Dynamite
Date: July 2, 2025
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Taz

It’s the 300th episode of the show and we are rapidly approaching All In. The show is mostly set but we also have a bit more to cover on the way there. That includes this week’s TBS Title match as Mercedes Mone gets to defend against Mina Shirakawa. That could make for some interesting situations so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page to get things going. He has said enough about his match against Jon Moxley already because he is going to win the title. You can tie him up and hang him but you will have to kill him before he lets this chance pass him by. He knows the Elite and the Death Riders are coming for him so let’s make this a Texas Death Match. Cue Jon Moxley, who says Page wants to put all the chips on the table. No. That isn’t what Page wants, because Moxley says he is going to lose.

Page isn’t going to win because he doesn’t want to win. Page doesn’t want everything that comes with the title. People call themselves the “best in the world” but that’s “basic b**** s***” to Moxley, because Page isn’t good enough to go into a Texas Death Match. The brawl is on and Page whips out a fork, which draws in the Death Riders for the save. Moxley bails as Castagnoli and Yuta lay Page out.

Hold on though as Page gets up, saying he’s still standing. That brings Moxley back but the Opps are waiting there to cut them off. Marina Shafir tries a briefcase shot but Page takes it away, demanding the stipulation be made in exchange for the briefcase. Now Moxley is in. Page goes to leave but says he needs to show he’ll do anything to beat Moxley, so he Buckshot Lariats Shafir. I’m almost scared for what this means for All In, but the result is all that matters.

Toni Storm talks to one of the stars of the upcoming Superman film, who used to wrestle.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Mina Shirakawa

Mone is defending and Toni Storm is on commentary. The chase is on to start and Mone catches her coming in for a stomping. Shirakawa’s rollup gets two as the fans are split. Back up and Shirakawa cuts off a leapfrog and stops for some dancing. Mone knocks her down and hits the middle rope Meteora for two before tossing Shirakawa outside. We take a break and come back with Shirakawa jumping over the referee to dive onto Mone, who is right back with the Statement Maker.

That’s reversed into a Figure Four but Mone rolls out to the floor for the break. A hurricanrana to the floor takes Mone down and a DDT makes it worse. Mone is back up with a Meteora off the apron and they go back inside to trade forearms. Another Meteora and a sunset bomb into the corner gets two but Shirakawa reverses a middle rope Meteora.

The Figure Four sends Mone over to the ropes so Shirakawa grabs a top rope Sling Blade. Shirakawa hits her in the back and front of the head, setting up the Glamorous Driver for two. Back up and Mone grabs a Tombstone into a gutbuster for two of her own before grabbing a small package to retain at 14:20.

Rating: B. I’m not sure how much drama there was here because, you know, Mone never loses. Odds are that’s what happens again at All In and then…I have no idea where it goes from there. Mone stopped interesting me a long time ago and while her matches are far more good than bad, I could go for the tiniest bit of drama in the result.

Post match Mone decks Shirakawa again and takes out Storm as she tries to make the save. That’s not enough so Mone throws champagne in Luther’s face.

The Young Bucks have their own customized limousine (on Tony Khan’s dive) and they go on a tour of their childhood homes.

Casino Gauntlet Qualifying Match: MJF vs. AR Fox vs. Anthony Bowens vs. Brody King

For the #2 spot in the match. MJF immediately hands King money to take a dive but King throws it down, which sends MJF bailing to the floor. King beats up the other two without much trouble, including the running crossbody to Fox against the barricade. MJF sits in on commentary as Fox is back in with a skin the cat into a dropkick to King.

Back up and Fox hits a springboard inverted flip dive to take King down. King hits a dive of his own to drop both of them but MJF is back up to steal some covers as we take a break. Back with MJF running the ropes to taunt Bowens but King takes him down. King clotheslines Bowens and Fox down and we get a quadruple breather. Bowens is up with a Blockbuster to King to make him DDT MJF, followed by a spinning DDT for two on Fox.

King’s Cannonball misses MJF, who hits a running knee to Fox. MJF grabs a chair, which King punches into his face, setting up a triple Cannonball in the corner for two. Fox is back up with a 450 for two of his own but MJF hits Bowens with the hammerlock DDT. MJF says BRODY SUCKS but gets caught in the hanging sleeper. King Ganso Bombs Bowens so Fox breaks it up, only to get caught in the Salt Of The Earth to give MJF the win at 13:01.

Rating: B-. I could go a long, long, long time without a three or four way qualifying match for…pretty much anything really. Anyway, this did have more drama than the opener, because the prize of being #2 in the Casino Gauntlet is far different than just not being in the gauntlet whatsoever. King looked like a monster, Fox was his usual entertaining self, Bowens is talented and MJF stole a win as he said he would. Pretty much as expected here.

Post match Mark Briscoe comes out to say that MJF will be getting an uninterrupted a** whipping in Dallas. Before then though, he wants MJF to come to the ring on his own for a talkie talk, and if he has anything next to his pickle, he’ll do it. Cue Jet Speed to go after the Hurt Syndicate, who come back and lay them out. Jet Speed keeps getting up and keep getting beaten down as the destruction continues. Kevin Knight gets up again and challenges Shelton Benjamin for Collision. Jet Speed is not feeling like serious challengers, though I’m not sure who would at this point.

Young Bucks/Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Bandido/Roderick Strong

Bandido takes Takeshita down to start and gives him the finger gun to the face. Matt comes in with a top rope spinning armdrag before the Bucks elbow O’Reilly down. We hit the parade of strikes to the face until Bandido hits a big dive to take the Bucks out on the floor. Takeshita takes him out with a dive of his own though and we take a break.

We come back with Strong getting the tag to clean house, followed by O’Reilly doing the same. Matt is back up with some rolling northern lights suplexes and Takeshita Blue Thunder Bombs Bandido to leave everyone down. A pop up sitout powerbomb gets two on Bandido but he’s back up with a super flipping World’s Strongest Slam for two of his own.

Nick flips out of the 21 Plex though and a double superkick into a wheelbarrow suplex drops Bandido for two more. O’Reilly breaks up the superkick party but the second round takes him down. A triple knee to the face sets up Raging Fire to give Takeshita the pin on O’Reilly at 11:48.

Rating: B. This was the party match of the week and it isn’t like O’Reilly and Strong have much status to lose so the result is fine. The Bucks don’t need a win but Takeshita gets to look strong on the way to his Ring Of Honor World Title match next week. Other than that, this was a way to give the fans something entertaining that has become the standard in AEW and that makes sense for an anniversary show.

Post match Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay run in to clear the Bucks out. They still want the EVP titles on the line because the people can get the power back. The Bucks so no, but Ospreay sweetens the pot by saying if the Bucks win, Swerve and Ospreay can’t challenge for the World Title for a year. Swerve is in as well and the match is set.

Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland vs. The Beast Mortos/Dralistico

Mortos and Dralistico rush the ring to start fast and Ospreay is knocked to the floor. Swerve kicks away at Mortos and hits the rolling Downward Spiral but Mortos sends him to the floor. Mortos hits a big rolling flip dive to take the heroes out and we take a break. We come back with Ospreay getting the tag to clean house, including a big flip dive to take out Dralistico. Mortos backbreakers Ospreay into a top rope double stomp from Dralistico for two, with Swerve making the save. Back up and a Swerve Stomp/Stormbreaker combination hits Mortos, leaving Dralistico to get Styles Clashed into a House Call for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C+. Ok so the result was never really in doubt here, but it makes all the sense in the world to have the new superhero team get a win. They have a heck of a showdown coming up in less than two weeks so getting the experience together is a must. I’m not sure which way the All In match will go and that’s a nice feeling, even if it means the Bucks winning feels possible.

Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title and Don Callis is here with Okada. A shove to the face annoys Ibushi to start and Okada bails to the floor. Back in and Okada pats him on the chest before bailing outside again. A cheap shot from behind drops Ibushi but he knocks Okada outside for a slingshot dive. Okada manages a ram into the steps though and we take a break.

We come back with Ibushi hitting a dropkick and kicking him down, setting up a standing moonsault for two. A running knee drops Okada again but he’s back up with a flapjack to cut Ibushi off. The top rope elbow hits Ibushi again and there’s the middle finger to the camera. Okada knocks him into the corner and hammers away, where Ibushi fights up.

The Rainmaker is ducked and Ibushi hits a hard clothesline of his own. Ibushi’s phoenix splash is countered into a German suplex but the Rainmaker is countered (again) into a kick to the head. They go up top and Ibushi hits a super tiger driver, say it with me, for two. Okada is back on his feet 33 seconds later and counters a sunset flip into a rollup for two more. The big dropkick into the Rainmaker finishes Ibushi at 14:47.

Rating: B-. That super tiger driver being little more than a throwaway move didn’t help here, but at least it seems that Ibushi won’t be getting a Superman push. He’s looked better in his return, but he only means so much in AEW outside of being Kenny Omega’s friend. Okada looks like more of a killer going into All In, and that should make the winner take all match that much better.

Post match the Don Callis Family comes in for the beatdown but Kenny Omega returns with a chair for the save. Ibushi and Omega beat Trent Beretta down and celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Rather strong show this week, with a bunch of fine tuning or adjusting being done to the All In card. That’s in addition to a nice slate of matches this week, making it quite the good use of TV. All In is pretty much everything for AEW and they need to knock it out of the park. Getting the setup right is a big part of that and they took some very nice steps in that direction this week.

Results
Mercedes Mone b. Mina Shirakawa – Small package
MJF b. Brody King, AR Fox and Anthony Bowens – Salt Of The Earth to Fox
Young Bucks/Konosuke Takeshita b. Roderick Strong/Bandido/Kyle O’Reilly – Raging Fire to O’Reilly
Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland b. The Beast Mortos/Dralistico – House Call to Dralistico
Kazuchika Okada b. Kota Ibushi – Rainmaker

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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Collision
Date: June 21, 2025
Location: ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back stateside after a pretty fun show down in Mexico City. Things are starting to shape up for All In and there is a good chance that tonight will be focused on that show as well. Then again Collision is not often the show that gets the build for the pay per views so it might be a case of waiting until Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Stokely Hathaway says his men are ready for their eight man tag tonight.

Jon Moxley vs. AR Fox

Non-title and Wheeler Yuta is here with Moxley. Fox ducks a clothesline to start and hits a quick jumping enziguri but Moxley drops him with a right hand. They go outside with Moxley getting in another shot, only to get caught with a running hanging DDT back inside. Fox knocks him outside for a running moonsault but Moxley gets in a crotching on top.

Moxley rakes the back and bites the ear, setting up a reverse Rings of Saturn to send Fox to the ropes. Back up and Fox kicks him to the floor for the big dive, followed by a pair of cutters back inside. Moxley isn’t having that and hits a heck of a clothesline into a Gotch style piledriver. Some big shots into the rear naked choke finishes for Moxley at 5:46.

Rating: B-. Fox has grown on me at a rapid pace in the last few months and that was on full display again here. There is something fun about watching Fox do his flips and dives as he is unique enough to make them stand out. Of course he wasn’t going to beat the champion, but at least he had a good time getting there.

Post match Moxley gives him a Death Rider before grabbing a mic. Moxley says he’s been watching Hangman Page waste his chances and his talents for years. He doesn’t have the same patience that these people have and promises to run Page out of the sport at All In. This business is not for Page. Moxley kept it short here and that’s better for everyone.

Various people talk about how special/important it was to be in Arena Mexico. It certainly seemed to be a great night so well done on having such a success.

Adam Cole and company are ready for their eight man tag.

Don Callis Family/FTR vs. Bandido/Daniel Garcia/Paragon

Bandido and Harwood start things off but Takeshita grabs Bandido from the apron. That doesn’t seem to bother Bandido who hits a quick dropkick and hands it off to Strong. Takeshita comes in to take him into the corner and chop away before it’s Fletcher gets to hammer Strong down. Strong is fine enough to get over for the tag to Garcia, who is caught in the wrong corner as well. Harwood’s chinlock doesn’t last long and the needed tag brings in Bandido to clean house. FTR cuts off a dive though and sends Bandido face first into the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Bandido hitting a top rope corkscrew crossbody to Harwood and it’s back to Cole to pick the pace up again. A Backstabber gets two on Fletcher and everything breaks down with a string of knockdowns. Back to back top rope splashes set up an exchange of shots to the face. Cole brainbusters Fletcher onto the knee and they all get up for the big slugout. The Shatter Machine is broken up but so is Chasing The Dragon. Fletcher superkicks Strong into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 11:58.

Rating: B-. This was another fast paced tag match from teams who know how to wrestle that style. Everyone got to do a little something, though I was expecting more involving Bandido. It isn’t that what he did was bad, but we have less than three weeks before Supercard Of Honor and he doesn’t even an opponent yet.

Post match the winners beat them down again but the Outrunners make the save.

Thunder Rosa and company are ready for the eight women’s tag.

Athena tells her partners to get it together for tonight.

Mercedes Mone, now with six belts, tells Toni Storm to bring it because Storm’s time is ticking.

Swerve Strickland vs. Shane Taylor

Prince Nana and the rest of Shane Taylor Promotions are here too. Strickland starts fast by knocking him out to the floor but tries to get into a slugout. This goes rather badly as the much bigger Taylor drops him to the apron without much effort. Strickland slips out of a Death Valley Driver but takes too long trying a powerbomb, earning himself a splash on the apron.

We take a break and come back with Strickland hitting a springboard dropkick to the leg. Taylor is fine enough to hit a hard knee but goes up for some reason, allowing Strickland to super Angle Slam him back down. The Swerve Stomp to the apron connects but Strickland has to dive onto the Promotions to save Nana. Back in and the House Call finishes for Strickland at 9:10.

Rating: C+. I’ve said it many times now, but there comes a point where there is nothing left to get out of Taylor if he is used this way over and over. He gets these short term runs where he says it’s time to take him seriously or whatever and then he loses, starting the process over again. Why should I take him seriously if no one else does?

We look at Toni Storm stalking Mercedes Mone at Grand Slam.

Storm, looking rather Carmen Sandiegoish, was told that the match between herself and Mone would be huge, but Mone has done nothing but eat steak and try to kiss her. This doesn’t work for Storm, because if Mone makes one wrong move, she’ll eat Mone alive. She knew that Mone was special but Storm is a “manic, neurotic, erotic, sexually questionable, consistently sweating, bottom heavy trans-Atlantic w****.”

She makes magic happen when the title is in her bosom and unless Mone can pull a rabbit from her censored, Mone is going to have to kill her. You know what you’re getting from the match at this point and I’m worried about them burning out the interest by the time we get to All In.

Conglomeration vs. MxM Collection/Taya Valkyrie

That would be Mark Briscoe/Willow Nightingale/Hologram. The women start things off with Valkyrie getting to strut a bit but Nightingale knocks her down. Hologram and Madden come in with the former hitting a dropkick into the corner. A springboard missile dropkick sends Mason outside and it’s off to Mansoor. Hologram is sent outside though, where Mason gets in a spinning Boss Man Slam as we take a break.

Back with Hologram grabbing a satellite DDT, allowing the tag off to Briscoe. Everything breaks down and Hologram gives Mansoor the spinning torture rack powerbomb. Stereo dives take out the other two and Briscoe drops the Froggy Bow for the pin on Mansoor at 8:30.

Rating: C+. This has been the latest “Hologram gets another win which changes absolutely nothing about what he is doing around here because that is what he does” (patent pending) match. It’s the same (entertaining) stuff time after time and after all these months, it would be nice for AEW to do SOMETHING with him. Otherwise, it makes me wonder why so many others are getting a chance before him, as the internal logic is questionable at times.

Kris Statlander is frustrated about not being in the eight woman tag match. Wheeler Yuta comes in to mock her but she tells him to get out. Jon Moxley comes in and Statlander gets scared, but Moxley says never let anyone tell you what you’re worth.

Here is Don Callis with his Family for a chat. Callis gets straight to the point: Kazuchika Okada has joined the Family. We look at their beatdown of Kenny Omega last week, with Tony Schiavone being rather sick at the whole thing. Callis mocks Schiavone and calls out Omega, who is against the wall and all alone at All In.

Cue Mark Briscoe to interrupt, saying he’s Omega’s friend. He’s not the only friend though, and Kota Ibushi is back. Ibushi gets in the ring and kicks Josh Alexander in the head before slugging it out with Okada. Ibushi easily clears the ring and is at least a bit more enthusiastic than he was before. Again though: why does Omega vs. Okada need anything extra? It sells itself, and having all this other stuff around sounds like an unnecessary addition.

We come back from a break with Big Bill/Bryan Keith brawling with the Workhorsemen on the floor. Bill and Keith get the better of things, including a chokeslam onto four open chairs. Cue Christian Cage and the Patriarchy, saying he doesn’t like this kind of a brawl taking up his television time. Cage is proud of Nick Wayne, and thinks it’s time for he and his son to become Tag Team Champions. Bill mocks Mother Wayne’s promiscuity and wants to fight right now. Cage suggests that Bill is drunk and hits his catchphrase.

Anthony Bowens yells at Billy Gunn for his recent losses. Things don’t seem to be going well.

Jet Speed vs. Gates Of Agony

Ricochet is on commentary. Bailey and Kaun start things off with Bailey’s dropkick sending him into the ropes. Liona comes in for a headlock and quickly hands it back to Kaun so Knight comes in with some armdrags. The rolling spinning splash only hits Kaun’s raised knees though and Liona sends Knight into the barricade. Ricochet certainly seems to improve as we take a break.

Back with Knight getting over for the tag to Bailey, who misses a running shooting star press. Liona is back up with a fall away slam/Samoan drop combination but Knight breaks up Open The Gates. Knight hits a double DDT, which brings Ricochet to his feet. Bailey hits a big dive out to the floor, only for Kaun to grab his fireman’s carry gutbuster for two back inside. Bailey is right back with his tornado kick though, setting up the spinning top rope splash to give Knight the pin on Kaun at 10:00.

Rating: C+. The Gates Of Agony are pretty much the tag team version of Shane Taylor and I don’t really mean that in the best way. They’re a fine monster team, but when that monster team hasn’t won anything in a good while and often lose against any level of competition, it’s not going to help their prospects. Bailey and Knight are fine as a midcard tag team and thankfully that’s about all they seem to be at the moment.

Thekla/Athena/Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Queen Aminata/Anna Jay/Tay Melo/Thunder Rosa

It’s a brawl to start until Aminata and Ford are quickly left in the ring. We get the parade of knockdowns until Rosa and Athena wind up on the apron. With everyone else on the floor, Aminata and Ford hit stereo dives as we take a break. Back with Athena and Bayne having a staredown (despite being partners) so Thekla goes Upside Down on Aminata. Melo and Jay come in to double team Bayne, who suplexes both of them without much trouble.

Rosa and Athena slug it out until Athena scores with an enziguri. A parade of secondary finishes sees Thekla DDT Bayne for two. Thekla hits a spear on Bayne and Athena piledrives Aminata but Rosa is up with a spinning Death Valley Driver. Billie Starkz gets on the apron for a distraction though and ROH TV Champion Red Velvet runs out to give Athena her title. Athena decks Rosa with the belt for the pin at 10:40.

Rating: C+. Much like Bandido, Athena still doesn’t have anything set up for Supercard Of Honor, though at least it seems like Rosa is going to be coming after her at the show. There is a good chance this sets up Billie Starkz coming after the Women’s TV Title to avenge her leader, though it would be great to have those matches actually announced. Other than that, it was nice to tie the tag team feud in with the ROH stuff to give the latter some more exposure, as they need all the help they can get at the moment.

The winners pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While it was nice to see some bigger names in action, this felt like so many Collisions, in that it didn’t come off like a need to see show. Collision continues to be in that weird place where it feels like the quality is there but not the importance and that makes things a bit tough to get through at times. It’s certainly not a bad show, but it’s not a show that is required viewing if you want to keep up with what is going on in AEW. That is such a contract to Dynamite, where it feels like you’re behind if you miss five minutes. AEW might want to work on balancing that out a bit.

Results
Jon Moxley b. AR Fox – Rear naked choke
Don Callis/FTR b. Bandido/Daniel Garcia/Paragon – Shatter Machine to Strong
Swerve Strickland b. Shane Taylor – House Call
Conglomeration b. MxM Collection/Taya Valkyrie – Froggy Bow to Mansoor
Jet Speed b. Gates Of Agony – Spinning frog splash to Kaun
Thekla/Athena/Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford b. Queen Aminata/Anna Jay/Tay Melo/Thunder Rosa – Belt shot to Rosa

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

Dynamite
Date: June 18, 2025
Location: Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the annual Grand Slam edition of the show and in this case we’re in Mexico City at one of the most famous arenas in all of wrestling. The show will feature a variety of stars from CMLL, including a major showdown between Mistico and MJF. Other than that, we have less than a month to go before All In so the show is going to need some more build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page to get things going. Page actually speaks Spanish and talks about the importance of working together. He thanks the fans for having them in CMLL’s house and together, they have the best wrestling in the world. Page doesn’t like Jon Moxley and while he won’t be wrestling tonight, Page can do something after the main event is over. That was a rather nice change of pace and made Page feel like that much bigger of a good guy.

Adam Cole/Atlantis/Atlantis Jr./Bandido/Brody King/Daniel Garcia/Templario vs. Dax Harwood/Don Callis Family/Volador Jr.

Stokely is here with the villains, though Cash Wheeler and Callis himself are nowhere to be seen. Before the match, Stokely (now minus Hathaway) says that Wheeler can’t be here (I wonder if that’s due to previous legal issues) so they do at least acknowledge it. Bandido and Takeshita start things off, with Bandido spinning into the gun pose. The X Knee is blocked and it’s Hechicero, who the fans certainly react to, coming in to flip Bandido into a choke.

Garcia comes in and dances at Hechicero, who pulls him into something resembling a Boston crab. Harwood and Atlantis Jr. come in, with the latter holding Harwood up for a dropkick from Templario. Atlantis and Templario clean house until we get a Templario vs. Volador showdown. Templario clears the ring and hits a flip dive and it’s off to Archer, who is sent into Alexander on the apron.

King Death Valley Drivers Alexander onto the apron and it’s Cole clotheslining Fletcher back inside. Atlantis takes Fletcher down and Garcia knocks Fletcher to the floor as we take a break. Back with Garcia neckbreakering Alexander, allowing Bandido to come in and hammer away. A Doomsday Device is broken up and Bandido and Templario hit a pair of super flipping World’s Strongest Slams to Alexander and Takeshita.

Atlantis Jr. superkicks Fletcher and everything breaks down, including a string of dives to the floor. King and Archer have a big man showdown but Hechicero breaks that up in a hurry. That’s fine with King, who gives him a running hurricanrana, leaving Harwood to pound on Atlantis. Back up and Atlantis grabs a small package for the fast win at 15:45.

Rating: B. This was a fast paced match with a bunch of people flying around and doing entertaining stuff. That’s all you need for something like this and the fans were certainly into what they were seeing. Atlantis doesn’t do much for me, but that’s not the point of a show like this so letting a legend pin a more than over former champion is a perfectly fine idea.

Post match Harwood jumps Atlantis and runs off.

Video on Kazuchika Okada joining the Don Callis Family before his title unification match with Kenny Omega. Because Don Callis has to be involved in everything.

Mark Briscoe talks about his history with Kenny Omega and he wants some revenge on Kazuchika Okada.

Mark Briscoe vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title and Don Callis is on commentary. Okada is sent outside to start but comes back in to pat him on the chest. Some Red Neck Kung Fu takes Okada down and Briscoe sends him outside for the running flip dive. Back in and Okada dropkicks him off the top and we take a break. We come back with Briscoe fighting out of a chinlock and reversing a Tombstone attempt. A double down gives them both a breather and they slug it out until Okada goes to the eyes.

Briscoe is back up with a running corner clothesline for two but Okada grabs the neckbreaker onto the knee for two. Okada flips Briscoe off so, of course, Briscoe bites the finger. The Froggy Bow gets two but Okada dropkicks him down. The Rainmaker and Jay Driller are both blocked so Okada gives him a Tombstone. Now the Rainmaker finishes Briscoe at 13:30.

Rating: B-. Briscoe can work well with anyone and that includes Okada working at half speed. That’s just what you’re going to get most of the time with Okada, but there is quite the potential for his showdown next month with Omega. I could go with Briscoe having a better story though, which has been missing for a good while.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Mistico

Naturally MJF has the very American style gear, which looks quite a bit like MVP’s old stuff. Mistico gets an incredible reaction, with the fans singing his song, which is no surprise given what an incredible draw he is for CMLL, especially around here. MJF takes him down to start and we get a standoff with the fans rather behind Mistico.

Back up and Mistico runs the ropes for a wristdrag to the floor before teasing a dive. Mistico gives chase on the floor but is smart enough to not run into the Hurt Syndicate. That’s enough of a distraction for MJF to get in a cheap shot and pose as the fans calm down a bit. A powerbomb onto the knee puts Mistico down again and we take a break. We come back with MJF slugging away and Mistico hammering him down. Mistico tornado DDTs him down and sends MJF outside for a springboard dive.

Back in and a springboard Swanton sets up Mistico’s missed moonsault so he settles for a powerslam instead. A Canadian Destroyer cuts MJF off again and they go to the ramp, where Mistico charges into a tombstone. Mistico manages to beat the count back in, where the super Spanish Fly (albeit not a great one) gets two. La Mistica makes MJF tap but MVP distracts the referee, allowing MJF to hit a low blow for two more. Back up and MJF kicks him low and that’s enough for the DQ at 16:50.

Rating: B. This is the kind of spot where MJF shines, as he knows how to drive a crowd crazy like few others. That was the case again here, with the fans going nuts at the idea of MJF doing such things to their hero. Odds are we’ll be seeing these two again and it would make a lot of sense to put that match on All In.

Post match MJF beats on Mistico some more and takes the mask. That sounds lucha de apuestay at All In to me. Various good guys come in for the save.

Hologram vs. Lio Rush vs. Ricochet vs. Mascara Dorada

The winner gets four million pesos. Rush poses to start so the other three glare at him, only for Ricochet to team up with Rush for the beatdowns. Hologram and Dorada are back up with superkicks to Ricochet and Rush, both of whom are knocked outside. The villains cut off some stereo dives, leaving Ricochet to plant Dorada. Rush dives onto Hologram and we take a break.

Back with Hologram slugging away but Ricochet and Rush take him down. That’s enough of the working together though and Ricochet shoves Rush, only to get caught with a running hurricanrana from Dorada. Hologram and Dorada hit some dives before Hologram tornado DDTs Dorada for two back inside. Dorada’s crucifix bomb gets the same but Rush is back in to cut him off.

Ricochet can’t hit Vertigo so Rush snaps off some poisonranas. A middle rope version gets two on Dorada so Ricochet goes up, only to get cut off. Rush’s super hurricanrana is blocked so Rush rolls Hologram up with feet on the ropes for two. Hologram grabs his spinning torture rack bomb to finish Rush at 15:55.

Rating: B. Here’s the problem with Hologram: I was relatively certain that he was going to win because, well, that’s what he does. At the same time, Hologram feels like he has been in this same spot for months. I’m not sure what they’re waiting on with him, but it would be nice to see him getting to do something a bit more important than these random matches which are rarely more than flying around for one spot after another.

CMLL Women’s Title: Zeuxis vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is challenging and gets thrown down by the stronger Zeuxis to start. Mone’s middle rope sunset flip is blocked and Zeuxis plants her down for two. Something like the Bank Statement goes on but Zeuxis rolls away to the floor, only for Mone to come back with a middle rope Meteora. Zeuxis knocks her outside again though and hits a heck of a dive as we take a break.

Back with Mone kicking out again and both of them needing a breather. Mone gets another Bank Statement but Zeuxis powers up and slams her down for two more. Zeuxis takes her to the middle rope for a slam, which is reversed a super small package to give Mone the pin and the title at 9:17.

Rating: C+. And Mone wins again, which is just kind of what she does. In theory that’s what she’s going to do again at All In, though seeing her with another title doesn’t change anything. She’s just doing a lot of the same stuff over and over again, which is still entertaining because she is incredibly talented, but at the same time, it would be nice to see something fresh.

Post match Toni Storm pops up for a film noir speech about how she’s coming for Mone. Mina Shirakawa appears for a distraction and Storm appears to chase Mone off.

Will Ospreay/Opps/Swerve Strickland vs. Death Riders/Young Bucks/The Beast Mortos

Mortos kicks (the bandaged) Ospreay into the corner to start and grabs a quick Samoan drop. Ospreay fights up to send Mortos outside but the Bucks cut off the dive. Back in and the Bucks beat up Ospreay and Strickland without much trouble and Ospreay’s comeback is cut off. Yuta comes in and hammers on Strickland, which seems to just annoy him.

Strickland fights up and brings in Joe to unload on Yuta in the corner. It’s off to Shibata for some beating of his own before the Opps take turns with running corner shots. Moxley comes back in to strike it out with Joe before everything breaks down. Ospreay’s big corkscrew dive to the floor takes out a pile and we go to a break.

We come back with Moxley slamming Ospreay for two and starting in on his arm. That’s broken up and Hobbs comes back in to clean house. Hobbs does not care for the Bucks going after him and he fights off an attempted quadruple teaming. A powerslam gets two on Yuta but Mortos is back up to clean house. Joe Rock Bottoms Mortos out of the corner but the Bucks are back in with the superkicks.

A double Oscutter takes the Bucks down and Strickland hits a dive. Shibata shrugs off Yuta’s running knee and kicks him in the chest, leaving Strickland to slug it out with Moxley. Ospreay and Strickland team up for Chasing The Dragon on Moxley…but Marina Shafir offers a distraction, allowing Moxley to roll Strickland up with tights for the win at 16:15.

Rating: B. Another wild match with Hobbs getting some great shine, though naturally Moxley takes a big beating and wins anyway, because that’s what he does (a pattern is emerging on this show). Swerve and Ospreay continue teasing working together, which very well could be coming at All In as well. There was a lot going on here but they made it work, which is rather impressive given how many bodies they had moving around.

Post match the villains beat Strickland down but Hangman Page comes in for the save. The slugout is on with Moxley but Page’s Buckshot Lariat hits Nick Jackson. Matt Jackson is annoyed so Moxley tries to bring in the briefcase, which is cut off by a group stare. Page glares at the Bucks to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I had a very good time with this show, with the crowd being more than enough to help carry things. That being said, I could have gone with something other than the usuals winning, as Mone, Hologram and Moxley winning feels like something that has been done to death. Overall though, rather entertaining and quality show, with nothing bad in the ring and some things being tightened up before All In.

Results
Adam Cole/Atlantis/Atlantis Jr./Bandido/Brody King/Daniel Garcia/Templario b. Dax Harwood/Don Callis Family/Volador Jr. – Small package to Harwood
Kazuchika Okada b. Mark Briscoe – Rainmaker
Mistico b. MJF via DQ when MJF kicked him low
Hologram b. Lio Rush, Ricochet and Mascara Dorada – Spinning torture rack bomb to Rush
Mercedes Mone b. Zeuxis – Super small package
Death Riders/Young Bucks/The Beast Mortos b. Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland/Opps – Rollup with tights to Strickland

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

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Collision
Date: June 11, 2025
Location: Theater Of The Clouds At Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second half of the four hour block and that means we could be in for an interesting show. You never quite know what you’re going to get with something like this and last week’s show did not feel like the strongest effort. Hopefully they can do a bit better this time around so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We pick up where Dynamite left off, with Kenny Omega being loaded onto a stretcher but Kazuchika Okada, now a member of the Don Callis Family, gives him a top rope elbow. Then Okada drops another elbow off the apron to make Omega spit up blood. Callis and Omega jump into a waiting car to get away.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Anthony Bowens

Billy Gunn and Lance Archer are here too with Adam Cole on commentary. Fletcher poses to start and throws a crotch chop at Gunn so Bowens drives him into the corner and poses back. Bowens kicks him in the face and hits a running faceplant but gets knocked out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting the running Fameasser for two. They go outside where Bowens flips out of a powerbomb and drops him face first onto the apron.

Back in and a running clothesline gets two, followed by a DDT for the same. Fletcher superkicks him into a sitout Last Ride for two but Bowens’ twisting Side Effect gets the same. Fletcher needs a breather on the floor and Bowens hits a big dive, allowing Archer to take Gunn out. The distraction lets Fletcher hit a Helluva Kick into a brainbuster for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. So Bowens gets built up for a bit and then loses every following match. I get that you need some fresh jobbers to the stars but Bowens felt like he was actually getting somewhere before this losing streak started. He has something to him and it would be nice to see that expand, but it isn’t exactly happening.

Video on MJF being the amazing American before his match next week in Mexico City against Mistico.

Spanish announcer Carlos Cabrera brings out Atlantis and Atlantis Jr. for a chat but FTR cuts them off. Stokely Hathaway runs down the two of them, plus everyone that has come after FTR. They’re ready to wrestle in Arena Mexico but don’t have a match yet. Dax Harwood makes fun of Atlantis for being old and the brawl is on, with a bunch of people running in. Atlantis rips Harwood’s shirt off and chases him away. I still do not get the appeal of Atlantis Jr.

Big Bill and Bryan Keith want fresh competition so here are the Workhorsemen of all people to take them up on it.

Julia Hart vs. Toni Storm

Non-title and Mercedes Mone is eating at ringside. Skye Blue is here with Hart and jumps Storm before the bell, earning an ejection. Storm gets in and says ring the bell so Hart trips her down and mostly hits the moonsault for two. Storm fights back and knocks her outside as we take a break. Back with Storm rolling the German suplexes, followed by a fisherman’s suplex for two. A chokebomb gives Storm two but Hart STO’s her down. Another moonsault misses though and Storm grabs the small package for the pin at 7:56.

Rating: C. This was a quick way for Storm to get a win before her showdown with Mone, which feels like Mone’s to win. Otherwise, it’s another loss for Hart, who isn’t quite sinking as low as Bowens from earlier but neither has the brightest future at the moment. Storm is rolling well enough though and that should make the big showdown that much better.

Post match Mone gets in the ring and whispers something in Storm’s ear before beating her down. Mina Shirakawa makes the save but gets taken down so Mone can hold up the title.

Ricochet is still looking for his perfect team. Blake Christian and Lee Johnson come in to offer their services. Ricochet isn’t overly impressed though and says they’re still missing something.

Mark Briscoe/Tomohiro Ishii/Willow Nightingale vs. MxM Collection/Taya Valkyrie

Johnny TV is here with the villains. Mansoor hurts himself chopping away Ishii to start so it’s off to Taya, who gets taken down by Nightingale. The basement crossbody has Valkyrie down so it’s off to Madden for a standing legdrop to Briscoe. The running hip attack hits Briscoe as everything breaks down.

Nightingale drops Valkyrie and she hits a middle rope dropkick to send Valkyrie outside. Back in and the men exchange some shots to the face until Briscoe escapes a Doomsday Device. Nightingale and Ishii double superplex Madden into Briscoe’s Froggy Bow. The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Valkyrie at 5:15.

Rating: C+. Another short and to the point match here with Briscoe and company getting a win. None of them have much of note going on at the moment save for Nightingale possibly getting to face Kris Statlander again, but that’s only so big of a match. In other words, this felt right at home on Collision.

Kris Statlander is done with Willow Nightingale but Wheeler Yuta of all people comes off to offer advice. Statlander isn’t interested but gets in a staredown with Marina Shafir.

Bandido vs. The Beast Mortos

Non-title. Bandido runs the ropes to start but his hurricanrana is blocked. Instead Bandido sends him outside for the running dive but a frog splash misses back inside. Mortos starts ripping at the mask and Bandido is sent outside for a big spinning dive. We take a break and come back with Mortos missing a charge into the corner.

A rather spinning headscissors takes Mortos down and Bandido gets in his gorilla press. Now the frog splash connects for two but Mortos hits the pop up Samoan drop for two of his own. Back up and Bandido hits something like a GTS but Mortos catches him on top. The super flipping World’s Strongest Slam gives Bandido the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C+. It’s better than a loss but Bandido, again, has pretty much nothing going on at the moment. He doesn’t have a big feud for the Ring Of Honor World Title and that isn’t likely to change until just before their pay per view next month. Fun enough match, but nothing that stands out.

Mercedes Mone wants the CMLL Women’s World Title so champion Zeuxis comes in to accept, decking Mone in the process.

Hangman Page is interrupted by the Young Bucks, who suggest that they are all in on a big plan. Page wants nothing to do with that and tells them to stay out of everyone, including Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland’s, business. Prince Nana and Swerve Strickland overhear everything. That might be your big plot point.

Thekla vs. Queen Aminata

Thekla moves around like a spider to start before getting faceplanted. A slap to the face annoys Aminata, who fires off some hair mares. Back up and Thekla snaps off a running headscissors as we take a break. We come back with Thekla grabbing a choke over the ropes but Aminata fires off some clotheslines.

A DDT/suplex plants Thekla again and Off With Her Head gives Aminata two. One heck of a headbutt drops Thekla again and a top rope double stomp connects to give Aminata two more. Back up and Thekla does her spider walk into a spear, setting up the Death Trap for the pin on Aminata at 11:28.

Rating: C+. Thekla has a little something with the spider deal but you’re only going to get so far in a match like this. Aminata is someone who has lost so many matches that it is a bit difficult to get invested in what she is doing. Also, again, Thekla is on in the fourth hour of a four hour block and that doesn’t make her seem overly interesting.

Nick Wayne receives a present from (the non-present) Christian Cage: a highlight package of his run in the Best Of The Super Juniors tournament. Kip Sabian says he doesn’t know where Wayne would be without Cage, which has Wayne confused.

We look back at Kenny Omega being attacked earlier in the night.

Daniel Garcia/Paragon vs. Hechicero/Don Callis Family

Hechicero takes Garcia down to start so Garcia dances at him and gets a quick two. Back up and Hechicero hits a running knee in the corner before it’s off to Cole to hammer on Takeshita. Paragon starts with the fast tags to work over Takeshita, who manages to get over to Archer. Everything breaks down and Archer cleans house as we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly knocking Alexander down, allowing the tag off to Garcia. A running clothesline hits Takeshita in the corner and Garcia hammers away. The fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two on Takeshita and we hit the Sharpshooter. That’s broken up and Strong comes in to clean a good bit of the house. The good guys all get submission holds but Archer breaks them up. O’Reilly low bridges Archer to the floor but Takeshita knocks Strong into a German suplex to give Alexander the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B-. Another technically fine match but neither of these teams feel overly exciting. It seems that we’re coming up on Cole defending the TNT Title against someone in the Don Callis Family and there certainly are options, but egads it would be nice to find a more interesting way to get there. The Paragon has felt like they have been spinning their wheels for months now and that isn’t a great sign.

Overall Rating: C+. Well, it wasn’t as dull as last week, but it still wasn’t overly interesting. This was another show that felt like it was just a bunch of stuff happening without much having that great of an impact. The wrestling wasn’t bad, but it’s not a show you really need to see for the most part. That makes for a tedious two hours, though it was a step up from last time.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Anthony Bowens – Brainbuster
Toni Storm b. Julia Hart – Small package
Mark Briscoe/Tomohiro Ishii/Willow Nightingale b. MxM Collection/Taya Valkyrie – Babe With The Powerbomb to Valkyrie
Thekla b. Queen Aminata – Death Trap
Hechicero/Don Callis Family b. Daniel Garcia/Paragon – German suplex to Strong

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

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Dynamite
Date: June 11, 2025
Location: Theater Of The Clouds At Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Taz

We’re back with another four hour block of AEW this week with Dynamite and Collision airing back to back under the name of Summer Blockbuster. Last week’s double length block ram out of steam in the end and hopefully they have paced it better this time. The big deal this week is Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Christopher Daniels tells Hangman Page that he can’t fight the Death Riders on his own. Daniels says he has some friends who can help Page if he’ll make some amends, with Page seemingly thinking about it. The Death Riders follow Page.

Opening sequence.

There is a cool setup here with the commentary desk opposite the hard camera.

Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland

Prince Nana is here with Strickland. The fans HOLY S*** the intro and Strickland offers a handshake, with Ospreay eventually agreeing. They actually fight over the handshake until Ospreay starts flipping around and grabbing an armdrag. Strickland misses a legsweep and we get an early standoff. Strickland gets in a shot to the face to bust Ospreay’s nose so he comes back with a running hurricanrana.

Ospreay grabs the hand and fires off some chops so Strickland knocks him down with a single shot to show things are a bit more serious. Back up and Ospreay sends him to the floor but Strickland sticks the landing. That sets up a missed slingshot dive and Strickland grabs a suplex for two back inside. The armbar goes on but Ospreay strikes his way out. The Phenomenal Forearm sends Strickland outside again and this time the Sasuke Special connects as we take a break.

Back with Ospreay knocking him down again but the Oscutter is countered with a neckbreaker (that was great). Another neckbreaker is broken up so Strickland superkicks him out to the floor. Back in and Ospreay is draped over the top rope for the double stomp to the back and two. A running knee and the Hidden Blade both miss so Strickland tries to pull him into a suplex. That’s reversed into the Stundog Millionaire and Strickland slaps on the short armscissors.

Ospreay powers out of that as well and the Cheeky Nandos Kick sets up the poisonrana. Now the Oscutter can connect for two and they both need a breather. Strickland heads outside so Ospreay Hidden Blades him through the ropes (ouch) and we take another break. Back again with Ospreay’s kicks to the head getting on Strickland’s nerves. They go up with Ospreay pulling him down by the arm before grabbing a triangle choke.

That’s reversed into a failed Styles Clash attempt so Strickland hits a (Hangman Page) Deadeye for two. A quick Hidden Blade gives Ospreay a near fall of his own but he can’t follow up. They get to their knees and slug it out, with Ospreay laughing and doing the British version of Hulking Up.

Strickland strikes him back down though and hits the Swerve Stomp for two but Ospreay gets in a shot to the face. The Stormbreaker gets two so Ospreay teases the Tiger Driver 91, which is countered into a Vertebreaker. Strickland kicks him out to the apron and loads up the Swerve Stomp to the apron…and the time limit expires at 30:00.

Rating: B+. Oh of course this was really good. These are two of the most talented stars in all of AEW and they had time to do a long match together. It was one of those things that was all but guaranteed to be awesome and they made it work very well. Odds are these two are going to team up sooner or later and this might have been the catalyst to make that happen.

Post match Strickland says he is in so much pain and he wants to finish the match. Strickland wants sudden death but here are the Death Riders instead (Ospreay didn’t get to answer Strickland’s challenge). They surround the ring but here are the Young Bucks to jump Strickland instead. The Bucks handcuff Strickland to the ropes and start firing off the superkick. The thumbtacks shoes are loaded up but Ospreay runs in and takes the bullet, allowing the Bucks to leave. And there is the moment that will get them together.

Kazuchika Okada…is cut off by Don Callis, who thinks some of his guys should be facing Kenny Omega. The Family comes in and Okada calls Callis b****. This story REALLY does not need Callis.

MVP shows us the Hurt Syndicate attacking Komander and taking his mask.

Mistico vs. Blake Christian

Lee Johnson is here as well. Christian flips him off to start and grabs an anklescissors. Mistico grabs the hand and goes up but gets pulled back down in a heap. Christian stomps away until Mistico comes back with a handspring elbow. A dive to the floor takes Christian out again, followed by a springboard high crossbody back inside. Johnson offers a distraction though and Christian kicks him down. Christian goes up top and gets caught with a super Spanish Fly to give Mistico the pin at 4:12.

Rating: C+. This was a weird way to go as Christian controlled most of the match and Mistico didn’t get to do much that made him stand out. I know he’s going to be getting the big moment next week in his home arena and he absolutely should, but this was the definition of “it was ok”. Mistico didn’t show anything special here and I’m not sure why they booked it this way.

Post match the Hurt Syndicate comes out so MJF can say he’ll face Mistico. For one night only, MJF is dusting off the red, white and blue because he is a patriot. The big American flag (with MJF faces instead of stars) and streamers fall but Mistico says he’ll see him next week in Arena Mexico. Mistico says something in Spanish, so MJF calls him Sloppy Sin Cara. The brawl is on so the Hurt Syndicate comes in, with Jet Speed (Mike Bailey/Kevin Knight) and Mascara Dorado coming in for the save.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Mascara Dorado/Jet Speed

MVP is on commentary and this was a scheduled match. The Syndicate jumps them to start and MJF punches Dorado down. Dorado gets in a shot of his own and hands it off to Bailey to fire off the kicks. A low bridge sends Dorado outside though and we take a break. Back with Dorado diving over for the needed tag off to Knight.

A spinning splash gives Knight two and we get a showdown with Jet Speed against the champs. Bailey is quickly planted with a spinebuster and it’s off to MJF, who spikes Bailey for two. Bailey fights up and brings in Dorado, who gets speared down by Lashley. Everything breaks down and Jet Speed clears the ring, setting up big dives to the floor. MVP gets in a cane shot to Bailey though and MJF’s lifting hammerlock DDT finishes at 11:24.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure about this Hurt Syndicate stuff with MJF, as after the “will they/won’t they” part was done, a lot of the intrigue was gone. Maybe they have a nice twist coming up, but there was only so much you could get out of this. Granted I’m always a sucker for seeing Bailey get beaten up.

Post match the Syndicate beats them down again and MJF takes Dorado’s mask. Cue Mistico to make MJF tap to La Mistica.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat…but the Death Riders jump him in the entrance. They beat him down and tape up his mouth (come on, he’s not that bad of a promo) before taking him to the ring. Jon Moxley apologizes for this in advance but wants a real conversation. This is Page’s time and All In is everything for him.

Moxley doesn’t like the millennial cowboy and Page has been searching for something for a long time. In four weeks, Page needs to step up and become what he is supposed to be or he can get out. Page lunches at him and gets beaten down so the Opps run in for the save. Page says he has come too far to just fall, and swears vengeance tonight. Well at least that should be something for Collision.

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Tay Melo/Anna Jay

Jay wants and receives Bayne to start but then hands it off to Melo. Not that it matters as everything breaks down anyway and Ford pulls Melo to the floor. Melo gets sent into the steps, leaving Bayne to splash Jay in the corner. Jay slugs away at Ford to get out of trouble but gets booted down by Bayne as we take a break.

Back with Melo coming in to clean house, including a running knee for two on Ford. Melo fires off three running boots to Bayne and sends her outside, where Jay nails a middle rope dive. Back in and Jay chokes Bayne, leaving Melo to hit the TayKO (I think that’s what it was called at least) for the pin on Ford at 10:22.

Rating: C+. Remember like two months ago when Bayne was this brand new unstoppable force and looked like a can’t miss prospect? Well now she’s just the big strong woman in a tag match to get Melo over again after two years away. That’s not the best way to use her, but it happens to a lot of people in AEW. Hopefully this is just a short term thing though, because it feels like quite the waste of a great prospect.

We take a long look at Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada, focusing on their time in Japan. Eh if it’s all you’ve got.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring for the contract signing between Omega and Okada. With both champions present, we see the (rather nice) new unified title. Okada signs with no issue but Omega has something to say. Omega talks about how it is almost seven years since their last match and he barely recognizes himself in that video package. He wants them both to leave it all in the ring at All In and signs.

They shake hands and say some things that we can’t hear….and here is Don Callis. He wants one of his guys in the match but Omega says he’s beaten the Family and if they want a title shot, get back in line. This is Omega vs. Okada….and Okada hits Omega with the belt because he’s part of the Family. Okada hits him in the ribs with a rod and Omega does a stretcher job to end the show. Let me put this simply: No. No no. No no no, no no. No and may I add, NO. THIS DOES NOT NEED DON CALLIS. He doesn’t need to be involved in every thing that AEW does. Drop this as soon as possible because Okada vs. Omega doesn’t need him.

Overall Rating: B. The opener is more than good enough to carry this show as a fourth of the entire thing is on an awesome match. The six man was fine enough and the main event segment worked until Callis got in there. This was a good show overall, and while I don’t really want to see the second half of the night, at least they’re getting ready for All In and that’s what the focus needs to be on for a good while.

Results
Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay went to a time limit draw
Mistico b. Blake Christian – Super Spanish Fly
Hurt Syndicate b. Mascara Dorado/Jet Speed – Lifting hammerlock DDT to Bailey
Anna Jay/Tay Melo b. Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford – TayKO to Ford

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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Collision
Date: May 31, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in the early days of the build towards All In and that means it is time to start getting going towards the biggest show of the year. It helps that two of the major matches are already set but before we get there, we have a four way for the International Title next week. One of those spots will be filled tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Komander

For a spot in the International Title match on Dynamite. We get an insert promo where Komander says he is ready to win in the heart of lucha libre country. Castagnoli starts fast and stomps away in the corner, followed by a shoulder to cut off Komander’s comeback. A shot to the face lets Komander walk the ropes and grab a springboard armdrag.

Komander’s dive is countered into the Swing though and they head outside, where Castagnoli sends him into the barricade. Castagnoli gets in a drop onto the barricade and they head back inside, where Komander hits another double springboard into a headscissors. This time Castagnoli is sent outside but the rope walk takes so long that Castagnoli runs back in to pull him out of the air for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

The half crab doesn’t last long as Komander fights up but it’s too early for Cielito Lindo. Castagnoli fireman’s carries him to the top, where Komander snaps off a super hurricanrana for the counter. Something like Whisper In The Wind is blocked though and Castagnoli Neutralizes him for the win at 7:38.

Rating: B-. Komander being in a match of this magnitude is all but a guarantee that he’s going to lose and that’s getting a bit annoying. Having a jobber to the stars is fine, but unless he wins something of note at some point, this might as well have been a bye for Castagnoli. You know what you’re getting with Komander and that is very rarely going to be success.

We recap the fallout of Hangman Page winning the Owen Hart Tournament, with Swerve Strickland not being willing to stand behind him, even if it means taking out the Death Riders.

Strickland still isn’t in on this but Will Ospreay wants him to get on the same page. Strickland will not accept that Page is the best option and brings up that Ospreay hasn’t beaten him. A fight breaks out.

Don Callis Family vs. Paragon/Tomohiro Ishii

Don Callis is on commentary and the Family jumps them from behind to start fast. Takeshita sends Ishii into the barricade but Strong makes the save with some chops. O’Reilly hits a running charge to take the villains out and we settle down to Ishii chopping away at Romero in the corner. Romero gets over for the tag off to Beretta though and O’Reilly gets taken into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Strong Angle Slamming his way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to O’Reilly. House is quickly cleaned and it’s off to Ishii vs. Romero, which is apparently a feud. Takeshita comes in and gets dropped with a suplex, followed by the sliding lariat for two. Back up and Takeshita gets two off a Blue Thunder Bomb and they trade the big shots to the face. Romero hits Ishii low though and it’s the Raging Fire to give Takeshita the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C+. Ishii is one of the standard guest stars around here and while he’s still good enough, it’s getting less and less interesting to see him. Granted it doesn’t help to have him in there with RPG Vice, who aren’t much to see in their own right. I could go for Takeshita against Adam Cole for the TNT Title though, and there is a real possibility that is coming up.

Anthony Bowens vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title and Billy Gunn is here with Bowens. Okada backs him into the ropes to start and we get the tap on the chest. Bowens does the same, but offers a scissoring pose instead. The running jumping Fameasser takes Okada down for two and they head outside to strike it out. Okada gets in a knockdown on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Okada dropping the top rope elbow but the middle finger is cut off with some scissoring. Bowens cuts him off on top and hits a spinning hanging DDT. Okada misses the dropkick and gets rolled up for two but comes back with the Air Raid Crash onto the knee. The Money Clip is broken up and Bowens hammers away. The Rainmaker misses and a superkick gives gives Bowens a quick breather. The Mollywop is cut off with a Rainmaker though and Okada gets the pin at 10:31.

Rating: C+. I really hope that Bowens isn’t falling into the trap of “well he has good matches and that makes up for not winning”. It’s something that has been an issue around here for a long time and it would be a shame to see it happen to someone with his potential. Things seemed to be coming together for Bowens and now he’s on a losing streak, which doesn’t bode well for his future.

Matt Menard tries to perk up a disappointed Daniel Garcia. Don Callis, with Lance Archer, comes in to mock Menard but he might want Garcia on the team. Callis wants him to think for a change. It would at least be something for Garcia to do.

Tony Schiavone brings out FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a chat. Well not really as Schiavone leaves, with Hathaway talking about how FTR crushed Daniel Garcia and Nigel McGuinness at Double Or Nothing. They’re close to the Mexico border and issue a challenge (which they have written down) to any team from south of the border. Cue Templario and Atlantis Jr. (good thing they were by the entrance) but Wheeler says they’re somewhat living lucha legends themselves.

Maybe they should go win the CMLL Tag Team Titles. Wheeler brings up the upcoming Arena Mexico show and asks what it’s like to be popular with your countrymen. After mocking the “Power Ranger masks”, Harwood says he knows Tony Khan will have big plans for FTR at the show, so they can’t have the match. Harwood tells Atlantis Jr. to tell his dad to stay away from the team, earning some insults in Spanish. The brawl is on but the luchadors fight back to clear the ring. Did it really have to be Atlantis Jr.? I’ve yet to see him do anything interesting either here or in ROH.

We look at Mercedes Mone and Toni Storm’s face to face showdown from Dynamite.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Skye Blue

The fight over a lockup doesn’t get them anywhere to start so Shirakawa gets the better of an exchange of forearms. A snap suplex drops Shirakawa but she grabs the wrist and runs the ropes for a dancing clothesline. Blue plants her on the apron and we take a break. Back with Shirakawa hitting a running knee but Blue powerbombs her out of the corner for two. A superkick staggers Shirakawa again but she hits Blue in the face for a breather. Shirakawa’s super sling Blade gets two and they trade rollups for two each. More strikes to the face set up Shirakawa’s Glamour driver for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. Again, Blue is back and losing, making her big return after nearly a year away feel completely wasted. She wasn’t going to be a major star, but you can’t have her win a few quick matches before taking losses like this one? If that’s the case, why bother making her return into a thing at all?

Post match Julia Hart jumps Shirakawa but Toni Storm (holding her skirt) makes the save.

Video on the Gates Of Agony.

Gates Of Agony vs. Gmo Kaminari/Cosmo Orion

Kaun gleefully beats up Orion in the corner to start and an Irish Curse sets up a running suplex. Orion tries a hurricanrana and it goes horribly, earning himself a toss across the ring. Kaminari comes in and gets beaten up as well, setting up Open The Games for the double pin at 2:19. Yeah yeah I’m sure this will be the time when the Gates break out. Any day now.

Max Caster teaches fans how to do his chant and gets them to sign a petition saying he is in fact the greatest wrestler alive. Now he’s supposed to take photos…but he runs down the hallway for some reason instead. Ok then.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Top Flight/AR Fox

Leila Grey is here too. La Faccion jumps them to start and a turnbuckle pad is quickly pulled off. Fox sends Dralistico to the apron and flips onto Mortos, leaving Dante to hit the big flip dive. Back in and Dante’s tornado DDT gets two on Rush and we continue the string of running shots to the face. Rush crushes Fox in the corner and hits the mocking boot, followed by the Tranquilo pose as we take a break.

Back with a string of running dropkicks in the corner hitting Fox but he gets in a shot off the top for a needed breather. Darius comes in to clean house, including a shotgun dropkick into a DDT on Rush. An assisted cutter gets two on Dralistico, who is right back with a springboard Canadian Destroyer. The springboard Codebreaker into a dive has Dante down on the floor, leaving Rush to Bull’s Horns Darius for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: B-. Top Flight is in the same spot as Komander, as you know they’re probably going to lose the second you hear that music. They might not be the greatest team in the world, but they deserve a better spot than they have at the moment. Again: they aren’t good enough for the ROH Tag Team Titles? Really? That’s beyond their abilities?

Post match Rush chokes Darius with a camera cord but Mike Bailey and Komander make the save.

Mark Briscoe had to tell his son that he did NOT quit in the six man tag on Dynamite. Now he wants Jon Moxley one on one.

Hechicero vs. Mascara Dorada

For the final spot in the International Title match on Dynamite. They fight over wrist control to start with Dorada taking him down into an early leglock. Hechicero reverses into one of his own and grabs a quickly broken surfboard. Dorada grabs one of his own but Hechicero is out and starts the sliding underneath the ropes.

That doesn’t work for Dorada, who grabs a running hurricanrana around the post and out to the floor. Back in and Hechicero scores with the running hurricanrana driver. We take a break and come back with Dorada snapping off a hurricanrana to the floor. That means a dive to drop Hechicero again but he flips Dorada into a choke. That’s broken up as well and they trade some quick near falls.

A double knockdown gives them a double breather, followed by Dorada’s anklescissors getting two. Hechicero grabs a dragon screw legwhip over the rope, followed by a top rope elbow for two of his own. They strike it out until Dorada grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by a springboard super poisonrana (geez). The shooting star press gives Dorada the pin at 13:52.

Rating: B. It helps a lot when you can see just how good these people are in the ring. Hechicero is someone who has out wrestled Daniel Bryan and Dorada is incredibly smooth with everything he does. It made for a very entertaining match and I like that they went with the star who hasn’t done as much around here, as it gave a bit of a surprise result.

Overall Rating: C+. While it wasn’t the case in every match, there were too many instances here where the results were pretty obvious coming in. That’s something that happens on every show, but having stuff like Okada beating Bowens, Komander and Top Flight doing their usual and the latest Gates squash all in one show makes for kind of a tedious night. It’s not that the action was bad, but you probably could have guessed who would win all but the main event without much doubt. As usual, shifting some of the bigger stuff over from Dynamite, even a bit of it, would help, but that doesn’t seem to be likely.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Komander – Neutralizer
Don Callis Family b. Paragon/Tomohiro Ishii – Raging Fire to Ishii
Kazuchika Okada b. Anthony Bowens – Rainmaker
Mina Shirakawa b. Skye Blue – Glamour Driver
Gates Of Agony b. Gmo Kaminari/Cosmo Orion – Double pin
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Top Flight/AR Fox – Bull’s Horns to Darius
Mascara Dorada b. Hechicero – Shooting star press

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: May 28, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to start getting ready for All In, which is about a month and a half away. That is going to be one of the biggest AEW shows in history and we now have two of the top matches already set. Hangman Page and Mercedes Mone will be challenging for the World and Women’s Titles and they’ll likely have a lot to say. Let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how fleeting triumph can be, but the same is true for loss. At Double Or Nothing, they both knew that one of them would lose and thank you Will Ospreay for giving him the fight of his life. Ospreay can be the man who carries this company forward, but one of them won. This victory is fleeting as well though, because it is time to hand off the Owen title, because someone will win it next year.

Now it is time to win the World Title, which has been locked in a briefcase for seven months. That title was supposed to be a symbol to everyone and he promises to win the title, which will be held high for all to see. Cue Swerve Strickland to interrupt and he shows us a clip of why he’s here. We see a clip from April 9, with the Young Bucks saying they came back to cost Swerve the World Title. Back in the ring, Swerve says he had the title won, but then the Bucks cost him.

Page was in the ring at the same time and Swerve is calling collusion on this. Swerve wants a straight answer: did Page have anything to do with what the Bucks did? Page: “Well, dumba**,”. Page says that he even considered helping Swerve at Dynasty but he implies he wasn’t working with the Bucks. Swerve: “You’re still full of s***.” Cue Will Ospreay to say he doesn’t want to do this but he tells Swerve that he’s wrong about Page. On Sunday, Page came back to the ring and helped him up, which is what Swerve did to him last year.

People are starting to believe in them again, and the reality is that Page is the guy who can get the title back. They have one shot at this and they need to work together. Swerve slaps the mic from Ospreay and he insists he will NEVER work with Page. That seems to be mutual from Page, who storms off as well. This is very reminiscent of Cody Rhodes and company coming together to take the WWE Championship from Roman Reigns and that is a story worth doing again.

Video on Anarchy In The Arena.

Death Riders vs. Willow Nightingale/Mike Bailey/Mark Briscoe

Kidd and Briscoe slug it out to start and everything breaks down in a hurry. Bailey hits a running kick to Moxley and Briscoe adds a big flip dive as we take a break. Back with Briscoe getting over for the tag off to Bailey, who fires off the kicks to Moxley. The double tag brings in Shafir and Nightingale to slug it out with Nightingale hitting a spinebuster for two. Shafir comes back up with a shot of her own and it’s back to Bailey vs. Moxley.

They waste no time in going outside, where Moxley throws him over the barricade for a crash as we take another break. Back again with Bailey being dropped over the top rope and kicked in the face. Bailey comes back up with some kicks to the chest and the standing moonsault knees hit Kidd.

Briscoe comes in to clean house, including a dropkick through the ropes to Moxley. Bailey hits a dive of his own and Briscoe’s Froggy Bow gets two on Kidd. Claudio Castagnoli offers a distraction but here is Komander (facing Castagnoli on Collision) to take him out. Moxley uses the distraction to come in and choke Briscoe out for the win at 18:42.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard six man tag here and the two breaks in the middle cut off some of the momentum. At the same time, this felt like the way for the Death Riders to get some momentum back after Sunday’s loss. The match is nothing that hasn’t been done multiple times around here but the flips were good enough.

MJF is ready to help the Hurt Syndicate retain the Tag Team Titles against anyone. It’s just business.

Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne want revenge on Anna Jay and Harley Cameron in a No DQ match.

Ricochet talks about wanting to get some gold around here but he sees how things are going around here. It’s clear that he needs a group and we’ll be working on that.

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay/Harley Cameron

No DQ and it’s a brawl on the floor to start with the weapons being brought in fast. A trashcan lid to the back gets two on Ford with Bayne making the save. Bayne shrugs off a chair shot and hits a double clothesline but gets knocked down again. That means it’s time to get the table and we take a break. Back with Bayne getting chaired in the head, sending her off the apron and through a table. That doesn’t last long either and it’s Bayne getting back up to send Cameron face first into the steps. Back in and Bayne clotheslines Jay down, setting up a Doomsday Device for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: C+. This was what the Double Or Nothing match should have been, as it was all about making Bayne look like a killer. She smashed through the two of them and it made for a great showcase. Ford was there as well, with Jay and Cameron being good cannon fodder. Bayne feels like she is on the way up again, and that is as obvious of a move as you can get.

Mercedes Mone arrived in a low rider.

Opps vs. Frat House

Non-title and the Frat House is from Ring Of Honor. Joe is not impressed at Jakked Jameson’s discussions of recruitment parties and the beating is on fast. Joe hammers away and it’s off to Shibata, who shrugs off some forearms and marches at Garrison, even as Garrison forearms away. It’s off to Hobbs for some clotheslines so some of the pledges come in, earning a string of spinebusters. A less than great looking spinebuster gives Hobbs the pin at 3:13.

Rating: C. Total destruction here and that’s what it needed to be. Hobbs looked good enough (save for that not very good spinebuster finish) and that’s something that needs to happen every so often. Occasionally you need a team to just smash through everyone in front of them and the Opps know just how to do that.

Renee Paquette brings out Jamie Hayter for a chat. Before she can say much though, the lights go out and Thekla, formerly of Stardom and recently of the spiders on screen, is here to lay Hayter out.

Video on Mistico, who isn’t on the card tonight. So they promote him when he isn’t there and don’t promote him when he is there?

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far. Cole knocks him into the corner for some stomping and SHOUTS HIS NAME. A superkick sends Fletcher outside but RPG Vice is there to cut off a dive. Cue Paragon to take them out, leaving Fletcher to give Cole a TERRIFYING apron powerbomb, with Cole’s head slamming into the apron as we take a break.

Back with Fletcher hitting a spinning slam but Cole catches him with a superkick. Cole strikes away and hits a Death Valley Driver onto the knee for two. The Panama Sunrise is blocked so Cole goes with a brainbuster onto the knee. Cue Josh Alexander to jump Cole for the DQ at 9:35.

Rating: B-. They were starting to roll before the DQ and it seems like we have the Paragon vs. Don Callis Family coming for the next few weeks. There is a good chance that one of them will take the title from Cole, which is not a bad way to go. This was a good match, but dang Fletcher needs to work on that powerbomb, because that could have gone far worse.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Brody King makes the save with a chair.

Brody King vs. Josh Alexander

For a spot in a four way International Title match next week. They go straight to the brawling with King getting the better of things. They go outside where King gets in a few shots, only to be knocked up against the barricade. Alexander sends him into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Alexander working on the arm but King hits a hard clothesline. They brawl out to the apron, where Alexander snaps off a German suplex. King shrugs that off and hits the running crossbody against the barricade. The Cannonball misses back inside though and Alexander locks up the apron. As tends to be the case, that’s broken up rather quickly so Alexander goes with the bridging German suplex for two. King raises the knees to cut off the moonsault and the Ganso Bomb finishes Alexander (who was busted open somewhere in there) at 14:11.

Rating: B. Take two big guys, have them beat the fire out of each other for the better part of fifteen minutes until one of them can’t get up. King needed the win after a stretch of bad results, though Alexander could use a good one of his own. Either way, good, hard hitting match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision.

Adam Cole and Kyle Fletcher get in another fight in the back.

Here is Mercedes Mone for a chat. Mone talks about what it means to win the Owen Hart tournament (which she ties into Eddie Guerrero) but here is Toni Storm to cut her off. Storm says Mone has never spoken to her and she told Anthony Khan how much she wanted this match. So what took so long? Mone says this is about her because she is the Beyonce of women’s wrestling. They met years ago and Mone is no longer a Boss but rather a CEO. Storm talks about how they were in the same place and now they are in AEW where they can be their real selves.

The difference is while Mone wants all of the titles, Storm only needs one (that’s a great line). Storm has bled, cried and died for the Women’s Title. They will meet in 45 days and a little girl will be watching. That little girl will say “holy s*** these b****** are crazy” and Storm will still be timeless. Mone says it’s time for Storm to come to an end. Mone offers a handshake and Storm kisses it, leaving them to both miss their finishers, sending Mone running to end the show. This felt like a major showdown and that’s what it needed to be, as this is probably going to be the second biggest match at All In.

Overall Rating: B. That ending segment boosted this up a bit as I want to see Storm and Mone fight. Other than that, the show was the usual collection of good action as we move towards the four way next week, plus All In a little over a month from now. Good, hard working fallout show from the pay per view, but now it’s time to get ready for All In and that’s going to be difficult.

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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Double Or Nothing 2025
Date: May 25, 2025
Location: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for another full fledged pay per view and that means the show is likely going to run long. In this case we have what is mostly a two match show and that could create some issues. The big matches here are Anarchy In The Arena, plus the Men’s Owen Hart Tournament final between Hangman Page and Will Ospreay. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay/Harley Cameron

Bayne powers Cameron into the corner to start and faceplants her down, followed by a hair pull from Ford in the corner. It’s off to Ford for a slap to Cameron before Jay comes in for a running spinning kick in the corner. Cameron then sends Ford’s face into the back of Jay’s tights, which is enough to bring Ford back up for a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Jay is back up with a basement dropkick and a neckbreaker over the middle rope…wakes Ford up for a clothesline.

Bayne sends Jay flying with a t-bone suplex and Ford’s running dropkick to the back gets two. Some stomping and choking in the corner but Jay gets in a kick to the face, allowing a middle rope Blockbuster to connect. Cameron comes in to clean house and Bayne splashes Ford by mistake. A double DDT gives Cameron two but Bayne is back up to double German suplex both of them.

That’s not impressive enough so Bayne tosses Ford onto the two of them at ringside. Back in and a parade of knockdowns leaves everyone on the mat, allowing Bayne to go up top. A double superplex brings her down for a crash and a two but Bayne is back up for a double clothesline. A Doomsday Device is broken up though and Bayne goes outside with Jay, leaving Cameron to hit Her Finishing Move on Ford for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: C+. This was a match which could have been on any given episode of Dynamite and that means it is a great choice for a spot like this one. Sometimes you need to have a fun tag match, which is exactly what you got here. Cameron needed a win after some recent setbacks and Bayne was a monster, which is about as well as it could have gone.

Kickoff Show: Cru/RPG Vice vs. AR Fox/Bandido/Los Titantes del Aire

The villains jump them from behind to start and it’s Bandido getting caught in the corner for some running clotheslines. That’s broken up and we settle down to Romero getting taken into the wrong corner for a running shot to the face. Komander grabs a chinlock for a bit before Bandido comes back in for the delayed vertical suplex. That’s broken up and Cru double teams Bandido down so Los Titantes come in to knock them outside.

A double suplex onto the apron puts Komander in trouble but it’s back to Bandido for a top rope corkscrew crossbody. Fox comes in and cleans house with a cutter and slingshot hilo, setting up a suicide dive to the floor. Beretta drops Fox on the floor though and Rush forearms him down for two back inside. Fox is back up with a double top rope clothesline but a spike Strong Zero plants him for two.

Andretti clotheslines Fox back down but he’s right back up for the tag off to Hologram to clean house. Komander adds a running hurricanrana as everything breaks down again. A quadruple dive takes out the villains on the floor so they’re thrown back inside for a quadruple splash off the top for two. An assisted 21 Plex finishes Andretti at 13:18.

Rating: B-. Take a bunch of people, let them go nuts and do a bunch of high spots. I could have gone for the match being a bit shorter as these things tend to go better in short stretches, but it went well enough. I’m still not sure when Hologram is going to actually do something important, but that hasn’t stopped AEW with him for months now.

And now, the show proper.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament Finals: Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter

Non-title. They stare each other down to start and lock up, with Hayter powering her into the corner. Mone slips away and fires off some forearms, only to get knocked down for a quick two. Mone’s rollups get two each, sending them into a battle over leg cranks. Hayter finally pulls her into a half crab but Mone rolls out and hits the running knees against the ropes. Another running shot sends Hayter crashing out to the floor and it’s time to crank on some limbs back inside.

A Backstabber sets up a cross arm choke until Hayter powers up and drives her into the corner. The middle rope Meteora hits Hayter but she’s right back up with some right hands in the corner. Mone pulls her crashing down onto the buckle for two more and some running knees to the back make it even worse. Hayter is fine enough to snap off a suplex and a middle rope dropkick sends her into the corner. Some running knees rock Mone but she’s right back with the Three Amigos.

A Backstabber looks to set up the Mone Maker but Hayter superkicks her into a hard clothesline. They go to the floor and Hayter hits a step up clothesline off the steps (with a quick slip) and they’re back inside. Three straight Backstabbers set up the Mone Maker, which is broken up rather quickly. Something like a middle rope seated senton gives Mone two but Hayter pulls her into a rear naked choke.

That’s broken up and Mone pulls her into the Statement Maker. Mone tries to kick herself back to the middle of the ring but Hayter gets up and hits a backbreaker for two. Back up and a Tombstone gives Hayter two more (with a heck of a sell from Mone) and she loads up Hayterade but gets small packaged to give Mone the pin at 21:18.

Rating: B-. I liked it well enough, though it felt like they were getting a bit repetitive in there. Hayter managed to make it feel like she could pull it off once or twice here, which is a lot more than I was expecting off what felt like a layup coming in. Mone vs. Toni Storm (more than likely) is a dream match around here and this gets us ready on the long road to All In.

Commentary wishes Jim Ross good health in a nice moment.

We recap FTR vs. Daniel Garcia/Nigel McGuinness. FTR went full evil by attacking Cope and Tony Schiavone didn’t like it. This sent them after Schiavone, so McGuinness stood up for his broadcast partner. Garcia didn’t like it either so it’s time for a tag match, with McGuinness admitting that he and Garcia are likely in trouble.

FTR vs. Nigel McGuinness/Daniel Garcia

Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR while Matt Menard is with McGuinness/Garcia. Wheeler and Garcia lock it up to start before shoving away out of the corner. Garcia punches him down and Wheeler backs away, meaning it’s off to Harwood vs. McGuinness. Harwood chops and strikes away in the corner and then does it again in another corner to keep things level.

Everything breaks down and FTR is cleared out to the floor for a breather. Back in and McGuinness takes both of them down in the corner but they send him outside. Some rams into the apron and announcers’ table have McGuinness in trouble and they go back inside. Harwood gets a hard whip to send McGuinness into the buckle and lays down to mock him a bit, like most good villains should.

Wheeler goes outside to mock Schiavone and we hit the chinlock back inside. McGuinness fights up and manages a rebound lariat, which is enough for the diving tag to Garcia. Some clotheslines take FTR down and a belly to back suplex gets two on Harwood. Wheeler quickly breaks up the Sharpshooter and Harwood escapes the Tower Of London. Garcia helps McGuinness hit a Tower Of London in the middle of the ring and FTR gets caught in stereo holds. Hathaway offers a distraction to break that up and the fight heads to the floor, where Wheeler gets in a cheap shot.

Back in and Garcia hits his rolling superplexes on Harwood but Wheeler breaks them up. A spinning superplex into Wheeler’s top rope splash gets two, leaving Hathaway frustrated. FTR takes McGuinness outside for a Shatter Machine, which is enough for Schiavone to get up and seemingly beg for mercy. Garcia fights back inside until a piledriver is countered to give Harwood two. A spike piledriver gives Harwood two, followed by a Sharpshooter to keep Garcia in trouble. McGuinness is held back and Garcia passes out at 22:30.

Rating: C+. WAY too long here for a match that probably could have been cut in half without missing match. It didn’t help that it was a fairly random pairing against one of the best teams going today, as the result wasn’t exactly in doubt. I wasn’t feeling this one and the length was the biggest problem, as there was no need for this to break fifteen minutes, let alone twenty two.

We recap Mark Briscoe vs. Ricochet. They don’t like each other, Ricochet uses scissors, stretcher match. Totally logical sequence of steps there.

Mark Briscoe vs. Ricochet

Stretcher match, where you have to be put on n stretcher and into an ambulance, which would usually make it an ambulance match. Ricochet jumps him to start and takes things out to the floor, where Briscoe fires off some chops. Briscoe sends him into the ambulance and so Ricochet jumps out and SPRINTS to the ring in a funny bit.

Back at ringside and Briscoe rams him with the stretcher but it’s too early for a Bang Bang Elbow. Ricochet knocks him onto the stretcher but the shooting star press from the apron only hits stretcher. Now the Bang Bang Elbow can hit Ricochet and a chair to the ribs keeps him in trouble. A table is set up but Ricochet gets whipped into the barricade and it’s time to get….some cleaning products?

Briscoe of course polishes Ricochet’s head (that’s worthy of a chuckle), followed by a bucket to the (well polished) head. A tribute to Sabu takes too long though and Ricochet gets in a shot to the head to take over. Some cleaning products to the eyes cuts Briscoe off again and it’s time to take the padding off the stretcher.

The bloody Briscoe is carried back to the ambulance but he uses a crutch to block the door. A fire extinguisher blast blinds Ricochet and they go back to the ring, where Briscoe hits a Jay Driller. Now the table is set up for the Froggy Bow but Ricochet fights back. The scissors to the head staggers Briscoe but he gets the scissors and swings away. A low blow cuts him off though and Ricochet sends him into the ambulance to win at 16:03.

Rating: B. It was a bloody, violent fight and that made for a change of pace from what we’ve seen so far. I’m still not sure why this needed to be a stretcher match but it had some funny moments and Ricochet won in the end, as he should have. That’s all this needed to accomplish, and they did it with Briscoe bleeding a gusher.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The Hurt Syndicate are the dominant champions and the Sons Of Texas have been the Ring Of Honor champions for several months due to reasons I have yet to begin to fathom. Now Dustin Rhodes wants a third title and Sammy Guevara is here too.

Tag Team Titles: Sons Of Texas vs. Hurt Syndicate

The Syndicate, with MVP and MJF, is defending (unlike the Sons Of Texas). Rhodes and Lashley start things off with the latter driving him into the corner a few times. Rhodes fights out and gets shouldered down so it’s off to Benjamin. Some right hands stagger Benjamin, who is right back with a German suplex. A running knee lift gets Rhodes over for the tag off to Guevara to clean some house.

Benjamin sends him flying with a German suplex as well and Lashley hits a heck of a spinning spinebuster. Guevara is sent outside for a cheap shot from MJF, which the fans don’t seem to like. Back in and something like a Dominator plants Guevara, who manages a quick cutter for a needed breather. Rhodes comes back in and slugs away, including a powerslam to Lashley.

The Canadian Destroyer drops Lashley and MJF’s accidental distraction lets Rhodes hit Benjamin with Shattered Dreams. Benjamin is back up with a quickly broken ankle lock and Rhodes hits a quick Cross Rhodes for two. Rhodes goes up and gets pulled back down so MJF offers Benjamin the ring. That’s not happening so MJF backs off, leaving Lashley to spear Guevara. Rhodes breaks up the pin so MJF goes after him, with Lashley breaking up a ring spot. A spear sends Rhodes through the barricade and Benjamin cuts off a dive attempt. Benjamin superkicks Guevara for the pin at 12:39.

Rating: C. The Sons Of Texas still aren’t interesting, they’re nothing special in the ring and thank goodness MJF didn’t accidentally (or on purpose) help them win the titles. I didn’t care when they became the #1 contenders and the match wasn’t anything more interesting. Thankfully the Hurt Syndicate beat them here, as I can’t take anymore of Rhodes holding titles for months at a time.

We recap the Continental Title match, which doesn’t have much of a story other than Mike Bailey asking for and receiving the shot.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Mike Bailey

Okada is defending. They stare at each other for a bit before locking up and going to an early standoff. A fight over wrist control lets Okada slap him on the chest and they’re quickly on the floor. Bailey hits a crane kick and goes back inside for the bouncing kicks, only to get taken down with a dragon screw legwhip.

They’re quickly back on the floor for a DDT from Okada but Bailey dives back in to beat the count. Back in and Okada does the taunting kicks, followed by a far more serious running kick to the face. A baseball slide puts Bailey on the floor but he is right back up for his “avoid the dive and hit a moonsault” sequence. Back in and a missile dropkick connects, setting up the running shooting star press for two.

Okada shoves him off the top and hits the Air Raid Crash onto the knee. The falling top rope elbow hits Bailey and Okada gets in a middle finger. Bailey kicks him down and tries the shooting star press, which hits raised knees. They forearm it out until Bailey hits a superkick and goes up, only to get dropkicked out to the floor.

The fight heads to the apron, where Bailey hits the moonsault knees. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon misses and the tornado kick is dropkicked away. Bailey kicks him down again for two and ducks the Rainmaker, followed by another kick to drop Okada. It’s back up top, but this time Okada dropkicks him out of the air. The Rainmaker retains the title at 16:04.

Rating: B-. Bailey is one of those guys where you’re either going to like him a lot of not at all and I’m more in the latter category. He did well here, but I can only get so much out of all those kicks and the stupid little bowing deal. Okada was only a bit better here, but the bigger issue was they have all but said it’s Okada vs. Kenny Omega at All In, so this didn’t have the most drama.

We recap Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa. Storm is on the way to All In but wanted a title defense before she got there. Shirakawa returned and won a #1 contenders match, which had Storm excited.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa

Storm is defending and gets taken down for some early kicks to the leg. That’s reversed and Storm dances a bit before grabbing a headscissors. Shirakawa reverses into a dancing double stomp to the knees but Storm makes the ropes to escape. The leg is kicked out again and wrapped around the post but Storm is fine enough to hit a snap suplex on the floor.

Back in and Storm gets two off a fisherman’s suplex, only for Shirakawa to hit a springboard tornado DDT. A clothesline hits Storm and she bails to the floor, where Shirakawa beats up Luther. Shirakawa isn’t done and uses Luther as a launchpad to tag Storm out again. Back in again and Shirakawa grabs a Figure Four, with Storm turning over for the escape.

They trade strikes to the face and both fall down for a double breather. Storm snaps off some suplexes but the knee won’t let her do the running hip attack. Shirakawa is smart enough to go after the knee again but Storm makes the rope to escape another leglock. A reverse implant DDT gives Shirakawa two and the Figure Four goes on again. That’s broken up with another grab of the ropes and they trade small packages for two each. Then Storm grabs a quick Storm Zero for the pin to retain at 15:54.

Rating: B-. The ending was absolutely out of nowhere, but that kind of fit as Storm was only able to do so much with her bad leg. Much like the previous match, there was only so much drama here, as Shirakawa vs. Mone doesn’t feel like quite the same level of showdown. What we got here was good, which is more impressive as they were in a pretty tight spot.

Post match, respect is shown.

We recap Anarchy In The Arena. The Death Riders and the Young Bucks are the two evil groups so a bunch of good guys (and Willow Nightingale) are fighting back. Therefore, it’s time for anything to go in a wild brawl.

Young Bucks/Death Riders vs. Opps/Swerve Strickland/Kenny Omega/Willow Nightingale

Anarchy In The Arena so anything goes. Swerve has some special gear which might be the Predator, while Omega is Captain America…and there is no Joe. The Death Riders come in from a bunch of different entrances and the Bucks get another big entrance about how great they are because this joke is still a thing. They’re the founding fathers and have their own patriotic sounding music, which plays for a bit as the brawl starts.

Joe pops up in the crowd to brawl with Castagnoli and we go to a quadruple screen for the four brawls. We settle down to a bunch of people in the ring and Omega asks for some new music, which is….I’m So Excited. The villains get pummeled in the corners and we cut to Joe beating up Castagnoli at a merchandise stand. Back in the ring and Omega says that doesn’t fit so we’ll play some Bodies by Drowning Pool, which is a better fit for this kind of thing.

Omega even leads some fans in a singalong as the fight heads into the crowd. Moxley forks Hobbs’ head and Yuta cuts off Omega’s dive from a balcony. Instead Yuta is tossed onto the pile and then Omega follows with a moonsault. Joe uses the Captain America shield trashcan lid to beat on Castagnoli at ringside before Moxley brings Hobbs into the ring. Moxley takes him down in the corner and grabs a table, with Hobbs spearing him through it (you knew that was coming).

Matt is pulled in for You Can’t Escape from Omega as Shafir and Nightingale have brawled outside. Back inside and Shibata puts Yuta in a laundry cart and rams him into a wall. A barbed wire kick has Yuta in more trouble and we cut back to Swerve and Omega beating up the Bucks. Castagnoli uppercuts Swerve out of the air though and swings him into a speaker (cutting off the music).

The women are back now and Shafir hits Nightingale with a frying pan. The Bucks are back up to send Omega through a table at ringside as Nightingale’s ear has been chained to the post. A bunch of people go back towards the entrance and Nick Swantons through Hobbs on a table. Hobbs fights up but gets kneed back down, followed by a chair to the head. Hold on though as here is Swerve on a forklift to Swerve Stomp onto the Bucks and Moxley.

Hobbs snaps off some spinebusters inside as Nightingale is finally unlocked. Joe and Moxley grab a choke each, as do Shibata and Shafir. Swerve and Matt break those up with 450s and Matt grabs a staple gun. Hobbs isn’t having any of that, including one to his head and Swerve has his own staple gun. A low blow cuts Matt off but Shafir hits Swerve low and his tongue gets stapled. Omega fires off some snapdragons, including one to Shafir (who spat on him).

The Bucks are back up with superkicks, including a double to the referee. Nightingale is back up for the Tombstone half of a Meltzer Driver to Matt for two. Joe plants Moxley out of the corner and Hook is back to go after Castagnoli. The MuscleBuster into the Koquina Clutch has Moxley in trouble but Gabe Kidd is here to break it up. Kidd piledrives Omega and Yuta puts thumbtacks into Omega’s mouth for an EVP Trigger.

Joe breaks up a bulldog choke from Moxley and they go up to the entrance, where Mark Briscoe is back to take out Kidd. The Death Riders are put in the ambulance, leaving the Bucks alone with Omega and Swerve. The Bucks are dropped in a hurry and Prince Nana brings in the special shoes, with Omega One Winged Angeling Matt through an exploding table. A Swerve Stomp with tacks on his shoes gives Swerve the pin on Nick at 35:11.

Rating: B+. This is one of the perfect examples of a match where your individual tastes are going to make all of the difference. If you like this kind of stuff, you’ll have a great time but if you don’t like this style, this was a huge waste of time. I had a good time with it, partially because while they had some barbed wire and tacks, it was far from the dominant feature. This was about people beating each other up until the ending and I had a fun time, which is all you can get in this thing.

We recap Paragon vs. the Don Callis Family. Neither had anything to do on the show so they’re having a match.

Paragon vs. Don Callis Family

Lance Archer and Don Callis are here with the Family. Cole and Takeshita trade arm cranking to start with Takeshita backing him into the corner. O’Reilly comes in to work on the arm as well before it’s off to Fletcher, who gets struck in the corner. That’s broken up and Alexander comes in to send Strong to the apron for the running crossbody to the back. Even Callis gets in a shot of his own but Strong is able to Angle Slam Takeshita. Alexander is right back to cut off the tag…for all of a few seconds as Strong dives over to bring Cole in.

House is quickly cleaned and it’s back to O’Reilly to go after Alexander’s arm. That doesn’t work so they clothesline each other for a double down. Takeshita is back in with a superbomb for two on Strong but he’s right back up with a running dropkick off the apron. Back in and we get a rapid string of strikes until O’Reilly’s guillotine is broken up. Fletcher grabs the brainbuster for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: B-. Oh man they were stuck in a rough spot here and it showed badly. There is just no way to follow that previous match and the lack of a big story other than “neither of us have anything else to do” didn’t help. They were all working hard and trying, but a six man tag after that wild thirty five minute war beforehand is not going to be easy.

Post match (because we needed a post match as it’s almost midnight with the main event to go) the Family jumps Paragon again but Brody King, Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi make the save.

We recap the main event. Hangman Page and Will Ospreay both want to be World Champion and they’re in the finals of the Owen Hart Tournament for the All In World Title shot. Ospreay wants to win because he wants to be the best, while Page wants to prove that he can still do it and that his first reign wasn’t a fluke.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament Finals: Hangman Page vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay easily wrestles him to the mat to start so Page grabs a headlock. Back up and Page hits a running shoulder, with Ospreay nipping right back up as he is known to do. Page backs him into the corner and they trade legsweeps for two each, giving us a staredown. The Oscutter is blocked and Page backdrops him before avoiding a quick Hidden Blade attempt. That means another standoff as they definitely seem to have a lot of time here.

A running hurricanrana sets up a corkscrew moonsault to give Ospreay an early two. Page knocks him out of the corner but gets caught with a quick Phenomenal Forearm. Ospreay’s slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and a fall away slam sends Ospreay into the barricade. Back in and Page hits a corner clothesline into a German suplex for two, with Taz being right there to explain the science behind the throw.

Page’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he kicks Ospreay, which just fires him up. A Stundog Millionaire into a rolling kick sends Page to the floor and now the dive connects. Back in and Ospreay’s spinning torture rack bomb gets two but Page breaks up a dive off the top. Page hits a big moonsault to the floor, followed by a Sharpshooter back inside. The rope gets Ospreay out of trouble and Page’s chops just wake him up.

A kick to the face rocks Page, who hits a clothesline and they’re both down. They go to the corner for a Cheeky Nandos Kick to Page but he’s back with a flipping lariat. Ospreay breaks up the Buckshot Lariat though and hits a knee to the head for two. Page is back up with a Tombstone and Angel’s Wings for two but misses a Best Moonsault Ever. Instead Ospreay is back up with a Hidden Blade and they stagger out to the apron.

Ospreay powerbombs him onto the apron and hits a Styles Clash to the floor. Naturally Page is able to dive back in and beat the count, setting up an Oscutter for two. Another Hidden Blade gets two more and a frustrated Ospreay hammers away. A big boot knocks Page to the floor so Ospreay rams him face first into the announcers’ table. They get onto the table and load up…something that they don’t get to do as the table breaks.

Page gets the better of things and, after a staredown, hits a Buckshot Lariat for two. Ospreay is right back with a Stormbreaker but misses the Hidden Blade to leave them both down. Back up and Ospreay hits a V Trigger and something close to a One Winged Angel gets two. Ospreay can’t hit another Stormbreaker and Page hits a quick clothesline, setting up the Buckshot Lariat to finish Ospreay at 37:02.

Rating: A. This match had one of the best possible things going for it, as I had no idea who was going to win here. You could have gone either way and while I had guessed Ospreay, Page is the hotter hand right now and it makes for a better story. Other than that though, this was an outstanding story with the high flying Ospreay being far more athletic and skilled but Page going with more of his brawling and heart. I wanted to see where this was going and it was excellent stuff throughout as they more than lived up to the huge hype. Check this one out if you get the chance as it’s an instant classic.

Post match Page celebrates but comes back to check on Ospreay. A handshake ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. It’s too long. I know that’s not the most positive way to start a final thought but that was the biggest issue here and I was worried about it coming in. Counting the Kickoff Show (and if there are matches taking place, it sure does count), this ran about six hours. I get the idea of “giving them their money’s worth” and all that jazz, but my goodness man, stop having every match go so long. Garcia/McGuinness vs. FTR going 22 minutes? Everything getting at least 12 minutes? Come on already. I was sick of watching this show about halfway through and then it kept going. Quality aside, that isn’t a good thing.

Now with all of that out of the way, this was a rather good show, with the main event being outstanding and Anarchy In The Arena being a lot of fun (though I can get mileage varying). They covered a lot of stuff here and nothing was bad, but I’m not sure how much some of it needed to be on the card.

For a show that felt at least partially like a preview for All In, this show was more than worth a look. Just trim a good number of the matches down by a few minutes (if not moving them to TV) and it’s that much better. It’s a two match show and those matches were both good to great, which is more than enough to carry a perfectly acceptable undercard. Now it’s off to All In, and thankfully they’re off to a positive start.

Results
Anna Jay/Harley Cameron b. Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford – Her Finishing Move to Ford
Los Titantes del Aire/Bandido/AR Fox b. Cru/RPG Vice – 21 Plex to Andretti
Mercedes Mone b. Jamie Hayter – Small package
FTR b. Daniel Garcia/Nigel McGuinness – Sharpshooter to Garcia
Ricochet b. Mark Briscoe when Ricochet put Briscoe in the ambulance
Hurt Syndicate b. Sons Of Texas – Superkick to Guevara
Kazuchika Okada b. Mike Bailey – Rainmaker
Toni Storm b. Mina Shirakawa – Storm Zero
Kenny Omega/Swerve Strickland/Opps/Willow Nightingale b. Young Bucks/Death Riders – Swerve Stomp to Nick
Don Callis Family b. Paragon – Brainbuster to O’Reilly
Hangman Page b. Will Ospreay – Buckshot Lariat

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We’re back to the big time pay per views with one of the main AEW cards of the year. In this case the main event is going to be a preview for All In, but my goodness they have made me want to see what is going to happen. Other than that, we have a rather big Anarchy In The Arena, which as usual has the potential to be one heck of a spectacle. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay/Harley Cameron

As you might expect, this is likely going to be a showcase for Bayne and that is not a bad thing. She is by far the most prominent of these four at the moment, as Jay and Ford never win anything important and Cameron has cooled down since her big loss in Australia. The good thing is Cameron is still hilarious and over with the fans, but that isn’t likely to be enough here.

I don’t see any reason to believe that Bayne and Ford will lose here so we’ll take them. There is a chance that Jay or Cameron get a quick win over Ford, but I’m not sure why AEW would want to have Bayne left out like that. Bayne winning and moving on to something bigger makes the most sense and while the other three can get a bit of spotlight, this should be her next featured presentation.

Mark Briscoe vs. Ricochet

I like the idea of these two getting on the show, but having this be a stretcher match feels…unnecessary. It comes off more like “here’s something we haven’t done before so let’s do it here”, which isn’t a great feeling. Ricochet definitely deserves this kind of a spot as he’s been doing rather well lately and Briscoe can work with anyone, so it’s hardly some kind of a ridiculous idea.

Since Briscoe rarely wins big matches, I’ll take Ricochet to win here, likely through some nefarious means. He gets a win on pay per view and can brag about it for weeks, which is what he would likely do no matter the result. That’s the mark of a good heel and he should be able to make it work well with Briscoe here. I’m still not sure why it’s a stretcher match, but I’ll take that over Briscoe getting pinned again.

FTR vs. Daniel Garcia/Nigel McGuinness

Speaking of matches where it feels like they came up with the idea first and then the story to back it up later, we have McGuinness’ latest return to the ring. I like the idea of McGuinness getting back in the ring no matter what as he is a special talent, but he was right when he said that he and Garcia have never teamed before and will likely get crushed. That’s a weird way to set up a match yet here we are.

Of course I’ll take FTR, as even McGuinness thinks there is no reason to believe he and Garcia will win. FTR are freshly heel and can likely get back into the title picture with a few wins. You don’t have them lose a prominent match so soon into their new roles so they should and will win here. This doesn’t feel overly important, and there isn’t much that can be done to overcome that issue.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Mike Bailey

This is one of those matches where it is entirely going to depend on how you feel about the people involved. Okada is someone who has a very hit and miss record when it comes to working hard in AEW and Bailey is a case of “you know exactly what you are going to get”. It could make for a good back and forth match, but at the same time, it’s a match where you likely know what you’re going to get.

It’s a bit of a cheap way out, but there is no reason to believe that Bailey is winning here as Okada vs. Kenny Omega has been teased for All In for months now. That makes this match little more than a formality, and hopefully Okada will put in some work here to make the match better. Bailey will do all of his kicks and look rather ridiculous in the process, but Okada will win in the end, as he should.

Paragon vs. Don Callis Family

Here we have a match which was literally added on during Collision, with Adam Cole saying the Paragon had nothing to do on the show and agreeing to face the Family as a result. That doesn’t really feel like a big time match, though they are the kind of people who belong on a show given how often they are presented on the regular television shows. That is better than nothing, but it is putting more pressure on the match.

I’ll go with the Family to win here, as they have a tendency to win quite often, possibly with the winner being the next challenger to Cole’s TNT Title. Cole has flat out said he has nothing going on so he could use a challenger from the Family at this point. That can be accomplished here and even if it feels like a television match thrown onto the show, it could at least accomplish a goal.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament Final: Jamie Hayter vs. Mercedes Mone

They’re in another tight spot here as you have the undefeated Mone, who seems like she is on a collision course with (likely) Toni Storm at All In. That leaves Hayter as someone who is just enough of a threat to be noteworthy but not likely enough of a threat to be a serious contender. That doesn’t bode well for her changes, though I’ve been brought in a bit more through their recent promos.

However, that’s not enough to sway my guess, and I’ll take Mone to win here and go on to the title match at All In. If nothing else, it might be due to the false hope of the idea that the Women’s and TBS Titles could be unified to get rid of one of them already. Other than that, this has the potential to be a good match, as Mone’s issues have never been between the bells. If Hayter is laying it in as she can, this could be quite the final.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Mina Shirakawa

I’m really not sure why you would put Shirakawa, who is freshly debuted as a full time AEW star, in this spot when she doesn’t seem to have much of a chance. The problem with this show rears its head again, as All In is waiting for the winners and that doesn’t leave much room for a title change about a month and a half out. Shirakawa is awesome, but she’s in a weird place here and there isn’t much of a way around it.

In case the previous match didn’t give you much of a hint, I’ll take Storm to retain here. As over the top as she is, Storm has long since been established as the most successful Women’s Champion in AEW history. If that is meant to set up a showdown with Mone in Texas, there is no reason to have her lose here. Shirakawa is still new enough that she shouldn’t be losing, but that charisma of hers is more than enough to make up for a loss in a hurry.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate(c) vs. Sons Of Texas

I’ve been trying to avoid this match as I still do not see the appeal of the Sons Of Texas. It felt like someone wanted to give Dustin Rhodes a lifetime achievement award and then forgot to wrap it up. They’ve been the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champions since August and have one of the longest reigns in the titles’ history. That’s on top of Rhodes being part of the Six Man Tag Team Champions, which he’s held even longer. It makes me worried that AEW might want him to be a triple champion at All In, but hopefully that’s just the paranoia talking.

I’m going to go with what should be the obvious logical answer and say the Syndicate retains. While I could see the idea of having MJF cost them the titles, I’m hoping that’s held off for awhile, as there are so many better teams. The Syndicate is clearly the class of the tag division, and having them lose so soon, especially to Rhodes and Sammy Guevara, would be a huge misstep. Just please let me be right about this one.

Anarchy In The Arena

This is one of those matches that is so unique and over the top that it’s hard to really describe. It isn’t so much about the result but rather all of the insanity that takes place on the way there. I’m sure the ending will set up something for later, but this is the definition of a spectacle match, with everyone going as nuts as they can and doing whatever crazy shenanigans they can think of in the building.

I’ll go with the heroes to win here, as there are so many combinations where one of the Death Riders or Bucks could lose without being hurt too badly. If nothing else, why else would you have Wheeler Yuta out there? This should be a blast as AEW knows how to crank up the insanity and if they do it well here, we could be in for one of the matches that really makes AEW stand out.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament Final: Hangman Page vs. Will Ospreay

It’s pretty rare for wrestlers to talk me into wanting to see a match but these two have done it with this one. I want to see these two fight because I want to see how far they are willing to go to get a World Title shot. They have set the stakes for their match and now we get to see just how well the whole thing will go. That’s how you build a good match and if they can deliver, it has all of the potential.

I keep going back and forth on this one as Page is the more compelling story but Ospreay is the more logical story. You have Page wanting to prove that his time on top wasn’t a fluke and that he has grown into a more mature star, while Ospreay is the closest thing AEW has to a superhero who should be taking down the big bad in Jon Moxley. I want to say Page here because it would be the more emotional win, but I’ll take Ospreay, as it feels like a better match for All In. As long as it doesn’t end in a triple threat, I’m happy either way though.

Overall Thoughts

The name Double Or Nothing is very appropriate as this is as much of a two match show as I’ve seen in a long time. The main event and Anarchy In The Arena both feel huge while the rest is just kind of there. If those two matches deliver and a few others step up (which they likely will), we should be in for a good night. At the same time, if one of those two matches doesn’t deliver, AEW could be in a lot of trouble.

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Dynamite
Date: May 21, 2025
Location: Rio Ranchos Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the last Dynamite before Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to put most of the final touches on the pay per view. Odds are that means something getting us ready for Anarchy In The Arena, plus a bunch of build towards the Owen Hart Cup finals. That should be more than enough to get us through the night so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out Will Ospreay and Hangman Page for a chat. They agree to get physical and Ospreay has the security go to the back, though he does promise they’ll get paid (nice guy). He asks if Page still drinks and apologizes for the shot to the face last week. Ospreay has some beers brought in but puts his down and says he has an official request for Tony Khan: the two of them should be in the main event at Double Or Nothing.

That is a lot of pressure, but the winner goes on to All In and the winner has the responsibility of taking the World Title back. Ospreay flies around all the time and is jet lagged every Tuesday but puts on his crime fighting pants and says ring the bell. That’s what he wants more than anything else. He wants to be the World Champion at Forbidden Door in London, thirty minutes from his house.

More than that though, he wants his six year old to look at him as the World Champion. Ospreay knows Page wants it, but he wants it that much more. Page says that’s the difference between them. Ospreay wants it bad and Page has had that feeling before. There is no greater prize than being the World Champion, but for Ospreay, it could be a professional accomplishment.

It’s just that though: professional. Page calls it personal for him though because he doesn’t want it, but rather needs it. Page has not won anything in two years and those moments have killed him more every day. He needs his son to look at him and see his father and for his wife to look at him and see her husband. What he needs is for Ospreay to be wrong when he said it was “too little, too late” for Page.

Ospreay asks what Page is going to do about it. Wrap a chair around his skull? On Sunday, he is showing up and doing his best, which hasn’t been enough before. Yes he has lost but he has never given less than everything. Page asks if that is enough to beat Jon Moxley and the Death Riders but Ospreay doesn’t know. Ospreay asks if what Page is now is enough either.

The best of Ospreay has beaten a lot of people because he is the best in the world. Anything can happen when that bell rings and if Page wins and needs someone to have his back at All In, Ospreay has his back. He hopes Page will do the same if Ospreay wins, so meet him in the desert. They both drink the beers and stare hard at one another. They go up the aisle and get to the entrance at the same time for quite the staredown. This was GREAT, with both of them laying out why they want to win. I’m not sure who is going to win, but I’m almost more curious to see what happens when one of them loses.

Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir arrive, with Moxley saying the spoils will go to those who embrace the anarchy.

Jon Moxley/Young Bucks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs/Samoa Joe/Swerve Strickland

Marina Shafir and Prince Nana are here too. Joe and Moxley slug it out to start with Joe having to be held back. Hobbs and Matt come in with Hobbs running him over but not being able to hit the powerslam. Swerve comes in to backbreaker Nick and hits a neckbreaker as everything breaks down. Moxley’s dive is cut off by Hobbs so he dives onto Hobbs instead. The Bucks superkick Joe down but Swerve plants Matt and hits a dive to take him out as well. Now Joe can hit his suicide elbow as we take a break.

Back with Moxley hammering on Hobbs in the corner before going after the knee. For some reason Nick decides to slap Hobbs in the back, earning himself a World’s Strongest Slam. Swerve comes in to plant Nick, who avoids a running shot, allowing Matt to superkick Swerve down. Back in and an assisted Sliced Bread plants Swerve, who gets his knees up to cut off a Swanton. That’s still not enough for the tag though as Moxley is back in for a Crash Landing on Swerve.

Matt dives onto Joe and Hobbs, followed by Risky Business for two more. The hanging Swanton gets two on Swerve with Hobbs having to make the save this time. We take another break and come back again with Moxley’s piledriver (with a middle finger to the fans) getting two more. Something like the Rings Of Saturn bring the fans back to cheer Swerve so Moxley grabs a full nelson.

A headbutt drops Moxley and it’s Joe coming in to clean house, followed by Hobbs’ frog splash for two. Everything breaks down and the Bucks head fake Hobbs into a double DDT. Joe drops them with a double clothesline but Moxley is back in to take Joe down. Swerve gives Moxley the House call and adds a Swerve Stomp off the apron onto the Bucks. Back in and Hobbs busts out some spinebusters to clean house but Moxley is there to send him into Swerve. A double superkick puts Joe down but Swerve rolls Matt up for the pin at 21:17.

Rating: B. The length helped here, as the match had the time to build up rather than having to hurry through everything. As good as that part was though, it was another example of why the Bucks can be so annoying. Just like always, they got in all of their stuff, beat up just about everyone, and then lose on a fluke rollup. I’m sure they’ll get some kind of heat back later, because the Bucks just have to be part of everything no matter what.

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat the winners down but Katsuyori Shibata returns for the save. Marina Shafir cuts Shibata off with a low blow though so here is Willow Nightingale to Pounce Shafir. Kenny Omega runs in for the real save. A table is set up and Matt has to be saved from a One Winged Angel. The villains leave but Joe says they’re coming after them tonight.

The Hurt Syndicate says MJF should be the excited one tonight and he has a new suit for the occasion.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to officially induct MJF into the team. MJF comes out and says his mom told him that the most important day of his life is the day you marry the love of your life. MJF: “It’s clear that that b**** never joined the Hurt Syndicate!” MJF and MVP take turns mocking the fans who boo a lot and everyone but Bobby Lashley signs. Lashley seems unsure but ultimately signs, and yes there is a commemorative hat.

Cue the Sons Of Texas, with Dustin Rhodes telling MJF to shut up. Rhodes and MVP have a long history of respect but Rhodes thinks he shouldn’t trust MJF. We hear about how they changed the business and now they want more gold. If they like to hurt people, jump on Rhodes and try to hurt him. They have been beaten up and hurt by bigger people and now they’re ready to fight with heart. He would bet on the Day One guys. As usual, Sammy Guevara is the guy just standing there nodding as Rhodes does everything.

Kazuchika Okada isn’t letting Mike Bailey call him out for Double Or Nothing….because he’s calling Bailey out instead. And no catchphrase!

Ricochet vs. Anthony Bowens

Billy Gunn is here with Bowens and this is to crown the true Scissor King. Bowens jumps over him in the corner to start and hits a clothesline to the floor. Ricochet stops to glare at Gunn, earning himself another shot from Bowens. They go back in where Bowens hits a quick knee, only to get sent hard into the post.

We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting the running Fameasser into something like a reverse Angle Slam. They trade forearms until Bowens hits a superkick for a quick two. The Arrival sets up the Mollywop but Ricochet is knocked outside. The referee goes after Gunn, allowing Ricochet to pull out a pair of scissors to stab Bowens. Stabbing a man in the head is of course a setup for the Spirit Gun to give Ricochet the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C+. I really don’t know if Bowens should be losing so soon into his singles run, but at least it was to a bigger name and through some cheating. That being said, I still have no idea why Ricochet uses scissors. It’s such a random weapon with no real connection for him, but that’s what he gets to do. On top of that, he’s in for kind of a weird gimmick match on Sunday, though at least he’s on the show.

Post match Mark Briscoe brings out a stretcher and beats up Ricochet.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Stokley Hathaway, with FTR, wants to sign the contract for the Double Or Nothing tag match face to face. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia can even bring Matt Menard.

Renee Paquette brings out Jamie Hayter and Mercedes Mone for their own face to face interview (with chairs). Hayter says so be it if she is seen as the underdog because she is used to being there. She will fight back every single time because that is who she is. Hayter doesn’t have people running around here doing her dirty work and yes she is rough around the edges.

This means more to Hayter and they both know that, because it’s about not being forgotten. If she doesn’t win, what does it mean for her? Mone laughs it off and calls herself the Beyonce of wrestling. She’s going to All In to win the Women’s Title because she is the greatest TBS Champion of all time.

Mone hasn’t gotten here through luck because it’s about leaving her legacy. Hayter’s chapter finally ends at Double Or Nothing. Hayter points out Mone losing the NJPW Strong Women’s Title and that is going to be her destiny. Mone jumps her but gets dropped with Hayterade. Cue Toni Storm, who will be on commentary for the main event. It’s hard to believe that Mone is in any danger, and my goodness she gets less and less interesting every week.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Julia Hart

Toni Storm is on commentary. Hart grabs a wristlock to start and hits Old School but Shirakawa does something similar, albeit with some hip shaking. Shirakawa goes outside to mock Storm, allowing Hart to take her down as we go to a break. Back with Shirakawa hitting a running knee, followed by some clotheslines.

Hart grabs something like a Tarantula but Shirakawa hits a spinning backfist. A not great top rope crucifix bomb gets two on Hart but she’s back up with a knockdown of her own. The moonsault misses though and Shirakawa goes after the knee. The spinning backflst looks to set up the Glamorous Driver but Hart rolls out. That’s reversed into a cradle to give Shirakawa the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird choice for the main event, but there is only so much you can do on a three match show. Shirakawa is in a good place where she’s not new but she’s still fresh, so she doesn’t have to really be built up that much for the title shot at Storm. I can’t imagine she wins the title, but having her lose so soon in a high profile match would be a fairly odd way to go.

Post match Hart goes after Shirakawa, who ties up Hart’s bad leg. Skye Blue comes in to deck Shirakawa so Storm makes the save. Shirakawa and Storm get in a tug of war over the belt and Shirakawa goes after Storm’s knee, tying it around the post with the Figure Four.

The Young Bucks try to leave but Powerhouse Hobbs and Samoa Joe jump them. Cue the rest of the people in Anarchy In The Arena for the weapons filled brawl. The fight goes into the arena where the Bucks beat up Kenny Omega, who fights back as this is anarchy in the arena to set up the Anarchy In The Arena. Gabe Kidd runs in and helps the villains with the beatdown and the Bucks hit stereo dives to put Omega and Swerve through tables to end the show. This was a good example of a week that didn’t need an overrun as this was just a long brawl to set up the already announced long brawl at the pay per view.

Overall Rating: B. Double Or Nothing is going to be quite the booking challenge, as so many people are in one match. That leaves the two tournament finals to carry the thing and thankfully the men’s match got an incredible go home segment that really elevated things. Those are by far the two biggest things on the show, and it should be interesting to see if the rest of the card can live up to that hype. I’ll take a two match show, but they are in for a challenge if one of those matches doesn’t deliver.

Results
Samoa Joe/Powerhouse Hobbs/Swerve Strickland b. Young Bucks/Jon Moxley – Rollup to Matt
Ricochet b. Anthony Bowens – Spirit Gun
Mina Shirakawa b. Julia Hart – Cradle

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