Dynamite
Date: March 9, 2022
Location: Hertz Arena, Fort Myers, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

We’re fresh off of Revolution and that means it is time to start setting up some new things going forward. We have about two and a half months before Double Or Nothing though and that means we are probably going to need some smaller stories to bridge the gap. Those could start this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Revolution if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Chris Jericho, now with his hair down for a different look, to get things going. Jericho talks about how his neck is still sore from his match with Eddie Kingston but it was one of the best matches he has ever had. After the match he refused to shake his hand but now he would like Kingston to come out here right now. Cue Kingston, who says we are going to get real deep.

On the Friday night before the biggest match of his career, he didn’t want to show up. After telling the fans that Steve Austin isn’t here tonight (in response to the WHAT chants), Kingston talks about how four people came up and said they didn’t kill themselves for his Players Tribune piece. He went to his hotel room (“And you can make fun of me if you want. I’ll still beat you up.”) and cried after the match and it was the biggest night of his career.

The match was what mattered instead of the handshake because that was a Chris Jericho thing. Kingston wanted the Jericho who was in the Super J Cup (as Lionheart, as a fan shouts) and he wants to know how Jericho can fill in the hole in his chest that wouldn’t let him shake his hand. Jericho thanks him for the match and shake his hand but here are 2.0 and Daniel Garcia to take Kingston down.

Santana and Ortiz run in for the save, with Jericho being handed a bat as Ortiz holds Garcia. As expected, Jericho then beats down Santana and Ortiz with the bat. 2.0 comes back in and helps Jericho with the beatdown. Jake Hager comes in to beat on Santana and Ortiz as well as Jericho beats on Kingston with the bat. Hager powerbombs Kingston off the apron and through the table (in a scary landing) and Jericho dubs the team the Jericho Appreciation Society. Jericho: “That’s entertainment.”

CM Punk is happy with the dog collar match and says this is a new version of him.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Dante Martin

Martin is challenging and gets shouldered down to start but comes right back with a springboard crossbody. That’s pulled out of the air though and Page rolls into a fall away slam to send Martin to the apron. A springboard clothesline knocks Martin to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Martin hitting a missile dropkick for two and a moonsault connects to rock the champ again. They head back inside though and Page counters a moonsault into a powerbomb. The Buckshot Lariat is broken up though and they head back outside. Martin has to duck a forearm though and his springboard is broken up, allowing Page to hit the Buckshot Lariat to retain at 7:27.

Rating: C. It was fun while it lasted but you can only get so much out of a match that lasts about seven and a half minutes including a break. Martin was in a bit over his head here but did get a nice rub in the main event scene. I’m not sure if it needed to be a title match, though with Page winning without much effort, it didn’t hurt anything.

Post match Page calls Martin back to the ring and says that he knows Top Flight is back, but if Martin makes it back to the title scene, he would love to do it again. They shake hands and here is Adam Cole to interrupt. Cole isn’t happy with Page, who is ready to go right now. That’s not good for Cole, but he is challenging Page to a six man tag next week. Page can pick any two partners he wants but Cole has one of the best tag teams in the world as his partners (though he doesn’t say who). He promises to make Page’s life a nightmare until he is the new champion.

Brian Danielson/Jon Moxley vs. Work Horsemen

William Regal is here with Moxley and Danielson while the Work Horsemen are JD Drake and Anthony Henry. Danielson is kicking away at Drake to start so Henry comes in to kick at Danielson instead. That’s fine with Danielson, who takes Henry down into a surfboard, allowing the tag to Moxley. A Crash Landing (vertical suplex released into a powerbomb) drops Henry again as everything breaks down. Danielson’s running knee hits Drake as Moxley Paradigm Shifts Henry on the floor. That leaves Danielson to stomp Drake, setting up the LeBell Lock for the tap at 4:00.

Rating: C. Just a squash to start the new team and that is the right way to go. Regal is already adding something with those great facial expressions of his and it is great to see. I could go for a lot more of these three together, though I’m curious to see where they are going. They are going to need some major opponents for a feud and I’m not sure who that is going to be.

Post match Tony Schiavone talks to the winners plus Regal, the latter of whom says it has been 29 years since he came to America. He is 53 years old now and knows he doesn’t have much time left in the ring due to a lot of empty bottles and a few broken hearts. Regal: “I see you haven’t found a decent tailor in all that time Tony.” Regal thanks Tony for helping him get into the wrestling business in America before moving on to something more important. He has been checked out of wrestling for two months but then someone told him that Danielson mentioned him on Dynamite.

Then he heard that Danielson was going to fight Moxley. For the last several years, Danielson has been mentioned with Regal, who loves sitting down with wrestlers willing to sit down and learn. That can add ten years to your career, and Danielson is the perfect wrestler. They would train for hours a day and Danielson became everything that Regal couldn’t be.

Then, eleven years ago, Regal met Moxley and they went to mental and physical war for a year. He heard that they were going to fight on Sunday so it was time for him to finally get involved. What better way for the younger generation to learn than from the perfect wrestler and the perfect sadistic man who will take things to another level. That is why this team is together and just a warning: anyone who steps in the ring with them will regret it. Either step up or get stepped on. Regal got a little wordy here but he got the point across.

Hangman Page comes in to see the Dark Order, who asks him who he’ll be picking to team with them next week. Actually Page ran into the Jurassic Express, who wanted to fight the Young Bucks anyway. The Dark Order doesn’t seem pleased but they’ll catch up with him later.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Pac

Yuta knocks Pac down and we take a very early break. Back with Pac kicking away but Yuta gets up top for a high crossbody. Pac German suplexes him for two and hits the top rope superplex. The Brutalizer finishes Yuta at 5:40. Not enough shown to rate but Pac didn’t seem to break that much of a sweat.

The Young Bucks and ReDRagon continue arguing until Adam Cole cuts them off. Cole talks about the six man next week and picks ReDRagon for the tag match, which doesn’t sit well with the Bucks. Cole leaves and Brandon Cutler says he would pick the Bucks as his partners. Matt: “Shut up.” Cole: “I HEARD THAT BRANDON!”

FTR talks about how much they want to get their hands on the Bucks and ReDRagon but Tully Blanchard tells them to focus on the Tag Team Titles. That doesn’t work for Cash Wheeler, who fires Tully from the team.

It’s time for an emergency board meeting of the AHFO. Matt Hardy doesn’t like Andrade trying to kick him out of the team he founded and he just wants to make this right. Andrade says the team can take a vote, which works for Matt because Private Party will never vote him out.

Andrade votes no, Matt votes yes, Jose votes no, Private Party votes yes to start and then changes to no’s behind Matt’s back. Andrade tells him to watch his back and the beatdown is on. Sting and Darby Allin come in for the failed save but cue the debuting Jeff Hardy (to the classic Hardys theme) to make the real save for another Hardys reunion. Until Jeff gets bored and walks out again.

Tony Nese interrupts Swerve Strickland’s interview and challenges him to a match on Rampage, since they have a history on Friday nights.

Here is Wardlow for a chat. He has spent a lot of his life trying to make MJF’s life better and he hopes you can forgive him for associating with such trash. Wardlow grew up very poor and he had to watch his mother work hard to raise himself and his sisters. Therefore, he took MJF’s money to build a better life for his family and he used it as a foot in the door. He is thankful to MJF for the start but one day money isn’t enough to let MJF treat so badly.

Yes he is still under contract with MJF, but he doesn’t care. Wardlow is no longer MJF’s bodyguard and he is no longer part of the Pinnacle. He hopes that MJF will let him out of his contract and they can go their separate ways. All that matters now is that he wins the TNT Title and then the World Title. From now on, AEW is Wardlow’s World. Good speech here, as he got his point across and showed why he was on the bad side for so long in a way that people can accept.

QT Marshall talks to Keith Lee, saying that they have a shared enemy in Team Taz. Marshall and the Factory have his back. Lee says he has his own large back and leaves, with Marshall not being happy.

Tag Team Titles: Acclaimed vs. Jurassic Express

The Express is defending and Caster’s rap is about how much of a loser Jungle Boy is. Jungle Boy gets double teamed to but hands it off to Luchasaurus to clean house. Jungle Boy gets knocked outside for a cheap shot though and we take a break. Back with Luchasaurus sending the Acclaimed to the floor so Jungle Boy can hit a big dive.

A springboard is broken up and the Mic Drop gets two on Jungle Boy. There’s a combination powerbomb for two on Jungle Boy so Luchasaurus takes Caster outside. Jungle Boy small packages Bowens for two and Luchasaurus adds a headbutt. A Doomsday Device drops Bowens and the Tail Whip retains the titles at 9:26.

Rating: B-. Solid match here as the Express continues to get better every single week. Having them go over one team after another is going to make them feel that much bigger and that is a great thing to see. Good stuff here, as the Acclaimed is getting better in the ring to back up the cool entrance.

Jade Cargill wants to know who is going to step up to be her 30th victim.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Thunder Rosa

The winner gets a Women’s Title shot next week. They go to the mat to start with neither getting very far so they try it again. Rosa hits a dropkick and a running forearm in the corner but Hirsch knocks her back down and we take a break. Back with Rosa hitting a northern lights suplex for two but Hirsch grabs a German suplex.

Rosa catches her on top though and grabs a fireman’s carry spun into a faceplant. A sliding forearm gets two and Hirsch goes outside to grab the spare turnbuckle. That’s broken up by Red Velvet so Rosa loads up the fire thunder driver, which is reversed into a cross armbreaker. Rosa gets to the ropes to escape and now the fire thunder driver can finish Hirsch at 8:51.

Rating: C+. The entire point of this was getting Rosa the pin to set up her title match next week and they accomplished that perfectly well. Hirsch is someone who makes for a good roadblock on the way to Rosa’s next big showdown with Baker and she was hardly beaten up badly here. They did what they needed to do here so call it a success.

Post match Tony Schiavone (get that man a raise) announces that Rosa’s title shot will be inside a steel cage next week.

Britt Baker laughs at the idea of Rosa getting her shot because she is going to show just why she was the real winner of the Lights Out match.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Scorpio Sky

Sammy is defending and some forearms to the face rock Sky to start. A dropkick sends Sky outside and it’s time to set up a table at ringside. Sammy knocks him onto said table but the 630 only hits table (which EXPLODES on impact) to put himself in a lot of trouble. Cue Tay Conti to check on Sammy and we take a break. Back with Sammy slugging away but getting knocked outside again. Conti checks on him again but has to get into Paige Van Zant’s face at ringside.

A backbreaker puts Guevara down again back inside and we hit a reverse chinlock. Guevara fights up and starts chopping away, setting up a top rope cutter for two. Sky’s TKO is broken up and it’s the GTH to knock him out to the apron. Instead of covering, Sammy loads up the shooting star press but only hits raised knees. Cue Ethan Page for a distraction so Conti goes after her, only to have Van Zant send her into the steps. The distraction lets Sky hit a heck of a TKO to win the title at 11:50.

Rating: B. Another good match here and it should set up Sky as the sacrificial lamb to Wardlow next week. It makes sense with Sammy having been banged up in so many title defenses as of late and eventually was going to get caught. The title change closing the show makes it feel a bit bigger and it is likely a step in what feels like a bigger story.

Post match Sky hits Sammy with the title and Conti gets thrown inside. Van Zant kicks Conti in the head and signs her AEW contract on the back of Conti’s jeans to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. AEW puts on another pretty strong show this week, though you could feel that a little bit of the energy was gone after Revolution. That’s completely fine as you are only going to be able to do so much after that kind of a pay per view and they have stuff set up for the future. Another good effort though, with some big talking segments and action to back it up.

Results
Hangman Page b. Dante Martin – Buckshot Lariat
Bryan Danielson/Jon Moxley b. Work Horsemen – LeBell Lock to Drake
Pac b. Wheeler Yuta – Brutalizer
Jurassic Express b. Acclaimed – Tail Whip to Bowens
Thunder Rosa b. Leyla Hirsch – Fire thunder driver
Scorpio Sky b. Sammy Guevara – TKO

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Revolution 2022
Date: March 6, 2022
Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

We’re back on pay per view and that is usually a pretty good thing for AEW. This is an absolutely packed show with a twelve match (counting the Buy In) card, featuring a double main event of Hangman Page defending the World Title against Adam Cole and a dog collar match between CM Punk and MJF. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In: Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander

Grudge match. Leyla wastes no time in hammering away and taking Statlander down. They head outside, with Hirsch tying the arm up in the steps and crushing it hard for a nasty visual. Back in and Statlander gets in a shot of her own, only to get tied in the Tree of Woe. The arm is tied in the ropes again and there’s a running dropkick to said arm, knocking Statlander back to the mat.

Statlander avoids a shot though and it’s a bodyscissors to keep Hirsch down. That’s broken up and they slug it out until Statlander grabs a backbreaker for a breather. Hirsch gets sent into the corner for a running kick to the face and it’s time to head to the apron. A running hurricanrana sends Statlander crashing to the floor, though Hirsch’s back is banged up too. Back in and the cross armbreaker has Statlander in trouble until she gets a leg on the rope.

Hirsch changes plans by trying a rollup out of the corner, only to get caught in an electric chair faceplant. Something like a Michinoku Driver gives Statlander two so Hirsch rolls outside. That lets her pull out a spare turnbuckle, which goes upside Statlander’s head, because the referee isn’t very good at his job. The moonsault gives Hirsch the pin at 9:51.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why this needed to be on the card tonight as it felt more like something you put on Dynamite. Hirsch continues to impress as there is always a place for a wrestler/grappler like her. Statlander even got cheated out of the match so they can go to a rematch if they want, which is not the worst idea.

Buy-In: Hook vs. QT Marshall

Hook starts fast and throws him down, setting up something like an STF to send Marshall out to the floor. Marshall tries to get in a few shots but gets sent outside for a suplex (Taz: “POP THOSE HIPS!”) on the floor. Back in and Marshall manages to send him face first into the buckle, setting up a jumping elbow for two. Marshall goes up top but gets suplexed back down for a big crash. Another suplex sets up Redrum to finish Marshall at 5:01.

Rating: C. I believe that is Hook’s longest match to date and he continues to do his thing very well. He doesn’t have the most impressive look but there is something to be said for the idea of having someone with a unique presentation who is a killer once the bell rings. At some point he will have to move up to better competition, but for now, things are working well for him in these short bursts. Plus, who doesn’t love to see Marshall get beaten up?

Buy-In: House of Black vs. Penta Obscuro/Erick Redbeard/Pac

Matthews and Obscuro start things off and stare at each other for a long time. Penta does the CERO MIEDO and gets his fingers bent backwards. Matthews gets taken down but neither can hit a low superkick. A rollup gives Penta two and they both flip up to their feet. King and Redbeard come in to exchange a bunch of shoulders, setting up the slugout. Everything breaks down with the other four brawling on the floor, leaving Redbeard to dropkick King to the floor.

Redbeard follows to take out the rest of the House, including a running crossbody to King. Back in and Black hits a Cannonball in the corner for tow on Penta as we settle down again. Penta gets over for the tag to Pac, who fires off some kicks. Matthews catches him with a hanging DDT though and now it’s Pac being caught in the corner for the rotating beatdown. Black grabs a headscissors to keep Pac in trouble, with Matthews distraction the referee so he doesn’t see Pac make the rope.

The beating continues but Pac finally gets in a shot of his own, allowing the hot tag to Penta. That means house can really be cleaned, including a catapult sending Penta into a Canadian Destroyer to Matthews. A low superkick rocks King and we slow down a bit with Matthews mostly done. Redbeard manages a slingshot hilo to crush Matthews but Black comes in off a blind tag.

Some kicks rock Redbeard but he muscles Black up for the suplex into the corner. Pac comes back in with a springboard missile dropkick and the poisonrana to drop Black on his head. Everything breaks down and it’s Redbeard vs. King in the big forearm slugout. Redbeard kicks him in the face but gets picked up for Death Valley Driver. Redbeard and King head outside, leaving the other four to pull themselves to their feet for the slugout.

The House gets taken down, including a snap German suplex to Black and a big running flip dive to Matthews. Penta can’t hit Made In Japan on the apron as Black slips out and hits his own kick. That earns Penta kicks Black right back, setting up the Fear Factor on the apron. Back in and Matthews stomps Pac and Black kicks Pac in the face (What Fear Factor?), only to have Redbeard come back in for the staredown.

Redbeard grabs Matthews by the throat but Black kicks him in the face. That doesn’t bother Redbeard, who grabs Black by the throat for the chokeslam, only to get misted in the face. A running knee from Matthews sets up the over the shoulder piledriver to give King the pin at 17:22.

Rating: B. This felt like it belonged on a fairly big show, or as a really featured Rampage main event. Redbeard did feel like he was there to take the pin until Fenix gets back for the real showdown and that isn’t a bad idea. This feud has some legs, even if Black’s creepy/evil stuff might start getting a little tiresome. Adding in Matthews helps keep thing fresh too, and the quality of the match makes up for most of the issues from the buildup.

A video from Draft Kings tells us how to gamble on the show and we’re ready to go.

Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston

They’re starting big and Eddie goes right to it with a half and half to rock Jericho early. A neckbreaker gives Kingston two and we’re off to the early chinlock. Jericho breaks that up and takes him to the floor for a rake to the eye to take over. Back in and an enziguri staggers Eddie but he pops up to chop it out. Kingston goes with the Kenta Kobashi chops and then bites Jericho’s head in the corner.

Jericho slips out and hits some corner clotheslines, setting up the top rope hurricanrana for two. With that not working, Jericho unhooks a turnbuckle pad but doesn’t seem to like his decision. They fight to the apron with Jericho suplexing him down to the floor in a big crash. Back in and Jericho hits a German suplex and gives us a big evil grin. The Lionsault (with Eddie having to slide over) sets up a Lionsault without too much spring to Kingston’s face for two. Kingston gets in a desperation lariat but Jericho pulls him into the Walls.

The rope is eventually reached and it’s Kingston coming back with a Saito suplex. The spinning backfist gives Kingston two and he can’t believe the kickout. Kingston’s northern lights bomb is countered into a Codebreaker for two and now Jericho cant believe it. Kingston gets up and gets caught with another suplex, only to pop up. Jericho cuts him off with another Codebreaker but the Judas Effect misses. A pair of spinning backfists drop Jericho and the Stretch Plum makes Jericho tap at 12:19.

Rating: B. This is a good example of how to put someone over and it was long overdue. Kingston has been knocking at the door of success for a long time now and Jericho is the kind of person to put him over. They beat each other up well and Kingston got the win that he has been needing for a very long time now. Hard hitting opener with the feel good ending.

Eddie looking shocked that he won and even checking with the referee is a great touch. Jericho won’t shake hands, even after he promised to do so.

Here’s the card you already paid to see.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. ReDRagon vs. Jurassic Express

The Express is defending and this is one fall to a finish. Jungle Boy gets taken into the Bucks’ corner to start as Bobby Fish will not stop running his mouth. A double slam of some kind is escaped and it’s Luchasaurus coming in to chop away at Matt Jackson. ReDRagon gets chopped down too but all four challengers bail before Luchasaurus can dive. They don’t get away from Jungle Boy’s dive though and the champs are in control early.

Back in and some double teaming puts Luchasaurus down on the floor, meaning the big group beatdown is on. Back in and a running neckbreaker onto a knee puts Jungle Boy down for two, with Fish making a save to annoy Matt. ReDRagon’s double belly to back suplex is escaped and Nick tags himself in. Jungle Boy gets sent outside but blocks Nick’s apron kick, leaving ReDRagon and the Bucks to argue some more.

That’s enough to allow the hot tag to Luchasaurus so house can be cleaned, including some kicks to the Bucks. A moonsault off the apron takes out ReDRagon but the Bucks are back up to kick Luchasaurus down. Luchasaurus is fine enough to plant Matt for two, leaving Matt holding his back. Matt winds up on Luchasaurus’ shoulders, allowing Jungle Boy to run the corner and hit a top rope clothesline for two.

Luchasaurus gets kicked down but O’Reilly is back in to kick away at Matt. Jungle Boy goes to the apron to kick Matt in the back but ReDRagon grabs a DDT, which is kicked into a wheelbarrow suplex for two. O’Reilly hits the top rope knee to Jungle Boy’s leg and the kneebar goes on. That’s broken up as well and Luchasaurus chokeslams Nick off the top. O’Reilly comes in with a front chancery to Luchasaurus but Jungle Boy comes off the top with a shooting star to the two of them for the break.

ReDRagon goes high/low on Jungle Boy for two but it’s Matt coming back in to go after Jungle Boy this time. O’Reilly has to make a save of his own and Matt is annoyed, only to miss More Bang For Your Buck. A hurricanrana into a German suplex takes the Bucks down and it’s Luchasaurus hitting his big dive to the floor. Back in and the Throwassic Express finishes Matt to retain the titles at 18:36.

Rating: B+. This was the wild spotfest that it needed to be, as you know what you are getting with the Bucks in a three way match. The Express needed to win here to give them a fall over the Bucks to establish themselves as more of a dominant team, but it won’t matter if the focus shifts to the Bucks’ issues with ReDRagon. Hopefully that isn’t the case, but there is a bit of a precedent of things going in that direction.

Video on the Face of the Revolution ladder match.

Keith Lee vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Wardlow vs. Ricky Starks vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Christian Cage

Ladder match for a future TNT Title shot. The three monsters clear the ring to start so Cassidy comes back in for the lazy kicks. Cassidy tries to climb up the people to get to the brass ring, only to be sent outside. The others come back in and it’s Starks getting up and climbing the ladder. Cassidy breaks that up and tries the very slow climb, allowing Christian to make the save.

With Cassidy sent outside, Christian puts a ladder in the corner but Lee does his rise up spot and crossbodies Christian and Starks at the same time. Cassidy’s attempt at a hurricanrana is blocked so Lee can swing him into the others. Lee goes for the ladder but Wardlow is here for the staredown. That lets Hobbs run the two of them over with the ladder but here is Starks for the Team Taz double run up the ladder. Cassidy makes the save this time and puts the ladder around his head for the helicopter.

Hobbs and Lee grab the ladder though (giving us a great “uh oh” face from Cassidy) and Cassidy is in trouble. They lift it into the air….so Cassidy skins the cat to land on the raised ladder and stands up to get a hand on the ring, only to get crotched back down (that was one of the most creative ladder match spots I’ve seen in a long time). The ladder is laid in the corner and Hobbs superplexes Cassidy back down for the huge crash.

Christian is back in now but Starks pulls the ladder away and dives through it with a spar to cut Christian down. Wardlow and Hobbs go up the ladder, with Starks and Cassidy climbing on Wardlow’s back…but not being able to stop them. Everyone winds up on the pair of ladders until Christian and Cassidy crash down. Starks and Lee go down too so it’s Hobbs and Wardlow fighting on top until the both fall too, leaving everyone down. The three monsters are back up and Lee Uncle Phil Biels Cassidy to the floor in a nasty crash. Everyone else winds up on the floor too so Wardlow and Hobbs go after a ladder on the stage.

They actually rip it in two with Hobbs knocking him down, as JR suggests they GO BACK TO THE RING. Lee and Hobbs wind up by the announcers’ desk, with Wardlow coming in to shove them both off the stage and through a table. Back in and Starks takes Christian down but it’s Danhausen to curse Starks, allowing Christian to make the save. Christian goes up but Starks makes another save, leaving Wardlow to powerbomb Christian hard. Wardlow powerbombs Starks off the ladder onto a bridged ladder and pulls down the ring for the win at 17:08.

Rating: B. It’s another spot fest with one big crash after another. Sometimes you need a car crash match like this one and the hosses getting to throw people around was a change of pace. Wardlow winning makes sense and we should be in for a good match when he faces (likely) Sammy Guevara. That Cassidy spot was a great bonus and I had another good time here.

Tony Schiavone brings out Shane Strickland to officially sign his AEW contract. Swerve is happy to be here and could tell us about the titles he is going to win, but first he needs to ask: who’s house? The fans say Swerve’s house and he loves them too. This was expected and is still an awesome sight.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Tay Conti

Cargill, with Mark Sterling, is defending and gets played to the ring. Conti tries to take it the mat to start but Cargill powers her way out. That means it’s time to mock Conti’s martial arts again so Conti sends her into the corner for some running shots to the face. A swinging DDT connects but Cargill’s feet are under the rope. Cargill heads outside so Conti goes up for a big flip dive, which takes Sterling out.

That lets Cargill kick Conti in the face to take over but Conti kicks her down back inside. Jaded and the DDTay are broken up so Cargill grabs a rollup, only to be kicked off into a chair as held up by an appearing Anna Jay. A DDT gives Conti two but Cargill is back with the Eye of the Storm for two of her own. Jade hits a frog splash of all things for two more so Conti comes back with a piledriver for the save. Cargill kicks her off and Conti might hit a camera in the corner. That’s enough to set up Jaded to retain the title at 6:50.

Rating: C+. Cargill continues to wrestle beyond her experience and Conti was a good challenger here. There might not have been the most drama as Conti felt like the challenger of the week, but she got in some good stuff of her own here. Cargill is going to need a big challenger coming up, but Conti did rather well for a spot like this.

Video on CM Punk vs. MJF. They started off with a war of words but MJF keeps getting the better of him, meaning it is time to get bloody and violent in a dog collar match.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. CM Punk

MJF wears a robe to the ring but Punk comes out to Misaria Cantare, his old Ring of Honor theme. They pull each other closer by the chain with Punk missing a big swing. Punk chokes in the ropes before raining down rights and lefts. A big chain shot is broken up and MJF gets two off a Cheeky Nandos kick. Punk is back up with a running knee in the corner but the bulldog is countered with a pull of the chain. Punk’s back already has chain marks across it and there’s a chain shot to the head.

That leaves Punk VERY busted open so MJF asks for a censored mic. He tells Punk to quit on the people like Punk quick on him but Punk tell him what he can eat. Punk uses the chain to pull MJF off the middle rope and there’s a Russian legsweep with the chain. MJF is back up with a sleeper using the chain but Punk slips out, only to get caught in the Salt of the Earth. That’s broken up as well and Punk grabs the Anaconda Vice, which is escaped as well.

MJF sends him to the apron but the Heatseeker is countered to leave them both down again. A chained knee shot to MJF’s face busts him open too and it’s time to wrap the chain around said bleeding face. They head outside with Punk pounding away against the barricade. A crash into the steps bangs up Punk’s leg though and they’re both down. Back in and Punk loads up the GTS but the leg gives out to give MJF a breather.

MJF hits the knee with a chained fist and they go to the apron, where Punk hits a Tombstone piledriver to knock MJF silly. Punk’s knee is further banged up though and they’re both down again. MJF gets in another shot of his own and it’s time to bring in the thumbtacks. The running knee in the corner hits Punk this time but he bites the hand to get out of the bulldog.

Punk’s suplex onto the tacks is blocked and the Pepsi Plunge is as well so MJF superplexes him near the tacks (fair enough as they’re on the other side of the ring) for two. MJF has come unhooked from the chain so he calls Wardlow in as the chain is linked up again. Wardlow comes down but can’t find the ring, allowing Punk to hit the GTS, with MJF falling into the tacks. Punk looks at Wardlow, who puts the ring (which was in the other pocket) down on the apron and walks off. Punk pulls MJF up so MJF spits at him, earning a ring shot to the face for the pin at 26:22.

Rating: A-. In the words of Stu Nahan from Rocky, “they look like they’ve been in a war, these two.” That’s the feeling I got from Punk as he was sitting there after the win and that is how it was supposed to feel. I don’t know if they are going to have another match out of this as it felt like a blowoff, but one more time could be rather great. Above all else, this felt like two people out to hut each other and Punk survived in the end, which is all you could ask for. Awesome match and almost as great as it was hyped up as being.

Punk motions he wants the title.

We recap Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker for the Women’s Title. Baker says she is the women’s division and Rosa says she wants to be champion.

Women’s Title: Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa

Baker, with Jamie Hayter and Rebel, is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and go to the mat before fighting into the corner. Baker grabs a hammerlock but Rosa fights up, only to be driven up against the ropes. A neckbreaker drops Rosa and Jamie/Rebel mock her from the floor.

Rosa fights up again but Baker hammers her down into a rather appropriate hammerlock. Back up and Rosa hits a running kick into a northern lights suplex for two as the fans are trying to get into this. Rosa fights up with some elbows in the corner but gets butterfly suplexed for two. A superplex drops Baker again but Rosa holds on and lifts her up into a fireman’s carry swung into a faceplant.

The sliding lariat gets two on Baker but she’s back with a knockdown of her own. Lockjaw doesn’t work though and Baker goes to the corner, where a super Air Raid Crash gets two more. Rosa is back up with a Tombstone but Rebel has the referee to prevent a count. That means a choke to make Baker tap, but Rebel has the referee again. This time Rosa spears Rebel through the ropes, allowing Baker to hit the Stomp on the way back in for the pin to retain at 17:19.

Rating: C+. These two were in a terrible spot as there was no way to follow that dog collar match. It also doesn’t help that this was a pretty straight match as the followup to their all time brawl last year. It’s a weirdly built feud and this felt like a big time TV match instead of some major pay per view war. Not bad, but the fans weren’t into it and the ending was flat.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson. Moxley is back after rehab and Danielson wants the two of them to join forces and raise up the next generation. That’s a possibility, but Moxley can’t stand next to someone until he bleeds with them.

Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson

Danielson wrestles him down to start so Moxley gets up for a breather. Then it’s Moxley driving him to the ropes so Danielson goes to the apron for a breather of his own. Moxley wins a slugout and drops Danielson with an elbow before firing off some YES Kicks. Danielson reverses one of them into a dragon screw legwhip though and now it’s time for the REAL YES Kicks.

More kicks have Moxley bailing to the floor before he comes back in and gets kicked in the corner. A shot to the ribs slows Moxley down and the running kick in the corner makes it worse. Danielson: “HOW’S THAT MOX?” We hit the guillotine but Moxley gets out and sends him outside for the suicide dive. Danielson is ready though and goes back inside, leaving Moxley to stick the landing.

That means Danielson can try a dive but Moxley blocks that too, setting up the slugout on the floor. The exchange of elbows busts Moxley open hard and Danielson starts striking away at the body. Moxley fights up and gets in a shot of his own though to put them both down. Danielson takes him to the corner and rakes the back, setting up a big superplex for two. Moxley is back up with a sleeper but Danielson backflips into a dragon sleeper, which is reversed into some elbows to the head.

A cross armbreaker has Danielson in trouble but he reverses into an armbar of his own, sending Moxley to the ropes. Danielson’s stomps are loaded up but Moxley ties up the legs so they can kick each other in the face. Moxley gets the better of it and puts on the bulldog choke, only to have Danielson roll out for a change.

The running knee gives Danielson two so he stomps on Moxley’s head. Now it’s a triangle choke to Moxley, complete with elbows to the head. Moxley gets creative by grabbing the beard but Danielson punches him in the face over and over. Somehow Moxley manages to flip over into a cradle though and Danielson is pinned at 21:02.

Rating: B. This was another bloody, violent fight with those shots to Moxley’s eyes being a nearly scary visual. What mattered here was letting both guys beat on each other until Moxley stole the win, as this was almost all about Danielson. Heck of a fight, but it was the secondary bloody war of the night.

Post match the fight stays on so referees come out. William Regal of all people debuts and gets in between them, but Moxley goes after Danielson again. Regal headbutts Moxley and slaps Danielson, which is enough to get them to shake hands. Well yeah that certainly worked.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Darby Allin/Sting/Sammy Guevara vs. Andrade El Idolo/Isiah Kassidy/Matt Hardy

Texas Tornado match in Florida. Allin gets in another mini movie, showing the AHFO’s funeral and asking if he is crazy. It’s a brawl to start with Sting and Allin putting Andrade’s manager Jose in a trashcan so Allin can take him out with a suicide dive. Andrade makes the save though and hits a running suplex drop to send Sammy ribs first onto the barricade.

House is cleaned and Andrade rolls Allin up before tossing him into the corner in a kind of one armed buckle bomb. Sting and Hardy fight on the floor and Andrade misses a charge into the barricade. Cue Marq Quen to uneven the odds, setting up Silly String to plant Sammy on the floor. The fight heads into the crowd with Sting sending Hardy into the barricade. Butcher and Blade run in to jump Sting as Sammy fights Private Party on the stage.

Sammy goes onto a piece of the set with Kassidy, setting up a super Spanish Fly onto a pair of tables (with only one breaking). Butcher and Blade set up a bunch of tables but Sting fights up and hammers on the two of them. Sting takes Andrade back to the tables and hits a splash off the balcony to drive Andrade through all four of them in the HE’S 62 YEARS OLD spot of the match. Back in and Matt beats on Allin with a chair, only to have Sting make the save with a Scorpion Death Drop. Allin goes up and misses the Coffin Drop but gets the pin anyway at 13:12.

Rating: C+. I’m not big on the wild brawls and that was the case again here. Sting can still do all of those big dives, though I cringe a bit more every time he does one. Throw in Sammy and Kassidy’s scary landing on the stage and this felt like hoping no one was injured rather than an entertaining match, which is not a good sign. The action was fun and it was a crazy fight, but I could have done without it.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Adam Cole for the World Title. Page is champion, Cole wants to be World Champion. They came up in wrestling together and now Cole wants to be where Page is.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Adam Cole

Cole is challenging and comes out in Halo themed gear, though JR one ups him by not recognizing the AEW World Title (JR: “Is that a new title belt?”). Fans: “LET’S GO ADAM/ADAM SUCKS!” Ok that’s a great one. Page chops him up against the ropes as the fans want Adam to f*** him up. More chops in the corner set up a short arm lariat to put Cole down and Page adds a running boot to the head from the floor.

Cole manages to send him into the steps a few times though and it’s time to start on Page’s arm. Back in and we hit the arm crank before Cole starts talking about how Page will never be him. Page slaps him in the face and blocks a Panama Sunrise to put them both down. Cole gets sent to the apron so Page clotheslines him down, only to hurt the arm again. An apron powerbomb sets up a moonsault to the floor but the Buckshot doesn’t work for Page.

Instead Cole hits a Liger Bomb (with JR testing Excalibur about the difference between a powerbomb and a Liger Bomb and sounding defeated when Excalibur got it right) and goes up, only to get shoved back. Cole superkicks him out of the air but Page is back with the Deadeye for two. Fans: “THIS IS ADAM!” That’s somehow even better than the first. Back up and they trade shots to the face until Cole pulls him into a crossface. Page is right there for the rope so Cole slams him arm first onto the apron.

Back in and a Tombstone gets two (and JR is NOT happy with the kickout) but Page is back up with some shots to the face. Cole reverses a suplex into the brainbuster onto the knee for two and is frustrated at the kickout. Fans: “FIGHT FOR ADAM!” The go up top again with Page hitting a backflip World’s Strongest Slam for two more but here is ReDRagon to break up the Buckshot. Cole superkicks Page to the floor and it’s a Panama Sunrise on the floor, drawing what sounded like a HOLY ADAM chant.

Back in and Cole can’t believe another kickout so ReDRagon offers a distraction, allowing Cole to kick Page low. Another Panama Sunrise sets up the Boom for two but Page is back up again. The Buckshot is countered with a superkick but Page drops down to avoid another Boom. ReDRagon puts a table at ringside, only to have Page hit the Deadeye off the apron to put Cole through it instead.

Cue the Dark Order to check on Page and brawl off with ReDRagon, leaving Page to hit the Buckshot for two, as Cole gets his hand on the ropes. With nothing else working, Page uses his belt to tie Cole to the rope and fires off some superkicks (with Cole losing a tooth). Cole gets loose but Page knocks him down again, setting up his own Boom. Another Buckshot retains the title at 25:41.

Rating: B-. This was a pay per view main event, but it was a pay per view main event at the end of a VERY long show. The crowd chants were great and it certainly wasn’t bad, but this wasn’t exactly going out on a high note. Page does get a good win though and moves on to something bigger, though I wasn’t jazzed with this match coming in and they didn’t do anything to make it better here.

Page shows respect and celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Another excellent AEW show, but the crowd was starting to get worn down in the middle. I can absolutely sympathize with them on that as counting the Buy-In, this was about five hours with very few chances to breathe in the middle. AEW really could use a lesson in less is more, as there was a lot that could have been cut, or at least trimmed, on here to get done at least half an hour earlier.

Now that being said, this was another great AEW pay per view, with no bad matches, an instant classic in the dog collar match and an awesome moment with Regal debuting. AEW knows how to put together the action on these big shows, but they do need to learn how to present them a bit better. Fix some of those problems and this is a masterpiece, but for now I’ll settle for just a classic.

Results
Leyla Hirsch b. Kris Statlander – Moonsault
Hook b. QT Marshall – Redrum
House Of Black b. Erick Redbeard/Penta Obscuro/Pac – Over the shoulder piledriver to Redbeard
Eddie Kingston b. Chris Jericho – Stretch Plum
Jurassic Express b. Young Bucks and ReDRagon – Throwassic Express to Matt Jackson
Wardlow won the Face of the Revolution ladder match
Jade Cargill b. Tay Conti – Jaded
CM Punk b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Punch with the Dynamite Diamond Ring
Britt Baker b. Thunder Rosa – Curb stomp
Jon Moxley b Bryan Danielson – Rollup
Sting/Darby Allin/Sammy Guevara b. Matt Hardy/Isiah Kassidy/Andrade El Idolo – Coffin Drop to Hardy
Hangman Page b. Adam Cole – Buckshot Lariat

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It’s back to the pay per view schedule for AEW and that is a great thing to hear. AEW has a pretty awesome track record for pay per views and there is a good chance that it will do the same here. This time is a bit different though as there is a staggering twelve match card with three matches taking place on the Buy In. The positive thing is that the matches look good, but dang that is a lot. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In: QT Marshall vs. Hook

We’ll start off with one of the fun ones here as Hook has taken AEW by storm in his still short career. What seemed to start off as little more than a big joke has turned into a pretty great run from Hook, who has smashed a variety of people without overstaying his welcome once. I believe this will be his first live match though and that could make for a new challenge.

I mean, I say challenge as seriously as it can be meant as it’s Marshall across the ring from him, meaning Hook wins this in a walk. There is no reason to expect this match to go longer than about four minutes, with Hook grabbing Redrum for the win. Marshall should be good for helping Hook get to an ok match, but that’s about the extent of his usefulness in this spot.

Buy-In: Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander

This one is already more interesting as you have two such different styles. Statlander has taken the gloves off to insult her former friend while Hirsch continues to look ready to maul various humans at any given time. That should make for a showdown, though I’m not entirely sure how well these two are going to work together. Statlander can do well, but there are also times where she doesn’t quite click.

I’ll take Hirsch here, as she is rather perfect in her role as the tiny killing machine who could pull Statlander into a variety of knots. Statlander has promised a new version of herself, but that does not necessarily mean she is going to win. Neither would seem likely for a future title shot, but a Hirsch push sounds like the better option of the two. Either way I would expect at least one rematch, but Hirsch takes the first one.

Buy-In: House of Black vs. Pac/Penta Obscuro/Erick Redbeard

I’m not sure why this match is on the Buy-in, as it feels like it could headline either a Dynamite or Rampage and get more attention. Redbeard is substituting for the injured Rey Fenix, so while I can understand wanting to keep the feud warm until Fenix is back, it would seem that there are some better options than going this way. Still though, it should be a heck of a fight.

There is no reason for the newly expanded House of Black to lose here so we’ll say they make up for their loss in the recent tag match. If nothing else, Redbeard can be there to take a fall while keeping Pac and Obscuro strong on the way to Fenix’s return. This should be a wild brawl if they stick to what works best for them, but hopefully it gets the time that it needs and deserves.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill(c) vs. Tay Conti

The Cargill express continues as she mows down one challenger after another. That is going to make for a special moment when someone finally dethrones her and the question becomes who gets be the giant slayer. Conti is certainly a popular star and needs to win something big at some point, but I’m not sure if this is the spot where she finally breaks through.

I’ll take Cargill to retain here, as that is the more logical result. While I could see Conti being the one, Cargill seems more destined to eventually win the Women’s Title. I don’t know if she drops this title first, but she needs to be kept strong on the way there. At this point that means defeating Conti, who continues to be able to stay crazy popular despite rarely wining anything important.

Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match

Well of course it’s a ladder match and this time the winner gets a shot at the TNT Title. The appeal here is the amount of hosses involved in the thing, which should serve for some interesting options. For once I don’t think there are any names who can be immediately eliminated, which makes this all the more interesting. It’s the sign of a well put together match and AEW has set this up well.

I think I’ll take…Christian Cage to win here actually, as he really needs something to do. Keith Lee is a viable option as well as he came in with such fanfare, but he hasn’t exactly done much since his big debut toss of Isiah Kassidy. Neither of the Team Taz members make the most sense and Wardlow already has a story with MJF. Orange Cassidy….please no, so that leaves Cage in a prediction that is likely to go wrong.

AHFO vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Sammy Guevara

There is something very telling about this match. Earlier tonight I watched Andrade El Idolo, Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin tear the house down in an amazing triple threat that served as the main final push towards this match. That was great, but the idea of Matt Hardy being involved drags the rest of it down. His recent Jeff Hardy teases make it even worse and I’m not exactly interested in seeing the match.

The good thing is that it shouldn’t be a hard pick as I’ll take Sting and company for the win. You don’t have someone like Kassidy involved here to have his team win, so I’ll go with Allin pinning Kassidy so Sting can celebrate his first match in Orlando in however many years it is since he left Impact. This is another match that feels like it could be on Dynamite though and that isn’t a good sign for the show.

Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson

This was all but set for Full Gear last year when Moxley had to step away for rehab. That was far more important, but I still want to see what these two can do. Moxley may be a brawler most of the time, but he knows how to make a match feel big. They have done that here, as there is almost a will they or won’t they vibe to the whole thing. The question is can Danielson get Moxley to join up with him, and we probably find that out here.

I think they do get to that point eventually, so we’ll go with Danielson winning here, likely through cheating. I’m not sure if they are going to be able to come up with a way to get the fans to boo Moxley, but it might work out if he gets to cut the right kind of promo. As much as I don’t want some new heel power alliance, it might be the best thing for everyone with Danielson having already run through his World Title shots and Moxley needing something to do.

Women’s Title: Britt Baker(c) vs. Thunder Rosa

We’ve been waiting for this one for about a year now, as these two went to war against each other back at St. Patrick’s Slam. Rosa won there, which should mean that she is able to do it again and get the title that she never picked up before. This is the match that has been set up for so long now that it has kind of hurt Baker’s reign, as you knew the rematch with Rosa was hanging over everything.

Despite an instinct to say otherwise, I’ll go with Rosa winning the title here. It’s kind of interesting that the match feels like it is coming in cold despite the history, as Rosa hasn’t done much lately. Other than pinning Baker this week on Dynamite, I can’t think of any major win that she has had in recent weeks. Then again I’ve never quite gotten how the rankings work, but Rosa’s 4-0 is better than Hirsch’s and Deeb’s because…well because she’s Rosa and is winning the title here.

Tag Team Titles: Jurassic Express(c) vs. Young Bucks vs. ReDRagon

I’m not sure what to think of this one but the Bucks getting another title shot is one of those things that shouldn’t be a big surprise. At the same time, it doesn’t feel like it is soon enough to put the titles back on them, making them more of a possible spoiler or road block than anything else. That leaves you with two potential winners, either of whom could leave with the titles.

I think I’m going to go with Jurassic Express retaining here, as they just haven’t held the titles for very long yet. If they lost here, they would have the shortest reign in the history of the titles to date and that is not something you want to see. ReDRagon will probably get the championships one day, but for now I think Jurassic Express retains. They can even do so with the Bucks costing ReDRagon the fall to continue the Bucks’ emotional issues that are oh so interesting.

Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston

Here we have another grudge match for Jericho, who thankfully has turned heel after so many weeks of seemingly being ready to make the jump. That should make for an interesting showdown, as Kingston can bring it on the mic and does well enough in the ring to back it up. At some point he has to win something though, and that seems to be the point we are reaching now.

I’ll go out on a limb here and say they give Kingston the win here, as it is LONG overdue to give him a big victory, which has even been the story of the feud. At the end of the day, Jericho does not need to win another match in his career and will not lose a step, so have him put Kingston over and give him his big win merit badge. It needs to happen and this is as good of a time as any.

World Title: Hangman Page(c) vs. Adam Cole

I know the tradition is that the World Title headlines the show, but come on in this case. There are only so many ways you can present Page vs. Cole as the biggest match on the card and it seems to be the case. This just does not feel like a main event match, as Cole has felt like just the next challenger instead of some big moment. Maybe it was having him lose to Orange Cassidy and then moving into the title feud?

Page retains here and I don’t think there is all that much drama. There is almost no reason to believe that Cole is taking the title here as Page gets to retain the title on pay per view. The match is probably going to be a good one, assuming they don’t go all the way with one of Cole’s ridiculous long matches. I really hope this doesn’t headline, because there is something that is just flat out better.

CM Punk vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Like this could have been anything else. This has been one of the best feuds AEW has presented yet (if not its best in history) and I want to see these two get so violence that they cannot go much further. Some of the angles that have taken place have been nothing short of amazing and now they need to stick the landing (or at least this part of the landing) to set up the big blowoff match. That means this needs to have a winner and I’m not sure where to go.

I’ll flip a coin here and go with Punk, as his win sets up the big blowoff, unless they have some other way for MJF to cheat and steal another win. What matters here is the violence and blood that need to come with a dog collar match and we should be in for a great one. Every important step in this feud has been pure gold and if they can find that again on the big stage, we are in for a treat.

Overall Thoughts

There is a lot of potential on this card, but it might be a hair too long. AEW has a tendency to try and cram in too much and that might be the case again here. That being said, the top part of this show is looking pretty awesome and there are several matches that could be nothing short of great. The dog collar match seems to be the big feature attraction, and if that works out, this show is going to be the latest on AEW’s incredible list.

Rampage
Date: March 4, 2022
Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Ricky Starks, Taz

It’s a rare live edition this week as it is also the go home show for this weekend’s Revolution pay per view. That could make things a bit more interesting, as we also have a title match. Sammy Guevara will be defending the TNT Title against Darby Allin and Andrade El Idolo, which should be a good one. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Andrade El Idolo vs. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara

Guevara is defending. Andrade bails out to the floor to start before being chased back inside. Allin hits a high angle springboard armdrag to take Andrade down but Sammy takes Allin down as well. Sammy loads up a superplex but Andrade turns it into a Tower of Doom, albeit after walking forward while holding both of them up at once (geez).

We take a break and come back with Andrade suplexing Sammy into the corner and a moonsault press connects to give Andrade two. Allin gets back up and helps double team Andrade, meaning it’s a superkick to send Andrade into the corner. Sammy charges at Allin but gets sent into the corner, leaving Andrade to knee Allin in the back.

Andrade gets crotched on top and Allin whips him with a belt, setting up Sammy’s Coast to Coast (over Allin in the process) to nail Andrade hard. Allin and Sammy trade rollups for two each until Andrade comes back in to kick Andrade in the face. A lifting powerbomb gets two on Guevara with Allin diving in to make a save. Guevara gives Andrade the GTH but Allin sends Guevara to the floor. The Coffin Drop connects but Sammy Swantons in for the save and pins Andrade to retain at 12:05.

Rating: B+. Aside from Allin looking a bit dumb by not going for the cover off the GTH, this was an outstanding match with three guys going nuts throughout and hitting one big spot after another. Guevara continues to remind me of the good parts of Jeff Hardy and that is some rather high praise. Allin has long since proven what he can do, and Andrade is always so much more interesting when Matt Hardy is nowhere to be seen. Awesome match here, as they packed in some amazing stuff.

Pac and Penta Obscura are in the ring with Alex Abrahantes as the Dark Priest. They want to face the House of Black on Sunday for revenge, so here is the House of Black to pop up on screen and say they are ready to fight. The House of Black pops up on the apron and seems ready, but Abrahantes says that they may be down one Lucha Bro, but they have someone else. Cue Erick Redbeard (Rowan) and the big brawl is on, with security failing to make the save. Penta breaks a security guard’s arm to prove his point. The match is official for Revolution.

Dan Lambert has gotten Scorpio Sky a TNT Title shot next week on Dynamite in exchange for bringing Paige VanZant to Revolution to sign her AEW contract.

Keith Lee vs. JD Drake

They trade chops to start with Drake getting knocked into the corner. Drake jumps over him out of the corner so Lee blasts him with the Pounce as we take a break. Back with Drake hitting a Cannonball and adding a moonsault for one. Lee runs him over again and muscles him up into the Big Bang Catastrophe for the pin at 6:48.

Rating: C+. The match didn’t get much time, but there is something to be said about watching people of this size throw each other around. Lee getting to show off that power of his is something else and it was a heck of a spectacle. It wasn’t exactly great, but dang it’s fun to watch Lee do scary impressive things.

Post match the rest of the Wingmen come in but get beaten down by Lee in short order. Team Taz comes to the ramp to stare at Lee, with Orange Cassidy showing up to stare at everyone.

After the attack on Dynamite, a bloody CM Punk applauds MJF, saying that this kind of blood makes certain people feel alive. MJF is going to learn that Punk is the master and Punk knows who the **** he is. Punk knows that MJF isn’t ready and he’s going to beat MJF until his mother doesn’t recognize him. On March 6, he is becoming a monster to fight the monsters of the world. He is CM Punk (wink) and he is better than you. This match should rock.

Jade Cargill is ready for Revolution, with Mark Sterling saying there could be no contact between Tay Conti and Cargill until 48 hours before the match. Anna Jay pops up for a distraction and Conti jumps Cargill from behind. Sterling brought that on himself.

Serena Deeb vs. Leila Grey

Grey bails to the floor to start but gets caught with a neckbreaker over the ropes. The front chancery finishes Grey at 55 seconds.

Post match the Serenity Lock goes on but Hikaru Shida returns to club Deeb with a kendo stick for the save.

Eddie Kingston has a promo (because Chris Jericho has to use insider terms, but Eddie says kayfabe may be dead but we don’t have to desecrate its grave) for Chris Jericho, who he’s ready to fight. As for now, they have that Reese’s peanut butter pie at catering so he and Tony Schiavone have somewhere to go.

Ethan Page is ready for the main event, with Christian Cage promising to make Scorpio Sky a transitional champion next week.

Face of the Revolution Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Christian Cage vs. Ethan Page

They start fast with an exchange of shots in the corner until Christian tosses him over the top. The dropkick through the ropes connects with Page and we take a break. Back with Christian throwing him back inside and raining down the right hands in the corner. Page gets in an elbow to the face but Christian’s reverse DDT gets two.

A cutter gives Page two but Christian snaps the back of his neck across the top rope. The top rope headbutt gives Christian two more, only to miss a charge into the corner. Ego’s Edge is countered and Christian hits the spear for two. Back up and Christian is sent shoulder first into the post but he’s still able to counter Ego’s Edge. The Killswitch is good for the pin on Page at 8:55.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one as Page didn’t get in a ton of offense before losing in the end. Cage moving on to the ladder match makes sense for the sake of his history in such matches, but it isn’t like he has done much of anything on his own in the last few months. This felt like “we need someone else so here’s Christian”, which may be efficient but isn’t that exciting.

Post match the Jurassic Express come out to celebrate with Christian but here are ReDRagon and the Young Bucks to steal a title each. Luchasaurus takes them back and Jungle Boy adds a running flip dive to take the four of them out to end the show (with Jericho getting in one last threat to Eddie Kingston).

Overall Rating: B. That opener alone was going to carry the show and sometimes that is all you need. The rest of the show was good enough, though Shida and Redbeard returning were both nice moments. I’m looking forward to Revolution and this was the big push to get us over the edge to the show. Throw in the rather fired up Punk promo and this was a pretty great last hour before the pay per view. I can’t get over that opener though, which was so good that it deserves an extra egads.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Darby Allin and Andrade El Idolo – Swanton to Andrade
Keith Lee b. JD Drake – Big Bang Catastrophe
Serena Deeb b. Leila Grey – Front chancery
Christian Cage b. Ethan Page – Killswitch

AEW, 2022, Rampage, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, Andrade El Idolo, Keith Lee, JD Drake, Orange Cassidy, Team Taz, CM Punk, Serena Deeb. Leila Grey, House of Black, Penta Obscura, Alex Abrahantes, Pac, Christian Cage, Ethan Page, Jurassic Express, Eddie Kingston, ReDRagon, Young Bucks, Jade Cargill, Scorpio Sky, Dan Lambert, Jade Cargill, Anna Jay, Tay Conti,

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

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Dynamite
Date: March 2, 2022
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

This is an interesting show as we have both the go home show for Revolution but Tony Khan himself is also making a major announcement. That could go a lot of different ways and I’m curious to see what he has next. Other than that, we need the final push towards Sunday and we should be in for something good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring with Tony Khan for the big announcement. Khan talks about how far AEW has come in three years and how proud he is of everyone, including the fans. He has also been a fan of another company that started twenty years ago called Ring of Honor. That’s why he is proud to announce that as of today, he is officially the owner of Ring of Honor Wrestling. Two of the men in the first Ring of Honor main event are here in AEW and that’s our opening match.

That is a heck of a headline and I’m curious to see where it goes. That is the problem though, as I’m not sure exactly what is going on here. I would assume that Ring of Honor is the new developmental territory and that is not a bad idea. Use the name brand that you already have instead of making it another edition of Dark for a change. I’ll wait and see where this goes, but I’m cautiously optimistic, especially about that tape library.

Bryan Danielson vs. Christopher Daniels

Danielson takes him down to start but lets him up for some jumping jacks. Back up Daniels takes Danielson down for a change, meaning it’s Daniels doing his own jumping jacks. Daniels sends him outside for the Arabian moonsault and Danielson is rocked. They head back inside with Danielson hitting some kicks and tying up Daniels’ legs. Daniels fights out and gets to his feet, only to get German suplexed.

The cross armbreaker is broken up but Danielson reverses la majistral into a cradle of his own. They trade near falls until Daniels punches him in the face, making Danielson shake his head. They slug it out until Daniels gets dropped, though he is fine enough to catch Danielson on top. The Iconoclasm is broken up so Daniels loads up a hurricanrana, which is shoved off without too much effort. Daniels hits a release Rock Bottom and goes up for the BME, which is pulled into the triangle choke to give Danielson the win at 11:10.

Rating: C+. This was more of a nod to the big announcement than anything else but it was still a good way to start. Danielson wasn’t in any serious danger from Daniels, who still looks awesome at 51 years old. Sometimes you need a match against a still talented star who is going to make you work but not much beyond that and Danielson got such a match here.

Post match Danielson shakes the still out of it Daniels’ hand….but this isn’t Ring of Honor. He’s in AEW, and it’s time to kick someone’s head in. Danielson stomps away at Daniels until Jon Moxley comes out to break things up. Moxley talks about how he is on two different paths, one of which ends with him getting his head kicked in. The other path ends with him fighting in blood and he’s ready to start right now. The jacket comes off but Danielson bails.

Sting and Darby Allin are ready for Revolution and Rampage.

Casino Tag Team Battle Royal

There are fifteen teams but this seems to be a regular Royal Rumble format with ninety second intervals and both members needing to be eliminated. The winners join the Young Bucks and ReDRagon in a triple threat Tag Team Title match at Revolution. FTR and the returning Top Flight start things off with Top Flight flying around (oddly enough) early on. The Acclaimed is in at #3 and Caster’s rap eats up most of his time, talking about sending FTR to ROH and making things less popular than Glenn Jacobs’ tweets.

Since they don’t have much time, it’s the Dark Order (10/Alan Angels) in at #4 and get to clean house for a bit as the clock seems to be speeding up. Butcher and Blade are in at #5 to add in some power, meaning house is cleaned even more. Angels is tossed out and it’s the Varsity Blonds in at #6 as we take a break. Back with Bear Country having entered at #7 and Santana and Ortiz in at #8.

Santana and Ortiz go right after Bear Country and toss them without much trouble for the first team elimination. Caster is knocked out and it’s the Best Friends in at #9. Garrison is tossed and apparently Pillman was eliminated during the break, so the Blonds are gone too. More Dark Order (Evil Uno/Stu Grayson) are in at #10 as Blade gets kicked out. Three members of the Dark Order get rid of Butcher to eliminate another team. The Big Rig hits Grayson and it’s the Young Bucks in at #11 for the showdown with FTR.

That’s broken up by everyone else though and we take another break. Back again with the Wingmen in at #12 and the Gunn Club coming in at #13. The means a double Big Rig and the Bucks team up with FTR to get rid of the Club. Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson are in at #14 and get caught in the melee. Bowens goes after 10’s mask and tosses him out to get rid of the team. Chuck Taylor is tossed and the Wingmen go after them. There goes Grayson for a nasty crash and it’s 2.0 to complete the field at #15.

Anderson and Lee are tossed and Top Flight knocks Bowens out to get rid of the Acclaimed. Uno and Trent wind up on the apron, with Uno poking him in the eye and trying a piledriver, only to have Danhausen pop out from underneath the ring. The curse to Uno allows Trent to suplex Uno out, with Trent thanking Danhausen. Santana, Ortiz and 2.0 all wind up on the same apron for a fight with 2.0 being eliminated, followed by FTR getting rid of Santana and Ortiz.

Matt Jackson sends Trent into the corner ala Ric Flair and then clotheslines him off the apron ala Hulk Hogan. That leaves us with the Bucks, Top Flight and FTR as the final six so the slugout is on. Dante misses the Nosedive but grabs a hurricanrana on Cash, which eliminates both of them. Harwood tries a slingshot powerbomb on Matt but gets countered with another hurricanrana. Cue ReDRagon for a distraction, allowing the Bucks to superkick Harwood out.

That leaves the Bucks vs. Darius Martin, the latter of whom knocks Matt down. Darius hits a handspring elbow to Nick and a Spanish Fly to Matt but Brandon Cutler saves Nick. The Meltzer Driver is broken up though and now Nick is tossed. Darius throws Matt to the apron but not out, meaning Matt can backdrop him to the apron. Matt gets pulled to the apron as well, where he kicks Darius low and then superkicks him out for the win at 26:54.

Rating: B. The best thing about this match was that they kept things moving and didn’t let the match get bogged down. I like the Royal Rumble format better than the Casino style, though it makes me wonder why they bothered with the Casino name here. Anyway, it was a good showing for multiple teams, including Top Flight, but the Bucks winning was the only real choice.

Post match the Bucks and ReDRagon are pleased with each other but here is the Jurassic Express for the staredown.

Chris Jericho is ready to beat Eddie Kingston and, after explaining what a promo means, says he knows Eddie is going to fail again because he is scared of success. After Revolution, he is going to tell Eddie to GFY. Santana and Ortiz come in and fist bump Jericho, but won’t say if they’re good with him or not.

Here is a serious looking CM Punk for a chat. He has spent the last week asking himself if he is the bad guy, but he can’t be sure that MJF isn’t gaslighting him. Punk believes that those things happened to MJF, but he isn’t sure if he cares. There is a photo of a young Punk on the internet meeting Steve Austin, though Punk wasn’t hut when Austin took his ball and went home.

Punk has seen MJF do horrible things to people like Dean Malenko and insult the memory of Brian Pillman. When Punk arrived, MJF offered him a handshake but Punk didn’t accept it. Does that make him Dr. Frankenstein and MJF the Monster? Punk wants the MJF from last week to come out here for a conversation, so here is MJF, sans music. Punk talks about the horrible things he has done over the years, from pouring alcohol down an alcoholic’s throat, poured ashes from an urn onto another person, and insulted an addict until they lost their job.

This right here though is bigger than the two of them because it is about that eleven year old kid at home. This morning, Punk asked himself if he was the good guy and he said he sure was trying. Punk extends his hand but MJF isn’t sure about that. Instead MJF hugs him, which Punk eventually accepts. MJF kicks him low though and then takes off the jacket, revealing a shirt with the photo of MJF meeting Punk as a kid.

The beating is on, including the Dynamite Diamond to the face. Wardlow and Shawn Spears come out with the dog collar as Punk is busted open. Punk is hung with the collar and chain and is COVERED in blood. MJF says Punk is a stupid old man and calls himself the devil himself. Spears hangs Punk over the top rope until Darby Allin, Sting and Sammy Guevara run out for the save. That was a heck of an angle, with Punk being COVERED in blood. Vengeance should be sweet on Sunday and that is what they were going for here.

Keith Lee is interrupted by Team Taz and isn’t happy about it. They’ll see each other at Revolution.

Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa/Mercedes Martinez

Rebel is here with Baker/Hayter. Baker gets double teamed into the corner to start but she comes back with a Sling Blade to Martinez. Hayter comes in and gets shouldered down but Rebel offers a distraction. That means a superkick can drop Martinez and we take a break. Back with Martinez taking Hayter down for two but Baker comes back in to forearm Martinez in the face.

A superkick puts Martinez down but she is able to get over to Rosa for the Baker showdown. They slug it out until Rosa scores with a Death Valley Driver for two. Everything breaks down though and Martinez takes out Hayter and Rebel, leaving Rosa to hit an Emerald Flosion for the pin on Baker (Tony: “NO! NO! NO!”) at 8:20.

Rating: C+. Rosa had to get a pin here to set up the big title showdown and make it feel a lot more dramatic. That is going to be the match where it feels like Baker could lose and making it feel more likely here is a good idea. Martinez and Hayter were fine in their roles as well so this was a good step forward to the bigger match.

Jade Cargill isn’t interested in hearing about Tay Conti’s martial arts so Anna Jay has to hold her back.

Kris Statlander doesn’t think much of Leyla Hirsch calling herself a real athlete but Hirsch doesn’t think enough of her to respond. Statlander promises to show a new side of herself that no one has ever seen before.

Wardlow vs. Cezar Bononi

Bononi tries a powerbomb to start and gets powerbombed for the first time. The Powerbomb Symphony finishes for Wardlow at 49 seconds. Longer than I was expecting.

Post match Wardlow breaks up Shawn Spears’ chair shot to Bononi and they stare each other down. Spears thinks better of things.

Here’s the rundown of upcoming shows.

The House of Black takes credit for turning Pentagon into something so evil. Just remember that the house always wins.

MJF comes in to see Wardlow and says that if he wins the ladder match, he can even keep the TNT Title. MJF: “It’s not like you’re going to win it anyway.” Wardlow says he’s too busy making sure MJF is always winning so MJF slaps him in the face. MJF reminds Wardlow that he isn’t a professional wrestler but rather the bodyguard. That means he needs to stay in line or his family is going to be in trouble.

Hangman Page/Dark Order vs. Adam Cole/ReDRagon

Page backs Cole into the corner to start so it’s off to Fish instead. That’s fine with Page, who stomps Fish down into the corner so O’Reilly comes in for a change. Silver strikes him down and it’s the Dark Order flipping O’Reilly over for a crash, followed by a dropkick from Reynolds. O’Reilly manages to pull him into an abdominal stretch but Reynolds is out in a hurry. Page comes back in but gets taken down by a cheap shot.

Cole’s Panama Sunrise is countered into a cradle so they hit the pinfall reversal sequence. The Deadeye is broken up and Cole superkicks him in the leg. Page gets over to the apron but the threat of the Buckshot sends Cole bailing to the floor as we take a break. Back with Silver in trouble but managing to kick his way to freedom. Granted it isn’t a freedom that doesn’t last long though, as O’Reilly pulls him down into a kneebar.

That’s broken up as well and the hot tag brings in Page for the staredown. Cole gets suckered in as well and the slugout is on, with the other four joining in as well. Everything breaks down and Cole hits the brainbuster onto the knee to drop Silver. Page decks Cole, who is right back with an enziguri. Reynolds hits a pop up knee to Cole, who superkicks him twice. The Boom finishes Reynolds off at 12:42.

Rating: B-. Pretty nice main event here and much like the women’s tag, it helped advance the bigger title match at the pay per view. This worked out well and Cole gets to look stronger on the way to Revolution. At the same time, Cole vs. Page isn’t exactly feeling like a major pay per view showdown. Maybe that is because Punk vs. MJF is that awesome, but Cole vs. Page needed all the help it could get.

Post match Page goes after Cole again but gets duct taped to the ropes. That leaves the Dark Order to get beaten down. Cole superkicks Page and drapes the title onto his shoulder to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was quite the weird show, as it had the big announcement to start and then a nearly thirty minute match eating up about a fourth of the show. That put a lot of focus on two things when the rest of Revolution needed a good bit more focus. Rosa vs. Baker needed some more focus over the last few weeks and the main event still doesn’t feel hue. That being said, the Ring of Honor announcement was interesting and the action was all good to very good. Kind of a weird show, but it was more solid stuff, as usual.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Christopher Daniels – Triangle choke
Young Bucks won a casino battle royal last eliminating Top Flight
Thunder Rosa/Mercedes Martinez b. Jamie Hayter/Britt Baker – Emerald Flosion to Baker
Wardlow b. Cezar Bononi – Powerbomb Symphony
Adam Cole/ReDRagon b. Hangman Page/Dark Order – Boom to Reynolds

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: February 25, 2022
Location: Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Chris Jericho

We are less than two weeks away from Revolution and the show has mostly come together. There were three more matches announced for the card this week on Dynamite so now it is time to start hammering in the build. That might be the case this week, as Rampage tends to have some storyline progression to go with the main wresting focus. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Andrade El Idolo vs. Sammy Guevara

Andrade, with Matt Hardy, is challenging and he takes it to the mat early. A chop rocks Sammy but he’s back with a kick to the face. Neither of them can hit a finisher early so it’s a shoulder to put Sammy down again. Sammy knocks him outside and teases the dive but Andrade slides back in. That’s fine with the champ, who hits the Spanish Fly to drop Andrade this time.

Sammy’s springboard is loaded up but Andrade shoves him off the top and out to the floor for a crash into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Andrade being sent outside again, this time for a big running flip dive. Andrade is fine enough to hit a slingshot hanging DDT onto the apron (cool) but Sammy grabs a super Spanish Fly for two more.

They slug it out until Andrade goes to unhook the turnbuckle pad, allowing Matt to unhook the other pad. Sammy is back up with a failed GTH attempt, allowing Andrade to roll him up for two with his feet on the rope. Replays showed that Matt shoved the foot off, allowing Sammy to jump over him and hit a superkick. Sammy goes up on the exposed buckle but Andrade is up there to meet him. That earns him a kick to the face, sending Andrade down onto the exposed buckle. The double springboard cutter drops Andrade to retain the title at 12:24.

Rating: B. The match was a bit clunky in places but Sammy getting another win, and possibly knocking Andrade away from the title picture for a bit, are both good things. There was one minor note here that got my attention: Jericho mentioned that Sammy asked him to stay out of this at all costs. It was a quick line, but it explained why Jericho wasn’t down there helping his buddy when he was dealing with a numbers advantage. One quick explanation covered an issue and that is very nice to see. Er, hear.

Post match Matt jumps Guevara, but Darby Allin and Sting run in for the save.

Here is QT Marshall to complain about Hook not being the nicest guy in the world. Marshall takes credit for teaching Hook how to be respectful and says he made Hook the man he is today. Taz: “He’s lost his mind.” Why doesn’t Hook get out here right now and get stretched? Cue Hook, so here are Marshall’s students to go after hook, who takes them out in a hurry. One of the students bails instead.

Dan Lambert has talked to Tony Khan about getting Scorpio Sky a TNT Title match but Khan only offered him a Face of the Revolution ladder match. Sky isn’t pleased but Ethan Page tells him to trust Lambert, who promises to get him his TNT Title shot before the winner of the ladder match gets theirs.

Nick Comorato vs. Wardlow

Wardlow gets knocked down to start but he’s back up with some suplexes. We take a break and come back with Wardlow slipping out of an Alabama Slam and hitting the Powerbomb Symphony for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. Why in the world was there a commercial in a match that barely broke six minutes? What we got was more of the Wardlow power display and that is always fun. It’s nice to see him doing this against someone who has some size and power of their own too, as Wardlow has mainly been squashing the smaller guys.

Post match Aaron Solow goes after Wardlow but Shawn Spears makes the save with a chair. Wardlow isn’t happy but Spears says the Powerbomb Symphony thing isn’t working. Spears tells Wardlow to get back to basics with NO MORE POWERBOMBS! Wardlow has so much potential and Spears and Max are so proud of him. Hugging ensues.

Kayla Sparks vs. Serena Deeb

It’s the Professor’s Five Minute Challenge so Deeb jumps her to start and chokes with a jacket. An uppercut to the back of the neck drops Sparks again and the Serenity Lock finishes for Deeb at 2:32.

It’s time for a Thunder Rosa/Britt Baker contract signing. Rosa says it’s time for a champion who doesn’t cheat and signs. Baker goes on a rant about how she got everything out of their Lights Out match, like the shirt and the action figure. Rosa is stuck wrestling online and being jealous because she’s so insecure. Baker signs and Rosa jumps her with Baker’s goons coming in for the beatdown. Mercedes Martinez makes the save and Rebel is put through a table. This was fast and felt like it belonged on Smackdown.

We get the face to face showdown between Orange Cassidy, with Wheeler Yuta, and the Acclaimed. Max Caster says Cassidy looks like Ryan Gosling with scurvy but Cassidy says he stopped listening hours ago.

Face of the Revolution Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Anthony Bowens vs. Orange Cassidy

Max Caster and Wheeler Yuta are here too. Hold on though as Cassidy is going to rap as well. Actually make that the lazy kicks before taking out the Acclaimed. Cassidy: “Word to your mother.” Caster takes out Yuta with a chain to the face, leaving Bowens to drop Cassidy face first onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Bowens sending him into the buckle a few times. Cassidy slips away though and hits a high crossbody, only to get caught with a superkick. The Stundog Millionaire gets Cassidy out of trouble again and he plants Bowens with a Michinoku Driver for two. Bowens catches him on the apron but Cassidy takes out Caster on the floor.

There’s a big springboard flip dive to drop Bowens and Caster again as the pace picks up. Back in and top rope DDT and a spinning DDT plant Bowens for two but Bowens gets in a shot of his own. Caster goes after Cassidy but here’s Danhausen to curse Caster instead. The Orange Punch to Caster sets up an Orange Punch to Bowens to send Cassidy to Revolution at 10:15.

Rating: C+. There wasn’t much drama to this one but Cassidy can put on some entertaining matches under the right circumstances. If nothing else, the word to your mother part at the beginning was good for a chuckle. The Acclaimed continue to look pretty good in defeat, though their talking and charisma are the real strong points.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m still not a big fan out of how rushed this show tends to feel. There were no entrances until the Cassidy vs. Bowens match, which might not be that important but it would be nice to have a chance to see what is going on before the action starts fast. That point aside, this was still a good show with nothing bad and a solid opener. Another fun night, though you don’t need to see much after the title match.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Andrade El Idolo – Springboard cutter
Wardlow b. Nick Comorato – Powerbomb Symphony
Serena Deeb b. Kayla Sparks – Serenity Lock
Orange Cassidy b. Anthony Bowens – Orange Punch

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: February 16, 2022
Location: Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

They have their work cut out for themselves after last week’s show but AEW has a tendency to make something like that work more often than not. We are less than three weeks away from Revolution as well so it is time to start hammering home the card. The good thing is that you probably know what you’re getting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with CM Punk sitting in the middle of the ring, where he explains the idea of straightedge, which means he is better than you. That kind of a statement might sound familiar because he said it for the first time over twenty years ago. It inspired some people to be wrestlers and some people to be straightedge. Heck it even inspired some people to sit like him, ala Maxwell Jacob Friedman.

That would be the same MJF who beat him in his hometown of Chicago (twice). MJF tries to make himself seem like some all time great but in reality he’s the same s***** little MJF from s***** little Long Island. Now though, after last week, and thanks to Jon Moxley for the assist, Punk gets to pick the rules of their rematch. That will be March 6 at Revolution in Orlando, Florida, but what kind of a match should it be?

Punk had been thinking about a cage match, but Wardlow can still tear things apart and MJF can still run away. The thing is, most important losses of Punk’s career are the kind of matches where he has left a piece of himself behind. MJF has been talking about Piper in Portland though, and that has Punk thinking. He opens a box in front of him and pulls out a dog collar with a chain attached.

Punk wants MJF out there to hear this from his mouth so here he is. Before MJF can say anything, Punk has one more thing: a photo of MJF as a kid meeting Punk. Punk: “For your, it was the greatest day of your life, but for me, it was Friday.” Revolution is going to be the worst day of your life, but for Punk, it is going to be Sunday, when the canvas will be stained with MJF’s blood. MJF picks up a mic to say something, only to drop it and walk away instead. That’s a nice choice for a stipulation and I could go for the violence that comes with it.

Video on Bryan Danielson trying to get Jon Moxley to join him in teaching the new generation.

Jurassic Express is defending their Tag Team Titles in a three way at Revolution and there will be a pair of battle royals over the next two weeks to determine their challengers (this company LOVES battle royals). Jungle Boy says he knows something about winning battle royals and taps Christian Cage on the shoulder in a nice, subtle moment. That’s cool with the champs.

Bryan Danielson vs. Lee Moriarty

Matt Sydal is here with Moriarty and this could be pretty great. Danielson offers a handshake but pulls it away when Moriarty goes for it. They go technical to start until Danielson slaps him in the face. Moriarty takes him down again by the ankle but gets reversed into a surfboard with a dragon sleeper. That’s escaped as well and Moriarty hits a running kick to the arm. Danielson’s legs are still fine enough for a moonsault over Moriarty, who gets tied in the ropes for the kicks to the chest.

We take a break and come back with Danielson holding Moriarty on the mat with a knuckle lock but not being able to break his bridge. Instead they lock legs (while still holding hands) and stand on their heads, where they start slapping each other (it’s quite the visual). Since that’s a bit nuts, Danielson tries to switch into the LeBell Lock but Moriarty makes the rope. Moriarty suplexes him down but gets kicked down to his knees.

The big kick is blocked though and Moriarty hits a clothesline. A belly to belly gets two on Danielson and it’s time for some forearms to the back. The Border City Stretch (Gargano Escape) has Danielson in more trouble but he reverses into a reverse fisherman’s suplex for the break. The running knee sets up the stomps to the head into the triangle choke to knock Moriarty cold at 12:12.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up rather well and that’s what they should have been doing. Sometimes you need a hard hitting match and the two of them did just that here. Danielson beating him down and winning in the end made sense, but Moriarty got to show what he can do as well. Moriarty is a very skilled star in his own right and it was nice to see him get this kind of a showcase. Good stuff here, as is a guarantee with Danielson these days.

Post match Danielson says that he needed to teach Moriarty a thing or two about violence but he wants Jon Moxley to help him. He has asked Moxley for his help and now he wants an answer. Cue Moxley through the crowd to talk about how he used to be just like Moriarty. When he was young, broke and a bit dumb, he wanted to take a shot at the American Dragon.

It was at a small show in Ohio but Danielson was late to the show because bad weather delayed his flight. After Tracy Smothers stalled for about 45 minutes, Danielson arrived in his gear and then got in the ring with Moxley. He fought hard, but ultimately Danielson beat him, as he has done every time. Moxley has never beaten him before and now he wants that one win that has eluded him.

But now Danielson wants to team up with him and yeah, Moxley has thought about it. Imagine the legacy of violence they could put together. He really couldn’t think of one good reason to say no, but then he got to thinking. Does Danielson want to be his partner to create things, or is it because he doesn’t want to be across the ring from Moxley? So what is Danielson saying? Either way, Moxley isn’t standing next to someone until he bleeds with them first.

That story was a great touch for this and it gave this a nice personal touch, especially with Danielson being the big monster that Moxley wants to slay. I’m not sure where this is going, but between Violence Unlimited and Violent By Design, I could go without another violence themed stable.

Keith Lee is happy with last week’s win, but it’s step one on the way to being the Face of the Revolution.

Face of the Revolution Qualifying Match: Wardlow vs. Max Caster

Shawn Spears and Anthony Bowens are here too. Caster’s rap mocks local Nashville teams and suggests that Wardlow is MJF’s b**** boy. Wardlow doesn’t like that and goes right for him, including sending Caster into the corner. We take a break and come back with Caster using a chain around his hand to escape the Powerbomb Symphony. The Mic Drop gets two but Wardlow is back up with the first powerbomb. The Powerbomb Symphony finishes Caster at 5:27. Not enough shown to rate but Wardlow dominated what we got to see.

Post match Bowens goes after Wardlow and gets powerbombed down for his efforts. Wardlow doesn’t seem interested in Spears’ approval.

Mercedes Martinez, with Britt Baker and company, is ready for the No DQ match with Thunder Rosa but Baker tells her to get this done already. A man (apparently a villain in the Karate Kid movies series….which I haven’t actually seen) comes in to say no mercy. That seemed to be a rather cool cameo.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Before he can say more than a few words, here is Adam Cole to cut him off and ask the fans to give Page a round of applause. Cole was impressed by the war that Page went through to retain the title last week and he has earned the right to be called champion. Now Cole has been a World Champion everywhere he has gone too, but for right now, Page has the title. Page talks about how Cole’s friends built up a company without him and this is the one World Title he has never had.

Cole brings up that the Young Bucks and the Dark Order have all left Page, who says Cole doesn’t have the best record with friends either. That makes Cole chuckle, but the truth is that Page is always known as the other Adam. Page rolls up the sleeves but Cole sucks up to him, saying they will fight for the World Title at some point. May the best man win, and they shake hands, with Cole walking away in peace. Cue ReDDragon to jump Page from behind though and Cole joins in for the big beatdown. Security comes in for the save, with Dark Order coming in as well. 10 even beats up security, with the Order having to hold him back.

Darby Allin talks about how wrestling is therapy to him, just like it is to Sammy Guevara. Sammy talks about their history together and now they’re fighting again.

Chris Jericho/Jake Hager vs. Santana/Ortiz

The Inner Circle implodes and here is the returning Eddie Kingston to make things all the bigger. Ortiz sends Jericho into the corner to start and it’s Santana coming in to chop away. A middle rope dropkick to a seated Jericho gets one and Ortiz’s fisherman’s suplex gets two. Jericho clotheslines his way out of trouble though and it’s Hager coming in for a belly to belly. The Vader Bomb gets two on Ortiz and we take a break.

Back with Jericho slapping Ortiz in the head but getting caught with a clothesline. Santana comes in to clean house, only to get powerslammed to give Hager two. It’s back to Jericho, who gets planted down without much trouble. The Street Sweeper gives Ortiz two and it’s time for some stunned kickout faces. Jericho is right back with the Walls of Jericho on Santana, with Kingston begging him to make the ropes. That earns Kingston a shot to the face but Santana is back up with a discus lariat to finish Jericho at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This was a solid enough tag match as Kingston’s issues with Jericho continue to cause problems. You can probably pencil them in for a match at Revolution, which very well could be Kingston’s big win. It wasn’t quite a classic, but they advanced the story as Santana and Ortiz win while Jericho gets taken down a peg.

Post match Jericho freaks out and gets in a fight with Kingston.

Adam Cole and ReDDragon ask the Young Bucks where they were earlier but the Bucks don’t have much to say. Cole is cool with that though as they are going to win both of their matches on Rampage and then they’re going to dominate the tag team battle royals. This turns into an argument over which team has the better fathers, with Cole trying to place peacemaker. Cole isn’t sure which way to go so he tells Brandon Cutler to turn off the camera instead.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Thunder Rosa

No DQ and John Kreese (the Karate Kid guy) is in the front row, where he is identified as Britt Baker’s sensei (you can imagine how this goes with JR). Rosa comes out looking like the Bride from Kill Bill and they start with the brawl in the aisle. The fans chant something I can’t make out as the fight is already heading back to the floor. Rosa pulls out the table but gets sent into the steps for her efforts.

Martinez throws some chairs inside but Rosa whips her through the barricade. They head into the crowd, where Rosa hits a dive off another barricade to take her down. We take a break and come back with Martinez hitting a fisherman’s buster off the apron through a table. Some chair shots send Rosa back inside but she counters a superbomb with a hurricanrana.

Rosa puts a trashcan over Martinez’s head and hits a running dropkick for two. Martinez is fine enough to catch her on top with a German superplex, setting up a top rope elbow (with a nasty landing) for two. A bunch of chairs are piled up but Rosa manages a crucifix bomb. The Fire Thunder Driver onto the chairs finishes Martinez at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Another good brawl and what matters most is Rosa gets closer and closer to the showdown with Baker. I would assume the title match is coming at Revolution, but I could also see it being the main event of a huge episode of Dynamite. Martinez is someone who continues to be a solid gatekeeper heel and she is perfect for this kind of a match when you need to make someone look a lot better. Not a classic fight, but Rosa got what she needed out of it.

Post match, Martinez shows respect but here are Britt Baker and company. Baker comes up to Kreese, who tells her to finish this. Jamie Hayter and Rebel run in to jump Rosa, with Martinez coming back in. She teases hitting Rosa with a lead pipe but can’t do it, meaning Hayter jumps her from behind and poses with Baker.

The House of Black talks about how they want to hurt people. A third member seems to be teased.

Jay White is ready to prove himself on Rampage.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin

Sammy is defending and Sting lets Allin do this one on his own. They stare each other down to start and then shake hands to get things going. Allin headlocks him over but has to slip out of a rollup. Back up and Sammy flips over him, only to get knocked into the corner. They head up top with Sammy getting him in a fireman’s carry and dropping him ribs first onto the top turnbuckle.

Back in and Sammy drapes him over the top for a Swanton to the back, sending Allin FLYING out to the floor in a cool looking crash. We come back from a break with Allin taking out Guevara’s knee and then falling backwards onto it to make things even worse. Allin ties him in the Tree of Woe and pulls on a loose leg to bang up the knee in a more unique way. There’s a half crab in the Tree of Woe (cool) but Sammy powers up and hits a super Spanish Fly.

Sammy’s springboard is countered into a Figure Four but they slap it out for the break. The flipping Stunner and GTH are both countered so Allin grabs the Last Supper for two. Now the flipping Stunner can connect to send Sammy outside but he counters a dive into a cutter for a big crash on the floor.

Back up and Sammy misses a Swanton onto the apron, with the landing leaving him down on the floor for a good while. They get back inside where Allin loads up the Coffin Drop but here is Andrade’s assistant Jose for a distraction. Sting takes him out, allowing Andrade to run in and hit Allin with the iPad. Sammy, who didn’t seem to see what happened, hits GTH for the pin to retain at 14:52.

Rating: B. Good stuff here and I don’t think that’s any kind of a surprise. This wasn’t so much about the wrestling but rather the big moves that leave one of them knocked silly or flying away. That’s a different way to go and it is the kind of match where these two excel, making this a solid main event, which even advanced Allin vs. Andrade. Granted your mileage on Andrade may vary, but at least they have an idea.

Post match Matt Hardy runs in to beat on Allin with Sammy making the save. Andrade hits him with the iPad poses with the TNT Titles (because there are still two of them) until Sting chases him off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Another awesome show here and that is what I have come to expect in the last few weeks. They are getting the formula right and it has me wanting to see what they are going to do from week to week. You had a bunch of matches here, but more importantly there are several things set up for later. That covers two bases at once, as we now have something to look forward to, but also the proof that they have a plan here. The plan might not be your taste, but they have something there and that is a great thing to see. Much like this show.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Lee Moriarty – Triangle choke
Wardlow b. Max Caster – Powerbomb Symphony
Santana/Ortiz b. Jake Hager/Chris Jericho – Discus lariat to Jericho
Thunder Rosa b. Mercedes Martinez – Fire Thunder Driver onto a pile of chairs
Sammy Guevara b. Darby Allin – GTH

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

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Rampage
Date: February 4, 2022
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Chris Jericho

We’re still in Chicago and it’s a stacked card as Jay Lethal challenges Ricky Starks for the FTW Title. On top of that, Sammy Guevara defends the TNT Title against Isiah Kassidy and Adam Cole faces Evil Uno. Ok so maybe they’re not all huge matches this time around. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Adam Cole vs. Evil Uno

Cole jumps him to start and the choking begins on the ropes. That lets Cole get a bit more cocky but Uno fights up and runs him over. The Swanton hits knees though and some kicks rock Uno. The Boom finishes for Cole at 2:25. That’s what this should have been.

Post match Cole lists off a bunch of names that he has beaten while he is still undefeated. He doesn’t care about last week because it doesn’t exist. What does exist is a new Adam Cole and now he is ruthless. He has won World Titles and always winds up dominating anywhere he goes. There is one thing that is certain: he will become the World Champion.

Jade Cargill is ready to become 27-0 and laughs at the idea that she is green. She’s green like money.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Isiah Kassidy

Sammy, with taped ribs, is defending and Matt Hardy/Marq Quen are here with Kassidy. Feeling out process to start until Kassidy goes after the bad ribs. That doesn’t bother Sammy, who sends him outside for the big flip dive. There’s the nip up as well, just to show off a bit. Sammy goes after Quen though, allowing Hardy to hit a Side Effect onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Kassidy staying on the ribs. Sammy fights up and tries the GTH but the ribs give out. Instead it’s Kassidy charging into a superkick. Sammy goes up but here is Andrade for a distraction. A Backstabber gives Kassidy two and he sends Sammy outside for a dive. Back in and a Swanton to the back gets two but Sammy fights up and springboard dives onto Quen. A springboard cutter gives Sammy two and the GTH retains the title at 9:12.

Rating: C+. This was exactly as the match should have gone. There was no reason to believe that Guevara was in trouble in a straight match against Kassidy so stacking the odds is the way to go. It made for a nice challenge to Guevara before he can move on to something else. Doing things like this is going to make Guevara seem like a bigger deal and that’s what they made work here.

Post match Andrade gets in the ring behind Sammy but Darby Allin runs in. Allin isn’t interested in the money offered to him so it’s a big staredown instead. With Andrade and company gone, Allin slaps Guevara’s TNT Titles (because Sammy is carrying both of them), which might be a warning.

QT Marshall is sending someone after Hook.

Kris Statlander doesn’t think Layla Hirsch has been acting like an amateur wrestler…and then Hirsch blasts her in the back with a chair.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa hammers away to start and takes Martinez down for some elbows to the back. They head outside with Rosa snapping off a suplex before heading back inside. Martinez runs her over this time and we take a break. Back with Martinez hitting a super Death Valley Driver for two but Rosa plants her right back down. They head outside where Martinez whips out a pipe and hits Rosa in the face for the DQ at 7:41.

Rating: C. This was intense while it lasted, but the ending has me wondering just how hard Rosa is going to smash Martinez in their violent rematch. That’s where Rosa shines and hopefully it finally moves towards the big Rosa vs. Baker showdown. You have to do something like this to get there though and that’s a fine way to go, even if a DQ still feels weird around here.

Video on Serena Deeb.

Mercedes Martinez is happy with what she did but here is Britt Baker to say a DQ isn’t what they agreed on. If that’s what she wanted, she would have had Jamie Hayter do it for her. Baker paid Martinez to take out Rosa and now she better not lose again, or Baker will have her out of here faster than Martinez left her last job. Violence is teased but Hayter gets in between them.

Jay Lethal is ready to take the FTW Title. Ricky Starks doesn’t think so.

FTW Title: Jay Lethal vs. Ricky Starks

Starks is defending and has Powerhouse Hobbs with him. Lethal elbows him down to start and chops away as you might have expected. Starks gets sent outside for the suicide dives but a Hobbs distraction lets him run Lethal over. We take a break and come back with Lethal getting two off a backslide and la majistral is good for the same.

There’s the Lethal Combination for two more but a hurricanrana is countered into a heck of a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Lethal fights back again so Hobbs gets up for a distraction. Lethal’s dive is countered so here’s Dante Martin to take out Hobbs. Back in and Lethal hits a cutter for no cover (Jericho: “JAY YOU MISSED YOUR SPOT!”). The Lethal Injection is loaded up but Starks counters into the Roshambo (that was SWEET) for the pin to retain at 12:42.

Rating: B-. The ending was excellent as Starks couldn’t have timed that better. Lethal is someone who serves as a perfect challenger in a spot like this as he could win the title but also gives Starks a good run for his money. At the same time, I’m not entirely sure the FTW Title needs to exist around here, as it often comes off as “oh yeah that’s still a thing” more than a valuable prize.

Overall Rating: C+. Another rather good show, though it still feels like they pack in a lot. In this case, that wasn’t the best feeling as it came off as rushed. I could go for them slowing down a bit, as this feels like it would be better as a forty five minute show (which obviously can’t be done on TV). That being said, it’s still FAR from a bad show and I don’t remember the last time they had a bad one, with this being the latest solid effort.

Results
Adam Cole b. Evil Uno – The Boom
Sammy Guevara b. Isiah Kassidy – GTH
Thunder Rosa b. Mercedes Martinez via DQ when Martinez hit her with a pipe
Ricky Starks b. Jay Lethal – Roshambo

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 26, 2022
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for Beach Break, which is in Cleveland because when you think of going to the beach, you think of a place that is currently 12 degrees and on a lake. This week’s show is stacked, with a ladder match for the TNT Title and a Lights Out match where Orange Cassidy can beat Adam Cole but it doesn’t count. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara

Ladder match for the undisputed title. Cody starts fast with a dropkick and goes for the drop town uppercut, only to get blocked. The technical wrestling (which defines ladder matches) ensues until they head outside with Cody grabbing the ladder. That’s broken up so they head into the crowd (with Cody having to check on a fan he bumps into). Cody wins a slugout but stops to high five the fans, allowing Sammy to dive over the barricade with a cutter.

Back in and Sammy loads up the ladder but Cody is fine enough to break that up without much trouble. The collision knocks both of them down and they slowly climb, with Cody hitting a scary delayed vertical suplex off the ladder (with the referee holding it in place). We take a break and come back with Cody dropping Sammy ribs first on an upside down ladder. Cody grabs a Figure Four with Sammy’s legs tied in the rungs of a ladder but lets go pretty soon.

Sammy fights back and kicks away but his springboard is cut off with a ladder to the face. That lets Cody go up, but Sammy hits a springboard (off the top of another ladder) into a super cutter to send them both crashing down. It’s Sammy going up again but Cody shoves the ladder over, sending Sammy crashing into the rope. Somehow Sammy is back up so it’s Cross Rhodes to bring him back down, almost sending the ladder into the referee.

They both go up but wind up hanging onto the bar the belts are attached to. That means a double crash and they both roll outside for a breather. Cody ties the leg in the ladder but here is Fuego Del Sol to beg for some mercy. That earns him a Jay Driller inside but Sammy is back up with a save and the GTH on the floor. Sammy adds a big flip dive to the floor to take Cody down again.

Cody is laid over a ladder bridged between the ring and the barricade, allowing Sammy to climb the BIG ladder (not inside under the title, because that would make too much sense). The Swanton hits Cody, with the ladder not giving whatsoever. They’re both down and then slowly go up, with Sammy hitting him in the head with one of the belts for the big knockdown. Sammy pulls down the titles to win at 22:07.

Rating: B. This was the definition of a spotfest, with a bunch of the moves not making sense as they could have gone for the title. That being said, SWEET GOODNESS there were some amazing spots here, with that cutter being one of the cooler things I have seen in one of these in a long time. This was awesome, turn your brain off stuff and Sammy winning was a nice treat.

Earlier today, Team Taz had Tony Schiavone come to the freezing beach in Cleveland. They want to take out Dante Martin and Jay Lethal, but Tony thinks his hand has frozen to the microphone.

Wardlow vs. Elijah Dean/James Alexander

Wardlow is the hometown boy and it’s the Powerbomb Symphony for the double stack pin at 1:17.

Inner Circle vs. 2.0/Daniel Garcia

Santana and Ortiz/Chris Jericho here with the former two beating on Parker, including a splash for two. Garcia comes in and gets kicked down as well, though there is not even a look at Jericho for a tag. Jericho tags himself in out of frustration but Santana tags himself right back in.

The argument is on and the Inner Circle gets jumped as we take a break. Back with Oritz fighting out of trouble and ignoring Jericho’s hand to tag in Santana. Everything breaks down and Jericho looks on from the floor. Jericho pulls Lee outside though, followed by a Judas Effect through the ropes to Parker. Santana piledrives Parker for the pin at 8:44.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much drama in this outside of Jericho screwing over his partners, but they were a bit heavy handed with Santana and Ortiz not trusting him. The split still seems imminent and after the Inner Circle has been a thing for so long, that is not a bad idea. Jericho could use his latest freshening up and Santana and Ortiz will be fine on their own so the breakup wouldn’t be awful.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Lance Archer, which will be a Texas Deathmatch. Page, upon hearing that, has his eyes bug out as he asks “a WHAT?” in a funny bit.

We get a showdown between Jurassic Express and Private Party, with Christian Cage and Matt Hardy. Matt hypes up the team but Jungle Boy points out that Party’s watches are fake.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He is trying to look tough tonight but Cleveland makes him smile. Everyone knows who Punk wants to fight and he wants the fans chanting for MJF so it can happen for the only time ever. Punk opens the jacket to reveal the scarf, and apparently you can get a 12 pack on Amazon for $5. He has beaten everyone MJF has so bring him out here.

Cue MJF to ask the fans if they want to see them wrestle right here right no. MJF: “No.” They can do the match next week in Chicago, with MJF finally saying he’ll have the match. MJF says he’ll beat him in Chicago (Punk: “Do it here b****, do it here.”) and talks about Punk walking out in Cleveland about eight years ago. All Punk is going to do is walk out and then talk about it on a podcast.

Punk says MJF will be listening because he is a fan. Leaving was the best thing he ever did and now being back is the best thing he ever did. Punk wants MJF to go put in his three inch lifts and come out here to fight. These people love him because he keeps getting up and fights, just like Cleveland and Chicago.

MJF wants to test that theory, so here is the rest of the Pinnacle, including Shawn Spears coming in from behind. The big beatdown is on, but Wardlow stands back and doesn’t get involved. MJF tells Wardlow to powerbomb Punk and, after thinking about it, Wardlow does so, albeit without much force. MJF sits on Punk’s chest ala the Pipebomb to wrap it up. That was awesome, and it’s time for Punk to finally crush him, possibly with Wardlow turning.

The Acclaimed doesn’t like Jon Moxley and promise that Anthony Bowens will beat his “Oskar Kokoshka looking a**.” I did not have a Hey Arnold reference on this show.

Mark Sterling interrupts a Varsity Blonds interview and gives Julia Hart the next TBS Title shot against Jade Cargill. Griff Garrison says she needs time to heal properly but she cuts him off, saying she can fight her own battles.

Leylah Hirsch vs. Red Velvet

Hirsch pulls her down to the floor for a whip into the barricade and grabs a suplex as we take a break. Back with Velvet hitting the running knees to the back but favoring her shoulder. Hirsch hits a suplex and grabs the Legit Lock, sending Velvet over to the rope. Back up and Velvet tries a rollup, only to get reversed into a cradle with Hirsch grabbing trunks for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: D+. This was WAY too long as there is no reason to believe Velvet would hang with Hirsch that long. On top of that, it wasn’t even a clean finish, which shouldn’t be the case for Hirsch against someone on Velvet’s level. The match wasn’t even very good, which makes this one of the bigger headscratchers they’ve had in awhile around here.

Post match the beating stays on but Kris Statlander makes the save.

The House of Black threatens Pac because they are inevitable.

Here is Tony Schiavone to introduce Britt Baker, who won a bunch of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Awards. She talks about how the Steelers beat the Browns and lists off a bunch of Baker Mayfield’s failures. Then she does it again before saying she is the Baker you can count on. This was oddly repetitive.

Vickie Guerrero brings out Nyla Rose, who rants about how Ruby Soho cost her the TBS Title. A challenge is thrown out.

Adam Cole vs. Orange Cassidy

Unsanctioned lights out. Cassidy takes the glasses off and crushes them, setting up the big brawl. The fight to the floor with Cole being sent into the barricade. Cole is back with a shot of his own, sending Cassidy down in a heap. It’s time to get a chair….and Cole pulls Danhausen out with him. Danhausen seems to curse him before leaving, but Cole is fine enough to superkick a chair into Cassidy’s face. Cassidy’s Orange Punch hits post to damage his hand though and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy hitting a Michinoku Driver on the open chairs. Cue a bunch of people to brawl at ringside, leaving Cassidy to hit the Orange Punch. It hurts the band hand though and it’s Cole hitting him low….only to find out that Cassidy is wearing a cup with thumbtacks attached. Cassidy hits his own Panama Sunrise for two and it’s time to fight to the back. After running Jerry Lynn off, it’s an AA to send Cassidy through a table for two.

They go back to the stage where Cole blocks an Orange Punch with a light to knock Cassidy silly. Cole climbs the set but Cassidy gets away and climbs up after him. A low blow cuts Cole down and he gives Cole a hug, setting up a dive through the stage. Cassidy lands on top and wins at 17:00.

Rating: C+.I’ve had to sit here for a bit and let this one soak in. On one hand, Cassidy winning makes sense based on the story they have been telling. On the other hand, it’s still Orange Cassidy, the guy who does the lazy kicks and the thumbs up, beating Adam Cole. This isn’t going to kill Cole and he’s not dead, but this is a case where it’s ok for Cassidy to fight hard and then lose in the end. The “but it doesn’t count!” deal will be the defense for it, but ultimately, Cassidy pinned Cole and that’s a bit much to swallow.

Overall Rating: B. This was a huge improvement over last week, which gives me some very solid hope that last week was just a misstep. The opener and main event were both good brawls, though the main event result still doesn’t quite sit right. It was a better show than last week, but there is still a little something missing from these shows. I’m not sure what it is, but the spark isn’t as bright as it was for a long time.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Cody Rhodes – Guevara pulled down the titles
Wardlow b. Elijah Dean/James Alexander – Double pin
Inner Circle b. 2.0/Daniel Garcia – Piledriver to Parker
Leylah Hirsch b. Red Velvet – Rollup with trunks
Orange Cassidy b. Adam Cole – Slam through the stage

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 12, 2022
Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s time to get a bit more back to normal after last week’s major show. That could mean a few things this week, as AEW has a bit of a strange definition of normal. World Champion Hangman Page is here and we have a showdown between CM Punk and Wardlow, which means MJF will be around too. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Adam Cole and ReDragon for a chat. Cole brags about how awesome the three of them are and how he is undefeated in singles action. ReDragon is the baddest team in wrestling….but here are the Young Bucks and Brandon Cutler to interrupt. Cole tries to play peacemaker and they all seem to be friends, because both teams are better than people like the Best Friends.

Cue the Best Friends and Orange Cassidy, with Cole calling their music stupid. The fight is on in a hurry but Cole hits Cassidy low. The beatdown is on but Kris Stadtlander comes in to stare Cole down. Britt Baker runs in to take Stadtlander out and the double kiss is loaded up, but Baker will take care of that too. A lot of posing ensues.

Video on Wardlow.

CM Punk vs. Wardlow

MJF is here with Wardlow. Punk drops to the floor to glare at MJF but Wardlow is waiting for him. Back in and Wardlow powers Punk into the corner so Punk comes back with a headlock. Some forearms take Punk down in the corner as the slow pace continues. Wardlow shrugs off a kick to the leg and tries the Powerbomb Symphony. Punk bails to the floor in a hurry though and we take a break.

Back with Punk escaping another Powerbomb Symphony and striking away to little avail. Clotheslines and strikes put Wardlow down to one knee and the springboard clothesline finally drops him. Punk’s right hands in the corner are finally countered into the first powerbomb and the Powerbomb Symphony is on. Five powerbombs connect…but MJF gets on the apron and says he wants more.

More powerbombs plant Punk again and he is mostly done on the apron. MJF wants Wardlow to powerbomb her through a table at ringside and gets just what he asks for, leaving Punk barely moving. Punk somehow manages to beat the count back in (with JR saying the count is being rather lenient)…where he small packages Wardlow for the pin at 14:06.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure about that one, as while I know where it’s going, it’s a bit much to accept Wardlow getting pinned off a small package after all that. MJF’s deal was perfectly fine and made sense, but seeing Wardlow get pinned after that is a bit much to take. It made Wardlow look great and dominant, but I wasn’t wild on that ending.

Post match MJF yells at Wardlow but Wardlow grabs his hand. Violence is teased but Shawn Spears runs in for the save.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Dante Martin

Hobbs starts fast and throws Martin around on the floor before the bell. The spinebuster plants Martin no the floor and tosses him inside to keep up the beating. A big slam lets Hobbs rip at Martin’s face and a hard clothesline takes him down again. Martin slips out of a torture rack but Hobbs crushes him with a crossbody. Hobbs whips him hard to the floor where Ricky Starks can get in some stomping as we take a break.

Back with Hobbs still not being able to get the torture rack as Martin slips out for a springboard missile dropkick. Martin knocks him outside for a springboard corkscrew dive. They get back in where Hobbs runs him over, though their heads seemed to have collided. Starks tries to offer a distraction but Jay Lethal (hey he still works here) pulls Starks off the apron. Martin hits a quick Nose Dive for the pin at 10:07.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t quite the same thing but this was another match where the power guy beat up someone until they won on a quick shot. Martin winning to continue frustrating Taz is a good way to go and having ANYTHING for Lethal to do is something overdue. They have done a good job with making Martin feel like a bigger and bigger deal. Good enough stuff here, even with Hobbs slipping on a banana peel.

The Inner Circle is proud to have won the Faction Of The Year and are ready for Sammy Guevara to win tonight. Cue Eddie Kingston to say he has a bad knee but also to blame Jericho for Santana and Ortiz not being Tag Team Champions. Santana and Ortiz leave before things get more serious. Jericho says he’ll be down there in tonight’s main event and threatens Kingston if he is down there too.

Here is a livid MJF to say this isn’t happening and the match is happening next week. Next week, it’s CM Punk vs. SHAWN SPEARS!

Adam Cole, ReDragon and the Bucks aren’t happy with Kris Stadtlander, and now they have someone to deal with her. Cue Britt Baker so the challenge for the mixed tag is thrown out. No one can remember Brandon Cutler’s name, again.

Here is Hangman Page, in a Smokey the Bear shirt, for a chat. Page talks about spending ninety minutes in the ring with Bryan Danielson, where he has spent all kinds of blood. That’s not enough though because the new year means the records have been reset. He needs a new challenger so….here is Dan Lambert (Page: “Shoot me.”) to interrupt. Lambert talks about how Page never used his backstage connections like Cody Rhodes. He doesn’t like Page’s gimmick though, because there have been some great cowboys in wrestling history.

Anyone from the Carolinas or the Virginias trying to steal their clout comes off like they are full of cowboy s***. Page talks about growing up on a farm and then coming here instead of signing a $600,000 contract, which he calls cowboy s***. Cue Lance Archer to grab Lambert, who tells him not to miss his chance at being in the ring with the World Champion. Archer jumps Page and beats him down with a chair, setting up the Black Out through the open chair. Archer vs. Page will be a good one off title match.

Arn Anderson is proud of Lee Johnson and his son Brock Anderson as a new tag team. They’re in Horsemen Country but here are Tully Blanchard and FTR to say Arn is rather right. The challenge is on and Brock/Lee are in for next week.

We look at Jade Cargill winning the TBS Title and she promises to keep it.

Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb

Deeb jumps her from behind during the entrances and it’s a kendo stick to the knee. Shida kicks the stick away but gets kicked into the steps. She manages to get inside so Deeb unloads on her in the corner. A dragon screw legwhip out of the corner stays on the leg, allowing her to twist the knee around again. The knee is rammed into the mat to set up the Serenity Lock so the referee stops it at 1:59.

Post match the medic comes out to check on Shida but Deeb hits her with the kendo stick anyway. Referees come in to break it up and Deeb finally leaves.

Christian Cage and the Jurassic Express is happy with their Tag Team Titles. They’ll face any top five team so here are Alex Reynolds and John Silver, who were there in all of two seconds. The match is set for Rampage.

Matt Hardy vs. Penta El Cero Miedo

Private Party and Alex Abrahantes are here too. Before the match, Matt promises to send Penta to the hospital with his brother Fenix. We get DELETE vs. CERO MIEDO to start and that goes on for so long that JR is reminding us of the time limit. Penta kicks him in the ribs but gets hit in the back of the head. Back up and Hardy gets sent into the corner, setting up the running chop.

We take a break and come back with Penta hitting a gutbuster for two and hitting an Alberto double stomp out of the corner for the same. The Fear Factor on the apron is blocked and it’s time to slug it out instead. Instead Matt hits a Side Effect onto the apron for two and DELETING ensues. Matt misses the moonsault though and now the Fear Factor can give Penta the pin at 8:51.

Rating: C. Matt Hardy continues to not exactly be the most thrilling guy to watch in the ring and that was the case here. The good thing is that he didn’t win, as that would have been more than a stretch at this point. Penta gets a win to put him back on track, but last week would suggest that there are some bad things coming for him.

Post match Penta calls out Malakai Black so here he is to unload on Penta with the kicks to the head. Black goes for the mask so here are the Varsity Blonds to help beat Black down. The fans chant for BRODY KING and the lights go out again….and here is BRODY KING to clean a lot of house.

Kris Stadtlander, with Leyla Hirsch and Red Velvet, is ready for Britt Baker next week. Hirsch thinks she’s selfish for not focusing on their six woman tag on Friday. Velvet tells them to get it together. Their opponents aren’t mentioned.

Acclaimed vs. Bear Country

Max Caster’s rap brings up Novak Djokovich and blasts Sting/Darby Allin. Bear Country unloads on Acclaimed to start but Caster manages a high crossbody for a breather. We take a break and come back with Boulder not being able to hit a double chokeslam but being able to hit a double Downward Spiral. The Bear Bomb (JR: “Not the Bear Bomb!”) misses Caster so he snaps Bronson’s throat across the top. The Mic Drop finishes for Caster at 6:18.

Rating: C-. This felt more like a Rampage match than something that belonged on Dynamite, though at least they are building up the Acclaimed for a change. I can’t imagine they go any further than losing to Sting/Darby Allin, but that is better than some teams can get. The rapping stuff will take them fairly far, and the good thing is that they can use it to be reheated without much effort.

Post match the lights go out again (come up with something new) and here is Sting with the baseball bat. The distraction lets Darby Allin come in from behind for the big beatdown, including Sting beating on the boom box.

Pac shows us a bunch of photos of himself with no eyes. Malakai Black blinded him but now he sees everything.

Here’s what’s coming on some upcoming shows.

Matt Hardy isn’t happy but here is Andrade El Idolo to suggest they can make a deal. They’ll talk elsewhere.

Interim TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Daniel Garcia

Guevara is defending, Chris Jericho and Eddie Kingston are at ringside and David Crockett is here to present the winner with the title (again). They go straight to the fight with Garcia punching him in the face to get an early breather. Sammy knocks him outside though and there’s the dive to take him down. Back in and the GTH is broken up and Garcia gets in a shot to the face to take over.

We take a break and come back with Sammy knocking him outside for a double springboard flip dive. They get back inside where Garcia hits a belly to back suplex for two (“covering with alacrity” according to Excalibur. Another GTH attempt is countered into a Scorpion Deathlock, with Sammy going straight to the ropes.

Sammy is back up with a messy looking Cross Rhodes for two so he tries another springboard. This time Garcia is ready for him by countering into a choke, followed by a hard piledriver for two. Cue 2.0 to go after Kingston and Jericho before one of them gets up on the apron. That’s fine with Guevara, who sends Garcia into him, setting up the GTH (without much contact) to retain at 12:34.

Rating: C+. This never reached the next level for me and it didn’t quite feel like it needed to be the main event. The Interim Title is a fine way to bridge the gap until Cody’s return though and having Sammy defend it makes things feel more important. Not a bad match by any means, but some of the moves weren’t hitting very cleanly and it took me out a few times.

Post match Jericho and Kingston go after 2.0, which leads to an argument between the two of them to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I really wasn’t feeling this show and a lot of the stuff felt skippable. There were a few things that happened, but it was one of those rare Dynamites where you would probably be better off just reading a recap rather than watching the two hours. That being said, if this is their weaker show, they are in a pretty good place, because it was hardly bad.

Results
CM Punk b. Wardlow – Small package
Dante Martin b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Nose Dive
Serena Deeb b. Hikaru Shida via referee stoppage
Penta El Cero Miedo b. Matt Hardy – Fear Factor
Acclaimed b. Bear Country – Mic Drop to Bronson
Sammy Guevara b. Daniel Garcia – GTH

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