Dynamite
Date: March 4, 2026
Location: Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re just over a week away from Revolution and that should make for a solid push towards the pay per view. Last week saw the announcement that MJF would defend the World Title against Hangman Page at the pay per view in a Texas Deathmatch. Other than that, we have the Women’s Title on the line as Thekla defends against Thunder Rosa. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

We look back at Collision, with Kevin Knight interrupting Hangman Page and getting himself a World Title match as a result.

AEW World Title: Kevin Knight vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Knight, with Mike Bailey, is challenging. MJF shoves him during the Big Match Intros and they trade armdrags, along with explanations of what armdrags happen to be. Back up and Knight grabs some armdrags into an armbar, followed by a running shoulder for two. Another armbar is broken up and MJF hits him in the face, only to get stomped down in the corner.

It’s way too early for the UFO Splash though and MJF knocks him down again, meaning it’s time to pose. MJF starts in on the ribs and sends him hard into the corner, leaving Knight in trouble. Back up and MJF charges into a shot in the corner, allowing Knight to come back with a middle rope elbow. A dropkick into a splash gives Knight two but it’s still too early for the UFO Splash.

Instead Knight hits a big dive onto the floor and they go back inside, where MJF rolls outside again. Back in again and MJF drops the bad ribs across the top rope but Knight is fine enough to hit a quick DDT for two. They both need a breather before getting up for a pinfall reversal sequence and a series of near falls. MJF bails to the floor and gets taken down by a running dive as we take a break.

We come back with MJF whipping him into the barricade but Knight scores with a moonsault. The UFO Splash is broken up again (you might want to try something else dude) but Knight knocks him off the top. Now the UFO Splash connects, only for MJF to kick the referee so it’s a rather delayed near fall. Another UFO Splash hits raised knees and MJF grabs the Heatseeker to retain at 16:57.

Rating: B+. This match had solid action with a good story, as Knight kept trying to hit his big move but MJF was just too smart for him. That’s because Knight is still new at this level and isn’t ready for MJF’s tricks. Knight still came close to pulling it off though and that made MJF sweat, which worked well for a one off title match.

Post match MJF loads up the diamond ring but Hangman Page pops up for a distraction, allowing Bailey to kick him in the face.

Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin vs. The Dogs

Unfortunately it’s not Will Ferrara and Rhett Titus, but rather Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd, with the brawl starting fast in the aisle. The Dogs take over, with Allin being sent into the steps but fighting back with a running dropkick. A hanging choke knocks Cassidy silly, allowing Connors to run up the steps and spear him into the timekeeper’s area.

Allin and Kidd get inside for the opening bell (because the stuff before said bell was fine), with Kidd dropping him for an early break. We come back with Allin not being able to get over to the corner for the tag to Cassidy. Instead he’s sent outside and right back inside, where he strikes away at Connors from his knees.

With nothing else working, Allin whips off his belt and sweeps the legs, allowing Cassidy to come in and clean house. A top rope clothesline hits Kidd but the Beach Break is broken up. Kidd knocks Allin off the apron and clotheslines Cassidy, who is back with a Stundog Millionaire. Allin is back up with a Coffin Drop to the floor onto both of them, setting up the Orange Punch to pin Connors at 7:14.

Rating: B-. They were working rather quickly here and it was nice to have a straight tag match rather than the usual street fight or tornado rules. Cassidy and Allin are almost a dream team in AEW and having them fight off the new rather aggressive heels is a good way to go. That being said, the Dogs winning here would make more sense, especially with Cassidy being banged up before the match.

Post match David Finlay (a friend of the Dogs) debuts to attack Cassidy and Allin. A shillelagh to the head knocks Allin silly and the villains stand tall.

Bandido and Andrade El Idolo meet in the back but Andrade isn’t impressed enough for a selfie. There is no mention of this being for the Ring Of Honor World Title.

Brawling Birds vs. IInspiration

The IInspiration (Jessie McKay/Cassie Lee) are debuting (at least on television) and try to dance before the match, earning themselves a jump start from the Birds. The Birds hit stereo chops in the corner and it’s a backbreaker into a clothesline to put Jessie down. Two Birds One Stone gives us a double pin on the IInspiration for the pin at 1:28. Well that worked. I was worried that the Birds would lose here so nice surprise.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Hangman Page vs. Marty Smith

Buckshot Lariat at 10 seconds.

Post match Page says he wants to teach MJF a lesson, but he has no conscience in Texas Death. If MJF wants to use the diamond ring on someone, come use it on him. Cue MJF to say he already has to listen to Page at the press conference but he has to do it now? Cue the Don Callis Family to jump Page from behind until Jet Speed run in with chairs for the save. This brings out Callis to say Jet Speed and Page want too many titles, so they should put the Trios Titles up tonight. Oh and he’s talked to Tony Khan and the match is already made.

Earlier today, FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, sat down with the Young Bucks, saying that they can prove that they’re the greatest team of this generation at Revolution. The Bucks want revenge for their family but they want to do it in front of their family at the pay per view. The brawl is nearly on but FTR agrees to walk away, only for Harwood to punch Brandon Cutler, who wasn’t part of the no contact agreement.

Jon Moxley vs. Hechicero

Non-title. They go to the mat to start with Hechicero dropping an elbow on the mat. Moxley slips out and dances a bit (as Hechicero had done as well) before going to a Kimura. Back up and they trade running shoulders, with Hechicero knocking him into the corner. Moxley bites the finger and hits a running clothesline, followed by sending Hechicero over for a Flair Flip. Hechicero is able to snap the arm across the top rope though and we take a break.

We come back with Hechicero slipping out of a fireman’s carry but getting caught in a Tower Of London to send him to the apron. That just lets Hechicero tie the leg up in the ropes, though the leg is fine enough to hit a superplex. Hechicero is able to reverse a choke into one of his own before getting switched into a cross armbreaker.

That’s reversed into a kneebar, which sends Moxley crawling over to the ropes. They slug it out until Hechicero hits a jumping enziguri, only to get caught with the big clothesline. Hechicero is back with a rolling cradle (with his legs wrapped around Moxley’s head) for two but gets Stomped right back down. That earns Moxley a double middle finger, so Moxley knees him in the head and hits the Death Rider to retain at 14:43.

Rating: B. This was the weekly “Moxley has a good match on his way to the big match” match and that’s not a bad thing. Moxley has been doing rather well as of late, though I’m not sure how long this Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family feud can continue if Moxley keeps running through members of the Family. At least it isn’t Callis talking though, and that makes things better.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out for a staredown with Moxley.

Here is an unscheduled Brody King for a chat. He wants to prove how dangerous he is to Swerve Strickland but gets Prince Nana instead. Nana asks if King wants to do this and upon hearing a yes, Nana waves Swerve out but Swerve jumps King from behind with a chain. Swerve hangs King with the chain and agrees to the match at Revolution. Bandido makes the save.

Wheeler Yuta, with the Death Riders, shows off his quickly recovering hair and credits the team for keeping him going. Marina Shafir doesn’t like Toni Storm and Jon Moxley is ready for Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Women’s Title: Thunder Rosa vs. Thekla

Rosa is challenging and the seconds (Kris Statlander and the Sisters Of Sin) actually go to the back after showing up at the entrances. Thekla tells her to take a shot and gets slapped in the face, allowing Rosa to chop away in the corner. Rosa teases a running knee but Thekla rolls outside, where Rosa gets to chop away against the barricade. A running crossbody hits Thekla as well and a running crotch attack in the ropes makes it worse. Thekla is right back up with a big boot and a double stomp to the back as we take a break.

We come back with Rosa fighting up but getting caught in the upside choke in the ropes. A jumping Stunner gives Rosa a breather and she hits some running clotheslines in the corner. Rosa’s northern lights suplex gets two but Thekla catches her up top to trade forearms. The spider superplex drops Rosa again and the spear connects, only for Thekla to pull her up at two. A cutter gets Rosa out of trouble and a sitout Tombstone gets two more. Rosa misses a charge though and it’s a spear into a pair of stomps to retain the title at 11:08.

Rating: B. This was a nice, hard hitting match and a good way for Thekla to get to retain the title. Beating Rosa still feels like a big deal and that’s the kind of way to make her feel more important. Thekla has grown by leaps and bounds in recent weeks and I’m starting to look forward to seeing her on the shows. That’s a great sign for her, and she could get a lot better rather quickly.

Post match the Sisters come out so here is Statlander to go after them, with Thekla bailing.

We look back at last week’s main event.

Jack Perry talks about beating Ricochet for a third time so it’s going to be time to end the war soon. WHAT WAR??? He’s beaten you twice in title matches. What is the point of this continuing?

Oh and Ricochet isn’t worried. As he shouldn’t be with his record against Perry thus far.

Here is Tommaso Ciampa for a chat. He wants to get straight to the point of Kyle Fletcher, who gave the title an unapproved makeover. Fletcher knows he’ll lose the next time they face off and if that means he has to face Mark Briscoe first, so be it. Cue FTR to hug Ciampa and offer him a spot taking over the company. Ciampa says they hated each other years ago and there is no reason for that to have changed. There’s no non-contact clause here so Ciampa chops Harwood and it sounds like we have a singles match at Collision.

Toni Storm storms into the trainer’s room, where Orange Cassidy is recovering. They’re going to fight the Death Riders next week and at Revolution.

Trios Titles: Don Callis Family vs. Hangman Page/Jet Speed

The Family (Kazuchika Okada/Kyle Fletcher/Mark Davis) is challenging and Excalibur makes sure to remind us that Okada is the greatest tournament wrestler ever. I’m not sure why as this isn’t a tournament, but then again it’s a pretty stupid accolade in the first place. The champs charge in to start fast (with the bell ringing almost four minutes after the show is scheduled to go off the air) as I wonder why this match is able to start with a brawl on the floor when the Dogs vs. Cassidy/Allin wasn’t.

Bailey’s running hurricanrana takes Fletcher down to start and it’s off to Davis, who takes Bailey down in a hurry. Some knees to the chest have Bailey in trouble but he manages to small package Fletcher for two. That’s enough for the tag off to Page as everything breaks down. Back in and a triple dropkick hits Fletcher and the champs all rain down right hands in various corners. Fletcher is able to send Knight off the top, with the bad ribs landing on the barricade.

We take a break (over nine minutes into the over run) and come back with Knight hitting a jumping clothesline but getting dragged back into the corner. Bailey breaks up a cover off a dropkick and Knight manages to get over for the tag. That means Bailey can hit the big moonsault to Fletcher on the floor and kick Davis down for two.

The moonsault knees get two on Fletcher and Bailey kicks Okada in the head to break up the Rainmaker. Page and Davis come in to slug it out with the Deadeye connecting and Fletcher making the save. Bailey reverses Fletcher’s lawn dart into a poisonrana and Page drops Davis with a series of clotheslines. Cue MJF to take Page out though and the Rainmaker hits Knight. Davis’ piledriver finishes Knight for the titles at 13:47.

Rating: B. It was another good match, though my goodness it came at the end of a show that was way too long. The best thing here though was that they got the titles off the latest makeshift champions and onto a team who might actually team together on a regular basis. Hopefully that is the case for a good while, as it might actually let the titles be featured (because they absolutely have to exist).

Overall Rating: B+. Here’s the thing: this show had a lot of good wrestling and it did a nice job of setting up Revolution, but it felt like they were just stretching things out for the sake of making the show longer. Some of the matches could have had a few minutes cut out or just move a few things to either Collision or next week. Seeing that the show was going about eighteen minutes over the regular run time for the third week out of four didn’t make me excited, but rather think “here we go again”. Let the good stuff be good and trim out some of the less important stuff already, because adding in that much extra time isn’t helping.

Now, as for the good stuff on the show, you had a really solid opener, a nice performance from the Brawling Birds, another good Moxley match and the double main event. As usual, AEW does well when it focuses on the in-ring side of things, which was more the case here. Just work a bit harder on getting the timing under control (and yes I know it isn’t going to happen) and things will be even better.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Kevin Knight – Heatseeker
Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin b. The Dogs – Orange Punch to Connors
Brawling Birds b. IInspiration – Double pin
Hangman Page b. Marty Smith – Buckshot Lariat
Jon Moxley b. Hechicero – Death Rider
Thekla b. Thunder Rosa – Stomp
Don Callis Family b. Hangman Page/Jet Speed – Piledriver to Knight

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

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Collision
Date: February 28, 2026
Location: Mission Ballroom, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re getting closer to next month’s Revolution and that should be the focus for the next few weeks, including this show. The pay per view now has a main event with MJF defending the World Title against Hangman Page in a Texas Deathmatch, with MJF talking about the match this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is a ticked off MJF to get things going. We’re not starting this show until Revolution is fixed so he wants Tony Khan out here right now because a Texas Deathmatch is NOT happening. Cue Kevin Knight instead, saying he sees MJF trying to hide while Knight has been out here getting the job done. Knight says he has better fashion and swagger than MJF but he’s also the future and here and now. MJF isn’t impressed…but gives Knight a World Title shot on Dynamite anyway, promising to make Knight history. Well that worked.

Mark Briscoe wants to face Tommaso Ciampa again but tonight, Ciampa is facing Jay Lethal, who beat Ciampa for the ROH TV Title (I was at that show).

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

Eight man tag with Jon Moxley on commentary as the feud continues. Garcia and Romero start things off with Garcia avoiding a dropkick and hitting a basement version of his own. It’s off to Castagnoli vs. Alexander with Alexander blocking a Swing attempt. Castagnoli throws him down with the gutwrench suplex so Archer comes in to take over.

Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns. Archer hits a chokeslam but gets taken down by Yuta. The big flip dive lets Yuta wipe out the pile at ringside and we settle down to Pac kicking away at Beretta. Romero is back in with a missile dropkick to knock Pac off the apron and we take a break. We come back with Alexander chinlocking Pac, who gets up with a rebound German suplex. That’s enough for Castagnoli to come back in and fire off the uppercuts.

It’s already back to Yuta, who gets dropped by some jumping knees. Archer gives him a chokeslam and Yuta has to fix his hat to hide the baldness. Marina Shafir comes in to choke Archer, who breaks it up in a hurry. The Riders are back in to strike away at Archer, including a string of shots in the corner. The Fastball Special gets two, with the Family making the save. They brawl back to the floor and it’s Yuta’s running knee to finish Romero at 15:20.

Rating: B-. This is the big team feud in AEW at the moment and it wouldn’t shock me to see it go all the way on to either Anarchy In The Arena or Blood & Guts (or both). It’s smart to use the lower level wrestlers in the fall for a change, as it isn’t like Romero is going to be hurt by a loss. Nice match here, which might be due to Don Callis himself being nowhere in sight.

Post match Moxley gets in the ring to celebrate but Konosuke Takeshita runs in for the brawl.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jay Lethal

The Swirl is here with Lethal. They go technical to start and a headlock takeover is broken up, giving us a standoff. With that not working, it’s time to slug it out until Ciampa grabs a belly to back suplex. Blake Christian offers a quick distraction though, allowing Lethal to hit his own suplex. Lethal shoulders him down and there’s the strut before Ciampa is sent outside. That means Ciampa can take out the Swirl, only to get wiped out with a suicide dive.

We take a break and come back with Ciampa catching him on top with a chop. Lethal knocks him right back down but the Figure Four is countered into a small package. The Lethal Combination puts Ciampa back down but Hail To The King is countered into a crucifix for two. Lethal grabs a cutter and tries the Lethal Injection, which is cut off with a basement dropkick. Ciampa kicks away and hits the running knee for the pin at 9:20.

Rating: B-. Again, this is where Lethal is at his best, as he can help boost up anyone around here. That’s certainly a good thing for Ciampa, who is already doing well establishing himself in his new surroundings. It would be nice to see him get another title shot, though I’ll take him being on his own for a change after so long in a tag team in WWE.

The IInspiration are here and seem to want to fight the Brawling Birds on Dynamite.

Video on Clark Connors.

Brawling Birds vs. Gypsy Mac/Tyra Russamee

Hayter forearms away on Mac to start and sends her to the corner for the tag to Russamee. Windsor hammers her down in a different corner and it’s back to Hayter with a running boot into a backbreaker. The double chops and double shoulders set up a Hart Attack (Two Birds One Stone, a rather clever name) for the pin on Russamee at 3:01.

Rating: C. Total squash here but I’m liking the Birds thus far. They’re both talented women who had nothing better to do and it’s nice to see them getting a chance. Hayter just hasn’t been quite the same since returning from her terrible injury so this is good for a rehab assignment. Maybe it works long term, as it’s not like there are a lot of teams to jump over.

Video on a four way tag match for $200,000 next week. I guess that’s a thing again.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Kyle Fletcher/Kazuchika Okada vs. Top Flight

Christopher Daniels is here with Top Flight and Don Callis is on commentary. Okada and Darius start things off as Callis explains the idea of Okada, the senior man in the team, giving the younger men a hard time. A double big boot drops Darius, who pulls himself back in to dropkick Fletcher. Dante comes in and gets knocked outside, where Okada gives him a DDT as we take a break.

We come back with Dante fighting his way out of trouble but Okada is in to cut off the tag. Said tag goes through about five seconds later and it’s Darius coming in to clean house. Fletcher misses a charge into the corner and Darius comes back in to kick him into a German suplex. Darius and Fletcher strike it out until Okada comes in for the dropkick. The Rainmaker drops Darius and Fletcher adds the brainbuster for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: B. This got going near the end but ultimately it was what Top Flight does best: putting in a solid effort but coming up short against a bigger name team. Unfortunately that has been their situation for far too long now and there isn’t much hope that they’ll shake the funk. I’m sure this will lead to even more of the tease of Okada vs. Takeshita, which has only been teased for the better part of ever thus far.

Post match Fletcher declares himself and Okada as the best champions in AEW history and a challenge is issued. Cue Jet Speed, who beat them in singles matches in the Continental Classic. A tag match is teased, along with Okada getting a World Title shot once Knight wins the thing, and a Trios Title match. General thought: SWEET GOODNESS THERE ARE TOO MANY TITLES AROUND HERE.

Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy want to fight the War Dogs.

Toni Storm vs. Zayda Steel

Storm’s early headlock takeover doesn’t get her very far so she tells Steel to give her some running shoulders. Steel can’t put her down so it’s a hurricanrana to send Storm into the corner instead. The running knee staggers Storm, who is right back with a suplex. A Codebreaker sends Storm outside for a suicide dive, followed by a high crossbody for two back inside. Three straight German suplexes knock Steel silly and the hip attack into Storm Zero finishes her off at 3:32.

Rating: C+. Steel got in some offense here but she has been little more than cannon fodder since coming to AEW. I get the idea that you don’t want some rookie becoming one of the big players around here, but there has to be something of a middle ground between that and her one singles win. Other than that, Storm would seem likely to be facing Marina Shafir in a big showdown soon, which should be good.

Post match Shafir comes in for the brawl, with Wheeler Yuta joining in. Storm fights back and steals Yuta’s hat, revealing a mostly bald head, though the hair is already starting to grow back in. At least they did it early enough.

Hook is recruiting for the Opps and Anthony Bowens offers his services. That’s only a maybe though, because Bowens might not be enough of a killer. Hook talking is not a great idea.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Sisters Of Sin vs. Kris Statlander/Thunder Rosa

Rosa hammers away on Hart to start and takes her down, only to be driven into the corner. Blue comes in for a double flapjack but gets sent into the wrong corner as well. That’s broken up so Hart comes back in and gets reverse slammed. Statlander’s big suicide dive is cut off though and we take a break.

We come back with Statlander catapulting Blue into Hart in the corner, allowing Rosa to come back in. Blue jawbreaks her way out of trouble and everything breaks down. The superkick gets two on Statlander, with Rosa diving in to make the save. They slug it out from their knees but the super swinging Rock Bottom is broken up. Staturday Night Fever drops Hart and Rosa’s package powerbomb gets the pin at 10:17.

Rating: B-. The Sisters remain little more than lackeys for the rather awesome Thekla and that’s a pretty solid choice for them. I’m not sure how that’s going to go for their future but the trio deal does seem to be the right idea. Rosa and Statlander feel like two singles stars working as a team, meaning they’ll likely stay this way for the time.

Post match here is Thekla, who says if there is one thing she can’t stand, it’s two dumb b******. She’s ready to beat Rosa, who should just retire already. Give it up for the past of the women’s division because it belongs to her. Yeah she’s good at this.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Andrade El Idolo

Don Callis is on commentary as they fight over a lockup to start. Andrade tries to pick up the pace but gets caught on top, where Ishii can’t hit an early superplex. Instead Andrade gets two off a high crossbody, with Callis saying he has his eyes locked onto Andrade’s physique at all times.

Ishii gets dropkicked out to the floor, where he drops Andrade onto the apron to take over. Back in and Andrade’s big boot gets two and they’re already back on the floor. Andrade sends him into the announcers’ table and stops for a photo with a fan as we take a break.

We come back with Ishii fighting up, leaving Callis so frantic that he gets back on commentary. Andrade’s Three Amigos get two but he misses the running knees in the corner. Ishii’s German suplex is shrugged off so he headbutts Andrade down. A missed charge sends Ishii face first into the buckle and the running knees knock him silly for two. The double moonsault gets two more but the DM is blocked. Instead Andrade’s spinning back elbow gets two, followed by the DM to pin Ishii at 14:04.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was fine, but you know what Ishii is going to do most of the time. He’s pretty much just playing the greatest hits these days and that’s only going to get him so far. Andrade is on his way to a match with Bandido, which should make for a good use of both of them at the pay per view.

Post match Bandido comes out for the staredown with Andrade and the match is announced for Revolution. There’s no word on if the Ring Of Honor World Title will be on the line, which would be about as appropriate as you could get for that title.

Overall Rating: B. This show did a nice job of setting some things up for the future or simply advancing a few things that were already established. That’s often the best you can get out of Collision and I’ll take it over what we got last week. This did a nice job and the tag match was rather good stuff. Nice show this week.

Results
Death Riders b. Don Callis Family – Running knee to Romero
Tommaso Ciampa b. Jay Lethal – Running knee
Brawling Birds b. Gypsy Mac/Tyra Russamee – Two Birds One Stone to Russamee
Kyle Fletcher/Kazuchika Okada b. Top Flight – Brainbuster to Darius
Toni Storm b. Zayda Steel – Storm Zero
Kris Statlander/Thunder Rosa b. Sisters Of Sin – Package powerbomb to Hart
Andrade El Idolo b. Tomohiro Ishii – DM

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

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

Dynamite
Date: February 25, 2026
Location: Mission Ballroom, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness

We’re almost to Revolution and the big story this week is finding out what kind of stipulation we’ll be having for the World Title match. MJF gets to pick the stipulation for his match with Hangman Page, which could be just about anything. Other than that, we need to add some more things to the card so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

The Babes Of Wrath and Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford are ready to fight, with Lena Kross ready to help the villains.

We look back at FTR attacking the Young Bucks’ family on Collision so tonight it’s Mile High Madness.

Jon Moxley vs. El Clon

Non-title Eliminator match. They go with the grappling to start and Clon takes it to the mat, where his headscissors is quickly broken up. Back up and Clon’s running shoulder doesn’t do much so he puts Moxley down with a dropkick instead. Moxley is right back up to knock him outside for a beating against the barricade. Back in and a crash landing gives Moxley two and it’s off to something like a reverse Kofi Clutch, with Clon making the rope. Clon hammers away in the corner so Moxley rolls outside, where he gets taken out by a dive.

We take a break and come back with Moxley fighting out of a seated abdominal stretch and rolling outside again. This time Clon boots him in the face but Moxley fights back for a ram into the barricade. That and a suicide dive have Clon in more trouble and the big clothesline drops him again inside.

Clon flips over him in the corner and immediately has to escape the bulldog choke. Moxley is sent outside again, this time for a heck of a step up moonsault to the floor. Back in and Clon dives into a cutter (that looked good too) but pops up to drop Moxley again. The top rope double stomp gives Clon two but Moxley reverses into a Death Rider. The Paradigm Shift gives Moxley the pin at 16:16.

Rating: B+. It’s amazing how much easier it is to watch a Don Callis Family match when there’s no Don Callis. This was an interesting mesh of styles as Moxley would hit him really hard but Clon would pop back up to do a big dive. I got into this despite having no interest in Clon most of the time. Rather good match here and a hot opener to the show.

We look back at Swerve Strickland turning evil again on Kenny Omega last week.

Prince Nana comes in to say Swerve doesn’t care about his $100,000 fine and introduces Swerve, who stands on the announcers’ table. Swerve knows that some people don’t like what he did last week but he had to prove how dangerous he can be. He made a killing taking out the Elite over the last year and that takes him back to All In, where he talked to Hangman Page. Does he feel bad about what he’s done? Back then he said yes, but now he realizes he needs to go back to that way to get back on top.

Brody King is ready to take out Mark Davis on his path back to the World Title. Bandido approves.

Orange Cassidy vs. Gabe Kidd

Kidd stomps away in the corner to start and sends Cassidy crashing into the corner. A quick small package gives Cassidy one and he sends Kidd into a turnbuckle. Oddly enough, Kidd seems to like that and punches Cassidy out for two as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy’s tornado DDT being blocked and Kidd shoving him over the top. Cassidy starts posing a bit to mess with Kidd, which is enough for Cassidy to grab a Stundog Millionaire.

The top rope DDT gives Cassidy two and a spinning DDT puts Kidd down again. The Orange Punch is countered into a stacked up powerbomb to give Kidd two more and he blasts Cassidy with a clothesline. Back up and Cassidy goes with the lazy strikes and a Beach Break gets a quick two. Kidd hides behind the referee to avoid the Orange Punch though, allowing him to rake the eyes. A jumping piledriver finishes Cassidy at 10:14.

Rating: B-. Kidd beat him up pretty well here and beating Cassidy still feels like a big deal. Kidd is still getting established around here and he’s good enough as the slightly crazy guy who gets in violent fights. I’m not sure how much different that is than Moxley, but it’s pretty much what Kidd does.

Post match Clark Connors comes in to hammer Cassidy but Darby Allin makes the save with the skateboard.

Thunder Rosa gets a Women’s Title match next week and Kris Statlander says she’ll be in the corner. Just be careful. When asked why she cares so much, Statlander has nothing to say.

Kevin Knight vs. Mansoor

Mansoor actually takes him down to start and stomps away in the corner. An atomic drop into a spinebuster connect to let Mansoor miss a moonsault. Knight is back with a running hurricanrana and DDT, setting up the UFO Splash for the pin on Mansoor at 2:55.

Post match Knight says he knows Hangman Page will win the World Title and he’d love a shot. Makes sense.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring for the decision on the Revolution World Title match stipulation. Hangman Page and MJF come to the ring, with MJF telling the fans to keep it quiet. MJF recaps the idea of Page not being able to challenge again if he loses and references doing the same thing to Cody Rhodes. After throwing his gum into the crowd (“in the trash”), MJF suggests a coin toss to decide the stipulation. If Page wins, it’s a Texas Deathmatch, but if MJF wins, it’s a one way No DQ match, meaning MJF can do whatever he want but Page can be disqualified.

Page is on and talks about the variety of things he could do in a Texas Deathmatch. If Page can’t beat a piece of s*** like Page, he doesn’t deserve to be champion. MJF then wins the coin flip…but Page wants to see the coin. Jet Speed, Brody King and Bandido come out to cut off his escape and of course it’s a two sided coin. Therefore, according to Tony Khan, it’s a Texas Deathmatch. Fair enough here, as this made sense from all sides.

We look back at the Brawling Birds’ debut.

The Birds are happy with their win and don’t give a f*** who they have to fight.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Babes Of Wrath

The Babes are defending. Bayne and Nightingale start things off with Nightingale winning an exchange of shoulders. Ford comes in and gets clotheslined in the corner, setting up the double backsplash to give Cameron two. The champs clear the ring but Bayne gets back up for a double suicide dive. Ford goes up for a moonsault but lands between Nightingale and Cameron (who go down anyway), with Ford’s knee not looking great on the landing.

We come back with Ford nowhere to be seen and Cameron fighting out of trouble to hand it back to Nightingale. Some corner clotheslines have Bayne down on the floor and the running flip dive off the apron connects. The Babe With The Powerbomb is blocked but Lena Kross comes into hit Nightingale with a belt for the DQ at 8:07.

Rating: C+. This is a hard one to grade as the injury changed everything they had going. Hopefully Ford isn’t hurt too badly as a knee injury of any kind can be devastating. It’s kind of hard to imagine that the titles were going to change hands here, and hopefully that ending sets up a rematch where Ford can stay healthy.

Post match the beatdown ensues with Bayne getting one of the belts.

Brody King vs. Mark Davis

Don Callis is on commentary. They chop it out to start with Davis going to the eyes to take over. A slam puts Davis down but King is back as the fans are chanting “F*** DON CALLIS! F*** ICE TOO!”). King hits a Death Valley Driver but gets sent crashing out to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with King winning the exchange of forearms and sending Davis outside. The suicide dive connects and a running crossbody drives Davis into the barricade. Back in and the cannonball connects but Davis slips over his back into a chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry so they trade suplexes, followed by a clothesline from Davis to leave both of them down. Back up and King hits a pair of clotheslines of his own for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. This was a straight up hoss fight and that’s a good way to use both of them. They got to beat each other up for a few minutes here and that’s always going to work with stars their size. I’m not sure what is next for King, but he’s on a roll right now and AEW would be smart to follow up on what he’s doing.

Post match Bandido comes out to check on King, who says he wants to face Swerve at Revolution. Bandido wants a fight of his own there so here is Andrade El Idolo.

Kyle Fletcher dubs his title Pinkie and Kazuchika Okada comes in to say they’re both champions, unlike Konosuke Takeshita. Okada wants to team up on Collision and yes they have a team name, because that’s the most important thing in the world these days.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jack Perry/Young Bucks/Rascalz vs. The Demand/FTR

Anything goes and the villains jump Perry during his entrance. The Bucks and Rascalz run in and the brawl/match are on with Perry’s music still going. We go triple screen as the Rascalz hit some dives to take out the Demand, leaving FTR and the Bucks to brawl in the crowd. Stokely Hathaway is used as a weapon to knock Matt down the steps but Matt is back up to pour trash on Harwood.

Perry takes out Ricochet and Kaun on the floor but Liona Pounces him over the barricade. Matt beats up FTR in the crowd as everyone else (like you can tell) is back at ringside. The Gates throw Xavier down inside and we take a break. We come back with Myron Reed coming out with a fire extinguisher to save Xavier and clean some house. FTR catches his flip dive and drops him onto the announcers’ table but Perry is up with a vacuum.

A top rope DDT gives Perry two on Liona with Kaun making the save. The Bucks are back in with a trashcan for the save and the Swanton onto the trashcan onto Harwood connects. FTR bails away from the threat of superkicks and it’s time to set up a table. Liona’s double fall away slam is broken up with some dropkicks to the knees and Xavier shooting stars onto a bunch of people on the floor. Perry is backdropped over the top and through the table at ringside, leaving Wentz to get dropped with a headbutt.

A double powerplex into a springboard 450 gets two with most of the good guys making a save. FTR and the Bucks trade DDTs until the Rascalz give Ricochet a double Spanish Fly through another table. Some superkicks and a sunset bomb put Liona through another table and FTR is tossed through yet another. The BTE Trigger and an assisted running knee from Perry finish Ricochet at 18:59.

Rating: B. I enjoyed this about as much as I was going to as I’m not interested in any of the feuds in the match and I’m over these wild matches that feel more like big brawling segments. They did live up to the madness concept and that was fun, but dang I feel like I’ve seen a match like this every few weeks.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and main event were good and I rather liked the coin flip deal, just for the sake of it making sense. It’s a rather solid show this week with a fun main event and some matches being set up for Revolution. While it didn’t feel like the biggest Dynamite, the show flew by (a shorter overrun compared to previous weeks helped) and it was a nice use of two hours.

Results
Jon Moxley b. El Clon – Paradigm Shift
Gabe Kidd b. Orange Cassidy – Jumping piledriver
Kevin Knight b. Mansoor – UFO Splash
Babes Of Wrath b. Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford via DQ when Lena Kross interfered
Brody King b. Mark Davis – Lariat
Jack Perry/Young Bucks/Rascalz b. The Demand/FTR – Assisted running knee to Ricochet

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

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Dynamite
Date: February 18, 2026
Location: Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Bryan Danielson

We’ve got a big match this week, as Kenny Omega will be facing Swerve Strickland. That is the kind of match that could easily be on the upcoming Revolution card but instead we have it this week. At the same time, we are getting ready for the pay per view, meaning MJF and Hangman Page need to go face to face this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Mina Shirakawa wants the TBS Title.

Willow Nightingale knows that it’s tough to be a double champ but may the best woman win.

Megan Bayne says she deserves gold.

Swerve Strickland needs to beat Kenny Omega.

Omega says Strickland is in his way.

Orange Cassidy has a replacement partner for Roderick Strong: Tomohiro Ishii.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jon Moxley vs. Mark Davis

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with Davis grabbing a waistlock to little avail. Instead Davis tries some chops, which have Moxley chopping right back. A sunset flip is broken up with a sitdown splash and a sliding forearm in the corner knocks Moxley silly again. They go outside where Davis hits some rather loud chops but Moxley ducks one of them, which hits the post instead.

The suicide dive connects and Davis’ hand is bleeding (that’s a rare one) as the fans are way behind Moxley. Naturally Moxley bites and stomps on the cut as we take a break. We come back with Moxley biting the cut again and superplexing Davis down. A PK gives Moxley one and they strike it out, with Davis using the bad hand.

Davis gets smart by using an enziguri but the clothesline is countered with a jumping cutter. Back up and Davis manages to hit the clothesline, followed by a gutwrench piledriver of all things for two. Moxley shakes a lot and escapes a choke, allowing him to avoid a running enziguri. The stomp doesn’t leave Davis down for very long so they’re back up to trade clotheslines. Moxley pulls him into the bulldog choke for the win at 14:00.

Rating: B-. They did a nice job of beating each other up as Moxley is always going to be in for a big brawl. Davis still feels a lot better as a tag guy but it’s not his fault his partner got hurt. I can go with having him around for something like this, but he’s going to be better off with someone helping him out.

After winning on Collision, Hangman Page praised Andrade El Idolo but says he’s coming for MJF and the World Title at Revolution.

Here are FTR and Stokely Hathaway to complain about the Young Bucks. The Bucks coined the phrase FTR but now they’re the second best team in AEW’s history. Hathaway is sick of doing the same things over and over and they hate everyone around here. He insults the Bucks over and over…and here they are to superkick FTR. Hathaway (still in his wheelchair) gets superkicked as well and the Bucks want their title shot at Revolution.

After losing at Collision, Brody King says getting so close to winning the World Title and losing makes him want it that much more. On February 25, he’s getting back in the title hunt. I’ll avoid making a joke about the bag of ice on his knee.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

TBS Title: Marina Shafir vs. Megan Bayne vs. Mina Shirakawa vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale is defending and Penelope Ford is here with Bayne. Shirakawa is sent outside to start, leaving Bayne and Shafir to double team Nightingale. That’s broken up as Nightingale sends them outside for the cannonball off the apron, only for Shirakawa to hit a dive of her own. Back in and Nightingale gives the villains a double Codebreaker but Bayne is able to snap off a super hurricanrana. Shirakawa is sent crashing out to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Shirakawa striking away and Bayne accidentally hitting Shafir. Nightingale fires back with three straight spinebusters before she and Bayne drop each other with a double clothesline. Bayne clears the ring and hits a big dive to the floor but Shafir breaks up the pin attempt. A powerbomb puts Shafir down on the floor but Nightingale puts Bayne down back inside. Shirakawa is right there with a missile dropkick and kick to the head for Nightingale. That lets her load up the Figure Four, which Nightingale reverses into a small package to retain at 11:15.

Rating: B. They got rolling here and it turned into quite the spectacle for all four. Nightingale gets to retain again and that’s always nice to see, even if it still feels like she has no need to be a double champion. At the same time, Shirakawa’s fall continues, as she loses the match not long after losing some of her hair. That’s just a bad run, unlike this good match.

Video on Grand Slam.

Commentary pays tribute to WWE director Kerwin Silfies, who passed away at 75. That’s rather touching.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Here are Hangman Page and MJF for their face to face showdown. MJF says he isn’t going to cut some cutesy wrestling promo to sell Revolution. The truth is that he hates everything about Page, from his attitude to his wrestling, and he hates the fact that the fans think Page is the main character of AEW. What makes it even worse though is that MJF has lost to Page twice.

Page is just a lucky shot and on March 15, MJF’s birthday, MJF is going to prove it. Page talks about how the fans carried him to two World Titles and says MJF basically stole the belt. The reality is Page hates MJF far worse than MJF hates him, because they’re so much alike. MJF’s desperation for love and acceptance feels just like Page and they have both always needed the fans’ reception. He wants to end this at Revolution for good so it needs to be something different.

MJF can think of a stipulation because Page already has his own, and the people can pick. MJF thinks he hears Texas Death but SHUT UP because this is going to be a regular match. Page is willing to sweeten the pot a bit: if he loses, he never challenges for the World Title again. MJF says that’s a deal, but he wants a week to think about his stipulation. That’s fine with Page, who wants Texas Death. They definitely raised the stakes, but hopefully they have a good stipulation because otherwise it could be quite the mess.

The Death Riders still hate the Don Callis Family and a challenge is issued for Collision. As for Revolution, Jon Moxley wants Konosuke Takeshita, no time limit. That’s not exactly under Continental Rules there Mox.

Orange Cassidy/Tomohiro Ishii vs. Gabe Kidd/Clark Connors

Cassidy has to duck a big swing from Kidd to start and immediately hands it off to Ishii. Kidd wastes no time in taking Ishii into the corner and it’s off to Connors, who dares to try chopping. That just ticks Ishii off and Connors gets double chopped in the corner (Ishii is a bit more into it than Cassidy) before everything breaks down. Cassidy gets chopped down and Ishii is sent into the announcers’ table as we take a break.

We come back with Ishii and Kidd chopping it out until Kidd bites the head. Something like a Pounce puts Kidd down and they slap each other in the face over and over. Kidd hits a hard running lariat to put Ishii down and it’s back to Connors, who drops Ishii again. Ishii, who is favoring either his back or hamstring, manages a belly to back suplex and brings Cassidy back in. Everything breaks down and Kidd is sent outside, where Darby Allin kidnaps him into the crowd. Ishii grabs the brainbuster (really a suplex but it’s understandable as he seems injured) to pin Connors at 9:53.

Rating: C+. This was kind of a messy match, though that might be due to Ishii getting hurt. They kind of had to go to the ending in a hurry, though they got the big deal with Allin in and that’s all that matters. It’s certainly better than having Allin get beaten up all the time, as he has a reason for revenge here and is actually taking it for a change.

The Don Callis Family beat up a bunch of people in the back and accept the Death Riders’ challenges, both for Collision and Revolution. Kazuchika Okada comes in to say he’s here because he’s a champion while Konosuke Takeshita couldn’t even show up. Andrade El Idolo comes in to say he wants the World Title. Don Callis wants the CMLL World Title for the Family.

Hook wants to bring some new members into the Opps.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Brawling Birds vs. B3cca/Viva Van

Windsor hammers on Van in the corner to start and quickly powers out of a headlock. A sunset flip takes Van down and Hayter comes in for a running boot to the face. The Birds chop away in the corner but Van slips out of a double suplex. B3cca comes in and gets catapulted into an Irish Curse. A Hart Attack finishes for Windsor at 3:58.

Rating: C. Total squash here and that’s a nice start for the Birds. They’re pretty much two women with nothing else to do being thrown together and that’s a tried and true way to build a tag division. It was just a small sample size but it was a good way to start, so maybe they have something here.

Renee Young brings in Kris Statlander, who wants the Women’s Title back, and Thunder Rosa, who is back and cleared to return. That’s good to hear.

Kevin Knight vs. The Beast Mortos

Mike Bailey is here with Knight, who avoids a charge to start and sends Mortos crashing out to the floor. Knight slingshots over the post and takes Mortos down as we take a break. We come back with Mortos sending him outside for a running flip dive, which is quite the sight. Back in and the pop up Samoan drop gives Mortos two but Knight hits a great looking dropkick. A jumping clothesline drops Mortos again and Knight even manages a slam. The running splash gets two and Knight plants him with a running DDT. The UFO Splash gives Knight the pin at 8:36.

Rating: B-. They did some good stuff here, which shouldn’t be a surprise, and they didn’t waste any time. Knight continues to feel like a star in the making, with some outstanding athleticism. At the same time, I have absolutely no idea why Page/Jetspeed are the Trios Champions, as I don’t remember the last time they were even together on TV.

Video on Will Ospreay.

The Demand wants the Trios Titles. Say on Collision. They go to their dressing room, where they find a knife in the door. Eh must be nothing.

Swerve Strickland vs. Kenny Omega

Prince Nana is here with Swerve. They fight over a lockup to start with Swerve knocks him down. Omega is back with a running shoulder so Swerve slaps him in the face. Swerve is knocked outside but it’s way too early for the Terminator dive. They head outside with Omega chopping away and moonsaulting off the barricade as we take a break. We come back with Omega grabbing a suplex to put them both down.

You Can’t Escape gives Omega two and he drops Swerve face first onto the top turnbuckle. The snapdragon drops Swerve for two more but he manages to send Omega into the buckle right back. The Vertebreaker is countered though and Omega grabs a snapdragon on the apron for the big knockdown. Swerve is able to escape a snapdragon from the apron to the floor but then has to flip out of a German suplex to the floor.

That lets Swerve grab a suplex on the floor as they’re both starting to feel this. Back in and a 450 in the general vicinity to Omega’s back gets two but Omega is able to hit a running knee in the corner. The snapdragon superplex plants Swerve for two but he pulls the referee into the V Trigger (though it might have been due to her checking on Swerve’s banged up shoulder).

The One Winged Angel is countered into the House Call but there is no one to count. Instead it’s a Swerve Stomp to the apron before Swerve catapults him throat first into the exposed turnbuckle. Another Swerve Stomp gets two from another referee but Omega grabs another snapdragon. The poisonrana looks to set up the One Winged Angel but Swerve escapes for the House Call. Big Pressure finishes Omega at 20:10.

Rating: A-. These two had a pay per view quality match and I’m still not sure why it wasn’t on the pay per view. Swerve was definitely going more violent here, though I’m not sure how easily he would be able to turn heel. Either way, it was a heck of a match and definitely worth a look, as Swerve gets to show how good he can be in a huge match.

Post match Swerve beats Omega down even more and even hangs him over the top rope with the chain. A Vertebreaker through the announcers’ table ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event is great and the TBS Title match was worth a look, but the rest of the show wasn’t quite as awesome. The good thing is that they’re setting up Revolution, which has the potential to be quite the show. They still have some time to add a few things in and I’m curious about what is next for Swerve. For now though, the excellent main event more than carries the show.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Mark Davis – Bulldog choke
Willow Nightingale b. Marina Shafir, Megan Bayne and Mina Shirakawa – Small package to Shirakawa
Brawling Birds b. B3cca/Viva Van – Hart Attack to B3cca
Kevin Knight b. The Beast Mortos – UFO Splash
Swerve Strickland b. Kenny Omega – Big Pressure

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

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Collision
Date: February 7, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s another title match tonight as the new TNT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is defending in a three way match against Claudio Castagnoli and Roderick Strong. Other than that, the Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz continues (for some reason) in an eight man parking lot brawl. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Young Bucks vs. Gates Of Agony

The winners are in a three way #1 contenders match on Dynamite. Liona shoves Matt down to start so Nick comes in and charges into a slam from Kaun. Everything breaks down and the Bucks take over by sending the Gates outside. The stereo dives are pulled out of the air and it’s off to a double nerve hold on Matt back inside.

The Gates hit each other by mistake but Nick’s running flip dive is cut off as well. That means the Bucks can be rammed into each other and a headbutt drops Matt as we take a break. We come back with Matt sliding between Kaun’s legs and making the tag off to Nick to clean house. A high crossbody gets two and everything breaks down (meaning the referee gets to just stand there) as the Bucks take over.

The Bucks come off the top at the same time for stereo near falls but Liona is back with a double Samoan drop. The Gates hit their own dives onto the floor (because they can do that), followed by a wheelbarrow cutter for two on Matt. Nick is back in to help with the BTE Trigger for two, with Kaun making the save. The TK Driver finishes Kaun at 13:56.

Rating: B. It’s a good match, though the idea of getting anywhere closer to the Bucks vs. FTR again makes my head hurt. The Bucks got to do their usual stuff so it was entertaining enough, though I still don’t see much of a reason to get interested in them. It’s a good example of match quality not making the biggest impact, as they continue to just be there, often in a prominent spot.

Post match FTR and Stokely Hathaway pop up on screen. Hathaway can’t believe that in the year of our lord Beyonce Knowles, the Elite still wants to hold all of the gold like in the good old says. Dax Harwood says that’s the problem with the good old days: they’re not here anymore, unlike FTR, who are the top guys. And they’re out.

Video on the TNT Title triple threat.

Brody King is ready to win the World Title next week.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Here is Kris Statlander to announce the stipulation for her rematch with Thekla. Cue Thekla to spear her down though, with the Triangle Of Madness holding Statlander to the mat. Thekla whips her with the belt and promises to make things toxic no matter what. The villains go to leave but Statlander calls Thekla a stupid b**** and makes it a strap match.

Kyle Fletcher wants the TNT Title back and here is Kazuchika Okada for a quick pep talk.

Scorpio Sky vs. Kevin Knight

Christopher Daniels, Leila Grey and Mike Bailey are here too. They stare at each other to start and we get an SCU chant, which doesn’t impress Knight. The fight over a lockup goes around the ropes but doesn’t get either very far. A test of strength lets Sky shoulder him down and they exchange nipups. Knight makes fun of Sky’s lack of hair and gets chopped into the corner but Knight sends him outside.

The big dive drops Sky on the ramp and we take a break. We come back with Sky planting him down for two but Knight’s small package gets the same. A DDT gives Knight two more but Sky catches him on top with a superplex. Knight is right back with a springboard clothesline, followed by the UFO Splash for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: C+. This was kind of a weird one, as it felt like they were having something of a personal issue, despite the two of them not having any important interactions in a good while. I do like Knight winning a match on his own though, as he’s quite fun to watch. At the same time, given that most of the team wrestles in singles matches at the moment, I have no idea why Knight/Bailey/Hangman Page are the Trios Champions. Then again, the Opps barely ever defended them anyway so this does at least continue the tradition.

Hook says Samoa Joe is out injured so in the time being, he’s the new captain of the Opps. Sure. I completely believe that this will be the thing that gets Hook over after years of trying.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Viva Van

Shirakawa works on the arm to start but Van flips away and does Shirakawa’s dance. Some knees to the face put Shirakawa down and Van snapmares her into a chinlock. That’s broken up and Shirakawa starts firing off the kicks. A Stunner to the leg over the rope sets up a slingshot dive but Van blocks the Figure Four. Back up and Van’s flipping kick to the head gets two but Shirakawa is back with the top rope Sling Blade. They trade strikes to the head until the Figure Four finishes Van off at 5:42.

Rating: C-. This was a bit of a disappointment, as it felt like Van was wrestling in slow motion and not exactly working smoothly. It doesn’t help that Shirakawa is just kind of floating around at the moment while her partner teams with Orange Cassidy. She needs something to do, and a five minute match on Collision isn’t exactly much to see.

Death Riders vs. Sky Flight

Jon Moxley is on commentary. It’s a brawl to start with the men going outside while Shafir easily wrestles Steel down. The leglock is reversed into a quick choke and Steel gets two off a small package. A distraction from the floor lets Shafir get in another knockdown but it’s off to Dante Martin to take over. That lasts all of ten seconds before Yuta pulls him down into a chinlock and we take a break.

We come back with Yuta holding Martin up top and raking his back. One heck of a chop puts Yuta down though and the top rope flip dive connects. Yuta is back with a bridging German suplex into the elbows to the head but Martin fights up again. Steel comes in to take over on Shafir and even gets in a shot to Yuta on the apron. Shafir pulls Steel out of the air though and Mother’s Milk (with Shafir yelling at the camera and treating Steel like an afterthought in a nice touch) finishes at 9:21.

Rating: B-. This was basically a warmup for the Riders before their big hair vs. hair match next week and naturally Steel needed to take the loss. That’s all she’s done since showing up around here, which is apparently the new favorite way to debut stars. At the same time, Martin (and Sky Flight in general) feel even less important than ever, which is quite the feat.

Post match the Riders go for Steel’s hair but Toni Storm and Orange Cassidy make the save.

A man hits on Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter, earning himself a beating. They dub themselves the Brawling Birds.

After Dynamite, MJF went nuts and ranted about all the people coming for his title, which he’ll keep. He’s at his most dangerous when his back is against the wall and that will be the case next week.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Thekla vs. Brittnie Brooks

Thekla knocks her down to start and finishes with the spear at 28 seconds.

Post match Thekla whips Brooks with the strap and…no one makes the save.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita next week for the Continental Title.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Rascalz vs. Grizzled Young Veterans/Big Bill/Ortiz

Parking Lot Brawl. Kingston throws in a trashcan full of weapons and charges in as the brawl is on with a fast start. A missed shot breaks a car window and Bill kicks a side view mirror off. We settle down to general chaos until the Rascalz hit Hot Fire Flame off the top of a car. Bill takes over again with the heavy forearms before tossing Xavier over the top of a car for a big crash.

We take a break and come back with Keith and Xavier fighting over a hammer until Wentz and Xavier fight into the back of the limo. Kingston cleans house with a stick and Xavier shooting stars off the limo roof. Bill is up again to start wrecking everyone and Wentz is chokeslammed through a windshield (with a camera suddenly inside the car). Some double teaming drops Bill on the concrete and a double suplex drops Keith on the top of the limo.

The Veterans get in a slugout with Kingston and Ortiz, with Kingston getting choked. Ortiz is up with a cable of some kind but Isla Dawn pops up to hit Ortiz in the head with a sheet. Myron Reed (the third Rascal) pops up with a flip dive off a car before stealing Dawn. Kingston DDTs Gibson onto the car for the pin at 12:31.

Rating: C+. Ok then. I mean what else am I supposed to think here? Kingston has destroyed the Veterans for the entirety of their feud and he did it again with this match. I’m not sure why this match needed to exist, as it felt like AEW wanted to do another parking lot brawl and then put the feud into the match as a result. It was your usual good carnage, but I had no reason to care about any of these people.

Post match Schiavone has trouble remembering how many people were in the match.

Roderick Strong says he needs to change things around here but Mark Briscoe interrupts. Briscoe thinks Strong has what it takes to win the title, but he wants a title shot against the winner. Strong appreciates that, though he’s not in the Conglomeration.

TNT Title: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Roderick Strong vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Only Ciampa is defending. Castagnoli is knocked outside to start fast and the other two are left to strike it out. Strong is sent flying over the top, with Castagnoli easily catching him to show off a bit. Back in and Ciampa kicks Castagnoli in the face but Strong is back with a jumping knee to Ciampa. Castagnoli hits his running shots in the corner but Ciampa grabs a Downward Spiral/DDT to drop both of them.

A double suplex drops Castagnoli and the other two get to strike it out a bit. They all head outside with Strong chopping away against the barricade and a charging Castagnoli is sent into said barricade. Naturally Castagnoli is fine enough to drop Ciampa face first onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. We come back with Castagnoli striking Ciampa down again and muscling him up top.

Strong pulls Castagnoli down though and dropkicks Ciampa out of the air. A backbreaker sets up the Stronghold, with Castagnoli making the save. Castagnoli gets to show off a bit with a double suplex but Ciampa is right back with a DDT. The Fairy Tale Ending gets two on Castagnoli but the running knee is cut off. Castagnoli’s Swing is broken up as well and an uppercut hits Strong for two. Strong’s jumping knee drops Castagnoli but Ciampa’s running knee knocks Strong silly to retain at 11:43.

Rating: B. So this was the match designed to prove that Ciampa’s win last week wasn’t a fluke. That’s a fine way to go as Ciampa was more than good enough to hang in there. It made for a strong main event with Castagnoli getting to show off the insane power. Strong can work well with anyone as well and that made Ciampa look even better retaining. Odds are he loses it to a big name soon, but at least they’re starting somewhere.

Post match Kyle Fletcher comes out to hold the title, which he hands back to Ciampa. Fletcher asks how it feels to know that Ciampa will never fill his shoes. He wants the title match next week and it seems to be set for Dynamite (I’m assuming Ciampa kissing him on the cheek counts) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the run of the mill Collision, with good action but little that felt important. The opener and main event both felt big enough that it made for a good show, though as usual, it’s not exactly a show you need to see. At least next week is Grand Slam so things should feel bigger. The show looked good on paper and lived up to the hype, though it had its usual Collision issues.

Results
Young Bucks b. Gates Of Agony – TK Driver to Kaun
Kevin Knight b. Scorpio Sky – UFO Splash
Mina Shirakawa b. Viva Van – Figure Four
Death Riders b. Sky Flight – Mother’s Milk to Steel
Thekla b. Brittnie Brooks – Spear
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Rascalz b. Grizzled Young Veterans/Big Bill/Ortiz – DDT onto a car to Gibson
Tommaso Ciampa b. Roderick Strong and Claudio Castagnoli – Running knee to Strong

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 21, 2026
Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

Things are starting to pick up again around here, as MJF is having to deal with both Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page, plus a few other challengers. That’s how the World Champion should be treated, though hopefully he gets to talk about them a bit more. Other than that, Swerve Strickland is facing Kevin Knight, which should be a good one. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings out MJF for a chat. MJF brags about his successes, including giving the Triple B a special introduction. Last week Bandido was the first one to find out that this is his year and no one is on the level of the devil. Cue Brody King to interrupt, saying he wants to hurt MJF for what he did to Bandido.

That won’t happen though, because everyone knows MJF is just a b****. What he wants is a match for the World Title and we should just make it tonight. MJF steps back before accusing King of beating a bunch of jobbers. He says King is all bark and no bite before turning down the title shot. King barks at him and MJF runs off.

We look back at Hangman Page and JetSpeed winning the Trios Titles last week.

Page and JetSpeed talk about coming up with a team name but instead opt to focus on their matches tonight.

Samoa Joe vs. Mike Bailey

Joe bails out to the floor to start but comes back in to forearm him down rather easily. Bailey is pulled outside and one heck of a chop puts him down. Joe knocks him down again as the rest of the Opps come in for the beatdown. We take a break and come back with Bailey still in trouble but avoiding a charge in the corner. Bailey kicks away and the shooting star press gets two.

Bailey misses the moonsault knees on the apron though and Katsuyori Shibata snaps off some suplexes onto various hard objects. Back in and Joe smashes the knee down and grabs a kneebar. A heel hook keeps Bailey in trouble but he gets to the rope for the break. Joe kicks the knee out again so Bailey goes with a crane kick.

The moonsault knees (oh here we go) connect for Bailey but he misses the tornado kick in the corner. Hook’s distraction breaks up the Ultimate Weapon and Bailey has to climb the corner to flip away from the Koquina Clutch. Shibata gets in a cheap shot though and the MuscleBuster finishes Bailey at 15:14.

Rating: B-. Bailey was doing his usual lack of selling of the knee near the end and I can’t even get mad at it anymore. Joe smashing through him in the end was nice to see, though they’re already teasing running the title match back. It’s not like the titles are likely to feel important for long so get the title match in while you can.

We run down the rest of the card.

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

Street fight and it’s a brawl to start fast, as you probably expected. The fights go around the arena, with Moxley and Archer fighting in the crowd while Garcia makes Hechicero tap to an ankle lock on the ramp. Back in and Archer gets triple teamed in the corner before he falls out to the floor. That’s fine with Archer, who chokeslams a diving Yuta onto the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Moxley surrounded but trying to fight everyone off anyway. Archer crossbodies Moxley down though and it’s time to bring in a table. Marina Shafir comes in to triangle choke Archer, which is broken up just as quickly. Archer sends Moxley through a table in the corner, leaving Garcia and Yuta to get tied in some abdominal stretches.

Moxley is back up with a double DDT and it’s time for a barbed wire/broken glass table. Romero escapes a suplex though and it’s a chokeslam to send Moxley onto the board for two. Cue the rest of the Death Riders with a crutch to take Archer out and Shafir low blows Hechicero. Garcia’s piledriver and the Dragontamer, with a stomp from Moxley, finishes Romero at 15:34.

Rating: B-. This is about what you would expect from this kind of a match, with the barbed wire/glass board feeling rather out of place. The match came off more like something that was late in a feud rather than close to the beginning, though you can almost guarantee we see this again. The Riders as good guys is still weird, but hopefully they tone it down a bit. It would help a lot.

Post match Moxley comes up to Don Callis and says Callis’ boy (presumably Konosuke Takeshita) knows where to find him.

Thekla, with the rest of the Triangle Of Madness, wants to face Kris Statlander next week. As for this week, Julia Hart wants the TBS Title on Collision.

FTR vs. Alec Price/Jordan Oliver

Non-title. Oliver locks up with Wheeler to start with Wheeler running him down, A small package gives Wheeler two but everything breaks down, with FTR being sent outside for the stereo dives. Back in and a top rope double stomp gets two on Wheeler, who is right back with a big clothesline. Price is right back up to bring in Oliver for the house cleaning. Harwood catches him in the corner but the PowerPlex is broken up. Price tries to fight back but walks into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: B-. This was the “hi, you’re new here so you get to lose to a big name” match for Price and Oliver. They got to lose before they were signed to the roster and now they get to lose as official wrestlers. I’m sure they’ll be fine but having someone new get some wins sounds like an idea that just might work.

Kris Statlander is down with Thekla’s challenge and issues an open challenge for an eliminator match on Collision. Willow Nightingale will face Julia Hart as well, which leaves Harley Cameron to hit the catchphrase.

Kenny Omega vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander jumps him from behind to start the brawl before the bell. Omega blocks a ram into the barricade and hits a moonsault before they go inside for the opening bell. A running forearm gives Omega two but he charges into a World’s Strongest Slam onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Alexander kneeing him in the face again. They go up top with Alexander hitting a super Regal Roll for two before heading outside.

The floor pads are peeled back and Omega grabs the Snapdragon, followed by the running flip dive to take Alexander down again. They get back inside with Omega’s brainbuster onto the knee getting two. Alexander is back up with a suplex and they crash out to the floor for a double breather.

They slug it out until Omega goes after Don Callis, allowing Alexander to grab the ankle lock. That’s broken up so Alexander hits the running crossbody to knock Omega off the apron. Back in and Omega hits a V Trigger out of nowhere, followed by another running knee. The One Winged Angel finishes Alexander at 11:51.

Rating: B-. Omega is nowhere near what he used to be but at least he’s still able to do something like this. They didn’t give this as much time as some matches and that’s ok, as the idea of less is more being a good concept to learn. Also, Alexander getting to lose again is almost amusing, as he’s just the designated big name jobber of the Family.

Post match Omega says he’s feeling great and living in Orlando, so he’s coming for MJF and the World Title.

We get one of Taz’s always awesome breakdowns, as he looks at the physics behind MJF’s Salt Of The Earth armbar on Bandido from last week.

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Timeless Love Bombs

The villains take over to start but of course the Bombs use a do-see-do to escape. Storm drops Shirakawa onto Ford but Bayne is back up to wreck both of them. Bayne throws Shirakawa onto Storm on the floor and then throws Ford onto the two of them for a big crash as we take a break.

We come back with Shirakawa trying to roll over for the tag but getting caught with the release German suplex. Shirakawa manages to get up top for a high crossbody though and it’s off to Storm to clean house. Stereo hip attacks send the villains outside for a pair of dives, followed by a top rope sling blade for two on Ford. All four get back inside until Shirakawa backfists Ford down. Bayne breaks it up again though and it’s a Doomsday Device to finish Shirakawa at 10:51.

Rating: C+. The Bombs losing is an interesting way to go, but Bayne is certainly feeling like a monster again. Maybe she isn’t ready to be the face of the women’s division, but I could go for her doing something other than being the monster in a tag team. The Bombs still have the charm and chemistry, but the team loses some of its luster when Storm isn’t talking. That might not be a great sign.

Post match Marina Shafir cuts off Storm with the Mother’s Milk.

We look at Roderick Strong becoming #1 contender for the CMLL World Title.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, with Excalibur bringing back his rapid fire delivery.

Swerve Strickland vs. Kevin Knight

Knight tries to take him down to start but gets sent flying as a result. Back up and Knight works on an armbar before sending Strickland outside. Strickland is back in to knock Knight off the top and out to the floor. A piledriver onto the steps is broken up though and Knight grabs a hurricanrana off the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Strickland hitting a kneeling backbreaker. Knight fights out of a half crab attempt and Strickland is getting frustrated. They forearm it out until Knight gets in a neckbreaker to leave them both down. Knight’s jumping clothesline connects, as does Strickland’s rolling Downward Spiral, but the House Call isn’t quite the same.

Strickland puts him on top, where Knight manages to come back with a sunset bomb. They head to the apron, where Strickland grabs a Death Valley Driver. Strickland isn’t done as he hits a Texas piledriver on the barricade. Back in and a 450 to the back sets up Strickland’s dragon sleeper.

Knight fights up so Strickland sends him into the corner, where Knight hurricanranas him down for the Coast To Coast. A UFO Splash gets two and Strickland smiles at him, earning a House Call from Knight for two. They trade pump kicks until Strickland House Calls him out of the air. The Vertebreaker into the JML Driver finishes Knight at 17:20.

Rating: B. This was about showing that Knight belongs on this level and while he might not be all the way there yet, he certainly took a nice step forward here. Hanging in there with someone as good as Strickland is a big deal and Strickland had to work to win the thing. Knight will get a chance and it’s clear that AEW sees something in him.

An annoyed MJF looks down from a box to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. They focused on the wrestling side of things here and that worked well for the week. The main event is worth a look and you can see some of the matches starting to be set up for Revolution. The show is still a long way off but the stories are coming together, which is a great thing to see. I’ll take a night with this much solid action, so it’s a rather good show as a result.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Mike Bailey – MuscleBuster
Death Riders b. Don Callis Family – Dragontamer to Romero
FTR b. Alec Price/Jordan Oliver – Shatter Machine to Price
Kenny Omega b. Josh Alexander – One Winged Angel
Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford b. Timeless Love Bombs – Doomsday Device to Shirakawa
Swerve Strickland b. Kevin Knight – JML Driver

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

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Collision
Date: January 17, 2026
Location: Arizona Financial Theater, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re taped this week as the Arlington residency continues. There is at least a title match this week though as the Opps are actually defending the Trios Titles against Hangman Page and JetSpeed. Sure that might seem like a random combination, but they had one match together five months ago and that’s good enough. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Angelico vs. Andrade El Idolo

Don Callis is here with Andrade, who takes Angelico into the corner rather quickly. Some chops have Angelico in trouble and they go to the mat with Andrade in control. Andrade chops away in the corner again before charging into a boot to the face. Three Amigos put Angelico right back down but Andrade pulls him up at two. A twisting neckbreaker (the DM) finishes Angelico at 3:54.

Rating: C. Total squash here and yeah it’s about the same as always from Andrade. I just do not get the appeal of the guy, as while he’s fine, he’s just kind of there with nothing that makes him stand out. Having him be another member of the Don Callis Family doesn’t help either, but that has been the case with a lot of people.

The Rascalz come out of a smoky room and introduce the team: Zachary Wentz, Myron Reed and Dezmond Xavier. They want to be where the best wrestle, but like to smoke as well.

We recap the Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz. Kingston has been having troubles with them, so Ortiz is back to help him out.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Ortiz/Eddie Kingston

Ortiz takes over on Drake to start and hits a spinning high crossbody to put him down. Drake gets taken into the corner and we actually get some alternating arm cranking. Kingston gets caught in the Veterans’ corner though and a leg lariat puts him down. That’s broken up and it’s back to Ortiz, who gets taken outside for some yelling and a suicide dive.

We take a break and come back with Ortiz still in trouble but managing to strike his way out. Kingston comes back in for the chops to both Veterans, allowing Ortiz to hit a sitout powerbomb for two on Drake. Kingston and Gibson argue a lot until Gibson goes after Ortiz, leaving Kingston to grab….the scarf. Gibson hits a middle rope Codebreaker and Drake grabs the Koji Clutch on Kingston. That’s good for two arm drops but Kingston raises a middle finger and survives. Ortiz takes out Gibson and the DDT finishes Drake at 12:45.

Rating: C-. So Kingston beat up the Veterans on his own and then beat them up again when he had a partner. There’s only so much you can get out of a story like this and it didn’t help that Ortiz didn’t quite look great. He hasn’t been around in a long time and I’m not sure how many people were begging to have him back.

The Babes Of Wrath and Kris Statlander are upset after their loss, with Statlander saying she would take a bullet for them to be out there with her best friends. As for Thekla, Statlander will give her a title shot because that’s what a champion does. She likes the taste of toxic.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Here is FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a chat. Hathaway congratulates Davis And Doyle for becoming the #1 contenders, who have all kinds of potential. Wheeler says the team (“Jake…something….Doyle”) is good but they’re not FTR good. Harwood, after greeting Nigel McGuinness, doesn’t like the people here because they live in a fantasy world. He doesn’t have an issue with Doyle And Davis but FTR is the team who built this division. They grew up in North Carolina and beat up guys like Davis And Doyle over and over. Now it’s time for Davis And Doyle to find that out the hard way. This was rather long.

Cru wants to welcome the Rascalz in a way they’ll never forget.

Video on Zayda Steel, who was made to do this.

Zayda Steel vs. Marina Shafir

Christopher Daniels is here with Steel while Jon Moxley is here with Shafir. Steel jumps on her to slug away to start and gets sent to the floor. Back in and Steel misses something off the top so Shafir takes her into the corner as we take a break. We come back with Steel hitting a Codebreaker into a running knee in the corner. Shafir gives her a release Rock Bottom and puts on a seated full nelson but Steel fights up. That’s cut off in a hurry and it’s Mother’s Milk for the tap at 5:40. Not enough shown but it’s another loss for the newcomer because that’s how you get someone over.

Don Callis Family vs. SkyFlight

Moxley stays on commentary and Don Callis joins in to bicker with Moxley, who isn’t impressed. Eventually Moxley chases him off, saying Konosuke Takeshita can come find him before leaving as well. Cue the rest of the Family (because there are multiple lineups of the team) to jump Moxley so the Death Riders run in for the save. SkyFlight comes in to go after the Family as well and we take a break before the bell.

We’re joined in progress with Darius working on Fletcher’s arm before it’s off to Sky. Fletcher takes him into the corner and Clon comes in to stay on said arm. That’s broken up and Sky gets over for the tag back to Darius. A springboard swinging Downward Spiral gives Darius two and he (eventually) gets Alexander up for a powerbomb. Alexander breaks out and German suplexes before Clon’s elbow gets two. Fletcher elbows Darius down as well and we take a break.

We come back again with Darius still in trouble as Alexander grabs the ankle lock. That’s broken up with an enziguri and a suplex allows Dante to come in for the comeback. The swinging full nelson slam is blocked and Clon kicks Dante in the head, allowing Fletcher to come back in. Everything breaks down and Fletcher is sent into the corner for the double DDT. Alexander World’s Strongest Slams Darius onto the apron and Clon gives Dante a step up Asai moonsault on the apron. Darius gets caught in the ankle lock and the torture rack bomb sets up an arm trap piledriver for the pin at 13:07.

Rating: C. This wasn’t event that long of a match but my goodness it felt like it went on forever. I like SkyFlight but they have been beaten into the ground so much that they mean nothing anymore. On the other side you have a pretty weak Family lineup, which says a lot as they are only so interesting in the first place.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out to…hug Fletcher and then pose with the team.

Roderick Strong is ready to win the CMLL World Title but he doesn’t want the Conglomeration around him. Mark Briscoe wants to face El Clon next week. You know the old saying: If you’re ready to conglomerate, be ready to share your plate, and whether it’s English or Espanol, you best be ready to share your roll. Yeah Cassidy doesn’t know it either.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Danielle Kamela/Viva Van

Bayne clotheslines Kamela to start and then sends both of them flying. A Doomsday Device finishes Kamela at 1:35.

Post match the Timeless Love Bombs come out to promise revenge and remind us that God doesn’t wear lipstick.

Swerve Strickland’s plan to get back to the World Title: win. Kevin Knight comes in to remind Swerve about his advice. Knight thinks he is the current and seemingly wants to fight Swerve. That’s fine with Swerve, who tells him to go win the Trios Titles and then come see him about being a main eventer.

Jack Perry vs. Anthony Bowens

For a future shot against Ricochet, on commentary, for the National Title. We get a handshake to start and they go technical, with Perry getting the better of things. Bowens grabs a headlock and takes over, earning an offering of scissoring. That won’t be happening as Perry goes up, only to get crotched down, allowing Bowens to get in some scissoring. They go outside with Perry winding up on his shoulders, only to come down with a bulldog as we take a break.

We come back with Perry hitting a running DDT for two, meaning it’s time to be frustrated. Bowens ties him up with a rollup for two, followed by a clothesline. Perry is back with a jumping knee, though Bowens blocked a bit of it. A second running knee finishes Bowens at 10:13.

Rating: B-. The match was good enough and Perry winning is the more logical choice of the two, but we’ve already seen Perry vs. Ricochet for the title. It doesn’t help that the championship doesn’t exactly feel important in the first place and now the champion is already trading wins with Perry. Bowens getting a few serious matches is nice, but it’s hard to imagine him really going anywhere on his own.

Post match Perry chases Ricochet to the back.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

The Death Riders aren’t happy with the Don Callis Family. Pac: “Who the f*** do you think you are?” Daniel Garcia talks about what it means to be a family and Jon Moxley says he’s the worst thing anyone has ever seen in wrestling.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Trios Titles: JetSpeed/Hangman Page vs. Opps

The Opps are defending. Shibata and Bailey shake hands to start, with Shibata jumping him as a villain should. Hobbs comes in to take over on Knight, who slips out of a slam and brings Page in. The rapid fire forearms have Hobbs rocked but he runs Page over without much trouble. Bailey comes back in and gets suplexed onto the apron, followed by another on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Knight getting out of trouble and handing it back to Page. House is quickly cleaned, including the moonsault to the floor to drop Hobbs and Joe. Hobbs powers out of a Deadeye attempt but gets his leg swept out by Bailey. Knight springboards into a release Rock Bottom and Joe comes in for the snap powerslam. A backsplash gets two on Knight and Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch on Page…but Knight rolls Hobbs up for the pin and the titles at 11:15.

Rating: B-. This was dragging a bit in the middle, but the titles going to a fresh team should help them a bit. The Opps had already held the titles longer than any team in history and they hadn’t done anything with them in months. I can’t imagine Page and JetSpeed hold them for very long, but at least it’s something new.

Swerve Strickland comes out to watch to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show picked up in the last thirty minutes or so but the first stretch dragged things way down. It felt like a show built around the lowest level stories taking place in the company and that is hard to watch. Things did get better with the title match and setting up things for Dynamite, which is the main focus of Collision most of the time. It’s far from an awful show, but dang there were some dull stretches this week.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Angelico – DM
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Grizzled Young Veterans – DDT to Drake
Marina Shafir b. Zayda Steel – Mother’s Milk
Don Callis Family b. SkyFlight – Arm trap piledriver to Darius
Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford b. Danielle Kamela/Viva Van – Doomsday Device to Kamela
Hangman Page/JetSpeed b. Opps – Rollup to Hobbs

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

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Collision
Date: December 25, 2025
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the last night of the Continental Classic, or at least the league stage, and that means we should be in for something interesting. There is a six way tie in the Gold League so something is going to have to give as we move on to Saturday. We also have an extended show this week, because AEW loves content. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at the Continental Classic, as you probably expected.

Continental Classic Gold League: Kyle Fletcher (6 points) vs. Jack Perry (6 points)

They circle each other a bit to start with Fletcher avoiding a dropkick but not being able to get anywhere with a grab of the (previously injured) leg. Instead Fletcher stomps on the leg and grabs a half crab. That’s broken up and Perry avoids a charge in the corner to send Fletcher outside. Fletcher cuts off a hurricanrana and powerbombs him onto the apron before slamming Perry into the corner.

With Perry down, Fletcher starts taking off Perry’s boot. Referee: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Fletcher: “I’M TAKING HIS BOOT OFF!” A big stomp onto the apron onto the step has Perry in more trouble as we take a break. We come back with Perry hitting a dropkick but hurting his ankle again. Perry knocks him outside and hits a sitout bulldog on the floor. Fletcher is able to hit a brainbuster on the floor, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two. Perry fights out of trouble on top and hits a super sunset bomb.

The running knee is countered into another half crab, but Perry reverses that into the Snare Trap, leaving Fletcher panicking. One finger on the rope gets Fletcher out of trouble and he knocks Perry back again. The sitout powerbomb is countered into a Code Red, setting up a piledriver for two. Perry knocks him off the top but gets caught with a running boot to the face. The brainbuster finishes Perry at 19:20.

Rating: B+. Heck of a match here with Perry trying to fight from underneath with the leg injury. It made Fletcher look like that much more of a killer as he was going after the damaged Perry, who managed to make it more than interesting. I liked this more than I was expecting as Fletcher likely moves on to the next round.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Kevin Knight – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Pac – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Jack Perry – 6 points (0 matches remaining)

Kyle O’Reilly tries to tell Roderick Strong to lean on the Conglomeration and to never give up. Strong seems encouraged.

Continental Classic Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita (10 points) vs. Mascara Dorada (6 points)

Dorada works on the arm to start before grabbing a rollup for two. Takeshita stomps him down in the corner and knees him in the face but Dorada is back with a springboard wristdrag. The big dive to the floor only hits barricade though and we’re back with Dorada grabbing a rather spinning headscissors.

Another springboard is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb to give Takeshita two. Dorada’s charge is cut off with a clothesline but he’s able to grab a super hurricanrana. They trade rollups for two each before Dorada’s running shooting star press gets two more. Takeshita is back with a running knee and the Raging Fire finishes Dorada off at 11:39.

Rating: B-. It was hard to imagine Dorada being a major threat to Takeshita here, which is kind of a shame as Dorada has been showcasing himself rather well in recent months. He’s someone who could be quite the star if he’s given a chance, but Takeshita is going to be a favorite to win the whole tournament. Let him look strong going into the semifinals this weekend.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 13 points (0 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Jon Moxley – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 6 points (0 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (1 match remaining)

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli (7 points) vs. Roderick Strong (0 points)

Castagnoli hits a running uppercut for an early two and Strong rolls him up for the same. Another uppercut sends Strong outside and Castagnoli dumps him over the barricade. Back in and Strong grabs an Angle Slam, followed by some jumping knees for the VERY quick pin at 3:22.

Rating: B-. Well ok. During this match I was thinking that I really didn’t need to see a long match between two people who have no realistic chance to win the tournament and they didn’t give me one. Well done on throwing in a curve ball there, as you do not see short matches like this in the tournament at all.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 13 points (0 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 6 points (0 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 3 points (0 matches remaining)

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat down Strong but Mark Briscoe runs in for the save. Toni Storm comes in to go after Marina Shafir and gets a kiss on the hand from Briscoe, leaving Storm with the vapors.

The Bang Bang Gang wants a rematch from FTR, with Stokley Hathaway accepting for Worlds End.

Worlds End rundown.

Video on Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter.

Continental Classic Gold League: Kevin Knight (6 points) vs. Pac (6 points)

Pac takes him up against the ropes to start so Knight grabs a wristlock. A running shoulder puts Knight down but he sends Pac outside for a breather. Back in and they chop it out until Knight sends him outside again. Knight hurricanranas him on the floor, setting up a springboard clothesline. A sliding forearm gives Knight two and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher charging into an overhead belly to belly suplex to send him crashing over the top for a scary landing. An overhead belly to belly superplex gives Pac two but Knight is back up with a missile dropkick. Pac German suplexes him on the floor though and, after flipping off the crowd, wants the countout.

Knight beats the count back inside and jumps to the top for a top rope superplex. They forearm it out and Knight dropkicks him down, setting up the Coast To Coast. Knight’s UFO Splash hits raised knees though and Pac rolls him up. The Black Arrow hits raised knees and Knight rolls him up a few times, only to get pulled into the Brutalizer…as time expires for the draw at 20:00.

Rating: B. They have something with Knight who is athletic, has some size, and has momentum right now. That is worth a look, and hopefully it happens rather than seeing more with Mike Bailey. Pac getting aggressive (ok more aggressive) as time ran out was great, but Knight survived in a cool moment,. Nice job here.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Pac – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Jack Perry – 6 points (0 matches remaining)

Here is Gabe Kidd, who talks about hearing Darby Allin’s body bouncing down the steps. He said Allin isn’t indestructible and now Allin is in the ICU. Cue Allin (of course) with a baseball bat to chase Kidd off. The match is set for Worlds End.

Video on Mercedes Mone/Athena challenging the Babes Of Wrath for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Babes Of Wrath vs. Maya World/Hyan

Non-title. Hyan gets elbowed and side slammed for two to start. Nightingale drops Cameron onto Hyan for two more and everything breaks down. The running flip dive off the apron drops Hyan and World as we take a break. We come back with Nightingale suplexing both of them down and giving World a backbreaker. Everything breaks down and Soul Food into a swinging neckbreaker finishes Hyan at 7:01.

Rating: C. This was just a long squash and odds are that was the case due to the extended run time this week. Thankfully the Babes didn’t have any trouble here, which is a good way to go before they have their big title defense on Saturday. The team is still relatively new and they need some more reps so this wasn’t a bad idea.

Post match the Babes talk about being in New York, including going to Eddie Kingston’s mother’s house. They met Santa Claus and talked about wanting peace, except for in Chicago, because they’re going to hurt Mercedes Mone and Athena.

Continental Classic Blue League: Orange Cassidy (6 points) vs. Jon Moxley (6 points)

They fight over a piledriver/Beach Break to start before crashing out to the floor. Moxley wins a slugout but gets hammered in the corner back inside. Cassidy gets knocked outside and his elbow is banged into the barricade. Moxley is right on him with a whip into the steps but a Stundog Millionaire gives Cassidy a breather back inside. A top rope DDT drops Moxley back inside and we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy actually winning an exchange of forearms, setting up the Orange Punch. Moxley is sent outside for a suicide dive and they go onto the barricade, where Cassidy DDTs him through a table. They barely beat the count and Cassidy nails an Orange Punch. Moxley grabs the Gotch style piledriver for two but he comes up favoring his leg. Cassidy grabs a half crab but Moxley is quickly out, only to get caught with a running DDT. The Beach Break gets two and Cassidy goes for the leg, which is reversed into a small package to give Moxley the pin at 17:06.

Rating: B. These two do have chemistry together and it feels like something of an accomplishment for Moxley to beat Cassidy in a bigger match. At the same time, it’s interesting to see Cassidy just kind of floating around lately. He hasn’t had much to do in recent months and I’m not sure what changes that.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 13 points (0 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 6 points (0 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 6 points (0 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 3 points (0 matches remaining)

Video on the World Title match at Worlds End.

Continental Classic Gold League: Kazuchika Okada (6 points) vs. Mike Bailey (6 points)

They take turns backing each other up against the ropes and Okada has to avoid a tornado kick. Bailey sends him to the floor and hits a triangle moonsault, only to charge into a flapjack back inside. Instead a missile dropkick connects for Bailey, who walks into the neckbreaker onto the knee. Okada’s top rope elbow connects and he flips off the fans and they strike it out until we take a break.

We come back with Bailey winning a strike off (doesn’t seem too bright for Okada) but getting sunset flipped for two. The moonsault knees miss for Bailey but he avoids a charge and hits a springboard corkscrew moonsault to the floor. They go to the ramp where Bailey hits the moonsault knees to the chest and a kick to the face gets two back inside.

The Ultimate Weapon connects but Okada rolls outside before the cover. Back in and Okada hits a Rainmaker but another is cut off with a superkick. The Ultimate Weapon gets two so Bailey loads up the Flamingo Driver. That’s reversed as well but Okada misses the Rainmaker, only to grab the rollup for the pin at 16:08.

Rating: B. They had another good match here with Bailey feeling like a long shot at best to win the thing. Okada gets to move on to the next stage, because he is THE BEST TOURNAMENT WRESTLER EVER and since that is apparently a thing, he can survive to fight another day. It wraps up a pretty awesome group stage of the tournament and it worked well with a good match.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Pac – 7 points (0 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (0 match remaining)
Jack Perry – 6 points (0 matches remaining)

Konosuke Takeshita comes out to stare Okada (his opponent at Worlds End) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a rather good show with a bunch of solid wrestling and a bit of drama as there were a few options for who might advance. This show was almost all about the Continental Classic, which makes sense as it has dominated the last month or so. They were focusing on the wrestling here and that is one of the best things AEW can do, though I’m almost scared of what comes next for them.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Jack Perry – Brainbuster
Konosuke Takeshita b. Mascara Dorada – Raging Fire
Roderick Strong b. Claudio Castagnoli – Jumping knee
Kevin Knight vs. Pac went to a time limit draw
Babes Of Wrath b. Hyan/Maya World – Swinging neckbreaker to Hyan
Jon Moxley b. Orange Cassidy – Small package
Kazuchika Okada b. Mike Bailey – Rollup

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

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

Collision
Date: December 20, 2025
Location: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

So due to a mixture of the holidays and probably the weird travel schedule, here we have the second half of this week’s Collision. As usual, it’s going to have some more from the Continental Classic, which should be enough to carry the show. That’s been a great thing for the last few weeks so let’s get to it.

Here is the previous show if you need a recap.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jack Perry (0 points) vs. Mike Bailey (6 points)

Bailey flips over him to start and they trade some near falls into a standoff. A rollup gives Bailey two but Perry seems to be favoring his ankle. Perry sends him outside but misses a baseball slide, allowing Bailey to catch him with the top rope Asai moonsault. Bailey gets dropped onto the steps though and we take a break.

We come back with Bailey striking away and hitting a running shooting star press. The standing moonsault doesn’t work though and Perry hits the running Canadian Destroyer on the apron. Back in and the top rope double stomp misses for Perry and the ankle is banged up again. Perry charge into a superkick but reverses the Flamingo Driver into a rollup for two. The Snare Trap goes on but Bailey rolls him up for two and the escape. The Ultimate Weapon misses so Bailey tries a superkick, only for Perry to bite his toes. A teardrop suplex of all things finishes Bailey at 10:35.

Rating: B-. That’s quite the surprise but I do like seeing Perry win a match. Yes he’s a substitute in the tournament, but he’s also someone who has had success in AEW. It’s far from a stretch to see him win a match like this and it slows Bailey down a bit. That’s a nice opener and the match wasn’t bad at all, as it was nice to have it be a bit shorter for a change.

Gold League Standings

Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Pac – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Jack Perry – 3 points (2 matches remaining)

Post match Luchaclaus comes out with a present for Bailey and everything is ok.

Eddie Kingston vs. Nathan Cruz

The Grizzled Young Veterans jump Kingston before the match, allowing Cruz to grab a slingshot belly to back suplex. Kingston is back with the rapid fire chops and a neckbreaker, followed by the DDT for the fast pin at 1:40.

We look at this week’s Continental Classic matches.

Rev Pro Women’s Title: Mercedes Mone vs. ???

Mone is defending against…Alex Windsor, who has Mone worried. Windsor fires off some clotheslines to start and a Sharpshooter sends Mone straight over to the ropes. That’s fine with Windsor, who grabs the hold again on the apron. Mone escapes and tries a hurricanrana to the floor, which is broken up as well. A kick to the head works a bit better for Mone and we take a break.

We come back with Mone sending her into the corner but Windsor seems to headbutt her out of the air for a double down. Another Sharpshooter attempt is broken up and Mone gets the crossface. Windsor tries to get up and gets crucifixed bombed for two instead. They go up top, where Windsor manages a super Blue Thunder Bomb for two. The Statement Maker is countered so Mone tries the Mone Maker, which is reversed into a cradle to give Windsor the title at 10:45.

Rating: B-. That’s a good choice for the title change as Mone’s decline continues. Windsor is someone who has been established around here and the UK fans seem rather pleased with the title change. I’m glad we’re finally moving on from Mone being the biggest thing in the world as it was losing the limited charm it had. Now she’s putting a bunch of people over and that’s helping quite a bit, especially in the case of Windsor, who feels like she has a lot of potential.

Post match Mone is devastated and Windsor’s son comes in for a hug in a nice moment.

Continental Classic Gold League: Kevin Knight (6 points) vs. Kazuchika Okada (6 points)

Don Callis is here too. Okada starts in on the arm before they trade armdrags and miss dropkicks for a standoff. Back up and Okada takes him up against the ropes for the chest pat before being sent outside. They trade forearms on the floor, then go inside to do the same thing there. The forearms send both of them to the apron, where they agree to stereo springboards. Okada headfakes him and laughs, only to get dropkicked out to the floor. A springboard clothesline hits Okada and we take a break.

We come back with Knight fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a middle rope crossbody. The spinning splash gives Knight two more but Okada breaks up a springboard attempt. The Air Raid Crash onto the knee gives Okada two of his own but he walks into a Sky High. Knight tries the UFO Splash, which lands on raised knees. Now Okada can hit his dropkick but the Rainmaker is cut off. Instead it’s a jumping DDT into a springboard clothesline to give Knight two but Okada dropkicks him out of the air. Another Rainmaker attempt is reversed into a small package to give Knight the huge upset pin at 13:55.

Rating: B. Knight is getting a heck of a rub out of this tournament and that is part of the point. I don’t know if that’s going to last once the tournament is over, but he pinned Okada clean in the middle of the ring and that’s a good thing. AEW needs to push some fresh talent and if that’s Knight, it’s certainly something that could work.

Gold League Standings

Pac – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Kevin Knight – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Jack Perry – 3 points (2 matches remaining)

Don Callis and Okada are stunned to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It was just an hour long, but they had some nice stuff on this show. That’s good to see and it’s a break to have them in and out so quickly. The tournament continues to go quite well and now we get to see what happens with some of the stories they’ve set up. I’m not sure how many people are going to see the next steps as they’re on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but those shows are only going to mean so much with World’s End in a week. Solid show here.

Results
Jack Perry b. Mike Bailey – Teardrop suplex
Eddie Kingston b. Nathan Cruz – DDT
Alex Windsor b. Mercedes Mone – Cradle
Kevin Knight b. Kazuchika Okada – Small package

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

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

Dynamite
Date: December 17, 2025
Location: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re in England again and that should make for a big night. The last few weeks have gone rather well, with the Continental Classic being more than enough to carry the shows. The matches have been rather good and hopefully we get to see something on the same level this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley (3 points) vs. Roderick Strong (o points)

No entrances here and Moxley starts in on the arm but has to bail to the ropes to escape an ankle lock. A headlock takeover drops Strong but he’s back up with a dragon screw legwhip. Strong stomps the leg in the corner and backdrops Moxley out to the floor. The brawl in the crowd goes to Strong, who is back with a suicide dive against the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Strong slipping out of a crossface before countering a cradle piledriver. Strong slams him down and goes after the legs again, which sends Moxley bailing to the floor. A backbreaker onto the steps has Moxley in more trouble and a top rope suplex makes it worse.

They forearm it out until Moxley hits a hard lariat. We have five minutes left as Moxley hits a cutter for two. A piledriver gets two more and Moxley grabs a crossface chinlock, sending Strong rolling over to the rope. Strong’s jumping knee gets two and the Stronghold goes on, but Strong switches up his grip. Moxley kicks him away and hits a Paradigm Shift for a delayed two. The Death Rider finishes Strong at 18:11.

Rating: B-. Moxley needed the win to stay alive and there was almost no way he was going to be eliminated so soon. Moxley is still one of the biggest names in AEW and having him make a comeback like this is a fine way to go. Strong is still someone who can have a good match with anyone, and this worked well for a longer opening match.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 7 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Jon Moxley – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Eddie Kingston talks about learning from his loss to Samoa Joe and that’s going to be a problem for everyone he faces after that match. An open challenge is implied for Collision.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Don Callis Family vs. Elite

For $1 million. Omega and Takeshita start things off and the fans are already singing for the former. They run the ropes until Omega grabs an armdrag into an armbar. The Bucks come in to clean house, including a triple team shot to the head to a cornered Takeshita. We take a break and come back with Nick rolling away from Hechicero to make the tag off to Omega. Hechicero goes to the eyes to cut him off but Okada and Takeshita almost get into it again.

Omega manages a suplex to Okada and (after slipping) hits You Can’t Escape to Hechicero. Okada comes back in but gets sent outside by the Bucks. That means a triple dive from the Elite, only for Hechicero to hit the hammerlock backbreaker on Matt. We take a break and come back with Matt fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a flipping Stunner off the apron. Okada gets faceplanted back inside and it’s back to Nick to clean house with his usual array.

Risky Business gets two on Takeshita and a Canadian Destroyer drops Hechicero, meaning it’s time for the big Omega vs. Okada showdown. They chop it out for a bit until the other four come back in to break it up. Omega knees Okada down and brings Nick back in to face Takeshita. Everything breaks down and the Meltzer Driver is broken up by Okada.

A running knee gets two on Matt but Takeshita and Okada get in another argument. Hechicero tries to calm it down, only for Nick to fire off some superkicks. Omega is back in with the snapdragons and a triple superkick hits Hechicero. A spike One Winged Angel gives Omega the pin at 22:32.

Rating: B. It was the good match you would have expected from these guys and I’m sure the UK fans were happy to get to see the Elite in the ring. That’s not the worst idea in the world and it’s at least a match with some history. The money stuff doesn’t feel overly important but it’s probably worth more than the Trios Titles at this point.

Post match Okada and Takeshita lay out the Bucks but get into it again. Omega makes the save with a broom.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe (with the Opps) to sign the contract for World’s End. Joe knows Strickland and Page will destruct in the match so he signs. Swerve talks about how he has some mutual respect with Page, but there is a mutual hatred with Joe. He promises to leave a boot print on Joe’s face that was uglier than his fake tattoo in 2007.

Swerve signs and that leaves just Page, who talks about how they all worked together to get the World Title off of Jon Moxley. Any of them could have done it but Page wound up pulling it off. Then Page gave both of them title shots and Joe chose to side with the Opps. Page doesn’t want Joe to be remembered as what he is today. He was ready to defend the title against anyone who helped him, including Joe. Now he isn’t sure who is going to leave World’s End with the title, but it’s going to be someone new. And then the lights go out…and MJF is back.

MJF wastes no time and cashes in his contract, making the match a four way. After throwing Schiavone out, MJF talks about how he’s been working to prove that he’s not a coward. Joe gets in MJF’s face but actually gets cut off. MJF wants to prove to Joe and these people that he really is great and promises to end Joe’s title reign at the same place where Joe ended MJF’s reign.

That brings MJF to Swerve, who he compares to P Diddy. The fans know him as Swerve but MJF has known him for years as Shane. He remembers Swerve going to WWE (the fans don’t like it) and he remembers Swerve twerking for Top Dolla. Then Swerve came here and has done rather well, though not as well as MJF. It’s his house and the rent is due at World’s End. He hits the catchphrase and we’re out, with MJF not saying much out of the ordinary, though it’s nice to have him back.

Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight fire each other up for their upcoming matches.

Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne/Athena/Mercedes Mone vs. Babes Of Wrath/Timeless Love Bombs

Athena drops Cameron to start but gets taken down with Soul Food. Shafir comes in and gets legsweeped down, allowing Shirakawa to come in with a slingshot twisting splash. Shirakawa takes over on Shafir’s leg and DDTs Bayne at the same time. Everything breaks down and we take an early break.

We come back with Cameron managing a spinning DDT on Bayne, allowing the tag off to Storm. The running hip attack hits Shafir in the corner and they slug it out until Storm nails a headbutt. Nightingale comes in to but Bayne’s spine for two but the Babe With The Powerbomb is broken up. A super hurricanrana drops Nightingale and Shirakawa hits a dive to the floor. Mone’s dive is cut off by a Pounce from Nightingale and there’s a flip dive to drop Bayne outside. Back in and a quick O Face finishes Nightingale at 9:25.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have a ton of time with so many people involved but they did what they could. Athena getting the pin is a nice surprise as she has some hit and miss results on AEW. I’m not sure if I would have had one of the new champions take the fall here, but there were only so many options if Storm and Shirakawa can’t lose either.

Continental Classic Gold League: Pac (3 points) vs. Kyle Fletcher (6 points)

Pac grabs an armdrag into an armbar to start and it works so well that he does it again. A running hurricanrana sends Fletcher outside, where he hits a clothesline, allowing posing to ensue. Back in and Pac breaks up a quick chinlock by sending Fletcher outside for a running hurricanrana. Fletcher gets back inside and goes up top, where Pac runs the corner for a belly to belly superplex and we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of forearms until Fletcher grabs the Michinoku Driver for two. Pac kicks him in the face so Fletcher rolls outside, where Pac scores with a big dive. Back in and a tiger suplex gives Pac two, followed by a poisonrana. Fletcher pops up with a kick to the face and a powerbomb for two. Pac escapes the brainbuster though and gets the Brutalizer, only for a foot to make the rope. One heck of a running clothesline gives Pac two but Fletcher kicks him into the corner. The brainbuster gives Fletcher two and they go to the corner, where a super poisonrana plants Fletcher. The Black Arrow gives Pac the pin at 14:57.

Rating: B+. This was the hard hitting, back and forth fight that you would have expected from these two. That made for a pretty awesome match and it’s nice to see Pac getting a win as he seems to put a lot of people over. It made for the best match of the show thus far and makes the tournament that much more interesting.

Gold League Standings

Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Pac – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Jack Perry – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal

Luchasaurus, Ace Austin, Shelton Benjamin, Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Josh Alexander, Mark Davis, Brody King, Bandido, Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona, Ricochet

The last two face off for the ring next week. It’s a big brawl on the floor to start until Benjamin and Luchasaurus trade clotheslines. That’s broken up and the former Acclaimed tease working together before splitting off. We do however get a Scissor Me Timbers to Liona but the scissoring reunion is broken up as Ricochet eliminates Caster. Benjamin is back in to knock all of the Demand outside for no eliminations as people keep coming in and out.

Bowens neckbreakers Ricochet but gets eliminated instead as we take a break. We come back with Austin out as well, leaving Davis and King to forearm it out. Benjamin throws Ricochet to Luchasaurus for a chokeslam but Benjamin, Davis and Luchasaurus are all eliminated in a row. King has to fight out of the corner and Death Valley Drivers Ricochet into Kaun in the corner. A bunch of the people head outside until Liona grabs Bandido by the throat. King hits a running charge, eliminating himself and Liona at the same time. Bandido dumps Kaun and Ricochet gets back in, meaning they’re the last two for the win at 11:07.

Rating: C. The action was fine but it’s a bad sign when I have almost no idea who is still in or out of the match because so many people are on the floor. It doesn’t help that it’s for yet another prize rather than one of the far too many titles. This wasn’t much to see, though Ricochet vs. Bandido should be awesome.

Overall Rating: B. Not so great main event aside, this went well with the Continental Classic carrying things as usual. The MJF return was the big story of the show and it went well, though he didn’t quite hit his full on ceiling. Other than that, the show worked well, with the wrestling working well and the fans being hot throughout. Solid show here, as tends to be the case with the Continental Classic editions.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Roderick Strong – Death Rider
Elite b. Don Callis Family – Spike One Winged Angel to Hechicero
Marina Shafir/Mercedes Mone/Athena/Megan Bayne b. Timeless Love Bombs/Babes Of Wrath – O Face to Nightingale
Bandido and Ricochet won the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal

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

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