Tag: The Hardys

AEW Dynamite results 06/21/23: Leave the (Forbidden) Door open

Chicago hosts the final AEW Dynamite before Forbidden Door, and we’re tracking the action live.

We’re just four days away from Forbidden Door 2023, where the worlds of AEW and NJPW will once again collide, this time in Toronto. But unlike last year, tonight’s final AEW Dynamite before the supershow isn’t even the go home show.

The arrival of Collision has seen to that, giving Tony Khan and the brain trust behind the collaboration time to add matches almost literally right up to the last minute. That said, there should definitely be more pieces of the Forbidden Door puzzle that fall into place tonight in Chicago, and there will definitely be New Japan talent in the house.

Two of the promoted matches for tonight are proof of that. One will see Orange Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata team up to tangle with Zack Sabre Jr. and Daniel Garcia. There’s a pretty decent chance this tag team bout is going to set up Cassidy vs. ZSJ in Toronto, a matchup yours truly would love to see.

In trios action, Minoru Suzuki will once again align himself with Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara. But things have changed since last year, as Suzuki no longer has his army behind him, and Jericho and Guevara aren’t exactly best buds these days either.

We will, of course, hear from a number of people, including Bryan Danielson, who has a high profile Forbidden Door match already lined up against Kazuchika Okada, and Adam Cole, who does not. There have also been reports that a certain favorite son of Chicago is in the building and may appear, and if you need me to tell you who that is, congrats on taking your first dive into pro wrestling. Hope you enjoy it enough to stick around.

Let’s dive into it, shall we Chicago?

AEW Dynamite results from Chicago:

  • The Gunns def. The Hardys by pinfall after a distraction from Bullet Club Gold, who proceed to help beat down Jeff and Matt after the bell; Ricky Starks and FTR join the fray on the side of the fan favorites, as does … CM Punk, who helps clear the ring and says the two groups can settle things in the ring on Collision

  • A video package promotes the Concession Stand Brawl between Jeff Jarrett and Mark Briscoe, which is well timed because it leads right into …
  • Jeff Jarrett def. Mark Briscoe by pinfall in a Concession Stand Brawl that sees Sonjay Dutt, Karen Jarrett, Papa Briscoe, Christopher Daniels, Best Friends and Lucha Bros. all get involved

  • Blackpool Combat Club and Konosuke Takeshita challenge The Elite to a 10-man tag (they’ll also have Shota Umino on their team) at Forbidden Door, while Bryan Danielson says he’s going to the ring to call out Kazuchika Okada and that the Rainmaker is a coward if he doesn’t show up

  • Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara and Minoru Suzuki def. Action Andretti, AR Fox and Darius Martin by submission when Jericho gets Martin to tap out to the Lion Tamer
  • Renee Paquette talks to the winners after the bell, giving Jericho a chance to call out Sting and challenge him, Darby Allin and a partner of their choice to a match at Forbidden Door; Sting and Allin come to the ring to accept and say they’ll reveal their partner at Collision

  • Tony Schiavone and RJ City kick off the draw for the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament, the brackets for which will be unveiled next week on Dynamite
  • The Elite (in a pre-taped bit, we assume) acknowledge the challenge from the BCC, but they say they have friends all over and a lot of people hate the BCC too … like Eddie Kingston, who also says he’ll pick the fifth member of their team and make the announcement

  • Adam Cole hits the ring to give the Devil his due, admitting that MJF gave him one of the toughest matches of his career last week and calling out the champ to talk rematch; but not only does MJF refuse, Tony Schiavone informs them they’re a tag team for the tournament, but that’s not all …
  • … because Hiroshi Tanahashi appears on the big screen to remind MJF of the challenge the Ace made for Forbidden Door, and Cole manages to goad the AEW World Champion into accepting

  • Daniel Garcia and Zack Sabre Jr. def. Orange Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata by pinfall as Garcia pins Shibata following a miscommunication by Cassidy and Shibata
  • Alex Marvez catches up with Will Ospreay, who doubles down on his criticism of Canada, to which Don Callis blames Kenny Omega for Will’s troubles and pledges his private security to aid Ospreay
  • Toni Storm disses the people that like Willow Nightingale, who takes the high road and says she respects the champ’s fight; the two women will meet for Storm’s title at Forbidden Door
  • Kris Statlander def. Taya Valkyrie by pinfall to retain the TBS Championship
  • Eddie Kingston says he thinks there’s one member of BCC who might have a problem with him teaming with The Elite, and sure enough, Jon Moxley comes out to confront his old friend before Kingston confirms the fifth member of their team is Tomohiro Ishii; the Stone Pitbull comes to the ring but is waylaid by the BCC, and Danielson’s threats bring Kazuchika Okada to the ring as well, and he gives the Rainmaker to Wheeler Yuta

AEW Dynamite preview 06/21/23: ZSJ, Suzuki up Forbidden Door factor in Chicago

Along with some NJPW talent, tonight’s AEW Dynamite in Chicago features a title match and a Concession Stand Brawl.

Sorry, Chicago, but you don’t get to host Forbidden Door 2023. That honor goes to Toronto this year.

Still, with the AEW/NJPW collaboration coming up fast this Sunday, the Windy City might get the next best thing tonight at the Wintrust Arena. There will certainly be a heavy New Japan flavor to the matches on the AEW Dynamite card, and there could be a few surprises to boot.

Orange Cassidy will team with Katsuyori Shibata to take on Daniel Garcia and Zack Sabre Jr. in what’s essentially a combination of two separate feuds. It might lead to a match between Cassidy and ZSJ at Forbidden Door as well, or at least that’s the hope.

Minoru Suzuki is back on Dynamite too, teaming with Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara to face a team of Action Andretti, AR Fox and Darius Martin. This may or may not set up something for Sunday — Jericho is one AEW star who notably isn’t on the card yet — but regardless, you don’t need to give us a reason to be excited for a Suzuki appearance.

Bryan Danielson will call out Kazuchika Okada ahead of their highly anticipated Forbidden Door meeting as well. Neither man needs to say all that much to get fans more hyped for their upcoming collision, but the Rainmaker has shown up on Dynamite before, and it would be cool if he answers the American Dragon in person.

The AEW-only segments promise to be compelling in their own right. Kris Statlander will defend her TBS Championship against Taya Valkyrie, The Hardys will clash with The Gunns to see who the best brothers tag team is, and Mark Briscoe will fight Jeff Jarrett in a Concession Stand Brawl.

So, yes, look forward to Sunday, but don’t sleep on this Dynamite card tonight either. Check out the action beginning at 8 p.m. ET on TBS, or visit us at that time for the latest live updates and results.

AEW Rampage results 05/19/23: Cole, Jericho headed for unsanctioned match, bay bay

Get the details for an AEW Rampage that saw hostilities between Adam Cole and Chris Jericho ramp up even more.

Playoff basketball waits for no one. Yes, even AEW Rampage.

So because there’s another playoff game tonight (go Himmy Butler!), Rampage has to slide out of its normal 10 p.m. ET timeslot.

But you know what? That’s not actually a bad thing, at least for those of us in the east, because it means a little pro wrestling earlier in the evening.

This show looks like it’ll be a fun hour, with some fun trios matches that include Blackpool Combat Club and The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass — not against each other, but maybe someday.

Let’s get to it.

AEW Rampage results for May 19, 2023:

  • Blackpool Combat Club def. Best Amigos and Bandido by pinfall
  • Kyle Fletcher explains why he targeted Orange Cassidy and plans on becoming the new AEW International Champion
  • Jade Cargill wins a quick squash match with a pump kick to go to 58-0, so Mark Starling brings out a second enhancement talent; Jade squashes her as well to go to 59-0, but instead of a third match, Taya Valkyrie comes out, hits the Road to Valhalla and says she’ll see Cargill at Double or Nothing
  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass def. Varsity Athletes by pinfall
  • The QTV crew is fired up, with QT Marshall giving himself credit for getting Powerhouse Hobbs on the graphic for AEW: Collision and acting like he’s going to be a major player on the new show
  • The Hardys and Brother Zay don’t trust Ethan Page, and they’re correct to feel that way, as his attempts to make amends are really just a cover for a sneak attack by The Gunns, who help him hurt Zay’s neck with help from a steel chair … and yep, they’ll face off at Double or Nothing
  • Chris Jericho doubles down on calling Adam Cole a coward, who is shown backstage and hears Jericho challenge him to an unsanctioned match at Double or Nothing and rip up the document barring him from the building; Cole then enters the arena, inspiring a look of concern on Jericho’s face
  • Sure enough, Cole makes his way to the main part of the arena, where he and Jericho need to be kept apart by a bunch of security guards and officials
  • Dustin Rhodes def. Bishop Kaun by pinfall (despite being busted open after being thrown into the TV cameras), but gets jumped afterward by the Mogul Embassy, leading to a showdown with Keith Lee — that Lee loses thanks to the numbers game and a steel chair, with Swerve Strickland delivering a Swerve Stomp as Lee is helpless in said chair

Opening Bell: Tribal Chief defends his gold, Jericho has his hair at stake

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 13.

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 13, INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS

The Judgment Day received a big shakeup last week, with Finn Balor joining and then immediately assisting with the ouster of Edge from the group. Now Edge is out with a (storyline) injury, so there’s no fear of immediate reprisals. That leaves the stable free to plot a new course, which WWE says it will do Monday night.

Speaking of injuries, Cody Rhodes suffered one of the more notable ones in recent memory, and he’s now out recuperating from successful surgery to repair his torn pec. But while the American Nightmare said he was ready to move on from Seth Rollins, the Visionary had different ideas, attacking Rhodes one last time for now. WWE says Rollins will “answer” for his attack, so look for him to possibly be booked against some tough competition.

AEW Dynamite Road Rager preview – Wednesday, June 15, Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis

Once upon a time it felt like AEW was getting a little carried away with themed episodes of Dynamite, but it’s cut back on them to the point where Road Rager is a bit of a breath of fresh air. The card is suitably loaded, headlined by a three-way Ladder Match for the tag team titles, with Jurassic Express defending against both The Hardys and Young Bucks.

Chris Jericho is also putting something on the line against Ortiz … but it’s his hair, not a championship. The former Inner Circle teammates turned bitter rivals will do battle, and someone will be bald when it’s over.

Also advertised for Wednesday night:

  • An All-Atlantic Championship qualifier sees Miro go head to head with Ethan Page.
  • Wardlow battles 20 of the plaintiffs in the security guard class action lawsuit. No, really.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, June 17, Target Center, Minneapolis

This is a big one. After jumping through several hoops to get the attention of Roman Reigns, Riddle finally got what he wanted by defeating Sami Zayn last week in a match that stipulated he’d get a Undisputed WWE Universal Championship shot if he won. Can Riddle get some payback for his buddy Randy and win some serious gold? Probably not, but you won’t want to miss it just in case he pulls it off.

Also expected for this week’s show:

  • Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin will meet in a Last Laugh Match, which we assume will end the feud between them, one way or another.
  • After running into travel issues last Friday, Max Dupri will reveal his first recruit for Maximum Male Models.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, June 17, Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis (taped)

Rampage has been live more often than not the past few weeks, but this week’s episode reverts to its more typical pattern of being taped at the Dynamite show for the week, which in this case is in St. Louis.

AEW hasn’t officially announced anything yet for this episode, but we’ll update this post as soon as there’s something set.