Collision
Date: February 28, 2026
Location: Mission Ballroom, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re getting closer to next month’s Revolution and that should be the focus for the next few weeks, including this show. The pay per view now has a main event with MJF defending the World Title against Hangman Page in a Texas Deathmatch, with MJF talking about the match this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is a ticked off MJF to get things going. We’re not starting this show until Revolution is fixed so he wants Tony Khan out here right now because a Texas Deathmatch is NOT happening. Cue Kevin Knight instead, saying he sees MJF trying to hide while Knight has been out here getting the job done. Knight says he has better fashion and swagger than MJF but he’s also the future and here and now. MJF isn’t impressed…but gives Knight a World Title shot on Dynamite anyway, promising to make Knight history. Well that worked.

Mark Briscoe wants to face Tommaso Ciampa again but tonight, Ciampa is facing Jay Lethal, who beat Ciampa for the ROH TV Title (I was at that show).

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

Eight man tag with Jon Moxley on commentary as the feud continues. Garcia and Romero start things off with Garcia avoiding a dropkick and hitting a basement version of his own. It’s off to Castagnoli vs. Alexander with Alexander blocking a Swing attempt. Castagnoli throws him down with the gutwrench suplex so Archer comes in to take over.

Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns. Archer hits a chokeslam but gets taken down by Yuta. The big flip dive lets Yuta wipe out the pile at ringside and we settle down to Pac kicking away at Beretta. Romero is back in with a missile dropkick to knock Pac off the apron and we take a break. We come back with Alexander chinlocking Pac, who gets up with a rebound German suplex. That’s enough for Castagnoli to come back in and fire off the uppercuts.

It’s already back to Yuta, who gets dropped by some jumping knees. Archer gives him a chokeslam and Yuta has to fix his hat to hide the baldness. Marina Shafir comes in to choke Archer, who breaks it up in a hurry. The Riders are back in to strike away at Archer, including a string of shots in the corner. The Fastball Special gets two, with the Family making the save. They brawl back to the floor and it’s Yuta’s running knee to finish Romero at 15:20.

Rating: B-. This is the big team feud in AEW at the moment and it wouldn’t shock me to see it go all the way on to either Anarchy In The Arena or Blood & Guts (or both). It’s smart to use the lower level wrestlers in the fall for a change, as it isn’t like Romero is going to be hurt by a loss. Nice match here, which might be due to Don Callis himself being nowhere in sight.

Post match Moxley gets in the ring to celebrate but Konosuke Takeshita runs in for the brawl.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jay Lethal

The Swirl is here with Lethal. They go technical to start and a headlock takeover is broken up, giving us a standoff. With that not working, it’s time to slug it out until Ciampa grabs a belly to back suplex. Blake Christian offers a quick distraction though, allowing Lethal to hit his own suplex. Lethal shoulders him down and there’s the strut before Ciampa is sent outside. That means Ciampa can take out the Swirl, only to get wiped out with a suicide dive.

We take a break and come back with Ciampa catching him on top with a chop. Lethal knocks him right back down but the Figure Four is countered into a small package. The Lethal Combination puts Ciampa back down but Hail To The King is countered into a crucifix for two. Lethal grabs a cutter and tries the Lethal Injection, which is cut off with a basement dropkick. Ciampa kicks away and hits the running knee for the pin at 9:20.

Rating: B-. Again, this is where Lethal is at his best, as he can help boost up anyone around here. That’s certainly a good thing for Ciampa, who is already doing well establishing himself in his new surroundings. It would be nice to see him get another title shot, though I’ll take him being on his own for a change after so long in a tag team in WWE.

The IInspiration are here and seem to want to fight the Brawling Birds on Dynamite.

Video on Clark Connors.

Brawling Birds vs. Gypsy Mac/Tyra Russamee

Hayter forearms away on Mac to start and sends her to the corner for the tag to Russamee. Windsor hammers her down in a different corner and it’s back to Hayter with a running boot into a backbreaker. The double chops and double shoulders set up a Hart Attack (Two Birds One Stone, a rather clever name) for the pin on Russamee at 3:01.

Rating: C. Total squash here but I’m liking the Birds thus far. They’re both talented women who had nothing better to do and it’s nice to see them getting a chance. Hayter just hasn’t been quite the same since returning from her terrible injury so this is good for a rehab assignment. Maybe it works long term, as it’s not like there are a lot of teams to jump over.

Video on a four way tag match for $200,000 next week. I guess that’s a thing again.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Kyle Fletcher/Kazuchika Okada vs. Top Flight

Christopher Daniels is here with Top Flight and Don Callis is on commentary. Okada and Darius start things off as Callis explains the idea of Okada, the senior man in the team, giving the younger men a hard time. A double big boot drops Darius, who pulls himself back in to dropkick Fletcher. Dante comes in and gets knocked outside, where Okada gives him a DDT as we take a break.

We come back with Dante fighting his way out of trouble but Okada is in to cut off the tag. Said tag goes through about five seconds later and it’s Darius coming in to clean house. Fletcher misses a charge into the corner and Darius comes back in to kick him into a German suplex. Darius and Fletcher strike it out until Okada comes in for the dropkick. The Rainmaker drops Darius and Fletcher adds the brainbuster for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: B. This got going near the end but ultimately it was what Top Flight does best: putting in a solid effort but coming up short against a bigger name team. Unfortunately that has been their situation for far too long now and there isn’t much hope that they’ll shake the funk. I’m sure this will lead to even more of the tease of Okada vs. Takeshita, which has only been teased for the better part of ever thus far.

Post match Fletcher declares himself and Okada as the best champions in AEW history and a challenge is issued. Cue Jet Speed, who beat them in singles matches in the Continental Classic. A tag match is teased, along with Okada getting a World Title shot once Knight wins the thing, and a Trios Title match. General thought: SWEET GOODNESS THERE ARE TOO MANY TITLES AROUND HERE.

Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy want to fight the War Dogs.

Toni Storm vs. Zayda Steel

Storm’s early headlock takeover doesn’t get her very far so she tells Steel to give her some running shoulders. Steel can’t put her down so it’s a hurricanrana to send Storm into the corner instead. The running knee staggers Storm, who is right back with a suplex. A Codebreaker sends Storm outside for a suicide dive, followed by a high crossbody for two back inside. Three straight German suplexes knock Steel silly and the hip attack into Storm Zero finishes her off at 3:32.

Rating: C+. Steel got in some offense here but she has been little more than cannon fodder since coming to AEW. I get the idea that you don’t want some rookie becoming one of the big players around here, but there has to be something of a middle ground between that and her one singles win. Other than that, Storm would seem likely to be facing Marina Shafir in a big showdown soon, which should be good.

Post match Shafir comes in for the brawl, with Wheeler Yuta joining in. Storm fights back and steals Yuta’s hat, revealing a mostly bald head, though the hair is already starting to grow back in. At least they did it early enough.

Hook is recruiting for the Opps and Anthony Bowens offers his services. That’s only a maybe though, because Bowens might not be enough of a killer. Hook talking is not a great idea.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Sisters Of Sin vs. Kris Statlander/Thunder Rosa

Rosa hammers away on Hart to start and takes her down, only to be driven into the corner. Blue comes in for a double flapjack but gets sent into the wrong corner as well. That’s broken up so Hart comes back in and gets reverse slammed. Statlander’s big suicide dive is cut off though and we take a break.

We come back with Statlander catapulting Blue into Hart in the corner, allowing Rosa to come back in. Blue jawbreaks her way out of trouble and everything breaks down. The superkick gets two on Statlander, with Rosa diving in to make the save. They slug it out from their knees but the super swinging Rock Bottom is broken up. Staturday Night Fever drops Hart and Rosa’s package powerbomb gets the pin at 10:17.

Rating: B-. The Sisters remain little more than lackeys for the rather awesome Thekla and that’s a pretty solid choice for them. I’m not sure how that’s going to go for their future but the trio deal does seem to be the right idea. Rosa and Statlander feel like two singles stars working as a team, meaning they’ll likely stay this way for the time.

Post match here is Thekla, who says if there is one thing she can’t stand, it’s two dumb b******. She’s ready to beat Rosa, who should just retire already. Give it up for the past of the women’s division because it belongs to her. Yeah she’s good at this.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Andrade El Idolo

Don Callis is on commentary as they fight over a lockup to start. Andrade tries to pick up the pace but gets caught on top, where Ishii can’t hit an early superplex. Instead Andrade gets two off a high crossbody, with Callis saying he has his eyes locked onto Andrade’s physique at all times.

Ishii gets dropkicked out to the floor, where he drops Andrade onto the apron to take over. Back in and Andrade’s big boot gets two and they’re already back on the floor. Andrade sends him into the announcers’ table and stops for a photo with a fan as we take a break.

We come back with Ishii fighting up, leaving Callis so frantic that he gets back on commentary. Andrade’s Three Amigos get two but he misses the running knees in the corner. Ishii’s German suplex is shrugged off so he headbutts Andrade down. A missed charge sends Ishii face first into the buckle and the running knees knock him silly for two. The double moonsault gets two more but the DM is blocked. Instead Andrade’s spinning back elbow gets two, followed by the DM to pin Ishii at 14:04.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was fine, but you know what Ishii is going to do most of the time. He’s pretty much just playing the greatest hits these days and that’s only going to get him so far. Andrade is on his way to a match with Bandido, which should make for a good use of both of them at the pay per view.

Post match Bandido comes out for the staredown with Andrade and the match is announced for Revolution. There’s no word on if the Ring Of Honor World Title will be on the line, which would be about as appropriate as you could get for that title.

Overall Rating: B. This show did a nice job of setting some things up for the future or simply advancing a few things that were already established. That’s often the best you can get out of Collision and I’ll take it over what we got last week. This did a nice job and the tag match was rather good stuff. Nice show this week.

Results
Death Riders b. Don Callis Family – Running knee to Romero
Tommaso Ciampa b. Jay Lethal – Running knee
Brawling Birds b. Gypsy Mac/Tyra Russamee – Two Birds One Stone to Russamee
Kyle Fletcher/Kazuchika Okada b. Top Flight – Brainbuster to Darius
Toni Storm b. Zayda Steel – Storm Zero
Kris Statlander/Thunder Rosa b. Sisters Of Sin – Package powerbomb to Hart
Andrade El Idolo b. Tomohiro Ishii – DM

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: October 25, 2025
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Point, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with WrestleDream and it’s time to start getting ready for Full Gear. That could make for some interesting issues around here, though we already have something special this week. This time we’ll be seeing the Young Bucks teaming with FTR in an attempt to win $400,000, which is a thing again here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. That’s what the Opps did after spending a year fighting the Death Riders. After all of those battles, Page gave Samoa Joe a World Title match where he beat Joe, just as he promised. Then the Opps stabbed him in the back and now Page is ticked off. Page promises to ruin Joe’s life to wrap it up. This was pretty much a big recap.

Pac promises to hurt Tomohiro Ishii.

Pac vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Thank goodness they had a match scheduled. Otherwise Pac might have had trouble fulfilling his promise. The Death Riders are here with Pac, who trades forearms with Ishii to start. They both miss big shots and that’s good for an early staredown. Ishii’s suplex sends Pac out to the apron, where Daniel Garcia offers a distraction so Pac can take over. A missile dropkick drops Ishii again and we take a break.

We come back with Ishii chopping away and running him over, setting up a delayed vertical superplex for two. A powerbomb gives Ishii two but Ishii comes up favoring his arm. Pac snaps the arm across the top rope and they trade German suplexes. They knock each other down before Pac gives him a Tombstone into another German suplex. Pac’s brainbuster gets two more and he sends Ishii outside for the running knee from Wheeler Yuta. That’s enough for Pac to hit a running clothesline for the pin at 12:10.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much exactly what you would have expected it to be, with both of them hitting the other hard. Pac cheats with the Death Riders and the designated jobber of the Conglomeration loses again. It was entertaining, but absolutely nothing out of the norm from these guys.

Thekla vs. Mina Shirakawa

Shirakawa dances a lot to start but misses a charge into the corner. A running dropkick works better for Shirakawa and we hit the surfboard. Some dancing stomps onto the hands have Thekla in even more trouble but she cuts off another dance and throws Shirakawa down. That’s broken up and Shirakawa starts in on the leg as the Sisters Of Sin come out to watch.

Thekla uses the distraction to knock Shirakawa outside and we take a break. We come back with Shirakawa hitting a Sling Blade and running knee to take over. A slingshot corkscrew splash gives Shirakawa two but it’s too early for the Figure Four. Thekla catches her up top with the spider superplex but Shirakawa strikes her down again. The spinning backfist drops Thekla for two and the top rope Sling Blade gets the same. That’s enough for the Sisters to offer a distraction, allowing Thekla to hit a spear into the Death Trap for the tap at 13:55.

Rating: C+. The ball of charisma that is Shirakawa loses again, as tends to be her custom in recent weeks. That’s not exactly encouraging, though she should be fine when she teams with Toni Storm coming up. Thekla needs the win to build her up for the likely spot in Blood & Guts (lineups would be nice) so I guess there was no choice than to have Shirakawa lose again.

Anna Jay and Tay Melo have been getting ready for the Women’s Tag Team Titles for years. Cue Miranda Alize and Nixon Newell (Tegan Nox) to issue the challenge for a tag match. Game on.

Here is MxM TV for their Casting Call. First though, Mansoor mocks the ring announcers’ weight, because reasons. Anyway, the match.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Olympia

Valkyrie isn’t happy and gets stomped in the corner to make it worse. A running seated senton crushes Valkyrie again, leaving Olympia to dive onto the rest of the team. Back in and a sitout F5 (with squats) finishes Valkyrie at 2:35.

On Dynamite: Hook vs. Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe for the World Title shot at Full Gear.

Ace Austin vs. Bryan Keith

Feeling out process to start with Austin kicking away. That’s broken up and Keith fires away before sending Austin out to the apron. Austin’s springboard high crossbody connects and they head outside with Austin winning a strike off. The handstand on the apron sets up a kick to Keith’s chest but Keith knocks him right back down. Keith boots him in the face on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Austin rolling through an exploder suplex and striking away again. A Russian legsweep gets two on Keith, who is right back up with a running headbutt. Austin is right back with a kick to the head though and the Fold (running Blockbuster) finishes Keith at 11:40.

Rating: B-. That’s what we needed to see here, as Austin needs to be established around here and winning matches is the way to make that happen. Austin might not be the biggest guy but he can hang with the more talented stars. If nothing else, the Fold continues to be a sweet finisher that he can hit on just about anyone, so there is some potential here.

Don Callis talks about how families have issues at times and that is the case with Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita. He’s in charge though and the Family is having a summit on Dynamite.

The Outrunners and Dalton Castle are interrupted by the still bickering Anthony Bowens and Max Caster. The Outrunners mumble a lot, which Castle says is the secret to their success.

Hook vs. Griff Garrison

Eddie Kingston and the Frat House are here too. Garrison works on the arm to start and gets taken down with a quick suplex. Hook takes him to the mat and hammers in some forearms to the face but Garrison is back with a running boot. That’s shrugged off and Hook grabs Redrum for the tap at 2:08.

Olympia wants the CMLL Women’s Title and challenges Mercedes Mone for Collision.

Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata are ready to take out the Sisters Of Sin and win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Young Bucks/FTR vs. Jet Speed/Jurassic Express

Perry brings a beach ball with him, which Wheeler crushes with a chair (good man). Matt headlocks Knight to start and gets dropkicked for his efforts. Bailey comes in off a blind tag for a double hiptoss so it’s off to Wheeler. Some kicks take Wheeler down just as fast but he’s able to drop Perry with a clothesline. It’s off to Harwood, who gets backed off by Luchasaurus. Some slams drop FTR as everything breaks down, with Bailey missile dropkicking Matt. The non-dinosaur good guys hit dives to the floor, leaving Luchasaurus to grab a chokeslam back inside.

We take a break and come back with the villains cleaning house and Wheeler hitting a dive of his own. A standing Sliced Bread to Perry sets up Harwood’s Sharpshooter, which is broken up rather quickly. Knight comes back in to clean house and Jet Speed hit stereo slingshot dives to the floor. A super hurricanrana sends Matt into Bailey’s sitout powerbomb for two but Nick throws powder in Knight’s eyes. Matt superkicks Knight for two and we take another another break.

We come back with Knight fighting his way out of trouble and handing it back to Luchasaurus. Everything breaks down and Perry hurricanranas Matt off the apron onto Harwood. Back in and the PowerPlex drops Luchasaurus into a 450 for two. The Bucks and FTR hit a Shatter Machine apiece but the double EVP Trigger misses. The Countdown To Extinction hits Harwood and the tornado kick gives Bailey the pin at 20:33.

Rating: B. Hey look: the Bucks are still broke. I wonder if they’ll be given another chance to make a bunch of money in a match because they’re oh so wacky with their money. I have no idea why this is supposed to still be entertaining because the joke has been told multiple times now. I’m also pretty much over seeing the Bucks and FTR interact, as it’s been done enough already.

FTR and the Bucks argue.

One more thing: these four teams will be in a four way match on Dynamite for a Tag Team Title shot at Full Gear. Well of course they are.

Overall Rating: B-. This was certainly an episode of Collision, with the usual action and little being done other than having some matches announced for Dynamite. That’s often the featured attraction for this show, unless you want to see Olympia built up before she gets to lose to Mercedes Mone next week. Run of the mill show here, meaning it’s fun if you watch it but nothing you need to see.

Results
Pac b. Tomohiro Ishii – Running clothesline
Thekla b. Mina Shirakawa – Death Trap
Olympia b. Taya Valkyrie – Sitout F5
Ace Austin b. Bryan Keith – The Fold
Hook b. Griff Garrison – Redrum
Jet Speed/Jurassic Express b. FTR/Young Bucks – Tornado kick to Harwood

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: October 22, 2025
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Point, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Bryan Danielson

We’re done with WrestleDream and the big story coming out of the show is Darby Allin managing to make Jon Moxley quit. That’s quite the way to go and in theory it should end the feud between the two of them. Other than that, Mercedes Mone is coming after Kris Statlander and the Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is WrestleDream if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

WrestleDream recap.

After successfully defending the World Title, Hangman Page promised to ruin Samoa Joe as soon as he saw him.

Trios Titles: Opps vs. Hurt Syndicate

The Syndicate is challenging. Shibata headlocks Benjamin to start but Benjamin reverses into one of his own. They go to the mat for a second, only for Benjamin to come up with a clothesline. Lashley comes in for a staredown with Hobbs but Joe tags himself in. That’s fine with Lashley, who knocks Joe into the corner and hammers away to take over. Benjamin comes back in and goes up, with Joe doing the walk away. Everything breaks down and a series of strikes leaves most of them on the floor. Hobbs powerslams Benjamin and we take a break.

We come back with Shibata stomping on Benjamin in the corner before handing it off to Joe for the chinlock. Benjamin fights up and slaps away, followed by a DDT for a knockdown. Lashley comes back in to clean house and now we get the big showdown with Hobbs. The Hurt Lock attempt is blocked and Shibata comes back in to PK Lashley for two. MVP comes back in and hits Ballin for two but cue Ricochet for a distraction. That’s enough for Joe to get the Koquina Clutch to finish MVP at 12:31.

Rating: B-. So we’re not done with the Syndicate vs. the Demand? Fair enough, but it felt like the feud was pretty much done. That being said, I do like the idea that the Opps don’t lose the titles just a few days after turning heel at WrestleDream. Beating the Syndicate is a big deal as they’re one of the most dominant factions around here so this was a logical and correct way to go.

Post match the Syndicate chases Ricochet off, leaving Tony Schiavone to get in the ring for a chat with the Opps. Samoa Joe is glad to be in San Antonio because Powerhouse Hobbs enjoys the fat women around here. Joe talks about how he’s always hunting for titles and is ready to take out Hangman Page anytime. The Opps stand in opposition to everyone and they are always ready. This would be better if Joe hadn’t been pinned clean on Saturday.

Kris Statlander is happy to have stripped and cuddled with Toni Storm but now she’s ready for Mercedes Mone. The title match is set for Full Gear and Statlander wishes her a happy celebration tonight.

Here is Darby Allin for a chat. Allin lays out the flag he took to the top of Mt. Everest and talks about how people said he was irresponsible for climbing the mountain. Instead it meant that he would take AEW to places it has never been before. Allin was never going to quit on Saturday, no matter what was done to him. He knows the Death Riders aren’t going away and he won’t be far behind. So this whole thing was to say the feud isn’t over?

Jurassic Express is happy with beating the Young Bucks. They’re back.

Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne vs. Sisters Of Sin vs. Harley Cameron/Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata/Jamie Hayter

The winners get to pick their first round opponents in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament and the Sisters are Julia Hart/Skye Blue. Nightingale knocks Blue down to start and drops Cameron onto her for two. Ford comes in to take Cameron into the corner and everything breaks down until Hayter comes in to slug it out with Bayne. Hayter knocks her into the corner and hands it off to Aminata…so Bayne suplexes both of them at once. Bayne and Ford hit big dives to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Hart going Old School on Aminata but she sends Blue into Hart. That’s enough to bring Nightingale in to clean house as everything breaks down. Nightingale has to escape Bayne’s Doomsday Device and they fight to the floor. Hayter comes back in with Hayterade to finish Ford at 9:34.

Rating: C+. It’s a unique setup for the first round and I can go with something like that for a change. If nothing else, it’s nice to see some actual teams for the tournament, though we still need to see the other half of the field. While I still don’t think the titles need to exist, it’s nice to see them being put together in a thought out way.

Post match Hayter gets right to the point by picking the Sisters for the first round.

The Young Bucks try to talk to Tony Khan because they need a match for money. Khan comes out and says he’ll give them a chance in a four on four match, with the Bucks facing Jet Speed and Jurassic Express. They can team with these guys, and FTR walks out of his office. The Bucks are a bit nervous, but Stokely Hathaway gives them a few dollars.

Renee Paquette is in the ring for Mercedes Mone’s celebration. We get the parade of belts….and Mini Mone pops up from beneath the table. She makes Renee do the Mone dance until Mone herself comes out to interrupt. After sending the belts, and Renee, to the back, Mone rants about how Harley Cameron is so pathetic. Tonight is about her and she is tired of the disrespect. Mini Mone is sent into the cake…but she’s being held by Kris Statlander. Mone is sent into the cake and through the table.

Jon Moxley talks about how Darby Allin’s strength was his destruction and now it is time for the Death Riders to get back to being themselves.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jon Moxley

They go technical to start and that’s good for an early standoff. Back up and they trade knees to the body up against the ropes until O’Reilly tries a cross armbreaker. Moxley has to rake the boot over the eyes for the break before sending O’Reilly outside. We take a break and come back with O’Reilly kicking him to the floor, followed by a running dropkick for a bonus.

Back in and O’Reilly starts in on the arm, setting up a triangle choke. Moxley powers him into the ropes and catapults O’Reilly’s throat into the bottom rope for a creative escape. O’Reilly is right back on the knee and gets two off a Boom. The cross armbreaker goes on but Moxley is quickly out with a piledriver for two. The bulldog choke sends O’Reilly over to the ropes and the Stomp misses, allowing O’Reilly to go right back to the leg. That’s broken up and Moxley tries another choke, only to get reversed into the ankle lock. Moxley is in trouble so he decks the referee for the DQ at 11:58.

Rating: B. The idea here was that Moxley didn’t want to give up again so he punched the referee instead. That’s a good enough idea and plays into the idea of Moxley’s toughness starting to crack, though I could have gone with a break from seeing Moxley in action. If the loss at WrestleDream was such a big deal, maybe have him away longer?

Post match the Conglomeration runs in so the Death Riders come in for the brawl.

Conglomeration vs. Death Riders

Cassidy and Yuta fight over crucifixes for a string of near falls each until Garcia comes in to take Cassidy down. Garcia stops to yell at the crowd, allowing Briscoe to come in and strike away. It’s off to Strong to chop away at Castagnoli, plus a half nelson backbreaker on Garcia. Castagnoli is sent outside for a drop onto the barricade but he’s fine enough to drop Strong throat first onto the barricade as well.

We take a break and come back with Strong giving Castagnoli an Angle Slam. Cassidy comes in to clean house, including a Stundog Millionaire to Castagnoli. It’s off to Briscoe to clean house, including the big running flip dive to all three Riders. Back in and a fisherman’s buster gets two on Garcia but Briscoe gets caught in the wrong corner. Some running clotheslines set up the running knee for two on Briscoe but Cassidy makes the save. That’s enough for Briscoe to hit the Jay Driller for the pin on Yuta at 12:51.

Rating: B. These matches often work well and it’s nice to see Briscoe branching out a bit. He should be able to beat people on the level of Yuta and Garcia so this was a nice result all around. Briscoe could still be a big player around here, but at some point he’s going to need to win big matches a lot more frequently.

Post match Pac runs in for the brawl but Tomohiro Ishii makes the save. The Death Riders jump Cassidy but Darby Allin is there with a baseball bat for the save. You mean this feud is STILL GOING?

Mercedes Mone is freaking out about the cake but Athena comes in to pitch a tag team. Mone is in.

Here is Kyle Fletcher, with Don Callis, for a chat. Fletcher brags about beating Mark Briscoe and says their series is done, because he is the better man. Cue Briscoe to say Fletcher doesn’t need to talk so much. Briscoe isn’t going to let Fletcher run his mouth, because Briscoe needs one more shot. Callis brings up Briscoe having a bunch of kids to feed and he’s sounding desperate. Therefore, the answer is NO. I’d like to believe that, as this is another feud where they both need to move on.

Here are the brackets for the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament:

Queen Aminata/Jamie Hayter
Sisters Of Sin

Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron
Mercedes Mone/Athena

Alex Windsor/Riho
Toni Storm/Mina Shirakawa

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford
Tay Melo/Anna Jay

Mina Shirakawa says she and Storm fight and love together but Thekla interrupts to mock her. A match is made for Collision.

Unified Title: Bandido vs. Kazuchika Okada

Only Okada is defending. They trade headlocks to start and Bandido ducks the Rainmaker. Okada gets sent outside, where he avoids a baseball slide and starts in on Bandido’s arm. Bandido manages an armdrag on the floor though and we take a break. We come back with Okada flipping off the crowd and getting caught with the spinning corkscrew high crossbody.

Okada is sent outside for a big dive, followed by an Eddie Guerrero dance inspired frog splash. Back up and Okada snaps the arm over the top rope, followed by a shoulder breaker. Bandido needs to go over to the trainer but Okada throws him back inside. The X Knee is blocked but the second attempt connects.

The 21 Plex gets a very delayed two, only for Okada to hit a heck of a dropkick. Another Rainmaker attempt is countered into the same thing from Bandido, setting up the X Knee. The 21 Plex is loaded up again but Okada cuts him off and hits the Rainmaker to retain the title at 14:24.

Rating: B. There was only so much drama here as it is hard to believe that anyone not named Takeshita is taking that title from Okada. At the same time, they have the out of the Continental Classic to get the title off of him if necessary. Bandido’s incredible year continues and it has been great to see him blossom so much now that he is finally healthy.

Post match the Don Callis Family comes out to celebrate but Konosuke Takeshita comes out to glare to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. On one hand, the action this week was a blast, with the last three matches all more than delivering. It made for a very entertaining how and I could go for more of that. At the same time, seeing so many of the feuds seemingly continuing on from WrestleDream is less than thrilling, as some of the people involved really need to move on. All that being said, the wrestling more than carried things here, making this a better than usual show.

Results
Opps b. Hurt Syndicate – Koquina Clutch to MVP
Jamie Hayter/Queen Animata b. Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne, Sisters Of Sin and Harley Cameron/Willow Nightingale – Hayterade to Ford
Kyle O’Reilly b. Jon Moxley via DQ when Moxley punched the referee
Conglomeration b. Death Riders – Jay Driller to Yuta
Kazuchika Okada b. Bandido – Rainmaker

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: October 7, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson, Taz

It’s Title Tuesday and that means it’s time to get ready for WrestleDream in just over a week. As usual, this show is going to be focused on titles and there are quite a few to pick from around here. In this case, we have an open challenge for the TBS Title and a tag match which could determine a #1 contender for three different titles. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page and Samoa Joe for a face to face chat. Page talks about the various things he has done on this show over the years, from arson to dressing up as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but he has never been as confused as he was last week when Samoa Joe lost it. That makes him think Joe is angry and he has been for a long time.

Now Joe is going to get the World Title shot and Page is making sure that he gets it because he owes Joe. That ends at WrestleDream though. Joe says everything Page has said is true and now it’s time for him to say some uncomfortable truths. The reality is that Page isn’t a real champion because he’ll give someone an opportunity of a lifetime and then face them in ten minutes to pad his stats.

That’s not going to work with Joe at WrestleDream, where he’s going to choke Page out and take his title. Page knows he’s going to take a beating at WrestleDream but he’ll hit Joe twice as much. Then Page is going to beat him once and for all and after, he hopes Joe can shake his hand and admit that Page is the World Champion. Thankfully they kept this short as they didn’t have much to say and it didn’t need to go long.

The Conglomeration is ready to win tonight and on Collision. Kyle O’Reilly better not hear one LET’S GO KYLE chant when he faces Kyle Fletcher because he can’t stand anyone else with that name. What a specific issue.

Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. Shockingly enough, they trade strikes to start and then go outside for more forearms. Ishii gets the better of things but Shafir gets in a distraction, allowing Moxley to knock him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Moxley hammering away in the corner again, which wakes Ishii up. A suplex drops Moxley, who is right back with a sleeper, which is reversed into a belly to back suplex.

Moxley hammers away in the corner until a powerbomb gets Ishii out of trouble. Ishii hits a running clothesline for two and they trade hard shots to the head until both of them are down. Moxley grabs a jumping cutter for two but Ishii pops up from a powerbomb. A curb stomp gives Moxley two so Ishii goes for a choke, which is countered into the Paradigm Shift. The rear naked choke finishes for Moxley at 12:41.

Rating: B-. As soon as Ishii got up from the Paradigm Shift, I was expecting Ishii to lose by submission within about fifteen seconds, which is pretty much exactly what happens. It’s a recurring pattern in AEW’s match structures, much like trading a lot of forearms in the middle of the ring. You know what you’re going to get with an Ishii match and it was on full display here.

The Young Bucks are trying to talk to Tony Khan (they need money, again) but will be there to watch the Jurassic Express later.

Video on Kris Statlander vs. Toni Storm.

We look at the Triangle Of Madness laying out Statlander and Storm on Collision.

Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand

Street fight. They start the brawl on the ramp until Liona takes Lashley inside for a Samoan drop onto some chairs. They’re already outside with Ricochet and MVP coming inside to grapple against the ropes. A crutch to the back has Kaun in trouble and he gets inside with Benjamin. That doesn’t last long as they go outside as well, where Ricochet hits a big running flip dive to knock the pile down.

We take a break and come back with the Demand in control, including some slams on the floor. Lashley gets knocked down and a chair but gets up, where his spear is cut off with a chair to the head. The Gates send Lashley through a table and Kaun’s elbow puts him through a second. MVP and Liona crash through a barricade, leaving Benjamin to get double spinebustered for two.

Ricochet shooting stars Benjamin on a table, which doesn’t break (OUCH), so Liona and MVP crash onto Benjamin to really break the thing. Somehow Benjamin gets back up to strike away and backdrop Ricochet out to the floor. Ricochet gets back in and takes a knee from Benjamin to save Liona as Lashley is back up. The spear drops Ricochet and then Liona, followed by a spinebuster to put Kaun through a table. Back in and Benjamin gives Ricochet a GREAT release German suplex through a table for the pin at 16:36.

Rating: B. This one worked quite a bit better than the previous version, as the Demand winning before made me believe they could do it again here. That sounds minor, but it made all the difference in the matches. They also got a nice bit of time and were able to make it feel like a fight, which is what you want out of something like this. Good match, with the weapons and violence feeling more appropriate.

The Don Callis Family has some matches coming up, with Don Callis accusing Kyle O’Reilly naming himself after Kyle Fletcher. They’re ready to beat everyone they’re facing.

Jurassic Express vs. O’Ryan/KM

Perry (and it’s now Jungle Jack Perry, which is light years ahead of Jungle Boy if he’s supposed to be taken seriously) takes O’Ryan (who doesn’t even get a first name) into the corner and then hurricanranas him down. A dropkick connects as the Young Bucks are stuck sitting in the crowd with some random kids.

Luchasaurus comes in for a suplex and just drops O’Ryan in a good spot. A beach ball is thrown in and thrown back out (amen) and the Extinction finishes O’Ryan at 2:40. This was an effective squash, with Jurassic Express doing well with the big man/little man style. That can work very well for them, as long as Perry isn’t treated as too serious of a star again.

Post match the Bucks run in and beat the Express down. Well it was nice while it lasted. The Bucks challenge the Express for WrestleDream and then lay Perry out with a TK Driver.

The Death Riders, now seemingly with Pac as an official member, are outside, where they promise to take out Orange Cassidy tonight.

TNT Title: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher (with Lance Archer) is defending and we’re finally at a title match almost halfway into the show. Don Callis joins commentary as O’Reilly takes Fletcher down. A kneebar sends Fletcher over to the ropes so O’Reilly goes after the arm instead. O’Reilly double legs him and hammers away to send Fletcher outside. The running knee drops Fletcher again but he’s right back with a Michinoku Driver as we take a break.

We come back with O’Reilly hitting a German suplex and going back to the arm, including a hammerlock guillotine. O’Reilly switches back to the leg, with Fletcher heading over to the rope. They strike it out on the apron until O’Reilly hits a big running dive off the apron. Back in and Fletcher can’t get a brainbuster but can lawn dart him into the buckle. They slug it out until O’Reilly grabs a reverse fisherman’s suplex for two. A Boom gives O’Reilly two more and he goes back to the ankle lock. Fletcher breaks that up and hits a brainbuster, followed by another brainbuster to retain at 13:11.

Rating: B. These two have good chemistry together and they made it work again here, with O’Reilly not being the most likely new champion but giving it a heck of a go on the way. The idea of trying to take Fletcher apart limb by limb is a good story for the match and it worked well. Fletcher is going to need a bigger challenger soon though and there are more than a few options to come for the title.

Post match Archer goes after O’Reilly but the Conglomeration comes in for the save. More of the Don Callis Family comes in so Mark Briscoe is in as well to stare Fletcher away.

Post break Fletcher is not pleased with Briscoe coming out there after a big title match. To make it worse, he has to defend against Briscoe at WrestleDream.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. ???

Mone is defending against…Lacey Lane (formerly Kayden Carter in WWE), who is from Florida as Mone requested. Mone works on the arm to start but gets rolled up for two. Lane avoids a running dropkick in the corner and gets two more on Mone, who has to bail outside. That lets Lane dance a bit, followed by a basement superkick back inside. A hanging Pedigree gives Lane two and we take a break.

We come back with Lane kicking her down but Mone grabs Three Amigos. The frog splash hits raised knees though and they trade some strikes to the face. A Codebreaker sends Lane into the corner, where the running knees miss. Lane is back with a springboard spinning legdrop for two and they trade rollups for two each. Mone manages a quick Mone Maker to retain at 9:24.

Rating: B-. It was a nice debut for Lane (which came after her debut in ROH a few weeks ago) who put in a solid first appearance. She gave Mone a good fight and while there was no reason to believe she was going to win the title, which is an issue for everyone who challenges for the title. Either way, good stuff here and far better than it could have been.

Sammy Guevara promises that The Beast Mortos will destroy Eddie Kingston on Collision.

Kingston, with Hook, will see them on Collision.

Don Callis Family vs. Bandido/Brody King

Non-title, but if either Bandido or King win they get a Unified Title shot, but if the Family win, they get a Tag Team Title shot. Kazuchika Okada’s entrance cuts off Konosuke Takeshita’s, which isn’t sitting well with the latter. Bandido, with his bad shoulder, starts with Takeshita, who is smart enough to go after the bad arm.

An armdrag sends Takeshita into the corner for a shot from King, who drops Bandido onto him for a bonus. Okada comes in and gets chopped hard in the corner before Bandido adds a dropkick. King gets sent to the apron and high/lowed to the floor, where Takeshita and Okada have a staredown as we take a break.

We come back with King belly to back suplexing his way out of trouble and hitting a double clothesline. Bandido comes back in and scores with a spinning high crossbody on Okada. A suplex gets two with Takeshita making the save King drops Okada so this time Takeshita shoves Bandido into them for the save. King is back up with a Boss Man Slam to Takeshita but Okada gets smart by going after the bad arm.

Takeshita gets in a rather impressive wheelbarrow suplex to King and he goes after the bad arm to drop Bandido again. Takeshita’s running knee hits Okada by mistake and the X Knee connects for Bandido. The arm gives out on the 21 Plex attempt though and Takeshita grabs a poisonrana. The running knee is loaded up but Okada tags himself in and hits the Rainmaker for the pin on Bandido at 12:02.

Rating: B. You had two stories taking place here at the same time and they meshed together well enough to set up the title match later on. Takeshita and Okada are still having troubles and those very well could boil over when they get to the title match. Bandido’s shoulder being banged up cost them the match and it made sense for the villains to work on it throughout. Good stuff here and the rematch should be better.

Jet Speed and Willow Nightingale aren’t worried about FTR and Penelope Ford/Megan Bayne.

Stokely Hathaway and FTR can respect Jet Speed just a bit, but they don’t think much of Willow Nightingale. Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford don’t either.

Bandido and Brody King are ready to defend the Tag Team Titles against the Don Callis Family at WrestleDream.

Orange Cassidy vs. Pac

They fight over wrist control to start before Cassidy does the lazy kicks. Pac isn’t having that and picks the leg to grind away on a headlock. A flying mare into an armbar gets Cassidy out of trouble and they head outside, where Pac gets in a suplex. We take a break and come back with Pac hitting a missile dropkick before shrugging off the lazy chops. They trade some more aggressive forearms until Pac grabs a rebound German suplex.

Cassidy knocks him right back down and we get a double breather. The fight heads outside again and Cassidy hits a Stundog Millionaire, followed by a DDT. There’s an Orange Punch onto the announcers’ table, followed by the hands in the pockets…fall? Dive? Either way, Cassidy follows it up with a tornado DDT back inside.

Cassidy goes up so Pac slowly rolls away (as Cassidy did to him once before) and they go out into the crowd. Pac Tombstones him onto a platform and Cassidy rolls down the steps…but Darby Allin pops up to tape Cassidy’s foot to a railing. Cassidy manages to get back in (What Tombstone?) and Pac dives over the top as well, only for Cassidy to roll him up for the pin at 15:39.

Rating: B. The ending was more than a bit overbooked, but that’s pretty normal for AEW> Pac losing so soon after his return is a bit of a stretch, though I’ll take it over Cassidy losing again so soon. These two have a history together and it does feel like a big enough match, so this was a good way to go for the main event.

Post match Allin yells at Pac, who gives chase but gets cut off by a taser. The rest of the Death Riders chase Allin as well and security cuts Allin off before he can….light a Molotov cocktail. Because that’s a thing. Security holds Allin down to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this was a heck of a show, ridiculously goofy ending aside. There was nothing close to bad on here and everyone was working hard throughout. They also boosted up WrestleDream, which is looking like a better card than it was coming into this week. Daily’s Place seems to bring out the best in AEW and that was certainly the case here.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Tomohiro Ishii – Rear naked choke
Hurt Syndicate b. The Demand – Release German suplex to Ricochet through a table
Jurassic Express b. O’Ryan/KM – Extinction to O’Ryan
Kyle Fletcher b. Kyle O’Reilly – Brainbuster
Mercedes Mone b. Lacey Lane – Mone Maker
Don Callis Family b. Bandido/Brody King – Rainmaker to Bandido
Orange Cassidy b. Pac – Rollup

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: August 23, 2025
Location: OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the night before Forbidden Door and the card is pretty much all set. That means this show is going to be centered around getting everything set up. There is also the chance of adding in some more matches, as that whole Zero Hour has the space for at least three or four matches. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Don Callis Family vs. SkyFlight/Hiromu Takahashi

Don Callis handles his team’s introduction and screws up the Spanish for Hechicero. Takahashi runs the ropes to start and hits a quick dropkick to Alexander. Darius comes in for an assisted DDT to Alexander but Archer cuts off a dive and chokeslams him onto the apron. Back in and Hechicero takes Dante down and Archer fires off a kick to the chest. Romero gets to dance a bit before Hechiero gets to work on the leg. Alexander adds a gutbuster into a gutwrench suplex and we take a break.

We come back with Archer missing a charge into the corner, allowing the tag off to Sky so everything can break down. Everything breaks down and Archer gives Sky a swinging Boss Man Slam. Hechicero kicks Sky into a DDT from Alexander and everything breaks down with Archer getting double suplexed. Romero’s Sliced Bread is countered into a TKO from Sky before Skyflight hits a triple dive. Back in and the Time Bomb finishes Romero at 12:31.

Rating: B-. This was a fun opener and it’s nice to see SkyFlight actually win a match (even if they didn’t get the pin) before they are likely put into the jobbing vortex. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Romero losing the fall for a change instead of Alexander. It’s not like Romero has much else in the way of value in the ring so let him lose the fall here for the good of the team.

Post match Kyle Fletcher comes out for a staredown with Takahashi.

Video on the Forbidden Door four way for the TBS Title, with a look at all four participants.

Hook is coming back.

Megan Bayne vs. Isla Dawn

Penelope Ford is here with Bayne, who runs Dawn over without much trouble to start. Dawn’s waistlock attempt goes nowhere and Bayne snaps off a few slams. A hard clothesline sets up a running boot in the corner but Dawn fires off some kicks to the leg. Dawn’s running knee connects in the corner but Bayne shrugs it off and hits a running powerbomb for the win at 4:44.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash here with Dawn getting to make a nice appearance. I’m not sure if she’s going to get a run around here, but putting a former WWE star with connections to the live crowd is a smart idea. The same can be said of having Bayne destroy her, as Bayne is on the way to getting somewhere around here, if she can get out of the midcard quagmire.

Post match Willow Nightingale comes out for her match and passes Bayne/Ford on their way to the back.

Willow Nightingale/Queen Aminata vs. Triangle Of Madness

Blue chokes Nightingale on the ropes to start but gets run over with a shoulder. Some corner clotheslines have Hart in trouble but it’s off to Aminata, who gets caught with Old School. Aminata gets in her hips to the face thing and is taken down by the hair as we take a break.

We come back with Nightingale spinebustering Hart for two but a double DDT gives Hart the same. Aminata gives Blue a reverse DDT but misses a top rope double stomp. Everything breaks down and the Triangle get stereo holds, which are broken up rather quickly. Aminata headbutts Blue into the ropes and the running knee gives Aminata the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was another example of taking a bunch of women with little going on and putting them in a tag match. It’s nice to see Nightingale on the winning side more often than not for a change, though I’m not sure if this is going to lead anywhere. At the same time, the Triangle continues to be off to a hit and miss start, though at least it wasn’t the full version here.

Post match Thekla comes in for the beatdown, with Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford joining the villains. Harley Cameron makes a failed save attempt but Kris Statlander is back for the real thing.

Daniel Garcia is disappointed about not getting the IWGP World Title shot but he’ll be there for his friend, Nigel McGuinness.

Here is Max Caster for another open challenge and the fans are starting to get into him. So get him an opponent out here.

Max Caster vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Non-title and oh dear. Caster is a bit frustrated and Sabre starts working on his arm. A headlock takeover doesn’t work for Caster so he ax handles Sabre in the neck instead. That’s cut off as well and a cobra twist gives Sabre the win at 2:20.

Post match Sabre comes out for a staredown with McGuinness and they shake hands, though McGuinness doesn’t let go immediately. With Sabre gone, Anthony Bowens runs in to beat Caster down, with Billy Gunn having to come out and yell at Bowens.

Harley Cameron is thankful to Kris Statlander for her help but Statlander hasn’t gotten her $100,000. Apparently it was supposed to come out of the Young Bucks’ salary but there are insufficient funds. Cameron is off to get it, but is told next week. The Death Riders come in to glare a lot, with Jon Moxley producing Statlander’s money.

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Believe it or not, they trade forearms to start until Takeshita takes him down with a flying clothesline. Back up and Ishii knocks him to the floor but Takeshita gets a hanging DDT from the apron as we take a break. We come back with Ishii hitting a delayed superplex, meaning it’s time to trade more forearms.

Takeshita gives him a knee but gets dropped for the sliding lariat. A Blue Thunder Bomb cuts Ishii off for two but Raging Fire is blocked. Takeshita reverses the brainbuster into the poisonrana, only for Ishii to enziguri him for a double down. An exchange of clotheslines gives Takeshita two and the Raging Fire finishes at 10:33.

Rating: B. Ishii is nowhere near what he used to be but dang this was working. They were beating the fire out of each other here, which is where Takeshita tends to shine. There wasn’t going to be much drama about the winner here before Takeshita won the G1 and now that he’s gotten the biggest win of his career, it was even less likely for Ishii. Heck of a hard hitting match here.

Big Bill vs. Mark Andrews

Bryan Keith is here with Bill, who jumps Andrews in the corner. A big boot sends Andrews to the floor, followed by a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 1:46.

Post match Bill chokeslams him through two open chairs. Bill and Keith go into the crowd but stop to watch the next entrance.

Gates Of Agony vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Ricochet is here with the Gates (whose entrance Bill and Keith were watching) for commentary as Liona sends Drake flying to start. Kaun comes in for a bow but can’t get a suplex, allowing the Veterans to double team him down. A running boot in the corner knocks Liona to the floor but Ricochet offers a distraction so the Gates can take over again.

Drake gets whipped into the barricade and apron over and over and we take a break. We come back with Kaun missing a charge into the post, allowing Gibson to come back in and clean house. A Saito suplex gets two on Kaun and a Michinoku Driver/dropkick combination gets the same. Liona is back in to clear the ring and Open The Gates finishes Gibson at 9:07.

Rating: C+. The Gates continue to be fine in matches like this with no pressure on them, but there is no reason to believe that they’re going to be a big deal anytime soon. They’re good enough as Ricochet’s lackeys, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up for them going after any gold. Well maybe the Trios Titles with Ricochet, though that’s a stretch as well.

Gabe Kidd brings in the Bullet Club Wardogs, who are coming for the Trios Titles at Zero Hour.

Young Bucks vs. Paragon

The Bucks (Rod and Todd) are already in the ring and don’t like their name changes. O’Reilly works on Matt’s arm to start and snaps on the cross armbreaker. That’s blocked so O’Reilly tries an ankle lock, which doesn’t work either. Nick comes in and gets kicked down, with Matt tripping on the way in for the save and hurting his foot by kicking the announcers’ table.

Back up and Matt takes over on O’Reilly, who hands it off to Strong without much trouble. The belly to back faceplant drops Nick, followed by the Bucks colliding for another mistake. Matt kicks O’Reilly down though and the draping 450 hits Strong. The spike Tombstone plants O’Reilly on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Matt giving O’Reilly a flipping cutter on the floor while Nick superkicks Strong for two. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up and O’Reilly is back up on the apron so Strong can get the needed tag. That means O’Reilly gets to clean house, including a cross armbreaker to Nick.

The Bucks manage to superkick their way out of trouble but O’Reilly catches them with a rebound double clothesline to leave everyone down. Matt suplexes his way out of a guillotine and Strong is sent outside for Nick’s running twist drive. An assisted Sliced Bread gets two on O’Reilly but the TK Driver is broken up. End Of Heartache hits Nick but here is Don Callis for a distraction. Cue Kazuchika Okada to give Strong the Rainmaker and the TK Driver finishes O’Reilly at 15:46.

Rating: B. I’m not sure about the Bucks winning again after their fortunes started to turn bad, though at least they had some help. Paragon continues to look good in defeat, but unfortunately they’re getting rather experienced in that area. They’re basically the upper midcard jobbers of the tag division and that’s only going to have an impact for so long. Good match though, and a solid main event.

Post match the beatdown is on until Swerve Strickland makes the save. The numbers game gets to Strickland though, with Okada taking out his knee. A Rainmaker takes Strickland out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was about getting things ready for Forbidden Door and the matches that got some time here did the job well. At the same time, we had some nice action, which is a good way to fill out what is basically a big commercial for the pay per view. Collision continues to be unnecessary in its current form, but it can work well at times, which was the case here.

Results
Skylight/Hiromu Takahashi b. Don Callis Family – Time Bomb to Romero
Megan Bayne b. Isla Dawn – Running powerbomb
Willow Nightingale/Queen Aminata b. Triangle Of Madness – Running knee to Blue
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Max Caster – Cobra Twist
Konosuke Takeshita b. Tomohiro Ishii – Raging Fire
Big Bill b. Mark Andrews – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Gates Of Agony b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Open The Gates to Gibson
Young Bucks b. Paragon – TK Driver to O’Reilly

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

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

Collision
Date: August 16, 2025
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We are just over a week away from Forbidden Door and in this case we have something to set up a major match on the show. This week is the “Technical Spectacle” as we have a four way for the #1 contendership to the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, which should be a good one. Other than that, the Death Riders are here so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is Toni Storm to get things going. She praises Athena as a history breaking woman but “holy s*** you are annoying.” How many nicknames does someone need? She is the American Joshi, meaning neither country has accepted her and she is the Fallen Goddess, meaning the Good Lord took one look at her and said “holy s*** you are annoying.”

However, if Athena is a goddess, Storm better pray. “Dear fallen goddess Athena, I pray that you will be leaving London on a budget airline with my a** print on your face.” Cue Athena and the brawl is on, with Billie Starkz coming in to beat Storm down. Athena promises to expose Storm as nothing but a bunch of sexual innuendos. She mocks Storm’s pose but here is Mina Shirakawa, which has Athena DIVING onto security for protection in a funny bit. Storm was hilarious here, as she often can be.

Video on Hangman Page vs. MJF.

Jet Speed vs. Death Riders

Marina Shafir is here with the Riders. Jet Speed dives onto them to start fast and some stereo dropkicks have Yuta down as we officially get going. Yuta fights back and brings in Moxley (the fans approve) to send both of them outside. Back in and Yuta’s fisherman’s suplex gets two on Knight, followed by a knee drop for the same. Knight gets two of his own off a rollup and dives over to Bailey to pick up the pace.

Some kicks put Yuta down for a standing moonsault and two more. A crane kick sends Yuta outside and a double dropkick sends Moxley outside with him. Knight gets suplexed on the floor though and we take a break. We come back with Bailey in trouble but armdragging his way out of an Angle Slam. Knight comes back in to strike away and a splash gets two on Yuta. Bailey and Moxley trade forearms (because we trade forearms in AEW) and the other two trade chops until Moxley cutters Bailey for two.

Knight springboards in to take Moxley down and Bailey’s big kick to the head gets two on Yuta. A middle rope hurricanrana into a powerbomb plants Yuta for two more and a superkick into a backslide gets the same with Shafir making a save. Shafir misses a charge into the steps and Yuta knees Moxley by mistake. The tornado kick into the frog splash gets two on Yuta as Shafir had the referee. Moxley Death Riders Bailey on the floor and Yuta’s low blow into a rollup finishes Knight at 16:26.

Rating: B. It was a rather fast paced and wild match, with Jet Speed coming close a few times but ultimately getting caught by the numbers game. The Death Riders should be able to beat a team like Jet Speed as they need some momentum going into the Forbidden Door cage match. Good, fast paced opener here.

Video on tonight’s Technical Spectacle.

Video on the Outrunners, who are trying to get back in touch with “Brother Nature”.

Ricochet vs. Ace Austin

This is Austin’s (former TNA X-Division/Tag Team Champion) debut. The fans point out that unlike Ricochet, Austin has hair. Austin kicks him to the floor to start and does his handstand on the apron, followed by a kick to Ricochet’s chest. Back in and Ricochet breaks up a springboard before standing on the aforementioned hair. A 619 in the corner sets up a springboard clothesline for two on Austin and we take a break.

We come back with Austin getting two off a kick to the face but cue the Gates Of Agony for a distraction. Ricochet hits a superplex into a brainbuster, followed by a standing shooting star press for two. Vertigo is countered into a rollup for two more and Austin crotches him on top. Austin’s big dive takes out all three villains but Ricochet goes to the eyes back inside. The Spirit Gun finishes for Ricochet at 10:24.

Rating: B-. This was a nice debut for Austin, who is a heck of an athlete but might have some issues with being on the smaller side. At the same time, he was fighting 3-1 here so there was only so much he could do in the first place. We’ll have to see where he goes from here, but he did well to start.

The Hurt Syndicate is ready to hut either whichever team comes out of the tournament.

Paragon is ready to get back to the ring, with Roderick Strong wanting revenge on Kyle Fletcher for injuring Adam Cole. Tomohiro Ishii and Hologram seem to approve.

Paragon vs. Lee Johnson/Blake Christian

Paragon strikes away to start and an early snap suplex gets two on Christian. Johnson tries to fight back but a Christian cheap shot actually slows O’Reilly down. Christian’s top rope clothesline gets two but Strong Rock Bottoms him from the apron onto O’Reilly’s knees. Strong comes in to clean house, including a string of running knees. The High/Low finishes Christian at 4:26.

Rating: C+. Pretty much a squash for the Paragon here, who needed a win after some less than great times lately. Christian and Johnson have been a decent team in Ring Of Honor, though things have started to fall apart for them since they announced that they wanted the Tag Team Titles. Such is life in Ring Of Honor, but it might be even worse for them here as they were little more than cannon fodder.

Post match Ishii and Hologram come in to celebrate but Strong leaves (seemingly focused, not out of anger). O’Reilly says he’ll call the other two.

FTR jumps Brody King in the back and they brawl into the arena. King fights back but Stokely Hathaway breaks up a Cannonball. Some powder to the eyes sets up the Shatter Machine. Hathaway, with his arm in a sling, gets a Bandido (not here) mask.

Skyflight issues a challenge to the Don Callis Family for next week. They don’t care if it’s a singles, tag or trios match, with Leila Grey promising to f*** Don Callis up. That’s $5 to the swear jar but they’re off to train.

Julia Hart vs. Kris Statlander vs. Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford

For $100,000 (that could buy a lot of swearing) and thankfully the seconds all leave. They pair off to start with Statlander hitting a basement dropkick to the back for two on Jay. Hart goes Old School for a hurricanrana to Statlander and Ford dropkicks Jay in the back. We take a break and come back with Statlander suplexing Ford out of the corner.

Jay hits a Blockbuster for two and gets two clean a bit of house. Ford is back up with a cutter to Jay and a poisonrana leaves everyone down. Hart and Ford both miss moonsaults and some kicks leave everyone down again. Jay Gory Bombs Hart for two with Ford making the save. Ford and Jay fight to the apron, leaving Statlander to headscissor choke Hart for the win at 9:45.

Rating: B. They went nuts here and it made for another action packed match, which is all you can ask for in this situation. The money stipulation doesn’t mean much as they keep doing these things, but maybe it could move Statlander up towards a title shot. It likely won’t, but at least she gets money which changes…well nothing for her around here really.

Post match the rest of the Triangle Of Madness run in for the beatdown, triggering a bunch of run-ins for beatdowns. Harley Cameron runs in to chase the villains off.

The Don Callis Family is ready for Hiromu Takahashi at Forbidden Door. They’ll see Skyflight on Dynamite too.

Kris Statlander is happy with her win and Harley Cameron runs in to celebrate with her. The Death Riders come in, with Jon Moxley saying “d*** right” and Statlander ignoring Wheeler Yuta. As you should.

Juice Robinson vs. Bryan Keith

Austin Gunn and Big Bill are here too. Robinson headlocks him down to start and armdrags him into a hiptoss. Keith tosses him outside for a crash though and we take a break. We come back with Robinson punching his way out of trouble and getting two off a faceplant. The other two get in a fight on the floor and Robinson’s forward DDT gets the pin at 6:46.

Rating: C. They barely had time to do anything with the break in the middle but at least Robinson got a win. He’s been needing some of those since his return so it was nice to see things going as they should. Both of these teams need something new to do, though there is only so much point in pushing whatever is left of the Bang Bang Gang given how much of the team is gone.

Robinson seems to have banged up his knee.

Anthony Bowens yells at Renee Paquette for asking him about Max Caster. Why is he always hearing that chant when all Caster does is lose???

Daniel Garcia vs. Nigel McGuinness vs. Hechicero vs. Lee Moriarty

For an IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot at Forbidden Door. McGuinness and Moriarty pair off to fight over a top wristlock while the other two do the same. Garcia and McGuinness get the better of things and work on the arms until all four head outside. Hechicero starts in on Garcia’s arm as McGuinness sends Moriarty’s hand into the steps. Back in and Garcia hammers on Hechicero in the corner before they trade small packages for two each.

Moriarty joins them for some rapid fire rollups until McGuinness breaks it up with a stomp. Moriarty loads up a Gory Bomb on Garcia but McGuinness ties up Moriarty’s leg…and Moriarty ankle locks Hechicero at the same time. That’s not something that can last long so they all collapse as we take a break.

We come back with McGuinness hitting the Tower Of London on Hechicero with Moriarty making the save. Garcia rolls McGuinness up for two more and Hechicero chokes McGuinness. Somehow McGuinness gets a leglock on to break the choke but Garcia pulls him into a LeBell Lock while Hechicero cranks on Moriarty’s arm. McGuinness reverses into a leglock on Garcia, which is broken up before Hechicero headscissor drivers Moriarty.

Garcia and McGuinness get stereo holds until McGuinness lets his go to elbow Garcia. The London Dungeon (seated armbar) has Moriarty in trouble but Hechicero grabs a hold on both of them at the same time. Garcia breaks that up and Sharpshooters Hechicero as McGuinness puts Moriarty in the London Dungeon. McGuinness cranks back even harder though and Moriarty taps at 15:33.

Rating: B+. The name was accurate as that was one hold after another with some incredible creativity. McGuinness winning is by far the most interesting way to go as it will be great to see him getting the title shot in his home country. Hechicero looked awesome as usual and I had a blast with this, though the Ring Of Honor champion being the one to tap out is about as appropriate as you can get.

Garcia is rather upset and that doesn’t bode well for McGuiness’ future. McGuinness says the match with Zack Sabre Jr. is a dream match and asks for some applause for Garcia. He even asks for Garcia to be in his corner at Forbidden Door, with Garcia accepting to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Another rather awesome show here, which focused on the in-ring side of things but also set up a bunch of stuff. The main event and post match makes it pretty clear where things are going, along with Roderick Strong being a lot more serious and whatever is going on with the Death Riders and Kris Statlander. I had a really good time with this one and that’s a nice thing to get to say about Collision.

Results
Death Riders b. Jet Speed – Low blow to Knight
Ricochet b. Ace Austin – Spirit Gun
Paragon b. Lee Johnson/Blake Christian – High/Low to Christian
Kris Statlander b. Julia Hart, Penelope Ford and Anna Jay – Headscissor choke to Hart
Juice Robinson b. Bryan Keith – Forward DDT
Nigel McGuinness b. Lee Moriarty, Daniel Garcia and Hechicero – London Dungeon to Moriarty

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: August 14, 2025
Location: Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

With Death Before Dishonor two weeks from tomorrow, things need to pick up a bit, as usual. The World Title match is officially set, but with three shows to go, that’s all we have. In theory we’ll get something else this week, though you never can tell with how things go on this show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Volador Jr./Difunto/The Beast Mortos/Hechicero vs. Spanish Announce Project/Alex Zayne/AR Fox

Lance Archer is here with Volador and company. Angelico and Hechicero start things off with Hechicero dancing out of a lockup. They trade legsweeps and covers for two each and it’s off to Fox vs. Difurto. Some takedowns don’t go very far so Fox grabs a swinging suplex, allowing the double tag to Mortos and Zayne. Mortos gets taken down for a running backsplash and it’s time for Serpentico vs. Volador. Serpentico sends him outside but Archer gets in a trip from the floor, allowing the villains to beat Serpentico down.

With Serpentico knocked outside, Angelico comes in and gets knocked outside as well. Zayn comes in and gets sent outside as well, meaning Fox is able to try his luck. This one works a bit better, including some cutters to drop Mortos and Difurto. Zayne is back in with a top rope splash for two on Hechicero as everything breaks down. Hechicero faceplants Zayne though and ties up his arms for a very rolling cradle and the pin at 9:29.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of putting too much in one match. Hechicero is coming up on a World Title match in just over two weeks and while he got the fall here, he was in the middle of a wild eight man tag. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have him go out there and pin someone, like say Zayne for instance, in a singles match to make him feel like more of a threat? As usual, the CMLL stars are entertaining, but it’s one random match after another with little ever feeling like it’s building anywhere.

Post match the villains keep up the beatdown but Bandido, Brody King, Tomohiro Ishii and Hologram make the save.

The Premiere Athletes are ready to face a team from CMLL, though Ariya Daivari’s idea of wearing a mask doesn’t work.

Willie Mack vs. Gringo Loco

They fight over a wristlock to start and then exchange cartwheels to escape takedown attempts. Back up and Loco jumps over him for a hip swivel, only for Mack to hit a running shoulder for one of his own. Did you get that they’re mirroring each other? I wasn’t sure if that and commentary explaining it every three seconds was making it clear enough. Loco knocks him down again but has to stick the landing on the switchfoot moonsault. Mack Stunners him into a running kick to the face, followed by the frog splash for the pin at 6:55.

Rating: C+. It was two bigger guys hitting each other with some flashy offense, which works well for a bit but doesn’t have the most staying power. At the same time, it doesn’t help that neither of them feel like they’re likely to go anywhere. Loco has been getting some more ring time in the Chicago residency, but that doesn’t make him much more interesting.

Lance Archer vs. Ren Jones

Archer jumps him in the aisle and beats him up around ringside. They go inside for the Black Out and the pin on Jones at 41 seconds. I’ve long since lost count of how many times Archer has done this but it’s losing its charm.

Video on Xelhua vs. Lee Moriarty.

We look at Toni Storm and Athena’s brawl from this week’s Dynamite.

Mina Shirakawa, who has been out of action since All In, wants to face Athena for the Women’s Title at Death Before Dishonor. Athena has sixty eight wins but she can’t sixty ni….never mind. Remember that Shirakawa is the Interim Women’s TV Champion so it might be time for another double champion!

Taya Valkyrie vs. Leila Grey

Johnny TV and Christopher Daniels are here too. Valkyrie poses to start and is quickly sunset flipped for an early near fall. TV gets in a quick trip as we’re again promised that the Women’s Pure Title tournament is coming (four months or so now). Valkyrie takes her outside for a bit before working on the arm back inside. Grey fights up with a faceplant and a Stunner gets two. TV offers a quick distraction so Daniels cuts him off, leaving Grey to hit another Stunner. This one sets up a dragon sleeper for the tap from Valkyrie at 5:29.

Rating: C-. Another match from more people who are jockeying for position for some title which has been coming for months now. That’s in addition to the Women’s Title (champion going after another title), the Women’s TV Title (champion injured) and Interim Women’s TV Title (champion going after another title). Maybe either slow down a bit or find a better way to present your women.

Willie Mack wants the TV Title and as luck would have it, Nick Wayne is RIGHT NEXT TO HIM, being surprised that Mack would say that. Wayne doesn’t seem scared.

Main Man Oro vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Oro is better known as Oro Mensah from his NXT days. Oro strikes away to start but gets knocked out of the air. That earns Ishii a kick to the chest and another to the back and we’re already into the chinlock. Back up and they strike it out until Ishii hits a hard clothesline. Oro grabs a tornado DDT across the top rope but Ishii blasts him with another clothesline. The brainbuster finishes Oro at 4:40.

Rating: C+. Oro got in a bunch of offense here and that was nice to see, though Ishii shrugging it off and hitting his finisher for the pin was a bit odd. Ishii getting a win is fine, though Oro didn’t do much to stand out here. He was athletic and high flying, but that would be the case for all kinds of people on this show. Maybe find something that makes you stand out more. Or stop signing so many people with similar styles.

We get a SPECIAL EPISODE tomorrow. Just in case this wasn’t enough you see.

Xelhua vs. Lee Moriarty

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Xelhua wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Xelhua works on the arm but gets reversed into a quickly broken abdominal stretch. Back up and Xelhua works on the arm again but Moriarty takes him down by the leg. That’s broken up so Moriarty goes for the arm, sending Xelhua over to the arm.

Xelhua ties up Moriarty’s legs and arms, meaning Moriarty uses his first rope break. Moriarty is fine enough to hit a springboard clothesline for two before tying up the arms again. Xelhua’s second rope break gets him out, meaning it’s a leglock to make Moriarty use his second break as well. The Fang into the Border City Stretch has Xelhua in more trouble, only for him to escape on his own this time. The Stretch is broken up again and Xelhua ties up the arms as time expires at 10:00.

Rating: B-. The fans being rather quiet for this sums up the problem: there is little reason to care about this match. Xelhua has had one match in ROH before this, which was two weeks ago against someone else who isn’t around here. It doesn’t help that this wasn’t the title match, but more or less a glorified dress rehearsal. Odds are this sets up a rematch for Death Before Dishonor,

The rematch is made for Death Before Dishonor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. On one hand I do appreciate something being announced for Death Before Dishonor, but the pay per view is still feeling incredibly slapped together. Mina Shirakawa being back for revenge on Athena is fine, but the Pure Rules Title hasn’t felt important in years and this isn’t changing that issue. Other than that, we had a lot of guest stars and people who don’t make regular appearances around here, which makes this show feel like it could have been one (short) email rather than an hour long broadcast. The action is fine, but the show feels like the afterthought of afterthoughts and that’s been old.

Results
Volador Jr./Difunto/The Beast Mortos/Hechicero b. Spanish Announce Project/Alex Zayne/AR Fox – Spinning cradle to Zayne
Willie Mack b. Gringo Loco – Frog splash
Lance Archer b. Ren Jones – Black Out
Leila Grey b. Taya Valkyrie – Dragon sleeper
Tomohiro Ishii b. Main Man Oro – Brainbuster
Lee Moriarty vs. Xelhua went to a time limit draw

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

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

Dynamite
Date: August 13, 2025
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We have about a week and a half to go before Forbidden Door and the show could use some build, as there are only a few matches set up. MJF seems to be coming after the World Title and has that contract waiting if he wants to use it. There is always the chance for some shenanigans there too, though MJF also has to deal with the Hurt Syndicate. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here are MJF and Hangman Page for a face to face chat to get things going. MJF says Page is the main character and he is the main antagonist of AEW. He wants Page to be as angry as possible and the only reason Page is still standing is MJF hasn’t broken him yet. Page doesn’t like being called Seabiscuit and brings up that Seabiscuit wins in the end. He wants MJF to execute the contract already, like a man would.

MJF says Page is the real problem, even if people treat him like he’s perfect. Page can’t be all good and MJF is planning to expose him as a weak minded, depressed, alcoholic little boy. The difference is that MJF is real and he’s going to crucify Page. That doesn’t work for Page, who knows his faults like no one else.

If MJF wants to talk about Forbidden Door, he can use that contract he has to take his shot but he’s afraid. MJF should know that AEW is about going all in so prove that he is not a scared little boy. That’s finally enough for MJF to agree to use the contract. Why do I have a feeling that there’s going to be some kind of shenanigans in how he worded that?

We recap Darby Allin challenging Jon Moxley for Forbidden Door.

Hometown star Moxley, with the Death Riders, says whatever Allin thinks is happening at Forbidden Door isn’t happening.

Jon Moxley vs. Kevin Knight

The Death Riders are here with Moxley and Mike Bailey is here with Knight, who stomps Moxley into the corner to start. Moxley is fine with winning a chop off and sends Knight outside to hammer away. Knight is able to jump up to the apron for a nice dropkick and they’re back inside. That doesn’t last long as Knight sends him to the ramp for the running clothesline but Moxley sends him crashing into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Knight fighting out of a crossface but getting pulled into another neck crank. That’s broken up as well and Knight hits a dropkick before biting Moxley’s hand. They go up top, where Moxley rakes him across the back, only for Knight to grab a top rope superplex. A cutter out of nowhere drops Knight for two but he’s right back up to send Moxley outside. The slingshot dive connects but the UFO Splash hits knees back inside. Moxley chokes him out at 13:44.

Rating: B-. Knight gets a nice rub by being in there against Moxley, though there was pretty much no way he was going to win here. Moxley is trying to get back on track after losing the World Title and the big match against Darby Allin, whenever that happens, could get him there. Or it could be another big hit for the Death Riders, which would be rather nice to see.

Post match the choke stays on so Bailey comes in, earning himself a beating as well. Cue Darby Allin with a body bag and a skateboard for the save. Wheeler Yuta is put in the body bag but Moxley breaks that up. Allin is put in the bag instead and Castagnoli gives him the spinning torture rack slam. The villains get a chair but Will Ospreay is back for the real save. Ospreay says he and Moxley can both bring their friends to Forbidden Door for a lights out steel cage match. Well yeah I’d say that counts as different.

We recap FTR attacking Adam Copeland, who wants revenge.

Mercedes Mone/Thekla/Skye Blue vs. Alex Windsor/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale

Hold on though as here is Toni Storm to cheerlead in the crowd…but Athena is (elsewhere) in the crowd too. Blue and Windsor start things off with Windsor running her over. Nightingale comes in for the rapid clotheslines in the corner so it’s off to Mone. Aminata gives her a swinging full nelson (screaming ensues) and Windsor gets in some slams. Windsor is caught in the wrong corner for some choking though and we take a break.

We come back with Nightingale giving Blue a Death Valley Driver as everything breaks down. Nightingale cleans house and gets two on Thekla, followed by Aminata’s running side slam for the same. Windsor Russian legsweeps Mone into a basement clothesline for two but has to go after Blue. Everything breaks down again as Storm and Athena approve from the crowd. Blue superkicks Windsor but charges into a spinebuster and the Sharpshooter for the tap at 9:56.

Rating: C+. Windsor has gotten a heck of a nice push since showing up a few weeks ago. I’m not sure if that’s going to get her any gold anytime soon, but at least she’s getting a chance to do something. If nothing else, she’s already getting to go after Mercedes Mone so there is something to build on from here. The rest of the women were pretty much just there to keep things going, but the match was good enough.

Post match Storm and Athena get in a brawl in the crowd and the six in the ring start brawling again. Athena and Storm wind up on the ramp with Storm fighting back and saying we can do this in Scotland. Storm and Windsor get to tango a bit.

Will Ospreay has been talking to some New Japan stars and can confirm that Hiroshi Tanahashi is on his team. As Renee Paquette is doing the interview, Ospreay asks to talk to her husband next week.

Adam Copeland vs. Stokely Hathaway

Justin Roberts calls him Cope but commentary and the chyron say Adam Copeland and that’s good enough for me. FTR is banned from ringside and Hathaway has to be dragged to the ring by security. Hathaway’s attempt at a spear does nothing to Copeland, who punches Hathaway in the mouth. They go to the floor, where Copeland does a quick audience poll, with the fans not liking Hathaway that much.

Apparently he has no chance of getting any women either, with Copeland asking one woman if Hathaway has a shot. Woman: “Is this a serious question?” Back in and the spear drops Hathaway so here is FTR…who can only watch as Copeland hits another spear. FTR finally come in, which breaks their restraining order, but Copeland beats them down anyway. Another spear to Hathaway is cut off by some powder for the DQ at 4:23.

Rating: C. This was about exactly what it was clearly going to be, with Hathaway having no chance against…well anyone really. It was more a matter of waiting for the screwy finish and FTR had to get involved with the match somehow, just so Copeland can go after them later. The survey thing was funny enough, so call this a decent joke fight.

Post match Copeland gets beaten down until Christian Cage, with Spike, runs in for the save. Nick Wayne tries to jump Cage with a chair but Cage uses Spike to knock it out of his hands. The fans certainly seem to approve and Cage hands Spike to Cope. We get the big hug and the tag match is pretty much a matter of time.

We get what looks like a shot of the New York skyline and an H spotlight comes on.

Young Bucks/Don Callis Family vs. Brody King/Hologram/Tomohiro Ishii/Hiromu Takahashi

The Bucks still can’t get their entrance right, with Justin Roberts referring to them as “these guys”. Takahashi is a big surprise and slugs it out with Fletcher to start. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Bucks superkick Roberts to….why would that make me boo them? Hologram hits a big flip dive onto the pile and we take a break.

We come back with King clotheslining all four villains down and Cannonballing Fletcher. Another flip dive takes the Bucks down on the floor but Alexander gets in a shot to cut King off. Fletcher knocks Takahashi off the apron, which is enough of a distraction for King to get in a shot of his own. Ishii comes in to clean house but Hologram’s 450 hits raised knees. Takahashi cuts off the Bucks but gets World’s Strongest Slammed onto the apron. King is dropped on the ramp and we take another break.

We come back with Hologram grabbing some hurricanranas and bringing Takahashi back in to make the comeback. Alexander is dropkicked into Fletcher in the corner but the Bucks hit Takahashi with a standing assisted Sliced Bread. Fletcher shoves Takahashi, who quickly kicks his way out of trouble. Alexander can’t hit the C4 Spike so Takahashi gives him a Downward Spiral for two instead. King is back up with the suicide dive, setting off a string of various dives. Back in and Takahashi gives Alexander the Time Bomb for the pin at 16:25.

Rating: B+. This was the traditional wild multi man tag match that AEW tends to do well. As usual, Alexander takes the pin, which is kind of annoying as he never had much of a shot to stand out, but you can’t have Fletcher lose and the Bucks have been jobbing a good bit lately. Granted it might make sense for them to do it again, but at least the match was rather entertaining.

Renee Paquette’s audio isn’t working for an interview on the ramp. After a bit of a delay (it happens), she brings out Swerve Strickland for a chat. Strickland won’t say if he is medically cleared or not because all he cares about is beating Kazuchika Okada. Cue Okada to say Strickland has no chance. Strickland just asks “Whose house?” so Okada does his catchphrase. Security has to break it up rather quickly.

Jon Moxley is told Will Ospreay has Hiroshi Tanahashi for his Forbidden Door team. Moxley: “Tanahashi Tanahashi?” He goes to the jobber dressing room….and apparently recruits the Young Bucks. Ok points for a funny visual.

Confirmed for Forbidden Door: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. Nick Wayne/Kip Sabian (remember FTR are still alive in the #1 contenders tournament so they might be busy that night) and the cage match, with the Death Riders/Gabe Kidd/Young Bucks vs. Will Ospreay/Darby Allin/Hiroshi Tanahashi/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi.

Opps vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

Non-title. Hobbs blasts Mortos with a flying shoulder and it’s quickly off to Joe to beat on Dralistico. Shibata comes in but gets caught in the wrong corner for some running clotheslines. We take a break and come back with Dralistico working on Shibata’s leg and Rush adding the cocky kick to the face. Shibata gets up and trades the strikes with Rush in the corner. Another big shot is enough for the tag off to Hobbs to clean house. Joe comes in rather quickly and Koquina Clutches Dralistico for the win at 8:58.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here, especially with so many people involved. At the same time, it’s nice to have Joe back, as you can only have so much with having two of the three Trios Champions around. I’m not sure why this couldn’t be a title match as the belts have only been defended once since mid April, but odds are they’ll be on the line at Forbidden Door.

MJF jumps Hangman Page in the parking lot and rams his head into a car hood over and over to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. While it was a bit of a step down from last week’s outstanding show, this was still quite a good show with more than enough to keep me interested. Forbidden Door got a huge boost this week with the cage match being set up, plus the big Copeland/Christian reunion. That was the important moment and now the question is when they get to face FTR. Solid show again here.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Kevin Knight – Choke
Alex Windsor/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale b. Mercedes Mone/Thekla/Skye Blue – Sharpshooter to Blue
Adam Copeland b. Stokely Hathaway via DQ when Hathaway used powder
Hiromu Takahashi/Hologram/Tomohiro Ishii/Brody King b. Don Callis Family/Young Bucks – Time Bomb to Alexander
Opps b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Koquina Clutch to Dralistico

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

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

Collision
Date: August 9, 2025
Location: Berglund Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Paul Walter Hauser

Things are picking up a bit on the way to Forbidden Door later this month. The card is getting some matches together but now the question becomes how many additional stars will be brought in from around the world. That’s something that is going to need to be addressed rather soon so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Ishii is a surprise challenger. They trade forearms to start (as Ishii tends to do) and then…well they continue to trade forearms. Ishii’s clothesline sets up a failed brainbuster attempt but Fletcher wants a breather on the floor. Back in and they trade chops, which is quite the difference from trading forearms.

With that not working, Fletcher goes with the tried and true method of kicking Ishii in the face before grabbing the chinlock. Ishii suplexes his way to freedom but Fletcher grabs a powerbomb as we take a break. We come back with Ishii suplexing him again before firing off more chops in the corner. A superplex gives Ishii two and they go to the apron, where Fletcher grabs a brainbuster.

Back in and a top rope elbow gives Fletcher two but Ishii shrugs off a German suplex. Ishii’s German suplex into an enziguri has both of them down for a bit before they trade forearms again. The big lariat gives Ishii two but Fletcher hits some running kicks in the corner. The brainbuster retains the title at 16:45.

Rating: B. It was a hard hitting fight, though you know what you’re going to get with an Ishii match. This pretty much followed his usual trend and that was only going to be so good. Fletcher gets another win though and that’s a good sign for his future, as it’s pretty clear that he’s a big star in the making.

Post match Fletcher calls out the best of New Japan for Forbidden Door. Then everyone will have no choice but to say his full name.

Don Callis is ready to fulfill his destiny at Forbidden Door and wants New Japan to send his best. Then he’ll use his custom New Japan tie to choke them.

Nigel McGuinness is going to be in a four way on Dynamite for a shot against Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door.

Earlier today Ricochet and the Gates Of Agony beat up a bunch of people. Ricochet said give them what they want or this will keep happening.

The Patriarchy is asked about the Conchairto to Christian Cage last week. Cage had said he respected them for standing up to them but now they’re being questioned. Nick Wayne is a shooting star who has been released and now their mission is to end Cage’s career.

Megan Bayne vs. Emily Rose

Total squash with Bayne hitting a middle rope clothesline and a powerbomb out of the corner for the pin at 1:06.

Big Bill and Bryan Keith swear vengeance on Juice Robinson.

Juice Robinson vs. Ricochet

Austin Gunn is here with Robinson. Ricochet bails outside to start before taking Robinson into the corner. Robinson breaks that up and sends him outside again, where Ricochet knocks down the cardboard cutouts. That’s too far for Robinson, who hammers him down inside and drops a backsplash for two.

Ricochet misses a moonsault out of the corner but here is Bryan Keith for a distraction. The Gates Of Agony drop Robinson on the floor and Ricochet adds a dive as we take a break. We come back with Robinson fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a spinebuster. Robinson’s running side kick gets two but the forward DDT is blocked.

Ricochet kicks him down in the corner and hits a slingshot dropkick for two. A springboard clothesline into a Lionsault gets two but the Spirit Gun misses. Robinson’s Downward Spiral gets two, leaving the Gates to beat up Gunn. That’s enough of a distraction for Big Bill to come in for the big boot, setting up the Spirit Gun to pin Robinson at 12:26.

Rating: B-. This was more about the interference than anything else, which should set up a tag match with Robinson and Gunn against Bill/Keith next week. Ricochet and his team are still finding their footing but beating Robinson is a nice enough win. A run at the Trios Titles certainly doesn’t feel out of the question either.

We get a By The Numbers video on Athena vs. Toni Storm.

We look back at Max Caster surviving against Rush last week.

Caster says Rush got a moral victory last week and he doesn’t need AR Fox’s help. Tonight it’s another open challenge so he does some pushups and claps with some nutcrackers.

FTR/Stokely Hathaway vs. Ryan Zukko/Joe Keys/Josh Fuller

Hathaway throws his crutch down to start and Wheeler trades shoulders with Keys to start. Harwood and Zukko come in, with Harwood taking him into the corner. Fuller gets his turn and is knocked down, meaning Hathaway can come in for some slapping. Fuller’s enziguri drops Harwood but Zukko walks into the Shatter Machine. A double spike piledriver lets Hathaway finish Zukko at 3:23.

Rating: C. This was all you would have expected it to be, with Hathaway getting in his basic stuff before FTR did the heavy lifting. I’m not sure what to expect from Copeland vs. Hathaway but odds are it’s going to include some sort of shenanigans. Hathaway barely got to do anything here, but that’s exactly the point, especially him looking so nervous.

Hathaway standing on Zukko to celebrate the win is rather amusing.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin.

Hechicero vs. AR Fox

Daniel Garcia is on commentary. Hechicero takes him down by the leg to start and drops a quick elbow on his back. Back up and Fox hits a neckbreaker to send Hechicero outside, setting up some suicide dives. The Swanton hits Hechicero’s raised knees though and he adds a backbreaker as we take a break. We come back with Hechicero knocking him down again but Fox hits an enziguri. A rolling cutter drops Hechicero again but Fox misses his 450. Hechicero grabs a choke for the win at 8:13.

Rating: B-. This was a technical vs. high flying match and that’s a formula that works rather well. Fox has enough credibility to make Hechicero look good, especially with Hechicero on his way to a Ring Of Honor World Title match (which of course is barely, if ever, mentioned around here). Both of these guys are always worth a look though and they did well here.

Video on what seems to be a double turn between Max Caster and Anthony Bowens.

A woman with a bandaged face is watching Harley Cameron get hurt. The woman puts on a mask and, after doing a Jim Carrey impression, turns into Harley Cameron.

Triangle Of Madness vs. Tay Melo/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale

Thekla and Aminata start things off with Aminata doing her always their comedy deal early on. A slap sends Thekla into the corner and it’s off to Melo to kick Hart down. Nightingale fires off the corner clotheslines and then suplexes Hart and Thekla at the same time. A camel clutch has Blue in trouble, with Melo and Aminata coming in to pose next to her as we take a break.

We come back with Nightingale in trouble and going over for the tag…which the referee of course doesn’t see. Nightingale and Thekla knock each other down though and it’s Aminata coming back in to clean house. A swinging neckbreaker gets two on Blue and Melo is back in to kick away in the corner. Melo’s DDT gets two with Thekla making the save, followed by the spider walk. That’s cut off with one heck of a Pounce (the fans approve) but Hart is back in with a kick to the head. An assisted swinging Rock Bottom finishes Melo at 9:28.

Rating: B-. The Triangle is starting to get some chemistry together here and that is great to see. There hasn’t been much in the way of female stables recently so hopefully this one works out. Melo not having Anna Jay there with her is a bit surprising, but at least the fans still care about Nightingale and her Pounce.

Video on Skyflight, who want to fight the Don Callis Family.

FTR and Stokely Hathaway are happy with their win and they’re ready for bigger and better things.

Here is Max Caster for his latest open challenge. Even Caster has to point out that the fans are doing better on their clapping.

Max Caster vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata chops away in the corner to start and kicks away but Caster gets two off a quick rollup. That earns him a bunch of forearms in the corner and we hit the sleeper. The PK finishes for Shibata at 2:08. So last week he survives the time limit and this week he’s nicer to the fans but loses to a face anyway? Interesting choice.

Post match La Faccion Ingobernable comes in for the beatdown but Jet Speed makes the save.

Hangman Page/Jet Speed vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

The fans are VERY happy to see the home state Page. Mortos headlocks Page to start before they flip up to a standoff. Page kicks him in the face and it’s off to Rush for a staredown. The chop it out until Mortos gets in a cheap shot from the apron. Everything breaks down and Page hits his moonsault off the top to take Rush down. Page gets double teamed on the floor and sent back inside, where he’s fine enough to hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

Knight comes in to kick Dralistico down so Bailey can get two, only for Bailey to be taken into the corner. That doesn’t last long as he fights out and brings Knight back in to pick up the pace, including a great looking springboard double clothesline to the floor. We take a break (with less than ten minutes left in the show) and come back with Knight dropkicking his way out of trouble and Page coming back in to clean house.

The fall away slam drops Dralistico and a slingshot dive to the floor takes down Mortos. Back in and Page Death Valley Drivers Rush, who suplexes him into the corner. The Bull’s Horns is broken up by Knight and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Dralistico springboards in for a crucifix bomb and a near fall on Page. Dralistico’s springboard is countered into a sitout powerbomb and Bailey moonsaults down onto Mortos. The Buckshot Lariat finishes Dralistico at 14:43.

Rating: B-. Nice main event here, where the whole point was in having Page get a win in front of his local(ish) fans. The people went nuts for his entrance so it was certainly close enough to have the desired result. Page and Jet Speed are kind of an odd combination, but odds are this is just going to be a one off pairing anyway.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty run of the mill Collision here, with good enough action, a few stories moving forward and some promos to hype up the bigger show. It’s still not a show you really need to watch, but there are worse ways to spend a Saturday night. At the same time, it would still be nice if this show felt important even in the slightest, and that’s really not the case most of the time.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Tomohiro Ishii – Brainbuster
Megan Bayne b. Emily Rose – Running sitout powerbomb
Ricochet b. Juice Robinson – Spirit Gun
FTR/Stokely Hathaway b. Ryan Zukko/Joe Keys/Josh Fuller – Double spike piledriver to Zukko
Hechicero b. AR Fox – Choke
Triangle Of Madness b. Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale/Tay Melo – Assisted swinging Rock Bottom to Melo
Katsuyori Shibata b. Max Caster – PK
Hangman Page/Jet Speed b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Buckshot Lariat to Dralistico

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 31, 2025
Location: Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have about a month to go before Death Before Dishonor and in theory that should mean we’re getting some of the matches announced. While Bandido vs. Hechicero is likely going to be set for the show, nothing else is officially ready yet. Hopefully that changes in the near future so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

MxM Collection vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Hologram

Johnny TV is with the villains. Mansoor can’t get very far with a running shoulder to Ishii, who screams a lot and wins an exchange of forearms. Hologram comes in to keep Mansoor in the corner before it’s right back to Ishii. The Collection manages to double team him down for a change and it’s a double pose.

The double elbow (not as good as the pose) gets two but Ishii is out without much trouble. Hologram comes back in to clean house and Ishii strikes away at Madden. The superkick sets up an assisted suplex from Ishii, followed by a brainbuster and a rope walk 450 to finish Mansoor at 7:12.

Rating: C+. Normally I would mock the idea that Hologram doesn’t lose matches but then again it’s not like the Collection ever wins anything either. Ishii and Hologram are a thrown together team but they’re doing well enough so let them beat some comedy goofs. I mean, it’s not like they’re going to do anything with Hologram in the first place.

We look at Athena beating up Alex Windsor last week on AEW Collision.

Jon Cruz vs. Gringo Loco

They take turns posing on the ropes to start with the fans being behind Loco (the hometown star). An exchange of flips set up a running headscissors to take Loco down but he sends Cruz into the corner. A gorilla press facebuster gives Loco two but Cruz crotches him on top. Loco strikes away, only to get kicked down so Cruz can go up top. Cruz misses a dive and gets butterfly suplexed down. The spinning moonsault gives Loco the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C+. Let the hometown star get out there and have a fun one. That’s all it needed to be and Loco is someone who can have an entertaining match no matter what. As usual, it isn’t like this feels important in the slightest, but the fans liked seeing Loco so it could have been far worse.

Blake Christian vs. Jimmy Jacobs

Christian takes him down and gets in a slap to a seated Jacobs. Back up and Jacobs sends him to the floor for a change, only for Christian to come back with a spear on the apron. Christian’s running dive takes Jacobs down again and it’s time to look cocky. A tornado suplex drops Christian right back but he’s fine enough to hit a suplex. The Vanilla Choke Zero finishes Jacobs at 6:25.

Rating: C. Heaven help me, I’m starting to like Christian. He’s incredibly dull, but at the same time, his open embrace of that style is amusing. At the same time, it feels like he’s actually coming up the ranks a bit and that is one of the more interesting things going in Ring Of Honor. If he can come after the TV Title, or even Bandido, why not try it out?

We look at actor Paul Walter Hauser talking about QT Marshall and an incident they had back in March.

Xelhua vs. Virus

Pure Rules. Xelhua takes him down into a leglock to start and then ties up the arm to mix it up a bit. That’s broken up and Virus is back with a leglock of his own. Xelhua is out as well and they go to the mat for some grappling. Virus’ rollup gets two and he pulls Xelhua into the leglock, sending Xelhua over for his first rope break.

Back up and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a weird upside down Boston crab, sending Virus to the ropes as well. They trade rollups until Virus grabs a Vertebreaker for two, with Xelhua using another rope break. Back up and Xelhua uses his legs to tie up Virus’ arms and neck for the submission at 7:24.

Rating: C+. Here’s a great example of what is wrong with this kind of match: these people have basically no history in Ring Of Honor. Other than a ten man match at a show ROH co-promoted, they have never appeared around here. Why should I be interested in this match? It’s certainly not bad and they did some very cool looking moves, but with less than a month to go before a pay per view and nothing announced, is this really the best use of the show’s time?

We look back at Dustin Rhodes beating Lee Moriarty to retain the TNT Title but getting challenged by Kyle Fletcher after.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Adam Priest vs. Bandido

Bandido is defending. Feeling out process to start with Bandido getting to put up the gun pose at Priest’s face. The delayed suplex (and I mean really delayed) gives Bandido two but Priest is back up with a dropkick to the back. They had to the floor where Bandido is sent into the barricade, allowing Priest to stay on the back inside.

An exchange of forearms is cut off with another back shot, though said back is fine enough for Bandido to hit the one armed gorilla press. A backbreaker gives Priest another near fall, followed by the half crab to send Bandido to the ropes. Bandido is fine enough to hit a pop up cutter into a Shining Wizard and the frog splash retains at 9:56.

Rating: B-. No story, no build, and a perfectly acceptable match. What exactly was the point of this except for just having the World Champion in the ring? I like having Bandido around, but could it be something actually set up in any way? They had a fine match, but it’s as random as you can get.

Post match respect is eventually shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show isn’t bad at all but at the same time, pretty much absolutely nothing happened here and it was a completely burned off week. The matches were stand alones, nothing was set up for the pay per view, and it was an hour that came and went. It feels like they’re going out of their way to make this feel unimportant and that’s not a good feeling to have week after week.

Results
Tomohiro Ishii/Hologram b. MxM Collection – Rope walk 450 to Mansoor
Gringo Loco b. Jon Cruz – Spinning moonsault
Blake Christian b. Jimmy Jacobs – Vanilla Choke Zero
Xelhua b. Virus – Leg tieup hold
Bandido b. Adam Priest – Frog splash

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

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