Collision
Date: August 22, 2026
Location: Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Tony Schiavone

The Continental Challenge Cup continues here with some more quarterfinal action. That’s in addition to Willow Nightingale vs. Maya World in a champion vs. champion match, which is happening due to reasons I don’t quite understand. Yes Nightingale promised World the title match, but do you really want one of them losing? Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay’s issues from Dynamite.

Continental Challenge Cup Quarterfinals: Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Cassidy gives him the sunglasses to start and gets headscissored as a result. That’s broken up and Cassidy is already looking tired, even as he rolls over into a headlock on O’Reilly. A belly to back suplex can’t get O’Reilly out so he goes after the arm for a change. Cassidy kicks him outside and rolls around a bit, giving us a less than serious standoff.

O’Reilly offers to hold the ropes so Cassidy rolls underneath them, which I guess counts as a mind game here. Cassidy gets in a suplex back inside and we take a break. We come back with O’Reilly getting in a suplex of his own and more suplexes leaving them in the corners. O’Reilly wins an exchange of strikes to knock Cassidy down and they get a double breather.

Back up and Cassidy Falcon Arrows him out of the corner for two but the Beach Break is countered. Instead Cassidy goes with a PK into the Beach Break but O’Reilly is right back with the ankle lock. O’Reilly can’t bring himself to stomp the ankle and gets small packaged, which means a grapevined ankle lock makes Cassidy tap at 14:32.

Rating: B-. This was a basic formula of O’Reilly picking Cassidy apart to make for a good story. As luck would have it, O’Reilly is probably on the way to facing Nigel McGuinness and his bad ankle, which is about as simple as it should go. If nothing else, it’s nice to see O’Reilly actually getting some singles wins, which only happens on occasion.

Post match respect is shown.

After Dynamite, Nigel McGuinness’ ankle was banged up but Will Ospreay joined him in the trainer’s room. Ospreay talks about what an inspiration McGuinness is to him but McGuinness wants Ospreay to go win the big one.

Lena Kross/Megan Bayne vs. Erica Leigh/Tiana James

Non-title with a five minute time limit. Bayne wastes no time in German suplexing them at the same time and a double clothesline puts them down again. We pause for Bayne and Kross to mock the Brawling Birds. Something like Two Birds One Stone connects, but instead it’s Divine Intervention to finish James at 2:33. Exactly what you would have expected.

Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Jack Perry, with the match set for Dynamite.

We look at Darby Allin being blown up by pyro at the hands of Kevin Knight. This was of course followed by a Coast To Coast, because blowing someone up isn’t enough these days.

Continental Challenge Cup Quarterfinals: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia is replacing Eddie Kingston after winning at match at last night’s Ring Of Honor show. Castagnoli wrestles him down to start and gets a quick two, with Garcia bailing over to the rope. A rollup gives Garcia two and he starts striking away, setting up a dragon screw legwhip over the rope. Garcia’s running dropkick hits Castagnoli against the barricade but he avoids a charge to send Garcia into the crowd.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli firing off uppercuts in the corner. Garcia pulls himself up for the dance and hammers away as well, setting up the Dragontamer. That’s quickly escaped so Garcia flips over into a sleeper. The dazed Castagnoli finally reverses into a giant swing so Garcia is up with a running knee. Castagnoli blocks a Neutralizer and goes after the leg, including a kick to said leg in the corner.

Garcia is right back with another sleeper to bring Castagnoli down followed by a Neutralizer for two. Castagnoli twists the knee around though and the Sharpshooter (Schiavone: “Dragontamer, whatever you want to call it.” It’s a Sharpshooter you buffoon.). That’s broken up so Castagnoli powerbombs him into the Sharpshooter for the tap at 15:38.

Rating: B. Garcia gave it his all here and it felt like he was trying as hard as he could to hang in there with the monster Castagnoli. I’m not sure how realistic it was to believe that Garcia was going to move on, but I’ll take a better match than I was expecting along the way. Castagnoli isn’t winning the whole thing but he’s a good midcard monster for someone to overcome on the way to the finals.

Video on Mercedes Mone vs. Willow Nightingale.

The blind draw took place during the break and the semifinals are:

Jon Moxley vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Nigel McGuinness vs. Kyle O’Reilly

So if Moxley wins, and he probably will, did we just spend a month and 14 matches setting up what could have been a regular Continental Title defense?

Video on the Dogs, now with Gabe Kidd again.

Hurt Syndicate/Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Mako/Nic Nolan/Ryan O’Neil

Benjamin and Mako start things off with the latter being launched into the corner. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Benjamin unloads on O’Neil on the floor. Lashley comes in and immediately tags out to Moriarty, with the Syndicate leaving. The Border City Stret finishes Mako (making him look sleepy in the process) at 2:37.

Post match Shane Taylor and his Promotions get in the ring to say he wants the Trios Titles. Therefore, it’s open challenge time.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Austin takes Bravo into the corner to start and it’s Colten coming in to work on the arm. Bravo takes him into the corner but that’s broken up, allowing Austin to come in and hammer on Dean. We take a break and come back with a middle rope fist drop getting two on Austin, followed by the Bronco Buster. Austin is right back up for the diving tag back to Colten. Taylor comes in and absorbs a bunch of chops before missing the Vader Bomb. Everything breaks down and White hits a quick Blade Runner for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. And so much for the Promotions’ latest run, as they lose yet again. That’s their trademark result most of the time and I’m not even surprised anymore. I’m not sure how that ties in with the Hurt Syndicate but they’re still more interesting than the Promotions in the first place.

Post match White says he isn’t done with the Dogs, but they want the Trios Titles back.

The Conglomeration is ready to win at All In.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay, looking back at their history over the last several years. It’s rather extensive, though I’m not sure they need to go that far back with this match.

Nick Wayne/Tommaso Ciampa vs. Komander/Mike Bailey

They’re all in the Casino Gauntlet so we’re having a match in advance. Ciampa takes Bailey down to start and gets in a quick shot to put him in more trouble. Bailey is back up and it’s off to Wayne, who stomps Bailey into the corner. Everything breaks down and the good guys hit dives to take out Wayne and Ciampa as we take a break.

We come back with Komander diving over for a tag to Bailey, who misses kicks at Wayne. Ciampa is back in to roll Bailey up for two but Bailey gives him the moonsault knees for two of his own. Komander gets the tag and starts spinning around a lot, at least until Ciampa cuts him off with a running knee. Komander’s Destroyer gets two on Wayne but it’s too early for Cielito Lindo. Ciampa goes for Komander’s mask and the ProdigyPlex gives Wayne the pin at 9:49.

Rating: B-. They went nuts for a bit here and it wound up being a fun match. I can go for having a match like this, as Wayne getting a pin on Komander is a potential result of the Casino Gauntlet. The match is going to be insane so having something a little less chaotic is a good thing to see.

Video on the International Title triple threat at All In,

Jon Moxley is happy to face Claudio Castagnoli in the semifinals. Well, maybe not in so many words.

Women’s Title: Maya World vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale (and only Nightingale) is defending. World is taken down off of a lockup to start so she tries to sweep the leg, earning a happy pose from Nightingale. A sunset flip gives World Two and we take a break. We come back with Nightingale striking away in the corner but World drops her with a running dropkick for two.

World gets in a 619 but gets knocked over with a rather hard charge as Nightingale is starting to pick up some steam. Nightingale’s middle rope dropkick sets up a cannonball for two but World is right back with the tabletop suplex for two of her own. That’s enough for Nightingale, who grabs a backslide to retain at 11:28.

Rating: C+. Why? Why did they do this? World is someone who often feels like she’s in over her head as champion and was presented as an underdog getting this far. Why in the world would you put her in a match where she has to lose clean? Sure Nightingale promised her the match. Just find a way to avoid that from happening and this result doesn’t have to happen. Totally fine match with a rather stupid result that didn’t need to happen.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked the show well enough, though dang I’m tired of the Continental Classic stuff. As usual, it’s a tournament of long matches to get us to a match for one of the many one off the many midcard titles. Seeing Moxley vs. Castagnoli isn’t very interesting but here we are getting to hear what a big deal it is. The rest of the show had a bunch of videos for All In, which is fine, but nothing on here felt like it was worth going out of your way to see. In other words, a normal Collision.

Results
Kyle O’Reilly b. Orange Cassidy – Ankle lock
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Erica Leigh/Tiana James – Divine Intervention to James
Claudio Castagnoli b. Daniel Garcia – Sharpshooter
Hurt Syndicate/Lee Moriarty b. Matt Mako/Nic Nolan/Ryan O’Neil – Border City Stretch to Mako
Bang Bang Gang b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Blade Runner to Bravo
Nick Wayne/Tommaso Ciampa b. Komander/Mike Bailey – ProdigyPlex to Komander
Willow Nightingale b. Maya World – Backslide

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 20, 2026
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the night before Death Before Dishonor and in that case it means we need to have the big final push towards the show. That’s the best case scenario of course though, as you never know what you might get around here. If nothing else, Nick Wayne vs. Bandido could use some more attention so let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

Dark Order says they have had a hard road but it’s time to move forward. Preston Vance is back on the team, but John Silver isn’t happy with that. Silver brings up all of the things that Vance did, with Evil Uno saying Silver will come around.

Opening sequence.

Athena vs. Gia Scott

Non-title Proving Ground match. Riccaboni says that Athena’s 1,350 day reign is the longest in modern wrestling and you have to look back to Bruno Sammartino for a longer reign, which is such nonsense that I don’t even know where to start. Athena doesn’t seem impressed to start and gets kicked in the face to give Scott an early two. That just earns her a beating and the quick curb stomp to give Athena the rather fast pin at 2:53.

Post match Athena keeps up the beating and mocks Hazuki, who doesn’t show up for the save.

Video on Athena vs. Hazuki.

Preston Vance vs. Danny Grandview

Grandview kicks him in the ribs before the bell, earning himself a running boot in the corner. A spinebuster and the discus lariat finish Grandview off at 59 seconds.

Post match the Dark Order (sans John Silver) come out for their match and hug Vance on the way out.

Dark Order vs. Action Andretti/Hook

Andretti shoves Uno around to start and poses a bit. Some flips have Uno frustrated so it’s off to Reynolds, who gets his eyes raked. Hook comes in and is quickly caught in an abdominal stretch, which doesn’t last long either. Hook’s gutwrench suplex sends Reynolds back into the corner but some uppercuts just seem to annoy Reynolds. Said annoyed Reynolds is taken down with pumphandle slam for two and his high crossbody misses for a crash.

Uno finally comes in for the save and Reynolds sends the villains into each other. That’s enough for the tag back to Uno so house can be cleaned, including a brainbuster onto the knee for two on Andretti. Reynolds tries a rollup but gets caught in Redrum, which is broken up thanks to Hook being less than legal. Andretti drops a 450 on the out cold Reynolds for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. The only thing that mattered here was Andretti getting the pin as he needs all of the momentum that he can get on the way to the TV Title shot against Lio Rush. Hook and Andretti as a team feels like a case of “they have nothing else to do”, and the battle of Cru still isn’t the most interesting. Perfectly fine match here and at least it gave Andretti some momentum.

Video on Action Andretti vs. Lio Rush.

Alec Price vs. Daniel Garcia

They actually shake hands to start and Garcia grabs a wristlock, with Price running around for the flipping escape. Garcia sends him outside for a fisherman’s neckbreaker and we hit the chinlock with a knee in the back back inside. The running corner clotheslines hit Garcia but Price fights out of the corner for a breather.

Some running knees in the corner have Garcia in trouble but he pulls Price into a choke. That’s broken up rather quickly and they yell at each other before trading right hands. Price gets the better of things and sends him to the floor for the big dive, followed by a springboard Blockbuster for two back inside. Back in and Garcia fires off some chops to set up a choke, setting up a piledriver to pin Price at 8:38.

Rating: C+. This was another basic match and I’m not entirely sure why it was happening. These two are both usually tag wrestlers around here and it’s not like they’re in a feud. It’s also not like they’re challenging for the Tag Team Titles on Friday, or doing anything else on the show for that matter, so this was kind of a weird choice for the show.

Post match we do get another handshake.

Jordan Oliver talks about his history as a team with Nick Wayne, but then Wayne left him on the indies. They’re facing off tonight and it’s more than just a test for Wayne.

Lio Rush vs. Joe Keys

Non-title Proving Ground match. Rush kicks him in the head to start and hits the suicide dive to the floor. Back in and the Stunner into the cravate choke finishes for Rush at 1:09.

Post match Action Andretti runs in to take Rush out. Andretti goes after keys though and gets taken down by Rush, who grabs a barbed wire chair.

Dalton Castle and the Outrunners are sick of the Lethal Twists, who are going to melt in their title match.

The Lethal Twist seems to see things differently.

Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata vs. Erica Leigh/Brittany Blake

Aminata backs Blake up against the ropes to start and gets hit in the stomach for her efforts. That earns Blake a side slam and a snap suplex and it’s off to Leigh. A facebuster staggers Shirakawa, who quickly takes the leg out. Aminata gets in the hips to the face and the full nelson with lets, with Blake having to make a save. Blake’s chinlock doesn’t last long Shirakawa comes back in to strike away, with Aminata getting two off a top rope double stomp. Everything breaks down and Aminata headbutts Blake into the ropes, with the running knee connecting for the pin on Blake at 7:15.

Rating: C+. This got more interesting at the pin, though I’m not sure what Shirakawa and Aminata are going to do together around here. Maybe it leads to something in AEW, but for now it’s just a pair of women teaming together with nothing else going on. I’ll take more Shirakawa though, as she deserves more than what she’s been getting around here lately.

Deonna Purrazzo isn’t scared of Steph de Lander, who doesn’t follow the rules, including the Pure Rules.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo vs. Steph de Lander, which uses audio from the promo we saw 30 seconds earlier.

Jordan Oliver vs. Nick Wayne

We do get a handshake to start, with Oliver backing him into the corner to start and suggesting some intelligence. Wayne tries a drop doe and Oliver calmly steps over him as this is getting into the mind games. Back up and Wayne stomps away in the corner, setting up the seated abdominal stretch. Oliver gets up and crossbodies him out of the air, which earns Oliver a suplex into the corner.

They yell and slap at each other until Oliver grabs a sitout gordbuster. Wayne is back up with a poisonrana but his handspring is countered into a bridging German suplex for two. Riccaboni: “Jordan Oliver going move for move with the #1 contender. Shows you how big Jordan Oliver is and can be.” Or how Wayne has no business as #1 contender and was a ridiculous choice. Oliver hits a heck of a superkick in the corner but an Iconoclasm is countered. Wayne kicks him in the head and grabs a fisherman’s buster for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B. This started slowly but them went from zero to sixty out of nowhere, with the last few minutes being good stuff. Wayne still feels like a ridiculous #1 contender and having that waiting for him tomorrow took something away from this match. This could have been a good feud and a grudge match at Death Before Dishonor but instead it’s a weird pit stop.

Post match Wayne loads up a Conchairto but Bandido makes the save.

Video on Bandido vs. Nick Wayne, focusing on Bandido’s really long title reign.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

Nigel McGuinness is injured and can’t compete at Death Before Dishonor. He’s still focusing on All In and the Continental Challenge Cup. This has been the “Hey, make sure you remember that Ring Of Honor and it’s titles mean nothing. Wouldn’t want you to think otherwise.” moment of the show.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Pure Rules and the winner gets a Pure Rules Title shot on Friday. They fight over a lockup to start and Shibata uses his first rope break, possibly not on purpose. Shibata pulls him into a Figure Four to even up the rope breaks, followed by Yuta using a second to get out of a sleeper. Naturally Shibata uses the rope to get out of a rollup, leaving them with one left each, so Yuta punches him in the face.

A middle rope elbow gives Yuta one and he hits something like an Angle Slam for twice that much. Back up and Shibata strikes away in the corner and they trade forearms in the corner. Yuta is chased to the ropes for the last break and Shibata suplexes him on the apron. Back in and the sleeper sets up an Octopus on Yuta for the tap at 7:11.

Rating: B-. It’s not the most thrilling result but they were backed into a corner here and this was as good as any other choice they had. Shibata is someone who can have a great technical match against Lee Moriarty and that should be fine. It’s also nice to see Yuta get beaten up so we’ll call that a bonus.

Nick Wayne says that was a message to Bandido.

We look at Zayda Steel and Red Velvet winning a tag match on Tuesday.

Zayda Steel/Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue/Marina Shafir

Tornado Tag. Steel and Velvet charge into the ring to start fast and Velvet kicks Blue down for an early two. A Codebreaker and double suplex get two on Blue but Shafir is back in to take over. Steel is slammed and let’s get a table set up on the floor. Christopher Daniels isn’t having that at all and gets beaten up, only for Steel and Velvet to hit a pair of dives.

Back in and a pair of Thesz presses let the heroines hammer away, with Steel using a kendo stick. Shafir and Blue send Steel into the corner though and some running clotheslines connect. We get an exchange of kicks to the face and everyone is down. They slug it out from their knees until Shafir is knocked onto the apron. Velvet misses a charge though and gets choked, with the two of them crashing through a table. That leaves Blue to knee Steel in the face, setting up Code Blue for the pin on Steel at 10:45.

Rating: C+. This really didn’t need to have any special rules and it’s weird to see them splitting a two match series. That should be setting up a rematch but I don’t particularly need to see them do this again, especially not with an even bigger stipulation. It’s a weird choice for a main event, but at least it was playing off of something else.

Post match the winners get in another beatdown and argue over the Women’s Title Title. As it turns out, a four way for the Women’s TV Title is announced for Friday. Well that’s better than nothing.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a mixed bag, but they did focus on the pay per view, with most of the matches getting at least a look. It still had all kinds of things that had nothing to do with Friday and likely won’t mean much going forward, but I’ll take a bit of a good result over nothing. Friday’s show is still likely to be a hot one, but hopefully they have a nice follow up to go along with that.

Results
Athena b. Gia Scott – Curb stomp
Preston Vance b. Danny Grandview – Discus lariat
Daniel Garcia b. Alec Price – Piledriver
Lio Rush b. Joe Keys – Cravate choke
Queen Aminata/Mina Shirakawa b. Brittany Blake/Erica Leigh – Running knee to Blake
Nick Wayne b. Jordan Oliver – Fisherman’s buster
Katsuyori Shibata b. Wheeler Yuta – Octopus
Skye Blue/Marina Shafir b. Zayda Steel/Red Velvet – Code Blue to Steel

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 18, 2026
Location: The Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming up on Death Before Dishonor later this week and that means we have a bonus show which is likely going to be little more than leftovers. That tends to be the norm with these things, though they have some specials which actually focused on the pay per view. Hopefully that’s the case as the card could use the help. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Komander vs. Ariya Daivari

Beef and Mark Sterling are here too. Komander jumps him on the floor to start fast and hammers away in the corner. A snapmare gets Komander out of a snapmare attempt but he gets sent outside. Beef won’t jump Komander though and gets tossed by the rest of the Athletes, as insubordination isn’t tolerated in this stable.

Back in and a clothesline has Komander in more trouble, with a chinlock making it works. Komander fights up and starts the comeback but has to dropkick Sterling to the floor (with Sterling landing on his head in a terrifying bump). That’s enough for Daivari to hit a hammerlock DDT into the Magic Carpet Ride for two more in a pretty effective near fall. Komander sends him outside for a suicide dive, setting up Cielito Lindo for the pin at 8:31.

Rating: C+. That near fall was rather good, but there was only so much to be gotten out of a match involving one of the Athletes. The team has long since been little more than a group who happens to be out here most weeks and are still in the same spot they’ve been in. Komander was his usual self, but he’s also in his usual spot of going almost nowhere.

Video on Lio Rush vs. Action Andretti. Again, the fact that there is a blowoff match from Cru tells you how out there ROH can be.

Action Andretti/Hook vs. Lio Rush/AR Fox

Fox flips away from Andretti to start and avoids a few stomps, meaning they can trade rollups for two. They both try dropkicks and flip up to a standoff so it’s off to Rush vs. Hook. Rush isn’t sure what to do with him and it’s right back to Fox, who takes Hook into the corner.

Hook wrestles him down and grabs a suplex but Fox rolls out of the corner. Rush comes back in to clean house on Hook, including a spinning kick to the head. Everything breaks down and Rush’s springboard Stunner hits Andretti, setting up the cravate choke. That’s enough for Hook to use the belt on Rush for the DQ at 8:00.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure if that’s the best way to go with Andretti on his way to the title shot in three days. Andretti doesn’t feel like he’s a real threat to Rush and having him need to be saved before tapping out didn’t help. At the same time, this won’t matter much if Rush beats him on Friday and hopefully that’s where this winds up.

Post match Hook chokes Rush out and Andretti hammers on him before holding up the title.

Video on Dalton Castle/The Outrunners vs. the Lethal Twist for the former’s Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Sky Flight vs. Manny Lemons/Tommy 2 Scoops/Dave Cole

Sky and Lemons start things off with Sky armdragging him into an early armbar. Darius comes in to take over on Scoops and everything breaks down, with Top Flight’s tornado DDT planting Cole. Sky’s TKO finishes Cole at 4:18.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash, with Sky Flight running through a team involving lemons and what sounds like ice cream. Yeah I don’t get it either but modern wrestling can have some odd names. Anyway, Sky Flight continues to be fun, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t wind up doing anything.

Nigel McGuinness is injured but he’s going to wrestle at Death Before Dishonor and in the Continental Challenge Cup, hurt or not. It’s his last chance in ROH and he’s going no matter what.

Anthony Ogogo vs. Aaron Solo

Ogogo shoves him around to start but gets knocked out to the floor. Solo goes up but gets crotched down, allowing Ogogo to stomp him down into the corner. Solo gets to his feet for a running neckbreaker into a top rope double stomp for two on Ogogo. Back up and Ogogo hits some running strikes to the face but gets kicked in the head. Ogogo gives a German suplex and the right hand gets the knockout at 4:43.

Rating: C. Thrilling. Ogogo continues to be able to do one thing and pretty much one thing only, which has been the case since he debuted all the way back in the Cody Rhodes days. I have a grand total of no idea how he’s still seen as any kind of a prospect but here we go again, with Ogogo doing the same stuff he always does. He’s a good example of a person who doesn’t need to be around, as he hasn’t changed in any meaningful way and is just clogging up the massive roster.

The Hex vs. Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata

Shirakawa kicks away at Kay to start and stops to do her dance. Kay gets kicked down and it’s off to Aminata for the hips to the face. Belle doesn’t care for this and comes in for the running Meteora and Kay’s running boot hits Aminata in the corner. It’s right back to Shirakawa and everything breaks down, with the slingshot corkscrew drive connecting. Aminata kicks Kay in the ropes and Shirakawa Figure Fours Belle for the win at 5:33.

Rating: C. This was in fact a match that happened. I’m not particularly sure why when we’re three days away from a pay per view but they have to pad these shows out with something. As usual, Shirakawa feels like absolutely nothing these days and that’s a shame with how much charisma she has to spare.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo vs. Steph de Lander for the Women’s Pure Rules Title.

Video on Athena defending the Women’s Title against Hazuki.

El Phantasmo vs. Adam Priest

Priest takes him down by the arm to start but gets wristdragged into a dropkick. Back up and Phantasmo snaps off a hurricanrana but a rather bouncy springboard is broken up when Phantasmo tries a rope walk. Priest takes him down out of the corner but Phantasmo punches him in the face (keeping it simple has its merits).

Phantasmo misses a Lionsault so he sends Priest outside instead, setting up a suicide dive and a moonsault to the floor. Back in and the Lionsault connects and a tornado DDT sends Priest crashing back to the floor. Priest tries the half crab but gets reversed into some rollups for two. A Texas piledriver gets two on Phantasmo and sets up another half crab….to make Phantasmo tap at 10:31.

Rating: C+. Well I’m stunned. I would not have bet on Phantasmo tapping out here as he’s a much bigger name than Priest but odder things can happen. At the same time, it doesn’t mean much if this is just another match for Priest. He’s shown the potential before, but like everyone else, it doesn’t matter if that potential doesn’t go anywhere. For now though, heck of a surprise there.

Video on Bandido vs. Nick Wayne for the World Title. This would mean more if Wayne had meant anything in ROH in the last several months.

Zayda Steel/Red Velvet vs. Marina Shafir/Skye Blue

Shafir takes Velvet down to start so Velvet jumps on her back for a choke. It’s off to Blue to get caught in the wrong corner, with Steel taking her down for two. A Shafir distraction lets Blue get in a shot from behind for two and Shafir comes in for the right hands in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Velvet to strike it out with Shafir.

A German suplex is shrugged off so Velvet and Shafir kick each other in the head for a double down. Steel comes in to hammer on Blue but the Unprettier is broken up. Instead Blue hits a DDT for two but Steel is right back up with another Unprettier for the rather sudden pin at 10:02.

Rating: C+. Well, I do like Steel getting a win, even if it’s in a match that has almost nothing to do with anything going on at the moment. I’m not sure what Velvet is supposed to be doing at the moment, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see her get thrown into a random title defense at the pay per view. If nothing else, at least there are a few names who could reasonably come after the belt. I mean they probably won’t, but the options are there.

Overall Rating: C+. As is so often the case, I don’t exactly know what they were going for here. You had one match that tied into the pay per view card and the rest could have taken place on any random Ring Of Honor show. This is just kind of what happens in Ring Of Honor as they throw stuff out there and most of it doesn’t seem to have any kind of particular reason. The action was fine and the wrestlers were doing their thing, but this pretty much did nothing for Friday, which isn’t much of a surprise.

Results
Komander b. Ariya Daivari – Cielito Lindo
Lio Rush/AR Fox b. Action Andretti/Hook via DQ when Hook used a title belt
Sky Flight b. Manny Lemons/Tommy 2 Scoops/Dave Cole – TKO to Cole
Anthony Ogogo b. Aaron Solo via knockout
Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata b. The Hex – Figure Four to Belle
Adam Priest b. El Phantasmo – Half crab
Zayda Steel/Red Velvet b. Marina Shafir/Skye Blue – Unprettier to Blue

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

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Dynamite
Date: August 12, 2026
Location: The Pearl Theater At The Palms, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

We’re getting closer to All In and the card has been getting a nice boost in the last few weeks. Last week was Grand Slam, with MJF returning and he wants in the Casino Gauntlet Match later this month. Other than that, we have the continuing saga of Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay, which will likely get a lot of focus here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Will Ospreay to get things going. He was so glad to be back in Arena Mexico last week because the last time he was there, he found out that his grandfather had passed away. Ospreay wanted him to be there for some great moments of his life but that wasn’t going to happen. What he has learned though is that he has to do some things to be the biggest star in AEW. He is here to set an example and that’s why he was in a street fight last week.

One person was watching at home on his sofa and that was World Champion Kenny Omega. Last week, Omega probably said “oh s*** hes going to pull the trigger” and since Omega is actually here this week, why not grace us with your presence? Instead cue Don Callis, who talks about how he and Omega won the World Title in December 2020. Then Omega decided that he could do this on his own so Callis stabbed him in the head.

The reality is Ospreay owes him everything and the reality is the road to Wembley is paved in Ospreay’s blood. Cue the Don Callis Family for the beatdown but Omega makes the save with a pipe. Omega teases hitting Ospreay with the pipe but stops to say that Ospreay never thinks. Omega warned him about Callis and Jon Moxley and look what happened.

That’s why Ospreay will lose at All In, but that’s not the man Omega wants to face there. Omega helps him up but says that he can’t do this again. From now on, it’s the two of them. Ospreay appreciates the help, though he didn’t ask for it and he won’t need it. Please don’t have Callis be involved in this. It doesn’t seem like he will be, but please just leave him out of the thing.

We recap the Continental Challenge Cup.

We run down the card.

We look at MJF returning last week and attacking Andrade El Idolo.

Nick Wayne vs. MJF vs. Mike Bailey

For the #2 spot in the Casino Gauntlet match and MJF grabs Justin Roberts by the throat, insisting that he be introduced as “the one true champion”. MJF, with his heavily taped leg, drops to the floor to start and rants on commentary a bit before going to ringside. Wayne and Bailey trade missed kicks until Wayne knocks him outside for the big running flip dive. Bailey kicks him off the apron for the triangle moonsault, allowing MJF to run the ropes and flip the fans off.

MJF pulls Bailey off the ropes for a crash onto the turnbuckle but stops to yell at Wayne. That earns him a superkick but Bailey is back up to kick Wayne in the face. Bailey knocks both of them to the floor for a springboard moonsault and we take a break. We come back with Bailey missing the Ultimate Weapon but giving Wayne a Falcon Arrow instead. That means a shooting star press can give Bailey two before he has to save MJF Wayne. Now the Ultimate Weapon can hit Wayne, but MJF runs in to give Wayne the Salt Of The Earth for the tap at 12:02.

Rating: B-. As soon as Wayne, the #1 contender to the Ring Of Honor World Title, was announced for this match, it wasn’t a question of would he take the fall but rather how he would take the fall. This comes after his loss last month in his most recent AEW match and I don’t even know why I bother getting annoyed anymore. MJF winning in this way is right on note for him, with Bailey being there to make it a three way.

Post match MJF brags about his win but here is Andrade El Idolo……’s music, because he’s not here after MJF gave him a beating last week. Andrade is scared of him, just like Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay, who will find out that he is the one true champion.

Lena Kross and Megan Bayne are at the Brawling Birds bar and knock some beers over while making threats. That place is no Friendly Tap.

Mick Foley is with the Bang Bang Gang, with Jay White welcoming him to the team. Anyway, White threatens David Finlay about tonight’s Continental Challenge Cup match. Foley can’t quite get the pose right.

Continental Challenge Cup First Round: David Finlay vs. Jay White

They go outside to start fast with the brawling until Finlay takes over inside. Finlay stomps him down in the corner but gets clotheslined to the floor for the slingshot dive. Back in and Finlay’s neckbreaker gets him out of trouble and we take a break. We come back with White fighting up to chop away in the corner.

The Blade Runner is countered into a rollup for two but White grabs a German suplex…and we pause as White seems a bit shaken up. Finlay is right in with a DDT for two so White gives him a running double underhook facebuster. The Blade Runner is countered again, this time into a brainbuster onto Finlay’s knee for two more. White slips out of a suplex though and the Blade Runner connects for the pin at 13:20.

Rating: B-. This was treated as a big grudge match though I’m still not really caring about a feud that happened in Japan years ago. Since then, the Dogs vs. the Gang hasn’t exactly lit the place on fire and this didn’t make it better. At least White is back in the ring and not injured again, which you never can really bet on with him.

Here are Hangman Page and Brodido for a chat. Brodido get to be happy about their win but here is the returning Swerve Strickland to cut Page off. Prince Nana throws Tony Schiavone out, leaving Strickland to say these three have all had issues with him but now they’re friends. Strickland goes over his issues with Brodido and it all leaves him coming back to Page. Now Page can’t even challenge for the World Title, so he’s here with these two?

Page points out that Strickland has nothing to show for everything he’s done this year but here are the Demand/Lethal Twist to interrupt. Ricochet talks about how this is trio business and mocks Strickland for dropping the Gates Of Agony. Last week, Toa Liona’s shoulders weren’t down so the titles still belong to the Demand, so Strickland needs to get out of here. Strickland goes to leave but does stop to call Ricochet a b****. Ricochet turns down Page’s challenge and that’s it. I really could have gone with more of the Strickland stuff and less of the six people interrupting.

Earlier today, Willow Nightingale was sitting down for an interview but Mercedes Mone jumped her and called her a dumb b****.

TNT Title: Kevin Knight vs. Chris Jericho

Knight is defending and jumps him to start, only to get planted with a brainbuster. A backbreaker gives Jericho two and he sends Knight outside. The dive connects and Jericho stops to sit on Paul Wight’s lap. Knight gets in a knockdown of his own though and we take a break. We come back with Knight’s Lionsault hitting raised knees but being able to backdrop Jericho onto the ramp.

Jericho shrugs off some stomps and grabs an AA of all things before going after Don Callis. A diving Knight misses for a crash to the floor and they go back inside. An exchange of rollups gets two each and they trade rollups with feet on the ropes for the same so Knight gives him a running DDT. Knight’s super hurricanrana is countered into a superbomb and then the Walls in the middle of the ring.

That sounds good for Jericho, but he keeps nodding his head at Callis, who comes into the ring, but runs away as Jericho drags Knight from the middle to near the ropes….so Callis can stab Jericho with the screwdriver. Sweet goodness that was horrible. Knight goes up for a Coast To Coast, which somehow only gets two. Jericho Codebreakers him out of the air so Knight kicks him low, setting up the Crash Landing for the pin at 12:56.

Rating: C. Geez. Between the ridiculous botch from Jericho and Callis (the latter of whom at least tried to make it work by coming inside) and the usual nonsense of AEW not knowing when to end a match (there was zero reason to keep it going after the Coast To Coast), this was just a mess. I don’t know if it’s Jericho not having it any more or trying to do too much, but this didn’t work for the most part. Knight can do some good things in there, but this was a mess.

Claudio Castagnoli is ready for anyone in the Continental Cup Classic. Jon Moxley appears to be the same, with the grappling taking place while Castagnoli was talking apparently firing him up.

Kris Statlander vs. Viva Van

Van actually snaps off a hurricanrana to start and Statlander thinks about it for a second. That just earns her a spinwheel kick, plus a faceplant off the top into a missile dropkick. Statlander is back up with a superkick and discus lariat, setting up Staturday Night Fever for the pin at 3:09.

Rating: C. This was a weird match with Statlander getting beaten up for a good chunk of the thing, with Van getting in some snazzy offense. Van continues to be someone who feels like a potential project but it hasn’t really taken off yet. I’m not sure why Statlander got beaten up that much to start but it was an odd setup.

Post match here is Mick Foley, who announces a four way for the TBS Title, with Statlander, Hikaru Shida and Persephone challenging Maya World. Statlander is ready for some revenge but here are Shida and Persephone for their scheduled match.

Hikaru Shida/Persephone vs. Maya World/Thunder Rosa

World headlocks Persephone to start, sending her outside to escape. Rosa comes in for a running headscissors to Shida, plus a running clothesline. Rosa headscissors and headlocks them both down at once but gets sent throat first into the rope as we take a break. We come back with Rosa still in trouble but reversing a double suplex into a double DDT.

World is back in with a missile dropkick into a fall away slam to send Persephone outside. Shida kicks World outside but gets high crossbodied by Rosa. Shida’s Falcon Arrow gets two more with World making the save and getting jumped by Persephone. Rosa takes Persephone out and it’s the tabletop suplex to give World the pin on Shida at 10:34.

Rating: C+. World getting the pin was the right call here as she is still getting established as a real threat around here. At the same time, having her beat one of her challengers for next week might not have been the best way to get ready for the title match. Persephone is still getting better around here and it’s good to see her getting a chance to show what she can do. On the other hand you have Rosa and I have no idea what she has going on at the moment, but it doesn’t exactly feel like much.

Darby Allin talks about how he has no regrets from the World Title reign because he gambled and lost. Then he was attacked by Kevin Knight, so now Allin wants him in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Kyle Fletcher wants to defend the International Title at All In. He wants to defend against Konosuke Takeshita but Don Callis suggests adding Kazuchika Okada so the Family keeps the title. Fletcher leaves without saying yes. It feels like these people have been doing this “we don’t like each other but have to work together because we all hate Takeshita” forever. Wrap it up already.

Continental Challenge Cup First Round: Jon Moxley vs. Jack Perry

Moxley wrestles him down to start but Perry gets up for an actual clean break at the rope. Perry knocks him outside but the suicide dive is knocked out of the air. With his eye cut open, Perry tries to fight back but gets sent into the timekeeper’s area as we take a break. We come back with Moxley pounding on the cut and rubbing Perry’s face on the mat to make it worse.

Moxley ties up the leg and neck at the same time, with Perry having to make the rope. Perry finally manages to send him outside for a bunch of dives, including a moonsault out to the floor. Back in and Moxley hits a quick clothesline and piledriver for two, plus another two off another clothesline.

Moxley goes off with shots to the face, to the point where the referee stops him to check on Perry. That’s enough for Perry to get back up for the exchange of forearms (a Moxley signature) until Perry pulls him into the Snare Trap. Moxley rolls out of that and slaps on the bulldog choke for the win at 15:42.

Rating: B-. So Moxley beats him up to start, beats him up some more, shrugs off Perry’s offense, escapes Perry’s submission, and then chokes him out. What a great way to make Perry look like he’s in over his head as Moxley, again, gets to look like the most awesome thing ever. Hopefully he at least doesn’t win the tournament again, though it certainly wouldn’t surprise me.

Post match Moxley shakes Perry’s hand, because that saves some of Perry’s face I guess?

Overall Rating: C+. I really wasn’t feeling this one as much as I do most Dynamites, as it had a lot of stuff that felt like it was setting stuff up for the future rather than doing much here. That’s something you need at times, but between the horrible ending to Jericho vs. Knight and Moxley’s near squash of Perry (which of course took fifteen minutes), this was a long show that had a lot of tournament stuff and Don Callis. That’s not the best night and I wasn’t into this for the most part.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Mike Bailey and Nick Wayne – Salt Of The Earth to Wayne
Jay White b. David Finlay – Blade Runner
Kevin Knight b. Chris Jericho – Crash Landing
Kris Statlander b. Viva Van – Staturday Night Fever
Maya World/Thunder Rosa b. Hikaru Shida/Persephone – Tabletop suplex to Shida
Jon Moxley b. Jack Perry – Bulldog choke

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: July 31, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for the regular show after Tuesday’s bonus show. In this case that means we have three weeks to go before Death Before Dishonor and it’s time to start getting the card ready. Hopefully that is covered this week, though we already have the Pure Title match as Lee Moriarty is defending against Angelico. Let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a look at Moriarty vs. Angelico, with the focus still being on their first match nearly two years ago. I’m really not sure how big of a deal that actually is.

Pure Rules Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Angelico

Moriarty is defending. They fight over wrist control to start and Angelico spins out of a wristlock. Angelico’s full nelson is countered into a cravate, which allows Moriarty to go after the arm again. Angelico slips out of that as well and does his dance before pulling him into a leglock, which has Moriarty burning his first rope break.

Back up and Moriarty spins around into the Border City Stretch, which has Angelico using his own first rope break. Moriarty works on the arm and fingers so Angelico goes to the ropes for the second time. With that not working, Moriarty loads up a Scorpion Deathlock but reaches down and grabs Angelico’s head before leaning back and stretching…well pretty much everything.

That’s the third rope break from Angelico, which thankfully means that I don’t have to try to describe that nutty hold again. Angelico grabs something like Konnan’s old Tequila Sunrise to send Moriarty to the rope again, leaving him with one. A triangle choke doesn’t get Moriarty very far and Angelico pulls him into…we’ll say it’s the Rings Of Saturn but with Angelico using his legs. Moriarty burns his last rope break and they trade some rollups for two each. Moriarty’s Border City Stretch goes on again and Angelico gives up at 12:31.

Rating: B. Yeah there were some cool spots in there (some of those submissions were absolutely insane) but it’s the same kind of thing that we’ve seen from Moriarty literally for years now. It would be a bit better if Angelico was built up for the title shot but it was basically just “they had a match about two years ago”. Do you know how many pure matches Angelico has had since then? One, which he lost. It’s really not that hard to set up a title match, but instead we get “Hey remember what we did almost two years ago? We’re doing it again.” Try harder than that.

Bandido is asked about his World Title defense at Death Before Dishonor against…Nick Wayne. This brings in Wayne, who promises to win the title, though Bandido says Wayne has no honor. Bandido promises to show why he’s the most wanted. I’m not sure what that means but it’s not like logic matters around this title anyway.

The World Title match for one of the few PPVs that ROH does every year was announced in a random backstage segment between two people who have no history together. Not one of the three or four people who have beaten Bandido on an AEW PPV lately, because everyone in the company wants to be “insert name here” Two Belts, unless it’s a Ring Of Honor title because who could possibly want one of those? Oh and Wayne was last seen losing on Dynamite, because that’s how you build up a World Title challenger. Good grief this place is ridiculous sometimes.

Viva Van vs. Emi Sakura

Sakura knocks her into the corner to start but Van is back up with a running hurricanrana. Sakura goes outside…and appears to be crying, but it’s just a ruse so Sakura can send her into the steps. Back in and Sakura hits a running crossbody in the corner but Van kicks her away. A missile dropkick gives Van two but she can’t get the Ocean Cyclone suplex. Van is back up with an ax kick and they both block and counter quite a few things. Finally Sakura grabs the Queen’s Gambit for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of where you need a better explanation of things around here. Sakura hasn’t wrestled in AEW since 2025 and hasn’t wrestled in ROH since 2023 (this is her fifth ever match here). It came off like we’re just supposed to remember her like she’s a regular and that isn’t the case. She comes in, she works a few matches, and she leaves. It isn’t a case of her talent, but rather she’s gone for long stretches of time and that doesn’t really work in wrestling. Tell us, or better yet, show us, a bit more about her.

The Kingdom uses AI to pick their partners for tonight: the Grizzled Young Veterans! This gives them an 87% chance of winning the match, but the Veterans aren’t sure about this AI stuff. Neither am I, but it’s certainly topical at the moment so points for something new.

Diamante vs. Allie Katch

Diamante grabs a headlock to start but gets pulled down into a quickly broken headlock. Back up and Diamante pulls her out of the corner and fires off some crossface shots to the jaw. A hard whip into the corner lets Diamante pose a bit but Katch is back up with a seated senton. The cannonball gives Katch two but Diamante is right back with a Stunner. Katch’s enziguri gets two more but Diamante gives her a hot shot into One In The Chamber to give Diamante the pin at 4:52.

Rating: C+. I still like Katch and could go for having her around to do some more stuff around here. At the same time, Diamante is still good enough in the ring most of the time but she only gets so many chances to show what she can do as the third person in Athena’s group. The match was a pretty good back and forth showcase too so I’ll take this.

Post match Diamante stays on her but Queen Aminata runs in for the save.

Caprice Coleman sits down with Shane Taylor, who doesn’t like Coleman’s previous suggestions that Shane Taylor Promotions do gangster things. Coleman apologizes and asks Taylor about his matches with Jon Moxley. Taylor brags about laying out Moxley multiple times, which no one else has done. He likes finding the diamonds in the rough and he and his team trust each other. That’s how they’ll accomplish their goals but he wants to remain the person he was raised as being. As usual, Taylor is quite the talker when things are toned down a bit and I could see him having a future as a commentator.

AR Fox vs. Soleil

They go with the grappling to start and Soleil rolls backwards, all the way out to the floor. Back in and Fox uses a handstand to block a cutter (it was cool when I saw him do it live at the WrestleCon Supershow and it’s still cool here). They nip up into a standoff and Soleil flips away and hits a Meteora, landing on his feet before he hits the ground.

Back up and Fox rolls through into a neckbreaker before elbowing away in the corner. The elbows continue against the barricade and we’re off to the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up and they hit stereo crossbodies to leave both of them down. Soleil is up with a high crossbody for two but Fox is right back with a rolling cutter. A fisherman’s buster gives Fox two more but he misses the 450. They go up top until Soleil is shoved away, allowing Fox to give him a jumping Stunner. Lo Mein Pain into the 450 finishes Soleil at 11:00.

Rating: B. Fox has grown on me like few others around here as he wrestles a very different style but does it so well. That makes him stand out, along with being so smooth in the ring. This was good stuff as Soleil is as unique as it gets around here and the whole thing meshed together rather well. Good stuff here.

Athena is sick of people trying to come after her, including Hazuki. They can have their title match at Death Before Dishonor. In case you’re wondering, Hazuki hasn’t wrestled in ROH since before AEW existed and has wrestled four times in AEW. At least she had a brawl with Athena in her match this week on Collision. Athena defending against the woman who beat her in the Owen Hart Cup? You should know better than that.

Steph de Lander vs. Rachael Ellering

Pure Rules and de Lander uses her first rope break in less than twenty seconds. Ellering takes her down without much trouble and hits a basement dropkick to the head. The second rope break is quickly used, as is de Lander’s punch to the face for the warning. Back up and de Lander kicks her in the face but Ellering is right back with a spinning elbow. Something like the dragon sleeper makes de Lander use her last rope break. Ellering tries a charge so de Lander hides behind the referee, with Ellering throwing him down. That lets de Lander get in another right hand and it’s a sitout F5 for the pin on Ellering at 4:49.

Rating: C. I can absolutely go for someone who cheats in this division as that’s not something you often see. De Lander cheating every chance she could makes a lot of sense and I could go for seeing what she can do in the division. It’s not like there is anything else interesting going on in the division.

Juice Robinson has glistening nipples and is coming to ROH.

Trish Adora vs. Angelica Risk

Adora sends her into the corner for a running splash to start before pulling Risk out of the air. A bridging northern lights suplex gets two and it’s time to go after Risk’s arm. The sit on the back double arm crank, followed by the rapid fire hips to the face in the corner. Risk is back up with a hurricanrana faceplant into a 619 and they trade some rollups for two each. Back up and Adora kicks her in the face, setting up the Lariat Tubman to finish Risk at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Adora got to do her usual stuff here and as a result it was entertaining while it lasted. It’s also just the kind of stuff that we’ve seen from her for a long time now and that kind of puts a limit on what she can do. That’s not likely to change and unfortunately that’s going to keep her in the same spot for however long she’s around.

Steph de Lander is coming for the Women’s Pure Rules Title. She’s already gotten a better build than Angelico so why not.

Vertvixen vs. Julissa Mexa

Mexa grabs the leg and rolls around a lot, allowing her to dance. Vertvixen grabs the leg though and slaps on a half crab, followed by a running boot in the corner. Back up and they trade some forearms until Mexa gets up top for a missile dropkick. Mexa strikes away but charges into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. They go up top at the same time and strike it out, where Mexa grabs a super Samoan Driver for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C+. Mexa has been around here a few times before and she’s done well enough in those limited appearances. She has some good charisma and that finish was quite the crash landing. Vertvixen continues to be someone who feels like she could be something if given the chance but that has yet to happen.

Nigel McGuinness wants the Pure Rules Title and is willing to put his ROH career on the line.

Von Erichs/Bustah And The Brain vs. Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans

Hold on though as AI says that Drake should start against Price, who takes him down with an early wristlock. Gibson saves Drake from a suplex and it’s off to Taven for a clothesline and dropkick to Oliver. The Von Erichs come in for a bunch of slams so the villains bail out to the floor. Back in and Gibson takes over on Ross, with a cravate sending him face first into the mat. Bennett comes in for a front facelock but Ross gets out and dropkicks his way to freedom.

Everything breaks down and Gibson gives Oliver a Death Valley Driver. Price hits a pop up dropkick to Bennett and spins over into a crossbody to Taven (that was awesome). The Von Erichs hit stereo cannonballs on the Veterans and the Claws go on. That’s broken up though and the distracted referee misses the low blow to Marshall, with Drake getting a rollup for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. As much as my eyes rolled at seeing the Von Erichs back, the match wound up being good and I could go with the AI Kingdom as a thing. It’s been thirty five years since the York Foundation (oh dear) so why not? Go with something to see if it works, as it’s not like the Kingdom has been lighting things up since they returned. At least the numbers backed them up this time.

Zayda Steel vs. Sara Leon

Steel takes her down by the arm to start and Leon is surprised. For some reason Leon is surprised again when she gets pulled into an armbar and Steel wrestles her down again without much trouble. Steel misses something off the top and gets snapmared down into a running kick to the head. Leon’s kick from the apron is blocked though and Steel starts in on the leg, followed by a scorpion kick. A hanging Codebreaker gets two but Leon rolls into a German suplex to drop Steel hard. Steel is able to block a second attempt though and a leglock finishes Leon at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Steel worked on the leg, countered a move and then put on a leg hold for the win. It’s not much of a steel but it’s certainly better than what you get a lot of the time. That’s all you need here and at least Steel got a win, even if it’s against someone who might not be so well known around here. It’s better than nothing and it might lead to…oh give me a break.

Deonna Purrazzo is down to face Steph de Lander at Death Before Dishonor.

Juice Robinson vs. Anthony Henry

Henry wrestles him down to start and works on the arm but Robinson grabs a waistlock to cut that off. It’s enough for Henry to need a breather on the floor before coming back in for a dragon screw legwhip. Robinson has to bail to the ropes to escape a leglock but a backsplash hits raised knees.

Henry goes right back to the knee so Robinson snaps off a spinebuster. Now the backsplash connects for two but Henry knocks him down again, setting up the Figure Four. They slap it out until the hold is broken and Robinson is up to snap off the jabs. The forward DDT pins Henry at 7:54.

Rating: C+. Yeah fine. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think about this as it’s basically just a guest star from AEW showing up here for what is likely a one off match. As usual that’s hardly exciting but Robinson is so quirky and odd that he winds up keeping me interested. Not bad for a match, but as usual, a completely random choice for a main event.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, the show was far too long and did little more than showcase how random this place is. McGuinness and de Lander technically earn title shots while Nick Wayne is just handed one while Hazuki at least interacted with the champion to get hers. It feels like every story has its own rules and that’s not exactly a great way to run a show. At least things should have something close to a focus for the next three weeks, but as usual there was a bunch of stuff that felt like it was here because Tony Khan has to film everything and air it as we approach three and a half hours of ROH this week. How lucky.

Results
Lee Moriarty b. Angelico – Border City Stretch
Emi Sakura b. Viva Van – Queen’s Gambit
Diamante b. Allie Katch – One In The Chamber
AR Fox b. Soleil – 450
Steph de Lander b. Rachael Ellering – Sitout F5
Trish Adora b. Angelica Risk – Lariat Tubman
Julissa Mexa b. Vertvixen – Super Samoan Driver
Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans b. Bustah And The Brain/Von Erichs – Rollup to Marshall
Zayda Steel b. Sara Leon – Leglock
Juice Robinson b. Anthony Henry – Forward DDT

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

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Dynamite
Date: July 29, 2026
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We have Redemption out of the way and that means all roads lead to All In in about a month. Kenny Omega is still the World Champion after turning back Kevin Knight, leaving him ready to defend against Will Ospreay. As for Ospreay and Jon Moxley and the rest of the Death Riders….it’s complicated. Let’s get to it.

Here is Redemption if you need a recap.

Commentary runs down the card.

We look back at the Redemption World Title match, with Kenny Omega retaining. After the match, Will Ospreay shook Omega’s hand but Omega laid him out to end the show. Jon Moxley is NOT pleased.

A ticked off Ospreay arrives and runs into the Death Riders. Daniel Garcia goes after him and gets dropped with a single shot to the face. Pac has to be held back and Jon Moxley asks Ospreay if he really wants to do that. Ospreay gives Moxley the Death Riders patch back and they let him walk past.

He doesn’t want to talk to Renee Paquette but runs into Hangman Page, who offers his help in any way Ospreay needs. Ospreay says he can’t trust Kenny Omega so he can’t trust Page so while he appreciates the offer, he’s doing this on his own. Page stops him and says Ospreay is going to be the best at All In. He says Ospreay has this and Ospreay is appreciative before going inside.

National Title: Nick Wayne vs. Jack Perry vs. Andrade El Idolo

Andrade is defending and gets dropped by Perry to start fast. Wayne takes Perry down as well but Andrade is up to suplex both of them. Perry bulldogs Wayne on the floor but gets taken down by a diving Andrade. We pause for a photo with a redhead in the audience so Wayne grabs Sliced Bread off the barricade, only to bang up his knee in the process. Back in and Andrade suplexes Perry into the corner but charges into Wayne’s standing Spanish Fly.

We take a break and come back with Andrade powerbombing Wayne out of the corner. Perry snaps off a heck of a top rope hurricanrana to bring Andrade off the apron, only to get caught by Wayne’s Canadian Destroyer. Back in and Wayne’s Prodigy Plex (fisherman’s buster) gets two on Andrade, who gets up to clothesline both of them. The running Meteora in the corner gives Andrade two so he puts Perry up top.

A charging Wayne is launched up into a super hurricanrana to Perry….who spins into a tornado DDT to drop Andrade (sweet goodness). Perry is back up with a string of dives but Andrade takes Wayne down. The frog splash hits knees though and Wayne’s phoenix splash gets two, with Perry making the save. Perry charges into the Dia de los Muertos (the spinning back elbow) and the DM finishes Wayne to retain the title at 14:21.

Rating: B. That hurricanrana into the tornado DDT alone was awesome and moved the match up another notch on its own. It was a good, fast paced match that you would expect from these people, though I’m not entirely sure how this was set up. The challengers felt kind of out of nowhere, but putting Andrade out there for a successful title defense is a good idea.

Post match Andrade says he’s happy to have screwed over MJF (with the ring) and Don Callis (in general). He’s feeling tranquilo though and is ready for the Casino Gauntlet match at All In. Schiavone asks him about his qualifying match next week in his hometown of “Mexico” and Andrade hits the catchphrase.

The Brawling Birds are ready to beat up some Athena and her Minions on Collision.

Don Callis, with his Family, knows that you take losses on occasion but it’s time to move forward. This seems to include Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight teaming up, though Fletcher doesn’t seem impressed. He says the title will always stay in the Family but Kazuchika Okada comes in to agree, with Fletcher not being happy.

Don Callis Family vs. Brodido/Mike Bailey

Fletcher wants to start with King so Bailey gives him what he wants. King runs him over with a clothesline and grabs the arm so Bailey can come back in to stay on said arm. Everything breaks down and Bandido misses an Eddie frog splash, instead settling for a suplex on Fletcher. Cage pulls Bandido outside though and powerbombs him against the post as we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher slamming Bandido, who comes back with the very spinning DDT. Cage can’t get anywhere with a suplex and it’s back to King to knock Cage and Doyle into the corner. The Cannonball connects for two so Bailey comes back in, with Cage immediately giving him a buckle bomb. Everything breaks down again and Fletcher and Bailey trade rollups for two each.

Fletcher lawn darts him but gets kicked in the head to leave them both down. Bandido comes back in to forearm away at Doyle, setting up the frog splash (third Eddie tribute in two matches) but Bandido gets sent outside. Bailey gets kicked in the head but bounces back up with his springboard moonsault to take Fletcher out on the floor. Back up and Bailey gives Doyle the Ultimate Weapon into the arm trap sunset flip for the pin at 13:51.

Rating: B. This got going and it was smart to give Bailey a bit more momentum into the upcoming title shot. It works well every time and they made it work again here. Other than that, Brodido can work well with anyone, even a less than regular team like Doyle and Cage. The match was more about Bailey though, with Bandido outshining him anyway.

We get a sitdown interview with Adam Copeland/Christian Cage and the Young Bucks, who are set for the All In match. The Bucks’ families are coming to England for the match and it couldn’t mean more for them. Copeland says it means that much to them too and they’re glad to see the Bucks and FTR bringing tag wrestling back.

Cage says they’re not here for a greatest hits tour and they’re still the best tag team of this generation. The Bucks talk about being the most accomplished team in AEW history but they had to fight their way back. Copeland doesn’t want this to be a comparison game because they lost a combined seventeen years of their careers and didn’t win a Tag Team Title for twenty five years.

Matt says the Bucks are going to be coming harder, faster and stronger than ever and the champs will be lucky to get on the board. The Bucks are used to being told that they’re too small and don’t do the right stuff. They’ve never had the machine behind them (uh……) so they’re ready for the title match. The champs are ready too. The idea of having the Bucks as these scrappy underdogs who are just trying to get their glory is a bit much to ask.

TBS Title: Persephone vs. Maya World

World is defending (Persephone’s CMLL Women’s Title isn’t on the line). World grabs a headlock to start and then cartwheels away before getting two off a rollup. A running wristdrag takes Persephone down again and she misses a charge out to the floor. Persephone is back up with an electric chair drop onto the apron though and we take a break.

We come back with Persephone grabbing a quickly broken ankle lock so World can get two off a rollup. Persephone fall away slams her out to the floor for the suicide dive but World uses the apron for a tornado DDT. Back in and a hammerlock lariat takes World down and we get a double breather. World is up for a moonsault so here is Hikaru Shida, only for Kris Statlander to cut her off. The tabletop suplex retains the title at 10:00.

Rating: C+. This was a way to get World a first title defense after winning the title just a few days ago. AEW obviously sees something in World (which isn’t shocking) and it’s nice to see her getting an actual chance. We’ll have to see where it goes, but at least they’re off to a good start. Hopefully the rematch with Shida is pretty quick, as there isn’t much of a point to having that go on for a long while.

Mark Davis is mad about his title loss and wants to get back on top by beating Will Ospreay next week.

It’s Shark Week so a dancing shark joins commentary.

Here is Willow Nightingale for her big celebration as champion. We pause for the YOU DESERVE IT chants and Nightingale is moved to tears. She’s not just living her dream but she’s living THE dream. People look at a girl like her and see someone who doesn’t quite fit because she’s quirky or chubby but the fans seem to appreciate her.

After saying the makeup artist worked very hard and it’s being ruined by her tears, she talks about how much she has accomplished this year, but she got hurt. Her mom told her to keep fighting so here she is, having gotten into the Casino Gauntlet and then beaten a toxic champion. She’s ready to go to All In but here is Mercedes Mone, with the contract, to interrupt. They both quickly sign and Nightingale talks about how Mone must be upset that she wasn’t getting attention for five seconds.

Or maybe it’s that Nightingale has the one title that Mone can’t get. Mone is sick of Nightingale always having her name on Mone’s story. The fans do NOT want to hear it but Mone keeps going, saying she made Nightingale. Cue Megan Bayne and Lena Kross and Mone takes out Nightingale’s knee. This brings out the Brawling Birds and the villains run. Mone taking the title would be totally deflating but Nightingale retaining would be a heck of a moment. Please don’t do this the wrong way again.

Continental Title: Jon Moxley vs. Komander

Moxley is defending against another rather random challenger. Komander takes him down by the arm to start and they pop up for a standoff. Moxley gets in a knockdown of his own but a quick small package leaves Moxley frustrated. Back up and a headscissors sends Moxley down and he’s smart enough to roll away from the rope die. That’s fine with Komander, who hits a running dive as we take a break.

We come back with Moxley holding a headscissors and pulling on the legs at the same time. That’s broken up and Komander strikes away, including a superkick to the back. Komander tries some flips and is immediately cuttered back down. Back up and Komander drapes him over the top for a guillotine legdrop to the back of the head. Moxley misses a charge and gets caught with a quick springboard 450 for a rather near fall. Now the rope walk flip dive connects but Moxley avoids Cielito Lindo and scores with a Stomp. The Death Rider into the bulldog choke retains the title at 13:04.

Rating: B. This got better once Komander was able to throw everything he could out there and it made for a good match in the end. The idea here was Moxley finally catching Komander when he was going a bit too hard and it wound up working out. Again, it’s not a match that was about a realistic title defense, but in this case just getting Moxley on the show. As always.

Mick Foley is with the Bang Bang Gang (minus Jay White), who want the Death Riders on Collision. Foley gets in a cheap pop as only he can.

Trios Titles: Conglomeration vs. The Demand

The Demand is challenging and jump them to start fast. That’s broken up and Cassidy drops an elbow (after taking his time getting down) on Liona. We get the bell and Kaun rams his own head into the buckle. Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets so Kaun grabs the hands and lifts him up for quite the visual. Strong comes in to strike away but Kaun picks Cassidy up to cut Strong off.

We take a break and come back with Strong giving Ricochet a half nelson backbreaker, allowing the tag off to O’Reilly. That means an ankle lock to Kaun, with Ricochet making the save. O’Reilly and Ricochet clothesline each other down but Ricochet gets up top, where Cassidy rakes his head.

Kaun gives Strong a top rope superplex before missing a diving headbutt. O’Reilly and Strong strike Kaun down and the High/Low gets two, with Ricochet making the save. Cue the Lethal Twist to offer a distraction, with Christian hitting a springboard belt shot to Cassidy. The Spirit Gun gives Ricochet the pin and the titles at 10:55.

Rating: B-. With all of the title matches they had on this show, they pretty much had to have at least one title change. The good thing is that the Demand is another regular team and it makes sense for them to get the belts. The Conglomeration did their thing long enough and it’s fine to switch the titles, as there are options to come after them.

Post match the double beatdown is on, with Brody King running in for a failed save attempt. Hangman Page comes out with a barbed wire steel chair for the real save.

The Death Riders are ready for Will Ospreay, who always tries to leave when things get hard. Jon Moxley is ready for the Continental Cup. Is that the Continental Classic under the wrong name or something new?

We’re a mere seventeen minutes into the overrun so here is Kenny Omega for a chat. Before he can get more than a few words out though, here is Will Ospreay to interrupt. Omega says what he has to say really doesn’t need to be heard by the people because it’s personal and just for Ospreay. It’s time for show and tell, because at Redemption, Omega showed Ospreay how he felt with the One Winged Angel.

Now it’s time for the tell part, because they had a promise to give it their best. That’s why Omega let Ospreay enter the Owen Hart Cup on his own but then Ospreay started hanging out with the Death Riders. Ospreay talks about coming back from the injury too soon and all he cared about was revenge. So who was he supposed to turn to? The only one was Jon Moxley, because he was the person who could get him to the World Title.

Ospreay liked the feeling of being a Death Rider because it was like being in Japan, but he doesn’t share their philosophy. That’s where it ends with the Death Riders, but Omega talks about how he was ready to be destroyed at Redemption. He got up and saw Ospreay holding the belt and the torn plastic bag. It took Ospreay so long because he was thinking about doing it and Omega slaps him in the face.

Omega says he thought Ospreay was his friend and Ospreay says he was. Omega accuses him of always crumbling under pressure and the fight is on, with Omega bailing from the threat of the Hidden Blade. With Omega gone, Ospreay talks about how this is what he has wanted the whole time and it’s so close that it’s time for the penalties.

If you know anything about England, you know they’re not great at them but he has the entire country on his back. Ospreay is going to pull the trigger and Omega is going to see it coming. They’re doing a nice job of turning this into a personal issue, which is impressive as they kind of had to throw everything together after MJF’s injury. I’m not sure how much sense the whole thing makes, but they’re certainly trying and this worked.

Overall Rating: B-. Well, on one hand, it was an effective show with good action and some rather strong pushes towards All In. You can see most of the card from here and we should be in for a big night in London. At the same time, my goodness they have got to get these shows lengths under control.

This was over two and a half hours long and it’s another case where it could easily be fixed by cutting out a match (Moxley vs. Komander didn’t need to be there). AEW/ROH is in the middle of a stretch where they have shows on six out of seven nights. If they absolutely have to have this many shows (they don’t), at least don’t have them go this long.

This was a good show, but after so much of AEW/ROH in recent days, I could go for a break from them. That’s not a good sign about a month before their biggest show of the year and we’re nowhere near done with this week. Anyway, good followup show to the pay per view and a nice build towards All In, but just trim things down a bit.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Nick Wayne and Jack Perry – DM to Wayne
Brodido/Mike Bailey b. Don Callis Family – Arm trap sunset flip to Doyle
Maya World b. Persephone – Tabletop suplex
Jon Moxley b. Komander – Bulldog choke
The Demand b. Conglomeration – Spirit Gun to Cassidy

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: July 28, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Just in case you hadn’t had enough Ring Of Honor lately, we have a bonus show before Friday’s regular show! Wait wait, don’t tell me. The Premiere Athletes will be in action here! Plus something about teams trying to get in position for a shot at the Tag Team Titles. That’s the kind of cutting edge stuff that has put Ring Of Honor in the place it is in today. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at Maya World winning the TBS Title at Redemption.

Maya World vs. Janai Kai

Non-title. There are no entrances for obvious reasons but commentary says that this was signed before World won the title. So they’re really still trying to avoid saying that it’s taped in advance? The show for the most hardcore fans of the promotion designed for the smart fans? Anyway, Kai grabs a waistlock to start but gets sunset flipped for two.

World sweeps the leg out and hits a slingshot hilo, earning herself some leg trips. Back up and the tabletop suplex gives World two (so Kai is tougher than Hikaru Shida) but Kai catches her going up top. That earns her a powerbomb out of the corner and a Shining Wizard finishes Kai at 6:00.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a squash but it was a basic, easy enough win for World. She’s certainly on the rise in both promotions and that’s great to see, as she has come a long way in pretty much every area. Nice opener here, with the star who got a big win on Sunday getting a showcase here.

We look at Mike Bailey winning the ladder match to become #1 contender to the International Title.

Alan Angels vs. Nick Wayne

Angels takes him down by the arm to start but Wayne is back up with a shove and some spitting. That earns Wayne a running chop in the corner so he knocks Angels right back down. Back up and Angels superkicks him out of the air, only to have him come back with an Alabama Slam. They trade rollups for two each until Wayne’s handspring elbow is countered into a dragon suplex. Angels’ springboard moonsault gets superkicked out of the air, followed by a kick to the head to pin Angels at 8:03.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth match with the two of them getting to trade comebacks until Wayne knocked him silly. At the same time, this was a match that got some time despite neither of them having much of anything going on. It’s a good example of a match that feels like it’s there to have people in the ring without any particular reason.

Action Andretti/The Opps vs. Landon Hale/Robert Allen/Steve Allen

There’s your weird team of the week. Hook knocks Hale down to start and then pounds away in the corner, allowing Andretti to come in with a top rope clothesline. Steve comes in and gets beaten up by Bowens, including a pop up Fameasser. Andretti hits an Asai moonsault and Bowens armbars Robert for the tap at 2:50.

Isla Dawn vs. Erica Leigh

Dawn has won her one match here and Riccaboni says she is hoping to turn it into a winning streak. Why? One win can get you a title shot around here. Dawn kicks away at the leg to start and stomps Leigh down in the corner. Back up and Leigh hits some running clotheslines in the corner but Dawn is back with a suplex. The Meteora gets two and Dawn grabs a dragon sleeper in the ropes. Leigh’s comeback is countered with a Backstabber into the dragon sleeper to make Leigh tap at 3:43.

Rating: C. This was much more in the squash territory and it was nice to see Dawn getting in there and destroying someone. Dawn has something to her and I could go for having her become one of the regulars in the division. If Maya World is on her way to the main roster full time, there is a spot open for someone and Dawn is a good option.

Post match Dawn grabs the sleeper again and Leigh is left laying.

Adam Priest vs. Kiran Grey

Grey isn’t having anything involving running shoulders so Priest goes with the right hands in the corner. Grey fights back and strikes away but gets knocked down with an uppercut. A legsweep takes Priest down and Grey chokes in the corner. Priest is right back with a running neckbreaker before slamming Grey’s knee onto the mat. Another takedown by the leg sets up a half crab to make Grey tap at 6:02.

Rating: C+. Grey is an interesting situation as he has the creepy/brooding persona but he never wins and tapped out in about six minutes. That’s not exactly the best way to go for him and it didn’t do him much good here. Priest continues to be fine in this spot, though I’m not sure I can imagine him going much higher than this level.

Isla Dawn says she’s going to keep winning until she wins gold so she wants a shot at Red Velvet.

Griff Garrison vs. Aaron Solo

Garrison forearms away to start but Solo is up with a running hurricanrana. With Garrison trying to walk off, Solo runs up to cut that off but Garrison hot shots him back inside. Some right hands have Solo in more trouble until he fights up with some running forearms. A torture rack powerbomb gives Garrison two, as does Solo’s top rope double stomp. Back up and Garrison hits a running spinning….we’ll say headbutt for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C+. Garrison is another person who has nothing going on at the moment and that has been the case for him for a long time now. At least he won a match here so maybe they’ve got something up for him. Solo is still the usual jobber to the stars and that’s about it, but there are far worse options for that spot.

Video on Lee Moriarty vs. Angelico.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Spanish Announce Project

Angelico and Moriarty trade wrist control to start so it’s off to Serpentico. The Promotions send him to the apron though and Taylor gets in the big legdrop. Taylor gets in his usual big shots on the floor but Serpentico kicks him in the head. Angelico comes back in to clean house and hands it right back to Serpentico for two off a Swanton. Moriarty is back up with the butterfly Side Effect to pin Serpentico at 6:39.

Rating: C+. Well, at least it helped boost things up a bit for Angelico vs. Moriarty. That’s better than saying “Angelico almost beat him about two years ago” so I’ll take something over having absolutely nothing to set up the match. It’s still only so interesting, but after years of “and then this person gets a title shot”, it’s an improvement.

Red Velvet is ready for Isla Dawn.

Premiere Athletes/Swirl vs. Outrunners/Dalton Castle/Orange Cassidy

I WAS KIDDING ABOUT THE ATHLETES! And of course they’re headlining the show! The villains jump Magnum to start, with Nese doing some pushups. Floyd comes in off a tag behind Nese’s back and the Outrunners take turns raining down right hands in the corner. Cassidy’s single right hand gets two but Magnum gets caught in the wrong corner for the triple teaming.

Moriarty hammers away but Magnum is right back up for the tag off to Castle. Everything breaks down and the Swirl takes over on Castle and Magnum, only for Castle to suplex them down at the same time. Cassidy’s double hurricanrana takes them out as well and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Floyd gets in his string of slams but Mark Sterling breaks up the Orange Punch. Everyone but the Athletes and Cassidy brawl to the back, with Daivari forearming Nese down by mistake. The Orange Punch finishes Nese off at 10:07.

Rating: B-. Cassidy was just there to add in some star power and to avoid the Six Man Champions from having to face another three man team. In theory this was designed to get Castle and the Outrunners their win back after their completely necessary loss on Collision. That only works so well when none of them were around in the end, but this was just your usual eight man tag from ROH anyway.

Cassidy is left alone to end the show. As in the Ring Of Honor show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m really not sure why this needed to be its own special, but at least it did set some things up, including Moriarty vs. Angelico and Dawn vs. Velvet. At the same time, there was a lot of stuff here that felt like content for the sake of content. As usual, it feels like ROH Dark, which is a fine enough idea, but it’s not something that really works when it’s also used to build things up. But if we try to figure out how things are working around here, we’ll be here far too long. Not a bad show, and it did push some stories forward, which is always appreciated.

Results
Maya World b. Janai Kai – Shining Wizard
Nick Wayne b. Alan Angels – Kick to the head
Action Andretti/The Opps b. Landon Hale/Robert Allen/Steve Allen – Armbar to Robert
Isla Dawn b. Erica Leigh – Dragon sleeper
Adam Priest b. Kiran Grey – Half crab
Griff Garrison b. Aaron Solo – Running spinning headbutt
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Spanish Announce Project – Butterfly Side Effect to Serpentico

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

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Redemption
Date: July 26, 2026
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s time for the stop before the really big show and that puts AEW in an awkward place. The show is perfectly decent on paper, but it’s hard to get interested in it when the much bigger show is coming in about a month. Hopefully they can overcome that issue, and with the roster they have, it’s not out of the question. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Lethal Twist vs. Conglomeration

The Conglomeration is defending and the Demand is on commentary. Strong takes Lethal into the corner to start and O’Reilly hammers away with right hands. That lets Strong do the same and everything breaks down, with an exchange of do-see-dos. Cassidy is thrown at Johnson and Christian for a double DDT.

It’s back to Strong, who gets taken into the wrong corner so Johnson can hammer away. Christian’s top rope clothesline gets two but it’s back to O’Reilly for the kicks. Lethal has to save Johnson from an ankle lock and Cassidy gets tied in the Tree Of Woe. Naturally Christian gets in his own lazy kicks into a 619, followed by a reverse DDT/apron splash combination to Strong on the floor.

O’Reilly is back up and it’s time for the string of dives, with Cassidy’s Stundog Millionaire being countered. The spinning DDT works a bit better though (Ricochet: “He got lucky.”) but Lethal is back with the Lethal Combination. Hail To The King id countered and Cassidy has to knock Christian away to avoid a belt shot. That means the Lethal Injection can connect for two, with Strong making a diving save. The End Of Heartache finishes Lethal to retain the titles at 11:54.

Rating: C+. Perfectly fine match here with the champions getting in a nice title defense. Odds are the Demand is the next really big set of challengers for the belts and that’s not a bad idea. Save that for a better spot though, as having the Conglomeration turn back a somewhat dangerous set of opponents made sense.

And now, the show proper.

Mike Bailey vs. El Clon vs. Jack Perry vs. The Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Nick Wayne

Ladder match for a future International Title shot. It’s a big brawl to start with Bailey (hometown star) and Komander being left alone in the ring. Komander is sent outside with a hurricanrana and it’s off to Clon vs. Perry. With Perry down, Mortos throws in the first ladder and slams Bailey onto it but gets taken down by Komander. Clon takes Komander down and rolls outside for a double DDT.

Perry and Bailey take down Mortos and Clon but Perry cuts off Bailey going for the really big ladder. Everyone goes up to the stage for the ladder and get in a fight, only for Perry and Bailey to go back and brawl on the apron. Wayne cuts Bailey off but Mortos throws Perry onto the pile. Komander has to make a save of his own and climbs but the ladder is shoved, meaning Komander has to do his own dive.

Back up and three ladders are set up with all six climbing at once. That means a bunch of crashes, allowing Perry to grab a bunch of tables, because of course he is. The series of dives, including Komander’s rope walk version to put Perry through a table, breaks them all, leaving Clon to cut Perry off. Clon and Komander fight on a bridged ladder, with Clon flipping Komander off for a big crash.

Wayne is back up with a phoenix splash to put Clon through another table before going up to slug it out with Perry. Naturally Perry would rather do a Canadian Destroyer through a bridged ladder rather than, you know, grabbing the contract that is touching his back. Bailey hits the Ultimate Weapon to Mortos onto the bridged ladder and pulls down the contract for the win at 20:04.

Rating: B. This was your standard, run of the mill multi person ladder match with the hometown star winning. I’d rather they do it here to get it out of the way, but it was violent and had everything you would want in something like this. They didn’t exactly re-invent the wheel out there, but there is only so much new stuff to be done in these things after so many years.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. the Death Riders. Will Ospreay has joined up with Jon Moxley for the sake of getting ready for All In and Moxley has had him attacking the Young Bucks. Therefore, it’s time for a tag match.

Young Bucks vs. Death Riders

Ospreay backs Matt into the ropes to start so Nick runs the rope for a twisting wristdrag. Matt comes in for a pop up hurricanrana and Ospreay is catapulted into an enziguri for two. An armbar has Ospreay in more trouble but he’s back up to send Matt outside for the slingshot forearm. Nick seems to be banged up on the floor as Matt head fakes Ospreay into a DDT.

Marina Shafir pulls Matt outside and sends him into the steps and it’s back to Moxley for a release Falcon Arrow. Nick is back up but Moxley pulls him off the apron for a piledriver on the floor. Matt fights out of the cross armbreaker and takes out both Riders, with a rather shaken up Nick getting back on the apron. The tag brings Nick in and he’s fine enough to clean house and the top rope double stomp sends Ospreay into the sitout powerbomb for a near fall.

The Meltzer Driver is countered into a Gotch Style piledriver and Styles Clash for two on Matt as the Bucks are in trouble again. Ospreay Phenomenal Forearms Moxley by mistake though and the Bucks get to kick away. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up so it’s a BTE Trigger to Moxley, only for Nick to miss a charge into the post. The Hidden Blade hits Nick and he’s all screwed up again.

Ospreay wants him to tag out but Nick swings away, with Ospreay hitting him in the stomach instead of the head. With Nick down, Matt comes in to cover him up as Ospreay wants to show mercy. Instead Moxley tags himself in and Stomps Nick, who of course kicks out again.

Matt is pulled outside so he superkicks Shafir by mistake (though he doesn’t seem to mind), leaving Moxley to give Nick back to back Death Riders into the Paradigm Shift. Moxley grabs a chair but Ospreay takes it away, only for Matt to superkick it into Ospreay’s face. The Bucks give Moxley a BTE Trigger so he flips them both off, meaning it’s 12 superkicks to give Nick the pin at 19:37.

Rating: B-. The lack of selling was driving me crazy here, as Nick kept popping back up despite taking all kinds of big moves. Ospreay showing mercy to Nick is the right thing for him to do and it should be interesting to see him take the skills from the Death Riders but not follow their ways. Odds are this puts the Bucks back into title contention, likely with Copeland, Cage, and some ladders at All In.

We recap Kyle Fletcher defending the International Title against Bandido. There isn’t much of a story here, other than Bandido needing to lose in another singles match on PPV.

International Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Bandido

Bandido is challenging/not defending and Fletcher has ordered that everyone else be banned from ringside. They stare at each other a lot and Bandido grabs a quick rollup for two, with Fletcher bailing out to the floor. Back in and a headscissors sends Fletcher outside but he’s right back with a slam. Bandido crossbodies him out to the floor and tries an Asai moonsault, which is cut off with a superkick.

Fletcher plants him down again and grabs a full nelson of all things back inside. That’s broken up so Fletcher hits a rather hard chop for two, with the knee on the chest serving as a cover. Bandido fights up and hits a corkscrew crossbody, followed by the big gorilla press to bring the fans back into it. They head out to the apron where Fletcher hits a brainbuster, leaving Bandido mostly out on the floor.

Back in and Bandido grabs a German suplex into a 21 dragon plex (ok then) for two more. A Code Red to the floor is blocked so Bandido settles for just a powerbomb onto the floor instead. Bandido tosses him back inside for a shooting star press and they trade superkicks. One heck of a tornado DDT plants Fletcher so they exchange headbutts on the mat. Fletcher’s running knee is countered into a pop up Downward Spiral for another near fall.

The super flipping World’s Strongest Slam gives Bandido two, with Fletcher having to put his wrist on the rope. Bandido’s 21 Plex connects for two more and they’re both down. Fletcher is back up with a running knee and another brainbuster for two, leaving him rather stunned. The brainbuster onto the buckle is escaped so Bandido charges…right into a super Michinoku Driver for a rather near fall. Another brainbuster onto the buckle retains the title at 26:15.

Rating: B+. That was pretty much exactly what I was expecting, with the action being rather intense, both of them looking sharp as usual, and Fletcher retaining. For the life of me I do not get why they bother keeping the ROH World Title on Bandido if he’s just going to lose over and over on PPV. He’s more than good enough to hang in here, but it’s another case of wasting the value of his title. Then again, ROH champions are 0-3 this weekend so it’s not just a Bandido problem. Either way, great match here.

We recap the Bang Bang Gang vs. the Dogs. This is something involving David Finlay vs. Jay White in Japan so it’s time to have the teams chained together.

Bang Bang Gang vs. The Dogs

Double chain match. The fight starts before the chains are attached and the fans want to know who let the dogs out. The Gang uses the chains to fight back and they all go outside, with White whipping Finlay. Stereo slingshot dives drop the Dogs again but White’s big chain swing only hits the post. White gets sent hard into the post and Robinson goes knees first into the steps.

Back in and the Dogs start choking with the chains but White fights up and takes out Finlay’s knee. Robinson sends Connors into a DDT but he’s up with a snap powerslam to leave all four needing a breather. Robinson gets choked until White wins a tug of war and makes the save.

Finlay gives White a Dominator, with White landing on his head, for two, as commentary sounds more than a bit scared by that one (though thankfully White seems fine). White is back up with a suplex and it’s time for the double whipping to Finlay. Cue the Death Riders to take White out so the rest of the Gang runs in for the save. A shillelagh to the face finishes Robinson at 16:35.

Rating: B-. Maybe this is the start of something for the Dogs, who have felt all over the place since debuting. It’s not like they’re a lost cause, but they’re a team who are just kind of there a lot of the time. Nothing they really does stands out so maybe this is where things get better for them. On the other hand, the Gang vs. the lower half of the Riders is only so interesting, but at least the Gang is all here for a change.

In the back, Will Ospreay is worried about Nick Jackson but Jon Moxley comes in to yell at him for not pulling the trigger. This is wrestling and Ospreay has one chance at the top and has to do it. If Ospreay won’t pull the trigger, Moxley will.

We recap Maya World challenging Hikaru Shida for the TBS Title. World made a heck of a run in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup and then stopped Shida from being her bullying self. A title match ensued.

TBS Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Maya World

World is challenging and it happens to be her birthday. They go to the early exchange of forearms with Shida knocking her outside. Shida drops her face first onto the apron and goes after the leg back inside. A stretch muffler in the ropes has World in more trouble and the banged up knee is rammed into the mat.

World’s headscissors doesn’t get her very far so she rolls Shida down and hits a double stomp, only to bang up her knee again. The knee is fine enough for a moonsault to connect for two but Shida pulls her into a half crab. With that not working, Shida goes up for a Meteora and another near fall.

World is back up with a running knee so Shida rolls outside to leave them both down. Back up and World scores with a suicide dive and they grab hands to slug it out inside. Three straight running knees knock World silly and the Falcon Arrow gets two, with World using the rope. World pops up and grabs a tabletop suplex to win the title at 16:40. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: B-. Well ok then. I wasn’t expecting World to actually win the thing but it’s great to see that happen, as she has shown a lot of potential but needed to win something. Shida did feel like a beatable champion and I kept going back and forth on this one. The good thing is they pulled the trigger though and that’s better than I was expecting.

The Demand wants the Trios Titles on Dynamite.

Tag Team Titles: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. Death Riders

Copeland and Cage are defending and Copeland gets jumped before the bell, with Cage running in for the save. That earns him a beating of his own and we officially start with Copeland in trouble in the corner. Cage is sent into the steps to keep him in trouble and Pac stomps Copeland down again. Castagnoli gets to work on the arm but Copeland fights up and it’s a double knockdown.

Cage gets to come in and hammer away, including the jumping right hand in the ropes. The spear is cut off though and Cage has to superplex Castagnoli, allowing Pac to drop a top rope elbow. The Sharpshooter (uh oh) goes on but Copeland makes the save, earning himself a running elbow over the barricade. Back in and the shooting star press gives Pac two on Cage as Copeland is crawling back to ringside.

A Killswitch gives Cage two and it’s back to Copeland to fire off the shots to the head. The Edge-O-Matic drops Pac again but Castagnoli is back in for a spike Neutralizer. Pac’s big lariat is countered into a Grindhouse though, with Castagnoli making the save. The Riders hit some running clotheslines in the corner but Cage cuts Castagnoli off with a spear. A pop up spear to Pac retains the titles at 18:42.

Rating: C+. This might as well have been Copeland and Cage sitting out there having a sandwich as there was absolutely no reason to believe that the titles were going to change hands. It was a thrown together title match and that’s not the most thrilling way to go. Copeland and Cage as champions is a cool idea but just get us to the match with the Bucks already, which is pretty clearly the big endgame to the whole thing. Chop a few minutes off of this and it’s better, but it’s just not that interesting.

Post match the Young Bucks come out and the match is officially on for All In. Cage won’t shake hands though.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa. Jericho returned again and seemingly doesn’t like bald people, with Ciampa trying to prove that he’s better. Ciampa beat him at Beach Break with some chicanery so now Jericho is back as the Painmaker in a No DQ match.

Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Jericho has his barbed wire baseball bat and wins a duel against Ciampa’s chair. Some sand to the eyes (how Ciampa won their first match) blinds Ciampa but he fights back and sets up an early table. That earns him a fire extinguisher to the eyes but Ciampa is fine enough to grab a Fairy Tale Ending through the table at ringside. This lets commentary mock a fan for wanting the table to be sat on fire but instead it’s time for a hockey stick.

After beating on Jericho, Ciampa throws on a Boston Bruins jersey and beats on a stuffed Canadiens mascot, with Jericho making the save for quite the nice save. Naturally Jericho throws out a bunch of hockey pucks and then pulls the jersey over Ciampa’s head for a suplex. Some puck shots to the head bust Ciampa open and it’s time for a barbed wire table. As usual that takes too long and Ciampa comes back with some tacks to the head to cut Jericho open.

The running knee gives Ciampa two but he takes too long grabbing a tack covered elbow pad. The Walls are broken up with the barbed wire bat, which cuts Jericho open even further. Naturally Jericho is right back with a Death Valley Driver through the barbed wire table, allowing him to stab Ciampa in the leg with a pencil. It’s time for a mirror (of course), with Jericho bridging him across two open chairs.

That’s reversed into a super Air Raid Crash through said mirror to give Ciampa two so let’s get a power drill. Schiavone: “This may end a career.” Fans: “THIS IS MURDER!” The green mist cuts Ciampa off though and the Judas Effect connects. Jericho grabs a….freaking barbed wire mirror, which is broken over Ciampa’s back. A Judas Effect with the tacked up elbow pad gets two and the drill to the head makes Ciampa give up at 22:11.

Rating: C+. Well, on one hand, it was nice to see Ciampa getting this kind of a focal point. It was a good example of Jericho giving someone a boost, though there is only so much to be gotten out of a match ending with a power drill. This got a bit ridiculous more than once and as usual, it went on way too long, but hopefully AEW has something else for Ciampa as he has earned the chance.

Lena Kross and Megan Bayne have Mick Foley sit down so they can interview him. He thinks the Crush Girls could give them a fight but also thinks the Brawling Birds could be a threat. They suggest he bow down, so Foley….barks. Because it includes “bow wow”. Even Foley admits this isn’t working and sends it back to the desk.

We recap Mark Davis defending the National Title against Andrade El Idolo. Last month, El Idolo turned on the Don Callis Family and now it’s time to take some of their gold.

National Title: Andrade El Idolo vs. Mark Davis

Davis is defending and Andrade comes out with a group of ladies. The spinning back elbow gives Andrade two at the bell but it’s too early for the DM. Davis gets in a knockdown of his own and drops a backsplash but Andrade gets in a cross armbreaker over the ropes. A running hurricanrana off the apron drops Davis and let’s pause for the photo with the fan.

Naturally that lets Davis fight back with a clothesline and a running forearm in the corner gets two. The chinlock and a half crab in the ropes has Andrade in even more trouble, followed by the abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and they chop it out until Andrade hits a running forearm to the chest. Davis gets in a clothesline but Andrade’s knee is fine enough for some rolling suplexes.

The running Meteora in the corner gets two, as does Davis’ quick piledriver. Andrade sends him into the post and is right back with the double moonsault for two of his own. That means Andrade can take off his pants but the frog splash hits raised knees. Back up and Andrade hits another spinning back elbow, setting up the DM for the pin at 16:15.

Rating: B-. This was fine and the right man won, as Davis has come a long way as champion but Andrade is on fire right now and needed to win something. I’m sure Andrade will do just fine, though hopefully Davis gets a chance to do something else. He’s earned the chance and it would be terrible to see AEW waste what he has built up.

Mike Bailey wants his International Title match at Grand Slam in Arena Mexico on August 5.

We recap Willow Nightingale challenging Thekla for the Women’s Title. Nightingale earned the title shot and Thekla is fairly crazy so it’s quite the interesting dynamic at play.

Women’s Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Thekla

Nightingale, with her taped up ear (after Thekla attacked her with a microphone), is challenging. We get the Big Match Intros and Nightingale snaps off an early spinebuster to hammer away. A Pounce sends Thekla crashing out to the floor and Nightingale grabs a suplex. The Cannonball only hits steps though and they get back inside with Thekla going after the bad ear.

Nightingale is bleeding from the ear as Thekla grabs a Rings Of Saturn. That doesn’t last long either and Thekla charges into a rather hard clothesline. Thekla is right back with a Black Widow, which doesn’t last long so she grabs a spider superplex. Nightingale pops up for a discus lariat and ties up the legs, followed by some clotheslines against the ropes. That doesn’t last long and Thekla is back up with a Muta Lock to rip at Nightingale’s face. They head out to the apron, where Nightingale gets dropped hard so Thekla can hit a big dive to the floor.

Back in and Nightingale counters the spear into a sunset flip for two so Thekla grabs a bridging rollup. That’s broken up as the referee catches Thekla grabbing the rope, meaning Nightingale can knock her down again. A moonsault misses though, leaving Nightingale to grab the gutwrench powerbomb. Cue Skye Blue to put the foot on the rope so Thekla hits the spear. That’s not enough either though and Nightingale grabs a backslide for the pin and the title at 15:13.

Rating: B. That’s great to see, but please tell me this isn’t just another way to set up Mone for her big win. Nightingale as the face of the star could be rather interesting and it would be nice to see it actually last longer than about a month. The match was a good back and forth fight and I’m curious to see where Thekla goes next, as she was rather awesome during her time with the title.

We recap Kevin Knight challenging Kenny Omega for the World Title. Omega is champion and set for his big title defense at All In. Knight is getting the shot and gone after Omega in an effort to step up to the next level, with Omega wanting to see if he still has it.

AEW World Title: Kevin Knight vs. Kenny Omega

Omega is defending while Knight’s TNT Title isn’t on the line. Knight jumps him from behind before the bell so the referee breaks it up, allowing the match to start and Omega to strike away. A running hurricanrana puts Knight on the floor but the Terminator Dive is cut off with a knee to the ribs. They head outside with Knight using the announcers’ table for a jumping clothesline, followed by a choke on the ropes back inside.

Both of them miss a splash so Knight’s running UFO Splash connects for two. Omega tries to chop away but gets caught with a super hurricanrana for two more. Knight starts in on the leg before clotheslining him into a chinlock. That’s switched into an abdominal stretch but Omega is up with a poisonrana. The snapdragon sends Knight to the apron, where another snapdragon knocks him silly.

The announcers’ table is loaded up for another snapdragon and Knight is rocked. Back in and Omega says Knight will never be him and hits another big knee to the face. Knight gets in a hard shot of his own so Omega fires off some forearms and tells Knight to fight back. Knight does just that with a Sky High and a clothesline to send him outside, only for Omega to go after the leg again.

Back in and they fight on top, with Omega’s sunset bomb and V Trigger combining for another near fall. Knight fights out of the corner though and knocks him into the Tree Of Woe for the Coast To Coast. Rather than covering, Knight goes to grab some belts, with a Crash Landing onto one of them planting Omega for two. The UFO Splash hits raised knees though and it’s a V Trigger into the One Winged Angel to retain the title at 25:00.

Rating: B. This was one of those matches that could have been great as a Dynamite main event but that’s about it. At the same time, it was nice to see Knight getting this chance, even if he felt like he had a grand total of no real shot at winning. Omega was in a glorified warmup match for All In and that’s all this was presented as being. It’s a fine match, but absolutely does not feel like a PPV main event.

Post match the Death Riders run in for the beatdown and cut off the Young Bucks before they can make a save. Will Ospreay comes in to stop a Stomp onto a chair though and even shoves Jon Moxley down. Moxley gets back inside and offers Ospreay a chance to hit him but the chair is thrown outside instead. Moxley pulls out the plastic bag (Ospreay’s eyes bug out) and hands it to Ospreay, who tears it up.

Ospreay knocks Moxley to the floor and the Riders go after him, only for Moxley to call them off. With the team leaving, Ospreay takes off his Death Riders kneepad and throws it away before handing Omega the title. We get a big handshake and they pose together….but Omega gives him a One Winged Angel. The Bucks pose with Omega, who leaves to end the show. I’m not sure if that’s a full on heel turn but it’s certainly a twist of some kind.

Overall Rating: B. This was basically a good In Your House style show as it had solid action and nothing bad, but there is pretty much nothing worth seeing save for maybe Fletcher vs. Bandido. The problem continues to come down to All In looming over the whole thing and there is only so much that can be done with this show as it was all about getting ready for next month. Overall, a completely good show but not something really worth your time. That being said, SWEET GOODNESS this was better simply due to having it be on an hour earlier. See how much good that kind of thing can do? Anyway, good but not great show.

Results
Conglomeration b. Lethal Twist – End Of Heartache to Lethal
Mike Bailey b. El Clon, Jack Perry, Komander, The Beast Mortos and Nick Wayne – Bailey pulled down the contract
Young Bucks b. Death Riders – Double superkick to Moxley
Kyle Fletcher b. Bandido – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
The Dogs b. Bang Bang Gang – Shillelagh to Robinson
Maya World b. Hikaru Shida – Tabletop suplex
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage b. Death Riders – Pop up spear to Pac
Chris Jericho b. Tommaso Ciampa – Power drill to the head
Andrade El Idolo b. Mark Davis – DM
Willow Nightingale b. Thekla – Backslide
Kenny Omega b. Kevin Knight – One Winged Angel

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

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So it’s time for Redemption and that means…I have no idea actually, as this show isn’t exactly feeling important. We are only a few weeks away from All In and AEW has made it clear that is the show that really matters. The thing is I’m sure the action will work and thank goodness it’s starting an hour earlier than Forbidden Door. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Trios Titles: Conglomeration(c) vs. Lethal Twist

This was added to the card on Collision this week and sure why not. The six man titles are a fine way to get a show going and the fans are going to get behind anything the Conglomeration does. It helps that the Lethal Twist are a regular team and it’s interesting to see an actual unit getting a chance like this. Granted they’re more regulars in ROH but it’s better than nothing.

There is no reason to believe that the titles are changing hands here so I’ll go with the Conglomeration retaining. It should be a nice seven to ten minute match to warm up the crowd and that’s what a Kickoff Show match is supposed to be. Just don’t do a bunch of them over and over and everything should be fine. But yeah for now, the champions retain the titles.

Tag Team Titles: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage(c) vs. Death Riders

The title reign has been kind of a weird one, but it still feels like we’re on the way to big ladder match with the Bucks at All In (possibly FTR as well). That leaves us with some not so thrilling title defenses, first with the Dogs and now this one. I’m sure the match will be fine, but it feels pretty thrown together without much of a story outside of the Riders attacking the champs.

At the end of the day, it’s Pac and Claudio Castagnoli challenging so I’ll say the champions retain. There isn’t much of a reason to believe that the titles are changing before All In, with the champions being set up for something bigger in just over a month. Castagnoli has been a jobber to the stars for a long time now and that is going to be the case for a good while, as he isn’t winning a title here.

International Title: Kyle Fletcher(c) vs. Bandido

It’s time to have Bandido face another singles champion on an AEW pay per view with almost no chance for him to win. As usual, the ROH World Title isn’t a factor here whatsoever, which is a great way to extend his title reign high up the ranks. I have no idea how Bandido is the only choice to take these losses and it’s not doing ROH any favors, but neither is a lot of the stuff done there.

So of course I’ll go with Fletcher to retain here, as there is no reason to believe that Bandido is going to snap his losing streak in these matches. The match will be rather awesome as both of these guys are outstanding when they’re given the chance, but that is only going to do so much good for Bandido when he keeps losing. Either let him win something or just don’t put him in these matches time after time.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Dogs

This is a double chain match and I continue to not get the appeal of the Dogs. It feels like a team I needed to watch for years in New Japan to really get as they’re just kind of there week after week. They’ve been feuding with the Bang Bang Gang for a few weeks now and that should at least lead to a good match. I’m just not sure why it needs to be in a double chain match.

The Gang is back to full strength for the first time in forever and Jay White needs the win to help establish himself a bit more so we’ll go in that direction. Hopefully the Gang is able to stay healthy this time around, as the injuries have just wrecked them. Let them get a win here, as I have no idea what the point is in boosting up the Dogs, who just don’t feel all that important.

Young Bucks vs. Will Ospreay/Jon Moxley

So here we have one of the bigger stories in AEW, as Moxley has seemingly poisoned Ospreay’s mind and turned him to the dark side, just as he is on the way to the World Title shot at All In. There is a grand total of zero reason to believe that Ospreay is going to go into the title match in his home country as a villain, so the question becomes when Ospreay turns on the Death Riders.

I don’t think it happens here though, as I’ll go with Ospreay and Moxley to win a heck of a fight, as the Bucks can do rather well in this kind of a match. For now though, they need to lose to show that Ospreay has gotten better under Moxley, though I’m not sure where that leads. The Bucks lose now though, as Ospreay has something much bigger going on for All In anyway.

National Title: Mark Davis(c) vs. Andrade El Idolo

Now we get to something that has me intrigued, as this could go in a few different ways. Davis is on fire right now and having the singles run of a lifetime. At the same time, there is something to be said about El Idolo being this good as well. I could go for seeing him win the title on the way up to the main event, though it really is a match that could go in either direction.

I’ll go with El Idolo winning here, but I really hope that Davis gets another chance sooner than later. He’s doing far too well lately to just be left by the wayside. For now though, El Idolo moving up is the right way to go. I could see some interference costing El Idolo the title, though I’ll go with El Idolo winning the title here, which is the best of the good options that they have.

Jack Perry vs. The Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Mike Bailey vs. Nick Wayne vs. El Clon

This is a ladder match (because of course it is) for a shot at the International Title at some point in the future. As usual, there are a few names who just aren’t going to win here and that makes things a bit easier. You can pretty easily write off Mortos, Wayne and Clon, the latter of whom I had almost forgotten even worked here. That leaves you with three potential winners and one of them stands out pretty strong.

The key here is that this show is taking place in Bailey’s hometown of Montreal. That is a pretty easy way to set him up as a winner and while it seems that the big match is Bailey vs. Knight (ok not really big but AEW is presenting it as important because they used to be partners, which apparently makes any match important). I’ll go with Bailey winning here, as it is such a natural fit.

Women’s Title: Thekla(c) vs. Willow Nightingale

This is where All In rears its head again, as Mercedes Mone is waiting on the winner at the biggest show of the year. Thekla is someone who has turned into one of the most entertaining stars on the AEW roster and it is fun to hear whatever insanity she has going through her head during any given week. On the other hand though, it’s asking a lot to have Nightingale lose again here, and that’s where this might fall apart.

With Mone set to challenge the winner, I’ll go with Nightingale winning the title here. I don’t want to see Thekla lose the belt here, but it’s hard to imagine Mone challenging Thekla for the title. We’ve seen Mone take a title from Nightingale before and I’m hoping that they don’t do it again. That means Nightingale has to win though, and I’ll say that’s what we get here.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chris Jericho

This is No DQ and the big deal here is that it’s the Painmaker version of Jericho, which he’s used….oh at least a handful of times. Jericho has already lost to Ciampa in the first place but it’s time to see it happen again. This latest run hasn’t been the most successful for Jericho from a win/loss perspective and he is getting close to actually needing a win, which is hard to fathom.

I just don’t think that win comes here, as Ciampa losing in the big gimmick rematch would take a lot away from him. Ciampa has gotten somewhere with this run and I would hope that it doesn’t come crashing to a halt here. This should be a good fight with two people who work well together. Jericho will put up a great fight, but it needs to end up with a losing effort.

TBS Title: Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Maya World

World got a heck of a push in the Owen Hart Cup, but she still hasn’t actually won anything. That creates a problem, as she has to actually get some kind of an accolade before it stops mattering all that much. Winning the title here would be a great moment, though it feels more like Athena and the Ring Of Honor Women’s Title are more her destiny. She does have a chance here though and that’s rather intriguing.

As much as I think it would make sense, I just can’t picture Shida actually losing the title here. She’s not the strongest champion in the world and having World win the belt here would be great, but I’m not seeing it happening. Hopefully they find something world World to do and it’s far from crazy to imagine her winning here. I’m expecting the win to be delayed again though, assuming it ever actually happens.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega(c) vs. Kevin Knight

This is where I’m wondering if they have some kind of a swerve planned here, as while this might wind up as a great title match, it’s not something that feels like a major pay per view main event. I wouldn’t even be surprised if this didn’t headline the show, as it just doesn’t really fit in that spot. It doesn’t help that Knight doesn’t feel like any kind of a threat to winning the title, which would be the case even without All In.

So yeah there is no reason to believe that the titles is changing hands here, as Omega is already set for the big title match at All In. That’s what the majority of the promos have been about and it doesn’t feel like Knight is going to even give Omega a real threat. It’s rare to see the World Title match feel like the most obvious result but that is absolutely how it comes off here.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about this show, the less interested I am in the whole thing. The thing to remember is that the show should be entertaining and the match quality won’t be a problem. AEW has long since proven that it can make any card work and I’m sure they’ll do it again here. This show still feels like Fully Loaded 1998 though and that could make for a rough night.

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Collision
Date: July 25, 2026
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

It’s the night before Redemption and that means we have one final push to get us ready for the pay per view. It isn’t feeling like the most important card and hopefully this show helps us get the whole thing set. That could have a few different results and we do have some titles on the line this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Zachary Wentz

Ciampa knees him off the apron before the bell but stops to yell at Wight, who isn’t having that. Wentz gets in a shot of his own and sends Ciampa inside for a whip into the corner. The big flip dive takes Ciampa down on the ramp but he gets the knees up to cut off a Swanton. A handspring knee gets Wentz out of trouble and he strikes away before grabbing a German suplex. Wentz’s Blockbuster gets two and he fires off the kicks away to put Ciampa down. Ciampa is fine enough to knee Wentz out of the air for two and the Willow’s Bell drops him onto the ramp. Back to back running knees finish Wentz off at 6:55.

Rating: B-. As usual, any member of the Rascalz is capable of working with almost anyone else and Ciampa is more than qualified. It made for an interesting match and Wentz got in some offense before losing in the end. This was basically a way to set up Ciampa on the way to his showdown with Jericho tomorrow and the good thing is they didn’t spend too long and make Ciampa seem like he was having major trouble.

Post match Ciampa says he’s better than Chris Jericho and, after drawing some lines on his face, says the Psycho Killer is better than the Painmaker.

Mike Bailey is ready to win the ladder match in his hometown at Redemption.

Young Bucks vs. Death Riders

Jon Moxley is on commentary. Matt catches Yuta with a running spinwheel kick to start and the Bucks take them both down without much trouble. The right hands in the corner are broken up but the Bucks are back with a backbreaker/top rope double stomp combination. The rolling northern lights suplexes have the Riders down but they strike away at Nick to take over as we take a break.

We come back with Matt fighting out of trouble but he gets caught in a catapulted wheelbarrow suplex for two. Matt’s standing Sliced Bread gets him out of trouble though and it’s back to Nick with the double high crossbody. Yuta gets Backstabbered out of the corner as Moxley praises the Bucks’ athleticism. Yuta kicks away but gets dropped by some superkicks. More Death Riders run in for the beatdown on the Bucks so here are Adam Copeland and Christian Cage to cut them off. The slingshot X Factor to Garcia sets up the Meltzer Driver for the pin at 12:29.

Rating: B. They built up a few matches at once here, with Moxley praising the Bucks before their match and the Tag Team Titles getting a moment as well. I’ll take that over extended sequences throughout the night and as usual, the Bucks had their fun match. It’s hardly the most structured classic, but it works well enough for a spot like this.

Post match here is Will Ospreay for a distraction, allowing Moxley to lay the Bucks out.

Bandido and Kyle Fletcher got in a fight at Comic Con.

Persephone vs Angelica Risk

Non-title. They talk trash to each other to start and Persephone knocks her into the corner. The Razor’s Edge finishes Risk off at 1:27.

Athena and the Minions are ready to take out the Brawling Birds, though Billie Starkz is a bit lost.

Lethal Twist vs. Skyflight

Ricochet and Jeff Jarrett are both on commentary. Sydal and Lethal start things off with Lethal getting in a strut but walking into a hurricanrana. Sky comes in to send Johnson into a jumping knee from Darius. Everything breaks down and the Twist are triple dropkicked to the floor for a triple dive as we take an early break. We come back with Sky in the Tree Of Woe and getting stomped down. Lethal starts in on the leg as Jarrett shifts us into a chat about Redemption. Sky fights up and brings Dante in to fight back, including an enziguri to Johnson. Everything breaks down and they trade knockdowns until Ricochet offers a distraction. The top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination finishes Dante at 8:46.

Rating: B-. It’s another fast paced and entertaining match though the idea of the Demand feuding with Skyflight is about as much of a downgrade as you can get. Skyflight has some talented wrestlers but they’re about as much of a losing team as you can get. That can change, but as of right now, it isn’t exactly working all that well for them.

Redemption Ladder Qualifying Match: Nick Wayne vs. AR Fox

Wayne jumps him from behind to start and stomps away but Fox fights back without much trouble. A neckbreaker is rolled through into a suplex to drop Fox though and they’re out to the floor. Fox fights back but gets sent into the steps for quite the crash as we take a pretty early break.

We come back with Fox grabbing an anarchist suplex on the floor before heading back inside. A Swanton gives Fox two but Wayne rolls him up for the same. They go up top, where Wayne’s super Sliced Bread gets another near fall. A kick to the head and a Falcon Arrow finish Fox off at 11:51.

Rating: B-. Fox has grown on me quite a bit week after week and I’m hoping that he gets a chance to do something better in the future. He can work with anyone and still make it exciting, though he is also stuck in the midcard loop. I’m not sure if Wayne is that much of a better option to go over here but he’s a more successful name at the moment.

After Dynamite, Darby Allin freaked out about how he didn’t go far enough with Kevin Knight. So how far is Knight willing to go now?

Trios Titles: Conglomeration vs. Outrunners/Dalton Castle

The Conglomeration is defending and the ROH Six Man Titles aren’t on the line, because for some reason we’re getting champions vs. champions. Magnum shoves Cassidy down to start before running him over with a shoulder. Everything breaks down and it’s a six way handshake into a six way brawl as we take a break.

We come back with the Outrunners ax handling Cassidy off the apron, leaving Castle to get double chopped down. Back in and Cassidy’s elbow hits Castle so Strong picks Cassidy up and swings him around. It’s back to Floyd (wearing his belt of course) to clean house and the Mega Powers Elbow gets two on Cassidy. Castle is back in and gets DDTed by Cassidy, who sits down on a sunset flip to pin Floyd and retain at 10:58.

Rating: C+. And there was no one to take this loss other than the ROH Six Man Tag Team Champions? I get that they’re the minor league but it’s always felt dumb to have the top ROH names treated as losers and then ask me to be interested in what they do. The company has so many wrestlers on the roster and they didn’t have a better choice than this? Really?

Post match the Demand (hey, there’s a team who could have challenged for the titles) and the Lethal Twist (same) run in for the beatdown, with Jeff Jarrett coming off commentary for the save.

Jack Perry wants the World Title but he’s ready to come after the International Title. Nick Wayne comes in to say he’ll be winning instead. Perry tells him to make the most of his chance.

Redemption Ladder Qualifying Match: Lio Rush vs. El Clon

Rush’s ROH TV Title isn’t on the line. Rush runs the ropes to start and bites Clon’s chopping hand. A clothesline drops Clon for two but he’s back up with some running shots in the corner. We take a break and come back with Rush running into a backbreaker to cut him off again. Rush kicks him to the floor and hits the weird suicide dive, setting up a springboard Stunner for two. Clon knees him in the face so Rush tries a rollup, only to have Clon reverse into one of his own and grab the rope for the pin at 8:22.

Rating: C+. I….why? How in the world is this the best use of the ROH TV Champion? Rush has gotten one of the weirdest gimmicks in wrestling over and here he’s putting over El Clon in a qualifying match for a ladder match that Clon has no realistic chance of winning? How is this the best option that they had given all of the people they have around here? Throw any non-champion out there and it’s the exact same result.

Post match Clon stays on Rush but Mike Bailey runs in for the save. Komander comes in as well and has a staredown with Bailey.

Video on Kevin Knight vs. Kenny Omega.

Redemption rundown.

The Bang Bang Gang is ready to take out the Dogs.

Maya World/Willow Nightingale vs. Thekla/Hikaru Shida

Shida swings away at World to start and everything breaks down with the four way brawl on the floor. Back in and Shida and Thekla hammer away in the corners, which is quickly reverses for a double ram to send them together. We take a break and come back with Nightingale grabbing a spinebuster for two, with Thekla making the save. Shida’s Falcon Arrow gets two and everything breaks down again. Nightingale sends Shida outside but misses the running flip dive off the apron. Thekla grabs her belt but the referee takes it away, leaving Thekla to spear World for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: C+. With that result, I’m hoping that World wins the title, as otherwise she’s continuing to look like a loser, despite how much success she has had as of late. This was a quick way to build two matches at once and that’s often a good idea. It wasn’t exactly great, but I’ll take this over some quick promos that don’t say much.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was the last push towards Redemption and it left the pay per view in about the same place: an event that should be perfectly good, if not better than good, but it doesn’t feel overly important. This week had some completely acceptable wrestling and it worked well enough, though it’s not really a show you need to see. And I’d hope the fourteen regular ROH viewers will be annoyed at some of the results, as they should be, as it’s such an instance of stubbing your own toe for no real reason. Anyway, nice enough show here, but Redemption is going to have a rocky path.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Zachary Wentz – Running knee
Young Bucks b. Death Riders – Meltzer Driver to Garcia
Persephone b. Angelica Risk – Razor’s Edge
Lethal Twist b. Skyflight – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to Dante
Nick Wayne b. AR Fox – Falcon Arrow
Conglomeration b. Outrunners/Dalton Castle – Rollup to Floyd
El Clon b. Lio Rush – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Thekla/Hikaru Shida b. Maya World/Willow Nightingale – Spear to World

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