Collision
Date: March 2, 2024
Location: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the last show before Revolution and while the card is mostly set, there is always the chance that something more could be added at the last minute. The likely main event will see an eight man tag which will feature some of the matches at Revolution combined into one. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Buddy Matthews comes out for a match but Mark Briscoe jumps him from behind and the beating is on. Briscoe uses a chair for a step up flip dive through a table at ringside before grabbing a spike. The House Of Black comes in for the save and Buddy has to knee Briscoe in the head to knock the spike away. Briscoe fights back on the stage and sends Matthews down to the floor. Things get more serious as Briscoe grabs the controls for the pyro and tries to use it to burn Matthews before security cuts him off. Briscoe being violent fits him well.

After getting jumped on Dynamite, Swerve Strickland isn’t happy with what Hangman Page did. Swerve will never take his eyes off of him again and at Revolution, Swerve is taking the World Title.

All Star Scramble Qualifying Match: Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Bryan Keith vs. Dante Martin

They shove each other to start before an exchange of shots to the face put everyone down for a second. Back up and Martin knees Keith to the floor, leaving Penta to Sling Blade Martin a few times. Penta Backstabbers Martin outside but gets suplexed by Keith for two. Martin comes back in with a dive onto both of them, followed by another dive to the floor as we take a break.

Back with another three way exchange of strikes but Penta blocks Keith’s Diamond Dust. Everyone is knocked down again until Keith knocks Penta outside. Keith’s tiger driver gets two on Martin before Keith heads to the apron to chop it out with Penta. That leads to a Fear Factor to drop Keith on the apron but Martin knocks Penta off. A frog splash gives Martin the pin on Keith at 10:01.

Rating: B-. I was surprised by the result as Penta is a more established name and Keith is getting a lot of TV time in recent weeks. That being said, Martin is someone who has felt like he could move up to the next level more than once but it has never clicked. While I can’t imagine him winning the scramble, getting into it is a step forward for him. Fun match too, with all three working well.

At Dynamite, a rather mad Hangman Page says he did what he had to do and he won’t let Swerve Strickland get the World Title.

Mariah May vs. Angelica Risk

May chops her to start and chokes on the ropes, followed by a rather spinning side slam. Nigel McGuinness is so overcome when May blows him a kiss that he falls down on the floor (Schiavone: “A grown man.”) and May kneeing Risk in the face makes it worse. May Day finishes for May at 2:54. Total squash.

Post match here is Toni Storm, leaving May rather overwhelmed. Never mind though as Storm calls out Deonna Purrazzo, ignoring May entirely. Storm says this isn’t why she and Purrazzo got here and says she loves Purrazzo. She also loves that there is only room for one and it will never be Purrazzo. That makes Purrazzo laugh, because she says she is the best friend and the worst enemy. Purrazzo promises to break both of Storm’s arms so Storm puts on lipstick and kisses her on the cheek. The fight is on but May breaks it up, earning herself a piledriver from Purrazzo. This played into two stories at once and did so well.

Austin Gunn/Acclaimed vs. Dark Order

The rest of the Bang Bang Scissor Gang is here too. This time the rap is broken up by Jay White putting his arm around Max Caster’s shoulders. Gunn punches Reynolds down to start before handing it off to Caster, who is driven into the corner. That doesn’t last long as Caster fights back and cleans house without much trouble.

Scissor Me Timbers hits Uno but Silver breaks up the scissoring. Uno hits a DDT and we take a break, coming back with Gunn knocking Uno down. The tag brings in Bowens to clean house, including the running Fameasser to Uno. Everything breaks down and the Order’s triple slam hits Bowens for a rather near fall. Back up and the Arrival into the Mic Drop finishes Reynolds at 8:17.

Rating: C+. Fun match here as the Order got in just enough offense to be interesting but not enough to overstay their welcome. The rap being messed up gives me hope that the team is already about to implode, meaning we could be in for a unification match at Double Or Nothing or so. I’m not sure what else the endgame for the whole thing should be, and it would be nice to see it finally happen.

Stokely Hathaway apologizes to Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander, but Nightingale cuts him off and promises to beat up Skye Blue and Julia Hart at Revolution.

Tony Schiavone brings out Wardlow for a chat, though Wardlow tells him to get out. Wardlow says he’s ready to win the scramble match and become the new #1 contender. But which champion is he going to face? Maybe he can slap Hangman Page back into depression. Maybe he can kick in the front door of Swerve’s house. Or maybe it’s Wardlow vs. Samoa Joe, because Wardlow is sick of the JOE chants. Joe is in Wardlow’s spot and this is no longer wrestling, because this is WAR.

Cue Chris Jericho to interrupt to say Wardlow isn’t fighting for the World Title tomorrow. He’s fighting Jericho, one of the best to do this. Jericho has won eight World Titles but Wardlow hasn’t won anything and it’s been years since he has had the chance to win the title again. Jericho knows he’s good enough, but does Wardlow know it? Maybe the reason Wardlow never got here is because he’s just not good enough, Mike (Wardlow’s first name).

Wardlow says he was this close to the top of the mountain, but then he had to take one step down after another and yeah he was mad. Work took away his happiness and he sat at home for three months, but then he came back and remembered who he was. He is the baddest man ever in wrestling and he is done eating scraps, so come do something about it. Jericho goes towards the ring but here is Powerhouse Hobbs to jump him from behind. Dang that was a heck of an exchange and now I want to see Wardlow vs. Jericho on their own rather than in a scramble.

Serena Deeb wants competition and issues an open challenge. She is the final boss. Meiko Satomura does not approve.

Private Party vs. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels

Sydal hurricanranas Kassidy to start and everything breaks down in a hurry, giving us a four way standoff. We settle down to Quen and Daniels having a bit of a dance off, including the Curry Man dance. Sydal comes in to take Quen down for two before it’s back to Daniels for a clothesline to the back of the head as we take a break.

Back with Daniels grabbing a quick Downward Spiral, meaning a double tag brings in Sydal and Quen. Sydal gets to clean house but gets caught in a Swanton/neckbreaker combination for two. Daniels comes back in for the save but Angel’s Wings is broken up. Sydal’s top rope Meteora hits Zay and Daniels hits Angel’s Wings on Quen. Cue Jeff Jarrett and company (teaming with Private Party at Revolution) for a distraction though, allowing Jay Lethal to drop Daniels with the Lethal Combination and give Quen the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C. The match itself was fine and the interference at least set something up for the pay per view match. Private Party is at least getting to do something now that they are back together, while Sydal and Daniels are more or less the jobbers to the stars in Ring Of Honor, which might be spreading here too. That’s not a bad use of them, but I’m not sure how long it will last.

Video on Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson.

Thunder Rosa vs. Cassandra Golden

Commentary talks about various wrestlers named Golden over the years as Rosa kicks her in the chest to start. Golden gets out of a fireman’s carry but gets sent into the corner for a running dropkick. A top rope double stomp to the back sets up a seated cobra clutch to make Golden tap at 2:18. That was efficient.

Video on Sting/Darby Allin vs. the Young Bucks.

Revolution rundown.

Hook/Daniel Garcia/Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy vs. Christian Cage/Killswitch/Brian Cage/Roderick Strong

Brian shoves Trent into the corner to start and shrugs off a headlock attempt. Garcia comes in to face Strong with Garcia rolling around a lot. Strong’s wristlock doesn’t get him very far so Garcia and Hook clear the ring. We take a break and come back with Garcia being whipped hard into the corner but managing to send Brian into the buckle. That just earns Garcia a heck of a superplex and now Christian is more than willing to come in. The villains take turns beating on Garcia but he manages a shot of his own. The tag brings in Trent to clean house, only to have Killswitch chokeslam him onto the apron.

We take another break and come back again with Christian’s reverse layout DDT planting Trent. The top rope headbutt misses but Strong cuts off the tag attempt. Trent kicks him away though and it’s Cassidy coming in to clean house. The Stundog Millionaire drops Brian and the spinning DDT gives Cassidy two.

Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of strikes and throws. Brian F5’s Cassidy for two with Garcia and Hook making the saves. Cassidy dives onto Strong, who hits End of Heartache on the floor. The Stronghold keeps Cassidy in trouble outside as Trent rolls Killswitch up for two. Nick Wayne gets in a cheap shot though and Killswitch hits a clothesline to the back of Trent’s head for the pin at 19:14.

Rating: B-. This was the big fight to advance a bunch of matches at once and that is one of the best ways to go on a show like this one. The action was fine but it never hit that level that something like this tends to go. Trent taking the pin is the right way to go as he has nothing going on, so well done on doing the logical move.

Post match the big brawl is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice, efficient show here with little that didn’t advance a story (or two in some cases). This covered enough things on the way to Revolution, which is feeling like a pretty big show all things considered. They didn’t rock the boat here and that is what you want to do with the last show before the big event. Good enough here and that worked well.

Results
Dante Martin b. Bryan Keith and Penta El Zero Miedo – Frog splash to Keith
Mariah May b. Angelica Risk – May Day
Austin Gunn/Acclaimed b. Dark Order – Mic Drop to Reynolds
Private Party b. Matt Sydal/Christopher Daniels – Quen pinned Daniels after a Lethal Combination from Jay Lethal
Thunder Rosa b. Cassandra Golden – Seated cobra clutch
Brian Cage/Christian Cage/Killswitch/Roderick Strong b. Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta/Hook/Daniel Garcia – Clothesline to the back of Trent’s head

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: February 24, 2024
Location: Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We are just over a week away from Revolution and the card seems pretty much set. That allows the remaining shows to focus on some other things, which will be the case again here. In this case we have Bryan Danielson facing another Japanese legend in Jun Akiyama, which should be awesome. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Sammy Guevara vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

No DQ and all of the Don Callis Family is barred from ringside. Guevara tries a knee to the face to start and it’s a Cactus Clothesline out to the floor. Hobbs misses a charge into the barricade but pulls a diving Guevara out of the air. The World’s Strongest Slam onto the steps plans Guevara and Hobbs does a bunch more of them onto the apron. Hobbs feels creative and goes over to steal Kevin Kelly’s belt (various threats are made), meaning Guevara takes a whipping.

Guevara is back up with some chair shots but Hobbs easily tosses him over the barricade. Back in and Guevara sends him onto the steps and it’s time for a pair of tables. Guevara takes too long though and it’s a spinebuster from the apron through the two tables as we take a break.

We come back with Hobbs missing a charge into the corner and getting pulled into the GTH for two. A monitor to the head knocks Hobbs fairly silly and it’s time for another table. Guevara’s springboard is pulled into another World’s Strongest Slam though and Guevara is rocked again. Another table is loaded up and we’ll make that two but Guevara manages a posting for a breather.

A beer bottle to the head puts Hobbs on the table and Guevara breaks a second over Hobbs’ head for a bonus. Now it’s a ladder being set up in the ring so Guevara climbs up and Swantons him through the two tables. Back in (less than a minute after the crash) and Guevara sets up another table but Hobbs shoves the referee to crotch Guevara. The World’s Strongest Slam from the middle rope through the table finishes Guevara at 17:03.

Rating: B-. Jake Roberts once asked why he should bother using the DDT on someone if hitting them with a sledgehammer doesn’t put them down. Hobbs got hit in the head with two beer bottles and took a Swanton from a ladder in the ring through two tables at ringside but was back on offense about a minute and a half later. Why should I believe that any move is going to be able to pin him now? The match was your usual weapons fest with both of them doing whatever they could think of until one move was enough for the pin. It was garbage fun, but not much more than that.

The Blackpool Combat Club talks about how the team came together, including Claudio Castagnoli walking twenty miles from an airport to a gym. They’re not cool with a time limit draw against FTR so they’re in for Revolution. Castagnoli talks about FTR wanting to bring back the past but the Club is the future. Good promo here with the ending tying it together.

FTR vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Harwood and Moriarty start things off but it’s quickly off to Wheeler, who chases Moriarty into the corner. An elbow to the face sets up an armbar on Moriarty before it’s off to Harwood vs. Taylor. Harwood picks up the pace with a slide between the legs but a hard clothesline puts him down. Moriarty is back in for a chop off with Harwood but Taylor runs him over as we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting out of a bearhug, only to have Taylor knee him in the face. Taylor’s middle rope splash though and a diving tag brings Wheeler back in to clean house. Wheeler’s jumping neckbreaker gets two on Moriarty so Taylor punches Wheeler in the face. Harwood makes a blind tag though and it’s a powerbomb/top rope combination to finish Moriarty as Wheeler cuts off Taylor at 10:19.

Rating: B-. That was one of the slickest finishing sequences I’ve seen in a good while as the whole thing from the blind tag to Wheeler picking Moriarty up to the pin was one motion. That is where tag team wrestling can be so fun to watch and FTR does it as well as anyone has in a very long time. Good stuff here as the Promotions were good villains to be vanquished in not quite short order.

Post match FTR talks about how the Blackpool Combat Club can’t get rid of them that easily. People are scared of Jon Moxley but Harwood thinks Moxley is mad because FTR isn’t scared of him. They’ll have to kill FTR to beat them so see you at Revolution.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama as Danielson’s final year tour continues.

Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Bird Monroe

Rosa wrestles her down to start and fires off some chops in the corner, complete with yelling at the camera in Spanish. Monroe’s chops don’t get her anywhere as Rosa hits a running dropkick against the ropes and grabs the Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 2:07.

Stokely Hathaway doesn’t like what Julia Hart and Skye Blue have been saying about Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander. Never mind though as Statlander cuts him off and wants to beat up Blue next week.

Colten Gunn/Jay White/Billy Gunn vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson

Max Caster botches his rap this week and just drops it halfway through. Billy pokes Boulder in the yes to start but run over, only to shove the Savages into each other. Colten comes in but misses the Stinger Splash, earning himself a face first drop onto the top turnbuckle. Boulder comes in for some dancing, only to be low bridged to the floor.

The diving tag brings in White (with Colten bypassing Billy) to clean house, with Bronson accidentally splashing Jameson. Billy comes in with the Fameasser to Bronson….who stands up and jumps over the top rope in one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen. Anyway, White grabs the Blade Runner to finish Jameson at 4:45.

Rating: C-. That bizarre moment from Bronson alone is enough to bring this down as there was only so much good in the first place here. The big thing would seem to be Colten tagging in White instead of Billy, as the two sides of the team might be having issues. That still needs to build towards the unification match at Double Or Nothing, as the titles need to be unified and the show’s name couldn’t be more perfect.

Bryan Danielson puts over Jun Akiyama as one of the best ever. Akiyama is Eddie Kingston’s hero but Danielson doesn’t respect Kingston. If Kingston was doing this promo, he would ramble on and then storm off. Kingston had all of the potential and has wasted it until the last year, which is why Danielson is going to beat him at Revolution. Danielson doesn’t get this fired up very often and it worked.

Malakai Black vs. Bryan Keith

This is Black’s first singles match in AEW since June 2022. Black takes him down by the leg to start but Keith is right back up for a standoff. A suplex into a knee drop gets two on Black, who elbows Keith out to the floor. We take a break and come back with an exchange of forearms until Keith makes the clothesline comeback. A tornado DDT plants Black and they’re both down for a breather.

They slug it out again and go up top, with Black shoving him down. A top rope double stomp into a German suplex gets two on Keith and frustration is setting in. Black Mass misses and Keith Tiger Drivers him for two of his own. Back up and Keith charges into Black Mass (which may be called The End) for the pin at 10:58.

Rating: C+. It was nice to see Black back in the ring on his own for a change and Keith is someone who has been built up as enough of a star to make it feel like something of a challenge. The match was the usual back and forth stuff you would expect from a match like this one but that spinning kick still looks great. Nice return to singles action for Black here, and it would be cool to see it continue.

Post match the lights go out and here is Mark Briscoe with a kendo stick. Briscoe grabs the spike but stabs the turnbuckle pad by mistake. The rest of the House Of Black comes in to beat Briscoe down.

Video on Darby Allin/Sting vs. the Young Bucks.

Serena Deeb vs. Lady Frost

Frost trips her down to start and they go to a test of strength on the match. Deeb reverses that into a cross arm choke and we’re off to a staredown. A dropkick to the back puts Deeb down but she ties up the leg into something of a reverse Figure Four. Frost makes the rope and we take a break.

Back with Deeb snapping off a dragon screw legwhip to stay on the leg before firing off some left hands. A swinging neckbreaker gives Deeb two but Deebtox is broken up. Frost hits something like a spinning Break for two but Deeb hits a hammerlock lariat. A half crab makes Frost tap at 8:42.

Rating: C. The commercial break during the sub-ten minute AEW women’s match has become something of a running joke and unfortunately it isn’t that funny. They weren’t having a classic or anything but it’s annoying to have so much of a match missed due to a commercial. This happens almost all the time and it keeps me from wanting to see what they are doing, which is just hurting the energy of the show.

Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama

Eddie Kingston is on commentary. They go with the standing grappling to start as Kingston talks about how much he loves and respects Akiyama. Danielson takes him up against the ropes for a clean break so Akiyama comes back with some running shoulders. With that not working, Danielson goes after the knee and twists it around on the mat. Akiyama’s cross armbreaker is broken up and Danielson is right back to the knee.

The Muta Lock goes on so Akiyama rakes the eyes for the break. Danielson fights up and sends him outside but the suicide dive is cut off by an elbow to the face. We take a break and come back with Akiyama dropping a knee on the apron but Danielson hits a missile dropkick. The running corner dropkicks connect but Akiyama blasts him with a clothesline. Danielson grabs the LeBell Lock, sending Akiyama straight to the ropes.

Back up and Akiyama knees him out of the air for two but a running knee is countered into a half crab. A German suplex drops Akiyama again, only to have him grab a not locked in guillotine choke. Danielson kicks him in the head and grabs a German suplex, only to have Akiyama exploder suplex him down. Back up and they both try running knees, meaning it’s another double knockdown. Danielson scores with a hard knee to put Akiyama down, setting up the running knee to finish at 15:57.

Rating: B. I don’t think there was much of a surprise here as Akiyama is a legend and Danielson has done rather well with this kind of a match during his current run. It was also nice to have Akiyama tied into the Danielson vs. Kingston feud rather than a random one off match. Akiyama did well here, and it wouldn’t shock me to see him win a quick match elsewhere on AEW just to give him a nice moment.

Respect is shown post match but Danielson flips off Kingston. That’s not cool with Akiyama so Danielson kicks him low. Kingston runs in for the brawl and it’s Claudio Castagnoli running in to beat Kingston down. FTR runs in for the save and yes indeed Tony Khan makes a six man tag in all of three seconds’ notice for Dynamite.

Overall Rating: B-. There was good action here, but a lot of it felt like it was about setting up things for later. That’s a good idea with Revolution just over a week away and I’m getting more excited for the show, meaning things are going well. As usual, Collision was more wrestling based and it went well, with the main event being the highlight, also as usual.

Results
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Sammy Guevara – Super World’s Strongest Slam through a table
FTR b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination to Moriarty
Thunder Rosa b. Lady Bird Monroe – Tijuana Bomb
Colten Gunn/Jay White/Billy Gunn b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Blade Runner to Jameson
Malakai Black b. Bryan Keith – The End
Serena Deeb b. Lady Frost – Half crab
Bryan Danielson b. Jun Akiyama – Running knee

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: January 24, 2024
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

The road to Revolution continues and the big story coming out of last week is what could be a three way feud between World Champion Samoa Joe, Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland. We should be able to find the next step in that story this week, plus a good bit more. Like Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Samoa Joe to get things going. Joe talks about how people have to earn title shots but just like Hook last week, they’ll take a beating. Here is Hook to interrupt, saying Joe won last week, but they’ll see each other again. Joe bets Hook will, but calls for security to get him out of here. Cue security…with Hook beating them up before leaving. Well that was fast.

Hangman Page vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

Samoa Joe is on commentary. Penta does the usual pose to start so Page backs him into the corner. That earns Page some running Sling Blades but Page sends him into the corner for a running boot to the face. They trade chops in the corner until Penta has to slip out of the Deadeye. An exchange of clotheslines and superkicks leave them both down and we take a break.

Back with Penta kicking him to the floor for a big running flip dive. They get back inside where Page hammers away in the corner, followed by Penta’s running Death Valley Driver. Page avoids having the arm snapped and comes back with a sitout powerbomb for two. Neither can hit anything big on the apron so the Buckshot Lariat is countered into Made In Japan for two. Page is sent to the apron again but he counters a Canadian Destroyer into the Deadeye. Now the Buckshot finishes Penta at 13:45.

Rating: B. It was the kind of back and forth match that you would expect in this spot as Page gets a win over someone with some credibility. They were trading big spots here and while at times it felt like they were checking moves off a list they had planned to cover, it was still more than exciting enough stuff. At the very least, this should put Page on the road to the title match, where he seems destined to go.

Orange Cassidy is down to defend the International Title against Roderick Strong at Revolution. For now though, he’s setting up a match for Rampage where the winner gets a title shot on Collision.

The Young Bucks like the show’s format and want to be called Nicholas and Matthew. Backstage morale is way up and they want a great show! Top Flight come in and get chastised for being late but respect is shown. Do you get the joke yet? I’m not sure they’re hammering it in hard enough.

Trent Beretta vs. Wardlow

The Best Friends and the Undisputed Kingdom are here too. Wardlow knocks him into the corner to start and fires off some shoulders to the ribs. Trent manages to knock him outside and hits a dive, only to be driven into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Trent slugging away. A clothesline sends Wardlow outside, where a distracted referee misses Trent getting in a chair shot. Back in and a tornado DDT sets up a piledriver for two on Wardlow so Trent goes up top. Wardlow pulls him down into a knee and the powerbomb finishes Trent off at 7:59.

Rating: C+. Between this match and the Kingdom’s first match after being revealed, I’m really not sure what the thinking is with this team. They’re struggling to beat midcarders and haven’t shown the slightest bit of dominance. If Wardlow is supposed to be the guy to go after the World Title, he’s going to need a lot more than this, as needing eight minutes to beat Trent is hardly impressive.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Best Friends make the save.

Adam Copeland is ready for Minoru Suzuki.

Here are Deonna Purrazzo and Toni Storm for a face to face interview on the stage. Storm says she’s going to speak first because she has a massage scheduled. Purrazzo was recently body shamed which is ridiculous when there is SO MUCH MORE to shame about her. Storm threatens to twist Purrazzo’s lips around but Purrazzo says she’s here to be champion.

She’ll win the title arm by arm because this delusional Storm isn’t the one she wants. She wants the Storm who worked on the dojo floors and lived in Purrazzo’s house. They even show off matching ankle tattoos, which is why Storm doesn’t have Purrazzo fooled. Shoe throwing ensues and Purrazzo pulls her into the Venus de Milo, with Mariah May making the save. That added a little personal touch to the story, though Purrazzo still doesn’t sound overly confident with her promos.

Jon Moxley says the Blackpool Combat Club has won a lot of titles but haven’t had any victory parties. He’s ready to hurt anyone who gets in the ring with him.

Taya Valkyrie and Johnny TV aren’t happy with people jumping to the front of the line. That’s why Taya wants to face Deonna Purrazzo next week.

Swerve Strickland vs. Jeff Hardy

Matt Hardy is here with Jeff. They start slowly, with Swerve knocking him into the corner so Jeff has to hold his neck. Jeff shoves him away to get a glare from Swerve, who takes him down and goes for the arm. Matt offers a distraction though and Jeff gets out, only to be sent to the apron. A superkick drops Jeff again and Swerve drops him hard on the floor. Back up and Jeff manages a Poetry In Motion of the steps to take Swerve over the barricade as we take a break.

We come back with Jeff knocking him off the top and hitting the Whisper In The Wind. Jeff kicks him in the face and hits a splash for two. Swerve gets in a knock off the top and they go outside, with Jeff hitting a Twist of Fate onto the steps. Back in and the Swanton hits raised knees, allowing Swerve to backslide him for two. The rolling Downward Spiral sets up a suplex into the Swerve Stomp to finish Jeff at 13:57.

Rating: C+. Well the right guy won, though he took his sweet time getting there. I get that they’re doing the Swerve/Hangman are matching each other, and that makes all the sense in the world assuming you ignore their two pay per view matches within the last ten weeks or so. Jeff wasn’t exactly his old self here, but he did seem like he was trying.

Post break Hangman Page is interrupted by Swerve Strickland, where they’re told they get to pick the other’s opponents for next week.

Red Velvet vs. Thunder Rosa

Velvet grabs the arm to start but Rosa drop toeholds her into the corner. They go outside with Velvet chopping away and we take a break. Back with Rosa hitting a running dropkick against the ropes but Velvet rolls her up or a double stomp. Rosa hits a dropkick and a Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 7:10.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here, which tends to be the case with a good deal of the women’s matches. There is only so much you can do when about half of a match that doesn’t last eight minutes is in a break and that was the case here. Rosa is slowly getting back to her pre-injury status, but it is going to take a long time.

Here are Sting and Darby Allin for a chat. Allin talks about being asked what it means to be in the ring with Sting. He remembered hearing about Sting’s career being over and going down to Sting’s house in Texas. They got in a ring he had down there and within five minutes, Allin said “you still got it”. Now Sting is about to hang it up, but maybe they should go out as Tag Team Champions. Sting is in.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks accept Sting and Allin’s challenge.

Trios Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. Billy Gunn/Acclaimed

Gunn and the Acclaimed, with Bullet Club Gold, are defending. Cage drives Caster into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs to start. Caster grabs the arm and hands it off to Bowens to stay on said arm, only to have Cage pull him into the corner. Bowens fights up but Prince Nana offers a distraction, allowing Kaun to knock him off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting a Blockbuster but Toa cuts of the tag attempt. That doesn’t last long either, as Bowens gets over to Gunn for the house cleaning tag. Everything breaks down and Kaun faceplants Gunn for two. Kaun brings in a chair but Jay White takes it away, allowing Gunn to hit a cobra clutch slam. The Gunns powerbomb an interfering Nana through the timekeeper’s table, leaving Toa to take a not very good 3D. The Fameasser into the Arrival into the Mic Drop retains the titles at 8:52.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t boring, though there was a lot packed into this, with the interference and the chair and the match itself, all in less than nine minutes. Still though, the Club being involved gives me hope that we could be in for a title unification match. If nothing else, it would mean three less belts floating around and that sounds rather nice.

Serena Deeb returns on Collision.

Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki

They slug it out to start with Suzuki getting the better of things (shocking I know), including a hard forearm to put Copeland down. Copeland is back up and sends him to the apron for the big boot. The spear is countered into a guillotine though, with Copeland having to drive him through the barricade.

Back in and they slug it out again for another double knockdown. Back up and they slug it out again until Copeland grabs an Impaler. Copeland hits a quick spear for two but gets pulled into the rear naked choke. He reaches for the corner and the pad is pulled up, with Suzuki going face first into the buckle. A really not good Killswitch gives Copeland the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C+. I’m sure there was an audience for this and it definitely did feel like a major event, but I couldn’t get into the idea of Copeland and Suzuki trading forearms and then exchanging some finishers for Copeland to win in about nine minutes. It felt like a way to say “wait, those two had a match?”, which is ok, but doesn’t exactly guarantee the quality or interest.

Post match Copeland says he’s never been hit that hard and offers respect but Suzuki walks off instead. These two had the kind of match that Christian Cage has never had and Copeland is still coming for him.

Overall Rating: C+. There was some good wrestling in here but a grand total of nothing felt important. This show felt like AEW was saying “here’s two hours of stuff, see you next week”. While that’s not good, it’s something that every promotion has done before and it just happens on occasion. They have a stacked Collision and next week’s Dynamite could very well be back to full form, so hopefully we can call this a one off slip and move on.

Results
Hangman page b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Buckshot Lariat
Wardlow b. Trent Beretta – Powerbomb
Swerve Strickland b. Jeff Hardy – Swerve Stomp
Thunder Rosa b. Red Velvet – Package spinning slam
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Mogul Embassy – Mic Drop to Toa
Adam Copeland b. Minoru Suzuki – Killswitch

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Collision
Date: January 20, 2024
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

The card is looking pretty good here as Jon Moxley is back after his recent New Japan matches. In this case he’ll be fighting Shane Taylor, which should be a heck of a showdown. Other than that, we have another Adam Copeland open challenge and that could go in a variety of directions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Shane Taylor vs. Jon Moxley

Lee Moriarty is here with Taylor. They slug it out to start with neither being able to get very far until Taylor knocks him into the corner. A hard chop brings Moxley down but he’s back up to trade chops. Taylor hits a running splash in the corner and he backdrops his way out of a piledriver attempt. They go outside with Moxley sending him into the steps as Nigel makes a joke about how Moxley is likely about to bleed.

Moriarty gets in a cheap shot though and Taylor grabs a chinlock back inside. Taylor misses the middle rope splash, allowing Moxley to grab a running cutter. The King Kong Lariat gives Moxley two but Taylor hits his own clothesline. Back up and they trade headbutts until Taylor hits a powerbomb, only to get pulled into a triangle choke. Taylor dead lifts his way out, only to have Moxley elbow him in the face. Back up and they slug it out until Moxley pulls him into the bulldog choke for the knockout at 9:37.

Rating: B. Sometimes you just need two guys to beat the fire out of each other and that’s what we had here. Moxley can hang in fights like this one and Taylor has the raw power to make his half work too. It was an entertaining slugout and Moxley gets to come back with a bang after a few weeks away.

Post match Moxley says this is going to be his year and if you want to be his opponent or teammate, you better keep up.

We look at Hook vs. Samoa Joe from Dynamite.

Adam Copeland vs. Dante Martin

Copeland grabs a headlock to start but Martin is back up with some leapfrogs into an armbar. Back up and Copeland manages to send him outside as we take an early break. Back with Copeland holding a headlock. Martin fights up but gets sent to the apron, where he has to fight out of a sunset bomb to the floor. A hurricanrana takes Copeland down as commentary thinks Martin’s balance and equilibrium are off.

Back in and the half nelson slam is broken up but Copeland misses the spear. Martin hits the Nose Dive for two as Copeland has to grab the rope. Commentary says Martin has vertigo (egads if true as that is a nightmare) as he goes up, only to get caught on top. Martin is fine enough to hit a sunset bomb for two but another springboard is speared out of the air. Copeland’s Grindhouse finishes at 11:51.

Rating: B. If Martin wrestled that match with vertigo, my goodness it’s an amazing performance. That is one of the nastiest conditions you can have and the idea of walking in a straight line, let alone wrestling a match, would be horrible. For now though, this was another match where Copeland got to go in there and have a good one against some younger star, which makes for some interesting situations. They’re not instant classics or anything, but Copeland wrestling a random wrestler once a week is not a bad idea whatsoever.

Post match Tony Schiavone gets in the ring to talk to Copeland, who wonders what he was thinking with these open challenge. He sees a bunch of young guys going after him instead of a veteran. They want to take a bite out of him and there’s a lot to eat. Copeland: “I’m a five course dinner. I don’t know what the h*** that means.” He’s coming for the TNT Title and he’ll be champion the next time he wrestles in this city.

Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli aren’t happy with losing to Eddie Kingston in the Continental Classic and want revenge in the main event.

Private Party interrupts Top Flight and Action Andretti so a match is set up.

Queen Aminata vs. Thunder Rosa

Feeling out process to start with Aminata grabbing an armbar and shaking her hips a bit for some mind games. They run the ropes until Aminata drops down, allowing Rosa to cradle her for two. Aminata hits a backbreaker for two and then drives some knees to the ribs. Rosa is fine enough to send her outside for a dropkick through the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Aminata kicking her in the back again, with Rosa’s eyes bugging out. Rosa is fine enough to strike away in the corner, setting up some running knees. A running dropkick against the ropes sets up a northern lights suplex for two but Aminata’s Air Raid Crash gets two. Rosa wins a kick off and grabs the Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 9:19.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of physical win that Rosa needed and Aminata put in a good showing. I liked the idea of focusing on Rosa’s recently injured back as it’s a simple yet effective way to go, but the break in the middle took away some of the momentum they were building. At the same time, Aminata has now had six televised matches (counting ROH) this month alone. It’s ok to hit the brakes on her a bit.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz are ready for Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli tonight. Kingston doesn’t have time for this.

Here is Bullet Club Gold, with Colten imitating the Rock’s catchphrase and Jay White talking about being glad to be back on Saturday. There is something missing though….and we have a cardboard cutout of Juice Robinson. If you’re not down with them, they have two words for you. Cue Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed (minus rap for some reason) to interrupt and again offer to form a super group. The people want to see these guys getting some gold, which gives us a BANG BANG SCISSOR GANG chant. Bowens gives a heck of a speech….and the Club is in!

Toni Storm admits she knows Deonna Purrazzo and threatens to beat and eat her. Storm: “Now where is my pork dinner?”

Buddy Matthews vs. Daniel Garcia

The House Of Black and FTR are here too and Matt Menard is on commentary. Matthews powers Garcia down to start and then knocks him to the floor. Back in and Garcia hits a running shoulder to put Matthews on the floor for a change. All six get up on the apron for a staredown and we take a break.

Back with Garcia escaping a powerbomb on the apron and hitting a piledriver to plant Matthews. They both barely beat the count, with Garcia hammering away back inside. Garcia wraps the knee around the post and even grabs the Hartbreaker to make it worse. The Dragonslayer goes on but Matthews grabs the head and slams it into the mat for the break. Matthews hits a knee to the face into a Jackhammer for two as the fans think this is awesome. Garcia dances at him from his knees so Matthews grabs a powerbomb, which is reversed into a jackknife rollup to give Garcia the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B. This is the kind of Garcia who could get somewhere, as he’s starting to figure some things out. It’s one of the better matches he’s had and having him there to even the odds with FTR against the House is a good idea. Keep this up and they might have something, as long as they don’t go too far with it too fast as they did before.

Post match the fight is on and the locker room comes in to help break it up. The fans were WAY into this as it was a hot fight.

Post break FTR and Daniel Garcia want a six man elimination tag….in a cage.

Roderick Strong vs. Matt Sydal

The Kingdom is here with Strong and yes we get a Generation Next reference. Strong pulls him into a quickly broken surfboard to start so they grapple against the ropes. Sydal sends him outside for a crash and we take a break. Back with Sydal in trouble but elbowing his way out of a fireman’s carry. Some running shots to the face take Strong down but he’s back up with the jumping knee to the face. End of Heartache is the end of Sydal at 8:15.

Rating: C+. They kept this going fast but there is only so much you can get out of an eight minute match with a break in the middle. Sydal continues to be the good hand who hang in there with just about anyone but isn’t likely to win match. That makes it a valuable win for Strong as he is on his way to the International Title match at Revolution.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Claudio Castagnoli/Bryan Danielson

Kingston and Danielson start things off with the fans not being sure who they like more. They trade some poses and don’t actually make any contact until nearly two minutes in. A lockup doesn’t go anywhere so Danielson starts kicking away at the leg. That lets Danielson pose some more until Kingston snapmares him down for a kick to the back. Ortiz comes in for a double suplex so it’s off to Castagnoli for the hard uppercut.

Ortiz dropkicks them both at once but Castagnoli drops him face first onto the buckle to cut that off fast. We take a break and come back with Ortiz fighting out of a chinlock. That’s not enough for the tag though as Danielson comes in to kick at Ortiz, who says bring it. As we’re told that the ranking system is returning (erg), Ortiz escapes and brings Kingston in for the showdown with Castagnoli.

Kingston fires of the machine gun chops in the corner but Castagnoli hits a hard clothesline. Danielson adds the top rope headbutt for two, followed by Castagnoli sending Ortiz into the barricade. Back in and Kingston hits a quick DDT on Danielson, allowing the tag off to Ortiz. A t-bone suplex drops Castagnoli and Kingston hits him with a suicide dive. Danielson manages a LeBell Lock on Ortiz, who gets over to the ropes. That leaves Danielson to stomp away as Castagnoli holds Kingston. The running knee gives Danielson the pin at 16:13.

Rating: B-. This was the match that got the most time but it wasn’t quite as good as some of the other things that were on the card. What mattered here was having Danielson get a win, which should set him up for a title shot against Kingston down the line. It’s a good enough main event, which says a lot when it was one of the weaker matches on the card.

Ortiz apologizes to Kingston to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. There was more than enough good to very good action here to make this one of the better Collisions in awhile. This show felt a bit more straightforward as you had wrestlers in feuds and matches that advanced those feuds. That is what AEW has tended to shine and it’s nice to see them doing it again here. Pretty awesome show this week as Collision is starting to get back to what works.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Shane Taylor – Bulldog choke
Adam Copeland b. Dante Martin – Grindhouse
Thunder Rosa b. Queen Aminata – Tijuana Bomb
Daniel Garcia b. Buddy Matthews – Jackknife rollup
Roderick Strong b. Matt Sydal – End Of Heartache
Bryan Danielson/Claudio Castagnoli b. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz – Running knee to Ortiz

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 10, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back to Jacksonville for the Homecoming show, which is likely going to focus on a lot of the greatest hits. At the same time, there is still a chance that some of the regulars are going to be over in Japan, so it is hard to say who will be around for the show. We’re also less than two months away from Revolution so it might be time to start getting ready. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Hangman Page vs. Claudio Castagnoli

They start fast and slug away with the fight heading to the floor. Castagnoli gets the better of things before they head back inside. A bunch of forearms to the head rock Page and Castagnoli gets the Swing, setting up the Sharpshooter. The rope is grabbed so Castagnoli slugs away again, only to get caught with a fall away slam.

A springboard clothesline sends Castagnoli to the floor and there’s a slingshot dive to hit him again. We pause for Page to have a fan’s beer, with Castagnoli gorilla pressing him over the top and onto the ramp. Back from a break with the fight on the ramp, with Page clotheslining Castagnoli into the ring. The Buckshot Lariat is countered into Swiss Death for two and they slug it out back inside.

Page knocks him to the floor hits a moonsault, followed by another off the stage to drop Castagnoli again. A Tombstone gives Page two and they both need a breather. They trade more hard shots until the Deadeye gives Page two. Castagnoli takes him to the corner and tries a super Riccola Bomb but Page reverses into a hurricanrana. That and a pair of Buckshot Lariats finish Castagnoli at 17:05.

Rating: B. For a cold match, this was a heck of a fight with both guys laying it in as well as they could. That’s all you can ask for out of a match like this and they made it work rather well. Page needs the win as he seems primed for another match with Swerve Strickland so starting against Castagnoli is a good thing. As for Castagnoli…oh he’ll be fine as always.

We take a quick look at Brodie Lee.

Dustin Rhodes/ Preston Vance/Orange Cassidy/Adam Copeland vs. Mogul Embassy/Lance Archer

Jake Roberts and Prince Nana are here with the heels. Rhodes powerslams Toa to start and hands it off to Vance, who gets driven into the corner. Cage comes in to send Vance into the buckles but it’s off to Copeland to slug away. Cassidy gets to come in and tires his usual on the Gates of Agony, with Toa Pouncing him out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Archer beating on Cassidy in the corner. Roberts and Jose the Assistant get in a fight on the floor, with the distraction letting Cassidy fight over to Vance. House is cleaned and everything breaks down, with Copeland Impalering Cage. The villains clear the ring but Archer and Cage hit each other, leaving Copeland to spear Cage down. Vance’s discus lariat finishes Cage at 10:21.

Rating: B-. This was a bit about Brodie Lee but more about getting some people on the show, even in something of a random fashion. The match was the usual form of chaos and it was good enough for a match that got a bit of time. That being said, Copeland being in there felt a bit off, as this kind of match seems somewhat beneath him. Anyway, nice stuff here, even with Vance feeling out of place.

Bullet Club Gold wants the Trios Titles so here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, who again suggest an alliance. The Club wants more time to think about it.

Here is Samoa Joe to get things going. After a THANK YOU JOE chant, it’s time to make some changes to who gets title shots. Here are the changes that we’re making: no more whining and crying here or on social media. Bring your record and your reputation and submit it to the championship committee. If you’re deemed worthy, you get the right to get beaten up. The new championship era is here and for all who want a piece of him, our champion will be waiting….and here is Swerve Strickland, flanked by the Mogul Embassy.

Swerve declares this his house and says the same thing he said to Hangman Page: this isn’t personal, but Swerve wants something Joe has. Now once he takes the title, and Joe makes it personal, Swerve can do that too. Cue Page to interrupt, saying he’s throwing his name in the title picture too. Page talks about what he did in 2023 and promises to make the title his in the new year. Swerve is about to go after him but leaves instead.

Joe and Page go face to face, with Page saying he remembers what Joe did and promises to take the title. With everyone else gone, here is Hook to confront Joe. Hook gets in his face and says one week before leaving. Even Taz sounds confused. Hook in a one off title match where he gets to showcase himself in defeat isn’t a bad idea, as it isn’t like he has anything else going on.

Toni Storm didn’t watch Mariah May’s match and is worried about Wendi Richter rather than the debuting Deonna Purrazzo. May: “She kicked me in the face.” Storm: “Darling, have a chocolate.” She wants to meet this Donna Polazzo but can’t remember the last line of her catchphrase. May tries to help her and is told she’s ruined the moment. This was absolutely hilarious.

Ricky Starks vs. Sammy Guevara

Starks works on the wristlock to start but Guevara is back with a headlock. Guevara knocks him outside for the moonsault, with Starks coming up favoring his arm. Back up and they fight on the apron, with Starks hitting a double underhook faceplant to take over as we take a break.

We come back with Guevara knocking him down but moonsaulting onto raised boots. Starks’ sitout powerbomb gets two but he has to reverse the GTS into a rollup for two more. Back up and Guevara kicks him in the face twice and grabs a quick small package for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if something happened in there but Starks was looking off for a good chunk of the match. The ending came a bit out of nowhere too and made things feel all the weirder. They did the right thin by having Guevara win of course, as the Tag Team Title match is looming this weekend

Post match respect is shown but it’s a ruse for Big Bill to come in and beat up Guevara. Chris Jericho runs in from behind for the save. Jericho and Bill fight into the crowd while Guevara celebrates with fans.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander/Anna Jay/Thunder Rosa vs. Saraya/Ruby Soho/Skye Blue/Julia Hart

Harley Cameron is here with Saraya and company. Anna and Soho lock up to start with the former snapping off a headscissors. Nightingale comes in for the basement crossbody before it’s off to Rosa vs. Hart. The villains get to stomp away in the corner but Rosa elbows her way out of trouble. It’s back to Nightingale to take over but Cameron shoves her off the top.

We take a break and come back with Statlander getting the tag to come in and clean house. A falcon Arrow gives Statlander two and the villains get caught in a quadruple suplex, leaving commentary trying to figure out how to call it. Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns. We get a Jay vs. Hart slugout until Blue tags herself in and superkicks Jay. That’s fine with Anna, who pulls her into the Queenslayer for the tap at 8:58.

Rating: C+. This got a hair more time than women’s matches tend to get around here and that helped things out a bit. At the same time, there is only so much you can do with eight women in a match that barely gives them a minute each. At least it got them on the show though, and in this case that feels like the main goal.

Wheeler Yuta doesn’t like Eddie Kingston and challenge him for the Continental Crown on Rampage. Of note: commentary says that if Yuta wins, he’s a quadruple champion, so apparently all of the titles are defended at once.

Bryan Keith vs. Roderick Strong

The rest of the Undisputed Kingdom is here too. Keith kicks him down to start and chops away before taking it to the apron. Strong fights back and takes him back inside for the stomps in the corner. An enziguri into the Angle Slam gives Strong two but Keith kicks him in the face again. Diamond Dust plants Strong and Keith rolls him up for two, only to get kneed in the face. End o Heartache finishes for Strong at 4:21.

Rating: C+. This was a better debut than the Kingdom had as part o the team last week. At the very least, Strong didn’t take a good while to pick up the win, which should get him closer to Orange Cassidy and the International Title. Keith feels like he is on an extended tryout and that might be better. While he is talented, the roster is heavy enough already and adding someone else doesn’t seem like the best idea, at least with someone of Keith’s status.

Post match the team gets in the ring, with Adam Cole promising that the team is going to win a lot of titles.

Deonna Purrazzo wants the Women’s Title and will debut on Collision. Red Velvet comes in and seems to accept the challenge.

Jim Ross joins commentary for the main event.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Don Callis Family

Texas Tornado tag with Ric Flair and Don Callis here too. It’s a brawl to start with Sting chasing Hobbs into the crowd and hitting him with a chair. Takeshita and Allin follow in a different area as Hobbs is sent into some trashcans. Back at ringside, Takeshita hits a scary rolling German suplex on Allin and we take a break.

We come back with Allin being tossed into a powerslam, with Sting (looking spent) having to make a save. The Family sends Allin flying, with a nasty landing head first in the ropes. Sting gets kneed down by Takeshita….s Flair comes in to chop away at Hobbs. Sting is back up for the save and they all fight to the stage, with Allin being sent into the wall.

Takeshita’s running knee misses so Allin climbs the stage and Coffin Drops onto Takeshita, who kind of guides him down instead of catching him. Hobbs and Sting fight along the platform around ringside, with Sting hitting a Death Drop off said platform and through the announcers’ table for the in at 9:59.

Rating: B-. To call this wild would be an understatement, with Sting and Allin doing some crazy bumps that are probably not exactly safe. For now though, Sting’s retirement tour continues with another win, and now all he needs is to get through Revolution in less than two months. This was a crazy main event, but at times it was scarier than it needed to be.

Post match Sting is asked who he wants to face in his final match…..and here are the Young Bucks to interrupt. The staredown seems to say the match is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a weird theme to this show as it felt like they were trying to get in as much stuff as they could. Granted that is probably due to what seems like some of the bigger names still missing, which is ok for a one off. The good thing is they still do have a lot more time before Revolution, so having more of a fun show designed to set things up for the future is hardly some terrible choice. They tried something different here and it worked well enough to get by for a week.

Results
Hangman Page b. Claudio Castagnoli – Buckshot lariat
Orange Cassidy/Preston Vance/Adam Copeland/Dustin Rhodes b. Mogul Embassy/Lance Archer – Discus lariat to Cage
Sammy Guevara b. Ricky Starks – Small package
Willow Nightingale/Anna Jay/Thunder Rosa/Kris Statlander b. Saraya/Ruby Soho/Julia Hart/Skye Blue – Queenslayer to Blue
Roderick Strong b. Bryan Keith – End Of Heartache
Sting/Darby Allin b. Don Callis Family – Scorpion Death Drop through a table to Hobbs

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

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AND

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Collision
Date: December 23, 2023
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re a week away from Worlds End and that means we need some more semifinalists in the Continental Classic. The Blue League should be getting down to its final two this week and maybe we can even add in some new matches to the pay per view card. On top of that, Thunder Rosa is back in the ring tonight after more than a year away. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli powers him around to start before grabbing a test of strength to keep Danielson in trouble. Danielson takes it to the mat by the leg though and rips at the face for two. Back up and Danielson goes for the leg again but Castagnoli fights up for another test of strength. They go to the mat with the hands interlocked and bridge up at two each until Castagnoli blasts him with an uppercut.

Danielson tries the LeBell Lock but Castagnoli bails to the floor, where a knee off the apron takes him down again. Back in and Castagnoli fires off an uppercut but Danielson shrugs if off and hits the running corner dropkicks. Castagnoli shrugs that off just as well and grabs the Swing for two. A headbutt and clothesline put Danielson on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Danielson hitting a belly to back superplex for a nasty crash and a delayed near fall. The LeBell Lock goes on again but Castagnoli makes the rope again. We have five minutes left as Danielson takes him to the top, only to get caught in a spinning superplex for a sweet counter.

The Riccola Bomb is countered into a triangle choke, which is countered into something close to a Neutralizer for two. Another Neutralizer is countered and the running knee gives Danielson two. They trade stomps to the face before locking hands and kicking each other even more. Castagnoli pulls him into the Sharpshooter with a minute to go before letting Danielson out. An uppercut drops Danielson again but time expires at 20:00.

Rating: B. Well at least they finally had a draw. This was another heck of a fight with both guys beating the fire out of each other, which made for a good brawl. Danielson is still likely moving on to the next round and it’s nice to see Castagnoli get a draw instead of taking another loss. You knew these two were going to bring it and thankfully neither of them went evil in the process.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 10 points (0 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

Danielson officially advances to the semifinals. Castagnoli is frustrated but respect is shown.

We look at Dynamite’s Gold League matches.

Trios Titles: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

The Acclaimed and Gunn are defending with Bowens kicking Darius in the face to start. A superkick gets two so it’s quickly off to Andretti to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and we get a big staredown until Gunn and Andretti trade SUCK IT’s. Andretti gets taken into the wrong corner though and we take a break.

Back with Gunn missing a Stinger Splash, allowing Andretti to get over to Dante. A springboard high crossbody hits Caster as everything breaks down again. Gunn gets triple teamed (the fans don’t seem to approve) so the Acclaimed make the save, leaving Gunn to hit a tilt-a-whirl slam. Scissor Me Timbers takes too long though as all three champs get kicked down. Top Flight dives onto Gunn and Bowens on the floor but Caster avoids the running shooting star press and pins Andretti to retain at 9:14.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised at the result here as Andretti and Top Flight have been built up rather strong in recent weeks. That match on Rampage last week was more than enough to get them some attention but we’ll be continuing with the Acclaimed and Gunn for the moment. That’s not a terrible idea, but I was almost expecting a fluke title change.

Commentary thinks Caster might have pulled the tights.

Hook wants Wheeler Yuta in an FTW Rules match for the FTW Title at Worlds End.

Brian Cage vs. Keith Lee

Prince Nana is here with Cage and yes Lee is wearing a Santa hat. They fight over a lockup to start with Lee shoving him away but Cage is back with a headlock. A running headscissors takes Lee down and now it’s time to get a bit more serious. Lee snaps off his own headscissors so Cage kicks him in the head. Cage’s running tornado DDT plants Lee and we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a running splash in the corner and hammering away to put Cage in more trouble. Lee throws him down for two more but Cage is back with a 619. For some reason Cage tries the apron superplex, which goes as badly as expected. Instead a top rope superplex plants Lee for two (with about 30 “2” signs in the first few rows). An F5 gives Cage two….so let’s get a cinder block. That’s too far for Lee, who comes back with a Big Bang Catastrophe or the pin at 9:54.

Rating: B-. This was the spectacle match and it worked very well for what it was supposed to be. Lee seems on his way to the Swerve Strickland match because waiting a year and a half is more than fine. Cage did get to showcase his crazy power and cool moves here, which made for a heck of an entertaining match.

Post match Lee brings up the cinder block attack from….someone (Swerve Strickland) in this building about a year ago. He’ll be at Dynamite to make his point clear.

Toni Storm isn’t sure who Mariah May, who is standing behind her, actually is. May says they’ve met before but more importantly, her wrestling license is here. Storm is ready for Riho.

Here is Christian Cage, with Nick Wayne, for a chat. Cage brings up Shayna Wayne attacking Adam Copeland and brings her out for the official explanation. Shayna is surprised that the fans are booing her (A MOTHER!) for what she did to Copeland. She was just protecting her son, who Copeland hit with a Conchairto a few weeks earlier. The only person who cares about her son is Cage, who goes into a speech praising Shayna.

You would think Copeland would understand what it’s like to grow up with a single mother. Cage kind of wishes Copeland’s mother was still alive so she could see what her son became. We head suggestions of what happened between Cage and Shayna after he beat Copeland (she seems pleased) and Cage dubs her the Matriarch, Mother Wayne. And sure Copeland can have another title shot at Worlds End, because Cage can finish him for good.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks say their Tag Team Title match at Worlds End is off. Cue Chris Jericho to say it’s still on (date not clear) and he’s looking for a new partner.

Continental Classic Blue League: Daniel Garcia vs. Brody King

Garcia slaps him in the face to start so King unloads with forearms in the corner. The Cannonball gives King two and Garcia heads to the apron, where he gets forearmed in the face. King breaks up a choke and grabs one of his own, with Garcia falling out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with King slamming him down by the hair and dropping a backsplash for two. Garcia stands up and won’t be put down by chops as the fans seem to approve. King lets him chop away and Garcia’s running forearms manage a staggering. Garcia finally muscles him over with a belly to back suplex but King is back with a Death Valley Driver. A hard clothesline into the Ganso Bomb gets two on Garcia and King is stunned. Another Ganso Bomb is loaded up but Garcia reverses into a jackknife rollup for the upset pin at 10:18.

Rating: B-. This was another step in Garcia’s road to…something, as he continued to fight through the odds and win in the end. His tournament didn’t exactly go so well but at least he didn’t lose the whole time. This told a nice story and should pay dividends later, while King’s tournament comes to something of a bad halt.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 10 points (0 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Daniel Garcia – 3 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)

Post match the lights go out and the House Of Black goes after Garcia. Matt Menard tries to come in for the save but FTR offers the real save, with the House running. The challenge is issued for some point in the future.

Skye Blue/Julia Hart vs. Abadon/Thunder Rosa

Blue is now all evil and Rosa is in her first match in over a year. Blue stomps Abadon into the corner to start and hands it off to Hart for some forearms. A swinging Rock Bottom lets Abadon hammer away but Blue cuts Rosa off. Blue and Hart chop away at Abadon and we take a break.

We come back with Abadon hitting a double Downward Spiral, allowing the hot tag to Rosa, which the fans appreciate. Rosa cleans house, including running knees in the corner to Blue. A northern lights suplex gets two with Hart making the save. Blue catches her in the corner though and a powerbomb brings Rosa back down. Everything breaks down and Rosa hits the Tijuana Bomb to finish Blue at 8:18.

Rating: C+. Rosa is indeed back and that is a good thing, as she can be put into a variety of spots on the roster immediately. If nothing else, she should be getting a guaranteed Women’s Title shot in the near future, but for now she’s off to a good start with a win here. Hart vs. Abadon is already set and that should be a nice addition to Worlds End, as Hart gets to be protected here to continue her momentum.

Continental Classic Blue League: Eddie Kingston vs. Andrade El Idolo

Kingston advances with a win while Andrade advances with a win or a draw. An early spinning backfist misses for Kingston so Andrade grabs a headlock. Andrade takes him into the corner and then grabs an armbar as commentary plugs upcoming pay per views. Back up and Kingston hits a hard clothesline and we take a break.

We come back with Andrade fighting out of a chinlock, setting up some dragon screw legwhips. The running knees in the corner give Andrade two and Three Amigos are good for the same. Andrade goes up but dives into a kick to the face, which damages Kingston’s bad leg even more. Kingston unloads with the chops in the corner but Andrade sends him outside for a moonsault.

The double moonsault gives Andrade two back inside but Kingston’s belly to back gets the same. It takes a bit for Andrade to get up and he scores with the spinning elbow for two. Kingston gets caught in the Figure Four but is straight into the ropes. Back up and the spinning backfist into the northern lights bomb gives Kingston the pin at 15:30.

Rating: B-. Kingston felt like he was fighting to survive here and that is pretty much exactly what he was doing. It made for a good fight as the two of them were both doing their thing, including Andrade continuing to be on quite the roll as of late. This sets up Kingston vs. Danielson in a heck of a showdown though and that should be enough to help carry Dynamite.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 10 points (0 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Brody King – 6 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Daniel Garcia – 3 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)

Overall Rating: B. This show covered a good bit more than just the Continental Classic, making it that much more interesting than Dynamite. The tournament has been full o good action, but I’m kind of glad to see this phase of it wrapping up. We’ve seen these same six people wrestling for weeks now and there comes a point where it doesn’t have quite the same impact. Other than that, Keith Lee’s path to Swerve Strickland continues and Thunder Rosa is back. That’s a nice use of two hours and we should be moving into something new next time.

Results
Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli went to a time limit draw
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Top Flight/Action Andretti – Rollup to Andretti
Keith Lee b. Brian Cage – Big Bang Catastrophe
Daniel Garcia b. Brody King – Rollup
Abadon/Thunder Rosa b. Skye Blue/Julia Hart – Tijuana Bomb to Blue
Eddie Kingston b. Andrade El Idolo – Northern lights bomb

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Bangerz Only
Date: April 2, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Denise Salcedo, Sam Leterna, Veda Scott

This is from Mission Pro Wrestling, an all women’s promotion owned by AEW Thunder Rosa, from over Wrestlemania weekend. That means we should be in for a fun show which likely includes a fair few guest stars. I have no idea what to expect from this show and that is a nice feeling, as it could be a little bit of anything. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Shazza McKenzie vs. Janai Kai

Kai has been on AEW before. They go with the mat grappling to start as Scott can’t remember if she turned on McKenzie when they were teaming together or not (she did). The grapple off goes to Kai, who takes her to the mat for some kicks to the mat. Back up and McKenzie strikes away as well before kicking her in the face. Kai is right back with some kicks of her own to strike McKenzie down as commentary rapid fires what these two have been doing lately.

Something like a seated dragon sleeper has McKenzie in trouble until she fights up for stereo kicks and a double knockdown. McKenzie hits some running knees to the back and ties her in the ropes for kicks to the chest. Back in and Kai sweeps the leg for two but gets caught in the Shamission (seated crossface chickenwing), only to grab the rope. Kai is right back up with a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced opener and it seems that they are going to be focusing on a lot of striking and submission stuff, making this in fact a modern independent style show. McKenzie has been around for a good while and I’ve seen some of Kai, so this wasn’t exactly a surprise. Good enough here, though I don’t know if it was quite a BANGER(Z).

Allie Katch vs. JP Harlow

So Harlow, with Ayla Fox (evil manager/agent), is a man and therefore a major heel around here. Katch goes after the arm to start and headlock takeovers him down. Ayla grabs a trip from the floor though and it’s enough for Harlow to kick the rope low to takeover. Corner stomping keeps Katch down but Harlow misses a charge, only to backdrop his way out of trouble.

A Death Valley Driver gets two more and it’s time to stand on Katch’s hair. Ayla gets in some choking from the floor but Katch is fine enough to jawbreak her way to freedom. The running hip attack in the corner sets up a Cannonball for two on Harlow but he’s right back with a DDT out of the corner. Back up and Harlow almost runs into an interfering Ayla, allowing Katch to grab a piledriver for the pin at 8:21.

Rating: C. Katch is someone who has been around this circuit for a long time and she does have the abilities to stay interesting in most of the matches I’ve seen from her. Harlow being around was more than a little weird but it does make for a good heel. Giving the fans something to cheer about is a good way to go as they’re continuing with the nice start.

La Rosa Negra vs. Jody Threat

Rosa is rather bubbly and dances to the ring. They go to the mat to start with Rosa rolling her up for two as we hear about Threat eating Big Macs and working out. Rosa’s headscissors keeps Threat in trouble but she reverses into a cross armbreaker, sending Rosa to the ropes. Rosa is right back with her own cross armbreaker, sending Threat to the ropes for her own break.

Threat is sent to the apron and manages to kick Rosa in the face to take over again. Back up and Rosa has to fight out of the corner before elbowing Threat down. An airplane spin and big kick to the head gives Rosa two, followed by a high crossbody for the same. Rosa knocks her to the floor for a suicide dive, then does it again for a bonus.

Threat elbows her way out of a fireman’s carry and hits a running flip attack off the apron. They both beat the count back in and slug it out until Threat’s neckbreaker gets two. Some kicks to Rosa’s face into a German suplex gives Threat two more but Rosa kicks her down. The frog splash connects but Threat rolls her up for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: C. This got a lot more time than the other matches so far and while it turned into a slugfest, a lot of it felt like two people just doing moves to each other until one of them got a pin. There wasn’t anything resembling a story or a flow to it and commentary’s main contribution was to say “that’s why they call Rosa” something in Spanish without actually saying what that means. Good power brawl, but it needed a lot of work.

The ring announcer thanks the fans for helping the show.

Bougie Reality vs. Bionic Kingdom

That would be Madi Wrenkowski/Rache Chanel vs. Jennacide/KiLynn King, some of whom you might know from AEW. Bionic King get guitared to the ring for a nice touch. King and Madi start things off with an exchange of shoulders going nowhere. The bigger King runs Madi over and it’s off to Chanel for a change. Chanel gets taken into the corner so Jennacide can chop away as everything breaks down.

Reality is whipped into each other and stereo facebusters give King an early two. Back up and Reality manages to get them both into the ropes, meaning laughing/choking can ensue. We settle down to Madi working on King’s leg in the corner and we hit the leglock. King fights up and hits some knees but hurts herself in the process, meaning Reality keeps her down in the corner.

A World’s Strongest Slam gets King out of trouble and there’s the much needed tag to Jennacide. Everything breaks down and something like an F5 gets two on Madi. A backbreaker plants Madi but she rakes the eyes to get out of an electric chair. Back up and a Codebreaker into a scissors kick Stomp (the Reality Check) finishes Jennacide at 11:25.

Rating: B-. I liked this one as you could tell a bit more of a story out of the whole thing. Both teams felt like people who had worked together before and they had a nice match at the same time. King and Chanel have both worked on bigger stages and it is easy to see that they are above a lot of the talent on this show. Good match here and the best part of the show so far.

Lindsay Snow vs. Masha Slamovich

Snow is back after a long absence and Slamovich is a monster. They go right to the slugout to start with Snow screaming as she hits a clothesline. Slamovich is sent outside where she kicks Snow in the back a few times before ramming her ribs first into the apron (which may or may not have been due to not being able to pull off an apron bomb). Back in and Snow grabs a kneebar to take over, which is broken up by a rake of the eyes.

Some heavy forearms keep Snow down but she is back up with a DDT for a double knockdown. Snow hits a running knee for two, followed by Slamovich hitting a German suplex for the same. Slamovich kicks her hard in the head for two more and heads up top, where Snow gets in a kick to the head. A MuscleBuster finishes Slamovich at 6:35.

Rating: C+. This was the slugfest match but it just ended all of a sudden. I’m not sure why they went home out of nowhere like that but it did seem like they were wrapping it up. I can go for that with a more physical match like this one but it was still rather quick. Snow is someone I’ve heard of before but never actually seen and she was good enough that I would take another look.

Renegade Twins/Jazmin Allure vs. The Hex/Laynie Luck

The Hex is Allysin Kay/Marti Belle (NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions) while the Renegades (Charlotte/Robyn) are the Mission Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions. They talk a lot of trash at each other to start until it’s Kay vs. Robyn to get things going. Kay takes her down into an early chinlock, which is turned into a slugout out the mat. That’s broken up so Kay grabs a rollup for two, with Allure making a save.

Everything breaks down and Luck dives onto the Renegades. Allure comes in and gets Three Amigoed by Belle, setting up some running shots in the corner by the Hex. It’s back to Robyn as everything breaks down again, with Belle getting taken down in the corner for a change. The villains (I think?) take turns stomping away, which sets up a Boston crab/camel clutch/running dropkick combination (didn’t quite get the timing right as the two holds weren’t on at once but it was a cool idea).

Belle gets stomped again but manages to counter a double suplex by sending Robyn’s leg into Charlotte. That’s enough to get over for the hot tag off to Kay to clean house with the expected shots to the face. Kay keeps slugging away despite having Allure on her back before handing it off to Luck. Everything breaks down again as Veda thinks this should just be a tornado tag match. Luck full nelson slams Allure for two and everyone is down. We get a crash off the corner, leaving Allure to faceplant Luck and put her feet on the ropes for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. This was an entertaining match as you can see that the Twins and the Hex both work well together. Allure felt like someone who could be a star down the line so giving her the win was a nice way to go. Throw in some cheating for the finish and I liked what we got here, as everyone was putting in the effort and came off well.

Thunder Rosa vs. Trish Adora

Rosa’s AEW Women’s Title isn’t on the line. They fight over an armbar to start before heading to the mat with neither being able to get anywhere. Adora takes her down with a top wristlock so Rosa bridges off the mat over and over. With that not going anywhere, they’re up for a standoff until Rosa kicks her down for two.

Some elbows to the chest look to set up a Gory Bomb but Adora slips out and chops away. Adora takes her down and cranks on both arms, including some kicks to the back. Rosa is right back up with a Rocking Horse (something like a surfboard but with Rosa standing and swinging Adora back and forth) but since that can’t last long, Adora is back up with a running crossbody.

A Stunner rocks Adora and a sliding dropkick against the ropes gets two. Adora is back with a Samoan drop for two before grabbing Cattle Mutilation of all things. Rosa makes the ropes and grabs a Gory Bomb for two, followed by a DDT for the same. They trade rollups for two each until Rosa grabs….well it looks like the ending of a piledriver with Adora sitting on her head as Rosa cranks on the I think neck to make Adora tap at 16:20.

Rating: B. The ending was weird enough (with commentary saying it was a bit confusing) but they were beating on each other and trading big shots for a long time on the way there. It did feel like a big fight and it was billed as a first time ever showdown so it did live up to the hype, even with the kind of confusing finish.

Mission Pro Wrestling Title: Holidead vs. LuFisto

Holidead is defending and this is No DQ. Holidead starts fast by taking her down and dropping a leg for two. That’s enough for LuFisto to send her to the apron though, setting up a running kick to put the champ on the floor. Some hard kicks drop Holidead and it’s time for the first door to be brought in. Rather than use that though, LuFisto sets up a bunch of chairs on the floor instead.

A suplex onto the chairs doesn’t work as Holidead fights back up and forearms away but misses an apron legdrop. Back in and LuFisto elbows away before loading up the door in the corner. Holidead bites at LuFisto’s head and hits a dive onto…LuFisto and the members of the production crew that had been dragged in.

Back in and a swinging Downward Spiral gives Holidead two, only to be sent into the corner. LuFisto hits a Cannonball into a corner and a suplex through the door for two. Holidead’s Samoan drop onto the chairs for two but she can’t put LuFisto through another door. InHolidead kicks a chair into her head and hits a running spinebuster through the door to retain at 17:36.

Rating: C+. This had me worried about it turning into deathmatch and total garbage stuff but I can live with some chairs and doors. They beat on each other well enough and it turned into a good brawl. I’m not sure if that is enough to warrant it headlining over Rosa vs. Adora, but I get the idea of going with the title match/not the owner. Good enough main event, though I’m not sure why this needed to be No DQ.

Post match Holidead puts over LuFisto and thanks the fans. Mission Pro will continue to put on BANGERS ONLY.

Overall Rating: B. Another good but not blowaway show from the weekend, this time featuring a unique roster. It’s still kind of amazing that women’s wrestling has come far enough to be able to run a full on show like this without having anything that was bad, or really even close to it. There are some solid matches on here and the two hours and twenty plus minutes went by pretty fast. I liked this one and if you’re looking for a women’s promotion, you could certainly find worse.

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

Dax Harwood vs. Jay Lethal

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billy Gunn vs. Colten Gunn

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

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

Death Triangle is ready for Will Ospreay/Aussie Open.

Britt Baker vs. KiLynn King

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

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

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

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

AEW World Title: CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley

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

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

Punk is helped to the back.

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

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

We look at the title change again.

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

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

We look at Kenny Omega’s return last week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin vs. Brody King

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

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

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

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

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

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

We have brackets for the Trios Titles tournament:

Death Triangle
Will Ospreay/Aussie Open

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

House Of Black
Dark Order

Trustbusters
Best Friends

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Lucha Bros

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

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

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

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

Anthony Henry vs. Luchasaurus

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aaron Solo vs. Ricky Starks

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

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

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

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

TNT Title: Madison Rayne vs. Jade Cargill

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

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

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

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

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

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Chris Jericho

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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Battle Of The Belts III
Date: August 6, 2022
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for another of these specials and I’m not sure what to expect from something like this. AEW does not seem to be the most interested in running these shows but that very well might have a lot to do with the shows being network mandates. At least we should get some good action so let’s get to it.

TNT Title: Jay Lethal vs. Wardlow

Lethal, with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh, is challenging. Wardlow shoves him around to start and a big toss sends Lethal outside. Lethal gets in a cheap shot though and scores with an enziguri back inside. A tilt-a-whirl slam gets Wardlow out of trouble but Lethal knocks him outside for the suicide dive. That means Lethal can get in the strut before wrapping Wardlow’s leg around the post. We take a break and come back with Lethal having to escape the powerbomb. Instead Wardlow goes with a clothesline to turn Lethal inside out and the powerbomb retains Wardlow’s title at 7:19.

Rating: C+. Wardlow wasn’t losing the title so soon into his reign but having Lethal in there made for a good match. Lethal is able to make almost anyone look better, even if he isn’t likely to be a major threat to the title. Wardlow could be champion for a rather long time and having him win matches like these is only going to boost his credibility.

Post match Wardlow gets jumped by the rest of the villains, with Singh putting his foot on Wardlow’s chest as Lethal applies the Figure Four. Lethal lets go so Wardlow fights up and kicks Singh low. The powerbomb is loaded up but Lethal makes the save, allowing Singh to chokeslam Wardlow through a table. I could go for a nice long break between table spots.

Women’s Title: Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa

Hayter, with Britt Baker and Rebel, is challenging while Rosa has Toni Storm with her. Rosa gets jumped fast, with Baker and Rebel being rather pleased at ringside. Some choking in the corner keeps Rosa in trouble but she knocks Hayter outside. A whip into the barricade cuts Rosa off but she’s back with a DDT on the floor. Baker grabs the title belt though and the distraction lets Hayter knock her off the top for a crash.

We take a break and come back with Rosa catching Hayter on top but getting dropped with a brainbuster. Baker and Storm get in a fight on the floor with Storm hitting a tornado DDT off the steps. The distraction lets Rosa grab a rollup for two, followed by another rollup to retain the title at 11:28.

Rating: C+. Another nice enough match here with Rosa surviving to retain the title, as she gets built up a bit more. I’m not sure I can imagine her surviving her next big title match, as you can probably pencil Storm in for the All Out shot. Rosa’s title reign hasn’t been a disaster, but it has never risen above a certain level and that is rather telling most of the time.

Video on FTR.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Castagnoli is defending and William Regal is on commentary. Neither can hit a hard shot to start and it’s an early standoff. Takeshita is taken down with a test of strength and Castagnoli monkey flips him over, meaning it’s time for a handshake. A hiptoss takes Castagnoli down for a change but a running shoulder puts Takeshita down instead.

Castagnoli gets knocked outside where he avoids a slingshot dive. Back in and Castagnoli plants him for two as we take a break. Back with Takeshita hitting a middle rope hurricanrana and knocking Castagnoli outside, setting up the big running flip dive. They get back in with Castagnoli catching him on top with a gutwrench superplex for two, setting up the giant swing.

Takeshita catches him with a running big boot in the corner though and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. A turnbuckle DDT sets up a frog splash for two more on Castagnoli, who elbows him out of the air. The Crossface is countered with a rollup to give Takeshita two and he hits a clothesline for the same.

A running knee into the brainbuster gets another near fall on Castagnoli, who blocks a powerbomb. Back up and a double stomp to the ribs looks to set up the Riccola Bomb but Takeshita reverses into a hurricanrana for two. The Death Valley Driver drops Takeshita though and its the hammer and anvil elbows to rock Takeshita again. The Riccola Bomb retains the title at 19:52.

Rating: B+. This felt like an old school Ring Of Honor World Title match, as there was no major story here but they had a heck of a fight anyway. It was never about anger between the two of them but rather about being the best. They tore the house down here and had a pretty excellent match, which is exactly what you have someone like Castagnoli here to go. Very good stuff here as Takeshita continues to be unable to do wrong.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, this was a show that was completely skippable, but there was enough good action that it’s worth your time, especially the awesome main event. It’s also really hard to complain about a show that is only an hour long as it hardly overstays its welcome. This felt like a show where they threw some matches together and told the wrestlers to carry things and that worked out well. Nice stuff here, and check out the main event if you have time.

Results
Wardlow b. Jay Lethal – Powerbomb
Thunder Rosa b. Jamie Hayter – Rollup
Claudio Castagnoli b. Konosuke Takeshita – Riccola Bomb

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

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AND

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