Collision
Date: February 1, 2025
Location: Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We have two weeks to go before we get to Grand Slam and the top of the card has come together. The show has some more spots to fill in though and we’ll start taking care of that this week. As for this week, we have a Mid-South street fight, despite not being in the Mid-South (well, at least the wrestling version). Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hook/Samoa Joe vs. The Patriarchy

Wayne shoulders Hook down to start but gets suplexed for his efforts. Joe comes in but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Sabian to kick away. That doesn’t work for Joe, who runs Sabian over and hits the backsplash. Hook comes back in but gets taken into the wrong corner so the villains can take over.

Sabian grabs a chinlock as Schiavone rattles off the rest of the card, sounding more robotic than ever. A double suplex gives Wayne two but Hook is over to the corner without much trouble. Joe comes back in, hits the release Rock Bottom out of the corner, and MuscleBusters Sabian for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C. This was what it needed to be, with Joe getting in there and smashing through everyone as soon as he got the chance. That’s the point of someone like Joe, as he is an absolute monster when he gets the chance. Joe vs. Cage could be interesting, though Joe should have something to do with Chris Jericho first.

Post match Christian Cage comes in with the metal contract and lays the winners out.

Cope thinks Jon Moxley is always whining about something and was stupid to hide the World Title in a briefcase. He wants Moxley at Revolution. Logical, but dang that’s a long time to sit through this feud.

The Beast Mortos vs. Adam Priest

The discus lariat and the spinning piledriver finish Priest at 44 seconds. Yep.

Post match here is Max Caster to say he doesn’t want to fight, but he does want to issue his first open challenge.

Max Caster vs. Rush

Rush isn’t having any of this waiting around to start and pounds Caster into the corner to start. The Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:03. Yep again.

Post match Rush and Mortos, with Dralistico get in the ring so Rush can do his catchphrase.

The Outrunners think the Learning Tree need to dig two graves.

Outrunners vs. Learning Tree

Big Bill is here with the Learning Tree. Jericho pokes Magnum in the eyes to start and takes those eyes into the corner for some raking. Floyd comes in for some alternating atomic drops and the villains are cleared out to the floor. Bill gets in a big boot for a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with Floyd getting to clean house but the Mega Powers elbow takes too long. Jericho gets the Walls on Floyd but Magnum comes back in with a suplex. NOW the Mega Powers elbow can connect, only for Bill to break up Total Recall. Keith small packages Floyd for the pin at 8:21.

Rating: C+. Maybe I was stupid for thinking they could do something with the Outrunners, but here they are losing to bigger teams. I know they weren’t going to be AEW Tag Team Champions, but they could have beaten some biggish team in a funny feud. Instead, they are the latest stars to be sacrifice on the altar of Jericho.

Post match, Big Bill beats up the Outrunners again. A double chokeslam through the table is loaded up but Bandido comes in for the save. Keith goes through the table instead.

Kyle Fletcher wants to even the score with Mark Briscoe. They’re set for next week.

Buddy Matthews again challenges Kazuchika Okada, who isn’t interested. B******* ensues.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Harley Cameron

Taya jumps her to start and stomps away in the corner, only to get kicked in the head. Back up and the sliding German suplex drops Cameron and we take a break. We come back with the fans chanting FEEL THE WRATH and Cameron hitting a Canadian Destroyer. Cameron misses a Swanton but gets speared, only for Cameron to roll her up for the pin and her first AEW victory at 7:34.

Rating: C. Now THIS is what AEW needs to do more often. It wasn’t some stunning upset or total nonsense, but one of the most popular stars in the promotion got a clean win. They still have time to do this on the way to Grand Slam where Cameron likely gets to lose to Mercedes Mone. Not a particularly good match, but it was what the fans wanted to see and it went well.

We get a sitdown interview with Ricochet, who is happy to be here among the best around. Then the fans turned on him and threw toilet paper at him. Swerve Strickland thought it was a good idea to join the fans booing him. Cue Strickland to say he could end Ricochet but that would disappoint fans in Atlanta. Strickland talks about how the two of them have a long history and now it is going to be a fight, which Ricochet can’t win. Ricochet talks about how he doesn’t care about the fans and they’ll see each other in Atlanta. Nice stuff here, as they’re making this feel like a showdown.

Here is Toni Storm to say that she has been playing the role of Toni Storm for the last six weeks. Naturally no one got this because she’s such a great actress. She has to run away after Mariah May broke her heart and now she has seen everything she has. May is a “shambolic b****.” and her time is over. At least they’re winking at the fact that it wasn’t a big surprise.

Video on Christopher Daniels.

Harley Cameron is outside of Mercedes Mone’s dressing room….and whips out a Mone puppet for some outstanding ventriloquism. Mone comes in to mock Cameron for being a loser who doesn’t get to ride the money train. Sweet goodness this woman is talented.

Video on Daniel Garcia.

TNT Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Lee Moriarty

Garcia is defending and Moriarty’s ROH Pure Title isn’t on the line. Feeling out process to start with neither going much of anywhere. We get the parade of holds with neither being able to get very far, meaning it’s another standoff. Moriarty gets sent outside so the other two can get kicked in the face. A big dive drops O’Reilly and Garcia and we take a break.

Back with Moriarty hitting an Eat Defeat/Downward Spiral combination for two each. Some double teaming takes Moriarty down until an exchange of kicks leaves everyone down. Garcia hammers away at both of them in the corner. With O’Reilly down, Garcia gets the Dragon Slayer but O’Reilly breaks it up. Moriarty’s associate Shane Taylor punches Garcia into the Border City Stretch but Garcia reverses into the jackknife cover for the retaining pin at 11:31.

Rating: B-. This was mostly just a nice wrestling match, but CAN WE STOP PINNING RING OF HONOR CHAMPIONS??? If you don’t want O’Reilly to lose here then fine, but don’t put another champion in there to take the fall. Heck you had Shane Taylor RIGHT THERE on the floor to take the fall instead. This is one of those things that Tony Khan does far too often and it drives me insane.

Post match Shane Taylor Promotions surround O’Reilly and Garcia but the Undisputed Kingdom makes the save.

Video on Penelope Ford vs. Thunder Rosa.

Hologram is walking the streets and seems to have electrical powers.

Megan Bayne vs. Hyena Hera

Bayne powers her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs to start and hits a pump kick for a knockdown. An F5 finishes Hera at 1:25. That’s how she should have debuted rather than being just another name in the Casino Gauntlet.

Lio Rush might take up Darius Martin’s challenge. Maybe.

Mariah May is ready to watch Toni Storm vs. Queen Aminata.

Kris Statlander apologizes to Willow Nightingale over their issues. Nightingale says it’s time to focus on herself, but Statlander pulls out their friendship bracelet, showing it was never broken.

Death Riders vs. FTR

Street fight and FTR jumps them in the crowd to start fast. The weapons are brought in rather quickly and the Riders fight back, with Cash being sent into the steps to put him down. Harwood is sent into them as well and Moxley puts him in a chair for a kick to the face and two, as “Mid-South Street Fight” apparently means falls count anywhere. Yuta chairs Harwood in the ring and here is Moxley with some pliers. Cash fights up and helps clean some house but Moxley pliers Harwood’s nose…and we take a break. Because of course.

We come back with Moxley pouring out the thumbtacks, only to get powerbombed onto them. Cash and Yuta fight over a suplex before Cash settles for a suicide dive. Moxley Death Riders Cash on the floor and puts a table up in the corner. The double suplex is broken up and Harwood hits a brainbuster for a needed breather.

Harwood grabs Moxley low, only for Marina Shafir to come in and grab Harwood low. Shafir grabs a choke but gets sent through the table in the corner for his efforts. A piledriver sets up a Sharpshooter on Moxley so here is Claudio Castagnoli for the save. Cue Jay White and Cope to even things up, with Yuta getting piledriven through the announcers’ able for the pin at 16:51.

Rating: B-. Quite the fight here and it’s nice to see the Riders lose, but at the same time, it was quite a bit of the same stuff that we have seen in this kind of a match before. The match did come a bit out of nowhere, though apparently this was the last minute replacement for Powerhouse Hobbs due to his injury, so fair enough. Good stuff here, but the Death Riders in general are just not that interesting.

Post match the Riders keep up the beating but get taken out, with a Shatter Machine and spear dropping Moxley. The Conchairto is broken up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice enough show here, even if the audience is going to be crushed by the Royal Rumble. The last two non-squash matches were pretty good and I liked them throwing in some shorter matches to keep things moving. It’s not a show you need to see, but it was perfectly enjoyable.

Results
Hook/Samoa Joe b. The Patriarchy – MuscleBuster to Sabian
The Beast Mortos b. Adam Priest – Spinning piledriver
Rush b. Max Caster – Bull’s Horns
Learning Tree b. Outrunners – Small package to Keith
Harley Cameron b. Taya Valkyrie – Rollup
Daniel Garcia b. Lee Moriarty and Kyle O’Reilly – Jackknife rollup to Moriarty
Megan Bayne b. Hyena Hera – F5
FTR b. Death Riders – Spike piledriver through the announcers’ table to Yuta

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

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Collision
Date: January 25, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s Homecoming because we can’t go a week without some kin of special show. It is nice to be back in Daily’s Place though as we should be in for a fun show. We are less than a month away from Grand Slam and it should be time to start getting the rest of the card put together so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Patriarchy, Toni Storm, Mariah May and Samoa Joe are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Jim Ross is back. That’s nice to see.

Samoa Joe vs. Nick Wayne

The rest of the Patriarchy is here so Katsuyori Shibata and Hook come out to even things up. You know, assuming Joe wouldn’t be able to smash the entire team on his own. Wayne strikes away to start but misses a shoulder, allowing Joe to hit a backsplash. The early MuscleBuster is broken up and Joe’s leg is wrapped around the ropes. Wayne hits a dive to the floor and it’s time to say on the leg. Joe isn’t having this though as he knocks Wayne back and hits the MuscleBuster for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C. That’s what this should have been as Wayne was going to be little more than an annoyance to Joe at best. Joe shrugged off whatever Wayne threw at him and finished him in a hurry. There is no point in making this overly complicated and that is what they made work here. Joe is going to be on his way to something better so smashing the Patriarchy on the way there isn’t a bad idea.

We recap Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay brawling with the Don Callis Family on Dynamite, setting up the tag match at Grand Slam.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Komander

Non-title. Komander starts fast with a knockdown and reverses a suplex into a quickly broken choke. Okada isn’t having this and kicks him in the face before going outside. A DDT plants Komander hard and we take an early break. Back with Komander grabbing an X Factor out of a powerbomb and picking up the pace. Okada’s White Noise onto the knee sets up the top rope elbow but the Rainmaker is blocked. Komander grabs a hurricanrana to the floor and hits a moonsault, only to get Rainmakered for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: B-. Hey look: a Ring Of Honor champion loses AGAIN, but we’re still expected to pay to watch that the show. There was no reason for Komander to be Okada’s latest victim here as the champion vs. champion aspect wasn’t much of a bonus. But why let common sense get in the way of something Tony Khan thinks is cool?

Powerhouse Hobbs and Big Bill get in a fight in the parking lot. They hit each other with metal objects, including a gate that Hobbs rips off a fence. Security breaks it up.

The Costco Guys are back but get interrupted by the Undisputed Kingdom for a Boom off.

Undisputed Kingdom vs. Daniel Garcia/Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

Oh hey Parker still works here. Garcia headlocks Cole over to start but they pop up for a staredown. Strong and Menard come in with the former working on a wristlock before grinding on a headlock. Garcia comes in and is quickly backdropped to the floor, where he gets in an argument with Shane Taylor Promotions. We take a break and come back with Garcia hammering on O’Reilly in the corner. O’Reilly fights out without much trouble and hands it back to Cole for a slugout with Garcia. Everything breaks down and Parker is faceplanted for two. A superkick cuts off Garcia and the high/low finishes Parker at 9:55.

Rating: C. This was little more than a handicap match as there was no reason to believe that Parker and Menard were going to be a real threat to the Kingdom. In theory one of these three could be coming after Garcia’s TNT Title, which would be fine, but it didn’t make for much of a six man tag. Parker and Menard are harmless enough but they’re about as bottom of the barrel as you can get around here.

Respect is shown post match.

Max Caster is happy with the response to the Acclaimed’s split and announces an Open Challenge series.

We get a bunch of computer code as I’m guessing Hologram is coming back.

Top Flight argues over Action Andretti and Lio Rush. Darius Martin wants to fight Rush one on one.

Tony Schiavone brings out Mariah May and Toni Storm for a face to face chat. Storm’s enthusiastic handshake offer is turned down and May says Storm makes her think and feel nothing. Storm is nothing and a joke and the fans laugh at her, just like May knew they would. May will get off by humiliating Storm in her hometown.

Storm says she is May’s biggest fan and wants to be just like her. She hugs May, who responds with a heck of a slap. May whips her with the belt and leaves, but Storm asks why May thinks she has forgotten. Storm takes off her clothes to reveal the Timeless gear and promises to shove May back into the womb. For some reason this is presented as a surprise, despite it being pretty obvious for most of the story.

There is a special interview with the Death Riders debuting next week. Jon Moxley’s vision is a thousand Moxleys. Oh dear.

Hounds Of Hell vs. Gates Of Agony

The Hounds are Buddy Matthews/Brody King with Julia Hart as the House Of Black seems to be completely done. Matthews shoulders Kaun to no effect to start and is shouldered into the corner. King and Toa collide before striking it out until King is taken into the wrong corner to take over. That doesn’t last long as King fights out and brings Matthews back in to clean house.

We take a break and come back with Open The Gates getting two on Matthews. The comeback doesn’t take long and it’s off to King to clean house, including a Death Valley Driver for two on Toa. A Samoan drop gets the same on King, who Kaun can’t powerbomb. Instead King hits a piledriver and a Cannonball/running dropkick combination in the corner finishes Kaun at 10:04.

Rating: B-. The Hounds are already a good team so this was little more than a way to show that Malakai Black is gone and they’ll be fine. The Gates aren’t a great team but they’re a couple of monsters and it looks good for the Hounds to beat them. This was a nice way to show us the new team and I’m interested in seeing what they can do. A hoss fight with the Hurt Syndicate could work just fine.

The Costco Guys bring Harley Cameron, who can’ t get their catchphrase right. The Vendetta comes in to mock Cameron and the Guys do their catchphrase. Again.

Penelope Ford and Thunder Rosa argue and a match seems to be made.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Serena Deeb vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Queen Aminata

For a future TBS Title shot. They go for early rollups to start to limited avail, leaving Purrazzo to chill on the ramp with Taya Valkyrie. Deeb ties up Aminata’s leg before neckbreakering her over the top rope. Sakazaki clears the ring and hits a big dive to take everyone out on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Purrazzo Fujiwara armbarring Aminata, who rolls her way out. Everyone but Deeb is down but Sakazaki is back with a high crossbody to take her down. Deeb and Aminata brawl up the ramp so Valkyrie comes in, only for Harley Cameron to come in for the save. Sakazaki rolls Purrazzo up for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: B-. So Sakazaki, who hasn’t gotten a singles win since September (the most recent of these four to win a singles match in AEW is Purrazzo, who won a squash more than a month ago), is suddenly in a four way for a title shot. Sure, why not. The match was the usual collection of four people with nothing going on suddenly getting into the title picture because it’s not like there are people here doing things who could be in these slots instead. But hey, at least Mone gets to wrestle one of her friends from Japan, because that’s what matters the most.

The Hounds are back and bark but Kazuchika Okada comes in to say they sound like b******. Buddy Murphy challenges him for the Continental Title but that’s a no. Murphy: “Then you’re the b****.” Okada: “I’m not a b****.” This has been “how much can we get out of a one word joke”.

Here is Big Bill to call out Powerhouse Hobbs. Cue Hobbs, who has to beat up security, allowing Bill to hit him with a backpack. Said backpack contains a brick, a knee brace, and handcuffs. Hobbs is cuffed and beaten, with his nose busted open. Bill beats him with a chair but Hobbs gets in a low blow, setting up the belly to belly off the stage through a table.

The Don Callis Family has dinner at the….Don Callis Mansion? Callis tells the team to be ready for Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay and teases a new member. This was so over the top that it was funny.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata is challenging and Don Callis is on commentary. They go to the mat to start as Callis confirms that yes, he does think everyone else is stupid. Shibata slips out of a headscissors but can’t get in a kick to the head so they get back up. They head outside with Shibata being sent into the barricade but he cuts off a charge with a hard kick.

We take a break and come back with Shibata striking away, setting up a butterfly suplex for two. An exchange of suplexes sets up an STO to put Takeshita down and we get a double breather. Shibata grabs a choke but Takeshita reverses into a Tombstone into a wheelbarrow suplex.

Shibata pops back up for a running shot and they’re both down again. The abdominal stretch has Takeshita in trouble so Callis heads to the ring. Takeshita chokes him down but Callis grabs the foot to break up the PK. One heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita one and they strike it out, only for Raging Fire to retain the title at 13:32.

Rating: B+. I got way into this one and it was a heck of a main event. They were beating each other up and while I didn’t think Shibata was going to win the title, he put in an awesome effort in defeat. This is one of those matches where there isn’t much else to say other than it was really good and is worth a look if you get the chance.

Overall Rating: B-. As tends to be the case with a lot of Collisions, there is a really good hour long show in here but instead it was stretched out to two hours and brought down a lot. The issues with random people being thrown into title contention are still going strong and that is likely to be the case forever around here. Other than that, the main event is very good and the Hounds looked great, so there were definitely some big positives on this show.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Nick Wayne – MuscleBuster
Kazuchika Okada b. Komander – Rainmaker
Undisputed Kingdom b. Daniel Garcia/Angelo Parker/Matt Menard – High/Low to Parker
Hounds Of Hell b. Gates Of Agony – Cannonball/running dropkick in the corner combination to Kaun
Yuka Sakazaki b. Serena Deeb, Queen Aminata and Deonna Purrazzo – Rollup to Purrazzo
Konosuke Takeshita b. Katsuyori Shibata – Raging Fire

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

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AND

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Collision
Date: January 18, 2025
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re about a month away from grand Slam and in this case we have another special in the form of Maximum Carnage. The big deal this week is a Texas Deathmatch between Hangman Page and Christopher Daniels, which should be rather violent. Other than that, we’ll need to see what is next for a lot of people. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Outrunners, Powerhouse Hobbs, Rated FTR, Kazuchika Okada, Christopher Daniels and Hangman Page are ready to fight.

Christopher Daniels vs. Hangman Page

Texas Deathmatch, which in AEW terms means you can only win by knockout or submission. Page cuts off the early jawing and hammers away in the corner before clotheslining Daniels to the floor. There’s a dive to take him out again and Daniels is sent into the barricade as this is total dominance. A chair to the face drops Daniels again and we’ve already got some blood.

Barbed wire to the cut has Daniels in more trouble and Page rips at the jaw. The wire is wrapped around Page’s arm for a discus forearm as we take a break. Back with Daniels hitting a desperation clothesline but getting sent face first into a chair in the corner. Daniels is laid on a table for a stomp from the apron, with the table collapsing but not breaking for a unique look.

It’s time for a barbed wire table (because of course) but Page takes too long up top and gets super Rock Bottomed through the table. A Buckshot Lariat and Angel’s Wings on the apron are both blocked but Daniels is back with a Koji Clutch. That’s broken up as well so Daniels grabs Angel’s Wings for a breather. The BME connects, followed by another onto a table onto Page. That doesn’t really matter as Page is back up for a Tombstone onto the chair. Daniels is on his feet in less than thirty seconds so it’s a Deadeye onto a chair, followed by the Buckshot Lariat to the back of the head to end Daniels at 16:44.

Rating: B. Word on the street is that this is the end for Daniels and if that is the case, he went out with a hard hitting, violent match which made Page look great. Daniels has been a dependable hand in AEW for a long time now and it was nice to see him getting out there one more time. Heck of a match here, and Page should be on his way to bigger things soon.

Post match Page comes back and hits an Angel’s Wings.

Here is Toni Storm for a chat. She can’t believe that she is going to her hometown for a title shot in the building where she saw her first wrestling show. Mariah May is the best in the world and they need to meet face to face next week. Tony Schiavone isn’t convinced but goes along with it anyway.

We look at the Hurt Syndicate wrecking Mark Briscoe and Private Party on Dynamite.

The Hurt Syndicate wants the Tag Team Titles.

Undisputed Kingdom vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Shane Taylor is here with his own Promotions. Strong and Moriarty start things off so it’s quickly off to Dean, who gets kicked in the chest. Some cheating from the floor takes the good guys down though and the Infantry gets to pose on the apron as we take a break. Back with Cole missing the Panama Sunrise but scoring with the superkick. Strong comes in to clean house as everything breaks down. The High/Low finishes Bravo at 6:54.

Rating: C+. I have no idea why a six minute match needed a break in the middle, but at least they kept the match short. This wasn’t a match that was going to need a lot of time and it made the Kingdom look that much better. At the same time, this isn’t going to make hearing Taylor talk about how dominant the team is in ROH, but it’s not like that show matters anyway, even to the people running it.

Post match Taylor comes in and wrecks the Kingdom but Daniel Garcia comes in to take him down.

We look at Kenny Omega returning to the ring on Dynamite but getting beaten down by the Don Callis Family, with Will Ospreay not being able to make the save.

Ospreay isn’t happy and wants to meet Omega face to face next week on Dynamite.

Murder Machines vs. Top Flight

The Machines jump them to start and a backbreaker/running kick to the head combination hits Darius. A kick to the head gets Darius out of trouble though and it’s Dante coming in to pick up the pace. Archer misses a charge into the corner and everything breaks down, with the Machines easily taking them down. A powerbomb/chokeslam combination finishes Dante at 3:47.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a squash but what matters the most is that the Machines looked good. They could be the resident monster team around here without much trouble and to do that, they have to win matches like this one. At the same time, I could go for seeing Top Flight as something other than jobbers, as they are more than good enough to be in a better place than that.

Post match the Machines leave so here are Action Andretti and Lio Rush to jump Top Flight. Sweet goodness do the Martins owe AEW money or something?

The Learning Tree insists they will be on the same page as the Death Riders tonight. Chris Jericho talks about his history with Jon Moxley and if Moxley is as smart as Jericho thinks he is, they’ll be fine here.

The Undisputed Kingdom thanks Daniel Garcia and challenge he and Matt Menard to find a partner for a six man on Dynamite. Deal. For some reason, the audio here was terrible and I could barely hear what they were saying.

Here is Max Caster, with a bag, for a chat. He wants to clear the air with Anthony Bowens, who comes to the ring as well. Caster talks about how they’re a great team, but the issue is that Bowens will not admit that Caster is the best wrestler in the world. That sends Bowens off, as he talks about how he has protected Caster from people finding out his expectations. Bowens has worked to represent this company for a long time now and is AEW’s five tool player. Caster whips out a trademark dubbing him the best wrestler in the world, which is kind of awesome.

Cue Billy Gunn to ask what is going on with the two of them because they did some amazing things together. Caster calls Gunn selfish for making it about himself when it should have been about Caster all along. Gunn ruins every team, including his own kids. Bowens is told to pick a side and he picks Gunn, which has Caster walking off, going on a huge rant about how much the other two suck. Bowens scissors with Gunn as Caster storms off.

Swerve Strickland was in a celebrity golf tournament.

Strickland, with Prince Nana, is ready to end Ricochet in Atlanta on February 5. He can’t wait to choke Ricochet, which is a rather specific wish.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Okada is defending and Schiavone explains their history together. A chop rocks Okada and he bails out to the floor, where another clothesline takes him down. We take a break and come back with Ishii getting two off a superplex, only to get dropped onto Okada’s knee. The top rope elbow connects but Ishii wrenches the extended middle finger. Ishii hits a clothesline but runs into the dropkick. The Rainmaker is blocked and Ishii knocks him down for two. Okada hits another dropkick and grabs the bell, which is quickly taken away. That means it’s a low blow into the Rainmaker to retain the title at 8:14.

Rating: B-. It was a hard hitting fight and I’m well aware of the history between the two of them. That being said, we just finished a month long tournament to get a shot at this title, with wrestlers having to win multiple matches and survive. On the other hand, Ishii has never actually won a singles match in AEW and lost multiple recent title shots both here and elsewhere. I could go for a better reason for a title match than “they teamed together in Japan and had a really good match there years ago”.

The Gates Of Agony want a match next week.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Adam Priest

Priest isn’t interested in respect to start and gets his arm cranked as a result. The snap powerslam doesn’t quite go smoothly and the referee breaks up Shattered Dreams. Rhodes isn’t bothered and hits Cross Rhodes into the Final Reckoning for the pin at 2;12.

We look at Cope suggesting the House Of Black go its separate ways.

Julia Hart vs. Harley Cameron

Cameron is wrestling in sunglasses in her smart way to avoid the mist. And then she takes them off at the bell. A takedown lets Cameron hammer away to start and an enziguri gets two. Hart is back up and chokes away on the ropes as we take a break. Back with Hart fighting out of a fireman’s carry and grabbing an Octopus. With that broken up, Hart hits some running shots in the corner for two but it’s too early for Hartless. Cameron gets in Eat Defeat but misses a charge into the corner. A clothesline to the back of the head sets up Hartless to make Cameron quit at 7:24.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t meant to be some masterpiece but Cameron has gotten far better at what she does every week. Hart is still getting back in the swing of things after so much time away due to injuries and that is going to take some time in the ring. For now though, nice stuff and I’m sure Cameron will be fine when she has some more offbeat shenanigans.

We look at the return of Samoa Joe on Dynamite. Next week, he gets Nick Wayne.

The Learning Tree has attacked Powerhouse Hobbs.

Rated FTR/Outrunners/Powerhouse Hobbs vs. The Learning Tree/Death Riders

Minus Hobbs. Jericho and Harwood start things off, which doesn’t seem like the best idea after last week. They slap it out with Harwood getting the better of things so it’s off to Keith to hammer away. Wheeler and Wheeler come in with Wheeler chopping away at Wheeler in the corner. Magnum comes in and gets chopped as well before it’s off to Floyd for a running knee. A brainbuster gets two on Yuta and everything breaks down with the villains being cleared out as we take a break.

Back with Bill choking away at Harwood but it’s off to Jericho, who whips Harwood into Moxley. It’s off to Moxley (the fans approve) for a piledriver before Yuta comes in (the fans don’t approve). A suplex sets up the chinlock before Yuta sends him shoulder first into the post. Bill misses a charge into the corner though and the tag brings in Cope to clean house. Jericho counters the spear with a Codebreaker so it’s Floyd coming in to pick up the pace.

Jericho and Keith get caught with the Mega Powers Elbow before we hit the parade of knockdowns. The Shatter Machine hits Bill and Cope gives Moxley the Impaler on the ramp. Cue Pac to jump Cope and the Death Riders put a bag over his head. Cash makes the save and a bunch of people brawl into the crowd. Cue the limping Hobbs to get the tag and clean house until we get the showdown with Bill. Total Recall hits Jericho and Hobbs spinebusters Keith for the win at 18:04.

Rating: B-. Well that was certainly was a mess, but not in a bad way. It says a lot when the match was supposed to start with twelve, maxed out at eleven, and then wound up as a six man. It felt like something out of ECW with the insanity and it would not surprise me if that was the plan. Hobbs gets a bit back after Dynamite, though he’s not exactly breaking through to the next level after this match.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the standard for Collision, in that it felt like an hour long show stretched out to twice that long. That’s not the best thing to see, but they did well enough with some nice action. As usual, this doesn’t feel like the most storyline heavy show and that’s ok, as it is establishing something of an identity of its own. Not a must see show as usual, but a fine way to spend a Saturday night.

Results
Hangman Page b. Christopher Daniels – Buckshot Lariat to the back of the head
Undisputed Kingdom b. Shane Taylor Promotions – High/Low to Bravo
Murder Machines b. Top Flight – Powerbomb/chokeslam combination to Dante
Kazuchika Okada b. Tomohiro Ishii – Rainmaker
Dustin Rhodes b. Adam Priest – Final Reckoning
Julia Hart b. Harley Cameron – Hartless
Rated FTR/Outrunners/Powerhouse Hobbs b. Death Riders/Learning Tree – Spinebuster to Keith

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Dynamite
Date: January 1, 2025
Location: Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville, North Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with Worlds End but the bigger story here is the fact that the show is now simulcasting on Max, which should open things up to a far bigger audience. Therefore the show should be quite the big one, though we’re also on the way to Revolution in just over two months. Let’s get to it.

Here is Worlds End if you need a recap.

We have a new opening sequence, set to I’m So Excited by the Pointer Sisters, because when you think of cutting edge, you think of a song from 1982.

We run down the card.

Jon Moxley, with the Death Riders, talks about how he would rather have the World Title destroyed than letting it fall apart. He’s just different.

Adam Copeland and FTR are ready to fight the Death Riders.

Orange Cassidy vs. Hangman Page

Both of them miss their big shots to start so they trade shots to the face, with Page getting the better of things. Cassidy’s eyes are raked across the rope and a lariat sends him outside. Cassidy is sent hard into the barricade and taken back inside for a fall away slam into the corner. They go back outside for another fall away slam to Cassidy and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy rolling away from some Buckshot Lariat attempts, and sending him into some buckles. Back to back tornado DDTs get two but Page hits him in the face. The Buckshot Lariat is countered into the Beach Break for two, followed by a pair of Orange Punches. A third on the apron is shrugged off and Page hits the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: B-. That was a weird ending as Page just shrugged off three Orange Punches and beat Cassidy clean. I’m fine with the idea of pushing Page, but that’s not something you expect to see from Cassidy. Page getting back into a more serious mode is a good thing to see, though the fans are probably going to start cheering him sooner than later.

Post match Page hits a pair of Deadeyes before beating up Christopher Daniels for trying to make the save.

Jay White is ready to take out Wheeler Yuta next week and win the #1 spot in next week’s Casino Gauntlet this week.

Acclaimed vs. Hurt Syndicate

MVP is on commentary and we get an insert promo from the Acclaimed, who insist they don’t have any issues and need to get on the same page. Caster gets sent flying off a suplex to start and some shoulders to the ribs have him in even more trouble. Benjamin comes in and gets punched by Bowens, who doesn’t quite get along with Caster. Benjamin snaps off some German suplexes as Bowens walks away. The spear and a spinebuster into the Hurt Lock finishes Caster at 4:09.

Rating: C. This was much more about advancing a story rather than having the match, as the Acclaimed was wrecked here with Benjamin walking off. It wasn’t supposed to be anything more than that, with the Hurt Syndicate looking dominant. Now just split the Acclaimed up already rather than dragging it out for far too long.

Swerve Strickland is going to get back to the main event scene by winning the Casino Gauntlet tonight.

Jamie Hayter vs. Julia Hart

Hayter nips up out of an armbar to start and sens Hart into the corner for some running clotheslines. They head outside where Hayter pulls a dive out of the air, only to get dropped onto the steps as we take a break. Back with Hayter in trouble but avoiding a moonsault. Hart grabs Hartless but Hayter powers up into a fireman’s carry backbreaker. Hayter goes to the middle rope, where Hart sweeps the leg and Hayter crashes down hard. With nothing else working, Hart grabs an arrow, which is taken away (because it’s an actual weapon), allowing her to mist Hayter (despite the mist not really being visible) for the pin at 9:55.

Rating: C-. Not exactly a good return for Hart here, as the match was just kind of all over the place before she used the mist to win. Hayter wasn’t that much better, as she continues to feel like she is just kind of there since her return. Maybe it’s the new gear or something, but she really hasn’t clicked in the last few months. The match wasn’t much to see, as they just kind of did stuff until the finish.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher.

We look at Kenny Omega returning at Worlds End.

Here is Mercedes Mone to brag about her success and wish herself a happy new year. She gives us a video about herself and says she’s coming for the Rev Pro Women’s Title against Mina Shirakawa at Wrestle Dynasty. Mone continues to feel flat and I don’t see giving her a potential third belt fixing that.

The Undisputed Kingdom is back and rather pleased.

Roderick Strong vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Jay White

Swerve starts fast and knocks Strong to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and Swerve drops White for a shot to the back and some dancing, only for White to grab a double DDT. Swerve is sent outside, leaving White to get caught with a backbreaker. White is tossed onto Swerve and we take a break.

Back with Swerve powerbombing Strong into White in the corner and powerbombing White for two. Swerve stomps strong but has to get out of the Blade Runner. They all head outside, where Swerve kicks White in the face, only to have Ricochet come up and hit Swerve in the head with some golden scissors. Back in and the Blade Runner gives White the pin on Strong at 10:30.

Rating: C+. There was a lot going on here, with Ricochet STABBING Swerve being the biggest thing. They might have been better off doing White vs. Strong as a singles match and then done the angle elsewhere. Other than that, I do like White getting the win, as he’s still close enough to the title to be worth an attempt.

Post match Swerve is busted open so Ricochet goes after the cut, with the blood getting on his white shirt. Swerve is sat in a chair in the ring for the Spirit Gun. The Undisputed Kingdom finally comes in to chase Ricochet off.

Jeff Jarrett has a big announcement and his friends say they have his back no matter what. Karen Jarrett comes in to say she needed a minute. She talks about how the business has almost torn them apart, but she’s with him. Jeff holds up his boots and teases retirement.

Mariah May brags about how awesome she is.

Here is Jeff Jarrett to put his boots in the ring. He talks about how he has been around for a long time and that means it is time to start thinking about wrapping things up. Jeff talks about his family’s history in wrestling and how much the Jarretts have meant. Then in 2002 he started his own promotion by betting on himself and is proud of what it became.

That brings him to now though….and no he isn’t done! He’s signed his last talent contract and now his new year’s resolution is to become the World Champion, so put him in the Casino Gauntlet. I’m not sure I’d bet on that, but I’ll take Jarrett having a nice promo over QT Marshall interrupting him.

We look at Christian Cage hurting Hook’s hand.

Hook swears revenge and the match is made for January 15.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Jon Cruz/Rob Killjoy

Powerslams and spinebusters abound with Hobbs getting a double pin at 1:15. That worked.

The Learning Tree makes it clear that Chris Jericho isn’t here tonight. Then they trade insults with Rated FTR and a six man seems to be set. Jericho and Copeland interacting is not the most thrilling idea.

At Worlds End, MJF laughs at the idea of Adam Cole taking that may people to beat him up. That’s it for him and Cole though and now he wants the World Title back. He doesn’t care what Moxley does with the company because all he wants is his belt. The Devil gets his due in 2025. I like that they’re setting up people wanting to go after the title, though MJF vs. Moxley could make my head spin.

Death Riders vs. Rated FTR

Adam Copeland’s name is now officially “Cope”, which is so weird it’s oddly hilarious. Cash and Yuta start things off but it’s quickly off to Castagnoli to trade shoulders with Cope. They head to the floor where Shafir posts Cope and we take a break. Back with ope fighting out of trouble and handing it back to Cash to clean house. Everything breaks down and Harwood hits a belly to back superplex for a delayed two on Yuta. Castagnoli hits a Jackhammer into Yuta’s frog splash for two on Harwood and we take a break.

Back with Cope coming in to slug it out with Moxley, setting up the Impaler. They fight into the crowd before coming back, where Cope is crotched against the post to break up the spear. Cue Jay White to Blade Runner Yuta as Cope backdrops Moxley onto the announcers’ table. Cope knocks Moxley through the barricade and it’s the Shatter Machine into the spear to pin Yuta at 18:40.

Rating: B-. The match was good enough but my goodness the man’s name is now “Cope”. That’s all I could focus on for most of the match as it’s just such a dumb sounding name. Adam Copeland isn’t a great wrestling name but “Cope” is just…something. The match itself did what it needed to do and Cope(land) is probably going to get a shot sooner than later and for now they did a nice job of setting it up.

Overall Rating: B-. I did like the show overall, though there is still a lot going on with any given show. It feels like there are all kinds of things taking place on the show at any given time and some of them feel like they could be cut off, or at least slowed down, without missing much. They did a good job of setting up the Casino Gauntlet match and had a lot of energy coming off of the pay per view, but stuff like Cope and I’m So Excited just feel like they’re trying to be too cute. Overall, a good enough show, but not exactly a game changer.

Results
Hangman Page b. Orange Cassidy – Buckshot Lariat
Hurt Syndicate b. Acclaimed – Hurt Lock to Caster
Julia Hart b. Jamie Hayter – Mist to the face
Jay White b. Swerve Strickland and Roderick Strong – Blade Runner to Strong
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Rob Killjoy/Jon Cruz – Double pin
Rated FTR b. Death Riders – Spear to Yuta

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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Worlds End 2024
Date: December 28, 2024
Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re at the end of the year and that means we should be in for a pretty big night. In this case, we have the semifinals and finals of the Continental Classic, which might as well headline the whole thing. Other than that, Jon Moxley is defending the World Title in a four way. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Toni Storm vs. Leila Grey

We get a handshake to start before Storm grabs a headlock. Grey pulls her to the mat with an armbar and they hit the grappling. Back up and Storm hits a dropkick into a backbreaker for two but Grey rolls her up for the same. Back up and Grey hammers away in the corner as commentary talks about Storm’s taste in music. A dragon sleeper sends Storm over to the ropes and she comes back with a Thesz press. The hip attack in the corner sets up a PerfectPlex for two but Grey gets in a Blockbuster for the same. Grey loads up a suplex, only to get reversed into a small package to give Storm the pin at 6:54.

Rating: C. This was mainly a way to get Storm on the show, as she continues her road back to….I’m not sure what this is supposed to be at the moment. So far she’s acting like a rookie despite never having acted this star struck in her career. I’d assume it’s setting up a return to being Timeless, but I could go for seeing more of her like this (minus the rookie stuff) for a change, as it’s working well enough.

Zero Hour: QT Marshall vs. Jeff Jarrett

We get a pose off to start and the fans aren’t impressed with Marshall. Some right hands stagger Jarrett but he grabs a hiptoss. A clothesline to the floor lets Jarrett get in the strut and he mocks Marshall’s dance. Marshall hammers away and this a handspring kick to the face for two.

The sleeper is broken up with a belly to back suplex and an enziguri gives Jarrett two of his own. Marshall gets slammed off the top and a Sharpshooter….is broken up by Aaron Solo. Marshall’s Stroke gets two but Jay Lethal comes in to take the guitar from Solo. Jarrett is right back with the Stroke for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: C+. This is where Jarrett can shine, as he is still capable of wrestling a perfectly competent match. It’s not going to be anything flashy but there is always a place for a basic match on a show. Jarrett isn’t in a big featured spot and he did his thing here, beating up an annoying villain. There’s nothing wrong with that and the match went just fine.

Zero Hour: Top Flight/Outrunners vs. Murder Machines/Action Andretti/Lio Rush

Darius dropkicks Archer to start and is quickly sent into the wrong corner to start the beating. Cage comes in for some curls and a toss to drop Darius again. Rush and Andretti come in for a staredown with Top Flight and we settle down to Dante kicking Rush to the floor. Archer cuts off the ensuing dive so Dante clotheslines Rush for two instead. The Outrunners come in for some double atomic drops but Andretti gives Magnum a Regal Roll for two of his own.

Archer adds some running elbows in the corner and Cage cuts off a tag attempt. Magnum suplexes his way to freedom though and it’s Floyd coming in to clean house. A double suplex drops Cage and a double Mega Powers elbow hits Cage and Andretti. Everything breaks down and the Machines come in to wreck the humans. Rush tags himself in though and the Final Hour finishes Dante at 10:48.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of thing that works well on a Kickoff Show as it was fast paced and featured a variety of stars that could pop the crowd. The fans like the Outrunners no matter what they do and it was a good way to get things going. Rush getting the pin at least boosts he and Andretti up before their Tag Team Title shot, which is going to need some help.

Continental Classic Semifinals: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher blocks an early hurricanrana attempt but can’t hit a brainbuster. They both miss kicks to the head and Fletcher bails to the floor for an early breather. Back in and they trade chops in the corner until Ospreay clotheslines him out to the floor. There’s the required big dive but a hurricanrana off the steps is countered into a hard powerbomb to send Ospreay into the apron.

Fletcher stops to mock the fans and Ospreay is busted open bad off something. Back in and Fletcher kicks away at the cut, followed by some Kawada Kicks. A lawn dart into the buckle gives Fletcher two and egads that’s a lot of blood. Fletcher takes his time loading up a running knee and gets dropped by a hard clothesline. Ospreay hits a standing corkscrew moonsault for two and a standing Spanish Fly gets the same. Ospreay wants him to bring it so they trade chops, with Fletcher going down.

They both escape powerbombs and the Oscutter gives Ospreay two. A poisonrana drops Fletcher but he’s back up with a running forearm and they’re both down. They trade headbutts from their knees until Ospreay superkicks him out of the air. A rollup with ropes gives Fletcher two, followed by a superkick into the brainbuster. The Liger Bomb gives Fletcher two more but another brainbuster is countered into a hurricanrana. Ospreay grabs the Styles Clash for the pin at 16:32.

Rating: A-. These two beat the heck out of each other and odds are this sets up a trilogy match in Australia in February. Ospreay needed a win like this to set him up for something bigger down the line (as in later tonight) and he was wrestling like his old superhero self. Throw in the blood to make him feel like an even bigger underdog and this was a heck of an opener.

We get a quick recap of Ricochet vs. Kazuchika Okada in the other Continental Classic semifinal.

Continental Classic Semifinals: Ricochet vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title. The fans are rather behind Okada as Ricochet takes him into the corner to start. Okada does it right back and then runs him over with a running shoulder. A hard elbow puts Ricochet down and Okada looks out at the crowd in that less than interested look that he has. Okada sits Ricochet down, gets a running start, and slaps him in the back of the head for some applause.

Back up and Ricochet knocks him to the floor for the suicide dive and the confidence is up again. They get back inside where Ricochet can hit a running headbutt to the back but Okada isn’t pleased with being chopped. A DDT gives Okada two but Ricochet suplexes him down and hits a Lionsault for two of his own. Ricochet’s 450 misses and Okada gives him the White Noise onto the knee.

The Rainmaker is countered but Okada is back up with a dropkick. Vertigo gives Ricochet two and a nice looking shooting star press connects for the same. The Spirit Gun is loaded up but Ricochet stops to look at the fans for some reason, earning himself another dropkick. The Rainmaker sends Okada to later tonight at 13:28.

Rating: B. This wasn’t quite up to the level of the opener but it was a heck of a fight with Okada getting to do his usual stuff to cut Ricochet off. That being said, I’m not sure how smart it is to have Ricochet lose here when he has been on such a roll in recent weeks. Winning his League was a big deal, but losing to Okada in relatively quick fashion isn’t doing him any favors.

Post match Swerve Strickland comes out and congratulates Ricochet for getting as far as Swerve did last year. Ricochet promised to win though and Swerve promised to embarrass him if he didn’t win. Swerve is here to clean up Ricochet’s mess, so here is Prince Nana to throw toilet paper to the fans. Then the fans throw the toilet paper while Ricochet….stands there. Ok then.

The still very bloody Will Ospreay is getting checked out but says it doesn’t matter. He’s ready to win the title and wants the fans to help carry him through.

We recap Mariah May defending the Women’s Title against Thunder Rosa in a Tijuana Street Fight. May is rather mean and Rosa wants to beat her in her own match. May isn’t sure why we’re having this match and doesn’t like Rosa’s dad to make it more serious.

Women’s Title: Thunder Rosa vs. Mariah May

May is defending in a street fight with falls counting anywhere and goes outside to mock Rosa’s father in the front row. This doesn’t go well for her as Rosa dives off the apron to start hammering away. They get inside with Rosa hitting a basement clothesline into a backsplash for two. May misses a dropkick and Rosa gets in a shot to the back before grabbing the first batch of weapons.

That’s enough for May to bail but she catches Rosa with a DDT on the stage for two. May throws some trashcans at her but Rosa gets in a shot to the face for two more. Rosa chokes with a chair and shouts about her dad (you never want to make things personal), with the delay letting May come back with a running knee. A spinning Death Valley Driver gives Rosa two and it’s time for the pinata. Naturally it is full of thumbtacks (that doesn’t seem safe) but May grabs May Day onto the tacks for two.

Hold on though as May heads outside and grabs Rosa’s father’s cane, which is enough of a delay for Rosa to come back and plant her on the floor for another near fall. May gets sent hard into the barricade and beaten with the cane before, naturally, it’s table time. A dropkick off of said table gets two back inside, meaning it’s time to choke May with a chain. It works so well that Rosa does it again, only for May to find a bag of dirt. Rosa is blinded and a piledriver through the table at ringside retains the title at 13:22.

Rating: B. This was the kind of brawl that you expect from AEW and it worked about as well as it could have. Rosa’s father being involved didn’t add much and I’m still not sure how much he needed to be there. It also didn’t help that there was no reason to believe Rosa was going to win with Toni Storm back, as Australia in February is looming over them.

We recap MJF vs. Adam Cole. MJF is back and Cole and all of his friends are trying to stop him. Their efforts here involve trying to take the Dynamite Diamond Ring, which hopefully ends the feud a year after it started.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Adam Cole

The Undisputed Kingdom is here too, guarding the Dynamite Diamond Ring at ringside. Cole jumps him to start and hammers away on the floor but it’s too early for the Panama Sunrise. MJF knocks him to the floor but stops to tell the fans to shut the F up. Cole is sent into various metal objects, allowing MJF to get in a little mockery of Cole’s posing. With Cole busted open, MJF bites away at the cut and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and a powerbomb backbreaker gives MJF two but Cole manages a Backstabber. The brainbuster onto the knee gets two but MJF is right back with a chop block to take out the leg. The leg is bent around the ropes and Cole goes down, meaning MJF can wrap it around the post. That takes too long though as MJF yells some more, allowing Cole to pull him into the post to bust MJF open as well.

Back in and Cole hammers away in the corner, setting up the Boom for two. They pull themselves up from the ropes and shout insults before going at it for the hockey fight style slugout. Cole gets the better of things but MJF pulls him down by the leg and grabs the Figure Four. With that broken up, MJF heads outside and sends himself into the steps, which he blames on the Undisputed Kingdom. The ejection ensues so Cole grabs the ring….and gets kicked low, allowing MJF to hit the Heatseeker to get the pin at 14:50.

Rating: B. It was a good fight and they felt like they went through a battle, but at the same time it didn’t exactly feel like a big blowoff. Instead, this felt like a way to keep the feud going, which has me worried. This feud hasn’t exactly been the best stuff AEW has done in recent months and unfortunately this has me worried that it is going to continue. MJF gets a win and continues driving the fans crazy, though hopefully he has a new target sooner than later.

Post match MJF loads up a chair but Roderick Strong runs in for the save. Kyle O’Reilly comes out as well and throws MJF back inside. A high/low cuts MJF down and everyone, including the Undisputed Kingdom, gets to pose together. That’s a heck of a pose after MJF beat Cole on his own.

We recap Powerhouse Hobbs challenging Konosuke Takeshita for the International Title. Hobbs was injured and the Don Callis Family forgot about him, so it’s time for revenge. That’s not the best way to present Hobbs, but at least he could get in some smashing.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Takeshita is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. They slowly forearm it out to start and Hobbs wins an exchange of shoulders to send Takeshita outside. Hobbs slams him onto the apron a few times but Takeshita goes after the recently repaired knee to take over. Said knee is wrapped around the post, marking the second match in a row built around working on the leg. The leg is wrapped around the rope as Callis talks about his time in Japan.

Hobbs gets back up and hits a running crossbody, followed by quite the series of corner clotheslines. A running powerslam gets two but the knee gives out, a known side effect from running powerslams. Takeshita grabs his leg trap Tombstone for two and they trade standing clotheslines. A German suplex seems to wake Hobbs up and he snaps off another powerslam.

One heck of a clothesline gives Hobbs two but Takeshita hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for….one, sending Callis into a panic. They go up top together and Takeshita grabs a top rope superplex, only to charge into the spinebuster for two. Both of them head up again, with Hobbs managing a super powerslam. Hobbs takes off his own knee brace, allowing Takeshita to hit him in the face. Takeshita grabs a guillotine choke, setting up Raging Fire for the pin at 15:45.

Rating: B. They beat each other up rather well again, but the finish was pretty flat. Hobbs threw everything he could at him and then lost in the end when Takeshita just choked him out and beat him with the finisher. That’s not the most interesting way to go, but again, it feels like Takeshita is being saved for a major showdown at Wrestle Dynasty or Grand Slam, which again isn’t leaving much for this show.

Kazuchika Okada is going to beat Will Ospreay like his little brother. B****.

We recap Mercedes Mone defending the TBS Title against Kris Statlander. Mone beat her last month in a close match and now we’re having a rematch.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending and gets powered down to start, meaning it might be time to think of a new strategy. A running headscissors doesn’t work either as Statlander snaps off a cartwheel but Mone armdrags her to the floor. Mone sends her into the steps but gets dropped onto the apron. A powerslam into a backbreaker into a fall away slam has Mone rocked and they go up top.

Mone manages to knock her onto the apron for a big crash and the running knees in the corner make it even worse. The top rope Meteora is countered into a powerbomb though and they’re both down. One heck of a running knee into rolling Chaos Theory drops Mone for two but she’s back with a springboard tornado DDT for the same. Mone hits about eight Amigos and the fans chant for Eddie Guerrero, which is exactly what a villain in a match should be doing.

The frog splash gives Mone two but she misses the running knees in the corner, allowing Statlander to hit a package piledriver for two. They forearm it out and head outside, where the Mone Maker plants Statlander. For some reason Mone breaks up the countout and goes after the leg, which gets tied up in the ring structure.

Statlander taker her boot off and hits an F5 onto the apron, followed by a regular one in the ring for two. Mone knocks her off the top and hits a sitout Tombstone on the apron for a nine on the floor. Back in and Mone’s STF sends Statlander to the apron and an ankle lock has to be broken up as well. Back up and Mone spins her around into an arm trap cradle for the pin to retain at 25:10.

Rating: B-. Well that was lengthy and not in the best way. I was rolling my eyes rather hard at the things Mone was kicking out of near the end and it was hard to believe that Statlander would beat the biggest star in the history of ever. It didn’t help that this was the third straight match where the villain was working on the leg, because doing the same thing over and over is cutting edge stuff.

Statlander gets a big ovation.

Continental Classic/Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay

Okada is defending and Ospreay still has blood on his chest, as a shower was apparently out of the question. Okada backs him up to the ropes to start and does the slaps to the chest, earning himself a knock out to the floor. Ospreay jumps onto the barricade but comes back so Okada can hit him with a DDT. A second DDT on the floor lets Okada take him back inside for the mocking kicks to the face as Ospreay has lost the bandage on his head.

Ospreay is back up with a dropkick and an elbow to the face gets two. Okada dropkicks him off the top, interrupting commentary’s New Japan recap. A kick to the face lets Ospreay hit a quick Oscutter off the barricade, followed by a regular one back inside. The Styles Clash is countered into the White Noise onto the knee and Okada’s top rope elbow connects. The Rainmaker is countered into the Styles Clash for two, only for the Rainmaker to connect for the same.

Ospreay can barely stand up but manages to reverse another Rainmaker into a Spanish Fly for two more. Stormbreaker gets another near fall, setting up the Hidden Blade attempt. That’s ducked under but the Rainmaker is countered as well, only for another Rainmaker to finish Ospreay at 19:15.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was another great one, with that last forty five or so seconds being outstanding. Ospreay felt like he was fighting from underneath for most of the match and it made for an excellent fight with both of them working hard near the end. I wanted to see how this was going to end, with Ospreay feeling more like he got caught rather than got beat.

That’s it for this year’s Continental Classic and while it wasn’t quite as exiting as last year’s, it was still rather good. That being said, it’s also the second year when someone defending the title coming in leaves as the champion, which in this case puts us right back where we were when it started. There’s nothing wrong with having a series of great matches, but after last year’s titles being unified for all of three months and now Okada just retaining, it doesn’t feel like the most impactful tournament in the world.

Post match Christopher Daniels comes out to say that he is no longer an EVP, but this man is. Cue Kenny Omega to present Okada with the title and stare him down (with the All In: Texas banner between them).

We recap the World Title match. Jon Moxley is defending and the challengers are fighting for the soul of AEW, whatever that means this week.

AEW World Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Jay White vs. Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley, with Marina Shafir, is defending and bails to the floor to start, with Cassidy diving onto him. All three challengers go after him at once and the chase goes into the crowd as Schiavone is wondering about a countout. The Death Riders pop up to brawl with brawl with Page and White, leaving Moxley to take over on Cassidy.

We pause for Cassidy to put his hands in his pockets, allowing Page and White to come hold Moxley for the Orange Punch. Cassidy is put through the announcers’ table, leaving the other three to brawl inside. Page and White fight to the floor with page getting the better of things, allowing him to go back inside to face Cassidy. White breaks that up and gives Cassidy a cutthroat suplex. Moxley (bleeding from the back of his head) is back up and shrugs off Cassidy’s PK to give him a cutter.

Page and Moxley slug it out but all four get back in for a four way knockdown. We hit the parade of finishers until Moxley gets Orange Punched, only for Page to pull the referee. Page gives Moxley the Deadeye but Wheeler Yuta breaks up the Buckshot Lariat. The second attempt works but Cassidy rolls Page up for two. White is back in with the Blade Runner to Moxley for two with Yuta making the save. Another Blade Runner hits Shafir but Moxley is there with the Death Rider to pin White and retain at 15:40.

Rating: B. This was pretty much non-stop action from start to finish but dang the “there are too many Death Riders” trope didn’t help things. It was hard to imagine that Moxley was losing here and then he just wins again to keep this whole thing going. I never bought Moxley as being in danger throughout the build to the match and then the match didn’t change that feeling whatsoever. Good action, but it felt like a countdown to Moxley retaining.

Post match the beatdown is teased but FTR…and Adam Copeland come in for the save. FTR takes out the Death Riders and Copeland stares Moxley down. A spear drops Moxley and Copeland puts on the crossface with the bar of the chair. Castagnoli pulls Moxley to the floor so Copeland grabs the mic. After it doesn’t work to start, Copeland says that Rated FTR are coming for everything to end the show. I’m not buying Copeland as the big savior, but at least it’s a fresh match with an A list star.

Overall Rating: B+. I’m kind of split on this show, as the action was rather good (Ospreay put in two show stealing matches) and there was more than enough quality action to justify watching it. That being said, of the nine matches on the main card, the hero won precisely one match, with Ospreay winning the opener. Throw in no title changes or really anything significant happening as the result of a match (as in not counting Omega and Copeland returning) and this didn’t feel like the most eventful show. It’s definitely worth a look for Ospreay alone, but dang it feels like we’re waiting a long time on the really bit stuff to happen.

Results
Toni Storm b. Leila Grey – Small package
Jeff Jarrett b. QT Marshall – Stroke
Murder Machines/Action Andretti/Lio Rush b. Top Flight/Outrunners – Final Hour to Dante
Will Ospreay b. Kyle Fletcher – Styles Clash
Kazuchika Okada b. Ricochet – Rainmaker
Mariah May b. Thunder Rosa – Piledriver through a table
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Adam Cole – Heatseeker
Konosuke Takeshita b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Raging Fire
Mercedes Mone b. Kris Statlander – Arm trap cradle
Kazuchika Okada b. Will Ospreay – Rainmaker
Jon Moxley b. Orange Cassidy, Hangman Page and Jay White – Death Rider to White

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Collision
Date: December 21, 2024
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the final Collision before Worlds End and that means it is time to really hammer in the Continental Classic. That is going to make for some good action here as the pressure is starting to mount. Odds are we are also going to get some more set up for the pay per view, which needs some work. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Ian Riccaboni is in the ring to start and the Costco Guys are here. They run down the card and promise that a bunch of people will bring the BOOM. They probably say it ten times in less than two minutes, which does in fact get annoying rather quickly.

Continental Classic Gold League: Will Ospreay (6 points) vs. Ricochet (6 points)

Instead of streamers, the fans throw a bunch of toilet paper at Ricochet, which has Ospreay cracking up. They take their time to start with Ospreay grabbing a headlock takeover as commentary talks about Ring Of Honor Final Battle. Ricochet can’t flip away and gets caught in an armbar. Ospreay flips out of a headscissors and grabs another armbar. Ricochet cuts off a handspring though and sends him into the corner for a crash to the floor.

The big dive lets Ricochet pick up some toilet paper and we take a break. Back with Ospreay hitting a spinning kick to the face for two, followed by a forearm for the same. The Styles Clash is blocked and Ricochet tries a poisonrana, only to get spun into a Clash for two. The threat of the Hidden Blade sends Ricochet to the apron, where Ricochet hits a Death Valley Driver (really an AA but the former sounds better).

Back in and a springboard 450 gives Ricochet two but the Spirit Gun misses. Ospreay manages a Stundog Millionaire but the Oscutter is countered into a cutter. Now the Death Valley Driver connects but the Spirit Gun is cut off by the Hidden Blade to leave them both down. Ospreay wins a slugout but the referee gets bumped. Ospreay’s tiger driver 99 gets no count so he goes up top, but Ricochet kicks the referee into the ropes for the crotching. The Spirit Gun finishes Ospreay at 14:28.

Rating: B. Ospreay’s rough patch continues but there is a good chance that he’ll win the block to set up a rematch with Kyle Fletcher in the finals. Other than that, this was an example of a match built on the idea of a match that happened a good while ago. Thankfully they did something different though, which made it a lot more enjoyable than what it would have been as some tribute to their older stuff.

Gold League Standings

Ricochet – 9 points (1 match left)
Darby Allin – 6 points (2 matches left)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (2 matches left)
Will Ospreay – 6 points (1 match left)
Brody King – 6 points (1 match left)
Komander – 0 points (1 match left)

Video on Darby Allin vs. Claudio Castagnoli.

Here are Adam Cole and MJF, the latter with security, for a chat. MJF loves the idea of Cole being intimidating, but Cole should be afraid of other things. Like spray tan, a crack in the floor, or a cavity. After all, Cole’s dentist isn’t seeing him anymore. MJF laughs at the fans not liking him before saying Cole has been looking like a crack bay-bay as of late. Cole asks if that was his last line and talks about how MJF has done a lot.

The reality though is Cole is the longest reigning World Champion in multiple companies because he is that good. They bicker about who was going to turn on whom first before MJF shifts his focus to the Cole getting hurt and becoming a liability. He promises to end Cole at Worlds End but Cole wants to end this right now. The fight is on with Cole bating up security until MJF gets in a low blow to drop him. The Undisputed Kingdom chases MJF off. It was good to have these two face to face after so may months apart, but ultimately it just reminds you how long this has been going and how much I just want the story to end.

We look at Mercedes Mone retaining her titles.

Kris Statlander wants the TBS Title back and thinks it will make some amends after she has had some issues. She officially challenges Mone at Worlds End. Remember when we didn’t have so many rematches around here?

Orange Cassidy says that while he can’t get along with Hangman Page and Jay White, they need to take the World Title from Jon Moxley. See you on Dynamite.

Kris Statlander vs. Penelope Ford

Statlander powers her into the corner to start and hits a running clothesline. Ford manages to escape a delayed vertical suplex by switching it into a sleeper, which is reversed into the delayed suplex for two instead. A superplex attempt is blocked and Ford grabs a Blockbuster for two of her own, meaning some choking can take us to a break.

Back with Ford missing some slingshot knees to the apron, allowing Statlander to dropkick her out to the floor. A spinning Falcon Arrow gives Statlander two but Ford flips out of a German suplex. They both dodge clotheslines until Ford grabs a springboard poisonrana for two. Ford’s moonsault misses though and Statlander rolls some German suplexes. Staturday Night Fever finishes Ford at 9:00.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure if Statlander should be needing this much time to beat Ford on the way to a rematch with Mercedes Mone but Ford didn’t look bad in there. She’s still finding her footing after her long layoff, but she does seem to have a pretty firm ceiling to what she can do. Statlander winning here is a good thing, though it probably should have been more dominant.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes out to say she was going to take Worlds End off and go to the Ritz in Boston. Instead, she’ll teach Statlander a lesson.

Here are the Costco Guys for a chat, by which I mean another BOOM. Cue Chris Jericho and the Learning Tree to cut them off though, asking if they got permission from (former) Mayor De Blasio to be here. Big Justice (12 years old) calls Jericho a jackass, so Jericho says if that means King Of New York, that makes him the biggest jackass in New York.

They shop in bodegas in New York, like his favorite one, which is a Walgreens over in Flushing. Jericho has no time for people with stupid gimmicks like BOOM and scissoring. Cue Anthony Bowens (on his own) to take exception to that. Big Bill isn’t impressed and is loudly cheered as a result. Bowens issues the challenge to Jericho, who says “not tonight” and leaves instead. Scissoring ensues. Yep, these guys are getting annoying rather quickly.

The Vendetta talks about how they’re ready for anyone but Toni Storm comes in to introduce herself. Deonna Purrazzo isn’t buying this and a match between Storm and Taya is made for Dynamite. This doesn’t feel so much like Storm has amnesia but rather that she’s just a fangirl. When did Storm ever act like this?

Continental Classic Blue League: Shelton Benjamin (6 points) vs. Daniel Garcia (4 points)

Non-title. Garcia drives him into the corner to start and chops away, earning himself a glare. Benjamin muscles him up for a backdrop and hits a few slams before throwing Garcia outside. That means some rams into various things and we head back inside, where Garcia reaches out to the fans for help like an old school hero should. Another backdrop cuts off the comeback attempt and we take a break.

Back with Garcia hitting a running dropkick but getting launched with some release German suplexes. They fight to the floor where Benjamin hits an overhead belly to belly. Garcia knocks him into a chair though and hits the big running dropkick. As you might have expected, Benjamin isn’t having that and hits a clothesline to take him down again.

They get back up and Garcia hits a dragon screw legwhip in the ropes, setting up the Sharpshooter. That’s reversed into something like an STF, with Benjamin letting go before he can make the ropes. Instead Benjamin kicks him in the face, leaving Garcia mostly out. Benjamin picks him up and of course gets rolled up for the pin at 12:15.

Rating: B. I was getting into this one more as Garcia didn’t so much beat Benjamin as much as he survived. Benjamin was throwing him all over the place and completely dominating until he got suckered in at the end. That’s a nice way to go and it keeps the champion from getting pinned again, which is always a perk.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 6 points (1 match remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (1 match remaining)

Post match the Hurt Syndicate runs in for the beatdown but Mark Briscoe and Swerve Strickland make the save. The locker room comes out to break it up. Swerve said he was going to get his hands on Bobby Lashley by the end of 2024 and that’s just what he did. Swerve vs. Lashley continuing is not a bad idea.

Continental Classic Blue League: Mark Briscoe (6 points) vs. The Beast Mortos (0 points)

They slug it out to start and trade running clotheslines in the corner until Mortos grabs a swinging backslide for two. Briscoe gets his own near fall and they stare at each other a bit. Mortos goes a bit more simple by running him over, followed by a spear as we take an early break. Back with Briscoe knocking him to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes, followed by a running flip dive.

A release German suplex drops Mortos on the apron and a twisting dive takes him down again. There’s another running flip dive, only for Briscoe to miss the Froggy Bow. Mortos hits a powerbomb onto the knee and a Samoan drop gets two. The Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow sets up the Jay Driller for the pin at 11:37

Rating: B-. This was a bit flip dive heavy from Briscoe, but at least he got the win. That being said, if he was going to beat Mortos clean, drop either the Jay Driller or the kickout from the Froggy Bow. Just have one of the two moves beat him as otherwise it’s just extending the match without gaining much of anything.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 6 points (1 match remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (0 matches remaining)

Julia Hart doesn’t know why Jamie Hayter doesn’t like her and they can fight on January 1.

Mariah May suggests that she could be Thunder Rosa’s new mama, which earns her a beating from Rosa. The beating comes into the arena and security has to break it up.

Continental Classic Gold League: Darby Allin (6 points) vs. Claudio Castagnoli (6 points)

Allin starts fast on the floor but gets flipped onto the ramp for his efforts. That’s shrugged off and Allin climbs the set for a dive to put Castagnoli down. They go inside for the opening bell and Swiss Death gives Castagnoli an early two. The Swing goes on for a rather long time and Allin crashes out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Allin sending him outside for a change and hitting a suicide dive. Allin grabs a choke on the floor but Castagnoli sends him through a table for his efforts. They get back inside for Allin to grab some rollups for two each, only to get sent outside again (Allin: “Oh f***.”). Castagnoli swings him head first into the steps, followed by a running clothesline for two. They go up top where Allin grabs a super reverse DDT but the Coffin Drop hits raised knees. Castagnoli powerbombs him for two so it’s time to bring in a chair. The referee takes that away and knocks Allin silly with brass knuckles for the pin at 11:17.

Rating: B. This was a violent match (shocking with Allin I know) but I liked the ending the most, as it felt like something a villain would do. Jon Moxley tends to either out tough or out smart his opponents far too often while Castagnoli flat out cheated to win there. That’s what the Death Riders need to do a lot more often and it made for a more logical finish here. Good main event, with Castagnoli being an interesting option for a possible spot in the final four.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 9 points (1 match left)
Ricochet – 9 points (1 match left)
Darby Allin – 6 points (1 match left)
Will Ospreay – 6 points (1 match left)
Brody King – 6 points (1 match left)
Komander – 0 points (1 match left)

Post match Castagnoli goes after Allin again but Will Ospreay comes in to cut it off to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This was the kind of show that works best for AEW: when the focus is almost entirely on what is taking place in the ring rather than everything else with the storyline advancement. The action was good throughout and other than the Costco Guys being annoying, there wasn’t much to really get annoyed about here. This was a show worth seeing if you’re big on in-ring action and it shows what the Continental Classic can do.

Results
Ricochet b. Will Ospreay – Spirit Gun
Kris Statlander b. Penelope Ford – Staturday Night Fever
Daniel Garcia b. Shelton Benjamin – Rollup
Mark Briscoe b. The Beast Mortos – Jay Driller
Claudio Castagnoli b. Darby Allin – Punch with brass knuckles

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.

Final Battle 2024
Date: December 20, 2024
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the biggest show of the year and we have a double main event. In this case, the actual main event will be a rematch from last year as Athena defends the Women’s Title against Billie Starkz. The other half of the main event will see Matt Cardona challenging Chris Jericho for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Dark Order vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Evil Uno is here with the Order as Reynolds and Drake start things off. They both try armdrags and dropkicks to no avail so it’s a four way staredown to start. Gibson comes in and yells a lot before being taken into the corner so Silver can kick away at the chest. The Veterans start taking over by Silver’s leg though, with Gibson grabbing a half crab. Drake cranks on the leg as well and kicks him in the knee before they go up top.

Silver managers a super hurricanrana for a breather and it’s Reynolds coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and a spear/brainbuster combination drops Drake on the floor. Back in and Gibson charges into a boot in the corner but is fine enough to hold Reynolds up for a Doomsday Device. Uno whips out the papers though and a shot to the head lets the Order hit their sequence for two on Drake. Silver’s knee gives out again though and a high/low finishes Silver at 11:28.

Rating: C+. This was a nice choice for an opener with a feud that saw the villains being mad at the Order and wanting to beat them. That’s all you need for a match like this and the people involved did the rest. I’ll call this one a nice little result, as it didn’t try to do anything elaborate but made it work at a simple level.

Zero Hour: Harley Cameron vs. Hanako

This is Hanako’s debut and she’s Mina Shirakawa’s rather tall stable mate. Hanako shoves her down to start and hits a shoulder to knock Cameron into the ropes. Cameron loses a battle over a suplex and a pair of big boots puts her on the floor. A missed charge lets Cameron send her into the steps though and some kicks to the ribs keep Hanako in trouble.

Back up and Hanako ties her in the Tree of Woe but Cameron gets the knee out. A Shining Wizard gives Cameron two and a rather spinning headscissors takes Hanako down again. Hanako is right back with a backbreaker though and a torture rack spun into a faceplant finishes Cameron at 7:21.

Rating: C. I’m sure this is part of the build towards Wrestle Dynasty and Stardom (Hanako’s home promotion) has to get a win to hype up the show, but egads man. Cameron has gone from just another annoying person on the roster to someone the fans have gotten behind. There was no story to this match and anyone could have put Hanako over here. Why have Cameron, who the fans are getting behind, lose when you have so many other options for the spot? If Hanako just has to beat someone here, don’t have it be someone who is getting themselves over through pure talent and willpower.

Zero Hour: Infantry vs. Undisputed Kingdom

Trish Adora and Shane Taylor are here with the Infantry. The Infantry jump them before the bell and Bravo suplexes Taven to get things going. Taven is back up with a big dive to the floor and they get back inside for a middle rope dropkick to Bravo. Dean sweeps the leg though and hits a Stunner off the apron as Taven is in trouble again. Some corner forearms and a wind up DDT drop Taven for two but he grabs a DDT of his own.

The referee doesn’t see the tag to Bennett though, meaning the beating has to continue. That’s broken up and Bennett comes in, with a Death Valley river sending Bravo onto Dean for two. An assisted swinging slam gets the same on Bennett, who quickly gets back to Taven for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Just The Tip into Bennett’s piledriver gets two. Adora’s cheap shot sets up Boot Camp for two but Taven pulls Bravo to the floor. Rockstar Supernova finishes Dean at 9:49.

Rating: C. Another nice match here with something that would have fit in just fine on the weekly show and probably didn’t need to be added to this crowded card. The Undisputed Kingdom are already involved with the Adam Cole/MJF story so having them win here was the only way to go. The Infantry are the current midcard villains tag team and that isn’t going to be enough to overcome bigger stars like the Kingdom.

Zero Hour: LeeJ vs. Gates Of Agony

Johnson and Kaun start things off and they trade leapfrogs until Johnson hits a dropkick. Nduka adds a swinging side slam but Johnson comes back in and gets crotched on top. Liona comes in to drop an elbow for two but Johnson scores with a pop up dropkick. We get the big Liona vs. Nduka forearm exchange before they trade hard clotheslines.

Nduka gets sent into the corner for running hips/knees to the face but Johnson makes the save. Liona and Nduka both hit Pounces before Liona Samoan drops Nduka. A running knee sends Nduka into the steps, leaving Johnson to neckbreaker Kaun. Johnson’s dive off the apron is cut off and Open The Gates gets….two. Another Open The Gates finishes Johnson at 10:24.

Rating: C+. So LeeJ is built up as an interesting team for a few weeks, all to lose to the Gates Of Agony? That’s certainly a choice, but the team only felt like a way to get Nduka’s feet wet. That being said, it doesn’t seem like Nduka is ready for such a push on his own as he hasn’t done much other than have some squash matches. Weird ending here, but it’s not like it’s going to matter for the title picture anyway.

Post match respect is shown….and then LeeJ turns on them. As usual, a heel turn would have more impact if it didn’t come after a clean loss.

And now, the show proper.

We open with a look at the show’s history in New York City before looking at the show’s double main event.

Atlantis Jr. vs. Mansoor

Mason Madden is here with Mansoor. They touch tips to start and we’re ready to go. As commentary confirms that this is over things that are happening in CMLL, Mansoor takes him down and strikes a pose, setting up some armdrags. Atlantis is back with a snapmare before tying up the legs to take over. A leglock sends Mansoor over to the ropes and we pause for a pose from Madden. Mansoor takes over and hits a Falcon Arrow before going after the mask.

More posing in the corner allows Atlantis to come back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by another to make it worse. Madden offers a distraction though, allowing Mansoor to grab a northern lights superplex. A Death Valley Driver into the corner gives Mansoor two but Atlantis wheelbarrow suplexes him into another corner. Mansoor tries a springboard but gets cuttered out of the air for two. Madden tries to interfere….but Danhausen of all people comes out to cut him off. Mansoor accidentally dives onto Madden and then gets taken out by an Atlantis dive. The frog splash gives Atlantis the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. Nice enough match, but maybe give us a bit more about why these two are fighting? Other than something about “this happened in CMLL”, we had no context for why these two are fighting. Show us what happened or have the talk about something, but give us a bit more than that, especially on a show as big as this one.

Post match Madden jumps Atlantis but gets cursed by Danhausen. A German suplex drops Madden and Danhausen pours teeth into his mouth.

Chris Jericho talks about how New York City is his city and gets a few details wrong. He’s ready to leave the Grand Apple as World Champion.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tommy Billington

This is Billington’s ROH debut and they have no notable history together. They fight over wrist control to start with Billington flipping his way to freedom. Billington reverses a headlock into a headscissors but Shibata starts working on the leg to take over. Back up and Billington sends him to the apron and hits a big running flip dive.

Shibata is right back on the leg and the figure four has Billington in trouble. That’s broken up with a rope break so Shibata grabs an STO. An armbar sends Billington to the ropes but he’s fine enough to elbow Shibata into a suplex. A springboard tornado DDT sends Shibata head first into the apron for a double down on the floor. Back in and Billington strikes away, only to get pulled into a sleeper for the tap at 9:50.

Rating: B-. What is there to say about a match where there is no backstory and one of the people is making his in-ring debut for the promotion? It’s another match that was fine in the ring but there is little reason to get interested in what they’re doing. They’re just having a match and while it was good enough, I’m expecting something a bit more intriguing at the biggest show of the year.

Respect is shown post match.

We recap QT Marshall vs. Jay Lethal. With Lethal returning to Ring Of Honor, Marshall wanted them to join forces. Lethal turned him down and a match was made, with Marshall bringing up a previous injury he had and seemingly blaming Lethal for what happened.

Jay Lethal vs. QT Marshall

….and they’re both in Randy Savage cosplay, which had nothing to do with this story coming in. Aaron Solo and an unidentified woman are with Marshall while Sonjay Dutt and Karen Jarrett (in NWO Elizabeth gear) are with Lethal. We start fast with Lethal hitting the Savage neck snap over the top into a top rope ax handle. The rolling dropkick lets Lethal send Marshall outside, where he gets in a shot of his own.

A kiss to the unknown woman lets Lethal come back with a suicide dive but a Solo distraction cuts Lethal off. Marshall’s tornado DDT gets two but Lethal fights up with some forearms. Marshall can’t hit a Lethal Injection so Lethal gives him a pop up neckbreaker for two. Lethal goes after the leg and grabs the Figure Four so Solo tries to come in, earning himself a Figure Four from Dutt.

The Lethal Combination connects but Solo crotches Lethal on top. Cue Jeff Jarrett to guitar Solo and Hail To The King connects for two. The Lethal Injection is countered into the Cross Rhodes for two but Lethal kicks him in the head. A cutter hits Marshall, who is right back with his own Lethal Injection. Back up and Lethal small packages him for two, followed by a pair of Lethal Injections for the pin at 12:32.

Rating: B-. I have so many questions. This was all over the place but in a rather entertaining way, as they stopped trying to have this be anything but insanity and that worked. I have no idea why Marshall was doing a Savage impression or really why Marshall was on this show in the first place, but it was by far the most entertaining thing on the show so far and I’ll take that at this point.

By the way: we are just shy of two hours into this show and this is the first match that had anything resembling an important story (Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Dark Order and LeeJ vs. Gates Of Agony are not important). In the words of rock legend Lenny Haise, this is an opportune time to pick it up a little.

We recap Leyla Hirsch challenging Red Velvet for the Women’s TV Title. Hirsch is getting the title match based on winning a match in July before she was injured and has won one match since (and lost a four way, also involving Velvet). Again: not much in the way of major builds so far.

Women’s TV Title: Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and is rapped live to the ring. Hirsch grabs a headlock to start but gets rolled up for an early two. Back up and Hirsch works on the arm, which doesn’t last long as Velvet is back with a headlock. Velvet starts in on Hirsch’s previously injured arm and we pause to check on Hirsch. She’s fine enough to be shoved into the corner, followed by a heck of a spear to give Velvet two. Hirsch starts going after Velvet’s arm for a change, setting up a sunset German suplex (that was cool).

A spinning German suplex drops Velvet again, followed by a powerbomb into a top rope Lionsault for two. Velvet is back with a powerbomb of her own and a spinning kick to the head gets a near fall of her own. A right hand staggers Hirsch but she sends Velvet into the buckle for a breather. Velvet’s shot to the face gets two so she grabs a turnbuckle (as in the big metal rod). That’s taken away so she whips out a wrench and knocks Hirsch cold for the pin to retain at 11:52.

Rating: B-. I guess that was supposed to be some big heel turn at the end but it came so out of nowhere that it didn’t have much of an impact. Velvet has gotten better in recent months but there still isn’t much that makes her stand out. Maybe the heel turn will help her, though she’s going to need a bit more to really make it work.

Lee Moriarty has issue an open challenge for a Pure Title match because he wants the best challengers.

Pure Rules Title: Lee Moriarty vs. ???

Moriarty is defending against….Nigel McGuinness. Well that’s a big one. Hold on though as Nigel wants this under Old School Pure Rules. Taylor says OLD is right but McGuinness isn’t impressed and insults are traded. Moriarty wants the match so Nigel says we’ll do it old school. Bobby Cruise lists off the rules…which are the same as the new school rules.

They take their time to start until Nigel goes for a waistlock, which makes Moriarty burn through his first rope break. Back up and Nigel claims a right hand from Moriarty, which counts as his first thrown punch. Taylor wants and gets a second referee out here as Nigel can’t quite get a crossface. The London Dungeon has Moriarty in more trouble but he uses the rope again.

Moriarty pulls him into a stretch of his own, sending Nigel to the ropes. Nigel heads outside to yell at Taylor, who Moriarty accidentally takes out with a running knee. Back in and McGuinness strikes away and the Tower Of London connects for two. The London Dungeon is countered into a Border City Stretch and Nigel has to use his second rope break as well. Another Border City Stretch has Nigel using his final break but he’s back up with the rebound lariat for two.

Nigel catches him on top with another Tower Of London, with Moriarty using his final rope break, meaning neither has any left. They uppercut it out until Moriarty backslides him for two. An exchange of rollups gets two each and Moriarty’s suplex Downward Spiral gets two more. Moriarty gets the Border City Stretch on again and uses the ropes for leverage to make Nigel tap at 17:04.

Rating: B. Having Nigel back was a nice surprise and it gave the fans a reason to believe that the title might change hands. The point of an open challenge like this is to put a big name out there and Nigel certainly fits the bill. That being said, I’m still not sure if we need the Pure Title out there on a regular basis, as it just doesn’t feel like it matters most of the time. For now though, heck of a match with Nigel being able to do this kind of wrestling in his sleep.

Post match respect is shown and Moriarty lets Nigel have the ring.

We recap the Righteous challenging the Sons Of Texas for the Tag Team Titles. This has mainly been about Dustin Rhodes vs. Dutch over a cowbell that Dusty Rhodes once owned because Dusty saw something in Dutch, making it personal.

Tag Team Titles: Sons Of Texas vs. The Righteous

The Righteous are challenging in a double bullrope match, meaning both of them are bound together and you win with a pin or submission. The brawl starts on the floor (and before the tying) with Guevara hitting a big flip dive before the bell. They get inside with Dustin hitting the drop down uppercut and a double suplex dropping Dutch. Now they bother tying up and the bell actually rings. The champs take over to start and hit stereo Shattered Dreams.

That doesn’t seem to have much of an impact as the Righteous fight up and it’s time to head outside. Dustin chairs Dutch in the back before Sammy and Vincent collide for a double knockdown. Dutch comes back with a Boss Man Slam on the ramp and it’s time for a barbed wire table. That takes too long and Dutch is knocked through the table but Vincent kicks Rhodes low. Orange Sunshine off the barricade drops Sammy and Vincent pulls himself out of the rope.

Sammy has to save Dustin from being choked out and they head back outside with Vincent being rocked again. Sammy is unhooked as well and it’s time to set up a regular table and a ladder. The Swanton only hits table though, leaving Dustin to beat up Vincent. Dutch’s shot in the corner gives Vincent two so Dustin flips both of them off. Orange Sunshine gets two with Sammy making the save. Sammy and Vincent crash out to the floor and a Canadian Destroyer drops Dutch. The cowbell to the head pins Dutch to retain the titles at 15:34.

Rating: B. If you ignore the bull ropes being broken up part of the way through the match and the whole thing turning into a pretty run of the mill street fight, it worked well. The cowbell finishing Dutch was the logical ending after the story they have been telling too. That being said, I can’t fathom that the Sons Of Texas are going to make it to the new year with the titles, as I have no idea how they have this much appeal.

TV Title: Komander vs. Willie Mack vs. Mark Davis vs. Blake Christian vs. AR Fox vs. Brian Cage

Cage is defending under elimination rules. Christian bails to the floor to start and pulls Komander with him, leaving Fox to hit a dive. Cage and Davis slug it out with Davis getting the better of things, including a running backsplash. Back in and Mack avoids Davis’ swings, setting up a running boot to the face. Mack is sent outside and Fox hits a bunch of dives for a bunch of knockdowns.

Back in and Komander flips away from Fox before sending him outside for a big springboard corkscrew moonsault. Christian hits Cage with suicide dive and a spear on the apron hits Komander. Christian’s big corkscrew dive takes out a few people but Cage gives him a neckbreaker back inside. A double German suplex sends Fox and Komander flying but Mack is back in to clean house. Mack Samoan drops Komander and Fox at the same time (hip swivel included) and a standing moonsault gets two on Davis. A series of Stunners takes everyone down, only for Cage to hit a discus lariat to pin Mack at 9:32.

Fox comes back in to kick Cage in the face, followed by a running hanging DDT to Davis. Komander’s running dive is cut off with a DDT on the apron, setting up Fox’s imploding springboard flip dive. Back in and Fox’s 450 gets two on Komander but Lo Mein Pain is countered into a super sitout powerbomb so Cage can pin Fox at 13:28.

Cage and Davis slug it out until Komander comes in with a super hurricanrana to Davis. An F5 drops Komander but Davis drops Cage with a clothesline. A piledriver gets rid of Cage at 16:39 to guarantee a new champion. Christian hits Davis low and rolls him up with trunks for the pin, leaving us with Christian vs. Komander for the title. Christian kicks Komander into the corner and a double stomp to the knees keeps him down. Komander is back with something like an abdominal stretch on the back but Christian shoves him out to the floor.

A 450 misses back inside though and Komander knocks him outside again. Komander’s dive is cut off with a Spanish Fly for two but he’s back up with a super poisonrana. The rope walk flip dive takes Christian out on the floor but he kicks the referee into the ropes to break up Cielito Lindo. Christian’s swinging belly to back superplex gets two but it’s a Canadian Destroyer into a 619 into Cielito Lindo to give Komander the pin and the title at 25:20.

Rating: B-. Oh boy where do I start here? First of all, it was a fun, action packed match, but DANG it went on for a long time. This is a match that could have had ten minutes cut off and not lost much but it just kept going with one long sequence after another. It had enough spots to keep me interested, but get on with it already.

Second, there’s the Komander problem. While he has been fairly regularly featured around here and has had some success, you can only get so far with having someone who is little more than cannon fodder in AEW. Komander hasn’t won a match yet in this year’s Continental Classic (and very well may not) but he’s only won two singles matches in AEW this year. That is going to need to change, or the ROH TV Champion is going to lose a lot going forward. That’s not a good way to present any title and it shouldn’t happen.

Finally, there’s the issue of someone like Blake Christian. Now I know who Christian is and several other people will, but he means nothing Ring Of Honor. He has won one singles match in ROH this year and that was in August, which was also his most recent match. Christian hasn’t wrestled in AEW since last spring and has never won a match on AEW TV. I’m aware he’s a big deal in GCW and had a run in Japan, but if I don’t follow those promotions, I have little idea who Christian is because he’s someone who just pops in periodically and loses. Now he’s getting a title shot? Come up with something better than that.

Komander gets a nice reception for his victory.

We get long previews of upcoming AEW shows.

The House Of Torture wants a Tag Team Title match at Wrestle Dynasty.

We recap Matt Cardona challenging Chris Jericho for the ROH World Title. Jericho wants to face a New Yorker so Cardona stepped up. This resulted in Jericho proving that he is a REAL New Yorker, despite knowing very little about New York. That’s your main event, despite Cardona never wrestling in ROH before.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Matt Cardona

Jericho, with Bryan Keith and some knockoff Rockettes, comes out to a Frank Sinatra song and is wearing an I Heart New York shirt. Jericho mocks the crowd to start and gets caught with a quick Radio Silence for two. The Reboot misses in the corner as Jericho bails to the floor, allowing Cardona to hit a big flip dive.

Back in and Cardona whips him with the belt, as I guess rules are lax here. Jericho gets in a backdrop on the ramp and a dropkick knocks Cardona off the apron. This time Jericho follows him out and shoves who appears to be Cardona’s father in the crowd. That earns him a big running forearm but Jericho sends Cardona into the post to cut off the comeback. Back in and Jericho hits a super hurricanrana but misses a charge, allowing Cardona to hit a middle rope dropkick for two.

Cardona misses a regular dropkick and gets Lionsaulted for a near fall. The Walls attempt is countered into a spinebuster and a tiger driver gets two. Jericho hits a Codebreaker for two of his own and they trade big boots for a double knockdown. This time Jericho gets the Walls but Cardona is quickly out. Keith’s interference doesn’t go well as Jericho is sent into him, allowing Cardona to get two off a rollup.

Another Radio Silence is countered into the Walls, with Cardona making the ropes again. Cue the returning Big Bill to kick Cardona in the face for two but he’s back with his own Codebreaker for his own two. Bill offers a distraction though and Keith comes in with a belt shot so Jericho can retain at 18:26.

Rating: B-. Again, another long match on a very long show and it wasn’t getting up the level to make it need that much time. It was a bunch of Jericho cutting Cardona off and then Cardona falling victim to the numbers game. That doesn’t make for an interesting match, but rather a 2003 HHH formula which wasn’t good back then either. This was the biggest match coming in and it just barely worked here.

Post match the beatdown is on but Bandido returns for the save. Ignore him slamming his head on the mat when he comes in with a dropkick and clearly being knocked for a loop.

We recap Athena defending the Women’s Title against Billie Starkz. Last year, Athena treated her badly and then beat her in the main event. Since then, she’s still treated Starkz badly and now Starkz asked for a rematch. That’s how the main event of the biggest show of the year was set up.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Billie Starkz

Athena (in a Two Face theme) is defending and gets a special introduction from Lexi Nair. They shake hands to start and take turns trading shots in the corner. Starkz hits a big boot but gets kicked out of the air to slow that down again. The cravate brings Starkz back up but her spinning kick to the face is countered into a Brock Lock. Starks gets out but is powerbombed right back down so Athena can go after the leg.

Said leg gets tied up in the ropes for some hard kicks and Starkz falls outside, where Athena yells at what seems to be Starkz’s mom (eh Jericho did it better). Starkz gets in a shot for a breather but Athena fights out of an electric chair. The leg is almost wrapped around the post but Starkz pulls her face first instead. Back in and something close to Cross Rhodes gives Starkz two and we hit the chinlock.

Something like a brainbuster gives Starkz two but Athena is back with a shot to the leg. A springboard spinning crossbody gets two on Starkz but the O Face is countered into a German suplex. They fight over a Tombstone until Starkz connects for two, giving us a shocked kickout face. Athena’s powerbomb onto the apron is countered into an Alabama Slam, allowing Starkz to hit a Swanton to the floor.

Back in and Athena throws her out to the floor again, meaning it’s a suicide dive onto Starkz and the referee. Lexi Nair uses the opening to hand Athena a microphone but Starkz kicks it out of her hand. Something like a One Winged Angel gets two but Athena manages to pull a turnbuckle pad off. Starkz goes head first into the steel and the O Face retains the title at 25:31.

Rating: B. They were in a weird place here as Starkz’s challenge was as pathetic as you could get and it would have been pretty lame to see her knock off Athena a year after she should have. At the same time, the Fabulous Moolah would think this Athena reign has gone on lone enough.

There is no one in AEW worth anything that she hasn’t beaten yet, to the point where this is the same match from last year’s Final Battle main event. I’m not sure what this is supposed to accomplish anymore and while Athena is still great, she has LONG moved passed the time where she should be on the main roster. It was a long, back and forth match, but the leg stuff just stopped mattering and it could have been about ten minutes shorter, especially as it was almost midnight by the time the match ended.

Athena and Nair celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling itself was fine to rather good with nothing close to a truly bad match. That’s all well and good and there isn’t much to criticize from the in-ring side of things. That being said, OH MY GOODNESS STOP WITH THESE ALMOST FIVE HOUR SHOWS! I wasn’t enjoying the last hour plus of the show because I was just so sick of the whole thing because it kept going.

There is no need to have a good chunk of this show (multiple matches with no backstory or people making their debuts), plus the last three matches adding up to over an hour bell to bell. There comes a point where the show needs to end and Tony Khan has never quite figured that out. It was far from a bad show, but you shouldn’t be able to cut off nearly two hours from a show without missing much. Just stop putting so much on these shows already, because it is really bringing things down.

Results
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Dark Order – High/Low to Silver
Hanako b. Harley Cameron – Torture rack faceplant
Undisputed Kingdom b. Infantry – Rockstar Supernova to Dean
Gates Of Agony b. LeeJ – Open The Gates to Johnson
Atlantis Jr. b. Mansoor – Frog splash
Katsuyori Shibata b. Tommy Billington – Sleeper
Jay Lethal b. QT Marshall – Lethal Injection
Red Velvet b. Leyla Hirsch – Wrench to the face
Lee Moriarty b. Nigel McGuinness – Border City Stretch with ropes
Sons Of Texas b. The Righteous – Cowbell to Dutch’s head
Komander won Survival Of The Fittest last eliminating Blake Christian
Chris Jericho b. Matt Cardona – Belt shot from Bryan Keith
Athena b. Billie Starkz – O Face

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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 19, 2024
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the night before Final Battle and that probably means we’re going to be getting a bunch of matches added to the card. That should open up the door for some important stuff, but this show has a hit and miss track record. Hopefully the show makes me want to see Final Battle more than I do coming in so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Lee Johnson vs. Bishop Kaun

EJ Nduka and Toa Liona are here too. Johnson can’t do much with the power to start as Kaun easily powers him into the corner. Back up and Johnson picks up the pace, with a running dropkick sending Kaun outside. The dive connects but Kaun is smart enough to tie the leg up in the ropes to take over. After a random stomp on the arm, Kaun cranks on the leg and dragon screw whips it out of the corner.

The half crab sends Johnson over to the ropes so Kaun blasts him with a clothesline. The goo leg lets Johnson hit a basement superkick into an enziguri, setting up a standing moonsault for two. Kaun catches him on top for a superplex though and some knees to the ribs get two of his own. A double underhook is loaded up but Johnson reverses into a jackknife rollup for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C+. Standard speed vs. power match here with Johnson hanging in there against the rather strong Kaun. It makes Johnson 1-1 against the Gates of Agony an odds are it leads to a tag match at Final battle to give Nduka a showcase. That’s not a bad idea and it comes after a good enough match here.

Post match a fight is teased but Kaun whispers something to Liona, who backs down from Nduka.

Lee Moriarty is ready for anyone at Final Battle.

Leyla Hirsch and Red Velvet go face to face in the back and they’re ready to fight at Final Battle.

Lady Frost vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata shoves her down to start and they trade forearms, with Aminata getting the better of things. Frost gets in some kicks to drop Aminata and a standing moonsault gives her two. A fisherman’s suplex gives Frost two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Aminata kicks her in the face for two but Frost scores with a kick of her own. The handspring cannonball gives Frost two more but she misses a spinning kick to the head. Aminata ties her up in something like an Octopus with the legs wrapped up for the tap at 6:44.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of a match between two people who have nothing going on. They’re both just kind of there and having decent matches without moving up the ladder. The match was ok enough but neither of them are going anywhere and it’s hard to get interested in whatever they’re doing here.

The Righteous go to Dustin Rhodes’ wrestling school and jump him (as he’s vacuuming the ring). They choke him out and bust him open before calling Sammy Guevara to promise more at Final Battle.

Murder Machines vs. Iron Savages

Don Callis and Jacked Jameson are here too. Cage and Boulder trade shoulders to start until Cage snaps off a suplex. Bronson comes in and Archer crossbodies him down without much trouble. A crossbody out of the corner gets Boulder out of trouble and a double chokeslam drops Archer. The Beefcake Bomb gets two but Cage is back in for the save. Archer’s splash gets two more and everything breaks down. The chokeslam/powerbomb combination finishes Bronson at 5:23.

Rating: C. Archer and Cage are a fine power team but my goodness I never need to see the Savages again. They’re the whipping boys of ROH/AEW and just hearing their music makes me want to fast forward. The Machines beat them up well enough here but it’s another case of “here’s a match to remind you that the winners are in fact still here”.

QT Marshall is late to a face to face meeting with Jay Lethal. They bicker about Lethal wanting to get back to the top of ROH while Marshall has to deal with a neck injury. Lethal was in the match where Marshall got hurt but it wasn’t his fault. Marshall hits him in the face. Why in the world is Jay Lethal vs. QT Marshall getting roughly 10x the build that the main event is getting?

From Final battle 2023 and from a previous review:

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Billie Starkz

Athena, the hometown star with a broken nose, is defending. Starkz knocks her fast into the corner and they fight out to the floor. Athena sends Starkz face first into the barricade a few times, with Starkz coming up bleeding. Back in and Athena keeps up the beating, including a neck crank as the blood continues to flow. Starkz gets sent to the floor as this has been much more of a brawl than a match so far.

Athena cuts off a comeback attempt but Starkz fights out of the Tree of Woe and suplexes her into the corner. They both mix kicks to the face before Starkz grabs a dragon suplex. Starkz spears her down and pulls off the mask, setting up some less than great looking forearms. The Swanton connects for two so Athena goes outside, with Starkz hitting a suicide dive into the barricade.

Athena gets in a shot of her own and loads up the announcers’ table but Starkz suplexes her down to the floor. A fireman’s carry is escaped and Starkz pulls her down by the hair. They fight onto the barricade again and it’s a reverse Sling Blade to send Starkz face first onto the floor. It’s time to really try something new so they head back inside for a top rope German superplex for two on Starkz. Back up and the ref gets bumped so Athena asks guest ring announcer (and head Minion) Lexi Nair to hand her the title.

Starkz dropkicks Athena into Nair and Starkz’s End gets two. Back up again and they fight to the apron, where Starkz hits an electric chair driver to knock Athena silly on the floor. The Swanton misses back inside and Athena punches her in the face for a double knockdown. Athena wins a slugout and hits Despicable Knee for two. They trade some rollups for two each until Athena ties her up in something like a modified Octopus hold for the tap to retain at 28:21.

Rating: B. I would bet that this had to be more of a brawl than a match due to the injury, as the style let Athena take a few long breaks in there. Other than that….my goodness who is left to take the title from Athena? This is the match that has been built up for months now and, again, Athena just retains. I’m not sure who in the world is supposed to take the title from her, but it might not be happening for a bit. It’s cool to see a milestone like the women headlining, but it would also be cool to see a heel lose a major title match around here.

Sidney Akeem vs. Serpentico

They fight over arm control to start and flip around a bit until Akeem is sent to the apron. Serpentico’s baseball slide misses and some spinning knees give Akeem two. Serpentico grabs a hurricanrana into a clothesline for two, followed by a double stomp for the same. Akeem sends him into the corner for a running clothesline into something like a Swerve Strickland House Call. Akeem’s top rope standing moonsault press gets two and they trade forearms. Back up and Akeem goes with a double backflip into a cutter for two more but Serpentico knocks him off the top. The Swanton finishes for Serpentico at 6:26.

Rating: C+. If you like flips and video game style matches, you’ll like this. There was very little here to be seen, as a lot of the stuff has been done to death around here. Neither of them has anything going on with the pay per view and this was little more than a way to extend this show, which feels like quite the bad idea on a long show before the biggest event of the year.

Respect is shown post match.

Billie Starkz/Athena vs. Missa Kate/Blair Onyx

Athena chops Starkz so she can start, with a German suplex dropping Kate. A kick to the head and hurricanrana out of the corner drop Onyx but Kate kicks Starkz in the face. Kate gets slammed onto Starkz for two before Athena comes in to throw Starkz at both of them. Starkz gets suplexed onto Onyx before Athena chokes her out for the win at 3:18.

Rating: C. There were some creative spots in there with Athena using Starkz as a weapon but my goodness it is hard for me to fathom that Starkz vs. Athena is the main event of Final Battle again. It feels ice cold compared to last year’s match and they are going to need a lot more than this to make me interested.

Post match Starkz steals the custom Athena title and rips her picture off. The fight is on with Athena beating her down.

Final Battle rundown.

Chris Jericho is in the back of a car and says that Matt Cardona is making a big mistake. We look at Jericho invading a GCW show and attacking Cardona. The summary of why this whole thing feels off: Jericho is wearing an AEW shirt rather than something from Ring Of Honor.

Video on Lee Moriarty.

Grizzled Young Veterans/Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Dark Order/Undisputed Kingdom

Gibson and Reynolds fight over a lockup to start and get nowhere. Reynolds takes him down and nips up, allowing Uno to come in. That means Moriarty comes in and takes over on the arm and a basement forearm connects for two. Back up and Uno sends Moriarty into a triple boot in the corner and it’s Bennett coming in for a Thesz press on Drake.

Taylor comes in for a chokeslam to Taven and the villains take over. Drake and Gibson take turns on Taven until he enziguris his way to freedom. Everything breaks down and it’s a parade of strikes until Taylor is low bridged to the floor. The Order and the Veterans brawl to the back, leaving Bennett to knock Taylor outside. Moriarty then rolls Bennett up for the pin (while grabbing the rope) at 10:12.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match but again, I’m not sure how this is the best way to wrap up a show before the biggest pay per view Ring Of Honor offers. The Veterans are just kind of there and Moriarty is a singles champion. That doesn’t exactly make me interested in seeing what Moriarty (the only one on the actual pay per view card) is going to do. As usual with a match like this, it was a lot of people running around until someone got a (cheating) win, which isn’t going to let anyone really stand out.

Overall Rating: C. Again, if this is supposed to make me want to watch Final Battle, they really didn’t do a good job. As usual, there is a bunch of stuff from people who have nothing to do with the bigger stories, or really any story, and it makes things a lot less interesting. Ring Of Honor’s biggest problem is there is too much content without the interesting stars to back it up and that was on full display here. Not a bad show on its own, but for a show designed to draw interest in Final battle, it didn’t work so well.

Results
Lee Johnson b. Bishop Kaun – Jackknife rollup
Queen Aminata b. Lady Frost – Leg tie Octopus
Murder Machines b. Iron Savages – Chokeslam/powerbomb combination to Bronson
Serpentico b. Sidney Akeem – Swanton
Billie Starkz/Athena b. Missa Kate/Blair Onyx – Choke to Onyx
Grizzled Young Veterans/Shane Taylor Promotions b. Dark Order/Undisputed Kingdom – Rollup with rope to Bennett

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: December 18, 2024
Location: Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re coming up on the end of the Continental Classic and that means it is time to get in some more matches this week. In this case it’s the Holiday Bash special, which may or may not actually have all that much in the way of being special. Other than that, we are coming up on Worlds End and that means the show needs to be set up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Jay White isn’t sure about relying on Hangman Page tonight and here is Page to shove aside White and Orange Cassidy to say Jon Moxley belongs to him tonight.

Darby Allin says it’s showtime.

Will Ospreay says we’re in for a dream match with Allin.

We get a quick card rundown.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Anna Jay

Mone is defending and slaps Jay in the face to start, meaning it’s time to bail up against the ropes. Back up and Jay slaps her in the face, only to get caught in Three Amigos. The frog splash misses though and Jay gets two but Mone is back with a running Meteora for two. Mone chokes away a bit and we take a break.

Back with Jay hitting a Blockbuster for two and a running spinwheel kick in the corner sets up an Iconoclasm for the same. The Queenslayer is broken up with a bite to Jay’s arm and Mone gets the Statement Maker. That’s broken up and Money hits a sunset bomb into the corner. Another Meteora sets up the Mone Maker to retain the title at 10:07.

Rating: C+. Yeah Anna Jay lost a big match. I’m as shocked as you are. This is what happens with Jay, in that she gets a bit of momentum (she went to Japan you know) and then loses the match that matters. I’m sure she’ll start the same cycle again and we’ll do this one more time because it never changes, much like it being hard to get invested in the idea that she’s actually going to win something.

FTR has no issues with the Death Riders (despite the beating and kidnapping) but they’re out for the rest of the year. They’ll be back on January 1 to fight the Death Riders and they’re not coming alone. Perhaps with Adam Copeland in his new hometown of Asheville?

Here is MJF for a chat. He complains about the fans’ opinions and mocks the Washington Wizards basketball team (which the fans agree with) before promoting Hanukkah over Christmas. Fans: “SANTA!” MJF says Hanukkah is all about giving so he has started a charity. We see a fake Adam Cole photo and a QR code to order Worlds End. If you get the show, a portion of your purchase will go towards MJF taking care of this tiny little yellow bay-bay. You can thank him later for that but here is Cole on the screen.

Cole had a meeting with Tony Khan and if MJF wants his Dynamite Diamond Ring back, he has to deal with the Undisputed Kingdom. Then Cole pops up in the ring to superkick MJF, who bails before the Panama Sunrise. Remember when the doctored photos were a staple of badly written Vince McMahon WWE TV? It’s still bad here.

Jamie Hayter wants Julia Hart at Fight For The Fallen.

Video on Kenny Omega, who will be back soon.

Patriarchy vs. Katsuyori Shibata/Hook

Wayne goes after Hook’s bad arm to start but it’s quickly off to Shibata vs. Cage. Some chops have Cage in trouble so Hook comes in to backdrop him over the top and onto Wayne. Back in and Hook tries the Redrum but Cage snaps his bad arm over the top for a quick save.

We take a break and come back with Wayne kicking Hook in the face but Hook manages a suplex. Shibata comes back in to clean house, including back to back STO’s. Wayne dives into the sleeper but Mother Wayne offers a distraction. The Killswitch drops Shibata and Nick gets the pin at 11:45.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as Hook feels like such a side story for Christian as we (continue to) wait on him to cash in his title shot. I’m not sure if he’s going to win the title or not but it feels like he’s had that stupid contract forever. Shibata losing to Wayne likely sets up a singles match between the two of them and that isn’t exactly exciting either.

Chris Jericho goes to New York and claims to be the king of the city. And yes, this really is the best thing they have for a World Title match at the biggest ROH show of the year.

Bandido video, minus the old west motif.

Mariah May isn’t sure why Thunder Rosa is a wrestler but sure they can have a Tijuana street fight.

Here is Ricochet for a chat but before he can get very far, here is the Hurt Syndicate to interrupt. Ricochet praises their fashion sense and hopes that the team has noticed his success lately. Bobby Lashley grabs him by the throat and MVP says no one likes a kiss a**.

Continental Classic Blue League: Shelton Benjamin (6 points) vs. The Beast Mortos (0 points)

MVP is on commentary. Benjamin slams him down to start but Mortos snaps off a running headscissors. Mortos pulls him down and twists the leg but a rope walk is broken up with a knee to the floor. We take a break and come back with Mortos planting him for two as MVP talks about Benjamin having a recent knee procedure. A corkscrew Swanton gives Mortos two but Benjamin is right back with a running powerslam. Benjamin superkicks him down and starts throwing the suplexes. Some running knees in the corner set up the exploder to give Benjamin the pin at 8:49

Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this one and the ending felt flat, with Benjamin just hitting Mortos over and over to win. Benjamin has looked great since coming to AEW and I could go for seeing him make the pay per view part of the tournament. As for Mortos…egads it would be nice to see him actually win something.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 7 points (1 match remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 4 points (2 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (1 match remaining)

Post match the Hurt Syndicate beats up Mortos and MVP threatens Daniel Garcia. Cue Garcia, with Mark Briscoe following, for the brawl. The Hurt Syndicate beats them all down and Benjamin poses with the TNT Title.

We recap the weekend in the Continental Classic.

Ricochet is ready for Will Ospreay this weekend but Swerve Strickland interrupts. Swerve is ready for the same old Trevor to pop up but Ricochet promises to win the Continental Classic.

Toni Storm sits down with RJ City and still can’t believe she’s here. And no she doesn’t remember anything she’s done in AEW. She does however remember Saraya, who hadn’t debuted when she first got here.

Continental Classic Gold League: Will Ospreay (6 points) vs. Darby Allin (3 points)

Ospreay misses a chop up against the ropes to start and has to flip out of the high angle springboard armdrag. Allin gets the feet up in the corner but an elbow to the face knocks him outside. Back up and Allin drops him again, only to miss the Coffin Drop to the apron. We take a break and come back with Allin hitting a flipping Stunner but his back is banged up. Ospreay is back with a Cheeky Nandos and a Hidden Blade but Stormbreaker is countered into a Code Red to give Allin two.

They strike it out with Ospreay getting the better of things but the Oscutter is countered. A springboard Coffin Drop gives Allin two and they’re both down again. They go to the apron and Ospreay hits a Styles Clash to the floor but bangs up his knee on the landing. Naturally Allin beats the count back in but the Oscutter connects for two. Allin flips away again and hits a Scorpion Death Drop, setting up a pair of Coffin Drops for the pin at 14:40.

Rating: B. It was a hard hitting fight with Allin fighting from beneath and getting the fans behind him, but dang Ospreay losing again feels disappointing. It feels like that’s been the case far too often lately and that’s not a good thing to see. At least Allin isn’t losing again so soon after going after the Death Riders at Full Gear, but he hasn’t done much about it since then. Anyway, fun match, but Ospreay being a superhero again would be nice.

Gold League Standings

Darby Allin – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Will Ospreay – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Ricochet – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Komander – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Death Riders vs. Jay White/Hangman Page/Orange Cassidy

Cassidy and Yuta slug it out to start with Cassidy sending him to the floor for a springboard corkscrew dive. Back in and Moxley’s piledriver attempt is countered into a backdrop and it’s off to Page, who wants Moxley. Instead White tags himself in but can’t give Moxley a Blade Runner. A piledriver drops White and we take an early break.

Back with Page having walked out and Cassidy down on the floor, leaving White alone for the moment. Pac grabs a slingshot cutter but White is back with a suplex. Cassidy gets up for a top rope DDT to Moxley and fires off some kicks. A spinning DDT plants Moxley but Yuta and White come back in to trade suplexes. Cassidy’s Orange Punch is countered into a cutter from Moxley but Page is back. Cassidy cuts off the Buckshot Lariat and gets sent into Page before grabbing a Stundog Millionaire to Yuta. The Buckshot Lariat hits Yuta and White gives Pac the Blade Runner. Then Moxley rolls Cassidy up for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B-. And of course the Death Riders outsmart our heroes again, showing that they are not only tougher, but smarter. The theme continues to be “the Death Riders, and especially Moxley, are just better” and that doesn’t make me want to see the heroes win. I get the idea of the good guys can’t get along to stop Moxley, but shouldn’t the idea be more that one of them CAN beat him? I haven’t seen much evidence to suggest that.

Post match the bickering is on so the Death Riders try to jump the good guys, only to be chased off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I wasn’t feeling a lot of this show but it did get better as it went on. The Death Riders still aren’t interesting and the Continental Classic is starting to wear out its welcome. The show wasn’t bad by any means but I’m only somewhat interested in Words End. As has been the case for far too long in AEW, nothing is really jumping off the page at me and that’s becoming an issue. It needs something to spice it up a bit and Jon Moxley being brilliant and tough isn’t it so far.

Results
Mercedes Mone b. Anna Jay – Mone Maker
Patriarchy b. Katsuyori Shibata/Hook – Killswitch to Shibata
Shelton Benjamin b. The Beast Mortos – Exploder
Darby Allin b. Will Ospreay – Coffin Drop
Death Riders b. Jay White/Hangman Page/Orange Cassidy – Rollup to Cassidy

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

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AND

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Collision
Date: November 30, 2024
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the first half of an AEW double shot this weekend, with Rampage set to follow. Thankfully this week is going to be focused on the Continental Classic, which all but guarantees that we have some good action. Other than that, we’re still dealing with the fallout from Full Gear so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Continental Classic Gold League: Will Ospreay vs. Juice Robinson

They take turns flipping away from each other until Ospreay snaps off a hurricanrana. A dropkick in the Tree of Woe takes Robinson down but the Octopus is blocked. Robinson’s backsplash hits knees but he drops Ospreay to slow things down again though. Another hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb to drop Ospreay and we take a break.

Back with Ospreay hitting a forearm to the floor and adding a slingshot dive. A standing corkscrew splash gives Ospreay two more but Robinson is back up with a leg lariat. Ospreay manages a Stundog Millionaire but walks into a left hand for two. A question mark kick into the Styles Clash gives Ospreay two more and the Hidden Blade finishes Robinson at 12:35.

Rating: B. Robinson got a chance to showcase his abilities here, which he doesn’t get to do on his own very often. That’s kind of a shame too as he’s rather good at this kind of match. On the other hand, Ospreay needed a win after his clean loss to Kyle Fletcher, which still doesn’t make a ton of sense but here we are anyway. Good opener here.

Gold League Standings

Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Will Osprey – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Ricochet – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Juice Robinson – 0 points (4 matches remaining

Mariah May says she and Mina Shirakawa are closer than ever because Mina loves America and wants to be champion. If that’s what she wants, come take the title. Mina can bleed and cry, but she can’t say May didn’t love her.

MxM Collection/Johnny TV vs. Private Party/Mistico

Mistico runs the ropes to start and snaps off a hurricanrana into the La Mistica faceplant to TV. Private Party comes in to double team Mansoor down but it’s back to TV to stomp away. Mansoor and TV tie up Quen’s legs for Madden’s running kick, which Nigel finds rather amusing. Quen flips out of a belly to back suplex and rolls over for the much needed tag to Kassidy.

Everything breaks down and Kassidy hits a big running flip dive to take out TV on the floor. Back in and Kassidy misses a Swanton as everything breaks down. Madden plants Quen for two but the Centerfold is broken up. TV gets crotched on top and Mistico hits a dive, leaving Private Party to hit Gin & Juice for the pin on TV at 8:18.

Rating: B-. This was the fast paced match you were probably expecting, though it continues the tradition of AEW not doing much to advertise Mistico. He’s one of the biggest stars in the world but you would never know it given that he gets all of three days’ notice for these appearances. As usual, the match went well and everyone was getting to do their thing, though it’s kind of an odd pairing of good guys.

Anna Jay talks about her career going up and down but she lost everything against Mariah May. There are other titles though and she can take the big swing. Maybe it’s time to try someone else.

Continental Classic Blue League: Kyle Fletcher vs. The Beast Mortos

Don Callis is on commentary. They trade shoulders to start until Mortos hits a hard clothesline to put him down. A monkey flip and a powerslam give Mortos two but Fletcher puts him on top for a big right hand to the floor. We take a break and come back with the Michinoku Driver giving Fletcher two but Mortos hits a running flipping DDT. The big corkscrew dive to the floor takes Fletcher down again, only to have him avoid a moonsault back inside. Mortos gets creative with a top rope crucifix driver but Fletcher forearms him in the face. A hard clothesline drops Mortos and a brainbuster finishes for Fletcher at 9:53.

Rating: B. These two beat the fire out of each other and while it seems that we are on the way to Ospreay vs. Fletcher II in a major tournament match, Fletcher needs some more wins to get ready for something that big. That means beating Mortos for a start, though that isn’t exactly the most unique accomplishment. For now though, it’s a nice first step as Fletcher’s push continues.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

We recap Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole entering the battle royal to get a chance at MJF

The Undisputed Kingdom ask O’Reilly to respect them and let them finish this. O’Reilly says he respects the plan, which they don’t understand.

We look back at Konosuke Takeshita retaining the International Title against Ricochet at Full Gear.

Don Callis is proud of Takeshita, but he’s even more excited about the coming year.

Outrunners vs. Iron Savages

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages. Boulder throws Magnum into the corner to start and the Savages mock the Outrunners spin. A corner splash sets up some hip thrusting but Bronson slips off the middle rope. Floyd comes in for a big wind up punch and a slam to Bronson. An assisted slam puts Boulder down and Total Recall finishes Bronson at 2:57. Exactly what it should have been, maybe without the Savages.

Post match here is FTR

Max Caster, with his ripped jacket, wants Swerve Strickland at Dynamite. As the leader of the Acclaimed, he gave the rest of the team the week off after Bowens lost at Full Gear.

Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta

Page easily takes him down to start and Yuta rethinks things a bit. A slam puts Yuta down again and Page rams him into the corner over and over. They go to the floor where Yuta is dropped face first onto the apron and a toss into the barricade has him in more trouble. Back in and a springboard clothesline misses for Page, allowing Yuta to take out the leg. Some twisting of the leg has Page in more trouble as commentary talks about this being “classic Death Rider strategy.” Thankfully Nigel goes with what “work on a limb” is by dubbing it “wrestling 101”.

We take a break and come back with Page throwing him off the top and kneeing Yuta out to the floor. Yuta is sent into the barricade a few times, followed by a Death Valley Driver for two back inside. Cue the Death Riders through the crowd and the distraction lets Yuta get two off a small package. The Buckshot Lariat doesn’t work due to the knee but the seatbelt only gives Yuta two. The Deadeye finishes for Page at 12:11.

Rating: B-. I can go for Page getting back into the main event scene, though it makes his losses to Jay White all the odder of a choice. Other than that, he’s going to need some help and as long as that isn’t in the form of the Elite, it could be interesting. For now though, more Page is a good thing, though he wasn’t quite as insane here.

Post match Page glares at the Death Riders and wraps a chair around Yuta. Cue Jay White to give Yuta a Blade Runner and say he’s coming for the World Title.

Thunder Rosa plugs tonight’s lucha libre Rampage and suggests she wants the Women’s Title match at Winter Is Coming.

Christopher Daniels talks to Hangman Page and tells him to be the man that AEW needs. Page doesn’t want to hear it from an old man like Daniels.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Leila Grey

Grey grabs a headlock to start but Shirakawa is quickly out for some dancing. They slug it out until Shirakawa kicks her in the face. A running clothesline gives Shirakawa two and a spinning backfist gets the same. The Glamorous Driver is broken up but the second attempt finishes for Shirakawa at 3:23.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point as it should have been as there was no reason to have someone of Grey’s status giving Shirakawa a real run for her money. Grey has improved a lot but she was in over her head here. Shirakawa is ready for the Women’s Title shot against Mariah May and she needed to win here.

Willow Nightingale is ready to put in the work and win the Women’s International Cup at Wrestle Dynasty.

Continental Classic Blue League: Kazuchika Okada vs. Daniel Garcia

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with Garcia’s running shoulder not having much effect. An exchange of rollups wakes Garcia up and he knocks Okada outside as we take an early break. Back with Okada missing a backsplash and a slingshot hilo but Garcia has to fight out of a cobra clutch.

Some running clotheslines in the corner connect for Garcia and he grabs a sleeper. The running kick to the chest (ala Katsuyori Shibata) gets two and they head outside with Okada being sent into the barricade. The running dropkick (with double middle fingers) hits Okada but he suckers the referee in, allowing a chair shot to Garcia.

We take another break and come back again with Garcia hitting a superplex for a delayed two. Okada is back up with an Air Raid Crash onto the knee for two but Okada spends too much time posing and gets his ankle locked. That’s broken up and Garcia fires off the chops until a double knockdown gives them a breather. The Rainmaker is loaded up but Garcia reverses into the Sharpshooter. The hold stays on for over a minute and the time limit expires at 20:00.

Rating: B. It was long, but it never really came close to that next level. Okada has only gotten into that higher gear a few times in AEW and he didn’t do it again here. That being said, I was worried about how this match was going to go as neither of them should be taking a fall, especially Garcia. The draw was the right way to go and thankfully they didn’t do anything insane here.

Blue League Standings

Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Shelton Benjamin – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 1 point (4 matches remaining)
Kazuchika Okada – 1 point (4 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
The Beast Mortos – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Okada flips him off and leaves rather than shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Two hours of solid action with results that actually matter and some storylines being advanced. You don’t get that kind of a show very often and I will absolutely take it over some of the things AEW has been doing lately. The tournament stuff helps these shows a lot and that was on display here, as things instantly felt more important. I’m not sure how long that is going to last, but I’ll take it even as a one off show.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Juice Robinson – Hidden Blade
Mistico/Private Party b. Johnny TV/MxM Collection – Gin & Juice to TV
Kyle Fletcher b. The Beast Mortos – Brainbuster
Outrunners b. Iron Savages – Total Recall to Bronson
Hangman Page b. Wheeler Yuta – Deadeye
Mina Shirakawa b. Leila Grey – Glamorous Driver

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.