Rampage
Date: November 5, 2021
Location: Chafetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Ricky Starks, Taz, Excalibur

It’s another live show this week and that could be a good thing. The big story this week is a face to face showdown between CM Punk and Eddie Kingston, meaning it’s time to get the popcorn ready. The talking alone should be great to hear and you can all but write in the Full Gear match from here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson vs. Anthony Bowens

Max Caster is here with Bowens and raps about how Danielson loves cucumbers, is famous for his wife’s reality show, has skinny legs and a father in law who kills wrestlers’ careers (Johnny Ace). Excalibur completely butchers the Full Gear announcement, saying that’s one week from tonight (try again), before saying it’s Saturday November 30 (that’s a Tuesday) and FINALLY getting it right with Saturday November 13.

Danielson goes after the arm to start but Bowens runs him over with a shoulder. Some kicks to the face don’t do much to Danielson, who is back with a kick to the chest. They fight to the floor though and Danielson is sent into the barricade. Caster gets in a shot of his own and we take a break. Back with Danielson kicking away again, including the running dropkick in the corner.

Another misses though and a twisting DDT out of the corner gets two. Danielson is back up and kicks Caster off the apron, setting up a big dive to take both of them down. Back in and a missile dropkick sets up the arm trap stomps to Bowens’ head. The LeBell Lock finishes for Danielson at 9:02.

Rating: C. They kept this to the point as Danielson was only in trouble when Caster interfered. Other than that, Danielson picked Bowens apart before finishing him off, which is all it needed to be. This was more or less a way to get Danielson on the show without having to do much, which has been the case more than once recently.

MJF gets a payoff from Andrade El Idolo for renting out FTR. With MJF gone, FTR is happy with winning the Tag Team Titles back at Full Gear. As for this week though, Dax Harwood didn’t see Pac out there so maybe they can get together on Dynamite. Top Guys out.

Here is CM Punk to say it’s nice to be back in St. Louis before calling out Eddie Kingston for a chat. There’s no Kingston, so Punk thinks he needs to talk more because Kingston likes to interrupt people and be rude. Now here is a rather serious Kingston, who doesn’t think much of Punk wanting an apology. Punk says Kingston interrupted him last week and that’s a little condescending.

Kingston mocks “the great CM Punk” and says he wasn’t at Dynamite because he was getting checked for Covid so he wouldn’t get everyone sick. We get the world’s smallest violin for Punk and a rather forced (and short) apology. Kingston wants to know who Punk is but Punk doesn’t think much of the apology. After mocking Punk some more, Kingston talks about how Punk was one of his heroes when he was getting into the business.

We hear some more names (Samoa Joe, Homicide, Amazing Red etc.) who inspired Kingston before he talks about how Punk is a narcissistic son of a b****. Kingston goes into a rant about how Punk disrespected him for being fat and not playing the right backstage politics. Punk thinks Kingston is putting a lot of baggage on him because the reality is a lot of people judged Kingston for falling short of that mark.

It wasn’t Punk’s fault for Bryan Danielson beating Eddie Kingston last week. It was Punk’s fault for expecting greatness from someone who is a bum. That one gets to Kingston, who asks if a bum would headline Full Gear and make it (Kingston: “This is a shot”) to the ONLY professional wrestling company in the world today. The whole locker room wants Punk out of here but Kingston is the only one willing to say it.

The challenge is on for Full Gear but Punk thinks Full Gear is a little high bar for Kingston. Maybe something like Dark or Elevation because that’s more Kingston’s speed (oh that was a good one). Kingston: “FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME AT FULL GEAR!” Punk polls the crowd and the match is on for Full Gear. Before Punk can leave, Kingston says he’ll beat him up and then Punk can go away for seven more years. The fight is on and here are the referees and security to break it up.

This was VERY different and one of the most emotional things AEW has ever done. I bought everything Kingston was saying as he blamed Punk for everything that has happened to him in his career. Punk acknowledged how good Kingston was but also his shortcomings, which is a reality he doesn’t want to face. Awesome stuff here and I’m down for these two having one heck of a fight on pay per view.

Christian Cage mocks the idea of the Superkliq calling themselves tough guys. Jungle Boy throws out the challenge for the six man tag at Full Gear, Falls Count Anywhere.

TBS Title Tournament First Found: The Bunny vs. Red Velvet

Velvet charges to the ring to start fast and they’re on the floor in a hurry. Velvet yells at Jade Cargill in the crowd but gets jumped from behind, allowing Bunny to kick her into the steps. Back in and Velvet grabs a rollup for two but Bunny hits a superkick. A kick to the stomach drops Bunny though though and the Final Slice gives Velvet the pin at 3:38.

Rating: C-. They made the right call by keeping this short as these two are only going to be able to do so much in a longer match. Their in-ring work isn’t their strong suit so let them stay out there, get their stuff in and get out before they overstay their welcome. That’s the right way to go with something like this and it worked out well enough.

We get the face to face interview with John Silver and Adam Cole. Mark Henry explains the BUDGE deal (thank you) from Silver’s interview on Dynamite but Cole doesn’t want to hear about this. Silver: “Budge got a boo boo!” Cole does have a banged up head after the Conchairto but he’s still ready to take Silver apart.

Full Gear rundown, with Jurassic Express/Christian Cage vs. Superkliq confirmed.

John Silver vs. Adam Cole

The Dark Order and the Young Bucks are here too. Silver mocks Cole’s pose to start and gets kicked in the head for his efforts. Cole is a little slowed due to the Conchairto aftereffects though and Silver gets in a few shots. That’s it for now though as Cole snapmares him to the floor, setting up the camel clutch into the double kiss from the Young Bucks.

We take a break and come back with the two slugging it out, with Silver getting the better of things. A suplex attempt is countered into the brainbuster onto the knee to give Cole two but Silver runs him over again. The Bucks try to get involved but here is the Dark Order to cut them off. Silver blocks the low blow and hits a heck of a helicopter bomb for two. A superplex is broken up though and Cole hits a superkick into the Boom for the pin at 11:03.

Rating: C+. Not too shabby here with Cole’s head issues making it more of a fair match. I don’t think there was any serious doubt about Cole winning, but they did what they could to make it interesting. Throw in the good near fall off the helicopter bomb and this was one of the best showings that Silver has ever had.

Overall Rating: B-. That Punk vs. Kingston promo alone is more than worth a watch here as it was about as invested as I can remember being in an exchange for a long time in two people talking. This show helped set up some things for Full Gear and felt like more of the third hour of Dynamite. That isn’t always the case here, but it’s nice to have as an option when you need to get some more things done.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Anthony Bowens – LeBell Lock
Red Velvet b. The Bunny – Final Slice
Adam Cole b. John Silver – The Boom

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Rampage
Date: September 3, 2021
Location: Now Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, Taz

It’s the go home show for All Out and the big deal is that CM Punk is here in Chicago again. They’re still at the point where it feels important even though it happened two days ago, and it isn’t like they’ll be in Chicago every week. Other than that, expect a lot of hype towards the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Lee Johnson vs. Malakai Black

Johnson grabs a headlock to start but gets shoved into the ropes. Said ropes are grabbed out of fear of Black Mass, with Jericho and Henry thinking pain is coming. Black continues to take his time before knocking Johnson into the corner as we take a break. Back with Johnson striking away to send Black outside.

The big dive drops Black again and they head back inside so Johnson can hit a frog splash for two. Black kicks him in the head but would rather hammer away in the corner instead of covering. It’s time to grab a chair but Black slowly offers it to Johnson. That’s fine with Johnson, who picks it up, earning himself Black Mass to drive the chair into his face. Black gets the easy pin at 9:56.

Rating: C. Black was playing the mind games here and while Johnson got in a bit too much offense, it was nice to see Black destroying him in the end. That kick to the chair was great and Black’s path through the upper layer of the Nightmare Family continues. I think you can guess who is next and it should be quite the match.

Post match Black stands over Johnson but Dustin Rhodes (yep that’s who was expected) runs in for the save.

Post break, Dustin challenges Black for Dynamite.

Here is Miro for a chat about Eddie Kingston. Miro talks about Kingston being a Mad King, but Miro only serves one king. His God has told him to destroy Eddie, who is nothing more than Jon Moxley’s bag boy anyway. Cue Kingston to say Miro as God’s favorite champion is BS. Kingston doesn’t care what Miro says because he is here to deal with Miro’s sins. He knows about Miro’s bad neck and is coming for it, but Miro runs from the brawl. That’s fine with Kingston, who gives chase but runs into the TNT Title to the head. They get inside where Kingston hits a spinning backfist into the DDT to drop Miro. Solid exchange here.

Jamie Hayter/Rebel vs. Kris Statlander

Britt Baker is here with Rebel and Hayter. Statlander gets driven into the corner to start and Hayter hammers away, with Rebel getting to come in for some beating of her own. There’s a toss suplex to drop Statlander for two but Rebel’s YES Kicks don’t do much good. Instead, Statlander is back up with a powerslam and takes an invading Hayter down as well.

A backsplash crushes both Hayter and Rebel for two and Hayter is low bridged to the floor. Rebel gets caught in an electric chair so Hayter charges…and gets caught in a World’s Strongest Slam at the same time. A kick to the head rocks Rebel and it’s a weird arm trap Liontamer to make Rebel tap at 4:11 as Baker and Hayter watch from ringside.

Rating: C. This is about all you could ask for here as they made Statlander look dominant on her way to the title match with Baker. Statlander is a force on her own and they have toned down the alien stuff enough to make her a more serious challenger. That’s the kind of tweak you need and it worked on most fronts here.

Post match the beatdown is teased but Red Velvet runs in for the save.

We look at the build to the Lucha Bros vs. the Young Bucks in a cage at All Out, including the big beatdown from the Elite on Dynamite.

All Out rundown. Jon Moxley and Satoshi Kojima got in a fight at the press conference for their match earlier today.

We get the split screen interview, with 2.0 saying Daniel Garcia is going to keep Darby Allin out of All Out. Allin isn’t looking past Garcia tonight because he wants to look at CM Punk one more time before All Out.

Darby Allin vs. Daniel Garcia

Sting and 2.0 are here too and CM Punk, in a Bret Hart shirt is out for commentary. Allin stars fast and takes Garcia down to hammer away. They head outside, where Allin misses a charge and falls over a table, sending himself hard into the barricade. Sting beats up 2.0 to give Allin some time but Garcia sends Allin into the steps to keep him in trouble. Back in and Allin grabs a Fujiwara armbar but Garcia is right back up. Garcia catches him on top for a superplex and a near fall as we take a break.

Back with Garcia grabbing a sleeper so Allin climbs the ropes. The big drop down onto the mat breaks things up and Allin grabs the Pepsi Twist (an old Punk move), for two and some applause from Punk. Code Red gives Allin two as Punk wants to know why so many moves are named after soda. Allin grabs the Last Supper for the pin on Garcia at 10:48.

Rating: C+. Allin continues to be at his best when he has to fight from behind and that’s what he did here. Garcia is a good choice for a match like this as he can make anyone look good before losing in the end, as he isn’t an established name just yet. Punk was good on commentary too, as he sounded like he wanted to learn about Allin on their way to the match on Sunday.

Post match 2.0 comes in for the beatdown and Punk stands up, eventually throwing down the headset. Punk stares 2.0 down and Allin hits a big suicide dive onto both of them. Allin stares Punk down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling itself was only pretty good, but this show’s job was to set things up for the pay per view. It did a nice job of giving some of the lower level matches (plus Punk vs. Allin) some extra attention and that is what Rampage can be very good for in the future. Good show, and the kind of thing that AEW has been needing.

Results
Malakai Black b. Lee Johnson – Black Mass into a chair
Kris Statlander b. Rebel/Jamie Hayter – Arm trap Boston crab to Rebel
Darby Allin b. Daniel Garcia – Last Supper

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Dynamite
Date: August 25, 2021
Location: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

Then everything changed. CM Punk made his, ahem, surprise debut last week on Rampage in what might be the greatest moment AEW has had in its history. Other than that….I mean does anything else really matter? All Out is in a week and a half and most of the card seems to be set but there are still some spots available. Let’s get to it.

Here is Rampage if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We get a quick clip from Punk’s debut on Rampage.

Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy

No seconds here for a change. We open with the DELETE vs. lazy kicks, which I think we’ve seen before. Matt breaks up the lazy superkick though and reaches into his own pockets to pull out money. Cassidy hits the dropkick into the nipup, complete with hands in his pockets. Then he picks up the money and put it into his pocket. Well some of it at least, as he would rather dive onto Matt, who catches him with the Side Effect on the floor.

Cassidy’s ribs are wrapped around the post and it’s back inside (with a bunch of money on the mat) for some belly to back suplexes. Matt stops to pick up a bunch of money and even steals the money back from Cassidy (as he should, since Cassidy is a thief). Cassidy tries to fight back but Beach Break is countered into a nasty Splash Mountain for two. The Twist of Fate is blocked though and Cassidy takes him down.

A high crossbody lands on Hardy’s face and Hardy is busted open. Cassidy goes up, hits the Jeff Hardy pose, and puts his hands in his pockets for the Swanton. Hardy blocks a Twist of Fate and a top rope elbow hits Cassidy’s back again. Then Cassidy grabs his own Twist of Fate for two as Matt’s blood is all over Cassidy. Hardy tries a guillotine choke but Cassidy reverses into a cradle with his hands in the pockets for the pin at 10:08.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough, despite it having a lot of comedy and being two guys I’m not fond of most of the time. Cassidy should be beating Hardy, who doesn’t need to be going over just about anyone at this point. Also, it was very, very refreshing to have a straight match without 437 people getting involved at the same time.

Aleister Black is ready to destroy Arn Anderson’s son, plus the rest of the Nightmare Family. That could take a whole lot of destructing.

Here is Chris Jericho to talk about tapping out to MJF last week. Jericho talks about the Labors of Jericho and how he came up short in the grand finale. It has become a mantra for him: “BEAT MJF! BEAT MJF! BEAT MJF!” Jericho has an idea for a final match between them but MJF won’t come out. His idea is one more match at All Out, where he will put his career on the line.

Cue MJF with a “MJF – 3, Jeriblow – 0” shirt, to say this is getting a little embarrassing. He knows Jericho needed a rub from the fastest rising star in the history of professional wrestling, but the cash cow’s udders are sore. Last week, MJF made him tap out faster than someone listening to a Fozzy CD, but the idea of Jericho never wrestling again is too much to pass up so the match is on. That was about the only way they could go after last week.

The Varsity Blonds say they’re a real family and they’re ready to beat the Lucha Bros.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Varsity Blonds vs. Lucha Bros

Julia Hart is here with the Blonds and the Elite comes out to watch. Garrison can’t get very far with Fenix so it’s off to Pillman to superkick Penta. A running hurricanrana takes Penta down but he is right back with a Sling Blade. Back from a break with Penta taking down both Blonds and handing it back to Fenix for a bunch of kicks.

The rolling cutter gets two on Pillman and everything breaks down, including Fenix hitting a very fast suicide dive onto the Blonds. Back in and Pillman hits a heck of a powerbomb for two on Fenix. Garrison adds a springboard elbow but Penta makes the save this time. The Bros send Garrison outside and it’s an assisted Fear Factor for the pin at 8:23.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted and the right team won in the end. The Lucha Bros are about as awesome of a team as you’re going to find when they are on a roll and that was the case there. What mattered here was getting the right team moving forward, and the Varsity Blonds will have their day (eventually).

Post match Jurassic Express joins the Lucha Bros in the ring. The Elite tries to come in and are knocked off the apron in a hurry.

Video on Pac vs. Andrade.

All Out rundown, now including Britt Baker defending the Women’s Title against Kris Statlander.

Jamie Hayter vs. Red Velvet

Hayter has Britt Baker and Rebel in her corner. Hayter wastes no time in throwing Velvet into the corner for the choking. Velvet manages to send her to the floor for back to back suicide dives (with Hayter going flat down for a different kind of selling). A hard posting drops Velvet and Baker gets in a few cheap shots as we take a break. Back with Velvet winning a slugout and hitting a running elbow against the ropes. Some running knees connect on the ropes but Baker offers a distraction, allowing Hayter to hit a hard lariat for the pin at 6:53.

Rating: C. Velvet got in some offense here and that should have been the case when she was getting the title shot just two weeks ago. Hayter needs to get a few wins to establish herself as someone to beat and this was a good step. Put her over someone Baker beat so that Hayter looks like she is on a higher level.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kris Statlander makes the save.

The Dark Order doesn’t seem to be on the same page over, uh, Page. Alex Reynolds doesn’t like what Evil Uno has been saying and walks out, with John Silver going with him. Uno tries to apologize but the rest of the team isn’t thrilled either.

Tony Schiavone brings out CM Punk for a chat. Punk is asked what one thing brought him back to wrestling, but Punk can’t hear over all of the people. Punk lists off some of the younger wrestlers who he wants to face, but there is one guy who has gotten his attention first. He’s going to retire the nickname Voice of the Voiceless because there are people who have a voice and there are people who listen.

Punk has been looking at someone like Darby Allin who looks like he is willing to kill himself. There are people asking if Punk can still go and if he still has it to be the best in the world. He looks at Allin and sees someone who would have been Punk’s favorite wrestler at 15 years old. Allin isn’t the biggest or the strongest but he has heart.

Can Punk still do it? Fans: “YES! YES! YES!” Punk: “That’s someone else’s thing and you just have to wait a little longer.” He’ll see Allin in Chicago and loves his wife April. Punk gets a very strong sendoff. This was a straight promo from Punk and it was a good way to set up the Darby match at All Out.

Miro talks about how he will forgive Fuego del Sol but he is going to drag Eddie Kingston under the water because he is the Redeemer. Bring him the Mad King before he burns this place to the ground.

Eddie Kingston/Jon Moxley/Darby Allin vs. Wingmen

Sting and Peter Avalon are here too. Allin chokes the much bigger JD Drake to start and sends him outside. The big dive has to be canceled so Ryan Nemeth swivels his hips at Kingston. A single chop gets rid of him so Cezar Bononi comes in to shrug off Kingston’s chops. Moxley tags himself in and a double shoulder clears the ring.

We take a break and come back with Moxley suplexing Bononi and it’s Kingston coming in to strike away on Drake. Moxley has to save Kingston from a Vader Bomb with a bite to Drake’s face, allowing Allin to hit a super Code Red. Avalon gets beaten up on the floor as Nemeth tries to bring in a chair. That goes horrible, and it’s a flipping Stunner into the Coffin Drop to finish Drake at 7:40.

Rating: C. This was a total weekend show main event and that’s all it needed to be. I was worried about the Wingmen giving three much bigger names too much of a problem but they got out of there just in time. Good enough match here, even if it was just a workout for the openers.

Post match everyone else is brawling on the floor so here is Daniel Garcia to jump Allin from behind.

Tay Conti is ready for the Casino Battle Royal but the Bunny comes in to offer her a spot in the Hardy Family Office. The contract is ripped up with a NO and the fight is on.

FTR wants one more match with Santana and Ortiz.

Here is the Elite to promise to take out Christian Cage. Cue Cage, to show a video of Don Callis hyping up the ten year old Kenny Omega, which is why he fired Christian. Back in the ring, Omega says that makes him like Vince McMahon, Verne Gagne or Eddie Graham, but this isn’t Greg Gagne or Eric Watts. Christian accuses Callis of manipulating Omega, who asks Christian “You think you know me?” Callis takes off his pink suit and the group beatdown is on until Frankie Kazarian runs in for the save with a lead pipe.

Jon Moxley sent a contract to New Japan and got it sent back with one signature. Satoshi Kojima has signed the deal and Moxley is ready to send him out in a blaze of glory. Moxley wants to do some horrible things to Kojima and he’ll see him at All Out.

Gunn Club vs. The Factory

Paul Wight is on commentary. Comoroto gets sent outside to start and it’s off to Solow, who gets taken down by Austin. Marshall gets in a cheap shot though and we take a break. Back with Colton coming in to clean house as everything breaks down. Marshall stops to yell at Wight though and the distraction lets Colton grab the small package win at 5:51. Not enough shown to rate, but it was just a way to mess with Marshall.

Dan Lambert, with the Men of the Year, rants about wrestling fans being soft and how they all want their safe spaces. Those people need to believe in men like these two, and there may be hope for them yet.

Arn Anderson knows that his son Brock is in over his head and he’s probably going to lose to Malaki Black. He’ll be there with his son though.

Brock Anderson vs. Malakai Black

Brock takes him down and hammers away but Black unloads with strikes in the corner. Hold on though as Black yells at Arn, allowing Brock to get in a few shots to the leg. That earns Brock a suplex and Black Mass, making Arn cringe. The delayed pin finishes Brock at 2:29.

Post match Arn comes in to check on Brock but Black has a chair. Arn is ready to fight and blocks a kick to the head. He can’t block a low blow though and then the kick to the head drops Arn. Lee Johnson runs in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t the must see episode as it was much more about having the people involved in the bigger stories talking rather than wrestling. That being said, this is the show that All Out has been needing as everything else has been cleared out and the pay per view could get some focus. It’s not a show you need to watch, but there was some good storyline advancement and nothing bad up and down the show.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Matt Hardy – Rollup
Lucha Bros b. Varsity Blonds – Assisted Fear Factor to Pillman
Jamie Hayter b. Red Velvet – Lariat
Eddie Kingston/Darby Allin/Jon Moxley b. Wingmen – Coffin Drop to Drake
Gunn Club b. The Factory – Small package to Marshall
Malaki Black b. Brock Anderson – Black Mass

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: April 13, 2021
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, Taz

It’s the debut of the secondary show which is actually on television and not full of squashes. I’m not sure what this is going to mean for the company as a whole, but if they can put some stuff on here instead of cramming it all onto Dynamite, we could be in for something good. The card is pretty stacked tonight too so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage

Omega, with Don Callis, is defending. They go with the feeling out process to start and Christian flips him off in the corner to start the mind games. It’s too early for both guys to hit their finisher and Omega bails to the floor for an early breather. Back in and Omega chops away but Christian knocks him to the apron for the dropkick back to the floor. Hold on though as Callis offers a distraction, allowing Omega to shove Christian down in the big crash.

We take a break and come back with Christian snapping off a snap suplex but Omega catches him on top. The superplex is broken up with a heck of a sunset bomb and Christian hammers away, setting up the stand on the back while Omega is in the ropes. There’s the right hand to the face but Omega is right back with YOU CAN’T ESCAPE into the moonsault for two. Omega knees him in the face, hits a powerbomb and nails the V Trigger for two more. Henry: “That was a heel factor like Wolverine.”

Christian grabs the rope to counter a German suplex out of the corner and avoids another V Trigger, sending Omega knee first into the buckle. The spear gives Christian two but Omega is back with a pair of snapdragons. Christian manages to snap the throat across the top though and a frog splash gets two (and I bought it). Callis gets on the apron for the distraction so the Young Bucks can bring in a chair. The One Winged Angel onto the chair is countered into the Killswitch onto the chair to give Christian the pin and the title at 15:25.

Rating: B. I was surprised by the title change and that’s a nice feeling to have. I’ve spent weeks saying that Omega wasn’t losing anything until he lost the AEW World Title, though having an AEW wrestler beat an AEW wrestler for the Impact World Title is a heck of a way to go. Either way, they had a good match and that’s what matters most here as the new show kicks off.

Post break, Christian, with Jurassic Express and Orange Cassidy, is happy with his win but knows what it is going to take to beat Omega for the AEW World Title. He’s in Omega’s head though and that’s all that matters.

Fuego del Sol is ready to beat Miro.

Miro is ready to beat Fuego del Sol.

TNT Title: Fuego del Sol vs. Miro

Del Sol, with a 1-38 record, is challenging and gets a full time contract if he can pull off the upset. Fuego tornado DDTs Miro before the bell and then does it again after the bell, sending Miro to the floor as Jericho wants to know how a luchador is from Mobile, Alabama. Miro beats the count back in and another tornado DDT gets a close two. Del Sol goes up top again but this time he dives into the Samoan drop. The jumping superkick sets up Game Over to retain the title at 1:59. Exciting while it lasted but this was the only way it was going to go.

Post match, Miro rips up the contract and holds up the title.

Post break, Fuego gets up but Tony Khan (his first time ever on AEW TV outside of being seen in passing in the background) and Sammy Guevara come out. Khan hands Guevara a contract, which he brings to Fuego. Yes Fuego has been around for a long time and is like 1-50, but the people love him and now he is All Elite.

Sting and Darby Allin brood in the rafters.

Mark Henry runs a split screen interview with Red Velvet and Britt Baker. Velvet doesn’t think much of Baker attacking her with a crutch but Baker says she’ll retain the title even with a broken wrist.

Women’s Title: Britt Baker vs. Red Velvet

Baker, with Rebel, is defending and is crazy over in her hometown. They fight over the wrist control to start, which is not a great idea when Baker has a bad wrist. Velvet takes her down but won’t stomp on the arm, which has Jericho and Taz going nuts. Back up and Velvet hits a leg lariat into a moonsault press for two as we take a break. Back with Baker going for Lockjaw but the band hand won’t let her get it in.

Velvet goes after the glove so Rebel offers a distraction, earning an ejection. A moonsault gives Velvet two but Baker is back with a curb stomp (Jericho: “That’s a real curb stomp!”). The Lockjaw is loaded up so Velvet goes for the hand. That’s fine with Baker, who goes with a reverse Lockjaw for the tap to retain at 10:33.

Rating: C+. Velvet was doing everything she could here but the complete lack of drama hurt things. Baker is the most over woman that AEW has ever seen by about ten miles and this was her big homecoming. The match wasn’t great but the crowd reaction lifted it up and that’s ok in a spot like this.

Post match, Baker lays out Velvet again but Kris Statlander makes the save by dropping Baker. Cue Jamie Hayter (who wrestled here way back in 2019 and looks like a discount Becky Lynch) to jump Statlander and pose with Baker to end the show. That was a really questionable choice as Baker was the biggest face in the world on this show and they end it was a virtual unknown returning as her new enforcer to beef up the heel stuff. That’s a weird way to go and I’m really not seeing why they had to do this here in front of this crowd.

Overall Rating: B. This worked really well, with the title change at the beginning making the show feel important and the big Baker entrance feeling special. The Fuego thing probably gets a lot better if you watch Dark/Elevation, though it’s not like a sub two minute match is going to drag a show down that much. The ending…..yeah still not feeling it in that spot, as AEW still needs to learn the concept of enough is enough. Overall, the show felt like a short form Dynamite and that is a rather appealing idea, especially since it’s not tacked on to Dynamite in the first place.

Results
Christian Cage b. Kenny Omega – Killswitch onto a chair
Miro b. Fuego del Sol – Game Over
Britt Baker b. Red Velvet – Lockjaw

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: August 11, 2021
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s the Britt Baker Show this week and that is pretty long overdue. Baker has been the best thing about the women’s division, if not the entire company, for a long time now and deserves a big hometown night like this. Other than that, we are getting ready for both All Out and this week Rampage debut. Let’s get to it.

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

MJF, with Wardlow, talk about how Chris Jericho is trying to make his way through the Labors of Jericho, but tonight he is running into a monster. Jericho needs to defeat MJF because he never has before and he can’t handle that. Somehow though, let’s say that he makes it through Wardlow, what do you think is waiting on him? MJF brings up Wardlow losing to Cody Rhodes in the cage last year though and tells him not to mess up again. Wardlow destroys the apple MJF hands him.

Elite vs. Mike Sydal/Matt Sydal/Dante Martin

Don Callis is on commentary and during the entrances, we’re told that Kenny Omega will defend against Christian Cage at All Out. That’s going to get some people talking. Mike gets sent into the corner by Matt Jackson to start but comes back with a rollup for two. Nick comes in and rakes Martin’s eyes but a rather spinning headscissors takes Nick down. Omega comes in to take Martin down and is booed out of the building.

The Sydals come in for double enziguris to Omega, followed by the double baseball slides. Dante is launches out onto them, with Mike joining in but Matt Sydal hanging back. They head back inside with Martin hitting a high crossbody on Matt Jackson (who thankfully is fine after having his leg go underneath him on the landing). Omega comes in to shove Mike down and the Elite starts taking their turns.

The Kitaro Crusher gets two but Mike slips away and gets the hot tag to Matt Sydal. Everything breaks down and the Sydals grab a Muta Lock/Crossface combination on Matt Jackson. That’s broken up by Omega who snaps off some snapdragons. Martin comes in to clean house and then gets the hot tag to clean house again. A running springboard hurricanrana to the floor drops Omega and a moonsault gets two on Matt Jackson.

We hit the parade of shots to the face, capped off by Omega hitting a heck of a V Trigger to Martin. The One Winged Angel is countered though and Martin hits a Pele. Another V Trigger cuts that off but Martin counters a Tiger Driver 98 into a rollup. A third V Trigger and the One Winged Angel plant Martin as the Bucks superkick the Sydals. The BTE V Trigger finishes Martin at 12:18.

Rating: B. Now this was more like it, as the Elite shouldn’t have been sweating these guys and then had to turn it up to pull off the win. Martin’s comebacks against Omega at the win made for a good sequence and more than one of the counters surprised me. Good stuff here and the kind of Elite swagger I can go for on occasion. That being said, this was a breakout performance from Martin, whose high flying stuff looked great and had the fans going nuts.

Post match Callis gets in the ring for a chat but here is Christian Cage to cut them off. The Jurassic Express comes in to even things up a bit and we take a break. Back with Callis taking the mic from Christian, who does get a bit of praise. It’s true that Christian has a great finisher and Omega can’t wait to kick out of it. Christian calls Callis a piece of s*** and then uses….whatever Pittsburgh term he uses for a bad person. Callis says of course Christian isn’t getting his title shot in Pittsburgh, but Christian has heard something else.

See, Omega has a lot of titles, and according to Tony Khan, he’ll be defending the Impact Wrestling World Title on Friday, in the first match of Rampage. The music plays but Jungle Boy says hang on a second. It turns out that he has been talking to Khan as well, so next week on Dynamite, the Jurassic Express gets a shot at the Young Bucks. Omega is so annoyed that he has nothing to say after cutting the music.

We look back at Malakai Black laying out Cody Rhodes last week while talking about how he has one foot on Cody and one foot in the grave.

Cody and Brandi Rhodes have a new reality show starting September 29.

Miro is ready to destroy Fuego del Sol.

Daniel Garcia vs. Darby Allin

Garcia has 2.0 (formerly Ever-Rise) and Allin has Sting. Allin grabs a headlock to start but Garcia shoves him off and shoulders him into an armbar. Garcia takes him into the ropes as one of 2.0 offers a distraction, allowing Garcia to send Allin arm first into the buckle. We take a break and come back with Garcia pulling him off the ropes.

A double arm lock allows Garcia to kick Allin in the head until he can reach the rope with a boot. Garcia slaps him in the back, which just seems to bring Allin back to live. A rear naked choke out of nowhere has Allin in trouble but he flips backwards for two and the break. The flipping Stunner plants Garcia and the Coffin Drop is enough for the pin on Garcia at 10:39.

Rating: C+. I remember seeing a lot of Garcia over Wrestlemania weekend and being impressed. I’m glad to see him getting a chance here and that is a good thing. The same is true of 2.0, who are great at being the goofy lackeys. Allin continues to be built up for something big, and they are certainly teasing the huge showdown in Chicago.

Post match 2.0 goes after Allin but Sting takes them out. Allin gets back up and 2.0 is cleared out in a hurry.

Death Triangle doesn’t like what Andrade El Idolo has been doing to mess with them. Pac says the Lucha Bros are the best and deserve gold. As for Andrade, if he wants some of Pac, come find him.

Orange Cassidy/Chuck Taylor/Wheeler Yuta vs. Matt Hardy/Private Party

Kris Statlander and the rest of the Hardy Family Office are here too. Hardy and Cassidy have the DELETE vs. Pockets staredown to start, with Cassidy putting Hardy’s hand in his own pocket to start. That’s enough for two off a rollup but Hardy is back up with the Side Effect for two. Cassidy rolls away before Matt can launch the middle rope elbow and avoids a charge in the corner.

The falling middle rope splash gets two and it’s Marq Quen coming in to set up a missed Poetry In Motion. Cassidy slow motion kicks Quen in the knee and drops low to set up Yuta’s running charge. Taylor adds Soul Food and Yuta hits something like an Angle Slam for two. The Silly String plants Yuta though and the near fall sends us to a break. Back with everything breaking down and the women getting in an argument on the floor.

Cue Nyla Rose to run Statlander over and Jack Evans to take out Yuta. Everything breaks down and it’s a parade of secondary finishers until Yuta hits a top rope splash for two on Kassidy. Matt sends Taylor into the barricade (and nearly runs a referee over on the way). Gin and Juice hits Yuta but Cassidy makes the save and hits an Orange Punch on Kassidy. Hardy sends Quen into Kassidy and the Twist of Fate finishes Yuta at 9:53.

Rating: C. The action was certainly energized but there were WAY too many people involved in this match. You had all seven members of the Hardy Family Office, Cassidy, Taylor, Statlander, Rose and Yuta. That’s double the amount of people actually in the match and it was way too much going on to keep track of what was happening. Just keep some of them in the back or break it up a bit because a lot of the fun was lost due to the calamity.

Chavo Guerrero is offended by the Death Triangle’s comments but thinks Andrade El Idolo vs. Pac sounds good for All Out.

Santana and Ortiz want to hurt FTR even more because it isn’t over.

Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander

Great. Nyla Rose is here twice. Vickie Guerrero and Orange Cassidy are here too. Rose runs her over to start but Statlander gets in a shot of her own. Vickie screams at Cassidy to mess him up, allowing Rose to hit a chokeslam onto the apron for two. Statlander handstands her way to freedom but gets speared down, allowing Rose to load up a superplex. That’s countered into a powerbomb out of the corner and Area 451 finishes Rose at 2:59.

The Young Bucks are back at the basketball and say that beating the Jurassic Express will be like a layup. Cue Luchasaurus to block it and say not in his house. Nick calls it a foul but Brandon Cutler says it was all ball. When AEW gets a theme going, they run with it until the bitter end. That being said, it was a funny segment.

Video on Britt Baker vs. Red Velvet in the main event of the first Rampage. Velvet is on a roll and gets a title shot against Baker in Baker’s hometown.

Tony Schiavone brings out Britt Baker for a chat, meaning the fans get to wave the yellow towels (Pittsburgh Steelers tradition). Baker can’t really comment on Red Velvet’s rise because she is on the top of AEW. She wasn’t afraid to step up when this city needed a champion and holds up the title, because it means hope. Speaking of hope, Red Velvet might have a glimmer of it if the match wasn’t taking place in Pittsburgh. With that out of the way, Baker needs Tony to practice his DMD, which seems to go well. Cue Red Velvet for the brawl before the title match.

Ricky Starks says he is a man instead of a machine and is ready for Brian Cage.

Impact Tag Team Titles: Dark Order vs. Good Brothers

The Brothers are defending and Impact’s Scott D’Amore is on commentary. The Order jumps them to start and it’s Anderson in trouble in a hurry. Brandon Cutler offers a distraction so here is Frankie Kazarian to take care of him. We take a break and come back with Grayson getting the hot tag and cleaning house. A 450 gives Grayson two and the Fatality is loaded up. Cutler breaks that up and it’s a Gun Stun to Grayson, setting up the Magic Killer to retain at 7:39.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to get very far, but at the same time, that is a lot better than having the Good Brothers out there for a long match. I don’t know if there was any drama about the Dark Order actually winning here, but if they ever actually do, the pop is going to be other worldly.

NWA Women’s Champion Kamille is ready for Leylah Hirsch.

Here is QT Marshall and the Nightmare Factory to get the apology from Tony Schiavone. Therefore, they grab Tony’s son from the crowd and beat him up, despite Tony apologizing (and calling Marshall a son of a b****). Cue Paul Wight to wreck everyone.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Sting/Darby Allin vs. 2.0 in a Texas Tornado match.

Chris Jericho vs. Wardlow

This is the fourth Labor of Jericho and MJF is at ringside. Jericho starts fast and hits a Codebreaker for one, which just seems to annoy Wardlow. They head outside with Jericho being sent into the barricade and post as the dominance is on. Back in and Wardlow hits a pair of powerbombs to send us to a break.

We come back with Wardlow hitting another powerbomb but Jericho chops away. That just earns him the F10 but MJF says keep going instead of covering. Jericho grabs the legs and puts on the Walls but MJF rakes the eyes for the break. MJF tries to slip Wardlow the Dynamite Diamond but gets caught, meaning it’s an elimination. Jericho uses the distraction to get in a shot with Floyd, setting up the Judas Effect for the pin at 10:07.

Rating: C. First off: am I crazy or was MJF announced as guest referee coming into this? Anyway, the match was mostly a squash until the wacky finish and that’s how you get Wardlow to look like a monster. Jericho had to hit him in the face with a baseball bat to win so it isn’t like he beat him clean. This was little more than a means to an end though and there was little drama as a result. In this case, that’s how the match should go.

Post match Shawn Spears runs in to jump Jericho, which draws in Sammy Guevara for the save. Wardlow and MJF run back in to beat on Jericho, including the Salt of the Earth on the bad arm, but Jake Hager makes the real save. MJF grabs the mic and says the match is on for next week, but there will be no Judas Effect or Judas music. That’s a pretty lame way to go, especially since Jericho used his other two (and more famous) finishers in the match, with commentary bragging about how awesome the Codebreaker has been over the years.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sure where to start here as this was a PACKED show with all kinds of things going on throughout the night. The first thing I would say is that I was entertained though, as they threw in so much stuff that it was never once boring. This was the kind of energized show that WWE has not had in years and only NXT has had in a long time. That part was very fun and is the kind of thing that AEW has focused on over its existence.

That being said, there are still quite a few issues here, with the biggest being the amount of people running around. There were multiple matches here with WAY too many people involved and it dragged things down almost every time. AEW’s roster is far, far too big for one show and having everyone running around all the time keeps things from leaving as much of an impact as they should. In the same vein, it felt like nothing had a chance to breathe because they were building up Rampage, Dynamite and All Out at the same time, while also focusing on titles from three different promotions (with AAA there as well).

Overall, I liked the show a lot but there were times where I was getting frustrated by how many things were going on. That has been an issue with AEW for a long time, as they try to pack in way too much stuff. I’m half hopeful that Rampage will help, but at the same time I’m worried that they will keep Dynamite the same and add even more in on Rampage. Maybe not, but they need to find a way to pace things a bit better. Still though, heck of a fun show.

Results
Elite b. Mike Sydal/Matt Sydal/Dante Martin – One Winged Angel to Martin
Darby Allin b. Daniel Garcia – Coffin Drop
Matt Hardy/Private Party b. Wheeler Yuta/Orange Cassidy/Chuck Taylor – Twist of Fate to Yuta
Kris Statlander b. Nyla Rose – Area 451
Good Brothers b. Dark Order – Magic Killer to Grayson
Chris Jericho b. Wardlow – Judas Effect

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.

Dynamite
Date: August 4, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

We’re back in Jacksonville for Homecoming as we have the fifth week in a row with some kind of a special themed show. That could include a lot of different things, including Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera of all people. Why? Well he wrestled in WCW in the 90s so he’s fair game. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Juventud Guerrera vs. Chris Jericho

MJF is on commentary and Jericho has to hit a move off the top to win. The once again masked Juvy chops away to start and grabs a headscissors to send Jericho outside. Air Juvy takes Jericho down again and but he slips out of the Juvy Driver back inside. Jericho takes him outside and chops away, followed by a high crossbody for two back inside. Jericho forearms him down but runs into a superkick (MJF: “I taught him that.”). A low kick to the face sets up the Rings of Saturn to Jericho, who powers up with ease.

Jericho hits a top rope ax handle for two, with frustration setting in. Jericho knocks him down and goes for a cover, which isn’t how this match works. With that not working, Jericho goes up again but Juvy catches him with the right hands to the head. The super hurricanrana is countered into the Walls but Juvy grabs the rope. Another kick to the face gives Juvy two more and the Juvy Driver gets the same. MJR wants Aubrey fired for the slow count as Juvy takes Jericho up top. That’s fine with Jericho, who shoves him down and hits a top rope Judas Effect for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C. This was a lot better than I was expecting, but it was another legends match which didn’t exactly blow the roof off. It also didn’t exactly feel like a bit followup to the Nick Gage match last week, but they probably should have taken a step back as you can only go so far. Juvy looked like an older version of himself here but that’s exactly how is should have been.

Post match here is Wardlow to wreck both of them, allowing MJF to announce that Labor #4 is Jericho vs. Wardlow. That match needs a special referee, and MJF will be the perfect choice.

The Lucha Bros are here sans Pac. Andrade El Idolo comes up with his entourage, with Chavo Guerrero offering money, cars etc. That’s going to be a no, with the Lucha Bros leaving because Death Triangle is family.

The Dark Order is ready for a chat but Hangman Page shows up, drink in hand. Page takes blame for the loss last week and says he can’t keep blaming himself. For now, it is time to go their separate ways, even though he still loves them. They agree to let him have his space.

Daniel Garcia/2.0 vs. Darby Allin/Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston

Sting is with the good guys. Before the match, 2.0 (formerly Ever-Rise in NXT) says it is time to show what they can do. During Moxley’s entrance, JR talks about how great it is going to be in Cincinnati. He quotes Major League (and gets the first word wrong), which is about the Cleveland Indians. Anyway we start fast with Garcia getting some early near falls on Allin. A blind tag brings in Matt Lee to send Allin into the corner but a quick roll into the corner allows the tag to Kingston.

The chop off goes to Kingston and it’s time to stomp Lee down in the corner. A chop block cuts Moxley down though and we take a break. Back with Kingston and Garcia hitting a double clothesline but Garcia cuts off the tag. Moxley has had it and comes in to wreck everyone, allowing Allin to hit the dive to the floor. Back in and Moxley this a clothesline into a neckbreaker to drop Garcia. The Paradigm Shift sets up a Coffin Drop to put Garcia away at 7:20.

Rating: C. This could have been worse and I could see 2.0 being on Dark or Dark Elevation. I’m not sure if they need to do anything more than that as this tag division is completely bloated already, but I can see why they are getting a chance. Garcia was the star of the team and will likely get at least another look, which he should.

Video on Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks, with Starks knowing that the FTW Title is his ticket to the top. Cage says he’s going to bring the intensity because who’s better than him?

The Elite is still having fun with a basketball, with the Young Bucks asking if there is anyone left to come after their Tag Team Titles. That would be no, because they are going to have to be buried with their belts. Kenny Omega talks about how Hangman Page blew it at the buzzer and now the fans don’t care about him anymore. Brandon Cutler goes up and cuts down the net. Note that Omega was wearing a Cookie Monster shirt. As in CM.

Christian Cage vs. Blade

Bunny is here with Blade, who gets in a fight with Christian on the ramp. Christian hammers him down to the floor but Bunny gets in Christian’s face. That doesn’t quite work as Christian decks Blade again and goes back inside. Bunny grabs the foot again but here is Leylah Hirsch (her opponent tonight) to fight her to the back. Christian grabs the reverse DDT for two but Blade drops him ribs first across the top as we take a break.

Back with Blade stomping on Christian but missing a charge into the post to send Blade outside. Christian hits the big dive but is too banged up to do anything about it. Back in and Christian wins a slugout, allowing him to stand on Blade back for the middle rope choking. There’s the middle rope elbow but Blade is right back with a powerslam. Blade teases going after the turnbuckle but it is a ruse so brass knuckles can be grabbed. Not that it matters as Christian spears him down for the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. This was another nice match, even if it didn’t hit that next level. Christian is piling up wins and I’m curious to see where that is going. Cage getting a pay per view title shot is hard to imagine but it is the kind of thing that we might be seeing. It isn’t the worst idea, but it seems like there might be better options.

Dax Harwood goes on a heck of a rant about how Santana and Ortiz watched Cash Wheeler’s arm be busted open so badly that he nearly lost it. This isn’t funny and it isn’t over between them.

Here are Britt Baker and Rebel for a chat, but since chats don’t last long without being interrupted around here, it’s Red Velvet to interrupt. Velvet says Baker doesn’t look good in red but Baker says she beat Velvet in three minutes last time. That was when Velvet was an enhancement talent (Velvet’s words) but now she is 22-4 with 7 straight wins.

Baker says the match is on if it’s Tony Khan approved, which it will be because she’s the golden girl. We’ll do it on the big stage in her hometown of Pittsburgh next Friday. Rebel tries to get in a crutch shot but Velvet knocks her away, only to get jumped by Baker. This is just a one off match and that’s fine, because Baker’s reception next week is going to be other worldly.

Chavo Guerrero has gotten Fuego del Sol to work for Andrade El Idolo, but del Sol isn’t happy with being told to shine shoes. Andrade destroys him.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat but he only gets out a “well” before the Elite interrupts him. Page says he has something to say to them, so the Elite joins him in the ring. Kenny Omega sees this as a plea to rejoin the Elite, but Page says not quite. Omega thinks Page is a try hard just like all of these people. They have been thinking about accepting Page’s faults, but they don’t have failures in their group. Page slaps him in the face but the beatdown is on in a hurry.

Cue the Dark Order but Evil Uno and Stu Grayson holds them back. A Magic Killer and some BTE Triggers have Page rocked but it’s Frankie Kazarian running in to take out some of them. The beatdown is on though, with Michael Nakazawa even throwing in the basketball. Omega belt shots Page to leave him laying.

We look back at Lance Archer destroying Dan Lambert.

TNT Title: Lee Johnson vs. Miro

Johnson, with Dustin Rhodes, is challenging and gets powered around to start. The driving shoulders in the corner have Johnson in more trouble. Johnson jumps over him out of the corner and strikes away, only to get tossed with a belly to belly. Game Over sends Johnson bailing to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Miro holding a bearhug but Johnson slips out and slugs away as well as he can. A dropkick puts Miro outside and Johnson hits back to back suicide dives, followed by a big running flip dive.

Miro tries to catch Johnson but falls over, allowing Johnson to throw him back inside. A high crossbody gets one on Miro and Johnson kicks him in the head again. More superkicks rock Miro but he catches the fifth (yes fifth) superkick. Johnson slips away again though and hits the big superkick, setting up a frog splash for two. Miro escapes the fireman’s carry though and kicks Johnson in the face instead. Game Over retains Miro’s title at 9:28.

Rating: C+. This was a good example of giving it everything you have in a rough spot. It worked out pretty well too, with Johnson doing more than I would have expected here. At the end of the day though, Miro should be holding that title for a long time to come and it seems like he will be. Good enough match here, which was a nice surprise.

Christian Cage thanks Leylah Hirsch for the save (while singing the Golden Girls theme) but he has some friends. Best Friends. Next week on the debut of Rampage though, he is ready to be #1 contender.

Bunny vs. Leylah Hirsch

The winner gets an NWA Women’s Title match. The Hardy Family Office and the Best Friends are all here too. Hirsch tries an armbar and Bunny bails to the floor. Back in and Hirsch works on the arm a bit until Bunny sends her outside. Bunny runs into Kamille (the NWA Women’s Champion) in the front row though and we take a break.

Back with more of the women’s division watching at ringside as Hirsch fights up. Hirsch knocks her into the corner for two but COMPLETELY misses a moonsault. Bunny is right back with a Death Valley Driver for two but Down The Rabbit Hole is broken up. Hirsch gets the cross armbreaker for the tap at 8:15.

Rating: C. I don’t think there was much drama to this one as Bunny isn’t going to get a major title match against Kamille. Hirsch getting a one off title shot will work well and it took a nice performance here to get her there. Just don’t let her try any more moonsaults, because that really didn’t work.

Post match, Hirsch and Kamille have a staredown, with Kamille being more than a foot taller.

Mark Sterling says Jade Cargill hasn’t been wrestling because it has been all about growing their brand. Cargill will be back on Dark Elevation next week and the sky is the limit, because she is that b****.

Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes

Black has a skull mask with horns for his entrance and it works rather well. Cody isn’t sure what to do to start so Black goes after the leg. That’s reversed into a Figure Four attempt until Black rakes the eyes to escape. A legsweep takes Cody down and we hit the half crab to keep him in trouble. The rope is grabbed and Cody is right back with the Cross Rhodes attempt, which is broken up with ease. Cody goes up and is kicked right back down, sending him through a ringside table. Back in and Black Mass knocks Cody silly for the pin with a boot on the chest at 4:43.

Rating: C+. Yeah that worked and it’s how this should have gone. Black Mass is one of the best finishers in wrestling today because it’s a really obvious idea: kick the other guy in the head really hard. Black ran through Cody here and even though this is for the sake of filming the Big Show, he put Black over perfectly here. Nice job.

Post match Black leaves and Cody talks about legacy. He got into the business at fifteen as a referee and he wanted to win the title that they stole from his daddy in the Garden. Time flies and goals change though and it takes Cody a second to get up. The fans are already singing the GOODBYE Song as Cody uses a crutch to get to his feet. Cody talks about how he fired them instead of them firing him (meaning WWE) and then he met Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks.

Now this isn’t just an alternative because they’re competition. They set this table and now it’s time for someone new to eat. He has been around everywhere and has been so lucky. There have been some outside people and maybe there has been some in-fighting with the other Executive Vice Presidents but they are here. For him, this is the AEW Amphitheater and he thanks the fans.

Cody takes off his boot (a sign of retiring)….and Malakai Black breaks the crutch over his back. Black steals the boot and glares a lot to end the show. I’m glad they didn’t tease the full on retirement angle here as AEW fans are smart enough to know why Cody is going to be gone. Also, well done on bringing Black back in, because it would have been annoying to have him get that kind of a win and then just leave while Cody did his thing.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like they were taking their foot off the gas a bit and that’s ok. We’ve had four weeks of major shows and what we got here still worked. They kept advancing the stories forward and with All Out in about a month, it means they can set up the actual matches in the next week or two. What we got here was fine enough, but it was one of the slower paced shows they’ve had in a bit.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Juventud Guerrera – Top rope Judas Effect
Jon Moxley/Darby Allin/Eddie Kingston b. 2.0/Daniel Garcia – Coffin Drop to Garcia
Christian Cage b. Blade – Spear
Miro b. Lee Johnson – Game Over
Leylah Hirsch b. The Bunny – Cross armbreaker
Malakai Black b. Cody Rhodes – Black Mass

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: June 4, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and things are on a bit of a roll around here. I’m curious to see how they follow up on a pretty awesome pay per view which saw the Inner Circle survive by winning Stadium Stampede over the Pinnacle. There are a few directions they can take before All Out in September so let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac vs. Young Bucks

Non-title and apparently the Bucks attacked Rey Fenix before the match, including a bunch of V Triggers. Michael Nakazawa, Brandon Cutler and the Good Brothers are here but cue Frankie Kazarian to jump Nakazawa, causing the Brothers to chase him off. Don Callis joins commentary as Pac and Penta (looking Jokerish tonight) hit big dives to the floor. A pair of backdrops keep the Bucks in trouble and they head inside for the opening bell.

Penta comes in to roll Matt up for two with Nick making the save and ragging Matt to the corner. Pac comes in to hit a standing shooting star press for two on Matt but the Bucks set him outside. Matt takes forever to load up the dive, then runs outside and goes to the floor for a running clothesline instead. Back in and Matt spears Pac down to hammer away but a few shots allow the tag off to Penta. A Backstabber takes Nick down and Pac’s pop up powerbomb gets two.

Penta adds a Canadian Destroyer to send Nick into the corner. Matt comes back in with a Canadian Destroyer of his own and everyone winds up on the same apron. Nick German suplexes Pac and Penta Fear Factors Matt, leaving Nick to fight Penta back inside. The referee gets poked in the eye so Nick pulls off Penta’s mask, revealing a second mask. That means a low blow into the Fear Factor, setting up Pac’s Black Arrow for two as Matt dives back in for the save. Pac goes up again but Brandon Cutler hits him in the leg, allowing Nick to grab a rollup pin at 9:42.

Rating: C+. Yeah of course they did. Is there any surprise that the Bucks survive multiple finishers (including one on the apron) to win in the end? I barely blinked off the near fall because the Bucks could get launched out of a cannon into a brick wall and kick out at 2 and a half. Such is life in the Bucks’ matches, even if it means pinning Pac in the process.

Post match the beatdown seems ready to continue but Eddie Kingston runs in for the save.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Tony Schiavone brings out Mark Henry for his big debut. Henry talks about how how he isn’t here to fix AEW because it isn’t broken. Instead he will be here because he loves wrestling and it is time to see what he can offer. Tony asks if Henry is going to get back in the ring, but Henry can’t say yes to that yet. What he can say is that he has a lot left in the tank but here is Vickie Guerrero to interrupt. She has a surprise for us tonight…..and here is Andrade El Idolo. Well that’s a good surprise. Andrade is here to be the new face of AEW and Vickie demands some applause.

QT Marshall/Anthony Ogogo vs. Cody Rhodes/Lee Johnson

Johnson hits Marshall in the face to start and a quick dropkick gets two. Ogogo comes in and takes Cody into the corner but it’s right back to Johnson for a neckbreaker on Marshall. Johnson gets dropped on the floor though and we take a break. Back with Johnson sending Marshall outside, allowing Cody to come back in and hammer away.

The powerslam sets up the Figure Four on Marshall but Ogogo makes the save with a frog splash. A Diamond Cutter gets two on Cody with Johnson making a save of his own. The Cross Rhodes is loaded up but here is Aaron Solow to offer a distraction. Ogogo punches Cody out and Marshall gets the pin at 9:21.

Rating: C. Ogogo continues to get a push, though it is still hard to make myself care about anything Marshall does, especially with him in charge of a group. He isn’t interesting and doesn’t stand out in any way, though at least Ogogo looked like a star with the big right hand. Granted he should have gotten the pin at Double Or Nothing, but I’ll take this.

Post match Marshall shouts at Tony Schiavone about how he told him so.

We look at the Inner Circle winning Stadium Stampede.

Here is the Inner Circle for a chat. Chris Jericho brags about the win and has a gift for everyone here: an Inner Circle Stadium Stampede t-shirt! Well that’s pretty cool. Jericho hands it off to Sammy Guevara, who won the match for them on Sunday. Sammy talks about hitting a 630 to win, just like he used to do off of his mom’s house (Sammy: “Hi mom!”). He can’t believe he got to do it at Double Or Nothing and is so proud that they won.

We get the big hug, followed by Santana promising that this isn’t over because FTR tried to take their careers. Jake Hager says this isn’t over until the Inner Circle says it is over and calls out Wardlow to fight him in an MMA cage. Jericho isn’t done though because thinking of every member of the Pinnacle makes him mad.

The worst of them all is MJF though, because he tried to end Jericho’s career and his life. He thinks about it every day and wakes up in a cold sweat. MJF calls Jericho the greatest of all time and Jericho doesn’t know about that, but he does think that if he wants to keep moving forward, he has to beat MJF. That is exactly what he is going to do, and the middle finger salute wraps it up. It was a fired up promo, but I’m not wild on another huge gimmick match coming and going as little more than a pit stop in the feud.

The Best Friends say this isn’t over between Orange Cassidy and Kenny Omega.

Kenny Omega and Don Callis are ready to blow the lid off of this conspiracy to get the AEW World Title off of Omega next week. Omega isn’t worried about his title defense against Jungle Boy either. They hum along to Boy’s theme song for a bonus. My only conclusion to this: I never need to hear of a conspiracy on a wrestling show again.

Jungle Boy/Christian Cage vs. Private Party

Matt Hardy is here too. Private Party, in street/club clothes, takes over on Boy’s arm to start but he flips over Kassidy and kicks Quen in the ribs. A double springboard wristdrag sends Private Party outside and it’s off to Christian. Hardy offers a distraction though and Quen knocks Christian down as we take a break.

Back with Private Party mocking the five second pose and taking Boy off the apron. Christian manages a double reverse DDT, allowing the tag back to Boy. A brainbuster gets two on Quen and Kassidy has to break up the Snare Trap. Kassidy pokes Boy in the eyes and rolls him up for two but Christian breaks up the Gin and Juice. The Snare Trap makes Quen trap at 11:20.

Rating: C. This worked well as a way to set up Boy’s title shot against Omega later this month. The best way to make him look like a threat is to give him win after win and that is what they had here. Some singles wins would be better, but Boy looked and felt like a star here and that is the right idea.

Post match Hardy hits a Twist of Fate to drop Christian on the ramp.

Taz promises that Team Taz is going to wreck Hangman Page and someone from the Dark Order. Ricky Starks walks off in the middle.

Tony Schiavone brings out Sting and Darby Allin for a chat. Sting talks about how he has a lot of memories in wrestling but he will never forget what he did at Double Or Nothing. The fans let him know that HE STILL HAS IT but Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page pop up on screen to mock both of the two of them. They have a challenge: Allin can go find anyone but Sting and prove them wrong. Allin pulls the mic up but doesn’t bother to say anything.

A bunch of people are in the ring (complete with a table of cheeseburgers) for Britt Baker’s official championship celebration. Baker is very pleased with everyone being here and says everyone is getting a coupon for a free burger. Actually never mind as they are all on the table for her, because she did all of the work. She promised that this was the start of an all new era and she was absolutely right.

It is the start of the DMD era and now it’s time for the burgers, but only two of them are allowed. Tony and Rebel are the only ones allowed to have them, but Nyla Rose throws them away. The heavy sigh at the idea of Rose probably getting ANOTHER title shot sums it up as well as anything else I can say here.

Pac and Penta ask Eddie Kingston what was up with that save. Kingston says the enemy of his enemy is his friend.

Bunny vs. Red Velvet

Blade is here with Bunny. A cheap shot from Bunny doesn’t works as Velvet kicks her down and hits a splash for two. Bunny is sent outside and Velvet hits a dive, almost landing on her head (and making me cringe harder than I have in a long time). Thankfully she pops back up and chokes in the corner, only to get superkicked off the top.

Another superkick sends Velvet outside and we take a break. Back with Velvet hitting some clotheslines but Bunny superkicks her down. Blade offers a distraction so KiLynn King and Big Swole protest. The distraction lets Blade send in the brass knuckles but Bunny walks into Just Desserts for the pin at 7:00.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here outside of another match with a good chunk taking place during the break. Velvet’s continued development is still nice to see as she has come a VERY long way in the last few months. Bunny has more or less vanished from the big shows, but she has enough of a reputation to matter a bit. She might be better served as a manager though, as it seems to work out better for her.

The Dark Order is fired up for John Silver’s birthday because Tony Khan has given him a TNT Title shot. He’s hurt though, so Evil Uno can have it instead! Uno promises to make the team proud.

Miro thanks God for his power and his wife for being hot. He isn’t worried about Uno because he is bigger, stronger and faster. You come after him when you can’t survive.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Nick Comoroto

Bullrope match and you win by pinfall or submission. Aaron Solow is here with Comoroto and the brawl starts on the ramp before the bell. Rhodes is thrown inside and the rope is tied up, meaning we can officially start. Comoroto chokes with the rope on the apron as JR longs for the days of headlocks. Rhodes comes back with a Cactus Clothesline to the floor and they head into the crowd.

Fuego del Sol gets shoved down by Comoroto and then tossed onto some chairs, allowing Rhodes to send them back to ringside. A powerslam plants Comoroto on the floor but he comes back with a bell shot to the face. Comoroto comes up bleeding from the head as Rhodes is barely able to stand. Rhodes posts him but gets dropped onto the apron as we take a break.

Back with Solow putting up a table on the floor but Rhodes hits Comoroto in the face with the rope. That just earns him a powerbomb through the table for two back inside so Solow gets on the apron and removes the turnbuckle pad. Cue Colton Gunn to beat up Solow as Rhodes hits a bulldog and the Final Reckoning on the cowbell….for one. A low blow staggers Comoroto and it’s a middle rope bulldog to put him down again. Rhodes gets smart and hogties him for the pin at 10:08.

Rating: C-. I don’t think this was anything more than a way to close out the show, as it seems AEW figured out that not a lot of fans are going to stick around until midnight on a Friday. There is nothing wrong with that, but I can sympathize with JR not liking another violent match. This is the first time these two have fought and they go right to the violent stuff. Just let it build up a bit first and save the violence for later. Also, Rhodes wins here? Over this monster caveman who looked untouchable for most of the match?

Overall Rating: C. They definitely took a bit of a breather this week and that is a good idea. It makes sense as they have a long way to go before they get to another major show and you don’t want to run through everything. Throw in the fact that these Friday shows are not going to draw a big audience (not AEW’s fault) and there is little reason to put a lot on them. They did the right thing by front loading it too, so they seem to be learning a bit.

Results

Young Bucks b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac – Rollup to Pac

Anthony Ogogo/QT Marshall b. Cody Rhodes/Lee Johnson – Right hand to Rhodes

Jungle Boy/Christian Cage b. Private Party – Snare Trap to Quen

Red Velvet b. Bunny – Just Desserts

Dustin Rhodes b. Nick Comoroto – Middle rope bulldog

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: May 19, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

We have two shows left before Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to start hammering home the card. This time around we have a Tag Team Title match with the Varsity Blonds challenging the Young Bucks. Other than that, we are likely getting some more matches set for the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Christian Cage vs. Matt Sydal

Taz is on commentary and it’s a feeling out process to start, with Sydal’s grab of a leg being reversed into a headlock. Sydal slips out for a standoff but gets sent outside for a crash. Back in and a backbreaker sets up a top rope elbow to the face for two on Sydal. There’s a headbutt to the back and a stomp to make it worse, as Christian is wrestling a bit more villainish here.

Another backbreaker is countered with a headscissors though and Sydal’s jumping spinning kick to the face gives him a breather. The Meteora gives Sydal two and there’s a clothesline for the same. Christian misses a charge and gets taken down with a spinwheel kick to the face, followed by a running knee in the corner. Christian’s spear is countered into a sunset flip for two and he misses a high crossbody as well. Now the spear can connect for two but Sydal pulls the knee out. A backsplash hits knees though and the Killswitch finishes Sydal at 9:15.

Rating: C+. I’m not a big Sydal fan but he was making it work here with Christian looking better than he has so far in AEW. I’m curious to see him being more aggressive, as it certainly seemed to suit him better. Christian still isn’t the star he was before, but he can still do things like this well enough.

Post match Taz yells at Christian but here is Ricky Starks to interrupt. Starks is his own man and he is right here. He isn’t going to be on the sidelines like these flunkies, so he and Christian have some business to handle. Cue Team Taz to jump Christian and Sydal for the beatdown. Hangman Page comes in to go after Cage, but Hook gets in a chop block. Cage powerbombs Page down hard.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The Varsity Blonds talk about Brian Pillman, who was not Brian Pillman Jr.’s inspiration to get into the business. All he knew was the dark side of the ring, but then he was inspired by the Young Bucks. Griff Garrison talks about running the Young Bucks’ merchandise table at an independent show, but the Bucks of today are not the Bucks of those days.

Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston aren’t sure about what they’re facing with the Acclaimed (Kingston: “One’s a rapper, the other is the rapper’s friend.”). They also don’t get why they’re going to a superkick party when neither of them throw superkicks. Oh well. They’ll just beat up the Acclaimed.

The Acclaimed promises to stomp Moxley and Kingston’s a**** and that is a mic drop.

Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston vs. Acclaimed

Moxley and Kingston come out to the Major League version of Wild Thing, because AEW thinks Cleveland and Cincinnati are close enough. Caster says that Kingston looks like a pack of Newports and Moxley’s wife is trying to get him for an oral session (Caster: “What? She just wants me to be on the podcast!”). Moxley knocks Caster silly with a right hand and we start with a double shoulder to put Caster down again.

Kingston plants with an STO but gets caught with a super dragon screw legwhip as we take a break. Back with Kingston getting over for the hot tag to Moxley to clean house, but he gets caught in a suplex/high crossbody combination. Kingston makes the save and sends Bowens into the barricade but Moxley gets sent outside as well. Caster throws Bowens the chain for a distraction so he can bring in the boom box. Moxley breaks that up though and hits Caster with the boom box instead, setting up a wheelbarrow into a Paradigm Shift for the pin at 10:25.

Rating: C. This was a way to get Moxley and Kingston a win over a name team before they get their title shot. There is nothing wrong with building a team up, even if the Acclaimed is better known for their talking. Moxley and Kingston are turning into a pretty good team in the ring and their showdown with the Bucks very well could steal Double Or Nothing.

Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko reminisce about the number of holds they know.

Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page are in the ring to talk about Sting. Sky always wanted to be like Sting, but then he grew up and is now a grown man. Sting isn’t the man he used to be and now Sky is his own man. Page talks about Darby Allin loses and promises to be the nail in his coffin. Cue Sting and Allin to clean house, including Allin with some skateboard shots. The Scorpion Deathlock goes on but Page gets away, only to have the Dark Order cut off….well some of their exits at least.

The Pinnacle is at a nice dinner with MJF talking about how unfunny Chris Jericho is. Dax Wilder goes on a rant about how they have to deal with Jericho even after thirty years. Last year’s Stadium Stampede was a dog and pony show but this year it’s going to be serious. Shawn Spears attacks a waiter for making a mistake and smashes a bottle, so Tully Blanchard throws him some money. MJF says if the Inner Circle agrees to Stadium Stampede, it will be their last match, because when you’re in the Pinnacle, you’re always on top.

Hikaru Shida vs. Rebel

Non-title and Britt Baker is here as well. Rebel fakes an early injury but then snaps off some jumping jacks. Shida doesn’t take kindly to her dancing and puts on her own glove before trying the Lockjaw. Baker grabs the Women’s Title, allowing Rebel to hit Shida in the back with a crutch. A toss suplex gets two on Shida but she is right back with a knee breaker. The Stretch Muffler makes Rebel tap at 2:01.

Post match Baker comes in and drops Shida onto the belt.

Last week, Kenny Omega and Don Callis came in to see Orange Cassidy in the trainer’s room after he got dropped on his head. They need Cassidy to be the AEW mascot instead of challenging him for the title, so they have a contract for him to sign, saying that he can have his match later when he is a little healthier. Cassidy doesn’t even look at it and rips it up (rather slowly). Omega talks about how bad it could be if Cassidy takes the One Winged Angel and they offer him another copy of the same deal, which he can think about.

Here is the Inner Circle to respond to the Pinnacle. work with just about anyone.

Pac is glad to have his title shot because there is nothing Don Callis or Kenny Omega can do about it. Who is betting against him now?

Anthony Ogogo vs. Austin Gunn

A bunch of people, including an American flag clad Cody Rhodes, is here. Gunn dropkicks him down at the bell and Ogogo is starting to protect his bad eye. A gut shot puts Austin down and he is in big trouble. Back up and Ogogo does it again, meaning Gunn has to stop the referee from calling for the bell. Gunn is bleeding from the mouth and a pop up right hand knocks him silly for the knockout at 2:15. More baby steps for Ogogo and that’s a wise way to go.

Post match Ogogo grabs Cody’s American flag and throws it away, which is too far for Cody.

Christopher Daniels won’t say anything about SCU splitting up last week. Daniels whispers something to Kazarian and walks away. Kazarian says he can’t explain what Daniels means to him, but Kazarian knows what is next. Last week, he lost something very important to him and he blames the Elite for what happened. He is hunting them down and he is a bomb you cannot defuse and a gun you cannot unload. Kazarian as a singles star is an intriguing way to go.

Here is Miro for a chat. He thanks Jesus Christ for giving him the talent to hurt people, like he did to Darby Allin last week. Miro took what Allin said could not be taken and now everyone knows that it doesn’t matter who you are. If you have what he wants, it’s done. The fans want Allin, so Miro holds up the title and says here he is. Next week, he’ll be defending the title against someone and will destroy him on his way to Double Or Nothing.

Cue Lance Archer, who says he has been the beast of AEW since Miro was trying to get a day to himself. Last year he lost in the first ever TNT Title match, so nothing is stopping him from winning at Double Or Nothing. Miro is going to be his Bulgarian b****, which Miro says he has never heard before. As Archer has said, everyone dies, but Miro is going to make sure Archer dies first. Miro was showing the fire here like he has yet to do in AEW.

Here’s what’s coming next week, with Dante Martin getting the TNT Title shot. We are also getting a celebration of the Inner Circle’s greatest moments, plus Jade Cargill’s open challenge (Since EVERY SHOW NEEDS AN OPEN CHALLENGE THESE DAYS!).

At Double Or Nothing: Sting/Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page/Scorpio Sky.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Varsity Blonds

The Bucks are defending, Julia Hart is here with the Blonds and Don Callis is on commentary. Garrison and Nick run the ropes until a boot to the face drops Nick in a hurry. Matt comes in and gets one of his own, allowing Pillman to come in for some stereo dropkicks to the champs. We settle back down to Pillman armdragging Nick and working on the arm but Nick gets over for the hot tag to Matt.

That means Pillman gets sent outside for a crash onto the ramp, leaving Nick to walk the ropes and jump down onto him. A neck snap across the top rope has Pillman down again and we take a break. Back with Pillman hitting a crossbody and getting over for the hot tag to Garrison. House is cleaned in a hurry and Garrison hits a slingshot crossbody onto both champs. It’s back to Pillman, who gets suplexed down so Nick can dive onto Garrison.

Some kicks to the back keep Pillman in trouble but he sends Nick’s kick into Matt and hits a superkick of his own. Matt is right back with the Sharpshooter and Nick adds the cold spray to the eyes. Garrison makes the save but Nick hits a couple of superkicks. Matt gets another can of spray but Hart calls him out for it. That’s fine with Matt, who has a third can to spray her as well. The Sharpshooter goes on and Nick adds the slingshot X Factor to knock Pillman silly. Pillman taps at 11:55.

Rating: B-. I like the Blonds more each time I see them but there was never a bit of drama here. As usual, this was the Young Bucks Show as they are smarter than anyone they face, which goes along with being more athletic because we need to be reminded of how great they are every chance we have.

Post match here are Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston to choke out the Bucks and steal their expensive shoes. And the socks too!

We run down the Double Or Nothing card, with Tony making it clear that Sting/Allin vs. Page/Sky will NOT be a cinematic match. Also, Moxley/Kingston are now the #1 contenders and get their title shot.

Overall Rating: B. This was a promo heavy show and that’s what mattered most here. Since this is the last regularly scheduled Dynamite before the pay per view, they had to rush the build this week and get things ready for Double Or Nothing. That worked out rather well as I’m a good bit more interested in seeing the show than I was coming in. The wrestling here was good to quite good, but this was all about the talking and they were feeling it this week.

Results

Christian Cage b. Matt Sydal – Killswitch

Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston b. The Acclaimed – Wheelbarrow Paradigm Shift to Caster

Hikaru Shida b. Rebel – Stretch Muffler

Serena Deeb b. Red Velvet – Serenity Lock

Anthony Ogogo b. Austin Gunn via referee stoppage

Young Bucks b. Varsity Blonds – Sharpshooter to Pillman

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: April 14, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s time for Dynamite to be on their own on Wednesday nights as the Wednesday Night Wars have come to an end. This is also an interesting time for AEW as the last few shows have seen a slip in their audience and some of their shows have not been quite so well received. AEW has a very good track record of correcting their issues though and maybe they can do it again. Let’s get to it.

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

The Young Bucks talk about how they picked friendship last week. They’re tired of others taking their credit so it is time to bring back the old Young Bucks, which they demonstrate by cutting the tassels off of their gear.

Mike Tyson is ready to be the guest enforcer this week but MJF comes up to say the Pinnacle isn’t happy with him. Tyson thinks MJF is his enemy, even while MJF tries to talk him into thinking it’s Jericho. MJF offers him a blank check but Tyson rips it up….and then eats part of it. That’s too far for MJF, who says he’ll remember that.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Tag Team Titles: Rey Fenix/Pac vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are defending and Don Callis comes to the ring with them before going to commentary. Pac takes Matt to the ground to start and rides him a bit before it’s off to Fenix vs. Nick. The pace is picked up with neither of them being able to get very far until a shot to Fenix’s back takes him down. A backdrop into a powerbomb doesn’t work as Fenix snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor.

The Bucks are sent outside for the back to back dives, followed by a series of kicks to rock Matt for two. Nick comes back in with the slingshot X Factor to Fenix and a double hiptoss sets up a double dropkick for a very lazy two. It’s back to Pac for a brainbuster on Nick as everything breaks down. The Bucks hit stereo apron powerbombs and then take it back inside for a running knee to Pac. A hyped up back rake keeps Pac down and we take a break.

Back with Pac backdropping Matt out to the floor, where he pulls Fenix off the apron. Pac knocks Matt away though and brings in Fenix to pick up the pace, including a double cutter for two on the Bucks. Everything breaks down and Fenix grabs the Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Matt.

The big flip dive takes Nick down on the floor as Pac grabs a German suplex for two. They head outside again with Fenix and Nick hitting stereo poisonranas. Back in and a top rope superplex drops Matt, setting up the Black Arrow for two with Nick driving Pac into the cover for two. Pac is sent to the floor so the Bucks take off Fenix’s mask and hit a double superkick to retain at 23:23.

Rating: B. The action was good but the mask stealing is a pretty cliched way to deal with a luchador. It didn’t help that there was no drama about a title change whatsoever. Now that the Elite is complete or whatever we’re doing here, it is going to be a long time before the champs actually get beat. Fenix and Pac looked good, but I’m not seeing them getting the titles anytime soon.

Hangman Page goes to get some egg rolls as John Silver and the Dark Order work on physical therapy for Silver’s shoulder injury.

Chris Jericho talks about knowing Mike Tyson for years, even back to when Tyson knocked him out years ago. Now, Jericho knows he needs some help and Tyson was the first person he called. Tonight, Tyson is the enforcer but Tyson says he’ll call it down the line, including knocking Jericho out if he has to.

Jade Cargill vs. Red Velvet

It’s a brawl to start with Velvet slipping out of a powerbomb and kicking Cargill in the face. Cargill gets low bridged to the floor and Velvet hits a big dive. That’s fine with Cargill, who fall away slams Velvet into the wrestlers at ringside. Back in and Cargill slams her again as we take a break. We come back with Cargill missing a charge into the corner but some clotheslines don’t put her down. Velvet finally manages to drop her with a wheelbarrow bulldog into the standing moonsault for two. The moonsault only grazes Cargill’s back so she’s up with Jaded (Glam Slam) for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: C-. They’re keeping this stuff fast and safe and that is a good idea for these two. Cargill still has all of the charisma and ability to play to the camera in the world but she is going to need a lot more ring time. Velvet isn’t the one to carry her that much farther, but they are doing something smart by letting them have such basic matches.

Britt Baker and Rebel give us an update on Baker’s rankings as she marches towards the Women’s Title.

Anthony Ogogo vs. Cole Carter

This is Ogogo’s, a bronze medalist in boxing, in-ring debut. After some quick grappling, Ogogo finishes with a punch to the ribs for the referee stoppage. That seemed rather fast.

Dax Harwood vs. Chris Jericho

Cash Wheeler, Tully Blanchard and Sammy Guevara are here and Mike Tyson is guest enforcer. They go straight to the brawling to start and the fight heads outside. Back in and Harwood nails him with a clothesline before it’s right back to the floor. This time Jericho stabs him in the head with a pen and then does his steal the camera bit. That takes too long so Harwood whips him into a barricade and gets in an argument with Tyson as we take a break.

Back with Jericho hitting a top rope ax handle into a lariat for two. Harwood runs him over again but misses a diving headbutt, allowing Jericho to grab the Walls. That’s broken up so Jericho misses the Judas Effect, allowing Harwood to German suplex him for two. The Codebreaker connects for Jericho but here are the Pinnacle and Inner Circle to fight. Wheeler goes for the bat so Tyson knocks him out. A Guevara distraction lets Jericho hit the Judas Effect for the pin at 13:14.

Rating: C+. This was a fine enough way to continue the build towards Blood & Guts, though it’s kind of a downgrade after they started with the huge brawls. That being said, the brawl on the stage made sense and it would have been weird to not have this wind up being some big mess. Tyson was fine in his role, and leaving it simple for him is the right idea.

Post match Jericho makes Tyson a member of the Inner Circle.

The Elite talks about everything they are doing now. This is the old version of them and that means the gold will follow. Like the gold they already had? Be prepared to be surprised again. And Callis superkicks the camera.

Thunder Rosa wants the NWA Women’s Title.

Kris Statlander vs. Amber Nova

Statlander starts fast with a boop each for Nova and the referee. Schiavone talks about his time being booped and it’s Statlander hitting a running elbow in the corner. The Big Bang Theory finishes Nova at 2:48.

Post match, Statlander and the Best Friends strike the pose.

Team Taz is ready to go get Christian’s response but Taz thinks Ricky Starks should stay backstage. Brian Cage agrees, but Taz tells him to do the same.

Here is Christian for an open challenge but Taz and company interrupt. Taz asks for an answer so Christian says no, sending Taz into a rant about how he never liked Christian or “his friend”. He even accuses Christian of wearing Taz’s colors and promises vengeance. Powerhouse Hobbs comes to the ring and the brawl is on, with Hobbs getting the better of things. Hobbs sends him into the barricade and then drops him onto the steps to leave Christian laying.

Video on Tay Conti vs. Hikaru Shida before their title match next week.

TNT Title: Matt Hardy vs. Darby Allin

Allin is defending and this is Falls Count Anywhere. Matt grabs a chair to knock Allin down to start and they head outside, where Matt sends him face first into the apron over and over. They head back inside with Allin already bleeding from the back. A neckbreaker gives Hardy two and he chairs Allin down again. Allin’s neck is put in the chair but the Twist of Fate is countered with a chair ram into Hardy’s neck.

Some chair shots to the back have Hardy in more trouble….and here is the Hardy Family Office to go after Allin. The Dark Order comes in for the brawl and here is Sting to get in on things. We take a break and come back with Sting and Lancer Archer having a staredown, with Archer going over to give Isaiah Kassidy the Black Out. Allin pounds on Hardy and Sting throws him the bat to make it worse.

A low blow cuts that off though and a Twist of Fate with the chair around Allin’s neck gets two. Not two weeks off the show as it probably should, but a two count. Hardy takes it backstage in front of Tony Khan and BJ Whitmer, with Allin being legdropped through a table for two. Back to the stage, where Allin slips out of a Razor’s Edge for a low blow of his own. Allin gets in a few shots with the bat to knock Hardy onto the announcers’ table. The Coffin Drop puts Hardy through the table to retain at 16:30.

Rating: C. So they started the match, then they did something completely different with Sting/Archer/everyone else, then they got back to the match where Allin survived a lot, hit him with the bat and won with a huge Coffin Drop. This felt like two segments crammed together and it only kind of worked, as I lost track of the match for a long portion. It was energetic and some of the spots were pretty good, but I don’t care about Hardy and the Twist of Fate onto the chair being a minor annoyance for Allin left me rolling my eyes more than anything else.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was all over the place and that might not be the best thing in the world. They did a few things rather well, mainly involving the stuff in the ring, but other than that, this was kind of a crazy one with one thing happening after another. I’ll give them points for not focusing on the Elite as much, but I’m not really sure what the big deal of this show was supposed to be. The Bucks would make the most sense, but they were gone about halfway through the show. It felt like they were just throwing stuff out there and while a good bit of it worked, the show felt tossed together and that isn’t like them.

Results

Young Bucks b. Rey Fenix/Pac – Double superkick to Fenix

Jade Cargill b. Red Velvet – Jaded

Anthony Ogogo b. Cole Carter via referee stoppage

Chris Jericho b. Dax Harwood – Judas Effect

Kris Statlander b. Amber Nova – Big Bang Theory

Darby Allin b. Matt Hardy – Coffin Drop through the announcers’ 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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AND

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Dynamite
Date: March 3, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

It’s an extra big night around here as it’s time for the Shaquille O’Neal match. That could go in a variety of directions but the quality of the match means absolutely nothing. The idea here is that the match needs to be anything resembling passable and everything will be fine. I’m not sure what else is on the card and I don’t think it really matters. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quick recap of the mixed tag, still without a reason for the whole thing to start.

Cody Rhodes/Red Velvet vs. Shaquille O’Neal/Jade Cargill

Cargill has never wrestled before and O’Neal has only been in a battle royal. Cody and Shaq start and O’Neal just dwarfs him. A wristlock is shoved away and Cody takes him into a corner for some chops. That’s broken up and Shaq hits his own chop, which has Cody down on his knee. Another chop has Cody rocked and it’s off to the women, with Jade throwing her into the corner.

Velvet fires off some kicks, one of which seemed to miss and had to be covered with a camera cut. Cargill throws her down again and mocks the stirring the pot deal, but Velvet hits a high crossbody. That’s countered into a fall away slam for two, with Cody running over to knee Shaq off the apron. Billy Gunn’s kids and QT Marshall try to interfere but get beaten down by Shaq.

Velvet moonsaults down onto Arn Anderson, Cody and Jade, none of whom seemed to be expecting her. Back in and Cargill puts on the figure four (making sure to throw in a mocking wave) with Velvet breaking that up in a hurry. It’s table time, with everyone seemingly confused by Jade pulling one out. Velvet breaks that up and throws Cargill back inside before setting up her own table next to it. An enziguri rocks Jade again so it’s back to the men, with Shaq wanting a test of strength.

Cody’s kick to the leg doesn’t do much good as Shaq grabs a powerbomb for two. Back up and Cody hits a slam, which isn’t treated as quite the big idea. It’s back to the women to slug it out and Cargill manages a spinebuster (but doesn’t look at Arn) for two, drawing Cody in again. This time it’s a poke to Shaq’s eye and a running crossbody drives him through the tables. Cargill is stunned and walks into…..well commentary says a spear but the camera cut to the floor, making me wonder how bad it was. Jade hits a Glam Slam for the pin at 12:03.

Rating: B-. This could have been far, far worse and that’s all it needed to be. The best thing to say here is that they didn’t have any terrible botches and while there were a ton of camera cuts, they managed to hide all of the problems well enough. This was a perfectly fine celebrity match and the table spot/powerbomb both looked good. Cargill looks very green in the ring but she has the charisma and mannerisms down, which is a good sign for her future. All in all, not too bad here.

Post break, Shaq is loaded into an ambulance. Tony Schiavone goes to ask someone a question but Shaq has disappeared.

Rey Fenix/Pac vs. John Skyler/D3

Skyler gets kicked in the head a lot to start and D3 is kicked out to the floor. Pac nails the running flip dive and it’s a 450 to crush Skyler. The over the shoulder piledriver finishes Skyler at 1:08. Now THAT was a good looking squash.

Here is the Inner Circle for Chris Jericho/MJF’s press conference. We can’t hear the first question, but Jericho clarifies that it was about what the Tag Team Titles mean to the two of them. Jericho lost the World Title a year ago but then he has won seven Tag Team Titles in his career. He has teamed with Dwayne Johnson and Paul Wight, but none of them compare to MJF. Next up is Conrad Thompson (how in the world did it take him so long to get on this show) who asks if Sammy Guevara can be back in the team.

MJF and Jericho refuse to answer and throw Thompson out so we can get on to the next question. They don’t want to hear about Papa Buck either because he got blood on MJF’s custom suit. He doesn’t shop at Target (cue the TARGET chant) and if you thought what he did to Papa Buck was bad, wait until he gets skinny Matt and balding Nick on Sunday. Santana tells the Bucks to do better….and now Eric Bischoff is up to ask a question.

Bischoff asks if they know anything about Papa Buck’s condition and wants to know how smart it is to motivate the Young Bucks like that. Jericho tells him to shut up but here are the Young Bucks to interrupt. They talk about how great of a father they have and everything he taught them over the years. He did everything that MJF and Jericho’s fathers failed at, like building them a wrestling ring when he couldn’t send them to college. That’s the kind of work ethic that made the two of them and this company.

If not for them, MJF would be living at home and waiting for the Rosie O’Donnell Show to call and Jericho would be jerking the curtain at the Performance Center. Some superkicks put the Inner Circle down and Brandon Cutler comes out to help with the fight. Cue the Good Brothers with a table on the stage with Nick splashing Ortiz while Matt dives onto Santana on a table at ringside. Some of the verbal jabs were awesome (the Performance Center one made my mouth pop open) but the Bucks trying to be intimidating or serious is still really not their forte.

Video on the exploding barbed wire deathmatch, with various people talking about it, capped off by Atsushi Onita making a cameo to talk about how great it is. JR explains the idea and we see Kenny Omega hammering on the Moxley Extermination Chamber. Thankfully Excalibur does explain who Onita is after the video is over.

FTR/Tully Blanchard vs. Jurassic Express

JJ Dillon is here with FTR/Tully (all wearing old NWA title belts). A bit of shoving sets up a six way staredown before Jungle Boy comes in to dropkick FTR. Tully (in what looks like a bowler’s attire) teases coming in but thinks better of it, leaving Sax to get pulled into the Snare Trap. That’s broken up in a hurry so Boy grabs it on Cash on the floor. Cash taps but the distraction lets Dillon slip Dax the shoe (!) to knock Boy silly for two. Tully comes in and teases a dive but stops to strut instead.

We take a break and come back with Cash breaking up Boy’s hot tag attempt but a Vader Bomb hits raised boots. The hot tag brings in Luchasaurus to clean house on FTR so Tully comes in….and goes right back out. Marko gets tossed into Blanchard to knock him down but FTR kicks Luchasaurus down. Luchasaurus suplexes both of them at once and Boy hurricanranas Dax into a powerslam from Luchasaurus.

A heck of a tornado DDT takes Luchasaurus down on the floor and it’s a PowerPlex for two on Boy. Cash hits a German suplex for the same but it’s Tully with the slingshot suplex to Stunt. Luchasaurus Tail Whips Tully down and Boy loads up a dive but a masked man in a hoodie breaks it up. Whoever it is nails Luchasaurus with something and the spike piledriver is enough for Tully to get the pin at 11:24.

Rating: B-. This could have been a heck of a lot worse and Tully still knows how to play to a crowd like the old school master that he is. Seeing the slingshot suplex was great too and while they had a few too many things going on here, it was nice to have a bit of a Horsemen reunion without going too far with it. Nice enough here and seeing Stunt get beaten up is always fun.

Post match….it’s Shawn Spears under the mask. Everyone poses together and here’s Arn Anderson to give them the Horsemen sign, with Dillon and Tully returning it.

Schiavone brings out Paul Wight for his official Dynamite debut. Wight says raise your hand if you saw this coming. He’s glad to be here and is glad to come back to TNT after all this time. Wight puts over Elevation and talks about how much he’s ready to watch some amazing talent. With an arm on Schiavone’s shoulders, Wight promises that AEW is signing a Hall of Fame worthy talent this Sunday. Tune in to find out who it is.

Women’s Eliminator Tournament Final: Nyla Rose vs. Ryo Mizunami

Vickie Guerrero is here with Nyla and the winner gets Hikaru Shida, also at ringside, for the title at Revolution. Rose drives her into the ropes to start but gets forearmed in the head. Some more forearms rock Rose, who is back with a hard shoulder to take her down. A backdrop breaks up the Beast Bomb and it’s time for some pantomime, followed by a running elbow getting two on Rose.

Rose is back with a running flip dive for her own two and a powerslam is good for the same. Back from a break with Mizunami avoiding a Swanton which would have barely grazed her if she hadn’t moved an inch. A running shoulder to the ribs knocks Rose off the apron and the guillotine legdrop on the apron crushes her again. Rose dives back in at nine so Mizunami hits a quick middle rope legdrop.

Back up and Rose forearms her in the head and nails a Death Valley Driver for two. Mizunami gets draped over the top rope and a knee to the head gets two more. An exploder suplex gives Mizunami two but Rose catches her on top with a superplex. It’s Mizunami up first with a spear and the guillotine legdrop finishes Rose at 12:48.

Rating: B-. Not a bad power match with Mizunami getting the win, thereby giving us one thing that we know about her. The tournament was quite the way to set up a #1 contender for a champion who has held the title WAY too long, but I’ll take someone new over Riho or Rose again. Now just change the title already, as it is long overdue.

Post match Shida comes in for a handshake but they wind up slugging it out, with Shida getting the better of things.

Tony Schiavone brings out Sting for a chat. Sting talks about how the powerbomb from Brian Cage didn’t tickle but it shook the rust off. Now he’s ready for a street fight but here’s Ricky Starks to interrupt. Starks respects him and then slaps him, meaning it’s time for Sting to hammer away. The Stinger Splash into the Scorpion Deathlock is on but here are Hook and Powerhouse Hobbs to jump Sting.

That’s broken up but Brian Cage comes down and loads up another powerbomb, only to have Darby Allin make the save (why Cage stopped to load up the powerbomb when Allin’s music hit isn’t clear). House is cleaned (with Cage making sure to look over his shoulder for the Stinger Splash) with Sting and Allin standing tall.

Face Of The Revolution Qualifying Match: 10 vs. Max Caster

Scorpio Sky is on commentary and Caster raps his way to the ring. 10 grabs a headlock to start and hits a crossbody for two. The right hands in the corner set up a running clothesline to the floor but Caster manages to post him for a breather. We take a break and come back with 10 hammering away, including a spinebuster. The slingshot spear gives 10 two more but Caster is back with a quick brainbuster. A top rope elbow misses for Caster but here’s Jack Evans with a boom box to the head to give Caster the pin at 8:47.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t exactly thrilling stuff as it felt like a quick way to get someone into the ladder match. The Acclaimed haven’t done much for me but maybe having Caster in there can be his big breakout moment. I’m not sure who is going to win the thing but at least there are some interesting options.

Post match here’s Matt Hardy to give Evans $4,200 for taking out part of the Dark Order.

Miro says Chuck Taylor has made him do this and on Sunday, it’s GAME OVER.

We run down the Revolution card.

Matt Hardy/Marq Quen vs. John Silver/Hangman Page

Page thinks we need to go to Adampagewrestling.com, which takes you to two hours of relaxing guitar music and shots of horses. Silver headlocks Matt to start but it’s quickly off to Page, who sends Hardy running. We take a break and come back with Hardy getting two on Silver and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up and Page gets the hot tag, sending Hardy bailing to the floor.

This time Page gets his hands on him so Hardy uses Quen as the sacrificial lamb. Back in and Quen dropkicks Page’s knee out, allowing Matt to come in with a neckbreaker. Page isn’t having that and brings Silver back in to clean house in a hurry. A spear sets up Page’s Buckshot Lariat to finish Quen at 11:03.

Rating: C. Well that happened. It’s pretty weird for AEW to have such a lame main event as this felt like it should have been somewhere in the middle of the show. It wasn’t a bad match or anything but it’s the kind of match that really didn’t feel like it belonged in the main event slot. Matt Hardy continues to be one of those guys that makes me sigh when he is in a match. I know whey he is on TV so much but that doesn’t make it much better.

Post match Hardy jumps Page with the microphone and promises to win. Cue the Dark Order, plus all of the other teams in the battle royal. Death Triangle comes out to join the fray to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is a show where the total absolutely does not equal the sum of its parts. The first hour or so of this was one of the most energized things I’ve seen in wrestling in a long time as it just felt important. Starting with the Shaq match was an interesting way to go and following it up with the hot squash kept my attention. I liked this show quite a bit and while the second hour wasn’t as strong, it certainly wasn’t terrible. Very good show here with some especially great energy.

Results
Jade Cargill/Shaquille O’Neal b. Cody Rhodes/Red Velvet – Glam Slam to Velvet
Rey Fenix/Pac b. D3/John Skyler – Over the shoulder piledriver to Skyler
FTR/Tully Blanchard b. Jurassic Express – Spike piledriver to Luchasaurus
Ryo Mizunami b. Nyla Rose – Guillotine legdrop
Max Caster b. 10 – Boom box to the head
Hangman Page/John Silver b. Matt Hardy/Marq Quen – Buckshot lariat to Quen

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.