Dynamite
Date: December 1, 2021
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Hangman Page, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re two weeks away from Winter Is Coming and that could be a heck of a big night. You can probably guess some of the card from here and that means AEW has a path to take on the way to the show. Other than that, we have a street fight this week as Cody Rhodes faces Andrade El Idolo. Let’s get to it.

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

Jim Ross isn’t here tonight so Hangman Page is filling in.

In two weeks: Page vs. Bryan Danielson for the World Title.

Bryan Danielson vs. Alan Angels

Danielson wastes no time in starting with the kicks as Angels is in trouble early. The fans are behind Angels and Danielson throws in a Hulk Hogan hand to the ear to turn up the anger another notch. The kicks and chops in the corner make it even worse, followed by the running corner dropkick. Angels fights back but gets pulled into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so Angels sends him outside for a pair of dives, setting up the standing Spanish Fly back inside. Danielson cuts that off with the running knee and the stomps near the head lay Angels out again. A kneebar (complete with the bicep pose) finishes Angels at 6:09.

Rating: C. This was exactly what it should have been as Danielson beat him up, survived a bit of a comeback, and then finished him decisively. There was no reason for Angels to get in any more offense than this and it didn’t go too far. Simple, to the point, and went as it was supposed to.

Post match Danielson says he kicked Angels’ head in in his hometown and he’s heard he can do the same thing next week in Long Island. Then he’ll do it again to Hangman Page in two weeks in the home of the Cowboys. Page is ready to fight tonight but John Silver cuts him off, saying Page can’t touch Danielson tonight. Silver says he can touch him though and charges the ring but Danielson says Silver is beneath him and bails. He’d love to slap Page in the face tonight (Page: “DO IT!”) but these people don’t deserve it.

Miro talks about trying to figure out what he should do next but then he received a vision. Now it is time to find what he is doing. He will repair one of the problems in his life but the other he will embrace.

Lee Moriarty vs. CM Punk

Hold on though as here is MJF (in an amazing Hanukkah suit) to join commentary. Punk spins out of Moriarty’s wristlock to start but gets pulled right back in. The wristlock sets up an armbar but Punk drives him into the corner for another escape. A leg lariat puts Moriarty down and we take a break.

Back with Punk slipping out of a suplex and getting a boot up in the corner. The springboard spinning high crossbody is rolled into a Gargano Escape but Punk escapes again. Moriarty heads up top but Punk blasts him in the face, only to come back with a super sunset flip. They trade near falls for two each until Punk kicks him in the head for a knockdown. Moriarty kicks him in the head and the kickout triggers a freak out. Punk is back up with a reverse suplex, which he flips into the fireman’s carry and the GTS for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. Moriarty got a lot out of this as he gets to hang with one of the biggest stars AEW has to offer. I’ve liked Moriarty since the first time I saw him and now he is getting the chance to showcase himself. Give him something to do and he could go somewhere in a hurry. Punk is starting to find a style around here, as he was getting a bit more athletic this time around, with the GTS being the big blockbuster finish to get him out of trouble.

Post match MJF says cut the music to say the only thing Punk is the best in the world is at trying to get into Britt Baker’s pants. MJF says Punk looks confused….just like Baker would look if he got her in bed. Punk says MJF is wearing Larry David pajamas and calls him out for making fun of him for taking time to beat QT Marshall and Lee Moriarty. They’re both better than MJF and he knows it.

The challenge is on again but MJF turns him down for the second week in a row. MJF brags about winning next week’s Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal and promises to be better than Piper in Portland, Bret in Canada and Punk in Chicago. That’s not it though, because he promises to put Larry (Punk’s dog) to sleep if he sees him again. That’s too far for Punk, but Wardlow comes out to get between the two of them. More good stuff from these two, as you would expect.

Britt Baker isn’t happy about having to face Riho again but she’ll do it anyway. Jamie Hater gets called out for losing to Thunder Rosa, but she points out that Baker lost to her as well. Don’t worry about that though as Baker is ready for Hayter to beat Riho next week to get back in the good graces.

Adam Cole comes to the ring and then joins commentary. Cue Orange Cassidy to stare Cole down but the Young Bucks show up. Cassidy turns his back on Cole and does the lazy kicks, earning himself a low blow and a big beatdown. I know Cassidy has his shtick, but this made him look like a moron in every sense of the word.

Tony Nese is ready to take the TNT Title on Rampage.

Wardlow vs. AC Adams

Four straight powerbombs end Adams at 1:38.

Penta is ready for FTR and he’ll have Pac as his partner. Pac, with his eye patched up, is ready to fight on Rampage.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Gunn Club

Sting has Allin styled face paint, it’s Colton/Billy for the Club and Team Taz is on commentary. Allin armdrags Colton down to start and dropkicks him into the corner for a bonus. Sting comes in for the staredown with Billy, who bails outside from the threat of the Stinger Splash. Back in and Billy hits a heck of a cobra clutch slam on Darby before taking him into the corner as we take a break.

We come back with Allin getting over for the hot tag off to Sting, who cleans house with the Stinger Splash. The Scorpion Deathlock goes on but Billy offers a distraction so Austin can get in a cheap shot. Allin dives onto Austin but Billy gets the Fameasser to give Colton two. Another dive takes out Billy on the floor (as the top of Allin’s head is busted open) and the flipping Stunner sets up the Death Drop for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C. So ends the Gunn Club’s run, putting an end to their more or less negligible value. It’s not like Sting pinning a guy best known for his time on Dark is going to hurt him at all so this completely acceptable. That cobra clutch slam looked awesome and thankfully Allin “only” busted himself open on that dive, as he looked to land on his head.

Chris Jericho denies helping Eddie Kingston last week because he wanted to beat up 2.0 and Daniel Garcia. Cue Daniel Garcia and 2.0 to beat him down. Why you can hear the earlier Superkliq/Orange Cassidy segment taking place at the same time is anyone’s guess.

Team Taz, still at commentary, is ready for next week’s Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal but here is Lio Rush to interrupt. Rush says that as a commentator, Taz should know who he is. He has a chance to win the battle royal too but Taz says they already took Dante Martin away from him. Rush talks about being a fighter and says he’ll be there, even if he has a one percent chance. Forgive me for not feeling emotional about a split of a pairing that was together…three weeks?

Jade Cargill is ready to take out Thunder Rosa’s student on Rampage. Rosa comes in to say she’ll be on commentary and rants in Spanish.

TBS Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho

Statlander takes her down to start but the threat of a right hand has Statlander staring at Soho. Back up and Soho drops to the mat, where Statlander teases a boot but pauses in time, instead going with the boop. Soho scores with a Flatliner for a quick two and we take a break.

We come back with Statlander grabbing a headlock and countering a Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Soho is back up to avoid a charge in the corner, setting up a poisonrana for two, giving us some of the biggest bugged out eyes I’ve ever seen. Statlander loads up the Big Bang Theory but gets rolled up for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t great as they were kind of all over the place with Statlander looking lost more than once. I’m not sure if it is a lack of experience on the big stage or what but she has never been able to make it to that next level. Soho needed this win, as she came in red hot and then hasn’t done much of anything since, which has made for a weird path for her so far in AEW. Maybe a run to the finals (or a win) can fix that.

Post match they shake hands but here is Vickie Guerrero to yell at Statlander. The distraction lets Nyla Rose come in and take out Soho.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Cody Rhodes

Street fight and Andrade brings a knife. Well that’s serious. It’s a brawl in the aisle to start and Cody hits him with a trash can full of trash. They make it to ringside with Cody getting in a chair shot but Andrade is right back with a shot of his own. Andrade hits him in the back with the weightlifting belt and throws the belt into the crowd before pulling out….a laptop? Tribute to the York Foundation perhaps?

That’s broken over Cody’s head and Andrade hits him with the broken pieces. Andrade puts a chair over Cody’s chest and hits the split legged moonsault for two (With the kickout showing some weird stuff on Cody’s back. It almost looks like he has feathers stuck to him.). Cody is knocked outside hard as we take a break.

Back with Cody throwing a chair into Andrade’s face to break up a moonsault and the slugout is on. A powerslam plants Andrade but he blocks a suicide dive with a chair to the head. The floor pad is pulled back but the Shadow (the new name for the hammerlock DDT) is broken up with a backdrop. Cody, now busted, pulls out a sledgehammer….which he throws down to pick up a golden shovel. Cue Jose with a taser, but Cody hits him with the shovel.

The distraction lets Andrade hit a dive from the top, setting up the running knees into the chair into Cody’s face in the corner. That’s good for a delayed two so Andrade sets up a table, only to be hiptossed through it. Another table is set up and Cody loads up a superplex….as Brandi Rhodes pops up to pour lighter fluid on the table (ah so that’s what’s on Cody’s back). The reverse superplex through the table finishes Andrade at 19:29. Ignore that Andrade barely grazed the table and Cody’s ARM WAS ON FIRE during the pin.

Rating: B-. This is one where your mileage may completely vary as I have no idea what to make of this match. They packed A LOT into this one and the violence was good, but I’m not sure this feud warranted this kind of chaotic brawl. It wasn’t bad or even close to it, but it felt like Cody trying to have some breakthrough match to get the fans behind him and I don’t think that worked.

Then there’s the big finish and…no. Cody took most of the landing himself and again it felt like it was going too far for the sake of going too far. It wasn’t something that needed to be there and it looked more like a stunt for the sake of a stunt than something that should have taken place in this situation. It didn’t ruin the match, but it’s all people will remember about it and that’s not a good thing.

Overall Rating: C. They were all over the place this week and it was a lot to keep track of in two hours. A lot of the stuff was good and they did the right thing in a lot of their stories, but at the same time a lot of it felt stupid (Cassidy/flaming table) or like they were trying too hard (see also flaming table). Winter Is Coming should still be great just because of the action, but this felt really out of step with some of their more recent shows, which were a lot more smooth.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Alan Angels – Kneebar
CM Punk b. Lee Moriarty – GTS
Wardlow b. AC Adams – Powerbomb
Sting/Darby Allin b. Gunn Club – Scorpion Death Drop to Colton
Ruby Soho b. Kris Statlander – Rollup
Cody Rhodes b. Andrade El Idolo – Reverse superplex through a burning table

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

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Dynamite
Date: November 17, 2021
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re done with Full Gear and Hangman Page is FINALLY the AEW World Champion. To say this is a long time coming is an understatement but now we get to see where things go from here. That could be in a variety of directions but this week is all about the big celebration. We have a long way to go before Revolution next year so let’s get to it.

Here is Full Gear if you need a recap.

We open with a Full Gear recap.

The Elite is in the back and Kenny Omega is rather sad. He hasn’t watched the match with Hangman Page back but he knows he has some things to fix. Omega wants them to hold the fort down while he’s gone and Adam Cole says they’ve got it. Omega just meant the Bucks though and they walk off. This would be the write off for Omega so he can go have shoulder surgery.

The Dark Order is in the ring and here is Hangman Page, in a Virginia Is For Lovers shirt. Fans: “YOU DESERVE IT!” Page: “I’m gonna stop you right there. I didn’t deserve it. I f’ing earned it.” Page says he doesn’t usually come out here and talk but since he’s the World Champion, he’s going to do whatever he wants. He’s still just a man with a boss to answer to and that boss is the fans.

The title means a lot and now his responsibility is Bryan Danielson….and here is Danielson to interrupt. Danielson is here to say one thing: congratulations. He’s excited for the match, but he’s a bit disappointed that it isn’t Kenny Omega standing across the ring from him. Page says it’s not Omega because he beat Omega at Full Gear…and he did it in less than 30 minutes. Danielson isn’t here to start anything but he’s here for some wrestling instead of flapping his gums.

When he won the World Title at Wrestlemania, he wrestled the very next day (Without actually doing a move!). The fans aren’t thrilled and Danielson isn’t surprised that Virginia doesn’t appreciate hard work. Danielson is here in his gear while Page is in cowboy boots and….whatever that vest is. Page says we might not have the match here in Virginia, but we can have a fight. The Dark Order breaks that up and Danielson mocks Page for hiding behind his friends. I can absolutely go for heel Danielson so this is a nice change of pace. It’s more interesting than the idea of good vs. good so well done.

Bryan Danielson vs. Evil Uno

Danielson takes him down in a hurry and grabs a half crab. Some shots to the mask and an Affirmative Kick to the chest have Uno in trouble. More kicks to the back allow Danielson to say HE HAS UNTIL FIVE. Uno tells Danielson to kick him so Danielson obliges, only to get caught with a neckbreaker. Danielson just blasts him with a shot to break up the comeback and then slaps away in the corner. There’s the running knee but Danielson would rather stomp away than cover. The triangle choke knocks Uno out at 6:24.

Rating: C+. This was exactly as it should have been, with Danielson toying with someone who was out of his league. Uno was destroyed throughout here and Danielson knows just how to come off as evil. Good stuff here, as Page is going to be angry at Danielson for hurting his friend to make the title match all the more personal.

Post match Danielson says he is going to take out the Dark Order one by one. Next week they’re in Chicago and that is the hometown of Colt Cabana. If Cabana is interested, come get your head kicked in.

MJF talks about being covered in Darby Allin’s shame. He has destroyed every wrestler who thinks he can do nothing but talk. Yeah his knee is banged up but he got every one of your little mark chants and then won anyway. He has the best right hand in wrestling and now everyone has to admit it.

We look at Eddie Kingston vs. CM Punk, with Kingston walking away from a post match handshake.

Daniel Garcia and 2.0 come up to Kingston to say they’re tired of the losses. Kingston isn’t cool with 2.0 calling Garcia their son and a fight is proposed. With them gone, Kingston goes to catering while complaining about never being able to get in one promo without being interrupted.

Butcher and the Blade vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Orange Cassidy

Matt Hardy, the Bunny and Rocky Romero are here. Ishii and Butcher start things off but it’s quickly off to Cassidy to put his hands in his pockets. That earns him a knock to the floor and we take an early break with Cassidy in trouble. Back with Ishii suplexing Blade for two so Butcher comes in for the big power brawl. Some chops in the corner just wake Ishii up and he walks through some forearms, backing Butcher (who is still firing off strikes) into the corner.

A superplex gives Ishii two with Blade making the save. It’s off to Cassidy for a Stundog Millionaire and a tornado DDT to Blade for the near fall. Butcher and Blade hit a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for two with Ishii making a save this time. Ishii comes back in and unloads on Butcher in the corner but Matt Hardy and the Bunny offer a distraction. Bunny slips in the brass knuckles but Rocky Romero breaks it up, with Cassidy diving onto Matt and Blade. Cassidy throws Blade back in so a heck of a clothesline and the brainbuster can finish for Ishii at 11:24.

Rating: C. The Cassidy vs. Hardy N Pals feud continues, though I did miss the elbow being involved this time around. They have to be setting up the hair vs. hair match at this point and that could very easily headline the first hour of an upcoming Dynamite. Other than that, it was cool to see Ishii here, as his presence alone is worth a look.

Andrade El Idolo, with FTR, brags about beating Cody Rhodes and Pac clean. Now he’s going to show them his good size. FTR says they’re so annoyed that they’ll wave their fee, get Malakai Black in there, and make it an eight man tag against Rhodes/Pac/the Lucha Bros. Tully Blanchard even threatens Arn Anderson because he has one more fight in him.

We recap Tay Conti vs. Britt Baker at Full Gear, with Conti saying she’s coming out of her next title shot as champion.

Britt Baker can’t wait to see Jamie Hayter destroy Thunder Rosa and make her not a thing.

TBS Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose. Shida takes her into the corner to start but gets powered over with a suplex. That earns Rose a kick to the head and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Rose drives some shoulders into the ribs before slowly starting in on the knee. They head outside with Shida sending her into the barricade and then setting up the chair. It turns out that setting up a chair and then yelling at the camera is enough for Rose to make a comeback (good, because Shida looked stupid there), only to cannonball off the apron and through the chair.

Vickie tries to take the kendo stick away and gets blasted with it instead. The delay (the second one) lets Shida get slammed off the top and we take a break. Back with Serena Deeb, who popped up during the break, jumping Shida and sending her back inside. Rose adds the top rope knee to the back for two but Shida pulls her into a triangle choke. That’s broken up with a powerbomb but Shida raises the knees to block a backsplash. Shida misses something off the top though and it’s a stretch muffler to give Rose the win at 10:59.

Rating: C. The ending surprised me a bit here and Rose moving forward makes sense. This also opens up a third match between Deeb and Shida, which should work out fine. I could see Rose making it to the finals of the tournament as the next monster for the winner to slay. That’s a classic formula and it should work fine if they do it here.

Malakai Black is ready for next week’s eight man tag.

Here is MJF, flanked by Wardlow and Shawn Spears, the latter of whom talks about how MJF can beat any hero with a headlock takeover. MJF says he’s the man who will start a bidding war in 2024. He could take your hometown horse and send him straight to the glue factory. The rankings won’t tell you this, but he deserves to be the next World Champion. There is no one in that locker room on his level….and here is CM Punk. The fans (and JR) like this while telling MJF to shut up. MJF extends his hand but Punk walks away without saying a word. Yeah I think this is going to be fine.

Darby Allin says he’ll face MJF again but for now, he wants the biggest and the baddest AEW has to offer. Cue the Gunn Club, with Billy accepting the challenge.

The Superkliq doesn’t like Jurassic Express so on Rampage it’s the two of them against Bobby Fish/Adam Cole.

Acclaimed vs. Dante Martin/Lio Rush

Stereo dives take out the Acclaimed to cut off the rap (about Martin and Rush’s issues with relationships) and Caster in trouble to start. Martin gets sent outside for a ram into the barricade, setting up a middle rope stomp back inside. It’s Martin getting stomped in the corner, setting up Caster’s neckbreaker for two.

We take a break and come back with Rush coming in to clean house, including the spinning kick to Bowens’ head. Caster gets kicked to the floor and an ax kick gives Rush two on Bowens. Rush has to bail out of the frog splash and Bowens strikes away to put him down. Martin springboards in with a missile dropkick though and everyone is down. Back up and Caster clotheslines Rush’s head off and Bowens plants him with a spinning slam. Caster drops a top rope legdrop for two but Martin makes a save. Martin plants Bowens down and a heck of a frog splash gives Rush the pin at 10:24.

Rating: B-. These guys know how to do this kind of thing and they didn’t waste time here. This was about flying around and letting Martin/Rush look good over a team with a reputation. The Acclaimed might not be the flashiest team but they know how to get the fans annoyed at them in a hurry, which is a lot more important most of the time.

Post match here is Team Taz for another sales pitch to Martin. They think Martin could be a heck of an addition to the team, but saying no might be a bad idea.

Christian Cage and Jurassic Express are ready for Adam Cole/Bobby Fish at Rampage because you don’t bring a fish to a fist fight.

Video on Red Velvet vs. Jade Cargill.

Here’s what’s coming on Rampage and Dynamite.

The Lucha Bros are ready for next week’s eight man tag.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is challenging in his company debut. Guevara (with bad ribs) tries a quick GTH but settles for an exchange of rollups for two each into a standoff. Lethal hits his hiptoss into the basement dropkick for two and starts in on the bad ribs. A jumping knee sends Lethal outside though and there’s the big flip dive. Back in and the shooting star press hits raised knees and Guevara is in trouble.

We take a break and come back with Sammy blocking the Lethal Injection to hit a Spanish Fly. Lethal rolls outside for a breather before they change places so Lethal can try the suicide dive. That’s blocked in a hurry though and Sammy hits a brainbuster on the floor. Sammy loads up the Swanton but only hits a table at ringside for the huge crash.

Back in and Lethal’s Hail To The King elbow is countered into a cradle for two. He’s right back up with a reverse fisherman’s suplex into a faceplant, setting up the Figure Four. Sammy grabs the rope and is back with another knee but the ribs won’t let him hit the GTH. That means another jumping knee to rock Lethal and now the GTH retains the title at 12:55.

Rating: B. Lethal looked awesome in his debut but they’re not taking that title off of Guevara until they want to take away a piece of the audience’s soul. The fans know who Lethal is and what he has accomplished so he already has a leg in the door. Guevara fighting through an injury and winning with his hard hitting finisher was the right way to go here and Lethal is going to be fine going forward.

Tony Nese (in the crowd) is not impressed. The Inner Circle comes out to celebrate and Lethal shakes Sammy’s hand. Lethal gets some respect from the team to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show started off well, hit some lulls in the middle and then bounced back strong for the last thirty minutes or so. The important thing here was setting up a bunch of stuff for the future and that is looking bright. Odds are we’ll see another special Dynamite in December for some of these matches and that should be enough to get us to the Clash of Champions style show in January. Another solid week here, as they come off the pay per view looking good.

Results
Daniel Bryan b. Evil Uno – Triangle choke
Tomohiro Ishii/Orange Cassidy b. Butcher and the Blade – Brainbuster to Blade
Nyla Rose b. Hikaru Shida – Stretch muffler
Dante Martin/Lio Rush b. Acclaimed – Frog splash to Bowens
Sammy Guevara b. Jay Lethal – GTH

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

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AND

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

Rampage
Date: November 12, 2021
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ricky Starks, Chris Jericho

It’s the go home show for Full Gear but we still might get some changes, or at least a hard sell, for the show. Dynamite did that very well this week but maybe a bit more could make it even better. I’m not sure what to expect here, though Matt Hardy vs. Orange Cassidy in a lumberjack match is certainly a thing. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jungle Boy vs. Bobby Fish

Jungle takes him down to start but Fish is right back with a pull off the ropes to bang up Jungle’s arm. Back in and Jungle chops away, only to be knocked outside with the arm being banged up again. A posting gets Jungle out of trouble but Fish takes him down again as we take a break.

We come back with Fish staying on the arm but he charges into an overhead suplex into the corner. Jungle grabs a waistlock until he is sent shoulder first into the buckle. Fish grabs his own suplex for his own two in a very near fall. Somehow Jungle is able to pull him into a one armed Snare Trap for the tap at 10:18.

Rating: C+. This is where Jungle shines: fighting from underneath and overcoming the odds with his killer finisher. It has worked well for him before and that was the case again here, as they put together a good story and the dangerous Fish puts Jungle through some pain. That should play into tomorrow’s six man tag so this was well thought out.

Post match Adam Cole runs in for the double beatdown. The Conchairto is loaded up but Christian Cage and Luchasaurus run in for the save. Cole bails and it’s a Killswitch to Fish.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Miro in the #1 contenders match tomorrow night.

The Superkliq is bragging about tomorrow night when Hangman Page comes in. Adam Cole gets in his face but Page wants to talk to the Bucks. Page has something he has needed to say for a long time: he’s sorry for what he did to them for a long time. He cost them a Tag Team Title shot but they cost him a World Title shot. That makes him think they’re even, so if they get involved on Saturday, he’ll kill them.

Jade Cargill vs. Santana Garrett

This is Cargill’s one year anniversary and there is a cake for her at ringside. Red Velvet, who will face Cargill in the TBS Title tournament, is here too. Cargill starts fast and knocks Garrett outside, setting up a ram into the barricade. Velvet has to be held back as they head inside. Jaded finishes Garrett at 2:01.

Post match Velvet spears Cargill down and shoves the cake into Mark Sterling’s face. Cargill and Velvet brawl until referees break it up.

Video on Eddie Kingston vs. CM Punk at Full Gear. Punk says he sees similarities between them but Kingston won’t put in the work and will come up short, as always. If Punk has to hurt Kingston to teach him a lesson, so be it.

Dante Martin vs. Ariya Daivari

They’re both hometown boys. Martin starts fast and spins around into a headscissors but Daivari breaks up a springboard. A springboard legdrop knocks Martin out of the ropes and a knee to the ribs cuts him off again. Martin is back with a sunset flip for two, followed by an enziguri to put them both down. Daivari knocks Martin down again and hits a frog splash for his own near fall. That’s too much for Martin, who sends him outside for a big springboard dive. Back in and the double springboard moonsault press finishes Daivari at 5:37.

Rating: B-. As is usually the case with Martin, this was all about flying around and firing up the crowd, which works a lot better with a hometown favorite like Martin. There is something awesome about watching Martin doing his thing, as he really is that talented at everything he does. Develop him a bit more and AEW has a breakout star on their hands.

Post match Team Taz comes in to the ring, with Ricky Starks (at commentary) offers Martin a spot. Starks tells him to read it over and they’ll be waiting. Martin doesn’t say yes or no.

Full Gear rundown.

Video on Tay Conti vs. Britt Baker, with the talking heads split.

Mark Henry gives us the face to face interview for the main event between Matt Hardy and Orange Cassidy. They don’t like each other.

Matt Hardy vs. Orange Cassidy

Lumberjack match and Cassidy has bad ribs coming in. The bell rings and Hardy offers $23,000 to anyone who can take Cassidy out. The bad lumberjacks get in an immediate fight with the good ones, leaving Cassidy to jump Hardy. Cassidy wins the brawl but has to escape a Twist of Fate attempt. Hardy sends him outside, where Butcher gets in a few cheap shots to put Cassidy in trouble.

We take a break and come back with the Best Friends flipping onto a bunch of lumberjacks. Cassidy adds his own dive and Hardy is sent outside. The Best Friends give Cassidy the assist for a flip dive onto the lumberjacks, setting up a high crossbody for two on Hardy back inside. Some of the lumberjacks come in for a brawl but get cleared out, leaving Cassidy to hit the Beach Break. More lumberjacks come in and a brass knuckles shot knocks Cassidy silly, allowing Hardy to steal the pin (after dropping an elbow which was at least six inches away from Cassidy, who thankfully didn’t sell it) at 10:28.

Rating: D+. That’s certainly one way to go, just in case building this feud up for about two months wasn’t enough for you. I can almost guarantee this isn’t the ending, as the hair has been too much of a focus to not have it be a factor somehow. There was way too much going on here though and the match was an afterthought to all of the shenanigans going on.

Post match the Hardy Family Office cleans house with the brass knuckles and stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Kind of a bizarre choice for an ending aside, this was a pretty solid final push towards Full Gear. Those videos with the talking heads make the pay per view matches feel that much more important and I want to see some of the card more than I did coming in. There was some good action to go with it so this was a completely fine use of an hour.

Results
Jungle Boy b. Bobby Fish – Snare Trap
Jade Cargill b. Santana Garrett – Jaded
Dante Martin b. Ariya Daivari – Double springboard moonsault press
Matt Hardy b. Orange Cassidy – Brass knuckles to the head

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 3, 2021
Location: Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, Missouri
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We are less than three weeks away from Full Gear and things have been shaken up a bit. Jon Moxley, who was in the semifinals of the #1 contenders tournament, has decided to go to rehab for alcohol issues, which leaves a big hole in the brackets. We should get a replacement tonight though and that could be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here is Rampage if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Kenny Omega vs. Alan Angels

Non-title and commentary brings up Moxley’s issues during Omega’s entrance. Angels goes right after him to start but Omega knocks him back, including some chops. A few shots knock Omega into the corner but he’s back with the Kitaro Crusher. Omega hits a running face shots to take Angels down (think a bulldog but from the front) and the brainbuster onto the knee knocks Angels silly.

The V Trigger misses though and Angels grabs a rollup for two. There’s a suicide dive to send Omega into the barricade and a 619 from the apron staggers him again. A middle rope moonsault drops Omega on the floor and a high crossbody gets two back inside. Omega is back with a sitout powerbomb for two and shock is setting in. Back up and they slug it out but the One Winged Angel is countered into a sunset flip for two. The V Trigger gets two on Angels, followed by more V Triggers for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: B-. The action was good and Angels got in a lot here against the World Champion. I’m really not sure why this was so even for so long but at least Omega won in the end. They really need to do something to make him look more dominant because it hasn’t exactly been clicking on the way to Full Gear.

Post match Omega threatens Angels with a chair, only to have Hangman Page come in for the save. Omega loads up the chair but Angels takes it away, leaving Omega to duck the Buckshot Lariat and run off. Page holds up the title but lets Omega come get it back.

Malakai Black is not happy about being barred from ringside for Cody Rhodes vs. Andrade El Idolo, but it won’t matter. When Julius Caesar was assassinated, it wasn’t just by one man. Sounds ominous.

Here is a serious CM Punk with something to say. There are two people who are not here tonight and one of them has a very valid reason. The fans chant for Jon Moxley and that is who Punk wants to hear about. Punk knows what it feels like to try and go through everything yourself and be a tough guy. Moxley was doing the same thing and realized he needed some help, which is exactly what he needed to do. Punk talks about how there is nothing wrong with asking for help if you need it and says anyone who needs some help to text or call someone and get some help.

With that out of the way, Punk wants to talk about Eddie Kingston, who isn’t here tonight either. The fans chant for Full Gear but Punk likes the idea of being in St. Louis for Rampage to get Kingston’s apology. Punk was ready to jump into Moxley’s spot in the eliminator tournament but thanks to Kingston, that isn’t happening. See you on Friday. This was serious Punk, and you could tell the Moxley stuff meant a lot to him (and he’s absolutely right on what he said).

Miro has been announced as Moxley’s replacement and is glad that his God has cleared a path back to his wife. He will be champion, he will be forgiven and he will be loved, and then he will forgive his God.

The Superkliq insists that last week was a fluke and nothing like that is ever happening again. Christian Cage pops up to tease a fight but the team says they have the numbers advantage. Cue Luchasaurus so the Bucks tease leaving, only to have the fight break out anyway. They brawl into the arena with the Kliq taking over, only to have Jungle Boy pop up with a flip dive off the stage.

The fight heads onto the stage with Christian spearing Cole but the Bucks take him down. Luchasaurus makes the save and Jungle Boy gets the Snare Trap on Cole to knock him out. Christian brings in some chairs and crushes Cole’s head with a Conchairto. This was a pretty big brawl and that is not a bad thing.

Ruby Soho and Kris Statlander respect each other going into their TBS Title tournament match.

AAA Tag Team Titles: Samuray del Sol/Aerostar vs. FTR

FTR (dig that Midnight Express style theme/the Mexico/USA themed gear) is defending and del Sol is better known as Kalisto. Del Sol starts fast with some dropkicks, sending FTR outside. Back in and more dropkicks send FTR outside, meaning it’s time for some springboard dives to take them down again.

We take a break and come back with Aerostar hitting a top rope back elbow (which might have been a moonsault press that didn’t rotate very well). Del Sol comes in as the pace picks back up, including a pop up hurricanrana to Harwood. A double cover gets two on the champs and a Salida del Sol plants Wheeler. The knockdown sets up the springboard splash for two more with Harwood making the save. Aerostar grabs a victory roll but Wheeler reverses and grabs the rope/tights for the pin to retain at 8:45.

Rating: B-. This was a fun match with the luchadors doing their luchaing at a very face pace (though there were some not so smooth sequences). FTR being in trouble but cheating to win makes sense, as they have no reason to be used to that style. I’m looking forward to the Full Gear match as it has a history, but also because the Lucha Bros can work with FTR a bit better.

Hikaru Shida got her trophy for 50 wins but Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero interrupt. Rose talks how she has dealt with Shida before and their TBS Title tournament match will be an easy night.

Here is the Inner Circle to announce which members of American Top Team they will be facing at Full Gear. Cue American Top Team, with Dan Lambert insulting the city and Chris Jericho insulting the whole team. Lambert wants to get to it and lists off everyone’s credentials while telling the Inner Circle to make their picks. Jake Hager picks Junior Dos Santos, promising to drop Dos Santos faster than his last fight (71 seconds). Santana picks Andre Arlovski (another former UFC Heavyweight Champion) and tells him what he can bite.

Before we get to the final pick, Lambert talks about how Jericho insulted Paige Vanzant, who wants in the final spot. Looking at those pants though, none of the team has enough to take her on anyway. Jericho: “You want to take on all five of us by yourself? Well that joke writes itself. Maybe you can put it on your OnlyFans page.” Ortiz throws in some Spanish, with Sammy Guevara translating into “you’re a b****.” Jericho finally gets to the point: Dan Lambert is the final member (after Lambert said he was the #1 member of the team). Lambert freaks out in the classic way that you knew he would.

Matt Sydal is cool with Dante Martin wanting to train with Lio Rush, because he can train with Lee Moriarty now anyway. The tag team challenge is thrown out and Rush accepts in a hurry.

TBS Title Tournament First Round: Jamie Hayter vs. Anna Jay

Rebel and Britt Baker are here with Hayter, who trades headlocks with Jay to start. They head outside with Hayter being sent into the barricade but managing a knee to the head. We take a break and come back with Jay taking her down by the hair and sending her into the corner a few times. A DDT gives Jay two but she can’t get the Queenslayer. Instead, Rebel offers a distraction, followed by Baker offering a distraction, allowing Hayter to hit a lariat for the pin at 5:52.

Rating: C. I’m a bit surprised by Jay losing, but it makes a bit more sense given the brackets. Hayter needed a win or two anyway, as she needs to be more established as a member of Baker’s gang. Not a great match, but it was too short to be that bad, which is often a plus.

Post match the beatdown is on but Tay Conti runs down for the save. The numbers game eventually gets the better of her but Thunder Rosa (Hayter’s next opponent) runs in for the real save.

Jade Cargill doesn’t care who she is facing in the tournament.

Here is MJF to call out Darby Allin (in the rafters). The two of them didn’t sweat the new names coming into the company because without the two of them, AEW doesn’t work. They’re just better than the other pillars and it drives everyone crazy. People like Allin more than him, because he is more like them. MJF is the one person that everyone hates because he is just better.

Allin lives life with reckless abandonment and it is because he can never fit in, just like these people. MJF talks about how he is the perfect package of someone who can talk this well and back it up in the ring. He is so much better, that he could beat Allin with a freaking headlock takeover. Allin says he is everything MJF called him and promises a wrestling match at Full Gear.

As for tonight though, it’s time for him to let his anger out. Allin comes to the ring, but MJF bails. Cue Sting and a bunch of masked goons to chase MJF back to ringside but Shawn Spears comes out to fight the goons to the back, leaving Allin and MJF to brawl in the crowd. MJF gets the better of things for a bit, only to have Allin clothesline him over the barricade. The Coffin Drop is loaded up but MJF bails into the crowd to escape. Heck of a brawl here, but Allin not talking might be a good idea.

Cody Rhodes vs. Andrade El Idolo

Cody strikes away to start, including the ten right hands in the corner. Andrade is sent to the apron but lands on his feet, allowing Cody to hit him a few more times. Back in the Cody Cutter is countered into a shot to the floor so we take a break. We come back with Cody not being able to grab a double underhook, allowing Andrade to hit a discus elbow instead.

The running knees in the corner connect and Andrade nails Three Amigos to keep Cody rocked. Andrade misses the split legged moonsault though, allowing Cody to bust out the Flip Flop And Fly to put him down. Cody’s Figure Four is broken up so Andrade grabs his own, sending Cody over to the rope. Arn Anderson has to beat up Jose, leaving Cody to send Andrade outside. Cody tries the suicide dive but FTR pops out from underneath the ring and Cody’s dive hits the AAA Tag Team Titles. Back in and El Idolo finishes Cody at 10:33.

Rating: C. The ending makes sense, but it wasn’t exactly the greatest match. What mattered here was giving Cody more issues because the Black feud isn’t quite over yet. Having Cody feud with the Pinnacle and Andrade seems a bit much, but at least he lost here instead of being the conquering hero all over again.

Post match the beatdown is on but Arn gets in to square off with Tully Blanchard. Cue the Lucha Bros to take out FTR before the fight can break out though.

John Silver is ready for Adam Cole, who he calls Budge, because Cole hasn’t followed his advice about getting a hair cut. Maybe if he did, he wouldn’t have gotten a Conchairto earlier tonight. The Budge stuff is probably your latest example of something you need to watch another show to understand.

The Bunny and Red Velvet are ready to face each other in the TBS Title tournament on Rampage.

World Title Eliminator Tournament Semifinals: Miro vs. Orange Cassidy

Bryan Danielson is on commentary and a bunch of the Best Friends are here with Cassidy. Both guys are banged up here, as Cassidy has taped up ribs while Miro has a taped up leg. Cassidy kicks at the leg to start and then runs to the floor, where the hands go into the pockets. They switch places but Cassidy’s dive is countered into a heck of an overhead belly to belly.

We take a break and come back with Miro stomping away until he charges into a boot in the corner. Cassidy gets fired up and slugs away, setting up the tornado DDT for a near fall. Cassidy knocks Miro outside and hits a big dive to send him through a table, meaning Miro has to dive to beat the count. Back in and Cassidy hits the Beach Break but Miro kicks him down again, setting up Game Over for the tap at 7:32.

Rating: C+. They packed a good bit into a pretty short match and managed to make Cassidy look more like a threat than expected. There wasn’t a lot of doubt on the ending, which is fine in a case like this, so well done on getting a little higher than they should have. Miro vs. Danielson should be great and I’m sure Cassidy will be in whatever battle royal or ladder match they have.

Post match, Danielson comes to the ring but Miro isn’t about shaking hands.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a more Full Gear focused show, though they also set up some things for the TV before the pay per view as well. What we got here was some nice build to the pay per view show and I’m more excited to see Full Gear. Things were a bit more serious this week and they set some things up, so now they have a few more steps to nail before we get to the big night.

Results
Kenny Omega b. Alan Angels – V Trigger
FTR b. Samuray del Sol/Aerostar – Rollup to Aerostar with a handful of tights/rope
Jamie Hayter b. Anna Jay – Lariat
Andrade El Idolo b. Cody Rhodes – El Idolo
Miro b. Orange Cassidy – Game Over

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

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Rampage
Date: October 22, 2021
Location: James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Taz, Ricky Starks, Excalibur, Chris Jericho

It’s tournament time as we get the first match in the World Title #1 contenders tournament. That alone should be enough, but we also get a rematch between Andrade El Idolo and Pac. The first one was a heck of a fight and the rematch could live up to the expectations so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

World Title Eliminator Tournament First Round: Orange Cassidy vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Cassidy has bad ribs coming in. We see a clip of Cassidy beating an unknown Hobbs in twelve seconds in July 2020, with Taz promising that will not happen again. Hobbs hits a spinebuster for an early two as Matt Hardy is pleased from the crowd. Cassidy’s ribs are bent around the post and a side slam gives Hobbs two. A clothesline cuts off Cassidy’s comeback attempt and we take a break.

Back with Hobbs staying on the ribs, including a torture rack. Jericho: “When’s the last time you saw a torture rack???” Yesterday at Crown Jewel. Cassidy slips out and grabs a small package for two but the Orange Punch is pulled out of the air. Some splashes in the corner have Cassidy in more trouble but the referee threatens to DQ Hobbs. That means some yelling, allowing Cassidy to grab the Mouse Trap for the pin at 8:18.

Rating: C-. That wasn’t much as Cassidy was getting squashed until he scored a quick rollup win. It’s the right call as we’re getting Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley in the second round, but it wasn’t exactly the best way to get there. That being said, if this is as bad as things get, they’re going to be just fine.

Here is Penta El Zero Miedo for a chat but hold on because he sees Las Super Ranas in the crowd. Since FTR apparently now has a six inch height difference, Penta goes over to them, allowing the real FTR to jump him from behind. Pac makes the save.

Britt Baker vs. Anna Jay

Non-title and Baker has Jamie Hayter and Rebel with her. Baker takes her up against the ropes to start but has to fight out of the Queenslayer attempt. Anna grabs a headlock so Baker fights up, only to get Downward Spiraled into a Koji Clutch. That’s broken up as well and Baker sends her face first into the corner and we take a break.

Back with Baker cutting off a comeback with a swinging neckbreaker but it’s time to load up the glove. The Lockjaw is blocked though and it’s off to some grappling on the mat, with Anna getting in the Queenslayer. Hayter offers a distraction though and the hold is broken, only to have Anna grab it again. Baker can’t climb the corner to flip back over so it’s a rope break for the escape instead. Back up and Baker hits a superkick to set up Lockjaw for the tap at 10:30.

Rating: B-. As Jericho said on commentary, that’s probably Jay’s best match ever as she was working hard and fighting for the one move she has that could beat Baker. Ultimately though, Baker is that much better than Jay and had the numbers advantage to make it worse. Jay might be a star someday, but she still needs a lot more ring time to really make it a reality.

Post match Baker puts it on again but Tay Conti comes in to make the save. The villains bail and Conti holds up the title.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Here are the brackets for the TBS Title tournament:

Thunder Rosa
BYE

Anna Jay
Jamie Hayter

Jade Cargill
BYE

The Bunny
Red Velvet

Nyla Rose
BYE

Serena Deeb
Hikaru Shida

Kris Statlander
BYE

Penelope Ford
Ruby Soho

I’ve seen far worse brackets.

Tony Schiavone handles the face to face interview between Andrade El Idolo and Pac. Andrade promises to beat Pac tonight and brags about having friends around the world. Pac cuts Tony off and says this should have been settled weeks ago. Now it is time to settle this man to man.

Pac vs. Andrade El Idolo

Everyone else is barred from ringside. Pac wastes no time in knocking Andrade outside and hitting the big dive. Back in and the Black Arrow is broken up but Pac is right back to his feet to pick up the pace. Pac goes to the apron, where Andrade scores with a running boot to the face to put him on the floor. A running corkscrew dive takes Pac down again and we take a break with both of them outside.

Back with Andrade getting a near fall off Three Amigos and kicking Pac in the head to cut him off again. Andrade tries a slingshot dropkick but falls off the apron and crashes hard down to the floor. Pac whips him back first into an open chair but can’t get the Brutalizer back inside.

Andrade pulls him out to the apron and they slug it out until Pac is draped over the top rope. That lets Andrade jump back in and then right back out for a DDT to drive Pac into the apron for a nasty landing. Back in and Pac hits a brainbuster for two but Andrade hits him in the face. The hammerlock DDT is countered into a rollup for two so Andrade tries it again, only to get small packaged to give Pac the pin at 16:20.

Rating: B. As commentary was saying, there are some people who just have chemistry and that is the case with these two. They compliment each other well and it made for a better match here. It has been a nice miniseries on Rampage instead of putting it on Dynamite where it would likely get lost in the shuffle. Good match here and it felt like a showdown, which is what they were trying to do.

Post match the lights are out….and it’s Malakai Black to mist Pac. Andrade tells Black to bring in a chair but Arn Anderson comes out to point at Black (ala Kenny Omega, though I doubt that was intentional). Cue Cody Rhodes to clear out Andrade and powerslam Black. The threat of a chair shot sends Black bailing to end the show. That opens up a lot of doors and hopefully most of them don’t lead to Cody.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener wasn’t great but the rest of the show was quite good and moved some things forward. Dynamite is feeling big and they are slowly starting to set up Full Gear, which is coming up sooner than later. All in all, this was a good night though and the hour run time continues to be a great change of pace from Dynamite.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Mousetrap
Britt Baker b. Anna Jay – Lockjaw
Pac b. Andrade El Idolo – Small package

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

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Dynamite
Date: October 16, 2021
Location: James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, CM Punk

We’re on a rare Saturday night due to the MLB playoffs and they are going to have a hard time topping what they did last night with Rampage. Tonight we see the brackets for the #1 contenders tournament, as Full Gear is less than a month away. Add in a AAA Tag Team Titles match and we should be good to go. Let’s get to it.

Here is Rampage if you need a recap.

Guest commentator CM Punk gets his big entrance.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Malakai Black vs. Dante Martin

Lio Rush is here with Black. Some armdrags put Martin down to start but he sends Black outside. It’s too early for a dive though as Black comes back in and elbows him in the face. A powerbomb sets up a half crab to put Martin in trouble but he slips out in a hurry. That earns Martin and STO and shinbreaker, setting up a kneebar. Martin makes the ropes to escape and goes up top, only to have his springboard blocked. A sunset flip gives Martin two and a poisonrana out of the corner staggers Black.

With Black out on the ramp, Martin hits a springboard flip dive (with a bit of a slip) to drop him again. Back in and a double springboard moonsault misses for Martin, setting up a slugout. Black kicks him down and scores with a top rope double stomp, setting up a kick to the head. There’s a hard German suplex to drop Martin hard so he heads up top. That’s broken up with a super hurricanrana but Black is right back with a half crab. Martin escapes again and tries to go up again, only to get caught with Black Mass (Rush is NOT pleased) for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B. They pulled me into this one as I wasn’t exactly thinking that it was great at the start. That was all changed by the end as these guys were beating the heck out of each other, with one big spot after another. I didn’t buy Martin as possibly winning, but it would have been too much of a stretch to have that take place anyway. Rather good match here as Black continues to prove that WWE was totally wrong about him every single week.

Post match Black goes to leave but stops to nod at Martin in respect.

The Jurassic Express talks about being banged up but the Elite comes in to beat them down. Kenny Omega manages to powerbomb Luchasaurus through the table to show that he can do it.

Here is the Inner Circle, fresh off their loss last night, to quite the reception. Santana isn’t happy about American Top Team, which brings them out with Dan Lambert to brag about their MMA success. Jericho tells us to welcome the “fat faced dip****” and yes the fans chant the name. Jericho accuses Paige Vanzant of having a thing for him, but he wouldn’t touch her with her husband’s genitalia. Punk: “I don’t believe him. I think he would.”

The challenge is on for the ten man tag but Lambert insults the team, including talking about the size of Jake Hager’s head. Lambert is down if the Inner Circle will accept their challenge, but he’ll give them the terms next week. Scorpio Sky says he has pinned Chris Jericho twice, but the fans think he still sucks. Sammy Guevara is ready to fight right now and he’ll see them next week. Vanzant continues to look like a star every time she’s on camera.

AAA Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. Las Super Ranas

The Ranas (the Super Frogs) are two guys in green suits with masks and challenging. Punk: “I don’t know if the Lucha Bros care, but that’s clearly FTR.” We’ll say #1 starts with Fenix, who spins the arm around to start until #1 takes him down and goes for the mask. A victory roll faceplant takes #1 down and everything breaks down, with the Bros going for the masks. Commentary confirms that it’s FTR, mainly due to the lack of flips. The masks come off and FTR clotheslines the Bros down to take over as we go to a break.

Back with Fenix getting dropped ribs first on top but Penta is back in for the brawl. Fenix gets a running start to springboard onto both of them, setting up the Lucha version of What’s Up. Everything breaks down and FTR tries to bring in the belts, only to get kicked down in a hurry. Cue Tully Blanchard (in matching green) for a distraction though, allowing Harwood to belt Fenix out of the air. A brainbuster gives Harwood the pin and the titles at 8:14.

Rating: C+. The frogs deal was weird but points for a surprise title change. FTR getting some gold is certainly a nice thing to see and I could go for another match between these two. The AAA Tag Team Titles have enough meaning for this to be an important win so nice job in a surprise, even if it doesn’t last long. It was also nice for commentary to sound smart, as they weren’t exactly fooled by the disguises.

Lio Rush says Dante Martin failed because he screwed up but Martin can be successful if he just listens. From this point forward, they’re tag partners, though Martin doesn’t seem convinced.

Andrade and FTR celebrate the win. MJF comes in to celebrate with them and gets paid by Andrade, seemingly to rent FTR for the night. MJF’s horrible Spanish is that much better.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley jumps him to start, puts Yuta down, and finishes with the Paradigm Shift at 1:11. Well that worked, though Orange Cassidy staring down at Moxley as Yuta is checked on by the medics seems to give us a future.

Serena Deeb beat Hikaru Shida last week but she’s not happy with how the division has been since she went on sabbatical. It was time to drag the division back up but here is Shida to jump her from behind.

Dark Order vs. Superkliq

It’s Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds and John Silver for the team here but the Superkliq jump them before the bell. Silver escapes the TripleBomb (because the Elite is the Shield these days) on the ramp with Reynolds coming in to help out. They get back inside for the opening bell and Cole gets triple dropkicked to the floor. We settle down to Silver having to kick all three of them away but a Don Callis distraction lets Matt kick him down.

Cole cuts off Reynolds’ dive with an enziguri and it’s a double superkick into a brainbuster onto the knee on the floor to drop him again. JR: “You might want to bother counting.” More kicks and shots to the face have Silver in trouble and we take a break. Back with Nick losing a shoe as Silver makes the comeback, allowing the tag to Uno. That means a full on Mr. Socko return, because AEW doesn’t like to put together the most unique stuff. Uno runs wild for a bit until a few more shots cut him (and the crowd) off.

Cole gets Uno in a camel clutch and the Bucks load up the double kiss, but the rest of the Order takes their place for the kiss instead. A double backdrop puts Cole on the floor and the Order gets to pose for a change. Something Evil gets two on Cole as everything breaks down again. The Order is sent outside and get take out by dives, leaving Cole to kick Reynolds down. A rollup gives Reynolds two and he knees Cole in the face for a bonus. The Bucks are back in with superkicks and the Panama Sunrise into the BTE Trigger into the Boom finishes for Cole at 10:48.

Rating: C+. I can forgive the Superkliq for not exactly taking the Dark Order seriously but they ultimately had to put in some effort to win. Cole getting the pin works as well as he continues to pad his resume while the Bucks take a bit of a step back from him. Silver continues to look like a star, though I’m not sure how much of a future he has in this 837 member group.

Post match here is Jungle Boy to go after the Superkliq, who run off because he grabs a chair. Brandon Cutler is left alone to try the cold spray, which is blocked by the chair. The Snare Trap has Cutler in trouble, with Boy adding the spray to Cutler’s eyes. Now see how easy it is to make Jungle Boy look good? Get rid of the freak show and he’s a star. It’s not that hard.

Cody Rhodes appears at his wrestling academy, where his fellow coaches (or maybe students) aren’t happy with him. Arn Anderson puts him through a drill where everyone goes after him one at a time. Cody wants to know what this is supposed to teach him so Anderson pulls out a photo of Dusty Rhodes beating him up back in the day. Arn talks about how Cody never wanted to disappoint kids, but would kids have thought Dusty was bad for busting Arn open that night? Of course not, because Arn had it coming. Malakai Black has it coming too.

Here is MJF to say he is stuck in a place that smells like hookers and gasoline. He doesn’t like not being announced for his match, even though there is no match scheduled. Punk: “You know how I can tell? No Wardlow.” MJF doesn’t think Darby Allin is ready to fight him so maybe he did break Allin mentally. After telling a fat guy to shut up, MJF feigns shock over hearing about Allin being attacked last week. MJF: “TONY SCHIAVONE! DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS???”

MJF is going to give us a match with Allin, so Wardlow brings out a referee to count the ten. The count is on….and here’s Sting to answer. A baseball bat shot to the ribs drops Wardlow and MJF runs into the snow. MJF teases running back in but runs despite Sting dropping the bat, much to commentary’s disgust.

Britt Baker interrupts Anna Jay’s interview and talks about how the Superkliq beat the Dark Order. Anna: “They are not losers!” Baker talks more trash and the fight is on with referees breaking it up in a hurry.

Kiera Hogan vs. Penelope Ford

The Bunny is here with Ford. Hogan grabs a headlock to start as Punk wants to know if there is any relation, though commentary isn’t sure which Hogan he could possibly mean. Tony is right there to bring them back to focus on the TBS Title as Ford misses a running boot in the corner, setting up a takedown to give Hogan two. Ford bulldogs her into the corner to take over again though and we go to a break. Back with Hogan hitting a superplex but not being able to follow up. A sliding kick to the face in the corner rocks Ford for two more but Ford hits a running cutter. The Muta Lock finishes Hogan at 7:53.

Rating: D+. Not the best match here, but neither of these two are exactly known as a ring general. They were both trying but ultimately you’re only going to be able to get so much out of them. Hogan is someone who has potential due to her amazing charisma and it’s clear that AEW sees a lot in Ford. Keeping it short was the right call here, and it’s not like this dragged down the show.

Post match here is Ruby Soho to jump Ford in revenge from last night. The beating is on but the Bunny comes out to….do nothing actually.

Miro isn’t sure what happened that caused him to lose the TNT Title. He thinks his God has turned on him because he was given a body of granite and a neck of sand. Miro will either be a champion or an enemy and it is time to destroy. He hasn’t seen his wife since losing the title and he will not again until he is God’s favorite champion again.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Tony Schiavone recaps Page’s feud with Kenny Omega, leaving Page to talk about how the Elite left their home in Ring of Honor in 2019. Their world changed and then he lost his big matches on the way. It felt like he started to lose a bit more, including his confidence. The one thing that it felt like he never lost was the fans chanting COWBOY S***, which means we have to pause for a chant.

That meant taking his shot on day one and learning to let the past live in the past and accept new friends in his life. It meant taking his chance to stick his neck out like his friends did so many times. It means having the guts to go back home for the birth of his son, but last week he finally picked up the phone and took a shot.

Page feels the people still believe in him though, and for the first time in his life, he does too. The promise he can make is that he will give us everything at Full Gear, including COWBOY S***! This was a heck of a promo and it was nice to have Page finally say these things instead of having to figure out the big story for ourselves. It wasn’t hard to figure out, but it’s nice to hear it from the source for a change.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes III and tournament matches.

Bryan Danielson vs. Bobby Fish

Feeling out process to start with Fish’s headlock not working, as Danielson kicks him into the corner. Back up and Fish strikes away, only to get knocked outside. Fish gets posted but is fine enough to cut off the running knee from the apron as we take a break. Back with Fish working on the knee and hitting a sliding lariat for two more.

The half crab goes on but Danielson is back up with a suplex to send Fish flying. Danielson evens things up by wrapping the knee around the post but Fish is back in with a backdrop driver. Fish takes him up top for a super Falcon Arrow and starts tying up the knee. They both get kneebars until Danielson kicks him in the head for the break. A heel hook makes Fish tap at 12:28.

Rating: B. Fish got in a lot here, which is the kind of thing that makes AEW work so well. They know how to make someone look good in defeat, albeit in a match they had no business winning. There is nothing wrong with Fish losing to a much bigger star and Danielson gets a win over someone with some name value. AEW has figured out that formula and that is a great thing to see.

With less than a minute to go in the show, here is the bracket for the #1 contenders tournament:

10
Jon Moxley

Orange Cassidy
Powerhouse Hobbs

Dustin Rhodes
Bryan Danielson

Lance Archer
Eddie Kingston

That’s….interesting. I guess?

Overall Rating: B. Not so great brackets aside, this was another good show from AEW, who don’t seem to know how to had a bad one these days. They throw in at least two exciting matches to keep you hooked and the rest is all gravy. The title change was a nice surprise too, though I’m not completely sure why the frog suits were included. Anyway, another good night here, as AEW is on fire (again).

Results
Malakai Black b. Dante Martin – Black Mass
Las Super Ranas b. Lucha Bros – Brainbuster to Fenix
Jon Moxley b. Wheeler Yuta – Paradigm Shift
Superkliq b. Dark Order – Boom to Reynolds
Penelope Ford b. Kiera Hogan – Muta Lock
Bryan Danielson b. Bobby Fish – Heel hook

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Dynamite
Date: October 6, 2021
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

Believe it or not, there is a big match this week as it’s time for the return of the Casino Ladder Match. That means another Joker entry, which could be a nice surprise. Other than that, we slowly continue on the way to Full Gear, which is going to need some match announcements. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Super Elite vs. Christian Cage/Jungle Boy/Luchasaurus/Bryan Danielson

That would be Kenny Omega/Adam Cole/Young Bucks. Jungle springboard armdrags Nick into a dropkick to start and then hands it off to Cage. Some right hands in the corner have Cole in trouble and it’s back to Jungle for a sliding kick to the face. Cole takes over on Jungle though and hands it back to Omega for a springboard elbow to the back. Jungle manages to crotch Nick on top and holds onto Matt’s arm while bouncing on the top to crotch Nick even more.

Danielson comes in to kick and chop away at Matt’s chest, followed by Luchasaurus getting in kicks of his own. Everything breaks down with Jungle missing a slingshot dive to the floor. Brandon Cutler sprays Cage in the eye though and it’s an Indytaker to Cage outside. That’s going to be it for Cage, who has to be taken out, leaving this as a handicap match. Back in and the Bucks give Cole the double kiss but Jungle gets in a shot to Omega for a breather. Danielson comes in for the big slugout with Omega, with the latter being taken into the corner for the kicks to the chest.

There’s the super hurricanrana for two on Omega with a bunch of saves being made. Everything breaks down and it’s a parade of secondary finishers until Danielson gets Omega in the Cattle Mutilation. Nick breaks that up with a Swanton but it’s Luchasaurus firing off kicks. The series of dives tot he floor is capped off by Omega, with Cole teasing a dive but posing instead. Luchasaurus chokeslams him to set up the standing moonsault but Cole hits Luchasaurus low.

The Elite tries a quadruple powerbomb on Luchasaurus but falls down, leaving everyone to stand around until Jungle hits all of them. A double superkick into the Panama Sunrise gets two, with Danielson making the save (read as Matt throws Danielson into the cover for the save). The Affirmative Kicks rock Omega until Danielson is kicked to the floor. The four man BTE Trigger finishes Jungle at 17:58, with JR complaining about all four being in the ring at the same time.

Rating: B. It was action packed and rather exciting, though there were some spots in there that didn’t exactly look great. That is probably because, as tends to be the case, they tried to pack in too many things. This is a match that could have been a bit better if they hadn’t crammed as much in,

Jon Moxley says no one can pin him or make him submit so now it’s time to put ladders in the ring. He’s used to the crazy though, because he has a three month old at home and she’s nuts too. This is his city and that is his belt so he’s winning tonight.

Here’s CM Punk to a huge reaction for a chat. Punk asks if anyone around here is tired yet and can’t believe he has Michael Jordan shoes. He talks about how he moved to Philadelphia in 2002, wrestled part of the week and trained wrestlers the rest of the week because he loved wrestling. Using the money he made in Philadelphia, he bought an iPod and a laptop because he was rich. He wasn’t rich because of the money but because he was in a wrestling culture.

Now he is back and he isn’t tired of how he is feeling. He wanted to give it back, so you can have your pick: he’ll wrestle tonight or he’ll buy everyone cheese steaks (Punk: “Is it cheese steak or cheesecake?”). The fans pick wrestle so if Daniel Garcia has the fortitude, he can meet Punk on Rampage. Punk goes to leave….and gives his Jordans to a fan dressed as Orange Cassidy. JR: “Don’t worry kid. You’ll grow into them.”

Arn Anderson is outside Cody Rhodes’ house and is burning something in a barrel. Cody comes out and talks about how Arn turned his back on him but Arn cuts him off to say that Cody turned on them. Cody can have his multi million dollar houses and his reality TV shows, but he might as well just paint a star on his face. Arn slaps him in the face to prove his point.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Bobby Fish

Fish is challenging in his debut. Some kicks to the chest have Guevara in early trouble but Guevara flips over him and hits his own kick to the face. An enziguri in the corner sets up a springboard, which is broken up as well. Back up and they slug it out with Fish kicking him down as we take a break.

We come back with Guevara hitting a running elbow to the face but Fish kicks him down again. Sammy kicks him off the top but gets crotched down, setting up Fish’s super Falcon Arrow for a delayed two. A suplex into the corner gives Fish two more but Guevara kicks him away and hits the GTH to retain at 9:17.

Rating: C+. Not a classic match here but Fish looked good in his debut and was a smart first title defense for Guevara. I’d rather they bring in someone with some name status who can work well with anyone rather than having a regular star take a loss. Good match here and they didn’t go too long either.

Post match here is American Top Team to surround the ring and beat Sammy down. Fuego del Sold runs in for the save but gets beaten down so here are Chris Jericho and Jake Hager for the real save. Jericho manages to knock Junior Dos Santos (former UFC Heavyweight Champion) to the floor so he and Hager can stand tall.

Dan Lambert says cut the music but has to wait for the fans to finish Judas. Lambert talks about how Jericho has been around for a long time but this isn’t his time. AEW is heading to Miami on October 15, the home of American Top Team and Jorge Mazvidal. So how about a six man tag with the Men of the Year and Junior Dos Santos vs. the Inner Circle? Jericho says he didn’t hear a thing Lambert said….and then Jericho’s mic gives out. Jericho gets another mic and he promises to beat the living s*** out of Lambert and his team. Very nice save there if Lambert couldn’t be heard in the arena.

The Acclaimed raps about their Tag Team Title shot on Rampage.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring for a special announcement. Dynamite is moving to TBS on January 5 and that means we are going to have something special. Tony shows us the new TBS Title, which will be in the Women’s division, starting with a tournament to crown the first champion. As long as the NWA Women’s Title is gone, that should be fine.

Jim Ross sits down with Darby Allin, who talks about how MJF got to him last week. Yes he was there when his uncle drove drunk and got killed and that’s why he paints half of his face. Allin faced death that night but lived to talk about it and MJF isn’t going to break him.

Darby Allin vs. Nick Comoroto

Allin dives on the rest of the Factor to start and strikes away in the corner. We take an early break and come back with….Allin hitting the Coffin Drop for the pin at 4:43. Well that happened.

Post match QT Marshall comes in with a cutter to Sting, who pops up for the Scorpion Death Drop.

The Dark Order is back together, with Evil Uno saying the team can make the decisions. They agree to start voting as a family, with the first vote being about where Alan Angels has to wear a mask again. Anna Jay breaks up another fight and they’re good again.

Here is Dante Martin for a chat. He has proven he can hang with anyone and now he wants to fight anyone willing to get in the ring with him. The lights go out and here is Malakai Black (JR: “He kicks people’s heads off for a living!”) to spray black mist and hit Black Mass. The lights go out again and come back with Martin gone. Black says the House of Black accepts and then leaves.

Here is Ricky Starks to talk about how the FTW Title was defended right here in this very city. He’s more of a champion than the previous champion Brian Cage, who isn’t here tonight. That’s a shame as Starks was going to challenge him to a Philly street fight….and here is Cage to start the brawl. Team Taz pulls Starks to safety.

Various women say they’re winning the TBS Title.

Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb

If Shida wins, she gets a trophy for winning 50 matches. They take turns throwing each other down to start before trading wristlocks. Shida flips away though and it’s a standoff until she kicks Deeb down. The right hands in the corner set up a dropkick in the corner (as in Shida is hammering away on the middle rope and then jumps up for the middle rope dropkick). They head outside with Shida loading up the chair but Deeb throws it underneath the ring. A neckbreaker over the ropes rocks Shida and we take a quick break.

Back with Shida grabbing a front facelock and swinging Deeb around for a painful look. Shida hits a missile dropkick for two but the Octopus is countered. The Deebtox is countered as well and Shida hits a running knee. Shida dives onto the rocked Deeb, who comes back with a running knee of her own. Deeb goes after the leg but misses a chop block, allowing Shida to hit a sitout Dominator for two. A Falcon Arrow gives Shida the same but Deeb is right back with the Deebtox for two of her own. The Serenity Lock finishes Shida at 10:19.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, as I like the idea of making Shida work for the 50th win. That could take her awhile to accomplish and it could make for something interesting, though I wouldn’t stretch it out that long. It’s great to have Deeb back too, as she really is one of the best around these days.

Post match, Deeb hits Shida in the head with the trophy.

MJF has challenged Darby Allin to a match on Dynamite next week. Allin accepts and looks at a limo, seemingly thinking MJF is inside. Instead a masked man jumps him and another takes the camera. More masked men come in and beat him down, including an F10 onto a bunch of barricades. Another masked man (clearly MJF) gets out of the limo to choke Allin with the skateboard. The Pinnacle (with Schiavone saying that’s who it is) leaves in the limo. Commentary is DISGUSTED by these developments.

Lio Rush talks about how much he likes Dante Martin but he’s also a businessman. Rush thinks Martin needs to rush towards Malakai Black’s challenge and they should talk soon.

Britt Baker likes the idea of the TBS Title tournament (though she was hoping for the Cartoon Network Title) because some of these b****** might leave her alone. Go have your tournament and she’ll be sitting here on top.

Casino Ladder Match

The entrants are coming in intervals and there is another Joker, though you can win at any time, even before all of the entrants are in. First up we have Orange Cassidy at #1 (with the Philadelphia 76ers mascot) and Pac at #2, with Cassidy taking the sunglasses off early. Pac knocks him down to start so Cassidy puts his hands behind his back and crosses his legs. The ladder is brought in but Pac stops to plant him with a brainbuster.

Andrade El Idolo is in at #3 but Pac dropkicks a ladder into him before Andrade can get in. Pac goes up but Andrade jumps up to cut him off, setting up a sunset bomb. Cassidy is back up with the lazy kicks and a headscissors but Matt Hardy is in at #4. The Side Effect drops Cassidy, who is back up to prevent Matt from climbing.

We take a break and come back with Lance Archer in at #5 and splashing Cassidy on a ladder bridged into another one. Archer teases going up but Jon Moxley is in at #6, with Moxley meeting him in the crowd. Moxley pelts a chair at Archer’s head and they fight to ringside, where Archer hits Moxley with the chair as well. Back in and Cassidy Orange Punches Archer to slow him down but Moxley takes Cassidy down.

A running dropkick into the ladder into Archer sends him into the corner and it’s……Hangman Page in at #7 as the Joker. Page goes right at Moxley for the slugout and cleans house until Pac gets in a chair shot. Pac puts Page on a table and goes up the ladder but has to deal with Andrade. A headbutt drops Andrade off the top onto a chair onto a ladder at ringside, allowing Page to go up and slug it out with Pac. The super Deadeye off the ladder drives Pac through a table (that was terrifying) but Page comes up favoring his knee.

Moxley takes Page out with the Paradigm Shift but Cassidy meets him on top of the ladder. Hardy shoves the ladder over to break up the fight and legdrops Cassidy through a table. Archer cleans house again but Page is back up with the Buckshot Lariat (thankfully the knee seems ok). The climb is on until Moxley chairs Page in the back. Moxley goes up with Page but gets knocked down, allowing Page to pull down the poker chip (because it’s a poker chip) to win at 17:08.

Rating: B. They had the high spots and they had the big pop. I’m still not sure if I like the idea of the staggered entrances but it’s certainly different than what everyone else does, which can be a positive. This was the stunt show you were expecting and it’s certainly interesting to see Page get the title shot. I’m not sure how that is going to go, but they couldn’t just leave that unresolved.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show that felt designed for Philadelphia and that is not a bad thing. They had an action packed card with a bunch of fan favorites and pandering to the crowd, which kept things from possibly getting ugly in a hurry. It was another very fun night and that’s what AEW does best. They need to start building up Full Gear, but at this point that just means announcing what should be a pretty clear card. Another strong night this week, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Results
Super Elite b. Christian Cage/Bryan Danielson/Luchasaurus/Jungle Boy – BTE Trigger to Jungle Boy
Sammy Guevara b. Bobby Fish – GTH
Darby Allin b. Nick Comoroto – Coffin Drop
Serena Deeb b. Hikaru Shida – Serenity Lock
Hangman Page won the Casino Ladder Match

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

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Rampage
Date: October 1, 2021
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Taz, Ricky Starks, Excalibur

It’s time for a special night as we have two big matches on the same show. First of all, we’ll be seeing Bryan Danielson facing Nick Jackson in a match that could be rather interesting. Other than that, Jack Evans is putting his hair on the line against Orange Cassidy, as per Matt Hardy’s orders. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson vs. Nick Jackson

They start slowly until the threat of some strikes send Danielson outside. Nick spends too much time getting some cold spray that Danielson is right there with the suicide dive. Back in and Danielson takes him down into the surfboard/Dragon Sleeper. Not that it matters as Danielson is right back up with a flip into a rebound clothesline to take over.

A cross armbreaker sends Nick over to the ropes but Danielson is right back on the arm. Danielson suplexes him down to set up a hammerlock, complete with knees to make the arm worse. Back up and Danielson misses the running dropkick in the corner to put him on the floor. Matt Jackson gets in some cheap shots of his own and we take a break. Back with Danielson not being phased by the YES Kicks before firing off his own in the corner.

The moonsault into the running clothesline sets up the big kick to the head for two on Nick. The LeBell Lock is broken up in a hurry so they head to the apron, with Danielson kicking the post by mistake and getting suplexed hard. Nick hits a big flip dive and it’s a Scorpion Deathlock to put Danielson in trouble back inside. With that broken up, Nick hits a superkick but Danielson is back with a tiger suplex. The hard elbows to the face rock Nick again and Cattle Mutilation gives Danielson the win at 15:32.

Rating: B. This worked much better than I would have expected, as Danielson pulled Jackson in and eventually caught him in a hold. You can see a good difference between the two, as Nick is all about hitting whatever he can while Danielson feels more controlled and going with what he’s looking for each time. It made for a good match though and that is one of the reasons you have Danielson on the show.

Post match the Elite comes in for the beatdown but Jurassic Express and Christian Cage come in for the save. Danielson and Jungle Boy make Kenny Omega and Adam Cole tap.

We get a video from Ricky Starks, who is absolute in the fact that he is not scared of Brian Cage. This is reaching Blood Runs Cold levels of GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!

CM Punk talks about how the only reason he beat Will Hobbs is experience. People are starting to get that he is back and people are going to be gunning for him. That’s what he wants, because he would rather choke on greatness than starve on mediocrity. Going to sleep is always on the menu.

Jade Cargill vs. Nyla Rose vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa kicks Cargill down to start but gets planted by Rose. Cargill makes the save and we get the big power showdown with Rosa being knocked outside. That leaves Rosa to hit a missile dropkick and we take a break. Back with Rosa hitting a running dropkick to Cargill against the ropes, followed by another involving a trashcan. Rose sends Rosa outside and grabs a half crab on Cargill, with Rosa making the save this time. Rosa has to win a fight on the apron and powerbombs Rose off the apron through a table at ringside. Back in and Cargill unloads on Rosa with a chair for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C. Just a match here and I’m not sure how much it really accomplished. Cargill was able to win a match that went a little longer than usual, but seeing Rosa lose, especially when Rose is right there, isn’t the easiest thing to see. Rosa has been waiting to break through for a long time now and it seems we’ll be waiting even longer. It’s hardly some death sentence, but it’s a bit frustrating.

Malakai Black says the black mist to Cody Rhodes came from the heart. There is more destruction coming for the Nightmare Family.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We get the face to face interview between Jack Evans/Matt Hardy and Orange Cassidy. Evans is ready to win but Cassidy doesn’t know what a hair vs. hair match is. Once he figures it out, he decides he won’t lose.

Jack Evans vs. Orange Cassidy

Matt Hardy is here with Evans and his distraction lets Evans get in a rollup for two. Cassidy is back with the lazy kicks before spinning Evans around by the hair. Hardy gets in a cheap shot though and Evans adds a spinning kick from the apron. A 450 from the apron crushes Cassidy and we take a break.

Back with Evans countering the tornado DDT into a northern lights suplex. A Michinoku Driver gets two and a standing sky twister press hits Cassidy for the same. Cassidy is right back with the tornado DDT and the top rope DDT gets two more. Cue the Hardy Family Office to even things up but the Dark Order, Chuck Taylor and Wheeler Yuta to cut them off (because Cassidy vs. Evans needed the extras). The Orange Punch finishes Evans at 9:04.

Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t the point here, but that has never stopped AEW from having WAY too many people come out during a match. Cassidy winning was never in question here and that’s fine, as it is nice to see him in this lower level feud instead of up near the top of the card. This is where he thrives and feels more like a star, so nice job of figuring that out.

Post match Hardy and company leave, so Evans can get his hair cut. Cassidy even sweeps up the hair, which is turned into a mustache for Negative One. The big hug ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is what I wanted from Rampage: supplementing matches stories that get their main focus on Dynamite and giving other stories more attention than they are going to get on the main show. It made for a very easy to watch hour and that’s how this show should go. Nicely done, and they seem to be figuring out the Rampage formula.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Nick Jackson – Cattle Mutilation
Jade Cargill b. Thunder Rosa and Nyla Rose – Chair shot
Orange Cassidy b. Jack Evans – Orange Punch

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

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Dynamite
Date: September 29, 2021
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, CM Punk

AEW has been on a roll as of late and that means we could be in for something special tonight. I’m not sure what we are going to be seeing here, but it certainly could be a fun night. If nothing else, we’re in Brodie Lee’s hometown and that means we are probably going to be in for some tributes. Let’s get to it.

Here is Rampage if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We open with some BRODIE chants, which are just awesome.

Here’s CM Punk, who will be on commentary tonight but can’t dive into the crowd because of the athletic commission.

Adam Cole vs. Jungle Boy

Feeling out process to start until Boy hits a heck of a chop into a springboard armdrag. A dropkick puts Cole on the floor and let’s take a breather for a bit. Jungle follows him out and Cole kicks him down, setting up a neckbreaker back inside. The chinlock holds Boy in place for a bit but he is right back up with a shot to the face. Jungle hits a brainbuster into a belly to belly into the corner, followed by the rolling German suplexes for two.

Cole rolls his way out of a torture rack for two and hits the brainbuster onto the knee for two of his own. Jungle snaps off a poisonrana into a running forearm to the back of the head, setting up kind of an Angle Slam into a Death Valley Driver for two. Back up and Cole superkicks him out to the floor, leaving Jungle down for a good bit. The Panama Sunrise on the floor is broken up but Jungle’s suicide dive is cut off by an enziguri.

Cole gets back on the apron so Jungle snaps off a running hurricanrana to the floor. Back in and Cole hits another enziguri, setting up the Panama Sunrise…..for two. I’m not sure if someone should be kicking out of that so soon but Cole’s stunned face made it a little better. Jungle pulls him into the Snare Trap but Cole slips out and kicks him outside. Back in and a low blow cuts Jungle down, leaving Cole to hit the Boom for the pin at 13:45.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a back and forth match, which is something that you can always go for around here. It was a lot of dives and flips and kicks to the face, but at least they were putting on an entertaining match. Jungle losing again isn’t my favorite thing, but at least it was to someone like Cole, who is being pushed as a major star.

Post break here is the Elite and after a break, Karl Anderson talks about how great the Elite is, including introducing most of the team. Anderson: “And of course Nak and Cutler.” Cole talks about how he beat Jungle Boy on his own, because Bay Bay is elite and undefeated. The fans chant for Punk, who has not had the nicest things to say about the Elite so far.

Kenny Omega talks about how his social media has been blowing up over his match with Bryan Danielson last week. Last week might have been the greatest match in AEW history and he isn’t surprised. Danielson cashed in on his promise to kick Omega’s head in but he couldn’t make it work when it counted. Since Danielson has no record though, he isn’t getting a rematch and he’ll never see Omega face to face again.

Cue Danielson to refer to the champ as Kenny “NO BALLS” Omega. Punk: “Well that’s a t-shirt.” Danielson issues the challenge to face any member of the Elite on Rampage but gets no takers. Instead, Omega wants to fight right now but Danielson calls out the reinforcements from the back and gets Frankie Kazarian, Christian Cage and Jurassic Express. The Elite bails from the fight of course.

Andrade interrupts the Lucha Bros and says they haven’t defended their AAA Tag Team Titles in a long time. He has some friends if they’re up for a defense, and the Bros seem down.

Matt Sydal/Dante Martin vs. Cody Rhodes/Lee Johnson

Cody headlocks Sydal to start and gets nowhere with it. Instead it’s off to Sydal to headlock takeover Johnson, setting up a kick to the back. It’s back to Martin to stare Johnson face to face and we take a break. Back with Cody getting the hot tag to clean house as commentary talks about how the fans aren’t thrilled with Cody these days. Everything breaks down as Johnson and Sydal fight outside.

Martin missile dropkicks Cody for two and a double jump moonsault is good for the same. Johnson tags himself back in and gets kicked in the face by Sydal. That doesn’t seem to matter as Johnson kicks Sydal in the face, only to get rolled up by Martin for two more. Another superkick rocks Martin though and a fisherman’s buster onto the knee finishes for Johnson at 7:45.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and that was a good thing. Sometimes you don’t need a match to keep going forever and that was the case here. Good little match, with Johnson getting to shine a bit and the fans’ displeasure with Cody being highlighted for a change. That’s interesting, and it’s a smart path to take, even if it takes some time.

Post match Cody calls out Malakai Black but Arn Anderson tells him to shut up. Anderson talks about how Black has destroyed everything they love and Cody is missing the point. Black is an assassin who will take out everyone to win a match. Cody is the kind of person who would give up his car if someone tried to steal it but Anderson would shoot them in the head. He isn’t going to coach a loser, so Johnson can leave with him.

Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston/Darby Allin vs. Bear Country/Anthony Greene

Sting is here with Darby and company and it’s a brawl to start, with Allin and Greene being left alone in the ring. That’s fine with Allin, who gets two off of la majistral. An armdrag sends Greene down and we get a Ricky Steamboat reference. We settle down to Bear Country beating up Moxley but Kingston breaks up the double splash. The spinning backfist sets up a German suplex and the brawl heads to the floor. That leaves Greene alone with Moxley and Kingston, who shrug off a springboard spinning high crossbody attempt. The German suplex/lariat combination finishes Greene at 3:30.

Rating: C-. Mostly a squash here and that’s all it needed to be. Sometimes your best bet is to get people on there on screen and let them do their thing, which is exactly what they did here. It wasn’t a great match or anything, but it can be a good idea to let big stars feel like big stars. Nice job, even if it was hardly a classic.

Post match Sting lays Greene out for a bonus.

Video on Ruby Soho vs. Britt Baker, with Soho promising to take the title.

Dark Order/Orange Cassidy vs. Hardy Family Office

Negative 1 is here with the team because AEW likes making its fans emotional. This is a sixteen man tag to make things a bit complicated and the Dark Order is already fighting among themselves. Alan Angels loses his mask and it’s a suplex/top rope spear combination from Butcher and Blade for two. Private Party comes in to work on on Angels as we get a THANK YOU BRODIE chant.

Everything breaks down though and we take a break. Back with Jack Evans (Flippy McGillicutty according to Punk) coming in to pick up the pace until Evil Uno kicks him in the face. Alex Reynolds gets sent into Uno as the issues continue, so Cassidy comes in for the top rope thumbs up splash. Uno walks out on the match so some more of the Order goes to talk to him.

Evans flips over into a backslide for two on Cassidy as everything breaks down again. Uno keeps walking but cue Negative 1 and Amanda Huber (Brodie’s widow) with 1 throwing the papers and Amanda telling the team to get it together. The Order charges the ring and cleans house, with the parade of secondary finishers. A series of strikes sets up a German suplex and the Fatality is good for the pin at 7:51.

Rating: A. This was all about the emotions and they nailed that on every level. I wasn’t a big Lee fan but I was smiling throughout the entire thing, which is all it needed to be. Outstanding stuff here, with the Dark Order reunion bringing all the feelings. I loved this and they did exactly what they were trying to do.

Post match the Dark Order gets back together and it’s about as cool as you can get.

Lio Rush is All Elite. Rush? Not actually retiring? I’m as stunned as you are.

FTR and Tully Blanchard are ready to show that they’re the best again. Top guys out.

Here are Dan Lambert and the Men of the Year to talk about how Chris Jericho got kneed in the face by UFC’s Jorge Mazvidal last week. The thing is, Jericho saved this promotion from itself and turned it into the hottest promotion anyone has seen in years. Then Jericho came after them and got beaten down like never before, leaving his earning potential the same as everyone here: zero. Now they have cut the head off of AEW and Tony Khan-man will have more trouble selling snake oil.

Scorpio Sky talks about how he was a star around here at the beginning and then he grabbed the giant Sonic ring, but it wasn’t good enough. No one around here was paying attention, but Dan Lambert was watching. Lambert sees him as a main eventer, just like Ethan Page. That sends Page into a rant about how great he is at everything but he can’t get an action figure or a spot in the opening video. He has the best smile around here and now he rolls with champions, because the Men of the Year are the Top Team.

Hikaru Shida is ready to get her 50th win in AEW, but she has to beat Serena Deeb next week on Dynamite’s second anniversary show.

Penelope Ford/The Bunny vs. Tay Conti/Anna Jay

It’s a brawl to start with the villains being sent into the corner. Tay tries to jump to the apron but falls down and comes up holding her knee. Ford kicks Anna into a neck snap from Bunny before dropping a knee. We take a break and come back with Ford and Conti coming in off the double tag. A double suplex gets two on Ford but she Matrixes away from a clothesline and hits a Stunner on Jay. Ford’s fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two but she misses a moonsault. The TayKO knocks Bunny silly on the floor and the Dangerous Jay kick sets up the Queenslayer to finish Ford at 6:31.

Rating: C. This should be the end of the feud and that’s how it should have gone. Conti and Jay are a good team for the young and plucky faces and that’s what they did here. Ford and Bunny were a good obstacle for them to get by and it wound up being a completely watchable match as well.

Post match Negative 1 comes in to celebrate. Punk: “He’s a smart kid.”

Video on Thunder Rosa vs. Nyla Rose vs. Jade Cargill on Rampage.

Here is MJF for a chat. MJF doesn’t think much of upstate New York and wants to talk about the four pillars of AEW. You have Jungle Boy (“Beat him.”), Sammy Guevara (“Beat him.), Darby Allin (“…..yeah whatever.”) and the strongest pillar of them all, which is the man who was in the first match at All In, Maxwell Jacob Friedman himself. He is the past, present and future of AEW and that means he should be the AEW World Champion. Tony: “Earn that in the ring then dude.” MJF teases talking to Bruce Prichard if he doesn’t get a title shot, but here is Allin to interrupt.

MJF: “As much as I love the whole school shooter mime on a skateboard routine”, he’s not happy with the interruption. There is nothing wrong with being a #2 guy, like Mark Messier, Scottie Pippen, or Sting. MJF says he’s the #1 guy, so Allin asks if MJF is done talking and tells him to go if he isn’t happy. See, Allin is AEW for life until death, but he doesn’t understand how MJF can be #1 when Allin is the only one of the two of them to win a title.

MJF appreciates the Batman voice and brings up Allin being straightedge. We hear about Allin getting in a car with his drunk uncle as a kid and they got in an accident. The uncle died, and it’s a travesty because the wrong man died. Allin says MJF isn’t breaking him mentally, which sends MJF leaving. MJF was on fire here, even if he was going really far with some of these things.

Video on Sammy Guevara vs. Miro, which is fallout from Miro beating Fuego del Sol up to take his car. Guevara will buy him a new car if he wins.

TNT Title: Miro vs. Sammy Guevara

Guevara is challenging and they circle each other to start. A knee strike misses for Guevara and Miro takes him down for the stomping. Miro runs him over for two but Guevara is back up with a running crossbody to knock both of them outside. Guevara posts him hard and avoids a charge into the steps but Miro is fine enough to snap off a belly to belly back inside.

We take a break and come back with Guevara jawbreaking his way to freedom from a chinlock but Miro kicks him down again. That earns Miro a Spanish Fly and they’re both down for a bit. There’s a low superkick to rock Miro and a running knee does the same. Miro’s missed charge sends him flying out to the floor so Guevara hits a HUGE flip dive to the floor. Back in and Guevara charges into a swinging release slam for two but Guevara blocks a superplex attempt.

A middle rope cutter can’t keep Miro down and Guevara can’t load up the GTS. The jumping superkick gives Miro two so Guevara rolls outside. That leaves Miro to pull off a turnbuckle pad, which brings out Fuego for a save. Guevara is back in with a jumping knee to send Miro into the exposed buckle. There’s a tornado DDT into the GTH to drop Miro. The 630 gives Guevara the pin and the title at 13:42.

Rating: B. The best way I can describe this match is that it was a ride. I wanted to see if Guevara could pull off the impossible here and win the title and you could feel the release of emotion when he actually pulled it off. It didn’t feel like they rushed the title change either, and it would be fine if Miro gets the title back. If nothing else, they gave Guevara his big win and that’s what matters most here.

A bunch of wrestlers come out to celebrate with Guevara to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. I had a great time with this show as they were focusing on the emotions. This was about having a good time in front of a crowd that wanted to be entertained. Throw in some things being announced for the anniversary show and the big title change at the end and this was a heck of a way to spend two hours. Awesome show and things might be getting better soon.

Results
Adam Cole b. Jungle Boy – Boom
Cody Rhodes/Lee Johnson b. Dante Martin/Matt Sydal – Fisherman’s buster onto the knee
Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston/Darby Allin b. Bear Country/Anthony Greene – German suplex/clothesline combination to Greene
Dark Order/Orange Cassidy b. Hardy Family Office – Fatality to Johi
Tay Conti/Anna Jay b. The Bunny/Penelope Ford – Queenslayer to Ford
Sammy Guevara b. Miro – 630

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

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Rampage
Date: September 17, 2021
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Taz, Ricky Starks, Chris Jericho, Excalibur

It’s another stacked show this week with a pair of title matches. First up we have Butcher and the Blade getting a shot at the Lucha Bros, plus Miro defending the TNT Title against Fuego del Sol. The latter is made a little more interesting when you throw in del Sol’s car being on the line as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Butcher And The Blade vs. Lucha Bros

The Bros are defending and Butcher throws Fenix around to start. Penta comes in to take over on Butcher, including the wheelbarrow splash for two. Butcher forearms Penta in the face so Fenix comes in, only to get kneed in the face. It’s already back to Penta for the Sling Blades to the floor, setting up the big dives from the champs.

We take a break and come back with Penta having to crawl over for the tag to Fenix, who strikes away at Butcher and Blade. Butcher breaks up something off the top rope so Fenix German suplexes him instead. A moonsault set up another German suplex for two on Blade, followed by the spike Fear Factor to Butcher.

Blade has to make the save so Penta kicks away at his legs. A powerslam gives Blade two as everything breaks down. Penta gets tied into the corner by the mask, leaving Fenix to get double stomped. With the powerbomb/neckbreaker loaded up, Penta takes his mask off to make the superkick save. Fenix grabs a hurricanrana to retain the titles at 9:43.

Rating: B-. Butcher and the Blade aren’t exactly top level challengers but they did just fine for a one off like this. They haven’t exactly been back for very long but they are undefeated this year (with most of the wins coming on Dark) so putting them here works. I’m not sure they needed much of an explanation for their title shot, though AEW certainly likes keeping things official.

Post match the Hardy Family Office comes in for the beatdown but Santana and Ortiz run in for the save.

Kenny Omega talks about how Bryan Danielson has always been the underdog and he isn’t even ranked over here. Danielson says everyone is underestimating him but he wants to start against the best. The underdog is getting taken apart here, just like everyone else.

Anna Jay vs. The Bunny

Tay Conti and Penelope Ford are the seconds and it’s a brawl in the aisle to start. Anna gets the better of things and takes Bunny inside to run her over. Bunny gets knocked back outside, where she pulls Anna’s shoulder hard into the post. The arm is cranked on some more as we take a break. Back with Bunny cranking on the arm again but Anna kicks the knee out. A running seated Blockbuster gives Anna two but the Queenslayer is broken up. The seconds get in a fight on the floor and Anna grabs a rollup for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C. This was hard hitting enough to get by, though Anna still has a long way to go in the ring. She does the limited stuff well though and that is better than some people can say. It’s a smart move to let her have the win here as she needs it a lot more than Bunny, though neither of these two seem likely to break through to the title picture in the near future.

Post match the brawl is on again with Conti and Ford getting involved as well. Ford pulls out some brass knuckles to knock Conti and Anna cold.

Post break, Matt Hardy is furious and makes Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford, plus Lucha Bros/Proud and Powerful vs. Private Party/Butcher and the Blade for next week. For this week though, Hardy is sick of looking at an Orange Cassidy lookalike in the front row. The lookalike, who weighs about 300lbs, is pulled into the ring for a beatdown from Hardy and Jack Evans. Hardy pulls out some scissors and it’s time for the big haircut. Cue Orange Cassidy for the save.

Here are Ruby Soho and Britt Baker for a face to face chat. Britt thinks Riott is here for herself, because she needs to find out who she is. Ruby has changed her name and hair color so much because she needs to fit in. Everyone knows who Baker is around here though and we hit the crowd assisted catchphrase.

Ruby says of course everyone knows who Baker is because she tells them every week. Ruby knows who she is too, but now she has the freedom to show it. We pause for a RUBY SOHO chant before she wants to talk about Baker. Britt looks like every other broad she has stood across the ring from, even down to banging some dude in the back. Baker smiles a bit and nods as Ruby says she is trying to figure out if there is anything more.

Actually Baker would like to know the same thing, because Ruby was fired from the last place she worked. Ruby was fired, but it was the best thing that ever happened to her. She can’t believe Baker can see anything with her head so far up Tony Khan, but next week she won’t even be able to see herself as champion. Baker swings the belt and is chased off in a hurry. Good segment here with some great lines from both, but Soho really needs to win to not look like the flavor of the month.

We get the face to face interview with Fuego del Sol and Miro. Fuego is willing to put up his new car against the title, because he knows he can drop Miro on his head with the tornado DDT. Miro may be God’s Favorite Champion so he must have heard of David vs. Goliath. Miro talks about how he loves celebrating with his God above and his wife below, so he’ll retain the title.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

TNT Title: Miro vs. Fuego del Sol

Miro is defending. Fuego kicks away to start and sends Miro outside, only to have his dive pulled out of the air. A posting drops Miro though and Fuego does it again for a bonus. Another dive off the barricade is countered with a fall away slam though and we take a break. Back with Fuego fighting out of a bearhug but the tornado DDT doesn’t work. Instead it’s a pair of double stomps into a regular DDT to drop Miro. That’s too far for Miro, who unloads on Fuego in the corner. The jumping superkick gives Miro a new car at 8:55.

Rating: C. They had a tricky job here as there was no drama about who was winning here and they managed to turn it into something interesting. That is hard to pull off but Miro can do almost no wrong at this point. Fuego is a total underdog and tried his best, but it is going to take something special to beat Miro for the title.

Post match Miro takes the keys and puts them in Fuego’s mouth, setting up the Game Over. Sammy Guevara runs in for the save and picks up the title to end the show. Miro vs. Sammy works for me.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a different kind of Rampage as it felt like a missing hour of Dynamite. In this case, that is not a bad thing as they built up some stories before next week’s double shot of huge. It is still a very easy hour of wrestling to watch and the Soho vs. Baker promo was quite good. Another nice show here and that’s the norm so far with Rampage.

Results
Lucha Bros b. Butcher and the Blade – Hurricanrana to Blade
Anna Jay b. The Bunny – Rollup
Miro b. Fuego del Sol – Jumping superkick

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

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AND

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