Rampage
Date: February 23, 2024
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re almost to Revolution and as usual with this show, it could mean almost anything. I’m not sure what to expect around here, though there will likely be a nice mixture of different things. That tends to be the formula for Rampage, though you never can tell what you’re going to get. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Matt Sydal/Private Party vs. Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander/Bryan Keith vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

One fall to a finish and Sydal/Andretti get things going. Sydal takes him down with some headlocks to start but Andretti runs the corner for a wristdrag. Darius comes in and gets kicked in the face for his efforts so it’s off to Keith, who is forearmed by Quen. Penta and Quen have a big staredown but Dante tags himself in before things can get physical. Komander rope walks into a springboard armdrag (seems like a lot of work for the payoff) and we hit the parade of people hitting one move before being knocked down.

We take a break and come back with Dante elbowing Private Party down and hitting a springboard high crossbody for two. Everything breaks down and Dante hits a big dive onto the floor, leaving Sydal to hit a top rope Meteora to Komander on the apron. Back in and Penta counters the Gin and Juice into a middle rope Canadian Destroyer and Komander is launched over the top to take down a bunch of people. That leaves Penta to Fear Factor Sydal for the pin at 11:31.

Rating: B-. This is one of those matches where it’s all about the flipping and the diving and nothing at all about a coherent match. They kept things a bit more structured at first and then went completely nuts, with everyone hitting a bunch of big moves. For a match that felt important it was a waste of time, but as a total spectacle, it was a fun time.

Saraya freaks out that Ruby Soho is on a date with Angelo Parker but has good news: her brother Zak Knight is ALL ELITE. Saraya: “THIS COULD HAVE BEEN YOURS RUBY!” Harley Cameron: “LOOK AT HIM! HE’S HOT! I mean her whole family is hot. Look at daddy. And mommy. And you.” Saraya sprays her down with the water bottle, says things are about to get spicy around here, and gives Cameron a quick spank as they leave. That went in a direction.

Young Bucks vs. Jonny Lyons/Cappuccino Jones

Nick hammers on Lyons to start and hands it off to Matt for an elbow to the face. Jones comes in and gets dropped by a DDT, followed by a heck of a discus lariat. A top rope Meltzer Driver (now dubbed the Tony Khan Driver) finishes for Matt at 1:18.

Post match Nick threatens the referee with a fine for improper name use. Tony Schiavone is called into the ring, with Nick saying it was an accident when he tripped into Schiavone. They even give him a $25 Amazon gift card. The fine will NOT be rescinded though and now they are ready to beat up Darby Allin and Sting at Revolution.

Post break Schiavone is still in the ring and brings in Sammy Guevara for a chat. Guevara isn’t happy with what Don Callis said about him, or Powerhouse Hobbs putting him through a table. Hobbs is a force on his own and doesn’t need Don Callis, but it’s too late for now. Guevara calls out Hobbs but gets Callis instead. Cue Hobbs from behind but Guevara cuts him off instead. Some chair shots have Hobbs staggered….until Sammy tries the GTH and gets laid out as a result.

Skye Blue isn’t happy with Stokely Hathaway but Julia Hart interrupts. Hart promises to dig graves for Hathaway, Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander, but Blue wants someone to step up.

Anna Jay vs. Mariah May

May takes her up against the ropes to start and hits a chop against the ropes before doing it again in the corner. We take a break and come back with Jay catching her on top and pulling May back down for two. May knees her in the face but has to break out of the Queenslayer. Jay’s backbreaker gets two and the Queenslayer goes n. May actually bites her way out and hits May Day for the pin at 7:47.

Rating: C. And that’s a women’s match on Rampage. It’s what they do almost every week, to the point where I was just waiting for the commercial. May getting a win is nice to see as she is still relatively unproven in the ring around here. At the same time, this is what Jay does: gets heated up by a win or two, loses two or three in a row, starts the cycle over. I get that AEW wants her to be a thing, but she has to break this cycle if that is ever going to happen.

Angelo Parker and Ruby Soho had a nice date but Soho says it’s clear Saraya needs her instead of the other way around. When Soho starts talking about Parker, it gets serious. So next week, let’s just have everyone out there at once to deal with it. Parker: “You’re very hot when you’re mad.” They’re off for a drink.

Jake Hager vs. Roderick Strong

Hager has the Tulsa Drillers’ mascot with him while Strong has the Kingdom. Strong chops him to no avail so Hager glares him out to the floor. Back in and Hager fires off some much harder chops in the corner but has to chase Strong outside. Hager plants him down for two and we take an early break. Back with Strong hitting a knee to the face and grabbing an Angle Slam for two.

The mascot tries to play cheerleader and gets scared off by the Kingdom. A confetti cannon just annoys the Kingdom so here is Orange Cassidy to…throw Hager his hat. We now remember that there is a match going on as Hager cleans house. The Vader Bomb gets two and a Doctor Bomb sets up the ankle lock. Strong kicks his way out and the Kingdom offers a distraction. That’s enough for the jumping knee to finish Hager at 10:17.

Rating: C+. Maybe it was being at home or something, but Hager was feeling it here and put in one of his better showings in a good while. At the same time, Strong needed the win to help get him ready for Cassidy at the pay per view. Having him get beaten up for the better part of ten minutes didn’t help that, but the story has enough issues so far.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, this felt like the C show but the action we got was good enough. They covered quite a few things and did well with most of it, though very little of it feels like it will make a big impact. Saraya and Soho’s segments were good and the opener was wild, which should be enough to get you through most of this show.

Results
Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander/Bryan Keith b. Top Flight/Action Andretti and Matt Sydal/Private Party – Fear Factor to Sydal
Young Bucks b. Jonny Lyons/Cappuccino Jones – Tony Khan Driver to Jones
Mariah May b. Anna Jay – May Day
Roderick Strong b. Jake Hager – Jumping knee

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: February 9, 2024
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re still in Arizona and there is a heck of a crowd for the show this week. That alone should make the energy that much better and everything else should be fine. Rampage has quite the success rate, if nothing else for the sake of the show having so little pressure involved. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta vs. Kingdom/Roderick Strong

The fight starts in the aisle and Cassidy even throws the sunglasses at Strong to show how serious he is. Then he puts his hands in his pockets to take care of that. Cue Adam Cole and Wardlow to watch as Trent takes out Bennett’s legs to start. Taven comes in and gets draped over the top, setting up a top rope knee to the back.

It’s off to Strong, who gets German suplexed for his efforts. Trent finally gets pulled into the corner so the beating can be on, including a suplex from Bennett. Taven’s top rope splash misses though and it’s Cassidy coming in with a high crossbody. The tornado DDT plants Taven but Bennett is back with a spinebuster to put Cassidy down. Everything breaks down until Taven kicks Cassidy down to block the Orange Punch.

We take a break and come back with a low blow cutting Cassidy down and the Hail Mary getting two. The powerbomb/Zig Zag combination hits Trent but he rolls outside before a cover. Instead the Kingdom goes after Romero, who is right back in for a big dive. Back in and Romero hits the Forever Clotheslines but Strong cuts him off with the End of Heartache for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. This was the match to help set up Cassidy vs. Strong for the International Title at Revolution, which brings up the bigger problem: the match is almost a month away. The match was set up really far in advance and that doesn’t make for the best setup. I’m not sure how the match is going to go, but I’m also worried about how the story is going to go on the way there.

Post match Romero is sent through a bunch of chairs to make it even worse.

We look at Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland going to a time limit draw on Dynamite, meaning they both get a shot at Samoa Joe for the World Title at Revolution.

Young Bucks vs. Mondo Rox/Robbie Lit

The Bucks are still in their bloodstained white suits from Dynamite. Matt runs over Lit to start and stomps away in the corner. Nick comes in with a Blockbuster into a backbreaker and doesn’t even lose his hat on the way down (that’s talent). A Matt distraction lets Nick get in a low blow and the EVP Trigger finishes at 2:11.

Post match the Bucks say they want more respect and congratulate Sting and Darby Allin for winning the Tag Team Titles. Sting and Allin are apparently banged up though and the Bucks are thinking of them. That being said, they still want the titles back and they are going to play by the rules to get there.

Video on Tomohiro Ishii.

Mistico vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal offers respect while Menard goes on a rant about how AEW has to fight to feed their families when other companies are invading. Mistico snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor and naturally follows with a dive. Another dive is cut off though and Sydal grabs a bow and arrow. A standing corkscrew backsplash gets two on Mistico and we take a break.

Back with Sydal hitting a jumping knee to the face and an Air Raid Crash gets two. They strike it out with Mistico getting the better of things but Sydal gets his boots up to block a moonsault. Mistico snaps off a powerslam though and they’re both down. They go up top and Mistico grabs a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C+. They had to give the CMLL guys a few more wins after they’ve lost their big matches to the Blackpool Combat Club. It’s not exactly a huge win but Mistico got to showcase himself a little bit and that’s a good thing to see. I’m still not sure how long this feud can go on, but you can almost guarantee that some AEW stars will wind up in Arena Mexico at some point out of all this.

Brian Cage issues a challenge for a handicap match on Collision to show he’s better than Hook.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander vs. Saraya/Ruby Soho

Stokely Hathaway is on commentary and Harley Cameron is at ringside. Soho looks at a note in her pocket on the way to the ring but doesn’t want the others to see it. Statlander headlocks Saraya over to start and nails her with a basement dropkick. Soho comes in and gets armdragged down as Excalibur rapid fires off things coming on Collision.

Nightingale’s fisherman’s suplex gets two on Soho and Statlander runs her over with a shoulder. Some running backsplashes in the corner connect but Saraya pulls Nightingale off the ropes as we take a break. Back with Nightingale hitting a big boot and the double tag bringing in Statlander and Soho.

Statlander’s powerslam gets two as everything breaks down. Saraya knees Statlander down for two but accidentally hits Soho. Statlander is back up to drop Saraya for two and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same. Saraya tries to get over to Soho….who drops to the floor and walks out (including decking Cameron on the way). The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Saraya at 10:38 as Soho watches.

Rating: C. This was a match for the sake of an angle and there’s nothing wrong with that. Soho has been having issues with the team for weeks now and the whole note in her pocket should make things more interesting. It’s not like the Outcasts have been doing much in recent weeks anyway so having Soho walk away is the best choice.

Post match Skye Blue comes out to stare down Nightingale and Statlander. Then the lights go out and Julia Hart is next to Blue. The lights go out again and they vanish to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Yeah this was ok. That’s just slightly below average for Rampage as it’s a show that takes an hour, has about one or two things that feel like they might matter and then we move on to the important shows. While it might not be the most important show, it’s the kind of show that you can watch without needing some deep backstory and have a good time. It worked well and goes by quickly, which is a nice change after how intense Dynamite and Collision tend to be.

Results
Kingdom/Roderick Strong b. Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta – End of Heartache to Romero
Young Bucks b. Mondo Rox/Robbie Lit – EVP Trigger to Lit
Mistico b. Matt Sydal – Super Spanish Fly
Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander b. Saraya/Ruby Soho – Babe With The Powerbomb to Saraya

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: February 2, 2024
Location: UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re about a month away from Revolution and the card started to get bigger over the last few days. This week has its own issues though, as we have a mini invasion from CMLL. The four visitors will be facing a group of AEW stars tonight on their way to a showdown with the Blackpool Combat Club next week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Top Flight vs. Private Party

Rematch from last month where Private Party cheated to win and Action Andretti is here with Top Flight. Dante and Quen start things off with Dante taking over and handing it off to Darius. A double leg trip and stereo kicks to the chest set up an assisted DDT for two on Quen. The front facelock keeps Quen in trouble but he dropkicks his way to freedom and brings Zay in.

Zay cleans house and steals a crown from a fan as he takes over on Darius. Andretti tries to come in but gets held back as we take a break. Back with Darius hitting an enziguri and diving over for the tag to Dante so the pace can pick up. Zay fights his way back in though and it’s the Silly String into a shooting star press for two on Dante. Darius cuts Zay off though and Dante’s spinning half nelson slam finishes Quen at 9:53.

Rating: B-. You pretty much know what you’re getting with these teams and that was on display here. They flew around, did their dives and double teaming and then Top Flight won to even the series. Odds are we’ll see a third match here and the winners will move up in the title rankings, but it won’t matter unless one of them is a pretty clear winner.

Sammy Guevara is back and ready to take care of his family, which means he’s coming for Powerhouse Hobbs.

Jeff Jarrett and company are annoyed at Jay Lethal for being late for a workout. Lethal comes in and says he’s ready to go but no one else wants to get in the ring, so Jeff Jarrett says he’s running the meeting next week.

Ricky Starks/Big Bill vs. Dark Order

Non-title and Darby Allin is on commentary. The Dark Order go right after the champs to start and the fans do not like bad things happening to Starks, the hometown boy. A poewrbomb onto raised knees gets two on Starks but Silver gets taken into the wrong corner. That’s broken up and it’s Reynolds coming in to clean house. Bill gets sent outside for some dives but is fine enough to hit a Boss Man Slam back inside. Starks comes back in and gets to clean some house, including the dancing Old School. Roshambo finishes Silver at 5:41.

Rating: C. This was nothing more than a way to get Starks in the ring in front of his hometown crowd for a nice win. It did exactly that and they didn’t waste time in getting there. I’m glad the champs didn’t have much trouble against a team like the Dark Order, who have been presented fairly strongly in the past despite not winning much of anything.

Don Callis and Powerhouse Hobbs don’t think much of Sammy Guevara and promise to take him out like they did to Chris Jericho.

Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata

Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway, the latter reluctantly holding a pro-Willow sign, are here with Nightingale. They fight over a wristlock to start until Nightingale runs her over with a shoulder. Some clotheslines put Aminata down again and a middle rope dropkick sends her outside. The backsplash off the apron misses though and Aminata points at her own head as we take a break. Back with Aminata hitting a running hip attack in the corner for two. Nightingale shrugs it off and hits the Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: C. The more I think about Aminata, the less interested I am. She’s been around for several matches in recent weeks, with commentary pointing out how active she has been. The problem with that is we still don’t know much about her. She’s some kind of royalty and she’s from Africa. I’m going to need more than that to go on and she hasn’t shown it yet.

Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends know that the Undisputed Kingdom are about to interrupt them so here is the Undisputed Kingdom to interrupt. A six man is set for next week on Rampage.

The Outcasts interrupt Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway and a match is made for next week.

Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal vs. Volador Jr./Mistico/Mascara Dorada/Hechicero

Dorada and Sydal start things off with Sydal snapping off a running hurricanrana. That doesn’t get him very far so it’s off to Volador to take over on Menard. Mistico and Daniels come in with the former hitting a handspring elbow into a crossbody for two. Daniels bails to the floor for a breather before being taken into the wrong corner back inside.

Dorada’s running shooting star press gets two with Sydal making the save. Back up and Dorada chops away at Daniels in the corner but Menard and Parker come in to clean house. Sydal’s standing moonsault gets two on Dorada and we hit the bow and arrow as we take a break. We come back with Dorada hurricanranaing/kicking his way out of freedom to bring in Hechicero.

The sleeper doesn’t work so well so Hechicero settles for a top rope clothesline. Everything breaks down and Daniels’ Koji Clutch is broken up. Mistico sends Menard and Parker to the floor so Volador can hit a dive. Dorada does the same, leaving Hechicero to roll Daniels up for the pin at 11:28.

Rating: B-. If you call this what it was, which was just a showcase for the luchadors, it went well. It’s certainly not a must see match but the four guys got in there and did their thing well enough. It’s not like they beat anyone of value so this was a perfectly serviceable match. I’m not really expecting the CMLL guys to be the next big thing here, but it was a fine choice to headline the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a “what do you want me to say” show as they had some good enough matches, the main event felt like something more than the rest of the card and some things were set up for next week. As is the case with Rampage, it’s nothing you need to go out of your way to see but it’s a good background noise show. Not a classic, but as usual, it’s hard to get that annoyed at an hour of decent wrestling.

Results
Top Flight b. Private Party – Spinning half nelson slam to Quen
Big Bill/Ricky Starks b. Dark Order – Roshambo to Silver
Willow Nightingale b. Queen Aminata – Babe With The Powerbomb
Volador Jr./Mistico/Mascara Dorada/Hechicero b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal – Rollup to Daniels

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: January 19, 2024
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Don Callis

There is some star power around this week as we have both Chris Jericho vs. Matt Sydal and Jeff Hardy vs. Darby Allin. The latter could be quite the showcase if both of them are capable of moving, while Jericho can face a talented opponent. I’m sure there will be some other stuff as well so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Jericho vs. Matt Sydal

The fans seem to be behind Jericho as he grabs a headlock to start. A hurricanrana takes Jericho down and a running clothesline puts him on the floor. Back in and Jericho runs Sydal over and chops away in the corner, setting up the Walls. The rope is grabbed so Jericho hits the triangle dropkick to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Sydal kicking away, including kicking Jericho out of the air. A standing moonsault gives Sydal two as Callis is screaming for Sydal to finish Jericho. Sydal dives into a Codebreaker (albeit not a great one) and Jericho hits an FU. The Lionsault lands on raised knees though and Sydal hits an Air Raid Crash for two of his own. Sydal hammers away in the corner but Jericho does the same, setting up the Judas Effect for the pin at 10:37.

Rating: B-. Perfectly watchable match here and it worked out well. At the very least, Jericho didn’t get booed out of the building so AEW might be able to call it a win right off the bat. Sydal is someone who isn’t going to be a breakout star but he is able to be put in the ring with just about anyone. That made him a good choice to face Jericho here and it worked pretty well.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out to go after Jericho. Christopher Daniels tries to help break it up and gets decked by Takeshita.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Anthony Henry

Penta hits him in the face to start and grabs a spinning Death Valley Driver for an early two. Made In Japan is broken up and Henry kicks him down for two of his own. They trade kicks to the legs with Henry getting the better of things. Penta suplexes him into the corner though and the Fear Factor finishes for Penta at 3:52.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere but it was still a nice win for Penta. That being said, I’m not sure why Penta needed a singles win as he’s mainly been in tag matches in recent months. At least they didn’t stay on it too long though, as this wasn’t exactly an interesting match in the first place.

Saraya and Ruby Soho are arguing when Harley Cameron comes in. Soho chokes her up against the wall and asks WHY HIM, with Cameron blaming Anna Jay for the idea. Soho is off to find Jay as Renee Paquette glares at Saraya.

Kris Statlander vs. Queen Aminata

Stokely Hathaway is here with Statlander (she doesn’t seem thrilled), who grabs a headlock to start. They trade legsweeps and rollups for two each until Statlander hits a running shoulder. Aminata grabs a snapmare into a kick to the back before a missed charge puts Statlander on the floor. Aminata hits a big dive to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Aminata’s hip attack and a kick to the head getting two. Aminata grabs a crossface but Statlander powers out. A discus lariat gives Statlander two of her own but a running knee misses in the corner. Aminata blasts her with a running knee against the ropes, only to have Statlander snap off a powerslam. A spinning fisherman’s driver finishes Aminata at 8:48.

Rating: C+. Aminata is getting into the Skye Blue territory of “ok, who else do you have”, as she’s popping up on multiple shows recently. She seems pretty good in the ring, but AEW has a tendency to run people into the ground at times. I’d hope they don’t do that here as she’s still new and over exposing her isn’t a good idea.

Post match Statlander does not seem pleased with Hathaway celebrating with him.

Jay Lethal is annoyed that Jeff Jarrett isn’t here for their talk. Lethal is glad in a way because he can get back to strong wrestling. Sonjay Dutt agrees: it’s time to get rid of Karen Jarrett. Lethal storms off, saying he might want singles gold.

Stokely Hathaway interrupts a Kris Statlander interview when Willow Nightingale comes in. Her travel arrangements were canceled and she seems to blame Hathaway. Statlander says they’ll figure this out and leaves, with Nightingale not being pleased with Statlander not shutting Hathaway down.

Darby Allin vs. Jeff Hardy

This is under relaxed rules. Allin starts fast and sends him outside for the big flip dive and a near fall inside. Hardy takes him to the floor this time and sends Allin over the announcers’ table before a double knockdown gives us a breather. Hardy misses Poetry In Motion from the steps to the barricade but Allin misses a dive and crashes onto the ramp.

We take a break and come back with Hardy hitting a sitout gordbuster. He puts Allin on the top, where a rake to the back and a super Code Red plants Hardy for two. They go up top again but this time Hardy hits a hanging neckbreaker onto the apron. It’s time for a table on the floor but Hardy misses the Swanton through said table. Back in and the Coffin Drop hits Hardy’s raised knees, only to have Allin grab a rollup for the pin at 13:45.

Rating: C+. Well, they certainly didn’t waste time here, but my goodness it’s hard to watch these two beating the fire out of each other like this knowing how banged up they both are. Then again, the two of them seem to be perfectly fine with breaking every bone they can so it’s not like they’re going to be stopped. Hardy on his own still feels like something of a star so having him put over someone like Allin over is a good move. But could they maybe, not try to kill themselves in the process?

Overall Rating: C+. This a slightly different version of Rampage as it had some bigger names, but it still felt like a show that was little more than some AEW stars having matches. You had some minor advancements from some stories but it’s definitely not a show that needs to be there. If you watch it you won’t be bored, though it’s completely skippable. Rampage could use its own identity and that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Matt Sydal – Judas Effect
Penta El Zero Miedo b. Anthony Henry – Fear Factor
Kris Statlander b. Queen Aminata – Spinning fisherman’s driver
Darby Allin b. Jeff Hardy – Rollup

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: January 20, 2024
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

The card is looking pretty good here as Jon Moxley is back after his recent New Japan matches. In this case he’ll be fighting Shane Taylor, which should be a heck of a showdown. Other than that, we have another Adam Copeland open challenge and that could go in a variety of directions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Shane Taylor vs. Jon Moxley

Lee Moriarty is here with Taylor. They slug it out to start with neither being able to get very far until Taylor knocks him into the corner. A hard chop brings Moxley down but he’s back up to trade chops. Taylor hits a running splash in the corner and he backdrops his way out of a piledriver attempt. They go outside with Moxley sending him into the steps as Nigel makes a joke about how Moxley is likely about to bleed.

Moriarty gets in a cheap shot though and Taylor grabs a chinlock back inside. Taylor misses the middle rope splash, allowing Moxley to grab a running cutter. The King Kong Lariat gives Moxley two but Taylor hits his own clothesline. Back up and they trade headbutts until Taylor hits a powerbomb, only to get pulled into a triangle choke. Taylor dead lifts his way out, only to have Moxley elbow him in the face. Back up and they slug it out until Moxley pulls him into the bulldog choke for the knockout at 9:37.

Rating: B. Sometimes you just need two guys to beat the fire out of each other and that’s what we had here. Moxley can hang in fights like this one and Taylor has the raw power to make his half work too. It was an entertaining slugout and Moxley gets to come back with a bang after a few weeks away.

Post match Moxley says this is going to be his year and if you want to be his opponent or teammate, you better keep up.

We look at Hook vs. Samoa Joe from Dynamite.

Adam Copeland vs. Dante Martin

Copeland grabs a headlock to start but Martin is back up with some leapfrogs into an armbar. Back up and Copeland manages to send him outside as we take an early break. Back with Copeland holding a headlock. Martin fights up but gets sent to the apron, where he has to fight out of a sunset bomb to the floor. A hurricanrana takes Copeland down as commentary thinks Martin’s balance and equilibrium are off.

Back in and the half nelson slam is broken up but Copeland misses the spear. Martin hits the Nose Dive for two as Copeland has to grab the rope. Commentary says Martin has vertigo (egads if true as that is a nightmare) as he goes up, only to get caught on top. Martin is fine enough to hit a sunset bomb for two but another springboard is speared out of the air. Copeland’s Grindhouse finishes at 11:51.

Rating: B. If Martin wrestled that match with vertigo, my goodness it’s an amazing performance. That is one of the nastiest conditions you can have and the idea of walking in a straight line, let alone wrestling a match, would be horrible. For now though, this was another match where Copeland got to go in there and have a good one against some younger star, which makes for some interesting situations. They’re not instant classics or anything, but Copeland wrestling a random wrestler once a week is not a bad idea whatsoever.

Post match Tony Schiavone gets in the ring to talk to Copeland, who wonders what he was thinking with these open challenge. He sees a bunch of young guys going after him instead of a veteran. They want to take a bite out of him and there’s a lot to eat. Copeland: “I’m a five course dinner. I don’t know what the h*** that means.” He’s coming for the TNT Title and he’ll be champion the next time he wrestles in this city.

Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli aren’t happy with losing to Eddie Kingston in the Continental Classic and want revenge in the main event.

Private Party interrupts Top Flight and Action Andretti so a match is set up.

Queen Aminata vs. Thunder Rosa

Feeling out process to start with Aminata grabbing an armbar and shaking her hips a bit for some mind games. They run the ropes until Aminata drops down, allowing Rosa to cradle her for two. Aminata hits a backbreaker for two and then drives some knees to the ribs. Rosa is fine enough to send her outside for a dropkick through the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Aminata kicking her in the back again, with Rosa’s eyes bugging out. Rosa is fine enough to strike away in the corner, setting up some running knees. A running dropkick against the ropes sets up a northern lights suplex for two but Aminata’s Air Raid Crash gets two. Rosa wins a kick off and grabs the Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 9:19.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of physical win that Rosa needed and Aminata put in a good showing. I liked the idea of focusing on Rosa’s recently injured back as it’s a simple yet effective way to go, but the break in the middle took away some of the momentum they were building. At the same time, Aminata has now had six televised matches (counting ROH) this month alone. It’s ok to hit the brakes on her a bit.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz are ready for Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli tonight. Kingston doesn’t have time for this.

Here is Bullet Club Gold, with Colten imitating the Rock’s catchphrase and Jay White talking about being glad to be back on Saturday. There is something missing though….and we have a cardboard cutout of Juice Robinson. If you’re not down with them, they have two words for you. Cue Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed (minus rap for some reason) to interrupt and again offer to form a super group. The people want to see these guys getting some gold, which gives us a BANG BANG SCISSOR GANG chant. Bowens gives a heck of a speech….and the Club is in!

Toni Storm admits she knows Deonna Purrazzo and threatens to beat and eat her. Storm: “Now where is my pork dinner?”

Buddy Matthews vs. Daniel Garcia

The House Of Black and FTR are here too and Matt Menard is on commentary. Matthews powers Garcia down to start and then knocks him to the floor. Back in and Garcia hits a running shoulder to put Matthews on the floor for a change. All six get up on the apron for a staredown and we take a break.

Back with Garcia escaping a powerbomb on the apron and hitting a piledriver to plant Matthews. They both barely beat the count, with Garcia hammering away back inside. Garcia wraps the knee around the post and even grabs the Hartbreaker to make it worse. The Dragonslayer goes on but Matthews grabs the head and slams it into the mat for the break. Matthews hits a knee to the face into a Jackhammer for two as the fans think this is awesome. Garcia dances at him from his knees so Matthews grabs a powerbomb, which is reversed into a jackknife rollup to give Garcia the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B. This is the kind of Garcia who could get somewhere, as he’s starting to figure some things out. It’s one of the better matches he’s had and having him there to even the odds with FTR against the House is a good idea. Keep this up and they might have something, as long as they don’t go too far with it too fast as they did before.

Post match the fight is on and the locker room comes in to help break it up. The fans were WAY into this as it was a hot fight.

Post break FTR and Daniel Garcia want a six man elimination tag….in a cage.

Roderick Strong vs. Matt Sydal

The Kingdom is here with Strong and yes we get a Generation Next reference. Strong pulls him into a quickly broken surfboard to start so they grapple against the ropes. Sydal sends him outside for a crash and we take a break. Back with Sydal in trouble but elbowing his way out of a fireman’s carry. Some running shots to the face take Strong down but he’s back up with the jumping knee to the face. End of Heartache is the end of Sydal at 8:15.

Rating: C+. They kept this going fast but there is only so much you can get out of an eight minute match with a break in the middle. Sydal continues to be the good hand who hang in there with just about anyone but isn’t likely to win match. That makes it a valuable win for Strong as he is on his way to the International Title match at Revolution.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Claudio Castagnoli/Bryan Danielson

Kingston and Danielson start things off with the fans not being sure who they like more. They trade some poses and don’t actually make any contact until nearly two minutes in. A lockup doesn’t go anywhere so Danielson starts kicking away at the leg. That lets Danielson pose some more until Kingston snapmares him down for a kick to the back. Ortiz comes in for a double suplex so it’s off to Castagnoli for the hard uppercut.

Ortiz dropkicks them both at once but Castagnoli drops him face first onto the buckle to cut that off fast. We take a break and come back with Ortiz fighting out of a chinlock. That’s not enough for the tag though as Danielson comes in to kick at Ortiz, who says bring it. As we’re told that the ranking system is returning (erg), Ortiz escapes and brings Kingston in for the showdown with Castagnoli.

Kingston fires of the machine gun chops in the corner but Castagnoli hits a hard clothesline. Danielson adds the top rope headbutt for two, followed by Castagnoli sending Ortiz into the barricade. Back in and Kingston hits a quick DDT on Danielson, allowing the tag off to Ortiz. A t-bone suplex drops Castagnoli and Kingston hits him with a suicide dive. Danielson manages a LeBell Lock on Ortiz, who gets over to the ropes. That leaves Danielson to stomp away as Castagnoli holds Kingston. The running knee gives Danielson the pin at 16:13.

Rating: B-. This was the match that got the most time but it wasn’t quite as good as some of the other things that were on the card. What mattered here was having Danielson get a win, which should set him up for a title shot against Kingston down the line. It’s a good enough main event, which says a lot when it was one of the weaker matches on the card.

Ortiz apologizes to Kingston to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. There was more than enough good to very good action here to make this one of the better Collisions in awhile. This show felt a bit more straightforward as you had wrestlers in feuds and matches that advanced those feuds. That is what AEW has tended to shine and it’s nice to see them doing it again here. Pretty awesome show this week as Collision is starting to get back to what works.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Shane Taylor – Bulldog choke
Adam Copeland b. Dante Martin – Grindhouse
Thunder Rosa b. Queen Aminata – Tijuana Bomb
Daniel Garcia b. Buddy Matthews – Jackknife rollup
Roderick Strong b. Matt Sydal – End Of Heartache
Bryan Danielson/Claudio Castagnoli b. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz – Running knee to Ortiz

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: January 17, 2024
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Taz

It’s time for a special main event with Hook challenging Samoa Joe for the World Title. That should make for an interesting learning experience for Hook but the question seems to be what happens next. We’re coming up on Revolution and the show needs a card to be set up so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a video on Hook vs. Samoa Joe.

TNT Title: Christian Cage vs. Dustin Rhodes

Cage, with Killswitch and Nick Wayne, is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and roll around the ropes with neither getting anywhere. Cage hammers away in the corner but Rhodes is right back with the rolling powerslam for two. The fight heads outside with Cage being sent into the steps and Rhodes hitting a clothesline off of those steps. Back in and Cage knocks him off the top and out to the floor, setting up a big dive.

We take a break and come back with Rhodes missing a crossbody to fall outside. Rhodes gets back in to slug it out from their knees until the bulldog gives Rhodes two. The Code Red gets two more so Cage goes outside, where he cuts off a dive. Back in and a frog splash gives Cage two so he grabs the belt, only to have it taken away.

Rhodes grabs a small package but Wayne turns it over to give Cage two more. Back up and Shattered Dreams connects and Cross Rhodes connects for a VERY near fall. Rhodes stops to go after Wayne so Cage hits a spear into the Killswitch….for two. Cage is stunned so he hits another Killswitch to retain at 15:26.

Rating: B. I wasn’t looking forward to this one coming in and they had a heck of a match with Rhodes trying everything he could but coming up short in the end. Rhodes as the guy who just does not age is rather impressive and Cage’s great run continues. Awesome match here and they were absolutely rolling by the end.

Swerve Strickland is going to be focused on the main event because he’s watching everything. Yes he wants the World Title but yes he’s also watching Hangman Page. The thing is, Page could beat everyone in AEW to the Lord himself…but he can’t beat Swerve.

Chris Jericho wants revenge on the Don Callis Family. Matt Sydal of all people comes in to say he wants a match tonight so they’re on (with Jericho making a Bourne reference).

Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy vs. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo

Cassidy and Penta go face to face to start with both of them taking the other to the mat for a string of misses. Trent comes in and reverses Komander’s springboard dive into a half and half suplex. We take a break and come back with Komander sending Trent to the floor, followed by the big running flip dive.

Back in and the spike Fear Factor is broken up, allowing Trent to come back inside to hammer on Komander. Penta kicks Trent in the head though and adds a Canadian Destroyer. Cassidy has to dive over the referee for the save so Komander goes up top. The Phoenix splash misses though and Trent adds the running knee. Cassidy hits Penta with the Beach Break, followed by the Orange Punch to Komander. The Crunchy finishes for Trent at 10:16.

Rating: B-. This was another fast paced match with Cassidy and Trent hanging in there with the faster team. I could go for more of Trent as he’s an underrated star, but at the same time, Cassidy seems all but destined for a big showdown with Roderick Strong. Penta and Komander were just opponents here, but their high flying stuff was as entertaining as ever.

Post match here is the Undisputed Kingdom, with Roderick Strong wanting Orange Cassidy to take off his glasses for the staredown. Strong wants an International Title shot because he is coming for the title. Fans: “SHUT THE F*** UP.” Cassidy is willing to put the title on the line right now….but let’s wait until Revolution because Strong wants Cassidy to think about it. Strong is a dumb villain.

Hangman Page (looking more like Magnum TA every week) wants the World Title back. Oh and it doesn’t matter if he can’t beat Swerve Strickland, because Swerve isn’t World Champion.

Here is Mark Briscoe, with his family in the crowd, for a chat on the anniversary of his brother’s death. Jay’s daughters were in the car with him and one was told she would never walk again. Well here she is, walking on her own (with presumably her sister and brother). That’s awesome.

Video on Jay Briscoe.

We get a sitdown interview with the Young Bucks, who want to be called by their full names because they are Executive Vice Presidents. You have heard some things about them, but what would you do to protect your family? Things were changing and they needed to stop leaning on yesterday’s self serving cancerous stars. Sting is the last of a dying breed so it’s time to get rid of him too. When asked if that’s a direct call out for Revolution, they leave for the sake of a meeting. I can’t believe it but somehow they’re more annoying than they were before.

Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Mogul Embassy

The Club is challenging. Kaun strikes away at White to start so it’s off to the Gunns to take him down. Cage comes in with a superkick and it’s Kaun coming back in for an elbow as we take a break. Back with Colten cleaning house and getting two off a neckbreaker. The Embassy takes him back down though and a sitout powerbomb into an Air Raid Crash gets two.

Colten backdrops his way out of trouble and hands it back to White to strike away at Kaun. 3:10 To Yuma hits Cage but a Prince Nana distraction lets Kaun hit a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Cue Anthony Bowens for a distraction though and White hits the Blade Runner for the pin and the titles at 9:31.

Rating: C+. If there is any sanity around here, this will lad to a unification match to get rid of one set of the Six Man Titles. There has never been any need to have two sets of them around and now it’s time to get rid of one. Other than that, you had a good enough match with a title change that needed to happen due to Cage’s injury.

Post match the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn come out for the staredown.

Adam Cole hypes up Wardlow as the new wrecking ball on his way to the World Title.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay

Toni Storm is on commentary. Purrazzo spins out of a wristlock to start and rolls Jay up for a fast one. Jay has to bail over to the ropes, where she grabs a neckbreaker over the ropes. We take a break and come back with Purrazzo getting two off a clothesline. Jay kicks her in the face for two more but the Queenslayer is countered into a quickly broken armbar. They forearm it out until Purrazzo pulls her into the Venus de Milo (double armbar) for the tap at 6:40.

Rating: C. There was barely enough to rate here with the commercial involved and that’s pretty normal for a lot of women’s matches around here. Purrazzo is off to a good start and I wouldn’t be surprised if she got the next title shot either on a big Dynamite or at Revolution. As usual, Anna loses after building up some momentum, which tends to be her case.

Post match Purrazzo says she doesn’t know what is up with Toni Storm, but Purrazzo has changed as well. Storm has never met the Virtuosa, but Storm calls her an artificially tanned hag. The shoe is thrown and Purrazzo chases her off.

Top Flight vs. Private Party

Kassidy takes Darius down to start but they nip up for the staredown. Everyone gets in for the staredown and it’s off to Dante vs. Quen. Dante takes him down by the arm but Kassidy is back in with a springboard crossbody. We take a break and come back with Darius working on Kassidy’s arm as commentary talks about almost anything else. Kassidy fights up and brings in Quen to clean house, including a 450 to Dante. Everything breaks down and Dante knees Quen in the face. Gin and Juice takes Dante down, leaving Quen to roll up Darius (while grabbing the rope) for the pin at 10:11.

Rating: B-. Take two high flying teams and let them go nuts for a bit. It’s a little strange to see Private Party come back and have a fairly high profile match like this one but at least they won. I can go for Private Party as villains, but AEW needs to actually go somewhere with them or it won’t matter.

Video on Sting and Darby Allin.

AEW World Title: Hook vs. Samoa Joe

Only Joe’s title is on the line. Hook goes right after him to start and they’re already on the floor, where Joe strikes away. Back in and Joe hits a jumping enziguri in the corner, followed by the hard kick to the chest. Hook gets in some shots of his own and knocks Joe outside, setting up the big forearm from the apron. Joe isn’t having that and release Rock Bottoms him through the announcers’ table.

That earns him a double middle finger so Joe powerbombs Hook onto the apron. Back in and Joe snaps off a powerslam for two, followed by a Death Valley Driver for the same. The MuscleBuster gets one but Hook is back up with some running clotheslines and the t-bone suplex. Redrum goes on but Joe reverses into the Koquina Clutch for the knockout win at 8:45.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a match that was pretty much exactly what you would have expected but better. Hook wasn’t going to win the title here but he brought the energy and Joe felt like he was in a fight. Granted I could have gone without the new World Champion’s finisher only getting a one count, but otherwise Joe looked like a killer as usual.

Post match Joe gives him another MuscleBuster but here is Hangman Page to chase Joe off. Swerve Strickland is watching from the crowd and stares at Page as Hook leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that focused on the wrestling and that ranged from pretty good to very good. They also took some steps towards Revolution as you can see a lot of the card from here. If you take out the Young Bucks making me want to put my head through a wall, it’s that much better of a show. Rather strong show this week and I had a good time throughout.

Results
Christian Cage b. Dustin Rhodes – Killswitch
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo – Crunchy to Komander
Bullet Club Gold b. Mogul Embassy – Blade Runner to Kaun
Deonna Purrazzo b. Anna Jay – Venus de Milo
Private Party b. Top Flight – Rollup to Darius while grabbing the rope
Samoa Joe b. Hook – Koquina Clutch

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: January 12, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Jim Ross

We’re still in Daily’s Place and that means it’s the second half of the Homecoming special. At the same time though, it’s Rampage, which means you could be seeing almost anything. Odd are we’ll get at least one good match here, which tends to be the case with Rampage. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Continental Crown: Eddie Kingston vs. Wheeler Yuta

Only Kingston is defending and commentary does clarify that all three of his titles are on the line. They go with the grappling to start until Yuta takes him to the mat to work on the arm. Back up and Yuta sends him outside, setting up the suicide dive to knock Kingston into the barricade. They get back in so Kingston’s arm can be wrapped around the rope again.

More cranking on the arm gets two and a dropkick is good for the same. We take a break and come back with Yuta stomping on the arm. Yuta mockingly kicks him in the back, earning a heck of a chop from Kingston. A suplex drops Yuta and a DDT gives Kingston two. Kingston puts him on top or some chops but Yuta is back with a middle rope diving DDT for two of his own.

The hammer and anvil elbows set up a Disarm-Her but Kingston is right next to the rope. The spinning backfist misses for Kingston though and Yuta snaps off a German suplex for two more. An Angle Slam sets up the top rope splash for another near fall on Kingston and we hit the keylock. With that broken up, Kingston grabs the Saito suplex and a northern lights bomb retains the titles at 17:15.

Rating: B. I was surprised at how long this match got and it made things a bit better. Yuta was picking Kingston’s arm apart but Kingston fought through it and won with something other than the spinning backfist. It was a nice story and Kingston is one of the best going today at fighting from underneath. Solid stuff here, and amazingly enough the lack of Pure Rules made Yuta more interesting.

Mark Briscoe and the Hardys liked teaming together and want to do it again, with the ratings going up as a result. Maybe some Trios gold are in the cards? Jeff even gives Mark a Hardys necklace.

Swerve Strickland vs. Matt Sydal

The Mogul Embassy is here with Strickland, who starts fast with a rollup for two. The middle rope elbow to the back hits Sydal and Strickland grabs some Nikki Bella Rack Attacks to keep him in trouble. Sydal manages a quick hurricanrana and an Air Raid Crash gets two. Strickland isn’t having that though as it’s the rolling Downward Spiral but the Swerve Stomp misses. A rollup doesn’t work for Sydal as Strickland reverses into the JML Driver for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C. That’s what this should have been. Strickland is on a roll right now and there is no need to have him take too long to beat someone on Sydal’s level. Sydal got in a bit of offense before falling to one of Strickland’s big moves. That’s exactly how this match should have played out and they didn’t do anything nuts. Nice work.

Private Party interrupt Top Flight and Action Andretti, the latter of whom aren’t happy. The challenge is made an accepted, with Andretti doing his water bottle trick.

Queen Aminata vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida starts fast and hammers away in the corner but Aminata takes her down for a running hip attack. We take a break and come back with an exchange of kicks to the back, with Shida sitting down so Aminata can kick her. Back up and Amiata knees her in the face for two, only for Shida to come back with the Falcon Arrow. The Katana finishes for Shida at 8:20.

Rating: C. Aminata has been around quite a few times in the last week or so as she seems to be the latest work in progress. So far she’s ok, though she’s roughly #179 or so on the list of women using a running hip attack at the moment. Shida feels like she has been stuck in limbo for awhile now and this isn’t going to make things much better.

We look at Daniel Garcia of all people saving FTR from a House Of Black attack on Collision.

Saraya shows Ruby Soho a soundless clip of Harley Cameron kissing Angelo Parker. Parker comes in with a birthday cake for Soho, who slams it into his face and storms off. Parker says that’s not what it looks like, even with Saraya saying she always wins. With everyone else gone, Parker unpauses the video, which shows him shoving Cameron away and looking confused.

Dark Order vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Jake Hager

-1 is here with the Order and Parker still has cake on his face as he locks up with Silver to start. Silver runs Parker, now with a gold chain around his neck, over and stops to dance. It’s off to Hager (now with chain) to take over as JR talks about Hager’s football background, with Silver getting beaten down in the corner. Uno comes in and the Order clears the ring as we take a break.

Back with Reynolds fighting out of a chinlock and diving over to Uno for the tag. Everything breaks down and the Pendulum Bomb gets two on Parker. A double DDT plants Reynolds and the Hager Bomb connects for two. The ankle lock goes on but -1 grabs Hager’s hat. That’s enough of a distraction for the Stunner/German suplex/rollup combination to pin Hager at 10:22.

Rating: C+. What else were you expecting here? It was the latest edition of bringing up Brodie Lee, which AEW has a certain fondness of doing. The match was nothing worth seeing as it was a run of the mill six man tag with the crowd favorites winning. They were playing to the live audience here, which is usually a bad idea but it’s airing at almost 11pm on a Friday so it’s a bit more acceptable.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was rather good but the rest was the usual supplemental stuff that you don’t need to watch. Parker and Soho’s segment was a pretty big step forward for them but other than that, it’s a pretty nothing show. Then again with this much AEW content on a single weekend, there is only so much you can get out of an hour long show on a Friday night.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Wheeler Yuta – Northern lights bomb
Swerve Strickland b. Matt Sydal – JML Driver
Hikaru Shida b. Queen Aminata – Katana
Dark Order b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Jake Hager – Rollup to Hager

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: December 29, 2023
Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s the final show before Worlds End and the card should be mostly set. While AEW likes to add in a good bit more at the last minute, the Continental Classic and likely most of the title matches are ready to go. This show could include some hard pushes towards some of those matches, which AEW tends to do well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Chris Jericho to get things going. Jericho welcomes us to the show and talks about Sammy Guevara quitting the Don Callis Family on Dynamite. He made the save and now we have an eight man tag at Worlds End. After their no holds barred tag match a few months ago, Sting called Jericho and now they’re cool. For now though, Jericho wants Guevara out here right now. Cue Guevara to a strong reaction and Jericho praises him for his abilities.

But why did Guevara turn on him for Don Callis? Guevara talks about how it’s hard to be in Jericho’s shadow and maybe he thought he needed more. It’s time to stop blaming everyone else though and now he knows he’s the man that he should have been the whole time. Guevara offers an apology, which Jericho accepts and offers one of his own. They have the eight man tag tomorrow, but after that, Jericho still needs a partner for the Tag Team Title shot. The big hug seems to seal the deal. This was a nice way to make it clear that everything was ok and explain the rushed turn for Guevara.

We recap the House of Black attacking Daniel Garcia after he beat Brody King on Collision.

Garcia, with Matt Menard, says he’s sick of people like the House of Black and promises vengeance.

Ruby Soho vs. Marina Shafir

Soho has Saraya and Harley Cameron with her while Shafir has Nyla Rose. They both miss clotheslines in the corner to start until Shafir kicks her down to take over. Cameron offers a distraction though and Soho knocks Shafir outside as we take an early break. Back with Shafir not quite being able to hit a backbreaker and grabbing a chinlock instead. With that keeping Soho down, Rose beats up Cameron and chases Saraya off, leaving Shafir to slam Soho for two. Cameron is back up for a distraction though and Soho’s rollup with tights gets the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C-. A match that is only running a little over five minutes probably shouldn’t have a break in the middle, but Shafir’s stuff can be a bit rough to watch. She doesn’t feel natural or smooth in the ring and that was the case again here. Rose chasing off Soho’s friends felt more important, as the match barely got enough time to do anything.

The Don Callis Family and Big Bill/Ricky Starks promise to take out Sting, Darby Allin, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara. Powerhouse Hobbs promises to show why he’s big, Black and jacked.

Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale make sure that they’re ok but they should fight at Worlds End anyway. Cue Stokely Hathaway to ask if Willow was busy watching Rugrats when she took so long to make the save on Dynamite. Statlander shrugs it off and the match is on.

Ring Of Honor Pure Rules Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Matt Sydal

Yuta is defending. They fight over wrist control to start until Sydal rolls him up for a close two. Another exchange of rollups get two each until Sydal hits a flipping backsplash for two more. Yuta kicks him down and forearms away in the corner as we take an early break. Back with Yuta getting two off a dropkick but getting kicked in the face.

Sydal hits some running knees and an Air Raid Crash gets two. Some more strikes to the face don’t do much to Yuta, who grabs a bridging German suplex for another near fall. Something like a crossface sends Sydal to the rope for the first time so Yuta elbows him in the face. The seat belt retains the title at 9:34.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is only so much to be gotten out of the Pure Rules matches. Yuta isn’t overly interested in these things and that was the case again here, as he’s just a villain who does his thing and wins. It doesn’t help that this was a cold match with nothing to make it more intriguing, but that’s the case with a lot of the Pure Title stuff. It really is a title that doesn’t need to be around but that isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

Post match Danhausen comes out to say he’s the fourth judge and since Yuta cheated with a clenched fist, Yuta is disqualified. Yuta beats him up but Hook makes the save.

We recap Samoa Joe taking an injury and taking out MJF on Dynamite.

Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta vs. Action Andretti/Top Flight

Cassidy and Andretti start things off with Cassidy taking him down to start and getting in a quick thumbs up. Andretti gets to his feet and flips into a standoff, only to have Cassidy take him into the corner. Trent comes in and drops Andretti with a shot to the face so it’s off to Darius.

That’s enough for commentary to ignore the match and talk about Worlds End as Trent is dropkicked into the wrong corner. Top Flight comes in to clean house and the triple dive takes down Cassidy and company as we take a break. Back with Andretti enziguring Romero into the corner and the tag brings Dante back in. A springboard high crossbody gets two on Romero as everything breaks down.

Dante hits a half nelson Skull Crushing Finale on Romero, followed by a big save to leave everyone down. We get the double tag to Dante vs. Cassidy but they’re both sent to the floor, leaving Dante to hit an Arabian moonsault onto Romero. Back in and Romero’s release German superplex drops Darius on his face, followed by a rollup for two on Cassidy. The Orange Punch is countered with a superkick and the swinging half nelson slam finishes Romero at 12:55.

Rating: B-. Top Flight and Andretti are turning into a thing and they should probably be winning some of the Six Man Tag Team Titles sooner than later. It’s not like the Mogul Embassy needs the titles so give them to a team that might get something out of them. Good main event here, as the six man matches continue to be fun.

Overall Rating: C+. I’ve been saying this for a few weeks now but this was another very typical Rampage episode, with one segment that felt like it mattered with the bigger stories, an entertaining main event and not much more. That being said, this show at least felt more important with the lack of a Collision this week and now we get to see where everything heads on Saturday. Not a must see show, but there are worse things to watch.

Results
Ruby Soho b. Marina Shafir – Rollup with tights
Wheeler Yuta b. Matt Sydal – Seat belt
Action Andretti/Top Flight b. Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta/Rocky Romero – Spinning half nelson slam to Romero

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: December 8, 2023
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

It’s kind of a special show this week with a Continental Classic match between Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia. That should get us back to pretty much even after Danielson missed the first week of the tournament and now we get to see where it goes from here. Maybe World’s End can get a boost as well, though that’s not normally Rampage’s style. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Angelico

Cassidy, with Danhausen (to cancel out Serpentico) is defending and this actually ties back into Ring Of Honor, where Cassidy and Danhausen saved Christopher Daniels from Angelico and Serpentico. Angelico goes after the arm to start but Cassidy reverses into a crucifix for two. The threat of the Orange Punch sends Angelico bailing to the floor and that means its time for the first of probably fourteen All In tickets on sale mentions on the night.

Back in and Angelico goes after the knee to slow Cassidy down and the leg is tied up (with another leg behind Cassidy’s neck to make it worse). That’s broken up and we take a break, coming back with Angelico taking out the leg again. Cassidy sends him into the corner but Serpentico’s distraction lets Angelico score with a big boot. That means Danhausen can go after Angelico, complete with a curse. Angelico is fine enough to grab a leglock but Cassidy gets his hands in his pockets (Tony: “IT GIVES HIM POWER!”) and rolls over to the ropes. The Orange Punch retains the title at 11:45.

Rating: C+. Angelico has been built up over the last month or two in Ring Of Honor and it made him a better challenger here. That being said, since Ring Of Honor is so rarely mentioned around here, that is only going to be so much of a boost. As for this match, the hands going into the pockets being a source of power for Cassidy is a bit much even for him, so hopefully it doesn’t go quite so on the nose in the future.

Trish Adora vs. Abadon

Adora chops away in the corner, setting up some kicks to the chest for one. Abadon gets a boot up in the corner though and unloads with forearms. A superkick and running knee set up the Black Dahlia to finish Adora at 3:32.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time to get anywhere here but Abadon being around outside of Halloween isn’t a bad thing. It’s nice to see Abadon around more often, though it isn’t going to matter much if it’s just a one off here or there. I’m still not sure why Adora is used as nothing more than a punching bag, as there is certainly something there with her.

Post match the lights go out and Julia Hart pops up to taunt Abadon with the title. Then Hart, and the title, disappear.

Video on Mercedes Martinez vs. Willow Nightingale.

Don Callis Family vs. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels

Don Callis joins commentary. Daniels chops away at Hobbs to start before firing off some forearms for some more luck. Hobbs runs him over and Takeshita adds a middle rope backsplash for two. Sydal comes in and armdrags Takeshita into a break. Back with Hobbs throwing Sydal down again before running Daniels over as well. The World’s Most Dangerous Slam finishes Daniels at 8:40.

Rating: C. This was mostly a squash and that’s about what it needed to do. Hobbs and Takeshita are pretty good as a monster team but there is only so much you can go with Callis around. Callis manages to pull any interest he can have out of any segment and having him do nothing more than stand around doing the same things over and over isn’t helping. Nice squash though, especially if you ignore Callis.

Action Andretti and Top Flight are ready to face Penta El Zero Miedo and company.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia

Danielson takes him down by the arm to start and suplexes Garcia over as Garcia is in over his head to start. The big kick misses though and Garcia grabs a rollup for two. Neither can get their big hold and it’s a standoff as things reset a bit. Danielson starts kicking at the leg but Garcia kicks away in the corner to take over again. Garcia ties him in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick but Danielson snaps off a German suplex.

We take a break and come back with….Schiavone shilling All In tickets again. They slug it out again until Danielson pulls him into the triangle choke with elbows to the head. The rope gets Garcia out of trouble but it’s too early for the running knee. Instead Garcia pulls him into the Dragonslayer but Danielson slips out. A hard piledriver plants Danielson for two so Garcia loads up his own running knee. That takes too long (due to dancing) and Danielson hits the real running knee for two. The LeBell Lock goes on and Garcia passes out at 15:27.

Rating: B-. Good match here with both of them working hard, though the focus was more on Garcia trying to be serious but falling apart because he went with the goofy dancing. That’s certainly a story with him, but Garcia is still going to need to find something that makes him more interesting. Winning a match or two might be a nice place to start.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Danielson spits on him to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It was nice to have a main event that felt a good bit more important, but this show summed up the issue with Rampage. On its own, Rampage is completely fine if not good most of the time. The problem is it comes in the middle of Dynamite and Collision (and Ring Of Honor if you like torture). When you have all that other content, a seventh hour (when Ring Of Honor goes over two hours, as it often does) can feel like quite the chore. That was kind of the case this week, which is a shame as the show was pretty good for the most part.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Angelico – Orange Punch
Abadon b. Trish Adora – Black Dahlia
Don Callis Family b. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels – World’s Most Dangerous Slam to Daniels
Bryan Danielson b. Daniel Garcia – LeBell Lock

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: December 2, 2023
Location: Erie Insurance Arena, Erie, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

We’re back in the regular time slot this week with no major competition (at least from WWE) and that means the audience might be a bit stronger this time around. As was the case last week, the focus is going to be on the Continental Classic, which has another three matches this time around. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Brody King, Claudio Castagnoli, Andrade El Idolo (with CJ Perry), Daniel Garcia, Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

We recap the Continental Classic to this point.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King

They strike it out to start with Castagnoli getting fired up by getting hit hard. Neither can clothesline the other down so they eventually clothesline each other down for a double breather. They head outside for another clothesline off before King drops him with a big boot back inside. Castagnoli knocks him outside, where King drops him with a clothesline and sends him over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli fighting out of a chinlock and unloading with uppercuts in the corner. A running double stomp gives Castagnoli two and a rather impressive Swiss Death gets the same. The Swing sets up the Sharpshooter but King makes the rope. Back up and Castagnoli misses a charge into the post, allowing King to nail a heck of a cannonball. Castagnoli pops up at one and hits a Death Valley Driver (or Canadian Destroyer according to Schiavone) for the same. King’s piledriver gets two and a heck of a lariat finishes Castagnoli at 12:32.

Rating: B. This was your big men hitting each other really hard match and as you might have expected, it worked rather well. That’s exactly what they were going for here and I’m more than a bit surprised at the result. If nothing else, that’s probably the biggest singles win of King’s career and makes him a good bit more of a threat in the tournament. Nice job and a solid opener.

Blue League Standings
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Jon Moxley talks about being banged up and thinking being in this tournament might not be the best idea. His head isn’t on straight and he’s all over the place, but he’s sick and tired of being sick and tired. He’s going to wrestle his way out of it though and win this tournament. No one in this tournament can put him through worse than what he goes through every day.

Abadon vs. Kiera Hogan

Hogan looks scared to start but manages a dropkick into the corner. Abadon is back with some strikes in the corner but Hogan manages a running kick to the face for two. Back up and a swinging Boss Man Slam plants Hogan, followed by a springboard cutter for two more. A lick to the face seems to fire Hogan up so she strikes away, setting up a neckbreaker for two. Abadon is right back with a kick to the head, followed by Black Dahlia for the pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. I guess it’s time to heat Abadon up again, which I’ll take at a time other than Halloween for once. Abadon is a unique enough star that a push is worth a try, though it’s hard to imagine this going very far. For now though, things are off to a good start, even if the follow up is what matters.

Post match the lights go out, Julia Hart pops up, and the lights go out again.

Samoa Joe is interrupted by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom. Strong is willing to forgive him for the near broken neck thing but Joe needs to understand that MJF is the Devil. Joe laughs them off and leaves.

Continental Classic Blue League: Andrade El Idolo vs. Daniel Garcia

Matt Menard is on commentary. Garcia grabs a fast rollup for two and teases Andrade that he was so close. Back up and Garcia sends him into the ropes, where Andrade gets to chill for a bit. A dropkick puts Garcia on the floor and a slingshot dive gives Andrade two back inside. Garcia fights back by going after the leg for one, with Menard promising to dance with Garcia if he wins the tournament. Andrade knocks him hard to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Garcia winning a slugout and tying Andrade in the Tree of Woe to hammer on the knee. A spinning brainbuster gives Garcia two but Andrade is fine enough to send him into the corner. The third Amigo is broken up though and Garcia grabs a sleeper. That’s broken up with a trip into the corner and a superplex to Garcia, setting up Three Amigos for two. Garcia is right back with the Dragon Slayer but tries something else, allowing Andrade to roll into the hammerlock DDT to finish Garcia at 11:03.

Rating: B-. Another nice back and forth match here with Garcia seemingly fitting into his role as the whipping boy who tries really hard in every match. It makes sense for Andrade to go over here, especially with what seems to be a big showdown against Miro on the horizon. For now though, I’ll settle for a pretty decent TV match.

Blue League Standings
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Respect is shown post match.

We look at the Dynamite Continental Classic matches.

We look at Wardlow smashing AR Fox.

Willie Mack isn’t happy with Wardlow hurting his friend and wants some revenge next week.

Kingdom vs. Iron Savages

Roderick Strong is here with the Kingdom and dedicates this match to his friend Adam Cole. The brawl is on fast until Boulder hits a crossbody to take the Kingdom down. Bronson dives onto the Kingdom as well, followed by a chokebomb for two on Taven. Boulder misses a middle rope moonsault though and it’s a Death Valley Driver into Just The Tip. The spike piledriver finishes for Bennett at 2:31.

Post match Strong jumps out of the wheelchair for a jumping knee, seemingly breaking the chair in the process.

Ethan Page is back and wants to be the King Of Canada, so he wants Kenny Omega in Collision.

Video on Mercedes Martinez vs. Willow Nightingale, which took place last year at Supercard of Honor and flared up again on Rampage.

Buddy Matthews/Malakai Black vs. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels

Matthews powers Sydal down to start before rolling through a high crossbody without much trouble. A tornado DDT doesn’t work for Sydal so he kicks Matthews in the head and hands it off to Daniels. Black comes in and Daniels slows down a bit, allowing Black to kick him into the corner. Daniels is sent outside and Black hits a heck of a middle rope moonsault as we take a break.

Back with Sydal coming in to strike away until Black catches him on top. Matthews and Sydal score with top rope Meteoras but Black pulls Sydal outside. Daniels dives onto Black but Black is fine enough to knee Sydal out of the air. The spinning kick to the head knocks Daniels silly for the pin at 8:39.

Rating: C+. Daniels and Sydal have been the team you put out there to make the other team look good since they got back together and they did it again here. This was far from some classic, but the House Of Black looked pretty strong in their win. They’ve been something of a focal point in recent weeks and I could go or more of them filling that role.

Post match here is FTR, with Black thinking they are here to join the House Of Black. The House has been there for FTR, which the fans seem to like. Then the House jumps FTR and the beatdown is on, with Harwood having to watch Wheeler get kicked in the head. Harwood gets kicked down as well, with FTR being reminded that they have no friends.

Earlier this week, Toni Storm is tired of her hair not being done. She’s not a fan of Skye Blue, who can be the first challenger.

Post break, Blue calls Storm pathetic so they can fight soon.

Video on Christian Cage vs. Adam Copeland, with Cage accusing Copeland of grabbing his coat tails and always being better than Copeland could hope for. They fight on Dynamite.

El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Kip Sabian

This (along with the previous match) is described as a standby match because the Continental Classic matches aren’t reaching their time limits. That’s actually a nice bit of continuity so I’ll take it. Sabian works on the arm to start and Vikingo actually can’t roll his way to freedom. Vikingo slips out and hits a double springboard armdrag but Sabian kicks him out to the floor. There’s Sabian’s springboard moonsault to the outside as we take a break.

Back with Vikingo missing a running knee in the corner but managing a torture rack knee to the face. The middle rope Phoenix splash gives Vikingo two but Sabian is back with a springboard hurricanrana for two of his own. Sabian is knocked outside though and there’s the corkscrew moonsault to drop him again. Now the 630 can finish for Vikingo at 8:08.

Rating: C+. Sabian was a lot more fired up here than usual and they had a pretty nice match. The problem is Viking continues to be put in and out of spots without getting to do much. That doesn’t really work long term, though at least he’s out there getting to showcase the incredibly athletic things that he can do.

Post match, Sabian turns down a handshake.

Keith Lee is asked about who “him” is but Shane Taylor interrupts. Taylor wants Lee at Final Battle and game on.

Miro tries to crush Andrade El Idolo but CJ Perry talks him out of doing it. He finally calms down and leaves.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston

Danielson has an eye patch. Feeling out process to start, with Danielson striking away. Kingston backs away into the corner but manages one heck of a chop to drop Danielson. Back up and Danielson strikes away, with Kingston telling him to bring it. A suplex sends Kingston to the floor but he counters a dive into a suplex to leave them both down.

We take a break and come back with Kingston’s superplex being broken up, allowing Danielson to hit a missile dropkick. Danielson eventually gets the LeBell Lock but can’t get it all the way on. Instead they strike it out until Danielson misses the running knee and gets planted with a suplex. The spinning backfist gives Eddie two and some knees to the bad orbital bone make it worse.

Danielson is back with the YES Kicks but Kingston chops him very hard. Kingston shrugs them off and hits an enziguri until Danielson gets in a suplex for the double knockdown. Danielson kicks away some more at the five minute call. A suplex puts Kingston down and Danielson stomps away until Kingston needs a breather from the exhausted Bryan. Not that it matters as Bryan is back up with the running knee for the pin at 13:32.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting strike off that you would have expected here and it’s good to see Danielson getting on the board. What isn’t so good to see is Kingston losing again, as it doesn’t bode well for his future. At the same time, it doesn’t exactly make the two titles he gave up look valuable when he has lost his first two matches clean. Good main event though, as more Danielson is a wise idea.

Blue League Standings
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B. This was the show where they were focusing on the in-ring aspect almost entirely. That made for a good night with some solid back and forth action as the Continental Classic rolls on. The most important thing here though was the show felt like it mattered, which can be an issue for some AEW offerings. It wasn’t the case here though and AEW wraps up its week rather nicely.

Results
Brody King b. Claudio Castagnoli – Lariat
Abadon b. Kiera Hogan – Black Dahlia
Andrade El Idolo b. Daniel Garcia – Hammerlock DDT
Kingdom b. Iron Savages – Spike piledriver to Bronson
Buddy Matthews/Malakai Black b. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels – Spinning kick to Daniels’ head
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Kip Sabian – 630
Bryan Danielson b. Eddie Kingston – Running knee

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

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

AND

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