Dynamite
Date: April 12, 2023
Location: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re getting closer to Double Or Nothing and the main story continues to be the Four Pillars coming together. While the other three all want MJF’s title, there hasn’t been much of the other three going after each other, which could make for an interesting dynamic on its own. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Swerve Strickland vs. Darby Allin

Allin starts fast with the rolling Stunner and tries the Coffin Drop but Swerve is on the floor instead. That’s fine with Allin, who hits a top rope flip dive and a whip into the barricade. Swerve gets in a shot of his own though and takes Allin’s belt for a whipping back inside. Allin trips the legs and hammers away but Swerve ties him in the ropes. A low superkick knocks Allin to the floor for a stomp, which hurts Swerve’s ankle as we take a break.

Back with Swerve hitting a rolling Downward Spiral but getting tied in the corner. Allin takes the boot off the bad ankle and bites the foot (because he’s weird like that) before grabbing a kneebar. Allin’s springboard is countered into a German suplex but Allin reveres a suplex into a reverse DDT (that was sweet). He goes up top and knocks Swerve down, setting up the Coffin Drop but here is Prince Nana to put the foot on the rope.

Allin gives chase but runs into Brian Cage, allowing Swerve to kick him in the head. The Swerve Stomp gets two, as he hurts his ankle and delays the cover. Cage trips Allin and gets ejected, allowing Swerve to grab a chair. That takes too long so Allin grabs a Code Red for two, followed by the Last Supper for the pin at 14:41.

Rating: B-. I’m not wild on Swerve taking a fall but Allin getting the pin makes more sense out of the two options. That being said, this is a match that either shouldn’t have happened or should have ended in some kind of a screwy finish, as Allin is likely on his way to headlining a pay per view and Swerve is being rebuilt. The action was good, but I could have done without one of them getting pinned.

Post match and post break here is MJF to say that was a great match. He praises Allin as a great talent but….SHUT UP WITH SAYING HIS CATCHPHRASE WITH HIM! The two words he has for Allin are “headlock takeover” because he beat him with a move that simple. Maybe it’s the 30 concussions but Allin is not on the level of the devil. Allin asks if MJF is happy. Has anything he has ever done made him happy?

They met six years ago, wrestling in front of thirty people. Now MJF is the World Champion and nothing has changed, because all he got are material things. Allin got to national TV and checked himself into therapy and he learned about how much he can do for everyone else. His AEW contract have helped him buy his parents a house and let his dad retire. MJF says morals kill a wrestling career and knows he might die alone and not go to Heaven.

As long as he goes with his title though, that’s all that matters. His legacy will be World Champion, but Allin’s legacy is “Sting’s b****.” Cue Sting to say he isn’t taking care of Allin, because he sees himself like a cheerleader. Sting pulls some pom poms (four of them) out of his jacket and throws them at MJF. He promises to stop if MJF will stop with the “Cody daycare” stuff. Sting: “I SAID CODY!!!”

MJF had a cheerleader and support system in Cody, just like Allin has in him. Sting had a support system in Ric Flair and praises him….and the Outsiders for Wolfpac Sting of all thing. He has a hunger for things but not the World Title, because showtime is almost over. Showtime is just starting for Allin though, because Allin is going to be World Champion. MJF spits at Allin and leaves in a hurry. This was another long and very good exchange, as Allin continues to feel the most interesting of the three potential challenges (though not by a long shot).

TNT Title: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Silas Young

Hobbs is defending and Town Business retains the title at 43 seconds.

Post match Hobbs carries Young out but we cut to Wardlow in the parking lot with a lead pipe, wrecking the car that Hobbs bought with Wardlow’s credit card. Then he uses a forklift to turn the car over. Back in the arena, Hobbs loads up a powerbomb through two tables but here is Wardlow for the brawl. Wrestlers try to break it up, with Aaron Solo being put through the table instead.

Jay White promises Bullet Club success.

International Title: Buddy Matthews vs. Orange Cassidy

Matthews, with Julia Hart, is challenging and Cassidy’s hand is banged up. They stare at each other to start with Cassidy making him miss and spinning around into a headscissors. Cassidy sends him outside for the suicide dive, followed by a high crossbody, which is pulled out of the air. A tornado DDT plants Matthews but Cassidy hits the Orange Punch, meaning it’s time to check on the hand. Matthews stomps on the hand and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy’s dive being pulled out of the air. The tornado DDT is blocked and they head to the apron for an exchange of superkicks. The Beach Break drops Matthews on the apron and they both have to beat the count. Back in and Matthews stomps on the hand but Cassidy begs off….and puts the hands in the pocket.

Matthews hits him in the face anyway but walks into the Stundog Millionaire. They both go up top for a super tornado DDT, followed by a diving one to the floor. Back in and a top rope DDT gets two so the Orange Punch connects for the same. Matthews hits a pop up knee to the face and the Stomp gets two. What used to be Murphy’s Law is loaded up but Cassidy reverses into the Mousetrap to retain at 14:12.

Rating: B. I liked the match and Cassidy fighting underneath like the underdog that he is will almost always work. That being said, Cassidy is going to have to lose the title soon, maybe to Malakai Black, before this starts losing its impact. Kind of like the DDT did, after three enhanced versions in a row only got a two count on Matthews.

Christian Cage and Luchasaurus say some things are changing.

Orange Cassidy is banged up but the Best friends want Aussie Open for the IWGP Tag Team Titles on Rampage.

Here is Ethan Page to complain about Matt Hardy. Cue Isiah Kassidy and Hardy to set up a future match for Hardy’s freedom. The rest of the Firm comes down and the beatdown is on, with Hook’s save not working (he looked like he got banged up somewhere in there). Cue JEFF HARDY for the big save and reunion. The people certainly reacted and while that’s great, having him back again doesn’t exactly seem like the best idea.

We look at the Blackpool Combat Club’s recent violence.

A serious Kenny Omega promises vengeance. For Omega, this was pretty good talking and he stayed to the point.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Michael Nakazawa/Brandon Cutler

The Club jumps them to start and Nakazawa is bleeding before the bell. Nakazawa tries to fight back but gets caught in the Swing, setting up the Sharpshooter from Castagnoli. That’s actually broken up and it’s Cutler coming in instead. Moxley hammers away and bites the forehead to bust Cutler open too. Some clotheslines have no effect as Moxley hits the King Kong Lariat into the Death Rider. The bulldog choke is broken up but the Club’s strike’s to the head finish at 3:05.

Rating: C. That was just about the only way it should have gone and they didn’t do anything ridiculous here. Nakazawa and Cutler barely ever wrestle on TV so there was no reason for them to be anything but plucky cannon fodder here. The Club beat them up, sold just a hair and then finished strong. As it should have been

Post match the beatdown is on but Kenny Omega comes out for the staredown. The Young Bucks retain and jump the Club, with Omega whipping out a screwdriver to go after Moxley. The Club bails.

Swerve Strickland isn’t happy with Darby Allin beating him but promises to settle some scores.

Sky Blue/Riho vs. Ruby Soho/Toni Storm

Saraya is in Soho/Storm’s corner. It’s a brawl to start with Blue in trouble but Riho comes in for some dropkicks. Stereo dropkicks send Soho outside and a forearm drops Storm, setting up Riho’s dive from the top onto Soho as we take a break. Back with Riho rolling away from Soho and bringing Blue back in. Storm comes in as but gets sent to the floor for a kick to the face.

Blue snaps off a hurricanrana from the apron, followed by a high crossbody for two back inside. Everything breaks down and Blue superkicks Soho into a crucifix bomb. Storm German suplexes Blue and hits the running hip attack, setting up Storm Zero for the pin at 6:19. Not enough shown to rate due to the break but there was a lot of action packed into not a lot of time.

Post match the bating is on but Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker runs in for the save.

Keith Lee vs. Chris Jericho

Daniel Garcia is here with Jericho, whose early chops have no effect. Lee runs him over with a shoulder and takes it into the corner. The Grizzly Magnum is blocked so Lee unloads in another corner instead. Lee powers Jericho into the corner to start but the Grizzly Magnum is blocked. Jericho send Lee outside though and we take a break.

Back with Jericho hitting the Lionsault for two but Lee is back up. Lee blocks a charge and blasts him with a clothesline but Lee’s middle rope moonsault hits knees. That just huts Jericho even more so it’s a spinebuster to drop Jericho again. Jericho rakes the eyes to escape the powerbomb though and the Walls go on.

The long crawl lets Lee make the rope and there’s the Uncle Phil toss. Jericho grabs the referee to escape the Big Bang Catastrophe but Garcia’s interference doesn’t work. The Codebreaker is countered into the Spirit Bomb but Garcia offers another distraction, allowing Swerve Strickland to come in and deck Lee, giving Jericho the pin at 14:04.

Rating: B-. Lee got to do some of his impressive stuff here and at least they are finally getting back to Lee vs. Strickland, meaning we might even get to their blowoff match after so many months of waiting. The Garcia interference got a bit repetitive, but they certainly kept Lee looking strong. I’m not sure this needed to be the main event, but at least they did it well enough.

Post match Adam Cole comes out to check on Lee, complete with the over the shoulder look at Jericho ala Jericho a few weeks ago. Staring, but no violence, ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the eventful show and those are often the most fun. Having so many things going on in the span of two hours is going to make the show that much more interesting, which was the case here. You had a bunch of returns and steps taken forward for upcoming matches. Some of those are likely to be at Double Or Nothing, so they are going in the right direction. Throw in enough good action and this was a rather nice show.

Results
Darby Allin b. Swerve Strickland – Last Supper
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Silas Young – Town Business
Orange Cassidy b. Buddy Matthews – Orange Punch
Blackpool Combat Club b. Michael Nakazawa/Brandon Cutler via referee stoppage
Toni Storm/Ruby Soho b. Riho/Skye Blue – Storm Zero to Blue
Chris Jericho b. Keith Lee – Belt shot from Swerve Strickland

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

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Wrestlemania XXXI
Date: March 29, 2015
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Attendance: 76,976
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jerry Lawler

Pre-Show: Tag Team Titles: Tyson Kidd/Cesaro vs. Los Matadores vs. Usos vs. New Day

Pre-Show: Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Ryback gets rid of Goldust but Kane saves Big Show for no logical reason. Miz and Mizdow take a double chokeslam from Kane, who is quickly slammed out by Cesaro. Show dumps Jimmy but gets picked up by Cesaro again, only to escape and dump Cesaro with ease. Ryback grabs a spinebuster on Show and is eliminated for trying to get any momentum.

Aloe Blacc sings America the Beautiful.

Intercontinental Title: Daniel Bryan vs. Bad News Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Stardust vs. Luke Harper vs. R-Truth vs. Dean Ambrose

Truth sets up the big ladder but Stardust goes for the climb, only to get superplexed back down by Barrett. Bryan, Ziggler and Ambrose go up top until Dean drops down and shoves the ladder over. Dean goes up until Harper powerbombs him off the ladder and through a ladder bridged between the barricade and ring. Ziggler tries a sleeper on Harper as he climbs, followed by the Zig Zag to bring them crashing down.

Somehow Dolph is able to climb up, only to have Barrett pull him down into the Bull Hammer. Another one knocks Truth off but Bryan makes a quick climb and kicks Barrett down. Barrett is right back up though and makes a save, followed by a quick running knee from Bryan, allowing him to climb up, headbutt Ziggler off and win the title at 13:55.

Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton

Rollins is Mr. Money in the Bank and has Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble as his personal stooges. Seth starts by flipping away from Orton, only to eat a dropkick and bail to the floor from the threat of an RKO. Back in and a big clothesline looks to set up the RKO again but the Stooges offer a distraction to break it up. Orton deals with them early off a double elevated DDT from the apron.

Ronda Rousey is here.

HHH vs. Sting

No DQ or countout. Sting is played to the ring by some kind of Japanese band with drums and a gong. As you might expect, HHH completely upstages him with a full on Terminator commercial with the robots rising from the stage, a clip from the movie, HHH dressed as a Terminator and Arnold Schwarzenegger himself appearing on screen for the introduction. It might be time to call in Robocop.

Sting fights them off with ease and backdrops HHH onto them, setting up a dive off the top (remember that Sting is 56 here) to take them all out. Back in and a Pedigree gets two so HHH gets the sledgehammer (one of at least two under the ring). This brings out the NWO (Hall, Nash and Hogan) to save Sting (SO much wrong with that statement, not even counting trying to remember if the Kliq exists in storylines or not). They take their sweet time and eventually clean house, allowing Sting to hit the Scorpion Death Drop (reverse DDT) for two.

Ads for new shows coming to the WWE Network, including the new Divas Search.

Maria Menunos, in a Bushwhackers shirt, brings in Daniel Bryan. First ever Intercontinental Champion Pat Patterson comes in to congratulate him, as do Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair (of course) and Bret Hart, who starts a YES chant. Ron Simmons comes in and scares them all before hitting his catchphrase.

AJ Lee/Paige vs. Bella Twins

Real people vs. reality stars (from Total Divas), even though Paige had already become a cast member. Nikki is Divas Champion and in the middle of her reign of doom. Paige debuted at the Raw after Wrestlemania last year and has formed a dream team with AJ to take on the sisters.

Rating: C-. This was a handicap match for the first half with Paige cleaning house, which was made even weirder when AJ came in anyway. Not that it mattered though as the Bellas were going to be pushed as the stars as long as they wanted to because of that stupid reality show. In theory this should have set up AJ as the next challenger but she retired later in the week and left the company for good.

We get a tale of the tape for Lesnar vs. Reigns, which Cole says is the result of a computer analysis. The stats include height, weight and career accomplishments. Did this computer analysis take place in the Korean War?

Hall of Fame video, with highlights of Lanny Poffo reading a poem to induct his brother Randy Savage and Connor Michalek receiving the first Warrior Award.

The Class of 2015 includes Rikishi, Larry Zbyszko (mainly famous in the 80s), Alundra Blayze, Connor Michalek, the Bushwhackers (with Butch on crutches but still doing the strut), Tatsumi Fujinami (a legendary Japanese wrestler), Randy Savage (represented by his brother), Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Kevin Nash (for the required Kliq member, though I wonder why he can go in under his real name and not Hall).

US Title: Rusev vs. John Cena

Rusev blames Lana for the loss.

Wrestlemania XXXII is in Dallas.

The pre-show panel talks about the Tag Team Title match and Big Show winning the battle royal. Thanks for reminding me.

Here are HHH and Stephanie to brag about the new attendance record and desperately fill in some time as we have two matches left and nearly an hour and a half to go. Stephanie talks about watching Wrestlemania I live and seeing her friend Andre the Giant (This was a thing for her around this time as she would mention this whenever she could. For some reason this was her justification for not letting Cena be in the Andre battle royal.).

Bray Wyatt vs. Undertaker

Ad for Extreme Rules.

WWE World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

A belly to belly overhead brings Reigns back in over the top rope but Reigns shakes his head at Brock again. Another F5 gets two and now Brock take the gloves off. Some hard slaps put Reigns down but he tells Brock to bring it on. Another German earns him another bring it on so Brock gives him suplex number ten. The third F5 gets two more, putting Reigns past Undertaker last year. Brock takes Roman outside but Reigns posts him, drawing some real blood from Lesnar.

WWE World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

The Curb Stomp puts Brock down but Reigns has to spear Brock down to save Seth from an F5. Another Curb Stomp (and a whisper of “thank you so much” to Reigns) gives Seth the title at 16:43!

Rating: A-. They went in a TOTALLY different direction here and it was the best thing they possibly could have done. Reigns vs. Lesnar had little interest as a match but as a one sided war with Reigns giving it everything he had near the end, they turned it into one of the most dramatic spectacles you could find. They had me on the near fall after that second spear and I lost it when Rollins came out.

Fireworks and posing take us out.

Overall though, this was a major surprise and a better show than it had any right to be. The low expectations helped it a lot, but this was looking like one of the worst Wrestlemanias in history and wound up being a lot of fun. Nothing on it really stands out above the rest (save for maybe the main event) so the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Really fun show here.

Ratings Comparison

New Day vs. Los Matadores vs. Usos vs. Cesaro/Tyson Kidd

Original: C+

Redo: B

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Original: D+

Redo: D

Intercontinental Title Ladder Match

Original: B

Redo: B

Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton

Original: B

Redo: B

Sting vs. HHH

Original: B

Redo: B-

Paige/AJ Lee vs. Bella Twins

Original: C+

Redo: C-

Rusev vs. John Cena

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Bray Wyatt vs. Undertaker

Original: B

Redo: C+

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: B+

Redo: A-

Overall Rating

Original: A

Redo: B+

Yeah the shock had a lot to do with it but there was good stuff throughout.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2015/03/29/wrestlemania-xxxi-shock-and-awe-shock-and-awe/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Dynamite
Date: March 22, 2023
Location: Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, Missouri
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We have a dream match this week as Kenny Omega is facing El Hijo Del Vikingo in what should be a heck of a showcase. Other than that, the big question coming out of last week is what is going on with the Elite and Hangman Page, as that is going down again. That should be enough to carry things for a week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with Hangman Page outside an ambulance as the Young Bucks have been attacked before the show. Page gets in the second ambulance as it leaves.  Oh dear.

The ropes are red, white and blue, ala the WWF in the 80s.

Sting/Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy vs. Butcher And The Blade/Kip Sabian

Penelope Ford is here with the villains and this is fallout from a fight at the House Rules show. Cassidy frustrated Blade to start and it’s off to butcher to forearm Sting. With that not working, Sting sends him into the corner for the Stinger Splash. Everything breaks down as Sting tries for the Scorpion and he winds up getting caught in a double suplex.

Sabian goes up top so Sting does the slow motion Orange Cassidy roll to escape. Allin comes in and gets taken down by Sabian and we take a break. Back with Allin escaping and handing it off to Cassidy for the tornado DDT. Sabian takes Cassidy down but gets tapped on the shoulder by Sting, who does his own lazy kicks. Blade and Butcher eventually break up the Scorpion but Allin makes the save. Sting is back up and hits the Scorpion Death Drop to finish Sabian at 11:15.

Rating: C+. Sting matches aren’t going to be anything serious but they are going to let the fans have a good time watching a legend. Putting him in a bunch of tag matches so he doesn’t have to carry the load is a good idea. Let them go out there and have some fun against villains with nothing to lose and get the crowd going for the show.

Post match Allin stares up at the Double Or Nothing banner.

Video on last week’s Four Pillars showdown, with MJF talking about how he has already beaten all three of them.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Hijo Del Vikingo.

Excalibur has gotten a text from Brandon Cutler accusing the Blackpool Combat Club of attacking the Young Bucks.

Tag Team Titles: The Gunns vs. Top Flight

Top Flight is challenging and the Guns are cleared out to start. We settle down to Dante vs. Austin, with the former backflipping over him, only for a hair pull to put Dante in trouble as we take a break. Back with Dante hitting a swinging half nelson suplex into the Nose Dive. Cue the Kingdom to make the save though, allowing 3:10 to Yuma to retain the titles at 7:05.

Rating: C+. Another match that felt like it could have been a lot better if we could have actually seen most of it take place. The Gunns are on the road to facing FTR and it wouldn’t shock me to see FTR go down again. Top Flight still feels like a team who could be champs later on, and if that is the case, it would be nice to have them not lose like this so often.

Post break the Kingdom gets chased off but here is FTR to interrupt. The Gunns don’t want to see them and yell about how no one wants to see them. FTR offers their AEW career as a team for a title shot but that’s not good enough either. Instead, Dax offers the two of them leaving AEW if they lose. Deal, with the Gunns spitting on them and bailing before violence ensues.

Mark Sterling has issued a cease and desist order against Taya Valkyrie using Jaded. Oh and the open challenge is over so there’s no title shot for Taya.

Stokely Hathaway vs. Hook

Non-title, No DQ and Hathaway is described as having the wisdom of an owl. Hold on though, as Hathaway isn’t medically cleared to compete so he is retiring. Hathaway: “Special thanks to my fans, all 12 of y’all!” He even has a doctor’s note…which is apparently a receipt for Wingstop.

The referee says ring the bell so Hathaway runs into the crowd, only to be tossed right back. A running elbow to the jaw doesn’t phase Hook, who sends Hathaway flying with a suplex on the floor. Hook grabs some weapons from under the ring but Hathaway manages a blast with a fire extinguisher. Hook is fine enough to block a chair shot and blast Hathaway with it over and over. Another suplex onto a piece of barricade in the corner gets two, with Hook pulling him up. Redrum finishes for Hook at 3:07. Exactly what it should have been.

Rating: C+. The match itself was just a joke but watching Hook smash through a loud mouthed manager is a good idea. Hook is someone who could go a long way around here and letting him get another win like this works well. Just get him into another feud so he can have some more training matches and he could get even better than he already is.

In the back, Matt Hardy says Ethan Page is the man to beat Hook.

Here is Adam Cole for a chat. He’s back in the ring in seven days and right now, he feels great. Now he wants to know who he is facing, so cue Daniel Garcia (in a lot of leather) to say it’s time for his own story time. Garcia lists off everyone he has beaten while Cole has been playing video games on Twitch. Garcia almost calls himself a wrestler before asking what makes Cole special. Cole: “When they ring the freaking bell.” He actually praises Garcia but asks about the company Garcia has been keeping. The match is on for next week, with Cole getting in a BOOM to wrap it up.

Kenny Omega is upset about the Bucks being injured and not going to the hospital with them.

Stu Grayson vs. Jon Moxley

The Blackpool Combat Club and Dark Order are here too. Grayson charges to start but gets taken down as we hear about Grayson’s kickboxing career. They head outside with Grayson getting in a few shots, followed by a hurricanrana back inside. A belly to back suplex puts Grayson to the apron, setting up a running charge to send him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Moxley stomping at the head for two and getting frustrated.

Grayson fights up and starts elbowing away, followed by a springboard spinning Swanton for two. The teams get in an argument on the floor so Grayson moonsaults out onto them for the big knockdown. Moxley dives onto Grayson but gets kicked in the face back inside. A 450 looks to set up the Knightfall but Moxley flips over into the bulldog choke. Grayson manages to fight up and sends him into the corner to escape, setting up a Pele. Moxley catches him on top though and hits a super Death Rider for the pin at 10:02.

Rating: B. This was a lot easier to accept than last week (the lack of a spike piledriver on the floor helped) as Grayson got a heck of a rub out of Moxley. It wasn’t so much that Moxley was in danger but more that he had to do a lot of work to put Grayson away. They were working hard here and it was a much better showcase for Grayson than anything he did last week.

Ricky Starks is ready for Juice Robinson on Rampage.

QTV shows us Powerhouse Hobbs beating Rey Fenix on Rampage. Apparently Aaron Solo has stolen Wardlow’s identity (and house and car)…..and hacked some Observer’s Twitter account. As for Hobbs, he’ll be defending again in another open challenge on Rampage. Hobbs wasn’t even in the segment and that might be a good thing.

Skye Blue vs. Toni Storm

The rest of the Outcasts are here too. Blue starts fast and sends Storm outside for a diving hurricanrana. Some Outcasts cheap shots take Blue down though and we go to a break. Back with Blue hitting a high crossbody and snapping off a headscissors to send Storm into the ropes. Storm is back with a DDT for two but misses the running hip attack. Ruby Soho’s distraction means code Blue doesn’t get a count, meaning Storm can dropkick her into the corner. Now the hip attack into the Storm Zero finishes Blue at 8:13.

Rating: C+. Blue has come a long way but is still needing to get an important win. Other than that, this was more about the Outcasts beating up their rivals as the story continues to meander. If this story is going to mean something, they need to have the Outcasts win some gold, because otherwise they’re just kind of annoying NWO knockoffs.

Post match the beatdown is on but Willow Nightingale and Riho (with a pipe and looking ridiculous while trying to be intimidating) make the save.

Stu Grayson is getting checked out by the medics when Jon Moxley, with the Blackpool Combat Club, attack him again.

Kenny Omega vs. El Hijo Del Vikingo

Vikingo’s AAA Mega Title (which he won after Omega vacated it) isn’t on the line. Vikingo dives onto him before the bell but Omega is back with his own right hands. The bell rings and Omega stays on him, only to get hurricanranaed to the floor. Vikingo hits a big dive, setting up a springboard 450 for two back inside. Omega is back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and sends Vikingo into the barricade. A table is set up at ringside and we take a break.

Back with a strike off on the apron until Omega plants him hard onto said apron. Vikingo fights back up and climbs onto the post for a super dragonrana. Back in and another super hurricanrana drops Omega on his head, setting up a springboard Phoenix splash for two. Another springboard hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb and the V Trigger gives Omega two.

Omega adds another V Trigger but Vikingo is back up with a springboard poisonrana to drop Omega on his head again. With Omega on the table, a step up 630 drives him through it and gives the fans their next loud chant. Back in and a Code Red gives Vikingo two more but Omega avoids a 630. Omega hits another V Trigger and the One Winged Angel finishes Vikingo at 16:53.

Rating: A. Yeah this was a blast and that’s all it was designed to be. This was about telling two people to go out there and go nuts with one highlight reel move after another. There’s no story (not a significant one at least) to it and there didn’t need to be. It was about the crazy spots and letting Vikingo do his insane flips. From that perspective it was a blast and that’s all it needed to be.

Post match the Blackpool Combat Club interrupts Omega to beat him down. Cue Hangman Page in the ambulance (with a board with nails in it, because that comes with every ambulance) for the save. Don Callis goes to check on Page, who pulls away before stopping upon seeing who it is. Callis does quite the fall (without being attacked in any way) and Omega checks on him while looking confused at Page to end the show. Because the Elite must have drama you see.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a fun show as they seemed to drop a lot of the more serious stuff and just let the matches be entertaining. Nothing on here (save for QTV) was bad and the main event is going to get a lot of attention. Very good show here and probably the most engaging show they’ve done in a lot of Wednesdays. I have no idea if they can keep it up but for now, this was back to the AEW of old.

Results
Sting/Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin b. Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade – Scorpion Death Drop to Sabian
Gunns b. Top Flight – 3:10 To Yuma to Darius
Hook b. Stokely Hathaway – Redrum
Jon Moxley b. Stu Grayson – Super Death Rider
Toni Storm b. Skye Blue – Storm Zero
Kenny Omega b. El Hijo Del Vikingo – One Winged Angel

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 25, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

This is going to be an emotional one as the main event will feature the Jay Briscoe Tribute match between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal. If that’s not enough, we’re still on the way to Revolution and that means Bryan Danielson gets to wrestle again. This time he has to find a way around Brian Cage, which is quite the different opponent than he has had in recent weeks. Other than that, the Gunns and the Acclaimed are going to have family therapy, which could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, looking almost across from the big screen (Much appreciated on the early birthday present Jacob.).

Opening sequence.

Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara vs. Action Andretti/Ricky Starks

We are joined in the middle of Jericho’s entrance (including Daniel Garcia), which came after Justin Roberts asked if we should start early. Andretti and Guevara start things off and exchange some flips without being able to make a ton of contact. Andretti’s standing moonsault misses and they stare at each other for a bit. Guevara offers a handshake and then superkicks him in the face to take over.

A headscissors sends Guevara outside though and it’s time for a breather, leaving Andretti to do Guevara’s pose. Back in and a dropkick sends Andretti outside for a change but they change places, with Andretti diving onto Garcia (who Guevara pulled in the way). Guevara is right back in for his own dive to take over again but Andretti sticks the landing on a super hurricanrana back inside. It’s off to Starks vs. Jericho with Starks countering a dropkick into a catapult.

Starks tries his rope walk but Guevara springboards in to cutter Starks down (it would be a bit more heelish to just shake the ropes but that doesn’t work as well on a highlight reel). The villains take turns slamming Starks (Jericho: “Sammy, watch this!”) before hitting their required double pose. That takes a bit too long though and Guevara dives over for the hot tag to Andretti to clean house with a pair of backbreaker/neckbreaker combinations.

Back to back dives have Jericho and Guevara in trouble and Starks adds a tornado DDT to take Guevara down. Starks counters the Codebreaker into a sitout powerbomb for two on Jericho and it’s back to Andretti. Everything breaks down and Andretti hits Guevara with a poisonrana into a torture rack neckbreaker for two more. Starks Roshambos Jericho on the floor as Guevara goes up, only to have his cutter caught in a torture rack (dang). Garcia is right up with a bat shot though and the GTH finishes Andretti at 12:46.

Rating: B-. Here is where things get tricky with something like having Andretti beat Jericho: at some point he has to lose, and now Guevara has beaten someone who only had one or two wins. This cuts off a lot of Andretti’s momentum and doesn’t do much for Guevara, but it had to happen at some point. At least Jericho didn’t get the pin to get his heat back, but odds are he’ll find another way to do that. The match itself was entertaining with Andretti doing all of his dives and Starks adding his charisma, but Andretti had to lose at some point so it might as well be here.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We get a rather touching Jay Briscoe tribute video. They aired this twice in the arena and it’s still incredible on a third viewing.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Buddy Matthews

Allin, with his bad leg, is defending and has Sting in his corner to counter Julia Hart. They stare at each other to start until Julia’s distraction lets Matthews send him outside for a ram into the barricade. Allin fights up and tries a suicide dive, which is pulled out of the air for some drops onto the barricade. A running powerbomb into the barricade is countered into a hurricanrana to send Allin in instead.

Back in and the flipping Stunner drops Matthews, setting up the Coffin Drop from the top to the floor. Then the lights go out and we have the rest of the House Of Black to stare down Sting. Cue Ortiz from behind with a kendo stick and everyone else brawls to the floor. Matthews hits a sitout powerbomb for two more and we take a break.

Back with Allin spiking him with a poisonrana and they go to the floor again. A crucifix bomb gives Allin two and they’re both down for a breather. Matthews hits a Buckle Bomb into a Stomp for a freakin two but Allin’s Code Red gets the same. Allin goes up but gets caught, only to reverse a superplex into a super Coffin Drop for two. With Matthews draped over the middle rope, the Coffin Drop to the back retains the title at 12:50.

Rating: C+. Shenanigans aside, this was another good effort from Allin, who has that underdog charisma that you want to see no matter what he is doing. Allin knows how to take the fans on a ride with him and you want to see him fight back and survive in the end. Good enough match as Allin racks up another defense before he gets to whomever his next big challenger might be.

Post match Tony Schiavone gets in the ring to talk to Allin but Samoa Joe interrupts on the screen. Joe talks about how Allin stole the TNT Title and in some kingdoms, that means cutting off hands. In Joe’s kingdom, it means a beating, which is what happens when Joe comes to get his title back. There’s your big challenger.

Video on Adam Cole’s recovery as he is in the ring training. I don’t think this aired in the arena.

Matt Hardy/Ethan Page vs. Jungle Boy/Hook

Stokely Hathaway and Isiah Kassidy are here with Hardy/Page. Before the match, Page insists on his own music being played, much to the fans’ annoyance. Jungle Boy works on Page’s arm to start but it’s quickly a four way standoff. Page shoves Hook and then bails, meaning he has to run from Hook on the floor. The t-bone suplex is broken up but Jungle Boy breaks up an Ego’s Edge. Page takes over on Jungle Boy back inside and we take a break.

Back with Jungle Boy diving through the legs and bringing in Hook for the suplexes. Everything breaks down and Jungle Boy gets two off a small package to Page. Matt comes in for the Side Effect but Page wants in before the Twist of Fate. Jungle Boy pulls him down into the Snare Trap for the tap at 7:01.

Rating: C. The Page/Hardy stuff still isn’t doing anything for me but the fans were way into Jungle Boy and Hook. As annoying as the “combine two names to make a team name” can be, the fans are digging them and Hook is moved into his first serious deal. You could only have him squash people on Rampage for so long and now he is handling this part well enough so far.

We go to family therapy with the Acclaimed/Billy Gunn and the Gunn Club. Billy, who called for this, asks when his sons became so entitled. The Gunns talk about how their dad was never there for them and they want the titles. Bowens thinks they are pieces of s*** and would have been fine enough with Billy. They just wouldn’t have been the Acclaimed because no one can be. Austin says that their issues as sons are Billy’s failures as a father. They want the titles, wrapping up a not very interesting segment.

Hangman Page says he and Jon Moxley are 1-1 and he wants to knock Moxley out next week in Dayton, Ohio and win their series. Wheeler Yuta comes in and isn’t happy with Page going after someone not medically cleared. They can fight on Rampage before Moxley is back next week. Deal, with Page threatening to knock him out next week too.

Brian Cage vs. Bryan Danielson

Prince Nana is here with Cage, who shoves Danielson around without much trouble. Danielson strikes away but gets taken into the corner for the hard chops. Cage gets rolled over and elbowed in the head but it’s too early for the LeBell Lock. Danielson sends him outside instead and hits a suicide dive, followed by a high crossbody. Back in and Cage gorilla presses him into the corner before hitting a suplex onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Danielson headbutting him out of a bearhug but the moonsault out of the corner is pulled out of the air though and a shoulderbreaker works on Danielson’s arm. Cage sends him to the apron, setting up the apron superplex and apron German superplex (cool) for two.

They go up top where Danielson blocks a powerbomb and starts firing off kicks, setting up a superplex of his own. A triangle choke has Cage in more trouble but he rolls out, only to have Danielson grab an ankle lock. Danielson pulls him back for a German suplex (cool) before trying the running knee. That is countered into a powerbomb but Danielson rolls through and stacks him up for the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Watching Danielson has become such a treat as you see him figuring out his weekly puzzle. Some of them are easy like Takeshita, but he managed to get a good match out of Cage here. That is quite an amazing talent to have and it is so much fun to watch him do this week in and week out while making it look effortless.

Post match Cage goes right after the arm and crushes it against the post with a chair. Cue MJF as Cage loads up the Pillmanizing on the arm. Konosuke Takeshita runs in for the save as Danielson gets to extend his world record of “most times selling an arm injury”.

Post break, Danielson is getting his arm checked out and has a pretty serious injury. He doesn’t care though because he is coming for MJF and the title. MJF has done a lot to Danielson and now Danielson is coming to take what matters most to MJF in the world.

Ruby Soho vs. Toni Storm

During the entrances, Storm mocks the homegrown AEW women while Soho says the only thing that matters is how hard you work. Soho knocks her to the floor to start but gets knocked down back inside. A tornado DDT is blocked and Soho strikes away so Storm pokes her in the eye. The running hip attack knocks Soho hard to the floor and Storm whips her into various things until we take a break.

Back with Soho hitting a German suplex, setting up No Future for two. Soho gets in a shot to the face and hang on as Storm’s face is messed up (allegedly). The goldbricking Storm snaps off a German suplex and hits the running hip attack in the corner. A tornado DDT gives Storm two but here is Britt Baker for a distraction. Soho grabs Destination Unknown for the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C. This was more about advancing the outsiders vs. insiders feud and as a result, it was nice to have it go short. It’s also nice to see Soho getting a win, as she is still trying to get and keep herself on the right track for once. Beating a former Women’s Champion always helps and maybe this is the start of her first better run around here.

MJF is sitting in what looks to be a closet, saying he isn’t “the first Jew to have to hide from a man with blue eyes.” He likes Konosuke Takeshita’s abilities but either stay out of his business or face the consequences. As for Bryan Danielson, he was talking about wanting this title, which is the thing that proves that he is the best. Danielson is a legend but he needs to chase the title. Danielson’s shoulder is hanging on by a thread so MJF has made a phone call. Next week: Danielson vs. Timothy Thatcher.

Video on Thatcher. This has potential.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Jamie Hayter vs. Emi Sakura, who face off on Rampage.

Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe

This is the Jay Briscoe tribute match on what would have been his 39th birthday. Jay is crying on his way to the ring (alone) and Mark has both Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles. We get the Big Match Intros and a rather emotional handshake. They trade takedowns to start and that’s an early standoff. An exchange of chops goes to Mark so he clotheslines Jay down and hits a running boot to the face. Lethal is right back with the Lethal Combination but Mark hits grabs his brother’s hangman’s neckbreaker for two.

We take a break and come back with Mark Iconoclasming him down for two but Jay blocks a Jay Driller. Another Lethal Combination looks to set up a Figure Four but Mark rolls him up for two. The Lethal Injection connects, only to have Mark roll outside. A ram into the barricade lets Jay put him on the table but Mark is right back up.

Lethal is knocked to the floor for the running apron Blockbuster as the fans are rather pleased. Mark puts him on the table and hits a huge Froggy Bow to drive Jay right through it. That’s good for two back inside so Mark hits him with a hard running clothesline. Another clothesline sets up the Jay Driller to give Mark the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B. I thought about not rating this one and that still might have been the right move. This was about letting two people who meant a lot to Jay Briscoe go out there and have a good match in his honor. They did their jobs well, with Mark showing that he could more than hang at this level. It would be nice to have him around if he wants to be, but taking some time away would not be a surprise either.

Post match the locker room comes out, many of them in Jay Briscoe shirts, for the big tribute. Lethal and Mark both go up the ramp and have quite the tearful embrace.

Overall Rating: B-. It wasn’t the greatest show, but they made what they had work pretty well. That’s as much as you can ask for with a bit of a weak card, as we start to head towards Revolution. They’re doing a nice job of setting the show up as you can see a lot of the card, but there is still a lot of work to be done. That being said, this is going to be remembered for the main event and honoring Jay Briscoe, which is a lot more important than building to a show in a month and a half. This was an emotional night and that is what made it special, so good for them for making it work.

Results
Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara b. Action Andretti/Ricky Starks – GTH to Andretti
Darby Allin b. Buddy Matthews – Coffin Drop
Jungle Boy/Hook b. Matt Hardy/Ethan Page – Snare Trap to Page
Bryan Danielson b. Brian Cage – Rollup
Ruby Soho b. Toni Storm – Destination Unknown
Mark Briscoe b. Jay Lethal – Jay Driller

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: January 18, 2023
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re about six weeks away from Revolution and that means Bryan Danielson is still on the road to getting his Iron Man match with MJF for the World Title. Other than that, Orange Cassidy is defending the All-Atlantic Title against Jay Lethal and Ricky Starks continues his issues with the Jericho Appreciation Society. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Jay Briscoe.

All-Atlantic Title: Jay Lethal vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is defending and there are no seconds, though here are Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt through the crowd to take fans’ seats. They start fast with Cassidy grabbing a small package and backslide for two each before Lethal knocks him outside. Cue Danhausen, who is now an usher, demanding to see Jarrett and company’s tickets. Because reasons, they hand them over, and Danhausen waves over the Best Friends (with concessions) to sit behind them.

In the melee, Cassidy hits a suicide dive but Lethal knocks him back down without much effort. Now Danhausen is at ringside as Lethal drives Cassidy into the apron. A hard posting (great bump) has Cassidy in more trouble and Lethal gets to strut. Back in and Hail To The King is loaded up but Cassidy rolls away, even as Lethal tries multiple buckles.

The Stundog Millionaire and tornado DDT hit Lethal for two but he’s right back with the Lethal Combination. The Lethal Injection connects, only for Cassidy to roll outside. Hold on though as the referee goes to yell at Jarrett and company, allowing Danhausen to steal the guitar. Lethal gives chase and runs into the Orange Punch to retain the title at 9:09.

Rating: C. This was a tricky one as the match itself was entertaining but there is only so much you can do with all of the shenanigans going on outside. I’m not sure why the Jarrett/Best Friends and company stuff was supposed to be entertaining but it felt like we were going into what Danhausen thought of Memphis. The match worked well enough, but the outside stuff was so distracting that it brought things back down.

Post match everyone else gets in and Cassidy gives Dutt the lazy kicks. Dutt has to be held back and we don’t get much physicality. Well Cassidy and Danhausen do have some popcorn if that counts.

Video on Kushida vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Title later tonight.

Top Flight vs. Young Bucks

Brandon Cutler is here too. Nick cranks on Dante’s wrist to start and with the traditional wrestling out of the way, they start trading the flips until it’s a standoff. Dante hits Nick in the face so it’s off to Matt, who gets tripped down by Darius via the blind tag. Everything breaks down and Dante gets caught on the middle rope. Darius gets sent outside and we take a break.

Back with Nick breaking up a hot tag attempt by punning Darius to the floor. A bulldog/dropkick combination hits Dante and a 450/standing moonsault combination gives Nick two. Dante manages to hurricanrana his way out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Darius to clean house. A high crossbody gets two on Matt and everything breaks down again. Dante hits a springboard Downward Spiral on Nick and springboards outside to dive onto Matt.

The powerbomb/Nose Dive combination gets two on Matt with Nick making a fast save. Nick gets to do his rapid fire comeback, with a slingshot Canadian Destroyer getting two on Dante. Matt, after adjusting his JAY armband, loads up a Doomsday Device for two on Darius with Dante making his own diving save. The BTE Trigger is loaded up but the Darius misses so the knees collide, allowing Darius to grab a rollup pin at 12:14.

Rating: B. Top Flight continues to get better and better, as they are becoming that high flying team that you almost need to have on your roster. Beating the Bucks still means something and hopefully this is a sign that Top Flight could be on their way up the ladder. It wouldn’t stun me to see them getting the Tag Team Titles this year and they seem to be on their way.

Here are the Gunns for a chat. The take credit for the Acclaimed’s success (“WE EVEN GAVE THEM OUR DAD!”) and promise there will never be any more embarrassment. Cue the Acclaimed and, after an argument over whether Caster can rap, Caster raps about how the Gunns are the worst kids since Hunter Biden and…something that is censored. Gunn talks about how the Gunns are pathetic and tells the Acclaimed to start acting like champions. Next week: family therapy. Billy leaves on his own.

Hangman Page feels great after last week’s fight with Jon Moxley. Page said he would knock Moxley out if he had to and then he did just that. As for his future, he won’t go into it, but Page does ask Renee Paquette how Moxley is doing and seems sincere. He asks her to tell him….never mind. Nice touch by not ignoring the big personal side there.

Jake Hager vs. Ricky Starks

Chris Jericho is on commentary and the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society is at ringside. Hager, with hat, starts fast but Starks takes the hat away and they head outside. Hager posts him and Starks tries to dive through the ropes to avoid the contact, only to crash into them to make it even worse (that looked bad).

We take a break and come back with Starks dropkicking him through the ropes to the floor. A springboard crossbody hits Hager and a running clothesline takes him down again. Starks plants him with a DDT but takes a long time posing, allowing the Society to get up on the apron. That fails as well, allowing Starks to hit the spear for the pin at 6:22. Not enough shown to rate, but Starks continues his rise.

Video on Adam Cole’s return. He could be a heck of a mega face if he is given the chance.

The Jericho Appreciation Society wants to end Ricky Starks, so next week they’re facing Starks and Action Andretti. Hold on though as Daniel Garcia wants to take Sammy Guevara’s place. Guevara says cool, but only if Garcia can beat Andretti on Rampage. Guevara, who seemingly had no knowledge this was happening in advance, has new leather pants ready for Garcia.

Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido

They shake hands to start and we’re ready to go. They go to a quick standoff until Danielson headlocks him down. Back up and Bandido takes him down for a change, setting up the surfboard. That’s broken up and Danielson does the double leg stomp. They trade finger guns until Bandido ties up the legs and arms at the same time. Danielson sits up to escape but has to get out of a Texas Cloverleaf attempt as well.

Back up and Danielson knees away but gets hiptossed down, setting up…something where he ties up Danielson’s arms and legs and lifts him up. That can’t last long so Danielson rolls outside, allowing Bandido to hit the running flip dive. We take a break and come back with Danielson striking away at the ribs but getting small packaged for two. Danielson uppercuts him into the corner for the kicks to the chest.

Bandido isn’t having that and hits a springboard twisting crossbody. The delayed vertical suplex takes Danielson down again but he pulls Bandido into the LeBell Lock. Bandido gets a foot on the rope so Danielson fires off the YES Kicks. The big one is blocked and Bandido hits the X Knee. Danielson flips out of the 21 Plex though and la majistral gets two.

Back up and Bandido is sent outside for a dropkick through the ropes. There’s the running knee off the apron and they head back inside, where Bandido takes him up top. The super fall away slam sets up the 21 Plex for two and they strike it out. Danielson can’t pull him back into the LeBell Lock, allowing Bandido to pull him back up. That’s broken up and the running knee finishes Bandido at 17:53.

Rating: B+. This was the chess match that I was hoping it would be as you could see both of them trying to get into the right place to knock the other one off. What made it different though is it felt like they were going through a game plan throughout the match and had planned for everything the other had to offer. Awesome match, but that shouldn’t be a surprise with Danielson these days.

Post match MJF pops up on screen to say he doesn’t like how Danielson is treating him. So far Danielson has only dealt with Masked Max, but the further Danielson goes down this road, the more the mask comes off. Even the Dragon is no match for the Monster behind the mask.

Saraya and Toni Storm aren’t happy with Hikaru Shida screwing up in their match last week.

Next week it’s Bryan Danielson vs. Brian Cage, so MJF offers Cage a lot of money to Cage to unleash the hate. He even intentionally messes with Cage to make him angrier, which has MJF rather pleased.

Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale

Saraya is here with Storm. Nightingale shoulders her down to start and hits a spinning belly to back suplex. Back up and Storm slaps her in the face as Hikaru Shida comes out. We take a break and come back with Nightingale hitting a spinebuster, followed by a middle rope dropkick. The Cannonball misses though and Storm is back with the running hip attack. A tornado DDT plants Nightingale for two but she Pounces Storm into the corner. Now the Cannonball can connect for two….but then Saraya gets on the apron for a distraction so Storm can roll her up for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C. What was that ending? Why would you have Saraya get on the apron after Storm had already kicked out? It makes sense that Saraya was worried, but why make Nightingale look bad in the process? Anyway, Nightingale gets knocked back a bit, which is a shame as she is starting to move up and while it was screwy she probably didn’t need to lose.

Post match Saraya and Storm beat on Nightingale until Ruby Soho runs in for the save. Shida stayed neutral in the whole thing.

Video on Jungle Boy vs. Ethan Page.

Konosuke Takeshita is honored to have fought Bryan Danielson, and now he wants MJF. There’s the next match that Takeshita gets to lose.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Kushida

Kushida, with some students from the Los Angeles New Japan Dojo is here, with Sting in Allin’s corner. Kushida misses some kicks to start and gets pulled into a quick chinlock. With that broken up, Allin sweeps the leg for two and rolls over into an exchange of armbar attempts. The grappling continues until Kushida slips out of an armdrag, setting up the basement dropkick to send Allin outside.

Back in and Kushida kicks him in the arm before cranking on said arm. That’s broken up and Allin hits a fast Code Red, setting up the big flip dive to the floor onto the Dojo students. Kushida uses the distraction to take Allin down by the arm though and we take a break. Back with Kushida kicking at the arm, which only fires Allin up again. A Scorpion Death Drop plants Kushida for a double knockdown but he’s able to send Allin outside.

Kushida goes after the arm, only to have Allin come back with a flipping Stunner onto the apron. Allin knocks Kushida into an open chair and goes up for the Coffin Drop, only to get pulled into the cross armbreaker. Back in and Kushida cranks on the arm on top, setting up an arm crank top rope superplex (egads). The Hoverboard Lock goes on and the students offer Sting a towel to throw in. Sting wipes his face with it and throws it into the crowd. Allin slips out and grabs the Last Supper to retain at 13:40.

Rating: B. Another solid match here, as Kushida is going to be able to have a good one against anyone. Allin gets a win over an established name as he continues his nice resurgence. I could go for more of Kushida around here and that might be the case, though Sting shrugging off students might have been better.

Respect is shown after the match and Kushida wants to do it again. Excalibur gives Jay Briscoe one more shout out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show had a nice mixture of stuff and it made for a rather fun night of stuff. A lot of that was due to a series of good to excellent matches, but there were also some moments of things being a bit overthought. What mattered though is you can see a lot of the Revolution card starting to take shape and this show advanced a few of those stories. Very good show here, with the wrestling carrying things.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Jay Lethal – Orange Punch
Top Flight b. Young Bucks – Rollup to Matt
Ricky Starks b. Jake Hager – Spear
Bryan Danielson b. Bandido – Running knee
Toni Storm b. Willow Nightingale – Rollup
Darby Allin b. Kushida – Last Supper

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

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: January 13, 2023
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re still in Los Angeles and you know that is going to mean a big show. I’m not sure what all it is going to entail but that is some of the fun of Rampage. This week’s Dynamite was a strong show so they have a lot to live up to this week. If nothing else, there is a street fight so that means violence. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Juice Robinson vs. Darby Allin

Allin is defending. Feeling out process to start with Robinson grabbing a waistlock to send the champ to the ropes. A headlock slows Robinson down but he grabs a belly to back suplex to escape. The backsplash only hits knees though and Allin is back with another headlock. This time Robinson sends him up and over the top for a nasty crash to the floor, followed by some whips into various hard things. A drop onto the steps rocks Allin again and we take a break.

Back with Allin shrugging off the snap jabs and sending Robinson outside for the suicide dive. They get back in, where Robinson leg lariats him down for two, meaning frustration is setting in. Now the backsplash can connect for two and a fireman’s carry gutbuster gets the same. Allin hits a Code Red for a fast two but gets crotched on top for a middle rope clothesline. Robinson takes him up top but the superplex is countered into a super Scorpion Death Drop (that looked GREAT). The Coffin Drop retains the title at 11:45.

Rating: B-. More solid work here and it’s nice to have Allin face someone closer to his size for a change. He’s great as the giant killer but you have to mix it up every so often. The important thing is that the fans love him and are completely behind him, meaning everything he does receives quite the energetic response.

Post match Sting comes out to celebrate. Kind of a weird cameo there as he didn’t do anything.

Powerhouse Hobbs is ready to spread ashes over everyone.

Here is the Acclaimed to accept their stars on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The team is VERY happy to be here (as Bowens lives in Los Angeles) and want the scissors held high. They want everyone to come after them to know that EVERYONE LOVES THE ACCLAIMED. They put the scissors down in the cement….and the Gunns interrupt, because this feud is still going.

The Gunns say the Acclaimed is only popular because they stole Billy Gunn. Billy agrees (with a huge wink at the Acclaimed) and thinks the Gunns should get to put their prints in the cement. The Gunns go to do so and get their pants removed, allowing certain parts of them to be shoved into the cement.

Mogul Affiliates introduces another rapper to talk about how great they are.

House Of Black vs. Ortiz/Eddie Kingston

Malakai Black/Brody King for the House here. Ortiz strikes away at King to start and can’t get very far. A front facelock works a bit better for Ortiz as he brings King over for the tag to Kingston. Black comes in and gets chopped hard enough that he needs a walk around the ring. They both miss spinning shots to the face and sit down for a staredown as we take a break.

Back with King hitting a Cannonball on Kingston but Kingston manages a knockdown of his own. Ortiz comes in sans tag for a jumping DDT on Black, leaving Kingston to grab a suplex for two. Kingston’s spinning backfist misses though and Black hits a jumping knee. King tries to come in but gets sent outside and here are Buddy Matthews and Julia Hart.

The former brings in a chair, which Kingston takes away and uses to threaten Julia (who hits some Melina level high notes in a scream). Kingston doesn’t swing but Ortiz yells at him anyway, with Kingston saying he thought it was Black. The distraction lets Black kick Kingston’s head off and shove Ortiz down, allowing him to pin Kingston at 9:46.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see the House Of Black winning here, though I’m still not sure why this feud is supposed to be interesting. Kingston is better on his own but he’s no Santana when it comes to being Ortiz’s partner. The match got going by the end and worked, though the stuff with the chair could have gone a bit more smoothly.

Black seems to say Ortiz did well, though it’s not clear if Ortiz heard him.

Jade Cargill doesn’t like the idea of Red Velvet and fires her from the Baddies. Hadn’t she already left?

Actor Paul Walter Hauser is here to talk about how much he loves wrestling and always bypasses Connecticut to come to Jacksonville. You never know what is going to happen here and here is Danhausen. Since Hauser (a recent Golden Globe winner, with the trophy in hand) wants to talk about awards, Danhausen brings up being the #1 merchandise seller last year.

After thanking the fans, Danhausen asks if he can have the Golden Globe. Cue Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Sonjay Dutt/Satnam Singh to interrupt, but Hauser says this isn’t Memphis. Hauser says Jarrett looks like a woman who owns a Crunch Fitness and he never plays that guitar.

The other guys look like they are dressed for a home school prom, which is enough for the villains to beat Hauser down, leaving Singh to stand in front of Danhausen in the corner. The guitar shot drops Hauser but Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends run in for the save. Why the villains, who are even in numbers and have a SEVEN FOOT FOUR GIANT, runs isn’t clear. They do steal the Golden Globe though.

We recap Tay Melo/Anna Jay vs. Willow Nightingale/Ruby Soho. They’ve hurt each other so now it’s a street fight.

Mark Henry doesn’t even bother interviewing the women because it’s time to get violent.

Tay Melo/Anna Jay vs. Willow Nightingale/Ruby Soho

Street fight so Nightingale jumps Melo and Jay from behind with a hockey stick. They set up a table next to the stage but the fight heads down to ringside instead. Nightingale and Melo fight on top and fall to the floor as commentary talks about everything else. Soho got busted open somewhere in there as Jay jumps off the apron to stomp a trashcan around Nightingale.

We take a break and come back with an assisted Gory Bomb sending Nightingale into trashcan for two. The barbed wire is busted out to choke Nightingale but Soho makes the save with a chain. Jay trashcan lids Soho (whose face is COVERED in blood) hard and piles up some chairs but Nightingale turns it into a Tower of Doom. Melo gets a chair shot to Nightingale to save Jay in the corner. Nightingale sends Melo outside though and it’s a Cannonball into a trashcan into Jay for two. Everyone goes to the floor and it’s No Future to Melo.

Another table is set up at ringside as Nightingale and Jay fight up the ramp. Nightingale grabs a Batista Bomb off the stage and through the table….which Jay COMPLETELY MISSES, sending her straight onto the floor as Nightingale crashes through the able instead. Back at ringside and Melo piledrives Soho through the table for two, giving us a well earned shocked face. It’s thumbtacks time because of course it is but Soho throws some of them into Melo’s face. Destination Unknown finishes Melo at 12:34.

Rating: B. This is the definition of a “your mileage may vary” match, as the four of them beat the fire out of each other. That Soho cut was absolutely sick though and one of the worst looking ones I’ve seen in a lot time. What mattered was it felt like they were wanting to hurt each other and end this, but EGADS learn how to place a table. That Jay landing shouldn’t have happened and could have been made a lot better than it was otherwise.

Soho and Nightingale show respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Well it was certainly an energetic and eclectic show, even if there was very little that felt like it mattered long term. If AEW isn’t going to turn this into a show that matters, having an energized supplement is about as good as it is going to be. I had a good time with it though and the main event was definitely different enough to stand out. Good show, though AEW might want to try to find a way to have something a little more important on here occasionally.

Results
Darby Allin b. Juice Robinson – Coffin Drop
House Of Black b. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz – Black Mass to Kingston
Ruby Soho/Willow Nightingale b. Anna Jay/Tay Melo – Destination Unknown into thumbtacks to Melo

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Rampage
Date: December 30, 2022
Location: 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Paul Wight

We’ll close out the AEW year with this and as is often the case around here, Orange Cassidy is defending the All-Atlantic Title. This time though, it’s against his friend Trent Beretta. That could go in a few directions and on top of that, we’ll be hearing from Jon Moxley about something. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

In Memory Of Don West.

Opening sequence.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Trent Beretta

Cassidy is defending, Chuck Taylor/Danhausen are on commentary and Kip Sabian is on commentary. They shake hands for a good bit to start until Trent misses an armdrag. Back up and they run the ropes until Cassidy is hiptossed outside. Cassidy gets back in and sends him outside as well. Then they switch places again, with Cassidy being sent outside for the second time.

Trent’s dive hits Chuck by mistake but it’s turned into a well timed Big Hug. Cassidy dives onto Trent to take over, setting up a high crossbody back inside. Trent knocks him to the floor again (you might be noticing a pattern emerging here) but this time Cassidy gets whipped into the barricade. A hard charge hits barricade only though and Cassidy dropkicks him into it again as we take a break.

Back with Cassidy hitting the lazy chops, capped off by a regular one. They forearm it out until a Michinoku Driver gives Cassidy two. He can’t bring himself to try the Orange Punch though and instead tries the Beach Break. That’s reversed into a failed piledriver attempt so Trent settles for a running elbow in the corner. A tornado DDT plants Trent again and the top rope DDT gives Cassidy two more.

Trent’s Crunchie attempt is countered but he can hit the tombstone for his own near fall. A piledriver out of the corner gives Trent two and here is Penelope Ford to interrupt. Ford gets up on the apron to distract Trent, allowing Cassidy to hit a quick Beach Break for two. The Orange Punch retains the title at 11:23.

Rating: C+. The action was good enough and they told a nice story of the two friends not wanting to fight each other but having to in the end. The Ford addition seemed to be there to move us towards Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian again, because that is a thing we need to do one more time. Good match here, as Cassidy gets in his traditional Rampage win.

Post match Trent walks away and Cassidy passes Sabian, who is on the way to the ring for his match.

After Dynamite, Tony Schiavone asked Darby Allin about his upcoming TNT Title shot. Allin is glad to get his title shot in his hometown of Seattle. Everyone laughed at him when he was 115lbs at the end of high school and he proved all of them wrong. Then he became TNT Champion but he lost it all. Now he isn’t sure if anyone, including Sting, believes in him. Sting asks what if he says no before saying he knows Joe is going to kill him. We get the big firing up speech and Sting wants Allin to forget what everyone else is saying. Go get your title back! Nice stuff here as they went with what made sense.

Kip Sabian vs. Atifa

I have no idea if that is Sabian’s opponent’s name but it’s the closest I can get. Sabian mocks Orange Cassidy, hits a Cannonball in the corner, and finishes with his own version of the Orange Punch at 1:18.

La Faccion Ingobernable is in the back with Preston Vance mocking the idea of the Dark Order. Vance isn’t happy that he doesn’t know next week’s opponent, but he doesn’t mind mocking Negative One on national TV.

Here is Jon Moxley in the ring for a chat (no entrance this time). He isn’t happy with Hangman Page and knew that there was going to be a showdown coming. There can only be one true ace and last man standing after what happened between them in Cincinnati. Page woke up in the hospital that night but he slept like a baby. The Blackpool Combat Club works harder than anyone else and deserve their praise. Wrestling is a tough business and if Page can make it to January 11, he’ll be ready to show Page how rough things can be. Keep your hands up b****.

Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal are ready to win the Tag Team Titles on Dynamite. Lethal is rather over the top while Jarrett is serious and to the point about wanting to hurt Max Caster.

TBS Title: Kiera Hogan vs. Jade Cargill

Cargill, with the rest of the Baddies, is defending. Hogan small packages her for a fast two and ducks the pump kick. A chokeslam plants Hogan and we take a break. Back with Hogan slipping away but getting caught with the pump kick for two. They head outside where Leila Grey holds Hogan for a slap….which Red Velvet blocks. Back in and Hogan slips out of another chokeslam, setting up a running hip attack on the ropes to rock Cargill. A high crossbody gives Hogan two more bud it’s Jaded to retain the title at 7:33.

Rating: C. And that is the latest Jade Cargill match with no drama about her losing as she absorbs everything and then wins with Jaded in the end. Hogan was going hard here but there was no chance she was going to lose for the first time to Hogan on Rampage. As has been the case for a long, long time now, Cargill desperately needs something new and this wasn’t it.

Post match Red Velvet leaves on her own.

Jamie Hayter is ready for whomever Saraya has for a partner on January 11.

Mark Sterling is tired of Bryan Danielson messing with MJF so next week, Danielson gets to face Tony Nese.

Wheeler Yuta (and company) is ready for Swerve Strickland (and company).

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Swerve Strickland vs. Wheeler Yuta

Non-title and the rest of the Affiliates are here. They go with the grappling to start before trying to run the ropes. Swerve can’t get a leglock so Yuta slams him down to set up a backsplash for less than one. A bow and arrow keeps Swerve in trouble but he slips out, only to get dropkicked down. The Affiliates offer a distraction so Swerve can get in a shot from behind as we take a break.

Back with Yuta knocking him away and going up top for a forearm. A bridging German suplex gives Yuta two but Swerve’s brainbuster gets the same. Yuta is right back with something like an Angle Slam for another near fall but his knee gives out. Swerve unloads in the corner and hits a running dropkick to said knee. The Swerve Stomp is broken up though and Yuta hits a heck of a top rope superplex. Swerve hits the jumping kick to the head but again can’t hit the JML Driver. The referee gets bumped so it’s a low blow and NOW the JML Driver can finish Yuta at 12:40.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t sure on the winner here and it made for an entertaining match. The good thing is that Strickland is off to a nice start on his own, even if the Affiliates are kind of lame as henchmen. Strickland winning on his own here (even with cheating) is a good sign and beating Yuta means something. Yuta will be fine as he’ll get a win whenever Ring Of Honor is back so this was a solid enough main event.

Overall Rating: B-. This show felt a bit more important as some of the developments felt like they were leading towards something else. The action was good enough and you can only get so bored with an hour long show, which is one of the best things about Rampage. Not a must see show, but it does seem like they are addressing some issues.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Trent Beretta – Orange Punch
Kip Sabian b. Atifa – Orange Punch
Jade Cargill b. Kiera Hogan – Jaded
Swerve Strickland b. Wheeler Yuta – JML Driver

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Rampage
Date: December 2, 2022
Location: Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We are eight days away from Final Battle and the card is in need of some work. There are a few matches set but nowhere near enough to carry a full pay per view. Maybe we can get something new added tonight, but you never can tell with this show. At least the wrestling tends to be fun so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin vs. Cole Karter

Before the match, Allin beats up Nick Comoroto with the baseball bat to cut him off. With that not being enough, Allin dives onto Karter on the floor but an apron powerbomb cuts him off. Back in and a buckle bomb rocks Allin again as we take a break. We come back with Karter missing a Stinger’s Splash but hitting a jumping knee to the face. Allin goes after the knee though and grabs a Code Red for two, leaving them both down. Karter drops him again and goes up, only to miss a 450. A hammerlock Scorpion Death Drop sets up the Coffin Drop to finish Karter at 7:41.

Rating: C+. Well they certainly did get rid of the loose end from a bad segment from a few weeks ago. Karter is the definition of “I’m not sure why he’s here”, as he has a good physique and nothing else that makes him stand out in any way. He’s certainly ok, but bringing him in felt like just an excuse to sign someone else. Pretty decent match though, as Allin does his signature style and as usual, it works.

Keith Lee is in the back when his former partner Shane Taylor comes in to interrupt. Taylor accuses Lee of always walking away, so let’s do it at Final Battle: Taylor/JD Griffey vs. Lee and whomever he can find. Taylor leaves and a grinning Swerve Strickland comes in. Lee hopes he can trust him. Why Taylor didn’t want to do this one on one isn’t clear, but having Taylor around is a good thing.

We recap 10 turning his back on the Dark Order and joining Rush last week. The Dark Order is crushed and La Faccion Ingobernable is rather pleased.

Here is the Acclaimed, with Billy Gunn, for a chat. After a rap of various topical statements, Bowens talks about how everyone wants a title shot, but there is one team that has been waiting for a very long time to get a chance. The fans think that might be FTR and since the Acclaimed are fighting champions…..and here is the Gunn Club to interrupt. The Gunns don’t think much of the champs but Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh interrupt. The villains argue but Billy cuts them off, saying they want the best. Cue FTR for the handshake with the Acclaimed and a match seems set.

Video on Hikaru Shida vs. the Bunny, who will face off next week for Shida’s Regina Di Wave Title next week.

Private Party vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett

Singh, Dutt and Matt Hardy are here too. As commentary reminds us that Jeff Jarrett last wrestled on TNT 21 years ago, Kassidy flips out of Lethal’s headlock and armdrags him down. That earns Kassidy a trip into the corner so Jarrett can come in to stomp away. Jarrett gets taken into the corner as well and it’s time to start in on the arm. As the seconds get in a staredown on the floor, Kassidy is sent into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Quen getting the hot tag to clean house, including a suicide dive to Jarrett on the floor. There’s the Silly String to Lethal but he avoids the 450. Quen is fine enough to grab a rollup but Jarrett makes the save, setting up a Stroke/Lethal Injection combination for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C. So we have Lethal and Jarrett having a perfectly competent tag match that wasn’t much in the way of interesting and probably drew more TNA chants than AEW would like. I’m still not sure why Jarrett is wrestling on this or any AEW show, but it had been a full 21 years since he had wrestled on this channel and thankfully that has been rectified.

Saraya sits down with Renee Paquette and still can’t believe that she got back in the ring at Full Gear. She was amazed that her brother could be there for the match and will be back in the ring soon. Not much to say here.

Athena vs. Dani Mo

Athena decks her to start and hits Two Amigos into a swinging neckbreaker for two. Mo’s superkick has no effect so Athena forearms her in the face, setting up the over the shoulder backbreaker spun into a Codebreaker for the pin at 1:27. Total squash to get Athena ready for her ROH Women’s Title match at Final Battle.

Post match Athena sends her out to the floor and beats her up some more. This is FAR better from Athena than whatever she was doing before.

Juice Robinson wants Samoa Joe for the ROH TV Title at Final Battle. There’s your “you know this guy and now he’s getting a random title match” random title match.

The Factory is ready for the lumberjack match with Orange Cassidy. The Best Friends, dressed as lumberjacks, seem to be more ready.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, including FTR vs. the Acclaimed for the Tag Team Titles on Dynamite.

Darby Allin wants the TNT Title and gets a shot on Dynamite, with promises of no Sting.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. QT Marshall

Cassidy is defending in a lumberjack match…but the Best Friends and Danhausen can’t bring their axes to the ring. Eh they’re lumberjacks and they’re ok without them. Cassidy starts fast with the dropkick and Marshall is on the floor ten seconds in. The Best Friends throw him back inside, where he throws Cassidy outside too. That earns the Factory some lazy kicks but Marshall pulls Cassidy’s high crossbody out of the air back inside. Some backbreakers drop Cassidy and he gets thrown outside again.

Hold on though as Ethan Page stares at Matt Hardy and then ejects him. Does he have lumberjack rights over Hardy too? We take a break and come back with the lumberjacks coming in and getting cleared out. The distraction lets Marshall hit a handspring enziguri, only to get caught with the Stundog Millionaire.

A pop up right hand rocks Cassidy but he’s fine enough to hurricanrana his way out of a powerbomb. Marshall loads up a powerbomb on the apron but gets cursed by Danhausen. Another lumberjack brawl breaks out on the floor, leaving Cassidy to hit a heck of a springboard dive. Cue Penelope Ford (JR approves) for a distraction so Kip Sabian can push Cassidy into a cutter for two. Not that it matters as the Beach Break retains the title at 9:32.

Rating: C+. Fun match, but nothing that Cassidy hasn’t done before. The stuff with the lumberjacks was the usual for a match like this but I’m not exactly going to get excited over the prospects of Kip Sabian getting a title match. Fine for a Rampage main event, even if it was hardly a classic.

Post match Cassidy goes after Sabian, because it’s his turn to be reheated again. Everyone brawls until the lights go out and the House of Black appears. Carnage ensues and the House stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Rampage is an interesting subject, as the wrestling is usually completely watchable, but you need to accept that most of it means absolutely nothing. This show’s goal tends to be to set up things for either Dynamite or the next pay per view, which doesn’t exactly seem to be the best use of one third of your weekly television time. We got some stuff set up for next week’s Dynamite/Rampage/Final Battle and if that is what Rampage is for, good for it. I’m not sure if that’s the best use of the show, but I guess you can call it a direction. Maybe?

Results
Darby Allin b. Cole Karter – Coffin Drop
Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal b. Private Party – Lethal Injection/Stroke combination to Quen
Athena b. Dani Mo – Backbreaker spun into a Codebreaker
Darby Allin b. QT Marshall – Beach Break

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Rampage
Date: November 25, 2022
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

It’s time for the other Chicago show of the week and we have a title match this time around. The Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles are on the line as FTR defends against Top Flight, which has me wondering what is next for them at Final Battle. Speaking of Final Battle, it might be smart to announce something for the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Top Flight

FTR is defending. Harwood takes Darius down to start before quickly handing it off to Wheeler for some chops. Darius armdrags him into an armbar and it’s off to Dante, who gets forearmed in the head over and over. It’s back to Darius off a blind tag for a heck of a DDT and a near fall. Top Flight gets in some double teaming to take FTR down and they all brawl to the floor as we take a break.

Back with FTR missing right hands and getting dropkicked down. Stereo clotheslines send the champs outside but they’re right back in to take over. Wheeler gets two off a top rope splash but Top Flight sends him outside. Darius hits a tornado DDT into Dante’s top rope splash for two more. Wheeler is back in to uppercut Darius, who Spanish Flies him down. That just earns him a brainbuster from Harwood, who gets small packaged for two. A blind tag brings in Wheeler and Dante misses the Nose Dive. The Big Rig finishes Dante at 11:15.

Rating: B-. They were flying through this and Top Flight continues to be worth looking at most of the time. On the other hand you have FTR, who are worth looking at no matter what they are doing period. It’s nice to see them in the ring, even if it is in one of these thrown together tag matches with no build. Good opener and very fast paced.

Post match the Gunn Club comes in for the staredown.

We see Powerhouse Hobbs in what appears to be his hometown and the places he grew up. Hobbs Hobbs talks about how there is a side of him you don’t know. He’s coming to take something from you.

Here is the Jericho Appreciation Society for a chat. After a bit intro, Chris Jericho talks about how much work and effort he has put into winning the Ring Of Honor World Title. Not even Claudio Castagnoli coming out on stage for a cheap shot can shut him down. So who is going to uncrown the king of the Ring Of Honor?

Cue Castagnoli to say he needs to stop Jericho. That doesn’t work for Jericho, who mocks Castagnoli over the Blackpool Combat Club falling apart. He needs the title shot, so Matt Menard throws out the offer: Claudio gets a title shot, but if he loses, he has to join the JAS. Jericho likes the offer so much that it makes his nipples hard and he repeats the idea. Castagnoli is in. It’s hard to imagine Jericho keeping the title, but Castagnoli losing one more time is never out of the question.

Toni Storm isn’t happy with losing the Women’s Title but she never saw is as the interim anything. She broke her face winning the title and she’ll do it again to get it back. Tony: “I’m glad the interim was stripped from her title reign.” JR: “Bury that title forever.”

Darby Allin vs. Anthony Henry

Sting is here with Allin and JD Drake is here with Henry. Allin gets knocked to the apron to start but comes right back in, setting up the heck of a suicide dive to drop Drake. Back in and Henry drops Allin throat first onto the apron, setting up an STO onto the same apron. We take a break and come back with Henry grabbing a neckbreaker out of the corner for two. Allin is sent outside for a hard lariat from Drake so Sting hits a clothesline of his own. Sting whips him into the barricade but Henry hits a superplex. Allin reverses a suplex into the Scorpion Death Drop though, setting up the Coffin Drop for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure why we need a break in the middle of an eight minute match but that is an AEW staple. Other than that, Allin coming from behind and beating someone else is a nice thing to see almost every time. Henry isn’t exactly a star but Allin beat him without being in any serious jeopardy.

Athena rants about all of the bad things that have happened to her as of late but she isn’t going to apologize to Aubrey Edwards. After scaring the interviewer off, Athena talks about how she was wondering when Mercedes Martinez was showing up. She has beaten trash bag wrestler after trash bag wrestler and now she wants the Ring Of Honor Women’s Title.

Hikaru Shida vs. Queen Aminata

Before the match, Penelope Ford and the Bunny come out to watch, which is enough of a distraction for Aminata to get in a cheap shot. Shida is right back with the Falcon Arrow and the Katana for the pin at 1:18. Well that was quick.

The Dark Order is ready to fight with or without the missing 10. Rush/Butcher/Blade are ready to fight, no matter where 14, 27 or 10 are.

FTR talks about how great their 2022 has been and Harwood challenges….Bryan Danielson for Dynamite. I didn’t have that one coming.

Dark Order vs. Rush/Butcher and the Blade

There is no 10 and Bunny is here with the villains. It’s a brawl to start as the Order is down 3-2 early on. Silver Angle Slams Blade but his dive to Butcher is pulled out of the air. Rush gets in a shot of his own and we take an early break. Back with Silver hitting a standing Sliced Bread but Rush breaks up the hot tag. Cue Negative 1 and 10, the latter of whom charges to the ring to stare down Rush….and then deck Silver. Evil Uno charges to the ring but is held back as Rush hits the Bull’s Horns for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C. The match was just a backdrop for the angle, which is for some reason about the Dark Order and Rush. 10 has teased jumping for months now and has finally done it, which doesn’t exactly make me care about him all that much more. Maybe they have some twist in the story to make it better, but I’m not exactly getting my hopes up.

Post match 10 blasts Silver with a discus lariat as Negative 1 is distraught. Evil Uno gets beaten up and has his mask ripped open as he is already bleeding from the forehead. Alex Reynolds is put through a table. 10 goes up to Negative 1, takes off his mask, and throws it at Negative 1’s feet. Rush, 10 and company pose, with Negative 1 crushed, to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. FTR being the best thing on the show isn’t a surprise, but other than that we had the pretty obvious Final Battle main event set up and….what else that mattered? That’s Rampage in a nutshell: something kind of big/good starts the show off and then most of the rest of the show feels a few steps down. Not a very good show here, but the opener was the usually solid FTR showing.

Results
FTR b. Top Flight – Big Rig to Dante
Darby Allin b. Anthony Henry – Coffin Drop
Hikaru Shida b. Queen Aminata – Katana
Rush/Butcher and the Blade b. Dark Order – Bull’s Horns to Silver

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Full Gear 2022
Date: November 19, 2022
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for another AEW pay per view and that should be a good thing a the company certainly has the reputation for putting on great ones. The main events here are MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title and Chris Jericho defending the Ring Of Honor World Title in a four way match. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Best Friends/Rocky Romero/??? vs. Factory

The Best Friends are missing a partner to start, though they had advertised a very evil mysterious partner. Chuck shoulders Solo down to start and it’s off to Trent. A knee from the apron cuts Trent off but he’s fine enough to drop Johnson. Everything breaks down and Romero hits the Forever Clotheslines on Johnson in the corner. Marshall gets punched by a variety of people and Cassidy rather slowly joins in.

Cassidy takes so long setting up the big punch that Marshall falls down. The big four way hug is broken up by the rest of the Factory, who do their own hug. Trent gets whipped over the corner and out to the floor but he’s fine enough to get his knees up on Carter’s frog splash. A suplex to Marshall allows the double tag to Cassidy and Comoroto, with the lazy kicks having their intended effect. The annoyed Comoroto gets sent outside and Cassidy sends Marshall face first into the buckle over and over. The tornado DDT is broken up though and a right hand drops Cassidy.

Trent is back in with the tornado DDT and it’s the half and half into the Soul Food. Cassidy penalty kicks Johnson and hits the tornado DDT but Carter is back with a running flip dive….onto his own partners. Back in and Marshall catches the Orange Punch in a Diamond Cutter before loading up a piledriver on the steps. Cue Danhausen with a jar of teeth and a spike to clean house, allowing Cassidy to Orange Punch Comoroto. The teeth are poured into Comoroto’s mouth and a shot to the face gives Danhausen the pin at 11:46.

Rating: C. The wrestling itself wasn’t the point here and the match was nothing overly great. What mattered here was getting a popular act in front of the fans and having them go nuts. This was a great choice to open the night and Danhausen coming in for the pin was fine. It was about having fun and they did that rather well in a smart opener.

Post match Danhausen hits Marshall with the spike, setting up the big hug.

Zero Hour: Full Gear Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks

The winner gets Ethan Page, on commentary, in the finals on Dynamite and Prince Nana is here with Cage. Starks is banged up coming in and the fight is on before the bell. Cage gets the better of the brawl and they fight to the floor with Cage hammering away. Back in and Starks can’t get anything going against the power. Starks is sent face first into the middle buckle (ow) and Cage does it again for good measure. Page is rather pleased with the carnage but wants more beating on both of them.

Starks fights back with a running elbow in the corner and a running clothesline drops Cage again. Cage pulls him out of the air though and a swinging Rock Bottom backbreaker gets two (much to Page’s delight). A springboard tornado DDT gets two more on Cage but the Roshambo doesn’t work. Weapon X is countered as well and Starks hits the spear for another near fall. Cage takes his head off with a discus lariat for two but the top rope elbow misses. Starks hits a Canadian Destroyer into Roshambo for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. David vs. Goliath formula here and it went just fine. Starks, especially a banged up Starks, coming from behind to win over someone like Cage will always work and you have a tournament final that could go either way. It’s a shame that they couldn’t have the final here, but it was good enough action with a better story.

Zero Hour: Jun Akiyama vs. Eddie Kingston

This is Kingston’s dream match and fallout from a Rampage tag match. Akiyama’s jumping knee is blocked and Kingston knocks him into the ropes. A headlock doesn’t get Akiyama anywhere so we’ll go with the tried and true exchange of shouting strikes. Kingston sends him into the corner but charges into a boot. A right hand knocks Akiyama outside but he’s fine enough to grab a DDT on the apron.

Back in and a curb stomp knocks Kingston silly so Akiyama goes up. Kingston is back up to knock him to the floor and the machine gun chops…do very little to Akiyama. They trade suplexes until a knee strike puts both of them down. Kingston is up first with a DDT and the spinning backfist gets two. Another backfist is blocked and a hard knee gives Akiyama two of his own. Back up and another backfist finishes Akiyama at 10:26.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure why this needed to be added to tonight’s card but at least it was rather good. Kingston beating up legends is a way to go for him, but it would be nice if he was doing something a bit more important than living out his wrestling fantasies. Akiyama is a legend and did his thing as usual so it was nice enough for a treat for the fans.

Post match Kingston grabs the mic, thanks various Japanese legends, and tells us to order the pay per view so we can see Jon Moxley beat up MJF.

Luchasaurus vs. Jungle Boy

In a cage with Christian Cage at ringside. Jungle Boy strikes away at the legs to start but his springboard gets caught. The shove into the cage doesn’t work as Jungle Boy grabs onto the wall and a missile dropkick staggers Luchasaurus again. A face first ram into the cage cuts Jungle Boy off though and we’ve got some blood. Commentary talks about how long they have known each other and Luchasaurus him into the cage over and over.

A running powerbomb into the cage leaves Jungle Boy stuck between the wall and the ring. JR wants the match stopped (we’re not even six minutes in), though not so much as Jungle Boy gets an armbar over the top. Luchasaurus plants him again and yells at the referee for only counting two. The distraction lets Christian pull the key away from the outside referee. The door is opened and Christian is ejected, only to have Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy fight to the floor.

A catapult sends Jungle Boy into the cage and it’s table time, because a bloody cage match isn’t complete without a table. The chairs are thrown inside too and it’s a big boot to drop Jungle Boy again. A dropkick puts Luchasaurus down though and Jungle Boy sends him into the cage. That just earns Jungle Boy another ram into the cage and a chokeslam through an open chair gets a rather near fall.

Back up and Jungle Boy manages Sliced Bread before busting out an Undertaker sit up. Luchasaurus headbutts him down but Jungle Boy keeps bouncing up. A piledriver drops Luchasaurus for two so Jungle Boy sets up the table. Luchasaurus grabs a chokeslam attempt before switching into a Tombstone and a reverse powerbomb (cool) for two. Jungle Boy slips out of another chokeslam and grabs a choke, which knocks Luchasaurus out enough to put him on the table. One heck of an elbow from the top of the cage puts Luchasaurus through the table and the Snare Trap finishes him off at 18:51.

Rating: B+. This was a violent, old school fight and that is how it should have gone. Jungle Boy gets his big win in the personal fight and that’s all it needed to be. These guys beat each other up and the big elbow at the end looked great. If the only complaint is them going outside for a nothing spot and the still unnecessary table, they did something quite well.

We recap the Elite vs. Death Triangle. The Elite is back after being suspended and now it’s time for Death Triangle to defend the titles that the Elite next lost.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Elite vs. Death Triangle

The Elite is challenging and get a special entrance with the lyrics to Carry On My Wayward Son playing on the Titantron….and the song as their entrance music. Eh they’re no Sam and Dean. Don Callis is on commentary as Omega and Pac start things off. Omega kicks the knee out but Pac is back up with a spit in the face. Nick comes in and dropkicks Fenix before avoiding a rolling cutter. It’s off to Penta who charges into a pair of kicks in the corner and the Elite clears the ring, setting up a running dive from Nick (with a fan giving him a drink).

Back in and Pac goes after Omega’s knee, allowing the champs to take turns kicking him in the head. Omega manages to get over to Matt for the tag and the rolling northern lights suplexes take Penta down. Fenix makes the save and it’s the double stomp What’s Up to crush Matt. It’s back to Nick to clean house for a bit before Omega comes in and cleans house on Pac.

Nick’s big dive takes out everyone but it’s a triple Tombstone to knock the Elite silly back inside. Fenix dives off of Penta’s shoulder (with Penta on the middle rope) to crush Omega and Pac (bleeding) hits Omega’s back. The Brutalizer goes on but gets broken up, leaving the Lucha Bros to dive onto the Bucks. Pac throws Fenix the hammer but Omega is back up with a V Trigger.

A Tiger Driver 98 gets two on Fenix and triple superkicks drop Penta. The BTE Trigger hits Fenix for two with Pac making the save. Nick dives onto Pac (with hammer) and Matt moonsaults onto a bunch of people. Omega V Triggers Fenix, who gets the hammer from Pac. The One Winged Angel is broken up with the hammer shot to retain the titles at 18:51.

Rating: B+. As much as I can’t stand the Elite and how they get their heroes’ return after the whole All Out melee, they know how to put on a crazy exciting and entertaining match. I’m glad the Elite didn’t win the titles here, even if it means Fenix goes over to the dark side. Sometimes you need to change things up a bit and if the Elite are going to be presented as the heroes (which is hardly a surprise), this had to be done.

TBS Title: Nyla Rose vs. Jade Cargill

Rose is challenging (despite having the title belt) and gets the Eddie Guerrero low rider entrance. Jade on the other hand is in Thunder Cats gear and sends her into the corner to start. Rose fights up and gets sent outside but manages to send Jade face first into the steps. Some slams drop Jade again and there’s a splash for one.

Back up and Jade gets a boot up in the corner before going up, only to dive onto a raised boot. A neckbreaker gives Rose two and she drapes Jade on the top for the knee to the head and two more. The Beast Bomb is blocked and Jade elbows the heck out of her for a breather. Jade manages a Beast Bomb of her own for two but Rose grabs her own Jaded for two more. The Swanton misses for Rose and Jade kicks her in the face. Jaded retains the title at 7:55.

Rating: C-. Cargill continues to do just about the same stuff that she has done for months now as the lack of development is hurting her a lot. At the same time, this wasn’t exactly a crisp match as the two of them weren’t quite clicking. I don’t know if Rose needed to win here, but Jade needs to lose already because the title/undefeated streak are holding her back from getting much better.

We recap the Ring of Honor World Title match. Chris Jericho is defending and wants to ruin the legacy of Ring of Honor. Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson want to stand up for the promotion, with Sammy Guevara here to even things out. Guevara has made some eyes at the title though and that could give Jericho some problems.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Bryan Danielson

Jericho is defending and it’s one fall to a finish with Ian Riccaboni on commentary. The brawl is on to start with Castagnoli sending Jericho into the barricade as the other two fight inside. Guevara is sent outside so Danielson and Castagnoli can beat up Jericho. Back in and Guevara gets beaten up as well, leaving Danielson vs. Castagnoli. The uppercuts rock Danielson but he pulls it into a cross armbreaker.

Jericho comes back in and gets taken into a double half crab, with Danielson getting to show off the biceps. Guevara gets back in for a double suplex on Danielson and Jericho grabs an AA for two, with Guevara looking conflicted over the break up. Danielson is back up and kicks away, including a big one for two on Guevara. A super hurricanrana is broken up as Guevara flips over and lands on his feet.

The Spanish Fly plants Danielson but Jericho Lionsaults onto both of them. Castagnoli comes back in this time and springboards into a Codebreaker for two with Guevara making the save. Jericho yells at Guevara and the fight is on with Guevara charging into a raised boot in the corner. Guevara grabs a Codebreaker but can’t put on the walls. Instead Jericho gets the real thing so Jericho makes the save.

Castagnoli is back in with the Sharpshooter to Jericho….who crawls over and covers Danielson in a smart idea. That’s broken up and Danielson puts the LeBell Lock on while the Sharpshooter is still on. Guevara makes a save of his own and gets a hug from Jericho….who gets caught with the GTH. The shooting star press gets two on Jericho and everyone is down. Guevara goes for the hammer and anvil elbows on Danielson, who will not have that gimmick infringement.

Castagnoli launches Guevara outside but walks into the running knee from Danielson for a close two. Danielson pulls Guevara into the LeBell Lock but Jericho is back in for the save. Castagnoli is back up to whip Jericho into the barricade over and over, followed by a Neutralizer to Danielson on the floor. Guevara shooting stars onto Castagnoli, who pop up uppercuts him for two back inside. There’s the Swing but Jericho tries a jumping Judas Effect….which crazes Castagnoli in the ribs. Thankfully Jericho hits a better one to retain at 21:42.

Rating: A-. This was all action and that made for one heck of a match. It gave you questions about who was going to win, which says a lot when Jericho losing the title at Final Battle seems to be the most logical option they have. They managed to tell some stories here while also piling on the action in quite the trick. Heck of a match and now we get to see who goes after Jericho in December.

We recap Saraya vs. Britt Baker. Saraya is in her first match in nearly five years after a spine injury and they’ve argued over whose house this is.

Saraya vs. Britt Baker

They fight over a lockup to start until Baker takes her down. That doesn’t last long as Saraya is back up with a boot to the face but Baker knocks her to the floor for the crash. Baker drags it over to the apron for some shouting from Saraya’s brother, followed by a neck crank back inside. A neckbreaker gives Baker two and a neckbreaker gives Baker two as they certainly have a theme here.

Baker sends her outside but gets dropped face first onto the apron. A crossbody off the apron drops Baker as commentary suggests Saraya is working on Baker’s formerly injured nose. Back in and the Night Cap (Paige Turner) gets two but Baker grabs an Air Raid Crash for two more.

A Stomp gives Baker another two and frustration/shock is setting in. Saraya gets a powerbomb out of the corner but Baker sends her face first into the middle buckle. A ripcord right hand sets up a fisherman’s neckbreaker on Saraya, followed by another stomp for two. Back up and a pair of what used to be known as the Rampaige finishes Baker at 13:24.

Rating: C. The main thing keeping this from being a good bit lower is the fact that Saraya has wrestled a handful of matches in six years. She was going to be rusty coming in and there was no way around it. That being said, having her pin Baker clean is pretty questionable when Baker was trying to defend what AEW had built when Saraya basically came in saying “yeah I’m better than all of you”. Well, she was here, and it was clean.

Quick recap of the TNT Title match. Powerhouse Hobbs wants the title, Samoa Joe turned on Wardlow, Wardlow will fight both of them at once.

TNT Title: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow

Wardlow is defending. They all go to the floor to start with Hobbs taking over, including sending Wardlow into the steps. Back in and a delayed vertical suplex drops Wardlow but Joe is back in for the chopping. Hobbs suplexes Joe and chokes Wardlow in the corner while shouting DO SOMETHING. Wardlow fights up and busts out a Whisper In The Wind but Joe is back up with the backsplash.

Joe guillotines Hobbs until Wardlow spears him down, causing Joe to DDT Hobbs. They head back to the floor with Hobbs driving Joe hard into the barricade, followed by the spinebuster for two back inside. Wardlow slips out of Town Business and manages a quick powerbomb. Another one connects but Joe comes in to belt shot Wardlow and chokes out Hobbs for the title at 9:56.

Rating: B-. This was a nice power match and all three of them worked hard, but more than anything else it makes me hope that Joe unifies the titles at some point. There is no need to have both of them around, but that’s a point for later. For now, this was the hoss fight that took the show in a different direction and that’s a good thing. Solid stuff, but it’s a shame that Hobbs had to take another fall.

Chris Jericho, with Jake Hager, says that was competitiveness with Sammy Guevara. Orange Cassidy comes in to say Tomohiro Ishii wants Jericho for the ROH Title at Dynamite. Jericho thinks of Ishii as a young boy, so come get your shot. Jericho leaves, so Cassidy offers Hager an All-Atlantic Title shot. Oh and nice hat. Hager: “YOU’RE D*** RIGHT IT IS! I LIKE THIS HAT!”

We recap Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal vs. Sting/Darby Allin. Lethal and Allin have been feuding and Lethal is bringing Jarrett in to help deal with Sting, because the world was waiting for Jarrett being back.

Tony Schiavone replaces JR on commentary.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett

No DQ. Jarrett brings out an army of fake Stings for….I guess old times’ sake? Allin comes charging out and fires off skateboard shots to the fake Stings. The real Sting pops up behind Jarrett to start things off and we get a TNA chant (always a good sign). Lethal gets dropped hard onto the apron and everyone fights into the crowd, with the fans chanting OVER HERE.

Allin sets up a ladder and tries a dive off the stage onto Jarrett, but Satnam Singh pulls him out of the air for a drop onto the ramp. Sting is back up with a dive of his own onto Lethal as Jarrett takes Allin back to ringside. We settle down to Lethal and Allin colliding in the ring with the legends on the apron. Allin brings in Sting, who is chokeslammed by Singh to give Jarrett two.

Allin and Lethal slug it out again until Lethal hits a Lethal Combination for two of his own. A double team is broken up but the Coffin Drop is knocked out of the air with a guitar shot. Then Allin pops up and does the Sting beating on his chest until the real Sting comes back in for a Coffin Drop/Scorpion Death Drop combination to Singh. The Lethal Injection is countered into another Death Drop and the Coffin Drop finishes Lethal at 10:55.

Rating: C+. It was an entertaining and wild brawl, but it’s similar to what we’ve seen from Sting and Allin for a long time. Allin seems like he is the same person he was for at least the last year and I don’t know when he is actually going to change. That needs to happen at some point and it wasn’t taking place here. Also, when do Sting and Allin get their Tag Team Title shot? Haven’t they earned one by now?

Quick recap of Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm for the Interim Women’s Title. Hayter is on a roll and wants the title, but there’s a personal issue to it as they used to be close friends. Now it’s over the title and a former friendship.

Interim Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter

Hayter is challenging and seems to be the crowd favorite. A headlock has Storm in trouble early but she fights out and takes it to the floor. Storm sends her into the barricade but gets sent into it as well. Various hair pulling ensues as they are sent into various things, with Hayter getting the better of it.

Back in and Hayter slams her face first into the mat before grabbing the chinlock to keep things slow. Hayter stops to yell at the referee, but does offer him a handshake while stepping on Storm’s head. Storm fights up and hits the running hip attack in the corner for two but can’t follow up. They slug it out again but here is Rebel for the belt shot and one heck of a near fall.

Hayter misses the ripcord lariat and gets caught with one from Storm for two. Back up and Hayter sends her outside, where a disguised Britt Baker hits a Stomp on the belt for a very near fall back inside. Hayter hits Storm Zero for two, followed by Storm hitting Storm Zero for two.

The Cloverleaf is loaded up but a Baker distraction breaks it up. The Haytebreaker gets two so Hayter hits a clothesline in the corner. Baker gets up again but is knocked right back down, ripping the turnbuckle pad off in the process. Hayter sends Storm into the buckle and nails the ripcord lariat for the pin and the title at 15:16.

Rating: B-. They went more than a little too far with all of the shenanigans but it was long past time for Hayter to win the title. Storm was trying as hard as she could but there were too many things going against her for the title reign to be a success. You can almost guarantee Baker vs. Hayter coming sooner or later, and that Interim name being dropped (the one that never should have been there in the first place) might be what sends Baker over the edge. For now though, they did it at the right time and it went well enough.

The heels celebrate together.

Swerve In Our Glory is ready to win the titles back. They might not think the same way, but they work well together and both want the belts.

Tag Team Titles: Swerve In Our Glory vs. Acclaimed

Acclaimed is defending and Caster’s rap is about various topical references including Kanye West, Twitter and Donald Trump speeches. Oh and Keith Lee is large. They start fast with Swerve sending Caster into the barricade, leaving Bowens (with a bad shoulder) to strike away at Lee. That doesn’t work so well as Lee knocks him to the floor but stops to yell at Swerve.

Caster gets back up on the apron as Bowens tries some left handed shots. Swerve comes in to work on Bowens’ arm before it’s right back to Lee. A reverse hurricanrana gets Bowens out of trouble though and it’s Caster coming in to pick up the pace. Caster grabs a middle rope hurricanrana to Lee and a top rope Fameasser drops him again. Everything breaks down and Caster goes up for a high crossbody off the apron to send Lee onto the top of the announcers’ table (which was bridged to the apron).

Back in and Swerve hits the rolling Downward Spiral on Bowens and a kick to the head gets two. Swerve kicks him in the head twice more, talks some trash, and hits a fourth kick for a rather near fall. Bowens catches him on top and it’s the Arrival into the Mic Drop for two, with Lee making the save. Swerve brainbusters Caster and Lee runs Bowens over for two as commentary references a fan being ejected.

Lee picks Caster up and swings him into Bowens for a bonus. They head outside with Caster being sent over the table, allowing Swerve to pull out some pliers. Billy Gunn comes out to go after Swerve but gets cut off before making contact. Swerve tells Lee to use the pliers but that’s a no….so Swerve slaps him in the face. That’s enough for Lee to walk out and Bowens rolls Swerve up for a very close two. Caster springboards back in with a missile dropkick and they load Swerve up for what looks like a Magic Killer, only to flip him forward into a double slam for the retaining pin at 19:41.

Rating: B. This got better as it went and the split was telegraphed for the last few months. The Acclaimed had to retain here as there was no need to have them lose the titles back to Lee and Swerve. It probably could have had a few minutes cut off, but they did the right thing and Acclaimed gets a pay per view title defense so it could have been a lot worse.

We recap MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the World Title. MJF wants to do this the right way so he challenged in advance, but Moxley isn’t worried.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is challenging and, after the Big Match Intros, gets hit in the face to start. As William Regal heads to the back for some reason, MJF fights back but stops for a strut. Moxley is sent outside so MJF teases a dive, only to run the ropes and then pose instead. Back in and Moxley sends him into the corner, followed by a double middle finger to the pro-MJF crowd.

A Falcon Arrow into an armbar has MJF in trouble but he stacks Moxley up for two and the break. They fight outside with MJF slugging away, only to get whipped into the steps. Back in and MJF fires off more right hands, followed by the big left for the knockdown. MJF heads outside to set up a table but comes back in to get pummeled by the champ. They fight to the apron and MJF hits a Tombstone, banging up his knee in the process.

Another piledriver is teased but Moxley reverses into one of his own, sending MJF through the table in a massive crash. Back in and Moxley gets smart by grabbing a Figure Four on MJF’s bad knee. MJF fights out by turning it over so Moxley goes right back to the leg to keep him in trouble. The fans get on Moxley as they head up top, with MJF getting crushed by the hammer and anvil elbows. A super Paradigm Shift gets two with MJF putting his finger on the rope.

Moxley comes up favoring his elbow but tells MJF to take his best f****** shot. The slugout goes to Moxley but MJF pulls the referee into a charge. MJF busts out the Dynamite Diamond, only to have Regal come back and tell him to put it down. For some reason MJF actually does, allowing Moxley to grab a choke. That’s broken up and another referee gets knocked down. Moxley grabs the bulldog choke to make MJF tap (no referee)….and Regal slides MJF the brass knuckles. The knockout shot gives MJF the pin and the title at 23:06.

Rating: B+. They had to go here and the match worked well as a result. Regal turning was fairly telegraphed and that is not a bad thing whatsoever. MJF had to win here and he could be a heck of an evil champion, as he should have been for a long time now. Moxley felt like a transitional champion when he got the belt back and keeping it warm for MJF is a good way to go. Heck of a main event with a great moment to close things out.

MJF limps up the ramp to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. With that many good to great matches in a night, this was another excellent AEW pay per view. You had multiple big moments and nothing that was too awful (though Cargill vs. Rose didn’t work so well), but the show did go on longer than it needed to. Overall though, this is what AEW does well and they did it again. There are some problems with the promotion but pay per view isn’t one of them, which was on display here. Another great major event.

Results
Best Friends/Rocky Romero/Danhausen b. The Factory – Punch to Comoroto
Ricky Starks b. Brian Cage – Roshambo
Eddie Kingston b. Jun Akiyama – Spinning backfist
Jungle Boy b. Luchasaurus – Snare Trap
Death Triangle b. Elite – Hammer shot to Omega
Jade Cargill b. Nyla Rose – Jaded
Chris Jericho b. Sammy Guevara, Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson – Judas Effect to Castagnoli
Saraya b. Britt Baker – Rampaige
Samoa Joe b. Powerhouse Hobbs and Wardlow – Koquina Clutch to Hobbs
Sting/Darby Allin b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal – Coffin Drop to Lethal
Jamie Hayter b. Toni Storm – Ripcord lariat
Acclaimed b. Swerve In Our Glory – Double flipping slam to Strickland
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Jon Moxley – Punch with brass knuckles

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