FULL GEAR 2023 saw two new champions crowned with Julia Hart claiming the TBS Championship from Kris Statlander, albeit by pinning Skye Blue, and Toni Storm kicking off her third reign as AEW Women’s World Champion at Hikaru Shida’s expense, as well as MJF, against all odds, officially completing one full year as AEW World Champion! Now with WORLDS END just over a month away on Long Island, all eyes turn towards AEW’s Thanksgiving Eve tradition and our return to Chicago for DYNAMITE!
This year the focus falls on the kick-off of the Continental Classic, AEW’s first-ever Round Robin Tournament, with some seriously high stakes thanks to Eddie Kingston putting both the ROH World Championship and NJPW STRONG Openweight Title into the mix, and it all begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans. Be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, to get caught up on the action with highlights from FULL GEAR 2023, as well as recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and this week’s CONTROL CENTER!
Earlier today, in the above embedded video, AEW/ROH President Tony Khan, along with Tony Schiavone and ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, announced the field of 12 for the Continental Classic Tournament! There are two groups, Blue and Gold, with six competitors each, competing in a Round Robin Style Tournament that begins Wednesday night in Chicago, and will continue until the finals at WORLDS END on December 30th!
Already quite the intriguing situation with Bryan Danielson, Mark Briscoe, and Andrade El Idolo putting their names into the hat prior to the Selection Special, with a competitive fire burning strong in his heart, Eddie Kingston further amplified the prestige of the tournament by putting both the ROH World Champion and NJPW STRONG Championship at stake thus, along with the AEW Continental Championship, creating a new Triple Crown Championship awaiting the winner of this tournament.
Now as for the rules of this tournament, matches will be contested with a 20 minute time limit, there will be no seconds allowed at ringside, and outside interference will not be tolerated, which may throw a monkey wrench in how many of the competitors generally handle their business. In addition, the scoring system for the Continental Classic will be very straight forward and simple, with points being awarded as follows: 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. Here is how the two groups break down:
Blue Group
Andrade El Idolo
“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson
Brody King
Claudio Castagnoli
Daniel Garcia
ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston
Gold Group
Jay Lethal
Jay White
Jon Moxley
Mark Briscoe
Rus
Swerve Strickland
The first matches of the tournament will go down at Wintrust Arena as part of AEW’s Thanksgiving Eve tradition, and continue Saturday night in Pittsburgh!
THE GOLD GROUP…
Swerve Strickland vs. Jay Lethal
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Continental Classic Tournament is going to be the opportunity to see several first-time matches, and three of them are going down this Wednesday night with the opening bouts of AEW’s first-ever Round -style Robin Tournament!
Coming off a brutal, bloody Texas Death Match victory over Hangman Page at FULL GEAR 2023, Swerve Strickland will be in action for his first bout of the Continental Classic this Wednesday night in Chicago. Though there is not way he’s feeling anywhere near 100%, Swerve will have to find a way to be at the top of his game because his opponent in this first night of action will be “The Franchise of ROH”, a former 2-Time ROH World Champion and the second-longest reigning ROH World TV Champion in history thanks to Samoa Joe’s recent run, Jay Lethal! Lethal is no doubt coming into this bout far healthier than Swerve, and that may make the crucial difference in this contest, but another game changer for both these individuals, given how each generally approaches their matches, is that ban on seconds and outside interference. How many times have fans seen Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Satnam Singh, and Karen Jarrett play a deciding factor in Jay Lethal’s matches? On how many instances have The Gates of Agony, Brian Cage, or Prince Nana been involved in swaying Swerve Strickland’s matches? With this tournament, none of that will fly, leaving these two stellar athletes to rely solely on their skill inside the squared circle? Which of these men will notch their first points in the Continental Classic?
LFI’s Rush vs. BULLET CLUB GOLD’s Jay White
Just like Swerve, both “El Toro Blanco” Rush and “Switchblade” Jay White went through their own bit of hell at FULL GEAR 2023. In the case of Rush, it was the Four Team Ladder match for the AEW World Tag Titles and the punishment that sort of bout entails while for Jay White it was his bid for the AEW World Championship against MJF, although he and BC GOLD did their best to make sure it wasn’t MJF defending The Triple B.
While neither man was victorious in their efforts to become a champion in All Elite Wrestling, a new road to that goal begins this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE with the opening bouts in the Continental Classic. Another first-time bout, this head-to-head fight between the leaders of LFI and BC GOLD may be the show stealer given the skills of each involved, but as with the Lethal/Swerve bout, this is another contest between two men who often rely on their respective units to help determine the outcomes of a bout.
But unlike most outings with these two, there will be no Jose the Assistant, Preston Vance, or Dralistico at Rush’s side to interfere, nor a Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, or Colten Gunn in Jay White’s corner to stick their nose in the business at hand. This continental classic is about putting the focus on the wrestling, and the fight between the two individuals vying for points, not the assorted seconds, managers, and stablemates polluting the competition with shenanigans.
With those elements removed, this is a bout between two elite level competitors and it will be quite intriguing to see who nets the three points in their first Continental Classic clash!
The BCC’s Jon Moxley vs. Mark Briscoe
Now this is going to be a fight between two men who love to throwdown inside the squared circle, and unlike the other two first-time bouts, this first-timer does not involve a competitor reliant on interference, managers, or seconds. Both Jon Moxley and Mark Briscoe are men who want the victory on their own merit, they want the win on their own skills, and not because someone else lent a hand.
For Mark Briscoe, a 13-time ROH World Tag Team Champion with his late brother Jay, this tournament is an opportunity to not only firmly stake his status in the singles division but also to claim the first singles championship (or rather championships) of his entire career! He’s challenged for the ROH World Title and the ROH World Television Championship several times during his twenty-plus years in ROH, but never captured those, nor any other singles title, and if he comes out of this tournament on top, he could claim three in one shot! He just may have the most difficult first match of the tournament by fighting Jon Moxley!
A 3-Time AEW World Champion, a former International Champion, and former 2-Time IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion, just to name a few of his accolades, Moxley is certainly a favorite to win this tournament and add three more championship to his name with the Triple Crown of the ROH World, NJPW STRONG Openweight, and AEW Continental Championships. With three members in the field, The Blackpool Combat Club are absolutely odds-on favorites to bring a tournament victory to their camp, and Jon Moxley is the first of the three to shoot for the three points.
These are two of the most unpredictable men in all of professional wrestling, and it is going to be a wild night when the two of them meet inside the squared circle for the very first time!
TONI STORM’S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH…
Last Saturday night at FULL GEAR 2023, fans witnessed as Toni Storm dethroned Hikaru Shida to reclaim the AEW Women’s World Championship for the third time. It was a fitting end to Storm’s Hollywood Homecoming, at least for her, and she did share some words with the AEW cameras following the bout:
Unfortunately, for those who had hoped she’d join the FULL GEAR Media Scrum following the conclusion of the pay-per-view, that would not be the case as Toni had other commitments to attend, but she very kindly gave Tony Khan a letter explaining her absence, one which RJ City was kind enough to provide for everyone to read:
Storm’s lack of appearing during the Media Scrum simply meant her adoring public just had to wait until this Wednesday night in Chicago, during AEW’s DYNAMITE Thanksgiving Eve tradition, to hear her Championship Acceptance Speech! Who will she thank? Who will she be wearing? Will the band have to play her off stage if she goes on too long? Tune into TBS this Wednesday night to hear what will surely be the most unforgettable acceptance speech in championship history from “Timeless” Toni Storm!
RECHRISTENING?
After falling to Darby Allin, Sting, and Adam Copeland at FULL GEAR 2023, TNT Champion Christian Cage has stated that this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, he is going to rechristen Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus.
So rechristen simply means “to rename” or “to change the name of”, which means Christian Cage has the intention of changing the names of his Patriarchy followers. What could he possibly hope to gain from this? And what names could he possibly choose for Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne?
On the heels of FULL GEAR 2023 AEW’s first-ever Round Robin Tournament, the Continental Classic, gets underway and will run from Wednesday night in Chicago through WORLDS END on December 30th. Tonight will see Mark Briscoe versus Jon Moxley, Swerve versus Lethal, and Rush/Switchblade kick off the tournament, with more to come this weekend in Pittsburgh, and it kicks off at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS! International fans can catch the action at AEWPlus.com, and everyone needs to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, to get caught up on the action with highlights from FULL GEAR 2023, as well as recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and this week’s CONTROL CENTER!
Your Big Gold Belt Podcast is back talking a busy week in wrestling including: -Highlights & lowlights of AEW Full Gear -A look at WWE Survivor Series in Chicago -The latest on AEW’s Continental Classic...
AEW presented Full Gearlive from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA!
It’s Saturday 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, and Nigel McGuinness.
ROH World Championship Match!
Eddie Kingston (c.) vs. Jay Lethal (with Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, & Satnam Singh)!
Stokely Hathaway joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Kingston clotheslined Lethal over the top rope, sending Lethal crashing onto the arena floor. Back in the ring they traded stiff chops. Lethal pulled Kingston out of the ring and sent the champ headfirst into the steel ring post. Lethal took Kingston down with a snap suplex. Lethal followed up with a beautiful overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Lethal executed the Lethal Combination. Kingston countered the Lethal Injection with a suplex.
Karen Jarrett distracted the ref while Lethal crawled towards Jeff Jarrett’s guitar. Ortiz appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the guitar and smashed it over Dutt’s head. Kingston countered the Lethal Injection again and then pinned Lethal after a spinning backfist!
Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli
vs.
House of Black’s Buddy Matthews!
Buddy Matthews went right after Claudio right out of the gate. Claudio blasted Buddy with a European Uppercut outside the ring. Buddy rocked Claudio with a rising knee and Claudio answered with a lariat. Buddy tried for a meteora, but Claudio caught him and countered with the Big Swing!
Buddy employed the hammer and anvil elbow strikes. Claudio deadlifted Buddy into a cutter. Claudio accelerated into an uppercut. Claudio planted Buddy with the Ricola Bomb and then placed Buddy in the sharpshooter, forcing Buddy to tap out!
ROH World Tag Team Championship Match!
MJF (c.) & Samoa Joe vs. The Gunns—Austin & Colten!
MJF stomped Colten in the corner. MJF hit the Gunns with a double clothesline. Samoa Joe tagged himself in. Samoa Joe wiped out the Gunns with a tope suicida. Joe connected with a senton on Colten. Joe jabbed away at Colten.
Colten swiped MJF with a clothesline as the ref was distracted. Austin Gunn grabbed a tag and kicked MJF in the back. The Gunns employed quick tags and worked over MJF with tandem offense.
Samoa Joe tagged in and cleaned house on the Gunns. Samoa Joe powerslammed Austin for a near fall. Samoa Joe was setting up Austin for a muscle buster, but MJF tagged in. MJF went for a muscle buster of his own on Austin but Colten dropkicked MJF. The champ fired back with a double DDT on the Gunns. MJF was looking for the kangaroo kick, but Samoa Joe tagged himself in. The Gunns escaped muscle busters from MJF and Samoa Joe. The Gunns nailed Samoa Joe with the 3:10 to Yuma. MJF broke up the pin attempt.
Adam Cole came out and walked down the ramp on crutches. As the Gunns were distracted, Samoa Joe finished off Colten with a submission. MJF and Adam Cole hugged outside the ring.
After the match Samoa Joe got in MJF’s face. Samoa Joe and MJF shook hands, with MJF being a man of his word. Samoa Joe is now in line for a shot at the World title, as he helped MJF defend the ROH Tag titles tonight. Samoa Joe left and then the Gunns blindsided MJF in front of Adam Cole. Colten held down MJF while Austin cracked MJF in the leg with a steel chair! Adam Cole was forced to watch helplessly on crutches. Ref Paul Turner called for Doc Sampson to check on MJF who was writhing in pain.
MJF was stretchered out of the ring by the AEW medical team. MJF was loaded into an ambulance, and he yelled at Adam Cole, “Promise me you won’t let them take my championship!”
“How can Adam Cole live up to that promise, a man with one leg,” wondered Nigel.
The main portion of Full Gear began.
Trios Match!
“Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland, Darby Allin & Sting (with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair)
vs.
TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, & Nick Wayne!
Nick Wayne cracked Darby Allin with a cheap shot. Darby grappled Nick Wayne to the mat. Darby followed up with two deep arm drags. Sting tagged in and threw Nick Wayne through the ropes and to the floor. Sting whipped Nick Wayne into the steel barricade.
Copeland tagged in and Christian Cage immediately tagged out to Luchasaurus. Luchasaurus charged at Cope with a clothesline. Cope escaped a chokeslam attempt. Darby tagged in but ate a right hand from Luchasaurus. Luchasaurus choke slammed Darby over the top rope and onto the ring apron.
Christian Cage stomped on Darby and then tagged out to Nick Wayne. Nick punted Darby in the shoulder. Luchasaurus entered the ring and slammed Darby, and then Nick Wayne followed up with a senton for a near fall. Darby nailed Nick with a Code Red from the top turnbuckle. Christian Cage crawled under the ring, popped up on the other side, pulled Copeland down and rammed him into the ring post! Christian taunted Darby, telling him to make the tag. Christian poured on the punishment.
Adam Copeland entered the match and unleashed hell on Luchasaurus. Copeland rocked Luchasaurus with an Impaler. Copeland threw Wayne over the top rope at Luchasaurus. Darby rocketed out of the ring with a tope at Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus!
Sting and Copeland hammered Luchasaurus. They hit Luchasaurus with a tandem Scorpion Death Drop. Luchasaurus battered Copeland with a lariat to the back of the neck. Christian Cage taunted Ric Flair and Flair chopped Christian. Christian connected with a low blow. Christian Cage tried to hit Copeland with the championship belt, but Copeland ducked, and Cage inadvertently hit Luchasaurus. Christian Cage abandoned his team. Sting splashed Luchasaurus and then Copeland hit the spear! Darby nailed Luchasaurus with the Coffin Drop and then Copeland pinned Luchasaurus!
Tony Schiavone was on the ramp with ref Bryce Remsburg and called out representatives of Bullet Club Gold—The Gunns. Instead “Switchblade” Jay White came out. “Tell them old man,” said Jay White.
Tony Schiavone: “I hate to say this, but unfortunately MJF is injured and will not be able to defend the title tonight. The match tonight between MJF and Jay White has been cancelled. And now by default, your new AEW World Champion is Jay White—”
Adam Cole’s music hit!
Adam Cole: “Jay, there is not a shot in hell you’re leaving the KIA Forum with Max’s championship. I made a promise to my friend, and I had a talk with Tony Khan and if MJF can’t defend his title tonight, I will do it for him, one leg or not. Tonight’s main event will be Jay White versus Adam Cole baybay!”
Jay White: “Let me refresh your damaged memory. I took you out once before. If you want to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, I’ll take you out once and for all!”
AEW International Championship Match!
“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (with HOOK)
vs. Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley (with Wheeler Yuta)!
Taz joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Moxley sent Cassidy onto the announcers’ table. Mox hoisted up Cassidy and dropped him across the barricade. Moxley chopped at Orange and taunted him. Moxley drove Orange to the mat with a Bossman slam.
Orange rocked Mox with a diving DDT. Moxley was busted wide open. Orange flew out of the ring with an elbow suicida to Moxley. Orange hit Mox with another one! Orange cracked Mox with a third elbow suicida, right on the jaw!
Orange countered a Death Rider with a Stun Dog Millionaire! Mox grounded and pounded Orange Cassidy and then transitioned into a bulldog choke on Orange! Orange jumped on Mox’s back and applied the Red Rum! Moxley was able to get to the ropes, forcing the ref break. Moxley stunned Orange with a cutter and then a Gotch style piledriver for a two-count!
Orange dropkicked Moxley and Moxley collided headfirst into an exposed turnbuckle corner. Orange pulped Mox with three Orange Punches! And then a fourth! And then a fifth Orange Punch! And a sixth Orange Punch! Orange followed up with the Beach Break and pinned Jon Moxley!
It was announced that Tony Khan made the match official for tonight’s main event: “Switchblade” Jay White vs. Adam Cole for the AEW World Championship!
Additionally, Mark Briscoe was announced as the next participant in the Continental Classic, which begins this Wednesday on Dynamite!
AEW Women’s World Championship Match!
Hikaru Shida (c.) vs. “Timeless” Toni Storm (with Luther the Butler)!
Storm and Shida exchanged forearms. Shida stormed Toni with a running knee strike. Mariah May was watching on a monitor backstage. Shida chopped Storm in the chest. Toni backed Shida into the corner with rapid fire chops. Storm pounced on Shida with a running bulldog.
Luther handed Toni two shoes. The ref saw one of the shoes and pulled it away, but Storm had a second shoe hidden in her trunks. Storm cracked Shida in the head with the shoe while the ref had her back turned. Shida fired back with a Strong Zero. Shida hit the question mark kick and then a Falcon Arrow for a near fall on “Timeless” Toni Storm!
Storm avoided a meteora and Shida’s ankle buckled on the landing. Storm applied an ankle lock. Shida reached the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Storm pulled off one of Shida’s boots. Shida grabbed a kendo stick, but Luther tried to pull it away. Shida wrecked Luther with the kendo stick.
Storm walloped Shida with a German Suplex. Storm had a metal tray in her trunks. Storm bashed Shida with her hip attack and pinned Shida!
And new AEW Women’s World Champion… “Timeless” Toni Storm!
Mariah May walked out and handed Toni Storm a bouquet of flowers.
Renee Paquette was backstage with ROH World Champion Eddie Kingston!
Eddie Kingston said he had his eyes on the Continental Classic. He said he wanted to up the game a little bit. “I want to put the New Japan Strong Openweight Championship and the ROH World Championship on the line in each of my matches in the tournament. Let’s make this the biggest and best tournament in pro wrestling.”
AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match!
Big Bill & “Absolute” Ricky Starks (c.)
vs.
FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood
vs.
LFI—Dralistico & Rush
vs.
Kings of the Black Throne—Brody King & Malakai Black!
Dax starched Malakai with a right hand. Malakai knocked a ladder into Dax’s mouth. Rush and Cash whacked one another with nasty shots, forearms and elbows. Cash threw his body through the ropes at Brody, Rush, and Big Bill! Dralistico jumped over the top with a tope con hiro and took out the pile!
Ricky Starks climbed to the top, but Malakai knocked him off his perch. Malakai moonsaulted out of the ring and onto the pile! Dax superplexed Starks out of the ring and onto the men outside!
“There are bodies everywhere on the outside. You knew it was going to be physical,” said Taz.
Big Bill and Brody King collided with one another in the center of the ring, exchanging wild, clubbing shots. Rush and Dax rammed them with ladders. Dax threw his ladder at Rush. Dralistico dropkicked Dax, who had his head in between rungs of the ladder. Dralistico staggered Cash with a corkscrew kick. Dralistico climbed the ladder, but Cash shoved the ladder down!
Cash powerslammed Rush, catching Rush midflight. Cash started climbing the ladder, but Malakai pulled Cash down. Black slingshotted a ladder into the face of Wheeler.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Cash Wheeler spiked Black with a piledriver on a ladder! Brody attempted a tope suicida, but Big Bill pulled up a ladder and Brody crashed into it. Starks speared Dralistico and then speared Rush. Starks drilled Dax with a swinging DDT. Starks sent Black overhead with a suplex into a ladder.
Brody King cannonballed Dax, who was against a ladder that was propped against the turnbuckles. Brody began to climb the ladder toward the titles, but Big Bill yanked the ladder out from beneath Brody. Dralistico lunged off the ropes with a lung blower to Big Bill. Rush rammed Big Bill with a ladder, sandwiching Big Bill in the corner. Rush rocked Big Bill with the Bull’s Horns, kicking a ladder into Bill’s face!
Starks and Rush climbed opposite sides of the ladder. Dax grabbed a taller ladder and began the climb towards the titles. Cash grabbed another ladder, but Brody backdropped him. Dralistico planted Brody with a poison rana. Brody decimated Dralistico with a Gonzo Bomb on a ladder that was propped up between the ring and the guardrail!
Cash Wheeler climbed to the top rope and splashed Brody on the ladder, sacrificing his own body. Dax climbed up a ladder toward the titles, but Ricky Starks met him up top. Black pulled Dax down and connected with the End. Starks grabbed the titles and the champions retained!
TBS Championship Match!
Kris Statlander (c.) vs. Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue!
As Skye Blue was making her entrance, she removed her baseball cap, stomped on it, and put a crown on.
Kris body slammed Julia and then body slammed Skye. Skye Blue rolled up Kris from behind for a near fall. Julia jumped on Statlander’s back, but Statlander shucked her off. Skye Blue clocked Kris with a knee strike. Statlander double suplexed Skye and Julia on the arena floor, reversing their attempt on Statlander.
Skye Blue offered her hand to Julia and Julia accepted it…and then began to bounce Skye Blue’s head off the mat repeatedly. Blue mounted Julia and began to pound her with shots. She followed up with the PK to Julia. Kris charged at Skye and Julia with knee strikes.
Skye nailed Kris with a neck breaker. Julia rallied back with an elbow to Skye Blue. Julia took Statlander off her feet with a lariat. Skye Blue rocked Hart with a thrust kick. Julia moonsaulted Skye Blue but Statlander pulled Julia off Blue to break up the pin attempt. Statlander powerslammed Julia on the arena floor. Skye Blue blasted Kris with a Code Blue for a near fall!
Julia applied the Heartless Lock to Skye Blue, but Kris grabbed Julia and sent her overhead with a German Suplex! Then Kris sent Skye flying high with a German Suplex. Kris crushed Skye with the Saturday Night Fever and went for the pin, but instead Julia knocked Kris away, covered Skye, and won the match!
And new TBS Champion…Julia Hart!
“Man, she stole that win and it was perfectly done,” said Taz.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring for the blockbuster contract signing!
“Ladies and gentlemen let’s bring in the newest member of All Elite Wrestling,” said Schiavone.
Will Ospreay walked down to the ring!
Will Ospreay signed the contract and made it official!
Ospreay: “It feels great! Listen up. I’m happy to be a part of the team, but I am not going to come in just yet. When I was 22 years old, I was part of New Japan Pro Wrestling. I’m 30 years old now, so I’m begging all of you, let me finish up, and then I’ll be on the road to Revolution. And then I’ll be all yours, but more importantly, I am All Elite, bruv! Mr. Tony Khan, do us a favor. Line up the best that you got, especially for Wembley Stadium, because I’m going to show ‘em all what elite really looks like, bruv!”
Texas Death Match!
“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana)!
Page cleaned Swerve’s clock with a Buckshot Lariat right at the bell. Hangman taped Swerve’s wrists together. Hangman had a staple gun and began stapling Swerve’s body! Page plastered Swerve in the side of the head with a steel chair!
“Hangman Adam Page is completely unhinged,” said Excalibur.
Page grabbed a steel chair wrapped in barb wire. Page swung it at Swerve, but Swerve saved himself by kicking Page between the legs. Prince Nana had scissors and cut Swerve free of the tape.
Swerve pulled the staple gun and stapled Page right between the eyes. Swerve sent Hangman headfirst into the barbed wire wrapped steel chair.
“I feel like I’m back in Philly. This is wild!” said Taz.
Swerve pulled a cinder block out from beneath the ring. Hangman and Swerve brawled on the ring apron. Swerve spiked Hangman with a Death Valley Driver on the cinder block!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Swerve delivered a piledriver on top of the guardrail! Back in the ring, Page planted Swerve with a fallaway slam. Page sent Swerve flying with another fallaway slam. Page wrapped barbed wire around Swerve’s head. Page trapped Swerve’s arm against his body by wrapping the barbed wire around him. Page hit another fallaway slam. Page moonsaulted off the post and landed on Swerve with the barbed wire wrapped steel chair!
“This is hard to watch,” said Nigel.
Swerve intercepted the Buckshot Lariat attempt. Swerve booted the chair into Page’s head. Page reversed a tombstone and dropped Swerve onto the barbed wire wrapped steel chair with a tombstone piledriver of his own!
“This goes beyond pro wrestling. This is evolutionary,” said Nigel.
Swerve power bombed Page onto the barbed wire wrapped chair and followed up with the Swerve Stomp! Swerve grabbed a black bag from beneath the ring. Swerve spilled the bag onto Page’s back. It was full of broken glass. Swerve connected with a 450 splash onto Page, who had glass all over his bag. Swerve followed up with the JML Driver!
Swerve placed a board covered with barb wire and bridged it between two chairs in the ring. Page chomped down on Swerve’s forehead. Page planted Swerve with a fallaway slam off the top and followed up with a Dead Eye on the barbed wire!
Page wrapped the barbed wire around Swerve’s head and face. Page blasted Swerve with a Buckshot barbed wire lariat! Prince Nana pulled Swerve out of the ring to break the ref’s count. Brian Cage ambushed Page from behind and power bombed him! Brian Cage pulled out a table and set it up on the arena floor. Page cracked Cage with a barbed wire wrapped rolling elbow. Adam Page almost broke Nana in half with a Dead Eye through the table! Swerve shattered the cinder block on Hangman Page!
Swerve wrapped a chain around Page’s throat, and then Swerve yanked on the chain after it was draped across ring post. Page couldn’t answer the ten count and Swerve was declared the winner!
“By the grace of God, this one is over,” said Nigel.
Tag Team Title Opportunity vs. Tag Team Break-up!
The Golden Jets—Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega
vs.
The Young Bucks—Matt & Nick Jackson!
Don Callis joined the commentary team for this match.
Chris Jericho and Matt Jackson chain wrestled. Jericho chopped at Matt and then Omega tagged himself in, allowing Matt some time to step away from Jericho and his swarm of chops. Matt mauled Omega with a flurry of shots to the back of the head. Omega answered with a hurracanrana. Omega launched himself with the Terminator Dive and landed on Matt Jackson!
Chris Jericho slid into Nick Jackson with a baseball dropkick. The Bucks went to work on Jericho’s arm, trying to take out the arm Jericho uses for the Judas Effect. Jericho dropkicked Nick Jackson from the middle rope and then tagged out to Omega.
Omega took Matt down with a snapdragon suplex. Omega wiped out both Bucks with his offense. Omega moonsaulted out of the ring and onto Matt Jackson. Omega followed up with a crossbody press to Nick, but Nick countered by rolling through for a near fall. Omega smashed Nick with a knee strike.
Jericho lionsaulted onto both Young Bucks! Jericho was looking for the Walls, but Matt Jackson kicked Jericho in the injured arm. Nick Jackson connected with a rolling roundhouse to Jericho. Matt was looking for a rana, but Jericho put the brakes on and sat down with the Walls of Jericho. Matt used the heel of his boot to kick Jericho in the arm and escape the hold.
Matt Jackson sent the Golden Jets flying with double Northern Lights Suplexes. Jericho lawn darted Matt Jackson’s face into the mat. Matt held Jericho while Nick connected with a senton. Nick Jackson kicked Jericho between the legs. The ref admonished Nick and while she had her back turned, Matt kicked Omega between the legs!
Nick Jackson rocked Jericho with the Judas Effect! The Bucks bashed Jericho with the BTE Trigger. Somehow Jericho kicked out of Matt’s pin attempt. Nick Jackson superkicked Jericho on the injured arm. Omega tagged in and stunned Nick with a V Trigger. Omega lifted off Nick for a One Winged Angel, but Nick reversed it with a rana. Matt planted Omega with a One Winged Angel and Nick covered Omega, but the Cleaner kicked out!
The fan chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Omega drilled Matt Jackson with a German Suplex. Nick Jackson starched Omega with a superkick. Jericho ate a superkick from Matt Jackson. Omega clocked Matt with a V Trigger and then finished him off with the One Winged Angel to score the pin!
“And now Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho can challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Titles anytime they choose,” said Excalibur.
Nick Jackson was furious at the loss and began tearing apart the announcers’ desk. Omega extended his hand to the Bucks, but the Bucks stormed off.
Main Event Time!
AEW World Championship Match!
Originally scheduled as: MJF (c.) vs. Bullet Club Gold’s “Switchblade” Jay White!
Adam Cole came to the ring on crutches.
Jay White was introduced and walked to the ring with the Gunns by his side.
Justin Roberts announced Adam Cole as representing MJF.
“This is going to be a massacre,” said Taz.
Before the bell rang, an ambulance driven by MJF pulled into the back of the arena. MJF hobbled to the ring!
MJF slapped Switchblade in the face, but Switchblade went right to work on MJF’s injured left leg. Jay White diverted the attention of the ref while the Gunns stomped on MJF outside the ring. The ref eventually saw the Gunns interfering and ejected them from ringside.
MJF turned the tables on Jay White and chomped down on White’s forehead. MJF fired up and hit the kangaroo kick on Switchblade. Jay White dropkicked MJF in the bad leg. Jay White spiked MJF with a DDT. Jay White planted MJF with a uranage for a near fall.
“I hate to say it, but I think the presence of Adam Cole at ringside is distracting MJF,” said Excalibur.
MJF gouged at Jay’s eyes and then DDT’ed him on the floor. MJF slammed Jay White onto the announcers’ desk. MJF dropped an elbow from the top turnbuckle right onto Jay White on the arena floor!
The fans chanted “He’s our scumbag! He’s our scumbag!”
Back in the ring, Jay White employed a dragon screw leg whip on MJF. Jay White tied up MJF in the Tree of Woe. Jay White climbed to the top, but MJF yanked White down to the mat. Jay White climbed back up and nailed MJF with an avalanche uranage for a two-count!
MJF countered the Blade Runner with a spinning elbow. Jay White answered with a release German Suplex. MJF spiked White with a tombstone piledriver. MJF jumped over the top rope and caught Jay White with a cutter, planting him on the arena floor!
“We are witnessing MJF take risks like he never has in his entire career,” said Excalibur.
Back in the ring Jay White went back to work on MJF’s injured leg. Jay White spat at Adam Cole and then applied the figure four to MJF. Adam Cole had a towel and was contemplating throwing it into the ring to end the match. MJF reversed the figure four. Jay White made a desperate dive and grabbed the bottom rope to force the break. Adam Cole had his ROH Tag Title and was thinking about using it against Jay White, but Jay White grabbed it away and smacked MJF in the head with it! Jay White covered MJF but MJF kicked out at two!
Jay White was yanking on MJF’s leg, but MJF shoved him away, with White colliding with the ref and knocking him down. Adam Cole slipped the Dynamite Diamond Ring into the ring, but before MJF could retrieve it, Jay White grabbed it. MJF hit White with a low blow before White could use the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF slipped the Dynamite Diamond Ring on his hand. The Gunns ran down and MJF clocked them! Jay White was looking for the Blade Runner, but MJF cracked Jay with the Dynamite Diamond Ring and pinned Switchblade!
And still AEW World Champion…MJF!
Missed what the entire wrestling world is buzzing about? Order the replay of the historic AEW Full Gear 2023! 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 Full Gear 2023 for yourself!
Catch the fallout from Full Gear on AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
All Elite Wrestling returns to pay-per-view this Saturday night, November 18th, for FULL GEAR 2023 live from the fabulous KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA! AEW’s return to the West Coast has already been an exciting endeavor, and now it comes to a head with multiple championship bouts, epic grudge matches, strained friendships, and the top shelf professional wrestling the world has come to expect from the athletes of All Elite Wrestling! Click here for all the details on how the AEW faithful around the world can watch our November tradition, then sit back, strap in, and get ready for a rocket ship of a ride in Cali!
On November 1st, just four days after beating Kenny Omega on COLLISION, Maxwell Jacob Friedman became the longest reigning AEW World Champion in AEW’s history, surpassing the 346-day marker set by “The Cleaner” between WINTER IS COMING 2020 when he beat Jon Moxley and FULL GEAR 2021 when he lost to Hangman Page. One week later, on the November 8th DYNAMITE in Portland, MJF defeated Daniel Garcia in a World Championship defense, thereby tying the mark of 9 successful defenses set by Moxley during his reign from REVOLUTION 2020 where be bested Chris Jericho to the aforementioned WINTER IS COMING 2020 loss.
These are two huge milestones in the history of All Elite Wrestling, as well as in the professional career of Maxwell Jacob Friedman, not to neglect his fifth consecutive victory where the Dynamite Diamond Ring is concerned, but unfortunately MJF has had to celebrate both this championship milestones without his precious Triple B, the AEW World Championship title. For weeks now “Switchblade” Jay White has been parading around with the physical title belt and using his possession of it to proclaim himself the real AEW World Champion. While White is certainly championship material, his status as a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion is testament to that, he is not the AEW World Champion regardless of his physically holding the title belt.
While he’s not champion, what “King Switch” has been is a thorn in MJF’s side that he’s been unable to remove, a foe Max has been unable to get a leg up on, and man surrounded by three other men willing to get their hands dirty in order to lend “Switchblade” an assist when it is need. Jay White is also one of just two people who’ve pinned MJF’s shoulders to the mat since he returned to the fold at ALL OUT 2022, the other being Dax Harwood the night Better Than You BayBay challenged FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. To say Jay White has the psychological edge heading into this fight would be an understatement, and though initially it seemed the Devil-masked individual, and their gang of black clad thugs, that have encircled this bout was MJF’s balance to everything White had done, it became clear after White’s victory over Mark Briscoe that they (a) The Devil was not MJF and (b) they were not on the side of the World Champion either. Even though their initial arrival on the scene was at the expense of Jay White, this time around they left The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass laying, even chucking Anthony Bowens through a window.
So after everything that has gone done between MJF, his allies, Jay White, and BULLET CLUB GOLD, the two men will finally go one-on-one for the AEW World Championship! It’s MJF’s chance to become the most successful champion in AEW history by breaking Mox’s record, it’s Jay White’s opportunity to ascend to the throne in All Elite Wrestling just as he did in New Japan, and it plays out this Saturday night live on pay-per-view from the legendary KIA Forum!
Though it’s been a little more than ten years since the very first time Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida stepped into the ring with one another, that fight from the REINA promotion is their lone fight away from All Elite Wrestling and a tag team one won by Storm and her partner.
It would be nine years before Storm and Shida saw each other inside the squared circle again, only now they were working as partners on DARK: ELEVATION #74, teaming with Willow Nightingale as their third to top Emi Sakura, Marina Shafir, and former AEW Women’s World Champion Nyla Rose. The two women would actually team up several more times in 2022, actually proving quite successful both as a team and a trio, but the AEW Women’s World Championship would enter the picture.
At ALL OUT 2022, with the title having been vacated as a result of Thunder Rosa’s injury, Toni Storm bested Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D, Jamie Hayter, and Shida to win her first title, acquired by pinning Hayter, and since she was not the woman pinned, lining up Shida for a title fight of her own. That first singles bout between the women would go down on TITLE TUESDAY 2022, and end with Toni Storm still the reigning champion.
The two women would go their separate ways, reconnecting in May 2023, but unlike Shida who had stayed true to the side of angels, Toni Storm had aligned herself with Ruby Soho and Saraya to form The Outcasts. The alliance-turned-rivalry would blossom into a Women’s World Championship match at the 200th episode of DYNAMITE and that fight would end with “The Shining Samurai” becoming a 2-Time World Champion. Sadly it was a short-lived title reign as Saraya would bring it to an end just 25 days later at ALL IN: LONDON, though not by pinning Shida, but rather by putting down Toni Storm to claim the victory. That pinfall on Toni would prove a breaking point for Storm’s role in The Outcasts as she began to spiral out into the woman we see now, and the Women’s World Champion defeating Toni at GRAND SLAM 2023 completely broke the camel’s back.
The Women’s World Championship would end up back in Shida’s possession after TITLE TUESDAY 2023, making her the first 3-Time champ in the division, but as for Toni Storm, a week prior to Shida’s win at DYNAMITE: 2023 ANNIVERSARY, we all witnessed Toni spiral out on RJ City before making her “Timeless” declaration.
Now lost in this “Timeless” Hollywood starlet delusion, Toni has declared this year’s FULL GEAR event as her “Hollywood Homecoming” and “Quest for the Gold”, heaping a great deal of the blame for her woes on Shida’s lap despite it being The Outcasts, Toni’s former friends, who caused much of that misfortune. As for Shida, while Toni has been experiencing this break from reality, she has posted three successful title defenses against Ruby Soho, Willow Nightingale, and that unforgettable Fright Night Fight with Abadon on COLLISION. Meanwhile Storm has not been inside the ring since an October 7th victory over Kiera Hogan, which means she may be well-rested and healed up from any nagging issues, but heading into FULL GEAR 2023 is she ready for a fight, especially the type of fight Hikaru Shida will undoubtedly bring?
The defending Women’s World Champion does not want this third reign to end as abruptly as the second, and thus she will throw every bit of her arsenal at “Timeless” Toni Storm to insure this go-round isn’t a repeat of the second. While she may hold the spot as longest-reigning Women’s World Champion of all-time at 372 days, so too does Shida hold the position for shortest with that 25 days reign, and if Toni beats her on Saturday night, she’ll also have the second shortest time with the title as well. That’s not the history Shida intends to make…
After 326 days and 31 championship defenses, Orange Cassidy had the AEW International Championship ripped from his waist by former 3-Time AEW World Champion Jon Moxley at ALL OUT 2023. It was a violent bout, one in which Cassidy was brutalized like never before in his career, but it was a beating that earned him the respect of Mox, not an easy thing to acquire by any means.
Unfortunately for Moxley, his time as International Champion did not come close to touching the records set by Cassidy during his reign because on his fourth defense of the title, just 17 days in, Rey Fenix dropped Moxley hard, and wrested the championship from The BCC member’s grasp. It was a shock to be certain, a win many considered an upset despite Fenix’s championship pedigree, and one that actually put Mox on the injury list for several weeks as far as AEW was concerned, though that didn’t stop the man from fighting for OTT in England and Ireland, for NJPW in Osaka, and at NJPW STRONG’s event at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, the home of FINAL BATTLE 2023.
Meanwhile, during the month that Moxley was kept on the sidelines before his OTT trip, Orange Cassidy had the opportunity to challenge Fenix for the International Championship, a one-on-one rematch of their 11/2/22 Three Way title fight early in Orange’s reign, and just like that fight, it ended with “Freshly Squeezed” getting his hand raised in victory. So not only was OC the longest-reigning International Champion in that title’s short life, not only is he the most successful champion in all of AEW history with those 31 defenses, but now he is also the only 2-Time Champion in the history of the International Title.
Seeming somewhat lost after losing the title to Mox, Cassidy seems rejuvenated by his reclamation of the championship, as if it helped salve the lingering injuries he’d sustained over those 326 days, and reinvigorated him for this second run atop the division. He’s already bested John Silver and Mox’s BCC brother Claudio Castagnoli in championship defenses, but this Saturday night at The KIA Forum, he’s got to get back into the fight with the man who battered him not that long ago.
It’s obvious that Cassidy wants this fight, why else would he have shoulder-bumped Mox after the show of respect Moxley gave him after their fight, provoking the man, almost rubbing it into his face that OC had taken the belt back from the man who beat Moxley. The situation began to blow up this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE as The BCC of Moxley and Yuta met Cassidy and HOOK in a tag team battle, and not only did The BCC defeat championship pair when Yuta pinned HOOK, but Moxley ate a straight shot from an Orange Punch and did not even go down to a knee! It very clearly shook OC to see his primary weapon have no effect on the man he’s got to fight on Saturday night; will we see the same reaction if Cassidy scores with an Orange Punch in the championship match, or can it actually put the 3-Time AEW World Champion and former International Champion down?
Moxley says FULL GEAR 2023 will be a course correction, a moment where he shows the world that Cassidy is actually who Jon Moxley says he is, and he puts the 2-Time International Champion back in his place. Will this be the case when the final bell rings, or will Cassidy do what he has done repeatedly since coming to All Elite Wrestling and show Jon Moxley he is as real as The BCC?
Swerve Strickland came into this entire ordeal with former AEW World Champion Hangman Page with the intent of proving he was worthy of a top spot in the AEW pantheon. A former AEW World Tag Champion, just like Hangman, Swerve has relentlessly pursued that top tier status ever since violently parting ways with Keith Lee and nothing has deterred those aspirations, not even being locked in a coffin by Darby Allin and Sting.
So when Page and Swerve went into battle at WRESTLEDREAM, Strickland viewed it as his opportunity to snatch the spot while Hangman saw it as his moment to get back on track with his own career after spending a great deal of 2023 wrapped up in Elite business with Blackpool Combat Club and then, surprisingly, winning the ROH World Six-Man Titles from Swerve’s allies in The Mogul Embassy. But instead of Swerve proving his merits on his own, he resorted to an assist from Prince Nana and his crown to defeat Hangman, and shortly thereafter, when the opportunity arose to fight Bryan Danielson for a shot at TNT Championship, Swerve tried the same tactic. Thankfully Hangman was on the spot to stop that crime from being committed, but that only served to escalate the issues, and next thing Hangman knew, Swerve and Prince Nana were breaking into Page’s house.
That disturbing scenario is best left untouched, suffice to say that Swerve committed the heinous sin of dragging family into this issue that started as a professional jockeying for position, making it as personal as any issues experienced in All Elite Wrestling. We heard Hangman speak his mind about this, tearing Swerve down to the core with every bit of personal drama Strickland has experienced, and capping it all off by assaulting Nana since the two Texas Death combatants were forbidden from any physical content on DYNAMITE.
But that rule doesn’t extend beyond the borders of AEW…
At Pro Wrestling Revolver’s UNREAL event, as Swerve and Nana stood in the ring talking about the FULL GEAR 2023 fight, Hangman attacked out of nowhere, and promised that he would beat Swerve’s ass this Saturday night. Swerve chose to make this personal, messing with a man’s family, so much so that it led others like Penta El Zero Miedo to fight the him, but once Hangman chose to oblige Swerve and join him in the muck and mire, it was bound to get ugly. Fans have seen the former AEW World Champion in Texas Death before, he’s undefeated in that stipulation here in AEW, and that’s because he’s willing to get uglier and dirtier than anyone else when the fight comes.
Swerve led this into ugliness by his actions outside the ring, will he be able to get that ugly when the bell rings on Saturday night?
TRIOS MATCH…
Adam Copeland, Darby Allin, & Sting vs. TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, & Nick Wayne
It was a huge moment at WRESTLEDREAM when “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland arrived on the scene in All Elite Wrestling and stood side-by-side with Sting and Darby Allin in opposition to TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and sadly also Nick Wayne. In the weeks since then, we have heard Sting announce to the world that he would bring his legendary career to its end at REVOLUTION 2024, we heard Copeland repeatedly say he would not fight his best friend, we saw Ric Flair come into the equation to ride this home stretch out with “The Icon”, and we’ve watched Christian Cage continue to be a horrible human being.
But after hearing Cage after being attacked by Cage’s “sons”, after hearing Christian threaten to break his neck, Adam Copeland has agreed to ride into battle alongside Sting and Darby Allin this Saturday night at FULL GEAR 2023! We witnessed these three men get their first reps in as a trio against The Righteous and Lance Archer, and though they looked very solid in action, they are still new to the idea of working with one another. In truth, it’s not all that different from the situation with Christian’s Patriarchy, much like Darby and Sting, Christian and Luchasaurus have spent a great deal of time together and formed their own dynamic, and much like Adam Copeland, Nick Wayne is a new ingredient to that formula. Unlike the Darby/Sting/Copeland trio though, The Patriarchy all fall under the direction of Christian Cage, they do not think for themselves, they follow the direction of their erstwhile father figure, and only his direction.
Their opponents are individuals, allies, friends; it’s not a case of Darby falling into a subordinate role just because of Sting and Copeland’s seniority or being led by their direction. This will be a trio operating on the same page but making use of their varied levels of experience, pooling their assorted resources and knowledge, and applying each other’s best attributes to the fights. There is obviously a concern about the history between Christian Cage and Adam Copeland, how all that friendship, those roads traveled together, those championships held as a team, the time spent with each other’s families, how will all that play into this Trios fight at FULL GEAR 2023? All of it has to be nagging at the back of Copeland’s skull, but will it effect his ability to fight? We will all see this Saturday night…
TAG TEAM BATTLE…
The Golden Jets (Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
***TAG TEAM TITLE OPPORTUNITY VS. TAG TEAM BREAK-UP***
It was at WRESTLEDREAM that The Young Bucks earned a future shot at the AEW World Tag Team Titles at a moment of their choosing; they did so by defeating The Lucha Brothers, The Gunns, as well as the team of HOOK and Orange Cassidy. Since that PPV event, we’ve seen Nick Jackson lose to AEW International Champion Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks & Hangman Page lose the ROH World Six-Man Championship back to The Mogul Embassy after just one successful defense, and watched The Young Bucks completely lose their cool after that championship defeat.
Over the last few months we’ve also seen Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho form one of the most unlikely pairings in AEW’s history, brought together by their mutual issues with Don Callis and his Family, putting aside their own sordid history in order to fight against Callis’ relentless onslaught. Clearly this is not a situation that sits well with the brothers Jackson; call it jealousy over the relationship with Jericho or call it caution given that the history between Jericho and The Elite created Stadium Stampede, either way it is driving a rift between Omega and The Young Bucks.
Now we now from history that The Young Bucks do not deal well with their friends having other friends, we witnessed it many moons ago with Adam Cole and reDRagon, but when it’s a man such as Jericho with whom there was so much bad blood from the first year of AEW, it’s got to be infinitely worse. That is why this match is going down, after all when there’s an issue between professional wrestlers the best place to settle it is inside the squared circle, and why not amp up the stakes when both teams have something to lose?
And what are those stakes? If The Young Bucks win, then the existence of The Golden Jets comes to an end. There will be no more team of Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, no more fighting the good fight together against a common foe, they will just be quits as soon as that bell rings. But if The Golden Jets win, then Matt and Nick will have to say goodbye to the World Tag Team Championship match they earned at WRESTLEDREAM! That opportunity will belong to The Golden Jets, no Young Bucks championship match on the horizon, just Jericho and Omega maintaining their dynamic to challenge whoever wins Saturday night’s Ladder Match. And what of the relationship between Omega and The Young Bucks? Well it has survived a great deal, and it has endured, but they haven’t been at this point before where so much hostility has put them at odds.
Previously that was Hangman with Omega trying to keep the peace as best he could for as long as he could; only now there is no cooler head trying to prevail, just four men looking to fight, and we shall see if the friendship between The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega can survive the ordeal.
TBS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Kris Statlander(c) vs. Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue
Kris Statlander is a breakneck pace as the TBS Champion; in the span of 174 days, Stat has successfully defended the title on 16 occasions against fourteen different women. For perspective, by that point in her historic TBS Championship reign, the longest title reign in AEW history across all divisions, Jade Cargill had only defended the title eight times while Orange Cassidy, the most successful champion across all divisions in AEW, was also heading towards his 17th defense against Dralistico.
This Saturday at FULL GEAR 2023, Statlander heads into her 17th defense against two foes she’s already beaten in one-on-one contests, but who she now must contend with in a Three Way situation. To make matters more intriguing, there is an entire other dynamic between Julia Hart and Skye Blue that has little to do with Statlander. Ever since Hart misted Skye, the latter has taken a turn towards the dark, so much so that there was absolutely a concern she’d walk through the doors of The House of Black and be lost to her friends forever. Though Skye would repeatedly rebuke the handshake of help of the TBS Champion, when the moment came between choosing between Willow Nightingale and Julia Hart, Skye turned and sprayed her own blue mist into the face of The House of Black’s Hart.
So with each woman’s position set, the light of Statlander, the dark of Julia, and the chaotic middle of Blue, they will now collide on Saturday night with the TBS Championship on the line! This will mark the first defense for Stat that’s involved multiple challengers, will that be the ticket to ending this potentially historic reign? Or will the strife between Julia Hart and Skye Blue be the key to the champion retaining her championship?
AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER MATCH…
Big Bill & Ricky Starks(c) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. LFI (Dralistico & Rush) vs. The House of Black (Brody King & Malakai Black)
A Ladder Match, only one other time in the history of AEW have the World Tag Team Titles been at stake in a Ladder match, and that was the night The Young Bucks beat Jurassic Express to start their defenseless 28-day second reign, as well as the night Christian Cage first stabbed Jack Perry in the back.
But four teams fighting to climb the rungs to championship status? That is a whole new ballgame, and one likely to end up in plenty of pain, suffering, and punishment! Just yesterday the AEW faithful witnessed the chaos that erupted between these eight men, especially Dax and Rush as they battled to a No Contest, now put that into a situation with no rules, the freedom to use weapons, and with a title at stake. This will be an intensely physical situation, and even though Ricky Starks is the one who laid the stipulation on the table, not necessarily the best one for the champions to retain their titles. They may not have to worry about a pinfall or submission happening to someone else to lose their status, but Big Bill and Ricky Starks constantly have to be concerned about stopping someone else climbing the ladder. There are six bodies besides theirs all with the same goal, but only one has to ascend to the top of the ladder and pull down the belts.
All Elite Wrestling is back on pay-per-view this Saturday night with FULL GEAR 2023 coming to you live from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles! This PPV experience is loaded with multiple championship bouts, including a Four Way Ladder Match for the AEW World Tag Titles, as well as huge grudge matches, and all the elite class professional wrestling fans expect from an All Elite Wrestling pay-per-view! All the details on how to watch FULL GEAR 2023 can be found here, so if you can’t be there in-person, you have to join us through your preferred method for the greatest PPV experience professional wrestling has to offer! And don’t forget to join us for the FULL GEAR: ZERO HOURprior to the start of the PPV where the ROH World Title and the ROH World Tag Team Titles will be defended!
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA!
Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Friday night and you know what that means! Friday night’s alright for fighting!
To kick off the show Tony Schiavone was in the ring with TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne!
Christian Cage: “It’s lucky for you that tomorrow night at Full Gear, not only do you get to see Sting’s last match you Los Angeles, you’ll get to see Sting’s last match ever. I’m sick of people calling him an ‘icon.’ Tomorrow night Sting, it’s all gonna be over.
“And what’s interesting to me is what’s going to happen to Darby Allin when he loses that mentor of his. Hey Darby, if you ever find yourself in need of some fatherly guidance, you know who to turn to. And Ric Flair, I know you’ll be ringside tomorrow, but if you stick your nose in our business tomorrow, it’ll be your literal come to Jesus moment.
“Adam Copeland, if you haven’t already, after Full Gear tomorrow you’re going to regret signing that contract with AEW. You came here to try to steal my spotlight. Here’s the thing, Adam, I am not the same person I was back when. I am Christian Cage, the patriarch of AEW. While you were the golden boy, I was in the trenches, clawing and scratching for every inch. And Beth, keep the girls up late and keep them close to the TV, because Adam I’m going to guarantee you that I will break your neck.
“As the TNT Champion, the powers-that-be want me on the program every second I can. So, I’ll be in action tonight in the four-way. After the four-way tonight, I’m going to keep running things here in AEW. I don’t work within the system. I am the system.”
Lexy Nair was backstage with the AEW World Tag Team Champions Big Bill and “Absolute” Ricky Starks!
Big Bill: “Ricky or myself do not have to be pinned or submitted tomorrow to lose the tag team titles. So, Ricky went and spoke with Tony Khan.”
Ricky Starks: “Tony is a fair man and he allowed me to pick a stipulation in our favor. I am selecting a ladder match. That’s right, a very short climb for Big Bill here. Tomorrow at Full Gear, when we walk out of L.A., we’re walking out as champions, we’re walking out in style, and most importantly, we’re walking out at the greatest tag team champions you’ve ever seen.”
“The Redeemer” Miro vs. Daniel Garcia!
Miro snatched Garcia and threw him overhead with a suplex. Miro stomped on Daniel Garcia in the corner. Miro followed up with another suplex. Miro smashed Garcia with a short arm lariat. He suplexed Garcia yet again!
Miro turned his back for a moment and Garcia charged at him. Garcia jabbed at Miro with right hands. Miro stopped a cross body and planted Garcia hard on the mat. Garcia backed up Miro with strikes after a chop block. Garcia dropkicked Miro. “The Redeemer” clobbered Garcia with a big boot to the face!
Garcia hit a belly to back suplex on Miro. Garcia was about to dance, but Matt Menard ran to the ring, jumped on the apron and told him not to dance. Miro charged at Garcia, but Garcia moved. Miro collided into Matt Menard. Garcia applied a cross face to Miro, but Miro escaped. Miro then muscled his way out of a sharpshooter. Miro locked on the Game Over submission hold and Garcia was out. The ref stopped the match and awarded the victor to Miro!
CJ Perry and Andrade El Idolo were backstage with Lexy Nair!
Andrade: “I’m so happy.”
CJ Perry: “Andrade is the best wrestler in my opinion. And that’s why I have entered him into the Continental Classic.”
Andrade: “You spoke with Tony?”
CJ Perry: “Yes, and if you win, you’re going to get an extra bonus.”
CJ whispered into Andrade’s ear. “Are you sure?” he asked. CJ nodded. Andrade said, “I trust you,” and they shook hands.
Kings of the Black Throne—Malakai Black & Brody King
vs.
The Boys—Brent & Brandon!
Malakai Black applied a wrist lock to Brent. Black blasted Brent with a spinning back elbow. Brody King tagged in, and Brent tagged out to his brother Brandon.
Brent grabbed Brody’s leg and Brandon charged at Brody. Brody backdropped Brandon out of the ring. The Kings finished off Brent with Dante’s Inferno and pinned him.
Trent Beretta vs. Penta El Zero Miedo vs. “The Machine” Brian Cage vs. Komander!
The winner receives a TNT Championship match tonight during Rampage.
Penta El Zero Miedo got in Brian Cage’s face, but “The Machine” knocked him right down. Komander and Penta nailed Cage with thrust kicks, knocking Cage out of the ring. Komander followed up with a tornillo. Trent hit Penta with a back elbow.
Trent and Penta traded chops in the middle of the ring. Trent cracked Penta with a knee strike and then sent him flying with a half and half suplex. Komander walked the top rope, but Cage shook the ropes and knocked Komander down. Cage suplexed Komander out of the ring and down onto Trent and Penta on the arena floor!
Brian Cage whipped Trent into the steel guardrail. Cage sent Penta in the guardrail. Cage planted Komander on the ring apron. Penta and Komander teamed up to hit Cage with an assisted cannonball. Trent nailed Komander with a high angle German suplex. Trent rocked Penta with German suplexes. Trent took down Cage with a poison rana, but Cage got up and clobbered Trent with a lariat.
Penta punted Cage in the head. Penta drilled Trent with a thrust kick. Penta walloped Cage with a sling blade. Penta got a near fall on Trent after hitting him with the Made in Japan! Penta jumped off Komander’s back and flew out of the ring with a tope con hiro on Cage. Trent crushed Komander with the Strong Zero and pinned him!
Lexy Nair was backstage with Don Callis and Powerhouse Hobbs!
Don Callis: “Paul Wight is out on the shelf. Done! Powerhouse Hobbs slammed a 450 pound giant, a living legend, through the windshield of a car, and broke him.”
Hobbs: “Anyone can get it! I took out a giant. A multiple time world champion. I’m big, I’m black, I’m jacked. Paul, I know you’re resting away. But stay away because anyone can get it.”
Wardlow vs. Evan Daniels!
Wardlow rushed his opponent and power bombed him! Wardlow followed up with a swanton off the top. Wardlow hit the powerbomb symphony. The ref stopped the match as Daniels was unable to continue.
“Wardlow has only one thing on his mind: MJF,” said Tony Schiavone.
FTR’s Dax Harwood (with Cash Wheeler)
vs.
LFI’s Rush (with Dralistico, Preston Vance, & Jose the Assistant)!
AEW World Tag Team Champion “Absolute” Ricky Starks joined the broadcast booth for this match. His tag partner Big Bill stood behind him.
Rush rocked Dax with a shoulder tackle. Dax dodged Rush and nailed him with a flying forearm. They brawled outside the ring, with Rush running Dax into the steel guardrail. Back in the ring they traded chops to the chest.
“They’re just wearing the leather out of each other!” said Nigel.
Dax drilled Rush with two German Suplexes. Rush shoved Dax as Dax was on the top turnbuckle. Dax lost his balance. Rush superplexed Dax Harwood for a near fall.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Both men blasted the other with open palm strikes until they knocked one another down! Rush rocked Dax with a belly to back suplex for a two-count. Dax spiked Rush with a piledriver for a near fall!
Rush got out of the ring and shoved Ricky Starks! Rush was about to go for the Bull’s Horns, but Starks jumped into the ring and speared Rush! The match was declared a no-contest.
Cash Wheeler ran down to the ring and began to brawl with Big Bill. The Kings of the Black Throne came down the ramp. Brody King and Big Bill tried to pull a ladder out from beneath the ring, but Cash flew out onto them. Security ran down to break up the melee!
Lexy Nair was backstage with Action Andretti!
The Kingdom and Roderick Strong interrupted Andretti as he was trying to give a medical update on Darius Martin.
Mike Bennett: “He’s got a bruised ego and a weak neck.”
Roderick Strong: “Fellas, I found my next victim.”
Matt Taven: “Who is it?”
Roderick Strong: “Action!”
Blackpool Combat Club’s Wheeler Yuta vs. The House of Black’s Buddy Matthews!
Wheeler dropkicked Buddy and sent him out of the ring. Buddy hip tossed Yuta into the steel guardrail. Buddy blasted Wheeler with a pump kick to the face.
Both men fought on the ring apron. Buddy hurled Wheeler off the apron, sending Wheeler colliding with the announcers’ table. Back in the ring, Buddy unleashed an array of kicks. Yuta connected with a wild swing.
Wheeler tried for a German Suplex, but Buddy broke loose. Buddy walloped Wheeler with a back kick. Yuta grabbed a near fall after a German Suplex. Wheeler rocketed out of the ring with a tope suicida. Buddy picked up Yuta and dropped him across the turnbuckles. Wheeler jumped off with a double ax handle to the back of Buddy’s neck and back. Buddy connected with a running powerbomb and then curb stomped Yuta, grabbing the pin!
Buddy Matthews grabbed a steel chair after the match, hoping to continue the punishment. Claudio Castagnoli sprinted to the ring to protect Wheeler.
Claudio: “If you want the attention of the Blackpool Combat Club, you don’t have to cut some spooky promo. All you have to do is ask. You’ve been pissing me off for a few weeks now and honestly, I like to make my challenges here in the light. What do you say if it’s you and me right here tomorrow at Full Gear?”
Shida hit Ruby with a throwaway slam. Kris tagged in and swept out Ruby’s legs. Saraya grabbed a tag, but Kris shoulder tackled her for a two-count.
Julia Hart was watching Kris with a keen eye backstage on a monitor.
Statlander double suplexed Saraya and Soho. Shida tagged in and knocked down Saraya and Soho with a cross body from the top rope.
Skye Blue was watching backstage on a monitor.
Angelo Parker was sitting in the front row, cheering on Ruby Soho.
Kris connected with a spinning discus lariat on Soho. Kris followed up with a running knee to Ruby Soho. Statlander hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Ruby for a near fall. Saraya tagged in and she and Ruby tried a double suplex on Shida, but Shida blocked it. Saraya and Shida traded forearms.
Shida wiped out Saraya with a running knee strike. Shida jumped off the top rope, but Saraya countered with a thrust kick. Angelo Parker jumped over the barricade to check on Ruby Soho. Saraya didn’t like what she saw, as she was left alone to fend for herself. Kris Statlander speared Angelo Parker on the arena floor. Meanwhile, in the ring, Shida wiped out Saraya with the Katana and pinned her!
Earlier in the day, Tony Schiavone had a sitdown interview with AEW World & ROH Tag champ MJF!
MJF: “I made a promise and I intend to keep it. As much as I know Austin and Colten Gunn are ugly, they’re very talented. I’m going to do whatever it takes to win during Zero Hour. Because I told my best friend Adam Cole that these ROH Tag titles will be waiting here when he comes back from injury. And let’s be honest, I’m responsible for him being injured.
“When Jay White stole my belt, I realized Jay White is insecure. He stole that belt not to prove anything to the world, but he’s trying to prove something to himself. The championship doesn’t make the man. The man makes the championship. That’s why tomorrow you’re going to lose because nobody is on the level of the devil.
“When you ask me about the likelihood about beating the Gunns and Jay White all in one night, I’d say slim to none. But unfortunately for Jay White and all my detractors, I just so happen to like those odds.”
The Rampage portion of the evening kicked off!
“The Ocho” Chris Jericho joined the broadcast table for Rampage.
TNT Championship Match!
Christian Cage (c.) (with Luchasaurus & Nick Wayne)
vs.
Trent Beretta!
Trent flew over the top rope with a huge crossbody to Christian on the arena floor. Nick Wayne grabbed Trent from behind and Christian charged at Trent, nailing him with a cheap shot. Trent speared Christian through the ropes.
Trent went for a spinning DDT, but Christian dodged it. Trent blocked a DDT from Christian. Trent hit a hurracanrana on Christian for a near fall. Christian moved out of the way of Trent’s crossbody press. Trent countered a spear with a knee strike and then spiked Christian with a tornado DDT for a near fall.
“Trent has the momentum here. Christian is on the run,” said Jericho.
Trent clobbered Christian with the Strong Zero for a two-count! Luchasaurus distracted Trent. Christian Cage seized the moment and blindsided Trent. Christian Cage crushed Trent with the Kill Switch and pinned Trent!
After a commercial break, Chris Jericho had a message for the Young Bucks!
Jericho: “Matt and Nick seem to have an issue because I stole their buddy Kenny. I didn’t steal anyone. The Golden Jets are going to beat the Bucks tomorrow and become the number one contenders. See you tomorrow kids!”
“Timeless” Toni Storm (with Luther the Butler) vs. Emi Sakura!
Toni tried to hand Emi a script, but Emi ripped it up. Emi chopped at Toni Storm. Toni knocked Emi out of the ring with her hip attack. Toni stood up on the apron and Emi fired back with a cross body press.
Toni rocked Emi with a running bulldog. Toni was looking for a hip attack, but Emi countered with a Tiger Driver for a near fall. Emi followed up with a backbreaker across the knee for a two-count. Toni dodged a moonsault from Emi.
Toni rammed Emi with a hip attack. Toni planted Emi with a piledriver and pinned Emi!
“Tomorrow is Toni’s Hollywood homecoming as she faces AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida,” said Tony Schiavone.
Renee Paquette was backstage with Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh. Standing across them was ROH World Champion Eddie Kingston!
Jay Lethal: “I’ve asked for this time because I wanted to make things crystal clear for Eddie Kingston. You have one day left as the ROH World Champion because we have spoken to Stokely, and he has made it official. Tomorrow night at Zero Hour it’s going to be Eddie Kingston versus Jay Lethal for the ROH World Championship. Ever since you lost in that Memphis Street Fight against Jeff Jarrett granting me a shot at your championship, you’ve done nothing but duck and hide from us the whole time.”
Eddie Kingston: “Look at me. You know me. Why are you speaking like them? You know what I can do. And I know what you can do, but not with them. You have become a coward just like them.”
Kingston turned around and Ortiz showed up and nodded at him.
Rampage Main Event Time!
Roderick Strong (with The Kingdom—Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)
vs.
Action Andretti!
Strong charged at Action as Action entered the ring. Action hit back with a dropkick to Roderick Strong. Action Andretti chopped Roderick in the chest. Roderick cracked Action with a backbreaker.
Action rocked Roderick with a spinning neck breaker. Action countered a sunset flip with a suplex. Action blasted Roddy with a back elbow. The Kingdom checked on Roddy outside the ring. Action wiped out the Kingdom with a running kick. Action hit a Spanish Fly on Strong.
The fans chanted “Neck Strong!”
Roddy got to his feet! Roddy finished off Action with the End of Heartache and pinned Action Andretti!
Renee Paquette had a sitdown interview with “Switchblade” Jay White!
Jay White: “Who is the devil? In my mind, all you have to focus on is that the AEW World Championship is with someone that lives up to the E in All Elite Wrestling. Remember MJF isn’t going to even make it to the main event with me because the Gunns will take care of him first during Zero Hour.
“MJF is trying to brainwash everyone and make them think MJF belongs in the same breath as J-A-Y. When things go my way, you’re going to get more of the Bang Bang Gang.”
MJF stormed onto the scene and attacked Jay White! “Switchblade” begged Max to stop. Juice Robinson blindsided MJF and then threw MJF into Jay White’s locker room! MJF smashed the TV monitor over Juice Robinson’s head!
MJF chased Jay White to the ring. MJF grounded and pounded Jay White! The Gunns sprinted to the ring to try to help Jay White, but MJF took them down too! MJF picked up his belt and kissed it! MJF was about to bash Jay White with the belt, but the Gunn Club hit MJF from behind! Bullet Club Gold triple teamed MJF and ripped the belt out of his hands! The Gunns held back MJF as Jay White was about to ram the belt into MJF’s head when Samoa Joe ran to the ring!
Bullet Club Gold retreated!
“It looks like MJF has found a tag team partner,” said Nigel.
“But has he?” wondered Tony Schiavone.
Samoa Joe stared at MJF and extended his hand. MJF accepted!
“Joe will team with MJF tomorrow!” said Tony Schiavone.
“The AEW World Champion has made a deal with the devil,” replied Nigel.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL!
This Saturday witness history live on pay-per-view and order AEW FULL GEAR 2023 from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA!
Watch AEW Full Gear Zero Hour at 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT on YouTube, hosted by Renee Paquette, RJ City, and Stokely Hathaway!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
This is it, the last stop before FULL GEAR 2023, and it’s going to be a loaded FOUR hours of action on TNT! All Elite Wrestling is coming to you live with the first of two nights from the Fabulous KIA Forum for back-to-back-to-back COLLISION, RAMPAGE, and COUNTDOWN TO FULL GEAR! This past Wednesday’s edition of DYNAMITE was wild, topped off with the LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN Street Fight and MJF being decimated by BULLET CLUB GOLD, and Friday night promises to be more of that vibe!
Friday night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT with a COLLISION featuring Miro battling Daniel Garcia, the Women’s World and TBS Champions teaming up against The Outcasts, and Dax Harwood battling Rush on the eve of their PPV World Tag Team Title challenge! Then we roll straight into RAMPAGE where “Timeless” Toni Storm goes head-to-head with Emi Sakura, and after the events of DYNAMITE, we will hear from both AEW World Champion MJF and his FULL GEAR challenger Jay White! So before the night begins swing over to the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, the latest editions of CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
COLLISION
REDEMPTION;WHETHER IT’S WANTED OR NOT…
“The Redeemer” Miro vs. Daniel Garcia
Daniel Garcia is at a bit of a crossroads after losing to AEW World Champion MJF on DYNAMITE; for the first time in a long time Garcia referred to himself as a professional wrestler, a huge step towards becoming the man fans wanted him to be when “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson extended a hand, but he is still associated with Angelo Parker, Matt Menard, Jake Hager, and Anna Jay. Daniel’s bond with his former J.A.S. allies appears to be holding Garcia back from being the man he strives to be, an amalgam of the professional wrestling and the sports entertainer, but he’s got to set that all aside and focus on being just one thing this Friday night: a survivor. That’s because on COLLISION Daniel Garcia will step into the ring with “The Redeemer” Miro for a one-on-one bout, a situation that may make Garcia regret every doing this towards CJ Perry:
Action Andretti learned the hard way about approaching CJ, so did Ryan Nemeth, and it seems inevitable that Andrade El Idolo and Miro will clash now that CJ Perry has taken Andrade on as her first client. Will Daniel Garcia suffer the same fate as Nemeth and Action, or will he somehow find a way to survive Miro’s redemption?
As FTR and LFI prepare for their shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championship this Saturday during FULL GEAR 2023, both are being haunted by the members of the fourth team challenging Big Bill and Ricky Starks for the gold, that being The House of Black. Malakai Black and Brody King, oft referred to as The Kings of The Black Throne, will join Dax, Cash, Rush, and Dralistico in a Four Way title fight this Saturday, a situation that does not play in favor of the defending champions, but before that comes to fruition, Rush and Dax The Axe will go to war against one another for their first-ever singles match!
These are two of the hardest hitting fighters on the AEW roster, two very proud men who are at the top of their game right now, and want to head into Saturday with the edge a victory here will bring. As always, fighting so close to a title bout is an inherent risk, but one both Dax and Rush are willing to take in order to have that psychological advantage over one of the other men in the bout. Dax will have to have eyes in the back of his head, and Cash at his side, not only to balance out the LFI numbers advantage but also to keep eyes open for The House and the defending champions.
Regardless of which competitor wins this bout, both of them are going to feel it afterwards, but at least the fans watching at the KIA Forum, live on TNT, and around the world will be winners knowing they witnessed a good fight.
The night before the AEW Women’s World Champion and the TBS Champion defend their respective belts at FULL GEAR 2023, they will be in tag team action against a pair of women looking to find their footing in AEW once again. After losing the Women’s World Championship back to Hikaru Shida, and Ruby failing to claim either title after receiving shots at each in the past few months, The Outcasts are a bit out of the loop, and could certainly use a victory here to get back into a championship picture. Surely scoring a pinfall on either Kris Statlander or Hikaru Shida would go a long way towards putting the victor into contention, just as being put down by one of the champions could harm the losers future championship hopes.
The Outcasts are certainly a dangerous entity when focused on the task at hand, but the question that encircles Ruby Soho is whether or not her head will be elsewhere during the fight. Can she set aside the distraction of Angelo Parker, and of gifts like the flowers that certainly cost her a match? This is a huge opportunity for Soho and Saraya, potentially a detrimental one for the champions who have to fight twenty-four hours later, so will The Outcasts rise to the occasion? Or will the championship duo use this bout as their tune-up for what Saturday night will bring?
RAMPAGE
A TUNE-UP YOU SAY…
“Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Emi Sakura
After meeting former Goddess of Stardom Champion Mariah May for the very first time, and being rather dismissive of the woman who’s clearly a big fan and inspired by her own career journey, Toni Storm directed Luther to contact Tony Khan and get her a “tune-up match” for Friday night; a little something to get Toni ready for her AEW Women’s World Championship fight at FULL GEAR 2023.
It’s doubtful that Toni anticipated this tune-up would be against a woman who gave her some of the hardest hitting minutes she’s had in All Elite Wrestling to date! Though both bouts have been losses for Emi Sakura, the two fights between her and Toni Storm have been some of the most physical the Women’s Division has seen, particularly their Women’s World Title Eliminator bout on the 10/11/22 edition of DARK.
Toni Storm should be thankful that her shot at the Women’s World Title is not at stake in this so-called “tune-up” because she is certainly in for another tough night stepping back into the ring with Emi Sakura! Is this the wisest move for The Timeless One, or was she anticipating a far easier opponent standing across the ring this Friday night?
On Wednesday night, AEW World Champion MJF stood alone in the middle of the ring, knowing anyone in the locker room who honestly supported him was not there, knowing the offer of help from Samoa Joe was contingent on giving him a championship match, and he let BULLET CLUB GOLD know that though he was afraid of a great many things, he wasn’t going to back down from any fight.
That refusal to just lay down and die unfortunately led to Maxwell Jacob Friedman being left for dead by Jay White and his ilk, not exactly the way the champion wanted to head into FULL GEAR 2023 this Saturday night, but at least there was some moral victory to be had for this man who’d been so amoral for most of his adult life.
This Friday night during RAMPAGE, twenty-four hours before they are scheduled to clash with the AEW World Championship at stake, both MJF and “Switchblade” Jay White will sit-down with Renee Paquette to discuss their mutual looming fate. This is not a joint interview, that’s certainly not something that could be done safely after what happened on DYNAMITE, but rather both men talking with Renee on their own.
What will champion and challenger have to say on the eve of their greatest night together? After all that has gone down between MJF, Jay White, BULLET CLUB GOLD, The Devil-Masked individual, the gang of black-clad thugs doing their dirty work, and the Triple B thievery, what will each man have to share about this pay-per-view clash?
Friday night is loaded with three hours of AEW action getting underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT beginning with COLLISION! This edition pits Miro against Daniel Garcia, Shida and Statlander against Saraya and Soho, and FTR’s Dax Harwood fighting LFI’s Rush just 24 hours before they take part in an AEW World Tag Team Championship fray! Then it’s time for a RAMPAGE where Emi Sakura will answer “Timeless” Toni Storm’s call for a “tune-up match, though fighting Sakura is hardly that, plus after what happened on Wednesday night, both the AEW World Champion MJF and “Switchblade” Jay White will sitdown with Renee Paquette! Before the night gets started, drop by the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episode of DYNAMITE, as well as all the moments leading up to FULL GEAR 2023, as well as the latest editions of CONTROL CENTER, then stick around after RAMPAGE for the COUNTDOWN TO FULL GEAR 2023 special that follows!
Your Big Gold Belt Podcast is covering the week in wrestling including: -A look at AEW Full Gear Weekend -Who is AEW’s mystery signing? -What’s the expectations for the AEW Continental Classic? -What’s the future...
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA!
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 Champion Orange Cassidy & FTW Champion HOOK
vs.
Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta!
Cassidy and Hook ran into the crowd to get the jump on Mox and Yuta! The fight broke out onto the arena floor with all four men brawling! Moxley stomped on Orange. Yuta and Hook got in the ring and the match was officially underway!
Yuta body slammed Hook. The FTW Champ threw Yuta with the El Camino. Moxley tagged in and ate an elbow strike from Hook. Moxley held onto Hook and Yuta dropkicked Hook after a tag. Hook t-boned Moxley and tagged out to Orange Cassidy. Orange planted Mox with a diving DDT! Orange was holding his ribs.
Cassidy was looking for a DDT, but Mox held onto him, and Yuta rushed in with a lariat to Orange. The BCC were working beautifully as a team. Moxley taunted Orange with kicks and slaps. Orange fired back with a dropkick.
Hook tagged in, as did Yuta. They traded strikes in the center of the ring. Hook backed Yuta into the corner with a headbutt and followed up with a Northern Lights Suplex. Yuta tossed Hook with a German Suplex. Yuta followed up with a rolling elbow strike. Moxley ran in and nailed Hook with a blindside shot.
Hook leveled Yua with a lariat. Moxley ran in and stunned Hook with a cutter. Orange blasted Moxley with the Orange Punch and Moxley simply absorbed it, eating it for lunch. Hook tried to apply the Red Rum, but Yuta hit Hook from behind. Moxley impaled Hook with the Death Rider and Yuta pinned Hook with the seatbelt rollup!
“We just saw the FTW Champion get pinned by Wheeler Yuta!” said Excalibur.
“You ain’t pinning Hook and walking away. This is just getting started. I promise you,” added Taz.
Mox: “Orange Cassidy, you are nothing, you ain’t never been nothing, this weekend at Full Gear, I’m gonna grind you into dust and walk out International Champion and there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me!”
Ahead of their Texas Death Match this Saturday at FULL GEAR, Swerve Strickland and “Hangman” Adam Page had a face-to-face with Tony Schiavone in the ring!
If the two men attack each other tonight, both will be banned for the rest of 2023.
Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana came to the ring first. “Hangman” Adam Page came out next, and he marched straight to the ring, his eyes locked with Swerve.
Hangman Page: “Why did Swerve go into my house? Because you are a coward. You are a fraud. You are a worthless waste of human life. You told me two months ago that you wanted to be World Champion, but I can look at you and you don’t have it in you. You can’t cut it. You are not the man that you think you are. Look at me! You’re the one who wanted to make this personal!
“You surround yourself with ‘yes men’. And if you weren’t so dumb, you’d realize Nana is just here to use you. Swerve, Prince Nana makes his living off of your back. Look at me! You are not a man at all. You are a child. I worked with kids for a long time, and I taught them a lot of lessons, and this Saturday I teach you the last lesson of your pathetic life. You should never have come into my house. We don’t need lawyers or cops because at Full Gear I am your judge, jury and executioner.
“And Swerve, one thing I forgot to mention. Tonight’s stipulation was that you and I couldn’t lay hands on one another. But Nana, they didn’t say anything about us!”
Hangman Page jumped on Prince Nana and grounded and pounded him! Security separated Page from Nana and Page nailed the security team, blasting one with the Buckshot Lariat!
Lexy Nair was backstage with Roderick Strong and the Kingdom!
Roddy said he knew who the devil was and needed to call his best friend, Adam Cole. They called Adam Cole over Skype. “It’s definitely Max!”
Adam Cole: “Max is not the devil! With all the accusations, maybe you’re the devil, Roddy.”
Adam Cole hung up.
“Why will he not listen to me?” asked Roderick Strong.
TBS Title Eliminator Match!
Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue
The winner moves on to the TBS Title Match at Full Gear on Saturday.
Red Velvet grabbed a wrist lock on Blue but Blue escaped and countered with a hammer lock. TBS Champion Kris Statlander was watching the match from backstage.
Red Velvet swept out Skye’s legs and hit her with a standing moonsault. Red Velvet boxed Blue in the corner. Skye Blue rocked Red Velvet with a DDT on the apron. Blue whipped Red Velvet into the steel guardrail.
Skye Blue cracked Red Velvet with a thrust kick. They exchanged rollups and then knocked each other down with simultaneous thrust kicks. Red Velvet nailed with double knees to the back. Skye Blue hit the Skye Fall on Red Velvet for a near fall! Red Velvet countered a rising knee from Skye Blue with a powerbomb for a two-count!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Skye Blue countered the Just Desserts with a thrust kick. Red Velvet returned first. Skye Blue intercepted a corkscrew and pinned Red Velvet after the Code Blue!
Julia Hart was seen watching from backstage.
“The Redeemer” Miro had words for CJ Perry!
“My eyes have been open for awhile now. Truth is, CJ doesn’t just bring out the worst in herself. She brings out the worst in me too. Let the Redeemer give you a piece of advice Daniel Garcia. I don’t pray to God anymore, but you should start. This is the word of the Redeemer!”
Mariah May was backstage with RJ City, waiting to meet Toni Storm!
Mariah knocked on the door and the butler let her in. Toni Storm was on a couch, resting. Toni Storm didn’t give much time for Mariah, and then told Luther to have him contact Tony Khan to book her a tune-up match for Friday.
Samoa Joe vs. Jon Cruz!
Samoa Joe jabbed at Cruz. Samoa Joe splashed him in the corner. Samoa Joe leveled Cruz with the lariat and then won via tap out!
Samoa Joe: “My name is Samoa Joe. And I come from Southern California. So MJF, since you’re in my hood, once again I extend my offer of friendship. And trust me, the time is limited Max, because you’re going to find out whether you have my friendship or not, because I am Samoa Joe and I am inevitable!”
The Young Bucks—Matt & Nick Jackson
vs.
Penta El Zero Miedo & Komander (with Alex Abrahantes)!
Komander and Nick Jackson traded a flurry of fiery offense. All four men entered the ring and the Bucks superkicked their opponents, while Penta and Komander had the same idea with thrust kicks. The Bucks shook the hands of their opponents and then superkicked them!
“The Bucks firing on all cylinders here tonight,” said Excalibur.
Komander connected with a crossbody on Matt Jackson. The Bucks were there waiting though and hit Komander with their tandem offense. Komander took down Nick Jackson with a step up hurracanrana. Komander did the tightrope walk into a hurracanrana on Nick, and then sent Nick flying onto Matt Jackson on the arena floor!
Penta flipped over the top rope and crashed onto Nick with a tope con hiro! Penta blasted the Bucks with thrust kicks. Komander nailed the Bucks with a double DDT off the shoulders of Penta. Penta rocked Matt with a Made in Japan for a near fall!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Matt Jackson tossed Komander and Penta with a double Northern Lights Suplex! The Bucks were looking for a Meltzer Driver, but Komander sent Matt crashing into Nick. Penta destroyed Nick with a Fear Factor on the apron! Komander surprised Matt with a hurracanrana for a near fall!
“That was super close!” said Taz.
“I’ve seen things here in this match that I’ve never seen before,” replied Tony Schiavone.
Matt Jackson and Penta El Zero Miedo traded shots in the center of the ring. Penta stunned Matt with a thrust kick, but then Matt fired off a superkick. Nick Jackson tagged in and scored with a superkick. Komander springboarded but Nick Jackson cracked him with a low blow and followed up with the Judas Effect! The Bucks bashed Komander with the BTE Trigger and scored the pin!
“I’ve seen the Bucks stretch the rules before but never blatantly kick a man between the legs when the ref’s back was turned,” said Tony Schiavone.
“Will this be a taste of what the Golden Jets get on Saturday at Full Gear?” wondered Excalibur.
Lexy Nair was backstage with the Young Bucks after a commercial break.
Kenny Omega approached them and questioned why they cheated during their match tonight.
Nick Jackson: “Our heat is not with you. It’s with Jericho.”
Chris Jericho: “Don’t waste your time with these jackasses. We’ve got a match to win tonight.”
Matt Jackson shoved Chris Jericho and security had to separate them.
The Gunns—Austin and Colten Gunn (with Juice Robinson)
vs.
Peter Avalon and Jacoby Watts!
The Gunns made a statement win with the 3:10 to Yuma, quickly winning the match!
Colten: “Max, that match was two on two, so imagine at the pay-per-view when it’s two on one. Those titles are about to be gone!”
“Who will MJF find? Will he turn to Samoa Joe to tag with him this Saturday to defend the ROH World Tag Team Championship? Or will it go to Bullet Club Gold?” asked Excalibur.
A highlight package aired of Wardlow!
“Max, as God as my witness, I’m going to make the devil my b—ch!”
Like A Dragon Gaiden Street Fight!
Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, & Paul Wight
vs.
“The Machine” Brian Cage, & The Don Callis Family—Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, & Powerhouse Hobbs!
Don Callis joined the commentary team for this match.
The teams began to brawl on the ramp! Jericho hit Fletcher with his baseball bat. Hobbs went right after Paul Wight. Paul Wight choke slammed Fletcher off the stage and through a table!
Takeshita hit Ibushi with an elbow strike, but Ibushi absorbed it. Omega jumped in the ring and face planted Takeshita. Paul Wight smacked Hobbs into a car outside the arena. Jericho rattled Cage with a crate over the head!
Takeshita whipped Omega headfirst into a sign! Ibushi rode a bike down the ramp, but Cage struck him with a lariat! Hobbs body slammed Paul Wight onto the hood of a car! Takeshita swung the bike around the ring and hit Jericho, Omega, and Ibushi. Takeshita nailed Ibushi with a brain buster on the bike!
Omega pulled a table out from beneath the ring and set it up. Takeshita and Jericho brawled out to the VIP Club area of the arena. Cage and Fletcher isolated Omega in the ring. Cage and Fletcher suplexed Omega onto a pallet in the ring! Omega connected with a jumping knee strike and followed up with a snap dragon suplex on Cage. Omega had a bottle in his hand and smashed it on Fletcher’s head!
Takeshita jumped off a refrigerator, but Jericho sprayed a fire extinguisher at him and then nailed him with the Judas Effect. Hobbs charged in the ring and nailed Omega and Ibushi with double clotheslines. Hobbs drove Omega down with the World’s Most Dangerous Slam! Brian Cage superplexed Omega out of the ring and through the tables on the arena floor! Hobbs planted Ibushi with a spinebuster!
Hobbs splashed Jericho in the corner. Fletcher rocked Omega with a snap dragon suplex. Fletcher grabbed Ibushi and spiked him with a piledriver off the apron and through a sign that was propped up on steel chairs!
Omega connected with a rising knee strike to Hobbs and Jericho followed up with the Judas Effect! Jericho and Omega taped Hobbs to the ropes! Omega smacked Hobbs with a glass bottle! Cage drove Jericho down into the mat and then tried for a Drill Claw on Omega. Omega escaped and spiked Cage with a reverse hurracanrana! Omega fired off the V Trigger on Cage and then on Hobbs. Omega pinned Cage after spiking him with the One Winged Angel!
AEW World Champion & ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF had some strong words after last week’s brutal attack on the Acclaimed and Daddy Ass!
MJF: “It’s become very apparent to me that no matter how hard I try to outrun my past, it’s going to catch up with me. And every time I try to open myself up, those people get hurt. So, what I’d like to say to the Acclaimed is the same thing I said to Adam Cole—I’m sorry that you got hurt and I hope you feel better.
“Ever since I could remember all I wanted to be was a World Champion and I have spent every moment of my life trying to make that happen. I am proud to say that I have made it to that mountain top. The air up here is thin. And as I look down this mountain, I see men climbing with the only intention to shove me off the top.
“And I’m afraid I could lose everything I worked for in the blink of an eye. And I’m afraid I’m going to let you guys down. The old me in this situation would have tucked and ran. But I’m done letting the past dictate my future. Yeah, I’m afraid, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up my spot at the top of the mountain. You’d better send a whole damn army up that mountain to knock me down!
“Jay White, November 18th at Full Gear, you have a chance to take my spot. But I don’t think you can. I don’t think anyone can because my name is MJF, and I am better than you and you know it! And a message to the man who stole my devil mask who hired those goons. I am going to find out who you are and when I do there will be hell to pay!”
“Switchblade” Jay White walked onto the ramp!
Jay White: “Max, you’re going to make me sick so just stop. Drop the act because you are embarrassing yourself. You’re trying so hard to be the hero and that’s not who you are. You are the villain. Always have been, always will be. And you’re not fooling anyone. You’ve told us time and time again, you are the devil. You’re not the hero, Max. You’re not these peoples’ hero.
“Max you should know better. You should know how quickly they will drop you because you mean nothing. You haven’t changed. I know that you know that I am speaking truth right now. And I know that you know your days as the AEW World Champion are numbered. You know at Full Gear you will bleed with the Switchblade. And if you’re not down with that I have two words for you: get him.”
Bullet Club Gold jumped into the ring. Max was able to fend off the Gunns for a bit but then Juice Robinson blasted MJF with his infamous left hand punch. The Gunns spiked MJF with the 3:10 to Yuma. Switchblade rocked MJF with the Blade Runner and mockingly pinned him for the three count!
Samoa Joe was watching on a monitor backstage.
“That offer still stands, MJF. You might want to take Joe up on it,” said Taz.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL!
Special Programming note: this Friday tune in to AEW COLLISION at 8/7c and then RAMPAGE at 10/9c on TNT!
This Saturday witness history live on pay-per-view and order AEW FULL GEAR 2023 from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
With FULL GEAR 2023 coming to the world this Saturday night live on pay-per-view, All Elite Wrestling is heading into the home stretch! It begins this Wednesday night in Ontario, CA at the Toyota Arena with a jam-packed edition of AEW’s flagship program! From the LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN Street Fight pitting Omega/Jericho/Ibushi/Wight against Brian Cage and The Don Callis Family to the TBS Championship Eliminator Match to the AEW World Champion speaking his mind, the AEW faithful are in store for a wild ride.
The night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so make a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel to get caught up on the action with highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN STREET FIGHT…
Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, & Paul Wight vs.
Brian Cage & The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, & Powerhouse Hobbs)
The next four days are set to be some of the most crucial in the life of both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, and that begins with this LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN Street Fight on DYNAMITE! As Don Callis has continued to amass a family around him, so too has he persisted on making life hellish for both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, two men who’ve been a part of his life for many years, but who he decided somewhere along the way were albatrosses around his neck. He’s stabbed them in the back, quite literally in the case of Omega though that was in the head, turned their allies into enemies, and emboldened their enemies to do unnecessary levels of harm.
But what Don didn’t count on was that the torment heaped upon Jericho and Omega would actually bring the former enemies together; after all these were two men who absolutely destroyed each other at WRESTLE KINGDOM 12 inside the Tokyo Dome, who blistered one another at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019, and who were on opposite sides of AEW’s first definitive rivalry between The Inner Circle and The Elite.
Their union, dubbed The Golden Jets by Jericho, has experienced victory over The Gates of Agony, over Kyle Fletcher and Takeshita, and over Jericho’s former allies Angelo Parker and Matt Menard. They did suffer a trios loss at WRESTLE DREAM to Takeshita, Will Ospreay, and Sammy Guevara, with Kota Ibushi working as their third, but nothing has brought an end to this situation. Not Callis bringing Powerhouse Hobbs into the fold to utterly decimate Chris Jericho, not the addition of Paul Wight to the situation, nor Prince Nana selling the services of Brian Cage to Don Callis to bolster his Family’s side for this Street Fight.
Nothing has satisfied Don Callis’ need to inflict pain and violence on his former friends and all those who support them, and perhaps nothing will, but that’s not going to stop The Golden Jets, Paul Wight, and Kota Ibushi from trying to end it. Can this Street Fight be that ending? Can it be the night that Chris and Kenny finally find a way to purge their lives of the Don Callis poison? And if they do, even if they don’t, what will they be coming into this Saturday’s fight against The Young Bucks at FULL GEAR 2023?
TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH…
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy & FTW Champion HOOK vs.
Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta)
Ahead of their FULL GEAR 2023 International Championship rematch, Orange Cassidy and Jon Moxley are set to clash in a tag team battle. While Moxley has turned to his Blackpool Combat Club brother Wheeler Yuta for his partner this Wednesday night, the 2-Time International Champion has looked to one of his more newly acquired allies in FTW Champion HOOK!
As a team HOOK and OC only have one previous outing, that Four Way tag at WRESTLEDREAM, and although they were not the winning team, neither were they the team that got pinned by The Young Bucks. Conversely Mox and Yuta are 1-0 in their only outing as a team, but they are a pair that train together, that bleed together, that share the same mindset and mentality when it comes to competition. The BCC are, in many ways, of one mind in their approach to professional wrestling, and that makes them a very dangerous entity.
Then there are all the other factors that play into this match; Jon Moxley’s ALL OUT 2023 victory over Orange Cassidy that ended his International Championship reign, Cassidy’s victory over Rey Fenix that brought him his second reign after Mox fell to Rey shortly after ALL OUT, and that shoulder bump delivered from “Freshly Squeezed” to Mox that turned their story into something a bit uglier.
So the question is coming out of this tag match, regardless of who wins, what will be left of Moxley and Cassidy come FULL GEAR 2023 on Saturday night? Will they tear each other to pieces on DYNAMITE in an attempt to gain the last minute advantage? How will Yuta and HOOK factor into this outcome, and will that evolve into a rivalry all its own? Tune into TBS this Wednesday night to watch the explosion!
TBS TITLE ELIMINATOR BOUT…
Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue
***WINNER MOVES ONTO TBS TITLE MATCH AT FULL GEAR***
The hunt for the TBS Championship is heating up with Kris Statlander set to defend at FULL GEAR 2023 in a Three Way bout! After her victory over Willow Nightingale on COLLISION, Julia Hart has earned her spot in the title fight with the third participant in the championship match to be determined this Wednesday night in Ontario!
With Red Velvet having topped Ruby Soho on last Friday night’s edition of RAMPAGE, and Skye Blue beating Marina Shafir the week prior, these two will now lock-up to determine the second woman challenging Kris Statlander on Saturday! In all six of their fights, five of which took place in All Elite Wrestling, Red Velvet has been victorious with the count being twice in singles matches, three times in trios, and once in a tag, but the last of those was ten months ago, and Skye Blue has changed quite a bit since that encounter.
The darkness of Julia Hart has seeped into Skye Blue, and although it didn’t bring her fully into the embrace of The House of Black, it has brought out a darker side to Skye, one that stands in direct contrast to the women she’s called friends, namely Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander. As for Red Velvet, she is freshly back from the injured list after nine months recovering, and just two bouts into this comeback. The first of her fights ended in a loss to, of all people, Julia Hart, while the second was that aforementioned victory over Ruby Soho, and that victory has helped land Red in this position. Before her injury, acquiring the TBS Championship was a goal of Red Velvet’s and now she’s on the precipice of having another opportunity to do just that.
Will the history dominated by Red Velvet continue to play out in that fashion, or will this tilt towards the darkness lead Skye Blue to her first victory over Red Velvet?
A RIVALRY REVISTED WITH A TWIST…
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs.
Penta El Zero Miedo & Komander (w/ Alex Abrahantes)
The last time AEW was in Ontario, CA at the Toyota Arena, The Young Bucks took on The Lucha Brothers in another chapter of their legendary rivalry, and that night it was the brothers Jackson who took home the winner’s share of the purse. That fight was also the last time the two teams clashed in a traditional tag, although they were each part of the Four Way #1 Contender’s bout at WRESTLEDREAM, a bout that ended with Penta pinned after eating a BTE Trigger.
This Wednesday night All Elite Wrestling is back in Ontario, essentially Matt and Nick’s home court, and while a rematch between the two brother duos was potentially on the table, with Rey Fenix still not cleared for competition it is the high-flying luchador Komander who will step up in Fenix’s stead! This contest will mark the first time Komander and The Young Bucks have shared the ring together, tilting an advantage towards he and Penta because at least that half of The Lucha Bros can inform Komander of what to expect. Penta has done it all against the Bucks: been inside a Steel Cage, fought them in Escalera de la Muerte twice, had traditional tag bouts, Trios contests, and even battled Matt in a Four Way fight just over a month ago on DYNAMITE.
Aside from perhaps Hangman and Kenny Omega, there is no one in the AEW locker room who knows The Young Bucks like The Lucha Brothers do, thus it falls on Penta El Zero Miedo to convey this knowledge to Komander, so the two can parlay it into victory just before The Young Buck’s FULL GEAR 2023 date with The Golden Jets. The only other time Komander and Penta have been teammates took place on a September 29th event in Laredo, TX as Komander stepped up in Fenix’s stead there as well, and though they were not victorious, they showed great promise as a duo. That promise is going to have to become something more though if they hope to topple The Young Bucks, especially with everything Matt and Nick have on the line come Saturday night in Los Angeles!
A week ago, after watching Jay White defeat Mark Briscoe in a fight with that FULL GEAR 2023 championship title opportunity hanging in the balance, AEW World Champion MJF snuck into the ring from behind BULLET CLUB GOLD with every intention of getting his Triple B belt back. One-by-one Max knocked them on their butts, leaving only himself and Jay White standing, but when MJF slid the Dynamite Diamond Ring on his finger, “Switchblade” bailed on the fight.
As The Bang Bang Gang listened from the stage, MJF get a lot off his chest about their upcoming match at the fabulous Forum, but as Max finished the lights went out, the big screen clicked on, and the AEW faithful witnessed The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass laid out by a foursome of of black-clad assailants. The assault got particularly nasty when Anthony Bowens was tossed through a window and into an office nearby; not one of the four attackers sported that Devil mask commonly associated with MJF, but that masked visage did pop on the screen before the fade to black, sending Max racing to the back to check on his recently acquired allies.
As MJF stood in the carnage, Samoa Joe walked onto the scene to reinforce his previous message to Max that the AEW World Champ needed back-up he could count on, before walking off with a chuckle. Not that long ago, when Jay White was the one assaulted, it was reasonably assumed that MJF was the one in the mask and lying that the property had been stolen from his locker room. Given that this most recent incident took place at the expense of MJF allies, with the man himself standing in the ring as it happened, it is obviously not Maxwell Jacob Friedman sporting the mask again, but perhaps we will learn something new this Wednesday night when MJF speaks to the incident on DYNAMITE!
AEW returns to the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA for the final DYNAMITE before FULL GEAR 2023! We’ve got The Young Bucks versus Penta & Komander on tap, as well as a potentially violent explosion between the teams of Mox/Yuta and Cassidy/HOOK, and Skye Blue fighting Red Velvet with a TBS Championship opportunity at stake! We will also hear from AEW World Champion MJF as he responds to the attack on the AEW World Trios Champions, and who can forget the LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN Street Fight! The action gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, and at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel to catch-up on highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
