Tag: Shane Taylor

AEW Dynamite results 04/17/24: Joe, Ospreay stand tall ahead of Dynasty

A final showdown between Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe went poorly for the challenger on AEW Dynamite.

You know what they say about pre-pay-per-view momentum being a many-splendored thing? Wait, what? That was love? Are you absolutely sure? Well then OK, but momentum is still a thing that’s worth watching tonight on AEW Dynamite from Indianapolis.

Will Ospreay has all the momentum in the world right now. He’s been tearing through the AEW roster one opponent at a time, mowing through the Don Callis Family in particular. Now he’s moved on the the Blackpool Combat Club, with a showdown against Bryan Danielson waiting Sunday at Dynasty.

Is he taking this Wednesday night off? Heck no, he’s taking on the Swiss Superman, Claudio Castagnoli. Take that, Ospreay grind doubters. We could take about the fun clash of styles here, but you probably already know all about that. The more intriguing part will be seeing if AEW lets Ospreay take his first ‘L,’ even if it’s because of extenuating circumstances, setting up a little more doubt ahead of Sunday.

Pretty much all of the other advertised matches carry with them some kind of Dynasty implications, which is exactly what a good go home show should do. Plus there could even be another match or two added to the Dynasty card tonight, which is something that AEW is not opposed to doing the week of a PPV.

Tony Khan has announced that this show has an overrun already approved, so we’re ready to settle in for more than two hours of action. Let’s get it.

AEW Dynamite results from Indianapolis:

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

  • Jon Moxley and his new championship are here, and he makes a challenge to Powerhouse Hobbs
  • Mercedes Moné puts the entire women’s division on notice with a special warning to Julia Hart or whoever attacker her last week

  • Willow Nightingale has clearly been attacked backstage, but she tells Stokely Hathaway and medical personnel then she’s fine; out in the ring, the lights go out and back on to reveal Brody King in place to attack Adam Copeland
  • Brody King and Julia Hart def. Adam Copeland and Willow Nightingale by submission after Nightingale gets laid out by a shot by Hart wielding King’s chain; Moné arrives with a steel chair after the bell to prevent further damage to Nightingale, perhaps, and ends up shaking Copeland’s hand
  • Samoa Joe tells Renee Paquette he once saw Swerve Strickland as a worthy adversary but now sees him as an annoyance or punching bag; Joe also calls Swerve a choke artist but tells him not to worry, as at Dynasty, he’ll be the one choking Swerve out instead

  • The Young Bucks decide the hype video for the Ladder match doesn’t need the part with FTR, flexing their power as EVPs, and Kazuchika Okada tells Pac he won’t make it to Dynasty
  • The Elite (Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada) def. Daniel Garcia, Penta El Zero Miedo and Pac by pinfall as Okada pins Garcia; after the bell, The Elite continue their assault until Pac produces a bell hammer and chases them off
  • Taz gets Chris Jericho and Hook together to talk, but it doesn’t stay cordial
  • Swerve Strickland admits to Paquette that he has tripped up but he’s always managed to get back up, and when Renee asks him why he’s confident, Swerve says he needs to say that to Joe’s face in the ring tonight

  • Deonna Purrazzo def. Mariah May by pinfall; after the bell, Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm both get involved in the melee, with Rosa eventually smearing Storm’s face with additional lipstick
  • The Bang Bang Gang doesn’t think Paquette is as excited as she should be to be in their presence; Jay White also says his group is going to take the other six-man titles from The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass
  • Speaking of The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass, they’re up for putting the gold on the line and will take on the Bang Bang Gang at Dynasty
  • Orange Cassidy def. Shane Taylor by pinfall; Cassidy is immediately jumped by Lee Moriarty and Anthony Ogogo after the bell, eating a nasty body shot from the boxer, and Trent Beretta ensures that Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal eat chair shots when they try to save him
  • Will Ospreay def. Claudio Castagnoli by pinfall; after the bell, the rest of the Don Callis Family assaults Castagnoli until Moxley hits the ring and clears it
  • Excalibur runs down the AEW Dynasty card
  • Swerve and Joe face off one last time before St. Louis, and it doesn’t end well for Swerve

There’s only one Jon Moxley, as Powerhouse Hobbs will learn next week

Mox says the first championship of any kind he ever won was right here in Indianapolis. Even then, 20 years, he says he was swimming upstream, but his message to doubters now is the same as it was then: Kiss my ass and watch me.

Being great, Moxley says, is about what’s inside and not what other people think. A “you deserve it” chant breaks out as he talks about the IWGP title, which he says he’s been chasing for five years.

After a rallying cry for AEW, Mox turns his attention to the Don Callis Family and the “hit” they put out on Bryan Danielson. If they want to get violent, he’ll be here all night, and he goes beyond that to challenge Powerhouse Hobbs for a match next week at Jacksonville. Moxley says he’ll drag Hobbs to the deepest waters to discover that Callis is feeding him lies.

Oh, and while there are a lot of great wrestlers in the world, but there is only one Jon Moxley.

Taz gets Chris Jericho and Hook together to talk, but not for long

Taz gives Jericho the floor first, asking the fans not to boo him so he can talk. Chris claims he just wanted to get Hook’s attention because he wasn’t listening as much as he could have been.

“I am the learning tree,” Jericho says, mentioning all of the people who have made it to the next level because of him: Orange Cassidy, Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay among them. Uh, sure.

When Jericho asks if Hook will sit under the branches of the learning tree Hook says no, because he doesn’t need Jericho’s help. Taz and Jericho start getting into it a little, which finally turns physical when Jericho shoves Taz.

A “you f–ked up” chant breaks out as Hook is mad now. The FTW Champion says if Jericho wants to see how good he is, they can fight again any time, any place. Hook tells Jericho to get out of his ring, which the fans love.

Will Ospreay passes his last pre-Dynasty test against Claudio Castagnoli

Claudio’s strength is immediately brought to bear on Ospreay, who can’t be the Aerial Assassin if you don’t let him off the ground. Ospreay is able to fire back on the outside, hopping over the barricade and then leaping off of it to land a forearm shot.

His next attempt to fly is less successful, as Castagnoli catches him on a springboard plancha to the floor and smashes him into the apron. As one does.

Castagnoli is able to get Ospreay on the mat to subject him to submission holds while dueling chants break out (though more are for Ospreay). The rally from Ospreay includes a Tiger Driver for a near fall as a “fight forever” chant rings out.

Ospreay even turns an exchange of uppercuts into some cool spots, but Castagnoli is scoring the near falls. Claudio calls for the Giant Swing, but Ospreay counters it with a guillotine and nearly wins it before hitting the Hidden Blade and winning for real.

Swerve gets what he asked for from Joe … and more

As he and Prince Nana hit the ring, Strickland reminds viewers that he was asked earlier tonight why he’s confident he can beat Samoa Joe. Swerve says it was because he’s seen the fear in Joe’s eyes and wants to tell the champ to his face he’s going to lose at Dynasty.

While security tries to hold him back, Joe does indeed head down the ramp. Swerve ends up launching a massive Swerve Stomp that takes out all the security guards, but Joe seizes the advantage and chucks Swerve into the steel steps.

As Joe is occupied with threatening Nana, Strickland flies back in for a House Call. Joe catches Strickland on the top rope a second later, though, and drops him in the middle of the ring with a massive Muscle Buster. Joe stands tall over Swerve to end the show.

AEW Dynamite results 04/03/24: Swerve signs in blood, Trent betrays Best Friends

AEW Dynamite from Worcester also saw Thunder Rosa become No. 1 contender for Toni Storm.

The funny thing about joining a team is you never know right away if you’re going to be a good fit for it or vice versa. That’s a relevant thought as we head to Worcester, Mass. for AEW Dynamite tonight, because Will Ospreay is fighting another one of his Don Callis Family teammates.

To be fair, Ospreay has rarely done much alongside his other Family members in the first place, what with still being a member of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling roster when he first joined and all. Since he’s arrived in AEW full time, the Aerial Assassin has had just three matches, and two of them were against teammates.

Which would be weird except that this is a group assembled by Don Callis that we’re talking about, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all if it turned out he was jealous of Ospreay’s popularity. No one bigger than the team and all that.

As a result, Callis might be hoping Powerhouse Hobbs beats Ospreay tonight. And if he doesn’t, it will be interesting to see what role the Family might play when Ospreay faces Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynasty later this month.

The other big thing on the docket tonight is a contract signing between Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe. These two certainly have turned their program into a nice little powderkeg waiting to ignite, and this might be the spark that lights it.

It’s also fair to wonder if, despite Joe being a worthy champ, whether AEW is ready to push Swerve to the level it feels like he’s earned and let him have a run with the top title.

We’re excited for what this night might have in store from Worcester, so let’s get into it.

AEW Dynamite results from Worcester:

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

  • Adam Copeland tells us why AEW should be celebrated
  • Will Ospreay def. Powerhouse Hobbs by pinfall
  • Ospreay pauses on the ramp and exchanges a look and some words with Bryan Danielson on the way in for his match
  • Bryan Danielson def. Lance Archer by pinfall
  • Renee Paquette welcomes Chris Jericho, who asks Hook to join him so he can clarify that he understands why Hook would be wary about trusting him but wants Hook to believe in him; Hook says he got them a match on Collision but will be keeping his eye on him, and Jericho says he’d expect nothing less … bet

  • Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty reveal they’re the opponents for LionHook on Collision
  • Billy Gunn def. Jay White by DQ as White hits him with a low blow following a distraction from The Gunns; The Acclaimed come to the rescue despite being shown on the big screen having been laid out in the back
  • The Young Bucks and Best Friends (plus Trent’s mom Sue) are shown walking into the building earlier today
  • Paquette talks to Willow Nightingale about her TBS Championship shot at Dynasty, and she thanks the fans for giving her confidence during her career in general and at this time in particular …

  • … Stokely Hathaway is singing her praises as well when he’s interrupted by Mercedes Moné, who makes it clear that she’s up next for whoever walks out of Dynasty as TBS champ

  • Young Bucks def. Best Friends by pinfall in an AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinal, using a catapult into an exposed turnbuckle to help them pull it off …
  • … and after the match, instead of going in for the customary group hug, Trent Beretta hits Orange Cassidy with a flying knee and storms off without his teammates or his mom
  • Thunder Rosa def. Mariah May by pinfall in an AEW Women’s World Championship No. 1 Contenders Match
  • Penta El Zero Miedo says Copeland should defend the TNT Championship against an AEW original next week … namely him
  • Samoa Joe signs in ink, Swerve Strickland signs in blood, but it’s the champ who ends the night standing tall

Adam Copeland circles the wagons nicely for AEW

Even though his mic is sort of messed up and there was some negative talk during the week, Copeland wants to talk about the positives. He’s looking at it from a “what a time to be alive” standpoint.

Growing up, Copeland watched WWF, NWA and much more, devouring it all because he loved professional wrestling. When he started thinking about the end of his career, he says he realized AEW is where he needs to be, touting the phenomenal roster with talents like Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, Hangman Adam Page, Swerve Strickland and much more.

When his friends ask him if he’s having a blast, Copeland says he is — the most he’s ever had in his 32-year career. He adds that AEW should be celebrated for pushing the whole business to a better place and that it’s where the best wrestle.

Turns out it’s a really long introduction for the man himself, Will Ospreay, as Copeland puts him over as the man who will be what AEW is going forward.

Will Ospreay wins the “Battle of Wills” against Powerhouse Hobbs

Don Callis joins the announcers for this one and takes credit for pitting his own stable members against each other in an “iron sharpens iron” way. He likes Ospreay’s early aggression, which finally gets him in trouble when Hobbs hoists him off the barricade and slams his spine on the steel steps. Ouch.

Much as we like seeing Ospreay do his thing, it feels like after some side-by-side commercials that we’re going to need a Hobbs showcase sequence at some point. We get just a tad before Ospreay goes back on the attack, then catches Hobbs with an inside cradle.

Hobbs hits an impressive move off the middle turnbuckle for a near fall, but his next powerslam is countered by a DDT. A sky twister press is next, and the Hidden Blade wipes out Hobbs to secure a pinfall for Ospreay.

Callis has to step between the two men after the match, and is able to broker some peace before things get out of hand.

Thunder Rosa leaves Toni Storm speechless by defeating Mariah May

Toni Storm joins the announcers, the better to see Rosa’s X-Men inspired ring gear. The champ seems to think her protege might have a quick night here, but she’s taking more punishment than she’s giving early on.

It still looks like Rosa is in charge after picture-in-picture action, leading Storm to say she’s getting nervous. May evades a double stomp off the top and nails a knee for a close near fall.

The finish comes sort of out of nowhere, with Rosa hitting the Tijuana Bomb and earning No. 1 contender status for Storm’s title. Rosa tells Storm to get in the ring right now, but Toni simply looks stunned.

Swerve Strickland, Samoa Joe make it official … in blood

Tony Schiavone moderates and Joe wastes no time signing on the proverbial bottom line. The champ says he wants to give his challenger a little bit of advice before he signs. Namely, Joe says signing is a career-defining mistake, as he’ll beat Swerve down so badly that it’ll leave him mentally scarred like he left Diddy’s party too late. Joe’s words, not ours.

Strickland responds that he’s wanted this moment his entire life, dreaming about it and wondering if it was possible. He mentions the new signings that are helping AEW build a dynasty and says he’ll prove that he is every bit that man.

“Now run the fade on that bitch,” Strickland says in closing. Joe shoves him but Swerve fires back a mean right hand. Strickland goes to choke out the champ with his chain, but Joe wrestles it away and wraps it around his right hand. Strickland ends up eating multiple shots from the chain in the corner, bleeding from the onslaught.

But as Joe heads back up the ramp, a bloody Swerve simply laughs and says “I love this s–t,” adding that if this is all Joe’s got, he’s taking the championship. Strickland signs the contract with his own blood, but an enraged Joe runs back to the ring, kicks him in the groin and slams him through the table with a uranage.

AEW Collision results 02/10/24: The Stone Pitbull gets Freshly Squeezed

Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo each picked up victories on AEW Collision near Las Vegas as well.

Las Vegas sure has been the center of attention for all kinds of sports, unscripted and otherwise, this week. We’d like to think AEW Collision is part of it, even though it’s technically not in Las Vegas, but in nearby Henderson.

That’s really not that big a distinction, honestly. The point is that it’s somewhat out of the way of being swallowed up by all things surrounding the big football game on Sunday. And it appears some of AEW’s most compelling subplots will be furthered on this show, including the great program between Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo.

We’ll also see the latest visitors from CMLL as they continue their battle against the Blackpool Combat Club. And the Forbidden Door will stay open for what we assume will be the main event, as Orange Cassidy takes on Tomohiro Ishii.

That sounds like a very fine appetizer before tomorrow’s big game. Let’s check it all out from the top.

AEW Collision results from Las Vegas:

  • Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley def. Esfinge and Star Jr. by submission
  • Mox gets on the mic afterward and says whether it’s CMLL or any other team in the world, anyone who steps up gets stepped on; that boast brings FTR to the ring, and it doesn’t take long for fisticuffs to break out, and it takes referees, officials and other wrestlers to break it up

  • Daniel Garcia def. Shane Taylor by submission
  • Highlights from Dynamite show Darby Allin and Sting winning the tag team titles, then getting attacked by the Young Bucks
  • Lexy Nair talks to Eddie Kingston, who chastises the Bucks and Bryan Danielson for taking the spotlight away from others; as a result, he’s challenging Danielson to a match at Revolution, and if Eddie wins, Bryan has to shake his hand

  • Brian Cage def. The Outrunners by submission; afterward, the Vegas Golden Knights mascot Chance does the Nana dance with Prince Nana and gets laid out by Cage, which in turn brings Hook to the rescue to battle Cage to the back

  • Roderick Strong and The Kingdom talk some smack to Tomohiro Ishii, who is in no mood to shake hands with them

  • Adam Copeland joins Tony Schiavone in the ring to discuss the pros and cons of challenging for each title when he’s joined by Garcia, who notes that he’s also been picking up plenty of wins; Copeland proposes they battle it out on Dynamite, with the winner going on to challenge Christian Cage for the TNT Championship, but he also warns Garcia that he’s going to get a beating next week

  • Renee Paquette talks to Stokely Hathaway, who says there are only two badasses in the women’s division, Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale, and they want him to get them a match against Julia Hart and Skye Blue
  • Brody King def. Mark Briscoe by pinfall, helped in part by a timely distraction from Julia Hart, who also attacks Briscoe after the match with a metal spike
  • Bryan Keith warns everyone in AEW that they’ll have to pay up
  • Deonna Purrazzo def. Kiera Hogan by pinfall
  • Toni Storm def. Queen Aminata by pinfall in a match that’s probably a little tougher than the champ would have figured; afterward, Timeless Toni says she’ll be releasing a new film on Dynamite and warns Purrazzo as well
  • Orange Cassidy def. Tomohiro Ishii by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship
  • After the bell, The Kingdom attacks Cassidy, but Ishii hustles back to prevent more than one move, as does a chair-wielding Trent Beretta

AEW Collision results 12/9/23: Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson in action

AEW Collision also saw Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston renew their heated rivalry in the Continental Classic.

AEW Collision has been a little up and down this fall after a certain you know who got bounced from the company. Some shows have been pretty star-studded, while others have felt like Dynamite-lite (hey, that rhymes). Happily, this feels like one of the former even though it’s a pre-recorded show that went down earlier this week in Montreal.

For starters, there’s a tremendous grudge match between Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston, with some high stakes as it’s part of the Continental Classic. Bryan Danielson and Andrade El Idolo will also face off in a tournament match of their own.

And hey, why go to Canada without a match between two guys trying to prove they are the best from the North? Kenny Omega and Ethan Page will do that tonight as well.

We’re assuming you haven’t read any spoilers if you’re reading this, and we haven’t either, so let’s see what this night holds on TNT.

AEW Collision results from Montreal:

  • Eddie Kingston def. Claudio Castagnoli by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, staying mathematically alive to advance from the group with his first three points
  • We hear from Jon Moxley after his tournament victory over Rush, and he ponders whether Swerve Strickland is willing to do what it takes to stay at the top of the business
  • Hook’s interview with Renee Paquette is crashed by Wheeler Yuta, who Hook dismisses as someone who “kicked Shibata in the balls,” and the two men agree to fight under FTW rules
  • Willow Nightingale def. Mercedes Martinez by pinfall, then gets attacked by Martinez and Diamante after the bell until
  • Jake Hager is upset that Danhausen stick his beloved hat down his pants, but Matt Menard and Angelo Parker are fired up by being in Montreal; meanwhile, Saraya and Menard are still trying to keep Ruby Soho apart from Parker
  • Swerve Strickland cuts his Continental Classic promo and calls himself the leader of the whole company
  • Wardlow def. Willie Mack by referee stoppage in a match that included one ridiculous show of strength with Wardlow catching Mack in midair and powerbombing him
  • Malakai Black and the House repeat their assertion that FTR should have joined them
  • Kenny Omega def. Ethan Page by pinfall; the two wrestlers show each other respect after the match, but Big Bill lays Omega out with a big boot and Page is too beaten up to hustle over to retaliate
  • CJ Perry talks up Andrade’s resume and his chances of winning tonight, but she’s not thrilled about Miro’s attempt to force her into a traditional wife role
  • Julia Hart says she can see behind masks but can’t quite figure out Abadon
  • Penta El Zero Miedo and Komander def. Cool Hand Ang and Daddy Magic despite the fans being very behind the hometown duo
  • Keith Lee and Shane Taylor have a face to face exchange of pleasantries ahead of their meeting at Final Battle
  • Another Continental Classic promo shows everyone who wrestled this week on Dynamite
  • Andrade El Idolo def. Bryan Danielson by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, then joins the medical personnel in checking on a bloody Danielson afterward only to be run off by Castagnoli and Yuta

AEW Collision results 12/2/23: Bryan Danielson leaves Eddie Kingston down bad

Some intriguing matches also got set up for Dynamite and Final Battle on AEW Collision this week.

Saturday night’s alright for fighting, and tonight, it’s more than alright for fighting in a tournament. The Blue League of the Continental Classic takes center stage tonight on AEW Collision from Erie, Penn.

Most notably, Bryan Danielson makes his debut in the Classic as he’s only recently been cleared to compete. He’s back now, and he can compound the misery of one Eddie Kingston by beating the Mad King tonight.

Maybe Eddie is having some remorse over putting both of his championships up for grabs in this tourney, eh?

Get ready, Erie. Here we go.

AEW Collision results from Erie:

  • Brody King def. Claudio Castagnoli by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, going to six points after his first two matches
  • Jon Moxley’s passionate promo from earlier this week is shown
  • Abadon def. Kiera Hogan by pinfall; after the bell, the lights go out and come back on to reveal TBS Champion Julia Hart standing in the corner, then disappearing when the lights go off and on again
  • Samoa Joe is interrupted backstage by Roderick Strong, who insists MJF is the Devil and tries to convince him that the tag team match MJF agreed to on Dynamite is a setup; Joe simply laughs and walks away

  • Andrade El Idolo def. Daniel Garcia by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, sending Andrade to three points and dismaying Matt Menard, who was sitting in with the commentators
  • Willie Mack throws out a challenge to Wardlow for next week after seeing what Wardlow did to his friend, AR Fox

  • Strong dedicates The Kingdom’s match to his best friend, Adam Cole
  • The Kingdom def. Iron Savages by pinfall, with Strong getting in a shot after the bell before stumbling back to his wheelchair
  • Ethan Page says he’s refocused himself and wants to check off a bucket list item, challenging Kenny Omega to a match next week to determine who is the true King of Canada

  • Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Martinez exchange words in recorded promos
  • Buddy Matthews and Malakai Black def. Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal by pinfall; afterward, FTR hits the ring and violently declines Black’s invitation to join the House of Black, though it ends badly for the top guys and Black mocks them for having no one to come to their aid
  • Earlier this week, Toni Storm is upset Renee Paquette is interviewing her instead of RJ City, and Storm warns Skye Blue before throwing Renee’s own shoe at her

  • Blue taunts Storm for her “midlife crisis” and says she’ll shove Toni’s shoe right up her ass
  • A hype video promotes next week’s Dynamite showdown between Adam Copeland and Christian Cage
  • El Hijo del Vikingo def. Kip Sabian by pinfall, then extends his hand but we don’t see if Kip accepts it
  • Shane Taylor barges in and challenges Keith Lee to a match at Final Battle, which Lee accepts

  • Miro tries to barge in and attack Andrade, but CJ Perry gets him to promise not to lay a hand on her client
  • Bryan Danielson def. Eddie Kingston by pinfall in a Continental Classic Blue League match, keeping Eddie at zero points