One night before WRESTLEDREAM, COLLISION comes to the Climate Pledge Arenain Seattle with an event that will test the fortitude of all involved, especially as some head into another fight on Sunday night! After his sketchy loss to Jay White last week, Andrade El Idolo resumes his fight with BULLET CLUB GOLD, this time against Juice Robinson, but will the rest of his unit be on hand as well? Boiling over out of last week’s contender’s Four Way on RAMPAGE, The Kingdom of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett will clash with The Best Friends in their first tag team foray, and a huge all-star 8-Man tag links BCC with AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR to take on Aussie Open, Ricky Starks, and Big Bill!
COLLISION begins at 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT on TNT, just make a point to swing by the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest editions of CONTROL CENTER, plus COUNTDOWN, and so much more!
Like so many wars fought inside the professional wrestling ring, it’s rare that they are ever truly over, especially when it is a case of the one fighting the many, and that is the situation with Andrade El Idolo stepping into the ring with BULLET CLUB GOLD. It is a situation with which El Idolo is quite familiar, running the numbers game to ones advantage, but that doesn’t mean he enjoys being a victim of it himself, though that is precisely what happened last week when he took on “Switchblade” Jay White in “singles” competition.
First it was Juice saving White from a three count by sliding Jay’s foot on the ropes, then shenanigans committed by The Gunns provided the necessary distraction for Robinson to crack Andrade across the head with his “Collision Cowboy” plaque, knocking the man lifeless enough for “Switchblade” to needlessly deliver a Bladerunner to Andrade before the pinfall.
But if Juice Robinson thought he was going to get away with that affront without suffering any repercussions, then he’s got another thing coming. Andrade doesn’t forgive, he doesn’t forget, and this Saturday on the eve of WRESTLEDREAM, he’s going to make Juice Robinson suffer for his crimes. Jay White’s brain may be a bit occupied with MJF now while The Gunns need to get prepared for their pay-per-view Four Way match, so will they be on hand to help Juice the way he was there to bail out “King Switch”? Or will Robinson have to go this one with only Cardblade at his side?
TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH…
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)
Last week, with a shot at the ROH World Tag Team Championship at stake, Chuck Taylor was on the wrong end of a Righteous pinfall victory, albeit one rightfully belonging to Jeff hardy, and saw another chance for The Best Friends to finally win a championship slip away. Yet it wasn’t just The Hardys, The Righteous, and The Best Friends involved in this situation, The Kingdom also had skin in the game, and their frustration at not being the next contenders to Better Than You BayBay erupted in violence directed at Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta.
Whipping them into the railing and assaulting them with chairs, Bennett and Taven let Chuck and Trent know that, in no uncertain terms, they were putting the blame for the loss squared on Best Friend shoulders. Well this Saturday night on COLLISION, instead of attacking the already vulnerable Chuck Taylor after he’d been hit with two Swantons and jumping Trent on the outside as he recovered, The Kingdom will have to face down Best Friends inside the squared circle!
Though they’ve faced off in a pair of ROH matches, most notably at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023’s Tag Team Championship fight, they’ve never done so in a traditional tag team situation, so this first-time clash is going to be a true test of each team’s mettle. The Kingdom has no problem assailing a foe from behind, but will they be so brave when an angry Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor are looking them in the eye?
ALL-STAR 8-MAN TAG MATCH…
AEW World Tag Champions FTR (Cash Wheeler/Dax Harwood) & Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson/Wheeler Yuta)
vs.
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher/Mark Davis), Big Bill, & Ricky Starks
Talk about a bunch of fighters with plenty on their plate already, and now add this all-star eight-man to their meal on Saturday, and they are all going to be feeling it come WRESTLEDREAM! First off, FTR is coming into this Saturday after being truly tested by The Workhorsemen last week, and then confronted by Aussie Open after their victory.
That same night Bryan Danielson and Ricky Starks committed utter atrocities to one another in their Texas Death match before it was ultimately won by “The American Dragon”, though neither man looked like a victory, Starks being carried to the back by Big Bill while Wheeler Yuta had to help Danielson stay on his feet. In a career full of trials, tribulations, and tests, it was one of Danielson’s best, and when all is said and done in his career, should be looked back on as a true highlight, just as it could possibly be looked back on as the moment Ricky Starks, even in defeat, stepped up to that next level he’s been chasing for so long. Perhaps that’s how Bryan also feels; if so, there’s one man in his BCC camp who clearly still has a problem with “Absolute”:
So with everything these men have gone through the last week, with everything they have in store for them tomorrow night on pay-per-view, they all will enter into combat on COLLISION in hopes of garnering that extra edge prior to Sunday’s fights. The dynamics of both these quartets should be quite intriguing, witnessing how they mesh for the night and if their respective goals are compatible with one another. However it goes, these are eight elite level fighters all occupying one ring, and that should make for a tremendous final fight before WRESTLEDREAM on Sunday!
UNLIKELY PARTNERS…
Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega vs. Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
There it was, right in front of the eyes of the world, Kenny Omega helping Chris Jericho because in that moment, the history between those two men paled in comparison to their mutual issues with Don Callis and his so-called Family. The story of Jericho and Omega predates the dawn of All Elite Wrestling, some may say it even helped inspire the creation of AEW, and has been a key element in the stories of both AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, but so too has Don Callis been a key element in both of their stories. For Jericho it has the better part of the last 30 years, while for Omega it has been the whole of his life, and in both cases Callis has threaded his way through so many aspects of each man’s existence.
So when he turned his back on each man, it was a betrayal far deeper than the kind quite frequently experienced in professional wrestling. It wasn’t about becoming a champion or in pursuit of greater glory, Callis isn’t even a competitor at this point in his life, but rather about jealousy and bitterness, and that is why we are here, a day away from Omega and Jericho being joined by Kota Ibushi, and the two Canadians are putting aside their differences to unite against an Elite problem.
The Gates of Agony and Brian Cage were recently dethroned as ROH World Six-Man Champions by The Young Bucks and Hangman Page, while Swerve Strickland is slated to meet Page this Sunday at WRESTLEDREAM, so Kaun and Toa are looking to take out their frustration on any member of The Elite, and Kenny Omega fits that bill!
Call it a gesture of good faith, call it preservation in keeping Omega healthy for Sunday, either way Chris Jericho has agreed to start this partnership a day early and team up with Kenny to take on The Gates of Agony in tag team action! If their partnership can make it through this fight, and win it, that’s a good sign for what may come to be at WRESTLEDREAM, but if it can’t survive this tag team bout, well then Omega and Jericho, regardless of Ibushi, may be doomed in Seattle!
COLLISION comes to Seattle and the Climate Pledge Arenathis Saturday night for the final event before WRESTLEDREAM, and what a night it will be! Best Friends versus Kingdom, BCC and FTR uniting to face Starks, Big Bill, and Aussie Open, and Andrade jumping into the fire with another member of BC GOLD; it’s going to be a wild one in Seattle, with plenty more on tap besides those bouts! The night kicks off at 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT on TNT so make a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, the latest editions of CONTROL CENTER, the COUNTDOWN, and so much more!
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from 1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO!
Yourbroadcast team was Excalibur and Taz!
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
AEW World Trios Championship Open Challenge Match!
The Acclaimed (c.)—Anthony Bowens, Max Caster, & Daddy Ass
vs.
Brother Zay & The Hardys—Matt & Jeff!
Bowens and Brother Zay locked up and chain wrestled. Bowens hit a shoulder block on Zay. Bowens blocked an arm drag but Zay took down Bowens with a hurracanrana. Bowens spiked Zay on the top of his head with a nasty leg drop.
Jeff tagged in and splashed Caster from the middle rope. Billy Gunn tagged in and hit Matt Hardy with a shoulder tackle. Matt sent Billy into the turnbuckles. Jeff jumped off Matt’s back and splashed Billy in the corner.
The Acclaimed grabbed the upper hand, with Bowens dropping the Scissor Me Timbers on Brother Zay for a near fall. Billy Gunn stomped a mudhole in Brother Zay in the corner. Billy attempted a splash, but Brother Zay dodged it, and Billy collided with the top of the post.
“The winners face TMDK this Sunday as part of WrestleDream: Zero Hour,” said Excalibur.
Jeff Hardy smashed Bowens and Caster with the Whisper in the Wind. Matt clocked Billy with the Twist of Fate. Jeff climbed to the top rope and connected with a Swanton Bomb on Billy, but Bowens was there to break up the pin attempt.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Brother Zay took down Billy Gunn with a quebrada. The Acclaimed countered a springboard from Zay. Bowens and Caster planted Brother Zay and scored the win!
ROH World Champion and NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston was backstage!
Sonjay Dutt, Satnam Singh, Jay Lethal, Karen Jarrett and Jeff Jarrett confronted Kingston. Jay Lethal interrupted Kingston and said Kingston was unfit to be ROH World Champion. Kingston laughed and walked away. Karen Jarrett said, “No one is laughing on this side.”
NJPW Strong Openweight Championship Match!
Eddie Kingston (c.) vs. Rocky Romero!
Rocky grabbed a wrist lock but Eddie reversed it. Rocky kicked Eddie in the midsection. Rocky rocketed outside with a tope suicida on Eddie Kingston. Rocky followed up with a second suicida. He tried for a third, but Kingston countered, catching Rocky and nailing him with a delayed vertical suplex on the arena floor.
Eddie charged at Rocky but Rocky countered with a jumping knee strike. Romero connected with a dropkick double stomp combination for a near fall on Kingston. Eddie hit a lariat and then followed up with machinegun chops. Rocky rocked Eddie with an avalanche sliced bread.
Rocky smashed Kingston with the forever clotheslines. Kingston clobbered Rocky with the spinning backfist and then forced Rocky to tap after applying the stretch plumb.
ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata walked to the ring after Kingston’s victory. Shibata shook Kingston’s hand, a sign of respect ahead of their match against one another this Sunday at WrestleDream.
Aussie Open were backstage and said they are taking away the titles from AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR this Sunday at WrestleDream, proving they are the best tag team in the world!
The Righteous—Vincent & Dutch
vs.
Gunnar and Caleb Crush!
Dutch bulldozed Gunnar and Crush with double lariats. Dutch served up Bossman Slams to both members of the opposing team. Vincent finished things quickly, grabbing the pin.
Backstage Nick Wayne said he’d be facing Luchasaurus this Sunday during WrestleDream: Zero Hour!
Main Event Time!
Title Tuesday Opportunity Match!
Ruby Soho vs. Hikaru Shida!
The winner will get an AEW Women’s World Championship match on Dynamite Title Tuesday on October 10th.
Ruby pulled Shida’s hair and then peppered her with stiff shots. Shida answered with a strike of her own. Shida sent Ruby face first into the top turnbuckle pad. Shida hammered Ruby with strikes and then followed up with a missile dropkick off the middle rope.
Soho and Shida traded forearms in the center of the ring. Shida rocked Ruby with elbow strikes. Shida struck with a jumping knee and then a brainbuster for a near fall.
Shida launched off the ring steps with a missile dropkick onto Soho on the arena floor. Shida hoisted up Soho, carried her up the ramp, but Ruby escaped. They brawled on the ramp and fought back into the ring. Soho took down Shida with a suplex for a two-count.
Ruby grabbed the kendo stick. The ref saw it and pulled it away. She wanted to get caught, because as the ref turned his back, Ruby pulled out a can of spray paint. Shida tried to pull it away from Ruby, but in the process, they inadvertently knocked ref Paul Turner down. Ruby headbutted Shida and then wiped her out with Destination Unknown.
The ref was outside the ring recovering. Ruby grabbed the kendo stick and swung it, but Shida blocked it and whacked Ruby with it. Shida clobbered Ruby with the katana kick. Shida covered Ruby and ref Aubrey Edwards sprinted to the ring, but Ruby kicked out of the pinfall attempt!
Soho avoided the meteora. Shida hit the mat after a back heel kick from Ruby Soho. Soho sat out with a senton, but Shida got her knees up. Shida blasted Ruby with the Falcon Arrow, but Ruby kicked out before the three-count. Shida caught Ruby flush with the katana kick and scored the pin!
“What a match these ladies had! Awesome stuff!” said Taz.
After the match, AEW Women’s World Champion Saraya walked to the ring and taunted Shida!
Catch the four year anniversary of AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, CA!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA featuring:
-The Kingdom vs. The Best Friends!
-Andrade El Idolo vs. Juice Robinson!
-Julia Hart in action!
-Gates of Agony vs. Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega!
-All Star 8-Man Tag Match!
Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, & AEW World Tag Champs FTR
vs.
“Absolute” Ricky Starks, Big Bill, & Aussie Open!
This Sunday, witness history live on pay-per-view and order AEW WrestleDream!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from 1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO!
Excalibur and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
AEW International Championship Open Challenge Match!
Rey Fenix (c.) (with Alex Abrahantes) vs. Jeff Jarrett (with Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Satnam Singh, and Jay Lethal)!
Rey Fenix hit a high crossbody press to the outside onto Jarrett as Jarrett was making his entrance. Fenix followed up with a moonsault for a near fall. Jarrett DDT’ed Rey Fenix after Satnam tried distracting Fenix.
Jarrett tripped up Fenix and Fenix rolled to the outside. Jarrett ordered his posse to swarm Fenix, but ref Aubrey Edwards stopped them. Rey Fenix fired back with a double foot stomp to Jeff Jarrett for a two-count. Fenix followed up with a thrust kick, trying to fight through the pain. Fenix ran the top rope and punted Lethal. Sonjay distracted the ref while Jarrett hit Fenix with a low blow!
Jarrett spiked Rey Fenix with the Stroke but Fenix broke the count when his boot touched the bottom rope. Jarrett tried to apply the figure four, but Fenix countered with a cradle and pinned Jeff Jarrett!
Footage was shown from Long Island with AEW World Champion MJF taking Adam Cole out on a boat trip to try to cheer up Cole after his recent leg injury.
MJF: “You were on the phone with Roddy a pretty long time.”
Cole: “Yeah, I was worried about him.”
MJF: “So long that you couldn’t come up to the ring with me last week?”
Cole: “Max, you didn’t bring me out here to hit me with the Dynamite diamond ring and then throw me overboard, did you?”
MJF: “No, no,” said Max, as he was hiding the ring behind his back.
Cole: “Having more than one friend is normal.”
MJF: “Plus last time I almost got caught when I was trying to throw someone overboard.”
Footage was shown from earlier in the week of Don Callis and Takeshita hunting for Ibushi in Tokyo!
Renee Paquette was in the ring to interview Don Callis and “The Alpha” Takeshita after their actions last week!
Don Callis: “I have something to say. I am so happy that Sammy Guevara is free of the toxic influence of Chris Jericho that I wanted to bring him out here myself. Ladies and gentlemen, the newest member of the Don Callis Family…Sammy Guevara!”
Sammy Guevara walked down to the ring.
Sammy embraced Don Callis in the ring.
Don Callis: “You want to know about Tokyo now? I said that Ibushi wasn’t safe so the Alpha and I went to Tokyo. I brought my personal camera crew, and we captured it all.”
Footage was shown of Callis and Takeshita invading Ibushi’s dojo. Takeshita attacked one of Ibushi’s students. Ibushi ran in and grounded and pounded Takeshita. Callis hit Ibushi with an umbrella. Takeshita blasted Ibushi in the head with a kettle bell! Callis screamed at Ibushi saying Ibushi wasn’t safe in Tokyo or in Seattle!
Don Callis: “The Don Callis Family has never been stronger with Takeshita, Will Ospreay, and Sammy Guevara going to WrestleDream!”
Sammy: “I’m the hero. Chris Jericho is the villain! For four years he was holding me back. I was champion without him. I did pay-per-views without him. Every time I would start to fly high, he would clip my wings. He was never going to pass me the torch. Chris Jericho is selfish. It is time for me to become the champion and the star I was meant to be.”
Don Callis: “At WrestleDream we are going to take everything from Omega, Jericho, and Ibushi until there is nothing left but the tears!”
Footage was shown from after Collision last Saturday of “Absolute” Ricky Starks!
Starks said he survived against Danielson. Wheeler Yuta approached Ricky and said Ricky was all style and no substance. Yuta challenged Starks to a match on October 1st in Seattle!
It was announced that Tony Khan signed a grudge match for WrestleDream between Ricky Starks and Wheeler Yuta!
3-Way Blind Eliminator Match for an International Title Shot Next Week!
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Nick Jackson
vs.
“The Machine” Brian Cage (with Prince Nana)
vs.
Claudio Castagnoli!
Brian Cage tossed Nick Jackson over the top rope and out of the ring! Claudio and Cage locked up for a test of strength. Claudio suplexed Cage! Brian Cage retaliated with a vertical suplex of his own.
Nick Jackson jumped back into the ring and wiped out Claudio and Cage at the same time! Nick then flew over the top rope and knocked both of them down on the arena floor! Nick displayed creative, fluid offense to clean house on both opponents!
Brian Cage planted Claudio with a German Suplex. Nick Jackson blasted Brian Cage with a bulldog. Jackson moonsaulted off the apron but Claudio caught him, and then Nick nailed him with a DDT! Nick Jackson splashed Brian Cage with a 450 for a near fall in the ring!
Claudio whipped Nick Jackson into the steel ring steps. Claudio put Brian Cage in the Giant Swing!
“It’s like he’s swinging a Volvo,” said Taz.
Brian Cage suplexed Claudio from outside the ring to the inside, while Cage was on the second rope! Nick drilled Claudio and Cage with superkicks. Claudio rammed Cage with a European Uppercut. Claudio clocked Cage with a lariat. Claudio transitioned to hammer and anvil strikes, punishing the jaw of Brian Cage. Claudio hit the Ricola Bomb on Cage. Nick springboarded with a hurracanrana onto Claudio and then landed on Cage, with Nick Jackson grabbing the pin fall victory!
Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions Adam Cole & AEW World Champion MJF came to the ring!
Adam Cole was on crutches and his left leg was completely bandaged up.
MJF: “Cut the music! Ladies and gentlemen, the devil has arrived in Colorado. Adam Cole, talk to ‘em.”
Cole: “Who’s ready for story time with Adam Cole baybay? Unfortunately, this is a sad chapter in the story. Last week I got hurt. My ankle broke in three different places, and I tore ligaments last week. I have to go get surgery. There is nothing more soul crushing than hearing this, but I will do everything in my power to get back as soon as possible.
“But me and my good friend Max are the ROH World Tag Team Champions. And because we can’t defend these titles, we will have to relinquish—”
MJF: “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn’t wrestle twice in one night to win these and then have to relinquish our titles to the Righteous! Let’s keep it real. You wouldn’t be hurt if I didn’t need your help at Grand Slam. I know how much those ROH World Tag Team Titles mean to you. And I want to make sure that when you come back here, and you will, these will be waiting for you. Righteous, October 1st, I’m going to defend these titles against you in a handicap match and we are going to win!”
The Kingdom rolled Roderick Strong onto the ramp in a wheelchair!
Strong: “Adam! I need you now more than ever! It’s an emergency!”
MJF: “As much as I think Roderick Strong is a simp, I learned on the boat that he is your boy. I may not like him, but I know he’s your boy. Go do what you need to do, Adam, and I’ll be waiting for you when you come back.”
Cole hugged MJF. Adam Cole got on his crutches and walked up the ramp to Roderick Strong and the Kingdom.
MJF: “Everybody give it up one more time for Adam Cole. Now we all know I’m not a big fan of—”
“Switchblade” Jay White and the Bullet Club Gold walked onto the ramp, interrupting the AEW World Champion MJF!
“Switchblade” Jay White sent the Bang Bang Gang to the back and then walked to the ring himself.
Jay White: “Shut up, Max! We’ve all heard you talk enough. Everybody would like to hear this sweet, exotic accent for a change. Don’t worry, I sent everybody to the back. You can have your one on one time with the Switchblade and revel in your moment.”
MJF: “Boy, you must be smoking some strong Colorado grass. That mid mic work ain’t gonna work with MJF. You come at the king you’d better not miss. That first shot was a little hairy. Now Jay hear me out. In my career I’ve been compared to a lot of people. They say, ‘MJF is good but he’s no blank.’ And as my star rose the names got bigger and bigger and the goal posts moved. It never bothered me until I read, ‘MJF is good but he’s no Jay White.’
“It’s become very apparent why it offends me now that I’m standing in the ring with you. I’m like filet mignon. Much like when I’m inside this ring, the show is all about MJF because no one is on the level of the devil. Because I’m a generational talent, babe.
“And then there’s you. You are very talented, however, you’ve managed to convince the fans that you are also filet mignon when in reality you are tofu. Funny thing about tofu. It takes on the flavor of whatever you want it to. But you need to add something to it in order to trick yourself into believing it has taste. And you have been given everything. You were handed the keys to one of the greatest wrestling factions of all time. However, if I pluck it all away, I am left with nothing but boring, bland, tasteless tofu.
“And now here you are, Jay, trying to hop on my plate and trying to steal some of the champ’s flavor. I see through you, Jay. You are all hype. Allow me to give you some advice from a real top guy. If I were you, I would leave this ring and I wouldn’t keep talking smack to my poors. Because if you don’t, for the rest of your career, whenever our names are mentioned in the same sentence, it’ll read as follows: ‘Sure, Jay is good, but he’s no MJF,’ because I’m better than you and you know it!”
Jay White: “That’s what I came out here for, my very own personalized authentic MJF experience. But I have to be honest with you. I’m a little bit let down. Something’s a little bit off about you these days. I don’t know if it’s the injuries, but personally I think you’re distracted by Adam Cole.
“I just don’t think they love you like they love Adam Cole. And you know this whole situation with Adam Cole, it’s kinda my fault. Let me explain. If I didn’t temporarily end Adam Cole’s career after Forbidden Door 1, you wouldn’t have developed a soft spot for him, but I guess you got him back because he broke his ankle and that was your fault. And I’m sure your neck isn’t feeling good after Samoa Joe last week. So, I think I’ve been ruining your life for a little bit now. But I’m here to ruin your life in the flesh.
“You call yourself the devil. You need to find another level to stop me from taking that title away from you. You don’t seem so elite when compared to me. I’m the catalyst of professional wrestling. And I will be a truly elite champion when I pull that title away from your carcass!
“Don’t worry, Max, you will have your fans, they will have you, and I will have the Triple B, and you can all breathe with the Switchblade, because it’s still my era. This is the Switchblade Era because you’ve gone soft, and you know it!”
MJF: “You don’t have a clue what I’m capable of so why don’t I show you!”
Jay White tried to lure MJF in with mind games and then Jay White rolled out of the ring after getting under MJF’s skin!
Ahead of their 2/3 Falls Match for the TNT Title at WrestleDream, Jim Ross had a sit down interview with Darby Allin and new TNT Champion Christian Cage!
Christian Cage: “I’ve been the TNT Champion for months now and I proved I’m far superior to Darby Allin this past Saturday when I wrestled on Collision. I will walk out of Seattle as the TNT Champion because I know in my heart, Darby, that you’re nowhere near the man I am. You’re nowhere near the wrestler I am. I asked for this 2 out of 3 match because I want to see what you can do when you actually have to wrestle.
“Is your uncle going to be in attendance? What happened to him?”
Darby: “He’s dead. You think I’m afraid of dying? You think I’m afraid of losing? You cannot beat me. I’m going to win this Sunday.”
Christian Cage: “Why don’t you bring all the family. Bring Nick, bring Nick’s mother—”
Darby: “You want me to bring Nick so you can take advantage of him. I’ll tell him not to show up. If you had the balls, you’d tell Luchasaurus not to show up.”
Christian Cage: “He needs a man! I will always be the face of TNT! Get used to it!”
Four-Way WrestleDream Preview Match!
Austin Gunn
vs.
Matt Jackson
vs.
Orange Cassidy
vs.
Penta El Zero Miedo!
Partners were banned from ringside.
Austin sent Orange hard into the barricade. Matt Jackson DDT’ed Penta El Zero Miedo. Austin rolled up Orange from behind for a near fall. Penta connected with a thrust kick to Matt Jackson. Penta blasted Orange with a thrust kick. Austin ambushed Penta! Austin dropped Orange with a big right hand shot!
Orange peppered Austin with elbow strikes. Austin countered a hip toss with a neck breaker to Orange Cassidy. Penta nailed Orange with a destroyer. Matt Jackson hit a destroyer on Penta. Orange rocked Matt with a destroyer! Orange smashed Austin with a destroyer!
“All four men are on roller skates and all four men go down!” said Excalibur.
Matt Jackson wiped out Orange with the locomotion Northern Lights suplexes. Matt followed up with a double Northern Lights to Penta and Austin!
The fans chanted “A-E-W! A-E-W!”
Penta blocked the BTE Trigger from Matt. Penta took down Austin with a sling blade. Austin smashed Orange with the fame-asser from a near fall, almost stealing a victory. All three men superkicked Austin. Penta and Matt traded kicks. Orange pulped Matt Jackson with the Orange Punch and pinned him!
“Timing is everything and Orange’s timing was perfect,” said Taz.
The House of Black’s Julia Hart (with Brody King) vs. Willow Nightingale!
Willow’s left eye was bandaged up, a result of the mist attack last week from Julia.
Willow poured on the punishment, charging at Julia Hart and hitting her with a flurry of offense. Julia jumped on Willow’s back and grabbed at the bandage over Willow’s eye.
“Willow is fighting for purpose, not just for revenge,” said Excalibur.
Willow grounded and pounded Julia Hart. Willow body slammed Julia. Julia retreated out of the ring and crawled under the ring. Julia snuck up behind Willow and chop blocked her.
Julia locked in Heartless, but Willow reached the ropes, forcing the break. Willow pounced Julia out of the corner! Willow hoisted up Julia and placed her upside down in the corner. Julia dodged the cannonball splash. Julia hit the moonsault press and pinned Willow!
Julia placed Willow in the Heartless submission after the match! TBS Champion Kris Statlander sprinted to the ring to save her friend. Julia hid behind Brody King and laughed.
It was time for the contract signing between “Hangman” Adam Page & Swerve Strickland ahead of their match at WrestleDream!
The Elite and the Mogul Embassy were banned from ringside.
Renee Paquette was in the ring to help officiate the contract signing.
Swerve and Page sat across from each other at a table in the ring.
Swerve: “Before you sign that paper, I gotta admit I’ve been impressed with the fire you’ve been showing the past few weeks. But it’s a little too late for that. We are four days out from our match. Do you understand what you’re walking into? The lion’s den. This is unlike anything you’ve ever dealt with. We are two competitors who couldn’t be more opposite from one another. You are not the wrestler I am, and I am never going to be the wrestler you are. What’s a buckshot to a kill shot?”
Hangman: “It sounds like you’re fired up for this, and good, you should be. You said a few things to me a few weeks ago that stung. And I’ve had time to think about it. For a year and a half, every day that I came to work I felt there was a little dark cloud hanging over my head that I could not get rid of. And sure, the sun would shine. I beat Jon Moxley in a Texas Death Match. I reunited with my friends in the Elite. It felt like I should have been the happiest man in the world but every time I started to smile, that little cloud came back, and it started to rain.
“And I couldn’t do anything about it. I had a little umbrella next to me and as long as God let it rain on me, I didn’t open it. But that’s over with. I weathered the storm. And I am still here! And through that downpour it washed something out of me. I don’t know if it was hope, or passion, but it washed out of me. But I recognized it, and these people deserve more of me. They deserve the best of me. And I deserve it for myself. So, Swerve that’s what you’ll get in Seattle at WrestleDream. You’ll get the best of Hangman!”
Swerve: “That was quite beautiful, but it was the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen. This isn’t a personal thing. It could have been anyone in the position that I want. Truth be told, I might have mental health problems because I make an enemy every single day. I am going to take this position from you at WrestleDream. And by the way, it rains an awful lot in Seattle.”
Hangman: “You tell me you want this spot. You’re telling me you want a main event spot? Swerve, I don’t know, we could sit here and go back and forth about whether these opportunities were handed to me, but for every opportunity I’ve had, I knocked it out of the park!
“So, Swerve, you tell me you want this spot? You’re damn right, you should want this spot. But you don’t have what it takes to fill my boots!”
Swerve slapped Hangman and then went to sign the contract! Hangman stabbed Swerve in the hand with the pen! Security had to keep the two men separated!
Backstage, camera crews filmed a gang of men dressed in black from head to toe, wearing masks, swarming “Switchblade” Jay White and attacking him! One of the attackers looked into the camera and cocked his head to the side. He was wearing a devil mask!
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT!
Catch the four year anniversary of AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, CA!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA!
And this Sunday, witness history live on pay-per-view and order AEW WrestleDream!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
“AEW: WrestleDream” PPV Available in Select Out-Of-Home Establishments this Sunday, October 1
Sept. 26, 2023 – AEW and Joe Hand Promotions will bring AEW’s highly-anticipated “AEW: WrestleDream” pay-per-view event to select out-of-home establishments across North American this Sunday, October 1 starting at 7 p.m. ET. The inaugural “AEW: WrestleDream” event will honor New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s (NJPW) founder, Antonio Inoki, on the one-year anniversary of his passing. To locate a participating establishment, fans in North America can check the Joe Hand Promotions website HERE. The card for “AEW: WrestleDream” includes the following exciting match-ups:
AEW World Tag Team Title Match: FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) (c) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis)
AEW TNT Championship (Two Out of Three Falls): Christian Cage (c) vs. Darby Allin
AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Julia Hart
ROH World Tag Team Championship: Better Than You Bay Bay (Adam Cole & MJF) (c) vs. The
Righteous (Vincent and Dutch)
ROH World Championship and NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Dream Match: Bryan Danielson vs Zach Sabre Jr.
Swerve Strickland vs Hangman Adam Page
Chris Jericho and The Golden Elite (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) vs. Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita, Sammy Guevara, and Will Ospreay)
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. The Gunns (Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn)
vs. Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo) vs. Orange Cassidy and HOOK
*Card subject to change “Through our collaboration with AEW to deliver these historic events for fans to enjoy in social settings,
we are committed to keeping the wrestling community connected throughout the year. We aim to foster
a collective love for the sport, forging enduring memories that will last a lifetime,” said Joe Hand, Jr.,
President of Joe Hand Promotions. AEW consistently orchestrates thrilling gatherings that unite fans in communal atmospheres. Enthusiasts
can anticipate witnessing this event at handpicked Dave & Buster’s and Tom’s Watch Bar venues. “AEW:
WrestleDream” will also illuminate screens in numerous esteemed movie theaters across the United
States.
ABOUT AEW
Founded by CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan in 2019, AEW is offering an alternative to mainstream wrestling, with a roster of world-class talent that is injecting new spirit, freshness and energy into the industry. “AEW: Dynamite” airs every Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. ET on TBS and attracts the youngest wrestling audience on television. The fight-forward “AEW: Rampage” airs every Friday from 10-11 p.m. ET on TNT, and the new “AEW: Collision” airs every Saturday from 8-10 p.m. ET on TNT. AEW’s multi-platform content also includes “Being the Elite,” a weekly behind-the-scenes YouTube series, and “AEW Unrestricted,” a weekly podcast series. For more info, check out Twitter.com/AEW; Instagram.com/AEW; YouTube.com/AEW; Facebook.com/AEW ABOUT JOE HAND PROMOTIONS
Joe Hand Promotions brings fan communities from mainstream sports and entertainment into the top corporate and independently owned bars and restaurants, theaters, casinos, and other commercial establishments to provide the best viewing experience outside of the arena.
As the commercial content partner for some of the nation’s top live-sports media properties, Joe Hand Promotions is the leader in the out-of-home live sports and entertainment media distribution industry. For over 50 years, Joe Hand Promotions has seamlessly connected commercial establishments with live sports and entertainment, which has successfully driven traffic and increased revenues, time and time again. The Joe Hand Promotions team is more than the distributor, but also the advisor in this fast-growing industry.
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE: Grand Slam was broadcast from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, NY!
Yourbroadcast team was Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, and Tony Schiavone!
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
Darby Allin (with Nick Wayne) & Sting
vs.
TNT Champion Luchasaurus & Christian Cage!
Both teams started the match brawling. Darby dropkicked Luchasaurus out of the ring and onto the ramp. Darby threw his body at Luchasaurus. Sting and Christian brawled outside the ring. Luchasaurus whipped Darby into the steel ring post!
Luchasaurus worked Darby over, bodyslamming him and then sending him into the turnbuckles. Christian tagged in but Darby connected with a springboard press. Luchasaurus spiked Darby with a chokeslam. Christian attempted a diving headbutt, but Darby dodged it, rolling out of the way.
Sting tagged in and wiped out Christian with two lariats and a spinebuster. Sting blasted Luchasaurus with right hands and then delivered a Stinger splash to Christian and Luchasaurus in the corner. Sting and Darby hit Luchasaurus with a Scorpion Death-Coffin Drop combo!
Darby blasted Christian Cage with a shotgun dropkick. Nick Wayne jumped up on the apron and Christian turned toward him. Darby rolled up a distracted Christian Cage and pinned him!
“Christian’s eyes are locked on Nick Wayne,” said Excalibur.
“Cool Hand” Angelo Parker, Anna Jay, & “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard (with Jake Hager)!
Angelo Parker and Matt Menard played mind games with Hook, tagging in and out at the start of the match. Anna Jay tagged in so Kris Statlander entered the ring. Anna Jay connected with a kick in the corner on Kris. Statlander nailed Anna Jay with a delayed vertical suplex.
Parker snap suplexed Hook. Menard tagged in and he and Parker rocked Hook with tandem offense. Orange Cassidy came in and cleaned house on Parker and Menard with a dropkick. Cassidy hit Hager with a tope suicida. Hook, Cassidy, and Statlander triple suplexed Menard, Parker, and Jay!
Hook hurled Parker and Menard with T-bone suplexes. As the ref was distracted, Hager hit Hook. Orange Cassidy rocked Hager with a punch. Hook locked in the RedRum on Daddy Magic. Cassidy pulped Parker with the Orange Punch and pinned him!
Up next: Tony Schiavone interviewed Don Callis in the ring!
Takeshita walked down to the ring with Callis.
Callis: “I just want to say one thing. A few weeks ago, the wrestling world was abuzz at my so-called pursuit of Chris Jericho. I didn’t end up with Jericho, but I ended up with the man I really wanted, the newest member of the Don Callis Family, Sammy Guevara!”
Sammy Guevara joined Callis and Takeshita in the ring!
Sammy: “You know, Don, believe it or not, I hated you. I hated you for a long time. I hated you almost as much as the audience hates you. I thought you were trying to rip apart my family but really you were just showing me I never had one until now.
“So why did I do that to Chris Jericho on Wednesday? The reason I turned on Jericho is because for the past four years he’s been holding me back, taking me for granted, just like all of you! I don’t need the fans. I’m done trying to earn your love. I have a hot wife at home, a beautiful baby girl, and a fat, fat paycheck.
“Chris Jericho is dead to me, and I never want to see him again!”
Chris Jericho’s music began to play and out walked the Ocho!
Jericho charged into the ring and dished out shots to Takeshita and Sammy! Jericho turned his attention to Callis, but Takeshita battered Jericho with a steel chair. Sammy took the chair and swung it at Chris Jericho, punishing his former mentor!
Callis punched Jericho as Jericho was held back by Takeshita and Sammy. Don pulled out a screwdriver and was about to use it on Jericho when out ran Kenny Omega!
Kenny Omega, steel pipe in hand, came to the aid of Chris Jericho! The Don Callis Family retreated!
“Did Omega do it to thwart Callis or to save Jericho?” wondered Ian.
Alex Marvez interviewed Kenny Omega backstage!
Jericho interrupted Omega.
Jericho: “Jericho and Omega united to take out Callis. His worst nightmare is coming true. And Sammy, you are a true Judas. So, let’s unite and take out the Don Callis Family at Wrestledream?”
Omega: “Don, your Wrestledream on October 1st is going to be more like a nightmare.”
Best Friends—Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta
vs.
The Hardys—Jeff & Matt
vs.
The Kingdom—Matt Taven & Mike Bennett
vs.
The Righteous—Dutch & Vincent!
The winner earns an ROH World Tag Title Match at Wrestledream.
A donnybrook broke out at the start of the match. Bennett rammed Taylor into the barricade. Taven went over the top with the Flight of the Conqueror. Best Friends jumped over the top and crashed onto the pile!
Jeff Hardy splashed Vincent. Dutch charged in but the Hardys sent him into Vincent in the corner. Dutch dropped Jeff Hardy with the Bossman slam. The Righteous went to work on Mike Bennett and then Matt Hardy.
Trent suplexed Dutch but Taven was there with a pump kick. Taylor caught Taven with a thrust kick. The Kingdom planted Taylor with the Hail Mary after a low blow from Bennett to Taylor. Jeff Hardy splashed Taylor with a Swanton bomb, but Vincent grabbed a blind tag. Vincent landed on Taylor with the Death From Above and pinned Taylor!
Taven and Bennett attacked the Best Friends with steel chairs after the match!
“They are unhinged!” said Ian.
AEW World Trios Championship Match!
The Acclaimed (c.)—Anthony Bowens, Max Caster, & Daddy Ass
vs.
The Dark Order—Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, & John Silver!
Caster used a shoulder tackle to take down Reynolds. Caster followed up with a deep arm drag. John Silver tagged but Caster hoisted him up and rammed him into the Acclaimed’s corner. Daddy Ass tagged in, and he and Bowens dropped elbows on Silver. Daddy Ass scoop slammed Silver. Bowens was looking for the Scissor Me Timbers, but Reynolds knocked him to the arena floor.
Evil Uno stomped a mudhole into Caster in the corner. Reynolds raked the eyes of Max Caster. Reynolds rocked Caster with a short arm clothesline for a two-count. Caster made the tag to Daddy Ass and Daddy Ass threw haymakers at the Dark Order! Reynolds side stepped the Fame Asser, but Billy Gunn tagged out to Bowens.
Bowens nailed Reynolds with the Arrival. Caster hit the Mic Drop. John Silver broke up the pin. Evil Uno cracked Caster in the head with one of the Trios belts as ref Aubrey Edwards was distracted. Bowens planted Reynolds and scored the pin!
“A huge defense of the AEW World Trios Championships! Dark Order pulled out all the stops,” said Excalibur.
Skye Blue vs. The House of Black’s Julia Hart (with Brody King)!
Skye Blue nailed Julia with a knee strike. Skye followed up with a snap suplex for a near fall. Blue charged at Julia, but Julia dodged it and grounded and pounded Skye Blue!
Skye Blue fired back with a flurry of offense. Julia dazed Skye on the top turnbuckle. Julia superplexed Skye Blue and followed up with a standing moonsault press.
Julia countered the Skyefall and then clocked her with a shot to the back of the head. Julia forced Skye Blue to tap out after Julia applied the Heartless submission!
“Julia Hart remains undefeated in 2023,” noted Excalibur.
Julia Hart wouldn’t release the hold. Willow Nightingale sprinted to the ring to come to the aid of Skye Blue. Ian and Excalibur wondered if perhaps this was Julia’s plan all along, to lure Willow out.
Mike Santana vs. Iron Savages’ Bronson!
Bronson hit Santana with a cheap shot. Mike Santana fired back with big chops to Bronson’s chest. Santana dazed Bronson with a cutter and followed up with a discus lariat. Santana rocketed out of the ring with a tope suicida to Bronson!
Mike Santana splashed Bronson with a cannonball senton. Santana drilled Bronson, spiking him headfirst into the mat, and then pinned Bronson.
Ortiz walked onto the ramp and he and Santana had a stare down.
Main Event Time!
ROH World Six-Man Championship Match!
The Mogul Embassy (c.)—Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun, & Toa Liona (with Prince Nana)
vs.
The Elite— “Hangman” Adam Page, & The Young Bucks—Matt & Nick Jackson!
Hangman unleashed a series of strikes on Brian Cage. Hangman followed up with a shooting star press off the apron onto Kaun! Nick hit a destroyer on Brian Cage. The Elite were about to hit the BTE Trigger on Brian Cage when Swerve Strickland walked out onto the ramp and had a stare down with Adam Page.
Brian Cage suplexed Nick Jackson into the ring. Bishop blasted Matt Jackson with a backstabber.
“Great teamwork,” said Tony Schiavone of the Gates of Agony.
Matt Jackson jumped off the turnbuckles and hit a crossbody press on the Gates of Agony outside the ring. Matt tagged Hangman and Hangman hit a moonsault on Brian Cage for a near fall!
“So explosive is Hangman,” said Tony Schiavone.
The Bucks flew to the outside with topes to the Gates of Agony. Brian Cage smashed Page with a waterwheel drop for a two-count! The Bucks invited the Gates to a superkick party!
The Mogul Embassy wiped out the Elite with triple firemen’s carries. Toa splashed Hangman and Cage covered Hangman, but Nick was there to make the save. The Bucks blasted the Gates with superkicks. Hangman rocked the Gates with a double Buckshot Lariat! Page spiked Cage with a Dead Eye for a near fall.
Swerve distracted Page on the apron. Cage tried to finish Page with the Drill Claw, but Page countered, rolled up Brian Cage and pinned him!
And new ROH World Six-Man Champions…The Elite!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from 1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI featuring:
-Andrade El Idolo vs. “Switchblade” Jay White!
-AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: FTR (c.) vs. The Workhorsemen!
-RVD in action!
-Julia Hart vs. Willow Nightingale!
-3-Way match for the TNT Title: Luchasaurus (c.) vs. Christian Cage vs. Darby Allin!
-Texas Death Match: “Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2023 was as exciting a night as it gets here in All Elite Wrestling, featuring two championships changing hands to the detriment of The Blackpool Combat Club, but also MJF overcoming all the odds to not only defeat Samoa Joe in their AEW World Championship match, but also earn a handshake from the respected (and feared) ROH World TV Champion. In addition, Saraya retained the AEW Women’s World Championship, Chris Jericho relived a piece of his own history when Sammy Guevara betrayed him to Don Callis, and now RAMPAGE: GRAND SLAM 2023 continues the excitement for two hours this Friday night!
The Ring of Honor World Six-Man titles will be on the line as The Mogul Embassy, one day removed from a successful defense on Honor Club, will put the titles on the line against The Elite of Hangman Page and The Young Bucks! Plus, the AEW World Trios Championship will be at stake between The Acclaimed and The Dark Order, Mike Santana returns to action, a big Mixed Trios match is going down, and the next contenders for the ROH World Tag Titles held by Adam Cole and MJF will be determined! Also, ahead of their three way championship match on COLLISION in Grand Rapids, Darby Allin and Sting will take on Christian Cage and TNT Champion Luchasaurus in tag team competition.
The night begins at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences, so be sure to check out the official AEW YouTube channel prior to RAMPAGE to catch highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE and COLLISION, plus THE CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!
ROH WORLD SIX-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
The Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun, & Toa Liona) vs.
The Elite (Adam Page, Matt Jackson, & Nick Jackson
With Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland set to do battle at WRESTLEDREAM in less than two weeks time, The Elite and The Mogul Embassy will lock horns this Friday night on RAMPAGE, and the ROH World Six-Man Championship will be at stake! Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona come into this fight having held the titles since FINAL BATTLE 2022, some 286 days, and turned away nine challenges to their crowns, including one Thursday night on Honor Club (www.watchroh.com).
Now no disrespect intended to their other challengers thus far, but this is unquestionably the toughest challenge Prince Nana’s unit has faced to date, despite the long layoff in their competing as a trio. See it’s only been a few weeks since this particular Elite group reformed as a trio, but they’ve experienced success in their reunion, scoring victories over both The BCC and Dark Order, and their past resume reinforces they danger The Elite represents.
See long before The Mogul Embassy was a gleam in the eye of Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana, BULLET CLUB reigned supreme over Ring of Honor, and with that came a 201 day reign as ROH World Six-Man Champions for Hangman Page and The Young Bucks. Sixth on the all-time list, this trio racked up eight championship victories over The Kingdom, CHAOS, and SCU, just to name a few, before losing to SCU in a rematch at the 16TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW.
Now, with the Seattle collision between Hangman and Swerve looming, The Elite aim to pick up their second run with the titles at the expense of Strickland’s crew. Fans have already seen one ROH championship change hands on AEW programming this week, will they bear witness to another on RAMPAGE: GRAND SLAM 2023?
TAG TEAM CONTEST…
Darby Allin & Sting vs. TNT Champion Luchasaurus & Christian Cage
Christian Cage made the challenge for Saturday night on COLLISION, a Three Way TNT Championship bout between he, Darby Allin, and Luchasaurus, but in order to get there, he and his Right Hand of Destruction still have to through Friday night’s tag team battle against Darby Allin and “The Icon” Sting.
At ALL IN: LONDON, Darby and Sting shut down the tag team challenge of Christian and Swerve Strickland, in a Coffin Match no less, but that fight, in addition to everything he’s gone through since, has left Allin battered and bruised without giving himself time to heal up in the slightest. Christian may have gone through that battle as well, but he came out less the worse for wear, letting Swerve end up with much of that beating, and he’s got Luchasaurus on his side to throw in the way of the punishment as well.
Thankfully Darby has Sting to support him, genuine support not just the…human…shield who actually earned the TNT Championship that Christian Cage has been carrying around, and pick him up when the going gets rough, usually meaning when Darby is at the wrong end of the numbers game or his physically battered body needs a moment of rest.
Whoever comes out of RAMPAGE with the victory will have a distinct advantage heading into COLLISION in Grand Rapids, the kind of momentum that’s hard to fight, but when the numbers are essentially two-on-one in favor of the defending champion, the real one not Cage, a tag team victory may not amount to much. Still, every victory helps momentum, every victory helps psychologically, and every victory helps get Darby one step closer to bringing that TNT to his side in time for AEW’s WRESTLEDREAM return to his hometown!
WRESTLEDREAM OPPORTUNITY…
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. The Hardys (Jeff & Matt) vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs. The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent)
***WINNER EARNS ROH WORLD TAG TITLE MATCH AT WRESTLEDREAM***
WRESTLEDREAM is less than two weeks away, and with this bout here, four teams are jockeying for the right to challenge Better Than You BayBay, Adam Cole and AEW World Champion MJF, for the ROH World Tag Team Championship! Of the four teams in contention, The Hardys and The Kingdom can both lay claim to previous status as champions, while The Best Friends have never held a championship of any kind together, and The Righteous can only claim status as former ROH World Six-Man Champions.
All have motivation to press on to Seattle on October 1st and try to claim the throne upon which Cole and Friedman sit, but which pair will be able to see through the chaos that is this sort of affair and find their way to victory? It’s going to be a wild time in Queens with this one come Friday night; which men will come out with their eyes on the prize?
AEW WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens, Daddy Ass, & Max Caster) vs.
The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, & John Silver)
Last time AEW was at Arthur Ashe Stadium for GRAND SLAM 2022, The Acclaimed captured the AEW World Tag Team Championship from Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee. This year they enter that same hallowed ground as the defending World Trios Champions, and the aim to walk back out the same way they come in: titles around their waist, and surrounded by a sea of scissors.
All that Max Caster, Daddy Ass, and Anthony Bowens have to do is survive The Dark Order’s onslaught, something that Bowens proved unable to do last week when he fell to John Silver (not without some trickery from The Dark Order mind you). Alex Reynolds, Silver, and Evil Uno have proven quite the competent competitors, 8-2 on the year and 11-3 overall as a trio, with a huge victory over The Elite included in that 2023 total. But after all this time in AEW, championship success has continued to allude the group ever since Mr. Brodie Lee lost the TNT Championship back to Cody Rhodes several years ago. No tag team or singles title has found a home in The Dark Order, and this will mark The Dark Order’s second attempt to claim the titles, albeit the first for this particular unit, the only three left standing to hold up the claw.
Can The Dark Order finally find their way to being called champion? Or will Arthur Ashe Stadium continue to be Acclaimed territory as it was in 2022?
vs. “Cool Hand” Angelo Parker, Anna Jay, & “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard
-Mike Santana vs. Bronson
-Skye Blue vs. The House of Black’s Julia Hart
This Friday night, on a stacked two hour edition of RAMPAGE: GRAND SLAM 2023, the AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed will defend against The Dark Order, The Elite will challenge The Mogul Embassy for the ROH World Six-Man Titles, we will see the return of Mike Santana to singles action, and a new #1 Contender for the ROH World Tag Team Titles will be set! All that and more is coming to fans this Friday night at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences! Be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel ahead of time for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2023, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE and COLLISION, plus THE CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE: Grand Slam was broadcast live from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, NY!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
Title vs. Title Match!
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli (with Wheeler Yuta)
vs.
NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston!
Ian Riccaboni joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Claudio rushed at Eddie and booted him in the face. They traded chops and forearms. The fight spilled outside of the ring! Eddie whipped Claudio into the steel guardrail. Eddie headbutted Claudio but Claudio fired back with a lariat.
Back in the ring Claudio gut wrenched Eddie nearly into a doctor bomb, planting him hard on the mat. Eddie German suplexed Claudio. Eddie tried for a backfist, but Claudio countered with the crown of his head. Claudio back suplexed Eddie Kingston onto the ramp!
Claudio clotheslined Eddie over the top rope and back into the ring. Claudio double stomped down onto the left arm of Claudio. Eddie moved out of the way of Claudio’s diving headbutt.
Claudio battered Eddie in the corner turnbuckles. Claudio nailed Eddie with a TKO for a near fall. Claudio blasted Eddie with boots to the face. Kingston baited Claudio in and nailed Claudio with two suplexes for a two-count. Eddie fired off a straight right to Claudio’s jaw, knocking Claudio to his knees. Claudio answered with a right hand of his own.
Claudio staggered Eddie with European uppercuts. Claudio headbutted Eddie and followed up with a short arm lariat. Claudio went for the ricola bomb, but Eddie reversed it for a near fall. Claudio hit the ricola bomb, but Eddie kicked out at the two-count!
“This crowd coming unglued in support of their own Eddie Kingston,” said Excalibur.
Eddie clocked Claudio with three back fists and followed up with a Northern Lights Bomb for a near fall on Claudio. Kingston fired off another backfist and then powerbombed Claudio for the pinfall victory!
And new Ring of Honor World Champion Eddie Kingston!
Claudio extended his hand and Eddie accepted. The Code of Honor was adhered to.
“It’s a great moment in the long history of Dynamite,” said Tony Schiavone.
Footage was shown from earlier of the Kingdom watching over an ‘injured’ Roderick Strong in a hospital bed.
Adam Cole came to visit.
“Where have you been?” asked Matt Taven.
Cole said he got there as fast as he could.
Cole: “I’m glad you’re doing okay, but I have to go. Max has a huge match against Samoa Joe.”
Roderick Strong: “Just go. Just friggin’ go.”
Renee Paquette was backstage with Christian Cage and TNT Champion Luchasaurus!
Christian Cage: “Rampage: Grand Slam, we are going to walk through Sting and Darby Allin. And Darby I am ready to move on. I am bored with you. I have a little proposition for you Darby. This Saturday on Collision how about you step in the ring for a three-way match for the TNT Championship against me and Luchasaurus. If you want this shot, Darby, then Sting isn’t allowed at ringside.”
Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara (with Monteasy)!
Monteasy rapped Sammy to the ring. Sammy was wearing a light up vest, an homage to Chris Jericho when he faced Shawn Michaels 21 years ago.
Sammy and Jericho exchanged chops right out of the gate. Jericho tripped and Sammy seized the moment with a corkscrew dropkick. Jericho hoisted up Sammy with an underhook and then hit a backbreaker. Sammy fired back with a corkscrew tornillo over the top rope onto Jericho on the arena floor.
Jericho countered a GTH attempt with the Codebreaker. Jericho suplexed Sammy off the apron and down onto the arena floor! Back in the ring Sammy lured in Jericho for a Spanish Fly for a near fall. Jericho retaliated with two nasty lariats.
Sammy grabbed Jericho and smashed his face with the Code Breaker for a two-count! Sammy charged at Jericho, knocking Jericho off the apron and onto the front of the announcer’s desk. Sammy jumped off the top rope with a moonsault onto Jericho. Sammy connected with a cutter.
“Both of these men have gone through a lot in a short amount of time,” said Tony Schiavone.
Jericho countered the GTH with the Walls! Sammy twisted his hips and escaped. Sammy cracked Chris with a rising knee strike. Sammy and Jericho jockeyed for position on the top turnbuckle. Sammy got the upper hand with a cutter off the top rope!
Sammy attempted a top rope lionsault, but Jericho countered by raising his knees. Jericho hit a running bulldog on Sammy. Jericho nailed Sammy with the lionsault for a near fall. Sammy caught Jericho with a GTH! Sammy went for the shooting star press, but Jericho countered with the Code Breaker and scored the win!
Jericho and Sammy hugged after the match. Sammy kicked Jericho with a low blow!
“What have you done, Sammy?” asked Excalibur.
Don Callis walked down the ramp and into the ring! Don Callis patted Sammy on the shoulder and the two men left the ring together.
Earlier in the day MJF pulled up to the arena in his exotic sports car with Adam Cole!
MJF had strong words for Samoa Joe. Adam Cole’s phone rang and when he answered, it was Roderick Strong. Cole told Strong to calm down and walked away from MJF to console Roddy.
Renee Paquette tried to interview Sammy Guevara and Don Callis backstage!
Don said all would be revealed this Friday on Rampage.
Daniel Garcia got in Sammy’s face, but Callis insisted they walk away.
AEW International Championship Match!
Jon Moxley (c.) vs. Rey Fenix!
Fenix met Moxley on the ramp and they began to brawl before the bell even rang. Fenix jumped off the ramp, over the cameraman, and onto Moxley on the arena floor!
Moxley rocked Rey Fenix with a forearm and then stomped him face first into the mat. Moxley grounded and pounded Rey Fenix. Moxley tossed Rey Fenix over the barricade. Moxley drilled Rey Fenix with a draping DDT onto the arena floor!
“Fenix is in a world of hurt right now from Mox,” said Taz.
Rey Fenix caught Mox flush in the face with a kick and then followed up with a cutter. Rey Fenix frog splashed Moxley for a near fall! Rey Fenix charged at Moxley, but Moxley wiped him out with a King Kong Lariat!
Fenix propped Moxley onto the steel barricade, draping him over it. Rey Fenix jumped off the top rope and landed on Moxley with a leg drop to the back of the head! Back in the ring Moxley regained momentum with a Gotch style piledriver. But Rey retaliated with a diving double foot stomp for a two-count.
Moxley curb stomped Rey Fenix on the stage ramp! Moxley spiked Rey Fenix with a piledriver for a two-count. Rey Fenix hit Moxley with a senton atomico and then a piledriver. Fenix hit a second piledriver and pinned Moxley!
And new AEW International Champion Rey Fenix!
AEW Women’s World Championship Match!
Saraya (c.) (with Ruby Soho) vs. Toni Storm!
Saraya slapped Toni in the face. Toni Storm smiled and chopped at Saraya. After a distraction from Ruby, Saraya capitalized with a thrust kick to Toni.
Toni swept out the leg of Saraya. As the ref was distracted, Toni Storm cracked Saraya in the head with a high heel shoe for a near fall!
Toni Storm pulled off the bottom turnbuckle pad. Toni had a can of spray paint, but Ruby grabbed it out of Toni’s hands and tossed it to Saraya. Saraya sprayed it in Toni’s eyes and went for the pin after a DDT, but Toni kicked out. Saraya grabbed Toni to ram her head into the exposed turnbuckle, but Saraya didn’t have the heart to do it.
Toni Storm grabbed Saraya, kissed her on the mouth, and then spiked her with the Storm Zero for a two-count! Saraya dodged the Hip Attack and nailed Toni with the Knight Cap, grabbing the pinfall victory!
Main Event Time!
AEW World Championship Match!
MJF (c.) vs. ROH World TV Champion Samoa Joe!
The fans chanted “He’s our scumbag! He’s our scumbag!”
MJF thumbed Samoa Joe in the eye. MJF jumped on the back of Samoa Joe, but Joe shrugged him to the mat. Tony Schiavone pointed out that Adam Cole was not ringside for Adam Cole’s match, despite Adam Cole promising MJF he’d be there for him tonight.
Samoa Joe began to work over MJF’s neck. MJF thumbed Samoa Joe in the eyes again. Joe ran MJF over with a boot to the head. Samoa Joe attempted the muscle buster, but MJF escaped. MJF staggered Samoa Joe with three short arm lariats. MJF went for a fourth, but Samoa Joe swung for the fences and nearly decapitated MJF with a lariat.
Samoa Joe headbutted MJF but MJF fired up and raked Samoa Joe’s back! MJF hammered Samoa Joe with punches to the head. MJF bit down on Samoa Joe’s forehead. MJF connected with the kangaroo kick!
MJF ran for a tope, but Samoa Joe countered with a kick. Samoa Joe spiked MJF with a Death Valley Driver on the apron!
“That’ll change your career, man,” said Taz.
Samoa Joe pulled a table out from beneath the ring. Samoa Joe pulled MJF out of the ring and planted him through the table!
“Samoa Joe can feel the AEW World Championship in his grasp,” said Excalibur.
Samoa Joe pulled the padding off the floor, exposing the concrete beneath it. Samoa Joe was looking for a piledriver, but MJF bit him. MJF attempted a piledriver, but he had to let go because his injured neck began to spasm. Samoa Joe stuck MJF with a piledriver on the exposed concrete!
Samoa Joe told MJF to give up, but MJF spat at Samoa Joe. MJF pulled out a Liger Bomb out of nowhere on Samoa Joe for a near fall!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Samoa Joe and MJF traded strikes in the center of the ring. Samoa Joe applied a sleeper. MJF pulled the ref in close and while the ref was distracted, MJF kicked back with a low blow to Samoa Joe. MJF pulled out the Dynamite Diamond Ring from his trunks.
MJF was about to clock Samoa Joe with the Dynamite Diamond Ring, but Samoa Joe pulled the ref in front of him, and the ref spotted the illegal object! As ref Paul Turner threw the diamond ring to the outside, Samoa Joe kicked MJF with a low blow!
Samoa Joe nailed MJF with the muscle buster but somehow MJF kicked out at the two-count! Samoa Joe applied a sleeper. Adam Cole sprinted down to the ring and tried to motivate MJF! MJF got to his feet! MJF applied the sleeper on Samoa Joe, but Joe shoved MJF into the corner. Adam Cole jumped onto the ring apron. Samoa Joe tried to take a swing at Adam Cole. As Samoa Joe and the ref had their backs turned, MJF used his wrist tape around Samoa Joe’s neck! MJF choked out Samoa Joe and the ref stopped the match, with MJF retaining! MJF dropped the evidence and Adam Cole quickly picked it up and hid it in his pocket.
Samoa Joe got to his feet, and he shoved Adam Cole. MJF jumped in between them, acting as a human shield. Samoa Joe offered his hand to MJF. Samoa Joe shook MJF’s hand, giving the devil his due.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from 1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO!
This Friday tune in to a stacked two-hour episode of AEW RAMPAGE: Grand Slam beginning at 10pm ET on TNT featuring:
The night is upon us; for the third consecutive year, All Elite Wrestling descends upon the historic Arthur Ashe Stadium for GRAND SLAM, and with it comes two hours of the greatest professional wrestling in the world live on DYNAMITE this Wednesday! After winning the Grand Slam Eliminator Tournament, ROH World TV Champ Samoa Joe will challenge MJF for the AEW World Championship while Toni Storm takes on her former Outcasts’ ally Saraya with the AEW Women’s World Championship on the line!
Plus, the long-standing grudge between Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston comes to the forefront when both men put their respective championships on the line in a title versus title fight, and two long-time friends collide for the first-time when Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara lock horns! And in his fourth championship fight in seventeen days, Jon Moxley will meet Rey Fenix in an International Championship fight!
DYNAMITE gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to check in on the official AEW YouTube channel and watch the highlights from last week’s action during DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the CONTROL CENTER, and more!
In the span of five days from 9/8 to 9/13, the ROH World Television Champion conquered three of the toughest competitors in All Elite Wrestling on path through the Grand Slam World Championship Eliminator Tournament. It began with Jeff Hardy on the 9/8 edition of RAMPAGE, continued with Penta El Zero Miedo the following night on COLLISION, and culminated in a 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament rematch with Roderick Strong. Nearly thirty-five minutes of battle was what it took to get Samoa Joe to the precipice of the AEW World Championship, now he just has to complete the mission by taking Maxwell Jacob Friedman down this Wednesday night at DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2023.
For Joe, this is an issue that became more than just the desire to be AEW World Champion after MJF chose to attack Joe at ALL OUT 2023 following the ROH World TV Champion giving him a little shove as they crossed paths between matches. Given that MJF was coming out of a ROH World Tag Team Championship defense with a hurt neck, perhaps attacking the guy whose primary moves consist of either choking a man out or dropping them on their head with a Muscle Buster may not have been the brightest idea, but for Max it was about the insult of that moment, as well as an insult buried in their history.
As MJF tells it, and as video shows it, one day many years ago, long before Maxwell Jacob Freidman was a name on anyone’s lips, Samoa Joe showed him the kind of disregard that can often befall a rookie when engaging with their seniors. For Joe it was a moment he likely forgot about until MJF began to make his name thus leading the internet to incessantly share the clip, especially once Joe and Max came to share the same space here in AEW. But for MJF, much like his interactions with William Regal many years ago, it was not something that ever left his head space, and in truth something that helped to motivate Max to the heights he’s reached today. It’s pretty clear by now that MJF has had a career fueled by a mix of anger, self-loathing, a need for retribution, and false bravado.
In fact, it would be reasonable to say that it’s only through this friendship with Adam Cole that MJF has found a semblance of motivation based on more than just those things, based on discovering actual self-worth, and an appreciation for those who have supported him despite his massive shortcomings as a decent human being. So the fact that Joe chose to attack Adam Cole as his last statement to MJF prior to this fight, well that is something sure to push Maxwell back into his darkest places, deep into the devil inside, and to add those actions to the ones Samoa Joe committed in 2016 to further motivate his desire to smash the Samoan monster.
There’s just one problem: MJF’s neck, and that it represents a huge target for a man as merciless as the ROH World Television Champion. He will look to suplex Max on that weakened neck until MJF looks like a bobblehead, Joe will look to wrap his arms around that stem and squeeze it until no breath remains in the lungs of Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and he will aim to hoist Max from the top rope, his neck flush against Joe’s shoulder, and to drop the AEW World Champion down with a Muscle Buster to end the misery. Be it the Choke, the Muscle Buster, his signature Island Driver, a massive lariat, or even his underrated Brainbuster, Samoa Joe has a million ways to grind that injured neck of MJF’s to dust.
MJF is going to have to dip into every dirty trick he has in his book to survive this fight with the AEW World Championship still in his possession. Max’s devil will have to come out in all its wretched glory, and even then, it may not be enough to stop Samoa Joe from claiming his first AEW championship title. Just as was the case when he claimed the Ring of Honor Title on March 2003, it would be appropriate if Joe’s first AEW championship was the AEW World Championship, and at this point, in his condition, there may not be anything Max can do to stop Joe’s ascension.
This is a journey that has encompassed the last two decades in the lives of Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston, a journey that started during the dawning days of their wrestling careers, and with their first time sharing the ring somewhere in Indiana back in October 2004. They trained together, lived together, fought together, and most importantly, fought each other both inside the ring and out. From their first singles match back in January 2006, through eleven bouts across five different wrestling promotions, up to March 13, 2011, the scales tipped heavily in favor of Claudio with nine wins to Kingston’s two.
One of those bouts was a Respect Match where, upon losing, Eddie was supposed to tell Claudio he respected him, but instead Kingston told the man he did not respect him, and then leveled him with a spinning backfist. As Claudio lay there unconscious, Kingston’s last words to him as he left the ring were “I know you”, and later that night Double C proved Eddie right when he betrayed the entire promotion they were working for at the time, but this is why several weeks ago, Claudio claimed Kingston still owed him a handshake.
There certainly wasn’t going to be respect shown after what ended up being their last one-on-one bout for twelve years, not after the match ended with Claudio beating Eddie thanks to a chain-assisted European Uppercut, and then proceeding to whip him with a belt. Sadly for Kingston, there was a chance to rectify the situation as Claudio departed for “the land of make-believe” as Eddie called it, and did so in a fashion that only served to further infuriate “The Mad King”.
Thus when Claudio came to All Elite Wrestling to join The Blackpool Combat Club, making him an immediate ally of Kingston’s in the second Blood & Guts Cage Match, it infuriated Eddie and it was only due to his relationship with Jon Moxley that Eddie played nice throughout the bout. Still, the hate burned strong, the kind of hate that not time nor distance can quell, the kind of hate that follows both men wherever they go, even to ROH’s SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 event where Kingston failed once more to defeat Claudio when the ROH World Championship was at stake.
It was a fight Kingston took injured, an injury that kept him on the shelf for three months, but the hate brought him back for FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023 and even united him with The Elite, men he despises but strange bedfellows and all that, to defeat The Blackpool Combat Club. Just like that, the war with Claudio picked up right where it left off, just as it had after a dozen years apart, and now it has brought them to this point, on Eddie Kingston’s home turf, in front of his family and loved ones, where he will put his NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship on the line against the ROH World Championship of Claudio Castagnoli. Two titles are on the line, but after two decades, this is a fight that means so much more than words can encapsulate, they can only hope to convey a fragment of what it all means.
Will this be the end? Can there ever be an end with hate that runs this deep, with disrespect this ingrained in their dynamic, and bonds shattered so completely? Are Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli destined for mutually assured destruction, or will Arthur Ashe Stadium finally be the place where their demons are exorcised?
Speaking of demons, just what has possessed Toni Storm in the weeks since she lost the AEW Women’s World Championship to Hikaru Shida, and had her psyche further fractured by the actions of her fellow Outcasts? Since their formation, it’s always been a lingering question of what may happen should multiple members of The Outcasts find themselves in contention for the AEW Women’s World Champions, and while Saraya, Ruby Soho, and Toni Storm all insisted that things would be fine between them, the reality reared its ugly head as ALL IN: LONDON drew closer.
Then that night, when both Saraya and Toni Storm were in the title match aiming to end Shida’s second reign as champion, it became clear as crystal just what mattered most, and that was getting the championship title around the waist of Saraya. It didn’t matter that Toni striking Saraya’s mother was completely accidental, a fight still broke out between the two Outcasts, and it didn’t matter that Ruby had done nothing in that moment but try to quell the situation, she still got laid out by Toni for her efforts, and it all ultimately led to Saraya pinning Toni to claim the AEW Women’s World Championship.
And then the wheels fell off, though The Outcasts seemed to keep it together for a few days prior to ALL OUT 2023, but that was clearly not the case as Toni Storm cost Ruby Soho the TBS Championship, or rather it be said, prevented Soho from cheating to defeat Kris Statlander, and instead made sure the playing field was a bit more level. That choice made it clear that Toni Storm was an Outcast no more, and her winning the Four Way Eliminator Match to earn this championship fight absolutely solidifies Toni’s excommunication from the group.
But what has Toni become in the last several weeks? She’s clearly not in the same head space she was prior DYNAMITE #200 when she lost the belt to Shida, but just what is this space Toni occupies now? Is this all a mind game? Is it something Saraya and Ruby Soho can even prepare for heading into GRAND SLAM 2023 for the champ’s first title defense? One has to figure that no one knows Saraya like Ruby and Toni, but do Ruby and Saraya know this Toni Storm? After working so hard to come back from a career-ending injury, and having the fans embrace her a year ago at GRAND SLAM 2022 only to turn their backs on what she brought to the table, walking out of Arthur Ashe still champion is essential to Saraya. Can Toni Storm crush that dream and become the first 3-Time AEW Women’s World Champion? Or will Saraya find a way to not only top her old friend, but also rub it in the face of all those who turned away from her since last year?
AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Jon Moxley(c) vs. Rey Fenix
This Wednesday night, in a first-ever match-up, Jon Moxley will defend his AEW International Champion against one-half of the Lucha Brothers, a former AEW & ROH World Tag Team Champion, the incomparable Rey Fenix! As much as this is about the title, it’s also about revenge for Rey Fenix for what went down on the 8/9/23 edition of DYNAMITE between The Blackpool Combat Club and The Lucha Brothers, what was done to his brother in that match, and the injury that kept Fenix from competing in Stadium Stampede at ALL IN: LONDON.
Fenix has never held a singles championship in AEW, though he’s challenged Kenny Omega for the World Title, Hobbs for the TNT Title, Orange Cassidy for the All-Atlantic prior to its leveling up, even taking part in the Blackjack Battle Royale for the International Title at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023, but has yet to achieve that singles success to rival his tag team accolades.
So right here, this fight with Jon Moxley, it’s a chance to kill those two proverbial birds, Fenix can get his revenge for that Mox and The BCC did to him and his brother and claim his first AEW singles championship at the same time! Though Fenix prefers his competition honorable, he’s shown in the past a willingness to get down and dirty, even spilling blood in a fight with his own brother several years ago, so Moxley best be prepared for a man as willing to go there as he.
It is clear the defending International Champion intends to keep the same pace as the man he dethroned, likely aiming to surpass the lofty standard set by Orange Cassidy during his reign, but just like it did with “Freshly Squeezed”, eventually it will catch up to Moxley, the question is whether it will be sooner or later, and just who the man will be to lay him low? Will it be Rey Fenix this Wednesday night at GRAND SLAM 2023? Tune into TNT starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT to find out!
With a history dating back to the very first episode of DYNAMITE, looping from The Inner Circle to The Jericho Appreciation Society, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara have been through a great deal together, most of it standing side-by-side. They went through the introduction of concepts like Stadium Stampede and Blood & Guts together, competed for the AEW World Trios Championship and were early challengers to the AEW World Tag Team Championship together, and even fought each other over the ROH World Championship at FULL GEAR 2022.
Though Sammy walked away from Jericho and The Inner Circle when it was needed for his own well-being, he came back to the fold when The Jericho Appreciation Society was born, and even spoke of his allegiance to “The DemoGod” when all the others in The J.A.S. abandoned the man for how they felt he took them for granted.
But even with the closest of friends, between the dearest of partners, there comes a time when not all is right, and when even brothers come to blows. That is what is about to happen this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when, for the first time, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara collide in singles competition! Though they’ve expressed their desire to unite and pursue tag team success, their egos, and pershaps even some ill will for recent events, has made it difficult for the two men to stay on the same page, even in victory. Perhaps Jericho feels that Sammy is more underling than equal, perhaps Guevara feels the student has surpassed the teacher, whatever the case may be, these two brothers came to the conclusion that the only way past their issues is to confront them with violence done unto each other.
So like a pair of Cain’s without an Abel in sight, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara will lock horns inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, and we shall see if either survives to pursue their supposed tag team aspirations!
DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel and catch up on highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well the newest edition of THE CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH!
Yourbroadcast team was Excalibur, Chris Jericho, and Tony Schiavone!
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
The Lucha Brothers—Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix—and The Hardys—Matt & Jeff
vs.
Jay Lethal, “The Last Outlaw” Jeff Jarrett, The Butcher & The Blade!
“Interesting to see how these guys work together,” said Tony Schiavone.
Fenix blasted Lethal with a missile dropkick. Fenix took Butcher down with a thrust kick to the head. Jeff Hardy tagged in and worked over Butcher’s shoulder. Matt Hardy tagged in and dropped an elbow on Butcher’s arm. Matt continued to work over Butcher’s arm. The Hardys double suplexed the Butcher and then the Blade.
After some interference from Sonjay Dutt, Butcher and Jay Lethal got the advantage on Matt Hardy. Lethal drove Matt spine first into the corner.
Jeff Jarrett nailed Matt Hardy with a Russian leg sweep. Blade tagged in and nailed Matt Hardy with strikes in the corner. Matt Hardy desperately needed to make a tag as he was isolated by the opposing team. Rey Fenix tagged in and cracked Blade with a kick and then a rolling cutter! Fenix ran the top of the ropes and punted Lethal and Jarrett in the head!
Penta El Zero Miedo flipped over the top rope and wiped out Butcher, Lethal and Jarrett on the floor. Alex Abrahantes knocked Sonjay Dutt off the apron. Alex poked Kip Sabian in the eyes. Alex jumped off the top rope but was caught by Satnam Singh.
Rey Fenix and the Blade traded strikes in the center of the ring. Rey Fenix planted the Blade right on his head and scored the victory via pin!
Satnam Singh nailed Jeff and Matt Hardy at the top of the ramp. The Righteous—Vincent and Dutch walked out and stared at the Hardys.
Renee Paquette interviewed Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., backstage!
Baker said the last few months haven’t gone as she’d planned. Baker said she is championship material and she said she is going to become the first female to hold the AEW Women’s World Title and the TBS Title! “Whoever wins tonight, Jade or Kris, you’ll be wrestling me tomorrow night in the main event of Collision!” said Baker.
The Kingdom—Matt Taven & Mike Bennett
vs.
“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal!
Mike Bennett chopped Daniels. CD fired back with a drop toe hold. Sydal tagged in and slammed Daniels on top of Bennett.
Matt Taven tagged in and was hit with a barrage of kicks from Sydal.
“Sydal’s kicks are lethal, man,” said Tony Schiavone.
Daniels tagged back in and worked over Taven. Bennett grabbed Daniels’ leg, allowing Taven to connect with a shot. Bennett ducked a roundhouse kick from Sydal. Taven splashed Daniels in the corner. Taven and Bennett used their combo finisher, the Proton Pack, and then Taven pinned Daniels.
Taven: “We have to rush back to the hospital. Our poor friend Roderick Strong is suffering. He’s in poor neck health. But I don’t blame Samoa Joe. I blame Adam Cole. So, what we want to do is take back what’s rightfully ours—the Ring of Honor Tag Team Titles!”
Bennett: “Roddy, we’re coming home baby!”
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview the Mogul Embassy!
Prince Nana: “The Young Bucks put their stinking feet in my face!”
Swerve Strickland: “Bucks, you have a whole different energy about you since appearing on my podcast. And Hangman, you ran to the Elite. We’re going to handle business. The Gates of Agony and Brian Cage against the Hung Bucks at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam!”
AEW World Trios Champions the Acclaimed—Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, & Billy Gunn
vs.
Peter Avalon & The Outrunners!
Billy Gunn had Turbo Floyd in his grip. Turbo Floyd chopped Billy down. Peter Avalon chop blocked Billy but Billy tagged Bowens.
Bowens drilled Avalon with the Fame Asser. Billy body slammed Avalon. Bowens nailed Avalon with the Scissor Me Timbers. Billy followed up with a fame-asser. Caster hit the Mic Drop and pinned “Pretty” Peter!
The Dark Order walked onto the ramp after the match!
John Silver said the Dark Order wanted the Trios Championships! Evil Uno said one of them would face one of the Acclaimed tomorrow to prove they were worth the Acclaimed’s time.
Anthony Bowens said he’d accept the challenge and the Dark Order could select a member of their own to face off tomorrow night on Collision.
“Pick whoever you want,” said Bowens.
Aussie Open—Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis
vs.
Damian Chambers & Lord Crewe!
Davis and Fletcher swarmed Chambers and Crewe. Aussie served up the Aussie sandwich. Crewe was planted with the Coriolis and Fletcher pinned him!
“Wrestling like two men with a point to prove, Aussie Open dominant tonight,” said Excalibur.
Main Event Time!
TBS Championship Match!
Kris Statlander (c.) vs. Jade Cargill (with “Smart” Mark Sterling)!
They locked horns and went to a stalemate in the early goings. Jade hit Kris with a knee to the midsection. Britt Baker was watching the match on a monitor backstage.
Kris and Jade clobbered one another, trading lariats. Statlander caught Jade and body slammed her. Statlander jumped off the apron with a cross body, but Jade caught her and then slammed her onto the apron.
Jade and Kris jockeyed for position in the ring, battling over a suplex. Jade overpowered Kris and nailed her with a delayed vertical suplex.
“Great match, both women, leaving it all on the mat here,” said Tony Schiavone.
Statlander battered Jade in the corner with forearms. Kris followed up with a knee strike. Kris planted Jade with the Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Mark Sterling jumped on the apron. Kris ate a pump kick because of the distraction. Jade choke slammed Statlander for a near fall.
Jade tried for a spear, but Kris dodged it. Kris spiked Jade with an inverted Friday Night Fever and pinned Jade Cargill!
“An incredible back and forth battle but Kris Statlander leaves no doubt that she has earned the TBS Championship.”
After the match Jade and Kris hugged one another out of respect.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE: Grand Slam on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, NY!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
AEW International Championship Match!
Jon Moxley (c.) vs. Big Bill (with “Absolute” Ricky Starks)!
Moxley used some round kicks to try to topple Big Bill. Bill blasted the champ with a massive right hand. Big Bill followed up with overhand chops. Big Bill was taking the fight right to Moxley and manhandling him.
Moxley fired off two clotheslines, but Bill booted Mox in the head, knocking him out of the ring. Ricky Starks kicked Moxley outside the ring. Moxley reversed an Irish whip and sent Big Bill into the steel ring steps.
Big Bill sent Jon Moxley over the timekeeper’s table. Moxley was busted wide open! Back in the ring, Moxley regained momentum and dug his fingers into Big Bill’s flesh! Moxley superplexed Big Bill.
Big Bill hit the Bossman Slam on Jon Moxley for a near fall. Moxley and Big Bill traded shots in the center of the ring. Moxley countered a boot with a King Kong lariat for a two-count. Moxley punished Big Bill with the hammer and anvil elbow strikes. Moxley planted Big Bill with a cutter, but Big Bill rolled out of the ring. Moxley climbed to the top rope, but Ricky shoved Mox as the ref was checking on Big Bill.
Bryan Danielson sprinted to the ring and peppered Ricky Starks with right hands, evening up the odds! Starks whipped Danielson into the ring steps. Big Bill chokeslammed Big Bill for a near fall on Moxley.
“Mox is losing a lot of blood right now. It looks like a crime scene,” said Taz.
Big Bill tried to hoist up Moxley with a chokeslam, but Moxley countered with a submission hold and forced Big Bill to tap out!
After the match Ricky Starks and Big Bill tried to continue their attack. ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli ran down to help his BCC teammates. Starks was furious with these developments. Starks and Big Bill retreated.
It was announced that Moxley will put his title on the line next week on Dynamite against Rey Fenix!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Roderick Strong and the Kingdom!
Adam Cole interrupted the interview and said Strong wrestling Samoa Joe was a horrible idea.
Strong: “You’re only worried about Max. And you should be because after I beat Joe, I’m going to beat MJF next week. Because I am a wrestling legend!”
Tony Schiavone was in the ring soDon Callis and Konosuke Takeshita could reveal their next target!
Callis: “We just beat Kenny Omega twice in one week. Show some respect! We’ve been celebrating. I’ve learned a lot from Takeshita about Japanese culture. When you’re the top wrestler in a promotion, they call you the Ace. He’s better than Okada. Better than Inoki. When you beat Kenny Omega once, they call you the Ace. When you beat Omega twice in seven days, they call you the Alpha!
“Henceforth you will all refer to Takeshita as the Alpha. I never had the empathy thing. Because when you’re the Alpha, you don’t feel anything, you take. Kenny, beating you twice isn’t enough for us. We broke your body. Now we’re going to break your heart.
“I promise to reveal through our creation who the next target of the Alpha will be, and Kenny, this one is going to kill you. The next target is none other than the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kota Ibushi!
“And Kenny, I want you to know right now, we’re not just going to beat Ibushi, we’re going to butcher him. We’re going to burn him. And I’m going to love the fact that while we’re spilling his blood in the ring, you’re going to be at home helpless, watching like the pathetic cuck that you are.”
Alex Marvez was backstage with the BCC!
Danielson: “We love it when things escalate. So, here’s a challenge. This Saturday at Collision, Ricky Starks, Big Bill, you two against me and Claudio Castagnoli!”
Rey Fenix entered the fray and began to shout at Moxley, but Alex Abrahantes and the refs held him back. Meanwhile, Eddie Kingston laughed in Claudio’s face and said, “One more week!”
Renee Paquette was backstage with FTW Champion HOOK!
Orange Cassidy interrupted!
Orange: “I was walking around and saw Hook all mad about something. What do you have to be mad about?”
Hook: “You were a great champion.”
Orange: “Thanks, you are too!”
They fist-bumped and Orange said he was still so tired.
Women’s World Title Eliminator Four Way Match!
Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose vs. Toni Storm!
The winner will face AEW Women’s Champion Saraya next week at Grand Slam.
Nyle Rose plowed into Baker and Shida with double clotheslines. Toni Storm shoved Shida into Britt Baker, with Baker tumbling out of the ring. Shida followed up with a crossbody onto the women on the arena floor!
Shida nailed Baker with a brain buster. Baker was looking for a thrust kick on Shida, but Shida turned around and Baker stopped herself. Nyla Rose chokeslammed Britt Baker. Shida cracked Nyla with the Katana Kick. As Shida was going for the cover, Britt Baker blasted Shida with a thrust kick. Toni Storm saw the opening, rolled up Britt Baker, and pinned her, stealing the victory!
Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW Women’s Champion Saraya and Ruby Soho!
Saraya: “Congrats, Toni, you did it and you did it without us. But Toni lost everything to me. She lost her top spot, and she lost her mind. She’s crazy. But she’s also going to lose the match against me at Grand Slam and then she’ll be left with nothing!”
Up Next: Le Sex Gods— “The Ocho” Chris Jericho and “The Spanish God” Sammy Guevara had their face to face!
Jericho and Guevara will be wrestling each other next week on Dynamite: Grand Slam.
Jericho: “Next week, right here on Dynamite at Grand Slam in New York City, it’s Le Sex Gods going one on one, Jericho versus Guevara, for the first time ever. Lots of history between us. We’ve been together since the first episode of Dynamite.”
Jericho introduced a highlight package showing all the pivotal moments from Le Sex Gods’ history over the past four years.
“That was beautiful,” said Taz.
Sammy: “Chris, I have a confession. I still don’t know the lyrics to ‘Judas.’”
Jericho: “I saw a kid on one of the NWA pay-per-view prelim matches and I was blown away and told Tony Khan, we need to sign this kid Sammy. I knew he had what it took to be a big star and I wanted him to be with me so I could help him out as much as I possibly could.
“Over the years I’ve watched Sammy grow from a boy to a man. I’ve seen him win titles, get married, and now your wife is ready to give birth to a baby girl. I’m really proud of all you’ve accomplished over the past four years.”
Sammy: “I know the typical wrestling thing is to talk trash, but I don’t want to do that. I want to come out here before one of the biggest matches of my career and say thank you. Thank you for changing my life and for changing the lives of so many people in the back. Without Chris Jericho there is no AEW.
“But truthfully Chris, I didn’t come to this company to just be your sidekick. I want to become world champion. I want them to look at me the way they look at Mox or the way they look at you. I don’t want to be in your shadow, so that’s why I need to beat you next week.”
Jericho: “You were never brought in to be Chris Jericho’s side kick. You were brought in to be a main event player and you are getting closer and closer every week. And that’s why I told you that you have to do it on your own. Next week you have that opportunity. You have to beat me to get to the next level. But if you’re going to beat Chris Jericho, you’re going to have to be the best Sammy Guevara ever if you’re going to have a chance to beat me. But I don’t think you’re ready to beat me yet.”
Sammy: “And there it is. It’s whatever Jericho wants. So next week I’m going to beat you as this man, not the 2018 me at the NWA pay-per-view, but this Sammy is going to beat you, we’re going to shake hands, and we’re going to win some tag team titles.”
Jericho: “Let me make something perfectly clear, Sammy. Next week I’m going to give you the match of your life. And I’m not going to go easy on you. I’m going to beat the living hell out of you. And I expect the exact same thing from you.”
Sammy: “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Excalibur: “I think we might have a battle for the ages next week.”
Taz: “Sammy is a pro, and he knows what’s at stake.”
Clips were shown from after Dynamite last week with Renee Paquette interviewing MJF!
MJF was told he wasn’t cleared to wrestle until Grand Slam.
MJF: “There are two talents I want to make it to the finals because I hate their guts: Roddy Strong, if you make it through this tournament, I will rip your head off. You’re a manipulative person. Samoa Joe, you think I’m afraid of you? Nah. You might not realize this, but this New York Pitbull has got a lot of bite. If you wrestle me, I’m going to choke you out!
“Hangman” Adam Page vs. “The Machine” Brian Cage (with Prince Nana)!
Cage clocked Page with an elbow strike. Page retaliated with two big boots to Brian Cage. Hangman hit a lariat off the turnbuckles to the Machine. Hangman went over the top rope, but Brian Cage intercepted him. Page reversed a powerbomb with a hurracanrana, sending Brian Cage into the steel ring post!
Brian Cage nearly decapitated Page with a lariat. Page sent Cage into the ropes after a hurracanrana. Page hit the area code shot on Cage.
Swerve Strickland’s music hit, and Swerve walked out onto the ramp!
Cage took advantage of the distraction and hurled Cage from the ring apron on the outside to the inside of the ring with a German Suplex! Brian Cage powerslammed Page and followed up with a moonsault, but Hangman dodged it.
Hangman rocked Brian Cage with a lariat, the momentum carrying both men over the top rope and onto the floor. Hangman jumped off the top rope and Cage caught him again. Adam Page countered with a crucifix bomb.
Hangman climbed to the top turnbuckle and hit Cage with a moonsault on the arena floor! Hangman followed up with a big crossbody press for a near fall on the Machine. Brian Cage dazed Page with a German Suplex.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Hangman swept out Cage’s legs. Hangman attempted the Buckshot Lariat, but Cage countered, but Page fired back with a Deadeye in the center of the ring, scoring the pin!
“Hell of a match by these two men,” said Taz.
“If Swerve was mad before, he has to be pissed off now,” added Excalibur.
“Well, he poked the bear,” added Taz.
Hangman Page: “What passion, what drive, just oozing out of your body as you brood on top of the ramp as you watched me kick Cage’s ass. Last week you said you wanted my spot, but you sent Cage out. Last week I thought you had some balls but tonight I’m pretty sure you’re just keeping them stowed away in Prince Nana’s Burger King crown.”
Swerve: “What up, turd? Them sound like fighting words to me, Hangman. You think this’ll be solved tonight? We do this when I say, where I say. And it just so happens I chose the great state that birthed Swerve Strickland. October 1st, in the City of Seatle, WrestleDream. Me and you, Hangman. But I’m going to make sure you don’t get comfortable by the time you get there, isn’t that right Brian Cage?”
Brian Cage ambushed “Hangman” Adam Page from behind! The Young Bucks jumped into the ring and superkicked the Machine! The Bucks served up superkicks for Prince Nana as well!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Daniel Garcia!
Garcia: “I thought you came here to talk about me but you’re asking about Sammy or Jericho. Why don’t we talk about the career of Garcia”
Don Callis interrupted!
Callis: “The Don Callis family is going to create a Utopian Meritocracy—”
Garcia got in Callis’ face and did his dance, and then walked off!
Callis: “Wow, that’s money! Renee, that’s money!”
Don Callis chased after Daniel Garcia, grinning ear to ear.
Darby Allin & Nick Wayne
vs.
Matt Menard & Angelo Parker (with Jake Hager and Anna Jay)!
As the match started, Christian Cage and TNT Champion Luchasaurus walked onto the ramp and then joined the broadcast booth.
Christian Cage said Nick Wayne needed a better mentor than Darby Allin.
Nick Wayne clipped Matt Menard with an enziguri. Jake Hager grabbed Darby from outside the ring. Matt Menard powerbombed Nick Wayne.
Darby tagged in and nailed Menard and Parker with the Coffin Splash! He followed up with a dropkick in the corner on both men. Darby connected with a Code Red on Parker for a near fall.
“Darby has issues with the back from that Coffin Match, you can tell,” said Taz.
Nick grabbed a blind tag and walloped Parker with Wayne’s World. Matt Menard pulled Parker out of the pinning predicament. Darby flew off the apron with a senton on Menard. Darby hit the Coffin Drop on Parker and pinned him!
Christian Cage stood up, saying he was getting tired of these guys.
Christian Cage: “Very impressive victory. Nick Wayne, after I went home last week, I was scrolling through your mom’s Instagram account. Your mom doesn’t post enough bikini pics. But don’t worry. I sent her a special request on the side.
“There’s still a lot of talk about Darby and Sting’s win in London, and as the Franchise here, it’s embarrassing. Now I just want to remind everyone I did not take the loss for that match, and I didn’t have my regular partner with me. So, I propose next week, Darby Allin and Sting against me and Luchasaurus. If you’ve got the balls, I’ll see you in New York City!”
Main Event Time!
Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals!
ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe vs. Roderick Strong (with The Kingdom)!
Samoa Joe applied a wrist lock and then headbutted Roddy’s hands, trying to neutralize Roddy’s infamous chops. Roderick Strong was wiped out with a shoulder tackle from Samoa Joe. Joe followed up with jabs in the corner, breaking down Strong in the corner.
Roddy rallied back with a quick kick to Samoa Joe’s face. Strong connected with a dropkick. Strong cranked on Joe’s neck. Samoa Joe nailed Roddy with the Manhattan Drop and followed up with a senton.
Samoa Joe powerslammed Roderick Strong for a near fall. Roddy escaped a powerbomb and staggered Joe with a shoulder tackle. Roddy blasted Joe with a knee strike underneath the jaw. Samoa Joe planted Strong with a uranage! Samoa Joe was looking for the Muscle Buster, but Mike Bennett jumped on the apron to distract Samoa Joe. Roderick Strong stunned Samoa Joe with the Sick Kick for a near fall.
“What a battle here,” said Taz.
Samoa Joe battered Roderick Strong out of the air and then applied the submission, forcing Roderick Strong to tap out!
Samoa Joe will be facing AEW World Champion MJF next week on Dynamite: Grand Slam!
Samoa Joe: “Oh Max! It seems my little prophecy has come true and next week, I go to your backyard and I’m coming for you. Because I’m going to beat you down and take everything you have kid. Everything.”
Adam Cole came down to the ring. Roderick fell to the mat, clutching his neck. The Kingdom told Adam Cole that this was his fault.
Excalibur questioned whether or not Roderick Strong was really injured or if this was a ruse.
The medical staff placed Roderick Strong on a backboard and stretchered him to the back. The Kingdom told Adam Cole not to follow them or Roderick to the back. Samoa Joe struck from behind, blindsiding Adam Cole and choking him out!
“I’m going to take everything from you, Max!” said Samoa Joe.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE: Grand Slam on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, NY!
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
This Wednesday night All Elite Wrestling returns to Cincinnati’s Heritage Bank Center for a brand new DYNAMITE that will continue to give form to GRAND SLAM 2023 on September 20th! The Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals are going down between Roderick Strong and Samoa Joe, Hangman Page will go one-on-one with “The Machine” Brian Cage for a third time in their careers, Le Sex Gods will be in the building to discuss their collision at Arthur Ashe, and Jon Moxley returns home to defend his AEW International Championship against Big Bill!
DYNAMITE get underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to check in on the official AEW YouTube channel and watch the highlights from last week’s action during DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the CONTROL CENTER, and more!
GRAND SLAM WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR TOURNAMENT FINALS…
ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe vs. Roderick Strong
This is where Samoa Joe and Roderick Strong have spent the last week fighting to get to: the precipice of an AEW World Championship match, a first for either man, taking place at GRAND SLAM 2023 on September 20th. There is just one last step to take on this road, a matter of either Roderick Strong defeating a man he’s only beaten once in their eight singles matches, or Samoa Joe once more beating a man he only lost to once back in January 2005.
Both Joe and Roderick have plenty of motivation pushing them towards victory, Roderick’s well-documented issues with Adam Cole’s friendship with MJF and Joe’s issues with the disrespect thrown his way by the AEW World Champion, but for both men that’s putting the cart before the horse. There’s a fight taking place this Wednesday night in Cincinnati that takes precedent, and while 87.5% of their fights have gone Joe’s way, Strong may have deeper reasons to fight than he ever has before, even when it was the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament that was at stake.
This is about the AEW World Title, ultimately that is the most primary reason to fight, but it’s also about broken trust and shattered friendships, it’s about respect and disrespect, and it’s about Roddy shaking the monkey off his back to finally defeat Samoa Joe, but if that neck is actually as hurt as Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett have claimed, than “Mr. ROH” is just one Choke or Muscle Buster away from ending up back on the shelf.
WOMEN’S WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR FOUR WAY…
Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose vs. Toni Storm
Take four former AEW Women’s World Champions, all with plenty of history binding them to one another, and throw them in the ring together to see what happens. Add in the additional factor of a World Championship match being at stake, and this is an explosive formula worthy of DYNAMITE. Baker beat Shida for her first championship, Shida beat Nyla Rose for her first and Toni Storm for her second, Toni Storm won a Four Way that included Britt and Shida to claim her first shot, and then there is the whole issue of The Outcasts and what they’ve been aiming for with the AEW originals since they first united. Now Nyla Rose may have been left alone in that Outcasts mission, most likely out of fear, but reclaiming the Women’s World Championship is something that’s always been part of Nyla’s own personal mission.
Speaking of The Outcasts though, it is abundantly clear that Toni Storm is on the outs with Ruby Soho and AEW Women’s World Champion Saraya, especially since she insured Ruby couldn’t cheat to beat Kris Statlander at ALL OUT 2023. So add in that drama, on top of that mixed in with these four women, and this is quite the intriguing bout set for this Wednesday night.
Which of these four champions will get their chance to reclaim the gold they once lost, or in the case of Toni and Shida twice-lost? Will Britt get to face down Saraya in the same venue where the AEW Women’s World Champion made her AEW debut, the woman who beat her at FULL GEAR 2022? Will Toni Storm end up in a fight with the woman who pinned her at ALL IN: LONDON to claim the title? Or will we see first-time fights in Hikaru Shida or Nyla Rose?
As he heads home to Cincinnati for his 3rd AEW International Championship defense in a week, Jon Moxley has to be feeling the effects of not only the two previous bouts, as well as the match at ALL OUT 2023 where he beat Orange Cassidy, but also the attack perpetrated by Big Bill on COLLISION while Ricky Starks choked the life out of Bryan Danielson with a BCC shirt just a few feet away.
This is the third year in a row that Cincinnati has welcomed AEW, the second at the Heritage Bank Center, and each year has presented Jon Moxley with a huge undertaking, but one in which he has proven victorious. The first year he fought Minoru Suzuki and walked away the winner after eight of the hardest-hitting minutes AEW has seen, while the second hosted an AEW World Championship defense as Hangman Page challenged Mox, with the challenger ultimately ending up on a stretcher after a vicious King Kong Lariat knocked Hangman out.
This year, with a new championship around his waist, Moxley comes home to face the indomitable threat of Big Bill, a man who laid out the International Champion with a single big boot last Saturday night. Now this isn’t their first engagement in singles competition, that took place in June 2019, but it is their first one-on-one encounter in All Elite Wrestling, having only met in a tag match during the HOUSE RULES: TROY event, some 75 miles north on I-75, back in March.
Moxley is hellbent on surpassing Orange Cassidy’s legacy as the best International Champion of all-time, which means defending the title more times than any champions in AEW history across all divisions, as well as holding it for more than 327 days (20 days shy of all three of Mox’s World Championship reigns combined). So that’s why Mox is on his third defense in a week, coming into it having won nine straight singles matches, and with an 11-3 record on the year in those ranks that includes a Steel Cage Match win over Kenny Omega.
As for Big Bill, most of his AEW competition has been in tag team and multi-man competition, but as a singles he’s run a 4-3 record on the year, including an International Championship loss to Orange Cassidy, and three wins in his last five bouts. Though he’s one of the most imposing figures on the AEW roster, Bill hasn’t tasted championship success yet in AEW, though he also united with Brian Cage to challenge FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championship just over a month ago. Given his dominating presence, his strength and stature, it seems an inevitability that Big Bill will hold a title in All Elite Wrestling before too long.
Will that success come to Big Bill this Wednesday night in Cincinnati, or will Jon Moxley go three in a row in his hometown, as well as three in a row with International Championship defenses? Will Ricky Starks be the kind of presence in Big Bill’s matches the way Bill is in his? And if so, will there be any BCC at ringside to balance the scales? Tune into DYNAMITE this Wednesday night to see if we have a new AEW International Champion by night’s end!
As mentioned above, the last time All Elite Wrestling was in Cincinnati Hangman Page did not leave the arena on his own two feet, instead finding himself carted out on a stretcher and hoisted into an ambulance after a Jon Moxley lariat knocked him unconscious. Though Hangman would recover shortly thereafter, the fact that his last time in town ended the way it did had to be scratching at his brain as this event drew closer.
Well now the former AEW World Champion has an opportunity to redeem himself before the Cincy crowd when he enters into battle with ROH World Six-Man Champion Brian Cage for their third singles fight! Back in the spring of 2021, before AEW returned to a touring schedule, “The Machine” shocked everyone, including Hangman, when he beat Page on the April 28th edition of DYNAMITE. The loss came at a time when many fans felt Hangman was on the path to dethroning AEW World Champion Kenny Omega months before he actually did so at FULL GEAR 2021.
Hangman would rebound from that loss a month later at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2021, beating Brian Cage in a twelve minute slobber knocker, and evening the score. Though the two would meet one last time in a tag match on the subsequent DYNAMITE, a match won by Hangman and Dark Order’s Ten it should be noted, they never had that rubber match to truly decide who was the better man.
Not until now at least; though Hangman was out there to address his victory in the Over Budget Charity Battle Royal, his presence in the ring last week turned into a confrontation with Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana, and ultimately an assault perpetrated by “The Machine”. So with that in mind, as well as the history between Page and his assailant, the rubber match between Page and Cage has been set for this Wednesday night in Cincinnati! Will this be a repeat of Hangman’s last trip to town, or can the former World Champion shake that monkey off his back and score a second victory over “The Machine”? The presence of The Mogul Embassy is all but certain, the only question is just how much of an impact they will have on this contest!
CALLIS’ REVELATION…
So what’s next for Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita, the man that Callis has proclaimed as the “New God of Professional Wrestling”? Don has already stated, despite steering Takeshita towards two pinfall victories over Omega, and assisting in Will Ospreay’s victory over him at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, that he’s not done utterly dissecting the life of Omega and anyone who supports him.
So what does that mean, and how does it pertain to this revelation Callis has promised for this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE? Who is their next target in this mission to bleed Kenny Omega dry?
One of The Elite seems the obvious choice, the most accessible targets possible, and it wouldn’t be improbable for Don Callis to throw his lot in with someone like Prince Nana to have his Mogul Embassy do the dirty work on Hangman. After all, he did it with BULLET CLUB GOLD and Kenny, but that’s just a bit of speculation about where Callis will attack next. Thankfully the guessing game doesn’t need last long and Don Callis will tell us himself in Cincinnati…
It is official that Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara, men who’ve been bonded since the very first episode of DYNAMITE back in 2019, who’ve fought together as members of The Inner Circle and The Jericho Appreciation Society, and who’ve been in Stadium Stampedes and Blood & Guts together, that they will go one-on-one at GRAND SLAM 2023 for the very first time.
Now they fought one another in a Four Way for the ROH World Championship at FULL GEAR 2022, and they’ve been on opposite sides of a few tag matches over the years, but they’ve never just straight up fought each other in a singles match. September 20th will change all that, but before we get to Arthur Ashe, these two men will both be on-hand in Cincinnati to address what is about to happen. Though this was presented as a way for the two men to get past their problems, and move onto being tag team championship challengers, there’s more than a little bit of ego at play, so it should be quite interesting to see what thoughts Jericho and Guevara have to share!
Come Wednesday night All Elite Wrestling brings to you the absolute best professional wrestling on the planet, this time emanating from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH and it will shape the face of both the GRAND SLAM 2023 World Title match as well as the Women’s World Championship bout! Plus, Hangman Page and “The Machine” collide for a third time, Le Sex Gods will be in the house with words before their singles bout, plus hometown hero Jon Moxley returns to defend his AEW International Championship against Big Bill!
DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel and catch up on highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well the newest edition of THE CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
This Saturday night, AEW returns to Cleveland, OH for a night of COLLISION at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse! With two Grand Slam World Championship Eliminator Tournament Semi-Finals on tap, as well as a TBS Open Challenge, an International Champion defense pitting Jon Moxley against Action Andretti, BC GOLD, and more, this is quite the loaded edition of Saturday night’s premier wrestling program!
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, IN!
Yourbroadcast team was Excalibur, “The Ocho” Chris Jericho, and Tony Schiavone!
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
Jay Lethal vs. Penta El Zero Miedo!
Lethal and Penta began shoving one another. Penta escaped a wristlock. Penta El Zero Miedo connected with a thrust kick. They traded chops. Penta hit a double foot stomp on Jay Lethal.
Jeff Jarrett swiped at Penta’s foot from the outside, but Penta outsmarted him. Penta jumped over the top rope, but Satnam Singh caught him and smashed him into the ring post as the ref was distracted by Jeff Jarrett. Karen Jarrett tied the back of Penta’s mask onto the ropes. The ref saw it and ejected Lethal’s entire squad from ringside. Lethal stomped on Penta while the ref tried untying him.
Penta El Zero Miedo dropped Lethal with two sling blades. Penta crushed Lethal with a tope con hiro! Penta squashed Lethal with another foot stomp for a near fall. Lethal fired back with a Lethal Combination for a two-count.
Jay Lethal pulled Penta’s mask off! Penta immediately covered his face. Lethal tried to grab the guitar that Jeff Jarrett left behind, but Alex Abrahantes pulled it away from Lethal. Penta rocked Lethal with a backstabber and then spiked Lethal with the Fear Factor for the pin fall victory!
Sammy Guevara came out with a microphone with words for Chris Jericho!
Sammy: “You’re pissing me off and I want to punch you in the face.”
Jericho: “It’s funny you say that. I want to punch you in the face, too.”
Sammy: “I want to punch you right now.”
Jericho: “Let’s be honest here. We’re obviously getting on each other’s nerves and that’s okay because we’re brothers. We’re on our way to becoming AEW World Tag Team Champions but we still can’t seem to get over this little bit of animosity. We need to get this out of our system. Do you agree?”
Sammy: “I agree.”
Jericho: “So why don’t we have a match against each other. That way we can get all this crap out of our system.”
Sammy: “Now the question is where do you want to do that?”
Jericho: “How about one of the biggest shows in AEW history? New York City. Grand Slam.”
Sammy: “Hell yeah, let’s do it.”
Trios Match!
Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., Hikaru Shida, & Skye Blue
vs.
Anna Jay, Taya Valkyrie, & The Bunny (with Penelope Ford)!
Skye rolled up Bunny for a near fall early on. Taya tagged in and blasted Skye with a forearm and then a chop. Sky hit Taya with a thrust kick and tagged in Shida.
Shida cleaned house and peppered Anna Jay with elbow strikes. Bunny tagged in but Skye Blue ran in to make the save. Taya speared Skye. Britt grabbed a tag and dropped the Bunny with a thrust kick. Baker suplexed Anna Jay. Shida and Britt inadvertently collided. Baker applied the Lock Jaw and forced the Bunny to tap out!
Baker tried to explain herself to Shida after the match, but Shida walked off.
The Young Bucks—Matt & Nick Jackson
vs.
Angelo Parker & Matt Menard (with Jake Hager)!
Nick and Matt used tandem offense on Parker and then on Menard, coming out of the gates hot. Matt hit a neck breaker on Parker and then Nick took down Daddy Magic.
Parker thumbed Matt Jackson in the eyes. Matt rocked Parker with a series of Northern Lights suplexes.
“Great strength,” said Tony Schiavone.
Matt Menard tagged in and suplexed Matt Jackson. The fans were taunting Jake Hager, chanting “Where’s your hat? Where’s your hat?”
Parker and Menard double teamed Matt Jackson. Parker got a near fall on Matt Jackson after a snap suplex. Nick Jackson tagged in and wiped out both opponents with a double crossbody press. The Bucks dished out a superkick party! They cracked Matt with the BTE Trigger and Nick grabbed the pin!
“A return to form for the Young Bucks, potentially building up some momentum in the tag team division,” said Excalibur.
Main Event Time!
Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Hardy!
Hardy hit Samoa Joe with a basement dropkick. He followed up with a diving lariat to take Joe down. Samoa Joe gouged Jeff’s eyes and then connected with jabs.
Jeff Hardy stunned Samoa Joe with a jawbreaker. Jeff attempted a running cross body, but Samoa Joe side stepped it. Samoa Joe sent Jeff Hardy crashing to the floor with a sliding dropkick.
Samoa Joe softened up Jeff Hardy in the corner with body shots. Jeff jumped off the top rope with Whisper in the Wind, throwing his entire body at Samoa Joe.
“A desperation move but it worked,” said Tony Schiavone.
Jeff Hardy hit a Manhattan Drop on Samoa Joe. Jeff dropped an elbow for a near fall on Samoa Joe. Jeff Hardy went for the Twist of Fate, but Samoa Joe had it anticipated. Samoa Joe locked Jeff Hardy in the submission Clutch and put Jeff to sleep!
“Samoa Joe is one step closer to MJF,” said Excalibur.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH!
Don’t miss AEW Collision live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH featuring:
-We’ll hear from AEW Women’s World Champion Saraya & Ruby Soho!
– Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Semifinal Match: Roderick Strong vs. Darby Allin!
-We’ll hear from AEW World Trios Champions the Acclaimed & Daddy Ass!
-Bullet Club Gold will be in action!
-We’ll hear from “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson!
-AEW International Championship Open Challenge Match: Jon Moxley (c.) vs. Action Andretti!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, IN!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy came out to kick off the show!
“One of the greatest champions of all time in All Elite Wrestling, but after All Out, a former champion,” said Excalibur.
The fans chanted “Thank you Orange! Thank you Orange!”
Orange Cassidy: “Hey. Thank you. So, they told me to stay home. But I was like, nah, I’m not gonna do that. Championship or no championship, I will be here, every single week. Because I am ‘Freshly Squeezed’ Orange Cassidy, and I do not have a catchphrase.”
As Orange Cassidy was leaving the ring, out came the new AEW International Champion…Jon Moxley, and ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli! Orange stood on the ramp and watched as Moxley entered the ring.
AEW International Championship Open Challenge Match!
Jon Moxley (c.) vs. AR Fox (with Darby Allin)!
Fox dodged a lariat from Moxley, but Mox was there to chop away at Fox in the corner. Fox connected with a springboard dropkick. Fox flew over the top rope and wiped out Moxley on the floor!
Fox DDT’ed Moxley for a near fall. Moxley whipped AR Fox into the steel barricade. Fox rallied back with a thrust kick to the champ. Fox blasted Moxley with a cutter for a near fall.
Darby Allin and Nick Wayne were backstage watching the match on a monitor.
AR Fox vaulted off the ring post with a moonsault onto Moxley. Fox hit Mox with a 450 splash for a two-count. Moxley captured Fox and nailed him with hammer and anvil elbows. Moxley followed up with the King Kong Lariat and then the Death Rider to score the pin on AR Fox.
Darby Allin checked on AR Fox after the match. Nick Wayne was watching from the back when he was approached by Christian Cage and TNT Champion Luchasaurus.
Christian Cage told Nick Wayne that if he wanted a true mentor, Nick should be looking at him. “And say hi to your mom for me,” said Christian Cage.
TBS Championship Open Challenge Match!
Kris Statlander (c.) vs. Emi Sakura!
Sakura tried to surprise the champion with a quick roll-up. She followed up with a Tiger Driver on Statlander. Emi drove Statlander to the arena floor with a running crossbody press. Outside the ring, Emi nailed Kris with a crossbody press against the steel ring steps!
Back in the ring Emi stunned the champ with a lariat. Both women collided in the center of the ring with dueling lariats.
“Both women same idea and both women go down,” said Excalibur.
Statlander was brought back down with a swinging neck breaker and then a nasty vertical back breaker from Emi Sakura. Statlander connected with a discus lariat. Statlander smashed Emi with Wednesday Night Fever and pinned Emi!
Roderick Strong was backstage with The Kingdom—Matt Taven and Mike Bennett.
Strong: “Wrestling gave me an opportunity to be something I was not. No one was judging me for what my parents were not doing. Professional wrestling is not just a business to me. It is my everything. But Adam Cole already knew that. I grew up alone and I’m going to win this Grand Slam Tournament alone!”
Le Sex Gods—Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara
vs.
Aussie Open—Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis!
Don Callis joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Davis and Jericho started things with a collar and elbow tie up. Jericho chopped at Davis, but Davis returned fire. Sammy tagged in and Jericho and Sammy took Davis down with a double shoulder tackle.
Mark Davis did a cartwheel and then hit a double clothesline on Jericho and Sammy. Kyle Fletcher tagged in, and body slammed Sammy. Sammy hit Kyle with a corkscrew dropkick. Jericho tagged in and he and Sammy nailed Kyle with a delayed vertical suplex.
Davis and Fletcher smashed Jericho with stereo forearm smashes. Sammy came in with a cutter on Davis. Jericho fired back with a Code Breaker on Fletcher. Jericho connected with a dropkick off the turnbuckles. Sammy rocketed over the top with a tornillo onto Aussie Open on the arena floor!
Jericho went over the top rope but inadvertently landed on Sammy. Aussie Open made the dash around the ring with Jericho and Sammy and bashed them with the Collider. Aussie Open nailed Jericho with the Aussie Arrow with Davis grabbing a near fall on Jericho.
Jericho swept out the legs of Fletcher and tried for the Walls, but Fletcher escaped. Fletcher spiked Jericho with a brainbuster for a near fall.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Jericho charged at Fletcher, but Fletcher ducked, and Jericho inadvertently hit Sammy. Jericho cracked Fletcher with the Judas Effect and pinned him!
After the match, Sammy shoved Jericho. Jericho shoved back. AEW security had to separate the two men. Sammy walked out on Jericho.
“Sammy wants nothing to do with Jericho at this point in time,” said Excalibur.
“I’m sure they can patch it up,” replied Taz.
“The cracks in their relationship widening,” added Excalibur.
Renee Paquette interviewed Don Callis and Takeshita backstage!
Don Callis: “We made history and beat Kenny Omega twice in seven days. We’re going to have a celebration next week as well as the unveiling of our next target!”
Out Next: One-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions and AEW World Champion MJF!
MJF: “I got a question, who’s your daddy? As you know, this past Sunday, Adam Cole and I successfully defended our ROH World Tag Team Championships. And that mark Tony Khan says I have to wrestle again on September 20th. That’s Grand Slam. That’s the Devil’s Den. MJF is coming back to New York, New York. And whoever wins that Grand Slam Tournament is going to find out the hard way that no one is on the level of the devil.
“But there is one person that needs to be taught a lesson, and that…”
ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe came down to the ring!
Samoa Joe: “Now pardon the interruption champ, but I was in the back, and I heard a little piss and vinegar in your voice, and I wanted to get a front row for what was about to be said. What seems to be the problem, kid?”
MJF: “Kid? Joe, this must be really embarrassing for you. You must have confused my entrance for an ice cream truck.”
Samoa Joe: “That’s good. But to be quite honest, the last time I had anything to do with an ice cream truck, I was busy being the biggest star of the company’s other network. No, Max, I am here out of genuine concern. So, what’s the problem, kid?”
MJF: “That’s kid twice. You called me kid twice. You know what’s funny about me, Joseph? I’m pretty creative myself. Hey everybody look, it’s Pillsbury Joeboy. No, wait, that’s Samoa Dough.”
Samoa Joe: “Oh, jokes and venom. Now Max it seems that you’re having a hard time comprehending what is going on. So, I’m going to ask you again, Max, what is your problem, kid?”
MJF: “You call me kid one more time I’m going to knock your teeth down your throat! Time out, time out. That’s how you want me to react. Yeah, because you want to skip the line. I’m sorry, there’s a whole tournament if you want to wrestle the champion.
“To coin a phrase from my bro, who’s ready for story time with MJF? Back when I was 19 years old, I had a tryout with the WWE. I knocked it out of the park because I’m that damned good. I was pulled aside by William Regal, and we know the story. He said he would have signed me, but I was too young. He blew me off.
“And we all know how that story ended. I knocked his British ass packing and I sent him back to NXT where he belongs. And funny enough Joe, if you play your cards right, you’re next. Later on, that evening I was informed I would get to be security to walk a wrestling legend down the aisle. I was going to meet the great Samoa Joe.
“But what did you do, Joe? You decided to take a 19-year old kid who was just trying to do his job and you shoved me into a brick wall and you laughed. And let’s be honest Joe. I know why you did that. I know how scumbags think because I’m their scumbag.”
The fans chanted “He’s our scumbag! He’s our scumbag!”
MJF: “You did it because I was a kid, and you could get away with it. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m full grown and I am the AEW World Champion. I am the best wrestler on God’s green earth, and I headlined the most historic pay-per-view of all time, and I am MJF! So, Joey, if I were you, I’d stay out of my way or else I am going to kill you. And do you want to know why Joe? Because my name is MJF, and I am better than you and you know it!”
Samoa Joe: “That was a point beautifully made except there is one problem with it. I didn’t think of you as a kid when I pushed you. You know what I thought about you? I didn’t think you were a kid, Max, I thought you were a little bitch.”
MJF slapped Samoa Joe!
Samoa Joe: “Now this is you trying to provoke me. I’m not going to take your bait. I’m going to go through that tournament and beat everyone in it and then I’m going to come for you. Until then, champ, have a nice day.”
As MJF was walking through the ropes, Samoa Joe kicked the ropes and then stomped on MJF. Samoa Joe held up the AEW World Title until MJF kicked Samoa Joe between the legs! MJF charged at Samoa Joe, but Samoa Joe spiked him! Samoa Joe was looking to hit the Muscle Buster, but Adam Cole sprinted to the ring to even up the odds! Samoa Joe left the ring laughing.
Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
Trent Beretta (with Chuck Taylor) vs. Roderick Strong (with The Kingdom)!
Strong grappled Trent to the ground. Strong applied a front face lock. Strong hit a shoulder tackle but Beretta came back with a knee strike. Roderick Strong cracked Trent with a back breaker.
Trent launched off the top roe with a DDT on Strong, targeting the neck. Strong shoved Trent into the ring post. Strong planted Trent on the edge of the ring!
Roderick rocked Trent with the Sick Kick right on target! Trent used a hurracanrana off the top rope for a near fall on Roddy. Trent followed up with a half and half suplex. Trent spiked Strong with a piledriver, but Roddy got his boot on the rope to stop the ref’s count.
Strong cracked Trent with a knee strike and then finished him off with the End of Heartache, scoring the pin on Trent!
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview Toni Storm, and she asked Toni about the can of spray paint!
Toni: “It was such a blur. We must look forward. Renee, you are so nosey. You just poke. Next week I’ll be doing a sneak peek into my life.”
Tony Schiavone interviewed “Hangman” Adam Page in the ring!
Page: “I got a call Saturday night that there’d be a battle royal with the winner getting to donate $50,000 to the charity of their choice. So, I booked a flight, and I won the match and I got to donate money to teachers.
“I wanted to look forward. We’ve got a few months left in 2023 and I wanted to talk about what I wanted to do with the rest of—”
Prince Nana and Swerve Strickland interrupted, walking down to the ring!
Prince Nana: “Tony, you’ve done enough so far. Goodnight, my friend. Ladies and gentlemen, show some respect for Swerve Strickland.”
Swerve: “Being in a coffin for almost two weeks you get some clarity. You get some clarity. The first person that I thought of as soon as I got out was you, Hangman. Charity? Really? What are you some kind of mascot for AEW? You’re doing charity for Chicago Elementary System for children that are just going to flunk out anyway. And you weren’t on the main card at All Out competing for any championships.
“When All Elite started up, you were the cornerstone of this company. You were handpicked to be the franchise player and look what you’ve done. Former AEW World Tag Team Champion to former AEW World Champion. And now I’m looking at you on preshows. Or you lost your spot. Or you don’t even want it anymore.
“You got a whole new contract extension, so you’ve been eating good. Yeah, it’s been showing. You don’t have singles matches or promos on Dynamite anymore. You don’t even have title matches anymore. You took a backseat to the Elite.
“You’ve been handed a silver platter. If I would have gotten the opportunities that you got a year ago, I’d be the first AEW World Champion by now. So, I’ll leave you with this. Option A., ride off into the sunset. Move out of the way and let me take that slot that you don’t want. Or option B., you man up, you cowboy up to get that confidence, show these people what cowboy s—t is all about!
“Or we could this and you could fight me for that spot but forewarning, I have no regard for anybody. You choose to do this with me, I will walk you like a dog. Either way, I’m coming for that spot that you act like you don’t even want.”
Page: “If you want a match with me you go to the back and you get it. But I’m done with this s—t right now.”
Swerve: “It’s a shame that your wife and kid got to see their husband and father walk away from more responsibilities.”
Page returned to the ring and got in Swerve’s face! “The Machine” Brian Cage ambushed Page and nailed him with the Drill Claw!
“Like it or not, a phenomenal set up,” said Taz.
Main Event Time!
Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
Darby Allin vs. Nick Wayne!
Darby and Nick shook hands before the match began.
Darby and Nick traded pin fall attempts. Darby grabbed a side headlock. Darby went for a tope suicida, but Nick dodged it, sending Darby crashing into the steel guardrail!
Nick Wayne superplexed Darby and followed up with a fisherman’s buster for a near fall. Nick tried for a frog splash, but Darby raised his knees! Darby blasted Nick with a shotgun dropkick. Darby locked on a figure four leg lock. Nick Wayne reversed it, but Darby grabbed the ropes.
Nick and Darby collided with double crossbodies, knocking one another to the mat.
“Sternum to sternum, that’s tough full speed,” said Taz.
Darby and Nick traded strikes in the center of the ring. Darby asked for a microphone.
Darby: “You hit like an 18 year old. Hit me like you really want to win this!”
Darby put his hands behind his back and invited Nick to hit him. Nick nailed Darby with a thrust kick!
Christian Cage and TNT Champion Luchasaurus walked onto the ramp and joined the broadcast booth.
Nick flipped over the top rope and landed on Darby. Nick whipped Darby into the steel guardrail. Nick hit a frog splash off the ring post and down onto Darby on the arena floor! Nick followed up with the Wayne’s World for a near fall.
Nick Wayne attempted a Wayne’s World off the top rope, but Darby held on, knocking Nick to the mat. Darby was contemplating the Coffin Drop but had second thoughts. Nick applied the Last Supper for a near fall on Darby.
Darby stunned Nick with the Code Red for a two-count. Darby grabbed Nick’s arms and stomped the back of Nick’s head, knocking out Nick! Darby advances in the tournament!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH!
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c!
ALL OUT 2023 is in the books, and GRAND SLAM 2023 is right around the corner, and in-between All Elite Wrestling has some exciting stops along the way! This Wednesday night, we return to Indianapolis, IN and the Farmer’s Coliseum!
After seeing the Jericho Appreciation Society crumble around him, and dropping the match at ALL IN: LONDON to Will Ospreay, Chris Jericho has chosen to reunite with Sammy Guevara and bring Le Sex Gods into the tag team championship hunt! Plus, Hangman Page has some thoughts to share after winning the Over Budget Charity Battle Royale on the ALL OUT 2023: ZERO HOUR, AEW World Champion/ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF has something to say to ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe after their interaction on Sunday night, and the Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament begins!
DYNAMITE kicks off at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel and catch up on highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as ALL IN: LONDON, ALL OUT 2023, plus the newest edition of THE CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
GRAND SLAM WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL…
Over the next several weeks, eight men will compete in the Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament to determine MJF’s challenger for DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2023 on September 20th; we learned last week that Roderick Strong, despite his still healing neck, would be cleared to participate in this tournament, and he has promised to do what Adam Cole could not, that being defeat MJF to claim the championship. Before that can happen though, Strong has to actually win the tournament, and that means three opponents all trying to stop Roddy from achieving his goals as they strive to achieve their own.
The first of those opponents, and possibly the last of them, is one with whom Roderick Strong is quite familiar, though it’s been eight years since their last collision, and his name is Trent Beretta! First meeting in singles competition back in 2013 in the hallowed halls of Reseda, Strong and Beretta have fought in one-on-one bouts on three occasions and Roderick holds the advantage 2-1. Now those three bouts are not their only meetings over the last ten years, in fact when looked at on the whole, in their five bouts as opponent, it’s Beretta who holds the advantage 3-2.
Now they actually did team up one time in February 2014 and, sheer coincidence, one of the two men they faced happened to be the future “Hangman” Adam Page. Sadly the Roddy/Trent team was not a successful one, lasting just that one match, and they would resume a life as foes, albeit a brief one. Well this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, Roderick and Trent will reignite that old rivalry, if only for a night, as each pursues their goal of facing Maxwell Jacob Friedman at Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 20th! For Trent this is just about proving to himself, and the world, he is a premiere fighter both as a singles and a tag with Chuck Taylor, but for Roddy this is far more personal. The end of this road means fighting a man who Roderick believes destroyed his friendship with Adam Cole, who Roddy sees as usurping his position as Adam’s best friend, and the opportunity to get him in the ring is too good to pass up. There may be a long road to travel to get there, but the benefits are worth the work in the mind of Strong who would likely do anything to lay his chops into the flesh of Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
So can Roderick, fighting with this injured neck, rise to the occasion and continue on the path to GRAND SLAM 2023? Or will Trent Beretta stifle Strong at the starting line, leaving “Mr. ROH” further frustrated, and further away from his aspiration of showing up Adam Cole? And, the question should be asked, where does The Kingdom of Mike Bennett and Matt Taven fit into this scenario?
GRAND SLAM WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL…
It’s been a rough couple weeks for Darby Allin; he was battered in London during the tag team Coffin Match, he and Sting walking out the victors, but the former 2-Time TNT Champion saying as a result he is in more pain than he’s ever experienced in his life. Given everything we’ve seen Allin put himself through since joining AEW, that is saying a considerable amount, and that’s just from what happened at ALL IN: LONDON. Factor in this past Sunday, the fact that Darby is still a 2-Time TNT Champion rather than the reigning 3-Time, and all the hurt put on him by Luchasaurus, and then maybe one can garner an idea about where Darby Allin is at coming into this match.
And that’s just the physical side of things; mentally, he’s likely a bit out of sorts as well, especially given the tension between Nick Wayne and himself stemming from Darby’s willingness to forgive AR Fox’s transgressions. It’s hard to blame young Mister Wayne, after all Fox did participate in The Mogul Embassy’s assault on his late father’s training facility and on Nick himself. Fox did leave Nick laying in his own blood, and who knows if Fox would’ve ever been apologetic for his actions if Swerve Strickland and The Mogul Embassy hadn’t evicted him from their unit.
Suffice it to say when Darby accepted Fox’s apology, it did not sit well with Nick Wayne, but despite that fact, Nick was still there when Darby needed him both in England and in Chicago this past Sunday night, though it almost cost Wayne dearly at Christian Cage’s hands. So with both men, particularly Darby, still recovering from all this trauma, they will engage in the first one-on-one bout of their career! The winner of this will advance one step closer towards challenging MJF for the AEW World Championship at GRAND SLAM 2023 on September 20th, so there is a great deal at stake in this battle of mentor and protege.
Will the wounds of the last several weeks catch up with Darby and leave him vulnerable to young Mr. Wayne, or will Darby’s experience with fighting battered allow him to survive this bout and fight another day?
TAG TEAM BOUT…
Le Sex Gods (Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)
From the beginning of DYNAMITE, Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho have been part of each other’s lives, initially as The Inner Circle and later with The Jericho Appreciation Society, they have been bonded through thick and thin. Through Stadium Stampedes and Blood & Guts cages, they’ve been there for one another at nearly every turn since Jericho first brought “The Spanish God” under his tutelage.
Yes there has been separation, Guevara was the first man to walk away from The Inner Circle ahead of The J.A.S. being formed and they had their issues over the ROH World Championship, but when it’s come down to brass tacks, Sammy has always stuck by Jericho. As the entire J.A.S. walked away from “The Ocho” in the midst of his indecision regarding Don Callis, it was only Guevara who continued to show support for Jericho, and it continues to be Sammy by his side when all others have abandoned the original AEW World Champion.
So with this reunited duo setting their sights on the tag team division, it is very clear former ROH World Tag Team Champions Aussie Open have their issues with Le Sex Gods. Part of that may be due to Jericho’s issues with their United Empire cohort Will Ospreay, part of that may just be a warning of what’s in store for Jericho and Guevara if they choose to seriously compete in the tag team ranks. With a 6-5 record in those ranks since AEW’s inception, Le Sex Gods are just 1-1 in 2023 with their last tag bout being a loss to Darby Allin & Sting on June 28th. In other words, they’ve got a long way to go to be in contention for FTR’s AEW World Tag Team Championship titles, but if that’s the goal, may as well start with one of the baddest teams in All Elite Wrestling!
MJF IS NOT HAPPY…
Sunday night in Chicago was a great night if you entered the United Center as a champion; in four of the five championship bouts, it was the defending champion who retained, and that trend started with the ROH World Tag Team Champions Adam Cole & MJF, collectively dubbed Better Than You Bay Bay. Their fight against The Dark Order took its toll on both men, particularly MJF when Alex Reynolds dug up some of the old Dark Order nastiness and drove a steel chair into Max’s neck. Now that neck had been banged up in London during the course of his World Title defense against his own partner, and Alex took advantage of the referee’s distraction to deliver the weapon-assisted blow.
The situation forced Adam Cole to fly solo for quite some time, but eventually the AEW World Champion dragged himself back into the fray, and the defending ROH World Tag Champs found a way to defeat The Dark Order. MJF’s choice to return to the fight only served to exacerbate his injured neck, leading to AEW’s medical staff attending to the man for quite some time after the match, long enough that the next match had to send its competitors to the ring. Unfortunately for MJF, the first man to the ring was ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe, and in a moment hearkening back to Brooklyn circa 2016, Joe shoved Maxwell out of his way, and continued to the ring with a satisfied smile on his face.
Max wasn’t having it, but given his debilitated condition, there was little his body was going to let him do, and thus he ended up with Joe’s arms around his throat. Not the greatest moment for the AEW World Champion, but he wasn’t about to take Samoa Joe’s disrespect lightly regardless of the condition he was in after retaining the ROH World Tag Titles.
So this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, the AEW World Champion will be in the arena live and apparently with the intent to address what happened with Samoa Joe. As Joe’s inches towards Jay Lethal’s record as the longest-reigning ROH World TV Champ of all-time, does it seem the best idea for an injured MJF to confront the man?
HANGMAN FOR CHARITY…
During the ZERO HOUR on Sunday night, former AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page managed to survive a fight with nineteen other men to win the Over Budget Charity Battle Royal. For the victor of that fray would go a donation in their name of $50,000 to a charity of their choice. Hangman chose the Chicago Public Education Fund to receive the money, rather unsurprising given his own history as a teacher, but now that that victory is in the rear view, it’s time for Page to talk about his future.
With that in mind, the AEW faithful will hear from Hangman this Wednesday night; what he will have to say, where his head is at, we will all find out together live on TBS when DYNAMITE kicks off at 8pm ET!
This Wednesday night All Elite Wrestling returns to Indianapolis and the Farmer’s Coliseum for an all-new DYNAMITE, and the beginning of the road to GRAND SLAM 2023! The Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament kicks off with two Quarter-Final matches, AEW World Champion MJF will be on-hand live to address ALL OUT 2023’s engagement with Samoa Joe, Hangman Page will be in the house, and Le Sex Gods will be in action against Aussie Open!
DYNAMITE begins kicks off at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to check in on the official AEW YouTube channel and see highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as ALL IN: LONDON and ALL OUT 2023, and so much more!
Just seven days after the biggest night in All Elite Wrestling history, we are right back at it with our second pay-per-view offering in a week! ALL OUT has been at the heart of AEW since 2019 when Chris Jericho defeated Hangman Page to become the first AEW World Champion, and it has provided a lion’s share of memorable matches and moments every year since! The Chicagoland area has been home to this event every year save one, and 2023 will be no different, but for the very first time, ALL OUT will emanate from the United Center!
If you can’t be there in-person, click here for details on all the ways you can watch the pay-per-view event live no matter where you are in the world! Also be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the latest edition of CONTROL CENTER, highlights from ALL IN: LONDON, and more to get you up to speed for ALL OUT 2023!
AEW International Championship Match…
Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Jon Moxley
This past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, after Orange Cassidy bested Penta El Zero Miedo in his 31st International Championship defense, he was confronted by the next man scheduled to challenge for the title regardless of who won Wednesday night’s fight, former 3-Time AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.
Three years ago this would’ve seemed a largely lopsided fight, but in the time since Orange Cassidy fought his first AEW singles match at REVOLUTION 2020, coincidentally at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago as well as the same night Moxley won his first AEW World Championship, he has proven to be in a class all his own. There was never any question that Jon Moxley was at the top of the heap in All Elite Wrestling, he pretty much heralded that himself with how he arrived on the scene at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019, but Orange Cassidy has been questioned, doubted, bullied, and tested at every step of his AEW career.
It didn’t matter how he performed in that first fight with PAC, that he beat Chris Jericho in two straight matches, that he beat Adam Cole in a Lights Out Match, or that he took Will Ospreay to his limits at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2022, he was still doubted. But since the October 12, 2022 edition of DYNAMITE where he defeated “The Bastard” to claim the AEW International Championship, Orange Cassidy has done nothing but proven himself as one of the elite competitors in pro wrestling. His first two title defenses took place in Three Way bouts, he took on “The Wrestler” Katsuyori Shibata in his next, and from that point on, it has been a matter of fighting everyone who stepped up to the plate. Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, Big Bill, Jeff Jarrett, and Jay Lethal; they all fell before “Freshly Squeezed” and at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023 he really showed the world where he stood as champion when he took on 20 challengers simultaneously in the Blackjack Battle Royale. As a result of that many simultaneous challengers in Vegas, as Cassidy heads into this fight with Moxley, he has defended the AEW International Championship 31 times against 41 different men, and been champion for 326 days. He’s defended his title more times than any champion in AEW’s entire history across all divisions, and sits behind Jade Cargill’s 508-day TBS Title reign, Hikaru Shida 372-day AEW Woman’s World Championship reign, and Kenny Omega’s 346-day AEW World Championship run in terms of duration as champ.
And if that’s wasn’t enough to make the entire wrestling world stand-up and recognize the greatness of “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy, perhaps it should be noted that at 121 overall victories, he’s got more wins than any man in All Elite Wrestling, topping Jon Moxley’s 118 overall wins, though Mox does surpass OC as a singles competitor, holding 75 victories to Cassidy’s 68.
As if that wasn’t enough, Cassidy also has the longest active singles win streak in AEW with thirty-one consecutive victories, eclipsing Moxley’s run of 25 from 11/13/19-12/2/20 and HOOK’s from 12/10/21-7/19/23. All that put together, it could be argued that Orange Cassidy is the absolute best in All Elite Wrestling, that he is the measuring stick for the company, and that he is the one everyone else should be looking to as their litmus test.
Jon Moxley clearly is not a man who sees that to be the case, and after their engagement the last several weeks, including Stadium Stampede at ALL IN: LONDON, he aims to put OC to the test this Sunday at ALL OUT 2023! Mox aims to put Cassidy through the wringer in the process of proving that it is he and The Blackpool Combat Club who run AEW, and given the AEW career path that has brought both men here, this may be one of the most important pay-per-view matches in AEW’s history. It is also a night Jon Moxley could make history as the first AEW World Champion to capture another AEW singles championship!
OC has already made history during his International Championship reign, it started with being the man to level the belt up from the All-Atlantic to the International Championship, and has continued with each title defense he survives. But eventually the rigorous schedule Orange has kept will catch up to him, but will that point come this Sunday at the United Center? If there is anyone likely to push OC past that point, it is Jon Moxley, and if the defending champion can’t find an even deeper level to his reservoir of strength, he’s in for a rough night and most likely the end of his historic championship reign.
As much as Christian Cage may claim otherwise, as much as he would rather have the fans believe an alternative truth, the reality is that Luchasaurus is the TNT Champion, not Christian Cage. Cage may carry the belt around, may consistently refer to the belt as “his” TNT Title, but it was Luchasaurus who won the belt from Wardlow, it’s been the former AEW World Tag Champion who’s defended it since that victory over “The War Dog”, and it will be Luchasaurus who faces former 2-Time TNT Champion Darby Allin this Sunday night at ALL OUT 2023!
But what condition is the challenger in? Like so many others at ALL IN: LONDON, Darby went through tremendous physical punishment, but the x-factor of the coffin elevated his to a whole other level. He was slammed on the metal lid, went for a Coffin Drop on Swerve while Strickland was draped across the top only for Allin to find no one home when he crashed down, he was battered and bruised, but ultimately victorious, though it also came at the expense of young Nick Wayne. Wayne, seeking to balance the scales of the bout, ended up being taken away by The Right Hand of Destruction, but that wasn’t the end of the story.
This week on COLLISION we heard Nick Wayne speak on Darby Allin’s actions pertaining to AR Fox, leading Darby out to the ring to publicly discuss the issue, but even that was interrupted by Christian Cage, who proceeded to say horrid things about Wayne’s mother, and of course promised destruction would rain down upon Allin’s head in his TNT Championship fight with Luchasaurus. Of course it wouldn’t have been Cage if he didn’t, yet again, imply he was the actual TNT Champion, but of course it won’t be he who steps into the ring to face Darby Allin, it will be the former AEW World Tag Team Champion.
Can Darby overcome the size of Luchasaurus, the numbers game that will be played by Christian Cage, and the injuries he sustained at ALL IN: LONDON’s Casket Match? If so, he will become the second man after Sammy Guevara to achieve 3-Time TNT Champion status, but if he cannot, and Cage has his way, will there be anything left of Darby to dust off and try again?
Forty-two days, in the span of 42 days between 3/8/23 and 4/19/23 Powerhouse Hobbs managed to defeat Wardlow to claim the TNT Championship, defend it five times, and then lose it right back to Wardlow. It was not the way Hobbs anticipating his championship reign going when he won the belt, and after it ended, he spent some time on the House Rules loop getting back on track, leading to a five match win streak, including a smashing victory over Powerhouse Hobbs in the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarter-Finals.
Unfortunately he ran into a familiar foe named Ricky Starks in the Semi-Finals, and “Absolute” would best his former Team Taz partner en route to winning the entire tournament shortly thereafter. Again, not the way Hobbs wanted his COLLISION career to go, but he rebounded and has since won six consecutive bouts, including an eight-second victory last night in Chicago.
As impressive as that streak may be, as rapidly as Hobbs has dispatched those foes, perhaps the most impressive thing Hobbs has done is have the gumption to call out “The Redeemer” Miro for a fight! A former TNT Champion himself, Miro is one of the most intimidating men in all of professional wrestling, and to call him out for a fight is to court pain and punishment. Thus he is also the supreme test for a men looking to redeem himself for the key losses he’s experienced in 2023.
Will Hobbs live to regret his choice to goad Miro into battle? Will he be humbled before “The Redeemer”, or will Hobbs instead find that redemption he’s looking for?
The challenge was made by Ruby Soho, a woman that Kris Statlander has yet to defeat, and it appears a challenge born out of this Outcasts frustration at having never won a championship during the last 13 years. Just in All Elite Wrestling, after making her debut at ALL OUT 2021 by winning the Women’s Casino Battle Royale, she was frustrated in her first World Championship match at GRAND SLAM 2021 against Dr. Britt Baker, and sadly that would not be the last time Ruby’s dreams were dashed. A month later, in the inaugural TBS Championship Tournament, Soho would make it past Penelope Ford, Kris Statlander, and Nyla Rose but end up stifled in the finals by Jade Cargill, having to watch her claim status as the first TBS Champion. Even the AAA Mixed Tag Title alluded her and Ortiz at ALL OUT 2022 when they faced Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo on the ZERO HOUR, and finally at REVOLUTION 2023, in a Three Way where she and Saraya challenged AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter, Ruby was again turned away. The frustration is understandable, she is unquestionably one of the best wrestlers competing today, but has repeatedly failed to achieve the trophies that cement that fact in the history books.
That being said, it’s not as if Kris Statlander has had the easiest road to the status she now holds. Injuries have slowed her professional growth on multiple occasions since she first came to All Elite Wrestling, even her first AEW championship bout at REVOLUTION 2020 was tainted as Stat fought Nyla Rose with a debilitating flu that had kept her on bed rest for several days leading up to that night in Chicago. Even in the COUNTDOWN TO ALL OUT Statlander shared about her feelings as champion, a rather open look at the thoughts spinning around in her head despite defending her title eight times in the last 100 days on DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and on the HOUSE RULES tour. She has been a fighting champion from the moment she beat Jade Cargill at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023, and yet doubt still creeps.
It’s not an easy road for champion or challenger, both are driven to be the best, both have had their frustrations and setbacks, but only one has taken those challenges and used them to make herself a better version of who she was. Statlander has gotten tougher, she’s gotten stronger, and it’s led her to the status as TBS Champion whereas Ruby Soho has thrown her lot in with The Outcasts which in turn led her to watching both Saraya and Toni Storm become champions, although Toni’s current situation makes one question whether or not becoming a champion was worth the ramifications of losing it.
This Sunday, when Kris Statlander and Ruby Soho meet in their third singles match, it’s clear there is a bit more than the TBS Championship on the line for each woman. Pride, ego, legacy; they are all wrapped up in this fight between two of today’s best, but only one can walk away as champion while they other will have to find a way to handle with the disappointment and frustration…
Kenny Omega has been betrayed by Don Callis on so many levels since that Cage Match against Jon Moxley back in May, and yet this Sunday night at ALL OUT 2023 he will still come to fight in the face of that sting. Whether it was Callis throwing his support behind Will Ospreay at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, ripping Takeshita away from his growing alliance with The Elite, or signing up with BULLET CLUB GOLD, the man who was once akin to Omega’s uncle has done anything he can to wreck the former AEW World Champion’s life.
This all stems from some sense of ownership Callis has over Kenny’s career, some belief he is entitled to the credit though it is Omega who did the heavy-lifting of actually getting in the ring for the fight. Uncle Don may have shown a young Kenny the ropes, but it was Omega who did the work and earned monikers like “Best Bout Machine” and “The God of Pro Wrestling”. It was Kenny in the ring with Okada for their four matches that, over the course of three-plus hours, firmly established both men as the best in the world. It was Kenny in the ring with Chris Jericho at WRESTLE KINGDOM 12 and DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019 not Don Callis, and point of fact, the only actual accomplishment in Kenny’s career that Callis could take some credit for would be Omega defeating Jon Moxley to become the AEW World Champion. It’s undeniable that “The Invisible Hand” played a part in assisting Kenny’s championship challenge, but it’s certainly possible that it was Don whispering in Kenny’s ear that he needed his Uncle’s help to achieve that success.
That loyalty is simultaneously both Kenny’s biggest positive and negative, especially since his return to action in August 2022 after taking 10 months to recover from a litany of injuries collected over his wrestling career. Despite Callis’ entire oeuvre being a stark contrast to where The Elite stood as people in the fall of 2022, Omega kept Don by his side and Callis clearly bristled at the fact Kenny was not on the same page as he when it came to how to conduct business. Omega’s loyalty was that strong, his love for everything Uncle Don had been to him and his family was that strong, and yet Callis clearly grew unhappy with the fact he was no longer the primary voice in Kenny’s ear as he’d been during Omega’s championship reign.
All that anger and disappointment led Callis to betraying Kenny inside that Steel Cage, allowing Jon Moxley to get some revenge for Omega’s equally shady victories several years prior, and has taken us all down this path to ALL OUT 2023. It led Callis to put Takeshita inside the Blood & Guts Cage, and to pull him away from the fight when things weren’t looking promising for The Blackpool Combat Club, it led to the BC GOLD attack on Kenny when he sat down to talk to Jim Ross in Jacksonville, and now has Takeshita fighting Omega on Sunday night.
The relationship between Omega and Takeshita dates back to the earliest years of the latter’s career, so far back that Kenny was the opponent for the fifth match on record in Takeshita’s career, the first of their thirteen encounters in DDT Pro Wrestling between 9/30/12 and 10/26/14, all which posted them as opponents. It wasn’t until Takeshita first came to AEW in April 2021 that the two men fought as partners, and when he became a regular part of the roster one year later, it looked as if Takeshita would ride alongside The Elite as he pursued the growth of his own career.
Then Don Callis got in his ear, promising the sky, and turned Konosuke against those who’d supported him, leading to Takeshita’s impact on Omega’s face during Anarchy in the Arena at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023, and now here we are, four months later, with the two men colliding in their first AEW singles match, and their first head-to-head in a decade. It should be noted, though they were over a decade ago during Takeshita’s early days as a wrestler, Omega is 2-0 in their singles matches, but obviously Takeshita has grown exponentially since that time.
So should Takeshita fail in this singles match, will this be the end of Don Callis’ pursuit of Omega’s end? If Kenny walks away with the victory, will Uncle Don give up this mission to end his nephew, or is Kenny stuck in this infinite loop of Don Callis throwing everything at Omega just hoping he breaks until the weight of it all? And what is the future if Takeshita pins Omega as he did at ALL IN: LONDON? That is the kind of victory that potentially bolsters Takeshita up into championship contention, but what would it mean for Kenny Omega’s immediate future? The ramifications for this one will be felt for some time by all parties involved, but just looking at it as a fight, this one could possibly steal the show at ALL OUT 2023!
After defeating Aussie Open at ALL IN: LONDON to become the new Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions, Adam Cole and AEW World Champion MJF were informed they’d have to defend their championship against the winner of a Tag Team Battle Royale at ALL OUT 2023. So, in typical MJF fashion, he took the week off to recover from his UK journey while Adam Cole came to work only to be confronted by Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett, including Roddy throwing his name in the hat for the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions and telling Cole he would do what Adam couldn’t: beat MJF.
While that is indeed a concern for Cole, the more immediate matter is the match this Sunday with the winners of the aforementioned Battle Royale: The Dark Order of Alex Reynolds and John Silver! Though they have been part of AEW since the earliest days of DYNAMITE, the pair have only challenged one time for the AEW World Tag Team titles, during the reign of Jurassic Express, and they were unsuccessful in that endeavor. Since coming into the ROH fold back in April, the duo has been embroiled in their own violent affair with The Righteous, one that culminated with victory in the first-ever Trios Fight Without Honor at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023. But none of that matters to MJF who, having some experience with both Alex Reynolds and John Silver early in his career, doesn’t have a bit of respect for either man.
Well Dark Order is quite the motivated, driven duo, one whose bond runs far deep than just the last couple months of this year, and they aim to break this championship drought on Sunday night!
Adam Cole and Maxwell Jacob Friedman have proven themselves to be a strong tag team duo, with a genuine bond that defies all logic and reason, but they are facing a team who’ve been together for over a decade, and who have a whole lot to prove to themselves and the world. Adam Cole and MJF are in for a fight, and they will have to pull out every Double Clothesline, Kangaroo Kick, and any other offense to keep these ROH World Tag Team Titles around their waists.
ROH World Television Championship Match…
Samoa Joe(c) vs. Shane Taylor
The history of Samoa Joe in Ring of Honor has been well-documented; for 645 days he reigned as ROH World Champion, elevating the title from a regional one to World Championship status, and engaging in legendary fights that proved influential to the modern wrestling scene. Even after that reign ended at FINAL BATTLE 2004, Joe remained integral to the workings of ROH, claiming the ROH Pure Championship from Jay Lethal at MANHATTAN MAYHEM, and keeping that for 112 days until he was dethroned by Nigel McGuinness. Even then, his influence on both ROH and pro wrestling at large was felt as he engaged in one of the hardest-hitting, most memorable bouts in modern wrestling history when he fought the legendary Kenta Kobashi at JOE VS. KOBASHI, and even after Joe first parted ways with ROH in March 2007, his presence loomed large over every individual who held the ROH World Championship in his wake. All World Champions were compared to Joe and his legacy, and every big man who ever entered into ROH competition was sized up against Samoa Joe’s shadow as well.
That was the world into which Shane Taylor entered when he first joined Ring of Honor in November 2014 at GLORY BY HONOR XIII, and though he reigned as a dominating ROH World TV Champion for 218 days, and a ROH World Six Man Champion for 295 days, the comparisons to Samoa Joe never ceased, but Taylor never had a chance to tackle those comparisons head-on until now.
When Samoa Joe re-entered the ROH landscape at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2022, the fanbase was excited at the prospects of all that could be, speculating on if Joe would pursue the ROH World Championship he lost, or who he may want to lock horns with inside the squared circle. It turned out his first mission was to claim a championship that he had no opportunity to hold during his original ROH tenure simply because it did not exist until 2010, the ROH World Television Championship.
Shortly after his arrival, Joe dethroned Minoru Suzuki to claim the title, and 508 days later, he is still standing tall as the champion with 13 successful defenses to his reign! This makes Joe the second longest reigning TV champion of all time, behind Jay Lethal, and put him just above Shane Taylor on the list of successful defenses, a list Jay Lethal is also at the top of, having retained the belt on 36 occasions during his 567 days.
So it shall be this Sunday night in Chicago that two of Ring of Honor’s most dominant forces, two of the most imposing competitors in professional wrestling today, will engage in combat for the very first time, a right Taylor earned with victories over Serpentico, Christopher Daniels, and Gravity in an Eliminator Tournament. This is a fight about the championship, about legacy, and about who will be the dominant force moving forward, and for Shane Taylor, with a visit to his hometown of Cleveland looming next Saturday, it’s absolutely about being able to go home a champion!
NO DISQUALIFICATION STRAP MATCH…
“Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson
Well Ricky Starks certainly did not anticipate getting the match he’s got to face on Sunday night at ALL OUT 2023, he was looking to fight a 70 year old “Dragon” in a Strap Match, but instead he got a date with a different Dragon, an “American Dragon”. This came as a shock to the AEW faithful in Chicago, as well as those watching at home, as no one was aware Danielson was cleared for competition following his injury in the Kazuchika Okada match at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023.
To his credit, Starks recognized the mistake he had made, and essentially told the world “if this is the bed I made, than I’m going to make myself comfortable”. After all, it’s a huge opportunity for the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament winner, the chance to spoil Danielson’s return to action almost two years to the date since his AEW debut at ALL OUT 2021, and continue to rise up towards the championship status he craves.
Will Sunday night be Ricky Starks night, or will it be the night “The American Dragon” roars?
Tag Team Battle…
NJPW STRONG Open Weight Champion Eddie Kingston & ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata
vs.
Blackpool Combat Club (ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta)
The bad blood between Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli has kept these two men bonded across many, many years, and even years wrestling in drastically different spheres did nothing to lessen the feelings of disdain. It’s spread from AEW to Ring of Honor and back again, putting Kingston inside Blood & Guts alongside The Golden Elite, putting him on the same side of Stadium Stampede as The Best Friends and Penta El Zero Miedo, and even putting him at odds with a man who was like a brother: Jon Moxley.
It’s been story of Eddie and his strange bedfellows, doing whatever he needs to do in order to get to Claudio, uniting with whoever has motivates that align with his, and hoping it leads to ending Castagnoli. This Sunday night in Chicago that means uniting with ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata to face the ROH World Champion and the man Shibata dethroned to claim that Ring of Honor title, the only 2-Time Pure Champion in ROH history, Wheeler Yuta!
The sad reality is that the animosity between Claudio and Kingston will probably never be satiated as long as both men are breathing. It’s shattered promotional boundaries, it’s bled across years and years, and sustained itself even when both men were on opposite sides of the wrestling world. Given that these men were once friends, roommates even, it’s a shame it’s gotten to this point, but that familiarity has bred contempt like none other. Is this a case of mutually assured destruction? Can either survive their own hate?
Eight-Man Fight…
AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
vs.
BULLET CLUB GOLD (Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, Jay White, & Juice Robinson)
It may come as a shock in 2023, but in 2020 The Young Bucks and FTR actually united on two occasions ahead of their first clash at FULL GEAR 2020. Neither ended up as positive moments for the four men, they lost both the eight and ten man tags in which they participated, and as history as shown, they’ve since fought it out in three landmark bouts. The first won by The Young Bucks at FULL GEAR 2020, the second by FTR on the April 6, 2022 edition of DYNAMITE, and the third also by FTR at ALL IN: LONDON just a week ago. Though the brothers Jackson walked away from the match without shaking the hands of Dax and Cash, a common foe had brought them together once again this Sunday night at ALL O UT 2023.
BULLET CLUB GOLD has been a thorn in the side of FTR since the inception of COLLISION, and have also inserted themselves in Elite business time and again, including Kenny uniting with Ibushi and Hangman Page in a losing effort to Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Takeshita at ALL IN: LONDON. Now all the worlds collide as FTR and The Young Bucks try to put aside their differences to fight BC GOLD live on pay-per-view! Is it possible? Or will BC GOLD celebrate in the Windy City tonight!
ALL OUT 2023: ZERO HOUR…
-AEW World Trios Championship Match: The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens, Daddy Ass, & Max Caster)(c) vs. Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, & Satnam Singh
-ROH Women’s World Champion Athena, Diamante, & Mercedes Martinez vs. Hikaru Shida, Skye Blue, and Willow Nightingale
-Over Budget Charity Battle Royale: Winner gives $50K to the charity of their choice
ALL OUT 2023 emanates from the United Center in Chicago, IL this Sunday night, and live on pay-per-view beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT! Make a point to check out the official AEW YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFN4JkGP_bVhAdBsoV9xftA/videos) to get up to date with highlights from the lastest episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the CONTROL CENTER, highlights from ALL IN: LONDON, and more to get you ready for ALL OUT 2023!
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from the NOW Arena in Chicago, IL!
Yourbroadcast team was Excalibur, “The Ocho” Chris Jericho, and Tony Schiavone!
It’s Friday night and know what that means!
ROH Tag Team Battle Royale!
The winners face ROH World Tag Team Champions MJF & Adam Cole at All Out this Sunday.
Teams included:
-Dark Order’s John Silver & Alex Reynolds
-Aussie Open
-Best Friends
-Action Andretti & Darius Martin
-The Outrunners
-The Butcher & The Blade
-Gates of Agony’s Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona
-The Hardys—Matt & Jeff
-The Righteous
-Ryan Nemeth & Peter Avalon!
Butcher blasted the Outrunners with a double clothesline. Aussie Open were on the floor, waiting for things to clear out a bit before entering the match.
Vincent nailed Matt and Jeff Hardy with punches to the head. Aussie Open were softening up the competitors on the outside of the ring, pulling Bishop Kaun out and whipping him into the guardrail. Trent tossed Peter Avalon over the top.
Kyle Fletcher dropkicked Toa Liona, eliminating him from the match. Dutch hurled Butcher over the top rope. Vincent pulled Matt Hardy out of the ring, and then the Dark Order eliminated Jeff Hardy.
Fletcher and Davis sandwiched Chuck Taylor with double clotheslines and then threw him out of the ring. Trent, John Silver, and Aussie Open were the last four remaining in the match. Trent tried to fight off both members of Aussie Open, but they cracked him with double forearms. Trent hit a half and half suplex on Davis. Trent pulled Davis over the top. John Silver blindsided Trent and eliminated him!
“Dark Order with a huge opportunity,” said Excalibur.
After the match, Aussie Open approached the broadcast booth and trash talked Jericho. They attacked Jericho. Sammy Guevara came out with the baseball bat, evening up the odds. Aussie Open retreated.
Nick Wayne & AAA Mega Champion El Hijo Del Vikingo
vs.
Kip Sabian & Gringo Loco!
Gringo Loco and Vikingo chain wrestled, countering one another’s flurry of offense. Nick Wayne tagged in, as did Kip Sabian.
Nick Wayne nailed Kip with a flying European uppercut. Penelope Ford jumped on the apron to distract the ref. Kip hit a moonsault to Nick Wayne on the arena floor.
Kip crashed into Nick in the corner with a cannonball. Gringo Loco tried for a moonsault but Nick Wayne countered with his knees. Vikingo tagged in and caught Kip in the face with a corkscrew kick. Vikingo rocked Gringo Loco with an avalanche poison rana! Nick nailed Kip with Wayne’s World! Vikingo used the 630 senton on Gringo Loco and scored the pin!
“I’ve never seen anybody like El Hijo Del Vikingo in my life,” said Tony Schiavone.
Bryan Keith vs. “Hangman” Adam Page!
Hangman booted Bryan in the face. Page charged at Bryan in the corner and then chopped away at him. Bryan Keith turned things around with a suplex throw to Page.
Page sent Keith across the ring with a fallaway slam. Keith clipped Page with a kick, but Hangman fired back with a Buckshot Lariat. Hangman grabbed the victory with a pin.
Strong: “This is between me and Adam. Adam knows what he did. If you don’t know that that is, I can’t help you. I don’t appreciate the fact that you’re questioning me like I’m on trial, Renee. Let’s go, fellas. Why don’t you ask Adam about him, since you’re so concerned.”
Roderick Strong walked away with the Kingdom!
Main Event Time!
Skye Blue & Willow Nightingale
vs.
Taya Valkyrie & Anna Jay!
Willow grabbed in inside cradle on Taya for a near fall. Willow suplexed Taya and then splashed her in the corner. Skye Blue tagged in and cracked Taya with an elbow strike.
Taya nailed Willow with the backstabber after Anna distracted Willow from the apron. Skye tagged in and blasted Anna with a shotgun dropkick. Anna blocked a thrust kick. Skye connected with a diving cross body to Anna for a near fall.
Skye rocked Anna with a knee strike for a two count. Willow walloped Taya with a spinebuster. Taya speared Skye Blue. Willow fired back with a pounce to Taya!
Anna inadvertently hit Taya with a thrust kick. Skye wasted no time and used the Code Blue to pin Anna Jay. Taya blindsided Skye, not taking the loss easily. Willow chased Taya out of the ring.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, IN!
Don’t miss AEW Collision live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the United Center in Chicago, IL, featuring:
-AEW World Trios Championship Match: The Acclaimed (c.) vs. Daddy Magic, Cool Hand Ang, & Daniel Garcia!
-Trios Match: The Outcasts vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., Hikaru Shida, & TBS Champ Kris Statlander!
-AEW World Tag Team Champ Dax Harwood vs. “Switchblade” Jay White!
– “Absolute” Ricky Starks challenges Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat to a Strap Match at All Out!
-NBA Hall of Famer “The Worm” Dennis Rodman returns to the United Center!
This Sunday order AEW All Out 2023 from the United Center in Chicago, IL, live on pay-per-view at 8PM ET/5PM PT!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from NOW Arena in Chicago, IL!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
Jon Moxley vs. Komander (with Alex Abrahantes)!
Moxley wiped out Komander with a big boot as the bell rang. Moxley jabbed and chopped at Komander in the corner turnbuckles. Komander fired back with head scissors. He jumped off the top rope and connected with a high cross body press to Moxley on the arena floor.
“He caught all of Moxley,” said Taz.
Back in the ring, Moxley dug his nails into Komander, clawing at his back. Komander missed a Cancun Tornado, as Moxley moved out of the way. Komander countered a powerbomb with a facebuster to Mox.
Komander nailed Moxley with clotheslines, but Moxley didn’t budge. Finally, Komander connected with a dropkick to the inside of Moxley’s knee and then DDT’ed him. Komander cracked Mox with a lung blower for a near fall.
Komander walked the ropes and jumped off with a 450 but Mox countered by raising his knees. Mox spiked Komander with a piledriver for a near fall. Moxley pounded Komander with the hammer and anvil elbows and then applied the rear naked choke, forcing Komander to tap out!
Footage was shown from backstage at All In! AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR were talking with the Young Bucks when Bullet Club Gold interrupted.
And it was announced that Tony Khan made it official!
This Sunday at All Out, it’ll be an 8-Man Tag Match!
AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR & the Young Bucks vs. Bullet Club Gold!
Renee Paquette interviewed Toni Storm backstage!
Storm: “Don’t get me wrong. I’ve very happy for Saraya but she went completely off script and now I have no title, no friends. Ruby hates me. Wimbley went tits up! I can’t trust anyone. I can’t Saraya. I can’t trust Ruby!”
Chris Jericho came out to the ring alone!
Jericho: “I will never forget the show at Wembley, but there is something I would like to forget. And that is how I treated my brother, Sammy Guevara, after the match. Sammy if you’re back there, please come out now.”
Sammy Guevara walked down to the ring.
Jericho: “I know I pushed you after my match. I was frustrated after losing to Will Ospreay. I should have never taken it out on you. I didn’t know if you did everything on your end to help me, but watching back, I saw what you did. We all lie, cheat, and steal here, and you did that, and I want to apologize for not thinking you did everything you could have done.”
Sammy: “I told you Chris, I always have your back, and a little push isn’t going to break us up.”
Jericho: “I’m still replaying the Ospreay match in my head, questioning what I could have done to win it. Maybe you could have hit him harder with the baseball bat.”
Sammy: “When I was watching it, Chris, I thought in my head, maybe if you hit him a little harder with the Judas Effect, maybe you could have gotten it done. Maybe.”
Jericho: “Sometimes when I ask you to do something, it doesn’t turn out like I envisioned it. That’s all.”
Sammy: “Maybe if I wasn’t so worried about having your back, maybe I could have wrestled at Wembley.”
Jericho: “Maybe if you continue to follow my advice, then maybe next year you will wrestle on that show next year at Wembley Stadium.”
Sammy: “I’ll follow that advice and maybe I won’t lose next year at Wembley Stadium like you did.”
Sammy threw his microphone down and had a stare down with Chris Jericho.
Jericho: “Hold on. Let’s not say something that we’re going to regret later. We’ve been together since day one here in AEW. So, let’s get back to what we do best. Let’s reunite Le Sex Gods. Next week let’s start on the road to becoming the AEW World Tag Team Champions.”
Sammy and Jericho hugged and smiled.
NJPW Strong Openweight Championship Match!
Eddie Kingston (c.) vs. BCC’s Wheeler Yuta!
Kingston and Yuta locked up. Yuta slapped Kingston. Yuta began to work over Kingston’s taped up elbow. Moxley and Claudio were watching the match on a monitor backstage.
Kingston used an exploder suplex on Yuta for a near fall. Yuta blocked the spinning back fist and fired back with a German Suplex for a two-count on Eddie.
Kingston chopped Yuta until Yuta blocked one. Yuta nailed Eddie with repeated elbows. Kingston came back with a half and half suplex. Eddie rocked Yuta with two spinning backfists and pinned Yuta!
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli walked to the ring and helped Yuta to his feet. Claudio didn’t look at Kingston once, showing a complete lack of respect.
Footage was shown from backstage after the main event of All In: London. Adam Cole and MJF were talking. MJF said Tony Khan informed him that there’d be a battle royal on Rampage to determine who will face Adam Cole and MJF for the ROH World Tag Team Titles at All Out this Sunday in Chicago. MJF also said there was going to be a tournament kicking off next week to decide who gets to face MJF for the Triple B at Dynamite: Grand Slam on September 20th. But first, MJF was going to have a week off to spend some time in Paris.
Adam Cole: “If anyone’s earned a week off, champ, it’s you. I love ya, man.”
Renee Paquette was interviewing Sammy Guevara backstage when Don Callis interrupted!
Callis: “It’s hard being Jericho’s friend, isn’t it? Don’t you find it challenging having to deal with a sociopath like that?”
Sammy: “Stop talking, I know what you’re up to. I have a family. I didn’t leave my family to come to Chicago to come talk to you. So, get lost!”
ROH World Tag Team Champion Adam Cole came out to the ring!
Adam Cole: “I lost in the main event at Wembley, and that hurt, but I know at some point I’ll get another shot for the AEW World Title. Now concerning my good friend, MJF, his neck is pretty banged up. But I promise you this Sunday at All Out live in Chicago, MJF is going to be ready to go.”
Roderick Strong came to the ring with the Kingdom! “Adam!” yelled Strong.
Strong: “So you care more about the fact that Max’s neck is bad than you care about my neck? Is my neck health not important to you?”
Cole: “This is getting absurd.”
Mike Bennett: “Let me take you back 2010, Ring of Honor. It’s a 21 year old Adam Cole versus a 25 year old Mike Bennett. We got each other signed to Ring of Honor that night and I felt like we were bonded for life. You were at my wedding, man. You hosted my bachelor party the night before.
“We picked each other up during our worst moments and celebrated during our best moments. But you forgot what we meant to you.”
Matt Taven: “Shut your mouth, Cole. This is just who you are. You needed us. You needed the Kingdom to take over Ring of Honor and once you did you jumped ship to join the Bullet Club. Then you went to Florida and surrounded yourself with all our friends. And now you want to come here and say you’re a changed man? You’re a liar. You’re still the same leech. When you look at pictures of the past, do you ignore all the people around you? Because I think you believe you’re standing there alone. Because that’s the only person you care about.”
Cole: “You know for a fact that that’s not true. If I made you feel that way, I am so sorry. We were all close at one point. But the three of you need to accept that not only is Max my friend, but he’s also my best friend.”
Strong: “I can’t accept that. I’m entering that Grand Slam Tournament and I’m going to do what you can’t do. I’m going to beat MJF and become the new AEW World Champion and I’m going to do that with my real friends in the Kingdom by my side.”
Cole: “You know your neck is not in good shape.”
Strong: “Oh, Cole is pretending to care about me. I don’t need a neck that’s 100 percent to win. Bad neck or not, I’m going to break everyone’s back and win that tournament because I am a wrestling legend!”
Baker bludgeoned Sakura with forearms and then took her down with a sling blade. Shafir distracted the ref while Nyla hit Baker with a knee.
Rose, Shafir, and Sakura employed quick tags to work over Baker in their corner, isolating her. Statlander grabbed a tag and cleaned house, hammering Shafir. Statlander slammed Shafir onto the mat from off her shoulders. Baker inadvertently connected with a thrust kick to Shida. Nyla chokeslammed Baker.
Statlander climbed to the top and jumped onto the pile of opponents on the arena floor! Kris nailed Shafir with the Wednesday Night Fever tombstone piledriver and pinned Shafir. After the match, Ruby Soho jumped into the ring, ambushed Kris, and leveled her with the No Future kick! Ruby walked away with Statlander’s TBS championship!
It was announced that Shane Taylor will be facing Samoa Joe for the Ring of Honor World TV Championship this Sunday at All Out!
The AEW World Trios Champions the Acclaimed and Daddy Ass came out to the ring!
Daddy Ass: “Chicago, I have some really good news I’d like to share with you. Daddy Ass is back. Last Sunday was a really good day for us. At Wembley, we became Trios Champions.”
Max Caster: “80,000 people witnessed us capture the Trios titles. But we thought it was fitting that we come back to this crowd in Chicago and promise that we will lift these titles with pride as we dominate the trios division. I wanted to start with a ribbon cutting ceremony.”
Anthony Bowens: “There is a new era in the trios division and this is our house now. Chicago, welcome to the House of Ass. And in this house, we wear pink, which is why Billy, if you take a look at these titles, these are kind of dull. So, Max and I have a little surprise for you.”
Bowens and Caster revealed brand new custom AEW World Trios Championship belts with a hot pink leather strap.
Bowens: “Saturday night, live on Collision, we’re going to defend the Trios Titles!”
Main Event Time!
AEW International Championship Match!
Orange Cassidy (c.) vs. Penta El Zero Miedo (with Alex Abrahantes)!
The winner faces Jon Moxley this Sunday at All Out on pay-per-view.
Orange and Penta had a stale mate early in the match, each countering one another’s moves. Orange tried for a tope, but Penta caught him, and press slammed him into the steel barricade!
Cassidy finally connected with a tope suicida. Cassidy went for the Orange Punch, but Penta countered with a thrust kick. Penta flipped over the top rope and crashed right down onto Orange’s hand!
Orange countered a suplex with a Stun Dog Millionaire and then a DDT on Penta for a near fall. Penta punted Orange in the ribs. Penta followed up with a backstabber for a two-count on the champ.
Penta chopped down the champ with thrust kicks, and continued the assault on Orange’s right arm, looking to neutralize the threat of the Orange Punch. Orange and Penta traded Canadian Destroyers!
“What the hell are we watching? My God! It’s amazing,” said Tony Schiavone.
Penta blasted Orange with the Made in Japan for a near fall!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Orange nailed Penta with the Beach Break for a near fall. Orange went for the punch, but Penta countered with a thrust kick to Orange’s hand. Cassidy ate a thrust kick on the apron. Penta smashed Orange with the Made in Japan on the ring apron! Somehow Orange kicked out of the pin attempt at the last possible moment.
Penta stomped on Orange’s right arm. Penta pulled back on Orange’s arm. Penta crushed Orange with the Fear Factor for a near fall. Orange held on, cradled Penta, and pinned him!
“Penta was stunned that Orange Cassidy was able to kick out of the Fear Factory and Orange took that moment to score the victory,” said Excalibur.
Orange: “I don’t usually like to talk but yet here we are. I am so tired. My body hurts. And every single time I have a title defense, the backpack gets a little heavier. But I’m here. I’m wrestling. I’m defending the International Championship because this means everything to me. This is what AEW is. It’s about putting a person that was told, ‘You’ll never do anything,’ I’m the champion.
“And I will continue to defend my championship for as long as I want and there is nothing anyone can do to take it from me. Jon Moxley, you’d better bring more than a fork. Because I am ‘Freshly Squeezed’ Orange Cassidy and I do not have a catch phrase.”
Moxley stormed down to the ring! Moxley shoved Orange and Orange slapped Moxley! Moxley flipped off Orange and walked away.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, IN!
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c!
AEW presented All In: London live from Wembley Stadium today!
It’s Sunday and you know what that means!
The Zero Hour portion of the show kicked off! Your announce team for Zero Hour was Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, & Taz!
ROH World Tag Team Championship Match!
Aussie Open (c.)—Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis
vs.
Better Than You BayBay—AEW World Champion MJF & Adam Cole!
Aussie Open blindsided Cole and MJF at the start of the match. They bashed Cole and MJF with the collider outside the ring!
Davis planted MJF and splashed him for a two count. Fletcher whipped Cole into the steel guardrail. MJF was looking for the kangaroo kick, but Davis clipped him from behind. Cole made the tag and kicked Davis in the jaw, and then dished one out to Fletcher.
Fletcher charged at Cole and Cole superkicked him. MJF and Cole went for the double clothesline, but Davis pulled Fletcher out of the ring. Aussie Open pulled out Cole and swarmed him before MJF could do his dive. Aussie Open nailed MJF with the Aussie Arrow for a near fall.
MJF connected with the kangaroo kick on Aussie Open! MJF and Cole hit the double clothesline on Kyle Fletcher and Cole pinned Fletcher!
Your new ROH World Tag Team Champions…Better Than You BayBay!
Seven-Time Women’s World Champion Mercedes Mone was shown watching the action in the stadium seats!
Jim Ross joined the broadcast booth for the second half of Zero Hour!
FTW Championship Match!
Jack Perry (c.) vs. HOOK!
Jack Perry arrived in a limo. Jack Perry exited the vehicle and stood on the roof, holding up his FTW Championship. Hook walked up the ramp and the two began to brawl! Hook hurled Jack Perry across the hood of the vehicle. Hook sent Jack Perry hard into the open door of the limo. Jack Perry suplexed Hook on top of the car!
Jack Perry channeled RVD and used a Rolling Thunder on Hook on the hood of the car. Hook planted Perry with a fisherman buster suplex onto the front windshield! Jack Perry fired back with a draping DDT on Hook. Jack Perry teased going Coast-to-Coast but then gave the packed stadium the double middle fingers instead.
Perry crunched Hook with three German Suplexes. Hook rallied back with a German Suplex of his own for a near fall. He hit a second German on Perry! Hook T-boned Perry into the turnbuckles! Perry nailed Hook with a Tiger Driver for a two-count. Hook dodged a moonsault. Hook bashed Perry with a trashcan on the skull. Hook locked in Red Rum and forced Jack Perry to tap out!
Your new FTW Champion…HOOK!
Nigel McGuinness joined the broadcast booth for the next match.
The broadcast team to start the pay-per-view portion of the event was Excalibur, Jim Ross, and Nigel McGuinness.
“Real World Championship” Match!
CM Punk (c.) vs. Samoa Joe!
Samoa Joe and CM Punk locked up, with Joe muscling Punk into the turnbuckles. Punk smiled as he put Joe in a headlock. Samoa Joe slid out of the ring and chopped at Punk. Back in the ring, Samoa Joe rattled CM Punk with chops and a headbutt.
CM Punk dumped Samoa Joe on his head with a hurracanrana. CM Punk tried for a dive over the top rope, but Samoa Joe moved, with Punk crashing onto the arena floor. Punk tried for a hurracanrana, but Samoa Joe caught him and swung him through the bottom of the broadcast table. Punk was busted wide open! Samoa Joe targeted the laceration with jabs.
Samoa Joe clocked CM Punk with a high boot and then sat out with a senton splash for a near fall. CM Punk got in an instinctive headshot, dropping Samoa Joe with a roundhouse kick. CM Punk hit a leg drop on Samoa Joe, but Joe kicked out at the one-count. Samoa Joe powerslammed CM Punk. Samoa Joe countered an incoming knee strike with a powerbomb. Joe transitioned into an STF on Punk. CM Punk escaped and collapsed Joe with a roundhouse kick.
CM Punk paid homage to Terry Funk with a spinning toe hold on Samoa Joe. CM Punk attempted the rising knee strike again, but Samoa Joe countered with the STJoe! Samoa Joe was looking for an avalanche brainbuster, but Punk chomped down on Joe’s head. CM Punk nailed Samoa Joe with the Pepsi Plunge and pinned him!
Trios Match!
The Golden Elite—Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page, & Kota Ibushi
vs.
Bullet Club Gold—Juice Robinson, Jay White—& Konosuke Takeshita (with Don Callis)!
Don Callis joined the broadcast booth for this match. The Gunns were ringside with Bullet Club Gold.
Omega and Hangman ping ponged Juice with chops! Ibushi tagged in and Juice immediately tagged out to Jay White. Ibushi tried for a roundhouse kick, but Jay ducked it. Jay smashed Ibushi with forearms, but Ibushi didn’t budge. Ibushi blasted Switchblade with a hard kick.
Takeshita entered the fray, but Omega took him down with a hurracanrana. Omega wiped out Takeshita and Jay White with the Terminator Dive!
Ibushi and Takeshita squared off and exchanged forearms. Takeshita clocked Omega with the Takeshita line! Hangman grabbed a tag and Page cleaned house on Juice and Switchblade. Hangman hit Jay White with a dive from the top rope for a near fall. Jay White escaped a Dead Eye attempt. Ibushi tagged in and nailed White with a standing moonsault press.
Ibushi, Omega, and Page triple teamed Jay White. Ibushi planted Jay White with a German Suplex for a near fall. Jay White rallied back, spiking Ibushi with a uranage. Omega and Takeshita tagged in for their respective teams. Omega dished out snapdragon suplexes all around. Takeshita was there to wallop Omega with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall!
Omega cracked Takeshita with a poison rana! Hangman was looking for the Buckshot Lariat, but the Gunns jumped up on the apron. Page knocked them to the floor and then took them out with a moonsault. Page went for the Buckshot Lariat on Takeshita but Jay White shoved Takeshita out of the way. Switchblade sent Page flying with a half and half suplex. Ibushi rocked Jay White with a running knee strike.
Juice Robinson scored with a leg lariat on Ibushi, but Omega was there to facepalm and dunk Juice onto the mat. Takeshita decimated Ibushi with a jumping knee strike!
“Ibushi is in dire straits,” said Jim Ross.
Hangman hit Takeshita with a blindside Buckshot Lariat! Jay White was trying for a Blade Runner on Omega, but Omega escaped and countered with a massive knee strike. Omega cracked Juice with a knee strike! Omega connected with a V Trigger on Jay White! Out of nowhere, Takeshita rolled up Omega and pinned him!
“Did you see that?! We just changed the world,” said Don Callis.
AEW World Tag Team Championship Match!
FTR (c.)—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood
vs.
The Young Bucks—Matt & Nick Jackson!
The Young Bucks’ attire was an homage to Freddie Mercury.
There were dueling chants for “Let’s go Young Bucks! F-T-R!”
Nick Jackson scoop slammed Cash Wheeler. Cash answered with a slam of his own onto Matt Jackson. FTR employed quick tags, but the Bucks had a similar strategy. The Bucks sent FTR over the top rope and down onto the arena floor with stereo clotheslines. Nick connected with a corkscrew over the top onto FTR!
“The Bucks have found their groove,” said Jim Ross.
Nick Jackson stuck Cash with a senton for a near fall. Matt Jackson dropped an elbow on Cash, ala Bret Hart. Cash tried to tag out to Dax but Matt superkicked Dax, preventing the tag. Matt DDT’ed Cash. Nick Jackson springboarded but Cash fended it off with a forearm.
Dax grabbed a tag and suplexed Nick onto Matt Jackson. Dax nailed Matt with three German Suplexes. Matt answered with his locomotion Northern Lights. Matt used a stalling Northern Lights Suplex on Dax for a two-count. Dax answered with a German of his own!
“This is an outstanding match,” said Jim Ross.
Dax applied a sharpshooter to Matt. Cash put Nick in a sharpshooter on the apron! FTR spiked Nick with a piledriver, with Cash getting a near fall. Matt saved Nick from the Shatter Machine! The Bucks blasted Dax with superkicks! The Bucks spiked Dax with a piledriver, and Nick scored a near fall.
Dax dodged the BTE Trigger and then Cash speared Nick through the ropes! FTR nailed Matt with the FTR Trigger and followed up with the Shatter Machine! Matt kicked out at the two-count!
Cash attempted a springboard 450 but Matt moved out of the way! He superkicked Cash and scored a near fall! The Bucks hit Cash with the BTE Trigger, but Dax broke up the pin attempt that followed. The Bucks smacked Dax with a Shatter Machine! The Bucks rocked Cash with a second BTE Trigger, but Cash kicked out of the pin attempt!
Wembley chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
The Young Bucks were thinking Meltzer Driver, but FTR countered with the Shatter Machine on Nick, with Cash pinned Nick!
FTR offered their hands as a sign of respect to the Young Bucks, but the Young Bucks turned away and left the ring.
Stadium Stampede Match!
Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta & Mike Santana and Ortiz
vs.
Eddie Kingston, Penta El Zero Miedo, Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor!
Tony Schiavone joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Kingston charged straight for Claudio! Both teams paired off and brawled around the ring! Santana and Ortiz and the Best Friends traded strikes in the ring.
Moxley used a branding iron on his opponents! Penta smacked Santana and Ortiz with a steel chair! Penta dropped both of them with sling blades!
Moxley planted Penta with a cutter. He followed up with a Paradigm Shift on Penta. Moxley pulled out skewers, but Penta whacked Mox with a steel chair! Penta spiked the skewers in Moxley’s head and followed up with the Made in Japan!
Claudio and Kingston brawled throughout the concourse! Mike Santana powerbombed Penta onto two steel chairs in the ring! Moxley mauled Orange Cassidy with a fork! Orange was busted wide open! Moxley planted Orange with a brainbuster onto a steel chair! Moxley raked a barb wire board onto Trent’s face.
Ortiz cracked Trent with a kendo stick that was wrapped in barb wire. Kingston jabbed Wheeler with an umbrella in the mouth. Santana and Ortiz powerbombed Trent onto a ladder in the corner. Moxley sent Trent flying onto a plank covered in barb wire. Ortiz splashed Trent for a near fall.
Moxley spiked Trent with a piledriver onto the ring steps! Ortiz continued to attack Orange with a fork to the head!
A white minivan pulled up. It was Trent’s mom Sue! Mox kissed her and Trent began smashing the BCC with trays of Sue’s cookies! Music began to rumble, and Penta Oscuro came out through the entrance!
“Penta looking for revenge for what was done to his brother!” said Excalibur.
Penta and Santana traded stiff shots on top of the ladder and then the ladder collapsed under their combined weight. Penta went back up and smashed Santana with a sunset powerbomb through two tables!
Orange and the Best Friends swarmed Wheeler Yuta in the ring. Ortiz punished Chuck Taylor with baking sheet shots. Yuta pulled out a screwdriver and charged at Chuck Taylor, but Taylor dodged the attack. Chuck planted Wheeler with the Awful Waffle, but Claudio jumped into the ring and broke up the pin. Moxley rocketed out of the ring, through the ropes and straight at Chuck Taylor!
Claudio grabbed Orange Cassidy and put him in the Giant Swing! Trent superplexed Ortiz off the top turnbuckle and through tables on the arena floor! Cassidy clocked Claudio with three Orange Punches for a near fall! Orange wrapped tape around his fist, broke a bottle into a bucket, and then placed his fist in there. Orange pulled out his taped fist and it was covered in broken glass! Moxley dropped Orange with his right hand before Orange could do any damage to Claudio.
Orange DDT’ed Mox into the broken glass! Claudio hoisted up Orange and pulped him with a European Uppercut!
Eddie Kingston marched to the ring with a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire, like Terry Funk, battering anyone in his path! Kingston smacked Claudio repeatedly with the chair! Moxley pulled the chair out of Kingston’s hands, and they had a bloody stare down! Moxley was looking for the Paradigm Shift, but Kingston countered with a spinning backfist. Kingston tackled Moxley through a table. Orange connected with a broken glass Orange Punch to Claudio and pinned him!
“Holy smokes he won it!” said Tony Schiavone.
AEW Women’s World Championship Match!
Hikaru Shida (c.) vs. Saraya vs. Toni Storm vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.!
Saraya made her entrance with her family and Queen’s “We Will Rock You” playing!
Toni Storm walked to the ring with “God Save the Queen” echoing throughout Wembley.
Saraya and Storm worked in tandem to powerbomb Shida. Baker hit a neck breaker on Saraya for a near fall. Toni smashed Baker with a hip attack in the corner. Saraya and Toni began to argue as they both went to cover Baker for the pin attempt.
“Things are breaking down before our eyes,” said Excalibur.
Shida stacked the Outcasts in the corner and then charged at them with a running knee strike. Shida suplexed Saraya into Toni Storm. Baker walloped Storm with the sling blade. Saraya blindsided Baker with a thrust kick.
Saraya’s mom was in the front row and held back Baker while Storm chopped Baker. Storm charged at Baker, but Baker dodged her, and Storm inadvertently collided with Saraya’s mom! Saraya clubbed Toni with her forearm. Toni answered in kind! Toni Storm stripped off the bottom turnbuckle pad and propped Saraya against it. Storm was setting her up for the hip attack when Ruby Soho sprinted to the ring, trying to restore some order between her fellow Outcasts.
Ruby pleaded with Storm, but Storm knocked her down! Saraya got up and connected with a thrust kick to Toni Storm. Shida rocked Saraya with a missile dropkick. Baker dropped Shida with a swinging neck breaker.
“So many moving parts,” said Excalibur.
Saraya tied up Storm in a submission, but Baker was there to curb stomp Storm! Shida hammered Baker with strikes. Shida hoisted up Baker and planted her with the Falcon Arrow on Saraya! Shida crushed Saraya with a meteora for a near fall.
Shida walloped Saraya with the Katana Kick, but Baker broke up the pin attempt. Baker was trying to apply the Lock Jaw on Shida. Saraya grabbed a can of paint and sprayed it into Toni Storm’s eyes! Saraya spiked Storm with the Knightcap and pinned her!
Your new AEW Women’s World Champion…Saraya!
Coffin Match!
Darby Allin & Sting
vs.
Swerve Strickland & Christian Cage (with TNT Champion Luchasaurus)!
Sting and Christian Cage had a stare down, but Swerve attacked Sting from behind. Sting knocked down Swerve with a lariat. Darby opened the coffin and pulled out a jacket covered in thumbtacks. Sting had a cricket bat! Sting cracked Prince Nana with the cricket bat! Then he hit Swerve with it. Sting and Darby put on thumb tack jackets! Sting and Darby used Stinger Splashes and Coffin Splashes on Swerve and Prince Nana in the corner!
Swerve speared Sting and Christian speared Darby! Christian used wrist tape and tied up Darby’s arms behind his back. Swerve drove the cricket bat into Sting’s throat. Darby dodged and spear from Christian and followed up with a moonsault with his wrists still taped behind his back! Darby connected with a cannonball dive to Swerve outside the ring!
Sting spinebustered Swerve onto the coffin! Christian Cage blindsided Sting and rammed him into the steel ring steps. Christian attempted the con-chair-to on Darby, but Darby escaped. Darby blasted Christian with a shotgun dropkick. Swerve grabbed Darby but Darby countered with an over the top stunner on the apron. Sting jumped off the apron and splashed Swerve, who was on top of a table on the arena floor! Sting went back up and dropped an elbow, this time pushing Swerve right through the table, splitting it in half!
Darby jumped off the top turnbuckle and dropkicked Christian Cage, who was propped up on a chair on the arena floor! Darby and Sting propped up the coffin against the ring and tried to slam the lid shut on Christian, but Christian pushed the lid back to prevent it from closing. Luchasaurus hit Sting and Darby from behind, saving Christian Cage. Luchasaurus threw Darby like a lawn dart against the coffin! Nick Wayne ran down and hit Luchasaurus in the back with a skateboard!
Luchasaurus dropped Nick Wayne with a headbutt. Luchasaurus choke slammed Nick Wayne onto the skateboard! Luchasaurus picked up Nick Wayne and carried him on his shoulders to the back.
Darby went for a Coffin Splash off the top turnbuckle and down onto Swerve who was on top of the coffin, but Swerve moved!
“It was a Coffin Flop for Darby Allin!” said Excalibur.
Sting splashed Christian and Swerve in the ring. Sting put the Scorpion Death lock on Christian. Swerve cracked Sting in the back with a steel chair.
“That just pissed him off!” said Excalibur.
Christian Cage used a baseball bat to low blow Sting! Swerve jumped off the top rope and hit the double stomp on Sting! The coffin was placed into the ring. Swerve shoved Sting into the coffin. Swerve tossed the bat into the coffin, wanting to bury Sting and the bat together. Swerve tried to shut the coffin lid, but Sting used the baseball bat to prevent the lid from closing.
Swerve bodyslammed Sting on top of the coffin. Swerve went for a 450 splash onto Sting on the coffin, but Sting rolled out of the way! Darby gouged Christian Cage in the eyes. Sting nailed Swerve with a Scorpion Death Drop on top of the coffin! Darby smashed Swerve with the Coffin Drop…onto the lid of the coffin and slid the coffin lid shut on Swerve!
Chris Jericho (with Sammy Guevara) vs. IWGP United Kingdom Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay (with Don Callis)!
Fozzy played Jericho to the ring, as Jericho sang “Judas”!
Jericho took down Will with a shoulder tackle. Ospreay dropkicked Jericho. Ospreay followed up with Sky Twister Press to Jericho on the floor!
Ospreay and Jericho exchanged forearms. Jericho caught Ospreay flush in the face with a springboard dropkick. Jericho followed up with a sliding baseball dropkick. Jericho rocked Will with a German Suplex on the ring apron!
Ospreay rallied back with a corkscrew kick to Jericho. He followed up with a standing shooting star press to Jericho for a near fall. Jericho had a lot left in the tank, though, and took down Will with a hurracanrana off the top rope.
The lionsault was countered by Ospreay. Ospreay followed up with a shooting star press onto Jericho, who was draped across the ropes. Jericho came back with a Code Breaker on the Aerial Assassin.
Will blocked the Judas Effect and countered with a hook kick to Jericho. Will spiked Jericho with the Os-cutter for a near fall. Jericho countered the Storm Breaker and put Will in the Walls of Jericho! Don Callis jumped on the ring apron. While the ref was dealing with Don, Sammy hit Will in the head with Jericho’s bat!
Jericho charged at Will, but Will countered with a Spanish Fly for a two-count. Jericho stunned Will with the Code Breaker. Jericho hit Will with an Os-cutter! Jericho nailed Will with a low blow and then cracked him with the Judas Effect for a near fall! Ospreay clocked Jericho with a combination Judas Effect/Hidden Blade. Will followed up with the Storm Breaker for a near fall on Jericho!
“Chris Jericho refusing to quit!” said Nigel.
Will rocked Jericho with the Hidden Blade. Will nailed Jericho with a second Storm Breaker and pinned Jericho!
After the match, Sammy helped up Jericho. A dejected Jericho pushed Sammy away.
Nigel McGuinness was in the ring with a microphone!
“London, England, what a moment! What a night. 81,035 fans! Tonight, we made a new world record in pro wrestling paid attendance!”
House Rules Match!
AEW World Trios Championship Match!
House of Black (c.)—Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews, & Brody King
vs.
The Acclaimed—Anthony Bowens, Max Caster, & Badd Ass Billy Gunn!
The stipulation was No Holds Barred.
Buddy Matthews flew over the top rope and wiped out both members of the Acclaimed. Brody King hit a tope on the Acclaimed. Julia Hart entered the ring, but Billy Gunn and Max held her down while Anthony Bowens dropped the Scissor Me Timbers!
Brody charged at Billy, but Billy dodged him, sending Brody crashing into the steel guardrail. Malakai and Matthews double teamed Billy but Billy took them down with stiff shots. He splashed them in the corner.
Bowens planted Malakai with the Arrival. Buddy prevented the Mic Drop, shoving Caster. Buddy dropped the meteora on Caster. The House of Black swarmed Bowens in the corner with the three headed hydra.
Brody wrapped a steel chain around his fist and went to crack Bowens with it. Bowens escaped Malakai’s grasp and Brody accidentally hit Malakai! The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn each hit fame-assers on Buddy. Billy went for the pin, but Julia Hart pulled referee Aubrey Edwards out of the ring, preventing her from making the count.
Malakai rocked Billy with the End kick, but Billy kicked out! Bowens smashed Brody with the Arrival and Caster followed up with the Mic Drop. Billy hit the Fame Asser, and the Acclaimed followed up with a second Arrival and Mic Drop, covering Brody for the pin!
New AEW Trios Champions…The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn!
Main Event Time!
AEW World Championship Match!
MJF (c.) vs. Adam Cole!
The match began with two friends taking in the moment, displaying good sportsmanship, but it quickly broke down. Cole stomped MJF in the corner after pulling ref Bryce Remsburg in MJF’s path.
Cole grabbed a handful of MJF’s hair and yanked him to the mat. MJF responded in kind.
“MJF is upset with his best friend,” said Excalibur.
Cole attacked with a thrust kick. “We may be friends but I’m better than you,” said Adam Cole.
Cole ripped MJF’s t-shirt off him. MJF blocked a superkick and scoop slammed Cole. MJF whipped Cole into the turnbuckles.
“That was a terrible landing on multiple levels,” said Excalibur.
MJF hit a dive through the ropes onto Cole! MJF and Cole traded pinfall attempts, neither man with the clear advantage. Cole stunned MJF with a pump kick. MJF powerbombed Cole onto his outstretched knee!
MJF was looking for the Panama Sunset but Cole superkicked MJF. Cole nailed MJF with the heat seeker! Cole whipped MJF into the steel ring steps. Cole drilled MJF with a sheer drop brainbuster on the steel ring steps!
“Is Cole concerned about his friend or concerned about MJF being counted out?” asked Nigel.
Cole was about to hit the Panama Sunrise, but MJF couldn’t get to his feet and stumbled out of the ring. MJF dismantled the top of the broadcast booth. MJF was going to tombstone Cole on top of the booth, but MJF put him down, unable to put his friend through the table. Instead, Cole spiked MJF with a tombstone on top of the broadcast table!
Cole rolled MJF back into the ring, but MJF kicked out at the two-count! MJF thumbed Cole in the eye. MJF nailed Cole with a rolling elbow strike. Cole fired back with a Canadian Destroyer, but Max retaliated with a last ditch kick.
“Both men down flat, exhausted, from physical punishment from each other,” said Taz.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
The champion and challenger called for the double clothesline! They ran into each other with clotheslines, falling on top of each other! The ref counted to three and it was declared a draw!
“A double pin! It’s a draw!,” said Excalibur.
Ring Announcer Justin Roberts announced the match was a draw.
Adam Cole grabbed a microphone and said, “No freakin’ way! Max, five more minutes!”
MJF replied, “No. Five minutes isn’t enough, Adam. We’re going until we’ve got a winner in Wembley!”
MJF blocked a superkick from Cole, but then Cole thumbed MJF in the eyes. Cole charged at MJF and MJF ducked, with Adam Cole inadvertently running into the referee and knocking him down!
“Bryce Remsburg just got decked!” said Excalibur.
“He got popped inadvertently there,” replied Taz.
MJF sat up with a big grin on his face!
“It’s playtime now for Max with the referee down,” said Taz.
MJF grabbed a steel chair and threw it to Adam Cole. Cole threw it back. Neither wanted it. Max placed the chair around his head to make it look like Cole hit him with it. The ref got to his feet and questioned Cole. MJF rolled up Cole for a near fall. MJF followed up with a thrust kick! MJF drilled Cole with the heat seeker! Cole kicked out at two!
Cole nailed MJF with a straitjacket German Suplex on the apron! Cole spiked MJF with a Panama Sunrise off the apron and onto the floor! Cole rolled MJF into the ring, but MJF kicked out at two!
Cole was setting up MJF for another Panama Sunrise. MJF pulled the ref into Cole’s way, and Cole inadvertently hit the ref with the Panama Sunrise! MJF pulled the Dynamite Diamond Ring out of his trunks. MJF was on the verge of tears, torn, not sure what to do! He pulled the ring off and put it back in his trunks. Out of nowhere, Roderick Strong jumped in the ring behind MJF!
Roderick Strong kicked MJF between the legs! Cole climbed back up and drilled MJF with the Panama Sunrise. Cole dropped his kneepad and lowered the boom with the knee strike. The ref was still out. The ref finally crawled over and started to make the count. MJF kicked out at two!
“Wembley Stadium is on its feet!” said Excalibur.
Roderick Strong threw the AEW World Title into the ring and told Cole to use it on MJF! “Do it, Adam! I’m your best friend!” screamed Roderick.
Cole picked up the title and then threw it out of the ring. Roderick Strong walked out on Adam Cole! MJF cradled Adam Cole and pinned him!
Still AEW World Champion…MJF!
After the match, MJF said it was okay and that the people still loved Cole. MJF brought the ROH World Tag Team Titles into the ring and handed one to Cole, but Cole threw it down!
“I get it. You never cared about me! You only cared about the belt. You’re a fake!” said MJF.
MJF picked up the AEW World Championship and tossed it at Adam Cole. MJF told Cole to get it over with, turning his back to Cole. Adam Cole picked up the title. Roderick Strong jumped on the apron and ordered Adam Cole to hit MJF with it! Adam Cole was tempted but threw the belt down. MJF and Adam Cole hugged it out!
The Kingdom held back Roderick Strong as MJF and Adam Cole celebrated in the ring.
Excalibur announced that AEW will be returning to Wembley on Sunday, August 25th, 2024!
Missed what the entire wrestling world is buzzing about? Order the replay of the historic AEW All In: London! It’s available on all traditional cable and satellite providers in the United States and Canada, Bleacher Report, Fite International, PPV.COM, and more! See AEW All In: London for yourself!
Catch all the fall out on AEW DYNAMITE on TBS this Wednesday live at 8/7ct from NOW Arena in Chicago, IL!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
This Sunday, All Elite Wrestling comes to London for the most important event in AEW history since the first DOUBLE OR NOTHING in 2019, and the largest event in All Elite history! In front over 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium, and before a worldwide pay-per-view audience, AEW presents ALL IN: LONDON on Bleacher Report, traditional cable & satellite providers in the United States and Canada, FITE INTERNATIONAL, PPV.COM, and more!
With seven championship matches between the PPV proper and the ZERO HOUR, as well as the return of Stadium Stampede, AEW’s first Tag Team Coffin Match, a Generational Dream Bout, and so much more! The pay-per-view action begins at 6pm BST/1pm EST, with the ZERO HOUR kicking off at 12pm ET/9am PT, featuring an ROH World Tag Team Championship match pitting Aussie Open against Adam Cole & MJF, as well as a FTW Championship Match between Jack Perry and HOOK!
It all began on June 7th in Colorado Springs when Adam Cole and MJF were face-to-face on DYNAMITE, and by the end of the conversation Cole embarrassed the AEW World Champion into a match. It may not have been a championship bout, but on June 14th in Washington, DC, when AEW returned to where DYNAMITE first began in 2019, Cole and MJF met in an Eliminator fight, meaning if Cole beat the champion, he would earn a future title match.
Unfortunately for Cole, despite giving Max a taste of his own medicine by using the AEW World Championship belt as a weapon, and MJF him with both The Boom and The Panama Sunrise, the time limit expired and Cole was left empty handed. He hadn’t earned a future title match, and there was certainly no way MJF was going to gift him one just because they had a good fight. That was certainly not something in Max’s nature, not at that point two months ago, but then something happened, something called the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament. With a future AEW World Tag Team Championship opportunity awaiting the victors, random names were drawn to create tag teams who would then populate the brackets for an eight-team tournament.
Cole and MJF would be the first team put together for the tournament, and while it seemed inevitable they would implode under the weight of their recent history, the exact opposite actually happened. Not only did they did defeat Matt Menard & The Butcher and Big Bill & Brian Cage en route to the finals, they actually managed to win the whole tournament by beating Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara! On top of that, much to the chagrin of Cole’s long-time friend Roderick Strong, Adam and Maxwell actually developed the most unlikely friendship. The two men could not be more different from each other, and yet through their tournament time, their loss to FTR in the AEW World Tag Team Championship bout, and their unique bonding activities away from the ring, these two competitors have actually found mutual respect and even a brotherly love. The most shocking thing to come out of all of this isn’t MJF and Cole becoming friends, it’s that Maxwell Jacob Friedman has actually come to embrace the fans cheering his name and proudly calling themselves his devil worshipers, he’s even been seen slapping hands and hugging children. Given the road MJF has traveled his entire AEW career, if not his entire professional wrestling life, this is the most shocking part of the path to ALL IN: LONDON. Oh, and the fact that MJF actually stuck to the promise he laid out to Cole prior to that FTR bout, that MJF would give Adam Cole an AEW World Championship fight regardless of the championship bout outcome.
Clearly they did not walk away from the bout as new AEW World Tag Team Champions, but in a move that was a true shock, as well as an indicator that perhaps MJF was genuine in his friendship with Cole, the title fight was set for ALL IN: LONDON! What has been most intriguing since that bout was set was seeing if the friendship would implode under the shadow of the AEW World Championship fight, but instead it has seemed to grow stronger, although both Cole and MJF have had their moments when they’ve nearly snuck one on the other man, but has had the side effect of apparently decimating the friendship between Roderick Strong and Adam Cole in the process, driving Strong towards The Kingdom, who experienced their own issues with Cole many years ago in Ring of Honor.
It’s wild to think that mere hours after Adam Cole and the AEW World Champion unite on the ZERO HOUR in an attempt to dethrone Aussie Open as ROH World Tag Team Champions that they will then face one another for the most coveted prize in professional wrestling today.
It will be quite fascinating to see how the outcome of that ZERO HOUR bout factors into the main event of ALL IN: LONDON. Will Adam Cole and MJF enter as the new ROH World Tag Team Champions, or will they enter into the biggest match of their careers as beaten men? Will it be a tag team bout that breaks the bond they’ve built over the last couple months, or one that strengthens the ties enough to survive however the World Championship fight plays out? And just who will walk into Chicago, mere days after this, as the reigning champion looking towards whatever ALL OUT 2023 may have in store for him?
AEW World Tag Team Championship Match
FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
The date was November 7th and the event FULL GEAR 2020; it was huge night for several reasons, one being that it was the most people watching AEW in-person since the Pandemic changed our world, but also that it was the night one of pro wrestling’s dream matches finally became reality. After years of debate over who was the better team, The Young Bucks and FTR finally clashed, and with the AEW World Tag Team Championship titles at stake. That night it would be The Young Bucks who walked away victorious, capturing the AEW Tag Titles for the very first time, and at least on that night, staking their claim as the top team in professional wrestling today.
It would be quite some time before we saw Cash, Dax, Matt, and Nick collide in a tag team bout, seventeen months to be precise, and on that night in Boston, with both the ROH World Tag Titles and the AAA Tag Titles at stake, it would be FTR who left Agganis Arena with the win, and both sets of championship titles.
So when FTR finally reclaimed the AEW World Tag Team Championship, defeating The Gunns in April of this year, the speculation began about when fans might get to see a rubber match between these two duos. That speculation came to an end on August 5th when, after defeating Big Bill & Brian Cage in a championship bout, FTR challenged The Young Bucks to a fight at Wembley Stadium! The biggest tag team championship bout for the biggest event in All Elite Wrestling history; it made perfect sense, and The Young Bucks would agree just a few nights later!
So on this grand stage, in front of more than 80,000 of the AEW faithful, and with countless more watching around the world, will we see the heart and soul of All Elite Wrestling become 3-Time AEW World Tag Team Champions or will it Billion Star FTR who lays claim to the best tag team moniker while also retaining their championship titles?
AEW Women’s World Championship Four Way Match
Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Saraya vs. Toni Storm vs. Dr. Britt Baker DMD
What a tangled web this AEW Women’s World Championship bout has become after last Friday night’s tag team bout on RAMPAGE. Defending Champion Shida and Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D teamed up to take on The Outcasts Saraya and Toni Storm in a preview of the Four Way taking place on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
While there was certainly hope with all four women that this would be an opportunity to get a last minute advantage, and though that is what happened for The Outcasts, it also created a whole mess of tension between all four competitors. The history between Shida and Baker, the one where the latter ended the former’s historic first title reign, seemed to have been set aside as they united against the threat of The Outcasts, but when a blinded Shida decked her own partner, inadvertently setting Britt up to be beaten by Saraya, it was not the best way to put the former foes on the same page against The Outcasts during Sunday’s event. Prior to that moment, it seemed possible that Shida and the Good Doctor could at least unite to insure neither Outcast left Wembley with the Women’s World Championship, but after that blow on Friday, compiled with their history over AEW’s existence, it seems highly unlikely they will find common ground.
That being said, it seemed like a given that The Outcasts would have common ground in the mission to dethrone Shida, and while that may be the case, the way Saraya and Toni Storm left things on Friday night, it seems there could be something rotten in the locker room of The Outcasts. Toni aims to be the first 3-Time champion, while Saraya hopes to not only win her first championship in AEW, but also her first championship in nine years, and those two goals are clearly in conflict. So the question on Sunday will be, if it comes down to either Saraya or Toni Storm getting the victory and the title, will the other allow that to happen? And if there is some dissension in the ranks of The Outcasts, will that provide the opening either Hikaru Shida or Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D need to have their hand raised in victory before 80,000 strong?
Stadium Stampede Match
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta), Eddie Kingston, AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy & Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Blackpool Combat Club (ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta), Santana & Ortiz
It’s been a couple years since Stadium Stampede has reared its head in All Elite Wrestling, since DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2021 to be precise, but this Sunday at Wembley Stadium, before the largest crowd in AEW history, one of the most unpredictable matches in company history makes its return! But it’s not just the match making its return, it’s also several of the competitors returning to action after time away, and some of the strangest bedfellows imaginable!
First off, who would’ve ever thought Eddie Kingston would be standing side-by-side with Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, and AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy? On top of that, who would’ve thought that, given how toxic their AEW relationship was in past, that the Lucha Brothers would once again stand beside Eddie Kingston, or that Penta and Fenix would unite with The Best Friends given their own violent history as foes?
And could anyone possibly have predicated that two of Eddie Kingston’s oldest friends, two men who spent a great deal of time trying to end Jon Moxley’s career early in AEW’s history, would side up with The Blackpool Combat Club against Eddie in this Stadium Stampede? But then again, the last time we saw Ortiz in All Elite Wrestling, he and Kingston had a massive falling out as a result of House of Black machinations, and they were throwing down with one another. That may have been six months ago, but it was a wound never healed, much less addressed, and it appears this is just one chicken that’s come home to roost for Kingston. The other comes in the form of Santana, a man who has been on the shelf since June 2022’s Blood & Guts match in Detroit recovering from injury, a match he was in at the request of Kingston, and a man who it seems Kingston forgot about in the aftermath of that war.
It’s clear that Kingston’s hatred for Claudio Castagnoli is what’s driving this for him, but for the rest of his group, it’s about what The Blackpool Combat Club has done to them over the last several weeks. The Best Friends and Orange Cassidy have been repeatedly assaulted, look at the Parking Lot Fight from RAMPAGE for a microcosm of what this dynamic has looked like The BCC lost Blood & Guts to The Golden Elite six weeks ago. It feels as if that loss, and how it came to pass, has spiraled Mox, Claudio, and Yuta into a flurry of violence, and The Luchas and Best Friends have been the targets for assorted reasons. The connection to “The Bastard” PAC put a crosshairs on Penta and Fenix, leading to Rey being eliminated from even competing in this match this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE, while Yuta’s connection to The Best Friends, as well as events from ROH’s DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 PPV event, led them into this fracas.
And now it will all explode in utterly unpredictable fashion this Sunday at ALL IN: LONDON! How much frustration must Santana have pent-up after over a year away from the fight? How much does Ortiz want to punch Kingston in the mouth for how they left things? For that matter, how much violence do all these men want to inflict upon one another for everything that’s happened over the last several weeks, as well as for everything that’s tied these men together in various fashion both here in All Elite Wrestling, and in their lives before entering into AEW? This will be officially sanctioned chaos, and it is coming to Wembley Stadium this Sunday!
AEW World Trios Championship Match
The House Of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black) (w/Julia Hart) (c) vs. The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) & Billy Gunn
The House of Black couldn’t leave well-enough alone; the AEW World Trios Champions had twice-defeated The Acclaimed in championship fights, and even driven Billy Gunn into retirement, thinking he didn’t have it as a competitor any more, and was better off hanging up his boots in front of the entire world as he sat in the middle of the ring.
But that wasn’t enough for Malakai Black, Brody King, Buddy Matthews, and Julia Hart; perhaps it was the insistence from Max and Anthony that they still believed, with Billy, they were the best trio in All Elite Wrestling. Perhaps they needed to send a message to The Acclaimed of what would happen if they ever came near The House again, and perhaps the disposal of Billy’s boots into the trash bin was part of the message of what would happen should they come knocking on The House’s door once again.
Instead, what The House got was a very angry Max Caster and Anthony Bowens who didn’t care about the numbers, and still wanted a fight with the World Trios Champions knowing they would be, no pun intended, outgunned. So when The Acclaimed’s music hit, as Brody King was preparing to level Anthony Bowens with the same chain used to bloody Max Caster, it was a shock to the former AEW World Tag Team Champions that their friend and mentor was on the spot to not just disperse The House of Black, but to also make a challenge for this match set to take place at Wembley Stadium!
So with The Acclaimed reunited at full strength, this past Saturday on COLLISION the trio decided to share one last verse with their foes before heading into battle at ALL IN: LONDON:
Will The House of Black make a clean sweep of The Acclaimed in this, their third championship fight, and once again prove that it is they who are the most dominant trio in All Elite Wrestling? Or will The Acclaimed take the lessons learned from their previous outings, add that to the renewed confidence demonstrated by Billy Gunn, and turn it into championship success?
“Real” AEW World Championship Match
CM Punk (c) vs. Samoa Joe
ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe was a happy man on Saturday night, if only for a brief moment, because he knew that come Sunday at ALL IN: LONDON he would be getting the fight he’d been wanting ever since CM Punk defeated him during the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. At first Joe was indignant that Punk didn’t even bother responding to the challenge, which led to Joe removing Punk from the equation when he and FTR challenge The House of Black for the AEW World Trios Championship.
Punk’s response came in the form of a little deception, entering the ring to fight Joe under the guise of Golden Vampire, and laying the ROH World TV Champion low with a GTS before accepting the challenge for this fight at Wembley Stadium. Samoa Joe and CM Punk fighting in England feels appropriate for a number of reasons, one being that their last singles match prior to AEW took place 100 miles away in Conventry back in March 2005, and another being that over 80,000 fans will experience the next chapter in this landmark feud for modern wrestling history. The Trilogy, as it is known to Ring of Honor fans, defined independent wrestling for the 2000’s and beyond, shaped an entire generation of wrestlers who came along afterwards, and helped to save Ring of Honor during one of its most tumultuous times.
As if the heated rivalry between these two warriors wasn’t enough, add in the factor of Punk’s Championship belt, and this is escalated to a whole new level. Whereas the match during The Owen still carried some of the respect built between the two over the years prior, what has led Punk and Joe to this next chapter in their story has been utterly devoid of it. And that calm, peaceful Samoa Joe that sat down on Saturday to do commentary during the main event, that all went out the window when CM Punk chose to apply Joe’s signature choke to Brian Cage in order to win the match. Suffice to say that was the trigger moment that led to the utter chaos that capped off COLLISION, but will it be what ends the night on Sunday for Punk? Will he fall victim to Joe’s choke as he did so many years ago at ROH’s ALL STAR EXTRAGANZA II event, or it will the ROH World TV Champion be put to sleep like he was just a week ago?
Dream Match…
Chris Jericho vs. IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay
This heated up rather quickly; something that began as Don Callis playing his games with people’s lives rapidly turned into a situation in which his games are an afterthought to the hostilities between Chris Jericho and Will Ospreay that exploded during their contract signing this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE.
As Ospreay laid out everything he was fighting for this Sunday at Wembley Stadium, Chris Jericho took credit for the mere fact that the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion was in that position in the first place. “The Ocho” brought up a five year old phone call as being the reason Ospreay transformed into the wrestler he is today rather than ending up in a wheelchair, and though “The Aerial Assassin” may not have known that was a possibility, Jericho also said he and Will would’ve collided two years ago if not for the pandemic disrupting the plan.
So although Don Callis may have orchestrated the moment in which Ospreay leveled Jericho from behind, this has become about something bigger than Callis stabbing Jericho in the back despite the original AEW World Champion being willing to join the family. This is a generational dream match, two of the greatest competing today, coming from drastically different places in their careers, but both wanting to be known as the absolute best wrestler walking the planet today, and there is no bigger stage to to fight it out than in front of 80,000+ fans inside the biggest venue England has to offer! Ospreay is heading into this after a tremendous showing during NJPW’s G1 Climax Tournament, and after defeating Shingo Takagi at RevPro just 24 hours before ALL IN: LONDON is set to begin. Conversely Jericho heads into this having watched his Appreciation Society, save Sammy Guevara, dissolved right in front of him all because he couldn’t make the choice between Don Callis and The J.A.S. It was only after he’d lost everything that Jericho gave Callis a “yes”, and the fact that Callis anticipated a “no” is what set this ball rolling.
Jericho has made it clear this is the most important match of his life, perhaps more so because of all he’s lost in the last several weeks, and this is the most important event on which he’s ever fought. For Ospreay the same is true, he wants to add Jericho’s name to the list that includes Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, David Finlay, and Shingo Takagi as some of the men he’s beaten in the last two months. For Will it’s about supporting a family, it’s about doing it in his home country on the biggest stage AEW has ever had, and doing it at the expense of a certified legend who still competes at the highest levels.
Of course Don Callis lurks at the shadows around this match, of course he wants to make sure Jericho doesn’t not walk out of Wembley with a win, the words “your head on a platter” were what he spoke regarding what he offered Ospreay to come fight Jericho, and while he did his best to screw Kenny Omega at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, will Callis be there to try to do it to Jericho this Sunday in London?
Trios Match…
BULLET CLUB GOLD (Jay White & Juice Robinson) & Konosuke Takeshita (w/Don Callis) vs. The Golden Elite (Adam Page, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi)
It seems Don Callis will sign up with anyone he can to make Kenny Omega’s life a living hell. First he threw in his lot with The Blackpool Combat Club ahead of Blood & Guts, only to pull Konosuke Takeshita from the fray when things started to get hairy for The BCC after “The Bastard” PAC bailed on them. Callis, and Takeshita for that matter, are lucky The BCC have been occupied with other matters and vengeance hasn’t swung their way for that abandonment.
Now it seems Callis has thrown his favor the way of BULLET CLUB GOLD as they assaulted Kenny Omega while he was in the midst of an interview with Jim Ross. It’s clear this is where they all felt safe accosting Omega, during a situation where there was not a soul available to help him, and yet they still did so with a distinct numbers advantage that “The Cleaner” could not possible have overcome.
And perhaps BC GOLD thought they’d face little repercussion as The Young Bucks would be wrapped up in their own dealings with FTR, Cash and Dax being other people with some BC GOLD bad blood, but thankfully the former AEW World Champion has friends beyond the brothers Jackson.
So it will be this Sunday night that, for the very first time, The Golden Lovers and Hangman Page compete in Trios action to take on another nascent trio in Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Konosuke Takeshita! It’s clear Don Callis is on a revenge trip when it comes to Kenny, will aim any gun he can at the man he once considered family, and will fire any bullets he finds at the former AEW World Champion. This week it’s BULLET CLUB GOLD, but should Kenny, Hangman, and Kota Ibushi turn away this attack, what will Callis throw at Omega next? What will Kenny have to do in order to shut Don Callis down for good?
BULLET CLUB GOLD is supremely confident riding into London, just listen to how they address the situation in the video embedded above, and are utterly convinced their Bang Bang Gang are the dominant force in All Elite Wrestling, but if they can shut down Omega, Ibushi, and Hangman at Wembley, they may be right!
Tag Team Coffin Match…
Christian Cage & Swerve Strickland vs. Darby Allin & Sting
Originally the challenge to this Tag Team Coffin Match was made to AR Fox and Swerve Strickland, but as was seen this past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, following their tag team loss to Darby Allin and Nick Wayne, Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana fired Fox from The Mogul Embassy, leaving Brian Cage to deliver the killing blow.
This brought out Darby, Nick, and Sting back to run off The Mogul Embassy, despite Fox’s betrayal of the men, which in turn brought Christian Cage and TNT Champion Luchasaurus out as well. The arrival of Cage and the actual TNT Champion led to the announcement that it would be Christian Cage, rather than AR Fox, who would travel to Wembley Stadium for the Tag Team Coffin Match!
It looks like all of Darby Allin’s enemies are lining up against him for this fight as his issues with Christian and Luchasaurus, set to take center stage at ALL OUT 2023 where Darby will fight Luchasaurus for the TNT Championship, merge with those involving Swerve Strickland, and explode in AEW’s first ever Tag Team Coffin Match! Given that it’s Luchasaurus who will actually do the heavy lifting in Chicago, and not Christian Cage, there’s a great deal of concern about what condition Darby will be in for September 3rd at The United Center, but ultimately he and Sting have to focus on one fight at a time, and it’s a fight that’s been part of Darby’s AEW career for quite some time now. For a detailed look at how we got here, check out this history package, but suffice to say that Darby and Swerve have history that predates All Elite Wrestling, and it’s only gotten uglier in the time that both men have been part of the company.
With 80,000-plus cheering them on, Darby Allin and Sting come to Wembley this Saturday not to praise Christian and Swerve, but to lock them inside a coffin and take the first step towards clearing the table. Part one happens in Wembley when the coffin lid is closed on Christian and Swerve, part two takes place in Chicago when Darby Allin becomes a 3-Time TNT Champion; at least that’s their hope.
ZERO HOUR…
ROH World Tag Team Championship Match…
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) (c) vs. Adam Cole & MJF
Suffice to say that the main event of ALL IN: LONDON is going to be greatly affected by the events of the ZERO HOUR beginning at 12pm ET/9am PT on AEW’s official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@AEW/featured). Adam Cole, having never won the ROH World Tag Team Championship, and MJF, having never competed in anything involving Ring of Honor, will challenge the defending ROH World Tag Team Champs Aussie Open ahead of their fight over the AEW World Championship later in the night!
Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, after capturing the titles at ROH’s DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 pay-per-view event, have successfully defended the championship on four occasions, including this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE against The Hardys. They are on quite the roll since their July title victory, but face incredibly tough competition in MJF and Cole who, although relatively new to tag team competition, were victorious in the Blind Eliminator Tag Tournament, and gave FTR a tremendous fight in the AEW World Tag Team Championship loss a few weeks back. Amazingly enough, even with their AEW World Title fight on the horizon, Cole and Friedman have managed to keep their new-found friendship intact. Both men seem intent on maintaining the friendship, despite the protestations of Cole’s long-time friend Roderick Strong, the seeming impossibility that MJF can be trusted at all, and the championship fight coming just a few hours after this tag team title bout.
Can Aussie Open use the circumstances of the evening to their advantage and retain the ROH World Tag Team Titles? Or will the bromance of Cole and MJF lead to success as a team just before the biggest fight of both men’s careers? And if the match plays out in the favor of Aussie Open, how will that affect the AEW World Championship Match, as well as the relationship between championship and challenger? In the history of the ZERO HOUR/BUY-IN, this is the most important match that’s ever taken place, but will it be Aussie Open or MJF/Cole who history remembers as the victor?
Jack Perry may have entered into the Gas South Arena on Saturday night with the intention of smashing the FTW Championship to bits, but “The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil” HOOK had other plans for his former friend, and they didn’t include seeing the championship his father created left in the history books with Perry’s face plastered as its final champion.
The chaos that was the final COLLISION before ALL IN: LONDON would culminate in a crazy brawl involving fighters all slated to compete at Wembley Stadium, but it was Jack Perry who snuck in the back door, having nothing to do with the 10-Man Tag main event, and attacked his challenger. It started when Jack betrayed HOOK at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, was followed by Perry running from the then-FTW Champion for weeks, before finally having to answer for his betrayal inside the squared circle. Surprisingly Jack handed HOOK his first loss that night in Boston, and even bested Rob Van Dam several weeks ago in Columbus, but HOOK wasn’t going to standby for long given Perry’s threats of what he would do after beating RVD.
Jack Perry can’t run from this one, not even when he’s in London some 5,500 miles away from his Los Angeles home, even there HOOK will be waiting, and retribution will be waiting with him!
This Sunday the biggest event in AEW history goes down at Wembley Stadium when All Elite Wrestling presents ALL IN: LONDON in front of more than 80,000 fans in London, and before a worldwide audience on Bleacher Report, traditional cable & satellite providers in the United States and Canada, FITE INTERNATIONAL, PPV.COM, and more!
From Adam Cole challenging MJF for the AEW World Championship to the return of Stadium Stampede, from AEW’s first Tag Team Coffin Match to a loaded AEW Woman’s World Championship Four Way, and from a Dream Bout pitting Chris Jericho against Will Osprey to FTR/Young Bucks Round Three, and so much more, this is a loaded event from top-to-bottom! The pay-per-view action starts at 6pm BST/1pm EST, with the ZERO HOUR getting underway at 12pm ET/9am PT, and includes the ROH World Tag Team Championship match between Aussie Open and Adam Cole/MJF, plus a FTW Championship Grudge Match between Jack Perry and HOOK!
Whether you’re there in-person or watching on PPV, you are all a part of history that would not have been possible without the support of the AEW faithful around the world!
