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

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

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

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

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

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

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

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

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

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

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

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jay Lethal

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

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

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

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

Video on Clark Connors.

Brawling Birds vs. Gypsy Mac/Tyra Russamee

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

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

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Kyle Fletcher/Kazuchika Okada vs. Top Flight

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

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

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

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

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

Toni Storm vs. Zayda Steel

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Sisters Of Sin vs. Kris Statlander/Thunder Rosa

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Andrade El Idolo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Mina Shirakawa wants the TBS Title.

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

Megan Bayne says she deserves gold.

Swerve Strickland needs to beat Kenny Omega.

Omega says Strickland is in his way.

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jon Moxley vs. Mark Davis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

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

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

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

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

Video on Grand Slam.

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hook wants to bring some new members into the Opps.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Brawling Birds vs. B3cca/Viva Van

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

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

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

Kevin Knight vs. The Beast Mortos

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

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

Video on Will Ospreay.

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

Swerve Strickland vs. Kenny Omega

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dynamite
Date: February 11, 2026
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s time to get ready to head down to Australia for Grand Slam later this weekend and that should make for an interesting show. This week is quite the warmup as we have a pair of title matches, with both the TNT and Women’s Title on the line. Other than that, we have more build towards Revolution so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out Kenny Omega and Swerve Strickland for a chat. Strickland says Omega was on top of his game five years ago and everyone wanted to face him, including Strickland himself. It took him two years to get to the top of AEW but then Omega was nowhere to be found. Omega was either in the hospital bed or suspended and in his absence, AEW needed someone else to step up into that role.

Then everyone was shouting SWERVE’S HOUSE, but now Omega wants back in this spot. It sounds like he’s using his EVP powers and Strickland is ready to knock another one of them down. Omega said the people called him the god of professional wrestling and that’s in the eye of the beholder, but he takes that as a personal responsibility. Now the fans want Omega back so while it may be Swerve’s house, there might not be any lights on in the house.

Omega knows someone who can burn down a house and he’s ready to face Swerve if that’s where this is going. Swerve offers to put Omega back in the hospital bed so Omega slaps him, which Swerve says is Omega making a choice. The fight is on and they go up to the stage, with Swerve escaping the One Winged Angel and spearing him down through a table. This was two big names having a clear issue and arguing about it to set up a top level match. That’s always going to work.

We run down the card.

Kyle Fletcher is ready to regain the TNT Title and Don Callis can sit back and watch. This is different than anything else he does how?

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

Davis powers Pac down to start a few times before it’s off to Moxley. That goes a bit better as Davis is driven into the corner for some chops, followed by Castagnoli for the uppercuts. Davis fires off some chops of his own and a running shoulder actually puts Castagnoli down. Back up and Castagnoli grabs a big suplex before Takeshita comes in and goes right after (the illegal) Moxley.

Everything breaks down and the fight heads to the floor, leaving Castagnoli to tilt-a-whirl backbreaker Takeshita back inside. Pac gets pulled down onto the apron though and the Riders are in trouble as we take an early break. We come back with Pac hiptossing his way out of a neck crank and handing it off to Castagnoli. That means the running uppercuts in the corner until Davis hits a hard running clothesline.

Takeshita and Moxley come back in for an exchange of failed finisher attempts and Takeshita is taken into the corner. The Riders fire off some running uppercuts but the Family is back in to roll German suplexes on Moxley. Back in and the Riders clear out most of the Family, leaving Moxley to choke Alexander. The Death Rider finishes Alexander at 15:06.

Rating: B+. This was a fast paced, hard hitting match and it was a heck of an opening match. The match was a way to help set up the Takeshita vs. Moxley showdown and that’s the real main event of the whole thing. At the same time, Alexander is just the jobber to the stars of the team and that’s all he was pretty much ever going to be.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Fletcher is challenging and Don Callis is on commentary. Fletcher backs out to the floor to start before coming back in (as invited by Ciampa) for a running shoulder. A boot to the face drops Ciampa again but he snaps off a DDT for a knockdown of his own. Back up and Fletcher hits a quick full nelson slam so Ciampa gives him a jumping clothesline. The running knee sends Fletcher outside for a ram into the barricade and yes Ciampa will applaud himself. Fletcher snaps off a half and half suplex on the floor though and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher missing a running knee in the corner but avoiding a running knee into the steps. Ciampa’s knee is fine enough to hold Fletcher up for an Air Raid Crash onto the steps, followed by a running knee for two back inside. A reverse DDT gets the same and Ciampa takes him up top, where Fletcher reverses into a spinning belly to back superplex.

The sitout Last Ride gives Fletcher two and he powerbombs Ciampa onto the apron. Fletcher’s brainbuster gets two and both of them look stunned on the kickout. Ciampa is able to get in a superplex of his own and a running knee gets two more. Fletcher spits at him and manages a lawn dart into the corner. Ciampa is right back with a running knee into a brainbuster for two but Fletcher blasts him with a clothesline. The brainbuster gives Fletcher the title back at 16:34.

Rating: A-. Yep that worked, as they just beat the daylights out of each other and it was even better than expected. While I could have gone with Ciampa holding the title longer, this was about getting the belt on Fletcher before he goes back home to Australia. Either way, awesome match here with both guys looking outstanding.

Post match Fletcher is proud of his title win and he’s ready for his hero’s welcome in Australia. He’ll even defend the title against anyone so here is Mark Briscoe to interrupt. He’s proud of Fletcher for winning again but brings up that they’re 3-3 so he’s willing to give Fletcher home field advantage. Fletcher is sick of Briscoe but wants it to be bigger than ever, so we’ll make it a ladder match. Deal. Of course it is.

Video on the Babes Of Wrath defending the Women’s Tag Team Titles against Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne on Saturday.

Daniel Garcia/Clark Connors vs. Roderick Strong/Orange Cassidy

Strong whips Connors into the corner to start fast and hits the big dropkick. Connors knocks him down into the corner and hammers away, allowing Strong to come in and fire off the chops. Cassidy comes in with the Stundog Millionaire but the tornado DDT is countered into a sleeper from Garcia. That’s broken up and we take a break, coming back with Cassidy escaping a full nelson.

Strong walks out on a tag attempt though and that means Cassidy gets double stomped down in the corner with no one around to help. Connors hits a spear on the apron but misses a charge into the barricade. Cue a man in the crowd (clearly Darby Allin) to take out Connors, leaving Cassidy to small package Garcia for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: C+. Now this was a better use of Allin, as he’s someone who can sneak up on people and take them out rather than getting beaten up every week. Cassidy and Allin as a potential team is….I guess intriguing? It’s either amazing or not so good and I’m not sure which. Strong walking out on Cassidy makes sense and hopefully it lets him go off and do his own thing.

Post match Toni Storm pops up on the platform to say if Marina Shafir can knock her out, she can shave her head bald, but Storm will be the most beautiful bald woman in the world. On the other hand though, Storm plans to shave her so bald that they’ll sell Shafir’s head at Spirit Halloween. Cue Wheeler Yuta, who says “bring her out”. Cue Shafir, holding Mina Shirakawa in Mother’s Milk and cutting off some of her hair. Ok that was a nice touch.

Last week, Don Callis (yes again) praised Andrade El Idolo for his win, with Andrade threatening Hangman Page.

Page wanted to face Kenny Omega again and threatens Andrade’s….pants?

Jet Speed is looking for challengers to the Trios Titles but want singles titles. Why are these two part of the Trios Champions? It feels like they’re almost never even around Page.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Young Bucks vs. Rascalz vs. ???

For a future Tag Team Title shot and the wild card team is…the returning Private Party, for their first AEW match in over a year. Quen headlocks Xavier to start and the Rascalz are quickly cleared out. That leaves the Bucks to take out Private Party and then drop the Rascalz as well.

Reed is back in with a big dive to the floor, followed by another one from Kassidy. Xavier’s shooting star takes out the pile at ringside and we take a break. We come back with the Bucks cleaning house again, including a bulldog/running clothesline to Private Party. A stereo top rope elbow and 450 get two on Private Party as Hook is watching.

Silly String (not named) drops Xavier and a bunch of superkicks leave everyone down. The Bucks fire off superkicks and Reed’s big diving cutter over the top (that always looks great) takes out Private Party on the floor. We mix it up a bit with the Bucks firing off even more superkicks until the TK Driver finishes Reed to give the Bucks the win at 13:17.

Rating: B. The result isn’t a big surprise, as Reed was debuting and therefore he had to lose the match. I guess I’ll take that over Private Party returning and losing the fall, but what matters the most here is that it was another fast paced match. At the same time, it sets up the Bucks vs. FTR 97 or so, because I guess Australia needs to see it as well.

Post match FTR comes out for the staredown. Dax Harwood says they’re both great teams but FTR are ahead. The Bucks needed to make their own company to become the top stars and….superkicks drop FTR. The Bucks scare Stokely Hathaway before leaving him alone.

Video on Will Ospreay.

Video on MJF vs. Brody King for the World Title on Saturday.

Women’s Title: Kris Statlander vs. Thekla

Statlander is defending in a strap match. They pull on each other to start and Statlander drops her with a clothesline. Statlander knocks her to the floor but Thekla WHIPS HER IN THE FACE with the strap. That’s a violent enough one so Statlander is back with a big boot. Thekla pulls her into the steps and flips her off, which is enough to bust Statlander open.

We take a break (the match started after 10pm EST) and come back with Thekla grabbing the upside down leg choke in the ropes. Thekla does her spider pose, which allows Statlander to pull her into a superkick. Statlander goes up top and gets pulled down with a Spider superplex. A discus lariat drops Thekla again and Statlander (bleeding quite a bit now) unloads with the whip. Statlander hits a Tombstone but here are the Sisters Of Sin for a distraction, allowing Thekla to hit the spear. A Stomp gives Thekla the pin and the title at 14:03.

Rating: B-. It was violent, but the ending was kind of flat, with the villains coming in and Thekla just getting the win. At the same time, it’s the result that should have happened in their first title match. Thekla is on a roll right now and it makes more sense for her to win the title, though I’m not sure why they needed the delay. Either way, the end result is the right one.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Brawling Birds make the save (commentary does make it clear that the Babes Of Wrath are already in Australia) to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Those opening matches are more than enough to carry the show and anything else on the night was just going to be gravy. While I’m not wild on having Ciampa be a really short transitional champion, it’s going well if that’s the low point of the show. Other than that, you had the big title change at the end and the show was quite a hit. Heck of a show here and I’d be rather pleased if AEW can keep this up.

Results
Death Riders b. Don Callis Family – Death Rider to Alexander
Kyle Fletcher b. Tommaso Ciampa – Brainbuster
Roderick Strong/Orange Cassidy b. Daniel Garcia/Clark Connors – Small package to Garcia
Young Bucks b. Rascalz and Private Party – TK Driver to Reed
Thekla b. Kris Statlander – Stomp

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

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

Collision
Date: January 31, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

I believe this is the last show of the Arlington residency and hopefully that means we’re going out with a good one. Last week’s Collision was quite good and it would be great to see them match that here. Mark Briscoe is defending the TNT Title against Tommaso Ciampa, which should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin vs. Clark Connors

Connors jumps him from behind to start fast and it’s a powerslam for an early two. Allin strikes back and grabs a Code Red for two but gets knocked outside in a crash. The big whip sends Allin into the barricade and a running knee knocks him off the apron. Clark drops him onto the barricade and apron as we take a break.

We come back with Clark dropping an elbow for two and hitting a spear through the ropes to send him into the apron again. The steps are loaded up but Allin rakes the eyes and hits a running dropkick off of said steps. The suicide dive connects for Allin but Clark sunset bombs him into a spear for two of his own. A crossarm choke has Allin down again and something like a powerbomb gets two more. Allin is able to flip him forward into the Scorpion Death Drop, setting up the Scorpion Deathlock for the win at 11:51.

Rating: C+. This is where Allin loses me, as his matches are turning into “he gets beaten up a lot and should be broken in half but wins anyway”. I like him doing the Sting finishers as they fit him well and it’s one less big bump to not have the Coffin Drop, but I’ve kind of seen enough of him getting destroyed. That’s been done for years now and the charm is pretty lost.

Post match Allin talks about beating the Death Riders and now he wants to be atop AEW. Cue Gabe Kidd to jump him from behind and the big beating ensues. Allin is dropped onto the steps and the steps are then dropped onto him. Kidd says this isn’t Death Riders business and he’ll follow Allin to the ends of the earth to destroy him.

Video on the Babes Of Wrath vs. the Sisters Of Sin.

Jet Speed is ready to fight the Don Callis Family. They are officially dubbed Jet Set Rodeo, because Jet Speed And Hangman Page isn’t good enough.

Cru vs. Rascalz

That would be Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz with Xavier and Rush fighting over a headlock to start. That goes nowhere as Xavier takes him down without much trouble, with Rush staggering into the wrong corner. Wentz comes in and hits a Bronco Buster so Andretti comes in for a double springboard armdrag. The spinning crossbody gets Wentz out of trouble and the big running dive takes Cru down as we take a break.

We come back with Xavier getting forearmed and kicked down for two as we get a countdown to the TNT Title match. Wentz kicks his way out and it’s off to Wentz for a German suplex to Andretti. Everything breaks down and Cru kicks them outside for the stereo suicide dives. Wentz is back in to clean house, followed by some running elbows to keep Cru in the corners. Hot Fire Flame (Wentz does a standing moonsault and Xavier shoves him through the air onto Andretti) for the pin at 11:46.

Rating: B-. It was nice to see the Rascalz win a match rather than losing their first several outings. That being said, maybe it’s not a great idea to have them out there against a team who wrestles a similar style. Cru being similar doesn’t make the Rascalz stand out but rather make the teams seem interchangeable. Maybe come up with something better?

Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor think they can be a great team together.

Jon Moxley wants the best competition and he wants to beat Konosuke Takeshita to get his win back after Takeshita beat him in the Continental Classic. He doesn’t seem to like the Don Callis Family either.

Orange Cassidy/Toni Storm vs. Gino Medina/Lady Bird Monroe

The men start things off with Cassidy rolling backwards and putting his hands into his pockets. Monroe comes in and Cassidy does the lazy kicks until Storm comes in for the running dropkick. Storm beats Medina up too and the Orange Punch finishes him off at 1:47. Yeah that worked.

Post match Wheeler Yuta and Marina Shafir run in and beat down Cassidy and Storm. Yuta grabs the mic and interviews Cassidy, who Shafir has in a full nelson. Cassidy mocks Yuta’s hair and gets beaten down again. Yuta goes for some scissors to cut Cassidy’s hair but Storm makes the save. Storm wants hair vs. hair in two weeks.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz and the Grizzled Young Veterans have another face to face meeting in the back and Kingston wants a parking lot fight. Big Bill and Bryan Keith run in to beat down Kingston and Ortiz, with the Veterans paying them off. The match is on, because Kingston beating them three times isn’t enough.

Video on Mark Briscoe vs. Tommaso Ciampa.

TNT Title: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is defending and we do get an intense handshake to start. Briscoe backs him into the corner to start and Ciampa does the same (with the roles reversed that is) so they can go to a test of strength. That doesn’t go anywhere so they trade shoulders and forearms. Briscoe knocks him outside for the running flip dive before they head to the apron for a chop off. An Air Raid Crash knocks Briscoe hard onto the apron and Ciampa applauds himself as we take a break.

We come back with Briscoe knocking him to the floor for the running Blockbuster off the apron. Back in and the Willow’s Bell (hanging elbow) gives Ciampa two but Briscoe knocks him right back down. The Froggy Bow gets two so Briscoe goes up again, with Ciampa hitting a super Air Raid Crash for two of his own.

Ciampa knees him out to the floor, where Briscoe loads up the table. Ciampa’s posing on the table takes too long and Briscoe gets up top for a Froggy Bow to a standing Ciampa through the table. Back in and Briscoe gets the better of the strike off, setting up another Froggy Bow. The Jay Driller is countered into a German suplex though and Ciampa hits the running knee for the pin and the title at 18:41.

Rating: B+. Well dang they actually did it. This was one of the better matches Collision has had in awhile and it made Ciampa feel like an instant star, which is the right idea. I was worried that he would lose and get lost in the midcard shuffle right off the bat. These guys beat the heck out of each other and it worked rather well. Heck of a match here and a great start for Ciampa.

Post match respect is shown again and Kyle Fletcher comes out to slowly applaud.

The Don Callis Family beats up more people while Josh Alexander talks about the team wanting various titles.

International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Adam Priest

Okada is defending and Rocky Romero is on commentary. A neckbreaker and slam put Priest down and he misses a charge in the corner. Okada follows him in but seems to hurt his knee, which is only a ruse so Romero can get in a cheap shot. We take a break and come back with Okada missing a charge and Priest striking away in the corner.

A neckbreaker gives Priest two and a German suplex out of the corner drops Okada again. Priest’s top rope legdrop gets two more and he grabs the Figure Four. Okada makes the rope and hits the dropkick and, after Priest grabs a rollup, hits the Rainmaker to retain at 10:16.

Rating: C+. Here’s the thing: it’s not a bad match, but I absolutely could not bring myself to believe that Priest was giving Okada this much trouble. Okada is one of the most successful stars in AEW history and he has trouble beating Adam Priest? I’m fine with Priest getting a better spot, but this was way too much of a leap. Cut the time down and let Priest get in some offense here and there, or give him a better opponent and it’s that much better.

The Rascalz think they should help Eddie Kingston in the parking lot. Kingston comes in and apparently it’s now an eight man parking lot fight. Sure.

We look at the World Title situation.

Tommaso Ciampa is happy to be here and respects Mark Briscoe. Now he’s ready to do something special as TNT Champion.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Sisters Of Sin vs. Babes Of Wrath

The Babes are defending. Hart and Cameron start things off with Hart knocking her to the floor early on. That means it’s off to Blue, who is knocked down for a double splash. Hart comes back in and gets rolled up for two before it’s back to Cameron for the rapid fire kicks. We take a break and come back with Cameron rolling Blue up for two. Nightingale comes in to clean house, including a big Pounce to Blue.

Hart is back in for an attempted Old School hurricanrana, with Nightingale falling down while trying to catch her (fair enough). The Babe With The Powerbomb is countered into an X Factor and the double superkick gets two, with Cameron making a save. More superkicks have the champions in trouble but Cameron is back with a DDT for two on Blue. Eat Defeat sends Blue into something like the Paige Turner to retain the titles at 11:23.

Rating: B-. It was a fine way to give the champions a title defense and that’s about all it needed to be. What mattered here was getting the Babes in the ring as the fans certainly seem to love them. That worked well enough and the Sisters can now get out of the way for Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford. Perfectly acceptable main event.

Post match the brawl stays on, with Thekla and Kris Statlander coming in. Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford run in and the champs are left laying.

Overall Rating: B-. Yeah it was ok, with the Ciampa vs. Briscoe match absolutely stealing the show. As usual, Collision only feels so important, with most of its appeal being setting up things for later. The closing segment is interesting, but Allin vs. Kidd doesn’t exactly do much for me, as it feels like just more of Allin vs. the Death Riders. Check out Briscoe vs. Ciampa, but the rest was the usual just ok Collision fare.

Results
Darby Allin b. Clark Connors – Scorpion Deathlock
Rascalz b. Cru – Hot Fire Flame to Andretti
Orange Cassidy/Toni Storm/Gino Medina/Lady Bird Monroe – Orange Punch to Medina
Tommaso Ciampa b. Mark Briscoe – Running knee
Kazuchika Okada b. Adam Priest – Rainmaker
Babes Of Wrath b. Sisters Of Sin – Paige Turner to Blue

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

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

Dynamite
Date: January 28, 2026
Location: H-E-B Center At Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’re continuing the march towards Revolution and the question is who will be challenging MJF for the World Title. Kenny Omega has thrown his hat into the ring and that means it is time to start getting him ready for his chance. It might take some time to get there, but there is still more than a month remaining before the show. Let’s get to it.

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Kenny Omega vs. Rocky Romero

They’re starting fast and this is described as “massive”. Rocky Romero is not in a massive match. There is no way around this. Romero jumps him to start fast but gets elbowed in the corner right back. A slingshot dive to the floor drops Romero again as we’re told that Samoa Joe has suffered an injury during training.

Omega hits the Kitaro Crusher but it’s too early for the V Trigger, with Romero bailing out to the floor. Back in and a running Sliced Bread drops Omega, who kicks Romero in the face. Romero stops to dance and is promptly kneed in the back of the head for a great comeback. The V Trigger into the One Winged Angel finishes Romero at 3:48.

Rating: C. This worked and it worked well, with Omega just running through Romero, including that awesome running knee to the head. It’s also nice to see a match just come and go without stretching out too long. That was the situation here and it went exactly as it should have. Nice job, and Romero getting beaten up was a nice bonus.

Post match Tony Schiavone (in neon yellow shoes) comes in to announce that Omega one of the four top contenders to the World Title. Omega says he hasn’t felt this good in years and he’ll beat anyone in his way to get there. Cue Hangman Page to say he’d rather be fighting beside Omega rather than against him, but he made the mistake of looking ahead.

Page is going to be the next champion, which brings out Swerve Strickland to say he’s here for the World Title. He hasn’t been pinned since he came back and it doesn’t matter who he has to beat to get the title back. Omega says it sounds like Swerve is looking for a fight, which Swerve says is truer than Omega knows. Cue Don Callis, who says Swerve’s undefeated streak ends tonight against Andrade El Idolo. Then Andrade is coming for Omega, because the Don Callis Family runs this show. Omega says Callis is the one who should worry and the chase is on.

Video on Thekla vs. Kris Statlander.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jon Moxley vs. Ace Austin

Non-title. Moxley jumps him to start and hammers away in the corner before glaring at the referee. Austin takes it to the mat for a rather spinning rollup, followed by a springboard (from the bottom rope) armdrag. Moxley is sent outside and we take an early break. We come back with Moxley getting out of a headscissors on the mat and taking him to the top for a back rake.

A superplex brings Austin down with a crash but he’s back with a Russian legsweep. That doesn’t work for Moxley, who blasts him with a clothesline and they go to the pinfall reversal sequence. One heck of a spinning kick to the head gives Austin two and a springboard spinning kick to the head gets the same. Moxley isn’t having this as it’s a cutter into the Death Rider for the sudden pin at 10:05.

Rating: B. Austin was trying his best here and some of those kicks looked rather good. Losing to Moxley is one thing but hopefully they don’t do the same thing of “here’s someone new, watch them lose over and over” for a few weeks. It was a nice start for Austin though as Moxley seems set for an eventual showdown with Konosuke Takeshita.

Post match here is Konosuke Takeshita for a staredown with Moxley. Davis And Doyle run in from behind and Moxley gets taken out. No Death Riders make the save for some reason.

TNT Title: El Clon vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is defending and Don Callis is on commentary because this has been his show thus far. Clon actually knocks Briscoe down to start but Briscoe Red Neck Kung Fus his way out of trouble. With Clon sent outside, Briscoe loads up the chair but Clon starts flipping around. That just earns him a clothesline, followed by the dive off the apron. Clon manages to tie him up in the ring skirt though and a running dropkick sends us to a break.

We come back with Briscoe knocking him outside for the running flip dive. The snap jabs have Clon in trouble but he gets in a kick to the head. A brainbuster drops Clon again and the Froggy Bow connects for two. The Jay Driller is loaded up but Clon bounces out of it (I’m not sure if that was a no sell or a counter but it looked cool. Illogical but cool.) and knocks him outside. Back in and Briscoe rolls him up to retain at 11:18.

Rating: B-. Clon is fun to watch with his flips and such, but it feels like we’re just waiting around for Hologram to come back for their one big match. Otherwise, Clon feels like just another warm body for the Don Callis Family. That’s not exactly a great place to be, but at least he got to do something here.

Post match Briscoe says it’s an Open Challenge for Collision, but he’s tired of the Don Callis Family so no one from them. The lights go out and a beating heart is on screen. And it’s Tommaso Ciampa making his debut to quite the reception. We get the big staredown and the match is apparently set for Collision. Ciampa even kisses him on the cheek.

Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada have a meeting in the back, with Okada saying he wasn’t thinking when he took the screwdriver at World’s End. It was just about winning and he wasn’t trying to hurt Fletcher. That’s acceptable to Fletcher and they shake hands in peace.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Here is MJF for a chat. After asking Taz why they’re working in a dump like this, MJF gets cut off by Brody King. For some reason MJF calls him dumb and stupid before saying King needs to win something to get the title shot. MJF accuses King of following people around, such as Malachi Black with their spooky light tricks. Or Buddy Matthews with his scary name and his bad ankle.

Maybe King should follow MJF, who can use a big scary man, even if MJF has, quote, “never in my life have I met a liberal man who looks more like a nazi”, unquote. The reality is that to be World Champion, you need to be a leader rather than a follower, but he needs to beat someone. King agrees, which is why he has gotten an eliminator match against MJF for next week. If he wins, he gets a title shot in Australia.

Video on the Young Bucks’ issues and their rise back up, with their return next week. They were gone?

Women’s Title: Thekla vs. Kris Statlander

Thekla is challenging and slaps her in the face to start. That earns her a glare out to the floor and some chops back inside. Thekla hangs in the ropes to avoid a charge but Statlander knocks her outside without much trouble. A delayed vertical suplex drops Thekla on the floor and a catapult sends her into the steps. Statlander takes too long getting up though and is knocked outside, followed by a double stomp to the back as we take a break.

We come back with Thekla grabbing the headscissors choke in the ropes, which is countered with a reverse Alabama slam. A Falcon Arrow gives Statlander two and a running clothesline knocks Thekla silly again. The 450 is broken up and a spider suplex (Taz: “Black Widow Jones.”) sends Statlander crashing down.

She heads outside so Thekla can hit her with a big dive, only for Statlander to come back with a spear. Thekla spits in her face and pulls her into a Black Widow, which is broken up just as fast. A Stomp give Thekla two but she charges into a superkick. Thekla’s quick rollup gets two but Statlander gives her a gutwrench powerbomb and Staturday Night Fever to retain at 11:45.

Rating: B. This was an interesting case of the powerhouse having to figure Thekla out and get the win to retain. It worked well with Thekla being weird enough to offer Statlander a challenge but not being able to trip her up. I’m not sure who is next for the title but there should be a solid group of challengers available.

Post match the Babes Of Wrath come out to celebrate but Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford are there for the staredown.

Don Callis wants the Family to bring him some gold. However, he does want Konosuke Takeshita to apologize to Kazuchika Okada. With Callis gone, Takeshita is not pleased with Fletcher forgiving Okada and walks away, leaving Fletcher worried.

Video on Jack Perry vs. Ricochet.

Earlier today, the Demand beat Perry up, with Ricochet trying to interview Perry at the same time.

Tag Team Titles: Davis And Doyle vs. FTR

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is defending. Doyle shoves Wheeler into the corner to start and then runs him over with some shoulders. Wheeler is able to send Davis into the corner for some clubberin but he’s right back with some chops. Davis and Doyle are sent outside, where Wheeler’s dive is easily cut off and we take a break.

We come back with Harwood and Davis chopping each other out until everything breaks down. FTR gets splashed in the corner until Doyle gets DDTed onto the apron. That leaves Davis to get belly to back superplexed into a top rope splash to give Wheeler two. Wheeler is knocked outside and Davis grabs a sleeper…but here are the Death Riders to clock Davis with a belt. The Shatter Machine retains the titles at 9:28.

Rating: B-. I’m worried about Doyle, who just disappeared after that DDT on the apron. Hopefully he’s not injured. Either way, this was another nice defense from FTR as they turned back a different kind of challengers. Again I’m not sure who is next for the titles, but in this case there aren’t as many ready to go challengers.

Orange Cassidy talks about dealing with Wheeler Yuta for five years now and even mocks Yuta’s beard. Yuta, with Marina Shafir, comes in to get in Cassidy’s face but Toni Storm evens things out. A mixed tag seems ready, with Cassidy and Storm tangoing away.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Swerve Strickland vs. Andrade El Idolo

Don Callis (of course) is on commentary (of course) and the winner faces Kenny Omega next week. Andrade grabs a headlock, which doesn’t last long, as Swerve is up for the forearm off. They both trade flips away from headscissors and the fans approve. Swerve takes him down and Andrade begs him to come off the ropes, with Swerve sending him outside instead.

Back up and Swerve gets whipped into the steps and we pause for Andrade to hit on….well it’s supposed to be a fan but that would be independent wrestler Jazmin Allure. We take a break and come back with Andrade cutting off a comeback, followed by the double moonsault for two. Swerve pulls him off the top though and it’s a Death Valley Driver onto the apron. They fight onto the barricade, with Swerve getting backdropped hard onto the edge, which has the fans feeling his pain.

Both of them dive back in at nine and Andrade fires off some forearms but the DM is blocked. The spinning back elbow drops Swerve (Callis: “We worked on that one all week.” Schiavone: “Oh for crying out loud.”) but the double knees are countered with the House Call for a rather near fall. A super poisonrana sends Swerve into the corner for the running knees, followed by the hammerlock DDT for two. Big Pressure is countered so Swerve hits the House Call, only to get pulled into the DM to give Andrade the pin at 14:51.

Rating: B. Giving Swerve’s first pinfall loss since his return to Andrade is certainly a way to go, though egads it means having to hear from Callis even more. Swerve will be around the World Title picture sooner than later as he pretty much has to be, though he might have to work to get back there for awhile. I’m assuming Omega beats Andrade next week, as the idea of putting any kind of long term faith in Andrade sounds a bit misguided.

MJF is ready for Brody King next week but Kenny Omega comes up to say it’s one more win and then they’ll see each other at Revolution. MJF walks off and runs into Andrade, who wants the title. That’s enough to send MJF outside, where Hangman Page is waiting on him. MJF gets in his car and has the driver speed off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I liked the show and they did a nice job of not making this feel like a skippable show on the way to the bigger shows. Having so many people come after the World Title is a good way to go, assuming it doesn’t set up some multiman match. There are some openings for the title pictures and that’s a nice place to be on the way to the next pay per view. Good show here, and hopefully they keep it up for the next few weeks.

Results
Kenny Omega b. Rocky Romero – One Winged Angel
Jon Moxley b. Ace Austin – Death Rider
Mark Briscoe b. El Clon – Rollup
Kris Statlander b. Thekla – Staturday Night Fever
FTR b. Davis And Doyle – Shatter Machine to Davis
Andrade El Idolo b. Swerve Strickland – DM

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

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

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

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

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

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

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

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

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

Samoa Joe vs. Mike Bailey

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

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

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

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

We run down the rest of the card.

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

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

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

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

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

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

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

FTR vs. Alec Price/Jordan Oliver

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

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

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

Kenny Omega vs. Josh Alexander

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

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

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

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

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

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

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Timeless Love Bombs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Swerve Strickland vs. Kevin Knight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Angelico vs. Andrade El Idolo

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

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

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

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

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Ortiz/Eddie Kingston

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

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

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

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

Zayda Steel vs. Marina Shafir

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

Don Callis Family vs. SkyFlight

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

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

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

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

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

Jack Perry vs. Anthony Bowens

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

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

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

Post match Perry chases Ricochet to the back.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Trios Titles: JetSpeed/Hangman Page vs. Opps

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

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

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

Swerve Strickland comes out to watch to end the show.

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

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

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

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

Dynamite
Date: January 7, 2026
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re in a new year and we have quite a long way to go before we get to Revolution in March. That’s why tonight is focused on something other than the World Title, as Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland team up to face the Opps in a Lights Out match. Other than that, Jon Moxley is facing Shelton Benjamin so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Jim Ross comes back, which is a great thing to see. Hopefully it’s a great

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

ley in trouble, including a German suplex. A second attempt is countered into a ram into the steps though and Moxley takes over on the arm back inside.

We take a break and come back with Benjamin running the ropes for a butterfly superplex. They forearm it out until Moxley goes to the eye but the bulldog choke is blocked. A big clothesline drops Benjamin but Moxley needs a breather as well. Benjamin snaps off some German suplexes until Moxley gets in a cutter. Moxley hammers away in the corner until something like a standing STF cuts him off.

Benjamin is sent outside for a dive from Moxley and they head back inside, where Moxley charges into Paydirt for two. Back up and Moxley blocks a kick and grabs the Paradigm Shift for two more. We have a minute left as Moxley gets the bulldog choke. That’s broken up and Benjamin hits a running knee, followed by a triangle choke. Moxley is in trouble but drives forward to stack Benjamin up for the pin at 19:54.

Rating: B+. These guys having a good match isn’t a surprise, though I could have gone with something other than Benjamin losing clean in his first big singles match. It makes sense for Moxley to get another tough win under his (Continental) belt, but dang Benjamin losing is a bit frustrating. Hopefully he gets to do something on his own, as he has earned it.

Darby Allin is looking for Pac.

We look at Hiroshi Tanahashi losing to Kazuchika Okada in Tanahashi’s retirement match.

Video on Kenny Omega wanting a shot at MJF.

Jack Perry/??? vs. The Demand

This was supposed to be JetSpeed, but Perry has replacements in the form of….the Young Bucks. It’s a brawl to start with the villains being sent outside for a dive from Nick. Perry adds a moonsault from the top to the floor, followed by a spear to Ricochet. Back in and the Bucks take over on Ricochet, with Matt’s triangle choke over the ropes setting up Perry’s diving DDT.

Kaun grabs Perry’s foot though and Ricochet adds a jumping knee to the back to send him outside. Perry gets Pounced into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break. We come back with Perry clotheslining his way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to Nick. Everything breaks down and the Bucks clean house with superkicks, plus a slingshot Canadian Destroyer to Ricochet.

The top rope double stomp to the back flips Ricochet into a sitout powerbomb for two but Liona is back in with a triple Samoan drop (ok not bad). Ricochet’s springboard 450 gets two on Perry, who flips over him and hits a German suplex. An assisted wheelbarrow cutter drops Perry for two but the Spirit Gun misses. A bunch of superkicks put Liona down and a BTE Trigger into the running knee gives Perry the pin on Ricochet at 13:11.

Rating: B. Are we sure being the National Champion is a good thing? That’s another loss for the champ since he won the belt and I’m really not sure how much sense it makes. At the very least, he still might have to deal with Bandido, who beat him a few weeks ago. Odds are this sets up Perry for another title shot, even though we covered that last week.

Post match the Don Callis Family runs in to lay out the Bucks. The banged up JetSpeed run in for the save but the lights go out…and Andrade El Idolo is back. FTR comes out for a staredown as well. So Doyle debuts under a new name, attacks JetSpeed off camera, and isn’t even the only member of the team introduced in the first hour? Nice job guys.

Here is Willow Nightingale for her championship celebration, with Harley Cameron and Kris Statlander joining her. Nightingale says this is the first step in the double champ tour (as the lights go out and they get a spotlight) and is proud to be back with her title and friends. She’ll face any challenger for any title, but she knows that since this is wrestling, someone is going to interrupt sooner or later.

Nightingale invites Mercedes Mone out here so cue Mone, apparently in mourning. She lists off Mone’s accomplishments in 2025, which made beating her that much better. Nightingale offers cake but Mone wrecks everything, eventually going into and onto the cake. That’s a classic and it still works.

Mark Briscoe has been sitting on the sidelines too long and he’s ready to face Hechicero for the title. His crystal ball is telling him that the title isn’t going anywhere, just like Willow Nightingale’s titles.

The Triangle Of Madness want Kris Statlander and the Babes Of Wrath, even if they know the alliance isn’t lasting long.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Sammy Guevara vs. Bandido

Non-title. Guevara works on the arm to start before a kick to the face sends Bandido to the ropes. The charge misses though and Guevara falls out to the floor. It’s too early for a dive though as Bandido kicks him in the head from the apron. Guevara spits something into Bandido’s eyes though and a tornado DDT on the floor takes us to a break.

We come back with Bandido firing off some chops before they trade running clotheslines in the corner. A spinning high crossbody puts Guevara down and the one armed gorilla press does it again. Guevara is sent outside for the big running flip dive but he’s able to monkey flip Bandido into the ropes back inside. The shooting star to the floor hits Bandido again but the GTH is blocked. The 21 Plex is cut off with a springboard cutter and they trade shots to the face. Guevara’s flipping DDT gets two but Bandido knees him in the face again. The 21 Plex gives Bandido the pin at 11:46.

Rating: B-. Fun match as expected, though I still have no idea why this needed to be a reigning Ring Of Honor champion taking the loss. Bandido has now beaten both champions in the spin of a week and I don’t get why. There are so many other options available but this is what we get because…reasons.

Post match MJF comes in to interrupt and says he knows more about lucha libre than anyone else. He’s even brought out a translator (Jon Cruz) to explain things so there is nothing missed. Cruz gets in Bandido’s face and yells about MJF’s accomplishments before MJF brings up being a six time winner of the Dynamite Diamond Ring.

He wants the ring back from Bandido and they can just skip the World Title match next week, which isn’t in doubt anyway. Bandido says he can speak English and calls MJF a stupid son of a b****. MJF kicks him low and takes the ring back but the big shot hits Cruz. Bandido gets the ring back and hits a pair of 21 Plexes.

Video on Brody King.

Marina Shafir vs. Toni Storm

They go with the grappling to start until Storm gets taken down for a leglock. Some hair mares drop Shafir though and a running hip attack sends her outside. Storm stops to yell at the Death Riders though and gets caught in a triangle choke. We take a break and come back with Shafir knocking her down again, followed by the mock dancing.

A forearm to the back keeps Storm in trouble and another dance sets up a forearm to the face. Storm kicks her down and loads up the hip attack in the corner, only to get kicked down again. A headbutt staggers Shafir again though and Storm grabs a small package, only for the Death Riders to pull the referee for the DQ at 7:57.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time to do anything here, with the break in the middle eating up a bunch of the match. The ending was a smart move too, as you don’t want either of these two taking a fall. This probably isn’t over, likely with Orange Cassidy getting involved on Storm’s side.

Post match Storm gets laid out again, with Mina Shirakawa running in and getting dropped as well. Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong come in for the save, with Cassidy grabbing both women (he’s hardcore).

Pac has already beaten Darby Allin twice but Allin comes in to say he wants to do this one more time. That’s a no, so Allin sprays him with a fire extinguisher and teases breaking Pac’s ankle, which is enough to get him to accept the match.

Swerve Strickland/Hangman Page vs. Opps

Lights Out, so anything goes and the fight starts with the lights rather dim. The Opps take over early with Hobbs grabbing a chair. The big shot misses though and Swerve gets in a kick from the apron, leaving Hook alone. Page moonsaults off the top onto Hobbs and Swerve Death Valley Drivers Hook onto the apron. Thankfully the lights come up so we can actually see, with Page grabbing the chain but getting taken down by Hobbs. Hook catches Swerve with a suplex off the apron and we take a break (two minutes into the overrun).

We come back with Page getting suplexed through a table in the corner for two and Hook wedged a chair in the corner. Hobbs goes into it (of course) and it’s time to staple Hook’s torso. A short powerbomb drops Hook again and Swerve staples his way out of Hobbs’ suplex. It’s time to bust out the cinder blocks, which takes way too long so Hobbs is back with some chair shots. Prince Nana saves Swerve from a Conchairto and Swerve tries a guillotine.

That’s reversed into a World’s Strongest Slam onto the blocks but cue the Opps Dojo to jump Page. The good guys get tied together with the chain but Nana throws his coffee into Hobbs’ eyes. Page and Swerve flip out of the chain and Hobbs hits Hook by mistake. The Buckshot Lariat is cut off with a spinebuster but Swerve gives Hobbs the House Call.

A Swerve Stomp to the floor drops the Dojo and another Stomp into the Deadeye drops Hobbs onto the blocks. That leaves Hook to get dropped with a headbutt, followed by a rolling elbow with a chain. There’s the House Call (JR: “Now get it over with will ya?”) into a Buckshot Lariat into the choke over the ropes for the tap at 19:50.

Rating: B. This was the standard AEW hardcore based match and that went well enough. It came at the end of an even longer than usual show, but there was pretty much no way the Opps were going to be a serious threat. As usual, Hook was there to take the fall and Hobbs looked like a monster. Now maybe, I don’t know, do something with Hobbs already.

Overall Rating: B+. The opener and main event were both good, though dang this show felt every bit of its length, plus the eighteen minute overrun. That’s just something you have to expect from AEW though, so it’s not even worth getting mad about anymore. Next week’s show should be worth a look with Bandido vs. MJF, and then we’ll get to see where things are heading for Revolution. Good show here, but cut the time down a bit.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Shelton Benjamin – Rollup
Young Bucks/Jack Perry b. The Demand – Running knee to Ricochet
Bandido b. Sammy Guevara – 21 Plex
Toni Storm b. Marina Shafir via DQ when the Death Riders interfered
Hangman Page/Swerve Strickland b. Opps – Choke with a chain over the ropes to Hook

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

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

Collision
Date: January 3, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the start of another residency as Collision will be here for a few weeks at least. That can make for some interesting crowd reactions but at least this seemed to be a pretty nice venue the first time around. Hopefully that is the case here again as we’re starting with Darby Allin vs. Wheeler Yuta. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Timeless Love Bombs, Dante Martin, Shelton Benjamin and Darby Allin are ready to fight.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Clon vs. Angelico

Angelico works on the arm to start and they trade legsweeps, allowing Clon to pose. A running clothesline drops Angelico and a step up moonsault gives Clon two. They trade chops until Clon hits a Pele kick, followed by a torture rack bomb (ala Hologram) for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to do much here, but Clon did look good. I’m not sure how long it’s going to be before Hologram gets back, but it should make for a pretty awesome showdown if they do it right. For now though, they did a nice job to start the anticipation, with Clon having a dominant debut.

Post match Clon stomps on Angelico’s partner Serpentico but Komander runs in for the save.

Jon Moxley talks about how you get something special out of the Continental Classic and the title has a very high price tag. He’s getting ready to face Shelton Benjamin on Dynamite and while there is pretty much nothing he does better than Benjamin, it’s going to take a lot more than hurting him.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Timeless Love Bombs vs. Hyan/Maya World

Shirakawa and World start things off with Shirakawa getting in a bit of dancing. World gets taken down and it’s quickly off to Storm vs. Hyan. The Bombs start taking turns beating on Hyan, with Storm dropping Shirakawa onto her for two. A running hip attack sends Hyan outside and Shirakawa hits a big dive to take them both out on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Shirakawa being dropped onto World’s knees for two. That doesn’t seem to do much though as Shirakawa gets over to Storm for the house cleaning. A bulldog into a basement dropkick cuts Storm off though and a Blockbuster/Russian legsweep combination gets two. Shirakawa comes back in with a double missile dropkick and Storm hits the running hip attack. Storm Zero finishes World at 9:07.

Rating: B-. World and Hyan are starting to get a bit more comfortable around here and that’s nice to see. They’re a fine team to add to the division and while they have a long way to go, it’s better than nothing. At the very least, the keep the bigger teams from losing important matches so nice job on bringing in some extra names.

Post match respect is shown but the entrances for the next match cut off the Bombs’ celebration.

Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne vs. Rache Chanel/Londyn Dior

Points for the themed jobber names. Shafir strikes Dior down to start and it’s quickly off to Bayne for the shoulders in the corner. Everything breaks down and Chanel is Fate’s Descented into Mother’s Milk (Shafir: “Give it to me baby.”) for the tap at 1:27.

The Don Callis Family beat up some jobbers in the back and Josh Alexander gives Hechicero a pep talk.

Komander vs. Hechicero

For a TNT Title shot. Hechicero wastes no time in pulling him down into la majistral for two, with Komander getting his own rollup for the same. They trade cradles into a near fall into a standoff but Komander sends him outside. Back in and Hechicero takes him into the corner, where Komander comes out with a rather springboardy hurricanrana. Komander sends him outside again and tries a slingshot hurricanrana, which is countered into a toss powerbomb into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Komander kicking away but getting rolled into a bow and arrow. That’s switched into an armbar to keep Komander in trouble but he gets to the rope. Hechicero hits the arm and he falls outside, with Komander hitting the big rope walk dive. Back in and a sunset bomb gives Komander two but Hechicero is back with the swinging hammerlock backbreaker. Komander gets in a knockdown of his own and goes up, only for Clon to run in and shove him off the top. Hechicero hits a running knee, followed by a spinning arm trap rollup for the win at 13:36.

Rating: B. Much like the opener (albeit a good bit longer), this was an entertaining match between two people who know how to do this style. Hechicero winning makes for a better match for Mark Briscoe anyway, as he already has the whole ordeal with the Don Callis Family. As usual Komander is good for a solid match even in defeat and this was fun stuff.

Max Caster and Anthony Bowens are on assignments to build them up as a team, including saying nice things about each other and going on a scavenger hunt. It doesn’t work well as they keep getting in arguments, with Caster using a bunch of hand sanitizer.

Here are Eddie Kingston and Ortiz for a chat. After Kingston acknowledges two birthday fans in the crowd (that’s a nice touch), Kingston thanks Ortiz for keeping him from quitting this company over and over. They’re coming for the Grizzled Young Veterans, but Kingston keeps getting mad at Tony Schiavone for not holding the mic up (Kingston: “Flair must have hated you.”).

Big Bill and Bryan Keith laugh off the idea of Kingston having someone to watch his back. For now though, they want to take out JetSpeed, as someone has put a bounty on JetSpeed. Commentary thinks it’s Don Callis.

JetSpeed vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith

Bailey and Keith start things off with Bailey elbowing him down. Keith cuts off a tag attempt though and everything breaks down, with Keith being sent outside. Some kicks put Bill on the floor but he’s back in with a swinging Boss Man Slam to Bailey. Eye gouging on the floor has Bailey in more trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Bill missing some charges in the corner, allowing the tag off to Bailey. The comeback doesn’t last long though as Bill kicks him in the face, with Knight having to make the save. Stereo dives take the villains down again but Keith strikes away at Bailey for two. Bailey kicks Keith down though and the UFO Splash finishes for Knight at 12:04.

Rating: C+. Nice tag match here, though it’s frustrating to see Knight and Bill brought back just to take another loss. At the same time, at least it was to a team like JetSpeed, who already have some success together. It’s a fine enough match and JetSpeed can do the high flying thing rather well, with Knight being a treat to watch.

The Grizzled Young Veterans are ready to fight Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, including threats to Kingston’s knee.

Video on the Hangman Page/Swerve Strickland vs. the Opps, setting up Wednesday’s lights out match.

Dante Martin vs. Shelton Benjamin

Christopher Daniels and MVP are here too. Benjamin shrugs off a lariat to start so Martin goes with a takedown instead. That’s enough to send Benjamin outside, only to have Benjamin come back in with a hard shoulder. Martin tries to go up top but gets knocked off to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Martin diving into a backbreaker and we see that Martin ignored a chance to walk out during the break, even asking if Benjamin’s mother raised a b****. A suplex sends Martin flying and the superkick finishes him off at 10:44.

Rating: C. This was pretty much an extended squash and that’s what it should have been with Benjamin set for his big match with Moxley next week. Benjamin is someone who has quite the reputation and has been treated seriously in AEW, so it wasn’t much of a step up to the next level. I’m rather pleased that he smashed through Martin like this, as that’s what makes perfect sense in this case.

Post match MVP asks for some applause for Martin and Benjamin shakes his hand, allowing Martin to leave in peace. With Martin gone, MVP talks about how Jon Moxley is a tough man, but Benjamin is different. Benjamin is going to hurt Moxley. This match has me intrigued.

Sammy Guevara is tired of the wrong people getting chances and wants to be World Champion. Bandido comes up and says he can have a shot.

Tony Schiavone reads a statement from Stokley Hathaway, who was injured at Worlds End and is at the Vivian Banks Medical Center, where he has over $400,000 worth of bills. See Tony Schiavone, who has nothing to do after the show but drink, to help pay them off.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Darby Allin vs. Wheeler Yuta

Jon Moxley is on commentary. Allin knocks Yuta to the floor to start, where a Marina Shafir distraction lets Yuta get in a cheap shot. Back in and Allin dropkicks him into the corner but Yuta gets in a backdrop to send Allin face first down. We take a break and come back with Allin hitting a springboard elbow but Shafir interferes again.

This time it’s enough to get an ejection but here is Toni Storm (Moxley: “SHE’S NUTS!”) to cut her off. Daniel Garcia joins us at ringside as Yuta gets a Scorpion Deathlock. That’s escaped so Yuta catapults him into the corner, with Allin coming back with a double stomp. The Coffin Drop connects for two, as Allin pulls him up and grabs the Scorpion for the tap at 11:40.

Rating: B-. The match didn’t feel overly important, though I did get a solid laugh out of Moxley’s reaction to Storm. Allin making relatively quick work of Yuta is fine, as he gets to move on to his requested match with Pac. It works well enough for a Collision main event, which is often the case for Allin.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where it was more about setting things up for later rather than what happened here. That’s a fine way to go, as the upcoming Dynamite is feeling like a major show. Sometimes you need a show like this to get things ready and it worked well enough. It’s not a show that you should go out of your way to watch, but there is far worse wrestling to spend two hours watching.

Results
Clon b. Angelico – Torture rack bomb
Timeless Love Bombs b. Hyan/Maya World – Storm Zero to World
Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne b. Rache Chanel/Londyn Dior – Mother’s Milk to Chanel
Hechicero b. Komander – Arm trap rollup
Shelton Benjamin b. Dante Martin – Superkick
Darby Allin b. Wheeler Yuta – Scorpion Deathlock

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

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

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

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

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gold League Standings

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blue League Standings

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

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

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

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

Blue League Standings

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

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

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

Worlds End rundown.

Video on Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter.

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

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

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

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

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

Gold League Standings

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

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

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

Babes Of Wrath vs. Maya World/Hyan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blue League Standings

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

Video on the World Title match at Worlds End.

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

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

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

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

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

Gold League Standings

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

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

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

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

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

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