Tag: Malakai Black

AEW Collision results 10/21/23: House of Black runs roughshod but faces rally to end the show

The AEW tag team champions were the unexpected beneficiary of the return of Malakai Black and company.

It’s not fun to think about, but since Bryan Danielson has said it himself, it’s time to face facts: We won’t have the pleasure of watching the American Dragon in the ring forever. That’s why it behooves AEW to get him in the ring with as many amazing opponents as possible while he’s still around, which is exactly what’s happening on tonight’s episode of AEW Collision in Memphis.

Tony Khan announced a few days ago that he had a dream match lined up for tonight, and while that inevitably led to fans’ imaginations running wild with potential opponents from just about everywhere, it turns out there was one within the company who has been appearing on Collision quite often. That’d be Andrade El Idolo, who has, pretty incredibly, never faced Bryan in a televised match of any kind.

(Seriously, we had our research intern look it up. Just kidding, we don’t have one of those.)

While that bout may just be for the pure in-ring excitement, the rest of Collision looks like it stems from things going on over AEW programming in recent weeks. Eddie Kingston will battle Jeff Jarrett in a Memphis Street Fight, attempting to keep Jay Lethal from earning a shot at his ROH World Championship.

New-ish AEW World Tag Team Champions Big Bill and Ricky Starks will try to remain in that position when they face Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta, while the previous titleholders, FTR, return to action for the first time since losing them. And Action Andretti will try to keep his head attached to his shoulders while staying out of any marital drama as he takes on Miro.

If that weren’t enough for you, be sure to stay tuned afterward as Battle of the Belts VIII presents three championship matches. We’ll get to that in due time, but for now, let’s see what Collision has in store.

AEW Collision results from Memphis:

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

  • Bryan Danielson def. Andrade El Idolo by pinfall, but Malakai Black appears after the bell and lays out Danielson with a spin kick
  • Skye Blue def. Hollyhood Haley by pinfall
  • The Gunns def. Outrunners by pinfall; after the match, the lights go out and the man in the devil mask appears on screen, but doesn’t go after Bullet Club Gold
  • While Orange Cassidy is being interviewed, Kris Statlander says she needs a pump before her match and squats the interviewer
  • Jeff Jarrett def. Eddie Kingston by pinfall in a Memphis Street Fight thanks to help from Jay Lethal, Karen Jarrett, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt (yes, all of them); Lethal will receive a ROH World Championship shot as a result
  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass have to apologize for Max Caster’s behavior but are ready to take down Daniel Garcia, Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang on Battle of the Belts
  • Miro def. Action Andretti by submission in a match that was probably harder than Miro would have figured; C.J. Perry applauds from ringside and Miro decides against beating up Andretti after the bell in what passes as a show of respect from him
  • Anna Jay seems like she’s still trying to keep the peace between Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard; Angelo Parker and Ruby Soho have an amusing exchange about family problems before Soho says she deserves to be a champion and is willing to challenge any of them
  • Rush says he’s sick and tired of all the opportunities going to other wrestlers and mad about the company saying he’s too dangerous … to be continued …
  • Kingston is getting checked out by the trainer but still delivers an angry promo to Lethal, calling him “Jeff Jarrett’s little bitch” and promising to beat Lethal down in front of his mother
  • FTR vs. Bad Thad Brown and Darian Bengston is interrupted by an attack from the House of Black, who lays out FTR
  • Big Bill and Ricky Starks def. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta by pinfall to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship thanks to interference by the House of Black, but …
  • … when the House of Black tries to press its advantage after the match, the faces get reinforcements: from Bryan Danielson, FTR, and eventually, Jon Moxley, leaving the faces standing over a prone Starks to end the show

AEW Collision results 07/15/23: FTR wins instant classic, Starks takes a shortcut

AEW Collision from Calgary also saw Willow Nightingale capture the Women’s Owen Hart Cup.

Calgary is usually best known for its stampede, but tonight it’s going to be the site of a collision. AEW Collision, to be precise, which is offering up a high stakes card for this mid-July Saturday evening.

Both the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament winners will be decided. The former will see CM Punk take on Ricky Starks in a battle that should see Absolute as the fan favorite, while the latter sees Willow Nightingale, fresh off a scintillating victory over Athena, go up against Ruby Soho.

On top of those intriguing bouts, the AEW World Tag Team Championship is also on the line at the Saddledome. The Bullet Club Gold duo of Jay White and Juice Robinson earned their shot by defeating the champs. But outwitting FTR for one fall is one thing, and taking two of three falls from them is quite another — though that’s exactly what White and Robinson will have to do tonight if they want to walk away with the belts.

And speaking of belts, there are even more of them up for grabs after Collision as Battle of the Belts VII will offer up three additional championship matches. But you know, that’s a tale for a different time, or in this case, a different post.

Let’s focus on Collision first, shall we?

AEW Collision results from Calgary:

FTR def. Bullet Club Gold (Jay White and Juice Robinson) 2-1 in a 2 out of 3 falls match to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship

This one starts off very slowly with a ton of posturing and mind games. Bullet Club Gold gets the better of things during the first picture-in-picture segment, but the crowd is trying to will the champs into the lead.

Dax Harwood takes a rare shortcut with White in an abdominal stretch, using the ropes for leverage. The announcers put over Robinson’s patience as he works against Cash Wheeler, and White also looks good when he re-enters the fray.

The big question is who’s going to get the first fall as White and Harwood both end up down on the mat with their partners urging them to rise. FTR looks for the Shatter Machine, but Robinson foils it and White hits a Blade Runner to give the challengers a 1-0 lead.

The assumption is that FTR will get the second fall and take it to a third and decisive fall, but it’s Bullet Club Gold who controls most of the next bit of action. Wheeler fights heroically to make a hot tag to Dax, who unleashes on both of the challengers. He pulls off a cool spot when he back drops White while still being tied up with Robinson, but his brainbuster on Juice gets only a two count.

White is also in trouble shortly after but manages to kick out at two … and then again. The fans are legitimately in disbelief. The challengers turn the tables on FTR with a frog splash by Robinson and a cover by White, but Harwood kicks out at the very last second. That proves vital, as FTR hits the Shatter Machine, finally, and evens the score at 1-1.

After a commercial break, all four men are fighting on the outside, and White and Harwood take a tough spill over the barricade to the concrete floor. Wheeler and some officials go to check on them, but it appears all is well as they continue on.

FTR ends up suplexing both of their foes on the floor, where only thin mats are there to cushion the impact. All four men make it back into the ring for a face to face showdown as the fans shower them with applause.

Harwood looks like he’s in big trouble as White locks him in the Sharpshooter, much to the dismay of the Calgary crowd. He manages to make it to the bottom rope, however, to force a break. The ring announcer reveals there are only five minutes remaining.

The fans roar back to life again as both members of FTR have their foes in Sharpshooters, but Robinson and White reach out for each other and are able to break free. Juice, still legal, goes for Pulp Friction but ends up back in a Sharpshooter, and Harwood leans back super deep and manages to get the tapout. Fantastic stuff.

FTR offers handshakes after the bout, but instead of accepting them, White spits on the mat in front of the champs.

A hype video is shown for Blood and Guts, with clips from both The Golden Elite and Blackpool Combat Club.

Willow Nightingale def. Ruby Soho by pinfall to win the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament final

Can Soho defeat Nightingale without cheating? We may never know, because that’s exactly what Ruby is trying to do. Willow does survive the No Future, barely, and at least the other Outcasts aren’t out there.

A Pounce sends the spray paint can flying, and Nightingale follows with a powerbomb to win the trophy and the belt that goes with it.

QT Marshall tries to convince Powerhouse Hobbs that he didn’t intentionally cost him a chance at the Owen Hart cup, but it remains to be seen what he’ll have to do to prove it.

Malakai Black and Brody King def. Randy Myers and Arty by pinfall

In what is otherwise a squash match, the most interesting thing to note is Andrade El Idolo coming out to watch right before Black wins the match with the Black Mass.

Ricky Starks def. CM Punk by pinfall to win the Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament final

Dueling chants break out for both men, sounding split about down the middle — though Punk certainly received more heels than boos while being introduced. Starks mocks some of Punk’s trademark mannerisms after getting the better of an early exchange, though Punk is able to hip toss him out to the floor.

After a commercial break, the fans sound more anti-Punk as he slowly takes control of the action. Starks is able to take advantage as Punk is too slow to come off the top rope, and we go side-by-side during ads again.

Simultaneous cross body attempts leave both men down and make it appear we’re headed toward a finish. They get to their knees and start slugging it out, with Starks hammering home forearm shots. But Punk is able to counter Starks with a piledriver, nearly winning it even though he’s slow to cover.

Starks is able to slide away from the Go to Sleep and hit a spear, but Punk rolls to the outside. Ricky’s next spear is countered into a guillotine, forcing Starks to stretch his foot to the ropes to break the hold.

A top rope hurricanrana for Punk leads to a trade of covers back and forth, but Starks grabs the ropes on one of them and get the three count.

Now the House of Black might really be finished in AEW

With Malakai Black gone and Buddy Matthews apparently stepping away from AEW, the House of Black might be finished.

Can the House of Black survive as an ongoing thing in AEW with just Brody King and Julia Hart? Because if not, it appears the group might be done.

The faction was dealt a big blow when the man from which it took its name, Malakai Black, was reportedly granted a conditional release from AEW. Black confirmed as much in an Instagram post a week ago, flat out saying “I did indeed ask for my release.”

The House of Black went forward, however, with Buddy Matthews and King booked in a tag team match against Darby Allin and Sting that opened the Rampage portion of AEW Grand Slam in New York. The Great Muta assisted Allin and Sting in getting the victory, spitting his iconic green mist into the face of Matthews.

It turns out Matthews was the intentional victim of that spot, as he too is possibly on his way out of AEW. Here’s what Fightful Select had to say about Matthews this weekend:

After this week’s AEW Rampage Grand Slam, Fightful was informed that the Great Muta spot was a way to write Buddy Matthews off television for the time being. We weren’t given context as to whether or not Matthews was being released, but had heard numerous times over the previous couple of months that he’d expressed dissatisfaction regarding his situation

Matthews himself later said at a Fight Life Pro Wrestling show that he needed “to go away for a while” and “recalibrate.”

The common thread between Black and Matthews, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, is that they both would prefer to be back in WWE but can’t just jump ship due to their AEW contracts.

Meltzer explained on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio:

Like Malakai Black, they both wanted to leave, they want to go to WWE. They’re both under long-term contract, and we’ll have to see how this plays out.

As for King, he seemed to reinforce his status with AEW with one GIF on Twitter on Sunday night.

It will be interesting to see if AEW decides to rebuild the House of Black around King and Hart (who has seemed to find herself creatively since joining the group) by adding new members or gives them a new direction. It wouldn’t be hard to see things going either way, as there are plenty of underutilized talents who could get a boost by joining up, but King also has unrealized potential for a singles push.

If this the end for House of Black, it’s a bit of a bummer because they seemed to have something good going a few months ago but never quite made it past the periphery of AEW’s main event scene. Hopefully, Black, Matthews and everyone ends up where they want to be, professionally and personally.

AEW Rampage Fyter Fest Week 1 quick results: Lucha Bros beat the odds

Get quick AEW Rampage Fyter Fest Week 1 results for the July 15, 2022 episode from Savannah, Georgia.

Did you know that the next AEW pay-per-view isn’t really an AEW PPV at all?

Yep. We’re only a little more than a week away from Death Before Dishonor, a Ring of Honor pay-per-view with a fantastic name that fits the promotion’s ethos perfectly, even under new management. A handful of matches have already been revealed, including a much anticipated rematch between FTR and The Briscoe Brothers.

This is all relevant because the ROH World Championship is being defended tonight on Rampage. Also on tap is what should be a banger of a main event between the Lucha Bros. and Private Party, giving us fond memories of 2019. Oh, and it’s still Week 1 of Fyter Fest, so there’s that.

Let’s get to it!

AEW Rampage Fyter Fest Week 1 results in 30 seconds:

  • Kings of the Black Throne def. John Silver and Alex Reynolds by pinfall, which was apparently an upset according to the tag team rankings … and Darby Allin and Sting attacked the House of Black after the match
  • Miro wonders if the House of Black was supposed to destroy him or recruit him
  • Jonathan Gresham def. Lee Moriarity by submission to retain his ROH World Championship
  • Gresham insists he’s the best technical wrestler in the world and will outclass “all of your favorites” in AEW, but Claudio Castagnoli comes out to potentially object to that
  • Christopher Daniels delivers a warning to Jay Lethal
  • Kris Statlander and Athena def. The Renegade twins by pinfall in a matter of minutes, and interim Baddie Leila Gray takes a beating until Jade Cargill and Kiera Hogan run down to handle their own business
  • Stokely Hathaway tries to recruit Moriarity, but Matt Sydal has a match lined up for him next week against someone who wrestles with heart: Dante Martin
  • Billy Gunn and the Gunn Club want to explain their recent actions, but The Acclaimed are here to fight, not scissor, and the Ass Boys won’t give the people the match they want to see
  • Lucha Bros. def. Private Party by pinfall despite interference by Rush

AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door — Everything you need to know

Get ready for AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door with our preview, including predictions for each match, start time, how to watch and more.

Considering AEW is only three years old, the company still enjoys a fair amount of firsts. Not many, however, are as significant as AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, a pay-per-view being held in conjunction with Japan’s top pro wrestling promotion. Once only a dream in the minds of most wrestling fans, it’s about to become a reality in Chicago’s United Center.

That’s not to say the road to get here has been easy. The logistical hurdles in building a show between companies half a world apart have been apparent at times, with a good chunk of the card coming together only in the final week. Injuries haven’t been kind; in a perfect world, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega would all be on this show.

Despite that, there are some tantalizing matchups of the kind many probably never dared imagine prior to this year. They begin with the interim AEW World Championship being contested between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi. With Punk out, one of them will carry the banner for AEW for the next few months, and even the possibility that it will be NJPW’s Ace is enough to be intriguing.

NJPW’s top title will be up for grabs as well. Jay White, who only recently secured the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada, now needs to defend it against not only the Rainmaker, but his friend Adam Cole and former AEW world champ Hangman Adam Page. Four-way matches are definitely not every fan’s cup of tea, but four performers of this caliber figure to make it compelling.

As the match count has made it to double digits, including a pre-show bout, the card figures to be close to final now. Keep reading for everything you need to know about AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door.

AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door

  • When: Sunday, June 26
  • Where: United Center, Chicago
  • Start time: 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT
  • How to watch: On PPV through Bleacher Report, or InDemand through cable or satellite providers, as well as in select movie theaters in the U.S. On Sky Deutschland in Germany, and on FITE TV internationally. In Japan, Forbidden Door will be available exclusively via NJPW World, with Japanese commentary.
  • Matches announced: 10 (including one on pre-show)

Opening Bell: Forbidden Door sneak peeks on Dynamite, Asuka vs. Becky on Raw

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage for the week of June 20.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week ahead.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, June 20, Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska

Money in the Bank qualifiers are always important, but one this Monday will be particularly personal. Asuka and Becky Lynch will clash again, with only the winner going on to vie for the briefcase on July 2. Will this finally be the start of Becky’s big comeback, or will the Empress of Tomorrow prove to be a thorn in her side again?

Also, Elias is back! Still tormenting Kevin Owens, Ezekiel has promised that his older brother would return to Raw in full concert mode. Not sure how this is going down for … reasons, but should be a lot of fun, as this whole angle has been highly entertaining.

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, June 22 – UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee

Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi will go head to head this coming Sunday at Forbidden Door to find out who will be Interim AEW World Champion. But first, they’ll join forces on Wednesday to battle Chris Jericho and Lance Archer, two men who know NJPW and its Ace. It’s “can they coexist?” in the finest pro wrestling tradition.

Another important piece of Forbidden Door will be settled when the final AEW spot in the All-Atlantic Championship Match is decided. Penta Oscuro and Malakai Black have had plenty of clashes to date, but this one has arguably the highest stakes yet.

Also scheduled for Dynamite:

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, June 24 – Moody Center, Austin, Texas

Ricochet was having a solid run as Intercontinental Champion until he ran smack into Gunther, who thrashed him but good while taking his gold. He’ll get a rematch against the Ring General this week, but it remains to be seen if he’ll fare any better.

We’ll also see a Money in the Bank Ladder Match qualifier between Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn, which has some fun subtext since Zayn’s recent failure made Roman Reigns have to defend his championships against Riddle … though since that turned out fine in the end, maybe the Tribal Chief isn’t mad at Sami. Maybe.

Also announced for this week:

  • Shotzi vs. Aliyah in a Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match qualifier

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, June 24 – UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee

Somewhat surprisingly, AEW hasn’t announced anything yet for its final show before Forbidden Door, one that will air on TNT just two nights before the joint card with NJPW in Chicago. That said, because this is being taped on Wednesday after Dynamite, we’ll know by the end of that show most of what to expect on Friday.

There’s still time for more matches to be added to Forbidden Door, for sure, so expect that to be the case right up through Friday night.

Who’s in the running for the new AEW All-Atlantic Championship?

See who is in contention to be the first ever winner of the AEW All-Atlantic Championship when its awarded at Forbidden Door.

When AEW announced it was revealing a new title during the June 8 episode of Dynamite, most fans expected it was going to be a trios championship, as the promotion has put more of an emphasis on three-person teams than most. Instead, it introduced the AEW All-Atlantic Championship, a new title for its men’s division.

In the finest pro wrestling tradition, the inaugural winner is being decided via a tournament — and the first match already took place Wednesday night, with Pac defeating Buddy Matthews. There are still three other qualifying matches yet to take place:

  • Ethan Page vs. Miro – Page hasn’t had much to do as of late except for being part of the mixed trios match at Double or Nothing, while Miro has just returned from injury and already looks like his usual, dominant self. This match will take place on Wednesday, June 15 at Road Rager (a themed episode of Dynamite).
  • Penta Oscuro vs. Malakai Black – This is an offshoot of the continuing issues between Death Triangle and the House of Black, and could also be on the Road Rager card. Now that Matthews is out, the likelihood of Black advancing figures to be even higher.
  • Two yet-to-be-named NJPW wrestlers will meet in the other quarterfinal. New Japan has so far only announced that its entrants will be announced soon. It does have a big event, Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, coming up this weekend, and could put the qualifier on that show.
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

What’s interesting about the All-Atlantic Championship tournament is that instead of having semifinals and a final, all four first-round winners will meet in one four-way match at Forbidden Door. That spices things up a tad and also makes the tourney easier to pull off from a logistical standpoint given the NJPW involvement.

Speaking of which, could a NJPW star be the inaugural winner? Though several AEW championships are expected to be on the line at Forbidden Door when the card is finalized, the thought of someone who could only make sporadic appearances on AEW shows holding one of them feels far-fetched. But a new title is a whole different ballgame, and fans might be a bit more accepting of someone outside the promotion holding it to start.

We’ll find out which way AEW is leaning when the inaugural All-Atlantic Champion is crowned at Forbidden Door on Sunday, June 26 in Chicago.

AEW Double or Nothing: Everything you need to know

Prepare for AEW Double or Nothing 2022 with the full card, previews and predictions for every match.

Get ready to hear your favorite (or least favorite) gambling analogies or puns plenty of times on Sunday, because AEW Double or Nothing is back in Las Vegas. After a two-year detour to Jacksonville due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AEW’s Memorial Day weekend pay-per-view returns to its spiritual home, this time at the T-Mobile Arena — which also hosts Dynamite and Rampage this week.

Heading up the card is an AEW World Championship match between titleholder Hangman Adam Page and challenger CM Punk. But there are plenty of other championships at stake, as Thunder Rosa, Jade Cargill, and Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus will all put their titles on the line as well. There are even rumors that more titles will make their debuts, because the winners of the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments will also be crowned, and could receive some gold of their own.

We’ll update this article with those two finals once they’re decided as well as the Wardlow vs. MJF match that is all but assured to be finalized. Until then, read on for everything you need to know to prepare yourself for AEW Double or Nothing.

AEW Double or Nothing 2022

  • When: Sunday, May 29
  • Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
  • Start time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (the Buy-In pre-show begins one hour earlier at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT)
  • Matches announced: 10