Rampage
Date: November 4, 2022
Location: Jim Whalen Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Mike Tyson, Tony Schiavone

You might notice an interesting guest star here as Iron Mike Tyson is making another appearance for the company. I’m not sure how well that is going to go, but Tyson is likely going to bring some energy. The big match this week is a special appearance by Katsuyori Shibata as he challenges Orange Cassidy for the All-Atlantic Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Mike Tyson gets a special entrance.

Video on Katsuyori Shibata, who hits people very hard and is back after what appeared to be a career ending injury.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Cassidy is defending. They stare each other down so Shibata grabs a headlock takeover. A headscissors gets Cassidy out of trouble before cranking on the ankle. Shibata misses the big kick to the head and gets forearmed off the apron, setting up the suicide dive. Back up and Shibata sends him into the barricade a few times, allowing the sitdown pose back inside. Cassidy shrugs it off and sends him into the barricade as well but they both have to dive back inside to beat the count.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy hitting a running corner dropkick and the lazy kicks for the mind games. The lazy superkick is blocked though and now Cassidy is willing to pick up the pace. Shibata cuts him off with an STO (as called by Tyson) and hits his own lazy kicks. That makes Cassidy sit down as well, with Shibata sitting right in front of him. Cassidy gently slaps him so Shibata BLASTS HIM with a forearm before unloading in the corner.

Back up and they knock each other down, allowing us to look at Tyson watching the match. It’s Cassidy up first with a running penalty kick so Shibata tells him to do it again. That’s what Cassidy does before more kicks have no effect. A big running kick manages to knock Cassidy do but Shibata is back up with something like an Orange Punch to knock Cassidy silly. The octopus goes on and they fall to the mat, where Cassidy gets his foot on the rope.

The Stundog Millionaire gets Cassidy out of trouble and he fires off some lazy Kawada kicks. Shibata is right back with a Death Valley Driver but Cassidy counters another one into a Stunner. The Beach Break gives Cassidy two and the Orange Punch….doesn’t actually knock Shibata down. Instead Shibata is up with the choke before suplexing Cassidy back down. The Penalty kick is loaded up but Cassidy pops to his feet for the Orange Punch to retain at 11:10.

Rating: B-. This is going to be an example of “your mileage may vary” and I’m not overly surprised. The match felt like something you see at a Wrestlemania weekend independent show with the question of “wouldn’t it be cool if these two faced each other?”. It was a completely fine way to go and I’m sure Shibata’s fans are happy to see him. Cassidy is one of the most oddball people around but he did well here and it was a bit of a treat, even if not what you would expect Shibata to do.

Respect is shown post match and Cassidy gives Shibata his sunglasses, while also cracking a smile.

That’s it for Tyson, making it a rather forgettable cameo, though he did sound happy to be there.

Toni Storm thinks Britt Baker is manipulating Jamie Hayter but she’ll be ready at Full Gear.

The Blackpool Combat Club isn’t happy with Chris Jericho going too far against Ring Of Honor. Why is he going after non-wrestlers like Ian Riccaboni? If Jericho wants to go after the Ring Of Honor World Champions, come after Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson. William Regal tells Jericho to make his choice.

Jamie Hayter/Britt Baker vs. Skye Blue/Madison Rayne

Rebel is here with the villains. Rayne takes Hayter into the corner to start and Blue cuts Hayter off with a raised boot. A high crossbody gives Blue two but Hayter cuts her off with a hot shot as we take a break. Back with Hayter and Blue knocking each other down, allowing Blue to kick Baker in the head as well for the tag off to Rayne.

House is cleaned and a neckbreaker gets two on Baker, followed by a cutter for a bonus. Hayter is back in with what looked like a chokebreaker to Rayne but Blue gives her a Backstabber. Baker kicks Blue down and hits the fisherman’s neckbreaker for two on Rayne. The villains hit stereo superkicks and Hayter adds the ripcord lariat for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C. They kept this moving and the match wound up being a nice showcase for Hayter on the way to her title match. Hayter has impressed a lot in recent weeks and that very well could continue through Full Gear. Blue and Madison are good target practice who can still do fairly well in the ring, making this a completely acceptable match.

Post match Baker mocks Toni Storm and promises Hayter is winning the title at Full Gear. Cue Storm, who drops Rebel with one hand, beats up Baker and Thesz presses Hayter to start the brawl. As you would in any fight, Storm grabs a Texas Cloverleaf but Baker comes in with a belt shot to knock her silly. Hayter gets to hold up the title.

We look at Chris Jericho calling out Lamar Jackson on Dynamite, plus the Baltimore Ravens (Jackson’s team) tweeting a response to Jericho. That’s the kind of publicity AEW can/should brag about.

Tony Schiavone talks to Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho about the Blackpool Combat Club’s challenge. Jericho is thinking about saying both, because the Club doesn’t like each other. So how about the three of them and Sammy in a four way for the title. Jericho suggest that Sammy would “do the right thing”, which doesn’t seem to sit well with him.

Here is Ricky Starks for a chat. Starks asks if you can hear the crowd reaction because he knows people are asking to see him get on TV. He has never had to ask the fans to have his back because they know he can deliver. The people like to see him do the pose and he likes them too.

There is a question that people want to know and that is about the eliminator tournament. Starks is one of those six answers, because he is officially entering. Things are crumbling around here (probably shouldn’t say that) but he is going to hold it up on his bare back. He’s ready to face Jon Moxley or MJF because he is Ricky Freaking Starks. Good stuff here, as I can always go for more of Starks, especially when he is fired up.

Sammy Guevara is ready to keep the Ring Of Honor World Title in the Jericho Appreciation Society, but for now he wants to talk about Bryan Danielson. He wants a rematch and he wants it next week on Dynamite, 2/3 falls.

Samoa Joe/Wardlow and the Gates of Agony are ready for each other. Oh and Wardlow wants Powerhouse Hobbs to come get him.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

We get the brackets for the Full Gear tournament:

Eddie Kingston
Ethan Page

Bandido
Rush

Lance Archer
Ricky Starks

Brian Cage
Dante Martin

Samoa Joe/Wardlow vs. Gates of Agony

Prince Nana is here with the Gates. Wardlow misses a clothesline to Kaun to start but is fine enough to drive him into the corner. A clothesline drops Kaun again before Wardlow opts to just hammer away at the head. Joe comes in and slugs at Loa before hitting the corner enziguri. Kaun gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Loa runs Joe over for two.

We take a break and come back with Joe fighting out of a dropkick and Rock Bottoming him out of the corner. Wardlow comes back in for a bunch of German suplexes as everything breaks down. The wind up punch drops Kaun and Wardlow shrugs off a knee to the face. The four movement Powerbomb Symphony finishes Kaun at 9:11.

Rating: C. What am I supposed to say about this? The Gates of Agony have been around for seven months, they haven’t won a two on two tag match since July (when the other team split up mid match) and there was no reason to believe they were going to win here. This was a good example of a match where it felt like Ring Of Honor was shoehorned in and it did not help things in the slightest.

Post match Powerhouse Hobbs comes out to stare down Wardlow to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is more or less the standard Rampage: fun opener, nothing middle match, and something Ring of Honor related in the main event. While it might be a pretty good show, other than an announcement about an upcoming Ring of Honor Title match, absolutely none of this stuff felt important. Shibata vs. Cassidy was little more than a fun curiosity match, Hayter is set for the title match and the Gates of Agony have never felt important around here. Rampage has very little excitement most of the time and I can’t imagine wanting to go to one of these shows, special commentator (for one match) or not.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Katsuyori Shibata – Orange Punch
Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter b. Skye Blue/Madison Rayne – Ripcord lariat to Rayne
Samoa Joe/Wardlow b. Gates of Agony – Powerbomb Symphony to Kaun

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: October 18, 2022
Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re here for a big show as there are several titles on the line. The main event will see Jon Moxley defending the World Title against Hangman Page, with MJF hanging over their heads. The Trios Titles and the Interim Women’s Title are on the line too as the card is rather stacked. Let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the endzone, slightly to the left of the ring.

Opening sequence.

Trios Titles: Death Triangle vs. Best Friends/Orange Cassidy

Death Triangle is defending. Trent shoulders Pac down to start and they trade some jumps until Trent hits a clothesline. Everything breaks down (What took them so long?) and Fenix hits a heck of a Swanton for two on Chuck, who is back up to toss Fenix into something like a spear. The Friends’ triple splash is broken up and Death Triangle hit the stereo running flip dives to the floor.

We settle down to Pac kicking Cassidy in the back of the head and Fenix taking him into the corner as we take a break. Back (after missing a Tower of Doom in the break, because of course that was in the break) with Trent fighting back and hitting a tornado DDT out of the corner on Fenix. The champs take the Friends down though and an assisted Codebreaker into a bridging German suplex gets two.

Chuck hits a stuff piledriver on Penta and Trent follows with a more regular version, setting up the big hug. The assisted splash gets two with Pac making another save. Pac grabs the hammer but Fenix takes it away, allowing Cassidy to grab a rollup for two. The Orange Punch connects and it’s back to Trent, who counters Penta’s Canadian Destroyer attempt into Strong Zero for two. Fenix comes back in for the spinning kick to Trent’s face and the Black Fire Driver retains the titles at 11:45.

Rating: B. You know what you’re getting with a match like this (as we saw it when the champs won the titles in the first place) and they delivered just that, with all kinds of flips, dives and hard shots. That being said, who is supposed to be a serious threat to Death Triangle and will actually be in contention for the belts? There are a lot of trios in AEW, but I don’t know how many could be seen as major challengers. For now though, this was a perfect choice to start the show as they kept the energy high the whole time.

Post match, the Lucha Bros remind Pac that he doesn’t need the hammer.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page for the AEW World Title later tonight. Moxley is glad to be back home and Page knows he can beat Moxley to win the title again.

Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter, with Rebel, promise to win the AEW Women’s Title by the end of the year (with Baker making sure to drop the interim moniker). Hayter doesn’t do the DMD taunt though.

Interim Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Toni Storm

Storm is defending. Feeling out process to start with Shida taking her down and going to the apron, only to get hip attacked out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Shida hitting a jumping knee and raining down right hands in the corner. A missile dropkick gives Shida two and an enziguri drops Storm again.

Storm is fine enough to catch Shida on top but a headbutt gets her out of trouble. Shida’s top rope Meteora gets two but Storm grabs a German suplex. The running hip attack in the corner connects, only to have Shida come back with a kind of suplex into a powerslam for two more. Storm blocks the Katana and grabs a bridging German suplex for two of her own. A springboard tornado DDT sets up Storm Zero to retain the title at 8:44.

Rating: C+. Storm continues to do her part in these matches but it still feels like she is the fourth or so biggest star in the division while holding a temporary title. Her value feels like it has plummeted and there is little chance of it bouncing back anytime soon. This was a strong win for her, but until she is treated like a bigger deal, it isn’t going to change much.

Post match Jamie Hayter and Rebel come in to jump Storm from behind, with Britt Baker, in a Pittsburgh Steelers (huge Cincinnati Bengals rivals) jersey, joining in. Cue Saraya to jump Baker and the fight is on in the aisle. They fight into the crowd and Riho makes her return to save Storm. How many women are being treated as a bigger deal than Storm now? Five? Six?

We look at the Kingdom returning on Rampage, with Samoa Joe and Wardlow not being pleased. Joe and Wardlow are ready to fight them in any fashion, so pick a title and come get it.

FTR talks about all the titles they have won but they want the AEW Tag Team Titles. They’re coming for them, but Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee come in to interrupt. Swerve thinks that just because FTR has been #1 contenders for six months, they aren’t getting the title shot right now. Lee agrees for once so we’ll have a #1 contenders match next week. Lee: “Indubitably.” Swerve: “What? WHAT?”

Jay Lethal wants a rematch with Darby Allin because Allin beating him two weeks ago was a fluke. Allin says sure to the rematch and trash is talked until the fight is on. They fight towards a garage door, which is lowered onto Allin’s ribs. Lethal goes around to the other side of the door and puts the Figure Four on Allin’s dangling legs for a visual that was way funnier than it should have been.

William Regal is in the ring with Tony Schiavone but MJF interrupts before they can get anywhere (for the non-Moxley pop of the night so far). Regal loads up the brass knuckles but MJF says he’s here to tell a story instead of fight. MJF talks about being 19 years old and training at the Create A Pro wrestling school under Brian Myers and Pat Buck (who MJF calls good guys).

Then one day, he was told that he got WWE extra work, which was the best thing he ever could have hoped for. He went to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where he was put under the care of Regal. The extras were told to have tryout matches in front of Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Adam Pearce and Regal himself. MJF was up second and he knew he was fighting for his life, because wrestling is his lief. After winning the match, Regal said follow him.

They went to another room and Regal said MJF had three minutes to sell himself. MJF finished talking and Regal’s jaw was on the floor, with Regal saying he was getting him a job that day. It was then that MJF knew he had made it and he wasn’t going to be a “five foot nothing, ADD riddled little Jew boy”. Then Regal asked him how old he was and MJF said 19, which Regal said was way too young. Fans: “YOU F***** UP!”

Regal then made things better, by saying that when he put his name on people, they got jobs in WWE. The names he had put his names on were Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli. Regal told him to send him a match and promo every month. MJF did that for two months, but then in the third month, Regal sent him an email that MJF has saved to his phone to this very day. MJF: “Smirk all you want you son of a b****.”

He pulls out his phone and reads an email from Regal talking about how MJF didn’t have the abilities yet and to stop contacting him because WWE only hired the best in the world. “When you’re one of them, then maybe send me your stuff.” It had MJF ready to kill himself but he knew that would have proven every right. Now the tables have turned and Regal is a sad, withered old man who got FIRED.

Regal has snuck into MJF’s company and MJF is a 26 year old kid who is a generational talent. MJF is ready to make more money in the Bidding War Of 2024 and he reads that email when he needs a good laugh. He’s ready to win the AEW World Title because he is better than Regal and Regal knows it.

Regal grabs the mic and asks if MJF is done. MJF mentioned being nineteen, but when Regal was sixteen, he left home and was fighting grown men to make a living in this business. He likes what he sees in MJF because he knew MJF was going to be a big star. Regal wanted to light a fire under him, but he remembers crawling into bed every night with blood coming out of every part of his body. It was not going to make him quit though because Regal was going to make a living as a professional wrestler.

If an email has kept MJF angry for seven years, MJF has had it easy. Regal has told him to practice enough to make people notice him and yes he can see the talent in Regal. Before MJF was born, Regal was insulting Tony Schiavone but he never put a hand on Schiavone. Regal is an Ordinary Decent Villain, because he would only put his hands on people who stepped through these ropes to face him as fair game. For now though, MJF hasn’t proven a thing.

Just making money doesn’t prove anything because MJF hired people to do things for him. MJF wears a rung to knock people out, whereas Regal used the brass knuckles because he liked hitting people with them. If MJF wants to be the devil, make a name for yourself and do it right, but keep your hands off the wrong people. Regal turns his back to MJF and tells him to be the devil instead of taking his own way out. MJF loads up the ring and Regal opens his arm to give him a free shot, but MJF can’t do it. Regal turns back around and shakes his head, saying MJF still has a lot to prove. MJF isn’t sure what to do as Regal leaves.

I believe the term here is “whoa”, as this was one of the best exchanges I’ve seen in a very long time. What mattered here was that it felt real, as MJF made me feel everything that he went through with a gutwrenching story. Now MJF believes that he has gotten where he wants to be, but Regal cut him right back down by saying he is still just pretending to be great rather than having actually accomplished anything. MJF wants to be great and now he has to do it, which could provoke quite the change in him. This was incredible storytelling with some amazing emotions and it is absolutely worth your time to see.

Video on Dalton Castle vs. Chris Jericho for the Ring Of Honor World Title.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn doesn’t think much of Mark Sterling trying to take away the idea of scissoring. They’re ready for the Varsity Athletes on Friday though, titles vs. trademark. The audio of this kept cutting out in the arena so no one had any idea what they were saying.

Bryan Danielson and Wheeler Yuta sit down with Renee Paquette, with Danielson talking about how disappointed he is about losing his Ring Of Honor Title shot against Chris Jericho last week. He is also disappointed in Daniel Garcia, who has potential to be even better than Danielson. Yuta doesn’t seem impressed by what Danielson says about Garcia. Yuta asks how Danielson doesn’t see what Garcia is doing when everyone else does. The blood they have spilled means something to the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club, but maybe not to Danielson. Oh dear.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Dalton Castle vs. Chris Jericho

Castle is challenging and comes to the ring after rising off a throne and with an army of Boys. Ian Riccaboni is on commentary to make this feel more Ring Of Honorish. Jericho brings Jake Hager with him, which is noteworthy because of Hager’s snazzy purple hat. Castle teases pulling something out of his trunks but goes with a middle finger instead. Jericho knocks him outside though and Castle needs a lap around the ring, with the Boys of course.

Back in and Castle sends Jericho flying with some suplexes before throwing the Boys out onto Hager, eventually knocking him down. We take a break and come back with Jericho chopping away in the corner but Castle reverses for some strikes of his own. Castle sends him onto the turnbuckle and hits a running knee to knock Jericho outside. There’s the suicide dive and a hurricanrana takes Jericho down again.

Hold on though as the Boys give Hager quite the weak beatdown as Jericho and Castle hit stereo crossbodies. The Boys take Hager’s hat, causing Hager to yell I LOVE THAT HAT. He destroys said Boys and gets his hat back, which is enough of a distraction for Jericho to try the Walls. That’s countered into the Julie Newmar (because Castle’s choke is called the Julie Newmar), which is countered into the Walls.

The long crawl makes the rope to get Castle out of trouble, meaning Jericho needs to pose. They slug it out from their knees until Castle counters the Lionsault into a German suplex for a close two. The Codebreaker is countered into the Bang A Rang for two more and that’s about it for Castle’s chances for the upset. Back up and they slug it out again until Jericho hits the Judas Effect to retain at 12:27.

Rating: B. There was good and bad here, as Castle is so incredibly entertaining, though Jericho kicked out of his finisher and then pinned him clean to retain. Jericho going over Ring Of Honor doesn’t do much for me, but I can always go for more Castle. Throw in the Boys being rather hilarious and Hager’s very funny reaction to the hat and this was good, Jericho’s latest mega push aside.

Post match the Jericho Appreciation Society comes out to celebrate his win, with Jericho talking about how he wanted to destroy everything from Ring Of Honor. This includes commentators, so the Society goes to get Ian Riccaboni. Hold on though as Jerry Lynn (former Ring Of Honor World Champion) comes out for the save, earning himself a beatdown. Jericho Tombstones (very safely) Lynn onto the title.

Video on Luchasaurus/Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy. Christian thinks quite a bit of Luchasaurus.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

The Baddies have yet to get the TNT Title back for Jade Cargill. Cue Jade, in a Reds jersey, to say she better get it back on Rampage or she’s holding the show hostage for an hour. You hear that Tony Khan?

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley is defending and gets the superstar pop you knew he would get as MJF, with poker chip, is watching from a box. Page jumps Moxley during his entrance underneath the crowd (and underneath me) with the fight starting away from the ring. A suplex on the floor drops Moxley and page heads up into the crowd and moonsaults down onto Moxley, without even taking off his vest.

We take a break and come back with the fight at ringside, the bell seemingly having rung and, say it with me, Moxley busted open. Page grabs another suplex and kicks Moxley in the head, only to get pulled into a quick Figure Four. Page goes for the eyes for the break as he is in full on heel mode here. Moxley hammers away in the corner but Page is right back with the fall away slam into the nip up but Moxley is right back with a jumping cutter.

The right hands in the corner keep Page in trouble and there’s the back rake on the middle rope. Moxley superplexes him back down before stomping away at the head. The threat of a cross armbreaker sends Page bailing to the rope….and MJF has left his box. They fight to the apron, where Moxley’s piledriver is countered into the Dead Eye as we take a break. Back with Page hitting a super fall away slam for two and a heck of a discus lariat. Page gets a running start and Moxley BLASTS him with a clothesline….and Page isn’t getting up. The doctor comes in to check on Page and the match is stopped at 12:44.

Rating: B. First and foremost: AEW has announced that Page suffered a concussion and was released from the hospital a few hours after the show. That could have been so much worse so now we can get on with the match. I’m never sure how to rate a match that ends out of nowhere with what seems to be a rather legitimate injury like that one. They were having the main event style match here though and it was starting to cook at the end before everything got cut off. The big thing that I took out of this one was that I could go for a Page heel run, as he was pretty awesome playing one here.

The referee and doctor check on Page, whose arm and legs are moving. William Regal comes to the ring and the cameras look at anything other than Page. We talk about what is coming on Rampage and next week’s Dynamite as a stretcher is brought out. The bottom rope had to be loosened to get Page out. Moxley also got on the mic and said some rather un-PG things off camera.

The camera goes back on him, with Moxley saying he hopes Page is safe and 100% so he can come back and do it again for these fans. Moxley still has some energy in him and he wants MJF out here right now. Cue MJF and he’s got his own referee with him. MJF takes his shirt off (looking by far the best he’s looked in AEW) but he’ll wait on the cash-in for Full Gear because he wants to do it the right way. Moxley promises to put various parts of himself and his gear into and onto MJF at Full Gear to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This was MUCH better on TV than it was live, which is a weird flip of the norm but I’ll definitely take a series of pretty awesome matches and a likely all time promo for two hours. MJF seems to be gearing up for the major run of his career (so far) and there were multiple good matches throughout to back it up. Very strong show here, even if didn’t come across that way in the arena.

Results
Death Triangle b. Best Friends/Orange Cassidy – Black Fire Driver to Trent
Toni Storm b. Hikaru Shida – Storm Zero
Chris Jericho b. Dalton Castle – Judas Effect
Jon Moxley b. Hangman Page via referee stoppage

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: October 12, 2022
Location: Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’re up north this week and out of the United States (at least on land) for the first time. The main events feature a grand total of one American as we have Bryan Danielson challenging Chris Jericho for the Ring Of Honor World Title and Pac defending the All-Atlantic Title against Orange Cassidy. Let’s get to it.

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

We start hings off with the debut of the newest member of the broadcast team: Renee Paquette (Young). That’s a good addition to the team, as long as she stays out of the broadcast booth. She brings out Christian Cage, who insults Toronto and then brings in Luchasaurus.

Jungle Boy vs. Luchasaurus

Christian Cage is on commentary. Jungle Boy goes after him to start but gets powered into the corner. The uppercut off the top sends Luchasaurus to the floor and it’s already time for a table. Jungle Boy is in big trouble as the table is set up outside and we take a break. Back with Luchasaurus missing a charge and going into the post, meaning he staggers up to the apron. The running sunset bomb sends Luchasaurus through the table, which is enough for Christian to come down to the ring.

Jungle Boy works on the arm some more, including wrapping it around the ropes. That’s fine with Luchasaurus, who hits a left handed chokeslam for two. Some shots to the head get Jungle Boy out of trouble and a crucifix bomb gets two more. A Killswitch gives Jungle Boy another near fall but the Snare Trap is broken up. Jungle Boy goes to the top but a Christian distraction lets Luchasaurus get slammed off the top. The Cutthroat Driver finishes Jungle Boy at 14:04.

Rating: C+. It was a hard hitting fight and Jungle Boy losing is questionable, but there is one thing that caught my attention here. What was the point of the table spot? It was in the middle of the match, Luchasaurus barely sold it and it changed almost nothing. If that’s all you’re going to do with it, why even include it? If you need a table spot to pop the crowd, work out a better match.

The Firm and Matt hardy/Private Party get into it in the back. The Hardy vs. Ethan Page match is set for Rampage, with Private Party’s freedom on the line. If Matt wins they’re gone, but if Matt loses, Private Party and Matt are in the Firm. Why would you want Matt Hardy on your team?

Samoa Joe/Wardlow vs. The Factory

It’s a brawl to start until we settle down to Joe walking away from Solo’s dive. Wardlow slams Comoroto down and it’s a Swanton to make it worse. Joe chokes Comoroto out at 2:24.

Post match QT Marshall gets a Powerbomb Symphony but here is the Embassy to surround the ring. Brian Cage mocks FTR for not being here but here is FTR to interrupt. They would like a six man tag on Rampage and bring out Toronto’s own Shawn Spears as their partner.

The Jericho Appreciation Society is ready for Bryan Danielson for what he made them do to Daniel Garcia.

Billy Gunn vs. Swerve Strickland

The Acclaimed is here with Gunn and Castor’s rap makes a variety of Canadian references. Billy takes him down to start and teases the old lowering of the trunks, only to get kicked down to the floor. We take a break and come back with Billy making a comeback but Swerve takes him down and goes up top, where he mocks the scissoring. The Swerve Stomp gets two before Swerve grabs a rollup (with ropes) for the pin at 8:47.

Rating: C. It was a decent match with Swerve getting the win like he should have. Gunn is part of a popular act but even AEW is smart enough to not have him get a win over someone like Swerve at this point. The match was short enough due to the break, but they got the ending right (save for maybe Swerve getting two off them Stomp, which probably should have been the pin).

Post match Mark Sterling comes out to announce that he has trademarked the SCISSOR ME catchphrase so anytime they use it, he gets the money. Oh and he’ll sue if they do the gesture too.

MJF is asked about almost shaking hands with Wheeler Yuta last week but gets interrupted by Stokely Hathaway. That’s not cool with MJF, who calls it strike two. With Stokely gone, MJF says he isn’t sure if he was going to shake Yuta’s hand or not because he learned a long time ago that the nice guys finish last.

No one knows what it is like to be him because he is expected to be the bad guy. He has broken his hand several times punching his reflection but make no mistake about it: he will be World Champion because he is a generational talent, a man with the chip and the man with a plan. This was a money promo, almost as always from MJF.

Here is Jon Moxley for a chat. He has been World Champion for a big chunk of AEW’s history and that means a lot is expect of him. Some people become World Champion and crumble under the pressure, some faster than others (that sounded like a shot at Punk). That brings him to Hangman Page, so here he is for a chat. They get in each other’s face and Moxley doesn’t think Page has it anymore. It’s not the same Page that shoved him off a 20 foot ladder last year.

Page says he’s right because a lot of things has changed, including his old friends disappearing (cut to MJF in the sky box saying “serves them right”. He has been beaten down and he has been choked blue and beaten while he is unconscious. He is also a former World Champion and doesn’t care who is there next week, but Page is going to come for the title. Next week, he’s proving that he’s a man. The fact that Page punched himself to the point of bleeding made that a bit better. Heck of a promo here from Page, even if there is little chance that he’s winning next week.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson

Jericho is defending and it’s Lionheart again this week, so Judas is cut off. They strike it off to start and the fans sing Judas anyway. Danielson chops away but Jericho is right back with a hurricanrana, meaning the posing can take us to a break. Back with Jericho dropkicking him to the floor and hitting a slingshot dive to drop Danielson again.

Jericho shrugs that off and comes back with the LeBell Lock. That’s broken up so Jericho tries the Walls, only to get broken up without much trouble. Danielson gets his own Walls but Jericho reverses into a small package for two. With that broken up, Danielson fires off hammer and anvil elbows but Jericho is back up with an AA of all things for two.

Back up and they miss shots to the head but the referee gets bumped. A double clothesline puts them both down and it’s Daniel Garcia coming down. Danielson hits the running knee but Garcia belts him down (to a rather strong positive reaction) to give Jericho the retain pin at 14:31.

Rating: B. The ending was rather WWE and of course it’s more As The Garcia Turns drama but Danielson vs. Jericho in a nearly fifteen minute match is going to be rather good no matter what. Danielson losing another big match is a bit much to take, but he has shown time and time again that he can bounce back like no others. Good match, which shouldn’t be any kind of a surprise.

Jericho and Garcia leave in peace.

The Vicious Vixens are happy with Nyla Rose having stolen the TNT Title. Anna Jay comes in and gets a match with Rose on Rampage.

Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida/Toni Storm

Rebel is here with the villains. Toni kicks Hayter down to start but gets taken into the wrong corner. The arm is sent into the post and we take a break. Back with Shida hitting a top rope Meteora for two on Baker as everything breaks down. Storm hits a tornado DDT and Storm Zero drops Baker. Hayter drives Storm into the cover for the save so Shida suplexes Baker and rolls her up for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: C+. This was another fast paced women’s tag match and Shida seems to be getting at least something of a renewed push. I don’t know how far that is going to take her but at least she is getting to do something. I’m not sure what that means for Storm who is still just kind of there, but at least the match was pretty good.

Butcher and the Blade are ready for Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley on Rampage.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Pac

Pac is defending and kicks Cassidy down to start. Then Pac mocks the lazy kick, earning him a hard dropkick from Cassidy. That’s enough to send Pac outside, where he counters the suicide dive into a brainbuster on the floor. We take a break and come back with Cassidy diving back under the ropes after a Tombstone on the ramp during the break. Back in the Brutalizer goes on, sending Cassidy’s feet into the ropes.

Cassidy hits a running DDT and the Orange Punch gets two. Pac grabs a quick suplex though and the Brutalizer goes on again. This time Cassidy rolls over and makes the rope again so Pac goes outside to grab the title belt. Cue Danhausen to stop him though, meaning IT’S TIME FOR A CURSE! Pac drops him with a right hand and grabs the ring hammer bell. Cassidy knocks it out of his hand and hits the Orange Punch, followed by a second for the pin and the title at 11:08.

Rating: B. This was a good fight, but above all else, it was a well built moment. The All-Atlantic Title doesn’t mean much of anything and is mainly there to represent AEW outside of the United States. That doesn’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, but it means a lot for Cassidy to win it. This was his big moment and in that sense, it was a heck of a success.

Overall Rating: B+. Good action, they hyped up next week’s title match, gave us a big moment in the end and had nothing bad all night. This was a rather strong Dynamite and it absolutely flew by, with Renee being a great bonus to kick things off. I’m looking forward to where a lot of this is is going and it felt like a return to the formula that made AEW work in the first place. Nice job and I’d like to see more of this.

Results
Luchasaurus b. Jungle Boy – Cutthroat Driver
Samoa Joe/Wardlow b. The Factory – Koquina Clutch to Comorato
Swerve Strickland b. Billy Gunn – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Chris Jericho b. Bryan Danielson – Belt shot from Daniel Garcia
Hikaru Shida/Toni Storm b. Britt Baker/Jamie Hatyer – Rollup to Baker
Orange Cassidy b. Pac – Orange Punch

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

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AND

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

Dynamite
Date: October 5, 2022
Location: Entertainment And Sports Center, Washington DC
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the third anniversary of Dynamite and you know that means we are going to be seeing something special. In this case we have a big tag match main event as Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara are facing Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia. As a bonus, the show is an extra fifteen minutes long tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

William Regal is on commentary and doesn’t think much of MJF, even if the fans seem to like him. Wheeler sends him into the corner to start and we hit the Fargo Strut for some old school flare. A dropkick just annoys MJF so he takes Yuta down and grabs a chinlock. Back up and MJF grabs a tilt-a-whirl faceplant as we take a break.

Back with Yuta whipping him hard into the corner and grabbing a small package for two. Yuta grabs some rolling German suplex for two but his hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb onto a knee. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence for several near falls each and then do it again for a bonus.

Back up and a double clothesline puts them down, which is good for a standing ovation. MJF takes him up top for a super Tombstone but gets countered into a super hurricanrana. Yuta goes up for a splash but MJF rolls away and flips him off. That’s fine with Yuta, who hits a heck of a dive into the splash for two anyway. Yuta tries the Seatbelt but gets pulled into the Salt Of The Earth for the tap at 15:00.

Rating: B. They got time, they had a good story and it worked well as a result. MJF might not be the flashiest star in the ring but he knows how to put together a solid match. There was no way that Yuta was going to win here but the fact that he was wrestling instead of talking was a smart way to go.

Post match Yuta offers MJF the handshake and MJF considers it, only to have Lee Moriarty jump Yuta from behind. Cue Stokely Hathaway with the Dynamite Diamond, which MJF reluctantly puts on. That’s enough for William Regal, who gets up from commentary and LOADS UP THE BRASS KNUCKLES. MJF and company leave, albeit with MJF glaring at Regal. The knuckles got quite the reaction.

Video on Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara vs. Bryan Danielson/Daniel Garcia.

The Jericho Appreciation Society isn’t happy with Garcia and punishment is promised.

Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal

Feeling out process to start with Lethal sending Allin out to the floor. Allin is right back in for the springboard high angle armdrag into a standoff. Lethal gets smart by going after the knee but gets caught in a Scorpion Death Drop for a double knockdown. We take a break and come back with Lethal staying on the knee, including a super dragon screw legwhip.

Lethal slaps on the Figure Four as you might have expected, but Allin makes the rope, as you might have expected. The leg is fine enough for two off a Code Red so here are Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh. Lethal wants them to go back, setting off a pinfall reversal sequence until Allin grabs the Last Supper for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. Another good one here as Lethal continues to be able to have a nice match with anyone. That is why he is put in these spots over and over, with Allin getting a win over a name who still matters. This was the kind of television match that is always going to work and that was the case again here.

Post match Lethal shakes Allin’s hand, much to Singh and Dutt’s annoyance.

Video on Brian Cage and the Embassy.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Brian Cage

Cage, with Prince Nana, is challenging. They fight into the corner to start with Cage hitting a running clothesline but not being able to drop him. A hurricanrana sends Wardlow into the ropes but he catches a 619. Wardlow plants him with a World’s Strongest Slam but the Powerbomb Symphony is countered as we take a break.

Back with Wardlow fighting out of the corner and hitting a Whisper in the Wind of all things. A series of suplexes rock Cage but he catches Wardlow on top with a kick to the head. The apron superplex gets two on Wardlow, who is fine enough to come back with a spinebuster. Not to be outdone, Cage hits an F5 but tries his own powerbomb. Wardlow headbutts him a few times and hits the four movement Powerbomb Symphony to retain the title at 10:03.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need two big strong men hitting each other for a good while until one of them can’t stand up any longer. That is exactly what we got here and Wardlow felt like his old self for a change. I’m still not sure why we need the Wardlow/Samoa Joe thing when this is the kind of stuff that he can do on his own. As for Cage….well he had potential but it’s pretty clearly over for him no matter what.

Post match the Gates of Agony come in for the beatdown on Wardlow but Samoa Joe runs in for the save. Cage is back up but FTR comes in for the real save.

Britt Baker says Saraya isn’t cleared to wrestle so this is still her house.

Toni Storm/Athena/Willow Nightingale vs. Penelope Ford/Serena Deeb/Jamie Hayter

Saraya is here to cancel out Rebel and Britt Baker. Willow and Hayter start things off but it’s off to Athena vs. Ford instead. Athena hits a basement dropkick but Ford is back up with a handspring elbow back in the corner. Deeb comes in and gets dropped by a springboard spinning crossbody. It’s off to Storm to run Deeb down down and pound away with the forearms to the back. Deeb gets sent into the corner for some running charges, including Storm’s running hip attack. Deeb is right back up and takes out Storm’s leg as we take a break.

We come back with Storm fighting out of a chinlock and forearming away at Deeb. Everything breaks down and Deeb leglocks Storm as she suplexes Athena, with Hayter doing the same thing to Nightingale. Back up and Storm gets over for the tag off to Nightingale for a spinebuster on Hayter. Rebel loads up a crutch shot but Saraya makes the save. We hit the parade of secondary finishers until Ford gets a quick two on Nightingale. Ford’s handspring elbow is broken up and a doctor bomb gives Nightingale the pin on Ford at 9:29.

Rating: C+. There were two good parts here, as we had the women getting some more time, plus Nightingale actually getting a win. They didn’t get too insane here either and that made for another nice TV match. Nightingale could be on her way to something in the future if they give her a chance, and based on this maybe they are doing so.

Post match we get the big staredown, with Saraya getting in a fight with Baker. A low superkick from Saraya drops Rebel. So I guess she can wrestle again.

Rush and Jose the Assistant aren’t pleased with Private Party.

Here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, because it’s National Scissoring Day. The champs talk about their success and say AEW now stands for ACCLAIMED EVERY WEDNESDAY. Bowens talks about how scissoring is something that makes you friends and partners. The fans want a real team rather than two people thrown together like Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland (dubbed Sneaky Swerve).

Billy talks about how this is a special day and he has a present from city hall: some GIANT GOLD SCISSORS! Billy: “No running with scissors please.” Bowens wants to see some scissoring before Caster talks about his dad winning a Super Bowl for the local NFL team. That Super Bowl ring is his prized possession and now he is proud of his son becoming a champion too. For now though, we are in a city that represents the divide in America. However, everyone loves the Acclaimed and scissoring goes beyond left and right and red and blow.

We load up the three way scissoring to unite America but Swerve Strickland cuts them off. Swerve wants the titles back and doesn’t like Billy Gunn, even pulling out a rock, which beats scissors. The challenge is on for Billy vs. Swerve next week….and here is Mark Sterling of all people. He wants in on the scissoring and gets beaten down in a bit of a bizarre cameo. Billy accepts Swerve’s challenge for next week and three way scissoring ensues. This was long, ridiculous, over the top, and an absolute blast.

Dark Order is ready to win the Trios Titles on Rampage.

Madison Rayne praises Skye Blue when Tay Melo and Anna Jay to come in and mock them. A sports entertainers vs. wrestlers challenge is on.

Hangman Page vs. Rush

Jose the Assistant is here with Rush. Page gets shoved around to start but Rush has to bail from the threat of a Buckshot Lariat. They head outside with Rush whipping away with a camera cord and sending Page into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Page hitting a slingshot dive onto Rush before they get back inside. Rush stands on Page’s shoulders in the corner but gets taken down for two. Page has had it with him and gets in a hard clothesline. The Buckshot Lariat finishes Rush at 9:05.

Rating: C+. Well Page wasn’t going to lose less than two weeks away from his World Title shot so Rush putting him over was the right way to go. They had a hard hitting match here until Page knocked him silly, which is how this should have gone. Page needs to get back to the serious and they started it well here, though I don’t know if they have time to do enough before Cincinnati.

Post match Private Party comes out but Jon Moxley comes through the crowd to say he has been waiting for this for three years. Moxley is ready for his match in his hometown at the arena he used to smoke and drink in. After he walks from his house to the arena, he is ready to beat Page and prove that he is the man around here. Moxley goes to leave but Page is ready to do this right now. Moxley calls him a sweet kid and says Page says stuff that gets him in trouble. He has thirteen days, so watch your d*** mouth.

Willow Nightingale wants to be TBS Champion so Jade Cargill and the Baddies come in. Nightingale can be #39, but she thinks she can be the 1 in 38-1.

Luchasaurus vs. Fuego del Sol

A chokeslam and something like a reverse AA finishes Fuego at 23 seconds.

Post match Jungle Boy comes in with a chair to knock Luchasaurus outside. He and Luchasaurus were best friends but Luchasaurus chose Christian instead. Now Jungle Boy is going to break him piece by piece. Luchasaurus can pick the time and the place so Christian picks next week in Toronto.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Pac is ready for Trent Beretta.

Bryan Danielson/Daniel Garcia vs. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara

Jericho and Garcia start things off to start, with Jericho armdragging him down. Garcia gets him to the mat and has a seat on Jericho’s back but a cheap shot from Guevara lets the villains take over. It’s off to Danielson to clean house and send Jericho outside for the suicide dive as we take a break.

Back with Guevara hitting a super Spanish Fly for two on Danielson and then posing with Jericho. Stereo crossbodies put Jericho and Danielson down though and it’s a double tag to Garcia and Jericho. Guevara gets dropped hard so we get the staredown into the hockey fight right hands. Garcia gets the better of things and kicks Jericho in the chest, setting up the Dragontamer.

Guevara makes the save but the Lionsault hits Garcia’s raised knees. Guevara tries to come in off the top but dives into a Crossface. Danielson grabs one on Jericho at the same time before they switch to stereo hammer and anvil elbows. Guevara comes back in and cleans house but Garcia counters the GTH into a piledriver. Jericho breaks it up so Danielson knees him from the apron.

A clothesline drops Guevara and Jericho drops Danielson onto a table. With that not being enough to break it, Jericho suplexes him through the table. Guevara’s shooting star hits raised knees though and now the Dragontamer….is broken up with a Jericho belt shot. That’s enough for Guevara to steal the pin at 14:23.

Rating: B. It was a good match with a bit of a screwy finish so it was didn’t exactly come off well. This didn’t feel like the major main event of the AEW anniversary show, at least somewhat due to it mainly being about Ring Of Honor. Garcia vs. Jericho continues to be built up, though I’m still not sure how interesting that is really going to be.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a stacked show with a bunch of very good matches, though nothing broke through to that top level. What matters here that they are setting up a major title match in Cincinnati before we can move on to the Full Gear build. The problem is that it might not be that interesting, despite being put together well enough. Solid action and storytelling, but they need a big story around here and that doesn’t seem to be anywhere in sight.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Wheeler Yuta – Salt Of The Earth
Jay Lethal b. Darby Allin – Last Supper
Wardlow b. Brian Cage – Powerbomb Symphony
Willow Nightingale/Athena/Toni Storm b. Jamie Hayter/Penelope Ford/Serena Deeb – Doctor bomb to Ford
Hangman Page b. Rush – Buckshot lariat
Luchasaurus b. Fuego del Sol – Reverse flipping fireman’s carry slam
Sammy Guevara/Chris Jericho b. Bryan Danielson/Daniel Garcia – Belt shot to Garcia

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: September 28, 2022
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We continue the road to Full Gear and that means we need to start laying the groundwork. Before we get there though, World Champion Jon Moxley has a title match coming up in about three weeks against Hangman Page. That should make for some good weeks of build so let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Jericho Appreciation Society (all in purple), plus Luigi Primo, who has made some NEW YORK PIZZA for….well no one here because this place is full of losers. Anna Jay says no one gets pizza and it’s all about Jericho. She threatens to choke everyone out but seems to get a bit shaken by the WE WANT PIZZA chants. Jericho gets the mic and says he is now the most watched and viewed Ring Of Honor World Champion of all time.

Tonight he is ready to take out Bandido, who no one saw as Ring Of Honor Champion because no one knows what Ring Of Honor is. Jericho even has a present for Daniel Garcia, in the form of a purple Gilligan hat. That’s too far for Garcia, who drops Primo and says this is all too much. Garcia thinks it is time for….and Jericho covers the mic, saying Garcia needs to think about this.

Cue Bryan Danielson to say that it’s time for Garcia to make up his mind, with Jericho saying Garcia is with him. Garcia gets in Jericho’s face and says he can make up his own mind. He asks about thing that would entertain Jericho, like making pizza….or teaming with Danielson against Jericho and Sammy Guevara. Matt Menard has had it and says he wants to fight Garcia or maybe punch Danielson. That’s cool with Danielson, who is ready to do the match right now. This was a rough segment, as it was a bit too over the top, even by Jericho standards. Also, Garcia continues to be pretty weak on the mic.

Here’s what’s coming on the rest of the show.

Bryan Danielson vs. Matt Menard

William Regal is on commentary and continues flirting with Excalibur (calling him a Rice Krispie Treat who can snap, crackle and pop him anytime). Danielson kicks him into the corner to start but Menard gets in a cheap shot and knocks him outside as we take a break. Back with Danielson getting caught by a distraction from Angelo Parker, allowing Menard to grab a German suplex. Cue Claudio Castagnoli to pick up Parker and carry him to the back like a bag of light groceries. The running knee sets up the LeBell Lock to make Menard tap at 8:44.

Rating: C. This was exactly what you would expect from Jericho vs. Menard and that isn’t a bad way to go. Sometimes you need to let Danielson get in there with someone he can mow down without much effort. At the same time you have Castagnoli doing some ridiculous power display for some fun and this worked just fine.

Video on Juice Robinson beating Jon Moxley in New Japan.

Video on MJF.

Here is Wheeler Yuta instead of the scheduled MJF. He didn’t like MJF hitting Tony Schiavone, who has done more for AEW than MJF could ever do. Yuta calls MJF out right now but says MJF is going to hide behind people instead. After mocking MJF’s cheap heat, Yuta calls him out again and this time MJF comes out, in a New York Mets jersey.

MJF rips on Schiavone and Philadelphia before saying Yuta is one of the best wrestlers in the world today. Then Yuta made the mistake of trying to talk with him last week and Daddy had to put him in timeout. Yuta has as much charisma as Joe Frazier AND HE’S DEAD. MJF mocks the Phillies and says he doesn’t care because he makes more money than anyone in this bum town.

Yuta comes up the ramp but the Gunn Club comes out to stand guard. MJF says he’ll fight Yuta next week in Washington DC and no, Philadelphia doesn’t deserve to hear his catchphrase. The Gunns do it instead. This really didn’t work as Yuta isn’t great on the mic and MJF is starting to get a bit repetitive instead of hitting the great lines. Then again, what is he supposed to insult about someone like Yuta? He’s a talented guy, but Yuta is pretty dull and that doesn’t give MJF much to riff on.

Video on Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal next week.

Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson

Non-title and Robinson jumps Moxley on the floor to send him into the barricade before the bell. Moxley fights back and sends Robinson into the barricade as MJF is watching from a sky box (where he is not pleased). Back in and they slug it out some more until Moxley gets backdropped to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Moxley running him over and grabbing the ankle lock. That’s broken up with a grab of the rope so Moxley hammers away in the corner. Robinson sends him into a buckle though and Pulp Friction (jumping Unprettier) gets two. Moxley is back up with a Regal knee and a bunch of stomps. The cross armbreaker makes Robinson tap at 10:32.

Rating: C+. They didn’t go that far here and they didn’t really need to. This wasn’t supposed to be some major match or showdown for Moxley but they did bring in someone he has some history with and that works fine. Also, they let us know what that story was without trying to make it seem like some huge deal. Good use of Moxley here and Robinson has some name value.

Post match Hangman Page comes out for a staredown with (the bleeding) Moxley. MJF interrupts them from the sky box though and suggests that he’ll cash in his chip after their October 18 title match. Then Wheeler Yuta pops up behind him and the beating is on.

Video on Bandido, who faces Chris Jericho tonight.

Video on Saraya debuting last week.

Here is Saraya for a chat. She says she is the revolution and this is her house but she’s ignoring the time cues because she’s not leaving until she’s ready. Saraya wants the women’s division out here so we get Toni Storm and a few others, only to have Britt Baker and company cut them off. Britt makes fun of how to pronounce Saraya’s name but Saraya says Baker’s name rhymes with s***.

Britt brings up Storm being ready to lose to Serena Deeb so let’s get her out here for the (scheduled) title match right now. Saraya says hang on a second (egads) because she now has a boss that listens to her (I think that might have been a shot at WWE) so this is a lumberjack match. This was ROUGH as Saraya seemed lost at times and the whole thing felt off. Maybe she’s just rusty, but this wasn’t exactly working.

Interim Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Serena Deeb

Storm is defending and Saraya is on commentary. Deeb works on the arm to start but Storm is right back with some shots to the head. Storm is sent outside in a heap though and it’s a big shouting match with the lumberjacks as we take an early break. Back with Storm getting two off a high crossbody but Deeb pulls her into a leglock.

With that broken up, Hayter trips her to the mat. Hayter gets chased to the back by Willow Nightingale, leaving Deeb to grab the Serenity Lock. With that broken up, Storm backdrops her and hits another high crossbody, only to have Deeb roll through into a half crab. Storm gets out again and hits Storm Zero for two in a surprising near fall. Deeb goes up top where Storm catches her with a super piledriver for the pin at 11:17.

Rating: C. Deeb is still someone who can put on a good match with just about anyone and Storm can do something solid when she has the right situation. This time though there was a bit too much going on and there was no reason for this to be a lumberjack match. It’s ok to not add in something else to everything and that was the case here.

The Acclaimed have an open challenge for a title match on Rampage. Keith Lee comes in to get in Billy Gunn’s face and a challenge seems to be issued.

Private Party yell at Butcher and Blade. Jose the assistant tells Private Party to get it together or get fired. Matt Hardy comes in to tell Private Party to quit and get out of their deal, because he’ll be waiting for them.

Ricky Starks vs. Eli Isom

Spear and Roshambo finish Isom at 48 seconds.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Luchasaurus/Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Bandido

Bandido is challenging. They shake hands and Bandido flips him off, earning a shot to the face. Bandido sends him outside and hits the big flip dive, albeit possibly banging up his leg. We take a break and come back with Bandido hitting a VERY long delayed vertical suplex but needing some time to get up as well.

A frog splash (with Eddie dance) gets two but Jericho is back with a Codebreaker. Back up and they fight to the apron with Bandido hitting a hurricanrana to the floor. We take a break and come back with Bandido hitting a springboard sunset bomb for two, followed by a crucifix bomb for the same.

The X Knee is loaded up but Jericho reverses into the Walls. That’s broken up with a rope grab and Bandido catches him with a kick to the head on top. The X Knee and 21 Plex get two so Jericho messes with the mask. That’s enough to set up the Liontamer for the tap at 18:21 to retain the title.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going and they got going by the end. Aside from the mask twisting setting up the finish being almost a requirement around here, it did feel like a big main event. I would assume that the only reason Bandido isn’t signed to AEW or WWE is that he doesn’t want to be, as the guy is pretty awesome just about every time he’s in the ring. Good start for Jericho’s title reign against an exciting opponent.

Post match Jericho says he’s coming for every former Ring Of Honor Champion and he’ll start with Bryan Danielson on October 12. Then he kicks ring announcer Bobby Cruise low and gives him the Judas Effect to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t their best effort, though there is a very good chance that Hurricane Ian had something to do with the show’s setup. It wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of the stars were down in Florida taking care of things and if that is the case, it is a more than acceptable excuse. The main event is just about the only really good thing on here and some of the talking segments were closer to the brutal. It wasn’t an awful show, but it’s one of their weaker in a good while.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Matt Menard – LeBell Lock
Jon Moxley b. Juice Robinson – Cross armbreaker
Toni Storm b. Serena Deeb – Super piledriver
Ricky Starks b. Eli Isom – Roshambo
Chris Jericho b. Bandido – Liontamer

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: September 21, 2022
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s probably the biggest Dynamite of the year as we are in a stadium for Grand Slam. As expected, the show is going to be a huge one with a World Title match between Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley for the vacant championship. Other than that, Swerve In Our Glory is defending the Tag Team Titles against the Acclaimed in an All Out rematch. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli is defending and starts fast by gorilla pressing Jericho onto the top rope. A big boot knocks Jericho outside and Castagnoli follows him, only to have Jericho hide behind former Ring Of Honor owner Cary Silkin. That’s enough for Jericho to get in some cheap shots to stagger Castagnoli but he’s right back with the uppercuts back inside. They fight to the apron and fight over a suplex before forearming it out instead. Jericho gets the suplex onto the floor and they’re both down as we take a break.

Back with Jericho charging into a boot in the corner but managing to catch Castagnoli on top. A super hurricanrana pulls Castagnoli down for two and the fans bought that kickout. The Judas Effect is blocked though and a double stomp sets up the Sharpshooter to put Jericho in trouble.

A rope is grabbed so Castagnoli hits the Riccola Bomb for two. Castagnoli goes up but dives into the Codebreaker for two more. The Walls go on but Castagnoli is out fast, setting up the Swing. That and a clothesline are enough for two so Jericho grabs Floyd the baseball bat. That’s taken away but the distraction lets Jericho hit him low. The Judas Effect gives Jericho the pin and the title at 14:48.

Rating: B. I’m really not sure on this one as Jericho is the definition of someone who doesn’t need to win a World Title. Castagnoli was on a roll since winning the title and he loses to Jericho of all people? I’m not exactly interested in more of the Sports Entertainers vs. Wrestlers (read as WWE vs. AEW) feud but that seems to be where we’re going. Good match of course, but that result is a head scratcher in a lot of ways.

Post match the Jericho Appreciation Society, including Daniel Garcia, come out to celebrate.

Tag Team Titles: Swerve In Our Glory vs. Acclaimed

Acclaimed is challenging and Caster’s rap makes reference to a glory hole. The champs have rapper Fabulous in their corner while the Acclaimed have Billy Gunn. Lee runs Bowens over to start and then snaps off a running hurricanrana, which has Bowens scared and the crowd impressed. Bowens comes in and manages a hiptoss, meaning it’s scissoring time. Strickland isn’t having that and breaks it up with a dropkick, much to Gunn’s annoyance.

We take a break and come back Caster powerslamming Swerve and brainbustering Lee (which might have been planned as a suplex). The hot tag brings in Bowens to clean house, including a hurricanrana (or maybe a headSCISSORs) to Lee and a rollup for two on Strickland. Back up and Lee tosses Bowens HARD onto the ramp but misses a moonsault to Caster. Swerve goes for a boombox shot but hits Lee by mistake, allowing Bowens to hit a Blockbuster.

The Mic Drop connects for a VERY delayed two as Caster seems to hurt his knee. Strickland comes back in and drives Caster (knee seems ok) into the corner. Lee Pounces Caster and throws him into Swerve’s sitout powerbomb for a rather near fall, with the kickout bringing the crowd back to life. Strickland’s springboard flip dive is more of a springboard flipping kicks to their faces but Gunn gets in his face. The Fameasser on the floor hits Swerve and it’s the mic Drop to give Caster the pin and the titles at 13:41.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t the match they had at All Out but there was no way it was going to be able to live up to that standard. That being said, this was ALL about the huge moment as the fans were ready to see it and AEW went exactly where they should have. The Acclaimed has turned into one of the most over acts in the company and they needed the titles here.

Post match scissoring ensues as Swerve is stunned.

FTR congratulates the new champs but it’s time for their title shot. The Gunn Club comes in to mock them and I think FTR has their next non-Tag Team Title feud.

Wheeler Yuta….is interrupted by MJF, who comes to the stage with a Ric Flair strut. MJF says Wheels will never get a reaction like this. These people love him and would drink his sweat or let him sleep with their wives. The only reason he wouldn’t do it is because he has standards but Yuta calls him the King of The Low Hanging Fruit.

Yuta brings up MJF getting engaged to be married recently and suggests that MJF’s fiance is too smart for her. His fiance has figured out that MJF is a spineless piece of garbage who will walk out on her like MJF walked out on AEW. MJF: “Give it up for Wheeler. He has went from drying paint to pet rock personality.” MJF is here to wish the “Blackpool Cuckold Club” luck in the main event tonight and mocks both Danielson and Moxley. Oh and William Regal can teach him how to pop pills! That earns MJF a slap to the face but he headbutts Wheeler and SHOVES TONY SCHIAVONE! Yuta is back up but W. Morrissey comes in for the save.

Jade Cargill and the Baddies aren’t worried about Diamante and her friend. Cue Diamante, who brings in her friend….Trina, who is apparently a rapper. Not that commentary or anyone else tells us that of course.

All-Atlantic Title: Pac vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is challenging and throws his sunglasses at Pac to start. Pac doesn’t care for that and the lazy kicks make him even angrier. They’re enough to make Pac stomp him down in the corner as Tony keeps talking about how MJF will be fined but it won’t matter. They head outside with Cassidy getting posted, setting up the big flip dive over the top.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy raising his boots to prevent the Black Arrow from launching. Cassidy knocks him outside for a dive, setting up the top rope DDT back inside. The Orange Punch is blocked though and Pac pulls him into the Brutalizer, which is countered into a rollup for two. The Orange Punch connects for two and Pac rolls outside for a breather. With the referee not able to see it, Pac gets in a shot with the ring bell hammer to knock Cassidy silly and retain at 12:15.

Rating: B-. This is where Cassidy has found his sweet spot. He isn’t likely to ever become a main eventer or a World Champion but giving him a title shot like this, only for him to come up short is fine. Good match here and Pac continues to be someone who feels like a major star every time he’s in the ring. The fans would have gone nuts for the title change, but it wasn’t the right call.

Interim AEW Women’s Title: Britt Baker vs. Serena Deeb vs. Athena vs. Toni Storm

Storm is defending and Rebel is here with Baker. It’s a brawl to start with everyone getting a quick near fall. Deeb even breaks up a backslide and rolls Baker and Athena up at the same time. Then it’s a leglock to Storm and an abdominal stretch (and then a suplex) to Athena at the same time.

We settle down to Storm hitting a running dropkick for two on Baker before going up top. That means a Tower Of Doom to bring everyone down and we take a break. Back with Storm and Deeb holding half crabs but slapping each other instead of cranking back harder. With those broken up, Athena dropkicks Baker to break up the Stomp and Deeb neckbreakers Baker over the ropes.

A swinging neckbreaker gives Deeb two on Storm and the Serenity Lock goes on. Athena breaks that up and throws Baker and Deeb at the same time. A powerbomb swung into a faceplant gives Athena two on Storm and Deeb makes the save. Baker tries the Lockjaw on Storm, who reverses into a crucifix to retain the title at 9:47.

Rating: C+. They went fast here and got to the point, with Storm getting the pin to retain in the end. Storm needs more wins to make her feel like a bigger star and pinning Baker is one of the best ways to do so. Storm needs a feud for the title, but getting rid of the Interim name would make things better than anything else.

Post match Baker (whose nose is busted) goes after Storm but Jamie Hayter runs in to pull her off. Then Hayter and Baker beat Storm down together and hug. Deeb beats on Athena at the same time. Lockjaw is loaded up….and Saraya (Paige) debuts. She clears the ring and invites anyone to come fight her but no one accepts. There’s your big debut, but seeing her in the ring is going to be a scary sight.

Darby Allin drags a body bag around New York before getting in a cab, saying he’s going to a funeral.

Here is what is coming on Rampage.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson

For the vacant title and William Regal is on commentary. Danielson goes for the leg to start before we get to the chops that you knew were coming. The chop off goes to Danielson, who takes Moxley into the corner for more chops and kicks. The running dropkick misses but Danielson keeps striking away anyway. Another kick knocks Moxley off the top and down to the floor for the flying knee as MJF, with the chip, is watching in the crowd. Moxley gets him onto the apron and tries a choke, only to get German suplexed hard. The running knee from the apron drops Moxley again as we take a break.

Back with Danielson striking away but Moxley pulls him into a half crab, followed by the ankle lock. With that broken up, they go up top with Moxley raking the back and backdropping him down. Moxley grabs a LeBell Lock of his own but Danielson slips out. They lock legs and wind up standing on their heads to slug it out, with Danielson getting the better of things.

Danielson grabs Cattle Mutilation to keep Moxley in trouble and the Hammer and Anvil elbows make it even worse. Moxley manages to survive and hits the King Kong lariat as MJF is chuckling over what he’s seeing. Danielson suplexes his way out of the Death Rider and hits the running knee for two, which has MJF on his feet. Moxley stomps Danielson in the ankle and hits the Death Rider for two.

Back up and Danielson starts kicking away, setting up some stomps. A triangle choke goes on before shifting to the LeBell Lock but Moxley makes it to the ropes. That’s fine with Danielson, who goes up top and hits a knee onto the arm. Moxley is right back with a Death Rider on the ramp for two, setting up a sleeper to make Danielson tap for the title at 19:32.

Rating: A-. They had a heck of a fight here and what matters most is that the title situation is set as we get ready for MJF to take the title, probably at Full Gear. You knew this was going to be an awesome match and that is what they pulled off in another great one. Moxley winning the title is a safe way to go, even if it makes it feel like we could have been here a few months ago.

Post match Regal comes in to hand Moxley the title but Danielson takes it away and points at Regal to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. What else is there to say here? The action was great, big things happened, and the main event set up things for the future. What mattered the most here was the atmosphere though, as they were in front of a ton of people in a huge venue and it was an outstanding show that delivered on every front. Absolutely worth checking this one out, as there is nothing bad in the slightest and some of the stuff was excellent.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Claudio Castagnoli – Judas Effect
Acclaimed b. Swerve In Our Glory – Mic Drop to Strickland
Pac b. Orange Cassidy – Hammer to the head
Toni Storm b. Britt Baker, Serena Deeb and Athena – Rollup to Baker
Jon Moxley b. Bryan Danielson – Choke

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

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Dynamite
Date: September 14, 2022
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re a week away from Grand Slam and that means it is time to set up a World Title match. We have two semifinal matches in the title tournament this week and that should make for a good show. Other than that, we might get some more of the start of the build towards Full Gear. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Grand Slam Tournament Of Champions: Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara

No Tay Melo with Guevara but William Regal is on commentary. Guevara bails to the floor to start before coming back in and getting headlock takeovered. Back up and Guevara hammers him down in the corner, including some boot choking. They chop it out with Moxley laying down and feigning sleep before chopping more. Guevara sends him to the floor for the flipping suicide dive, followed by the running corkscrew dive. Moxley is sent into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Guevara blocking a piledriver on the apron and sending Guevara outside instead. Moxley hits the corner clothesline and rakes the back, setting up a butterfly superplex. Guevara manages an enziguri out of the corner and the top rope cutter gets two. The GTH is blocked but the King Kong lariat is countered into the bulldog choke.

With that broken up, Guevara is taken up top, only to have Anna Jay and Tay Melo come out. A Jay distraction lets Melo kick Moxley low, leaving Guevara to go up top, only to miss the Swanton. They slut it out until Guevara hits a jumping knee to stagger Moxley. The GTH is countered into the Death Rider for the pin at 13:25.

Rating: B-. There was no drama here as Moxley wasn’t going to lose to Sammy Guevara in a World Title tournament semifinal. Moxley is one of the favorites to win the whole thing and was the World Champion less than a month ago. Guevara did his usual stuff and had the women interfere, but there was nothing to convince me that Moxley was ever in danger.

Here is MJF for a chat. He says he hasn’t slept since he and Jon Moxley went toe to toe last week. MJF doesn’t like Moxley but isn’t the same person he was when they met the first time. Moxley is someone playing a character and MJF knows it because he read Moxley’s book. Moxley isn’t a normal person because he was raised like these people right here in Albany: poor and uneducated, which is why they love him.

Now Moxley is playing with something a lot more dangerous than his disease. MJF knows that Moxley is still the scared kid from Cincinnati, no matter how much people cheer for him. Sure Moxley went to rehab but MJF is the demon that he can’t overcome. Now though MJF has some backup that is going to help him take the title so here is the first stable on retainer: Stokely Hathaway and the Firm.

MJF leaves and Hathaway is going to tell us the gospel. He and MJF are best friends and Hathaway talked him out of quitting AEW. They prayed a lot and the men in this ring are his support system. Each of them will help MJF when necessary before going their separate ways. Hathaway is a friend who kicks it with Britt Baker and watches reruns of Living Single with the House of Black.

Hathaway talks about each member, saying he loves and appreciates them but thinks they could use some gold. Or to not be in their father’s shadow in the Gunn Club’s case. Either way, Hathaway is going to help get them what they want. This went on WAY longer than it needed to and Hathaway had nothing to talk about, which left it hanging badly. It doesn’t help that he is representing a bunch of goons and it was made even more obvious here.

Jungle Boy wants to fight and has issued an open challenge.

Jay Lethal is down to face Jungle Boy.

Jay Lethal vs. Jungle Boy

Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt are here with Lethal while Jungle Boy’s back is taped up. Lethal takes him into the corner to start and something involving running the corner is blocked. Jungle Boy is right back up and runs the corner for a wristdrag. Back up and Lethal goes for the leg but Jungle Boy sits down on him for two instead. A quick distraction lets Lethal get in a shot to the bad back, setting up a middle rope backbreaker onto the turnbuckle as we take a break.

Back with Jungle Boy winning a slugout but his back gives out on a suplex attempt. Jungle Boy pops back up for a brainbuster and goes to the middle rope, only to get Russian legsweeped down. The Lethal Combination sends Jungle Boy outside for the suicide dive, setting up the top rope elbow for two back inside. Lethal loads up a pump kick but gets pulled into the Snare Trap and Lethal taps at 10:34.

Rating: C+. There is nothing wrong with a good face coming in hurt and having to fight through the pain to win. That’s exactly what they had here and with Lethal in the ring as the good hand, this was going to work well. It wasn’t an epic or a classic, but it was a perfectly watchable wrestling match and that’s a nice thing to have on the show.

Action Bronson and Hook train for the Jericho Appreciation Society.

Ethan Page kicks pizza maker Luigi Primo in the face because no one takes his place seriously. Danhausen pops in and gets a match with Page on Rampage.

Darby Allin rides extreme bicycles.

Matt Hardy doesn’t like Darby Allin.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Matt DiMartino

Spinebuster finishes for Hobbs in 26 seconds.

Post match Hobbs says Ricky Starks is tough but it took him 4:35 to win at All Out. Damage starts tonight, but here is Starks through the crowd to interrupt. Starks charges the ring and clears Hobbs out.

The Lucha Bros are ready for their Tag Team Title shot.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. Swerve In Our Glory

The Bros are challenging and Pentagon strikes away on Strickland to start. It’s way too early to snap the arm so Penta settles for a kick to the ribs instead. Fenix comes in with a rolling dropkick, drawing some polite applause from Lee. There’s the assisted wheelbarrow splash for two but Strickland gets in a shot of his own and brings Lee in to shrug off some chops as we take a break.

Back with Fenix slipping out of a Gory Stretch and bringing Penta in to clean house. The Fear Factor is broken up though and a kick to the face allows Strickland to bring Lee back in. Lee wrecks the Bros but Penta manages a Canadian Destroyer on Lee for a very delayed two. That’s enough for Lee, who is back up with a Big Bang Catastrophe for the pin to retain at 8:12.

Rating: B-. Kind of a random Tag Team Title shot here but the Lucha Bros are always going to be near the top of the division. Lee and Swerve work well together as a big man/speed team, even though they’ve kind of become heels by default due to the Acclaimed stuff. Another good match though, and that’s always nice to see.

Post match here is the serious Acclaimed to promise to win the titles next week. They kind of have to.

Pac doesn’t like that loss being called a bump in the road and wants more respect. Orange Cassidy comes in with an Orange Punch and suggests he’s taking one of Pac’s titles.

Athena and Toni Storm don’t like Britt Baker and Serena Deeb.

Athena/Toni Storm vs. Serena Deeb/Britt Baker

Rebel is here with the villains. Deeb and Storm trade takeovers and headscissors on the mat to start until Storm gets her into the corner and chops away. Athena comes in with a slingshot splash for two and an over the shoulder spin into a Codebreaker (that was a lot) drops Deeb again. Baker offers a distraction though and Deeb takes the knee out as we take a break.

Back with Storm getting the hot tag to clean house, including a tornado DDT to Baker on the floor. Baker is fine enough for a Sling Blade back inside so it’s off to Athena vs. Deeb again. Athena has to power out of an armbreaker and brings Storm back in. Deeb grabs a half crab and shrugs off shots from Athena to keep Baker in trouble. Baker adds a basement superkick to Storm for two, with Athena having to backsplash the pile for the save. Athena is sent into the steps so Rebel offers a distraction, allowing Deeb to send Storm into a Baker held chair. Storm is out and Deeb gets the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C. So yeah, just after Storm wins the big one, she is losing to Serena Deeb in a tag match. It wasn’t clean, but Storm is at the point where she doesn’t need to be losing for a long time. She needs the rub to get her back to credibility and even though there was a chair involved, this wasn’t a good way to get there. At least it wasn’t Baker getting the pin though.

Post match Athena comes back in and gets Stomped for her efforts. Jamie Hayter runs in to break up another chair shot but beats Storm down with the chair instead. Hayter yells at Baker, who still says she is sorry.

Mark Sterling is ready for Josh Woods to win the ROH TV Title on Rampage.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Tournament Of Champions Semifinals: Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson

William Regal is on commentary. Danielson starts fast by firing off the kicks in the corner. There’s the running dropkick in the corner as we see Daniel Garcia watching, because of course he’s featured here too. Jericho fights back but gets taken outside with Danielson starting in on the arm.

Back in and the missile dropkick sets up the Swan Dive for two. Jericho manages a release German suplex into the triangle dropkick to the floor. They get back in for a chop off until stereo crossbodies leave them both down. We take a break and come back with Jericho snapping off a super hurricanrana but the Judas Effect is countered into a suplex for two.

Cattle Mutilation doesn’t finish Jericho so Danielson fires off the Hammer and Anvil elbows. Jericho reverses into some of his own, followed by a Codebreaker. Danielson isn’t having that and pops up with the running knee for the double knockdown. Back up and Jericho sends him over the top to the floor, where Danielson comes up grabbing his ankle.

Jericho isn’t going to let the doctor check on Danielson so he wraps the leg around the post. With the leg banged up, Jericho grabs a half crab and pulls Daniels back into the middle for a Figure Four. Somehow Danielson escapes and gets him into the LeBell Lock for the tap and the title match at 19:40.

Rating: B+. It felt like two guys struggling against each other because they both want something. That is how a match like this should go and it was another good one between two of the biggest stars in AEW. Danielson needed the win after a bit of a skid lately, though the positive thing is that he is so over in the first place that a few losses aren’t going to hurt him that much.

Post match Jon Moxley comes out for the staredown with Danielson as William Regal looks anxious. The handshake ends the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The tournament matches were good and the Firm is kind of interesting, but what made this one stand out a bit more was having good stuff in the middle. There wasn’t a point here where I felt bored (save for maybe the women’s match) and the two good matches book ended the show well. It was a wrestling heavy show and that is a good way to get rid of some of the drama.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Sammy Guevara – Death Rider
Jungle Boy b. Jay Lethal – Snare Trap
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Matt DiMartino – Spinebuster
Swerve In Our Glory b. Lucha Bros – Big Bang Catastrophe to Penta
Britt Baker/Serena Deeb b. Toni Storm/Athena – Storm was sent into a chair
Bryan Danielson b. Chris Jericho – LeBell Lock

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

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Dynamite
Date: September 7, 2022
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

And then, everything changed again. AEW World Champion CM Punk and AEW Trios Champions Kenny Omega/the Young Bucks got in a hue bar fight and the question now is what happens to the titles. Odds are this is going to be a huge night of change, which is not what you want after a major pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Here is All Out if you need a recap.

We open with a look at MJF returning as the Joker and winning the Casino Ladder Match, with help from Stokely Hathaway and company.

AEW President Tony Khan joins us (in a VERY rare appearance) to announce that the Trios and World Titles are both vacated. The Trios Titles will be crowned tonight as Death Triangle meets the Best Friends. The World Title will be crowned in a tournament, with the finals at Grand Slam on September 21.

Here are the brackets:

Chris Jericho
Bye

Hangman Page
Brian Danielson

Sammy Guevara
Darby Allin

Jon Moxley
Bye

The Trios Titles are fine but yes, it’s ANOTHER TOURNAMENT and apparently based on past accomplishments. One would think this would be about the #1 and #2 ranked contenders fighting for the title, but that would imply that the rankings had any meaning in AEW. What matters here is that the tournament is going to be over in just two weeks on a grand stage, but I really could have gone with another way to get there instead of AEW’s favorite way of crowning a champion.

Here is MJF, in a Buffalo Bills jersey, to hype up the crowd. He asks how happy people are to see him and says yeah he meant most of what he said last time he was on Dynamite. The fans get an apology for calling them stupid marks and yes that honey in the front row can hit him up after the show. The World Title has been vacated so the Tournament Of Champions is coming to crown a new World Champion.

There is one person who deserves to be champion but he is willing to work smart instead of hard. What we need right now is a leader and he tells the story of Moses, but MJF is better than Moses. Cue Jon Moxley to interrupt and after his Undertaker length entrance, he gets in the ring to say MJF is full of it. MJF turns on the crowd (Tony: “He’s back.”) and sticks it to the Buffalo fans. He talks about how the only Khan worth anything in wrestling is Jolly Old St. Nick but as his all time favorite wrestler, the Game, said, MJF being the World Champion is best for business.

Moxley says MJF needs to be out of the ring right now but MJF takes his shirt off. After that takes some time, MJF bails anyway. Moxley: “Your music sucks.” Anyway, Moxley says that he wants the title back and it is time for someone to take the shot. He needs to be the best and he is taking the shot because it is time to be a legend. You could feel the emotion here, but the better part is that MJF is back.

Trios Titles: Best Friends vs. Death Triangle

For the vacant titles and Danhausen and Alex Abrahantes are here too. Pac and Orange Cassidy start things off but Pac isn’t down for that. Instead Penta comes in for the pose off until Cassidy snaps off a headscissors. Everything breaks down and Death Triangle is sent outside for the big flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy in trouble but they head outside for Danhausen vs. Abrahantes. Cursing ensues so Danhausen tries the same on Pac, earning himself a shot to the face. Back in and the hot tag brings in Pac to clean house but Trent gets in a shot of his own to take over. Soul Food into the half nelson suplex drops Fenix and we get the Big Hug.

Back up and Fenix fires off the kicks but Death Triangle has to superkick him out of the Crunchie. The Orange Punch knocks Penta into the Crunchie for two with Pac making a save. An assisted Canadian Destroyer drops Trent and the spike Fear Factor hits Taylor. Instead of covering, Pac dives onto the other two, leaving Pac to hit the Black Arrow for the pin and the titles at 11:59.

Rating: B. This was about as good of a choice as they could have made as Death Triangle might be the most established trio in all of AEW. Let them have the titles and do their wacky stuff, which should be more interesting than whatever Elite melodrama we were supposed to get. The Best Friends were doing their serious version here and the whole thing worked well, as it was all about getting some new champions crowned.

Dark Order gets interrupted by Jose the Assistant, who has been sent by Andrade El Idolo to hire 10. John Silver isn’t having that Andrade and Rush come up, with 10 seeming interested.

We recap the Interim Women’s Title match, with Britt Baker costing Jamie Hayter the title.

Hayter won’t talk to Baker.

Toni Storm vs. Penelope Ford

Non-title. Ford, with Kip Sabian in her corner, takes Storm down with a headscissors to start but gets knocked into the corner. The running hip attack misses and Ford bails to the floor, where she sends Storm into the steps and we take a break. Back with Storm knocking her into the corner and hitting the hip attack. The jumping DDT finishes Ford at 5:53. Not enough shown to rate but it was just below a squash for Storm.

Matt Menard and Angelo Parker yell about Action Bronson interfering after Hook beat Parker.

Bronson says he’ll be at Grand Slam.

Here is the Acclaimed but Swerve Strickland cuts them off and says he has a joke for them: Acclaimed as AEW Tag Team Champions! Billy Gunn cuts them off and says this isn’t Swerve’s house anymore. Anthony Bowens says the rematch is in two weeks in New York City and they’re taking home the gold because everyone loves the Acclaimed. They have to change the titles there right?

Chris Jericho talks about finding the Fountain of Youth and drinking it in man. After beating Bryan Danielson, he is the greatest wrestler in history. This is his company and championship and no one is taking that away from him EVER. As for this Friday, Sammy Guevara is ready to beat Darby Allin and Daniel Garcia is winning the Ring Of Honor Pure Title tonight. Sammy didn’t hear him because he was admiring Jericho’s abs.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Tony Nese

Nese, with Mark Sterling, is challenging. A headbutt and lariat sets up the three movement Powerbomb Symphony to retain the title at 1:30. That was such a squash that it made up for Wardlow’s music not playing, Wardlow saying “where’s my music” and his old theme playing before the match by mistake.

Post match Wardlow loads up a powerbomb on Sterling but Josh Woods makes the save. Wardlow says he is tired of hearing that he is being misused and this is still WARDLOW’S WORLD!

Video on Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara, with Darby talking about how they have been competing since AEW started. He’ll throw in a bonus: no Sting when they fight on Rampage.

Tournament Of Champions First Round: Bryan Danielson vs. Hangman Page

William Regal is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Danielson grabbing a headlock to no avail. A chop sends Danielson outside but he is right back in for a takedown into a double knee stomp. Danielson kicks away in the corner but gets sent outside. That doesn’t go well for Page, who is sent shoulder first into the post and we take a break.

Back with Danielson chopping away even more but getting caught in the fall away slam to the floor. Danielson gets back in and walks into a Death Valley Driver for two but Danielson takes him back down for two of his own. Page gets sent to the apron and we take a break. Back with Page hitting a sitout powerbomb for two but Danielson ties him in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the chest. A belly to back superplex is broken up so Page hits a discus lariat for two.

Danielson is able to pull him into the LeBell Lock but Page slips out again. Back up and Danielson takes him down by the arm for another LeBell Lock, which is escaped as well. Danielson charges into the Deadeye for a very close two but Page misses a moonsault. Danielson’s running knee connects to send Page outside, where his suicide dive is countered into a powerbomb onto the apron. Page hits the moonsault to the floor, but the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a bridging O’Connor Roll for the pin at 22:50.

Rating: A-. Yeah of course this was great as Danielson can do no wrong while Page is able to have a very good match with a lot of people. This was a great way for Danielson to come back as it isn’t like Page was going to lose much in a match like this one. They had a long wrestling match here and it was very well put together, which shouldn’t be a shock at all.

Jungle Boy is ready to take out Christian Cage. As for Luchasaurus, it was appropriate that Luchasaurus carried him to the ring for so many years, because Jungle Boy carried his entire career. At All Out, it felt like an anchor was taken off of him and he has never been happier.

Stokely Hathaway and company come out for a chat but he is told they are out of time. Hathaway grabs the production guy by the throat, demands respect, and then drops him with a mic shot. Hathaway’s guys beat the production guy down.

Claudio Castagnoli and Dax Harwood are ready for their Ring Of Honor World Title match on Rampage.

Here’s what’s coming at various shows.

Ring Of Honor Pure Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta

Garcia is challenging and gets rapped to the ring. Feeling out process to start and they fight over a lockup before falling outside. We take a break and come back with Garcia coming up for an exchange of chops, with Yuta hitting a snap suplex. Garcia snaps off some suplexes and a running shot to the face gets two.

Back up and Yuta grabs some rolling German suplexes, only to have Garcia come back with his own. Then they trade German suplexes until Garcia hits a middle rope release German superplex, with Yuta landing on the back of his head (yow) as we take a break. Back with Garcia winning a slap off and putting on the Dragonslayer. With that broken up, Garcia does it again and bends back to make Yuta tap at 16:00.

Rating: B. These matches are still a good concept, though they feel out of place on such a high energy show as Dynamite. Garcia had to win here after everything he has done, though now we get to continue the wrestler vs. sports entertainer deal with him. Very technical match, though I’m not sure how well it served as a main event.

Post match Bryan Danielson comes out as the Code Of Honor is adhered to (they shake hands). Danielson then puts the title around Garcia’s waist as an aghast Chris Jericho comes out to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This show told me a few things. First of all, AEW has WAY too many stars on its roster if four big names can be dropped and you don’t really notice because there is still so much talent around. Second, having a show focusing on wrestling is always going to work and that is what they did here. There were three good matches with one near classic in the middle. This was an awesome two hours of TV, which flew by, and had some excellent wrestling included. Great show, and hopefully the end of so much AEW drama.

Results
Death Triangle b. Best Friends – Black Arrow to Taylor
Toni Storm b. Penelope Ford – Jumping DDT
Wardlow b. Tony Nese – Powerbomb Symphony
Bryan Danielson b. Hangman Page – O’Connor roll
Daniel Garcia b. Wheeler Yuta – Dragonslayer

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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All Out 2022
Date: September 4, 2022
Location: Now Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s time for the big night and in this show’s case, that means really big, as we have a whopping fifteen matches on the card. That alone is going to make this a busy night, but the question becomes what happens in the main event. CM Punk is challenging Jon Moxley despite having a bad foot as of last week. This could go in a few ways, and I’m not sure how well it is going to wind up. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: AAA Mixed Tag Team Titles: Sammy Guevara/Tay Melo vs. Ruby Soho/Ortiz

Sammy and Tay are defending and get jumped during their entrance at the Red Carpet. Soho and Ortiz chase them down with a golf cart and beat them into the ring, where we officially start with Sammy and Tay in street clothes. I have no idea what street, but they’re street clothes. Sammy gets kicked in the face to start and is busted open but manages a shot of his own.

Tay comes in and kisses a downed Soho on the cheek before putting Soho on top. The guys come in so Sammy launches Tay at Ortiz for a Canadian Destroyer. A Swanton gives Sammy two but Soho missile dropkicks Melo and lands on Sammy in the process. Cue Anna Jay for a failed save attempt, leaving Soho to hit No Future and Ortiz to hit a clothesline for stereo near falls. Back up and Melo catches Soho on top for a superplex onto the guys on the floor. They head back inside where the TayKO finishes Soho to retain the titles at 6:04.

Rating: C. So now Tay gets jumped before the match, wrestles in street clothes, and still pins Soho? At what point should she just move on to a trade school? The match was the usual collection of rapid fire spots as we have now seen this match three times in ten days. That is more than enough but hopefully everyone can move on from this feud, as it has been rather overdone in short order.

Zero Hour: FTW World Title: Hook vs. Angelo Parker

Hook is defending and Matt Menard is here with Parker. Hook takes him down to start but gets poked in the eye, allowing Parker to send him throat first into the ropes. Parker: “I’M EXPOSING HOOK!” That earns him a shot to the face but Menard grabs the foot for a distraction. Granted it doesn’t matter as Hook throws him down and an exploder suplex. Another suplex drops Parker again and Redrum makes him tap at 3:38.

Rating: C. They kept this short, as tends to be the case for Hook matches. As usual, it’s the idea of getting him in and out before anything can go badly, which is the right way to go for him. I’m sure Hook will get to beat up Menard next before moving on to whatever his next goofy match is, as it isn’t like this title matches whatsoever.

Post match Menard runs in to jump Hook but Action Bronson, who performs Hook’s music, comes in for the save.

Zero Hour: All-Atlantic Title: Kip Sabian vs. Pac

Sabian, with the box on his head, is challenging and yeah I still have no idea what the deal is supposed to be with that thing. Pac starts fast and kicks away at Sabian but it’s too early for the Black Arrow. Sabian gets shoved off the top but is right back with a springboard kick to the head.

That’s enough to knock Pac outside, setting up a springboard moonsault to drop him again. Pac is fine enough to hit a suplex on the floor and they head back in for some kicks to the unboxed head. A pop up knee to the head sets up a dragon suplex for two on Pac but he snaps off a German suplex for the double knockdown. The Black Arrow is loaded up again but Sabian rolls away before it can launch. Pac chokes him down again and stomps away, setting up the Red Arrow for the pin to retain at 10:20.

Rating: C+. I for one totally get why we waited six months to set this up with Sabian sitting in the crowd without being acknowledged in any way. Pac winning and getting this over with is the right way to go because there wasn’t much to the story anyway, and I’d much rather not have to figure out what the point of Sabin was supposed to be. Nice enough match as Pac was there, but Sabian is still his old self.

Post match Pac says he needs a new challenger so here is Orange Cassidy. Pac: “NO!” Cassidy is a joke instead of a wrestler and he can get to the back of the line.

Sabian yells at his box hat.

Zero Hour: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Eddie Kingston

Rematch from a New Japan match earlier this year, with Ishii winning. The chop it out to no avail to start with Ishii getting the better of things until Kingston drops him with a hard clothesline. Back up and Ishii unloads on him in the corner with Kingston being knocked down for a change. Kingston can’t hit a belly to back suplex so Ishii hits a vertical suplex but they’re both banged up.

Ishii misses a charge in the corner so Kingston hits, you guessed it, more chops. A DDT plants Ishii and a sliding forearm gives Kingston two. Ishii gets up and is more serious so he stands there while Kingston chops him. A kick to the back frustrates Kingston for a change so this time they slap it out.

Kingston hurts his shoulder on a suplex attempt and Ishii is back with a German suplex. One heck of a clothesline staggers (but doesn’t drop) Kingston so they hit each other for a double knockdown. Back up and Kingston hits a hard lariat for two before Ishii runs him over for the same. Ishii’s brainbuster is blocked and Kingston hits the spinning backfist for a VERY near fall. Another spinning backfist is shrugged off and Kingston grabs a northern lights bomb for the pin at 13:28.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of a match that might not be everyone’s taste and that was the case for me as well. The chopping part was more than a bit repetitive but eventually they started beating the fire out of each other and that made up for a lot of it. Kingston winning the match made sense, but there is only so much that you can get out of these two hitting each other with such similar stuff over and over.

Casino Ladder Match

Rey Fenix and Wheeler Yuta start things off and Fenix is right there with the first ladder, which he leans over the barricade. That takes too long so Yuta takes him down and goes up. Rush is in at #3 and shoves both of them down to take over. Andrade El Idolo comes in at #4 and this is not going to go well for everyone not named Rush. A ladder is set up in the middle and it’s a super sunset bomb to drop Martin hard onto the bridged ladder.

Claudio Castagnoli is in at #4 and pushes the double ladder, with Andrade on it, over for the big crash out to the floor. Dante Martin is in at #5 and has a ladder fall on him as he hits the ring. Martin kicks away at Castagnoli before getting shoved from one ladder to another. Penta El Cero Miedo is in at #6 and Canadian Destroys Martin on the ramp and another one drives Andrade onto a bridged ladder.

Fenix frog splashes Rush through a table at ringside and….we’ve got a bunch of masked men to wreck everyone else. One of them goes up to pull down the chip and it’s Stokely Hathaway. Apparently that doesn’t count because he’s not a wrestler, so whoever get the chip wins the title shot. Cue the Joker, another masked man, and it’s…well we don’t know as he doesn’t unmask but he wins at 14:12.

Rating: B-. It’s another wild ladder match and there are only so many things that you can see in one of these things. They were doing all of their crashes and dives but what matters most is having the Joker as a wild card. That could be a lot of people and odds are we’ll be finding out in a few weeks at the most. Good stuff here, but these ladder matches completely run together.

We recap the Trios Titles tournament, which should make for a big final.

Trios Titles: Elite vs. Hangman Page/Dark Order

For the inaugural titles and Don Callis is on commentary. Reynolds and Matt Jackson start things off and neither gets anywhere of note. That means a lot of glaring as we recap the issues among Page and the Elite over the years (and there are a lot of them). Matt gets knocked down by Silver and his back seems to be messed up, which is enough for Page to call off the Order. It’s off to Omega vs. Page and the fans are WAY into this.

They lock up and go into the Order corner, where Silver comes in, much to some booing. Omega’s recently repaired shoulder gets cranked on but Page doesn’t like that either. A big boot and fall away slam connect for Page but his springboard is superkicked out of the air. The Bucks start taking turns on Page before Omega tells him that HE CAN’T ESC….ok I guess Page can as he slips out and gets Silver back in.

Everything breaks down and the Order hits a suicide dive/brainbuster combination to Nick on the floor, giving us a rare ALEX REYNOLDS chant. Matt suplexes both of them but hurts his back again, as tends to be the case with him. Omega gets caught in the corner for the running lariats and the German suplex into a jackknife rollup gives Reynolds two. The Bucks are back in with the superkicks to set up the V Trigger to send Silver outside.

Omega hits the big running flip dive to the floor but Silver is back in with a Backstabber. Page moonsaults onto Nick on the floor and the Pendulum Bomb gets two on Matt. The Bucks and the Order trade clotheslines and a four way superkick puts all of them down. That leaves us with Page vs. Omega….and the referee actually says they need to tag in. With that idiocy out of the way, Omega hits a V Trigger into the Jay Driller for two but Page is able to catch him on top.

A super fall away slam into a cover gives Page two of his own and there’s a Buckshot Lariat to the back of Omega’s head. Matt teases grabbing Page’s leg ala when Page won the World Title but the delay lets Nick hit his own Buckshot Lariat to drop Page. The BTE Trigger gets two with Silver making the save but a V Trigger cuts him down. The One Winged Angel is countered into a rollup to give Silver two but a Buckshot Lariat accidentally knocks Silver silly, with Omega stealing the pin at 19:47.

Rating: B+. Heck of a match as you knew it would be, but there is something amusing about the Elite winning again and setting up even more Bucks/Page/Omega melodrama. What we got here was another pretty awesome match though and that is the point of these belts. Just let them get in their car crash, all action stuff and pop the crowd, which I’ll take over it being the focal point of the show. Very good stuff, even if I’m not at all into the never ending Elite story.

We look at Jade Cargill and Athena yelling at each other on Rampage.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Athena

Cargill is defending and is painted green for a She-Hulk look. Athena starts fast and hits the O Face in less than a minute, but the Baddies pull Athena out (a second late as the referee had to slow his count). That earns the Baddies a beating but Jade runs Athena over for two back inside. A big toss sends Athena flying until she’s back up with a springboard spinning crossbody for her own two. The fans get behind Athena as she goes up but Kiera Hogan grabs her leg again. Another springboard is pump kicked out of the air and Jaded retains the title at 4:25.

Rating: C-. So remember every big match that Cargill has had? This was the latest one as Athena gets beaten down and added to the list. I’m not sure who is next for Cargill but she continues to be the most pushed woman in AEW, which does make sense given how oddly charismatic she is, but it is going to be very interesting to see what happens when she loses.

CM Punk arrived earlier and put over Chicago again as the live crowd gets more love.

FTR/Wardlow vs. Jay Lethal/Motor City Machine Guns

Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt are here, with the latter’s shirt mocking Dax Harwood’s daughter. Harwood one ups that by bringing out his daughter for a sweet moment. Lethal and Wardlow start things off but it’s way too early for a powerbomb. Harwood and Sabin come in, with the latter slapping him in the face. Everything teases breaking down before Harwood runs Sabin over again.

Shelley gets knocked off the apron but it’s time to chase Dutt, allowing Sabin to get in a cheap shot back inside. Harwood chops his way out of trouble though and it’s Wardlow coming in to clean house. A double suplex drops the Guns and Harwood comes back in (rather quickly) for a chop off with Lethal.

Harwood fights his way out of the corner and hands it off to Wheeler to pick up the pace. Sabin is sent outside, leaving Shelley to kick Wheeler’s leg out. The villains take turns wrapping Wheeler’s leg around the post, leaving Lethal to grab a Figure Four. With that broken up, Wheeler gets over to Wardlow for the tag, setting up the house cleaning.

Everything breaks down and Singh punches Wardlow in the face for two, leaving Wardlow to be tied in the Tree of Woe for the series of baseball slide dropkicks. Lethal is back up with the double Lethal Injection to FTR. That’s enough time for Wardlow to fight up and start wrecking everyone, including a four movement Powerbomb Symphony on Lethal at 16:36.

Rating: C+. Good enough match here as Wardlow gets some momentum back after a few weeks of nothing. That doesn’t really help FTR, but maybe we can get a regular tag match against the Guns sooner than later. This match never felt important from the moment it was announced and this didn’t help, though of course it was at least pretty good.

Post match Samoa Joe returns and goes after Sonjay Dutt. Cue Harwood’s daughter Finlay so Harwood decks Dutt, allowing Finlay to get the pin for a feel good moment.

We recap Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks. They were friends and partners, but then Hobbs got sick of Starks’ singles success. Fighting ensued and here we are, as Starks wants revenge.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks

Starks charges straight at him to start and is promptly powered down without much trouble. Hobbs goes into the slow power beating as Starks realizes he might be in over his head. The neck crank goes on as Hobbs is working on the recently injured neck. Starks fights up and strikes away in the corner, setting up a DDT for two. Back up and Starks charges into a spinebuster to give Hobbs the sudden win at 5:13.

Rating: C. This feels like the match that was cut down due to time but the ending made up for it. Hobbs winning is a fine way to go (and Starks would have been as well) because AEW is giving someone young and talented a win. We could be in for something from Hobbs and I could certainly go for that kind of a push, as he seems like he could be a breakout star.

We look back at Acclaimed and Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee arguing on Rampage.

Tag Team Titles: Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee vs. Acclaimed

Acclaimed, with Billy Gunn, is challenging. Bowens takes Swerve down to start as the fans chant OH SCISSOR ME DADDY at Billy. Thankfully they are smart enough to let the fans get it out of their system before handing it off to Lee vs. Caster. For some reason Caster tries to go with power vs. Lee but gets about as far as you would expect. A middle rope hurricanrana works a bit better as Lee is taken down before all four come in at once.

The champs are sent outside, meaning it’s time for the big scissoring, much to Billy’s delight. We settle down to Lee taking over on Caster, despite the fans letting Lee know that HE CAN’T SCISSOR. Caster fights out of the corner and hits a middle rope cutter to put Lee down. It’s back to Bowens to hit a running neckbreaker on Swerve, followed by a discus forearm.

A shot to the leg cuts Bowens down though and Swerve throws him over the top, with the leg being banged up again. Lee adds a splash to the knee but misses a charge, allowing the hot tag off to Caster for the house cleaning. For some reason Caster tries a fireman’s carry on Lee, which works as well as you would expect. Lee Pounces over by mistake and a knee gets two on Lee.

Back up and Lee kicks out Bowens’ bad knee but gets caught up top. Swerve makes the save and hits the Swerve Stomp for a VERY close two on Bowens. A half crab goes on but Caster makes the save with a missile dropkick. Swerve’s running kick to the head gets two on Caster, leaving Bowens to break up Swerve’s springboard. With Bowens holding Swerve over the floor, Caster hits a Mic Drop, only to hurt Bowen’s knee in the process. Back inside and Lee chops away, until Billy gets up for a distraction.

Somehow Caster uses the distraction to hit an FU on Lee and it’s the Arrival to Swerve setting up the Mic Drop for a VERY close two with Lee making the save (and the fans aren’t pleased). A Death Valley Driver onto the apron plants Caster and Bowens gets pulled into a backbreaker back inside. Bowens has to fight off both champs but his knee gives out, causing Swerve to kick Lee by mistake. A rollup gets a VERY close two on Lee but Bowens gets caught on Lee’s shoulders. Swerve adds the Stomp to make it a sitout powerbomb for the pin to retain at 22:18.

Rating: B+. Oh I’m not sure about that result, as the fans were BEGGING for the Acclaimed to win here. I get why they didn’t do it and I get why they want Swerve and Lee to retain, but egads if there was ever a reason to call an audible, that might have been it. Either way, at least they had a big pick up match that got a lot of time, with some of those near falls being too close to believe.

Post match Lee and Billy scissor, much to the fans’ uncertainty.

All of the Women’s Title match participants want the title.

Interim Women’s Title: Jamie Hayter vs. Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Toni Storm

For the vacant title, Rebel is here too and the fans seem to like Hayter. It’s a big brawl to start and we get an exchange of rollups. With that not working, Hayter half crabs Storm to leave her in trouble. Baker and Shida trade some rollups before Baker is back up with a Sling Blade. Hayter suplexes Shida and Storm at the same time before being sent outside. Storm dives onto Hayter but gets Sling Bladed by Baker.

With Baker taken down, Shida and Storm face off back inside with Storm being shouldered down but nipping right back up. Rebel tries to come in and gets double headbutted down, which is good for a flat back fall and a lot of laughter from commentary. Hayter carries Shida up the ramp and Baker follows for a Stomp to Shida. That’s enough to get Shida taken out, leaving us with three for the moment.

Storm is double teamed inside and the fans think Hayter is better, which has JR talking about….a sale in a department store? And now here is Shida, complete with two kendo sticks, because KENDO STICKS ARE COOL. Shida gets to clean house and suplexes Baker into Hayter in the corner. Everyone is back up for an exchange of strikes and the villains get a double rollup for two on Shida.

Now it’s Shida with a Falcon Arrow for two on Hayter, with Storm making the save. Hayter breaks up a German suplex with a Tombstone to Storm (that was cool) but Shida makes a save of her own. Baker is back up with a Stomp to Shida for two but Storm breaks up a Lockjaw attempt. There’s a ripcord lariat from Hayter to Shida, causing baker to pull the referee out at two. Storm hits Storm Zero on Hayter but Baker steals the cover for two more. Back in and Storm gives Baker and Hayter a jumping DDT each, with the latter being enough to make Storm champion at 14:41.

Rating: B-. There were some plot points in there, as Baker costing Hayter is going to come back and bite her in the near future. Storm needed to win here as you can only go so far with the losses before she stops mattering. Good match here with the right result, so I’ll take what I can get.

We recap Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy. Christian claims that Jungle Boy cost him money by losing the Tag Team Titles so he started insulting the memory of Jungle Boy’s dead father. Jungle Boy is out for revenge.

Jungle Boy vs. Christian Cage

Hold on though as Jungle Boy can’t find Luchasaurus, who comes up from behind and chokeslams Jungle Boy onto the lighting grid. Jungle Boy is taken to ringside and beaten down again, but insists on the bell ringing. A spear gives Christian two and the Killswitch finishes for Christian at 21 seconds.

Death Triangle is ready for the Best Friends on Dynamite, though Pac still doesn’t like Orange Cassidy.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson, which is about who is the better professional wrestler/sports entertainer.

Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson

William Regal is on commentary and it’s Lionheart here as the 17 Faces Of Jericho continues. Danielson is sung to the ring by someone named Elliott Taylor. They go technical to start until Danielson takes him down for the stomping. With that broken up, they stare at each other a bit in the corner and Jericho hits a hard chop. Danielson goes with a hammerlock but lets him go instead of firing off the palm strikes.

Jericho takes him down on the mat for a change, which is reversed into a double knee stomp. A cross armbreaker is blocked and Jericho reverses up for some elbows to the head. Danielson reverses that and ties up the legs before asking if the fans want some entertainment. That means a Rick Rude hip swivel, which has Jericho angry enough that he chops away in the corner.

Jericho sends him to the apron and hits the triangle dropkick to the floor, but the dive is knocked away to give Danielson a breather. Back in and Danielson hits a missile dropkick, setting up the YES Kicks. A super hurricanrana is countered into the Walls though but Danielson slips out and sends Jericho outside.

That means a suicide dive through the ropes in the corner, only to miss the Swan Dive back inside. Jericho takes his time following up though and Danielson tries the LeBell Lock, which is reversed into a catapult. Naturally Danielson skins the cat so Jericho hits a Tombstone into the Lionsault for two. Back up and the Judas Effect misses and Danielson kicks him in the head.

Danielson stomps away at Jericho, setting up the LeBell Lock. It’s rolled into the middle for better position but Jericho reverses into the Walls again. That’s reversed into a triangle choke but Jericho gets him into the ropes for the break. They chop it out from their knees with Jericho getting chopped into the corner. The backflip over into the clothesline is countered with the Codebreaker for two, setting up a Liontamer to make it even worse.

Another rope is grabbed so Jericho goes primal by hammering away at the head. Danielson gets up again though and it’s the running knee for two. Cattle Mutilation goes on but Jericho rolls out again. That works for Danielson, who fires off the hammer and anvil elbows. Cattle Mutilation goes on again but this time Jericho makes the rope with his foot. More kicks stagger Jericho until Danielson is backed away from the rope. Instead it’s a rolling forearm to rock Jericho and more hammering and elbowing ensues. Jericho manages a low blow though and the Judas Effect finishes Danielson at 23:31.

Rating: A-. They were having a classic and a low blow brought it down a bit. Otherwise, this was a heck of a wrestling match, but I’m really not sure on having Danielson lose again. I’m sure this will be more about Daniel Garcia on the end than anything else, but could we get Danielson a big win for a change? He’s a made man for the rest of his career, though I’m still not sure how many more losses he needs.

The House Of Black is ready to end Sting, Darby Allin and Miro.

House Of Black vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Miro

Miro and Black start things off with Miro taking him into the corner. King comes in for the power brawl with Miro until Allin has to tag himself in. Allin counters Matthews’ Murphy’s Law into a cradle for two but a Code Red is countered (Allin: “Oh s***.”) by Black’s kick to the head. King throws Allin into the corner and Black comes in for the chinlock. Allin fights up and goes over to the corner but Julia Hart distracts the referee, meaning no tag.

The tag goes through a few seconds later, allowing the tag brings in Sting. Some Stinger Splashes connect and it’s time for the staredown with Black. The brawl is on and we hit the Scorpion Deathlock, with the rest of the House not being able to break it up. Sting is finally staggered enough to let Black reverse into a kneebar, with Miro having to make a save.

Allin hits a Coffin Drop for two but Matthews gets in a bat shot to send Miro crashing into the steps. Allin is back up with a flipping Stunner and a suicide flip dive, only to come up holding his shoulder. Back in and Sting mists Black, setting up Allin’s Last Supper for the pin at 12:09.

Rating: C+. This didn’t get crazy for Sting but at least he got to get in there and do his thing while Allin got the glory in the end. I’m still not sure what AEW is doing with Black and Miro, but neither of them did much of anything here. What we got was a fun match, but it is coming near the end of a FAR too long show and that hut things a lot.

Chris Jericho asks Daniel Garcia where he was. As a result, Garcia is challenging Wheeler Yuta for the Pure Rules Title without the Jericho Appreciation Society.

We recap the AEW World Title match. CM Punk came back from his injury and lost to Jon Moxley in three minutes. Now he is motivated by his friends and family and wants to win the title back for Chicago.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. CM Punk

Moxley, with William Regal in his corner, is defending. They stall to start until Moxley starts hammering away in the corner. Punk gets in a kick to the head with the bad foot, setting up the running knees in the corner. Some Hammer and Anvil elbows rock Moxley and the GTS gets two. They fight into the crowd with Punk unloading as Moxley seems to be covering up.

Back at ringside and Moxley manages to post him, which busts Punk open. They get back inside where Moxley licks the blood off of his hand before kicking away at Punk again. Back up and Punk hits the running knee in the corner but the knee gives out, allowing Moxley to hit a shinbreaker. We hit the leglock, followed by a half crab, which Moxley switches into an STF and then a Figure Four.

Some middle fingers fire Punk up enough to roll over to freedom and Moxley gets beaten up on the floor. Back in Punk grabs the Anaconda Vice but Moxley slips out and stomps away. The clothesline misses though and Punk hits a dropkick but the top rope elbow is pulled into a bulldog choke.

That’s broken up and Punk hits a kick to the head, only to be taken down for more Hammer and Anvil elbows to knock Punk silly. The bulldog choke goes on again but that’s muscled up as well. The GTS attempt is countered and Moxley hits the Death Rider for two. Moxley isn’t having that and grabs the choke again, only to get GTS’d for the third time and the title at 19:43.

Rating: B. This was more of a fight than anything else, though it does feel like they spent a long time setting up this one moment when they could have cut out a lot of stuff in the middle. Anyway, Punk got to get his big hometown moment (as it had been…four days since the last one) and is champion again, but now he needs something else to do as we start to close out the year. Heck of a match here, but I really don’t think it was worth the effort they put in to make it happen.

Then the lights go out and we hear a voiceover from Tony Khan, talking about how someone is gone over and over and keeps screwing the fans. Show up at All Out and everything is forgiven, with whoever it is being put in the Casino Ladder Match, plus get a big bonus. We see a clip of Punk in the old ROH days talking about the devil. Then we see the devil from earlier….and he’s wearing a scarf. MJF is back and comes into the arena and the fans are VERY happy to see him. MJF motions that he wants the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It was a show where the high points were very good, but there is enough stuff here that REALLY needs to be cut or just dropped altogether. The biggest problem as always with these shows it he length, but at least we had some very good action in there as well. The big ending should set up Grand Slam where MJF gets the World Title, but other than that, you also have Jericho vs. Danielson in a great one and the far better than expected Tag Team Title match.

This was another awesome AEW pay per view, but if they want to really make them all timers, enough with the Wrestlemania lengths. It doesn’t work there and it doesn’t work here, as I was sitting around wondering how in the world there were so many matches left on the show, despite how good they might be. Anyway, certainly check this out, but have a fast forward button loaded up, or at least take a break in the middle.

Results
Tay Melo/Sammy Guevara b. Ortiz/Ruby Soho – TayKO to Soho
Hook b. Angelo Parker – Redrum
Pac b. Kip Sabian – Black Arrow
Eddie Kingston b. Tomohiro Ishii – Northern lights bomb
The Joker won the Casino Ladder Match
Elite b. Hangman Page/Dark Order – Buckshot Lariat to Silver
Jade Cargill b. Athena – Jaded
FTR/Wardlow b. Jay Lethal/Motor City Machine Guns – Powerbomb Symphony to Lethal
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Ricky Starks – Spinebuster
Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee b. Acclaimed – Sitout powerbomb/Swerve Stomp combination to Bowers
Toni Storm b. Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida – Jumping DDT to Hayter
Christian Cage b. Jungle Boy – Killswitch
Sting/Miro/Darby Allin b. House Of Black – Last Supper to Black
CM Punk b. Jon Moxley – GTS

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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For the first time in a good while, we are getting a full scale AEW pay per view rather than AEW and some other promotion mixing together to make a big special. As tends to be the case on AEW pay per views, the card is absolutely loaded, even to the point of being WAY too big. There are fifteen matches between the Zero Hour (better than Buy In) show and the main card, all of which are absolutely necessary. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: FTW Title: Hook(c) vs. Angelo Parker

You know, because we needed to get Hook onto this thing. Or is it that we needed to get the “Sports…..Innderdainers”? Either way, this is the kind of a match that is not likely to take very long because Parker has never been treated as anything serious and Hook runs over everyone. I don’t know what else anyone is really expecting here, but at least Hook should pop the crowd.

Of course I’ll take Hook to win here, as there is no reason for it to go any other way. Hook is one of those unique stars that just works for some reason and it would be nuts to have him lose to one half of a comedy due. I’m sure Matt Menard will get his chance to be destroyed later, but for now, this will be Hook crushing Parker and going off to find some more chips.

Zero Hour: AAA World Mixed Tag Team Titles: Tay Melo/Sammy Guevara vs. Ruby Soho/Oritz

If anyone can explain why this match is on the card, you’re smarter than I am. This is the third time that these teams have fought in ten days and that isn’t exactly my idea of interesting. The first two matches weren’t good but now we’re seeing them again after a second match this week on Rampage. But at least they’re on the shwo and something is on the line, so points for that I guess?

There is almost no reason to believe that the titles are going to change here so we’ll go with Melo and Guevara retaining. If I had to guess, maybe Soho can even get pinned again to keep the titles where they already are. This feels completely out of the norm for AEW and I’d like to believe that it isn’t something they are going to do regularly. Either way, this isn’t something I’m interested in seeing but we’re getting it anyway, because something about a trilogy.

Zero hour: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Eddie Kingston

So these two fight back at a New Japan event in May and this it he rematch, which AEW is hosting so I guess they can fight each other once on equal footing? This is another match that was added on to the card and the story seems to be that Kingston is wanting to prove that he has become a better man since Ishii beat him the first time. I’m not sure how interesting that is but you know AEW will take a New Japan star when they can.

I’ll go with Kingston here, even if it is a match with virtually no build or reason to exist other than to get the two of them on the show. Much like the previous match, it is one of the first matches I would cut from the card, but it should at least be a heck of a fight with two guys hitting each other really hard. Ishii is getting up there in years but he can still do his thing well enough to get by.

Zero Hour: All Atlantic Title: Pac(c) vs. Kip Sabian

After several months of sitting in the front row with a box over his head, commentary just said “yeah that’s Kip Sabian” and now he is getting a title match against Pac. Why that is supposed to be interesting isn’t clear, as it’s still Sabian, who has never been much more than just ok during his time in AEW. It should be nice to see Pac defend the title on AEW TV for once, even under these circumstances.

Despite having no idea what they’re going for with the whole box thing, I’ll go with Pac to run through Sabian without much trouble. Pac is on a higher level and I don’t see the point in messing with the title on someone so far out of Pac’s league. Maybe commentary can explain something about Sabian’s deal, but for now, this is just a weird story that came out of nowhere and leaves me wondering why it’s happening.

Interim Women’s Title: Britt Baker vs. Toni Storm vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Jamie Hayter

Yes we’re still doing the Interim Champion deal and no I don’t quite get it either. This is the thing they’re doing rather than just vacating the title and moving on and it’s still not exactly a great way to go. This time Thunder Rosa has suffered a back injury and will not be able to defend the title, so this is what we’re getting instead. At least there are some options to win here, which always helps.

I’ll take Storm to win, even if the signs seem to be pointing to Baker. If nothing else, it would be nice for Storm to win and give us something fresh, as Baker and Shida have both been champion for so long. Hayter would be interesting as well and is a dark horse to win the thing, but I’ll go with Storm here, if nothing else to set up the Storm vs. Rosa match when she gets back.

Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

For the life of me I don’t get why it took so long for these two to have something significant to do but at least they’re finally getting some kind of a match here. Both of them have the potential to be break out stars and that could very well start with this match. This is the result of a tag team split and that is as good of a reason as any for two young stars to be fighting.

I think I’ll take Hobbs here, even if Starks seems more ready to move up to the next level. The good thing here is there is no bad choice for a winner, as long as AEW picks someone and moves forward with them. Hobbs is a monster and Starks is more of a complete package, which opens up several possibilities no matter which choice they make. I’ll flip a coin and go with Hobbs though in what should be a fine match either way.

Jungle Boy vs. Christian Cage

We’ll stick with the grudge match theme here as Jungle Boy finally gets his hands on Cage after a lot of horrible things were said about him. These two have been on a collision course for several weeks now and we should be in for something good when they finally get to face off. There is a major wild card in the background though and that could be the big factor in the whole thing.

I think I’ll go with Cage here, as Luchasaurus has been so notorious in his absence for the last few weeks. If nothing else, it seems a bit too easy that Luchasaurus was Cage’s heavy and then stepped aside while Jungle Boy got to Cage. Maybe that is a red herring, but I have a feeling that Luchasaurus turns on Jungle Boy to let Cage get the win, which would set up even more between these three going forward.

Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho

Hey, did you know that Jericho calls himself a Sports Entertainer and is a bad guy in a company that focuses on wrestling? I wasn’t sure if AEW had hammered the idea in enough just yet. This is a match that has been set up for a few weeks and should be a good one if they do it right. Jericho has a hit or miss track record, but Danielson seems incapable of having a bad match no matter what he does in AEW, meaning I have a lot of hope.

Danielson needs the win more than Jericho so we’ll go with what makes sense here and pick Danielson to go over. Jericho seems to be bringing back the Lionheart as he continues his own version of the 3 Faces Of Foley, but Danielson wrestling him down and then beating him, likely with Daniel Garcia not helping Jericho when he needs it, is the way to go. This needs to be Danielson’s to give him a win over a bigger name and that is what they’ll do here.

TNT Title: Jade Cargill(c) vs. Athena

Well it’s about time. This is a story that has been built up for the last few months and I cannot bring myself to care after so many months of Athena getting beaten up by Cargill and the Baddies. They have to have the match at some point though and this is as good for a place as any, even if it is something that should have happened at least a few weeks ago when the interest was still there.

Of course Cargill retains here and there is no reason for this to be anything else. Cargill is someone who is going to need a special opponent to finally take her down and as good as Athena is, I can’t picture that being the case. Athena will probably hit the O Face for a near fall, but ultimately it’s going to be Jaded to keep Cargill undefeated, as she should be at the moment.

House Of Black vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Miro

This is another match that feels like it was forgotten until the last few days and now it is taking place on the show. That isn’t the best way to go but there are a lot of names in here who should probably be on the pay per view. Miro vs. the House Of Black alone should be good and Sting/Allin already have issues with the team. Now just let them all go nuts and it should be fun.

This should be fun and I’ll go with Miro making Matthews tap to win. Sting and Allin can do their wacky things and Sting can probably have his showdown with Black, but with all of the reported personal issues for Black, I can’t imagine his team winning here. This is a way to redeem Miro a bit and that is the way they should go, as it’s almost easy to forget he is even in AEW half of the time.

Casino Ladder Match

A few weeks ago, I was wondering when AEW was going to announce another ladder match and here we are. This is the latest future World Title opportunity on the line and so far we have seven names, plus more to come. In other words, this is all about the Joker, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a big name return in that spot, as he is certainly overdue to do so.

In short, I’m going with MJF making his triumphant return, likely setting up the title match in New York City later this month. MJF has been gone for several months now and it is long past time to get him back so he can continue his reign of amazing. If nothing else, seeing him come in at the very end and win the thing without having to put in much, if any, work, would be a heck of a troll job and something I can see him doing.

Wardlow/FTR vs. Jay Lethal/Motor City Machine Guns

And here we have the weirdest match on the card, as I still don’t know why this is the best thing that they can offer. The match has felt thrown together since it was announced and for a very good reason: it is a thrown together match for the sake of getting the people involved on the show (you might be noticing a pattern emerging here). It’s nice to have them here, but Harwood’s speech explaining why the match matters didn’t quite sway me.

Give me FTR and Wardlow to win here, which is the only logical way this can go. At the end of the day, they both REALLY need something to do and this isn’t likely to lead anywhere. While I could go for FTR vs. the Guns later on, Wardlow vs. Lethal has already been done. I’m not sure why this match is taking place, but hopefully it isn’t AEW giving up on the three of them so soon, as that would be incredibly stupid.

Tag Team Titles: Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland(c) vs. Acclaimed

Now this one intrigues me and I’m not sure about where it is going to go. On one hand you have the champs, who have not exactly been given a major run yet and have only held the titles for a few weeks. On the other hand though, you have the Acclaimed, who are on fire and the fans absolutely love them, meaning there has to be some temptation to pull the trigger here. That makes this a little complicated and I’m not sure what they are going to do.

I’ll take the champions to retain though, as it just isn’t like AEW to take someone who is getting their big break and just cut them off so soon. The Acclaimed has come a long way but I don’t know how much they need the titles. Caster’s raps alone, or with Bowens’ nutty charisma, are going to keep them over for a very long time so why bother with giving them titles that they don’t really need yet? The champs keep the belts.

Trios Titles: Hangman Page/Dark Order vs. Elite

Yeah I don’t think there is any real shock that this is where we wound up after the whole tournament was announced. Even if Page wasn’t involved in the tournament in the first place, I don’t think there was any shock in the fact that he wound up in the finals anyway. These titles feel more and more like a vanity deal for the Elite anyway, and that is where things get screwy.

I’m actually taking Page and the Dark Order to win here, as it is more of a feel good story for the lovable goons to FINALLY win something than for the Elite to get another title on their resume. Throw in Omega possibly being blamed for the loss, Page redeeming himself, and whatever else the Bucks are going to talk about and the underdogs winning is the much more interesting way to go.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. CM Punk

CHICAGO! Ok there now we can move on. For some reason this feels like it is designed to be a match for the live crowd than everyone else watching. I get the idea of keeping a crowd hot, but this story has been so all over the place and I’m still not sure I get why we’re getting things going this way. At the very least, this is the kind of story that needs to end so everyone can move on to something else, and in theory that is what they’ll be doing.

I’ll take Punk to win here, again going off of the idea of MJF getting his title shot in New York later this month. MJF vs. Moxley doesn’t have the history to it and Punk winning the title back to set up the big loss to MJF is a better way to go. This really doesn’t feel like a main event though and I wouldn’t be hurt if they went with the Trios Titles headlining instead (The heck am I saying?). Oh and one more time: CHICAGO!

Overall Thoughts

Long. That’s the overall thought for this show: it sounds really long. There are so many matches crammed into this card that I’ve been dreading it more and more eveyr week. I’m still not sure why AEW insists on doing this but for some reason this is what we get with their regular pay per views anymore. I’m sure people will be burned out by the end, but why let that get in the way of what they want to do?

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.