Dynamite
Date: March 5, 2025
Location: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Excalibur, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before Revolution and that means it is time to finalize a bit more of the show. That includes a contract signing between Ricochet and Swerve Strickland, plus probably another match or two being announced. Hopefully things hold up well on the way to Sunday so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with MJF in the back, talking about how he has poked and prodded Hangman Page, like when he attacked Christopher Daniels. Now Page has MJF wanting to get in a bigger fight so if Page wants to talk about buckshots, he has a bullet with Page’s name on it.

Here are Swerve Strickland and Ricochet (in a Philadelphia Eagles hat) for their contract signing for Revolution. Ricochet doesn’t have the Embassy robe but it’ll be there at Revolution, complete with some upgrades. Ricochet brings up how these contract signings haven’t gone well for Swerve in the past and mocks his house being burned down. Swerve tells him to sign the contract with Ricochet saying it was Swerve who started this in the first place.

Ricochet says this is another step towards his goal of being World Champion and mocks Prince Nana, which sends Swerve into a rant about how annoying Ricochet can be. At Revolution, he’ll become the #1 contender, while Ricochet will be remembered for Swerve reviving his career and his ring announcer wife. They both sign, with Ricochet looking a lot more serious. The scissors are pulled out but Swerve has his own and stabs Ricochet in the head (as you do). It’s a blood feud, but stabbing someone in the head is a bit much anywhere.

AEW pay per views are coming to Prime. Ok then.

Will Ospreay/Mark Briscoe/Orange Cassidy/Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Don Callis Family/Bryan Keith

Don Callis is on commentary as Ospreay and Cage start things off. Cage throws him down without much effort as the fans shout obscenities involving Callis. Briscoe comes in to kick away at Cage as commentary talks about Revolution being on Prime. An enziguri knocks Cage into the corner where thirty one right hands to Cage’s head…just make Cage hit a clothesline on Cassidy. Cage muscles Cassidy up for a Jackhammer and hands it off to Archer for a swinging Boss Man Slam.

We take a break and come back with Callis getting in a cheap shot on Cassidy, allowing Cage and Archer to pass Cassidy around in a suplex. Fletcher gets to do the same before finally putting Cassidy down. Cassidy suplexes Keith though and the tag brings in Hobbs to clean house. Hobbs fires off clotheslines and makes Cage and Archer clothesline each other. Ospreay dives onto Archer on the floor and Briscoe takes out Cage, setting up Cassidy’s lazy elbow off Hobbs for two, with Keith making the save.

Davis manages to take out Hobbs but Ospreay is back in to take over, with the Cheeky Nandos Kick getting two on Keith. Briscoe comes back in to run Keith other, including a high collar suplex. Archer grabs a chair, which Briscoe knocks into his face, setting up the step up dive to take out Archer and Cage. The Hidden Blade finishes Keith at 15:04.

Rating: B. This was the AEW party match and it worked well, even with the signature “eh, screw the rules, let’s have fun” style. They went nuts with a bunch of stuff in the second half and it was entertaining, though it didn’t exactly make more more interested in anything at Revolution. This could have been a lot worse, though being more focused on the pay per view would have helped.

Post match Davis chokes Ospreay out and the villains beat up the winners. Hobbs gets planted onto the steps and here is Kyle Fletcher to slap Ospreay in the face a few times. Davis doesn’t seem to like it so Fletcher yells at him. Eventually Davis chairs Ospreay down. That’s not enough (of course) and Fletcher brainbusters Ospreay through an open chair.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita. If Omega is back to full strength, or even close to it, that could steal the show.

Cope vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta walks in from outside. Cope powers him into the corner to start and then sweeps the leg to get on Yuta’s nerves a bit. Yuta takes things down into an ankle lock before chopping away in the corner. Some armdrags into a dropkick have Cope in the corner but he sends Yuta to the apron.

We take a break and come back with Cope fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught with the Angle Slam for two. Yuta knocks him off the top and hits a top rope splash, meaning it’s time for the Cattle Mutilation. That’s reversed into the Grindhouse, which is broken up as well so Cope goes with the Impaler instead. The spear is cut off with a running knee though and Cope falls out to the floor. Cattle Mutilation is broken up again and Cope hits a spear for the win at 11:31.

Rating: C+. Well, yeah. The point of the story has been Cope taking out the Death Riders one by one and since he already took out the bigger names, beating Yuta isn’t the biggest shock. The match was good enough, but as usual, Yuta’s lack of doing much of anything interesting was holding it back.

Post match Cope shakes Yuta’s hand and says this is what respect feels like (oh this feels very, very stupid). Cope leaves so here is Jon Moxley to yell at Yuta, who shoves Moxley a bit and walks away. Moxley goes after Yuta and tells him to keep walking. Moxley says he isn’t worried about being all alone and is ready to beat up Cope, which will make him feel good. This whole thing was a good bit longer than it needed to be.

Video on the Outrunners, who are training for their title shot against the Hurt Syndicate at Revolution.

MJF is still in the parking lot and promises to show that Hangman Page is the real main character of AEW. Page arrives in his truck and sends MJF (and Renee Paquette) running. Page chases MJF into the arena but it’s someone pretending to be MJF, allowing the real one to jump Page from behind. MJF hits the Heatseeker and reveals an “MJF DID NOTHING WRONG” shirt. The Dynamite Diamond Ring knocks Page silly…and let’s get some lighter fluid. Referees and security won’t let him use the lighter though. That was uh, rather intense and a good bit over the top.

Queen Of The Ring director Ash Avildsen is here and is happy to have Toni Storm in the film. Storm is annoyed that her nude scene was cut but watch the movie anyway.

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Kris Statlander/Thunder Rosa

Statlander headscissors Ford to start and hands it off to Rosa, who takes her into the corner. Ford gets chopped a lot so it’s off to Bayne, who throws Rosa over the top and onto Statlander. Then Bayne throws Ford onto the other two and poses as we take a break. Back with the villains in control and Ford knocking Statlander off the top. Rosa comes back in to lick Ford’s face, earning her a drive back into the corner. Bayne hits the release F5 (Fate’s Descent) for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C. Bayne is starting to get on track as a monster, which is what she needs to be. That being said, giving her a big match, perhaps even on the Revolution Kickoff Show, would be a good idea. Other than that, it’s a bit weird to see Rosa take a loss so easily, but at least it was to someone AEW seems to be pushing hard.

Mercedes Mone is ready for Momo Watanabe at Revolution and is ready for Watanabe to face Serena Deeb, I’m guessing at Collision.

Here is Max Caster for another open challenge (and a “cut my music, cut my music” lifted from MJF). Caster tries to get a rhythmic chant from the fans and gets nowhere, only to be cut off by someone answering his challenge.

Max Caster vs. Jay White

Blade Runner finishes White at 40 seconds.

Post match, White is ready to see his friend Cope take the title from Jon Moxley. He’ll be there to see Cope win. That sounds ominous.

We get a sitdown interview with a distraught Mariah May and Toni Storm but May gets up to spit on Storm. She blames Storm for making this happen but Renee Paquette says it’s the other way around. May says the Women’s Title is nothing without her because they will both go down together. May promises to destroy Storm but says they could have a Hollywood ending.

Storm says May deserves death but sentences her to a lifetime of mediocrity. May will be good but never great, liked but never loved, and then people will forget about her. They go face to face and Renee says she prays neither of them get hut. Storm and May at the same time: “Pray for her.” I’m not sure I buy May having much of a chance of winning, but Storm’s line sounded like it cut to May’s bones here.

Brody King/Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet/Kazuchika Okada

Swerve and Okada start things off and a Ricochet distraction breaks things up. The villains double team Swerve but he knocks Okada outside for a beating from King. Okada kicks Ricochet by mistake, setting up King’s running double crossbody against the barricade (ow). Swerve jumps off the apron for a stomp to both of them and we head back inside. The rolling Downward Spiral is countered with Ricochet’s Codebreaker though and we take a break.

Back with Okada missing an elbow in the corner and Swerve hits a dropkick, allowing the tag back to King. The Death Valley Driver gets two on Okada with Ricochet making the save, setting up a slingshot splash to King for two more. King and Okada knock each other down and it’s back to Ricochet…who skedaddles from Swerve. Ricochet gets caught and strikes it out with Swerve until Ricochet gets two off a DDT.

Vertigo is countered and now Swerve hits the rolling Downward Spiral. The Swerve Stomp connects but Okada makes the save with the top rope elbow. Okada and King strike it out with King sending him into the corner, only to miss the Cannonball. Everything breaks down and Ricochet gets in a belt shot to Swerve for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: B-. This was the classic formula of “take two feuds and combine them into one match” which is something that worked well here too. It made for an entertaining main event and Ricochet gets to teal a pin on Swerve to make him even angrier going into Sunday. It’s no masterpiece but it did exactly what it needed to do.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the show well enough but it didn’t exactly make me that interested in seeing what happens on Sunday. Revolution is already looking good on its own but this show didn’t boost it up that much. The good thing is this show isn’t going to mean much after Sunday so it being just pretty good is acceptable enough.

Results
Will Ospreay/Mark Briscoe/Orange Cassidy/Powerhouse Hobbs b. Don Callis Family/Bryan Keith – Hidden Blade to Keith
Cope b. Wheeler Yuta – Spear
Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford b. Thunder Rosa/Kris Statlander – Fate’s Descent to Rosa
Jay White b. Max Caster – Blade Runner
Ricochet/Kazuchika Okada b. Brody King/Swerve Strickland – Belt shot to Strickland

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

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Dynamite
Date: February 19, 2025
Location: Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Taz

We’re back to the United States after Grand Slam and the big story is Toni Storm got the Women’s Title back. That means we have just over two weeks before Revolution and the card got built up a bit over the weekend. Odds are we’ll get something else added on this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Grand Slam if you need a recap.

Here are MJF and Hangman Page to get things going. MJF brings up losing to Page in his first AEW match and how far he has come since then. We hear about everything he has done and how much better he has done it than Page. MJF hits his catchphrase but Page wants to know why MJF thinks Page doesn’t know him. When MJF listed his accomplishments, he sounded angry about them.

MJF tells him to shut his mouth and insists he doesn’t care about the fans. We hear about various horrible things Page has done but the fans still insist he is a good guy and did nothing wrong. Everyone loves Page but does he love himself? Did he love himself when he ended the career of Christopher Daniels? That sends Page over the edge about how Daniels is a far better man than MJF could ever be.

Page threatens to knock the smug look off his face before talking about how the fans don’t like MJF because of his lies. Yes Page has lied multiple times but he has never lied to the fans. MJF has spent years cheating and scheming his way to the top. For once, for MJF’s sake, Page hopes things have changed a bit. MJF mocks Page for not liking how he got here before calling out Page for being the chosen one. When MJF came in here, he only had a scarf and a mic and look where he got. Name one thing Page does better than MJF. Page: “I am real.”

MJF says he has no problem being the bad guy and they’re ready to go but security comes out and MJF…spits on Page. That leaves Page to go nuts but here is Christopher Daniels to say Page knows who he is. Page walks away and isn’t sure what to think. This was rather long but it was nice to not have MJF doing his insider lines for a change. It was a good promo battle, though I’m not sure if this feels as big as AEW is hoping it to be.

We run down the card.

Video on Grand Slam.

Roderick Strong is ready to face Orange Cassidy because they are required to do this forever. And yes, Kyle O’Reilly is cool with his friends fighting.

Patriarchy vs. Opps

Shibata wristlocks Sabian to start before Sabian’s running shoulder doesn’t work. Joe comes in to backsplash Sabian and stares at Christian, who isn’t interested in coming in. Wayne goes after Joe instead and is chopped into the corner for his efforts. Sabian’s cheap shot lets Wayne get in a suplex on Shibata and we take a break. Back with Hook snapping off suplexes until we hit the parade of strikes. Joe runs Christian over with the suicide elbow and Wayne dives into Redrum for the tap at 9:48.

Rating: C+. The Opps are a fun team despite a rather dumb name and they were showing what they could do here. Joe feels like a killer every time he’s out there and that plays well with the ultra serious Shibata and the rather stoic Hook. The Patriarchy aren’t doing much these days, which feels like a way to get the World Title on Christian as a surprise.

MJF vs. Hangman Page is set for Revolution.

Chris Jericho doesn’t want to hear about Bandido beating him at ROH Global Wars. He got everyone here a job and people still ask him for his picture. Bandido is the person who they ask to take the picture, so at Collision, Bandido gets an ROH World Title shot. This was serious Jericho and it worked a lot better for a change.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Big Bill

Street fight and there are weapons provided but they brawl into the crowd to start. Bill gets the better of things and they get back to ringside where he hits Hobbs in the back with a keyboard. Another shot misses though and Hobbs chairs him down a few times to take over. A wrench to the face slows Hobbs down and busts him open so Billy hits a big boot. Hobbs is planted onto the steps and we take a break.

Back with Bill putting a table in the ring and Bryan Keith setting up a barbed wire table at ringside. Hobbs hits him with a trashcan but has to take out Keith, who goes through the table in the corner. A World’s Strongest Slam plants Bill on the ramp and it’s time to whip out some bricks. They slug it out until Hobbs sends him face first into the steps a few times. Bill is sent through the barbed wire table and he can’t beat the count (as apparently we now have a count) to give Hobbs the win at 11:11.

Rating: B. It could have gone a bit longer, but what mattered here was it felt like two big guys beating each other up until one of them was done. Hobbs looked like a conqueror and someone who could be a threat to Jon Moxley…if you forget that Moxley choked him out. The violence was the point here though and they set it up that way over the last few weeks. Good stuff here, with Hobbs getting the win that he needed.

The Murder Machines challenge the Hurt Syndicate for Collision.

Double Or Nothing is coming to Phoenix.

Here is Toni Storm for a chat, saying this tramp is your new champ. She took the title from someone who took her soul, “Mariah May, you sick b****.” May has been compromised to a bitter end and “now for a cheap plug”, Storm will be in Queen Of The Ring coming out May 7. She needs a challenger, from Willow Nightingale to Wendi Richter, but she is TIMELESS. Please find a way to get Richter to show up for a cameo. It would be glorious.

Gabe Kidd will be on Collision.

Willow Nightingale complains about the Death Riders but Marina Shafir jumps her. Jon Moxley steals the camera and comes into the ring to say he is the World Champion, meaning everything belongs to him. Cope isn’t here but if he shows up at Revolution, Moxley will finish the job. Cue Jay White so Pac shows up to surround him, only for Cope to show up and clear the ring. The chase goes into the crowd and Cope says these are his people. Cope is going to take the Death Riders out one by one so that it’s man vs. man at Revolution.

Mercedes Mone wants no surprises or puppets and there is no stopping her. We get a video from Momo Watanabe saying she’s coming for the title shot so Mone says come say it to her face. It would be nice for Watanabe to do something around here, as she’s basically a stranger in AEW.

Kris Statlander vs. Megan Bayne

They trade shoulders do start with Statlander putting her down and hitting a standing moonsault for two. A kick to the head staggers Bayne again but she’s right back with a spear. We take a break and come back with Statlander winning an exchange of clotheslines. Wednesday Night Fever is blocked so they go to the apron, with Bayne getting suplexed down. Back in and they both go up stop but Statlander shoves her off. Cue Penelope Ford to shove Statlander down though, meaning Bayne can hit an F5 for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have much time given the break in the middle and Statlander got in a lot of offense before Bayne got the win. Bayne feels like she could be a big player in a hurry around here and giving her a win like this should help. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Statlander get another shot at her and that isn’t a bad idea.

Post match the beatdown is on but Thunder Rosa makes the save.

Max Caster isn’t deterred by his two losses in open challenges and issues another one for Collision.

Here is Ricochet, with Prince Nana’s robe, for a chat. After insulting Phoenix, he speaks to the crowd at home rather than the animals here. He proved that he was a winner two weeks ago when he beat Swerve Strickland and we hear about some of his big wins. Now it’s time for him to go after some gold because he is too good looking to not be a champion. Cue Prince Nana to interrupt, saying he has asked Strickland to stay home.

Nana doesn’t know where this is going but he wants to talk about that robe. That robe represents pride and integrity but Nana never gave Ricochet that honor. Nana wants the robe back so Ricochet tells him to take it. Instead Ricochet just leaves. Good job of explaining why the robe is important here, as it makes things feel more personal.

Roderick Strong vs. Orange Cassidy

For an International Title shot next week and Jim Ross joins commentary. Strong wrestles him down to start but Cassidy slips out and hits a soft chop. Cassidy gets sent outside where he has a staredown with Adam Cole, only for Strong to be sent outside for a hug to Cole. Back in and Strong stomps away before grabbing a seated abdominal stretch.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy hitting a slingshot tornado DDT. Cassidy sends him to the corner and rams Strong into the buckles, followed by the satellite DDT for two. The Beach Break gets two but Strong is back with some backbreakers for two. The Stronghold sends Cassidy over to the ropes for the break. Strong hits the Sick Kick but gets caught with the Stundog Millionaire. The Orange Punch gives Cassidy the pin at 13:02.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, though this whole series deal is not exactly logical or something that needs to be taking place. Kenny Omega is already waiting for the champion at Revolution and, barring a rather annoying triple threat, Konosuke Takeshita is going to be facing Omega anyway. That makes this match feel like it’s just added on, and while it was good, it doesn’t feel overly important.

Post match Cassidy is about to be interviewed by Don Callis interrupts. The Don Callis Family beats Cassidy down but Kenny Omega makes the save. JR: “OMEGA IS BACK!” Despite not leaving! The good guys clear the ring and Omega holds up the International Title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. AEW is on a roll again and, shockingly enough, it continues as the good guys get to stand tall to end the show rather than having the Death Riders running everyone over. The Riders got chased off here and it made for a more entertaining show. Collision is already feeling like a big show and it is nice to see the show being a bit more fun for a change. That was missing for so long and maybe it’s due to Omega being back. Either way, I’ve been having a better time with AEW lately and I’m hoping they can keep it up next month at Revolution. Another good show here.

Results
Opps b. Patriarchy – Redrum to Wayne
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Big Bill when Bill could not answer a ten count
Megan Bayne b. Kris Statlander – F5
Orange Cassidy b. Roderick Strong – Orange Punch

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

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Dynamite
Date: February 12, 2025
Location: HEB Center At Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s the go home show for Grand Slam, which is going to be a big deal as the company goes down to Australia. In this case, we’re taped for a change and that could make for an interesting show. There are two title matches, including the Trios Titles being on the line for the first time in months. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We get a weird opening featuring some people on the card with no audio. I’m thinking this was supposed to have a voiceover from commentary but otherwise it’s just kind of strange.

Here is Max Caster for his latest open challenge.

Max Caster vs. Hangman Page

Caster bails to the crowd to start but comes back in to snap off a hurricanrana. Page pops up and drops Caster, setting up the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 1:11. Yep that works.

Video on Ricochet stealing Prince Nana’s robe last week, with Nana saying Swerve Strickland doesn’t need to make everything personal. Swerve points out what happened when he let Hangman Page get away with making things personal.

Trios Titles: Undisputed Kingdom vs. Death Riders

The Death Riders are defending and believe it or not, we start with a brawl on the floor. We take a break about thirty seconds in and come back with O’Reilly in trouble. The champs take turns striking away in the corner, with Castagnoli grabbing a sleeper. O’Reilly fights out of that and brings in Strong to clean house with a series of backbreakers.

Everything breaks down and it’s back to Strong, who is stomped down in the corner again. A Hart Attack gets two and Pac grinds away on a headlock for a bit. Triple running elbows hit Strong in the corner and we take another break. Back again with Strong fighting off Yuta and bringing Cole in to clean house.

Pac gets superkicked out of the air and some triple strikes put Yuta down for two. Everything breaks down (again) and the Fastball Special is broken up. High/Low hits Yuta for two but Castagnoli Swings Strong into the barricade. The referee intercepts a chair but Yuta goes low and small packages Strong to retain at 17:12.

Rating: B. It was a fun match but when the titles hadn’t been defended in three months, it’s hard to make myself care about them when they’re just thrown out here. The Kingdom are good challenges for something like this and they worked well here, but the Trios Titles stopped feeling important months ago. It was good action, though the story didn’t work so well due to the titles being devalued for such a long time.

Post match the beatdown is on again but Matt Menard, Daniel Garcia and Angelo Parker make the save. I would hope AEW has better options for the next challengers.

Cope and Jay White steal the briefcase from Marina Shafir. Jon Moxley isn’t pleased.

Grand Slam rundown.

MJF is ready for Dustin Rhodes but Hangman Page cuts him off, saying this is his interview. MJF isn’t impressed and says this isn’t the real Page. These people deserve an apology and MJF is going to beat Dustin and get a step closer to getting the World Title back. Unlike Page.

Katsuyori Shibata/Hook/Samoa Joe vs. Jon Cruz/Rosario Grillo/Aaron Solo

Joe beats them up, Hook gets in a suplex, Shibata chops a lot, Cruz thinks forearming Joe is a good idea, the MuscleBuster finishes Cruz at 1:41.

Post match Joe talks about how they always have problems and their solution is always beating people up. That brings him to Christian Cage and the Patriarchy and the challenge is on, with the team being named the Ops (?).

Chris Jericho challenges Bandido to a duel.

Marina Shafir jumps Willow Nightingale and Jon Moxley makes threats.

Here is Chris Jericho for the duel with Bandido and for once, he’s alone. Cue Bandido and they go back to back for the ten paces. Then the Learning Tree runs in for the beatdown, only for the Outrunners to make the save. Big Bill goes to collect the bounty but Powerhouse Hobbs comes in for the spinebuster to put Bill down. Bandido does in fact get his hat back. This wasn’t exactly great, but they didn’t waste time.

Dustin Rhodes is ready to take out MJF. B****.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Dustin Rhodes

They go nose to nose to start, which is impressive as Dustin is a good bit taller. Dustin snaps off the powerslam and MJF bails to the floor, where he snaps Dustin’s arm across the top. Back in and we hit the rather logical armbar before Dustin’s sunset flip attempt is easily cut off with another snap of the arm. Dustin fights up and manages a powerbomb but needs a breather because of the arm.

A boot to the head lets Dustin hammer away in the corner and there’s the bulldog to drop MJF again. Cross Rhodes gives Dustin two and MJF’s piledriver gets the same, with the latter looking stunned. With nothing else working, MJF grabs a chair for some Pillmanizing but Dustin reverses it into Shattered Dreams. The Final Reckoning gets two and MJF cranks the arm again. MJF hits his own Final Reckoning for his own two before grabbing the Salt Of The Earth. That’s switched into a crossface and Dustin is out at 11:15.

Rating: B. I’m still not big on Dustin, but he was trying here and he made MJF look good in defeat. This is more what Dustin is made for these days rather than whatever he’s doing in Ring Of Honor. MJF is at a weird point right now as this feud and the one with Jeff Jarrett have felt like filler. Thankfully there might be something with Hangman Page, but this was a weird way to set that up. Still though, good, emotional match here with Dustin trying to fight through the pain but falling short in the end.

Post match MJF grabs the Salt Of The Earth again but Hangman Page makes the save. The brawl is on and security can’t break it up so they head into the crowd. Security finally separates them and MJF poses, because of course. MJF gets back in the ring and calls out Page…who gets back in the ring to keep up the brawl. Thank goodness Page was there, as it’s not like one of Dustin’s three partners was going to make the save.

Video on Grand Slam.

Post break, we look at what we just saw.

Megan Bayne vs. Maya World

Bayne drives her into the corner to start and snaps off an overhead belly to belly. Some shoulders to the ribs in the corner have World in more trouble and an F5 finishes for Bayne at 1:55. That’s how Bayne should be going at the moment.

Kris Statlander vs. Penelope Ford

Statlander and Bayne have a staredown during Statlander’s entrance. Ford begging off in the corner to start doesn’t work so well for her as Statlander grabs a headlock. Statlander powers out of a headscissors so Ford licks her cheek. It seems to work as Statlander misses a charge into the corner, only for a basement dropkick to drop Ford.

We take a break and come back with Ford grabbing a neckbreaker out of the corner for two. Statlander German suplexes her for the same but Ford snaps off a poisonrana. That’s enough for Statlander though, who comes back with the Wednesday Night Fever for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: B-. This was one of the better Ford matches so far as she can get somewhere good if she is given the right circumstances. That is what we had here, as Statlander has been able to do some rather nice things in the ring. Statlander needed a bit of a boost before she’s Bayne’s first victim and this did well enough.

Post match Megan Bayne comes back out to F5 Statlander on the floor.

We get a Harley Cameron music video (yes with the puppet) mocking Mercedes Mone. Then we cut to Cameron being rather serious and talking about how she is glad Mone pushed her to becoming better. Now it’s time for her to win the TBS Title in her home country. If this were pretty much any other champion than Mone, I could believe the title change could happen but that just doesn’t feel realistic.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate vs. The Gunns

The Syndicate is defending and the fans chant for MVP, who is here with the champions. Lashley shoulders Colten down to start and it’s off to Austin, who wants to think about this. Austin gets tossed outside for a beating from Benjamin and we take an early break. Back with Benjamin working on Austin’s arm but a neckbreaker gives Austin a breather.

Lashley isn’t about to give up a tag and cuts Austin off, only for Austin to dive over him for the tag off to Colten. Benjamin grabs the ankle lock but Austin makes the fast save. The Fameasser gets two on Benjamin, who is right back up with a superkick. Lashley comes back in with a spinebuster and the spear for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: B-. They were trying here but the Guns were little more than the first victims for the new champions. It worked about as well as could be expected, but the Gunns are already pretty low down on the list of champions. That didn’t make them feel like the strongest challengers here, though the match could have been far worse.

Post match Brian Cage and Lance Archer come out for the staredown.

Mariah May is ready to take out Toni Storm, who is nothing without her. Storm is going down, and it’s going to be a mercy killing.

Here are Jay White and Cope with the briefcase. Cope teases opening the briefcase but busts out his 2×4 with nails (Spike), threatening the briefcase unless Moxley gets out here. Cue Moxley with the Death Riders, who talks about how Cope has no idea how much the title means to him. Moxley threatens to break Cope’s neck and gives him the title match at Revolution. Cope crushes the briefcase with Spike as White cuts off Wheeler Yuta. Pac’s distraction lets Marina Shafir get the briefcase but Cope and White take them out to end the show. So Moxley loves the title so much that he doesn’t want people to see it?

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling carried this one here, as tends to be the case in AEW, as there were two rather good matches and some more which were just a step beneath them. It also feels like we’re getting some more traditional squashes sprinkled in, as they help move the show along a bit. Just find something more interesting than the Death Riders and AEW could be on a roll rather quickly.

Results
Hangman Page b. Max Caster – Buckshot Lariat
Death Riders b. Undisputed Kingdom – Small package to Strong
Katsuyori Shibata/Hook/Samoa Joe b. Jon Cruz/Rosario Grillo/Aaron Solo – MuscleBuster to Cruz
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Dustin Rhodes via referee stoppage
Megan Bayne b. Maya World – F5
Kris Statlander b. Penelope Ford – Wednesday Night Fever
Hurt Syndicate b. The Gunns – Spear to Austin

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

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Collision
Date: February 8, 2025
Location: Fort Bend Epicenter, Rosenberg, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re closing in on Grand Slam and the show is mostly set up. The question now becomes what happens with everything already on the card but there is still the chance that something else is added tonight. Odds are we’ll get some good action as that tends to be the norm around here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Mark Briscoe and Kyle Fletcher are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Here are the Death Riders to jump security and get in the ring. Jon Moxley isn’t about to give Cope (or Adam Copeland) a title shot. Instead a tag match is set up for Grand Slam.

We run down the card.

Undisputed Kingdom vs. Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

Strong and Taylor start things off, with Strong managing to kick him into the corner to start the beating. O’Reilly comes in but gets caught in the corner so the Infantry can start firing off the running forearms. Parker and Menard take over on Dean though, only for Menard to jump on commentary and brag about his team. Garcia comes in and hammers on Dean in the corner but it’s back to Taylor for a headbutt. The Promotions get to pose a lot and we take a break.

Back with Garcia suplexing his way to freedom and the Kingdom coming in to beat on the Infantry. Everything breaks down and the posing Cole gets rolled up for two, followed by a double clothesline to leave everyone down. Back up and the nine way brawl is on, with Garcia getting double stomped down hard. Taylor gets jumped on the floor, leaving Dean to get caught with the Boom to give Cole the pin at 13:15.

Rating: C+. There were a lot of people involved here and that made things a bit tricky to follow. You can only get so much out of this much, but maybe it leads to the Kingdom getting to do something more. Other than that, the Promotions get to lose again, which is probably the only reason they were there in the first place.

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat down the Kingdom. The beatdown is on, but Cole issues the challenge for the Trios Titles on Dynamite.

Video on FTR.

Max Cater says his open challenge is still set for Dynamite.

Bandido vs. Bryan Keith

The slugout is on with Keith knocking Bandido’s hat off, which isn’t the best way to bring him back to action. Back up and Bandido knocks him down but gets knocked out of the air as we take a break. We come back with Bandido hitting a spinning high crossbody into a one armed gorilla press for two.

Keith catches him on top with a high collar superplex and they’re both down again. They trade kicks to the head, then go back to back, nod at each other, march away, and hit running strikes for a double knockdown. Back up and Bandido flips him into a knee to the head, setting up the 21 Plex for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. The showdown spot was funny enough and that’s all it needed to be. You had a logical match here and it worked out well, with Bandido getting a win on the way back. There is a good chance that Bandido gets the next title shot against Chris Jericho and having him win over Jericho’s good makes sense.

Powerhouse Hobbs challenges Big Bill for Dynamite.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Ares Alexander/Jay Alexander/Brick Savage

Ares gets planted with a pop up Samoan drop and the Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:24.

Post match the beatdown is on but Komander makes the save. Komander gets beaten down as well, with Hologram returning to make the save. Rush beats up some referees because he has to look strong. Komander getting beaten up is almost a free spot on the AEW Bingo card these days.

Thunder Rosa and Megan Bayne have a bit of a staredown before Rosa talks about being ready for Penelope Ford.

And now here is Harley Cameron for a concert, complete with the Mercedes Mone puppet. First up, she sings a song called The Money Train, which consists of saying the title over and over. Cue Mercedes Mone to interrupt, saying everyone is here to see her. The second song is about how Mone is scared to feel the wrath but Mone cuts her off, saying Cameron is a loser.

Cameron goes on a rant about how she’s worked hard to get here and has had her hand up Mone’s puppet’s a**. A mic shot puts Mone down and she agrees to the title match at Grand Slam. I could have gone for more of Cameron, but that would mean less Mone and that is just not ok.

We get a sitdown interview with Buddy Matthews and…an empty chair which is supposed to contain Kazuchika Okada. Eventually Okada strolls in, with Mathews talking about how it’s Australia’s best vs. Japan’s best. They go nose to nose and Okada calls him a b****, only for Matthews to make him flinch off the threat of violence.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Izzy James

Cross Rhodes and the Final Reckoning finish James at 25 seconds.

Post match Rhodes talks about how MJF calls himself the Devil but Rhodes has already beaten the Devil up. He has been doing this in five decades and put in the effort and MJF can’t do the same thing. Rhodes issues the challenge for next week on Dynamite.

The Death Riders are ready to beat the Undisputed Kingdom next week.

Thunder Rosa vs. Penelope Ford

A local sports mascot comes out with Rosa, who fights over a lockup with Ford to start. Rosa goes up top but gets forearmed outside as we take an early break. Back with Ford getting two off a gutbuster but missing a charge into the post. Rosa’s running dropkick connects against the ropes and a northern lights suplex gets two. Ford is back up with a handspring elbow in the corner and a lick to Rosa’s face (yep) sets up a missed moonsault. Back up and Ford hits a quick dropkick only to get caught in a Tijuana Bomb to give Rosa the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Yes Ford loses a fairly big match. I’m not sure why this should be even slightly surprising, as that is just what she does every time she’s out there. The match was fine, though I kept waiting for the mascot to do something. It’s a good enough match, ubt Rosa seems to be set up for a big match with Megan Bayne instead.

Post match Megan Bayne comes out for the staredown, with Ford jumping Rosa from behind. Bayne drops Rosa with an F5.

We look at Ricochet cheating to beat Swerve Strickland and stealing Prince Nana’s robe. Then over the weekend, Strickland attacked Ricochet at an independent show but couldn’t get the robe back.

Someone named Bun B is here but Ricochet interrupts and mocks him for being Strickland’s friend. Ricochet tries a burger that Bun seems to have provided and spits it out. Ricochet beats up the food worker as Bun isn’t happy.

Mariah May vs. Shay KarMichael

Non-title and a running knee sets up May Day to finish KarMichael at 24 seconds.

Post match May attacks KarMichael with lipstick but here is Luther (Toni Storm’s butler) for a distraction. Cue Storm to jump May, sending her running.

The Don Callis Family beats up various people backstage, with Mark Davis joining in.

Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher strikes away in the corner to start but Briscoe is back up in a hurry. Briscoe knocks him to the floor and loads up a table, only to get launched head first into the post. An apron bomb rocks Briscoe and we take a break, coming back with Briscoe, head being rather busted open.

A double clothesline leaves both of them down before Briscoe grabs a suplex for two. Fletcher is back with a flipping butterfly powerbomb for two but Briscoe catches him with a fisherman’s buster. The Froggy Bow is broken up but so is the counter, only for Fletcher to come back with a brainbuster for two.

Briscoe knocks him off the top and out to the floor, where a Froggy Bow sends a standing Fletcher through the table. Back in and a super Jay Driller is broken up, allowing Fletcher to catch him on top instead. Fletcher hits a brainbuster onto the top turnbuckle to knock Briscoe silly for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up pretty well and that’s all it needed to be. Fletcher was doing his usual thing, while Briscoe was doing the same, which means looking good in defeat. This is a way to tie things together with the Continental Classic, but at the same time it would be nice to see Briscoe get another win here or there.

Post match Fletcher promises to win at Grand Slam.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice show here and I liked having some of those matches go short. There was no reason for those to go long and thankfully they got to the point, which made things that much better. It makes you wonder how long a match will go while still being effective. That’s something AEW has been missing and it helped things here. Good enough show here, with some stuff being advanced for the upcoming bigger events.

Results
Undisputed Kingdom b. Shane Taylor Promotions and Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Boom to Dean
Bandido b. Bryan Keith – 21 Plex
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Ares Alexander/Jay Alexander/Brick Savage – Bull’s Horns to Ares
Dustin Rhodes b. Izzy James – Final Reckoning
Thunder Rosa b. Penelope Ford – Tijuana Bomb
Mariah May b. Shay KarMichael – May Day
Kyle Fletcher b. Mark Briscoe – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle

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

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Collision
Date: February 1, 2025
Location: Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We have two weeks to go before we get to Grand Slam and the top of the card has come together. The show has some more spots to fill in though and we’ll start taking care of that this week. As for this week, we have a Mid-South street fight, despite not being in the Mid-South (well, at least the wrestling version). Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hook/Samoa Joe vs. The Patriarchy

Wayne shoulders Hook down to start but gets suplexed for his efforts. Joe comes in but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Sabian to kick away. That doesn’t work for Joe, who runs Sabian over and hits the backsplash. Hook comes back in but gets taken into the wrong corner so the villains can take over.

Sabian grabs a chinlock as Schiavone rattles off the rest of the card, sounding more robotic than ever. A double suplex gives Wayne two but Hook is over to the corner without much trouble. Joe comes back in, hits the release Rock Bottom out of the corner, and MuscleBusters Sabian for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C. This was what it needed to be, with Joe getting in there and smashing through everyone as soon as he got the chance. That’s the point of someone like Joe, as he is an absolute monster when he gets the chance. Joe vs. Cage could be interesting, though Joe should have something to do with Chris Jericho first.

Post match Christian Cage comes in with the metal contract and lays the winners out.

Cope thinks Jon Moxley is always whining about something and was stupid to hide the World Title in a briefcase. He wants Moxley at Revolution. Logical, but dang that’s a long time to sit through this feud.

The Beast Mortos vs. Adam Priest

The discus lariat and the spinning piledriver finish Priest at 44 seconds. Yep.

Post match here is Max Caster to say he doesn’t want to fight, but he does want to issue his first open challenge.

Max Caster vs. Rush

Rush isn’t having any of this waiting around to start and pounds Caster into the corner to start. The Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:03. Yep again.

Post match Rush and Mortos, with Dralistico get in the ring so Rush can do his catchphrase.

The Outrunners think the Learning Tree need to dig two graves.

Outrunners vs. Learning Tree

Big Bill is here with the Learning Tree. Jericho pokes Magnum in the eyes to start and takes those eyes into the corner for some raking. Floyd comes in for some alternating atomic drops and the villains are cleared out to the floor. Bill gets in a big boot for a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with Floyd getting to clean house but the Mega Powers elbow takes too long. Jericho gets the Walls on Floyd but Magnum comes back in with a suplex. NOW the Mega Powers elbow can connect, only for Bill to break up Total Recall. Keith small packages Floyd for the pin at 8:21.

Rating: C+. Maybe I was stupid for thinking they could do something with the Outrunners, but here they are losing to bigger teams. I know they weren’t going to be AEW Tag Team Champions, but they could have beaten some biggish team in a funny feud. Instead, they are the latest stars to be sacrifice on the altar of Jericho.

Post match, Big Bill beats up the Outrunners again. A double chokeslam through the table is loaded up but Bandido comes in for the save. Keith goes through the table instead.

Kyle Fletcher wants to even the score with Mark Briscoe. They’re set for next week.

Buddy Matthews again challenges Kazuchika Okada, who isn’t interested. B******* ensues.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Harley Cameron

Taya jumps her to start and stomps away in the corner, only to get kicked in the head. Back up and the sliding German suplex drops Cameron and we take a break. We come back with the fans chanting FEEL THE WRATH and Cameron hitting a Canadian Destroyer. Cameron misses a Swanton but gets speared, only for Cameron to roll her up for the pin and her first AEW victory at 7:34.

Rating: C. Now THIS is what AEW needs to do more often. It wasn’t some stunning upset or total nonsense, but one of the most popular stars in the promotion got a clean win. They still have time to do this on the way to Grand Slam where Cameron likely gets to lose to Mercedes Mone. Not a particularly good match, but it was what the fans wanted to see and it went well.

We get a sitdown interview with Ricochet, who is happy to be here among the best around. Then the fans turned on him and threw toilet paper at him. Swerve Strickland thought it was a good idea to join the fans booing him. Cue Strickland to say he could end Ricochet but that would disappoint fans in Atlanta. Strickland talks about how the two of them have a long history and now it is going to be a fight, which Ricochet can’t win. Ricochet talks about how he doesn’t care about the fans and they’ll see each other in Atlanta. Nice stuff here, as they’re making this feel like a showdown.

Here is Toni Storm to say that she has been playing the role of Toni Storm for the last six weeks. Naturally no one got this because she’s such a great actress. She has to run away after Mariah May broke her heart and now she has seen everything she has. May is a “shambolic b****.” and her time is over. At least they’re winking at the fact that it wasn’t a big surprise.

Video on Christopher Daniels.

Harley Cameron is outside of Mercedes Mone’s dressing room….and whips out a Mone puppet for some outstanding ventriloquism. Mone comes in to mock Cameron for being a loser who doesn’t get to ride the money train. Sweet goodness this woman is talented.

Video on Daniel Garcia.

TNT Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Lee Moriarty

Garcia is defending and Moriarty’s ROH Pure Title isn’t on the line. Feeling out process to start with neither going much of anywhere. We get the parade of holds with neither being able to get very far, meaning it’s another standoff. Moriarty gets sent outside so the other two can get kicked in the face. A big dive drops O’Reilly and Garcia and we take a break.

Back with Moriarty hitting an Eat Defeat/Downward Spiral combination for two each. Some double teaming takes Moriarty down until an exchange of kicks leaves everyone down. Garcia hammers away at both of them in the corner. With O’Reilly down, Garcia gets the Dragon Slayer but O’Reilly breaks it up. Moriarty’s associate Shane Taylor punches Garcia into the Border City Stretch but Garcia reverses into the jackknife cover for the retaining pin at 11:31.

Rating: B-. This was mostly just a nice wrestling match, but CAN WE STOP PINNING RING OF HONOR CHAMPIONS??? If you don’t want O’Reilly to lose here then fine, but don’t put another champion in there to take the fall. Heck you had Shane Taylor RIGHT THERE on the floor to take the fall instead. This is one of those things that Tony Khan does far too often and it drives me insane.

Post match Shane Taylor Promotions surround O’Reilly and Garcia but the Undisputed Kingdom makes the save.

Video on Penelope Ford vs. Thunder Rosa.

Hologram is walking the streets and seems to have electrical powers.

Megan Bayne vs. Hyena Hera

Bayne powers her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs to start and hits a pump kick for a knockdown. An F5 finishes Hera at 1:25. That’s how she should have debuted rather than being just another name in the Casino Gauntlet.

Lio Rush might take up Darius Martin’s challenge. Maybe.

Mariah May is ready to watch Toni Storm vs. Queen Aminata.

Kris Statlander apologizes to Willow Nightingale over their issues. Nightingale says it’s time to focus on herself, but Statlander pulls out their friendship bracelet, showing it was never broken.

Death Riders vs. FTR

Street fight and FTR jumps them in the crowd to start fast. The weapons are brought in rather quickly and the Riders fight back, with Cash being sent into the steps to put him down. Harwood is sent into them as well and Moxley puts him in a chair for a kick to the face and two, as “Mid-South Street Fight” apparently means falls count anywhere. Yuta chairs Harwood in the ring and here is Moxley with some pliers. Cash fights up and helps clean some house but Moxley pliers Harwood’s nose…and we take a break. Because of course.

We come back with Moxley pouring out the thumbtacks, only to get powerbombed onto them. Cash and Yuta fight over a suplex before Cash settles for a suicide dive. Moxley Death Riders Cash on the floor and puts a table up in the corner. The double suplex is broken up and Harwood hits a brainbuster for a needed breather.

Harwood grabs Moxley low, only for Marina Shafir to come in and grab Harwood low. Shafir grabs a choke but gets sent through the table in the corner for his efforts. A piledriver sets up a Sharpshooter on Moxley so here is Claudio Castagnoli for the save. Cue Jay White and Cope to even things up, with Yuta getting piledriven through the announcers’ able for the pin at 16:51.

Rating: B-. Quite the fight here and it’s nice to see the Riders lose, but at the same time, it was quite a bit of the same stuff that we have seen in this kind of a match before. The match did come a bit out of nowhere, though apparently this was the last minute replacement for Powerhouse Hobbs due to his injury, so fair enough. Good stuff here, but the Death Riders in general are just not that interesting.

Post match the Riders keep up the beating but get taken out, with a Shatter Machine and spear dropping Moxley. The Conchairto is broken up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice enough show here, even if the audience is going to be crushed by the Royal Rumble. The last two non-squash matches were pretty good and I liked them throwing in some shorter matches to keep things moving. It’s not a show you need to see, but it was perfectly enjoyable.

Results
Hook/Samoa Joe b. The Patriarchy – MuscleBuster to Sabian
The Beast Mortos b. Adam Priest – Spinning piledriver
Rush b. Max Caster – Bull’s Horns
Learning Tree b. Outrunners – Small package to Keith
Harley Cameron b. Taya Valkyrie – Rollup
Daniel Garcia b. Lee Moriarty and Kyle O’Reilly – Jackknife rollup to Moriarty
Megan Bayne b. Hyena Hera – F5
FTR b. Death Riders – Spike piledriver through the announcers’ table to Yuta

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: January 22, 2025
Location: Knoxville Civic Auditorium, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Taz, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We are closing in on Grand Slam and that means it is time to start getting ready for the show. There is a good chance that we are going to see something set up this week, as we are starting up some big things. Revolution is coming up as well and that means there are a lot of things going on. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Will Ospreay to get things going, with Kenny Omega coming out to join him. Sidenote: like him or not, Omega gets the superstar entrance to end them all around here and there is no way around it. The fans love him and he comes off like the king of the world. Ospreay talks about how Omega came back in a weird time because the Death Riders are holding the World Title hostage and Ospreay wants to do something about it but can’t get away from the Don Callis Family.

Omega talks about them fighting at Forbidden Door, where Ospreay tried to drop him on his head. That makes Ospreay no better than Callis, and no matter what he does, Omega is still better. Ospreay can take the #2 spot, but Omega has the #1 spot locked up. Cue Callis but Omega immediately goes after him, with Konosuke Takeshita jumping Omega. Kyle Fletcher comes in for the beatdown and Ospreay, eventually, comes in for the save.

The big brawl is on with Callis sending in the Murder Machines and the big fight heads into the concourse. Ospreay and Omega fight back and put Lance Archer through a well placed merchandise table. The brawl heads back into the arena, with Omega and Ospreay hitting some gorgeous dives off various structures to take the villains down. Omega and Ospreay climb the light structure and Omega says next time it’s Callis’ turn. Omega issues the challenge for Grand Slam to Takeshita and Fletcher.

The catchphrase is loaded up and, after Omega’s music starts and stops, he gets it in. Then Omega wants to get down because he is scared of heights (fair enough as I can relate). This was a heck of an opening segment, mainly because Omega and Ospreay were acting like superheroes, which is where they shine. The only drawback was they were doing it against Don Callis, as the energy just goes sailing out the window whenever he’s around.

Video on Pac.

The Death Riders talk about how Cope is in a world he doesn’t understand. He’s willing to finish the job on Cope’s neck because they don’t have time for relics of the past.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate vs. Private Party

The Syndicate, with MVP on commentary, is challenging. Lashley takes over on Quen to start before handing it off to Benjamin. A neckbreaker/Swanton combination gives Kassidy a quick two but Lashley grabs Quen from the apron. The Syndicate is sent to the floor, where they catch stereo dives and hit belly to belly suplexes.

We take a break and come back with Kassidy having been put through the announcers’ table and Quen being thrown around by Benjamin. Kassidy is back up and Quen fights up, allowing the tag off to Kassidy to pick up the pace. A pop up dropkick hits Benjamin and a 450 gets two, with Lashley making the save. Lashley spears Kassidy in half for the pin and the titles at 9:10.

Rating: B-. This was how the match should have gone, as Private Party has not felt important since winning the titles. The problem came down to they have done nothing in AEW other than beat the Young Bucks twice. Since winning the titles, they have mainly sat back while teams qualified to face them or watched Action Andretti/Lio Rush vs. Top Flight. What else was supposed to happen here? The Syndicate has looked like monsters since showing up and them winning the titles is the right move.

Video on Mariah May vs. Toni Storm at Grand Slam.

Harley Cameron gives Toni Storm a pep talk. In Australian. Renee Paquette: “I didn’t get a word of that.”

Karen Jarrett tries to calm Jeff Jarrett down but he’s got this.

Here is Jeff Jarrett for a chat. Jarrett talks about being on after Jerry Lawler one night and not doing quite as well, including on the microphone. After the match, Lawler asked what Jarrett was thinking. Never get in the gutter with your opponent, like he did with MJF last week. They’ll deal with that one day, but for now, he wants Jon Moxley out here.

Moxley’s music plays but Claudio Castagnoli comes in to jump Jarrett instead. Castagnoli says no one gets to Moxley without getting through him first, so stay out of their business. With Castagnoli in the crowd, Jarrett challenges him for next week, with a title shot coming if he wins. I guess Jarrett might get the title hot in Australia, which is certainly a choice they could make.

Video on Megan Bayne.

Swerve Strickland vs. AR Fox

They fight over a suplex to start until Swerve sends him outside for a moonsault. Back in and Swerve drops him gain without much trouble and we take a break. We come back with Fox working on the arm and hitting a step up moonsault to the floor. Swerve fights back but cue Ricochet for a distraction. Prince Nana whips out a pipe to chase him off, leaving Fox to hit a quick Lo Mein Pain for two, only to miss the 450. Swerve is back with the rolling Downward Spiral into the House call. Fox has to scoot WAY over so the Swerve Stomp can finish at 9:15.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly fine match between two guys who know how to work well with each other. It also didn’t go quite as long as I was expecting and that is nice to see for a change. Strickland didn’t give up a ton of offense and it made things better. Nana whipping out a pipe from nowhere was amusing enough as a bonus.

Post match Ricochet pops up to show that he has Prince Nana held a scissors point. They’ll meet next week. I’m still not sure about Ricochet as this crazy violent guy, but that’s where we’re going. Or at least what is being teased.

We look at Powerhouse Hobbs getting a win in a twelve man tag on Collision.

The Learning Tree is happy to be here in Knoxville, in the Rocky Mountains. Big Bill seems ok with the loss but Chris Jericho isn’t happy. What is Bill going to do about it? Bill gets serious and challenges Hobbs for Collision. They really aren’t going to stretch this Learning Tree stuff out until Eddie Kingston is back right?

Here is MJF, who orders a jobber to get out of his ring. MJF wants an apology from Jeff Jarrett because it is hilarious that Jarrett thinks he can win a World Title in 2025 without MJF’s help. Maybe he is as senile as he looks. The reality is that wrestling does not love Jarrett anymore and neither do these fans. A mediocre strength DOUBLE J chant slows things down a bit before MJF says Jarrett might go better off making by making a deal with the devil rather than defying him.

Hangman Page vs. ???

It’s the same guy who MJF sent to the floor before the match and it’s a Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 33 seconds.

Post match Page gives him the Angel’s Wings. Christopher Daniels comes out to say he regrets taking the match with Page, because his neck is so damaged that his doctors have advised him to never wrestle again. He hopes Page can be happy and then walks away, leaving Page looking a bit shaken. That sounds like the end of Daniels’ career and the start of Page coming back to reality.

Mercedes Mone is ready to continue her international expansion. She’s ready to fight in Australia so here is Harley Cameron to challenger her. In song. She’s going to make Mone feel her wrath because four belts is a bit much. Mone says no because Cameron hasn’t won a mach on AEW TV. Renee Paquette does compliment the song.

Jamie Hayter vs. Julia Hart

they go outside to start and Hart is sent into the barricade. Then Hart is sent into the barricade and steps as this is a rather violent match to start. A missile dropkick gives Hayter two but Hart pulls her off the middle rope to send Hayter face first into the buckle. We take a break and come back with Hayter knocking her off the top for a double knockdown.

Hayter snaps off some German suplexes and hits a spinebuster for two. The half crab sends Hart over to the ropes and she grabs an Octopus hold. Hayter powers out and hits a backbreaker but Hart crucifix bombs her for two more. Hart stops to glare at the crowd though and the Hatebreaker into Hayterade finishes for Hayter at 9:38.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what it is about Hayter but there isn’t much to get interested in about her since she has been back. She’s just not very interesting and it’s showing more every time she’s out there. Hart is fine enough but these matches haven’t made me want to see either of them again, which is likely why we’re probably getting a rubber match.

Post match Hayter says she’s up for a rubber match anytime.

Powerhouse Hobbs will be waiting for Big Bill in the parking lot at Collision.

Swerve Strickland is coming after Ricochet soon.

Brody King/Buddy Matthews/Julia Hart, now with a dog, suggest that they have no leader. Then King puts on a mask and talks about barking. Then he barks.

Cope vs. Pac

They go to the mat to start and trade hammerlocks with neither getting very far. Back up and Pac backs him against the ropes before kicking away at the ribs. Cope heads to the floor and drops him face first onto the steps, followed by a whip into the barricade. Pac kicks the knee out and sends him into the apron, with Cope instantly favoring his neck.

A big dive takes Cope out again and we take a break. Back with Cope fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a dropkick to leave both of them down. Cope gets up and hits the Impaler but goes to the corner instead of covering. The spear is cut off and Pac hits a superkick to the back of the head.

A pump kick tot he back of the head sets up a release German suplex and Cope is rocked. The Brutalizer goes on but Cope powers up and plants him for the escape. Cope hits a spear to the back and another to the front, setting up a TKO of all things for the pin on Pac at 17:33.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t getting into this as the match was decent enough but it wasn’t very exciting. That has been the case with Cope for a good while now as he seems to love the idea of these long matches. Not a great match and the fans were only so into it, mainly because it’s yet another Death Riders match, despite the seeming lack of any interest in the story.

We cut to the back where the Death Riders have kidnapped FTR (again) and beat up the Rock N Roll Express. Cue the Death Riders to go after Cope and the beatdown is on. Jay White runs in for the save but gets beaten down as well, leaving Moxley to choke Cope out to end the show.

Oh I laughed hard at this ending, as AEW is now probably up to septupling up on the Death Riders stuff. Moxley gets to come out and look all awesome not once but twice, leaving the good guys laying again. Such is life in AEW, as this story keeps going, likely until Darby Allin is done climbing Mount Everest or whatever his latest thing is. Lucky us indeed.

Overall Rating: C+. This one didn’t do much for me, as the opening segment and title switch were about the only things worth seeing. The rest of the show fell into the same trap that AEW has been dealing with for a long time: it is all so serious and, save for Harley Cameron, most of it just isn’t fun. Everything feels like it’s all about being serious and such and that can get rough fast. I’m not sure what AEW needs, but just giving us some kind of comic relief or something a bit more goofy might be very nice for a change. For now though, not a bad show, but it got tedious in a hurry in the last hour or so.

Results
Hurt Syndicate b. Private Party – Spear to Kassidy
Swerve Strickland b. AR Fox – Swerve Stomp
Hangman Page b. ??? – Buckshot Lariat
Jamie Hayter b. Julia Hart – Hayterade
Cope b. Pac – TKO

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

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American Dream 2024 In The Keystone State
Date: April 4, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Lawlor, Veda Scott

So this is from Stardom, the Japanese women’s promotion, who are in town for Wrestlemania Weekend. I was in town for the weekend and since I’m not likely to ever see something like this again in person, it was worth a look. I’m not sure what to expect from this and that’s part of the fun. Let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the corner of the arena for this show with the entrance on my right and the ring pretty much straight in front of me. Keep in mind that I do not follow Stardom whatsoever and will likely have no idea what is going on as far as characters or storylines. I apologize in advance for any errors but I’m coming in mostly blind.

The opening video runs down the card, which is only five matches.

High Speed Title: Mei Seira vs. Ram Kaichow vs. Saki Kashima

Seira is defending and from what I can tell, this is similar to the X-Division/Cruiserweight Title. The audio mix is really missing as commentary is barely audible over the entrance music and I can’t make out more than a few words of what they are saying. Seira has two belts and Kaichow has one, making things all the more confusing. The fans seem to like Kaichow, who might be a bit dead.

Kashima locks up with Kaichow, who has dust flying off of her to scare Kashima away. More dust gets Kaichow out of a double wristlock before they pick up the pace with Seira hitting a running basement dropkick on Kaichow. They run the ropes until the challengers fall down, leaving Seira as the only one standing. Kaichow rolls Seira up for two and an exchange of rollups give not-Kaichow two each. Back up and Kaichow throws more dust, allowing Kashima to pin Seira for the title at 5:06.

Rating: C+. Well they weren’t kidding about the HIGH SPEED part as this was rather fast paced until the ending, which came out of nowhere. I got the concept well enough and Kaichow’s dust thing made her stand out, but the other two didn’t do much to separate themselves from the other. Either way, it was a nice introduction to the show as it was flying by and kept me interested.

AZM/Saya Kamitani/Camron Branae vs. Stephanie Vaquer/Starlight Kid/Momo Watanabe

Saya and Kid start things off, which is apparently a big rivalry. They go to the mat and get nowhere so they both flip up for a staredown. Branae comes in for part of a triple Gory Bomb to put Kid down for two and it’s back to Saya, who gets caught with a headscissors. Watanabe crushes Saya in the corner but gets cut off with a spinning kick to the face. A springboard crossbody gives Saya two and a triple dropkick takes Watanabe down again.

Back up and Watanabe kicks Saya in the head and the double tag brings in AZM and Vaquer. AZM kicks Vaquer in the head and it’s back to Branae, who gets caught with Eat Defeat. Some running knees give Branae two but the villains (I think?) take her into the corner for the train of running shots. Everything breaks down and Kid dives onto the floor to take out AZM and Saya. That leaves Vaquer to headbutt Branae in the corner and go after her recently injured knee. Branae manages a neckbreaker but walks into a package piledriver onto the knee to give Vaquer the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here as they had a bit more time to showcase the people involved. Six women spread over nine minutes isn’t much but it’s better than cramming it into even less time. Vaquer felt like a star and that makes sense as she is the New Japan Women’s Strong Champion. Not a great match, but if the idea is to get as many people on the show as possible, they’re doing well.

Willow Nightingale/Saki vs. Konami/Syuri

Syuri is one of the most revered names going today and I might have seen her once before. Saki and Syuri start things off with Syuri grabbing a rollup for a fast two, giving us an early standoff. Nightingale comes in for a double shoulder to Syuri but she’s back up t kick Saki in the back for two. Konami comes in for a dropkick and a one kneed cover gets two. It’s already back to Syuri for a kick to the back but Saki suplexes her way to freedom. Nightingale comes back in to run Syuri over, setting up a spinebuster for two.

A Cannonball misses though and Syuri gets two off a DDT. Everything breaks down and Syuri and Konami grab stereo holds, both of which are broken up just as fast. Syuri chokes Saki on the floor, leaving Konami to missile dropkick Nightingale. Saki is back in to make a save and Konami is tossed onto Syuri. Nightingale has had enough of this and hits a heck of a Pounce on Konami, setting up a DDT for two. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes for Nightingale at 8:28.

Rating: B-. Another fun match here but they were blazing through it again. That’s been a trend with this show, which isn’t the best idea for a five match card. Nightingale continues to be a ball of energy no matter where she is and it’s great to see her getting a win like this. Now give her a win with some gold on the line and it’ll be even better.

Mayu Iwatani/Tam Nakano/Momo Kohgo vs. Mina Shirakawa/Mariah May/Xia Brookside

This is Stars vs. Club Venus, the latter of which comes off as some kind of pop band/Mean Girls deal. Venus seems to be mainly about Shirakawa, with the other two being her henchwomen. May ducks Kohgo’s running dropkick to start and plans her with a very spinning side slam. Brookside comes in for the running knees to the back and we get a triple Venus pose.

The fans approve of Shirakawa coming in and grabbing a quickly released surfboard. May comes back in but gets caught with a dropkick, allowing Kohgo to hit a crossbody. Iwatani comes in and gets to pick up the pace, including a double springboard wristdrag to May and Shirakawa. May is back up with a Sling Blade and it’s Shirakawa coming in for a kick to the head. Nakano comes in for the first time for a shake off (just go with it) with Shirakawa.

A hanging suplex gives Shirakawa two and it’s Brookside coming in with a neckbreaker for the same. Everything breaks down and a double 619 hits Brookside to give Nakano two. Venus is back in with a double Paige Turner to give Brookside her own near fall on Nakano. There’s a running Codebreaker to drop Nakano as everything breaks down again. Iwatani hits a big dive to the floor and a kick to the face gets two on Brookside, with the rest of Venus making the save. Nakano has had it with this and grabs Twilight Dream (tiger suplex) for the pin at Brookside at 12:13.

Rating: B-. This was another case where the extra time helped but the other thing here was it felt like Venus came off as a full time team rather than two people thrown together. Everyone got a chance to shine here and it felt like more of a showcase, with Brookside getting a lot of time in there. Good stuff here, and probably the best match of the show so far.

Post match the winners leave….and here is Toni Storm, with the AEW Women’s Title and a bouquet of flowers. She talks about the time she has had in Philadelphia, where she started with Easter Championship Wrestling. Storm: “I’ll have you know that this is the very place where I entered Sandman.” She puts over Stardom and praises May, even giving her the flowers. As for Mina Shirakawa, who is standing in the ring as well, the Forbidden Door is always open. Shirakawa is game.

We recap the main event. Maika is the World Champion, Megan Bayne is a power monster, they’ve teamed together and fought before, title match on.

World Of Stardom Title: Maika vs. Megan Bayne

Bayne, billed as the Megasus and the much larger of the two, is challenging. Maika tries some running shoulders to no avail so she tells Bayne to come on. An armdrag works better but Bayne is back up to run her over with a real shoulder. A butterfly suplex gets two, followed by a Samoan drop for the same.

Back up and some running clotheslines in the corner give Maika two and she goes after the arm. Bayne powers up and suplexes her way to freedom, setting up a side slam for two more. Maika puts her up top for a superplex and another near fall, followed by a cutter for the same. Bayne is back with a big boot and a heck of a running clothesline to leave them both down.

Back up and they slug it out until Maika snaps off a powerslam. Maika catches her up top with a powerbomb for one but Bayne is back with a heck of a spear. An apron German suplex gives Bayne two more with an F5 getting the same. They go up again and this time it’s a super Michinoku Driver to give Maika two of her own. A Michinoku Driver II gives Maika the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B. This was just starting to cook when they went home, with Maika being a good fighting from underneath champion. Bayne is a monster with something of a Beth Phoenix look/style so there was an obvious story to be told here. Good match and the best part of the show, though they could have gone longer.

Post match respect is shown and here is Momo Watanabe to say she’s the next challenger. Watanabe pulls back her baseball bat to swing at Maika but Bayne gets in her way and sends Watanabe bailing. Maika says they’re on for April 27 in Yokohama before leading the fans in the WE ARE STARDOM chant to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. That’s it? The show didn’t even run an hour and forty five minutes, with the longest match out of five lasting less than fifteen minutes. I’m not sure if that is Stardom’s style, but this was really short and felt like it could have gone another hour or so. What we got was good, but I was sitting in the crowd wondering what else they were going to do because it wasn’t even two hours and then the show just ended. For the prices being charged, this should have been more, as it just didn’t last long enough. What we got was good, but egads give us more than that.

Results
Saki Kashima b. Ram Kaichow and Mei Seira – Crucifix to Seira
Stephanie Vaquer/Starlight Kid/Momo Watanabe b. AZM/Saya Kamitani/Camron Branae – Package piledriver onto the knee to Branae
Stars b. Club Venus – Twilight Dream to Brookside
Maika b. Megan Bayne – Michinoku Driver II

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.