Dynamite
Date: October 5, 2022
Location: Entertainment And Sports Center, Washington DC
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the third anniversary of Dynamite and you know that means we are going to be seeing something special. In this case we have a big tag match main event as Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara are facing Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia. As a bonus, the show is an extra fifteen minutes long tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

William Regal is on commentary and doesn’t think much of MJF, even if the fans seem to like him. Wheeler sends him into the corner to start and we hit the Fargo Strut for some old school flare. A dropkick just annoys MJF so he takes Yuta down and grabs a chinlock. Back up and MJF grabs a tilt-a-whirl faceplant as we take a break.

Back with Yuta whipping him hard into the corner and grabbing a small package for two. Yuta grabs some rolling German suplex for two but his hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb onto a knee. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence for several near falls each and then do it again for a bonus.

Back up and a double clothesline puts them down, which is good for a standing ovation. MJF takes him up top for a super Tombstone but gets countered into a super hurricanrana. Yuta goes up for a splash but MJF rolls away and flips him off. That’s fine with Yuta, who hits a heck of a dive into the splash for two anyway. Yuta tries the Seatbelt but gets pulled into the Salt Of The Earth for the tap at 15:00.

Rating: B. They got time, they had a good story and it worked well as a result. MJF might not be the flashiest star in the ring but he knows how to put together a solid match. There was no way that Yuta was going to win here but the fact that he was wrestling instead of talking was a smart way to go.

Post match Yuta offers MJF the handshake and MJF considers it, only to have Lee Moriarty jump Yuta from behind. Cue Stokely Hathaway with the Dynamite Diamond, which MJF reluctantly puts on. That’s enough for William Regal, who gets up from commentary and LOADS UP THE BRASS KNUCKLES. MJF and company leave, albeit with MJF glaring at Regal. The knuckles got quite the reaction.

Video on Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara vs. Bryan Danielson/Daniel Garcia.

The Jericho Appreciation Society isn’t happy with Garcia and punishment is promised.

Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal

Feeling out process to start with Lethal sending Allin out to the floor. Allin is right back in for the springboard high angle armdrag into a standoff. Lethal gets smart by going after the knee but gets caught in a Scorpion Death Drop for a double knockdown. We take a break and come back with Lethal staying on the knee, including a super dragon screw legwhip.

Lethal slaps on the Figure Four as you might have expected, but Allin makes the rope, as you might have expected. The leg is fine enough for two off a Code Red so here are Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh. Lethal wants them to go back, setting off a pinfall reversal sequence until Allin grabs the Last Supper for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. Another good one here as Lethal continues to be able to have a nice match with anyone. That is why he is put in these spots over and over, with Allin getting a win over a name who still matters. This was the kind of television match that is always going to work and that was the case again here.

Post match Lethal shakes Allin’s hand, much to Singh and Dutt’s annoyance.

Video on Brian Cage and the Embassy.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Brian Cage

Cage, with Prince Nana, is challenging. They fight into the corner to start with Cage hitting a running clothesline but not being able to drop him. A hurricanrana sends Wardlow into the ropes but he catches a 619. Wardlow plants him with a World’s Strongest Slam but the Powerbomb Symphony is countered as we take a break.

Back with Wardlow fighting out of the corner and hitting a Whisper in the Wind of all things. A series of suplexes rock Cage but he catches Wardlow on top with a kick to the head. The apron superplex gets two on Wardlow, who is fine enough to come back with a spinebuster. Not to be outdone, Cage hits an F5 but tries his own powerbomb. Wardlow headbutts him a few times and hits the four movement Powerbomb Symphony to retain the title at 10:03.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need two big strong men hitting each other for a good while until one of them can’t stand up any longer. That is exactly what we got here and Wardlow felt like his old self for a change. I’m still not sure why we need the Wardlow/Samoa Joe thing when this is the kind of stuff that he can do on his own. As for Cage….well he had potential but it’s pretty clearly over for him no matter what.

Post match the Gates of Agony come in for the beatdown on Wardlow but Samoa Joe runs in for the save. Cage is back up but FTR comes in for the real save.

Britt Baker says Saraya isn’t cleared to wrestle so this is still her house.

Toni Storm/Athena/Willow Nightingale vs. Penelope Ford/Serena Deeb/Jamie Hayter

Saraya is here to cancel out Rebel and Britt Baker. Willow and Hayter start things off but it’s off to Athena vs. Ford instead. Athena hits a basement dropkick but Ford is back up with a handspring elbow back in the corner. Deeb comes in and gets dropped by a springboard spinning crossbody. It’s off to Storm to run Deeb down down and pound away with the forearms to the back. Deeb gets sent into the corner for some running charges, including Storm’s running hip attack. Deeb is right back up and takes out Storm’s leg as we take a break.

We come back with Storm fighting out of a chinlock and forearming away at Deeb. Everything breaks down and Deeb leglocks Storm as she suplexes Athena, with Hayter doing the same thing to Nightingale. Back up and Storm gets over for the tag off to Nightingale for a spinebuster on Hayter. Rebel loads up a crutch shot but Saraya makes the save. We hit the parade of secondary finishers until Ford gets a quick two on Nightingale. Ford’s handspring elbow is broken up and a doctor bomb gives Nightingale the pin on Ford at 9:29.

Rating: C+. There were two good parts here, as we had the women getting some more time, plus Nightingale actually getting a win. They didn’t get too insane here either and that made for another nice TV match. Nightingale could be on her way to something in the future if they give her a chance, and based on this maybe they are doing so.

Post match we get the big staredown, with Saraya getting in a fight with Baker. A low superkick from Saraya drops Rebel. So I guess she can wrestle again.

Rush and Jose the Assistant aren’t pleased with Private Party.

Here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, because it’s National Scissoring Day. The champs talk about their success and say AEW now stands for ACCLAIMED EVERY WEDNESDAY. Bowens talks about how scissoring is something that makes you friends and partners. The fans want a real team rather than two people thrown together like Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland (dubbed Sneaky Swerve).

Billy talks about how this is a special day and he has a present from city hall: some GIANT GOLD SCISSORS! Billy: “No running with scissors please.” Bowens wants to see some scissoring before Caster talks about his dad winning a Super Bowl for the local NFL team. That Super Bowl ring is his prized possession and now he is proud of his son becoming a champion too. For now though, we are in a city that represents the divide in America. However, everyone loves the Acclaimed and scissoring goes beyond left and right and red and blow.

We load up the three way scissoring to unite America but Swerve Strickland cuts them off. Swerve wants the titles back and doesn’t like Billy Gunn, even pulling out a rock, which beats scissors. The challenge is on for Billy vs. Swerve next week….and here is Mark Sterling of all people. He wants in on the scissoring and gets beaten down in a bit of a bizarre cameo. Billy accepts Swerve’s challenge for next week and three way scissoring ensues. This was long, ridiculous, over the top, and an absolute blast.

Dark Order is ready to win the Trios Titles on Rampage.

Madison Rayne praises Skye Blue when Tay Melo and Anna Jay to come in and mock them. A sports entertainers vs. wrestlers challenge is on.

Hangman Page vs. Rush

Jose the Assistant is here with Rush. Page gets shoved around to start but Rush has to bail from the threat of a Buckshot Lariat. They head outside with Rush whipping away with a camera cord and sending Page into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Page hitting a slingshot dive onto Rush before they get back inside. Rush stands on Page’s shoulders in the corner but gets taken down for two. Page has had it with him and gets in a hard clothesline. The Buckshot Lariat finishes Rush at 9:05.

Rating: C+. Well Page wasn’t going to lose less than two weeks away from his World Title shot so Rush putting him over was the right way to go. They had a hard hitting match here until Page knocked him silly, which is how this should have gone. Page needs to get back to the serious and they started it well here, though I don’t know if they have time to do enough before Cincinnati.

Post match Private Party comes out but Jon Moxley comes through the crowd to say he has been waiting for this for three years. Moxley is ready for his match in his hometown at the arena he used to smoke and drink in. After he walks from his house to the arena, he is ready to beat Page and prove that he is the man around here. Moxley goes to leave but Page is ready to do this right now. Moxley calls him a sweet kid and says Page says stuff that gets him in trouble. He has thirteen days, so watch your d*** mouth.

Willow Nightingale wants to be TBS Champion so Jade Cargill and the Baddies come in. Nightingale can be #39, but she thinks she can be the 1 in 38-1.

Luchasaurus vs. Fuego del Sol

A chokeslam and something like a reverse AA finishes Fuego at 23 seconds.

Post match Jungle Boy comes in with a chair to knock Luchasaurus outside. He and Luchasaurus were best friends but Luchasaurus chose Christian instead. Now Jungle Boy is going to break him piece by piece. Luchasaurus can pick the time and the place so Christian picks next week in Toronto.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Pac is ready for Trent Beretta.

Bryan Danielson/Daniel Garcia vs. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara

Jericho and Garcia start things off to start, with Jericho armdragging him down. Garcia gets him to the mat and has a seat on Jericho’s back but a cheap shot from Guevara lets the villains take over. It’s off to Danielson to clean house and send Jericho outside for the suicide dive as we take a break.

Back with Guevara hitting a super Spanish Fly for two on Danielson and then posing with Jericho. Stereo crossbodies put Jericho and Danielson down though and it’s a double tag to Garcia and Jericho. Guevara gets dropped hard so we get the staredown into the hockey fight right hands. Garcia gets the better of things and kicks Jericho in the chest, setting up the Dragontamer.

Guevara makes the save but the Lionsault hits Garcia’s raised knees. Guevara tries to come in off the top but dives into a Crossface. Danielson grabs one on Jericho at the same time before they switch to stereo hammer and anvil elbows. Guevara comes back in and cleans house but Garcia counters the GTH into a piledriver. Jericho breaks it up so Danielson knees him from the apron.

A clothesline drops Guevara and Jericho drops Danielson onto a table. With that not being enough to break it, Jericho suplexes him through the table. Guevara’s shooting star hits raised knees though and now the Dragontamer….is broken up with a Jericho belt shot. That’s enough for Guevara to steal the pin at 14:23.

Rating: B. It was a good match with a bit of a screwy finish so it was didn’t exactly come off well. This didn’t feel like the major main event of the AEW anniversary show, at least somewhat due to it mainly being about Ring Of Honor. Garcia vs. Jericho continues to be built up, though I’m still not sure how interesting that is really going to be.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a stacked show with a bunch of very good matches, though nothing broke through to that top level. What matters here that they are setting up a major title match in Cincinnati before we can move on to the Full Gear build. The problem is that it might not be that interesting, despite being put together well enough. Solid action and storytelling, but they need a big story around here and that doesn’t seem to be anywhere in sight.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Wheeler Yuta – Salt Of The Earth
Jay Lethal b. Darby Allin – Last Supper
Wardlow b. Brian Cage – Powerbomb Symphony
Willow Nightingale/Athena/Toni Storm b. Jamie Hayter/Penelope Ford/Serena Deeb – Doctor bomb to Ford
Hangman Page b. Rush – Buckshot lariat
Luchasaurus b. Fuego del Sol – Reverse flipping fireman’s carry slam
Sammy Guevara/Chris Jericho b. Bryan Danielson/Daniel Garcia – Belt shot to Garcia

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: September 30, 2022
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

Rampage is back to normal this week and that should make for a decent enough show. You never know what you’re going to get around here, though odds are you’ll get at least one important thing. Other than that though, there is a good chance you’ll be seeing some names who aren’t around on Dynamite very often. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Acclaimed vs. Butcher and the Blade vs. Private Party

Acclaimed, with Billy Gunn, is defending. Bowens and Kassidy start things off as Matt Hardy is watching in the back. They trade quick one counts as the fans sing in praise of the Acclaimed. A standoff gives us a handshake before Bowens drives Kassidy into the corner for the tag off to Castor. With Kassidy down, Castor stops for some scissoring with Gunn before Bowens comes in for a neckbreaker onto Castor’s knees.

Quen comes in and gets a middle rope legdrop between the legs. That’s enough for Butcher and the Blade, who come in and run the champs over. Bowens fights back up and is quickly headbutted right back down. We take a break and come back with Bowens powering out of Blade’s chinlock but getting powerslammed instead.

A superkick drops Blade hard but it’s Private Party tagging themselves back in to clean house. Private Party hits the Motor City Machine Guns’ Skull & Bones (with a Swanton instead of a splash) for two on Blade with Castor making the save. Everything breaks down again and Kassidy hits a dive of his own. Castor hits his own dive and sends Blade back inside, where it’s the Arrival into the Mic Drop to retain the titles at 9:58.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match and a good way to get the Acclaimed their first win, though I have no idea why they went with a three way match featuring all of a few moments of setup. The Acclaimed are over and if they can deliver in the ring to back it up, their title reign could go on for a rather long time.

Celebratory scissoring ensues post match.

The Firm mock FTR for holding various Tag Team Titles, which they can’t remember anyway. The Gunn Club wants the Tag Team Titles and bring up FTR for being #1 contenders for almost six months. They’ll leapfrog FTR too. I’m not sure if mocking your own rankings is the best idea.

Jade Cargill mocks AEW for giving her no competition but Vickie Guerrero, Marina Shafir and Nyla Rose come in. Cargill says Rose can have a title match but on Jade’s time. It’s as good as anything else at the moment.

Lee Moriarty vs. Fuego del Sol

W. Morrissey and Stokely Hathaway are here with Moriarty. Fuego gets taken to the mat to start and then uppercutted up against the ropes. Some stomps keep Fuego in trouble and a Border City Stretch finishes him off at 1:57.

Post match Morrissey gives Fuego a chokeslam.

Hangman Page is ready for Jon Moxley and the Dark Order will be in their corner. Andrade and Jose the Assistant come in to mock 10. Next week is the anniversary of Brodie Lee’s last match so Andrade has an idea: they have a match next week, with the mask Brodie Lee gave 10 vs. Andrade’s career. That could be interesting. The Firm comes in to mock Andrade and brings up Matt Hardy’s contract tampering with Private Party. Please tell me that this isn’t going to be their take on WWE’s alleged tampering.

Willow Nightingale vs. Jamie Hayter

Rebel and Britt Baker are here with Hayter. Nightingale takes her down and fires off some headbutts until Hayter fights up for an exchange of shoulders. Hayter gets dropped for a basement crossbody and splash for two. Some chops have Hayter in more trouble but she’s right back with a big boot to drop Nightingale hard (and Baker dances).

We take a break and come back with Hayter hitting a backbreaker for two. Nightingale pops up and hits a heck of a Pounce out to the floor to rock Hayter hard. Back in and a Death Valley Driver gives Nightingale two so it’s time to go up top. Baker offers a distraction though and it’s a shortarm clothesline to give Hayter the pin at 8:08.

Rating: C+. This was an interesting one as Nightingale is such a ball of charisma that I’m looking forward to seeing her most weeks, while Hayter is looking like a breakout star. She has very good abilities in the ring and the crowd is reacting to her, but until she breaks away from Baker, none of that is going to matter. For now though, this was a nice meshing of styles, with Nightingale’s power working well for her.

Video on Wardlow and Samoa Joe, because the best use of two of your midcard champions is to have them team together.

Here is Ryan Nemeth to mock various Philadelphia legends until Hook comes out to wreck him. As Hook is going to leave, the Trustbusters come out with an envelope with his name on it, which Hook takes.

Video on Swerve Strickland at a music festival.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley.

John Silver and Rush are ready for the main event.

Here’s what is coming on upcoming shows.

Trent Beretta is ready for Pac and the All Atlantic Title at Battle of the Belts.

John Silver vs. Rush

Alex Reynolds, Andrade and Jose the Assistant are here too. Silver grabs a headlock to start and a running elbow sends Rush outside. The dive is loaded up but Silver flips down into the Tranquilo pose for a nice touch. Rush comes back in and hammers on Silver, even knocking him outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and the running corner dropkick is loaded up, only to have Rush hit the cocky kick instead.

We take a break and come back with Silver hitting some corner clotheslines, followed by the rolling German suplexes. A sitout powerbomb gives Silver two and it’s time to slap it out. That goes to the bigger/stronger Rush but Silver grabs a brainbuster for two more. Jose tries to interfere so Reynolds pulls him down. The distraction lets Rush hit a running forearm into the corner though, setting up the Bull’s Horns for the pin at 10:55.

Rating: C. Silver is someone who is probably never going to become a major star in AEW but he has found a niche for himself and it is working. He has so much charisma that it is hard to ignore him. On the other side though, I have no idea what we are supposed to get out of Rush, who is a power guy with almost nothing else to him. Why this was a main event eludes me, but Rush did look dominant at the end.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Butcher and the Blade joining in. The rest of the Dark Order and Hangman Page run in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, Rampage is enough of a quality show but so much of if feels unimportant. Rush vs. John Silver? Jamie Hayter getting a win over Willow Nightingale and a Lee Moriarty squash? That’s not exactly must see TV and that is where Rampage falls. It could be something valuable to AEW but instead we get whatever they throw out there that week, I don’t quite get the thinking, but that’s what Rampage is.

Results
Acclaimed b. Butcher and the Blade and Private Party – Mic Drop to Blade
Lee Moriarty b. Fuego del Sol – Border City Stretch
Jamie Hayter b. Willow Nightingale – Shortarm clothesline
Rush b. John Silver – Bull’s Horns

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: September 14, 2022
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re a week away from Grand Slam and that means it is time to set up a World Title match. We have two semifinal matches in the title tournament this week and that should make for a good show. Other than that, we might get some more of the start of the build towards Full Gear. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Grand Slam Tournament Of Champions: Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara

No Tay Melo with Guevara but William Regal is on commentary. Guevara bails to the floor to start before coming back in and getting headlock takeovered. Back up and Guevara hammers him down in the corner, including some boot choking. They chop it out with Moxley laying down and feigning sleep before chopping more. Guevara sends him to the floor for the flipping suicide dive, followed by the running corkscrew dive. Moxley is sent into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Guevara blocking a piledriver on the apron and sending Guevara outside instead. Moxley hits the corner clothesline and rakes the back, setting up a butterfly superplex. Guevara manages an enziguri out of the corner and the top rope cutter gets two. The GTH is blocked but the King Kong lariat is countered into the bulldog choke.

With that broken up, Guevara is taken up top, only to have Anna Jay and Tay Melo come out. A Jay distraction lets Melo kick Moxley low, leaving Guevara to go up top, only to miss the Swanton. They slut it out until Guevara hits a jumping knee to stagger Moxley. The GTH is countered into the Death Rider for the pin at 13:25.

Rating: B-. There was no drama here as Moxley wasn’t going to lose to Sammy Guevara in a World Title tournament semifinal. Moxley is one of the favorites to win the whole thing and was the World Champion less than a month ago. Guevara did his usual stuff and had the women interfere, but there was nothing to convince me that Moxley was ever in danger.

Here is MJF for a chat. He says he hasn’t slept since he and Jon Moxley went toe to toe last week. MJF doesn’t like Moxley but isn’t the same person he was when they met the first time. Moxley is someone playing a character and MJF knows it because he read Moxley’s book. Moxley isn’t a normal person because he was raised like these people right here in Albany: poor and uneducated, which is why they love him.

Now Moxley is playing with something a lot more dangerous than his disease. MJF knows that Moxley is still the scared kid from Cincinnati, no matter how much people cheer for him. Sure Moxley went to rehab but MJF is the demon that he can’t overcome. Now though MJF has some backup that is going to help him take the title so here is the first stable on retainer: Stokely Hathaway and the Firm.

MJF leaves and Hathaway is going to tell us the gospel. He and MJF are best friends and Hathaway talked him out of quitting AEW. They prayed a lot and the men in this ring are his support system. Each of them will help MJF when necessary before going their separate ways. Hathaway is a friend who kicks it with Britt Baker and watches reruns of Living Single with the House of Black.

Hathaway talks about each member, saying he loves and appreciates them but thinks they could use some gold. Or to not be in their father’s shadow in the Gunn Club’s case. Either way, Hathaway is going to help get them what they want. This went on WAY longer than it needed to and Hathaway had nothing to talk about, which left it hanging badly. It doesn’t help that he is representing a bunch of goons and it was made even more obvious here.

Jungle Boy wants to fight and has issued an open challenge.

Jay Lethal is down to face Jungle Boy.

Jay Lethal vs. Jungle Boy

Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt are here with Lethal while Jungle Boy’s back is taped up. Lethal takes him into the corner to start and something involving running the corner is blocked. Jungle Boy is right back up and runs the corner for a wristdrag. Back up and Lethal goes for the leg but Jungle Boy sits down on him for two instead. A quick distraction lets Lethal get in a shot to the bad back, setting up a middle rope backbreaker onto the turnbuckle as we take a break.

Back with Jungle Boy winning a slugout but his back gives out on a suplex attempt. Jungle Boy pops back up for a brainbuster and goes to the middle rope, only to get Russian legsweeped down. The Lethal Combination sends Jungle Boy outside for the suicide dive, setting up the top rope elbow for two back inside. Lethal loads up a pump kick but gets pulled into the Snare Trap and Lethal taps at 10:34.

Rating: C+. There is nothing wrong with a good face coming in hurt and having to fight through the pain to win. That’s exactly what they had here and with Lethal in the ring as the good hand, this was going to work well. It wasn’t an epic or a classic, but it was a perfectly watchable wrestling match and that’s a nice thing to have on the show.

Action Bronson and Hook train for the Jericho Appreciation Society.

Ethan Page kicks pizza maker Luigi Primo in the face because no one takes his place seriously. Danhausen pops in and gets a match with Page on Rampage.

Darby Allin rides extreme bicycles.

Matt Hardy doesn’t like Darby Allin.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Matt DiMartino

Spinebuster finishes for Hobbs in 26 seconds.

Post match Hobbs says Ricky Starks is tough but it took him 4:35 to win at All Out. Damage starts tonight, but here is Starks through the crowd to interrupt. Starks charges the ring and clears Hobbs out.

The Lucha Bros are ready for their Tag Team Title shot.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. Swerve In Our Glory

The Bros are challenging and Pentagon strikes away on Strickland to start. It’s way too early to snap the arm so Penta settles for a kick to the ribs instead. Fenix comes in with a rolling dropkick, drawing some polite applause from Lee. There’s the assisted wheelbarrow splash for two but Strickland gets in a shot of his own and brings Lee in to shrug off some chops as we take a break.

Back with Fenix slipping out of a Gory Stretch and bringing Penta in to clean house. The Fear Factor is broken up though and a kick to the face allows Strickland to bring Lee back in. Lee wrecks the Bros but Penta manages a Canadian Destroyer on Lee for a very delayed two. That’s enough for Lee, who is back up with a Big Bang Catastrophe for the pin to retain at 8:12.

Rating: B-. Kind of a random Tag Team Title shot here but the Lucha Bros are always going to be near the top of the division. Lee and Swerve work well together as a big man/speed team, even though they’ve kind of become heels by default due to the Acclaimed stuff. Another good match though, and that’s always nice to see.

Post match here is the serious Acclaimed to promise to win the titles next week. They kind of have to.

Pac doesn’t like that loss being called a bump in the road and wants more respect. Orange Cassidy comes in with an Orange Punch and suggests he’s taking one of Pac’s titles.

Athena and Toni Storm don’t like Britt Baker and Serena Deeb.

Athena/Toni Storm vs. Serena Deeb/Britt Baker

Rebel is here with the villains. Deeb and Storm trade takeovers and headscissors on the mat to start until Storm gets her into the corner and chops away. Athena comes in with a slingshot splash for two and an over the shoulder spin into a Codebreaker (that was a lot) drops Deeb again. Baker offers a distraction though and Deeb takes the knee out as we take a break.

Back with Storm getting the hot tag to clean house, including a tornado DDT to Baker on the floor. Baker is fine enough for a Sling Blade back inside so it’s off to Athena vs. Deeb again. Athena has to power out of an armbreaker and brings Storm back in. Deeb grabs a half crab and shrugs off shots from Athena to keep Baker in trouble. Baker adds a basement superkick to Storm for two, with Athena having to backsplash the pile for the save. Athena is sent into the steps so Rebel offers a distraction, allowing Deeb to send Storm into a Baker held chair. Storm is out and Deeb gets the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C. So yeah, just after Storm wins the big one, she is losing to Serena Deeb in a tag match. It wasn’t clean, but Storm is at the point where she doesn’t need to be losing for a long time. She needs the rub to get her back to credibility and even though there was a chair involved, this wasn’t a good way to get there. At least it wasn’t Baker getting the pin though.

Post match Athena comes back in and gets Stomped for her efforts. Jamie Hayter runs in to break up another chair shot but beats Storm down with the chair instead. Hayter yells at Baker, who still says she is sorry.

Mark Sterling is ready for Josh Woods to win the ROH TV Title on Rampage.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Tournament Of Champions Semifinals: Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson

William Regal is on commentary. Danielson starts fast by firing off the kicks in the corner. There’s the running dropkick in the corner as we see Daniel Garcia watching, because of course he’s featured here too. Jericho fights back but gets taken outside with Danielson starting in on the arm.

Back in and the missile dropkick sets up the Swan Dive for two. Jericho manages a release German suplex into the triangle dropkick to the floor. They get back in for a chop off until stereo crossbodies leave them both down. We take a break and come back with Jericho snapping off a super hurricanrana but the Judas Effect is countered into a suplex for two.

Cattle Mutilation doesn’t finish Jericho so Danielson fires off the Hammer and Anvil elbows. Jericho reverses into some of his own, followed by a Codebreaker. Danielson isn’t having that and pops up with the running knee for the double knockdown. Back up and Jericho sends him over the top to the floor, where Danielson comes up grabbing his ankle.

Jericho isn’t going to let the doctor check on Danielson so he wraps the leg around the post. With the leg banged up, Jericho grabs a half crab and pulls Daniels back into the middle for a Figure Four. Somehow Danielson escapes and gets him into the LeBell Lock for the tap and the title match at 19:40.

Rating: B+. It felt like two guys struggling against each other because they both want something. That is how a match like this should go and it was another good one between two of the biggest stars in AEW. Danielson needed the win after a bit of a skid lately, though the positive thing is that he is so over in the first place that a few losses aren’t going to hurt him that much.

Post match Jon Moxley comes out for the staredown with Danielson as William Regal looks anxious. The handshake ends the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The tournament matches were good and the Firm is kind of interesting, but what made this one stand out a bit more was having good stuff in the middle. There wasn’t a point here where I felt bored (save for maybe the women’s match) and the two good matches book ended the show well. It was a wrestling heavy show and that is a good way to get rid of some of the drama.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Sammy Guevara – Death Rider
Jungle Boy b. Jay Lethal – Snare Trap
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Matt DiMartino – Spinebuster
Swerve In Our Glory b. Lucha Bros – Big Bang Catastrophe to Penta
Britt Baker/Serena Deeb b. Toni Storm/Athena – Storm was sent into a chair
Bryan Danielson b. Chris Jericho – LeBell Lock

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Dynamite
Date: September 7, 2022
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

And then, everything changed again. AEW World Champion CM Punk and AEW Trios Champions Kenny Omega/the Young Bucks got in a hue bar fight and the question now is what happens to the titles. Odds are this is going to be a huge night of change, which is not what you want after a major pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Here is All Out if you need a recap.

We open with a look at MJF returning as the Joker and winning the Casino Ladder Match, with help from Stokely Hathaway and company.

AEW President Tony Khan joins us (in a VERY rare appearance) to announce that the Trios and World Titles are both vacated. The Trios Titles will be crowned tonight as Death Triangle meets the Best Friends. The World Title will be crowned in a tournament, with the finals at Grand Slam on September 21.

Here are the brackets:

Chris Jericho
Bye

Hangman Page
Brian Danielson

Sammy Guevara
Darby Allin

Jon Moxley
Bye

The Trios Titles are fine but yes, it’s ANOTHER TOURNAMENT and apparently based on past accomplishments. One would think this would be about the #1 and #2 ranked contenders fighting for the title, but that would imply that the rankings had any meaning in AEW. What matters here is that the tournament is going to be over in just two weeks on a grand stage, but I really could have gone with another way to get there instead of AEW’s favorite way of crowning a champion.

Here is MJF, in a Buffalo Bills jersey, to hype up the crowd. He asks how happy people are to see him and says yeah he meant most of what he said last time he was on Dynamite. The fans get an apology for calling them stupid marks and yes that honey in the front row can hit him up after the show. The World Title has been vacated so the Tournament Of Champions is coming to crown a new World Champion.

There is one person who deserves to be champion but he is willing to work smart instead of hard. What we need right now is a leader and he tells the story of Moses, but MJF is better than Moses. Cue Jon Moxley to interrupt and after his Undertaker length entrance, he gets in the ring to say MJF is full of it. MJF turns on the crowd (Tony: “He’s back.”) and sticks it to the Buffalo fans. He talks about how the only Khan worth anything in wrestling is Jolly Old St. Nick but as his all time favorite wrestler, the Game, said, MJF being the World Champion is best for business.

Moxley says MJF needs to be out of the ring right now but MJF takes his shirt off. After that takes some time, MJF bails anyway. Moxley: “Your music sucks.” Anyway, Moxley says that he wants the title back and it is time for someone to take the shot. He needs to be the best and he is taking the shot because it is time to be a legend. You could feel the emotion here, but the better part is that MJF is back.

Trios Titles: Best Friends vs. Death Triangle

For the vacant titles and Danhausen and Alex Abrahantes are here too. Pac and Orange Cassidy start things off but Pac isn’t down for that. Instead Penta comes in for the pose off until Cassidy snaps off a headscissors. Everything breaks down and Death Triangle is sent outside for the big flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy in trouble but they head outside for Danhausen vs. Abrahantes. Cursing ensues so Danhausen tries the same on Pac, earning himself a shot to the face. Back in and the hot tag brings in Pac to clean house but Trent gets in a shot of his own to take over. Soul Food into the half nelson suplex drops Fenix and we get the Big Hug.

Back up and Fenix fires off the kicks but Death Triangle has to superkick him out of the Crunchie. The Orange Punch knocks Penta into the Crunchie for two with Pac making a save. An assisted Canadian Destroyer drops Trent and the spike Fear Factor hits Taylor. Instead of covering, Pac dives onto the other two, leaving Pac to hit the Black Arrow for the pin and the titles at 11:59.

Rating: B. This was about as good of a choice as they could have made as Death Triangle might be the most established trio in all of AEW. Let them have the titles and do their wacky stuff, which should be more interesting than whatever Elite melodrama we were supposed to get. The Best Friends were doing their serious version here and the whole thing worked well, as it was all about getting some new champions crowned.

Dark Order gets interrupted by Jose the Assistant, who has been sent by Andrade El Idolo to hire 10. John Silver isn’t having that Andrade and Rush come up, with 10 seeming interested.

We recap the Interim Women’s Title match, with Britt Baker costing Jamie Hayter the title.

Hayter won’t talk to Baker.

Toni Storm vs. Penelope Ford

Non-title. Ford, with Kip Sabian in her corner, takes Storm down with a headscissors to start but gets knocked into the corner. The running hip attack misses and Ford bails to the floor, where she sends Storm into the steps and we take a break. Back with Storm knocking her into the corner and hitting the hip attack. The jumping DDT finishes Ford at 5:53. Not enough shown to rate but it was just below a squash for Storm.

Matt Menard and Angelo Parker yell about Action Bronson interfering after Hook beat Parker.

Bronson says he’ll be at Grand Slam.

Here is the Acclaimed but Swerve Strickland cuts them off and says he has a joke for them: Acclaimed as AEW Tag Team Champions! Billy Gunn cuts them off and says this isn’t Swerve’s house anymore. Anthony Bowens says the rematch is in two weeks in New York City and they’re taking home the gold because everyone loves the Acclaimed. They have to change the titles there right?

Chris Jericho talks about finding the Fountain of Youth and drinking it in man. After beating Bryan Danielson, he is the greatest wrestler in history. This is his company and championship and no one is taking that away from him EVER. As for this Friday, Sammy Guevara is ready to beat Darby Allin and Daniel Garcia is winning the Ring Of Honor Pure Title tonight. Sammy didn’t hear him because he was admiring Jericho’s abs.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Tony Nese

Nese, with Mark Sterling, is challenging. A headbutt and lariat sets up the three movement Powerbomb Symphony to retain the title at 1:30. That was such a squash that it made up for Wardlow’s music not playing, Wardlow saying “where’s my music” and his old theme playing before the match by mistake.

Post match Wardlow loads up a powerbomb on Sterling but Josh Woods makes the save. Wardlow says he is tired of hearing that he is being misused and this is still WARDLOW’S WORLD!

Video on Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara, with Darby talking about how they have been competing since AEW started. He’ll throw in a bonus: no Sting when they fight on Rampage.

Tournament Of Champions First Round: Bryan Danielson vs. Hangman Page

William Regal is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Danielson grabbing a headlock to no avail. A chop sends Danielson outside but he is right back in for a takedown into a double knee stomp. Danielson kicks away in the corner but gets sent outside. That doesn’t go well for Page, who is sent shoulder first into the post and we take a break.

Back with Danielson chopping away even more but getting caught in the fall away slam to the floor. Danielson gets back in and walks into a Death Valley Driver for two but Danielson takes him back down for two of his own. Page gets sent to the apron and we take a break. Back with Page hitting a sitout powerbomb for two but Danielson ties him in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the chest. A belly to back superplex is broken up so Page hits a discus lariat for two.

Danielson is able to pull him into the LeBell Lock but Page slips out again. Back up and Danielson takes him down by the arm for another LeBell Lock, which is escaped as well. Danielson charges into the Deadeye for a very close two but Page misses a moonsault. Danielson’s running knee connects to send Page outside, where his suicide dive is countered into a powerbomb onto the apron. Page hits the moonsault to the floor, but the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a bridging O’Connor Roll for the pin at 22:50.

Rating: A-. Yeah of course this was great as Danielson can do no wrong while Page is able to have a very good match with a lot of people. This was a great way for Danielson to come back as it isn’t like Page was going to lose much in a match like this one. They had a long wrestling match here and it was very well put together, which shouldn’t be a shock at all.

Jungle Boy is ready to take out Christian Cage. As for Luchasaurus, it was appropriate that Luchasaurus carried him to the ring for so many years, because Jungle Boy carried his entire career. At All Out, it felt like an anchor was taken off of him and he has never been happier.

Stokely Hathaway and company come out for a chat but he is told they are out of time. Hathaway grabs the production guy by the throat, demands respect, and then drops him with a mic shot. Hathaway’s guys beat the production guy down.

Claudio Castagnoli and Dax Harwood are ready for their Ring Of Honor World Title match on Rampage.

Here’s what’s coming at various shows.

Ring Of Honor Pure Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta

Garcia is challenging and gets rapped to the ring. Feeling out process to start and they fight over a lockup before falling outside. We take a break and come back with Garcia coming up for an exchange of chops, with Yuta hitting a snap suplex. Garcia snaps off some suplexes and a running shot to the face gets two.

Back up and Yuta grabs some rolling German suplexes, only to have Garcia come back with his own. Then they trade German suplexes until Garcia hits a middle rope release German superplex, with Yuta landing on the back of his head (yow) as we take a break. Back with Garcia winning a slap off and putting on the Dragonslayer. With that broken up, Garcia does it again and bends back to make Yuta tap at 16:00.

Rating: B. These matches are still a good concept, though they feel out of place on such a high energy show as Dynamite. Garcia had to win here after everything he has done, though now we get to continue the wrestler vs. sports entertainer deal with him. Very technical match, though I’m not sure how well it served as a main event.

Post match Bryan Danielson comes out as the Code Of Honor is adhered to (they shake hands). Danielson then puts the title around Garcia’s waist as an aghast Chris Jericho comes out to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This show told me a few things. First of all, AEW has WAY too many stars on its roster if four big names can be dropped and you don’t really notice because there is still so much talent around. Second, having a show focusing on wrestling is always going to work and that is what they did here. There were three good matches with one near classic in the middle. This was an awesome two hours of TV, which flew by, and had some excellent wrestling included. Great show, and hopefully the end of so much AEW drama.

Results
Death Triangle b. Best Friends – Black Arrow to Taylor
Toni Storm b. Penelope Ford – Jumping DDT
Wardlow b. Tony Nese – Powerbomb Symphony
Bryan Danielson b. Hangman Page – O’Connor roll
Daniel Garcia b. Wheeler Yuta – Dragonslayer

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: August 24, 2022
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Taz

We’ve got a big one this week as suddenly we have a World Title match between Interim World Champion Jon Moxley and World Champion CM Punk. This comes as we have All Out in about a week and a half and now we need a main event. Odds are we get the main event announced or all but announced by the end of the night. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Chris Jericho to get things going but he gets to the point this time: Daniel Garcia needs to get out here to explain things to him. The fans tell Garcia that he is a wrestler as Jericho says all he wants is an apology. Garcia gets serious and talks about how he had wanted to face Danielson, his hero, for as long as he remembers. People are calling it the best match in Dynamite history (no, they aren’t) and they went thirty minutes (still not quite but closer to reality than best match in Dynamite history). It was the match he always wanted to have and Jericho ruined it.

Jericho wants him to say that he’s a sports entertainer but here is Danielson to interrupt. Danielson was proud of the match too but wants Garcia to be a wrestler. Jericho says Garcia is the best sports entertainer but Garcia says he can’t decide between his mentor and his hero. He gets so emotional that he knocks Jericho down and leaves.

That leaves Jericho to rant about how much he knows more about wrestling than Danielson. That doesn’t compute for Danielson, who asks what Jericho’s mentor, Stu Hart (not exactly), would think of this. The result is a match at All Out, but here is Jake Hager to jump Danielson from behind. Jericho vs. Danielson at All Out isn’t a surprise, but dang I could go for dropping this SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT IS BAD/WRESTLING IS GOOD story. We get it: WWE is awful and AEW rocks. Move on already.

Dax Harwood vs. Jay Lethal

No seconds are here oddly enough. They chop it out to start as JR talks about how old school promoters would love this and Taz explains what makes chops loud. Harwood hammers away in the corner until Lethal slips out and hits a super Russian legsweep as we take a break.

Back with Harwood rolling German suplexes but Lethal is right back with a Figure Four attempt. That’s broken up so Harwood goes for a Sharpshooter, which is broken up as well. Another Figure Four attempt is countered into a small package for two before Lethal kicks him in the leg.

The leg is fine enough to hit a slingshot powerbomb for two and the Sharpshooter goes on. Sonjay Dutt (with pencil) gets on the apron for the break and Lethal grabs a rollup for two. A small package gives Harwood the same and a middle rope spinning crossbody gives him two more. Lethal gets crafty by distracting the referee though and a rollup with trunks is enough to pin Harwood at 12:47.

Rating: B-. Lethal isn’t likely to become the tops tar in AEW or even a champion around here, but you are almost never going to see him do anything close to bad in the ring. That is a fine reason to put him on television and it worked well here, with Harwood going step for step with him before getting cheated in the end. I could go for Harwood winning more of these singles matches, but he is making himself into more and more of a star every time he’s in there.

Post match Sonjay Dutt says we’re still having a six man tag at All Out, but he never said who was in it. Jay Lethal will be teaming with……the Motor City Machine Guns???? Well that’s an upgrade.

Thunder Rosa is in tears and announces that she has to vacate the Women’s Title. Therefore, an Interim (STOP DOING THAT!) Women’s Title will be crowned in a four way match at All Out.

Billy Gunn vs. Colten Gunn

The Acclaimed handles Billy’s entrance, bringing up student loan debt and backstage talent meetings. Billy wastes no time in powering Colten outside and we take an early break. Back with Billy unloading in the corner and stomping away, with the referee having to pull him off. The distraction lets Stokely Hathaway get in a cheap shot with the boom box on the floor. That’s also enough of a distraction so Colten can get in a low blow, setting up the Colt 45 for the pin at 6:16. Most of the match was in the break but that’s the right result.

Post match Hathaway again offers his business cards and this time the Gunns accept. The beatdown is on until Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland make the save.

Death Triangle is ready for Will Ospreay/Aussie Open.

Britt Baker vs. KiLynn King

Baker hammers away in the corner but King reverses and stomps away in said corner. A Downward Spiral into the buckle drops King though and Baker pulls her head into the post. Back in and King hits a German suplex but King gets taken down and Stomped. The Lockjaw finishes for Baker at 3:55.

Rating: C. Just a quick win to give Baker some momentum heading into the All Out title match. Baker isn’t exactly someone who needs such a win but at least they are doing something to build her back up. King continues to look like a good prospect and I could see her going somewhere just due to her unique look and size.

Post match Baker rips on the rest of the challenges for the Women’s Title, including Toni Storm. Jamie Hayter and Rebel jump her from behind but Hikaru Shida makes the save.

Keith lee and Serve Strickland are down to give the Acclaimed a Tag Team Title shot at All Out.

AEW World Title: CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley

Punk’s AEW World Title and Moxley’s Interim World Title are being unified. They fight over a lockup to start and Punk is taken into the corner, where Moxley hammers away. Punk is back with a kick but hurts the previously injured foot and he’s in trouble. The doctor is called over but Moxley hits a King King lariat. Leg cranking ensues, along with hammer and anvil elbows, setting up the Death Rider. Moxley hits it again and wins at 2:59.

I believe a “….whoa” is in order here as that wasn’t exactly what a lot of people were likely expecting. This feels like either Punk was still injured or those backstage issues are bigger than we think, but it is still a good bit too early to know for sure what is going on. What matters here is that Moxley wins and can move on to….I have no idea what actually at All Out, but the Interim Title (at least this one) nonsense is over. People are going to be talking about this one for awhile though and that is a good thing.

Punk is helped to the back.

Christian Cage is rather serious as he accepts Jungle Boy’s challenge for All Out. All he wanted was for two of them to be back together but then Jungle Boy took it to another level. Jungle Boy isn’t in his league but the match is on.

Here is a ticked off Ricky Starks to talk about how Powerhouse Hobbs turned on him. Veterans are telling him that this is show business and you have to get used to this but he thought he was the exception because he had Hobbs behind him. Hobbs was checking on him every day last year when he broke his neck, but then Hobbs got jealous of Starks’ success. Starks remembers Hobbs standing around in the background until they got together, but then Hobbs hit him in the neck. He sees Hobbs as a neck, and where Starks comes from, they step on snakes. The challenge is on for All Out in another match you knew was coming but needed to be officially set.

We look at the title change again.

Jon Moxley is sick of people writing his obituary as soon as Punk arrived. He is the answer to every wrestling problem and his time is right censored now.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

We look at Kenny Omega’s return last week.

Trios Titles Tournament: Death Triangle vs. Will Ospreay/Aussie Open

Don Callis in on commentary. Fenix and Ospreay trade flips to start before everything breaks down. Death Triangle sends them to the floor and hit the stereo flip dives for the big knockdown. Back in and Pac chops away at Ospreay before Fenix kicks him down for two. We take a break and come back with Osprey hitting a Sky Twister onto Pac and Penta, followed by a running boot in the corner to Fenix.

We settle down to a heck of a dropkick to Fenix but he chops away at the Aussies and hits a very springboard double wristdrag for a breather. The hot tag brings in Penta for a double high crossbody and everything breaks down as we take a break. Back with Pac coming in to clean house, but Aussie Open and the Lucha Bros come in for the brawl. Ospreay and Pac hit stereo poisonranas to the teams and it’s time for the big staredown. They slug it out until the Oscutter drops Pac, followed by a hard shot to the face to do it again.

Pac catches him on top though and it’s the big superplex for a double knockdown as we take a break. Back with Ospreay back up and hitting a hurricanrana on Pac but the Stormbreaker is countered into a hurricanrana to give Pac two. Everything breaks down again and Penta hits a step up Canadian Destroyer. Pac goes outside and stops to glare at whoever is in the Kip Sabian box because it clearly isn’t Sabian. It’s….just someone, allowing Sabian to jump Pac from behind. Back in and an assisted Oscutter gives Ospreay the pin on Fenix at 25:18.

Rating: B+. Kip Sabian aside, this is the reason you put a match like this on the card: total and complete insanity with very little resembling a tag match (though there was some in there for a bit of a bonus) and all of the insanity you could ask for in one match. It was a lot of fun and the result surprises me, so well done all around.

Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks come out for the staredown but Callis holds Omega back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a rather weird show with all kinds of stuff going on, a lot of which had a vibe like it was being cobbled together at the last minute. That’s usually a problem, but they have a huge out this week with the Punk/Moxley situation, which is going to completely dominate the post show chatter. I have no idea what they are going to do with the title at All Out but me being this curious says they seem to be doing something right.

Results
Jay Lethal b. Dax Harwood – Rollup with trunks
Colten Gunn b. Billy Gunn – Colt 45
Jon Moxley b. CM Punk – Death Rider
Britt Baker b. KiLynn King – Lockjaw
Will Ospreay/Aussie Open b. Death Triangle – Elevated Oscutter to Fenix

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: August 10, 2022
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Jim Ross

It’s another themed show with Quake By The Lake, though in this case it seems to just be a name instead of anything specific. The card is pretty stacked as we have Jon Moxley defending the World Title against Chris Jericho, plus a coffin match and a tornado tag. That should be enough so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin vs. Brody King

Coffin match. Allin pops up out of the darkness to start fast, including some thumbtacked skateboard shots. They fight around the ring with Allin getting punched out of the air and being sent over the table. King breaks the skateboard over his knee, which has Allin diving right back at him. Back in and Allin fights his way out of trouble on top and hits a super Code Red, with King being sent outside again (there is a trail of blood on the floor). This time King whips him HARD into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with King missing Allin with a middle rope splash to the floor but hitting the table clean. Allin loads up a big dive but the lights go out, meaning it’s House Of Black time. Julia Hart trips Allin down and the beating is on, allowing King to hit a running flip dive through a table in the corner.

The coffin is loaded up, but Sting is inside. House is cleaned but Sting throws Malakai Black the bat. Black thinks about it but leaves, allowing Allin to hit a big cannonball suicide dive to drop King on the floor. It’s not enough to get him into the coffin though as King drops Allin onto the steps. Allin manages to get in a few chain shots though and chokes King on the apron. King falls off the apron and falls into the coffin to give Allin the win at 13:24.

Rating: B-. That was a lot of blood from King, who was gushing by the end of the match. The good thing here is that Allin won, which is pretty overdue for him in a big match. Odds are that isn’t it for him with the House of Black as Sting and Malakai still need to have their showdown, but for now, it’s a good win for Allin.

Jon Moxley says that since we have the FTW Title, his title might as well be the FYI Title. Tonight, he is going to push the last survivor of the Hart Dungeon and the Lionheart and see what happens.

Chris Jericho promises to win the title tonight because the Lionheart, complete with the leather vest, is back. Jericho talks about how he is going to stretch Moxley tonight and tonight he is going to win the title again.

We have brackets for the Trios Titles tournament:

Death Triangle
Will Ospreay/Aussie Open

Andrade El Idolo/Dragon Lee/Rush
Young Bucks/???

House Of Black
Dark Order

Trustbusters
Best Friends

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Lucha Bros

Tornado tag with Jose and Alex Abrahantes here too. La Faccion starts fast and Fenix is suplexed hard into the corner. Penta is back up with a Sling Blade though and Fenix hits a suicide dive to send Rush into the barricade. There’s the running flip dive to drop Andrade again, leaving Penta to hit Made In Japan for two on Rush. Back in and Rush breaks up the spike Fear Factor and drops Fenix onto Penta for a double two. La Faccion hits stereo flip dives to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with the Bros hitting their own big flipping dives, setting up Fenix’s Eddie dance and frog splash. That only hits knees (spent too much time dancing) but Penta hits a rolling cutter to drop Rush, leaving all four down. Back up and Andrade ties Penta’s mask to the ropes (JR: “NOT THE DOUBLE KNOT!”), leaving Rush to piledrive Fenix. Penta rips the mask off and makes the save, leaving Andrade to throw the mask into the crowd. As the fans chant THROW IT BACK, Rush hits the Bull’s Horns and El Idolo finishes Fenix at 13:52.

Rating: C+. In a way, I can go with the idea of just throwing up your hands and not even bothering with the tags anymore. These matches exist for nothing more than a bunch of chaos, so just throw away the tagging part and get to what everyone is waiting on. They do the style well, but my goodness, enough with the Bros losing their masks.

The Young Bucks come up to Hangman Page and the Dark Order. The Bucks praise Page for everything he has done over the years and reminisce about their great times together, saying it was the best time of their careers. One more time: they can reunite the team and win the Trios Titles. Page is grateful for their time together but turns them down for the Dark Order, because they have had his back. They’ll get together later though, with the Bucks not being overly pleased but not arguing.

Anthony Henry vs. Luchasaurus

Jungle Boy is on commentary. Henry charges at him, gets beaten up, and walks into the Fossilizer (Sean O’Haire’s Widowmaker for those O’Haire fans out there) for the pin at 37 seconds.

Post match Christian Cage pops up on screen in the back….and Jungle Boy actually goes running after him because he knows where the interviews take place (as logical as it gets around here). Security keeps Jungle Boy from Christian but Luchasaurus comes in to take them out. Christian escapes and Luchasaurus headbutts agent Pat Buck.

Miro isn’t sure what to do about the House of Black but Julia Hart comes up to tell him to embrace their gift. She isn’t the woman allowed to touch his face, but he’ll accept their help.

Powerhouse Hobbs is interrupted by QT Marshall and the Factory. They’ll take care of Ricky Starks, which seems to have Hobbs’ approval.

Here are Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt. They brag about taking out Wardlow on Saturday and Lethal wants another shot. Cue Wardlow to say he’s taking them all out right now, with FTR coming out join them. The villains bail but come back in, with Wardlow and FTR clearing the ring.

The Jericho Appreciation Society is ready for Chris Jericho’s win tonight and even have a little bit of the bubbly waiting on them. Daniel Garcia calls himself the Dragon Slayer for taking out Bryan Danielson, which sends Anna Jay off to choke someone who doesn’t seem to like that. That would be Leva Bates (formerly known as Blue Pants).

Aaron Solo vs. Ricky Starks

The Factory is here too but get ejected for trying to interfere. Starks takes Solo down but the Roshambo is countered with a hurricanrana. Starks misses the spear but then hits the spear (almost from the side) for the pin at 2:02.

Post match Nick Comoroto comes in to go after Starks but he gets away from a chair shot. Then Starks runs away into the crowd when the rest of the team comes in.

Stokely Hathaway interrupts the Gunn Club and recruits the younger generation. Billy doesn’t like it, so Stokely calls him old. Danhausen comes in and a match seems to be made for Rampage.

The Trustbusters interrupt the Best Friends because Orange Cassidy won’t answer Ari Daivari’s texts or calls. Cassidy says no, so threats are made.

TNT Title: Madison Rayne vs. Jade Cargill

Cargill is defending and misses a charge into the corner to start. A middle rope dropkick sends Cargill outside. They head outside and Madison has to counter a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. Back in and Jade hits a heck of a spear as we take a break. Back with Rayne grabbing a neckbreaker and hitting a not great enziguri. The Baddie distraction lets Jade kick her down and, after countering a counter, hit Jaded to retain at 7:34.

Rating: C. This could have been worse, but Rayne is going to hit a pretty solid ceiling of just ok most of the time. At the same time, Jade isn’t going to lose in a mostly cold match on Dynamite so there was only so much drama. Rayne is a veteran who can wrestle a competent match, but this seemed more about giving Jade a win over a name, whatever that is worth in Rayne’s case.

Post match Athena, previously disguised as a Baddie, comes in to take Jade out and clear the ring.

Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm, now #1 contender due to Kris Statlander getting hurt, are cool with each other but ready to fight. Storm wants to keep her momentum going.

Here’s what’s coming on a bunch of shows.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho, in his WCW/ECW/NJPW look as the Lionheart, is challenging and William Regal is on commentary. Feeling out process to start as Jericho (with ponytail) armdrags him down a few times. Jericho takes him down to crank on the neck but Moxley is back up with some chops and trash talk. A snapmare drops Moxley and Jericho rips out the earring, with Regal saying fair enough, as he would have done it too.

We take a break and come back with a rather bloody Moxley working on an armbar but Jericho breaks that up. Jericho grabs the Hartbreaker Figure Four around the post, which lasts as long as it can. Back in and Moxley grabs a crossface, which is reversed into the Walls. We take a break and come back with Moxley still in the hold but crawling over to the rope for the break. Jericho tries the triangle dropkick but gets sent outside, allowing Moxley to go up top, only to dive into the Codebreaker for a close two.

With that not working, Jericho takes a turnbuckle pad off for a distraction, allowing Sammy Guevara to throw in a baseball bat (overthrow that is). A heck of a shot gives Jericho two and a ram into the buckle sets up the Judas Effect for a very close two. With nothing else working, Jericho goes for the belt but misses a charge into the exposed buckle. Moxley grabs a choke but Jericho (now bleeding too) reverses that into a Liontamer. That’s reversed into another choke and Jericho finally taps at 22:34.

Rating: B. This was a good enough big match feel, though the blood was a bit excessive after the opening bloodbath from Brody King. Jericho is still a big enough win that this boosts Moxley, as he continues to be able to stop Jericho each time. Rather good TV main event here, though Moxley is going to need someone for All Out.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Jericho Appreciation Society, followed by the Blackpool Combat Club and more of the Society run in for the big dive. Cue the returning CM Punk for the ring clearing save and showdown with Moxley. A middle finger from Moxley and a brushing off leave Punk alone to pose to end the night. It was about time for Punk to be back, as the interim thing was getting a bit ridiculous after two plus months. It’s the only thing that would make sense for All Out too, so this is about as perfect as you can get.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and main event were both good but the middle dragged pretty badly here. What matters is that they now have a big main event set for All Out, which had been sorely lacking over the last few weeks. They still need some better work in the midcard and All Out needs a bit of a better focus, but the last half hour of this show was the important part and they covered it well.

Results
Darby Allin b. Brody King – Allin knocked King into the coffin
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Lucha Bros – El Idolo to Fenix
Luchasaurus b. Anthony Henry – Fossilizer
Ricky Starks b. Aaron Solo – Spear
Jade Cargill b. Madison Rayne – Jaded
Jon Moxley b. Chris Jericho – Choke

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: August 5, 2022
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re a day away from Battle Of The Belts and that is probably not going to mean very much. Other than that, we have a street fight this week between Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland and Josh Woods/Tony Nese, after Woods attacked Lee last week. In addition, Madison Rayne will be making her AEW debut which could be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Mance Warner

Non-title and William Regal is on commentary. Before the match, we get a video from Warner, who is quite the Tennessee style talker. He promises to fight Moxley (rather than dance with him) because he has heard Moxley talk about how much he loves to bleed. Now Ole Mancer is here to become the man. It’s a brawl in the aisle to start with Warner sending him into the steps before biting Moxley’s head.

They get inside for the bell and are back on the floor literally two seconds later. Moxley gets sent into the barricade and there’s a crotching on the barricade to make it worse. A clothesline knocks Moxley down again and they head inside but he tied Warner’s leg in the ropes. There’s a running dropkick to the ropes to set up a Figure Four but Warner is out without much trouble.

Back up and they trade right hands in the corner before going outside again. Moxley gets whipped hard into the steps but he’s back up with a suplex. They head inside but are right back outside (again) to fight on the steps. Warner hits a DDT onto said steps and we take a break. Back with Warner stomping on the ankle and hitting a not great spinebuster for two. A boot to Moxley’s bloody face gets two and Warner grabs a chair, which is forearmed into Warner’s head.

Now Warner is busted open as well, which offers a good target for Moxley’s suicide dive into the barricade. Back in and a superplex sets up the hammer and elbow elbows, though Moxley’s arm is hurt from forearming the chair. Warner hits him with a clothesline and they’re both down. The cover from Warner is countered into a Kimura before Moxley stomps away at the head. A piledriver sets up more stomping and Moxley chokes him out at 11:37.

Rating: C+. Yes it’s another Moxley brawl with blood and again it doesn’t get to stand out after how many times we have seen it. Warner is a good talker but his stuff between the bells doesn’t exactly stand out. It’s a bunch of whipping people into things and hitting them with weapons, which gets repetitive fast. Having both of them in the same match didn’t exactly hit a high level, though it was a decent brawl.

At Dynamite, Ricky Starks was interrupted by the Factory. QT Marshall offers Starks protection from the team (which now includes Kole Carter) but he isn’t interested in help, either from Marshall or Aaron Solo.

Ryan Nemeth vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita avoids a charge to start and hits a running boot in the corner as the fans seem rather invested here. Peter Avalon, in Nemeth’s corner, grabs Takeshita’s leg though and Nemeth starts kneeing away. Takeshita is right back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb and the running knee finishes Nemeth at 1:40. Well that’s how you build someone up for tomorrow’s title match.

Post match Avalon goes after Takeshita and gets kneed down for his efforts.

At Dynamite, Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends aren’t thrilled with how they’re doing as of late but think they do their best as a trio. They’re in for the Trios Title tournament, but Dr. Danhausen comes in to make it four. Because he’s a doctor too.

Madison Rayne vs. Leila Grey

Stokely Hathaway is here with Grey. They lock up to start with Grey driving her into the corner for a forearm to the chest. The frustration sets in for Rayne and they go to a series of standing switches. Some rollups gives Rayne some near falls and we hit the armbar to keep Grey in trouble.

Back up and Grey misses a charge into the corner but Hathaway jumps up and down on the steps for a rather obvious distraction. Grey knocks her off the apron and we take a break. Back with Rayne striking away and getting two off a northern lights suplex. Rayne hits a sliding lariat into Cross Raynes (yes Cross Raynes) to finish Grey at 8:29.

Rating: C. Rayne is an interesting veteran to bring in as the fans are going to know who she is and she can wrestle a good enough match. There are multiple women above her though and she is only going to draw so much interest. This was about what I expected and now Rayne can move on to do whatever else, though she might be better suited as a coach than a regular competitor.

Post match Jade Cargill comes out and issues the challenge to Rayne for next week’s Dynamite. Rayne is in and even takes out the invading Kiera Hogan.

Video on the Lucha Bros vs. La Faccion Ingobernable in a tornado tag.

Mark Sterling doesn’t think much of Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland, who are ready to face Tony Nese/Josh Woods in a street fight.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland vs. Tony Nese/Josh Woods

Non-title falls count anywhere and Mark Sterling is here with Nese and Woods. It’s a brawl on the floor to start with Woods driving Strickland into the barricade. They trade off with a drop toehold sending Nese into the barricade, leaving Woods to get forearmed in the face. Nese is back up with some protein powder in Lee’s face but that’s about it for offense, as Strickland grabs a toolbox and launches it, only to hit the steps.

As Lee gets some water for his eyes, Woods forearms Swerve in the face and grabs a twisting suplex to send him into the steps. We take a break and come back with Lee saving Strickland from being powerbombed off the apron and through a table. Lee can’t stop Nese from kicking Strickland in the face but he can break up a cover at two. Everyone gets back in with Lee cleaning house but Nese dropkicks a chair into his face. A double DDT onto a chair gets two as Strickland 450s in for the save.

Now we get a table set up, but Sterling comes in with a wrench (from the toolbox) to knock Strickland silly. Lee is back up with a headbutt to Nese and throws Sterling off the top and through the table. Woods still can’t suplex Lee off the apron and through more tables but Nese adds a suplex and the superplex does indeed drive Lee down hard. Nese brings in a bunch of chairs but gets backdropped onto them instead. The Swerve Stomp onto the chairs is enough to give Strickland the pin at 13:56.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to think about something like this, as it’s another weapons based brawl which we seem to have almost every week or so. Lee and Strickland are a rather good team and they did well here, but I could go a little while without seeing Nese, who never seems to win anything. There are so many good teams around here but Lee and Strickland are facing a makeshift team with Mark Sterling. I’m not sure I get that one.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show here, but the amount of time spent on hardcore or weapons stuff around here gets annoying at times. Rayne vs. Grey was the only match here to get some time and not have a bunch of weapons stuff involved. There are talented wrestlers around here and they don’t need the stuff going on to make their matches interesting. The show was good enough, but it felt like they were tacking on a bunch of extra stuff that didn’t need to be there, which tends to be a recurring theme for AEW.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Mance Warner – Bulldog choke
Konosuke Takeshita b. Ryan Nemeth – Running knee
Madison Rayne b. Leila Grey – Cross Raynes
Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland b. Tony Nese/Josh Woods – Swerve Stomp onto chairs to Nese

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: August 3, 2022
Location: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We’re rapidly coming up on All Out but first we need to get through this weekend’s Battle Of The Belts, which is apparently a thing that is happening. So far there is one match announced and that means we will probably get the rest of the card announced. Whether that is in rapid fire or with more traditional announcements remains to be seen, but Excalibur is probably warming up his throat. Let’s get to it.

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

Jay Lethal vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy rolls him up to start and knocks Lethal up the ramp, setting up the lazy kicks. Lethal crawls away but it’s Satnam Singh waiting at the top of the ramp. Cue the Best Friends, with Trent on Taylor’s shoulders, to be taller than Singh, who leaves for no logical reason. With that HILARIOUS visual gag out of the way, we get back in and Cassidy hits a high crossbody but the tornado DDT is countered into a dragon screw legwhip. Cassidy’s knee is sent into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy being caught in a Figure Four but he rolls over to the ropes. Hail To The King is loaded up but Cassidy rolls into the corner and chills for a bit, much to Lethal’s annoyance. Cassidy’s knee is ok enough to get up top for a super DDT, followed by the tornado DDT for two. Beach Break gets the same but Lethal kicks the knee out and hits Lethal Injection for the pin at 12:14.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised they had Cassidy lose clean like that, but Lethal seems primed to go after Wardlow and the TNT Title. That might not sit well around here due to Cassidy’s popularity and I can kind of get the idea. Lethal has been in a one sided feud with Samoa Joe before losing at the pay per view and now he’s going after a bigger title. I’m not sure I get that.

Post match Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh come out with more threats to Cassidy’s leg. Dutt wants Wardlow out here so Wardlow makes the save. They aren’t fighting right now, but Dutt issues the challenge to Wardlow for Battle Of The Belts. Wardlow accepts, though Dutt said it was against “my man” and never said Lethal.

We look back at Hook winning the FTW Title last week in a nice moment.

Here is the returning Undisputed Elite for a chat. Adam Cole says his shoulder is still injured and he isn’t cleared to compete but you’re still looking at the most elite group in wrestling history. These are five of the most talented stars of all time and they are a team because they are loyal.

Unfortunately he can’t be in the Trios Titles tournament, and that means the Young Bucks can’t be either. The Bucks don’t buy that, but Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly jump the Bucks from behind. The beatdown is on, including chairs being brought in. Hangman Page (with butterflies on his jeans) runs in with a lead pipe for the save. A Bucks/Page reunion is teased but it doesn’t quite click. I’m so, so, SO excited for more Elite “won’t you please be my friend” melodrama. It had been a nice few months without it but here we go again.

Jon Moxley is ready to destroy Chris Jericho because he likes blood and violence. Tonight, he’s ready for either Jericho or Wheeler Yuta to win because he’ll hurt either of them next week.

Christian Cage was backstage for an interview earlier when Jungle Boy tried to run him down.

Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm/Thunder Rosa

Rebel is here with the villains. Rosa takes Baker down to start and shrugs off an early Lockjaw attempt. Hayter comes in and gets beaten up by Storm with Rosa coming in to keep up the pummeling. Back up and Hayter manages to knock her into the corner so Baker can come in and take over as we go to a break.

Back with Rosa hitting a Stunner to get herself out of trouble and handing it back to Storm for a high crossbody. Hayter reverses a double suplex into one of her own to put Storm and Rosa down, setting up a Stomp from Baker. Rosa dives in off the top with a nasty looking double stomp to make the save and everyone is down for a bit. Hayter plants Rosa but Storm and Rosa hit stereo German suplexes. Storm hits the running hip attacks in the corner but hits Rosa by mistake. One heck of a clothesline blasts Storm to give Hayter the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. This started off slowly and then got a lot better by the end. It’s almost weird seeing Hayter get a pin but boosting up someone different enough like her could be worth a try. Storm vs. Rosa seems to be starting to come together and a title match at All Out wouldn’t be that big of a surprise.

We get a video on Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti getting married but Eddie Kingston interrupts and says no one cares. Kingston has signed to face Guevara at All Out so check your mail and sign the deal.

We look at Powerhouse Hobbs turning on Ricky Starks last week.

Taz is fed up and officially ends Team Taz because he didn’t authorize any of that. Well that’s overly logical.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ren Jones

Running powerslam, clothesline, Jones is done with a kneeling on the chest pin at 51 seconds.

Post match Ricky Starks sprints to the ring and gets planted by Hobbs.

Miro wants time to know what he is going to do about the House Of Black.

Darby Allin warns Brody King that he might get what he asked for.

Jim Ross joins commentary.

Christian Cage vs. Matt Hardy

Christian hammers him in the corner to start and they fight outside, with Matt not being able to drive him through a table. Back in and Matt pulls him out of the corner for a powerbomb and a near fall but they head back to the floor. Christian drives him hard into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Matt slugging his way out of trouble but the Twist of Fate is blocked. Christian’s pendulum kick out of the corner rocks Hardy again and Matt gets knocked down for two. They head outside again with Christian putting him through a table, setting up the Killswitch for the pin at 11:02.

Rating: D+. And all of the positives here are for Christian, who you would never guess is in his late 40s. He’s on a heck of a roll at the moment, while Matt is old, slow, and looks every bit of it. I have no idea why Matt is wrestling whatsoever, but he was looking terrible here and it didn’t need to be on TV, or anywhere for that matter. Give Christian something better to do. Also, there’s your required table bump of the week.

Post match Christian loads up the Conchairto but Luchasaurus’ music starts up. Cue Jungle Boy through the crowd to chase Christian off.

Daniel Garcia declares his win over Bryan Danielson to be the biggest in AEW history.

Pac retained the All-Atlantic Title at a Rev Pro event in England last week.

Ethan Page is in the ring to rant about why he isn’t on TV more and doesn’t have an action figure. He isn’t even on the truck despite being so much more talented. Cue Stokely Hathaway to offer Page a business card and they leave together.

The Jericho Appreciation Society is ready for Chris Jericho to become Le Champion again next week. Then Anna Jay chokes out a production worker.

Gunn Club vs. Acclaimed

Dumpster match. Before the match, the Acclaimed jumps the Club and Max Caster promises to make them retire like Vince McMahon (Anthony Bowens’ face is priceless). The brawl is on with the Club sending Acclaimed into the dumpster early, only to have Acclaimed come out with a cookie sheet for the escape. We take a break and come back with Bowens getting hit with Colt 45 on the stage. Colten goes up on part of the set with Caster popping up behind him. That means a toss into the dumpster, followed by the Mic Drop to put Austin through a table. The Club is dumpstered for the win at 8:04.

Rating: C. I have no idea how to grade something like this, but the Acclaimed’s pre-match stuff was outstanding. The problem with something like this is that it’s tied into one idea from the music video and a play on words based on a Danhausen joke (or wherever the A** Boys thing is from). I’m sure this was some kind of tribute/call back to Billy Gunn in 1998, and that might be your biggest problem.

Post match the Acclaimed tie the dumpster shut and shove it off the stage ala the Outlaws to Mankind/Chainsaw Charlie in 1998.

Here’s what’s coming up on various shows.

Chris Jericho vs. Wheeler Yuta

Non-title and Jericho’s title shot next week is on the line. The Appreciation Society is here so Claudio Castagnoli comes out to even things up. They go out to the floor to start with Yuta taking over and knocking Jericho around the ring. The Society tries to interfere and gets ejected, leaving Yuta to wave goodbye to them. Yuta throws some rights but gets crotched on top as we take a break.

Back with Yuta making a comeback and hitting a top rope clothesline, only to have stereo crossbodies leave them both down. Yuta is up first and rolls some German suplexes for two. Jericho pulls him into the Walls but Yuta makes the rope, meaning Jericho needs to yell at the referee.

That’s enough for Jericho to be thrown outside for three straight suicide dives, only to dive into the Codebreaker for two back inside. Yuta is back up with a Regal Stretch to send Jericho to the ropes. The baseball bat is grabbed and taken away, allowing Jericho to kick Yuta low. The Walls is reversed into the seatbelt rollup for two, which is reversed into the Liontamer to make Yuta tap at 12:30.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here and the right ending, even if it means another champion taking a loss. Jericho moves on to the title match with some momentum and Yuta gets to hang with a legend, but it never hit that next gear. Still though, for an off week main event, this worked out well.

Post match Jericho keeps the Walls on until Jon Moxley runs out for the save. Jericho says Moxley opened Pandora’s Box and we’ll be seeing Lionheart Chris Jericho next week.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t their greatest week, but what matters here is that they have set up both Battle Of The Belts and next week’s big Dynamite. There are some rocky points around here, but this is a world of difference compared to what they have been doing for the last few months. There is a new focus on the show and it’s actually doing something for AEW rather than New Japan or Ring Of Honor, which is what has been missing so badly.

Results
Jay Lethal b. Orange Cassidy – Lethal Injection
Jamie Hayter/Britt Baker b. Toni Storm/Thunder Rosa – Clothesline to Storm
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Ren Jones – Clothesline
Christian Cage b. Matt Hardy – Killswitch
Acclaimed b. Gunn Club by putting Gunn Club in the dumpster
Chris Jericho b. Wheeler Yuta – Liontamer

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: July 29, 2022
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s another night of Fight For The Fallen, which went very well on Wednesday so maybe they can keep it up here. You never know what that might mean but the more star power this show can have, the better it is going to be. I’m not sure what that is going to be this week, but Rampage can be quite fun. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Best Friends vs. Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt

Dutt is still in his suit, complete with pencil behind his ear. I know this because we actually get entrances this week instead of rushing straight to the ring. Trent and Lethal start things off with Trent countering la majistral into a cradle for two. That means a standoff and the fans seem pleased. Cassidy comes in (under the bottom rope) and gets Dutt, who takes off his jacket and tie, which he hands to the referee. Jericho: “That’s a $5000 suit he’s wrestling in!” Ross: “You really believe that?” Jericho: “Well it’s wrestling.”

Cassidy puts his sunglasses on the referee and kicks him in the legs, but it’s off to Singh for the chop in the corner. Taylor and Trent come in for some chops of their own, earning a double crossbody from Singh. Cassidy gets stomped down in the corner and we take a break. Back with Cassidy jumping over Lethal and very calmly tagging in Taylor.

House is cleaned, with Jericho referring to Taylor as a modern day Bobby Eaton (which has to be designed to get on Jim Cornette’s nerves). Singh breaks up the big hug but gets knocked outside, allowing the hugging to take place. That earns the Best Friends a double Lethal Injection so it’s back to Cassidy to hit the tornado DDT. Dutt tries his own lazy kicks but Cassidy breaks his pencil. The Orange Punch finishes Dutt at 7:29 as the Best Friends grab Singh’s leg.

Rating: C. Cassidy beating Dutt is a completely fine way to go as Dutt is little more than a joke and not even a wrestler these days. The Best Friends did their thing and they protected Singh and Lethal well enough. This felt like a one off match, leaving me wondering what is next for everyone involved.

Post match the beatdown is on but Wardlow makes the save and poses with the Best Friends.

We look at FTR retaining the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles against the Briscoes at Death Before Dishonor.

Ethan Page vs. Leon Ruffin

Ruffin charges at him to start but gets driven into the corner so the beating can begin. A hard whip into the corner has Ruffin crashing again and a heck of a forearm cuts him off again. The Ego’s Edge (Page: “I hate this place.”) finishes Ruffin at 1:38. Total dominance.

Cole Karter is in the back when the Factory comes in to offer him a spot on the team. Karter doesn’t say no, so QT Marshall tells him to sleep on it. Marshall: “But in your own bed, not with the fishes.” In case you didn’t get it, THAT’S A REFERENCE TO HOW HE LEFT NXT!

Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Sydal

Moriarty mocks Sydal’s peace sign to start and then suplexes him over. A clothesline misses for Moriarty though and there’s a kick to his chest to put him down. We take a break and come back with an exchange of kicks to the head until Moriarty drops him with a clothesline. Sydal gets in a kick to the head of his own and the Lightning Spiral gets two. Cue Stokely Hathaway as Sydal goes up top, with Moriarty catching him. Sydal kicks him away but has to slap Hathaway off, allowing Moriarty to crotch him down. A lifting Downward Spiral gives Moriarty two and the Border City Stretch gives Moriarty the win at 7:57.

Rating: C+. These two can do the technical stuff rather well and that is why they were put in the ring. Hathaway is the interesting factor though as there is a good chance that he is going to get Moriarty and that could get good. Sydal continues to be a good hand who is just kind of there, but that isn’t a bad role to have.

Britt Baker, with Rebel, isn’t worried about Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm next week. Baker thinks Rosa is keeping Storm close because Storm is the biggest threat to the title. See you next week.

Tony Schiavone brings out Ring Of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, with William Regal, for a chat. Castagnoli soaks in the YOU DESERVE IT chants and then thanks the fans in a variety of languages. This is just the beginning for himself and the Combat Club so here is Ring Of Honor Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta. Before that can go anywhere, Chris Jericho interrupts to say he is tired of hearing about the Club, but Yuta tells him to shut up. Yuta knows that Jericho is going to talk about how sports entertainers beat wrestlers every time, except when he beat Daniel Garcia at Death Before Dishonor.

The challenge for Jericho is on, with Yuta going on about how he knows he can win, so the match is on. Jericho says they can do it on Dynamite, but Yuta says nah because he knows he can win. They yell at each other again until Jericho says shut up. Jericho is so confident that he’ll put up his title match against Jon Moxley at Quake By The Lake. Yuta: “Well that was easier than I thought.” The match is on after a clever segment.

And now, an Acclaimed music video about the Gunn Club, who need to be thrown out on trash day. This involves beating up Gunn Club lookalikes, mocking the Smoking Gunns, and a challenge for a dumpster match. In other words, funny stuff.

Anna Jay cuts off Ruby Soho and doesn’t have to pretend to like her this time. Soho had high hopes for Jay but she’s just another entitled ***** who needs to be beaten up. Jay says Soho doesn’t learn her and she’s learning the dark side.

Here’s what’s coming up on various shows, including Battle Of The Belts, which is a show that’s happening next Saturday. Good to know.

Anna Jay vs. Ruby Soho

Feeling out process to start with Jay having to avoid an early No Future attempt. Some chops against the rope go a bit better for Soho so she tries a headstand in the corner. For some reason she does this right in front of Jay, who kicks her in the bad hand to take over. We take a break and come back with Jay getting the brace off of Soho’s hand, causing Aubrey Edwards to take it away. Soho hits some headbutts for a breather and adds a running kick to the head.

There’s an STO for two but Jay hits a Gory Bomb for the same. Jay threatens to choke out people at ringside but then tries to choke Soho instead. That’s escaped so No Future can connect for two but Soho’s backsplash is countered into a backsplash. Jay reverses that into a choke, which is broken up as well. The frustrated Jay throws her gauntlets down, which is enough of a distraction to grab the cast and put on the Queenslayer for the win at 9:56.

Rating: C+. Jay has gotten significantly more competent in the ring and that was on display here. She looks comfortable out there and much more sure of herself, though having someone as skilled as Soho in there certainly helped. I could go for more of evil Jay and that certainly seems to be what we are in for going forward.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty nice show here, even without a lot of the big names involved. It’s always a good sign when a company can put together a solid show even without the main stars, if nothing else for the sake of finding some good stories that don’t burn out the top of the card. Throw in an Acclaimed Video and this was a nice hour of wrestling.

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

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Rampage
Date: July 22, 2022
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Jim Ross

We’re finally finishing up the two week long Fyter Fest and hopefully there is a bit less shark enthusiasm this time around. We’ll be seeing some good stuff this week, including Christopher Daniels vs. Jay Lethal as we are only a day away from Ring Of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hangman Page/John Silver vs. Butcher and the Blade

Silver charges at both of them to start before Page can even get his vest off. That means Silver gets beaten down in the corner as the numbers game gets the better of it. Butcher, who looks to have slimmed down a bit, chops away and it’s off to Blade for the stomping. A suplex gets Silver out of trouble and it’s back to Page to clean house. The fall away slam sends Blade flying and a slingshot dive takes Butcher out. A top rope clothesline gets two on Blade but Butcher pulls Page to the floor for some whips into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Silver getting the hot tag and coming in to drop Blade with a running elbow. Butcher comes in and tries some double teaming but Silver hands it back to Page to beat both of them down. Page and Butcher trade clotheslines until Page hits a discus lariat to drop him. Everything breaks down and the lights go blue for no apparent reason. Silver gets in a shot on Butcher and it’s the Buckshot Lariat to give Page the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C+. As usual, the match was fast paced and Silver was basically a bowling ball going after Butcher and Blade to limited success. Page is in a weird place as he is one of a handful of former World Champions but is in this match, rescuing his Dark Order buddies from some bullies. Oddly enough, it only feels somewhat like he is toiling beneath his level by being in this match.

Video on Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta, with a focus on Garcia’s car crash from a few years ago that almost killed him.

Here is Claudio Castagnoli for a chat. He’s ready for his shot at the Ring Of Honor World Title at Death Before Dishonor, because the World Title is the one thing that he has chased for his entire career. Castagnoli doesn’t believe he is the best because he has a bunch of titles. He believe it because the fans cheer for him every time, but now he wants some gold to go with it. The only way to continue this great start is to take the title from Jonathan Gresham on Saturday. Mic drop. Castagnoli doesn’t talk much but he got the point across here.

Video on Wardlow.

Lee Moriarty vs. Dante Martin

Matt Sydal is here with Moriarty. They trade arm control to start as JR says this is the kind of wrestling he loves. An exchange of flips and dives results in Moriarty being sent to the floor and we take a break. Back with Moriarty crashing off the top as Stokely Hathaway comes out to watch.

A high crossbody gives Martin two and he uses the bottom rope to springboard flip over a charging Moriarty. That’s fine with Moriarty who pulls Martin into the Border City Stretch but Martin is over to the rope. Martin is back up with a suplex for two and Hathaway is rather pleased. The Nose Dive misses so Martin grabs an O’Connor roll, only to have Moriarty roll him over and use the rope for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C+. This was the technical exchange match on the show, along with the “here’s the latest heel turn”, because AEW likes having a lot of villains. Moriarty hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire yet, but maybe turning him will give him a little more of an opening. Granted it doesn’t look likely if he’s toiling with Martin and Sydal, but maybe he can move on.

Post match Sydal says he’s facing Moriarty next week. Uh, yay. Moriarty is happy but turns down Hathaway’s business card.

Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Skye Blue/Ashley D’Amboise

Baker takes Blue down to start and cranks on the arm a bit. Blue fights up and tries to fight back only to get kicked down while trying a Matrix. A kick to the head allows the tag off to Ashley, who gets decked by Hayter. Baker grabs a butterfly suplex so Hayter can drop Ashley again, setting up Lockjaw for the tap at 4:13.

Rating: C. Total squash here and that isn’t a surprise. Baker and Hayter continue to need something to do, but I’m sure Hayter will be breaking away from here any day now, just like I’ve been sure of it for months. I’m not sure what there is for Baker to do at the moment, but down the line, a face turn and a big run at Jade Cargill might be in the cards.

It’s time for a rap battle between Austin Gunn and Max Caster, with the rest of their associated friends/family here too. A hip hop artist named Lil Scrappy is the judge and Gunn goes first. Austin brings up Caster playing one of Bobby Lashley’s sisters and possibly not being able to please Kris Statlander when they were dating. Then we get a reference to Caster’s dad’s NFL career mixed with a Bowens gay joke, which has Scrappy laughing.

Caster gets to go and mocks Austin’s rap abilities. Austin goes again, and says Cena wants his gimmick back. Caster says he’s been a star since Billy was called the One. That sends him onto a roll of jokes about gun control, Pokemon and bad reality shows. Austin has no comeback and Caster is named the winner, triggering the brawl. The Acclaimed gets beaten down, partially due to a trashcan. Austin got in some lines, but you could see that Caster turns this into an art rather than just rhyming.

Christopher Daniels is sick of hearing Jay Lethal talk and tells Mark Henry to say the catchphrase already.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

Jay Lethal vs. Christopher Daniels

Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh are in Lethal’s corner. Daniels chops away to start until Lethal gets in an enziguri. Back up and Daniels runs him over for a fast two as commentary finally brings up that Samoa Joe is out of action due to being attacked a few weeks ago. That hasn’t been mentioned much and it hasn’t exactly made Joe look great to just have him missing for reasons not very often mentioned. Daniels gets knocked to the floor for a dive from Lethal and we take a break.

Back with Lethal hitting a basement superkick, only to have Daniels knee him in the face. There’s an STO to drop Lethal again, followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. The Lethal Combination gets two but the Figure Four attempt is blocked. Daniels is cut off by a big boot to the face and the Lethal Injection finishes for Lethal at 8:26.

Rating: C+. This was a match where the talent involved was going to guarantee that it worked out well enough, but it isn’t like there was any drama. Daniels still works very well in his fifties but this was all about setting up a match that was already set. Lethal vs. Joe should be good as well, though a Joe appearance to help boost it might have helped.

Post match Daniels gets beaten down, including a Koquina Clutch on the floor.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was ok, but they didn’t exactly have a ton of things that I would have wanted to see. This week was a rare instance where Rampage felt like a B show and that doesn’t make for the best night. Certainly not a bad night, but it didn’t’ feel important, which is a rare thing for Rampage.

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