So we wrap up the AEW year with this one, which is more or less the end of the Continental Classic, the World Title match, and a bunch of other stuff that happens to be taking place on the show. The tournament has taken over the company (as it always does) and while it has gone well (as it always does), it has made quite a bit around here feel a lot less important. For now though, we should be in for some solid action so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Zack Gibson vs. Eddie Kingston

This was added on this week’s Ring Of Honor as the Grizzled Young Veterans attacked Kingston. I’m not sure how much of a build this match really needs, but at least it’s something that gets Kingston in the ring. The fans are going to respond to him rather well and it helps him get back into the groove of things, which he has been needing since his return from injury.

There’s no reason to believe that Kingston is going to lose here so I’ll take the obvious with Kingston getting the win. He’s fighting half of a low level tag team in a match that shouldn’t go much longer than about five minutes. In this case, AEW might even stick to the time frame, as Kingston has mainly been wrestling shorter matches. He’ll get another win here, as he should.

Zero Hour: Sisters Of Sin vs. Hyan/Maya World

Here we have another match where it doesn’t feel like there is much to doubt as the Zero Hour continues to feel like a glorified episode of Rampage. I’m still not sure why we need to have the Sisters get a featured match here, but maybe they’re next in line to come after the Women’s Tag Team Titles. If nothing else, they’re already an established team so there are far worse ideas out there.

Of course I’ll take the Sisters to win, as while the division needs some fresh blood, there is no reason to think that the Sisters should lose here. They’re a fairly featured team and it would make sense for them to get a win here, especially if they might be coming for the titles soon. Hyan and Worlds continue to get time in the ring and I’ve heard worse ideas, even if there is a chance that it’s just to spite Miranda Alize and Nixon Newell.

Death Riders vs. Conglomeration/Roderick Strong/Toni Storm

So this is a thing and yes it is indeed called the Mixed Nuts Mayhem match, because if there’s one thing that you need for a Death Riders match, it’s a funny moniker. It’s likely going to be a wild brawl with some interesting bits, though I’m still completely good with not seeing Daniel Garcia and/or Wheeler Yuta for a long time. Throw in Claudio Castagnoli going from a dark horse to win the Continental Classic to this and it’s a bit of a downgrade.

I’ll take the heroes to win here, just for the sake of not having Storm lose again. Mark Briscoe could use a win of his own and the fans will always respond to Orange Cassidy, so it makes a bit of sense to get them on the card. Hopefully the match winds up being more goofy fun than anything else, as that’s probably the best way to feature most of them. Either that or Yuta and/or Garcia being beaten up rather badly.

Darby Allin vs. Gabe Kidd

This is kind of a weird story, as Allin was gone for most of the tournament but he’s able to be back to face Kidd in this match. I’m not sure how much I need to see Allin get beaten up again, but it’s pretty much his standard operating procedure. That’s probably what we’re going to be seeing in this one, though it’s a bit weird as Kidd just showed up again after being gone for months and is facing Allin again.

I’m not sure where to go here, though I’ll take Allin, as he could use a win after quite a long stretch of nothing good. Granted it also depends on if Kidd is sticking around, as he could use a nice victory of his own. Given what we know at the moment though, I’ll take Allin to get the come from behind win, as it’s easy to get behind him fighting a bully and that’s what we’re getting here.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Babes Of Wrath(c) vs. Athena/Mercedes Mone

This one has me intrigued, as the Babes are the new team and the inaugural champions, though it’s almost hard to imagine Mone or Athena losing again. Mone is already on a losing streak but there isn’t much value in beating her without a title on the line. At the same time you have Athena, who hasn’t done much in Ring Of Honor as of late but doesn’t have the best history in AEW.

I’ll go with the champions to retain here, as it would be something of a stretch to have them lose the titles so soon after they started. Hopefully it winds up being a good match, as the Babes have gone from newly formed to a rather nice team in short order. They need some time to establish themselves a bit better before dropping the titles though and that can be done when they win here.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Bang Bang Gang

It’s a street fight and a rematch from a few weeks ago when FTR beat the Gang to retain the titles. That doesn’t make for the best reason to do the match again, but it isn’t like FTR has anything else to do at the moment. With so many people involved in the tournament, there are some tag teams who are more than a bit busy. Hopefully that changes shortly after the tournament, but this is what we have for now.

Much like when they fought a few weeks ago, I see no reason to believe that FTR is going to lose to the leftovers of the Bang Bang Gang so we’ll go with FTR retaining. I like the Gang for the most part, but they’re only going to get so far with one of the Gunns and Juice Robinson going for the titles. FTR wins here, in what should at least be an entertaining match.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Women’s Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Jamie Hayter

The title is on the line here, but it only feels so important. The Women’s Title hasn’t felt overly important in a good while, which is at least partially due to how much else is going on in the women’s division. Statlander is still going well, but she needs to do something that makes her stand out a bit more. I’m just not sure that’s what we’re going to be seeing here.

While I’m not sure it’s going to work out, I’ll take Statlander to retain here. As much as she doesn’t seem to be doing much at the moment, Hayter is hardly doing that much better. Either of them could be fine as champion, but they’re going to need to step up it up. The tag division, plus whatever Toni Storm is doing, both feel more important and that needs to change. For now though, I’ll take Statlander in a coin flip.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Continental Classic Semifinals: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada

I’m not even going to begin to try to make sense of the title situation here, if nothing else due to how ridiculous it’s been. This has been built up as a big time match for a good while now and that should make things all the more interesting. It’s nice to have a match that feels like it’s taking place more due to people having issues rather than a schedule saying they’re fighting. Or at least it’s close enough.

I’ll take….geez I guess Okada here, as all of the hype about him being the GREATEST TOURNAMENT WRESTLER OF ALL TIME all but guarantees him a spot in the finals. At the same time, it’s hard to fathom the IWGP World Champion being allowed to lose, especially around a week before Wrestle Kingdom. I’ll go with Okada winning here, though it doesn’t feel like anything close to a lock.

Continental Classic Semifinals: Jon Moxley vs. Kyle Fletcher

This is the kind of thing that could go either way, but it feels more like a way to get Moxley back on track. He’s been having all kinds of issues as of late and it would be nice to see him at least get to the finals. At the same time, Fletcher is in a place where it wouldn’t be insane to see him beat Moxley. That’s quite the accomplishment, and it’s nice to have a match which could go either way.

I think I’ll go with Moxley winning here, as his attempts to get back on track feel like a better story at the moment. At the same time, it’s a bit hard to fathom an all Don Callis Family final, as it would feel fairly cold outside of Okada vs. Takeshita. Moxley wins here and sets up a pretty big final, though we’ll get to that later, as it should probably headline the show.

AEW World Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

I’m not sure what it means that I keep forgetting Joe is the World Champion but that has happened multiple times in a fairly short reign. Joe is already a two time World Champion and he still feels like something of a forgotten part of the match. Maybe it’s due to being part of the Trios Champions or facing a two man team of heroes or maybe it’s MJF feeling like such a big deal, but it might be time to get the title off of Joe.

At the end of the day, it’s almost hard to fathom anyone but MJF leaving as champion here. He returned a few weeks ago and immediately stood out and it would make sense to put the title back on him (assuming he’s sticking around full time). MJF hasn’t been champion in a good while now and he’s already feeling like one of the top names in AEW. Give him the title back and see what he can do with it.

Continental Classic Finals: Jon Moxley vs. Kazuchika Okada

Again, I’m not even going to try to figure out how the title situation works (and for the love of all things good and holy, please don’t explain it to me), but it seems that Okada leaves with a title one way or another. That gives him quite the out in possibly losing here and it’s not like him losing the Continental Title is going to hurt in any meaningful way. He’s been champion pretty much forever so it’s time to get it off of him.

As you can probably guess, I’m going with Moxley winning here, as it splits up some titles and hopefully clarifies things a bit. If nothing else, I could go for getting rid of the whole Unified Title or whatever happens here, as there are FAR too many titles in AEW already. Moxley needs the win anyway and it could be a big step in what feels like the start of a face turn for him anyway, because that’s what the world is waiting to see.

Overall Thoughts

It’s pretty clear that the Continental Classic has been carrying the show for the last month or so, if nothing else due to the amount of talent involved. At the same time, it hasn’t exactly done much good for everything else in the company. The top of the card feels big enough, but they’re going to need someone to step up to bolster the undercard. Thankfully that’s where AEW tends to thrive so I’m cautiously optimistic about this one.

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

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Collision
Date: December 13, 2025
Location: Utilita Arena, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re overseas for this one as Collision is on earlier in the day, likely due to Saturday Night’s Main Event. That should make for an interesting situation as we’re also getting more of the Continental Classic. The tournament is off to a good start with an awesome match taking place earlier this week on Dynamite. It would be great if they could keep up their momentum so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

We look at Hangman Page’s comments on Dynamite, saying he wants the World Title.

Swerve Strickland vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is described as being “red hot” lately. No. Don Callis sits in on commentary as they fight over a lockup to start. Alexander’s kick to the ribs is countered into a backbreaker and a knee drop keeps him down. Prince Nana yells at Callis as Strickland is pulled off the apron and dropped knees first onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with an exchange of forearms until Alexander goes after the knee some more.

Strickland is back by loading up a powerbomb but he whips Alexander over into a powerslam (that was slick) for two. Alexander is taken up top for a super Angle Slam and another near fall but he has to reverse a Figure Four attempt. A half crab goes back to Strickland’s knee so he goes to the ropes for the quick break. Alexander misses a top rope knee though and Strickland is up with the rolling Downward Spiral. The House Call…gets two, so it’s the JML Driver to finish Alexander at 13:24.

Rating: B. Well so much for the, ahem, red hot Alexander with his…let’s see…ah yes, one singles win (via countout, when Kota Ibushi broke his leg) since May. Anyway, it’s nice to see Swerve fight through the injury and get a win as he’s back to being one of the top good guys in the company. He has the ability and crowd reception to make that work so go with what works.

Post match Swerve says he’s back for the World Title and wants to take the belt from Samoa Joe.

Video on the Elite vs. the Don Callis Family for the million dollars.

The Timeless Love Bombs are going to be at the Babes Of Wrath’s championship toast.

Kris Statlander/Jamie Hayter vs. Sisters Of Sin

Thekla comes to the stage for a distraction and the Sisters run in from behind for a cheap shot. Blue gets taken down though and the other team takes turns slamming each other onto her. Hart comes in for a rope walk hurricanrana but Hayter crushes her in the corner. A quick Blue distraction lets Hart take Hayter down though and a standing moonsault gets two.

We take a break and come back with Statlander cleaning house, including a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Blue. The double superkick drops Statlander for two and Hayter has to clothesline Blue for a save. We get the four way slugout but Hayter and Statlander clothesline each other by mistake. Back up and Blue hits Hart by mistake, allowing Hayter to give Blue a German suplex. The Hayterade finishes Hart at 10:14.

Rating: B-. This was a fast paced match with Statlander and Hayter pretty definitively taking care of the Sisters, which should hopefully wrap up their feud. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Hayter get the next shot at the title at World’s End. That would be a nice announcement to make so close to her home and they even set it up a bit with the misfire in the match.

Thekla is watching from a sky box.

Post match Hayter challenges Statlander for World’s End and the match seems to be on.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli (6 points) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (6 points)

Non-title. They fight of a lockup to start with Castagnoli backing him up against the ropes for an early standoff. Takeshita backs him against the ropes and shoves him in the chest before getting in a hard knockdown. Back up and Castagnoli drops him face first onto the turnbuckle for the break and it’s time to trade the forearms. Castagnoli knocks him outside with a hard shot and then drops him face first. They go to the ramp where Takeshita hits a DDT, only to charge into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

We take a break and come back with Takeshita snapping off a middle rope hurricanrana to send Castagnoli outside. The big flip dive takes Castagnoli down again and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two back inside. Castagnoli’s uppercut gets two more and he taunts Takeshita with some boots to the head. They slug it out again until Takeshita’s kneeling tombstone plants him into a wheelbarrow suplex for two.

A Hidden Blade drops Castagnoli again but he’s back with Swiss Death for two with five minutes left. Castagnoli’s springboard uppercut connects and they knock each other down again. Another forearm exchange takes them both to the apron, where Takeshita kicks him in the head. They slug it out on the floor until Castagnoli boots him down. A big forearm drops Castagnoli, who beats the count back inside at nine. Takeshita knees him down but the Raging Fire is countered into the Neutralizer for two…and time expires at 20:00.

Rating: B+. This was about taking two big men and having them beat the fire out of each other for a good while. That’s a fine way to go and it worked well here, as even if the draw felt pretty clear (they weren’t going to have one company’s World Champion beat another), the match was still a heck of a fight. I had a good time with this and it’s nice to see two champions survive like this.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 7 points (2 matches left)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (1 match left)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches left)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches left)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (2 matches left)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (3 matches left)

Post match they keep slugging it out until referees have to break it up. The Death Riders and Don Callis Family have to really split them apart.

Kevin Knight and Mike Bailey are ready to fight and want the other to bring it. Deal.

Here are the Babes Of Wrath to talk about their history together. They met early in Cameron’s time in the company but here are the Timeless Love Bombs to interrupt. They’re happy to have given the Babes a fight to remember but here is Mercedes Mone to interrupt. Mina Shirakawa tells her to shut up but Mone doesn’t want to fight tonight. She’ll have friends this week in Manchester for Dynamite. Storm: “We will raise a glass and we will wax your a**!” Mone uh, covers up, and leaves.

Ricochet is entering the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal and going on to win the World Title.

Video on the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal, with various people entering. Bobby Lashley is injured though and Shelton Benjamin will take his place.

Continental Classic: Kevin Knight (3 points) vs. Mike Bailey (3 points)

I do like the little background/factoids that Renee Young throws in during the entrances. That’s a very nice touch. They take turns dodging big shots to start until Bailey gets backed into the corner. A high angle springboard armdrag sends Knight outside for a triangle moonsault and we take a break.

We come back with Knight hitting a springboard clothesline to the floor. Back in and the Flamingo Driver is blocked and Knight grabs a running DDT for two. Bailey kicks him out to the apron though and hits the moonsault knees to the ribs. They get back inside with Knight hitting a superplex but Bailey ties up the legs in a small package for two more. They trade rollups for two each until Knight hits a hard dropkick.

Another springboard is kicked out of the air though and we’re ten minutes in. Knight sends him into the corner and hits that great Coast To Coast but the UFO Splash hits raised knees. The tornado kick gives Bailey two but the Ultimate Weapon misses. They trade more rollups until Bailey kicks him in the head. The Flamingo Driver finishes Knight at 12:57.

Rating: B. Another solid performance here as Bailey’s tournament run continues. Knight still feels like a great prospect though and has done some rather good stuff in the tournament thus far. It would be nice to see what he can do as a singles star, though odds are the Jet Speed stuff is going to keep going for a good while.

Gold League Standings

Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (2 matches to go)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (2 matches to go)
Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (2 matches to go)
Pac – 3 points (3 matches to go)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (2 matches to go)
Jack Perry – 0 points (3 matches to go)

Kyle Fletcher is ready for Pac and promises to get his momentum back.

Pac says he’s a different breed and Fletcher will soon learn that.

TNT Title: Mark Briscoe vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia, with Wheeler Yuta, is challenging. They go to the mat to start fast with Garcia slapping him in the back of the head a few times. Briscoe is right back up but Garcia slips out of a suplex. One heck of a right hand sends Garcia outside and there’s a dropkick through the ropes. A running knee knocks Briscoe off the apron but he’s right back to knock Garcia off the apron as well. The Bang Bang Elbow is broken up though and Briscoe gets tied into the ring skirt for a beating.

We take a break and come back with Garcia yelling at him, which brings Briscoe back up with a running forearm. Briscoe strikes away and a high collar suplex gets two. Garcia’s suplex is shrugged off but Shafir breaks up the Froggy Bow. The referee didn’t see it so the fans tell him and he…does nothing.

Instead Garcia hits a top rope superplex, which he rolls into two more, with Briscoe bouncing up from the third. A brainbuster drops Garcia for a change and they’re all down. Back up and they strike it out until Briscoe hits a hard clothesline. The Jay Driller is cut off by Shafir and this time it’s enough for an ejection. Wheeler Yuta comes in for a cheap shot but Briscoe is right back up with the Jay Driller to retain at 14:46.

Rating: B. Solid stuff here, even if I’m rather sick of seeing Garcia and Yuta no matter where they are. They’re all over AEW/ROH programming these days and Garcia still isn’t interesting in the slightest. At the same time, Briscoe is finally getting some recognition with a title that feels somewhat important and that is LONG overdue. Hopefully he gets to face someone else soon, as there is quite the crop of potential opponents.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show, with more good action as the Continental Classic continues to do what it’s designed to do. What mattered the most is that this show felt more important than most Collisions, with the tournament going a long way in making that happen. AEW has had a good week with a second pretty awesome show and that is nice to see.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. Josh Alexander – JML Driver
Kris Statlander/Jamie Hayter b. Sisters Of Sin – Hayterade to Hart
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita went to a time limit draw
Mike Bailey b. Kevin Knight – Flamingo Driver
Mark Briscoe b. Daniel Garcia – Jay Driller

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

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Collision
Date: November 27, 2025
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a special Thanksgiving edition of the show and you can tell it’s a big one because Matt Menard is in action. Other than that huge one, we also have more in the Continental Classic, which fits Collision better than almost anything else could. Hopefully they take advantage of the special time slot and put on a bigger than usual show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Continental Classic Gold League: Pac vs. Mike Bailey

They chop it out to start with Bailey kicking him down to the floor. A running kick misses though and Pac pulls him outside for a snap suplex. Bailey gets whipped into the barricade and taken back inside, with Pac sending him even harder into the corner. The cravate goes on, followed by a running elbow in the corner for two. A dropkick gets Bailey out of trouble and it’s a running shooting star press for two. Pac gets sent outside for the triangle moonsault and we take a break.

We come back with Pac hitting a toss belly to belly superplex for two but charging into a boot in the corner. They get up and trade kicks to the head before going outside to do it again. Pac grabs a German suplex and Bailey has to jump up to the apron at nine, with Pac missing a charge to the floor. That lets Bailey hit the big moonsault, followed by a poisonrana back inside. The Ultimate Weapon misses and the Brutalizer finishes for Pac at 15:10.

Rating: B-. Well, it was nice to see Bailey get beaten up for a good while as there’s something rather soothing about seeing that every time. Pac is on a bit of a roll at this point and it would be nice to see him make a run in this thing. Then again the first match doesn’t tend to mean much, so now we get to wait and see where it goes, which is kind of the point of the tournament.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Pac – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Daniel Garcia, with Jon Moxley, is ready to end Matt Menard and get some gold.

Bandido takes the blame for the loss for the Tag Team Title match at Full Gear. Brody King says the team isn’t over and they want the belts back. For now though, King wants him to retain the World Title at Final Battle.

Apparently Rush is out of the World Title match though so Bandido is defending against Sammy Guevara, The Beast Mortos, Komander, Hechicero and Blake Christian. This is the first mention we’ve had of the title match and it comes on an AEW show eight days before Final Battle.

Daniel Garcia vs. Matt Menard

Jon Moxley is on commentary. Menard yells at Garcia to start and shoves him out of the corner, followed by the right hands. Garcia fights out of trouble on the floor and comes back in to slug away in the corner. Menard is already busted open as we take a break. We come back with Menard fighting out of a Boston crab, which he reverses into one of his own.

That’s broken up as well and they go outside, with Garcia ramming him into the announcers’ table. A running dropkick crushes the steps against Menard’s head, which is naturally only good for a nine. Back in and Menard mocks Garcia’s old dance so Garcia kicks him in the chest. A bulldog choke finishes Menard off at 11:09.

Rating: C. Forgive me for only being so interested in Garcia, one of the least interesting stars in AEW, beating up his former mentor who was mostly a comedy star. This is a story that has been put together over the last several months but that doesn’t make for an interesting story. I guess we needed to see Garcia beat him up for that long, though hopefully this wraps the whole thing up for good.

Post match here is Mark Briscoe to interrupt. He’s thankful to be in Nashville and to be your TNT Champion, but he’s also thankful to Garcia for saying he wanted the TNT Title. Briscoe had been wondering who he should face first and now he knows that he’s going to devour Garcia like he’s going to devour turkey and macaroni and cheese tonight.

Ricochet lists off some names he’s already beaten and you should be glad to have him as your champion.

Here is FTR to brag about winning the Tag Team Titles back. Stokely Hathaway talks about how FTR keeps overcoming obstacle after obstacle…and here is the Bang Bang Gang to interrupt. The Gang talks about how they’ve recently beaten FTR and don’t need to hear about FTR’s greatness again. Over the weekend, the Gang won $200,000 and now they want some gold to go with the green. The Gang slaps the title down and wants a shot, with FTR bailing instead. Makes as much sense as anyone else would.

Here is MxM TV, for some reason dressed as the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man, for the Casting Call.

MxM Collection/Johnny TV vs. Outrunners/Dalton Castle

Castle and the Outrunners get jumped to start fast with Taya Valkyrie being powerbombed onto Castle on the floor. Back in and Magnum gets pummeled in the corner, only to powerbomb his way to freedom. Madden cuts off the comeback attempt but the Collection misses their own Mega Powers elbow. Castle comes in to clean house and it’s Total Recall to Mansoor. The real Mega Powers elbow sets up the Bang A Rang to give Castle the pin on Mansoor at 2:30. Just a quick comedy match.

Post match the Demand comes out to interrupt the celebration. The Outrunners and Castle are beaten down so Ricochet goes over and gets in an argument with a country singer. Said singer (Michael Ray?) jumps the barricade and they’re held apart.

The Don Callis Family is grateful for various things, with Kazuchika Okada being thankful that he doesn’t have to team with Konosuke Takeshita. This was no Survivor Series 1989.

Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata

The brawl is on outside before the bell, with Shibata putting him in a chair for a boot to the face. They get inside for the opening bell and Kingston grabs a butterfly suplex. Shibata snaps off a German suplex and takes over on the arm. Kingston gets beaten down in the corner and we take a break. We come back with Shibata hitting him low but not being able to get a cross armbreaker, with the referee making him break due to the low blow. Well that’s different. Shibata charges into a boot in the corner and gets DDTed for the pin at 7:06. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what this was about but almost half of the match was in the break and Kingston’s offense at the end was literally those two moves. Kingston hasn’t done much since he got back and this didn’t help him in the slightest. At the same time, Shibata is supposed to be this big tough fighter and gets pinned by a basic DDT in that little time? I don’t get it.

Post match Kingston says he won’t comment on what Hook did. He says he never wanted to just play a character. Instead, he is pro wrestling because he loves these people who love pro wrestling. He’s the guy who wants to inspire someone to get into wrestling one day (Kingston: “By the way, don’t do it.”). Then there’s Samoa Joe, who took the AEW World Title. Kingston only gets peace when he’s in this ring so defend the title against him at Winter Is Coming. When Kingston is on, he’s great at connecting with the crowd and he was feeling it here.

Red Velvet mocks Mercedes Mone for losing at Full Gear and wants a rematch at Final Battle. Do we really have to do this again?

Thekla vs. Tay Melo

Melo hammers away to start fast and throws Thekla down by the arm. Something like a reverse triangle choke (that’s a weird one) has Thekla in early trouble so she has to make the rope. A running knee sends Melo out to the apron and we take a break. We come back with Melo tying her hair up for the big slugout, with Thekla hitting a hard shot to the face. The Death Trap goes on but Melo stacks her up for two. Thekla does her spider thing and gets caught with a running knee. A piledriver gives Melo two more but the TayKO is escaped, allowing Thekla to hit a spear. The stomp gives Thekla the pin at 8:39.

Rating: B-. Another not very long match, especially with the break included, but at least Melo was able to put up a good fight. Melo might not be the most successful star in AEW but she’s often a tough out, which makes her a good choice in a match like this. Thekla continue to feel like a player and that’s a good thing to see, as the division can use some new blood.

Post match the Sisters of Sin come out for the beatdown but Jamie Hayter makes the save. Kris Statlander makes a fairly unnecessary appearance for part of the save as well.

Continental Classic Blue League: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Roderick Strong

Takeshita takes over with a test of strength to start, which is broken up rather quickly. Strong’s headlock doesn’t get very far so they go with the grappling. A backbreaker rocks Takeshita but he elbows his way out of an abdominal stretch. They go outside with Strong being sent hard into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Strong hitting a dropkick into an Angle Slam. The running forearms in the ropes set up a failed Strong Hold attempt, allowing Takeshita to hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. A super Raging Fire is blocked so Strong backbreakers him onto the turnbuckle for two instead. They strike it out until a fireman’s carry gutbuster rocks Takeshita. The Sick Kick misses so Strong German suplexes him for two. The running knee sets up Raging Fire to give Takeshita the pin at 13:17.

Rating: B. Commentary pointed out that Strong was taking Kyle O’Reilly’s place and that makes sense, as O’Reilly has been on a bit of a roll as of late. Other than that, this was pretty much exactly what you would have expected from these two, as Strong put up a good fight but wasn’t enough to overcome the rather complete Takeshita in the end. Still though, good main event and Takeshita had to work for it.

Blue League Standings

Jon Moxley – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 3 points, 4 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B-. Perfectly fine show here with some good matches, though it had some weak spots in there as well. The good thing is you can easily focus on the Continental Classic, which is going to eat up a bunch of time on any given show. At the same time, there were some weaker points on this show as well and they dragged the good stuff down. Not bad at all overall, but one where you should just catch a recap rather than watch the full thing.

Results
Pac b. Mike Bailey – Brutalizer
Daniel Garcia b. Matt Menard – Bulldog choke
Outrunners/Dalton Castle b. MxM Collection/Johnny TV – Bang A Rang to Mansoor
Eddie Kingston b. Katsuyori Shibata – DDT
Thekla b. Tay Melo – Stomp
Konosuke Takeshita b. Roderick Strong – Raging Fire

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

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Dynamite
Date: November 26, 2025
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Bryan Danielson

We’re done with Full Gear and that means it is time to start the Continental Classic. This has become one of AEW’s signature events and will take place over the next few weeks on the way to World’s End. That’s in addition to Samoa Joe regaining the World Title from Hangman Page, plus the return of Swerve Strickland. Let’s get to it.

Here is Full Gear if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

We look at the Don Callis Family’s issues at Full Gear, which was a rough night for the team.

Continental Classic Gold League: Kyle Fletcher vs. Kazuchika Okada

Don Callis is on commentary. Okada’s Unified Title, which is no longer unified because Okada has surrendered the Continental Title for the tournament, isn’t on the line but he can lose the Unified Title if he doesn’t make the finals. Got that? Eh you probably don’t need to as whatever unification they do won’t last anyway.

We get a handshake to start but Fletcher tries to jump him early on. They trade headlock takeovers and go face to face before Okada starts in on the arm. Okada takes him up against the ropes for some chest slapping but Fletcher runs him over without much trouble. An elbow gives Fletcher two but Okada kicks the referee into the ropes to crotch Fletcher, setting up a dropkick out to the floor. Somehow this isn’t a DQ and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher kicking the referee into the ropes to crotch Okada, setting up a nice superplex. Okada manages to hit the White Noise onto the knee, followed by the top rope elbow. The Rainmaker is countered into a half and half suplex but Okada hits the dropkick. The Tombstone connects but Okada’s Rainmaker is countered into a Michinoku Driver for the double down. They forearm it out from their knees until Fletcher lawn darts him into the corner, setting up a sitout Last Ride for two. The referee almost gets bumped and Okada tries the Rainmaker, which is reversed into a cradle for the pin at 16:48.

Rating: B+. Well, at least Okada took a fall here, and that’s a big deal. Fletcher is pretty clearly one of the stars of the future around here and beating Okada is still an important moment. They had a rather good match here and I was surprised that they actually pulled the trigger with one of them losing.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Pac – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining
Kazuchika Okada – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Post match we do get a handshake, even with Okada teasing the middle finger.

We recap the Elite’s reunion at Full Gear.

Kenny Omega says this is complicated. He hasn’t been a model friend, but maybe the Young Bucks deserve a second chance. The Bucks leave Omega’s locker room.

After winning the TNT Title, the bloody Mark Briscoe talks about how he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep wrestling after losing his brother. Then it was loss after loss but the Conglomeration became his road family. The title is for his road family and for his real family.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Sisters Of Sin vs. Babes Of Wrath

Cameron catches Hart’s kick to the ribs to start and Nightingale comes in for a double belly to back suplex. Blue makes the save and Nightingale fires off some corner clotheslines. An assisted splash misses though and it’s Hart coming back in to take over on Cameron. Everything breaks down and Cameron hits Blue with a Sling Blade. Black fights back to take over on Cameron and we take a break.

We come back with Cameron still in trouble but she manages a belly to back suplex to escape. Nightingale comes back in to clean house but a double kick to the chest cuts her down. Cameron gets dropped as well so Hart tries her moonsault…and overshoots it, instead having to jump forward for a kind of splash. With Nightingale on the floor, Cameron fights back and everything breaks down. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Hart at 11:38.

Rating: B-. This was a good enough choice, as the Babes feel like a real threat to win the whole thing. The fans like them and they work well enough together so pushing them all the way to the finals is a smart way to go. Other than that, it’s not like the Sisters are hurt that badly by a single loss so this made the most sense.

Here are the Opps (minus Hook) for a chat. Before Samoa Joe can get very far though, Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page, each carrying a chain, arrive in the back. Joe sends Katsuyori Shibata after them and talks about how brilliant he really is. We see a package on how Hook swerved everyone the entire time, which still doesn’t feel like that big of a shock. Cue Hook to brag about how smart he is but Page and Strickland are here to wreck the Opps’ lackeys. The Opps leave and Page and Strickland use their chains for some hangings.

After his loss at Full Gear, Jon Moxley said he was feeling fine after his match and is ready to keep going. The rest of the Death Riders are….I have no idea, as you can never tell who is making them mad.

Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley vs. Mascara Dorada

Moxley takes him down by the arm to start but Dorada flips up without much trouble, much to Moxley’s annoyance. Dorada sends him outside but misses a dive, allowing Moxley to send him into the barricade. Back up and Moxley gets knocked down again, though he’s fine enough to knock a dive off the ramp out of the air.

We take a break and come back with Dorada snapping off a hurricanrana on the floor, followed by a running cutter over the barricade. Back in and a Code Red gives Dorada two and hits electric chair flipping slam gets the same. Moxley fights out of a cross armbreaker but can’t hit a Death Rider. On the other hand, Dorada can hit a superkick and a 450 for two, leaving them both needing a breather. Moxley gets his knees up to block a shooting star press and a choke finishes Dorada at 12:56.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, though it felt similar to Fletcher’s match earlier, as he gets a win to make up for his loss at Full Gear. That’s fine in theory, but when Moxley is right back and winning clean a few days after the loss, it takes away from what Kyle O’Reilly managed to do on Saturday. Just give us a little breather from Moxley? Maybe?

Blue League Standings

Jon Moxley – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 0 points (4 matches remaining
Mascara Dorada – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Post match Marina Shafir comes into the ring with Moxley but here is Toni Storm to interrupt. Storm praises Moxley but she’s operates in love rather than hatred. As for Shafir, it’s time to start thinking of the right kind of match. She woke up next to Mina Shirakawa this morning and realized she hadn’t gotten Shirakawa anything for Christmas. Therefore, next week it’s an anything goes death match.

Kris Statlander is ready to face someone else and she knows where she’s going. Who’s coming with her?

Continental Classic Gold League: Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight

Knight backs him into the corner to start but Allin is back with an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Knight kicks him in the face, setting up a monkey flip to bang up Allin’s knee. They go outside and Knight avoids a charge into the barricade and hits a moonsault to put Allin down again. A belly to back superplex drops Allin again and we take a break.

We come back with Knight sending him outside again but getting dropped onto the ramp. A running dropkick off the ramp sends Knight into the barricade and a rollup gets two back inside. The Scorpion Death Drop is broken up so they both hit clotheslines (and kind of do the inside out flips on the landing for quite the visual).

Knight is back up with a DDT on the ramp and a heck of a diving clothesline over the top rope connects. Back in and a Code Red gives Allin two but Knight ties him in the Tree Of Woe. The Coast To Coast connects and the UFO Splash gives Knight the completely clean pin at 11:57.

Rating: B. I’m surprised by the ending and while it doesn’t mean that Knight is going to win, he certainly picks up the biggest win of his career. It’s something I wasn’t expecting and came after a good match. Yes Allin was banged up and is now on quite the losing streak, but at least Knight got the kind of win he can hang his hat on going forward. Good stuff here.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Pac – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (3 matches remaining
Kazuchika Okada – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Schiavone declares this Knight’s biggest win ever in the tournament. Since it’s his first match ever in the tournament, that’s not clearing much of a bar.

We look at FTR winning the Tag Team Titles at Full Gear.

Eddie Kingston doesn’t want to talk about Hook but he heard Samoa Joe mention his name. He’s not in line for a title shot, but maybe he would be if he beats Katsuyori Shibata on Collision. The match is made.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy gets some early near falls off some rollups, including one off a reversed powerbomb attempt. Castagnoli’s running uppercut connects in the corner but Cassidy gives him the lazy kicks. They go outside, with Cassidy hitting him with a hard clothesline to take over. A nasty Swing into the barricade drops Cassidy again and we take a break.

We come back with Castagnoli missing a charge into the post and falling out to the floor. Cassidy hits a diving tornado DDT but Castagnoli is able to uppercut him out of the air for two. The elbows to the head have Cassidy in trouble but he manages another DDT. The Orange Punch and Beach Break get two as does a hurricanrana to counter the Neutralized. Castagnoli has had it with this though and nails Swiss Death for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B. Cassidy fighting against a giant is a good way to go and the match went well, with Castagnoli getting to run him over. Castagnoli is someone who can ignite Beast Mode and plow through people and it always works. That’s what we got here, with Castagnoli getting off to a nice start, while Cassidy can still catch up.

Blue League Standings

Jon Moxley – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 0 points (3 matches remaining
Mascara Dorada – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Post match the Death Riders come in for the beatdown but most of the people in the tournament come in for a big brawl. Dorada moonsaults onto a pile on the floor as Kazuchika Okada looks on. The Death Riders are cleared out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a themed show, with the focus being almost entirely on the in-ring side of things. That’s where AEW tends to shine and it certainly did here, with four matches kicking off the Continental Classic. The title situation is a huge mess and WAY more complicated than it needs to be, but I can more than settle for some rather awesome wrestling up and down the show.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Kazuchika Okada – Rollup
Babes Of Wrath b. Sisters Of Sin – Babe With The Powerbomb to Hart
Jon Moxley b. Mascara Dorada – Choke
Kevin Knight b. Darby Allin – UFO Splash
Claudio Castagnoli b. Orange Cassidy – Swiss Death

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. Workhorsemen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pac vs. Darby Allin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King vs. FTR

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

National Title: Casino Gauntlet Match

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. Workhorsemen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

National Title: Casino Gauntlet Match

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

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

Darby Allin vs. Pac

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jon Moxley

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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Collision
Date: November 19, 2025
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second half of the latest double taping and in this case that means the final push towards this weekend’s Full Gear. That could go in a few different directions, though hopefully we get some more personal issues this time around. The biggest story is likely Mercedes Mone trying to become the official Ring Of Honor Women’s TV Champion because the interim version just doesn’t mean enough. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with Hangman Page and Katsuyori Shibata in the ring following Page’s victory in Dynamite’s main event. Page glares down at Samoa Joe (who was on commentary) and says that Joe is now alone and that isn’t going to go well when they’re in a cage. Just remember what happened the last time Page was in a cage with another man. We also see Page kicking Shibata low, which apparently took place between shows.

FTR is ready to take out Bandido and Brody King at Full Gear because they want to win the Tag Team Titles again.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Megan Bayne/Marina Sharif vs. Anna Jay/Tay Melo

Penelope Ford is here with the villains. Melo and Shafir trade takedowns to start until Melo hits her in the face a few times. Jay comes in and everyone is quickly on the floor for the double brawls. Jay and Melo hit stereo dives off the barricade but Shafir plants Jay back inside. We take a break and come back with Melo coming in to clean house as everything breaks down.

A bunch of running kicks in the corner have Bayne and Shafir in trouble but stereo guillotines are broken up with suplexes. Bayne gets Downward Spiraled into a running necksnap for two and Jay gets the Queenslayer. Shafir breaks that up and grabs a quick Mother’s Milk to make Jay give up at 8:49.

Rating: C+. Even though Jay and Melo are a regular team, there was no reason to believe they were going to lose to a pair of monsters like these two. That’s the kind of team that should be there to be slayed by the winners of the tournament, assuming Shafir and Bayne don’t win them themselves. Not much here, but the fans like Melo and Jay.

Post match the Timeless Love Bombs pop up on the screen to promise to win the four way at Full Gear. That means they can pick the stipulation for their semifinal match, which could be a chicken coop match, apartment wrestling or a Taipei Death Match.

Video on Kris Statlander.

The Bang Bang Gang is VERY interested in winning $200,000 at Full Gear.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Mascara Dorada

This is a double jeopardy match, meaning the winner gets a future title shot at the other’s title. Okada backs him up against the ropes to start and gives him some applause, which is a bit of a surprise. Dorada starts flipping around and knocks Okada to the floor. That means it’s time to do the “roll inside to break the count a few times” deal, allowing commentary to point out that Okada has the longest title reign in AEW history.

Okada gets back inside and taken down with a springboard armdrag right back to the floor. Naturally that means a dive but Okada is right back in with his dropkick and we take a break. We come back with Dorada falling off the top for a DDT onto the apron (that could have been a lot worse). They get back inside for a springboard hurricanrana to send Okada outside, setting up the big dive. Dorada grabs a running cutter over the barricade and a hurricanrana but the 450 misses back inside.

The top rope elbow connects for Okada but the Rainmaker is cut off. Instead Okada hits the dropkick and goes up, where Dorada catches him for a quick slam. Now the 450 connects for two and they both go up top, with Dorada getting almost no rotation on a super hurricanrana (thankfully not breaking his neck). He’s fine enough to counter the Rainmaker into a small package for two so Okada gives him Takeshita’s Raging Fire. Now the Rainmaker can finish Dorada at 12:09.

Rating: B. I’m not sure what was with Dorada here as he’s usually much more sure footed than that. Hopefully it’s just an off night (happens to everyone) as those botches could have been far worse. This sets up the Family for a CMLL Trios Titles match and that means Okada and Takeshita can argue some more.

Post match Callis is rather pleased to announce that the Trios Titles match will take place at the Full Gear Kickoff Show. And yes, Takeshita will be in the match. And yes, Okada is less than pleased.

The Sisters Of Sin are ready to get creative when they win the four way at Full Gear.

Ring Of Honor Women’s TV Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Red Velvet

Kris Statlander is on commentary. Mone is the Interim Champion but this is to unify the titles. It’s also Velvet’s first title defense since April and commentary points out that she’s the longest reigning champion in the title’s history. True, though they neglect to point out that she’s the second champion ever. Velvet rolls her up for two to start before they both miss dropkicks.

Mone avoids a charge into the ropes and dropkicks her out to the floor for the big crash. There’s the Meteora off the apron and Mone poses with some titles, only to get kicked into Statlander. Back in and of course it’s an Eddie Guerrero tribute, with Velvet pretending to get hit with a belt and dropping down into a rollup for two as we take a break.

We come back with Velvet grabbing a wheelbarrow bulldog and hitting a running crotch attack on the ropes. Mone pulls her into the Statement Maker, which is reversed into a reverse cross armbreaker. That’s broken up as well and Velvet grabs a German suplex into the Black Widow. Mone reverses into a Backstabber but gets caught with a super victory roll for two. They go up again and this time it’s a super Codebreaker to give Mone another title at 12:25.

Rating: B-. Welp, Mone sure did beat that longstanding champion who hadn’t defended the title in about seven months so this had all of the impact that you would think. I get that it’s not the point, but waiting for three hours to see Mone get to celebrate in her hometown isn’t exactly a thrilling way to wrap up a night. I’m not sold on the idea of her beating Statlander and this changed pretty much a grand total of nothing. The one thing it did confirm: interim titles are stupid and one of the concepts that AEW needs to drop.

Post match Mone throws some titles at Statlander and gives her a Meteora off the announcers’ table. Mone grabs a Statement Maker to make Statlander tap until the referees break it up. Statlander then….leaves with Velvet as Mone takes Statlander’s title and dances on the table. What a hero.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked it a bit better than Dynamite, though that might be due to focusing on some more interesting stories. That being said, Full Gear is not feeling like an important show and AEW needs to break out of that rut. Maybe it’s the focus on the Death Riders and Don Callis Family and stuff like “the winner of this four way gets to pick the stipulations for one semifinal” (good grief) and the fact that we’re coming up on the third tournament taking place at the same time starting next week, but dang it’s hard to get interested in a lot of this stuff.

Hopefully they have something new in mind, because they could use the change after the last few months. As usual, the wrestling isn’t the problem but rather doing something that has me wanting to see what happens next. Wondering if the Young Bucks or one of the four teams on the Kickoff Show will get one of the two big cash prizes or if Kenny Omega or Jon Moxley is facing someone with a better ankle lock isn’t exactly thrilling, but it might be a sign that this company is in need of some fresh ideas.

Results
Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne b. Anna Jay/Tay Melo – Mother’s Milk to Jay
Kazuchika Okada b. Mascara Dorada – Rainmaker
Mercedes Mone b. Red Velvet – Super Codebreaker

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Collision
Date: October 25, 2025
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Point, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with WrestleDream and it’s time to start getting ready for Full Gear. That could make for some interesting issues around here, though we already have something special this week. This time we’ll be seeing the Young Bucks teaming with FTR in an attempt to win $400,000, which is a thing again here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. That’s what the Opps did after spending a year fighting the Death Riders. After all of those battles, Page gave Samoa Joe a World Title match where he beat Joe, just as he promised. Then the Opps stabbed him in the back and now Page is ticked off. Page promises to ruin Joe’s life to wrap it up. This was pretty much a big recap.

Pac promises to hurt Tomohiro Ishii.

Pac vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Thank goodness they had a match scheduled. Otherwise Pac might have had trouble fulfilling his promise. The Death Riders are here with Pac, who trades forearms with Ishii to start. They both miss big shots and that’s good for an early staredown. Ishii’s suplex sends Pac out to the apron, where Daniel Garcia offers a distraction so Pac can take over. A missile dropkick drops Ishii again and we take a break.

We come back with Ishii chopping away and running him over, setting up a delayed vertical superplex for two. A powerbomb gives Ishii two but Ishii comes up favoring his arm. Pac snaps the arm across the top rope and they trade German suplexes. They knock each other down before Pac gives him a Tombstone into another German suplex. Pac’s brainbuster gets two more and he sends Ishii outside for the running knee from Wheeler Yuta. That’s enough for Pac to hit a running clothesline for the pin at 12:10.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much exactly what you would have expected it to be, with both of them hitting the other hard. Pac cheats with the Death Riders and the designated jobber of the Conglomeration loses again. It was entertaining, but absolutely nothing out of the norm from these guys.

Thekla vs. Mina Shirakawa

Shirakawa dances a lot to start but misses a charge into the corner. A running dropkick works better for Shirakawa and we hit the surfboard. Some dancing stomps onto the hands have Thekla in even more trouble but she cuts off another dance and throws Shirakawa down. That’s broken up and Shirakawa starts in on the leg as the Sisters Of Sin come out to watch.

Thekla uses the distraction to knock Shirakawa outside and we take a break. We come back with Shirakawa hitting a Sling Blade and running knee to take over. A slingshot corkscrew splash gives Shirakawa two but it’s too early for the Figure Four. Thekla catches her up top with the spider superplex but Shirakawa strikes her down again. The spinning backfist drops Thekla for two and the top rope Sling Blade gets the same. That’s enough for the Sisters to offer a distraction, allowing Thekla to hit a spear into the Death Trap for the tap at 13:55.

Rating: C+. The ball of charisma that is Shirakawa loses again, as tends to be her custom in recent weeks. That’s not exactly encouraging, though she should be fine when she teams with Toni Storm coming up. Thekla needs the win to build her up for the likely spot in Blood & Guts (lineups would be nice) so I guess there was no choice than to have Shirakawa lose again.

Anna Jay and Tay Melo have been getting ready for the Women’s Tag Team Titles for years. Cue Miranda Alize and Nixon Newell (Tegan Nox) to issue the challenge for a tag match. Game on.

Here is MxM TV for their Casting Call. First though, Mansoor mocks the ring announcers’ weight, because reasons. Anyway, the match.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Olympia

Valkyrie isn’t happy and gets stomped in the corner to make it worse. A running seated senton crushes Valkyrie again, leaving Olympia to dive onto the rest of the team. Back in and a sitout F5 (with squats) finishes Valkyrie at 2:35.

On Dynamite: Hook vs. Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe for the World Title shot at Full Gear.

Ace Austin vs. Bryan Keith

Feeling out process to start with Austin kicking away. That’s broken up and Keith fires away before sending Austin out to the apron. Austin’s springboard high crossbody connects and they head outside with Austin winning a strike off. The handstand on the apron sets up a kick to Keith’s chest but Keith knocks him right back down. Keith boots him in the face on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Austin rolling through an exploder suplex and striking away again. A Russian legsweep gets two on Keith, who is right back up with a running headbutt. Austin is right back with a kick to the head though and the Fold (running Blockbuster) finishes Keith at 11:40.

Rating: B-. That’s what we needed to see here, as Austin needs to be established around here and winning matches is the way to make that happen. Austin might not be the biggest guy but he can hang with the more talented stars. If nothing else, the Fold continues to be a sweet finisher that he can hit on just about anyone, so there is some potential here.

Don Callis talks about how families have issues at times and that is the case with Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita. He’s in charge though and the Family is having a summit on Dynamite.

The Outrunners and Dalton Castle are interrupted by the still bickering Anthony Bowens and Max Caster. The Outrunners mumble a lot, which Castle says is the secret to their success.

Hook vs. Griff Garrison

Eddie Kingston and the Frat House are here too. Garrison works on the arm to start and gets taken down with a quick suplex. Hook takes him to the mat and hammers in some forearms to the face but Garrison is back with a running boot. That’s shrugged off and Hook grabs Redrum for the tap at 2:08.

Olympia wants the CMLL Women’s Title and challenges Mercedes Mone for Collision.

Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata are ready to take out the Sisters Of Sin and win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Young Bucks/FTR vs. Jet Speed/Jurassic Express

Perry brings a beach ball with him, which Wheeler crushes with a chair (good man). Matt headlocks Knight to start and gets dropkicked for his efforts. Bailey comes in off a blind tag for a double hiptoss so it’s off to Wheeler. Some kicks take Wheeler down just as fast but he’s able to drop Perry with a clothesline. It’s off to Harwood, who gets backed off by Luchasaurus. Some slams drop FTR as everything breaks down, with Bailey missile dropkicking Matt. The non-dinosaur good guys hit dives to the floor, leaving Luchasaurus to grab a chokeslam back inside.

We take a break and come back with the villains cleaning house and Wheeler hitting a dive of his own. A standing Sliced Bread to Perry sets up Harwood’s Sharpshooter, which is broken up rather quickly. Knight comes back in to clean house and Jet Speed hit stereo slingshot dives to the floor. A super hurricanrana sends Matt into Bailey’s sitout powerbomb for two but Nick throws powder in Knight’s eyes. Matt superkicks Knight for two and we take another another break.

We come back with Knight fighting his way out of trouble and handing it back to Luchasaurus. Everything breaks down and Perry hurricanranas Matt off the apron onto Harwood. Back in and the PowerPlex drops Luchasaurus into a 450 for two. The Bucks and FTR hit a Shatter Machine apiece but the double EVP Trigger misses. The Countdown To Extinction hits Harwood and the tornado kick gives Bailey the pin at 20:33.

Rating: B. Hey look: the Bucks are still broke. I wonder if they’ll be given another chance to make a bunch of money in a match because they’re oh so wacky with their money. I have no idea why this is supposed to still be entertaining because the joke has been told multiple times now. I’m also pretty much over seeing the Bucks and FTR interact, as it’s been done enough already.

FTR and the Bucks argue.

One more thing: these four teams will be in a four way match on Dynamite for a Tag Team Title shot at Full Gear. Well of course they are.

Overall Rating: B-. This was certainly an episode of Collision, with the usual action and little being done other than having some matches announced for Dynamite. That’s often the featured attraction for this show, unless you want to see Olympia built up before she gets to lose to Mercedes Mone next week. Run of the mill show here, meaning it’s fun if you watch it but nothing you need to see.

Results
Pac b. Tomohiro Ishii – Running clothesline
Thekla b. Mina Shirakawa – Death Trap
Olympia b. Taya Valkyrie – Sitout F5
Ace Austin b. Bryan Keith – The Fold
Hook b. Griff Garrison – Redrum
Jet Speed/Jurassic Express b. FTR/Young Bucks – Tornado kick to Harwood

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

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Dynamite
Date: October 22, 2025
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Point, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Bryan Danielson

We’re done with WrestleDream and the big story coming out of the show is Darby Allin managing to make Jon Moxley quit. That’s quite the way to go and in theory it should end the feud between the two of them. Other than that, Mercedes Mone is coming after Kris Statlander and the Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is WrestleDream if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

WrestleDream recap.

After successfully defending the World Title, Hangman Page promised to ruin Samoa Joe as soon as he saw him.

Trios Titles: Opps vs. Hurt Syndicate

The Syndicate is challenging. Shibata headlocks Benjamin to start but Benjamin reverses into one of his own. They go to the mat for a second, only for Benjamin to come up with a clothesline. Lashley comes in for a staredown with Hobbs but Joe tags himself in. That’s fine with Lashley, who knocks Joe into the corner and hammers away to take over. Benjamin comes back in and goes up, with Joe doing the walk away. Everything breaks down and a series of strikes leaves most of them on the floor. Hobbs powerslams Benjamin and we take a break.

We come back with Shibata stomping on Benjamin in the corner before handing it off to Joe for the chinlock. Benjamin fights up and slaps away, followed by a DDT for a knockdown. Lashley comes back in to clean house and now we get the big showdown with Hobbs. The Hurt Lock attempt is blocked and Shibata comes back in to PK Lashley for two. MVP comes back in and hits Ballin for two but cue Ricochet for a distraction. That’s enough for Joe to get the Koquina Clutch to finish MVP at 12:31.

Rating: B-. So we’re not done with the Syndicate vs. the Demand? Fair enough, but it felt like the feud was pretty much done. That being said, I do like the idea that the Opps don’t lose the titles just a few days after turning heel at WrestleDream. Beating the Syndicate is a big deal as they’re one of the most dominant factions around here so this was a logical and correct way to go.

Post match the Syndicate chases Ricochet off, leaving Tony Schiavone to get in the ring for a chat with the Opps. Samoa Joe is glad to be in San Antonio because Powerhouse Hobbs enjoys the fat women around here. Joe talks about how he’s always hunting for titles and is ready to take out Hangman Page anytime. The Opps stand in opposition to everyone and they are always ready. This would be better if Joe hadn’t been pinned clean on Saturday.

Kris Statlander is happy to have stripped and cuddled with Toni Storm but now she’s ready for Mercedes Mone. The title match is set for Full Gear and Statlander wishes her a happy celebration tonight.

Here is Darby Allin for a chat. Allin lays out the flag he took to the top of Mt. Everest and talks about how people said he was irresponsible for climbing the mountain. Instead it meant that he would take AEW to places it has never been before. Allin was never going to quit on Saturday, no matter what was done to him. He knows the Death Riders aren’t going away and he won’t be far behind. So this whole thing was to say the feud isn’t over?

Jurassic Express is happy with beating the Young Bucks. They’re back.

Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne vs. Sisters Of Sin vs. Harley Cameron/Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata/Jamie Hayter

The winners get to pick their first round opponents in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament and the Sisters are Julia Hart/Skye Blue. Nightingale knocks Blue down to start and drops Cameron onto her for two. Ford comes in to take Cameron into the corner and everything breaks down until Hayter comes in to slug it out with Bayne. Hayter knocks her into the corner and hands it off to Aminata…so Bayne suplexes both of them at once. Bayne and Ford hit big dives to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Hart going Old School on Aminata but she sends Blue into Hart. That’s enough to bring Nightingale in to clean house as everything breaks down. Nightingale has to escape Bayne’s Doomsday Device and they fight to the floor. Hayter comes back in with Hayterade to finish Ford at 9:34.

Rating: C+. It’s a unique setup for the first round and I can go with something like that for a change. If nothing else, it’s nice to see some actual teams for the tournament, though we still need to see the other half of the field. While I still don’t think the titles need to exist, it’s nice to see them being put together in a thought out way.

Post match Hayter gets right to the point by picking the Sisters for the first round.

The Young Bucks try to talk to Tony Khan because they need a match for money. Khan comes out and says he’ll give them a chance in a four on four match, with the Bucks facing Jet Speed and Jurassic Express. They can team with these guys, and FTR walks out of his office. The Bucks are a bit nervous, but Stokely Hathaway gives them a few dollars.

Renee Paquette is in the ring for Mercedes Mone’s celebration. We get the parade of belts….and Mini Mone pops up from beneath the table. She makes Renee do the Mone dance until Mone herself comes out to interrupt. After sending the belts, and Renee, to the back, Mone rants about how Harley Cameron is so pathetic. Tonight is about her and she is tired of the disrespect. Mini Mone is sent into the cake…but she’s being held by Kris Statlander. Mone is sent into the cake and through the table.

Jon Moxley talks about how Darby Allin’s strength was his destruction and now it is time for the Death Riders to get back to being themselves.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jon Moxley

They go technical to start and that’s good for an early standoff. Back up and they trade knees to the body up against the ropes until O’Reilly tries a cross armbreaker. Moxley has to rake the boot over the eyes for the break before sending O’Reilly outside. We take a break and come back with O’Reilly kicking him to the floor, followed by a running dropkick for a bonus.

Back in and O’Reilly starts in on the arm, setting up a triangle choke. Moxley powers him into the ropes and catapults O’Reilly’s throat into the bottom rope for a creative escape. O’Reilly is right back on the knee and gets two off a Boom. The cross armbreaker goes on but Moxley is quickly out with a piledriver for two. The bulldog choke sends O’Reilly over to the ropes and the Stomp misses, allowing O’Reilly to go right back to the leg. That’s broken up and Moxley tries another choke, only to get reversed into the ankle lock. Moxley is in trouble so he decks the referee for the DQ at 11:58.

Rating: B. The idea here was that Moxley didn’t want to give up again so he punched the referee instead. That’s a good enough idea and plays into the idea of Moxley’s toughness starting to crack, though I could have gone with a break from seeing Moxley in action. If the loss at WrestleDream was such a big deal, maybe have him away longer?

Post match the Conglomeration runs in so the Death Riders come in for the brawl.

Conglomeration vs. Death Riders

Cassidy and Yuta fight over crucifixes for a string of near falls each until Garcia comes in to take Cassidy down. Garcia stops to yell at the crowd, allowing Briscoe to come in and strike away. It’s off to Strong to chop away at Castagnoli, plus a half nelson backbreaker on Garcia. Castagnoli is sent outside for a drop onto the barricade but he’s fine enough to drop Strong throat first onto the barricade as well.

We take a break and come back with Strong giving Castagnoli an Angle Slam. Cassidy comes in to clean house, including a Stundog Millionaire to Castagnoli. It’s off to Briscoe to clean house, including the big running flip dive to all three Riders. Back in and a fisherman’s buster gets two on Garcia but Briscoe gets caught in the wrong corner. Some running clotheslines set up the running knee for two on Briscoe but Cassidy makes the save. That’s enough for Briscoe to hit the Jay Driller for the pin on Yuta at 12:51.

Rating: B. These matches often work well and it’s nice to see Briscoe branching out a bit. He should be able to beat people on the level of Yuta and Garcia so this was a nice result all around. Briscoe could still be a big player around here, but at some point he’s going to need to win big matches a lot more frequently.

Post match Pac runs in for the brawl but Tomohiro Ishii makes the save. The Death Riders jump Cassidy but Darby Allin is there with a baseball bat for the save. You mean this feud is STILL GOING?

Mercedes Mone is freaking out about the cake but Athena comes in to pitch a tag team. Mone is in.

Here is Kyle Fletcher, with Don Callis, for a chat. Fletcher brags about beating Mark Briscoe and says their series is done, because he is the better man. Cue Briscoe to say Fletcher doesn’t need to talk so much. Briscoe isn’t going to let Fletcher run his mouth, because Briscoe needs one more shot. Callis brings up Briscoe having a bunch of kids to feed and he’s sounding desperate. Therefore, the answer is NO. I’d like to believe that, as this is another feud where they both need to move on.

Here are the brackets for the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament:

Queen Aminata/Jamie Hayter
Sisters Of Sin

Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron
Mercedes Mone/Athena

Alex Windsor/Riho
Toni Storm/Mina Shirakawa

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford
Tay Melo/Anna Jay

Mina Shirakawa says she and Storm fight and love together but Thekla interrupts to mock her. A match is made for Collision.

Unified Title: Bandido vs. Kazuchika Okada

Only Okada is defending. They trade headlocks to start and Bandido ducks the Rainmaker. Okada gets sent outside, where he avoids a baseball slide and starts in on Bandido’s arm. Bandido manages an armdrag on the floor though and we take a break. We come back with Okada flipping off the crowd and getting caught with the spinning corkscrew high crossbody.

Okada is sent outside for a big dive, followed by an Eddie Guerrero dance inspired frog splash. Back up and Okada snaps the arm over the top rope, followed by a shoulder breaker. Bandido needs to go over to the trainer but Okada throws him back inside. The X Knee is blocked but the second attempt connects.

The 21 Plex gets a very delayed two, only for Okada to hit a heck of a dropkick. Another Rainmaker attempt is countered into the same thing from Bandido, setting up the X Knee. The 21 Plex is loaded up again but Okada cuts him off and hits the Rainmaker to retain the title at 14:24.

Rating: B. There was only so much drama here as it is hard to believe that anyone not named Takeshita is taking that title from Okada. At the same time, they have the out of the Continental Classic to get the title off of him if necessary. Bandido’s incredible year continues and it has been great to see him blossom so much now that he is finally healthy.

Post match the Don Callis Family comes out to celebrate but Konosuke Takeshita comes out to glare to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. On one hand, the action this week was a blast, with the last three matches all more than delivering. It made for a very entertaining how and I could go for more of that. At the same time, seeing so many of the feuds seemingly continuing on from WrestleDream is less than thrilling, as some of the people involved really need to move on. All that being said, the wrestling more than carried things here, making this a better than usual show.

Results
Opps b. Hurt Syndicate – Koquina Clutch to MVP
Jamie Hayter/Queen Animata b. Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne, Sisters Of Sin and Harley Cameron/Willow Nightingale – Hayterade to Ford
Kyle O’Reilly b. Jon Moxley via DQ when Moxley punched the referee
Conglomeration b. Death Riders – Jay Driller to Yuta
Kazuchika Okada b. Bandido – Rainmaker

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

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