Dynasty 2026
Date: April 12, 2026
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back on pay per view for what doesn’t feel like the biggest show. That’s been the case before though and things have wound up going rather well so maybe they have another one up their sleeves here. The main event is MJF defending the World Title against Kenny Omega so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Alex Windsor vs. Marina Shafir

Windsor’s New Japan Strong Women’s Title isn’t on the line. They go right to the slugout to start with Windsor taking her down. Shafir can’t get the armbar all the way in but there’s enough damage to put Windsor in trouble. Another armbar on the ropes sends Windsor outside and Shafir sends her hard into the barricade. Back in and a judo throw takes Windsor down and Shafir steps on her face, which has the fans rather upset.

A whip into the corner has Windsor in more trouble but she manages to send Shafir outside for a breather. Shafir gets back inside and is shouldered down a few times but blocks a Sharpshooter attempt. Back up and another armbar has Windsor in trouble and they strike it out again. A kick to the face puts Windsor down and they get a double breather. Windsor tells her to bring it before grabbing….call it a t-bone DDT for the pin on Shafir at 8:42.

Rating: C+. This was almost a squash until Shafir came out of nowhere with the surprise pin. I do like Windsor winning here though, as Shafir is kind of locked into her spot as one of the Death Riders’ enforcers and doesn’t really need to win anything. On the other hand you have Windsor, who could be turned into a title contender pretty quickly if need be. I’m not sure why this was on the pre-show, as it had enough of a story to be a main roster match, but they got the result right.

Zero Hour: Kamille vs. Big Anne

So Kamille attacked Willow Nightingale and ruined the open challenge for the TBS Title so she gets this instead, ending her 500+ day hiatus from AEW. Kamille stomps away in the corner and hits a pump kick, followed by a torture rack powerbomb for the fast pin at 1:25 to complete the squash. Cool. Now do something with her.

Post match a taped up Nightingale comes in and gets beaten up again.

National Title: Mark Davis vs. Jack Perry

Perry is defending. Davis throws him down to start and knocks Perry’s flying shoulder out of the air. Back up and Perry dropkicks him to the floor but Davis grabs a dive out of the air. That’s escaped as well and Perry hits a quick 619 around the post. They get back inside, with Perry getting knocked back into the corner for a running elbow and backsplash to give Davis two. The chinlock goes on but Perry is right back up to low bridge him to the floor.

Perry grabs a Sliced Bread out of the corner but can’t grab a piledriver. Instead Davis sends him to the apron for a big running shoulder and a suplex slam drops him onto the apron. The piledriver is broken up back inside though, with Perry eventually swinging around into a DDT. Perry hits his own piledriver for two but Davis is back with an enziguri. A quick hurricanrana is enough for Perry to retain the title at 8:30.

Rating: B. I liked this one way more than I was expecting to, as they told a good story out there. It was Perry in over his head physically so he had to pick some shots where he could. That wound up working well, partially because Davis is becoming pretty awesome at being a powerhouse. Good stuff here and a rather nice surprise.

Zero Hour: Women’s Tag Team Titles: Hyan/Maya World vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross

Kross and Bayne are defending and Kross knocks World down to start. World pops right back up and brings in Hyan to face Bayne. A hurricanrana out of the corner takes Bayne down but she knocks both of them outside without much trouble. Bayne’s suplex sets up a basement crossbody for two and some running pump kicks in the corner drop Hyan for two. Hyan manages to low bridge Bayne to the floor but it’s still not enough for the tag.

Bayne misses a charge into the post though and it’s back to World to pick up the pace on Kross. Everything breaks down and a running knee into a neckbreaker drops Kross for two. That doesn’t last long as Kross kicks her way out of trouble and Bayne fall away slam/Samoan drops the challengers. The double chokeslam is broken up and World is back with a double DDT. Hyan dives onto the floor and World adds a moonsault onto both villains. A TKO gets two on Kross but Bayne boots World into a German suplex. The double chokeslam retains the titles at 10:38.

Rating: B-. The champs had to break a sweat here and I’ll take that as a nice surprise. Hyan and World aren’t a successful team and were little more than cannon fodder here but at least the action wound up being good. I’m not sure who is going to take the titles from Kross and Bayne, but this was closer than I was expecting.

And now, the show proper.

Konosuke Takeshita/Kazuchika Okada vs. Young Bucks

Don Callis is on commentary. Takeshita shoulders Nick down to start so it’s off to Okada, who shakes Takeshita’s hand on the way in. Okada’s slingshot hilo connects but Nick is up with the springboard wristdrag/armdrag combination. Matt comes in to sunset flip Nick, who German suplexes Takeshita at the same time. The TK Driver is loaded up but Nick headfakes Okada into missing a dropkick in a funny spot.

Matt gets knocked down and Takeshita grabs a chinlock, leaving Callis to call for getting Matt’s eye (he’s offering money). Callis goes after Matt’s eye on the floor and Okada is over to pull Nick to the floor, meaning there’s no tag. That lets Okada grab the Bucks’ gear for some posing (Callis: “What a fiery young babyface!”) but Matt manages to knock both of them down. Nick comes in to make the rapid fire comeback and the fans certainly approve.

The Bucks are sent to the apron but come back with stereo sunset flips into Sharpshooters. That leaves Okada and Takeshita facing each other and slapping one another in the face rather than tapping. They eventually make the ropes so the Bucks take them down with the superkicks. A top rope elbow and Swanton get a double near fall but Okada breaks up another TK Driver attempt. The Family hit a Tombstone each and Matt gets sent flying with an overhead release German superplex.

Nick is back in for the save and everyone is down again. Okada is up with his falling top rope elbow to Nick but it’s a sunset flip into a German suplex to put everyone down again. Takeshita’s running knee drops both Bucks but he can’t cover as the fans are rather enthused. Back up and they slug it out until Okada hits Takeshita and they forearm each other.

Matt gets between them and then sends them into each other so Takeshita’s running knee hits Okada. Takeshita breaks up the BTE Trigger but Okada Rainmakers him by mistake. The BTE Trigger gets two on Okada…and Takeshita leaves him to take the TK Driver for the pin at 20:12.

Rating: B+. This got rather good and they were doing a nice job of tying the story between Takeshita and Okada into the match. There was only so much of a reason for these teams to fight so having the Family fighting among themselves (again) was a good idea. If nothing else, we might finally gets the Takeshita vs. Okada grudge match, which has been built for…ever?

Post match Takeshita leaves and Callis is livid.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet. Jericho returned, Ricochet didn’t like it, the match was set.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet

The Gates Of Agony are here with Ricochet. Jericho takes him down to start fast and mocks Ricochet a bit, followed by his stolen camera deal. Ricochet flips into his pose and gets chopped down, setting up Jericho’s running bulldog. The Lionsault is shoved off though and the Death Valley Driver plants Jericho on the apron. Jericho is sent shoulder first into the post and Ricochet nails his slingshot dropkick in the corner.

The bad arm is bent around the ropes, with Liona getting in some pulling of his own. Ricochet cranks on the arm but Jericho gets back up to avoid a dropkick. Now the Lionsault connects but the Walls attempt is countered. A kick to the back lets Jericho try it again, only for Liona to offer a distraction so Kaun can send him into the corner. Jericho fights up and they slug it out from their knees but Ricochet grabs the Detonation Kick.

Vertigo gets two so Ricochet goes up and gets crotched back down almost immediately. Ricochet kicks him away and tries the shooting star press but gets Codebreakered out of the air for two instead. The Walls go on so of course the Gates get involved for the save. Jericho dives onto all three of them and hits a Judas Effect on Kaun. That doesn’t get rid of Liona though, who is right there with a running clothesline. Back in and Ricochet hits a shooting star press for two, followed by a Spirit Gun. That’s not enough for a cover though, as Ricochet adds a Lionsault for the pin at 19:12.

Rating: B. This had its moments and I was a bit surprised by the result, but I’m more worried about this being the high point for Jericho’s return. There is a good chance that he goes to find some new lackeys to help him deal with the Gates and that’s not the best sign for his future. It was a nice return and the fans liked it, though I’m worried about how long those good feelings are going to last.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo. Allin wants the World Title and MJF has paid the Don Callis Family to stop him. Therefore, if Allin wins here, he gets the title shot.

Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo

Idolo powers him into the corner to start so Allin comes back with a rather aggressive headlock. That’s broken up rather quickly and Idolo pulls him into a surfboard to have Allin in some early pain. Idolo is up with the Tranquilo pose in the ropes so Allin gets smart by knocking him to the floor. A woman at ringside inspires Idolo to fight back and grab a suplex while walking Allin up the steps.

Now it’s time to meet said woman, allowing Allin to take him out with a dive. They fight into the crowd and go up the steps, with Allin dropkicking him back down. Allin throws him back inside (after three minutes and fifteen seconds on the outside because countouts are a thing of the past) and gets caught in the Three Amigos, with the third sending him into the corner. Andrade’s running knees miss though and Allin grabs the flipping Stunner. They go up top with Allin grabbing…some kind of a flipping slam into a crossface, which sends Idolo into the ropes.

Idolo heads back outside and gets caught with a suicide dive, though Allin hits the announcers’ table instead. A bite to the head has Idolo in more trouble and they slowly get back inside. Andrade goes to the apron and suplexes Allin to the floor, because of course he’ll take that bump.

Back in and the running knees hit Allin in the corner for two so Idolo takes his (I’ll let you guess whose) pants off. The double moonsault gets two on Allin but he’s back up with a Scorpion Death Drop out of the corner. The Coffin Drop gets two, with Idolo having to grab the referee’s arm. Back up and the spinning elbow gives Idolo two but Allin grabs a quick Last Supper for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: B. Allin seems to be on his way to the main event scene and that’s pretty overdue. There are very few wrestlers who get the same kinds of reactions as Allin and it was nice to see him not do a bunch of stupid stuff. Allin has the wrestling abilities to make something like this work and he did rather well here, though Idolo loses something without the pants.

We recap FTR vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage for the former’s Tag Team Titles. Copeland and FTR were really close but FTR turned on him, even attacking his wife. Copeland left for a bit and came back with Cage to reform their famous team to get revenge. And the titles. FTR did attack Cage’s arm on Dynamite so he’s coming in banged up.

Tag Team Titles: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. FTR

FTR, with Stokely, is defending. Copeland and Wheeler won’t shake hands to start so the four way brawl is on. The Canadians take over and it’s a side slam/reverse DDT combination to put Harwood down. We settle back down but FTR takes over on Copeland anyway, with Harwood grabbing a chinlock. Wheeler misses a charge in the corner though and it’s off to Cage, who puts both champions in the ropes.

Cage stands on their back and a low blow cuts Harwood off. FTR is sent outside for a big dive out to the floor, which sets up the Unprettier for two as Wheeler makes the save. Cage’s arm is wrapped around the post and slammed into the post, followed by the seated armbar. The piledriver is broken up and Cage blocks the PowerPlex. A Swan Dive hits Harwood and it’s back to Copeland for the top rope clothesline.

Copeland and Cage load up a PowerPlex of their own but Cage’s splash hits knees. Harwood’s does as well though and we get stereo crossfaces on FTR. Those are broken up so Wheeler tries to bring in a title, which knocks Copeland silly. A 3D gets two on Harwood as Copeland is busted open. Stokely’s distraction sends Copeland running into the Shatter Machine, with Cage shoving Stokely into the cover for the save.

Copeland is back up with a spear for two and Cage goes to grab a chair. That earns him a posting and a toss over the announcers’ table, leaving Copeland to slug it out with FTR. That’s reversed into FTR’s version of the Young Bucks’ kicks, only for Copeland to spear both of them down. Back up and Copeland charges into the Shatter Machine to retain the titles at 21:05.

Rating: B. The match had the good moments you would expect as Copeland and Cage still have their chemistry together but having them lose here is quite the surprise. It felt like a layup to change the titles in the big moment for the Canadian fans but they went the other way instead. Copeland was the big star here, which isn’t a surprise, though Cage did look good in his return. FTR is still a heck of a team, but I’m not sure who is supposed to take the belts. As long as this doesn’t lead to another ladder match (it probably will), it should work out.

We recap the TNT Title match. Kyle Fletcher is injured, Casino Gauntlet match, end of recap.

TNT Title: Casino Gauntlet

For the vacant title with random intervals, first fall wins (can happen at any time so there is no guarantee of how many entrants you’ll get) and Tommaso Ciampa in at #1 and Rush in at #2. They slug it out to start and seem to enjoy an exchange of chops. Rush gets the better of things and knocks him into the corner for the cocky kick to the face. Ciampa is back up with a running knee in the corner and it’s Bandido in at #3.

Bandido starts fast with a running clip dive to Ciampa and a frog splash hits Rush, with Ciampa making the save. Rush is back up to throw Bandido down and go for the mask as Mike Bailey is in at #4. As usual, that means Bailey gets to clean house, with a running shooting star press hitting Ciampa for two. Rush chops Bailey down and El Clon is in at #5. Clon gets to fire off some kicks but we’re already up to Pac in at #6.

Pac’s corkscrew moonsault to the floor takes out a bunch of people and we get a Pac vs. Bandido vs. Bailey showdown. Hurricanranas abound and it’s Daniel Garcia in at #7. Garcia tries some fast rollups but gets superkicked by Clon for two. Anthony Bowens is in at #8 and gives Clon the running Fameasser. The wind up DDT out of the corner drops Pac for two and it’s Kevin Knight in at #9.

Jet Speed gets the better of the fight against the Death Riders and knock them to the floor for the stereo dives. Rush is back in to unload on Bowens in the corner and Bandido’s 21 Plex hits Garcia for a VERY close two. Wheeler Yuta is in at #10 and joins the pile, with Ciampa superplexing Knight onto a bunch of people. Pac throws Bailey back inside but Garcia is back with the Dragontamer to Bailey. Knight breaks that up with the UFO Splash and pins Garcia for the title at 21:21.

Rating: B. I love the result as Knight has felt like he has been ready to jump up to the next level for a long time now. Having him hopefully break out on his own is a good idea as we get to see where he’s going. At the same time, the match was fun but these things haven’t nearly reached the heights of the first editions. There were no surprising names here and it felt more like a big scramble, which isn’t quite as fun. Thankfully we aren’t seeing them as often, but throw a few curve balls in there next time.

We recap Jamie Hayter challenging Thekla for the Women’s Title. Thekla attacked Hayter when she arrived and now Hayter wants revenge.

Alex Windsor wishes Jamie Hayter luck.

Women’s Title: Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter

Thekla, with the Sisters Of Sin, is defending. Hayter slugs her down to start and hammers away but Thekla hits a quick spear to send Hayter outside. They trade right hands against the barricade with Hayter getting the better of things and trying a rather delayed suplex on the ramp.

She also tries one off the ramp but Thekla fights out and knocks Hayter down the ramp in a heap. Thekla’s big dive to the floor connects and a slap to the face drops Hayter again. The Black Widow is broken up as Hayter gets over to the rope so Thekla kicks her hard in the face. Hayter manages a suplex on the ramp and fires off some running clotheslines in the corner.

A Liger Bomb gives Hayter two and a Tombstone connects for the same. Hayter catches her up top with the spider suplex, followed by a top rope double stomp to the back. Hayter’s chokebreaker looks to set up the Hayterade but Thekla reverses into a rollup, while grabbing the rope, for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: B-. Another good one here, with Hayter feeling like just enough of a threat to take the title. That’s all this needed to be, as Hayter was little more than a filler on the way to the next really big challenger. I’m not sure who that is going to be, but Hayter is being built up rather well with these title defenses.

Post match Alex Windsor runs out and protests the rope hold but gets nowhere.

We recap Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley for the latter’s Continental Title. Moxley and the Death Riders hurt Ospreay’s neck so it’s time for more revenge.

Continental Title: Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley is defending. The bell rings and Ospreay hits the Hidden Blade about a second later but doesn’t cover. Another Hidden Blade puts Moxley on the floor so Ospreay follows him for a hanging neckbreaker from the apron. Back in and Moxley tries a triangle choke, which is countered into a powerbomb. They head back outside with Ospreay loading up the steps but missing a running knee. Moxley snaps off a sleeper suplex back inside and things slow down a bit.

Back up and they slug it out before heading to the apron, where Ospreay takes over. Ospreay’s springboard is knocked out of the air though and they chop it out again. Ospreay tries a Spanish Fly but gets pulled into the bulldog choke. That’s broken up as well and Ospreay flips out of a belly to belly superplex. Some kicks to the face rock Moxley, who grabs a Paradigm Shift, only to get Hidden Bladed for a double down.

The referee almost gets bumped before Ospreay grabs a Styles Clash into a bulldog choke of his own. That’s broken up but Ospreay hits a third Hidden Blade, only to come out with his arm banged up. They head outside again, where Moxley hits a piledriver onto the steps. Ospreay beats the count so Moxley hits a Stomp and two Paradigm Shifts…for two. The Death Rider retains the title 18:12.

Rating: B. That ending is a bit of a surprise, but I’m assuming the idea here is that Ospreay was going too far after revenge and his body couldn’t hold up. That feels like more of a long term story, though it’s quite the move to have Ospreay lose here. Moxley is being built back up into the evil Superman and I’m not sure who is supposed to take the title from him. Either way, another good match.

Darby Allin is getting his World Title shot on Dynamite.

The Dogs won the Trios Titles last night on Collision. Now the Conglomeration wants the titles and have a mystery partner to come after them.

Trios Titles: Conglomeration/??? vs. The Dogs

The Dogs are defending but we cut to a Conglomeration sitcom set. Roderick Strong comes in (Orange Cassidy wants more sleep) but Kyle O’Reilly pop in to be the mystery partner. Makes sense. The Dogs break down the set and do various unpleasant things to the couch. O’Reilly takes Finlay down to start and sends him into the corner for the rapid fire kicks. Everything breaks down and the Conglomeration sends them outside to hit some dives.

The Dogs take over again and Cassidy gets sent into the corner as we settle down a bit. That doesn’t last long as Cassidy fights up and brings Strong in to clean house. Strong gets double teamed to put him in trouble but hang on as Kidd seems to be injured. The medics check on him as Strong fights up and hands it off to O’Reilly for the real comeback. The kicks abound and an ankle lock makes Connors tap the titles away at 9:50.

Rating: C+. This was fine and O’Reilly was a nice bonus (not the biggest surprise but that’s ok), though Kidd’s injury might have cut things short. Hopefully he’s ok as you never want to see someone get hurt, especially when the Dogs were finally starting to win a bit. The Conglomeration are fine as the new champions, as they’re certainly popular enough to hold the titles.

We recap MJF vs. Kenny Omega for the former’s World Title. MJF is the rather cocky champion and Omega wants the title back. Let’s go.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Omega is challenging. They circle each other for a bit to start before MJF tries an early Salt Of The Earth. That’s reversed into a rollup for two and Omega scares him out to the floor (oh yeah they’re going long). Back in and Omega snaps off a hurricanrana to send MJF outside again, this time for a slingshot dive. MJF drops him onto the barricade but Omega moonsaults off of it for the knockdown. A table is stomped onto MJF but Omega takes too long setting up the table.

That lets MJF get in a knockdown and the chinlock goes on back inside. An Alabama slam gives MJF two so he fakes a knee injury and grabs a piledriver for two on Omega. MJF’s V Trigger misses and Omega grabs a snapdragon, setting up the Fameasser from behind of two. MJF bails outside again and gets taken out by the big running flip dive. Back in and MJF bites in the corner but can’t hit a super Tombstone. Instead Omega fights back..but gets caught with a poisonrana.

Omega pops up with a running knee for two and they’re both down. The Heatseeker is blocked so MJF settles for the slingshot cutter for two instead. Omega breaks up You Can’t Escape and hits a V Trigger for two of his own. MJF escapes You Can’t Escape but gets hurricanranaed out to the floor. The means a moonsault from Omega and they both need a breather on the floor. Back in and MJF goes after the stomach before stereo crossbodies leave them both down again.

Omega’s dropkick gets two…and a super One Winged Angel knocks MJF silly. Omega can’t cover due to the stomach though and MJF manages to roll outside. Back in and another snapdragon gives Omega two so he tries another One Winged Angel. That’s reversed into a Cross Rhodes and a package piledriver for a rather near fall and MJF is ticked off. MJF slowly strikes away but Omega gets mad and beats him down in the corner, setting up a heck of a V Trigger.

The One Winged Angel is broken up though and the referee gets bumped. A low blow puts Omega down and MJF finds the Dynamite Diamond. The big shot misses and it’s another One Winged Angel…and another referee comes in to count two. That counts as kicking out of it for the first time, though it should have an asterisk. They go to the apron where MJF hits him in the stomach with the ring. A Tombstone through the table sets up the Heatseeker to retain at 38:50.

Rating: B+. It did feel like this big epic struggle and MJF beating Omega is going to be a big deal for him. The match probably went a bit longer than necessary, but the result was the right call as Omega can come back and win the title later. MJF gets to continue to establish himself as this big villain and it’s working well so far. Omega might not be as great as he was before, but he can still put on a heck of a performance. Great main event here, which isn’t a surprise.

MJF poses on his throne to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another very good show, with the main event and a lot of other things delivering. At the same time, it was another show where I was just wanting it to be over with about an hour and a half to go. That’s par for the course for AEW, along with having a bunch of rather awesome matches. On on top of that, the villains won most of the top matches, which is quite the choice for a show like this. It’s a show worth a look, though as usual you might want to watch it in shifts, which isn’t the greatest feeling.

Results
Alex Windsor b. Marina Shafir – T-bone DDT
Kamille b. Big Anne – Torture rack powerbomb
Jack Perry b. Mark Davis – Hurricanrana
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Hyan/Maya World – Double chokeslam to Hyan
Young Bucks b. Don Callis Family – TK Driver to Okada
Ricochet b. Chris Jericho – Lionsault
Darby Allin b. Andrade El Idolo – Last Supper
FTR b. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage – Shatter Machine to Copeland
Kevin Knight won the Casino Battle Royal – UFO Splash to Garcia
Thekla b. Jamie Hayter – Rollup while holding the rope
Jon Moxley b. Will Ospreay – Death Rider
Conglomeration/Kyle O’Reilly b. The Dogs – Ankle lock to Connors
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Kenny Omega – Heatseeker

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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It feels like we just had Revolution as AEW doesn’t often do such quick turnarounds. As a result, this show doesn’t feel quite as big as others, though the main event does seem important. So far there aren’t a ton of matches on the card and that gives me some hope, though I have no reason to believe that will last. There is some interesting stuff on the card thus far though so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Alex Windsor vs. Marina Shafir

Here we have the seconds for Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley having a match, which isn’t an awful idea. Windsor has been built up in recent weeks, though that has been as part of a tag team. At the same time, she’s coming off as tough enough to give Shafir a fight, which is hopefully what we’ll be seeing. At the same time, Shafir has been doing a bit more as a singles star in her own right so this could be trouble for Windsor.

It’s a singles match with a tag wrestler so I’ll go with Shafir to win here. It makes more sense for her to get the win as Ospreay can get the real win later. If nothing else, this could set up Shafir getting a partner to face the Brawling Birds. I’m not sure if this is the right choice for a Kickoff Show match, but at least it is set up rather than just a thrown together fight between slightly associated people.

Kickoff Show: Women’s Tag Team Titles: Megan Bayne/Lena Kross(c) vs. Hyan/Maya World

This was set up on Collision as Hyan and World (combined AEW record as a team: 0-5) just announced they were coming for the titles. As usual, winning and losing matches means pretty much nothing around here so this is what we’re getting. I’m fine with Bayne and Kross getting a title defense in, but even an open challenge would have been better than a team with no actual wins together getting the shot.

Of course I’ll take the champions to retain, as Hyan and World’s two match winning streak in Ring Of Honor (it only took them two and a half months) isn’t enough to make me think they’ll pull the upset. Hyan and World are hardly a bad team, but they’re not ready for this kind of a match no matter what they do. I’m not sure why they’re getting the shot, but just go with it and let the champs win a squash.

Kickoff Show: National Title: Jack Perry(c) vs. Mark Davis

This was thrown onto the card on Collision and it doesn’t have much of a build. That’s not a terrible thing as the title is little more than AEW’s version of the TV Title, which is perfect for a random title match. At the same time, Davis has been doing well enough as of late so throwing him out there for the shot is perfectly logical. If nothing else, Perry could use a title win after Ricochet’s time with the title was kind of a mess.

I’ll take Perry to retain here, as there is no reason to believe that Davis is going to get the title so out of nowhere. Perry getting to beat a big powerhouse should work well as he did that for a long time as Jungle Boy. Davis has that rather good looking piledriver and it’s enough of a weapon to make it feel like Perry is in jeopardy. Either way, Perry retains here in what could be a good match.

Women’s Title: Thekla(c) vs. Jamie Hayter

They’re in a weird spot here, as Hayter feels like she is mainly there as a replacement for Toni Storm. At the same time, Hayter is a former Women’s Champion and has the power game to be a perfectly acceptable challenger. Much like Windsor though, she’s mainly been doing tag stuff in recent months and that doesn’t give her the greatest momentum coming into the match.

I’ll take Thekla to retain here, as she’s doing rather well as champion thus far and it’s hard to imagine her dropping the title so soon. She’s also fresh off a feud with a powerhouse in Kris Statlander and I can’t quite imagine her dropping the title to a wrestler that similar to the one she beat for the title. It’s not a total guarantee that Thekla will win, but it’s what winds up happening.

Trios Title: The Dogs(c) vs. Conglomeration/???

The Dogs won the suddenly hot potatoing titles on Collision, which doesn’t quite make sense given their win/loss record but it’s not like these titles have the most logical history in the first place. After the match, the Conglomeration popped up on screen for the challenge, suggesting they’ll have a third man. Since this division isn’t a thing, that’s enough to set up a title match.

While the titles have been bouncing all over the place in recent weeks, I’ll still go with the new champions retaining. I’m assuming that it’s going to be the returning Kyle O’Reilly as the third man so it wouldn’t be the most out of nowhere pairing, but the Dogs need the win a lot more than the Conglomeration. If nothing else, I could go for the titles actually being successfully defended for more than 18 seconds.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Darby Allin

If there is some sanity around here, this should be wrestling 101. Allin is someone the fans have been behind since AEW started and it makes sense for him to want to go after the World Title. If he beats Idolo here, he gets the title shot, which is something that makes all the sense in the world. It’s an idea that has been done for years, but AEW doesn’t always do things that traditional way.

In this case, I’ll take AEW to do the right thing and have Allin win. While I’m sick of all of his antics and “hey look at me get hurt again!” stuff, he’s about as over of a face as there is in AEW. He has a connection with the fans and putting someone like that in the World Title picture writes itself. Hopefully it winds up working out, but it starts out by having Allin beat Idolo here in what could be a heck of a match.

Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage

This is a thing and yes the show is taking place in Canada, which should be the big telling point of the whole match. Cage had his arm Pillmanized on Dynamite though and that isn’t going to make things any easier. At the end of the day, this feels like one of the biggest layups on the entire card and in this case, it feels like something that we’re actually going to be seeing.

So yes, I’ll take what feels obvious and go with Copeland and Cage winning the Tag Team Titles. FTR is long established as one of the best teams in AEW history so it’s not like a loss here is going to hurt them. I’m not sure I want to see what feels like the upcoming Copeland/Cage vs. Young Bucks match that has been teased, but for now we’ll at least get step one with new champions.

Young Bucks vs. Konosuke Takeshita/Kazuchika Okada

We might as well get the Bucks out of the way here too. This is more about Takeshita/Okada, as the two of them have been teasing having a big fight for the better part of ever but have only had the Continental Classic match back in December. They’re certainly taking their time here, but it seems that they get to fight each other at Double Or Nothing if they win here.

That being said, I can’t imagine the Bucks losing to a team who can’t get along (talent aside) and the loss can further Okada vs. Takeshita. The match has to happen sooner or later one way or another and this seems to be the catalyst for making it happen. The Bucks can win here and the other two can fight later on while the Bucks likely move back into the title picture. Because of course.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet

Yes he’s back and no the fans don’t seem interested. Jericho being back for the first time in about a year is quite the big moment, though having him as a good guy for a change is a big change. I’m not sure where that’s going, but you can almost guarantee Jericho will have a stable around him sooner rather than later. He needs a match to get him going again though and that’s what we have here.

At the end of the day, there is pretty much no reason to believe that Jericho will lose…and that gives me pause. It would make sense for Jericho to win here but he has a history of going in the opposite direction every so often. I just don’t think they’ll do that here though and I’ll take Jericho to win. It’s not really interesting in any way, but it’s the right move for this situation.

TNT Title: Casino Gauntlet Match

Right now, we only have two participants announced so it’s hard to guess about who will really win. The good thing is that AEW is certainly not lacking in talent to go after the title so this could be a rather stacked match. Hopefully we get some surprises in there as well, as those are the kinds of things that make the match that much more fun. The title is vacant coming in though, and that leaves the door wide open.

There are only so many realistic options to pick from and I’ll go with Tommaso Ciampa, as he has been on a roll since he came in to AEW. Hopefully he gets to keep that going and gets Silvie back, as that’s way too good of a name to not let him keep using it. This is one of those matches that could go in a bunch of directions though and I have no idea who will be involved, but I’ll hope for Ciampa, who has made me a fan in a short time.

Continental Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Will Ospreay

This is one of those simple ideas that AEW seems to understand rather well. Moxley is back to being a full on villain and Ospreay is the definition of a superhero in wrestling. In this case, Ospreay wants to get some revenge of his own and that should make for a heck of a fight. Moxley can bring it on the big stage and I could go for seeing what he can bring out of Ospreay here.

The match is all about Ospreay wanting to get his hands on Moxley for his injuries last year, but that might get him in trouble here. While I don’t think Ospreay is going to get disqualified, I don’t think he’s going to get the title. I’ll even say this goes to a time limit draw, with Moxley keeping the title and Ospreay gets a rematch for more revenge in a bigger match. For now though, Moxley keeps the belt but takes a beating in the process.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Kenny Omega

The idea here is that Omega’s health isn’t holding up and he isn’t what he was before. At the same time, even a diminished Omega is not someone who should be sweating MJF. The thing is, that has been the case with MJF since he won the title the first time and it’s where he tends to thrive. What matters the most is that this feels like a pay per view main event and they should be able to deliver on it.

As much as I think Omega is going to wind up with the title again one day, I don’t think it happens here. While Omega probably doesn’t have much time left in the ring, I’m not seeing the reason to take the title off of MJF so soon. That is going to be a huge moment for someone and Omega isn’t in need for that kind of a win. MJF retains here and gets to soak in the hatred of the Canadian fans.

Overall Thoughts

This card doesn’t feel like some blow away show, but it has the potential to do some good stuff. If they can live up to the usual hype, they’re going to be fine as a few of these matches could steal the show. Then again there is always the chance that more stuff will be added to the card (future edit: yep) to water it down, but at least the version of the show coming into the weekend looks pretty good.

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: March 25, 2026
Location: Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul Minnesota
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Taz

Somehow we’re only about two and a half weeks away from Dynasty, which doesn’t have much set up as of yet. That’s really going to need to change and a lot of things could be added this week. We do already have a bit ready to go though and some of those things should get some extra boosts this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Kenny Omega vs. Swerve Strickland

Omega is putting up his EVP title and Strickland is putting up his #1 contendership. Prince Nana grabs Omega’s foot to start and Strickland hits an early clothesline. Omega gets dropped throat first across the top rope but he’s fine enough to grab a hurricanrana to send Strickland outside. The running flip dive connects and Omega adds a running hip attack against the barricade.

Strickland rams him into the barricade though and they back inside with Strickland grabbing something like a standing crossface. Omega breaks out and hits a running Fameasser into You Can’t Escape. They trade some hard strikes to the face until Omega sends him into the corner for the V Trigger. Omega goes up top but gets pulled down with something like a super Angle Slam as we take a break.

We come back with Omega winning a slugout and grabbing some snapdragons. They head to the apron, where Strickland distracts the referee so he can kick Omega low. A piledriver onto the barricade knocks Omega even sillier, followed by a suplex powerbomb for two back inside. Big Pressure is countered so Strickland hits a House Call to send Omega into the ropes.

The Swerve Stomp gives Strickland two but Omega kicks him into the corner. Strickland is able to hit a powerbomb into a powerslam for two more so Omega knees him into the ropes. The V Trigger and Vertebreaker are countered so Strickland goes to the eyes, setting up the Vertebreaker for the rather near fall. Another Swerve Stomp misses so Omega V Triggers him into the One Winged Angel for the pin at 20:34.

Rating: B+. This was a good way to go as you had two main eventers beating each other up with some important things on the line. The ending sets up Omega for a likely title shot in Canada at Dynasty, which isn’t a bad way to go. I’m not wild on Strickland losing so soon, but that’s the way to go given the stakes here.

We look at some of Darby Allin’s bigger stunts.

Will Ospreay wants to fight Pac and then he’s coming for Jon Moxley, who he wants to fight at Dynasty.

Death Riders vs. SkyFlight

That would be Jon Moxley/Marina Shafir/Daniel Garcia vs. Top Flight/Zayda Steel and Top Flight are the hometown stars. The men head to the floor as Shafir chokes Steel, who comes back with a headscissors. It’s off to Garcia, who takes over on Darius, followed by Moxley coming in to stomp away. Darius dropkicks his way out of trouble and Dante comes in to clean house. Everything breaks down and SkyFlight hits a triple dive as we take a break.

We come back with Dante in trouble but he fights out without much trouble. A jumping enziguri hits Shafir and it’s back to Steel to clean house. Steel has to escape a Doomsday Device attempt (with Moxley playing Hawk) and Top Flight is back in to take over. Wheeler Yuta knees Christopher Daniels down on the floor and Garcia Dragontamers Darius. Moxley adds a stomp and Garcia gets the pin at 11:03.

Rating: B-. This was ok, though there wasn’t much of a reason to believe that SkyFlight was going to have a change here. Granted there is always the chance that it could go badly for the Riders if Garcia is involved but he held up here. Steel held her own here and it’s nice to see her not take the fall, so maybe she has a bit more of a future than it seemed.

Post match Moxley accepts Ospreay’s challenge for Dynasty but warns him to not let his mouth get him in trouble.

The Young Bucks want the Tag Team Titles back.

Mike Bailey vs. Rocky Romero

Romero takes him down to start and, after dancing, hits a kick to the chest. Back up and Bailey fires off some rapid fire kicks to knock Romero outside, setting up the triangle moonsault. Bailey’s tornado kick misses back inside so Romero does his sliding dance. Bailey kicks him down twice and the Ultimate Weapon finishes Romero off at 2:43. Pretty much a squash.

We look at MJF beating Hangman Page in the Texas Deathmatch at Revolution. How many times do we need to look at this?

Here is MJF for a chat. He’s the World Champion and the man who hanged the Hangman and that means Page can never ever (repeat about 17 times) be World Champion again. That was the easiest win of his career and he holds the ultimate prize in this business. He hits both catchphrases but here is Kenny Omega to interrupt.

Omega mocks MJF’s appearance and smell before listing off his own nicknames. If MJF is the Devil, Omega might be the god of professional wrestling because he can cancel MJF out. Yeah MJF beat a weakened version of Omega but now Omega is back and better than MJF. The title match is set for Dynasty and no, MJF won’t shake hands. Omega gets in his own catchphrase before leaving.

Earlier today, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage talked about the choices that FTR have made to get here. It was going after Beth that went too far, as they have been friends for years, but now Copeland is swearing to take them out.

Here is FTR, with a now standing Stokely Hathaway. The team made a choice to dump Copeland and look at the result of that choice. Cash Wheeler talks about how he used to live in Copeland’s guest house and ate his food, but now he doesn’t need Copeland or his stupid kids. Dax Harwood says if he’ll drop Beth Copeland on her head, what will he do to Adam?

Conglomeration vs. The Dogs

That would be Orange Cassidy/Roderick Strong vs. David Finley/Clark Connors, though FTR shoves the Conglomeration on their way to the ring. Finlay and Strong lock up against the ropes to start before it’s off to Connors, who gets chopped in the corner. Cassidy sends both of them into the corner but the Dogs pull a double high crossbody out of the air. Connors rams both of them into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Strong getting knocked off the apron but Cassidy manages a Stundog Millionaire. Cassidy ducks a dive as well and it’s back to Strong to pick up the pace. The belly to back faceplant gets two on Connors, who is right back with a powerslam. Strong is back in to pick Cassidy up and ram him into the Dogs and Cassidy hits his top rope DDT on Connors. Finlay takes Cassidy out to save Connors and a high/low hits Strong. Cassidy is back up to put his hands in his pockets though and a running dropkick hits the Dogs. A chop block cuts Cassidy off though and the Full Clip gives Connors the pin at 10:40.

Rating: B. They had a good, fast paced match, though the Dogs have lost to the Conglomeration so many times that it’s hard to care about them very much. At least they won here, though it’s only going to mean so much for them. At the same time, both teams need to move on from this feud already.

Megan Bayne and Lena Kross are ready to beat the Babes Of Wrath again.

Kyle Fletcher is proud of his recent title defenses but he wants the World Title. Konosuke Takeshita comes in and they’re close as a team. Certainly closer than anything involving Kazuchika Okada.

Women’s Title: Mina Shirakawa vs. Thekla

Shirakawa is challenging and gets more flowers from her mystery admirer. Thekla gets sent into the corner and then back out of it to start, followed by a quick DDT. They head outside and strike it out as Shirakawa is looking more serious than usual. Back in and Thekla hits a running knee and knocks Shirakawa outside. That’s fine with Shirakawa, who sweeps the leg and hits a hanging DDT onto the floor.

We take a break and come back with Thekla holding something like a Rings Of Saturn. With that broken up, Thekla’s spear is cut off with a running boot, followed by a missile dropkick for two. Back up and they trade some shots to the face until Thekla gets in the spear. Thekla takes off her belt so the referee takes it away, allowing her to take out some brass knuckles to knock Shirakawa cold for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: C+. This is where the past catches up with them, as Shirakawa went from a regular loser to winning a single match and getting a title shot. That’s not enough to make this work and it didn’t here, as there was pretty much no reason to believe the title was changing hands. That being said, at least the secret admirer/who attacked Storm should be good enough to keep this part of the division going.

Kenny Omega is ready to take the World Title off of MJF. Mike Bailey comes in to shake Omega’s hand and say he wants the first shot when Omega wins the title. Works for Omega.

Ricochet admits that he lost it the last time they saw him because he had to defend his National Title in a battle royal. Now people like Kenny Omega is getting a World Title shot, even though Ricochet beat him. Anyway, Ricochet and the Demand will be back.

Rush vs. Darby Allin

No countouts for your weird stipulation of the night. Rush jumps him on the floor to start fast and sends Allin hard into the barricade. Another whip sends him into the steps, followed by the barricade again. Allin is sent hard into the steps, with his legs hitting the barricade but he’s able to fight back. The suicide dive only hits barricade though and Rush suplexes him off the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Rush stomping away in the corner as Allin is busted open. Rush tries the Tranquilo pose so Allin jumps him and hammers away, albeit to little avail. Instead Allin chops on the corner to set up a Coffin Drop to send Rush outside. Now the big dive connects so Allin puts him in the chair for a missile dropkick. The Code Red gives Allin two but Rush sends him flying into the corner with an overhead belly to belly. The Bull’s Horns miss though and Allin grabs a flipping rollup for the pin at 11:29.

Rating: B-. Believe it or not, Allin got beaten up for a good while here and took a lot of painful looking crashes. That’s pretty much the crux of a lot of his matches, though at least he won here. The stipulation didn’t make much of a difference at all here, which makes me wonder why this was even the main event in the first place.

Post match the Don Callis Family comes in to lay Allin out, though Andrade El Idolo isn’t sure about this to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a nice edition of the show, with some stuff being added to Dynasty and a few good matches throughout the night. The opener should have been the main event, though I’m assuming they needed the extra time to hype up MJF vs. Omega at Dynasty. They had a good show here, though Dynasty still has a long way to go to really be ready.

Results
Kenny Omega b. Swerve Strickland – One Winged Angel
Death Riders b. SkyFlight – Stomp to Darius
Mike Bailey b. Rocky Romero – Ultimate Weapon
The Dogs b. Conglomeration – Full Clip to Connors
Thekla b. Mina Shirakawa – Punch with brass knuckles
Darby Allin b. Rush – 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:

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Revolution 2026
Date: March 15, 2026
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another big AEW pay per view and the main event features Hangman Page challenging MJF for the World Title in a Texas Death Match. That’s in addition to Jon Moxley defending the Continental Title against Konosuke Takeshita and the Young Bucks facing FTR. Again. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Boom & Doom vs. The Infantry

The rest of Shane Taylor Promotions are here with the Infantry while Big Justice and the Rizzler are here with Boom & Doom. The Infantry jumps them to start fast but an enziguri into a powerslam drops Bravo. Marshall’s big running flip dive takes out some of the villains on the floor but Bravo knocks Marshall down. Back in and Dean takes Marshall down, setting up a slingshot Vader Bomb.

Bravo goes outside to yell at the Rizzler before going back inside for the Bronco Buster on Marshall. That doesn’t do much good as it’s off to AJ for some slams, with Bravo making a save. The double stomp misses though and Marshall is back in with a double cutter. Shane Taylor low bridges Marshall outside but goes over to steal Wayne Brady’s hat. Brady slaps him in the face so Taylor pulls him over the barricade. That earns him a glare from the Rizzler so Justice hits a spear. AJ’s dive takes Taylor down and the Boomsday Device finishes Bravo at 7:41.

Rating: C. And people wonder why no one cares about the Ring Of Honor titles, as this is what happens to the Six Man Champions. That being said, this was the kind of entertaining opener that is a fine way to go, as the celebrity gets a win with Brady getting involved for a bonus. It’s not like the Infantry or the Promotions have anything of value in the first place so the loss isn’t a big deal.

TBS Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Lena Kross

Nightingale is defending and gets powered down to start fast. The exchange of shoulders doesn’t work for Nightingale, who is backed into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Kross drops her face first onto the buckle for two and stomps away, only to miss a charge into the corner. A pump kick cuts Nightingale off again and Kross German suplexes her for two.

They head outside where Nightingale drives her against the barricade but gets dropped arm first onto said barricade. Back in and Nightingale fights out of the chinlock and starts hitting the clotheslines. A middle rope dropkick puts Kross down but Nightingale is slow to get up as well.

The rapid fire corner clotheslines and a spinebuster give Nightingale two and one heck of a chop puts Kross on her knee. Kross is fine enough to hit a TKO for two but Nightingale knocks her into the corner. Nightingale’s Cannonball misses but so does Kross’ split legged moonsault. Kross tries a Jackhammer, which is reversed into a backslide to retain the title at 10:59.

Rating: C+. The good thing here is Nightingale gets a singles win, as Kross dominated most of the match. That’s more than I was expecting from her, as Nightingale retaining the title makes more sense. That shoulder issue could come back to haunt Nightingale later though and there is a good chance that is a way to give us some new champions. For now though, it’s a good result for Nightingale, which is nice to see.

Post match Megan Bayne runs in for the beatdown so Harley Cameron comes in with a pipe for the save.

Zero Hour: National Title: Battle Royal

Ricochet, Jack Perry, Tommaso Ciampa, Trent Beretta, Rocky Romero, Dralistico, Rush, Scorpio Sky, Daniel Garcia, Anthony Bowens, Katsuyori Shibata, Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, Ace Austin, El Clon, AR Fox, The Beast Mortos, Lio Rush, Komander, Johnny TV, Dalton Castle

Ricochet is defending and it’s a standard battle royal, with Perry debuting a new bus because that is an idea that needed to be brought back. Everyone brawls on the floor before anyone bothers to get in, with Perry beating Ricochet up against the barricade. Fox goes up for the big inverted flip dive onto the pile on the floor as no one has been in the ring yet.

A now bald Lio Rush (a horrible look for him) gets inside and bounces around before hitting a suicide dive. Komander walks the rope for a big flip dive and a bunch of people finally bother getting inside. Perry keeps going after Ricochet as Robinson fires off some snap jabs. Romero gets crotched on top but does his sliding dance, allowing Robinson to toss him out for the first elimination.

La Faccion Ingobernable and Bang Bang Gang get in a brawl and Rush tosses Gunn. Mortos gives Austin the pop up Samoan drop so Lio comes back in for some crawling kicks (McGuinness is right in calling him Gollum). Fox fights back on Clon and Lio as everyone else is still brawling on the floor. Clon manages to kick Fox out but gets sent to the apron by Robinson.

The also bald TV is knocked out and we get a Sky vs. Shibata slugout. Bowens cuts Sky off with the jumping Fameasser and Sky is eliminated. We finally get a decent amount of people inside and Ciampa knees Lio out. Shibata has to fight back against La Faccion and manages to easily knock Dralistico off the top for the elimination. Ricochet comes back in to Spirit Gun and toss Bowens but gets jumped by Dalton Castle, who is double teamed and eliminated.

Mortos misses a charge and is gone as well so Komander goes up top for the rope walk. He manages to save himself and get rid of Beretta but Garcia rips the mask off and Komander is out. Garcia is kicked out as well and it’s Rush vs. Austin for a bit. The cocky kick lets Rush take him to the apron and chop away but Robinson knocks Rush out. Shibata and Robinson brawl on the apron so Rush comes back in, only to be tossed again.

Ciampa knees Austin out but gets punched out by Robinson as Zero Hour ends, meaning that, again, the pay per view starts with the end of the Zero Hour main event. Perry comes back in and throws out Clon and apparently we’re down to Perry vs. Ricochet. They slug it out and trade big shots to the face until Ricochet flips out of a German suplex. Ricochet gets sent to the apron, where Perry tries a sunset bomb for no logical reason. He manages to save himself though and a poisonrana gets rid of Ricochet to make Perry champion at 22:54.

Rating: C+. There was good action, but it fell into the annoying trend of modern battle royals by having so many people on the floor. If you want to do Perry vs. Ricochet for the title then do so, but otherwise it was a bunch of people getting a change to do their stuff while most of the other participants weren’t even there. That makes for quite the weird battle royal, especially when these two have been the focus of the title since it was introduced.

Post match Perry celebrates with his family for the nice moment.

We recap FTR defending the Tag Team Titles against the Young Bucks. They’ve fought on and off for years but this time FTR attacked the Bucks’ brother to make it personal. Therefore, the Bucks want the titles and revenge.

We get a video from the Bucks’ family, explaining how awesome the Bucks are for various reasons.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Young Bucks

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is defending and come out in Boston Celtics colors to annoy the Los Angels fans. Matt and Harwood trade slaps to the face to start and the Bucks clear the ring rather quickly. The brawl heads outside for a bit before the Bucks knock the champs to the floor again. The big dive is cut off though and Nick is sent face first into the announcers’ table.

A spike piledriver drives Matt into the apron and he comes up holding his shoulder/neck. Another spike piledriver is broken up though and Nick’s superkick gets a quick two on Wheeler. Nick still can’t get over to Matt, as Wheeler pulls him to the floor. The PowerPlex is broken up as Nick knocks Harwood (both bloody) off the top. Matt, whose shoulder is messed up, comes in to start cleaning house and a double suplex gets two on the champs. Matt is knocked outside again though and his neck is giving him problems.

A young member of the Bucks’ family sends Matt back into action, where he is quickly dropped onto the apron. That just makes him go up for a high crossbody for two on Harwood as Nick is too bloody to get back up. Harwood tries his own superkick but gets caught in a Sharpshooter, with Nick doing the same thing to Wheeler. Those are both broken up so the Bucks start firing off their kicks.

A slingshot sitout powerbomb drops Matt for two but Nick breaks up a double suplex. Instead FTR are both suplexed from the apron to the floor and it’s a quadruple crash on the outside. They all beat the count back in and it’s time for the four way slugout from their knees. The Bucks fire off superkicks to escape so Stokely jumps out of his wheelchair for a distraction. That means a Shatter Machine can get two on Matt, followed by a spike piledriver for the same.

FTR fire off their own superkicks to Nick and there’s a BTE Trigger, with Nick kicking out at one. The comeback is on, with a Shatter Machine sending Wheeler outside. The real BTE Trigger gets two on Harwood, with Wheeler making a diving save. Nick takes out Stokely and now the TK Driver can connect for two but FTR is back up with a spike piledriver. The super Shatter Machine retains the titles at 19:42.

Rating: B+. Again, the quality was never in doubt here, as these teams do work incredibly well together. That’s what deserves the focus here, as FTR gets another win to firmly establish themselves s the best team in the company. I could go for not seeing these teams together for a long time, but I’m not sure who is going to be next for the titles.

Post match the champs celebrate…and Adam Copeland is back. As is Christian Cage, the latter of whom comes in from behind to blind Wheeler. The Killswitch hits Harwood and there’s one to Stokely as well. The Canadians hold up the Tag Team Titles but stop to stare at the Bucks. This is going to wind up as a ladder match isn’t it?

We recap Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir. They’ve had some brawls, with Shafir often choking her out. Now it’s time for a showdown with no interference.

Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir

Everyone is banned from ringside. Shafir jumps her to start and fires off a hard kick to the chest for a knockdown. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Shafir lets go to judo throw her down. Storm invites more kicks so Shafir provides, followed by a leglock. That’s pulled into a choke, which Shafir breaks in a hurry. Shafir shrugs off a German suplex and kicks her down again but can’t get a German suplex off the apron.

Instead it’s a belly to back suplex on the floor but Storm gets smart by stomping on the bare foot. Back in and Storm hits a DDT to leave them both down. Storm gets up and strikes away, setting up the running hip attacks in the corner. Shafir tells her to bring it so it’s a third hip attack into Storm Zero for two. Mother’s Milk is broken up and Storm bites Shafir’s chest (yep), setting up a small package for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: B-. It was hard to imagine Storm losing here as she’s one of the biggest stars in the division’s history (if not the biggest) while Shafir has never really shown much interest in being a singles star. Storm made it rather insane to beat Shafir, with that bite being….well it fits for Storm, as weird as it was. I’m not sure what is next for Storm, as I don’t see much in the idea of her vs. Thekla for the title. For now though, at least she survived again.

Post match Storm goes to leave…but Ronda Rousey shows up for the big staredown. Security breaks it up, but Shafir comes back in for a shot to knock Storm down. Rousey and Shafir leave through the crowd.

Continental Title: Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Moxley is defending with no time limit. They go with a test of strength to start with Moxley driving him into the corner to hammer away. Takeshita is back with a running clothesline and the right hands in the corner as the fans certainly approve. Takeshita knocks him outside for a running boot up against the barricade but Moxley slides back inside. That means a quick suicide dive can connect, allowing Moxley to boot him out of a chair. Back in and Moxley bites above the eye, meaning it’s time to work on the leg (a totally logical progression).

The dragon screw legwhip sets up a half crab, with Takeshita having to dive over to the ropes. The Figure Four sends Takeshita over to the ropes again and he’s able to reverse the Death Rider into the kneeling Tombstone. A wheelbarrow suplex doesn’t do much to Moxley so Takeshita knees him in the face, which works a lot better. Moxley’s choke is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two, with Takeshita’s knee slowing him down. They go to the apron, where Moxley pops back up with a stomp to the floor, allowing him to flip off the fans.

Back in and a piledriver gives Moxley two before he unloads with right hands to bust Takeshita open. A Gotch style piledriver gives Moxley two so he grabs a crossface. Takeshita escapes that as well and sends him into the corner for the running knee. The exploder suplex sets up another running knee to give Takeshita two and Moxley’s cutter…has no effect.

Instead it’s a Paradigm Shift to put Takeshita down for a double breather. They trade big suplexes until Moxley’s running lariat gets one. The Death Rider is broken up and Raging Fire connects to give Takeshita two (the first time it hasn’t finished). Back up and the Death Rider gives Moxley the big two of his own so he takes Takeshita up for a super Death Rider…for two more. With nothing else working, Moxley chokes him out and traps the arm to retain at 23:33.

Rating: B+. Yeah you knew these guys were going to beat the fire out of each other, which is the point of these two getting together. Moxley gets the win to even things up a bit so the Continental Classic loss is covered. At the same time, we probably need to move on from Death Riders vs. the Don Callis Family, as it hasn’t exactly felt like much of a feud. That’s a pretty big win for Moxley, as it’s not like the Family has any big names left for him.

Post match Moxley offers respect and, after teasing leaving, Takeshita accepts the handshake. Moxley goes to leave but the lights go out again and it’s…Will Ospreay. That’s such a big surprise that Moxley comes back to ringside, with Ospreay decking him. The Death Riders’ save is cut off but Moxley escapes. Yeah that’s a pretty big return.

Willow Nightingale is banged up but ready to fight for revenge and the titles.

We recap the Women’s Tag Team Title match. Lena Kross and Megan Bayne teamed up in Australia and now it’s time for them to go after the belts.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Babes Of Wrath vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne

The Babes are defending, with Nightingale nursing a rather banged up shoulder. The champs get taken down to start, with Nightingale being sent outside. A suplex takes Cameron down and Bayne drops a leg for two. Kross can’t fight her way out of trouble but she can manage a tornado DDT. Nightingale tags herself in but the arm is very banged up.

A Pounce puts Bayne down and Nightingale plants Kross as well. Stereo fall away slams put the champs down and double clotheslines do it again. Cameron is sent outside and a superkick drops Nightingale. Bayne’s running clothesline sets up a double chokeslam to give us new champions at 4:56.

Rating: C. That’s about how this should have gone, as the champions were coming in banged up and Bayne/Kross were able to capitalize on the injury. There was no need for the Babes to hold the titles much longer and it gets rid of the pesky double champion thing. It wasn’t much of a match, but I do appreciate a shorter pay per view fight for a change.

We recap Brody King vs. Swerve Strickland, which is about determining the most dangerous man in AEW.

Brody King vs. Swerve Strickland

King wins an early slugout but charges into a well timed House Call. Swerve puts him on the apron for a double stomp and manages to hoist him up for a ram into the post. It’s already time to peel back the floor mat but King is able to drop Swerve back first onto the barricade. Back in and King unloads with some loud chops but Swerve saves himself in the corner.

King’s fingers get twisted in the turnbuckle rod so King bends his back around the entire post. Swerve gets dropped on his back again and another slam sends him into the exposed concrete. They’re back up to strike it out on the apron, with Swerve going to the knee. A sitout powerbomb on the apron has King in trouble for a change and it’s time to go into the corner, where a buckle pad has been removed.

Swerve can’t manage the stomp into the buckle, with King getting in a high crossbody. Instead Swerve is sent into the corner with the exposed buckle, where King gets in a Cannonball for two. They go back outside, where Swerve counters the Ganso Bomb into a Vertebreaker on the concrete for a nine count. The Swerve Stomp only gets one so Swerve hits three straight House Calls for the win at 14:19.

Rating: B. They had a good fight here and the result wasn’t exactly a surprise. King has been on a roll lately but it makes a lot more sense for Swerve to get a win out of him. They beat each other up and it felt like a fight, which is how this should have gone. Good brawl here, with Swerve continuing his roll.

Post match Swerve loads up the cinder block but Kenny Omega returns for the save.

We recap Thekla defending the Women’s Title against Kris Statlander. Thekla beat Statlander to win the title but Statlander is sure she can win. Therefore tonight, it’s 2/3 falls.

Women’s Title: Thekla vs. Kris Statlander

Thekla is defending and it’s 2/3 falls. An early shove makes Statlander give chase on the floor and she takes over back inside. Thekla gets a boot up in the corner but the upside down choke is blocked. Instead Statlander superplexes her into a sliding lariat for two but Thekla spiders away from another clothesline. The whipping is loaded up so the referee takes it away, only for Thekla to grab a rollup with ropes for the first fall at 4:31.

Statlander runs her over to start the second fall, with a suplex dropping Thekla on the floor. Thekla is dine enough to send her into the steps as things slow down again. Back in and now the upside down choke works for Thekla but as usual, can only last so long. Statlander gets up and grabs a fireman’s carry, only for Thekla to catch her up top. They head back outside, where Thekla is sent into the barricade, followed by some swinging whips into said barricade. Back in and Statlander’s Falcon Arrow gets two but Thekla is back with a Black Widow. That’s reversed into Staturday Night Fever though and we’re tied up at 13:42.

Thekla has to go to the eyes to get away from Statlander. The referee is bumped and Thekla whips out the belt, only for Statlander to take it away. Statlander whips away and hits another Staturday Night Fever but there is no referee. Back up and Statlander grabs the strap but this time the referee is up to take it away. The spear sets up two stomps to retain the title at 17:08.

Rating: B-. That’s how it should have gone, as Statlander has already had multiple runs as champion. Thekla has exploded in recent weeks and it’s great to see her getting this kind of a win. There are multiple women who could come after the title, and seeing Thekla work with any of them sounds like quite the treat.

Trios Titles: Don Callis Family vs. Mistico/Jet Speed

Mistico/Jet Speed are challenging and the fans are rather pleased as Mistico starts with Okada. A headscissors drops Okada so it’s off to Knight (who, like Bailey, is in a Mistico mask), who gets sent into the wrong corner. Davis gets in a choke but Knight escapes and brings in Bailey for the running hurricanrana. It’s right back to Mistico to clear the ring, setting up the suicide dive.

A triple dive is broken up and Knight is picked up and tossed outside onto his partners. Davis takes off Jet Speed’s masks and it’s Knight getting stomped down in the corner. Bailey is tossed into a kick to the chest for two but Mistico is back up (as we’re just not doing the tagging thing here) with some headscissors. Jet Speed come back in to help clear the ring and we settle down to Okada vs. Mistico.

That doesn’t last long either as everything breaks down again so Okada and Knight hit stereo dropkicks. Okada flips Knight off so Knight bites the finger, which is far smarter than most people come off when Okada does the same thing. Mistico is back in with a tornado DDT to Fletcher and the challengers all plant the Family on the apron.

Back in and Bailey’s shooting star press gets two on Fletcher and the Ultimate Weapon gets the same, with Davis making the save. Davis is back up to drop Jet Speed and gives them both a piledriver, with Mistico making a save of his own. Knight is back up with the springboard clothesline to Davis and La Mistica takes Fletcher down. Knight’s UFO Splash pins Davis for the pin and the titles at 17:20.

Rating: B. This was the insanity that you see on most AEW shows and in this case it wound up with a surprise title change. As usual, the Trios Titles don’t exactly mean much as they go from team to team, often with thrown together teams winning the belts. At least the match was fun though, with pretty much nonstop action throughout. Since there is no real trios division, this is about as good as it’s going to get and that’s not a bad thing.

Post match we get the big announcement that Mistico is All Elite. The celebration goes on for a good while.

We recap Bandido vs. Andrade El Idolo. They both wanted a fight so here we go. Bandido’s ROH World Title isn’t on the line because…well because it pretty much means nothing.

Bandido vs. Andrade El Idolo

Non-title. They go with the grappling to start and trade flip ups for an early standoff. Some standing switches result in Andrade doing the tranquilo pose in the ropes so Bandido tries to remove his pants. That doesn’t work so well, as Andrade jumps him for taking so long. Bandido is able to send him outside for a running hurricanrana off the apron. Back in and Bandido’s springboard is powerbombed out of the air and Andrade takes off his own pants. We pause for a rather impressed female fan to get a picture with Andrade before the chinlock goes on back inside.

Back up and Bandido reverses a suplex into a cutter before German suplexing him into the corner. They trade forearms from their knees until Bandido sends him hard to the floor. The suicide dive connects but a frog splash hits raised knees back inside. They trade rolling suplexes with Bandido getting the better of things, setting up a shooting star press for two more. Bandido goes up again but gets knocked outside, where Andrade moonsaults down onto him for a big crash.

Back in and the double moonsault gives Andrade two, followed by the running knees in the corner for the same. Bandido is able to catch him up top with the flipping fall away slam, setting up the X Knee. The 21 Plex is cut off with the spinning knee to give Andrade two but Bandido hits a ridiculous spinning kick to the back of the head. Now the 21 Plex can connect for two in a rare kickout so Bandido tries it again, only to get elbowed in the face. A super DM gives Andrade the pin at 20:57.

Rating: A-. This was a heck of a match, with the two of them beating the heck out of each other. I have little reason to believe that Andrade will keep giving this much effort for very long, but I’ll absolutely take it while it lasts. Bandido continues to be great at just about everything he does and they had another great match here. Awesome stuff.

We recap the Dogs vs. Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy/Roderick Strong. Both sides kept adding members so it’s time for a six man tag, which is under Tornado rules because of course it is.

The Dogs vs. Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy/Roderick Strong

Tornado Tag. The brawl starts on the floor with Cassidy getting an early two off a small package to Connors. Strong and Kidd chop it out in the ring until Connors backbreakers Allin to put him outside. Allin is right back up with a springboard double elbow but Connors spears Allin through the ropes and out to the floor. Back in and a Doomsday Device drops Allin for two so the Dogs use the tag ropes to tie him in the corner by the throat.

Cassidy is left alone with all three so he slowly chops away, earning himself a string of knockdowns. Strong is back in for the save, including picking up Cassidy and throwing him at the Dogs. A wheelbarrow DDT lets Connors be dropped onto raised knees and Cassidy heads outside. Cassidy finds some scissors to cut Allin free, meaning it’s a Coffin Drop take out the Dogs on the floor.

The Stronghold has Connors in trouble and Allin grabs the Scorpion Deathlock on Kidd, only for Finlay, with Cassidy on his back, to make the save. The big brawl is on and Allin is thrown outside, leaving Connors to spear Cassidy. Kidd and Allin fight on the ramp, with Allin skateboarding onto the back of his head. Cassidy has to save Strong as Kidd is apparently zip tied to the stage. That means Allin can suicide dive Finlay, leaving the End Of Heartache to finish Connors at 12:24.

Rating: B-. It was another wild match, though that only means so much when I saw the same thing about half an hour ago. While I like the dream team (or close enough to one) getting the win, the Dogs have not exactly been the most successful team right out of the gate. They can still correct course, but dang they’ve lost quite a bit early on.

We recap Hangman Page challenging MJF for the World Title in a Texas Deathmatch. Page is the #1 contender but wants to end this between them forever. Therefore, if Page loses, he can never challenge for the title again.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is defending in a Texas Deathmatch, meaning you win by submission or your opponent not being able to answer a ten count (pins don’t count). Page is played live to the ring by a snazzy trumpet player and already has barbed wire wrapped around his knee. We get a video of MJF as a cowboy riding a horse and then relieving himself on Page’s grave. MJF even comes out in Terry Funk cosplay as he’s feeling the cockiness here.

They go straight to the slugout, with MJF hiding behind the referee and then bailing out to the floor. Page beats him into the crowd until they come back to ringside, where MJF gets in a trashcan lid shot. A crotch to the head knocks Page down so he suckers MJF into a chase, meaning it’s a trashcan lid to MJF’s head. It’s time for the staple gun (oh here we go) but first Page finds a piece of paper to slice up MJF’s fingers.

The paper (which has something written on it that I can’t read) is stapled to MJF’s chest and then ripped back out, allowing Page to pull out a window. MJF gets in a cheap shot and breaks the window, leaving the glass shattered on the mat. Page slams him onto said glass (commentary approves) and then drags him over the glass (commentary approves again) as it’s time for a lot of screaming.

Page whips out the barbed wire to gouge at MJF’s bloody head and then pulls it around MJF’s mouth. The table is pulled out as MJF is already looking destroyed. MJF gets in a cheap shot and cuts open Page’s head with the shard of glass. Now Page is dragged over the glass so MJF grabs a broom to clear the ring. Page takes the broom away and breaks it over his knee but MJF hits him with the broken piece and has a seat in a chair. MJF busts out the big syringe and stabs Page through the cheek, giving us some shots of a disturbed crowd.

Page, with the syringe still hanging out of his mouth, fights up and grabs another chair, this one wrapped in barbed wire. That takes too long as well and Page is dropped onto the chair for a rather lengthy count. MJF sets up a table at ringside but the Heatseeker is countered into a Deadeye, with Page’s knee landing on the barbed wire chair. That’s only good for a nine and Page chairs him in the back. MJF bails outside and avoids Page’s moonsault, allowing him to pelt the barbed wire chair at Page’s head.

The Heatseeker onto the barbed wire chair is broken up so Page Deadeyes him off the apron through the table to leave everyone down. They both beat the count and MJF Tombstones him off the apron through another table. They both beat the count again and pull themselves up for the big punch off. MJF ducks the Buckshot Lariat and pokes him in the eye so they knock each other down.

They both roll outside and it’s time for the light tubes (erg). The ring doesn’t work anymore so they go up to the stage, with both tubes being broken over MJF. Page kicks him down the ramp and it’s time for the skewers. They fight over stabbing the other in the head, with MJF getting the wood shoved into his scalp. That and a Buckshot Lariat get nine so Page kicks him in the face. Page pulls out a chain and some collars as it’s now a Dog Collar match.

Page knocks him down again and loads up another table on the floor. And a barbed wire board, just because. They fight on the apron until MJF uses the chain to toss Page through both the board and table. The count is beaten again and they go up to the stage, with Page belly to bellying him onto some equipment for the explosion. Page uses the chain to drag MJF back to the ring but a low blow breaks up another Buckshot Lariat. A belt to the head brings Page back to life but MJF uses the Diamond Ring and knocks Page silly. Page is choked over the ropes and can’t beat the count at 46:37.

Rating: B-. Yeah no. Between the extreme nonsense (I hate that stuff and always have) and the match going ridiculously long, this did not work very well. They beat each other up rather well and it was a violent, bloody fight, but it’s not a great sign when you could chop off around twenty minutes and not lose much. I’m well aware some people love this style, but it’s not my thing and I wanted this to end far before it actually did.

MJF stands on Page and poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This show had some very, very good parts, but as usual, I’m rather exhausted after it’s over. The main event certainly tried but after that long of a show, they probably should have chopped it down a bit. Andrade vs. Bandido was excellent and most of the matches were rather good, with the surprise returns certainly feeling important.

Ospreay being back is huge and Copeland/Cage are big enough (not my thing but that’s a different situation), which added some extra flavor to the whole thing. It’s definitely more good than bad, but after almost six hours of AEW on the fifth straight day of Tony Khan’s wrestling, I need a long break from this style, which is the case after pretty much every AEW pay per view.

Results
Boom & Doom b. The Infantry – Boomsday Device to Bravo
Willow Nightingale b. Lena Kross – Backslide
Jack Perry won a Blackjack Battle Royal last eliminating Ricochet
FTR b. Young Bucks – Super Shatter Machine to Matt
Toni Storm b. Marina Shafir – Small package
Jon Moxley b. Konosuke Takeshita – Rear naked choke
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Babes Of Wrath – Double chokeslam to Nightingale
Swerve Strickland b. Brody King – House Call
Thekla b. Kris Statlander 2-1
Mistico/Jet Speed b. Don Callis Family – UFO Splash to Davis
Andrade El Idolo b. Bandido – Super DM
Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin/Roderick Strong b. The Dogs – End Of Heartache to Connors
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Hangman Page – Choke over the ropes with a chain

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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We’re back on pay per view and as usual, there is quite the massive card. In this case, the show is headlined by Hangman Page challenging MJF for the World Title in a Texas Death Match, but there are several other titles on the line. That’s pretty normal around here, as is having awesome pay per views, so hopefully they can continue the trend. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Boom & Doom vs. The Infantry

This is the “get Big Boom AJ on the card” match and naturally there are no other options for opponents than two thirds of the Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Champions. This is likely going to be the same as every AJ match has been thus far, meaning it’s going to be a lot better left on the pre-show than anything else. It’s not a match that is going to hurt anything and that makes it the easiest to watch of these three.

Of course I’ll take AJ and Marshall to win, there is no reason for the Infantry to beat the celebrity wrestler. Just let them do their thing and hits the catchphrase with AJ’s son and the Rizzler being there (because that’s still a thing) and we move on. It’s the definition of a harmless match and would be fine as a one off Kickoff Show match, but even as one out of three, it should be ok.

Zero Hour: TBS Title: Willow Nightingale(c) vs. Lena Kross

Since modern wrestling absolutely loves the idea of double champions, this is the first of two title defenses for Nightingale, with Kross being a challenger in both of them as well. This is a good example of a match that should be a Collision main event rather than on the card, but we have to beef the numbers up somehow due to reasons of that’s how AEW tends to work.

I’m actually kind of split on this one, as it would be a bit weird to have Kross lose here if she has another title shot later in the night. At the same time, I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have Kross win the title so soon into her run. Maybe this ends with some sort of interference, but I’ll take Nightingale to retain the title here, as she’s so adorable in general I don’t want her to lose.

Zero Hour: National Title: Battle Royal

So as usual, we only know a few of the participants in the match, which means we could be in for quite the collection of surprises. Ricochet is defending and that should be fine, though you never know what you’re going to see in something like this. Having the title on the line in a battle royal is a way to get the title off of Ricochet without him taking a (nother) pin so they might have an out.

Since we don’t know so much of the field, and the members we do know are not much, I’ll take Ricochet to retain. It’s the kind of thing that can give him a lot of bragging points going forward and that is where he tends to shine. He has to lose the title at some point, but shutting him up with a one on one loss sounds more effective. He’ll keep the title for now at least.

Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir

These two have been teasing a big fight for a long time now and we’re finally getting to see it take place. That hasn’t really made it feel must see, as Shafir is mainly just a valet/enforcer and Storm is…ok I’m still working on that but she’s different. What matters the most is that this could be quite the intense fight, but I’m not sure where it is going to go in the end.

Despite a feeling that it’s going the other way, I’ll take Storm here. At the end of the day, Shafir has never really shown any interest in becoming a singles star and beating Storm would rocket her up towards the top of the division. Storm overcoming the odds of another monster here makes sense, especially if she’s getting back into the title picture. It feels like Shafir could win, but I’ll take Storm.

Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy/Roderick Strong vs. The Dogs

So this has been built up for a few weeks, as Cassidy has been dealing with the Dogs and finding a single friend to help in the form of Allin. That only got him so far as there were three Dogs, so thankfully Strong popped up to even things out. Now we have a six man tag as a result, though it definitely feels like something that belongs on Dynamite rather than here on pay per view.

I’ll go with the Dogs to win here, as there is pretty much no reason to have them come together and lose in their first big man as a trio. The team is fun together and they’re against a makeshift group of good guys. Let the Dogs win so they can get their feet under them and maybe take the Trios Titles down the line, as at least they’re an actual team rather than some people thrown together.

Trios Titles: Don Callis Family(c) vs. Mistico/Jet Speed

Speaking of makeshift teams in the title picture, we have Mistico and Jet Speed getting a title shot despite having no history as a team. It’s pretty new for Jet Speed, as they won the titles while teaming with Hangman Page, basically from scratch. This feels like a way to get Mistico on the show, and fair enough, but it doesn’t do the titles much good in the process.

I don’t see any reason for the titles to change hands here so we’ll go with the champions retaining. Ultimately, Jet Speed and Mistico aren’t a team and Mistico isn’t going to be around full time (then again neither are the titles), so let the Family retain for a change. It should be a fast paced and entertaining match, but there is no reason to think the titles are changing hands here.

Bandido vs. Andrade El Idolo

Shockingly enough, there is no indication that the Ring Of Honor World Title is on the line here, as I guess Andrade has no interest in the thing. They really seem to just be fighting for the sake of having a fight, which is hardly a great reason to have a pay per view match. Basically it was Bandido’s partner had a match and Bandido wanted one too and here we are.

I don’t see a reason for Bandido to win here, as Andrade is on a roll and Bandido is basically there to add a banger to the card. That’s hardly a great reason to run the match, but at least it should be entertaining. Hopefully it lives up to the hype and leads to a rematch for the title that is right there. It would be even worse for Andrade to beat him and then move on, though there is a very good chance that’s what happens.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Babes Of Wrath(c) vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne

Here we have the second of Nightingale’s title defenses against Kross on the night, which is a pretty weird way to go. This one doesn’t feel so certain though, as the Babes have had the titles for a pretty long while now and it might make sense for them to lose. If nothing else, there is a good chance that Kross does something to weaken Nightingale in their first match to make this an easier victory.

I think I’ll go with the titles changing hands here, as if nothing else, Bayne needs to win something already. She’s an absolute monster but that doesn’t mean much if she never wins a prize. The Babes are more than solidified as a top team so changing the titles is an acceptable result. It should be a fun match, but in theory this is where the titles finally change hands.

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

This is 2/3 falls because the show just wasn’t long enough already. These two have been feuding for the better part of ever already and it is high time for the thing to be over. In theory this is going to be the last match between them and the angle on Collision did help boost it up a bit. Ultimately the problem comes down to the fact that Thekla has exploded in recent weeks and that’s a big issue for Statlander.

I’ll take Thekla to retain here, likely two falls to one, as there is pretty much no reason to put the title back on Statlander. She had a lengthy enough run as champion and Thekla is absolutely feeling like the bigger star. Go with the hot hand at the moment, hopefully with something other than that still not so great looking spear, and let Thekla retain on the big stage.

Continental Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita

This is one of the bigger matches on the card and it has no time limit, which is almost a scary concept. The good thing is that these two can work very well together on the big stage and if they can make that happen again here, we should be in for a heck of a match. Moxley won the title late last year but couldn’t beat Takeshita, which has been giving him quite the issue.

I’ll go with Takeshita winning the title here though, as Moxley and the Death Riders have mostly dominated the feud with the Don Callis Family and it might be time for the Family to get their big win. It’s a match that absolutely could go either way and I’m probably wrong. The good thing is that it should be an absolute war, which is what you want to see out of these two.

Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Young Bucks

Yes again. I know this is the big, all time tag feud in AEW but I stopped caring about everything they were doing a long time ago. The good thing is the match is pretty much guaranteed to be a hit, which is about all you can ask for here. This is going to be treated as one of the biggest matches on the card and that does make sense, so hopefully they can live up to the considerable hype.

Since we’re in southern California and it hasn’t happened in a bit, I’ll go with the Bucks to win the titles here. It might not be what I want to see, but the team tends to get a big run with them every year or two. That makes sense given their status in AEW and in theory it is where they’re going here. It should be a heck of a match, with the Bucks winning making the most sense.

Brody King vs. Swerve Strickland

I waited for this one as it’s the match that interests me the most. At the end of the day, these two could beat the living daylights out of each other and that should be a heck of a match. What matters here is having King look like a star against a big name like Strickland, who has already been crazy successful in AEW. This should be quite the showdown and it has all of the potential.

As much as I’d love to see King get a big win, Strickland seems to be on the way back into the World Title picture following his heel turn. Odds are Strickland wins here after one heck of a fight and that has me more than interested. The good thing is they are getting the big chance on the biggest stage and both have been on a roll as of late. Strickland wins, but it’s after an awesome match.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Hangman Page

This is another Texas Death Match as Page officially has a signature match (at least it isn’t a bull rope match). The catch here is that if Page loses, he can never challenge for the World Title again. That seems like it’s setting things up to go one way, though it’s also giving me something of a doubt. It feels like everything is set up for MJF to lose, only to retain the title in a shocker.

Therefore, I’ll go with my pick most likely to be wrong and say MJF retains here, possibly with some shenanigans costing Page the match. While I absolutely cannot imagine the idea of Page never challenging for the title again, it just feels too safe for Page to win here. It feels like something where we’re going to see a swerve (not the Strickland kind) and that’s what I’ll take.

Overall Thoughts

Make no mistake about it: this show is going to be long. That’s the AEW way and they’re going to make it happen again here. The card has thirteen matches (yes including the pre-show), with one of them being 2/3 falls and another being no time limit. This is setting up to be a very long show, but the potential for some great stuff is there. AEW has earned the benefit of the doubt, but I’m going to need a nap when they’re done.

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: March 11, 2026
Location: San Jose Civic, San Jose, California
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Ian Riccaboni, Tony Schiavone

It’s the last Dynamite before Revolution and the big story this week is a press conference of all things. That means we’ll be hearing from Hangman Page and MJF, likely with a bunch of guest stars asking questions. That’s not the most thrilling idea so hopefully they have something strong for the rest of the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

Castagnoli and Hechicero start things off with Hechicero taking him to the mat for some grappling. They trade rollups for two each and get up for a standoff, with Castagnoli looking annoyed (though that might just be his basic look). Hechicero takes him down by the leg and it’s off to Moxley vs. Takeshita. An exchange of shoulders lets Moxley bring Takeshita into the corner for the tag to Castagnoli. Takeshita manages to knock him down, only to get taken back into the corner. Hechicero comes back in with a hurricanrana driver and we take a break.

We come back with Hechicero pulling himself up but having to go to the ropes to escape the Swing. Moxley comes in and gets taken down by the leg, leaving Castagnoli to get caught with a high crossbody. Takeshita comes back in to clotheslines Castagnoli to the floor and break Moxley’s sleeper. Moxley and Takeshita trade big shots to the face until Moxley clotheslines him into something like a reverse Koji Clutch. Takeshita gets into the ropes and nails Moxley with a running knee to the face to leave both of them down.

Hechicero comes back in to take over on Castagnoli’s limbs but gets shoved outside. Castagnoli hits a running seated senton off the apron but Hechicero ties up the legs for a rollup back inside. Moxley makes the save and Castagnoli Swings Hechicero, who is right back with a fireman’s carry faceplant. The referee almost gets bumped in the corner, allowing Castagnoli to go to the eyes. A small package gives Castagnoli the pin at 14:04.

Rating: B-. Nice enough opener here, but this was more about the preview of Moxley vs. Takeshita than anything else. At the same time, it’s nice to see Castagnoli getting a pin, as he has been the designated loser for so long. It isn’t like Hechicero is going to be hurt by a loss of her own, as he can easily rebuild himself with another crazy showcase.

Post match the Family runs in for the beatdown but Takeshita won’t use a chair on Moxley. The team isn’t happy with him but leave, with Takeshita signaling that he wants the title without attacking Moxley again.

Persephone and Willow Nightingale, who are facing off tonight, compare how hard they hit Mercedes Mone.

Don Callis fires up Kyle Fletcher before he faces Mike Bailey. MJF comes in and wants Fletcher to beat Bailey up, but Fletcher says he’s doing it for himself.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mike Bailey

Fletcher is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. Bailey grabs an early hurricanrana but they’re quickly on the floor where Fletcher kicks him down. That’s fine with Bailey, who pulls him into an armbar but has to let it go to break the count. Back in and Fletcher stomps him down in the corner, followed by a spinning belly to back suplex for two. Bailey kicks at the arm again and snaps off another running hurricanrana, followed by more kicks.

The running shooting star press gets two but Fletcher grabs a snapdragon. They trade kicks to the face for a double down before going to the apron. That means Bailey can flip into a poisonrana to send Fletcher outside as we take a break. We come back with Bailey knocking him down on the floor again, followed by a middle rope moonsault. Fletcher gets back in and slides back outside, where Bailey catches him with a corkscrew springboard moonsault.

Back in and Fletcher lawn darts him into the buckle but Bailey manages some kind of a choke. The moonsault knees to the shoulder set up a triangle choke on Fletcher, who lifts him up for a sitout powerbomb. They go outside again, with Bailey managing some more moonsault knees. Bailey snaps the arm across the top rope, followed by the super poisonrana.

The Tornado Kick gets two so Bailey kicks him in the face again, only to charge into a Michinoku Driver for two. Another spinning kick in the corner connects but the Ultimate Weapon misses so Bailey kicks him in the head again. Cue Kazuchika Okada for a distraction and Mark Davis hands Fletcher the belt. A big shot to the head and a brainbuster retain the title at 18:31.

Rating: B. That ending brought it down a good bit as they were having a heck of a match but then it’s just “and here’s the interference”. In theory the idea is to protect Bailey, but he shouldn’t be able to win the title from Fletcher anyway. These two work well together, though they needed a better ending.

Brody King vs. ???

Ganso Bomb in 18 seconds.

Post match King walks around the ring but gets choked by Swerve Strickland (in the crowd) with a chain. King breaks the chain though and Swerve has a great “….uh oh” face. The Cannonball sets up the choke from the apron but Prince Nana comes in for the distraction so Swerve can get out.

Mike Bailey is ready to win the Trios Titles and is looking forward rather than backward.

Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin vs. The Dogs

Finlay and Cassidy start things off but it’s off to Kidd, who crawls around on all fours and then knocks Allin off the apron. Everything quickly breaks down and Cassidy dropkicks Finlay into the steps. Not to be outdone, Allin dropkicks Kidd into the barricade but Finlay is back in with a toss suplex to Cassidy.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy’s lazy chops not exactly getting him out of trouble. The tornado DDT to Kidd works a bit better and Cassidy sends them both into the corner. Allin comes in to clean house, including the running shoulders in the corner. Kidd gets caught in the Scorpion Deathlock so Finlay goes to the eyes for a break.

A Stundog Millionaire into a Code Red has Kidd down and Cassidy dives onto Finlay. Kidd is sat in the chair for Allin’s missile dropkick but here is Clark Connors to deck Cassidy with a tire iron. Back in and Coffin Drop is countered into a choke, which doesn’t last long. Finlay hits a Dominator though and Kidd’s piledriver finishes at 12:02.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting tag match and thankfully the Dogs won, as they should have last time. They’re still a new team and need to establish themselves a bit more, so beating something of an AEW dream team is a good idea. Allin and Cassidy will need a third man to fight back and that opens a few doors.

Post match Connors comes in to help with the beatdown but Roderick Strong walks down. He teases helping the Dogs but then makes the save and the good guys stand tall.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

TBS Title: Persephone vs. Willow Nightingale

Only Nightingale is defending and grinds away at a headlock to start. Neither of them can get a backslide so Persephone grabs a running hurricanrana. Back up and Nightingale fires off the clotheslines in the corner, followed by a basement crossbody for two. Persephone actually catches her though and it’s a fall away slam to put Nightingale down as we take a break.

We come back with the two of them heading outside, with Nightingale hitting a big spinebuster. Nightingale connects with a cannonball off the apron and then adds another in the corner for two back inside. A moonsault misses though and Persephone German suplexes her down. Persephone’s Lionsault gets two but Nightingale catches head up top. That’s escaped as well so Persephone tries a Razor’s Edge, only to be reversed into a backslide to retain the title at 12:13.

Rating: B. Persephone continues to be quite the star and it’s a shame that she’s wasted on Ring Of Honor so often. At the same time you have Nightingale, who was able to hang with her rather nicely here. That made for a good match, though again, I could go for less titles floating around. There were three belts between these two and that was all I could focus on during their interview earlier. Just…don’t have so many.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa joining FTR to jump Mark Briscoe, who is getting the Young Bucks to help him.

Willow Nightingale wants to defend the Tag Team Titles against Megan Bayne and Lena Kross. Oh and Kross can get a TBS Title shot on Zero Hour too. There’s your case of “this is how to make a show long when it really doesn’t need to be.”

Mark Briscoe/Young Bucks vs. FTR/Tommaso Ciampa

Stokely Hathaway is here as well. The brawl starts fast on the floor with Briscoe almost sending Ciampa through a table, with Harwood breaking it up. The PowerPlex puts Briscoe down and Nick makes the save. Nick escapes a double suplex from FTR and the Bucks get to come in and clean house. The superkicks have FTR down until Ciampa makes a save of his own. Harwood is catapulted into Wheeler so Briscoe and Ciampa get to trade clotheslines until we take a break.

We come back with Briscoe and Harwood chopping it out on the floor. Briscoe hits a Blockbuster off the barricade to take Ciampa down, followed by the step up flip dive onto the villains. Back in and Mark and Nick hit Redneck Boogie for two on Harwood, who clotheslines his way out of trouble.

Believe it or not, the Bucks are up with superkicks and a top rope elbow hits Ciampa. The Froggy Boy gets two with Harwood making the save and it’s a quick Shatter Machine to put Briscoe down. Matt gets hit with a monitor and spike piledriven onto the announcers’ table. Back in and the Jay Driller is blocked, with Ciampa hitting the running knee to pin Briscoe at 12:53.

Rating: B. Another wild and entertaining match, with Ciampa getting a win to keep him looking strong. I’m not sure what he is going to be doing next, though he is already set for the battle royal on the Kickoff Show. Other than that, it was a preview of FTR vs. the Bucks, which you should know about already given their history.

Post match Ciampa beats on Briscoe again, including a super Air Raid Crash through some open chairs.

We get a video on MJF vs. Hangman Page, looking back at their history on the way to Revolution.

It’s time for a press conference with Page and MJF, as emceed by Bryan Danielson. Page is asked if this is about the title or revenge, with Page saying it’s only about the title. MJF wants fans to realize that he is a real wrestler and is having to lower himself to this. He knows Page is out of bullets and will win at Revolution. Page is asked about his history in Texas Deathmatches specifically in California and he promises to win.

Finally, Page is asked who he is if he loses and can’t challenge for the title again. That doesn’t matter as Page says he’ll win. MJF gets some beers out and toasts Page, triggering the brawl that goes into the arena. Security is taken out so Page pulls out a barbed wire board but can’t hit the Deadeye. MJF bails to end the show. The brawl was fine but the press conference deal was a terrible waste of time as they pretty much had nothing to say and were asked dumb questions.

Overall Rating: B+. The wrestling was really good, but the ending was just a big misfire and that hurt things a bit. The pay per view is certainly feeling important, which might be due to how many matches are included. At the very least, Page vs. MJF feels big, though I’m not sure I can imagine MJF losing the title back so soon. At least they had a pretty great final Dynamite though and hopefully they can follow that up this weekend with the really important show.

Results
Death Riders b. Don Callis Family – Small package to Hechicero
Kyle Fletcher b. Mike Bailey – Brainbuster
Brody King b. ??? – Ganso Bomb
The Dogs b. Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin – Piledriver to Allin
Willow Nightingale b. Persephone – Backslide
FTR/Tommaso Ciampa b. Young Bucks/Mark Briscoe – Running knee to Briscoe

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: March 7, 2026
Location: Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We are eight days away from Revolution and the card has mostly already come together. There are still a few spots to be filled though and some of those might be taken care of this week. Other than that, the Tag Team Titles are on the line here as the Rascalz challenge FTR. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Rascalz

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is defending and Myron Reed is here with the Rascalz. Wentz takes Wheeler down to start so it’s off to Harwood for a hiptoss. Harwood takes him into a corner for a slap, only to get slapped out to the floor. Xavier comes in and slugs away but gets elbowed in the face. With Xavier on the floor and fighting off both champions, Wentz is there with a big corkscrew dive to take out FTR.

Back in and Wentz stomps on Harwood’s arm, setting up a quickly broken armbar. Harwood takes Wentz outside and suckers him into a clothesline from Wheeler. We take a break and come back with Wentz kicking FTR down and rolling through the legs for the tag off to Xavier. Harwood isn’t having any of this comeback thing and drops Xavier with a clothesline as everything breaks down.

The Rascalz hit stereo dives and Wentz hits a Swanton for two back inside. Wheeler takes Xavier out on the floor and Harwood’s top rope belly to back superplex gets two on Wentz. Harwood and Wentz strike it out until Wentz gets a small package for two. The Hot Fire Flame (or Flash according to Nigel) hits raised knees and FTR is back with a BTE Trigger to Wentz. The Tony Khan Driver is broken up though and Wentz strikes away, only to walk into the Shatter Machine to retain the titles at 15:06.

Rating: B+. There was no reason to believe that FTR was losing the titles here but I was pulled into the match well enough that I was buying some of the Rascalz’s near falls. That takes quite the effort and they made it work here. FTR gets to show what they can do, which is a nice reminder as they have mainly just been talking on the way to Revolution.

Post match Mark Briscoe comes out to do commentary for the next match and has a tense yet respectful meeting with FTR.

Anthony Bowens tells Hook he can be a killer so Hook says take over the camera from Katsuyori Shibata. Hook then Redrums a random wrestler and has Bowens follow them.

Daniel Garcia vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Mark Briscoe is on commentary. Ciampa wrestles Garcia to the mat to start and Garcia is in the ropes for a trip to the floor. Back in and Ciampa fires off some running chops in the corner, followed by a Garcia style dance on the middle rope. Garcia slips out of a suplex though and dragon screws the leg, which is wrapped around the post.

We take a break and come back with Garcia diving into a jumping knee to the face to leave both of them down. Ciampa knees him outside for some rams into the announcers’ table but Garcia gets in another dragon screw legwhip. The STF is broken up so Garcia dropkicks him into the corner instead. Garcia hammers away, only to be reversed into Project Ciampa for two. Back up and Garcia goes outside to shove Briscoe, with the distraction allowing Ciampa to be shoved into Briscoe. Garcia grabs a rollup to pin Ciampa at 10:18.

Rating: B-. The midcard is starting to develop a bit more and that is nice to see, especially with a title not being directly involved. You need to be able to do something away from championships all the time and this is getting somewhere. It helps that Briscoe and Ciampa are both a blast and Garcia is good enough in the ring to hang in there with them. Nice match here.

Post match Garcia leaves and Ciampa wants nothing of Briscoe’s handshake. Cue FTR and Stokely Hathaway again to go after Ciampa. Briscoe gets in to even things up before any violence breaks out and Ciampa is appreciative. Then Ciampa jumps Briscoe and lays him out with a knee.

Video on Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita, which went to a time limit draw in the Continental Classic.

Swerve Strickland vs. Gravity

Prince Nana is here with Swerve, who kicks Gravity down to start and seems rather confident. Gravity is back with a kick between the shoulder blades, which just seems to annoy Swerve. That earns Gravity a knockdown on the apron and a Swerve Stomp, allowing Swerve to go after the mask. Another Swerve Stomp connects inside and the House Call finishes at 4:00.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but this was Swerve coming in and mauling Gravity for the most part. That’s what the match should have been, as Swerve is starting to feel it with his new heel style and this kind of a win makes him look dangerous. Swerve is one of the best things going in AEW today and seeing him back it up in the ring is rather fun to see.

Kris Statlander wants Thekla one more time at Revolution, 2/3 falls.

Post break here is Thekla to say no in a variety of languages. Since when does she have to listen to some b**** from outer space? What even makes Statlander think she can win twice in one night? Thekla sent Thunder Rosa back to the graveyards. Everything Statlander is afraid of is what Thekla is. Great line to end a kind of odd promo, though Thekla’s charisma carries everything.

We get a clip of Renee Paquette’s interview with Jon Moxley, who knows he can beat Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution.

LFI vs. The Swirl vs. Private Party vs. Outrunners

For $200,000 and Dalton Castle is on commentary. Johnson headlocks Magnum to start and it’s off to Dralistico to run Quen over. LFI takes Quen outside for some whips into the barricade, with Kassidy being whipped around as well. Back in and the Swirl/LFI hit some running splashes to Kassidy, followed by a quadruple dropkick. Dralistico is back up with a heck of a springboard hurricanrana to Christian and Rush drops Johnson as we take a break.

We come back with Kassidy backdropping his way out of trouble and handing it back to Floyd. Castle loses his mind as Floyd cleans house, including Christian being superplexed onto a pile at ringside. LFI breaks that up but Kassidy takes them out, only for Dralistico to hurricanrana him off the apron. Back in and Rush’s Bull’s Horns is cut off by Quen but the Swirl is back in with a poisonrana. The top rope Canadian Destroyer drops Quen for two, with Kassidy making the save. Private Party hits their top rope double stomp/neckbreaker combination and a Doomsday Cutter gives Kassidy the pin on Johnson at 11:52.

Rating: B-. This was your weekly “here are a bunch of people going nuts for awhile” match and that’s not a bad way to go. The money prizes don’t exactly feel important, but at least Private Party got to do something for a change. They’re a team who could be given a shot here or there, but this might be the best they can do for the time being.

We look at the Don Callis Family winning the Trios Titles on Dynamite.

Jet Speed will be teaming with Mistico against the Family for the titles at Revolution. That’s a great example of a match that doesn’t need to be on pay per view, or even Zero Hour. Anyway, Swerve Strickland comes in to tell Kevin Knight to be more of a killer.

Megan Bayne and Lena Kross jumped the Babes Of Wrath earlier today.

Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Timeless Love Bombs

Bayne powers Shirakawa (Nigel calls her the former Ring Of Honor Women’s TV Champion when it was actually the INTERIM Women’s Champion. Geez get your totally unnecessary titles right McGuinness.) until Storm comes in for the save. That earns the Bombs stereo fall away slams but Storm gets the tag to come in and clean house. Some hiptosses and a hip attack to the face have Bayne down and Shirakawa hits a big dive to the floor to take out both villains.

Storm is staggered though and Bayne is up with a heck of a dive of her own to put the Bombs down again. We take a break and come back with Storm fighting out of the corner and rolling over for the tag to Shirakawa. A springboard tornado DDT and La Mistica put Bayne down, followed by something like a spinning Big Ending to drop Shirakawa onto her. Bayne is back up to fall away slam both of them, leaving Kross to hit a Tower Of Doom.

We hit the parade of strikes until Storm DDTs Bayne, who gets caught in Shirakawa’s Figure Four. Kross and Storm take turns turning the hold over until Kross actually breaks it up. Cue Marina Shafir to choke Storm under the ring, leaving Kross to Jackhammer Shirakawa for the win at 12:47.

Rating: C+. It’s kind of sad that my first though was “how does Shirakawa get pinned this time?”. One would think that somebody with that kind of talent and charisma would be able to do something other than lose all the time. Instead, she’s basically the designated jobber and that’s a bit sad to see. At the same time, Kross has fit in rather well with Bayne, as a pair of monsters like that will always have a place in a tag division.

Mark Briscoe says he’s known Tommaso Ciampa for a long time but something has felt off. Then tonight Ciampa jumped him and that’s the Ciampa he knows. Now Ciampa is aligned with FTR so Briscoe will just team with Dem Bucks on Dynamite.

The Dogs vs. Cosmo Quarry/Gino Catanari/Kayden Monroe

I’m going off my best guess for the latter’s names as there’s no graphic. Kidd knocks all three of them down and one heck of a powerbomb knocks Monroe silly. An implant DDT, a piledriver and a suplex knee to the face finish Monroe at 1:46. Total decimation and the Dogs looked impressive.

Here is a ticked off Toni Storm who wants to face Marina Shafir at Revolution, seemingly anything goes. Then she wants her title back.

We look at Persephone winning the CMLL Women’s Title from Mercedes Mone last night.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Non-title and Jon Moxley is on commentary. They go to the mat to start with Takeshita working on the leg. Back up and they trade running shots in the corner, with Castagnoli getting to stomp him down. Takeshita hits a leg lariat but gets his arm snapped across the top rope to put him in trouble. A hurricanrana takes Castagnoli down and Takeshita sends him face first into the buckle over and over.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli taking him down by the arm but not being able to keep a short armscissors. Back up and Takeshita forearms him out of the air before snapping off a suplex. Castagnoli is right back with a Swing into an armbar with the legs tied up.

That doesn’t last long either as Takeshita is up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Castagnoli fights back again and throws in some chairs, allowing him to grab the CMLL World Title. Hechicero comes in to take it away, allowing Takeshita to hit a running knee for two. Another knee is blocked and they trade the big forearms. The Riccola Bomb is countered though and the running knee into Raging Fire finishes Castagnoli at 14:36.

Rating: B. This was Takeshita’s warmup for the match with Moxley at Revolution and that’s a great spot for Castagnoli. It’s pretty firmly established that Castagnoli isn’t going to be THE guy, but having him as Moxley’s policeman is a good fit for him. Let him play to his strengths and make Takeshita look good, which is exactly what happened here. Sidenote: like him or not, Moxley is actually pretty good at commentary, as he sounds like he is having a great time out there every time.

Post match the Don Callis Family and Death Riders brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Another rather good Collision again, as they don’t have matches or angles that really extend stories but they have solid in-ring action. That was the case again here and I had a good time watching the whole thing. Collision works best when they don’t do much talking and that was what they did again here. Rather fun show and the time flew by for a change (but please don’t make the overruns a thing here too).

Results
FTR b. Rascalz – Shatter Machine to Wentz
Daniel Garcia b. Tommaso Ciampa – Small package
Swerve Strickland b. Gravity – House Call
Private Party b. LFI, The Swirl and Outrunners – Doomsday Cutter to Johnson
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Timeless Love Bombs – Jackhammer to Shirakawa
The Dogs b. Cosmo Quarry/Gino Catanari/Kayden Monroe – Suplex knee to Monroe

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: 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 21, 2026
Location: Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re inching closer to Revolution and things are starting to pick up, with a few matches officially set. That doesn’t include the World Title match, which has a few stipulations which may or may not be added in. There is a good chance we hear something about that match this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Trios Titles: Hangman Page/Jet Speed vs. The Demand

Page/Jet Speed are defending and my goodness they’re actually on screen together. The Demand takes over to start but Page backdrops Ricochet to the floor. Jet Speed dropkicks the Gates out to the floor and we settle down to Kaun chopping at Knight. That doesn’t last long as it’s off to bailey for the rapid fire kicks. Everything breaks down and Liona does a Braun Strowman run around the ring series of tackles. The Demand gets to pose on the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Bailey kicking away at Liona, who misses a backsplash. Bailey dropkicks Liona down and it’s off to Ricochet vs. Page. Everything breaks down again with Page being knocked down so Ricochet can hit a springboard 450. Jet Speed start firing off superkicks but Liona fall away slams both of them at once.

We get a parade of knockdowns until Page Tombstones Ricochet, leaving everyone down. Liona gets Deadeyed onto the apron but Ricochet pulls the referee in the way to stop the Buckshot Lariat. Vertigo gets two but here is Jack Perry for a distraction (My goodness that feud is STILL going?), allowing Page to hit the Buckshot Lariat to retain at 14:29.

Rating: B. Why? Why would you keep the titles on Page and Jet Speed? They had teamed together once before winning the titles and then barely associate with each other after winning them. Also, Ricochet has beaten Perry twice and there is no reason to keep this feud going. Let someone else come after that useless title already instead of just doing the same thing over and over. As usual, these titles have pretty much no reason to exist whatsoever.

The Rascalz are in a smoky room when FTR come in to complain about the smoke. They’ll have a match tonight.

Young Bucks vs. The Swirl

The Bucks’ family is in the front row and Jay Lethal is here with the Swirl. He even dubs the team the Lethal Swirl because EVERYONE HAS TO HAVE A STUPID NAME THESE DAYS. Matt gets double stomped down to start and everything breaks down, with Christian and the Bucks doing a string of standing switches. The Bucks are sent outside for a running flip dive through the ropes from Christian but come back inside for more superkicks. The top rope elbow/splash connect for the Bucks as we take an early break.

We come back with Nick being kicked outside, leaving Matt to be caught in the Tree Of Woe for a 619. Matt northern lights suplexes both of them and brings Nick back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Bucks’ top rope stomp flips Christian into a sitout powerbomb for two. Matt hits a super hurricanrana to Christian and the Doomsday Device knocks Johnson onto Christian with a moonsault. The BTE Trigger finishes Christian at 10:00.

Rating: B-. This was indeed a Young Bucks match, where they did all of their impressive athletic stuff, posed a lot and followed the clearly defined step by step instructions for the match. Naturally they’re back in the title picture because they have to be every so often and hey look it’s against FTR. Again. Because this is a thing that has to happen.

We look back at the MJF vs. Hangman Page showdown from Dynamite.

MJF was at an indy show last night, where according to Schiavone, he defended the Ring Of Honor World Title. Naturally he retained, despite interference from Andrade El Idolo.

After the match, MJF went after Andrade, who said he wanted the title. MJF makes it clear that he’s going to beat Hangman Page, then he’ll deal with Andrade.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

CMLL World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Josh Alexander

Castagnoli is defending and gets jumped to start fast, including a slam to put him down. A clothesline puts Alexander on the floor and a running uppercut knocks him down again. Back in and they chop it out with Castagnoli easily getting the better of things. They head back outside where Castagnoli is sent knees first into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Alexander slowly hammering away even more. Castagnoli manages a quick gutwrench suplex and uppercuts away in the corner to stagger Alexander. A jumping double stomp puts Alexander down again and the pop up uppercut gets two. Alexander is right back with the ankle lock but Castagnoli muscles him up into a suplex for two more. The Swing and Neutralizer retain the title at 13:46.

Rating: B-. It’s another hard hitting fight between two big men which wasn’t enhanced whatsoever by having a foreign title involved. Granted that’s the case with a lot of the titles around here and odds are it isn’t going to change anytime soon. Castagnoli is in pretty much the same place he’s been for years and Alexander has been beaten so many times that wins over him mean nothing, but it was a title match so that makes it interesting.

Megan Bayne vs. B3cca

Bayne throws her around to start and sends her into some buckles. The Mega Bomb finishes for Bayne at 1:32.

Tommaso Ciampa would love to face Mark Briscoe again, but he also wants the TNT Title back because he isn’t done with Kyle Fletcher.

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

Takeshita and the hatted Yuta start things off with Takeshita kicking him down. Clon comes in and exchanges flips with Pac. A monkey flip is cut off though and Pac gets sent into the corner, where Davis comes in to choke him down. Pac gets over for the tag off to Moxley, who comes in to hammer away on Davis. The Riders take turns firing off running shots in the corner until Moxley grabs the bulldog choke.

We take a break and come back with Moxley fighting out of a chinlock and sending Takeshita outside. Davis German suplexes Moxley, who pops up with a clothesline and brings Pac back in to pick up the pace. Pac’s big moonsault to the floor takes the Family out as everything breaks down.

Moxley’s double DDT only half works as Clon flips away and trades stereo kicks with Pac. Marina Shafir takes a chair away from Davis, who gets Cactus clotheslined out to the floor. Takeshita charges into a superkick and the Fastball Special gets two. Back up and Takeshita starts clearing the ring with kicks to the face. That leaves Yuta to get Raging Fired for the pin at 14:33.

Rating: B. Good stuff here, with a push towards the Moxley vs. Takeshita rematch, which should be a heck of a fight. At the same time you have more of the same feud between these two teams that has been going on for a few matches now. I’m not sure where that leads, but Blood & Guts seems like a realistic option.

Post match Moxley gives Takeshita a Paradigm Shift.

The Babes Of Wrath aren’t worried about Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Thunder Rosa vs. Julia Hart

This is Rosa’s first match in months and she snaps off some armdrags to start in a hurry. Hart rakes the eyes to cut her off and grabs a neckbreaker over the rope as we take a break. We come back with Rosa hitting a running clothesline in the corner, followed by a running dropkick against the ropes. Hart pulls her into a quick Tarantula and then a Black Widow to keep up the theme. A leg trip sets up the moonsault but Rosa gets her feet up for a painful looking block. The package piledriver slam finishes for Rosa at 9:11.

Rating: C+. It’s a nice comeback for Rosa, but she feels like a relic of the past after being gone for so long. That’s not her fault, but it’s her second really long layoff in just a few years. She’s basically starting from scratch for the time being and while she has the talent to make it work, that’s going to be tricky. At least she’s back though and that’s what matters.

Post match Thekla pops up to insult Rosa, who is apparently rather stupid. AEW is now toxic and Hart tries to jump Rosa, only for Kris Statlander to make the save.

Private Party is having a party and glad to be back.

Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors pop up to say they want to get rid of Darby Allin. Oh and Orange Cassidy is going to take a beating as well.

Rascalz vs. FTR

Non-title eliminator match, Myron Reed is here with the Rascalz and Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR. Harwood slaps Wentz in the face to start so Wentz flips around and hits him in the jaw. Back up and Harwood strikes away in the corner, allowing Xavier to hit a twisting splash for two. A cutter and rollup give Xavier two on Wheeler but Harwood low bridges him to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Wentz hitting a middle rope moonsault to the floor, leaving Xavier to get two off a sunset flip. Harwood drops Xavier with a clothesline as commentary reveals Swerve Strickland was fined $100,000 for his attack on Kenny Omega on Dynamite. A tiger driver gives Harwood two on Wentz and everyone but the illegal Wheeler is down.

Wentz is back up for a handspring spinning kick to Harwood’s head but Harwood pops up with a brainbuster for two. Wheeler drives Reed into the steps and loads up his glasses but here are the Young Bucks to distract him. That’s enough for the Hot Fire Flame to pin Harwood at 10:55.

Rating: B-. It was a nice win and thank goodness if this results in the Tag Team Title match being something other than the Bucks vs. FTR, but the Rascalz aren’t exactly standing out. They’re just another team who can do a bunch of cool looking flips and dives, which is already covered around here. It’s not that they’re a bad team, but other than the smoke jokes, what makes them stand out?

Post match the Gates Of Agony run in to jump the Rascalz and FTR jumps the Bucks’ family. The big beatdown is on, including a spike piledriver to the Bucks’ brother, and the villains stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was back to normal for Collision, as there was pretty much nothing going on that made the show feel important. The Trios Titles haven’t meant anything in the better part of ever and the CMLL World Title means even less. I do like having Thunder Rosa back and the Rascalz winning gives me a bit of hope, but this show being cut down to an hour would do it wonders. While there is no chance of that happening anytime soon, all I can do is keep waiting for the big stuff on Dynamite.

Results
Hangman Page/Jet Speed b. The Demand – Buckshot Lariat to Ricochet
Young Bucks b. The Swirl – BTE Trigger to Christian
Claudio Castagnoli b. Josh Alexander – Neutralizer
Megan Bayne b. B3cca – Mega Bomb
Don Callis Family b. Death Riders – Raging Fire to Yuta
Thunder Rosa b. Julia Hart – Package piledriver slam
Rascalz b. FTR – Hot Fire Flame to Harwood

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

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Collision
Date: February 14, 2026
Location: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s the Grand Slam show as we’re down in Australia for a change. The card is absolutely stacked here too, with the Continental Title on the line, a tag team hair vs. hair match, a ladder match for the TNT Title, and MJF defending the World Title against Brody King. And somehow that’s not all. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Continental Title: Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Moxley is defending. They both try their finishers to start fast and the escapes give us a staredown. Moxley pulls him down by the arm, which is quickly reversed into a headlock. Back up and Moxley sends him outside for the suicide dive but Takeshita is back up with a boot against the barricade. That’s shrugged off and it’s a piledriver to drop Takeshita back inside.

A running dropkick sends Takeshita to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Takeshita fighting out of a chinlock and kicking Moxley in the chest. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two and a powerbomb out of the corner gets the same. Back up and Moxley sends him to the apron for a stomp but Takeshita beat the count back in. That’s fine with Moxley, who hits another stomp for two at the five minute call.

The choke and cross armbreaker are broken up and Takeshita hits some exploders, followed by a running knee for two. Moxley gets in a Death Rider for two more so they grab hands and trade headbutts with a minute to go. They pull themselves out of the corners and Moxley’s big clothesline gets two with thirty seconds left. Takeshita’s running knee gets two and we’re out of time at 20:00.

Rating: B. I was expecting a big showdown here but only got something good instead. They didn’t do the best job of building up the drama and the clock just popped up as a thing near the end. In theory this sets up another showdown at Revolution with special non-Continental (yes non-Continental) rules or something, but for now, it was a good match with two guys beating each other up.

Post match Takeshita lays him out with a Raging Fire.

We run down the rest of the card.

Video on Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe.

Kris Statlander isn’t done with Thekla, who is thrilled with winning the Women’s Title.

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

The Babes are defending. Bayne and Cameron start things off but all four are in for an early brawl. Nightingale drops Cameron onto raised knees and it’s Cameron getting caught in the wrong corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Nightingale to clean house, including sending them both into the same corner. A double middle rope dropkick connects for Nightingale and we take a break.

We come back with Cameron hammering on Ford, followed by a double high crossbody. Ford finally kicks Cameron in the face and hands it off to Bayne, who gets victory rolled for two. Cameron grabs a half crab, with Ford making a quick save. All four are in for a double slugout with the champions getting the better of things. That means a double backsplash for two on Bayne but Nightingale misses a charge out to the floor. Bayne dives onto her but Ford’s moonsault misses, allowing Cameron to grab a backslide to retain at 12:04.

Rating: C+. They felt like they were flying through this one and the ending felt like it was out of nowhere, but the fans were more than into it and that’s always going to help. Cameron getting the win in her home country is a good way to go and the crowd went nuts. Nice match here, though I could have gone for the champs being in a bit more trouble.

Post match Australian wrestler Lena Kross runs in to help Ford and Bayne lay out the champs. So I guess the feud isn’t done, which isn’t a great idea when the champs just won clean.

Ricochet tells Jack Perry to know when to fold them. He’s already beaten Perry twice. Why would the story continue?

Video on Hangman Page vs. Andrade El Idolo.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Hangman Page

For the World Title shot at Revolution and Don Callis is on commentary. Andrade tries a backflip to start but gets dropkicked down. The Tranquilo pose is kicked out to the floor but Andrade fights back. We pause for the photo with the woman until Page knocks Andrade down again…and takes the photo instead. Back in and Page moonsaults into a failed tombstone attempt but Andrade is up with a springboard reverse Spanish Fly.

We take a break and come back with Page fighting out of a headlock but getting kicked in the face. A discus lariat works a bit better for Page and a sitout powerbomb gives him two. They head to the apron where the Deadeye is blocked so Page goes with a sliding lariat instead. Back in and a top rope clothesline gives Page two but Andrade grabs Three Amigos. Complete with the Eddie Dance, to make the fans cheer him, despite him being a villain, because of course.

Page is able to send him to the apron for a triangle clothesline but they quickly change places. That’s fine with Page, who counters a dive into a fall away slam into the barricade. The Deadeye gives Page two, which is enough to bring Callis to the ring. Page chases him off and hits a quick Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 16:29.

Rating: B. Another good but not great match here, with Page moving on to Revolution, which is the right call out of the two options they had. If nothing else, Page gets points for causing Callis to get off commentary for a few moments. Andrade is going to be pretty much fine, as he can wrestle his way back to the top of the ladder without much trouble.

Orange Cassidy/Toni Storm vs. Death Riders

Tornado tag and the person who takes the fall gets their head shaved. It’s a brawl in the crowd to start with the pairs splitting off, and Shafir sitting on Storm’s back. That doesn’t last long but Yuta piledrives Storm onto a platform to knock her silly. Cassidy is taken inside and we take a break.

We come back with Storm, uh, storming down the aisle and getting inside to clean house with German suplexes. The dancing offense and a Beach Break put Shafir down so Yuta gets back inside. A Stundog Millionaire and a tornado DDT plant Yuta so Shafir is back up to go after Cassidy’s leg. Storm is back in to chickenwing Yuta before the women drop their holds to forearm it out. Yuta is up with a running knee for two on Storm but another hits Shafir by mistake. Cassidy takes her down with a dive and it’s the running hip attack, an Orange Punch and the Storm Zero to pin Yuta at 11:29.

Rating: C+. As much as I criticize AEW, they’re far too smart to have Storm come to her home region and lose in a humiliating fashion. Shafir losing her hair wouldn’t mean much, so going with the annoying heel losing his long hair is the right move. They did this exactly as it should have gone and that’s very nice to see, as Yuta taking the fall is the only thing that needed to happen.

Post match Mina Shirakawa brings out the stool so Yuta can be shaved, despite his massive objections. Yuta tries to leave but Jon Moxley comes out to say oh yes you will. Yuta gets back inside (now with Luther appearing as an old school barber) so Shirakawa can do a lot of the cutting. The electric clippers are brought out to pick up the pace, with Cassidy and Storm getting in the expected verbal jabs. Yuta, with most of his hair cut off, eventually leaves in shame. Classic old school wrestling segment here.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe

Fletcher is defending in a ladder match and Don Callis is on commentary (again). Briscoe knocks him to the floor to start and there’s the running flip dive to put him down. Fletcher snaps off a suplex but Briscoe is back up to drop him with a ladder. Said ladder is set up on the floor and Briscoe climbs, allowing Fletcher to toss him onto the apron.

The ladder is put on the top rope and Fletcher lawn darts Briscoe into it for a really painful looking crash. That’s already enough to draw some blood but he’s able to grab a Russian legsweep to bring Fletcher off the ladder. We take a break and come back with Briscoe knocking him onto a ladder bridged between the ring and a standing ladder on the floor. Naturally that means a Froggy Bow rather than going for the title and they’re both down.

Briscoe is up first and goes up, where Fletcher powerbombs him down through a ladder. Another ladder is bridged into the standing one, with the fans requesting that the two of them don’t die. A Jay Driller through the ladder knocks Fletcher silly but he’s able to catch Briscoe climbing. That means a super brainbuster from the ladder but they’re both up on a ladder each. Fletcher shoves him down and pulls the title to retain at 16:02.

Rating: B. There were a lot of big spots here, but they didn’t seem overly interested in selling much of anything. In other words, it was the usual ladder match stuff of “here’s a big spot, here’s another big spot, then someone wins”. That’s about what I was expecting as soon as the match was announced, but again it was about giving the fans a win from their hometown star, which is fine. Granted they might have been better off by just having win him the title there in the first place, but then we wouldn’t have had a ladder match. Which we just had to have.

Video on MJF vs. Brody King for the World Title. King won a non-title match and this is the result.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Brody King

King is challenging and the fans do not seem thrilled with ice. Fair enough as it’s summer in Australia right now. MJF bails out to the floor before coming back in for a boot to the ribs and some barking. King’s chops have MJF in trouble and a gorilla press (MJF: “OH S***!”) has him down again, but King seems to hurt his knee. Naturally the knee is wrapped around the post and MJF cranks on the leg back inside.

We actually get the Kangaroo Kick, complete with MJF flipping off the fans, but he can’t get a sunset flip. Instead he pulls King into a legbar until a rope is reached. We take a break and come back with King fighting out of an ankle lock and hitting a suicide dive. The leg is banged up so King mostly stands still and chops away, but MJF cuts off the sleeper with a bite to the arm.

Not to be outdone, King bites the head and sends MJF outside for a running crossbody against the barricade. Back in and King hits a Cannonball for two but the leg is really banged up. MJF grabs a sleeper and the leg goes out, putting them both on the mat. Cue Bandido to give King a pep talk, which is enough for him to break free. MJF drops him across the middle rope for a break but King is able to Death Valley Driver him into an open chair.

They barely beat the count so MJF loads up the diamond ring, which is quickly taken away. The sleeper knocks MJF out and the Ganso Bomb connects for two and that’s pretty much King’s last big chance. Another Ganso Bomb on the apron is broken up by some shots to the leg and MJF tombstone slams him onto the apron. The Heatseeker retains the title at 21:39.

Rating: B+. This was good stuff, with King showing that he can do more than just run through people. He sold the leg well here, as it slowed him down enough to keep MJF in there against the monster. MJF winning is hardly a big surprise, but it was more a case of how he would get around the big challenger, which isn’t a bad way to go. Rather solid match here and they did very well.

Post match Hangman Page comes out to sign the contract and scare MJF down to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. They had a big time feel here and they more than delivered, as this felt like a mini pay per view. You had the big World Title match and all of the matches were at worst good or at best, borderline great. AEW has long since established a reputation of doing well with their big shows and they continued that trend here.

Results
Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita went to a time limit draw
Babes Of Wrath b. Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne – Backslide to Ford
Hangman Page b. Andrade El Idolo – Buckshot Lariat
Orange Cassidy/Toni Storm b. Death Riders – Storm Zero to Yuta
Kyle Fletcher b. Mark Briscoe – Fletcher pulled down the title
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Brody King – Heatseeker

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