Dynasty 2024
Date: April 21, 2024
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back on pay per view and this time around we have a few big matches. First of all, Samoa Joe is defending the World Title against Swerve Strickland. In the match that might be bigger than that though, Bryan Danielson is facing Will Ospreay in a dream match. Finally, we have FTR vs. the Young Bucks in a ladder match for the vacant Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Trent Beretta vs. Matt Sydal

Trent comes out to the Best Friends theme to really crank up the villainy. Sydal knocks him to the floor to start and drops him again on the floor before going back inside. A standing Sliced Bread and a standing twisting moonsault give Sydal two but Beretta is back up with a brainbuster. Sydal gets sent outside but comes back in with a knockdown, allowing him to strike away.

A leg trap cradle gives Sydal two, only for Beretta to grab a half and half suplex. Sydal takes him down again and hits the top rope Meteora for two of his own. They go to the corner, where Beretta drops him face first onto the buckle to knock him silly. The Gotch Style piledriver gets two on Sydal, setting up the running knee into something like a triangle choke for the win at 8:11.

Rating: C. Total Rampage match here and that’s all it was ever going to be. Beretta is fresh off of his heel turn and is gearing up for a showdown with Orange Cassidy. On the other hand you have Sydal, who is the guy you put out there for the sake of making someone else look good. This was only going to be Beretta winning a not very long match and that’s what we got.

Post match Beretta won’t let go so Matt’s brother Mike and Chuck Taylor make the save. Beretta gives Taylor until Dynamite to make up his mind about where he stands. Orange Cassidy comes out for his match and Beretta bails, mainly due to the threat of violence from Cassidy’s partner.

Zero Hour: Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Anthony Ogogo is on commentary as Moriarty takes Cassidy down by the arm to start. Moriarty cranks on said arm but Cassidy uses the power of the pockets to escape and send Moriarty down. Shibata comes in and wins a wrestle off before knocking Moriarty into the corner. It’s off to Taylor for an exchange of chops and forearms with Shibata getting the better of things.

Cassidy comes in and takes Moriarty outside, where Ogogo comes off commentary for a distraction. Taylor knocks Cassidy silly and the big apron legdrop crushes him to make it worse. Back in and Moriarty grabs an abdominal stretch but Taylor misses a splash in the corner. The tag brings Shibata in to kick away, including the running dropkick to Moriarty.

Taylor breaks up an abdominal stretch so Shibata takes him into the corner so the double striking can ensue. Beach Break is broken up and Moriarty snaps Cassidy’s fingers, only to have Cassidy grab the tornado DDT. Shibata kicks Taylor outside, leaving Cassidy to Orange Punch Moriarty for the pin at 12:44.

Rating: C. Another match that could have been on this week’s TV shows rather than taking up time here. I’m guessing the idea was the showdown between Cassidy and Trent Beretta, plus getting Shibata on the card. It’s not a bad match, but there’s a reason this was only thrown on at the last minute with little story.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles/AEW Trios Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

Winner take all and Caster gets an extended rap for a change. Bowens takes Austin into the corner to start before jumping over him and grabbing a backdrop. Colten comes in and has a seat so it’s off to Billy, which has Colten a little more nervous. Billy gets to clean house but gets taken into the wrong corner, meaning the beating is on. White’s chops just annoy Billy but Austin hitting him in the back makes it even worse.

A right hand drops Austin and it’s back to Caster for an armdrag into an armbar. Bowens neckbreaker Austin into a backbreaker from Caster and there’s Scissor Me Timbers. A cheap shot lets White take Caster outside though and whip him into the barricade. Back in and Colten grabs the chinlock but Caster is right back up for the tag to Bowens. Everything breaks down and Bowens gets dropkicked out to the floor with White throwing him back in.

Austin kicks him down and grabs another chinlock, with Bowens suplexing his way to freedom. That’s enough for the tag off to Billy so house can be cleaned. Billy misses a Fameasser and Austin hits his own for two. 3:10 To Yuma gets two more but the Acclaimed is back in for the save. That’s broken up as well so Billy has to power out of the sleeper suplex. The real Fameasser gets two on White, who is right back with the Blade Runner for the pin at 14:48.

Rating: C+. This was a bit long but what matters the most is they got rid of one see of titles. There has never been a reason for two sets of six man titles and thankfully one of them is going away. Acclaimed and Gunn winning would have made less than zero sense as they are ice cold right now so this was the logical result in both ways.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the big matches and talks about building a dynasty.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Pac

Pac is challenging and the fans are VERY interested at the opening bell. They start slowly and exchange wrist control until Pac grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Pac hurricanranas him to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive. Pac whips him into the barricade, with Okada seeming to favor his shoulder. A super brainbuster (geez) gives Pac two so he goes up, only to get dropkicked off for a hard crash onto the apron.

Back in and Okada hits a running kick to the head, followed by the dropkick to put Okada on the floor again. The hanging DDT plants Pac, who barely beats the count back in, and a regular DDT gets two. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Pac fights up and sends him to the floor, setting up the top rope Asai moonsault. Back in and a missile dropkick gives Pac two and he snaps off a German suplex, only to get dropkicked into the corner. Okada grabs the Air Raid Crash onto the knee, setting up the top rope elbow for two more.

Pac is back up and kicks him in the head and muscles him over with a German suplex. A Helluva Kick looks to set up the Black Arrow but Okada gets out just in time. Okada grabs the Tombstone but the Rainmaker is reversed into the Brutalizer. That’s broken up as well and Pac hits a nasty Tombstone of his own, only to have the Black Arrow hit raised knees. The Rainmaker retains the title at 21:52.

Rating: B+. This was a match designed to have two guys beat the fire out of each other for a good while and that’s exactly what happened. It was a heck of a fight with Pac being the perfect choice to go after Okada in his first title defense. There’s a reason Pac has this kind of a reputation and it’s a shame that he has to miss so much time due to various reasons.

Post match Pac gets the big respectful ovation.

We recap the House Of Black vs. Adam Copeland/Eddie Kingston/Mark Briscoe. The House went after Copeland and now he has some friends, who happen to have recently fought over the Ring Of Honor World Title, on his side.

Adam Copeland/Eddie Kingston/Mark Briscoe vs. House Of Black

Taz can’t believe that Copeland is teaming with Kingston and Briscoe, showing he doesn’t watch Collision either. Matthews takes Briscoe up against the ropes to start but it’s quickly off to Copeland to hammer away in the corner. Black comes in, stares at Copeland, and then hands it off to King instead. King misses a clothesline so Kingston comes in for the strike off, which goes rather badly for him.

Kingston fights up and knocks him to his knees, setting up a big chop, followed by the rapid fire chops in the corner. King is back up and knocks Kingston into the other corner, where Matthews takes over for a change. It’s back to Black for the chinlock but Kingston fights up and strikes away (you might notice a theme here). The big tag brings in Briscoe to clean house, including an enziguri to send Matthews to the floor.

There’s the running dropkick through the ropes so Matthews….throws him a chair, allowing Briscoe to hit the step up flip dive to take Matthews down again. King comes over to Death Valley Driver Briscoe into the barricade, meaning the beating is taken into the wrong corner. Black grabs a chinlock but Briscoe fights up again, allowing the tag back to Copeland. King chops him off the top for a nasty crash so Kingston comes in to chop away instead.

Copeland is back up with a top rope superplex to bring King down again and everyone needs a breather. King gets up and hits a discus lariat on Briscoe, only to get spinning backfisted by Kingston. Copeland adds a spear and Briscoe’s Froggy Bow gets two. Black comes back in for the staredown with Copeland but Briscoe cuts it off. The House cleans house but the good guys are back with triple spears for another knockdown. We settle down to Black vs. Copeland…and it’s the mist into the end to give Black the pin at 17:41.

Rating: B. This got some time and the ending was the right way to go, with Black getting the win to likely set himself up as the next challenger to the TNT Title. They teased the heck out of the Copeland vs. Black showdown and then it lasted all of ten seconds, which makes things all the more interesting. Good stuff here, and it even set up something extra down the road.

We recap Julia Hart vs. Willow Nightingale for the TBS Title. Hart has the title, Nightingale wants it, end of recap.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Willow Nightingale

Hart is defending and Nightingale has Kris Statlander with her. Nightingale starts fast and knocks her out of the corner before going up. That takes a bit too long though and Hart knocks him to the floor, with Nightingale being knocked over the announcers’ table. The reverse chinlock goes on until Nightingale powers up and pulls her into a sleeper. Hart slips out so Nightingale plants her with a spinebuster for two. Nightingale charges into some boots in the corner but manages to raise her boots to block the moonsault. The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin and the title at 6:00.

Rating: C+. That was the way the result needed to go as Nightingale FINALLY wins something important. While this is probably setting up her dropping the title to Mercedes Mone next month, at least she has the title in the first place and that is great to see. Nightingale could be a star due to her high level of likability, but she needed this kind of a win to move her forward.

Post match Nightingale celebrates with Statlander and Stokely Hathaway, only to have Mercedes Mone come out for the staredown. With that out of the way, Nightingale gets to celebrate again.

We recap the International Title, with Roderick Strong defending against Kyle O’Reilly. They used to be friends and now they’re fighting for the title.

International Title: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong

Strong is defending and they go technical to start with O’Reilly’s ankle lock being broken up. Back up and Strong hits the jumping leg lariat for two but O’Reilly knocks him back again. Strong catches him on top and drops him hard onto the buckle. Another backbreaker cuts O’Reilly off but he comes back with a bunch of strikes to get a breather. Strong comes right back with an Angle Slam into the running forearms against the ropes.

The running boot against the ropes is blocked though and O’Reilly grabs the kneebar. That’s broken up so O’Reilly strikes away, only to get pulled into another backbreaker for another two. A top rope superplex gives Strong two but O’Reilly ties the legs up into a small package for the same.

Another exchange of strikes lets O’Reilly grab a German suplex but Strong knees him in the face for the double knockdown. Cue Wardlow for a distraction so Strong can get two off a small package. Back up and O’Reilly hits a brainbuster, setting up the cross armbreaker to send Strong over to the ropes. Strong is back up with End Of Heartache for the pin to retain at 17:19.

Rating: C+. It was technically sound but this match didn’t feel interesting coming in and they lost my interest rather quickly. Anything with the Undisputed Kingdom is running with an anchor right now and that was the case here. Strong had to keep the title to keep the group going, but could they please find something to do other than another Undisputed Era reunion?

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom, including Adam Cole, comes out to celebrate.

We recap Hook vs. Chris Jericho for the former’s FTW Title.

Hook vs. Chris Jericho

Hook is defending under FTW Rules and they show respect to start. Feeling out process to start until Hook grabs the first suplex. They go to the floor with Hook….I think missing an apron clothesline but it came off like some miscommunication. Jericho loads up a table but Hook is back with the trashcan lid shots. With that broken up, Jericho trashcans him down as well and they go back inside.

Jericho knocks him to the apron, where Hook suplexes him down through a table for a nasty crash and a near fall on the floor. Back in and Jericho hammers away but stops to grab a trashcan, allowing Hook to snap off a German suplex. The trashcan is put over Jericho and Hook grabs the kendo stick for the beating.

Another suplex, with Jericho in the can, lets Hook load up another table in the corner. Jericho grabs a Codebreaker and they’re both down. They slug it out from their knees with Jericho getting the better of things, only to miss a Rockers’ fist drop. Redrum goes on until Jericho drives him through the table for the break.

The Judas Effect is countered into a kneebar but Jericho reverses into the Walls. Hook reverses into a small package for two and grabs Redrum, only to have Jericho kick him low (which the camera misses). Now the Judas Effect (with an “I’m sorry”) can connect for two so Jericho hits it again…for two again. Jericho grabs the baseball bat, says he’s sorry, and knocks Hook cold to win at 16:50.

Rating: D+. When I was writing up my preview for this show, I could not shake the feeling that AEW would give Jericho the win here because it would be the dumbest thing possible. Jericho is just a disaster right now and having him beat Hook, who already beat him once, is a mind blowing concept. The fans are not interested in seeing Jericho right now yet here he is, complete with a new title. He needs to go away for a bit, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

We recap Toni Storm defending the Women’s Title against Thunder Rosa. Storm is on a roll as champion but Rosa never lost the title so this is her big rematch.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa

Storm, with Mariah May, is defending and Rosa isn’t wearing face paint for a change. They fight into the corner with Storm powering her around, only to get hit in the face. Storm kicks her in the ribs for a breather but Rosa knocks Storm out to the floor. There’s the big corkscrew dive but Rosa has to stop and glare at May. The forearms to the chest give Rosa two, only to have Storm come back with a backbreaker for the same.

Some shots to the back let Storm take her to the top, where Rosa powerbombs her down for two more. A Death valley Driver onto the apron plants Storm (Nigel McGuinness: “OH THE HUMANITY!”) for two more. Storm is back with a Backstabber out of the corner, followed by a bottom rope DDT of all things. A fisherman’s suplex gives Storm two but Rosa’s stomp connects for the same.

Storm grabs a chokebomb for two so Rosa slugs away, only to charge into a headbutt. May offers a distraction so here is Deonna Purrazzo to brawl with her to the back. Storm grabs a German suplex to set up the hip attack. Storm Zero gets two so Storm busts out the Texas Cloverleaf. Rosa gets out and grabs a Backstabber into a cobra clutch but Storm escapes as well. A low kick sets up another Storm Zero to retain at 15:05.

Rating: B. This was a nice surprise and better than I was expecting. It was one of the better Storm matches in AEW and Rosa’s best since her return as it felt like a big time fight. Storm is in a weird place as champion though as the only person to come after the title is May, and that is going to need some adjusting to set up. For now though, rather good stuff.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay. It’s going to be good. End of story.

Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay

Don Callis is on commentary. Nigel talks about Danielson saying his version of Heaven is bleeding in a ring. Nigel: “My version of Heaven is him dying from bleeding in a ring.” Osprey grabs a front facelock to start but Danielson reverses into a headlock as the feeling out process begins. That’s broken up and the fans hit that BRUV chant. Another exchange goes to another standoff and the fans find this awesome.

Danielson goes with the chops but it’s too early for the LeBell Lock. Ospreay misses the big kicks to the head and the fans are way into this. Ospreay flips over and scores with a dropkick but Danielson strikes away against the ropes. A running boot knocks Danielson outside and there’s the big dive to take him out again. Back in and Danielson gets smart by going after the knee/ribs but Ospreay escapes again.

Danielson is sent into the corner and a running boot connects for two. Ospreay sends him outside for the big corkscrew dive to leave them both down. Back in again and Danielson grabs a tiger suplex for two, followed by the heavy elbows. Cattle Mutilation goes on for a bit until Danielson puts him into the corner for the running dropkick. Ospreay sticks the landing on a super hurricanrana so he goes up top, only to get caught with a tiger superplex for the huge crash.

Danielson’s kicks to the chest wake Ospreay up and one heck of a shot drops Danielson for a change. They go to the apron to slug it out and the Oscutter drops Danielson hard. The referee checks on Danielson so Ospreay gets in a Hidden Blade from the apron as the fans think they aren’t worthy. Danielson beats the count and Ospreay stacks him up for two. Danielson grabs La Mistica of all things into the LeBell Lock and then a double arm crank but Ospreay makes the rope.

The running knee is countered into a powerbomb but Danielson counters into a hurricanrana for two instead. Now the running knee connects for two and Danielson is frustrated. The stomping to the head looks to set up another LeBell Lock but Ospreay slips out and fires off forearms to the face. Danielson pulls him into a triangle choke and even the powerbomb can’t break it.

Instead Ospreay picks him up for a Styles Clash but he can’t follow up. They get to their feet with Danielson slapping the heck out of him and grabbing a suplex, only to have Ospreay pop up with the Hidden Blade. The Oscutter is loaded up but Danielson knees it out of the air for the big double down. Danielson does the YES pose in the corner and Ospreay goes to the other corner, where he takes off the elbow pad. The running knee is cut off with the Hidden Blade into the tiger driver onto the neck. Danielson is all vibrating but Ospreay Hidden Blades him for the pin at 32:19.

Rating: A. Back in the late 1920s, a man was driving his Model T Ford when it stopped running. He wasn’t very good with mechanical stuff and was in a bit of a jam when an older man came driving up. The older man asked if he could take a look and fixed it without much trouble. That older man was Henry Ford. Now what does this have to do with Ospreay vs. Danielson?

Nothing. It was outstanding and there was nothing else to say about it so I didn’t bother trying.

Post match the medics check on Danielson and Ospreay is scared, even as his arm is raised.

We recap FTR vs. the Young Bucks for the vacant Tag Team Titles. It’s the latest in their long running series and this is a ladder match.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. FTR

For the vacant titles in a ladder match. FTR takes over to start and goes for the ladders but the Bucks cut them off. The dives drop FTR and it’s time for the ladder to be brought in. FTR cuts that off for a change so it’s time to put some tables up at ringside. That takes too long as well so Wheeler is laid across the ladder for a dive from Matt. Back in and Harwood is busted open as the Bucks beat him down with chairs.

There’s a whip to send Harwood into the ladder in the corner as the blood is gushing. They go outside again with Harwood being sent into a bridged ladder but Wheeler is back up with a moonsault off of said ladder. The Bucks are right back up to crotch Wheeler on the ladder, setting up the EVP Trigger. Harwood gets knocked down again back inside but Wheeler is back in with a powerslam.

FTR hits a bulldog to plant Matt and a slingshot powerbomb puts him down again. That’s not enough as Matt gets knocked off the apron, sending him hard into the barricade. Nick hurricanranas Harwood off the apron and through a table for another nasty crash. All four are back up and go for the climb, with everyone but Matt crashing down. Harwood pulls Matt’s shoes off before FTR busts out the PowerPlex off the ladder for the big crash.

Nick is back up with a 450 to Wheeler through a table, leaving Harwood to piledrive Matt onto a bridged ladder. Wheeler pulls Nick down from the ladder but his suicide dive only hits table. Matt and Harwood go up, earning a PLEASE BE CAREFUL chant. Harwood knocks him down so here is a masked man for the save. And yeah of course it’s Jack Perry. The Bucks win at 21:47.

Rating: B. This was in fact a ladder match and there was almost no reason to believe that the ending was going to be anything else, even down to the interference. There was no way FTR was going to win here as the Bucks are being treated as a big deal again. This match cranked up the violence and it worked well enough, but the ladder gimmick didn’t make things much better.

We recap Samoa Joe defending the World Title against Swerve Strickland. Joe beat Hangman Page to retain in a triple threat match at Revolution so now it’s the singles match for Swerve’s big shot.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending. They take their time to start until Joe hits a knee to the ribs to take over. Joe takes him outside for a toss over the announcers’ table but Swerve gets in a knee to the face. That earns him a hard planting on the floor and they head back inside, with Joe keeping the pace slow.

Joe plants him again and grabs the neck crank as the dominance continues. Swerve tries to fight up and gets elbowed in the face to send him back outside. The floor mats are peeled back but Swerve gets in some shots of his own for a needed breather. Back in and Swerve has to strike his way out of the Koquina Clutch, setting up the rolling Downward Spiral for two. Swerve grabs a headscissors choke but Joe powers him into the corner for the Muscle Buster and another near fall.

Back up and Swerve hits the House Call into a 450 into the Swerve Stomp for two and they need a breather. Joe is right back up with the Koquina Clutch but can’t get the full grip. That lets Swerve get out and hit the House Call for two more. They both go up and Swerve knocks him off again, setting up the Swerve Stomp for the pin and the title at 17:55.

Rating: B. Well, it wasn’t bad and they did the big ending properly, though it didn’t quite get to that top level. The best thing here is that Swerve won the title in what might as well have been his last chance and that is what matters. I’m not sure what is next for either of them right now, but they got the big moment right after a hard hitting match. Well done and a nice way to wrap up the show.

Swerve celebrates for a long time to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Some of the matches in the undercard were a bit weak and some of the decisions (ok so just Jericho) were out there, but that Danielson vs. Ospreay match was outstanding and there were several others that hit or even exceeded their mark. Awesome show here and worth a long long, but you might want to fast forward some parts, as this was another very, very lengthy show. An excellent one, but long.

Results
Trent Beretta b. Matt Sydal – Triangle choke
Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Orange Punch to Moriarty
Bullet Club Gold b. Billy Gunn/Acclaimed – Blade Runner to Gunn
Kazuchika Okada b. Pac – Rainmaker
House Of Black b. Adam Copeland/Mark Briscoe/Eddie Kingston – The End to Copeland
Willow Nightingale b. Julia Hart – Babe With The Powerbomb
Roderick Strong b. Kyle O’Reilly – End Of Heartache
Chris Jericho b. Hook – Baseball bat shot
Toni Storm b. Thunder Rosa – Storm Zero
Will Ospreay b. Bryan Danielson – Hidden Blade
Young Bucks b. FTR – Bucks pulled down the titles
Swerve Strickland b. Samoa Joe – Swerve Stomp

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This is another of the new pay per view and it is in a bit of a tough spot. While it has an absolutely stacked card, we are just over a month away from Double Or Nothing, which is one of the major shows. That could leave this show in something of a weird place, but the talent is more than capable of carrying it to a solid event. The potential is right there so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Matt Sydal vs. Trent Beretta

This is fallout from Beretta turning on Orange Cassidy a few weeks ago, which was followed by Beretta attacking Sydal for daring to help Cassidy. Beretta is actually something of a hot heel at the moment as the fans did not like him turning on one of their favorites. In other words, as usual, a personal issue is something fans will care about and it could do Beretta a lot of good.

There is a grand total of no reason for Sydal to win here and as a result, this is the biggest layup on the entire card. Beretta needs to win here and should do so in short order as this is little more than a Rampage main event. Sydal is the guy you put out there to make someone else look good and Beretta is pretty much locked in for a big match against Cassidy at Double Or Nothing. Beretta wins here with no doubt whatsoever.

Zero Hour: Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

This feels like a way to get Cassidy and Shibata on the show and the Promotions are the current designated jobbers. You can only get so much out of that kind of a match as, again, it feels like something that belongs on Rampage. I’m not entirely thrilled by the idea of having to see Shibata again as he is the definition of not my style, but here we are again anyway.

While it isn’t as huge of a layup as Sydal vs. Beretta, there is pretty much no reason to believe Cassidy and Shibata are losing here. Barring interference from Beretta, this should be Cassidy and Shibata winning again. The Promotions are nothing more than people there to look intimidating and then lose, which is what they will do here as the fans get to cheer for Cassidy.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles/AEW Trios Titles: Bullet Club Gold(c) vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn(c)

It took long enough. That is the only thing I can think of here as my goodness there is barely enough of a reason to have one set of six man titles but here we have TWO. While neither of them needs to be there, it will be nice to get this down to one set so we can have less gold floating around. Other than that, it’s a bit of a personal feud with Gunn vs. his kids, but that’s about the extent of the interest.

I’ll go with the Club winning here, as Acclaimed and Gunn are ice cold right now. It makes sense for the Club to win, if nothing else because the star of their team isn’t 60 years old. Let Jay White get his win here and hopefully continue figuring things out, as he hasn’t exactly been a smash hit so far. Also of note: I’ve heard that this is and isn’t on Zero Hour but it would be a nice main event before we can get on to the stuff that matters a lot more.

FTW Title: Hook(c) vs. Chris Jericho

Let’s get one of the weaker ones out of the way. Despite Jericho desperately needing to just go away for a bit, here he is getting a title shot against some young star. I’m not sure how well that is going to go, but the segments setting it up have not been good coming in. As usual, this is going to be a hardcore match because that’s pretty much all Hook does on his own these days.

I’ll go with Hook, just for the sake of maintaining my own sanity. The worst part is I could very easily see Jericho winning the title as some kind of weird deal where Hook has to get it back, even though Hook already beat Jericho (ala Ricky Starks). Hopefully they don’t go nuts and let Hook win here and move on, though the more I think about this, the more worried I get over them doing something stupid. Hook wins, or at least I hope he does.

Adam Copeland/Mark Briscoe/Eddie Kingston vs. House Of Black

This is a weird one as Copeland gets his big win to retain the title yet he’s here in a six man tag. The House has come after Copeland and now he has some friends, who happen to have been fighting over the Ring Of Honor World Title just a few weeks ago. That should make for an interesting story, though it still makes me wonder why we aren’t getting Copeland in a title defense.

I’m not sure why a makeshift team should be able to defeat an established one so we’ll say the House wins here. If nothing else, someone pinning Copeland or Briscoe could set them up for a title match down the line. It’s what makes the most sense and there are different options to choose, though Kingston taking the fall to protect the champions would not surprise me in the slightest. Either way, the House wins here, as they should.

TBS Title: Julia Hart(c) vs. Willow Nightingale

I’ve been saying this for a long time now but e pluribus gads Nightingale needs to win something already. She has been that one star who never really wins anything but manages to lose a bunch of title shots. Winning the title here would help, even if she is going to be sacrificed at the altar of Mercedes Mone next month anyway. While Hart is good, she is just kind of there at the moment and that isn’t a good sign for her title reign.

I’ll go with Nightingale FINALLY winning here, as it is not only long overdue but it makes a lot more sense for Nightingale to win and feud with Mone. That’s what has been teased for weeks now and even if Nightingale loses the title quickly, it’s better than never winning it in the first place. Go with what makes sense here, which is Nightingale powerbombing the heck out of Hart to win the title so Mone can come out for a dancing staredown.

International Title: Roderick Strong(c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Yes believe it or not we are seeing more of the Undisputed Era members fighting again because that’s just what they do. O’Reilly is back after missing quite a bit of time due to health issues and now he’s getting a title shot after winning a handful of matches. As luck would have it, that means we get more from the Undisputed Kingdom, which has one swimmingly thus far. But yeah, this is our pay per view title match.

I’ll take Strong retaining, as the team is more or less worthless if he loses the title. I haven’t been been interested in either of them for a good while and while the match should be good, it hasn’t made for the best build. I’m sure the in-ring action will work though, which is almost always the case with everyone involved. Just come up with something more interesting for them to do? Please?

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. FTR

It’s a tournament final for the vacant titles and naturally it’s a ladder match. I can give them points for trying something new with the feud but egads can we just stop with the ladders? And FTR vs. the Bucks? And the Bucks in general? This is a match where the result has more or less been telegraphed, all the way down to how it happens, which is where this is probably going.

Yes I’ll take the Bucks winning here because they need to beat FTR again and get their big push again, because the fans just love everything about them. Throw in the likely return of Jack Perry to help them and we’ve got all the makings of a heel stable. AEW has been doubling down on the Bucks despite them running fans off in droves and now they seem to be getting some titles to go with it.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Pac

The fact that I had to think about which of the THREE midcard titles Okada held should tell you there are too many of those things running around. Anyway, this is Okada’s first defense since winning the title from Orange Cassidy and that doesn’t leave a ton of drama about the result. The good thing is that Pac is here for his one big match before leaving for whatever reason and that should make for a heck of a showdown.

Of course Okada wins here, as not only is he friends with the Bucks and needs to be part of their team as they rise up, but there is almost no way that he is going to lose so soon after debuting. The good thing is that the match should be a heck of a showdown and we could be in for two guys beating the living daylights out of each other. What we won’t be in for is a new champion, as Okada retains.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Thunder Rosa

This is a place where we could use a “none of the above” option. Storm is desperately in need of a face turn as she can be her goofy self, but for some reason we’re stuck with her as a villain. On the other hand you have Rosa, who has not felt anywhere near special since her return. That doesn’t make for the strongest set of options, but maybe it’s just a weak feud.

I’ll go with Storm retaining, as she has stuff going on with Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa, so keeping the title on her makes sense. It would help if the May story actually got going for a change, but we could still be a long way off from that happening. For now though, hopefully the match works, but it should end with Storm winning, hopefully before turning good and breathing some life into her.

Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay

I’m not completely certain this isn’t the headliner as it has been the bigger story in recent weeks. The idea here is pretty simple: they’re both really good at wrestling and want to have the best match possible. That might not be the most interesting story, but it’s what we’re getting for at worst the co-headliner of the show. The main question here would seem to be “how good can they be” and that response could be quite high.

For the life of me I can’t imagine a reason for Danielson to win here as Ospreay gets to continue his rise up AEW. He’s been presented as one of the biggest things in AEW and this would be his signature win so far. Hopefully it helps get him away from the Don Callis Family, or at least Callis himself, as Ospreay deserves much more. For now though, we should be in for a classic, but good luck on living up to the hype they have built up.

AEW World Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Swerve Strickland

Strickland has to win here and that’s pretty much point blank. He has been built up as this huge star but without winning the World Title, that doesn’t mean much. Joe hasn’t been champion all that long (at least by AEW standards) but right now it is time to move the belt on to Strickland, just for the sake of giving him the big boost that he needs. I’m not sure where things go for him from there, but without the title win, Strickland doesn’t have a chance.

I’ll go with what needs to happen here and say Strickland wins. At the end of the day, Joe has been a made man for a very long time now and it makes sense for him to put Strickland over. Strickland doesn’t even have to be champion long, but what matters is that he gets the big win. Give him his win and then move on to whatever else, but don’t waste someone who has gotten that over without pulling the trigger on him.

Overall Thoughts

That is one heck of a stacked card, if nothing else for the amount of titles that are going to be on the line. AEW has more titles than it knows what to do with most of the time but it can lead to a show like this where you are going to get all kinds of title matches for a change. That is going to be the case this weekend and if the show lives up to its potential, we should be in for a heck of a show.

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

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

AND

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Collision
Date: April 13, 2024
Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

It’s time for the big double shot this wee as Collision is leading into the next Battle Of The Belts. That should make for an important night and hopefully it makes for a more interesting show. We’re also eight days away from Dynasty and now we need to get things ready. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We look at Jon Moxley winning the IWGP World Title last night in Chicago.

The Blackpool Combat Club is proud of Moxley’s win but they’re ready for the Don Callis Family tonight.

House Of Black vs. Dante Martin/Matt Sydal/Action Andretti

Darius Martin is off getting his pilot license so Sydal is taking his place. Andretti has to roll out of a wristlock to start and grabs one of his own. With that broken up, it’s off to Sydal, who takes Black down as well. Dante comes in off the top but Black drills him with a clothesline. King wrecks all three of them, including Black kicking Martin into a heck of a wheelbarrow suplex.

The big dive takes out the good guys again and we settle down to Matthews hitting a running kick to Andretti’s face. Andretti manages to kick his way to freedom though and it’s back to Sydal to clean house. We take a break and come back with Sydal grabbing a poisonrana to send Matthews outside.

The hot tag brings in Martin to pick up the pace, including an enziguri for two on Black. Everything breaks down and Andretti hits a big dive on Matthews, only to get moonsaulted by Black. Back in and the good guys hit a bunch of triple superkicks but the House kicks right back to even things up. Andretti’s 450 gets two on King but Sydal is sent into the corner. The Cannonball/running boots combination finishes for King at 14:22.

Rating: B. This took its time to get going but they got going by the end and it was a heck of a back and forth match. You had the House working together as a unit against the other guys who were fighting for all they had. It got going in the last few minutes with the big spots that Andretti and company know how to do rather well. Rather nice stuff here.

We look at Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa giving Mariah May dueling kisses.

Storm says get used to what you were seeing last week and teases kissing May again but gets distracted by talk of her match with AZM. Storm promises to give AZM a beating so intense that it will be “featured in a fetish periodical.”

Video on Swerve Strickland.

Following his loss on Dynamite, Chris Jericho talked to Taz, who says he’ll try to talk to Hook for Jericho.

Lee Moriarty vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shane Taylor is re with Moriarty and Anthony Ogogo is on commentary. Moriarty takes him down for a choke but Shibata reverses into a wristlock. Shibata switches to the leg and gets a Figure Four, with Moriarty bailing over to the ropes. They go to the floor where Ogogo gets in a cheap shot to the ribs to give Moriarty two.

We take a break and come back with Shibata getting annoyed at Moriarty for daring to chop him. Shibata strikes away in the corner and hits a running dropkick for two. Moriarty is back up with an abdominal stretch until Shibata suplexes his way to freedom. Shibata kicks him down and hits the running PK for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: C. This was Shibata getting his win back and that’s fine enough, even if it was similar to everything you’ve seen Shibata do in the ring in AEW. Moriarty is probably the last important member of his team and it’s not going to mean much to have him lose to a legend. Maybe not the most interesting match but it was technically sound with Shibata overcoming the odds to win.

Post match Taylor jumps Shibata but Hook comes in for the save.

We look at Athena retaining the ROH Women’s Title over Hikaru Shida at Supercard Of Honor. At the same show, Athena’s minion Billie Starkz won the inaugural ROH Women’s TV Title.

Athena is ready to headline Battle Of The Belts and beat Red Velvet.

Roderick Strong brags about winning on his own and promises to do it again tonight over Rocky Romero.

Daniel Garcia vs. Angelico

Serpentico is here with Garcia. They go with a technical off to start and Garcia takes him down, only to not hit Angelico in the face. Angelico grabs a belly to back suplex but gets pulled into a Figure Four of all things. They trade rolling it over until Garcia starts kicking away at the knee to keep him down. Garcia fires off right hands in the corner and a Saito suplex sets up a kneebar to make Angelico tap at 5:47.

Rating: C+. They had another technical exchange here until Garcia started hitting him in the face over and over. The leg stuff was a good way to go as well as Garcia worked on in until he made Angelico tap with it. That being said, Garcia needs to actually win something at some point or these matches will stop mattering rather quickly.

Pac thanks Kazuchika Okada for accepting his challenge and for hitting him in the head with a big piece of metal. He’s ready for Okada at Dynasty.

Toni Storm vs. AZM

Non-title and Mariah May is here with Storm while Anna Jay is here with AZM. Storm poses a bit to start and shrugs off AZM’s running forearms. AZM gets smart by kicking at the feet and hits a running basement dropkick. Back up and Storm knocks her off the top, setting up a running hip attack to the floor. May and Jay fight to the back, with AZM using the distraction to hit a kick off the apron.

We take a break and come back with the exchange of forearms until AZM kicks her in the head for a double knockdown. A top rope double stomp gets two on Storm, who is right back with a sitout chokebomb for two of her own. Storm snaps off a nasty German suplex and grabs Storm Zero for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C+. This was another match where it felt like part of a side story on the way to Storm’s title defense at Dynasty. Other than maybe a short mention, her opponent, Thunder Rosa, wasn’t brought up here. Instead it was focused on whatever weird stuff is going on with Storm and May while Storm is fighting someone making their in-ring debut around here. That’s a bit too much going on at once and it didn’t really make more interested in seeing Storm vs. Rosa.

Post match May brings in some champagne (apparently having murdered Jay off screen). Storm licks her face.

Red Velvet is ready to beat Athena.

Mark Briscoe is ready to bring the violence to the House Of Black at Dynasty. Then he seems to bark.

Here is Thunder Rosa, who thanks the fans for having her back throughout her comeback. She doesn’t need help to win the title and she’s talking about Deonna Purrazzo. Rosa graduated college and became an American citizen on her own but something died inside of her when she had to vacate the Women’s Title. Now she has another chance and will carry her friends and family with her. Toni Storm made the mistake of trying to erase the paint on her face so now she is coming for the title and to drag Storm to h***. This might be the best promo of Rosa’s career as she was bringing the fire the whole way.

Deonna Purrazzo is fine with not helping Thunder Rosa but she still wants Toni Storm away from the Women’s Title. If Rosa is dealing with one storm, Purrazzo will deal with the other Storm by breaking Mariah May’s arm next week.

The Young Bucks vs. FTR for the Tag Team Titles at Dynasty is now a ladder match. Well of course it is.

The Don Callis Family says they’re here to hurt Bryan Danielson before he faces Will Ospreay at Dynasty.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Don Callis Family

It’s a brawl to start with the fight heading to the floor at the bell. Danielson hits a running dropkick to Fletcher against the barricade before firing off the kicks. That means it’s a perfect time to thank Tony Khan for making a ladder match at Dynasty, which is interrupted by Danielson kicking Fletcher in the face again. Hobbs and Castagnoli slug it out in the ring as commentary talks about what’s coming next week.

Hobbs gets draped over the top rope for a knee from Danielson, who stomps down on the knees. Castagnoli comes back in and hammers away on Fletcher in the corner. A cheap shot from Hobbs cuts Castagnoli off though and we take a break. Back with Fletcher grabbing a sleeper on Castagnoli but he gutwrenches his way to freedom. It’s back to Danielson to moonsault over Fletcher for the running clothesline. A variety of kicks have the villains down but Hobbs pulls a dive out of the air.

That’s fine with Danielson, who hits a running knee off the apron. That leaves Castagnoli to drop Fletcher onto the barricade and knock Hobbs into the crowd. We take another break and come back with the ring mats being pulled back as the villains take over. Fletcher goes up top but a superplex attempt is broken up. Castagnoli breaks up what looked to be a Doomsday Device, leaving Danielson to hit a belly to back superplex for two.

Hobbs saves Fletcher from the LeBell Lock so Danielson dives over for the tag off to Castagnoli. House is quickly cleaned and there’s the Giant Swing to Hobbs. The Sharpshooter goes on, with Fletcher’s kicks to the chest not being enough to break it up. Instead Castagnoli lets go to hit Fletcher with Swiss Death, only to walk into the spinebuster to give Hobbs two.

Fletcher gets sent outside for a dive from Danielson, leaving Castagnoli to hit a Death Valley Driver for two of his own. Some clotheslines give Castagnoli two more but Fletcher grabs the ankle. The World’s Strongest Slam gives Hobbs two so he grabs a chair. Said chair is taken away so the announcers’ table is cleared off. Danielson isn’t having that and takes out Hobbs, leaving Castagnoli to Neutralize Fletcher for the pin at 25:44.

Rating: B+. To the shock of almost no one, taking four talented stars and giving them a lot of time made for a heck of a match. They know what they’re doing out there and put together a rather exciting match to close things out. At the same time, it would be nice to see the Family not lose every single big match they have. It doesn’t really make a big difference when the one person on the team who wins gets those wins by beating his stablemates. Either way, awesome main event here.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita runs in to help the Family with the beatdown. The fans chant for Moxley (the hometown, or at least close to it, boy) but they have to settle for Castagnoli chasing the villains off instead.

Overall Rating: B. This show illustrated a lot of the issues that AEW has. While the opener and main event, as in the matches with some of the bigger stars, were quite good, the stuff in the middle did not feel very important. A lot of this show felt like “here’s some stuff that we can throw out there to get us to Dynamite”. That’s fine every so often, but it feels like that is the case almost every week with Rampage and a good deal of the time with Collision. It would be nice to feel like something on here makes a big difference on the stories, but that is rarely the case for anything but Dynamite and the pay per views, which needs to be fixed.

Results
House Of Black b. Dante Martin/Matt Sydal/Action Andretti – Cannonball/running boots combination to Sydal
Katsuyori Shibata b. Lee Moriarty – PK
Daniel Garcia b. Angelico – Kneebar
Toni Storm b. AZM – Storm Zero
Blackpool Combat Club b. Don Callis Family – Neutralizer to Fletcher

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

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

AND

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

(I’m sorry about the delay.  I came home from Philadelphia with a bad sinus infection and I more or less slipped into a coma after last night’s show and forgot to put it up.)

Dynamite
Date: April 10, 2024
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

And now, we jump back to August of last year, because we are going to be seeing footage of the backstage incident between CM Punk and Jack Perry at All Out. This comes after Punk gave an interview that wasn’t so nice about AEW and now all of a sudden we just need to see the footage. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Samoa Joe vs. Dustin Rhodes

Non-title…and non-match as Swerve Strickland jumps Joe before the bell and spears him through a table. Referees break it up. Dustin never appeared.

We look at Trent Beretta turning on Orange Cassidy last week.

Cassidy will have a match on Rampage and will comment on what happened.

TNT Title: Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Adam Copeland

Copeland is defending. They shove each other around to start with Penta knocking him down and hitting a top rope double stomp for two. Copeland is knocked to the floor and gets chopped back inside as we take a break. Back with….what looks to be some production graphic on the screen before we see Copeland grabbing a headscissors. Penta isn’t having that and hits a basement superkick for two.

Copeland leapfrogs him three times in a row before they trade headscissors. Stereo big boots leave them both down and we actually get a countdown clock until the Young Bucks segment. Penta sends him outside for a dive and gets in some stomping as we take another break. Back again with Copeland knocking him off the top, giving them another double breather.

Penta goes for the arm but gets pulled into the Grindhouse, with Penta having to reach the rope. They go to the apron with Penta charging into a powerslam to put them both on the floor. Copeland loads up a spear but hits Alex Abrahantes and the fans are not pleased. Back in and Copeland takes him up top, only to get caught with a super Canadian Destroyer. Then Copeland hits the spear to retain at 20:42.

Rating: B. This was a longer match than I was expecting and it did fairly well. Copeland can have a good enough match with anyone and while Penta isn’t what he once was, he has that odd charisma that makes it work. For a match with no build due to it being another open challenge, this was good enough.

Post match the lights go out and Julia Hart pops in. Brody King appears to choke out Copeland but here is Willow Nightingale for a distracting save.

Chris Jericho, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata are ready for Shane Taylor Promotions. Jericho is ready for both of them to sit underneath his learning tree, with both of them agreeing. With Jericho gone, Shibata, through his translating machine, isn’t sure what’s going on, but he does like Renee Paquette’s necklace.

We look back at FTR vs. the Young Bucks over the years.

Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston are ready to team together at Dynasty despite being beaten up. Adam Copeland comes in and makes sure they’re good for next week. Stokely Hathaway and Willow Nightingale come in….with Stokely wanting Nightingale to get a TNT Title shot next week. Copeland thinks a mixed tag against the House of Black sounds better and Willow is in.

We go to the Young Bucks for footage from All In in London last year. Before we get there though, we talk about their history with FTR. With that out of the way, we hear about Jack Perry, the scapegoat, in the whole thing, being involved in a backstage altercation at All In. Perry is a friend of theirs, and the other, unnamed person is friends with FTR.

Maybe FTR was behind the whole thing to mess with them. They had no time to hydrate or even pray! There should be an asterisk next to FTR’s victory, but that’s not even the worst part. The incident is short and resembles a high school scrap but it threatened to take down their biggest show ever.

We see the (silent) footage of CM Punk coming up to Perry, who doesn’t look interested in talking to him. They do talk for a few seconds, Punk turns and says something to some other people (one of whom appears to be Tony Khan), then Punk shoves Perry, grabs him in a front facelock, and has it broken up. Punk does lunch in the direction of Khan, albeit with a desk and a person between them. The whole clip runs about 1:15 the time between Punk initially shoving him and the two being separated is about 8 seconds.

Back to the Bucks, who say that wasn’t even the worst part of the whole thing. The worst thing was creating a wrestling show and filling a building with that many people, only to lose because they were distracted by something so stupid. They aren’t shaking FTR’s hands at Dynasty.

Ok so regarding the footage:

If anyone, and I mean ANYONE, in AEW management, told Tony Khan that airing that on national television, or any kind of television for that matter, was a good idea, they should be tried on crimes against wrestling.

That was the most nothing, completely unmemorable moment that I’ve seen in wrestling in a long, long time. The time from Punk initially shoving him to them being separated was about eight seconds. We just waited eight months for a clip that lasted as long as Diesel beating Bob Backlund for the WWF Title in 1994.

I’m sure this will be part of some big return for Perry, but my goodness, an old, broken down Punk just grabbed him in a front facelock (which is as basic of a wrestling hold as there is so screw off with the “he’s a trained fighter” stuff) and held him for a few seconds. If that is some big, game changing and possibly show ruining moment, there are WAY more problems with your show and company than an army of Punk’s on their best behavior could ever fix.

Lanny Poffo told a story about a wrestler I can’t remember giving him crap in the locker room. They were in a match together and Poffo grabbed a sugar hold (a legitimate grappling move) and gave it the tiniest bit of pressure while asking if they were going to have any more problems. They were fine after that. But yeah, this was some game changer that had to be addressed EIGHT MONTHS LATER because Punk said something mean about AEW. Cry me a river.

We cut back to the desk and Tony Schiavone looks like he would rather having his teeth ripped out than be here right now.

Cue FTR, unscheduled, for a chat. Cash Wheeler wants to know why we’re doing this and what that was supposed to accomplish (preach it brother). We are doing some great things but why are we looking at stuff from eight months ago (PREACH IT BROTHER!)? Harwood thinks the Young Bucks might be on to something about how important they are because without them, Harwood might still be shaving Wheeler’s back.

The Bucks used to be about AEW but now they’re about the letters EVP. Harwood says on the backs of everyone who helps to work and build this place, they will keep this place going for the future of professional wrestlers. This place is for the people who go to work for one ticket to get lost in their drama and action. But this isn’t about All In, because it’s about Dynasty and proving who the best team really is.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay.

Here is Will Ospreay for a chat. First up, there is this rumor going around that Ospreay is afraid of the grind of wrestling (meaning he’s afraid of the WWE schedule). Normally he would rise to this type of bate, but the person who said it is only in the position he’s in because he was grinding on the boss’ wife. With that flashback to 2004 out of the way, Ospreay talks about how Bryan Danielson is ready to try his hand at beating the unbeatable Ospreay. A lot of people have tried to do it and now he’s ready to show why he’s the best. On April 21, Danielson will find out why Ospreay was on another level.

Julia Hart is ready for Willow Nightingale at Dynasty.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Chris Jericho/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata

Jericho and Anthony Ogogo (who returned and joined the team over the weekend) start things off and it’s Moriarty coming in less than ten seconds later. Jericho takes over on Moriarty in the corner and hands it off to Shibata to strike away. Hook comes in to strike away at Taylor, who knocks him into the corner. We take a break and come back with Shibata coming in to clean house. Moriarty gets knocked into the corner but Shibata runs into Jericho by mistake. Hook and Jericho argue on the floor, leaving Taylor to knock Shibata silly with a right hand. Moriarty’s Fang finishes Shibata at 8:16.

Rating: C. If there is an interesting point coming up with this Hook/Jericho stuff, it would be nice if they got to it sooner rather than later. Hook and Jericho have teamed together twice or so and now they’re already having issues. I’m sure we’ll be seeing something between them in some form at Dynasty and my goodness it’s really hard to get interested at Jericho doing something like this again.

Post match Hook helps Shibata up and Jericho leaves by himself.

Samoa Joe is cleared for the main event and Dustin Rhodes is ready for him because he has nothing left.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Cristiano Argento

Non-title and Okada takes him down without much trouble. The dropkick and Rainmaker finish for Okada at 1:22.

Post match Okada accepts Pac’s challenge for Dynasty. Pac comes out for the staredown but the Young Bucks jump him from behind for the beating. FTR makes the save as the fans chant for CM PUNK. Okada grabs a chair and the good guys are beaten down.

We look at Bullet Club Gold beating down Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed at Supercard Of Honor.

The Club liked that beating and want to do it again on Rampage. Jay White says find him an opponent.

Here are Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm for a champagne toast. Storm immediately hits her with the glass and the beatdown is on, with Rosa’s paint being rubbed off. Deonna Purrazzo makes the save and Mariah May comes in…and she has a match right now. Storm even throws in a good luck kiss on the cheek.

Anna Jay vs. Mariah May

They slap and strike it out to start until Jay hits a running Blockbuster. May powers her straight into the corner and grabs a Stratusphere. Jay is back with a hanging neckbreaker over the apron (throwing in a kiss to the cheek) as we take a break. We come back with May hitting a running dropkick, followed by a running spinwheel kick in the corner. An Iconoclasm gives Jay two but she runs into a boot in the corner. A missile dropkick sets up May’s hip attack for two but Jay kicks her down for the same. May comes right back with a sunset flip for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C. Well at least it feels like they’re getting ready for the May/Storm…whatever it is that they’re doing. May needs some more wins and Jay has enough credibility for it to matter. Other than that, it was a good enough match, though Jay still feels like she is in the same place in the ring as she has been for the last year plus.

Post match Jay grabs the Queenslayer until Stardom’s Mina Shirakawa (who had a reunion with former stablemate May at a Stardom event over the weekend, with Storm interrupting and teasing a Forbidden Door match with Shirakawa) makes the save. Then Shirakawa gives May champagne and kisses her.

Mercedes Mone is ready to debut at Double Or Nothing. She talks about her ankle injury but has a plan and a mission…and then someone turns the lights out and attacks her.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Samoa Joe

Non-title and Dustin jumps the banged up Joe in the corner. Joe fights back and hits a hard headbutt to knock Rhodes outside. Rhodes is busted open so Joe hammers on the cut as we take a break. Back with the rather bloody Dustin snapping off a powerslam for a breather. Dustin hammers away and grabs a Code Red for two but the bulldog is broken up.

They go outside with Joe getting posted, allowing Dustin to grab the title. With that taken away, Dustin grabs the Cross Rhodes for two but Joe release Rock Bottoms him out of the corner. Joe grabs the chain and loads up a swing but the referee takes it away. That leaves Joe to hit him with the belt for the pin at 9:34.

Rating: C+. Good enough here, though it’s another match with the break taking up a good chunk of the time. It’s very much going with the idea of a Rhodes vs. a Samoan, but at least it’s a good ways off from a bearded guy like Eric Young winning the TNA World Title a week after Daniel Bryan’s Wrestlemania XXX moment. Perfectly fine match, with Joe getting to be all violent, which tends to be his best stuff.

Post match Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch but Swerve Strickland runs in to knock Joe out. Swerve holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I don’t have the first clue what to think of this show. The wrestling ranged from fine to good with the opener being fun and the main event being a Samoa Joe special. Throw in Okada wrecking someone and whatever the women are doing (and I’m not entirely sure but it feels Forbidden Doorish) and that stuff was good enough.

And unfortunately, a grand total of none of that is going to be remembered by the masses, as this was ALL about the special footage thing. While they tied it into the FTR vs. Bucks match, it’s pretty clear there is at least one ulterior motive here and that isn’t going to make for the best reception. At worst, it feels petty on AEW’s part and at best, it’s another situation where whatever bump they might get is going to be buried underneath the various negative perceptions. I have no idea how that was the best possible outcome but it’s already out there, and hopefully that’s the last of it.

Results
Adam Copeland b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Spear
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Chris Jericho/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata – Fang to Shibata
Kazuchika Okada b. Cristiano Argento – Rainmaker
Mariah May b. Anna Jay – Sunset flip
Samoa Joe b. Dustin Rhodes – Belt shot

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

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

AND

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

American Dream 2024 In The Keystone State
Date: April 4, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Lawlor, Veda Scott

So this is from Stardom, the Japanese women’s promotion, who are in town for Wrestlemania Weekend. I was in town for the weekend and since I’m not likely to ever see something like this again in person, it was worth a look. I’m not sure what to expect from this and that’s part of the fun. Let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the corner of the arena for this show with the entrance on my right and the ring pretty much straight in front of me. Keep in mind that I do not follow Stardom whatsoever and will likely have no idea what is going on as far as characters or storylines. I apologize in advance for any errors but I’m coming in mostly blind.

The opening video runs down the card, which is only five matches.

High Speed Title: Mei Seira vs. Ram Kaichow vs. Saki Kashima

Seira is defending and from what I can tell, this is similar to the X-Division/Cruiserweight Title. The audio mix is really missing as commentary is barely audible over the entrance music and I can’t make out more than a few words of what they are saying. Seira has two belts and Kaichow has one, making things all the more confusing. The fans seem to like Kaichow, who might be a bit dead.

Kashima locks up with Kaichow, who has dust flying off of her to scare Kashima away. More dust gets Kaichow out of a double wristlock before they pick up the pace with Seira hitting a running basement dropkick on Kaichow. They run the ropes until the challengers fall down, leaving Seira as the only one standing. Kaichow rolls Seira up for two and an exchange of rollups give not-Kaichow two each. Back up and Kaichow throws more dust, allowing Kashima to pin Seira for the title at 5:06.

Rating: C+. Well they weren’t kidding about the HIGH SPEED part as this was rather fast paced until the ending, which came out of nowhere. I got the concept well enough and Kaichow’s dust thing made her stand out, but the other two didn’t do much to separate themselves from the other. Either way, it was a nice introduction to the show as it was flying by and kept me interested.

AZM/Saya Kamitani/Camron Branae vs. Stephanie Vaquer/Starlight Kid/Momo Watanabe

Saya and Kid start things off, which is apparently a big rivalry. They go to the mat and get nowhere so they both flip up for a staredown. Branae comes in for part of a triple Gory Bomb to put Kid down for two and it’s back to Saya, who gets caught with a headscissors. Watanabe crushes Saya in the corner but gets cut off with a spinning kick to the face. A springboard crossbody gives Saya two and a triple dropkick takes Watanabe down again.

Back up and Watanabe kicks Saya in the head and the double tag brings in AZM and Vaquer. AZM kicks Vaquer in the head and it’s back to Branae, who gets caught with Eat Defeat. Some running knees give Branae two but the villains (I think?) take her into the corner for the train of running shots. Everything breaks down and Kid dives onto the floor to take out AZM and Saya. That leaves Vaquer to headbutt Branae in the corner and go after her recently injured knee. Branae manages a neckbreaker but walks into a package piledriver onto the knee to give Vaquer the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here as they had a bit more time to showcase the people involved. Six women spread over nine minutes isn’t much but it’s better than cramming it into even less time. Vaquer felt like a star and that makes sense as she is the New Japan Women’s Strong Champion. Not a great match, but if the idea is to get as many people on the show as possible, they’re doing well.

Willow Nightingale/Saki vs. Konami/Syuri

Syuri is one of the most revered names going today and I might have seen her once before. Saki and Syuri start things off with Syuri grabbing a rollup for a fast two, giving us an early standoff. Nightingale comes in for a double shoulder to Syuri but she’s back up t kick Saki in the back for two. Konami comes in for a dropkick and a one kneed cover gets two. It’s already back to Syuri for a kick to the back but Saki suplexes her way to freedom. Nightingale comes back in to run Syuri over, setting up a spinebuster for two.

A Cannonball misses though and Syuri gets two off a DDT. Everything breaks down and Syuri and Konami grab stereo holds, both of which are broken up just as fast. Syuri chokes Saki on the floor, leaving Konami to missile dropkick Nightingale. Saki is back in to make a save and Konami is tossed onto Syuri. Nightingale has had enough of this and hits a heck of a Pounce on Konami, setting up a DDT for two. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes for Nightingale at 8:28.

Rating: B-. Another fun match here but they were blazing through it again. That’s been a trend with this show, which isn’t the best idea for a five match card. Nightingale continues to be a ball of energy no matter where she is and it’s great to see her getting a win like this. Now give her a win with some gold on the line and it’ll be even better.

Mayu Iwatani/Tam Nakano/Momo Kohgo vs. Mina Shirakawa/Mariah May/Xia Brookside

This is Stars vs. Club Venus, the latter of which comes off as some kind of pop band/Mean Girls deal. Venus seems to be mainly about Shirakawa, with the other two being her henchwomen. May ducks Kohgo’s running dropkick to start and plans her with a very spinning side slam. Brookside comes in for the running knees to the back and we get a triple Venus pose.

The fans approve of Shirakawa coming in and grabbing a quickly released surfboard. May comes back in but gets caught with a dropkick, allowing Kohgo to hit a crossbody. Iwatani comes in and gets to pick up the pace, including a double springboard wristdrag to May and Shirakawa. May is back up with a Sling Blade and it’s Shirakawa coming in for a kick to the head. Nakano comes in for the first time for a shake off (just go with it) with Shirakawa.

A hanging suplex gives Shirakawa two and it’s Brookside coming in with a neckbreaker for the same. Everything breaks down and a double 619 hits Brookside to give Nakano two. Venus is back in with a double Paige Turner to give Brookside her own near fall on Nakano. There’s a running Codebreaker to drop Nakano as everything breaks down again. Iwatani hits a big dive to the floor and a kick to the face gets two on Brookside, with the rest of Venus making the save. Nakano has had it with this and grabs Twilight Dream (tiger suplex) for the pin at Brookside at 12:13.

Rating: B-. This was another case where the extra time helped but the other thing here was it felt like Venus came off as a full time team rather than two people thrown together. Everyone got a chance to shine here and it felt like more of a showcase, with Brookside getting a lot of time in there. Good stuff here, and probably the best match of the show so far.

Post match the winners leave….and here is Toni Storm, with the AEW Women’s Title and a bouquet of flowers. She talks about the time she has had in Philadelphia, where she started with Easter Championship Wrestling. Storm: “I’ll have you know that this is the very place where I entered Sandman.” She puts over Stardom and praises May, even giving her the flowers. As for Mina Shirakawa, who is standing in the ring as well, the Forbidden Door is always open. Shirakawa is game.

We recap the main event. Maika is the World Champion, Megan Bayne is a power monster, they’ve teamed together and fought before, title match on.

World Of Stardom Title: Maika vs. Megan Bayne

Bayne, billed as the Megasus and the much larger of the two, is challenging. Maika tries some running shoulders to no avail so she tells Bayne to come on. An armdrag works better but Bayne is back up to run her over with a real shoulder. A butterfly suplex gets two, followed by a Samoan drop for the same.

Back up and some running clotheslines in the corner give Maika two and she goes after the arm. Bayne powers up and suplexes her way to freedom, setting up a side slam for two more. Maika puts her up top for a superplex and another near fall, followed by a cutter for the same. Bayne is back with a big boot and a heck of a running clothesline to leave them both down.

Back up and they slug it out until Maika snaps off a powerslam. Maika catches her up top with a powerbomb for one but Bayne is back with a heck of a spear. An apron German suplex gives Bayne two more with an F5 getting the same. They go up again and this time it’s a super Michinoku Driver to give Maika two of her own. A Michinoku Driver II gives Maika the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B. This was just starting to cook when they went home, with Maika being a good fighting from underneath champion. Bayne is a monster with something of a Beth Phoenix look/style so there was an obvious story to be told here. Good match and the best part of the show, though they could have gone longer.

Post match respect is shown and here is Momo Watanabe to say she’s the next challenger. Watanabe pulls back her baseball bat to swing at Maika but Bayne gets in her way and sends Watanabe bailing. Maika says they’re on for April 27 in Yokohama before leading the fans in the WE ARE STARDOM chant to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. That’s it? The show didn’t even run an hour and forty five minutes, with the longest match out of five lasting less than fifteen minutes. I’m not sure if that is Stardom’s style, but this was really short and felt like it could have gone another hour or so. What we got was good, but I was sitting in the crowd wondering what else they were going to do because it wasn’t even two hours and then the show just ended. For the prices being charged, this should have been more, as it just didn’t last long enough. What we got was good, but egads give us more than that.

Results
Saki Kashima b. Ram Kaichow and Mei Seira – Crucifix to Seira
Stephanie Vaquer/Starlight Kid/Momo Watanabe b. AZM/Saya Kamitani/Camron Branae – Package piledriver onto the knee to Branae
Stars b. Club Venus – Twilight Dream to Brookside
Maika b. Megan Bayne – Michinoku Driver II

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Dynamite
Date: April 3, 2024
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Dynasty and that means it is time to start hammering home the card. First up we are likely set for Swerve Strickland challenging Samoa Joe for the AEW World Title. In addition, Will Ospreay will face Bryan Danielson in a dream match, but first Ospreay has to face Will. Hobbs that is. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Adam Copeland to get things going. He’s here to have some fun and, after some microphone feedback (Copeland: “Live TV baby!”), he talks about all of the run he has had over the years. Copeland watched all kinds of wrestling in his life, including the WWF, the NWA, places in Canada and everywhere else and now he’s here where he sees the best roster he can imagine.

There are all kinds of wrestlers he can face for the first time ever and he has never had more fun in his career. AEW has pushed this industry into a better place and it gives more people a chance to do what they have never done before. This is where the best wrestle and now he’s calming down after getting fired up. Now it is time to move forward and there is a reason so many stars came here. For now, Copeland introduces Will Ospreay and some respect is shown. This was a rather nice rah-rah speech and Copeland knows how to give them as well as anyone.

Will Ospreay vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Don Callis is on commentary as Hobbs knocks Hobbs out of the air to start. Ospreay gets smart by going after the knee and knocks him to the floor before hitting a dive. Hobbs is sent into the steps but he catches Ospreay on the barricade and plants him onto the steps. There’s the toss over the announcers’ table to drop Ospreay again and we take a break.

Back with Ospreay dropping Hobbs off a handspring kick to the face before going up. Hobbs pulls him down by the throat but a Stundog Millionaire gets Ospreay out of trouble again. Hobbs gets in another knockdown but misses a splash off the top of all things. The Hidden Blade is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam, which is countered into a small package to give Ospreay two.

Hobbs blasts him with a clothesline to take over, setting up a middle rope swinging powerslam (that was cool) for two more. Another powerslam attempt is countered into a DDT and a sky twister press puts Hobbs down again. The Hidden Blade finishes for Ospreay at 14:15.

Rating: B. Ospreay’s run continues and I liked this one more than some of the other things he’s done so far. It felt more like Ospreay was fighting up against the monster Hobbs before slaying the beast in the end. At the same time, it should be about it for his stuff with the Callis Family, which has been done pretty much to death so far. Good stuff here, and the shorter time helped it a bit.

Post match Callis has to break up Ospreay and Hobbs before Ospreay goes to leave. Cue Bryan Danielson for a staredown as we take a break.

Bryan Danielson vs. Lance Archer

Archer starts fast and takes over by knocking Danielson down. Danielson gets sent into the corner but avoids a charge, setting up a dragon screw legwhip. Cranking on and kicking at the leg have Archer in more trouble, followed by a running dropkick to the leg in the corner. They go outside, with Archer running Danielson over and slamming a production worker onto him for an impressive spot.

We take a break and come back with Danielson moonsaulting over him but getting run over with a crossbody. Danielson fights out of the corner and scores with some running dropkicks. Archer slips out of the LeBell Lock and bails outside, where Danielson hits a running knee off the apron.

Back in and Danielson hits a missile dropkick, followed by the YES Kicks. Archer doesn’t care for that and hits a hard chokeslam, only to have the Blackout broken up with elbows to the face. Danielson’s sleeper is broken up so Danielson kicks him in the head three straight times. The running knee finishes Archer at 15:38.

Rating: B-. This was the latest instance of Danielson having a good match around to keep up with Ospreay. If nothing else I do like the idea of having Danielson face someone different than Ospreay as it adds a fresh direction. It’s always fun watching Danielson strike down a monster and Archer has enough credibility to make Danielson seem like a big deal here so well done.

Here is Chris Jericho on the stage to call out Hook so hit that signal. Cue Hook, with Jericho praising him and asking Hook to believe in him. Hook does, to the point where they can team together this week on Collision. Works for Jericho.

Shane Taylor Promotions are ready to face Hook and Jericho on Collision.

Jay White vs. Billy Gunn

Gunn jumps White on the stage during his entrance and the beating begins around ringside. They get inside, the bell rings, and White punches him out to the floor. The fight heads into the crowd as White can’t get anything going to start. White gets knocked back to ringside but avoids a superkick, which hits the steps instead. A clothesline puts White on the floor again though and we take a break.

Back with White unloading in the corner but Gunn runs him over again. We see the Acclaimed down in the back, with the distraction letting White set up the Blade Runner. The One And Only connects instead and Gunn grabs a chair. Cue the Gunns to beg for mercy though, allowing White to hit a low blow for the DQ at 11:39.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what this was but I think we can safely call it a bad miss. This was barely a match until the last minute and a half and then they went to a DQ (which is becoming more common around here). I’m liking the idea of the titles being unified, but this was really not a good way to help get us there. The fact that I had to pause this a few times out of pure boredom isn’t a good sign and it just got less interesting as it kept going.

Post match the beatdown is on until the Acclaimed make the save. The Gunns save White from going through the announcers’ table.

Willow Nightingale, with Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander, is feeling mother fluffin great about getting a TBS Title shot and talks about how she worked hard in this town for years. This is a home away from home for her and if she can be convinced she belongs here, anyone can do it. Now she’s ready to win the TBS Title and she thanks the fans for their love and support. Hathaway is proud of Willow’s win but here is Mercedes Mone to interrupt. She wants the winner of Willow and Hart, because money changes everything. Then Mone dances.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta vs. Young Bucks

Chuck Taylor and Sue are here with Cassidy and Beretta. Matt gets suplexed down to start but he’s back with the rolling northern lights suplex for two. The Bucks are sent to the floor where they trip Beretta down to take over. Matt even jumps on commentary to send us to a break. Back with Cassidy hitting a high crossbody but his double hurricanrana is blocked. Matt’s ram into an exposed turnbuckle is blocked but Cassidy gets knocked down anyway.

The EVP Trigger misses though and Cassidy’s top rope DDT gets two on Matt. Cassidy and Beretta hit their own TK river and it’s Soul Food into the half and half suplex to send Matt flying. Back up and Matt fires off some superkicks but stops to threaten Sue, who slaps him instead. The spike Strong Zero gets two on Matt with Nick making the save. Sue gives Trent the reviving kiss on the cheek….but Matt sends him into the exposed buckle. A rollup with tights pins Beretta at 12:28.

Rating: C+ This got some time but it never quite moved up to the higher level I was expecting. Cassidy and Beretta were a thrown together team but they did well in their limited time in the role. The Bucks have been all but penciled in for the finals since the tournament started so this was almost a formality, Not a bad match, but it seemed more built around Sue near the end and that’s not quite how a chance for a title shot should feel.

Post match the Bucks mock Sue before leaving. Beretta loads up the Big Hug but gives Cassidy a running knee instead. Chuck Taylor isn’t sure what to think as Beretta leaves. I haven’t been a big fan of the Best Friends stuff but this will be a big deal to a large portion of the AEW audience. Also more Beretta is a good thing.

Mariah May vs. Thunder Rosa

Toni Storm is on commentary and the winner gets the Dynasty title shot. Rosa chops away in the corner to start but May takes over and hits the running hip attack. Back up and Rosa hits a spinning faceplant before knocking May hard to the floor. May wins a strike out on the apron but gets hurricanranaed onto the floor. We take a break and come back with May striking away, followed by a Saito suplex. A Stratusphere is blocked so May hits a running knee for two instead. May Day is loaded up but Rosa reverses into a Backstabber, setting up the Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C+. They didn’t give Rosa much until she won in the end, though that’s what matters more than anything else. Rosa does need her title shot after never being defeated for the title and the ending should have May in some hot water with Storm. They might not have taken the most interesting route to get there but they got the title shot right, which is all that matters.

Penta El Zero Miedo wants a TNT Title shot against Adam Copeland next week on Dynamite.

Penta El Zero Miedo receives a TNT Title shot against Adam Copeland next week on Dynamite.

Here are Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe for the contract signing for Dynasty. Joe signs without saying anything but then warns Swerve before he can sign as well. He has been watching Swerve’s rise to the top but Swerve has received some bad information, saying that he’s going to win the World Title. Joe threatens violence and gives Swerve a chance to walk, but instead Swerve says he has wanted this moment his entire life.

Swerve has worked to get here and he’ll do anything to win the title. At Dynasty, he’s going to show that he’s every bit of the man Joe is. The fight is on but Joe breaks up a chain shot and chases Swerve off. The beatdown leaves Swerve down in the corner. Joe leaves but a bloody Swerve laughs and crawls over to sign the contract in his own blood. That’s fine with Joe, who comes back in to put Swerve through the table to end the show. Joe being freaked out by Swerve crawling to the contract was good, and it was entirely logical for Joe to come back and beat him up again.

Overall Rating: B-. This show had a bit of a different feel to it as it came off more focused on a few things than on several things at once. At the same time, they helped set things up for the next few weeks, including Dynasty. The action (save for Gunn vs. White) was good and it made for a pretty solid show all around. Nice show, and points for making it feel a bit different.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Hidden Blade
Bryan Danielson b. Lance Archer – Running knee
Billy Gunn b. Jay White via DQ when White hit Gunn low
Young Bucks b. Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy – Rollup with tights to Beretta,
Thunder Rosa b. Mariah May – Tijuana Bomb

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Collision
Date: March 30, 2024
Location: Budweiser Gardens, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s tournament time this week as we have two first round matches in the Tag Team Title tournament. Other than that, we have about three weeks to go before Dynasty and it is time to start hammering out the rest of the card. There is a chance we could see some of that tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is TNT Champion Adam Copeland for his Cope Open open challenge and he loves the crowd reaction. He’s done with Christian Cage and now it’s time for the title to be on the line.

TNT Title: Adam Copeland vs. ???

Copeland is defending and the open challenge is answered by….the returning Matt Cardona. They trade knockdowns into kickoffs and it’s an early standoff. An exchange of dropkicks give us a standoff as Schiavone runs down the card. Copeland gets him to the floor to take over but the Impaler on the apron is blocked with a rake to the eyes.

We take a break and come back with Cardona holding a chinlock with a knee in Copeland’s back. That’s broken up and stereo big boots leave them both down again. Cardona goes up but gets pulled down by the leg for his efforts. This time Copeland goes up and hits a top rope bulldog for two, followed by an Edge O Matic for the same.

Cardona bails to the floor so Copeland gives chase, only to get kicked low on the way back in. An Impaler gives Cardona two but Radio Silence (Rough Ryder) is countered into a buckle bomb. A sitout powerbomb gives Copeland two but the spear is countered into Radio Silence for two more. Cardona loads up a spear, only to have Copeland hit one of his own to retain at 13:26.

Rating: B-. This was a nice surprise though it’s still weird to me to see the serious Cardona. He deserves amazing credit for reinventing himself like this and turning a spot that cripples a lot of careers into something totally new. They were playing up the “we know each other really well” idea here but Copeland was just that much better. Good opener and Cardona was a bit of a treat as the challenger.

Post match the lights go out and Malakai Black is here, with Buddy Matthews jumping Copeland from behind. Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston run in for the save. The House vanishes and commentary hypes up Briscoe vs. Kingston for the Ring Of Honor World Title at Supercard Of Honor next Friday. This marks one more appearance than they’ve had together in Ring Of Honor this year so well done?

FTR isn’t sure if they’re the best team anymore but they want to be the first three time ROH Tag Team Champions. That means going through the Cinderella team of The Infantry tonight and so be it.

Tony Schiavone brings out Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed (rap not included) for a chat. Schiavone gets to the point of Bullet Club Gold invading Billy’s home on Rampage. Billy is ticked off and says White is always bragging about selling out Madison Square Garden. Billy: “I’ve done that so many times I’ve lost count.” Next week on Dynamite it’s vs. Billy, with Max Caster saying the Acclaimed and the Gunns should stay in the back. Bowens can’t blame White for running from Billy’s wife because she would have slapped the hair off his face. They’re ready for the Club.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: FTR vs. The Infantry

Wheeler takes Dean down to start but Dean is back with some armdrags into an armbar. Bravo comes in to face Harwood, who gets dropped by some dropkicks. The Infantry clears the ring so we settle down to Dean chopping away at Wheeler. A jumping elbow gets two but Wheeler powerslams a leaping Bravo out of the air for a nasty crash. Harwood’s top rope superplex drops Bravo and we take a break.

Back with Harwood chopping the soul out of Bravo but Dean is fine enough to hit a hue dive onto all three of them. Back in and Bravo’s high crossbody gets two on Harwood, followed by another high crossbody for another two on Harwood. Wheeler is back in with a powerbomb into a German suplex from Harwood into a rollup for two. Back up and the Infantry superkicks FTR into a neckbreaker for two on Wheeler but Harwood is sent into Dean to knock him outside. FTR collides with each other but Wheeler flips over Harwood to set up the Shatter Machine for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: B. The Infantry brought it here, which makes their near squash by the House Of Black all the more confusing. If you’re willing to let them have a close match against a great team, why not give them some more against the House? Anyway, this was an interesting one as you had FTR having trouble keeping up with the fast young team, only to eventually catch them. You could see Harwood’s face almost saying “gotcha” right before the Shatter Machine and that’s a great story, as the veterans take out the young upstarts by catching them rather than beating them.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks aren’t looking past Top Flight but they’re really not worried. They’ve beaten FTR before so they can do it again and prove just how great they are.

Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston and Mark Briscoe are ready for the House Of Black at Dynasty. Briscoe is down but wants a dogfight from Kingston at Supercard Of Honor. Kingston is ready to make the House spit up blood and teeth.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. JD Drake

Drake grabs an early cobra clutch before hitting a dropkick for two. A Vader Bomb misses for Drake though and O’Reilly strikes away. O’Reilly kicks him down and grabs the cross armbreaker for the tap at 2:36. It’s nice to see a fast match like that, as this didn’t need to go long and made O’Reilly feel that much more dangerous.

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom comes out to celebrate with O’Reilly, who just kind of goes with it.

We get a preview of Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Will Ospreay on Dynamite.

Tag Team Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Big Bill/Ricky Starks vs. Top Flight

Darius wrestles Starks down into an armbar to start and a snap suplex puts him down again. A slingshot hilo gives Darius two but it’s off to Bill, who has Darius a bit nervous. With the solo efforts not working, Top Flight dropkicks both of them to the floor. Starks offers a distraction though and a big boot drops Dante as we take a break.

Back with Bill missing a charge into the corner, allowing the tag off to Darius to pick up the pace. A Pele kick out of the corner catches Starks and a rollup gets….two, despite Starks not really moving. Darius uses Dante as a launchpad for a tornado DDT to pin Starks at 9:40 (about ten seconds after the weird near fall so someone seems to have gotten screwed up there).

Rating: C+. The ending was a bit odd but they recovered just fine and got the result they needed, which is all that matters. Top Flight moving on despite Bill and Starks’ confidence is a good way to go and FTR should have their hands even fuller with the more established team. Good match here, though Starks and Bill seemingly being finishes so fast is a bit disappointing.

Christopher Daniels wants Malakai Black on Rampage.

Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Frost

They go to the mat for some grappling to start until Rosa shoulders her down. Frost is back up with chops and boots in the corner but Rosa hits a hard clothesline as we take a break. Back with Rosa wining a slugout and hitting another clothesline. Rosa scores with the running dropkick against the ropes for two but Frost scorpion kicks her way out of trouble. Rosa isn’t having that though and hits a Backstabber, setting up the Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. There is nothing wrong with a match between a big star and a lower level opponent where said opponent gets in some offense before coming up short. That’s what we got here and it should move Rosa up a bit more before her likely title match at Dynasty. Frost continues to be someone who might not be moving up the ladder but she’s a solid enough opponent for a spot like this. That’s not a bad place to be and AEW seems to get that.

Post match Rosa shouts at the camera and demands respect from Toni Storm.

We go to the back with Toni Storm being told that next week it’s Thunder Rosa vs. Mariah May for the title shot at Dynasty. Storm turns to May, asks if this is what she has been planning all along….and then kisses her, saying she was a genius. Storm: “I see myself in you and I love me. What do you think about that eh Lightning Daffodil?” Everyone seems confused to wrap it up.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Will Ospreay.

Blackpool Combat Club/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Lance Archer/Righteous

Shibata strikes away at Archer to start and then kicks him down as commentary talks about Bobby Heenan. Dutch comes in and requests/receives Castagnoli, who he runs over with a shoulder. Castagnoli is back up with a rather impressive slam and it’s of to Danielson to strike away. The rapid fire kicks in the corner connect but Dutch runs him over without much trouble.

Danielson slugs away on Vincent (not Dutch, Tony) and hits a suicide dive on Dutch (yes Dutch, Tony). That earns him a whip into the barricade though and the villains take over as we take a break. Back with Danielson not quite being able to pull Dutch into the LeBell Lock. Instead Dutch pounds him down into the corner, only to miss a charge. Archer and Dutch take turns slamming each other onto Danielson for two but he manages t knock Dutch off the top.

A missile dropkick allows Danielson to get over for the tag off to Castagnoli for the showdown with Archer. Everything breaks down and Castagnoli and Shibata double team Archer. The Swing has Archer in more trouble and Castagnoli grabs the Sharpshooter. Orange Sunshine hits Danielson but Shibata makes a fast save. Archer chokeslams Castagnoli so Vincent can hit a Swanton for two. Shibata suplexes Vincent but Dutch breaks up the cross armbreaker. Shibata’s sleeper takes Vincent down and the PK finishes at 16:47.

Rating: B-. This was another showcase match for most of the Club plus Shibata, which only made for the most interesting main event. Archer and the Righteous continue to feel like a team who should be something of a deal but mainly serve to beat up jobbers and lose to bigger teams. That’s not a bad role for them, but it did make for a fairly long match before we got to whichever of the good guys got the win.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt like it was trying to have more in the way of importance, but it still feels like it pales in comparison to Dynamite. AEW could use a bit more of a balance between the two shows, but this was one of the stronger Collisions in a bit. Dynasty still doesn’t feel like the most important show, though Danielson vs. Ospreay will be enough to carry a lot of it. Good show here, with the wrestling overcoming the other issues, as usual.

Results
Adam Copeland b. Matt Cardona – Spear
FTR b. The Infantry – Shatter Machine to Bravo
Kyle O’Reilly b. JD Drake – Cross armbreaker
Top Flight b. Big Bill/Ricky Starks – Tornado DDT to Starks
Thunder Rosa b. Lady Frost – Tijuana Bomb
Blackpool Combat Club/Katsuyori Shibata b. Lance Archer/Righteous – PK to Vincent

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Rampage
Date: March 29, 2024
Location: Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re still in Canada and that could mean a rather rowdy crowd. I’m not sure what to expect around here, which is rather normal on this show anymore. The main event will see Matt Menard facing Roderick Strong in a non-title match, which could make for a hearty reaction. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Dustin Rhodes vs. The Butcher

This is billed as a “big time grudge match” and it was set up with a minute long promo on Dynamite. Butcher powers him into the corner to start but gets caught with a backslide for two. Back up and Butcher is ready for the drop down uppercut but gets low bridged to the floor for his efforts. Butcher snaps the arm over the top rope and it’s time to start in on said arm. They head outside with the arm being sent into the steps and post and we take a break with Dustin in trouble.

Back with Dustin getting two off a Code Red, setting up the clothesline comeback. Dustin rains down the right hands in the corner and grabs the snap powerslam for two. Butcher is right back with a quick crossface but Dustin is out rather quickly. The Final Reckoning finishes Butcher at 10:39.

Rating: C+. Rather basic stuff here and that is not a bad thing. It was more or less a way to get Dustin on the card for his periodical match and as usual it went well enough. Butcher continues to be fine as a midcard villain who can look intimidating and then lose to someone like Dustin for a quick moment.

Bullet Club Gold goes to Billy Gunn’s house and mess with stuff until Billy comes home and they drop the camera.

We recap the Tag Team Title tournament matches from Dynamite.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rose

Rose backs her into the corner to start but Purrazzo is right back with a shot to the arm. The arm is snapped and we hit the armbar before a crank with the legs gives Purrazzo two. Rose gets in some strikes but Purrazzo BLASTS HER with a pump kick. The Fujiwara armbar finishes for Purrazzo at 3:50.

Rating: C. Pretty much just a squash here with that pump kick looking awesome. Purrazzo wrecked her here and that is the kind of win that she needed after not doing so well against Toni Storm. Purrazzo still feels like she would be better as a villain but it might be a bit before we get there.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay.

Mariah May vs. Nikita

May is substituting for Toni Storm (who has injured her hamstring but won’t dare tell us how). A running shoulder sets up a basement dropkick to put Nikita down early and we take a break. Back with May hitting a running dropkick in the ropes but Nikita gets in some shots of her down. May shrugs that off and hits a headbutt, the hip attack and May Day for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C. This was more or less an extended squash and about half of it was during the break. May continues to be built up as the likely successor to Storm but we could be a good ways off from seeing that. The story is taking its sweet time and that is not a bad thing, but it would be nice to see May against someone other than the latest jobber.

Harley Cameron (playing with/tasting interviewer Lexi Nair’s hair) and Zak Knight aren’t worried about Angelo Parker, who runs in to beat Knight up with a pipe. Knight and Cameron run off so Ruby Soho is here to get mad at Parker for getting violent. She kisses him and leaves. This is one of the weirdest feuds as it has almost exclusively taken place backstage. Are we going to get a match out of this anytime soon?

The Righteous are weird.

Roderick Strong vs. Matt Menard

Non-title and the Kingdom is here with Strong. Menard yells at the Kingdom in French and the fans approve before Menard snaps off some armdrags. A breather on the floor goes badly for Strong as Menard is right on him with more forearms. Back in and a Kingdom distraction lets Strong get in a cheap shot, only to be knocked away as we take a break.

We come back with Menard fighting out of a seated abdominal stretch but getting pulled into a camel clutch. Menard Hulks Up though and hammers away, followed by a Rock Bottom for two. A Boston crab sends Strong over to the ropes so Menard cutters him for two. Back up and a Kingdom distraction lets Strong hit the jumping knee for the pin at 12:49.

Rating: C+. This is one of those things that Tony Khan tends to do, as this was about a hometown star getting a big match. That makes sense in theory, but at the same time, it was a nearly 13 minute Matt Menard match which wasn’t even for the title. That’s only so interesting in the first place and makes me think that a squash win for Menard would have been more effective. It likely would have been for the people watching.

Post match the beatdown is on until Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta run in for the save. Cue the Young Bucks to lay them out as well to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The key to enjoying Rampage is accepting that there are almost no stakes to anything here. This show was a one off match set up on Dynamite, a pair of squashes and a match designed to give the local fans a thrill before setting up the Young Bucks deal at the end. It does tie into some stories, but they are the lowest level stories going in AEW today. The wrestling is perfectly fine and it’s only an hour long so it doesn’t overstay its welcome. If you can accept that, you can have a good time here and that was the case this week, again.

Results
Dustin Rhodes b. The Butcher – Final Reckoning
Deonna Purrazzo b. Rose – Fujiwara armbar
Mariah May b. Nikita – May Day
Roderick Strong b. Matt Menard – Jumping knee

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Dynamite
Date: March 27, 2024
Location: Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Dynasty and the card is starting to come together. With Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay as the likely co-main event, we need someone to challenge Samoa Joe for the World Title. Odds are we’ll be finding that out tonight as Swerve Strickland faces Konosuke Takeshita. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata

The fans are behind Ospreay as Shibata takes him to the mat and an armbar sends Ospreay over to the ropes. Ospreay takes him down into a headscissors but Shibata slips out, only to miss a kick to the chest. Back up and Ospreay sends him to the floor and hits a dive, followed by the strikes to Shibata’s face. As usual, these have no effect and he suplexes Ospreay in the aisle. Back in and Shibata shrugs off some chops and hits another suplex as we take a break.

We come back with Ospreay being sent into the barricade but Ospreay scores with a Phenomenal Forearm for two back inside. Shibata is fine enough to hit a running boot in the corner and forearms him down. Ospreay fights up but gets chopped down and put into a quickly broken ankle lock.

Shibata’s kick is cut off and they trade forearms until Ospreay manages an enziguri for a double knockdown. Back up and Shibata grabs the sleeper for two arm drops, only for Ospreay to drape him in the ropes. A top rope kick to the head sets up the Oscutter for one and the running elbow gets two. Ospreay plants him with a tiger driver so Shibata sits up, meaning the Hidden Blade can finish him at 18:58.

Rating: B-. Yeah I’m going to get yelled at for this one but I cannot see the good in having Shibata no sell a bunch of stuff and then trade forearms for the better part of ever. Ospreay’s thing seems to be having one long match after another and while that can be entertaining, there’s something a bit off putting about Shibata just sitting there and waiting for the finisher. Ospreay looked good for the most part here, but these Shibata matches are not doing it for me and mostly never have.

Video on Bryan Danielson’s career, including his time before AEW.

The Young Bucks are proud of doing what they want, including retiring Sting. Now it’s time to get rid of their loss to Private Party. Oh and Renee Paquette needs to smile some more.

Kazuchika Okada arrives.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Young Bucks vs. Private Party

The Bucks pitch to Excalibur for an announcement of Double Or Nothing being in Las Vegas during their entrance for a very on point move. Matt takes Say down to start and everything breaks down, with Private Party hitting the superkicks. The Bucks head outside and there are the stereo dives. Silly String off the barricade drops Matt, leaving Nick and Quen to slug it out on said barricade. A Falcon Arrow off the barricade drops Quen on the floor and the Bucks try for the countout. With that not working, they drop Quen again inside and we take a break.

Back with Say getting the hot tag to clean house, including a kick to the head and an Asai moonsault to take out Nick on the floor. A springboard high crossbody gets two on Matt but he’s back up with a German suplex onto the apron to Quen. Say is back up with the save and it’s Gin and Juice to send Nick outside. More Bang For Your Buck hits Matt for two with Nick having to make the save. Quen tries a 630 but only hits mat (as opposed to Matt), setting up a totally botched EVP Trigger (Nick didn’t make contact) for the pin at 13:27.

Rating: B-. That ending took a lot of the air out of the place and that’s a shame as they were starting to cook until the last few minutes. The problem here is the story of the match was that Private Party scored a fluke upset on the Bucks about four and a half years ago. Things have changed quite a bit since then and it was a bit much to buy that happening again with a match that went fairly long. The Bucks winning is the only move to make here, but they could have done it a good bit faster.

Video on Konosuke Takeshita.

Darby Allin is with Tony Hawk and promotes Hawk’s skate park charity. His now canceled Mount Everest climb was going to benefit said charity, which is always nice to hear.

Chris Jericho praises Hook and offers to mentor him, with Hook accepting despite knowing what Jericho is all about.

Willow Nightingale vs. Anna Jay vs. Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

For a TBS Title shot and Mercedes Mone is on commentary. Statlander and Blue fight to the floor to start, leaving Nightingale to crush Jay in the corner. A basement crossbody gives Nightingale two but Blue is back in to kick Nightingale away. Blue DDTs Nightingale for two but Jay is back up. Nightingale heads outside to Pounce Blue and glares at Mone as we take a break.

Back with Jay and Blue kicking Nightingale to the floor but Statlander plants Blue for two. Jay superplexes Statlander but Nightingale makes the save with a backsplash to crush both of them. The Babe With The Powerbomb is countered with Blue’s hurricanrana, followed by Code Blue for two. Nightingale is back up to plant Blue on the apron with a Death Valley Driver, leaving Blue to roll Statlander up for two. Back in and the Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Jay at 9:49.

Rating: C. This was another match where there was too much going on at once and it hurt things a bit. It didn’t feel like there was anything in the way of a story to the match and instead it was four people doing a bunch of moves to each other until someone got the pin. At the same time, Mone was VERY subdued on commentary here and sounded somewhere between bored and tired, which is quite the change after her first appearances. Nightingale getting the title shot is good, but egads it would be nice for her to actually win a championship that mattered.

Post match Julia Hart jumps Nightingale from behind and glares down at Mone.

Dustin Rhodes talks about the talent level in AEW and how great all of his matches have been. Butcher comes in and the match is set up for Rampage. Dustin says he’s a natural born legend and Butcher will find out why everyone loves him.

Toni Storm is in the TCM studios with Ben Mankiewicz, who congratulates her for her accomplishments. Storm congratulates him for….whatever he does around here. She tries to get him to say her catchphrase and then drops a shoe.

Swerve Strickland is ready for Konosuke Takeshita.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta vs. Kingdom

Non-title and Chuck Taylor/Roderick Strong are here as well. Cassidy starts fast and they head to the floor, with Bennett hitting a big flip dive. That’s fine with Cassidy, who dives onto everyone for a crash. Back in and Beretta German suplexes Taven until Bennett makes the save. A piledriver on the apron knocks Beretta silly and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy coming in to clean house, including a high crossbody to Taven. The Stundog Millionaire takes Bennett down and Taven is sent outside, leaving Bennett to get hit with a spike Strong Zero for two. We pause for a hug but Strong offers a distraction, only to be pulled down by Taylor. Cassidy cuts Strong off, leaving Beretta to escape Hail Mary and roll Bennett up for the pin at 9:33.

Rating: B-. Now why do I have a feeling that Cassidy and Beretta, who were teaming in ROH earlier this month, are not going to be in line for an ROH Tag Team Title shot after beating the champions here? Other than that, this was a fast enough paced match, though I still could go for more of the Kingdom as a dangerous team. Cassidy and Beretta still feel like the Cinderella team in the whole thing though and that is a great spot for them.

Post match the Young Bucks come out for the staredown.

Kyle O’Reilly is still sure he’s doing this on his own.

Video on Adam Copeland winning the TNT Title back last week. The Cope Open is coming back.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Swerve Strickland

Don Callis is on commentary and Prince Nana is ringside. Takeshita takes over on the arm to start but Swerve flips away and grabs a rollup for two. A hard clothesline drops Strickland as we see Samoa Joe watching in the back. Swerve fights up and takes over, only to have Takeshita come back for the exchange of forearms. A backbreaker gives Swerve two but Takeshita grabs a heck of a brainbuster.

Swerve tries to get back up but is rocked with some forearms against the ropes. Takeshita misses a charge and gets German suplexed, only to forearm Swerve out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Swerve fighting out of a chinlock and sending Takeshita out to the floor. A running hurricanrana takes Takeshita down and a high crossbody connects for two back inside.

Swerve tries to strike away but his neck/shoulder gives out (thanks to the brainbuster earlier), leaving him to shoulder Takeshita in the ribs. Takeshita counters a rolling neckbreaker into a sitout F5 to send Swerve outside. The big flip dive takes Swerve down again but he’s able to break up a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle. A DDT out of the corner plants Takeshita but he’s right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.

Swerve is back up with a rolling Downward Spiral for two, only to miss the Swerve Stomp. Takeshita wheelbarrow suplexes him into the running knee for another near fall and they’re both down. Another Swerve Stomp misses so Swerve settles for an anklescissors into the corner. The House Call sets up the Swerve Stomp for two and Swerve is stunned. A standing stomp sets up the JML Driver to give Swerve the pin at 19:41.

Rating: A-. This is the kind of match I was hoping for when AEW started: two incredibly talented people getting the chance to showcase themselves on a big stage for the first time. The match told a story of Takeshita hurting Swerve early and Swerve having to fight around the injury and win in the end. Throw in some high impact offense and some hot near falls and this is one of the best matches I’ve ever seen on Dynamite. Loved this.

Overall Rating: B-. The show wasn’t their best effort for the most part but my goodness that main event was great. In other words, it felt like an In Your House and that is not the worst way to present television. The focus here was on setting up some things for Dynasty, with the TBS Title match officially being set and the Tag Team Title tournament getting rid of some teams. Not an excellent show, but dang check out that main event (and the opener, depending on your taste in Shibata).

Results
Will Ospreay b. Katsuyori Shibata – Hidden Blade
Young Bucks b. Private Party – EVP Trigger to Quen
Willow Nightingale b. Skye Blue, Kris Statlander and Anna Jay – Babe With The Powerbomb to Jay
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Kingdom – Rollup to Bennett
Swerve Strickland b. Konosuke Takeshita – JML Driver

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Dynamite
Date: March 20, 2024
Location: Coca Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’re north of the border this week and that means a big title match featuring some Canadians. In this case we have Adam Copeland challenging Christian Cage for the TNT Title in an I Quit match. Other than that, Kazuchika Okada is challenging for the Continental Crown, as the titles unified in the Continental Classic are already coming undone.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Mercedes Mone for a chat. She is so glad to be here and last week was so amazing. This is what she wants to do, but her dream was almost taken away from her ten months ago. We see a highlight reel of things she has done in and out of the ring before Mone talks about how she isn’t here to lea a revolution, because she has done that before. Instead, she is here to lead a GLOBAL revolution (that might not have been the best wording).

She wants to face some people and hits the catchphrase to wrap it up, but here are Julia Hart and Skye Blue. Mone fights them off but Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander run in with chairs for the save. The villains leave via blackout but Nightingale is still holding up the chair behind Mone. That gives us a standoff and egads standing in the ring talking is not Mone’s strong suit.

The Young Bucks mock Alex Marvez for not speaking Japanese to Kazuchika Okada. They won’t be ringside for the Continental Title match tonight but they will be on the headsets producing.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Eddie Kingston

Kingston is defending and only one of the three titles are on the line. They start slowly and take their time to lock up until Kingston hits a hard chop. Kingston knocks him out to the floor and the chase is on, with Okada jumping him on the way back in. Okada starts working on the arm and Kingston is down as we see the Bucks sitting next to Tony Khan producing the show. That great dropkick puts Kingston down again and we take a break.

Back with Kingston hitting a suplex and grabbing an STO for a needed breather. Kingston strikes away and hits another suplex but gets caught with the dropkick to put him back down. The elbow misses for Okada though and Kingston hits the spinning backfist for two. Back up and Kingston has to block the discus lariat before knocking Okada down again. A running clothesline scores for Kingston, whose half and half suplex is broken up with a rake to the eyes. An enziguri takes Okada down but another spinning backfist misses. Okada hits a powerslam, followed by the Rainmaker for the pin and the title at 15:50.

Rating: B-. That was a pretty definitive win for Okada and so much for Kingston’s big run. There’s no shame in losing to a star like Okada, but egads they’re really splitting up the titles they unified less than three months ago. Odds are the NJPW Strong Title goes away, leaving the Continental Title and the ROH Title, which makes the unified deal feel all the more worthless in the first place. Also: we are 16 days away from ROH’s Supercard Of Honor and the TV, Tag Team and World Champions have all lost on AEW TV this month alone.

Post match Pac comes out for the staredown and we likely have a Dynasty match.

Swerve Strickland suggests Samoa Joe is scared of him because of the chain. We’re in Toronto tonight and he wants to fight so the open challenge is on.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander are ready for their street fight with Julia Hart and Skye Blue tonight. Mercedes Mone interrupts and says she has Statlander’s back tonight. Willow looks to say something but Mone says she’s done enough. Stokely Hathaway brings up Nightingale breaking Mone’s leg and Statlander isn’t pleased. I would sincerely hope they aren’t trying to turn Willow heel out of all this. Statlander sure, but Willow feels like the definition of someone born to be good.

Chris Jericho vs. Hook

Non-title and Hook suplexes him down at the bell. We pause for the referee to check on Jericho before he fires off some chops. A reverse t-bone suplex drops Jericho for two as it’s pretty much one sided to start. Jericho cuts him off with a shot to the head but a string of German suplexes drop Jericho again.

We take a break and come back with Jericho still being suplexed and Hook strolling around the ring. Jericho finally reverses a suplex and hits some shoulders but Hook suplexes him again. A big boot “hits” for Jericho and he scores with the Lionsault for a delayed two. Back up and Jericho tries a suplex but instead kind of drops Hook on his face. They go up top but Hook grabs Redrum, which has Jericho down in the middle. Jericho slips out and throws some VERY slow punches until Hook reverses into a cradle for the pin at 10:51.

Rating: C-. Well that didn’t go well for Jericho, and I’m not sure where this is leading. Given what happened with Jericho when Powerhouse Hobbs squashed him, I can’t imagine it’s going to go well for Hook, but he was basically Brock Lesnar to Jericho’s John Cena out there. The Redrum should have been the finish, but odds are we’re going to be seeing these two together for a lot longer.

Adam Cole is furious about Wardlow losing last week and says it is Wardlow’s job to keep the gold in the Undisputed Kingdom. Don’t screw it up.

Post break Chris Jericho says he wanted to face Hook, who showed him a lot tonight. Hook is as much of a bad man as people say he is and next week, Jericho will have a proposition for him.

Here is Will Ospreay for a chat. He was a little bit of a naughty boy the last time he was here and now he is here for the betterment of AEW. Ospreay apologizes for what he did to Kenny Omega in Toronto, but in return for his elite wrestling he needs….some of that maple syrup! As for Bryan Danielson, he hopes that you saw him face Katsuyori Shibata on Collision. When Ospreay went over to Japan (“Where you wanted to be a big star.”), he saw Danielson’s shoes, but they weren’t big enough for Ospreay.

What Danielson did in Japan was great, but Ospreay elevated wrestling over there. Ospreay lists off his accomplishments in Japan and now he’s ready to prove he can walk in his shoes. He met Shibata before but now he has cats, dogs and a mortgage to pay. The challenge is mad for next week and since Tony Khan is apparently watching the show from Shibata’s house, the match is made official about ten seconds later.

Video on Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage.

Mariah May/Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo/Thunder Rosa

It’s a brawl to start with May taking Purrazzo down so it’s off to Storm. Rosa comes in to strike away in the corner and a sliding clothesline gets two on Storm. A Luther distraction lets Storm knock Rosa outside though and we take a break. Back with Purrazzo striking away at May but not being able to get the Fujiwara armbar. Instead Purrazzo boots her in the ace but Rosa tags herself in, which Purrazzo doesn’t like. Rosa comes in to plant May but gets German suplexed by Storm. The hip attack connects, only to have Rosa roll Storm up for the pin at 7:10.

Rating: C. Again, a seven minute match does not need to have a commercial in the middle. The ending came out of nowhere but Rosa vs. Storm is a fresh match as we shift away from Purrazzo challenging. May seems to be the long term goal, but Rosa, who never lost the title in the first place, will do just fine for now.

Swerve Strickland vs. The Butcher

Swerve starts fast by knocking him into the corner, setting up the middle rope elbow to the back. A half nelson backbreaker puts Swerve down though and Butcher hits him in the face a few times. Back up and Swerve kicks him down, setting up the House Call. Butcher sits down for a good while, allowing Swerve to hit the Swerve Stomp into something like a short armscissors for the tap at 3:22.

Rating: C. This was perfectly acceptable booking as Butcher is just established enough to make Swerve work but not enough to be a threat to him. Swerve took a few shots but fought back and won clean. It’s exactly what it needed to be and I can always go for something logical and efficient.

Post match Swerve grabs his chain and says he keeps thinking about using it to choke Samoa Joe out. Every week, Joe can send security after him and Swerve will keep beating them up until Joe gives him what he wants. Cue Joe to interrupt, saying contrary to what Swerve believes, Joe beat him at Revolution. Joe says he has learned what to do with someone like Swerve: give him exactly what he wants.

Cue Don Callis of all people to interrupt, saying Konosuke Takeshita and Swerve Strickland have the same amount of wins. Takeshita is undefeated outside of the Don Callis Family so maybe he needs to show Swerve whose house this is. Swerve is in to face Takeshita, and then he’s coming for Joe. Yay more Callis N Pals.

TNT Title: Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage

Cage is defending in an I Quit match. Copeland starts fast and they go out to the floor with the brawl heading into the crowd. Copeland grabs a Boston Bruins jersey to put over Cage before grabbing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey for himself (the fans approve). Cage is knocked around even more as we take a break. Back with Copeland bridging a ladder between the announcers’ table and the barricade. An Edge O Matic onto the ladder has Cage in more trouble and we get a breather.

The ladder is turned upside down inside, where Cage is dropped ribs first onto said ladder. A table is set up against the barricade but Cage breaks up the spear attempt. The busted open Copeland is staggered and Cage hits a dive off the top to send him through the table. Back in and Copeland is catapulted into a ladder but still won’t quit. A quick Grindhouse is broken up and they both try spears at the same time for a double knockdown.

We take a break and come back with Cage being launched off the stage but cue Mother Wayne with a hockey stick to hit Copeland low. Cage sticks away inside and it’s time for a barbed wire chair. The Conchairto is loaded up but Copeland moves just in time. Neither can hit a Killswitch onto the ladder so Copeland hits him with the hockey stick. The Grindhouse, with the stick in Cage’s mouth, gets an incoherent answer so Copeland uses the draw string from his tights.

Cue the Patriarchy for the save but cue Matt Menard and Daniel Garcia for the save. Copeland sets up a ladder and dives onto the Patriarchy before handcuffing them in the corner. Mother Wayne runs away and cage gets speared down, meaning he can be cuffed as well. A low blow isn’t enough for Cage to quit so Copeland kicks him several more times. Spike (the 2×4 with nails) is pulled out for a major low blow….and the video goes off for a second (presumably the end of Dynamite/the start of Rampage), only to come back with Copeland loading up a shot to the head. That’s enough for Cage to quit at 25:43.

Rating: B. There was quite a bit here (to say the least) but it feels like a nice cap on the whole feud. Copeland getting the win in what very well may be the final match between the two in his hometown is a good way to go, with the rapid fire low blows in the corner feeling like the kind of humor these two would love. At the same time, I can’t help but think the lure of a ladder/TLC match will be too much for the two of them/AEW to resist.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where the opener and main event bookended the show well, but the wrestling in the middle left a good bit to be desired. Mone was still a focal point here and does come off as a star but we still need to see what they have planned for her first feud. Other than that, you had some things teased for the coming weeks plus Dynasty, but this was all about the main event and it worked well enough.

Results
Kazuchika Okada b. Eddie Kingston – Rainmaker
Hook b. Chris Jericho – Rollup
Deonna Purrazzo/Thunder Rosa b. Mariah May/Toni Storm – Rollup to Storm
Swerve Strickland b. The Butcher – Short armscissors
Adam Copeland b. Christian Cage when Cage quit

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

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