Fresh off their victory over the Mogul Embassy team of Brian Cage and Gates of Agony, cameras caught up with the BCG trio as they celebrated with their ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship belts. Alas, the vibe was a little bit off, and they soon determined it was because a teammate wasn’t pulling their weight.
That would be Cardblade, the life-size cardboard standee of White that has been with the team for a while (and even sold in smaller form at AEW merch stands). Austin Gunn unceremoniously fired Cardblade for his lack of recent support, but that left the group feeling undermanned.
They quickly found a replacement in the form of a similar cardboard replica of Juice Robinson, who just needed the proper nickname. White’s suggestion of “Juicebox” was shot down, but the group liked the next one: “Rock Card Juice Board.”
The Bang Bang Gang of course misses the real life Robinson, who’s been out of action since November with a back injury that reportedly required injury. Time will tell if Rock Card has as much unique style as Rock Hard, but at least the team has someone with a gold tooth while Juice recuperates.
While MJF was unsuccessful in reclaiming physical possession of his title, he at least found a partner for Full Gear.
What’s better than one wrestling show at the Kia Forum? How about several of them over a two-night span? Consider AEW Rampage the meat in your pro wrestling Forum sandwich.
Considering it’s the very last chance for any number of wrestlers to get in their last words or deeds ahead of Full Gear, there’s a better than average chance something will happen during this hour. Not to say that nothing usually happens during Rampage, but … you know what we mean.
Toni Storm taking on Emi Sakura as a “tune-up match” is something that should definitely overdeliver. Let’s see what this show holds for us.
AEW Rampage results from Inglewood:
Chris Jericho has joined the announcers to help call the action tonight
Christian Cage def. Trent Beretta by pinfall
A fired up Jericho has one last message for the Young Bucks, crediting them for being one of the best tag teams around but stating that they aren’t Kenny Omega and they damn sure aren’t Chris Jericho
“Timeless” Toni Storm def. Emi Sakura by pinfall
Renee Paquette is backstage with Jay Lethal (and company), who reveals to Eddie Kingston that they’ll be battling for Kingston’s ROH World Championship on Zero Hour; Eddie looks into Jay’s eyes and calls him a coward, leading to lots of yelling, then turns around and sees Ortiz standing there
Roderick Strong def. Action Andretti by pinfall, though a Spanish Fly spot during the match looked like both men were lucky to emerge uninjured
Switchblade Jay White says he knows MJF is the Devil as the masked man briefly appears on the monitor behind him and Paquette, but his boasting is interrupted by an enraged MJF, who is in turn attacked by Juice Robinson …
… but White opens a door to find that MJF has destroyed Juice and throws a large TV at Switchblade; they battle all the way to the ring, where MJF fights off The Gunns and gets his title belt back … but only for a second as the numbers game turns against him; though White still has the belt, Samoa Joe helps fight off Bullet Club Gold, and MJF accepts his handshake
This edition of AEW Dynamite will also feature AEW women’s world title and ROH six-man title matches.
You know how sometimes you look at the rundown for a weekly wrestling show and think “How are they going to fit this all into two hours?” That’s definitely the case for tonight’s AEW Dynamite in Philadelphia.
We’re not complaining, mind you. We applaud ambition. We also like special guest stars, which is what this show will definitely have when Orange Cassidy teams with NJPW icon Kazuchika Okada to face the Blackpool Combat Club’s Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli.
Three matches will have big prizes attached. Hikaru Shida, one again a fighting champ, will defend the AEW Women’s World Championship against Ruby Soho. The men’s world champ, MJF, doesn’t have his title on the line, but he will be fighting to hold onto something close to his heart when he tries to keep Juice Robinson from winning the Dynamite Diamond Ring. And the Hung Bucks (that’d be the Young Bucks and Hangman Adam Page) will defend the ROH six-man titles we often forget they hold against The Hardys and Brother Zay.
That’s not even all. Since we’re in Philly, an RVD appearance only make sense, and he’ll team with Hook to take on the Dark Order duo of Alex Reynolds and John Silver. Plus we’ll hear from Swerve Strickland as he addresses Hangman once again, Chris Jericho will have a sitdown interview with Renee Paquette, and Tony Khan will present a gift to Sting.
We’d say that’s a pretty packed lineup, all things considered. And the Philly fans should definitely represent like they always do, despite that whole NLCS business last night.
Oh, and we’ll be in the house live for this one too, so we’re looking forward to it. If you are too, you’ll want to tune in at 8 p.m. ET on TBS to catch this stacked AEW Dynamite live.
Twelve men enter, one man leave. Or something like that. It’s time for a Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale tonight on AEW Dynamite from Rosenberg, TX.
MJF has made the Dynamite Diamond Ring even more securely than Gollum did the One Ring, considering that no one to date has been able to win it from him. Will that change in 2023? First we need to figure out who will face him for it, which tonight’s battle royale will accomplish.
Which 12 men are competing? We don’t know that yet, but Juice Robinson and Dustin Rhodes are among them. Should be a fun time regardless of who else is in the mix.
Plus there’s other potentially good stuff in the pipeline. Sting will address AEW fans, though we hope it’s not for the reason many are speculating. Adam Copeland will finally offer his rebuttal to possibly former friend Christian Cage. And Jim Ross will have a sitdown interview with Nick Wayne and his mom.
All the while, we’re grinding toward Full Gear. So we could see more developments on that front as well. Never hurts to have a few matches booked in advance, right?
We’re looking forward to seeing what’s in store for the peeps in the Houston area, provided they aren’t too concerned with what’s going on with their Astros. Let’s get into it.
AEW Dynamite results from Texas:
(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)
Jay White def. Penta El Zero Miedo by pinfall after a timely cheap shot from Juice Robinson
After his win, White mocks MJF by suggesting he can’t find anyone to team with him against Bullet Club Gold; meanwhile, Robinson says he’s going to win the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale in the main event, win MJF’s ring and pawn it for another gold tooth
Meanwhile, MJF is backstage with Renee Paquette, explaining why he didn’t rush out there, and he once again turns down Max Caster and The Acclaimed’s offer to team with him — though Caster says he’d entering the Battle Royale so he can win that and defeat MJF to make him “put a ring on it”
Hikaru Shida def. Emi Sakura by pinfall
Adam Copeland sits down with Paquette to tell some stories about his past with Christian Cage and why things have gone off the rails between them; Copeland says he won’t fight Cage but will be the one to pick him up when Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne leave him high and dry
Wardlow def. Ryan Nemeth by referee stoppage, then makes it clear he’s got his sights set on MJF
Kenny Omega tells Paquette his record hasn’t been great lately, but he says he’s still the measuring stick in AEW, so he figures he can take out Kyle Fletcher, The Don Callis Family, and then maybe come after the AEW World Championship; MJF comes to shake his hand but also whispers “13 days, bitch” before walking away
Adam Cole is still being bossed around by Roderick Strong but agrees to make him and The Kingdom some PB&J sandwiches, which turns into a music video; when Cole finally gets fed up and leaves, Strong tells The Kingdom he may have to be nice to “that scumbag” in order to get his best friend back
Don Callis brags about his Family making history, then has an interesting discussion with Kyle Fletcher
Kenny Omega def. Kyle Fletcher by pinfall
The latest Danhausen promo video suggests everyone will be cursed soon enough
Lance Archer def. Barrett Brown by pinfall
Prince Nana says Swerve Strickland should be excited about his music video, but Swerve says he’s not because he doesn’t have the TNT Championship thanks to Hangman Adam Page; Strickland delivers an ominous threat: “It’s not always you who pays for your actions.”
Sting addresses the rumors and says his retirement match will be next year at Revolution
RJ City is cut off by Toni Storm, who does her own introduction for her latest silent picture, “Gone With the Storm”
Jim Ross sits down with Nick Wayne and his mom, and while neither J.R. nor his mom understand what Nick has done, he says it’s because Christian Cage is a better father than his dad ever was, and he also tells his mom she’s dead to him; right outside, however, Darby Allin is waiting to attack Cage and Wayne …
… and they battle to the ring, where Wayne is bloodied while battling Allin and Sting despite the aid of Luchasaurus
Kris Statlander tells Paquette that she wants to give a TBS Championship shot to Willow Nightingale, and Orange Cassidy says he only learned how much he cared about his International Championship once he lost it
Juice Robinson wins the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale, last eliminating Max Caster
Even if AEW can handle a topic like antisemitism with the proper nuance, this is the wrong time to attempt it.
Eliciting an emotional reaction from the audience is a pillar of professional wrestling and has been for the better part of a century.
Getting that emotional reaction, or heat as the wrestling zeitgeist has termed it, can be quite lucrative. The more fans invest with their emotions, the more likely they are to invest with their wallets. And we all know wrestling promoters have never shied away from the quickest route to a buck.
But to paraphrase the Wu-Tang Clan, cash rules everything around us, and for better or worse, that allure of attaining more of it can cause wrestling promoters to resort to unscrupulous tactics in an effort to garner more heat.
But is there a line? Is there a point where the attempt to gain heat does more harm than good? Is there a time where the emotional reaction isn’t a yearning to see the villain get their comeuppance, but instead deeply painful and hurtful?
In my opinion, there is — and AEW crossed it Tuesday night.
I was like thousands of other wrestling fans bouncing back and forth between AEW Dynamite and NXT. In the midst of my flipping, I did not get a chance to watch the post-match promo involving Bullet Club Gold and MJF.
Once I caught wind of it the next day, I couldn’t believe what I watched.
Jay White challenged #AEW World Champion MJF to an 8-man tag match!
This may be casting a pretty wide net, but I don’t think any wrestling promotion should touch on any form of hate as a means to further a story. Obviously, professional wrestling is at its best when people don’t like each other, but there’s a difference between disdain for a singular person and saying hateful or hurtful things about entire groups of people.
For me, that list includes any form of racism, homophobia and body shaming. In this specific case, we have antisemitism.
Let me make this clear, I don’t believe Juice Robinson is antisemitic, but his character using a roll of quarters to make fun of a Jewish person is an antisemitic act. And if you don’t think what Robinson did was antisemitic, listen to the announcers reference MJF talking about having quarters thrown at him by bullies as a child.
Why a roll of a quarters? Let’s have MJF tell you himself:
Since this is clearly rooted in antisemitism, it crossed the line, in my eyes.
But what’s the big deal? It’s not even real, right? It’s all part of kayfabe. Maybe I shouldn’t work myself into a shoot. I call BS.
In this particular case, this is based on something that really happened to MJF, and the trauma he suffered from it is very real. And while I applaud MJF for talking about it and using that trauma to potentially help others, using it as a means to generate heat is simply uncalled for.
Any wrestler could easily be an advocate for whatever cause they choose. We’ve seen wrestlers support pro-trans and pro-choice messaging in the past.
CM Punk abortion-rights shirt sparks backlash among thousands of wrestling fans with zero uteruses https://t.co/EyvEr63q6a
However, that did not involve someone that is pro-choice or pro-gender equality being made fun of on television.
And yes, I know that movies and television shows sometimes delve into these areas, but do you think the writers at AEW or any other wrestling promotion are qualified to tell one of these types of stories with the proper context and nuance? Handling stories with care and subtlety is not exactly pro wrestling’s style.
Even with so-called qualified writers, we still suffer through white savior films, magical negro troupes, and sometimes, a blatant re-telling of facts.
So why stay away from stuff like this? Because people are losing their lives over it. Literally.
There are thousands Jewish and Muslim people dying in a deep-rooted religious conflict that dates back thousands of years. This is happening as I type this.
Read the room, AEW. There is never a good time for an antisemitic segment, but that is especially the case now.
MJF himself has defended the segment, and while I understand where he is coming from, I also believe he is still a little misguided.
Muhammad Hassan was portraying an evil Muslim terrorist.
I’m actually Jewish. I’ve actually gone through this. This is my real life!!!!! MY STORY!
And I Look forward to giving Catharsis to every single person who’s ever been oppressed or bullied.
Here is the problem with MJF’s point: This is bigger than you, Max. This is bigger than AEW. This is bigger than pro wrestling. This is about an entire group of people that are being harmed. Whether it’s happening on the Gaza Strip or even in our very own country, people have lost their lives over this.
That is bigger than the catharsis people may get from this. That is bigger than the so-called “hard conversations” this may start. Also, the conversation of not hating others for being different shouldn’t be all that difficult.
And guess what Max? You’re right. I don’t believe this can be accomplished through the avenue of professional wrestling, and you’re also right about it being an indictment of the industry’s past. That past includes racist depictions of Black people, Latino people, Asian people, Muslims, people from the Middle East, women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
So forgive me if I don’t have faith in AEW to actually go forward with this story and make it the teachable moment that MJF is hoping for. And quite frankly, there is too much at stake for AEW to be playing around with content of this nature.
See who won titles on AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday, and if Adam Copeland won his AEW in-ring debut.
It’s not that often that Tuesday night is the night for a big pro wrestling showdown. Monday night, sure, as they were the stuff of legend once upon a time. More recently it was Wednesday nights where a young AEW Dynamite and WWE’s NXT were on against each other, but that ended when NXT departed for Tuesdays. Alas, Dynamite was bumped up to Tuesday this week by the MLB Playoffs, putting them in direct competition for again one week only.
Happily, both companies took this very calmly and are proceeding like it’s business as usual.
Wait, what’s that? You say this is pro wrestling so they actually did the exact opposite of that?
That tracks. We’re here to talk about the AEW Dynamite part of this equation, which Tony Khan and company have dubbed Title Tuesday or Title Fight Tuesday depending on which X post we’re talking about. There are championship matches, sure. Saraya vs. Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s World Championship for one. Rey Fenix vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW International Championship for another.
But there’s more, including the AEW in-ring debut of Adam Copeland, the artist formerly known as Edge. Plus the first 30 minutes will be sans commercials, and Khan says he’s secured an overrun as well.
And if all of that wasn’t enough, there’s even a Buy-In pre-show like this was a pay-per-view, and no big deal, it just has Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki. Damn.
With that in mind, let’s get into some live updates, shall we?
AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday Buy-In results:
Renee Paquette and RJ City run down the full Title Tuesday card
Eddie Kingston def. Minoru Suzuki by pinfall to retain the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship and ROH World Championship Championship; after the bell, they exchange a few extra chops as a show of respect
Tony Khan provides an update: Jon Moxley is not cleared by AEW doctors, but Rey Fenix will still defend his International Championship tonight; Hook stops by and says it has to be Orange Cassidy since he never got a rematch, and he accepts in typically unenthusiastic fashion
AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday results from Independence:
(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)
Christian Cage has a message for Bryan Danielson and Swerve Strickland, and also says Luchasaurus will end things for Adam Copeland; he also says he got the first 20 minutes commercial-free, heh
Bryan Danielson def. Swerve Strickland by pinfall to earn a TNT Championship shot at Collision after Hangman Adam Page prevents the use of Prince Nana’s crown as a weapon
Samoa Joe says he is about to show why he’s on the way to becoming AEW World Champion as well, starting this Saturday on Collision
Powerhouse Hobbs def. Chris Jericho by pinfall
Roderick Strong still has Adam Cole around, delaying his surgery and such
Orange Cassidy def. Rey Fenix by pinfall to become the new AEW International Champion, his second reign with the title
“Timeless” Toni Storm tells RJ City she has a new film called “Lover’s Lament,” which is a silent picture that plays during a side-by-side commercial break
Wardlow def. Matt Sydal by pinfall
Paquette tries to get a medical update on Jericho, and Matt Menard gets upset at Daniel Garcia for trying to check on The Ocho too
Jay White def. Hangman Adam Page by pinfall, thanks in part to Prince Nana’s attempted interference
MJF comes out to the stage to demand his world title belt back, and the crowd chants something obscene at White; MJF says he’s trying to be a better man even though it’s hard and explains why the title means so much to him, challenging White to do the right thing too — which doesn’t go well, with White saying they can do an eight-man tag team match and Juice Robinson saying he’s about to win the Dynamite Diamond Ring next week
Hikaru Shida def. Saraya by pinfall to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion, beginning her third title reign
Paquette catches up with MJF, who says politely that he isn’t in the mood to be interviewed and just wants to call Adam Cole for advice; he actually gets through to Cole, but the connection sucks and the call is cut off, but at least The Acclaimed offers to be his tag team partners …
… also, Daddy Ass and Anthony Bowens want to know why Max Caster is so infatuated with MJF, and Max says they’re friends — and that he likes when Max plays hard to get
Cage comes to the ring with Luchasaurus and mocks Adam Copeland, specifically his time with The Judgment Day and their time together in the past, saying Copeland needs him but he doesn’t need Adam; he also tells Copeland’s daughters their new father is coming home, and when Copeland sprints to the ring, Nick Wayne follows him and lays him out from behind; the ref checks on Adam but a match is underway
Adam Copeland def. Luchasaurus by pinfall …
… and gets attacked after the bell, setting off a wild brawl that involves Cage and his henchmen, Swerve Strickland and the Mogul Embassy, the Blackpool Combat Club and Hangman; the final shot sees Cage tapping out symbolically to Danielson’s LeBell Lock
AEW Dynamite also saw The Don Callis Family gain a powerful new ally and Jay White formally challenge MJF for Full Gear.
OK, look, the whole “time flies when you’re having fun” thing is a little tired, for sure. But holy crap, AEW Dynamite has been on the air for four years? It feels like just yesterday AEW was the little startup wrestling promotion that could, and now it’s out here showing off WWE Hall of Famers and stuff.
Well yes, it already had a few of those, granted. But Adam Copeland, the man formerly known as Edge, was WWE through and through … until he wasn’t. He’s already spoken with a couple media outlets about why he made the big move at this point in his career (not this one, but it’s cool, we’ll talk to you eventually Mr. Copeland), but he may tell the whole world more as he’s definitely scheduled to speak on Dynamite tonight in Stockton.
It wouldn’t be a proper anniversary celebration without a title match, and Dynamite is giving us one of those as well. Rey Fenix, who only recently won the International Championship from Jon Moxley, will defend it against one half of the Young Bucks, Nick Jackson. It’s always fun when tag team specialists get a singles run, and that could apply to the winner no matter who it turns out to be.
Speaking of tag teams, it’s hard to find many more unlikely than Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega. Yet the enemy of my enemy is truly my friend, which is why they’re joining forces in Stockton to continue their battle against The Don Callis Family … which hasn’t been going well as of late if we’re being honest.
We’ll also hear from Juice Robinson and The Gunns of Bullet Club Gold, and we’re guessing there will be some surprises in store as well given the occasion. Let’s find out.
AEW Dynamite results from Stockton:
(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)
Renee Paquette speaks with Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, who fought in the main event of the same Dynamite but are aligned tonight; Adam Copland stops by, is offered a handshake by Omega and wishes the two of them good luck against The Don Callis Family
Rey Fenix def. Nick Jackson by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship
Adam Cole goes to check on Roderick Strong, and they have fun rolling around with Roddy in a wheelchair and Adam on a scooter while The Kingdom sits around looking miserable; the audio is too broken to hear what else they’re discussing
Wardlow def. Griff Garrison by referee stoppage
A brief video shows Copeland’s debut from WrestleDream
Don Callis tells Paquette that Sammy Guevara isn’t cleared to compete but suggests that a number of people want to prove it to the Family, and he says he’s got someone to team with Konosuke Takeshita tonight: Kyle Fletcher
Because of the audio issues, the Cole-Strong video is shown again, with Roddy guilt tripping Adam into rearranging the furniture and putting off his ankle surgery again
The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass def. The Butcher, The Blade and Kip Sabian by pinfall to retain the AEW World Trios Championship
The second part of Toni Storm’s interview goes even worse for poor RJ City until he convinces her that she’s “Timeless,” and apparently that version of her will premiere tonight
Bryan Danielson and Zack Sabre Jr. seem like they’re not finished with each other
Bullet Club Gold gets one over on MJF, getting him to agree to put his title up against Jay White at Full Gear
Paquette talks to Orange Cassidy and Hook, who eat chips and wonder if Orange should get a title shot next week; Renee turns down Hook’s offer of chips
Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega def. Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher by pinfall, but …
… Powerhouse Hobbs hits the ring to destroy Jericho and Omega after the bell, smashing Jericho with a steel chair and helping The Don Callis Family hold Omega in place for a chair shot from Callis
Paquette talks to MJF, who pauses to call Max Caster a stalker and tries calling Cole but gets no answer
Samoa Joe discusses the difference between being hungry and satisfied, and that while MJF earned his respect, it only means his hunger will be focused on the world champ
“Timeless” Toni Storm def. Skye Blue by pinfall
Stokely Hathaway joins Paquette to discuss the four-way bout on Rampage to find a No. 1 contender for Eddie Kingston’s ROH World Championship
This week’s AEW Collision also saw Ricky Starks escalate things even further with Bryan Danielson and the BCC thanks to some Big help.
If we had a dime for every time some wrestling show was called the start of a new era … well, we wouldn’t have all that much money, because dimes aren’t worth too much in 2023. But we would have a lot of dimes, which isn’t nothing. Yet that actually applies to AEW Collision this week in Cleveland.
An argument could be made that the new, post-CM Punk era of Collision actually started last week, since he was fired the day before. It’s just that Tony Khan was still in full explaining mode that night in Chicago, and though the Young Bucks appeared on that episode, it’s not likely that he had his full plans in place for a brand that was essentially built around Punk.
He’s really gone now, though, so Collision will look different going forward. For tonight, it means settling who’s moving on from the semifinals in the Grand Slam World Title Eliminator tournament. Plus Jon Moxley will defend his AEW International Championship against Action Andretti.
Let’s see how this particular show unfolds.
AEW Collision results from Cleveland:
Jon Moxley def. Action Andretti by submission to retain the AEW International Championship
A video package hypes up Roderick Strong by focusing on (once again) how Adam Cole has turned his back on him after years of friendship and support
Kris Statlander def. Robyn Renegade by pinfall to retain the AEW TBS Championship, but that’s not nearly the most exciting thing about this segment because …
… Jade Cargill returns! Cargill saves Statlander from a post-match attack by Robyn and her sister Charlotte, but she’s definitely doing it because she wants her title back and not because she’s BFFs with Statlander
Renee Paquette talks with Saraya and Ruby Soho, who are both upset about whatever is going on with Toni Storm, while Saraya does the usual “I’m going to walk in and walk out with my championship” thing about her next title defense
Tony Schiavone tries and mostly fails to get to the bottom of the ongoing issues between Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli, but the upshot of it is that there will be a match between the two of them for Kingston’s NJPW Strong Openweight Championship at Grand Slam
Bullet Club Gold (Juice Robinson and The Gunns) def. Aerostar, Gravity and Inframundo by pinfall
CJ Perry explains why she’s back to be a manager, and seemingly determined to do so even if Miro continues to turn his back on her
The Acclaimed want to defend the Trios Championship all over the world, but especially in New York
Rey Fenix def. Angelico by pinfall
FTR tell Schiavone that they’ve beaten nearly everyone and need new challengers, and are willing to go the open challenge route to find some
Roderick Strong def. Darby Allin by pinfall in a Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament semifinal after attempts by AR Fox’s attempt to assist Nick Wayne in helping Allin goes awry
A Powerhouse Hobbs video has him talking about taking Miro to his limits (meat!) and that this chapter of the Book of Hobbs isn’t finished yet
Keith Lee advises people on Collision to run
Bryan Danielson comes to the ring to talk to Schiavone, suggesting that this will be the final year of his career but he wants to wrestle Zack Sabre Jr. at WrestleDream; Ricky Starks comes out with Big Bill and says he’s going to be the face of Collision, and just as it seems Danielson might offer Ricky a spot in the Blackpool Combat Club, Starks and Bill jump him, and not even the arrival of Moxley can turn the tide
Schiavone reveals that Big Bill will get a title shot against Mox next week on Dynamite … but Fenix shows up and says he’s next in line after that
Samoa Joe def. Penta El Zero Miedo by submission in a Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament semifinal
Get full AEW All Out 2023 results from the United Center in Chicago, where Jon Moxley and Konosuke Takeshita were among the big winners.
Has the week’s drama been put behind AEW? That’s what we’re about to find out as All Out originates from the United Center in Chicago.
As you’ve likely heard by now, Chicago’s favorite son won’t be on this show nor any other AEW show ever again. All the company can do now is try to move forward, something made a tiny bit harder by the fact that this is the company’s second pay-per-view in the span of a week.
It’s doing the best it can, as despite a card that has no AEW World Championship match, it’s not without a number of intriguing matchups. One will see Kenny Omega take on Konosuke Takeshita in what could be a bit of a passing of the torch. Another bout, potentially the night’s main event, will see Orange Cassidy try to defend his AEW International Championship against Jon Moxley in a pairing of two men who are arguably the MVPs of AEW over the past few years.
Ricky Starks, rumored to be the potential opponent for CM Punk before this week’s events, still gets a big showcase against Bryan Danielson, freshly returned from injury. And the irrepressible Darby Allin will throw his body around again in pursuit of the AEW TNT Championship.
This feels like a night where the in-ring work of a talented roster can, at least temporarily, wash away everything else. Let’s find out.
AEW All Out 2023 Zero Hour results:
Hangman Adam Page wins the Over Budget Charity Battle Royale
Hikaru Shida, Willow Nightingale and Skye Blue def. Athena, Diamante and Mercedes Martinez by pinfall
The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn def. Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh by pinfall to retain the AEW World Trios Championship
AEW All Out 2023 results – Main card:
(click on any match with a link for full details)
Adam Cole and MJF def. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds and John Silver) by pinfall to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship
On his way out for his match, Samoa Joe shoves MJF, and the world champ makes a beeline for the ring to confront Joe; a ton of staffers and officials have to separate MJF and Joe as the crowd chants “let them fight”
Samoa Joe def. Shane Taylor by submission to retain the ROH World Television Championship
Luchasaurus def. Darby Allin by pinfall to retain the AEW TNT Championship after Allin hesitates when Christian Cage threatens Nick Wayne with a Con-chair-to; a selection of random faces saves Darby from a post-match attack
Miro def. Powerhouse Hobbs by submission, but after an apparent sign of respect, Hobbs attacks Miro from behind and pummels him on the mat; Miro’s wife attacks Hobbs with a chair, allowing Miro to do the same, but he leaves without her
Kris Statlander def. Ruby Soho by pinfall to retain the AEW TBS Championship, with a strange assist by Toni Storm, who takes the spray paint can from Soho and distracts her to set up the finish
See how Konsuke Takeshita managed to sneak in the pinfall against The Golden Elite at AEW All In London.
It looks like it’s going to take a minute or so to just decide who will start out, but the teams settle on Hangman Adam Page and Juice Robinson. Kenny Omega gets in too for some double team offense on Juice, who wants no part of Kota Ibushi and tags in Jay White. Jim Ross seems perplexed by them inviting each other to trade strikes.
But the pace picks up when Omega tags back in, and he gets a chance to take flight to wipe out White and Konosuke Takeshita. Bullet Club Gold manages to pull together to stomp on Kenny, much to the delight of Don Callis on guest commentary.
Omega is isolated and taking damage from all three of his opponents, with Ibushi and Page both getting dealt with when they try to assist. Robinson lands a senton that goes for a two count.
Just when Omega pulls off an athletic move to get to his corner, The Gunns try to pull Page off the apron. Ibushi takes care of them, and now Hangman is running wild. He covers White at the end of his flurry and earns a near fall.
Ibushi decks White with strikes and lands a standing moonsault for two. The Golden Lovers hit twin moonsaults to the floor, even with shaky footing for Ibushi. White fights back with a uranage, and now Omega and Takeshita get their chance to square off.
After Omega gets off snapdragons on his teammates, Takeshita responds with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Omega and Page join forces for a beautiful combo that ends with an avalanche Blockbuster on Takeshita.
The Gunns want to stop Page from launching a Buckshot, delaying him enough for White to intercept, and all of a sudden signature moves are flying in every direction. That leaves White to get a V-Trigger from Omega, but Takeshita, apparently still the legal man, rolls up Omega and gets the three count.
