Ring Of Honor
Date: August 6, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re closing in on Death Before Dishonor with just over two weeks to go before the show. Last week, a few matches were confirmed for the event, including the rather random Bandido vs. Nick Wayne World Title match. There is every chance that we won’t get anything new added this week, as you never can tell what to expect around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena is now the longest reigning champion of the modern era but isn’t getting any kind of respect. She beat the Women’s Champion and the TBS Champion but hasn’t received any flowers. Tonight, she’s beating up Janai Kai to blow off some steam.

Athena vs. Janai Kai

Non-title Proving Ground match. Athena isn’t having any of the wristlocking but she has to run from the threat of some rapid fire kicks. Back in and Kai scores with the running kick in the corner but another kick gets caught in the ropes. That lets Athena kick at the leg and then knock her out to the floor.

The knee gets cranked back and Athena talks trash, as she tends to do. A half crab and ankle lock send Kai over to the rope and she kicks Athena down for a breather. Kai pump kicks her down for two but has to go after Billie Starkz, allowing Athena to get in the curb stomp for two more. They trade rollups for two each until Starkz gets in a belt shot from the floor. The O Face finishes for Athena at 7:42.

Rating: C+. Kai got in some offense here but it never felt like Athena was in any serious danger, as she shouldn’t have been. Instead, Athena got to use her minion to get by Kai and she’ll brag about her latest win. Hazuki is still waiting for her, which should be good, though it would be nice to have something from Hazuki to make it more interesting.

Last night, Brodido and Hangman Page talked about their abilities to speak Spanish. They also weren’t sure about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly thing, with Bandido lifting his mask to prove that he isn’t the ugly one.

Queen Aminata vs. Rachel Ley

Aminata takes her down for the kick to the back and the hips to the head. Back up and they trade some forearms in the corner, where Ley hits a pendulum Meteora. That earns her a headbutt and the fisherman’s neckbreaker, setting up the running knee in the ropes for the pin at at 3:54.

Rating: C. Ley is a former gymnast and got to show off her athleticism here, though that only makes her stand out so much. Aminata gets to run through another name on her way to…well pretty much nothing right now but the match didn’t take up much time. Commentary was certainly putting Aminata over though and that helps a good bit.

We look at the recent actions of Beef and the Premiere Athletes.

Beef vs. Matt Menard

Mark Sterling is here with Beef, who appears to be a full on Athlete now. After a less than trusting handshake, Menard backs him into the corner for a clean break. Beef clotheslines him down and jumps over him for a spank, followed by a bit of a dance. Menard is right back with a spank of his own so Beef gets knocked out to the floor.

Back in and Beef chops away out of the corner before running Menard over for two. Sterling gets in a choke but stops to talk to Beef, allowing Menard to fight up. A running forearm grounds Beef so here are the Premiere Athletes for a cheap shot. The top rope splash finishes for Beef at 7:58.

Rating: C-. That’s kind of a long time for what was at least somewhat a comedy match featuring Beef and the Premiere Athletes. I know they get a bunch of time on these shows and I still don’t quite get why. The story is hardly some top idea, but here it is again after a quick week off.

Post match Beef beats on Menard even more.

Janai Kai wants revenge on Billie Starkz.

RPG Vice vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz

Ortiz shoves Beretta away to start and they slug it out, with Ortiz grabbing a flapjack. Romero comes in to hammer Kingston down in the corner but he’s right back up for an STO/Russian legsweep combination. Ortiz comes back in and is quickly taken into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to Kingston, who stretch plumbs Romero, with Beretta making the save.

Everything breaks down and Beretta’s tornado DDT gets two on Ortiz but he’s fine enough to block the Forever Lariats. Kingston comes back in for a neckbreaker but he gets draped onto the top rope for a kick to the head. Kingston fights up again and hits a double clothesline so Ortiz can drop a top rope splash for two. Back up and Ortiz makes a quick save, allowing Kingston to grab the exploder suplex. A rollup pins Romero at 13:28.

Rating: C+. The match got better near the end and that’s nice to see, though it went on a good bit longer than it needed to go. Kingston and Ortiz continue to be popular, though I’m not sure I get their appeal. They’re just kind of there and it doesn’t help that Ortiz just feels like ROH trying to copy Mike Santana’s success.

Post match RPG Vice jumps them again and lays the winners out. So this keeps going.

Earlier today, Caprice Coleman sat down with the newly Computerized Kingdom. They realized they needed something fresh to get them out of their rut so here they are with artificial intelligence. They completely trust it and hang on as AI says they need to switch which leg is crossed. That’s in addition to the great shirt designs they’re being offered! One more leg switch wraps up the interview. This gave you pretty much the whole explanation for the story thus far and I kind of like it.

Tehuti Miles vs. Dante Casanova

Before the match, Miles brags about his amazingness. Miles jumps him before the bell and knocks Casanova out to the floor, where Miles gets crotched on the barricade. Back in and a crossbody gives Casanova two but Miles gets in a knockdown of his own. A slap to the face wakes Casanova up but Miles knocks him right back into the ropes. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Casanova powers out, only to get dropped with a nice dropkick. Casanova’s comeback doesn’t work again as Miles superkicks him for the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C+. Casanova got in some offense here and looked ok in the process, but this was more about showcasing Miles. That went well enough, with Miles getting to show off his athleticism. I’m not sure what’s next for him, but putting him in another stable like Shane Taylor Promotions is only going to get so far.

Post match Miles officially joins Shane Taylor Promotions. Well that was quick.

Action Andretti vs. LJ Cleary

Andretti flips over Cleary to start and knocks him into the corner for some early stomping. A handspring elbow gives Andretti two but he misses a charge, allowing Cleary to stomp him in the back. Andretti’s Falcon Arrow gets two more and he plants Cleary with a super Spanish Fly. The cutter choke finishes for Andretti at 4:29.

Rating: C. This was a squash for Andretti and it means we’re likely on the way to Andretti vs. Lio Rush at Death Before Dishonor. That’s not the most thrilling match as Cru wasn’t exactly a top level team but it’s better than nothing. The match wasn’t exactly the point, as it was mainly about Andretti using Rush’s choke for the win, which makes perfect sense.

Mance Warner wants to give RPG Vice the violence, with Eddie Kingston and Ortiz being in as well. Kingston isn’t happy with being dropped on his head so find a third man.

Brandon Cutler/Teri Yaki/Jay Lucas vs. The Colons/Serpentico

Serpentico and Cutler start things off with Serpentico picking up the pace but getting taken to the mat. Cutler kicks him away so it’s off to Eddie to give Cutler a suplex. Yaki comes in to take over on Orlando, including jumping over Cutler for an elbow. The chinlock keeps Orlando in trouble and it’s back to Cutler for the same thing. Orlando gets up and sends Cutler outside, allowing the tag back to Eddie as everything breaks down. The bad guys are cleared out and it’s a Backstabber to pin Yaki at 6:49.

Rating: C. I still have no idea why the Colons are a thing around here. They feel like relics of the past and it’s not like they’re doing anything impressive in the ring. They’re perfectly fine as a filler team, but that isn’t the best thing to see on a show like this, which is already so full of filler. Just find someone else for this spot or let the show be a bit shorter.

Mark Sterling has his own action figure but Dalton Castle and the Outrunners want to beat him up. Both the figure and the real Sterling.

Nick Comoroto/Aaron Solo vs. MxM Collection

Mansoor headlocks Solo to start before it’s off to Madden to throw Solo down. Comoroto comes in and lines up the football pose, only for Mansoor to come back in instead. Madden breaks up Comoroto’s skinning the cat before hitting Comoroto in the face with the hips. The assisted abdominal stretch goes on, with Solo coming over for the save.

Solo gets the tag to clean house until we get the Comoroto vs. Madden three point standoff. Comoroto skins the cat and slams Madden before strutting into an elbow for two. A suplex into Solo’s top rope double stomp gives Solo two but it’s a Centerfold to put Solo away at 9:34.

Rating: B-. They actually got rocking there near the end and it wound up being an exciting match. Comoroto got a nice showcase here and it was cool to see him doing something other than losing in short order. At the same time, this was another match that went on for a good while on a show with a lot of that taking place. They might have stood out more if they had the chance but that wasn’t happening here.

Post match the Collection mocks Jacksonville and want the ultimate accessory.

Action Andretti wants the TV Title from Lio Rush. The lights go out and Rush’s laugh is heard, with Andretti not being scared.

Women’s TV Title: Isla Dawn vs. Red Velvet

Dawn is challenging and jumps her from behind to start fast. Some slams put Velvet down but she kicks her way to freedom and stomps away in the corner. Dawn is back with some right hands and a suplex before getting in her own corner choke. The reverse chinlock is broken up with a jawbreaker but Dawn is right back to stomp her in the corner again. Dawn knocks her outside for a change, including throwing Velvet into various hard objects.

Velvet is able to send her into the steps right back though, with a stomp making it worse for Dawn. Back in and a standing moonsault gives Velvet two but Dawn’s wheelbarrow suplex gets the same. Dawn goes up and gets Iconoclasmed back down so she snaps off a Saito suplex. The Shining Wizard gives Dawn two and she picks her up for a powerslam, only to be rolled up for the pin to retain Velvet’s title at 12:26.

Rating: B-. This went pretty well, with the two of them trading one big move after another in the end. Dawn continues to be one of the more underrated stars around here and I’m glad to see her getting a chance to do something like this. Velvet’s title reign has kind of stalled as she’s a champion but not really doing anything, as is so often the case around here.

Griff Garrison/Lethal Twist vs. Dalton Castle/Outrunners/Adam Priest

The brawl starts before the bell and Lethal gets punched down for a quick near fall. Magnum saves Castle from getting whipped into the corner but the bad guys take out the other three to take over. Garrison drops a knee for two on Castle and Johnson comes in to stomp away in the corner. Castle clotheslines his way over to the corner so Priest can get the tag to clean house. Garrison is right back with a torture rack powerbomb for two as everything breaks down again. Preston Vance clotheslines Garrison by mistake though and Priest gets a rollup for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. And, again, it’s fine. Just like almost everything else on the show, the match is nothing memorable whatsoever and doesn’t really change much, but somehow, this is the main event. Nothing about this match makes it feel more important than the rest of the card and that’s been a problem around here for a very long time now.

Post match Garrison lays out Vance and apparently he’s out of the team. The Dark Order runs in for the save. We get the big reunion and Vance seems to be back on the team to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. That’s your weekly two hour plus edition of Ring Of Honor, giving us a third straight day of AEW stars going that long in a row. As usual around here, there was a bit of storyline progression and A LOT of filler that felt like it was just there to get people in the ring. It’s a bad sign when you could cut out about half of the show and not miss much and that’s the situation they were in here. In other words, it’s Ring Of Honor.

Results
Athena b. Janai Kai – O Face
Queen Aminata b. Rachel Ley – Running knee in the ropes
Beef b. Matt Menard – Top rope splash
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. RPG Vice – Rollup to Romero
Tehuti Miles b. Dante Casanova – Superkick
The Colons/Serpentico b. Brandon Cutler/Teri Yaki/Jay Lucas – Backstabber to Yaki
MxM Collection b. Nick Comoroto/Aaron Solo – Centerfold to Solo
Red Velvet b. Isla Dawn – Rollup
Dalton Castle/Outrunners/Adam Priest b. Griff Garrison/Lethal Twist – Rollup to Garrison

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: July 23, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re getting closer and closer to Death Before Dishonor and it would be nice to see some of the matches announced for the show. While there are a few matches that can probably be guessed, it’s time to start making some of them official. That wasn’t the case with the hour plus bonus show this week so maybe we’ll get it on this two hour show. Let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Main Man Oro vs. Lio Rush

Rush is defending and Oro is getting his shot after winning a match last week. Psh. Like that concept has any legs. Oro isn’t pleased with the extended handshake and yells a lot, earning himself a bite to the finger. We pause for Oro to bail to the floor, where he decides to grab the title. Back in and Rush gets the title back, along with a kick to the head. Rush bites the head but gets sent outside, with Oro slowly taking over again.

Back in and a hard whip into the corner has Rush in more trouble but he escapes an Iconoclasm. They knock each other down until Rush nails a spinning kick to the head but Oro gets in his own head kick. Rush bites the hand again and grabs a Stunner, setting up the big suicide dive to the floor. Black Thunder retains the title at 8:39.

Rating: C+. Rush is one of those guys who is so odd and unique that his opponents have to adapt to him. The good thing is that Oro was able to hang with him for a bit, even in a losing effort. Odds are Action Andretti is next for Rush, because despite Cru being next to nothing as a team, they need a months long build to a title match.

Post match Action Andretti jumps Rush, likely setting up their match at Death Before Dishonor. Andretti chokes him out, with the black goo coming out of Rush’s mouth.

Redemption rundown.

Alan Angels vs. Bryan Keith

Keith jumps him to start fast and chops away but an exploder is blocked. A high crossbody gives Angels two but Keith catches him on top. A butterfly backbreaker has Angels down again and Keith is frustrated at the kickout. Back up and Angels fires off some clotheslines, followed by a Rings Of Saturn. That doesn’t last long either as Keith bails outside and gets in a headbutt from the floor. Angels fights back, allowing himself to miss a splash, which sets up Keith’s tiger driver for the pin at 7:31.

Rating: C+. Angels is the latest name added to the seemingly never ending roster around here and he hasn’t exactly done much thus far. It’s nice to see him away from the Dark Order, but there are way too many good hands around here who don’t have much in the way of success. In other words, Angels isn’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon, like so many others around here.

Billie Starkz vs. B3cca

Starkz strikes away to start but misses a charge into the corner. B3cca gets chopped and Downward Spiraled into the buckle though and things slow down. A suplex doesn’t work for Starkz so B3cca kicks her in the face. That just earns B3cca a Last Shot but she’s back with an enziguri for two of her own. They take turns throwing each other off the top until Starkz avoids a 450. The arm trap faceplant finishes B3cca at 6:07.

Rating: C. I’m still not getting the appeal of Starkz, who has been around here for the better part of ever and still feels like she is at about the same level she’s been the entire time. Thankfully the idea of her defeating Athena seems to have been dropped, though I’m not sure what that leaves her to do. Then again, there very well might not be much else for her to do.

Adam Brooks talks about the pandemic taking away his ROH career but now it’s time for ROH to get loose.

Premiere Athletes vs. Dark Order

Uno shoulders Nese to start and everything breaks down, with the Order taking over. Daivari offers a distraction but Reynolds is right back with a clothesline for two on Nese. Cue Beef to watch (though he doesn’t look thrilled) and a cheap shot lets the villains take over on Reynolds. Mark Sterling gets in some choking from the floor but Beef won’t get involved, leaving Reynolds to hit an enziguri.

Uno comes back in for the running corner clothesline, followed by the double DDT. Everything breaks down again and Daivari shoulders Nese by mistake. That’s shrugged off and the Athletes take over on Uno, including a slingshot dive. Sterling goes after Reynolds but gets decked, only for Beef to hit a running crossbody. Back in and Nese’s running knee in the corner finishes Reynolds at 9:00.

Rating: C+. Earlier this week, I made a joke about the Premiere Athletes being on every ROH show and it’s starting to feel completely accurate. They’re around so often and do just about the exact same thing so often. The stuff with Beef is at least a bit different, but it feels like something else that is just going to come and go without meaning much.

Post match Beef reluctantly gets in the ring with the Athletes.

Here is RPG Vice to issue an open challenge for one of those “easy Ring Of Honor wins”. Now play some generic music!

RPG Vice vs. Alex Zayne/Mance Warner

Warner backs Romero into the corner to start and then bites his finger. Zayne comes in to work on the arm before blocking a tornado DDT. Everything breaks down and Vice is sent outside for a double poke to the eye. Back in and Zayne’s springboard moonsault is cut off, setting up a Burning Hammer/top rope double stomp combination for two. Zayne gets back over to Warner anyway and it’s time for some rather quick jabs. A blind tag brings Zayne back in and a quick Nightmare On Helm Street gets two. Romero goes low on Zayne though and Strong Zero finishes him off at 7:15.

Rating: C+. Warner is a breath of fresh air on this show as he had something of a personality. Unfortunately he doesn’t get to win much but at least having him around is a nice boost. Then you have Vice, who I’m guessing is here as something of a troll job on the audience, because I can’t imagine they’re supposed to be seen as worth having around.

Post match Warner goes for the save but gets beaten down. Ortiz and Eddie Kingston run in for the save.

Nathan Cruz doesn’t think much of Adam Brooks and is tired of hearing him whine.

Satnam Singh vs. Jacked Jameson

Jameson escapes an early chokeslam attempt and strikes away but gets chopped in the corner. Singh loads up a slam so Jameson demands he get put down, which is exactly what Singh does. Jameson gets in a neck snap across the top rope so he goes up, only to dive into a cutter for the surprise pin at 2:35.

Deonna Purrazzo sits down with Caprice Coleman and talks about being a former Ring Of Honor Women’s Champion. That was a long time ago though and now she’s proud to get to be the first Women’s Pure Champion. She’s a fan of Jay Lethal and talks about going back to school to build a life outside of wrestling. That means she can avoid the chatter about her on the internet, which doesn’t matter. Finally, she wants to boost the women’s pure division to another level. This was pretty cut and dry but it’s good to have Purrazzo back while she’s injured.

Hyan vs. Lacey Lane

Maya World is here with Hyan. They fight over a lockup to start until Lane rolls her up for a quick near fall. A running dropkick in the corner gives Lane two more but Hyan is back with a rollup for two of her own. That just earns her a chinlock, with Hyan fighting up for a side slam. The Falcon Arrow gives Hyan two, with Lane grabbing a quick cradle for two more. Lane twists the knee around and hits a hanging Pedigree for another near fall. Back up and Hyan knocks her away, setting up the Glam Slam for the pin at 7:24.

Rating: C+. I actually wasn’t sure who was going to win here and that’s always a nice feeling to have. Lane has something to her that makes her stand out and it’s cool to see her getting a chance. Hyan has also shown that she has some notable talent of her own, though she’s still being outshone by World.

Nathan Cruz vs. Adam Brooks

Cruz grabs a headscissors on the mat to start and they get up to fight over a wristlock. Back up and Cruz fires off the chops in the corner, followed by a slingshot belly to back suplex. The Hennig necksnap gets two and Cruz grabs a chinlock. Back up and Brooks hits a running boot against the ropes, setting up the suicide dive. Brooks’ crossface doesn’t last long and Cruz goes up top. Brooks runs the corner to superplex him right back down, followed by a Swanton for the pin at 7:38.

Rating: C+. This is where Ring Of Honor just makes me shake my head. They had two relatively unknowns (Cruz is a recurring jobber at best) but they had some promos to set up a reason to fight. That’s a lot more than you get around here most of the time and it felt different. That’s perfectly fine, but the whole thing began and ended in about an hour. It’s a prime example of a match that could have been saved for next week, just to let it be built up for a little bit. Why rush through everything like this?

RPG Vice want some revenge on Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, asking them to “bring their a**** down to Ring Of Honor.” Bring them down how? You’re all already here.

We get a video on Angelico challenging Lee Moriarty for the Pure Rules Title next week. This is a big rematch from the first time they fought….about two years ago.

Komander vs. Tommy Billington

They fight over a lockup to start as commentary talks about All In. Komander nips up to escape a wristlock and they crash out to the floor. Billington gets in a neck snap across the top and a missile dropkick gets two. A powerslam gives Billington two, followed by a snap suplex for the same as we get a nice British Bulldogs combination. They fight over a double arm crank until Komander superkicks him into a 619.

The rope walk running flip dive hits Billington on the floor as they crash again. Back in and Billington wins a battle over a Tombstone but misses a Swan Dive. They forearm it out with Komander getting the better of things, followed by a German suplex for two. Billington is sat on the rope for a springboard hurricanrana driver and the Cielito Lindo finishes for Komander at 10:11.

Rating: B. They were both working hard here and that’s not much of a surprise as it’s certainly their reputations. At the same time, Komander is pretty firmly in the same spot he’s always been in while Billington has lost the status he gained after teaming with Adam Priest. That being said, I’ll take a match like this after some of the dull stuff we’ve seen on this show thus far.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Skyflight

Eight man tag and their seconds are all here too. Bravo shoves Dante to start and gets shouldered down for his efforts. A dropkick has Bravo in trouble but he hits Dante in the face, meaning it’s off to Dean vs. Sky. They run the ropes as well and it’s already off to Darius, who gets stomped down by Ogogo. Taylor comes in for the big chop, followed by a legdrop for two.

We pause for the Promotions to rant about their airline but Darius fights up and gets the tag to Sydal. House is quickly cleaned by the Infantry cuts him off with a belly to back neckbreaker. Everything breaks down and Sky grabs a cutter, setting up Sydal’s top rope Meteora for the pin on Ogogo at 8:32.

Rating: B-. They had a lot of stuff going on at once here and that’s almost always going to make for a difficult situation. I do like Skyflight getting a win for a change as they tend to be there to do nothing but put others over. The Promotions got in their regular appearance, which tends to be the case almost every single week. Much like the Premiere Athletes, just give us a bit of a breather from them.

Overall Rating: C. These two hour editions of the show are somehow making this show even harder to watch. As has been the case for the better part of ever around here, it isn’t that the wrestling is bad but the fact that there is so much of it. This was another very long show and it feels like almost everyone who was on the show was just doing their usual thing. It’s a case where not everyone needs to be on every show and my goodness it would do some wonders to let things breathe a bit. But that’s not going to happen because Tony Khan things more is better every chance he can. Lucky us.

Results
Lio Rush b. Main Man Oro – Black Thunder
Bryan Keith b. Alan Angels – Tiger driver
Billie Starkz b. B3cca – Arm trap faceplant
Premiere Athletes b. Dark Order – Running knee in the corner to Reynolds,
RPG Vice b. Alex Zayne/Mance Warner – Strong Zero to Zayne
Satnam Singh b. Jacked Jameson – Cutter
Hyan b. Lacey Lane – Glam Slam
Nathan Cruz b. Adam Brooks – Swanton
Komander b. Tommy Billington
Skyflight b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Top rope Meteora to Ogogo

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

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

Dynamite
Date: July 22, 2026
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before this weekend’s Redemption pay per view and we have some titles on the line tonight as well. That includes Kevin Knight defending the TNT Title, along with the Women’s Tag Team Titles being on the line. We should have a good show here and let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega are ready to team tonight. Ospreay mentions they’re undefeated as a team (stunning Omega in the process) and they agree to tag out if they need the help. Jon Moxley comes in to say there is no tension in this room and things get quiet rather quickly.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight

Knight is defending but Allin jumps him before the bell and they fight into the crowd. Naturally Allin gets a running start and runs him over with a clothesline back to ringside. Allin climbs onto the top of the post and clotheslines him into the timekeeper’s area for the huge crash. They go inside for the opening bell and are almost immediately out on the ramp.

Knight sends him crashing into the barricade and a catapult sends Allin THROUGH the steps (with the top breaking off), which is only good for two back inside. Allin fights off the top though and grabs a pair of Code Reds for two. Knight’s arm is put inside of the post and then he is knocked outside for a Coffin Drop (from the bleeding Allin) as we take a break.

We come back with both of them down until Knight is up to send Allin into the referee. Knight grabs the belt but walks into the Scorpion Death Drop. The Coffin Drop takes too long though and Allin ties him in the Tree Of Woe for a Coast To Coast. That and the UFO Splash retain the title at 11:20.

Rating: B-. This was much more of a wild brawl than a typical match and that isn’t a surprise for Allin. Outside of the spot with the steps, it could have been a lot worse with all of the violence and carnage and stung show insanity. I was hoping Knight to drop the title here to avoid another champion vs. champion match at the pay per view but oh well.

Post match here are Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada for their tag match, with Knight seemingly not liking the two of them taking his moment.

Post break the Don Callis Family is in the ring, with Mark Davis not being worried about Andrade El Idolo at Redemption. Knight says he just won on his own, but Fletcher isn’t impressed, saying he hopes Knight wins another title on Sunday. Fletcher doesn’t need help either and he’s going to make sure that the title is banned from ringside at Redemption. And heck let’s do that again right now.

Kyle Fletcher/Kazuchika Okada vs. Brodido

The Family is banned from ringside, save for Don Callis himself, who is on commentary. Bandido and Fletcher go with the grappling to start until Bandido gets a wristdrag into a dropkick. King comes in for a suplex, plus the rather loud chops in the corner. It’s back to Bandido, who gets double flapjacked as we take a break.

We come back with Bandido slipping away from a double team and bringing King back in for some house wrecking. Fletcher is Death Valley Drivered onto the apron but Okada manages to hoist King up for an Air Raid Crash onto the knee. Fletcher is back in but runs into a swinging Boss Man Slam for two but Fletcher is able to superkick a moonsaulting Bandido out of the air. A pop up faceplant, followed by a frog splash (with Eddie Dance) give Bandido two each but Okada is back in with the Rainmaker. Unforgiven it hits Fletcher by mistake though and the 21 Plex gives Bandido the pin at 13:23.

Rating: B. The match was fast paced and kept a few things going at once, which is quite the use of what they had here. If nothing else, at least Bandido got a win to build him up a bit for Sunday and that was rather needed. Okada vs. Fletcher seems to be coming sooner or later and that should be….something.

Post match Okada begs Fletcher’s forgiveness but Fletcher yells a lot. Don Callis sends the team after Brodido but Andrade El Idolo comes in before the violence can start. The villains skedaddle.

We get a video on the Painmaker version of Chris Jericho.

Here is Mick Foley for a chat and yeah the fans like him. Foley brings out Thekla and Willow Nightingale for their staredown, with Thekla also showing off her new Stardom title (She has two belts, which comes after a segment involving four different champions staring at each other. Either unify some of the things or stop having everyone bring in their titles from elsewhere because good grief enough already.).

Thekla accuses Nightingale of hiding behind her smile and offers to beat the poison out of Nightingale at Redemption. Nightingale finds it interesting that Thekla accuses someone of wearing a mask and only cares about the AEW Women’s Title. Foley compares himself to Nightingale, as they both had smiles but Nightingale has more teeth.

Thekla tells Foley to shut up and that’s too far for Nightingale She calls Thekla a “dumb b****”, which has Thekla smiling as she tells Nightingale to smile anyway after she gets beaten up. Thekla hits her in the head with the mic and takes off her belt (the traditional kind, not the star shaped one), only to get Pounced.

Video on Hikaru Shida vs. Maya World.

Jay White vs. Clark Connors

The fans are behind White and they play a bit of chase to start. White gets behind him though and almost gets the Blade Runner. Instead White fires off some chops before grabbing an armbar. White sends him onto the ramp but Connors grabs the referee, setting up a spear through the ropes.

We take a break and come back with Connors going to the eyes and hitting a running shoulder. Another such shoulder only hits an open chair though and they get back inside, where White starts on the leg. Connors is fine enough to hit something of a Pounce but walks into a swinging Rock Bottom. The cutthroat suplex drops Connors, who is back with a powerslam for two of his own. Connors’ spear is countered into a guillotine choke, with White rolling over to choke him out at 12:33.

Rating: B-. I’m rather glad to see White get back in the ring as he has a style that makes him stand out for some reason. He’s good at what he does and feels like a star, though it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t stay healthy. At the same time, if the Dogs completely disappeared from AEW, I really can’t imagine I would notice.

Post match David Finlay runs in with the shillelagh shot to White so the Bang Bang Gang chases him off.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage are jumped by the Death Riders, who can’t believe Copeland and Cage challenged them for Redemption. On Sunday, the Riders will remind them who they are.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Sisters Of Sin vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross

The Sisters are challenging and this is No DQ. That’s how they can get away with jumping the champions with kendo sticks before the bell and knocking them outside. Some running shots off the apron put Kross and Bayne down again and Blue unloads with the kendo stick shots back inside. Hart’s Old School hurricanrana is blocked with raw power but Blue is up for the save. Blue (bleeding from the head) is put in the corner where Bayne throws a chair at the chair on Blue’s chest and we take a break.

We come back with Bayne being put through a table on the stage and Kross being knocked down for two. Bayne is back up and it’s a string of shots to the face to leave everyone down. After Bayne takes off her hockey sweater, the four of them all grab a belt (yep) and miss a shot each. Blue is up to try…something to Kross but Bayne grabs her off the ropes for a chokeslam through the table at ringside. Back in and Bayne reverses Hart’s Octopus into a Tombstone and the Divine Intervention retains the titles at 12:45.

Rating: B. This got fun as the champs were having to fight to win for a change. You could definitely see Bayne getting more into this and showing a lot of emotion. That’s not something you often see from here and it could add something else to her future. At the same time, the Sisters gave them a good fight in a losing effort and I’ll take that for a match like this.

The Bang Bang Gang want a double chain match with the Dogs at Redemption. Well of course they do.

Jon Moxley/Kenny Omega/Will Ospreay vs. Don Callis Family

Ospreay and Hechicero go with the grappling to start with Hechicero grabbing a headscissors on the mat. That’s broken up and we’re already up to a standoff. Omega comes in to take over on Hechicero’s arm and the go….well the non-Callis guys take turns working on the arm. Omega gives Moxley a rather weak tag and Hechicero gets away for the tag to Doyle.

That means Moxley gets sent into the corner for the stomping but he’s able to send Doyle outside. There’s the suicide dive and Ospreay is back in for a Stundog Millionaire to Cage. Doyle runs Ospreay over though and Omega is knocked down as well and we take a break. We come back with Omega hitting a spinning kick to Cage, allowing the tag to Ospreay (and leaving Moxley hanging).

A moonsault hits Cage but it’s back to Hechicero to work on the knee. That sets up a kneebar but Moxley comes in for the save, even without the tag. Everything breaks down and Hechicero is left alone for some triple teaming, including the running shots in the corner. Omega knees Moxley by mistake though and Cage gives Omega a pumphandle knee to the face.

Moxley is back up to cut off a double Doomsday powerbomb and it’s a Hidden Blade/V Trigger combination to finish Hechicero at 13:19. Sidenote: Omega raises his fists in celebration right after getting the pin. I love little things like that as wrestlers are supposed to want to win. Be happy when you do.

Rating: B. The best thing here is that it went as it should have. There was almost no way, save for a total implosion, that Moxley and company were losing here as that’s a crazy lineup. At the same time, this match didn’t go too long and that’s great to see for a change. Sometimes the right call is for a match to do something like this and it worked well here.

Post match Omega apologizes to Moxley and offers a handshake but Moxley shoves him. They go nose to nose so Ospreay breaks it up, only for Omega to shove him down as well. Moxley is thrilled with the two of them fighting but here are the Young Bucks to go after Moxley and Ospreay. RPG Vice runs in so Omega tries to give them a V Trigger, only to get taken down by a very surprising diving clothesline from Kevin Knight to end the show. I appreciate the Knight vs. Omega stuff but I have a better chance of leaving Redemption with the World Title than Knight does.

Overall Rating: B. They were in a tough place here as Redemption feels as weak of a pay per view as any they have offered in a long time. It isn’t so much that the show is looking bad, but it doesn’t feel important. That makes building the show up very difficult and they did what they could here. It wasn’t a big time show but I liked it well enough, partially because it was almost twenty minutes shorter than last week. Believe it or not, a lack of overstaying your welcome can make a big difference.

Results
Kevin Knight b. Darby Allin – UFO Splash
Brodido b. Kyle Fletcher/Kazuchika Okada – 21 Plex to Fletcher
Jay White b. Clark Connors – Guillotine choke
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Sisters Of Sin – Divine Intervention to Hart
Jon Moxley/Kenny Omega/Will Ospreay b. Don Callis Family – Hidden Blade/V Trigger combination to Hechicero

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

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Global Wars: Cincinnati
Date: June 18, 2026
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

This is one of those big shows with a bunch of guest stars as Ring Of Honor basically does its own version of Forbidden Door. The big match is Athena defending the Women’s Title against Syuri and the rest…well it’s hard to say as a lot of these matches aren’t advertised. In other words, how Ring Of Honor of the show. Let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

I was in attendance for part of this show, sitting in the ninth row on the floor with the entrance on my right.

Opening sequence.

The opening video looks at Lio Rush and Action Andretti challenging AR Fox for the TV Title. Rush and Andretti were partners but then split up, with Rush being all insane.

TV Title: Action Andretti vs. Lio Rush vs. AR Fox

Fox is defending. Andretti is outside to start and Fox isn’t sure what to do with Rush. This means Rush whispering something into Fox’s ear and it’s time for both of them to go after Andretti. Rush starts running the ropes and Andretti gets kicked out to the floor as the fans seem to like Rush over the champion. Andretti is back up but Fox moonsaults onto both of them on the floor.

Fox goes after Andretti on the ramp and avoids a 450 but gets planted with a DDT. Andretti goes after Rush but winds up breaking an umbrella and sending Rush into the barricade instead. Fox is back up to dive onto both of them but gets small packaged to give Andretti two. Andretti’s springboard clothesline hits Rush and a springboard twisting splash gets the same on Fox.

Back up and Fox dropkicks Andretti in the corner, followed by a cutter to Rush. Fox’s tornado DDT and anarchist suplex drop Rush for two but Andretti sends Fox outside. A springboard Stunner gives Rush two on Andretti and Andretti’s falcon arrow gets the same. The pumphandle Side Effect gets two on Fox so Andretti goes up, with the two of them catching him at once.

With everyone back down, a triple knockdown leaves all of them needing a breather. Fox slugs away at both of them to take over but Andretti cuts him off with a low blow. Rush Stunners him though and grabs a choke, with Fox diving in for the save. Fox is sent outside though and Black Thunder gives Rush the pin and the title at 14:53.

Rating: B. I get it. I’m not wild on Rush’s whole deal, but he is clearly popular with the crowd and being presented as a big deal. Giving him something, even as low as the ROH TV Title, is a smart thing to do. My bigger issue is Fox losing the title so soon, as I became a much bigger fan after some of his recent promos. As for Andretti….well Fox is rather awesome.

Lacey Lane/Viva Van vs. Red Velvet/Thunder Rosa

Van runs Velvet over to start and they trade bridging escapes. Lane and Van hit stereo dropkicks but it’s quickly off to Rosa for some chops and armdrags. Back up and Lane takes over on Rosa, allowing Van to come back in for a rolling kick to the head. Rosa neckbreakers her way out of trouble though and Lane is sent into the corner so Velvet can hammer away. Rosa gets caught in a fireman’s carry but Velvet tags herself back in, with Lane taking over again. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of knockdowns before Van and Velvet trade rollups for two each. Rosa’s package powerbomb finishes Van at 7:40.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as it’s a cold match between a pair of teams who don’t really work together all that often. Maybe this leads to Rosa showing up here to take a run at Velvet (it’s not like either of them have anything else to do). Other than that though, this felt like a match that was just thrown out there to burn up some time.

We look at Syuri beating Athena in February.

Diamante vs. Maika

Diamante wrestles her to the mat in a hurry and gets in the slaps to the back of Maika’s head. Back up and Diamante pulls her down by the hair, meaning it’s time to hammer away on the mat. Some Kawada kicks have Maika in more trouble and Diamante grabs a headlock. Maika fights up and hits a dropkick in the ropes, followed by a delayed suplex for two. A big clothesline connects but Diamante reverses into a German suplex. Diamante misses a clothesline though and the Michinoku driver finishes for Maika at 6:25.

Rating: C+. This is where Global Wars/Forbidden Door runs into a problem. Maika is a talented star from Stardom but she was debuting here. Odds are she’s not staying for any significant amount of time so this was little more than a pit stop. The match was fine and that’s about all, but it’s kind of hard to get interested in people who haven’t been around here before in a match with no story.

We look at LFI winning the Tag Team Titles in December.

And now, to Arena Mexico for LFI’s first title defense in three and a half months.

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Los Villanos

Los Villains (El Hijo de Villano Tres (“Tres”) and Villano Tres Jr. (“Jr.”) are challenging. Guevara flips over Tres to start and sticks the landing on a hurricanrana. They trade nipups so Mortos comes in to run Tres over. Jr. comes in with a springboard knockdown but the champs are right back up for some posing. Guevara teases something off the top but drops down for a stomp instead.

The champs go after Jr.’s mask to no avail and it’s Tres back up to start the comeback. A spinning springboard dive hits Mortos and it’s a Codebreaker into a double stomp back inside. Guevara gets thrown from the ramp onto Mortos but Mortos clotheslines both of them down without much trouble. Guevara adds a dive of his own, followed by a corkscrew version from Mortos.

Back in and a rolling cutter drops Tres before Mortos wrecks Jr with a backbreaker and discus lariat. Tres is back in with a tornado DDT to Mortos, who is back up with a super gorilla press for two on Jr. A Doomsday Device doesn’t work though and it’s a poisonrana to Mortos. Guevara takes out Jr. on the floor though and a moonsault gives Mortos the pin on Tres at 14:39.

Rating: B-. Remember what I said about how it’s hard to care about people who aren’t around here and don’t do much in a promotion? That’s the case for both of the teams, as LFI haven’t been in a match in three and a half months but their title reign has to continue for whatever reason. It’s an entertaining match, but this might as well have been a bunch of guest stars doing high spots for about fifteen minutes.

We look at Athena beating Hyan.

AEW TV Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Lee Johnson

Takeshita is defending and Blake Christian/Jay Lethal are here with Johnson. I can’t even bother getting annoyed at commentary saying that Johnson is on a roll when his last singles win around here was in December. Johnson’s headlock doesn’t last long so he goes with a dropkick out to the floor. The suicide dive connects and Johnson hammers away back inside.

A hard whip into the corner has Takeshita in more trouble and Johnson grabs the chinlock. Takeshita fights up but his ankle is banged up, meaning he can’t get up top. Instead they knock each other down again, with Takeshita getting up to take over again. A big clothesline gives Takeshita two but the running knee is blocked. Johnson superkicks him down and ducks a clothesline, setting up a cradle for two. Takeshita is right back with the Blue Thunder Bomb into the running knee to retain at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Well at least we know these people. Takeshita is a great star and doesn’t have much to do with Ring Of Honor but I’ll take someone who is around on these shows one way or another. I have no idea why Johnson was the one getting a title shot here, but logic in title shots is not exactly Tony Khan’s strong suit.

The Opps want to fight Beef and the Premiere Athletes. Anthony Bowens wants violence and Hook thinks he’s starting to get it.

Takumi Iroha vs. Hyan

Iroha is Syuri’s partner. We get a hug to start but Iroha wants to get going so they fight over a lockup. Iroha’s big kick to the head misses though and Hyan realizes this isn’t going to be easy. Hyan misses a dropkick and she gets caught with a quick DDT for two. A sliding knee drops Hyan again but she slips out of a Razor’s Edge. That earns her a kick to the chest and Iroha grabs a quickly broken Scorpion Deathlock.

Hyan muscles her up with a suplex and a belly to back version gets two. Iroha is right back with a running knee to the face and they strike it out. Hyan is knocked down but avoids a Swanton, allowing them to go out to the apron. Iroha gets planted down and a spear gives Hyan two back inside. A big kick knocks Iroha silly but Hyan picks her up instead of covering, allowing Iroha to kick right back. The running Razor’s Edge out of the corner finishes Hyan at 9:49.

Rating: B-. Well, for someone who has never been around here before and likely won’t be again, Iroha looked good enough in beating a midcarder. That’s about all there is to this one, as it’s not like either of them are a big deal around here. The match was fine, but much like a lot of this show, it’s just there.

Lethal Twists/RPG Vice vs. Outrunners/Mike Bailey/Mistico

Mistico gets the big singalong entrance and while the fans wave their hands, I’m not sure if they knew the words (Bailey on the other hand sang every word to the thing multiple times, looking like he was having a great time). Vice teases walking off but comes back for the opening bell as Mistico and Romero start things off. A flying mare takes Romero down and a running hurricanrana does it again.

Everything breaks down though and Mistico gets beaten down, followed by the running clotheslines in the corner. The Outrunners and Bailey are back in for the save though and hammer away with ten right hands each in various corners. We settle down to the Outrunners taking over on Romero but Christian spears Magnum on the apron to cut him off. Lethal stomps him down in the corner and the Figure Four goes on. Christian adds a slingshot hilo but Magnum slams his way out of trouble.

Floyd comes in to clean house, including a swinging suplex to Lethal. The Mega Powers Elbow is broken up though and it’s Bailey coming in to clean house. The running shooting star press gets two on Beretta but Romero is back in with a Shining Wizard for two of his own. Mistico dives onto Romero, leaving Bailey to get cuttered. The Outrunners break up the Lethal Twist’s Mega Powers Elbow and the four of them brawl off to the back. That leaves Mistico to La Mistica Romero for the tap at 11:46.

Rating: B-. This was a wild match and that’s what it should have been, with the fans clearly understanding that it’s a big deal to have Mistico around. At the same time, RPG Vice are a good choice for foils as it’s not like they mean anything in AEW/ROH anyway. Throw in the Outrunners (though oddly not Dalton Castle) and this was fun. Granted so was getting a photo with Mistico to end the night but maybe that’s just me.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Syuri

Only Athena is defending. They go with the grappling to start and it’s an early standoff. An exchange of wristlocks gives us an exchange of flipping escapes so Syuri knees her in the ropes. Somehow Athena manages to go from leaning on the ropes to powerslam her onto the apron.

Back in and Athena knees her down so a backsplash can connect for two. Syuri rolls her up for two more and a facebuster sends Athena out to the ramp. The slugout goes to Athena and she hits a Wasteland to drop Syuri again. Back in and Syuri gets sent hard into the corner for two but she grabs a sitout bulldog. A running knee and right hand give Athena two more but Syuri pulls her off the top into a hammerlock.

The double arm crank sends Athena over to the rope and she’s back up with a superkick. The Black Widow has Athena in more trouble so she faceplants her way to freedom. Syuri gets her cross armbreaker and even crashing over the top doesn’t break it up. A tornado DDT off the barricade plants Athena again and they both have to beat the count back in at nine.

Back in and they slug it out until Syuri grabs a German suplex. Athena snaps off one of her own but Syuri is back with a powerslam. A big knee and kick to the head put Athena down again but she pulls Syuri into a pumphandle Tombstone. The O Face retains the title at 16:18.

Rating: B+. This lived up to the hype of a main event and it felt like Athena’s title was in jeopardy more than once. That’s a good sign that the match is going well, as there was no reason to believe that Syuri was going to win here. This felt like a big time match and I got into what I was watching so rather well done.

Athena shows respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is one of the weirder shows that Ring Of Honor has, as there are parts of it that were good to even better than that (the opener, the eight man, and especially the main event), but there is a big chunk in the middle that is just there to stretch out the run time. I’m not at all saying these wrestlers are bad or untalented or anything close, but they’re just names on a list of people wrestling on this show and that is only so interesting. I’m not a fan of this concept but we’re nowhere near done, with seven more matches to go from the tapings.

Results
Lio Rush b. Action Andretti and AR Fox – Black Thunder to Andretti
Red Velvet/Thunder Rosa b. Lacey Lane/Viva Van – Package powerbomb to Van
Maika b. Diamante – Michinoku driver
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Los Villanos – Moonsault to Tres
Takumi Iroha b. Hyan – Running Razor’s Edge
Mike Bailey/Mistico/Outrunners b. Lethal Twist/RPG Vice – La Mistica to Romero
Athena b. Syuri – O Face

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 16, 2026
Location: Propst Arena, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Somehow this is at least partially from the Huntsville taping, which must have been one heck of a night. In this case it’s another bonus show, which hopefully is just as good as last week’s bonus show, as Ring Of Honor is somehow making two shows a week something closer to normal. Oh joy. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Women’s TV Title: Hyena Hero vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and Hera is in her second match in ROH (I’ll let you guess how the first one went). Hyena licks her hand for the handshake and Velvet isn’t pleased, meaning the beating starts fast. Velvet knocks her into the corner for a shaky boot choke but Hyena is back with a Gory Bomb into the buckle. A release gordbuster and a dropkick give Hyena two but Velvet flips on top of her with a crossbody for two of her own. The running knees in the ropes have Hyena in trouble, only to have her come back with a kick to the face. Hyena tries another Gory Bomb but Velvet slips out and the spinning kick to the head retains at 5:14.

Rating: C. I still have no idea how title shots are awarded around here and unfortunately I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon. Velvet beat up someone who had no momentum or anything at all really so what exactly does this get her? That’s part of the problem for these matches, as beating Hyena means nothing so what does Velvet gain here?

Video on the triple threat for the TV Title, with Lio Rush and Action Andretti challenging AR Fox, with Fox and Andretti being serious while Rush is….adjective.

Tony Nese wants the TV Title.

Lethal Twist/RPG Vice vs. Spanish Announce Project/Outrunners/Dalton Castle

Lethal shoulders Magnum over to start and gets in the strut, meaning we’re quickly off to the big staredown. Christian and Floyd come in with the former rolling through a sunset flip and hitting a dropkick. The Outrunners clear the ring and it’s off to Angelico to work on the arm. Serpentico comes in for a hurricanrana but Johnson gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. A sunset flip gives Serpentico two and earns him a heck of a clothesline to cut him back down.

Romero starts away in the corner but Serpentico is back up with a clothesline, as Romero continues to be so useless. It’s off to Castle to clean house and we hit the parade of missed middle rope splashes. Floyd finally connects with a splash on Christian but the Mega Powers Elbow is broken up. Christian is back up for the big running flip dive to take out the pile on the floor and a running shot to Serpentico back inside. The springboard 450 gives Christian the pin at 11:06.

Rating: C+. This was a bunch of people in one match and the big thing in the middle was the string of missed splashes. In theory this should help move the Lethal Twist into contention for a title shot though as usual, it’s kind of hard to tell given the way things work around here. At least they’re a regular team likely coming for the titles and I’ll take that for a change.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Aaron Solo

Pure Rules. Shibata easily wrestles him down to start and fires off the elbows to the head. That’s released so Shibata pulls him down into a chinlock and wins an exchange of a slugout. Solo blocks an O’Connor roll and fires off some chops, which just make Shibata mad. The running corner dropkick connects for Shibata and it’s the sleeper into the PK for the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. Solo used his three rope breaks in there and that’s the extent of the Pure Rules aspect of this match. It’s a match with a stipulation that was just not needed but then again I have no idea why this match needed to take place whatsoever. Shibata has run through almost everyone around here and never really moves up the ladder so it was nice to confirm the status quo. I think?

The Tag Team Titles are on the line this week in CMLL with LFI defending against Los Villanos from CMLL, because that’s good enough for the first title defense in three and a half months.

Zayda Steel vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir snaps her down with a headlock to start and escapes a headscissors, leaving Steel worried. A wristdrag doesn’t get Steel anywhere so she grabs a middle rope headlock takeover to actually put Shafir down for once. Back up and Steel picks the ankle before dropkicking her to the floor.

That’s fine with Shafir, who whips her hard into the steps and stops for some pushups. Steel gets back inside and kicked in the back, setting up a bearhug. Shafir throws her down a few times and shrugs off some forearms. Steel’s standing Kofi Clutch has Shafir in trouble for a bit, only for her to swing it into Mother’s Milk for the tap at 6:21.

Rating: C+. This was another loss for Steel, who is in that annoying place of “she’s talented and fights but no, of course she can’t win because that’s not what new stars do around here”. I’m sure she’ll get to win eventually but I guess this is the usual dues paying stretch. It doesn’t make for the most thrilling matches though and that was the case again here, as it was just waiting for Shafir to crush Steel as expected, which she eventually did.

TV Title: Tony Nese vs. AR Fox

Fox is defending and Mark Sterling is here with Nese. They start fast with Nese pounding Fox down in the corner but Fox is back with a dropkick out of the corner. The threat of a cutter sends Nese bailing to the floor, where he catches Fox with a big forearm. Fox is right back in with a huge dive onto the floor and the fans certainly approve. Back in and Nese kicks him off the top and a shot to the knee gets two.

A bodyscissors stays on the ribs but Fox is back up with a Stinger Splash. The cutter out of the corner gets two but Nese sweeps the leg. A shot to the head gives Nese two as Fox makes the rope. The pumphandle piledriver gives Nese two more so Fox knocks him into the ropes. Some running boots take out Nese and Sterling, setting up the 450 to retain the title at 7:59.

Rating: C+. So the big title match is already set for Thursday but we had to get this in at the last minute because….Fox is going to lose the title isn’t he? I’m guessing that they had to get this match in before the title change on Thursday, which hopefully goes to Rush as I can’t imagine the idea of taking Andretti seriously as a champion. Why am I ignoring this match? It was Nese getting a singles title shot. What am I supposed to say about it?

Post match Action Andretti runs in to go after Fox but Lio Rush pops up in a Cru shirt to scare Andretti off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. And that was the show I was expecting last week. This was a bunch of stuff that felt thrown together with a tiny something at the end. Other than that, we had Shibata winning a squash, a totally random Women’s TV Title match, a ten man tag and Shafir vs. Steel. It wasn’t a bad show, but this was a good example of “you don’t have to tape/air everything”, as there would be nothing lost if it didn’t air.

Results
Red Velvet b. Hyena Hero – Spinning kick to the head
Lethal Twist/RPG Vice b. Spanish Announce Project/Outrunners/Dalton Castle – Springboard 450 to Serpentico
Katsuyori Shibata b. Aaron Solo – PK
Marina Shafir b. Zayda Steel – Mother’s Milk
AR Fox b. Tony Nese – 450

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

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Dynamite
Date: May 6, 2026
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s another double show this week as we have the usual two hours of Dynamite, plus the first half of Collision. As usual, the World Title is on the line as Darby Allin is defending against Kevin Knight in what could be a heck of a match. We’re also getting pretty close to Double Or Nothing and that should mean some new things being set up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring for a dedication to Ted Turner, who started the network they’re on and had a big hand in bringing wrestling to national television. Schiavone brings out Sting, who talks about how great it was to have an all in billionaire who loved wrestling. Back in the day, a lot of people wanted to get rid of wrestling but Turner would tell the wrestlers to keep doing what he was doing because he had deep pockets.

He and Darby Allin burned this place up for three and a half years and he’s glad to see Allin defending the title tonight. Schiavone talks about how the TNT and TBS Titles have plates honoring where Turner started wrestling in Atlanta. And now, three hours of wrestling! It was nice to see this kind of thing and given that they air on the Turner networks, it kind of had to be there.

We get a ten bell salute to Turner.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson

Non-title Eliminator Match. They go head to head and yell a lot before trading the forearms. Robinson headbutts him in the corner and a catapult sends Moxley out to the floor. The big flip dive off the apron connects and they go back inside, where Moxley (already bleeding) stomps on the hand. The fingers are split apart but Robinson is able to send him outside again, this time with a toss into the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Robinson hammers away until we take a break.

We come back with Moxley working on the fingers again but Robinson gets up to slug away. That’s cut off rather quickly and now it’s Moxley getting to fire off the right hands in the corner. A super hurricanrana gets Robinson out of trouble and he reverses a piledriver attempt into a rollup for two.

The snap jabs just earn Robinson a bite to the face but he’s right back with a high crossbody. They trade headbutts and forearms until Moxley misses a charge into the post. A mere thirteen seconds later, he’s back with a bulldog choke and piledriver for two. The choke goes on again and Robinson is out at 14:34.

Rating: B-. This was Moxley in his Superman mode as he bounced up from charging into a post like it was nothing so he could do his big offense. That’s the kind of ridiculous stuff he does every so often and it makes for some less than great matches. Also, nice job of having the Bang Bang Gang get its momentum back on Collision and have their leader lose in the first match on the following Dynamite.

Will Ospreay trains with the Death Riders and Moxley says this is Death Ground (as in ground from which he can never escape) if his neck doesn’t get stronger. Yeah of course this is hard. And no more cameras.

Orange Cassidy vs. Dax Harwood

The winner gets a shot at the loser’s titles and Harwood has about seven people (including Tommaso Ciampa, RPG Vice, Cash Wheeler, the Dogs and Stokely dressed as Cassidy) with him. Cassidy brings out the rest of the Conglomeration, Adam Copeland, Christian Cage and the Young Bucks with him as there are probably fifteen people involved in this segment

Harwood armdrags him down to start but Cassidy kicks him off and grabs a headlock. Cassidy blocks the chops in the corner and hits an Orange Punch, sending Harwood outside. Another Orange Punch hits the post though and the hand gets wrapped around the post as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy being sent into the corner but blocking a superplex attempt. A top rope DDT gets two and Harwood goes outside, where he cuts off a suicide dive attempt.

Back in and a spinning DDT drops Harwood but Stokely offers a distraction and a cheap shot from the floor gets two. A big brawl on the floor looks to allow Harwood to bring in the ring bell, which is quickly taken away. Cassidy kicks him in the face but gets caught in a slingshot powerbomb for two more. Back up and the Orange Punch gets two so Harwood goes after the bad arm/hand again. That’s reversed into a cradle though and Cassidy gets the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Well that was….busy. This felt like a match that could have had about, I don’t know, fifteen or so less people at ringside? I’m hardly thrilled with the idea of more people getting a chance to be a double champion again but it’s just another match before (I’m guessing) we get to Copeland and Cage getting their rematch at Double Or Nothing.

Post match everyone comes in and the good guys clean house.

Video on Rush.

Last week, the Demand jumped Chris Jericho.

This week, Jericho (not Chris Jericho but just Jericho) is in the back but wants to talk about the Demand in front of the people. He comes out to the ring and says he’s done with the three on one beatdowns. Instead, he’s going to DEMAND that Ricochet come out here and face him man to man right now.

Cue the Demand, with Ricochet mocking Jericho, who says that he can’t hear over all of the booing. Ricochet is tired of this stuff and listening to these people in Charleston, North Carolina (Jericho: “It’s South.”) and brings up a challenge for Stadium Stampede. He’s just not sure if Jericho can find four other partners because no one around here likes him. Jericho yells at him for getting the state wrong (Ricochet: “Same thing.”) and is sure he can find someone. Otherwise he’ll just do it himself.

The brawl is on and Jericho clears the ring…for a bit, only to get beaten back down. Cue the Hurt Syndicate to make the save. Schiavone: “I know they love Bobby Lashley and they love South Carolina native Benjamin Shelton.” That’s either a really odd reference to a Hulk Hogan interview from about a year ago, or Schiavone isn’t very good at his job.

Mina Shirakawa gives Harley Cameron a pep talk and rips Cameron’s shirt open. Shirakawa realizes Cameron is wearing her bra underneath rather than gear and has to apologize. Cameron doesn’t seem to mind and is fired up.

International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Keith

Okada is defending in your random title match of the week. In case you’re wondering, Keith’s most recent singles win on AEW TV was in October. Of 2024. Excalibur says Keith has been racking up wins in Ring Of Honor though, and that is true. I mean he hasn’t actually won a singles match this year but the three he had in 2025 count right? Oh wait actually as Excalibur said that Keith has had success on the independent circuit. From what I can find, that success is a record of 1-1-2 this year. So I guess this is based on the ROH tag success? To get a singles title shot. Right.

Anyway, Keith kicks away to start and snapmares him into a knee drop for two. Keith goes up but gets dropkicked out to the floor, where Okada hits a DDT as we take a break. We come back with Keith not being able to get a Fujiwara armbar but he can knee Okada in the head. Keith hits a running DDT for two and they head outside again, where Keith gets in another DDT.

Naturally that doesn’t do much and Okada gives him a slam into the dropkick. Another dropkick misses but Okada backdrops his way out of a tiger driver attempt. The next attempt works a bit better but Diamond Dust is countered into something like a sitout Tombstone. The Rainmaker retains the title at 10:16.

Rating: B. Keith made the most of his chance here and the match wound up being good. While it would be nice to see the choice of title challengers have a bit more logic, it was nice to see Keith getting a shot. Okada is on the way to his biggest match in AEW (or at least close to it) so call this a rather early warmup.

Post match Okada says he’s coming for the World Title. Censored.

Video on Andrade El Idolo.

Mike Bailey gives Kevin Knight a pep talk before tonight’s World Title shot. Knight is ready to win another title.

Samoa Joe and the Opps, now with Anthony Bowens, wants Will Ospreay on his team. Either do that, or get his fist instead.

Mina Shirakawa/Harley Cameron vs. Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander

Shirakawa and Statlander lock up to start, with Statlander giving her a slam and dancing a bit. A backslide gives Statlander two and it’s off to Shida vs. Cameron. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to Statlander, who gets headscissored into the corner. A backbreaker puts Shirakawa down though and Shida comes back in for a running knee on the apron.

We take a break and come back with Shirakawa and Shida trading forearms until Shirakawa knocks her silly. Cameron comes back in with a tornado DDT and Shirakawa adds a missile dropkick to Statlander as everything breaks down. Statlander is back up with a fisherman’s driver to Shirakawa but Shida’s running knee hits Statlander by mistake. Cameron rolls Shida up for two but Statlander is back in to boot Cameron in the face. Shida’s Falcon Arrow gets the pin at 12:43.

Rating: C+. At least Shirakawa didn’t lose again. I’m not sure why Shida and Statlander’s team is continuing as it isn’t like they have much to do at the moment after losing their title shot. It’s nice to have them actually doing something, but a team with issues despite having success is a bit played out.

Swerve Strickland wants power and that means going after the most wanted, Bandido.

Bandido, with Brody King, says he’s not hard to find and King threatens Strickland for coming after his friends. Didn’t we just see King vs. Strickland a month and a half ago? Also of note: neither Bandido, King, Strickland or commentary referenced Bandido being the Ring Of Honor World Champion whatsoever. Bandido had the belt, but no one mentioned it at all. That was the case when Andrade El Idolo came after the title as well. It’s not a good sign when the Defy World Title (as held by Bryan Keith) gets more discussion than the title held, and displayed, by an AEW star.

AEW World Title: Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight

Only Allin is defending. They go with the grappling to start until Knight knocks him down and grabs a headlock. Allin reverses into one of his own and hits a springboard elbow to the face. Back up and they clothesline each other and Knight snaps off a heck of a super hurricanrana. A big dropkick sends Allin outside and we take a break.

We come back with Allin grabbing a Code Red for two and Knight goes outside. The suicide dive knocks Knight down again and Allin sits him in the chair. Knight pops back up and hurricanranas him off the top and out to the floor for the big crash. One heck of a springboard clothesline hits Allin on the announcers’ table and they’re both down for a bit. Back in and Knight dives into a Scorpion Deathlock, sending him over to the ropes.

Knight is able to catch him in the Tree Of Woe and hits a Coast To Coast, followed by the UFO Splash. The knee is too banged up though and it’s a delayed cover for two. Allin kicks the knee out and grabs a guillotine choke before hanging him on the top rope. The Coffin Drop in the ropes sets up the regular Coffin Drop to retain the title at 15:36.

Rating: B. This was good again, with Allin’s rather impressive string of title matches continuing. At the same time, it seems like they’re setting up the idea of Allin giving it everything he has in these title matches, which could result in him having some trouble rather soon. Knight losing is acceptable enough as it’s to the World Champion, but it shouldn’t be happening again anytime soon.

Sting comes out to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another strong show, though it was missing something to take it all the way to that higher level. It was a show built more around setting things up for later and building to things that we’ve already gotten set up. That’s a fine way to go on occasion, though they really do need to add some more stuff to Double Or Nothing, as we only have three matches thus far. Anyway, this was more than good enough.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Juice Robinson – Bulldog choke
Orange Cassidy b. Dax Harwood – Rollup
Kazuchika Okada b. Bryan Keith – Rainmaker
Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander b. Harley Cameron/Mina Shirakawa – Falcon Arrow to Cameron
Darby Allin b. Kevin Knight – Coffin Drop

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

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Dynamite
Date: April 29, 2026
Location: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back with more title matches, as MJF is trying to get the TNT Title from Kevin Knight and Darby Allin is defending the World Title against Brody King. This seems to be part of Allin’s idea to “get beaten up really badly every week” but his match last week was rather good. Hopefully that is repeated here so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a quick preview of the show.

Video on MJF vs. Kevin Knight.

TNT Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Kevin Knight

Knight is defending and we get the Big Match Intros, with MJF’s including some shots at Fairfax. They go outside to start with MJF taking over, including a powerbomb onto the barricade. The chinlock goes on back inside but Knight is right back up, only to get elbowed in the face. They take turns flipping out of belly to back suplexes until Knight is flipped face first onto MJF’s knee for two.

Knight escapes the Heatseeker though and hits a jumping DDT to leave them both down. A dropkick puts MJF down again and a running splash gets two. Knight sends him outside for the big running flip dive, followed by a heck of a springboard clothesline to the floor. Back in and they go to a pinfall reversal sequence, with MJF grabbing a cutter for two. MJF goes up but gets pulled down with a super hurricanrana, only for Knight to come up holding his knee.

A basement superkick and Panama Sunrise give MJF two and we take a break. We come back with MJF grabbing a half crab, which doesn’t last long. Knight superkicks another Sunrise attempt out of the air but a dragon screw legwhip brings him down on the rope. An Alabama slam gives MJF two more and it’s time to get mad. MJF grabs the belt, which is just a ruse to load up the ring. Knight hits him low though and a small package retains the title at 15:16.

Rating: B. This was good stuff, with MJF’s downward slide continuing. He has a lot going on right now and most of it isn’t going well, mainly due to trying to cheat too much and getting caught in the end. That’s a good way to bring him down, as he can complain about losing all over again. Knight on the other hand gets a huge win, which is a good sign as he is rapidly improving his status around here.

MJF’s stunned face is great as he can’t believe that happened. MJF hits him in the knee and loads up the ring but Darby Allin descends from the ceiling and hits a Scorpion Death Drop. MJF gets the mic and says “YOU PEOPLE SUCK!” He insists that he was barely trying in the match so all he wants is his rematch for the World Title. Allin wants something on the line in return…but doesn’t say what that is. Instead, if he beats Brody King tonight, he thinks Knight should get a title shot. Cue King to say he’s taking Allin out tonight and then facing Knight next week.

Video on King vs. Allin.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage are in for the I Quit match, with Copeland bringing up Cage quitting before. Cage: “I didn’t say it!” Cage leaves. Copeland: “He totally said it.”

Brawling Birds vs. Emily Jaye/Jordan Blade

In a nice touch, Windsor points out a sign to Hayter, saying someone waited years to see Hayter. She blows the fan a kiss before the match and we’re ready to go (that’s the kind of thing I love in wrestling: something that takes so little time from the wrestlers but means the world to that fan). Blade gets knocked into the corner and chopped down, setting up a clothesline from both sides (Taz: “Little Malachi Crunch action there.” Hayter seems more like Count and Windsor is more Jumpy. Does that make Blade Pinky Tuscadero?). Two Birds, One Stone finishes Blade at 1:20.

Thekla would love to stop calling people dumb b****** but there are too many dumb b****** in AEW. The Brawling Birds need to mind their own business and stick to the tag team. Skye Blue doesn’t like them either.

International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Ace Austin

Okada is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. Okada backs him into the corner to start and stomps him down but Austin is back with a rollup. A dropkick has Okada in trouble and a Death Valley Driver (with a squat) makes it worse. Austin sends him to the floor and does a handstand on the apron, earning some applause from Okada. A DDT drops Austin on the floor though and we take a break.

We come back with Okada hitting a neckbreaker and flipping off the crowd. Austin sends him to the floor and hits a knee to the face, setting up the Fosbury Flop dive. Back in and a top rope spinning Fameasser gets two on Okada, who ax handles him down. Austin tries the springboard spinning kick tot he head but gets dropkicked out of the air. Another dropkick sets up the Tombstone and the Rainmaker retains the title at 11:15.

Rating: B. This was a relief as I was worried it would take Okada far too long to win here. Instead, Austin got in his offense, looked good in the process, and then lost to the better main in the end. That’s how this should have gone and they made it work rather well, with Austin getting to hang with a bigger name before taking one too many chances.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out for the staredown.

We go to the old west town for a Bandido vignette…but it’s Swerve Strickland, who burns a Bandido wanted poster. Could he be wanted for not defending his Ring Of Honor World Title since December 5, or a cool 145 days?

Commentary explains what happened on Collision, as Jon Moxley basically offered Will Ospreay a spot in the Death Riders. Not mentioned: Moxley handing Ospreay a chair and laying face first on the floor.

We see the Death Riders training, with Ospreay showing up. Ospreay is not cleared, but he’s going to Japan for a big title match. Moxley says that’s loyalty and Ospreay is too good to be true. Then he pokes Pac in the stomach and makes a noise like one does to a seven year old who would find it stupid.

Moxley says Ospreay needs to drop everything, including his anger and feelings about him, because they don’t need excess baggage. He’s not making any promises but when he makes a commitment to something, he sees it through to the end. Ospreay seems in but is surprised to hear that there is no ring. They’re starting from the ground up and the camera is shoved out. This is certainly a thing going on, though Moxley’s acting is….really not his strong suit.

Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. RPG Vice

FTR and Stokely Hathaway are here too. Cage and Romero start things off with Romero being backed into the corner. A dropkick puts Cage down and Romero stops to dance and it’s off to Copeland. The big boot/Russian legsweep combination gets two on Romero before Beretta knees Copeland down for the same.

That just earns Beretta a big boot and it’s back to Cage, who heads outside and gets his bad arm slammed into the post. The Conglomeration is in the crowd and throws popcorn on Stokely, triggering a brawl with FTR. They all fight off and we take a break with Cage still in trouble. We come back with Copeland getting knocked off the apron to cut off the tag attempt.

A sliding knee gets two on Cage and Romero grabs a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up with a grab of the rope and Cage elbows his way out of the corner. The tornado DDT connects but bangs up Cage’s arm again. Copeland gets the tag anyway and the Impaler gets two on Beretta, with Romero making the save. Everything breaks down and Copeland misses a spear, allowing Beretta to roll him up. The referee sees the feet on the ropes though and Copeland tosses Beretta into Cage’s spear for the pin at 12:44.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty standard formula tag match but it was a bit of a stretch to buy RPG Vice hanging with Copeland and Cage this long. Yes they’re a successful team in Japan but not so much in AEW. Either way, it was hardly a bad match and Copeland and Cage get a win before their next title shot.

Post match Copeland puts Beretta in the crossface to make him quit. That’s just violent.

Earlier today, the Demand beat up Chris Jericho again. Ricochet tells him to leave for good and Jericho tells him to eat s***. The beating gets even worse.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross

Statlander and Shida are challenging. Kross takes over on Shida to start and it’s off to Bayne for the double shoulder. Shida’s running knee is easily blocked so she goes to the eyes and grabs the kendo stick. Statlander isn’t letting that happen but Bayne misses a charge into the post. Then Shida kicks Statlander in the ribs and suplexes her onto Bayne in the corner, which shockingly doesn’t work very well.

Statlander is driven into the corner and it’s back to Kross, who escapes Staturday Night Fever. Bayne kicks Statlander in the head and we take a break. We come back with Statlander hurricanranaing both of them at once, followed by a discus lariat to Bayne. Kross and Shida get the double tags and slug it out at everything breaks down.

Bayne sends Statlander flying (that’s impressive) but Statlander gives her a standing Blue Thunder Bomb. Kross is knocked down as well and it’s a 450 to give Statlander two. Shida Falcon Arrows Kross for two but Statlander gets kicked down. The double chokeslam to Shida retains the titles at 13:31.

Rating: B-. They had a hard hitting and fast moving match, with the monsters getting to retain the titles. It’s a nice win for them over a pair of former champions so it’s hardly some pair of nobodies. At the same time, Shida and Statlander never felt like a long term team and that’s not a bad way to go.

MJF interrupts Andrade El Idolo and Don Callis, blaming Andrade for Darby Allin being World Champion. Andrade seems to deny things but Callis calms it down.

Rush vs. Steven Fuerte

Rush knocks him outside at the bell and stomps away both on the floor and in the corner. Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:39.

The Opps are ready to dominate again, with Hook going after the TNT Title on Collision. Samoa Joe wants Will Ospreay, who shouldn’t be doing anything with the Death Riders.

Stokely has a challenge for Orange Cassidy: next week, Cassidy faces Dax Harwood and the winner gets a Tag Team or Trios Title shot, with Tommaso Ciampa popping up to be FTR’s partner should Harwood win.

AEW World Title: Darby Allin vs. Brody King

Allin is defending. They shake hands to start and Allin tries a quick dropkick in the corner (King turned his back on him so it wasn’t a cheap shot). King powers up and tries the Ganso Bomb, with Allin punching his way out. Allin goes up top and gets caught, only to come out with a super Code Red for two. That sends King outside but the suicide dive just bounces off of him.

Allin fights back again and puts King in the chair on the floor, with the missile dropkick knocking King out. We take a break and come back with King hitting a heck of a chop to knock Allin off the top and to the floor. King takes the announcers’ table cover and leans it against the barricade, only for Allin to jump on his back. That’s fine with King, who drives them both through the cover for the nasty crash.

They climb onto the table and King grabs his choke, which is countered with double thumbs to the eye. Another Code Red onto the table gets two and Allin is back up with a suicide dive. Back in and King ties him in the Tree Of Woe, followed by a hard clothesline for two (with Allin’s face looking like his soul was knocked into the third row).

Allin gets thrown over the top rope and onto a cameraman, with King dragging him around, pulling the floor pad up. King’s running Cannonball misses Allin and goes through the barricade for a nasty crash. Allin gets the rest of the floor pad up though and it’s a sunset bomb to send King crashing onto the concrete. The Coffin Drop onto the floor connects as well and King manages to beat the count. That means two more Coffin Drops to retain the title at 16:29.

Rating: B+. As usual, this worked well with Allin fighting against the monster and managing to use his environment to beat King. It’s a good case of Allin learning how to beat King after taking so many beatings over the years. At the same time, Allin has given King troubles before so it’s hardly some ridiculous win here. Heck of a main event as Allin’s title reign continues to work, though he’s getting rather banged up here. That very well could catch up to him sooner than later and it probably will.

Post match respect is shown and Kevin Knight is in the crowd for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another rather good show with the opener and main event being more than good enough to carry the night. Allin seems like he’s in for an energetic and exciting title reign, though I’m not sure how long it’s going to last. At the same time, there are a lot of people coming after the belt so the next champion could be up in the air. That’s enough to carry things at the moment and there is enough on the rest of the show to make it work. Rather easy to watch show here with a very good main event.

Results
Knight Knight b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Small package
Brawling Birds b. Emliy Jaye/Jordan Blade – Two Birds, One Stone to Blade
Kazuchika Okada b. Ace Austin – Rainmaker
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage b. RPG Vice – Spear to Beretta
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Hikaru Shida/Kris Stalander – Double chokeslam to Shida
Rush b. Steven Fuerte – Bull’s Horns
Darby Allin b. Brody King – Coffin Drop

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: March 13, 2026
Location: Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s a special episode that is so special it was mentioned with less than twenty four hours’ notice. The big story here is that the Trios Titles are actually being defended, with Shane Taylor Promotions putting the titles on the line for the first time since winning the things back in December. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Shane Taylor Promotions vs. TMDK

The Promotions are defending and no, this version of TMDK (Mikey Nicholls/Robbie Eagles/Shane Haste) have never teamed as a trio in Ring Of Honor. It’s a brawl to start and Eagles clears the ring for a running flip dive through the ropes. A belly to back neckbreaker combination gets two on Bravo back inside but Eagles gets crushed on the apron for his efforts.

Eagles is beaten down in the corner and a springboard Vader Bomb gets two. That doesn’t last long and it’s a tag to bring in Haste, who is rather intense during his comeback. The Marcus Garvey Driver is countered and Eagles gives Taylor Sliced Bread. TMDK takes over on the Infantry until Haste gets dropped with a middle rope leg lariat. The double stomp retains the titles at 8:36.

Rating: C+. Ok. I mean what else am I supposed to say? There was no build to this match, the titles are barely ever defended and the challengers literally had no record as a three man team in Ring Of Honor. This was the latest example of “here’s a match that we pulled out of a hat”, which is the specialty of the house around here.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Big Boom AJ and QT Marshall (facing part of the Promotions at Revolution) make the save.

We look at Persephone winning the CMLL Women’s Title from Mercedes Mone last week.

Persephone vs. Jen Savani

No entrances for either, as this was taped before Persephone had the title. Persephone takes her down into a rollup to start and is looking rather cocky. Savani’s knee is countered and Persephone hits a spear. A bridging backslide gives Persephone two and a superkick drops Savani again. Savani catches her on top but Persephone flips over her for the Razor’s Edge and the pin at 3:34.

Rating: C. Persephone has become something of a treat around here, partially because she’s been around enough to establish herself a bit more. She’s rather talented and can look dominant in her matches, which makes her beating Mone for a title a nice result. This was basically a squash though and that worked well for a quick appearance.

Big Boom AJ and QT Marshall are ready for the Infantry at Revolution. And the Rizzler might be there too!

Beef vs. Rush

They trade big shoulders to start until Rush hits a running dropkick. Beef comes back with big right hands and they fire off big chops. Rush knocks him into the corner for the cocky kick to the face and the Tranquilo pose. A staggered Beef is knocked outside and whipped into the barricade a few times. Back in and the Bull’s Horns finishes for Rush at 4:50.

Rating: C+. Beef was as intense as usual to start but the match turned into the squash you were probably expecting. As usual, Rush feels like a big star when he’s around, but that doesn’t happen enough to make the biggest impact. I get why Ring Of Honor throws him on the shows when they can, though it doesn’t happen enough to matter much.

Serpentico vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta, now in trunks, works on a headlock to start but gets pulled down into a cradle for two. Serpentico takes him down for a basement elbow to the face and works on the arm for a few seconds. Back up and Yuta grabs the mask to take him down and the double arm crank is on. Serpentico gets up for a jawbreaker into a hurricanrana out of the corner, followed by a superkick. Yuta pops back up with a German suplex and the hammer elbows. The running knee and seatbelt pin Serpentico at 5:34.

Rating: C. Yuta was his usual self here, with the fans getting on him a bit more for the shaved head, even if it grew back in rather quickly. As usual, it was a perfectly fine match that doesn’t feel like it matters in the slightest. Yuta is someone else who pops in and out of here but doesn’t really move up the ladder, which is the case for a lot of people around Ring Of Honor.

Ace Austin vs. KM

Austin kicks away at the bigger KM to get him down, setting up a running basement dropkick. KM fights up and starts talking trash but gets kicked down again. Austin’s knee drop rocks KM again, followed by a Death Valley Driver. The Fold finishes for Austin at 3:13.

Rating: C. I still like Austin quite a bit but he’s already feeling like the latest victim of “hey he’s cool” and then he’s not doing anything for weeks at a time. At least he got a pretty dominant win here, with the Fold always looking cool. KM isn’t much, but his size will keeps him around, even in this kind of a spot, for a good while.

Danielle Kamela vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir powers her into the corner to start and then ties up the legs without much effort. Kamela fights up and gets in an ax handle to the back, which has Shafir smiling. Shafir kicks her down and then uses a foot choke in the corner. Kamela manages a running neckbreaker but Mother’s Milk makes her tap at 4:27.

Rating: C. The idea here was to get Shafir in the ring before her big match with Toni Storm at Revolution. That’s a fine enough way to go, but you know what you’re getting with Shafir so it isn’t like this added much. Kamela (the former Vanessa Borne in NXT) certainly has charisma so this could have been far worse.

RPG Vice/MxM Collection vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Top Flight

Kingston and Romero start things off, with Romero taking him up against the ropes for some dancing. A knockdown means more dancing, which has Kingston chopping away. Ortiz comes in to work on the arm and a hip swivel annoys the Collection. Beretta gets the tag and is armdragged into an armbar.

The Collection comes in to put Ortiz down and strike the pose, only for Mansoor to be taken into the wrong corner. Kingston’s neckbreaker gets two and it’s off to Darius, who gets chokeslammed from the apron to put him in trouble. Kingston goes to get a chair but gets caught, with everything breaking down for a bit.

We settle down to Madden working over Darius in the corner before Beretta comes in for a Death Valley Driver. The Collection cuts the other three off and the villains hit a string of elbows. The four way pose is broken up and Darius gets in a dropkick and the tag brings in Dante to clean house. Vice cuts Dante off with a double jumping knee but Dante is over for the tag to Ortiz. Everything breaks down and Kingston’s DDT into Ortiz’s top rope splash finishes Mansoor at 11:47.

Rating: C+. This was the biggest match of the show by far and it was perfectly fine. There’s pretty much nothing to it that made it feel important, though Kingston is always worth a look no matter what he’s doing. At the same time, I’m not sure I get the appeal of Ortiz. He’s fine, but he really just makes me want to watch TNA to see Mike Santana.

Overall Rating: C. In theory, the idea here was to have a special show on the big pay per view weekend and get fans to watch Ring Of Honor. That only works so well when you had to watch Ring Of Honor to know about the show, but that’s more effort than Ring Of Honor usually gets. As usual, the wrestling was perfectly fine and not much more, though this show felt like a bunch of stuff not good enough to make the regular show, which says quite a bit. I have idea why I would need around two and a half hours of Ring Of Honor in two days, but we’re just lucky that way I guess.

Results
Shane Taylor Promotions b. TMDK – Double stomp to Haste
Persephone b. Jen Savani – Razor’s Edge
Rush b. Beef – Bull’s Horns
Wheeler Yuta b. Serpentico – Seatbelt
Ace Austin b. KM – Fold
Marina Shafir b. Danielle Kamela – Mother’s Milk
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Top Flight b. RPG Vice/MxM Collection – Top rope splash to Mansoor

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

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Full Gear 2025
Date: November 22, 2025
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back on pay per view with a rare rematch in the main event. In this case that would be Hangman Page defending the World Title against Samoa Joe, this time inside of a cage. Other than that, we have the return of the Casino Gauntlet match to crown the inaugural National Champion. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Bang Bang Gang vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Outrunners vs. Max Caster/Anthony Bowens

For $200,000 and Dalton Castle is on commentary. Gunn punches Bowens to start and the big shot to the head drops Bowens in a hurry. Back up and Bowens hits an atomic drop, prompting Caster to do the clapping. Bowens yells at him, saying he has this so Caster tags himself in. Robinson comes in to take over on Caster but Magnum tags himself in to dropkick Caster.

It’s off to Bill for the big boot to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Floyd coming in to clean house, including the Mega Powers elbow on Keith. The Unacclaimed break that up but Scissor Me Timbers is cut off. The Arrival into the Mic Drop has Keith in trouble and Caster wants to scissor. Bowens isn’t sure but Bill interrupts anyway. Bowens strikes him down but Robinson steals the rollup pin on Bowens at 7:27.

Rating: C+. Not a bad all over the place match here and I’ll take that over the Unacclaimed winning and being all annoying with the WE DON’T LIKE EACH OTHER deal. The Gang has been needing a win of some sort and this is as good as anything they’re going to do at the moment. Just let Robinson talk some more and they should be fine.

Kickoff Show: RPG Vice vs. Big Boom AJ/QT Marshall

Paul Wight and Don Callis are on commentary. Vice is beaten up to start and AJ powerslams Romero. Beretta gets punched off the apron and they all brawl to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Marshall fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent outside. The Rizzler checks on Marshall but Romero shoves Big Justice (AJ’s son) down, which draws Wight over to scare them away.

Back in and the tag brings in AJ to clean house, including some powerslams. A gorilla press and full nelson slam give AJ two with Romero making the save. AJ loads up the Powerboom but Callis offers a distraction. Beretta gets in a cast shot and the running knee connects for two. Strong Zero gets two on AJ with Marshall making the save from the top. Romero grabs the cast but Justice comes in with a Diamond Cutter. Beretta goes after Justice and gets punched by Wight, setting up a Powerboom/Blockbuster combination to finish Beretta at 9:14.

Rating: C. The match was fine and while I’m not a fan of the Costco Guys, they seemingly have an audience and there’s no harm in having them in a less than serious Kickoff Show match. It’s not like RPG Vice is doing anything important right now anyway. You can pretty safely call this “harmless” and that’s an acceptable use of time on this show.

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. Workhorsemen

The Workhorsemen jump them on the floor to start and it’s Hook in trouble in the corner to start. Drake chops him up against the ropes but Hook suplexes his way to freedom. It’s off to Kingston (in street clothes) for a DDT and the pin at 1:52. I’m going to assume this was shortened due to time and hopefully not due to Kingston’s knee, which he was favoring at the end.

Kickoff Show: CMLL Trios Titles: Don Callis Family vs. Sky Team

Sky Team (Mistico/Neon/Mascara Dorada) is defending but there is no Kazuchika Okada, who apparently hasn’t arrived yet. Hechicero and Konosuke Takeshita jump the champs from behind to start, with Hechicero crushing Mistico’s arm with a chair. The arm is sent into the steps and then twisted around a chair as Takeshita chinlocks Dorada inside. We get the opening bell and it’s Dorada flipping over Takeshita and handing it off to Neon.

A top rope armdrag takes Hechicero down as we cut to Okada arriving in a rather fancy car. The Kickoff Show ends and we pick things up on the proper pay per view everyone brawling. Mistico has been taken out and now Okada manages to get to the ring. Hechicero tries to get his partners on the same page but Okada flips Takeshita off. The champs block superplex attempts and here’s a taped up Mistico to fight back. A springboard double high crossbody connects and a spinning wristdrag drops Okada.

Back in and Neon does the same to Okada but Takeshita grabs a kind of wheelbarrow Tombstone. Takeshita loads up Raging Fire but Okada breaks it up. The Family gets in a shoving match and a Rainmaker accidentally hits Takeshita. Dorada and Neon are back in to take Hechicero down, setting up stereo moonsaults to the floor. Mistico poisonranas Hechicero and La Mistica retains the titles at 13:44.

Rating: B. The Sky Team continues to be a blast, which shouldn’t be a surprise. The catch here though is that the titles were totally secondary to the stuff with the Family, which has been going on for a long time now. I’m not sure what that’s going to mean, but at least they seem to be setting up the big showdown, likely at World’s End.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Pac. Allin has been going after the Death Riders for what feels like ever and now it’s time to have him face someone other than Jon Moxley. The catch this time is that Pac wants it one on one with no shenanigans.

Pac vs. Darby Allin

After a quick video of a bandaged Allin getting ready to fight, with Allin’s face being fine (not so much with his taped up arm and ribs). Allin takes him down by the arm to start and cranks away, including an armbar. A shotgun dropkick sends Pac outside but he reverses a hurricanrana back inside. Allin grinds away on a headlock instead before switching to a leglock, which has Pac in the ropes.

Pac is back up with a gorilla press onto the floor, which isn’t going to do well on those bad ribs. That’s only good for an eight count so Allin ribs the tape off Allin’s arm and gives him an Indian burn. A hard whip sends Allin through the corner and outside again for a nasty crash. Back in and Pac scores with a missile dropkick but Allin ties him in the ring skirt and hammers away.

A dive drops Pac and Allin puts him in a chair for a missile dropkick. Back in and Pac grabs a snap German suplex, followed by a toss into the corner. Allin fights up with a knockdown of his own but Pac blasts him with a lariat for two. The Brutalizer goes on, with Allin getting his feet into the ropes for the break. Allin sweeps the leg and gets the Scorpion Deathlock but here is Wheeler Yuta for a distraction. That makes Allin let go and a baseball bat to the face finishes for Pac at 16:57.

Rating: B. Allin wanting to do this clean and then cheating in the end is about as on point for the Death Riders as you can get, though I’m almost scared to know how much longer the team is going to be fighting Allin. Odds are Allin will want revenge and that sounds like a reason for quite the violent match. Again.

We recap the women’s four way tag. They’re all in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament. Pretty much end of recap.

Sisters Of Sin vs. Timeless Love Bombs vs. Babes Of Wrath vs. Megan Bayne/Marina Shafir

The winners get to pick the stipulation for their semifinals match in the tournament. It’s a brawl to start with Storm and Shafir being left alone in the ring. Storm gets sent into the corner for the rapid fire kicks and forearms from Shafir and Bayne. A suplex sends Storm flying into the corner again but she’s able to flip Shirakawa onto Bayne for a quick two.

Back up and Bayne takes over on Shirakawa so Shafir can come back in for some choking. Blue comes in with a quick swinging neckbreaker but the Babes come in to take Blue down. Hart gets a chance to take over on Cameron but stops to shove Shafir. This doesn’t go well for Bayne, who gets in a shot of her own so Shafir can take over on Cameron. A tornado DDT finally gets Cameron out of trouble and the much needed tag brings in Nightingale.

That doesn’t last long either as it’s off to Shirakawa, who takes over on the Sisters. Shafir is right back in with Mother’s Milk but Storm makes a quick save. That’s enough for Storm to come in and clean house but Cameron tags herself in. A high crossbody gives Cameron two on Storm but Bayne German suplexes the Sisters at the same time. Everything breaks down and Shirakawa hits a dive to the floor, leaving Storm to small package Cameron for the pin at 13:10.

Rating: C+. Bayne got to show off a bit, but as usual there is only so much you can do with so many people in one match at one time. It also doesn’t help that this was for a stipulation in a tournament semifinal match. That doesn’t exactly make it feel must see, but with so much of the women’s division in the tournament, it was about all they could do.

We recap FTR vs. Bandido/Brody King for the Tag Team Titles. FTR are the all time team around here but King/Bandido are the hot team.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King vs. FTR

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is challenging and we get a quick video from Hathaway where he walks in a dimly lit room and looks at footage of the champs. I’m assuming he’s not a fan. Bandido and Wheeler start things off with Wheeler working on the arm but Bandido is back with some armdrags. Harwood and King come in to slug it out with King taking over and hitting a quick backsplash for two.

Bandido comes in and slams King onto Harwood, meaning it’s Macarena time. Hathaway’s distraction doesn’t do much as Bandido dives over him, only to get dropped face first onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Harwood grabs a Gory Stretch but Bandido is out with a kind of double spinebuster (or a double flapjack that didn’t work). It’s still not enough for the tag though as Bandido gets pulled into the corner.

That doesn’t last long either as he kicks his way to freedom and brings in King to wreck both of them. A Death Valley Driver sends FTR into the corner for a cannonball but Harwood low bridges Bandido out to the floor. King is able to block the PowerPlex though, with Bandido coming in with a frog splash back to Harwood. King’s dive onto Hathaway only hits the floor, leaving Bandido to roll Harwood up for two.

The sitout powerbomb into a top rope splash gets two on Bandido, who is right back with a one armed gorilla press to send Wheeler outside. The big dive takes FTR out again and Bandido counters the Shatter Machine back inside. That’s enough to set up the 21 Plex but Harwood pops up for a Shatter Machine, with King having to make the save. Wheeler grabs a title and knocks Bandido silly for two but he’s right back up for a Shatter Machine to Harwood for two.

The monkey flip 450 is broken up, just like the Doomsday Device, as Bandido powerslams Wheeler out of the air for two more. King tries to get back in and is quickly spike piledriven onto the apron. Something like a double reverse AA plants Bandido for two and the spike piledriver gets the same. The Shatter Machine gives FTR the titles back at 20:12.

Rating: B. This was the kind of high speed, action packed match you would expect, but dang some of the lack of selling took me out of it. People were hitting big moves and the other person just kept popping up. That’s a good way to derail things a bit, as it made me roll my eyes more than anything else. FTR getting the titles back is fine as Bandido and King never felt like a long term team. That being said, can we do something with Bandido already? I’d say he’s earned it.

We recap the Casino Battle Royal for the inaugural National Title. Well recap it as much as possible, as we only know a few of the entrants so it’s basically just about Ricochet and the Hurt Syndicate.

National Title: Casino Gauntlet Match

For the inaugural title. The idea is basically a Royal Rumble with unknown entrants, untimed entrances and the first fall wins, meaning it could be over with only two entrants. Bobby Lashley is in at #1 and Shelton Benjamin is in at #2 and they show respect to start. Lashley goes for the leg and can’t get anywhere so they circle a bit until Ricochet is in at #3 after quite the disappointing segment.

Ricochet says we want violence so here are the Gates Of Agony to jump the Syndicate. MVP gets jumped on the floor while Benjamin is dropped onto a chair and Lashley is sent into the steps. The Gates are sent to the back as Ricochet dances and Claudio Castagnoli is in at #4. Ricochet’s dive is cut off by an uppercut and Castagnoli throws him back inside. The Swing sets up the running uppercut in the corner but Ricochet manages a headscissors out to the floor.

Daniel Garcia is in at #5 to choke Ricochet from the apron, allowing the Riders to crush him in the corner. Orange Cassidy is in at #6 and gets picked up by Castagnoli. The spinning DDT is blocked so it’s a Stundog Millionaire for Castagnoli as Wheeler Yuta is in at #7. Cassidy and Yuta’s staredown is cut off by the Death Riders, with Ricochet getting in on the running shots in the corner.

Kevin Knight is in at #8 and takes out Garcia on the floor but gets cut off by Ricochet. The Riders take over again and it’s Roderick Strong in at #9 with a Sick Kick for two on Ricochet. Mark Davis is in at #10 for a spinning piledriver on Ricochet and another one to Cassidy. Mike Bailey is in at #11 with a DDT to Davis but Bailey and Knight aren’t sure who should cover. Knight rolls Bailey up for a fast two so he kicks Knight in the face. Garcia grabs a Dragontamer on Bailey but Matt Menard is in at #12.

Menard and Garcia yell at each other and it’s Davis vs. Castagnoli, which is cut off by the returning Hurt Syndicate. Davis and Castagnoli are sent outside so Ricochet comes back in and immediately realizes his screwup. The Syndicate quickly beats him up but Cassidy is back in with some Orange Punches. Lashley misses a charge into the barricade and Wheeler knees Cassidy for two, with Knight making the save. Knight hits the UFO splash but Ricochet drops him with the Spirit Gun for the pin and the title at 22:55.

Rating: B-. This was a bit weaker than some of the previous editions of the match as it was pretty much just Ricochet vs. the Hurt Syndicate with some other stuff going on. Most of the people involved were little more than warm bodies and there wasn’t much drama about a lot of them winning the title. Ricochet is a good choice though, as he’s been doing some great stuff in recent weeks.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly. Moxley has been broken by submitting so he’s facing a submission expert, who has made him tap out before. This time though it’s No Holds Barred, which is a bit less violent after the last time Moxley tapped out inside Blood & Guts.

Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly

No Holds Barred. O’Reilly strikes away at the bell to start and they go to the grappling. That’s broken up and O’Reilly kicks him into the corner, with Moxley sticking out his face for some free shots. A bend of the finger sets up an abdominal stretch on Moxley, which O’Reilly switches into an ankle lock. Moxley bails out to the floor before coming back inside to work on the arm.

That’s enough wrestling, so Moxley whips out a fork to stab O’Reilly in the head. The blood starts flowing and Moxley bites away at his head. Moxley works on the arm and bites a finger before switching to a full nelson. That’s reversed into another ankle lock, which is countered into a stabbing of O’Reilly’s nipple (Schiavone: “You want to describe that one Excalibur?”).

O’Reilly grabs a choke and dragon screw legwhips Moxley over the rope. A catapult sends Moxley into the post and the ankle lock goes on again back inside. The kneebar has Moxley in trouble and O’Reilly stabs him in the head with the fork for a change. O’Reilly grabs a chain and they take turns wrapping it around each others’ neck before fighting for a suplex. Moxley is the one getting suplexed but they’re still connected so neither can go anywhere.

They trade forearms until Moxley shrugs off some kicks and bulldog chokes him. That’s reversed as well until Moxley gets an STF, which is broken up with a stab to the hand. Moxley stomps him onto the chain (the fans do Seth Rollins’ song) and it’s time to Pillmanize the arm. The Death Rider sets up a Kimura, which is reversed into an ankle lock with the chain to make Moxley tap at 19:18.

Rating: C+. They were getting close to some good stuff here with the grappling but then it kept getting derailed by the fork nonsense. The chain was fine and the chair fit in well, but the fork stuff felt like it was from a totally different match. I do like the stuff with Moxley’s tough man image being broken as it fits the long term story for him. Just stop with the ultraviolent garbage and let the match work on its own.

Post match Moxley beats him down again but gives what looks like a look of respect.

We recap Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Title. They’ve traded wins but Briscoe wants one more shot at the title. If he loses though, he has to join the Don Callis Family.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is challenging, Don Callis is on commentary and it’s No DQ. We get a special video with Briscoe talking about trying to find a new family after his brother passed away. He found that with the Conglomeration and now his future family depends on this match. This was really good and it hit the emotional notes perfectly well to sell the stakes for Briscoe. They forearm it out to start (as tends to be the case in AEW) but Briscoe can’t get an early Jay Driller.

Instead Fletcher sends him outside, where Briscoe gets in a trip off the apron. Some chairs are brought in, with one of them hitting Fletcher in the back. The Bang Bang Elbow is pulled out of the air though and Briscoe gets brainbustered onto the chair. A short ladder is brought in and Briscoe’s missed running flip dive sends him through it for a crash. The bleeding Briscoe is taken inside and whipped into the ladder again.

Briscoe fights out of trouble though and it’s a missile dropkick to send the ladder into Fletcher. That’s enough to get Callis off commentary and Briscoe grabs a table. Fletcher gets off of said table before the dive though and suplexes Briscoe on the floor instead. A bunch of chairs are loaded up on the floor but Briscoe gets up and sends him onto them. That takes too long as well, allowing Fletcher to shove him off the top and through the table for the big crash.

Back in and something like a running Alabama slam sends Briscoe through another table in the corner for two. As Callis tries to figure out if he has to feed Briscoe’s kids if Briscoe joins the Family, Fletcher pours out the thumbtacks (of course). The powerbomb onto the tacks is broken up and Briscoe gives him a fisherman’s buster onto the tacks. Briscoe grabs a barbed wire table, plus a ladder and a regular table (yet somehow, Fletcher can’t be kept down for three seconds at the moment).

They go to the apron, where Briscoe drives him into the group of open chairs. Back in and they both climb the ladder, with Briscoe getting to the top for an elbow to drive Fletcher through the table (onto the tacks) for two. That means that either Fletcher is winning or they missed the point where it should have ended. Fletcher is back up with the screwdriver (yep they missed it) but after stabbing Briscoe, gets it stuck in the turnbuckle. A brainbuster onto the tacks gets two on Fletcher, who manages to turn the screwdriver upside down in the buckle.

The super brainbuster onto the pointed up screwdriver is teased (this is stupid), only to be reversed to avoid a bad case of death. The Cutthroat Driver is broken up with a stab to the head and a running stab sets up the brainbuster to give Fletcher two more. They go up top, with Briscoe managing a toss Razor’s Edge through the barbed wire table. That and the Jay Driller are enough to finish Fletcher at 25:16.

Rating: B-. I know what they were going for here and what makes it all the more frustrating is THEY HAD IT. If this ended with Briscoe’s big elbow from the ladder (and maybe a Jay Driller for the family thing), it would have been great and easily the best thing on the show. Instead, they went another five minutes and had the stabbing stuff, which is, in a word, REALLY FREAKING STUPID. Forgive me for not buying the image of Fletcher teasing impaling Briscoe’s head on a screwdriver. The first twenty or so minutes were great and the last five minutes were dumb, which makes this quite the irritating situation.

We recap the Young Bucks/Josh Alexander vs. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express for a million dollars. The Bucks have been broke for a bit but are teasing joining the Don Callis Family for the sake of getting their money back.

Young Bucks/Josh Alexander vs. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express

For a million dollars. Nick works on Perry’s arm to start and they flip around a bit until they both try dropkicks. Matt and Luchasaurus come in with Luchasaurus working on the arm. It’s quickly off to Omega for more of the same, though Omega comes up favoring his recently damaged ankle. The villains take over on Omega, who manages to hurricanrana Nick to the floor.

The ensuing dive slows Omega down though and it’s back to Perry, who gets World’s Strongest Slammed onto the apron. Nick dives onto Luchasaurus and hands it back to Matt for Risky Business on Perry. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Perry hits a nice running diving DDT, allowing the much needed tag off to Luchasaurus. The Bucks superkick him down but he manages a double knockdown of his own and it’s back to Omega.

House is quickly cleaned but Alexander escapes You Can’t Escape. Everything breaks down and it’s a springboard Destroyer to Luchasaurus but Perry hits a running knee to leave everyone down. Omega and Alexander get up to slug it out until Omega grabs a snapdragon. The Bucks come in to take Omega down and we hit the ankle lock, which is broken up via the ropes. Matt gets caught in a spike Tombstone but the Countdown To Extinction is broken up.

Alexander clotheslines Matt by mistake though and now the Countdown To Extinction connects, with Alexander making the save. Perry hits a double Doomsday Device on the Bucks, who completely no sell it (because a springboard double clothesline has no effect) and start firing off the superkicks. Some of those superkicks hit Alexander, who gets planted with the One Winged Angel on the floor. A rollup gives Perry two but it’s the BTE Trigger to finish Perry at 19:06.

Rating: B+. I’m not big on the Bucks but they know how to do an exciting six man tag. I wasn’t expecting the Bucks to win here, as it felt like Alexander was only there to take the loss. The match was rather entertaining, though you can tell Omega is a far shell of what he used to be. That’s no surprise given what he’s been through, but dang it’s getting rough to see him out there.

Post match the Bucks get their money and Callis says they’re in the Family. Alexander and the rest of the Family jump Omega and the Express, with the Bucks almost being dragged away by Callis. The Bucks come back for the big save and make peace with the Express, followed by the big hug with Omega. Oh good grief ENOUGH WITH THE ELITE MELODRAMA ALREADY. Omega has to be helped to the back and even collapses on the ramp. The Family seems to have left with all of the money, so the Bucks are still broke.

We recap Mercedes Mone challenging Kris Statlander for the Women’s Title. Mone beat her before and now wants to do it for her 385th title.

Women’s Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander

Only Statlander is defending. Mone goes for the leg to start but gets rolled up for two instead. The Statement Maker is broken up as well so Mone sends her outside in a crash. Statlander is able to roll through a dive though and a nice superplex drops Mone hard. It’s too early for the 450 though as they’re definitely starting fast. Statlander rolls outside and seems to be favoring her elbow, with Mone hitting a running Meteora off the apron.

A big stomp to the arm has Statlander in even more trouble and it’s off to a Fujiwara armbar back inside. Back up and the bad arm is sent into the buckle but she uses the good arm to elbow Mone in the face. Mone uses her feet to bend the arm again and snaps off a tornado DDT for two. Fourteen Amigos have Statlander down and the fans cheering for Mone (the villain, because doing something cool is more important).

The frog splash lands on raised feet and Statlander manages a backdrop, followed by something like a Michinoku Driver for two. The bad arm gets crushed again but Statlander gives her a Blue Thunder Bomb on the floor. Back in and Mone hits a Codebreaker into a Backstabber into a sunset bomb into the corner. The running Meteora is cut off with a clothesline so Mone kicks at the bad arm again.

Statlander’s crossface is reversed into one from Mone, which is broken up as well. A super gutbuster (Dean Malenko style) drops Mone for a delayed two but the arm is too banged up for Staturday Night Fever. Instead it’s a package piledriver for two, with Mone having to grab the rope for the escape. Mone is back with a hurricanrana and running knees against the ropes for two and they fight over a Tombstone. Statlander finally sends her into the corner and muscles her up into the Staturday Night Fever to retain at 23:06.

Rating: B+. This was rather good as well and would have been even better had Mone not seemingly been more about getting cheered than winning. What matters the most is that Statlander won, which is what should have happened. There was no reason for Mone to win here and while she will likely get the title down the line, at least she didn’t get it here, as Statlander picks up probably her biggest win ever. Really nice match here, with the arm injury telling a good story as Statlander didn’t have her usual power advantage.

The Don Callis Family is happy with having the money and Callis says that it’s time for the team to come together for the Continental Classic. Konosuke Takeshita says he’ll be in, as does an angry Kyle Fletcher. Well that was obvious, but in a good way.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe. Page retained the World Title over a good Joe last month so now it’s evil Joe in a cage.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe

Page is defending in a cage and apparently comes to the ring to a song from Red Dead Redemption 2. They tease rams into the cage to start with Page getting the better of things to bust Joe open early. Page takes his boot off to hammer Joe in the head for two but Joe sends him into the cage right back.

Now it’s Page busted open and getting his face raked against the cage, which isn’t a good sign. Page is back up to win a slugout and even tries his own Koquina Clutch. Joe’s release Rock Bottom out of the corner drops Page and he takes a turnbuckle pad off. Another comeback lets Page tease the Deadeye but here is Katsuyori Shibata for the distraction.

Eddie Kingston cuts him off but the referee gets crushed against the cage. The Deadeye connects for no count and here is Powerhouse Hobbs to break through the door. Page sends him into the cage and hits a Buckshot Lariat on Joe for no count. Instead here’s Hook to deck Page with the title and reveal an Opps shirt. Commentary acts like this is some shocking moment, as someone joining a stable he was part of just a few months ago is shocking. The Elite has done that what, half a dozen times? Anyway, Joe hits the MuscleBuster to retain the title at 16:02.

Rating: B. It was a violent, bloody brawl in a cage, which might have had a bit more impact had there not been two blood baths earlier in the night and two far bloodier cage matches just ten days ago. On the other hand, I do kind of like Joe winning the title again, as Page was (again) coming off as a huge afterthought as champion. I don’t get why that’s the case, but Joe is more interesting almost by definition. Good, violent match here, though a heel on top of a stable as champion, AGAIN, isn’t the most thrilling way to go.

Post match the Opps (complete with a group of Opps Dojo goons) celebrate but the lights go out. We see a burning home and Swerve Strickland is back. The Opps bail and Swerve takes out the goons (Like a…..house of fire?), with Page getting up to help to end the show. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Overall Rating: B+. This did exceed my expectations, which weren’t overly high coming into the show. What matters the most is that they changed the World Title, which just wasn’t an interesting situation for a long time. At the same time, we got some rather good matches, with the six man and Women’s Title matches being pretty close to excellent. I really could go with a lot less of the blood and more hardcore violence, but that’s just baked into a lot of modern wrestling. Either way, more than solid show tonight with some very good moments, even at five and a half hours (yes, the Kickoff Show counts, as always).

Results
Bang Bang Gang b. Max Caster/Anthony Bowens, Outrunners and Big Bill/Bryan Keith – Rollup to Bowens
Big Boom AJ/QT Marshall b. RPG Vice – Powerboom/Blockbuster combination to Beretta
Hook/Eddie Kingston b. Workhorsemen – DDT to Henry
Sky Team b. Don Callis Family – La Mistica to Hechicero
Pac b. Darby Allin – Baseball bat to the face
Timeless Love Bombs b. Sisters Of Sin, Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne and Babes Of Wrath – Small package to Cameron
FTR b. Bandido/Brody King – Shatter Machine to Bandido
Ricochet won the Casino Gauntlet Match – Spirit Gun to Knight
Kyle O’Reilly b. Jon Moxley – Ankle lock with a chain
Mark Briscoe b. Kyle Fletcher – Jay Driller
Young Bucks/Josh Alexander b. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express – BTE Trigger to Perry
Kris Statlander b. Mercedes Mone – Staturday Night Fever
Samoa Joe b. Hangman Page – MuscleBuster

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I’m not sure if it’s due to Blood & Guts last week or something with the build itself, but it’s been a bit difficult to get up for this show. Part of it comes down to a lack of a hot main event. I’m assuming the main event is the cage match, but there is only so much you can get when Page already beat Joe last month. Hopefully the action is able to carry things over the finish line so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Big Boom AJ/QT Marshall vs. RPG Vice

So the Costco Guys are back and that means it’s time to act like they’re really interesting all over again. While AJ is far from terrible or even bad, it’s still hard to get interested in whatever the story is with himself and Marshall, which has been going on for way too long now. At least it’s in this spot and it’s not like Vice is going to lose much when they get beaten here.

In case that’s quite the spoiler, go back in time and insert your own warning. Of course there’s no reason to believe that the celebrity team is going to lose here. AJ is one of the bigger names that AEW can get at the moment so he’ll need to win here to keep his star power. It does help quite a bit that this is about as low level on the ladder as you can get, which at least keeps this from taking up more important time.

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. Workhorsemen

In addition to the World Title match, here we have what is basically another rematch, or at least a repeat of the same setup. In this case, we have Kingston and Hook teaming up in an open challenge, only with the Workhorsemen accepting rather than the Frat House. I get the idea of wanting to get Kingston and Hook on the show, but maybe come up with something a bit more interesting?

As uninspired as this feels, there’s pretty much no doubt about the winner here, as this is all about trying to get Kingston and Hook to mean something. I’m not sure which one one is seen as the bigger star at the moment, but neither of them are exactly on fire right now. Maybe they can find something to spark them up a bit, but it’s hard to believe that them winning here will change much.

Kickoff Show: Max Caster/Anthony Bowens vs. Bang Bang Gang vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Outrunners

It’s another match for a bunch of money which is code for “we have nothing else for these people to do but here they are anyway”. Caster and Bowens are by far the most important team at the moment, even if they’re not really a team. I could go for seeing the two of them together more often as the singles stuff was only so good, but either have them get back together or not.

That being said, I’ll take the Gang to win, partially due to how fun it could be to see Juice Robinson doing his stuff about the money, as you saw earlier this week. It sounds better than Caster and Bowens’ will they/won’t they deal, though that is the more likely pick. Maybe it’s due to me not caring much about Caster and Bowens, but hopefully the Gang wins here.

Kickoff Show: CMLL Trios Titles: El Sky Team(c) vs. The Don Callis Family

This is a bit of a confusing one as the names involved would make it feel like it belonged on the main card. While the titles might be in jeopardy, this feels like it’s much more about Konosuke Takeshita’s and Kazuchika Okada’s issues, which very well may spill over here. That has been teased for a good while now and it can only be stretched out so much longer. At the same time, getting the titles is something certainly in the realm of possibility.

I’ll take the champions to retain, as the Family doesn’t need to do much more at this point. Let them have some issues, possibly with a big showdown coming up in the Continental Classic. The Sky Team is fun to watch and it should make for a good match here, with the Family having some variety to spice it up a bit. The champs retain, but the focus is going to be on the Family, as tends to be the case.

National Title: Casino Gauntlet Match

We’ll start the main show with this one because it’s hard to say what we’re going to be seeing. While we are likely to have about twenty entrants, we only have five coming into the show. That doesn’t give us much in the way of the knowing where this is going as we’ll have to pick from the limited options that we have, which is hardly the best way to go but it’s the problem with a match like this.

Of the five options that we have (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight and Ricochet), I’ll take Ricochet as the most likely choice. Given that he’s been getting a good bit of screen time and actually needs to win something, this would be a good way to start. I’m not sure who else is going to be in there and there is always the chance that it’s someone out of nowhere, but Ricochet seems like at least a safe bet.

Darby Allin vs. Pac

This is the next match in Allin’s seemingly never ending war with the Death Riders. The idea here is that this is going to be a regular match with no extra shenanigans. I know that’s quite the concept on a wrestling show, but it would be nice to see after all of the insanity that Allin has been doing lately. If nothing else, it’s not Allin vs. Jon Moxley for a change and the breather should be nice.

There’s no reason to think Allin will lose here so we’ll go with him getting the win. In theory Allin is going to be going over the Death Riders in the end, though I have no idea what kind of big closing match they’re going to have. This doesn’t feel like a pay per view match, but at least it’s something different than what we’ve been seeing from Allin for such a long time now.

Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express vs. Young Bucks/Josh Alexander

This is the other money match (a million dollars in this case), as Tony Khan continues to give the evil and annoying Young Bucks a chance to make a huge sum all at once. At the same time, there was something of a tease of an Elite reunion earlier this week, which sums up just how annoying this whole thing has been. The Bucks doing all of their stuff is one thing but my head might implode if I’m supposed to cheer for them again.

Ultimately, this feels like Omega and the Express’ to win, as the Bucks need to fall even further before they can turn it around. Omega probably does not have many big matches left in him as his body is breaking down so quickly, but at least he’s still in the ring for the time being. Alexander feels like he’s there to take the fall, which has been the case for a long time now. Either way, the good guys win here.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher(c) vs. Mark Briscoe

Title vs. Briscoe joining the Don Callis Family, which makes me think that it’s going one certain way. The Family continues to do pretty much whatever it wants, which doesn’t make for the most thrilling story. On the other hand you have Briscoe, who rarely wins the big one and has been chasing this title for a VERY long time now. One of those things is going to have to give and that is where we are today.

I’ll take Briscoe to win here, as Fletcher has held the title for a very long time now and there isn’t much to gain by having him keep it any longer. On the other hand you have Briscoe, who needs to win the title again before he starts losing his status. Fletcher is at the point where a loss won’t hurt him very much and he seems likely to move up to the main event scene anyway. Briscoe winning here makes more sense.

Babes Of Wrath vs. Sisters Of Sin vs. Timeless Love Bombs vs. Megan Bayne/Marina Shafir

I can’t get my head around this one, as it’s that dumb of an idea. In this case we have the four semifinalists for the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament (which as of this coming Wednesday will be one of three ongoing title tournaments under the Tony Khan banner). The winner of this match gets to pick the stipulation for their semifinal match, which is likely happening this coming week. Yes, this is the best they could come up with for a pay per view.

As this has such little impact on who wins the titles, give me the Bombs to win, just to see whatever wacky idea Storm gives us in the semifinals. I still can’t fathom that this was the best they could do for this show, though I guess it’s due to Blood & Guts taking up a week. It’s almost like AEW tries to do too much and isn’t great at pacing its stuff out, but that must be nonsense of course.

Women’s Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Mercedes Mone

So this is Mone’s chance to win her….I believe it’s 14th title? The idea is that Mone has been TBS Champion for about 37 years now and has all kinds of other titles but failed in her one attempt to win the AEW Women’s Title. I’m still not sure what the appeal of the Belt Collector deal is supposed to be yet here we are, with the whole thing somehow still continuing.

I think I’ll go with Statlander retaining here, as Mone needs to lose something here sooner than later. While I’m sure she’ll get the title at some point and that’s fine, Statlander hasn’t had it very long yet and deserves a better run as champion. Hopefully it doesn’t turn into another case of “let’s all praise Mone”, but that is probably what winds up happening in the end.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King(c) vs. FTR

This is another case where we’ve seen FTR as champions so many times now that it’s hard to bring myself to care about the possibility of seeing it again. Bandido and King have done really well with the titles thus far and it would be nice to get to see that continue. At the same time though, there is a real chance that the “real” team wins the belts here as Bandido moves on to whatever else.

Give me the champs retaining here, if nothing else for the sake of I’ve enjoyed seeing them more often. What I don’t need to see is FTR winning and then defending against a reunited Copeland/Cage, which is a rather strong possibility. Maybe it’s just me having false hope, but hopefully King and Bandido get to hang onto the titles here, as they’ve earned the right to keep them for awhile.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jon Moxley

This is No DQ and could be another big step in the already rather lengthy downfall of Moxley. The idea is that Moxley keeps giving up in matches after months of talking about how tough he is and it’s not exactly holding up. In theory this leads to the downfall of the entire Death Riders, which has LONG since run its course. On the other hand though…it’s O’Reilly.

As little sense as it might make, I’ll take O’Reilly to win here, as that’s the story that has been built up. Maybe it comes with some shenanigans, but there is no reason to have Moxley win here after losing so many times in recent weeks. The Death Riders desperately need to come to an end already and this is as good of a way to do so as there is right now. It’s hard to imagine O’Reilly as the guy to make it happen, but for now, the pieces are there.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page(c) vs. Samoa Joe

So this is a case where had it been anything other than the World Title and likely the main event, I would have put this way higher as there just isn’t much doubt over the winner. We’ve already seen this last month with Page retaining over Joe clean, which set up the ensuing heel turn. I’m not sure why I would want to see this again here, but someone has to challenge for the title.

Of course I’ll take Page to win here, as there is no reason to believe that Joe is taking the title. This has felt like quite the filler feud for the title, which isn’t exactly much to see. I’m sure the fight will be good enough as these two know how to make it work, but Page really needs to move on to something else, as the two matches with Joe haven’t exactly felt that important. At least this one is different though.

Overall Thoughts

Dang that’s a lot of matches. I know four of them are officially on a separate show, but it’s one big block of AEW without much in the way of a top match. That’s been an issue for a good while now in AEW, as they really don’t seem to have a major story going on. Maybe that changes soon, but it’s not making for the most interesting pay per view, at least on paper. That’s been the case for the last few shows too, and that really needs to change.

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