Rampage – October 11, 2024: Perchance To Dream

Rampage
Date: October 11, 2024
Location: Spokane Arena, Spokane, Washington
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jeff Jarrett

It’s the night before WrestleDream and in this case we won’t be having a Collision tomorrow night, so this is the last push towards the pay per view. That very well could mean a different kind of Rampage, which is often not exactly there for the sake of pushing towards a pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Conglomeration vs. Kingdom

Cassidy and Bennett start things off with an exchange of covers that don’t even get one each. The lazy kicks set up a running shoulder to put Bennett down so it’s off to Taven, who accidentally teams up with Cassidy for a double clothesline. O’Reilly comes in for the knees but gets knocked into the corner so the beating can ensue. That doesn’t last long either as O’Reilly fights out of trouble and everything breaks down.

The tornado DDT hits Taven and O’Reilly gets the cross armbreaker on Bennett, sending him straight tot he ropes and us to a break. Back with Taven backbreakering and DDTing Cassidy, setting up a Lionsault for two on O’Reilly. Some rapid fire strikes have Taven back down but Bennett is back in with a piledriver on Cassidy. Since it’s just a piledriver, Cassidy is back up with the Beach Break to Bennett but Taven hits him with Just The Tip. Back up and O’Reilly guillotines Taven for the win at 10:09.

Rating: B-. The teams works well together, but there was little drama here as the Kingdom has long since been established as losers who certainly aren’t going to beat a team like the Conglomeration. Otherwise, that’s three straight wins for O’Reilly and Cassidy so a title shot isn’t out of the cards. I mean it’s not like Private Party has won three matches…maybe this whole year?

Mercedes Mone and Kamille are rather busy and time is money.

The Acclaimed come out for a match but the MxM Collection jump them from behind. The Collection throw out the challenge for WrestleDream and promise to have a third man in their corner.

Kris Statlander blames Mercedes Mone for making everything all apart. She’s coming for the TBS Title. We’re never getting a clear explanation for why she and Stokely Hathaway are done are we?

Rocky Romero is ready to prove that he’s not the Conglomeration’s lackey.

Kris Statlander vs. Amira

A suplex and Friday Night Fever finish for Statlander at 1:00.

Chris Jericho is ready to become the Nueve. The word of the day is humbled, which is what Mark Briscoe needs to do.

The Beast Mortos vs. The Butcher

Roderick Strong is on commentary. They take turns powering each other around to start and an exchange of shoulders goes nowhere. Morton rolls over him and grabs a snapmare, with Strong approving. Butcher is right back up with a knockdown for two of his own before avoiding a charge to send Mortos crashing to the floor. We take a break and come back with a double knockdown for a double breather. Mortos misses the twisting moonsault and Butcher gets two off a Jackhammer. Back up and Mortos hits a torture rack backbreaker, setting up a twisting top rope headbutt for the pin at 8:33.

Rating: B-. Take two big guys and have the beat on each other for a few minutes until one of them can’t get up. It’s a rather simple formula and they made it work here, with both guys doing their usual good stuff. Mortos gets a nice win on his way to what should be a loss to Hologram while Butcher does what he’s there to do.

Harley Cameron says Saraya is incapacitated and but Cameron wants to fight the newly tough Anna Jay.

Lance Archer vs. Matt Brannigan

Brannigan slips out of an early chokeslam attempt but Archer knocks him into the corner for some running elbows. The Blackout finishes at 2:10.

Jake Roberts is happy with La Faccion Ingobernable. We’ll have to see what they do next.

Anna Jay says she and Harley Cameron aren’t friends. Cameron wants to kick her a**, but this a** kicks back.

Bryan Keith vs. Rocky Romero

Keith jumps him in the corner to start but Romero, still in his ring jacket, is back with a spinning middle rope crossbody. Keith bails to the floor so Romero dropkicks him through the ropes, only to have an exploder cut off. We take a break and come back with Romero stomping away in the corner but Keith hits a double underhook knee to the face for two. The running Sliced Bread gives Romero two, followed by the super Sliced Bread but Romero bangs up his knee. The knee is fine enough to hit a suicide dive…and cue Big Bill to boot Romero in the face. Diamond Dust finishes for Keith at 10:25.

Rating: C+. You kind of knew what you were going to get with this one as the people are talented, though Romero as the unhappy lackey of the Conglomeration isn’t exactly hooking me. He’s been on the team for approximately 18 seconds and is already having issues. Romero is only so interesting in the first place and having him be upset by this stuff isn’t helping.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was good and it added just enough to WrestleDream (ok the Kickoff Show but it’s something) to seem somewhat important. The big stuff is already set so there wasn’t much to cover here, but we did get some good enough matches. WrestleDream isn’t the strongest card, but at least they did well on their last stop on the way.

Results
Conglomeration b. Kingdom – Guillotine to Taven
Kris Statlander b. Amira – Friday Night Fever
The Beast Mortos b. The Butcher – Top rope spinning headbutt
Lance Archer b. Matt Brannigan – Blackout
Bryan Keith b. Rocky Romero – Diamond Dust

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – October 10, 2024: Here We Go Again

Ring Of Honor
Date: October 10, 2024
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things were changed up a bit last week as there was a classic match throw in along with the usual offerings. That was definitely something different, though we’ll have to see if it is a regular change of pace. For now though, we are coming up on Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho for the ROH World Title, which will take place on an AEW show. Let’s get to it.

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

Lexi Nair is very enthusiastic about Athena’s celebration while Billie Starkz is less than pleased. Athena shows up and gives her a bracelet, which happens to be attached to a chain. Starkz asks what Athena has for her, but Athena says Nair is a gorgeous TV personality while Starkz is just a wrestler. That’s enough to make Starkz leave, with Lady Frost coming in to mock Athena for cuffing herself to Nair for protection from Abadon. This sets up Frost vs. Athena for next week.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Anthony Henry vs. Gabe Kidd

Kidd is defending and Henry has Beef in his corner. Henry kicks him to the floor to start and hits a running dropkick against the barricade. Back in and a bridging German suplex gives Henry two but a tornado DDT is blocked. Kidd plants him down and grabs the mic, shouting about how much the fans smell and how no one in the back can touch him. A strike off goes to Kidd but he poses too long and gets chopped hard in the corner for his efforts.

Kidd goes outside and tries for a table but gets cut off by Beef. Back in and Henry gets some boots up in the corner, setting up a top rope double stomp for two. A brainbuster gets two more, followed by a kick to the head for two more. Kidd catches him on top with a superplex for two more and it’s time to slug it out. Kidd’s hard lariat gets two before a piledriver retains the title at 8:06.

Rating: B-. So remember Kidd, who wrestled once on Rampage and then again on the Forbidden Door Kickoff Show in his only AEW/ROH matches ever? Well here he is defending a title against the straight man in a comedy team. The match was fine enough, but I’m going to need a bit more of a reason to be invested in a title match and a champion than the initials on his belt.

We recap Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho for Briscoe’s ROH World Title at WrestleDream.

Brandon Cutler vs. Katsuyori Shibata

This is an open challenge from Cutler to any former or current ROH Champion. Cutler gets in a cheap shot off the Code Of Honor so Shibata chops him into the corner without much trouble. An elbow keeps Cutler in trouble and a running boot in the corner sets up the sleeper. The PK finishes for Shibata at 2:58.

Brian Cage is ready to win the TV Title. It’s nice of them to have someone in the match actually talk, or even appear on this show.

Billie Starkz vs. Ella Elizabeth

Starkz fires off some running forearms in the corner to start and offers some mocking clapping. Elizabeth gets sent outside for a running dropkick through the ropes, only for Elizabeth to come back with a German suplex for a breather. They scream at each other a lot until Starkz knocks her off the top and hits a Swanton for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C. Other than the screaming, there wasn’t much to be seen here. Starkz is ticked off at Athena after everything that has been going on and got to blow off a bit of steam here. It’s not a particularly good match but at least it served a purpose on the way towards what should be Starkz taking the title from Athena.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Infantry

Taylor powers Bravo down to start but Bravo is back up with a shot to the face. Bravo backs him into the corner so Dean can come in but Taylor brings in Moriarty. That’s enough for Dean to be taken into the corner for the double teaming. Dean manages to send Taylor outside and dive over for the tag off to Bravo so the pace can pick up. Taylor gets knocked to the floor, but Moriarty grabs a European Clutch to pin Bravo at 6:02.

Rating: C+. I’ve lost count of the times that Shane Taylor Promotions wins a match which will absolutely be the one that gets them over the hump. They’re the definition of an act that is running on a treadmill and that isn’t going to be interesting until something drastically changes. The Infantry’s troubles continue, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them turn in the near future.

The Evil Uno want back in the Trios Titles picture when the Iron Savages and Jacked Jameson come in to say they want the same thing. A challenge is issued. Sweet goodness if this is what is supposed to be an interesting match, this place is in more trouble than I thought.

Women’s TV Title: Diamante vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and takes her down by the arm to start, setting up a short armscissors. A rollup gives Velvet two and it’s back to the arm cranking. Back up and Diamante sends her into the buckle a few times before Velvet misses a charge into the corner. Diamante misses a splash in the corner but manages to suplex Velvet down for two.

A hard clothesline gives Diamante two more and she grabs the full nelson. Velvet is sent into the corner for a hard dropkick, followed by a nasty German suplex for two. Diamante kicks her outside and whips Velvet into various steel objects. The slugout goes to Diamante, who hits Velvet in the face with the belt for the DQ at 9:58.

Rating: C+. This match is what makes the rest of the show that much more frustrating. This match was built up over a few weeks, told a story in the ring, and had an ending that keeps the story going. It makes everything else seem like it’s spinning its wheels and shows just how well things can go if they are given the right kind of attention. Do more of this and his show would jump up in quality.

Post match Diamante whips her with the belt and then realizes she screwed up as she had wrecked Velvet until the DQ.

Lance Archer vs. Sam Beale

We get the handshake and Beale makes the mistake of hitting him in the face. Archer punches him down and hits a snap suplex, followed by a running elbow in the corner. The Blackout finishes Beale of at 1:45.

The Infantry know something needs to change but Shane Taylor Promotions comes in to say the Infantry needs to figure this out.

It’s time for a classic match, from Glory By Honor V on September 6, 2006 (from a previous review).

Ring Of Honor World Title: Kenta vs. Bryan Danielson

Danielson is defending has a horrible shoulder coming in. Kenta threatens him with the big kick to start and backs Danielson up against the ropes. That means a slap to the face and things are getting a bit more serious. They go to a test of strength until Danielson grabs the arm, setting up a knee to the face. Kenta goes right back to the shoulder though and Danielson needs a breather on the floor.

Back in and Danielson rocks him with a headbutt, earning himself a kick to the arm. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Danielson, whose shoulder is looking black and blue. Danielson rips at the face as we hear about how awesome his title reign has been. A wristlock doesn’t get Kenta very far as Danielson dropkicks him to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Kenta hitting a running dropkick and kicking away, setting up a springboard missile dropkick for two. Kenta grabs a short armscissors, sending Danielson over to the ropes in a hurry. Danielson is right back with a half crab and a whip into the corner, setting up a Chris Benoit throat slit (dang that was jarring to see). The superplex sets up a crossface chickenwing to keep Kenta in trouble but a foot in the ropes is good for the break. The Swan Dive only hits Kenta’s raised boots though and it’s time to slug it out. They trade suplexes and then trade discus strikes to the face for another double knockdown.

We take another break and come back again with Kenta pulling him into a Fujiwara armbar, sending Danielson right back to the ropes. Danielson goes up onto said ropes but dives into a cutter, meaning the Fujiwara armbar goes right back on. That’s broken up again and Danielson grabs a fisherman’s belly to back suplex for two.

A belly to back superplex drops Kenta again and Cattle Mutilation goes on, meaning Kenta makes the ropes AGAIN. Danielson goes up top but dives into a fireman’s carry, setting up the (original) GTS for a VERY close two as the ropes save the title again. A bridging O’Connor roll gives Danielson another crazy near fall but Kenta kicks him down.

Danielson takes him down and drives away with the elbows to the head, only to have Kenta power up for the fireman’s carry. That’s broken up as well though and it’s a tiger suplex for two on Kenta. Cattle Mutilation goes on again and, after some more elbows to the head, the hold goes on again and Kenta FINALLY taps at 27:43.

Rating: A. Oh yeah this worked and it was an awesome fight with both guys beating the tar out of each other. Danielson can do this with anyone and it was a time when Kenta got to look as good as he is often hyped up as being. I haven’t seen nearly enough of Danielson’s time in Ring of Honor but it is easy to see where he gets the reputation that he has. Awesome match here and I loved the heck out of this.

Mark Briscoe vs. Josh Woods

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Woods wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a figure title shot. The rest of the Athletes, and Mark Sterling, are here with Woods and Sterling is sick of the fans not liking the team. The fight starts fast and Briscoe is sent outside for a ram into the barricade. Briscoe fights up and hits the step up flip dive with the chair.

Back in and Woods can’t hit the rolling Chaos Theory so Briscoe knocks him down, setting up the Froggy Bow. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker, which is broken up as well so Sterling can get in some cheap shots. Woods cranks on the arm before hammering on it for a bonus. Briscoe fights out and hits a middle rope dropkick for a breather. Woods pulls him down off the top by the arm and puts on a quickly broken cross armbreaker. They both go up top so Briscoe headbutts him down, setting up the Froggy Boy for the pin at 7:35.

Rating: B-. I appreciate having the champ out there but my goodness I could go for a long break from the Premiere Athletes. They’ve reached the point where the fans hating them is a running joke. There has to be someone else out there who can take a loss to the World Champion, but here we are with the Athletes again. Not a bad match at all, but the Athletes are just there as target practice and nothing more.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is the same thing it’s always been: a show with an engaging story or two but a bunch of people who are thrown out there for matches that don’t mean much of anything and little more than filling time on the show. I could go for something interesting week to week around here but that has long since ceased being a reasonable option. The women’s stuff is far better than the en’s counterpart, but even that takes its sweet time to get anywhere. That’s what Ring Of Honor is, and having the show go on an extra half hour for a classic match isn’t the solution.

Results
Gabe Kidd b. Anthony Henry – Piledriver
Katsuyori Shibata b. Brandon Cutler – PK
Billie Starkz b. Ella Elizabeth – Swanton Bomb
Shane Taylor Promotions b. The Infantry – European Clutch to Bravo
Red Velvet b. Diamante via DQ when Diamante used the belt
Lance Archer b. Sam Beale – Blackout
Mark Briscoe b. Josh Woods – Froggy Bow

 

 

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Dynamite – October 8, 2024 (Title Tuesday): The Show WrestleDream Needed

Dynamite
Date: October 8, 2024
Location: Spokane Arena, Spokane, Washington
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jeff Jarrett

It’s Title Tuesday, this year featuring a grand total of one title match. Other than that, it’s also the last Dynamite before this weekend’s WrestleDream, which isn’t exactly looking great. The show could use a nice boost this week and the likely tag team main event will aim to do just that. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley talks about how no one wants to take Bryan Danielson out, so Moxley will have to do it himself. You have all of these people playing with their toys and living in a fantasy world. In the real world, Danielson being backed into a corner is a terrifying thing. With his world closing in around him, Danielson will accept his inner darkness but Moxley isn’t scared of anything. He hopes Danielson understands one day but for right now, the stakes are too high.

Danielson says tonight isn’t his last match on Dynamite and tonight he’s going to kick Claudio Castagnoli’s head in.

Here is Darby Allin for a chat and he wastes no time in calling out Brody King. Cue King, with Allin saying King could have accepted the challenge a bit more nicely. Allin goes on about how he got King a job here and King has done a lot of the same things he has done. They’ve both bought houses and let their fathers retire, but Allin is the face of the company. King snaps and rants about how Allin is too risky so Allin tells him to finish him off. The fight is on and Allin hits him in the face with a rock (yes a rock) and King is busted open before they’re separated.

Jake Roberts (hey he still works here) is in the back with Lance Archer when Don Callis comes in. Callis says he and Roberts have complete a talent exchange, with Archer now being part of the Don Callis Family. This seems to be cool with Archer, though Roberts won’t say who he got in exchange.

Daniel Garcia is back and will give us an update on his future in the ring.

Hologram vs. Komander

They fight over wrist control to start and trade armdrags and then come up to a standoff. Hologram sends him outside and hits a heck of a suicide dive for a drive into the barricade. Back in and Hologram kicks him down for two as commentary talks about Taz undergoing knee replacement surgery. A Muta lock is broken up and Hologram gets two off a snap suplex as we take a break.

Back with Komander hitting a rather springboardy hurricanrana, setting up a big running step up flip dive to the floor. They get back in with Hologram hitting a middle rope reverse Spanish Fly to leave them both down again. Hologram’s 450 hits knees so Komander tries the rope walk but has to reverse a hurricanrana into a powerbomb (that didn’t look great but they did a nice job with the save). Back up and Hologram grabs a poisonrana, followed by the torture rack helicopter bomb for the pin at 11:57.

Rating: B. This is pretty much what you get from Hologram most of the time but moving him over to Dynamite is a change of pace. It was an entertaining match and he has been undefeated for a few months now, but it is time for some kind of a feud to start up. You can only get so much out of this kind of match and he is pretty much at the end of the rope for what he has been doing.

Post match Jake Roberts is on the stage as Rush, Dralistico and The Beast Mortos come in to beat down Komander and Hologram. The trio raise a fist and Roberts does the same. So that’s the trade and…yeah Roberts got the much better end of the deal.

Mark Briscoe, being much more serious than usual, says Chris Jericho has gone too far. It’s not about the title at WrestleDream, because Briscoe is going to hurt him.

Here is Daniel Garcia for his big announcement. Garcia thanks Tony Khan for giving him the chance and now he is going to be sticking around on a new contract. This is the start of a new Garcia, which starts with him picking up some gold.

Video on Swerve Strickland, with MVP and Prince Nana fighting over getting to be his manager. Swerve will be back at WrestleDream, with MVP and Shelton Benjamin shown watching in the back.

Mercedes Mone and Kamille aren’t worried about Emi Sakura tonight.

Daniel Garcia celebrates with some people, including Katsuyori Shibata, who seems interested in giving Garcia a title shot after he wins the TNT Title.

Willow Nightingale vs. Saraya vs. Nyla Rose vs. Jamie Hayter

For a Women’s Title shot against Mariah May, on commentary, at WrestleDream, Harley Cameron is here with Saraya and Rose is replacing an ill Britt Baker. Saraya gets chased out to the floor to start, leaving Hayter to take out the other two inside. Rose is back up to wreck them for a bit, only to have Cameron and Saraya come back in to clear the ring. Rose goes up and dives onto everyone for the big crash as we take a break.

Back with Hayter hitting a backbreaker on Rose but Saraya breaks it up. It’s Hayter up first to slug away and suplexes the non-Sarayas at the same time. Saraya grabs a chair but Hayter takes it away and unloads on her. Cue the returning Penelope Ford to take the chair away as well and lure Hayter to the back (May: “Aww shucks.”). Rose goes up but Cameron shoves her down and it’s table time. Saraya Nightcaps Nightingale for two but Nightingale Death Valley Drivers her through a table for the pin at 11:25.

Rating: C+. It was going to be Nightingale or Baker in the first place so this is a logical way to go. That being said, there was WAY too much going on here with interference and a table and all that jazz and it hurt things a bit. At the same time, I was disappointed with May, who was sounding bored on commentary here. Compare it to her awesome time calling a match on Collision a week or so ago and it’s a night and day difference.

Post match May headbutts Nightingale down and beats on her with the belt.

The Learning Tree talks to Rocky Romero and suggest that he is just a lackey to the Conglomeration.

Jay White vs. Cody Chhun

Juice Robinson is here with White, who shoulders Chhun down but walks into a dropkick. A DDT gives Chhun two but White is back up with a hard clothesline. White suplexes him into the corner and hits a swinging Rock Bottom, followed by the Bladerunner for the fast pin at 2:52.

Post match White says Hangman Page is the first of two wrongs he needs to correct. After that, it’s time for the World Title, but he wants Page at WrestleDream.

Hook wants to know who attacked his father and runs into the Patriarchy. Christian Cage says they’re both family men and while Cage has lost Luchasaurus to a medical condition, he feels sorry for Hook losing his father.

Willow Nightingale jumps Mariah May and promises to win the Women’s Title on Saturday.

TBS Title/NJPW Women’s Strong Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Emi Sakura

Mone is defending and has Kamille in her corner. Mone takes her down to start and does her dance but gets thrown into the corner. Sakura gets sent into the corner as well but fires back with some rapid fire chops. A quick knockdown to the floor lets Mone hit some knees off the apron though and we take a break.

Back with Mone’s Backstabber connecting for two, followed by the running knees in the corner. Another Meteora off the apron misses though and Sakura hits a running splash against the barricade. Sakura crossbodies Mone and Kamille against the barricade, followed by a butterfly backbreaker back inside but Mone rolls to the apron. That’s enough for Kamille to get in a cheap shot, setting up the Statement Maker (as in the Bank Statement, which is FAR better than the Mone Maker) for the tap at 10:12.

Rating: C+. I’m well aware that Sakura is a legend (commentary made sure to tell us that over and over) but she’s never meant much of anything in AEW. She hasn’t wrestled a match here in almost six months and hasn’t won anything televised in about a year and a half. If you want her to be in this match and for her to feel like a serious challenger, you might try something more than “she won a match in Japan a week or so ago to get this shot”.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kris Statlander runs in for the save.

Stokely Hathaway offers his services to Private Party, who turn him down because they are on their own for the first time in five years. They’re ready for the Young Bucks too.

Tony Schiavone brings in Will Ospreay for a chat. Ospreay thinks Don Callis was behind Konosuke Takeshita interrupting his title match last week and wants a chat (his words). Cue Callis for a hug but Ospreay isn’t having that. Callis says last week was difficult for him emotionally and brings up some of their history together. Ospreay doesn’t want to hear that and point blank asks if Callis sent Takeshita to attack him. Callis: “You don’t need to know that!”

Eventually Callis admits that he sent Ospreay out to learn who is really in charge of the Family. Ospreay talks about how Callis keeps messing things up because he won’t leave people alone. Maybe Callis needs to throw Ospreay out of the Family (Wasn’t he out of the Family months ago?).

Ospreay says they’re done and goes after Callis but Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher run in for the save. Fletcher tries to talk Ospreay down and Takeshita grabs a suplex on Ospreay. Callis pulls out the screwdriver but Fletcher won’t do it. Instead Takeshita drops Ospreay again but here is Ricochet for the save. It’s good to make Callis a clear cut heel again, though I’m still not sure how you can throw someone off a team twice.

Top Flight is ticked off at not getting the Tag Team Title shot but Action Andretti yells at them for not being fired up enough. Leila Grey yells at Andretti, who says they don’t get it and walks away.

Jack Perry wants Katsuyori to be violent, so bring it at WrestleDream.

Bryan Danielson/Wheeler Yuta vs. Claudio Castagnoli/Pac

Danielson starts with Pac but kicks Castagnoli off the apron. Everything breaks down and the good guys hit stereo dives to the floor. Back in and Danielson holds Pac in place for a running dropkick from Yuta. Pac sends Danielson into the corner though and Castagnoli comes in to stomp away. That’s broken up and Danielson flips away, allowing Yuta to come in for a German suplex to Pac. Cattle Mutilation is broken up and the villains take over as we take a break.

Back with Yuta superkicking Pac out of the air to leave both of them down. Castagnoli cuts Yuta off and tries to yell at him, only to get his finger bitten as a result. Danielson comes in and strikes away in the corner before snapping off a super hurricanrana. Pac comes back in and gets taken down as well, with Danielson stomping away. A big kick to the head drops Castagnoli but cue Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir for a distraction. Castagnoli hits Swiss Death to set up Pac’s 450 for two. Yuta takes a hammer from Pac, allowing Danielson to pull him into the LeBell Lock for the tap at 15:19.

Rating: B. Other than Danielson looking a bit superheroish near the end, this was a solid main event tag match and Danielson gets a boost on the way to the title match. I’m not sure what this means for the Trios Titles, but points for not going with what felt like an obvious Yuta turn. As for Yuta, he still feels in over his head, but he does at least tie into this story.

Post match Moxley and Danielson fight to the back as the other three beat down Yuta. Castagnoli hits Yuta in the ribs with the hammer until Danielson beats Moxley into the ring. Danielson saves Yuta and poses to end the show. So Danielson just beat up Pac, Castagnoli and (a fresh) Moxley singlehandedly but he’s supposed to be in any kind of danger on Saturday?

Overall Rating: B. Lack of a focus on titles on a show called TITLE TUESDAY aside (there has been one Dynamite since the beginning of September with no title matches so it’s not even that special of a concept), this show did a nice job of boosting up WrestleDream. I’m still not wild on a lot of what they’re offering on Saturday, but they did focus on that show here, even adding some more stuff to the card. That’s a good way to go for this Dynamite and it was a pretty easy watch throughout. It’s not a show that you needed to watch, but it’s a show that WrestleDream needed and that’s more important.

Results
Hologram b. Komander – Torture rack helicopter bomb
Willow Nightingale b. Saraya, Nyla Rose and Jamie Hayter – Death Valley Driver to Saraya through a table
Jay White b. Cody Chhun – Bladerunner
Mercedes Mone b. Emi Sakura – Statement Maker
Bryan Danielson/Wheeler Yuta b. Pac/Claudio Castagnoli – LeBell Lock to Pac

 

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Collision – October 5, 2024: Five Years Is A Long Time

Collision
Date: October 5, 2024
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re a week away from WrestleDream and this week’s show will determine the Tag Team Title match at the pay per view. In this case we have three teams vying for the show, with one of them being the team who has been feuding with the champions in recent weeks. Othe than that, you ever know what you might see here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Darby Allin vs. Johnny TV

Feeling out process to start until they fight over arm control. Allin grabs a headlock takeover but TV ties him in the ropes and hits the sliding German suplex for two. A hard whip sends Allin into the corner but he’s right back with a top rope superplex for a breather. TV is fine enough to legsweep him on the apron but misses a splash.

The Coffin Drop to the floor looks to set up the usual version back inside, only for TV to break it up. Starship Pain is blocked as well so TV hits a Razor’s Edge into a faceplant (that was cool) for two. Back up and Starship Pain misses again, allowing Allin to hit a Code Red for two. The Coffin Drop finishes TV at 7:40.

Rating: C+. This was what you would expect from TV these days, as he was out there to make someone else look good and did a nice enough job at that. Allin was out there throwing himself around and getting the fans to care or him, which is where he tends to shine. Nice, to the point match here.

Post match Allin brings up his WrestleDream open challenge, saying he wants an answer tonight. Anyone who wants to make their name off of him can step up right now, but no one comes out. Allin goes to leave…and gets jumped by Brody King. The beatdown is on and King powerbombs him onto the apron before saying “I ACCEPT”.

We get another 80s style video, with the Outrunners and FTR training together.

Outrunners vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Magnum and Drake start things off with the former snapping off an armdrag into a double bicep pose. Gibson comes in and gets chopped in the corner before it’s back to Drake. The Veterans are cleared out and the fans are rather pleased as well as we go to the a break. Back with Gibson working on Floyd’s knee before handing it off to Drake. Some diving tag attempts don’t work until Floyd rolls over for the tag to Magnum. A string of slams set up the double elbow as the fans are rather invested again. Drake makes a save and what looks like a Doomsday Device is loaded up but Magnum reverses into a victory roll for he pin at 9:58.

Rating: C+. Good, now do something with them. The Outrunners are a fun act and the ans are into them. They don’t seem like they are going to have an incredibly long shelf life so do something with them and capitalize on this. At the same time, the Veterans felt like they were going to be something and…no.

Video on Britt Baker, who wants the Women’s Title.

Willow Nightingale wants the title as well. The rest of the Conglomeration is ready to beat up the Premiere Athletes, because the word of the day is diversification, because they are a diverse team.

Willow Nightingale vs. Trish Adora

Mariah May is at ringside. Nightingale runs her over for two to start and they trade suplexes for two each. Adora’s double arm crank into a rollup gets two more but Nightingale fights up, leaving May looking….confused? We take a break and come back with Adora hitting something like an Air Raid Crash onto the knee for two. Nightingale pops back up with a middle rope dropkick for two of her own but Adora hits a running crossbody. One heck of a bridging German suplex gives Adora two, only for Nightingale to hit a quick Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin at 8:01.

Rating: C+. Adora was trying some different things and that is what usually makes her stand out most of the time. The bridging German suplex looked great and while there wasn’t a ton of drama over the winner, at least they kept it interesting. Nightingale seems to be getting into the title picture and that is always worth a look.

Post match Nightingale gets in a brawl with May.

Wheeler Yuta is interrupted by Pac and Claudio Castagnoli, who throw the interviewer out. Yuta rants about what he has done for Castagnoli and now he’s just supposed to trust him after everything? Castagnoli says he’ll always have Yuta’s back.

Mariah May is sick of everyone coming for the title. Christopher Daniels comes in to make Willow Nightingale vs. Britt Baker in a #1 contenders match for the WrestleDream title shot.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Beef

Anthony Henry is here with Beef. Yuta unloads on him in the corner but Beef is back with some right hands. A discus punch and something like an Angle Slam put Beef down and Yuta stomps away in the corner. The elbows to the face set up Cattle Mutilation to finish Beef at 2:15.

Hook calls out whomever attacked Taz for Dynamite.

Video on Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay, with Konosuke Takeshita interfering for the DQ. Triple threat title match at WrestleDream.

Conglomeration vs. Premiere Athletes

The Athletes, with Josh Woods and Mark Sterling, jump them to start but Cassidy snaps off a double hurricanrana. Back to back dives put the Conglomeration down on the floor though and Daivari stomps away as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy driving Daivari into the corner for the tag to O’Reilly, who cranks on a leglock.

Nese comes in for the save but Cassidy is back in with a high crossbody to Daivari. Nese’s pumphandle is countered into a DDT from Cassidy and Rocky Romero gets in a fight with Woods. Sterling helps Woods with the beatdown so here is Mark Briscoe to fight Woods to the back. Cassidy drops Sterling and hits the Beach Break on Nese for the win at 10:20.

Rating: B-. It feels like the Premiere Athletes have gotten beaten up by every team in AEW for months now and it’s kind of hard to get interested in seeing it happen again. The match was perfectly fine, but there was no question about how it was going to end, with Sterling getting taken out as he often does. Perfectly fine, but not exciting.

Lance Archer is beating up people in the back, as is his custom. Don Callis pops in to ask if Archer is still represented by Jake Roberts. Archer: “Yeah.”

Mercedes Mone does her usual bragging when Kris Statlander interrupts. Kamille isn’t having this and glaring ensues.

Hologram vs. Nick Wayne vs. Action Andretti vs. Komander

Hologram and Komander hit running hurricanranas to start before being sent outside. Andretti hits a dropkick on Wayne for two but gets sent to the apron. Komander runs the ropes and bounces onto another rope to…land on the apron. Hologram clears the ring but gets pulled out to the floor, leaving Andretti to hit a rolling flipping splash off the apron to Komander.

We take a break and come back with Hologram hitting a reverse suplex to Wayne and a DDT to Andretti at the same time, followed by a 450 for two on Wayne. Komander is back in with the very springboardy hurricanranas but charges into a Spanish Fly to give Andretti two. Something like a Canadian Destroyer plants Hologram though and everyone is down. Komander’s Cielito Lindo hits Hologram but he’s back up with a helicopter bomb to pin Andretti at 10:47.

Rating: B. You’ve probably seen a match like this many times before but that doesn’t make it any less fun. This was four guys going out there and doing a bunch of stuff until one of them got a pin. It was rather entertaining and the live fans were into it, as Hologram’s rise to…I’m sure it’ll go somewhere at some point, continues.

The Undisputed Kingdom asks The Beast Mortos where his allegiances lie so he grunts a lot.

Kris Statlander vs. Zoey Lynn

A gorilla press slam and Staturday Night Fever finishes Lynn at 40 seconds.

Post match Mercedes Mone and Kamille come out, with the former saying Statlander isn’t showing her up. Kamille gets in the ring for the brawl and lays Statlander out in short order. Well that didn’t last long.

Darby Allin is ready for Brody King at WrestleDream. He got King hired and King is going to have to fight to take everything from him.

Emi Sakura won a match in Japan and gets a TBS Title shot as a result. Of course she does. Hasn’t won a match in AEW since last April, but gets one win and has a title shot.

House Of Black vs. Private Party vs. Top Flight

For the Tag Team Title shot at WrestleDream. Dante and Quen trade near falls to start before Private Party sends Top Flight outside. Everything breaks down and the House catches some dives to take out Private Party without much trouble. We take a break and come back with Dante tagging himself back in to pick up the pace. A frog splash to Quen gets two and they’re both down again.

Darius comes back in but gets caught with a springboard Stunner and Silly String. That doesn’t work for the House, who comes in to wreck Top Flight without much trouble. Private Party is back in but can’t hit Gin & Juice on Matthews. Instead Matthews hits a Jackhammer into a top rope double stomp for two on Kassidy, with the kickout leaving Matthews stunned. Cue Action Andretti for a distraction though, with Dante hitting a dive to take out the House. Kassidy hits his own dive and Gin & Juice finishes Dante at 11:48.

Rating: B-. While Private Party seemed to be the likely choices for the title shot as they’ve been feuding with the Young Bucks in recent weeks, it’s almost hard to believe that this is the best option for the shot. Private Party is mainly riding on the result of a match from five years ago, followed by a long string of nothing, and then a few wins (minus the time the Blackpool Combat Club mauled them) to get this shot. That’s not exactly inspiring stuff for a pay per view title shot but the tag division is so decimated that we’re going there anyway.

Overall Rating: C+. Maybe it’s due to the show being up against WWE Bad Blood, but this did not feel important or really worthy of watching. There was good action and some stuff was set up for WrestleDream, but look at what was set up. Private Party gets a title shot? Darby Allin vs. Brody King? WrestleDream is looking like a rather weak card and this didn’t make things any better, which isn’t the most encouraging sign. The wrestling here was solid enough, but dang it doesn’t have me interested in anything coming up.

Results
Darby Allin b. Johnny TV – Coffin Drop
Outrunners b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Victory roll to Gibson
Willow Nightingale b. Trish Adora – Babe With The Powerbomb
Wheeler Yuta b. Beef – Cattle Mutilation
Conglomeration b. Premiere Athletes – Beach Break to Nese
Hologram b. Kip Sabian, Action Andretti and Komander – Helicopter bomb to Andretti
Kris Statlander b. Zoey Lynn – Staturday Night Fever
Private Party b. House Of Black and Top Flight – Gin & Juice to Dante

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – September 5, 2024: Long

Ring Of Honor
Date: September 5, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m not sure what to expect from this show, but there is likely going to be a long series of matches from people who pop up around here every so often without having much else to do. It doesn’t make for the most interesting wrestling show and we are still on the same tapings from a few weeks ago, meaning things are no likely to move forward. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Aaron Solo vs. Rocky Romero

This is billed as a feature match. Romero takes him down and poses a bit, with Solo already looking frustrated. Back up and Solo gets in some forearms but Romero hits a running dropkick to the side of the head. Solo unloads with right hands to the head and chokes on the ropes for two, only to get pulled into an abdominal stretch.

Solo reverses into one of his own, which is broken up with a hiptoss. A running hurricanrana sends Solo into the corner and the Forever Lariats into a brainbuster gets two. Solo kicks him in the face and hits a top rope double stomp for two but misses a charge to the floor. Romero hits a dive and grabs a top rope Sliced Bread for the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C+. This was another perfectly acceptable Romero match but it’s still hard to imagine him getting that far ahead. Romero is the definition of a good hand and you won’t see him have many bad matches, but it’s something we’ve seen before. Odds are he gets built up and then loses in a title match. That only has so much of a shelf life and seeing him beat Solo isn’t likely to change things around that much.

Lady Frost wants the Women’s TV Title.

Nick Comoroto vs. Lee Johnson

Jacoby Watts is here with Comoroto. Johnson knocks him to the floor to start, where a Watts distraction lets Comoroto get in a posting to take over. Back in and a whip into the corner has Johnson’s back in trouble and Watts adds a cheap shot. The neck crank goes on until Johnson fights up and scores with an enziguri. A suplex gives Johnson a quick two but he charges into a fireman’s carry backbreaker onto the knee. Watts gets on the apron but Comoroto accidentally runs into him, allowing Johnson to grab a rollup for the pin at 7:11.

Rating: C. Johnson is in the same place as Romero, as he has been built up multiple times before losing in the big match. Beating Comoroto is a nice way to get some momentum back for him, but there is only so much you can do without having him win something of value. Comoroto continues to be stuck with Watts, due to reasons I still can’t fathom.

Post match the beatdown is on but EJ Nduka makes the save.

Anthony Henry and Beef argue over their future as a team.

Rachael Ellering vs. Gigi Rey

Rey spins out of a wristlock to start and grabs one of her own, only to get pulled into an armbar. Back up and Rey’s running shoulder doesn’t get her anywhere but she does roll Ellering up for two. Rey is whipped into the corner but comes out with a middle rope dropkick for two more. A gutwrench suplex drops Rey and Ellering elbows her down. The backsplash gives Ellering two of her own before the Boss Woman Slam finishes Rey at 3:50.

Rating: C+. Ellering needed a win to shake off some of the recent losses. She has the size to stand out in the division, which has a lot of people who are kind of bunched together. Someone like Ellering can have a place in the division but she needs to keep up the momentum. Rey got in quite a bit here and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her getting another look.

Anthony Henry/Beef vs. Jay Lucas/Terry Yaki

Commentary makes a bunch of teriyaki jokes as Beef tags himself in to start. A running shoulder puts Lucas down but he cuts off Beef with a raised boot in the corner. Yaki comes in and gets stomped down in the corner, with Henry adding some running knees. Lucas gets caught with a Low Down and it’s back to Beef, who seems confused by Henry’s lack of approval. Yaki comes back in for a nice German suplex on Henry, who shrugs it off and drops Yaki again. Beef wants the tag though and hits a top rope splash for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C. Beef and Henry are the latest oddball tag team and you’re only going to get so much out of a guy whose main point of interest is his weird name. Other than that, it was another basic tag match, which at least makes it stand out from the basic singles matches. Not much to see here, though Yaki’s suplex was nice enough.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Iron Savages

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages and believe it or not, he says the same thing he says every time he’s out there. Bronson teases spinning out of Angelico’s wristlock to start before just punching him in the face instead. Boulder and Serpentico come in, with Serpentico showing off the biceps. With that not working, Serpentico gets on the middle rope for the lockup before hurricanranaing Bronson into Boulder for the crash.

Jameson’s distraction causes Serpentico to be knocked outside and some sitdown splashes to the ribs have him in trouble back inside. The chinlock goes on and brings Serpentico back up so he can hand it back to Angelico. A series of strikes have the Savages in trouble as everything breaks down. The electric chair splash misses and Serpentico hits a suicide dive to Bronson and Jameson. Back in and a leglock makes Boulder tap at 8:48.

Rating: C. Here’s the problem with so many of the stars appearing on this show: these guys have been presented as losers who can’t win a big match no matter what and are often put out there to make others look good. That doesn’t make for an interesting match, as it feels like the lowest level match imaginable. That’s fine in small doses, but we’re about fifty minutes into this show and it’s all we’ve seen so far. It makes for a show that doesn’t feel important and that makes an already long show all the longer.

Lady Frost vs. Red Velvet

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Frost wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Frost snaps off some armdrags to start so Velvet grabs the rope to cut her off. Back up and Velvet gets taken down in a test of strength but she comes back with a sunset flip for two. A release fisherman’s suplex drops Velvet again and a Cannonball gets two in the corner.

We hit the chinlock but Velvet reverses into an abdominal stretch. Velvet rolls her head first into the corner and then does it again, albeit back first for a change. Velvet’s standing moonsault misses but Frost’s connects for two. Back up and something like Austin Gunn’s Quick Draw gives Velvet two more, followed by a rollup for the pin on Frost at 7:48.

Rating: B-. Definitely the best match of the night so far and a lot of that is because it actually felt more important. Velvet is the biggest star on the show thus far and that was a nice change of pace. Frost is one of the more unique stars around and stands out, but she needs to stop losing so often.

Taya Valkyrie doesn’t like Mina Shirakawa with all of the shaking. Shirakawa comes in and a match is set for tonight. Then she dances with interviewer Melissa Santos.

Righteous/Lance Archer vs. Lights Camera Faction

Vincent hugs Braxton at the bell, leaving Braxton rather confused. Braxton’s right hands don’ get him very far so Vincent rolls him up into the corner for a crash. Archer comes in and misses a charge but stomps Watson out of the corner anyway. Dutch’s swinging side slam connects as everything breaks down. Orange Sunshine sets up the Blackout for the double pin at 3:40.

Rating: C. Yeah the Righteous and Archer run people over and beat them with ease. They will then be talked about as potential title challengers in a title match that doesn’t come (save for one, back in January, on an AEW show). Then we’ll do it again over and over because that’s how Ring Of Honor works, at least until there’s a pay per view coming up and someone randomly gets a title match.

Diamante vs. Tiara James

A German suplex into a spear into a rolling cutter finishes for Diamante at 48 seconds.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Red Velvet runs in for the save. So she loses the big blowoff match with Leyla Hirsch and gets a title program. Got it.

Lee Johnson is grateful to EJ Nduka, who introduces himself to the fans.

Griff Garrison vs. Angelo Parker

Maria Kanellis is here with Garrison. Parker avoids a charge and drop toeholds him to start before hitting a leg lariat to send Garrison outside. Back in and Garrison whips him hard into the corner for two as Maria is rather pleased. Garrison’s butterfly suplex gets two but Parker is back with a running neckbreaker. The referee gets distracted though and Maria hits Parker with her boot. A torture rack bomb finishes Parker at 4:01.

Rating: C-. The match was nothing special, but why in the world is a singles match between two low level tag team guys taking place an hour and twenty minutes into a show? This is a perfect example of a match that didn’t need to be added to the show as it was already running long and added pretty much nothing. It has plagued Ring Of Honor for its entire run and odds are it isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Premiere Athletes vs. Joe Alonzo/Josiah Jean

Mark Sterling is here with the Athletes and says they want to win and get out of here as fast as possible. Nese drives Alonzo into he corner to start and the Athletes fire off right hands. A chop sends Alonzo to his knees and a double delayed suplex puts him down again. Jean is sent outside, leaving Nese to launch Alonzo into a cutter. The Magic Carpet Splash finishes for Daivari at 2:40.

John Silver vs. Fuego del Sol

Silver has the Dark Order with him. They run the ropes to start until Fuego grabs a running hurricanrana. Silver needs a breather on the floor and yells at Fuego, who has to take out the Order. The distraction lets Silver hammer away in the corner and yell at the fans a bit. A pull of the mask wakes Fuego up a bit but he gets knocked out of the corner again.

The reverse chinlock goes on, only for Fuego to fight up with an enziguri. The basement superkick gets two so Fuego shouts TORNADO DDT, allowing Silver to cut him off with a wheelbarrow suplex. The Order offers a distraction and interference though, allowing Silver to hit a torture rack bomb (second time in three matches) for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C. What is there to say here? Silver is the most interesting member of the Order, who have fallen so low on the roster that it is almost a running joke. I’m not sure what it means that it took three people to beat Fuego but it was another match in a rather long series of them this week.

Abadon vs. Rache Chanel

Abadon sends her into the corner and hits a running knee but Chanel hits some forearms. A hiptoss attempt just annoys Abadon though and it’s a cutter to drop Chanel. Black Dahlia finishes for Abadon at 1:40.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Josh Woods

Mark Sterling is here with Woods. They both miss big kicks to start before going to the grappling instead. A fight over an armbar has Shibata in the ropes, where Woods gets in a cheap shot to send Shibata outside. Woods suplexes him on the floor and hits some running shots in the corner back inside.

Shibata reverses and hits a running dropkick in the corner before snapping off a suplex. Woods gets in a suplex of his own but Shibata catches him on top. The Anarchist Superplex gives Woods two and a backbreaker into a clothesline drops Shibata again. Not that it matters as Shibata is back up with the sleeper into the claw. The cross armbreaker makes Woods tap at 6:33.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t exactly a classic but I’ll take someone as polished as Shibata at half speed over most of what else we’ve seen here. The technical battle worked, with Woods being able to hang in there long enough. It’s one of the best things on the show so far and that was a nice change of pace.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Taya Valkyrie

Johnny TV is here with Taya. Shirakawa dances to start so Taya just kicks her into the corner for some choking. Back up and Shirakawa kicks the legs out and slams the knee into the mat. A kick to the head out of the corner gets two and a dancing shot to the knee has Taya in more trouble. The Figure Four goes on, with Taya getting straight over to the ropes. Taya ties her up in the corner for a neckbreaker and takes it to the floor, where Johnny kisses the bad knee.

Back in and Taya misses a charge, allowing Shirakawa to go after the knee again. A top rope dive takes out Taya and TV, setting up some strikes to the face back inside. Shirakawa knees her down and hits a top rope splash for two. Taya hits a spear for the same and grabs a half crab, with Shirakawa making the rope. The Road To Valhalla is reversed into the Figure Four and Taya taps at 10:35.

Rating: B-. Perfectly fine match here and it worked as a main event. The interesting thing here was having Shirakawa dominate a good chunk of the match, but it was nice to see her take out the knee throughout and then win with a Figure Four. There’s very little to complain about here, as it told a simple story and Shirakawa felt like a star.

Overall Rating: D+. This was one of the least interesting shows I’ve seen in a long time and as you can tell, most of that is due to how many nothing matches were included here. There were fourteen matches on this show and three (four at most) featured stars who have not been treated as the lowest level stars either here or in AEW. The show wasn’t interesting and made me wonder why in the world I would want to watch this again. Ring of Honor is a running joke and a lot of it is due to how terribly this show is put together week after week. I’m not sure why it’s done this way, but it needs to change in a big way.

Results
Rocky Romero b. Aaron Solo – Top rope Sliced Bread #2
Lee Johnson b. Nick Comoroto – Rollup
Rachael Ellering b. Gigi Rey – Boss Woman Slam
Anthony Henry/Beef b. Jay Lucas/Terry Yaki – Splash to Lucas
Spanish Announce Project b. Iron Savages – Leglock to Boulder
Red Velvet b. Lady Frost – Rollup
Righteous/Lance Archer b. Lights Camera Faction – Double pin
Diamante b. Tiara James – Rolling cutter
Griff Garrison b. Angelo Parker – Torture rack bomb
Premiere Athletes b. Joe Alonzo/Josiah Jean – Magic Carpet Splash to Alonzo
John Silver b. Fuego del Sol – Torture rack bomb
Abadon b. Rache Chanel – Black Dahlia
Katsuyori Shibata b. Josh Woods – Cross armbreaker
Mina Shirakawa b. Taya Valkyrie – Figure Four

 

 

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Collision – September 6, 2024: Rampage Like Tendencies

Collision
Date: September 6, 2024
Location: NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re on a Friday due to All Out being in the regular spot. That means we should be in for a hard push towards the show, which will include qualifying matches for the Continental Title match at the pay per view. Other than that, we are going to be seeing the rest of the card getting some build of its own, which could go rather well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with a look at Hangman Page burning down Swerve Strickland’s childhood home. Their cage match is now LIGHTS OUT UNSANCTIONED, because putting them in a cage wasn’t violent enough.

We run down the card for both tonight and tomorrow at All Out.

Continental Title Qualifying Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Lance Archer

Briscoe’s ROH World Title isn’t on the line and Archer jumps him from behind on the way to the ring, as is his custom. They get inside for the opening bell and the fans are rather behind Briscoe. A missed charge puts Briscoe (bleeding) on the floor for some chops against the barricade. Briscoe fights up and gets the chair for the step up flip dive to drop Archer. A spinebuster puts Briscoe down again though and we take a break.

Back with Archer knocking him to the floor again, this time for a chokeslam onto the apron. Briscoe shrugs that off and hits the Blockbuster off the apron, setting up a Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow for two. Archer breaks up the Jay Driller and hits a chokeslam into a buckle bomb for two, leaving Archer surprised. Briscoe knocks him off the top and hits a Froggy Bow for….not even one. A third Froggy Bow finishes Archer at 11:25.

Rating: B. This was two guys beating the heck out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up again. They kind of screwed up the timing with one Froggy Bow getting a near fall and then Archer doing the big kickout but that’s pretty minor. I wouldn’t have Briscoe fighting for another title at the pay per view (as he did earlier this year) as being Ring Of Honor World Champion should be enough, but that would imply Ring Of Honor mattered in the slightest. Good opener here.

The Learning Tree is impressed by the Conglomeration but it’s not the right time for Chris Jericho to face Tomohiro Ishii again…and we pan down to Ishii, who is out cold with a chair around his neck.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Iron Savages

Gibson and Boulder start things off with the former hammering away and kicking him in the face. Drake comes in to pound away but the much bigger Boulder suplexes them both down (commentary doesn’t actually talk about it). The Veterans manage to send them both outside but Bronson is back in to slug away on Gibson. A double hot shot staggers Bronson though and Grit Your Teeth is good for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: C. Short and to the point here with the Veterans getting a win to establish themselves around here. They’re likely to have a much more important match against FTR sooner rather than later (likely next week on Collision) and that should be a good watch. Nice start for the newcomers, even if they are already pretty well known from elsewhere.

Post match FTR comes in to beat up the Veterans, leaving Jacked Jameson (the Savages’ manager) to get hit with the Shatter Machine.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Pac.

Orange Cassidy promises to take out Bryan Keith and go on to win the Continental Title, which he’ll put in his backpack next to the $7,000 he’s keeping from Chris Jericho. Cassidy took the glasses off here to make it a much different vibe.

Continental Title Qualifying Match: Bryan Keith vs. Orange Cassidy

The rather serious Cassidy doesn’t even put his hands in his pockets before dropkicking him to the floor for the suicide dive. Two more dives connect with Keith and Cassidy whips him into the barricade as Schiavone and Nigel talk about how All Out will be starting before NFL kickoff (the NFL being the next day makes it easier). Keith gets in a shot of his own and we take an early break.

Back with Cassidy putting his hands in his pockets and knocking Keith into the corner for the lazy kicks. Keith goes after the banged up arm but can’t get him up for a piledriver. A running knee to the chest just annoys Keith but he charges into a boot in the corner. Cassidy’s top rope DDT is countered into a t-bone suplex into the corner and a Michinoku Driver gets two. The Stundog Millionaire and Beach Break give Cassidy two but Keith knees him in the face for the same. Cassidy cuts off a knee with the Orange Punch though and it’s the tornado DDT into the top rope DDT for the pin at 11:14.

Rating: B-. Cassidy’s evolution has been a nice upgrade for him as you can only do the same stuff for so long before it loses is charm. Having a bit more of an edge and a better finisher with the top rope DDT could do him some good. Nice enough match here and it keeps the Conglomeration vs. the Learning Tree going, because that has to be a thing.

Post match Chris Jericho comes up on screen and steals Cassidy’s backpack, which he threatens with scissors. Is…..this some weird parody of the CM Punk stolen bracelet?

Mercedes Mone isn’t worried about not having Kamille in her corner at All Out. Why is Christopher Daniels in her business? Kamille isn’t barred tonight though and you’ll see what she can do.

Outrunners vs. Davey Bang/August Matthews

Erica Leigh is here with the Outrunners. Matthews chops Magnum to start and that just doesn’t seem smart. Magnum shows him how the chopping is done and does it to Bang as well. Floyd comes in for a suplex and the double elbow his Bang. A powerslam/running neckbreaker combination (Total Recall) finishes Bang at 2:17, which is somehow the Outrunners’ first win in AEW.

We get a sitdown face to face interview with Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale. Statlander talks about being there for Nightingale but when Nightingale won the TBS Title, Statlander never got a rematch. Nightingale thinks this is Stokely Hathaway getting in Statlander’s head and they’re both happy with tomorrow’s match being a street fight so the violence can ensue.

Continental Title Qualifying Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. The Beast Mortos

Don Callis is on commentary and they shove each other to start. Mortos kicks him in the head in the corner but misses a charge and crashes out to the floor. Takeshita hits a big dive and then whips him into the barricade, only for Mortos to hit a dive of his own. Back in and Takeshita hits a top rope superplex for the big crash and we take a break.

We come back with Mortos hitting a reverse Sling Blade. A backbreaker and Samoan drop get two on Takeshita, who is back with a German suplex and the Blue Thunder Bomb for two of his own. Mortos hits a spear for one but Takeshita rocks him with a headbutt. The running knee and the Raging Fire (spinning Falcon Arrow) finish Mortos at 11:18.

Rating: B. This was a match about two people beating the tar out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. It’s good to have Takeshita back, as he is one of the more consistently impressive stars in all of AEW. I don’t buy him winning the title tomorrow, but at least he got a good win here.

The Outcasts don’t like Jamie Hayter and accuse her of stalking them. Trouble is promised.

Mariah May says the best way to get to know a woman is to make her scream at your feet. Her championship celebration will be at All Out.

Hikaru Shida vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo drives her into the corner for some kicks to the ribs to start before they trade rollups for two each. Shida hits a big boot but gets sent into the corner as we take an early break. Back with Shida hitting a missile dropkick and hammering away in the corner. Purrazzo pulls her into the Fujiwara armbar, sending Shida over to the ropes. Shida grabs a Falcon Arrow for two and the Katana finishes at 9:28.

Rating: C+. This was the way to boost Shida up for her title shot against Mercedes Mone, which is not likely to go as well for her. Shida is already one of the most successful stars in the history of the division so she doesn’t need much more of a push towards the title match. Other than that, Purrazzo continues to kind of float around, though being in a match like this is better than nothing.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes out for a distraction, allowing Kamille to jump her from behind. Mone grabs the kendo stick but hits Kamille by mistake, with Shida hitting the Katana to send Mone running.

FTR wants the Grizzled Young Veterans next week on Collision.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn say they can beat anyone. The MxM Collection come in and say they’re better, with the Acclaimed NOT liking their finger thing.

Blackpool Combat Club/Pac vs. Elite

Everyone is a champion, because AEW. Danielson and Okada start things off but we’ll go with Perry instead to take Danielson into the corner. The stomping from Perry allows Matt to come in, only to be taken straight into the corner as well. The Bucks dropkick Yuta into the corner so it’s off to Pac, who chokes Matt down without much effort. Castagnoli hits a backbreaker and everything breaks down with the Elite getting hammered in various corners.

We take a break and come back with Okada hitting a backbreaker on Pac as everything breaks down again. Matt’s 450 hits Pac and Castagnoli as they hang in the ropes and things settle back down. Nick poses a bit and stomps on Pac before Perry’s neckbreaker can get two. Pac sends the Bucks together and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two, allowing Castagnoli to come back in. A Hart Attack hits Matt but Nick makes the save. Okada and Castagnoli strike it out until Castagnoli hits a suplex, allowing the tag off to Danielson.

Perry comes in as well and they trade kicks in the corner. Danielson flips over him and hits the running clothesline but gets DDTed by Nick. Perry gets taken down by a missile dropkick and Danielson fires off the kicks as Collision ends and Rampage officially begins. The LeBell Lock is broken up but it’s Yuta coming in to strike away at Perry. The Rainmaker misses but the Bucks superkick Yuta into the Tombstone. That means the Bucks can hit dives, with Okada teasing a dive, only to pose instead.

Pac dives onto the Bucks and hits a springboard 450 for two on Okada. The Club takes over on Okada in the corner, with Danielson adding a middle rope dropkick. We take another break and come back with the Bucks saving Okada from the Brutalizer. Everything breaks down and all of the villains other than Perry get Tombstoned at the same time. A suplex/high crossbody combination hits Matt and Danielson chases Perry into the crowd. The Bucks hit the EVP Trigger on Yuta with Pac making the save. That means the Swing into Yuta’s dropkick can finish Matt at 28:28.

Rating: B+. This got all kinds of time and it felt like a special match before the much more important matches tomorrow. The ending is a tease of the Young Bucks losing but….yeah I don’t buy it either. Anyway, one heck of a main event here and it had the kind of insane action that makes AEW work most of the time.

Overall Rating: B+. The extra time was a one off thing due to the back to back Collision/Rampage deal but we had two rather awesome matches here, with the main event being worth a look. The show also helped set up the Continental Title match, with a rather unique group of challengers. Throw in the Outrunners and Takeshita and this was an easy success.

Results
Mark Briscoe b. Lance Archer – Froggy Bow
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Iron Savages – Grit Your Teeth to Bronson
Orange Cassidy b. Bryan Keith – Top rope DDT
Outrunners b. Davey Bang/August Matthews – Total Recall to Bang
Konosuke Takeshita b. The Beast Mortos – Raging Fire
Hikaru Shida b. Deonna Purrazzo – Katana
Blackpool Combat Club/Pac b. Elite – Giant Swing/dropkick combination to Matt

 

 

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Collision – August 31, 2024: That’s What Makes This Work

Collision
Date: August 31, 2024
Location: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in the middle of All In and All Out and that means things should be happening here. There are a few matches set for the pay per view but it would not be surprising to see some more added on this show. Throw in the good action you tend to get around here and we could be in for a solid week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Conglomeration/Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos/Johnny TV/Lee Moriarty

Shane Taylor and Taya Valkyrie are here with the villains. O’Reilly and TV get things going with some stand up grappling until Strong grabs a quickly broken cross armbreaker. Cassidy comes in for a basement dropkick and it’s off to Hologram for a monkey flip. Moriarty can’t do much with Cassidy on the mat so it’s back to Hologram, who gets rolled up for a fast two.

Hologram dropkicks him out to the floor so Mortos comes in, earning himself a rather spinning headscissors. Everything breaks down and we get a submission chain from almost everyone, with Mortos having to shoulder it apart. It’s time to head outside so Hologram can hit a big rope walk flip dive as we take a break. Back with Cassidy fighting out of trouble and getting over for the tag to O’Reilly. House is quickly cleaned but Mortos cuts that off, including a reverse Sling Blade.

O’Reilly gets over and hands it off to Hologram, who gets to clean house, including spite the spinning session to take down all of the villains in a row. Cassidy and O’Reilly fire off kicks to Mortos, setting up Cassidy’s Stundog Millionaire. Cassidy DDTs Mortos but gets suplexed by Moriarty. TV takes too long setting up Starship Pain to Hologram though and gets taken down with a reverse Spanish Fly, setting up a rollup to give Hologram the pin at 15:39.

Rating: B. This is one of those things that AEW does really well, as they took a bunch of people and put them into the ring at the same time for a fun match. It isn’t likely to be about much more than helping boost Hologram up but it was a match that went rather well for what it was supposed to be. It’s a good example of a match that didn’t take itself seriously and that’s how you can have a lot of fun with something like this.

We look back at Jon Moxley’s rather bizarre return on Dynamite.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Premiere Athletes

Austin and Nese start things off with the latter driving him into the corner with raw power. Woods comes in and a quick distraction lets the villains triple team Austin in the corner. Daivari gets in a knockdown of his own for two but Austin manages a quick Quick Draw, allowing the tag off to Robinson to pick up the pace. House is quickly cleaned, including a spinebuster to Woods. Everything breaks down and Colton gets two off a dropkick. Nese is sent into Mark Sterling at ringside and 3:10 To Yuma finishes Woods at 4:35.

Rating: C. The Gang gets a nice win here to put them back on the right track after some recent losses. That’s not a bad way to go and we could be in for some nice stuff from them going forward, though hopefully against some fresh opponents. The team is starting to gel, but Jay White coming back soon enough could take things in a different way.

We look at Mercedes Mone defending her NJPW Women’s Strong Title for NJPW.

Hikaru Shida (in tonight’s four way match for a TBS Title shot at All Out) is ready.

We look at Kevin Von Erich getting to do the Claw at All In.

FTR vs. Kingdom

Taven takes Harwood down to start but Harwood is right back up with a hiptoss. Some chops have Taven in trouble and it’s Wheeler coming in for a double hair toss. A double backdrop into a double clothesline has Taven on the floor and Bennett is sent out with him. Back in and Taven slips out of the slingshot suplex, allowing Bennett to get in a cheap shot as we take a break.

We come back with Harwood getting a VERY delayed two off a small package due to a distracted referee. Wheeler comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down. A top rope double clothesline puts the Kingdom down and it’s a German suplex into a flipping rollup for two on Bennett. Taven rakes the eyes to avoid a Sharpshooter but the Hail Mary is broken up. The Shatter Machine to Bennett sets up a PowerPlex to finish Taven at 10:08.

Rating: B-. Just in case the Kingdom losing on Rampage wasn’t enough I guess. FTR is in a similar place to the Bang Bang Gang from the previous match in that they need something to elevate them back up after a loss. There are worse ways to do it than this and the match went fine, though FTR needs something new in a hurry, which very well could be the Grizzled Young Veterans.

Post match the Grizzled Young Veterans come in to take out FTR. They’re tired of being compared to FTR but you will remember their name.

Thunder Rosa is ready for the four way.

Lance Archer abuses various production workers and security. One of them having their feet sticking up from a trashcan is a funny visual.

Top Flight/Action Andretti/Lio Rush vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson/Turbo Floyd

Leila Grey and Truth Magnum (odd) are here too as Andretti and Floyd start things off. And never mind as Boulder comes in to run Rush over but we get a series of rapid tags without anything in between, leaving Darius in the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long either as Darius dives over to Dante, who actually airplane spins Bronson. A four man suplex drops Bronson but Floyd cleans house on his own. Everything breaks down and a Downward Spiral sets up a frog splash to give Dante the pin on Jameson at 4:46.

Rating: C+. This was a strange one as they had a weird lineup on the villains side and then it didn’t have much time to go anywhere. It certainly wasn’t boring though and I’ll take that over some of the other options. Not much to see here, but what were they supposed to do with these circumstances?

Queen Aminata and Serena Deeb are both ready to win the four way. Deeb knows she can beat the other three but offers an alliance, which has Aminata intrigued.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Don Callis joins commentary. They forearm it out before trading shoulders, with Ishii getting the better of things. Fletcher is back with a slam and right hands in the corner but Ishii runs him over with a headbutt. Ishii takes him to the apron, where Fletcher is back with a brainbuster and we take a break.

Back with Ishii hitting a hard clothesline in the corner and sending him flying off a suplex. Fletcher manages a kick out to the floor into a dive but Ishii manages a powerbomb for a double breather. Back up and one heck of a clothesline gives Ishii two but Fletcher lawn darts him into the buckle. They go up top and Ishii busts out a jumping hurricanrana of all things, only to have Fletcher hit a brainbuster for two. Fletcher’s clothesline wakes Ishii up so it’s a Tombstone to put him back down for two more, followed by the piledriver to give Fletcher the pin at 12:46.

Rating: B-. The match was what you would expect, but this is a good example of how Tony Khan can burn through wrestlers. Between this, Dynamite and Ring Of Honor, I’ve watched more than half an hour of Ishii in the last four days. Seeing Ishii on the card this week didn’t have me interested, but rather saying “geez, again?”. With the amount of wrestlers that Khan has available, I don’t get the thinking in having someone show up that often and burn out their interest so quickly.

Video on Queen Aminata, also in the four way.

Video on Bryan Danielson winning the AEW World Title and being attacked by Jack Perry on Dynamite. The title match is official for All Out.

Pac is ready to face Will Ospreay at All Out and take the International Title. Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly come in and a tag match seems set for Dynamite.

Buddy Matthews vs. Komander

Matthews takes him down by the arm to start but Komander is back up with a wristlock of his own. A dropkick sends Matthews outside, where he reverses a dive into a suplex as we take a break. Back with Matthews hitting a hard knee on the apron but Komander grabs a running hurricanrana driver. Matthews strikes away until a poisonrana sends him to the floor, with Komander nailing a dive. Back in and a tornado DDT gives Komander two so he goes up, only to dive into another knee. Murphy’s Law finishes for Matthews at 10:00.

Rating: B. They got rolling near the end here and it was one of the more entertaining Komander matches I’ve seen. Who knew that if you stopped letting Komander run across the ropes while everyone waits around like a moron, things would get better? This was a heck of a match between the two as Matthews gets to show off, which he often does well.

The MxM Collection want the House Of Black next week. The House is in.

Video on Serena Deeb, the final entrant in the four way.

Serena Deeb vs. Queen Aminata vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Thunder Rosa

For a TBS Title shot at All Out. Shida slugs away at the other three of them to start and whips them into the same corner for a running knee. Deeb pulls Shida to the floor though and has a slugout with Rosa. Back in and Shida breaks it up, only for Shida and Rosa to be taken down with a double suplex. We take a break and come back with Aminata snapping off some suplexes, followed by some running kicks in the corner.

Deeb gets up and cleans house (including on Aminata, as the alliance is already gone) but Rosa breaks up the half crab on Shida. Rosa Backstabbers Aminata and hits some running dropkicks against the ropes for two. Deeb gets an Indian Deathlock on Rosa and suplexes Shida at the same time for a bonus. Rosa and Shida slug it out until Rosa snaps off a super hurricanrana. Rosa’s Death Valley Driver plants Shida but Deeb puts Rosa in a half crab. Aminata breaks that up but Shida hits the Katana to pin Aminata at 14:25.

Rating: B-. Shida is a good call here as she is still probably the most accomplished woman in AEW history. Letting her get a shot at the title, even in a match that doesn’t have much build, is a smart way to go. If nothing else, she should be able to have a quality match with Mercedes Mone, which is one of the reasons you would put her in a match like this one.

Overall Rating: B. Rather impressive show here with a bunch of stuff that kept my interest and a pay per view match being set up by the main event. That’s not a bad use of two hours, especially with so little time between pay per views. As usual, AEW is at its best when its wrestlers get to wrestle and we were seeing that for a long time this week, making for a higher level Collision.

Results
Conglomeration/Hologram b. Johnny TV/The Beast Mortos/Lee Moriarty – Rollup to TV
Bang Bang Gang b. Premiere Athletes – 3:10 To Yuma to Woods
FTR b. Kingdom – PowerPlex to Taven
Top Flight/Action Andretti/Lio Rush b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson/Turbo Floyd – Frog splash to Jameson
Kyle Fletcher b. Tomohiro Ishii – Piledriver
Buddy Matthews b. Komander – Murphy’s Law
Hikaru Shida b. Queen Aminata, Serena Deeb and Thunder Rosa – Katana to Aminata

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – August 29, 2024: Six Of One, Half A Dozen Of Nothing

Ring Of Honor
Date: August 29, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s going to be hard to surpass last week’s show, which featured the World Title on the line plus a good bit more. The show also featured quite a few extra matches, some of which had things extended for quite a while. There is a good chance that happens again this week but let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Athena vs. Aleah James

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if James wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Athena takes her down by the arm to start and then spins her way out of James’ wristlock. Back up and James grabs a monkey flip into a headscissors for two but Athena sends her arm into the apron. James manages a hurricanrana out of a pop up powerbomb attempt but Athena hits some running forearms in the corner. Three straight powerbombs into a Crossface finishes for Athena at 6:13.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, but that’s the point of these matches. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Athena not in the ring as often as it was starting lose some of the impact. She’s one of the biggest stars around here and having her wrestle every week wasn’t working so well. This was a quick way to get her back in the ring and it was entertaining enough while it lasted.

Post match the hold stays on but Abadon comes in to chase Athena off. The fans declare this spooky and Athena’s right hand just has Abadon chasing her around. Billie Starkz cuts Abadon off with a belt shot…but Athena thinks Lexi Nair did it instead.

We look at the 16 man tag from the All In Zero Hour show, which in no way shape or form should have been a dark match since the stadium was about half full.

Johnny TV vs. Sidney Akeem

TV has Taya Valkyrie with him and Akeem is better known as Reggie in WWE. TV takes him down by the arm to start but Akeem is back up to avoid a clothesline with a flip. With TV on the floor, Akeem hits a big dive, only to get dropped face first onto the apron. Taya gets in a quick chop of her own and TV grabs a chinlock back inside.

A spinning knee to the face into the Flying Chuck sets up a missed Starship Pain though as Akeem gets away just in time. Akeem strikes away and hits a top rope spinning elbow for two but Taya distracts the referee again. This time it’s enough for TV to get in a low blow, setting up Starship Pain for the pin at 5:37.

Rating: C+. I’m really not sure if this was enough to get Akeem more appearances, as he wasn’t exactly a big star in WWE and didn’t really do much to showcase himself here. The movement and flying are good enough, but how many people around here can do something similar? Not a bad match at all, but nothing I need to see again from either of them.

Lance Archer vs. Ozzy

Archer jumps him during the entrance as usual and is stunned that Ozzy dared try a kick in the corner. Archer hits some big chops and the Blackout finishes at 2:20.

Shane Taylor hypes up Lee Moriarty as the best technical wrestler in the world. Moriarty will give Angelico a Pure Rules Title shot tonight.

Rachael Ellering vs. Mina Shirakawa

Shirakawa grabs a headlock to start but gets sat on the middle rope for her efforts. A quick takedown lets Shirakawa dance a bit and then knock her down out of the corner. Ellering is back up with a heck of a clothesline and some chops in the corner get two. Shirakawa gets in a kick of her own for a breather, setting up a Russian legsweep. A fisherman’s suplex gives Ellering two but Shirakawa knees her out of the corner. The top rope splash (non-frog) gives Shirakawa two and she reverses the Boss Woman Slam into a cradle for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Shirakawa actually get in the ring, even if she hasn’t been doing much of anything either around here or in AEW as of late. She’s an absolute ball of charisma and it is fun to see her doing her thing. Ellering continues to be a good hand in the ring, though I could go for seeing more from her.

Post match Taya Valkyrie runs in and jumps them both. Why Taya changed from earlier isn’t clear but I would assume a different taping.

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Ace Of Space Academy

Andretti takes LSG down to start and it’s quickly off to Darius for a splash. GKM comes in to kick Andretti in the head though and a cheap shot from the apron makes it even worse. Colton Charles hits a clothesline for two but Andretti kicks and rolls his way out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Dante to clean house as everything breaks down. GKM gets caught on his own and Dante’s jumping knees to the back finish him off at 4:39.

Rating: C. As usual, Top Flight and Andretti are fine on their own and still feel like they are doing absolutely nothing important. Top Flight could easily be in the Tag Team Title picture either around here or in AEW but instead they’re just thrown out there with little of importance to do. I still don’t get it and for some reason it never changes.

EJ Nduka vs. Demo Diamond

Diamond grabs a headlock to start but gets hit with something like a spear for his efforts. Nduka misses a charge into the corner but comes back with a huge spinebuster. The toss powerbomb finishes Diamond at 2:00.

Rachael Ellering says the loss was tough but Harley Cameron interrupts. She gives something of a weird pep talk and Ellering isn’t impressed.

Evil Uno vs. Jacoby Watts

Before the bell, Watts offers Uno and the Dark Order a spot on the team, but Uno is a one cult man. Uno chops away in the corner to start and they head outside where a running clothesline puts him down again. Hold on though as the seconds get into it at ringside, allowing Watts to hit a running clothesline. Uno shrugs that off and hits the piledriver for the pin at 2:40. Well that was nothing.

Josh Woods vs. Barrett Brown

Woods backs him up against the corner to start and drops him with a hard shot. A running knee sets up the tombstone wheelbarrow suplex to finish Brown at 1:42. Total squash.

Leila Grey vs. Promise Braxton

Grey fights out of an early headlock and snaps off some armdrags. Back up and Braxton’s chops don’t get her very far, as Grey grabs a headscissors. A Blockbuster gives Grey two and a full nelson slam plants Braxton again. The full nelson slam finishes for Grey at 2:44.

Blake Christian vs. Rosario Grillo

Christian dropkicks him in the corner to start and snaps the arm back. Grillo gets sent to the apron for a kick to the head, setting up a springboard 450 to give Christian the pin at 1:42.

Ariya Daivari vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Daivari chops away to start but gets taken own by a running shoulder. Ishii chops away in the corner and Daivari is already needing a breather on the floor. That means Ishii gets to fire off more chops, but one of them hits the post to give Daivari a breather. Back in and Daivari grabs a chinlock but Ishii chops his way to freedom, even if the bad hand is broken up. A suplex gives Ishii two and, after a failed Mark Sterling distraction, the basement lariat finishes Daivari at 6:45.

Rating: C+. Commentary hyped up an appearance by Ishii as a big deal. That’s all well and good, but he was literally just on Dynamite the night before this aired in a longer, more intense match against a more successful opponent. This wasn’t exactly part of a red hot feud and came from a marathon taping session, so why not space it out better? Seeing Ishii against Hangman Page on Dynamite was good. This was more “ok, I’ve seen this done better recently”. Why did that need to be on this show?

Pure Title: Angelico vs. Lee Moriarty

Angelico, with Serpentico, is challenging, while Shane Taylor is here with the champ. Moriarty grabs the arm to start but Angelico takes him down by the leg. The technical off continues to go to a stalemate so Moriarty rolls away and dances a bit. Angelico pulls him down into something like an STF, sending Moriarty to the ropes for his first break. Back up and Moriarty rolls him up for two, leaving Angelico surprised.

Angelico takes him down by the arm but misses some kicks, allowing Moriarty to grab the Border City Stretch. Another rope break gives us one used each, with Moriarty looking rather pleased. Angelico’s kneebar sends Moriarty over to the ropes for another break but Moriarty is right back with a crank on the arm. The rope breaks are pulled to even again for the save so Moriarty grabs a Kimura, meaning Angelico has to use his last break. Angelico grabs a kneebar so Moriarty uses his last rope break as well. Back up and Angelico’s rollup is reversed into one from Moriarty to retain at 12:18.

Rating: B-. The Pure Rules matches are starting to feel a lot more formula based, as it’s turning into either “this person doesn’t know what he’s doing and burns through rope breaks” or “they both use their breaks and then the match ends shortly after”. Technically they’re fine matches, but they feel like they’re VERY scripted out in advance and that takes away a lot of the enjoyment.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a very uninteresting show and the wrestling wasn’t exactly burning up the mat to make up the difference. Half of the matches were squashes and the rest was stuff that didn’t really change anything. It wasn’t quite as long, but it felt a lot less interesting because so little happened. It’s another nothing show which was only long because Tony Khan decided it needed to be, which is a big reason why this show feels like such a waste of time more often than not.

Results
Athena b. Aleah James – Crossface
Johnny TV b. Sidney Akeem – Starship Pain
Lance Archer b. Ozzy – Blackout
Mina Shirakawa b. Rachael Ellering – Cradle
Top Flight/Action Andretti b. Ace Of Space Academy – Jumping knees to GKM
EJ Nduka b. Demo Diamond – Toss powerbomb
Evil Uno b. Jacoby Watts – Piledriver
Josh Woods b. Barrett Brown – Tombstone wheelbarrow suplex
Leila Grey b. Promise Braxton – Full nelson slam
Blake Christian b. Rosario Grillo – Springboard 450
Tomohiro Ishii b. Ariya Daivari – Basement lariat
Lee Moriarty b. Angelico – Rollup

 

 

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Dynamite – July 31, 2024: Good Wrestling Can Do A Lot

Dynamite
Date: July 31, 2024
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re coming off a big week with Blood & Guts last week and after that, plus with this week’s show being up against the Olympics, there is a chance that this week might go in a bit of a different direction. We are just under a month away from All In as well so odds are it’s time for some building towards the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is MJF to get things going. He makes fun of the southern accent and southern people in general before talking to the REAL Americans. After a promise to take out Will Ospreay again at All In, we’re asked to stand for a real American hero but here is Ospreay to chase him out of the ring. Ospreay promises violence but finds it funny that no one here acknowledges the America’s Title because of the person holding it.

Men have worked hard to make the International Title mean something, like Pac, Orange Cassidy, Jon Moxley, Rey Fenix, Roderick Strong and himself. MJF isn’t worthy of holding it but some fans chant USA. Ospreay says he gets it but MJF doesn’t represent the American worth ethic. MJF promises to take out Ospreay at All In, but tonight, everybody dies. They’re trying to set up Ospreay for the big win at All In and that should work out. I’m not wild on what feels like it could very easily turn into another MJF election year story though.

Lance Archer vs. Will Ospreay

Archer wastes no time in hitting a chokeslam and hits some running elbows in the corner. Ospreay fights back and knocks him to the floor but the dive is cut off with a drop onto the apron. Archer takes his sweet time to follow up though and a hurricanrana sends him into the barricade. Back in and a springboard dropkick gets one on Archer as Ospreay is starting to pick up the pace. Something else off the top is cut off with a huge chokeslam and we take a break.

Back with Ospreay still in trouble and a huge spinebuster getting two. Archer goes up top but gets caught, meaning it’s a super Spanish Fly for two more. The Oscutter gets another near fall but the Hidden Blade is countered with a hard clothesline. The Blackout is countered into a tornado DDT and the Hidden Blade…gets one. Another Hidden Blade finishes Archer at 11:23.

Rating: B. This was a good way to make Osprey look like a giant slayer as Archer is still someone who has some value due to being presented as a monster. Ospreay is set up for a huge match next month and giving him a win like this will help. At the same time, Archer can bounce back up with just a few destructions.

Post match MJF comes in for the beatdown but Kyle Fletcher makes the save. Don Callis isn’t happy but Fletcher says he was helping his best friend, family or not. Fletcher goes into a rather fired up rat about how he doesn’t like what MJF has been saying about foreign wrestlers. He wants MJF right now, but MJF says we’ll do it next week, with promises of a kangaroo kick and a broken neck.

Video on Swerve Strickland.

Big Bill has a cake to celebrate Chris Jericho being FTW Champion for 102 days (yes 102). Jericho promises revenge on Katsuyori Shibata at the hands of Bryan Keith. Alex Marvez gets to keep the cake.

Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander

Non-title. Stokely Hathaway is here with Statlander. Nightingale gets jumped to start and a missile dropkick connects as the bell rings. They head outside with Nightingale sending her into the barricade but missing the Cannonball. We take a break and come back with Nightingale hitting a release gordbuster and a spinebuster for two. The Pounce is blocked so Statlander grabs an electric chair facebuster.

An ax kick gives Statlander two and they go to the apron to chop it out. Nightingale’s Death Valley Driver plants Statlander but she stops to go after Hathaway. That’s enough for Statlander to come back with a clothesline, only to have Nightingale powerbomb her out of the air. A DDT gives Nightingale two but Statlander headbutts her off the top. That means Statlander’s 450 can connect for two, leaving Hathaway to slip in a chain. The discus lariat, with the chain, finishes Nightingale at 9:48.

Rating: C+ This is a feud that has been going on for a good while now and it isn’t much of a surprise that Statlander cheated to win here. That being said, I’m really not sure if it needed to be a non-title match to set up what seemed to be a title match that was all but made. I can go for Statlander winning though and now we could be in for seeing her win in a title match down the line.

Post match Statlander wrecks Nightingale with a chair and hammers away.

We look back at Jeff Jarrett telling Bryan Danielson to give it his all at All In.

Here is Danielson for a chat. Danielson is glad to be in Greenville, South Carolina, which is where he and his wife got their engagement pictures taken. They were looking at those pictures and they have Danielson thinking. He is here to talk about presence and promises. A few years ago, he had to retire and had it all taken away from him. Now he’s back in AEW and having the most fun in his career. He was able to be present here and we get a THANK YOU BRYAN chant, which has him almost in tears.

For that moment, he was able to be present, but now let’s talk about promises. He promised his daughter that he would stop wrestling full time when she was seven. On top of that, he promised that his current AEW contract would be the last one he signs. That contract expires tomorrow and he is still promising to give it his all every time. Over the years, he has kicked a lot of heads in, but he hasn’t won the AEW World Title….yet.

This will be his last shot at AEW’s biggest show of the year. He promises to go to Wembley Stadium and be present for that moment because he will give us 100%. With his body and soul, he will go all in….and here is Swerve Strickland to interrupt. Swerve says he would be cheering for Danielson at any other time but not this time. He came to this place and said he would win the AEW World Title, which is exactly what he did.

Danielson came here promising to kick heads in, but apparently he couldn’t handle it when they started kicking back. The title isn’t an achievement award but rather something that shows you are the best in the world, which is Swerve himself. Last year, Swerve was competing at All In while Danielson couldn’t get on a plane. Maybe Danielson’s body can’t handle the pressure of being champion.

Swerve promises Danielson just isn’t winning at All In and he might not be walking again after their match. Swerve goes to leave, but Danielson ups the ante by putting his career on the line. Works for Swerve, who tells Danielson to keep that promise to his family. This was a segment with a lot going on, from Danielson’s emotional speech, Swerve’s dangerous sounding threats, and then the big reveal at the end. They’ve also laid the groundwork for the idea of Danielson possibly leaving, even though I can’t imagine it going that way. Rather good stuff here with a stipulation that isn’t ridiculous.

In the back, Danielson is congratulated by Jeff Jarrett, but Danielson says they can fight next week.

Rush/Beast Mortos/Roderick Strong vs. Conglomeration

It’s a brawl at the bell, with Cassidy using his jacket as a cape to make Mortos chase him. A very spinning DDT doesn’t quite work for Cassidy (with Taz accusing him of stealing his spots) and Mortos hits a spear to take over. Ishii comes in to slug it out with Mortos, who is knocked out to the floor. It’s off to Rush (there haven’t been any tags thus far) who wins a slugout to put Ishii down. Briscoe comes in for a slugout and knocks Rush outside, only to have the step up dive cut off by Strong.

That’s fine with Briscoe, who knocks him outside for a flipping neckbreaker, followed by a big dive to Rush and Mortos. Back from a break with Cassidy in trouble but avoiding a charge in the corner. The Stundog Millionaire staggers Mortos though and the tag brings in Briscoe to clean things out. Ishii comes back in to strike away but a piledriver is blocked. Strong hits an Angle Slam for two as everything breaks down. Mortos’ spinning piledriver finishes Briscoe at 11:18.

Rating: B. Wild match here, especially at the end, with the surprise finish. Odds are that sets up Mortos for a Ring Of Honor World Title match, though odds are it happens in AEW rather than Ring Of Honor. Other than that, a good hard hitting match here, with Ishii and Rush both looking strong.

Acclaimed and Billy Gunn want FTR but they’re nowhere to be seen. Instead, they’ll come see FTR at Collision.

Mariah May, not looking overly serious, talks about wanting to be like Toni Storm so she became just like her. Storm was perfect because she never did anything to her but May wore her like skin. And that’s the end so Renee Paquette walks out.

Here is Toni Storm, with a shoe and the title, to say she loved May too. She hits herself with the shoe and says it will be the romance of a lifetime at All In.

Britt Baker and Mariah May got in a fight at Comic Con. As a result, the title match was officially set for All In.

Kamille vs. Brittany Jade

Mercedes Mone is here with Kamille. The beatdown is on fast with Kamille unloading in the corner. A sitout Dominator finishes for Kamille at 1:16.

Post match Mone says Kamille is now part of the Mone Corporation and brags about how great the two of them are. She can’t stand Britt Baker, who is suspended for attacking Mone at Comic Con. For now though, this is Mone’s house and she is going to turn it into a mansion.

Darby Allin vs. Hangman Page

They take their time to start until Allin knocks him to the floor. The Coffin Drop is pulled out of the air with a German suplex and they go up the ramp, with Page grabbing a chair. That takes too long and they get to the stage where Allin hits a flipping Stunner. A Coffin Drop of the entrance hits Page and we take a break.

Back with Page swinging Allin around in a sleeper and slowly hammering him down. A rollup and springboard spinning crossbody hits Page….and the lights go out. They come back on to reveal nothing has changed as Page elbows him in the chest. Allin flips over the steps and dives at Page, who posts him hard and adds some powerbombs onto the apron. A fall away slam onto the steps (geez) has Allin in more trouble and we take a break.

Back again with Page hitting a super fall away slam and glaring at Allin as he tends to do. Allin gets dropped onto the steps again but sweeps the legs to send Page into the steps for a change. The suicide dive takes Page back of the steps and they’re both down on the floor. Back in and Allin’s Coffin Drop is pulled into a sleeper, which is reversed into a rollup for two on Page. The Buckshot Lariat gives Page two and a powerbomb is good for the same as Allin is in trouble. Back to back Deadeyes connect but another clothesline is countered into a rollup to give Allin the pin at 20:17.

Rating: B. It was a good fight with Allin taking an incredible beating, but I was left with a “really” response at the ending, as Allin just popped back up and won after that much punishment. While I like Allin winning, I’m not sure I would have had Page take another loss as that’s back to back singles losses for someone who was being presented as a big return. Either way, it was a good match, especially when it wasn’t exactly the biggest showdown.

Overall Rating: B+. This show was in a weird spot as this show was a bit of a step off the gas but it still wound up being rather entertaining with a bunch of good action throughout. That is more than I was expecting and it made for a nice surprise. The build to All In is already on and they can get into the harder push in the coming weeks, though this week was more about having fun with some select important moves being made.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Lance Archer – Hidden Blade
Kris Statlander b. Willow Nightingale – Clothesline with a chain
Rush/Beast Mortos/Roderick Strong b. Conglomeration – Spinning piledriver to Briscoe
Kamille b. Brittany Jade – Sitout Dominator
Darby Allin b. Hangman Page – Rollup

 

 

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Collision – July 27, 2024: Dang That’s A Good Show

Collision
Date: July 27, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re continuing the rather long Tony Khan weekend as the road to All In has another Saturday stop. This is also the first half of a double header with the latest Battle Of The Belts, meaning some people might not be available. We also have the fallout from Blood & Guts to deal with so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy vs. Johnny TV

Taya Valkyrie is here with TV and this is fallout from an event at Comic Con. Cassidy works on the arm to start so TV chills in the corner (upside down, just because he can). They take turns putting on the sunglasses until Cassidy sends him out to the floor. There’s the suicide dive (with hands in pockets and glasses on) but TV is back in with the Russian legsweep and a knee to the face. The standing moonsault misses but Cassidy is sent outside anyway, with TV pulling off the barricade cover.

Taya and TV stop for some kissing, with the delay allowing Cassidy to send him into the buckle. TV is back up with a Flying Chuck to knock him off the apron though and it’s time to work on the arm. The Stundog Millionaire gets Cassidy out of trouble and the tornado DDT gets two. TV counters the Orange Punch into the flipping neckbreaker, only to miss Starship Pain. The second neckbreaker sets up the connecting Starship Pain but Cassidy is right back with the Beach Break. The Orange Punch finishes TV at 10:32.

Rating: C+. This is one of those matches that was going to work because of who was involved. Cassidy is going to get a strong reaction no matter what he is doing while TV is a veteran who can make someone else look good. That’s what we had here and it made for a perfectly nice opener.

Post match Taya jumps Cassidy but Willow Nightingale (Cassidy’s partner in the Comic Con event) makes the save.

We look at the Patriarchy winning the AEW Trios Titles last week. This is different than the Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles, because that is a thing that needs to exist.

The Bang Bang Gang swears vengeance on the Patriarchy, including Mother Wayne.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Brian Cage/Lee Moriarty vs. Top Flight

Cage is replacing an injured Shane Taylor. Moriarty and Yuta start things off with the latter armdragging him into a dropkick. Darius comes in to avoid Yuta’s charge, setting up Dante’s springboard high crossbody for two. Castagnoli comes in as well but is quickly knocked outside as well. Back in and Cage tags himself in to full nelson slam Dante as we take a break.

We come back with Cage hitting a wheelbarrow neckbreaker for two on Dante but Yuta makes the save. Castagnoli comes back in to clean house with the running uppercuts in the corner. The Swing has Moriarty in trouble but Darius makes a blind tag to break up the big lariat. Cage is back in to powerbomb the heck out of Darius but gets in the staredown with Castagnoli. They slug it out until Top Flight superkick them to the floor, setting up the dives. Cage blasts Darius with the discus lariat but Yuta tags himself in, dropkicks Moriarty, and hits something like an Angle Slam into the Seatbelt to pin Darius at 10:41.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that AEW knows how to do rather well and they did it again here. In theory Yuta needed to get his win back after losing to Moriarty, but it would have been nice to not have Top Flight taking another loss. The team feels like they could be something but it isn’t going to happen if they keep losing over and over.

The Conglomeration is interrupted by Willow Nightingale, who is ready to fight on Battle Of The Belts. Mark Briscoe is ready too, and even has Kyle O’Reilly hold his title (which is thrown into the air multiple times) so he can introduce the newest member: his newborn son. Well that’s just awesome. Orange Cassidy is tired.

Beast Mortos vs. Hologram

Hologram spins around to start and armdrags Mortos down. The sunset flip is broken up though and we’re off to an early standoff. Mortos snaps off a powerslam for two and hits a heck of a Pounce to send us to a break. Back with Hologram snapping off a rather spinning headscissors but getting caught on top in a super Wing Clipper for one. They wind up on the apron with Hologram kicking him the face and hitting something like a running Canadian Destroyer.

A big rope walk flip dive hits Mortos on the floor, setting up a heck of a suicide dive. Back in and a step up poisonrana plants Mortos for two but he runs Hologram over for the same. They go up top with the super gorilla press being reversed into a headscissors to bring Mortos back down. A rope walk crucifix bomb into a crucifix gives Hologram the pin at 12:04.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a much better showcase for Hologram, who got to showcase some awesome stuff and wasn’t the second great high flier on the show this week. I’m still not sure if the gimmick (assuming he really has one) is working yet but at least the high flying aspects are working. Just do more of this and it should work better.

Thunder Rosa vs. Maya World

They circle each other a bit to start until Rosa grabs a quick armdrag. World gets in a shot of her own and Rosa is not happy, meaning it’s a Thesz press into some hammering. A running corner dropkick sets up a double stomp and a seated cobra clutch finishes World at 3:36.

Rating: C. Just a squash here to get Rosa boosted back up a bit after her repeated losses to Deonna Purrazzo. Rosa being moved back up the card is not a bad thing at all as it allows another established name to be around. I’m not sure where she would fit in, but the talent is there to make it work.

Lance Archer has attacked a bunch of people in the back. He wants Will Ospreay on Dynamite.

Conglomeration vs. Premiere Athletes

The Athletes insult the crowd on the way to the ring and it’s O’Reilly starting with Woods. The technical off goes to Woods who drives him into the corner for some right hands from Nese. O’Reilly brings in Briscoe for a clothesline, followed by the chops from Ishii. For some reason Nese tries to chop Ishii and it goes as well as you would expect. Briscoe grabs a suplex and it’s already back to O’Reilly as the rapid fire tags continue. Briscoe hits a big dive and we take an early break.

Back with O’Reilly suplexing Daivari down and handing it back to Ishii to clean house. Everything breaks down and Briscoe suplexes Nese for two. The Jay Driller is broken up and something like a reverse 3D into a frog splash gives Daivari two. Woods’ backbreaker into a lariat drops Briscoe and it’s time for the parade of strikes to the face. Nese’s big flip dive hits Daivari by mistake but Woods snaps off a series of suplexes. Not that it matters as O’Reilly cross armbreakers Daivari for the win at 1020.

Rating: B. This was a good example of a match where the people involved were allowed to go nuts. It says a lot about the Conglomeration that they were able to make the Athletes, who might be the least interesting villains in AEW today, work this well. Very entertaining match here and they pulled me into it.

Chris Jericho says Minoru Suzuki has broke his finger during his match, making it very hard to say HI GUYS. Revenge is sworn against both Suzuki and Katsuyori Shibata.

Lance Archer vs. ???

Two chokeslams and the Blackout finish for Archer at 1:00. Trash talk to Will Ospreay was included.

FTR vs. MxM Collection

That would be Mason and Mansoor, formerly known as the Maximum Male Models in WWE. Harwood grabs a wristlock to start but Mansoor flips out and strikes an early pose. Mansoor flips over him and dances a bit, earning a hard chop and a slingshot shoulder from Wheeler. Mason comes in and hits a hip attack, setting up a bit of a dance of his own. A double legdrop combination gets two on Wheeler but Harwood punches Mansoor in the face. It’s too early for the Shatter Machine though and we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting his way out of the corner but Mason’s distraction means a small package gets a delayed one. Another hip attack takes Harwood down for two and the bearhug goes on. That’s broken up with a quick bite to the head but something like a Hart Attack gets two on Harwood. Back up and Harwood makes the tag off to Wheeler to pick up the pace. A Gory Bomb gets two on Mansoor and a sunset flip is good for the same. The spike piledriver is broken up but Mason is sent to the floor, setting up the Shatter Machine to pin Mansoor at 11:26.

Rating: B. This was a change of pace from the Collection’s debut as they were doing a more straight match, which shouldn’t be a surprise when they’re in there against FTR. They still got in enough of their comedy to make it work though and it made for an entertaining match. At the same time, I wouldn’t have the Collection lose so early, but they were far from buried or even heavily damaged.

Respect is shown post match.

The Acclaimed is fired up over winning at Blood & Guts and want their Tag Team Titles back.

Pac vs. Lio Rush

They go technical to start with Rush armdragging him into the corner and striking a bit of a pose. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Rush down for a change but he rolls Pac up for a fast two. Back up and Pac strikes away as we take an early break. We come back with Rush fighting out of the corner but his hurricanrana is countered into a sitout powerbomb. The snap German suplex is blocked though and Rush knocks him down again. Pac is sent outside but a bottom rope Asai moonsault is cut off.

Instead Rush settles for a heck of a suicide dive into the barricade, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two. Rush hits a headbutt but has a springboard reversed into a heck of a German suplex. It’s too early for the Black Arrow though as Rush rolls away and kicks him in the head. The springboard cutter gives Rush two but Pac gets his knees up to block the Final Hour. Back up and Rush strikes away until Pac clotheslines him into the Brutalizer for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: B. I’m not normally a fan of Rush but he was doing his high flying and fast moving rather well here. It made for another entertaining match, especially with Pac there to beat him up. Pac finally caught him in the end for the win which is how it should have gone, though Rush did put up a good fight on the way there.

Overall Rating: A-. You don’t get that kind of a collection of matches on a free show very often and this was a heck of a way to spend two hours. It was one entertaining match after another and as usual, just letting the wrestlers do their thing and showcase their talent worked exceptionally. This was one of the better AEW shows in a bit and that is nice to see after some hit and miss results.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Johnny TV – Orange Punch
Blackpool Combat Club b. Brian Cage/Lee Moriarty and Top Flight – Seatbelt to Darius
Hologram b. Beast Mortos – Crucifix
Thunder Rosa b. Maya World – Seated cobra clutch
Conglomeration b. Premiere Athletes – Cross armbreaker to Daivari
Lance Archer b. ??? – Blackout
FTR b. MxM Collection – Shatter Machine to Mansoor
Pac b. Lio Rush – Brutalizer

 

 

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

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AND

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