Rampage
Date: July 15, 2022
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Jim Ross, Taz, Chris Jericho

We’re still in Fyter Fest with the second of four shows in two weeks. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but we do have a big time Ring Of Honor World Title match as Jonathan Gresham defends against Lee Moriarty. Odds are we’re going to be seeing some kind of a surprise challenger to come out after the match and set up Death Before Dishonor so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Dark Order vs. House Of Black

Black rolls Reynolds to the mat to start but Reynolds is back up with a wristlock. That doesn’t last long as Black knees him in the ribs to set up a chinlock before it’s off to Brody King. The big chop misses though, meaning John Silver wants to try King out of a slight case of insanity. King runs him over with a shoulder but misses a backsplash. Everything breaks down and the Order gets to clean house, including a double dropkick to send King outside. Reynolds’ dive is countered into a chokeslam onto the apron and we take a break with the House in control.

Back with Black kicking King in the face by mistake so Silver can snap off a belly to back suplex. Everything breaks down again and Silver has to save Reynolds from a powerbomb. A series of strikes to the face knock King into a German suplex, with Black diving in off the top for the save (with a camera angle possibly having to hide the landing). Dante’s Inferno finishes Reynolds at 9:17.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of spot that suits the Dark Order well, as they had no chance of winning but were able to hang in there long enough to make a match out of it. That isn’t something everyone is going to be able to do against the House but they made it work well enough here. Pretty fun match too, with the House getting to crush in the end.

Post match Darby Allin runs out to jump King but Sting has to come out and even things up. Sting and Black have the big staredown.

Miro still wants to destroy the House Of Black.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Lee Moriarty

Gresham, with Tully Blanchard, is defending and Matt Sydal is here with Moriarty. They start fast with Gresham being sent outside off a double leg attempt. Back in and Moriarty strikes away to send Gresham outside again, though this time he follows for some forearms. Gresham gets back inside and they strike away again, with Gresham pulling off some wrist tape. The referee takes care of that, allowing Gresham to hit Moriarty low, because he has gone to the evil side. Some headlock takeovers have Moriarty down again and we take a break.

Back with Moriarty striking away and starting to work on the arm. A dropkick cuts Gresham down and a single underhook bridging suplex gets two. Gresham is right back to the arm with a quick snap, followed by a stomp for two. Moriarty rolls him up for two more but gets pulled into the Octopus for the tap at 10:06.

Rating: B-. This felt oddly short but they did pretty well with the time that they had. What mattered here was getting Moriarty to look like he could hang against someone like Gresham before falling to the better wrestler. Gresham is a beast and when you throw in the cheating, things are that much better. Good match, but the bigger story is coming for Gresham.

Post match Blanchard and Gresham get in the ring, with Gresham bragging about how he is the best in the world. Cue Claudio Castagnoli for the staredown and we might have a Death Before Dishonor main event. That would be the bigger story.

Christopher Daniels is tired of Jay Lethal going after Samoa Joe. Lethal will get choked out at Death Before Dishonor, but Daniels seems interested in doing it herself.

Kris Statlander/Athena vs. Renegades

Statlander and Athena jump them before the bell and the beatdown is on in a hurry. Robyn is put on Statlander’s shoulders and tossed into two top roe knees from Athena (not sure if that was supposed to be a Codebreaker). The bell rings and the O Face (Eclipse) finishes Charlotte at 27 seconds.

Post match Leila Grey runs in to offer a distraction, allowing Kiera Hogan and Jade Cargill to come in and clean house without much effort. You know, if you want Athena and Statlander to be threats to Jade, you might want them to do something other than get beaten up most of the time.

Stokely Hathaway offers his services to Lee Moriarty, but Matt Sydal isn’t having any of this. With Stokely gone, Sydal announces that Moriarty is getting to face Dante Martin next week. Cue Martin, who absolutely had to be in Moriarty’s field of vision, to shake Moriarty’s hand.

Here is the Gunn Club to explain why they turned on the Acclaimed. Billy says everyone, including himself, loves the Acclaimed, but there comes a time when Daddy A** has to drop the hammer. Cue the Acclaimed but they don’t even rap on the way to the ring. Billy says hang on and offers scissoring but gets knocked down, allowing the Acclaimed to clear the ring. The challenge is thrown out but that isn’t going to happen. It had to be done somehow and this was as good of a face turn as you could have.

Andrade El Idolo is ready for Private Party to beat up the Lucha Bros, who don’t seem to agree.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Private Party vs. Lucha Bros

There are a bunch of people at ringside too. Penta and Kassidy start things off with the latter being shoved down without much effort. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Bros hit superkicks, only to be sent outside for the big flip dives. Back in and the Bros kick Quen down before scaring Kassidy back to the floor. Silly String hits Penta and a springboard Stunner knocks Penta outside as we take a break.

Back with the hot tag bringing in Fenix to clean house, including some chops to Quen in the corner. Kassidy makes a save though and it’s a Doomsday crossbody for two. Fenix gets stomped down in the corner but he gets away for the hot tag to Penta. This doesn’t quite work as a springboard doesn’t work, with Penta slipping down in a nasty crash. Penta is fine enough to hit a Death Valley Driver to send Quen into Kassidy in the corner. The lackeys get in a fight but here is Rush to deck Penta. This has no effect as Penta is back up with the Canadian Destroyer on Quen. Fenix adds the Black Fire Driver for the pin at 11:23.

Rating: C+. It was the kind of match you would expect from these teams, which is to say there were a lot of spots and they moved through them very fast. It wasn’t exactly crisp but Fenix can be one of the most entertaining guys in the world no matter what he is doing. Fun main event here, though Private Party is the same team they were a few years ago: potential, but not much to show for it.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a good example of a show where it was fine throughout and then pretty much nothing that happened here will stick with me for more than a few hours. It came and went with some good enough action, but AEW has a tendency to fly through these shows and not let much sink in. That was the case here, though the Claudio moment was good for a smile.

Results
House Of Black b. Dark Order – Dante’s Inferno to Reynolds
Jonathan Gresham b. Lee Moriarty – Octopus
Athena/Kris Statlander b. Renegades – O Face to Charlotte
Lucha Bros b. Private Party – Black Fire Driver to Quen

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: July 13, 2022
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re on the way to Death Before Dishonor and thankfully the build for that show hasn’t taken everything over like the Forbidden Door stuff did. It’s the first of four Fyter Fest shows and the Tag Team Titles are on the line as the Young Bucks defend against Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee and Team Taz. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is challenging, with the Best Friends in his corner (complete with managers’ licenses). They go with the test of strength to start and Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets….which are torn off by Wardlow. Now Wardlow’s straps come down….with Cassidy putting them right back up. The Powerbomb Symphony is broken up and Cassidy snaps off a headscissors but comes up favoring his eye. The referee checks on him, allowing Chuck Taylor to whip out A CHAINSAW.

Believe it or not, that’s enough for an ejection, with Wardlow blocking a quick Orange Punch attempt. The lazy kicks annoy Wardlow and he misses a charge to the floor. Cassidy has to slip out of an apron powerbomb, leaving Wardlow to choke an interfering Danhausen. Back in and an overhead belly to belly sends Cassidy flying as we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy driving him into the corner but Wardlow hits the F10….for two, making Cassidy the first person to ever kick out of it. Another powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and there’s the Orange Punch. The Beach Break connects for two but another Orange Punch is countered into powerbomb to retain the title at 11:44.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of a match that got a lot better once they dropped the nonsense with the Best Friends (and some with Cassidy). Once you let Cassidy do his thing, you can get a nice match, especially with him fighting from underneath. Wardlow won as he should have, but Cassidy was hardly destroyed.

Respect is shown post match.

Quick look at Pac retaining the All-Atlantic Title at a Rev Pro show in England.

Here is Chris Jericho for a chat. He’s here talking as Chris Jericho the man, not the rock star. Jericho is here to talk about Eddie Kingston, who is such a rotten friend. We hear about how Kingston’s friends are always getting hurt or injured, from Santana and Bryan Danielson to Ruby Soho. Jericho: “You need to take better care of your chicks Eddie.”

Now it’s time for a barbed wire match because Kingston is a mark for Sabu and Terry Funk but how many barbed wire matches has he been in? Jericho had a barbed wire match at 22 and knows how it tastes. Now it’s time for Kingston to face the Painmaker because it’s time for both of them to bleed in the final fight. This was the hard push to the match and while I still roll my eyes at the barbed wire stuff, Jericho sold it well.

Post break, Eddie Kingston gets very close to the camera and promises to make Jericho bleed every drop of his blood. Ruby Soho and Ortiz are behind him and don’t seem overly pleased.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jon Moxley

Non-title, but a title eliminator match and William regal is on commentary. Moxley works on the arm to start before they trade shoulders. A headlock takeover puts Takeshita down but they’re back up for a double chop off. Moxley runs him over and we hit a rather loose STF. With that broken up they head to the apron, where a German suplex drops Moxley. He’s right back up and knocks Takeshita silly as we take a break.

Back with Moxley stomping away at a bleeding Takeshita. They get back up for a slugout, with Moxley being sent into the corner for a running big boot. A brainbuster gives Takeshita two but his frog splash hits raised knees. They slug it out again until Takeshita snaps off a hurricanrana to send him outside. There’s the big no hands flip dive as Takeshita is holding his arm. Back in and Takeshita’s frog splash connects for two, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for the same. The Death Rider is countered into a German suplex to give Takeshita two more but Moxley pulls him into the bulldog choke for the tap at 13:07.

Rating: B+. They beat the heck out of each other here and it was a pretty awesome match, with Moxley having to survive instead of just running over Takeshita. AEW has something with Takeshita if they want to go somewhere with him, as he can hang with anyone and the fans are into him. Find a story with him and go from there.

The House of Black doesn’t think much of Darby Allin and blame him for his problems.

Griff Garrison vs. Luchasaurus

Before the match, Christian Cage talks about how he just doesn’t like the Varsity Blonds, especially when Brian Pillman Jr.’s father was average at best. Christian would be so disappointed to see that his final legacy in wrestling is a failure like his son. As for Garrison, Christian doesn’t like a publicity picture that he put up this week because it makes him look like Jungle Boy. That’s too much for Luchasaurus, who stomps to the ring to start the beating. Luchasaurus drops him hard and a pair of chokeslams set up the Snare Trap variation (now dubbed the Tar Pit) for the tap at 1:34.

Post match Luchasaurus knocks Pillman out and puts him on the table, with Garrison being chokeslammed onto Pillman and through the table (on the second try).

The Jericho Appreciation Society aren’t happy with being in a shark cage next week and want Eddie Kingston’s friends in one of their own. Tony Schiavone is threatened with a comb until Daniel Garcia says Wheeler Yuta is doing a Garcia impression.

All Out is coming to Chicago on September 4.

The Dark Order interrupts Hangman Page, who wants to fight the House of Black. Page goes along with it, despite it not seeming to be his original idea.

Jake Hager vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli uppercuts him fast and tries a Neutralizer and swing within the first ten seconds but Hager gets outside. Back in and Castagnoli counters the ankle lock into a 619 for two. A dropkick to the knee sets up a bulldog for two on Hager but he’s back with some body shots to the ribs to put Castagnoli down. There’s a beal to send Castagnoli flying, setting up the Vader bomb for two more.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli hitting the springboard uppercut for a double knockdown. They fight to the floor with Castagnoli hitting a running uppercut against the barricade. Back in and it’s the giant swing into a Sharpshooter, with Hager calling out the rest of the Society. The distraction lets Hager plant Castagnoli down for two but he tries another Sharpshooter. That’s broken up by another Society distraction so Castagnoli goes with a pop up uppercut. The Riccola Bomb finishes Hager at 11:44.

Rating: B-. This was looking like a squash to start but they took their time and let Hager get in some offense of his own. That being said, Castagnoli never felt like he was in any trouble and won with his signature stuff in the end. Castagnoli continues to look like a monster around here and that should work well once he finally gets into a serious feud.

Hook won’t comment when asked about a possible title shot.

We look at Thunder Rosa getting pinned in Japan.

Thunder Rosa is ready to have a rematch here in America for the title. She and Toni Storm are ready to face anyone so here are Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter to say they’re back. This place is a natural disaster without them (Baker: “Get it?”) but luckily they know how to deal with these things. Rebel pops in with a sandbag, which Baker hands to Tony and says enjoy carrying it for a month.

Serena Deeb vs. Anna Jay

Jay is the home state girl. Deeb takes her to the mat to start and we hit the headlock, followed by a shoulder to put her down. Jay gets in a shot of her own and hits a running Blockbuster. Something like a reverse Rings of Saturn has Jay in trouble until she stacks Deeb up for two. The Queenslayer is broken up with a throat snap across the top and a fisherman’s neckbreaker gives Deeb two.

We take a break and come back with Jay firing off some running elbows and a northern lights suplex for two. The Queenslayer is broken up again and Deeb rolls her up for two more. They don’t quite get a backdrop into a rollup right so Deeb grabs a weird hold as she looks like she’s setting up a Code Red but sits down on Jay’s neck and cranks on the arms. That’s broken up and Jay misses a charge, only to come back with the Queenslayer again. With that escaped as well, the Serenity Lock makes Jay tap at 8:22.

Rating: C+. Deeb was doing a lot of the work here but they did a good job of keeping Jay looking strong. She isn’t great at what she does yet but she here a few things that she can do well and it worked here. Nice match and that’s all it needed to be, even with Jay having to tap in front of her hometown(ish) crowd.

Post match Deeb keeps the hold on until Mercedes Martinez runs in for the save.

Jade Cargill and the Baddies aren’t happy with Athena and Kris Statlander, but they also want Leila Grey to know her place.

We run down the Death Before Dishonor card.

Jay Lethal comes to the commentary desk and promises to win the Ring Of Honor TV Title.

Anna Jay is getting her knee looked at when Tay Conti comes in to mock her for not being on TV very much.

Tag Team Titles: Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland vs. Team Taz vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are defending and Matt tries a superkick on Lee, who just stares at him. Nick comes in instead and trades flippy counters with Strickland until they both go outside. Stereo dropkick attempts don’t go anywhere so they’re back inside with Nick armdragging him into an armbar. Starks comes in and walks the top rope, as does Nick.

Both of those are broken up with a double crotching, leaving Matt to try to northern lights suplex Hobbs and Lee at the same time. Everything breaks down and Lee kind of suplexes Matt and Starks at the same time (this works a bit better). Starks tags himself back in to dropkick Swerve and we take a break.

Back with Lee coming in off the hot tag and cleaning house, but Nick slips out of the powerbomb. Hobbs and Lee hit stereo crossbodies before Hobbs goes up. Lee shoves him off and hits a heck of a frog splash for two with a save being needed. Team Taz is back in with Nick being put in an electric chair, allowing Starks to walk the rope for a cutter. Swerve tags himself back in and clotheslines Matt but it’s time for the Bucks to clean house with superkicks.

The referee gets bumped and the Bucks grab the titles, only to have Swerve take one away. Swerve can’t bring himself to use it though and it’s the Bucks cleaning house with the titles. A belt shot doesn’t pin Swerve so it’s the BTE Trigger, with Starks making the save. Lee breaks up the Meltzer Driver and it’s a powerbomb/Swerve Stomp combination for two, with Team Taz making the save.

Hobbs starts spinebustering people including a bunch of people being stacked onto Lee. Starks spears Swerve for two with Nick making his own save. Matt loses a shoe so Lee knocks the Bucks outside with it. Hobbs gets dumped to the floor and Swerve uses Lee’s chest as a launchpad for a moonsault. Back in and the Swerve Stomp crushes Starks for the pin and the titles at 13:04.

Rating: A-. And I had a long post thought out about how the Bucks never lose and the near falls were all a waste of time before the titles were retained. This was all action once it got going and that is a very fun way to spend a good chunk of the night. The surprise alone gave this an upgrade as I was actually shocked by the ending. Well done here and an awesome match.

Overall Rating: A-. Nothing bad, an actual surprise on the ending, and more than a few awesome matches. This was a great show that just kept going with the good stuff. It set up some things for the next few shows and if those are anything close to this, we should be in for a great few weeks. Pretty great show here and worth a look up and down the card.

Results
Wardlow b. Orange Cassidy – Powerbomb
Jon Moxley b. Konosuke Takeshita – Bulldog choke
Luchasaurus b. Griff Garrison – Tar Pit
Claudio Castagnoli b. Jake Hager – Riccola Bomb
Serena Deeb b. Anna Jay – Serenity Lock
Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland b. Young Bucks and Team Taz – Swerve Stomp to Starks

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

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AND

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

Dynamite
Date: July 6, 2022
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Taz, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re back to the normal show this week and that could mean more than a few things. In this case it means that we are going to be seeing Jon Moxley defend the Interim World Title against Brody King, which should be a heck of a fight. Other than that, it is time to build towards Ring Of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor later this month. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Scorpio Sky

Wardlow is challenging in a street fight. Sky strikes away at the leg to start and gets dropped with a hard shoulder. A low blow cuts off Wardlow but he’s fine enough to toss Sky around a few times. They head outside where an American Top Team distraction lets Sky send Wardlow into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Wardlow knocking him off the top and hitting a Swanton. The Powerbomb Symphony is loaded up but Wardlow clears them out without much effort. The distraction lets Sky get in a belt shot for two and Wardlow is back with the spinebuster. A three movement Powerbomb Symphony gives Wardlow the pin and the title at 8:29.

Rating: C. Not exactly a great match and I’m not sure on the idea of having Sky lose again here, but Wardlow needed to win something already and they pulled that off here. Wardlow shrugged off whatever was thrown at him here and he won the title like a monster should. Good enough match and it did what it needed to do.

Confetti falls and Wardlow gets to celebrate.

Jon Moxley is tired of people trying to make their name off of him and tonight, Brody King is going to do it again. You don’t know what kind of a monster you have with him but Moxley knows what he is facing tonight in King.

Here are Christian Cage and Luchasaurus for a chat. Christian has been asked what is going on for a few weeks now and why Luchasaurus has sided with him. Before he can say anything, here is Matt Hardy to interrupt. Matt says he and Jungle Boy have gotten close in recent weeks and Jungle Boy didn’t deserve what Christian did to him.

Christian: “Matt, you’re starting to make your brother sound like the sober one.” Matt talks about regretting the time he spent manipulating people and maybe the last month has been karma coming to get him. Christian calls Matt out for being delusional and for riding Jeff’s coattails for one more run. The brawl is on with Luchasaurus leaving Matt laying, including a chokeslam through the ringside table. I could have gone without the Jeff references but this was fine enough.

Video on Blood & Guts from last week. The Jericho Appreciation Society promises it is not over.

Jake Hager yells at Claudio Castagnoli for never being a World Champion. Castagnoli talks about respect and promises to earn it next week.

Butcher and the Blade vs. Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee

Bunny is here with the villains. Lee headbutts Butcher down to start so we’ll try Strickland vs. Blade instead. That doesn’t go so well for Strickland to start but he knocks Blade down and hands it back to Lee for a shot of his own. Blade jawbreaks his way to freedom but gets knocked outside. Bunny offers a distraction to cut off the dive though and Butcher gets in a cheap shot to take over as we take a break.

Back with Lee getting to clean house as everything breaks down. A lariat/enziguri combination drops Butcher but Blade pulls Swerve in the way of Lee. Butcher hits Lee with a Stunner and Butcher runs him over, allowing Butcher to toss Lee into Blade’s knee. A running knee gets a VERY close two on Swerve with Lee making a (maybe late) save. Back up and Swerve In Our Glory finishes Blade at 9:38.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on the continued tease of Swerve and Lee breaking up, especially when they haven’t been around long in the first place, but at least they won the match in the end. Butcher and Blade almost feel like a relic from the past but they are still good enough as a team to make a match like this work. Just either split Swerve and Lee or let them stay together and stop with the teases if it isn’t happening.

Post match Team Taz comes out to yell at Swerve and Lee, with Ricky Starks losing his mind over what sounds like a challenge. Cue the Young Bucks to cut them off, though they don’t have to apologize for anything because they started this company. The Bucks brag about the tag division, including what we saw at Double Or Nothing, which was 4.5 stars. Granted that’s an off night for the Bucks, but they need to keep things going. The solution to that: a triple threat match next week at Fyter Fest. Fans: “FTR!” Nick: “We’re better than them and you know it.” The match seems to be on.

Malakai Black says his House’s violence is by design and Jon Moxley doesn’t know what he is in for.

Here is Eddie Kingston for a chat. He congratulates Wardlow on winning the title and everyone who won Blood & Guts last week. The only person he doesn’t like is Chris Jericho, who made him a liar last week. Kingston didn’t get to taste his blood…but Jericho cuts him off on the screen. Jericho asks if Kingston wants to get nuts and we see the Jericho Appreciation Society slamming Ruby Soho’s hand in a car (granted it wasn’t in the car and they more or less had to tell her to get it slammed in the door, making it look really bad).

Here is the Dark Order, complete with -1, to say that they aren’t going anywhere. They’re here to stay because Dark Order is forever but here is QT Marshall to interrupt. Marshall doesn’t think much of the team and -1 in particular, so threats are made. Cue Hangman Page to send Marshall into the ring and the big beatdown is on. -1 teases beating Marshall but says he’ll wait until he’s 18. This could have, and probably should have, been a post show segment.

Rush vs. Penta Obscuro

Andrade, Jose, Fenix and Alex Abrahantes are here too. They go right at it to start with Rush getting the better of things by running Obscuro over. The fight heads to the floor, where the Alex Abrahantes and Jose get in a fight of their own and we take a break. Back with Rush hitting a powerslam for two but Penta grabs a Backstabber for the same.

They slug it out until Rush knocks him into the corner and hits a top rope dropkick for two. Penta is back up with a kick to the face and the Fear Factor gets two, with Andrade putting Rush’s foot on the rope. The distraction lets Rush get in a low blow and rip off Penta’s mask (of course) for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: C+. Good brawl here, though I am completely over that rip off the mask ending. It has been done so many times with both of the Lucha Bros that it feels like something they have to do instead of something special. These two can work the hard hitting style well and they did here, though Rush is still only so interesting.

Jay Lethal and company are happy with the upcoming ROH TV Title shot at Death Before Dishonor. Lethal isn’t taking Joe lightly, but he is taking Joe’s title. Good line.

Mark Sterling is trying to get the Best Friends to sign a petition to get rid of Swerve Strickland. Orange Cassidy wants his lawyer present and that’s….Danhausen? Sterling wants Tony Nese vs. Cassidy on Rampage so they can make a lot of money. but Cassidy isn’t sure. Danhausen to Cassidy: “How about you vs. his client on Rampage? We’ll make a lot of money.” Cassidy is in. Funny stuff, especially Danhausen shouting various legal terms and no one paying attention to him.

Ruffin It/Fuego del Sol vs. Gunn Club/Acclaimed

The Club cuts off Caster’s rap and tensions are high. Fuego takes Colten down to start but it’s Bear Bronson coming in for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Caster hits the Mic Drop, but Austin tags himself in and steals the pin at 2:14. This story is oddly growing on me.

Post match the Club and Acclaimed get into it but Billy Gunn comes in the ring…and turns on the Acclaimed, leaving both of them laying. So there’s the Acclaimed’s face turn.

Miro is not happy with Malakai Black.

Thunder Rosa/Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir/Nyla Rose

Rosa takes Shafir into the corner to start and it’s a double suplex for two. A hip attack keeps Shafir in trouble as the dominance is on to start. Rose gets in a cheap shot though and a fireman’s carry slam drops Storm as we take a break. Back with Storm fighting out of the corner and handing it back to Rosa to clean house. The running dropkick against the ropes staggers Rosa but she’s back up with a Rock Bottom. Everything breaks down and the hip attack hits Shafir, setting up a spike fire thunder driver to pin Shafir at 9:07.

Rating: C. Calling Rosa and Storm Thunderstorm is a funny way to go, though at first I thought it was AEW’s latest gimmick match. Anyway, this is a fine way to set up what should be Rosa vs. Storm for the title down the line, though the less Shafir we see on TV the better. It isn’t working with her, but she’s here pretty frequently anyway for whatever reason.

Stokely Hathaway recommends Leila Grey as the newest Baddie. Jade Cargill says he better be right.

Daniel Garcia is ready to take the Ring Of Honor Pure Title from Wheeler Yuta at Death Before Dishonor.

FTR wants the Briscoes at Death Before Dishonor, one more time.

Interim AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Brody King

King is challenging and William Regal is on commentary. They shove each other around to start and get in each others’ faces to yell a lot. King knocks him outside and sends Moxley into various things to take over. Back in and Moxley gets in a few shots to the knee to take over but gets dropped again as we take a break.

Back with King missing a Cannonball in the corner so Moxley puts him on top and rakes the back for some pain. King blasts him with a clothesline and hits a piledriver for two before grabbing the sleeper in the corner. With that broken up due to being in the ropes, Moxley grabs a Paradigm Shift. The hammer and anvil elbows keep King in trouble, setting up the bulldog choke to finish him off (ala how Moxley beat Brodie Lee) at 11:14.

Rating: B-. They had a good fight here, even though it was Moxley defending against Moxley’s Designated Victim #1. There was no reason to believe that King was going to take the title here, but in this case that worked out well. Moxley gets a win over someone who looks impressive and King doesn’t lose anything from a loss to the champ. Completely logical choices.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t their strongest effort as everything seemed a bit off. Maybe it was a post-holiday hangover or something but it just didn’t quite click. They have some time before All Out and you can probably guess the top of the card from here, but focusing on it would be nice. Certainly not a bad show, but Dynamite has a pretty high bar and this was beneath their usual.

Results
Wardlow b. Scorpio Sky – Powerbomb Symphony
Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland b. Butcher and Blade – Swerve In Our Glory to Blade
Rush b. Penta Obscuro – Small package
Gunn Club/Acclaimed b. Fuego del Sol/Ruffin It – Mic Drop to Bear Bronson
Thunder Rosa/Toni Storm b. Marina Shafir/Nyla Rose – Spike fire thunder driver to Shafir
Jon Moxley b. Brody King – Bulldog choke

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: June 29, 2022
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s another major show here as we go from Forbidden Door on Sunday to Blood & Guts tonight. That would be AEW’s version of WarGames, albeit with twelve people this time as the match needs to be bigger, but it does look good on paper. Other than that, I’m not sure what else we have as so much has been put into the New Japan stuff for the last few weeks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Forbidden Door if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Dig that double ring setup.

Ethan Page vs. Orange Cassidy

Before the match, Dan Lambert complains about the Best Friends being here because they aren’t official managers and we have regulations in his state. Oh and Cassidy is skinny and has no muscles whatsoever. Page starts fast and knocks him down but Cassidy nips up and grabs an armdrag to the floor. There’s the suicide dive, followed by the high crossbody for one back inside. Page is back up with some shots of his own and Cassidy gets knocked into the corner as we take an early break.

Back with Cassidy escaping a Razor’s Edge and then countering another into a hurricanrana. A powerslam cuts Cassidy off but he grabs a Stundog Millionaire and hits the tornado DDT for two. The Orange Punch is loaded up but Lambert, with orange juice, offers a distraction. Cassidy hits some very soft punches and takes the juice, setting up the Orange Punch. The juice is spat in Lambert’s eyes and another Orange Punch sets up the slam (third try) for the pin on Page at 10:57.

Rating: C+. The slam bit was fun and gave the fans something to cheer about, as Cassidy continues his slight rise back up the card. Page is someone with enough name value but nothing going on at the moment so the loss doesn’t really hurt him. Not exactly a great match but it was fun enough to work with a bit of a house show feeling.

Here is Christian Cage for a chat. He has heard a lot of things about saying Jungle Boy’s father was dead last week. Christian hasn’t apologized for many things, but he’s sorry that Jungle Boy’s entire family isn’t dead. Christian: “Well, except for your mom.” Who should call him. As for tonight, he has requested a match, but he never said it was for him. Cue Luchasaurus, with a rather intense new entrance.

Luchasaurus vs. Serpentico

The Snare Trap with a nerve hold finishes Serpentico at 49 seconds. That worked.

Post match Luchasaurus hits a chokeslam on the floor to leave Serpentico laying.

Wardlow and Scorpio Sky have a staredown in the back with Sky saying he beat Wardlow last time. Wardlow says bring every member of American Top Team and the title match is made for next week. We’ll make it a street fight.

Max Caster/Gunn Club vs. Danhausen/???/???

Caster’s rap makes various Michigan references but he won’t let the Club say the city names. Danhausen comes out and he does have some partners.

Max Caster/Gunn Club vs. Danhausen/FTR

Wheeler takes Austin down to start and hits a slam for a bonus. A spank to Austin brings Harwood in to chop away in the corner. Danhausen comes in and gets blasted by Colten as we take a break. Back with Harwood having to save Danhausen and everything breaks down. FTR rolls some German suplexes on the Club until Austin grabs most of the Quick Draw on Harwood for a breather. Danhausen comes back in and tries a GTS on Austin, but Anthony Bowens pops up to his feet (out of a wheelchair). The crutch shot hits Austin by mistake though and Danhausen steals the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C. Well you knew that was coming one day. The Acclaimed vs. the Gunn Club has the potential to be a rather fun mini feud and that is what we are probably going to be getting here. Danhausen getting the pin is going to work almost every chance he gets, as it isn’t like he did anything to earn it. At the same time though, did Caster do anything at all here?

Post match the Gunns and Acclaimed yell at each other but Billy sides with his not-sons.

Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal still want Samoa Joe to give him a Ring Of Honor TV Title match at Death Before Dishonor.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Leila Grey

Cargill, with Stokely Hathaway and Kiera Hogan, is defending and throws Grey down with no effort. Leila’s forearms have no effect and it’s Jaded to retain the title at 1:55. Total dominance.

Post match Cargill says she wants better competition. Stokely says this woman got a chance after the open challenge was on last night at 11:40. So Athena and Kris Statlander are just lazy for not being in the ring here. Cue Athena and Kris to go after Jade but Leila makes the save. The villains stand tall but Leila isn’t getting a handshake.

Grand Slam is back in September.

The Young Bucks talks about how all of their friends are hurt and they have no one here. The only thing they have left are the Tag Team Titles but they have no competition. On Friday though, they can keep the Forbidden Door open a bit, with Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi getting a shot at the titles.

Jim Ross comes out for commentary on Blood And Guts.

The cage is lowered.

We recap the Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Eddie Kingston/Blackpool Combat Club. The idea is that Kingston doesn’t trust his partners but he needs to take out Jericho and company.

Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Eddie Kingston/Santana/Ortiz/Blackpool Combat Club

Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Matt Menard, Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, Angelo Parker
Eddie Kingston, Santana, Ortiz, Wheeler Yuta, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli

It’s WarGames with the opening period lasting four minutes. Then the Society will get the one man advantage for three minutes before they start alternating entrances. After everyone is in, it’s submission or surrender only. Claudio Castagnoli starts for the Club and throws Sammy Guevara over the ropes into the other ring. The running uppercut rocks Sammy, who tries to climb out and gets in a chase around the side of the cage.

Multiple springboards lets Sammy get away to the other ring before they fight between the rings for a change. Back in and the pop up uppercut is countered into a cutter to drop Castagnoli but we pause for a kiss from Tay Conti. Castagnoli loads up the Swing but Daniel Garcia comes in to make the save as we take an early break. Back with Wheeler Yuta evening things up to give Castagnoli a needed breather. A running uppercut/German suplex combination drops Guevara and the Club sends the two of them into some cages.

Jake Hager comes in to make it 3-2 and cleans some house, setting up the battle of the former Real Americans. The springboard corkscrew elbow drops Hager but Garcia is back up to take Castagnoli down. Yuta is back to make a save of his own but the numbers game takes him down. Jon Moxley is in to even things up again, complete with a chair, to start cleaning house again. What looks to be a fork is driven into Garcia’s head to give us the first blood. A Hart Attack of all things drops Garcia and a gorilla press into a cutter drops Guevara.

The Club set up the stereo hammer and anvil elbows (with Moxley’s elbows to Hager looking particularly terrible). Angelo Parker comes in and knows he’s in trouble so he tries to run away as well as he can. That works for all of ten seconds before the Club catches him and starts the big beatdown. The numbers game gets the Society out of trouble but it’s Ortiz coming in to clean house.

We take another break and come back with Menard coming in with a chair of his own to wreck a bunch of people. During the break, Moxley piledrove someone onto broken glass, because that’s what you do during a break. Things even up a bit and it’s Santana coming in with a table and a barbed wire bat to make things even bigger. The blood starts flowing even more, with Moxley pulling out some skewers to stab Menard in the head. Yuta and Garcia stand between the rings and slap each other a bunch until Jericho comes in with Floyd to clean house.

Jericho takes over until it’s Kingston coming in with the kendo stick to complete the field. Kingston walks through the Society with little trouble until Jericho is all that is left. The beating is on so Kingston pulls out rubbing alcohol, which is broken up for the sake of a lack of extreme pain. Conti slips the rubbing alcohol to Jericho as the table is set up between the rings. Hager goes through the table (JR: “SOMEBODY GET THE TABLES!”) and it’s time for the tacks.

Menard is dropped into the tacks as the mat is being ripped off of the ring. Garcia, COVERED in blood, is somehow hanging from the cage outside of the ring as we take another break. Back again with Jericho dragging Moxley through the tacks and then putting on the Walls. Kingston makes the save and gets to beat on Jericho, who is sent into the cage. Jericho finds a fire extinguisher to spray Kingston as Tay grabs the key from the referee.

Cue Ruby Riott to go after Tay and the brawl is on. The women are gone so Jericho goes up top of the cage, with Kingston following close behind. Regal: “This is the one thing I couldn’t strategize with anyone about. I’ve never even been on the top rope.” Kingston hits the backfist on top but Guevara joins them on top. A low blow cuts Guevara down and Eddie throws him through the well placed announcers’ table at ringside.

We take another break and come back again with Jericho getting Kingston in the Walls on top of the cage as Claudio climbs up as well. The Walls are broken up Claudio Swings Jericho. Menard comes up for the save but it’s the Stretch Plum to Jericho and the Sharpshooter to Menard for the tap and the win at 46:45.

Rating: A-. This might be the best example of “your mileage may vary” that you’ll see for a very long time as Blood & Guts is one of the most unique matches you’ll find. They had the blood and the violence and it didn’t feel too cluttered (the double ring thing gives it SO much more breathing room than NXT), though the ending wasn’t exactly amazing. What mattered here was having the teams beat the heck out of each other with a bunch of blood (Garcia was COVERED) and violence, as Claudio vs. Eddie continues. Heck of a match, though I’m still not sure if we need weapons in a WarGames match. Just seems like overkill.

Post match Kingston is mad at Claudio for being the one to get the tap. Respect is shown, but Kingston keeps running his mouth. The winners (minus Santana, who was apparently hurt during the match) all get on top to celebrate, for a rather good while, to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This is one of the harder shows to rate as it’s pretty much ALL about the main event. Everything else was good enough, but the second half of the show was focused on one match and that worked out pretty well. It’s a bit weird to have it be so sudden after Forbidden Door, but the match had been set up for weeks so it isn’t out of nowhere. Very good show, though as far as what the focus was on, it’s a one match episode.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Ethan Page – Slam
Luchasaurus b. Serpentico – Snare Trap with a nerve hold
Danhausen/FTR b. Max Caster/Gunn Club
Jade Cargill b. Leila Grey – Jaded
Eddie Kingston/Santana/Ortiz/Blackpool Combat Club b. Jericho Appreciation Society – Sharpshooter to Menard

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

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Rampage
Date: June 17, 2022
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Chris Jericho

We are less than two weeks away from Forbidden Door and a bunch of matches were added to the card this week on Dynamite. I doubt that we get that much this time, but we do get Jade Cargill vs. Willow Nightingale. That should be a fun match and odds are we get something else on the same level. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Dante Martin

William Regal is on commentary and calls Jericho a Trout Slapper (I think). Moxley powers him into the corner to start as we talk about Zack Sabre Jr.’s comments about Bryan Danielson. They trade wristlocks into a headlock takeover from Moxley but Martin is back up with a dropkick out to the floor. Moxley runs him over again though and we take a break.

Back with Moxley hitting the running knee to the face and a butterfly superplex for two. Martin fights up and hits a quick ax handle, setting up a high crossbody for two of his own. The Nose Dive is countered into a rear naked choke but Martin climbs the corner for the escape. A super Sliced Bread gets two on Moxley and they strike it out (as required) until Moxley hits the running cutter. The King Kong lariat gives Moxley two and the hammer and anvil elbows rock Martin even more. Some kind of a choke with an arm trap and a bodyscissors makes Martin tap at 13:58.

Rating: B-. Martin continues to do well with the high flying stuff and they are building him up as the next one to win a big match. I’m not sure when that is going to happen, but it is going to be a heck of a moment when they actually go there. Moxley wasn’t going to lose on the way to the title match at Forbidden Door, but they had a good one on the way there.

Keith Lee isn’t happy with Swerve Strickland eliminating him from last week’s Casino Battle Royal but Swerve says it was a singles match instead of a tag match. Team Taz comes in to say Lee and Strickland still haven’t beaten them. Lee is rather silent.

The House of Black and Death Triangle are still ready to fight, this time in the All Atlantic Title tournament.

Bear Country/Leon Ruff vs. Max Caster/Gunn Club

Caster and the Club jump them to start and we have the required three way scissor party. Austin stomps Ruff down in the corner and it’s the Quick Draw into the Mic Drop for the pin at 1:13. Bear Country disappeared about halfway through this.

Hook isn’t worried about facing a New Japan top prospect but Danhausen comes in to swear their destruction. Hook says he has this.

TBS Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Jade Cargill

Cargill, with Kiera Hogan, is defending and Stokely Hathaway is on commentary. Cargill throws her down to start but Nightingale cartwheels her way out of a whip into the corner. There’s an enziguri to Cargill, who catches her in a fireman’s carry for some elbows to the face. What looked like a Pounce is countered by Cargill’s kick to the face, allowing Hogan to get in some stomps in the corner. Back with Nightingale knocking her into the corner for the almost required Cannonball. Cargill isn’t having that and faceplants her, setting up Jaded to retain at 6:04. Not enough shown to rate but it was a Cargill match.

Post match the beatdown is on but Athena pops in for a Fall From Grace to Hogan. Cargill gets in a kick to the face but Kris Statlander runs in for the save.

Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt brag about their success.

Forbidden Door rundown.

Bobby Fish and Darby Allin are ready for the main event after Fish and Kyle O’Reilly injured Sting a few weeks ago.

Bobby Fish vs. Darby Allin

Allin is so mad about Sting that he stops to pose on the ropes, allowing Fish to take him down. They head outside with Allin being driven into the apron, followed by a running charge through Allin. Fish hits the barricade though, allowing Allin to get back in and hit a dive. The running flip dive knocks Fish into the barricade as well but he’s right back on Allin’s legs to take over. A nasty dragon screw legwhip takes Allin down again and Fish takes him down again as we take a break.

Back with Allin getting in a shot of his own for a breather, setting up Code Red for two. Allin knocks him outside for a Coffin Drop to a standing Fish for the double knockdown. Fish is back up with a spear through the ropes and out to the floor again. They fight on the apron with Fish snapping off a German suplex, with Jericho begging Fish to end this. The super Falcon Arrow gives Fish two so he grabs the knee bar. Allin is fine with that, and reverses into the Last Supper for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: C+. They told a good story here with Allin being all about revenge and trying to crash into Fish as much as often while Fish kept pulling him in with the technical stuff. To cap it off, Allin wound up winning when Fish got a bit too violent and got pinned with a wrestling move. Good match, even if it might not have been the best revenge win.

Post match Fish hammers on Allin again as Kyle O’Reilly comes out with a chair. Cue the returning Sting for the save, allowing Allin to Pillmanize Fish’s ankle. Sting is pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid week here as they kept the show moving and had enough good action throughout. I liked the Sting return in the end, though ReDRagon vs. Sting/Allin doesn’t sound like a match that should be overly competitive but it will be. This was more about the AEW side of things rather than Forbidden Door and that is nice to see for a change.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Dante Martin – Bodyscissors choke
Max Caster/Gunn Club b. Bear Country/Leon Ruff – Mic Drop to Ruff
Jade Cargill b. Willow Nightingale – Jaded
Darby Allin b. Bobby Fish – Last Supper

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: June 15, 2022
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

The road to Forbidden Door continues and as has been the case with AEW in recent weeks, things have gotten a little bit screwy. This time around it is Jeff Hardy getting arrested for driving under the influence, meaning that he will not be around for this week’s Tag Team Title match. Hopefully this doesn’t throw the show into chaos so let’s get to it.

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

Chris Jericho vs. Ortiz

Hair vs. hair, the Jericho Appreciation Society and Eddie Kingston are here, and William Regal is on commentary. Ortiz charges in and knocks Jericho to the floor for some biting of the face. Jericho takes over outside and hammers away inside, only to have Ortiz get in some shots of his own. The suicide dive is broken up though and Jericho hits a suplex off the apron to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Ortiz clotheslining his way out of trouble and hitting a quick cutter. Jericho rolls him up and tries the Walls, which is reversed into a rollup for two. Ortiz misses a middle rope corkscrew….something, allowing Jericho to hit the Codebreaker for two more. The Walls go on so Ortiz makes the rope, meaning the fight is on outside. Cue Santana and Wheeler Yuta (JR: “WHERE THE **** HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN???”) to even things up a bit and Ortiz gets inside to knock Jericho silly for two. Ortiz is back up but Fuego del Sol of all people runs in to hit Ortiz in the face with a baseball bat to give Jericho the pin at 11:48.

Rating: C+. You knew the insanity was coming in the end and the Fuego stuff (which is totally not Sammy Guevara) was a surprise because of who did it but not a surprise overall. Jericho having someone to interfere on his behalf is right on point for him and you knew Jericho wasn’t going bald. The question was how we got here, and Ortiz shaving his head might make him stand out a bit more.

Post match Fuego unmasks as Sammy Guevara, because this really is Inner Circle 2.0. Ortiz cuts his own hair and shouts BLOOD AND GUTS.

We get a People’s Court style intro for Wardlow vs. the 20 security guards.

Wardlow vs. Security Guards

There are twenty guards and Wardlow has to beat all of them. The guards get on the apron and Wardlow knocks one apron off, which might count as eliminations. The dog pile doesn’t work and Wardlow powerbombs one guard onto the others. A bunch of powerbombs and chokes wreck more guards and Wardlow eliminates nine guards after about 2:15. More powerbombs leave more guards laying and another guard is pulled out of the air. A big group pin finishes for Wardlow at 4:08.

Rating: C. What do you say about this kind of a match? It was more of a training exercise for Wardlow, who ran through one guard after another like they weren’t even there. It made Wardlow look good and he wrecked everyone involved, so if this is the end of the story, or at least this part of it, we should be fine.

Post match Wardlow goes after Mark Sterling but Dan Lambert, with Scorpio Sky, pops up from a sky box. Lambert sends Matt Hughes and Tyron Woodley (former UFC Champions) into the ring, but Wardlow appeals to their midwestern roots. That’s enough for Hughes and Woodley to send Sterling to Wardlow for the big powerbomb. Posing ensues.

Dax Harwood vs. Will Ospreay

Feeling out process to start with Ospreay taking him into the corner and hitting a chop. Harwood takes him down into a headlock as the fans are split here. Ospreay is back up and kicks Harwood to the apron, with the leg getting caught in the ring skirt. A running dropkick against the steps rocks Harwood and we take a break.

Back with Harwood rolling some German suplexes to knock Ospreay silly. Harwood misses a top rope headbutt though and Ospreay is back with a springboard 450 for two. Ospreay goes up again but Harwood catches him, setting up a belly to back superplex, which is countered into a crossbody. Back up and Harwood counters a hurricanrana into a slingshot powerbomb but Ospreay flips out. A second attempt gives Harwood two, followed by Ospreay hitting a sitout powerbomb of his own. The Oscutter gives Ospreay two more, followed by the Hidden Blade for the pin at 13:45.

Rating: B+. Is there anything Harwood can’t do at this point? He has great tag matches and now gets to hang with a major international star like Ospreay in a heck of a singles match. Ospreay got to showcase himself a bit more this time and it was the kind of match you were expecting from him. A singles star beating a tag team champion is more than acceptable and this was a blast of a match.

Post match the rest of the United Empire comes in for the beatdown with the Best Friends and Cash Wheeler coming in for the save. That doesn’t go so well, but Orange Cassidy comes in for the real save, setting up the Will Ospreay showdown. Well of course that’s what we’re getting.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, which has been built up for awhile in New Japan.

It’s time for a face to face showdown between Moxley and Tanahashi. Moxley says he has been chasing him for a long time, across Japan to America. They call Tanahashi the Ace, but that won’t be the case for long. Moxley is the best in the world and at Forbidden Door, Tanahashi will call him the Ace.

Cue Chris Jericho, flanked by Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti, to say Moxley is in his spot. Jericho talks about how he beat Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome, but Tanahashi tells him to shut up. Cue the Jericho Appreciation Society, but El Desperado and Lance Archer jump Moxley and Tanahashi from behind.

Jericho announces Guevara and Conti as the newest members of the Jericho Appreciation Society. Desperado and Archer are here on loan from Suzuki-Gun so at Forbidden Door, it’s Minoru Suzuki/Guevara/Jericho vs. Wheeler Yuta/Shota Umino/Eddie Kingston. Cue Kingston, Ortiz (head shaved) and Yuta for the save. House is cleaned and the good guys stand tall.

Darby Allin wants Bobby Fish on Rampage.

Toni Storm isn’t impressed by Britt Baker and wants the Women’s Title.

All Atlantic Title Qualifying Match: Miro vs. Ethan Page

Page bails to the floor for a chat with Dan Lambert, who wants Page to focus. Back in and Page bails outside again, with the chase allowing Page to get in some shots. Page starts working on the arm but Miro isn’t having that and kicks Page down. Now it’s Miro slapping away at the arm, which sends Page outside and us to a break.

Back with Miro pounding away at the chest but getting sent into the steps to slow him down. A springboard cutter gives Page two but Miro is done with this getting beaten up. After knocking Lambert off the apron, it’s a superkick to Page and Game Over to send Miro to Forbidden Door at 9:31.

Rating: C+. Nicely done stuff here with Miro getting the win that he should have gotten but without beating the stuffing out of Page. The more I see of Page, the more I like him as there is definitely a lot of talent there, especially when he gets to be more serious. Miro winning here was the only way to go though and he did it in enough of a dominant fashion.

Dante Martin is ready for Jon Moxley on Rampage.

Britt Baker vs. Toni Storm

Rebel and Jamie Hayter are here too. Storm knocks her to the floor to start but Baker is back with a forearm of her own. A posting cuts Storm down and Hayter gets in a cheap shot but here is Thunder Rosa to chase Hayter off. We take a break and come back with Storm hitting a tornado DDT to send Baker outside, where another tornado DDT plants Baker on the floor.

The running hip attack crushes Baker in the corner and she seems a bit rocked. A forearm has Baker crumbled on the mat….but Baker is goldbricking and rolls Storm up for two. Lockjaw is loaded up but Storm German suplexes her down. Storm Zero finishes Baker at 7:31 to give Storm the big win.

Rating: C+. That was some pretty nice goldbricking from Baker and I liked seeing Storm FINALLY get a big win. I have no reason to believe this is going anywhere, but it is nice to see her get something. Baker losing still feels like a big deal and I’m happy with seeing her take a bit of a step back after dominating the division for so long.

Post match Thunder Rosa comes back for the staredown with Storm, making me wonder why Baker needed to win the Owen Hart tournament if this is where they’re going.

Stokely Hathaway announces that Jade Cargill is issuing an open challenge for Rampage. Willow Nightingale comes in to accept, though Hathaway isn’t sure who she is. I could go for more Nightingale.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Page challenged Kazuchika Okada for Forbidden Door, but then Okada lost the IWGP World Title over the weekend. He still wants the match though….but here is Adam Cole to interrupt. Cole says if anyone is challenging for the title at Forbidden Door it is him, so Cole brings out the new champion, Jay White.

This means White can come in from behind to Blade Runner Page and shout about how he has beaten Page twice before. That’s why Page isn’t getting a title shot at Forbidden Door….but it won’t be against Cole either. White has the title so he holds the power, meaning he can pick his challenge. Cole isn’t happy.

Tag Team Titles: Jurassic Express vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are challenging in a ladder match. It’s a brawl to start with Nick loading up a ladder but getting taken back down with a springboard hurricanrana. Matt catches Jungle Boy on the ladder but Luchasaurus is back with a double choke. That’s broken up with some kicks to the head so the ladder is loaded up in the corner. Jungle Boy is back to clean house but gets caught in the rolling northern lights suplexes, including one into the ladder.

A running hurricanrana off the apron sends Matt through a table but Nick powerbombs Jungle Boy through another table. Nick isn’t done and hits a springboard Canadian Destroyer on Luchasaurus, followed by the 450 to put Luchasaurus through another table. With the regular Nick Jackson Does A Bunch Of Stuff sequence done, we take a break and come back with Luchasaurus hitting a moonsault off the apron to take both Bucks down. Everyone winds up on a pair of (uneven) ladders with Luchasaurus being the last man standing.

That doesn’t last long as Matt makes a save and hits a top rope elbow to drive him through a table. Jungle Boy catches Matt with a German suplex and goes up with Nick for another slugout. The Bucks take him off the ladder and Nick is busted (might have broken his nose), leaving Luchasaurus to go up. That means one heck of a crash through four tables (ala Bubba Ray Dudley/Matt Hardy at Wrestlemania X7. The BTE Trigger drops Jungle Boy and the Bucks get the titles back at 14:55.

Rating: B. What is there to say here? It’s a ladder match with a bunch of flips and dives and broken stuff, which is about all you can expect from this kind of a match. That isn’t a bad thing, but it also isn’t the kind of match that is going to blow the door off the place most of the time. The Bucks getting the titles back is a bit surprising, as they are the first ever two time champions, but they are still one of the top teams in the company. Jurassic Express had a good reign, though I don’t know if they ever came close to feeling like the top team around and that held them back.

Post match Jungle Boy has to be helped up because of his knee….and Christian Cage turns on him with the Killswitch. The Conchairto leaves Jungle Boy laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. They covered a lot this week with all kinds of stuff being set up for Forbidden Door as well as having a pair of impressive matches this week. What matters is that they have started getting us ready for the pay per view, which they kind of need to do since it is in less than two weeks. Heck of a show here as it felt like a classic Dynamite, which has been lacking lately.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Ortiz – Baseball bat to the face
Wardlow b. Security Guards – Group pin
Will Ospreay b. Dax Harwood – Hidden Blade
Miro b. Ethan Page – Game Over
Toni Storm b. Britt Baker – Storm Zero
Young Bucks b. Jurassic Express – Bucks pulled down the titles

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.