Full Gear 2024
Date: November 23, 2024
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another of the big four shows here with the Death Riders once again on top of the promotion. That’s the main event, with Orange Cassidy trying to detail Jon Moxley for the World Title. Other than that, most of the titles are on the line and we should have a pretty stacked show. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay

Taya Valkyrie is here with Purrazzo. Jay blocks a waistlock to start and kicks her in the face and the corner. Jay’s spinning kick lets her go up but a Valkyrie distraction lets Purrazzo take over. A clothesline sets up a crossarm choke, which is broken up so Jay can hit another superkick.

They slug it out until Jay hits a basement dropkick but Purrazzo knees her down. The Fujiwara armbar is broken up but Jay is kicked to the floor, where Valkyrie hits a spear. Since the referee watches her do it, it’s an ejection, though not a DQ for no apparent reason. Back in and the Fujiwara armbar goes on again, but Jay reverses into a rollup for the pin at 7:33.

Rating: C. Standard Rampage level match here with Jay getting a win after some recent losses. Odds are she’ll get a few more wins, get lose to a title and then lose the big one, as that’s just what happens to her most of the time. Purrazzo and the Vendetta need to actually do something already, because the team is losing what little value it had with every next loss.

Athena, Billie Starkz, Red Velvet and Leyla Hirsch are the four participants in the Ring Of Honor qualifying match for the four way at Wrestle Dynasty (on January 5). Yes Athena, by far the most dominant star in the history of Ring Of Honor’s women’s division, has to qualify. And yes, Ring Of Honor is still seen as is own promotion along with Stardom, AEW and CMLL for the sake of this match.

Zero Hour: The Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Dante Martin vs. Buddy Matthews

Komander and Martin are sent to the floor to start and we get the big power showdown. That’s broken up by the other two before Mortos wristlocks both of them at once. Martin gets sent outside so Matthews puts Komander on top, only for Mortos to take Matthews’ place. Mortos dives onto Martin but Matthews, and then Komander, dives onto all of them.

Back in and Matthews avoids Cielito Lindo but Komander is back with a hurricanrana to Mortos. That doesn’t go very far as Mortos is up to wreck everyone else until Matthews gets in a shot of his own. Matthews’ Jackhammer gets two on Martin with Mortos making the save, leaving Martin to roll Komander up for two.

Matthews drops Martin with a top rope Meteora but gets caught by Komander’s tornado DDT. Mortos crucifix drivers Komander but Martin hits a heck of a springboard clothesline to Mortos, leaving everyone down. Backup and all four slug it out with Mortos getting the better of things. Komander gets in a knockdown though and Martin adds a frog splash, only for Matthews to hit the Stomp and pin Martin at 10:35.

Rating: B. This was the kind of match that AEW has done a hundred or more times and it’s still a lot of fun. Let four people go out there and do a bunch of spots until one of them gets the win. No it doesn’t really boost Matthews up as he’s the biggest star and should be getting the win, but it doesn’t hurt any of the other three and the match was a good time. That’s a smart use of Kickoff Show and the crowd reacted well.

Paul Wight is back for commentary and brings out the Rizzler (a kid who makes quote unquote funny faces on social media) to be guest timekeeper.

Zero Hour: Big Boom AJ vs. QT Marshall

This is the celebrity match, with AJ and his son Justice better known as the Costco Guys. Apparently they’ve known each other for a long time and AJ is a former wrestler who now reviews items at Costco. Then Marshall didn’t like some cookies that AJ liked so…match! They stare each other down to start and Marshall knocks him down for some dancing. A snapmare drops AJ again but he’s back up with a backdrop.

AJ hits a powerslam for two and clotheslines Marshall outside, where Marshall’s security yells a lot. The distraction doesn’t work as Marshall’s running flip dive takes out the security by mistake. Back in and a DDT puts AJ down again and some right hands do it again. AJ manages a quick belly to belly though and makes the comeback, including a spinebuster. A top rope clothesline connects but AJ is gassed.

Marshall’s handspring kick to the face into a jumping cutter gets two, which sends Marshall after the Rizzler (who apparently does nothing but rub his chin). Wight cuts that off and AJ grabs a superplex to put them both down. Marshall’s friend Aaron Solo comes in for the distraction but gets decked, allowing Justice to hit a spear. AJ’s powerbomb is enough to pin Marshall at 11:44.

Rating: C+. All things considered, this could have been FAR worse. I hadn’t heard that AJ was a former wrestler until recently so this was a lot different than what I had been expecting. While he’s clearly out of practice (fair enough), AJ knew enough of what he was doing in there to make this an actual match rather than a bunch of silly stuff. Justice’s part was completely fine and Marshall is a nothing goofy heel in the first place. I have no interest in the Costco Guys’ content, but this was perfectly fine.

And now, the show proper.

Tag Team Titles: Kings Of The Black Throne vs. Outrunners vs. Acclaimed vs. Private Party

Private Party is defending and the Kings are played to the ring live. Caster’s rap mocks the band, but also says everyone loves the Best Wrestler Alive rather than the Acclaimed (who have Billy Gunn). Private Party have a bunch of dancers with glow sticks for their own flavor. Black works on Quen’s arm to start but gets kicked away, with Quen sitting down for the mind games.

The threat of the End has Quen backing away so Black elbows him in the face. Bowens comes in to trade armdrags with Kassidy with Kassidy getting the better of things, allowing the Outrunners to come in and plant Kassidy. Quen breaks that up and Floyd gets to clear the ring. King isn’t having that but Floyd Hulks Up, only to get blasted with a clothesline. The Kings take over and toss Quen into a knee to the face.

A backsplash hits Kassidy but the Outrunners and Acclaimed jump the Kings. The Acclaimed takes over on the Outrunners but Private Party is back in for stereo 450s for two each. The Outrunners are back with the Mega Powers elbow but Total Recall is broken up. King is back in to run people over and the Cannonball/kick to the head combination rocks Bowens in the corner.

The Acclaimed fights up to knock King down but Bowens doesn’t like Caster taking too much attention…so Caster offers Bowens the chance to pin him (ignoring commentary saying you can’t do that) for two. The Arrival plants Kassidy but Magnum breaks up the Mic Drop. Gin & Juice finishes Caster to retain the titles at 13:23.

Rating: B. Much like the other four way, this is something AEW does well and having so many people out there at once keeps the losing teams safe. This doesn’t make Private Party feel like some big, dominant team, but it did give them a nice pay per view win in a match that is more their style. Good opener here, though I can’t imagine Private Party are long term champs.

Private Party leaves through the crowd.

Orange Cassidy is ready to fight back against the Death Riders and says Private Party was the first step. They’ve been around since the beginning and now they’re the Tag Team Champions. It’s time for Cassidy to take the World Title and the power from Moxley.

We recap MJF vs. Roderick Strong. Last year at World’s End, Strong was revealed as one of the Devil’s henchmen. They have both since turned, meaning Strong is one of the two good guys wanting revenge on MJF, who decided that Strong and Adam Cole had to compete to face him here.

Roderick Strong vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

The bell rings and MJF bails to the floor to grab the mic and call the fans white trash. After a reference to Strong’s mother shooting his father, Strong goes outside to start the fight. Strong chops the post by mistake though and MJF starts in on the hand, setting up a powerbomb onto the apron.

Back in and the brainbuster is broken up but MJF knocks him down again. An armbar stays on the arm but Strong fights up and gets in a half nelson backbreaker. A torture rack toss into the corner sets up the jumping knee for two on MJF, who goes right back to the arm for a breather. The Heatseeker is blocked though and Strong hits a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and MJF’s attempt at a Panama Sunrise is cut off so he stomps on the arm for two more.

Strong is back up with a Texas Cloverleaf but MJF gets out rather quickly. That leaves Strong with a kick to MJF’s face and End Of Heartache gets two. A torture rack backbreaker into a fireman’s carry gutbuster have MJF down again but he comes back with a brainbuster for the double knockdown. Strong goes over to him but gets pulled into the Salt Of The Earth for the tap at 13:39.

Rating: B-. And that’s exactly what I was expecting from this match, as it was little more than a thing that had to be done before we get to the MJF vs. Adam Cole match. In other words, it’s just a way to extend the feud another month when it was already time to wrap it up. Odds are they’ll go to see Cole vs. MJF at World’s End one year in the making, making this match feel all the less important. The match was fine, but I have no idea why it needed to be here.

Post match MJF Pillmanizes Strong’s arm so Adam Cole runs in for the save. Kyle O’Reilly, with the Undisputed Kingdom, comes in to yell at Cole.

We recap Mercedes Mone defending the TBS Title against Kris Statlander. Mone is the big star but Statlander is the powerhouse coming after her, including taking out Mone’s monster Kamille.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander

Mone, without Kamille for some reason, is defending. Statlander misses a charge into the corner to start and gets taken down, allowing Mone to hammer away. A gorilla press drop gets Statlander out of trouble but they head to the apron where Mone grabs a hurricanrana. Mone dropkicks her through the ropes and then sends her into the steps to keep Statlander in trouble.

Back to back running Meteora give Mone two and a middle rope version gets the same. A flipping neckbreaker plants Statlander for two more and a sunset bomb sends her into the corner for the fourth running Meteora (in about two minutes) gets two. The crossarm choke is broken up and Statlander flips her out of the corner for a breather. Statlander’s knee is banged up though and they’re both down for a bit.

Rolling Chaos Theory gives Statlander two but she has to power out of the Mone Statement. They flip around into a Backstabber to give Mone a breather and a middle rope Meteora hits Statlander for two. Back up and a hard clothesline gives Statlander two, followed by a spinning Falcon Arrow for the same. Mone reverses Staturday Night Fever into a tornado DDT but the frog splash is countered into an F5.

Statlander’s bad knee is fine enough to miss a 450, with Mone elbowing away at the knee. A frog splash onto the knee gets two and a pair of Backstabbers into the Mone Maker…gets two. Another Mone Maker is countered, as is another Staturday Night Fever attempt. Instead Mone sends her throat first into the middle rope and gets a rollup for the pin at 19:24.

Rating: B-. This was another match that went longer than it should have been with Mone again not exactly living up to her hype. I’m not sure why Statlander needed to lose clean here, unless it was designed to make Mone into more of a star. It didn’t help that there was almost no chance that Statlander was going to win here and then the match was long and never really broke into that really good level.

Post match Statlander is helped out as Mone gets to do her dance.

We recap Jay White vs. Hangman Page in a rematch from last month where White won. Page doesn’t take kindly to that and cost White a match. The rematch is set, with Page threatening quite the insane response.

Jay White vs. Hangman Page

White grabs a headlock before striking away, only to get suplexed over the top. Page slams the knee into the apron and the post before grabbing a DDT onto the leg. A belly to belly gives Page two but White dropkicks the leg for a breather. White grabs a DDT for two but a fall away slam sends him crashing into the corner, banging up the leg again in the process.

Page sends him flying again, only for White to sweep the leg and send it into the post. A top rope superplex gives White two but Page goes after the leg again. Back up and they trade forearms until a bridging German suplex drops White for two more. They go to the apron where a dragon suplex plants Page on the apron and they fight up the ramp. This time Page sends him off the ramp for a crash to the floor.

Page grabs the ankle lock so White crawls back to the apron, with Page throwing him away. White dives back in to beat the count, only for Page to grab the ankle lock again. That’s broken up again and a swinging Rock Bottom gives White two. Another Page ankle lock is reversed into a kneebar, sending Page over to the ropes. A pair of Deadeyes gives Page two but the ankle lock is countered into the Blade Runner to give White the pin at 19:53.

Rating: B+. Page going with the ankle locks (which he couldn’t do well, which isn’t surprising as it’s not something he does) was a bit weird but these two had a heck of a match with both of them going back and forth. I’m more than a bit surprised at White winning, but it’s nice to have someone fresh coming up in the upper midcard scene. Maybe just don’t have Page lose again and again?

Post match Page jumps White again and drops Christopher Daniels for trying to break it up.

We recap Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher. Ospreay is still dealing with the Don Callis Family and is now having to face his former friend Fletcher, who is ready to prove himself as the real star.

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

Don Callis is here with Fletcher. They charge at each other to start and slug it out with Ospreay knocking him to the floor. Ospreay follows him to the floor for a fight over a suplex onto the steps before going to the apron. Fletcher gets in a whip into the corner, setting up a brainbuster to plant Ospreay on the floor. Back in and Fletcher kicks away, setting up a hanging DDT for two.

A dragon sleeper keeps Ospreay in trouble but he slips out and hits a running boot in the corner. That means a big flip dive to the floor to drop Fletcher again, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm for two back inside. A torture rack powerbomb gives Ospreay two but the Oscutter is countered into a neckbreaker. Ospreay’s sitout powerbomb gets two and they both need a breather.

Ospreay is back up with a Stundog Millionaire and a Tombstone on the floor knocks Fletcher silly again. In case you’re wondering, Fletcher is on his feet again in a minute, only for Ospreay to hit a Spiral Tap for two. They both escape powerbomb attempts until Ospreay grabs a running Spanish Fly. The Oscutter is broken up but Ospreay settles for a Styles Clash for two more.

The running elbow to the face gives Ospreay two more so they go to the apron. Stormbreaker is countered into a jumping Tombstone from the apron onto the steps. Back in (with Ospreay standing 1:12 later) and a piledriver gives Fletcher two, because of course that’s not the finish. The Tiger Driver 91 is reversed into a rollup for two before Fletcher drops him with a hard shot. A Helluva Kick into a brainbuster onto the corner (seems familiar) finishes Ospreay clean at 24:15.

Rating: B. As much as I can’t fathom the idea of Ospreay losing (again) clean, and as much as I want to scream at the idea of his story with the Don Callis Family continuing (AGAIN), I’m too busy shaking my head at a jumping Tombstone from the apron to the steps, followed by Fletcher’s piledriver finisher, getting two.

That’s a hospital spot (Heck, Samoa Joe was slowly sent through a cheap wall and has been gone for…four months now?), or at least the end of the match, but why let something like dropping him head first onto the steel finish Ospreay? I can accept the idea of giving someone a big rub, but this company needs some top heroes soon and having Ospreay lose over and over is quite the choice right now.

Here is Mina Shirakawa to introduce Mariah May (with quite the black eye) for her Champagne Championship Celebration. May talks about how she has deserved this but she has dominated this division and no woman alive can touch her. Shirakawa doesn’t seem convinced but they do the toast anyway and then dance, with May grabbing the champagne bottle. Shirakawa sees it coming though and spears her off the stage through a table. This really didn’t need to be on pay per view.

We recap Jack Perry defending the TNT Title against Daniel Garcia. Perry is the brooding tough champion and Garcia is kind of sick of it while wanting a title of his own. Match on.

TNT Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Jack Perry

Garcia is challenging and gets a special entrance with a message from his mother telling him to finish what he started. They fight over a lockup into the corner to start and it’s an early standoff. Perry chases him out to the floor before they trade places, with Garcia wanting Perry to get back in. Back in and Perry bails to the floor again and they switch places again, only fr Garcia to send him into the barricade.

Garcia hammers away but gets dropped on his head on the floor, followed by a hanging DDT to make it worse. Back in and a top rope dropkick to the back of the head gives Perry two. The chinlock with a knee in the back goes on but Garcia suplexes his way to freedom. They slug it out until Perry pulls him into the Snare Trap, sending Garcia over to the ropes.

Perry drops him onto the apron and goes over to shove guest commentator Matt Menard. A powerbomb puts Garcia through the timekeeper’s table but he dives back in to beat the count at nine. Garcia fires himself up and hits a clothesline, followed by a butterfly suplex into the corner.

Back up and Perry lawn darts him into the middle buckle and grabs the belt…which he throws at Garcia for a free shot. The referee takes it away so Perry can get in a low blow, setting up the running knee for two. Another running knee is countered into a piledriver to give Garcia two, leaving Perry to pose again. Garcia piledrives him again and grabs the Dragon Slayer for the tap and the title at 18:26.

Rating: B-. As annoying as Perry’s stupid posing has become, the end result was quite the relief as Perry finally loses the title. I’m not sure if Garcia is going to be the next big thing, but he needed to win something sooner than later. Throw in the fact that he took the title from Perry and it’s addition by subtraction if nothing else.

We recap Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet for the International Title. Takeshita cost Ricochet his previous title shots and then won the title himself, so now Ricochet wants another chance.

International Title: Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. Feeling out process to start until Ricochet grabs some armdrags. The armbar doesn’t slow Takeshita down that much so Ricochet goes with a more successful dropkick. Back up and Ricochet misses a charge to fall out to the floor, where Takeshita sends him into the barricade. They get back inside where Takeshita starts in on the back with some hard knees and a spinning side slam for two.

Some forearms to the back keep Ricochet in trouble, to the point where he can’t get in a springboard. Takeshita drops him again for a double arm crank but this time Ricochet fights up for a rolling dropkick. A springboard clothesline drops Takeshita and a jumping enziguri sends him outside for the running corkscrew dive. That’s enough for Callis to get off commentary as Ricochet’s handspring is countered into the Blue Thunder Bomb for two more.

Takeshita hits a forearm but his German suplex is countered into a rollup, followed by a hard clothesline to leave both of them down. Ricochet gets caught up top with a release German superplex (geez) and another clothesline gives Takeshita two of his own. That lets Takeshita go up but he takes too long, allowing Ricochet to snap off a super hurricanrana.

The shooting star press gets two but the Spirit Gun misses Takeshita. Raging Fire and Vertigo are both countered and Takeshita misses the running knee. Ricochet kicks him in the head but takes to long going up, allowing Takeshita to crotch him down. The super Raging Fire retains the title at 19:17.

Rating: B. This is what Ricochet does, as he got in a bunch of offense, only to come up short in the end. The good thing is that the match worked well, with Takeshita working on the back to slow down the high flying. Ricochet fought back as much as he could but ultimately the back slowed him down enough for Takeshita to catch him. Good match, though, it was hard to imagine Ricochet winning.

We recap Swerve Strickland vs. Bobby Lashley. Strickland isn’t interested in joining the Hurt Syndicate so Lashley and company attacked him. Strickland fought back and the match was made.

Bobby Lashley vs. Swerve Strickland

MVP, Shelton Benjamin and Prince Nana are here too. Lashley starts fast by slamming him down and choking away in the corner. The spinning Dominator gets two, with Lashley pulling him up, which isn’t sitting well with commentary. A rather delayed suplex plans Strickland again and Lashley sens him into the post to cut off a comeback bid.

We hit the chinlock, which as usual fires Strickland right back up. Lashley charges into a boot in the corner but a Benjamin distraction lets him run Strickland over again. Strickland fights back again but Benjamin grabs his foot. This time Benjamin gets tossed, only for Lashley to plant Strickland onto the apron.

Lashley gets sent into the steps a few times, followed by a DDT to send him into the apron. A quick Swerve Stomp sends Lashley through the announcers’ table, followed by a regular one for two back inside. Strickland stops to glare at MVP though and gets suplexed by Lashley as a result. The spear through the barricade drops Strickland again, followed by another spear and the Hurt Lock for the win at Strickland is out.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up here but this was more about Lashley being too much for Strickland. That made for a nice story with Lashley looking like the new monster, but it’s another loss for Strickland, who has had a lot of those in big matches lately. In other words, another dominant heel, which is the running theme throughout this promotion.

Post match the Hurt Syndicate beats Strickland and Nana down again.

We recap Jon Moxley defending the AEW World Title against Orange Cassidy. Moxley is the new big evil and trying to remake the company so Cassidy is here to, reluctantly, stand up and come after the title/power.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy

Moxley, with Marina Shafir, is defending while Cassidy is intentionally on his own. Cassidy starts fast with some Orange Punches to knock Moxley outside for the dive. Cassidy hammers away on the announcers’ table until Moxley gets in a crotching onto the barricade. They fight into the crowd and then back to ringside with the beating continuing. With Cassidy busted open, Moxley sends him right back to the floor, where Shafir gets in a cheap shot.

Back in and Moxley bites at the cut, setting up a Gotch style piledriver for two. They go outside for the third time with Moxley ramming him into the announcers’ table. Back in again and Cassidy tells him to hammer away, setting up the Kimura. Cassidy makes the ropes but gets knocked into the barricade for his efforts. Moxley puts him on top and rakes the back before knocking him out of the air for two.

Cassidy finally knocks him of the top and hits a diving DDT for a much needed hope spot. That’s too much offense though as Moxley takes him down with a cutter. They forearm it out with Cassidy telling him to bring it, earning himself a clothesline. Back up and an Orange Punch gets two so here are the Death Riders. JR: “Throw their a** out. But they haven’t done anything. Well you know they’re going to.”

Cue the Conglomeration to get rid of the Riders, with Willow Nightingale running in to take out Marina Shafir. Cassidy briefcases Moxley in the head for two but in the melee, Wheeler Yuta runs in and knees Cassidy down. The Death Rider (from the Death Rider) retains the title at 19:22.

Rating: C+. And so, after weeks of Cassidy not looking like a threat and Moxley barely ever looking worried, Moxley mostly crushed Cassidy here, with Cassidy’s few hope spots being cut off in short order. The one big spot that Cassidy had was hitting Moxley in the face with a briefcase and Moxley kicked out of that on his own. As usual, Moxley is presented as the biggest, toughest monster in the company and it’s hard to fathom anyone actually being able to beat him.

Post match the beatdown is on and Yuta pours mouthwash on Cassidy’s face. Cue Hangman Page to stare at Moxley but Christian Cage runs in to lay Moxley out. With Page gone, Cage tries to cash in but Jay White comes in to take him out. The Death Riders jump White and leave, with White following them. As the villains get to their truck, a car smashes into it before they can get in. They steal a car and leave, with Darby Allin popping out of the car that hit the truck to end the show. Forgive me for not being overly interested in someone who lost to Moxley at Grand Slam and to Castagnoli this week on Dynamite.

Overall Rating: B-. This promotion needs to lighten up and let the fans have something to believe in for a good while. Of the nine matches on the main card, the villains won six of them (again) including the last three, with Daniel Garcia, Jay White and Private Party being the heroes of the company. Throw in Allin, who has regularly been crushed by the Death Riders, and there isn’t much to be hopeful for around here. Will Ospreay could be the hero, but he is still with the Don Callis Family stuff for whatever reason.

That doesn’t leave much on the good sign, as it feels like we’re just waiting on the Elite to save us. Everything feels so serious and now we wait on what feels like Allin losing, likely at Worlds End, to get us to the new year for more Death Riders. That’s not exactly encouraging as the dark times continue around here. Just find something to give us some hope, as the Death Riders stuff is really bringing things down.

And finally, as usual, DANG this show was exhausting. Counting Zero Hour, it ran about 5.5 hours with no matches on the main card being shorter than 13 minutes. That didn’t so much make me enjoy the show but rather make me want to take a long nap. It’s a long night of the villains going over time after time and I didn’t want to see any more from AEW for a good while. They might want to work on that whole having fun thing again, as it was a nice feeling to have at the time.

Results
Anna Jay b. Deonna Purrazzo – Rollup
Buddy Matthews b. The Beast Mortos, Dante Martin and Komander – Stomp to Martin
Big Boom AJ b. QT Marshall – Powerbomb
Private Party b. Kings Of The Black Throne, The Acclaimed and The Outrunners – Gin & Juice to Caster
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Roderick Strong – Salt Of The Earth
Mercedes Mone b. Kris Statlander – Throat into the middle rope
Jay White b. Hangman Page – Blade Runner
Kyle Fletcher b. Will Ospreay – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Daniel Garcia b. Jack Perry – Dragon Slayer
Konosuke Takeshita b. Ricochet – Super Raging Fire
Bobby Lashley b. Swerve Strickland – Hurt Lock

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.

We’re back to one of the main four pay per views but things are only going so well for AEW right now. The promotion is focused on the Death Riders and various people trying to rise up against them, with Orange Cassidy getting the shot against Jon Moxley this week. Other than that, there are some grudge and title matches filling out the card, though it’s only looking so interesting. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Big Boom AJ vs. QT Marshall

This is the Costco Guys match as AEW gets what I guess passes for a celebrity these days. I have a grand total of no idea who these people are and from their limited appearances, I have no reason to believe I’m going to be interested, but I’m also the definition of not the audience for something like this. That being said, this is also a great example of something that should be harmless.

Of course AJ wins here as there is no reason for him not to. Marshall is little more than a comedy goof and he’ll get beaten up by the kids here so AJ can win. I’m sure AEW will hype up the appearances from the social media celebrities and it’ll have a limited impact, but that is the kind of thing that has been done in wrestling for years. The match will be little more than a detail and that’s all it needs to be.

Zero Hour: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay

This was added at the last minute, which is pretty normal around AEW, though in this case the two of them have had some issues lately. Jay turned down Purrazzo and the Vendetta’s offer to help her against Mariah May and now Purrazzo is ready to get some revenge. She’s also the home area star so there should be quite the crowd reaction, which is a bit of an odd choice for a villain.

I’ll go with Purrazzo to win here, as she is not only the hometown star but she also has Taya Valkyrie to help her out. The Vendetta hasn’t really done anything so giving the team a win here should make sense. While it would make sense for Jay to win here, as she’s lost lately and given her up and down win/loss record throughout her entire time in AEW, it should be Purrazzo going over.

Zero Hour: Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Dante Martin vs. Buddy Matthews

Ah there it is, as we have the match with no particular need to be on the show added at the last minute. It feels like little more than a Rampage main event and something similar probably has been more than once. If nothing else, it has been at least a week since we’ve seen Komander and that is just far too infrequently for someone who seemingly has to be around so often.

I’ll take Matthews to win here, as he’s the only one of the four who hasn’t been beaten into the ground. Mortos needs a win to boost himself back up a bit but that isn’t something you often see around here. Komander and Martin are pretty firmly stuck in their spots and not going anywhere, so there is pretty much no reason to believe that either of them has a chance. Matthews should win here, though he should have won multiple times before and rarely does so it’s fairly up in the air.

Jay White vs. Hangman Page

This is a match that should be one sided on paper, but the more I think about it, the less sure I am. White has come back and hit the ground running, doing some of his best singles work since coming to AEW. That being said, Page feels like he is taking quite the downgrade in this feud, as he went from headlining a pay per view to trading wins with White. It’s not terrible, but it feels like Page should be doing something better.

I’ll go with Page winning here to end the feud, as he could easily be moved into the main event scene again. While there is a chance that White wins here and Page teams up with Swerve Strickland to fight off the Bang Bang Gang, Page needs the win here more. If nothing else he needs to it move him on to something bigger, and in theory that is what happens here.

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

For the life of me I do not get why Ospreay is still stuck with the Don Callis Family feud, yet here we are in what should be the blowoff to the whole thing. AEW has tried as hard as they can to make Fletcher into a bigger thing and while it has certainly not been a failure, Ospreay still feels like a far bigger star and should win here to allow him to move on to anything else.

For the sake of my sanity, I’ll go with Ospreay winning here, even if the Family interfering to extend the feud would not surprise me in the slightest. Ospreay is someone who should be coming after Jon Moxley and the World Title, but first he has to get through this. It feels like that has been the case for most of his AEW run and it would be nice to see him get out of that cycle for once.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone(c) vs. Kris Statlander

This story has been more about Mone treating Kamille like a loser and in theory that could lead to the two splitting in the near future. That could set up Kamille taking the title away from Mone down the line, which would mean that Mone needs to retain it here. That’s not the most thrilling story and certainly isn’t doing Kamille any favors at the moment, but it should make things easier to predict here.

For now, I can’t imagine Mone losing the title as it seems like AEW wants her to have some kind of an epic reign. At some point she is going to lose the title and it might be to Kamille down the line, but for now she is going to beat Statlander to retain. Statlander needs a win of some kind, but for now it looks like she is going to lose as Mone continues to not be anywhere near as special as AEW seems to see her.

TNT Title: Jack Perry(c) vs. Daniel Garcia

For the first time in a good while, I actually have some hope about Perry losing the title. Garcia is another name AEW seems interested in pushing as a big deal and at some point that means he is going to have to win something. I’m not sure if it is going to be the TNT Title, but it would not shock me to see AEW go in that direction. If nothing else, a break from Perry as champion could be quite the benefit.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s where AEW is going to go as I’ll take Perry to retain the title. AEW seems to think he’s some kind of great character and a huge deal, so for some reason that is what we are going to see or the time being. The match should be good and Garcia should win, but ultimately this feels like another case of Perry being the unstoppable force who leaves with the title. Again.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita(c) vs. Ricochet

And now we have the video game match of the show which has all of the potential to be incredibly fun. These two could absolutely tear the house down and I could go for seeing what they have the chance to do. Takeshita finally won a title and is now getting the chance to show what he can do on top. Ricochet is someone who can have a heck of a match with anyone and there is a chance to do something great here.

I’ll go with Takeshita to retain here, as there is almost no reason to have him lose the title so soon. Ricochet probably shouldn’t be losing another high profile match so quickly into his time in AEW, but losing to Takeshita is hardly a bad thing. At the end o the day, Takeshita is someone that AEW should be getting behind and it would be nice to see him getting a win on the big stage here, especially over a talent like Ricochet.

Tag Team Titles: Private Party(c) vs. House Of Black vs. Outrunners vs. Acclaimed

This has the potential to be the big wild party match with everyone going nuts and getting in all of their usual stuff. That should make for a rather fun showcase, even though the match is rather light on villains. The question here is what the twist might be, as there is little reason to believe that things are going to go off without a hitch. Well and who leaves with the titles of course.

Despite Private Party not exactly feeling like a great team before they won the tiles, I’ll take them to retain here, likely with FTR turning on the Outrunners to cost them the titles. It should make for a good match either way, and the kind of entertaining match that the show needs. I could see the House winning the titles, but this feels like Private Party getting a pay per view win rather than the usual on television.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Roderick Strong

I have no idea why this match is taking place. The Adam Cole vs. MJF feud is long since dead but for some reason we are now going to see MJF vs. Cole’s most of the time friend. Strong’s backstory involving his parents was dropped into this feud at the last minute and it didn’t exactly feel right. I’m not sure how well the match is going to go, but the story definitely needs a boost.

There is no reason for MJF to lose here as he still has the showdown with Cole coming, so I’ll go with MJF getting the win. At the end of the day, MJF has been gone for a long time now and he is going to need a win to boost him up before the likely match at World’s End, as AEW would love to do that whole “it’s been a year since the stunning betrayal” deal. That doesn’t make for a good story, but it’s likely the story we’re getting.

Swerve Strickland vs. Bobby Lashley

I saved one of the best for near the end as this has been the match that interests me the most. Lashley is the new monster but Strickland has been stepping his game up to fight him. This included a heck of a segment this week on Dynamite with Strickland taking Lashley and the rest of the Hurt Syndicate out to stand tall. That made him look like a star, but that might be it.

I just can’t imagine Lashley losing his first big match so we’ll go with the logical choice of him taking Strickland out here. There is a good chance that the feud continues with Strickland getting some help, possibly in the form of Hangman Page, to make things that much more nutty. For now though, Lashley needs to win, with Strickland giving it his all in defeat.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Orange Cassidy

And then there’s this, which just does not feel special. The Death Riders have been dominating the promotion for the last few months and it does not feel like we are anywhere close to that story being over. Cassidy is the first challenger to the title and while he is someone who could be a threat to Moxley, there is a heck of a gap between that and actually winning the title.

There is almost no chance that Cassidy wins here, as Moxley gets to claim another victim and move on to something else, possibly Darby Allin, down the line. The Death Riders are going to be the big focus of the company for a good while to come, and that includes them winning here. Hopefully something big happens in the match, as otherwise it just isn’t feeling that important.

Overall Thoughts

This show isn’t terrible, but it also isn’t jumping off the page. There are a few matches that I want to see, but I’m having a hard time getting interested in where things go after. That has been the case with AEW for a good while and unfortunately I’m not sure I can see it changing. A lot of this show feels like it is designed to set up things for later, and that doesn’t make for the most interesting show from here. Odds are it will be good as most AEW pay per views are, but the whole promotion needs something fresh and soon.

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: November 20, 2024
Location: Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Matt Menard

It’s the last Dynamite before Full Gear and that means we’re likely getting some more matches set for the pay per view. Other than that, it’s likely the final big showdown between Orange Cassidy and Jon Moxley. That should be enough, but we might even get the November Rain video again. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a Full Gear preview, set to Guns N Roses’ November Rain.

Ricochet/Powerhouse Hobbs/Will Ospreay/Mark Davis vs. Don Callis Family

It’s a big brawl on the floor to start until Takeshita and Davis go inside to get things going. Davis’ shoulders don’t get him very far so he backdrops Takeshita down, leaving Ricochet to hit a dive. Hobbs catches Fletcher on top but Cage crushes Hobbs’ leg against the steps. Back in and Ricochet slips out of the Blackout and headscissors Archer down. The villains clear the ring though and we take a break.

Back with Ricochet rolling Takeshita up for two and it’s back to Fletcher to pick up the pace. Davis holds Takeshita up for an assisted cutter but Cage and Archer give Davis an assisted DDT. Cue the hobbling Hobbs (who was apparently taken to the back due to his leg) to clean house, including a double clothesline to Cage and Archer. Davis piledrives Takeshita for two and it’s time for the brawl with Fletcher. We hit the parade of knockdowns until Ospreay and Fletcher get to strike it out. Ospreay accidentally elbows Davis in the face though and Takeshita’s running knee finishes Davis off at 14:33.

Rating: B. Well I don’t think there was any secret as to why Davis was in there. It was billed as an All Star match and Davis being the non-All Star made him the perfect choice for the one to take the fall. The action was good and Hobbs looked good, though the villains needed to win here, especially given some of the upcoming matches.

Jon Moxley swears that Wheeler Yuta is going to destroy Orange Cassidy.

Darby Allin is ready to take out Claudio Castagnoli.

Video on the Continental Classic.

The Hurt Syndicate arrives to announce that Bobby Lashley will be wrestling tonight. Cue Swerve Strickland with to drop Lashley with a chain.

Here is a very orange Adam Cole for a chat. Cole isn’t going to get to face MJF on Saturday but he’s happy that Roderick Strong will. Cue Kyle O’Reilly to interrupt and talk about their history around here. O’Reilly knows him better than anyone and that means he needs to be the one to tell Cole to end the crusade against MJF. Cole doesn’t know how to take this but O’Reilly says MJF is manipulating everything. O’Reilly won’t shake his hand and leaves.

Orange Cassidy is ready to fight Jon Moxley on Saturday and he wants to do it alone. The Conglomeration is ready to fight with him but Cassidy gets serious and says he wants to do this on his own. The team agrees, knowing it’s going to be 5-1.

Kris Statlander vs. Hikaru Shida

They go with the grappling to start with Statlander elbowing her in the face but getting caught with a running knee in the corner. Statlander shrugs that off and cranks on both arms before being reversed into a cross arm choke. A middle rope dropkick drops Statlander and the running knee sends her to the floor as we take a break. Back with Statlander snapping off a powerslam and getting two off a Falcon Arrow. Shida is back with another knee to the face but still can’t bring herself to fire the Katana. Shida’s Falcon Arrow gets two more but another Katana is countered into the Staturday Night Fever for the win at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Shida is someeone who can put over just about anyone and make them look better, which is what we got here with Statlander. That’s a good thing with Statlander on her way to losing to Mercedes Mone in the TBS Title match. This was a nice step for Statlander and it didn’t overstay its welcome so it could have been far worse.

Post match Mercedes Mone and Kamille (in a sling) come out to mock Philadelphia and Statlander. Mone sends Kamille after Statlander, who beats her up with Shida’s help. Mone’s interference is cut off as well and Statlander drops her quick.

The Hurt Syndicate beat up someone wearing Swerve Strickland’s coat.

Video on Jay White vs. Hangman Page.

Bobby Lashley vs. Joe Keys/Cheeseburger

Dominator to Cheeseburger, spear and Hurt Lock to Keys for the win at 2:03. There’s an “I can has cheeseburgers” joke in there somewhere.

Post match here is Swerve Strickland to take out the Hurt Syndicate with the chain. Swerve bails into the crowd as the team gets up. This was an excellent way to make Swerve look like a threat to Lashley and one of the better segments he’s one in a good while.

Mariah May, with Marina Shirakawa, are ready to team together before their champagne celebration at Full Gear. They dance.

Darby Allin vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Allin’s grappling can’t get him very far to start but a springboard armdrag works a bit better. Castagnoli can’t get the Swing so Allin sends him outside, where a dive is cut off. A running uppercut sends Allin over the barricade as Tony is calling the match “phenomenal” just over two minutes in. Castagnoli grabs a suplex and walks him up the steps for the toss back inside (which Tony has somehow never seen).

We take a break and come back with Allin hitting a dive, only to get caught with a gutwrench superplex. Castagnoli unloads in the corner and takes it outside for the Swing into the steps. The announcers’ table is loaded up and Allin is launched into the timekeeper’s area for the huge crash. Allin dives back in to beat the count at nine, where is is promptly clotheslined and pinned at 13:45.

Rating: C+. This was pretty squashtastic with Castagnoli smashing his way through Allin, who only got in a few shots here and there. In theory this is knocking Allin down to rock bottom before he fights back to get a future title shot against Moxley. That’s a path that has been taken before, but I’m not sure how smart it is to have one of your bigger stars beaten up this badly.

Private Party is ready for Full Gear when the Costco guys interrupt, saying they have a big announcement. I’m sure the Costco guys have a fan base but I have no idea who they are so this isn’t exactly for me.

MJF throws money to make a homeless person leave. Then he sits on his car and talks about Roderick Strong’s poor childhood, which is why Strong and Adam Cole are friends. MJF doesn’t like either of them and he’s ready to beat Strong on Saturday to send him back to the trailer park. Then Strong will wish his mother had shot him instead of his father. That’s a story I believe I’ve heard before in a vignette, but I don’t think it was in AEW. They might want to work on that.

The Costco guys are ready for their match against QT Marshall. Apparently the bigger one is a former wrestler and Marshall insulted some cookies. The announcement: the kid’s friend the Rizzler will be guest timekeeper. I have no idea what any of that means.

Here are Roderick Strong and the Undisputed Era, with Strong ranting about MJF and the story about Strong’s parents. That story made him realize he had to earn it while MJF had to be spoon fed everything. Strong promises to hurt MJF and beat some humility into him. Unless I’ve blocked it out, this story about Strong’s parents has not been mentioned on AEW TV during the build to his match with MJF (if ever). That’s a heck of a lot to drop in our laps three days before their match.

On Collision, Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard attacked Jack Perry and tied him to the front of his Scapegoat van. We get some footage of Perry still kidnapped, with Garcia yelling at him and talking about taking power. Perry talks about right and wrong and sacrifice but Garcia cuts him off and laughs. Then Garcia beats on the van with a crowbar. Perry: “That’s it?” I have no idea who approved any of this, but they shouldn’t have a job in wrestling.

We go to the locker room for the contract signing between Chris Jericho and Tomohiro Ishii for the Ring Of Honor World Title match. Jericho takes it to his legal team before he signs, with Ishii slowly stalking him. Some obstacles in his way don’t slow things down as they go up some steps and then into the concourse, with the slow motion “chase” continuing.

They go into the arena and then in the ring, where Ishii has a pen so Jericho signs. The Learning Tree comes in to beat Ishii down but Mark Briscoe and Rocky Romero run in for the save. The Conglomeration cleans house and Ishii signs too. That chase was so dumb that it was almost funny. Almost.

Jamie Hayter isn’t sure why Julia Hart interrupted her last week…and we get another Hart vignette. She shoots arrows and we see some clips of her with an arrow in her chest. Then she hits a bull’s eye.

Orange Cassidy vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta dropkicks him before the bell but Cassidy is back with a backslide for two. The Stundog Millionaire sends Yuta outside for the dive, where Yuta brainbusters him onto the barricade. Yuta adds a DDT onto the apron and we take a break. Back with Cassidy winning a slugout and kicking him in the head, followed by a suplex (called a brainbuster) getting two.

Yuta comes back with a clothesline and the Angle Slam before hitting the elbows to the face. Cassidy pops up with a Michinoku driver for two more but Yuta ties up his legs and hits a Tombstone for another near fall. Cattle Mutilation sends Cassidy to the ropes so Yuta grabs a chair and misses. Cassidy grabs a quick rollup for the pin at 12:14.

Rating: C+. So Cassidy is three days away from headlining a pay per view for the World Title against the monster champion and needed 12 minutes to beat the lowest member of the champion’s team. That’s not how you make a challenger strong for their title match, but I guess Yuta had to be protected. Why I’m not sure, but that’s how AEW tends to work.

Post match the Death Riders run in and duct tape Yuta down for a huge beating. The Death Riders leave and the Conglomeration come out to cut Cassidy free. Cassidy puts on his sunglasses and puts his hands into his pockets to end the show. Have your money ready for Saturday people!

Overall Rating: C. This is the most AEW show I can remember in a long time. The wrestling was fine to good, but my goodness I am so uninterested in almost every story going on. Between Kamille being treated as a stupid lackey to MJF’s latest “you’re trash” to O’Reilly and Cole having issues from 14 years ago to the Death Riders being the latest NWO monster heel stable, there was almost nothing on here I would want to see. Other than Swerve vs. the Hurt Syndicate, the storytelling is not getting anywhere for me and Full Gear is sounding like the most uninteresting pay per view AEW has presented to date.

Results
Don Callis Family b. Will Osprey/Mark Davis/Powerhouse Hobbs/Ricochet – Running knee to Davis
Kris Statlander b. Hikaru Shida – Staturday Night Fever
Bobby Lashley b. Joe Keys/Cheeseburger – Hurt Lock to Keys
Claudio Castagnoli b. Darby Allin – Clothesline
Orange Cassidy b. Wheeler Yuta – Rollup

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: November 15, 2024
Location: Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re just over a week away from Full Gear and probably about a month and a half away from the end of this show. The last two weeks have been about Lio Rush vs. Komander but odds are that’s over and done with for now. Ricochet is in action this week so we should at least get some impressive high flying. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Hikaru Shida vs. Leila Grey

Shida runs her over with a shoulder to start but Grey knees her in the ribs, That earns Grey a swinging waistlock and a knee lift cuts her down again. Back up and Grey hits a basement dropkick for two and a running knee/bulldog out of the corner gets two. Shida wins a strike off and gets two off a middle rope dropkick. The Katana takes too long but it’s a Falcon Arrow to finish Grey at 4:47.

Rating: C. This is what AEW needs to do more often, as the bigger star dispatched someone who has a bit of a name, but it didn’t take that long. For some reason AEW has some weird obsession with making this kind of a match last longer than it needs to so hopefully this is a change of pace. Shida doesn’t have much going on but a win here and there could help.

Harley Cameron says Mina Shirakawa has nothing Cameron doesn’t has. Cameron then whips out a guitar, sits down, and sings a bit but gets cut off. Threats of feeling her wrath are cut off as well.

Mark Briscoe vs. Ariya Daivari

The fact that I didn’t know who Briscoe was facing but figured it would be a Premiere Athlete isn’t a good sign. Briscoe grabs a headlock to start and strikes Daivari down without much effort. A suplex and some chops have Daivari in more trouble but he knocks Briscoe outside for a needed breather. Briscoe sends him into the barricade a few times but Mark Sterling cuts off the step up flip dive.

Daivari gets in a knockdown and we take a break, coming back with Briscoe fighting out of a chinlock. A sleeper doesn’t work much better so Daivari grabs a DDT for two. Briscoe fights up again and hits a fisherman’s buster, setting up the Death Valley Driver. Daivari breaks up the Froggy Bow and Sterling offers a distraction, only for Rocky Romero to cut Sterling off. Now the flip dive drops the villains and the Froggy Bow gives Briscoe the pin at 11:02.

Rating: C+. And this is a good example of the kind of match I mentioned earlier. Briscoe and Daivari are nowhere near the same level but it took Briscoe eleven minutes and a small assist to beat him. That felt like they were out there to do nothing but fill in time and that’s not good to see. The action was fine, but you know what you’re getting with the Premiere Athletes and that was on full display here, with pretty much nothing out of the ordinary.

Rocky Romero vs. Komander

MVP is watching in the back. Romero takes him down to start but Komander flips away. They grab hands and flip around a bit more until Komander grabs a springboard armdrag. Komander sends him outside for a dive but Romero is back with a faceplant for two. A backbreaker and superplex have Komander in trouble and we take a break. Back with Komander hitting a springboard moonsault, only to have his moonsault hit raised boots. Komander is fine enough to powerslam him into the corner and Cielito Lindo finishes at 9:46.

Rating: C+. The Komander Era of Rampage continues, but having him beat Romero isn’t exactly going to change much. At the same time, we got the required fairly long Komander match with his usual assortment of flips and dives. It’s impressive enough, but when he’s on the show so often, the impact is fairly limited.

Anna Jay is ready to take the risk to get the Women’s Title. Taya Valkyrie comes in to offer the Vendetta’s help but Jay says mind your own business.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Alec Price/Richard Holliday

That’s quite the jobbing team. Price flips away from Mortos to start but a dropkick doesn’t work. Mortos runs him over and it’s off to Holiday to hit Rush in the face. That doesn’t work well for Rush, who takes Holiday outside for some rams into the barricade. The Bull’s Horns finishes Holliday at 2:59. You get someone as good as Holliday and you feed him to Rush in about three minutes?

MVP sees a lot of untapped potential in AEW but he sees arrogance in Swerve Strickland. How can Strickland call himself the most dangerous man in AEW when Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley are around? Komander impressed him, but tomorrow on Collision, Benjamin will get to know Komander up close.

Video on Mariah May vs. Anna Jay. This match might have some more heat if May hadn’t beaten her last time.

Ricochet vs. Dante Martin

They trade flipping escapes to start until Ricochet reverses a sunset flip into a rollup for two. Ricochet misses a charge into the corner and Martin nails a jumping knee. Ricochet’s springboard clothesline gets two and we take a break. Back with Ricochet charging into a boot in the corner and Martin hits a dive to the floor.

A springboard splash gives Martin two but the half nelson slam is broken up. Ricochet rolls the suplexes for two as MVP is watching in the back again. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Ricochet two more but Vertigo is blocked. Instead the Spirit Gun (I think) finishes Martin off at 10:13.

Rating: B-. Another high flying match here with two guys doing well in their standard style. Ricochet picks up another win on his way to the International Title shot against Konosuke Takeshita. Martin’s time as a singles star has come and gone for the time being and that’s a shame as he was stating to get something together before being put back into the team/trio with his brother and Action Andretti. They have talent, so do something with it.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Oh this was Rampage for sure. A bunch of people feeling like they were sent out there to fill in time and if anything good came of it, great. Otherwise, it’s a show where very little happens and the bigger matches for Collision and Dynamite are advertised a bit. As always, not a bad show, but totally skippable if you’re running short on time.

Results
Hikaru Shida b. Leila Grey – Falcon Arrow
Mark Briscoe b. Ariya Daivari – Froggy Bow
Komander b. Rocky Romero – Cielito Lindo
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Alec Price/Richard Holliday – Bull’s Horns to Holliday
Ricochet b. Dante Martin – Spirit Gun

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: November 13, 2024
Location: Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re closing in on Full Gear and the big story continues to be the Death Riders taking over everything. That changed a bit last weekend though as Orange Cassidy and friends stood up to the villains, with Cassidy himself scaring Jon Moxley off. The rest of the show could use some time of their own though so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Christian Cage/Hangman Page vs. Bang Bang Gang

Cage has the Patriarchy here with him. White backs Page up against the ropes to start and elbows him in the face but Cage tags himself in. Robinson comes in as well and flips Cage off but Cage manages to send him outside. Nick Wayne gets in a cheap shot on the floor and the slow beating continues. Cue Hook to choke Wayne over the barricade and drag him into the crowd though, allowing Robinson to hit a reverse DDT on the floor. Back in and the tag brings in White for a reverse DDT on Cage, plus a suplex into the corner to Page.

Everything breaks down and Robinson gets crotched on top, followed by a triangle clothesline to White. A super all away slam brings Robinson down for two but White is back in. Cage’s spear is countered into the Blade Runner but White has to duck the Buckshot Lariat. Back to back suplexes put the villains down and the Blade Runner sends Cage into the barricade. Back in and Robinson slugs away at Page, who gets sunset flipped for two. Kip Sabian gets in a contract shot to Robinson though and the Deadeye finishes at 12:33.

Rating: B-. Good opener here with something that felt a little bit different. Throwing something like Page and Cage together is an interesting way to go and the Gang was protected with the interference. I like this kind of thing every so often and it was a nice way to go for a change.

Here’s what’s coming at Full Gear and later tonight.

Mercedes Mone blames Kamille for the car issues last week and tells her to take care of her jacket. Then Kris Statlander shows up for a brawl, with Statlander driving Mone through a wall and onto Kamille. As the destruction of Kamille continues.

Here is Will Ospreay, who gets straight to the point by calling out Kyle Fletcher. Cue Fletcher, who threatens violence and then asks what Ospreay wants to talk about. Ospreay doesn’t buy this and tells Fletcher to drop whatever weapons he has because this is just for a talk. Fletcher throws a screwdriver down before Ospreay talks about their history together.

Fletcher knows everything about him, down to where his kids go to school, so why is all of this happening? That sends Fletcher into a rant about how Ospreay was selfish over the years and turned on a bunch of people, which is why Ospreay would have done the same thing in Fletcher’s spot. Ospreay asks what Fletcher has done, and he doesn’t mean Aussie Open. Fletcher wants a match at Full Gear, which sends Ospreay into a rant about how he’s Mr. PPV around here. He’s fought all kinds of champions on pay per view and stolen the show each time (yet he’s not like, in the title picture at the moment).

The match is set, with Lance Archer and Brian Cage coming in. Ospreay has friends of his own with Mark Davis and Powerhouse Hobbs so the fight is on. Cue Roderick Strong to go after Archer for their scheduled (falls count anywhere) match and we’re ready to go. Other than that, this was another long segment built around things that happened years ago and mostly not in AEW, which happens rather frequently around here.

Roderick Strong vs. Lance Archer

Falls count Anywhere and Archer sends him through some things as we take an early break. Back with Archer missing a charge into the barricade but Brian cage pops up to try a powerbomb. The Undisputed Kingdom makes the save but Archer is back up with a chokeslam to send Matt Taven into security. Strong comes back with a chair to the face and a jumping knee for the pin at 6:42.

Rating: C+. What do you say about something like this? It was a big brawl with a bunch of interference and a good chunk of it was spent in the break. Strong gets another win on the way to the MJF match and Archer loses again, which tends to be the case in any match that matters. Not much to see here, as the falls count anywhere aspect was little more than a way to have a bunch of interference.

Post match Strong promises to come after MJF (as he has not secured his match with his third win) but cue Konosuke Takeshita to jump him from behind. Cue Adam Cole for his scheduled match with Takeshita.

Adam Cole vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Non-title. Cole knocks him out to the floor to start while the theme song is still going, only for Takeshita to come in side and take over as we take a break. Back with Cole hitting the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two but Takeshita hits a Blue Thunder Bomb. Back up and Cole hits him in the face, only to miss the Boom. A brainbuster onto the knee gives Cole two but Takeshita is back with his modified Tombstone into a wheelbarrow suplex.

The big lariat gets two but another is cut off by Cole’s superkick. The Panama Sunrise connects, only for Takeshita to roll outside before the Boom. Takeshita whips out the Dynamite Diamond Ring and the referee turns away for the sake of plot convenience. The big shot to the head gives Takeshita the pin at 9:29.

Rating: C+. Well the ending did surprise me, and thankfully we won’t be getting a triple threat match with Cole, Strong and MJF. If nothing else, I’m not sure why Cole was getting a chance to equal Strong’s three wins but it wound up not mattering. Not a great match, which shouldn’t be a surprise given that it’s Cole, but at least the right person won.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kyle O’Reilly runs in for the save, with Ricochet coming out to fight Takeshita to the back. Cole and Strong shake hands but O’Reilly walks away.

The Hurt Syndicate is ready for Bobby Lashley to make an example out of Swerve Strickland.

Here are the Death Riders beating up JD Drake. Jon Moxley hijacks a cameraman and talks about what he has done to Orange Cassidy’s friends. Chuck Taylor is drinking through a straw and Wheeler Yuta believes in Moxley because Cassidy couldn’t save him. Cassidy is going to learn a lesson and the Death Riders have the power. Cue Cassidy to interrupt, with Rocky Romero and Mark Briscoe joining him.

Cassidy talks about how the World Title gives Moxley power so they’re going to wrestle for the title at Full Gear, where Cassidy will beat him. First though, he has to take out some pawns, like Wheeler Yuta, who he’ll face next week, before he can take down the king. The villains go to leave but Darby Allin dives off the balcony onto them. The Riders try to leave again (leaving Yuta behind) but Allin dives onto the back of their truck. Claudio Castagnoli swings him into a garage door and Yuta dives into the back of the truck to escape. That was a lot in one segment, though Cassidy still feels like his loss is just a formality.

Chris Jericho, with the Learning Tree, talks about Tomohiro Ishii being a young boy thirty years ago and having to wash Jericho’s back in the shower. Jericho accepts Ishii’s challenge and the match is n for two weeks.

Britt Baker vs. Penelope Ford

They fight over wrist control to start until Ford kicks her out to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Ford hitting a handspring elbow in the corner, only to get caught with a discus lariat. Ford Matrixes away from a clothesline and tries a….well commentary calls it a cutter but I’m not sure they made contact. Baker kicks her down and loads up the Lockjaw but takes too much time. Ford pulls her into the Muta Lock, which is reversed into the Lockjaw to finish Ford at 8:55.

Rating: C. Baker feels like she is just going through the motions here and that has been the case for a good while. She just doesn’t feel like she is doing anything overly good these days. At the end of the day, she has just stopped evolving and the rest of the division has, which doesn’t work out well. Ford is trying rather hard and while it’s not exactly getting her anywhere, it’s definitely noticeable.

Post match Serena Deeb comes out for a staredown with Baker.

Mina Shirakawa is back and read for a champagne celebration with Mariah May. Cue Harley Cameron, who says Shirakawa is called the Harley Cameron of Japan. Cameron: “Well welcome to the Harley Cameron of Harley Cameron!” They get into a chest shaking contest until Renee Paquette yells at them to stop.

Lio Rush vs. Swerve Strickland

They take turns flipping away from each other to start before going out to the floor. Rush rakes the eyes and yells a lot but gets sent ribs first into the apron. Rush sends him into the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Swerve kicking him in the head on the apron and adding a suplex for two. Rush is back with a cutter for two of his own, followed by the Final Hour for another near fall. Rush’s rollup with ropes doesn’t work so he hits a rolling kick to the head. Strickland has had enough of this and hits the JML Driver for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, as we get our required Rush appearance. Swerve had to fight through some adversity to win as Rush continues to try and get the Hurt Syndicate’s attention. Swerve having some issues with Rush made sense and it went the way it should have without hurting Swerve in any way.

Post match Swerve calls out Bobby Lashley for the brawl (saying we’re in Stamford, Connecticut). Cue Lashley and MVP and, after a THIS IS BRIDGEPORT chant, MVP says they have the numbers advantage and here is Shelton Benjamin to jump Swerve from behind. Prince Nana has to watch as Swerve is taken out. Lashley beats up Nana for a bonus.

Jamie Hayter is coming after one thing. Then the lights go out and we get a Julia Hart vignette, showing her recovering from being shot with an arrow in another vignette. Brody King calls her and says it’s time to come back. Then she seems to have a mental breakdown and screams a lot. Then she is handed a crossbow and puts on a hat.

Kings Of The Black Throne vs. FTR

For a spot in the Tag Team Title match at Full Gear, meaning Private Party is watching. Wheeler tries to pick up the pace against King to start but gets backdropped down hard. Black comes in to strike away at Harwood, who misses a right hand so Black drops down to the mat. Black kicks Harwood to the floor, where FTR gets in a shot of their own to take over. We take a break and come back with Black fighting his way out of trouble, allowing the tag back to King. Wheeler catches King on top though and a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination gets two.

Black moonsaults onto Wheeler on the floor as King powerbombs Harwood for two back inside. King gets taken up top again but he gets knees up to block the PowerPlex. Black’s top rope double stomp hits Harwood for two and the Shatter Machine gets the same with Black making the save. A spike piledriver onto the apron plants Black but King is there with a dive. Back in and a pair of lariats into a sleeper finish Harwood at 13:28.

Rating: B. Another hard hitting match here and I like the result. FTR has been done to death in the title picture and it will add at least a little spice when they turn on the Outrunners at the show. The Kings Of The Black Throne needed a win to give them some momentum, even if it’s hard to buy that they are going to win the titles at Full Gear.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to make of this show. It was absolutely not boring, but the biggest thing is I’m not really overly interested in Full Gear. A lot of the matches feel like things we have to get through on the way to whatever is next and that’s not a great feeling to have. All of the run-ins and people interfering here didn’t really boost my interest as much as it made me want the show to calm down. It certainly felt like they were trying something different, though I’m not sure how well it worked.

Results
Hangman Page/Christian Cage b. Bang Bang Gang – Deadeye to Robinson
Roderick Strong b. Lance Archer – Jumping knee
Konosuke Takeshita b. Adam Cole – Punch with the Dynamite Diamond Ring
Britt Baker b. Penelope Ford – Lockjaw
Swerve Strickland b. Lio Rush – JML Driver
Kings Of The Black Throne b. FTR – Sleeper to Harwood

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: November 6, 2024
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

This is coming off of a pretty strong show last week and that is a good sign with a few weeks to go before we get to Full Gear. The main event is now set, with Orange Cassidy challenging Jon Moxley for the World Title. The rest of the show needs to be set up and we might get some of that this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to get things going. MVP gets rid of Tony Schiavone and introduces the team. Their business card is like your golden ticket, but if you reject it, it can ruin your career. We look at the team taking out Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana last week and here they are, only to be held back. Swerve gets to the point and issues the challenge for Full Gear with MVP accepting for Lashley.

We look at Orange Cassidy standing up and challenging Jon Moxley, setting up their Full Gear title match.

Death Riders vs. Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin

The Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli/Pac in this case) are the former Blackpool Combat Club. They go after Cassidy in the aisle to start but Allin dives off the set for the save as the brawl starts. The brawl keeps going on the floor until Cassidy and Pac get inside for the opening bell. Pac kicks away, including a boot in the corner to cut Cassidy off. The top rope superplex is broken up though and Cassidy hits the top rope DDT for two. Castagnoli makes the save with some backbreakers and we take an early break.

Back with an over the shoulder backbreaker giving Castagnoli two but he misses a charge into the post. Allin comes in to clean house, including getting out of a giant swing. Instead a big backdrop puts Allin down and another backbreaker gets two as Castagnoli does his best Roderick Strong impression.

Pac’s brainbuster gets two and a super brainbuster gets the same with Cassidy making the save. That’s enough for Allin to get up and dive over for the tag as everything breaks down. Cassidy hits a tornado DDT but cue Marina Shafir to kick the referee to the floor. Jon Moxley runs in to choke Cassidy and Wheeler Yuta adds a skateboard to Allin’s back for the DQ at 13:33.

Rating: C+. This was starting to cook when the rest of the Death Riders came in. It’s almost weird to see AEW use a DQ but they have been happening more and more often lately. It still fits what they’re doing here though, as you can’t have the villains lose but you also don’t want either Cassidy or Allin taking a fall at this point.

Post match the fight is on with Allin getting the skateboard to fight back…but the Death Riders take them out again. The Conglomeration runs in for the real save. Now that’s more like it with giving the villains some actual opposition. The Conglomeration isn’t going to be the ones to stop them, but they’re a heck of a lot more interesting than the Dark Order and Top Flight.

Ricochet has a mystery partner against the Don Callis Family tonight but he’s keeping it under his hat. The Hurt Syndicate comes in and likes his suit, but seem to have their eye on him for later.

Conglomeration vs. Learning Tree

Fight Without Honor, meaning a street fight. It’s a brawl to start with Briscoe having to escape an early chokeslam attempt. Jericho escapes a Jay Driller from the apron through a table but Bill is there with the big boots. Briscoe hits a heck of a step up flip dive from the apron to the floor before O’Reilly and Keith go through a table at ringside. Bill chokeslams Briscoe through a ladder and we take an early break.

Back with Briscoe and Jericho having a chair duel with Briscoe getting the better of things. Bill breaks that up as well so O’Reilly and Ishii double team him down. Jericho’s Liontamer attempt is broken up and it’s an electric chair/superplex combination to put Jericho and Keith down. Bill and O’Reilly brawl up near an entrance, where O’Reilly grabs a guillotine choke to pull him through some tables for a big crash. Back in and the Jay Driller hits Jericho, setting up a Froggy Bow from a ladder through a table with Keith making the save. Ishii hits the sliding lariat into the brainbuster to pin Jericho at 13:29.

Rating: C+. Remember back in September when Jericho pinned the Ring Of Honor World Champion in a six man match where there were no tags and it set up a title match? One might think they might wait three months before doing the same thing again yet here we are, likely with Ishii getting a title shot. I would certainly hope they have something better than that for Final Battle, as Ishii does not feel like a top challenger.

Jon Moxley says Wheeler Yuta is not Orange Cassidy’s friend no matter how their past went. Yuta is Moxley’s soldier and it is time to show that he is not playing.

Adam Cole vs. Malakai Black

They trade takedowns to start before Black blocks Cole’s superkick attempt. Black takes him with a wristlock but an armdrag gets Cole out of trouble. Black sends him outside and tries a dive off the apron, only to have Cole hit a superkick as we take a break. Back with a Panama Sunrise connecting for Cole but Black knees him down for two.

Cole gets in another superkick and the brainbuster onto the knee, only for Black to hit the End for a rather near fall. Another Panama Sunrise and another superkick put Black down so he hits there and tells Cole to do it. That’s enough for Cole to hit the Boom for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C+. Commentary was hyping up this being the first time that Cole had ever beaten Black and while that is a big deal, I’m more interested in the fact that Cole kicked out of the End. If anyone has ever kicked out of that, it isn’t something that happens very often and I’m not wild on having it just happen here. Cole is piling up some wins, but it’s only getting him so far. At least the fans weren’t cheering for the villain this time.

Respect is shown post match. Black leaves and that means it’s Storytime With Adam Cole (Catchphrase). Cole puts Black over and says he and Roderick Strong are going to get their three wins to get their hands on MJF. If they both get the three wins, it’s a triple threat at Full Gear, with violence being promised.

MJF calls someone and says he wants that person to pay someone a visit.

Jay White is ready for Hangman Page, showing that White was not ready for Page. The fight is on with Page crushing White’s leg in the barricade. Juice Robinson comes in with a chair for the save and White is up. Page runs into the crowd and White promises to beat him at Page, maybe even by submission.

Mercedes Mone and Kamille (driving) try to hit Kris Statlander with a car but can’t make it work. Mone yells at Kamille but Statlander slams Mone onto the hood of the car.

Here is the Patriarchy for a chat. Kip Sabian is officially part of the team because he is a fatherless person looking for some guidance. Sabian saved him from cashing in his World Title contract because Sabian knew interference would cost him the title, which is more than Cage’s other sons have ever done. Cue Hook, with Cage saying Hook has crazy eyes and Cage needs a son like him. Yes Cage attacked Taz because he wanted Hook to be a wrestler like him instead of an announcer. Cage wishes Taz was dead so Hook charges the ring and beats up security.

Video on Lance Archer/Brian Cage.

Don Callis is given an envelope and a ring, plus a phone message from MJF (from the call earlier).

Penelope Ford vs. Jamie Hayter

Hayter wastes no time in starting the beatdown but Ford is back with a handspring elbow in the corner. Ford’s kick to the ribs cuts off a charge but a moonsault misses. A brainbuster drops Ford, who is right back up with a kick to the head for two. What looks like a Go To Sleep is countered into the Hayterade to give Hayter the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point and that’s all it needed to be. There was no reason to think that this was going to be some kind of epic feud as Ford is just not on Hayter’s level. Hayter is someone who should be on the way to a title picture sooner than later and she has now cleared Ford out with no issue.

Mina Shirakawa is back next week.

Video on Kazuchika Okada, who is defending the Continental Title in the Continental Classic.

Don Callis Family vs. Ricochet/???

Ricochet says that he did some digging and found out that someone’s contract with the Don Callis Family expired in October. No one seemed to notice and that man is now upset. Cue Powerhouse Hobbs and the brawl is quickly on. Hobbs runs them over with a double shoulder and the fight heads outside in a hurry. We settle down to Hobbs suplexing Fletcher before it’s off to Ricochet, who gets caught with a hanging DDT.

We take a break and come back with Hobbs coming in to clean house off the clotheslines. A super powerslam gets two on Fletcher and the straps come down, setting up the Takeshita vs. Hobbs slugout. Fletcher is back in with a sitout powerbomb to Ricochet, who gets caught with a Doomsday Device for two. Hobbs gets caught in a German suplex but Ricochet snaps off a hurricanrana for two. The shooting star press gives Ricochet two more and the running elbow finishes Takeshita at 14:34.

Rating: B-. This was a fast paced match but it was a little messy at times, with almost nothing resembling a regular match for large portions. Ricochet’s win should continue setting up his title shot, likely at Full Gear, which should be a heck of a showdown. For now though, it was a good enough match, even if it’s the second tag match on the show that ends with the likely challenger pinning the champion.

Post match Fletcher chairs Ricochet and loads up a tiger driver 91 but Mark Davis makes the save. The Don Callis Family beats him down so here is Adam Cole to go after Takeshita. Will Ospreay makes his big return but Fletcher gets away from the Hidden Blade to end the show. Bringing out Ospreay for the superhero return is a nice feel good moment that has been lacking a lot in recent weeks.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing about this show is that there were some hope spots. The Death Riders stuff is still not doing anything for me, but at least they have some bigger name stars coming aafter them for a change. That’s what AEW has been needing to do and while Full Gear still feels like little more than a pit stop for the big stories, it’s better than what we have been doing in recent weeks. Overall, a good enough week, with just enough bright spots to keep me interested.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin b. Death Riders via DQ when Wheeler Yuta interfered
Conglomeration b. Learning Tree – Brainbuster to Jericho
Adam Cole b. Malakai Black – The End
Jamie Hayter b. Penelope Ford – Hayterade
Ricochet/Powerhouse Hobbs b. Don Callis Family – Running elbow to Takeshita

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.

Collision
Date: October 26, 2024
Location: Alliant Energy PowerHouse, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re live for the first time in a bit for this show and that could change things in a better way. It’s not the best of times for AEW, as the Blackpool Combat Club is running roughshod over everything and someone needs to step up. That might be Orange Cassidy, whose friend Chuck Taylor was attacked by the Club to end Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Blackpool Combat Club attacking Chuck Taylor. In exclusive footage from after the show, Orange Cassidy says he’s taking care of this next week.

Jay White vs. Shane Taylor

Juice Robinson and Lee Moriarty are here too. The much bigger Taylor powers him into the corner to start and White needs a breather on the floor. Back in and White goes after the knee but Moriarty offers a distraction, allowing Taylor to choke on the ropes. A splash on the apron crushes White and we take an early break.

Back with Taylor missing a legdrop, allowing White to chop away. White snaps off the dragon screw legwhip and a DDT gets two. Taylor is back up with his release Rock Bottom for two but White elbows him in the corner and gets two off a swinging Rock Bottom. Robinson takes Moriarty out as Taylor knees White in the face. That just bans up the bad knee though and the Blade Runner gives White the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to make White look strong as he figures out and beats a monster like Taylor. I’m a bit surprised that White is getting such a strong push after coming back but AEW could certainly use some help on top. Maybe White can become a big player around here, and this is at least a starting point.

Post match White talks about how Hangman Page hits harder than he does and maybe that’s why he gets under Page’s skin. Maybe that’s why White has always always been a step ahead o him. Page can try to hang him again but Page better not miss. White is willing to give Page one more chance at Full Gear.

Ricochet is here to prove something when Lio Rush comes in. Rush has his own card from MVP so he’s nothing special. Don’t overlook Rush.

Kyle Fletcher is here to keep an eye on Ricochet but also to say he’s ready to face Will Ospreay on Dynamite.

Penelope Ford vs. Robyn Renegade

This is Ford’s first AEW match in about two years. Ford backs her into the corner to start, setting up a not great handspring elbow. Robyn blocks a kick and hits a swinging faceplant for two, only for Ford to come back with a cutter. We hit the neck crank for a bit before Renegade fights up…for all of a few seconds as Ford pulls her into a Muta Lock for the tap at 3:02.

Rating: C. Well Ford’s back and as usual, she looked perfectly acceptable in the ring. I’m not sure how much higher she’ll be going, but it’s good to have her back in the ring as there are far worse options to present. This was just a quick way to get back at it and the Muta Lock should work out well enough for her as a nasty looking finisher.

Post match Jamie Hayter pops up to say she’ll be waiting on Ford on the November 6 Dynamite.

FTR want the Outrunners to get the Tag Team Titles and it starts tonight.

Outrunners vs. MxM Collection

Floyd and Mansoor start things off and they waste no time in going to the posedown. A running shoulder takes Mansoor down and it’s off to Magnum for a quickly broken headlock. For some reason Magnum tries to slam Madden, who wins a test of strength instead. Some dropkicks stagger Madden though and we take a break.

Back with Magnum fighting out of the corner but getting caught with a Hart Attack for two. The Collection’s posing double elbow drop doesn’t work and the tag brings in Floyd to clean house. Madden blocks a suplex but the Outrunners escape a double suplex and an assisted slam puts Madden down. The Collection wind up on top of each other and the posing elbow connects. Madden is back with a Boss Man Slam but gets sent outside, setting up Total Recall to finish Mansoor at 11:11.

Rating: C+. Take two goofy teams, let them do their things for awhile, then have the popular ones win. This isn’t complicated and there is no reason to do anything more than keep it simple. The Outrunners aren’t likely to win the Tag Team Titles, but AEW would be wise to see what they can get out of them, even if it is just in fun stuff like this.

Nigel McGuinness sat down with Wheeler Yuta for an interview, asking why Yuta tried to murder Bryan Danielson. Yuta thought Nigel would get it more than anyone else, but Nigel says he wanted to prove he was a better wrestler. Yuta: “How’d that work out for you?” Nigel: “Not great you smug bastard.” Yuta says the Blackpool Combat Club gave Danielson a warrior’s death because Danielson was long past the point he should have left and it was time to get rid of him. If they’ll do that to Danielson, what will they do to someone they hate?

Back in the arena, Nigel isn’t sure if Yuta was trying to convince Nigel or himself.

Jake Roberts says La Faccion Ingobernable is ready to hurt FTR.

Ricochet vs. Lio Rush

Rush hits him in the face to start and fires off some shots in the corner. Back up and Ricochet flips over the ropes, earning a kick to the head to send him outside. Ricochet gets in a shot of his own and a running elbow drop gets two. Ricochet’s knee knocks him silly, to the point where Ricochet offers to help him back in. The suckering out to the floor lets Rush hit a dive and we take a break.

Back with Rush missing something of the top and getting caught in a northern lights suplex into a brainbuster into the running shooting star press for two. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Ricochet two but Vertigo is broken up. Rush’s spinning kick to the head gets two so he goes for a chair, only to get taken out with a quick dive. Back in and Ricochet’s running elbow finishes Rush at 11:24.

Rating: B-. This was an entertaining match and Rush got to go every step of the way with Ricochet. It felt like a match meant to be a showcase of two high fliers, which made the back and forth side fit better. In other words, it was a better use of Rush than having him go about the same distance with Shelton Benjamin last week, which still didn’t feel right. For this spot though, another entertaining match from Ricochet, who is likely next in line for the International Title.

Harley Cameron, now as THUNDER HARLEY, throws her hair around a lot and says Thunder Rosa isn’t the only one who can paint her face. Rosa comes in to say she’s ready to show her what the paint is really about next week. We’ll make it a Dia de los Muertos match. Rosa leaves and Cameron, with the squeak, threatens Rosa with her wrath but realizes it isn’t working. As usual, Cameron is on another planet in a great way.

The Kingdom gives The Beast Mortos candy and offer to take him trick or treating.

Anna Jay vs. Viva Van

Feeling out process to start with Nigel starting in on the violent things Mariah May will do to Jay. An armdrag doesn’t work for Van, as Jay hip attacks her back down. Jay’s swinging neckbreaker gets two but Van is back up with a running spinwheel kick. We take a break and come back with Jay (who Schiavone describes as “red hot”) hitting a Sling Blade into an Iconoclasm for two.

Van kicks her into the corner and a spinning backfist drops Jay for two more. A Backstabber gives Jay two of her own and they trade rams into the corner. Van’s high crossbody gets two more but Jay is right back with the Gory Bomb (dubbed the Widow’s Peak, which is traditionally a different move but oh well) for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C. Jay continues to build up momentum on the way to the title shot and that’s the right way to go. That being said, absolutely none of this matters if Jay doesn’t get a big win at some point. I’m not sure if that’s going to be the win against May, but if AEW wants Jay to move up after all these years, she needs to actually pick up some kind of hardware.

Mariah May is in the back and gets to the point: “Anna Jay, if you left this business tomorrow, do you think anyone would give a s***? Or would we just find another fat*** blonde, teach her to do an armdrag and watch her waste five years of her life?” Jay isn’t some kind of inspiration, because instead of sink or swim, she’s going to drown.

Video on Adam Cole vs. Buddy Matthews.

Here’s what’s coming up on various shows.

Kyle O’Reilly and Tomohiro Ishii want revenge.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. FTR

Jake Roberts is here with the villains. Dralistico takes Harwood down to start and then does it again, earning him some hard chops. Wheeler comes in for a gordbusters and it’s immediately off to Rush. Some right hands have Wheeler in trouble as everything breaks down. FTR suplexes both of them down hard but Harwood misses a charge into the post as we take a break. Back with Rush sending Harwood outside and then whipping him into the barricade.

Rush does the tranquilo pose and gets punched down by Harwood, who drops Dralistico as well. Wheeler comes in with a neckbreaker but Dralistico knocks him out to the corner, setting up a springboard spinning crucifix bomb. Everything breaks down again and Harwood has to escape a Fujiwara armbar. Harwood hits the superplex but the Shatter Machine is countered. The Bull’s Horns are broken up as well so Rush and Harwood slap it out. Harwood’s Sharpshooter is blocked and cue the Beast Mortos with a cheap shot, only for Dralistico to walk into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: B. This was very much in the FTR playbook of being able to work well with any opponent. They were all moving well out there and while Rush is still treated as a good bit more of a star than he seems to be, he wasn’t too bad here with running over everyone in front of him. Other than that, it’s still not the best start for La Faccion after coming under Roberts’ leadership, but it could be worse.

Post match La Faccion beats down FTR but the Outrunners run in for the save to end the show. If/when FTR turns on them, the heat is going to be off the charts.

Overall Rating: C+. There was the usual good stuff on here, but the feeling of importance between this show and Dynamite couldn’t be much more different. This show still feels like it is just boosting things up that either isn’t important enough for Dynamite or that AEW doesn’t have time to put on that show. While it’s still good, this show regularly feels like something you could read a recap of rather than watching with the occasional match worth seeing. With so many things going on in AEW, they might want to find a bit better balance.

Results
Jay White b. Shane Taylor – Blade Runner
Penelope Ford b. Robyn Renegade – Muta Lock
Outrunners b. MxM Collection – Total Recall to Mansoor
Ricochet b. Lio Rush – Running elbow
Anna Jay b. Viva Van – Widow’s Peak

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: October 25, 2024
Location: Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re closing in on the end of this series and in a way that’s sad to see. The show is a marked difference than Dynamite and Collision as it’s usually a light, easy to watch series. You won’t get much in the way of major storyline development, but it lets AEW do what it does best with a focus on the in-ring side of things. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Kingdom vs. Gates Of Agony vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Roderick Strong is on commentary. Moriarty takes Taven down by the arm to start as commentary admits that these things can be kind of messy. Taven grabs a cradle for two and it’s off to Bennett, who gets elbowed in the face by Kaun. A standing moonsault gives Kaun two but it’s Taylor coming in with a Baldo Bomb for two on Bennett.

We take a break and come back with Taven cleaning house as commentary talks about ll the former Ring Of Honor champions involved here. Everything breaks down and Toa Samoan drops Moriarty and Bennett at the same time. Open The Gates plants Moriarty but Bennett makes the save. Taven’s frog splash pins Moriarty at 9:01.

Rating: C+. You have six people in this match, meaning four people were eligible to take the pin. Who takes it? The one person in the match who happens to hold a championship. It’s not like Ring Of Honor means much these days, but I’ll never understand the seemingly going out of the way to make the thing look less important.

Beef is ready for The Beast Mortos, but the returning JD Drake comes in to wish him luck.

The Undisputed Kingdom tries to get The Beast Mortos to stay on their side, saying if Mortos beats Beef tonight, Mortos can eat him!

Anna Jay vs. Leila Grey

Commentary again talks about Jay’s time in Japan, saying you get better over there by wrestling more days than you have off. Given that she had 8 matches over 21 days, it would seem that she didn’t get much out of it. They fight over a headlock to start until Jay hits a running shoulder and some knees to the ribs. Grey gets two off a neckbreaker, followed by a CM Punk running knee into the corner and a bulldog back out of it for two more. An exchange of forearms goes to Jay and she Iconoclasms Grey down. The Gory Bomb finishes Grey at 3:12.

Rating: C. Jay is coming up on a Women’s Title shot in the near future so it makes sense to give her a quick win here. There’s nothing wrong with that, as Grey isn’t going to lose any status by taking a fall against a bigger star. It wasn’t exactly a top level back and forth match, but it gives Jay the momentum that she needs.

Quick Dynamite recap.

The Beast Mortos vs. Beef

JD Drake is here with Beef and they shove each other around to start. They trade shoulders until Mortos takes him down, followed by a chop block for two. Mortos misses a backsplash though as commentary talks about energy drinks. A hard headbutt puts Beef down…and we take a break? In this match?

Back with Beef flipping out of a belly to back suplex and hitting something like a running crossbody. Beef’s corner splash into a bulldog gets two but the pop up Samoan drop gives Mortos the same. Mortos’ twisting Swanton connects for two more but Beef enziguris him into the ropes. Beef goes up but Dralistico distracts the referee so Rush can crotch him down, allowing Mortos to hit his spinning piledriver for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: D+. So Jake Roberts is going to fire Mortos now yes? It just took him ten minutes to beat a comedy goof who is popular because the fans like chanting his funny name. Mortos is coming off a featured pay per view match with Hologram and he needs ten minutes to beat Beef? I have no idea what AEW was thinking here, but this made Mortos look pathetic, which I can’t imagine was the plan.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Rush choking JD Drake as well. Are they seriously going to have La Faccion Ingobernable fight the Workhorsemen/Beef? If that’s their idea of a featured match, just release all of them, plus the person who thinks it’s a good idea.

Harley Cameron asks Renee Paquette if Thunder Rosa has ever punched her in the face. Renee says no, so Cameron declares her special. After squeaking, Cameron says she’s attractive and threatens to get violent with Rosa. Whatever Renee is being paid, it should be doubled after she kept a straight face during this whole thing. Cameron is hysterical.

Ricochet vs. Nick Wayne

Wayne bails to the floor to start and walks around ringside, saying it’s on his time. Back in and Wayne knocks him into the corner but Ricochet fires off some dropkicks. They go outside, where Mother Wayne offers a distraction, allowing Nick to get in a cheap shot as we take a break.

Back with Ricochet hitting a springboard missile dropkick to send him outside, meaning it’s a big dive to drop Nick again. Nick rakes the eyes on top and a Stunner out of the corner sets up a rollup for two, even with Nick grabbing the ropes. Wayne’s World is broken up and Ricochet kicks him in the face, setting up a German suplex for two. They trade kicks to the head until Wayne hits a double underhook Canadian Destroyer for two of his own. Ricochet knees him down, hits Vertigo, and adds a running elbow for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B-. You kind of know what you’re getting here, with both guys getting in their normal stuff for an entertaining match. Ricochet is likely on his way to a showdown with Konosuke Takeshita for the International Title so much like Anna Jay earlier, it was smart to give him a win in a match like this. Fine enough main event here, even with little doubt as to the result.

Konosuke Takeshita comes out for the staredown with Ricochet to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I’m still trying to get my head around that Mortos match, but the rest of the show worked well enough. As usual, it’s nice to keep things moving around here and build things up a bit, which is what we got with Ricochet and Jay. That’s a perfectly fine way to go with this show, but spend less time cooking the Beef next time. Otherwise it’s just tough.

Results
Kingdom b. Gates Of Agony and Shane Taylor Promotions – Frog splash to Moriarty
Anna Jay b. Leila Grey – Gory Bomb
The Beast Mortos b. Beef – Spinning piledriver
Ricochet b. Nick Wayne – Running elbow

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: October 23, 2024
Location: Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re a month away from Full Gear so that means it’s time for a ladder match with a title on the line. In this case it’s the Ring Of Honor World Title with Chris Jericho challenging Mark Briscoe, who beat Jericho clean at WrestleDream. Other than that, Jon Moxley and company are still all tough and violent and such. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Blackpool Combat Club being all mega evil.

Jon Moxley is in the desert and saying it’s for the greater good when the rest of the Club pulls up in a truck to take him away.

Mark Briscoe fires up a bunch of low level stars who are ready for the Club to arrive.

Here is Hangman Page to brag about how awesome he is but here is Colten Gunn to jump him for attacking Austin Gunn last week. Jay White and Juice Robinson run in to clear Page out. White talks about having Page’s number and all of the violence that Page loves isn’t hiding the fact that he’s not as good as the Switchblade. They’ll see each other again.

Video on Shelton Benjamin vs. Sammy Guevara.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Sammy Guevara

MVP is here with Benjamin, who wastes no time in launching Guevara into the air for a backdrop. Some hard knees set up a snap suplex to keep Guevara in trouble but he’s right back with a dropkick. Benjamin cuts off a suicide dive and hits an overhead belly to belly as we take a break.

Back with Benjamin snapping off another German suplex but Guevara hits some superkicks. Guevara hits a big running flip dive to the floor, followed by a pop up cutter for one back inside. Benjamin staggers up but manages to superkick Guevara out of the air (I wonder where he learned that…). A knee to the face and the exploder finish for Benjamin at 10:07.

Rating: B-. See, this is something that made a lot more sense than the Lio Rush match last week. Guevara is a far more established name around here and him giving Benjamin trouble fits perfectly. That’s the kind of win that actually builds Benjamin up rather than making him look like he’s needing to try too hard to beat someone who hasn’t accomplished much. Far better situation for everyone here.

Mariah May throws Anna Jay’s stuff out of the locker room so the brawl is on. It’s broken up in about three seconds, but it was on.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher. They were friends, mainly in other promotions, but then Fletcher turned on him at WrestleDream and now we need an explanation.

Here is Fletcher, with Don Callis, for his explanation. For eleven days, Will Ospreay has been in a hospital bed while fans are wondering why. When Fletcher arrived in AEW, people thought he was the next big thing (Who thought that?) but then Ospreay got here. That made people call him the next Will Ospreay, because people said he looked and sounded like Ospreay. Fletcher is better than him in every single way but the fans don’t seem interested.

Don’t worry though because Don Callis has bought him all the TV time he needs so you will listen to him! Anyway, we move on to Kazuchika Okada, who brought Will Ospreay into New Japan (as we go back years and halfway around the world to another promotion to explain this story), who Ospreay stabbed in the back. Then Ospreay did the same thing to Kenny Omega. Fletcher turned on Ospreay because it’s what Ospreay did to people, so Fletcher is giving him one chance to save face.

They can face each other next week and Fletcher will give him tiger driver after tiger driver. For now though, he will be nothing like Ospreay. Then he shaves his own hair. So we have a feud between one of the company’s superheroes and a mostly midcard star over something that happened years ago in another promotion in Japan as the Don Callis Family/Will Osprey Saga is now going on for….how many months? Fletcher is getting a bit of a boost out of it, but if this is the best they have for Ospreay, I have no idea what to think of how screwy this place is.

We look at Ricochet showing up at Maple Leaf Pro over the weekend to go after Konosuke Takeshita.

Ricochet isn’t done with Takeshita, but MVP (who compliments his suit) and Shelton Benjamin come in. MVP leaves him with a business card and Ricochet doesn’t say no.

Lance Archer/Brian Cage vs. Pillars Of Destiny

Powerbomb/chokeslam combination finishes for Cage at 1:01.

Chuck Taylor tells the army outside that Mark Briscoe’s match is up next. Taylor holds Orange Cassidy back and says Cassidy can beat the villains so it’s time to step up.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is defending in a Ladder War and slugs away to start fast. Jericho is knocked off the apron and through some tables and Briscoe beats him around ringside. A suplex gets Jericho out of trouble but Briscoe hits him in the face with a ladder. Briscoe’s big running flip dive only hits ladder and Jericho hits him in the face with another ladder as we take a break.

Back with Briscoe hitting a Death Valley Driver through a ladder in the corner before throwing in a fresh one. They go up the ladder with Jericho going for the belt but Briscoe shoves the ladder over for the crash. The Froggy Bow through the table is loaded up but Bryan Keith comes in to break it up.

Rocky Romero runs in and hits Keith with a kendo stick, setting up the Froggy Boy to crush Jericho. It’s such a crash that Briscoe is on his feet eight seconds later and the Jay Driller connects but here is Big Bill to send Briscoe through a table. Jericho gets the title back at 15:46.

Rating: B-. Of course he did. You could feel the title change coming when Jericho said he wanted a rematch, because I’m sure we now need to set something up where Jericho allegedly puts someone over before moving on to something bigger. That’s just what the Ring Of Honor Title is about, as we now get to see which non-Ring Of Honor wrestler gets the shot at Final Battle in about two months. The match was pretty run of the mill ladder showdown, but another heel champion around here isn’t exactly appealing right now.

Post match Tomohiro Ishii returns with Rocky Romero. Gee man. Thanks for coming out and helping with Big Bill!

Video on Kamille vs. Kris Statlander, featuring both of them being rather strong.

Here is Adam Cole for a chat but the Undisputed Kingdom cuts him off. They don’t like MJF either, but they did check on Cole while he was healing up. The team does great things when they are together and agree to go after MJF. Cue MJF on the Titantron, getting a massage, who says either Roderick Strong or Cole has to win three matches in a row to get a match with him at Full Gear.

MJF won’t be around until then, which might be enough time to realize that this is the third time MJF has forced someone to beat a string of opponents to face him. Second, the Undisputed Kingdom is working for MJF right? It’s the most logical way for all of this to go. Otherwise, this is the second “group of good guys bands together to fight the villain” story going at the moment.

Video on Penelope Ford vs. Jamie Hayter.

Hayter talks about how hard she has worked to get here and she’s ready for a fight, but Ford isn’t here. How about they fight in two weeks?

House Of Black vs. Jaden Monroe/Kevin Koa/Pirata de la Muerte

The House beats up Monroe, sends Koa bailing into the corner, and hits the Cannonball/dropkicks combination to Muerte. The toss powerbomb into Murphy’s stomp finishes Monroe at 1:59. That team was squashed flatter than something that is very flat.

Post match, Matthews challenges Adam Cole for next week. We cut to Cole in the back, who walks up to Matthews and wonders what’s up with that. The match seems set.

Kamille vs. Queen Aminata

Mercedes Mone is here with Kamille, who powers Aminata down to start. A short arm lariat gives Kamille two but Aminata is back with a running headscissors. Aminata rolls her up for two but gets dropped as we take an early break. Back with Aminata hitting a running elbow and grabbing a neckbreaker. A running shot against the ropes gets two on Kamille and Aminata grabs a full nelson with her legs. Kamille’s powerbomb attempt is countered into a hurricanrana for two but Kamille is back with a torture rack spun into a powerbomb for two of her own. The reverse spinning DDT finishes for Kamille at 8:16.

Rating: C. Of course. Of course you have a monster like Kamille in her fifth match in AEW and of course it takes her eight minutes to beat someone who is best known in AEW for not winning a match for months when she got there (What else is she known for?). This made Aminata, who isn’t set for a big showdown with Kris Statlander, look like someone who could go somewhere while Kamille, the new monster, looked like she had trouble beating someone who hasn’t won anything of note around here. “But AEW doesn’t squash it’s own stars!” Then don’t book the match. Really not that complicated.

Post match Kris Statlander comes out for the staredown. With Kamille. Who just struggled to beat Queen Aminata. Kamille and Mone lay her out.

The Patriarchy arrives and the army is looking for them. The Patriarchy backs off, but chases Kip Sabian away, because THE KIP SABIAN/PATRIARCHY STORY IS STILL A THING.

After commentary talks a bit, the Patriarchy chases Sabian into the ring but Hook shows up on the screen, saying that the people in the ring took out his dad. Hook storms the ring and goes after Nick Wayne before trying to Choke Christian Cage. Sabian saves Cage, who tells Sabian to get in that corner to be dealt with later. The Patriarchy takes out Hook, with Cage calling him “Tyler” and says “it’s not what it seems” (I think). Well thank goodness Kip Sabian is getting something to do. Now I can stop losing sleep over him lack of direction.

Elite vs. Private Party/Daniel Garcia

The Elite gets taken out before the bell…and then the bell rings a second later. Garcia stomps on Perry in the corner before it’s off to Kassidy to hammer on Matt. A quadruple clothesline gives us a quadruple nip up until Garcia comes in to take out villains. We see the army still waiting outside as the Bucks take over on Quen.

We take a break and come back with Stokely Hathaway watching in the front row as Nick accidentally kicks Matt in the face. The big tag is cut off and Garcia is sent into the timekeeper’s area. Risky Business gets two on Kassidy but a headscissors/wristdrag gets him out of trouble. Quen comes in to clean house but gets caught in the powerbomb/stereo enziguris in the corner. Garcia cuts off something on the apron, with Quen breaking up the TK Driver. Silly String is enough to pin Matt at 11:11.

Rating: B-. For those of you keeping track, this is now the fourth match between Private Party and the Bucks which has been set up by that one time Private Party beat them five years ago. They weren’t interesting challengers at WrestleDream and they aren’t going to be interesting challenges whenever they get their next title shot, but this is what we’re getting until whomever is ready to fight the Bucks next.

Post match, Private Party says they want another title shot and put their future as a team on the line. The Bucks are down and the match is made. Oh no. What ever would we do if a team who was apart for over a year is apart for good? Anyway, the Blackpool Combat Club’s truck arrives in the back but it’s just Marina Shafir. The men sneak in from behind and take out Private Party with Chairs. Jon Moxley throws Chuck Taylor inside to Pillmanize his neck. A bunch of people, including Orange Cassidy, run in to clear them out. The Elite watch on as commentary is DISGUSTED to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I liked most of the wrestling tonight, but I do not remember being so bored, uninterested and uninvested in an AEW (or most anywhere else) show in a LONG time. The stories they are telling are a mixture of far more complicated than they need to be, illogical, and flat out dull. Right now, in 2024, the biggest good guy champion in AEW/ROH is Dustin Rhodes. That’s what we have to cheer for at the moment.

Other than that, you have the BCC not only dominating everyone but making them look like idiots, because NO ONE THOUGHT TO GUARD THE OTHER DOOR. It’s astounding how dumb the heroes in this promotion are presented as being and it’s not making an already annoying show that much worse. Between insisting on Kyle Fletcher getting Will Ospreay’s attention, Chris Jericho winning ANOTHER title, whatever Adam Cole/MJF are doing now and their insistence on making sure that people like Queen Aminata are kept strong, this place has its priorities in a really weird place.

I’m sure I’m just watching it wrong or I’m not bright enough to get the subtle nuances of “Private Party could TOTALLY win this time and you should care that they might split up even though they’ve won one thing that matters in five years”, but dang I haven’t been this down on AEW since its inception.

Results
Shelton Benjamin b. Sammy Guevara – Exploder
Lance Archer/Brian Cage b. Pillars Of Destiny – Powerbomb/chokeslam combination
Chris Jericho b. Mark Briscoe – Jericho pulled down the title
House Of Black b. Jaden Monroe/Kevin Koa/Pirata de la Muerte – Stomp to Monroe
Kamille b. Queen Aminata – Reverse spinning DDT
Daniel Garcia/Private Party b. Elite – Silly String to Matt

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.

Collision
Date: October 19, 2024
Location: Adventist Health Arena, Stockton, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s another double shot weekend as we have Collision followed by Battle Of The Belts. As usual, that will likely mean that the end of Collision is the start of Battle Of The Belts, which can make for some slightly odd main events. The big story continues to be Jon Moxley and company wrecking a bunch of people and we will probably hear more about it this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley and company are in the back, with Moxley saying that winning the World Title doesn’t change anything. No one has ever owned that belt, including him. It’s a symbol of everything he has been fighting against in wrestling for years. Tonight, the team is ready to crush Top Flight and Action Andretti in a public execution. They will win this war.

Ricochet vs. AR Fox

They start with the rolling, including Ricochet’s sunset flip getting two. Fox’s headlock doesn’t last long so he kicks Ricochet away and we have an early standoff. A dropkick sends Fox outside for the suicide dive, followed by a springboard clothesline back inside. The running shooting star press gives Ricochet but Fox rolls through into a spinning suplex (that was nice) and hits his own dropkick to the floor. Back in and Fox hits a running elbow in the corner as we take an early break.

We come back with Ricochet grabbing a super swinging neckbreaker for the double down. Fox kicks him down again but Ricochet hits a kick to the head and backflips into a bridging German suplex to plant Fox for two. Back up and Fox hits Lo Mein Pain into a 450 for two but Ricochet knees hi in the face. The ax kick and Vertigo put Fox away at 12:17.

Rating: B-. You know what you’re going to get in a match from these two and that is what they delivered. They had their big spots and their great athleticism until one of them hit a big move for the pin. It’s not exactly a classic but it did its job of giving Ricochet a win after losing at the pay per view. Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be.

Post match Ricochet says he’s here because this is where the best wrestle and he has yet to be pinned or submitted (to be fair, he’s been here like a month). Konosuke Takeshita keeps sticking his nose in his business but Ricochet is going to do whatever it takes to get him in the ring and take the International Title.

Daniel Garcia and Private Party don’t like Jon Moxley and company taking the company over. They’re ready to fight and have business tonight.

Kris Statlander vs. Harley Cameron

Cameron can’t hit Soul Food to start so she rolls Statlander up for two instead. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Cameron and a delayed vertical suplex does it again. Statlander misses a charge into the corner though and Cameron hits a nice tornado DDT. Back up and Cameron strikes away but Statlander grabs a spinning Falcon Arrow. Staturday Night Fever finishes Cameron at 4:00.

Rating: C. Cameron is starting to get better in the ring and if she can manage to match the abilities she has with a microphone, she could be something. If nothing else she’s already outshining Saraya, which isn’t that difficult these days. I could go for more of Cameron in the coming weeks, and at least she is getting some attention.

Post match Statlander says wants to challenge herself so she wants to face Kamille, with Mercedes Mone in a front row seat.

Daniel Garcia/Private Party vs. Premiere Athletes

Quen and Nese start things off with Nese powering him straight into the corner. It’s quickly off to Kassidy, who runs the corner into a springboard headscissors. Poetry In Motion hits Nese but here is Stokely Hathaway for a distraction. The Athletes beat Kassidy down on the floor and we take a break. Back with Kassidy kicking his way out of trouble and handing it off to Garcia for the rapid fire German suplexes. A swinging neckbreaker gets two on Woods as everything breaks down. Silly String hits Nese and Private Party hit stereo dives. Gin & Juice finishes Woods at 9:45.

Rating: B-. Good, fast paced match here with Garcia and Private Party getting their chance against AEW’s resident goofs. There’s no reason to believe that Private Party is getting the Tag Team Titles anytime soon and Garcia seems to be getting involved in the Moxley stuff. That doesn’t bode well for them, but they had a fast paced win here.

Video on La Faccion Ingobernable, with Jake Roberts being ready to have them crush the Outrunners.

Orange Cassidy vs. Bronson

The rest of the Iron Savages are here with Bronson. Orange Punch and Beach Break finish Bronson at 25 seconds.

Jamie Hayter vs. Brooke Havok

Hayter knocks her down to start and then does it again before stomping in the corner. Another knockdown sets up Hayterade for the pin at 1:58. Total squash.

Post match Penelope Ford pops up on the screen to say she and Hayter were partners but Hayter was nowhere to be seen while Ford was out for two years. Hayter isn’t impressed.

Daniel Garcia asks Orange Cassidy to step up to face Jon Moxley and company but Cassidy says he’s not that guy.

Atlantis Jr. vs. Kyle Fletcher

Don Callis is on commentary and Fletcher jumps Atlantis before the bell to start fast. They head outside with Fletcher sending him into the barricade. Atlantis is back with a neckbreaker, setting up a big running flip dive to the floor. Fletcher kicks him in the chest from the apron though and we take an early break.

Back with Atlantis hitting a clothesline to the floor as the fans are rather pleased. A missile dropkick gets two on Fletcher, who is right back with a half and half snapdragon suplex. Fletcher grabs a hanging DDT and a brainbuster onto the apron, followed by a regular brainbuster for two. Neither of them can hit a brainbuster so Fletcher takes him to the top for a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle for the pin at 11:47.

Rating: B-. Not exactly a great first match for Fletcher after his big heel turn but at least he had a bit of a history with Atlantis (who beat him for the ROH TV Title earlier this year). Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay is likely going to be a match at Full Gear so Fletcher is going to need to be built up rather quickly. This didn’t get him very far but he did have a good finisher so that’s a nice step.

Post match Fletcher says he’s ready to talk…next week on Dynamite.

Video on Darby Allin beating Brody King at WrestleDream.

House Of Black vs. Alpha Zo/Chris Nastyy/Olumide

King chops Chris down to start without any effort and it’s off to Black to strike all of them. Olumide is left alone and it’s a superplex into a top rope double stomp. Matthews hits a Meteora and the Cannonball/running dropkicks in the corner combination finishes Olumide at 2:49. Complete squash.

Thunder Rosa is talking about what she has been doing when Harley Cameron interrupts. Rosa decks her, with Cameron promising to make Rosa feel her wrath while writhing in pain. Cameron continues to be hilarious.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Outrunners

Dralistico is here with La Faccion. Magnum chops away at Mortos to start but gets run over for his efforts. Rush comes in for a slugout with Floyd until a running elbow to the face puts Rush down. Dralistico offers a distraction though and Rush takes over again in the corner. We take a break and come back with Rush hitting the tranquilo pose before Mortos adds a twisting Swanton for two. Magnum gets up and manages to flip over Mortos for the big tag to Floyd though and the comeback is on. Dralistico breaks up Total Recall though and sweeps Floyd’s leg so Rush can fall on top of him for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: C+. Well of course the Outrunners lose to La Faccion, who is only being reheated for what, the seventeenth or so time? Oh but this time they have Jake Roberts as their mostly invisible manager so it’s totally fine. Having La Faccion get a win is fine but there was zero need for it to be over the crowd favorites like this. Put Komander and some random partner out there with nothing to lose instead, as otherwise it’s just taking away more that the fans care about.

Post match the beatdown is on but FTR makes the save.

Sammy Guevara has requested and a match with Shelton Benjamin on Dynamite.

Trios Titles: Blackpool Combat Club vs. Action Andretti/Top Flight

The Club is defending. Pac wrestles Andretti down to start but Andretti is back up with a springboard wristdrag. Yuta comes in to take Andretti into the corner and it’s Castagnoli with a hard clothesline to Darius. Everything breaks down and Andretti hits an Asai moonsault to Yuta, only for Castagnoli to hit a hard clothesline as we take a break. Back with Darius striking away at Yuta, followed by a dropkick/German suplex combination for two on Pac. Dante’s dive from the top is broken up and a series of corner clotheslines into a Tombstone finishes Andretti at 9:17.

Rating: C+. The result was rather obvious here as not only is the Club not losing anytime soon but Andretti and Top Flight are notorious for losing any big time match they have. That was on full display here with pretty much nothing out of the ordinary here. The Club is going to need some bigger opponents and Top Flight/Andretti were little than the appetizer.

Post match Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir come in for the beatdown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There wasn’t much to see on this one, with the big story being the Club’s first defense since their big moment at WrestleDream. Other than that, Harley Cameron came off as an absolute star, the House Of Black was dominant and the Premiere Athletes/the Iron Savages continue to make me look for my remote to see if anything else is on. Not a great show, but fine enough despite little of importance happening.

Results
Ricochet b. AR Fox – Vertigo
Kris Statlander b. Harley Cameron – Staturday Night Fever
Daniel Garcia/Private Party b. Premiere Athletes – Gin & Juice to Woods
Orange Cassidy b. Bronson – Beach Break
Jamie Hayter b. Brooke Havok – Hayterade
Kyle Fletcher b. Atlantis Jr. – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
House Of Black b. Alpha Zo/Chris Nastyy/Olumide – Cannonball/running corner dropkicks combination to Olumide
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Outrunners – Splash to Floyd
Blackpool Combat Club b. Action Andretti/Top Flight – Tombstone to Andretti

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.