Tag: The Kingdom

AEW Dynamite results 03/06/24: Rainmaker aligns with EVPs, Will Ospreay soars again

The world title situation also kept spinning on AEW Dynamite from the Atlanta area.

It’s a bit of a joke online that Tony Khan promises a new era for AEW after every pay-per-view. But he means it for tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite from Duluth, right near Atlanta.

New, colorful set? Check. New theme song? Possibly, but hopefully we’re all still lighting the fuse.

There could be a new big name making his arrival tonight as well. Possibly one who’s been known to affect the weather with some precipitation? We shall see, but that’s the rumor.

As for what we know is on tap, Will Ospreay, another recent arrival, will be in action against his buddy Kyle Fletcher. Kris Statlander gets a stiff test in the form of former world Champ Riho. And the Young Bucks … excuse me, AEW EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have a huge announcement. Or at least they’ve said it’s huge, we’ll be the judges.

We’re ready to dive in with live updates, so let’s do this.

AEW Dynamite results from Atlanta (area):

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

  • Tony Schiavone invites Swerve Strickland to the ring to talk about what’s next for him, which ends up as a debate between him, Samoa Joe and Undisputed Kingdom
  • Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland def. The Kingdom by pinfall with Swerve handling the whole match; Joe chokes Swerve out after the match and stares down Wardlow
  • Renee Paquette wants to talk to Hook, but Chris Jericho stops by and admits he respects him after facing off in the All-Star Scramble at Revolution, which gets him a fist bump of respect from Hook

  • Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have two huge announcements but say they’ll make them live in the ring later tonight

  • Hook def. Brian Cage by submission to retain the FTW Championship; he’s attacked afterward by Gates of Agony but saved by a bat-wielding Jericho
  • A video package reiterates the fact that the tag team titles have been vacated after Sting retired, with a tournament coming up to decide new champs
  • Paquette talks to Orange Cassidy and Best Friends, and since Chuck Taylor is still injured, he thinks Cassidy and Trent Beretta should win the title tourney

  • Killswitch def. Daddy Magic by pinfall; Daniel Garcia hustles down to prevent a post-match beating, but Nick Wayne also enters the fray and ends up hitting Garcia with Wayne’s World …
  • … but as the heels head up the ramp, Adam Copeland appears to chuck Killswitch off the stage, choke out Wayne and chase Christian Cage to the back; Cage throws some poor guy out of an SUV and speeds off, while Copeland says to the camera that this needs to end where it started: Dynamite in Toronto in an I Quit match for the TNT Championship

  • Kyle O’Reilly tells Paquette that he’s grateful to be back doing what he loves, but while he has nothing but love for Undisputed Kingdom, he feels like he needs to work his way back on his own
  • A highlight video is shown of Sting’s last match
  • The Jacksons make their big announcements, and an angry Eddie Kingston finds out who they’ve invited to The Elite: Kazuchika Okada
  • Highlights are shown of the Will Ospreay-Konosuke Takeshita match at Revolution
  • Riho def. Kris Statlander by pinfall
  • Toni Storm says she’ll be presenting the first ever Toni Awards (with an ‘i’ so they don’t get sued) soon, and Mariah May receives her first ever shirt, which is just like one of Toni’s old shirts
  • Paquette talks to Stokely Hathaway and Willow Nightingale, who has a match against Riho next week and says she knows she can beat Riho … but also has her sights set on Julia Hart and the TBS Championship
  • Darby Allin, Jay White exchange some pleasantries ahead of their match next week
  • Julia Hart delivers a warning that is obviously intended for Willow
  • The House of Black threatens to literally set Mark Briscoe ablaze Saturday at Collision; Briscoe himself is defiant as he tells Paquette he’ll take on the House all by himself, but Jay Lethal offers his aid and that of Jeff Jarrett
  • Will Ospreay def. Kyle Fletcher by pinfall, then has a staredown with Bryan Danielson as the show fades out

What’s next for Swerve Strickland? Samoa Joe and others put in their two cents

A slightly downbeat Swerve says he’s not sure he deserves all the love he’s getting from the crowd. He didn’t get the job done, after all, and Samoa Joe did.

Strickland recalls it was almost two years ago to the day that he signed the AEW contract in the ring with Schiavone. He said at the time he wanted to win championships, but he wonders if not having any is karma for all the terrible things he’s done in the company.

Is he destined to just be a role player? Swerve isn’t sure, as he feels that the crowd in Greensboro was truly behind him for the first time. He doesn’t want to let those people down.

So nothing changes, as Swerve says he’s coming for Joe, and will beat him for that title. That brings the AEW World Champion to the ring, looking like he’s dressed to fight. He says he’s there for a reality check, and wanted to let the people gaze upon an actual champion.

Strickland notes that Joe is ready for a fight, so why don’t they battle for the title right now? The fans like that idea, but it’s quickly interrupted by the arrival of Undisputed Kingdom on the stage.

Adam Cole says the only story worth talking about coming out of Revolution is his group, as Roderick Strong is now the International Champion and The Kingdom are still the ROH tag team champs. The only reason Joe is still on top is because Undisputed Kingdom let it happen.

Cole mocks both Joe and Swerve before saying Wardlow is going to win the world title very, very soon. Strickland thinks that’s funny and drops a hilarious Britt Baker joke.

They end up debating a match between The Kingdom and Swerve and Joe, and while Undisputed Kingdom wants it next week, Schiavone says it’s going to be right now.

Swerve takes down The Kingdom solo, then pays for it afterward

This is “can they coexist?” in a major way. The early answer is yes, as Swerve is cooking after a commercial break that takes place within the first few minutes.

Matt Taven tries to put an end to that by meeting Strickland up on the top turnbuckle, but he fails and Mike Bennett eats a Swerve Stomp. Taven takes the House Call too, and Big Pressure puts him away.

Hey, Joe really didn’t have to do any work, but he’s not happy about it, choking out Swerve from behind while staring down Wardlow, who is lurking on the ramp.

Hook puts Brian Cage to sleep, then gets some surprising post-match assistance

Hook tries to match power with Cage right away, which doesn’t go well for him. Cage looks pretty pleased with himself as he looks for plunder under the ring and pops up with a steel chair. Hook is looking for weapons himself, producing a fire extinguisher and blasting Cage in the face.

A trash can lid is also put to good use before Cage rallies by hurling the champ into the steel steps. Cage tastes the steel himself but catches Hook coming off the top step and pivoting into a powerslam.

Cage thinks he’s lined up Hook but misses and goes hurtling through the barricade as we semi-break for side-by-side ads.

The full broadcast returns in time for Hook to counter an F-5 attempt before taking Cage off his feet with a clothesline and following with a t-bone suplex. A trash can shot has Cage reeling, and that suplex into a metal guardrail set up in the corner probably doesn’t feel good either. Cage manages to kick out of the ensuing cover at two.

A pop-up neckbreaker plants Hook, and Cage continues with a powerbomb and F-5 onto a chair. His cocky cover fails, however, as Hook kicks out.

Cage goes under the ring again and produces a bag full of tacks that he spreads in the middle of the ring. Hook floats over into Redrum only for Cage to back him into the turnbuckles to escape. But the champ finds a handy kendo stick to soften up Cage, who gets suplexed into the tacks.

Hook locks on Redrum and gets dropped into the tacks, but the champ won’t let the hold go, and Cage goes out.

The Gates of Agony attack Hook right after the bell, but Chris Jericho runs down, Floyd in hand, and chases them off.

The Jacksons make their big announcements … and Eddie Kingston suffers at the hands of AEW’s newest signing

Nicholas is mad about Revolution, accusing Sting and Darby Allin of cheating. But he also says no one can take it away from them that they ended Sting’s career, and follows by saying they’re entering themselves in the tag team title tournament.

Matthew takes over and says part of being EVPs is making tough decisions. For putting his hands on referees at Revolution, Matthew says Hangman Adam Page is suspended indefinitely from The Elite without pay. Also, since Kenny Omega hasn’t been “making his dates,” he’s fired from The Elite.

He’s not done, but he’s interrupted by the arrival of Eddie Kingston. He’s got some beef for Nicholas, but he’s ready for a fight. Only the EVPs fight dirty with a low blow, and they’re about to hit Kingston with the EVP Trigger when a coin drop signals the arrival of Kazuchika Okada.

Kingston seems shocked, but he’s even more surprised when he gets a Rainmaker. The Jacksons introduce Okada as the newest member of The Elite, and Okada makes a belt motion to Eddie as he leaves the ring.

Darby Allin has a mountain to climb … but a match with Jay White first

Schiavone calls Darby Allin to the ring to ask him what it will be like without Sting. Allin is emotional talking about helping to give Sting the proper sendoff, and says what’s next is his match against Jay White and then he’s off to climb Mt. Everest. He says there was no chance he’d find a partner to replace Sting and congratulates whoever the next team will be to win the tag team championship …

… but that’s not it, as White (and the Gunns) comes down to talk to Allin face to face. The Switchblade is not too impressed with Darby’s ladder spot, calling it stupid, and he questions what Allin is without Sting. A little lost puppy, perhaps, with no one there to hold his leash.

Just like he didn’t need to jump off the ladder, White says they don’t need to have this match, and no one will think any less of Allin. Maybe Darby would like to hang with the Bang Bang Scissor Gang instead?

Allin mocks White for winning championships overseas but doing nothing in AEW, then whispers something to Jay. White looks like he wants to throw hands, but Allin has Sting’s bat so that’s not happening.

Will Ospreay thrills again against Kyle Fletcher, then gets a visit from the American Dragon

Don Callis joins the announcers to help call the action, and they point out that Fletcher is focusing his attack on Ospreay’s back.

Ospreay is doing better after side-by-side ads, but he telegraphs the Oscutter and is thrown backward by a snap suplex. A sheer drop brainbuster follows, and Ospreay has to hustle to kick out at two.

Callis thinks Fletcher is taking too long to follow up, which allows Ospreay to meet him in the middle of the ring to exchange chops. Fletcher wins that showdown, but Ospreay quickly nails him with several stiff blows. A series of counters leads to a nasty DDT by the Aerial Assassin, but Fletcher dodges the Hidden Blade and hits Snake Eyes into the middle turnbuckle.

A cutter onto the apron is a nasty bump for both men, and more picture-in-picture is here.

More chops are flying when we return, as well as vicious forearm shots. Both men look for Tombstones, but Ospreay emerges on top with a poison rana. Ospreay heads up top, but Fletcher foils that by pushing him down. He tries for a double underhook superplex but sees Ospreay land on his feet. A Liger Bomb is next, but Fletcher kicks out at two.

Fletcher hits a double underhook slam for two, then a Liger Bomb of his own for another near fall. A dazed Ospreay eats a running kick in the corner, but he escapes another superplex attempt and nails the thrust kick. An avalanche poison rana and the Hidden Blade lead to a very close two count.

Both men still have enough left to trade strikes and reversals. A standing Spanish Fly gets two for Ospreay, but neither that nor the Oscutter can win it. Somehow.

Fletcher gets to his knees and waves in his friend, who obliges with a huge Hidden Blade that ends it.

Callis comes into the ring as the two friends are talking, but so does Bryan Danielson, who stares down Ospreay as the show ends.

AEW Dynamite results 01/31/24: Hangman, Swerve are on collision course again

After Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page won again, they’ll fight for a title shot next week on AEW Dynamite.

What wrestling fan doesn’t love them some mystery opponent? We’d say none, which is why the Dealer’s Choice matches on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite from New Orleans should be a lot of fun.

In fairness, Swerve Strickland already took some of the surprise away by revealing he’s going to send fellow Mogul Embassy member Toa Liona to fight Hangman Adam Page. A perfectly defensible selection, that, given that Liona is a beast who should benefit from the additional spotlight.

But Hangman hasn’t revealed his choice to be Swerve’s opponent, and that has us hoping that everyone’s favorite cowboy really gets creative. And yes, that actually means Tony Khan getting creative, but let’s not lose ourselves in the space between kayfabe and real life.

Strickland and Page are having the kind of long-term feud that just satisfies that place in a wrestling fan’s heart, because even when they branch off and do other things, they can’t seem to help but cross paths again. Long may it continue.

Beyond that, we’ll see the first ever singles match between Jon Moxley and Jeff Hardy. And Deonna Purrazzo will take on her toughest foe since joining AEW, Taya Valkyrie. “Timeless” Toni Storm will once again be on guest commentary, which is pretty close to guaranteed entertainment value.

So yeah, looks like a decent enough two hours. Let’s run it all down as it happens.

AEW Dynamite results from New Orleans:

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

  • Jon Moxley def. Jeff Hardy by submission
  • After the match, Mistico and the other three CMLL wrestlers who were watching the opening match attack Moxley after the bell, but Matt Sydal, Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang eventually come to the rescue and drive the luchadores off
  • Hangman Adam Page def. Toa Liona by pinfall
  • Nicholas Jackson fines a staffer for not using the Young Bucks’ full names, and Matthew apologizes but still expects the fine to be paid by end of day

  • Wardlow def. Komander; after the match, Orange Cassidy and Best Friends come to prevent Roderick Strong and The Kingdom from administering a post-match beating, and the heels want no part of a scuffle tonight
  • Tony Schiavone mediates a sitdown interview with Big Bill and Ricky Starks on one side and Darby Allin and Sting on the other; Starks seems upset that Sting got his first ever AEW victory over him, and Ricky and Darby start yelling at each other while Sting wonders if Bill is a killer like other big men he’s fought; Starks throws a drink on Darby, who has to be restrained by The Icon

  • Chris Jericho def. Kyle Fletcher by pinfall; Konosuke Takeshita appears on the stage afterward to taunt Jericho
  • Deonna Purrazzo explains the meanings behind her tattoos, including the identical ink she and Toni Storm got, wondering if it means the same thing to Timeless Toni
  • The Bang Bang Scissor Gang does some good natured guns up and scissoring along with Rock Card Juiceboard

  • Deonna Purrazzo def. Taya Valkyrie by submission with Toni Storm watching closely from the commentary desk
  • Allin is being interviewed by Renee Paquette when the Young Bucks stop by to propose becoming a trio with Darby, but jokes aside, they also accuse him of ducking them

  • AEW World Champion Samoa Joe joins the announcers for the main event
  • Swerve Strickland def. Rob Van Dam by pinfall in a Hardcore match that also sees Brian Cage and Hook briefly get involved
  • Hangman comes down to mock congratulate Swerve, noting that both of them are likely to top the rankings when they come out tonight before vowing to never let Strickland become world champion; Swerve yells back that he has two victories over Page and says Hangman is obsessed with the idea that he can’t win … but Page says it took the whole Mogul Embassy to beat him, and Strickland says they can fight one more time before he leaves this feud behind him to focus on the AEW World Championship
Lee South

Jon Moxley vs Jeff Hardy

New Orleans, LA

AEW Dynamite

January 31, 2024

Jon Moxley grinds out a victory over Jeff Hardy

Hardy wastes no time taking to the air, diving onto Moxley from the apron. The announce team suggests the rules for this one are “lax,” so they can do some extreme stuff without fear of DQ and probably won’t be counted out either. Moxley takes flight with a tope suicida, not something he always does.

Back in the ring, Moxley stomps on Hardy’s left arm. Jeff gets flipped over with a suplex of sorts and has to kick out of the ensuing cover.

Mox goes right to a submission attempt, scissoring Hardy’s neck with his legs. Their battle eventually goes back outside the ring, where Moxley end up over the barricade among the CMLL talent that is here for tonight’s show. A right hand from Mox smashes Hardy in mid-flight right as the side-by-side pics arrive.

Th full picture returns to find Hardy running through a bunch of offense, leading to a near fall Tony Schiavone believes Jeff will need to keep Mox on the mat, but he doesn’t and pays for it as he takes a piledriver.

Moxley wants another piledriver on the apron, but Hardy counters with a Twist of Fate. He follows with the Whisper in the Wind, and he’s back up top but met by Moxley, who treats him to a superplex.

They both rise to trade right hands until Hardy’s Twist of Fate attempt is countered with a cutter. Jeff comes right back with a Russian leg sweep, then uses a legdrop right into a pinning predicament that comes oh so close to winning it.

Hardy connects on another Twist of Fate but finds no one home for the Swanton Bomb. Moxley drops to the mat and locks on his bulldog choke, and Hardy eventually goes to sleep.

Lee South

Adam Page vs Toa Liona

New Orleans, LA

AEW Dynamite

January 31, 2024

Hangman Adam Page pulls off an AEW first, pinning Toa Liona

Page notes during a quick pre-match promo shown during his entrance that Liona has never been pinned or submitted in AEW. Did not know that. Early on, Hangman is able to stay one step ahead of the bigger man, at least until Liona can slow the pace.

Two springboard lariats aren’t sufficient to knock Liona off the apron, though he has no such trouble hurling Page over the top rope and out to the floor. Liona hits a diving cross body to the floor, looking very confident.

Liona sits on Page’s chest back in the ring, good for a near fall. A series of right hands from Hangman leads to Liona chucking him back out to the floor as boos rain down.

After more commercials, it’s not looking much better for Page until he’s able to get Liona to miss and land hard on his back. Hangman steps on the gas, leading to a high cross body off the top for a near fall.

Page tries but can’t get Liona hoisted for the Deadeye. A thrust kick comes back and leads to a near fall for Liona.

What will it take to get Liona off his feet? Three lariats finally do the trick. This time Page is able to get the Deadeye on target too, but Liona pops right back up for a headbutt.

A discus lariat smashes Page back down, and though he’s able to kick out again, he takes a senton on the apron right after that. Liona tries and misses on a moonsault, but Hangman doesn’t miss his off the top rope.

The Buckshot looks like it’s next, but even though Liona evades it and hits a Samoan drop, Page is able to roll up his shoulders and hold on for a pin.

Lee South

Deonna Purrazzo vs Taya Valkyrie

New Orleans, LA

AEW Dynamite

January 31, 2024

Deonna Purrazzo keeps rolling by tapping out Taya Valkyrie

AEW Women’s World Champion Taya Valkyrie joins the announcers for this one, claiming she has no knowledge of the matching tattoos that Purrazzo has been talking about. The Virtuosa gets off to a strong start, controlling Valkyrie with a variety of holds until a leg sweep tilts the momentum.

Purrazzo goes hard into the steps on the outside, giving Valkyrie a chance to do some making out with Johnny TV as commercials slide in. They battle back to the ring during the half-break, with Purrazzo using knees and kicks to set up a Russian leg sweep. A pump kick leads to the second of two quick two counts.

Valkyrie’s Blue Thunder Bomb gets her a two count right back. A sliding lariat makes Purrazzo kick out again as Storm mugs for the camera.

A baseball slide drop kick is on target for Purrazzo, who ends up flinging Valkyrie into the champ. Back in the ring, Deonna gets both of Taya’s arms pulled up behind her while sitting on Valkyrie’s back, and that’s enough to get the submission.

Lee South

Swerve Strickland vs Rob Van Dam

New Orleans, LA

AEW Dynamite

January 31, 2024

Swerve Strickland outdoes Rob Van Dam in his own game: a Hardcore match

Hangman Page appears on the screen after RVD heads to the ring to reveal one more twist: Dealer’s Choice means they get to pick the match, not just the opponent, so this is a Hardcore match.

Van Dam wastes no time putting chairs to good use once the bell rings thanks to that stipulation. He sends Strickland into and over the ringside barricade, and the fans are already happily chanting “we want tables.”

After some picture-in-picture, Swerve has taken control, using a chair to assist him. He sets that across one corner but ends up getting an Irish whip right into it.

Rolling Thunder is on target by RVD, and he picks up another chair to use for a Van Terminator in the corner. A cover follows but Swerve kicks out at two.

Van Dam wants a monkey flip but sees it countered into a sitout powerbomb onto the chair, somehow managing to kick out. Brian Cage arrives to lend a hand to Swerve, but he’s neutralized by a chair-wielding Hook. They fight out of the ring and up the ramp.

RVD is distracted but manages to counter into a pinning predicament and a near fall. Strickland comes right back with a near fall of his own, and now it’s reaching “what will it take to win it?” territory as the crowd calls for tables again.

There is one set up on one side of the ring, but the two combatants fight to a chair on the opposite side. RVD takes a Swerve Stomp and falls back into the steps.

With Van Dam rolled into the ring, Strickland climbs up top but takes a thrown chair to the face and crashes down from the top rope through the table. Rob tries to follow with a Five Star Frog Splash but finds no one home and eats a chair to the face before kicking out at two.

Both men head to the top rope again, though Van Dam is knocked to the mat. He flips Strickland the double bird but takes a Swerve Stomp, and that’s it for the legend as Swerve is victorious.

AEW Dynamite results 01/03/24: Deonna is here, Hangman hunts Swerve

Mariah May was upstaged a bit, and Swerve Strickland found an old foe still looking for him on Dynamite.

When you stop and think about it, Adam Cole turning on MJF really isn’t that hard to comprehend. We’ll still get a chance to hear about it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, tonight on AEW Dynamite from Newark.

As many fans suspected, Cole was revealed as the Devil at Worlds End last weekend, reveling in MJF’s suffering in front of his hometown fans — including his loss of the AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe. Cole is undoubtedly going to say that his inability to win the title from MJF at All In London just ate at him so much that he had no other choice. That’s classic pro wrestling motivation, for sure.

But what happens now? MJF is expected to take time off to heal up from injuries/make everyone wonder if he’s staying with AEW. The world title Cole covets so much is in Joe’s hands, and prying it loose won’t be any easier. That might be the part we’re waiting to hear most about from Cole tonight.

Because it’s a day ending in “day,” Orange Cassidy has a title defense on Dynamite too. Plus we’ll see the in-ring debut of Mariah May. We definitely won’t be seeing Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley, as they’re currently overseas preparing for big matches much later tonight (or early tomorrow morning, depending on how you look at it).

Plus there could be some surprise debuts if the best case scenario works out. That would also be super cool. Maybe even a wrestler with the same alliteration in her name as Mariah May. We’ll see.

For the first time in ’24, let’s light the fuse …

AEW Dynamite results from Newark:

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

  • The show begins with Samoa Joe cutting a defiant promo last Saturday against MJF after beating him at Worlds End
  • Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom have arrived, but the Devil’s here to stay, bay bay, but they already have enemies gathering
  • A highlight package/promo celebrate Eddie Kingston’s Continental Classic victory, where he discusses the confidence he’s gained as a result

  • Daniel Garcia talks about his matchup with Swerve Strickland tonight
  • Orange Cassidy def. Dante Martin by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship
  • After the match, Private Party makes a return to put every tag team on notice, including FTR, the Young Bucks and The Hardys

  • Renee Paquette asks Toni Storm what 2024 holds for her, but she’s not crazy about being in New Jersey and doesn’t care to stick around to see Mariah May make her debut

  • The clip of House of Black accepting FTR’s challenge is played again, this time with some highlights of them beating up the Top Guys over the past few weeks
  • Paquette talks to Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana, naturally), who talks about facing Daniel Garcia tonight and gunning for Samoa Joe’s title
  • Mariah May def. Queen Aminata by pinfall in her AEW in-ring debut; Paquette speaks to her afterward and finds her excited and hopeful that Storm was watching, but …
  • … after she rips on New Jersey, she’s surprised when Deonna Purrazzo shows up and tells her to give a message to Storm: I will find you no matter where you run, and I am All Elite; May declines to pass along the message and slaps Purrazzo but ends up losing a brief scuffle
  • Christian Cage thanks everyone but Luchasaurus
  • Paquette talks to The Outcasts, who seem to still have some internal issues to work out regarding Harley Cameron
  • Konosuke Takeshita def. Darby Allin by pinfall
  • Paquette catches up with Takeshita and the rest of the Don Callis Family, who challenge Allin and Sting to a tag team match against Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs
  • Kingston joins the announcers to see who will be the No. 1 contender for his title
  • Trent Beretta def. Brian Cage, Bryan Keith and El Hijo Del Vikingo (with a little help from Danhausen) to get a shot at Kingston’s Continental Crown Championship
  • An angry Hangman Adam Page interrupts Paquette’s latest interview to declare that he’s looking for Cole and Undisputed Kingdom … like right now
  • Swerve Strickland def. Daniel Garcia by pinfall, but Hangman Adam Page arrives after the match to brawl with Swerve until staffers and referees can finally pull them apart

Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom deliver their mission statement, but not everyone loves it

A new entrance video and theme announce Cole and his men as Undisputed. Roderick Strong tells everyone to shup up and listen to his best friend, and Cole starts off by wondering if no one had sympathy for him.

He scoffs at the idea that they are the bad guys just because they betrayed MJF, as Max was the one who talked badly about everyone in the locker room. Cole says most of the wrestlers, fans and even Tony Khan will thank him, because MJF is gone and he’s never coming back.

Cole suggests that the second MJF didn’t need him any more, he would have stabbed Adam in the back. MJF needed Adam Cole, and no one would be cheering for Maxwell if not for Adam. “I saved MJF’s championship reign, and I also ended it.”

The new group is called the Undisputed Kingdom, and their goal is to win as much gold as possible. The Kingdom has the tag titles, Roddy will chase the International Championship and Wardlow will go after the World Championship … and then give it to Cole when he’s healthy. Uh, OK.

One person who may not be down with that comes out to retort, and that’s Switchblade Jay White. He’s upset about getting jumped when he was flying solo, but he’s no longer alone as The Gunns join him in storming the ring.

Bullet Club Gold is outnumbered, however, but that changes soon when The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass arrive as reinforcements. The Undisputed Kingdom quickly retreats in the face of their numerical disadvantage. The fans want BCG and The Acclaimed to scissor, but White tells the Gunns to leave the ring.

Orange Cassidy squeezes out another title defense against Dante Martin

The announce team wonders if Cassidy will have to change the way he approaches this matchup given the way Martin moves around the ring. Orange has fought some high-fliers, though, so one expects he’ll be fine.

There’s some nice mat wrestling to kick things off with each man getting the edge at different times. The pace accelerates gradually, and Martin shows no signs of being psyched out by Cassidy’s usual slacker antics.

Martin takes the worst of it when the battle moves to the floor, getting thrown into the barricade more than once. Cassidy runs around the ring, slowly, to deliver a dropkick, but Martin fights back right before side-by-side ads.

The challenger is taking the lead when we return, though the announcers note how he’s selling damage to his lower back. Dante and Orange exchange slow mo kicks, but Cassidy is ready when Martin tries to sneak in a real shot.

A DDT gets Cassidy a near fall, so he heads up top. Martin is knocked down twice and ends up taking a diving DDT even after landing on his feet. Ouch.

After Martin kicks out at two, Cassidy looks for Beach Break, but it’s countered into a GTS that nearly wins it. Dante delivers a senton on his way to the corner, but Orange slowly rolls away from whatever is next … or he thinks he does, as Martin walks the ropes to drop a splash for a near fall.

Back and forth they go with pinning predicaments until Cassidy connects on an Orange Punch, and that proves to be the winning move.

The Patriarch says all is right now that he’s still TNT Champion

Christian Cage is ready to talk, and Shayna Wayne tries to keep people quiet so he can do so. Cage says he’s been TNT Champion for 200 days and doesn’t let Tony Schiavone confuse him with the facts. He admits he went through a war at Worlds End and thanks Shayna Wayne and Nick Wayne for their help.

Will he thank Killswitch? Nope. The fans start a loud “Luchasaurus” chant while Cage dismisses Adam Copeland and suggests their feud is behind him. Cage warns anyone else who might have designs on the TNT Championship and says The Patriarchy are the faces of AEW now and forever.

Konosuke Takeshita impresses with victory over Darby Allin

Don Callis unfortunately joins the announcers for this one, as Allin appears to possibly tweak his knee in the early going. They wrestle to a standoff that even Callis says impresses him.

Takeshita hits a big back body drop that backs up Callis’ assertion that size matters. He grabs a side headlock to keep Darby grounded, and even after Allin gets free, he dives through the ropes and right into a jumping knee.

Want another impressive sequence? Takeshita rolls backwards down the ramp for three rolling German suplexes in a row. Sweet stuff.

During picture-in-picture, Allin does his usual cannonball to the floor, but is nearly pinned right after the full broadcast comes back. The fans start a “this is awesome” chant as Takeshita stalks his prey.

Darby bails out of a running corner knee strike, then lures his opponent into smashing through the barricade by the timekeeper’s area. Allin hits him with a Coffin Drop that leaves both men strewn about the floor.

As they re-renter the ring, Allin greets Takeshita with a Code Red and almost gets the three. Darby wants another Coffin Drop but hits only knees.

Knees and other strikes are battering Allin, but he pulls off an inside cradle for a quick two count, then another with a crucifix pin. Takeshita crashes home a big lariat, and Callis signals him to finish his foe.

A Helluva Kick leaves Allin woozy as his opponent takes him up top for a huge German superplex. A running knee is next, and even Darby isn’t getting up from that.

Swerve Strickland gets by Daniel Garcia, but he’s still got a Hangman problem

Daddy Magic joins the announcers for this one, who inform us that we have at least a five-minute overrun if necessary. That suggests it almost certainly will be.

Garcia takes some of the early offense and sees if he can lure Swerve into some mat exchanges, which he does. Strickland takes the kitchen sink, but the crowd is chanting for him even as he gets sent to the floor and then into the barricade.

Prince Nana is talking to Garcia from behind his back, and Daniel turns to engage him in a brief dance-off. Wrestling returns pretty quickly, which is bad for DG as he takes a Death Valley Driver on the apron.

Strickland thinks he’s in control after commercials, but Garcia quickly disabuses him of that notion by beating him into the corner. A running knee is next, then a shotgun dropkick.

Garcia’s stalling suplex allows him to cover for a near fall. Strickland hits a backbreaker and a flurry of additional offense, and now it’s Garcia kicking out at two.

The battle goes to the announce table and forces everyone to bail out, and when Garcia goes for a Sharpshooter, both men end up sliding off the back of the table. They fight back to the top rope, where Garcia hits a superplex but is quickly suplexed in turn.

Garcia’s rally is answered by a Flatliner, and he follows with the Drive-By kick that comes oh so close to ending it. Swerve Stomp is on target but somehow still not enough.

Swerve summons what is left in his tank to deliver a House Call, and the JML Driver is enough to end it. After the match, Strickland extends his hand, but it’s a trap so Nana can hit Garcia with a low blow. Daddy Magic gets one too, but just as Nana is about to say Strickland will be the next AEW World Champion, Hangman Adam Page’s music hits and brings the cow boy to the ring.

Swerve laughs, but only for a second until they start throwing hands. Security swarms the ring to pull them apart, but Hangman breaks free and gets in more shots. Swerve does the same, so it seems like 10 men won’t be enough to get this done.

 

AEW Rampage results 12/22/23: Vikingo soars, The Hardys fall

Orange Cassidy also defended his title against Rocky Romero on this week’s AEW Rampage.

There might not be anything that can best display how the past, present and future intertwine in AEW like tonight’s lineup on Rampage.

Want someone who’s on top of their game? Orange Cassidy is in action. How about the future of the business? El Hijo del Vikingo and Skye Blue fit that description.

Yet The Hardys are also on tonight’s card, still getting it done in the ring even though they are much closer to the end of their careers than the beginning. That’s definitely one of the best parts of pro wrestling today and AEW in particular.

That’s all a somewhat long winded way of saying that tonight’s hour of Rampage should have a little bit of something for everyone. Let’s get into it.

AEW Rampage results:

  • Orange Cassidy def. Rocky Romero by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship
  • Kris Statlander talks to Tony Schiavone about coming together when needed with Willow Nightingale, but Stokely Hathaway arrives to stir the drink by suggesting that Willow has been talking about Stat behind her back; it also sounds like Stoke is trying to recruit her
  • Brian Cage cuts a promo on Keith Lee ahead of their match on Collision this Saturday
  • The Kingdom def. The Hardys by pinfall on a rollup after Matt Hardy was prevented from using a steel chair
  • Renee Paquette talks to Ruby Soho, and is soon joined by Angelo Parker asking her out and Saraya apologizing … at least to everyone’s face, because Saraya immediately tells Parker to leave Soho alone as soon as the others depart
  • Skye Blue def. Queen Aminata by submission
  • El Hijo del Vikingo def. Black Taurus by pinfall to retain the AAA Mega Championship

AEW Dynamite results 12/6/23: Nick Wayne’s mom swings Christian Cage-Adam Copeland grudge match

Say it ain’t so, Shayna. Also, Riho returned on AEW Dynamite from Montreal.

A long time ago, in a promotion not that far, far away, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage were thick as thieves. They came up together, made history as a tag team and then went on to be successful as singles competitors too. But times done changed since then, and we’re about to see the full extent of how much on AEW Dynamite tonight from Montreal.

When Copeland first made his well-publicized move to AEW a few months ago, he made it clear that he wanted to get the band back together, so to speak, and team with Cage for one last run. Christian, being the villainous sort, not so politely told him to “go f–k yourself.”

After Copeland took out Cage’s minions, the TNT Champion appeared to reverse course and see if his old friend would forgive and forget. But Copeland saw it coming and responded not just by laying Cage out but giving him the same expletive back in return.

As both men are proud Canadians, it’s only fitting that they meet in Montreal. Copeland was quoted as saying that it’s more important to him that their match take place in Canada than on pay-per-view, which says a lot. It should be captivating TV, for sure.

And it’s not the only thing this episode has going for it, not by a long shot. The AEW Women’s World Championship will be on the line as “Timeless” Toni Storm defends against Skye Blue. MJF and Samoa Joe will join forces to take on two of The Devil’s masked men. And there will be three more Continental Classic matches to boot.

We’re ready for this one to begin, so let’s light that fuse.

AEW Dynamite results from Montreal:

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

  • Jon Moxley def. Rush by submission in a Continental Classic Gold League match, meaning others in the group are now in danger of elimination
  • A promo is shown for the Jay White-Jay Lethal match coming up later tonight
  • Renee Paquette welcomes Roderick Strong (and The Kingdom), who says that MJF is going to put the dagger into Samoa Joe’s back tonight and that actions have consequences .. but he’s not going to suffer his any more, as he discards his wheelchair
  • While Paquette waits to talk to MJF, she instead catches up with Hangman Adam Page, who admits that Swerve Strickland has beaten him but he still took something from Swerve he’ll never get back, and it’s not over between them; MJF pops out and congratulates Page sarcastically, and after some more pleasantries, they accuse each other of being the Devil, and Samoa Joe has to step in before they come to blows

  • Swerve Strickland def. Mark Briscoe by pinfall in a Continental Classic Gold League match
  • Mariah May tells Paquette that her meeting with Tony Khan went well but says tonight is all about Toni Storm
  • Samoa Joe heads to the ring for his tag team match and soon finds himself surrounded on all four sides by the Devil’s minions, who then disappear … and on the big screen, MJF is shown laid out backstage, apparently by a bottle to the head
  • Moxley says he expected to win the Continental Classic because he’s the Ace of the World, but Swerve shows up to threaten him while Prince Nana laughs
  • Ben Mankiewicz does his thing, introducing “Timeless” Toni Storm
  • Toni Storm def. Skye Blue by pinfall to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship …
  • … but she’s confronted by a returning Riho, who drives her out of the ring and makes it clear she’s hunting that championship
  • AEW is returning to Canada in March for a four-city tour, and tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 15
  • A hype video is shown for the Adam Copeland-Christian Cage main event
  • Jay White def. Jay Lethal by pinfall in a Continental Classic Gold League match
  • Christian Cage def. Adam Copeland by pinfall to retain the AEW TNT Championship, in large part due to Shayna Wayne hitting Copeland with the title belt
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jon Moxley puts Rush to sleep, gets to 9 points

The announcers point out that a Moxley victory can start eliminating some people from contention to advance from the Gold League since he’ll be at nine points. They get right to the strikes once the bell rings, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

Rush hits a belly-to-belly throw and a dropkick to force Mox out to the floor. Into the crowd they go, with Rush maintaining his grip on the action.

Moxley finally retaliates by hurling his foe into the barricade and they fight way out past the floor seats again. One random security guard’s empty chair is used as a prop before they head back toward the squared circle.

Rush has Moxley down in the corner, the perfect place for him to do his tranquilo pose. Mox comes right back with double birds, letting his foe know exactly what he thinks of that, and the fans respond.

A Rush powerslam gives him a near fall, the first of the bout. Moxley offers a cutter as a reply, hammers Rush in the corner and follows with a superplex for a two count.

The battle goes outside again, which is unfortunate for Moxley as he is powerslammed into the barricade. Commercials arrive for side-by-side picture time.

Rush lands hard and is holding his leg when we return, with Taz noting both his legs are banged up. He powers through and hits a piledriver, forcing a kickout from Mox.

A superplex allows Rush to get another near fall, but his confident look is washed away when Moxley hits him with a suicide dive, and the ref tells both men they need to get it back in the ring.

They do so they can trade strikes, and a stiff forearm sends Moxley to his butt in the corner. He pops up to stop the Bull’s Horns on the way in but gets pummeled in the corner … until he hits a King Kong lariat. Mox executes the Death Rider but only gets two.

An undeterred Moxley switches to his bulldog choke, and though Rush fights it, he eventually goes out.

Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

Swerve Strickland joins Mox with 9 points, Mark Briscoe is mathematically eliminated

It’s win or the end of the tourney for Briscoe, and Swerve is one of the hottest stars in AEW right now, so that’s not good news for Mark. Briscoe tries to slow the pace and keep Strickland from getting any momentum, which seems wise.

Briscoe crashes home a high boot and chokes Swerve along the turnbuckles. Strickland fights back and earns the first near fall, but Briscoe sends him to the outside and hits a dropkick through the ropes.

Onto the apron they go, both landing shots until they spill to the floor. Briscoe is right at home there, but Swerve sends him over the barricade into the crowd and then suplexes him off the barricade back onto the floor. Ouch.

Strickland looks extremely confident after commercials, with the announcers noting that he really should since he’s been in full control for several minutes. He works over Briscoe’s left arm on the mat but gets a taste of Redneck Kung Fu.

A high boot in the corner lands for Briscoe, followed by a fisherman’s buster for a two count. Swerve fires through a flurry of offense for his own near fall, with the fans seemingly as surprised as Strickland to see Briscoe kick out.

A hard uppercut sends Strickland off the top rope to the floor, where Briscoe quickly finds him before delivering a huge lariat back in the ring. It’s two again, and that’s not great for him as Strickland lands the House Call … but not the 450 splash as Mark gets his knees up. He covers and sees Swerve kick out again.

Briscoe puts his foe back down and tries the Froggy Bow, but Swerve counters and nearly pins him. The fans come alive in appreciation as Justin Roberts announces that only five minutes remain.

Strickland executes a Death Valley Driver on the apron, then a Swerve Stomp back in the ring. Is it enough? Yes it is, as Briscoe is mathematically eliminated from the tourney.

Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

Toni Storm retains her title against a game Skye Blue

This is a big opportunity for Blue, who battles alone while the champ has both Luther and Mariah May supporting her at ringside. Both women have their moments in the opening mat exchanges, though an angry Storm ends that by hammering some forearm shots.

Blue is thinking tope but Storm greets her with a right hand. Toni gets on Luther’s shoulders and he runs along the floor so she can fling her challenger off the apron.

Storm lets Blue have it with some chops and delivers a hip attack along the barricade before ads slide in. The full broadcast returns to see Blue nail a high cross body for a two count, but Storm slows her right back down with a nasty suplex.

Blue sees the hip attack coming and hits a thrust kick, and her hip attack doesn’t miss. Code Blue is on target, and Storm barely manages to avoid a three count.

Headbutts from the champ stop whatever Blue has planned from the top rope, and Storm is able to execute a superplex. Storm’s hip attack hits, and when Blue tries to roll her up as a counter to Storm Zero, Toni counters with her own pinning predicament and holds Blue’s shoulders down for three.

Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jay White stays alive to advance from Gold League at Jay Lethal’s expense

Like Mark Briscoe earlier, Jay Lethal is in must win territory to stay alive to advance from the group. White is not, but he’d be in big trouble if he lost, so both men look a little cautious early on.

White is able to capitalize when Lethal tries to strut, but Lethal takes control of the next few minutes, earning a near fall and then getting to strut after all. Some back and forth exchanges lead to a DDT for White, and he covers for two prior to picture-in-picture action.

Lethal hits the first big move after we return with a tope suicida. He gets White in the fireman’s carry position and hits a rolling slam, then his big elbow off the top. Lethal covers but sees White strain to kick out in time.

Several kicks spin White around, but he fights out of the corner and hammers Lethal’s left knee in multiple ways. A sheer drop brainbuster leads to a cover, but Lethal kicks out in time.

The Lethal Injection is countered, so Lethal tries a rollup for two; White immediately bounces up for a chop block. As they jostle for position on the mat, Switchblade manages to roll on top of Lethal’s shoulders, and now Lethal is out of contention to advance.

Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

Christian Cage retains in grudge match with Adam Copeland thanks to Nick Wayne’s mom

Here we go. Copeland gets off to a strong start, knocking his former friend off the apron and into the barricade and smashing Cage’s head off the announce table. He’s fired up, for sure.

Cage begs off back in the ring, hearing boos from the fans. He tries for a low blow but Copeland sees it coming, stomping on his hand. The champ is hurled into the barricade multiple times, slumping down on a chair as Copeland breaks the ref’s count.

Cage finally gets some offense in, dropping Copeland’s throat on the barricade and tossing him over it before ads break up the flow. He remains in charge throughout the half-break and is measured as he keeps the pressure on.

The fans get on him as he rains down left hands in the corner, but Copeland bites his other hand and delivers a Russian leg sweep off the second rope — which doesn’t really land right, drawing some jeers from a few members of the crowd.

With Cage on the apron, Copeland climbs to the middle rope to deliver a diving clothesline. The champ fights back with a drop toehold, then returns to the ring with a frog splash that earns him a near fall.

Cage stalks Copeland and rushes in for a spear, but it’s countered by an Impaler for a two count. They fight up to the top rope, where Cage manages to get the upper hand until Copeland pulls on his right fingers and runs out for a Liger Bomb and a closer two count.

The champ thinks Killswitch, setting off a series of counters that ends with an inside cradle for two by Copeland … then another off a counter inverted facebuster.

Copeland switches gears applying a crossface that forces Cage to extend his leg to get a rope break. The challenger just mounts his foe and drops some bombs, and he’s got that look until Cage leaps over a spear to hit the Killswitch. That might be it, but Copeland is able to kick out.

With the ref taking a partial bump, Cage sees an opportunity and kicks him in the groin before grabbing his title belt. He misses his belt shot, but both men go for spears at the same time and end up down on the canvas.

That brings Nick Wayne’s mom to the ring, and she gets the TNT title belt. Alas, she decides to hit Copeland, probably for taking out her son, and Cage delivers another Killswitch. He stands over Copeland holding his title, then stomp’s Adam’s neck into the belt. The ref finally recovers and makes the three count.

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

AEW Rampage results 11/10/23: Love in the air in Oakland?

OK it was a lot of fists and pinfalls as well, but also a romance subplot on this episode of AEW Rampage.

This is like Bizarro AEW this Friday night. Why? Because Rampage is live and Collision will be taped right after it. See? Bizarro!

But that also means the crowd at the Oakland Arena should be hit for this edition of Rampage, because they’re seeing it fresh instead of after two hours of Dynamite. That’s something and can only help what we’re about to watch.

Let’s see how this live hour plays out.

AEW Rampage results from Oakland:

  • Ricky Starks def. Preston Vance by pinfall with just a tiny bit of help from tag team partner Big Bill, who was on guest commentary; afterward, Rush and Dralistico hustle down to save their teammate
  • Chris Jericho calls out Konosuke Takeshita ahead of their match in DDT Pro this weekend in Japan, vowing to get his revenge
  • Don Callis and Prince Nana say they’ve made a deal to have Brian Cage fight alongside Callis’ Family (since Sammy Guevara still isn’t cleared) next week on Dynamite for the Street Fight
  • Jeff Jarrett takes exception to questions about when Jay Lethal will get his ROH World Championship shot, and Lethal brags about beating Eddie Kingston; Ortiz stops by and proves unafraid of the odds, smacking Lethal and getting saved from certain ruin by a gaggle of refs and officials
  • Red Velvet def. Ruby soho by pinfall after Ruby gets distracted by flowers being delivered to her during the match (no, really)
  • Roderick Strong comes out with The Kingdom, insulting Oakland and saying he wants to dedicate the upcoming match to his best friend, Adam Cole
  • The Kingdom def. Los Suavecitos by pinfall with their new finisher, The Neck Check, and Strong “miraculously” gets out of his wheelchair to hit a Backstabber afterward
  • Daniel Garcia says he’s sick of being sad, and to cheer himself up, he wanted to challenge someone he has respect for, and he’s decided on Andrade; Soho and Saraya stop by and get into it with Angelo Parker and Matt Menard, and while it seems like Ruby and Angelo are hitting it off, their partner seem to want to keep them apart
  • Action Andretti and Darius Martin confront The Kingdom, but Strong says Martin will be “his first victim”
  • FTR def. Komander and El Hijo del Vikingo by pinfall, and the two team show each other respect afterward … but then the lights go out and the House of Black gives them mock applause on the big screen

AEW Collision results 11/4/23: FTR still figuring out friend from foe

AEW Collision did a nice job of loading up the next episode of AEW Dynamite.

What do you do when you have a bunch of tag teams whose subplots all kind of overlap? Throw them into one big eight-man tag main event, which is what’s happening tonight on AEW Collision from Wichita.

FTR is still hot for another shot at Big Bill and Ricky Starks, the duo who beat them for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Gates of Agony has been making trouble for FTR and other face teams too … an umbrella that now apparently includes La Faccion Ingobernable.

So yes, all four teams are going to be involved in the last match tonight. Will that settle anything? Probably not. But that’s just how you gotta roll sometimes in wrestling.

There’s some other interesting stuff on the card, beginning with the first match that’s wasting exactly zero time to get started.

AEW Collision results from Wichita:

  • AR Fox isn’t waiting for the Elton John song to start the show, attacking Swerve Strickland in what passes for a cold open to Collision
  • Swerve Strickland def. AR Fox by pinfall, after which …
  • … FTR comes out to brawl with Gates of Agony, and are soon joined by Big Bill and Ricky Starks, as well as La Faccion Ingobernable, and the faces end up clearing the ring as House of Black watches from somewhere in the seats
  • MJF responds to Daniel Garcia calling him out on Rampage, and he seems OK with it since Garcia is a young guy, but wants to know if he’s getting the professional wrestler or the sports entertainer
  • More from MJF, who sarcastically congratulates Jay White for pinning him and calls Switchblade a nobody; needless to say, Bullet Club Gold sees that pin somewhat differently, and White says his group has earned the night off but will be back on Wednesday
  • Kip Sabian is pissed off (his words) at Mark Briscoe, and challenges him to find two partners to face him and The Workhorsemen
  • Roderick Strong complains that no one is taking neck health seriously enough, but The Kingdom is going to prove it’s important tonight
  • The Kingdom def. Brixton Nash and Jameson McGregor by pinfall
  • Briscoe gets an offer from FTR to do double duty and team with him, but Mark says while he appreciates it, he has a couple other guys in mind and will holler at them after the show
  • Darby Allin def. Lance Archer by pinfall, but Jake Roberts says he has more guys to go after him: The Righteous, who distract Darby long enough for Lance to him him with the Blackout
  • Kris Statlander thanks Skye Blue for doing the right thing, and even though Skye says she only did it for Willow Nightingale, Willow tries to convince Kris that all of them are friends

  • Alex Abrahantes is interrupted by Strickland, but Abrahantes takes exception to Swerve’s home invasion of Hangman Adam Page and says Penta will beat some respect into him next week

  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass are ready to celebrate 69 days as trios champs, complete with balloons, streamers and the whole nine yards; Anthony Bowens has a special gift for Max Caster, which turns out to be a video message from MJF saying Caster has earned his respect and he’s starting to like The Acclaimed, but just when the segment looks like it’s going to end …

  • … Dalton Castle and The Boys take the 69 trophy that The Acclaimed had over at the announce table and smash it; that sets off a brawl between the two teams and ends up in a match
  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass def. Dalton Castle and The Boys to retain the AEW World Trios Championship
  • Andrade El Idolo says he’ll give his answer to C.J. Perry next week, face to face

  • Mark Briscoe, Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee def. Kip Sabian and The Workhorsemen by pinfall
  • Briscoe challenges White for his title shot at Full Gear on this coming episode of Dynamite
  • Willow Nightingale def. Emi Sakura by pinfall
  • Samoa Joe says he hasn’t heard back from MJF on his offer to watch his back and says the champ will keep enduring the pain he has been; also Lee stops by to challenge him for his ROH World Television Championship on Dynamite
  • La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush and Preston Vance) and FTR def. Big Bill, Ricky Starks and Gates of Agony by pinfall when Rush pins Kaun, but LFI walks away from FTR without shaking hands afterward
  • House of Black has a message for FTR on the big screen, but they appear in the ring to deliver it hands on until Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta arrive with a steel chair to drive them off

Adam Cole’s injury brings everyone’s favorite bromance to a screeching halt

It’s a tough break for Adam Cole, but also unfortunate for fans who will be deprived of seeing what was next between him and MJF.

AEW fans waited with bated breath for an entire week hoping for some good news.

They were hoping that whatever ailed current Ring of Honor World Tag Team champion Adam Cole wouldn’t keep him out of action for too long.

But alas, that will be the case. During Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, Cole told the world that when he tripped off the ramp near the end of last week’s Dynamite Grand Slam main event between MJF and Samoa Joe, he broke his ankle and will undergo surgery.

While there has been no official timeframe set for Cole’s return, judging by the photos his longtime partner Britt Baker posted on social media, which revealed he broke his ankle in three places, it is safe to assume that he will be sidelined for an extended period of time.

(Warning: The photo of Cole’s foot and ankle is kind of graphic, so turn back now if that kind of thing bothers you.)

Could AEW keep the story between Cole and his tag team partner MJF, collectively known as Better Than You Bay Bay, going while the former works his way back to 100%? I suppose, but it definitely throws a large wrench into AEW’s plans to have Cole and MJF put on a rematch in the near future. What could have been a match between them at Full Gear or maybe even Revolution will have to wait for a time in the more distant future.

And what a shame this is. Obviously, the primary person to feel empathy for is Cole, who will once again have to bounce back from an injury that will require a lengthy recovery after already missing the majority of 2022 due to a severe concussion.

What should be Cole’s time to showcase himself at the peak of his powers is now being spent rehabbing far away from a wrestling ring.

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I’m sure this put a damper on AEW and its fans, and rightfully so. For AEW, it loses what I believe to be the best story it has told all year with the budding yet perpetually teetering bromance between Cole and MJF — which made for compelling television due to AEW threading in notes of the underlying tension between the two while also making sure that everything looked just fine between them on the surface.

Outside of Cole, who again, is literally suffering the most because of this unfortunate happening, I feel especially gutted for Tony Khan and the rest of AEW’s creative team. They’ve done a masterful job of keeping fans engaged in the story to the point that it was accepted as the main event of the biggest show in the promotion’s history, All In. I’d be willing to bet that AEW wasn’t looking to end or make a tonal shift in the story until Sunday’s WrestleDream at the earliest, where Cole and MJF were scheduled to defend their ROH tag titles against The Righteous. I personally believe they could have kept this going through the end of the year. Instead, MJF is slated to defend the titles on his own in a handicap match.

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But such is life in professional wrestling. People will get injured, even if it’s after something as simple as running down to the ring to interfere in the match. And when the injuries occur, promotions have to be able to adapt.

AEW is already on the path of making the necessary adjustments by sowing the seeds for a feud between MJF and “Switchblade” Jay White over the world title. While it does not yet have the emotional investment behind it like Better Than You Bay Bay has, it is still quite the silver lining in a tough situation. The fact that AEW can easily slot in someone as talented as White into that position and immediately have fans intrigued is a testament to AEW’s depth that isn’t always properly utilized. Even this time is out of necessity to give its champion something interesting to do.

As far as the tag titles, it would make complete sense for The Righteous to defeat MJF and take the titles. Even if MJF finds a partner, it would still be a convenient way to remove the titles from one equation and add them to another. If the vignettes the team have been showcased in on television are any indication, Vincent and Dutch are in line for a major run in Ring of Honor. The first step would be having them defeat MJF (and technically Cole) to win the titles.

And let’s not forget about Roderick Strong, who neck brace and all, is still lurking in the background along with The OGK.

So all hope isn’t lost for AEW, but it sure would have been nice if AEW’s original plan — whatever that may have been — could have come together.

AEW Rampage results: Jade Cargill falls to Kris Statlander in possible AEW farewell

Get full AEW Rampage results for the Sept. 15, 2023 episode, with Kris Statlander defending the TBS Championship against Jade Cargill.

Is it already time to say goodbye to Jade Cargill after we just welcomed her back? That seems to be a real possibility and one that is very much hanging over tonight’s episode of AEW Rampage.

This week, a Fightful Select report suggested that Cargill is likely done with AEW and potentially on her way to WWE. It’s a pairing that makes a lot of sense, but the timing and potential impact of it is a bit surprising, to say the least.

That means that Cargill will most likely end her time with two consecutive losses, albeit months apart, after going undefeated for so long. That’s going to be strange indeed, but here’s hoping for all the best for her whether she’s headed to the other company or not.

Now, on with the show.

AEW Rampage results:

  • Lucha Bros. and The Hardys def. Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, The Butcher and The Blade by pinfall, though Satnam Singh lays out The Hardys afterward and The Righteous is lurking too
  • Britt Baker tells Renee Paquette that nothing has gone to plan the last two months, but she promises to make history by holding both women’s titles at once … and that tonight’s TBS Championship winner will face her in the main event Saturday night at Collision

  • Johnny TV assures the QTV that QT Marshall is coming back, and we can’t believe we’re saying this but it would be much better if he did
  • The Kingdom def. Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal by pinfall; afterward, Matt Taven says they need to rush back to the hospital to check on Roderick Strong and that they blame Adam Cole for what happened to Roddy, while Mike Bennett says we should give anyone who doesn’t believe in neck health a piledriver
  • The Mogul Embassy is upset with the Young Bucks, so Swerve Strickland proposes Gates of Agony and Brian Cage vs. The Hung Bucks at Grand Slam

  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass def. Peter Avalon and The Outrunners by pinfall …
  • … but get challenged by the Dark Order, and after a futile game of rock-paper-scissors that comes up all scissors every time, Anthony Bowens says he’ll face any of them on Collision, and if the Dark Order rep wins, they can have a title shot
  • Aussie Open def. Damian Chambers and Lord Crewe by pinfall in a very short squash match
  • Kris Statlander def. Jade Cargill by pinfall to retain the AEW TBS Championship; afterward, Cargill shows Statlander a nice show of respect