Dynamite
Date: April 7, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

Believe it or not we have a big six man tag here with the Young Bucks and Jon Moxley teaming up to face Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers. That certainly has potential, as does the next step in the Inner Circle vs. the Pinnacle. Throw in the explanation from QT Marshall about his new group and….you’ll realize that this place has a lot of stables. Oh and Mike Tyson is here again. Let’s get to it.

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

The Inner Circle arrived in some very expensive cars.

Opening sequence.

Max Caster vs. Hangman Page

Page doesn’t seem to like the rap and sends Caster into the buckle over and over. Caster gets in some right hands of his own but Page takes him down and hits a backsplash for two. They head outside where Page sends him into the barricade but stops to yell at Anthony Bowens. Back in and Page sends Caster outside again, this time setting up a slingshot dive. Caster is sat on the barricade for a clothesline, followed by a stare to get Bowens to put the boom box down.

The distraction lets Caster start in on the arm with some knee drops and a hammerlock with a crossface. That doesn’t last long as Page is back up with a spinebuster into an exploder suplex for two. They head to the apron for a slugout until Caster charges into a belly to back drop. Page goes up again but Bowens offers another distraction, allowing Caster to grab a superplex.

Zack Gibson’s Shankly Gates has Page in trouble but he’s out in a hurry and clotheslines Caster out of the air. The boom box comes in again for a distraction, allowing Bowens to slide Caster the chain. One heck of a right hand gives Caster two but the Mic Drop misses. Bowens breaks up the Buckshot so Page takes him out, followed by the Buckshot Lariat to finish Caster at 10:04.

Rating: C. That’s kind of a long time to beat a tag guy (who was somehow #3 in the rankings). Page is the #1 contender for whenever he gets the title shot and at least he had to take care of both of the Acclaimed here. The match was fine enough, though it didn’t exactly make Page look like the guy who is ready to take on Omega.

Tony Schiavone brings in the Death Triangle for a chat. Before they can say anything, here are the Best Friends (now complete with Kris Stadtlander), with Orange Cassidy showing us a clip from May when the Triangle took them out. The Triangle laughs them off but Pac is willing to give them another beating. Trent says the boys are back in town and now they have an alien with them. I’ll consider that a Toy Story reference as we wrap things up, basically with an announcement of what is next for both group.

Urban Meyer, coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, talked with Mike Tyson earlier.

Here’s the Inner Circle for a chat. After a break, Chris Jericho says they’re back in black after a beatdown from the Pineapple. He apologizes for the bad things they did but that was because of MJF (My Jerkoff Friend). Jericho talks about being bad in chemistry, to the point where his high school teacher asked him if he was on dope. No one is smart at chemistry, but Jericho is smart at people. He didn’t let MJF into the Inner Circle to help him up, but rather to keep him under Jericho’s thumb.

Then MJF outsmarted them, but then Jericho put his face in a toilet. Jericho knows that MJF is going to be the great one one day but he wants to be the great one now. Instead, be better than Peter Avalon, be better than Michael Nakazawa and be better than that scarf, because it is old and is sucks. Jericho was doing the scarf thing five years ago so why is MJF stealing his s***?

MJF is the one who ran to the back to ask how he did, which is called being a mark. Actually, from now on we’re going to call that being a Max. Then there is the Pinnacle, which is quite the lineup. You have Tully Blanchard, who is nothing more than the third string member of the Four Horsemen, right between Ole Anderson and Paul Roma (OUCH). Then there is FTR, who he can’t tell apart. They’re like the Jonas Brothers, in that they’re talented but no one can remember who is which.

Then you have Shawn Spears, and the only thing Jericho knows about him is the phone call Jericho got from him when WWE fired him ten years ago. Finally there is Wardlow with a million dollar brain and a thirteen cent body (yes that is what Jericho said) and is so stupid he has to strip to count to 21. Jericho: “I’ve seen him do it.” They are going to turn the Pinnacle into a human centipede and on May 5, it’s Pinnacle vs. Inner Circle in a Blood & Guts match. Jericho was showing the fire here and his face turn should breathe some new life into him.

Christian Cage talks about bringing Kazarian up to another level last week. Taz comes in and offers him a spot on Team Taz but leaves pretty quickly, telling Christian to sleep on it.

Bear Country vs. Jurassic Express

Bear Country is sent outside to start, where they catch Boy’s dive. They can’t catch Luchasaurus though and it’s time to head back inside. Boy’s top rope hurricanrana is cut off so Luchasaurus dives at them and….bounces off of them, making Bronson and Boy stagger around a bit.

We take a break and come back with Boy taking a backdrop and being powered into the corner. A few elbows get him out of trouble and a few slides between the legs are enough for the hot tag to Luchasaurus. The hot tag brings in Luchasaurus to clean house with strikes but Bronson catches him on top with a superplex. Boy breaks up the cover and mostly hits a slingshot tornado DDT.

Luchasaurus covers Boulder but Bronson picks up Boy and drives him into the cover (while not looking great in the process) for a save of his own. A double Cannonball in the corner crushes Luchasaurus but he sits up to avoid some kind of electric chair splash. Boulder gets kicked in the face and sent to the floor, leaving Bronson to take a chokeslam. Luchasaurus’ standing moonsault is good for the pin at 8:58.

Rating: C-. This was rather messy with not much of a flow or anything, plus some ugly looking sequences and spots. They were kind of lumbering around and trying to go a little bit faster than they should have. Throw in the moves they were doing not quite working and it wasn’t the best thing in the world. At least Jurassic Express won, even if they aren’t getting close to the titles anytime soon.

QT Marshall talks about how sick he is of Cody Rhodes, who was stuck behind Ted Jr. in WWE. That’s why Cody went to the indies and surrounded himself with small guys so he could stand out for once. Marshall has surrounded himself with men, like Aaron Solow who will never be someone’s boyfriend (Bayley’s ex), Commarado, who will never be just a body guy, and Ogogo, who is a household name in the UK. This is Marshall’s factory now. Nice promo, but it’s still QT Marshall leading a stable.

Sting comes out for a chat but here’s Jake Roberts to cut him off before Sting can say a word. Jake says Sting is insane if he keeps trying the same thing and expecting something else. Cue Lance Archer to say how awesome he is and how sick he is of Sting getting the mic time. Sting takes the mic and says he’s tired of Archer being left out too. So why isn’t Jake telling him how to do it? Sting tells Archer to make it showtime and leaves.

Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky are watching from the rafters.

Taz cuts off Ricky Starks and Brian Page because they need to focus on Christian.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. JD Drake

Allin is defending and has Sting in his corner. Drake knocks him to the floor with a single chop, where Ryan Nemeth goes after Allin. That earns him a stalking to the back from Sting and we take a break with Allin still in trouble. Back with Allin rolling outside but Drake tosses him into the ropes (from the floor) and nails a hard clothesline. Drake’s Cannonball against the barricade only hits barricade so Allin takes out Cezar Bononi (because Drake has multiple friends too).

Back in and Drake gets him in the Tree of Woe, meaning the Cannonball can connect this time for two. Drake misses a moonsault that wouldn’t have connected even if Allin had stayed in the same place so Allin goes up top. That brings Drake up with him so Allin bites his finger for the break. The super Code Red sets up the Coffin Drop to retain at 9:13.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and it’s nice to see Allin having an actual title defense. Drake is someone with potential, though I’m not sure where he (and his friends) fit in other than being new jobbers. This was fine for a one off match and that’s all it needed to be, though I’m curious as to what Allin’s next actual feud will be.

Post match the Hardy Family Office runs in for the beatdown but Sting and the Dark Order makes the save. Tay Conti comes in for the brawl with the Bunny.

Video on Kenny Omega’s issues with the Young Bucks, who used to be friends, then they weren’t friends, then they were friends, then they weren’t friends, then Don Callis talked to them a lot, and now it’s complicated.

The Pinnacle jumps Chris Jericho and bring him into the ring for the beatdown. The spike piledriver plants him as we see the Inner Circle locked in their dressing room. They break through the door and we come back to the arena where MIKE TYSON saves Jericho and beats up Shawn Spears in the corner. The rest of the Inner Circle comes in for the real save and Jericho poses with Tyson (who is in pretty good shape here).

Britt Baker and Rebel think that Baker deserves a Women’s Title shot because the rankings are nonsense. She is going to be getting her wins up because rankings aren’t based on things that matter like merchandise sales and star power.

The Bunny vs. Tay Conti

The Hardy Family Office, the Dark Order and Hikaru Shida are all at ringside. The brawl is on in a hurry with Bunny hammering away and yelling a lot. Conti is back up with a capture suplex, allowing Excalibur to compare her to Akira Maeda. Bunny is fine enough to send her into the apron and then nail a running dropkick against the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Conti hitting a spinning backbreaker but missing a running knee in the corner. Down The Rabbit Hole is broken up and a failed Matt Hardy distraction lets Tay hit the TayKO for….two. Bunny gets in a neck snap over the top and knocks down Shida to take away her kendo stick. Shida takes it back though, allowing Conti to hit a superplex. The DDTay finishes Bunny at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Conti is on a roll as of late and Bunny got in enough to carry her half. It seems that Conti is the next challenger for Shida, though I have no idea if she would wind up taking the title because Shida seems likely to be the champion for the rest of time. Maybe Conti is the one, but it’s not like there is a reason to believe it at this point. She has been awesome as of late though and this was more good stuff.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Video on Jade Cargill vs. Red Velvet.

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Young Bucks/Jon Moxley

Don Callis is on commentary. Matt and Anderson start things off as JR calls it a six man tag instead of a trios match. Actually we’ll make it Omega vs. Matt instead, meaning a lot of trash is talked. The lockup doesn’t go anywhere so it’s off to Nick to crank on Omega’s arm. A hurricanrana puts Omega on the floor so it’s Anderson coming in. Everything breaks down for a bit and it’s the triple dives to take down Omega and the Brothers.

Back from a break with Matt making the hot tag to Moxley so house can be cleaned, including snapping off some German suplexes. Anderson manages to take Moxley into the corner for two, setting up a big boot to drop him again. Moxley manages to come back up with a neckbreaker and the hot tag brings in Nick to face Anderson. Nick sends Omega to the floor and cleans house on the Brothers until Anderson snaps off a spinebuster. Matt comes in to hiptoss Omega a few times, setting up a DDT to plant him.

Matt can’t bring himself to superkick Omega though, instead asking if he is ok. That earns him a slap from Omega so Matt takes Omega down and hammers away. The rung is cleared out again and Omega grabs the snapdragon on Matt. There’s another snapdragon but Moxley breaks up the V Trigger. Matt piledrives Omega but stops to check on him, only to go with More Bang For Your Buck for two.

Anderson makes the save so the Bucks clear the ring again. The BTE Trigger is loaded up on Omega but can’t do it. Moxley comes in instead for the Paradigm Shift into the rear naked choke….but the Bucks superkick Moxley. Eddie Kingston runs in for the attempted save but gets laid out by the Brothers. A Magic Killer to Moxley is enough for Omega to get the pin at 16:25.

Rating: B-. You knew it was coming and now we’re finally here. The big Bullet Club reunion that….well I guess someone must find it fascinating. It’s the big heel stable again and odds are they are going to hold the titles for a long time to come against a variety of challengers. The story makes sense but it’s not exactly thrilling stuff. At least we’re finally here now after months of “well maybe the Bucks are going to do something” and that’s an improvement. I guess.

Post match the Bucks hit a double superkick on Moxley and the big hug ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The big angle at the end wasn’t exactly inspiring but the rest of the show was pretty good for the most part. They need to find something to do other than big group beatdowns though, because there were quite a few on this show alone. AEW has a bad tendency to repeat things in their angles and post match segments (which happen in almost every match) and it would be nice if they could mix it up a bit. It’s starting to get tiring and that is never a good feeling. It’s still a very energetic show, but it needs to have something fresh in there for a change.

Results

Hangman Page b. Max Caster – Buckshot Lariat

Jurassic Express b. Bear Country – Standing moonsault to Bronson

Darby Allin b. JD Drake – Coffin Drop

Tay Conti b. The Bunny – DDTay

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers b. Jon Moxley/Young Bucks – Magic Killer to Moxley

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: March 31, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

I’m not sure what to expect here, as we are on the rather long road towards Double Or Nothing and it is still too early to set things up for the show. Christian might be the next title match for Kenny Omega, but I’m not sure if that is the most interesting match to headline a pay per view. Maybe they have something else in mind though. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Christian Cage vs. Frankie Kazarian

Feeling out process to start with Christian taking over on the arm as the fans tell him that he still has it. Christian gets sent hard over the top and crashes down onto the ramp for some shaking of the head. Back in and Kazarian knocks him off the top to the floor for another breather. Christian’s slide through the legs is broken up and we hit the neck crank.

After Christian fights up, Kazarian takes him back down with a flipping neckbreaker for two. Back up again and Kazarian hammers away but Christian grabs a tornado DDT out of the corner. Some shots to the face have Kazarian in trouble and Christian stands on his back for the choking on the ropes. Christian rains down right hands in the corner and scores with the reverse DDT for two.

The top rope splash only hits mat though and Kazarian hammers away again. He talks a bit too much trash though and gets small packaged for two, which is a bit too much from Christian. The springboard spinning legdrop gets two on Christian but he grabs the top rope to block a superplex attempt.

A headbutt cuts Christian off on top though and the Flux Capacitor connects for two. Christian gets caught in the ropes but manages to snap Kazarian’s neck across the top. Now the frog splash connects for two but Christian has to flip out of the crossface chickening. Kazarian goes shoulder first into the post and now the Killswitch can connect for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: C. That’s being as generous as I can as these guys looked rather old for the most part. They still moved around well enough, but there was about ninety years of age in the ring. Christian as a main eventer is not the most appealing idea in the world for more than a few reasons and this didn’t do him any favors. Not bad, but it was far from inspiring.

Sting and Darby Allin didn’t like what Matt Hardy did to Allin last week. Allin says that Matt’s money doesn’t mean anything to him.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Jade Cargill knows she is special and there is nothing Red Velvet can do to stop her.

Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall

Unsanctioned exhibition with Arn Anderson refereeing and all kinds of Nightmare Family members at ringside. Feeling out process to start with Cody armdragging him into an armbar. Marshall gets a bit more aggressive to take him down by the wristlock but Cody nips up to his feet.

Another takedown puts Marshall on the mat but Cody won’t stomp him. Instead Cody stays on the arm and we take a break. Back with Cody hitting a slam but not being willing to put on the Figure Four. Marshall misses a crossbody and crashes out to the floor, so Cody holds the ropes open for him. Back in and Marshall decks Arn for the no contest at 7:35.

Rating: C-. Kind of slow and dull, but that was the point of the match. Marshall decking Arn was a surprise, but then two seconds pass and you realize that it’s QT Marshall and the interest goes away. At least they had a bit of a clever way out of the match, even if the angle doesn’t quite have my interest.

Post match Marshall looks distraught at what he did but Aaron Solow, Anthony Ogogo and Nick Conorado (of Marshall’s Nightmare Factory wrestling school) come in and beat down the Nightmare Family. Lee Johnson is powerbombed over the ropes and onto the ramp and Dustin Rhodes is piledriven onto the steps. Ogogo, the Olympic boxer, punches Cody down and Marshall loads up a Conchairto on the steps. Red Velvet runs in for the save and screams a lot. Did we really need another heel group?

Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky are ready to take over.

Post break Red Velvet says she had to protect her partner….and gets taken out by Jade Cagrill.

Jon Moxley can’t get the sound of Eddie Kingston’s ankle being snapped by the Good Brothers. Then you have the Young Bucks, who can’t decided if they want to fight or not. He has the barbed wire scars which make him all itchy and all of this stuff ticks him off. Tonight he has Cesar Bononi, who has a lot of talent and could make some money, but not if Moxley kills him first.

Cesar Bononi vs. Jon Moxley

Bononi runs him over to start but Moxley is right back to work on the leg. Moxley cranks the leg back but Bononi pops up with a suplex for two. We take a break (In THIS match?) and come back with Bononi hitting a running knee in the corner, only to have a knee hit the turnbuckle. Moxley snaps off a German suplex and there’s a superplex to take him down again. Bononi’s partner JD Drake offers a distraction and breaks up the Paradigm Shift, but Moxley grabs the rear naked choke for the tap at 8:00.

Rating: C-. This is where AEW could do with learning how to shorten matches. I know they can do it, but it would be nice to see it happen a bit more often. Bononi is a big guy who hasn’t done anything in AEW, so why is he going eight minutes with a former World Champion? The match wasn’t terrible, but it was longer than it needed to be.

Team Taz has another meeting where Ricky Starks talks about having a great time on Dark. They are a team, but Brian Cage doesn’t seem convinced.

MJF has brought in an interior designer to decorate the Pinnacle’s room….but the Inner Circle is in the bathroom. The big brawl is on, with Sammy Guevara slamming a door on Shawn Spears’ head. Wardlow gets Rock Bottomed through the massage table and Dax Harwood is busted open. Jericho puts MJF’s head into a toilet and then through a Pepsi refrigerator. Jericho declares this their dressing room and puts the Inner Circle’s sign back up. The Inner Circle popping up behind the door was great.

Don Callis comes up to the Young Bucks. Nick doesn’t want to hear it and leaves, so Callis talks to Matt about everything Kenny Omega sacrificed for AEW. Callis wants Matt to get fired up and finally mentions the Bucks’ dad. A slap to the face wakes Matt up but he lets Callis go, with Callis calling him pathetic.

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Lucha Bros/Laredo Kid

The Lucha Bros say they want the Tag Team Titles and Don Callis is on commentary. They starts fast with a triple superkick getting two on Omega and the big triple dive over the top to the floor. We settle down to Kid striking away on Omega but he gets in a shot of his own and hands it off to Gallows.

The rights and lefts in the corner rock Kid and the triple teaming is on. We take a break and come back with Kid getting over for the tag to Penta so house can be cleaned. A middle rope moonsault into a top rope double stomp into a Swanton crushes Anderson and some running shots in the corner make it worse.

Everything breaks down again and Anderson hits a spinebuster for two on Fenix with Kid having to make the save. The V Trigger gives Omega two on Kid but he escapes the One Winged Angel. An enziguri into a Michinoku Driver gets two on Omega but he’s back with another V Trigger. The One Winged Angel finishes Kid at 14:20.

Rating: B-. Not bad while it lasted, with more of the same dives and flips that you might have expected. Omega might not be the most interesting promo, but he can certain wrestle the fast paced style once the match actually starts. I’m still not wild on the Good Brothers, but dang the Lucha Bros know how to do this style as well as anyone going right now.

Post match here is Jon Moxley, followed by the Young Bucks, for the big staredown.

Britt Baker and Rebel laugh about Thunder Rosa not getting credit for the big win because the match was unsanctioned.

Nyla Rose/Bunny vs. Tay Conti/Hikaru Shida

Matt Hardy and Vickie Guerrero are here with Nyla and Bunny. Before the match, Matt promises Bunny won’t be left out of the title scene any longer. Oh and starting tomorrow, he gets ALL of his money again. Shida runs Bunny over to start, only to get sent outside. That means Rose can squash Shida on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Shida avoiding a charge in the corner and handing it off to Conti for a series of judo throws to Bunny. A running knee in the corner sets up a running knee in the corner, sending Bunny outside. Everything breaks down with the Dark Order getting into it with Matt and company on the floor. That leaves Bunny to take the TayKO for two with Rose making the save. Vickie offers a distraction and Bunny hits Tay with a kendo stick, setting up Down The Rabbit Hole for the pin at 7:01.

Rating: C. Kind of a mess here, but also kind of a fun mess and I’ll certainly take that. I’m really trying to wrap my head around Conti and the Bunny being the next challengers for the Women’s Title, though anything is better than Shida vs. Rose again. Bunny picking up a win should do her some good, but I’m not sure if she is going to be seen as a viable threat to many people.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Jurassic Express vs. Bear Country in a match sponsored by Kong vs. Godzilla.

Jurassic Express are ready to show Bear Country who is on top of the food chain, but Marko Stunt has a Kong tattoo.

Chuck Taylor/Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian/Miro

This is Arcade Anarchy, meaning there are video games all around the ring. They start fast with Cassidy sending Kip into Whack A Mole. Miro slams Cassidy on the floor and sends him into the same thing, including a shot with the mallet. A barricade is moved around but Miro fights out of a double suplex through said barricade. Instead, Taylor is suplexed onto the steel instead and Miro grabs a chair from the prize table (cost of 20,000 tickets) to unload on Cassidy.

Taylor makes the save and it’s time for more prizes, in the form of a trashcan lid and kendo stick. The beatdown puts Miro in trouble and a barricade shot makes it worse. More prizes are turned on top of Miro and now let’s throw Whack A Mole in there for two, with Sabian making a save. Back in and Taylor busts out a teddy bear full of Legos, but Sabian reverses a superplex into a sitout powerbomb for two.

Cassidy makes the save and hits a DDT into Beach Break for two. The Orange Punch connects but Penelope Ford pulls the referee out. There’s a low blow for Cassidy and Ford loads up a belt….but Kris Stadtlander (oh dang I had forgotten about her) pops out of the alien claw machine. Kris beats the fire out of her and hits a Falcon Arrow off of the apron and through an air hockey table.

Miro is back up with a chair to Taylor but here is Trent’s mom Sue in the van….and Trent is back as well. Miro beats up all three Best Friends and goes after Sue but Trent makes the save. Trent spears Miro through a table and Chuck hits  the powerslam off the stage through the set for the pin at 14:30.

Rating: C+. I know this is going to sound bizarre coming from me, but I wanted MORE carnage and insanity with the games here. It’s like they kept wanting to do something with them and kept pulling back from going too far. That’s kind of a shame as they had a lot of ways to go with them, but the Stadtlander return was a very nice surprise. Now can we please, please get Miro away from this story and onto ANYTHING else?

Post match the big hug, complete with Stadtlander, ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure what it was but I couldn’t get into the show this week. There was nothing overly bad here but there was nothing on here which got me overly excited. There are still too many stables and too many heels, but at least they had a fun main event and a few moments that have me interested in where things are going in the future.

Results

Christian Cage b. Frankie Kazarian – Killswitch

Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall went to a no contest when Marshall punched Arn Anderson

Jon Moxley b. Cesar Bononi – Rear naked choke

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers b. Laredo Kid/Lucha Bros – One Winged Angel to Kid

Nyla Rose/Bunny b. Hikaru Shida/Tay Conti – Down The Rabbit Hole to Conti

Chuck Taylor/Orange Cassidy b. Miro/Kip Sabian – Powerslam through the set to Sabian

 

 

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: March 24, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We are coming off of last week’s incredible Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa war and that means this show is going to have a lot to follow. I’m not sure how they are going to be able to do that but AEW does have a nice track record with this sort of thing. If nothing else, the build towards Double Or Nothing is likely starting soon so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kenny Omega vs. Matt Sydal

Non-title with Don Callis on commentary. Omega works on the arm to start and takes him down into a top wristlock. Sydal’s flip is taken down but he’s right back up with a headscissors out to the floor. Back in and Sydal starts working on the shoulder but Sydal takes him down in the corner for a running knee. Another headscissors out of the corner puts Omega down, only to have him pop back up with a heck of a clothesline.

Omega slaps him in the back but Sydal is back up with some spinning kicks to the head. Sydal snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana into a fisherman’s buster for two. Back up and Sydal sits him on the top but Omega slides through the legs to avoid a super hurricanrana (that’s a new one and a sweet counter), sending Sydal crashing to the mat. There’s the snapdragon on Sydal but he kicks Omega in the face again, setting up kind of a snap Angle Slam for two more.

Omega is right back with the V Trigger for two and the kickout offers some frustration. Sydal grabs a poisonrana and goes up, only to get crotched before the shooting star press can launch. Another V Trigger looks to set up the One Winged Angel but Sydal reverses into a victory roll for a VERY close two. Omega V Triggers him again into the One Winged Angel for the pin at 11:29.

Rating: B. I’m really not big on Sydal but these two had a rather hard hitting back and forth match. As usual, Omega is far better when he is in the ring than on the microphone so this was a good bit better than I was expecting. Omega gave him a lot here and that near fall on the victory roll was outstanding. Awesome opener here and I had a good bit of fun with it.

John Silver is ready to win the TNT Title and the Dark Order helps fire him up. Hangman Page says the team will love Silver no matter what.

Hangman Page vs. Cezar Bononi

Bononi blocks a whip into the corner but misses a big boot, allowing Page to kick him in the face instead. A slingshot dive over the top is caught though and Bononi drops him onto the apron. Back in and Page slugs away but gets sent hard into the corner. That earns Bononi a t-bone suplex into the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 2:19.

Lance Archer thinks everyone who has ever stepped in the ring has looked up to Sting. I’m sure Brisco is at the top of the list. Archer holds up Sting’s bat and says it makes people respect him now. People are going to remember his name and it is going to be showtime.

We look back at last week’s Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker war, with Rosa thanking everyone for believing in her.

Britt Baker (complete with a shirt showing her bleeding face last week) is here with Tony Schiavone and can’t believe that she isn’t getting more applause. She calls the people more disrespectful than Thunder Rosa because Baker is the reason she will be remembered. Then Rosa had the audacity to say that she put the women on the map? If that’s true, then why are so many people talking about Baker?

Mick Foley gave Baker a thumbs up, but she became a hardcore legend in one night instead of twenty years. Tony Khan is looking for every legend when the real legend is right here under his nose. She put AEW on the map last week and those three letters come second to DMD. Baker brought the intensity here. Now do something with it!

Christian Cage is in the back with the Varsity Blondes and Dante Martin when Frankie Kazarian comes up to say Christian hasn’t even said hello to an old friend. They’re cool, but Kazarian wants to know when Christian is going to start working. How about next week? Seems like we have a deal, though Kazarian tells him to check out his match on Monday, since Christian doesn’t do anything that night.

Pinnacle vs. Varsity Blondes/Dante Martin

That would be FTR/Shawn Spears for Pinnacle with MJF, Tully Blanchard and Wardlow at ringside. Spears and Garrison shove each other around to start before Garrison starts working on the arm. Martin gets in some cranking of his own and it’s quickly off to Pillman, who beats up both Spears and Harwood at the same time. Everything breaks down in a hurry with the Pinnacle being sent outside. Wardlow gets in the way of the big flip dives and we take a break. Back with Martin taking a brainbuster and Spears hitting the C4 for the pin at 6:43.

Rating: C. They sped through this one and about half of it was spent in the break. The good thing here was the fact that Pinnacle won, even if they gave up a good bit at the start. You don’t need to do anything more than what makes sense and Pinnacle winning until (maybe) they run into the Inner Circle is the right call. The team looks good and then they won, so that’s all that matters.

Post match Wardlow beats up Pillman a bit more. Wheeler says he doesn’t have any family at home so these men here are his family. Harwood calls out Santana and Ortiz because if you want to measure yourselves in wrestling, come face these men. MJF says the only thing Jericho is going to break is the next chair he sits in. Tony Schiavone tries to get involved but is glared down. MJF has a gift for them next week.

Taz insists his team has no problem and Brian Cage has apologized for praising Sting last week. The team is ready for anything.

QT Marshall talks about the perks of being part of the Nightmare Family. Cody Rhodes taught him the value of putting in the work but Tony Khan is the only person to put in more work than him. Sure there have been some perks, but what about having to make sure Cody’s coffee is hot? Cody is going to go back to the hotel with his wife but Marshall is going to be at work while his wife sleeps alone. The only way to fix this is to have an exhibition with Cody next week.

Now Marshall knows he can’t make Cody do this….but here’s Cody, with the headset on and his arm in a sling, to say the match can be on with Arn Anderson as the referee. Cody promises not to hurt Marshall next week. If he gets the Figure Four on, he’ll let it go or if he hits Cross Rhodes, he won’t follow through with it. Marshall might be his best friend, and they will have this match friend to friend. That’s enough for a handshake and Marshall seems ok. I think you know where this is going and there is nothing wrong with that.

Laredo Kid/Lucha Bros vs. Young Bucks/Brandon Cutler

Nick and Fenix trade wristlocks to start things off with Fenix spinning around into a cradle for two. Nick does the same thing and it’s a staredown, followed by a double tag off to Matt and Penta. A crucifix gets two on Matt but he grabs the Sharpshooter, sending Penta bailing over to the rope. Penta cranks on both arms for two and it’s another staredown. Laredo and Cutler come in with Kid hitting him in the jaw to start. A headscissors sends Cutler out to the floor but the Bucks break up the dive attempt.

Back in and Fenix takes the Bucks down with a very spinning springboard double wristdrag, followed by the springboard flip dive from Penta. Cutler adds his own springboard flip dive and there’s the moonsault from Kid. We settle down to a powerbomb/Sliced Bread combination for two on Kid and we take a break. Back with a double tag bringing in Matt and Penta as everything breaks down. A pop up splash gives Fenix two on Matt, followed by Kid’s springboard hurricanrana on Matt.

Penta adds a double stomp and Fenix’s springboard Swanton gets two with Nick and Cutler making a double save. Fenix superkicks Nick and then nails a spinning kick to the head. A heck of a clothesline drops Fenix though and everyone is down. It’s back to Kid, whose tornado DDT is countered into Matt’s rolling northern lights suplexes.

The Bucks start the double teaming on Kid and Risky Business (Do they have nothing better to do than think up names for moves all day?) gets two. Everything breaks down again and Fenix starts cleaning house, only to get caught in a non-springboard Indytaker. Nick hits a springboard corkscrew dive to the floor and Matt hits a SCARY DDT to plant Fenix hard on the apron. Kid’s Spanish Fly finishes Cutler at 11:28.

Rating: B. Yeah what else were you expecting here? They did all of their flips and dives and that’s why you put them in there. Kid pinning Cutler is the right call as you keep the big teams ready for whenever Pac is back for the Tag Team Title match. These matches don’t exactly stand out a lot of the time, but what they did here was rather entertaining and that is exactly the idea.

Post match here’s Kenny Omega to jump Kid with the microphone and then hit him with the microphone. Omega remembers the first ever Fyter Fest with Kid involved before shifting to the Bucks. He remembers being there three years ago with the Bucks, who were just like his family.

Omega didn’t take the greener pastures of New York because he went with the Bucks to AEW. Then they chose Brandon Cutler instead of Omega, and yeah Don Callis can be abrasive, but Omega is giving them one more chance to throw up the Too Sweet. The Bucks walk away and leave with Cutler, who Omega shouts at on the way out. Hold on though as the Lucha Bros get up and jump Omega for the spike Fear Factor. Cue the Good Brothers for the very late save, even as Omega is bleeding from the mouth.

Jade Cargill thinks Red Velvet has made a big mistake by getting in her face. If Velvet wants to get in the ring with her, she’s getting in the ring with the bad b****.

Cody and Brandi Rhodes are getting a reality show.

Eddie Kingston knows the Good Brothers broke something in his leg but he has had things broken before. Kingston gets fired up but Jon Moxley tells him to sit down because there is going to be war on the streets of Jacksonville. Moxley doesn’t play games but he owes the Young Bucks one from last week. They’re playing with live rounds so if they are willing to be in the game, they better be willing to get their hands dirty.

Tay Conti vs. Nyla Rose

Rematch from the #1 contenders tournament. Rose knocks her down with straight power to start but Conti grabs something like an Octopus which falls down to the mat. Some judo throws take Rose down again as Conti is far more aggressive than usual here. The running knee in the corner is countered into a spinebuster for two and Rose drapes her over the top rope. The top rope knee to the head gives Rose two and we take a break.

Back with Rose grabbing a backbreaker for two but Conti is back up with some strikes in the corner. Some running knees knock Rose silly and Conti hits her own flying knee to the side of the head for a rather close two. Rose gets in a shot of her own but can’t hit the Beast Bomb. The Samoan drop is countered again and Conti hits another running knee. Then another running knee sets up the DDTi (hammerlock DDT) finishes Rose at 9:27.

Rating: C. That’s the kind of thing that they need to do at some point as the division needs some fresh names at the top. Conti is someone with all kinds of potential and maybe she could be one of the next bit things in the division. Just maybe cut down a bit on the running knees. Rose is going to be fine based on her size and power, but you can only beat her so many times before it stops meaning very much.

Post match Vickie Guerrero breaks up the celebration so Rose can go after Conti. Hikaru Shida comes in for the save but Bunny comes out to help beat Shida and Conti down. Matt Hardy and company come up to say the #1 contenders tournament was a sham because Bunny wasn’t in it.

Video on Kip Sabian/Miro vs. Chuck Taylor/Orange Cassidy, who are going to have a match with video games around the ring….and it’s called Arcade Anarchy.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Scorpio Sky is ready to show us his new side. People need to stop pretending he isn’t a dangerous man. He’s ready to take out Mike Sydal on next week’s Dark: Elevation.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. John Silver

Allin is defending. They shove each other around to start and Silver gets the better of a test of strength. Allin reverses into a headlock but Silver is back up with a running elbow to send Allin crashing out to the floor. Back in and Silver tosses him around, including a heck of a toss into the corner. There’s a gorilla press toss into the corner and Silver hits a running knee for two.

We take a break and come back with Silver missing a charge to go over the barricade (possibly dislocating his shoulder in the process). Silver barely makes it back over the barricade so Allin hits a suicide dive….onto Alex Reynolds. The Dark Order surrounds Allin but here is Sting to stare them off. Back in and Silver kicks away at Allin but the German suplex is countered into la majistral for two.

The flipping Stunner is countered into a rear naked choke until Allin flips back into a cradle for two. Allin grabs something like a DDT for two but gets sent outside again. Back in again and Silver fires off kicks to the chest until Allin blocks a bit one. Allin strikes away in the corner but Silver reverses into some beatings of his own. A victory roll gives Silver two and he pump kicks Allin into the corner.

Allin knocks Silver off the top but Coffin Drops onto the Dark Order instead of going after Silver. Back in and Silver hits a kick to the head to catch Allin on top. A super torture rack toss powerbomb gets two, only because Silver hooks the leg into the ropes. Silver loads up the sitout powerbomb but Allin reverses into a Code Red to retain at 14:43.

Rating: B. Silver really is someone who might never be the World Champion but you can feel the energy that he puts into everything that he does. Having him out there working so hard is great to see and while there was not the most drama here, it was nice to see him getting such a showcase. Allin continues to be one of the best things going in AEW and is one of their best home grown stars in the company. Good stuff here, and that shouldn’t be surprising.

Post match Sting and Allin show respect to Silver but Matt Hardy comes in to take out Allin. The Dark Order comes in but here is the Matt Hardy Family Office. Allin hits a big dive onto Hardy to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This show had a little bit of everything, with storyline advancement, some very good matches up and down the card, and a high energy throughout the night. I liked this one quite a bit and it is great to see the company following up on last week’s incredible main event. Awesome show here and the kind of show that makes AEW so much fun to watch.

Results

Kenny Omega b. Matt Sydal – One Winged Angel

Hangman Page b. Cezar Bononi – Buckshot Lariat

Pinnacle b. Varsity Blondes/Dante Martin – C4 to Martin

Laredo Kid/Lucha Bros b. Young Bucks/Brandon Cutler – Spanish Fly to Cutler

Tay Conti b. Nyla Rose – DDTi

Darby Allin b. John Silver – Code Red

 

 

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