Tag: Gates of Agony

AEW Dynamite results 01/17/24: Hook gives his all but Samoa Joe retains

Samoa Joe is still the champ after AEW Dynamite, but more than one challenger is lurking in the wings.

We have arrived at The Moment. Wrestling has lots of those, and in fact it’s generally a bummer when we go a week without one. But the one we’re talking about has been the subject of much chatter over the past week, and it’s here and in front of us tonight at AEW Dynamite in North Charleston.

Samoa Joe will make his first defense of the AEW World Championship he won from MJF at Worlds End, and he’ll do it against Hook. Joe, of course, has been in many spots like this over a well decorated career. Hook has not.

There’s no denying that Hook is a bright prospect for the future, maybe one of AEW’s best. He’s a stud athlete, able to pull off impressive offense, and he’s improving at selling. He isn’t the greatest on the mic yet, but he’s getting more comfortable there and AEW has played into his silent tough guy persona in a helpful way.

As Hook himself pointed out this week, there’s no pressure on him. There’s basically nothing to lose (his FTW title isn’t even on the line) and everything to gain. No one expects him to win, so this is a classic opportunity to look good in a heroic losing effort, assuming Joe doesn’t just steamroll him.

For AEW, though, the stakes are a little higher. If this match isn’t good, it gives ammo to those who don’t feel Hook “deserved” a world championship match, even if they came at it from a different direction.

We think it’s going to be really good, and AEW is presenting it without commercial interruption, which is nice. Let’s see how this plays out.

AEW Dynamite results from North Charleston:

(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Samoa Joe is shown entering the building earlier tonight, as is Hook
  • Christian Cage def. Dustin Rhodes by pinfall to retain the TNT Championship
  • Swerve Strickland says he came out of the Continental Classic as the man everyone was talking about, so he’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on the world title match tonight, and he doesn’t fear Hangman Adam Page chasing that title at the same time as he’s already beaten Page twice

  • Renee Paquette talks to Chris Jericho about the tag team title loss he and Sammy Guevara suffered on Collision, but he points the blame squarely at the interfering Don Callis Family; Matt Sydal stops by and challenges Jericho to a match to get him back on his game, which Jericho accepts though with a warning that he has a lot of pent up aggression to get out

  • Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta def. Komander and Penta El Zero Miedo by pinfall
  • After the match, Roderick Strong and The Kingdom confront them, with Strong warning that he’s coming for Cassidy’s International Championship and Orange Cassidy proposing a title match right now; Strong says Cassidy will have to wait until Revolution so that Orange has to live with the idea that he’s keeping the title warm for him

  • Paquette gets a word with Hangman Adam Page, who says he’s not only going to win the AEW World Championship in 2024, he’ll make it his own; Hangman also suggests he isn’t thinking about Swerve at all since he isn’t the champ

  • An emotional Mark Briscoe discusses the passing of his brother Jay a year ago and the amazing recovery of his niece, who he says doctors felt may never walk again; a tribute video to Jay Briscoe is shown afterward

  • Paquette talks to the Young Bucks, who now want to be called Nicholas and Matthew Jackson, and Matthew reacts angrily to all the false rumors swirling around them; they also say they’ll have to say goodbye to Sting and everybody like him since the idea behind AEW was to change the world, and they walk away from the interview as they have a meeting to attend

  • Bullet Club Gold (Jay White and The Gunns) def. Brian Cage and Gates of Agony by pinfall to become the new ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions
  • Adam Cole says Wardlow will go down as the most dominant AEW wrestler of all time and will continue to run through the competition until he acquires the world title

  • Deonna Purrazzo def. Anna Jay by submission; after the match, Paquette talks to the Virtuosa, who says that while Toni Storm has changed, so has she, but that earns an angry rebuke from the champ and they throw a show back and forth at each other

  • Private Party def. Top Flight by pinfall, albeit with a little shortcut taken by the victors
  • A video package shows highlights of Darby Allin and Sting
  • Samoa Joe def. Hook by submission to retain the AEW World Championship
  • After the bell, Hook remains defiant, asking Joe if that’s all he’s got; Joe hits another Muscle Buster but ends up heading for the hills as Hangman Page hustles to the ring to check on Hook even as Swerve and Prince Nana are shown watching from the crowd

Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

Christian Cage fends off a very game Dustin Rhodes

The fans have no problem booing and chanting “Christian sucks” as a greeting for the champ. Cage stays away from a direct confrontation with Rhodes in the early going, forcing referee Aubrey Edwards to call for several breaks in the corner or ropes.

After kicking out of an early cover, Cage lures Rhodes into the corner, but The Natural drags the champ out to the floor and batters him over to the announce table. Christian’s knees taste the steel steps, which also make a good launching pad for a leaping clothesline.

They battle over in the corner, where Cage gets the best of it before delivering a cross body from the top rope to the floor. After some side-by-side ads, the champ tries a dive from the top rope into the ring, but he crashes and burns when Rhodes rolls away.

On their knees, the two combatants trade slaps and right hands. Rhodes is up for a Manhattan Drop before hurling Cage from one corner to another and dropping Christian down for a near fall.

Cage is catapulted into the top turnbuckle and ends up legs spread, but he frees himself before his globes can suffer. You know what we mean.

Rhodes earns another near fall and pounds the mat to get the fans clapping. But Cage gets him in-between the ropes and stands on his back, then prevents a tope with a well-timed right hand.

Cage’s Frog Splash is on target, and he hooks the leg only to see his foe kick out at two. Christian’s title belt is thrown in and occupies Edwards, giving Wayne a chance to assist with a roll-up that nearly gets the three count.

Rhodes fights Cage back into a corner, and Christian is set up for the Golden Globes again … or the Unnatural Kick we suppose it’s called in AEW. A big superplex is followed by Cross Rhodes, and Cage barely kicks out in time.

Both Wayne and Killswitch get involved, though Wayne pays for it by taking a Destroyer on the floor. But Rhodes turns and is laid out by a spear, and the Killswitch ends … no it doesn’t! The fans come to life again after the kickout by Dustin.

A second Killswitch also finds the mark, however, and The Natural is down for the count this time as Cage retains.

Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

Deonna Purrazzo makes Anna Jay submit

Toni Storm is on guest commentary and immediately mistakes Ian Riccaboni for a clean-shaven Tony Schiavone: “You look great!”

The AEW Women’s World Champion is asked about Purrazzo and is still somewhat dismissive even as she bosses the early action. Anna rallies for a two count right before picture-in-picture.

Deonna is back in command after we return to full picture, using a Russian leg sweep to set up a submission attempt but then trading two counts with Anna. Jay hits a backstabber and grabs another near fall.

Purrazzo avoids the Queenslayer and tries for a cross armbreaker, forcing her foe to work for a rope break. They trade shots until Purrazzo catches Anna coming in and applies the Venus de Milo, and Anna doesn’t last long before she submits.

Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

Hook survives but Samoa Joe retains

The challenger stays poised over the top turnbuckle and doesn’t even look at the champ during ring intros, and he explodes out of the gate when the bell rings. Joe weathers the storm and sends Hook to the floor, where the two men trade furious shots.

Back in the ring, Joe runs over the challenger with a running back elbow as the fans chant his name. Hook gets punched back into a corner and takes more of a beating out in the middle of the ring. He finally gets some momentum back with a leaping shot off the apron, but Joe responds with a uranage off the announce table. Ouch.

Hook gets powerbombed on the apron as well, and the ringside doctor checks on him while Taz takes his headset off too. The challenger slowly rises as the ref makes his count, but Hook beats the count and returns to the ring.

Joe quickly treats Hook to a powerslam, which is good only for two. The announcers are putting over Hook’s never say die attitude, which he displays again by kicking out after a Death Valley Driver.

Out of the corner, Joe delivers a Muscle Buster, and this time Hook kicks out at one. A flying clothesline turns into three by Hook, who peppers Joe with body shots and gets the big man up for a t-bone suplex but can’t make the cover.

Joe blocks Redrum and applies the Coquina Clutch. Hook tries to sink in his fingertips to break the hold, but he’s unsuccessful and eventually put to sleep. Joe retains, but Hook gave it his all.

AEW Collision results 01/13/24: House of Black keeps FTR down bad

Even with Daniel Garcia to help, FTR couldn’t overcome the House of Black on AEW Collision.

There’s a really, really cold football playoff game right now. You know where it will be much warmer and still plenty entertaining? In Norfolk, the site of tonight’s episode of AEW Collision.

While there are a few interesting matches on the card tonight, the main event figures to be FTR and Daniel Garcia teaming to face the House of Black. The House has been messing with FTR for some time now, claiming to be the only ones who love them.

But Garcia proved that wrong when he came to the duo’s rescue after an assault by … yes, you got it, the House of Black. Guess it’s tough love.

It may be an unlikely team-up, but it’s one that works as Garcia tries to balance his love of dancing with his road back toward being more pro wrestler and less sports entertainer. FTR can definitely help him with that. Let’s see if they do that and come out with a win tonight.

AEW Collision results from Norfolk:

  • Adam Copeland is out in his gear, meaning it’s time for the Cope Open; he asks who will step up, and he gets … Lee Moriarty, who gets a short hype video before he takes on Copeland
  • Adam Copeland def. Lee Moriarty by submission; after the match, Copeland returns to the mic and warns Christian Cage that “I’m still coming for your scrawny ass”
  • Lexy Nair asks FTR and Daniel Garcia if they can get along well enough to deal with House of Black, and they seem to be like-minded enough about what they’re doing that it won’t be a problem

  • Nair talks to Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho ahead of their tag team title match on Battle of the Belts
  • Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage and Gates of Agony) def. Lance Archer and The Righteous by pinfall to retain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship; afterward, Prince Nana calls his team the greatest ROH six-man tag team champs of all time and scoffs at Bullet Club Gold before challenging them for the next episode of Dynamite
  • Staying busy tonight, Nair talks to Preston Vance, who gets interrupted by Roderick Strong (and The Kingdom) and ends up angrily telling Strong they can fight next week
  • Dustin Rhodes def. Willie Mack by pinfall
  • Bullet Club Gold is definitely up for Mogul Embassy’s challenge

  • Rhodes is none too happy about Christian Cage interrupting his backstage interview with Renee Paquette, and even Killswitch and some insults about Dusty Rhodes won’t stop him from daring Cage to put his TNT title on the line next Wednesday
  • Hangman Adam Page def. JD Drake by pinfall
  • Deonna Purrazzo def. Red Velvet by submission
  • Hook def. … uh, someone by submission and tells Samoa Joe “I’ll see you Wednesday”
  • House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews and Malakai Black) def. Daniel Garcia and FTR by pinfall
  • After the bell, King goes after Daddy Magic Matt Menard, who was out doing guest commentary, but Garcia and FTR come back in swinging chairs and are able to chase the House from the ring … except for King, who takes the Big Rig/Shatter Machine

AEW Collision results 11/4/23: FTR still figuring out friend from foe

AEW Collision did a nice job of loading up the next episode of AEW Dynamite.

What do you do when you have a bunch of tag teams whose subplots all kind of overlap? Throw them into one big eight-man tag main event, which is what’s happening tonight on AEW Collision from Wichita.

FTR is still hot for another shot at Big Bill and Ricky Starks, the duo who beat them for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Gates of Agony has been making trouble for FTR and other face teams too … an umbrella that now apparently includes La Faccion Ingobernable.

So yes, all four teams are going to be involved in the last match tonight. Will that settle anything? Probably not. But that’s just how you gotta roll sometimes in wrestling.

There’s some other interesting stuff on the card, beginning with the first match that’s wasting exactly zero time to get started.

AEW Collision results from Wichita:

  • AR Fox isn’t waiting for the Elton John song to start the show, attacking Swerve Strickland in what passes for a cold open to Collision
  • Swerve Strickland def. AR Fox by pinfall, after which …
  • … FTR comes out to brawl with Gates of Agony, and are soon joined by Big Bill and Ricky Starks, as well as La Faccion Ingobernable, and the faces end up clearing the ring as House of Black watches from somewhere in the seats
  • MJF responds to Daniel Garcia calling him out on Rampage, and he seems OK with it since Garcia is a young guy, but wants to know if he’s getting the professional wrestler or the sports entertainer
  • More from MJF, who sarcastically congratulates Jay White for pinning him and calls Switchblade a nobody; needless to say, Bullet Club Gold sees that pin somewhat differently, and White says his group has earned the night off but will be back on Wednesday
  • Kip Sabian is pissed off (his words) at Mark Briscoe, and challenges him to find two partners to face him and The Workhorsemen
  • Roderick Strong complains that no one is taking neck health seriously enough, but The Kingdom is going to prove it’s important tonight
  • The Kingdom def. Brixton Nash and Jameson McGregor by pinfall
  • Briscoe gets an offer from FTR to do double duty and team with him, but Mark says while he appreciates it, he has a couple other guys in mind and will holler at them after the show
  • Darby Allin def. Lance Archer by pinfall, but Jake Roberts says he has more guys to go after him: The Righteous, who distract Darby long enough for Lance to him him with the Blackout
  • Kris Statlander thanks Skye Blue for doing the right thing, and even though Skye says she only did it for Willow Nightingale, Willow tries to convince Kris that all of them are friends

  • Alex Abrahantes is interrupted by Strickland, but Abrahantes takes exception to Swerve’s home invasion of Hangman Adam Page and says Penta will beat some respect into him next week

  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass are ready to celebrate 69 days as trios champs, complete with balloons, streamers and the whole nine yards; Anthony Bowens has a special gift for Max Caster, which turns out to be a video message from MJF saying Caster has earned his respect and he’s starting to like The Acclaimed, but just when the segment looks like it’s going to end …

  • … Dalton Castle and The Boys take the 69 trophy that The Acclaimed had over at the announce table and smash it; that sets off a brawl between the two teams and ends up in a match
  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass def. Dalton Castle and The Boys to retain the AEW World Trios Championship
  • Andrade El Idolo says he’ll give his answer to C.J. Perry next week, face to face

  • Mark Briscoe, Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee def. Kip Sabian and The Workhorsemen by pinfall
  • Briscoe challenges White for his title shot at Full Gear on this coming episode of Dynamite
  • Willow Nightingale def. Emi Sakura by pinfall
  • Samoa Joe says he hasn’t heard back from MJF on his offer to watch his back and says the champ will keep enduring the pain he has been; also Lee stops by to challenge him for his ROH World Television Championship on Dynamite
  • La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush and Preston Vance) and FTR def. Big Bill, Ricky Starks and Gates of Agony by pinfall when Rush pins Kaun, but LFI walks away from FTR without shaking hands afterward
  • House of Black has a message for FTR on the big screen, but they appear in the ring to deliver it hands on until Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta arrive with a steel chair to drive them off