Dynamite
Date: February 28, 2024
Location: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before Revolution and in this case that means we are seeing the final appearance of Sting on the show. Other than that, we will be getting more of the build towards the show, plus possibly something else being added to the pay per view card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page, on a crutch, to get things going. Page, looking rather disappointed, talks about how he said the title match at Revolution should be a singles match, but it’s going to be the wrong two people. Due to his injury, he is not going to be involved in the World Title match at Revolution.

Cue Swerve Strickland to say the two of them have been to war in the last six months, with both of them trying to kill the other. Swerve targeted him because of what Page has done in AEW but he didn’t want this to happen. You can’t escape fate though, which is why he is going to Revolution to win the World Title.

Cue Samoa Joe to mock the idea of them talking about destiny. After calling Page Hopalong, Joe promises to beat up one or two of them at Revolution. Joe goes to leave, but Swerve says he went from unemployed to headlining pay per views. He is the same man who broken into a wrestling school and left an 18 year old bleeding.

Swerve is the man who broke into a house and threatened a child and after he gets done with Joe, it might be time for Joe to go back to commentary wearing a poncho again. Then Page blasts Swerve with the crutch and says he’s winning the title, as his ankle is fine. That’s a lot of effort to get in a few crutch shots but at least the match isn’t changing. Also, Swerve was bringing the emotion here and he feels like a top star.

The Young Bucks arrived and want to conduct an interview with Sting. They just happen to be carrying baseball bats. Note that as they arrived, there was a picture of Ruby Soho on the back of a truck, making it look like a giant Soho was leaning around the Bucks’ car to look at them.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR/Eddie Kingston

Kingston wants Danielson to start but settles for a shoulder to drop Castagnoli instead. Harwood comes in to take Danielson down, only to have Danielson grab a headscissors. That’s broken up as well so Moxley comes in to unload on Wheeler in the corner. Everything breaks down and it’s a big fight n the floor as we take a break.

Back with Wheeler fighting out of trouble and jawbreakering Castagnoli. A shot to Moxley is enough for the hot tag to Harwood but Danielson take shim down and taunts Kingston. Moxley sends Harwood shoulder first into the post and Danielson sends Kingston into the barricade. A running basement dropkick hits Kingston on the floor as Harwood is beaten down back inside.

We take another break and come back again with Harwood fighting out of a chinlock. Not that it matters as Harwood gets taken down for a top rope shot to the back. Everything breaks down and Kingston exploders Castagnoli but Danielson cuts him off. The Swing into the dropkick sets up the piledriver from Moxley for two, with Harwood making the save.

FTR comes back in and hit a Steiner Bulldog to give Kingston two on Danielson but the other two make the save. The Club get everyone down for chokes/elbows but they’re all broken up for the triple rapid fire chops in the corner. A Shatter Machine hits Castagnoli and we hit the parade of finishers. Danielson’s running knee hits Kingston and stomps on his head, setting up the triangle choke to knock Kingston out at 21:53.

Rating: B. It was rather good, but this felt like it should have been the pay per view match. They had all kinds of time here and the action was good, with everything feeling like it mattered. Danielson vs. Kingston should be pretty awesome, but seeing the Club against FTR in a regular match doesn’t feel as important after seeing them go to a draw and then going this long here.

We look at Chris Jericho wrestling Atlantis 30 years ago in CMLL. Tonight, he’s facing Atlantis Jr.

Jericho promises violence.

Here is Tony Schiavone in the ring to bring out Will Ospreay for a chat. Ospreay talks about how he had to get through with some contractual obligations in New Japan, but now he’s here full time. We hear about his time in AEW so far, which includes being part of the Don Callis Family…and here they are. Callis talks about the talent in the Family and is ready for Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution. Ospreay and Takeshita shake hands but neither will let go, with Callis approving. Ospreay came off as an absolute star here and I’d be stunned if he’s still in the Family within two weeks.

The Young Bucks interrupt Eddie Kingston in the back and don’t like what he’s been saying about them. Oh and Kingston needs to dress better, so a dress code might be in order. They’re off to look for Sting.

International Title: Nick Wayne vs. Orange Cassidy

Wayne, with the Patriarchy, is challenging. Cassidy takes him to the mat with a headlock but Wayne reverses into a headscissors. That’s broken up but Wayne reverses the Beach Break, only to miss Wayne’s World. They go outside with Cassidy being taken down again but he rolls away back inside. Wayne takes him up top but gets shoved down, only for Christian Cage to crotch Cassidy. The referee ejects the Patriarchy and we take a break with Cassidy down.

Back with Cassidy being sent into the corner but sending Wayne into the buckle. The tornado DDT gives Cassidy two and Wayne’s fisherman’s suplex gets the same. Cassidy penalty kicks him but gets German suplexed. Not that it matters as Cassidy hits the Beach Break for two…and here is the Kingdom for a distraction. Cue Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta to take care of the Kingdom, allowing Daniel Garcia to come down for a distraction. Cassidy hits the Orange Punch to retain at 10:58.

Rating: C+. That was quite a bit, as you had a stable being ejected, plus five people interfering in a match featuring Orange Cassidy vs. Nick Wayne. Cassidy shouldn’t have needed more than about six minutes to put Wayne away but it went WAY more complicated than that. It felt like this was designed to fill in time and the interference was more than it needed to be.

Post match Roderick Strong runs in for the beatdown on Cassidy.

The Bang Bang Scissor Gang comes up with a new wacky lineup.

Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

Willow Nightingale, Stokely Hathaway and Julia Hart are all here too. Blue charges at her to start but gets taken into the corner for some hard chops. Blue’s headscissors is countered with a whip into the corner but she sends Statlander to the apron. A knee to the face puts Statlander on the floor but she catches Blue and throws her over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Statlander getting a knockdown. They forearm it out until Statlander sends her into the corner for a running knee. A powerslam gives Statlander two and she suplexes Blue on the apron. Hart and Nightingale almost get into it on the floor, allowing Blue to get in a cheap shot of her own. Back in and a Canadian Destroyer but Statlander is back with a Michinoku Driver. Hathaway offers the use of a chain but the distraction lets Hart get in a belt shot. Code Blue finishes for Blue at 9:38.

Rating: C+. Another match with a lot of people involved, including Hart with a rather terrible looking belt shot. Other than that, Statlander having issues with Hathaway should be interesting, as should Blue actually beating someone of note. Granted it isn’t going to matter if AEW doesn’t follow up on it, but it’s a start.

The Young Bucks go into Sting’s locker room and find a bunch of baseball bats hanging from the ceiling. And a mirror.

Chris Jericho vs. Atlantis Jr.

Atlantis Sr. is here too. Jericho goes right after him to start but Atlantis is back with some monkey flips. The Walls have Atlantis in trouble but he makes the ropes, leaving Jericho to go after the mask. They go outside with Atlantis catapulting him into the post and loading up the steps. Jericho drops him onto the steps though and we take a break.

Back with Jericho knocking him down for two but not being able to get the Walls. Instead Atlantis is back with a wheelbarrow German suplex for two and Jericho is banged up. Atlantis snaps off a powerslam for two and sends Jericho outside for the dive. Back in and Jericho knocks him off the top but misses the Judas Effect. Something close to a spinning torture rack is reversed into the Walls so Atlantis Sr. throws in the towel at 12:15.

Rating: C. This match is a great example of one of AEW’s underlying problems: I’m sure it was something Jericho wanted to do and I’m sure he had a good time with it, but that doesn’t mean the masses are going to want to see it. AEW has a bad tendency to think that what certain wrestlers, and presumably Tony Khan, want to see is what everyone wants to see and that doesn’t always seem to be accurate. The video package on Jericho in CMLL helped, but why is that supposed to make it interesting? It’s just Jericho vs. a guy in pretty generic looking gear having a pretty standard match.

Respect is shown post match.

Revolution rundown.

Here are the Young Bucks to look for Sting. They find a bunch of guys in Sting masks, one of whom is Darby Allin. The fight is on but the numbers game puts Allin down. Back in and the baseball bats have Allin trouble….and Ric Flair comes out with a big smile. Flair takes one of the bats and turns on the bucks, only to get taken down with a low blow.

The beating stays on until Sting makes the save….by repelling from the ceiling one last time. Allin is back up with a Coffin Drop and the Scorpion Death Drop lays out Nick to end the show. As has been the case, the Flair stuff was bad but Sting saved it, with him repelling in one last time being an awesome flashback.

Overall Rating: C+. There were good parts here, but this show felt like it had a lot of filler. Between the rather long opener, Cassidy’s latest title defense and the Jericho match, this show felt like it was designed to just get through the two hours and move on to Revolution. The Sting deal at the end was cool, but I could go for something big involving someone who will be here next week. The good parts save it, but this didn’t feel like a show you really needed to see.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. FTR/Eddie Kingston – Triangle choke to Kingston
Orange Cassidy b. Nick Wayne – Orange Punch
Skye Blue b. Kris Statlander – Code Blue
Chris Jericho b. Atlantis Jr. – Walls of Jericho

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

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Dynamite
Date: February 21, 2024
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We have about a week and a half to go before Revolution and there are still some spots left to add to the match. Odds are we will see some of those matches added tonight, along with some of the other matches getting some extra attention. That should make for a nice show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR

Moxley knees away at Wheeler to start so it’s off to Castagnoli for an exchange of uppercuts. A slam puts Wheeler down but it’s off to Harwood to suplex Moxley. Wheeler comes back in for an uppercut off before a Harwood distraction lets Wheeler come off the top with a double clothesline. FTR clears the ring before taking over on Moxley, with Harwood grabbing an abdominal stretch.

The cheating is detected though and Castagnoli comes in with a big boot to Harwood. Not that it matters as it’s right back to Wheeler for a basement dropkick. Moxley clotheslines his way out of the corner and falls into the tag to Castagnoli to clean house. Harwood gets spike piledriven on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting out of a chinlock and handing it back to Wheeler to clean house. A brainbuster gets two on Moxley but the Shatter Machine is broken up. The powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination gets two on Moxley as we have four minutes left in the time limit. The Swing puts Wheeler down and it’s Moxley grabbing the bulldog choke on Harwood. Wheeler drives Castagnoli onto the hold to break it up and they’re all down with two minutes left.

Harwood gets the Sharpshooter on Moxley, with Castagnoli’s boots to the head not breaking it. Castagnoli grabs the same thing on Wheeler and slaps it out with Harwood until Harwood piledrives Castagnoli, with Moxley grabbing a crucifix for two. The Shatter Machine is loaded up but time expires at 20:00.

Rating: B. Good, hard hitting match here, with the draw being better than the Club winning again. This is a weird feud as they are just started fighting one week and then had a big serious brawl, though odds are we’ll be seeing them fight again. I’m not sure where it’s going, but at least they had a good match to start it off.

Post match the brawl is on until a bunch of people have to break it up.

Orange Cassidy is rather tired from wrestling both here and in England but he’s medically cleared to compete.

FTR wants the Blackpool Combat Club again at Revolution. The Club comes in to shout a lot and in theory the match is set.

Orange Cassidy vs. Mike Bennett

Non-title and Matt Taven is here with Bennett. Cassidy jumps Taven to start and hammers away at Bennett, including the Stundog Millionaire. Cue Roderick Strong for a distraction though and Bennett gets in a low blow and piledriver for two as we take a break. Back with Bennett grabbing a headset to yell about Cassidy, who takes him down with a suicide dive.

Bennett spinebusters him against the apron but Cassidy gets in a shot of his own for a breather. A fight over a Beach Break/piledriver ends with Bennett hitting a Gotch Style piledriver (fourth piledriver and we’re 45 minutes into the show) for two. Bennett loads up another piledriver but gets Beach Broken (Beach Breaked?) for the pin at 9:38.

Rating: C. Not exactly a great match here as it was more about Bennett hitting a bunch of piledrivers (or at least trying to) as the Cassidy vs. Strong feud continues to limp along. The title match can’t get here soon enough, as hopefully Strong wins to let something fresh take place in the title picture. This second reign has felt like Cassidy has come way back down to earth and it’s time for something different with the title.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jake Hager of all people makes the save.

Angelo Parker and Ruby Soho go on a date, with a car coming up….that isn’t for them. In said car: Ric Flair.

Post break Flair gives a rather serious interview about how he should have been more involved over the last few weeks. Now he’s going to explore some options. Flair goes into the Young Bucks’ locker room for a chat.

Here is Daniel Garcia for a chat and we get right to the point: since Adam Copeland is out of action, Garcia is getting the TNT Title shot at Revolution. Garcia talks about how he felt he should be something great in wrestling and he finally won a match at the end of the Continental Classic. He was ready to make Copeland tap last week and now he’s going to make Cage do the same.

Cue the Patriarchy, with Cage saying he doesn’t think much of the idea of a match with Garcia at Revolution. Instead, Cage would rather talk about Garcia’s family, including his mother and….his dead father. Cage is willing to be his daddy, but that’s enough for Garcia to want to fight. The brawl is teased but Matt Menard runs in for the save. Garcia’s stuff was good enough but as usual, this was the Cage show as he is absolutely feeling it with everything he does. He almost has to get at least a mention in the World Title picture after he loses the TNT Title.

Hangman Page gives Rob Van Dam and Hook, his partners tonight, a pep talk about hurting Shane Strickland.

Toni Storm vs. Syndi Winnell

Winnell, the hometown girl, takes too long to soak in the crowd and gets decked by Storm. A Thesz press and right hands have Winnell in trouble and there’s a running bulldog to make it worse. The running hip attack sets up Storm Zero and Break A Leg….but Storm lets go. Instead it’s Deonna Purrazzo’s Venus de Milo for the tap at 1:48.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Madison Rayne

Purrazzo’s entrance interrupts Storm’s exit and we get a staredown. They go to the mat to start with Purrazzo taking her down into an early chinlock. Purrazzo sends her outside and hits a sliding dropkick as we take a break. Back with Rayne getting two off a sunset flip, setting up a kick to the…arm. A double clothesline leaves both of them down but Purrazzo is up with some clotheslines. A running knee cuts Rayne off and they slowly exchange weak forearms. Purrazzo grabs a Downward Spiral, which Rayne tries to take like a suplex, landing HARD on her head (Taz: “Check her!”). An ankle lock makes Rayne tap at 7:16.

Rating: D-. This very well may be in the running for worst match in AEW history. It was awkward, it felt like they were in different books (let alone pages) and that botch looked horrible. I’m not sure if this was just a horribly off night for both of them or if there was some kind of miscommunication or what, but they’re both capable of doing much better than this. Absolutely awful match and I have no idea how it could have gone this bad.

Post match Toni Storm runs in and grabs Break A Leg on Purrazzo. Then Storm lets go and applies an obsessive amount of lipstick.

Darby Allin talks about how different you are when your end is year. He and Sting (off camera) have been looking at some old photos, including Sting with his young sons. Sting steps into camera and talks about how his father passed away and it made him realize he’s not immortal. Everything he has left, he is bringing to Revolution so the Bucks are going to have a fight on their hands. This was VERY serious Sting and it came off as someone who has nothing left and is willing to do anything on his way out.

Here is a ticked off Wardlow for a chat. Two years ago he had thousands of people chanting his name but the rocket attached to his back was put on upside down. He should have been the champion a long time ago, but he never got a World Title shot. We hear about some of the men to hold that title, because he beat the Best In The World and that man’s body is still falling apart.

Then you had the one who was better than us, who Wardlow squashed like an insect. As for Samoa Joe, Wardlow does the custom suits with a title look better. He is better than you and the best in the world, so this is now war. Ok, cool. Now do something with him. None of that matters if he’s back doing the same stuff he’s done for years.

The Ban Bang Scissor Gang will team up again on Collision, but this time they’re mixing up the lineup a bit.

Will Ospreay will be in action at All In.

Wardlow will be in Meat Madness at Revolution. No word on what that is but it better involve some Bulgarian trumpets.

Don Callis is ready to get Will Ospreay to AEW. Also, Powerhouse Hobbs is in Meat Madness and Callis hasn’t forgotten about Sammy Guevara.

Brian Cage/Swerve Strickland/Samoa Joe vs. Hangman Page/Hook/Rob Van Dam

Hook actually knocks Joe down to start but Joe unloads in the corner to take over. Van Dam comes in to hammer on Cage, setting up the legsweep rollup for two. Page and Strickland come in for the brawl and have to be pulled apart as we take a break. Back with Hook in trouble but he reverses an F5 into a spinning DDT. That’s enough for a tag to Van Dam so house can be cleaned, including a variety of kicks. The Five Star gets two on Cage but Joe breaks it up and drops Van Dam.

We take another break and come back with Page cleaning house as everything breaks down. Page loads up the Buckshot Lariat to Cage but stops to glare at Strickland. Cage catches Page on top but Hook turns it into a German superplex to Cage, bringing Page down in the process. Hook gets Redrum on Strickland but it’s broken up and Swerve hits the House Call.

Page Buckshots Cage and we get the Page vs. Swerve vs. Joe showdown. The three of them fight to the floor where Page powerbombs Swerve through the announcers’ table. Back in and Page slips out of the MuscleBuster to hand it back to Van Dam. Hook suplexes Joe but Cage breaks up the Five Star. Joe chokes out Van Dam for the win at 21:35.

Rating: B. Solid six man here with Joe getting the win over the only person who was going to take the fall on his team to remind you that Joe is still awesome. Hook was doing well here and Swerve/Page did their thing, but Van Dam continues to be pretty much perfectly cast in his role. He’s the veteran who still feels special and can still go in the ring but isn’t likely to win a major match. That’s a good spot for someone to fill and Van Dam has done it rather well.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a rather odd show as the opener and main event were good, Purrazzo vs. Rayne was terrible, and the rest of the action was in the middle. The talking was good enough but mainly set things up for later, which is the right thing with a pay per view so close. At the same time though, stuff with Flair, Cassidy vs. Strong (your mileage may vary), the Don Callis Family and the Undisputed Kingdom isn’t quite inspiring material. In other words, the good was good but the bad was really dull, and that makes for quite the strange show.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR went to a time limit draw
Orange Cassidy b. Mike Bennett – Beach Break
Toni Storm b. Syndi Winnell – Venus de Milo
Deonna Purrazzo b. Madison Rayne – Ankle lock
Samoa Joe/Brian Cage/Swerve Strickland b. Rob Van Dam/Hook/Hangman Page – Koquina Clutch to Van Dam

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

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AND

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

Dynamite
Date: February 14, 2024
Location: H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We have two and a half weeks to go before Revolution and after last week’s ending, what very well could be the main event got a lot more serious. Last week the Young Bucks brutally attacked the new Tag Team Champions, Sting and Darby Allin, before their title match at Revolution. Odds are we’ll hear something about that tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley vs. Dax Harwood

There are no seconds here and Moxley takes him into the corner to start…for a kiss? Happy Valentine’s Day I guess. Moxley puts his hands behind his back so Harwood kisses him as well, followed by some right hands. Harwood slugs away but Moxley bites his face and kicks him down in the corner. A choke is broken up but Harwood can’t get the Sharpshooter.

They fight to the floor where Harwood is sent over the barricade, followed by the slingshot into the post to rock him hard. Back in and Moxley hammers away but a powerbomb out of the corner plants him down for two. They crash out to the floor again and we take a break. Back with the two of them striking it out until they both go down. Moxley goes up but Harwood catches him with a top rope superplex and they’re both down again.

Harwood grabs the Sharpshooter as we get the five minute call. Moxley breaks it up and goes for the cross armbreaker, which is broken up as well. Harwood’s piledriver gets two and they head outside again, with the fans dubbing this awesome. Back in and Moxley hits a Stomp into a piledriver of his own for a rather near fall. The Paradigm Shift is countered into a brainbuster to give Harwood two as we have two minutes left. Harwood goes up but dives into the rear naked choke for the tap at 18:39.

Rating: B+. This wasn’t exactly meant to be a big showdown but rather a way for Moxley to get a good win under his belt. Harwood continues to lose every singles match he has despite putting up a heck of a fight every time. It would be nice to see him win a match on his own once in awhile, though that certainly wasn’t going to be the case here. I did like the close call with the time limit, as they got close enough that Harwood could have pulled it off, only to fall short in the end.

Post match Moxley won’t let go so Cash Wheeler runs in for the save, only to have Claudio Castagnoli jump Wheeler.

Don Callis says his Family has all the talent so we’ll do Konosuke Takeshita vs. Will Ospreay at Revolution.

Wardlow vs. Barrett Brown

Knee to the face and powerbomb finish Brown at 1:24.

Earlier today, the Young Bucks, still in their bloody gear, landed at the airport.

Adam Copeland vs. Daniel Garcia

For a TNT Title shot and Matt Menard is on commentary. Copeland knocks him into the corner to start but it’s way too early for the Grindhouse. Garcia tries a drop down but gets splashed on the back for two, allowing Copeland to choke away in the ropes. Garcia fights out and stomps on the knees, only to dive into a shoulder breaker.

We take a break and come back with Garcia catching him on top but having the arm snapped down over the rope. Garcia is back up with a dragon screw legwhip and stomps away in the corner, allowing him to snap the leg back again. An STF has Copeland in more trouble but he’s right back out again. Garcia goes up so Copeland pulls him down with a single underhook superplex….and Nick Wayne runs in for the no contest at 12:18.

Rating: B-. This was a good back and forth match with the exchange of limb work (AEW really likes that style) until the screwy ending. Garcia was hanging with Copeland, though it would have been hard to imagine him doing anything but stealing a win. What matters here is the ending, which I would hope doesn’t lead to a three way at the pay per view.

Post match the Patriarchy beats them both down, with Killswitch taking out Menard for daring to try and help. Copeland gets a chair and saves Garcia from a Conchairto…until Shayna Wayne hits Copeland low. The Conchairto crushes Copeland’s head and Garcia finally gets up as the villains leave.

We look back at Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland going to a time limit draw last week, setting up a triple threat World Title match at Revolution.

Here is World Champion Samoa Joe for a chat. Joe talks about bringing back the ranking system to make sure he faces the best, but then Page and Swerve went to a draw. Therefore, AEW took a page out of the Texas playbook by making the title match bigger and dumber. Joe promises to hurt one if not both of them, but here is Strickland, with Prince Nana, to interrupt.

Swerve says this wasn’t supposed to be personal but it is getting that way. Joe has said hunger defines the greats, and no one is hotter than Swerve. He has been hoping for a break for years now and today is that day. When the people walk away, all they can say is “whose house” and they’ll do it again when he leaves Revolution with the title.

Cue Page to say Swerve couldn’t beat him last week so it should be Page vs. Joe at Revolution. Page says Swerve doesn’t deserve a second of his time because Swerve couldn’t get it done. Joe isn’t having this and says he’s winning at Revolution. As usual, Joe can talk with the best of them, but it still feels like Page vs. Swerve with Joe on the side.

We see Toni Storm’s new film, which looks at her history with Deonna Purrazzo. Storm let Purrazzo be her young girl but now Purrazzo has forgotten who she is so now she can have the old Toni Storm, if that’s what she wants.

Purrazzo says Storm talks too much and promises to break her arm. B****.

Young Bucks vs. Top Flight

Nick and Dante start things off with the latter working on the arm. Matt comes in and gets ping ponged between the Martins before everything breaks down early on. Top Flight’s dives don’t get to launch but the second attempts connect on the floor. Back in and Matt takes over with a clothesline and we take a break.

We come back with Darius clotheslining his way to freedom and hitting an enziguri, allowing the tag to Dante. Everything breaks down and Top Flight’s stereo sunset flips get stereo near falls. Dante drops both of them and Darius uses his brother to hit a tornado DDT for two on Matt. Nick sends Dante into the barricade though and it’s a low blow to drop Darius. The EVP Trigger is enough to finish Darius at 11:07.

Rating: B-. This was a good way for the Bucks to look good on the way to the title match. They are long since established but giving them some wins before Revolution is a good idea. At the very least, the Bucks got a long way off their attack last week and we should be in for a heck of a showdown at Revolution.

Post match the Bucks talk to Tony Schiavone, by praising Top Flight and talking about how they are the official #1 contenders. At the same time, they do no like what Tony has been saying about them, so that’s a $1000 fine. Tony gets shoved down and the EVP Trigger is loaded up, only to have Darby Allin make the save with the baseball bat. Allin talks about not being able to get a job while all of the Bucks’ friends got hired, but thankfully there was a sane EVP here, and he isn’t talking about Kenny Omega.

After the required CODY chant, Allin talks about how the Bucks re-signed here because it was easier. Allin brings up the first Dynamite, which didn’t feature him but did feature BRANDON CUTLER? Now it’s about the Tag Team Titles at Revolution in Sting’s final match and the champs have nothing to lose. Apparently that makes the title match official. It wasn’t before? Allin was bringing the fire here and leaned a lot into the inside stuff, but what mattered here was the emotion he was bringing with everything he said.

The Bang Bang Scissor Gang is ready for a 12 man tag on rampage, though Billy Gunn isn’t happy with his sons taking his lines.

Willow Nightingale vs. Skye Blue

Stokely Hathaway is on commentary. Blue takes her into the corner to start but Nightingale cartwheels her way out of trouble. One heck of a Pounce sends Blue outside and we take a break. Back with Blue getting the better of a strike off but Nightingale crushes her in the corner. A spinebuster connects but Blue kicks her in the face for two. Nightingale sends her to the apron and knocks her down, only to get caught on top back inside. Blue’s powerbomb out of the corner sets up Code Blue, only to have Hathaway offer the distraction. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes for Nightingale at 8:52.

Rating: C. This was the weekly women’s match that got around nine minutes and went through a commercial break. In this case we have a slight step forward for the Nightingale/Hathaway/Kris Statlander story, which still only feels so important. At the same time, Blue has fallen quite a ways and that was obvious here, as she lost in one of the lower level feuds in the women’s division.

Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Taven

Non-title Texas Deathmatch, which means Last Man Standing. Cassidy slugs away to start but Taven hits a dropkick. A powerbomb gives Taven two and they head to the floor. Cassidy beats him over the barricade and we take a break. Back with Taven dropping an elbow off the stage to put Cassidy….not quite through a table.

A suplex puts Cassidy through another table for a near ten so Taven hits a running knee on the ramp. Taven pulls another table out from underneath the ring but a bleeding Cassidy is back up. Taven’s Flight Of The Conqueror only goes through the table for an insane crash. Cassidy pulls out a box of chocolates from Chuck Taylor (again, Valentine’s Day)….and yeah it’s thumbtacks instead.

Cassidy tornado DDT’s the rather bloody Taven onto the tacks but here is Mike Bennett to break something over Cassidy’s head. Cue Trent Beretta with a pipe (out of his own gift box) but Taven sends him into a chair. Cassidy hits the Beach Break onto a chair, with Taven popping up and ripping off the pockets. The Orange Punch connects to finish Taven, despite Roderick Strong running in, at 13:27.

Rating: B. The match had some insane bumps (that dive by Taven was nuts), though I have no idea why they had this knockdown bloody war to set up a singles match between Strong and Cassidy. This was all about avenging Chuck Taylor and while it seems to be a bit of an over the top reaction, they need something more interesting than Strong vs. Cassidy in a straight match for the title.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a pretty textbook example of AEW as of late: the action was good to very good (that opener was a blast) but I’m not sure how much difference it made as far as building things up. I was actually surprised when the Tag Team Titles match was made official and the only other thing set for the pay per view was done in a quick backstage segment. That being said, with two and a half weeks before Revolution, most of the card should be set. Right now there are five matches set so they’re doing well enough, at least with the top of the card. Really solid action this week and that’s a good way to go.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Dax Harwood – Rear naked choke
Wardlow b. Barrett Brown – Powerbomb
Daniel Garcia vs. Adam Copeland went to a no contest when Nick Wayne interfered
Young Bucks b. top Flight – EVP Trigger to Darius
Willow Nightingale b. Skye Blue – Babe With The Powerbomb
Orange Cassidy b. Matt Taven when Taven couldn’t answer the ten count

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Dynamite
Date: February 7, 2024
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Revolution and the card is rather stacked this week. First of all, Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland have another match (ignore the results of the first two) for the World Title shot at Revolution. Other than that, Sting and Darby Allin get a Tag Team Title shot against Ricky Starks and Big Bill. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

The winner gets Samoa Joe for the World Title at Revolution and Prince Nana is here, though Swerve has asked him not to interfere. They start slowly and then crank it up by heading outside, where Swerve sends him over the barricade. Back in and Swerve knocks him into the corner and stomps away as the fans are almost entirely behind Swerve. Page comes back with a shot of his own and hammers in some right hands so Swerve goes for the arm.

That’s broken up and Swerve is sent to the apron for a ram into the buckle. Page takes him into the barricade and chops away inside as the pace has slowed a lot. A kick to the head looks to set up the Buckshot but Page has to backdrop him to the floor instead. Page misses his moonsault so Swerve is back up with a running dive of his own, setting up the middle rope elbow to the back.

The House Call gives Swerve two so he takes Page up top, where a bite to the head gets Page out of trouble. A sunset bomb doesn’t work for Page so he grabs a sitout powerbomb for two instead. Swerve is back up with a Buckshot Lariat of his own, setting up the Swerve Stomp for two. They go to the floor and Page hits a DDT onto the barricade as we take a break. Back with Swerve hitting a backbreaker and putting Page on a table at ringside…which breaks before Swerve can do anything.

They go back inside and Page gets his knees up to block a 450 as we get the five minute call. The Buckshot Lariat gives Page two and the Deadeye on the apron gives him a near count out (thanks to….apparently the healing powers of Nana’s dance). That doesn’t work for Page, who hits Nana with a chair, leaving Swerve to get in a shot of his own.

The Swerve Stomp connects back inside but Swerve hurts his ankle, allowing Page to kick him in said ankle. They head to the apron and Swerve hits his own Deadeye through another table at ringside. The Swerve Stomp misses back inside but Swerve is back with a JML Driver for two….as time expires at 29:33.

Rating: B. I’m of a few minds on this. First of all, it was a hard hitting match where they beat each other up and continued their trend of working well together. At the same time, they couldn’t have telegraphed that time limit more if they tried (though some of the near falls had me wondering). You can all but guarantee the triple threat at Revolution from here, and that’s going to make things feel all the less logical.

Swerve wants five more minutes but Page says nah because Swerve didn’t beat him to become #1 contender. Or not as Tony Schiavone is told by Tony Khan that this isn’t done because it’s a triple threat at Revolution. So yeah, the rankings and the entire #1 contenders match seem rather pointless now and Tony Khan looks like an idiot for putting Page, who hasn’t actually beaten Swerve, in the same spot.

Post break Samoa Joe isn’t pleased with this celebration of mediocrity.

Toni Storm vs. Red Velvet

Non-title and Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. Storm knocks her around to start but gets taken down by a leg lariat. Velvet gets to stomp away in the corner but a Thesz press takes her down as we take a break. Back with Velvet striking away and sending her into the corner. Storm gets a boot up and hits the hip attack, setting up a DDT for two. With that not working, an ankle lock of all things makes Velvet tap at 7:45.

Rating: C. While Velvet has gotten better in the ring, this is a match that could have gone about half as long to be that much more effective. Storm is set for a major title match at Revolution but she can’t beat someone whose career peak is middle of the pack? It’s ok to let the champ run someone over and that should have happened here.

Post match Purrazzo chases the villains off.

Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends are ready for Tomohiro Ishii on Saturday. For now, they need to check out Chuck Taylor getting checked out. They go to leave but Renee Paquette asks them to bring it in. She also likes Rocky Romero’s jacket.

Mascara Dorada/Hechicero/Volador Jr. vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Danielson and Hechicero start things off with Hechicero taking over in the technical off. A rollup gives Hechicero two so it’s off to Dorada for some chops to Castagnoli. Those don’t work so Dorada stomps on his foot, setting up a hurricanrana to the floor. Volador comes in and sends Moxley to the floor as well, setting up a dive to the floor. Everyone gets in a brawl on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Castagnoli Swinging Volador for two as Moxley comes in. They trade kicks to the face and it’s Dorada coming in to kick Danielson in the face. The CMLL guys clear the ring and hit a pair of dives, with Dorada adding a shooting star onto the pile. Back in and Hechicero grabs a hammerlock swing on Danielson and Dorada’s 450 gets two. The Club is back in to clean house until Hechicero hits his reverse hurricanrana driver for two on Castagnoli. With the referee not looking, Castagnoli kicks Hechicero low for the pin at 14:38.

Rating: B-. This felt like a wilder version of Hechicero vs. Danielson from Collision, as the Club was getting beaten throughout and had to use a miracle (or in this case cheating) finish to escape. It was sloppy in some places but this was about going out there and doing a bunch of stuff to pop the crowd, which worked very well. It’s also nice to have some luchadors who aren’t just high fliers as there is so much more to lucha libre than the flips and dives.

Post match some CMLL guys run in to go after the Club but more AEW stars make the save.

The Undisputed Kingdom has attacked Chuck Taylor. I didn’t think they could pull that off.

Here is Tony Khan’s big announcement: AEW is returning to Boston on March 13 and it’s…..AEW Big Business. It’s going to be an important night and tickets are on sale this Saturday. That was in fact an announcement. Tickets are on sale for one show and it takes place over a month from today. Riveting stuff there and you can’t buy this type of energy.

Chris Jericho vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis/Powerhouse Hobbs are here and Jericho sends Takeshita outside to start. Callis isn’t happy and slaps Takeshita, who takes over with some right hands. A brainbuster on the floor plants Jericho but he’s able to get back in for a top rope elbow to the head. Cue Sammy Guevara with a chair to the back of Hobbs, followed by a cutter off the steps.

A chair to the head sends Hobbs over the barricade, leaving Jericho to fight back. Takeshita is sent outside so Jericho puts on his mask and hits a big dive to the floor. We take a break and come back with Takeshita hitting a hard dropkick. A backsplash hits knees though and the fans are behind Jericho.

The Walls are blocked but Jericho settles for the Codebreaker for two. Jericho loads up the Lionsault, which is countered into the Blue Thunder Bob for two more. A super Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two but the big knee is countered into the Walls of Jericho. Callis slides in a chair though and uses the distraction to hit Jericho with a screwdriver. Takeshita puts on the Walls for two arm drops and then Jericho taps at 13:50.

Rating: C. This really didn’t work as Jericho wasn’t exactly feeling crisp out there. At the same time, I cannot bring myself to care about the Callis vs. Jericho feud. It feels like it has been going on forever and now we’ll have to wait on Jericho’s next revenge. It’s a feud that feels like it’s continuing because it needs to continue and that is never a good sign.

Tag Team Titles: Big Bill/Ricky Starks vs. Sting/Darby Allin

Sting (with his family in the crowd) and Allin are challenging and this is under Texas Tornado rules. They fight into the crowd to start and use some trashcans, setting up Sting’s dive off an entrance onto the champs. We take a break and come back with Allin’s suicide dive being countered into Allin’s swinging Boss Man Slam for a huge crash (that was incredibly smooth).

Back in and a choke toss sends Allin flying and Starks hits a Scorpion Death Drop for two on Sting. That doesn’t keep him down long as he’s back up with a Stinger Splash to Bill, setting up Code Red to send him outside. Allin hits the Coffin Drop to a standing Bill on the floor, leaving Starks to miss a dropkick.

The Scorpion Deathlock goes on to Starks as the other two crash through a table. Starks escapes and avoids a Stinger Splash, sending Sting into an exposed buckle. The Spear gives Starks two and he can’t believe the kickout. Back up and the Scorpion Death Drop gives Sting the pin and the titles at 13:16.

Rating: B-. That Boss Man Slam alone was worth a look but this was all about the big moment at the end and it went very well. Sting and Allin winning the titles is far from a stretch as they’ve been a strong team since they started. It’s not out of nowhere and gives Sting a genuine feel good moment on his way out of the ring.

Post match Sting and his family celebrate but the Young Bucks come in (wearing all white suits) with baseball bats (also white) for the beatdown. Allin is busted open and the blood is all over the white suits. THAT was effective and made the Bucks look like evil villains rather than wasting their time making jokes that all of 14 people care about.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling on here was very good and the Sting/Allin title change made it even better. This was a show where it felt like the old energy was back and that is something that is always great to have. At the same time, the announcement was another (hilarious) letdown and Callis continues to kill my interest anytime he appears. The good heavily outweighs the bad here though, with three rather awesome matches (even if the rankings/#1 contender situation is still absurd).

Results
Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page went to a time limit draw
Toni Storm b. Red Velvet – Ankle lock
Blackpool Combat Club b. Hechicero/Volador Jr./Mascara Dorada – Low blow to Hechicero
Konosuke Takeshita b. Chris Jericho – Walls Of Jericho
Sting/Darby Allin b. Ricky Starks/Big Bill – Scorpion Death Drop to Starks

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Dynamite
Date: January 31, 2024
Location: UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We’re about five and a half weeks away from Revolution and that means it is time to start putting together the rest of the card. That very well may begin tonight, at least partially due to the reintroduction of the championship rankings. Those could go in a few different directions so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Some CMLL stars are in the crowd.

Jon Moxley vs. Jeff Hardy

Matt Hardy is here with Jeff and this is a first time ever match. Moxley starts fast and they go out to the floor to start, with Moxley trying to rip out Jeff’s earring. Jeff chokes away a bit but Moxley gets back inside for a suicide dive. Back in and a hard clothesline drops Jeff again and Moxley ties up the legs with a headscissors at the same time (that’s a new one).

That’s broken up and Jeff is sent into the corner before they go back to the floor. Moxley almost gets into it with the CMLL guys so Hardy goes after him, only to get dropped again. We take a break and come back with Moxley tearing at the earlobe again but Jeff knocks him off the top.

The legdrop between the legs and basement dropkick give Jeff two but Moxley is back with the elbows to the neck. They head to the apron where Hardy hits the Twist of Fate but it’s too early for the Swanton. Instead Moxley superplexes him down and grabs the cutter. Jeff’s cradle gets two, only to have him miss the Swanton. Moxley chokes him out for the win at 15:04.

Rating: B-. This went longer than it needed to but this was the best way to use Hardy. He was clearly moving more slowly than he used to but he still has more than enough star power to feel somewhat important. Let him put on a nice enough match and make Moxley look good and that’s all you really need to do.

Post match Hardy won’t show respect before leaving. With the Hardys gone, the CMLL guys run in to beat down Moxley. An assortment of midcarders make the save.

Hangman Page vs. Toa Liona

Toa is Swerve Strickland’s handpicked opponent for Page. Some right hands don’t get Page far to start so Toa knocks him down. A sunset flip is blocked but Page hits a sliding basement lariat. Back up and Toa runs him over, only to get small packaged for two more. Toa gets low bridged out to the floor but some springboard lariats only seem to make him mat.

Page is tossed over the top to the floor for a crash and Toa crushes him with a crossbody off the apron. Toa knocks Page over the top again and we take a break. Back with Page tied in the Tree of Woe for a running headbutt. Page slugs away and hits a discus forearm so Toa gets two off a superkick.

Some running clotheslines stagger Toa until another turns him inside out. The Deadeye….just makes Toa pop up and hit a discus lariat. With Page down on the floor, Toa misses his moonsault but Page hits one of his own. Back in and Toa tries a Samoan drop but gets reversed into a crucifix for the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, but it could have been trimmed down a bit. It also would have helped to have this be someone other than half of the monster team. It doesn’t make for the more interesting match, as there are other wrestlers who could be used in this spot. While Swerve has Toa in his stable, that doesn’t make him the best choice to face Page. The result was right, but it wasn’t quite on that next level.

The Young Bucks arrived earlier today in a Hummer limo and got mad at being called Nick and Matt.

Wardlow vs. Komander

The Undisputed Kingdom is here with Wardlow. Komander gets thrown down to start and a pop up powerslam makes it worse. The toss F5 sends Komander flying but he reverses a powerbomb with a hurricanrana into the steps. Back in and a dropkick into a phoenix splash crushes Wardlow for two. Thankfully Wardlow is back up with a spinning powerslam and a knee to the face out of the corner. Wardlow’s leg seems to give out on the powerbomb but it’s good for the pin at 5:33 anyway.

Rating: C. It says a lot when this might have been the best performance from the Undisputed Kingdom, but my goodness if Wardlow is seriously hurt, just pull the plug already. You would have five members with two injured, two more who can barely beat thrown together teams and one more who has more than a month to go before his big title match.

Post match the Kingdom goes after Komander but Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends come in for the staredown.

We get a sitdown interview between Sting/Darby Allin and Ricky Starks/Big Bill. Starks isn’t happy that Sting got his first AEW win over him but Allin doesn’t buy it. Allin talks about how Starks is using Sting as a stepping stone and that’s not ok. Starks says he’s not letting Sting get to his retirement but Bill says this is a bunch of nonsense. Sting isn’t overly impressed and violence is teased but Sting is ready for action next week. They didn’t say much here, but it hyped up a title match that hasn’t had much build.

Chris Jericho vs. Kyle Fletcher

Non-title and the rest of the Don Callis Family are here with Fletcher. An early Michinoku Driver gives Fletcher two but Jericho sends him to the apron for the triangle dropkick. Back in and Fletcher hammers away until Jericho makes another comeback. Don Callis trips him down though and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher kicking him in the chest and hitting a brainbuster for two. Jericho fights up with an ax handle to the head and the Walls go on, with Fletcher going straight to the ropes. Fletcher knocks him down but walks into a Codebreaker, meaning it’s time to slug it out. A brainbuster onto the buckle gives Fletcher two, with Jericho’s cradle getting the same. The Judas Effect finishes Fletcher at 13:12.

Rating: C+. The Callis vs. Jericho feud marches on, now with a reigning champion getting beaten. I’m not sure why that needed to happen, but the same thing could be said about the feud as a whole. Jericho getting a win to set up another match is fine, but did it need to come over a reigning champion?

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out for a staredown with Jericho.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about she and Toni Storm have matching tattoos. It means something to Purrazzo, but what does it mean to Storm?

Here is the Bang Bang Scissor Gang for a chat. They brag about being amazing, but don’t like that Cardblade is here. It’s all about the Juiceboard now but Billy and his kids argue over who gets to do the catchphrase. And that’s that. I have no idea what this segment was supposed to do.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie

Toni Storm is on commentary and Johnny TV is here with Valkyrie. They fight over a lockup to start with Purrazzo grabbing a wristlock. With that broken up, Taya grabs a leglock and they fight to the floor, with Purrazzo having to glare at TV. Valkyrie sends her into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Purrazzo hitting some strikes as Storm says neither of them are Wendi Richter. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Valkyrie two and they head outside. Storm is ready to fight but Purrazzo sends Valkyrie into her for a knockdown. Back in and a double arm crank makes Valkyrie tap at 8:51.

Rating: C. Purrazzo got a nice win on her way to the title match with Storm, but it still feels a bit early to have her as a serious title contender. Storm’s weird obsession with Wendi Richter continues as a nice running joke and she is still a hilarious addition to commentary. Other than that, Valkyrie is a great choice to put Purrazzo over, as she has some stature and gave Purrazzo trouble before the loss.

Storm seems impressed by Purrazzo’s win.

Darby Allin is asked about his admiration for the Young Bucks. That has him confused, but here are the Bucks to interrupt. They like him, but why is Allin letting Sting leech money off of him? The Bucks think they could be a goth trio but Allin wants the Tag Team Titles. That leaves the Bucks to think of a new plan.

Swerve Strickland vs. ???

Samoa Joe is on commentary and the mystery opponent is…Rob Van Dam, as was teased. Hold on though as Hangman Page pops up on screen to say this is also a hardcore match, so Van Dam sends a chair into Strickland’s face. Van Dam kicks him around ringside and even hits the spinning leg to the back as we take a break. Back with Swerve in control and putting a chair in the corner.

As per the rules of wrestling, Van Dam sends him into the chair instead, followed by a dropkick with the chair going into Swerve for two. The monkey flip is blocked though and Swerve knocks him down again. Van Dam fights up so here is Brian Cage, only for Hook to make the save.

Rolling Thunder is countered into a rolling Downward Spiral to plant Van Dam again. Swerve sends him hard into the steps but Van Dam is able to pelt a chair at Swerve’s head, sending him crashing through a table. The Five Star only hits chair though and the House Call with a chair gets two. Swerve sends him into the corner and finishes with the Swerve Stomp at 12:44.

Rating: C+. As usual, Van Dam is a good choice for a one off opponent like this, as he can still go in the ring and the fans are going to react to him no matter what. At the same time, I’m trying to figure out why Page had the wrestling world at his fingertips for this and picked Van Dam. It’s not a bad pick, but are the two of them friends in a way that I’m missing? Anyway, good enough match, but kind of a weird choice.

Post match Page comes out to yell at Swerve about the upcoming rankings. They’re both undefeated this year and that means they should be at the top of the rankings. They’ll fight one more time, making the rankings rather worthless. The #1 contenders match is made official to end the show. As in before the rankings come out. So, based on what was said, winning a bunch of matches gets you in line for a #1 contenders match. So why do these rankings need to exist?

Overall Rating: B-. It’s far from a bad show and you can see a lot of Revolution coming together, but that doesn’t mean the show made me want to watch. Almost nothing going on in AEW at the moment feels like it’s must see and adding rankings/CMLL stars into that isn’t likely to help. AEW is in a weird place right now and it might take them awhile to get out of it. Revolution needs a hot feud and I don’t know if I see that in the cards.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Jeff Hardy – Rear naked choke
Hangman Page b. Toa Liona – Crucifix
Wardlow b. Komander – Powerbomb
Chris Jericho b. Kyle Fletcher – Judas Effect
Deonna Purrazzo b. Taya Valkyrie – Double arm crank
Swerve Strickland b. Rob Van Dam – House Call with a chair

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 24, 2024
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

The road to Revolution continues and the big story coming out of last week is what could be a three way feud between World Champion Samoa Joe, Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland. We should be able to find the next step in that story this week, plus a good bit more. Like Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Samoa Joe to get things going. Joe talks about how people have to earn title shots but just like Hook last week, they’ll take a beating. Here is Hook to interrupt, saying Joe won last week, but they’ll see each other again. Joe bets Hook will, but calls for security to get him out of here. Cue security…with Hook beating them up before leaving. Well that was fast.

Hangman Page vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

Samoa Joe is on commentary. Penta does the usual pose to start so Page backs him into the corner. That earns Page some running Sling Blades but Page sends him into the corner for a running boot to the face. They trade chops in the corner until Penta has to slip out of the Deadeye. An exchange of clotheslines and superkicks leave them both down and we take a break.

Back with Penta kicking him to the floor for a big running flip dive. They get back inside where Page hammers away in the corner, followed by Penta’s running Death Valley Driver. Page avoids having the arm snapped and comes back with a sitout powerbomb for two. Neither can hit anything big on the apron so the Buckshot Lariat is countered into Made In Japan for two. Page is sent to the apron again but he counters a Canadian Destroyer into the Deadeye. Now the Buckshot finishes Penta at 13:45.

Rating: B. It was the kind of back and forth match that you would expect in this spot as Page gets a win over someone with some credibility. They were trading big spots here and while at times it felt like they were checking moves off a list they had planned to cover, it was still more than exciting enough stuff. At the very least, this should put Page on the road to the title match, where he seems destined to go.

Orange Cassidy is down to defend the International Title against Roderick Strong at Revolution. For now though, he’s setting up a match for Rampage where the winner gets a title shot on Collision.

The Young Bucks like the show’s format and want to be called Nicholas and Matthew. Backstage morale is way up and they want a great show! Top Flight come in and get chastised for being late but respect is shown. Do you get the joke yet? I’m not sure they’re hammering it in hard enough.

Trent Beretta vs. Wardlow

The Best Friends and the Undisputed Kingdom are here too. Wardlow knocks him into the corner to start and fires off some shoulders to the ribs. Trent manages to knock him outside and hits a dive, only to be driven into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Trent slugging away. A clothesline sends Wardlow outside, where a distracted referee misses Trent getting in a chair shot. Back in and a tornado DDT sets up a piledriver for two on Wardlow so Trent goes up top. Wardlow pulls him down into a knee and the powerbomb finishes Trent off at 7:59.

Rating: C+. Between this match and the Kingdom’s first match after being revealed, I’m really not sure what the thinking is with this team. They’re struggling to beat midcarders and haven’t shown the slightest bit of dominance. If Wardlow is supposed to be the guy to go after the World Title, he’s going to need a lot more than this, as needing eight minutes to beat Trent is hardly impressive.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Best Friends make the save.

Adam Copeland is ready for Minoru Suzuki.

Here are Deonna Purrazzo and Toni Storm for a face to face interview on the stage. Storm says she’s going to speak first because she has a massage scheduled. Purrazzo was recently body shamed which is ridiculous when there is SO MUCH MORE to shame about her. Storm threatens to twist Purrazzo’s lips around but Purrazzo says she’s here to be champion.

She’ll win the title arm by arm because this delusional Storm isn’t the one she wants. She wants the Storm who worked on the dojo floors and lived in Purrazzo’s house. They even show off matching ankle tattoos, which is why Storm doesn’t have Purrazzo fooled. Shoe throwing ensues and Purrazzo pulls her into the Venus de Milo, with Mariah May making the save. That added a little personal touch to the story, though Purrazzo still doesn’t sound overly confident with her promos.

Jon Moxley says the Blackpool Combat Club has won a lot of titles but haven’t had any victory parties. He’s ready to hurt anyone who gets in the ring with him.

Taya Valkyrie and Johnny TV aren’t happy with people jumping to the front of the line. That’s why Taya wants to face Deonna Purrazzo next week.

Swerve Strickland vs. Jeff Hardy

Matt Hardy is here with Jeff. They start slowly, with Swerve knocking him into the corner so Jeff has to hold his neck. Jeff shoves him away to get a glare from Swerve, who takes him down and goes for the arm. Matt offers a distraction though and Jeff gets out, only to be sent to the apron. A superkick drops Jeff again and Swerve drops him hard on the floor. Back up and Jeff manages a Poetry In Motion of the steps to take Swerve over the barricade as we take a break.

We come back with Jeff knocking him off the top and hitting the Whisper In The Wind. Jeff kicks him in the face and hits a splash for two. Swerve gets in a knock off the top and they go outside, with Jeff hitting a Twist of Fate onto the steps. Back in and the Swanton hits raised knees, allowing Swerve to backslide him for two. The rolling Downward Spiral sets up a suplex into the Swerve Stomp to finish Jeff at 13:57.

Rating: C+. Well the right guy won, though he took his sweet time getting there. I get that they’re doing the Swerve/Hangman are matching each other, and that makes all the sense in the world assuming you ignore their two pay per view matches within the last ten weeks or so. Jeff wasn’t exactly his old self here, but he did seem like he was trying.

Post break Hangman Page is interrupted by Swerve Strickland, where they’re told they get to pick the other’s opponents for next week.

Red Velvet vs. Thunder Rosa

Velvet grabs the arm to start but Rosa drop toeholds her into the corner. They go outside with Velvet chopping away and we take a break. Back with Rosa hitting a running dropkick against the ropes but Velvet rolls her up or a double stomp. Rosa hits a dropkick and a Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 7:10.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here, which tends to be the case with a good deal of the women’s matches. There is only so much you can do when about half of a match that doesn’t last eight minutes is in a break and that was the case here. Rosa is slowly getting back to her pre-injury status, but it is going to take a long time.

Here are Sting and Darby Allin for a chat. Allin talks about being asked what it means to be in the ring with Sting. He remembered hearing about Sting’s career being over and going down to Sting’s house in Texas. They got in a ring he had down there and within five minutes, Allin said “you still got it”. Now Sting is about to hang it up, but maybe they should go out as Tag Team Champions. Sting is in.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks accept Sting and Allin’s challenge.

Trios Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. Billy Gunn/Acclaimed

Gunn and the Acclaimed, with Bullet Club Gold, are defending. Cage drives Caster into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs to start. Caster grabs the arm and hands it off to Bowens to stay on said arm, only to have Cage pull him into the corner. Bowens fights up but Prince Nana offers a distraction, allowing Kaun to knock him off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting a Blockbuster but Toa cuts of the tag attempt. That doesn’t last long either, as Bowens gets over to Gunn for the house cleaning tag. Everything breaks down and Kaun faceplants Gunn for two. Kaun brings in a chair but Jay White takes it away, allowing Gunn to hit a cobra clutch slam. The Gunns powerbomb an interfering Nana through the timekeeper’s table, leaving Toa to take a not very good 3D. The Fameasser into the Arrival into the Mic Drop retains the titles at 8:52.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t boring, though there was a lot packed into this, with the interference and the chair and the match itself, all in less than nine minutes. Still though, the Club being involved gives me hope that we could be in for a title unification match. If nothing else, it would mean three less belts floating around and that sounds rather nice.

Serena Deeb returns on Collision.

Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki

They slug it out to start with Suzuki getting the better of things (shocking I know), including a hard forearm to put Copeland down. Copeland is back up and sends him to the apron for the big boot. The spear is countered into a guillotine though, with Copeland having to drive him through the barricade.

Back in and they slug it out again for another double knockdown. Back up and they slug it out again until Copeland grabs an Impaler. Copeland hits a quick spear for two but gets pulled into the rear naked choke. He reaches for the corner and the pad is pulled up, with Suzuki going face first into the buckle. A really not good Killswitch gives Copeland the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C+. I’m sure there was an audience for this and it definitely did feel like a major event, but I couldn’t get into the idea of Copeland and Suzuki trading forearms and then exchanging some finishers for Copeland to win in about nine minutes. It felt like a way to say “wait, those two had a match?”, which is ok, but doesn’t exactly guarantee the quality or interest.

Post match Copeland says he’s never been hit that hard and offers respect but Suzuki walks off instead. These two had the kind of match that Christian Cage has never had and Copeland is still coming for him.

Overall Rating: C+. There was some good wrestling in here but a grand total of nothing felt important. This show felt like AEW was saying “here’s two hours of stuff, see you next week”. While that’s not good, it’s something that every promotion has done before and it just happens on occasion. They have a stacked Collision and next week’s Dynamite could very well be back to full form, so hopefully we can call this a one off slip and move on.

Results
Hangman page b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Buckshot Lariat
Wardlow b. Trent Beretta – Powerbomb
Swerve Strickland b. Jeff Hardy – Swerve Stomp
Thunder Rosa b. Red Velvet – Package spinning slam
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Mogul Embassy – Mic Drop to Toa
Adam Copeland b. Minoru Suzuki – Killswitch

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 17, 2024
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Taz

It’s time for a special main event with Hook challenging Samoa Joe for the World Title. That should make for an interesting learning experience for Hook but the question seems to be what happens next. We’re coming up on Revolution and the show needs a card to be set up so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a video on Hook vs. Samoa Joe.

TNT Title: Christian Cage vs. Dustin Rhodes

Cage, with Killswitch and Nick Wayne, is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and roll around the ropes with neither getting anywhere. Cage hammers away in the corner but Rhodes is right back with the rolling powerslam for two. The fight heads outside with Cage being sent into the steps and Rhodes hitting a clothesline off of those steps. Back in and Cage knocks him off the top and out to the floor, setting up a big dive.

We take a break and come back with Rhodes missing a crossbody to fall outside. Rhodes gets back in to slug it out from their knees until the bulldog gives Rhodes two. The Code Red gets two more so Cage goes outside, where he cuts off a dive. Back in and a frog splash gives Cage two so he grabs the belt, only to have it taken away.

Rhodes grabs a small package but Wayne turns it over to give Cage two more. Back up and Shattered Dreams connects and Cross Rhodes connects for a VERY near fall. Rhodes stops to go after Wayne so Cage hits a spear into the Killswitch….for two. Cage is stunned so he hits another Killswitch to retain at 15:26.

Rating: B. I wasn’t looking forward to this one coming in and they had a heck of a match with Rhodes trying everything he could but coming up short in the end. Rhodes as the guy who just does not age is rather impressive and Cage’s great run continues. Awesome match here and they were absolutely rolling by the end.

Swerve Strickland is going to be focused on the main event because he’s watching everything. Yes he wants the World Title but yes he’s also watching Hangman Page. The thing is, Page could beat everyone in AEW to the Lord himself…but he can’t beat Swerve.

Chris Jericho wants revenge on the Don Callis Family. Matt Sydal of all people comes in to say he wants a match tonight so they’re on (with Jericho making a Bourne reference).

Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy vs. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo

Cassidy and Penta go face to face to start with both of them taking the other to the mat for a string of misses. Trent comes in and reverses Komander’s springboard dive into a half and half suplex. We take a break and come back with Komander sending Trent to the floor, followed by the big running flip dive.

Back in and the spike Fear Factor is broken up, allowing Trent to come back inside to hammer on Komander. Penta kicks Trent in the head though and adds a Canadian Destroyer. Cassidy has to dive over the referee for the save so Komander goes up top. The Phoenix splash misses though and Trent adds the running knee. Cassidy hits Penta with the Beach Break, followed by the Orange Punch to Komander. The Crunchy finishes for Trent at 10:16.

Rating: B-. This was another fast paced match with Cassidy and Trent hanging in there with the faster team. I could go for more of Trent as he’s an underrated star, but at the same time, Cassidy seems all but destined for a big showdown with Roderick Strong. Penta and Komander were just opponents here, but their high flying stuff was as entertaining as ever.

Post match here is the Undisputed Kingdom, with Roderick Strong wanting Orange Cassidy to take off his glasses for the staredown. Strong wants an International Title shot because he is coming for the title. Fans: “SHUT THE F*** UP.” Cassidy is willing to put the title on the line right now….but let’s wait until Revolution because Strong wants Cassidy to think about it. Strong is a dumb villain.

Hangman Page (looking more like Magnum TA every week) wants the World Title back. Oh and it doesn’t matter if he can’t beat Swerve Strickland, because Swerve isn’t World Champion.

Here is Mark Briscoe, with his family in the crowd, for a chat on the anniversary of his brother’s death. Jay’s daughters were in the car with him and one was told she would never walk again. Well here she is, walking on her own (with presumably her sister and brother). That’s awesome.

Video on Jay Briscoe.

We get a sitdown interview with the Young Bucks, who want to be called by their full names because they are Executive Vice Presidents. You have heard some things about them, but what would you do to protect your family? Things were changing and they needed to stop leaning on yesterday’s self serving cancerous stars. Sting is the last of a dying breed so it’s time to get rid of him too. When asked if that’s a direct call out for Revolution, they leave for the sake of a meeting. I can’t believe it but somehow they’re more annoying than they were before.

Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Mogul Embassy

The Club is challenging. Kaun strikes away at White to start so it’s off to the Gunns to take him down. Cage comes in with a superkick and it’s Kaun coming back in for an elbow as we take a break. Back with Colten cleaning house and getting two off a neckbreaker. The Embassy takes him back down though and a sitout powerbomb into an Air Raid Crash gets two.

Colten backdrops his way out of trouble and hands it back to White to strike away at Kaun. 3:10 To Yuma hits Cage but a Prince Nana distraction lets Kaun hit a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Cue Anthony Bowens for a distraction though and White hits the Blade Runner for the pin and the titles at 9:31.

Rating: C+. If there is any sanity around here, this will lad to a unification match to get rid of one set of the Six Man Titles. There has never been any need to have two sets of them around and now it’s time to get rid of one. Other than that, you had a good enough match with a title change that needed to happen due to Cage’s injury.

Post match the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn come out for the staredown.

Adam Cole hypes up Wardlow as the new wrecking ball on his way to the World Title.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay

Toni Storm is on commentary. Purrazzo spins out of a wristlock to start and rolls Jay up for a fast one. Jay has to bail over to the ropes, where she grabs a neckbreaker over the ropes. We take a break and come back with Purrazzo getting two off a clothesline. Jay kicks her in the face for two more but the Queenslayer is countered into a quickly broken armbar. They forearm it out until Purrazzo pulls her into the Venus de Milo (double armbar) for the tap at 6:40.

Rating: C. There was barely enough to rate here with the commercial involved and that’s pretty normal for a lot of women’s matches around here. Purrazzo is off to a good start and I wouldn’t be surprised if she got the next title shot either on a big Dynamite or at Revolution. As usual, Anna loses after building up some momentum, which tends to be her case.

Post match Purrazzo says she doesn’t know what is up with Toni Storm, but Purrazzo has changed as well. Storm has never met the Virtuosa, but Storm calls her an artificially tanned hag. The shoe is thrown and Purrazzo chases her off.

Top Flight vs. Private Party

Kassidy takes Darius down to start but they nip up for the staredown. Everyone gets in for the staredown and it’s off to Dante vs. Quen. Dante takes him down by the arm but Kassidy is back in with a springboard crossbody. We take a break and come back with Darius working on Kassidy’s arm as commentary talks about almost anything else. Kassidy fights up and brings in Quen to clean house, including a 450 to Dante. Everything breaks down and Dante knees Quen in the face. Gin and Juice takes Dante down, leaving Quen to roll up Darius (while grabbing the rope) for the pin at 10:11.

Rating: B-. Take two high flying teams and let them go nuts for a bit. It’s a little strange to see Private Party come back and have a fairly high profile match like this one but at least they won. I can go for Private Party as villains, but AEW needs to actually go somewhere with them or it won’t matter.

Video on Sting and Darby Allin.

AEW World Title: Hook vs. Samoa Joe

Only Joe’s title is on the line. Hook goes right after him to start and they’re already on the floor, where Joe strikes away. Back in and Joe hits a jumping enziguri in the corner, followed by the hard kick to the chest. Hook gets in some shots of his own and knocks Joe outside, setting up the big forearm from the apron. Joe isn’t having that and release Rock Bottoms him through the announcers’ table.

That earns him a double middle finger so Joe powerbombs Hook onto the apron. Back in and Joe snaps off a powerslam for two, followed by a Death Valley Driver for the same. The MuscleBuster gets one but Hook is back up with some running clotheslines and the t-bone suplex. Redrum goes on but Joe reverses into the Koquina Clutch for the knockout win at 8:45.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a match that was pretty much exactly what you would have expected but better. Hook wasn’t going to win the title here but he brought the energy and Joe felt like he was in a fight. Granted I could have gone without the new World Champion’s finisher only getting a one count, but otherwise Joe looked like a killer as usual.

Post match Joe gives him another MuscleBuster but here is Hangman Page to chase Joe off. Swerve Strickland is watching from the crowd and stares at Page as Hook leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that focused on the wrestling and that ranged from pretty good to very good. They also took some steps towards Revolution as you can see a lot of the card from here. If you take out the Young Bucks making me want to put my head through a wall, it’s that much better of a show. Rather strong show this week and I had a good time throughout.

Results
Christian Cage b. Dustin Rhodes – Killswitch
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo – Crunchy to Komander
Bullet Club Gold b. Mogul Embassy – Blade Runner to Kaun
Deonna Purrazzo b. Anna Jay – Venus de Milo
Private Party b. Top Flight – Rollup to Darius while grabbing the rope
Samoa Joe b. Hook – Koquina Clutch

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 10, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back to Jacksonville for the Homecoming show, which is likely going to focus on a lot of the greatest hits. At the same time, there is still a chance that some of the regulars are going to be over in Japan, so it is hard to say who will be around for the show. We’re also less than two months away from Revolution so it might be time to start getting ready. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Hangman Page vs. Claudio Castagnoli

They start fast and slug away with the fight heading to the floor. Castagnoli gets the better of things before they head back inside. A bunch of forearms to the head rock Page and Castagnoli gets the Swing, setting up the Sharpshooter. The rope is grabbed so Castagnoli slugs away again, only to get caught with a fall away slam.

A springboard clothesline sends Castagnoli to the floor and there’s a slingshot dive to hit him again. We pause for Page to have a fan’s beer, with Castagnoli gorilla pressing him over the top and onto the ramp. Back from a break with the fight on the ramp, with Page clotheslining Castagnoli into the ring. The Buckshot Lariat is countered into Swiss Death for two and they slug it out back inside.

Page knocks him to the floor hits a moonsault, followed by another off the stage to drop Castagnoli again. A Tombstone gives Page two and they both need a breather. They trade more hard shots until the Deadeye gives Page two. Castagnoli takes him to the corner and tries a super Riccola Bomb but Page reverses into a hurricanrana. That and a pair of Buckshot Lariats finish Castagnoli at 17:05.

Rating: B. For a cold match, this was a heck of a fight with both guys laying it in as well as they could. That’s all you can ask for out of a match like this and they made it work rather well. Page needs the win as he seems primed for another match with Swerve Strickland so starting against Castagnoli is a good thing. As for Castagnoli…oh he’ll be fine as always.

We take a quick look at Brodie Lee.

Dustin Rhodes/ Preston Vance/Orange Cassidy/Adam Copeland vs. Mogul Embassy/Lance Archer

Jake Roberts and Prince Nana are here with the heels. Rhodes powerslams Toa to start and hands it off to Vance, who gets driven into the corner. Cage comes in to send Vance into the buckles but it’s off to Copeland to slug away. Cassidy gets to come in and tires his usual on the Gates of Agony, with Toa Pouncing him out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Archer beating on Cassidy in the corner. Roberts and Jose the Assistant get in a fight on the floor, with the distraction letting Cassidy fight over to Vance. House is cleaned and everything breaks down, with Copeland Impalering Cage. The villains clear the ring but Archer and Cage hit each other, leaving Copeland to spear Cage down. Vance’s discus lariat finishes Cage at 10:21.

Rating: B-. This was a bit about Brodie Lee but more about getting some people on the show, even in something of a random fashion. The match was the usual form of chaos and it was good enough for a match that got a bit of time. That being said, Copeland being in there felt a bit off, as this kind of match seems somewhat beneath him. Anyway, nice stuff here, even with Vance feeling out of place.

Bullet Club Gold wants the Trios Titles so here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, who again suggest an alliance. The Club wants more time to think about it.

Here is Samoa Joe to get things going. After a THANK YOU JOE chant, it’s time to make some changes to who gets title shots. Here are the changes that we’re making: no more whining and crying here or on social media. Bring your record and your reputation and submit it to the championship committee. If you’re deemed worthy, you get the right to get beaten up. The new championship era is here and for all who want a piece of him, our champion will be waiting….and here is Swerve Strickland, flanked by the Mogul Embassy.

Swerve declares this his house and says the same thing he said to Hangman Page: this isn’t personal, but Swerve wants something Joe has. Now once he takes the title, and Joe makes it personal, Swerve can do that too. Cue Page to interrupt, saying he’s throwing his name in the title picture too. Page talks about what he did in 2023 and promises to make the title his in the new year. Swerve is about to go after him but leaves instead.

Joe and Page go face to face, with Page saying he remembers what Joe did and promises to take the title. With everyone else gone, here is Hook to confront Joe. Hook gets in his face and says one week before leaving. Even Taz sounds confused. Hook in a one off title match where he gets to showcase himself in defeat isn’t a bad idea, as it isn’t like he has anything else going on.

Toni Storm didn’t watch Mariah May’s match and is worried about Wendi Richter rather than the debuting Deonna Purrazzo. May: “She kicked me in the face.” Storm: “Darling, have a chocolate.” She wants to meet this Donna Polazzo but can’t remember the last line of her catchphrase. May tries to help her and is told she’s ruined the moment. This was absolutely hilarious.

Ricky Starks vs. Sammy Guevara

Starks works on the wristlock to start but Guevara is back with a headlock. Guevara knocks him outside for the moonsault, with Starks coming up favoring his arm. Back up and they fight on the apron, with Starks hitting a double underhook faceplant to take over as we take a break.

We come back with Guevara knocking him down but moonsaulting onto raised boots. Starks’ sitout powerbomb gets two but he has to reverse the GTS into a rollup for two more. Back up and Guevara kicks him in the face twice and grabs a quick small package for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if something happened in there but Starks was looking off for a good chunk of the match. The ending came a bit out of nowhere too and made things feel all the weirder. They did the right thin by having Guevara win of course, as the Tag Team Title match is looming this weekend

Post match respect is shown but it’s a ruse for Big Bill to come in and beat up Guevara. Chris Jericho runs in from behind for the save. Jericho and Bill fight into the crowd while Guevara celebrates with fans.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander/Anna Jay/Thunder Rosa vs. Saraya/Ruby Soho/Skye Blue/Julia Hart

Harley Cameron is here with Saraya and company. Anna and Soho lock up to start with the former snapping off a headscissors. Nightingale comes in for the basement crossbody before it’s off to Rosa vs. Hart. The villains get to stomp away in the corner but Rosa elbows her way out of trouble. It’s back to Nightingale to take over but Cameron shoves her off the top.

We take a break and come back with Statlander getting the tag to come in and clean house. A falcon Arrow gives Statlander two and the villains get caught in a quadruple suplex, leaving commentary trying to figure out how to call it. Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns. We get a Jay vs. Hart slugout until Blue tags herself in and superkicks Jay. That’s fine with Anna, who pulls her into the Queenslayer for the tap at 8:58.

Rating: C+. This got a hair more time than women’s matches tend to get around here and that helped things out a bit. At the same time, there is only so much you can do with eight women in a match that barely gives them a minute each. At least it got them on the show though, and in this case that feels like the main goal.

Wheeler Yuta doesn’t like Eddie Kingston and challenge him for the Continental Crown on Rampage. Of note: commentary says that if Yuta wins, he’s a quadruple champion, so apparently all of the titles are defended at once.

Bryan Keith vs. Roderick Strong

The rest of the Undisputed Kingdom is here too. Keith kicks him down to start and chops away before taking it to the apron. Strong fights back and takes him back inside for the stomps in the corner. An enziguri into the Angle Slam gives Strong two but Keith kicks him in the face again. Diamond Dust plants Strong and Keith rolls him up for two, only to get kneed in the face. End o Heartache finishes for Strong at 4:21.

Rating: C+. This was a better debut than the Kingdom had as part o the team last week. At the very least, Strong didn’t take a good while to pick up the win, which should get him closer to Orange Cassidy and the International Title. Keith feels like he is on an extended tryout and that might be better. While he is talented, the roster is heavy enough already and adding someone else doesn’t seem like the best idea, at least with someone of Keith’s status.

Post match the team gets in the ring, with Adam Cole promising that the team is going to win a lot of titles.

Deonna Purrazzo wants the Women’s Title and will debut on Collision. Red Velvet comes in and seems to accept the challenge.

Jim Ross joins commentary for the main event.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Don Callis Family

Texas Tornado tag with Ric Flair and Don Callis here too. It’s a brawl to start with Sting chasing Hobbs into the crowd and hitting him with a chair. Takeshita and Allin follow in a different area as Hobbs is sent into some trashcans. Back at ringside, Takeshita hits a scary rolling German suplex on Allin and we take a break.

We come back with Allin being tossed into a powerslam, with Sting (looking spent) having to make a save. The Family sends Allin flying, with a nasty landing head first in the ropes. Sting gets kneed down by Takeshita….s Flair comes in to chop away at Hobbs. Sting is back up for the save and they all fight to the stage, with Allin being sent into the wall.

Takeshita’s running knee misses so Allin climbs the stage and Coffin Drops onto Takeshita, who kind of guides him down instead of catching him. Hobbs and Sting fight along the platform around ringside, with Sting hitting a Death Drop off said platform and through the announcers’ table for the in at 9:59.

Rating: B-. To call this wild would be an understatement, with Sting and Allin doing some crazy bumps that are probably not exactly safe. For now though, Sting’s retirement tour continues with another win, and now all he needs is to get through Revolution in less than two months. This was a crazy main event, but at times it was scarier than it needed to be.

Post match Sting is asked who he wants to face in his final match…..and here are the Young Bucks to interrupt. The staredown seems to say the match is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a weird theme to this show as it felt like they were trying to get in as much stuff as they could. Granted that is probably due to what seems like some of the bigger names still missing, which is ok for a one off. The good thing is they still do have a lot more time before Revolution, so having more of a fun show designed to set things up for the future is hardly some terrible choice. They tried something different here and it worked well enough to get by for a week.

Results
Hangman Page b. Claudio Castagnoli – Buckshot lariat
Orange Cassidy/Preston Vance/Adam Copeland/Dustin Rhodes b. Mogul Embassy/Lance Archer – Discus lariat to Cage
Sammy Guevara b. Ricky Starks – Small package
Willow Nightingale/Anna Jay/Thunder Rosa/Kris Statlander b. Saraya/Ruby Soho/Julia Hart/Skye Blue – Queenslayer to Blue
Roderick Strong b. Bryan Keith – End Of Heartache
Sting/Darby Allin b. Don Callis Family – Scorpion Death Drop through a table to Hobbs

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 4, 2024
Hosts: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

With the relaunch of TNA Wrestling taking place next week at Hard To Kill, it’s time to look back at some of the best moments of TNA. As a result, this week is called the Best Of TNA, meaning it is likely to feature matches from a good many years ago with wrestlers who aren’t around here anymore. But at least the crowd chants will work. Let’s get to it.

The hosts welcome us to the show.

From June 19, 2002, the first match in company history.

AJ Styles/Jerry Lynn/Low Ki vs. Flying Elvises

The Elvises jump them to start but get taken down for a series of dives. We settle down to Yang kneeing Styles in the face for two but Styles splashes down onto him for a breather. It’s off to Lynn for a tornado DDT, only to have Yang send him into the corner for a kick to the chest. Siaki comes in for a shot to Lynn’s face but Lynn is over to Ki without much effort.

Siaki is fine enough to hit an over the shoulder backbreaker and Estrada adds a running shooting star for two. Ki suplexes his way to freedom but Estrada kicks the legal Styles’ head off for two more. Lynn comes back in for a cradle piledriver and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Yang Time (phoenix splash) finishes Styles at 6:23.

Rating: B-. They were right about the total nonstop action part as this was a pure sprint from the start to the finish. Styles got to show off his athleticism while the Elvises, as goofy as they might be, did get to showcase what they were able to do. Seeing Styles take the first loss ever in the promotion is certainly interesting, but what makes it more confusing is the fact that the three loses would be competing for the inaugural X-Division Title the following week. How TNA of TNA.

We look at Christian Cage’s debut at Genesis 2005. That was a big, big deal.

We look at Kurt Angle’s debut at No Surrender 2006. This set up his feud with Samoa Joe, which felt like it could have been that much bigger if they had waited a bit longer. The bloody Joe popping up to take out Angle was a great visual though.

From June 25, 2003.

Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian

This was dubbed the Battle Of The Futures and they’re both still with the company today. Joined in progress with Kazarian grabbing a suplex and kicking him in the face. A DDT gives Sabin two and Kazarian bails to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and Sabin gets two off a dropkick and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and they trade rollups for two each until Sabin kicks him in the back of the head for two. Kazarian gets in a shot of his own and goes up, only to have Sabin run the corner and slam him back down for two. Sabin is back up and avoids a springboard dropkick, setting up a backbreaker for two on Kazarian. A tiger suplex gives Sabin two but Kazarian catches him on top with the Flux Capacitor for the pin at 10:33 shown of 11:55.

Rating: B-. Given what these two would go on to become, it should be shock that the two of them had a good match when they were up and comers. It’s a good example of what happens when talent is given a chance to showcase themselves and these two had a good one. Solid match here and a nice hidden gem.

Eric Young joins us in the studio and goes through some of various personae over the years, which really is rather impressive when you look at how much he has done.

From Turning Point 2007.

Knockouts Title: Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong

Kim is defending and we’re joined in progress with Kong missing a charge into the post. They get inside for the opening bell and Kim goes after the arm, only to get swung down with straight power. Kong misses a charge into the corner but she powers Kim down again and grabs a camel clutch.

With that broken up, Kong hits a chokebomb and a running splash in the corner to make it worse. Back up and Kim ducks the spinning backfist before firing off some dropkicks. A top rope backsplash gives Kim two but Kong hits her in the face. The choking is on but Kong shoves the referee down for the DQ at 8:40.

Rating: C+. First off, points for going with the rematch instead of the initial title win. Other than that, you had Kong as the unstoppable force and Kim fighting to hang on, which is as classic of a story as you can get in wrestling. These two always had perfect chemistry together and it’s this feud that made Kim a legend in women’s wrestling. Not a great match here, but you got the idea instantly and that is the sign of something working.

Post match Kong powerbombs the referee.

From Wrestle Kingdom III.

Kevin Nash/Kurt Angle/Masahiro Chono/Riki Choshu vs. Giant Bernard/Karl Anderson/Takashi Iizuka/Tomohiro Ishii

Bernard (better known as Albert/A-Train) runs into Nash to start but can’t get very far. Nash takes him into the corner for the boot choke so it’s off to Iizuka, who gets kicked in the face by Chono. Ishii comes in (looking YOUNG) and gets taken into the corner so the beatdown can be on. That’s broken up so it’s Choshu coming in to work on Anderson’s leg. Angle (big reaction) comes in and gets two off a suplex It’s already back to Choshu, who is driven into the corner so Bernard can get in some shoulders to the ribs. Everything breaks down and Angle ankle locks Anderson for the tap at 7:04.

Rating: C+. There was only so much you could do with eight people and about seven minutes of action so this went as well as it could have gone. Having Angle and Nash there made for a special feeling, but the legends were the showcase here, as tends to be the case. It wasn’t a great match, but it was a nice way to get a bunch of names in the ring.

From Victory Road 2010.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money

The titles are vacant coming in and we’re joined in progress with Roode being sent face first into the middle buckle. Standing Sliced Bread gets two with Storm making the save. A hurricanrana puts Storm down but Roode is right back in to roll Shelley up for two. Storm is knocked outside again and this time Sabin hits a springboard crossbody to take him down again.

Storm’s beer accidentally goes into the referee’s eyes so Earl Hebner has to run in and count two off Skull And Bones. Roode rolls through a high crossbody for two more and they trade strikes. Storm and Sabin grab stereo covers and it’s a double pin at 5:37 shown. That doesn’t work for Earl so restart the thing. Beer Money chokes away and Skull and Bones gives Shelley the pin at 7:52 shown of 15:50. I won’t rate about half of the match but the full thing is rather good.

There’s only one way to wrap this up. From Unbreakable 2005.

X-Division Title: Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels is defending and gets double teamed to start. He gets back up and yells so some double kicks put him right back down. Joe pulls Styles into a Rings of Saturn but Daniels makes the save. Daniels strikes away at both of them and gets two on Styles. Joe is back up and slugs away before hitting a release Rock Bottom on Daniels. The running boot in the corner is broken up though and Daniels hits a dive through the ropes to take Joe out again. Styles takes both of them down with a big dive and we take a break.

Back with Styles dropkicking Joe for two before Daniels monkey flips Styles…who hurricanranas Joe down. For some reason Daniels decides to slap away at Joe, who chokes him as a result. Styles breaks that up with the Spiral Tap and gets two each as a result. Daniels is back up but the Best Moonsault Ever is cut off, with Joe sending Styles into Daniels in the Tree of Woe.

Joe’s backsplash gets two on Styles but Daniels hits him with a Death Valley Driver to leave everyone down. Daniels and Styles both go to the floor and miss dives, only to have Joe take them both out. We take another break and come back with Joe superplexing both of them at once to leave them all down again. Joe Musclebusts Daniels and takes out Styles, only to go for the title. That allows Daniels to hit an enziguri to the belt to Joe’s head, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Styles.

The Best Moonsault Ever gets two more, with Joe making the save this time. Styles is back up with the moonsault reverse DDT for two more but Daniels plants Styles off the top for two. Joe is back up with the powerbomb into the STF on Daniels, who makes the rope. Styles’ torture rack powerbomb hits Joe for two before he rolls into the Styles Clash with Joe making another save. Joe misses a charge out to the floor, leaving Styles to reverse the Angel’s Wings into a backdrop rollup for the pin and the title at 21:45 shown of 22:50.

Rating: A. What else is there to say about this one? It’s probably the best match TNA has ever had and it has its reputation for a reason. If they wanted to show what they can do, there isn’t much of a better choice. It showcased the X-Division, three of the biggest stars the company has ever had and gave us a new champion. This is one of those matches where there is pretty much nothing wrong and the amazing action and pace carry it to an insanely high level.

The hosts wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. The important thing here was the show focused on the wrestling and almost every division around. In other words, they stayed away from the storylines and angles that dragged everything down for years. Go with what makes things more interesting and focus on the good rather than the bad. There are only so many of these names left, but the flashbacks, with some actual hidden gems in there, made this a rather entertaining show.

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Dynamite
Date: January 3, 2024
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the show after Worlds End and Samoa Joe is the new World Champion. In what might be a bigger story though, Adam Cole was revealed as the Devil, with his henchmen (Wardlow/The Kingdom/Roderick Strong) wrecking MJF to end the show. We’re about two months from Revolution and it might be time to start the slow build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Worlds End if you need a recap.

We get a video from after Worlds End where a rather serious Samoa Joe talks about how MJF might be a scumbag but he’s a mean SOB. He’s going to take everything from anyone who tries to take the title from him. This was intense Joe and that is a great thing.

We look at the Devil/Henchmen reveal.

Here are Adam Cole and the henchmen, now with a graphic saying UNDISPUTED, for a chat. Roderick Strong tells us to shut up and listen to his best friend, ADAM. Cole finds it ironic that people were appalled and SHOCKED at him being the Devil. It means people are not only stupid but they also don’t understand right and wrong. Cole turned on MJF, who has talked bad about everyone in that locker room, but people are mad at him?

MJF only cares about himself and he’s never coming back. The second MJF felt like he didn’t need Cole anymore, he would have done the same thing. Cole never needed MJF but MJF needed him, which is why Cole sacrificed everything. No one would have cared about MJF without Cole and you can chant all you want, but MJF is dead. This is the Undisputed Kingdom, and they want gold.

Roderick Strong wants the International Title and Wardlow is after the AEW World Title. Then when the time is right, Wardlow is going to forfeit the title to Cole (Wardlow doesn’t seem opposed). That brings us to Samoa Joe, and it was nice to do business with him. This includes taking out Hangman Page for him, but it would suck to see Wardlow hurt Joe when it’s time to get there. The Devil is here to stay….bay bay.

The team poses but here is Jay White of all people to interrupt. He liked what happened to MJF, but he isn’t happy with being the catalyst to start all this. Cue the Gunns so Wardlow gets Cole to the floor so the fight can be on. Wardlow gets back in though and the Undisputed Kingdom takes over. Cue the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to chase the Kingdom off but Bullet Club Gold leaves without scissoring.

They needed to have the big speech here and that worked well, but there is something missing because Cole can’t wrestle. Granted it is a good bit less bad because MJF is out of action as well. I could have waited on someone to interrupt the team, as it took something away from the segment, but the big explanation was good enough.

We look at Eddie Kingston winning the Continental Classic.

Daniel Garcia is ready to face Swerve Strickland.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Dante Martin

Cassidy is defending and gets armdragged into the corner, leaving him a bit annoyed to start. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Cassidy but Dante kicks him away and flips over for a standoff. They go outside with Cassidy sending him into the barricade, then putting his hands in his pockets for a run around the ring and a dropkick. Dante manages a suplex though and we take a break.

Back with Martin hitting a nice high crossbody for two before they trade the slow motion strikes. Martin gets taken into the corner for more slow stomps, followed by the spinning DDT for two. The Orange Punch and Beach Break both miss so Martin loads up a powerbomb, only to drop Cassidy face first onto his knee (that was cool). Martin goes up so Cassidy rolls away…leaving Martin to jump REALLY FAR to splash him instead. Martin misses a dropkick though and the Orange Punch retains at 13:29.

Rating: B-. This was straight out of the same playbook that Cassidy has been using for the better part of a year now, though there was pretty much nothing with him being aggressive or coming close to cheating. The good thing is that he seems to have a much bigger challenger coming in Roderick Strong so things should be picking up. Martin looked solid here too, as he can do the flying stuff rather well.

Post match Action Andretti, Darius Martin, Hook and Danhausen come out to check on their friends. Respect is shown but here is the returning Private Party to interrupt. They want the titles and put the tag teams on notice. Is there a reason a two person tag team interrupted a singles champion and a trio so they could talk about winning Tag Team Titles?

Toni Storm is here for Mariah May’s debut but changes her mind because it’s off to Broadway.

The House Of Black is ready to hurt FTR and make their families sad.

Swerve Strickland is ready to ace Daniel Garcia tonight but wants gold in 2024. Like from Samoa Joe.

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

May strikes her up against the ropes to start and a running dropkick gets one. Another running dropkick to the back sends Aminata to the floor and us to a break. Back with Aminata striking away and hitting a dropkick, followed by a running forearm in the corner. May Sling Blades her way out of trouble and a Samoan Driver (May Day) finishes Aminata at 6:37.

Rating: C. Well that was lengthy and I’m not exactly sold on May as a big star. She did well in her debut but this felt more like it was almost about making Aminata a big deal than getting May her debut. May does look like a star though and she seemed polished enough in the ring. Not a bad match, but a strangely put together one.

Post match May says she wishes Toni Storm could have been here. And that this wasn’t in New Jersey. Cue Deonna Purrazzo (of the New Jersey Purrazzos) to say this is her home because she is All Elite. May calls her a b**** and gets kicked in the face for her efforts. Good debut, even with Purrazzo sounding rather nervous. Also, I’m not sure how smart it was to have May’s debut and Purrazzo as the surprise back to back, as it took away from May’s start.

Here is the Patriarchy for a chat. Shayna Wayne can’t believe that the people here boo her, so Christian Cage threatens them all with discipline. Cage talks about his title defense at Worlds End and we hear about how he left as champion (with no mention of the title changing hands)….but he specifically doesn’t mention Killswitch.

He talks about how Adam Copeland is out of title shots and brags about having no soul, which is why he beat Copeland. No one needs to come after this title but the fans chant LUCHASAURUS. Cage insists that his name is Killswitch to wrap things up. Shayna continues to be rather awful with a microphone. I’m not sure why they needed Wayne’s real mother there when there has to be someone better at talking who could play either that role or something close enough.

Ruby Soho admits that Harley Cameron was a success, with Cameron insisting she would do ANYTHING to help.

Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis joins commentary as Takeshita grabs a wheelbarrow suplex to start. Allin flips out and lands on his feet, with even Callis being impressed, only to have a heck of a backdrop put Allin down. Back up and Allin manages to send him outside for a dive, with Takeshita cutting it off with a jumping knee for a NASTY crash. Some rolling German suplexes on the ramp knock Allin even sillier and we take a break.

Back with Allin hitting the flipping Stunner out of the corner and sending Takeshita to the floor for the big running flip dive. Takeshita is sent hard into the barricade and bangs up his knee, allowing Allin to hit the top rope Coffin Drop to take him down on the floor. Back in and a Code Red gives Allin two, only to have Takeshita German suplex him down. A top rope German superplex (and Allin landed straight on the mat) sets up a running knee to give Takeshita the pin at 12:47.

Rating: B. I feel bad about watching these Allin matches as he feels like someone ready to suffer a career ending injury every time he gets in the ring. Since he doesn’t seem to care, it would be nice to have someone tell him to stop and not let him wrestle if he doesn’t listen, but that doesn’t seem likely. On the other hand you have Takeshita, who looked like a monster here. I could really go for him doing pretty much anything but being stuck with Callis and company, as he seems ready to be a breakout star (and has been so for a long time).

Post break Don Callis issues a challenge to Darby Allin and Sting next week, with promises of making the team 25-1.

Trent Beretta vs. El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Brian Cage vs. Bryan Keith

For a Continental Crown shot against Eddie Kingston (on commentary) on Collision. Vikingo takes Trent out to start but Cage runs people over. Vikingo gets suplexed and Trent is ran over on the floor as Cage is in control on the way to the break. Back with Vikingo cleaning house until Cage catches him on top.

Trent drops Cage for two with Vikingo making the save, leaving all four of them down. Cage F5’s Keith and hits a helicopter bomb for two on Trent. This brings Danhausen out of the crowd for a curse, allowing Vikingo to dive outside onto Cage. Keith hits a running headbutt to Trent, who is right back with Strong Zero for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: B-. This was your usual wild free for all, but that’s where it’s a little weird. We just spent six weeks on these straightforward singles matches for the right to be the first champion and then it’s a four way with a bunch of midcarders fighting for a shot. On a side note, what is Trent fighting for? The new title or the Triple Crown? I would hope the latter, because having Kingston defend three separate titles is absolutely not what was being teased in the tournament.

Matt Menard is interrupted by Hangman Page, who wants to fight someone.

Daniel Garcia vs. Swerve Strickland

Matt Menard is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Swerve taking him down without much trouble. Garcia fights back up and they head to the floor, with Swerve being sent into the barricade. That means it’s time for a dance off between Garcia and Prince Nana, but Swerve breaks it up.

We take a break and come back with Garcia dropkicking Swerve into the corner. A Saito suplex gets two on Swerve and they fight to the floor where Garcia doesn’t quite get all of a Sharpshooter the announcers’ desk. Back in and Swerve manages a suplex to put them both down, followed by a House Call for two. The Swerve Stomp gets two and, after Garcia gets a rollup for the same, Swerve finishes with the JML Driver at 11:41.

Rating: C+. That’s a weird way to end the show, as the big focal point was a dance off with a heel manager. Strickland took a good while to beat Garcia here, which isn’t the biggest stretch, but it’s a weird way to go when he’s talking about coming for the World Title. This didn’t quite feel like a big main event either, and that’s not a great sign to start the road to Revolution.

Post match respect is teased but Nana hits Garcia low. Matt Menard tries to come in but gets beaten down as well. Hangman Page comes out for the brawl with Swerve and they’re separated to end the show. So the ultra violent and bloody Texas Deathmatch was just a stop in the feud?

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t the show I was expecting but it also wasn’t a bad one. They covered the Adam Cole explanation well enough, but as tends to be the case in AEW, they tacked on more stuff right after and it took away from some of the impact. Other than that, you could definitely tell that a lot of people were gone for either Wrestle Kingdom or something else and it hurt the show a bit. This felt like a show that they ran when they had a week to burn, which is a weird feeling coming off a pay per view. Not bad whatsoever, but not one of their best.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Dante Martin – Orange Punch
Mariah May b. Queen Aminata – May Day
Konosuke Takeshita b. Darby Allin – Running knee
Trent Beretta b. Bryan Keith, Brian Cage and El Hijo del Vikingo – Strong Zero to Keith
Swerve Strickland b. Daniel Garcia – JML Driver

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

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AND

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