Collision
Date: December 16, 2023
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

We’re two weeks away from Worlds End and that means we have more Continental Classic matches this week. The tournament field is starting to thin out and that should make things more interesting. Another thing they might want to work on is building up the pay per view card, as with Kenny Omega now stuck on the sidelines, the Tag Team Title match is off for now, leaving the card with two matches. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Eddie Kingston, Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castagnoli, Andrade El Idolo, Brody King, Bryan Danielson and Orange Cassidy (who is a bit confused) are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Continental Classic Blue League: Andrade El Idolo vs. Claudio Castagnoli

They fight over a lockup to start before an exchange of shoulders doesn’t get either of them anywhere. Andrade knocks him outside but Castagnoli is back in with a hard clothesline. It’s too early for the Swing though as Andrade hurricanranas him to the floor. A dropkick through the ropes has Castagnoli in more trouble but he nails an uppercut. Back in and Castagnoli shrugs off a dragon screw legwhip and hits Swiss Death as we take a break.

We come back with Andrade hitting a running forearm but the Swing puts him down. The Sharpshooter goes on but Andrade reverses into a Figure our. That’s enough to send Castagnoli bailing to the ropes for the break so Andrade goes up, taking off the turnbuckle covering at the same time. A super sunset bomb gives Andrade two and the running knees in the corner get the same.

Castagnoli catches him on top though and it’s a superplex back down, only to have Andrade roll some Amigos. They trade kicks to the face until Andrade scores with a spinning elbow to the face. Andrade goes up again and tries a super hammerlock DDT, only to get crotched onto the turnbuckle. Hold on though as the referee notices the removed pad, allowing Castagnoli to get in a low blow. The Neutralizer finishes Andrade at 15:30.

Rating: B-. That adds a bit of drama to the tournament and it’s kind of nice to see Andrade get what was coming to him after cheating multiple times. Castagnoli gets to stay alive while Andrade’s spot in the semifinals isn’t entirely locked up yet. The match was the good stuff you would expect from these two, and it certainly didn’t feel like that long of a match.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining, eliminated)

We recap the Dynamite Continental Classic matches.

Abadon vs. Jazmin Allure

Abadon jumps her to start and hits a swinging Rock Bottom. A running knee and the Black Dahlia finish Allure at 1:07.

Post match here is Julia Hart for the brawl, with Abadon laying her out and posing with the title. Cue Skye Blue to jump Abadon and the double teaming is on. Cue the returning Thunder Rosa (who was on Spanish commentary earlier) for the save.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn are back and want revenge on the Devil and his henchmen. Action Andretti and Top Flight come in for a challenge to a title match next week. Game on.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Bryan Keith

Keith is challenging and the fans certainly seem to like him. A headlock takeover puts Cassidy down to start but he’s back up to put his hands in his pockets. Cassidy starts picking up the pace but gets kicked in the face as we take a break. Back with Cassidy hitting the tornado DDT and suicide dive to send Keith into the barricade.

Keith is able to catch him on top though and a running knee drops Cassidy. The tiger driver is countered into Beach Break for two and Cassidy needs a breather. Cassidy kicks away but Keith does the same, setting up Diamond Dust for two more. The tiger driver is loaded up again but this time Cassidy reverses into the mouse trap to retain at 9:12.

Rating: B-. As has been the case every time I’ve seen him, Keith put in a rather nice match with the intensity being on full display. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him around here a lot more often as there are far worse prospects. At the same time, Cassidy adds another win to his tally as we wait for another serious challenger to come up against him.

Miro wants to beat up Andrade El Idolo and it isn’t just because El Idolo is being managed by Miro’s wife.

Komander is interrupted by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom, with Strong mocking Komander for not winning the ROH TV Title. Strong wants a match and Komander seems interested.

Here is FTR for a chat about the House Of Black. Wheeler talks about the success they’ve had around here but the House is still unrealized potential. If the House wants a fight, come get one. Cue the House on the screen to say no one can save FTR, but Buddy Matthews has a question for Wheeler: who loves you? Everyone loves Harwood, but who loves Wheeler? Malakai Black holds up a photo of Harwood’s family and burns it, saying the House is their family now. FTR runs off.

Video on Keith Lee, who beat Shane Taylor at Ring Of Honor Final Battle. Taylor is not the “him” that Lee has been looking for.

Kris Statlander/Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez/Diamante

Street fight, with weapons provided. Believe it or not the brawl is on to start and they’re quickly on the floor, where Nightingale gets hit in the head with a bottle. Martinez tears away at the cut but Nightingale and Statlander can cut off Diamante’s dive off the steps. A barbed wire bat to the head cuts Diamante open but Martinez is back in with a tire iron for the save. Martinez hits a release German superplex to drop Nightingale onto some chairs for two and we take a break.

Back with Statlander being sent through a piece of plywood but Nightingale sends the villains into each other. A Pounce sends Martinez into a board in the corner but Diamante gets in a shot to Nightingale. Statlander is back in to beat on Martinez, only to have Diamante come back in with a briefcase (that Statlander and Nightingale brought to the ring). Said briefcase is full of thumbtacks and glass and it’s time for people to be dropped onto the contents. Diamante dropkicks Nightingale into a powerbomb through a table at ringside but Statlander hits a discus lariat with a chain to pin Diamante at 10:31.

Rating: C+. I have no idea what to say about this, but it was certainly a violent sprint. At the same time, I’m not sure if this feud warrants this kind of a bloody match, as it doesn’t quite seem like the right fit. Statlander and Nightingale winning is good as they could go for moving up the ladder, though they need something to move towards. I’m not a fan of the glass and thumbtacks though, even if they might have been the logical call in this kind of a match.

Toni Storm is ready to face either Saraya or Riho at Worlds End. Mariah May is getting her American wrestling license and wants Storm to commentate her first match. Storm isn’t sure but wants Saraya and Riho to beat each other up.

Adam Copeland wants to face Christian Cage at Worlds End in a No DQ match.

Brian Cage vs. Karl Wright

Kick to the head, release German suplex, fall away slam, powerbomb, Drill Claw gives Cage the win at 1:28.

Post break the Mogul Embassy is proud of Cage’s win but Keith Lee comes in to say that Cage can tell “him” (suggesting Swerve Strickland) that his patience is running thin.

Continental Classic Blue League: Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia

Matt Menard is on commentary. Kingston wants him to bring it to start so Garcia loads up the dancing. Instead he chops away and actually gets the better of things, with Kingston favoring his throat. A dragon screw legwhip off the apron drops Kingston again and it’s time to crank away on that leg back inside. Kingston isn’t having that and fights up to drop Garcia as we take a break.

Back with Garcia fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught in the corner for the rapid fire chops. Garcia tries some weak dancing, earning himself even more chops. Even more dancing, this time with Garcia down in the corner, actually starts a comeback, setting up a running knee in the corner.

A kneebar sends Kingston bailing to the rope so Garcia pulls him back in with an ankle lock, complete with a grapevine. That’s broken up as well and Kingston suplexes him into the corner, setting up the spinning backfist for two. Back to back Saito suplexes give Garcia two but Kingston hits a half and half suplex. Another spinning backfist finishes Garcia at 12:10.

Rating: B-. They had a story here of Garcia turning into a hybrid of the dancing goof and the serious wrestler, which made for a good mix. That version had Kingston on the ropes but still came up short, which feels like it’s going to be the perfect way to set up Garcia stealing a win in his final match. Kingston surviving, and possibly even advancing to the finals, makes sense as you don’t want him to just lose his title without even making a run in the tournament. Good match here, with some of the stories being set up for later.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Brody King

King backs him into the corner so Danielson starts kicking away at the leg to slow things down. That’s not working for King, who knocks him right back down and rakes away at the eyes in the corner. There’s the Cannonball in the corner to knock Danielson silly and they head outside, with King sending him face first into the announcers’ table. One heck of a crossbody up against the barricade crushes Danielson and we take a break.

Back with Danielson’s bad eye busted open and the fight heading outside again. This time King misses another crossbody into the barricade, allowing Danielson to hit a shotgun dropkick back inside. King crotches him on top for a clothesline and they both need a breather. Danielson manages a quick half crab before kicking away at the leg even more.

The hammer and anvil elbows rock King but he’s right back with the Death Valley Driver for two. Back up and Danielson’s running knee gets two so he fires off kicks at King’s head. A hard clothesline takes Danielson’s head off for two but he’s back up with the fabled small package for two. Three straight running knees, with the last one to the back of the head, finishes King at 14:48.

Rating: B+. This started a bit slow but once they got going, they were beating the fire out of each other. That’s about what you have to expect from Danielson in a tournament like this, as he can bring out the best in anyone. King’s run definitely seems to be fading, as Danielson seems to be almost a lock for the semifinals. For now though, awesome big man vs. little man match and they had the crowd going nuts on those kickouts at the end.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling here was quite good and they built up a few things other than the tournament. The whole league portion of the tournament is over in a week and that means we can move on to the bigger stuff. For now though, it means we’re still getting in some solid matches, including a pretty awesome main event. I’m a bit worried about what they’re going to do when the tournament is over, but things are still working well for the moment.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Andrade El Idolo – Neutralizer
Abadon b. Jazmin Allure – Black Dahlia
Orange Cassidy b. Bryan Keith – Mouse trap
Kris Statlander/Willow Nightingale b. Mercedes Martinez/Diamante – Discus lariat with a chain to Diamante
Brian Cage b. Karl Wright – Drill Claw
Eddie Kingston b. Daniel Garcia – Spinning backfist
Bryan Danielson b. Brody King – Running knee to the back of the head

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: December 6, 2023
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re north of the border here and well on the way towards the big closing pay per view of the year. As has been the case in recent weeks, it’s another Continental Classic week with three more matches to keep things going. Other than that, and probably a good bit bigger, we have Christian Cage defending the TNT Title against Adam Copeland. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Excalibur runs down the card.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Rush

They strike away at each other to start with Rush suplexing him hard onto the arm. The fight goes outside and into the crowd, followed by another trip into another part of the crowd. Rush puts him in a chair and hits him with a beer (that’s not a good idea around Moxley) before they head back inside.

Rush takes Moxley into the corner for the Tranquilo pose, only for Moxley to come back up with a double middle finger. Believe it or not, Rush pounds him down again but this time Moxley grabs a cutter. A superplex gives Moxley two and they go back to the floor, with Rush belly to bellying him into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Rush hitting a piledriver and then a top rope superplex for two. They fight out to the floor and crash onto the ground, where Moxley crawls over to whisper something to Rush. Since countouts suddenly matter, they beat the count back in at nine and trade strikes back inside. Rush knocks him hard into the corner but Moxley comes out with the King Kong Lariat. The Death Rider gets two so Moxley grabs the choke for the win at 14:28.

Rating: C. I’m sure I’ll get yelled at for this one but my goodness I was bored out of my mind for a good chunk of this. It was a lot of two people hitting each other and barely selling a thing, which doesn’t make for an interesting match. Instead it was waiting for someone to get to the finish, which has been the case in a lot of Rush matches. I get what they were going for, but it really didn’t land for me.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Rush – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Rush pops up to his feet immediately after being choked out.

Video on Jay Lethal vs. Jay White.

Here are Roderick Strong and the Kingdom for a chat. Strong (who now shouts first names) wants Samoa Joe to hurt MJF and shrugs off the idea that MJF isn’t bad. He’s sick of being held back by the wheelchair and pops up, saying it has held him back for far too long.

Hangman Page talks about how he wasn’t allowed to fly for a bit so he’s been gone. As for Swerve Strickland, he broke into Page’s house and into his son’s room and it took a bunch of people to beat him on pay per view. Page took something from Swerve though and this is not over.

Swerve wants something but now Page is going to make sure he never has it. MJF pops out of his locker room (where Page and Renee Paquette are standing) to mock Page. They argue about their history until MJF says Page is jealous over his title reign not being as long. MJF accuses him of being the Devil and a fight almost breaks out until Samoa Joe breaks it up. Can we just announce MJF vs. Everyone already?

Continental Classic Gold League: Swerve Strickland vs. Mark Briscoe

Feeling out process to start with Briscoe taking him down into a headlock. Swerve reveres into one of his own but Briscoe is back up with a boot to the face. Briscoe hammers away in the corner and grabs a suplex as Schiavone talks about how many wrestlers in WCW would love to play spoiler in the tournament.

Back up and Swerve takes him down, setting up the middle rope elbow to the back of the neck. A neckbreaker gives Swerve two but Briscoe sends him to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes. The apron Blockbuster is broken up and they chop it out on the apron. Swerve backdrops him over the barricade before superplexing him off the barricade and back to ringside.

We take a break and come back with Swerve working on the arm but Briscoe fights up with the chops. A fisherman’s buster gives Briscoe two but Swerve is back with a kick to the head for the same. They go to the corner and crash out to the floor, where Briscoe hits a quick dive.

Back in and one heck of a lariat gives Briscoe two but the Jay Driller is countered. The House Call connects on Briscoe but the 450 hits raised knees. Briscoe’s Froggy Bow hits raised knees as well so Swerve rolls him up for two of his own. We get the five minute call as they fight to the apron again. Swerve plants him with a Death Valley Driver, followed by the Swerve Stomp for the pin at 15:43.

Rating: A-. Oh yeah this was awesome stuff with two guys beating the fire out of each other until one got the pin. Briscoe is someone who can work well with anyone and has that weird charisma that makes you want to see him win. At the same time, Strickland is on a roll right now and I could easily see him winning the whole tournament. Great match here and the best of the tournament so far.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Rush – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (2 matches remaining, Eliminated)

Mariah May is excited to be here for her first match but she will not say who that opponent will be.

Samoa Joe/Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Devil’s Henchmen

Joe comes to the ring and four masked men surround the ring. The lights go out again and the our men are gone. The Devil pops up on screen and we see MJF down in the back with a broken beer bottle next to him. No match.

Post break we look at what we just saw.

Jon Moxley is in the back and says he is humble for everything because he knows what he is capable of doing. He expected to be 3-0 and he expects to be 5-0. Swerve Strickland comes in to say it’s going to take more than Moxley to beat him. They ace each other next week.

Ben Makiewicz, host of Turner Classic Movies, introduces Toni Storm, playing it completely straight and listing off some of her films. This was great.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Skye Blue

Storm, with Luther and Mariah May, is defending. They go with the grappling to start with Storm getting the better of things. Storm gets knocked to the apron but lands on Luther’s shoulders, setting up a superplex to take Blue down. The beating continues on the floor, with a running hip attack against the barricade knocking Blue silly.

We take a break and come back with Storm missing the wind up punch and getting kicked in the head. Blue’s high crossbody gets two and a running hip attack knocks Storm silly. Code Blue gives Blue two but Storm catches her up top. A superplex brings Blue down but the hip attack (with the camera going black and white) is countered into a rollup. Storm reverses into a sunset lip of her own (with Blue’s shoulders nowhere near the mat) to retain at 9:28.

Rating: C+. That ending looked terrible but Storm getting a win is a good thing to see. May is likely going to be her surprise challenger at some point in the future (perhaps at the end of the month) and that should make for something interesting. For now though, Storm continues to be the best thing about the women’s division and that is great to see.

May is nowhere to be seen during the celebration. Instead, here is the returning Riho to seemingly challenge for the title. Well so much for May at the moment.

Video on Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jay White vs. Jay Lethal

They go at it to start and strike away with Lethal getting the better of things. The strut is broken up though and White fires off some chops. Lethal takes him down into the basement dropkick, setting up the strut. White gets in a hard knockdown of his own though and we take a break.

Back with the fans making funny JAY chants (Holy Jay/Let’s Go Jay etc) and Lethal taking over. The top rope elbow gives Lethal two but White goes after the knee. A suplex into the corner and a brainbuster give White two, setting up the sleeper suplex. The Blade Runner is countered but so is the Lethal Injection, with White taking out the knee. Another Blade Runner is countered into a rollup but White reverses into one of his own for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: B-. Another good one, though the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. Lethal is the guy in this half of the tournament whose job it is to make other people look good and he did that here. White gets a boost and Lethal is mathematically eliminated, so things came together as they were supposed to.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Jay White – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Rush – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (2 matches remaining, Eliminated)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (2 matches remaining, Eliminated)

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

TNT Title: Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage

Cage is defending. Copeland starts fast by knocking him to the apron for the forearms to the chest. A bunch of rams into the announcers’ table have the WOO energy drinks flying but Cage bails back into the floor. Copeland blocks the low blow though and goes after the hand to keep Cage in trouble. Cage manages a ram into the post though and we take a break.

Back with Cage hammering away (with the left hand) in the corner so Copeland bites the right hand to escape. A middle rope Russian legsweep takes Cage down and they go outside again. This time cage sends him into the steps and hits a frog splash for two. Cage’s spear is countered into the Impaler for two but Cage is back up with more left hands in the corner. This time Copeland counters into a Liger Bomb for two but Cage is right back up.

The Killswitch is countered into an Edge-O-Matic for two, followed by the Crossface to keep Cage in trouble. With that broken up, Copeland hammers him down but the spear is countered into the Killswitch for two more. The referee takes a shot to the eye….so Cage kicks him low and grabs the title. That misses so they both try spears, only to collide in the air. Cue Nick Wayne’s mom (who is apparently named Shanna) to grab the title and hit Copeland. With Wayne gone, Cage puts Copeland’s face on the title and stomps on it (that didn’t look great) for the pin to retain at 18:04.

Rating: B-. The ending is going to get the attention here and it was….I guess the word is fine? It was perfectly logical, but as soon as Copeland crushed Nick Wayne with the Conchairto (note: send him a Christmas card for that) in front of Wayne’s mom, you knew there was going to be payback down the line and this match felt like the perfect place. They shouldn’t have done a swerve for the sake of a swerve, but the match (which was good) felt like a lot of waiting around until Wayne came out to cost Copeland the title.

Overall Rating: B. This show went in a few different directions as you had the main event, the MJF stuff and the tournament. That gives you a lot of variety, but some of it is wildly more interesting than others. The tournament is going to go on for a few more weeks while Cage vs. Copeland seems set for a rematch (please nothing involving a ladder, I beg of you). That leaves the MJF/Devil stuff and while it’s not a bad story yet, they are going to need a heck of a reveal for this to be worth the time spent on it. For now though good show, but things need to change up a bit before they run out of steam fast.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Rush – Rear naked choke
Swerve Stickland b. Mark Briscoe – Swerve Stomp
Toni Storm b. Skye Blue – Sunset flip
Jay White b. Jay Lethal – Rollup
Christian Cage b. Adam Copeland – Stomp onto the TNT Title

 

 

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

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

AND

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

 

Dynamite
Date: November 29, 2023
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur, Taz

It’s the second week of the Continental Classic and that seems to be the focal point of the show again. That went well enough last week, but I’m curious to see how well it holds up week after week. Other than that, Christian Cage has to respond to Adam Copeland’s challenge for a TNT Title match next week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson joins commentary.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal takes him down rather fast to start but the figure four doesn’t last long. Instead Lethal knocks Moxley outside for the suicide dive, only to have Moxley come right back with a dive of his own. Moxley comes up favoring his knee so Lethal is right back to go after the knee. Lethal knocks him off the apron and we take a break.

Back with Moxley grabbing a cutter but Lethal pulls him off the top with a super dragon screw legwhip. More shots to the knee have Moxley down but he sends Lethal into the corner. Moxley’s rear naked choke is broken up though and now the Figure Four can go on for a lot longer. The rope is grabbed though and it’s a Paradigm Shift into a pulling piledriver. The rear naked choke goes on though and Lethal is done at 11:20.

Rating: B-. Lethal continues to be one of the most consistent stars in AEW as he can have a nice match against anyone. That was the case here, with Lethal working on the knee, even if Moxley only sold it so much. Moxley feels like a strong candidate to go to the finals, so stacking him up with wins to start makes sense.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Rush – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Following his loss on Collision, Eddie Kingston says he didn’t deserve to win and now he has to face Bryan Danielson. Time to heal up.

Danielson is all fired up and says he’s coming to win.

Tony Schiavone announces the Revolution will take place on March 3 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Naturally this means a discussion about the Clash Of Champions match between Sting and Ric Flair, who come in to talk about said match. Sting thanks Flair for putting him on the map that night and Flair talks about how awesome Sting was that night. Trivia for you: according to AEW, that was the only match these two have ever had and now they’re legends 35 years later with nothing in between.

Continental Classic Gold League: Rush vs. Mark Briscoe

They go right to the slugout to start with Briscoe knocking him into the corner. Rush switches places with him and takes Briscoe out of the corner before they head outside. An exchange of whips into the barricade has Rush down, setting up the Bang Bang Elbow off the apron. Back in and Rush hits a superkick but Briscoe hits a hard lariat as we take a break.

We come back with Rush holding a leglock, with Briscoe making it over to the ropes. Rush sends him flying into the corner but a spear cuts off the Bull’s Horns for two. They fight to the apron until Briscoe charges into a suplex out to the floor. Back in and Rush gets knocked off the top, setting up the Froggy Bow for two. The Jay Driller is broken up though and the Bull’s Horns finishes for Rush at 11:22.

Rating: B-. This was the fight you would expect from these two and it was a fun brawl. Rush winning does get him on the board, but it’s rather frustrating to see Briscoe lose so often. He has so much charisma and could be a steady hand in the midcard. Instead he seems there to put people over, but maybe things can change in the next few weeks.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Rush – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Toni Storm is proud of winning the Women’s World Title but she’s a bit tired from celebrating and has some gout.

Here is MJF, on a cane, for a chat. He’s set to defend the World Title against Samoa Joe next month and he respects Joe very much. We hear a story about MJF seeing Joe in TNA and knowing what kind of a monster he saw. Then Joe went to WWE, who didn’t see his talents or make him a World Champion. The road Joe paved brought MJF to wrestling though so thank you…..but MJF has gone down his own road as well. MJF talks about the names he has beaten and now their match is about MJF’s own legacy.

On December 30, MJF doesn’t care about his injuries because it is going to be about how much fight he has in him. If Joe wants the title, he’ll have to put MJF down. Then the lights go out and the Devil minions show up, only to have Joe make the save. Then the screen goes back and a text crawl comes up, with someone challenging Joe and MJF to team together to face the unknown in a tag match. An angry MJF says it’s on and promises to unmask people.

Commentary says their IT security is looking into who keeps taking over.

Wardlow vs. AR Fox

Fox knocks him over the top and out to the floor to start the beating on the floor. They get inside with Wardlow suplexing him over the top to get us to the opening bell. Wardlow takes him back outside to keep up the beating but Fox kicks him down back inside. A 450 gives Fox two but Wardlow calmly powerbombs him. A Swanton crushes Fox and another powerbomb makes the referee stop it at 3:13.

Rating: C+. This was another slow step forward for Ward low as he gets to beat up a slightly bigger nae this week. That is a nice way to keep him moving but it is only going to mean so much if there isn’t some consistency. Wardlow has been higher than this before, only to have everything stop out of nowhere. Keep this up and it should work.

Hardys/Brother Zay vs. Action Andretti/Top Flight

Andretti sunset flips Matt for two to start but the Hardys take Andretti down without much trouble. It’s off to Zay, who gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Dante to come in for a running corner clothesline. We take a break and come back with Jeff taking Andretti into the corner.

Andretti fights back to take Matt down and the hot tag brings Dante back in. Everything breaks down and Zay takes Dante down for two. Jeff cuts Darius off the apron (the fans do not approve), leaving Dante to get caught in a double electric chair/springboard missile dropkick combination for two. Back up and a dropkick into a German suplex gives Dante the pin on Zay at 9:46.

Rating: C+. This was about getting Dante back in the ring to show that he can still do it. You can see the athleticism there and Top Flight has looked like a potential breakout team for a long time now. What matters though is how long they can stay healthy, as it feels like they have spent years apart due to the injuries destroying them. For now though, I can go with the Hardys putting someone else over, as it’s what they do best at the moment.

Post match, Penta El Zero Miedo, Hijo del Vikingo and Komander seem to want to face Top Flight and Action Andretti.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Emi Sakura

Hart is defending and due to House Rules, the match cannot end by submission. Hart starts fast by knocking her into the corner for a running elbow. Sakura chops her way out of trouble but gets taken down by the arm. They head outside with Sakura hitting a running crossbody against the steps as we take a break.

Back with Sakura hitting the delayed butterfly backbreaker, only to have Hart pull her into a triangle choke. Since that doesn’t work, Hart hits a running forearm to the back, setting up the moonsault to retain at 7:34. Sakura seemed to try to roll away and it looked like Hart almost had to hold her down for the pin.

Rating: C. The match was nothing of note but I’m a bit curious about that ending. I’m not sure if that was a communication issue or something that didn’t work like they were planning. Either way, it’s another win for Hart, who is on a roll at the moment and getting win after win is the right way to go.

Here is Christian Cage, with security, to call out Adam Copeland for a chat. Cue Copeland, so Cage sends security away. Cage talks about their history together and how much success they had on their own and together. We hear about their history, including Cage and Copeland being friends as children. Copeland was raised as Cage’s brother so they should do it one more time. Copeland seem to agree but then catches the low blow. He’s coming for the title next week and says “go f*** yourself”, which is NOT censored on the TNT feed. Good stuff here, as Copeland knew Cage and didn’t fall for his tricks.

Continental Classic Gold League: Swerve Strickland vs. Jay White

Feeling out process to start and they’re quickly out on the floor. Swerve sends him hard into the barricade and fires off some chops back inside. Things head back outside with Swerve dropping him over the barricade, followed by an apron double stomp to the back. White manages a DDT on the way back inside though and we take a break.

Back with White cranking on both arms but Swerve comes up with some chops. White doesn’t seem to mind and suplexes him into the corner, meaning it’s time to yell a lot. Swerve’s rolling Downward Spiral is blocked but so is the swinging Rock Bottom. A quick suplex gives Swerve two but White grabs what looked to be a Downward Spiral.

Swerve hits a quick clothesline though and they slug it out. White goes back to the knee and a swinging Rock Bottom gets two. Back up and White tries the low blow but gets taken down instead. The Swerve Stomp gets two more but White grabs a quick Blade Runner. Swerve rolls to the apron before the cover though and they chop it out with five minutes left…when Swerve grabs a cradle out of nowhere for the pin at 15:26.

Rating: B. These two tore it up here as Swerve continues to FINALLY get the chance to show what he can do. It feels like we’ve been waiting to see it happen for the better part of ever now and at least it seems to finally be going somewhere. Beating White clean is a pretty big deal, so well done on making someone feel like a much bigger deal, which isn’t easy to do.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Rush – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B. The tournament is by far the biggest focus for the show and that is good enough, but they also focused on the other important stories on the show. That would include the Cage vs. Copeland title match next week, plus the banged up MJF vs. Samoa Joe. Good show here, though I continue to wonder how long the tournament is going to be able to last at this level.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Jay Lethal – Rear naked choke
Rush b. Mark Briscoe – Bull’s Horns
Wardlow b. AR Fox via referee stoppage
Action Andretti/Top Flight b. Hardys/Brother Zay – German suplex to Zay
Julia Hart b. Emi Sakura – Moonsault
Swerve Strickland b. Jay White – Rollup

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: November 15, 2023
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the final Dynamite before Full Gear and the pay per view seems to be all set up. Therefore this week is likely going to be the big final push towards the matches that are already set, as it should be. At the same time, we have a huge street fight, which is sponsored by a video game. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We open with a recap of the beatdown on the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, with Samoa Joe popping in to say MJF is running out of friends.

Jon Moxley/Wheeler Yuta vs. Orange Cassidy/Hook

Moxley and Yuta do their entrance through the crowd so Cassidy and Hook jump them out there to start fast. The fights split off with Yuta and Hook going to the ring to officially start. Hook throws Yuta a few times but Yuta gets in a few shots to take over. With Cassidy down on the floor, Moxley comes in with a release suplex but has to escape Redrum. Cassidy offers a distraction though and Hook grabs a suplex, allowing the tag to Cassidy. Kicking abounds but Moxley pulls him into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Cassidy still in trouble and Moxley mocking the lazy kicks. Cassidy tells him to bring it and hits a dropkick, meaning it’s back to Hook vs. Yuta for the slugout. A double clothesline puts them both down but Moxley pulls Cassidy outside. The brawl is on with Cassidy getting the better of things but Moxley is back in to go after Hook. Cassidy is in as well…and the Orange Punch has no effect on Moxley. Redrum works a bit better for Hook but Yuta gets in a cheap shot. The Death Rider into Yuta’s seatbelt finishes Hook at 11:27.

Rating: B-. Good, hard hitting brawl here with the Orange Punch failing Cassidy for the first time. That should set up the story for the title match on Saturday, though I’m not sure I can imagine Cassidy losing again. For now though, this was a nice opener, and Yuta could get an FTW Title shot as a result.

Post match Moxley promises to take Cassidy’s title on Saturday and Cassidy looks worried.

Here are Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) for a face to face showdown, but if they touch, they’re suspended for the rest of the year and Saturday’s match is off. Swerve is asked about breaking into Page’s house but Page cuts emcee Schiavone off and calls Swerve dumber than the day he got fired. It’s why Swerve’s fiance left him and his kids won’t talk to him.

If he wasn’t so dumb, he would get that Nana was using him and makes his living off of Swerve’s back. Then that night, Nana uses that money to buy weed from some high school kid. Page threatens to beat Nana up and steal his weed, which gets a rather amusing “NO YOU’RE NOT” from Nana.

Page calls Swerve a child, and like the children he has taught, Page is going to teach Swerve a lesson. He threatens to send Swerve to his house at the bottom of h***. For tonight though, Swerve and Page can’t touch, but there’s no rule about Nana. Page decks Nana, as well as some of the security who come in to break it up. Swerve never actually talked. This was a VERY fired up promo from Page, who continues to be at his best when he’s serious and ticked off.

Roderick Strong and the Kingdom call Adam Cole and insist that MJF is the Devil. Cole thinks Strong might be and hangs up.

Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue

The winner is in the TBS Title match on Saturday. They grapple off to start with neither being able to get very far. Velvet blocks an armdrag and pulls her down for two. Blue is sent outside but cuts off a dive and hits a DDT onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Velvet countering a powerbomb into a hurricanrana to set off a pinfall reversal sequence.

Velvet hits a wheelbarrow bulldog for two but the spinning kick misses. Code Blue misses as well but Skyfall gives Blue two. Velvet counters a running knee into a powerbomb for two and they trade superkicks. Blue gets in another shot though and Code Blue is good for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. That’s the only way this should have gone, as Blue has been in and around the title picture for a few months now while Velvet has only been back for a week after a nine month layoff. While Velvet has looked solid in her return, she shouldn’t be winning here and AEW got that. They did have a nice match though and that is a good sign for the future.

Miro is mad at Daniel Garcia for trying to work for CJ Perry. Destruction is promised.

Mariah May goes to the dressing room of “Not Toni Storm” and goes inside, where everything goes black and white. May is a huge fan but Storm gets annoyed and throws her out. Storm wants a tune up match for Rampage.

Samoa Joe vs. Jon Cruz

Joe knocks him into the corner to start and hits the enziguri. Cruz misses a dive off the top (with Joe walking away of course), setting up the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 1:33.

Post match Joe offers his friendship to MJF again, but reminds MJF that he is inevitable.

We get the announcement of the Continental Classic with Bryan Danielson as the first entrant.

Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander vs. Young Bucks

Nick and Komander start things off with Komander snapping off an armdrag and hitting a quick dropkick. Everything breaks down and they all miss a shot of their own until the Bucks superkick them to the floor. Back in and Penta hits a superkick to Matt in the corner but the Bucks hit the slingshot X Factor to Komander.

We take a break and come back with Komander fighting out of the corner and hitting a springboard hurricanrana to Matt. Penta comes back in for the slingshot dive onto the Bucks, followed by the Sling Blades. Made In Japan hits Matt but he’s back up with the rolling northern lights suplexes.

The Meltzer Driver is broken up and a Fear Factor on the apron knocks Nick silly. Komander hurricanranas Matt for two but Nick is back in…so there’s a rope walk Canadian Destroyer to drop him again. Matt is up for the slugout with Penta until Nick is back in for a distraction. Some low blows cut Penta and Komander off, setting up the BTE Trigger to finish Komander at 11:57.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see the Bucks embracing the heel turn as there is little reason for them not to be. I’m not sure who would look at them and think they were anything but villains and it’s good to have it happen again. They had another entertaining match here and that’s good to see, especially with the Bucks ready for a big match at Full Gear.

Post break the Bucks say they don’t care about cheating anymore when Kenny Omega comes in. The Bucks aren’t mad at Omega, but rather Chris Jericho. Cue Jericho and the brawl is on.

Gunns vs. Pete Avalon/???

3:10 to Yuma finishes at 33 seconds.

Post match the Gunns say that was 2-2, so imagine what it’s like when they’re 2-1 against MJF.

Video on Wardlow, who is ready to wreck MJF. Wardlow accuses MJF of being the Devil, who pops up at the end.

Don Callis Family/Brian Cage vs. Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi/Paul Wight

Street fight and sponsored by a video game so we have some themed gear/objects (I don’t play the game so I’m not going to pretend to know what any of it is). The brawl is on in the aisle, with Wight brawling with Hobbs and chokeslamming Fletcher off the ramp. That leaves Omega and Ibushi to take over in the ring, setting up the moonsaults out to the floor. We cut to the back where Wight is beating up Hobbs near a car and then back to ringside where the good guys are cleaning house.

Cage manages to send Jericho through a table…but Ibushi rides down the ramp on a bicycle and decks people with a pipe. Cage breaks that up with a nasty clothesline and we cut to Hobbs dropping Wight onto the hood of a car. Takeshita brainbusters Ibushi onto the bicycle and we take a break.

Back with the villains setting up tables at ringside as Fletcher is back in. Omega gets suplexed onto a pallet for two as we get very brief flashes of Jericho and Takeshita fighting in the back. Omega grabs a bottle but gets it knocked away so Cage can hit a clothesline. In the back, Takeshita dives into a fire extinguisher blast from Jericho.

Omega and Ibushi load up the double knee but Hobbs is back in to run then over. Cage apron superplexes Omega through the tables at ringside and we take a break. Back with Fletcher taking over and hitting a jumping Tombstone to Ibushi off the apron through a table onto chairs. If Ibushi is up again during this match….well I won’t be a bit surprised, but he shouldn’t be.

Back in and Jericho and Omega beat up Hobbs before taping him to the ropes. They even tape up his mouth and it’s time to use a variety of weapons on him. Cage is back in to clean house but Omega hits him with a V Trigger. The One Winged Angel finally finishes Cage at 21:01.

Rating: B. This was a wild brawl but the cuts to the back were holding it down, as they were so fast that they were more distracting than anything else. This match was begging for a split screen, which would have solved the problem immediately. Other than that though, they did their street fighting well here and if AEW got a nice check for the sponsorship, good for them.

For those of you keeping track: Ibushi was back on his feet three minutes and thirty nine seconds after being Tombstoned off the apron through a table and onto steel chairs.

Here is MJF for the grand finale. After last week’s attack, it has become clear to him that he is never going to be able to outrun his past. He is sorry to the Acclaimed for getting caught in the crossfire that is his life and he hopes they get better. All he ever wanted to be was World Champion and now that is what he has done.

Now he looks down from the top of the mountain and sees people coming for him. He’s afraid he’ll let the people down like he did to Adam Cole and the Acclaimed, which gives us a HE’S OUR SCUMBAG chant. He’s on top of the mountain, but you’re going to have to send an army to bring him down (MJF’s nostril is flaring as he talks).

MJF promises to ind out who stole his Devil mask….and here is Jay White to interrupt. White knows that MJF knows that his days as champ are numbered. White has two words for MJF: “Get him.” Cue Bullet Club Gold to beat MJF down, including the Blade Runner for a Club counted three…as Samoa Joe is watching in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty good show here, as they didn’t rock the boat too much on the way to Full Gear. That’s the biggest worry of a show like this and they managed to make it work out. The street fight and the main event interview were the big focal points and they did well enough. The rest of the show wasn’t anything noteworthy, but they got the important parts right and the show could have been much worse.

Results
Jon Moxley/Wheeler Yuta b. Orange Cassidy/Hook – Seatbelt to Hook
Skye Blue b. Red Velvet – Code Blue
Samoa Joe b. Jon Cruz – Koquina Clutch
Young Bucks b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander – BTE Trigger to Komander
Gunns b. Peter Avalon/??? – 3:10 To Yuma
Kenny Omega/Paul Wight/Chris Jericho/Kota Ibushi b. Don Callis Family/Brian Cage – One Winged Angel to Cage

 

 

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Stardom Supreme Fight 2023
Date: February 4, 2023
Location: EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Attendance: 1,832
Commentators: Haruo Murata, Makoto Oe, Mai Sakuai

Let me get this out of the way first: I have no idea what is going on with this show as I do not follow Stardom and since I do not speak Japanese, I am going to be going with whatever I can tell from the show itself. I apologize in advance for any continuity errors or names I get wrong, as the only thing I have to go on is a list of people in each match and whatever pictures I can find to remember who is who.  The only thing I know is that Stardom is about as well received of a women’s promotion as there is in the world today so let’s get to it.

We run down the card.

Naniwa Roulette Match

This seems to be something of a gauntlet match with a roulette wheel announcing the entrants. Mayu Iwatani, who has appeared in Ring Of Honor, is in at #1 and Waka Tsukiyama is in at #2. Waka starts fast with a running Downward Spiral for a fast two before jumping on Mayu’s back for a double arm crank. A missile dropkick gives Waka two more but Mayu grabs a cradle for a near fall of her own. Mayu is right back with a dragon suplex for the pin at 2:05.

Momo Kohgo is in at #3 and talks trash to get the crowd behind her (I think?). Mayu is willing to fight her on the apron and they slug it out until Momo hits a dropkick. A 619 misses and the referee’s motions make me think you can be eliminated by going over the top to the floor. Back in and a springboard missile dropkick gives Momo two but Mayu kicks her down. Something like an arm trap Brock Lock makes Momo tap at 6:41 (total, as all times will be) and it’s Miyu Amasaki in at #4.

Mayu wastes no time in taking her down but Miyu grabs some rollups for two each. A DDT gives Miyu two but Mayu grabs a lifting dragon sleeper (ouch) for the tap at 9:57. Tam Nakano is in at #5 and kicks Mayu in the face to start. Mayu misses her own kick and gets kneed hard in the face to send her through the ropes.

Tam goes up for a dive but someone shouts at her not to (the over the top rule seems to be a reality), allowing Mayu to try to pull her down. Instead Tam pulls her back in with Mayu snapping off a super hurricanrana. They strike it out from the mat and trade nasty bridging German suplexes for two each. Another from the knees slugout ensues as the ring announcer keeps saying something, which sounds like a time left call. The bell rings after a two count and both of them seem to be eliminated via the time limit (of what seems to be five minutes a fall) at 17:02.

Mina Shirakawa is in at #6 and Natsuopoi is in at #7 to start things fresh. They run the ropes to start with Mina taking out the knee, only to get caught with a running dropkick against the ropes. Natsuopoi goes up top but gets punched in the head to bring them both back down.

Something like a running sideways sunset flip gets two on Mina and they slug it out. Mina drops her with a spinning backfist but gets rolled up for a few near falls. Natsuopoi snaps off a release German suplex but gets caught in a Figure Four. The ropes break that up so Mina grabs it again, only to have time expire for another double elimination at 25:36. That means Mariah May is in at #8 and Mai Sakurai is in at #9 as we start over again.

Mai dropkicks her down to start but Mariah hits a middle rope version of her own. That just earns Mariah something close to an STF and a top rope missile dropkick (if that was an intentional back and forth idea with the two of them topping each other, well done), followed by a lifting double underhook DDT for two. Mariah is right back with a short powerbomb though, followed by a Tombstone for the pin at 31:53.

Thekla is in at #10 and starts fast with something like an Octopus hold to send Mariah to the apron. That doesn’t go anywhere so Thekla goes up top, only to have them fight to the apron at the same time. They both crash out to the floor and that indeed is a double elimination at 37:51. We’ll hit the reset button again with Natsuko Tora in at #11 and Momoka Hanozono in at #12.

Tora steals Momoka’s sword and chops the head off of Momoka’s doll to start (well that was mean) so Momoka swings at her. That means a doll to the head, only to have Momoka take her down and…look at her. A low bridge sends Tora to the apron but she pulls Momoka out with her. Momoka can’t get a German suplex off the apron (but she can hang off of Tora’s waist in a unique visual), only to get pulled into a fireman’s carry. That’s broken up with what looked like a mini streamer explosion to knock them both to the floor at 43:49.

That means it’s time for Billy Ken Death to come in at #13 and Yuna Mizrumor to come in at #14 as the roulette wheel only has one name left. Death seems to be some kind of a wildcard and is dressed something like a golden clown to make things even odder. A bunch of posing has Yuna annoyed but she takes Death down for a splash. Death is right back with a rollup for the pin at 49:23, leaving Saki Kashima to complete the field at #15. Death’s small package gets a fast two but Saki blocks a suplex attempt. Saki catches her on top and hits a middle rope backsplash for two of her own. A cradle gives Saki the pin at 54:51.

Rating: B. This one took me by surprise as I wasn’t expecting the opener to go nearly an hour. The match felt like something of a Stardom buffet, as you got a little taste of a bunch of people, but unfortunately only a few (Iwatani in particular) stood out. I do like the match getting time though, as gauntlet matches with thirty second falls get annoying fast (If you can beat someone that fast in a gauntlet match, why can’t you in a regular one?).

That’s where the twist of the time limits makes things more interesting, as they have another reason to go as fast/hard as they can. I liked the rule tweaks here and I saw a lot of people who probably wouldn’t have made the show otherwise, so well done on a fun and unique opener that kept me interested for a long time.

Post match Saki gets a scroll and says something on the mic.

Triangle Derby I: Stars vs. Oedo Tai/Karuka Umesaki

That would be Hazuki/Koguma/Saya Iida vs. Ruaka/Starlight Kid/Umesaki and this seems to be something of a six woman tag tournament. Koguma and Kid start things off with the fans seeming to like the latter better. Everything breaks down fast and Kid heads to the floor, where she hits Koguma with….it looks like a suitcase that Ruaka brought with her.

Ruaka (as shown by a name bar during the match for a NICE addition) comes in to slowly kick at a dazed Koguma. Iida comes in to strike away at Ruaka, who runs her over with a crossbody. Umesaki hits a running dropkick against the apron but Hazuki comes in to take over. Everything breaks down and the Stars hit stereo kicks to the face against the ropes.

Hazuki and Umesaki slug it out until the latter catches her with a suplex. Kid gets sent to the apron by Koguma, who gets sent face first into the buckle for her efforts. A standing moonsault gives Kid two and an assisted double suplex drops Koguma again. Kid’s Lionsault gets two but a crucifix sets off a pinfall reversal sequence with Koguma stacking her up for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: B. This was quite the departure from the first match as they had all six women going all over the place until someone got the pin. It was a different style from the opener and showcased more of the teamwork, which was nice for a change. Another solid match and I could go for seeing more of all six, especially Umesaki.

God’s Eye/Konami vs. Queen’s Quest

That would be Ami Sourei/Syuri/Konami vs. AZM (a champion of some sort)/Lady C/Utami Hayashishita. AZM and Konami start things by going to the mat for a wrestle off. It’s quickly off to Syuri, who snaps off a butterfly suplex for a fast two. Syuri kicks AZM in the back and then sits down so AZM can kick her….which is a ruse to sucker her into a rollup (point for not doing the weird thing).

AZM’s run up the ropes is pulled out of the air though and a trio of running knees in the corner has her in more trouble. Ami unloads on AZM with chops against the ropes until a suplex gets AZM out of trouble. Utami comes in for a running hip attack in the corner and a running shoulder puts Ami down. It’s back to Konami with a missile dropkick and a cross armbreaker, with AZM having to make a save.

Everything breaks down and some armbars over the ropes have Queen’s Quest in more trouble. Utami’s arm is fine enough for a German suplex to Konami before Lady C comes in with a giant swing to Konami. The chokeslam gives Lady C two and Utami’s double stomp off of Lady C’s shoulders gets two more. The cobra clutch is broken up and a Death Valley Driver plants Lady C. Stereo running kicks set up Konami’s cross armbreaker but AZM makes the save. Everything breaks down (again) and Konami rolls Lady C into an armbar for the win at 11:27.

Rating: B. They changed gears again here as this was more about the intensity and pain instead of athleticism. Lady C was treated like a monster and Konami got to take her apart piece by piece for a good story to the ending. It was more good stuff with a lot of talented stars and I could go for more of them. This would especially include Syuri, who I’ve heard a lot about but haven’t seen much of so far.

We recap Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Mirai, which seems to be Mirai trying to slay a monster.

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Mirai

Chihiro backs her into the corner to start and grinds away on a headlock. A headscissors stays on the head/neck as Mirai can’t figure out what to do here. Back up and they trade hammerlocks until Mirai reverses into a quickly broken Fujiwara armbar. More grappling gets Mirai backed up against the ropes again and a hard slam puts her back down.

Some shots to the face seem to wake Mirai up but Chihiro runs her over again. A middle rope flipping splash misses for Chihiro though and a basement dropkick to the back of the head staggers her a bit. Mirai adds a missile dropkick for two but gets pulled into an abdominal stretch to mix things up.

With that broken up, Mirai grabs a sleeper and a quick Downward Spiral gets two. Chihiro suplexes her way out of what looked like an armbar, only to get knocked down again. Mirai’s backsplash gets two and they strike it out until Mirai blasts her with a clothesline for another near fall. Chihiro grabs an ankle lock into a German suplex Mirai is mostly done and Chihiro’s hard lariat gets two more. A bridging German suplex finally finishes Mirai at 15:20.

Rating: B-. This was just slightly weaker than the rest of the show and if this is the low mark, we’re in for a rather good one here. They played the story of Mirai trying to chop down the monster and not being able to do it until Chihiro finally put her away. It’s something that has been done forever and it worked here, though I never bought Mirai as a big threat and the main comeback didn’t seem to get close to stopping Chihiro.

Post match Chihiro says something to the still unconscious Mirai. Syuri comes in and we seem to have another match set up.

Intermission (I think).

We recap the Tag Team Titles match, which again seems to be a team coming after some monsters.

Goddesses Of Stardom Titles: Neo Stardom Army vs. Donna del Mundo

This would be the Tag Team Titles and it’s Nanae Tahahashi/Yuu (Neo Stardom Army) defending vs. Himeka/Maika (Donna del Mundo). After the big match intros, Yuu shoulders Maika down to start but gets taken down as well. Maika’s sliding lariat misses though and we have an early standoff. It’s off to the partners but everything breaks down rather fast, with the champions getting caught in the corners.

The Army is sent outside for running knees from the apron….and Himeka is hurt. Nanae throws her back inside anyway and goes after the banged up knee, with Maika’s save not really doing much good. The bigger Yuu starts in on the knee but misses a charge in the corner, allowing Maika to get in a kick to the head. The tag brings in Maika to clean house (the fans approve) but Yuu knocks her down for a backsplash.

A Cannonball crushes Maika in the corner and Nanae drops her again with a suplex. They slap it out until Maika scores with a legsweep, followed by a belly to back suplex. Nanae gets in a shot of her own but a clothesline cuts her off, allowing Himeka to come back in for the house cleaning. A kick to the knee takes her down again but she’s fine enough to hit a sliding lariat for two. Everything breaks down and Nanae grabs the logical Figure Four.

That and a kneebar send Himeka bailing to the ropes so Maika catches Nanae on top. Himeka adds a powerbomb to her partner to make it a Tower Of Doom but the knee gives out, allowing Yuu to hit a Cannonball. Himeka is back up for a double suplex, meaning Yuu has to make a save. Somehow the knee holds up for a powerbomb out of the corner to Nanae but Yuu breaks up a running knee (which didn’t seem to be a good idea). The Army hits back to back splashes for two and Nanae’s sliding lariat gets two on Himeka. A hammerlock air raid crash gives Nanae the pin on Himeka to retain at 18:55.

Rating: B+. This match felt like the biggest on the show and that is how it came off in execution. There were near falls and false finishes until one of the teams got a pin. I got into this one near the end and it was a heck of a showdown. The fact that it is (so far) the best match on a pretty awesome show is quite the feat and they made it work here.

Post match the champs brag and receive a trophy but Oedo Tai (Ruaka and Natsuko Tora in this case) come out, seemingly as the next challengers.

We recap the Wonder of Stardom Title, with champion Saya Kamatani and Momo Watanabe wanting the title and fighting on the way here.

Wonder Of Stardom Title: Saya Kamitani vs. Momo Watanabe

Saya is defending and this seems to be the company’s midcard title. They trade kicks to the head and near falls in the first twelve seconds before Watanabe misses another kick. The fight heads outside with Watanabe hitting her with some kind of paddle and then whipping Saya into the chairs.

Back in and Saya grabs a Boston crab but Watanabe reverses into a rollup for two. Saya slaps on a figure four necklock, which doesn’t last long either as Watanabe knocks her out to the apron. The table is set up at ringside but Saki hurricanranas her off of it for a breather. Saki puts Watanabe onto the table and hits(ish) a top rope double stomp which knocks her off (but doesn’t break) said table.

Back in and Watanabe snaps off a German suplex to leave both of them down for a needed breather. Watanabe fires the kicks to the chest but Saki is back up with the hard forearms. A pair of dragon suplexes give Watanabe two but Saki bulldogs her way out of trouble. Saki hits a sitout fisherman’s buster for two, followed by a 450 to retain the title at 16:41.

Rating: B. It was a good match, but I didn’t quite but Watanabe as a major threat here. It felt like she was supposed to be this evil challenger and while she came close here and there, I didn’t quite buy the title as being in jeopardy. Maybe knowing more of the backstory would help, but this was a step down from some of the other matches on the show.

We recap Suzu Suzuki challenging Giulia for the World Of Stardom Title (seems to be the World Title). It seems that they used to be friends but now they’re fighting over the title, which is a story that will work every time.

World Of Stardom Title: Suzu Suzuki vs. Giulia

Giulia is defending and while I’ve heard a lot of great things about her, I’ve never seen her in the ring. Suzuki (whose video says CRAZY GIRL) has a title of her own but for the sake of clarity, I’ll only refer to Giulia as champion. They fight over wrist control to start until Giulia grabs a headlock to slow things down. Suzuki reverses into a headlock of her own, which is broken just as quickly.

An exchange of rollups gets two each and they’re at another standoff. They roll away from each other again before going with the slow exchange of forearms less than five minutes in. Suzuki gets in the first hard shot to take over though and it’s a running knee to the back to rock Giulia again. A tornado DDT gets her out of trouble though and it’s time to work on Suzuki’s arm. Giulia suplexes her down again but Suzuki takes it to the floor and whips Giulia into the chairs.

They go up the ramp, where Giulia counters a suplex into a DDT, only to get planted right back by Suzuki. Back in and they trade headbutts until Suzuki kicks her in the head. Giulia is able to catch her up top though and a butterfly superplex sends Suzuki crashing. Suzuki flips out of a suplex and grabs a Spanish Fly to leave both of them down.

It’s time to start going after Suzuki’s arm, with Giulia first tying up the legs for easier access. Something close to a Rings of Saturn has Suzuki in more trouble but she’s able to get to the ropes. A piledriver in the vicinity of the apron (to avoid the whole broken neck thing) knocks Giulia silly and a super half nelson slam makes it worse.

Something like a reverse Paige Turner gives Suzuki two and a bridging German suplex gets the same. A top rope bridging German superplex (egads) gets another two on Giulia and they’re both down again. Suzuki grabs some rollups for two each but Giulia plants her with a suplex. The knee to the face gets one before a Snowplow finishes Suzuki to retain the title at 25:07.

Rating: B+. This was another match that felt like a struggle with both women working as hard as they could to beat the other. I’m not sure how personal it felt, but what mattered is the fact that they did so much to each other that it felt like Suzuki finally fell at the end. Heck of a fight here and it felt like a main event, which is one of the hardest things to do these days.

Post match Giulia gets the mic and says something to Suzuki, which the fans seem to appreciate. Suzuki gets the mic and says something also positively received before talking about Stardom. She says something to Giulia, who seems to agree, before falling down and leaving Giulia alone in the ring. Giulia seems to thank the fans and poses for a bit.

Overall Rating: A. I’m not sure what else I could have asked for her as this show was pretty awesome. The best compliment I can give it is that while I watched it in a few different sittings, I wanted to come back and see how the rest of the show would go. It kept me interested in people I don’t know and in stories I don’t understand because the action was that good. There isn’t a must see match on the show, but there is a bunch of very good stuff and for a three and a half hour card, that is pretty awesome. Check this out.

 

 

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