cody hits a few buckles. Aaron Solow breaks it up but Dustin Rhodes fights him into the crowd to get rid of one goon.

Nick Comoroto follows and Cody gets three buckles, only to get German suplexed back down. They go outside with Cody posting him to draw some blood. Back in and the lights go out to reveal…..that the lights just happened to go out (though Cody’s surprised/confused face was amusing). Cody slaps a few more buckles but gets caught in a superbomb to put him in trouble for a change.

Marshall ties the strap around Cody and hits a hanging cutter out of the corner for three buckles. The fourth is cut off though and things are reset. Cody makes the comeback and strikes away, setting up the flying headscissors. There’s the Cody Cutter to drop Marshall again and a low blow makes it even worse. Cody goes for the fourth buckle but Marshall spits at him. That earns Marshall three straight Cross Rhodes and Cody hits all four buckles to win at 10:38.

Rating: C. Hey Cody wins a big match over an opponent who was never close to his level. It’s the right call but it doesn’t exactly come off as a great moment as you got what you would have expected. Cody beating Marshall is good and it should end the match, but Cody having some long term adversity could be a bit better. AEW is back to touring again and where they’re going, they might not need Rhodes (I watched Back To The Future earlier today).

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We look back at Shawn Spears jumping Sammy Guevara with a chair last week.

Spears says he got Guevara….and gets chaired down by Sammy, who sits in a chair to say he got Spears, b****.

Tony Schiavone brings out Don Callis and Kenny Omega for a chat. Callis gets rid of Tony but the fans remind Callis that he got fired (from Impact). That doesn’t matter though as Callis goes over Omega’s recent successes and brings up that there are no challengers left. That’s a problem as Omega is supposed to defend the title at Fight For The Fallen….so the fans say they want Hangman.

Callis says he’ll tell them what they want but here is the Dark Order to interrupt. Evil Uno gets into the ring alone and wants to know why Omega is scared of Uno’s friend. Fans: “COWBOY S***!” Omega talks about how Uno is stupid and then kicks him low. Cue the rest of the Elite to take out the Dark Order but Hangman Page runs in to break up the belt shot. House is cleaned and the Buckshot Lariat is loaded up on Omega but Page stares at him instead. Another run-in is cut off but the distraction allows Omega to escape. I’d be surprised if they did this at Fight For The Fallen, but it’s coming sooner or later.

Earlier today, Jim Ross sat down with Ethan Page and Darby Allin. JR is disturbed by the idea that these two are going to fight to injure the other’s career and wants to know how we got here. Page takes his sunglasses off by Allin says hang on. Allin talks about how his success made Page jealous. Page never left his hometown and was content being the big fish in the small pond.

Page says that’s all true, but he plucked Allin from obscurity and taught him the lessons that brought him to AEW. Ever since he was a kid, people have told him that he would be a star and now he has to see Allin paint his face and get to be on Dynamite. That’s why Page is going to take him out in the Coffin Match. JR has a bad feeling about it, and Allin says he should.

Pinnacle vs. Inner Circle

FTR/Wardlow vs. Jake Hager/Santana/Ortiz here with Tully Blanchard and Konnan in the corners. Santana starts fast with a pair of Amigos into a German suplex to send Harwood into the corner. Ortiz comes in for a leg lariat but Wardlow comes in to plant him with a gutwrench powerbomb. It’s back to Harwood who gets planted with a powerbomb, allowing the hot tag to Hager for the house cleaning.

We take a break and come back with Ortiz coming in to clean house (again) but gets taken into the corner. The step up cannonball plants Wheeler but Wardlow makes a save of his own. We settle back down to Ortiz countering Harwood’s suplex into a brainbuster, allowing the hot tag back to Hager. The ankle lock makes Wheeler tap but Harwood was legal, meaning Hager has to kick him in the face. As usual, Hager wants Wardlow and the slugout is on. The rest of the Pinnacle comes in and a quick Big Rig plants Hager to give Wardlow the pin at 9:00.

Rating: C+. This felt like a big time Saturday Night main event with three members of one group against three members of the other, which is all it needed to be. It wasn’t supposed to be anything huge or beyond that and it did its job. I can go for a match that is only supposed to keep a feud going and they made it work just fine.

Post match Konnan goes after the Pinnacle but gets taken down for a beating of his own.

Video on Karl Anderson vs. Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Title next week.

It’s time for a showdown/contract signing with MJF and Chris Jericho, with the latter soaking in a lengthy sing-a-long. A fan tries to run in and gets knocked down so we cut to a crowd shot for a bit. Jericho and MJF (after he challenges any other fan to come in and get beaten up) sit down at the long table with MJF talking about how everyone wants a rub from him. MJF makes the mistake of calling him Y2J, so Jericho says he should have let the fat guy come in here and beat MJF up, but now he’ll do whatever it takes to get a match with him. Jericho: “I’ll even have sex with your mother.”

That has MJF a little annoyed so he talks about following Jericho’s career. We hear about Jericho’s issues with Jon Moxley and what it took for Moxley to get a match. Jericho had Moxley face every member of the Inner Circle and karma is a b****. MJF wants to up the ante a bit and talks about how he loves mythology. The name Demo God comes from demagogue, even though Jericho isn’t in the key demo anymore. MJF loved the labors of Hercules and thinks that Jericho needs to win a few matches.

We’ll make that four matches, with MJF picking the opponents and stipulations. If Jericho wins those four matches, he’ll get his match with MJF. Jericho is ready for the challenge so he can ruin MJF’s life. Jericho signs but MJF isn’t done yet because he comes from the greatest place in the world: Long Island, New York. They have to shake hands or the deal is off. The shake ensues, but Jericho pulls him into the Judas Effect to leave MJF laying. I’m a mythology fan so the theme was cool here and it probably gets them to All Out.

Britt Baker rants about being around the dangerous Nyla Rose. Look what happened when the innocent Reba got in the unsafe ring. Baker blames Tony Khan and now Vickie Guerrero brought in Andrade El Idolo. They got all of their money so maybe next week Dynamite can run in Saudi Arabia! Baker is ready to take out Nyla in Dallas at Fyter Fest and the town is going to be renamed the Big DMD.

Matt Sydal vs. Andrade El Idolo

Vickie Guerrero is here with Andrade, who comes out in a mask and suit, both of which go away. Andrade takes him down to start and hits the double moonsault for an early two. Sydal is back up with a shot to the face but gets knocked off the top for a crash. We take a break and come back with Sydal scoring with some shots to the face and rolling him up for two.

The jumping knee misses though and Andrade blasts him with a clothesline. Sydal gets tied in the Tree of Woe but the Alberto double stomp misses. Instead Sydal comes off the top with a Meteora for two but Andrade sends him into the corner for the running knees. El Idolo (the hammerlock DDT) finishes Sydal at 7:37.

Rating: C. This was a fine enough debut for Andrade who just needed to come in with a win. He could be a pretty big player as time goes on around here and the match was competitive enough without going too far. I’m curious to see where things go for Andrade, though I’m really not sure how much good Vickie is going to do for him.

Video on Matt Hardy vs. Christian Cage, who face off next week. They have always been in the same place, with Hardy accusing Christian of following him.  The match is 20 years in the making and it ends next week.

Here is Arn Anderson in the ring and he is rather happy to be in Miami. The lights go out….and this time it’s the former Aleister Black in the ring to hit Black Mass on Anderson. Cody Rhodes runs in for the staredown, with Excalibur identifying Black as Tommy End. This is followed by the announcement of “THAT IS NOT TOMMY END!” Apparently his name is Malakai Black, and he hits Black Mass on Rhodes.

Earlier today, Ricky Starks came to the ring with security but Taz comes out to say this is nonsense. Starks says Brian Cage is the embarrassing one and if he has to do this to get ready for the FTW Title match next week. Where he comes from, the W stands for wife, and Starks means Cage’s wife. Cue Cage to chase Starks off and beat up security. That was a great line from Starks.

Orange Cassidy/Kris Statlander vs. Bunny/Blade

Blade is checked for weapons before the match and the referee actually finds some brass knuckles. Bunny yells at Cassidy, who puts his hands in his pockets and hits the lazy kicks before the bell. Blade comes in for the bell and gets taken down at the bell but it’s too early for the Beach Break. It’s also too early for the tornado DDT, meaning Cassidy can get planted with a powerslam.

Stundog Millionaire takes Blade down and it’s off to the women, with Bunny hitting a running knee. Statlander is back up for some chops in the corner, setting up a delayed vertical suplex. The flipping legdrop misses though and Bunny sends her throat first into the ropes. We take a break and come back with Statlander hitting a spinning fisherman’s driver for two. Bunny catches her with a German suplex off the ropes though and it’s off to Blade to face Statlander.

Cassidy comes in (as he has to) with a high crossbody and now the spinning DDT can connect for two. Bunny gets knocked off the apron and Statlander busts out a 450 (Area 451, and a good one at that) to give Cassidy two with Bunny making the save. Blade uses the distraction to pull out more knuckles and knock Cassidy silly….but Statlander tagged herself in, allowing her to hit the Big Bang Theory for the pin at 8:27.

Rating: C. That 450 alone made this work as Statlander nailed that thing. They played with the mixed tag stuff here and what we got worked well enough. I’m not exactly feeling the Hardy Family Office vs. Best Friends thing but it’s fine for a midcard feud, as that’s about where everyone involved should be.

Earlier today, Jungle Boy got a nice trophy for being the first AEW wrestler to fifty wins.

American Top Team’s (MMA) Dan Lambert (a huge wrestling fan with an awesome belt collection) was glad to come to the show but he didn’t agree to an interview, even with Jorge Masvidal and Amanda Nunes here with him. He wasn’t happy because AEW sucks and if he wanted to enjoy some wrestling, it would mean watching tapes from Championship Wrestling From Florida from the 70s and 80s.

The sad truth is that wrestling has gone downhill since the late 1990s and this product is unwatchable. Tony Khan said Lambert is wrong because AEW has something from every style and the fans make it even better. Well he was right, as this is awful. Cue Lance Archer to knock Lambert silly with the Black Out. This was good, as Lambert is a great heel who can make you want to punch him in the face.

Tag Team Titles: Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks, in jean shorts, are defending and this is a street fight. The streamers fly and Don Callis is on commentary as the fight is on fast. They head outside early on the stereo superkicks hit Michael Nakazawa by mistake, allowing Kingston and Penta to take over. Back in and Brandon Cutler threatens them with cold spray, allowing the Bucks to come in with some chair shots.

The Bucks are sent into the open chair though and some kicks take them down again. The modified What’s Up has Nick down and it’s time for a pair of tables. Matt goes after Penta and gets Canadian Destroyed through the table. We take a break and come back with Nick hitting a Swanton onto a trashcan onto Kingston for two. A running Cannonball into an enziguri rocks Kingston in the corner but he’s back up with a half and half suplex to Nick.

There’s a rear naked choke on Matt but Nick makes the save with a 450 to the ref. Matt taps with no one to see it so Nick breaks it up. Cue the Good Brothers (who could have come out at any time given that it was a street fight) and Cutler is back up on the apron with the cold spray. Penta keeps shaking his head so Cutler misses as Frankie Kazarian comes in to powerbomb Cutler through a table. The Fear Factor into the spinning backfist drops Matt and another referee runs in to count the two with Nick making the save.

Kazarian drops Nick but gets taken down by the Good Brothers. Kingston busts out some thumbtacks but Matt picks them up to throw in Kingston’s face. Penta breaks up a powerbomb onto the tacks with a trashcan to the head before going up top with Nick. A super hurricanrana sends Penta into the tacks but Eddie shoves Matt into the cover for the save. There’s a double superkick to Kingston and some tacks are thrown into Penta’s face. Matt shoves tacks into Kingston’s mouth and another superkick retains the titles at 14:18.

Rating: B. It was a good brawl with the weapons feeling (mostly) in place, though I’m not sure how much drama there was. That being said, this wasn’t exactly supposed to feel like some big, epic match where the titles could change hands. Kingston and Penta were given a bit of a build last week and they paid it off here. That’s all it needed to be and the match was certainly energetic, so I’ll take it for a solid main event.

Overall Rating: B. This was a big show and it felt like one, which is all you can ask for out of AEW. It felt special to have the fans back and they got a pretty stacked card, with things being set up for the future as well. For a free two hour weekly show, this was rather good and felt like one of the AEW shows of old. Nice job and welcome back to touring, which really does make a difference.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. QT Marshall – Rhodes touched all four turnbuckles
Pinnacle b. Inner Circle – Big Rig to Hager
Andrade El Idolo b. Matt Sydal – El Idolo
Kris Statlander/Eddie Kingston b. Blade/Bunny – Big Bang Theory to Bunny
Young Bucks b. Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo – Superkick to Kingston

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 1, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Josh Matthews

We are less than three weeks away from Slammiversary and things are starting to pick up. The main event is already set with Sami Callihan vs. Kenny Omega, but there is still time to change things up. That is still a possibility this time around as Callihan faces Moose, with the chance to make the match a triple threat. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Edwards vs. Satoshi Kojima

They’re cool with each other but Edwards wanted to face Kojima before he went back to Japan. Hold on though as here is W. Morrissey to say that Kojima is alone, just like Edwards was when Morrissey jumped him in the parking lot. Cue Brian Myers with Sam Beale, who Myers refers to as his young boy. Myers says Beale can’t learn anything from Kojima and calls out Jake something, but Kojima doesn’t care for that. The beatdown is on with Something running out for the save. The tag match is on.

Jake Something/Satoshi Kojima vs. Sam Beale/Brian Myers

Jake runs Something over to start and sends him flying off a toss suplex. Myers comes in and gets hit with a jumping knee to the face. A knee puts Something down as well and it’s back to Beale for some driving shoulders in the corner. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Beale hits a short clothesline for two. That means another chinlock for a bit, followed by Myers hitting a suplex for two of his own.

With that out of the way, the chinlock goes on again, setting up some forearms to the face. Something flips out of a belly to back suplex and hits a double clothesline, allowing the hot tag off to Kojima. House is cleaned in a hurry, including the top rope elbow for two on Beale. A DDT connects but Myers breaks up the Koji Cutter. Something takes care of Myers though and the Koji Cutter into the lariat finishes Beale at 9:25.

Rating: D+. The chinlocks didn’t make this better, much like the Kojima/Something pairing feeling like a Battlebowl reject. Beale taking the fall to a legend like Kojima isn’t going to hurt him and Myers has actually done a nice job of establishing himself as a midcard villain. Not a great one mind you, but he’s there.

Scott D’Amore can’t talk about Tommy Dreamer because he has to go answer a phone call. Decay pops in to say they should get a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot. D’Amore is too busy for that right now and says to talk to him normally next time.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Rachael Ellering

Kaleb With A K and Jazz are the seconds. Dashwood jumps her at the bell but gets taken down by a running shoulder. A backsplash gives Ellering two but she has to kick Kaleb With A K off the apron. We take a break and come back with Dashwood choking on the ropes and getting two off a suplex.

A clothesline gets the same and Dashwood is already getting frustrated. Hair pulling around the ropes ensues and a butterfly suplex gives Dashwood two. Ellering comes back with a Sling Blade but a neckbreaker over the ropes cuts her off again. Dashwood goes up for a middle rope sunset flip but Ellering sits down on it for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C-. Another match that was just kind of there, but neither of these two have had the greatest spark in most of their matches. It was a good example of a match that was just kind of there without really doing anything different. Certainly not awful, but they didn’t do anything that is going to leave much of an, pun intended, impact.

Post match the beatdown is on with Jazz running in for the save. Jordynne Grace makes the real save though and we get a big reunion, as this team has now formed, split and reunited in less than ten weeks.

Chris Bey is sick of hearing about the X-Division war when the villains come in to suggest he join up.

TJP/Fallah Bahh vs. Willie Mack/Rich Swann

A lot of dancing ensues before the match until Swann and TJP start things off. Everything breaks down in a hurry and we get a four way staredown and it’s off to Mack vs. Bahh. The big slugout is on with neither being able to hit their finisher. Swann and TJP come back in with Swann clearing the ring but here is Violent By Design for the double DQ at 1:50.

The big beatdown is on with Violent By Design standing tall.

Fire N Flava want Rosemary and Havok to earn their shot and are off to talk to Scott D’Amore again. D’Amore agrees so they can have a #1 contenders match next week. This isn’t what the champs want.

Tommy Dreamer talks about how he and Raven worked well together despite hating each other. That’s how Team Dreamer will be tonight against the Elite.

Chris Bey vs. Petey Williams

Williams snaps off a headscissors to start and there’s a running dropkick to the back for an early two. Bey gets tied in the Tree of Woe for O Canada but comes back with a kick to the face. A clothesline gives Bey two and it’s off to the Figure Four necklock. Williams is back with a snap German suplex into a running knee to the face. That’s fine with Bey, who grabs a torture rack neckbreaker for two of his own.

The Art of Finesse is countered into the spinning Russian legsweep but it’s too early for the Canadian Destroyer. Williams settles for the Sharpshooter, with Bey making it over to the rope in a hurry. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence with the Canadian Destroyer being countered again. Bey grabs a cutter though and the Art of Finesse is good for the pin at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Williams is fine as a nostalgia act who can still go well enough and he put Bey over rather well here. That’s all a match like this is supposed to do, though it is all going to be thrown out the window for the sake of Ultimate X at Slammiversary. Bey would seem to be the likely winner, but you never can tell with that kind of a match.

Post match here are the X-Division villains and Williams gets beaten down in the corner. Bey walks off but Trey Miguel and Josh Alexander run in for the save. Bey finally comes in to help the good guys clean house.

Deonna Purrazzo beat Kimber Lee on Before The Impact.

Susan is freaking out over Purrazzo beating her and Kimber Lee but Lee has two ideas: the Tag Team Titles and Su Yung.

Jake Something doesn’t like Brian Myers making fun of his name but it’s worse to make fun of him. The challenge is on and the loser admits the winner is a professional.

Steve Maclin vs. Manny Smith

Maclin takes him down with a front facelock, followed by a quick facebuster. Smith gets tied in the Tree of Woe for a running spear. Some right hands in the corner set up some heavy elbows to the chest. The sitout reverse implant DDT finishes Smith at 3:43.

Rating: C-. Total and complete squash here as Maclin continues to look like quite the force. He has a long way to go to get anywhere, but it is nice to have someone getting a chance in a new place after WWE didn’t do anything with him. He’ll need to go somewhere eventually, but it is working well enough for now.

Brian Myers accepts Jake Something’s challenge so Sam Beale can see success up close.

Slammiversary rundown.

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Chris Sabin/Moose/Sami Callihan

That would be Team Tommy Dreamer, because of course it’s Tommy Dreamer. Don Callis handles Omega’s entrance as he validates his paycheck. Sabin crucifixes Anderson to start and it’s a very early standoff. An annoyed tag brings Moose in but Callihan comes in to scare Omega off as we take a break.

Back with the good guys working on Anderson’s arm but Moose and Sabin stop to jaw at each other again. The distraction lets Anderson send Sabin outside to start the stomping and now Omega is willing to come in and hammer away. It’s already off to Gallows for those weird punches to the ribs in the corner and the triple splash gets two on Sabin. Anderson grabs a chinlock, followed by another from Gallows.

Sabin gets away and rolls over to Moose, who isn’t interested in a tag. Instead it’s off to Callihan to clean house but Anderson punches him low. Sabin tags himself in and avoids some charges in the corner. A Shining Wizard connects with Omega but NOW Moose will tag himself in….and pulls Sabin back in, which counts as another tag. Sabin and Moose brawl on the ramp before Sabin comes in again, earning himself a snapdragon. The Magic Killer finishes Sabin at 15:12.

Rating: C. This was following a formula we’ve seen for years and that is not the best thing. Above all else, the action was just kind of there as we waited around for the ending. I wasn’t wild on what we got here for the most part, though I’m curious about where they go for Slammiversary with these guys. Moose vs. Sabin would seem likely, but I’m sure Tommy Dreamer, who added nothing here, winds up getting a match of some kind.

Overall Rating: C-. The show had its moments but it still wasn’t exactly what I would consider a very good one. Slammiversary is coming up and there are only a handful of matches set. I’m sure you can guess a few more of them, but it would be nice to have some of them actually announced. What we got here was decent, but so much of it still feels like a low level promotion. Even though that is pretty much the case for Impact, it would be nice to find some way around it.

Results
Jake Something/Satoshi Kojima b. Sam Beale/Brian Myers – Lariat to Beale
Rachael Ellering b. Tenille Dashwood – Cradle
TJP/Fallah Bahh vs. Willie Mack/Rich Swann went to a double DQ when Violent By Design interfered
Chris Bey b. Petey Williams – Art of Finesse
Steve Maclin b. Manny Smith – Reverse sitout implant DDT
Kenny Omega/Good Brothers b. Chris Sabin/Moose/Sami Callihan – Magic Killer to Sabin

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: June 30, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re finally back to the normal schedule and that is a very good thing. It’s the final night in Daily’s Place as the show is heading back on the road starting next week. The big match this week is Sammy Guevara vs. MJF, which should make for a heck of a grudge match. Throw in the Young Bucks vs. Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston and we should be good to go. Let’s get to it.

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

Chris Jericho is here for commentary.

Young Bucks vs. Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston

Non-title but if Penta/Kingston win, they get a title shot later. The Bucks debut their latest horrible look with some rather thin facial hair. Matt gets taken down for an early rollup to start and Kingston holds the legs for Penta’s top rope double stomp. It’s off to Nick to take Penta down though and the double fist drop sets up some pelvic thrusting. Penta gets sent outside where he grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Matt.

Back in and a high crossbody hits Nick, allowing the hot tag off to Kingston to start the house cleaning. Kingston is taken outside though and a knockdown sets up the apron moonsault/splash combination. Back in and Matt grabs a chinlock, but Kingston fights up again. That earns him a running knee to the face but More Bang For Your Buck is broken up. A superplex plants Nick though and the hot tag brings in Penta to start striking away. Everything breaks down and a corkscrew Code Red gets three but the referee calls it two anyway, earning a VERY unimpressed chant from the crowd.

A Backstabber gets a slightly farther apart two but Nick grabs the referee and kicks Penta low. The spike Fear Factor gets two on Penta with Kingston diving in for a save. Cue the Good Brothers (JR: “Where the h*** do they work anyway?”) but Kingston starts the comeback. That earns him a series of superkicks and it’s back to Penta, who gets backdropped to the floor. Brandon Cutler spray Nick in the face with the cold spray, so here is Kazarian to take him out. Penta hits the big flip dive onto everyone and the Fear Factor into the spinning backfist finally puts Matt away at 13:50.

Rating: B-. It took a lot but it was nice to see the Bucks lose for a change. You can only be so unbeatable for so long before it stops having any impact so it making them seem a little vulnerable is a good idea. I’m not sure I buy Penta and Kingston’s chances of winning the titles, but it gave them a bit of an opening and that is a good thing.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Christian Cage gives Jungle Boy another pep talk, saying he’ll be World Champion one day. Tonight is important too though, as Boy can be the first AEW wrestler to fifty wins. The rest of Jurassic Express comes in with Luchasaurus thanking Christian for having Boy’s back on Saturday. Christian happens to be related to a dinosaur and Luchasaurus is interested.

Here are the Men Of The Year for a chat about Ethan Page’s match against Darby Allin. Page is sick of trying to get rid of Darby Allin so it is time to try and exterminate him. After everything he has put Allin through, both here and on the independent circuit, Page needs to do more. Every time Allin tries the Coffin Drop, it’s going to get even worse….and here is Sting, pulling a coffin. Allin is inside of course and house is cleaned in a hurry. Page and Scorpio Sky bail out, with Page saying the coffin match is off for next week. If Allin will agree to not touch him until the match, MAYBE they can do this at Fyter Fest.

Jungle Boy vs. Jack Evans

They go technical to start with neither being able to get very far. An early Snare Trap attempt sends Evans bailing to the ropes, setting up a kick to the ribs. A very springboard wristdrag sends Evans down and a dropkick does the same. We take a break and come back with Boy dropkicking the knee out and hitting a hard clothesline. Evans catches him up top but a German superplex is escaped. Boy catches him in the Tree of Woe for a quick shot and the Snare Trap makes Evans tap at 6:06.

Rating: C. Boy has one of the best attributes you can have as a wrestler: likability. There is something about him that makes you want to see him win and that is going to take him a very long way. The fact that he can wrestle a good match with just about anyone is going to make it even better, and it has been working so far.

Post match here is the Hardy Family Office for the brawl, but Christian and the rest of Jurassic Express comes in for the big brawl. Christian chokes Hardy with the suit jacket until Evans makes the save, allowing Hardy to escape.

MJF talks about how he infiltrated the Inner Circle and started his own stable with the Pinnacle. It amazes him to see how Chris Jericho has turned into a version of the Looney Tunes and we hear about some things Jericho has done. MJF is feeling generous though and is willing to give Jericho some stipulations to get one more match. If Jericho can meet those, which he won’t, he has to leave MJF alone once MJF beats him again. That’s for next week though, because tonight Sammy Guevara has to learn that while he’s the future, MJF is the now. MJF was all fired up here, which is where he does his best.

Andrade El Idolo, in English and Spanish, with subtitles, wants to face Matt Sydal (“Matt Something”) at Road Rager in Miami.

Tony Schiavone brings out Kenny Omega, also with some questionable facial hair, for a chat. Omega talks about how earlier today, Tony asked him how he stayed motivated to find that next gear. Tony: “I didn’t ask you anything today.” Omega lists off everyone that he has beaten (or at least their accolades) before saying there is no one left in the rankings to face. That means he is going to take some time off from around here so he’ll be defending his other titles at the moment.

Cue the Dark Order with Evil Uno saying there are some challenges left. Omega laughs that off (fair) as the fans chant for some COWBOY S***. Uno admits that they don’t have the singles wins to make that work, but they know someone who does. Omega knows who they mean but doesn’t think he has the guys. This is where Omega bids them goodbye and goodnight and that’s that. They had me a bit scared with the Dark Order tease so the ending helped.

Brian Pillman Jr. didn’t like Miro putting his hands on Griff Garrison, who is like a brother to him. This isn’t just about the TNT Title, because this is personal.

TNT Title: Miro vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Miro is defending and throws him into the corner to start. There’s an Irish whip into the corner and Miro starts hammering on the back. Miro slams him down again and we take an early break. Back again with Pillman making a comeback and sending Miro into the barricade. Air Pillman connects for two and Pillman hits a few superkicks but Miro hits his own. Game Over knocks Pillman out at 8:40.

Rating: C+. The 180 that Miro has done is outstanding as he is now one of the best things going in AEW. He is a serious monster at this point who is running through everyone in front of him. On top of that, his God’s champion deal is excellent and it is fun to watch him every time he is on screen. On top of that too, you have him wrecking people in the ring to make it even better.

Hangman Page is ticked off as the Dark Order for bringing him up to Kenny Omega. They don’t think he’s scared of Omega but they think he might be scared of failure. They’re here for him….and then leave him alone. Page doesn’t seem sure about this being his time.

Taz talks about how Team Taz is not at full strength, but sometimes family has to fight to clean things up. That’s why on July 14, Brian Cage is defending the FTW Title against a medically cleared Ricky Starks.

Rebel/Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose/Vickie Guerrero

Baker jumps Vickie to start so Rebel can fail at a choke on Rose. A splash crushes Rebel and now it’s off to Vickie, meaning the Eddie Dance is back. We take a break and come back with Baker coming in for a Sling Blade on Rose. That earns her a failed Beast Bomb attempt and a low superkick staggers Rose. The glove is loaded up but Rose is back with a chokeslam. The splash in the ropes gets two but Baker pulls Vickie comes in, only to get pulled out of the corner. Lockjaw finishes Vickie at 6:55.

Rating: D+. So what was the plan here? Vickie asked for this match and then didn’t do anything out of the ordinary here, making it little more than a handicap match. That’s a weird way to go, unless the plan was just to be a distraction so Rose could do her thing. It really didn’t work and doesn’t exactly make Vickie look that smart.

Post match Rose lays Baker out again and it’s a powerbomb off the apron and through a table at ringside. Rebel seems to have been hurt, as she disappeared about halfway through the match and never came back.

The Inner Circle is ready for their six man tag against the Pinnacle next week because it’s time for some revenge. They’ll have their dogs around to deal with Tully Blanchard too.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Sammy Guevara

MJF bails to the floor to start before coming back in to run the ropes…into a strut. Guevara is back with a weak strut but misses a dropkick. Sammy runs him over but the GTH is countered into a pinfall reversal sequence with both guys nipping up. A rake to the eyes doesn’t cause Sammy many problems as he sends MJF into the buckle. It’s too early for the 630 so MJF bails outside, only to get caught with a double springboard cutter for two back inside.

They head outside again with Guevara being sent into the barricade as we take a break. Back with MJF tying him in the ring skirt for some forearms but Guevara grabs a backdrop. A springboard is countered into a sitout powerbomb to give MJF two but a Spanish Fly gives Guevara two. Guevara sends him to the floor for a big running corkscrew dive, followed by a springboard Canadian Destroyer for two more.

MJF is back with a shot of his own and grabs a chair, which is dropkicked into his face. That sends MJF over the barricade and Sammy busts out a CRAZY dive from the top to take MJF out again (that was amazing). Back in and Sammy goes up but MJF crotches him down. MJF hits a super Tombstone and that gets two, while also banging up MJF’s knee.

Another pinfall reversal sequence gets two each until Sammy hits the GTH for two, as MJF’s foot is in the rope. The 630 connects for two more and here is Shawn Spears. Chris Jericho gets up from commentary to cut him off but Wardlow jumps Jericho from behind and throws him off a not very tall platform. Spears gets in the chair to Guevara to give MJF the pin at 20:07.

Rating: B. This was a crazy match with some amazing athleticism and way too much going on to bog it down. There was too much interference, far too many people involved and at least two spots that either should have finished the match or not been included. The result was fine as MJF is gearing up for the mega showdown with Jericho, but there was too much here and it brought it down from great to good.

We get a rather nice highlight package on the time in Jacksonville with a song talking about thanking everyone for being there. That’s pretty cool of AEW after almost a year and a half. JR: “There is nothing like seeing WWE Dynamite live!” End of show. I know it’s just a slip of the tongue, but that has happened, way, way too often for JR and they need to do something about it.

Overall Rating: B+. Now this was more like the old school Dynamite which worked out rather well. They had good action up and down the card while also setting up some things for the future. It was energized, had the right flow and did everything they needed to do. I had a good time watching this and it flew by with a heck of a pair of bookend matches. Awesome show here and their best in a long time.

Results
Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston b. Young Bucks – Spinning backfist to Matt
Jungle Boy b. Jack Evans – Snare Trap
Miro b. Brian Pillman Jr. – Game Over
Rebel/Britt Baker b. Vickie Guerrero/Nyla Rose – Lockjaw to Guerrero
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Sammy Guevara – Chair shot

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: June 26, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

We’re finally out of the Friday night cycle with a Saturday show. It’s also a huge show with Jungle Boy challenging Kenny Omega for the World Title in the main event. That alone should be enough, but you know that AEW is going to have a lot of other stuff to fill in the gaps. It’s rather nice to have that reassurance so let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, Shawn Spears jumped Sammy Guevara with a chair, compliments of MJF.

Hangman Page vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Hobbs drives him into the corner to start but Page is right back with some right hands to the floor. Page follows him out for the slugout but Hobbs sends the arm into the barricade. Back in and a suplex drops Page and Hobbs stays on the arm. Page gets a boot up in the corner to stagger Hobbs but the bad arm goes into the post. That’s enough to cut Page’s head open as well, which fires him up enough for some boots to the face.

A springboard clothesline knocks Hobbs from the apron to the floor, setting up the slingshot dive. Back in again and Page gets two off a moonsault, only to have Hobbs run him over with a clothesline. A hammerlock slam sets up a missed falling headbutt so Page blasts him with a clothesline of his own for two.

Hobbs hits a hard crossbody but here is Ricky Starks with the FTW World Title. Brian Cage comes out and collects the title so Page tries the Buckshot Lariat, which is countered into a spinebuster for two. Hobbs gets back up but walks into the Deadeye to give Page the fast pin at 11:09.

Rating: C+. This was two hard hitting guys beating each other up until the ending. The arm work meant that the Buckshot Lariat was off the table so it was nice to see Page bust out the Deadeye instead. Page making a comeback win is a good thing to see, even as Team Taz’s problems continue.

Video on Jungle Boy vs. Kenny Omega, with Boy having a shot at pulling it off.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The Young Bucks have been called overrated but they’re the longest reigning Tag Team Champions in company history. They list off all of the teams they have taken out and now it’s time to do the same to Penta El Zero Miedo and Eddie Kingston. They’re the EVP’s: Extremely Violent People. The Bucks are a lot of things but violent?

Here are Tully Blanchard and Konnan for a face to face discussion and this could be fascinating. Blanchard talks about Konnan interfering in Stadium Stampede and lets him go first. Konnan says that’s a mind game but Santana and Ortiz aren’t going to be intimidated. He knows that Tully and FTR are from North Carolina, where men are men and sheep are scared. Konnan talks about Santana and Ortiz being from New York City, where they are used to racial profiling and fighting against oppression.

Blanchard says he knows the three of them because he has done his research. All Konnan is going to do is make one appearance and then it’s over for him. Konnan says Tully is lucky that Walmart is still hiring greeters because Santana and Ortiz are like scarecrows: outstanding in their field. Cue Santana and Ortiz….but we see the two of them down in the back because Santana and Ortiz pull down their hoods and masks to reveal FTR. The spike piledriver lays out Konnan in a great swerve.

Dante Martin vs. Matt Sydal

Before the match, Vickie Guerrero brings out Andrade El Idolo for an announcement but Sydal’s entrance cuts that off. Andrade isn’t happy as Vickie holds him back. They go to the mat to start but a springboard takes Sydal down. A rather quick headscissors sends Sydal into the corner but he takes out Martin’s leg as we take a break. Back with Sydal in control in the corner until Martin hits a Death Valley Driver. A double springboard moonsault gets two on Sydal, followed by a flipping Stunner for the same. Sydal kicks him in the head though and the Lightning Spiral is good for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C+. Martin got to fly around here and showcase himself, which means a bit more against someone as established as Sydal. Granted I’m not sure how much Sydal needed the win here, but at least Martin got in a bit of a showcase. Fun match here, which is what you probably expected from these two.

Christian Cage tells Jungle Boy to be ticked off tonight because some people don’t think he should be here. Boy shocked people before, so do it again.

Mark Sterling tells us about Jade Cargill’s shirts being 10% off on Shop AEW. They have already been selling well, including the XXL because wrestling fans. Cargill isn’t surprised because she’s that b****.

MJF, with the Pinnacle, talks about how people are upset about him beating up Dean Malenko last week. Who cares if he beat up a 60 year old man with a bad heart and Parkinson’s Disease? People are throwing rocks at him when they should be throwing flowers but here are Chris Jericho and Jake Hager to start the brawl.

They fight into the arena with the Pinnacle’s numbers advantage getting the better of things. Sammy Guevara comes in for the save, including a chair shot to Wardlow’s head. Sammy says that this Wednesday, he is going to prove that AEW bet on the wrong man. Guevara still feels like the breakout star in the making.

Miro does not like Brian Pillman Jr. That’s why Pillman is going to find out why he is God’s favorite wrestler on Wednesday.

Bear Bronson vs. Ethan Page

Bear Boulder and Scorpio Sky are here too. The power shoves Page around to start and a powerslam gives Bronson two. Page gets sent to the floor where Sky pushes him out of the way to take the big dive. Boulder doesn’t like it but the distraction lets Bronson get sent into the barricade. Page hammers away and we take a break.

Back with Bronson hammering away and planting Page but missing the backsplash. Page’s sunset flip earns him a drop onto his chest for two so Bronson goes up, only to be superplexed back down. Sky tries a distraction and gets punched by Reed, leaving Page to catch Bronson on top with a low blow. The Ego’s Edge (with Page walking him around first for an impressive visual) finishes Bronson at 9:47.

Rating: C. The match itself was just ok, but that Ego’s Edge was awesome with Page looking like a monster by being able to throw Bronson around. Bear Country has a unique look and you can always use a pair of big monsters like them. I’m still needing more on the Men of the Year, but at least they have a bit of a highlight moment here.

Post match, Page says he isn’t done with Darby Allin and wants to be the nail in his coffin. Therefore at Road Rager, Page wants a coffin match.

Britt Baker and Reba can think of a million things to ask for if Tony Khan owed him a favor, but Vickie Guerrero used it to set up a tag match. Baker says this is a new era and it isn’t time for old women in a wrestling ring. Don’t worry though because Vickie will get a nice prescription signed Dr. Britt Baker DMD.

Vickie Guerrero says next week is a warmup for Fyter Fest, when Rose takes the title.

Bunny vs. Kris Statlander

Blade and Orange Cassidy are here too. Bunny takes Statlander down to start but talks too much trash, allowing Statlander to pull her into a suplex. Some right hands to the face have Bunny in trouble until she dumps Statlander out to the floor. There’s a running dropkick into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Bunny hitting a running knee, setting up a big double crash out to the floor.

They head back in with Bunny blocking the Big Bang Theory, meaning Statlander has to settle for the Blue Thunder Bomb and a near fall. Statlander goes up so it’s a German superplex to bring her back down. Bunny’s low superkick gets two and she is stunned by the kickout. Blade throws in the brass knuckles but Cassidy comes in to intercept them and drops them in his pocket. The Big Bang Theory finishes Bunny at 9:14.

Rating: C. Just a match here as the stable wars continue, this time between the Hardy Family Office and the Best Friends. Statlander isn’t quite as good as she was before the injury but she is far from bad. Bunny is still only kind of there, but at she is doing fine in the limited chances she gets.

Post match here are Jack Evans and Angelico to lay out Cassidy, including a big brass knuckles shot (with commentary pointing out that Chuck Taylor is with Trent, who had neck fusion surgery).

QT Marshall doesn’t like Brock Anderson being named Wrestler of the Week after he didn’t get the same honor for beating Cody Rhodes a few weeks back. Marshall is ready for Cody in a strap match and only wants to be a champion around here.

Brian Pillman Jr. thinks Miro has a messiah complex but Miro isn’t here to save anyone. Pillman has a complex too, and it’s called being born on the wrong side of the tracks and having to fight for everything. He’s coming for the TNT Title.

Eddie Kingston and Penta El Zero Miedo are ready to fight the Young Bucks, because the Bucks are all about egos. That’s why taking the Tag Team Titles is what is going to hurt their egos more than anything. Penta promises violence.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega vs. Jungle Boy

Boy is challenging and after the Big Match Intros, Marko Stunt stays inside because of course he does. Thankfully the referee ejects everyone else, meaning Don Callis can join commentary. Feeling out process to start with Omega seeming to be a bit hesitant to go straight at Boy. Omega tries the rolling fireman’s carry but Boy slips out in a hurry and dropkicks him to the floor.

We take an early break and come back with Boy grabbing a small package for two but walking into a heck of a brainbuster for two. Boy fights up and knocks Omega to the floor for a suicide elbow, followed by a suicide dive. Another dive is broken up as Omega gets back in so Boy hits a springboard tornado DDT. That’s enough to send Omega outside and now the big flip dive takes him down again. Back in and the V Trigger misses, allowing Boy to hit a superkick.

The V Trigger into the Snapdragon sets up another V Trigger but the One Winged Angel is countered into a nasty poisonrana. Boy hits a running shot to the back of the head for two more but Omega is right back with another V Trigger. Believe it or not, that’s followed by another V Trigger for two. Another V Trigger is countered into the Snare Trap but here is the Elite. Cue the rest of Jurassic Express and Kazarian for the save as Omega makes the rope.

They slug it out until Omega hits another V Trigger but Boy bounces off the ropes with a discus rebound lariat. Omega hits another brainbuster into another V Trigger but the One Winged Angel is countered into another Snare Trap. A rake of the eyes gets Omega out of trouble and he goes up top, where a super hurricanrana attempt is countered into a face first drop onto the buckle. Another V Trigger into a tiger driver 98 gets two more on Boy. The One Winged Angel retains the title at 17:17.

Rating: B+. They picked up the pace at the end here and you could tell Omega was taking it a bit more seriously given all of the V Triggers. Boy got in a lot here too as this was one of those matches where he showed he could hang at the next level. This was a big time TV main event, even if there was no real doubt about who was going to win.

Post match Omega loads up the belt shot but here is Christian Cage for the save. Cue the Hardy Family Office to jump Christian but the Twist of Fate is countered into a Killswitch attempt because the Young Bucks run in for the double superkick. Now the Twist of Fate can lay Christian out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event and maybe the opener here were all that mattered but there was nothing bad and it actually felt like something important happened. That has really been lacking from the Friday shows but they tried a bit harder with the better time slot. Things are back to normal next week and they finish out their weirdly scheduled weeks with a return to form, as things are working on the way back to Wednesday.

Results
Hangman Page b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Deadeye
Matt Sydal b. Dante Martin – Lightning Spiral
Ethan Page b. Bear Bronson – Ego’s Edge
Kris Statlander b. Bunny – Big Bang Theory
Kenny Omega b. Jungle Boy – Snare Trap

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

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

AND

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

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

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

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

Jake Hager vs. Wardlow

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

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

Men Of The Year vs. Darby Allin

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

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

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

Cezar Bononi vs. Orange Cassidy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Julia Hart vs. Penelope Ford

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: June 11, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

The Friday night escapades continue as we move towards the return of fans in a little over a month. That means we could be in for a big card tonight but there is always something interesting going on around here. I’m not sure what to expect and that can often be a good thing with AEW. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Hardy Family Office is in the ring to get things going. Matt Hardy rants about how Christian Cage is jealous over Matt making more money in his career so tonight, Angelico is going to give Christian such a beating that he will never financially recover.

Angelico vs. Christian Cage

They fight over arm control to start so Angelico offers him his leg to keep things interesting. Christian doesn’t fall for that and hits Angelico in the face instead. Some right hands in the corner stagger Angelico even more but he is right back up to pull Christian off the top. Angelico stomps on the arm and sends Christian hard into the corner.

The arm is wrapped around the rope and Angelico adds a PK to the shoulder. Something like a short armscissors goes on with Christian having to get to the ropes. Christian starts the comeback but gets pulled down by the arms again. Angelico goes up but dives into raised boots and it’s a small package to give Christian two. A collision puts both of them down and they get up in opposite corners. Christian is over this and grabs the Killswitch for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C. Not a bad opener but Christian still hasn’t quite caught fire around here. He’s perfectly solid and in no way looking horrible, but at the same time, he isn’t exactly great so far. The idea of Matt Hardy vs. Christian in 2021 doesn’t do much for me, though Christian doesn’t need to go any higher than that whatsoever.

Post match Jack Evans runs in to lay out Christian, allowing Matt to hit another Twist of Fate.

Here’s the July schedule:

July 7 – Road Rager
July 14 – Fyter Fest Night One
July 21 – Fyter Fest Night Two
July 28 – Fight For The Fallen

They’re really pushing this return.

Tony Schiavone is here for a chat, but first he has an announcement: next week it’s QT Mar-Shall (as it was pronounced in Ring Of Honor)/Aaron Solow vs. Cody Rhodes and…..Brock Anderson, the son of Arn Anderson. Here are Cody, Brock and Arn, with Cody talking about how Brock is going to prove that he wasn’t born on third base. Cue QT Marshall to say he’s tired of all of Cody’s vanity projects (preach it).

Cody has been ducking the up and coming stars but the people who are really behind Cody are the fans. Marshall: “Not the IWC. The real paying fans.” Marshall wants to end this with Cody in a South Beach Strap match when all of the fans are back. Cody is ready to do it right now but Marshall decks Arn and Brock jumps him until referees pull him off.

Pac/Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston vs. Young Bucks/Brandon Cutler

Don Callis joins commentary as Pac sends Cutler (in a mask to protect his injured face) into the corner to start and kicks him down. Penta comes in to kick him down and chop the skin off of Cutler’s chest. Kingston comes in for a double stomp and Pac kicks him even more, meaning he wants the Bucks for a change. Matt comes in and gets dropped, allowing Pac to mock the Bucks’ pose. Nick trips over the rope getting inside so Pac knocks him to the floor again. Matt is back up to kick Pac in the face and we take a break.

Back with Pac fighting his way out of the corner so Kingston can come in to clean house. Penta comes in with a high crossbody and kicks Cutler in the mask. Matt gets dropped and Nick kicks Cutler in the face by mistake. The Backstabber drops Nick and the Pentagon Driver gets two with Cutler making the save.

A series of kicks in the corner look to set up the Black Arrow but Cutler’s distraction breaks it up. Kingston cleans house and takes Nick to the floor as Penta dives onto Cutler. Pac hits the 450 into the Brutalizer on Matt but Nick…can’t break it up despite kicking Pac in the head. Kingston and Pac hit dives onto Nick and Cutler, leaving Matt to roll Pac up with trunks for two. Pac gets buckle bombed into a pair of kicks, but Cutler misses a springboard elbow. Kingston hits the spinning backfist to give Pac the pin on Cutler at 13:06.

Rating: C+. It was certainly fast paced, though the ending wasn’t the biggest surprise. You know the Bucks aren’t losing, like ever, including when Pac had the Brutalizer. Cutler was there to take the fall so that worked out fine, though building up Pac/Penta for a title shot is not quite as thrilling when the Bucks already beat them.

Post match the Bucks are on Penta and Pac a mere five seconds after the bell (that’s our Bucks), with the Good Brothers coming in to help with the beatdown. Kazarian comes in for the save and Cutler is left alone, with Kazarian planting him with a clothesline.

We get a Don Callis/Kenny Omega produced video on the Double Or Nothing World Title match, complete with some questionable subtitles.

Here is the Pinnacle for their first comments since Double Or Nothing. Dax Harwood talks about how Stadium Stampede did not go as well as they hoped, but FTR doesn’t want to hear about Santana and Ortiz. Harwood has a family to take care of and is going to take money out of Santana and Ortiz’s pockets. How have they not won the Tag Team Titles in two years?

Shawn Spears says he is the hero instead of Sammy Guevara and they aren’t done. Wardlow thinks that Jake Hager is obsessed with him and needs him around. Is that because Hager brings out the best in him? Next week, they can meet in an octagon, where Wardlow will show that everywhere is his world.

MJF says he’s getting a little tired because he was the best so soon. No one here can relate to that, because they won’t be the best at anything. That brings him to Chris Jericho, with MJF watching every match and listening to every promo. MJF was at the Double Or Nothing Rally in 2019 and spoke on the stage. Then he saw Chris Jericho, his idol. MJF couldn’t believe it because he was going to get the chance to work with Jericho, but that isn’t how it went.

One night it hit him: he had spent all of this time idolizing a false god. Jericho is not even remotely on his level so he has nothing to prove to the fans. The match request is denied, so MJF is moving on to Sammy Guevara. Sammy can’t compete in the talking department because he has the verbal skills of Helen Keller. MJF is better than Sammy and he knows it, but here is Chris Jericho on the screen.

The Pinnacle can walk home, because the Inner Circle is destroying the Pinnacle’s limo. Tires are slashed, windows are broken, spray paint is applied, and I lose count of how many cars or vehicles have been used in this company’s history. Cue Jake Hager with a forklift to crush the limo all over again, including lifting it into the air and dropping it down. Jericho thinks the Pinnacle is going to need an Uber and Sammy is ready to fight anytime. MJF’s promo was good, but a feud should probably be done after WarGames and Stadium Stampede.

Darby Allin wants Sting to stay home for his handicap match with Ethan Page and Shawn Spears. Sting says Allin has nothing to prove because he was the TNT Champion when Sting got here. Allin: “It’s not about that. Just stay home this one time please.” Sting agrees and they bump fists because everything is cool.

Evil Uno talks about what Brodie Lee meant to the Dark Order. He wants to bring the TNT Title back to the Dark Order to honor Lee again.

TNT Title: Miro vs. Evil Uno

Uno is challenging and has some of the Dark Order with him. Miro slams him down in a hurry but Uno chops him out to the floor. That’s fine with Miro, but he punches a post and gets taken down with a flip dive from the apron. Back in and Miro off the ropes and into a Saito suplex as we take a break.

Back with Uno being knocked outside in a heap but the Dark Order’s pep talk gets him back inside. That earns the Order a beating and Miro rips the turnbuckle pad off. Uno gets in some shots to the face, including a running big boot. A Swanton connects and the rest of the Dark Order comes out to cheer Uno on. Miro can’t hit a spinout Rock Bottom and gets kicked into the exposed buckle for two. A hard clothesline drops Uno though and it’s Game Over to retain the title at 9:36.

Rating: C+. This was a match that had no business being good and they made it work anyway. I was getting into the idea of wanting Uno to win the title in Lee’s memory, though Miro should not be losing for a good while to come. Good stuff here, as they turned what should have been just a quick match into enough of a story to pull me in. Nice job.

Video on Andrade El Idolo, who seems rather rich and is billed as the Face of Latinos.

Here are Kenny Omega and Don Callis for a chat. Callis talks about the AEW conspiracy to get the title off of Kenny Omega, so Jungle Boy did a good job at becoming the #1 contender. But to Callis, Jungle Boy is just like the band that sings his theme song: a one hit wonder. Omega talks about how he is supposed to sell the match but he can’t bring himself to say anything bad about Jungle Boy.

When he looks at Boy’s long hair and underwear model body, Omega sees a bit of himself. There is something missing though, and Callis thinks it is the guts. Cue Jungle Boy, with Omega saying he has never heard Boy talk. Omega doesn’t think this will be the battle of wits or the greatest promo of all time.

If he has anything to say, he has five five second to say it because Omega is getting tired of this. Boy says Omega talks to much so Omega swings, only to get punched up against the ropes. Omega gets pulled into the Snare Trap but the Young Bucks run in to clear Boy out. This was good once Boy came in, but Omega talking is not the best thing.

Jade Cargill and Mark Sterling are rather happy that their monetization plan has been a success. Next up: marketing the catchphrase, because Cargill is that b****.

Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky aren’t impressed with Darby Allin but they are going to take him out again. They are going to chop him down, step on his body and move up, because it is all up from here for the Men Of The Year. What an odd name for a team.

Lance Archer vs. Chandler Hopkins

Archer jumps him to start but Hopkins actually gets out of the chokeslam. Archer knocks Hopkins out of the air and this the big chokeslam. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 52 seconds.

Archer storms out of the arena immediately after the win.

The Wingmen offer Orange Cassidy a chance to get his wardrobe upgrade, or Cesar Bononi will mess up his face.

Nyla Rose vs. Leyla Hirsch

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose. Leyla chases Vickie out to start and gets slammed for her efforts. That doesn’t seem to cause much trouble though as a cross armbreaker has Rose in trouble. A dropkick puts Rose on the floor but the suicide dive is cut off, with Leyla being driven into the apron. Back in and Rose drops a knee for two, setting up a neck crank to send us to a break.

We come back with Leyla hitting a slingshot dropkick in the corner for two, setting up a release German suplex. A running knee rocks Rose again and a rope walk moonsault (with barely a cover) gets two. Leyla can’t suplex her, with Rose draping her over the top instead. The top rope knee drop is broken up though and Leyla goes up, only to get super Beast Bombed back down to give Rose the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C. They made a bit of a go with it here, though I’m not sure how much I could buy Rose being in danger here. What worked was having Leyla show off with some power and technique, which really do make her look legit. Rose is on her way to another title shot (because of course) and a win over someone with some credibility will help her get there.

Britt Baker doesn’t like Nyla Rose making fun of Leyla Hirsch’s height but let’s get back to her. Baker has endorsement deals flying in left and right, which was never the case when Rose was champion. That’s cool with Baker though, because she’ll add Rose to the list of jealous b****** in the back. Rose needs the title because it makes her, but Baker is making the title.

Here is what’s coming next week.

Hangman Page/10 vs. Brian Cage/Powerhouse Hobbs

Page, who has lost all sense of time, gets driven into the corner to start so Cage can drive shoulders into the corner. Some forearms get Page out of trouble for a bit but his sliding lariat is countered. Cage misses a basement dropkick though and Page hits a standing shooting star press for two. 10 comes in but walks into an assisted powerbomb from Hobbs, who starts getting a bit cocky. A running knee to the ribs drops 10 and we take a break.

Back with 10 hitting a pump kick each to Hobbs and Cage, allowing Page to come in for a running boot to Cage. They head outside with Page posting Cage, setting up a moonsault press for two on Hobbs. A crossbody gives Hobbs two on Page but Cage is back in with a 619 to knock 10 silly.

Page is back in with a springboard shot to Cage’s face and 10 busts Hobbs spine. Cage comes back with a running clothesline in the corner and a sloppy high/low gets two on 10. Ricky Starks throws Cage the FTW Title but Cage throws it away, earning a slap from Starks. Cage chases Starks off so Hobbs buts a spinebuster for two on 10. A ripcord cutter drops Hobbs though and the Buckshot Lariat is enough to give Page the pin at 10:18.

Rating: C+. There was a lot going on here, with the continuing split of Team Taz being the biggest story. Cage vs. Starks will be good, though they are going to have to stretch things out a lot due to Starks’ injury. Hobbs vs. Cage will do for the time being though, assuming that is the way they go. At the same time, it is a good sign to see Page being treated as a big deal again, as he should have been for a long time now.

The Dark Order comes out to celebrate with some beers to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was another week where they kind of took the night off, but it wasn’t as bad as last time. Right now they are building towards the June 26 show with the World Title match, though I’m not sure what else is going to be seen as a big deal on that show. This was a completely watchable show with some good action, as they got me to care about matches that weren’t all that interesting in the first place. Nice job here, though it’s another skippable show.

Results
Christian Cage b. Angelico – Killswitch
Pac/Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston b. Brandon Cutler/Young Bucks – Spinning backfist to Cutler
Miro b. Evil Uno – Game Archer
Lance Archer b. Chandler Hopkins – Blackout
Nyla Rose b. Leyla Hirsch – Super Beast Bomb
10/Hangman Page b. Brian Cage/Powerhouse Hobbs – Buckshot Lariat to Hobbs

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

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

AND

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