Battle Of The Belts V
Date: January 6, 2023
Location: Portland Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re back with another of these shows that doesn’t feel like all that important to AEW. It’s another three match card and all of them have titles on the line. This includes a rematch from Dynamite, where the Acclaimed retained the Tag Team Titles over Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal. This time it’s No DQ though so let’s get to it.

We open with Darby Allin leaving the ring after his Rampage main event.

Tag Team Titles; Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett vs. Acclaimed

The Acclaimed is defending, No Holds Barred, and Satnam Singh/Sonjay Dutt/Billy Gunn are here too. The champs get jumped from behind before the bell and the fight is on fast. Lethal gets a Figure Four on Bowens on the ramp but it gets broken up rather quickly. We settle down to a regular tag match with Bowens grabbing a Blockbuster to take over.

Caster comes in, runs the ropes, drops to the floor and punches Singh in the face (no effect) as everything breaks down again. Jarrett saves Lethal from Scissor My Timbers, setting up a double strut as we take a break. Back with Bowens and Lethal slugging it out until Bowens blasts him with a clothesline. The double tag brings in Caster and Jarrett, with the former cleaning house. An Angle Slam drops Jarrett and, after pulling off the invisible straps, Caster grabs the ankle lock.

With that broken up, Singh takes out Caster, leaving Bowens to hit the running jumping Fameasser. The referee got bumped in there somewhere so it’s a second one sliding in to count the late two. Jarrett grabs the guitar but Gunn makes the save and blasts Singh with the guitar. A Stroke takes Gunn down but Jarrett walks into an AA from Caster.

Singh chokeslams both champs though and then does it to the referee as well. Dutt puts the referee shirt on (Jericho: “It even matches his black trousers!”) and counts two with Aubrey Edwards coming out to break it up. Then she breaks his pencil and shoves Dutt down, leaving Lethal to get caught with the Arrival and the Mic Drop to retain the titles at 10:53.

Rating: C. Well that was a lot. I’ve never quite gotten the concept of starting with rules and then breaking down into no rules but that’s a modern wrestling issue. What got me here was Edwards going after Dutt, as if ANYTHING he did would have mattered in the first place. That came off as a spectacle for the save of involving the referee in a match that was already way overloaded. Gunn’s guitar shot to Singh was good but that was about it for the decent weapons stuff. Total insanity here and I absolutely didn’t need to see these teams fight twice in three days.

Will Hobbs has the Book Of Hobbs with him, which includes everything that has happened to him. Now it’s going to happen to you.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz aren’t sure what is going on with the House of Black but they’ll fight next week on Rampage.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Skye Blue

Jade, with Leila Grey, is defending. Blue goes right at her to start and snaps off a crucifix for two. After a quick breather on the floor, Jade comes back in and knocks her to the floor with a rather hard forearm. A chokeslam on the ramp plants Blue again but cue Red Velvet to stare Cargill down from the stage.

We take a break and come back with Blue snapping off a rather spinning headscissors. One heck of a pump kick drops Blue though and it’s Velvet coming down to check on her. Back in and Jaded is countered into a victory roll for two, followed by Code Blue for the same. Blue loads up a springboard hurricanrana but Jade catches her and spins it (after a few movements) into Jaded to retain at 9:13.

Rating: C+. They were working here and that finish was awesome. There is something really impressive about Cargill managing to manipulate a full sized human around like that into Jaded and she made it look easy. Blue was putting in the effort, but as I’ve said multiple times now: until they put Jade in there with some big name, there is little reason to believe the title is in serious jeopardy.

The Firm is ready for Junglehook (yes, combining names is very clever) on Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Ruby Soho/Willow Nightingale vs. Ruby Soho/Tay Melo in a street fight next week on Rampage.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian

Sabian, with Penelope Ford, is challenging and Danhausen here is with Cassidy. They start fast with a more ticked off than usual Cassidy getting headlocked. That earns Sabian a bunch of right hands, meaning it’s time for a breather on the floor. Cue the Bunny so Sabian can hide behind the women, which is enough of a distraction for a cheap shot on Cassidy.

Hold on though as Danhausen loads up the curse, only to have Sabian bite his finger. The distraction lets Cassidy hit the suicide dive, followed by the Stundog Millionaire back inside. They head back outside though, with Sabian hitting a hanging neckbreaker to the floor. We take a break and come back with Cassidy still in trouble, though he avoids the reverse Cannonball.

Cassidy knocks him off the top but Bunny grabs the leg. That’s enough for an ejection for both Bunny and Danhausen so here are Butcher and Blade to beat up Danhausen. Cassidy and Sabian slug it out, with Sabian trying his own lazy strikes. That wakes Cassidy up but Sabian knees him in the face for two.

Another hanging neckbreaker gets two on Cassidy so Sabian hits his own Orange Punch. Cassidy fights back up and the Beach Break gets two. The frustration makes Cassidy hammer away in the corner until he accidentally shoves the referee away. Sabian tries to go after him again but back to back Orange Punches finish to retain the title at 16:44.

Rating: B-. So Cassidy wins over Sabian, who isn’t exactly the most enthralling opponent. They did something with Sabian getting underneath Cassidy’s skin but that doesn’t really make up for a lot of Sabian’s flaws. I know he has been around since the beginning but I’ve still yet to have much of a reason to get interested in anything he does. Cassidy continues to own Friday night and that’s a good place for him as the fans still love everything he does.

Overall Rating: C+. That’s the latest Battle Of The Belts and while it was certainly entertaining enough, it still doesn’t feel important. That has been the biggest flaw of this series since it started and nothing about this changed it. AEW might be better off by having an expanded Rampage instead of one of these, as that’s pretty much what you got here. It was good on its own and combined with Rampage, this was a rather nice two hour Friday night show.

Results
Acclaimed b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal – Mic Drop to Lethal
Jade Cargill b. Skye Blue – Jaded
Orange Cassidy b. Kip Sabian – Orange Punch

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: January 4, 2023
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We’re in a new year and the big story is a new look for the show. That is somewhat long overdue and the question is will AEW have a good show to back it up. The likely main event is Samoa Joe defending the TNT Title against hometown boy Darby Allin in a rematch from a few weeks back. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence, with remixed themed song.

There is a new set with new graphics. They’re nothing mind blowing but they look sleek and rather nice.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks

Feeling out process to start with Starks slapping him in the face and pounding away in the corner. Starks does a rather length Old School but gets knocked to the apron. The triangle dropkick is broken up though and Jericho suplexes him off the apron as we take a break. Back with Starks hitting a running clothesline to leave both of them down.

Starks grabs a sitout powerbomb for two, blocks the Codebreaker and hits a superkick for two. Jericho is right back with the Walls so he goes to the rope, only to have one of the Society member knock him silly with a foreign object. The referee gets two arm drops before Starks is up again. Jericho tries a running something but gets caught in a tornado DDT. Starks drops the Society and hits the spear for the pin at 12:41.

Rating: B-. Well that’s a surprise, but what matters here is Starks overcame the odds and got a pretty big win. It seems like they are trying something with him and that is one of the best things that could happen. Starks has the talent and has been on a roll over the last few weeks. Maybe he goes somewhere with this and I can think of far worse ideas. Good match too, as Starks overcame the odds, just as he should have.

Post match the beatdown is on with the rest of the Society coming in, only to have Action Andretti make the save. Anna Jay and Tay Melo come in for the low blow though and the beatdown is on again. Starks gets powerbombed off the apron through a table.

Here is Hangman Page for an update on his medical condition. He can’t give us the good news that he is cleared, but he can pass one more brain scan before next week and fight Jon Moxley then. Cue Moxley, who says he is tired of the candlelight vigil for Page. He also seems sick of thinking that the mic isn’t on (though we can hear it at home, including him dropping an F bomb about it). Moxley: “Let’s go Seahawks. Ok let’s get this back on track.”

Page talks about being knocked out by everyone from enemies to his best friends. Moxley has been making jokes about everything though and thinks it’s because Moxley is scared. That’s why Page is here right now and he has two in the chamber for Moxley. That doesn’t work with Moxley, who says Page doesn’t belong in the ring with him, and next week, he’ll make sure Page doesn’t get back up. This was intense stuff, but Page better win next week.

Video on Samoa Joe, who is ready for Darby Allin.

Tag Team Titles: Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal vs. Acclaimed

The Acclaimed is defending, with Max Caster talking about how Jarrett is going to blame the loss on Dixie Carter because TNA means Total Nonstop Acclaimed. Billy Gunn, Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh are all here too as Caster jumps over Lethal to start and kicks him a few times. The running Fameasser from behind drops Lethal and Scissor Me Timbers hits Lethal again. Jarrett breaks up the big scissoring though and it’s Scissor Me Timbers for him too.

Back up and Lethal slides outside to slap Gunn in the face, which is enough to draw him inside. That’s enough for the ejection and we take a break. Back with Lethal grabbing a chinlock on Bowens, only to miss Hail To the King. Bowens hits some suplexes and it’s back to Caster for the house cleaning, including a dive to Lethal on the floor. A high crossbody gets two on Lethal with Jarrett making the save. Caster gets shoved off the top so it’s a Figure Four to Bowens.

Singh and Dutt get caught going after Caster so they’re out as well, which is enough for Lethal to let go of Bowens’ leg. The Stroke hits Bowens instead and Lethal covers but Bowens gets his foot on the rope….which Dutt shoves off for the pin. Thankfully even AEW isn’t that insane and here is Aubrey Edwards to say not so fast, meaning the match continues. In the chaos, Bowens rolls Lethal up to retain at 12:01.

Rating: C. That was a heck of a false finish, though the fear of Jarrett and Lethal being champions is so strong that I’m not sure what to think of the whole thing. I still don’t get the reason why they’re in this spot as it isn’t like they’re a thrilling team, but at least they didn’t do anything insane here. They may have teased it, but they didn’t go all the way.

We get a sitdown interview with Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter. They aren’t worried about whoever Saraya has as her partner because they are AEW originals. How does Saraya not know who her partner is yet? It doesn’t matter because Britt is the pillar and Jamie is the killer (that’s a great line).

Jungle Boy is ready for the Firm and has Hook with him.

Bryan Danielson vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling and Josh Woods are here with Nese and the fans go NUTS for Danielson. A distraction lets Nese take him into the corner for the Running Nese and a near fall. Danielson fires off the kicks in the corner to set up the YES Kicks but the big one is blocked. Nese hits a not so great buckle bomb but misses the Running Nese this time. The running knee knocks Nese silly and Danielson stomps him unconscious. The Regal Stretch makes the referee stop it to give Danielson the win at 3:23.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash and a way to get Danielson in the ring in front of his (close enough) hometown crowd. Danielson seems ready to be getting ready for the World Title shot against MJF, so running through a schnook like Nese is a good way to go. They didn’t give this any kind of time and they shouldn’t have done so, making it a perfectly acceptable use of time.

Post match Danielson says he’s glad to be home and calls out MJF. Cue MJF to say he isn’t coming out there and wrestle Danielson right now. MJF doesn’t care about wrestling like this but doesn’t think much of Danielson anyway. If Lance Storm and Dean Malenko could procreate, it would still be more interesting than him.

MJF mocks Danielson’s mother having relations with a goat, but Danielson has heard MJF’s mother had enough male suitors to fill this arena. MJF: “THAT’S NOT FUNNY!” MJF says marks like these fans have anointed Danielson, but people like Disco Inferno, Eric Bischoff, “and the smartest man of them all, and my #1 fan, Jim Cornette” have put MJF over. Danielson is ready to fight but MJF backs away, saying Danielson has to become #1 contender. Fans: “SHUT THE F*** UP!” MJF: “No.”

MJF has talked to Tony Khan, who said that Danielson has to win a match every week until February 8 to get the title shot at Revolution. Danielson: “No.” He’ll just wrestle when he wants, become #1 contender the title and win when he feels like it. That sends MJF over the edge, promising to have Mark Sterling filibuster. Danielson: “Mark Sterling is a horrible lawyer.” He wants a stipulation of his own, so let’s have a one hour Iron Man match. Schiavone: “DO IT DUMBA**, DO IT!”

The match is on….but MJF says Danielson still has to win until February 8. Danielson says MJF doesn’t have what it takes and promises to run the gauntlet and win the title. This went on a good bit longer than it needed to but it got the point across. That Cornette line is going to get a lot of hype though.

Video on Kip Sabian vs. Orange Cassidy.

AR Fox vs. Swerve Strickland

Mogul Affiliates are here with Swerve. Fox is sent to the apron and drops to the floor, with Swerve flipping through the ropes (that was sweet) so an Affiliates distraction can ensue. Swerve takes him down on the floor and we take an early break. Back with Swerve grabbing a suplex for two but Fox fights out of the corner. A basement cutter sets up another cutter to plant Swerve, setting up a 450 for two. Fox gets caught on top and pulled back down though, setting up the Swerve Stomp for the pin at 9:12.

Rating: B-. These two just work well together and they have everywhere else I’ve seen them. The good thing here is Fox looked good in defeat and that is all he needed to do. At the same time, Swerve looked as smooth as he always does, showing just how far he could go in AEW. Now just drop the completely unnecessary Affiliates and we could go somewhere fast.

Saraya, with Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida, won’t announce her partner for next week. She talks about how great AEW’s women’s division has been…and then picks Storm as her partner. Shida looks stunned.

Here are the Gunns for the FTRIP funeral. We hear about how FTR won a bunch of titles, save for the AEW Tag Team Titles. Then they lost them, because the Gunns are just better. After the Gunns fake out the FTR entrance, they promise FTR will never wrestle here again.

Video on the Elite vs. Death Triangle Best Of Seven series, with the finals next week.

Jade Cargill/Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue/Kiera Hogan

Velvet and Blue wrestle to the mat to start but neither can get anywhere. Hogan is brought in to take Velvet down, much to Cargill’s annoyance. Blue comes back in and kicks away, setting up a DDT to drop Hogan again. We take a break and come back with Velvet suplexing her way out of trouble. Cargill comes in to kick away though and Hogan is right back in trouble. Velvet comes in and has to suplex her way to freedom, meaning it’s back to Cargill coming in for some kicks. Cargill plants Hogan again so Velvet walks, leaving Cargill to get rolled up for two. The pump kick finishes Hogan at 6:43.

Rating: C-. You mean Jade Cargill, who is the same wrestler as she was before she got the Baddies, might lose the Baddies, who have added nothing to Cargill whatsoever? Gee, I wonder if this is going to change the way Cargill squashes everyone in her path, just like she has done since she debuted. More of the same as we have seen from Cargill for months and just as exciting.

Here’s what is coming on various shows, including Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal vs. the Acclaimed for the Tag Team Titles, No DQ.

Jarrett and Lethal are ready.

TNT Title: Samoa Joe vs. Darby Allin

Allin, the hometown boy, is challenging and dives on Joe before the belly. A skateboard shot to the back rocks Joe and Allin gets in another shot to the back for a bonus. Allin climbs a ladder and hits the huge flip dive, only to come up holding his knee. We get the opening bell to start the match and Joe drops Allin hard onto the steps.

Back from a break with Allin going for a choke, only to have Joe drop back down onto him. Joe kicks him in the chest for two and crushes Allin in the corner. Allin tries to drive him into the corner but Joe rips the turnbuckle pad off. The Koquina Clutch goes on but Allin flips over into a cradle for two. The flipping Stunner is countered into another Koquina Clutch but Allin sends him into the exposed buckle. Back to back Coffin Drops give Allin the pin and the title at 8:50.

Rating: B. This was all action as they played this one as well as they could have. Take Allin, let him bounce off of Joe as much as possible until the ending. Sometimes the best way to go is with the hometown star getting the big win. Allin has been trying to get back to the top of the mountain and he did it here. Keep it simple and let what works work.

Post match Sting comes out for the big celebration and Allin gets to pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There might not have been anything great on this show but there was more than enough quite good to carry it pretty far. The main event was the high point, but what mattered was making the show feel important. Most of what you saw here was either good enough on its own or set something up for the future. Solid show here, as AEW starts the new year off well.

Results
Ricky Starks b. Chris Jericho – Spear
Acclaimed b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal – Rollup to Lethal
Bryan Danielson b. Tony Nese – Regal Stretch
Swerve Strickland b. AR Fox – Swerve Stomp
Jade Cargill/Red Velvet b. Skye Blue/Kiera Hogan – Pump kick to Hogan
Darby Allin b. Samoa Joe – Coffin Drop

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: December 30, 2022
Location: 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Paul Wight

We’ll close out the AEW year with this and as is often the case around here, Orange Cassidy is defending the All-Atlantic Title. This time though, it’s against his friend Trent Beretta. That could go in a few directions and on top of that, we’ll be hearing from Jon Moxley about something. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

In Memory Of Don West.

Opening sequence.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Trent Beretta

Cassidy is defending, Chuck Taylor/Danhausen are on commentary and Kip Sabian is on commentary. They shake hands for a good bit to start until Trent misses an armdrag. Back up and they run the ropes until Cassidy is hiptossed outside. Cassidy gets back in and sends him outside as well. Then they switch places again, with Cassidy being sent outside for the second time.

Trent’s dive hits Chuck by mistake but it’s turned into a well timed Big Hug. Cassidy dives onto Trent to take over, setting up a high crossbody back inside. Trent knocks him to the floor again (you might be noticing a pattern emerging here) but this time Cassidy gets whipped into the barricade. A hard charge hits barricade only though and Cassidy dropkicks him into it again as we take a break.

Back with Cassidy hitting the lazy chops, capped off by a regular one. They forearm it out until a Michinoku Driver gives Cassidy two. He can’t bring himself to try the Orange Punch though and instead tries the Beach Break. That’s reversed into a failed piledriver attempt so Trent settles for a running elbow in the corner. A tornado DDT plants Trent again and the top rope DDT gives Cassidy two more.

Trent’s Crunchie attempt is countered but he can hit the tombstone for his own near fall. A piledriver out of the corner gives Trent two and here is Penelope Ford to interrupt. Ford gets up on the apron to distract Trent, allowing Cassidy to hit a quick Beach Break for two. The Orange Punch retains the title at 11:23.

Rating: C+. The action was good enough and they told a nice story of the two friends not wanting to fight each other but having to in the end. The Ford addition seemed to be there to move us towards Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian again, because that is a thing we need to do one more time. Good match here, as Cassidy gets in his traditional Rampage win.

Post match Trent walks away and Cassidy passes Sabian, who is on the way to the ring for his match.

After Dynamite, Tony Schiavone asked Darby Allin about his upcoming TNT Title shot. Allin is glad to get his title shot in his hometown of Seattle. Everyone laughed at him when he was 115lbs at the end of high school and he proved all of them wrong. Then he became TNT Champion but he lost it all. Now he isn’t sure if anyone, including Sting, believes in him. Sting asks what if he says no before saying he knows Joe is going to kill him. We get the big firing up speech and Sting wants Allin to forget what everyone else is saying. Go get your title back! Nice stuff here as they went with what made sense.

Kip Sabian vs. Atifa

I have no idea if that is Sabian’s opponent’s name but it’s the closest I can get. Sabian mocks Orange Cassidy, hits a Cannonball in the corner, and finishes with his own version of the Orange Punch at 1:18.

La Faccion Ingobernable is in the back with Preston Vance mocking the idea of the Dark Order. Vance isn’t happy that he doesn’t know next week’s opponent, but he doesn’t mind mocking Negative One on national TV.

Here is Jon Moxley in the ring for a chat (no entrance this time). He isn’t happy with Hangman Page and knew that there was going to be a showdown coming. There can only be one true ace and last man standing after what happened between them in Cincinnati. Page woke up in the hospital that night but he slept like a baby. The Blackpool Combat Club works harder than anyone else and deserve their praise. Wrestling is a tough business and if Page can make it to January 11, he’ll be ready to show Page how rough things can be. Keep your hands up b****.

Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal are ready to win the Tag Team Titles on Dynamite. Lethal is rather over the top while Jarrett is serious and to the point about wanting to hurt Max Caster.

TBS Title: Kiera Hogan vs. Jade Cargill

Cargill, with the rest of the Baddies, is defending. Hogan small packages her for a fast two and ducks the pump kick. A chokeslam plants Hogan and we take a break. Back with Hogan slipping away but getting caught with the pump kick for two. They head outside where Leila Grey holds Hogan for a slap….which Red Velvet blocks. Back in and Hogan slips out of another chokeslam, setting up a running hip attack on the ropes to rock Cargill. A high crossbody gives Hogan two more bud it’s Jaded to retain the title at 7:33.

Rating: C. And that is the latest Jade Cargill match with no drama about her losing as she absorbs everything and then wins with Jaded in the end. Hogan was going hard here but there was no chance she was going to lose for the first time to Hogan on Rampage. As has been the case for a long, long time now, Cargill desperately needs something new and this wasn’t it.

Post match Red Velvet leaves on her own.

Jamie Hayter is ready for whomever Saraya has for a partner on January 11.

Mark Sterling is tired of Bryan Danielson messing with MJF so next week, Danielson gets to face Tony Nese.

Wheeler Yuta (and company) is ready for Swerve Strickland (and company).

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Swerve Strickland vs. Wheeler Yuta

Non-title and the rest of the Affiliates are here. They go with the grappling to start before trying to run the ropes. Swerve can’t get a leglock so Yuta slams him down to set up a backsplash for less than one. A bow and arrow keeps Swerve in trouble but he slips out, only to get dropkicked down. The Affiliates offer a distraction so Swerve can get in a shot from behind as we take a break.

Back with Yuta knocking him away and going up top for a forearm. A bridging German suplex gives Yuta two but Swerve’s brainbuster gets the same. Yuta is right back with something like an Angle Slam for another near fall but his knee gives out. Swerve unloads in the corner and hits a running dropkick to said knee. The Swerve Stomp is broken up though and Yuta hits a heck of a top rope superplex. Swerve hits the jumping kick to the head but again can’t hit the JML Driver. The referee gets bumped so it’s a low blow and NOW the JML Driver can finish Yuta at 12:40.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t sure on the winner here and it made for an entertaining match. The good thing is that Strickland is off to a nice start on his own, even if the Affiliates are kind of lame as henchmen. Strickland winning on his own here (even with cheating) is a good sign and beating Yuta means something. Yuta will be fine as he’ll get a win whenever Ring Of Honor is back so this was a solid enough main event.

Overall Rating: B-. This show felt a bit more important as some of the developments felt like they were leading towards something else. The action was good enough and you can only get so bored with an hour long show, which is one of the best things about Rampage. Not a must see show, but it does seem like they are addressing some issues.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Trent Beretta – Orange Punch
Kip Sabian b. Atifa – Orange Punch
Jade Cargill b. Kiera Hogan – Jaded
Swerve Strickland b. Wheeler Yuta – JML Driver

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: December 16, 2022
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re almost done with the year and the interesting point here came from Tony Khan, who promised to put in some more effort on this show. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but the card certainly does look to be a bit bigger than usual. That might not last beyond a week or two, but I’ll take what I can get. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara

Tay Melo is here too. Guevara knees him in the face to start and bites away in the corner. That earns Guevara a clothesline to the floor as we see Daniel Garcia, now under Guevara’s tutelage, watching in the back. Moxley is happy with fighting outside and loads up a chair, only to be sent back inside. That’s fine with Moxley, who grabs a jumping cutter into a superplex for two.

Guevara manages to backflip over him though and hits a dropkick out to the floor. A hard stomp on the apron puts Moxley on the floor and we take a break. Back with Moxley bleeding from the ear (EESH) thanks to Guevara ripping out his earring (e pluribus gads). Melo gets to rub the blood around a bit but the pause for a kiss lets Moxley dive onto Guevara.

Moxley hammers away in the corner but Guevara is right back with his own Walls of Jericho. With that broken up, Guevara fires off forearms to the bloody ears but Moxley channels his inner Seth Rollins with a Stomp for two of his own. They head outside again with Guevara nailing a superkick, setting up the Swanton through a table.

Back in and Moxley rolls through a high crossbody, allowing him to stomp away. The piledriver gets two and Moxley bulldog chokes Guevara, who rolls his way out. Moxley’s huge clothesline doesn’t do much to Guevara, who hits his own Death Rider. Another Swanton (no table this time) gives Guevara two more and he hits a super Spanish Fly. Without wasting half a second, Moxley reverses into the bulldog choke for the win at 15:33.

Rating: B-. It was a hard hitting brawl, but it’s a lot to take with Moxley popping up from a Swanton through a table, plus the super Spanish Fly, with almost no damage. That’s some pretty ridiculous no selling as they kept trying to pump in more and more spots. The match was entertaining, but there were multiple times where I was wondering when they were going to bother slowing down.

Post match Moxley calls out Hangman Page for the fight so here he is. The brawl is on with security breaking it up, only to have Page accidentally Buckshot lariat a guard. That’s enough for them to be split up.

Saraya is looking forward to Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida but is more looking forward to having a mystery tag partner in Los Angeles.

Here is a banged up FTR in the ring for a chat. Final Battle was rough after the beating that they took but it felt like they let the fans down. Harwood talks about how they tried to make people feel a certain way at Final Battle…but then the Gunn Club ruined that. That’s why on Dynamite, it’s time for FTR to give them the beating that their daddy should have.

Jade Cargill isn’t pleased with the Baddies, but she’s even madder at Bow Wow, because THAT story is still going.

Britt Baker vs. Skye Blue

Baker has Rebel and Jamie Hayter with her. They go to the mat to start but Blue is up with an armdrag. Blue’s rollup into a low superkick has Baker in more trouble as we take a break. Back with Baker hitting a Sling Blade into a double underhook spun into a slam for two of her own. Code Blue misses though and a Stomp gives Baker the pin at 6:14. Not enough shown to rate, but the criticisms of the women’s matches being missed because of a break continue to have some validity.

Post match the beating continues but Hikaru Shida runs in for the save. Shida and Hayter have a staredown.

We get a sitdown interview between Preston Vance and Jim Ross. Vance talks about how it was ridiculous to beholden to a kid. Yeah Negative One went through something horrible, but now he has turned into a brat.

Wardlow vs. Exodus Prime

Prime tries a headbutt and gets a glare as a result. The wind up clothesline sets up a four movement Powerbomb Symphony for the pin at 2:03. This was a Wardlow match.

Post match Wardlow calls out Samoa Joe, who pops up on screen to say he won’t be facing Wardlow in Texas. Instead, he’ll do it on December 28 in Colorado.

Trent Seven, Kip Sabian, Butcher and the Blade are ready for Dustin Rhodes, Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends. Violence is promised but the good guys mock Blade for his phone number joke.

Best Friends/Orange Cassidy/Dustin Rhodes vs. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian/Trent Seven

Danhausen is here with the good guys. Beretta and Sabian start things off but Seven wants to come in instead. The Trents strike it out until everything breaks down, with Bunny and Penelope Ford showing up to block Cassidy’s dive. Back in and Beretta gets thrown into a boot from Blade as we take a break.

We come back with Dustin getting the hot tag and cleaning house with a series of powerslams. Seven splashes Sabian by mistake and Dustin gets to fire off so many shots to the face that Seven is beaten into a six. Beretta gets to clean house but we pause for a hug with Trent. Now the stereo flip dives can take out most of the villains, but Sabian’s springboard Arabian moonsault connects.

There’s Rhodes’ running apron flip dive so the women get in, with Danhausen and Cassidy dropping down and claiming low blows, which is enough for a double ejection. Sabian hits Danhausen low for real and Seven hits a super spinning slam for two on Beretta. Dustin comes back in with a Canadian Destroyer on Sabian, allowing Cassidy to lazy Unnatural Kick Sabian. The distracted referee misses the real thing and it’s an Orange Punch into the bulldog to finish Seven at 10:47.

Rating: C. This could have been on any given house show and it would have worked out fine. The Danhausen/Cassidy faking it spot was funny (the two of them shaking hands behind the referee’s back was great) and Dustin gets to send the fans how happy. It was a perfectly entertaining eight man tag and sometimes that’s all you need a match to be.

Overall Rating: C+. As has been the case with Rampage for a pretty long time now, the first fifteen minutes were rather good, but then the importance falls through the floor. Rampage still doesn’t feel like it matters for the most part and while putting people like Moxley on the she helps for fifteen minutes, there are some big holes that need to be filled in around here sooner than later. The wrestling was entertaining, but it doesn’t feel like any of this matters and that’s where the problem begins.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Sammy Guevara – Bulldog choke
Britt Baker b. Skye Blue – Stomp
Wardlow b. Exodus Prime – Powerbomb Symphony
Dustin Rhodes/Orange Cassidy/Best Friends b. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian/Trent Seven – Bulldog to Seven

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: December 9, 2022
Location: H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We are a day away from Ring Of Honor Final Battle and odds are we are going to be seeing some of the very last build to the show. Other than that we have what should be a heck of a match between Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jon Moxley and Orange Cassidy defending the All-Atlantic Title against a mystery challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Moxley takes him down by the arm to start before it’s time to stand and trade chops. With that not working, Moxley bites Takeshita’s head in the corner and then chops some more. With Don Callis watching, Takeshita sends him outside and over the barricade as we take a break. Back with Moxley (bleeding, believe it or not) getting two off a piledriver but getting caught with a heck of a clothesline.

Takeshita sends him to the apron, setting up a slingshot DDT for two back inside. What looked like a Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into Moxley’s failed Kimura attempt. Instead they slug it out again with the Paradigm Shift being reversed into a knee to the head. Takeshita’s brainbuster gets a rather close two and gives a woman in the crowd an amazing stunned face.

Moxley is able to shove him off the top but now the Blue Thunder Bomb can connect for two. A bridging German suplex gets the same but Takeshita’s frog splash hits raised knees. The hammer and anvil elbows rock Takeshita and the Death Rider gives Moxley….one. The stunned Moxley steals the jumping knee for two of his own but gets his head stomped in. Somehow Moxley manages to kick Takeshita from the mat and hammers him down into the bulldog choke for the tap at 14:01.

Rating: B. These two beat on each other for a good while and it was a blast throughout. They didn’t bother trying for anything here other than a physical fight and it worked very well. Moxley’s bleeding is a running joke at this point, but it made him feel more like a fighter here and that was a great thing to see.

Post match here is Hangman Page to say he’s feeling nuts here and the fight is on. They go to the floor until security breaks it up.

Powerhouse Hobbs walks the streets of Oakland at night and talks about bleeding on the ground. He is going to take everything you hold dear.

We look at Hook debuting a year ago.

Stokely Hathaway shows us the Keisha Zapruder Film, which shows Hook’s foot NOT being underneath the bottom rope. With that out of the way, Stokely asks Keisha to Waffle House because he still has some MJF money. Hathaway is still hilarious.

Regina Di Wave Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Bunny

Shida is defending a Japanese title and Penelope Ford is with Bunny. For a bonus, Jamie Hayter says the winner gets an AEW Women’s Title match. They lock up as Tony explains that tomorrow’s college football schedule is lame so we should watch wrestling instead. Shida forearms away to start and slams Bunny down but misses a springboard knee. Bunny grabs the choke over the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Shida hitting her own Down The Rabbit Hole but Ford throws in a kendo stick to distract the referee. Shida goes to yell but then hits the jumping knee to Bunny. A Meteora off the apron sets up a Michinoku Driver for two on Bunny back inside. Not that it matters as Shida hits the Katana for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what this being for a title added as fighting for a title shot should be enough. Other than that, there was no reason to believe that Bunny was a threat to beat Shida, even with Ford around. Shida is a star and someone who runs through a lot of people, which is all she should have done here. There was barely a sweat broken and there was no reason for that to happen.

Post match Jamie Hayter comes out for the staredown.

Video on Athena vs. Mercedes Martinez, who have history dating back to Shimmer.

The Firm vs. Clayton Bloodstone/Izzy James

That would be Lee Moriarty/Big Bill (which might be a better name than W. Morrissey) handling the destruction here. Moriarty ties up Bloodstone’s leg and James’ arm at the same time but gets kicked into the corner. Bill comes in to wreck people and Bloodstone is sent to the floor. Moriarty dives onto Bloodstone and Bill chokeslams James for the pin at 2:03. Standard squash.

After Dynamite, FTR was asked about the Briscoes’ challenge for Final Battle and yeah, they’re in.

Ortiz and Eddie Kingston want the House Of Black.

Kip Sabian has a friend to take out Orange Cassidy. Danhausen tries to steal Mark Henry’s catchphrase but thinks Henry is the thief.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows, including four matches added to the Zero Hour show.

Shane Taylor and JD Griffey are ready for Swerve In Our Glory.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. ???

Cassidy is defending against…Trent Seven, who has Kip Sabian and the Bunny to counter Danhausen/Best Friends. Seven chops away to start and then slams him down when Cassidy offers a thumbs up. Cassidy is sent outside and goes after Sabian, allowing Seven to chop him again. A hard shot drops Seven for a change and a glare sends Ford to the back. Seven gives Cassidy a DDT as Ford comes back with Bunny, Butcher and Blade as we now have eight extra people involved in this match. A bunch of them brawl to the back and we take a break.

Back with Seven hitting a suplex for two and backhanding him out to the floor. Seven accidentally takes out Sabian so Cassidy drops Seven for a bonus. Back in and Seven suplexes him again but gets caught with the Stundog Millionaire. The tornado DDT is blocked (as usual at first) so Seven grabs Emerald Flosion for two.

The Seven Star Lariat is blocked, leaving Seven to steal Tyler Bate’s Bop and Bang. A hard lariat gives Seven two but Beach Break doesn’t work for Cassidy. The tornado DDT connects this time around though so Seven has to punch him out of the air. Seven’s spinning piledriver gets another near fall but Cassidy counters the Birminghammer into a rollup. The Orange Punch and Beach Break retain the title at 12:53.

Rating: B-. This got better once they got rid of so many of the extra people on the floor and let the two guys get in there and have a back and forth match. It was what Cassidy does best, in that he got to do his usual stuff as the fans were thrilled. Seven was a nice surprise as he has enough name value to mean something, but I don’t know if he would be able to become a major star around here.

Post match the beating is on with Sabian being just fine, only to have Dustin Rhodes make the save. Posing ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Maybe last week’s show spooked AEW a bit but this did feel like a slightly bigger show. What mattered here was having a pair of matches but also keeping the energy up. The Austin crowd was on fire here and it was a great way to boost up the show. Moxley vs. Takeshita and the main event were both very good and nothing in the middle dragged it down, so we’ll call this a rather solid show.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Konosuke Takeshita – Bulldog choke
Hikaru Shida b. Bunny – Katana
The Firm b. Clayton Bloodstone/Izzy James – Chokeslam to James
Orange Cassidy b. Trent Seven – Beach Break

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: December 2, 2022
Location: Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We are eight days away from Final Battle and the card is in need of some work. There are a few matches set but nowhere near enough to carry a full pay per view. Maybe we can get something new added tonight, but you never can tell with this show. At least the wrestling tends to be fun so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin vs. Cole Karter

Before the match, Allin beats up Nick Comoroto with the baseball bat to cut him off. With that not being enough, Allin dives onto Karter on the floor but an apron powerbomb cuts him off. Back in and a buckle bomb rocks Allin again as we take a break. We come back with Karter missing a Stinger’s Splash but hitting a jumping knee to the face. Allin goes after the knee though and grabs a Code Red for two, leaving them both down. Karter drops him again and goes up, only to miss a 450. A hammerlock Scorpion Death Drop sets up the Coffin Drop to finish Karter at 7:41.

Rating: C+. Well they certainly did get rid of the loose end from a bad segment from a few weeks ago. Karter is the definition of “I’m not sure why he’s here”, as he has a good physique and nothing else that makes him stand out in any way. He’s certainly ok, but bringing him in felt like just an excuse to sign someone else. Pretty decent match though, as Allin does his signature style and as usual, it works.

Keith Lee is in the back when his former partner Shane Taylor comes in to interrupt. Taylor accuses Lee of always walking away, so let’s do it at Final Battle: Taylor/JD Griffey vs. Lee and whomever he can find. Taylor leaves and a grinning Swerve Strickland comes in. Lee hopes he can trust him. Why Taylor didn’t want to do this one on one isn’t clear, but having Taylor around is a good thing.

We recap 10 turning his back on the Dark Order and joining Rush last week. The Dark Order is crushed and La Faccion Ingobernable is rather pleased.

Here is the Acclaimed, with Billy Gunn, for a chat. After a rap of various topical statements, Bowens talks about how everyone wants a title shot, but there is one team that has been waiting for a very long time to get a chance. The fans think that might be FTR and since the Acclaimed are fighting champions…..and here is the Gunn Club to interrupt. The Gunns don’t think much of the champs but Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh interrupt. The villains argue but Billy cuts them off, saying they want the best. Cue FTR for the handshake with the Acclaimed and a match seems set.

Video on Hikaru Shida vs. the Bunny, who will face off next week for Shida’s Regina Di Wave Title next week.

Private Party vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett

Singh, Dutt and Matt Hardy are here too. As commentary reminds us that Jeff Jarrett last wrestled on TNT 21 years ago, Kassidy flips out of Lethal’s headlock and armdrags him down. That earns Kassidy a trip into the corner so Jarrett can come in to stomp away. Jarrett gets taken into the corner as well and it’s time to start in on the arm. As the seconds get in a staredown on the floor, Kassidy is sent into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Quen getting the hot tag to clean house, including a suicide dive to Jarrett on the floor. There’s the Silly String to Lethal but he avoids the 450. Quen is fine enough to grab a rollup but Jarrett makes the save, setting up a Stroke/Lethal Injection combination for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C. So we have Lethal and Jarrett having a perfectly competent tag match that wasn’t much in the way of interesting and probably drew more TNA chants than AEW would like. I’m still not sure why Jarrett is wrestling on this or any AEW show, but it had been a full 21 years since he had wrestled on this channel and thankfully that has been rectified.

Saraya sits down with Renee Paquette and still can’t believe that she got back in the ring at Full Gear. She was amazed that her brother could be there for the match and will be back in the ring soon. Not much to say here.

Athena vs. Dani Mo

Athena decks her to start and hits Two Amigos into a swinging neckbreaker for two. Mo’s superkick has no effect so Athena forearms her in the face, setting up the over the shoulder backbreaker spun into a Codebreaker for the pin at 1:27. Total squash to get Athena ready for her ROH Women’s Title match at Final Battle.

Post match Athena sends her out to the floor and beats her up some more. This is FAR better from Athena than whatever she was doing before.

Juice Robinson wants Samoa Joe for the ROH TV Title at Final Battle. There’s your “you know this guy and now he’s getting a random title match” random title match.

The Factory is ready for the lumberjack match with Orange Cassidy. The Best Friends, dressed as lumberjacks, seem to be more ready.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, including FTR vs. the Acclaimed for the Tag Team Titles on Dynamite.

Darby Allin wants the TNT Title and gets a shot on Dynamite, with promises of no Sting.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. QT Marshall

Cassidy is defending in a lumberjack match…but the Best Friends and Danhausen can’t bring their axes to the ring. Eh they’re lumberjacks and they’re ok without them. Cassidy starts fast with the dropkick and Marshall is on the floor ten seconds in. The Best Friends throw him back inside, where he throws Cassidy outside too. That earns the Factory some lazy kicks but Marshall pulls Cassidy’s high crossbody out of the air back inside. Some backbreakers drop Cassidy and he gets thrown outside again.

Hold on though as Ethan Page stares at Matt Hardy and then ejects him. Does he have lumberjack rights over Hardy too? We take a break and come back with the lumberjacks coming in and getting cleared out. The distraction lets Marshall hit a handspring enziguri, only to get caught with the Stundog Millionaire.

A pop up right hand rocks Cassidy but he’s fine enough to hurricanrana his way out of a powerbomb. Marshall loads up a powerbomb on the apron but gets cursed by Danhausen. Another lumberjack brawl breaks out on the floor, leaving Cassidy to hit a heck of a springboard dive. Cue Penelope Ford (JR approves) for a distraction so Kip Sabian can push Cassidy into a cutter for two. Not that it matters as the Beach Break retains the title at 9:32.

Rating: C+. Fun match, but nothing that Cassidy hasn’t done before. The stuff with the lumberjacks was the usual for a match like this but I’m not exactly going to get excited over the prospects of Kip Sabian getting a title match. Fine for a Rampage main event, even if it was hardly a classic.

Post match Cassidy goes after Sabian, because it’s his turn to be reheated again. Everyone brawls until the lights go out and the House of Black appears. Carnage ensues and the House stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Rampage is an interesting subject, as the wrestling is usually completely watchable, but you need to accept that most of it means absolutely nothing. This show’s goal tends to be to set up things for either Dynamite or the next pay per view, which doesn’t exactly seem to be the best use of one third of your weekly television time. We got some stuff set up for next week’s Dynamite/Rampage/Final Battle and if that is what Rampage is for, good for it. I’m not sure if that’s the best use of the show, but I guess you can call it a direction. Maybe?

Results
Darby Allin b. Cole Karter – Coffin Drop
Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal b. Private Party – Lethal Injection/Stroke combination to Quen
Athena b. Dani Mo – Backbreaker spun into a Codebreaker
Darby Allin b. QT Marshall – Beach Break

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: November 30, 2022
Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’ll wrap up the month here as MJF should be here for the first time as World Champion. That alone should be a heck of a moment, but we also need to get more of the build towards Final Battle out of the way. There isn’t much set for the show but that should change this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Jon Moxley to get things going. He talks about working to get here and what a wild ride it has been. There are three constants in life: death, taxes and Jon Moxley. No one can out work him, out fight him, out wrestle him or anything else. There is not one man who has the guts to come out here and tell him any different….and here is the returning Hangman Page. Moxley asks if Page wants to do this after what happened, if he can remember it. Page comes up swinging and the fight is on, with referees and security needing multiple attempts to break it up. Nice return here as it felt like a bit deal.

Bryan Danielson vs. Dax Harwood

They go technical to start as the fans are way into this from the opening bell. It’s too early for either to get very far with a leglock so Danielson bails to the floor to start. Back in and Danielson tries the moonsault over into the running clothesline but Harwood is ready for him instead. Danielson sends him over the top to set up the suicide dive to send Harwood into the crowd. They slug it out from different sides of the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Harwood rolling some German suplexes before teasing a right hand to set up the piledriver for two. Harwood’s headbutt misses though and Danielson grabs la majistral for two. They head outside again and Danielson’s apron knee to the face knocks Harwood silly. Back in and Danielson can’t hit a superplex so he tries a belly to back version instead.

That’s fine with Harwood, who turns it into a high crossbody for two, leaving both of them down again. The slugout is on again until Harwood pulls him into a half crab. Without that broken up they hit the pinfall reversal sequence until Danielson gets the LeBell Lock for the tap at 14:42.

Rating: B. This is in the “well what were you expecting” category as they had two talented wrestlers have a good wrestling match. That is going to work every time and Harwood looked game in there against one of the best ever. It went very well and Danielson gets a win to continue looking great after the recent win over Sammy Guevara.

Ricky Starks is ready to win the World Title.

Hangman Page and Jon Moxley are still fighting in the parking lot.

We get a sitdown interview between the Jericho Appreciation Society (minus Chris Jericho) and the Blackpool Combat Club. The Society mocks Wheeler Yuta but Castagnoli is asked about the Final Battle main event. Jake Hager things Castagnoli would be a great sports entertainer and throws him a hat. That doesn’t go well for Castagnoli who snaps and yell about how he’s sick of this. Castagnoli leaves, so the Society issues the challenge for a tag match. Yuta accepts on Castagnoli’s behalf but he’ll take a Pure Title shot at Final Battle too.

TNT Title: AR Fox vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending and hammers Fox down in the corner to start. Fox comes back up with some shots to the face, only to have his legs swept out so Joe can drop a backsplash. We take a break and come back with Fox breaking up the Musclebuster. A diving tornado DDT rocks Joe and Fox kicks him in the face. Fox hits a 450 for two but Joe walks away from a Swanton attempt. The Musclebuster retains the title at 6:39.

Rating: C+. This was another match that didn’t have time to go very far, mainly because of the break in the middle. The match didn’t even last seven minutes and had three minutes of that spent on a commercial break. It’s nice to see Fox getting to showcase himself, but Joe was going to roll over his first challenger and that is more or less what happened here.

Post match Joe declares himself the king of television but Wardlow pops up on screen to say enjoy it while it lasts, because this is Wardlow’s World. Joe looks a bit concerned.

We go back to Oakland, California where Powerhouse Hobbs walks past some gambling and goes inside some kind of store. That was short.

Taz breaks down how Hook beat Lee Moriarty. I love this kind of stuff and Taz is perfect for the role.

Here is William Regal, with something under a sheet, to introduce MJF for his first comments as World Champion. MJF talks about how Regal sent him an email not too long ago, saying that MJF had become weak after he had been beaten down by the Firm. Regal thought MJF could become the best villain of all time, but Regal wanted to see MJF grab the brass ring. They met behind closed doors multiple times after that and MJF admits that Regal is a genius. Regal wanted MJF to use the brass knuckles at Full Gear so they would leave an emotional scar on Jon Moxley.

As for the Firm…..eh. He would have done the same thing, but chasing them down takes effort and that is for poor people like these fans. Speaking of things beneath him, we have this title, which makes him sick (and not just because he is in Indiana). The people who have held it before aren’t o his level, which is why the title is garbage. MJF throws it down and Regal unveils the new belt, which has the Burberry strap design.

No one deserves the title except for him, including the people these fans cheer for. MJF means people like Eddie Kingston, Ricky Starks or Bryan Danielson. Sure Danielson can wrestle his way out of a paper bag but that doesn’t mean he deserves to be a World Champion. MJF praises his boys up north, Jolly Old Saint Nick and Trips. So what happens on January 1, 2024? Maybe Hollywood wins instead of either promotion.

Anyway, the fans are going to get sick of him as champion but they’ll keep tuning in to see who can take the title off of him. During his title reign, the championship will be defended very rarely because he is a special attraction. Nine times out of ten, you’ll have to buy a pay per view to see him wrestle because his title reign is going to make Hulk Hogan, JBL and Jeff Jarrett’s seem short.

As for William Regal…..MJF knocks him silly from behind with the brass knuckles. Schiavone: “STEVE REGAL….WILLIAM!” MJF says Regal thought he had a lot to learn, but Regal is the one who made a deal with the devil. As Regal said a few years ago, when you’re a world class talent, send him your stuff. Danielson and medics run out to check on Regal, who is put in a neck brace and taken out on a stretcher. That one actually got me so very well done on not taking the expected path. The rest of the promo was a bit rambling but that ending surprise was exceptional.

Ricky Starks vs. Ari Daivari

Before the match, Ethan Page and Stokely Hathaway come out, only to have Matt Hardy interrupt. Hathaway tells Hardy to get to the back as Starks tells Hardy to help him win the Dynamite Diamond Ring battle royal next week. Then Page is cashing in the match he gets on MJF after Starks’ title shot at Winter Is Coming. Daivari jumps Starks but gets speared and Roshamboed for the pin at 22 seconds.

Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker and Rebel tell Tony Schiavone that they will be having their own sitdown interview next week on Dynamite, just like Saraya this week on Rampage.

Anna Jay vs. Willow Nightingale

Tay Melo is here with Jay. Nightingale takes her down for an early two and hits a backsplash in the corner. After some dancing, Nightingale hits another backsplash, only to miss a clothesline. Jay hits a running spin kick in the corner and we take a break. Back with Nightingale making the comeback, including a spinebuster for two. Jay grabs a quick Gory Bomb for two but Nightingale blocks what looked to be a Rock Bottom. A rollup gives Jay two instead but Nightingale plants her with a doctor bomb for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: C. Another short match that was cut off by unnecessary break. Nightingale getting a pin over a fairly established star like Jay is a good sign for her future as she has been needing the wins that help set her apart. Nightingale has a lot of the tools she needs to be a star but the wins are going to do more good for her than anything else.

Post match Ruby Soho makes her return and goes after Anna and Tay.

We look back at the return of the House of Black.

QT Marshall wants an All Atlantic Title shot and Orange Cassidy gives him whatever he wants with no discussion. We’ll even make it a lumberjack match. Marshall is almost annoyed at how easy that was.

Here are Jade Cargill and the Baddies for a celebration of her retaining the TBS Title. Jade talks about getting rid of the trash last week (when Kiera Hogan was fired) but wonders why the Baddies were spending time with Hogan this week. Either get in line or leave, because they eat off of her. Jade brags about how awesome she is and how she makes careers. Speaking of careers, Bow Wow is a joke…and Bow Wow pops up on screen. He’s done with his tour so he’ll be around soon. That title she has does something to him, which seems to have Jade a bit shaken. I’m no music guy, but is this supposed to be a big deal?

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

The Acclaimed are drilled by Billy Gunn about why they don’t have a match this week. Therefore they will give a Tag Team Title shot to the best team in AEW on Rampage. Gunn wants to know how that is possible when they’re already the best. Ok then we’ll make it the second best team. Scissoring ensues.

Death Triangle vs. Elite

Match #3 in the best of seven series, with Death Triangle up 2-0. The Elite jumps them in the aisle and the big brawl is on, only to have Pac superkick Omega out of the air as we take a break before the opening bell. Back with the fight still on the floor and the opening bell ringing. Penta cleans house and the referee gets taken out, leaving Penta to whip out the hammer.

Fenix won’t let that happen and Omega V Triggers him down, only to have the Elite come back with superkicks. The snapdragon drops Fenix but Death Triangle hit superkicks of their own. Death Triangle go up top for moonsaults to the Bucks and a double stomp to Omega. The Fear Factor gets two on Omega but Nick saves him from the Black Arrow. Matt suplexes the Bros down, leaving Pac to get up for the staredown with Omega. One heck of a super Falcon Arrow gives Pac two and we take a break.

Back with Pac snap German suplexing Omega, who blasts him with a clothesline. Fenix comes back in and has to escape the Meltzer Driver. A 450 gets two on Fenix instead with Penta making the save. Everything breaks down and Matt gets planted, leaving Penta to dive onto Omega and Nick as Penta gets two. Pac’s brainbuster gets two on Matt so it’s time to go up again. Pac loads up the Black Arrow but lands on Matt’s knees (to the banged up face) to give Matt the pin at 12:15.

Rating: B. It was another wildly insane match that was a lot of fun and that won’t stand out from their previous two matches. That was always going to be the case for the entire series and it is already happening here. The matches are total crash courses and wrestling junk food, but they are certainly fun and total action from the start to the finish. This was no exception and I’ll take the Elite winning one of the earlier matches rather than winning four in a row.

Post match Omega says there wasn’t going to be a sweep with the Cleaner around.

Overall Rating: B+. The show was book ended by a pair of good matches and the MJF surprise was right in the middle. There still isn’t much announced for Final Battle but Ring Of Honor shows have a tendency to be thrown together at the last minute anyway. This show worked because of a few very good parts, but some of the stuff in the middle was just kind of there.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Dax Harwood – LeBell Lock
Samoa Joe b. AR Fox – Musclebuster
Ricky Starks b. Ari Daivari – Roshambo
Willow Nightingale b. Anna Jay – Doctor bomb
Elite b. Death Triangle – Knees to Pac’s face

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: November 23, 2022
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Taz, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s the first show after Full Gear and thanks to William Regal, MJF is the new World Champion. That is enough of a story to carry things for the time being, but we have more important things to get to right now: like building up a Ring Of Honor pay per view in the next few weeks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Full Gear if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

William Regal is in the ring to open things up and he lets us know the MJF isn’t here because he’s on the set of a major motion picture. MJF will explain things then, including the contents of an emails Regal sent him a few weeks ago. Cue Jon Moxley to rather slowly interrupt, meaning Regal can sneer a lot. Bryan Danielson runs in to keep them apart though and says that they have all done bad things.

Moxley slaps him in the face so Danielson begs him not to do this. Danielson talks about his dad having the same struggles that Moxley has had, saying that only Regal could help him through it. More begging doesn’t keep Moxley back, so he gets in Regal’s face and tells him to run far away and never come back. Regal turns and walks away as the fans sing him the Goodbye Song. That was intense, as it should have been.

Keith Lee is asked about Swerve Strickland slapping him in the face when Swerve comes in. Lee says choose your words wisely so Swerve covers the camera and says let’s talk. That works for Lee.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Jake Hager

Hager, with the Jericho Appreciation Society, is challenging. Cassidy has the Best Friends to even things up but Hager won’t let him put his hands in his pockets. That doesn’t last long and the lazy kicks into the dropkick have Hager in trouble. Hager runs him over but Cassidy knocks his hat off and sends Hager to the floor. Cassidy teases putting the hat off and uses it like a cape in a bullfight for Hager’s goons. The suicide dive is pulled out of the air though and Hager sends him into the post and apron.

We take a break and come back with Hager pulling Cassidy out of the air but getting caught in the Stundog Millionaire. The spinning DDT gives Cassidy two but Hager runs him over again. Hager gets his hat back and grabs the ankle lock, with Cassidy kicking the hat off. Cassidy rolls out and staggers Hager with the Orange Punch, setting up a cradle to retain at 8:36.

Rating: C+. AEW has found the sweet spot for Cassidy, as this was a title match that focused on a hat. You know what kind of goofy stuff you’re getting with Cassidy but the fans love him and that’s all it needs to be. Hager hasn’t had any value in months (if not longer) so Cassidy beating him is a win for him that doesn’t hurt Hager, making this a fine opening match.

Post match the Factory comes out to surround the Best Friends….but the lights go out. Julia Hart is on the stage and raises her hand, with the House Of Black appearing to beat down the Best Friends. The Factory gets beaten down as well, leaving a staff member to get Dante’s Inferno on the stage. Black tells members of the House to rise. Well at least they’re back for good. Now don’t screw them up again.

Full Gear Contenders Tournament Finals: Ricky Starks vs. Ethan Page

Page has Stokely Hathaway with him and Starks is heavily taped up. Page grabs a wristlock to start and Starks is already cringing in pain. Starks tries to fight back but gets knocked into the corner for the heavy stomping as Page is enjoying this. There’s a knee to the ribs but Starks manages a spear, only to fall out to the floor. Page drives him into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Starks slipping out of a fireman’s carry and knocking Page to the floor. Hathaway pulling Page out of the way of a dive, leaving Starks to crash hard. That’s enough for Hathaway to get ejected so Page goes up. The super powerslam is broken up though and Starks sends him crashing down but can’t follow up. A swinging neckbreaker drops Page again and there’s a tornado DDT to give Starks two. The powerslam gives Page two of his own but the Ego’s Edge is escaped. Starks hits a spear and then a third is enough to finish Page at 12:58.

Rating: C+. This was impressive as there was no reason to believe that Page was going to be MJF’s first challenger but Starks was so beaten up that it was hard to imagine him winning. Starks vs. MJF will be a fine big time TV match and even though Starks has absolutely no chance of winning, it will be nice to see AEW trying someone fresh in the title picture, even as a one off match.

We look at Samoa Joe winning the TNT Title at Full Gear. Wardlow is not pleased and wants his title back.

Ever wanted to see Jade Cargill and the Baddies interrupt a Bow Wow concert and get escorted out? Here you go.

Jade Cargill and the Baddies are done with Bow Wow Wow and Jade is glad they have the belt back. The celebration is next week, and according to Mark Sterling, they have no comment on the Bow Wow situation. Oh and Kiera Hogan is fired from the team. Moving on.

Death Triangle vs. Elite

Non-title and the Elite are down 0-1 in the Best of 7 series. The Elite gets quite the entrance and the fans don’t seem to like them very much. At the same time, Pac has a face mask on due to a broken nose. Omega yells at Fenix to start and gets two off an early Sky High. The ring is cleared but Fenix is back in with a cutter to break up the Terminator dive. Fenix hits the big corkscrew dive to take out almost everyone else and the fans are rather pleased.

Back in and Pac grabs a waistlock on Omega, who elbows him in the face for a breather. Matt moonsaults off the top onto the Lucha Bros and Omega drops Pac as we take a break. Back with Pac biting Omega, which is enough to frustrate him into the hot tag to Penta. Everything breaks down and the V Trigger hits Pac, setting up the snapdragon.

The Bucks take Pac’s mask off to reveal the bad nose, setting up the triple superkick for two with the Bros making a save. The V Trigger connects but the One Winged Angel is escaped, leaving Omega to hit a GTS for two. Back in and Matt hits Pac low before pulling out a hammer. That doesn’t work for Penta, who breaks it up and pulls out his own hammer to knock Matt out for the pin at 14:49.

Rating: B. It’s not quite as good as their pay per view match but Penta pulling out another hammer was a great way to keep the Elite down. Granted there is almost no chance that this doesn’t go to a seventh match so the comeback is coming, but for now the champs are in firm control. I’m sure the Elite won’t be sweating it though as they wouldn’t sweat on their way to the sun, but the match was the kind of all action fight you would expect.

Thunder Rosa has officially forfeited the Women’s Title, making Jamie Hayter the official champ. Only about….however many days since the Interim Champion deal started late. Hayter and Britt Baker come out for a chat, with Baker saying they were never considering the interim moniker anyway. Hayter is THE champ and always was.

Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Anna Jay/Tay Melo vs. Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue

Hayter starts fast by suplexing Melo and Jay at the same time, followed by a suplex into a slam for two on Melo. Baker comes in and gets caught in a suplex, allowing the tag off to Nightingale. House is cleaned and Blue is dropped onto Melo for two. Melo manages to drop Nightingale for two of her own though and we take a break. Back with everything breaking down and the parade of secondary finishers kicking off. Blue gets knocked down and Baker hits the Stomp to finish Blue at 7:03.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird way to start Hayter’s title reign but I would assume that she isn’t going to be pleased with Baker talking for her before the match and then getting the win (as she’ll probably do a few times). Baker vs. Hayter is the logical way to go and probably what is coming, but Hayter getting more of a showcase for her first night as champion would have been nice.

Post match we’re told that because Thunder Rosa vacated the title, Toni Storm’s reign is official and she was never the Interim Champion. THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE INTERIM TITLE NONSENSE IN THE FIRST PLACE????

Top Flight and FTR are in the back and after mutual respect is shown, the Ring of Honor Tag Team Title match is set for Rampage.

Here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn for a rap/chat. They’re happy to be here and Billy is scissor eligible again, but Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett pop up on screen (after being mentioned in the rap) and I think we have new challengers. Billy says to get the old Jarrett off the screen so scissoring can ensue.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending and we hear about their history 25 years ago in Japan. They slap it out and then forearm it out with Ishii getting the better of things, followed by….another chop off. We take a break and come back with Jericho’s chest busted open and the chopping continuing. Ishii knocks him into the corner and powerbombs him back out for two.

The lariat doesn’t work for Lariat as Jericho kicks him to the apron, only to have the triangle dropkick broken up. Jericho knocks him to the floor for a double crash and they forearm it out again. Back in and they trade German suplexes, with Ishii popping up multiple times, only to fall down after the second.

The Lionsault gives Jericho one but Ishii is back with the sliding lariat for two. Ishii can’t hit the brainbuster but he can hit a Codebreaker of his own. The hard lariat gives Ishii two but the brainbuster is countered into the Walls. We’ll make the that Liontamer so Ishii flips Jericho off….and then taps at 15:38.

Rating: B-. I have no idea what to call this, but anything involving someone’s chest being busted open is worth some credit for the visuals alone. It’s still an ice cold match though and having Jericho just beat someone like Ishii clean feels like little more than saying “yes, Jericho is in fact great” again. Good enough match, even if Ishii could have been almost anyone and gotten the same result.

Post match Jericho goes after Ian Riccaboni on commentary but Claudio Castagnoli comes out for the save to end the show. So that’s probably Ring Of Honor.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show in that it was more or less AEW punting to next week and not doing much of anything important. That is exactly what they should have done due to the holiday causing the audience to go away, but it only made for so good of a show. The Jericho stuff main eventing is another example of Ring Of Honor being presented as something incredibly important around here over and over, no matter how uninteresting it might feel. Why the six man couldn’t have had that spot is beyond me as it would have felt a lot more like a main event. Not a bad show, but they were clearly waiting for next week.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Jake Hager – Rollup
Ricky Starks b. Ethan Page – Spear
Death Triangle b. Elite – Hammer to Matt’s head
Jamie Hayter/Britt Baker b. Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue and Anna Jay/Tay Melo – Stomp to Blue
Chris Jericho b. Tomohiro Ishii – Liontamer

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: November 11, 2022
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

Well there’s no Mike Tyson this week so we’re already on a downgrade. The Full Gear Tournament continues this week and that means we’ll be getting to see what they have planned for the next round. Other than that, Jungle Boy is here for a challenge to Luchasaurus, which he announced on Dynamite instead of just making the challenge there for whatever reason. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here are Christian Cage and Luchasaurus to answer Jungle Boy’s challenge, which he wants to give in person. Cue Jungle Boy, who Christian thinks must be from Boston because he’s such a loser. Christian talks about how the two of them have beaten Jungle Boy multiple times and Jungle Boy says they have cost him everything. He is tired of the interference so at Full Gear, he’ll fight Luchasaurus inside a steel cage.

Christian says but Jungle Boy better be glad that he has his father’s good looks. That’s enough for Jungle Boy to go for the throat, so Luchasaurus beats him down and hits a chokeslam onto an open chair. The match seems to be on. Kind of a weird way to start the show but I’ll take it over rushing right to a bell for a match.

Pac pitches the idea of cheating to the Lucha Bros because they need to keep the Trios Titles by any means necessary. The Bros leave but don’t seem sold on the philosophy.

Full Gear Contenders Tournament First Round: Brian Cage vs. Dante Martin

Cage has Prince Nana with him. Martin slugs away in the corner to start which goes as well as you might have guessed. Some jumping enziguris stagger Cage but he is fine enough to pull a diving Martin out of the air. The curls don’t quite work for Cage so Martin kicks at the leg. A dropkick sends Cage outside, where he catches Martin’s dive and hits a suplex as we take a break.

Back with Cage hitting a tilt-a-whirl slam for two but the F10 is countered into a DDT to put them both down. Martin’s springboard high crossbody drops Cage again and a missed charge sends Cage to the floor. The really big springboard dive hits Cage again, setting up a frog splash for two. A 450 misses though and Cage plants him with a swinging full nelson slam for two of his own. Weapon X is enough to finish Martin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. The match had enough big spots, but you can almost feel Cage trying to get in the moves off his checklist most of the time he’s in the ring. Martin losing is becoming a repetitive theme and while it would be nice to see him get a win over someone like Cage, there was no way he was going anywhere of note in the tournament. It was a fun match though and that’s all you can ask for in a lot of situations.

Stokely Hathaway and Lee Moriarty are interrupted by Hook, seemingly setting up an FTW Title match.

Video on the House Of Black, who seem ready for a rebirth/return.

Full Gear Contenders Tournament First Round: Bandido vs. Rush

Jose the Assistant is here with Rush, who takes Bandido down with a running flip dive before the bell. Rush sends him into the barricade again and grabs a cable cord before throwing Bandido inside for the opening bell. A running corner clothesline sets up the kick to the face, allowing Rush to backflip into the Tranquilo pose. We take a break and come back with Bandido hitting a Low Down for two (and yes, the Eddie Dance). Three Amigos are broken up so Rush goes up for…kind of a flying pump kick, which seemed to have been improvised off something gone wrong (still worked so well done on the save).

Bandido fights up and starts the comeback, only to charge into a leg lariat for the double knockdown. Rush is up first with a piledriver for two so let’s go with a chair. The distraction lets Jose go for the mask but cue John Silver (having issues with Rush as of late) for the save. That’s enough for Bandido to grab a rollup for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, though the ending was a little lame by AEW standards. Bandido going forward is the right call as he has the potential to be quite the star and Rush is already dealing with the Dark Order. They work well together and it was a match that could have gone either way, which had me interested to the end. Solid stuff.

Earlier today, Jake Hager interrupted Claudio Castagnoli and tried to bury the hatchet but Castagnoli didn’t seem interested in jumping to the other side.

Nyla Rose vs. Kayla Sparks

Rose has Vickie Guerrero and Marina Shafir with her and is defending the TBS Title, which isn’t hers. A pump kick and elbow in the corner sets up Jaded to finish Sparks (complete with Jade Cargill’s signature pin) at 38 seconds.

Post match cue Jade Cargill and the Baddies to clear out Rose with the real pump kick. Rose and company still escape with the title.

The Factory is ready for Lee Johnson to win the All-Atlantic Title. Orange Cassidy and his friends don’t seem to think so. Cassidy whips out his own microphone to steal Mark Henry’s catchphrase in a funny bit but Henry cuts him off.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming show.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Lee Johnson

Cassidy is defending. They run the ropes to start until Cassidy shoulders him down for an early one. An armdrag drops Johnson, who misses an armdrag of his own, allowing Cassidy to hit the lazy kicks. A regular dropkick takes Kole Carter off the apron and Cassidy sends him into a variety of buckles. The Best Friends cut off QT Marshall but Nick Comoroto throws Cassidy into the crowd.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy backdropping Johnson onto Comoroto on the floor. Cassidy busts out a springboard corkscrew dive but gets caught with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two back inside. Johnson throws Cassidy outside where Comoroto tries to interfere, only to get speared down by Trent. Chuck adds a big running flip dive, leaving Cassidy to miss the Orange Punch back inside. Some superkicks rock Cassidy but he’s right back with the Beach Break to retain at 7:53.

Rating: C+. It’s still nice to see AEW having figured out the exact right way to use Cassidy. This was a fun main event with low stakes for pretty much everyone involved, but Johnson and Cassidy were fighting over something and that made it feel valuable. They were working and got some other people involved to make it feel important. It’s a hard trick to pull off but it worked here.

Post match Carter goes after Cassidy and gets Orange Punched. The Big Hug….doesn’t end the show as Carter gets hugged as well. Then he gets triple bombed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The tournament matches helped a good bit here as they felt more important than most of the things that you see on Rampage. The show still feels firmly secondary, but it’s still a very easy hour to watch with the AEW stars. Dynamite is the serious show and this is the fun one, and if you don’t expect it to be the third hour of Dynamite, it’s fun to check out almost every week.

Results
Brian Cage b. Dante Martin – Weapon X
Bandido b. Rush – Rollup
Nyla Rose b. Kayla Sparks – Jaded
Orange Cassidy b. Lee Johnson – Beach Break

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: November 9, 2022
Location: Aggaris Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We are just over a week away from Full Gear and the card could use some help. So far the main matches are a four way for the Ring Of Honor World Title and MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title. Other than that we a few title matches and the finals of a tournament that hasn’t started yet. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Gunn Club/Swerve In Our Glory vs. FTR/Acclaimed

Billy Gunn storms the ring before the bell but gets ejected for jumping Swerve. We settle down to Wheeler hammering on Swerve in the corner as the fans are rather pleased with the goings on. The good guys take turns on Swerve, including the scissoring from the Acclaimed, as everything breaks down, with the four villains getting punches rained down in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Harwood suplexing his way out of trouble and avoiding a splash in the corner. The hot tag brings in Bowens as everything breaks down, including the Gunn Club stealing the Big Rig. All eight get up for the big showdown and it’s Lee picking Bowens up to swing into various people (points for a cool visual). A spinning forearm strike to the back of the head drops Bowens and a corkscrew dive off the top takes out the big pile.

Harwood is back up with a superplex to send Colton onto the pile. Back in and Austin does a Road Dogg shaky punch (complete with a crotch chop) but gets pulled into a Sharpshooter (that feels like a reference to Road Dogg saying he was a better sports entertainer than Bret Hart earlier this week) from Harwood. Everything breaks down and we hit the finisher parade until the Big Rig gives Bowens the pin on Austin at 12:05.

Rating: B-. Hot tag match to start and that is always a smart way to go. At the same time, you get the Tag Team Title feud for the pay per view on the show and FTR…well I’m sure they’ll face the Gunn Club at some point. For now though, it’s a good eight man tag with a fast pace and almost all action.

We hear from MJF on the Pardon My Take podcast, where he says he is banged up from the Acclaimed’s beating. His focus is on Jon Moxley at Full Gear because MJF is a generational talent. MJF is ready to face Moxley, who really impresses him because of everything he has done over the years.

After all of those years of working for $15 after driving hundreds of miles, Moxley has become the #1 star in the world but now the throne is up for the taking. MJF has had other people take the spotlight from him throughout his career, from a neck tattoo to Matt Hardy taking a fall to a year of Chris Jericho to a press conference. Now though, he is coming for the title because he is MJF. The mic gold is plentiful with this one.

Stokely Hathaway talks about how he thought he and MJF were friends but now he’ll do things however he can. He’ll also see Max in h***.

Full Gear Contenders Tournament First Round: Ethan Page vs. Eddie Kingston

Stokely Hathaway and Ortiz are the seconds. Page bails into the corner to start but comes right back with a middle rope shoulder. That’s enough to Kingston to the floor for a shoulder off the apron, meaning it’s time to stomp away on the floor. Back in and Kingston snaps off a butterfly suplex, only to be taken back to the floor for a suplex from Page.

We take a break and come back with the two of them slugging it out from their knees. The Stretch Plum goes on Page but Hathaway offers a distraction so the tap is missed. Back up and Page kicks Kingston in the head, only to get caught up top. That’s fine with Page, who hits a super Ego’s Edge for the pin at 9:12.

Rating: C+. The ending looked great as Kingston went flying, but it’s a little weird to see Page getting a push all of a sudden. He’s fine enough but out of everyone on the roster, him? Then again this is just winning the first round of a #1 contenders tournament so it might not mean anything, but it’s still coming a bit out of nowhere.

Jose the Assistant tells the Dark Order that once Rush wins the World Title, he’ll give 10 the first title shot. The others members will never get one, so John Silver calls him a Rush (Roosh) bag. The fight is on.

Here is Ari Daivari to offer his butler to Wardlow for the TNT Title.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Ari Daivari

Wardlow, with Samoa Joe, retains with a four movement Powerbomb Symphony at 1:47, with some clotheslines in between.

Post match Wardlow calls out Powerhouse eHobbs for a fight so here he comes….and Samoa Joe decks Wardlow, setting up the Koquina Clutch. Joe glares at Hobbs before leaving. Unify the titles and we’re all good.

Nyla Rose is ready to take the TBS Title back at Full Gear.

Tony Schiavone brings out Britt Baker and Saraya for a face to face chat. Saraya gets to the point: she is cleared to return to the ring and therefore this is HER HOUSE. Baker mocks her for being a “superstar” and coming to the place Baker helped make. She doesn’t remember Saraya laying a single brick but now Saraya is walking into her house. Baker: “We don’t take walk-ins so b****, make an appointment.”

Saraya talks about how long she has been in this business and how Baker has everything handed to her. Saraya worked all over the UK for free and wrestled the same day she was hit by a car. She has what it takes to be a superstar and has been in MSG, the 02 and the Tokyo Dome.

Baker doesn’t know what it’s like to be publicly humiliated and battle her drug addiction in front of the world. At Full Gear, it’s Saraya vs. Baker, so Baker tries to jump her. That just earns Baker a whatever we’re calling the Rampaige now. The fans were SILENT for Saraya’s promo, which came off as the most condescending, talking down speech I’ve heard in a long time.

The Best Friends run into the Factory in a stairwell and after some Danhausen yelling, we get Lee Johnson vs. Orange Cassidy for the All-Atlantic Title on Rampage.

Earlier today, the Best Friends ran into Jay Lethal and company, where accusations of scumbaggery were made. Trent vs. Lethal was set up for later.

Trent vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal chop blocks him during the entrance and starts in on the leg after the bell. A dragon screw legwhip drops Trent but here are Chuck Taylor and Danhausen as we take a break. Back with Trent rolling some suplexes, setting up a half and half superplex. The running knee looks to set up the Strong Zero but we pause for Danhausen to try and curse Satnam Singh. Instead he punches Sonjay Dutt low, leaving Trent to jump Singh. The distraction lets Lethal hit a Lethal Injection for the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C. This was a case where the action was fine enough, but my goodness it is nearly impossible to care about Lethal and company. They’re the most midcard team I can imagine and adding in Jeff Jarrett hasn’t made them any more interesting. The match was ok enough, but a standard distraction finish isn’t the way to get around the boring that is Lethal.

Post match Dutt brings out Jeff Jarrett, who puts over Satnam Singh as being a real monster (while taking a shot at Braun Strowman). Jarrett is told to wrap it up so he chases a stage manager off with the guitar.

Jungle Boy wants to end this with Luchasaurus and Christian Cage so the challenge is made for Rampage.

Here is Jon Moxley with William Regal for a chat. Moxley talks about the first time he met Regal and wanting to be just like him. He tried to pick a fight with Regal and the beating was very bad. Then Moxley got mad and kneed Regal’s ear off his head. That was enough for Regal to take Moxley under his wing, but then the real work began.

Moxley is getting ready for MJF, who he first fought about a year or two ago. They know that MJF has potential and want him to fulfill it, but MJF doesn’t know what it means to have any pressure on him. Then MJF started calling himself the devil, but Moxley has met the devil and looked into his eyes. MJF is not the devil and doesn’t know what is coming for him. Pretty standard stuff but Moxley can sell it well.

More Elite deletion vignettes.

Video on the Ring Of Honor four way World Title match with Chris Jericho defending against Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson.

Skye Blue vs. Jamie Hayter

Rebel, Britt Baker and Toni Storm are here too. They go straight to the floor to start with Blue getting in a shot to the face but Baker offers a distraction. Hayter grabs a backbreaker into a suplex and we take a break. Back with Blue hitting an enziguri into the Code Red for two. Not that it matters as Hayter grabs the ripcord lariat for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C. I have no idea why this needed the extra time for a break, but Hayter continues to feel like a force. She has the look, the power game and the fans seem into her. That is a great combination and I’m not sure why she needed that much time to be Skye Blue. It’s ok to wreck more than one person a show and it would have worked here.

Post match, Storm chases Hayter off.

Video on Dante Martin vs. Brian Cage in the #1 contenders tournament.

Lance Archer beats up Ricky Starks before their tournament match.

Bryan Danielson vs. Sammy Guevara

2/3 falls, Tay Melo is here with Sammy and William Regal is on commentary. Danielson starts fast with the strikes but Sammy picks up the flips and dropkicks him to the floor. The suicide dive is cut off though and Danielson hits a missile dropkick to the floor. Danielson looks at Melo so Sammy throws a chair at him for the DQ and the first fall at 2:22.

Sammy unloads with mic shots to the head and eye as we take a break. Back with Danielson’s eye busted open and Sammy looking rather cocky. Sammy hits a great looking GTH to tie it up at 7:42. Danielson gets in a few shots but Sammy jumps the ropes (with a bit of a slip). That’s fine with Danielson, who knocked him down but misses a Swan Dive. Sammy slaps on the Crossface but Danielson makes the rope as we take a break.

Back with Melo being ejected and Danielson tying him in the Tree of Woe for the YES Kicks. Sammy gets out though and hits a hard running knee to knock Danielson to the floor. A shooting star takes Danielson down in a heap but he’s right back with the LeBell Lock back inside. That’s countered into the Walls of Jericho but Danielson slips out and knees Sammy in the head. The LeBell Lock goes on and Danielson cranks it up with….let’s call it a LeBell Rings of Saturn for the third fall and the win at 20:37.

Rating: B. These guys put in some work and it does help them get ready for the Full Gear match. Daniels winning here is a bit of a surprise but it certainly isn’t a ridiculous stretch. The four way should be good as it does feel like a match where any of them could win and this served as a nice preview, with the 2/3 falls being a nice way to give Sammy a pin.

Overall Rating: B-. Solid show throughout, but there wasn’t any big thing that was must see. The good thing is that they built up Full Gear in a way that they needed to and that helped the card a lot. The wrestling was mostly good and I’m more interested in the pay per view than I was before so I’ll take that as a nice use of two hours.

Result
Acclaimed/FTR b. Gunn Club/Swerve Glory – Big Rig to Austin
Ethan Page b. Eddie Kingston – Super Ego’s Edge
Wardlow b. Ari Daivari – Powerbomb Symphony
Jay Lethal b. Trent – Lethal Injection
Jamie Hayter b. Skye Blue – Ripcord lariat
Bryan Danielson b. Sammy Guevara 2-1

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

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

AND

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