Dynamite
Date: January 24, 2024
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

The road to Revolution continues and the big story coming out of last week is what could be a three way feud between World Champion Samoa Joe, Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland. We should be able to find the next step in that story this week, plus a good bit more. Like Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Samoa Joe to get things going. Joe talks about how people have to earn title shots but just like Hook last week, they’ll take a beating. Here is Hook to interrupt, saying Joe won last week, but they’ll see each other again. Joe bets Hook will, but calls for security to get him out of here. Cue security…with Hook beating them up before leaving. Well that was fast.

Hangman Page vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

Samoa Joe is on commentary. Penta does the usual pose to start so Page backs him into the corner. That earns Page some running Sling Blades but Page sends him into the corner for a running boot to the face. They trade chops in the corner until Penta has to slip out of the Deadeye. An exchange of clotheslines and superkicks leave them both down and we take a break.

Back with Penta kicking him to the floor for a big running flip dive. They get back inside where Page hammers away in the corner, followed by Penta’s running Death Valley Driver. Page avoids having the arm snapped and comes back with a sitout powerbomb for two. Neither can hit anything big on the apron so the Buckshot Lariat is countered into Made In Japan for two. Page is sent to the apron again but he counters a Canadian Destroyer into the Deadeye. Now the Buckshot finishes Penta at 13:45.

Rating: B. It was the kind of back and forth match that you would expect in this spot as Page gets a win over someone with some credibility. They were trading big spots here and while at times it felt like they were checking moves off a list they had planned to cover, it was still more than exciting enough stuff. At the very least, this should put Page on the road to the title match, where he seems destined to go.

Orange Cassidy is down to defend the International Title against Roderick Strong at Revolution. For now though, he’s setting up a match for Rampage where the winner gets a title shot on Collision.

The Young Bucks like the show’s format and want to be called Nicholas and Matthew. Backstage morale is way up and they want a great show! Top Flight come in and get chastised for being late but respect is shown. Do you get the joke yet? I’m not sure they’re hammering it in hard enough.

Trent Beretta vs. Wardlow

The Best Friends and the Undisputed Kingdom are here too. Wardlow knocks him into the corner to start and fires off some shoulders to the ribs. Trent manages to knock him outside and hits a dive, only to be driven into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Trent slugging away. A clothesline sends Wardlow outside, where a distracted referee misses Trent getting in a chair shot. Back in and a tornado DDT sets up a piledriver for two on Wardlow so Trent goes up top. Wardlow pulls him down into a knee and the powerbomb finishes Trent off at 7:59.

Rating: C+. Between this match and the Kingdom’s first match after being revealed, I’m really not sure what the thinking is with this team. They’re struggling to beat midcarders and haven’t shown the slightest bit of dominance. If Wardlow is supposed to be the guy to go after the World Title, he’s going to need a lot more than this, as needing eight minutes to beat Trent is hardly impressive.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Best Friends make the save.

Adam Copeland is ready for Minoru Suzuki.

Here are Deonna Purrazzo and Toni Storm for a face to face interview on the stage. Storm says she’s going to speak first because she has a massage scheduled. Purrazzo was recently body shamed which is ridiculous when there is SO MUCH MORE to shame about her. Storm threatens to twist Purrazzo’s lips around but Purrazzo says she’s here to be champion.

She’ll win the title arm by arm because this delusional Storm isn’t the one she wants. She wants the Storm who worked on the dojo floors and lived in Purrazzo’s house. They even show off matching ankle tattoos, which is why Storm doesn’t have Purrazzo fooled. Shoe throwing ensues and Purrazzo pulls her into the Venus de Milo, with Mariah May making the save. That added a little personal touch to the story, though Purrazzo still doesn’t sound overly confident with her promos.

Jon Moxley says the Blackpool Combat Club has won a lot of titles but haven’t had any victory parties. He’s ready to hurt anyone who gets in the ring with him.

Taya Valkyrie and Johnny TV aren’t happy with people jumping to the front of the line. That’s why Taya wants to face Deonna Purrazzo next week.

Swerve Strickland vs. Jeff Hardy

Matt Hardy is here with Jeff. They start slowly, with Swerve knocking him into the corner so Jeff has to hold his neck. Jeff shoves him away to get a glare from Swerve, who takes him down and goes for the arm. Matt offers a distraction though and Jeff gets out, only to be sent to the apron. A superkick drops Jeff again and Swerve drops him hard on the floor. Back up and Jeff manages a Poetry In Motion of the steps to take Swerve over the barricade as we take a break.

We come back with Jeff knocking him off the top and hitting the Whisper In The Wind. Jeff kicks him in the face and hits a splash for two. Swerve gets in a knock off the top and they go outside, with Jeff hitting a Twist of Fate onto the steps. Back in and the Swanton hits raised knees, allowing Swerve to backslide him for two. The rolling Downward Spiral sets up a suplex into the Swerve Stomp to finish Jeff at 13:57.

Rating: C+. Well the right guy won, though he took his sweet time getting there. I get that they’re doing the Swerve/Hangman are matching each other, and that makes all the sense in the world assuming you ignore their two pay per view matches within the last ten weeks or so. Jeff wasn’t exactly his old self here, but he did seem like he was trying.

Post break Hangman Page is interrupted by Swerve Strickland, where they’re told they get to pick the other’s opponents for next week.

Red Velvet vs. Thunder Rosa

Velvet grabs the arm to start but Rosa drop toeholds her into the corner. They go outside with Velvet chopping away and we take a break. Back with Rosa hitting a running dropkick against the ropes but Velvet rolls her up or a double stomp. Rosa hits a dropkick and a Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 7:10.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here, which tends to be the case with a good deal of the women’s matches. There is only so much you can do when about half of a match that doesn’t last eight minutes is in a break and that was the case here. Rosa is slowly getting back to her pre-injury status, but it is going to take a long time.

Here are Sting and Darby Allin for a chat. Allin talks about being asked what it means to be in the ring with Sting. He remembered hearing about Sting’s career being over and going down to Sting’s house in Texas. They got in a ring he had down there and within five minutes, Allin said “you still got it”. Now Sting is about to hang it up, but maybe they should go out as Tag Team Champions. Sting is in.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks accept Sting and Allin’s challenge.

Trios Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. Billy Gunn/Acclaimed

Gunn and the Acclaimed, with Bullet Club Gold, are defending. Cage drives Caster into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs to start. Caster grabs the arm and hands it off to Bowens to stay on said arm, only to have Cage pull him into the corner. Bowens fights up but Prince Nana offers a distraction, allowing Kaun to knock him off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting a Blockbuster but Toa cuts of the tag attempt. That doesn’t last long either, as Bowens gets over to Gunn for the house cleaning tag. Everything breaks down and Kaun faceplants Gunn for two. Kaun brings in a chair but Jay White takes it away, allowing Gunn to hit a cobra clutch slam. The Gunns powerbomb an interfering Nana through the timekeeper’s table, leaving Toa to take a not very good 3D. The Fameasser into the Arrival into the Mic Drop retains the titles at 8:52.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t boring, though there was a lot packed into this, with the interference and the chair and the match itself, all in less than nine minutes. Still though, the Club being involved gives me hope that we could be in for a title unification match. If nothing else, it would mean three less belts floating around and that sounds rather nice.

Serena Deeb returns on Collision.

Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki

They slug it out to start with Suzuki getting the better of things (shocking I know), including a hard forearm to put Copeland down. Copeland is back up and sends him to the apron for the big boot. The spear is countered into a guillotine though, with Copeland having to drive him through the barricade.

Back in and they slug it out again for another double knockdown. Back up and they slug it out again until Copeland grabs an Impaler. Copeland hits a quick spear for two but gets pulled into the rear naked choke. He reaches for the corner and the pad is pulled up, with Suzuki going face first into the buckle. A really not good Killswitch gives Copeland the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C+. I’m sure there was an audience for this and it definitely did feel like a major event, but I couldn’t get into the idea of Copeland and Suzuki trading forearms and then exchanging some finishers for Copeland to win in about nine minutes. It felt like a way to say “wait, those two had a match?”, which is ok, but doesn’t exactly guarantee the quality or interest.

Post match Copeland says he’s never been hit that hard and offers respect but Suzuki walks off instead. These two had the kind of match that Christian Cage has never had and Copeland is still coming for him.

Overall Rating: C+. There was some good wrestling in here but a grand total of nothing felt important. This show felt like AEW was saying “here’s two hours of stuff, see you next week”. While that’s not good, it’s something that every promotion has done before and it just happens on occasion. They have a stacked Collision and next week’s Dynamite could very well be back to full form, so hopefully we can call this a one off slip and move on.

Results
Hangman page b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Buckshot Lariat
Wardlow b. Trent Beretta – Powerbomb
Swerve Strickland b. Jeff Hardy – Swerve Stomp
Thunder Rosa b. Red Velvet – Package spinning slam
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Mogul Embassy – Mic Drop to Toa
Adam Copeland b. Minoru Suzuki – Killswitch

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: January 17, 2024
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Taz

It’s time for a special main event with Hook challenging Samoa Joe for the World Title. That should make for an interesting learning experience for Hook but the question seems to be what happens next. We’re coming up on Revolution and the show needs a card to be set up so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a video on Hook vs. Samoa Joe.

TNT Title: Christian Cage vs. Dustin Rhodes

Cage, with Killswitch and Nick Wayne, is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and roll around the ropes with neither getting anywhere. Cage hammers away in the corner but Rhodes is right back with the rolling powerslam for two. The fight heads outside with Cage being sent into the steps and Rhodes hitting a clothesline off of those steps. Back in and Cage knocks him off the top and out to the floor, setting up a big dive.

We take a break and come back with Rhodes missing a crossbody to fall outside. Rhodes gets back in to slug it out from their knees until the bulldog gives Rhodes two. The Code Red gets two more so Cage goes outside, where he cuts off a dive. Back in and a frog splash gives Cage two so he grabs the belt, only to have it taken away.

Rhodes grabs a small package but Wayne turns it over to give Cage two more. Back up and Shattered Dreams connects and Cross Rhodes connects for a VERY near fall. Rhodes stops to go after Wayne so Cage hits a spear into the Killswitch….for two. Cage is stunned so he hits another Killswitch to retain at 15:26.

Rating: B. I wasn’t looking forward to this one coming in and they had a heck of a match with Rhodes trying everything he could but coming up short in the end. Rhodes as the guy who just does not age is rather impressive and Cage’s great run continues. Awesome match here and they were absolutely rolling by the end.

Swerve Strickland is going to be focused on the main event because he’s watching everything. Yes he wants the World Title but yes he’s also watching Hangman Page. The thing is, Page could beat everyone in AEW to the Lord himself…but he can’t beat Swerve.

Chris Jericho wants revenge on the Don Callis Family. Matt Sydal of all people comes in to say he wants a match tonight so they’re on (with Jericho making a Bourne reference).

Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy vs. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo

Cassidy and Penta go face to face to start with both of them taking the other to the mat for a string of misses. Trent comes in and reverses Komander’s springboard dive into a half and half suplex. We take a break and come back with Komander sending Trent to the floor, followed by the big running flip dive.

Back in and the spike Fear Factor is broken up, allowing Trent to come back inside to hammer on Komander. Penta kicks Trent in the head though and adds a Canadian Destroyer. Cassidy has to dive over the referee for the save so Komander goes up top. The Phoenix splash misses though and Trent adds the running knee. Cassidy hits Penta with the Beach Break, followed by the Orange Punch to Komander. The Crunchy finishes for Trent at 10:16.

Rating: B-. This was another fast paced match with Cassidy and Trent hanging in there with the faster team. I could go for more of Trent as he’s an underrated star, but at the same time, Cassidy seems all but destined for a big showdown with Roderick Strong. Penta and Komander were just opponents here, but their high flying stuff was as entertaining as ever.

Post match here is the Undisputed Kingdom, with Roderick Strong wanting Orange Cassidy to take off his glasses for the staredown. Strong wants an International Title shot because he is coming for the title. Fans: “SHUT THE F*** UP.” Cassidy is willing to put the title on the line right now….but let’s wait until Revolution because Strong wants Cassidy to think about it. Strong is a dumb villain.

Hangman Page (looking more like Magnum TA every week) wants the World Title back. Oh and it doesn’t matter if he can’t beat Swerve Strickland, because Swerve isn’t World Champion.

Here is Mark Briscoe, with his family in the crowd, for a chat on the anniversary of his brother’s death. Jay’s daughters were in the car with him and one was told she would never walk again. Well here she is, walking on her own (with presumably her sister and brother). That’s awesome.

Video on Jay Briscoe.

We get a sitdown interview with the Young Bucks, who want to be called by their full names because they are Executive Vice Presidents. You have heard some things about them, but what would you do to protect your family? Things were changing and they needed to stop leaning on yesterday’s self serving cancerous stars. Sting is the last of a dying breed so it’s time to get rid of him too. When asked if that’s a direct call out for Revolution, they leave for the sake of a meeting. I can’t believe it but somehow they’re more annoying than they were before.

Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Mogul Embassy

The Club is challenging. Kaun strikes away at White to start so it’s off to the Gunns to take him down. Cage comes in with a superkick and it’s Kaun coming back in for an elbow as we take a break. Back with Colten cleaning house and getting two off a neckbreaker. The Embassy takes him back down though and a sitout powerbomb into an Air Raid Crash gets two.

Colten backdrops his way out of trouble and hands it back to White to strike away at Kaun. 3:10 To Yuma hits Cage but a Prince Nana distraction lets Kaun hit a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Cue Anthony Bowens for a distraction though and White hits the Blade Runner for the pin and the titles at 9:31.

Rating: C+. If there is any sanity around here, this will lad to a unification match to get rid of one set of the Six Man Titles. There has never been any need to have two sets of them around and now it’s time to get rid of one. Other than that, you had a good enough match with a title change that needed to happen due to Cage’s injury.

Post match the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn come out for the staredown.

Adam Cole hypes up Wardlow as the new wrecking ball on his way to the World Title.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay

Toni Storm is on commentary. Purrazzo spins out of a wristlock to start and rolls Jay up for a fast one. Jay has to bail over to the ropes, where she grabs a neckbreaker over the ropes. We take a break and come back with Purrazzo getting two off a clothesline. Jay kicks her in the face for two more but the Queenslayer is countered into a quickly broken armbar. They forearm it out until Purrazzo pulls her into the Venus de Milo (double armbar) for the tap at 6:40.

Rating: C. There was barely enough to rate here with the commercial involved and that’s pretty normal for a lot of women’s matches around here. Purrazzo is off to a good start and I wouldn’t be surprised if she got the next title shot either on a big Dynamite or at Revolution. As usual, Anna loses after building up some momentum, which tends to be her case.

Post match Purrazzo says she doesn’t know what is up with Toni Storm, but Purrazzo has changed as well. Storm has never met the Virtuosa, but Storm calls her an artificially tanned hag. The shoe is thrown and Purrazzo chases her off.

Top Flight vs. Private Party

Kassidy takes Darius down to start but they nip up for the staredown. Everyone gets in for the staredown and it’s off to Dante vs. Quen. Dante takes him down by the arm but Kassidy is back in with a springboard crossbody. We take a break and come back with Darius working on Kassidy’s arm as commentary talks about almost anything else. Kassidy fights up and brings in Quen to clean house, including a 450 to Dante. Everything breaks down and Dante knees Quen in the face. Gin and Juice takes Dante down, leaving Quen to roll up Darius (while grabbing the rope) for the pin at 10:11.

Rating: B-. Take two high flying teams and let them go nuts for a bit. It’s a little strange to see Private Party come back and have a fairly high profile match like this one but at least they won. I can go for Private Party as villains, but AEW needs to actually go somewhere with them or it won’t matter.

Video on Sting and Darby Allin.

AEW World Title: Hook vs. Samoa Joe

Only Joe’s title is on the line. Hook goes right after him to start and they’re already on the floor, where Joe strikes away. Back in and Joe hits a jumping enziguri in the corner, followed by the hard kick to the chest. Hook gets in some shots of his own and knocks Joe outside, setting up the big forearm from the apron. Joe isn’t having that and release Rock Bottoms him through the announcers’ table.

That earns him a double middle finger so Joe powerbombs Hook onto the apron. Back in and Joe snaps off a powerslam for two, followed by a Death Valley Driver for the same. The MuscleBuster gets one but Hook is back up with some running clotheslines and the t-bone suplex. Redrum goes on but Joe reverses into the Koquina Clutch for the knockout win at 8:45.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a match that was pretty much exactly what you would have expected but better. Hook wasn’t going to win the title here but he brought the energy and Joe felt like he was in a fight. Granted I could have gone without the new World Champion’s finisher only getting a one count, but otherwise Joe looked like a killer as usual.

Post match Joe gives him another MuscleBuster but here is Hangman Page to chase Joe off. Swerve Strickland is watching from the crowd and stares at Page as Hook leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that focused on the wrestling and that ranged from pretty good to very good. They also took some steps towards Revolution as you can see a lot of the card from here. If you take out the Young Bucks making me want to put my head through a wall, it’s that much better of a show. Rather strong show this week and I had a good time throughout.

Results
Christian Cage b. Dustin Rhodes – Killswitch
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo – Crunchy to Komander
Bullet Club Gold b. Mogul Embassy – Blade Runner to Kaun
Deonna Purrazzo b. Anna Jay – Venus de Milo
Private Party b. Top Flight – Rollup to Darius while grabbing the rope
Samoa Joe b. Hook – Koquina Clutch

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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Dynamite
Date: January 3, 2024
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the show after Worlds End and Samoa Joe is the new World Champion. In what might be a bigger story though, Adam Cole was revealed as the Devil, with his henchmen (Wardlow/The Kingdom/Roderick Strong) wrecking MJF to end the show. We’re about two months from Revolution and it might be time to start the slow build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Worlds End if you need a recap.

We get a video from after Worlds End where a rather serious Samoa Joe talks about how MJF might be a scumbag but he’s a mean SOB. He’s going to take everything from anyone who tries to take the title from him. This was intense Joe and that is a great thing.

We look at the Devil/Henchmen reveal.

Here are Adam Cole and the henchmen, now with a graphic saying UNDISPUTED, for a chat. Roderick Strong tells us to shut up and listen to his best friend, ADAM. Cole finds it ironic that people were appalled and SHOCKED at him being the Devil. It means people are not only stupid but they also don’t understand right and wrong. Cole turned on MJF, who has talked bad about everyone in that locker room, but people are mad at him?

MJF only cares about himself and he’s never coming back. The second MJF felt like he didn’t need Cole anymore, he would have done the same thing. Cole never needed MJF but MJF needed him, which is why Cole sacrificed everything. No one would have cared about MJF without Cole and you can chant all you want, but MJF is dead. This is the Undisputed Kingdom, and they want gold.

Roderick Strong wants the International Title and Wardlow is after the AEW World Title. Then when the time is right, Wardlow is going to forfeit the title to Cole (Wardlow doesn’t seem opposed). That brings us to Samoa Joe, and it was nice to do business with him. This includes taking out Hangman Page for him, but it would suck to see Wardlow hurt Joe when it’s time to get there. The Devil is here to stay….bay bay.

The team poses but here is Jay White of all people to interrupt. He liked what happened to MJF, but he isn’t happy with being the catalyst to start all this. Cue the Gunns so Wardlow gets Cole to the floor so the fight can be on. Wardlow gets back in though and the Undisputed Kingdom takes over. Cue the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to chase the Kingdom off but Bullet Club Gold leaves without scissoring.

They needed to have the big speech here and that worked well, but there is something missing because Cole can’t wrestle. Granted it is a good bit less bad because MJF is out of action as well. I could have waited on someone to interrupt the team, as it took something away from the segment, but the big explanation was good enough.

We look at Eddie Kingston winning the Continental Classic.

Daniel Garcia is ready to face Swerve Strickland.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Dante Martin

Cassidy is defending and gets armdragged into the corner, leaving him a bit annoyed to start. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Cassidy but Dante kicks him away and flips over for a standoff. They go outside with Cassidy sending him into the barricade, then putting his hands in his pockets for a run around the ring and a dropkick. Dante manages a suplex though and we take a break.

Back with Martin hitting a nice high crossbody for two before they trade the slow motion strikes. Martin gets taken into the corner for more slow stomps, followed by the spinning DDT for two. The Orange Punch and Beach Break both miss so Martin loads up a powerbomb, only to drop Cassidy face first onto his knee (that was cool). Martin goes up so Cassidy rolls away…leaving Martin to jump REALLY FAR to splash him instead. Martin misses a dropkick though and the Orange Punch retains at 13:29.

Rating: B-. This was straight out of the same playbook that Cassidy has been using for the better part of a year now, though there was pretty much nothing with him being aggressive or coming close to cheating. The good thing is that he seems to have a much bigger challenger coming in Roderick Strong so things should be picking up. Martin looked solid here too, as he can do the flying stuff rather well.

Post match Action Andretti, Darius Martin, Hook and Danhausen come out to check on their friends. Respect is shown but here is the returning Private Party to interrupt. They want the titles and put the tag teams on notice. Is there a reason a two person tag team interrupted a singles champion and a trio so they could talk about winning Tag Team Titles?

Toni Storm is here for Mariah May’s debut but changes her mind because it’s off to Broadway.

The House Of Black is ready to hurt FTR and make their families sad.

Swerve Strickland is ready to ace Daniel Garcia tonight but wants gold in 2024. Like from Samoa Joe.

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

May strikes her up against the ropes to start and a running dropkick gets one. Another running dropkick to the back sends Aminata to the floor and us to a break. Back with Aminata striking away and hitting a dropkick, followed by a running forearm in the corner. May Sling Blades her way out of trouble and a Samoan Driver (May Day) finishes Aminata at 6:37.

Rating: C. Well that was lengthy and I’m not exactly sold on May as a big star. She did well in her debut but this felt more like it was almost about making Aminata a big deal than getting May her debut. May does look like a star though and she seemed polished enough in the ring. Not a bad match, but a strangely put together one.

Post match May says she wishes Toni Storm could have been here. And that this wasn’t in New Jersey. Cue Deonna Purrazzo (of the New Jersey Purrazzos) to say this is her home because she is All Elite. May calls her a b**** and gets kicked in the face for her efforts. Good debut, even with Purrazzo sounding rather nervous. Also, I’m not sure how smart it was to have May’s debut and Purrazzo as the surprise back to back, as it took away from May’s start.

Here is the Patriarchy for a chat. Shayna Wayne can’t believe that the people here boo her, so Christian Cage threatens them all with discipline. Cage talks about his title defense at Worlds End and we hear about how he left as champion (with no mention of the title changing hands)….but he specifically doesn’t mention Killswitch.

He talks about how Adam Copeland is out of title shots and brags about having no soul, which is why he beat Copeland. No one needs to come after this title but the fans chant LUCHASAURUS. Cage insists that his name is Killswitch to wrap things up. Shayna continues to be rather awful with a microphone. I’m not sure why they needed Wayne’s real mother there when there has to be someone better at talking who could play either that role or something close enough.

Ruby Soho admits that Harley Cameron was a success, with Cameron insisting she would do ANYTHING to help.

Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis joins commentary as Takeshita grabs a wheelbarrow suplex to start. Allin flips out and lands on his feet, with even Callis being impressed, only to have a heck of a backdrop put Allin down. Back up and Allin manages to send him outside for a dive, with Takeshita cutting it off with a jumping knee for a NASTY crash. Some rolling German suplexes on the ramp knock Allin even sillier and we take a break.

Back with Allin hitting the flipping Stunner out of the corner and sending Takeshita to the floor for the big running flip dive. Takeshita is sent hard into the barricade and bangs up his knee, allowing Allin to hit the top rope Coffin Drop to take him down on the floor. Back in and a Code Red gives Allin two, only to have Takeshita German suplex him down. A top rope German superplex (and Allin landed straight on the mat) sets up a running knee to give Takeshita the pin at 12:47.

Rating: B. I feel bad about watching these Allin matches as he feels like someone ready to suffer a career ending injury every time he gets in the ring. Since he doesn’t seem to care, it would be nice to have someone tell him to stop and not let him wrestle if he doesn’t listen, but that doesn’t seem likely. On the other hand you have Takeshita, who looked like a monster here. I could really go for him doing pretty much anything but being stuck with Callis and company, as he seems ready to be a breakout star (and has been so for a long time).

Post break Don Callis issues a challenge to Darby Allin and Sting next week, with promises of making the team 25-1.

Trent Beretta vs. El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Brian Cage vs. Bryan Keith

For a Continental Crown shot against Eddie Kingston (on commentary) on Collision. Vikingo takes Trent out to start but Cage runs people over. Vikingo gets suplexed and Trent is ran over on the floor as Cage is in control on the way to the break. Back with Vikingo cleaning house until Cage catches him on top.

Trent drops Cage for two with Vikingo making the save, leaving all four of them down. Cage F5’s Keith and hits a helicopter bomb for two on Trent. This brings Danhausen out of the crowd for a curse, allowing Vikingo to dive outside onto Cage. Keith hits a running headbutt to Trent, who is right back with Strong Zero for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: B-. This was your usual wild free for all, but that’s where it’s a little weird. We just spent six weeks on these straightforward singles matches for the right to be the first champion and then it’s a four way with a bunch of midcarders fighting for a shot. On a side note, what is Trent fighting for? The new title or the Triple Crown? I would hope the latter, because having Kingston defend three separate titles is absolutely not what was being teased in the tournament.

Matt Menard is interrupted by Hangman Page, who wants to fight someone.

Daniel Garcia vs. Swerve Strickland

Matt Menard is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Swerve taking him down without much trouble. Garcia fights back up and they head to the floor, with Swerve being sent into the barricade. That means it’s time for a dance off between Garcia and Prince Nana, but Swerve breaks it up.

We take a break and come back with Garcia dropkicking Swerve into the corner. A Saito suplex gets two on Swerve and they fight to the floor where Garcia doesn’t quite get all of a Sharpshooter the announcers’ desk. Back in and Swerve manages a suplex to put them both down, followed by a House Call for two. The Swerve Stomp gets two and, after Garcia gets a rollup for the same, Swerve finishes with the JML Driver at 11:41.

Rating: C+. That’s a weird way to end the show, as the big focal point was a dance off with a heel manager. Strickland took a good while to beat Garcia here, which isn’t the biggest stretch, but it’s a weird way to go when he’s talking about coming for the World Title. This didn’t quite feel like a big main event either, and that’s not a great sign to start the road to Revolution.

Post match respect is teased but Nana hits Garcia low. Matt Menard tries to come in but gets beaten down as well. Hangman Page comes out for the brawl with Swerve and they’re separated to end the show. So the ultra violent and bloody Texas Deathmatch was just a stop in the feud?

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t the show I was expecting but it also wasn’t a bad one. They covered the Adam Cole explanation well enough, but as tends to be the case in AEW, they tacked on more stuff right after and it took away from some of the impact. Other than that, you could definitely tell that a lot of people were gone for either Wrestle Kingdom or something else and it hurt the show a bit. This felt like a show that they ran when they had a week to burn, which is a weird feeling coming off a pay per view. Not bad whatsoever, but not one of their best.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Dante Martin – Orange Punch
Mariah May b. Queen Aminata – May Day
Konosuke Takeshita b. Darby Allin – Running knee
Trent Beretta b. Bryan Keith, Brian Cage and El Hijo del Vikingo – Strong Zero to Keith
Swerve Strickland b. Daniel Garcia – JML Driver

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 20, 2023
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

Things are finally coming to a head in the Continental Classic as we will ind out the semifinalists in the Gold League. That alone should be a big deal, but we also have the Devil stuff going on. What we don’t have is a ton set up for Worlds End, which could use a good bit of building. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Continental Classic Gold League: Rush vs. Swerve Strickland

Swerve takes him down with a headscissors to start but Rush is back up with some chops. Rush avoids a dropkick and it’s a staredown for a breather. Swerve is sent outside for a big flip dive, followed by the stomping in the corner back inside. Back up and Swerve kicks away at the leg in the corner but that’s too much defense for Rush and they head outside. Rush whips him into the barricade over and over and we take a break.

We come back with stereo big boots leaving both of them down. Rush knocks him into the corner but the knee gives out on the charge, allowing Swerve to grab a Stretch Muffler. That’s broken up so Rush goes to the apron for a chop off. Swerve charges into a belly to belly to the floor, only to avoid a backsplash back inside. A 450 gives Swerve…one, and Rush is up to his feet before Swerve. Swerve’s brainbuster gets two and the Swerve Stomp finishes Rush at 14:53.

Rating: C+. There was only so much drama in this match, but Rush did manage to get in his ridiculous kickout because he must have one of those in every match to show his awesomeness. Swerve seems to be on the way back to a rematch with Jon Moxley in the semifinals, or at least that’s how things should be going. He had a nice match here though and beating Rush does feel a bit special.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 12 points (1 match remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 12 points (0 matches remaining)
Jay White – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Rush – 6 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

We look back at Collision’s Blue League matches.

Chris Jericho talks about Kenny Omega having diverticulitis, meaning the Golden Jets’ Tag Team Title shot is off. Omega’s health is what matters most though and everyone is pulling for him.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe

They fight over a lockup to start until Lethal takes him down into an armbar. With that broken up, Briscoe chops away in the corner until Lethal wins a fight over a suplex. Briscoe is sent outside for the suicide dive from Lethal, who gets in the strut on the apron. Another dive is broken up and we take a break.

Back with the Lethal Combination putting Briscoe down but he breaks up Hail To The King. Lethal knocks him back and grabs a torture rack slam for two as frustration sets in. The Lethal Injection is blocked as we talk about ticket sales for Revolution. A fisherman’s buster gives Briscoe two but the Froggy Bow hits raised knees. Lethal’s Jay Driller gets two as Briscoe is back with a Burning Hammer of all things. The Jay Driller finishes Lethal at 13:55.

Rating: B-. This was a weird one as they had no actual stakes and were only fighting for the sake of pride. That is only going to get you so far but the talent here helped a bit. At the same time, Briscoe needed to win here more than Lethal as he still feels like someone who could be a star if given the slightest push. Lethal might be breaking away from his friends and that should help him a lot as well.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 12 points (1 match remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 12 points (0 matches remaining)
Jay White – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Rush – 6 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Mark Briscoe – 3 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)

Respect is shown post match.

MJF was inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall Of Fame.

Wardlow still wants to hurt MJF.

Here is Samoa Joe, who wants answers about the Devil. He finds it interesting that we’ve never seen MJF laid out and wants him out here right now for some answers. Cue MJF, who says he remembers Joe promising to protect him on the way to Worlds End. MJF doesn’t remember the Devil’s Henchmen touching Joe last week, so MJF wants to fight right now.

Cue a bunch of masked men but Joe and MJF clear them out rather quickly. The lights go out and we see the Devil on screen. Text saying “Where Can You Go? Who Can You Trust” appears, followed by a challenge for the ROH Tag Team Titles next week. MJF starts to talk Joe into it but Joe immediately accepts, promising violence.

The Best Friends aren’t sure what’s next, with Rocky Romero saying he wants gold. Orange Cassidy says he’ll see Romero on Rampage.

Riho vs. Saraya

For the Women’s Title shot against Toni Storm (on commentary) at Worlds End. Ruby Soho is watching in the back as Riho takes over but Saraya bails away from a running knee. Riho snaps off a headscissors on the floor but Saraya hides behind a security guard. That’s enough for Riho to be swung into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Saraya getting in some mocking but being pulled into a headlock. A northern lights suplex gives Riho two and a top rope double stomp into a running knee finishes Saraya at 9:40.

Rating: C. Riho, who has been teased to get the title match for weeks now, is getting the title match. She has a history of being gone for months and then coming back to get into the title picture and that is what we’re seeing again here. It’s nice to see her getting a win, but it doesn’t exactly feel like a top title match.

Post match Storm comes in for the staredown (with opera glasses) but Riho beats her down. Mariah May makes the save with a belt shot.

Tony Schiavone has a prepared statement from Christian Cage, including threats to Tony if he doesn’t do things properly. He’ll be back to address Adam Copeland on Collision and expects a hero’s welcome.

MJF finds a Devil’s henchman mask outside the Mogul Embassy’s locker room. A knock brings out Swerve Strickland, who MJF seems to know from their independent days. Swerve calls him the best chauffeur he ever had. Threats are made over MJF’s lack of respect, but MJF says show some respect to the champ. MJF accuses Swerve of being the Devil and violence is teased, with the rest of the Mogul Embassy comes in. Samoa Joe comes in as well to get MJF out of there.

Roderick Strong vs. Komander

The Kingdom is here with Strong. They fight over a lockup to start so Komander flips away, earning a running knee to the face. Back up and a headscissors into a dropkick has Strong down but he’s right back with a backbreaker. Komander knocks him to the floor though and we take a break.

We come back with Komander avoiding a charge into the corner and hitting a kick to the face. A springboard crossbody gives Komander two and he kicks Strong face first into the turnbuckle. Komander hits a phoenix splash for two so the Kingdom pulls Strong outside. That earns them all a big moonsault to the floor but Strong knees him out of the air back inside. End Of Heartache (to the chest instead of the back) finishes for Strong at 9:58.

Rating: B-. Pretty good stuff here with Strong picking up a win over someone who is around a good deal of the time. Komander might not be the biggest star in AEW but at least he has been active and a danger to some bigger stars. I’m not sure where Strong is going, but at least he got a win here.

Post match the Kingdom gives out MJF IS THE DEVIL signs and Strong doesn’t like the accusations that Samoa Joe had anything to do with it. That’s his best friend by proxy!

Jim Ross joins commentary for the main event.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Jay White

White goes to the floor to start but has to escape the rear naked choke back inside. A piledriver gives Moxley an early two so White has to bail outside from another choke. Back in and Moxley punches him out to the floor again, where they fight up the ramp. This time White reverses a piledriver into a backdrop but Moxley hammers away back inside. White gets in a shot to the knee though and sends Moxley outside again as we take a break.

Back with White holding a Muta Lock but Moxley fights up. White gets knocked into the corner and stomped a bunch before a clothesline sends him outside. Moxley hits a suicide dive but White gets in a shot of his own, setting up a chop block to the bad knee. The count is beaten and Moxley grabs a Paradigm Shift for two.

A running knee gives Moxley two but White snaps off a sleeper suplex and swinging Rock Bottom for two of his own. The Kiwi Crusher gets two more but the Blade Runner is countered into a King Kong lariat. The Death Rider is countered into a Blade Runner out of nowhere though and Moxley is done at 15:09.

Rating: B. That would appear to make the semifinal a triple threat because you can never have enough of those. This felt something like a Rush match, as Moxley cut White off time after time, though it didn’t get to quite those extremes. White did get the win to keep Moxley from being perfect, so we should have some drama next week.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 12 points (0 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 12 points (0 matches remaining)
Jay White – 12 points (0 matches remaining)
Rush – 6 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Mark Briscoe – 3 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)

So yeah, it’s a triple threat.

Post match Swerve Strickland comes out to stare at Moxley, allowing White to take out Moxley’s knee to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Good enough show this week, though it only did so much for Worlds End. We’re at least a step closer to the end of the Continental Classic and we’ll be half done by this time next week. Other than that, the Devil stuff seems like it might be in for a big moment next week, though I’m getting more and more scared of who might be revealed as the Devil. Not a great show here, though it did move the biggest stories forward. It just needs something else besides those stories.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. Rush – Swerve Stomp
Mark Briscoe b. Jay Lethal – Jay Driller
Riho b. Saraya – Running knee
Roderick Strong b. Komander – End Of Heartache
Jay White b. Jon Moxley – Blade Runner

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 13, 2023
Location: College Park Station, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re about two and a half weeks away from Worlds End and that means the card should start coming together tonight. We have whatever the finals of the Continental Classic will be, plus MJF defending the World Title against Samoa Joe and nothing more at the moment. Now we need to get something else added and maybe that is the case this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Samoa Joe to get things going. After last week with the Devil and his henchmen, Joe wants answers on his way to becoming the AEW World Champion. First up, he wants an answer about the broken beer bottle near MJF’s head last week. He went looking for answers last week and a certain Hangman was missing.

Cue Hangman Page to interrupt, saying he doesn’t care about the Devil and asking Joe to accuse him to his face. Joe says he might be out here as an executioner but here are Roderick Strong and the Kingdom to interrupt. Strong brings up a bunch of recent attacks by the Devil and his henchmen…but we’ve never seen MJF being attacked. Strong insists that it’s MJF but Page decks him.

Hangman Page vs. Roderick Strong

Page punches him into the corner and hits the all away slam as Excalibur runs down the rest of the card. A running shooting star press gives Page two but Strong is back up with some stomps in the corner. That’s broken up and Page starts the comeback, including clotheslining him to the floor for the slingshot dive.

Back in and the Kingdom distraction lets Strong get in a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle as we take a break. We come back with Strong working on the arm until Page fights up for stereo discus forearms. Page is up first and gets two off a Death Valley Driver before biting away at the head.

The moonsault press misses for Page, who sticks the landing and grabs a pop up sitout powerbomb for two more. Strong’s flapjack into an Angle Slam gets the same but Page is back up again. The Kingdom’s distraction earns them a big moonsault to the floor, followed by the Deadeye to finish Strong at 14:47.

Rating: B. This was a rather solid match with Strong putting in his usual good performance. Page is a lot more interesting in this more serious style and the promo before the match was the same. Having matches like this as a tie in to the Devil stuff is a nice benefit and this was a rather impressive opener.

Continental Classic Blue League: Brody King vs. Andrade El Idolo

Andrade grabs a headlock to start and King actually can’t power out. That’s broken up so King hammers away, only to get knocked back again. Andrade hits a top rope moonsault to send King outside, followed by another one out to the floor. Back in and King knocks him hard out to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with El Idolo fighting out of a chinlock and chopping away. Andrade knocks him into the corner and manages a slam of all things, setting up a split legged moonsault for two. The running knees misses in the corner though and King blasts him with a clothesline for two.

King’s cannonball gets two and they strike it out until Andrade hits a spinning back elbow. Andrade goes up but King catches him on top. Andrade manages to expose part of the turnbuckle though and King is dropped face first, setting up El Idolo (the hammerlock DDT) for the pin at 14:45.

Rating: B-. King’s winning streak wasn’t going to go through the entire tournament but Andrade is on a heck of a roll. That’s more than a bit of a surprise but at least he is getting tot he top of the Blue League. They beat the fire out of each other here and it was a good showdown, though I’m still trying to get my mind around the idea of Andrade as a hero.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (2 matches left)
Brody King – 6 points (2 matches left)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches left)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (3 matches left)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (2 matches left)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (3 matches left, Eliminated)

The Von Erichs are here when Orange Cassidy, Danhausen and Trent Beretta interrupt. Cassidy asks the Von Erichs to team with him on Rampage and of course they’re in. Danhausen is also assured that Cassidy isn’t turning on him.

Here are Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, who want Big Bill and Ricky Starks out here right now. Cue Starks and Bill, with the latter suggesting that Jericho is going to turn on Omega….who wouldn’t be surprised. Omega brings up Bill being part of the Firm, which was rather, uh, sawft.

The title match is set for Worlds End, with Starks and Bill bringing up Starks beating Jericho twice. Jericho thinks Bill and Starks need a name, so Jericho suggests….some things that have to be censored. The eventual solution is Big Billy Starks, which doesn’t go over that well either. Jericho calls Starks a better dressed Enzo Amore, with Omega saying Enzo wouldn’t take all of Bill’s spotlight. Omega gives his catchphrase to wrap up a really, really bad segment which involved some people who know how to talk.

Riho vs. Ruby Soho

Toni Storm is on commentary, but isn’t sure about doing color. Soho stomps away in the corner but Riho is back with a suplex for two. They go up top with Riho hitting a top rope double stomp and we take a break. Back with Riho hitting a high crossbody for two, setting up a pinfall reversal sequence for two each. A crucifix bomb gives Riho two, followed by No Future to give Soho the same. Riho suplexes her down and hits some running knees for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C. This is a match that happened as Riho is being slotted into the title picture out of almost nowhere. I know she has a history of success in AEW but having her run in and get a title match after months of not being around is a bit much. Riho vs. Storm doesn’t feel like a pay per view title match but odds are that is where this is heading, even as several other women have been running in circles in AEW as of late.

Video on Wardlow, who needs a haircut.

Continental Classic Gold League: Rush vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal picks up the pace to start and knocks Rush to the mat, setting up the basement dropkick. There’s the strut, allowing Rush to come back with a snap German suplex. They head outside with Rush beating him up again, followed by some chops back inside. The tranquilo pose lets Lethal get a breather before he charges into a powerslam for two. Lethal is back with the Lethal Combination but Rush runs him over again. A superkick cuts off the Bull’s Horns but Rush blocks the Lethal Injection. Rush chokes Lethal out for the win at 4:18.

Rating: C+. That’s pretty much exactly what it should have been. There was no reason to believe that Lethal was going to be a threat here so they kept it short and to the point. It’s ok to have some of these tournament matches go short as not everything needs to be some epic showdown. That ending almost has to be setting up another Rush vs. Moxley match and I’m really not sure how much I need to see that happen.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Jay White – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Rush – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (2 matches remaining, Eliminated)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (1 match remaining, Eliminated)

Post match Jeff Jarrett and company come out but Lethal is annoyed.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Swerve Strickland.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe

They start fast with Briscoe getting the better of things and hitting a Death Valley Driver. The Froggy Bow sends White rolling to the barricade but he’s back in with a shot of his own. Briscoe is knocked outside for a ram into the barricade but Red Neck Kung Fu breaks up the Blade Runner. White knocks him down again though and we take a break.

Back with Briscoe fighting out of trouble with a heck of a clothesline. Briscoe sends him outside for the Bang Bang Elbow and puts White on top for some shots to the back. The belly to back superplex brings White back down but he grabs a sleeper suplex. The Blade Runner is countered into a heck of a suplex but another Froggy Bow hits raised knees. White hits the Blade Runner for the pin at 11:40. As a result, Rush is officially eliminated.

Rating: B-. I’m really not sure I get why Briscoe needed to be this League’s designated jobber as there should be some more options out there given the size of AEW’s roster. White is still in play to win the League though and it makes good sense to move him forward. The match was quite good, but Briscoe losing so much is more than a bit deflating.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Jay White – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Rush – 6 points (1 match remaining – Eliminated)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (1 remaining, Eliminated)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (1 match remaining, Eliminated)

Video on the Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR/Mark Briscoe this Friday at Ring Of Honor Final Battle. The only match at a Ring Of Honor show is the one featuring all AEW stars.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Swerve Strickland

The fans are very interested in this to start as things start off slowly. Moxley gets taken into the ropes and kissed on the head, allowing Swerve to knock him outside. Back in and Swerve knocks him down again, setting up a middle rope DDT for a nasty crash. Moxley gets up and is knocked to the apron, where he manages to crotch Swerve onto the ring skirt.

Swerve goes arm first into the steps and we take a break. Back with Swerve hitting an elbow to the back and dancing. Swerve goes up but dives into a cutter, allowing Moxley to hit a Gotch style piledriver for two. A suplex drops Moxley, who pops right back up, earning himself a running boot to the face to give Swerve two more.

Swerve hits his own hammer and anvil elbows before going up goes up top but gets shoved down hard to the floor. The count is beaten so Moxley goes for a cross armbreaker, sending Swerve to the ropes. Swerve fights back and his the Swerve Stomp for a rather near fall, only to have Moxley roll him up for the pin at 16:25, complete with a handful of tights.

Rating: B. That ending is likely setting up a rematch in the League semifinals where Swerve gets his win back and that’s not the worst thing. While Swerve losing doesn’t feel like the best result, they did seem to leave a door open or him to make a comeback later. It felt like a main event though, which is a very positive sign for Swerve’s future.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 12 points (1 match remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Jay White – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Rush – 6 points (1 match remaining – Eliminated)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (2 matches remaining, Eliminated)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (1 match remaining, Eliminated)

The Devil’s Henchmen attack Hangman Page in the parking lot and put him through the windshield of a car driven by the Devil.

Overall Rating: B. If you like the Continental Classic run out and….well there is nothing to buy here so come back home and watch the show on repeat until Collision. The action ranged from good to rather good, with only the women’s match not being a hit. I could go for having more than just the Devil stuff and the tournament getting so much focus, but if I have to live with two hours of strong wrestling, I think I’ll be fine.

Results
Hangman Page b. Roderick Strong – Deadeye
Andrade El Idolo b. Brody King – El Idolo
Riho b. Ruby Soho – Running knees
Rush b. Jay Lethal – Rear naked choke
Jay White b. Mark Briscoe – Blade Runner
Jon Moxley b. Swerve Strickland – Rollup with a handful of tights

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: December 9, 2023
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

The road to Worlds End continues as we have more Continental Classic matches to cover. That should be enough to carry things through the week but some other things need to be set up for the pay per view aside from just one title match. There is a chance we could see something like that covered this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite you need a recap.

Ethan Page, Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, Andrade El Idolo, Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Continental Classic Blue League: Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Kingston hits the spinning backfist and Saito suplex to send Castagnoli to the floor early. Back in and a northern lights bomb gives Kingston two but Castagnoli is right back with the Neutralizer for two of his own. A running double stomp hits Kingston and it’s the Swing into a Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Castagnoli unloads with some forearms in the corner for two before cutting off a comeback with a clothesline.

Boots to the face in the corner keep Kingston in trouble as the beating continues. A top rope superplex gives Castagnoli two as we take a break. Back with Castagnoli grabbing a suplex for two and telling Kingston to do more. Kingston does just that by nailing some suplexes for two. The rapid fire chops in the corner and a lariat give Kingston two more but he can’t get the stretch plum.

Something like a powerbomb gives Castagnoli two and we hit the crossface. Kingston makes the rope and escapes the Riccola Bomb as well, only to get blasted by an uppercut for two. Kingston gets in a hard shot of his own for a very close two with three minutes left in the time limit. The spinning backfist looks to set up a powerbomb but Castagnoli reverses into a hurricanrana, which is reversed into a sunset flip to give Kingston the upset pin at 18:03. Castagnoli’s stunned face is great.

Rating: B. These two work well together and that was on display again here, as they had a hard hitting match. The rollup finish makes sense as Castagnoli tried to use his better skills to escape, only to get caught by Kingston’s wrestling for once. That’s not something I would have expected and we wound up with a good ending to a very awesome match.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 3 points (5 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Jon Moxley says he wasn’t scared of Rush. It was a hard match but no, he wasn’t scared. Swerve Strickland is going to be a hard match too but Strickland is going to be in over his head. Pack a lunch.

Hook is interrupted by Wheeler Yuta, who brags about beating Hook last week. Yuta says he can beat Hook under either set of rules so we’ll do it under FTW rules. Works for Hook.

Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez

Martinez has Diamante with her. They take turns powering the others into the corner until Martinez stomps her down. Nightingale is back up for some clotheslines against the ropes and a backsplash sends Martinez outside. Diamante offers a distraction though, allowing Martinez to send Nightingale into the barricade. A DDT off the barricade plants Nightingale and takes us to a break.

Back with Nightingale rolling some suplexes and getting two off a bulldog. The cannonball gives Nightingale two but another Diamante distraction lets Martinez grab a fisherman’s buster for her own near falls. Some Saito suplexes plant Nightingale again and Martinez hits something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator…and is quickly small packaged to give Nightingale the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C+. Slightly ridiculous ending aside, Nightingale winning here was the right call. She needs a win to get her back to some prominence and Martinez can help make anyone look good. It might not have been a classic, but it did what it needed to accomplish with some good action at the same time. What more could you need?

Post match Martinez and Diamante stomp Nightingale down and it’s time for a small ladder. Diamante grabs a lead pipe but Kris Statlander makes the save with a chain.

Jake Hager interrupts Matt Menard and Angelo Parker (hometown boys) to rant about Danhausen putting Hager’s hat down his pants. With Hager gone, Parker and Menard go off about how they have always wanted to be here. Saraya, Anna Jay and Ruby Soho come in to yell at the guys, though Soho seems pleased with Parker. The guys leave so Saraya yells at Soho, who faces Riho next week.

Swerve Strickland says he is the leader of this company no matter what and he’ll be World Champion. First up though it’s the Continental Classic so he hopes Jon Moxley is ready. The level of confidence is rising and it’s pretty awesome.

Wardlow vs. Willie Mack

Mack goes for a double leg to start and is easily powered away. A dropkick staggers Mack but a missed charge puts him on the floor. Mack’s dive only bounces off of him but Mack trips him down inside. The standing moonsault gets two but Mack’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb. The wind up clothesline sets up the powerbomb for the referee stoppage at 3:14.

Rating: C+. This is how you bring Wardlow up to the top level again, as he is still smashing people but he’s moving up the ladder with better competition. That is a story that has worked for years, but at the end of the day, it isn’t going to matter if AEW cuts his legs out again. For now, things are working, but we’ll have to see where it goes.

Video on the House of Black wanting FTR to join the team.

We look at Ricky Starks and Big Bill hurting Chris Jericho’s arm.

Kenny Omega vs. Ethan Page

Page has a banged up arm coming in. They shake hands to start with Omega hitting a running shoulder, only to have Page come back with some right hands in the corner. Omega knocks him to the floor but the dive takes way too long, allowing Page to come back in with a springboard cutter. They go outside again with Omega being whipped into the barricade, only to moonsault off of some barricade to take Page down.

The Kitaro Crusher gets two on Page back inside but he’s fine enough for a suplex over the top and out to the floor in a nasty crash. We take a break and come back with Omega hitting a powerbomb into the V Trigger for two. Page manages an Iconoclasm into a DDT for two of his own and they both need a breather.

Omega can’t quite hit You Can’t Escape but he can hit a pair of snapdragons (Schiavone: “Man he snaps those off.”). They head up top, where Page grabs a super powerslam for two more as things slow down a bit. The One Winged Angel is broken up and an exchange of rolls ups gets two each. Some V Triggers rock Page and the One Winged Angel gives Omega the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Here’s a good example of Tony Khan doing self-inflicted damage (no this isn’t some game changer). One of the biggest matches at Final Battle is Ethan Page vs. Tony Nese. Page faces Kenny Omega six days prior on Collision and loses clean. Why did that need to happen? Of course Page shouldn’t be beating Omega, but why book someone set for a big pay per view match in a meaningless match here? Is a battle of two Canadians in Montreal that important? The match was good, but it had almost no build and just came and went, with Page’s status taking a hit on the way to Final Battle.

Post match here is Big Bill to boot Omega in the face. Page chases him off.

CJ Perry hypes up Andrade El Idolo against Bryan Danielson tonight. Miro comes in to ask when Perry last said so many good things about him. He is the breadwinner and she stays at home. When his father caught the fish, his mother cleaned them! Once the tournament is over, El Idolo is done. So Miro is now a full on heel and rather misogynistic. Got it.

Julia Hart is ready for Abadon.

Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

The fans go nuts for Menard and Parker in a nice moment. We get a DADDY MAGIC chant as he waits for Penta to take off his glove. Instead Penta takes him into the corner for a kick to the head and it’s off to Parker, who kicks Komander in the face. Komander fights up with the kicks to the face and it’s an assisted dropkick in the corner. The double dives are broken up though and we take a break.

Back with Penta cleaning house and sliding to the floor for stereo superkicks. Parker slugs away at Penta, who knocks him right back down. Menard is back in with a Boston crab but Penta makes the save. An assisted Codebreaker gets two on Komander but a shooting star spike Fear Factor finishes Parker at 10:01.

Rating: C+. The result doesn’t quite matter here as Menard and Parker just getting to show up at an event like this is a cool moment. Seeing them get that kind of a reaction was awesome and you could see how much it meant to them. I’m not quite sure how much Komander and Penta needed the win, but it’s hardly some terrible result.

Video on Keith Lee vs. Shane Taylor at Final Battle.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on the upcoming Continental Classic matches.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Andrade El Idolo

We get a handshake to start before they fight over a wristlock. A test of strength results in Danielson getting a monkey flip so Andrade grabs a headlock. Commentary points out that the forearm is going around the eye in a nice touch, even as Danielson fights up with some kicks. A few dragon screw legwhips take Danielson down but he sends Andrade to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Andrade hammering away at the eye but getting backdropped to the floor. Andrade is right back in with a Figure our. That’s broken up so Andrade puts Danielson (bleeding from the eye) on the top for a superplex. Danielson cuts it off with some headbutts (the man isn’t that bright) and a missile dropkick drops Andrade again. The YES Kicks rock Andrade but the LeBell Lock is broken up. Danielson blocks the Figure Four attempt and knocks Andrade down again for a needed breather.

They slug it out until Andrade gets him in an inverted Gory Stretch and drives Danielson into the corner. Danielson crotches him on top and grabs a belly to back superplex. The LeBell Lock sends Andrade to the ropes and the spinning back elbow gives Andrade two. They slug it out again with three minutes left and Andrade knocks him into the corner. The running knees to the back connect and Danielson is mostly out. The hammerlock DDT finishes clean for Andrade at 18:23.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and the eye injury played into everything as well. Danielson is still the major star around here and the key player in the whole tournament but he had to lose at some point. Andrade continues his recent roll, which is likely going to come to a crashing end at the hands of Miro. For now though, heck of a match and the clean win is a big deal for Andrade.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 6 points (4 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (3 matches remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining)

Medics come out to check on Danielson, with the Blackpool Combat Club coming in to get rid of Andrade (who was concerned) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was one of the better AEW TV shows in a good while with a pair of rather awesome matches. You don’t get that kind of thing on free TV very often and the effort was clearly a bit higher tonight. The tournament matches are still holding strong and I want to see how they go, though having some other things get a bit more time would be nice. For now though, one of the best Collisions yet and a rather good night.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Claudio Castagnoli – Sunset flip
Willow Nightingale b. Mercedes Martinez – Small package
Wardlow b. Willie Mack via referee stoppage
Kenny Omega b. Ethan Page – One Winged Angel
Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Spike Fear Factor to Parker
Andrade El Idolo b. Bryan Danielson – Hammerlock DDT

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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Dynamite
Date: November 22, 2023
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re done with Full Gear and that means it is time to start the Continental Classic. This is a round robin tournament that will run until the end of the year with a new title (plus seemingly two more though it’s a little unclear how it works) going to the winner. Samoa Joe is also coming for MJF and the World Title so let’s get to it.

Here is Full Gear if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

The graphics on the sides of the entrances are now Ric Flair WOO Energy with a cartoon Flair. The drinks are also at the announcers’ desk.

Here are the rules for the Continental Classic:

20 minute time limit
3 points for a win
1 point for a draw
Everyone is banned from ringside

Continental Classic Gold League: Swerve Strickland vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal shoulders him down to start but an anklescissors sends Lethal to the floor. They strike it out on the apron, with Lethal going after Swerve’s banged up arm. Swerve is knocked to the floor for a suicide but Swerve is right back on the leg back inside. They strike it out with shots to the leg and arm until Lethal gets in a shoulder breaker as we take a break.

Back with Swerve catching him on top and hitting a Downward Spiral for two. Lethal puts him right back down and drops a top rope elbow for two. The basement dropkick is countered into a stretch muffler to send Lethal bailing to the ropes. That’s fine with Swerve, who hits the House Call into the Swerve Stomp for the pin at 13:51.

Rating: B-. The action was good enough and the working on the leg/arm worked well enough for a story. Swerve pretty much had to win coming off the momentum he had in the Full Gear match against Hangman Page, though it’s a bit much to take to have him be this fine so soon after that kind of a fight. I’m not sure why Swerve had to wrestle here, but they did the right thing in their current situation.

Gold League Standings
Swerve Strickland – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Rush – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Jay White – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Orange Cassidy, Hook and Katsuyori SShibata are cut off from making an announcement as Wheeler Yuta interrupts. Yuta is sick of Shibata and wants the Pure Title back. Cassidy doesn’t get to make his announcement.

Here are MJF (on a cane) and Adam Cole (on crutches) for a chat. Cole has a seat in a chair as MJF talks about how the Devil is here and no one is on his level. He brags about his win over Jay White but sometimes he can be a bit too humble. None of what he has done without his brochacho though so it’s time for Storytime with Adam Cole. Uh, bay-bay.

Cole say she’s a long way off from being able to get back in the ring but he wants to be here with MJF. He understands, and threatens the person in the Devil mask. Cue said person on the screen….and here is Samoa Joe. After mocking Cole, he wants MJF to honor his deal of a title shot. MJF has thought about this and says something that gets muted. Cole insists that MJF is a man of his word and praises Joe.

Cole tells MJF to be a man of his word so MJF says Joe wouldn’t be the first Ring of Honor legend he has beaten in Chicago. Twice. The challenge is thrown out for right now but Joe says nah. He knows better than to face MJF when he can complain about his injury. Instead, we’ll do it at World’s End in MJF’s hometown of Long Island.

The match is on, though MJF has to calm the crowd down after praising Long Island a bit too much. Joe says MJF doesn’t have to worry about the Devil anymore because MJF is now his property. He wants the best MJF, so for now, he has MJF’s back. That’s a nice little twist on a match we knew was coming.

Hook/Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Angelo Parker/Matt Menard/Jake Hager

Before the match, Cassidy gets to make him announcement: Danhausen is back! Menard uses the distraction to jump Hook from behind and gets thrown down for his efforts. Everything breaks down and a backbreaker/running knee to the head combination puts Hook down. Hager yells at the referee and we take an early break.

Back with Hook suplexing his way out of trouble and handing it off to Cassidy to pick up the pace. The Stundog Millionaire cuts off Hager and Shibata comes in to forearm away. Shibata chops Hager down in the corner and nails the running dropkick….and Danhausen has Hager’s hat. Everything breaks down and Shibata/Hook grab a stereo sleeper/Redrum for the double submission at 8:08.

Rating: C. This was only so competitive as the match was more about getting Danhausen back in the fold. The fans are going to be happy with just about anything he does and it was a smart move to bring him back. At the same time, the double submission worked well as one of the Ring Of Honor champions is back. And later this week, he’ll be back on Ring Of Honor!

Adam Cole is glad to be back when Roderick Strong and the Kingdom interrupt. Strong asks where Cole was on Friday, which sends Cole into a rant about how they’re not best friends anymore.

Here is Christian Cage, with Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne, for a chat. Cage says things did not go their way at Full Gear but Luchasaurus lost that match. They have both benefited from their relationship with cage and it is time to rechristen them. Luchasaurus takes the knee and is renamed….Killswitch. Wayne takes the knee even faster but Cage tells him to get up because he is special. Since Cage sees himself in Wayne, he is now the Prodigy Nick Wayne.

Cue Wayne’s mom (Cage: “You are a terrible mother.”) but Cage cuts her off and berates her. It’s a good thing Wayne’s father is already dead because he could never be as good of a wrestler as Cage. He tells her to go get to her shift at Denny’s….but Luchasaurus gets between them. Cage tells him to get back on his knees. That doesn’t happen so Cage slaps him….and shoves him into Wayne’s mom. Cage orders Wayne to grab a chair but wants Luchasaurus to hit the Conchairto. Hesitation ensues but here is Adam Copeland for the save. Wayne is left alone for the spear and an Impaler, setting up a Conchairto.

The former Jericho Appreciation Society is annoyed at their loss but Anna Jay tells them to shut up. Angelo Parker says he’s got her back tonight…but is getting a call from Ruby Soho.

Continental Classic Gold League: Rush vs. Jay White

Rush easily powers him into the corner to start and then does it again for a bonus. A takedown lets Rush stomp away and there’s a basement dropkick to the back of the head. They head outside where Rush drops him with a hard chop, followed by some hard whips into the barricade.

Back in and they trade chops in the corner with Rush getting the better of things (as he tends to do). White gets stomped down in the corner, setting up the cocky kick to the face. We take a break and come back with White suplexing him into the corner for two. That’s too much selling for Rush though as he’s back with rolling suplexes into a brainbuster for two.

White manages a brainbuster of his own for two more before mocking the matador’s cape. They slug it out again until a swinging Rock Bottom plants Rush for two more. Rush snaps off a German suplex and suplexes him into the corner, only to have the Bull’s Horns cut off. The Blade Runner is blocked as well but the referee gets distracted. That lets White hit a low blow into the Blade Runner for the pin at 13:56.

Rating: B. This is becoming more of Rush’s traditional match, as he beats the fire out of someone for a good while before getting to whatever they have for a finish. White was mostly squashed here until managing to get in some offense of his own. That being said, White did get the win (cheating aside), which he needed after losing at Full Gear.

Gold League Standings
Swerve Strickland – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (5 matches remaining)
Rush – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

We look at Ricky Starks and Big Bill retaining the Tag Team Titles, plus Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega earning a title shot, both at Full Gear. The teams got into it at the media scrum and the champs jumped Jericho afterwards, damaging his arm in the process.

Here is Toni Storm for her Women’s Title acceptance speech, though first we get an Oscar winner announcement style introduction. She didn’t have anything prepared but does pull out a list of people to thank. That includes Anthony Khan, all of those at Warner Discovery (including founder Jack Warner, who died in 1978) and all of the little Toni Storms out there.

Skye Blue vs. Anna Jay vs. Ruby Soho

Angelo Parker, Matt Menard and Saraya are here too. They trade rollups to start until Soho and Parker stop to stare at each other a bit. Soho is sent outside, leaving Jay to kick Blue in the face. Back in and Soho suplexes Blue, allowing Parker to trip Blue up. Jay bends Blue around the post and we take a break.

We come back with Jay planting them both with a Tower Of Doom before they all head outside. Soho gets the better of things but stops to look at Parker, allowing Blue to dive onto Soho and Jay back inside. Jay gets sent outside where Menard offers a distraction. Saraya breaks that up, leaving Blue to kick Soho right into Parker’s arms (Soho doesn’t seem to mind). That’s broken up as well and the distraction lets Blue hit a TKO to pin Jay at 9:52.

Rating: C+. The action was good enough but this was all about Parker and Soho and nothing more. They’re having that forbidden romance deal and in a way that’s kind of interesting. I could go or it being someone other than Parker, but Soho needs something to get her somewhere and maybe this is it. Jay losing is a bit frustrating, though if AEW has to start pushing Blue again, doing it in her hometown makes sense.

Wardlow is interrupted by AR Fox and drops him as a result.

Continental Classic Gold League: Mark Briscoe vs. Jon Moxley

They go to the slugout to start with Moxley taking him into the corner for some chops. Briscoe manages to send him outside for a running Blockbuster from the apron. Back in and the Froggy Bow misses, allowing Moxley to knock him into the corner again. We take a break and come back with Moxley working on an STF on the bloody Briscoe (commentary does in fact make fun of the fact that Moxley isn’t bleeding for once).

The comeback is on with Briscoe striking him down, setting up a running shot in the corner for two. Moxley’s armbar sends Briscoe to the ropes so Moxley grabs the Paradigm Shift. Briscoe pops back up and hits a dropkick before collapsing for the double breather. The Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow gives Briscoe two but Moxley is back with the Death Rider for the same. Moxley wins a slugout and hits a Stomp into another Death Rider for the pin at 11:23.

Rating: B. It’s against bigger names, but Briscoe continues to lose now that he’s back in AEW. I’m not sure how wise that is as he’s one of the most charismatic people they have but at least it was to one of the company’s top stars. Moxley is going to be a favorite to win the tournament, though I could go for an explanation for why he’s getting the chance to win three titles after losing to Orange Cassidy on Saturday when Cassidy isn’t in the tournament.

Gold League Standings
Swerve Strickland – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay White – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Jon Moxley – 3 points (4 matches remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Rush – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (4 matches remaining)

Respect is shown to end the show.

Of note: the Ring Of Honor Instagram account has announced that Ronda Rousey will be wrestling on this week’s Ring Of Honor. Unless it was mentioned in a quick throw away line, I did not hear her name or any reference to her on this show. Katsuyori Shibata’s Pure Title match on the same Ring Of Honor was mentioned and Wheeler Yuta said he wanted the title. That was mentioned, but not Rousey, who has been announced by the official Ring Of Honor social media. That’s a very interesting choice.

Overall Rating: B+. Well the focus was on the tournament here and that stuff went very well. I’m not surprised by that part as it is still fresh and new with some very talented wrestlers involved, but it should be interesting to see how that goes a few weeks from now when the new shine has worn off. The rest of the show was rather good, with the six man tag being the weakest point and even that was completely fine. This was a wrestling based show and as usual, AEW knows how to make that work.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. Jay Lethal – Swerve Stomp
Hook/Orange Cassidy/Katsuyori Shibata b. Angelo Parker/Matt Menard/Jake Hager – Double submissions
Jay White b. Rush – Blade Runner
Skye Blue b. Anna Jay and Ruby Soho – TKO to Jay
Jon Moxley b. Mark Briscoe – Death Rider

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 17, 2023
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly, Tony Schiavone

It’s the night before Full Gear and therefore the schedule is a little wacky, as Collision is taking place before Rampage and in the same building. That is going to make things a bit more interesting, but Collision has been up and down in recent weeks. It would be nice to have a more old school feel to this one….or as old school as a show about five months old can be. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone (in a very green suit) brings out Christian Cage and company to start things off. Cage is ready for the six man tag tomorrow night, plus a TNT Title defense tonight on Rampage. Other than that though, in a town full of phony people, we need some reality. Cage says tomorrow is going to be Sting’s last match because he has been living off his past name and reputation for fifteen years. Darby Allin is going to need a father figure and Cage knows someone who can do that for him.

As for Adam Copeland, Cage knows he is here to steal the spotlight but Cage is a different person than he was back then. Beth Phoenix needs to keep the girls up late because Cage is breaking Copeland’s neck. It doesn’t matter who he is facing tonight, but he can beat any of the four in the qualifying match anyway. Fans: “PROVE IT!” Cage quotes not so popular NBA player James Harden, saying he doesn’t work within the system because he is the system.

Ricky Starks and Big Bill have a new stipulation for their four way Tag Team Title defense: we’ll make it a LADDER match. WELL OF COURSE WE WILL.

Miro vs. Daniel Garcia

Miro throws him down without much trouble to start and then suplexes him out of the corner for a bonus. A gutwrench suplex drops Garcia again so Miro loads up the Garcia dance. You don’t do that though as Garcia strikes away, only to be caught in a swinging release Rock Bottom. We take a break and come back with Miro grabbing a chinlock but Garcia fights up. Some slugging in the corner has Miro in trouble and he can’t swat a dropkick away.

Garcia’s running knee to the face just annoys Miro, who superkicks him down. It’s too early for Game Over though and Garcia slaps away, setting up a belly to back suplex. The dance is loaded up but cue Matt Menard to break it up. Not that it matters as Garcia pulls him into a crossface, which he switches into the Dragontamer. The bending back too far is a bad idea for Garcia though, as Miro slams his head into the mat or the break. Game Over finishes Garcia at 10:14.

Rating: C+. This was what it needed to be, as Miro is mad at Garcia for approaching his wife and wrecked him as a result. That’s all this should have been, as Garcia got in some offense before losing. Miro seems likely for a showdown with Andrade El Idolo sooner or later and this should be a good warmup.

CJ Perry and Andrade El Idolo are happy with their new business relationship, which is why Perry has entered into the Continental Classic. If he wins, he gets extra money.

Kings Of The Black Throne vs. The Boys

Brent goes after Black’s wrist to start and is easily shoved away. King comes in so it’s off to Brandon as everything breaks down. Brandon’s enziguri doesn’t do much to Black as it’s Dante’s Inferno to give King the pin at 2:09. Pretty much a squash.

Julia Hart, Skye Blue and Kris Statlander are ready to win/keep the TBS Title.

Trent Beretta vs. Brian Cage vs. Komander vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

The winner gets a TNT Title shot on Rampage and Prince Nana is here with Cage. The fans aren’t sure who they like here so Penta stops to take his glove off. That earns him a shot to the face before Cage gets triple teamed to the floor. Trent elbows Penta down before a jumping knee sets up a half and half suplex. Back in and Cage apron superplexes Komander onto the other two to send us to a break.

We come back with Penta striking away at Cage, followed by Trent suplexing Komander a few times. Penta gets suplexed as well but Cage blocks one without much trouble. A discus lariat knocks Trent silly and there’s a faceplant for two on Komander with Penta making the save. Penta is back up with a Canadian Destroyer to Komander and a Sling Blade to Cage. The big springboard flip dive hits Cage, leaving Komander’s rope walk shooting star to not quite hit Trent. The Scrunchie finishes Komander at 10:34 to give Trent the title shot.

Rating: B-. This felt like something you would see at a house show to set up a title match later in the night. That isn’t a bad thing either as it at least gives the match some stakes, even if Beretta doesn’t seem like a heavy favorite in the title match. For now though, good all action match and that’s what it needed to be.

Don Callis and Powerhouse Hobbs are proud of getting rid of Paul Wight with a heck of a slam onto a car on Dynamite. Hobbs tells Wight to stay away because anyone can get it.

Wardlow vs. Evan Daniels

Powerbomb, Swanton, Powerbomb for the stoppage at 57 seconds.

Full Gear rundown.

Dax Harwood vs. Rush

Ricky Starks is on commentary (Big Bill is with him but wasn’t introduced for some reason) and the rest of LFI is here. They shove each other around to start until Rush backdrops him out to the floor. Some rams into the barricade have Harwood in even more trouble as Starks does a Harwood impression.

Harwood gets sent shoulder first into the post and Rush unloads in the corner, setting up the single boot. We take a break and come back with Harwood chopping his way off the top. That lasts all of three seconds as Rush is back up with a superplex for two. They strike it out for a double knockdown before getting back up to trade clotheslines.

Rush can’t get a backslide so Harwood is right back with a piledriver for two of his own. The fight heads outside with Rush hitting a jumping knee to the face, setting up a posting. Rush goes after Starks before loading up the Bull’s Horns, only to have Starks come in with the spear to Rush for the DQ at 14:01.

Rating: B-. This was quite the Rush match, as he mostly beat the fire out of Harwood, though at least Harwood got in a bit of offense of his own. That being said, I’ll absolutely take having one of them avoid a pin before a title match, as that has always felt like the biggest waste of time. Rush continues to feel like a star, but he certainly likes being on offense. Maybe a bit too much at that.

Post match the beating is on until the other people in the ladder match run in for the huge brawl. Referees can’t break it up as we take a break. Of note: we’re told Tony Khan says this is a no contest. I know he’s a big wrestling fan, but in my day, someone coming in and attacking a single wrestler was a DQ.

Action Andretti is cut off by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom, the former of which says he has found his next victim.

Buddy Matthews vs. Wheeler Yuta

Matthews works on the arm to start but Yuta flips out to escape and crank away as well. Yuta even offers him a shot to grab the leg before pulling it back. Instead Yuta sends him outside, where a dropkick through the ropes makes it worse. That’s not ok with Matthews, who beats him up around ringside.

They head to the apron for a slugout until Yuta is LAUNCHED onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Matthews striking him down until Yuta is back up with a heck of a forearm. Yuta manages to knock him down to one knee but Matthews is back with a shot of his own.

A rollup and German suplex give Yuta two each and there’s a superkick to put Matthews on the floor. They fight on the apron until Matthews drops him ribs first onto the turnbuckle. Yuta kicks his way out of trouble and drapes him over the top for an ax handle. Matthews hits a heck of a powerbomb though and the Stomp finishes Yuta at 13:43.

Rating: B. I can always go for a power vs. speed match and they had a nice one here, with Yuta doing what he could against the far stronger Matthews. That’s a formula that has worked forever in wrestling and they did it here with two potential stars. Matthews has long since felt like he could be moving up the ladder whenever he’s given a chance but there is only so much that can be done with the rest of the House Of Black around. See also Yuta with the Blackpool Combat Club, as he is by far the lowest member of the team but is still a talented star. Anyway, pretty sweet match here and that’s always nice to see.

Post match Matthews grabs a chair but here is Claudio Castagnoli to cut him off. Castagnoli says the House Of Black has his attention so he and Matthews can fight at Full Gear.

Orange Cassidy and Jon Moxley are ready to fight again at Full Gear.

Ruby Soho/Saraya vs. Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida

Shida and Soho grapple around to start as we hear about Angelo Parker “pitching woo” about Soho. Nigel is of course all over Kelly for that one as Statlander comes in to take over on Saraya. Back up and Statlander shoulders her down for two as Julia Hart is watching in the back. Statlander suplexes both villains down at once and hands it back to Shida as we see Skye Blue watching in the back as well. The villains pull Shida down out of the corner and we take a break.

Back with Parker watching at ringside as Saraya kicks Shida in the ribs. That brings Statlander and Soho back in, with Statlander hitting a Falcon Arrow for two. Statlander has to get Soho back inside, but sees Parker in a Soho shirt. Saraya comes back in and gets to clean some house, setting up a forearm off with Shida. After a double knockdown, Shida is back up with a knee each for Saraya and Soho, which has Parker checking on the latter. Saraya is livid as Statlander clotheslines Parker (seemed to be aiming for Soho). That leaves Shida to Katana Saraya for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: B-. This wound up being more of a focus on the Parker stuff and that might be a bit more interesting than the match. Saraya is already starting to feel forgotten around here and it’s not like her matches are tearing the house down. Maybe she ties in with the Parker story, but she certainly needs something. Shida probably will as well, as it feels almost impossible to imagine her leaving Full Gear with the title. Statlander might be in a safer spot, but Hart winning feels long overdue. They covered a bit here, but it didn’t quite feel like a big time main event.

We get a sitdown interview with MJF, who is defending the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles to keep his promise to Adam Cole. The Gunns are very ugly but he’ll beat them anyway. Other than that, he doesn’t like Jay White stealing his title belt, but he’ll get that back at Full Gear. Schiavone brings up MJF winning the title a year ago, sending MJF into a rant about overcoming the odds over the years. He likes the odds against White, so we’ll see them tomorrow. This was fired up MJF and that is often the best kind.

Overall Rating: B. There was good action throughout and the Yuta vs. Matthews match was quite good, but it did feel like a show that didn’t really need to be here. I was hoping they would have pulled the show from the schedule for the sake of the PPV but we got a decent enough push towards Full Gear. The pay per view still doesn’t exactly feel must see, though this show did a nice job of boosting it up a bit.

Results
Miro b. Daniel Garcia – Game Over
Kings Of The Black Throne b. The Boys – Dante’s Inferno to Brandon
Trent Beretta b. Brian Cage, Komander and Penta El Zero Miedo – Scrunchie to Komander
Wardlow b. Evan Daniels via referee stoppage
Rush b. Dax Harwood via DQ when Ricky Starks interfered
Buddy Matthews b. Wheeler Yuta – Stomp
Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander b. Saraya/Ruby Soho – Katana to Saraya

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Dynamite
Date: November 15, 2023
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the final Dynamite before Full Gear and the pay per view seems to be all set up. Therefore this week is likely going to be the big final push towards the matches that are already set, as it should be. At the same time, we have a huge street fight, which is sponsored by a video game. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We open with a recap of the beatdown on the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, with Samoa Joe popping in to say MJF is running out of friends.

Jon Moxley/Wheeler Yuta vs. Orange Cassidy/Hook

Moxley and Yuta do their entrance through the crowd so Cassidy and Hook jump them out there to start fast. The fights split off with Yuta and Hook going to the ring to officially start. Hook throws Yuta a few times but Yuta gets in a few shots to take over. With Cassidy down on the floor, Moxley comes in with a release suplex but has to escape Redrum. Cassidy offers a distraction though and Hook grabs a suplex, allowing the tag to Cassidy. Kicking abounds but Moxley pulls him into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Cassidy still in trouble and Moxley mocking the lazy kicks. Cassidy tells him to bring it and hits a dropkick, meaning it’s back to Hook vs. Yuta for the slugout. A double clothesline puts them both down but Moxley pulls Cassidy outside. The brawl is on with Cassidy getting the better of things but Moxley is back in to go after Hook. Cassidy is in as well…and the Orange Punch has no effect on Moxley. Redrum works a bit better for Hook but Yuta gets in a cheap shot. The Death Rider into Yuta’s seatbelt finishes Hook at 11:27.

Rating: B-. Good, hard hitting brawl here with the Orange Punch failing Cassidy for the first time. That should set up the story for the title match on Saturday, though I’m not sure I can imagine Cassidy losing again. For now though, this was a nice opener, and Yuta could get an FTW Title shot as a result.

Post match Moxley promises to take Cassidy’s title on Saturday and Cassidy looks worried.

Here are Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) for a face to face showdown, but if they touch, they’re suspended for the rest of the year and Saturday’s match is off. Swerve is asked about breaking into Page’s house but Page cuts emcee Schiavone off and calls Swerve dumber than the day he got fired. It’s why Swerve’s fiance left him and his kids won’t talk to him.

If he wasn’t so dumb, he would get that Nana was using him and makes his living off of Swerve’s back. Then that night, Nana uses that money to buy weed from some high school kid. Page threatens to beat Nana up and steal his weed, which gets a rather amusing “NO YOU’RE NOT” from Nana.

Page calls Swerve a child, and like the children he has taught, Page is going to teach Swerve a lesson. He threatens to send Swerve to his house at the bottom of h***. For tonight though, Swerve and Page can’t touch, but there’s no rule about Nana. Page decks Nana, as well as some of the security who come in to break it up. Swerve never actually talked. This was a VERY fired up promo from Page, who continues to be at his best when he’s serious and ticked off.

Roderick Strong and the Kingdom call Adam Cole and insist that MJF is the Devil. Cole thinks Strong might be and hangs up.

Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue

The winner is in the TBS Title match on Saturday. They grapple off to start with neither being able to get very far. Velvet blocks an armdrag and pulls her down for two. Blue is sent outside but cuts off a dive and hits a DDT onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Velvet countering a powerbomb into a hurricanrana to set off a pinfall reversal sequence.

Velvet hits a wheelbarrow bulldog for two but the spinning kick misses. Code Blue misses as well but Skyfall gives Blue two. Velvet counters a running knee into a powerbomb for two and they trade superkicks. Blue gets in another shot though and Code Blue is good for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. That’s the only way this should have gone, as Blue has been in and around the title picture for a few months now while Velvet has only been back for a week after a nine month layoff. While Velvet has looked solid in her return, she shouldn’t be winning here and AEW got that. They did have a nice match though and that is a good sign for the future.

Miro is mad at Daniel Garcia for trying to work for CJ Perry. Destruction is promised.

Mariah May goes to the dressing room of “Not Toni Storm” and goes inside, where everything goes black and white. May is a huge fan but Storm gets annoyed and throws her out. Storm wants a tune up match for Rampage.

Samoa Joe vs. Jon Cruz

Joe knocks him into the corner to start and hits the enziguri. Cruz misses a dive off the top (with Joe walking away of course), setting up the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 1:33.

Post match Joe offers his friendship to MJF again, but reminds MJF that he is inevitable.

We get the announcement of the Continental Classic with Bryan Danielson as the first entrant.

Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander vs. Young Bucks

Nick and Komander start things off with Komander snapping off an armdrag and hitting a quick dropkick. Everything breaks down and they all miss a shot of their own until the Bucks superkick them to the floor. Back in and Penta hits a superkick to Matt in the corner but the Bucks hit the slingshot X Factor to Komander.

We take a break and come back with Komander fighting out of the corner and hitting a springboard hurricanrana to Matt. Penta comes back in for the slingshot dive onto the Bucks, followed by the Sling Blades. Made In Japan hits Matt but he’s back up with the rolling northern lights suplexes.

The Meltzer Driver is broken up and a Fear Factor on the apron knocks Nick silly. Komander hurricanranas Matt for two but Nick is back in…so there’s a rope walk Canadian Destroyer to drop him again. Matt is up for the slugout with Penta until Nick is back in for a distraction. Some low blows cut Penta and Komander off, setting up the BTE Trigger to finish Komander at 11:57.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see the Bucks embracing the heel turn as there is little reason for them not to be. I’m not sure who would look at them and think they were anything but villains and it’s good to have it happen again. They had another entertaining match here and that’s good to see, especially with the Bucks ready for a big match at Full Gear.

Post break the Bucks say they don’t care about cheating anymore when Kenny Omega comes in. The Bucks aren’t mad at Omega, but rather Chris Jericho. Cue Jericho and the brawl is on.

Gunns vs. Pete Avalon/???

3:10 to Yuma finishes at 33 seconds.

Post match the Gunns say that was 2-2, so imagine what it’s like when they’re 2-1 against MJF.

Video on Wardlow, who is ready to wreck MJF. Wardlow accuses MJF of being the Devil, who pops up at the end.

Don Callis Family/Brian Cage vs. Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi/Paul Wight

Street fight and sponsored by a video game so we have some themed gear/objects (I don’t play the game so I’m not going to pretend to know what any of it is). The brawl is on in the aisle, with Wight brawling with Hobbs and chokeslamming Fletcher off the ramp. That leaves Omega and Ibushi to take over in the ring, setting up the moonsaults out to the floor. We cut to the back where Wight is beating up Hobbs near a car and then back to ringside where the good guys are cleaning house.

Cage manages to send Jericho through a table…but Ibushi rides down the ramp on a bicycle and decks people with a pipe. Cage breaks that up with a nasty clothesline and we cut to Hobbs dropping Wight onto the hood of a car. Takeshita brainbusters Ibushi onto the bicycle and we take a break.

Back with the villains setting up tables at ringside as Fletcher is back in. Omega gets suplexed onto a pallet for two as we get very brief flashes of Jericho and Takeshita fighting in the back. Omega grabs a bottle but gets it knocked away so Cage can hit a clothesline. In the back, Takeshita dives into a fire extinguisher blast from Jericho.

Omega and Ibushi load up the double knee but Hobbs is back in to run then over. Cage apron superplexes Omega through the tables at ringside and we take a break. Back with Fletcher taking over and hitting a jumping Tombstone to Ibushi off the apron through a table onto chairs. If Ibushi is up again during this match….well I won’t be a bit surprised, but he shouldn’t be.

Back in and Jericho and Omega beat up Hobbs before taping him to the ropes. They even tape up his mouth and it’s time to use a variety of weapons on him. Cage is back in to clean house but Omega hits him with a V Trigger. The One Winged Angel finally finishes Cage at 21:01.

Rating: B. This was a wild brawl but the cuts to the back were holding it down, as they were so fast that they were more distracting than anything else. This match was begging for a split screen, which would have solved the problem immediately. Other than that though, they did their street fighting well here and if AEW got a nice check for the sponsorship, good for them.

For those of you keeping track: Ibushi was back on his feet three minutes and thirty nine seconds after being Tombstoned off the apron through a table and onto steel chairs.

Here is MJF for the grand finale. After last week’s attack, it has become clear to him that he is never going to be able to outrun his past. He is sorry to the Acclaimed for getting caught in the crossfire that is his life and he hopes they get better. All he ever wanted to be was World Champion and now that is what he has done.

Now he looks down from the top of the mountain and sees people coming for him. He’s afraid he’ll let the people down like he did to Adam Cole and the Acclaimed, which gives us a HE’S OUR SCUMBAG chant. He’s on top of the mountain, but you’re going to have to send an army to bring him down (MJF’s nostril is flaring as he talks).

MJF promises to ind out who stole his Devil mask….and here is Jay White to interrupt. White knows that MJF knows that his days as champ are numbered. White has two words for MJF: “Get him.” Cue Bullet Club Gold to beat MJF down, including the Blade Runner for a Club counted three…as Samoa Joe is watching in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty good show here, as they didn’t rock the boat too much on the way to Full Gear. That’s the biggest worry of a show like this and they managed to make it work out. The street fight and the main event interview were the big focal points and they did well enough. The rest of the show wasn’t anything noteworthy, but they got the important parts right and the show could have been much worse.

Results
Jon Moxley/Wheeler Yuta b. Orange Cassidy/Hook – Seatbelt to Hook
Skye Blue b. Red Velvet – Code Blue
Samoa Joe b. Jon Cruz – Koquina Clutch
Young Bucks b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander – BTE Trigger to Komander
Gunns b. Peter Avalon/??? – 3:10 To Yuma
Kenny Omega/Paul Wight/Chris Jericho/Kota Ibushi b. Don Callis Family/Brian Cage – One Winged Angel to Cage

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: November 8, 2023
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We are a week and a half away from Full Gear and that means we should be getting the final push towards the show. This week that includes MJF defending the World Title against Daniel Garcia and an interesting main event of Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe. Other than that, we have a heck of a showdown between Keith Lee and Samoa Joe for the ROH TV Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings in MJF to talk about his lost last week but MJF says it will never happen again. Adam Cole calls him so MJF throws it to a video screen and says MJF should take Samoa Joe up on his offer. MJF isn’t sure why but here is Daniel Garcia (challenging MJF for the title tonight) to laugh a bit. Garcia says tonight, MJF is getting the professional wrestler. With Garcia gone, the Kingdom wheels in Roderick Strong, who offers MJF some tips. MJF walks off, which Strong says is what the devil would do. It’s time to remind people who Strong is.

Opening sequence.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia, with Matt Menard and Angelo Parker, is challenging. MJF hits him in the face to start so Garcia does the same, only to have his friends break up the dance (as tends to be their custom as of late). An armbar has Garcia down and a rollup gives MJF two. We take a break and come back with Garcia hitting a one armed German suplex and dancing a bit.

MJF is right back on the arm before a hammerlock DDT gets two. Garcia kicks the leg out and hits a one armed piledriver for two. They’re doing something there with the arm not working at full strength. The Dragontamer goes on but MJF escapes and grabs the Salt Of The Earth to retain the title at 10:38.

Rating: B-. Not too bad at all here, though Garcia continues to not exactly be the most interesting star in the world. He’s a strong technician, but that doesn’t do much to help his charisma. Thankfully they didn’t let this go on too long, as there was no way to make Garcia feel like a serious threat to the title.

Post match MJF wants to shake hands but Garcia’s friends won’t allow it.

Mark Briscoe is ready for Jay White.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Outrunners

Allin headlocks Magnum to start but gets take into the corner for a stomping from Floyd. A suplex is broken up and String comes in to clean house. The Scorpion Deathlock finishes Floyd at 2:58. That’s how it should have gone.

We have a sitdown interview (in black and white) between Hikaru Shida and Toni Storm. Shida promises to beat her again as usual but Storm doesn’t seem to buy it. They sign the contract and go face to face.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Swerve Strickland

Feeling out process to start until Swerve takes him into the corner for a kick to the leg. Swerve bites the fingers but Penta is back with some chops. A Backstabber sends Swerve outside, where he is able to drop Penta face first onto the steps. Penta strikes away and hits a big running flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Made In Japan and the JML Driver both being blocked, leaving us with a double knockdown. A Death Valley Driver gets Penta two and he drops Swerve hard onto the apron to leave Swerve on the floor. Back in and Swerve reverses a headscissors out of the corner by flipping Penta into the corner. A 450 is blocked and Made In Japan gives Penta two. Swerve is back with his own Death Valley Driver and snaps Penta’s arm. The Swerve Stomp gives Swerve the pin at 13:33.

Rating: B. One of AEW’s greatest strengths is being able to take any two wrestlers out of a huge number available and have them put on a good match. That’s what they did here as these two came pretty close to tearing the house down. If you can get Penta away from doing his CERO MIEDO line over and over again and let him do his thing, he can put in a heck of a performance and that was the case here. At the same time you have Swerve continuing to showcase just how good he really is as his roll continues.

Post match Swerve goes for the mast but Hangman Page runs in to lay Swerve out with a Deadeye off the stage and through some tables. It seems WAY too early for that as it could have come during their Full Gear match instead.

Jay White is ready to beat up Mark Briscoe tonight and hopes MJF is watching.

The Don Callis Family is ready for serious violence next week against Chris Jericho and pals.

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega are ready to fight next week, but the Young Bucks come in to bring up an idea of the Elite. They think Jericho is just here to get a paycheck, but Jericho thinks he and Omega are a better team. They agree to fight at Full Gear, with Jericho wanting the Bucks’ Tag Team Title shot on the line. That works with the Bucks, but if they win, Jericho and Omega are done as a team and they get back to being the Elite. Omega says he’s beaten the Bucks before so he can do it again.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Keith Lee

Joe is defending and grabs a headlock to start. Lee isn’t having that and runs Joe over with a shoulder. Some choking on the rope keeps Joe down but he’s back up with the snap jabs in the corner. Back up and Lee leapfrogs over him and knocks Joe outside to send us to a break. We come back with Joe taking out the leg, including hitting a dragon screw legwhip. Lee manages a pop up powerbomb for a delayed two but Joe is right back up. Joe pulls him into the Koquina Clutch to retain the title at 11:26.

Rating: B-. This was the hoss match it was advertised as being and that made for a good fight. While I could go for more of Lee being a monster who runs people over, there is little shame in losing to someone as dominant as Joe. That being said, this felt like a match that could have been built up a lot better, but that is the case for a lot of things on AEW TV.

Post match Joe says he’s vacating the title to go after the AEW World Title. After a year and a half and Joe retaining the title when it seemed perfect for Joe to lose, he just walks away from it without putting anyone over? And not even on the ROH show. This has been your weekly reminder that RING OF HONOR MEANS NOTHING.

Orange Cassidy, with Hook, is rather serious and says he has to beat Jon Moxley.

Gunns b. Bollywood Boyz

3:10 To Yuma finishes Gurv at 42 seconds.

Post match the Gunns promise to beat up MJF and win the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

Jon Moxley says he’s in for the Full Gear title shot against Orange Cassidy, but he and Wheeler Yuta might crush Cassidy and Hook before they get there.

Wardlow is ready to end MJF.

Julia Hart vs. Red Velvet

This is Velvet’s return after nine months on the injured list. Velvet snaps off some armdrags to start and strikes away in the corner. Hart knocks her out of said corner though and we take a break. Back with Velvet making the clothesline comeback and hitting some running knees. An Iconoclasm out of the corner gives Velvet two but Hart kicks her down. The moonsault finishes for Hart at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Hart gets some momentum back after losing at WrestleDream and still looks like she’s keeping most of her momentum. She seems to have turned a corner in recent months and that moonsault looks good every time. It’s also nice to have Velvet back as you never want to see someone on the shelf, especially for that long.

Post match Hart goes after Velvet but Skye Blue comes out for the staredown. Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale come in to break it up before things get physical.

Mariah May is ready to debut in AEW and is excited about Toni Storm being here.

Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe

The rest of Bullet Club Gold is at ringside. Mark sends him outside to start and White needs an early breather. Back in and Mark chops away, setting up a suplex to put White down again. Redneck Kung Fu puts White on the floor and there’s the Bang Bang Elbow to make it worse. The Club knocks Mark off the top though and we take a break.

Back with White kicking the knee out but getting cut off with a middle rope dropkick. They strike it out with Mark getting the better of things and hitting a fisherman’s buster for two. A dragon screw legwhip over the ropes hits White again and there’s a Death Valley Driver. The Froggy Bow gets two but White snaps off the swinging Rock Bottom. White goes for the knee but the Blade Runner is countered into an exploder suplex. More chops have Mark down again and the sleeper suplex drops him hard. The Blade Runner finishes for White at 14:00.

Rating: B. Another good one here, though I’m not wild on having Briscoe lose so soon after his comeback. Granted it’s against a big name in White who has a major match coming up, but it’s still a bit of a weird choice. That being said, Mark getting to showcase himself is a good thing as he really is one of the better hands in the ring around here.

Post match MJF comes out with the diamond ring to chase White off but he still can’t get the belt back. For the first time ever, MJF has a reason to fight for everyone in the arena and wants to know if White can pull the trigger.

The lights go out and we cut to the back where the masked men are attacking Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed. Anthony Bowens is sent through some glass as we see the person in the devil mask watching. MJF runs to the back, where Samoa Joe pops up to say MJF is running out of friends.

Overall Rating: B. Better show than last week and it’s nice to see things getting a bit back to normal. They had more of a focus this week as they get ready for Full Gear and things got more interesting with the angle at the end. Throw in some good wrestling up and down the card and it made for a good Dynamite. Now just get to Full Gear with the same efficiency and everything should work very well.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Daniel Garcia – Salt Of The Earth
Sting/Darby Allin b. Outrunners – Scorpion Deathlock to Floyd
Swerve Strickland b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Swerve Strickland
Samoa Joe b. Keith Lee – Koquina Clutch
Gunns b. Bollywood Boyz – 3:10 To Yuma to Gurv
Julia Hart b. Red Velvet – Moonsault
Jay White b. Mark Briscoe – Blade Runner

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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