Collision
Date: September 28, 2024
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Ian Riccaboni, Matt Menard

It’s the second show in the tennis stadium and that means we are in for a big card. In this case it means we have a lumberjack strap match between Hangman Page and Jeff Jarrett, an open challenge for the TNT Title and Saraya’s Rules between Saraya and Jamie Hayter. That should be enough so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Saraya vs. Jamie Hayter

This is under Saraya’s Rules, which basically means Saraya can do whatever she wants and Hayter can do nothing. Harley Cameron is here with Saraya and says there is one more rule: the match does not begin until Saraya “slaps the slag”. Saraya does get in the slap and Hayter drops both of them in short order. Cameron grabs the leg though and Saraya gets in a VCR shot before beating on Hayter with a computer keyboard.

Cameron gets in some more shots on the floor (Menard smiles because he likes a good crazy woman). Hayter fights up and German suplexes Saraya on the floor before sending Cameron hard into the steps. Saraya hits her in the back with a pipe before pouring a bunch of toy cars onto a table. That takes too long though and Hayter sends her into the barricade as well.

Cameron offers a distraction but Hayter still catches a diving Saraya with a powerslam. They go up, with Saraya hitting Hayter with a chair, knocking her through a table and Cameron onto another (with Hayter’s head coming dangerously close to slamming into the still standing table). That’s enough to give Saraya two on the floor…and now she’s willing to try for a countout. Back in and Hayter drives her through a table in the corner for a breather and hits a tombstone, followed by Hayterade for the pin at 8:10.

Rating: B-. I feel like I’ve seen so many of these matches lately that there’s just nothing to get excited about anymore. They hit each other with weapons, they put each other through tables, they do something that makes fans think “oh I’ve stepped on one of those and that hurts” and then they had the finish. On the positive side, it was a good, hard fought win for Hayter, who can move on from these two and get into something more serious.

We get more of a sitdown interview with Ricochet and Will Ospreay, with Ricochet talking about how he showed up and everyone was on him. Ospreay says the best in the world is on him too. More on this on YouTube.

Conglomeration vs. Learning Tree

Tornado Tag. It’s a big brawl to start, as it kind of has to do. Cassidy hits Jericho in the face with a backpack for two, revealing a brick inside. Keith comes back in and gets caught with the Stundog Millionaire. Bill is back in but gets sent outside, with Briscoe loading up the chair. That takes too long though and Jericho hits an AA to send Briscoe into the chair.

We take a break and come back with Bill cleaning house until a three on one beating in the corner cuts him off. Briscoe starts cleaning house with the chair but Jericho cuts him off with a Codebreaker. Jericho is sat in the chair for some alternating kicks but Bill makes another save. O’Reilly takes out Bill’s leg though and Briscoe hits Jericho with the chair. The Jay Driller hits Jericho but Briscoe would rather put him on a table. Bill chokeslams Briscoe through said table and Jericho gets the pin at 9:02.

Rating: C+. I’m not surprised that Jericho pinned a champion and is probably getting a title shot and you shouldn’t be either. That’s the kind of thing that Jericho does and I’m sure Briscoe will be stuck with him for months. As for the match, it was another wild brawl after the previous match was similar enough (though this one didn’t feature as many weapons), but this one had Jericho likely going into another title program so it’s a lot more frustrating.

Post match Jericho motions that he wants the title. I for one am shocked.

Brody King vs. Action Andretti

Andretti goes for the leg to start and hits the running shooting star press for an early two. King runs him over though and punches Andretti out of the air, setting up the Cannonball for the pin at 1:41. That worked.

Post match the Righteous runs in to brawl with Andretti, Top Flight and Lio Rush.

Jack Perry drives his stupid bus/van to the show.

TNT Title: Jack Perry vs. ???

Perry is defending against…Minoru Suzuki. We get the staredown to start and they trade forearms, with Suzuki getting the better of things. Suzuki takes him down and stomps on the arm as we take an early break. Back with Perry getting two off a neckbreaker as Schiavone seems to forget where we are for a second. Suzuki shrugs off some knees to the head and grabs the sleeper before switching to a failed Gotch Style piledriver attempt. They go outside with Perry being sent into the barricade. Perry comes back with a knee to the face and a DDT, followed by another running knee for the countout at 7:23.

Rating: C-. Yeah sure. I know Perry had to be on the show because he’s still a thing for whatever reason and this was probably supposed to be some big moment. Suzuki showing up for his regular exchange of forearms and funny looks isn’t exactly exciting either and that made for quite a lackluster match here. At least the break cut things up a bit.

Post match Perry beats on Suzuki even more until Katsuyori Shibata makes the save.

Trios Titles: Claudio Castagnoli/Pac/Wheeler Yuta vs. Private Party/Komander

Castagnoli/Pac/Yuta are defending but Yuta comes out behind them and really does not seem happy. Quen hammers on Pac in the corner to start but Castagnoli gets in a cheap shot from the apron so Pac can take over. Yuta won’t accept a tag in so Castagnoli slams Quen down and hits a double stomp. Something like an Irish Curse gives Castagnoli two and Pac chokes some more.

Quen fights out of the corner again though and it’s off to Kassidy for some fresh punching. Everything breaks down and Castagnoli Swings Kassidy but Yuta won’t do the dropkick. Komander sends Castagnoli outside so Yuta Angle Slams Kassidy (Yuta doesn’t look thrilled) for two. Kassidy slaps Yuta in the face though and that’s enough for Yuta to snap, with the elbows to the face and Cattle Mutilation (Pac approves) to retain at 7:23.

Rating: C+. This was almost a squash but it’s also one of the more interesting things in AEW. Having Yuta not wanting to be on the same side of the villains and only fighting because he got hit in the face has my interest and I’m curious to see where it goes. Yuta is doing the best he can with it, though it might be rather different when there is some tougher competition.

Post match Yuta snaps back to reality and storms away from his partners.

We get an Outrunners video, featuring them at an amusement park.

Hologram vs. Dralistico vs. The Beast Mortos

Mortos runs the other two over with a clothesline to start but they’re back up for a three way exchange of hurricanranas. Dralistico kicks Hologram down before sending Mortos outside, with Hologram hitting a dive onto both of them. We take a break and come back with Hologram being suplexed into the corner before kicking him in the head. Mortos gets headscissored down as well as commentary talks about how the current luchadors compare to the WCW days.

Holorgram’s big flip dive takes out Mortos on the floor but Mortos is back in to take out Dralistico. Hologram poisonranas Mortos into a crucifix bomb from Dralistico. That doesn’t keep him down long though as Mortos is back up with a double clothesline. A discus lariat drops Hologram and Dralistico grabs the cover for two. Dralistico is back up with a springboard Canadian Destroyer but Hologram grabs a crucifix to pin Dralistico at 10:08.

Rating: B. This was the popcorn match of the show and that’s all it needed to be. Hologram got to showcase himself but as usual, Mortos felt like a big star and seems to be someone who could be something special. As usual it’s more about Hologram though, which is starting to work, though he could use more of a feud.

Post match Rush comes in to pose with the losers, setting up a three way beatdown on Hologram. That’s not what I was hoping for from Mortos, as Los Ingobernables haven’t meant anything in months.

Kris Statlander is back and picking her spots, as she either takes people out or makes them better.

Here is the MxM Collection to present Max Caster’s improved jacket. They mock the idea of Caster being the best wrestler in the world and bring out some models, holding up cutouts of the Collection over their faces. Then they reveal a large man (named Hans, behind a mask) in Caster’s jacket, with a heard cut out from the chest. They want the rather large and muscular Hans on the team…but it’s really Billy Gunn, which brings out the Acclaimed to clear the ring. Caster gets his jacket back. This was really, really bad.

Hangman Page vs. Jeff Jarrett

Lumberjack strap match, with lumberjacks carrying straps (as the name implies). They slug it out until Jarrett sends him to the apron but Page avoids the whipping. Jarrett gets sent to the apron as well but saves himself too. Back up and Page sends him outside, but his friends won’t whip him. Another trip to the floor doesn’t go as well, with Jarrett taking a beating. Page suplexes him down and we take a break.

Well we’re supposed to though as commentary throws it to picture in picture but we’re still full screen. Page hammers away in the corner but misses a charge, only to knock Jarrett outside again for another whipping. We see to come back from break but the feed starts messing up (a graphic tells us it’s #2436 and we’re in part 4, with seg 7-10). Now we go picture in picture, with the video rewound to what we saw on full screen. Back with Jarrett hitting a Russian legsweep (same thing that happened before the glitching) but Page sends him outside, again in front of Jarrett’s friends.

A whip from Juice Robinson (dressed as a lumberjack) breaks up the Buckshot Lariat though and Jarrett hits a dive. The Stroke is broken up though and Page gets one of the straps to whip Jarrett. Karen Jarrett comes in to protect her husband, which is enough for Jeff to get his own strap and whip Page outside. Everyone, including Karen, gets in some whips, but a low blow cuts Jeff off. The Deadeye finishes for Page at 13:25 (from bell to bell, including the glitching and repeat footage).

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to make of this one but I had a good time with it. Page survived what everyone threw at him and then beat a game Jeff. It didn’t need to do anything with drama or the like and they didn’t bother trying. Jeff got in a few shots before losing to the bigger star, which is all this should have been.

Post match Page beats up a variety of people but the Gunns chase him off.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Sammy Guevara

Non-title. They fight over wrist control to start until Okada takes him up against the ropes. Okada hits a sliding kick to the head but Guevara sends him outside and strikes a pose. With Okada on the floor, Guevara gets a running start and dives off the steps with a cutter. Okada puts him back down though and we take a break.

Back with Guevara grabbing a headscissor driver and hitting a running clothesline to the floor. A moonsault out to the floor drops Okada again but he backdrops Guevara hard onto the steps. Back in and a top rope elbow hits Guevara but the Rainmaker is countered into a Spanish fly for two. The GTH sends Okada into the corner, where he comes out with the Rainmaker for the pin at 12:28.

Rating: B-. This is a match that would have been a lot better a few years ago, as Guevara is not exactly the star he used to be. Okada was doing his usual stuff here and it was only so good, with the Rainmaker wrecking Guevara in the end. It didn’t feel like much of a main event, but Okada in the ring is a nice treat most of the time.

Overall Rating: B-. Other than the name, there was nothing here that made this show feel important or big in any way. Hayter and Page got wins, the Learning Tree beat up the popular team, the two title matches were just there, and the main event felt like it could have been on any given show. Not a bad night at all, but not exactly worth your time.

Results
Jamie Hayter b. Saraya – Hayterade
Learning Tree b. Conglomeration – Chokeslam through a table to Briscoe
Brody King b. Action Andretti – Cannonball
Jack Perry b. Minoru Suzuki via countout
Claudio Castagnoli/Pac/Wheeler Yuta b. Private Party/Komander – Cattle Mutilation to Kassidy
Hologram b. Dralistico and The Beast Mortos – Crucifix to Dralistico
Hangman Page b. Jeff Jarrett – Deadeye
Kazuchika Okada b. Sammy Guevara – Rainmaker

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 19, 2024
Location: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re FINALLY out of Texas and that means it is likely time to do the same stuff this show usually does but in a different place for a change. There are only so many stories going on around here at the moment but maybe something else can start up here. Ring Of Honor could certainly use them so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Red Velvet vs. Allysin Kay

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Kay wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she receives a future title shot. They miss charges to start but velvet snaps off a headscissors before choking in the corner. A wheelbarrow suplex puts Velvet down for two and a Samoan drop plants her again, setting up a fall away slam for two more. Kay works on the ankle lock before switching to the cross arm choke. Velvet hits a quick Stunner but walks into a spinebuster for another near fall. Back up and Velvet hits something like a jawbreaker into some running knees in the ropes. The Final Slice finishes Kay at 5:33.

Rating: C. Kay is someone who feels like she could be something if she was around for any significant amount of time. Instead she’s just kind of any other person around here, which is a bit of a stretch given her history both here and elsewhere. It isn’t like there are a ton of challengers to Velvet, but at least she got a win over something of a name.

Video on Sammy Guevara/Dustin Rhodes vs. the Dark Order.

Gates Of Agony vs. Dante Leon/Trip Jordy

Kaun backbreakers Jordy to start and it’s off to Toa for some shots to the ribs. A double slam sets up a big toss and it’s Leon coming in to get beaten against the ropes. Open The Gates finishes at 2:08. Short and to the point.

Preston Vance vs. Brandon Cutler

Before the match, Cutler mocks the idea of Vance not being able to hit him until the Code Of Honor is enforced. Vance shakes his hand and then hits him in the face to start fast. Cutler gets beaten up in the corner and a backdrop has him on the floor. A Stunner over the ropes gets Cutler out of trouble and he grabs the quickly broken chinlock. Vance comes back with a spinning belly to back slam for two but Cutler superkicks him into a pumphandle slam for the same. Vance isn’t having that and finishes with the discus lariat at 4:03.

Rating: C. Vance getting to appear again is something of a good sign for his future but beating Cutler isn’t going to get him very far. The fans weren’t really caring much for Vance, but Cutler is enough of a loudmouth that beating him is going to get something of a reaction. Not much to see here, but it’s better for Vance than not being on the show.

Last week, the Iron Savages jumped the Outrunners.

The Outrunners respect the Iron Savages’ muscles but they have no glitz to go with their glamour.

John Silver vs. KM

The much bigger KM poses so Silver does the same until KM punches him down. A clothesline puts Silver down again and KM chokes away in the corner. Silver trips him into the ropes though and hits a running boot. A German suplex into the Spin Cycle finishes KM off at 2:55. Silver is suddenly good again after being evil for a few weeks. Makes as much sense as anything else the team does.

Mark Sterling hypes up Josh Woods.

Rachael Ellering vs. Maggie Lee

Ellering takes her down by the arm to start and fires off some clotheslines. Maggie’s running knee is shrugged off and Ellering kicks her in the head. The backsplash and Boss Woman Slam finish Maggie at 2:48.

Video on Beef and Anthony Henry.

Infantry vs. Spanish Announce Project

Trish Adora is here with the Infantry. Bravo and Angelico start things off with a fight over wrist control. They both miss dropkicks so it’s a bit of dancing before Serpentico and Dean come in. Serpentico hurricanranas Dean down but a double hiptoss drops Serpentico as well. Angelico comes back in to work on Bravo’s arm before a belly to back suplex gets two. Bravo fights his way out of an armbar and brings Dean back in to pick up the pace. A Falcon Arrow hits Serpentico for two but the Project hits a Downward Spiral into a frog splash for two of their own. Back up and a quick Boot Camp finishes Serpentico at 7:19.

Rating: C+. So we spent about six months working on the Project vs. Griff Garrison and Cole Karter and after all that, the Project is right back to being the same low level tag team they’ve always been. At the same time you have the Infantry win something while feeling nowhere near close to a title shot, mainly because they aren’t two guys from Texas who were given a title match out of nowhere. Such is life in Ring Of Honor.

Anthony Ogogo vs. Kit Sackett

Ogogo poses to start and muscles him up with a pumphandle powerbomb. Some stomping in the corner has Sackett in more trouble and an overhead belly to belly cuts off the comeback attempt. The pop up right hand finishes Sackett at 2:59. Ogogo continues his matches that involve one move and nothing else of note.

Brian Cage vs. Deonn Rusman

Cage wrestles him down to start and then sends him flying to shift to the power. A clothesline and belly to back suplex has Rusman in more trouble but he hits a quick dropkick. Rusman hits a quick Rock Bottom for two but a frog splash misses. Allowing Cage to powerbomb him down. A Cloverleaf makes Rusman tap at 3:42.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but at the same time it’s just a Brian Cage match. He does his same thing over and over and there isn’t much to be seen from it. There is no reason to believe that Cage is going to move forward in the slightest as he never really does, but the power stuff was ok enough.

Anthony Ogogo, with Shane Taylor, wants some gold.

Dark Order vs. Sammy Guevara/Dustin Rhodes

Another non-title Proving Ground match. Reynolds bails to the floor to burn some clock to start and Guevara poses on the top rope. We hear about Dustin’s start as part of the Texas Broncos in 1988 as Uno bails outside away from Dustin. Back in and a double Russian legsweep takes Uno down so the Order bails outside and the champs get to pose.

John Silver gets in a quick posting on Dustin though and they head inside with Dustin in trouble. The snap powerslam gets Dustin out of trouble but Silver’s distraction means the referee doesn’t see the tag. Uno hits a piledriver for two but Dustin dives over and brings in Guevara for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Dustin gives Reynolds a Canadian Destroyer. The Final Reckoning into Guevara’s Swanton finishes at 7:26.

Rating: C+. This was a great example of the problem with Rhodes and Guevara as the champions: there is no real connection to them other than they’re from Texas and their chemistry is just pretty basic. Throw in the fact that they’re facing the Dark Order, who have been rather low level for a long time and there wasn’t much to see here.

Post match the Cage of Agony runs in wrecks the champs to end the show. Oh joy: the Gates of Agony being featured again.

Overall Rating: C. Well sweet goodness look what happens when you cut off about an hour of the show. It’s still not particularly good and certainly not worth watching, but it’s far less infuriating. It still felt longer than it needed to be but the matches were mostly short and they were a bit more focused this week. Far easier sit here, but that doesn’t make it interesting.

Results
Red Velvet b. Allysin Kay – Final Slice
Gates Of Agony b. Dante Leon/Trip Jordy – Open The Gates to Leon
Preston Vance b. Brandon Cutler – Discus lariat
John Silver b. KM – Spin Cycle
Rachael Ellering b. Maggie Lee – Boss Woman Slam
Infantry b. Spanish Announce Project – Boot Camp to Serpentico
Anthony Ogogo b. Kit Sackett via knockout
Brian Cage b. Deonn Rusman – Cloverleaf
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara b. Dark Order – Swanton Bomb to Reynolds

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

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

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

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Conglomeration/Hologram vs. Premiere Athletes

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

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

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

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

Mariah May vs. Lady Frost

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

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

Video on May vs. Sakazaki.

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

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

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

Darby Allin vs. Evil Uno

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

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

We look at Hangman Page and Jeff Jarrett on Dynamite.

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

Queen Aminata vs. Serena Deeb

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Serena Deeb wants Britt Baker next week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Dark Order vs. Conglomeration

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

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

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

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

Kamille vs. Robyn Renegade

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

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

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

Roderick Strong vs. Beef

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

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

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

Outcasts vs. The Hex

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

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

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

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Action Andretti

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

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

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

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

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

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Dynamite
Date: September 11, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are rapidly approaching Grand Slam in New York but it is also the All out fallout show. The big stories were the attempted murders of Bryan Danielson and Swerve Strickland at the hands of Jon Moxley and Hangman Page respectively. Neither of them should be here this week but strange things have happened. Let’s get to it.

I was in attendance for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the video screen slightly to my right. The attendance was very bad, with probably around 2,500 people, though the arena holds over 20,000. Seeing the amount of seats tarped off and empty made me say “wow” when I first walked in.

We open with a clip from All Out, with Jon Moxley explaining that he does not like Bryan Danielson’s ego and attacked him because it is Moxley’s nature. That’s a good enough explanation.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out the Patriarchy for a chat. Christian Cage has been told that he has “infinite aura” and now that he has the contract for a World Title match, he knows it is undeniable. When he saw Killswitch grab him by the throat, he knew that he had the perfect monster under his control. The fans chant LUCHASAURUS as Cage talks about how he’s coming for Bryan Danielson. The beating he’ll give Danielson will make his wife Brie wish she was the one with CTE. Cage makes it clear that he is the UNDISPUTED next World Champion.

Don Callis cashes in his favor with Will Ospreay to team with Kyle Fletcher for tonight’s Casino Tag Team Gauntlet Match. Fletcher talks Ospreay into doing it, saying there is no one he would rather team with t do this. As Mark Davis continues to become less and less important.

TNT Title: Jack Perry vs. Lio Rush

Perry is defending and comes to the ring in his Scapegoatmobile while Rush just has Action Andretti. Perry jumps him to start and the beatdown is on in the corner but Rush fights up with a dropkick to the floor. Rush tries a moonsault to the floor but gets dropped onto the apron for the crash as we take a break.

Back with Rush fighting out of a chinlock but getting dropped, which is enough for Andretti to come after him. That’s enough for an ejection but Rush fights up and hits a running Spanish Fly for two. Perry lawn darts him into the buckle though and a snapdragon puts Rush down again. Rush is right back with a poisonrana for a breather but Perry breaks up the springboard Stunner. The running knee finishes for Perry at 8:39.

Rating: C+. This was the way to give Perry some momentum back after his loss on Saturday and could have been a lot worse. Perry is far more tolerable when he stays around this level, which unfortunately does not happen very often. I’m not sure why Rush got this show but there were worse options to come after the title.

Perry goes to leave, saying people like him are crucified in this life so they can be glorified in the next.

We look at Hangman Page beating Swerve Strickland at a rather horrible level at All Out.

Page talks about how he has gone this far to beat Strickland and he would have spent an eternity in pain for a chance to hurt Strickland. Now if anyone stood in the way of him and his revenge, he is coming for them too. Page walks over and glares at Top Flight/Action Andretti before seeing the Dark Order, who don’t know him anymore. Then he runs into Jeff Jarrett, who says Page went too far when he put his hands on Jeff’s wife. The fight is on and has to be broken up.

Private Party and Komander come out for a match….and get jumped by the Blackpool Combat Club. Pac talks about how this company is broken and diplomacy has failed.

The Learning Tree arrives in a Bentley with a HI GUYS license plate. They’re going to show what they found in Orange Cassidy’s backpack tonight.

Ricochet vs. Sammy Guevara

They trade strikes to start until Ricochet sends him outside for the big running flip dive. The fight heads to the stage with Ricochet being sent into part of the set, allowing Guevara t moonsault off the tunnel as we take a break (note that they have been on the floor for 1:13 before the break and the ten count has not even started).

Back with Ricochet being sent to the floor (Fan: “Sorry.”) and into the barricade. Ricochet fights up and hits a jumping flip dive off the barricade) that was great) for two back inside. The Benydriller is countered into a Canadian Destroyer and Guevara hits a top rope cutter for two more. Guevara’s GTH misses and Ricochet kicks him in the head, setting up an ax kick stomp (egads) into Vertigo for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: B. This was definitely a better showing from Ricochet, who got to do his usual stuff and beat someone with some stature. It’s good to have Guevara back, but he has definitely lost a lot of his status in his hiatus. The flips were good and that ax kick stomp was awesome, making this a good match with Ricochet looking like a star.

Post match the Beast Mortos runs in to spar Ricochet, with Guevara making the save.

We look back at Kris Statlander beating Willow Nightingale in the Chicago street fight.

Kazuchika Okada mocks his title defense on Saturday when Konosuke Takeshita and Don Callis come in and want the Continental Title shot. Okada seems interested, complete with the b****.

Here is Darby Allin (to the reaction of the night, with people rising to their feet) for a chat. He gets right to the point and calls out Jon Moxley, who comes to the ring with Marina Shafir. Moxley talks about how nothing has changed between them but Allin cuts him off. Allin talks about how he was a homeless dishwasher and everything he owned fit in the trunk of his car. That’s why he wrestles the way he does and he loved what he saw in Moxley, who wouldn’t change for anyone.

They first wrestled in a high school gym and Allin was so nervous. Then he saw what Allin did to Bryan Danielson, which Allin could never do to someone like Sting. So what does Moxley want? It turns out Moxley wants Allin’s World Title shot at Grand Slam, because Danielson is going to be out of commission. Allin: “What are you stupid? You get dropped on your head? You been drinking again?”

After that gasp from the crowd, the fans hear Allin say Moxley has to earn it, with Moxley offering to earn it in New York. Allin accepts the challenge for Grand Slam, presumably with the title shot on the line. That’s quite the bait and switch for Grand Slam, which sold tickets based off the idea of the title match.

Nigel McGuinness interrupts Christopher Daniels and wants to talk to Tony Khan.

Commentary talks about September 11, which is a nice touch that would be nicer if it was going to a break instead of crammed between matches.

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

Non-title. They both miss some kicks to start and trade rollups for two each. An exchange of strikes to the face goes to Aminata but May ties her in the ropes and hammers away. We take a break and come back with May hitting a missile dropkick into the corner. Aminata kicks her away again and snaps off some suplexes. The running boot against the ropes gives Aminata two but May is back with a hanging DDT for two of her own. May’s running knee into Storm Zero finishes at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Not bad here with May getting a win, but she’s still missing a little something since she won the title. She’s still a good heel and is good at talking down to people but it’s not quite clicking. At the same time, Aminata seemed a bit shaky here and it wouldn’t surprise me if she was banged up somewhere in there.

Post match May lays on the mat with the belt and says she needs to have her championship celebration, but she wants Mina Shirakawa back too.

The Young Bucks mock the fans who say they want a new team to come after them. That’s why they have booked the tag team gauntlet match for tonight.

Learning Tree vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages

Boulder knocks Jericho into the corner to start so it’s off to Bill for the big forearms. Everything breaks down and Jameson is booted in the face. Keith adds Diamond Dust and Jericho’s arrogant cover gets the pin at 2:27.

Post match Jericho goes on a rant about how he wants his $7000 back from Orange Cassidy, which is why he took the backpack. Inside the backpack is a picture of Cassidy and the former Best Friends. Cassidy pops up on screen and says he has the money. Cue Mark Briscoe driving a big machine full of coins, which he pours into Jericho’s fancy car. Cassidy adds some cash and that should be it. Fans: “KEEP THE CHANGE!” Pouring a bunch of coins into a car seems more mildly inconvenient than anything else.

Here is Nigel McGuinness for a chat. There is not going to be a World Title match at Grand Slam, which must be a breath of air for Bryan Danielson. Like when he let go of choking Justin Roberts with his tie. The World Champion should be in action at Grand Slam, which brings him to the contract he has in his hand. The success that he has should be his and Tony Khan has made the match. At Grand Slam, it’s Danielson vs. McGuinness. So if he can have that match, why can’t he have the Allin match?

Hook wants Roderick Strong for the FTW Title.

Here are the Young Bucks, in AEW office chairs, to watch the main event.

Tag Team Casino Gauntlet

First fall wins and there is no guarantee that all of the teams get in. FTR is in at #1 and Kyle Fletcher/Will Ospreay are in at #2. Ospreay snaps off a hurricanrana to Wheeler to start but a sitout powerbomb gives Harwood two. Fletcher is knocked outside and the PowerPlex gets two. The Righteous are in at #3 and a Boss Man Slam into a Swanton gets two on Wheeler. Fletcher is back in to clean some of the house until the Kingdom is in at #4.

Fletcher gets knocked down to start and a running knee gets two on Ospreay as we take a break. Back with the Acclaimed coming in at #5 (the fans approve) and cleaning house. An AA gets two on Dutch and a pair of Fameassers put Harwood down. The MxM Collection is in at #6 to a big reaction of their own. Everyone brawls until the good guys manage a triple suplex. We take another break and come back with everyone brawling on the floor again with Top Flight coming in at #7.

This time they get to clear the ring until Ospreay kicks Dante in the head. The Shatter Machine hits Bowens but everyone makes the save. The Outrunners are in at #8 and the fans are way into them as well. This time they clean house as well, including the Paisan elbow to Vincent. The Grizzled Young Veterans are in at #8 as Floyd superplexes Mansoor onto the pile at ringside. We hit the parade of secondary finishers inside until Dante’s top rope splash hits raised knees. Ospreay hits the Hidden Blade on Dante to give Fletcher the pin at 22:14.

Rating: C+. This was the weakest of these matches so far as the strength of the matches comes from the surprises and we didn’t have any here. The Outrunners and the Collection got big reactions but it was the makeshift tam winning to continue the “Ospreay is really good at these things” deal. It wasn’t a bad match, but it felt long and was just a bunch of people doing stuff at times.

Overall Rating: C. This was not great by any means and was one of the weaker Dynamites in a good while. There was nothing worth going out of your way to see and the whole Danielson/Nigel/Allin/Moxley stuff is feeling very much like a bait and switch. This show did not feel like fallout from All Out, which was going to be hard to do with so many people missing. It wasn’t a terrible show, but you didn’t need to see it and that’s not a good way to go in this spot.

Results
Jack Perry b. Lio Rush – Running knee
Ricochet b. Sammy Guevara – Vertigo
Mariah May b. Queen Aminata – Storm Zero
Learning Tree b. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Diamond Dust to Jameson
Will Ospreay/Kyle Fletcher won the Tag Team Casino Gauntlet Match

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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All Out 2024
Date: September 7, 2024
Location: NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the second pay per view in two weeks and we certainly have a big main event tonight. After Hangman Page burned Swerve Strickland’s house down on Dynamite, it’s time to lock them in a cage. Other than that, Jack Perry is challenging Bryan Danielson for the World Title because Jack Perry. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Iron Savages vs. Acclaimed

Bowens chops Bronson in the corner to start and it’s off to Caster, who gets crushed in the corner with a running splash. Caster is whipped hard into the corner again but can’t quite make a Flair Flip work. Instead Boulder hits a middle rope moonsault for two but a top rope elbow misses, allowing the tag to Bowens. Everything breaks down and Billy Gunn drops Jacked Jameson, leaving Caster to plant Bronson. The Arrival into the Mic Drop finishes for Caster at 8:51.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why this match was added as the Savages are about as low on the totem pole as you can get in the tag division. It was a nice little win for the Acclaimed, but this is something that could have easily been left on Rampage rather than here. The Acclaimed didn’t even rap!

Zero Hour: Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Hologram vs. Premiere Athletes

Guevara flips over Nese to start but gets caught in the wrong corner for the stomping. A quick shot knocks Daivari down though and it’s off to Hologram to take out all three Athletes at the same time. The numbers game catches up with Hologram and Daivari takes over before Woods throws him outside. Mark Sterling gets in some stomping but Hologram manages a tornado DDT and hands it off to Rhodes for his usual comeback. Guevara hits a big flip dive over the top and it’s time for a parade of superkicks back inside. Some Cross Rhodes put the Athletes down and another hits Sterling. The Final Reckoning finishes Woods at 10:00.

Rating: C. Remember last night when Rhodes and Guevara and Hologram won a six man match? Well they did it again here. There was nothing to see here other than Hologram doing the same stuff he usually does. Rhodes is a double champion including a Six Man Champion, but now he’s in another three man team, giving him three stories going on at once, while how many wrestlers have almost nothing to do?

Zero Hour: Bang Bang Gang vs. Dark Order

It’s a brawl to start with the Gunns being sent outside, allowing the Order to do their pose on Robinson’s back. Robinson fights back and knocks them into the corner, setting up the Cannonball. Austin comes in but walks into Something Evil to give Silver two. Austin fights up again and gets kicked in the face, only to get caught in the Quick Draw. Everything breaks down again and Robinson hits his forward DDT to pin Uno at 7:34.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what there is to say about these matches. They don’t have a story and they’re just put out there to get people on the card and fill in time on the pre-show. The Gang gets a bit of a win but how much value is there in beating the Order? It’s another match that could have, and likely should have, been on Rampage, or just a dark match.

Skye Blue comes out for a surprise and asks if we could have had All Out without her. I’m thinking we could, but Mariah May interrupts. She isn’t going to have her championship celebration in Chicago and insults Blue. They get rather catty with each other with some vague references to being promiscuous until May kicks Blue’s crutch out. Queen Aminata makes the save.

Zero Hour: Beast Mortos/Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Undisputed Kingdom vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

Taylor punches Bennett down before the bell and officially starts with Dante. It’s quickly off to Darius to slug it out with Moriarty before Mortos comes in to wreck a variety of people. Dante comes in and gets taken down into the corner, with Taylor hitting a splash to crush him rather hard. Dante absorbs some right hands from Taylor and knocks him down, allowing the tag back to Darius.

Everything breaks down and Top Flight teases a double dive, only to have Strong break it up. Taven kicks Dante in the head and hits the Flight Of The Conqueror to take out a Taylor, Bennett and Moriarty. Mortos hits his own twisting dive and it’s back inside for the parade of strikes to the face. Andretti DDTs Mortos but gets release Rock Bottomed by Taylor. Mortos adds a powerbomb to Andretti but Strong steals the pin at 10:57.

Rating: C+. This at least felt a bit more interesting than anything else on the pre-show but it didn’t feel like anything better than a Rampage main event. There was no title shot or prize on the line here and that didn’t do the match any favors. Maybe the Kingdom gets a title shot as a result, but those things are kind of few and far between.

The opening video looks at the show’s major matches.

We recap Daniel Garcia vs. MJF. Garcia is back after MJF laid him out and wants revenge, promising to break his neck.

Daniel Garcia vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Garcia runs in from behind and jumps MJF from behind to start fast. The bell rings and MJF shrugs it off and takes over with a shot to Garcia’s neck. Some choking in the ropes and a belly to back suplex have Garcia down and we hit the cravate as the neck work continues. A brainbuster doesn’t work as Garcia knees him in the head and the crash out to the floor in a nasty landing. Back in and Garcia rolls some neckbreakers but has to block a piledriver attempt.

Instead MJF counters a leapfrog into a powerbomb for two before going after a cut on the forehead. The blood is flowing so MJF loads up the super Tombstone, which Garcia escapes to avoid a bad case of pain. Garcia fights up and fires off a bunch of elbows, only to get poked in the eyes. MJF calls for a brainbuster but gets rolled up for two instead. Back up and MJF hits a heck of a right hand to leave them both down.

Garcia fights up again and they trade German suplexes, followed by a big clothesline to put MJF down. MJF is back up with the Boston crab before switching over to a crossface. Garcia reverses into his variation of the Sharpshooter but MJF reverses into the Salt Of The Earth. MJF ties up both arms and a leg but Garcia uses the free let to make the ropes for the break.

Garcia’s jackknife rollup gets two and he strikes away before grabbing a front chancery. The arm starts to drop but Garcia blocks it because he wants to do more damage. The piledriver only gets two so Garcia loads up the super piledriver, only to get hit low. MJF uses Garcia’s jackknife rollup for the pin at 23:22.

Rating: B. This was a bit better than I was expecting with the right result. I get the idea of wanting to push Garcia, but MJF losing another pay per view match wouldn’t have been the right move. Garcia got something out of just being here, but there was no way you can put him over MJF in a spot this big. Not yet anyway.

Post match MJF offers a handshake but gets kicked low. Garcia hits the super piledriver and leaves through the crowd as commentary feels bad for MJF.

We recap the Young Bucks defending the Tag Team Titles against the Blackpool Combat Club, which is another part of the AEW vs. the Bucks feud over the summer.

Tag Team Titles: Blackpool Combat Club vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are defending. Matt and Yuta start things off with Matt’s wristlock being broken up and Yuta taking him down for a backsplash. Castagnoli comes in for a double shoulder and a double wishbone has the champs in trouble. Back up and Matt knocks Yuta down, setting up the kicks to the back to take over. The running flipping neckbreaker onto the knee sets up a chinlock, followed by a slingshot legdrop for two.

Yuta fights up and gets over to Castagnoli to fire off the uppercuts in the corner. A high crossbody gets two on Matt but he catches Castagnoli in the ropes. Yuta breaks up the hanging 450 and throws Matt’s kick into Nick’s head. Cattle Mutilation goes on but Nick makes the save with a Swanton.

Castagnoli comes back in and gets caught with the EVP Trigger, with Yuta making a save of his own. The Bucks pump up the shoes but Castagnoli blocks another EVP Trigger. Castagnoli Swings Matt for two but the Fastball Special is broken up. Back up and they try it again, only for Yuta’s splash to hit raised knees, allowing Matt to get a small package for the pin at 15:43.

Rating: B. It was good while it lasted, but there was almost no reason to believe that the titles were changing hands here. If nothing else, the Club already have some titles and the Bucks are not going to have their “epic” title reign come to an end in a thrown together tag match. The action worked, but this felt like a token title defense more than anything else.

We recap Will Ospreay defending the International Title against Pac. They’ve known each other for years and Pac won the title shot before Ospreay won the title. Pac is here to win and be all mean, as is his custom.

International Title: Pac vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay is defending and the fans are WAY into this one at the opening bell. We get the big staredown and Pac rolls outside for the early stall. Back in and a headlock takeover puts Ospreay down for a second. That’s broken up and they both flip over the other for a standoff. Pac knocks him outside and hits a big corkscrew dive to take him down again. Ospreay is right back up and hits his own corkscrew dive, followed by a double knockdown back inside.

They slap each other from the mat until Pac chokes in the corner. It’s already back to the floor with Ospreay being whipped into the barricade a few times. A brainbuster gives Pac two back inside and the headlock stays on Ospreay’s banged up neck. Ospreay fights up again and elbows him to the floor, setting up a Sasuke Special. Back in and a handspring spinning kick to the head drops Pac again.

The Cheeky Nandos Kick is broken up though and Pac hits a DDT into a Liger Bomb for two. Ospreay manages a standing Spanish Fly and the Oscutter for a delayed two to leave them both down again. Pac gets back up so Ospreay kicks him back down before they head to the apron. Another Oscutter is countered into a nasty German suplex, followed by a poisonrana to set up the Brutalizer. With that broken up, the Black Arrow hits raised knees to give Ospreay two more.

The Hidden Blade is countered and Pac hits a rebound German suplex for another near fall. Ospreay kicks him down and the fans are standing. Another poisonrana gives Pac another two and the Brutalizer goes on again. Ospreay powers up and hits his own poisonrana to rock Pac and a running elbow gets two. Pac crotches him on top but Ospreay slips out of a super poisonrana and hits another running elbow for another near fall. The Oscutter loads up the Stormbreaker, which is reversed into a hurricanrana to give Pac two. Ospreay has had it and hits the Hidden Blade to retain at 20:20.

Rating: A-. Yeah you knew this was going to be awesome coming in and they more than delivered. It was one big spot after another until Ospreay knocked him silly to retain. That’s all it needed to be and Pac can more than hang with just about anyone going today. Excellent match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

We recap Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander. They used to be friends but Statlander turned on her, likely at the influence of Stokely Hathaway. Nightingale got to pick the stipulation so we’re having a street fight.

Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale

Street fight and Stokely Hathaway is here with Statlander. A chair is brought in to start but Nightingale knocks it out of her hands and hits an early cannonball for two. They go to the apron with Statlander slipping out of a Death Valley Driver attempt and hitting her in the back with a chair. A powerbomb sends Nightingale through the announcers’ table and Statlander puts her on a regular table.

The Swanton from the top only hits table, though Statlander’s legs to hit the moving Nightingale. One heck of a Pounce sends Statlander through the barricade and they go up the ramp. Statlander gets in a suplex and orders Hathaway to bring her a trashcan full of weapons. That works for Nightingale, who grabs a light tube and breaks it over Statlander’s head. Not to be outdone, Statlander gets up and spears her off the stage and through some tables.

They go back to the ring to trade strikes and slams before heading right back to the floor. Statlander grabs a bag of tacks so Nightingale bites the cut on her head. The tacks are poured out and Statlander is slammed onto them, landing in the splits. The Death Valley Driver gives Nightingale two and they go up top, where Statlander grabs a super Spanish Fly.

A discus lariat, with a chain wrapped around the arm, gives Statlander two and Nightingale rolls outside. Statlander whips out a chain and ties them together but Nightingale plants her with a spinebuster. They slug it out again and Statlander hits Staturday Night Fever before choking her out with the chain for the win at 15:02.

Rating: B. It was a street fight with the same stuff you often see in these things. You had the table, the chair, the tacks and a light tube thrown in for the big spot. They beat the heck out of each other and it felt like a war between two people who wanted to hurt each other, but you know a lot of what you’re going to get in this and they didn’t change it up much here.

Will Ospreay is happy to have retained the International Title and knows Ricochet is watching. Cue Ricochet, who gets in Ospreay’s face and says he’ll see him soon.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Mark Briscoe

Okada is defending and the challengers all won qualifying matches last night on Collision. It’s a brawl to start with Briscoe being knocked outside, leaving Cassidy to DDT Okada for two. Back in and Briscoe shoulders Okada down before trading clotheslines with Takeshita in the corner. Briscoe knocks him into the corner but Cassidy comes in to send Takeshita outside. Cassidy and Briscoe connect with stereo dives but Okada is back up with a suplex to Cassidy inside.

The Stundog Millionaire staggers Takeshita but Okada dropkicks Cassidy off the top. Briscoe gets the chair for the big flip dive to the floor and goes back inside to chop it out with Cassidy. Okada and Takeshita come back in to suplex both of them down and the fans are rather happy with the villains slugging it out. Okada hits the dropkick but gets caught with the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Takeshita takes Cassidy up for a superplex but Briscoe is there with the Froggy Bow for two of his own.

Briscoe counters the Rainmaker and hits a hard clothesline of his own to put Okada down. Takeshita blocks both the spinning DDT and the Stundog Millionaire before running Cassidy over with the knee. Briscoe is back in with the Jay Driller but Okada makes the save. The Froggy Boy hits raised knees so Takeshita’s running knee gets two on Briscoe. Okada is back in to clean house until Cassidy rolls him up for two. The Rainmaker to Cassidy retains the title at 14:59.

Rating: B. This was pretty much all action and that’s what it needed to be. Okada was working well here but Takeshita felt like the star, as he was all over the place and hitting one big move after another. Cassidy taking the fall is fine enough as he tends to react well to adversity. I’m not sure who takes the title from Okada, but he could be holding it for a long time. Now just get Takeshita something of note already as it is long overdue.

We recap Mercedes Mone defending the TBS Title vs. Hikaru Shida. There isn’t much of a story here, especially as Mone has recently beaten Shida.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida is challenging. Mone charges at her to start and hammers away but Shida is back up with some running dropkicks. A Brock Lock has Mone in trouble until she gets over to the ropes. Shida’s running knee gets two but Mone is right back with a Meteora for the same. We hit the early chinlock for a bit, followed by the double knees in the corner to put Shida down again. Back up and Shida manages to send her hard into the corner, setting up a middle rope dropkick for two.

The right hands in the corner have Mone in more trouble but she pulls Shida down into the Bank Statement. Shida fights up and they knock each othe down until Shida comes back up with a knee to the head. Mone is fine enough to hit a sunset bomb into the corner for two as things are picking up. The Three Amigos connect but the frog splash hits raised knees. Shida rolls three straight Falcon Arrows for two of her own but the Katana is countered into a dragon screw legwhip.

Shida is back with a German suplex and a running knee for two but her own knee is banged up. That means the Katana doesn’t quite work so she hits it two more times, with Mone rolling out to the floor. They fight over the kendo stick with Mone being pulled into the post but Shida throws the stick down. Instead Shida tries a Meteora but bangs her knee up again, allowing Mone to hit the Mone Maker (which is somehow getting worse) for the pin to retain at 16:29.

Rating: B-. This was getting good near the end but the stuff with the stick felt kind of out of nowhere. The Mone Maker didn’t look like something that would have finished Shida off but Mone insists on sticking with it for whatever reason. Shida couldn’t have felt like much more of a lame duck challenger coming in after Mone beat her last month, so this was only going to have so much drama.

We recap Jack Perry challenging Bryan Danielson for the World Title. Danielson won the title at All In and has said he’s done when he loses. Perry is the first challenger.

AEW World Title: Jack Perry vs. Bryan Danielson

Perry, who rode to the back in his weird car and met with the Young Bucks, is challenging (and his TNT Title isn’t on the line). They fight over a lockup to start with Perry throwing him down and then slipping away from Danielson on the mat. Back up and Danielson charges into an armdrag but Perry goes outside for a breather. Perry gets back in so Danielson starts in on the arm before hitting a powerslam of all things.

The surfboard has Perry in more trouble but he gets outside before Danielson can stomp his head. A dive takes Perry down again instead but he superkicks Danielson out of the air. The fans are all over Perry as he whips Danielson into the barricade. Back in and Perry fires off some hard chops, setting up a neckbreaker for two. Perry goes up but gets caught in a nasty belly to back superplex. Danielson fires off the kicks and spins him into the LeBell Lock until Perry gets a foot on the ropes.

The moonsault over Perry looks to set up the running clothesline but Perry pulls him into what used to be known as the Snare Trap. Perry switches over to Cattle Mutilation, with Danielson slipping out, allowing Perry to hit a German suplex. They head to the apron where Danielson escapes a snapdragon suplex and they strike it out. Danielson suplexes him to the floor and it’s time for the YES Kicks back inside.

Perry pulls him back into the Snare Trap though, with Danielson making the ropes this time. Danielson kicks him in the head but a running dropkick hits the referee by mistake. Cue the Young Bucks to jump Danielson, including the TK Driver. The Blackpool Combat Club runs in to chase the Bucks off, leaving Perry to hit a running knee for two.

Perry stomps away but Danielson gets up and hits a running knee of his own to leave both of them down. They slug it out again until Perry’s slap just fires Danielson up. Danielson strikes him down and hits the running knee for two so Danielson stomps him in the head. Perry gets to his knees and holds his arms out, allowing Danielson to hit another running knee to retain at 27:02.

Rating: B. It was a good match but it was Perry challenging and it’s going to take more to beat Danielson than Perry’s big move of “DO YOU KNOW WHO MY FRIENDS ARE”. In theory this was just because of the short turnaround between All In and All Out, but Perry never felt like a real threat to the title. At least he got to do his pose at the end though, because he’s just that interesting.

Post match Killswitch comes in to lay out Danielson and here is Christian Cage with the Patriarchy. Jon Moxley gets in the way of the cash-in though and the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club (including Pac) has the Patriarchy turning away. Moxley gets in the ring to hug Danielson and the team poses…until Claudio Castagnoli decks Danielson. Moxley whips out a plastic bag to suffocate Danielson as Pac holds Wheeler Yuta (the only one trying to help Danielson) back. Marina Shafir is here to cut off a referee as the fans chant THIS IS MURDER. Moxley lets go and the team leaves as the bag is ripped off and Danielson is given oxygen.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland. Page has become obsessed with Strickland after losing to him over and over. They are set for a cage match, but this week Page burned down Strickland’s childhood home to take this to quite a higher level.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

Unsanctioned lights out and you can only win via pinfall, submission or knockout. Prince Nana is here with Swerve but the dancing is a bit subdued in a nice touch. The brawl is on as the cage lowers and Nana whips out a table. A bunch of other weapons are sent in as the cage is lowered and the bell rings. Swerve hammers away but neither can sent the other into the cage. Page gets knocked down and kicked in the head but Strickland takes too long looking at the weapons and gets caught with a German suplex.

With Strickland down, Page grabs a staple gun, which Strickland takes away and staples Page in the back. Strickland staples a picture of his family to Page’s chest and then his face for a bonus. Page tries to go up, earning himself a chair shot to the face. Something like a Death Valley Driver into the cage has Page in more trouble and Strickland chokes away. They both go up top, with Page dropping down to crotch Strickland on the rope. There’s a ram into the cage to rock Strickland again and Page wraps some barbed wire around the cage wall.

Strickland is sent head first into the wire and is busted open as well. The cut is raked over the wire and Page kicks him in the face. Some chair shots have Strickland down again and the referee tries to step in, only for Strickland to flip over him for a Buckshot Lariat to Page. Strickland chairs Page down in the corner and then launches him head first into the chair for a scary crash.

It’s time to bring out a cinder block (oh dear) and Strickland Vertebreakers him onto said block (or at least pretty close to it) for two. The table is set up and a top rope Swerve Stomp drives Page through it in a huge crash. Page pops right back up and hits a Deadeye for two before whipping out a piece of the burned house. Strickland takes that away too and stabs Page in the head but cries as he looks at it. The distraction lets Page powerbomb him onto the cinder block for two and Page slugs away. That takes too long and Strickland is back up with a toss powerbomb into the cage.

The House Call against the cage and a running knee give Strickland two so he goes to the top of the cage. Well he starts to at least as Page is there to powerbomb him back down. Another Deadeye gets two and Page hits him in the head with a chair. Strickland starts laughing at him but falls down again. Page whips out a syringe and drives it through Strickland’s cheek before hitting a TERRIFYING chair shot to the head (with the camera cutting away) for the knockout at 31:21.

Rating: A-. I’m not sure what to say on this one, but I was feeling Page’s utter hatred of Strickland and wanting to destroy him, which is what he did in the end. Strickland was violent as well, but him laughing at Page in the end didn’t quite feel right after the whole arson thing. Page pretty much had to win here so he can finally beat Strickland, but I’m not sure where things can go from here. For now though, an incredibly violent match, albeit with the syringe being a bit weird.

Post match Page leaves, teases coming back, and then screams a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this was pretty awesome with nothing close to a bad match and the two big matches more than delivering. At the same time, it was kind of an odd show as there was very little in the way of title changes, but quite a bit in the way of moves such as the Club’s turn and Page getting his big win. It was a great show once I got into it and beyond the rather worthless Zero Hour. Now just give us some time before the next pay per view because this two week turnaround was annoying. Other than that, check this show out as it’s worth a look.

Results
Acclaimed b. Iron Savages – Mic Drop to Bronson
Hologram/Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara b. Premiere Athletes – Final Reckoning to Woods
Bang Bang Gang b. Dark Order – Forward DDT to Uno
Undisputed Kingdom b. Shane Taylor Promotions/The Beast Mortos and Action Andretti/Top Flight – Powerbomb to Andretti
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Daniel Garcia – Jackknife rollup
Young Bucks b. Blackpool Combat Club – Small package to Yuta
Will Ospreay b. Pac – Hidden Blade
Kris Statlander b. Willow Nightingale – Choke with a chain
Kazuchika Okada b. Orange Cassidy, Mark Briscoe and Konosuke Takeshita – Rainmaker to Cassidy
Mercedes Mone b. Hikaru Shida – Mone Maker
Bryan Danielson b. Jack Perry – Running knee
Hangman Page b. Swerve Strickland via knockout

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Rampage
Date: September 6, 2024
Location: NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Matt Menard

It’s the night before All Out as well as the third hour of a block of AEW, with Collision airing just before this. As usual with Rampage, things are not likely to be as big as Collision or Dynamite, but the lack of pressure often makes for a more entertaining show. That might be what we are getting here so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

The first 12 or so minutes of the show are the end of the Collision eight man main event, which ran over and saw the Blackpool Combat Club/Pac defeat the Elite.

The Outrunners and Erica Leigh are celebrating their first ever win in AEW (on Collision) when they get jumped by Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir. This is what Moxley is talking about.

Queen Aminata vs. Missa Kate

Aminata takes her down to start and the camera cuts to…a ceiling in the back. Well that was a wrong button. The headbutt finishes for Aminata at 1:05.

Video on MJF vs. Daniel Garcia.

Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Hologram vs. Dark Order

Hologram takes Uno down to start and it’s off to Reynolds, who Hologram plants with a DDT. The good guys pose together and we take a break. Back with Guevara diving over for the tag to Rhodes so house can be cleaned. The snap powerslams have the Order down but they’re back up with triple right hands. That’s broken up so Guevara and Hologram hit moonsaults to the floor. A Canadian Destroyer into Guevara’s middle rope cutter into Hologram’s 450 finishes Reynolds at 7:31.

Rating: C+. The efforts to get Hologram over continues and while he might not be the biggest breakout star ever, he’s certainly not doing badly. His high flying stuff is quite good, but treating him like some kind of special attraction is something of a stretch. For now though, having him get the pin with some popular stars is not a bad thing, especially over lovable losers like the Order.

The Bang Bang Gang want the Trios Titles but get cut off by the Gates Of Agony. A match seems imminent.

Top Flight/Action Andretti, Shane Taylor Promotions/The Beast Mortos and the Undisputed Kingdom are ready to win the three way trios tag on Zero Hour.

House Of Black vs. MxM Collection

This is a Friday Night Fashion Fight. Matthews and Mansoor start things off with Mansoor slipping out of a waistlock and striking a pose. Matthews poses as well and some judges (because there are judges) give him a low score. Mason comes in and gets his wish of facing King. Actually it’s right back to Mansoor, whose chop gets unanimous ten’s. The House gives themselves some ten’s and take out the Collection as we take a break.

Back with Matthews kneeing Mansoor down, allowing the double tags to bring in King and Mason. Mansoor’s superkick doesn’t do anything to King, who blasts him with a clothesline. King’s cannonball hits Mason for two but Mansoor makes a save, allowing Mason to grab a chokeslam for two. Matthews is back in to fire off knees before low bridging Mason out to the floor. A superplex into Dante’s Inferno finishes Mansoor at 11:43.

Rating: B-. They were going for a mixture of fun and serious here, with the judges being a bit of a weird addition. The Collection continues to be as entertaining of a thing as there is in AEW at the moment and it would be nice to see them getting to do something more important. There are the makings of a good tag division in AEW but that isn’t going to matter as long as the Young Bucks hold the titles.

Will Ospreay is ready for Pac and talks about their history in the British backyard wrestling
and the independents. Ospreay was told that he was good but he wasn’t Pac, and now he can never forget about Pac.

One more All Out rundown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show definitely takes a hit when it’s coming after two hours of Collision, which is treated as far more important. This week’s show was even more different as it was clipped down due to the Collision match eating up time. It’s certainly not bad and the main event was pretty good, but it’s not a show you need to watch if you saw Collision.

Results
Queen Aminata b. Missa Kate – Headbutt
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Hologram b. Dark Order – 450 to Reynolds
House Of Black b. MxM Collection – Dante’s Inferno to Mansoor

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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All In 2024
Date: August 25, 2024
Location: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinnness, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s the biggest show of the year and they’re in London for the second time in a row. That alone should make the show feel important but in this case the card is mostly living up to the hype. The main event will see Bryan Danielson challenging Swerve Strickland for the World Title in a title vs. career match, which has all of the makings. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Private Party/Ariya Daivari/Dark Order/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh/Anthony Ogogo vs. Kyle Fletcher/Rocky Romero/Kip Sabian/Tommy Billington/Lio Rush/Action Andretti/Top Flight

Don Callis is on commentary as Billington and Lethal strike it out to start. Sabian and Ogogo come in for a lockup until Sabian hits a dropkick to kick him down. Everything breaks down and we’re left with Singh and Rush for the visual. Rush’s chops to the stomach don’t work so he grabs Singh’s leg, with Singh walking around anyway. Singh isn’t having that and launches Rush over the top and down onto the pile.

Back in and Silver slams Andretti down and chokes on the ropes, allowing Evil Uno (one of the many extras on the floor) throwing the papers ala Brodie Lee. Private Party hit slingshot hilos and Daivari chops him down for two. Andretti handspring elbows his way out of trouble though and it’s back to Sabian to pick up the pace.

Fletcher comes in with a middle rope cutter to Lethal before knocking Singh off the apron. A brainbuster gets two on Reynolds and everything breaks down, meaning it’s time for the dives. Silly String hits Sabian and Gin and Juice makes it worse. Ogogo gets to punch at various people but Darius is back in with a double DDT onto the Order. Dante drops Daivari and hits a frog splash for the pin at 11:36.

Rating: C+. It was an entertaining match but it was such a mess with that many people in there that no one really got to stand out (save for maybe Fletcher). This was the definition of “get a bunch of people on the show”, but it was also the definition of “most of these people don’t mean much and they’re out there in front of a half empty stadium because the show doesn’t start for over an hour”. That’s not exactly a great start and the wide shot of all the empty seats at the start made me feel more sad for them than excited for the show.

Zero Hour: Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Willow Nightingale

The winning team picks the stipulation for Statlander vs. Nightingale next month at All Out. Hathaway is brought to the stage on a sedan, because of course he is. Ishii starts with Hathaway, who isn’t having this and bails out, meaning it’s Nightingale vs. Statlander. Nightingale gets sent into the corner for some shots to the face but comes back with a spinebuster for two.

We pause for some yelling at Hathaway, allowing Statlander to get in some cheap shots to take over. Back up and Nightingale makes the clothesline comeback, only to walk into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Nightingale slips out of a Death Valley Driver and drops a backsplash for two of her own. The double tag brings in the men and for some reason, Hathaway fires off some chops.

This goes as well as you would expect and Ishii runs him over. Statlander comes back in to forearm away at Ishii, allowing Hathaway to actually hit a spinebuster. The fans are rather happy as Ishii pops back up, with Hathaway hammering away in the corner. That doesn’t last long as Nightingale Pounces Statlander, leaving Ishii to hit the sliding lariat for the pin on Hathaway at 8:15.

Rating: C+. This was all about Hathaway and of course he made it work in his limited chances. The bigger story is going to be the stipulation for Nightingale vs. Statlander, which almost has to be either a hardcore match or Nightingale fighting both of them at once. Perfectly fine match here and it would have fit in on any given Rampage.

Zero Hour: Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs vs. Kingdom/Cage Of Agony

Kevin Von Erich is here with the good guys and it’s a big brawl in the aisle before the bell. We get a quadruple Shattered Dreams to the villains and, with the referee ok with all of that, it’s the opening bell with Guevara and Kaun starting things off. Guevara quickly clears the ring and stares it down with Cage, who gets dropped with a top rope cutter. Kaun pulls Guevara outside for a whip into the barricade and they head back inside with Guevara caught in the wrong corner.

A backbreaker/springboard elbow drop combination gets two but Taven misses a frog splash. Rhodes comes in to take over and the snap powerslam puts Taven down. We hit the parade of knockdowns as Excalibur can barely keep track of everyone. Taven is back up with the Flight Of The Conqueror so Rhodes teases a dive but dances into a pose instead. Cage tries a running flip dive but mostly misses, leaving Guevara to shooting star onto the pile.

Back in and Cage gets the worst of a Tower Of Doom, leaving Rhodes to hit Cross Rhodes for two on Taven with the Gates making the save. Rhodes gets tossed into a powerbomb for two but Guevara hurricanranas his way out of the same thing. Shibata’s running dropkick hits Bennett in the corner and Marshall’s top rope moonsault gets the same. Rhodes hits Taven with the Final Reckoning and Guevara adds the Swanton so Rhodes can get the pin at 11:03.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what Rhodes has on AEW but he has been the most active guy in the company (and in Ring Of Honor, because that’s a thing as well) for the last few weeks. That being said, Texas Takes England wasn’t the most thrilling story, especially when it came after a tag match with even more people. This was another bunch of people doing stuff until someone got the pin. The Texas guys don’t do anything for me because I’ve seen them more than I could possibly want to recently, but at least it didn’t go that long.

Post match the villains jump them but Kevin Von Erich makes the save, meaning it’s a group claw to get rid of the bad guys.

Here are the Outcasts, with Saraya’s entire family, for her big moment. Harley Cameron says Saraya is mad, with Saraya going into a rant about not being on the show despite being the best British woman ever in wrestling. And cue the returning Jamie Hayter (now with red hair) to march her way to Saraya, with Sweet Saraya (Saraya’s mother) getting in a cheap shot. The younger Saraya escapes, allowing Hayter to take out Cameron and stand tall.

The last nine minutes of the pre-show are spent on the entrances to the opener so the main show can start fast.

Trios Titles: Patriarchy vs. Pac/Blackpool Combat Club vs. House Of Black vs. Bang Bang Gang

The Patriarchy is defending in a ladder match. The bell rings and Cage runs away to start, leaving everyone else to brawl on the floor. That means a table is already set up on the floor but Austin has to cut Matthews down from a climb attempt. A bunch of people go up but get pulled down, with King dropping Pac with a clothesline. Robinson hits a running flip dive off the apron to take out Castagnoli, leaving Matthews to hit a big flip dive over the top.

Pac dives onto all of them but gets caught with What’s Up from the Gunns. King hits the big suicide dive…and here is Cage again. Cage goes up but gets pulled down by King, who takes Cage outside to be surrounded by a mob. That leaves Mother Wayne to go up, with the Gunns cutting her off and talking some sense into her. Killswitch comes in with chokeslams abounding, including one onto a ladder.

Wayne’s World through a table drops King so Luchasaurus goes up, only for Cage to go up at the same time for the sake of getting the glory. That’s broken up as well so it’s Castagnoli getting to wreck the Gunns. There’s the Swing to Robinson but the Gunns make the save, meaning it’s time for the tables. A bunch of people go up and crash through said tables, leaving Robinson to pull Black off the ladder. Wayne goes up and gets knocked hard through another table so let’s bring in the really big ladder, which is grazing against the bottom of the titles.

Pac goes up but gets pulled back down as Mother Wayne passes something off to Cage. That would be a spray of some kind, which goes into Yuta’s eyes to bring him off the ladder. Cage puts a ladder onto him and unloads with a chair but Robinson blocks Mother Wayne’s spray and sprays her instead. Luchasaurus knocks Robinson through a table, leaving Cage and Matthews to go up a pair of ladders. Cage spears him down through a table but might have hurt his own head in the process. Luchasaurus picks Cage up and climbs but Pac goes up as well and kicks Cage down. Pac gets the titles at 19:10.

Rating: B. Well that was a ladder match with a bunch of weapons and even more people involved. It’s something that has been done time after time and while it can be fun, it’s not something I’m going to get excited to see. This would also be the case with a thrown together team winning the titles. I’m sure it’s to get a British champion on there, but there are going to be more than a few on here without doing this title change.

We recap Mariah May challenging Toni Storm for the Women’s Title. May was Storm’s understudy but then won the Owen Hart Tournament to earn the shot and violently attacked Storm. Now Storm is being serious for the first time in a good while and wants revenge.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Mariah May

Storm is defending and has Luther with her. They glare at each other and argue to start before slugging it out. May Day and Storm Zero are both broken up so May dropkicks her into the corner. They chop it out until Storm grabs a DDT, with the fans approving. Storm misses a running hip attack in the ropes and gets powerbombed out onto the floor for a nasty landing.

Back in and May hits a running dropkick, followed by Stratusphere for two. Storm fights up from a slap and hammers away, only to get suplexed back down. May even goes outside and dropkicks Luther, which is just not that nice. To make it even worse, May slaps HER OWN MOTHER (in the crowd) but the delay lets Storm hit Storm Zero onto the steps. Storm goes over to hug May’s mother and now May is busted open.

Back in (because the champ’s piledriver onto the steps barely keeps May down for a minute) and Storm throws her around, including a chokebomb for two. May kicks her in the head and hits a bunch of hip attacks but the big one takes too long. Storm is back up and hits her own hip attack, setting up Storm Zero for two.

May goes after the fingers and kicks Storm low before stereo headbutts leave them both down. Back up and May Day gets two so it’s time to grab the title, with Luther pulling it away. Instead May grabs the bloody shoe but Storm takes it away..and can’t bring herself to hit May, who rolls her up for two. May knees her in the face, kisses Storm on the head, and hits Storm Zero for the pin and the title at 15:11.

Rating: B. That was the only result that made sense as Storm’s time as champion had come and gone. It was a hard hitting fight with Storm wanting revenge but coming up short, which is how it should have gone. It wouldn’t shock me to see Storm go a bit more back to normal now, as she can only go so much nuttier. Good stuff here, which overcame a bit of a weak build.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Hook for the FTW Title. Jericho has already beaten Hook but has had to jump through hoops to get another shot at him.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending and gets played to the ring by Fozzy. It’s FTW Rules so the Learning Tree gets in and beats Hook down to start. The Codebreaker connects for one but Hook is back up with a German suplex. Jericho drops him again and hits the Lionsault for two, meaning it’s weapons time. That takes too long so Hook grabs another suplex and pulls out a cricket bat. Hook even grabs some cricket balls and hits them at Jericho but Keith comes in with a trashcan lid.

The Walls are broken up so Hook grabs his own version, only to have Bill make the save. They go outside with Keith setting up a barbed wire board on another table. Hook slips out of a chokeslam but Jericho goes after the good eye to blind him again. One heck of a trashcan shot puts Hook down but the Judas Effect is countered into a t-bone suplex, allowing Hook to reveal that his patched eye has healed and he could really see (Remember when Jericho blinded Jon Moxley and Moxley wore an eyepatch but then Moxley revealed he could really see during their match? Just a random thought.).

Redrum goes on with Bill making the save, only to have Jericho accidentally knock him into the barbed wire board. Keith gets up for a cheap shot, which FINALLY draws Taz off commentary to Tazmission Keith down. Redrum makes Jericho tap and gives Hook the title back at 10:11.

Rating: C+. And that should be it for these two. Hook gets his (latest) win over Jericho and Jericho gets to…well probably move on to a bigger feud because he has to be involved in something important every week. For now though, it’s a feel good moment and that’s all it needed to be.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The Acclaimed and FTR both want the Young Bucks’ titles but since the Bucks almost never defend them, we have both of them getting a shot at once.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. FTR vs. Acclaimed

The Bucks are defending and Caster rushes through his rap, possibly due to nerves. Harwood works on the arm to start but FTR and the Acclaimed get in a shoving match, all while the Bucks approve. The Bucks do come in but are quickly dispatched, leaving Wheeler to get caught in a Scissor Me Timbers attempt. That takes too long though and Nick makes the save, setting up an assisted standing Sliced Bread to Wheeler. Matt grabs a chinlock for a bit before Wheeler fights up and hands it off to Bowens to pick up the pace.

Now Scissor Me Timbers can hit Nick and we pause for some scissoring. Harwood is back in with the German suplexes, including one to both Bucks at once. The PowerPlex only hits raised knees but so does Nick’s 450. The Tony Khan Driver is broken up as well though with Nick being shoved into a moonsault onto the Acclaimed. Matt walks into the Shatter Machine but Nick pulls the referee out.

Back up and Matt hits a tornado DDT to plant Bowens on the floor, leaving Matt and Caster to hit a VIP Trigger to Harwood. Wheeler makes a save but gets sent outside, leaving the Acclaimed to load up Nick. Matt makes the save with a low blow and it’s time for the superkicks. That’s not enough for Matt, who grabs a title, earning himself a Fameasser from Billy Gunn. The Arrival connects but Nick makes the save. Harwood rolls Nick up for two but gets belt shotted for two. The EVP Trigger to Harwood is enough for the pin to retain the titles at 13:21.

Rating: B-. It was a good match but not top level stuff. The Bucks getting their win back in Wembley wasn’t exactly shocking and now we get to find out who they’ll defend against, maybe by Halloween or so. The story coming in wasn’t overly exciting and it dragged things down a bit, though I do appreciate them not going crazy long, which just wasn’t needed.

Post match the Grizzled Young Veterans come in for a staredown with the Young Bucks, who leave instead. Heaven forbid we get that match here of course, because we needed to repeat the previous combinations instead.

Casino Gauntlet Match

This is a 21 person gauntlet match with staggered entrances, but the fall can happen at any time, even if it is only the first two entrants. The winner gets a World Title shot at any time (basically MITB). Orange Cassidy is in at #1 and Kazuchika Okada is in at #2. Okada doesn’t seem worried so Cassidy dropkicks him down into the nip up. NIGEL MCGUINNESS is in at #3 and the fans go coconuts, especially as he and Okada go with the grappling. Nigel takes Okada down and it’s Kyle O’Reilly in at #4.

O’Reilly ties up Okada’s arm but gets caught in an armbar from Nigel at the same time. Cassidy is back in with a Stundog Millionaire and Zack Sabre Jr. is in at #5. We get the Nigel vs. Sabre showdown and the fans are VERY pleased. They go with the grappling before trading rollups for two each until Okada takes Nigel’s place. Sabre gets in a weird neck crank but Okada slips out and hits the top rope elbow. Back up and Sabre goes for the leg but Roderick Strong is in at #6.

Strong’s entrance takes so long that Mark Briscoe is in at #7 by the time he gets to do anything. House is quickly cleaned and it’s Hangman Page in at #8. Clotheslines abound and it’s Jeff Jarrett in at #9. We get the strut before Jarrett gets to hammer on Page in the corner. Page breaks that up and powerbombs Jarrett onto a pile as Ricochet makes his debut at #10. Ricochet starts firing off the kicks and goes to the floor to hammer on Page. Christian Cage limps in at #11 but Ricochet cuts him off.

Okada dropkicks Page, who fights back and loads up the Buckshot Lariat. That’s broken up with a guitar shot, leaving Okada to Rainmaker Jarrett. Cassidy is back up to clean house until he walks into End Of Heartache. Briscoe is in to wreck everyone until he accidentally helps Nigel hit the Tower of London (hanging Stunner) on Sabre. Cage drops Nigel though and it’s Luchasaurus in at #12. He starts firing off the chokeslams, including one to O’Reilly, with Cage stealing the pin at 25:50.

Rating: B. They were rocking here for a bit before a kind of downer ending. Cage being added to the match and stealing it in the end felt like something out of Unforgiven 2008 with a banged up Chris Jericho winning the World Title. That being said, the good stuff here more than outweighed the bad, with Nigel being a crazy great surprise and Ricochet being a cool moment. I liked this, but make it an annual PPV event, as this is the third time we’ve sen it this year.

We recap MJF defending the American Title against Will Ospreay. MJF beat Ospreay in a match that went about an hour via some cheating and now Ospreay wants the title back.

American Title: Will Ospreay vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is defending and comes out dressed as Uncle Sam, while Ospreay gets an Assassin’s Creed entrance. Just to make it worse, MJF has a big American flag come down from the rafters, which Taz calls “heat”. They slug it out to start with Ospreay getting the better of things to send him outside. That means a Sasuke Special to drop MJF, who is right back with a running boot against the barricade. Back in and Ospreay can’t hit the Oscutter so they trade rollups for two each.

MJF powerbombs him onto the knee and adds a Kangaroo Kick. That means we get a hip swivel but Ospreay is back up with an enziguri for two. A skytwister press gets two and MJF heads outside, where he catches Ospreay’s dive in a Tombstone on the floor. Ospreay is back on his feet 51 seconds later and catches MJF’s Moonsault in a Spanish Fly. Back in and MJF is draped over the top for a shooting star to the back for two more.

Stormbreaker is countered into Cross Rhodes for two, only for Ospreay to come back with the Oscutter for the same. MJF hits a quick piledriver for two more but has to counter Stormbreaker into a discus forearm. He takes too long to follow up though and walks into the Stormbreaker for two. The Hidden Blade is loaded up but MJF rolls out to the apron instead. The Oscutter misses as Ospreay only hits mat in a nasty crash. A Canadian Destroyer on the apron knocks Ospreay even sillier, to the point where he collapses before MJF can try a Hidden Blade.

The Heatseeker is blocked and NOW the Oscutter on the apron connects. The crash takes out a production crew member though and Ospreay goes to check on him, allowing MJF to grab the title. Ospreay superkicks MJF and goes after him again, only to bump the referee. MJF hits him low and loads up another shot but a man in black jumps up to cut him off. It’s Daniel Garcia, with MJF threatening him as he leaves. The running forearm drops MJF and the Tiger Driver 91 gives Ospreay the title back at 25:36.

Rating: B. This got going and turned into a showdown, with Garcia being a fine way to go. It was either going to be him or Adam Cole and while I’m not a Garcia fan, I’d rather they go with him over reheating Cole vs. MJF. The match was the kind of hard hitting special that works well for Ospreay, though MJF better be out of action for the better part of ever after all the hype the Tiger Driver 91 received. I know he won’t be, but that’s how he should be after the story they were telling.

Post match Christopher Daniels presents Ospreay with the International Title as the America’s Title goes away.

We recap Britt Baker challenging Mercedes Mone for the TBS Title. Mone is the dominant champion but Baker is back to get into the title hunt again.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Britt Baker

Mone, with Kamille, is defending and comes to the ring in a carriage with her corgis. They run the ropes to start until Mone hits a dropkick but Baker is back up to knock her to the floor. Kamille catches her though and Mone poses with the title as a villain should. Back in and it’s too early for the Lockjaw so Baker settles for a superkick. Kamille offers a distraction though and Mone grabs a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle for two.

Another backbreaker keeps Baker in trouble but she fights up. A kick to the back cuts her off and Banks grabs Three Amigos. Baker fights up again and takes Mone up, only to get slammed down from the middle rope for a nasty crash. Back up and Baker tries a stomp but gets countered into a powerbomb. A quick cutter drops Mone but she goes to the back again for some near falls. Mone loads up…something, only to be reversed into the Air Raid Crash for two.

They go up top and Mone tries another slam, which is reversed into a wicked super powerslam to give Baker two more. Mone tries a belt shot but gets caught, allowing Kamille to tease one, only for Baker to drop down, Eddie Guerrero style. Kamille is ejected and the Panama Sunrise hits Mone for two. Lockjaw goes on but Mone bites the fingers and grabs the Mone Maker to retain at retain the title at 17:20.

Rating: C+. This went long and it hurt things a lot, as they could have wrapped it up about five minutes earlier. As usual, Mone is much more about the sizzle and setup than the match itself, though she was doing well here. Just find a finisher that doesn’t look terrible all the time and she’ll be in a much better place. I’m not sure what is next for Baker, but she could use a win in a good feud. Maybe Deonna Purrazzo?

We recap Darby Allin challenging Jack Perry for the TNT Title. Allin doesn’t like how Perry was handed the title and since Perry is the Most Interesting Wrestler Ever, he wants it to be a Coffin Match.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Jack Perry

Allin is challenging in a Coffin Match and goes after Perry with a chair to start. They go to the floor with Perry being sat in the chair for a dive, meaning it’s time for the coffin. Perry cuts off a dive though and it’s already time for a bag of broken glass. The fans sing CRY ME A RIVER so Perry swears at them, only for Allin to drive a skateboard into his back, sending him into the glass.

They go outside with Allin hitting a dive, only to get rammed into the coffin. Now it’s time to go up the ramp and Allin gets thrown off the stage and through a table. Perry throws him into a bodybag and carries him back to the ring….where Allin is thrown into the coffin. A running knee is enough to knock Allin out and retain the title at 10:35.

Rating: C+. Well, there’s your Jack Perry win over someone who is more interesting and better than him. It’s not exactly a shock and Allin is on the way to bigger things with the World Title shot at Grand Slam, but as usual, this felt more about Perry and….yeah it’s still the same guy. The tough guy thing isn’t working for him and they had to get the glass spot in, which might not be the most lucrative call back.

Post match the Young Bucks come out to light the casket on fire…..but STING returns for the save. Perry chairs him in the back for no effect so Perry runs off, leaving Sting to lay the Bucks out. Then Allin is helped out of the coffin to pose, which doesn’t exactly make Perry look like a killer. Granted that might be minor to having a 62 year old retired legend take out the top heel stable on his own.

We recap the AEW World Title match with Swerve Strickland defending against Bryan Danielson. That’s not big enough so Danielson, whose neck is held together by paper clips and a dream, is putting his career on the line.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Bryan Danielson

Swerve is defending and gets rapped to the ring. After the Big Match Intros, Danielson chops away to start but gets taken down by the arm, allowing Swerve to glare at Danielson’s family in the crowd. Back up and Danielson goes to the arm but it’s too early for the LeBell Lock attempt. Swerve misses a dive so Danielson is up with a springboard flip dive to take him down on the floor.

Back in and Danielson starts in on the arm, which is fine enough for Swerve to grab a suplex. The confidence starts to pick up as Swerve knocks him into the corner. Swerve heads outside but gets caught in a triangle choke over the ropes. Back up and Swerve tries a Death Valley Driver, with the referee getting knocked down. That lets Prince Nana slide in the title, with the Driver onto the belt knocking Danielson silly and busting him open in the process.

Swerve asks why we have to do this when Danielson’s family is watching, though he’s fine enough to hit a middle rope elbow to the back. They head back outside where Swerve stomps at the bloody Danielson and then yells at Danielson’s family. The Swerve Stomp misses though and Danielson pulls him into an STF.

That’s broken up but Danielson is right back with a clothesline for the double knockdown. The Cattle Mutilation is broken up so Danielson settles for the YES Kicks. A tiger superplex drops Swerve again and we hit the Cattle Mutilation again. This time Swerve powers out and hits a Vertebreaker for the big, scary crash. That’s enough to pause for the medical team to come in and check on Danielson but deem him ok to continue.

The Swerve Stomp gets two so Swerve hits back to back House Calls…for two more. Swerve is stunned as Danielson gets up and strikes away, setting up a triangle choke. After we cut to Danielson’s daughter not watching the match, Danielson suplexes Swerve down and hits the running knee…which Swerve brushes off. Another House call drops Danielson and the JML Driver gets two.

Swerve loads up his own running knee but cue Hangman Page for a distraction. That’s enough for Danielson to hit the running knee for two, with Nana almost diving in for the save. They slug it out until Swerve tries a roll but gets kneed down. Another running knee to the back sets up the LeBell Lock but Swerve powers out, only to get pulled into a Rings of Saturn variant for the tap at 25:45.

Rating: A-. They did a good job here of making me wonder how it was going to end and that’s a nice feeling. When in doubt, going for a feel good Danielson win is as safe of a moment as you can have and it worked here. It felt like the last hurrah of a legendary career and while he probably won’t hold the title for very long, he had one last great one (so far). Strickland can move back into the Page feud, and thankfully the interference didn’t lead directly to the ending. Heck of a main event and it felt important, which is how a match of this magnitude should go.

Danielson’s family gets in the ring to celebrate, with the Blackpool Combat Club (and Pac) joining them to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The matches that needed to deliver did so and they nailed the big happy ending. There were some weaker parts, such as the Coffin Match, Baker vs. Mone and Hook vs. Jericho, plus having SO MANY PEOPLE on the show, but the good stuff was more than enough to make this work. It’s absolutely AEW’s biggest event of the year and they worked out some of the kinks from last time, with a show that not only felt big but was better. Rather solid stuff here, and if they can leave some of the people alone next time, it could be even stronger. Heck of a show, with the big feeling taking it higher.

Results
Private Party/Ariya Daivari/Dark Order/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh/Anthony Ogogo b. Kyle Fletcher/Rocky Romero/Kip Sabian/Tommy Billington/Lio Rush/Action Andretti/Top Flight – Frog splash to Daivari
Willow Nightingale/Tomohiro Ishii b. Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway – Sliding lariat to Hathaway
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs/Katsuyori Shibata b. Cage Of Agony/Kingdom – Swanton to Taven
Pac/Blackpool Combat Club b. Patriarchy, House Of Black and Bang Bang Gang – Pac pulled down the titles
Mariah May b. Toni Storm – Storm Zero
Hook b. Chris Jericho – Redrum
Young Bucks b. FTR and Acclaimed – EVP Trigger to Harwood
Christian Cage won the Casino Gauntlet – Chokeslam to O’Reilly
Will Ospreay b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Tiger Driver 91
Mercedes Mone b. Britt Baker – Mone Maker
Jack Perry b. Darby Allin – Perry put Allin in the coffin
Bryan Danielson b. Swerve Strickland – LeBell Lock

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Collision
Date: August 24, 2024
Location: Utilita Arena, Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the European debut for the show and that means we should be in for some good stuff. At the same time, it’s the day before All In and even though most of the card is set, there is still a spot to be filled in the four team ladder match for the Trios Titles. Throw in the final push towards the show and we could be in for a good one here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Conglomeration vs. Undisputed Kingdom

Tomohiro Ishii is on commentary. Briscoe and Bennett start things off by trading chops before it’s off to O’Reilly for a kick to the face. O’Reilly and Strong strike it out with O’Reilly getting the better of it again, meaning it’s off to Taven so O’Reilly can beat up two people at once. Cassidy comes in for the lazy kicks and a double hurricanrana to the Kingdom, followed by a toss into a tornado DDT to Bennett.

Back up and Bennett’s Hail Mary is blocked but Cassidy gets sent into the corner to put him in trouble for a change. That doesn’t last long as Cassidy escapes a sunset flip and hands it off to Briscoe as everything breaks down. Cassidy dives onto Strong but Taven dives onto both of them. Bennett moves the chair to prevent Briscoe’s dive but puts it back so Strong can slam Briscoe onto it. We take a break and come back with Briscoe in trouble and Strong mocking the hands in the pockets, which draws in an irate (well as irate as he gets) Cassidy.

Not that it matters as Briscoe gets over for the tag off to O’Reilly, who gets to wreck the whole team at once again. Bennett’s leg gets dragon screwed over the ropes and it’s the Froggy Boy into the lazy elbow for two with Taven making the save. Everything breaks down again and Bennett Death Valley Drivers O’Reilly for two.

A Rock Bottom backbreaker gives Strong two on O’Reilly but the Conglomeration all grab stereo holds. Those are broken up at the same time and everyone is down in a heap. Strong backbreaker O’Reilly but gets caught with Cassidy’s top rope DDT. NOW Briscoe can get the chair and there’s the big step up dive onto the pile at ringside. O’Reilly guillotines Taven for the win at 15:23.

Rating: B+. This was a blast with everyone doing a bunch of stuff, but O’Reilly was the absolute star. He wrecked the villains multiple times and felt almost unstoppable, which is quite the performance. I’m not sure how much of a preview this was for the Casino Gauntlet, but I had a really good time with this as they got a lot into and out of the opener. This doesn’t include Ishii, who didn’t say a word as far as I could tell. He did however sneer a lot, as is his custom.

Video on the Trios Title situation, which naturally set up a four team ladder match for the titles, even though the story had been about three teams and one more is being added for the sole purpose of putting more people in the match.

Willow Nightingale vs. Harley Cameron

Ishii is still on commentary as Cameron chokes (and screams) in the corner to start. Nightingale fights out of that and hits a running shoulder in the corner, followed by some rapid fire clotheslines. A Russian legsweep gives Cameron two and an elbow to the face is good for the same. Eat Defeat and a running knee give Cameron two more and she drives some elbows into the neck. Nightingale gets fired up and hits a quick Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin (it’s as sudden as it sounds) for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: C+. Cameron got to do some stuff here but this was about getting Nightingale ready for her tag match tomorrow. There’s nothing wrong with giving her a nice boost like this and the match didn’t overstay its welcome. I could see Cameron eventually evolving into a bigger deal, but she’s not there yet.

Private Party are the official emcees for All In. I have no idea why that is necessary.

Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara issue an open challenge for All In. They’re also bringing the Von Erichs and Katsuyori Shibata. I have no idea why that is necessary.

Jay Lethal vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Both of their usual friends are here too. They fight over arm control to start and Lethal has to go to the ropes for the early clean break. Back up and Shibata goes right back to the arm, only to get taken down for the basement dropkick. Lethal starts going for the leg but the Figure Four is broken up, allowing Shibata to go right back to the arm.

We take a break and come back with Lethal putting on a Figure Four, sending Shibata to the ropes this time. The Lethal Combination drops Shibata again but Hail To The King is countered into a quickly broken cross armbreaker. Back up and Shibata suplexes him for two and it’s time to strike it out. Shibata grabs the claw (as taught to him by the Von Erichs) and pulls him into the cross armbreaker for the win at 9:49.

Rating: B-. This is one of those matches was going to work because of who was involved and that is a nice thing to see. Lethal is someone else who can be put out there with anyone for at least a passable match. If you put someone as good as Shibata in there with him, it wound up being all the better for a nice TV match.

Post match everyone else gets in and Shibata offers Lethal a handshake, which he eventually accepts.

Video on Will Osprey vs. MJF.

We go to Create A Pro Wrestling Academy where Kris Statlander trains Stokely Hathaway, who does surprisingly well.

Stokely Hathaway/Kris Statlander vs. Nina Samuels/Kid Lykos 2

Statlander runs them both over to start and gives Lykos a Babe With The Powerbomb. Hathaway gets dropped onto Lykos for the pin at 58 seconds.

Post match Hathaway calls that a preview for tomorrow at All In.

Ben Mankiewicz narrates a video on Toni Storm vs. Mariah May, explaining May being something of an understudy who was never quite accepted. Then May won the Owen Hart Tournament and attacked Storm, setting up the personal title match.

Hook vs. Big Bill

Chris Jericho and Bryan Keith here with Bill and the fans don’t seem overly thrilled with Hook. Jericho even joins commentary as Bill throws him out on the corner to take over fast. Hook gets beaten down into the corner and Bill goes after the bandaged eye. A big boot sends Hook to the floor and we take a break. Back with the fans going a bit nuts over Bill, who grabs a bearhug.

With that broken up, Bill hammers away and the fans start slapping the barricade so loudly that I thought it was someone’s music in a run-in. Hook fights up and low bridges him to the floor before hammering away in the corner. A northern lights suplex drops Bill but he grabs a Hook by the throat (to a MONSTER reaction). That’s broken up but Hook slaps on Redrum out of the corner for the tap at 10:47.

Rating: C+. The match itself was just kind of there, but this was ALL about the absolutely incredible reaction to Bill. It must be one of those things where a wrestler can be over in a certain place and it would suggest that Bill should move to Wales as soon as possible. That was one of the most ridiculously positive receptions I’ve ever seen and it was a sight to behold.

Video on Jack Perry vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Title.

We look at the Bryan Danielson/Swerve Strickland showdown from Dynamite, with Danielson dropping Strickland to end the show.

Ariya Daivari vs. Jeff Jarrett

Karen Jarrett is here with Jeff. The fans sing for Jeff to get things even more hyped up, meaning the pose off is rather one sided. Daivari knocks him down and does the Fargo Strut before hitting a running shoulder. Back up and a hiptoss lets Daivari strut for the third time but Jarrett sends him hard into the buckle. Jarrett knocks him to the floor and teases a strut of his own (BIG pop) and we take a break.

We come back with the fight on the floor and Jarrett sending him into various hard objects. They do Jarrett’s signature sleeper exchange sequence until Jarrett rams him into the corner to break it up. A Russian legsweep gives Jarrett two and an enziguri sets up the running crotch attack against the ropes. NOW we get the real strut, with the fans coming to their feet in a cool moment. The Figure Four is blocked but Jarrett hits the Stroke for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C+. This was similar to the previous match as the wrestling was just ok, but the fans carried this to a much more entertaining level. The fans were absolutely insane for Jarrett here and the reaction to the Stroke was great. I’m not a big Jarrett fan but he clearly loved this, as he did his basic stuff but the fans were way into it, mainly due to him being an actual legend. This was a lot of fun.

Video on Hologram.

All In rundown, with the Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara challenge now a ten man tag, because of course it is.

Lio Rush/Top Flight vs. Pac/Blackpool Combat Club

For the final spot in the four way ladder match for the Trios Titles at All In. Darius grabs a cravate on Yuta to start but gets pulled into a quickly broken bow and arrow. Back up and a dropkick staggers Yuta and it’s off to Pac, who misses a charge at Dante. Pac gets in his own flips as well so it’s off to Rush vs. Castagnoli. Rush tries his own Swing, which is broken up just as quickly and Castagnoli gets triple teamed down into the corner.

We take a break and come back with Yuta in control on Darius and knocking Top Flight off the apron. Darius fights up and hands it back to Dante to pick up the pace, including some kicks to the head. Rush adds a bottom rope Asai moonsault to Pac for two back inside as commentary just kind of stops for a few seconds. Yuta grabs a nasty German suplex on Dante and Rush kicks Castagnoli in the head. Pac is back up with an overhead German suplex to Rush but a series of splashes hit Pac for two. Dante hits a dive but Castagnoli cuts off one from Rush, setting up the Black Arrow to give Pac the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B. This was another action packed match and that’s all it needed to be. While I could go for a regular team being in the ladder match (or the ladder match not having four teams, or ladders for that matter), I do like getting some of these people on the show. At least they got there after very fast paced match as well.

Post match here is Christian Cage, with Mother Wayne, to mock the Welsh fans’ accents. The distraction lets the Patriarchy come in with chairs for the beatdown, only for the Bang Bang Gang to come in and whip out some tables. Then the lights go out and the House Of Black come in, leaving all nine of the challengers to brawl while the Patriarchy leaves. Sweet goodness that is a lot of people for one ladder match.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and main event were both pretty great, with the rest of the matches being forgettable….at least on their own. What mattered here was a white hot crowd, as they were carrying everything up more than a few levels. They drew me way into this show and I was more interesting than I would have been based on what I was getting from what AEW was doing. Not a great show, but one that was a really good time to watch.

Results
Conglomeration b. Undisputed Kingdom – Guillotine choke to Taven
Willow Nightingale b. Harley Cameron – Babe With The Powerbomb
Katsuyori Shibata b. Jay Lethal – Cross armbreaker
Stokely Hathaway/Kris Statlander b. Nina Samuels/Kid Lykos 2 – Splash to Lykos
Hook b. Big Bill – Redrum
Jeff Jarrett b. Ariya Daivari – Stroke
Pac/Blackpool Combat Club b. Lio Rush/Top Flight – Black Arrow to Rush

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 22, 2024
Location: Esports Arena Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re on the last few weeks of the Texas residency and we have new Tag Team Champions. Since it’s Ring Of Honor, the title change took place on Collision, with Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara beating the Kingdom to win the belts. Other than that, Mark Briscoe is defending the World Title against The Beast Mortos this week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara winning the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Kingdom/Dark Order vs. Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs

It’s a brawl to start before the bell with all eight fighting on the floor and various people being sent into various objects. We officially start with Ross dropkicking Reynolds and handing it off to Marshall. Reynolds takes him into the corner and it’s off to Silver, who gets dropped with a clothesline. Dustin comes in for the atomic drop (with the funny sell), only to walk into a Death Valley Driver.

Taven hits Just The Tip for two but hang on as the Kingdom and the Dark Order have to argue. We settle down to Bennett grabbing a chinlock before hitting a dropkick to cut Dustin off again. Reynolds adds a springboard elbow for two and it’s out to the floor, where Guevara finally cuts off the double teaming. Back in and Reynolds hits Taven by mistake, allowing Dustin to grab the bulldog. Guevara gets the tag to clean house and a springboard cutter drops Reynolds.

A Swanton sets up Marshall’s moonsault for two two on Silver with the Kingdom making the save. The villains get caught in the corner for quadruple Shattered Dreams, only for Evil Uno to offer a distraction so they can hit some low blows. We hit the parade of strikes to the face until Silver’s German suplex gets two on Marshall, with Ross making the save. A bunch of people go the floor so Taven hits a dive, with Guevara hitting a bigger one. Back in and Marshall’s spinning claw slam finishes Silver at 12:16.

Rating: B-. This was the fun match that had everyone going nuts at the end to make for something entertaining. It still feels like the story is “here are a bunch of good guys from Texas vs. a bunch of villains” and that only gets them so far. I’m not sure where this is going, but at least the match was quite energetic.

Mark Briscoe knows that the Beast Mortos beat him in a tag match a few weeks ago. After that though, Mortos might want to find a time machine to go back in time and NOT win that match because of the beating he’s getting as a result.

Cage Of Agony vs. Serpentico/Fuego del Sol/Atlantis Jr.

Serpentico slugs away at Liona to start and is knocked down just as fast. That means it’s time for Serpentico to be taken into the corner for the double stomping but he rolls away and hands it off to Fuego. A springboard hurricanrana takes Liona down but Kaun is right back up with a heck of a powerbomb. Cage comes in with a running legdrop and the ten rep fall away slam before flipping Fuego onto the ropes.

Kaun’s slingshot hilo gets two and we hit the seated armbar. Fuego finally fights out and gets over for the tag off to Atlantis as everything breaks down. Serpentico’s top rope splash gets two on Cage, who is right back with a powerslam. Atlantis sends the Gates outside but gets kneed in the face by Cage. Serpentico goes up but dives into the Drill Claw to give Page the pin at 10:02.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a six man tag with the biggest singles name (at least around here), Atlantis, being little more than a person filling in a spot. That didn’t make for the most thrilling match, but that is kind of to be expected with the Cage Of Agony. You know what you’re getting with them and it has been covered to death around here.

The MxM Collection is ready to procure another delicious victory but two guys in bear pelts show up. Mansoor warns Mason not to move, because bears sense fear.

Abadon vs. Alejandra Lion

Abadon jumps her to start and hits a basement dropkick, only to miss a charge into the corner. Back up and Abadon glares at her, setting up a Widow’s Peak. Black Dahlia finishes Lion at 1:33.

MxM Collection vs. Pillars of Destiny

The Pillars would be the bear enthusiasts from earlier. Grey powers out of a headlock to start but gets pulled into another one, meaning it’s time to bite Mansoor’s hand. The feet are fine enough to hit a dropkick though and it’s off to Mason for an elbow to the face. Back up and Grey runs Mansoor over with a body block before it’s time for some choking.

The bearhug goes on for a bit, only to have Mansoor fight out and hand it back to Mason. House is quickly cleaned, including a double chokeslam to both Pillars. Hold on though as the Collection walk up the ramp, only to strike a pose and run down for a double spear. Back in and an assisted double underhook implant DDT finishes Grey at 5:50.

Rating: C+. The Collection is the definition of a fun team and they know how to do their thing rather well. It helps that they’re just good enough in the ring to get by, even if it might not be enough to get them to the top of anything. I can go for an entertaining act like them, as they certainly add in a bit of spice around here.

Last week, Lee Moriarty was impressed with his win over Action Andretti. Shane Taylor says he’s injured right now but he’s coming for the World Title.

Angelico vs. Aaron Solo

Under Pure Rules. Solo grabs an armbar to start but gets taken down into a leglock, sending him straight over to the ropes. It works so well that Angelico does it again, meaning Solo has burned through two rope breaks in about two minutes. Back up and a running shoulder gives Solo two so he uses a right hand, which is good for a warning. Angelico’s sleeper sends Solo bailing to the ropes for his third and final break. Back up again and Angelico hits him with a left hand, meaning it’s a warning as well. Another leglock makes Solo tap, despite being in the ropes, at 5:20.

Rating: C. Remember last week when Action Andretti didn’t know the Pure Rules very well and burned through his rope breaks in a hurry, meaning he had to tap out when he was in the ropes? Well these two certainly remember it because this was almost a copy of the entire match. The pure division continues to be the “just kind of there” area of the roster and stuff like this doesn’t exactly make me more interested in seeing where it goes.

Trish Adora vs. Erica Leigh

Adora grabs a double underhook to start before grabbing a chickenwing/half nelson combination. With that broken up, Adora gets two off a rollup as Leigh is rather frustrated. A backbreaker into the nasty German suplex into the Lariat Tubman finishes Leigh at 2:31. Total squash.

The Righteous and Lance Archer are all threatening.

Komander vs. KM

KM squeezes his hand on the handshake to start and Komander doesn’t seem pleased. Komander’s springboard is shouldered out of the air and the much bigger KM knocks him into the corner. The threat of a stretch muffler sends Komander into the ropes but he’s back with a springboard Fameasser. Another kick to the head sets up Cielito Lindo to finish KM at 3:19.

Rating: C. Well that was a perfectly acceptable way to bring Komander back to the show, but it wasn’t exactly an interesting match. Just Komander taking down a big guy in a few minutes and then pinning him, which we’ve seen before. Not a bad match or anything, but on a long show, it probably could have been put elsewhere.

EJ Nduka vs. Deonn Rusman

Nduka powers out of a headlock to start and knocks him down, setting up a headlock of his own. Rusman shoves him away and unloads in the corner, only to miss a Stinger Splash. That’s enough for Nduka, who grabs a toss powerbomb for the pin at 2:57.

Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson vs. Colton Charles/Jay Alexander/Rosario Grillo

Jameson shoves Alexander away before Bronson hits the running splash. A double Rocket Launcher finishes Alexander at 1:44. The less of the Savages and Jameson, the better.

Marina Shafir vs. Tiara James

Shafir offers her a handshake from the mat to start before pulling James down to start fast. James’ forearms manage to knock Shafir into the corner but she throws James down without much effort. The bow and arrow keeps James in trouble and a running Codebreaker into Mother’s Milk finishes for Shafir at 3:24.

Rating: C. Of all the Shafir squashes I’ve seen over the last few months, this was the most recent. There’s not much to say about this one as Shafir did her thing, shrugged off James’ offense, and then did her finishing move to win. Until Shafir moves up, she’s just going to be the latest submission star who wins with a unique finisher.

Angelico, via internal monologue, wants a Pure Rules Title match.

Nick Comoroto/Jacoby Watts vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

The bell rings and Watts does his catchphrase, earning Comoroto a trip out to the floor. Back in and Comoroto whips Parker hard into the corner, only to have Parker send him into Watts. Menard comes in to hammer away, with a double DDT finishing Comoroto at 3:41.

Rating: C. This has become the “hey, they still work here” show, with Menard and Parker having their first match together in quite some time. That’s a fine way to bring back a name or two, but we’re past five this week and it’s not exactly feeling important. Parker and Menard aren’t big names in the first place and this was just a quick win for them over a low level act.

Lio Rush vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Nese, who says people have been asking why the Premiere Athletes are on every show. Oh I know why. It’s just not an interesting answer. Nese jumps him to start and sends Rush outside for the stomping from Sterling. Back in and Rush does his dodging to set up a clothesline, setting up the Fameasser over the middle rope. Nese’s shot slows Rush down and a Sterling distraction lets Nese hit a running forearm for two.

Sterling gets in some cheap shots on the floor and Nese grabs a bodyscissors back inside. Nese hits the neck snap across the top but misses a springboard moonsault, but comes back with a pumphandle piledriver for two. Back up and Nese sends him into the ropes, with Rush diving onto Sterling in a nice spot. Rush gets back in, kicks him down, and this the Final Hour for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: B-. This was the match that Rush needed to win to get his momentum back after he lost a big match on Collision because Tony Khan loves that style of booking. Not that it is going to matter as Rush isn’t likely to be put in a prominent spot (like most of the people who have to get their momentum back) but this match just had to be done. It also had to get almost ten minutes on a show this long, because everything has to happen on every show.

All In rundown.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Mark Briscoe vs. The Beast Mortos

Briscoe is defending and knocks him to the floor to start, setting up the dropkick through the ropes. The Bang Bang Elbow connects as well but it’s way too early for the Jay Driller. Mortos pulls the arms around the ropes but gets confused by the threat of Redneck Kung Fu. Some shoulders in the corner set up a hard chop to rock Mortos, who knocks him off the top with a chop of his own.

They fight on top, where Briscoe knocks him to the floor, setting up a big flip dive. The chair sets up another big flip dive over the top, setting up another flip dive from the top. Back in and a clothesline gives Briscoe two but another Jay Driller attempt is broken up. Instead Briscoe settles for the rolling Death Valley Driver, only to miss the Froggy Bow. Mortos’ twisting Swanton misses and Briscoe drops the Froggy Boy for two. Another clothesline sets up the Jay Driller to retain the title at 10:58.

Rating: B. By far the best match of the show here, with two talented stars working together with the slightest reason to believe that the title might be in danger. Briscoe can make anything work well and Mortos has been quite the impressive star while he has been around. Solid main event here, which felt important, which is more than most of the rest of the show can say.

Overall Rating: C. Yeah I’m back to being sick of this show, as this was over two hours and WAY too much of it felt like Tony Khan maniacally rubbing his hands together and shouting MORE MORE MORE! There were so many matches here that weren’t long, but came off like they were just thrown in for the sake of adding more to the show. On a week where I’m already being asked to watch the usual AEW shows and an additional five hour pay per view, one might think that the idea of LESS IS MORE would come into play here. Tony Khan does not seem to see it that way, and that is a big reason why Ring Of Honor is such a waste.

Results
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs b. Kingdom/Dark Order – Claw slam to Silver
Cage Of Agony b. Serpentico/Fuego del Sol/Atlantis Jr. – Drill Claw to Serpentico
Abadon b. Alejandra Lion – Black Dahlia
MxM Collection b. Pillars Of Destiny – Assisted double underhook implant DDT to Grey
Angelico b. Aaron Solo – Leglock
Trish Adora b. Erica Leigh – Lariat Tubman
Komander b. KM – Cielito Lindo
EJ Nduka b. Deonn Rusman – Toss powerbomb
Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson b. Colton Charles/Jay Alexander/Rosario Grillo – Double Rocket Launcher to Alexander
Marina Shafir b. Tiara James – Mother’s Milk
Matt Menard/Angelo Parker b. Nick Comoroto/Jacoby Watts – Double DDT to Comoroto
Lio Rush b. Tony Nese – Final Hour
Mark Briscoe b. The Beast Mortos – Jay Driller

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