Collision
Date: March 7, 2026
Location: Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We are eight days away from Revolution and the card has mostly already come together. There are still a few spots to be filled though and some of those might be taken care of this week. Other than that, the Tag Team Titles are on the line here as the Rascalz challenge FTR. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Rascalz

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is defending and Myron Reed is here with the Rascalz. Wentz takes Wheeler down to start so it’s off to Harwood for a hiptoss. Harwood takes him into a corner for a slap, only to get slapped out to the floor. Xavier comes in and slugs away but gets elbowed in the face. With Xavier on the floor and fighting off both champions, Wentz is there with a big corkscrew dive to take out FTR.

Back in and Wentz stomps on Harwood’s arm, setting up a quickly broken armbar. Harwood takes Wentz outside and suckers him into a clothesline from Wheeler. We take a break and come back with Wentz kicking FTR down and rolling through the legs for the tag off to Xavier. Harwood isn’t having any of this comeback thing and drops Xavier with a clothesline as everything breaks down.

The Rascalz hit stereo dives and Wentz hits a Swanton for two back inside. Wheeler takes Xavier out on the floor and Harwood’s top rope belly to back superplex gets two on Wentz. Harwood and Wentz strike it out until Wentz gets a small package for two. The Hot Fire Flame (or Flash according to Nigel) hits raised knees and FTR is back with a BTE Trigger to Wentz. The Tony Khan Driver is broken up though and Wentz strikes away, only to walk into the Shatter Machine to retain the titles at 15:06.

Rating: B+. There was no reason to believe that FTR was losing the titles here but I was pulled into the match well enough that I was buying some of the Rascalz’s near falls. That takes quite the effort and they made it work here. FTR gets to show what they can do, which is a nice reminder as they have mainly just been talking on the way to Revolution.

Post match Mark Briscoe comes out to do commentary for the next match and has a tense yet respectful meeting with FTR.

Anthony Bowens tells Hook he can be a killer so Hook says take over the camera from Katsuyori Shibata. Hook then Redrums a random wrestler and has Bowens follow them.

Daniel Garcia vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Mark Briscoe is on commentary. Ciampa wrestles Garcia to the mat to start and Garcia is in the ropes for a trip to the floor. Back in and Ciampa fires off some running chops in the corner, followed by a Garcia style dance on the middle rope. Garcia slips out of a suplex though and dragon screws the leg, which is wrapped around the post.

We take a break and come back with Garcia diving into a jumping knee to the face to leave both of them down. Ciampa knees him outside for some rams into the announcers’ table but Garcia gets in another dragon screw legwhip. The STF is broken up so Garcia dropkicks him into the corner instead. Garcia hammers away, only to be reversed into Project Ciampa for two. Back up and Garcia goes outside to shove Briscoe, with the distraction allowing Ciampa to be shoved into Briscoe. Garcia grabs a rollup to pin Ciampa at 10:18.

Rating: B-. The midcard is starting to develop a bit more and that is nice to see, especially with a title not being directly involved. You need to be able to do something away from championships all the time and this is getting somewhere. It helps that Briscoe and Ciampa are both a blast and Garcia is good enough in the ring to hang in there with them. Nice match here.

Post match Garcia leaves and Ciampa wants nothing of Briscoe’s handshake. Cue FTR and Stokely Hathaway again to go after Ciampa. Briscoe gets in to even things up before any violence breaks out and Ciampa is appreciative. Then Ciampa jumps Briscoe and lays him out with a knee.

Video on Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita, which went to a time limit draw in the Continental Classic.

Swerve Strickland vs. Gravity

Prince Nana is here with Swerve, who kicks Gravity down to start and seems rather confident. Gravity is back with a kick between the shoulder blades, which just seems to annoy Swerve. That earns Gravity a knockdown on the apron and a Swerve Stomp, allowing Swerve to go after the mask. Another Swerve Stomp connects inside and the House Call finishes at 4:00.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but this was Swerve coming in and mauling Gravity for the most part. That’s what the match should have been, as Swerve is starting to feel it with his new heel style and this kind of a win makes him look dangerous. Swerve is one of the best things going in AEW today and seeing him back it up in the ring is rather fun to see.

Kris Statlander wants Thekla one more time at Revolution, 2/3 falls.

Post break here is Thekla to say no in a variety of languages. Since when does she have to listen to some b**** from outer space? What even makes Statlander think she can win twice in one night? Thekla sent Thunder Rosa back to the graveyards. Everything Statlander is afraid of is what Thekla is. Great line to end a kind of odd promo, though Thekla’s charisma carries everything.

We get a clip of Renee Paquette’s interview with Jon Moxley, who knows he can beat Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution.

LFI vs. The Swirl vs. Private Party vs. Outrunners

For $200,000 and Dalton Castle is on commentary. Johnson headlocks Magnum to start and it’s off to Dralistico to run Quen over. LFI takes Quen outside for some whips into the barricade, with Kassidy being whipped around as well. Back in and the Swirl/LFI hit some running splashes to Kassidy, followed by a quadruple dropkick. Dralistico is back up with a heck of a springboard hurricanrana to Christian and Rush drops Johnson as we take a break.

We come back with Kassidy backdropping his way out of trouble and handing it back to Floyd. Castle loses his mind as Floyd cleans house, including Christian being superplexed onto a pile at ringside. LFI breaks that up but Kassidy takes them out, only for Dralistico to hurricanrana him off the apron. Back in and Rush’s Bull’s Horns is cut off by Quen but the Swirl is back in with a poisonrana. The top rope Canadian Destroyer drops Quen for two, with Kassidy making the save. Private Party hits their top rope double stomp/neckbreaker combination and a Doomsday Cutter gives Kassidy the pin on Johnson at 11:52.

Rating: B-. This was your weekly “here are a bunch of people going nuts for awhile” match and that’s not a bad way to go. The money prizes don’t exactly feel important, but at least Private Party got to do something for a change. They’re a team who could be given a shot here or there, but this might be the best they can do for the time being.

We look at the Don Callis Family winning the Trios Titles on Dynamite.

Jet Speed will be teaming with Mistico against the Family for the titles at Revolution. That’s a great example of a match that doesn’t need to be on pay per view, or even Zero Hour. Anyway, Swerve Strickland comes in to tell Kevin Knight to be more of a killer.

Megan Bayne and Lena Kross jumped the Babes Of Wrath earlier today.

Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Timeless Love Bombs

Bayne powers Shirakawa (Nigel calls her the former Ring Of Honor Women’s TV Champion when it was actually the INTERIM Women’s Champion. Geez get your totally unnecessary titles right McGuinness.) until Storm comes in for the save. That earns the Bombs stereo fall away slams but Storm gets the tag to come in and clean house. Some hiptosses and a hip attack to the face have Bayne down and Shirakawa hits a big dive to the floor to take out both villains.

Storm is staggered though and Bayne is up with a heck of a dive of her own to put the Bombs down again. We take a break and come back with Storm fighting out of the corner and rolling over for the tag to Shirakawa. A springboard tornado DDT and La Mistica put Bayne down, followed by something like a spinning Big Ending to drop Shirakawa onto her. Bayne is back up to fall away slam both of them, leaving Kross to hit a Tower Of Doom.

We hit the parade of strikes until Storm DDTs Bayne, who gets caught in Shirakawa’s Figure Four. Kross and Storm take turns turning the hold over until Kross actually breaks it up. Cue Marina Shafir to choke Storm under the ring, leaving Kross to Jackhammer Shirakawa for the win at 12:47.

Rating: C+. It’s kind of sad that my first though was “how does Shirakawa get pinned this time?”. One would think that somebody with that kind of talent and charisma would be able to do something other than lose all the time. Instead, she’s basically the designated jobber and that’s a bit sad to see. At the same time, Kross has fit in rather well with Bayne, as a pair of monsters like that will always have a place in a tag division.

Mark Briscoe says he’s known Tommaso Ciampa for a long time but something has felt off. Then tonight Ciampa jumped him and that’s the Ciampa he knows. Now Ciampa is aligned with FTR so Briscoe will just team with Dem Bucks on Dynamite.

The Dogs vs. Cosmo Quarry/Gino Catanari/Kayden Monroe

I’m going off my best guess for the latter’s names as there’s no graphic. Kidd knocks all three of them down and one heck of a powerbomb knocks Monroe silly. An implant DDT, a piledriver and a suplex knee to the face finish Monroe at 1:46. Total decimation and the Dogs looked impressive.

Here is a ticked off Toni Storm who wants to face Marina Shafir at Revolution, seemingly anything goes. Then she wants her title back.

We look at Persephone winning the CMLL Women’s Title from Mercedes Mone last night.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Non-title and Jon Moxley is on commentary. They go to the mat to start with Takeshita working on the leg. Back up and they trade running shots in the corner, with Castagnoli getting to stomp him down. Takeshita hits a leg lariat but gets his arm snapped across the top rope to put him in trouble. A hurricanrana takes Castagnoli down and Takeshita sends him face first into the buckle over and over.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli taking him down by the arm but not being able to keep a short armscissors. Back up and Takeshita forearms him out of the air before snapping off a suplex. Castagnoli is right back with a Swing into an armbar with the legs tied up.

That doesn’t last long either as Takeshita is up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Castagnoli fights back again and throws in some chairs, allowing him to grab the CMLL World Title. Hechicero comes in to take it away, allowing Takeshita to hit a running knee for two. Another knee is blocked and they trade the big forearms. The Riccola Bomb is countered though and the running knee into Raging Fire finishes Castagnoli at 14:36.

Rating: B. This was Takeshita’s warmup for the match with Moxley at Revolution and that’s a great spot for Castagnoli. It’s pretty firmly established that Castagnoli isn’t going to be THE guy, but having him as Moxley’s policeman is a good fit for him. Let him play to his strengths and make Takeshita look good, which is exactly what happened here. Sidenote: like him or not, Moxley is actually pretty good at commentary, as he sounds like he is having a great time out there every time.

Post match the Don Callis Family and Death Riders brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Another rather good Collision again, as they don’t have matches or angles that really extend stories but they have solid in-ring action. That was the case again here and I had a good time watching the whole thing. Collision works best when they don’t do much talking and that was what they did again here. Rather fun show and the time flew by for a change (but please don’t make the overruns a thing here too).

Results
FTR b. Rascalz – Shatter Machine to Wentz
Daniel Garcia b. Tommaso Ciampa – Small package
Swerve Strickland b. Gravity – House Call
Private Party b. LFI, The Swirl and Outrunners – Doomsday Cutter to Johnson
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Timeless Love Bombs – Jackhammer to Shirakawa
The Dogs b. Cosmo Quarry/Gino Catanari/Kayden Monroe – Suplex knee to Monroe

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

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

Dynamite
Date: January 21, 2026
Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

Things are starting to pick up again around here, as MJF is having to deal with both Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page, plus a few other challengers. That’s how the World Champion should be treated, though hopefully he gets to talk about them a bit more. Other than that, Swerve Strickland is facing Kevin Knight, which should be a good one. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings out MJF for a chat. MJF brags about his successes, including giving the Triple B a special introduction. Last week Bandido was the first one to find out that this is his year and no one is on the level of the devil. Cue Brody King to interrupt, saying he wants to hurt MJF for what he did to Bandido.

That won’t happen though, because everyone knows MJF is just a b****. What he wants is a match for the World Title and we should just make it tonight. MJF steps back before accusing King of beating a bunch of jobbers. He says King is all bark and no bite before turning down the title shot. King barks at him and MJF runs off.

We look back at Hangman Page and JetSpeed winning the Trios Titles last week.

Page and JetSpeed talk about coming up with a team name but instead opt to focus on their matches tonight.

Samoa Joe vs. Mike Bailey

Joe bails out to the floor to start but comes back in to forearm him down rather easily. Bailey is pulled outside and one heck of a chop puts him down. Joe knocks him down again as the rest of the Opps come in for the beatdown. We take a break and come back with Bailey still in trouble but avoiding a charge in the corner. Bailey kicks away and the shooting star press gets two.

Bailey misses the moonsault knees on the apron though and Katsuyori Shibata snaps off some suplexes onto various hard objects. Back in and Joe smashes the knee down and grabs a kneebar. A heel hook keeps Bailey in trouble but he gets to the rope for the break. Joe kicks the knee out again so Bailey goes with a crane kick.

The moonsault knees (oh here we go) connect for Bailey but he misses the tornado kick in the corner. Hook’s distraction breaks up the Ultimate Weapon and Bailey has to climb the corner to flip away from the Koquina Clutch. Shibata gets in a cheap shot though and the MuscleBuster finishes Bailey at 15:14.

Rating: B-. Bailey was doing his usual lack of selling of the knee near the end and I can’t even get mad at it anymore. Joe smashing through him in the end was nice to see, though they’re already teasing running the title match back. It’s not like the titles are likely to feel important for long so get the title match in while you can.

We run down the rest of the card.

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

Street fight and it’s a brawl to start fast, as you probably expected. The fights go around the arena, with Moxley and Archer fighting in the crowd while Garcia makes Hechicero tap to an ankle lock on the ramp. Back in and Archer gets triple teamed in the corner before he falls out to the floor. That’s fine with Archer, who chokeslams a diving Yuta onto the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Moxley surrounded but trying to fight everyone off anyway. Archer crossbodies Moxley down though and it’s time to bring in a table. Marina Shafir comes in to triangle choke Archer, which is broken up just as quickly. Archer sends Moxley through a table in the corner, leaving Garcia and Yuta to get tied in some abdominal stretches.

Moxley is back up with a double DDT and it’s time for a barbed wire/broken glass table. Romero escapes a suplex though and it’s a chokeslam to send Moxley onto the board for two. Cue the rest of the Death Riders with a crutch to take Archer out and Shafir low blows Hechicero. Garcia’s piledriver and the Dragontamer, with a stomp from Moxley, finishes Romero at 15:34.

Rating: B-. This is about what you would expect from this kind of a match, with the barbed wire/glass board feeling rather out of place. The match came off more like something that was late in a feud rather than close to the beginning, though you can almost guarantee we see this again. The Riders as good guys is still weird, but hopefully they tone it down a bit. It would help a lot.

Post match Moxley comes up to Don Callis and says Callis’ boy (presumably Konosuke Takeshita) knows where to find him.

Thekla, with the rest of the Triangle Of Madness, wants to face Kris Statlander next week. As for this week, Julia Hart wants the TBS Title on Collision.

FTR vs. Alec Price/Jordan Oliver

Non-title. Oliver locks up with Wheeler to start with Wheeler running him down, A small package gives Wheeler two but everything breaks down, with FTR being sent outside for the stereo dives. Back in and a top rope double stomp gets two on Wheeler, who is right back with a big clothesline. Price is right back up to bring in Oliver for the house cleaning. Harwood catches him in the corner but the PowerPlex is broken up. Price tries to fight back but walks into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: B-. This was the “hi, you’re new here so you get to lose to a big name” match for Price and Oliver. They got to lose before they were signed to the roster and now they get to lose as official wrestlers. I’m sure they’ll be fine but having someone new get some wins sounds like an idea that just might work.

Kris Statlander is down with Thekla’s challenge and issues an open challenge for an eliminator match on Collision. Willow Nightingale will face Julia Hart as well, which leaves Harley Cameron to hit the catchphrase.

Kenny Omega vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander jumps him from behind to start the brawl before the bell. Omega blocks a ram into the barricade and hits a moonsault before they go inside for the opening bell. A running forearm gives Omega two but he charges into a World’s Strongest Slam onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Alexander kneeing him in the face again. They go up top with Alexander hitting a super Regal Roll for two before heading outside.

The floor pads are peeled back and Omega grabs the Snapdragon, followed by the running flip dive to take Alexander down again. They get back inside with Omega’s brainbuster onto the knee getting two. Alexander is back up with a suplex and they crash out to the floor for a double breather.

They slug it out until Omega goes after Don Callis, allowing Alexander to grab the ankle lock. That’s broken up so Alexander hits the running crossbody to knock Omega off the apron. Back in and Omega hits a V Trigger out of nowhere, followed by another running knee. The One Winged Angel finishes Alexander at 11:51.

Rating: B-. Omega is nowhere near what he used to be but at least he’s still able to do something like this. They didn’t give this as much time as some matches and that’s ok, as the idea of less is more being a good concept to learn. Also, Alexander getting to lose again is almost amusing, as he’s just the designated big name jobber of the Family.

Post match Omega says he’s feeling great and living in Orlando, so he’s coming for MJF and the World Title.

We get one of Taz’s always awesome breakdowns, as he looks at the physics behind MJF’s Salt Of The Earth armbar on Bandido from last week.

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Timeless Love Bombs

The villains take over to start but of course the Bombs use a do-see-do to escape. Storm drops Shirakawa onto Ford but Bayne is back up to wreck both of them. Bayne throws Shirakawa onto Storm on the floor and then throws Ford onto the two of them for a big crash as we take a break.

We come back with Shirakawa trying to roll over for the tag but getting caught with the release German suplex. Shirakawa manages to get up top for a high crossbody though and it’s off to Storm to clean house. Stereo hip attacks send the villains outside for a pair of dives, followed by a top rope sling blade for two on Ford. All four get back inside until Shirakawa backfists Ford down. Bayne breaks it up again though and it’s a Doomsday Device to finish Shirakawa at 10:51.

Rating: C+. The Bombs losing is an interesting way to go, but Bayne is certainly feeling like a monster again. Maybe she isn’t ready to be the face of the women’s division, but I could go for her doing something other than being the monster in a tag team. The Bombs still have the charm and chemistry, but the team loses some of its luster when Storm isn’t talking. That might not be a great sign.

Post match Marina Shafir cuts off Storm with the Mother’s Milk.

We look at Roderick Strong becoming #1 contender for the CMLL World Title.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, with Excalibur bringing back his rapid fire delivery.

Swerve Strickland vs. Kevin Knight

Knight tries to take him down to start but gets sent flying as a result. Back up and Knight works on an armbar before sending Strickland outside. Strickland is back in to knock Knight off the top and out to the floor. A piledriver onto the steps is broken up though and Knight grabs a hurricanrana off the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Strickland hitting a kneeling backbreaker. Knight fights out of a half crab attempt and Strickland is getting frustrated. They forearm it out until Knight gets in a neckbreaker to leave them both down. Knight’s jumping clothesline connects, as does Strickland’s rolling Downward Spiral, but the House Call isn’t quite the same.

Strickland puts him on top, where Knight manages to come back with a sunset bomb. They head to the apron, where Strickland grabs a Death Valley Driver. Strickland isn’t done as he hits a Texas piledriver on the barricade. Back in and a 450 to the back sets up Strickland’s dragon sleeper.

Knight fights up so Strickland sends him into the corner, where Knight hurricanranas him down for the Coast To Coast. A UFO Splash gets two and Strickland smiles at him, earning a House Call from Knight for two. They trade pump kicks until Strickland House Calls him out of the air. The Vertebreaker into the JML Driver finishes Knight at 17:20.

Rating: B. This was about showing that Knight belongs on this level and while he might not be all the way there yet, he certainly took a nice step forward here. Hanging in there with someone as good as Strickland is a big deal and Strickland had to work to win the thing. Knight will get a chance and it’s clear that AEW sees something in him.

An annoyed MJF looks down from a box to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. They focused on the wrestling side of things here and that worked well for the week. The main event is worth a look and you can see some of the matches starting to be set up for Revolution. The show is still a long way off but the stories are coming together, which is a great thing to see. I’ll take a night with this much solid action, so it’s a rather good show as a result.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Mike Bailey – MuscleBuster
Death Riders b. Don Callis Family – Dragontamer to Romero
FTR b. Alec Price/Jordan Oliver – Shatter Machine to Price
Kenny Omega b. Josh Alexander – One Winged Angel
Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford b. Timeless Love Bombs – Doomsday Device to Shirakawa
Swerve Strickland b. Kevin Knight – JML Driver

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

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

Collision
Date: January 17, 2026
Location: Arizona Financial Theater, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re taped this week as the Arlington residency continues. There is at least a title match this week though as the Opps are actually defending the Trios Titles against Hangman Page and JetSpeed. Sure that might seem like a random combination, but they had one match together five months ago and that’s good enough. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Angelico vs. Andrade El Idolo

Don Callis is here with Andrade, who takes Angelico into the corner rather quickly. Some chops have Angelico in trouble and they go to the mat with Andrade in control. Andrade chops away in the corner again before charging into a boot to the face. Three Amigos put Angelico right back down but Andrade pulls him up at two. A twisting neckbreaker (the DM) finishes Angelico at 3:54.

Rating: C. Total squash here and yeah it’s about the same as always from Andrade. I just do not get the appeal of the guy, as while he’s fine, he’s just kind of there with nothing that makes him stand out. Having him be another member of the Don Callis Family doesn’t help either, but that has been the case with a lot of people.

The Rascalz come out of a smoky room and introduce the team: Zachary Wentz, Myron Reed and Dezmond Xavier. They want to be where the best wrestle, but like to smoke as well.

We recap the Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz. Kingston has been having troubles with them, so Ortiz is back to help him out.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Ortiz/Eddie Kingston

Ortiz takes over on Drake to start and hits a spinning high crossbody to put him down. Drake gets taken into the corner and we actually get some alternating arm cranking. Kingston gets caught in the Veterans’ corner though and a leg lariat puts him down. That’s broken up and it’s back to Ortiz, who gets taken outside for some yelling and a suicide dive.

We take a break and come back with Ortiz still in trouble but managing to strike his way out. Kingston comes back in for the chops to both Veterans, allowing Ortiz to hit a sitout powerbomb for two on Drake. Kingston and Gibson argue a lot until Gibson goes after Ortiz, leaving Kingston to grab….the scarf. Gibson hits a middle rope Codebreaker and Drake grabs the Koji Clutch on Kingston. That’s good for two arm drops but Kingston raises a middle finger and survives. Ortiz takes out Gibson and the DDT finishes Drake at 12:45.

Rating: C-. So Kingston beat up the Veterans on his own and then beat them up again when he had a partner. There’s only so much you can get out of a story like this and it didn’t help that Ortiz didn’t quite look great. He hasn’t been around in a long time and I’m not sure how many people were begging to have him back.

The Babes Of Wrath and Kris Statlander are upset after their loss, with Statlander saying she would take a bullet for them to be out there with her best friends. As for Thekla, Statlander will give her a title shot because that’s what a champion does. She likes the taste of toxic.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Here is FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a chat. Hathaway congratulates Davis And Doyle for becoming the #1 contenders, who have all kinds of potential. Wheeler says the team (“Jake…something….Doyle”) is good but they’re not FTR good. Harwood, after greeting Nigel McGuinness, doesn’t like the people here because they live in a fantasy world. He doesn’t have an issue with Doyle And Davis but FTR is the team who built this division. They grew up in North Carolina and beat up guys like Davis And Doyle over and over. Now it’s time for Davis And Doyle to find that out the hard way. This was rather long.

Cru wants to welcome the Rascalz in a way they’ll never forget.

Video on Zayda Steel, who was made to do this.

Zayda Steel vs. Marina Shafir

Christopher Daniels is here with Steel while Jon Moxley is here with Shafir. Steel jumps on her to slug away to start and gets sent to the floor. Back in and Steel misses something off the top so Shafir takes her into the corner as we take a break. We come back with Steel hitting a Codebreaker into a running knee in the corner. Shafir gives her a release Rock Bottom and puts on a seated full nelson but Steel fights up. That’s cut off in a hurry and it’s Mother’s Milk for the tap at 5:40. Not enough shown but it’s another loss for the newcomer because that’s how you get someone over.

Don Callis Family vs. SkyFlight

Moxley stays on commentary and Don Callis joins in to bicker with Moxley, who isn’t impressed. Eventually Moxley chases him off, saying Konosuke Takeshita can come find him before leaving as well. Cue the rest of the Family (because there are multiple lineups of the team) to jump Moxley so the Death Riders run in for the save. SkyFlight comes in to go after the Family as well and we take a break before the bell.

We’re joined in progress with Darius working on Fletcher’s arm before it’s off to Sky. Fletcher takes him into the corner and Clon comes in to stay on said arm. That’s broken up and Sky gets over for the tag back to Darius. A springboard swinging Downward Spiral gives Darius two and he (eventually) gets Alexander up for a powerbomb. Alexander breaks out and German suplexes before Clon’s elbow gets two. Fletcher elbows Darius down as well and we take a break.

We come back again with Darius still in trouble as Alexander grabs the ankle lock. That’s broken up with an enziguri and a suplex allows Dante to come in for the comeback. The swinging full nelson slam is blocked and Clon kicks Dante in the head, allowing Fletcher to come back in. Everything breaks down and Fletcher is sent into the corner for the double DDT. Alexander World’s Strongest Slams Darius onto the apron and Clon gives Dante a step up Asai moonsault on the apron. Darius gets caught in the ankle lock and the torture rack bomb sets up an arm trap piledriver for the pin at 13:07.

Rating: C. This wasn’t event that long of a match but my goodness it felt like it went on forever. I like SkyFlight but they have been beaten into the ground so much that they mean nothing anymore. On the other side you have a pretty weak Family lineup, which says a lot as they are only so interesting in the first place.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out to…hug Fletcher and then pose with the team.

Roderick Strong is ready to win the CMLL World Title but he doesn’t want the Conglomeration around him. Mark Briscoe wants to face El Clon next week. You know the old saying: If you’re ready to conglomerate, be ready to share your plate, and whether it’s English or Espanol, you best be ready to share your roll. Yeah Cassidy doesn’t know it either.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Danielle Kamela/Viva Van

Bayne clotheslines Kamela to start and then sends both of them flying. A Doomsday Device finishes Kamela at 1:35.

Post match the Timeless Love Bombs come out to promise revenge and remind us that God doesn’t wear lipstick.

Swerve Strickland’s plan to get back to the World Title: win. Kevin Knight comes in to remind Swerve about his advice. Knight thinks he is the current and seemingly wants to fight Swerve. That’s fine with Swerve, who tells him to go win the Trios Titles and then come see him about being a main eventer.

Jack Perry vs. Anthony Bowens

For a future shot against Ricochet, on commentary, for the National Title. We get a handshake to start and they go technical, with Perry getting the better of things. Bowens grabs a headlock and takes over, earning an offering of scissoring. That won’t be happening as Perry goes up, only to get crotched down, allowing Bowens to get in some scissoring. They go outside with Perry winding up on his shoulders, only to come down with a bulldog as we take a break.

We come back with Perry hitting a running DDT for two, meaning it’s time to be frustrated. Bowens ties him up with a rollup for two, followed by a clothesline. Perry is back with a jumping knee, though Bowens blocked a bit of it. A second running knee finishes Bowens at 10:13.

Rating: B-. The match was good enough and Perry winning is the more logical choice of the two, but we’ve already seen Perry vs. Ricochet for the title. It doesn’t help that the championship doesn’t exactly feel important in the first place and now the champion is already trading wins with Perry. Bowens getting a few serious matches is nice, but it’s hard to imagine him really going anywhere on his own.

Post match Perry chases Ricochet to the back.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

The Death Riders aren’t happy with the Don Callis Family. Pac: “Who the f*** do you think you are?” Daniel Garcia talks about what it means to be a family and Jon Moxley says he’s the worst thing anyone has ever seen in wrestling.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Trios Titles: JetSpeed/Hangman Page vs. Opps

The Opps are defending. Shibata and Bailey shake hands to start, with Shibata jumping him as a villain should. Hobbs comes in to take over on Knight, who slips out of a slam and brings Page in. The rapid fire forearms have Hobbs rocked but he runs Page over without much trouble. Bailey comes back in and gets suplexed onto the apron, followed by another on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Knight getting out of trouble and handing it back to Page. House is quickly cleaned, including the moonsault to the floor to drop Hobbs and Joe. Hobbs powers out of a Deadeye attempt but gets his leg swept out by Bailey. Knight springboards into a release Rock Bottom and Joe comes in for the snap powerslam. A backsplash gets two on Knight and Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch on Page…but Knight rolls Hobbs up for the pin and the titles at 11:15.

Rating: B-. This was dragging a bit in the middle, but the titles going to a fresh team should help them a bit. The Opps had already held the titles longer than any team in history and they hadn’t done anything with them in months. I can’t imagine Page and JetSpeed hold them for very long, but at least it’s something new.

Swerve Strickland comes out to watch to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show picked up in the last thirty minutes or so but the first stretch dragged things way down. It felt like a show built around the lowest level stories taking place in the company and that is hard to watch. Things did get better with the title match and setting up things for Dynamite, which is the main focus of Collision most of the time. It’s far from an awful show, but dang there were some dull stretches this week.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Angelico – DM
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Grizzled Young Veterans – DDT to Drake
Marina Shafir b. Zayda Steel – Mother’s Milk
Don Callis Family b. SkyFlight – Arm trap piledriver to Darius
Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford b. Danielle Kamela/Viva Van – Doomsday Device to Kamela
Hangman Page/JetSpeed b. Opps – Rollup to Hobbs

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

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Collision
Date: January 3, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the start of another residency as Collision will be here for a few weeks at least. That can make for some interesting crowd reactions but at least this seemed to be a pretty nice venue the first time around. Hopefully that is the case here again as we’re starting with Darby Allin vs. Wheeler Yuta. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Timeless Love Bombs, Dante Martin, Shelton Benjamin and Darby Allin are ready to fight.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Clon vs. Angelico

Angelico works on the arm to start and they trade legsweeps, allowing Clon to pose. A running clothesline drops Angelico and a step up moonsault gives Clon two. They trade chops until Clon hits a Pele kick, followed by a torture rack bomb (ala Hologram) for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to do much here, but Clon did look good. I’m not sure how long it’s going to be before Hologram gets back, but it should make for a pretty awesome showdown if they do it right. For now though, they did a nice job to start the anticipation, with Clon having a dominant debut.

Post match Clon stomps on Angelico’s partner Serpentico but Komander runs in for the save.

Jon Moxley talks about how you get something special out of the Continental Classic and the title has a very high price tag. He’s getting ready to face Shelton Benjamin on Dynamite and while there is pretty much nothing he does better than Benjamin, it’s going to take a lot more than hurting him.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Timeless Love Bombs vs. Hyan/Maya World

Shirakawa and World start things off with Shirakawa getting in a bit of dancing. World gets taken down and it’s quickly off to Storm vs. Hyan. The Bombs start taking turns beating on Hyan, with Storm dropping Shirakawa onto her for two. A running hip attack sends Hyan outside and Shirakawa hits a big dive to take them both out on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Shirakawa being dropped onto World’s knees for two. That doesn’t seem to do much though as Shirakawa gets over to Storm for the house cleaning. A bulldog into a basement dropkick cuts Storm off though and a Blockbuster/Russian legsweep combination gets two. Shirakawa comes back in with a double missile dropkick and Storm hits the running hip attack. Storm Zero finishes World at 9:07.

Rating: B-. World and Hyan are starting to get a bit more comfortable around here and that’s nice to see. They’re a fine team to add to the division and while they have a long way to go, it’s better than nothing. At the very least, the keep the bigger teams from losing important matches so nice job on bringing in some extra names.

Post match respect is shown but the entrances for the next match cut off the Bombs’ celebration.

Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne vs. Rache Chanel/Londyn Dior

Points for the themed jobber names. Shafir strikes Dior down to start and it’s quickly off to Bayne for the shoulders in the corner. Everything breaks down and Chanel is Fate’s Descented into Mother’s Milk (Shafir: “Give it to me baby.”) for the tap at 1:27.

The Don Callis Family beat up some jobbers in the back and Josh Alexander gives Hechicero a pep talk.

Komander vs. Hechicero

For a TNT Title shot. Hechicero wastes no time in pulling him down into la majistral for two, with Komander getting his own rollup for the same. They trade cradles into a near fall into a standoff but Komander sends him outside. Back in and Hechicero takes him into the corner, where Komander comes out with a rather springboardy hurricanrana. Komander sends him outside again and tries a slingshot hurricanrana, which is countered into a toss powerbomb into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Komander kicking away but getting rolled into a bow and arrow. That’s switched into an armbar to keep Komander in trouble but he gets to the rope. Hechicero hits the arm and he falls outside, with Komander hitting the big rope walk dive. Back in and a sunset bomb gives Komander two but Hechicero is back with the swinging hammerlock backbreaker. Komander gets in a knockdown of his own and goes up, only for Clon to run in and shove him off the top. Hechicero hits a running knee, followed by a spinning arm trap rollup for the win at 13:36.

Rating: B. Much like the opener (albeit a good bit longer), this was an entertaining match between two people who know how to do this style. Hechicero winning makes for a better match for Mark Briscoe anyway, as he already has the whole ordeal with the Don Callis Family. As usual Komander is good for a solid match even in defeat and this was fun stuff.

Max Caster and Anthony Bowens are on assignments to build them up as a team, including saying nice things about each other and going on a scavenger hunt. It doesn’t work well as they keep getting in arguments, with Caster using a bunch of hand sanitizer.

Here are Eddie Kingston and Ortiz for a chat. After Kingston acknowledges two birthday fans in the crowd (that’s a nice touch), Kingston thanks Ortiz for keeping him from quitting this company over and over. They’re coming for the Grizzled Young Veterans, but Kingston keeps getting mad at Tony Schiavone for not holding the mic up (Kingston: “Flair must have hated you.”).

Big Bill and Bryan Keith laugh off the idea of Kingston having someone to watch his back. For now though, they want to take out JetSpeed, as someone has put a bounty on JetSpeed. Commentary thinks it’s Don Callis.

JetSpeed vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith

Bailey and Keith start things off with Bailey elbowing him down. Keith cuts off a tag attempt though and everything breaks down, with Keith being sent outside. Some kicks put Bill on the floor but he’s back in with a swinging Boss Man Slam to Bailey. Eye gouging on the floor has Bailey in more trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Bill missing some charges in the corner, allowing the tag off to Bailey. The comeback doesn’t last long though as Bill kicks him in the face, with Knight having to make the save. Stereo dives take the villains down again but Keith strikes away at Bailey for two. Bailey kicks Keith down though and the UFO Splash finishes for Knight at 12:04.

Rating: C+. Nice tag match here, though it’s frustrating to see Knight and Bill brought back just to take another loss. At the same time, at least it was to a team like JetSpeed, who already have some success together. It’s a fine enough match and JetSpeed can do the high flying thing rather well, with Knight being a treat to watch.

The Grizzled Young Veterans are ready to fight Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, including threats to Kingston’s knee.

Video on the Hangman Page/Swerve Strickland vs. the Opps, setting up Wednesday’s lights out match.

Dante Martin vs. Shelton Benjamin

Christopher Daniels and MVP are here too. Benjamin shrugs off a lariat to start so Martin goes with a takedown instead. That’s enough to send Benjamin outside, only to have Benjamin come back in with a hard shoulder. Martin tries to go up top but gets knocked off to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Martin diving into a backbreaker and we see that Martin ignored a chance to walk out during the break, even asking if Benjamin’s mother raised a b****. A suplex sends Martin flying and the superkick finishes him off at 10:44.

Rating: C. This was pretty much an extended squash and that’s what it should have been with Benjamin set for his big match with Moxley next week. Benjamin is someone who has quite the reputation and has been treated seriously in AEW, so it wasn’t much of a step up to the next level. I’m rather pleased that he smashed through Martin like this, as that’s what makes perfect sense in this case.

Post match MVP asks for some applause for Martin and Benjamin shakes his hand, allowing Martin to leave in peace. With Martin gone, MVP talks about how Jon Moxley is a tough man, but Benjamin is different. Benjamin is going to hurt Moxley. This match has me intrigued.

Sammy Guevara is tired of the wrong people getting chances and wants to be World Champion. Bandido comes up and says he can have a shot.

Tony Schiavone reads a statement from Stokley Hathaway, who was injured at Worlds End and is at the Vivian Banks Medical Center, where he has over $400,000 worth of bills. See Tony Schiavone, who has nothing to do after the show but drink, to help pay them off.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Darby Allin vs. Wheeler Yuta

Jon Moxley is on commentary. Allin knocks Yuta to the floor to start, where a Marina Shafir distraction lets Yuta get in a cheap shot. Back in and Allin dropkicks him into the corner but Yuta gets in a backdrop to send Allin face first down. We take a break and come back with Allin hitting a springboard elbow but Shafir interferes again.

This time it’s enough to get an ejection but here is Toni Storm (Moxley: “SHE’S NUTS!”) to cut her off. Daniel Garcia joins us at ringside as Yuta gets a Scorpion Deathlock. That’s escaped so Yuta catapults him into the corner, with Allin coming back with a double stomp. The Coffin Drop connects for two, as Allin pulls him up and grabs the Scorpion for the tap at 11:40.

Rating: B-. The match didn’t feel overly important, though I did get a solid laugh out of Moxley’s reaction to Storm. Allin making relatively quick work of Yuta is fine, as he gets to move on to his requested match with Pac. It works well enough for a Collision main event, which is often the case for Allin.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where it was more about setting things up for later rather than what happened here. That’s a fine way to go, as the upcoming Dynamite is feeling like a major show. Sometimes you need a show like this to get things ready and it worked well enough. It’s not a show that you should go out of your way to watch, but there is far worse wrestling to spend two hours watching.

Results
Clon b. Angelico – Torture rack bomb
Timeless Love Bombs b. Hyan/Maya World – Storm Zero to World
Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne b. Rache Chanel/Londyn Dior – Mother’s Milk to Chanel
Hechicero b. Komander – Arm trap rollup
Shelton Benjamin b. Dante Martin – Superkick
Darby Allin b. Wheeler Yuta – Scorpion Deathlock

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

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Dynamite
Date: December 17, 2025
Location: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re in England again and that should make for a big night. The last few weeks have gone rather well, with the Continental Classic being more than enough to carry the shows. The matches have been rather good and hopefully we get to see something on the same level this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley (3 points) vs. Roderick Strong (o points)

No entrances here and Moxley starts in on the arm but has to bail to the ropes to escape an ankle lock. A headlock takeover drops Strong but he’s back up with a dragon screw legwhip. Strong stomps the leg in the corner and backdrops Moxley out to the floor. The brawl in the crowd goes to Strong, who is back with a suicide dive against the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Strong slipping out of a crossface before countering a cradle piledriver. Strong slams him down and goes after the legs again, which sends Moxley bailing to the floor. A backbreaker onto the steps has Moxley in more trouble and a top rope suplex makes it worse.

They forearm it out until Moxley hits a hard lariat. We have five minutes left as Moxley hits a cutter for two. A piledriver gets two more and Moxley grabs a crossface chinlock, sending Strong rolling over to the rope. Strong’s jumping knee gets two and the Stronghold goes on, but Strong switches up his grip. Moxley kicks him away and hits a Paradigm Shift for a delayed two. The Death Rider finishes Strong at 18:11.

Rating: B-. Moxley needed the win to stay alive and there was almost no way he was going to be eliminated so soon. Moxley is still one of the biggest names in AEW and having him make a comeback like this is a fine way to go. Strong is still someone who can have a good match with anyone, and this worked well for a longer opening match.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 7 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Jon Moxley – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Eddie Kingston talks about learning from his loss to Samoa Joe and that’s going to be a problem for everyone he faces after that match. An open challenge is implied for Collision.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Don Callis Family vs. Elite

For $1 million. Omega and Takeshita start things off and the fans are already singing for the former. They run the ropes until Omega grabs an armdrag into an armbar. The Bucks come in to clean house, including a triple team shot to the head to a cornered Takeshita. We take a break and come back with Nick rolling away from Hechicero to make the tag off to Omega. Hechicero goes to the eyes to cut him off but Okada and Takeshita almost get into it again.

Omega manages a suplex to Okada and (after slipping) hits You Can’t Escape to Hechicero. Okada comes back in but gets sent outside by the Bucks. That means a triple dive from the Elite, only for Hechicero to hit the hammerlock backbreaker on Matt. We take a break and come back with Matt fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a flipping Stunner off the apron. Okada gets faceplanted back inside and it’s back to Nick to clean house with his usual array.

Risky Business gets two on Takeshita and a Canadian Destroyer drops Hechicero, meaning it’s time for the big Omega vs. Okada showdown. They chop it out for a bit until the other four come back in to break it up. Omega knees Okada down and brings Nick back in to face Takeshita. Everything breaks down and the Meltzer Driver is broken up by Okada.

A running knee gets two on Matt but Takeshita and Okada get in another argument. Hechicero tries to calm it down, only for Nick to fire off some superkicks. Omega is back in with the snapdragons and a triple superkick hits Hechicero. A spike One Winged Angel gives Omega the pin at 22:32.

Rating: B. It was the good match you would have expected from these guys and I’m sure the UK fans were happy to get to see the Elite in the ring. That’s not the worst idea in the world and it’s at least a match with some history. The money stuff doesn’t feel overly important but it’s probably worth more than the Trios Titles at this point.

Post match Okada and Takeshita lay out the Bucks but get into it again. Omega makes the save with a broom.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe (with the Opps) to sign the contract for World’s End. Joe knows Strickland and Page will destruct in the match so he signs. Swerve talks about how he has some mutual respect with Page, but there is a mutual hatred with Joe. He promises to leave a boot print on Joe’s face that was uglier than his fake tattoo in 2007.

Swerve signs and that leaves just Page, who talks about how they all worked together to get the World Title off of Jon Moxley. Any of them could have done it but Page wound up pulling it off. Then Page gave both of them title shots and Joe chose to side with the Opps. Page doesn’t want Joe to be remembered as what he is today. He was ready to defend the title against anyone who helped him, including Joe. Now he isn’t sure who is going to leave World’s End with the title, but it’s going to be someone new. And then the lights go out…and MJF is back.

MJF wastes no time and cashes in his contract, making the match a four way. After throwing Schiavone out, MJF talks about how he’s been working to prove that he’s not a coward. Joe gets in MJF’s face but actually gets cut off. MJF wants to prove to Joe and these people that he really is great and promises to end Joe’s title reign at the same place where Joe ended MJF’s reign.

That brings MJF to Swerve, who he compares to P Diddy. The fans know him as Swerve but MJF has known him for years as Shane. He remembers Swerve going to WWE (the fans don’t like it) and he remembers Swerve twerking for Top Dolla. Then Swerve came here and has done rather well, though not as well as MJF. It’s his house and the rent is due at World’s End. He hits the catchphrase and we’re out, with MJF not saying much out of the ordinary, though it’s nice to have him back.

Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight fire each other up for their upcoming matches.

Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne/Athena/Mercedes Mone vs. Babes Of Wrath/Timeless Love Bombs

Athena drops Cameron to start but gets taken down with Soul Food. Shafir comes in and gets legsweeped down, allowing Shirakawa to come in with a slingshot twisting splash. Shirakawa takes over on Shafir’s leg and DDTs Bayne at the same time. Everything breaks down and we take an early break.

We come back with Cameron managing a spinning DDT on Bayne, allowing the tag off to Storm. The running hip attack hits Shafir in the corner and they slug it out until Storm nails a headbutt. Nightingale comes in to but Bayne’s spine for two but the Babe With The Powerbomb is broken up. A super hurricanrana drops Nightingale and Shirakawa hits a dive to the floor. Mone’s dive is cut off by a Pounce from Nightingale and there’s a flip dive to drop Bayne outside. Back in and a quick O Face finishes Nightingale at 9:25.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have a ton of time with so many people involved but they did what they could. Athena getting the pin is a nice surprise as she has some hit and miss results on AEW. I’m not sure if I would have had one of the new champions take the fall here, but there were only so many options if Storm and Shirakawa can’t lose either.

Continental Classic Gold League: Pac (3 points) vs. Kyle Fletcher (6 points)

Pac grabs an armdrag into an armbar to start and it works so well that he does it again. A running hurricanrana sends Fletcher outside, where he hits a clothesline, allowing posing to ensue. Back in and Pac breaks up a quick chinlock by sending Fletcher outside for a running hurricanrana. Fletcher gets back inside and goes up top, where Pac runs the corner for a belly to belly superplex and we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of forearms until Fletcher grabs the Michinoku Driver for two. Pac kicks him in the face so Fletcher rolls outside, where Pac scores with a big dive. Back in and a tiger suplex gives Pac two, followed by a poisonrana. Fletcher pops up with a kick to the face and a powerbomb for two. Pac escapes the brainbuster though and gets the Brutalizer, only for a foot to make the rope. One heck of a running clothesline gives Pac two but Fletcher kicks him into the corner. The brainbuster gives Fletcher two and they go to the corner, where a super poisonrana plants Fletcher. The Black Arrow gives Pac the pin at 14:57.

Rating: B+. This was the hard hitting, back and forth fight that you would have expected from these two. That made for a pretty awesome match and it’s nice to see Pac getting a win as he seems to put a lot of people over. It made for the best match of the show thus far and makes the tournament that much more interesting.

Gold League Standings

Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Pac – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Jack Perry – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal

Luchasaurus, Ace Austin, Shelton Benjamin, Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Josh Alexander, Mark Davis, Brody King, Bandido, Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona, Ricochet

The last two face off for the ring next week. It’s a big brawl on the floor to start until Benjamin and Luchasaurus trade clotheslines. That’s broken up and the former Acclaimed tease working together before splitting off. We do however get a Scissor Me Timbers to Liona but the scissoring reunion is broken up as Ricochet eliminates Caster. Benjamin is back in to knock all of the Demand outside for no eliminations as people keep coming in and out.

Bowens neckbreakers Ricochet but gets eliminated instead as we take a break. We come back with Austin out as well, leaving Davis and King to forearm it out. Benjamin throws Ricochet to Luchasaurus for a chokeslam but Benjamin, Davis and Luchasaurus are all eliminated in a row. King has to fight out of the corner and Death Valley Drivers Ricochet into Kaun in the corner. A bunch of the people head outside until Liona grabs Bandido by the throat. King hits a running charge, eliminating himself and Liona at the same time. Bandido dumps Kaun and Ricochet gets back in, meaning they’re the last two for the win at 11:07.

Rating: C. The action was fine but it’s a bad sign when I have almost no idea who is still in or out of the match because so many people are on the floor. It doesn’t help that it’s for yet another prize rather than one of the far too many titles. This wasn’t much to see, though Ricochet vs. Bandido should be awesome.

Overall Rating: B. Not so great main event aside, this went well with the Continental Classic carrying things as usual. The MJF return was the big story of the show and it went well, though he didn’t quite hit his full on ceiling. Other than that, the show worked well, with the wrestling working well and the fans being hot throughout. Solid show here, as tends to be the case with the Continental Classic editions.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Roderick Strong – Death Rider
Elite b. Don Callis Family – Spike One Winged Angel to Hechicero
Marina Shafir/Mercedes Mone/Athena/Megan Bayne b. Timeless Love Bombs/Babes Of Wrath – O Face to Nightingale
Bandido and Ricochet won the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal

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

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Collision
Date: December 13, 2025
Location: Utilita Arena, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re overseas for this one as Collision is on earlier in the day, likely due to Saturday Night’s Main Event. That should make for an interesting situation as we’re also getting more of the Continental Classic. The tournament is off to a good start with an awesome match taking place earlier this week on Dynamite. It would be great if they could keep up their momentum so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

We look at Hangman Page’s comments on Dynamite, saying he wants the World Title.

Swerve Strickland vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is described as being “red hot” lately. No. Don Callis sits in on commentary as they fight over a lockup to start. Alexander’s kick to the ribs is countered into a backbreaker and a knee drop keeps him down. Prince Nana yells at Callis as Strickland is pulled off the apron and dropped knees first onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with an exchange of forearms until Alexander goes after the knee some more.

Strickland is back by loading up a powerbomb but he whips Alexander over into a powerslam (that was slick) for two. Alexander is taken up top for a super Angle Slam and another near fall but he has to reverse a Figure Four attempt. A half crab goes back to Strickland’s knee so he goes to the ropes for the quick break. Alexander misses a top rope knee though and Strickland is up with the rolling Downward Spiral. The House Call…gets two, so it’s the JML Driver to finish Alexander at 13:24.

Rating: B. Well so much for the, ahem, red hot Alexander with his…let’s see…ah yes, one singles win (via countout, when Kota Ibushi broke his leg) since May. Anyway, it’s nice to see Swerve fight through the injury and get a win as he’s back to being one of the top good guys in the company. He has the ability and crowd reception to make that work so go with what works.

Post match Swerve says he’s back for the World Title and wants to take the belt from Samoa Joe.

Video on the Elite vs. the Don Callis Family for the million dollars.

The Timeless Love Bombs are going to be at the Babes Of Wrath’s championship toast.

Kris Statlander/Jamie Hayter vs. Sisters Of Sin

Thekla comes to the stage for a distraction and the Sisters run in from behind for a cheap shot. Blue gets taken down though and the other team takes turns slamming each other onto her. Hart comes in for a rope walk hurricanrana but Hayter crushes her in the corner. A quick Blue distraction lets Hart take Hayter down though and a standing moonsault gets two.

We take a break and come back with Statlander cleaning house, including a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Blue. The double superkick drops Statlander for two and Hayter has to clothesline Blue for a save. We get the four way slugout but Hayter and Statlander clothesline each other by mistake. Back up and Blue hits Hart by mistake, allowing Hayter to give Blue a German suplex. The Hayterade finishes Hart at 10:14.

Rating: B-. This was a fast paced match with Statlander and Hayter pretty definitively taking care of the Sisters, which should hopefully wrap up their feud. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Hayter get the next shot at the title at World’s End. That would be a nice announcement to make so close to her home and they even set it up a bit with the misfire in the match.

Thekla is watching from a sky box.

Post match Hayter challenges Statlander for World’s End and the match seems to be on.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli (6 points) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (6 points)

Non-title. They fight of a lockup to start with Castagnoli backing him up against the ropes for an early standoff. Takeshita backs him against the ropes and shoves him in the chest before getting in a hard knockdown. Back up and Castagnoli drops him face first onto the turnbuckle for the break and it’s time to trade the forearms. Castagnoli knocks him outside with a hard shot and then drops him face first. They go to the ramp where Takeshita hits a DDT, only to charge into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

We take a break and come back with Takeshita snapping off a middle rope hurricanrana to send Castagnoli outside. The big flip dive takes Castagnoli down again and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two back inside. Castagnoli’s uppercut gets two more and he taunts Takeshita with some boots to the head. They slug it out again until Takeshita’s kneeling tombstone plants him into a wheelbarrow suplex for two.

A Hidden Blade drops Castagnoli again but he’s back with Swiss Death for two with five minutes left. Castagnoli’s springboard uppercut connects and they knock each other down again. Another forearm exchange takes them both to the apron, where Takeshita kicks him in the head. They slug it out on the floor until Castagnoli boots him down. A big forearm drops Castagnoli, who beats the count back inside at nine. Takeshita knees him down but the Raging Fire is countered into the Neutralizer for two…and time expires at 20:00.

Rating: B+. This was about taking two big men and having them beat the fire out of each other for a good while. That’s a fine way to go and it worked well here, as even if the draw felt pretty clear (they weren’t going to have one company’s World Champion beat another), the match was still a heck of a fight. I had a good time with this and it’s nice to see two champions survive like this.

Blue League Standings

Konosuke Takeshita – 7 points (2 matches left)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (1 match left)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches left)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches left)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (2 matches left)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (3 matches left)

Post match they keep slugging it out until referees have to break it up. The Death Riders and Don Callis Family have to really split them apart.

Kevin Knight and Mike Bailey are ready to fight and want the other to bring it. Deal.

Here are the Babes Of Wrath to talk about their history together. They met early in Cameron’s time in the company but here are the Timeless Love Bombs to interrupt. They’re happy to have given the Babes a fight to remember but here is Mercedes Mone to interrupt. Mina Shirakawa tells her to shut up but Mone doesn’t want to fight tonight. She’ll have friends this week in Manchester for Dynamite. Storm: “We will raise a glass and we will wax your a**!” Mone uh, covers up, and leaves.

Ricochet is entering the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal and going on to win the World Title.

Video on the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal, with various people entering. Bobby Lashley is injured though and Shelton Benjamin will take his place.

Continental Classic: Kevin Knight (3 points) vs. Mike Bailey (3 points)

I do like the little background/factoids that Renee Young throws in during the entrances. That’s a very nice touch. They take turns dodging big shots to start until Bailey gets backed into the corner. A high angle springboard armdrag sends Knight outside for a triangle moonsault and we take a break.

We come back with Knight hitting a springboard clothesline to the floor. Back in and the Flamingo Driver is blocked and Knight grabs a running DDT for two. Bailey kicks him out to the apron though and hits the moonsault knees to the ribs. They get back inside with Knight hitting a superplex but Bailey ties up the legs in a small package for two more. They trade rollups for two each until Knight hits a hard dropkick.

Another springboard is kicked out of the air though and we’re ten minutes in. Knight sends him into the corner and hits that great Coast To Coast but the UFO Splash hits raised knees. The tornado kick gives Bailey two but the Ultimate Weapon misses. They trade more rollups until Bailey kicks him in the head. The Flamingo Driver finishes Knight at 12:57.

Rating: B. Another solid performance here as Bailey’s tournament run continues. Knight still feels like a great prospect though and has done some rather good stuff in the tournament thus far. It would be nice to see what he can do as a singles star, though odds are the Jet Speed stuff is going to keep going for a good while.

Gold League Standings

Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (2 matches to go)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (2 matches to go)
Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (2 matches to go)
Pac – 3 points (3 matches to go)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (2 matches to go)
Jack Perry – 0 points (3 matches to go)

Kyle Fletcher is ready for Pac and promises to get his momentum back.

Pac says he’s a different breed and Fletcher will soon learn that.

TNT Title: Mark Briscoe vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia, with Wheeler Yuta, is challenging. They go to the mat to start fast with Garcia slapping him in the back of the head a few times. Briscoe is right back up but Garcia slips out of a suplex. One heck of a right hand sends Garcia outside and there’s a dropkick through the ropes. A running knee knocks Briscoe off the apron but he’s right back to knock Garcia off the apron as well. The Bang Bang Elbow is broken up though and Briscoe gets tied into the ring skirt for a beating.

We take a break and come back with Garcia yelling at him, which brings Briscoe back up with a running forearm. Briscoe strikes away and a high collar suplex gets two. Garcia’s suplex is shrugged off but Shafir breaks up the Froggy Bow. The referee didn’t see it so the fans tell him and he…does nothing.

Instead Garcia hits a top rope superplex, which he rolls into two more, with Briscoe bouncing up from the third. A brainbuster drops Garcia for a change and they’re all down. Back up and they strike it out until Briscoe hits a hard clothesline. The Jay Driller is cut off by Shafir and this time it’s enough for an ejection. Wheeler Yuta comes in for a cheap shot but Briscoe is right back up with the Jay Driller to retain at 14:46.

Rating: B. Solid stuff here, even if I’m rather sick of seeing Garcia and Yuta no matter where they are. They’re all over AEW/ROH programming these days and Garcia still isn’t interesting in the slightest. At the same time, Briscoe is finally getting some recognition with a title that feels somewhat important and that is LONG overdue. Hopefully he gets to face someone else soon, as there is quite the crop of potential opponents.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show, with more good action as the Continental Classic continues to do what it’s designed to do. What mattered the most is that this show felt more important than most Collisions, with the tournament going a long way in making that happen. AEW has had a good week with a second pretty awesome show and that is nice to see.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. Josh Alexander – JML Driver
Kris Statlander/Jamie Hayter b. Sisters Of Sin – Hayterade to Hart
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita went to a time limit draw
Mike Bailey b. Kevin Knight – Flamingo Driver
Mark Briscoe b. Daniel Garcia – Jay Driller

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

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Dynamite
Date: December 10, 2025
Location: Gateway Center Arena At College Park, College Park, Georgia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Bryan Danielson

It’s Winter Is Coming and we have a few title matches. First of all, the inaugural Women’s Tag Team Titles will be decided as the Babes Of Wrath face the Timeless Love Bombs. Other than that, Samoa Joe is defending the World Title against Eddie Kingston in a match where the talking might be the best part. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Timeless Love Bombs vs. Babes Of Wrath

For the inaugural titles. Shirakawa takes her down to start and does her dance, only for Cameron to shove Shirakawa’s face into her chest. Nightingale comes in to shoulder Storm down, setting up the exchange of forearms. Everything breaks down and Cameron kicks the Bombs out to the floor for a crash. Back in and Cameron gets dropped onto Storm for two and it’s off to Shirakawa.

Cameron belly to back suplexes her as well and hands it off to Nightingale for the rapid forearms. Storm gets Pounced out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Shirakawa DDTing Nightingale and handing it back to Storm for the Mongolian chops. Shirakawa comes back in to wrench Cameron’s knee and DDT Nightingale at the same time. Nightingale takes Storm down for a leglock of her own while Shirakawa grabs a Figure Four on Cameron.

Both of those are broken up and they strike it out for a double down. Shirakawa’s top rope Sling Blade to Cameron sets up Storm Zero for two but Nightingale makes the save. Nightingale suplexes Storm on the floor but Cameron reverses the Glamorous Driver into That’s Her Finisher. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Shirakawa for the titles at 13:55.

Rating: B. I like the result as Cameron and Nightingale are the popular team and have good chemistry together. It felt like a bit of a surprise result but not an all time shocker, which fits that much better. Cameron has come so, so far in her still relatively short career and it’s great to see her pick up some gold.

Post match the Babes are so proud of each other and the Bombs get up for some respect.

Samoa Joe, with the Opps, is ready to take out Eddie Kingston tonight.

Jon Moxley knows his back is against the wall in the Continental Classic but he’s ready to do anything to win. Daniel Garcia knows that they’re willing to fight harder than anyone else, which is why they’re great.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jack Perry (3 points) vs. Kazuchika Okada (3 points)

Perry is taking Darby Allin’s place due to injury and inherits his standing, including the points, in the tournament. Perry charges at him to start and fires off some shoulders in the corner. They fight around ringside and Perry takes him inside for an elbow. Some right hands in the corner have Okada in more trouble but he shoves Perry off the top for a crash onto a camera man. Perry is sent over the barricade and a hanging DDT drops him onto the floor as we take a break.

We come back with the exchange of forearms until Perry hits a rebound clothesline. Perry flips over him in the corner (didn’t quite stick the landing) and grabs a German suplex for two. Okada knocks him down again though and hits the top rope elbow, followed by the perfect dropkick.

Perry’s poisonrana into a running knee gets two but Okada bites the hand to escape the Snare Trap. Okada loads up a tombstone…and Perry bites his crotch to pull him into the Snare Trap. That’s escaped, with Okada bailing to the floor to deal with the aftermath of the bite. Back in and Okada avoids another running knee, setting up the Rainmaker for the pin at 12:11.

Rating: B. Another hard hitting match here with Okada getting the win, which makes the most sense. Perry being thrown into the tournament as an injury replacement doesn’t mean he’s suddenly on Okada’s level so having Perry as a near guaranteed win for a few opponents is about all you should expect from him. At least it came after a good match.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Pac – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Jack Perry – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Post match the Don Callis Family comes out and Perry gets up. Don Callis himself offers Perry a spot on the team and a signing bonus, as paid out of the Young Bucks’ money. Callis threatens him with violence but Perry says for the second time tonight, he’s biting off more than he can chew. Perry goes after him but Luchasaurus and the Young Bucks run in for the save. Callis hands the Bucks the money and runs, leaving the money behind as the Bucks superkick various Family members.

The Conglomeration celebrates the Babes Of Wrath’s title win, though Roderick Strong looks miserable.

We look at Mercedes Mone’s losing streak.

Eddie Kingston is nervous watching and realizes it’s the anniversary of Terry Funk winning the World Title. He knows Funk, and his own parents, are watching and he doesn’t want to get emotional. He’ll bring the fight to Samoa Joe.

Here is Mark Briscoe for a chat. Briscoe talks about how there are people who didn’t think he could win the big one and they can kiss his big white a**. It’s one thing to win a title but it’s another to defend the title, which he’ll be doing on Collision. Cue Wheeler Yuta and the Death Riders in the crowd to say Briscoe has more children than teeth. Daniel Garcia (challenging Briscoe on Saturday) to say he’s going to win the title and break Briscoe’s leg. The fight is nearly on but Garcia is held back by the rest of the team.

The Triangle Of Madness jumps various women but Kris Statlander makes the save.

Hangman Page/Swerve Strickland vs. Opps

Tornado tag. Page and Swerve come through the crowd with a chain and staple gun to beat up the Opps Dojo. The regular Opps come up into the crowd for the fight and they head into the concourse before the opening bell. Page puts Hobbs through a table and stops for a beer as Shibata kicks Swerve in the face.

We take a break before the match has officially started and come back with Page bringing a chair in for the opening bell. The referee takes the chair away and Shibata drops Page with a suplex. Shibata’s running dropkick connects in the corner and Hobbs adds a powerslam as Swerve is still down in the crowd. Hobbs goes after Prince Nana but Swerve is back to make a save.

Swerve hits a middle rope elbow to Shibata’s back but he avoids the Buckshot Lariat. A low blow drops Page, only for Shibata’s armbar to be broken up by Swerve’s top rope double stomp. Hobbs runs Shibata over by mistake and the 450 crushes him as well. A double powerbomb sends Hobbs through a table at ringside and the Buckshot Lariat into the House Call finishes Shibata at 7:16.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure why this needed to be a tornado tag but that’s a minor issue. This was all about Swerve and Page teaming together and it gives them a chance to do it again on a bigger stage. Beating the Opps makes sense for them and now we get to move on to whatever is next for both of them, which could be either together or on their own.

Don Callis wants the Young Bucks to find a partner and fight them next week for the million dollars.

FTR doesn’t like the Bang Bang Gang having delusions of grandeur because they’re addicted to the camera. They can have their Tag Team Title match and then after the loss, it’s time to go to the back of the line.

Continental Classic Gold League: Mike Bailey (0 points) vs. Kyle Fletcher (6 points)

They trade knockdowns and rollups for two each to start and Fletcher bails outside, with the fans approving. Back in and Fletcher stomps him down but Bailey snaps up with a heck of a springboard hurricanrana. That sends Fletcher outside so Bailey gives him another hurricanrana but Fletcher is back in with a spinning backbreaker.

Bailey dropkicks him down and hits a springboard corkscrew dive to the floor. That doesn’t work for Fletcher, who hits a heck of a superkick and slams him hard onto barricade. We take a break and come back with Bailey dropping him on the apron and snapping off the moonsault knees. Back in and the Flamingo Driver is broken up and the shooting star press hits raised feet.

Fletcher’s sitout Last Ride gets two but Bailey manages a running Spanish Fly. A quick hurricanrana gives Bailey two and he kicks Fletcher in the head for two more. The tornado kick gives Bailey a rather near fall and the Ultimate Weapon gets two more. Bailey misses the knees to the floor though and an apron powerbomb sets up the brainbuster….for two. They strike it out until Bailey traps the arms and grabs a sunset flip for the pin at 19:10.

Rating: A-. This was an awesomely entertaining match, which is what you need to see in this kind of a tournament. Bailey is someone who is the definition of junk food wrestling, as it might not be good but it can certainly be exciting. At the same time, I’m not sure if I would have Fletcher lose like this, but DANG this was a blast and that’s what they were shooting for here.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Pac – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Jack Perry – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Hangman Page wants the World Title back and is coming for it at World’s End.

The Young Bucks ask Luchasaurus to be their partner but he’s not interested. Instead they go to Kenny Omega and he’ll do it for free.

AEW World Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Samoa Joe

Joe, with Hook, is defending. They circle each other to start until Hook grabs a foot, which is enough to get an early ejection. Joe takes him down and starts striking away but some knees to the face wake Kingston up. Kingston grabs a running bulldog and we take a break. We come back with Kingston kicking away and asking Joe to do the same. Joe strikes him down and hits the enziguri in the corner, which might break Kingston’s nose.

Kingston gets up to exchange strikes until Joe’s scoop powerslam gets two. Joe knees away so Kingston fires off the chops and grabs an exploder for two of his own. Another knockdown lets Joe grab an STF, only for Kingston to bite the finger. The DDT drops Joe, who rolls to the floor, followed by a cutter back inside. The spinning backfist misses though and Joe Koquina Clutches him for the tap at 12:18.

Rating: B. This was the definition of “as advertised”, as these two beat the fire out of each other. Joe and Kingston are bigger guys who can hit each other rather hard, which is exactly what we got here. Kingston losing isn’t a surprise, though seeing him actually tap is a bit out of left field. Good match here though, with Joe getting Kingston out of the way before moving on to his next big opponent.

Overall Rating: A. Well dang that was great. You had nothing but solid to great matches all night and the title win at the beginning was awesome as well. This show flew by and never came close to dipping, which is about as much as I can ask for in a television show. Outstanding show here and something that felt like it would have fit back in the older days of AEW.

Results
Babes Of Wrath b. Timeless Love Bombs – Babe With The Powerbomb to Shirakawa
Kazuchika Okada b. Jack Perry – Rainmaker
Hangman Page/Swerve Strickland b. Opps – House Call to Shibata
Mike Bailey b. Kyle Fletcher – Sunset flip
Samoa Joe b. Eddie Kingston – Koquina Clutch

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

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Collision
Date: December 6, 2025
Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Ian Riccaboni

It’s still Continental Classic season and that means we’ll still be seeing some rather quality matches. We’re still pretty early in the tournaments and it can be interesting to see who goes where. In addition, Ricochet is ready to defend the National Title, which could make for something fun. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Continental Classic Blue League: Orange Cassidy (0 points) vs Roderick Strong (0 points)

Strong wins an early grapple off to start but Cassidy grabs the foot to slow him down. Cassidy can’t do much from there but eventually manages a headlock to grind Strong down. A spinning backbreaker can’t get Strong out of trouble as Cassidy stays on the headlock. They head outside with Strong hitting another backbreaker to really take over, followed by another back inside.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy hitting a spinning DDT. Cassidy makes what counts as a fired up comeback and sends Strong outside for the rams into the buckles. A high crossbody is countered into a powerslam to give Strong two and Cassidy is back with a slingshot tornado DDT. Another tornado DDT gives Cassidy two but Strong gives him another backbreaker. Cassidy’s rollup gets two and he manages the Stundog Millionaire. Strong tries another backbreaker but Cassidy slips out and cradles him for the pin at 13:24.

Rating: B. They had a hard fought match here and that’s what you want to see in something like this. Cassidy gets the win to get on the board, which isn’t overly surprising as Strong isn’t someone who gets a big push in this kind of a tournament most of the time. Good opener here, which is always nice to see.

Blue League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Post match, Strong storms off.

Darby Allin is officially out of the tournament due to injuries and Jack Perry is taking his place.

Allin talks about how the Death Riders are winning the war because they’re out here doing pushups. He was wrestling Kevin Knight and he couldn’t feel his legs. It was the first time he was ever scared and while he’s never seen eye to eye with Perry, go win the whole thing. He’s not sure about his own future though.

Here is FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a chat. Hathaway is happy with his win but he has to address what happened this week on Dynamite. The fans boo him out of the building over and over, but Hathaway makes it clear: they want the Bang Bang Gang right now. Wheeler says that the Gang will always be Billy’s boy and Mr. Toni Storm (Robinson’s “is that a bad thing?” look is great).

Harwood brags about FTR’s all time success and they’re willing to let Robinson touch the belt because he’s a man of his word. Gunn says he’s the son of a Hall Of Famer. Robinson is the son of a carpenter, Wheeler is the son of his first cousin, and Harwood is just a son of a b****. Gunn brings up beating FTR recently and now they want a title match. Apparently the match is officially set for the United Kingdom next week, with the Gang promising to TOUCH the belts.

The Death Riders are ready to destroy Mark Briscoe and take the TNT Title.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli (6 points) vs. Mascara Dorada (0 points)

They fight over a lockup to start and neither can get very far. Dorada handles his own in a wrestle off until Castagnoli gives him a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Back up and Dorada flips around a lot until Castagnoli is sent outside. Castagnoli cuts off a dive with an uppercut and Dorada is dropped onto the barricade as we take a break.

We come back with Castagnoli going for the mast but the Swing is escaped rather quickly. Castagnoli gets caught with a quick headscissors and Dorada sends him outside rather quickly. A top rope armdrag sends Castagnoli down again so a rollup can get two back inside. Castagnoli’s tilt-a-whirl cuts Dorada off as we’re halfway through the time limit. A rather spinning headscissors brings Castagnoli down but he’s right back up to try a superplex. That’s broken up as well and Dorada’s shooting star press is good for the pin at 12:00.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by the result here but it’s good to see Dorada get a win. He’s shown that he can hang in the ring with just about anyone but at some point that has to translate into some wins. It doesn’t matter as much in the tournament, though it’s certainly better than nothing. Castagnoli was never going to run the table in this thing anyway, so getting the loss out of the way is fine.

Blue League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Earlier today, the Timeless Love Bombs and the Babes Of Wrath sat down for champagne. Storm talked about how she and Shirakawa love each other no matter what and she’s beaten both Babes. Cameron says the Babes have wrath but Shirakawa says they’re here for the titles. A toast is had.

Here is Swerve Strickland for a chat. Swerve talks about how he’s freshly back from three months out due to injury. When he was champion, he made it clear that he was going to bring everything and that brings him to Samoa Joe. Swerve beat him the last time they fought and now he has to go through a bunch of people to get to the Opps. It doesn’t matter though as Joe will fall.

That brings him to Hangman Page, and Swerve is willing to have his back for one night at Winter Is Coming. Cue Josh Alexander of all people to say this is Don Callis’ house. Why isn’t Swerve looking for revenge on the people who hurt him? Alexander thinks he should get the title shot so a match is set for Winter Is Coming….and Katsuyori Shibata sneaks in to chop block Swerve’s recently repaired knee.

Mercedes Mone does NOT want to talk about last night’s loss at Final Battle and now it’s time for some revenge.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Leila Grey

Grey is challenging and has Christopher Daniels with her. Mone jumps her to start fast and sends Grey outside, with a Meteora off the apron hitting Daniels. Back in and Grey slugs away but gets sent face first into the buckle. Grey’s bulldog out of the corner is blocked and we take a break. We come back with Grey hitting a running knee in the corner but Mone pulls her into the Statement Maker for the tap at 5:49. Not enough shown to rate but they didn’t waste time with Mone getting back to winning.

Post match the hold stays on until Daniels breaks it up, earning himself a low blow.

Eddie Kingston talks about how he’s been doing this for twenty five years and he doesn’t like Samoa Joe taking wrestlers down the wrong path. That all starts with the World Champion and Kingston wants it to change for the good. He’s not just doing this for the title but to show people how to do it the right way, as AEW was supposed to be.

The Triangle Of Madness have jumped a bunch of women. They’ll be in Cardiff.

National Title: Ricochet vs. Ace Austin

Ricochet, with the Gates Of Agony, is defending. Austin’s headlock doesn’t last long to start so he tries it again, which is broken up just as well. Ricochet is sent outside before getting la majistraled for two back inside. That’s enough for Ricochet to grab the bell hammer but the Gates trip Austin down so Ricochet can take over.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet missing a running dropkick in the corner, allowing Austin to drop a leg. After avoiding a Gates distraction, Austin hits a springboard clothesline into a doctor bomb. Ricochet is back with a dropkick into a standing shooting star press for two. The Spirit Gun misses though and Austin grabs a small package for two. A superplex into a running stomp gives Austin two more but he almost runs into the referee. Ricochet hits a quick clothesline into Vertigo to retain at 10:04.

Rating: B-. They only had so much time here given the commercial but Austin was able to showcase himself a bit. At the same time though, it’s still freshly into Ricochet’s title reign and the fans dislike him enough that he should hold onto the belt for a good while. Nice enough match here and a good way to feature both of them.

Post match FTR runs in to beat down Austin with the Bang Bang Gang making the save. The Gang holds up the titles, meaning they have to touch them, as FTR demanded never happen again.

Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley (0 points) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (3 points)

Non-title. Feeling out process to start and they go to the mat with Moxley’s headlock not lasting long. Takeshita reverses into a leglock before they trade shoulders. A running elbow takes Moxley down and he seems to be favoring his recently injured ankle. Said ankle is rammed into the barricade and it’s a dragon screw ankle whip back inside.

We take a break and come back with Takeshita staying on the leg in the corner but Moxley goes after Takeshita’s ankle. A stomp on the apron rocks Takeshita and a double clothesline leaves both of them down. They trade forearms until Moxley’s running clothesline drops Takeshita hard. Moxley’s ankle lock sends Takeshita over to the ropes and he knocks Moxley outside. Takeshita can’t get a running start due to his ankle but a second attempt sets up a big running flip dive.

The Blue Thunder Bomb sends Moxley through the announcers’ table and he has to dive to beat the count. Unfortunately he dives right into a frog splash from Takeshita for another near fall but Moxley is back with a cutter. A double middle finger sets up the Paradigm Shift but Takeshita gets a foot on the rope. Moxley charges into a knee for two and a running knee into Raging Fire gives Takeshita the pin at 17:48.

Rating: A-. Well dang that worked. This started slowly and then turned into a heck of a fight, though I’m almost scared as it felt like they were teasing a Moxley face turn out of this whole thing. I get why that would be the case but the idea of this version of Moxley as a hero is disturbing. Otherwise, Takeshita’s incredible run continues, as he can basically do no wrong at this point.

Blue League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (3 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B+. Rather solid show here as the Continental Classic continues to deliver. This was about a bunch of people having solid matches, plus Mone running through Grey. It’s still relatively early in the tournament so this can keep going for a bit, though that main event is going to be hard to top. Solid show here, as it mainly focused on one thing, which is often where Collision works best.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Roderick Strong – Rollup
Mascara Dorada b. Claudio Castagnoli – Shooting star press
Mercedes Mone b. Leila Grey – Statement Maker
Ricochet b. Ace Austin – Vertigo
Konosuke Takeshita b. Jon Moxley – Raging Fire

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

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Dynamite
Date: December 3, 2025
Location: Fishers Events Center, Fishers, Indiana
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson, Tony Schiavone

We’re getting closer to Worlds End and that means it’s time to continue the Continental Classic. While I won’t even bother trying to get my head around the title situation, I can certainly enjoy the matches that come with the tournament. Hopefully it lives up to the hype so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring to start and brings out World Champion Samoa Joe and next week’s challenger, Eddie Kingston. Joe tells Schiavone to get out and then insults the crowd, saying he’s not looking nice out here because….well because it’s Indianapolis. With that out of the way, he explains that Hook is where he is because he has had the right training. Joe wanted Hook to see what it was like to be around the low level stars and that’s why he picked Kingston.

Next week, Kingston will fight for everything he has but just like every other time, he won’t cross the finish line. Kingston talks about how Hook learned to never quit and yeah he yells a lot, but he gets stuff done. He accuses Joe of being the kinds of people who got in heads and messed with people. That’s who Joe used to hate but now he’s one of them. It better be old school Joe, or Kingston will eat him alive on the tenth (imagine that: saying the date of a big match!). Kingston was bringing the intensity here and that’s been missing since he came back.

The Opps are ready to fight tonight and they’re going to beat up….the Dark Order. Of course.

Continental Classic Gold League: Pac (3 points) vs. Kazuchika Okada (0 points)

Okada works on the arm to start and they forearm it out with Pac getting the better of things. Pac hits a nice missile dropkick and Okada needs a breather on the floor. Okada gets the better of things outside but Pac kicks him down back inside. We take a break and come back with Pac missing a dropkick, allowing Okada to hit a dropkick of his own. A DDT gives Okada two and the top rope elbow lets Okada flip off the crowd.

The Rainmaker is blocked though and Pac grabs a slingshot cutter. Okada shrugs that off and hits the dropkick but the Rainmaker is cut off again. The German suplex out of the corner drops Okada and a bridging version gives Pac two. Okada is back up with a Tombstone and goes to the top, where Pac superplexes him down. The Brutalizer is loaded up but Okada reverses into a cradle for the pin at 13:30.

Rating: B. They were laying it in out there and that made for a good opener, with Okada getting on the board in the tournament. Pac is someone who can be put out there and feel like a threat no matter who he’s facing. That’s a good combination and it made for a solid match here, which could have gone on even longer.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Pac – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Mark Briscoe is ready to face Daniel Garcia again for the TNT Title. He doesn’t think as much of Garcia this time, but he knows the talent is there.

Earlier today, Ricochet, with the Gates Of Agony, promised to beat Dalton Castle at Final Battle and he’ll even have another title defense on Collision.

Mark Briscoe is ready for Orange Cassidy vs. Roderick Strong in the Continental Classic, but Strong insists he is NOT in the Conglomeration and promises to break Cassidy’s back.

Darby Allin is injured and cannot travel, let alone wrestle. Well that’s not promising.

Continental Classic Gold League: Kyle Fletcher vs. Kevin Knight

Knight backs him up against the ropes to start and gives Fletcher a pat on the chest. They go to the mat with Fletcher throwing him down and getting in a kick to the face. Back up and Knight snaps off some armdrags and the threat of a dropkick sends Fletcher bailing to the floor. Fletcher manages to kick him out to the floor but Knight hits a springboard lariat (that looked good) as we take a break.

We take a break and come back with Knight hitting a great dropkick for two. Fletcher sends him into the ropes but Knight scores with another springboard clothesline for two more. A running DDT plants Fletcher on the apron but Knight gets crotched on top. Knight is able to tie him in the Tree Of Woe for the Coast To Coast but the UFO Splash hits raised knees. A sitout powerbomb gives Fletcher two more and he cuts Knight off with a superkick. The Helluva Kick into the brainbuster finishes Knight at 13:09.

Rating: B+. Maybe it’s being a sucker for a top rope clothesline but I had a good time with this and Knight came off looking like a serious threat to someone like Fletcher. The good thing is that a loss only does so much damage to Knight and he was always going to be an underdog here anyway. Solid stuff here as Knight is becoming more and more of a star every time.

Gold League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Pac – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Post match Don Callis gets in the ring for a chat and here are Josh Alexander and Hechicero, each carrying a bag of money. After a break, Callis calls out the Young Bucks for doing the unforgivable by signing with Kenny Omega. Callis tells the Bucks to come get their money so here they come, only to get beaten down. The Jurassic Express comes in but so do more members of the Family, with the villains taking over. Kenny Omega makes the real save and the Family escapes with the money.

Video on the Babes Of Wrath.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Megan Bayne/Marina Shafir vs. Timeless Love Bombs

Death match so it’s a brawl to start fast, with the Bombs actually taking over. The Bombs bust out some hard candy canes (Schiavone thinks it might be different than usual candy canes) to take over and Shirakawa is dropped onto Bayne. Shafir is back up with a headscissor driver to send Storm into the apron and Shirakawa is thrown onto Storm as we take a break.

We come back with the villains still in control and unloading with various weapons. Shirakawa dropkicks a chair into Bayne’s face though and Storm Zero sends Bayne from the apron through a table. Mother’s Milk is broken up and Shirakawa knocks Shafir outside, setting up the big dive.

A top rope sling blade onto a chair gives Shirakawa two, with Bayne driving Storm into the cover to break it up. Bayne spears Shirakawa HARD into a table in the corner but Storm Zero sends Bayne’s head into Shafir’s ribs. Cue Santa Claus with a present for Shafir…and it’s Luther, with a middle finger in the present. Storm gets in a shoe to Shafir’s head for the pin at 11:07.

Rating: B-. Good fight here, but certainly nothing that we haven’t seen done a bunch of times before. The stuff with Luther at the end felt stupid as Storm should be able to beat Shafir without help, but I guess they wanted to protect the villains a bit more. Either way, Storm and Shirakawa are a nice choice for the finals and the match certainly wasn’t dull.

The Triangle Of Madness are sick of Kris Statlander and Jamie Hayter. The latter want a tag match…and Hayter wants to talk about the Women’s Title after.

The Dark Order is excited about being in action but tell Hangman Page not to ruin this. Page says he won’t, but he’ll be there as soon as the match is over.

Mercedes Mone doesn’t want to hear about Full Gear and brags about her various successes. She’s ready to beat Red Velvet again and she’ll even be on this week’s Ring Of Honor. How nice of her.

We look at FTR getting challenged by the Bang Bang Gang.

Stokely Hathaway finds it pathetic that the Bang Bang Gang wants the titles for their injured friends. FTR mocks every member and dare the Gang to touch their titles again.

Opps vs. Dark Order

Non-title. The Opps jump them from behind before the bell and keep up the beating as we officially start. Reynolds is dropped onto the apron and we take an early break. We come back with Uno fighting back, including a double DDT. Hobbs is back in though and the World’s Strongest Slam gets two. The spinebuster finishes Uno at 6:10. Not enough shown to rate but it was basically a squash, as it should have been.

Post match Hangman Page comes in and manages to clean house, but security cuts off the Buckshot Lariat to Hobbs.

Don Callis thinks the Family will win the Continental Classic. He tries to explain the Unified Title but he’s not putting the other legs of the title up because it would be stupid.

Hangman Page calls out the Opps for next week and says he won’t be coming alone.

Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Marina Shafir goes for a test of strength as Castagnoli wins a test of strength to start (shocking I know). Moxley goes for the fingers but gets taken down with a backbreaker as we take a break. We come back with Moxley busted open (ah, an old classic) and Castagnoli grabbing the Swing. The Sharpshooter has Moxley in more trouble and Castagnoli switches it into a crossface.

That’s broken up and they slug it out with Moxley knocking him outside. Moxley’s suicide dive sends Castagnoli into the announcers’ table but Castagnoli blasts him with a clothesline back inside. Moxley hits a heck of a clothesline of his own and a Stomp gets two. Castagnoli powers him out to the floor and hits a running double stomp as Moxley is sitting in a chair. Back in and a powerbomb gives Castagnoli two but Moxley grabs a Paradigm Shift. They pull themselves up and Castagnoli hits a running uppercut for the clean pin at 15:05.

Rating: B. The fall of Moxley continues, though sweet goodness they’re taking their time getting there. I do like Castagnoli getting a run in the tournament, though it’s hard to imagine he actually wins the thing or really comes close. At least Moxley is losing for a change and not looking like the most awesome toughest guy ever and it does give Castagnoli a big win of his own.

Blue League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Mascara Dorada – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B+. As usual, the Continental Classic shows offer some of the most consistent in-ring action that AEW can offer. They might not be much in the way of storyline advancement, but they are quite entertaining while they last. I liked the show again, which isn’t a big surprise, and now we get to see where things go for a bunch of people, including the Death Riders, who are having a rough time.

Results
Kazuchika Okada b. Pac – Cradle
Kyle Fletcher b. Kevin Knight – Brainbuster
Timeless Love Bombs b. Megan Bayne/Marina Shafir – Shoe to the head
Opps b. Dark Order – Spinebuster to Uno
Claudio Castagnoli b. Jon Moxley – Running uppercut

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

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

Full Gear 2025
Date: November 22, 2025
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back on pay per view with a rare rematch in the main event. In this case that would be Hangman Page defending the World Title against Samoa Joe, this time inside of a cage. Other than that, we have the return of the Casino Gauntlet match to crown the inaugural National Champion. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Bang Bang Gang vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Outrunners vs. Max Caster/Anthony Bowens

For $200,000 and Dalton Castle is on commentary. Gunn punches Bowens to start and the big shot to the head drops Bowens in a hurry. Back up and Bowens hits an atomic drop, prompting Caster to do the clapping. Bowens yells at him, saying he has this so Caster tags himself in. Robinson comes in to take over on Caster but Magnum tags himself in to dropkick Caster.

It’s off to Bill for the big boot to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Floyd coming in to clean house, including the Mega Powers elbow on Keith. The Unacclaimed break that up but Scissor Me Timbers is cut off. The Arrival into the Mic Drop has Keith in trouble and Caster wants to scissor. Bowens isn’t sure but Bill interrupts anyway. Bowens strikes him down but Robinson steals the rollup pin on Bowens at 7:27.

Rating: C+. Not a bad all over the place match here and I’ll take that over the Unacclaimed winning and being all annoying with the WE DON’T LIKE EACH OTHER deal. The Gang has been needing a win of some sort and this is as good as anything they’re going to do at the moment. Just let Robinson talk some more and they should be fine.

Kickoff Show: RPG Vice vs. Big Boom AJ/QT Marshall

Paul Wight and Don Callis are on commentary. Vice is beaten up to start and AJ powerslams Romero. Beretta gets punched off the apron and they all brawl to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Marshall fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent outside. The Rizzler checks on Marshall but Romero shoves Big Justice (AJ’s son) down, which draws Wight over to scare them away.

Back in and the tag brings in AJ to clean house, including some powerslams. A gorilla press and full nelson slam give AJ two with Romero making the save. AJ loads up the Powerboom but Callis offers a distraction. Beretta gets in a cast shot and the running knee connects for two. Strong Zero gets two on AJ with Marshall making the save from the top. Romero grabs the cast but Justice comes in with a Diamond Cutter. Beretta goes after Justice and gets punched by Wight, setting up a Powerboom/Blockbuster combination to finish Beretta at 9:14.

Rating: C. The match was fine and while I’m not a fan of the Costco Guys, they seemingly have an audience and there’s no harm in having them in a less than serious Kickoff Show match. It’s not like RPG Vice is doing anything important right now anyway. You can pretty safely call this “harmless” and that’s an acceptable use of time on this show.

Kickoff Show: Hook/Eddie Kingston vs. Workhorsemen

The Workhorsemen jump them on the floor to start and it’s Hook in trouble in the corner to start. Drake chops him up against the ropes but Hook suplexes his way to freedom. It’s off to Kingston (in street clothes) for a DDT and the pin at 1:52. I’m going to assume this was shortened due to time and hopefully not due to Kingston’s knee, which he was favoring at the end.

Kickoff Show: CMLL Trios Titles: Don Callis Family vs. Sky Team

Sky Team (Mistico/Neon/Mascara Dorada) is defending but there is no Kazuchika Okada, who apparently hasn’t arrived yet. Hechicero and Konosuke Takeshita jump the champs from behind to start, with Hechicero crushing Mistico’s arm with a chair. The arm is sent into the steps and then twisted around a chair as Takeshita chinlocks Dorada inside. We get the opening bell and it’s Dorada flipping over Takeshita and handing it off to Neon.

A top rope armdrag takes Hechicero down as we cut to Okada arriving in a rather fancy car. The Kickoff Show ends and we pick things up on the proper pay per view everyone brawling. Mistico has been taken out and now Okada manages to get to the ring. Hechicero tries to get his partners on the same page but Okada flips Takeshita off. The champs block superplex attempts and here’s a taped up Mistico to fight back. A springboard double high crossbody connects and a spinning wristdrag drops Okada.

Back in and Neon does the same to Okada but Takeshita grabs a kind of wheelbarrow Tombstone. Takeshita loads up Raging Fire but Okada breaks it up. The Family gets in a shoving match and a Rainmaker accidentally hits Takeshita. Dorada and Neon are back in to take Hechicero down, setting up stereo moonsaults to the floor. Mistico poisonranas Hechicero and La Mistica retains the titles at 13:44.

Rating: B. The Sky Team continues to be a blast, which shouldn’t be a surprise. The catch here though is that the titles were totally secondary to the stuff with the Family, which has been going on for a long time now. I’m not sure what that’s going to mean, but at least they seem to be setting up the big showdown, likely at World’s End.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Pac. Allin has been going after the Death Riders for what feels like ever and now it’s time to have him face someone other than Jon Moxley. The catch this time is that Pac wants it one on one with no shenanigans.

Pac vs. Darby Allin

After a quick video of a bandaged Allin getting ready to fight, with Allin’s face being fine (not so much with his taped up arm and ribs). Allin takes him down by the arm to start and cranks away, including an armbar. A shotgun dropkick sends Pac outside but he reverses a hurricanrana back inside. Allin grinds away on a headlock instead before switching to a leglock, which has Pac in the ropes.

Pac is back up with a gorilla press onto the floor, which isn’t going to do well on those bad ribs. That’s only good for an eight count so Allin ribs the tape off Allin’s arm and gives him an Indian burn. A hard whip sends Allin through the corner and outside again for a nasty crash. Back in and Pac scores with a missile dropkick but Allin ties him in the ring skirt and hammers away.

A dive drops Pac and Allin puts him in a chair for a missile dropkick. Back in and Pac grabs a snap German suplex, followed by a toss into the corner. Allin fights up with a knockdown of his own but Pac blasts him with a lariat for two. The Brutalizer goes on, with Allin getting his feet into the ropes for the break. Allin sweeps the leg and gets the Scorpion Deathlock but here is Wheeler Yuta for a distraction. That makes Allin let go and a baseball bat to the face finishes for Pac at 16:57.

Rating: B. Allin wanting to do this clean and then cheating in the end is about as on point for the Death Riders as you can get, though I’m almost scared to know how much longer the team is going to be fighting Allin. Odds are Allin will want revenge and that sounds like a reason for quite the violent match. Again.

We recap the women’s four way tag. They’re all in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament. Pretty much end of recap.

Sisters Of Sin vs. Timeless Love Bombs vs. Babes Of Wrath vs. Megan Bayne/Marina Shafir

The winners get to pick the stipulation for their semifinals match in the tournament. It’s a brawl to start with Storm and Shafir being left alone in the ring. Storm gets sent into the corner for the rapid fire kicks and forearms from Shafir and Bayne. A suplex sends Storm flying into the corner again but she’s able to flip Shirakawa onto Bayne for a quick two.

Back up and Bayne takes over on Shirakawa so Shafir can come back in for some choking. Blue comes in with a quick swinging neckbreaker but the Babes come in to take Blue down. Hart gets a chance to take over on Cameron but stops to shove Shafir. This doesn’t go well for Bayne, who gets in a shot of her own so Shafir can take over on Cameron. A tornado DDT finally gets Cameron out of trouble and the much needed tag brings in Nightingale.

That doesn’t last long either as it’s off to Shirakawa, who takes over on the Sisters. Shafir is right back in with Mother’s Milk but Storm makes a quick save. That’s enough for Storm to come in and clean house but Cameron tags herself in. A high crossbody gives Cameron two on Storm but Bayne German suplexes the Sisters at the same time. Everything breaks down and Shirakawa hits a dive to the floor, leaving Storm to small package Cameron for the pin at 13:10.

Rating: C+. Bayne got to show off a bit, but as usual there is only so much you can do with so many people in one match at one time. It also doesn’t help that this was for a stipulation in a tournament semifinal match. That doesn’t exactly make it feel must see, but with so much of the women’s division in the tournament, it was about all they could do.

We recap FTR vs. Bandido/Brody King for the Tag Team Titles. FTR are the all time team around here but King/Bandido are the hot team.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King vs. FTR

FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, is challenging and we get a quick video from Hathaway where he walks in a dimly lit room and looks at footage of the champs. I’m assuming he’s not a fan. Bandido and Wheeler start things off with Wheeler working on the arm but Bandido is back with some armdrags. Harwood and King come in to slug it out with King taking over and hitting a quick backsplash for two.

Bandido comes in and slams King onto Harwood, meaning it’s Macarena time. Hathaway’s distraction doesn’t do much as Bandido dives over him, only to get dropped face first onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Harwood grabs a Gory Stretch but Bandido is out with a kind of double spinebuster (or a double flapjack that didn’t work). It’s still not enough for the tag though as Bandido gets pulled into the corner.

That doesn’t last long either as he kicks his way to freedom and brings in King to wreck both of them. A Death Valley Driver sends FTR into the corner for a cannonball but Harwood low bridges Bandido out to the floor. King is able to block the PowerPlex though, with Bandido coming in with a frog splash back to Harwood. King’s dive onto Hathaway only hits the floor, leaving Bandido to roll Harwood up for two.

The sitout powerbomb into a top rope splash gets two on Bandido, who is right back with a one armed gorilla press to send Wheeler outside. The big dive takes FTR out again and Bandido counters the Shatter Machine back inside. That’s enough to set up the 21 Plex but Harwood pops up for a Shatter Machine, with King having to make the save. Wheeler grabs a title and knocks Bandido silly for two but he’s right back up for a Shatter Machine to Harwood for two.

The monkey flip 450 is broken up, just like the Doomsday Device, as Bandido powerslams Wheeler out of the air for two more. King tries to get back in and is quickly spike piledriven onto the apron. Something like a double reverse AA plants Bandido for two and the spike piledriver gets the same. The Shatter Machine gives FTR the titles back at 20:12.

Rating: B. This was the kind of high speed, action packed match you would expect, but dang some of the lack of selling took me out of it. People were hitting big moves and the other person just kept popping up. That’s a good way to derail things a bit, as it made me roll my eyes more than anything else. FTR getting the titles back is fine as Bandido and King never felt like a long term team. That being said, can we do something with Bandido already? I’d say he’s earned it.

We recap the Casino Battle Royal for the inaugural National Title. Well recap it as much as possible, as we only know a few of the entrants so it’s basically just about Ricochet and the Hurt Syndicate.

National Title: Casino Gauntlet Match

For the inaugural title. The idea is basically a Royal Rumble with unknown entrants, untimed entrances and the first fall wins, meaning it could be over with only two entrants. Bobby Lashley is in at #1 and Shelton Benjamin is in at #2 and they show respect to start. Lashley goes for the leg and can’t get anywhere so they circle a bit until Ricochet is in at #3 after quite the disappointing segment.

Ricochet says we want violence so here are the Gates Of Agony to jump the Syndicate. MVP gets jumped on the floor while Benjamin is dropped onto a chair and Lashley is sent into the steps. The Gates are sent to the back as Ricochet dances and Claudio Castagnoli is in at #4. Ricochet’s dive is cut off by an uppercut and Castagnoli throws him back inside. The Swing sets up the running uppercut in the corner but Ricochet manages a headscissors out to the floor.

Daniel Garcia is in at #5 to choke Ricochet from the apron, allowing the Riders to crush him in the corner. Orange Cassidy is in at #6 and gets picked up by Castagnoli. The spinning DDT is blocked so it’s a Stundog Millionaire for Castagnoli as Wheeler Yuta is in at #7. Cassidy and Yuta’s staredown is cut off by the Death Riders, with Ricochet getting in on the running shots in the corner.

Kevin Knight is in at #8 and takes out Garcia on the floor but gets cut off by Ricochet. The Riders take over again and it’s Roderick Strong in at #9 with a Sick Kick for two on Ricochet. Mark Davis is in at #10 for a spinning piledriver on Ricochet and another one to Cassidy. Mike Bailey is in at #11 with a DDT to Davis but Bailey and Knight aren’t sure who should cover. Knight rolls Bailey up for a fast two so he kicks Knight in the face. Garcia grabs a Dragontamer on Bailey but Matt Menard is in at #12.

Menard and Garcia yell at each other and it’s Davis vs. Castagnoli, which is cut off by the returning Hurt Syndicate. Davis and Castagnoli are sent outside so Ricochet comes back in and immediately realizes his screwup. The Syndicate quickly beats him up but Cassidy is back in with some Orange Punches. Lashley misses a charge into the barricade and Wheeler knees Cassidy for two, with Knight making the save. Knight hits the UFO splash but Ricochet drops him with the Spirit Gun for the pin and the title at 22:55.

Rating: B-. This was a bit weaker than some of the previous editions of the match as it was pretty much just Ricochet vs. the Hurt Syndicate with some other stuff going on. Most of the people involved were little more than warm bodies and there wasn’t much drama about a lot of them winning the title. Ricochet is a good choice though, as he’s been doing some great stuff in recent weeks.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly. Moxley has been broken by submitting so he’s facing a submission expert, who has made him tap out before. This time though it’s No Holds Barred, which is a bit less violent after the last time Moxley tapped out inside Blood & Guts.

Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly

No Holds Barred. O’Reilly strikes away at the bell to start and they go to the grappling. That’s broken up and O’Reilly kicks him into the corner, with Moxley sticking out his face for some free shots. A bend of the finger sets up an abdominal stretch on Moxley, which O’Reilly switches into an ankle lock. Moxley bails out to the floor before coming back inside to work on the arm.

That’s enough wrestling, so Moxley whips out a fork to stab O’Reilly in the head. The blood starts flowing and Moxley bites away at his head. Moxley works on the arm and bites a finger before switching to a full nelson. That’s reversed into another ankle lock, which is countered into a stabbing of O’Reilly’s nipple (Schiavone: “You want to describe that one Excalibur?”).

O’Reilly grabs a choke and dragon screw legwhips Moxley over the rope. A catapult sends Moxley into the post and the ankle lock goes on again back inside. The kneebar has Moxley in trouble and O’Reilly stabs him in the head with the fork for a change. O’Reilly grabs a chain and they take turns wrapping it around each others’ neck before fighting for a suplex. Moxley is the one getting suplexed but they’re still connected so neither can go anywhere.

They trade forearms until Moxley shrugs off some kicks and bulldog chokes him. That’s reversed as well until Moxley gets an STF, which is broken up with a stab to the hand. Moxley stomps him onto the chain (the fans do Seth Rollins’ song) and it’s time to Pillmanize the arm. The Death Rider sets up a Kimura, which is reversed into an ankle lock with the chain to make Moxley tap at 19:18.

Rating: C+. They were getting close to some good stuff here with the grappling but then it kept getting derailed by the fork nonsense. The chain was fine and the chair fit in well, but the fork stuff felt like it was from a totally different match. I do like the stuff with Moxley’s tough man image being broken as it fits the long term story for him. Just stop with the ultraviolent garbage and let the match work on its own.

Post match Moxley beats him down again but gives what looks like a look of respect.

We recap Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Title. They’ve traded wins but Briscoe wants one more shot at the title. If he loses though, he has to join the Don Callis Family.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is challenging, Don Callis is on commentary and it’s No DQ. We get a special video with Briscoe talking about trying to find a new family after his brother passed away. He found that with the Conglomeration and now his future family depends on this match. This was really good and it hit the emotional notes perfectly well to sell the stakes for Briscoe. They forearm it out to start (as tends to be the case in AEW) but Briscoe can’t get an early Jay Driller.

Instead Fletcher sends him outside, where Briscoe gets in a trip off the apron. Some chairs are brought in, with one of them hitting Fletcher in the back. The Bang Bang Elbow is pulled out of the air though and Briscoe gets brainbustered onto the chair. A short ladder is brought in and Briscoe’s missed running flip dive sends him through it for a crash. The bleeding Briscoe is taken inside and whipped into the ladder again.

Briscoe fights out of trouble though and it’s a missile dropkick to send the ladder into Fletcher. That’s enough to get Callis off commentary and Briscoe grabs a table. Fletcher gets off of said table before the dive though and suplexes Briscoe on the floor instead. A bunch of chairs are loaded up on the floor but Briscoe gets up and sends him onto them. That takes too long as well, allowing Fletcher to shove him off the top and through the table for the big crash.

Back in and something like a running Alabama slam sends Briscoe through another table in the corner for two. As Callis tries to figure out if he has to feed Briscoe’s kids if Briscoe joins the Family, Fletcher pours out the thumbtacks (of course). The powerbomb onto the tacks is broken up and Briscoe gives him a fisherman’s buster onto the tacks. Briscoe grabs a barbed wire table, plus a ladder and a regular table (yet somehow, Fletcher can’t be kept down for three seconds at the moment).

They go to the apron, where Briscoe drives him into the group of open chairs. Back in and they both climb the ladder, with Briscoe getting to the top for an elbow to drive Fletcher through the table (onto the tacks) for two. That means that either Fletcher is winning or they missed the point where it should have ended. Fletcher is back up with the screwdriver (yep they missed it) but after stabbing Briscoe, gets it stuck in the turnbuckle. A brainbuster onto the tacks gets two on Fletcher, who manages to turn the screwdriver upside down in the buckle.

The super brainbuster onto the pointed up screwdriver is teased (this is stupid), only to be reversed to avoid a bad case of death. The Cutthroat Driver is broken up with a stab to the head and a running stab sets up the brainbuster to give Fletcher two more. They go up top, with Briscoe managing a toss Razor’s Edge through the barbed wire table. That and the Jay Driller are enough to finish Fletcher at 25:16.

Rating: B-. I know what they were going for here and what makes it all the more frustrating is THEY HAD IT. If this ended with Briscoe’s big elbow from the ladder (and maybe a Jay Driller for the family thing), it would have been great and easily the best thing on the show. Instead, they went another five minutes and had the stabbing stuff, which is, in a word, REALLY FREAKING STUPID. Forgive me for not buying the image of Fletcher teasing impaling Briscoe’s head on a screwdriver. The first twenty or so minutes were great and the last five minutes were dumb, which makes this quite the irritating situation.

We recap the Young Bucks/Josh Alexander vs. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express for a million dollars. The Bucks have been broke for a bit but are teasing joining the Don Callis Family for the sake of getting their money back.

Young Bucks/Josh Alexander vs. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express

For a million dollars. Nick works on Perry’s arm to start and they flip around a bit until they both try dropkicks. Matt and Luchasaurus come in with Luchasaurus working on the arm. It’s quickly off to Omega for more of the same, though Omega comes up favoring his recently damaged ankle. The villains take over on Omega, who manages to hurricanrana Nick to the floor.

The ensuing dive slows Omega down though and it’s back to Perry, who gets World’s Strongest Slammed onto the apron. Nick dives onto Luchasaurus and hands it back to Matt for Risky Business on Perry. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Perry hits a nice running diving DDT, allowing the much needed tag off to Luchasaurus. The Bucks superkick him down but he manages a double knockdown of his own and it’s back to Omega.

House is quickly cleaned but Alexander escapes You Can’t Escape. Everything breaks down and it’s a springboard Destroyer to Luchasaurus but Perry hits a running knee to leave everyone down. Omega and Alexander get up to slug it out until Omega grabs a snapdragon. The Bucks come in to take Omega down and we hit the ankle lock, which is broken up via the ropes. Matt gets caught in a spike Tombstone but the Countdown To Extinction is broken up.

Alexander clotheslines Matt by mistake though and now the Countdown To Extinction connects, with Alexander making the save. Perry hits a double Doomsday Device on the Bucks, who completely no sell it (because a springboard double clothesline has no effect) and start firing off the superkicks. Some of those superkicks hit Alexander, who gets planted with the One Winged Angel on the floor. A rollup gives Perry two but it’s the BTE Trigger to finish Perry at 19:06.

Rating: B+. I’m not big on the Bucks but they know how to do an exciting six man tag. I wasn’t expecting the Bucks to win here, as it felt like Alexander was only there to take the loss. The match was rather entertaining, though you can tell Omega is a far shell of what he used to be. That’s no surprise given what he’s been through, but dang it’s getting rough to see him out there.

Post match the Bucks get their money and Callis says they’re in the Family. Alexander and the rest of the Family jump Omega and the Express, with the Bucks almost being dragged away by Callis. The Bucks come back for the big save and make peace with the Express, followed by the big hug with Omega. Oh good grief ENOUGH WITH THE ELITE MELODRAMA ALREADY. Omega has to be helped to the back and even collapses on the ramp. The Family seems to have left with all of the money, so the Bucks are still broke.

We recap Mercedes Mone challenging Kris Statlander for the Women’s Title. Mone beat her before and now wants to do it for her 385th title.

Women’s Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander

Only Statlander is defending. Mone goes for the leg to start but gets rolled up for two instead. The Statement Maker is broken up as well so Mone sends her outside in a crash. Statlander is able to roll through a dive though and a nice superplex drops Mone hard. It’s too early for the 450 though as they’re definitely starting fast. Statlander rolls outside and seems to be favoring her elbow, with Mone hitting a running Meteora off the apron.

A big stomp to the arm has Statlander in even more trouble and it’s off to a Fujiwara armbar back inside. Back up and the bad arm is sent into the buckle but she uses the good arm to elbow Mone in the face. Mone uses her feet to bend the arm again and snaps off a tornado DDT for two. Fourteen Amigos have Statlander down and the fans cheering for Mone (the villain, because doing something cool is more important).

The frog splash lands on raised feet and Statlander manages a backdrop, followed by something like a Michinoku Driver for two. The bad arm gets crushed again but Statlander gives her a Blue Thunder Bomb on the floor. Back in and Mone hits a Codebreaker into a Backstabber into a sunset bomb into the corner. The running Meteora is cut off with a clothesline so Mone kicks at the bad arm again.

Statlander’s crossface is reversed into one from Mone, which is broken up as well. A super gutbuster (Dean Malenko style) drops Mone for a delayed two but the arm is too banged up for Staturday Night Fever. Instead it’s a package piledriver for two, with Mone having to grab the rope for the escape. Mone is back with a hurricanrana and running knees against the ropes for two and they fight over a Tombstone. Statlander finally sends her into the corner and muscles her up into the Staturday Night Fever to retain at 23:06.

Rating: B+. This was rather good as well and would have been even better had Mone not seemingly been more about getting cheered than winning. What matters the most is that Statlander won, which is what should have happened. There was no reason for Mone to win here and while she will likely get the title down the line, at least she didn’t get it here, as Statlander picks up probably her biggest win ever. Really nice match here, with the arm injury telling a good story as Statlander didn’t have her usual power advantage.

The Don Callis Family is happy with having the money and Callis says that it’s time for the team to come together for the Continental Classic. Konosuke Takeshita says he’ll be in, as does an angry Kyle Fletcher. Well that was obvious, but in a good way.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe. Page retained the World Title over a good Joe last month so now it’s evil Joe in a cage.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe

Page is defending in a cage and apparently comes to the ring to a song from Red Dead Redemption 2. They tease rams into the cage to start with Page getting the better of things to bust Joe open early. Page takes his boot off to hammer Joe in the head for two but Joe sends him into the cage right back.

Now it’s Page busted open and getting his face raked against the cage, which isn’t a good sign. Page is back up to win a slugout and even tries his own Koquina Clutch. Joe’s release Rock Bottom out of the corner drops Page and he takes a turnbuckle pad off. Another comeback lets Page tease the Deadeye but here is Katsuyori Shibata for the distraction.

Eddie Kingston cuts him off but the referee gets crushed against the cage. The Deadeye connects for no count and here is Powerhouse Hobbs to break through the door. Page sends him into the cage and hits a Buckshot Lariat on Joe for no count. Instead here’s Hook to deck Page with the title and reveal an Opps shirt. Commentary acts like this is some shocking moment, as someone joining a stable he was part of just a few months ago is shocking. The Elite has done that what, half a dozen times? Anyway, Joe hits the MuscleBuster to retain the title at 16:02.

Rating: B. It was a violent, bloody brawl in a cage, which might have had a bit more impact had there not been two blood baths earlier in the night and two far bloodier cage matches just ten days ago. On the other hand, I do kind of like Joe winning the title again, as Page was (again) coming off as a huge afterthought as champion. I don’t get why that’s the case, but Joe is more interesting almost by definition. Good, violent match here, though a heel on top of a stable as champion, AGAIN, isn’t the most thrilling way to go.

Post match the Opps (complete with a group of Opps Dojo goons) celebrate but the lights go out. We see a burning home and Swerve Strickland is back. The Opps bail and Swerve takes out the goons (Like a…..house of fire?), with Page getting up to help to end the show. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Overall Rating: B+. This did exceed my expectations, which weren’t overly high coming into the show. What matters the most is that they changed the World Title, which just wasn’t an interesting situation for a long time. At the same time, we got some rather good matches, with the six man and Women’s Title matches being pretty close to excellent. I really could go with a lot less of the blood and more hardcore violence, but that’s just baked into a lot of modern wrestling. Either way, more than solid show tonight with some very good moments, even at five and a half hours (yes, the Kickoff Show counts, as always).

Results
Bang Bang Gang b. Max Caster/Anthony Bowens, Outrunners and Big Bill/Bryan Keith – Rollup to Bowens
Big Boom AJ/QT Marshall b. RPG Vice – Powerboom/Blockbuster combination to Beretta
Hook/Eddie Kingston b. Workhorsemen – DDT to Henry
Sky Team b. Don Callis Family – La Mistica to Hechicero
Pac b. Darby Allin – Baseball bat to the face
Timeless Love Bombs b. Sisters Of Sin, Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne and Babes Of Wrath – Small package to Cameron
FTR b. Bandido/Brody King – Shatter Machine to Bandido
Ricochet won the Casino Gauntlet Match – Spirit Gun to Knight
Kyle O’Reilly b. Jon Moxley – Ankle lock with a chain
Mark Briscoe b. Kyle Fletcher – Jay Driller
Young Bucks/Josh Alexander b. Kenny Omega/Jurassic Express – BTE Trigger to Perry
Kris Statlander b. Mercedes Mone – Staturday Night Fever
Samoa Joe b. Hangman Page – MuscleBuster

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