Collision
Date: November 9, 2024
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re closing in on Full Gear and this week will see a Trios Titles match as the Death Riders defend against the Conglomeration. That should be enough to carry the end of the show, but there is going to need to be more. We could be seeing that coming in a few different ways, some of which should work. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

House Of Black vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages

King knocks Bronson around without much trouble to start and the House gets in some running shots in the corner. Jameson comes in for some quick shots on Matthews, which go about as well as you would expect. King hits a dive to the floor to take out all three of them, followed by a Jackhammer to Boulder. The triple strike in the corner finishes Jameson at 3:27.

Rating: C. If the House is being turned good, this was a nice way to go about making it happen. They smashed their way through some annoying villains and the match was never in any real doubt. That’s what something like this should have been and the ending looked rather devastating.

Post match FTR interrupts the House and say they want the Tag Team Titles back. They want one more match with the House, so Black and King step up.

Lio Rush says there is a shift happening around here and that’s why he has one of MVP’s business cards. He’s been on a roll lately and wants to feel alive again, so he wants Swerve Strickland.

Outrunners vs. Top Flight

For one of the three spots in the Tag Team Title match at Full Gear so Private Party is out to watch. Magnum and Darius start things off with Darius hitting a flying shoulder to put Magnum down early. Floyd and Dante come in as everything breaks down, with an atomic drop staggering Darius.

We take a break and come back with Dante elbowing Magnum for two and sending him outside. Darius doesn’t like Magnum getting too close to Leila Grey so he hits a dive, which Dante doesn’t like for some reason. Back in and Top Flight gets dropped, with Floyd slamming Magnum onto Dante. Darius makes the save and breaks up a double suplex, with the Outrunners being knocked outside. Magnum is back in to Hulk Up, meaning it’s Total Recall to finish Dante at 10:18.

Rating: C+. The Outrunners getting a chance is a good thing to see as they’re one of the most popular teams going today, but sweet goodness it’s hard to believe it’s ever going to happen for Top Flight. They seem like they should be ready to move up to the title scene but here they are losing clean again. I’m not sure why they can’t get that kind of a push, though it doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.

The Acclaimed are ready to take out La Faccion Ingobernable but here is the Hurt Syndicate to say Max Caster should be more serious. Anthony Bowens tells them to drop it and leaves, but MVP knows Caster still has his business card.

Roderick Strong vs. The Beast Mortos

Mortos looks confused to start so he hits Strong in the face but Mortos knocks him down. A powerslam gives Mortos one but he continues to be conflicted over what to do. Strong gets planted with a crucifix slam and we take a break with Mortos in control. Back with Strong firing off some running forearms and the Sick Kick gets two. Mortos is back with a backbreaker into a discus lariat for two of his own but Mortos is conflicted again. The distraction lets Strong hit a jumping knee for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: C+. The idea here seems to be that Mortos is having issues deciding which side he wants to be on, which is fine. What isn’t fine is having him lose so often, as it’s hard to get interested in someone who can’t win a big match to save his life. There’s a story here, but wins and losses have a big impact on these people.

Post match Brian Cage and Lance Archer run in to take out Strong.

Mariah May used to love women’s wrestling but now that she is the Women’s Champion, she realizes she hates everything about it. She’s going to kill women’s wrestling because no one can touch her.

Anna Jay promises to choke May out and wants a third match, No DQ.

We look back at Will Ospreay returning on Dynamite.

Kris Statlander vs. Ashley Vox

Staturday Night Fever finishes Vox at 44 seconds.

Post match Mercedes Mone runs in to choke Statlander out.

La Faccion Ingobernable yells at The Beast Mortos and Jake Roberts is ready to take out the Acclaimed.

TNT Title: Jack Perry vs. Action Andretti

Perry is defending in an open challenge. They trade wrist control to start until Perry takes him outside for a whip into the steps. We take an early break and come back with Andretti getting two off a rollup. A Falcon Arrow gives Andretti two and they head to the apron for a slugout. Andretti hits a Death Valley Driver onto said apron and a top rope splash gets two more. Perry comes back with a superkick into a buckle bomb into a brainbuster for two but a running knee is countered. The second and third attempts both connect to finish Andretti at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was the latest Perry win as he gets to do his thing, which went as well as most of his matches. Stealing the running knee from Danielson isn’t making Perry feel special, much like everything else he does. Perry needs better competition, though that’s only going to go so far as he’s not connecting, and there isn’t much of a way around that.

Post match Daniel Garcia comes out to call Perry a multi millionaire nepo baby while Garcia fights for everyone in the back. The challenge is on for Full Gear, with Perry accepting but saying Garcia isn’t ready.

We see Julia Hart as a cheerleader but she sees her evil version in the empty stands. Said evil version shoots the cheerleader version in the heart with an arrow.

Video on the Outrunners.

Matt Menard gives Daniel Garcia a pep talk.

AR Fox vs. Nick Wayne

Wayne says this is the anniversary of Fox’s dad’s death and a prodigy never forgets (referencing Fox attacking Wayne at his home over a year ago). Fox wastes no time in hitting a big dive but gets crotched on the barricade as we take an early break. Back with Fox hitting another big dive, setting up a Swanton for two.

A rolling cutter is countered into a dragon suplex to give Wayne two but Fox powerbombs him for the same. Lo Mein Pain looks to set up the 450 but Fox has to deal with Kip Sabian, meaning the 450 misses. Wayne dragon suplexes him into the double underhook Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C+. So this match was set up on Ring Of Honor as the two of them had a match each, plus a post match brawl. It wound up being about twenty minutes to set up this eight minute match, which seems to be tied to an angle that took place over a year ago when these two were rather different people. That seems like quite the setup for this match, which really didn’t need it in the first place. For now though, at least it should be over, even though neither of them have anything going on.

Post match Wayne staples a picture of Fox’s father to his head.

The MxM Collection has slid into Jonathan Television’s DM’s and they will get to be in his corner next week. They do TV’s pose and leave, as a cart wheels them out.

Trios Titles: Death Riders vs. Conglomeration

The Conglomeration is challenging. O’Reilly and Yuta go to the mat to start with O’Reilly striking away to take over. Briscoe comes in for some chops in the corner before handing it off to Ishii, who isn’t having any of Yuta hitting him in the face. It’s already back to Briscoe, who gets taken into the corner for some uppercuts from Castagnoli.

Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside, with Briscoe hitting the step up flip dive off a chair. Back in and Yuta gets caught against the ropes but Pac comes in to take over on O’Reilly. We take a break and come back with a backbreaker/middle rope double stomp combination hitting O’Reilly for two. A Tombstone gets the same with Briscoe having to make a save.

O’Reilly is able to get up and bring in Ishii for the big house cleaning. Briscoe comes in with a fisherman’s buster for two on Castagnoli but the Jay Driller is blocked. A running flip dive takes out Castagnoli and the Froggy Bow gets two on Yuta with Pac making the save. Everyone is down so cue Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir. That brings out Orange Cassidy, with O’Reilly ankle locking Yuta. With that broken up, Shafir gets in a briefcase shot to O’Reilly, setting up the running knee to give Yuta the pin at 19:09.

Rating: B. Now this is more like it with the Death Riders. They spent their first few weeks running through people like the Dark Order and Top Flight/Action Andretti. That wasn’t going to get them anywhere and while the Conglomeration weren’t going to win here, they were a vast improvement over what we had been seeing. The Conglomeration at last feels like a team who could give the champs some trouble and that’s what the story has been needing.

Post match Cassidy Orange Punches Yuta and goes after Moxley and the big fight is on. Moxley bails so Cassidy dives onto the pile. Moxley looks worried to end the show. Cassidy has a grand total of no chance at Full Gear, but having Moxley show some fear is the right way to go. He has to have some kind of vulnerability or this isn’t going to go anywhere.

Overall Rating: C+. Not a great show here, but good enough with a nice main event and a better post match brawl. The rest of the show featured some bolstering of the midcard feuds, which they did need. As usual it feels nowhere near as important as Dynamite, but it did feel more important than what we usually get around here. Good show this week, and hopefully a new trend in how the show is going.

Results
House Of Black b. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Triple strike to Jameson
Outrunners b. Top Flight – Total Recall to Dante
Roderick Strong b. The Beast Mortos – Jumping knee
Kris Statlander b. Ashley Vox – Staturday Night Fever
Jack Perry b. Action Andretti – Running knee
Nick Wayne b. AR Fox – Double underhook Canadian Destroyer
Death Riders b. Conglomeration – Running knee to O’Reilly

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

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Rampage
Date: November 8, 2024
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

The show’s slow departure continues with a rematch of last week (which drew the lowest audience in the show’s history, meaning the rematch doesn’t seem to be entirely logical) as Lio Rush faces Komander again. Other than that, we might hear some more from Will Ospreay after his return on Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Hikaru Shida vs. Viva Van

They go with the grappling to start until Shida’s waistlock sends Van flying. Back up and Van runs her over for two before they slug it out. Shida’s middle rope dropkick connects and she hammers away in the corner. The Katana misses though, leaving Shida to have to roll through a middle rope crossbody. Shida is right back up with a Falcon Arrow for the pin at 5:18.

Rating: C. Not much to this one other than a way to get Shida back in the ring after an absence. Shida is someone who can work with anyone and Van is one of the better jobbers to the stars around here. I could go for Shida getting to do something else in the near future but the title picture is a bit booked at the moment. For now though, nice start back.

Harley Cameron recaps her recent actions in a rather long sentence, which gets more and more unhinged. She’s ready for more though. I have no idea what she’s talking about half the time but it still works.

Dark Order vs. The Infantry vs. Undisputed Kingdom

The Infantry knocks the Kingdom to the floor so the Order takes over on Dean. Taven comes back in with a dropkick and a clothesline gives Bennett two. Bennett gets taken outside though and a whip into the barricade has him in more trouble as we take a break. Back with something like a Demolition Decapitator keeping Bennett in trouble. The chinlock is broken up and Bennett hits a spinebuster, allowing the tag off to Silver. Everything breaks down and it’s quickly off to Taven to clean house. A pop up right hand rocks Reynolds and the Climax gives Taven the pin at 9:27.

Rating: C+. Pretty fun match here as I’ve long since wanted the Kingdom to be used better. There is only so much you can do when the team is a pair of comedy lackeys and the division has long since needed the depth. I fully expect them to wind up as low level villains again, but this is nice while it lasts.

Post match Brian Cage comes out for a distraction and Lance Archer jumps them for the beatdown.

Roderick Strong (thanks for the help) isn’t surprised that MJF sent the Don Callis Family after them. Jake Roberts comes in to say he’ll have the Beast Mortos come after him. The match is set for Collision.

Deonna Purrazzo and Taya Valkyrie, now known as the Vendetta, are interested in revenge.

Top Flight vs. JD Drake/Beef

Beef runs Darius over to start and then snaps off a cartwheel to set up a dropkick to Dante. Drake comes in and gets muscled over with a suplex as we take a break. Back with Dante hammering on Drake, who misses a charge into the corner. Everything breaks down and Drake gets caught with a tornado DDT on the floor. Beef misses the Meat Shower (yep) and it’s a DDT/leg trip combination to give Darius the pin at 8:27.

Rating: C. This is what gets annoying about Top Flight. They’ll start getting moved up a bit and then come crashing all the way back down to an absolute nothing match like this one. Yeah they won, but they’re a good team who seem like they can never get away from stuff like this. Give them something important where they can win already.

Respect is shown post match.

Komander vs. Lio Rush

Rush dodges around to start and gets two off an early rollup. Komander sends him out to the floor and we get a breather. Back in and Rush isn’t interested in a handshake, instead hitting him in the face with some forearms. A belly to back suplex and clothesline give Rush two and Komander is sent outside for the dive.

We take a break and come back with Komander hitting a springboard armdrag, followed by a standing moonsault for two. It’s too early for Cielito Lindo and Komander’s backstabber on the apron misses as well. Rush hits a big dive on the floor but Komander suplexes him into the corner. A moonsault gives Komander two but Cielito Lindo still doesn’t work. The springboard Stunner connects for Rush and the Final Hour finishes Komander at 12:08.

Rating: B-. And now I’m sure we’ll get a trilogy match next week and it’ll be about the same. There was nothing here that made me want to see these two fight again, but then again there was nothing last week that would make me want to see this match. It’s perfectly good, fast paced wrestling but nothing that isn’t being done by a bunch of people on the same shows.

Overall Rating: C. In case you needed a textbook definition of a show where the company does not care. This was as low level of an hour as you can get with pretty much nothing that felt important going on. It was a bunch of low level stars having completely fine matches, but you would not notice a bit of change on Dynamite if this show hadn’t taken place. I know it’s going away soon, but that doesn’t make shows like this feel any less useless.

Results
Hikaru Shida b. Viva Van – Falcon Arrow
Undisputed Kingdom b. Dark Order and the Infantry – Climax to Silver
Top Flight b. JD Drake/Beef – DDT/leg trip combination to Beef
Lio Rush b. Komander – Final Hour

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

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Collision
Date: November 2, 2024
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

While we’re not quite in a new era, we’re in for something different as Private Party has finally won the Tag Team Titles, ending the total reign of darkness. I’m not sure how long that is going to last but at least things have changed up a bit. We might even be in for another title change here as Anna Jay is challenging Mariah May for the Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

A bunch of wrestlers are in the ring to welcome Private Party for their celebration of winning the Tag Team Titles. The fans say Private Party deserves it (…eh) and the champs talk about how great it was to win the belts. Quen thanks the Young Bucks for making them better and they’re ready to defend the titles against anyone. FTR is ready to fight but the Outrunners break it up. Magnum: “If you’re anything like me, and I know I am…” The Outrunners say the marquee says AEW so let’s celebrate. Private Party goes into the crowd.

Anna Jay is ready to win the Women’s Title.

The Acclaimed congratulates Private Party but they’re still coming for the titles. Caster cuts off the catchphrase and Bowens isn’t happy, but he’s even less happy when Caster pulls out MVP’s business card. Bowens cuts off Caster’s last line too as some slight tensions arise.

Harley Cameron vs. Thunder Rosa

Dia de los Muertos match, meaning a themed hardcore match and Cameron has her own face paint. Rosa puts a picture of Cameron in the display usually saved for the dead people being remembered to make things….is personal the right word? Cameron kicks her down to start but Rosa comes back with a dropkick to the apron.

They head outside with Rosa hitting her in the back with a tombstone before getting on the barricade (with help from a fan). Cameron crotches her down and sets up a table, which Rosa whips her through to take over again as we take a break. Back with some weapons in the ring as the two of them trade clotheslines against the ropes for a double knockdown. Rosa scores with a Codebreaker before setting up some chairs and laying another tombstone over them.

Cameron is back up with a pinata (the candy flies) and then suplexes Rosa through the tombstone for two. Cameron’s running knee hits chair by mistake so Rosa chairs her down. Some kicks to the can, with Cameron inside, connect in the corner and it’s time for a table. This time thought he table is used as a ramp for a running dropkick against Cameron (still in the can) in the corner for the pin at 10:03.

Rating: B-. This was another way to get Rosa back in the groove of things after her long hiatus. If she is built up well, she’ll be right back in the title picture sooner than later. Cameron is someone who can be built up through pure charisma and then lose in a match like this without taking any real damage. She’ll say something funny and get right back to where she was and everything will be fine.

Roderick Strong, with the Kingdom, is ready for Shane Taylor. The Kingdom want the Tag Team Titles but Brian Cage and Lance Archer come in to say stay out of their way.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander

Fletcher kicks him down before the bell and sends him flying off a slam to start. Komander gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some stomping but comes out and strikes away. The very springboardy armdrag is shoved off the top for a big crash into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Komander hitting a middle rope Sliced Bread, only to have Fletcher send him outside for a big dive.

The posing takes too long though and Komander is back up with a springboard moonsault to the floor. Back in and a running Spanish Fly drops Fletcher for two but he’s back up with a boot to the face. A sitout Last Ride gets two but Komander gets up in an electric chair. They crash out to the floor with Komander still on his shoulders, setting up a poisonrana for the big crash.

Back up and Komander plants him onto the apron, setting up a moonsault for two. Fletcher kicks him in the face but gets sent outside, setting up the rope running flip dive. Cielito Lindo is broken up though and Fletcher hits a brainbuster into the brainbuster onto the turnbuckle for the pin at 13:25.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of a match that absolutely did not need to go in this direction. Komander got to do all of his big, flashy spots, but Fletcher took the better part of fifteen minutes to beat a guy who is best known as a jobber to the stars. If you want me to believe that Fletcher is a threat to Will Ospreay, don’t have him take this long to beat Komander. “But AEW doesn’t do that.” Well, in short, that’s dumb.

Second: between Ring Of Honor, Rampage and Collision, this is Komander’s third match in three days, totaling about 35 minutes. With the roster Tony Khan has, there is zero reason to have someone show up that often. Komander does some cool stuff, but I rolled my eyes and said “again?” when his music started here. You have this kind of a roster. Use it better.

Post match Mark Davis runs in to yell at Fletcher, who walks off.

Jack Perry is talking in the back when Daniel Garcia interrupts. Garcia says they’re two different people, with Garcia fighting from when he was a kid. Perry talks about how he’s already done that and Garcia still thinks there are good and bad people. He’s scared of sacrificing and isn’t ready. Perry needs to stop watching so many Raven promos.

Brian Cage/Lance Archer vs. Joe Keys/Shaun Smith

Archer sends Keys into the corner to start and drops him with a clothesline before it’s off to Smith. The chokeslam/powerbomb combination finishes Smith at 2:04. Total destruction, which is what these matches should be.

Post match the massacre continues but the Undisputed Kingdom runs in for the save.

The Patriarchy interrupts AR Fox, with Nick Wayne bringing up Fox attacking him at his wrestling school last year. Fox wants a match next week.

Kris Statlander isn’t happy with being attacked by Mercedes Mone on Dynamite so she wants a title shot at Full Gear. Mone is afraid and she knows it.

Here is the Blackpool Combat Club for a chat. They stay in the crowd, where Jon Moxley says at Full Gear, Orange Cassidy is going to have to cut the head off the snake. Cassidy has to make it to Full Gear so he can bring the World Title back to Philadelphia. Moxley knows what it takes to make it in Philadelphia and it’s people like Wheeler Yuta.

Moxley says Yuta knows what it’s like to sacrifice yourself for something greater, because he is a Philadelphia hero. Cue Action Andretti, who says Yuta isn’t what Philadelphia represents, because Andretti is more Philadelphia than him. Cue Pac to jump Andretti though and a referee comes in.

Action Andretti vs. Pac

The Blackpool Combat Club is at ringside as Pac kicks away in the corner to start. We take an early break and come back with Pac grabbing a chinlock but Andretti fights up. A handspring elbow cuts Pac down, followed by a pop up dropkick to the floor. Back in and Andretti hammers away in the corner, setting up a springboard kick to the head for two. Yuta offers a distraction though and Marina Shafir gets in a cheap shot, leaving Pac to hit the top rope superplex. The Brutalizer finishes Andretti at 8:05.

Rating: C. This was Andretti’s third match in three days as well, though thankfully they didn’t spend as much time on this one. Pac gets to maul another of the low level people before getting on to something else, though it would be nice to see someone give him a challenge. Andretti is another case of someone who is perfectly ok, but he’s around so often that his charm wears thin.

Post match the hold stays on until Orange Cassidy comes to the stage to talk about his times with Yuta in this city. This Yuta doesn’t do what the old one does and Cassidy says Moxley doesn’t care about Yuta. That’s enough for Yuta to go after him with a chair, which Yuta throws down, earning himself an Orange Punch.

Malakai Black is ready to take out Adam Cole.

Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita want to fight Ricochet on Dynamite.

Lio Rush vs. Ariya Daivari

Daivari slams him down to start but Rush hammers away in the corner to take over. They head outside where all of their friends get in some glaring, leaving the two in the match t slug it out inside. Rush gets two off a Falcon Arrow but goes after Mark Sterling on the floor. Daivari gets in a cheap shot off the distraction but Rush scores with the springboard Stunner. The Final Hour finishes Daivari at 4:42.

Rating: C. Well at least they kept it relatively short. There is only so much to get out of anything involving the Premiere Athletes because there is no better example of an act where you know what you’re going to get. They probably haven’t won a match in months and that wasn’t likely to change here, yet they’re on TV almost weekly. Not a bad match, but nothing of interest whatsoever.

Johnny TV is impressed with the MxM Collection and offers to collaborate with them. If they’re interested, slide into his DM’s. The Collection is in awe.

Roderick Strong vs. Shane Taylor

All of their respective friends are there too. Taylor stomps him into the corner to start as we see MJF in what is completely and totally a live shot. Strong gets knocked out to the floor and Taylor gets in another beating on the way back in. We take a break and come back with Taylor missing a legdrop on the apron and Strong making a fired up comeback. Some running shoulders and a clothesline give Strong two, followed by an Angle Slam for the same. Taylor is back with a release Rock Bottom into a splash for two of his own but Strong knees him in the face for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C. Nice enough for a power vs. speed match and Strong gets a win over an imposing opponent. That being said, this is another example of a match that works fine here but hurts Ring Of Honor, as Taylor and his friends are being built up over there. It’s a bit hard to care about them when their leader is losing on the bigger show.

We look at Bobby Lashley debuting on Dynamite and laying out Swerve Strickland.

There will be a four way for the Tag Team Titles at Full Gear with qualifying matches coming.

Mina Shirakawa is coming back.

Women’s Title: Mariah May vs. Anna Jay

Jay is challenging and isn’t having any of May driving her into the corner to start. May suplexes her into the corner and bends Jay around the ropes for a bonus. We take a break and come back with Jay making the comeback and rolling May up for two. A Backstabber gets the same but May chokes her in the corner.

May’s middle rope dropkick gets two and a running knee connects for the same. Jay neckbreakers her over the middle rope and, after blocking a Stratusphere, gets two off a Blockbuster. The Queenslayer goes on but May eventually flips backwards for the escape. A quick hot shot into a rollup retains the title at 10:21.

Rating: C+. Remember when WWE had this really annoying habit of having champions lose and then they would win the rematch like nothing happened? That’s what happened again here and it’s just as annoying. May looks more vulnerable, Jay continues her up and down booking, and we’re right back where we were before, as we wait on Mina Shirakawa and Tony Storm to come back and do something interesting with May.

Overall Rating: C. There was a good hour long show in here and they stretched it out to two hours, which took away the impact it could have had. Some important stories did get some attention, but then you had stuff like Fletcher taking so long to beat Komander and matches like the ones from Rush and Strong, which were just waiting around until the only reasonable results. This show had its moments but they were dragged down by all of the filler, and that made it quite the tedious watch.

Results
Thunder Rosa b. Harley Cameron – Dropkick into a trashcan
Kyle Fletcher b. Komander – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Brian Cage/Lance Archer b. Joe Keys/Shaun Smith – Powerbomb/chokeslam combination to Smith
Pac b. Action Andretti – Brutalizer
Lio Rush b. Ariya Daivari – Final Hour
Roderick Strong b. Shane Taylor – Jumping knee
Mariah May b. Anna Jay – 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: 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

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Dynamite
Date: September 25, 2024
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s the big show with grand Slam as we are at a tennis stadium in New York and we have a double main event. This show will see Bryan Danielson (probably) face Nigel McGuinness rather than the man who tried to murder him last month. Instead, the attempted murderer is getting a #1 contenders match because he wants the title of the champion he tried to smother. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson

Non-title and after two weeks of “will Danielson be able to wrestle”, he comes out with no real drama. They go technical to start before striking it out and fighting over wrist control. Danielson fires off a kick which might have been low before taking McGuinness to the mat. Danielson wins a fight over the LeBell Lock but McGuinness makes the rope. They head outside with McGuinness sending him into the steps and then ramming the arm into the post.

Back in and the London Dungeon (a seated armbar) stays on the arm but McGuinness takes him into the corner. That’s cut off with the running knee but McGuinness is back with his handstand in the corner. A flip away lets McGuinness hit a standing clothesline for two but Danielson moonsaults over him out of the corner, only for McGuinness to hit the rebound lariat for one.

Back up and a hammerlock lariat gives McGuinness two but Danielson kicks out of the London Dungeon. Instead it’s the Tower Of London (hanging Stunner out of the corner) for two and the London Dungeon goes back on. That’s broken up as well and they’re both down. Back up and McGuinness hits a heck of a clothesline for two, but his arm is down in the LeBell Lock. Danielson cranks back and, after a THANK YOU, McGuinness taps at 20:41.

Rating: B. It was a good fight though it never reached a top level. Granted there was only so much you could expect when McGuinness hasn’t been an active wrestler in well over ten years. I’m glad the match took place as they had set it up for so long on commentary but they made it such a mess with the Moxley stuff that it was a bit of a distraction. Still though, McGuinness looked good in what very well could be his last match so points for getting to do this.

Post match Christian Cage teases cashing in but Kip Sabian steals his pen. Cage runs off but gets stopped by Claudio Castagnoli and Pac.

FTW Title: Roderick Strong vs. Hook

Hook is defending and the Kingdom is here with Strong. They fight outside to start with Strong grabbing a kendo stick, which Hook takes away and uses on all three villains. A Russian legsweep with the stick sends Strong into the barricade but a Kingdom distraction lets Strong send him flying into the post as we take an early break.

Back with Hook throwing him around with suplexes, including a northern lights version out of the corner for two. Strong gets in a shot of his own and wedges a chair in the corner. Hook goes head first and a swinging belly to back faceplant gives Strong two. Strong gets sent through some chairs but he’s right back up with a gutbuster onto the open chair. Then Hook pulls him into Redrum for the win at 9:02.

Rating: C+. This was Hook in a hardcore match and that’s most of what we’ve seen from him for a long time now. Strong walking Hook through a twelve minute match could do a lot of good for Hook but instead it’s more of the same weapons stuff over and over. I get the idea of putting Hook on the show in New York but there was nothing special to see here.

Post match Strong and the Kingdom actually show respect. With the villains gone, Hook talk to Tony Schiavone and thanks the fans who have supported the FTW Title. Hook officially retires the title and hands it to Taz, who sheds a few tears. Thank goodness as there was no reason for the title to exist. Take away some of the clutter.

Tag Team Titles: Kyle Fletcher/Will Ospreay vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are defending. Matt takes over on Ospreay to start but it’s off to Fletcher to kick Matt down. Ospreay uses Fletcher as a step up for a moonsault, setting up stereo moonsaults to take the champs out on the floor as we take a break. Back with Ospreay coming in with the Phenomenal Forearm to Matt, setting up the double Pele Kick. A standing skytwister press gets two on Matt but Ospreay gets caught in the flipping splash into the sitout powerbomb for two.

The EVP Trigger is countered into a double Oscutter for a rather delayed two before Matt is back up with an X Factor to Ospreay. Fletcher 450 Matt but Nick drops Fletcher for the quadruple down and a big reaction from the crowd. The Bucks are back up first with the TK Driver onto the apron but Fletcher beats the count back in. We take another break and come back again with Ospreay cutting off another TK Driver, setting up stereo Styles Clashes for two.

The Stormbreaker gets two on Matt with Nick making the save so Fletcher gets up and cleans house. A Tombstone is cut off by a superkick but another TK Driver is cut off with an Oscutter. A TK Driver hits Matt for two and Coriolis gets the same, followed by a super brainbuster with Nick making the save.

Fletcher sends Matt outside for a suicide dive int o the steps, so Don Callis gives Fletcher the screwdriver. Fletcher loads it up but Ospreay takes it away and hands it off to the referee. Ospreay yells at Callis and then Fletcher, allowing Matt to get in a belt shot. Another shot from Nick knocks Fletcher into a rollup for two. The EVP Trigger retains the titles at 19:30.

Rating: B+. This was the popcorn match of the night, with the Bucks getting in their usual ridiculous kickouts and getting to do their flips before retaining the titles again. The tag division is in a shambles these days and the Bucks are probably going to get to hold onto the titles for a good while. That’s how the division tends to go, as the Bucks get to keep padding their stats.

The Conglomeration welcomes Rocky Romero to the team and are ready for the Learning Tree on Collision. The word of the day is vociferous, which is what the crowd will be tonight and on Collision.

Here is Prince Nana, who says that Swerve Strickland is fighting hard to come back but isn’t cleared just yet. Cue MVP, who interrupts to say that Swerve is the most phenomenal talent to ever set foot in an AEW ring. MVP lists off the people Swerve has defeated and was rather impressed. Then he saw Swerve lose to Bryan Danielson and Hangman Page, so why are they allowed to walk around smiling? MVP blames Swerve’s management for that and gives Nana his card to give to Swerve, saying he’s ready to talk business.  That’s a big one and MVP is already one of the best talkers in the promotion.

Jack Perry is driving to the stadium for Collision.

Women’s Title: Mariah May vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Sakazaki is challenging and dives onto May during her entrance. A 619 on the apron has May down on the floor and they head inside with the bell ringing and Sakazaki getting two. May sends her outside for a running dropkick, followed by a spinning side slam back inside. Sakazaki manages a choke in the corner, followed by some spinning rollups for two each. The Merry Go Round is broken up though and May hits a nasty German suplex for two of her own. Sakazaki is back with the northern lights bomb but the Magical Girl Splash hits raised knees. The running knee into Storm Zero retains the title at 6:11.

Rating: B-. Sakazaki never felt like a big time challenger to May, though for now there isn’t much of anyone to be that challenger. I know Mina Shirakawa is probably next up for her at Wrestledream, but that’s not exactly a top AEW name. Other than that though, it might just be waiting around for Toni Storm again.

Post match May loads up the belt but Willow Nightingale runs in for the save. Mina Shirakawa comes out and distracts Nightingale so May can get in a belt shot, which doesn’t seem to have been Shirakawa’s intention.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

For the Wrestledream World Title shot and Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. Feeling out process to start until Moxley hits him in the face. Allin is busted open early on and gets whipped hard out to the floor for a nasty crash (going through the middle ropes). Allin rakes the back on the floor though and hits a running dropkick, only to get planted back onto the floor. They get back to the apron where Allin ties the arm into the post (which has a hole on top) until Shafir makes the save.

Allin hits a big Coffin Drop off the top to the floor, setting up the big flipping suicide dive. A chair is set up but Shafir gets in Allin’s way and adds in a cheap shot. Moxley ties the arm around the post and we take a break. Back with Moxley elbowing away but Allin fights back up. Moxley heads to the floor and has a seat in the chair, with Allin dropkicking him out in a big crash. Back up and Moxley knocks him hard to the floor again. Shafir does as Moxley says and rips off the floor mats, revealing a rather hard surface.

Moxley can’t hit the Death Rider on the floor but he can avoid a dive to send Allin into the floor. A suplex drop onto the steps gives Moxley a nine count, where Allin gets a quick rollup for two. The Coffin Drop goes flying into Moxley’s rear naked choke but Allin fights up, foams at the mouth, and makes the rope. Moxley takes him up top but Allin strikes away and bites the head. Shafir gets on the apron for a distraction though and super Death Driver gives Moxley the title shot at 18:45.

Rating: B. This was one of those matches where the result was kind of obvious, as losing the title shot he didn’t have to defend is a rather Allin thing to do. The match itself was the usual AEW brawl, with a bunch of stuff happening and the referee just sort of going with it. It was still a total mess to get here, but Moxley is clearly the bigger deal right now and Allin can have his title shot later.

Post match Bryan Danielson runs in with a neck tie to choke Moxley. Shafir runs in for the save but here are Claudio Castagnoli and Pac to pull Danielson off instead. Private Party and Komander make the save. Moxley is pulled away from the running knee so Danielson threatens a hard head kicking at Wrestledream to end the show. If your backup is Private Party and Komander, just give Moxley the title now.

Overall Rating: B+. The big matches worked well and set up the right match for Wrestledream and thankfully the ending got to the point it should have been at a long time ago. For a free television show, this did feel big, and that’s the best thing that can be said about a show like this. The middle part of the show wasn’t as strong, but the opener and main event were good enough to carry this show rather far.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Nigel McGuinness – LeBell Lock
Hook b. Roderick Strong – Redrum
Young Bucks b. Will Ospreay/Kyle Fletcher – EVP Trigger to Fletcher
Mariah May b. Yuka Sakazaki – Storm Zero
Jon Moxley b. Darby Allin – Super Death Rider

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

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Collision
Date: September 21, 2024
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the last show before Grand Slam and that means it is time to start the final push towards the show. There is still a chance that we find out whether or not Bryan Danielson will be appearing at Grand Slam, along with anything else that might be added. Other than that, we have the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles on the line, as AEW shows continue to host a lot of the other promotion’s title matches. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Sammy Guevara/Dustin Rhodes vs. Kingdom

The Kingdom is challenging in a Bunkhouse Brawl. Rhodes and Guevara come out in local hockey jerseys to make them even more popular. It’s a brawl on the stage to start as commentary points out that the Kingdom is from around here. The champs fight back inside as we talk about Dusty Rhodes giving Dustin the belt buckle he is wearing.

Bennett is already busted open and Guevara whips out a kendo stick to clean some house. A hard shot to the face sends Guevara outside though and something like a diving Doomsday Device on the floor makes it worse. Dustin goes after them but gets superkicked down, only to bulldog Taven off the stage and through some tables. Guevara is back up with a bulldog off the apron and through a table at ringside as we take a break. Back with Guevara being shoved off a ladder and through a table but Dustin grabs a double testicular claw to save himself.

A cowbell to the head puts Bennett down and Taven gets the same as the comeback is on. Dustin powerslams Taven onto a chair and then suplexes him through it for a nasty crash. Two chairs are set up and Dustin charges into a Death Valley Driver onto said chairs. Guevara is back in and gets Bennett in the corner, setting up Dustin’s Shattered Dreams and the Final Reckoning. Guevara’s Swanton off the ladder pins Bennett to retain at 13:19.

Rating: B. It was a good brawl, which is enough to get around the fact that the champions are still not that interesting. Guevara and Rhodes are just two guys who were put together because the show was in Texas for a few months. They don’t have anything special in the way of chemistry and yet Rhodes is a double champion for whatever reason.

The Conglomeration and Hologram are interrupted by the Premiere Athletes, who want no shenanigans. Mark Briscoe looks at these four scalawags and sees one shenanigator in the form of Mark Sterling. Kyle O’Reilly asks if shenanigator is the word of the day. Briscoe: “Close Kyle, but you’re way off.” The word of the day is AZUCAR, because Rocky Romero is here to even things out. As usual, Briscoe is as delightful of a thing as you will find in AEW.

The Dark Order is ready to face Darby Allin later tonight. Allin comes in to say there is a war coming with Jon Moxley and coming. He wants Evil Uno to remind him what he can do tonight.

Conglomeration/Hologram vs. Premiere Athletes

Rocky Romero is here with the good guys to even out the Athletes’ Mark Sterling. O’Reilly and Woods start things off with Woods having to bail to the ropes to escape the ankle lock. Hologram comes in to dropkick Nese, followed by another dropkick for another two. Sterling offers a distraction though and Woods gets in a cheap shot to take over as we go to a break.

Back with O’Reilly not being able to get over for the tag but then tagging in Hologram seconds later. Daivari gets in a knee from the apron though and Hologram has to hand it off to Briscoe for Redneck Kung Fu. The Death Valley Driver hits Woods and Hologram dives onto Sterling, leaving Briscoe to hit the Jay Driller for the pin on Woods at 8:59.

Rating: B-. More of the same as Hologram is put in there with any star AEW can find, but I’m not sure how much good it’s doing him. It’s not hurting him or anything, but it’s a lot of the same stuff that we’ve seen for a few months now. Hologram needs something of his own and while it’s not too late (or even close), I’m not sure what that is going to be.

The MxM Collection say last week (it was last night on Rampage) they promised to give Max Caster’s jacket a makeover. You’ll see what they’ve done…next week.

Mariah May vs. Lady Frost

Non-title. May blows Nigel McGuinness a kiss and he almost falls out of his chair. The distraction lets Frost grab a rollup for two but May rams her into the buckle a few times. May grabs a Stratusphere but charges into some boots in the corner. A middle rope crossbody gives Frost two but May snaps off a German suplex. May’s knee to the face into Storm Zero finishes at 3:29.

Rating: C. May stacks up another win, though she is still looking for that first big challenger. Yuka Sakazaki doesn’t count as such but it would not surprise me to see Toni Storm show up again after the title match at Grand Slam. For now though, giving May another victory is perfectly logical and about all that can be done.

Video on May vs. Sakazaki.

Willow Nightingale will be watching Grand Slam but Deonna Purrazzo and Taya Valkyrie show up, saying Nightingale isn’t a good friend. Purrazzo offers Yuka Sakazaki protection and we get Nightingale vs. Valkyrie for Rampage.

Acclaimed and Billy Gunn don’t like the MxM Collection, with Max Caster actually rapping again for once.

Video on Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley with Wheeler Yuta not sure if he should stick with Moxley and company.

Darby Allin vs. Evil Uno

Uno drives him into the corner to start and hammers away, with Alex Reynolds distracting the referee. That lets Uno whip Allin with a belt but Allin fights up and knocks Uno outside. Reynolds offers a distraction though and Allin gets sent into the steps to put him back in trouble. Back in and Allin grabs the Captain’s Hook (bulldog choke) before ripping at Uno’s mask in the corner. Uno is back with a Downward Spiral and Reynolds offers another distraction, earning him a whipping with the belt. Allin Coffin Drops onto the two of them on the floor, setting up the regular version to pin Uno back inside at 5:11.

Rating: C. Just a quick win to give Allin some momentum heading into his match with Jon Moxley at Grand Slam. Heating up Uno for one night didn’t exactly work but being out there for five minutes isn’t going to hurt things. Allin fought through some adversity and won, which is where he tends to shine.

We look at Hangman Page and Jeff Jarrett on Dynamite.

Jarrett promises to fight Page at Grand Slam, even if his wife Karen doesn’t. He proposes a lumberjack strap match because that’s how he was raised.

Queen Aminata vs. Serena Deeb

They start slowly until Deeb takes her down by the wrist. Aminata gets in a quick knockdown for two but Deeb sends her hard into the corner as we take a break. Back with both of them down until Aminata is up with a running boot in the corner. Some suplexes give Aminata two and a release German suplex sends Deeb flying.

The running knee in the ropes gives Aminata two more but Deeb is back with a hammerlock lariat for the same. Deebtox is broken up though and they trade rollups for two each. The big headbutt sends Deb outside but she’s fine enough to grab a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes. Now Deebtox can connect to finish Aminata at 10:25.

Rating: C+. Deeb getting a win is almost weird to see but at least she has some momentum for a change. On the other hand you have Aminata, who felt like she was going to be the next big thing but then she just stopped moving forward. They had a nice match here though, and Deeb can hopefully move on to something bigger.

We look at Saraya challenging Jamie Hayter to a Saraya’s Rules match.

Saraya and Harley Cameron explain the rules: Saraya can do anything and Hayter can’t do anything. Then Cameron eats the rules because she’s odd that way.

Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara are happy to retain their titles but Guevara wants another title. So he’ll face Kazuchika Okada for an eliminator match. Dustin believes in him.

Grizzled Young Veterans/Roderick Strong/Rush/The Beast Mortos vs. Outrunners/FTR/Hook

Drake headlocks Wheeler to start and then runs him over a few times. Back up and Wheeler grabs an armdrag into an armbar. Everything breaks down and Strong gets caught in the big circle of punches as we take a break. Back with Mortos and Harwood striking it out until Mortos knocks him into the corner for the cannonball. Rush comes in for the cocky boot to the face in the corner before it’s Gibson coming in.

That works better for Harwood, who grabs a snap suplex for two. Hook comes in to headlock Gibson but Drake comes in for a shot to the face. Strong chops Hook into the corner as Nigel complains about Schiavone’s lack of professionalism. Hook fights up and cleans house on his own but Mortos gets in a cheap shot so Strong can take over. We take another break and come back with Hook fighting out of a chinlock and escaping a suplex, allowing Floyd to come in.

Everything breaks down and the Paisan Elbow sets up the Shatter Machine (from the Outrunners) for two on Drake. Everything breaks down again and Gibson chokes away on Magnum in the ropes. Strong hits an Irish Curse for two and it’s back to Rush for the running clothesline. Strong grabs the chinlock as commentary talks about Bryan Danielson. Magnum fights up and a double clothesline gives him a needed breather.

The tag is cut off again though and we take another break. Back again with Harwood coming in to fire off the rights and lefts to put various villains down. Triple stereo German suplexes give us a triple near fall before Rush and Harwood chop it out. Mortos breaks up a Shatter Machine and hits a dive, leaving Harwood to get double teamed in the corner. The Bull’s Horns finishes Harwood at 24:17.

Rating: B. The result is a surprise as I was expecting the Outrunners to take the fall here but instead they were out there so the fans can have a good time with one of the most popular teams in the company. Rush continues to get a renewed focus and seeing him get a pin in a TV main event is a big spot.

Serena Deeb wants Britt Baker next week.

Nigel McGuinness is disgusted by the World Champion being a coward. The reality is Bryan Fears Nigel (which is what Nigel’s shirt says) but maybe Bryan should do it for the fans. The fans identify with him but Tony Schiavone interrupts, saying he has had enough of McGuinness. Danielson is not afraid of McGuinness and is only missing because he is not medially cleared.

Schiavone praises Danielson, earning a big threat from Nigel. He doesn’t care how Danielson does it but he wants Danielson in the ring to prove that he is just as good. Danielson knows who the better man is and knows what happens if he shows up at Grand Slam. The ball is in Danielson’s court and Nigel wants him there next week. Nigel is growing more and more unhinged here, which could make for a very interesting showdown.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and main event were both good but this show was in a tough spot. Grand Slam is all that matters and this show was much more about setting things up for next week. This show was good enough, but everything is going to matter next week and this was little more than a preview/prep show.

Results
Sammy Guevara/Dustin Rhodes b. Kingdom – Swanton off a ladder to Bennett
Conglomeration/Hologram b. Premiere Athletes – Jay Driller to Woods
Mariah May b. Lady Frost – Storm Zero
Darby Allin b. Evil Uno – Coffin Drop
Serena Deeb b. Queen Aminata – Deebtox
Grizzled Young Veterans/Rush/Roderick Strong/The Beast Mortos b. FTR/Hook/Outrunners – Bull’s Horns to Harwood

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

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Rampage
Date: September 20, 2024
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to the Friday show as the slow build towards WrestleDream begins. Before we get there though, next week is the big Grand Slam Dynamite and there is a good chance that we might be seeing something added to the card this week. Other than that, there is a four way match involving Kip Sabian and Nick Wayne, which is continuing due to reasons. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Mark Briscoe vs. Bryan Keith

Non-title. Keith backs him into the corner to start but Briscoe switches places and stomps away. Briscoe takes it tot he floor and hits the dropkick through the ropes, setting up the Bang Bang Elbow from the apron. The step up dive off the chair is broken up and Keith gets in a low blow to take over. They to back to the floor with Keith kicking him in the face and snapping a suplex as we take a break.

Back with Briscoe blocking Diamond Dust and hitting a superplex for the double knockdown. They chop it out and trade jumping enziguris until Briscoe hits a Rock Bottom. The Death Valley Driver looks to set up the Froggy Bow but Keith breaks it up and knees him down for two. Now the Diamond Dust is countered into a heck of a lariat, with the Jay Driller finishing Keith off at 12:24.

Rating: B-. The fact that the title wasn’t on the line or really even mentioned here continues to show that it doesn’t exactly need to exist. Briscoe rarely defends it in any kind of an important match and other wrestlers don’t seem to want it. Here it was just a thing that happens to be there during a feud between the Conglomeration and the Learning Tree, though Jericho coming after it wouldn’t stun me.

Post match Chris Jericho runs in to beat down Briscoe with the baseball bat but Orange Cassidy makes the save. Big Bill and Kyle O’Reilly run in as well and the Learning Tree stands tall.

Wheeler Yuta vs. The Butcher

Butcher jumps him from behind to start and the beating is on, with a half nelson backbreaker getting two. The stomping continues as Yuta is clearly distracted again. Yuta manages a quick basement dropkick though and hammers away in the corner. Some rolling German suplexes set up the elbows to the head into Cattle Mutilation for the tap at 4:01.

Rating: C. There is something interesting here with the Yuta being all distracted thing as he eventually snaps back to reality and turns into a machine. That being said, there is a good chance that we’ll be seeing something big come of it in the near future, which will hopefully see new Trios Champions. Or just drop the things already for the greater good.

The MxM Collection has stolen Max Caster’s jacket and are going to give it a makeover.

Harley Cameron vs. Hikaru Shida

Saraya is here with Cameron. Shida takes her down to start and hits a kind of reverse side slam. Some right hands in the corner are broken up with a Saraya distraction though and we take a break. Back with Shida hitting a running knee for two but an enziguri misses. They trade rollups for two each until Shida kicks her in the head. Another Saraya distraction breaks up the Katana (with Shida looking scared to try it) so here is Jamie Hayter to chase Saraya off. Shida uses the distraction to grab the Falcon Arrow for the pin at 8:57.

Rating: C. This would be the second straight match where someone is hesitant or distracted, but at least in this case it’s over one move rather than everything. Shida gets some momentum back after her big loss and Cameron is pretty much an easy target for just that. Not much to this one, but the Saraya/Hayter showdown should work at some point.

Post match Saraya challenges Hayter to a Saraya’s Rules match at Grand Slam. Hayter is in.

Roderick Strong/The Beast Mortos vs. Joe Keys/Marcus Mathers

The Kingdom is here with Strong and Mortos. Strong takes Mathers down to start and hammers away before it’s off to Mortos. A Samoan drop/jumping knee gives Mortos and Strong the double pin at 1:26. Total destruction.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about how she is here to hurt people and has some friends, such as Taya Valkyrie.

Nick Wayne vs. Kip Sabian vs. Rocky Romero vs. Lio Rush

It’s a four way brawl to start with Rush sending the rest outside for a dive, only to have Sabian hit a dive of his own. Back in and Sabian avoids Rush’s Final Hour as commentary runs down all of the upcoming matches on various shows. Wayne is back in to kick Sabian down and we take a break.

Back with Rush coming back in to take Wayne down but Sabian hits a missile dropkick. Romero remembers he’s in the match with the Forever Lariats and a running Sliced Bread for two on Sabian. Wayne can’t hit Wayne’s World on Sabian but he can cutter a diving Rush out of the air. Back up and Sabian hits his Deathly Hallows on Romero but Wayne steals the pin at 10:16.

Rating: C+. I think we can effectively call that the most Rampage main event you could ask for in any given week. I’m not sure why the Sabian vs. Wayne stuff is continuing but it certainly looks like we’ll be seeing more of it going forward. Other than that, this was similar to the four way Konosuke Takeshita won a few weeks ago: he was the only person to get any serious focus coming in and then picks up the win.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty run f the mill Rampage this week, with some midcard stuff being addressed, decent enough action and very little that felt important enough to watch. That’s Rampage in a nutshell, in that it’s rarely a bad show but even more rarely a show that is going to add much to the overall scheme of things. Grand Slam is what matters in the near future though and this did add a match to it, so the important show got some time.

Results
Mark Briscoe b. Bryan Keith – Jay Driller
Wheeler Yuta b. The Butcher – Cattle Mutilation
Hikaru Shida b. Harley Cameron – Falcon Arrow
Roderick Strong/Beast Mortos b. Joe Keys/Marcus Mathers – Double pin
Nick Wayne b. Kip Sabian, Lio Rush and Rocky Romero – Deathly Hallows to Romero

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Rampage
Date: September 13, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re taped as the fallout from All Out continues. Dynamite was in a weird place with everything they had to do as so many people are missing after the pay per view. That could spill over to Rampage as well, but the show certainly marches to the beat of its own drum. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Dark Order vs. Conglomeration

Briscoe chops away at Reynolds to start and it’s off to Cassidy, who gets kicked in the face. A double flipping faceplant sets up a triple kick to the face, allowing the Order to pose on Cassidy. Silver hits Reynolds by mistake though and then he does it again, which ahs the Order fighting among themselves. Everything breaks down and Silver is left alone for a running basement dropkick. The Stundog Millionaire rocks Silver again but Uno is back with Something Evil. Briscoe hits a hard clothesline though and we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly cleaning house and the double kicks having Reynolds in more trouble. Everything breaks down and a DDT sends O’Reilly outside. Cassidy comes back with a double hurricanrana and Briscoe uses the chair for a step up flip dive. The Jay Driller finishes Reynolds at 10:07.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match you would expect from them and even though the Dark Order is only going to be so much of a threat to anyone, at least it was fun while it lasted. The Conglomeration continues to be one of the most entertaining things in AEW, as not only is Briscoe absolutely hilarious, but they work well together in the ring. It’s as good of an opening match as you’re going to get a lot of the time and it worked well here.

Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes argues with the Kingdom and a Fight Without Honor seems set. We’ll even make it a Bunkhouse Brawl, say it with me, on Collision rather than Ring Of Honor.

Kamille vs. Robyn Renegade

Kamille stomps away in the corner but Renegade slips behind her and hammers away. They head outside with Kamille carrying her around and working on the arm. Back in and Renegade hits something like a crossbody for two but gets caught in an Oklahoma Stampede. The sitout Dominator finishes Renegade at 3:16.

Rating: C. Total destruction here, which is what it should have been. Kamille is a powerhouse and mainly there to work for Mercedes Mone but at the same time she can wrestle a decent enough power match. There was only so much to be seen here, but at least she got to make this work in the short time she had.

Christopher Daniels accepts Jack Perry’s open challenge for a TNT Title shot on Collision.

Roderick Strong vs. Beef

Beef is the rather annoying cousin of Anthony Henry, who can’t stand him. Strong grabs a headlock to start but Beef takes him down in a surprise. Back up and Beef runs him over as we take an early break. We come back with Beef winning a slugout and the fans chanting BEEF on every punch. Beef gets the better of the slugout and hammers away in the corner, only for Strong to come back with a superplex for two. Back up and Beef knocks him into the ropes for a running crossbody to the back but the Kingdom offers a distraction. Beef gets back in and Strong knees him in the face for the pin at 7:53.

Rating: C+. The fans were into Beef but he didn’t get to talk, which makes him a lot more tolerable. I’m not sure I can imagine Beef becoming a big deal anywhere but if the fans can have some fun with him, fine enough. For now though, this was little more than a goofy match to fill in some time.

The Righteous say there is a light in the tag division and they’re all here because they’re not all there. Dutch calls out the House Of Black.

Outcasts vs. The Hex

Saraya and Belle start things off with Saraya stomping away in the corner. Kay gets drawn in and it’s off to Cameron to choke in the corner. Saraya’s cheap shot knees on the apron have Belle in more trouble as this is one sided so far. Back in and Belle finally kicks her away, allowing the tag off to Kay for the house cleaning. That lasts all of five seconds as Cameron kicks her down and the Nightcap finishes for Saraya at 3:47.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash and that’s all it needed to be as the Outcasts are being built up so Jamie Hayter can destroy them in the near future. Saraya and Cameron are still pretty low on the totem pole but they’re a good way for Hayter to look like a monster on the way back in. It’s not a bad idea and if they keep things quick, it should work well.

Post match Jamie Hayter runs in to chase the villains off.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Action Andretti

Don Callis is here with Takeshita while Lio Rush is with Andretti. Takeshita takes him up against the ropes for a shove to the face but Andretti takes things outside. That just earns Andretti a face first drop onto the apron and Takeshita sends him into a few things. Back in and some hard chops have Andretti in trouble and a superplex makes it worse as we take a break.

Back with Andretti hammering away, including a running back elbow. Andretti sends him outside and hits a rolling splash off the apron, with commentary pointing out that it was kind of a weird move. Back in and Takeshita hits a hard clothesline for two but he has to avoid a standing shooting star press and moonsault. Andretti’s running dropkick is shrugged off but a super hurricanrana works a bit better. Takeshita isn’t having that and hits a running knee but pulls Andretti up at two. Raging Fire finishes for Takeshita at 11:54.

Rating: B-. This was a good showcase for Takeshita, who seems to be on his way to a Continental Title shot against Kazuchika Okada, which could be where he finally gets his big win. Ok so it isn’t likely, but at least Takeshita would be getting some serious competition. For now though, he got to have a nice match against Andretti, who is always good for one of those.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, not a bad show at all but nothing that you need to go out of your way to see. Rampage has found its footing again and while you don’t gain much from seeing it, the show is perfectly watchable and the very light and breezy show that makes for easy viewing. That’s what we got here and the show flew by, which is always nice to see.

Results
Conglomeration b. Dark Order – Jay Driller to Reynolds
Kamille b. Robyn Renegade – Sitout Dominator
Roderick Strong b. Beef – Jumping knee
Outcasts b. The Hex – Nightcap to Kay
Konosuke Takeshita b. Action Andretti – Raging Fire

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Dynamite
Date: September 4, 2024
Location: UW Panthers Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before All Out and the pay per view is starting to come together. The biggest story continues to be Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page in a cage match with Bryan Danielson defending the World Title against Jack Perry as a secondary main event. Odds are we’ll get some more added this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Daniel Garcia to get things going. Patience is a virtue but he isn’t feeling very virtuous so MJF needs to get out here so Garcia can break his neck. MJF pops up in the crowd saying he doesn’t want to spoil breaking Garcia’s neck on Saturday so he’s staying up here. He doesn’t jump people from behind and he certainly doesn’t do it while looking like “an emaciated skinhead hooked on Ozempic.”

Garcia says everything MJF just said is fake, just like everything about him, down to his fake hair transplants. The thing that bugs Garcia the most is the fake love that MJF has for AEW. It doesn’t matter how many fake tattoos MJF has, because none of it is real. MJF gets cut off and Garcia says that if MJF can find someone who loves him for longer than a year, he should marry her and have a kid. Then the kid can look up at him one day and ask if MJF used to be a wrestler, which he will be until Garcia ends his career.

MJF calls out the fans for turning on him and says the higher Garcia rises, the more the fans want to see him fall. We wrap it up with a reference to Garcia’s mother being, uh, familiar with a variety of men, which has Garcia running into the crowd…where MJF bashes a bottle over his head. MJF sits next to the bloody and unconscious Garcia, promising to send him to paradise on Saturday. A kiss on the head wraps it up. Garcia was certainly trying here but I’m still not buying him on MJF’s level. This was one of the better things he has ever done in AEW, but he’s still out of his league talking with MJF.

The Conglomeration is ready to team with Will Ospreay, with Mark Briscoe recounting a phone call with Kyle O’Reilly about setting up the match. The word of the day is STUPENDOUS because this is a stupendous combination.

International Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending. They start rather slowly with Okada grabbing a headlock but having to slip out of a slam attempt. The Rainmaker misses and Fletcher knocks him to the floor for the suicide elbow as we take a break. Back with Fletcher hitting a clothesline but Okada hits a fireman’s carry backbreaker for a breather.

Fletcher gets in a shot of his own to knock Okada outside and they fight to the apron, where Fletcher hits a brainbuster for the big knockout. We take another break and come back again with Fletcher getting fired up but getting dropkicked to the floor with five minutes to go in the twenty minute time limit.

Fletcher hits a big dive in the crowd and they head back inside with Fletcher adding a clothesline to the back. Okada hits him with some clotheslines of his own but Fletcher is back with a piledriver for two. We have a minute left as Okada pulls the referee in the way so Fletcher can’t come off the top. The distraction lets Okada hit a low blow and the Rainmaker for the pin at 19:23.

Rating: B-. This was an attempt to make Fletcher look like he was this close to winning the title but it’s hard to imagine him on Okada’s level. Granted it didn’t help that Okada wasn’t exactly kicking it into high gear here. The match was good, but it wasn’t quite the epic showdown that it felt like they were shooting for with this one.

Swerve Strickland shows us his childhood home…which he has bought back with the money from his new contract. There is no way this can end well.

Jamie Hayter vs. Robyn Renegade

Renegade jumps her to start but Hayter knocks her out to the apron. A few shots rock Renegade and the Haterade finishes her off at 2:07. Just a step above a squash.

Roderick Strong complains to Christopher Daniels about his foot being under the ropes during last week’s eight man tag. Hook comes in to offer him an FTW Title shot but Strong will take it in a better city.

Marina Shafir and Jon Moxley arrive to beat up some security. They run into the Young Bucks and Jack Perry, with Moxley saying he doesn’t care what they say; Perry is a sweet kid.

Here are Moxley and Shafir for a chat. Moxley talks about giving Darby Allin a beating and how Allin does things the right way. Moxley is not an impatient man but the clock is ticking. All Moxley wants to do is talk. Short and to the point here.

Chris Jericho and the Learning Tree want revenge on Orange Cassidy for ruining his jacket years ago. Cassidy pops in to say that if Bryan Keith can beat him, he’ll give Jericho the $7,000 for the jacket. Has Jericho just run out of people to latch onto and is starting to circle back around?

Women’s Title: Nyla Rose vs. Mariah May

May is defending and avoids an early charge in the corner, where she slaps Rose to limited success. A crossbody hits May and some slams into a legdrop get two. May’s missile dropkick gets the same and we take a break. Back with May hitting a running dropkick for two before a double headbutt puts both of them down. Rose is back up with a clothesline for two before a World’s Strongest Slam sends May to the floor. The referee checks on May, who sweeps the leg in an attempt to get the countout. Back in and Storm Zero retains the title at 10:30.

Rating: C+. Is Rose just required to lose to every new champion in their first defense? She’s still a monster but there is definitely a pattern to how all of this works. For now though, it helps May look more like a champion, though they are already teasing more between her and Toni Storm. There is a reason for a big rematch, though I can’t imagine it going much better for Storm this time.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo, who needs to reset things after her setback in the bullrope match.

Here are Mercedes Mone and Kamille, with the former bragging about retaining her NJPW Strong Women’s Title last week. She’s ready for Hikaru Shida, who pops up on screen to say she isn’t worried about the two of them. Christopher Daniels appears and bans Kamille from ringside for the title match.

Jack Perry talks about how he needed to change everything about himself and wanted to get better. Bryan Danielson didn’t help him when he could, so now he needs to take the World Title from him.

Blackpool Combat Club/Pac vs. Orange Cassidy/Will Ospreay/Kyle O’Reilly

Bryan Danielson is on commentary. Yuta and O’Reilly go to the mat to start and they fight over armbars with neither being able to get very far. Pac comes in to knock Cassidy into the corner and yes Ospreay is willing to join him. Neither can get anything to connect so it’s a standoff instead as we take an early break.

Back with Yuta German suplexing Cassidy for two and Pac comes in for the Brutalizer. That’s broken up but Cassidy’s partners get knocked off the apron, allowing the Club to triple team Cassidy in the corner. Cassidy manages to throw Castagnoli outside and kicks Yuta away, allowing the tag to Ospreay to clean house.

We take another break and come back with everything breaking down, including Ospreay hitting a dive to the floor to drop Pac. Ospreay dives off the stage to take Pac out again, leaving Cassidy to Stundog Millionaire Castagnoli for two. O’Reilly and Cassidy alternate kicks to Castagnoli and the former grabs a guillotine. That’s eventually broken up and Castagnoli knocks him down. The Swing has O’Reilly in more trouble, with Yuta’s dropkick being enough for the pin at 19:06.

Rating: B+. This was the kind of incredibly fun match that AEW knows how to do and makes them work. It helped set up a few things at once, including what should be a great match between Pac and Ospreay. It got some time (minus the breaks) and there was all kinds of good action throughout. Well done here for a big time main event.

Post match Danielson gets in the ring to celebrate but the Elite jump them from behind. The Club fights up and cleans house, with Castagnoli saying that was a big mistake. Castagnoli thinks those Tag Team Titles would look great on himself and Yuta so the title challenge is officially on. Danielson promises to kick Perry’s head in.

We cut to the back where Pac brainbusters Will Ospreay (who he calls “William”) onto an anvil case.

It’s time for the contract signing between Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page. Swerve and Prince Nana come out first….and there is no Page. We cut to Page going into the childhood home that Swerve was shown buying earlier in the day. Page talks about how horrible of a person Swerve is and how horrible his family life must have been growing up here. Swerve throws the table in the ring as Page pours gasoline on various things.

He sits in a chair with his back to the house and talks about how he wanted to burn everything down. Swerve will be begging for his mercy at All Out, where he will say goodbye to his healthy, his joy and his happiness. Then Page burns the house while the fans chant THIS IS ARSON to end the show.

Well I’d say that’s going to get people talking. The more I think about it, the more I think I like it, but they better embrace going totally over the top with this thing. After the way Page was looking at the camera, he might as well grow handlebars on the mustache so he can twirl it a bit. That’s not a bad way to go, but the rest of the story needs to match it.

Overall Rating: B. This show had a really hard task to pull off with making fans interested in another pay per view so soon after All In. While it’s still way too soon to have All Out, they did about as well as could be expected here. The main event was rather good and the big closing angle was absolutely memorable. All Out is going to be a show that is built around one or two matches at most, but dang they’ve done a nice job of making me want to see what happens.

Results
Kazuchika Okada b. Kyle Fletcher – Rainmaker
Jamie Hayter b. Robyn Renegade – Haterade
Mariah May b. Nyla Rose – Storm Zero
Blackpool Combat Club/Pac b. Orange Cassidy/Will Ospreay/Kyle O’Reilly – Giant swing into a dropkick to O’Reilly

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Dynamite
Date: August 28, 2024
Location: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with All In and that means it is time to start getting ready for All Out, which is just under two weeks away. That might include a title defense by new World Champion Bryan Danielson, who took the title from Swerve Strickland on Sunday. Some of the pay per view card is already set but they have some work to do. Let’s get to it.

Here is All In if you need a recap.

We open with a look back at Bryan Danielson winning the World Title at All In.

Cue the returning Jon Moxley, with new music and a rather serious look on his face. Tony Schiavone gets in the ring to ask how Moxley is doing, with Moxley saying he’s been doing a lot of thinking about things that need to get done. He’s here looking for a man who isn’t here to have a conversation.

The man is nothing like him because it’s Darby Allin. It’s time they had a talk and he won’t be hard to find. And with that, Moxley teases leaving but comes back and say this is not Schiavone’s company anymore. Excalibur and Taz have no idea what that means. This was really weird and felt like a very new direction for Moxley, which isn’t a bad thing.

The Conglomeration and Hook are ready for their matches tonight. Mark Briscoe talks about how the team had mixed results at All In and Willow Nightingale picks a Chicago Street Fight against Kris Statlander at All Out. Briscoe declares the word of the day to be indefatigable because they cannot be fatigued.

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hangman Page

They forearm it out to start with neither being able to get the better of it despite trading the forearms for over a minute. Ishii shoulders him down and then they chop it out with Ishii being knocked into the corner. We take a break and come back with Page hitting a DDT onto the apron, with Ishii standing on his head for a bit. That’s good for a delayed two back inside and a backbreaker gives Page two more.

Page ties up the leg and kicks away but Ishii fights back with a belly to back suplex. Page is back with a Death Valley Driver but Ishii knocks him down again and we take another break. We come back again with an exchange of clotheslines and Ishii not being able to hit a brainbuster. Instead Page hits him in the face and sends him flying with a release German suplex. Ishii is back up with a jumping Deadeye and a hard clothesline gets two. Back up and a bunch of clotheslines set up the Deadeye to Ishii, meaning the Buckshot Lariat can finish at 16:53.

Rating: B. I can’t imagine there is going to be much more divisive on the show than this one. It was a long, back and forth match but they were using a style that isn’t going to please a lot of people. The exchange of forearms at the beginning was coming off more like a joke than a fight, and that’s not something I tend to like seeing. It was certainly intense though and the right person won, but it could have probably shaved off a few minutes to make it a good bit better.

Post match here is Swerve Strickland, to say that Page threw a tantrum at All In because he keeps getting further and further from success. This will always be Swerve’s house because Page has always failed. Page says Swerve is not a champion because he is a piece of s*** who could never beat him on his own. He wants Swerve one more time, with Swerve saying we’ll do it in a cage at All Out. Swerve brings up Revolution and how he went up to Page’s house the morning Page cost him the World Title.

That was the morning Page escorted his pregnant wife down the stairs. That was when Page was about to become a father for the second time. That was the man Page was supposed to become, but it made Swerve realize he needed to focus on the World Title, which will happen again. Page can’t do anything because he’s too obsessed with Swerve. In that cage, what kind of man is Page going to be? Or what kind of man is he going to show his kids he can be? Page leaves in disgust. At some point, you have to bring Page back down to earth and this felt like they were going in that direction.

Jamie Hayter vs. Harley Cameron

Saraya is here with Cameron, who gets stomped down into the corner to start. Hayter shrugs off a kick to the face and hammers away before kicking her out to the floor. Soul Food into some Irish Curses and a hard lariat finish Cameron at 3:06.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t great but it was the match that Hayter needed to have back. She came in, she beat Cameron up, she leaves, people remember that she’s good. That’s all this needed to be as Hayter has been gone for a really long time. Let her get her feet wet again and go on from there.

The Learning Tree and Roderick Strong are ready for tonight, with Big Bill seemingly understanding that the fans won’t like him as much as they did in Cardiff. Chris Jericho takes credit for Hook winning the FTW Title and Strong, in glasses, is glad to be in the Jericho Vortex, even for one night. Oh and Jericho hasn’t forgotten Orange Cassidy for ruining his $7,000 jacket all those years ago.

Here is MJF, who is in a lot of pain after taking the tiger driver 91. He has such a headache and does not want to hear from these fans. MJF renounces his American citizenship, save for Long Island of course. He accuses Will Ospreay of cheating to beat him and promises to beat him again with a smile on his face.

That brings him to Daniel Garcia….who jumps him from behind and tries a piledriver of the middle rope. That doesn’t work as security breaks it up, so Garcia says he stole the Dynamite Diamond Ring and hocked it to get a flight to England (ok points for tying that up). Ruining Garcia’s life is now his fetish (his words) and now he wants MJF at All Out. MJF is in. I know they had to transition from Ospreay to Garcia really fast because of All Out, but dang I was expecting more than “oh, my neck hurts” from a move which seemed to send Ospreay into PTSD for months. ESPECIALLY from MJF!

We look at Ricochet’s debut at All In.

Learning Tree/Roderick Strong vs. Conglomeration/Hook

Cassidy takes Keith down to start as commentary makes jokes about road trips. Briscoe comes in with a suplex and kicks Keith over for the tag off to Bill. Everything breaks down and the big brawl is on as we take a break. Back with Jericho getting a full nelson on Cassidy, who gets his hands in his pockets for the break.

Briscoe comes in and gets taken down by Strong, allowing Keith to hammer away as commentary continues to chatter about…whatever their latest inside joke is this week. That doesn’t last long as Briscoe gets up and hands it off to O’Reilly, who goes for the kneebar on Strong. Bill breaks that up and clears the ring, including a big swinging Boss Man Slam to Cassidy as we take another break.

Back again with Bill missing a charge into the corner, allowing Hook to…well not suplex him as Strong makes the save. Strong gets STO’d and NOW Hook can t-bone suplex Bill. Jericho comes back in and runs the ropes before stopping for his HI GUYS wave. Strong hits the fireman’s carry gutbuster on Hook but gets kicked outside by O’Reilly. Cassidy dives into Keith and Briscoe hits a big step up flip dive. Back in and Hook Redrums Strong for the tap, despite Strong’s feet being in the ropes, at 16:30.

Rating: B. This felt like “here are a bunch of people doing stuff for a good chunk of the show” and that’s not a bad thing. It might not be the most interesting or the most important, but it works for a one off match. The ending pretty clearly gives us an All Out match and that’s the bigger point long term.

Post match the beatdown is on and the Kingdom beats down Hook, with Strong holding up the FTW Title.

Mercedes Mone is celebrating her win at All In when Private Party comes in. Marq Quen hits on her but Kamille and Kazuchika Okada of all people cut him off. Mone: “Okada-san, how d you say bye b****** in Japanese?” Private Party is shipped out. This was….I’m not sure what but it wasn’t good.

Here is Mariah May for a chat on the stage but her title celebration has been postponed because…well it’s just not happening in this town. This town is called Champaign but it should be renamed “Flat, p*** warm beer.” She opens her robe to reveal the title (Tony Schiavone approves) and leaves because that’s enough. This felt like they gave May the least interesting thing imaginable to say and just played on the reveal at the end.

We see a clip from after the Tag Team Title match at All In, with the Grizzled Young Veterans threatening the Young Bucks, who aren’t intimidated.

The Grizzled Young Veterans aren’t impressed with the Bucks and are ready to show what they can do on Rampage.

We look at Konosuke Takeshita in the G1 Climax in New Japan.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Ricochet

Don Callis is on commentary. Fletcher gets in a flip of his own to start but Ricochet send shim outside, only to miss a dive. Instead Fletcher hits a leg lariat out to the floor, setting up the suicide dive to send Ricochet into the barricade. Back up and Ricochet dives off the barricade to drop Fletcher and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher kicking away at him, only to have Ricochet knock him down down. The running shooting star press gives Ricochet two and he hits a rolling dropkick to send Fletcher outside. Back in and Ricochet’s top rope splash misses, allowing Fletcher to hit a running knee to the face. Ricochet shrugs it off and hits Vertigo (reverse inverted DDT) for the win at 11:58.

Rating: B-. This was a great contrast to the Hayter match earlier, as this was a good bit longer than it needed to be and didn’t have me wanting to see more from Ricochet. Instead, it felt like he was trying to beat someone who is a middle of the road star around here at best. That doesn’t make me want to see more of Ricochet, but rather more that he’s just kind of another person being added to the roster.

Post match Will Ospreay comes out to stare down Ricochet but Pac comes in and gives Ospreay a nasty poisonrana onto the stage. Pac tells Ricochet to go to the back of the line, because Ospreay is his at All Out.

Jon Moxley yells at security guards and Marina Shafir of all people beats them up, with Moxley saying we need lessons in humility around here.

Here is Bryan Danielson for his big celebration as champion. His daughter was happy…which may have been due to being on a double decker Peppa Pig tour bus. Seeing his peers so happy for him was the greatest moment of his career, but then he went to the press event. The reality is that his contract expired earlier this month, his neck needs to get fixed and his family wants him home.

Danielson thanks everyone who helped make the company great and looked at everyone who will wrestle here in the future. It is probably time for him to go home….BUT NOT YET. He is going to fight for the title as much as he can and there are a lot of heads to kick in. First come, first serve, so come get a shot. And then Jack Perry pops up on screen to say he is making his own future and taking Danielson out. Danielson’s future is behind him…and Perry jumps him from behind. The beatdown is on to end the show. And yes, it continues, as AEW will do everything they can to make Perry a thing no matter what.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a rough spot as it was both the fallout from All In, the start of the build towards All Out and a show where it felt like a lot of things were taking a breath after the huge pay per view. At the same time, the lack of a more proper build from All In to All Out is making a lot of the show feel like it’s thrown together, which isn’t exactly something that makes me want to put my money down. They still have time to cobble things together, but this was only an ok starting point for the show.

Results
Hangman Page b. Tomohiro Ishii – Buckshot Lariat
Jamie Hayter b. Harley Cameron – Lariat
Hook/Conglomeration b. Learning Tree/Roderick Strong – Redrum to Strong
Ricochet b. Kyle Fletcher – Vertigo

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

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AND

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