WrestleDream 2023
Date: October 1, 2023
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, Jim Ross

We’re back with the third pay per view in six weeks and this has a bit of a theme to it. The idea of this show is paying tribute to Japanese legend Antonio Inoki, who passed away a year ago to the day. As a result, there are some New Japan stars involved in the show, which does have a strong card. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long video tribute to Antonio Inoki, with wrestlers talking about what he meant to wrestling.

Tony Khan is in the ring with some other people, all with the Inoki scarves around their necks. Khan introduces the men as Rocky Romero, Katsuyori Shibata and Hiroto/Naroto Inoki, Antonio’s grandsons. We get Inoki’s signature phrase to wrap it up.

Zero Hour: Shane Taylor/Lee Moriarty/Diamante/Mercedes Martinez vs. Keith Lee/Satoshi Kojima/Athena/Billie Starkz

Fans: “WE WANT BREAD!” Excalibur: “Of course Satoshi Kojima the leader of Bread Club.” JR: “You might want to explain that.” Diamante and Starkz start but it’s quickly off to Athena for a suplex. JR wants Athena to go on a tear, apparently not realizing that she’s been on one for the better part of the last year. Taylor comes in to punch Keith in the face and manages to knock him down.

It’s off to Moriarty, who gets dropped rather quickly so Kojima can come in to run Moriarty over. A DDT gets two with Diamante making the save, earning her a beating from Starkz. Everything breaks down and Athena hits an O Face on Moriarty, with JR calling it illegal. The ring is cleared, leaving Kojima to lariat Moriarty for the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much here as they had eight people with less than six minutes. Kojima is a star from New Japan and still does well despite having been around forever, while Keith is rarely in the ring anymore for whatever reasons. It wasn’t a great match or anything close to one, but it was a way to get a lot of people in the ring.

Zero Hour: Josh Barnett vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Jon Moxley is on commentary and talks about training with Barnett. They grapple to start with Barnett powering him down but Castagnoli manages to take over on the mat. Castagnoli gets in some elbows (Moxley: “ELBOW HIS D*** HEAD OFF CLAUDIO!”) but Barnett reverses into a dragon screw legwhip.

That’s broken up as well but Castagnoli can’t get the Swing. Back up and they slug it out until Barnett gets a quickly broken abdominal stretch. Castagnoli gets in the swing, setting up some kind of leglock. Barnett makes the rope and grabs a suplex before they strike it out. The Neutralizer is blocked so Castagnoli pulls him into an Octopus Hold on the mat. That and a rollup is enough to pin Barnett at 8:20.

Rating: B-. This was a different kind of match as it was more of a grappling exchange between two guys who know what they’re doing in that style. Barnett is someone who is a lot better known in mixed martial arts than in wrestling but he’s good enough to hang with someone like Castagnoli. Good stuff here and probably something different than anything else you’ll see on the show.

Post match Barnett shows respect and says Inoki would be a fan of Castagnoli. Barnett says Castagnoli owes him more time though so keep training. Sounds good to Castagnoli.

Zero Hour: Nick Wayne vs. Luchasaurus

Nigel says this is going to be like Luke Skywalker being dropped into the pin with the Rancor. Wayne fires off a dropkick to start but gets tossed with a nasty release German suplex. Luchasaurus pounds away but Wayne is back up with some kicks. A chokeslam sends Wayne to the floor….where he crawls to his mom in the front row. That earns him a face first swing into the barricade but Wayne scores with some kicks back inside. Wayne’s World is easily blocked and the forearm to the back of the head finishes for Luchasaurs at 4:51.

Rating: C. That went about as it should have, as Luchasaurus is a total monster and Wayne is someone who hasn’t proven himself to be on Luchasaurus’ level. There is something to be said about a smaller guy striking away with everything he has but not being able to overcome. The part with his mom was a nice bonus, making this go according to the logical plan.

Zero Hour: Trios Titles: TMDK vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

TMDK (Shane Haste/Mikey Nichols/Bad Dude Tito) is challenging. Tito powers Caster down to start and hands it off to Haste. Caster punches his way out of the corner though and it’s Gunn coming in to quite the reaction. A running shoulder drops Haste and Gunn loads up Scissor Me Timbers, which connects for quite the reaction.

We settle down with Bowens getting caught in the wrong corner and Tito adding a slingshot hilo. Bowens fights out of a chinlock but gets knocked back again to keep up the beating. An attempt to get over to the corner is cut off as Gunn and Caster are knocked to the floor in a smart move. Bowens manages to duck around and get over to Gunn though and house is cleaned. Tito plants Gunn rather quickly and Caster has to make a save. A step up Cannonball hits Caster in the corner but Gunn is back in with the Fameasser. The Arrival into the Mic Drop retains the titles at 9:18.

Rating: C. That was your Rampage opener of the show and not much more. They had some time to do a bit more here than usual and that helped, but it’s another group of guest stars getting a title shot. That is only going to get you so far and they hit most of that limit here. Not a bad match by any means, but there wasn’t much in the way of drama.

And now, the show proper.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Righteous

MJF is defending on his own, but before the match, he accuses someone of stealing his devil mask and attacking Jay White. As for the Righteous, MJF promises a BODY SLAM. Dutch starts for the team and MJF asks who wants to see that body slam. Instead we get the handshake of sportsmanship before MJF pokes Dutch in the eye. MJF gets in a hip swivel and pulls Vincent in, only to get clotheslined by Dutch.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as MJF fights up….but realizes he doesn’t have a partner. Dutch powerbombs him down so Vincent can hit a Swanton for two. The Boss Man Slam gets two more and Autumn Sunshine gets the same, leaving the Righteous stunned. Vincent goes for a chair but MJF grabs him low to cut it off.

Back up and Vincent kicks him in the face but misses a second Swanton. Everything breaks down and Dutch is rammed into the corner over and over. The body slam connects and the fans are thrilled. With Dutch sent into the corner, MJF sends Vincent face first into the back of Dutch’s tights. The Kangaroo Kick sends the Righteous outside and the Heatseeker finishes Dutch (with feet on the ropes) at 9:35.

Rating: C+. Watching MJF do his goofy, almost parody of wrestling is hilarious and it’s great to see him having fun like this. At the same time, the Righteous being out of the title picture for the time being is nice to see. It still feels like the Kingdom will be the ones to win the titles, but at least we’re having a good time on the way there.

We recap Katsuyori Shibata vs. Eddie Kingston, with Kingston defending his two titles but Shibata not defending his.

Ring Of Honor World Title/New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Only Shibata is challenging and he goes to the mat to start. With that not working, they trade strikes until Shibata pulls him down into an ankle lock. The rope is reached so Shibata grabs a Figure Four to stay on the leg. That’s broken up as well so Shibata puts on a bow and arrow. Kingston fights up and fires off the chops in the corner but Shibata kicks him in the face. The running basement dropkick in the corner and the fans are behind Shibata.

Kingston is back with a t-bone suplex but Shibata grabs an STO, with Taz being at his best by explaining the leverage and science. The Octopus Hold on the mat has Kingston in trouble but he makes it over to the rope. Kingston knocks him away again but Shibata comes back with the running kick to the chest. They strike it out until Kingston’s spinning backfist gets one. The northern lights bomb gets the same, followed by another backfist and the powerbomb to retain the titles at 10:58.

Rating: B-. This was Kingston striking away and gritting through someone more polished and skilled. It made for a nice story to the match and served as Kingston’s latest fantasy match come to life. Kingston needs some wins to establish himself as a star and wins like this one are going to get him a long way.

Post match Shibata gets the big show of respect.

We recap Julia Hart challenging Kris Statlander for the TBS Title. Hart is on a roll but Statlander was the last person to beat her. Now the title is on the line.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Julia Hart

Hart, with Brody King, is challenging. Statlander powers her into the corner to start and hits some shoulders to the ribs. The running knee misses but she runs Hart over again without much trouble. Hart manages a hurricanrana but Statlander muscles her over with a suplex for two. They go outside, where Statlander grabs her in a fireman’s carry and carries her back up the steps. It’s right back to the floor, with Hart sending her into the barricade this time.

A backsplash gives Hart two back inside and we hit the quickly broken abdominal stretch. Now Statlander’s running knee in the corner sets up the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Statlander trips so King yells at her, allowing Hart to load up the mist. That takes too long though and Statlander grabs a fisherman’s driver for two more. Hart pulls her off the top and goes up, meaning it’s the moonsault for a rather close two. Hartless goes on but Statlander muscles her up into a Tombstone, followed by Sunday Night Fever to retain at 8:54.

Rating: B-. I was a bit surprised by the result as it stops Hart’s run cold, but Statlander has been on a roll since getting the title. Having her get another pay per view win is not a bad thing whatsoever, but she needs to start fighting some of the bigger names. The division has the depth to have some stronger challengers come after her, though Hart did rather well here in her biggest match ever.

We recap the four way tag match for the #1 contendership to the Tag Team Titles. There are four teams and they’re fighting for a title shot, end of story.

The Gunns vs. Hook/Orange Cassidy vs. Lucha Bros vs. Young Bucks

One fall to a finish for a future AEW Tag Team Title shot. Fenix and Nick strike away at each other before popping up for a staredown. Cassidy tags himself in but the Gunns pull Fenix outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and Austin dropkicks Cassidy into the corner before trying to cover Colten. The referee isn’t having that and it’s the Bucks’ turn to clean house.

Hook comes in and gets to clear the ring as well, leaving Cassidy to hit a dive onto both Bucks. Apparently Fenix is down so Penta comes in to kick at the Bucks. We settle down to Colten punching Hook down for two but Penta is back in. Made In Japan gets two on Austin as everything breaks down again. Matt hits a superkick and Nick adds the slingshot X Factor to Austin.

Penta’s big running flip dive connects though Hook tags himself in. Redrum is blocked so Cassidy Orange Punches Austin into Redrum to put him in trouble. Nick tags himself in though and hits a 450 for two with Cassidy making a save. The Bucks double superkick Hook but Penta superkicks the Bucks. Not that it matters as the BTE Trigger finishes Penta at 12:10 to give the Bucks the title shot.

Rating: B-. The Bucks are 2/3 of the Six Man Tag Team Champions, #1 contender to the Tag Team Titles and Nick is getting an International Title shot this week. I know it’s All ELITE Wrestling but this might be taking things a bit too literally. Anyway, this was your usual insane display of people jumping and flipping all over the place, though Fenix being down isn’t a good sign. I’m not sure if they’re going to run FTR vs. the Bucks again, but it would certainly be a big deal if they did. I’m just not sure how big.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland. Page can’t break through to be a star and Swerve wants to prove what he really is. Then Page stabbed him in the hand with a pen.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

The Mogul Embassy, complete with dancing Prince Nana, is here with Strickland (the home area boy). Feeling out process to start until Page knocks him into the corner for a loud chop. The fans are WAY behind Swerve here, even as Page knocks him down into the corner. Swerve is right back with a kick to the face and the middle rope elbow to the back lets him dance a bit.

Page manages a quick suplex and they’re both down again. With Swerve on the floor, Page hits a big moonsault to take him down on the floor. The dive drops Swerve again but they go back inside where he grabs a rolling Downward Spiral. The Brainbuster gives Swerve two but Page catches him on top. That’s fine with Swerve, who knocks him backwards for the Swerve Stomp (the fans approve again).

Swerve’s House Call gets two more and they head to the apron. The Deadeye on the apron is blocked so Page hits it on the steps instead. Page doesn’t cover, instead sending him inside and kicking away, only to get caught in the ropes. They slap it out until the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a rather nasty arm crank. We pause for the doctor to check on Page but Swerve hits a Swerve Stomp onto the apron.

A 450 onto the arm gives Swerve two and he grabs the armbar. Page makes the rope and scores with a left arm lariat. Swerve’s armbar is broken up and Page hammers on the bad hand. Swerve gets in a suplex but misses another Stomp. The Buckshot Lariat connects for a rather delayed two, as Prince Nana puts the foot on the rope. Page chases Nana off, allowing Swerve to hit him in the face with Nana’s crown for two. Back to back House Calls set up the JML Driver for the pin on Page at 20:06.

Rating: B+. That’s the Swerve match that the fans have been waiting to see and it worked very well throughout. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it felt like a big slugout. If Swerve becomes a breakout star around here, there is a good chance that this is what starts it off for him. Awesome match here and the best thing on the card so far.

We recap Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta. Starks wasn’t happy with losing to Bryan Danielson back to back so he’ll fight Danielson’s teammate instead.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Ricky Starks

Jon Moxley is back on commentary. They go with the grappling to start before opting to punch each other in the face instead. Starks gets the better of things and knocks Yuta up against the ropes, allowing him to stare at the crowd a bit. Yuta slips out of a fireman’s carry and rolls him up for two, only to have Starks get in another shot. Moxley thinks Starks is talented but runs his mouth too much, meaning he isn’t sure if he should fight Starks or take him on a date. Yuta is back with something like a Samoan drop and an armbar goes on.

Cue Big Bill as Starks makes the rope and spikes Yuta for two. Starks hits his own hammer and anvil elbows, which just make Yuta mad. That’s fine with Starks, who takes Yuta’s head off but gets shoved off the rope for a crash onto Bill. Yuta posts Bill to get rid of him and fires off the real hammer and anvil elbows. The Seatbelt gives Yuta two but Starks is back up with the spear. The Roshambo finishes Yuta at 9:54.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t bad, but I’m not sure if it needed to be on the pay per view. This felt like a Rampage main event or a big match on Collision rather than needing to be on here. What matters here though is that Starks got his big win and regains some momentum so things should be getting a bit better for him going forward. Odds are it sets up Moxley vs. Starks as well and that’s not a bad thing.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and….yeah I think that’s all you need to know here.

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre’s New Japan TV Title isn’t on the line. Feeling out process to start as they both seem nervous about going too far. Danielson suplexes him down and Sabre pauses for a standoff. Sabre pulls him into the abdominal stretch but Danielson pulls him into a leglock. That’s broken up and they stay on the mat with neither being able to get control. Instead Danielson pulls him into the surfboard but Sabre slips out again.

Sabre starts going after the arm and gives it a shoulder before adding a nasty stomp. The arm gets twisted around and Sabre is starting to get cocky. Sabre stays on the arm but he takes too long going up, allowing Danielson to cut him off. The arm is snapped over Sabre’s shoulder though and the armbar goes on up top. Danielson headbutts his way out of trouble and a top rope butterfly superplex lets him…not get the LeBell Lock.

Instead Danielson goes with a half crab but Sabre is right over to the ropes. The YES Kicks rock Sabre and Danielson stomps him in the head. The running knee is countered and Sabre pulls him into the European Clutch for two. Moxley (on commentary) is on his feet as they both need a breather. Cattle Mutilation goes on but Sabre rolls out, only to get caught with the elbows to the face.

Danielson gets a leglock but Sabre reverses into one of his own. That earns him a spit in the face and they strike it out, with Danielson getting the better of things. Back up and Sabre goes for the arm while Danielson kicks at the leg. Sabre gets the better of things this time and pulls Danielson into the double arm crank. Nigel: “THINK ABOUT YOUR KIDS! THINK ABOUT YOUR WIFE! RETIRE NOW!”

Danielson makes the rope (Nigel: “You coward!”) so they trade kicks, with Danielson nailing a big one to the head. The stomp to the head misses so Sabre pulls him into the cross armbreaker. That’s reverses into a leg trap belly to back suplex into the running knee for the very near fall. Another running knee finishes Sabre at 23:13.

Rating: A-. Like I said before the match, this was going to work because of the talent involved and then they were allowed to have all the time they needed to tear the house down. You could see two masters in there trying to take the other apart and it worked about as well as expected. Awesome stuff here and as usual, it felt like a clinic from two of the best ever with this style.

Post match respect is offered but Sabre turns it down. Naturally Nigel says that wasn’t technical wrestling so Danielson is NOT the best in the world.

We recap Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi vs. the Don Callis Family. All three hate Callis so they’re fighting his team.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi vs. Don Callis Family

Omega and Will Ospreay start things off but it’s quickly off to Sammy Guevara, who lounges on the top rope. They start running the ropes until Sammy flips over him and scores with a dropkick. Ospreay comes back in to get suplexed by Jericho as Sammy shouts at commentary. Jericho punches Ospreay and we get the big standoff. The good guys clear the house, pay tribute to Inoki (oh yeah that’s a thing with this show) and hit stereo dives.

Back in and Omega slugs away at Takeshita, who rakes the eyes to cut him off. Takeshita hits a clothesline but Ibushi comes in for a save. Ospreay puts on an abdominal stretch, with the rest of the Family adding leverage like villains should. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Omega but he gets over for the tag back to Omega. That means an abdominal stretch to Sammy, with the rest of Omega’s partners pulling as well.

Ibushi comes in with a double back elbow and we get an Ibushi/Jericho Sex Gods pose. Omega and Jericho hit stereo moonsaults to the floor, leaving Jericho to hit the Lionsault for two on Sammy. Takeshita breaks up the Walls and drops Omega on his head with a release German suplex. Jericho has to fight Ospreay and Takeshita at the same time but Takeshita knees Ospreay by mistake.

Omega is back up with the big running flip dive to take out Takeshita and Ospreay. Back in and Sammy Spanish Flies Jericho for two, followed by the shooting star to the floor. Omega and Ospreay slug it out back inside but Takeshita is back in with a running knee to put Omega down.

Sammy Codebreakers Jericho for one so Jericho fights up, only to get beaten down again. Ibushi is back up to strike away but Ospreay saves Takeshita from the big boot. The Golden Trigger is cut off by Sammy’s high crossbody. Jericho is back up with the Judas Effect to Ospreay but Sammy superkicks Jericho in the face. Jericho tries to pull him into the Walls but Callis comes in with a baseball bat shot to give Sammy the pin at 22:17.

Rating: B+. This was the match I was expecting to be the best on the card and it came pretty close. The match started with the regular wrestling but then broke down into the wild fight that it was destined to be. The Callis Family stuff isn’t exactly thrilling but the matches have worked so well and that’s what matters most.

We recap Aussie Open challenging FTR for the Tag Team Titles. FTR beat them for the New Japan Tag Team Titles a year ago and now the Aussies want to even things up.

AEW Tag Team Titles: Aussie Open vs. FTR

FTR is defending. Harwood and Fletcher lock up to start with neither being able to get very far. Wheeler comes in and this time Fletcher bails to the floor. Harwood sends him back in, where Wheeler hits a backdrop to take over. It’s off to Davis for a chop off with Harwood, who gets slammed down. Davis hits a backsplash so it’s back to Fletcher, who gets caught with a snap suplex.

Everything breaks down and FTR is rammed into each other on the floor. Back in and Fletcher forearms away at Wheeler before Davis grabs a chinlock. Wheeler fights up and catches Fletcher on top, meaning it’s a belly to back superplex for a big crash. Fletcher is able to grab a brainbuster but Wheeler is up again, this time getting over to Harwood. Rolling German suplexes drop Fletcher as Wheeler and Davis fight on the floor.

Harwood gets two off a Liger Bomb but Davis is back in to break up the PowerPlex. A Doomsday kick to the face gets two on Wheeler but Harwood is back in for the save. Now the PowerPlex can connect, leaving Fletcher to high crossbody Harwood into the cover to break it up.

Wheeler rolls Davis (who appears to have hurt his wrist) up for two, only to walk into a Shatter Machine from the Aussies. The Coriolis gets two with Harwood making the save this time. They head outside again and it’s a spike piledriver on the floor to drop Davis. Back in and a super Shatter Machine finishes Fletcher to retain the titles at 20:23.

Rating: B. It was a good match but this might have been better if they had cut out about four minutes. The problem here came down to the fact that this went long in the semi-main event spot on a show that is going to run over four and a half hours. The Aussies winning felt like a long shot in the first place and while the match was good, it wasn’t able to completely overcome those circumstances.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage for the latter’s TBS Title. Allin wants to prove he belongs in the main event in his hometown and the title is on the line.

TBS Title: Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage

Allin is challenging (and bleeding before the match for some reason) and this is 2/3 falls. Feeling out process to start with Cage bailing into the corner and spitting into Allin’s face. Allin is calm enough to pull him into an armbar, followed by a headlock to keep him down. Back up and Christian chops him against the ropes, meaning we get the double bicep pose. It’s too early for the Unprettier though as Allin pulls the turtleneck over Christian’s face and rolls him up for the first fall at 4:55.

We pause for a bit as Cage stops to look at Nick Wayne’s mom in the front row before taking Allin down again. Cage pounds away at the back and cranks on his neck to keep things slow. Allin gets back up for some rapid fire rollups but gets sent outside in a crash. Cage whips him into the barricade but goes after Wayne’s mom again, allowing Allin to hit a suicide dive. Back in and the Coffin Drop hits raised knees, allowing Cage to send him into the announcers’ table. Something like a powerslam off the apron hits sends Allin back first into the steps. That’s enough for a countout to tie it up at 15:18 total.

A stretcher is brought out as Cage is doing something with the ring skirt. He peels the entire mat back and exposes the wood….before hitting a frog splash onto Allin on the stretcher. That’s good for two back inside and Cage grabs a Scorpion Deathlock. Allin makes the rope (the fans approve) and it’s a Scorpion Death Drop for two, followed by the Coffin Drop for the same.

Cage loads up a superplex onto the steps on the floor but gets reversed into a sunset bomb. The spear hits the referee though, leaving Cage to hit Allin low. The title is brought in but Nick Wayne runs in to take it away. Then Wayne hits Allin with the title (his mom is NOT happy) and Cage retains at 25:13.

Rating: B+. This was a smartly worked match as Christian didn’t have to go insane but rather set things up for Allin to go nuts instead. It made for some very good drama and action, with Allin getting the first fall to save some face. I liked the match rather well, though having it as the main event (yes they had to with the ring deal) might have been a stretch.

Post match Cage hugs Wayne, who destroys Allin while yelling about family. Sting comes in for the save but Luchasaurus is here to beat him down as well. The Conchairto is loaded up….and the lights go out. A video of someone driving a car to the arena plays and the lights come up. And yeah EDGE debuts (complete with Metalingus theme), with the villains handing him the chair. He cracks Wayne with it instead and spears Luchasaurus to clear out the villains. Edge and Sting shake hands to end the show. That’s the big deal of the show and while we’ll have to see where it goes, the moment was there.

Overall Rating: B+. As tends to be the case with AEW shows, they wind up being good in the end through the hard work and effort put in from the wrestlers. That was the case again here, with a few awesome matches being more than enough to keep me interested. The show got better as it went on and thankfully they didn’t have some of the lesser matches eat up too much time.

That being said, this was they could be that much more enjoyable with some time trimmed off. There is just SO MUCH STUFF on here and some of it could easily be dropped (like the bonus Rampage described as Zero Hour) and probably Starks vs. Yuta. At some point the energy is going to go away and that isn’t good for the main event matches. That being said, the show was still quite the blast to watch and if they can keep it up, they’re not going to change anything.

Results
Satoshi Kojima/Keith Lee/Athena/Billie Starkz b. Shane Taylor/Diamante/Lee Moriarty/Mercedes Martinez – Lariat to Moriarty
Claudio Castagnoli b. Josh Barnett – Rollup
Luchasaurus b. Nick Wayne – Forearm to the back of the head
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. TMDK – Mic Drop to Haste
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. The Righteous – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Dutch
Eddie Kingston b. Katsuyori Shibata – Powerbomb
Kris Statlander b. Julia Hart – Sunday Night Fever
Young Bucks b. Lucha Bros, Gunns and Orange Cassidy/Hook – BTE Trigger to Penta
Swerve Strickland b. Hangman Page – JML Driver
Ricky Starkz b. Wheeler Yuta – Roshambo
Bryan Danielson b. Zack Sabre Jr. – Running knee
Don Callis Family b. Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi – Baseball bat shot to Jericho
FTR b. Aussie Open – Super Shatter Machine to Fletcher
Christian Cage b. Darby Allin 2-1

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

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

AND

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

So here we have WrestleDream, which is a show designed to honor the passing of Antonio Inoki one year ago. Therefore it’s another AEW show with New Japan guest stars, though New Japan is running a big show of its own on the same day so the visiting stars are limited. There is some good stuff on the card though and hopefully that’s enough to carry it. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Nick Wayne vs. Luchasaurus

This is a side story from Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage as both have interfered in the other feud. It’s a speed vs. power match and that is something that can work under almost any circumstances. AEW really seems interested in pushing Wayne every chance they can these days but at some point he is going to need to win something. I’m just not sure he gets to do it here.

I’ll go with Luchasaurus to win here as he’s coming off the TNT Title reign and isn’t likely to lose to someone with so little experience on this level. I’m sure Wayne will get a bunch of stuff in and get to showcase himself again but that doesn’t mean he’s going to win. Hopefully Wayne gets to throw everything he has at Luchasaurus, but he’ll fall short in the end.

Zero Hour: Trios Titles: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn(c) vs. TMDK

This is the first New Japan match on the show and in this case it was built up as “whoever wins the title match on Rampage defends against TMDK tomorrow night”. That’s not exactly a thrilling story but it’s a way to get the titles on the show. Thankfully in this case it’s just on Zero Hour, meaning it won’t extend the show with a match that has very little in the way of drama.

Of course the champions retain here, as a group of guest stars aren’t going to be the ones to end the reign that is bringing the Acclaimed and the Gunns back to prominence. The (arguably) good thing about these titles is you can throw any three challenges out there and have a title match. That’s more or less what they’ve done here, though at least it’s a regular team from New Japan.

Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Josh Barnett

So this was added the night before the show as the result of a Castagnoli open challenge. Barnett has never wrestled for AEW before but does have experience in Japan so here we are. That makes for a tricky preview because there isn’t any kind of a story going into the match, and Barnett being a complete stranger around here makes it even more complicated.

Since Barnett is not likely to stick around, I’ll go with Castagnoli to win as there isn’t much of a reason to do anything else. Castagnoli needs a big win coming off his loss to Eddie Kingston and while this won’t be some kind of a game changer for him, it should be enough to give him a boost. I’m not sure why this match needed to be added, though more Castagnoli is often a good thing.

Zero Hour: Shane Taylor/Lee Moriarty/Diamante/Mercedes Martinez vs. Satoshi Kojima/Keith Lee/Athena/Billie Starkz

This is another match added during the Collision because MORE MEANS GOOD. There are a few people with some history here but a good chunk of it has been in Ring Of Honor. Taylor seems to be one of the new flavors of the month for AEW and it makes sense that they would want to get him out there in front of people as often as possible. Throw in Lee and this could be a lot worse.

Give me Lee and company to win, as Moriarty being thrown half a mile by Lee would be a good way to get the show going. Other than that, there is always the chance of Athena beating Martinez or Diamante. Either way, there are going to be a bunch of people in this match and there is a good chance that a lot of them are not going to be able to get in that much ring time.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Julia Hart

Statlander has been a mostly dominant champion in her still relatively short title reign, but Hart has caught fire in recent weeks and suddenly feels like she could be a major threat to the title. The good thing here is that you are seeing two mostly fresh women in the title scene, which is what AEW has been needing for a very long time now. In other words, there isn’t a bad option for a winner here.

I think I’ll actually take hart to win the title, as it would be very deflating for her to lose after the big push that she has gotten in the last few weeks. Granted that might have been just to make her feel like a threat, but the House of Black needs to get something back after losing the Trios Titles, so this would be a nice fit to help get them on track. I’m not sure what is next for Statlander, but I’m thinking she should lose here.

Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta

This was thrown onto the card earlier in the week as Yuta doesn’t like how Starks has been going after Bryan Danielson. Starks has been on a roll as of late without winning much of anything, which leaves him in a weird place. Granted that is kind of why you put someone like Yuta in this spot as he could go a long way with making Starks look like a bigger deal after his losses.

I’ll go with Starks to win here, as there is little reason for Yuta to win. His role in the Blackpool Combat Club is to put up a good fight in defeat and that is what he’ll be doing here. Starks is red hot and for someone who keeps losing so giving him a win here would be the right way to go. They’ll have a good match, but at the end of the day, Starks needs this way more than Yuta.

Young Bucks vs. The Gunns vs. Lucha Bros vs. Orange Cassidy/Hook

For a future AEW Tag Team Title shot, which sounds a bit like a Money In The Bank deal. We’ll start with getting rid of Cassidy and Hook, who are a fun team, but I can’t imagine they actually get put into the title picture so soon. That leaves a few options, and I could picture any of the three getting the shot. It’s nice to have options here, and unfortunately none of them really stand out.

While the Bucks would be the interesting way to go, I’ll take the Gunns getting the win here. FTR vs. the Lucha Bros doesn’t sound like it would be the most engaging match and the Bucks vs. FTR has been done so many times now. Go with FTR vs. the Gunns, which does have a history but hasn’t been hammered into the ground. This is going to be the “everyone flies all over the place” match and it should be entertaining enough. Just don’t do the Money In The Bank deal, please.

AEW Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Aussie Open

This one is a little more interesting as I could see the titles changing hands. Aussie Open has come a long way and established themselves as one of the better teams in AEW at the moment. That means they can be put into this spot for a shot at the best team around without much trouble. The teams have even traded some promos to hype things up even more and so far, they’ve done their jobs.

With that being said, for the life of me I can’t imagine FTR losing the belts They can have good to great matches with just about any team and it would feel like a waste to take away that option, especially with them frequenting Collision. The Aussies will give them one heck of a run for their money, but FTR comes out on top of this by retaining the titles, and that’s the right choice.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi vs. Konosuke Takeshita/Sammy Guevara/Will Ospreay

This is the Don Callis Family match, which has seen two feuds combined into one for the sake of taking away some of Callis’ television time. Ignoring that aspect though, we should be in for a heck of a match here, especially if Ibushi is able to wrestle more like his old self than the version we have seen in AEW so far. Everything else should work well and I’m wanting to see how this goes.

After dominating for a good while, this should be the match where Callis and company can drop a match to the conquering heroes. Guevara taking a fall from Omega or even Jericho won’t ruin him as they can get set up for another singles showdown in the future. Either way, this has the potential to steal the show and if they can get to that higher level, it very well may be the best thing on the show.

Ring Of Honor World Title/New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Eddie Kingston(c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata

It’s a double title match with Shibata’s ROH Pure Title not on the line, meaning commentary has said that Shibata can become a triple crown champion. At least Shibata is someone who has wrestled in Ring Of Honor more than once, as there is far too much of a tendency for random people to get title shots (like earlier in the show or example). Shibata is also someone Kingston is going to respect so there is a real chance he’ll bring the work here.

As for a winner, much like the Trios Titles, there isn’t much of a reason to believe the title is going to change hands, especially so soon after Kingston won the ROH title in the first place. Kingston needs to rack up some wins to make him feel like a bigger deal and this would be a nice addition. It should be a hard hitting match as well and that should take them far enough, but yeah Kingston retains.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Righteous

So this was supposed to be a tag match with Adam Cole included but he’s basically destroyed his ankle, leaving us with a handicap match instead. That puts them in a tough spot and again I’m not sure where this is going to go. On one hand, MJF doesn’t need to have the titles anymore if Cole is injured, but the titles changing hands would involve the Righteous beating the AEW World Champion.

As little sense as it might make, I’ll go with MJF retaining, as I can’t imagine either Vincent or Dutch pinning him or making him give up. There is always the chance of some kind of screwy finish and that is probably coming later, but it is still hard to fathom that anyone but the Kingdom is taking the titles from Cole and MJF. Or is it just MJF these days? Either way, the Righteous don’t win here.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

This is the match that has felt the most interesting throughout the build to the show and the contract signing this week kept that interest high. Both guys need a big win and they have me wanting to see them fight, which is a great sign for one of them. Hopefully the loser isn’t going to be hurt that badly but there is a good chance that this is going to continue beyond this match.

Give me Swerve here, as a Page win would seem to wrap things up between them with a tighter bow. As much as Page could use a win, he’s had success before and is a much more accomplished star in AEW. Let Swerve get his win and move up the card a bit, as a win over a former World Champion is going to do a lot of good no matter what. Page should be fine, but either way, this match should rock.

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

What we have here is the kind of match that sells itself on name value alone. The idea of Danielson vs. Sabre Jr. is going to get hardcore fans interested and there is a very real chance that they could live up to or even exceed their expectations. That might be a very hard task to pull off, but these are the kind of stars who might be able to pull that kind of a miracle off.

As has been a trend here, there isn’t much of a reason for the star who is going to be going away after this show winning, so I’ll take Danielson to win here. Yes he did it in a pay per view main event against a guest star this year and that should cover him for well over a year, but I can’t imagine Sabre winning here. Danielson has things to do in AEW and downgrading him (as much as that can be done) with a loss to a one off guest star doesn’t make sense.

TNT Title: Christian Cage(c) vs. Darby Allin

This is the rumored main event for the show and with Allin as the hometown boy in a 2/3 falls match, that is not the worst idea. These two had a rather nice match a month or so ago on Collision and if they do that again with more time and on a bigger stage, we should be in for a pretty solid main event. That leaves a pair of questions though and I think I have the answer to at least one.

Of course I’ll take Allin winning here, as otherwise it would run a real threat of killing Seattle for AEW. Allin winning is the perfect way to go and it would be a great moment to end things on. Then again, there is also the chance that we get an Edge debut here to do something with Cage, though hopefully that doesn’t include giving him an assist to keep the title. Allin wins here, as he should.

Overall Thoughts

That’s a lot of matches. Once I get to the end of the card, I’ve already forgot a good few of the matches involved as there are too many for the show’s own good. Then again that is the case with almost every AEW show, which makes it all the more frustrating. The action will be rather good as it almost always is, but the way the show is presented is such a self imposed roadblock. It still feels like a B show, but now it feels like a rather bloated B show.

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: September 30, 2023
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for WrestleDream and that should make for a pretty big show. Collision has been in a weird place in recent months but maybe they can do better with some focus. The main event is another all star eight person tag, which might be their norm for go home shows. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Big Bill, Aussie Open, Ricky Starks, Wheeler Yuta, Bryan Danielson and FTR are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Juice Robinson

The Gunns are here with Robinson. They go right at it to start but Andrade can’t get the Figure Four. Robinson bails to the floor but Andrade throws him back inside for Three Amigos. A moonsault to the floor takes out all three villains but Robinson manages to send Andrade into the announcers’ table. The Gunns get in some stomping behind the referee’s back, allowing Robinson to hit a neckbreaker for two.

Robinson elbows him down again but Andrade is back up with some right hands in the corner. That earns him a drop onto the buckle and a Cannonball as we take a break. Back with Andrade fighting out of a chinlock and dropping Robinson. The double moonsault hits raised knees but Andrade is fine enough to send him face first into the buckle.

For some reason the referee breaks up the running knees in the corner, allowing Robinson to hit the big left. A layout powerbomb gives Robinson two but Andrade hiptosses him hard into the corner. The running knees connect this time but the Gunns try to interfere again. This time they’re caught immediately though and it’s a double ejection. Andrade hits the spinning elbow for two and the hammerlock DDT finishes Robinson at 13:25.

Rating: B. The resurrection of Andrade has been one of the great things about Collision, as he has gone from just someone on the roster without much going on to having a string of pretty awesome matches around here. I’m not sure if he’s just looking to get WWE’s attention the second his contract is up, but he’s been a gem around here.

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega are excited to team together, even though they don’t like each other. They’ll have their backs tonight and tomorrow when they face the Don Callis Family.

We get more of the Toni Storm: Portrait Of A Star promo, with Storm insisting that she’s good to talk right now. Storm says her peak is right now but she misses the old days where a pie in the ace was good enough (I’m not sure if that’s a reference to why she left WWE but if it is….it’s a weird one). She accuses the interviewer of coming on to her by holding her hand (which she grabbed) and asks if she’s good enough for him.

The Kingdom vs. Best Friends

The fight starts before the bell with the threat of stereo piledrivers sending the Kingdom bailing to the floor. Trent chops at Bennett to start and it’s off to Chuck for a belly to back suplex. Taven comes in with a missile dropkick to Trent and everything breaks down, with Trent hitting a slingshot dive to Taven. Bennett avoids a charge though and sends Bennett into the barricade.

Trent is sent into a chair and we take a break. Back with Trent coming in to clean house until Taven gets in a shot to the back of the head. Just The Tip gets two on Trent as everything breaks down again. Trent hits a Death Valley Driver to sent Bennett into the steps and a Doomsday knee connects back inside. Rather than cover, we get the Big Hug, followed by the stereo piledrivers…for two on Bennett. With the referee distracted, Bennett punches them both low and a spike piledriver finishes Trent at 9:27.

Rating: C. And that’s the AEW style for you, as dropping someone on his head on the steps, hitting a top rope knee on him and then giving him a piledriver in about a minute gets two. The Death Valley Driver could have been pulled out from the match and it would have only lost an OOO, but that’s just what happens in AEW. Granted the Best Friends losing makes things a bit better, but I really wish someone could get rid of those ridiculous kickouts after big sequences of moves.

Post math the Kingdom pulls out their suitcases because they’re on their way back to Roderick Strong’s bedside.

Don Callis and Prince Nana are found talking in the back. Callis walks away and Nana talks about digging deep into the universe and finding something unique. He implies a big payday if the Gates Of Agony beat Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega.

Julia Hart has a creepy vignette involving masks hanging from strings and promising to end Kris Statlander.

Julia Hart vs. Vertvixen

Hart forearms her down to start and chokes on the rope a bit. A flipping elbow in the corner hits Vertvixen again but Hart misses a charge. Not that it matters as a kick to the chest and the moonsault finish Vertvixen at 2:45. Just a quick win before the title match tomorrow.

Post match Hart calls out Kris Statlander for right now so here she is. Then Hart backs off, leaving Statlander to say Hart’s time is up at WrestleDream.

Claudio Castagnoli has issued a challenge for WrestleDream and Josh Barnett answered.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega vs. Gates Of Agony

Toa headbutts Jericho into the corner to start and Kaun nails him with a clothesline for two. A kick to the face gets Jericho out of trouble though and it’s Omega…well not coming in actually as he rams Toa’s head into the buckle from the apron a bunch of times. Then he comes in with a high crossbody and joins with Jericho fr a double suplex (they look at each other in shock that they seem to work well together in a funny moment).

Prince Nana offers a distraction though and Toa knocks Omega into Jericho for a crash out to the floor. That leaves Kaun to suplex Omega for two, followed by a Backstabber into a running elbow in the corner. We take a break and come back with Omega managing a hurricanrana to Kaun, allowing the tag to Jericho. A top rope elbow puts Kaun down and the Lionsault connects. The Walls are broken up though and a gutbuster gives Kaun two on Jericho. Omega makes the save and now the Walls can make Kaun tap at 11:49.

Rating: B-. This was more of a cool moment than anything else, but Jericho and Omega do feel like something of a dream team. I could go for them being in the big match on their own without Kota Ibushi but at least we got to see them on their own once. Good match here, and it’s not like the Gates have much of a status to lose.

Post match Omega and Jericho say this is about Don Callis. Omega has seen the light and it is going to take more than a vicious attack for him to turn his back on his friends. Ibushi takes that kind of an attack as an invitation. Jericho is ready for Sammy Guevara and quotes Judas to prove it. Vengeance is promised to wrap up a promo that went a bit long.

Video on the Righteous.

Video on Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage, with Allin suggesting that the match will be the main event of WrestleDream.

Righteous vs. Judas Icarus/Travis Williams

Williams gets beaten up to start so it’s quickly off to Icarus. Dutch chops him down and adds one to Williams on the apron as well. Autumn Sunshine finishes Icarus at 1:52.

Post match Vincent tells Dutch to look at all the paper people in the crowd. They’ll win the ROH Tag Team Titles at WrestleDream and leave the Devil on one hoof, like his partner. Dutch whips out a block of wood and they crush Icarus’ ankles.

Video on Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata.

WrestleDream rundown.

TMDK is ready to win the Trios Titles but the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn interrupt. Shane Haste wants to do his own right and it’s not so good.

Bryan Danielson/FTR/Wheeler Yuta vs. Aussie Open/Ricky Starks/Big Bill

Zack Sabre Jr. is on commentary. Starks bails from Yuta to start so Fletcher comes in instead. Yuta and Fletcher take turns working on the arms until Yuta scores with a dropkick. Harwood comes in and gets to face Davis for a bit of a power showdown. Everything breaks down and it’s a big staredown on the floor. Back with Harwood suplexing Fletcher and flipping over to Cash for the tag.

House is cleaned until Cash and Fletcher take turns escaping suplexes. It’s back to Yuta for a top rope forearm, followed by a bridging German suplex for two on Fletcher. Yuta’s elbows rock Starks but Bill offers a distraction to break them up. A big boot puts Yuta in more trouble and Starks drops an elbow for two. The seated abdominal stretch keeps Yuta down until he can hiptoss his way to freedom. The Aussies come in for a toss sitout powerbomb and we take another break.

Back again with Yuta and Starks down but Yuta makes it over for the tag back to Danielson. The strikes in the corner have Starks falling down rather quickly, but he’s back up to miss a spear. Danielson scores with the suicide dive into a missile dropkick. Starks clotheslines his way out of trouble and the tornado DDT puts Danielson down. Bill comes in but the chokeslam is countered into the LeBell Lock.

Everything breaks down and the villains are left on their knees for a long series of YES Kicks. A missile dropkick into a top rope headbutt gets two on Bill but all of his partners make a save. The fight heads to the floor and Danielson is sent into the steps, leaving Bill to miss a charge into the post. The Sharpshooter is blocked and Starks spears Harwood for the pin at 19:39.

Rating: B. This is an idea that has worked forever in wrestling and it worked well here too. They tied a bunch of pay per view matches together into one here, with commentary even adding in another, and that makes for a very efficient use of time. It also lets you get some cool pairings you might not see very often and the action was still quite good. This was a smart idea and it wound up working very well.

Post match the big brawl is on until Zack Sabre Jr. stands up. He comes into the ring for the staredown with Danielson before slapping him in the face. Danielson slaps him back and tries the LeBell Lock but Sabre Jr. bails to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Once we got past the opening matches, which had nothing to do with WrestleDream, this turned into a pretty by the book go home show. In this case, that’s the best thing they could have done as they made me a bit more interested in a show that hadn’t given me much reason to care coming in. WrestleDream should be good, but as usual, the build hasn’t been much until the very last minute. Strong show here, and it’s the one they needed.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Juice Robinson – Hammerlock DDT
The Kingdom b. Best Friends – Spike piledriver to Taylor
Julia Hart b. Vertfixen – Moonsault
Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega b. Gates Of Agony – Walls Of Jericho to Kaun
Righteous b. Judas Icarus/Travis Williams – Autumn Sunshine to Icarus
Ricky Starks/Big Bill/Aussie Open b. Wheeler Yuta/Bryan Danielson/FTR – Spear to Harwood

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: September 27, 2023
Location: 1stBank Center, Broomfield, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before WrestleDream and the card still needs some more focus. The card has been kind of thrown together so building up some of what is already there would be nice. In addition, we’ll probably get some fallout from Rey Fenix winning the International Title in an unplanned title switch last week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

International Title: Rey Fenix vs. Jeff Jarrett

Fenix, with Alex Abrahantes, is defending and the rest of Jarrett’s crew is here too. The fight is on outside to start with Penta hurricanranaing Jay Lethal into a low blow on Satnam Singh. Karen Jarrett’s interference doesn’t work as Fenix fires off some superkicks and we get the opening bell. Back in and Fenix’s back gives out as he tries a fireman’s carry, allowing Jeff to hit a DDT as we take a break.

Back with Fenix dropping Jeff for a double stomp, followed by a basement superkick to put him down again. A Sonjay Dutt distraction lets Jeff grab a small package for two, setting up the Stroke. Fenix gets a foot on the rope though, meaning Jeff tries the Figure Four, only to get small packaged to retain the title at 8:28.

Rating: B-. They kept this moving and gave Fenix a win to make him feel like more of a real champion. That being said, I’m not sure how many people are going to buy him as a long term champion in the slightest, which is probably because he was never meant to be champion in the first place. If we have to put up with Fenix every week though, I can think of worse ideas.

We look at Adam Cole injuring his ankle last week.

Adam Cole and MJF go boating near Long Island, and yes MJF has a captain’s hat on. MJF asks about Roderick Strong, and Cole worrying about him so much that he couldn’t accompany MJF to the ring. MJF goes to get Cole another beer but loads up the ring. Cole: “Max, you didn’t bring me out there to hit me in the head with the diamond ring and throw my body overboard did you?”

Cole talks about the need to have multiple friends. MJF says it’s not for him, but he gets what Cole means. MJF mentions throwing someone overboard in the past but before Cole can mention it, he has a bite. That bite happens to be from Captain Insano (Paul Wight) in a duck inter tube. They all drink together.

Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita were in Tokyo last week to look for Kota Ibushi.

Here are Callis and Takeshita for a chat. Callis brings out Sammy Guevara and we see more footage of Callis and Takeshita in Japan. They invaded Kota Ibushi’s gym and hit Ibushi in the head with a kettle bell. Back in the arena, Guevara rants about Chris Jericho clipping his wings over and over. Revenge is promised for WrestleDream.

Ricky Starks isn’t bothered by his loss to Bryan Danielson on Collision. Wheeler Yuta comes in and challenges him for WrestleDream.

Brian Cage vs. Nick Jackson vs. Claudio Castagnoli

The winner gets an International Title shot next week, and it’s not a good sign for the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles when one of the new champions (who didn’t bring his belt) is getting into a singles title picture less than a week after winning the team titles. Jackson is sent outside to start, leaving the power guys to do power guy things. Back up and Nick hits a moonsault to the floor but Castagnoli boots him in the face as we take a break.

Back with Cage German suplexing Castagnoli but Nick takes Cage down with a bulldog out of the corner. Nick hits a moonsault to the floor to drop Castagnoli, followed by a 450 to Cage. Back in and Cage hits an F5 or two on Nick, followed by the apron superplex to Castagnoli. Not that it matters as Castagnoli is back up with the Riccola Bomb to Cage. Jackson springboards in to take Castagnoli out though and steals the pin on Cage at 10:04.

Rating: B-. Commentary pointed out that Jackson has had four singles matches (counting this one) in AEW, but now he’s getting a title shot. What is the kayfabe reason for him being in this match in the first place? Anyway, this was your usual “two in, one out” triple threat formula, complete with someone stealing the finish. Completely fine, though I’m not exactly needing to see Nick and Fenix flip around for ten minutes next week.

The Righteous play with paper dolls and are coming for the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

Here are Adam Cole (on crutches with a taped ankle/shin) and MJF for a chat. Cole gets to the point: he has broken his ankle in three places and torn ligaments, meaning he’s going to need surgery. Therefore, the titles have to be vacated, but MJF isn’t about to vacate the titles to those “freaky deaky douchebags the Righteous”. MJF is ready to defend the titles on his own, but here is Roderick Strong to say he needs Cole. IT’S AN EMERGENCY. Cole hugs MJF and goes up to Strong (and the Kingdom) and leaves with them.

Cue Bullet Club Gold, with Jay White telling MJF to shut up. He knows MJF wants some alone time with the Switchblade, which has MJF accusing him of smoking a certain substance. Fans: “WEED!” Yeah that one. MJF talks about how he’s been compared to all kinds of people and it’s never bothered him…until someone said he’s no Jay White. MJF says he’s like a filet mignon and it doesn’t matter who else is around him. White isn’t so much filet mignon, but rather tofu.

That means you can taste like anything you want but don’t have an identity. White was given the keys to one of the biggest stables ever but when you take that away, you’re bland, tasteless tofu. No matter what happens though, people will realize that MJF is better than him. White talks about how he got his personal MJF experience but says he holds MJF’s neck is feeling ok after Samoa Joe. He’s going to torment MJF for a little while longer though, because he wants the World Title.

MJF doesn’t seem so elite compared to White, who is the man who single handedly sold out Madison Square Garden. White is coming for the title, no matter what MJF thinks. This went on and on and on and couldn’t have been more obviously designed to fill in time if it had a big countdown clock going in the background.

We get a sitdown interview with Darby Allin and Christian Cage. They talk about being ready to leave WrestleDream with the title, with Cage saying he’s the better man. Cage brings up Allin’s uncle dying in a car wreck with Allin the car so Allin calls him out for bringing up so many dead people. Allin doesn’t want Nick Wayne out there with him so Cage accuses him of hiding behind his face paint. Allin pours water over his face and rubs it off, promising to win the title.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Jackson vs. Austin Gunn

It’s a brawl to start with Cassidy getting to armdrag Jackson. Gunn comes in to steal a cover but Penta chops him down. Penta superkicks Jackson but Cassidy comes in for the pockets vs. CERO MIEDO showdown. That doesn’t work for Penta, who drops him with a superkick. Gunn clears the ring again and we take a break.

Back with Gunn cleaning house again but Cassidy backdrops him down. A Canadian Destroyer hits Gunn but Jackson is back up with the rolling northern lights suplex. Penta comes back in with some kicks of his own but gets Orange Punched. Gunn hits the Fameasser for two on Cassidy, followed by two more on the other two. Back up and Cassidy sends Gunn outside, setting up the Orange Punch to finish Jackson at 12:21.

Rating: B-. The match itself was good enough, but there’s only so much you can get out of watching half of the wrestlers in an upcoming four way #1 contenders tag match. Cassidy getting the pin is almost always a wise way to go but this was more or less a “building momentum” match and that’s not exactly thrilling TV.

Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart

Brody King is here with Hart. Nightingale, with one eye bandaged, takes her into the corner to start and stomps away before planting her with some slams. We take a break and come back with Nightingale hitting a Death Valley Driver for two. Hart gets in a shot of her own and tries Hartless but Nightingale goes to the ropes. Nightingale ties her in the Tree of Woe but a King distraction lets Hart avoid the Cannonball. A moonsault gives Hart the pin at 8:18.

Rating: C. That was a rather nice looking moonsault from Hart and it should be interesting to see if they’ll pull the trigger with her on Sunday. She’s getting a lot better in the ring and a win over Nightingale feels like it matters. If nothing else, it would give the women’s division a new player and that is something they need at the moment.

Post match Hart grabs Hartless but Kris Statlander makes the save.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

It’s time for a contract signing between Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland. Swerve says this is a bad thing for Page because he’s in over his head. What’s a buckshot to a killshot (Killshot being Swerve’s name in Lucha Underground.)? Page thanks him for saying he’s in over his head because he was thinking about how things have changed in the last year.

Every time he started to smile though, that little cloud came back and it started to rain. That downpour rained something out of him and now he’s had time to think about what Strickland said. These people deserve more from him and that’s what Swerve will get in Seattle. Page signs but Strickland starts laughing, calling that the most pathetic thing he’s ever seen.

Sure Strickland has mental problems but he’s going to take this privilege from him at WrestleDream, because it rains a lot in Seattle. Page gets fired up and promises Strickland isn’t taking anything from him. Strickland slaps him and signs….so Page stabs him in the hand with the pen! The fight is broken up and they glare a lot. That was a heck of an exchange and this is one of the best things going in AEW right now.

We cut to the back where masked men jump Jay White. A man in a devil mask grabs the camera to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure what happened here tonight, but this was one heck of a weird show. Half of the matches felt out of nowhere and the other half were lame ways to build up unimportant WrestleDream matches. There’s still Collision to draw up some interest, but this didn’t make me want to hand AEW $50 for Sunday’s show. The wrestling was ok enough and carried the show, but this wasn’t just a regular Dynamite. This was the final Dynamite at the end of a not so great pay per view build. I’m not sure what AEW was trying here, but it didn’t work so well.

Results
Rey Fenix b. Jeff Jarrett – Small package
Nick Jackson b. Brian Cage and Claudio Castagnoli – Riccola Bomb to Cage
Orange Cassidy b. Austin Gunn, Matt Jackson and Penta El Zero Miedo – Orange Punch to Jackson
Julia Hart b. Willow Nightingale – Moonsault

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: September 23, 2023
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to wrap up another very busy week for AEW and it’s going to get even busier next week with WrestleDream. For now though, we have a big card with Ricky Starks vs. Bryan Danielson in a Texas Deathmatch and a triple threat match for the TNT Title. That should make for a nice night so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Darby Allin, Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, Ricky Starks and Bryan Danielson are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Christian Cage vs. Darby Allin vs. Luchasaurus

Luchasaurus is defending but Cage has all but said this is a handicap match against Allin. For a bonus, Sting is barred from ringside. They start fast with Allin throwing powder at Luchasaurus and knocking Cage outside for a dive. Back in and Code Red gets two on Cage, followed by a dive onto Luchasaurus. Cage knocks Allin off the apron though and the beating is on, with Luchasaurus sending in a chair.

Back in and Cage chokes Allin on the chair and Luchasaurus suplexes Allin, with the chair flying away as well. Cage doesn’t like Luchasaurus going for the cover…and then gets a near fall of his own. Everyone goes outside and Allin is whipped hard into the steps as we take a break.

Back with Luchasaurus being sent outside so Cage can miss a spear in the corner. Allin and Cage trade rollups until Allin hits a Death Drop. The Coffin Drop to the floor hits both villains but Allin has t flip out of a chokeslam inside. The flipping Stunner works a bit better for Allin so Cage brings in the title. The shot misses so Allin dropkicks him into the corner.

One heck of a chokeslam cuts Allin down though and Luchasaurus FINALLY gets to pick up the title. Cage says hand it over and, after some yelling, gets what he wants. Allin rams them into each other though and belts Luchasaurus in the head for two. The Coffin Drop connects but Cage sends Allin outside and steals the pin on Luchasaurus for the title at 10:03.

Rating: B. That’s an interesting way to go, as so much of the appeal of Cage and Luchasaurus’ act was about Cage holding the title without being champion. At the same time, this might be a step too far for Luchasaurus, who certainly liked holding the title for a little while. That being said, as usual this was about Allin bouncing all over the place like a rubber ball and it made or a heck of a performance. Good match, and they advance the Cage/Luchasaurus story in a big way.

Post match Luchasaurus doesn’t look happy but gets a hug before having to carry Cage on his shoulders.

We look at Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega uniting to go after the Don Callis Family.

The Don Callis Family thinks Omega and Jericho teaming with Kota Ibushi will make Omega weak. They’ve got a third family member and it’s….Will Ospreay. The match is set for WrestleDream. Well that’s big.

Christian Cage talks about how he has always been the undisputed champion and dedicates it to Nick Wayne’s parents. He’s happy to be done with Darby Allin, but Tony Khan has announced Cage vs. Allin, 2/3 falls for WrestleDream.

Rob Van Dam/Hook vs. Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

Jake Hager and Anna Jay are here with Parker and Menard. Hook takes Menard down to start but it’s quickly off to Parker. Van Dam comes in and easily drops Parker, followed by a rollup for two on Menard. The springboard kick to the face sends Parker outside, giving us the YOU’VE STILL GOT IT chant as we take a break.

Back with Hook not being able to get over for the tag so he settles for a suplex to Parker. The tag brings Van Dam back in to kick away, setting up Rolling Thunder for two on Parker with Menard having to make the save. Hager tries to bring in the chair but gets Van Daminatored. Hook pulls Parker into Redrum and the Five Star Frog Splash finishes Menard at 8:20.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t great but what mattered here was getting Van Dam in there again for a nostalgia moment. Van Dam is still more than good enough to have an eight minute tag match and looked perfectly fine in there. Menard and Parker losing isn’t a big deal so this went about as well as it could have or a quick moment.

We look at Eddie Kingston winning the ROH World Title and now he’s going to defend it (plus the New Japan Strong Openweight Title) against Katsuyori Shibata at WrestleDream.

The Dark Order wants you.

The Kingdom don’t like the Best Friends for not keeping their friends NECK STRONG. Next week, it’s piledrivers in support of neck health.

Julia Hart vs. Kiera Hogan

Brody King is here with Hart and Hogan is taking an injured Willow Nightingale’s place. Hogan starts fast with a running hip attack against the rope but gets pulled down by the hair. A suplex lets Hart hammer away but Hogan is back up with some shots to the head. Hart knocks her down again and hits a standing moonsault to set up the chinlock. The sliding clothesline to the back of the head sets up Hartless to make Hogan tap at 3:35.

Rating: C. This was about as good as it was going to get as Hogan hasn’t been treated anything special and the real fight is with Nightingale. Hart gets to be built up a little more before the showdown. The match was little more than a squash and now we can get to the Nightingale match, whenever it happens.

Post match Hart goes after Hogan again until Skye Blue tries for the save. That earns Blue (who Hart beat last night) the mist so King can challenge Kris Statlander for the TBS Title at WrestleDream.

We look at the Righteous becoming #1 contenders to the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

The Righteous walk through a garden and act all creepy, because that’s a totally new concept in wrestling.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Jay White

The rest of Bullet Club Gold is here with White. Andrade powers him into the corner to start and grabs a headlock. A shot off the top looks to set up Three Amigos but White slips out of the third. That’s fine with Andrade, who dropkicks him off the ropes and out to the floor. Back in and White knocks Andrade to the floor for a change and we take a break. Back with White taking him down for some shots to the chest.

They chop it out until Andrade snaps off some dragon screw legwhips. A flying forearm sends White into the corner and then out to the floor. Andrade hits a big moonsault onto the Club (and lands on his feet), followed by the double moonsault for two back inside. White knocks him outside and hits a swinging Rock Bottom for two, followed by a quickly broken chinlock.

Back up and Andrade drops him for two, setting up the running knees in the corner. The hammerlock DDT gets two as Juice Robinson puts a foot on the rope. A Figure Four keeps White in trouble and Andrade bridges up into the Figure Eight. That’s enough to bring in the Club for the distraction, allowing Robinson to deck Andrade. The Blade Runner finishes for White at 16:23.

Rating: B. These two had a heck of a match as this was Andrade being motivated and working hard in there to look good. At the same time though, White is on a roll right now and it’s cool to see him getting a big win like this one. This was rather awesome and I could go for more of both of them.

Ortiz talks about how Mike Santana has used him for years. Then Santana ran from his problems, but he won’t be able to run much longer.

Shane Taylor is made at Keith Lee leaving him in ROH, but Taylor became a legend there anyway. If he has to put Lee in the ground to take care of his kids, so be it. First though, Lee can face Lee Moriarty.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Workhorsemen

FTR is defending and Aussie Open is on commentary. Wheeler and Henry take turns going to the mat with neither getting much of an advantage. Drake comes in to miss an elbow and it’s Harwood coming in to try a running shoulder. A running shot puts Harwood down for two and it’s back to Henry. That’s fine with Harwood, who plants him with a brainbuster. Drake cuts Wheeler off though and hits a Cannonball on Harwood. A moonsault gives Drake two and a forearm rocks Harwood again. Drake tries a middle rope hurricanrana but gets slammed out of the air. The Sharpshooter retains the titles at 4:34.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to go very far and that is about as good of an idea as they had here. No one was buying the Workhorsemen (though that moonsault was good) when the Aussies were already on commentary and talking about WrestleDream. I can go with these short form FTR title defenses, as having them go this long with teams like the Workhorsemen, who barely ever win anything, is a bit of a stretch.

Post match the Aussies get in the ring to talk about how they’re having this match to show they’re still the team that took FTR to the limit last year. That’s cool with Harwood, who wants the baddest team to come after them. Top guys out.

CJ (not Perry) is here to make her husband Miro a champion again but he’s preoccupied. Miro comes in to say CJ is his temptation. She talks about liking the challenge of guiding people, but she doesn’t need Miro to save her. It seems she’s going to find someone else to manage. Just stay away from her future clients. Miro walks off without saying anything.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on WrestleDream.

Ricky Starks vs. Bryan Danielson

Texas Deathmatch (Last Man Standing) and there is no Big Bill for a change. They go right at it to start with Danielson sending him outside for a dive. Starks gets crotched on the barricade and they fight into the crowd. Back to ringside and Starks sends him into the crowd again, setting up a big dive to talk out a pair of guards.

We take a break and come back with Starks sending him into the announcers’ table over and over. Starks cracks him in the knee with a chair and then drives it into the ribs. Danielson is busted open so Starks goes after the cut, which just fired Danielson up. Starks drops him again though and we take another break.

Back again with Starks hitting a spear and choking Danielson out with a chain. That’s good for nine but another spear is countered into the LeBell Lock. Danielson chokes with the chain as well but Starks fires up. Danielson elbow shim in the head over and over, followed by a running knee to send a chair into Starks’ face. Starks is bused open and Danielson stomps away. The running knee, with chain, finishes Stark at 20:06.

Rating: B. These two work well together and that should wrap up the feud, which never saw Starks beat Danielson in a singles match. For now though, it was a good fight with Danielson elevating Starks up a good bit. Danielson seems to be on his retirement tour though and if that means running someone over, it’s likely going to happen.

Post match Wheeler Yuta and Big Bill come out to check on their friends and almost get in a fight to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a stacked card and it mostly delivered with a trio of solid matches. I had a good time with the show and the White vs. Andrade match was a treat. They also rapid fired the build towards WrestleDream, which certainly needed it with about a week to go before the show. They might want to work on that in the future, but I have no reason to believe they actually will. For now though, rather strong Collision here, though I’m not sure they’re going to be able to have this strong of a card every week.

Results
Christian Cage b. Luchasaurus and Darby Allin – Coffin Drop to Luchasaurus
Rob Van Dam/Hook b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Five Star Frog Splash to Menard
Julia Hart b. Kiera Hogan – Hartless
Jay White b. Andrade El Idolo – Blade Runner
FTR b. Workhorsemen – Sharpshooter to Drake
Bryan Danielson b. Ricky Starks – Running knee with a chain around the leg

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: September 20, 2023
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

It’s time for a(nother) big show with Grand Slam from a big old tennis stadium in New York. This time around we have a major main event as well, with MJF defending the World Title against Samoa Joe. That should make for a heck of a match, with some more title matches sprinkled throughout. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ring Of Honor World Title/New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston

Title for title and Wheeler Yuta is here with Castagnoli. They waste no time in exchanging the forearms and going to the floor. Kingston chops away against the barricade before going after the knee back inside. Castagnoli is fine enough to gutwrench him into a powerbomb but the Neutralizer is blocked. Kingston knocks him to the ramp (because there’s a ramp) but gets suplexed hard onto said ramp. Back in and Castagnoli goes up for a middle rope double stomp but a Swan Dive misses.

We take a break and come back with Kingston Hulking Up and getting two off a backslide. An enziguri sets up a t-bone suplex and a Saito suplex gets two. The rapid fire chops in the corner wake Castagnoli up but a right hand puts him down. They do the big slow motion chop off until Castagnoli hits a clothesline for two.

A Riccola Bomb is countered into a sunset flip for two but Castagnoli uppercuts the heck out of him for two. The Riccola Bomb connects for two more and the New York fans are VERY pleased. Back up and Kingston hits some spinning backfists into the half and half suplex into the third backfist into the northern lights bomb for a very near fall. Another backfist into a powerbomb gives Kingston the pin and the title at 15:16.

Rating: B+. This was a good back and forth match that was carried that much higher by the crowd. The fans were begging to see Kingston win the thing and he FINALLY does so, which thankfully didn’t have to go all the way to Final Battle. I’m not sure I buy Kingston as a long term champion, but they had to do this or Kingston would look like an even bigger choker than before.

Post match Castagnoli begrudgingly shows respect and hands over the title before leaving. Kingston gets the big moment and the fans seem rather pleased.

Earlier this week, the Kingdom was by Roderick Strong’s bedside in the hospital, where he has received a card from Olga thanking him for promoting Neck Health Awareness Month. Strong calls out for Adam Cole, who shows up immediately. Cole trades some barbs with the Kingdom before the two of them leave. Cole has to go as well because of MJF’s title match at Grand Slam, so Roderick tells him to just freaking go.

Christian Cage is ready to take out Sting and Darby Allin, but he’s also ready for Luchasaurus to get a TNT Title shot on Collision, but Sting is barred from ringside. New York baseball jokes are included.

Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara

Guevara has a Jericho style light up vest and gets rapped to the ring by Monteasy. They try the wrestling to start before switching to chopping away. Guevara hits a dropkick but Jericho isn’t happy with him trying the Sex Gods pose. Jericho hits a backbreaker to send him outside but misses the triangle dropkick. Guevara’s dive is broken up and they both crash out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Jericho hitting a heck of a clothesline for two but Guevara grabs a Codebreaker. Jericho bails to the floor and gets taken out with a moonsault, only to dropkick Guevara out of the air back inside. Another triangle dropkick doesn’t work as Sammy kicks…the air in the general vicinity of Jericho’s head.

A top rope cutter connects but the GTH is countered into the Walls. Guevara breaks that up as well and they both go up top, where Guevara grabs a twisting cutter (cool) for two more. Jericho hits the bulldog but comes back with a knee to the face. The GTH connects this time and Guevara goes up, only to shooting star into the Codebreaker (ok that was awesome) for the pin at 15:09.

Rating: B. Hey look, Jericho wins. I’m not sure what that helps as the whole point was that Jericho was trying to prove he wasn’t a follower but the ending was pretty awesome. They were trying to have Jericho wrestle like he did in the old days and he did that well enough, though there were some not so smooth looking sequences. For now though, good match, albeit with an odd ending.

Post match they hug until Guevara kicks him low. Cue Don Callis, who has a new member of the family, because this was getting interesting and we needed Callis to destroy that as quickly as possible.

MJF has been mad at Samoa Joe for eight years and promises to choke him out. Adam Cole is there for the fist bump but answers a call from Roderick Strong instead. Cole goes off to assure Strong that he isn’t going to die, leaving MJF to promise victory over Joe.

Don Callis promises answers on Rampage. Daniel Garcia comes in and almost gets in an argument with Sammy Guevara but Callis gets Guevara out of there.

International Title: Rey Fenix vs. Jon Moxley

Fenix, with Alex Abrahantes, is challenging. They fight on the ramp before the bell, with Fenix getting the better of things and sending him inside to officially start. Moxley stomps him down and they’re already back on the floor, with Moxley knocking him over the barricade. Fenix tries a barricade walk but gets pulled into a double arm DDT on the floor instead.

Back in and Fenix hits a rolling cutter into a frog splash for two. Fenix knocks him to the floor and drapes him over the apron for a top rope…I think knee? Either way it sends us to a break and we come back with Moxley sending him to the ramp for the stomp. Back in and Moxley hits a piledriver for two. Fenix comes back with a hard shot and the Black Fire Driver for…..two, despite Moxley absolutely not moving. Fenix picks him up and hits another for the pin and the title at 11:34.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what that was at the end but Moxley looked more than a bit out of it more than once here. He absolutely did not flinch on that first two count and the referee stopped anyway. That was either a really weirdly booked ending or Moxley’s bell was rung. Other than that, this was a lot of Fenix doing his big stuff and getting cut off by Moxley. That started to get old after a bit but then everything went wacky at the end.

Samoa Joe is ready to end MJF.

Post break we’re told that Jon Moxley left the ring under his own power. That’s great to hear.

There’s a big multi-team match on Rampage for a Ring Of Honor Tag Team Title shot.

Women’s Title: Saraya vs. Toni Storm

Saraya, with Ruby Soho, is defending and slaps away to start. Storm smiles at her (Saraya: “WHY ARE YOU SMILING?”) and the brawl is on with Storm taking over. Storm crawls under the ring and comes up with some shoes to beat up Soho. Another shoe to the face gives Storm two on Saraya and we take a break.

Back with Saraya in trouble but Soho steals the spray paint from Storm. Said paint is slipped to Saraya, who blasts Storm in the face and hits the Nightcap for two. Back up and Storm kisses Saraya, setting up Storm Zero for two. The hup attack in the corner misses Saraya (by a lot) but hits exposed buckle. The Nightcap retains the title at 8:49.

Rating: C. Three shoes, an exposed buckle, a kiss and spray paint. That’s more than a bit much for a match that didn’t last nine minutes and it was a mess almost all around. The Outcasts has been kind of all over the place for the last few weeks but there is a good chance that this is going to continue.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Samoa Joe vs. MJF.

AEW World Title: Samoa Joe vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Only MJF’s AEW World Title is on the line. MJF gets a Bret Hart tribute entrance, with a fan catching MJF in the hallway and saying “go get em champ.” MJF gives him his scarf….and tells him he’s adopted. MJF’s jacket and gear is rather New York sports themed and Joe takes over fast to start. A running big boot into the backsplash gets two and we take a break with MJF in trouble.

Back with MJF scoring with a kick to the chest and some clotheslines but Joe won’t go down. Instead Joe drops him again and rips off his Mets inspired jersey. That’s enough to fire MJF up and he hammers away in the corner, setting up a Hulk Hogan impression and the Kangaroo Kick to send Joe outside. Joe is right back up with a Death Valley Driver on the apron and Joe laughs like a villain. Joe release Rock Bottoms him through a table at ringside for two back inside.

They head outside again with Joe peeling back the floor mat for a piledriver and here are the trainers to check on MJF. Joe beats up said trainers and gets two back inside (39 seconds after a piledriver on the exposed floor). MJF spits in his face and grabs a sitout powerbomb before throwing on a sleeper. That’s countered into the Koquina Clutch in all of a second but MJF kicks him low for the escape.

The diamond ring is loaded up but the referee takes it away, allowing Joe to hit his own low blow. The Muscle Buster gets two (that’s a rare kickout) so Joe grabs a sleeper. Cue Adam Cole to cheer MJF on and the third arm drop doesn’t go through. MJF gets his own sleeper but the referee gets bumped. Joe slips out and goes after Cole so MJF unravels some tape to choke Joe out and retain at 18:30.

Rating: B. This worked rather well and it felt like a big time main event, which is all you can ask for in something like this. Well maybe not having another piledriver on the (exposed this time) floor only getting two but that’s an AEW thing. Other than that, MJF cheating to win fit him well and the match didn’t feel long at all. Solid main event here, and MJF is really starting to find himself in this role.

Post match Cole hides the tape and Joe shakes MJF’s hand to end the show (with Cole limping, apparently having hurt his ankle running in).

Overall Rating: B. The two International and Women’s Title matches weren’t great but other than that, this was a pretty strong in-ring show. The opener and main event both went very well and I got more into the Kingston win than I expected. There were some not so great moments though, such as Callis being involved and whatever that mess with the Moxley/Fenix ending was (I’m aware that Moxley looked banged up, but it’s hard to believe that was their best way out).

Overall, it was a very good show that mostly lived up to the hype, though having this many special shows in a row took away some of big feeling this would have had otherwise. AEW needs a change to take a breather from the big events, but with WrestleDream a week and a half away, that isn’t happening anytime soon.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Claudio Castagnoli – Powerbomb
Chris Jericho b. Sammy Guevara – Codebreaker
Rey Fenix b. Jon Moxley – Black Fire Driver
Saraya b. Toni Storm – Nightcap
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Samoa Joe – Rear naked choke

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

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

AND

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: September 7, 2023
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back to the usual schedule and as expected, the show is the longest it has been in a few weeks. That’s how Ring Of Honor works when things are set up as Tony Khan wants them to be and I’m still not sure why. The big stories continue to be Athena and Maria Kanellis-Bennett’s glacially paced building up of her new army to protect the Kingdom. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena and Billie Starkz aren’t on the same page about Athena losing on the All Out Zero Hour. Allysin Kay comes in and challenges Athena for tonight. Athena yells a lot and a title match is set.

Opening sequence.

Women’s Title: Allysin Kay vs. Athena

Athena, with Billie Starkz is defending and poses/waves to the crowd a lot to start. Kay armdrags her down for one and Athena needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Starkz seems conflicted about whether to cheat, only to have Athena take over in the corner instead. The forearms in the rope and a running knee rock Kay again, followed by a spinebuster for two.

Athena grabs the chinlock but mocks Kay’s pinkies up thing and gets forearmed in the face. The AK-47 into the ankle lock has Athena in trouble but she kicks her way to freedom. One heck of a forearm drops Kay, who is fine enough to break up the O Face. Not that it matters as the O Face finishes Kay at 9:18.

Rating: B-. That’s a Ring Of Honor match and story if I’ve ever seen one. They set this up and paid it off in less than fifteen minutes. For the life of me I do not get why Ring Of Honor insists on going through things this fast but here we are again. Athena gets to vanquish someone else while Starkz isn’t sure what to do and odds are we’ll see it again in the near future.

Post match Athena wants Starkz to take out Kay but Athena has to do it herself.

We look at MJF and Samoa Joe getting in a fight on Dynamite.

Silas Young vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Nese, who does the exact same thing he does before every match he has these days. Nese tries to jump him to start but Young hammers away. Young sends him to the apron for the springboard clothesline and the fight goes out to the floor. A posting cuts Young off and they head back inside so Nese can kick away at the arm. Nese’s middle rope dropkick gets two and we hit the armbar. Nese misses a spinning kick though and gets blasted by a clothesline. Young stomps at the chest but Nese slips out of a fireman’s carry. The running Nese finishes Young at 5:24.

Rating: C. This was a nice way to get Nese a win over someone with some name value and the arm work went well enough. Nese is someone who is going to be around pretty regularly and at some point he needs to have some success. Nice match, though I could go with Young actually doing something other than jobbing for a change.

Post match Nese gives him a sweaty handshake.

Dalton Castle is bamboozled with all of the problems in front of him, including having to take care of his Boys. He needs to eat (yes eat) these problems, and yes he knows his new shirt is awesome.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Adam Priest/Schaff

Luther is here with the Project. Priest and Angelico start things off and the Project seems to have some fans here. They fight over wrist control with Serpentico coming in for some wrist cranking of his own. The much bigger Schaff comes in and stomps Serpentico down in the corner. A toss suplex makes it worse for Serpentico but he avoids a charge in the corner. The tag brings Angelico back in to pick up the pace, including a dancing kick to Schaff. A leglock makes Schaff tap at 3:35.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash for the Project as they are starting to actually do something for a change. I’m not exactly buying them as a serious threat going forward but at least they’re getting a few wins. The tag division can need some fresh blood and the fans like the team so go with it for the time being.

Kiera Hogan is ready for Leila Grey tonight and she’ll fight anyone else too.

Renegades vs. Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue

Blue again has the Chicago flag gear. Charlette’s headlock doesn’t do much to Blue to start as she hits a dropkick for two. A swinging neckbreaker lets Willow come in for a backsplash but Robyn comes in with a kick to Blue’s head. Robyn grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two and stereo kicks to the face put Blue down again. Blue manages to roll away and gets the diving tag to Willow for the house cleaning. The Pounce to Robyn and a spinebuster to Charlette gets two as everything breaks down. A Death Valley Driver into Code Blue finishes Robyn at 5:26.

Rating: C+. Nice fast paced match here, but Blue in the same Chicago style gear winning matches on three shows with the same rollup finisher isn’t having quite the impact. I get the idea but it’s the problem with having AEW run so many shows in a row and presenting the same people so many times. And hey the Renegades lose again because that’s what they do these days.

Mogul Embassy vs. Griff Garrison/Gravity/Metalik

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Garrison and company win or last the ten minute time limit, they get a future title shot. Kaun runs Garrison over to start and it’s already off to Toa, who teams up with Cage for a double faceplant. Garrison slips out of a suplex though and it’s Gravity coming in for a rollup. A superkick staggers Cage and it’s Metalik coming in with a springboard high crossbody. The reverse Sling Blade drops Cage and there’s the rope walk dropkick The rope walk Swanton gets two more and everything breaks down. A powerbomb/middle rope splash combination finishes Metalik at 5:44.

Rating: C. You know, it would be rather interesting if the challengers won, or just survived the time limit, for a Proving Ground match for once. They’ve been doing them for months now and no one has actually survived. The challengers weren’t anything special in this case but the Embassy has been so dominant that someone even making it to ten minutes with them would be a big shakeup. That new finisher was nice too so they are at least doing something new.

Leila Grey vs. Kiera Hogan

It’s the battle of the Baddies. They argue over a pull of the tights to start before missing an elbow each. Hogan knocks her down and hits a springboard legdrop for two. Grey is back up with a knee to the ribs and Baddies themed trash talk. A powerslam gives Grey two more but Hogan is back up with a dropkick into the corner. The running hip attack in the corner gets two but Grey hits a fast spear for the same. Grey loads up her fan, which is quickly taken away. That’s enough for Hogan to hit Face The Music for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C. I’m not sure how many people were thinking about the Baddies, but other than a few off the cuff mentions, that wasn’t the focus here. Hogan is someone AEW/ROH always seems ready to push but they just won’t go with it. There are worse options though, as Hogan has some tools to become a player in the division. Grey is decent too, but they both need a lot more seasoning.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett thinks Griff Garrison (as brought up by Cole Karter) has potential and tells him to think about it.

Infantry/Willie Mack vs. Davey Bang/August Matthews/Jah-C

Jah and Bravo start things off with the latter taking over on the arm. Dean comes in and stays on said arm before handing it off to Mack to face Matthews. Mack dances a bit and hits a running kick to the chest, meaning Bang gets to come in. The Infantry takes turns beating up Bang and Mack gets two off a Sky High. Everything breaks down and Mack and company hit a triple superkick. Boot Camp finishes Bang at 3:06.

Rating: C. Another squash here but it’s nice to see a team forming in the six man division. That’s more than a lot of teams seem to get and it’s always a good idea to have Mack doing something. The Infantry has gone from nobodies to a team who can do some nice things in the ring, so this is another example of bringing some people up in a good way.

Lee Johnson is ready for Claudio Castagnoli tonight.

Lady Frost vs. Leyla Hirsch

They fight over a lockup to start, even going to the mat a few times. With that not working for either of them, Hirsch kicks Frost’s elbow out during a handspring to take over. Cue Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Cole Karter to watch as Hirsch grabs a Fujiwara armbar. Back up and Frost scores with a kick to the head before a handspring elbow gets two. Hirsch sends her into the corner though and the cross armbreaker makes Frost tap at 4:04.

Rating: C. Hirsch has been the best thing about Maria’s search for an army but even then it’s only so good. Maria has said that these people are there to protect the Kingdom, even though they have yet to actually do anything with the Kingdom. That doesn’t make for the best story, though Hirsch mauling people was fun to see as usual.

Post match Maria comes in for the handshake but Hirsch walks off, saying she’s doing fine on her own.

Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Gringo Loco/Blake Christian

Shibata and Christian go with the grappling to start with Shibata getting the better of things (shocking I know). Kingston comes in for the rapid fire chops in the corner and there’s a t-bone suplex for two. It’s off to Loco for the chop off with Kingston before leg lariating Kingston down. Kingston gets taken into the wrong corner but Christian’s frog splash hits raised knees. Shibata comes back in and gets to clean house, including a suplex for two on Christian. There’s the spinning backfist to Loco but Christian sends Kingston outside for a flip dive. Back in and Shibata sleepers Christian into the PK for the pin at 6:12.

Rating: C+. This got a hair more time and it helped a bit, though Shibata still doesn’t exactly feel like the most impressive star at the moment. He had some serious medical issues that slowed him down, but he hasn’t been the most interesting star since his return. I’m sure it was a thrill for Kingston to team with him though and they gave us a good enough match to make it work. Now just get Kingston on to Castagnoli already.

Respect is shown post match.

Mark Sterling and Josh Woods want better competition so the open challenge is on.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Lee Johnson

Non-title Proving Ground match with Wheeler Yuta in Castagnoli’s corner. Castagnoli wastes no time in taking him into the corner (not the one with Yuta) and Johnson is in trouble early. A belly to back suplex gives Castagnoli two but Johnson gets in some kicks to the head. Johnson slips out of a fall away slam and gets two off a DDT. The uppercut gives Castagnoli two and a heck of a lariat gets the same. Castagnoli unloads with the elbows but won’t let the referee stop it. Instead it’s Swiss Death to finish Johnson at 3:35.

Rating: C. Johnson got in some offense here but ultimately there is only so much you can do against a monster like Castagnoli. That being said, Castagnoli could really use some kid of a story. He rarely defends the title and it would be nice to have someone come after it. I’d still assume that’s going to be Eddie Kingston, but there could be something to bridge what has already been a long gap.

Iron Savages vs. Caleb Konley/Ren Jones

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages and handles their introductions. Bronson shoves Konley down to start and grabs a powerslam. Konley has to slip out of Boulder’s slam so Jones comes in and gets slammed. The assisted splash finishes Jones at 1:23. Well that worked.

Athena yells at Billie Starkz for leaving her hanging earlier so Athena says it’s time for minion training.

Best Friends/Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Outrunners/Workhorsemen

The villains jump them from behind to start and it’s a brawl on the floor to get things going. Back in and Henry DDT’s Beretta for two, followed by a powerslam/DDT combination to give Floyd two. A top rope double stomp gets two on Beretta but Floyd steals the tag from Drake. Beretta sends the Outrunners into each other and it’s Martin coming in to pick up the pace. A double DDT drops the Outrunners as everything breaks down. Taylor saves Martin from a double suplex and it’s Soul Food into a half dragon suplex to drop Magnum. Strong Zero finishes Magnum at 4:48.

Rating: C+. At least they finished with a fast paced match that didn’t bother with much in the way of tagging. This was about getting a bunch of people in there for a hot match and that’s what they did well enough. It was all about energy rather than the quality of the match and in some situations, like this one, that is absolutely the best move.

Overall Rating: C. On one hand, I liked that it came off as if some people are getting some new pushes. That has been lacking in ROH for a long time now and it felt a bit different here. At the same time though, my goodness did this show feel long. It was right back to the same problems for ROH, of what felt like a month of shows crammed into one episode. I have no idea why they insist on setting something up and blowing it off literally in the same show, but that has been the case since ROH returned. This show can be good, but the way it is presented gets in its own way far too often, with the problems on full display here.

Results
Athena b. Allysin Kay – O Face
Tony Nese b. Silas Young – Running Nese
Spanish Announce Project b. Adam Priest/Schaff – Leglock to Schaff
Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue b. Renegades – Code Blue to Robyn
Mogul Embassy b. Griff Garrison/Gravity/Metalik – Powerbomb/middle rope splash combination to Metalik
Kiera Hogan b. Leila Grey – Face The Music
The Infantry/Willie Mack b. Jah-C/August Matthews/Davey Bang – Boot Camp to bang
Leyla Hirsch b. Lady Frost – Cross armbreaker
Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata b. Blake Christian/Gringo Loco – PK to Christian
Claudio Castagnoli b. Lee Johnson – Swiss Death
Iron Savages b. Caleb Konley/Ren Jones – Electric chair splash to Jones
Best Friends/Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Outrunners/Workhorsemen – Strong Zero to Magnum

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

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

AND

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

All Out 2023
Date: September 3, 2023
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur, Kevin Kelly

It’s the second pay per view in eight days and this week’s card isn’t exactly strong. In theory the main event is Orange Cassidy defending the International Title against Jon Moxley, which has been built up rather strong. Other than that, we have a pair of Ring Of Honor title matches so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Zero Hour: Other The Budget Charity Battle Royal

Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, Dalton Castle, Matt Menard, Tony Nese, Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis, Serpentico, Action Andretti, Darius Martin, Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, Angelo Parker, Scorpio Sky, Bishop Kaun, Toa Leona, Brian Cage, Hangman Page, Shawn Spears, Komander

The winner gets to donate $50,000 to the charity of their choice. Before the match though, Nese gets in the ring and does his “you’re all fat and need group training” deal. He does some pushups as the bell rings and is promptly eliminated. The Mogul Embassy and Dalton Castle/The Boys get in a fight on the floor, only to have Komander hit his rope walk shooting star onto them all (none of them are eliminated).

Hager tosses Serpentico as Nigel says he’s never actually been in a battle royal. Garcia and Spears have a staredown with the TEN vs. dancing until the Aussies break it up. The Mogul Embassy gets together to dump Komander but the Boys save Castle from hitting the floor. The same Boys drop Parker for the elimination (Parker: “SERIOUSLY?”) but Cage clotheslines Castle out. There goes Martin before the Best Friends chokeslam Cage. Leona tosses Taylor though, only to have Page get rid of Kaun.

Menard and Hager are both out as the ring is rapidly clearing out. Page and Beretta double clothesline Davis out and Sky eliminates Garcia (the fans aren’t pleased). We’re down to six, with Page, Andretti and Beretta squaring off with Cage, Leona and Fletcher. Andretti is sent to the apron and tossed out but Beretta half and half suplexes Fletcher out. Cage eliminates Beretta and we’re down to Page vs. Cage and Leona. The Buckshot Lariat gets rid of Leona but Cage hits a quick neckbreaker. Not that it matters as Page comes right back and tosses him out for the win at 13:13.

Rating: C. This was the “get everyone on the show” deal and the charity thing was a pretty unique way to go. That being said, it’s another battle royal and I don’t know how AEW could possibly run them into the ground any farther. This is their second in three days and that’s a bit much for anyone. At least they didn’t go long and Page winning seemed to pop the crowd so it was hardly some terrible idea.

Zero Hour: Hikaru Shida/Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue vs. Athena/Mercedes Martinez/Diamante

Athena and company are quickly sent outside and start arguing, allowing Blue to hit a big dive. Back in and Shida’s middle rope dropkick hits Diamante but Blue comes in and gets dropped with a gutbuster. Diamante sends her face first into a boot in the corner but Blue slaps Athena in the face. That’s not enough for the diving tag as Athena plants her down for two instead.

The next attempt is enough to bring Shida back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and we get an exchange of strikes to the head. Martinez hits a German superplex on Blue but Nightingale crushes her. Athena hits the O Face but they head out to the floor. Nightingale Pounces Athena into the barricade and Martinez is whipped hard into it for a bonus. Back in and Code Blue finishes Martinez at 8:23.

Rating: C. The sooner they can get Athena into the AEW women’s division, the better. She’s dominated Ring Of Honor for so long and is completely ahead of everyone else around there. Let her come up to the bigger stage and show what she can do with the better talent. Other than that, this felt like a way to get a bunch of women on the show, though having Blue in the Chicago gear made perfect sense.

Zero Hour: Trios Titles: Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

Jarrett and company are challenging and get a very basketball themed entrance. On the other hand, the champs come out with Dennis Rodman as Caster calls the other team the 2023 Oddities. Hold on though as Gunn has his own referee, so here is Aubrey Edwards. Jarrett and company jump them to start but it’s a quick Scissor Me Timbers to Jeff. The Acclaimed do a pretty bad strut but Jeff gets in a running crotch attack on the ropes to Caster.

Lethal comes in to stomp Caster down in the corner until a suplex gives us a double knockdown. It’s off to Bowens to clean house and Gunn comes in to hammer away as well. That works until Singh is there for a chokeslam to Bowens. Sonjay Dutt offers a distraction but Aubrey Edwards catches Karen Jarrett bringing in the guitar. Aubrey kicks her to the floor as Gunn hits Singh low. Rodman adds a guitar shot to Singh and there’s a Fameasser to Lethal. The Arrival into the Mic Drop retains the titles at 5:56.

Rating: C. Rodman seemed a bit….we’ll go with “off” here and only did one thing. This is probably a match that could have been on Collision or Rampage instead but here it is making this show longer instead. I do like getting the Acclaimed and Gunn out there for a fun enough title match though and it didn’t last long, so this could have been a lot worse.

And now, the show proper.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Dark Order vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Adam Cole

MJF and Cole are defending and we’re already in with the DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE chants. Silver slugs away at Cole to start but the threat of the double clothesline sends Silver out to the floor. Back in and MJF offers a handshake under the guise of sportsmanship, only to get in a cheap shot on Reynolds (the fans approve). The Kangaroo Kick is loaded up but he gets knocked down with a chair shot behind the referee’s back.

MJF’s neck is banged up and walks out (with help, rather than a neck brace), leaving Cole to fight on his own. Fans: “SINGLE CLOTHESLINE!” Cole is sent outside but cuts off a dive with a jumping enziguri. Back in and Silver kicks away at Cole, setting up a fisherman’s buster for two. Silver snaps off a German suplex for two before Cole is sent outside. Evil Uno gets in a cheap shot on the floor, setting up the jawbreaker into a German suplex for two on Cole.

There’s a double clothesline for two on Cole but he’s back with a kick in the corner to drop Reynolds. Cue the returning MJF to get the tag and clean house, including some right hands and a bite in the corner. Silver falls down and headbutts Silver low by mistake and Uno’s distraction is cut off by a superkick. The Double Clothesline retains the titles at 14:03.

Rating: B-. Honestly, what else were they supposed to do here? There was no reason to believe that the Dark Order was going to win, or really have much of a chance, without some kind of interference so the MJF handicap was all they had. It absolutely did not need to be on pay per view, but it had its entertaining moments.

MJF has to be helped out but here is Samoa Joe for his match. Joe shoves MJF on the way to the ring so MJF charges in for the brawl. Cole, instead of helping, calls out security as Joe grabs a front facelock (AHUH). Security finally gets in to break it up, as I’m trying to figure out where they came up with the inspiration for a shove and a front facelock until the fight was broken up.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending. Taylor slugs him into the corner to start but Joe knocks it out to the floor. Back in and Taylor grabs a powerslam for two but Joe slugs away again. With Taylor on the floor, Joe hits a suicide elbow, only to get clotheslined for two back inside. A hanging Stunner gets two on Joe and a middle rope splash gets the same. They forearm it out until Joe pulls him into the Koquina Clutch to retain at 6:23.

Rating: C. Well that happened. I’m rather glad that they spent time setting up Taylor as the challenger on ROH and then had this match get PPV time. Taylor never felt like a threat and then Joe just choked him out. Joe has held the title for almost a year and a half now and it’s time to find him a serious challenger. Or take the title off of him already.

We recap Luchasaurus vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Title. Christian Cage thinks it’s his and has been as gloriously delusional as ever.

TNT Title: Luchasaurus vs. Darby Allin

Allin is challenging and Christian Cage/Nick Wayne are the seconds. Allin charges right at him and they fight to the floor, with Luchasaurus sending Allin into the steps. Cage wants more violence so Luchasaurus puts the steps on Allin’s back and steps on them. Back in and a spinning side slam gives Luchasaurus two, followed by one heck of a headbutt. Allin manages a quick shot but a springboard crossbody bounces off of Luchasaurus for a crash.

Allin’s rib tape is pulled off and they head outside, where Luchasaurus gets posted. Luchasaurus is put in a chair for the top rope flip dive. Back in and Allin manages a crucifix bomb for two but Luchasaurus sends him flying. Allin fights up again and dives onto Cage, followed by a super Code Red for two. The Coffin Drop is loaded up but Cage blasts Wayne with a chair. That’s enough of a distraction for Luchasaurus to hit a pair of Tombstones and a clothesline to the back of the head to retain at 12:09.

Rating: B-. There is something about seeing Allin throw himself at a monster like a brick wall and it worked well here. I’m glad to see Luchasaurus retaining the title as it means more of Christian Cage’s delusions of grandeur. Good stuff here and it’s not like Allin is hurt by getting mauled by a monster.

Post match the villains grab a chair to load up the Concharito but a bunch of people, including Shawn Spears, make the save.

We recap Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Miro. They’re both big and strong so let’s hoss fight.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Miro

They start fast and it’s a brawl with the slugout going to Hobbs. A running clothesline drops Miro but he knocks Hobbs to the apron. Back in and a dropkick puts Hobbs down again but he pops up for an overhead belly to belly. Hobbs misses a splash in the corner though and there’s a running flip dive off the apron to put him down again. They head back inside and Hobbs drops him again, setting up a chinlock. Miro fights up and hits some running knees before kind of Hulking Up.

A bunch of clotheslines drop Hobbs but he blocks a suplex and goes up. That’s broken up as well and the Machka Kick connects, only to have Hobbs plant him for another two. They slug it out until Miro blocks him with a running clothesline. The Game Over is actually broken though and Hobbs grabs a spinebuster for two. Hobbs loads up his own Game Over but Miro fights out plants him down and grabs the real Game Over for the win at 15:15.

Rating: B+. Oh yeah that worked. This was the definition of a “what you see is what you get” match as two monsters beat the fire out of each other for fifteen minutes until one of them won. There is something to be said about this kind of a hoss fight and my goodness it was a lot of fun. Now just find something for both of them to do already.

Post match Hobbs turns down a handshake and jumps Miro….and here is CJ Perry (formerly Lana, Miro’s wife) to chair Hobbs in the back. The distraction lets Miro make the save but he walks away from Perry (who he says isn’t real), who looks confused.

We recap Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho. Statlander can’t beat her, but this time it’s for Statlander’s TBS Title.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho

Soho, with Saraya, is challenging and gets run over with a shoulder to start. That’s enough to take the fight outside, where Soho sends her face first into the barricade. Saraya gets in a cheap shot to give Soho two and she chokes away in the corner. Statlander hits a clothesline but gets kicked back down for two more. They strike it out for a double knockdown before Statlander unloads in the corner. A running knee rocks Soho but she grabs a belly to back suplex.

Back up and Statlander can’t get Sunday Night Fever as Soho rolls her up for two instead. Soho snaps off a hurricanrana into a DDT into a basement hurricanrana for two more. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Statlander two but Soho pulls her off the ropes into No Future. Destination Unknown gets two so it’s spray paint time. Cue Toni Storm from under the ring to take it away though, allowing Statlander to hit Sunday Night Fever to retain at 12:12.

Rating: B. It’s amazing what happens when the women are given more time and don’t have a commercial right in the middle. Throw in the lack of spray paint in an Outcasts match and it was that much better. Statlander getting another win is a good thing to see, and now the Outcasts even seem to be imploding to make things that much better. Heck of a match here.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks. Ricky Steamboat wanted revenge for Starks whipping him, so he got Starks to agree to a match with the Dragon. By that he meant the American Dragon, as Danielson made a surprise return.

Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks

No DQ strap match with Ricky Steamboat on commentary. Hold on though as Starks jumps him before putting the strap around his wrist and Danielson is beaten down. Danielson is busted open but let’s ring the bell anyway, with Starks going outside to hammer away. Since he’s one of the most professional wrestlers ever, Steamboat is there to explain that Danielson might be a bit out of ring shape despite being in great physical condition.

The whipping continues around the ring but Danielson is back with a headbutt. Starks backdrops him to the apron though and one heck of a strap shot has the blood flying. Back in and Starks gets crotched on top and the whipping is on, with Steamboat being rather pleased. Three dropkicks in the Tree of Woe rock Starks again but Starks gets in a whip of his own. Starks spends too long yelling at Steamboat though and Danielson pulls him into the ring.

More whipping ensues on the bloody Starks but he’s back with a long string of whips back inside. That just fires Danielson up as he shouts about Starks taking a beating. The YES Kicks knock Starks silly but cue Big Bill to jump Danielson. Steamboat pulls Bill off and chops away but gets shoved down. Danielson dives onto both villains, only to have Starks hit a spear for two. The running knee drops Starks again and Danielson kicks him into the LeBell Lock, with strap around the neck, for the knockout win at 16:36.

Rating: B+. There are times when the match needs to be straight up violent and that is what we got here. It was bloody and carnage, with Danielson looking like a monster at the end. Starks needs a win, but it’s ok to have him lose in a crazy brutal match like this one. In addition, Steamboat, who has barely been in wrestling in years, was better than most commentators and even looked decent with those chops. Heck of a match here.

Hangman Page is donating his winnings to the Chicago Public Education Fund.

Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta

Shibata takes Yuta down to start and goes for the arm, sending Yuta over to the rope. Castagnoli comes in to lock up with Shibata before it’s off to Kingston. The fight heads outside with Yuta hitting a suicide dive and Castagnoli driving Kingston into the barricade. Back in and Yuta cranks on both arms at once but Kingston fights up with an STO.

Shibata comes in and strikes away in the corner but Castagnoli drops him again. A Fastball Special (Rocket Launcher) gives Yuta two but Shibata strikes his way out of trouble. An Indian Deathlock to Yuta and an ankle lock to Castagnoli at the same time has to be broken up. Everything breaks down and Shibata kicks Yuta into a Saito suplex to give Kingston two.

Kingston and Castagnoli strike it out until the Neutralizer gives Castagnoli two more. The Riccola Bomb is escaped and Kingston hits a spinning backfist. The northern lights bomb gets two and Shibata chokes Yuta out. Then Castagnoli hits an uppercut to finish Kingston at 15:26.

Rating: C+. That ending is bizarre to say the least and I’m not sure where they’re going now. Castagnoli has beaten Kingston at least twice this year and that doesn’t bode well for Kingston’s title prospects. There is a strong chance he wins the title at Final Battle, but my goodness it’s not easy to bring myself to care about a title match another three months from now.

We recap Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita. Don Callis needs someone else to throw at Omega so here we go.

Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis is here with Takeshita. Omega gets struck down to start until Takeshita DROPS HIM ON HIS HEAD with a belly to back suplex. Omega is fine enough to hit a Regal roll on the floor into a moonsault off the barricade. Back in and Omega ties up the legs but Takeshita fights out.

They go to the floor where Takeshita hits a brainbuster, meaning it’s time to load up some chairs. A slingshot dive onto the chairs onto Omega gets two, followed by a Helluva Kick into a Blue Thunder Bomb for the same. Omega fights up with the ax handles to the chest and a missed running knee sends Takeshita outside.

That means the big running flip dive to Takeshita on the floor, followed by a missile dropkick to the back of the head inside. Some snapdragons and the poisonrana give Omega two but Takeshita hits one heck of a lariat for the same. Takeshita reverses something into a kneeling Tombstone for two and they trade more strikes.

A super One Winged Angel is blocked and Takeshita hits a super Blue Thunder Bomb for a rather near fall instead. Omega hits a V Trigger but Takeshita finds the screwdriver. That’s taken away, so Takeshita hits a running knee for two. Another running knee finishes Omega at 22:29.

Rating: A-. This was a heck of a fight with Omega putting Takeshita over in the big match, as he should. Takeshita has been the guy who could be something if he got a big win for a long time and that has now been solved. There is bound to be a rematch and Omega can get his win back there as he gets closer to revenge on Callis. This helped make Takeshita though and that is what he has been needing for a long time now.

Bullet Club Gold vs. FTR/Young Bucks

Wheeler starts in on Austin’s arm before handing it off to the Bucks (THERE is the reaction from the fans we’ve been waiting on) and they take turns on said arm. White comes in to hammer on Harwood, who fires back with some chops. It’s off to Wheeler for a change and Robinson gets to take out his knee.

Some snap jabs have Wheeler in more trouble but he fights back up and hands it off to Harwood. The Club takes him into the wrong corner for the alternating beating though and Robinson is back with the chinlock. A belly to back suplex breaks it up but Harwood gets pulled outside for a drop onto the apron. Back in and another chinlock is broken up, allowing the tag off to Nick.

The springboard wristdrag/headscissors takes down Robinson and Colten and everything breaks down. The threat of a triple superkick sends White into the slingshot X Factor from Matt. Austin is superplex into a top rope headbutt into a top rope elbow into a 450 for two, with Colten making the save. The Shatter Machine hits Robinson and superkicks abound, setting up a BTE Trigger from Harwood and Matt for two on Jay. Then White hits a Blade Runner on Wheeler to give Austin the pin at 21:39.

Rating: B. This was a wild match and they hit a bunch of stuff throughout. I’m not big on the idea of FTR/the Bucks being some new wonder team but there’s a good chance that is just a one off. If this leads to the Club getting another Tag Team Title shot on the big stage, it’s all for the better though, as they have some incredible chemistry with FTR every time they’re out there together.

We recap Orange Cassidy defending the International Title against Jon Moxley. Cassidy has been on a record reign with the title but Moxley is by far his biggest challenger.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley

Cassidy is defending and gets blasted in the head to start. The dropkick gives Cassidy a breather but Moxley suplexes him down hard. The flipping Stunner is countered into a suplex toss and Cassidy crashes again. They go outside with Moxley posting him to draw the first blood. Moxley sends him over the announcers’ table and bites at the head, prompting a lot of yelling from the referee.

Back in and a piledriver gets two on Cassidy, meaning it’s time to bite at the cut again. The referee even asks if Cassidy can still go and yes of course he can. Cassidy is back with some DDTs but the Beach Break is blocked. Instead Cassidy hits a PK into the Orange Punch for two but Moxley pulls him into a choke. The armbreaker is reversed so Moxley pulls him into the LeBell Lock this time.

With that broken up, they head outside with Moxley peeling back the floor mats. Cassidy reverses into a Beach Break and they barely beat the count back inside. Back in and Cassidy hits the Orange Punch and a spear of all things gets two. Cassidy goes with the lazy kicks but turns them into much harder kicks, only for the King Kong Lariat to drop him. Cassidy pops back up so it’s another King Kong Lariat into the Death Rider for a very close two. Then Moxley hits another Death Rider to win the title at 19:43.

Rating: B. It was a violent match and felt like Cassidy’s biggest ever, but man alive that result is going to have some people arguing. Cassidy’s reign was mainly against lower level stars and he loses in his first match against a main eventer? That doesn’t so much make me think he’s been elevated to the next level as much as it confirms the status he was in for a long time. Good match and it was time for someone new, but I’m not sure how much Moxley needed this.

Cassidy gets the standing ovation to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another strong show, though I’m not sure how much a lot if will change the bigger stories going forward. Instead, this show was about having a string of strong matches and there were enough here to carry things on. The only weak stuff was either on Zero Hour or the ROH TV Title match (and maybe the Kingston/Castagnoli tag). It could have gone with being about 30-40 minutes shorter, but you won’t be disappointed with watching the whole thing. The big matches more than delivered though and that’s enough to make this work.

Results
Hangman Page won the Other The Budget battle royal last eliminating Brian Cage
Hikaru Shida/Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue b. Athena/Mercedes Martinez/Diamante – Code Blue to Martinez
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal – Mic Drop to Lethal
Adam Cole/Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Dark Order – Double Clothesline to Reynolds
Samoa Joe b. Shane Taylor – Koquina Clutch
Luchasaurus b. Darby Allin – Clothesline to the back of the head
Miro b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Game Over
Kris Statlander b. Ruby Soho – Sunday Night Fever
Bryan Danielson b. Ricky Starks via referee stoppage
Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta b. Katsuyori Shibata/Eddie Kingston – Uppercut to Kingston
Konosuke Takeshita b. Kenny Omega – Running knee
Bullet Club Gold b. FTR/Young Bucks – Blade Runner to Wheeler
Jon Moxley b. Orange Cassidy – Death Rider

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

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

AND

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

Well we’re back on pay per view about a week after the last one and that might not be the best idea. The build to All Out, the full week that we’ve had for it, has been a bit lacking, as AEW does not seem to have the most steam coming out of All In. Some of that can be attributed to the CM Punk debacle, but I’m not sure if that is going to be enough to make the show work. There is some potential in the card though and that is a good sign. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Athena/Mercedes Martinez/Diamante vs. Hikaru Shida/Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue

This is some weird ROH vs. AEW style match and that is kid of indicative of how the women’s division has been going as of late. Thankfully the Outcasts are not involved in this one and we should be able to get some focus on some stars who could use the attention. Athena has been on fire in ROH and Martinez can work well with anyone. Throw in Shida and Nightingale and this has some potential.

I’ll go with Blue and company though, as she feels like the definition of someone in this match for the hometown pop. Blue can handle herself well enough in the ring, but the fact that she was in Chicago themed gear on Rampage told me all I needed to know about this one. We should be in for a fun opener, but odds are it gets about eight minutes, like so many women’s matches these days.

Zero Hour: Trios Titles: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn(c) vs. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh

Normally the titles would be enough to drive the interest here but this is almost all about Dennis Rodman being in the champs’ corner. That’s another one pretty much entirely for the Chicago crowd and again, that isn’t a terrible idea. Rodman is going to stand in the corner for most of the match, put a cigar in his mouth, and probably punch Sonjay Dutt. Other than that though, we do have some titles on the line.

In what might be the easiest pick of the night, there is almost no chance of the titles changing hands here so we’ll go with the champs retaining. They just won the titles a week ago and there is no reason to believe that they are going to lose here. Just let the champs get another title victory and move on to whomever is next, though without Rodman after this one time.

Zero Hour: Over The Budget Battle Royal

This is a battle royal with no announced entrants, but the winner gets to make a $50,000 donation to the charity of their choice. That is the kind of thing that could make for quite the mess behind the scenes as AEW gets to pick a charity. Either that or we have the wrestlers all pick the same charity without letting it be known in advance. Now that being said, this is going to be a tricky one to pull off, as we don’t know who is actually in the ting.

Since the other two matches on Zero Hour have Chicago connections, and given the situation that took place this year, I’ll go with Colt Cabana to win the thing, both as a friendly Chicago deal and a big farewell to CM Punk. This is a match that pretty much can’t be previewed due to the whole WE DON’T KNOW WHO IS IN IT, but at least the charity stuff is a nice prize for a change.

TNT Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Ruby Soho

Here we have a match that isn’t likely to get much time but could do well for a match that gives the show a chance to breathe. Statlander has been built up rather well since winning the title and has been racking up wins, but that is going to have to end at some point. At the same time, Soho has to actually win something at some point, though I’m not sure if that is going to take place here.

I’ll go with Statlander retaining the title here, though after a rather good match. Soho is someone who can work with just about anyone and should be able to have a solid back and forth match with Statlander. At the end of the day though, the Outcasts having both titles doesn’t seem like the best idea so we’ll go with Statlander retaining, with the champ getting another nice win.

Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta

This is a match that was added to the card without much fanfare and I’m not sure how good of a situation that is going to be. Kingston vs. Castagnoli has been going on for most of the last five months and at some point, Kingston almost has to win the Ring Of Honor World Title. For now though, we’re stuck here with another tag match, which is likely to help set up Yuta for another Pure Rules Title shot. That’s not the most interesting thing, but here we are anyway.

I’ll take Kingston/Shibata for the win here, as there is really not much of a reason for them to lose. Since the Pure Rules Title shots are pretty much handed out, Kingston getting a pin, likely over Yuta, will keep the feud going. At the very least, we should be on the way to Final Battle for Kingston vs. Castagnoli, but since ROH takes it sweet time, we have to get through something like this on the way there. Kingston and Shibata win here.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Shane Taylor

So this is taking place on the AEW pay per view for reasons I do not fathom whatsoever. Taylor has wrestled two matches ever in AEW (both on Dark) and is basically a stranger unless you watch ROH. That doesn’t make for the most thrilling match, though Taylor did win a tournament to get the title shot. We have the potential for a heck of a hoss fight here, and if that is the case, we’ll be good to go.

There is no reason or Taylor to get the title back here so I’ll take Joe to retain. Joe has held the title for over a year at this point and could drop it at any time without losing any status, but I don’t think I can picture Taylor being the one to take the title from him. These guys are going to beat the fire out of each other and that should be a lot of fun, but Taylor doesn’t get the title.

Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks

This is a strap match as the American Dragon is stepping in for Ricky The Dragon Steamboat after a slightly clever tricky contract signing. In this case, Danielson’s return feels like something of a way to calm the fans down after Punk was fired and he might be about as good of an option as there was. The strap thing has kind of been Starks’ thing in recent weeks, so at least there is an idea here.

This one could go either way, but I think I’ll go with Danielson winning, as he might become the face of Collision in a hurry. With nothing Blackpool Combat Club related during his Collision return, there is a chance that he is going to be doing something else. For now though, at least he is getting to be in a big match and while Starks needs the win (and I’m not convinced Big Bill won’t help him get it), losing to a returning Danielson is hardly some terrible result.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Adam Cole/MJF(c) vs. Dark Order

Yes the Dark Order is getting a title shot on pay per view and I’m still not entirely sure why. In theory this is going to be followed by a Cole/MJF vs. the Kingdom showdown, though it wouldn’t have to be for the titles. The Dark Order has been needing some kind of a big win seemingly for years now and they at least have a chance at one here, though that might be a long shot at best.

I don’t see a reason for the champs to drop the titles here so I’ll go with MJF and Cole retaining. They already have something set up with the Kingdom and taking the titles from them here would take away a big aspect of their story. Also, at the end of the day, it’s hard to imagine the Dark Order actually winning anything that mattered, so we’ll go with the titles being retained.

Miro vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

This is one of the matches where what you see is what you get. You know what you are going to see from these two monsters hitting each other rather hard and that should make for a fun match. They’ve been out there brawling already and just the taste was fun, so letting us get the full version should be even more fun as it can go even longer than the first previews.

I could see either of them going over here, but Miro seems like he would be hurt more by a loss than Hobbs so I’ll take the former. While Hobbs has lost multiple times already and doesn’t need to again, a loss from Miro would seem to be quite the blow. What matters here is just having two monsters slugging away at each other and that should work out well. Miro wins though, but it’s a coin flip.

Bullet Club Gold vs. FTR/Young Bucks

This isn’t exactly a strong follow up to FTR vs. The Bucks at All In but if we’re not getting a title match, I guess this is about as good as we can have. There is a history between the Club and FTR and I could go for another title showdown between them, but I’m not sure if that is enough to carry an eight man tag. It could go either way, though the Bucks and FTR’s relationship is rocky at best and that could be a problem.

I’ll go with the Club winning here, as they should be in for another Tag Team Title shot to complete the trilogy. White and Robinson are a heck of a team and the Gunns are fine enough on their own. That should be enough to overcome FTR and the Bucks, who don’t really have anywhere to go if they win. The Club wins here, after things break down and everyone gets to go nuts.

TNT Title: Luchasaurus(c) vs. Darby Allin

This has been one of the most entertaining stories in AEW in recent months, as Christian Cage has been tearing it up as the delusional mastermind who things he is the real champion. Luchasaurus has barely been a factor as Cage’s disdain for all things dead fathers is rather entertaining. Allin just wants the title back because he had it before, and now we get quite the showdown.

As much as I could see Allin winning the title, I want Cage to keep up his delusions of grandeur and those can’t happen as well without the title. At some point Luchasaurus is going to snap and destroy Cage, but for now, Luchasaurus manages to retain the title, perhaps with Allin’s friend Nick Wayne turning on him. This could go either way, but hopefully it ends with Cage holding the title again.

Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita

The more I see of Takeshita, the more talent he clearly has. He needs a big win over a top name and Omega would it that description, but I’m not sure I can imagine him actually beating someone as big as Omega. Takeshita already pinned him last weekend in a tag match, but there is a fine line between that and actually pinning him in a singles match, clean or not.

I’ll go with Takeshita winning here, as I don’t think we’re far enough into the story for Omega to get his big win. With Don Callis out there, Takeshita can get the win off some straight up cheating or maybe just a distraction. Either way, we should be in for one of the bigger matches on the show here and there is even a chance that this headlines the show, despite Callis taking the life out of anything he touches.

International Title: Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Jon Moxley

This has been treated as the biggest match on the show and it has the best chance of headlining the event. Cassidy has held the title for a LONG time now and it is time to either have him lose the thing or get the biggest win of his career over one of the biggest stars AEW has ever seen. This could go either way and they have been treating it as something serious, so some doors are certainly open here.

I’m torn on this one but I’ll go with Cassidy winning. While there is a grand total of no reason for him to keep the title, it would do a lot of damage to him if he loses the belt in his first match against a top challenger. Cassidy feels like someone AEW wants to move up to the next level, but that takes a big hit if he loses here. I could be entirely wrong and Moxley winning would make sense, but if AEW wants Cassidy to go a lot higher, he has to win here.

Overall Thoughts

This show does not feel like the best in the world and I’m not sure how much of a spark it is going to have. Now the good thing about that is the talent is there to make it work, even if a thirteen match card is still rather long. If the big matches can deliver and nothing is too bad, we could be in for a show that gets by its lackluster build. That is where AEW tends to shine, and maybe they can make it work again.

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

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

AND

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

Collision
Date: September 2, 2023
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

And then CM Punk got fired. That is going to be the absolute game changer that shakes up everything about this company for a good while to come, with the next two shows being in Chicago to crank up the awkwardness. I have no idea what AEW has up their sleeves to get them through what could be a rather horrible crowd reaction but let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tony Khan welcomes us to the show and announces that CM Punk has been fired. The incident endangered people, including Khan, who was fearing for his life. That is nothing anyone should have to deal with at work so Punk is gone. Anyway,, on with the awesome shows.

We get a recap of All In.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring to start and you can hear some CM Punk changes. Anyway, Tony brings in Ricky Starks, with Big Bill, to challenge Ricky Steamboat. Schiavone: “Ricky, you have issued a challenge to Ricky Steamboat, a 70 year old man. Are you out of your freaking mind?” Starks talks about how he’s tired of having to start over again and again, but every time he shows up and out.

No matter how many times people try to suck the life out of him, it doesn’t work. Starks talks about how awesome Bill is for everything he’s done, including overcoming addiction. He’s so angry that he wants to cry but he’ll do what he needs to do. Starks sat at home and watched All In because he whipped Steamboat, so now he wants a strap match at All Out.

Steamboat comes out and says he hasn’t complained once about getting whipped by Starks. The Dragon doesn’t complain but he has a contract ready for an old school fight. The contract actually says “Ricky Starks vs. The Dragon” so Starks signs, and Steamboat gets to the obvious point: he meant THIS Dragon, so cue the returning Bryan Danielson (the American Dragon). He signs as well and we’ve got a match, with Starks being livid.

Jon Moxley is going to be the man who solves the Orange Cassidy puzzle. If Cassidy is a cosplay wrestler, who is he pretending to be? I believe that would be Paul Rudd in Wet Hot American Summer actually. Anyway, Moxley thinks Cassidy is the real thing, and we’ll find out on Sunday. A lot of people believe in him, so don’t let people down. They’re making this feel like a serious match and that’s a good thing. If Cassidy is treated like a joke, why would it matter if Cassidy beat him?

Trios Titles: Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard/Angel Parker vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

Acclaimed and Gunn are defending. Bowens punches Parker down to start so it’s off to Garcia vs. Gunn. Garcia gets in a few shots and dances a bit before telling Gunn to suck it. Gunn knocks him down with Parker landing on his knees in front of him (gyrations ensue). Everything breaks down and Garcia gets elbowed, only to get caught with a double hot shot. The piledriver into a double implant DDT into the Dragontamer has Bowens in trouble but he makes the rope (because a piledriver into a double implant DDT leaves him wide awake).

We take a break and come back with Bowens diving over for the tag to Caster to clean house. Garcia takes Caster down but Menard tags himself in, allowing Caster to hit a running clothesline. Gunn comes in but gets distracted by Jake Hager. That doesn’t last long as it’s a Fameasser to Menard. The Arrival into the Mic Drop retains the titles at 8:30.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly fine match and that’s how you keep the Acclaimed hot: give them a match where they have to work a bit before finishing with the usual. No it won’t last forever (or that long really because there isn’t exactly a division) but it’s a crowd friendly act that has worked every time they’re out there. Go with what works.

Dark Order is ready to win the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

Ricky Starks is ready for Bryan Danielson at All Out because he’ll knock it out of the park like everything else.

Aussie Open vs. Nick Wayne/Komander

Wayne hits a running hurricanrana to Fletcher to start and then flips up but the Aussies are right back to take over. The Aussie Arrow gets two on Komander as we take a break. Back with Wayne cleaning house, including a frog splash to Fletcher. A half nelson suplex plants Wayne and one heck of a piledriver drops Komander. Wayne kicks his way out of trouble but a double Wayne’s World is countered into Coriolis for the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C. I’m trying to get my mind around a piledriver actually knocking someone silly enough to put them down for the rest of the match. This was a way to get the Aussies some of their heat back and there is nothing wrong with that. Wayne continues to be someone who can do all of the athletic stuff but there is nothing to make me care about him. He has no character or anything outside of athleticism and that isn’t going to get him very far.

Post match Wayne talks about how he’s upset with Darby Allin over forgiving AR Fox. Cue Allin, to say he burned a bridge with Wayne’s father and they didn’t make up before he died. He didn’t want something similar to happen to Fox, so now he wants Wayne to do the same. Allin is challenging or the TNT Title on Sunday and wants Wayne in his corner.

Cue Christian Cage (Nigel: “It’s the father of the year!”) and Luchasaurus, with the former saying it was mean of him to ask about Wayne’s father without asking for his mom’s name. Maybe he should slide into her DM’s and try to change that. Christian talks about how we’re in the United Center, and these people know how to smell a loser from a mile away. Wayne should bring a towel with him because it’s going to be destruction at All Out. Then I…er, we will still be TNT Champion. Christian is on another level right now and he knows it.

Claudio Castagnoli beats up Wheeler Yuta as he talks about how Yuta keeps getting up. He thought Eddie Kingston had changed, but apparently not.

Kingston laughs it off and says Katsuyori Shibata has some words for the Blackpool Combat Club. Shibata, through Google Translate, thinks they suck. Ok that was clever.

Saraya doesn’t want to hear about problems with the Outcasts but now she’s stuck in Chicago. She’s ready to see Ruby Soho win the TBS Title and Soho seems rather confident she will do so.

Tony Schiavone brings out Dennis Rodman for a chat. Before he can say anything, Jeff Jarrett and company come to the ring, with Jeff talking about how similar Rodman is to his team (both Rodman and Karen Jarrett look great in dresses). Rodman is offered a spot on their team but shoves down Satnam Singh. Cue Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed and we get a Trios Titles match for All Out, with Rodman in the champs’ corner.

Shane Taylor is ready to win the ROH TV Title.

Samoa Joe doesn’t think so, and is ready to take Taylor out.

Britt Baker/Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander vs. Outcasts

Statlander and Soho start things off but Storm comes in instead. A slam drops Storm but she slips out of a second one and stomps Statlander down in the corner. Statlander is right back up with the tag to Baker though and a Sling Blade puts Storm down. Shida comes in for a knee to Soho’s ribs and we take a break. Back with Statlander powerbombing Saraya for two and then kicking her in the head. Statlander powerslams Saraya but Storm hits Saraya by mistake on the save attempt. Everything breaks down and Saraya spray paints Baker, allowing No Future to give Soho the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C. This was your weekly “here are the women in a match with a break in the middle and the Outcasts use spray paint to win” match. The women’s division has fallen a pretty long way since its peak and this was a good example of how uninteresting things are at the moment. The Outcasts feel so repetitive most weeks and that was on display here, but odds are they aren’t changing anytime soon.

MJF isn’t here so Adam Cole reads off some insults to Dark Order that MJF sent him. Well most of them as one is too disgusting to read.

Kris Statlander knows the Outcasts are going to use the spray paint tomorrow. The Outcasts come in and yelling ensues.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. GPA

Spinebuster finishes in 7 seconds.

Post match Miro comes out for the brawl.

All Out rundown, including a battle royal on Zero Hour.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita.

Orange Cassidy does not want to be talking right now because he wants to fight. He’s proven himself over and over again and he’ll do it at All Out. Then he’ll take the weight off of Jon Moxley’s shoulders and put it on his. He still has no catchphrase.

Jay White vs. Dax Harwood

Bullet Club Gold and Cash Wheeler are here too. White gets backed to the floor to start but he comes back in for a chop, only to head back outside. Harwood scares him out to the floor again and we take a break. Back with Harwood being sent outside where everyone else teases a big fight. A DDT gives White two but Harwood catches him on top with a superplex. The top rope headbutt misses though and White gets two as we take a break.

Back again with Harwood hitting a brainbuster for two and knocking White outside. They go over the barricade for more chops but White snaps the leg over the ropes on the way back in. White gets two off a Death Valley Driver and Harwood gets the same off a piledriver. Back up and White sends him shoulder first into the post, setting up the swinging Rock Bottom for two.

Harwood is fine enough to hit a slingshot powerbomb for two but the Sharpshooter sends White to the ropes. Harwood follows him outside and gets caught with the Blade Runner. Back in and another Blade Runner finishes for White at 20:09. Nigel: “WHAT A MOMENT!” A career singles wrestler and former World Champion pins a mostly career tag wrestler?

Rating: B-. The action was good, but this was a match that felt like it went long for the sake of going long. Harwood can wrestle a match like that and White is rather good, but it’s still a bit hard to buy that it took White twenty minutes to win here. These two are some of the main stars of Collision but that doesn’t mean they need to be out there that long if it doesn’t make sense.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Young Bucks run in for the save.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show as the wrestling was the least interesting part almost throughout. They had the Punk drama hanging over them and managed to avoid a lot of drama from it, but other than that, the show was mainly focused on All Out. That show needs the help, but I’m not sure it got enough of it here.

All Out does not feel important and there isn’t much of a way to hide that. AEW needs a bit of a breather from big shows, and with Grand Slam and WrestleDream both less than a month away, we won’t be seeing that anytime soon. Instead, I could see the weekly shows running out of steam more and more, which isn’t going to bode well for the next few weeks.

Results
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Daniel Garcia – Mic Drop to Menard
Aussie Open b. Nick Wayne/Komander – Coriolis to Wayne
Outcasts b. Britt Baker/Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander – No Future to Soho
Powerhouse Hobbs b. GPA – Spinebuster
Jay White b. Dax Harwood – Blade Runner

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

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

AND

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