Tag: Kenny Omega

AEW Dynamite results 08/09/23: BCC runs roughshod, Shida retains, JAS disintegrates

AEW Dynamite from Columbus also set up some more matches for All In London later this month.

After last week’s AEW Dynamite 200, what’s in store for the encore? We’ll find out tonight on Dynamite from the home of the Buckeyes, Columbus.

We know there will be plenty of juicy in-ring action. Hikaru Shida, fresh off winning the AEW Women’s World Championship last week, will defend it for the first time against Anna Jay. The Hardys will battle for brotherly supremacy against the Young Bucks. And the Lucha Bros., who have been caught up in an ongoing beef with the Blackpool Combat Club, will go up against two of that group’s finest in Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley.

Oh, and Rob Van Dam will ride again, trying to take the FTW Championship from Jack “Don’t Call Me Jungle Boy Any More” Perry.

As for non-fighting segments of interest, there figure to be at least a few of those too. The Jericho Appreciation Society, now appropriately concerned about the actions of the man they are supposed to be appreciating, is having a mandatory meeting. We’re invited too, we presume.

We’ll hear from MJF and Adam Cole, who seem to be on a path to the main event of All In, where they will face each other, without either of them turning on the other. At least not yet.

And speaking of All In, the biggest show in AEW history, we’re now a week closer than we were during Dynamite 200. Only the aforementioned MJF-Cole match has been revealed so far, but could there be other bouts revealed tonight? We’ll have to wait and see, but that’s definitely possible.

AEW Dynamite results from Columbus:

With the Jericho Appreciation Society gathered in the ring, Daddy Magic somewhat reluctantly introduces the group’s leader, Chris Jericho. He says he came to the ring as their friend, but Daniel Garcia asks him to stop talking and listen. Garcia is still upset about last week and reminds Jericho that he sacrificed for Chris every single time … so why won’t Jericho choose them? Daniel does his dance and then leaves.

Not usually the talkative one, Jake Hager says he liked that hat but no longer appreciates Jericho. Chris tries to stop the bleeding by addressing Anna Jay and Tay Melo, but Tay says she will come back next year after having her baby and become a champion without his help. Anna admits Jericho has helped them, but he’s helped himself more, and she needs to be selfish as she goes for the title tonight.

Angelo Parker says he doesn’t want to do this, and that he loves being a sports entertainer. But he’s given Jericho everything and has nothing left to give.

What about Daddy Magic? Matt Menard says Jericho was his childhood hero and that the last 18 months have been nothing but a dream for him. Alas, he walks away too.

That leaves only Sammy Guevara, who says he won’t walk out on Jericho. He does, however, say Chris has a lot of things to work out, and when he does, maybe Sammy will be there.

Renee Paquette catches up with Jericho, but so does Don Callis. Jericho says he has a decision about whether he will join Don’s family and will announce it next week.

The Young Bucks def. The Hardys by pinfall

The Bucks have really not done much tag team wrestling this year — this is only their third two-on-two match of 2023. That’s a fun framing for watching the Hardys do well early on (though they haven’t been doing that much either, with Jeff only recently returned to the fold).

The Jacksons take the upper hand after Risky Business, and Nick Jackson dives to the floor over his brother to take out both Hardys. Matt and Jeff get things turned around during picture-in-picture, and Jeff nearly pins Nick with the Whisper in the Wind.

Here comes the superkick party, and both Hardys are invited. The Bucks hit a variation on the 3-D but can’t put Jeff away. The Hardys rally with twin Twists of Fate, and Jeff hits a Swanton Bomb on Nick that forces Matt Jackson to make the save.

After a scramble among all four men, Matt Hardy looks for a Twist of Fate, but the Bucks counter with a BTE Trigger that wraps up a victory.

The victorious Young Bucks ask for a microphone but only get out FTR before the tag team champions head their way. The two teams have a bit of a discussion, which the fans like, before Matt Jackson simply says “All In.” FTR hold their titles up, so we’re saying that’s challenge accepted.

All In will also have a four-way match for the AEW Women’s World Championship, with Toni Storm guaranteed a spot since she is owed a rematch. Or we think that’s right.

MJF is dismayed that Adam Cole’s outing for the night is a trampoline park, but the world champ lights up when he discovers there is dodgeball, and he amuses himself by eliminating kids with extreme prejudice.

Cole tells him to stop, but when a girl calls them nerds and flips them the bird, he relents and tells Max he can make one more throw.

Jon Moxley says he hopes the Best Friends learned their lesson and that Trent’s mom got the flowers they sent. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta taunt Pac for the injury that will keep him out past All In, which is pretty cold.

Jack Perry def. Rob Van Dam by pinfall to retain the FTW Championship

Perry attacks RVD before the bell, ’cause he’s a heel and all, but Van Dam is able to match him move for move once he gets settled in. RVD hits his spinning legdrop off the apron, getting the fans fired up and leading us to picture-in-picture.

Chairs come into play as well, with Perry trying to throw one at RVD and nailing the ref instead. Perry goes tumbling through a table on the floor, and the ref might be hurt for real.

RVD hits the Five-Star Frog Splash, but by the time Aubrey Edwards arrives to be the new ref, Perry has time to kick out. That allows Perry to do all the cheating: hitting a low blow, hurling RVD into a chair in the corner and pulling the tights to get the pin. All legal in FTW rules, eh.

Lucha Bros. tell Paquette the BCC should be the Blackpool Coward Club and that they’ll get some revenge for Pac tonight.

MJF and Cole come to the ring, where the champ successfully manages to say the Midwest is his favorite place without God striking him down. Max thinks Adam wants a promo battle and starts going in, then backs off saying he’s totally misread the situation.

But Cole says people like them as a tag team, so he suggests they go after titles just as meaningful to him: the ROH World Tag Team Championship. It’s the only ROH title Cole never won, and he convinces MJF to challenge Aussie Open for those belts on the Zero Hour pre-show.

Seems like the segment is going to end on a happy note, but Roderick Strong comes out to protest. MJF goes off on an extended rant on Roddy, who gets upset and is consoled by The Kingdom.

Cole gets mad at MJF, who looks furious, but with the fans chanting “hug it out,” they do exactly that, and Cole runs off to check on Roddy.

Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley) def. Lucha Bros. by pinfall

Penta and Rey Fenix slip in from the back side of the ring to hit superkicks and tandem dives to the floor before the bell even rings. Mox manages to right the ship, pulling off a double DDT on both the brothers.

Wheeler Yuta sneaks in a belt shot while Edwards is occupied, but Fenix kicks out anyway. He later gets hit with a two-man spike piledriver but manages to kick out again.

All four men start exchanging signature moves, leaving them all flat on their backs. The fans reward them with a “this is awesome” chant.

Mox and Penta start chopping the heck out of each other. Alex Abrahantes prevents Yuta from interfering again, and Fenix dives out on Wheeler, but Moxley unmasks Penta and pins him while he’s trying to cover his face.

After the bell, BCC beats the crap out of the Lucha Bros., while Claudio puts on Penta’s mask and mocks him.

What about Kenny Omega at All In? He’s going to talk to JR about it next week, apparently.

The Mogul Embassy is still out here claiming Darby Allin is to blame for AR Fox’s turn, but Darby comes out to tell his side of the story. He also thinks it’s silly that Fox is made Allin put in a good word for Nick Wayne.

But while Fox has made some new friends, Darby has friends too. The lights go out, then go back on to find Sting in the ring with his trusty baseball bat. After beating up a couple of people, including Swerve Strickland, Sting points at the All In sign. Seems like a challenge is being made. And indeed it’s made official shortly after: Allin and Sting vs. Swerve and Fox in a Coffin Match.

Hikaru Shida def. Anna Jay by pinfall to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship

This is two Dynamite main events in a row for Shida, which is pretty cool. It’s less cool that we go to picture-in-picture so quickly, but hey.

Anna gets some offense in during the tiny picture, hammering Shida repeatedly to the body in the corner. Menard and Parker are still out there supporting Anna, and they stop the champ from jumping off a chair on the outside.

That leads to Jay applying the Queenslayer, and though Shida looks like she may be in trouble, she makes the ropes to break the hold. With Anna trying for the Queenslayer again, Shida falls back from the top rope and follows with a Falcon Arrow for the near fall.

Shida hits the katana, Parker tries to do … something to help Anna, but it doesn’t work and the champ retains.

AEW Dynamite 200 results: New champion crowned to end anniversary show

Get full details on the special AEW Dynamite 200 show, including a new champion and the arrival of an ECW Original.

It’s a little trite to say “I can’t believe it’s been 200 episode of AEW Dynamite,” but for real, it is actually a little hard to fathom. Not only in a “time flies” sense, though that is part of it, but just overcoming the odds of starting from nothing except some of the best non-WWE talent and plenty of Tony Khan’s willpower and money, turning that into a strong No. 2 promotion on the North American wrestling scene.

While the company has added pay-per-views and additional weekly programming in the form of Rampage and Collision, Dynamite has been one of the constants throughout. It’s turned Wednesday nights into appointment viewing for many wrestling fans, and has produced a number of memorable moments.

Perhaps tonight’s 200th episode of AEW Dynamite from Tampa might cook up a few more. There’s certainly every opportunity, from a pair of championship matches to an Anything Goes three-way dance to The Elite (fresh off confirming they will remain All Elite going forward) in trios action.

Chris Jericho will take on some of his own teammates in what could be a pivotal fork in the road for the Jericho Appreciation Society. Jack Perry will continue to show he’s a Really Bad Guy now, and we’ll hear from AEW World Champion MJF.

Plus there’s been word that matches for All In will start to be announced tonight. That would be ideal considering the show is now less than a month away, and while it’s not unusual for AEW to book right up to the last minute, spreading the word on what to expect on its biggest card ever might not be a bad idea.

We’re psyched to see what’s in store on AEW Dynamite 200, and are raring to go with live updates.

AEW Dynamite 200 results:

Chris Jericho and Konosuke Takeshita def. Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara by pinfall

Jericho has no qualms about taking it right to his JAS colleagues, just as Garcia has no qualms about doing his dance right in Jericho’s face. It doesn’t stop him from being the one on his team to take the extended beating, as Jericho and Takeshita are working together nicely.

Guevara eventually gets a hot tag and clears the ring, diving to opposite sides to hit both of his opponents. He Frog Splashes Takeshita as well, but Jericho makes the save.

Fans are chanting for Garcia now, but just when it looks like he has Jericho in real trouble, Don Callis hits him in the head with Jericho’s bat. Chris looks unhappy but covers Daniel anyway and gets the three count.

Tony Khan thanks fans and the staff members that have made 200 episodes of Dynamite possible. A package of highlights over the years is shown with tons of good stuff.

Renee Paquette tries to catch up with Jericho for comment, but Matt Menard reaches him first and informs him that there will be a mandatory Jericho Appreciation Society meeting next week, and Chris will be there.

Tony Schiavone finds his mic quickly taken by Jack Perry, who calls out Jerry Lynn to “take this ass kicking like a man.” He says he won’t go teach Perry a lesson because it would constitute “child abuse.” Lynn also knows he’s past his wrestling days, but he called one of his friends from the ECW days … Rob Van Dam! And he’s even got “Walk” as his music.

Perry wants no part of RVD and flees into the crowd, at one point even acting like he’ll use a small girl as a human shield. He’s a bad guy, you see.

Trent Beretta def. Penta El Zero Miedo and Jon Moxley by pinfall in an Anything Goes match

You want trash cans? You got ’em. Also a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire. Alex Abrahantes isn’t above getting tables into position on the floor, and it’s Moxley who goes through them thanks to a Beretta superplex.

More tables are set up inside the ring, which is bad news for Beretta as he takes an Avalanche Destroyer through one of them. Here come thumbtacks too, neat.

Penta takes a piledriver into the tacks from Mox but kicks out, only to be slammed back first onto them. More ridiculous violence ensues with tacks and a trash can involved.

Mox hits a Paradigm Shift on Penta, but Trent send him flying with a knee shot and covers Penta to get the win.

After the bell, Mox wants to keep fighting, and his Blackpool Combat Club teammates are coming to his aid. Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy enter the fray as well, with Taylor eventually running Claudio Castagnoli off with a chair while Cassidy hits an Orange Punch on Moxley.

Taylor notes that the three-way accomplished nothing, so Best Friends challenge the BCC to a parking lot fight at Daily’s Place on Rampage.

RVD tells Paquette that he is here because Perry was running his mouth, and he wants to challenge Jack for the FTW Championship next week.

An emotional MJF says he wants to have a serious talk with the fans in the arena and at home. The champ says he has ADD and also Rejection Sensitivity Disorder. We’ll have the Wrestling Junkie intern look up whether that’s a real thing.

(Editor’s note: It is.)

MJF recalls being bullied as a kid and evolving to believe he needed to stab people in the back before they did it to him. He says getting people to boo him is easy but being vulnerable is hard. Alas, MJF claims he’s not scared of opening up any more because of the fans.

Though it will be hard to stop being a scumbag (his words) cold turkey, MJF says he’s ready to be “your scumbag.” He also credits Adam Cole for showing him how to open his heart, and he calls his “best friend” to the ring.

Cole obliges and praises the man that Max has become. Adam says the people adore him and want to cheer for him.

As much as he loves the flowers, MJF called Cole out to discuss the title match he promised him. Not just any match, though, “The Match”: a championship bout in the main event of All In at Wembley Stadium.

Cole eagerly signs the contract he was offered, and they hug while joking about who will win.

Backstage, Roderick Strong loses it while seeing it play out and gets a visit from The Kingdom.

The Elite (Kenny Omega and Young Bucks) def. Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh by pinfall

Height differences are fun, and Singh just towers over Matt Jackson while Omega and Nick Jackson jokingly act like they won’t be tagged in to face the big man.

Some foolishness breaks out after a picture-in-picture segment, with Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Brandon Cutler and The Hardys all getting involved. Jarrett wants to use his guitar too, but Hangman Adam Page arrives with a Buckshot to prevent it.

Lethal ends up eating the One-Winged Angel, and the good guys win.

Hangman reiterates the big news that The Elite has re-signed with AEW. Omega says we’ll be seeing more of them … heck, even on Collision.

AR Fox says he turned on Darby Allin because of his ungratefulness once he signed with AEW. But the Mogul Embassy takes care of its own, including casting Fox in his “new movie.”

To that end, Swerve Strickland and Fox pay a visit to Nick Wayne at his home training ring, which ends up going badly for young Nick. After bloodying Wayne, they force him to call Allin so they can threaten Darby that this is only the beginning.

Aussie Open def. El Hijo del Vikingo and Komander by pinfall to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship

The announcers frame this as hard-hitting vs. high-flying, and early on, it’s the aerialists who are getting the upper hand. Mark Davis of Aussie Open is only recently returned from injury, but he looks like he’s moving well.

Of course, no one moves as well as Vikingo. The only thing that can slow him is when he and Komander try simultaneous dives to the outside, only to get caught and smashed into each other back first by Aussie Open.

After side by side action, the luchadors recover nicely, walking the top rope for twin moonsaults to the outside. Both challengers fly for twin 450 splashes to Davis, but Kyle Fletcher breaks up the pin.

Alas, Komander ends up betting isolated, and the champs execute some nice tandem offense to put him away and retain their titles.

A highlight package shows the events on AEW Collision that have led to a Real World Championship bout between CM Punk and Ricky Starks this Saturday.

Hikaru Shida def. Toni Storm by pinfall to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion

These two know each other well and their physical styles are very complementary. Shida has a little more aerial flair to her arsenal, and she dips into it several times in a row for near falls while Saraya looks concerned on the outside.

Ruby Soho is out there too, providing the assistance to give Storm an opening for a DDT and hip attack. Shida kicks out, though, and the match continues.

A clash of strikes ends with Shida scoring with a knee strike, then a Falcon Arrow for another two count. Saraya slides a kendo stick into the ring, and Shida almost uses it before realizing that would get her DQed. Soho gets a shot instead, but as the ref gets rid of the weapon, Storm sprays Shida in the face with spray paint and hits Storm Zero … but Shida kicks out and reverses Storm’s next attack into a pin, holding on to become AEW Women’s World Champion for the second time.

 

AEW Dynamite 200 preview 08/02/23: A milestone night in Tampa

AEW Dynamite is having an anniversary episode but fans will be getting the gifts in the form of a loaded card in Tampa.

AEW has reason to celebrate tonight in Tampa. It’s the 200th episode of AEW Dynamite, a remarkable achievement for a pro wrestling company that only sprang into existence four years ago and came of age during the COVID-19 pandemic, circumstances that could have sunken the promotion just as it was truly setting sail.

Instead, it’s weathered some ups and downs and is now flourishing. Yes, an argument could be made that it’s no longer the hottest thing in the U.S. market thanks to its resurgent competition, but with AEW Collision doing well on Saturday nights and All In on the horizon as the biggest show in AEW history, there’s a lot to be happy about.

Thus, it’s only fitting that Dynamite 200 bring the goods, and the card looks like it will do its best. Three members of the newly re-signed Elite, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, will be in action taking on Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh. One of the big matches from last week’s show will spill over into a brand new form as Jon Moxley, Trent Beretta and Penta will all throw down in an Anything Goes match.

Title matches? Yessir. Toni Storm will battle Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s World Championship, while Aussie Open defends the ROH World Tag Team Championship against El Hijo del Vikingo and Komander.

We’re not quite done. Chris Jericho faces a potentially pivotal moment in his flirtations with Don Callis as he teams with Konosuke Takeshita to take on his own JAS teammates, Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara. And Jack Perry will go face to face with Jerry Lynn, plus MJF will get some mic time.

Sounds like a loaded show to us, plus there’s bound to be some look backs at the best of what Dynamite has given us through its first 199 episodes. Make plans to tune in to TBS at 8 p.m. ET tonight, or join us back here at the Junkie for live results.

Kenny Omega, Young Bucks, Adam Page all re-sign ‘multi-year deals’ with AEW

The Elite is staying with AEW, and Matt Jackson said the group made the decision together.

Update Aug. 2, 12:20 p.m.: AEW has issued a press release confirming the new contract extensions for The Elite, as well as including comments from AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan:

The Elite have been so important to the launch of AEW, with the Young Bucks going all in when I first approached them in 2018 about my dream to create an international pro wrestling promotion. Shortly after that, their partners and closest friends Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page joined us to formally launch All Elite Wrestling. All four of them have been instrumental to AEW’s success from the very first episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite in 2019 through the present day. Now as we celebrate tonight’s 200th episode of AEW: Dynamite, I’m excited to share that Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and Hangman Adam Page will all be staying in AEW for years to come! Congratulations to The Elite, and we look forward to celebrating the great news with fans around the world. See you all tonight for Episode 200 of AEW: Dynamite!

Original story follows.

All four members of The Elite will be sticking around the company they helped build from the ground up.

While the expectation was always that Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and Hangman Adam Page would remain with AEW, the departure of Cody Rhodes last year proved that even one of the founding fathers leaving wasn’t impossible.

Add in The Elite’s suspensions in the wake of the post-All Out fracas with CM Punk last fall and there was definitely a bit of “we’ll feel better when new contracts are signed” feeling among AEW fans. Fortunately, that’s now the case.

As reported by Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Omega, Page and the Bucks have all re-signed to “multi-year deals,” keeping them with AEW for the foreseeable future. They will also continue on as Executive Vice Presidents, roles they have fulfilled since the launch of AEW four years ago.

There’s also a possibility that these are the last big contracts The Elite will sign. While all four members of the group are under 40, Omega and Matt Jackson are headed toward that age at 39 and 38, respectively (Page is the youngster at just 32).

Perhaps as an acknowledgement of that truth, both men sounded notes of realization that they are closer to the end of the road than the beginning in their comments to SI, as well as suggesting that not working schedules where they would always be on the road was important to them — which would certainly be the case had they left and signed with WWE.

Jackson also added that The Elite made the decision to re-sign as a unit.

“The entire Elite was going to make the decision of where we were going, together,” he said to Barrasso. “And that’s what we did. We stuck together. Which isn’t typical in the wrestling business. But again, I used the word family earlier. We’re not just locker room pals. We’re more like a family. And we did what the family wanted.”

AEW Dynamite Blood and Guts results 07/19/23: BCC comes apart, surrenders to Golden Elite

Who will emerge from the violence of Blood and Guts with their hands raised? We’ll find out tonight on AEW Dynamite.

Some wrestling matches, and indeed some entire wrestling cards, don’t really need much additional hype because they more or less sell themselves. Such is the case with tonight’s AEW Dynamite from Boston, because it’s centered around one of the company’s signature gimmick matches: Blood and Guts.

(My son would also say Stadium Stampede, but that’s more of an acquired taste.)

With all due respect to the wrestlers who competed in the first two Blood and Guts bouts, the lineup for tonight is the juiciest to date. On one side, The Golden Elite, newly bolstered by the AEW debut of NJPW legend Kota Ibushi.

On the other, the Blackpool Combat Club, who have prove to be a nigh unstoppable force for months. Yes, the group will miss Bryan Danielson while he recuperates from injury, but grabbing Pac as the team’s fifth member (not to mention having Konosuke Takeshita as an adjacent fellow Elite hater) is a pretty good get.

During his conference call earlier this week, AEW head Tony Khan put over how Blood and Guts takes a toll on everyone who participates in it. That’s undoubtedly true, but hot damn is it fun to watch, so thank you for both teams for putting themselves through what’s about to go down. It should be spectacular.

The rest of the show figures to be not too shabby either, what with the final of the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament determining if Adam Cole and MJF can take their reluctant buddy act all the way to a title shot, and Hook battling Jack Perry for the FTW Championship.

Still, in the end, tonight is all about Blood and Guts. We’re locked and loaded for this one, so let’s go.

AEW Dynamite Blood and Guts results from Boston:

Jack Perry def. Hook by pinfall to become the new FTW Champion

Though his familiar music hits first, Perry is shown on the big screen “burying” his old Jungle Boy gimmick. He then enters to classical music, with more facial hair, the sure signs he’s a heel now.

There’s plenty of fighting on the outside, into the crowd, etc., which is kind of ironic considering there are two rings there for Blood and Guts. Hook picks the excitement level up by hitting a t-bone suplex off the apron to the floor, leaving both men down.

Perry nearly wins it by countout after a DDT off the apron, but Hook makes it back in the nick of time. As they continue their battle, the ref takes a bump, and is out cold when Hook has Perry down for at least a five count.

While Hook goes to rouse the official, Perry grabs the FTW belt and smashes Hook in the face, and three counts later, we’ve got a new FTW Champion.

Alex Marvez has a line on a secret meeting between Chris Jericho and Don Callis, but the cameras are rushed out of there.

Adam Cole tries to help MJF over his fear of spicy food at Kowloon, and after some unexpected alcohol, they head to give a poor worker a double clothesline.

Now Marvez is out in the parking lot stalking Callis’ limo, but all Don and Chris do is call him a fat-headed idiot.

Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. def. Kayla Sparks by submission

As you may expect, Baker wins this quickly. Feels like The Outcasts should come out or something but nah.

Renee Paquette talks to Cole and MJF, who are feeling good. Both men got each other matching gear, but Roderick Strong is feeling left out.

Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara vs. Adam Cole and MJF – Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament final

Even Jericho’s teammates look surprised to see him come out. He doesn’t want his music to keep playing and flips everyone double birds before heading over to join the commentators. Not only are Cole and MJF wearing the matching gear, they have a remixed theme that combines both of their individual music.

To the dismay of Tony Schiavone, there’s a dance-off before the bell, which ends with Cole hip thrusting and blissfully unaware the music has stopped.

The heels attack Cole and MJF and the match finally begins.

Garcia ends up aggressively doing his dance toward the ref at an inopportune moment, which tilts the match toward Cole. He tags in MJF, but Guevara hits them with a standing double Spanish Fly. Damn.

Cole soon finds himself in a Garcia Sharpshooter, but Adam grabs a rope to escape. With both heels out on the floor, everyone encourages MJF to do a tope, and he finally does.

And yes, Cole and MJF win it with a double clothesline, giving them a title shot at FTR on the July 29 episode of Collision.

Jericho goes to console his JAS teammates, but they walk right by him on their way to the back. Meanwhile, Cole is in the ring admiring MJF’s title belt, which turns him jealous even after they hug it out.

FTR then comes to the ring for a brief discussion and mandatory staredown.

Paquette talks to Best Friends, Darby Allin and Nick Wayne. Allin has his sights set on Swerve Strickland, but he also owes AR Fox a favor and gets him a title shot against Orange Cassidy. But Cassidy and Wayne won’t get in the huddle for high fives, so Paquette jumps in.

The Golden Elite def. Blackpool Combat Club by surrender in Blood and Guts

Claudio Castagnoli and Kenny Omega start out for their respective teams, pretty good picks for guys who will have to be in there for the entire match. Pac enters third, just when Omega is picking up momentum, for his first appearance in an AEW match in more than seven months.

Hangman Adam Page enters the fray like a house on fire, which he kind of has to be since Omega took quite a 1-on-2 beating. Page and Omega work well together, bringing back fond memories of when they were tag team champs.

Next in is Jon Moxley, who comes in wielding a screwdriver and biting at Omega’s fingers. He has a fork for Castagnoli as well, and empties out a bucket of broken glass.

Nick Jackson arrives with invitations to the superkick party, and hurricanranas Claudio into the glass before tasting it himself courtesy of Mox. Omega gets slammed into that area as well, and you can see bits of glass sticking to his skin.

Wheeler Yuta (and his chair) and Matt Jackson follow. Another chair is carried in by Konosuke Takeshita, and though he loses it quickly, his presence tilts the momentum back toward BCC. Oh, and Omega gets kicked into a bed of nails in the corner and bodyslammed onto it by Moxley.

Kota Ibushi makes his entrance to a huge pop, knocking down dudes on the way to taking on a super bloody Moxley. Ibushi slams Mox onto the nails and then moonsaults onto him for good measure.

Claudio tosses Matt Jackson into the steel and he slides down in-between the ring and the cage, which looks potentially dangerous. We finally get a breather with some side-by-side action.

Yuta scales the cage and beckons for Matt Jackson to join him on the roof of the cage. Wheeler narrowly avoids being suplexed off the cage and decides he’s done up there. Smart.

Matt drops a bag of tacks down through the roof of the cage, just in time for two BCC members to be suplexed onto them. Even with all this craziness, the fans chant that they want tables.

Tables do, in fact, come into play, and now pretty much all 10 men are down. They rise as one, and now all of them are brawling in the middle of the two rings. Omega ends a chain of signature moves by looking for a One-Winged Angel, but he ends up in a submission hold instead.

All of the Golden Elite looks to be in trouble, but Ibushi gets free and starts rescuing his teammates. But there’s dissent in the BCC side, as Pac and Claudio get into it. Pac flips everyone two birds and goes to get bolt cutters so he can leave the cage.

This seems like The Golden Elite’s match to win now. Page is dishing out Buckshots and Yuta is in a lot of trouble. Moxley gets handcuffed to the cage, and Callis gets Takeshita out of the match too.

Matt Jackson now has a special black shoe on one foot with tacks in it, busting open Yuta, and he gets choked with a chain until Moxley calls for surrender to save Wheeler more damage.

Don’t worry, AEW fans: The promotion’s new safety protocols won’t ruin the product

Even with certain limitations, AEW matches should continue to be elite – and more meaningful.

If there’s one thing All Elite Wrestling can consistently hang its hat on, it’s the in-ring action.

From bell to bell, AEW puts on as exciting a product inside the ring as any promotion in the world. The impact from whatever missteps and inconsistencies that exist elsewhere in the company, including a backstage rivalry that has essentially divided the locker room, is lessened by the fact that when the bell rings, AEW can be, at times, electrifying.

With that proverbial ace up its sleeve, AEW has garnered a passionate and dedicated fan base in only a few short years. However, things may begin to look a little different in the ring soon, and some AEW fans are very concerned. 

Fightful Select (subscribe here) was the first to report Thursday that AEW sent a memo to the roster earlier this week outlining some new health and safety protocols for matches moving forward. The protocols range from certain moves and spots needing to have prior approval to some being outright banned. AEW plans to enforce these protocols by fining whomever breaks them.

Let’s pick this apart piece by piece.

First up are the moves that are now outright banned. AEW got rid of unprotected chair shots to the head, which should have been the case from Day 1. By 2019, we had plenty of evidence of the head trauma that could be caused by chair shots. There was never a good reason for AEW to ever allow them. This also includes shots to the back of the head.

Next up are buckle bombs or any move that sends someone backward into the turnbuckle. WWE once banned the buckle bomb when Sting and Finn Balor suffered serious injuries after taking a version of the move. It was apparently reinstated at some point because Seth Rollins is back to using it again. However, AEW is getting rid of them. I honestly believe WWE should do the same.

Then you have fencing response/seizure sells, which probably has Bryan Danielson somewhere seething. All jokes aside, this is pretty much always in poor taste and rarely has the desired effect. Danielson’s version of this at Forbidden Door would fall under both of those categories.

AEW wrestlers can no longer spit, which again, should not be a thing anyway. Spitting has always been disgusting, but you would think after an entire pandemic that we, as a society, would be more conscious of germs, especially when it comes to our saliva. But AEW has to remind everyone not to spit on each other. I don’t think this is going to hamper the product in any way.

For hygiene and legal reasons, AEW wrestlers are no longer allowed to bleed in the crowd. The last thing any company needs is for someone to attain some type of illness because they somehow exchanged blood with one of the wrestlers. That’s horrible overall, but it could also lead to a very, very expensive lawsuit. AEW does not want those problems.

Speaking of lawsuits, the wrestlers can no longer take weapons or projectiles into the crowd. Another thing AEW doesn’t need is for one of the fans to be mistakenly whacked over the head with a kendo stick. Soon after calling a doctor, that person is going to call a lawyer.

Wrestlers cannot physically interact with a fan or allow a fan to hit another wrestler because, again, lawsuits.

But all hope is not lost because there are things AEW wrestlers can still do. They just have to receive prior approval before doing them. That list includes things such as using weapons, spots on the ring apron, intentional bleeding, fighting in the crowd in general, bumping the ref, and any usage of a piledriver.

The list is long, but it is necessary. And like items on the banned list, they should have been in place from Day 1. AEW has employed agents and producers from its inception. If they weren’t already enforcing these protocols, what exactly were they enforcing? Could the AEW wrestlers literally just do whatever they wanted to?

As quality as AEW’s wrestling product can be, it comes at a price. And that price is usually the health and well being of the wrestlers. Left to their own devices, wrestlers are liable to do anything short of dying to make a name for themselves. It is up to the promotion to place governors on them to keep them healthy. It is up to the promotion to protect the wrestlers from themselves.

Even Forbidden Door, a night for AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling to showcase some of the best wrestling in the world, was marred by Danielson fracturing his arm and Kenny Omega being dropped on the back of his head via a Tiger Driver ‘91. Let us not forget that Omega has missed significant time in the last two years due to a variety of injuries. As Omega nears the age of 40, the injuries could have more lasting effects.

AEW diehards tried to talk these incidents down as the price of doing business when you want to witness great wrestling, but these new protocols are proof that the promotion itself saw Forbidden Door and many other nights as a major concern.

What should be of major concern is the quality of AEW’s product. I don’t see how these protocols could dampen anyone’s enjoyment. If anything, they should enhance it as they should make the major moments the wrestlers create even more meaningful.

Right now, everyone in AEW is trying to have the best match of the night and while that is a noble cause, it doesn’t help the flow of the show. It definitely doesn’t help when almost every match has variations of the same spots. The point of the list of moves that require prior approval is so that every single match doesn’t have a ref bump or an apron spot or a dive.

Watch AEW on a weekly basis, and you will see that these troupes are littered throughout the show. But when they happen in almost every match, it loses its impact.

Now, when you see that ref bump, we probably won’t see another one on the show, which makes it more meaningful. We’re still probably going to see a lot of dives because it is such an ingrained part of nearly everyone’s offense.

However, I do believe we will see fewer spots on the ring apron. And guess what? I’m fine with that. Having a spot on the ring apron is not required in order to have a great match.

So fear not, AEW fans. Your beloved promotion is still going to provide you with five hours of quality television on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, you will still chant “Fight forever!” during the events, and AEW will continue to carve out its space in the marketplace.

Remember, the “e” in AEW stands for “elite,” and the promotion will maintain that status, even with some safety protocols.

Is Kenny Omega’s former Golden Lovers partner about to come help The Elite?

If Kota Ibushi is on his way in for some AEW appearances, Blood and Guts would be the perfect spot for him to debut.

The Elite and Blackpool Combat Club are going to try to finally settle their ongoing beef once and for all at Blood and Guts on the July 19 episode of AEW Dynamite at Boston’s TD Garden. The issue on The Elite’s side is that the format calls for five-person teams, and there are only four members of the group. A new report suggests that it could be someone from Kenny Omega‘s past who answers the call.

Fightful Select (subscription required but well worth the $5 a month) says it has confirmed that “conversations have taken place between international star Kota Ibushi and All Elite Wrestling.” On top of that, talent expects him to appear soon, and “specifically for the upcoming Blood & Guts show.”

Ibushi is known for his time in NJPW, where he won numerous titles including the inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (formed by unifying the prior IWGP World Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship). He last wrestled for New Japan during the G1 Climax tournament in the fall of 2021 before having a very public falling out with the company — though one that reportedly has since been resolved.

Th 41-year-old Ibushi returned to action during WrestleMania weekend in Los Angeles, taking part in two of the GCW Collective shows. He’s been open about the idea that he would probably talk to AEW at some point.

Ibushi has a long history with Omega, including runs in several promotions as the Golden Lovers. The expectation is that he’d be the fifth member for The Elite, as he has aligned himself with the group in the past without ever becoming an “official” member.

(As an aside, the arm injury to Bryan Danielson means the BCC team also needs a fifth combatant, but the angle from this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite suggests that Chris Jericho may be convinced by Don Callis to fill that spot.)

With two weeks left before Blood and Guts, AEW could reveal that Ibushi is coming in, or choose to keep people guessing until the last minute. But if he is indeed on the way, that would make an already anticipated match that much more compelling.

AEW Dynamite preview 07/05/23: Kenny Omega fights again in Edmonton

There’s also Owen Hart Cup and Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament action on tap for AEW Dynamite from Edmonton.

It’s not every week that Kenny Omega wrestles a singles match on free TV. That’s by design; not only does AEW want to make each Omega outing meaningful, he’s said himself that he can’t keep up the same pace he did earlier in his career. But he will be in action tonight on AEW Dynamite, and that alone is reason to check it out.

It’s possible that AEW and Omega didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to allow him to perform in front of Canadian fans again, seeing as tonight’s show is in Edmonton. It’s also part of the wider build to Blood and Guts between The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club, as Omega will face off against the latter group’s Wheeler Yuta.

The other big focus for Dynamite will be tournament action of not one but two different kinds. The Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament will continue with a match that was delayed from last week due to illness, with Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. squaring off against Ruby Soho of The Outcasts.

The Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament also kicks it up a notch with two matches. One will see former friends turned enemies Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland go up against Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin. Only one guess which team should have the better chemistry in that one.

Speaking of chemistry, MJF has been doing all he can to build it with unwilling tag team partner Adam Cole, probably to keep Cole from going after his AEW World Championship. They’ll have their first tourney match tonight as well.

Plus we’ll hear from Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley, because why not? It all goes down tonight starting at 8 p.m. ET, and if you can’t tune in, be sure to check us out at Wrestling Junkie for live results and updates.

Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega say nice things about each other after their bloody Forbidden Door epic

Both victorious Will Ospreay and defeated Kenny Omega said complimentary things about each other after their amazing rematch at Forbidden Door.

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega pushed each other to the limit for the second time this year at Forbidden Door Sunday night in Toronto. In what seems certain to be a Match of the Year finalist for anyone who gives out such honors, they took huge risks, showed incredible heart and bled what seemed like buckets of blood.

They also probably don’t like each other any more now than they did before the sequel to their equally mesmerizing meeting this January at Wrestle Kingdom. But it sounds like they do respect one another.

In a tweet sent earlier today, Ospreay called his victory over Omega “legitimately the most challenging and yet rewarding task of my life” and said that the Canadian superstar had earned the right to say he was “above elite.”

That followed Omega saying that the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship — which Omega had claimed from Ospreay in their first matchup — “is in good hands” while imploring Ospreay to keep it away from Don Callis, who aided the new champ by slipping him a screwdriver.

Omega is apparently OK after a wince-inducing spot during the bout where he appeared to land directly on his head taking a Tiger Driver ’91 from Ospreay. AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan declined to give a detailed update on Omega’s health while talking to the media after Forbidden Door but said he hoped Omega would be fine.

The fact that the series between the two wrestlers is now tied 1-1 raises the prospect of a potential rubber match, with two big events looming as possibilities. AEW is holding its biggest show ever, All Out London in Wembley Stadium, later this summer, and Khan has mentioned that he expects some NJPW talent may be involved.

If that’s too soon to run it back, Wrestle Kingdom is always an option next January in Tokyo. If a third bout does happen, it’s probably not going to see Ospreay and Omega be buddies leading into it, but at least wrestling fans know now the mutual respect between them is definitely there.

Will Ospreay def. Kenny Omega – Forbidden Door 2023 best photos

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega put it all on the line again at Forbidden Door 2023. Relive their epic match through some of its best photos.

If there were any doubts that Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega could top their incredible first match from Wrestle Kingdom earlier this year, they erased them by about the 15-minute mark at Forbidden Door.

Fortunately for fans, there were still about 30 more minutes of breathtaking risks, bloody violence and unbelievable drama before Ospreay had his hand raised and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship back in his possession.

Relive all of the memorable moments with some of the best images from Toronto (photos courtesy of All Elite Wrestling).