AEW has been selected for SXSW 2024’s panel picker competition, with two separate panel concepts eligible to be showcased during next year’s conference, taking place March 8-16 in Austin, Texas. We need YOUR help to send AEW to Austin – you can vote for each panel on SXSW’s panel picker website between now and Sunday, August 20 at 11:59 p.m. PT. The two panels eligible for next year’s conference include:
Description: Professional wrestling existed essentially as a monopoly for nearly two decades, until Tony Khan launched All Elite Wrestling in January 2019. Since then, the industry has experienced a reinvigoration, not only in terms of competition at the highest level, but also as a welcoming place for fans from all walks of life. From launching as a minority-owned promotion to crowning the first trans champion in a major promotion in history, the past four years have represented a turning point for diversity and inclusivity in an industry that had for many years been going in the wrong direction.
Panelists:
Tony Khan, CEO, GM, Head of Creative, All Elite Wrestling
Anthony Bowens, Professional Wrestler, All Elite Wrestling
Nyla Rose, Professional Wrestler, All Elite Wrestling
Megha Parekh, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, All Elite Wrestling
Description: In 2018, Tony Khan identified an opportunity to provide fans with an alternative, mainstream pro wrestling product for the first time in decades. The birth of All Elite Wrestling forever changed the industry, and five years later, not only has the promotion improved competition and lifted smaller promotions, but also pushed the boundaries of compelling professional wrestling, creating new fans in the process. From showcasing real-life entrepreneurialism to giving wrestlers the capacity to reinvent themselves on their own terms, AEW’s rise is based on an unprecedented playground for creativity.
Panelists:
Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative, All Elite Wrestling
Britt Baker, Talent, All Elite Wrestling
Chris Jericho, Talent, All Elite Wrestling
Justin Barrasso, Author, Sports Illustrated
Make sure to cast your vote and share the panel picker links on social media to help AEW’s incredible roster take center stage at SXSW. Thank you!
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live from the historic Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC!
Nigel McGuinness and Ian Riccaboni were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview “Absolute” Ricky Starks!
Tony Schiavone informed Ricky Starks that he has been banned from wrestling for AEW for 30 days due to his attack on Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat last week on Collision.
Ricky Starks: “You have to have consequences for your actions. And I’m not talking about myself. I’m talking about Steamboat. Steamboat cost me the match, so I had to whoop his ass. Every single parent here understands.
“The other thing I want to touch on…yeah, I figured you guys would suspend me. All you people backstage want to play in my face like I’m some type of joke. So, I went and got a manager’s license. I’m still going to be on this show each and every week because this is my show!
“You don’t have to like me, but you don’t have to love me, but guess what, you will respect me. I’m unhinged right now. CM Punk, I want you to know one thing. Blood is on your hands, brother. You brought that man into this ring, and you are the reason that he got 10 lashes. So, my question to you is, you got the W, and I got the L, but guess what? I can live with mine, can you? No. You aren’t Superman, you aren’t bulletproof, and you damn sure ain’t ‘Absolute’ Ricky Starks.
“Right here, right now, I am proclaiming that I am going to set this whole damn company on fire and I’m going to start next week. You want a war? Guess what? I’m going to bring a war to your front door and I’m going to make sure your mommy, your daddy, and your sister all understand that I am ‘Absolute’ Ricky Starks and there ain’t nobody like me on Dynamite and on this damn show!”
The Acclaimed—Max Caster & Anthony Bowens
vs.
Iron Savages—Bronson & Boulder!
Bowens traded forearms with Bronson. Bowens got the upper hand, and then tagged out to Max. Boulder got chopped by Max. Boulder held up both members of the Acclaimed and hurled them overhead and to the mat.
Bowens cleaned house on the Iron Savages. Boulder and Bronson planted Bowens. Caster ran in to break up the pin attempt on Bowens. Caster springboard dropkicked Bronson off the shoulders of Boulder.
Jack Jameson jumped into the ring and Bowens nailed him with Scissor Me Timbers. The Acclaimed hit double FameAssers on their opponents and scored the victory.
Caster: “Yo! Yo! Yo! Listen! Tonight, the best two man team in this sport has returned because the Acclaimed is back! This Wednesday on Dynamite we’re wrestling again baby. And even though Billy’s not with us, we’ve got the spirit of Billy with us always.”
Bowens: “And in the spirit of Billy Gunn, last week Max and I got to say goodbye, but you guys didn’t get to say goodbye. I know Billy is at home watching. So, Greensboro, throw those scissors in the air and make some noise for the legend that is Billy Gunn. We love you, Billy! The world loves you, Billy! And everyone loves the Acclaimed!”
Lexy Nair was backstage with Bullet Club Gold!
Jay White: Lexy you need to be smiling a bit. Because you’re hanging out with the Bang Bang Gang! Not only are we the best, this is the most elite version of Bullet Club ever. I know there’s a handful of guys that like to call themselves the Elite, but they don’t have the right to.
“Two of those guys walk around calling themselves the best brother tag team ever. They also don’t have the right to do that. That right is reserved for a couple of top guns.”
The Gunns said they would ride into Dynamite this Wednesday and show the Young Bucks why the Gunns are the best brother tag team in AEW.
TBS Champion Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale
vs.
Diamante & Mercedes Martinez!
Diamante and Statlander slugged it out. Willow tagged in and splashed Diamante for a near fall. She booted Diamante in the face.
Martinez and Diamante double dropkicked Willow after placing her in the Paradise Lock. Willow rallied back by choke slamming Diamante onto a prone Martinez. Statlander grabbed the hot tag and dished out clotheslines to the opposition.
Kris and Willow hit their opponents with double sentons. Diamante rocked Kris with a cutter. Martinez threw Diamante over the top rope and out onto her opponents outside the ring. Willow came back with a pounce onto Martinez. Kris smashed Diamante with a fisherman busterman spin driver. Martinez rolled up Willow and pinned her, with the help of Diamante giving leverage to Martinez.
Lexy Nair was backstage with Toni Storm!
Storm: “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but I demand a little respect. I’ve been a little depressed since losing my title but today I’m feeling a little better because not only do I have my rematch at Wembley Stadium but also because my girl Saraya will be in the match. Which means no funny business. That means I’m finally going to get a fair fight because these other girls are trouble, and everybody knows it.”
Ring of Honor World TV Champion Samoa Joe vs. Andrew Everett!
Samoa Joe jabbed at Everett. Joe crushed Andrew in the corner with a splash. Samoa Joe rocked Everett with a lariat and then locked in his submission to force the tap out!
Samoa Joe: “My name is Samoa Joe. I stand here as your now and forever king of television. And your king came here tonight looking for the answer of a champion. But as I stand in the ring right now, I’m met with the deafening silence of a coward. And as far as I’m concerned, your Real World Champion is acting like a real b—tch right now!
“I gave you the courtesy of asking. I gave you the mercy of letting you know what would happen. And since you don’t seem very talkative tonight, allow me to say this. I began coming out here by asking you for what I want. But now Punker, I’m going to convince you.”
Next Christian Cage and TNT Champion Luchasaurus came out to the ring!
Christian Cage: “I know there’s a lot of second bests to come out of North Carolina. We all know that Michael Jordan isn’t the greatest basketball player of all time. And as far as professional wrestling goes, everybody knows that I am far superior to Ric Flair or any other wrestler from North Carolina for that matter.
“As the TNT Champion, I, we, don’t expect, we demand respect. Lately I felt a little disrespected by Darby Allin. Now Darby, I’ve already told you this, as long as this TNT Championship is in my possession, you will never touch it again. Do you understand me?
“I heard you say that you paint half your face because you’re 50% dead inside. I’m building a legacy. Do you understand me? If you keep pursuing my TNT Championship, I’ll give you the other 50%.”
Arn Anderson walked out with Brock Anderson!
Arn: “That’s about enough. This is not Darby Allin. We’re the Andersons. They know us around here. This is hallowed ground in professional wrestling. This is horsemen country. Before we get too much further into this, I would like to point something out to the sea monster to your left. Breaking news: you’re the champion, not him!
“If this was 20 years ago, I’d slide into the ring and I’d spinebuster you and I’d walk out with that title. I’ll tell you what. You didn’t think this was over did you? Go get him, son.”
Brock Anderson jumped into the ring and the match began!
Luchasaurus booted Brock in the face. He followed up with another thrust kick. Luchasaurus planted Brock hard onto the mat!
Brock battled back with right hands to Luchasaurus. The champ choke slammed Brock. Luchasaurus plowed into Brock with a lariat from behind and then pinned him!
Darby Allin jumped into the ring with a skateboard! Darby wasted no time, jumping off the turnbuckle with his skateboard and landing right onto Luchasaurus’ back!
Darby: “You’re a dinosaur, right? You’ve been around for 65 billion years. In that whole time have you ever had a skateboard up your ass?! And Christian, I’m getting really sick of you talking. Don’t you want to be a fighting champion? Next week on Collision, Darby Allin against Christian, what do you say?!”
Christian Cage: “You’re on!”
Darby Allin: “And when I’m done with you, at All Out, Luchasaurus, I’m going to put some respect back on that championship’s name when I become the new face of TNT!”
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview Powerhouse Hobbs!
Hobbs: “So last week an opportunity presented itself. Chicago, the United Center, All Out. The very place where Collision began. Now Schiavone, you know over the last few months I haven’t found any peace. So, what did I do? I took myself back to the Bay and I found the one thing that means something to me. That’s the Book of Hobbs.
“Like I said last week, I don’t want anyone’s help and I don’t need anyone’s help. The next chapter is entitled ‘Redemption.’ I’ll tell you how I’m going to redeem myself. I need to call out the Redeemer. So, Miro, bring your ass out!”
“The Redeemer” Miro’s music began to play!
Miro walked onto the ramp! Miro walked to the ring and was glaring at Hobbs. Out of nowhere, Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto ran out and ambushed Miro! They rammed Miro into the steel ring steps! They threw Miro into the ring. Hobbs planted Miro with a spinebuster!
Main Event Time!
AEW World Trios Championship Match!
The House of Black—Brody King, Buddy Matthews, & Malakai Black
vs.
CMFTR—AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR & “Real World Champion” CM Punk!
Jim Ross joined the commentary team for this match!
Buddy backed Punk into the turnbuckles. Buddy blasted Punk with a shoulder block. Cash Wheeler tagged in. Cash used an arm drag on Buddy and tagged in Dax Harwood.
Dax suplexed Buddy Matthews and followed up with a leg drop. Brody King grabbed a tag and chopped Dax in the chest. Dax used some smash mouth tactics to bring Brody to his feet.
FTR dropkicked Brody, knocking him to the arena floor. Malakai Black tagged in. Punk ducked a roundhouse kick from Black. Both teams entered the ring and began to brawl!
Brody King helped isolate Dax into the House of Black’s corner. Harwood DDT’ed Malakai Black! Dax tagged out to CM Punk. Punk nailed Buddy with a running knee strike. Punk hoisted up Buddy for the GTS, but Buddy escaped. Punk rocked Buddy with a clothesline. Punk climbed to the top turnbuckle. Julia Hart distracted the ref just long enough for Malakai Black to knock Punk down.
Brody tagged in and ran into Punk with a cannonball in the corner! Brody followed up with a snap suplex. Punk was caught in the wrong corner. Punk came back out of nowhere with a GTS on Buddy Matthews!
Punk tagged out to Wheeler. Cash cut Brody King down to size. He caught Black with a powerslam. FTR sent all three members of the House of Black out of the ring. Wheeler flew out, through the ropes and right at the House of Black!
Cash nailed Brody with a bulldog off the top rope. Brody rallied back with a double DDT on FTR! Dax and Cash cut off his momentum with a superplex! Punk dropped an elbow off the top rope and onto Brody for a near fall!
CMFTR blasted Brody with a Super Shatter Machine! But Buddy hit a meteora on Cash! Harwood got nailed with a running knee from Black. Punk and Black dropped one another with massive kicks!
Punk drove Black into the barricade with a tope suicida! Harwood hit a diving headbutt on Brody King! Out of the shadows, Samoa Joe grabbed CM Punk and locked on a sleeper in the front row! Julia Hart jumped onto the ring apron and distracted the referee. Brody wrecked Dax with a spinning lariat and pinned him!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE: Fight for The Fallen on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
Last week on COLLISION, fans witnessed CM Punk retain his “Real” World Championship over Ricky Starks, in part thanks to Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat having a keen eye for Starks’ cheating, and stepping in when referee Stephon Smith was knocked out of commission. Still, it didn’t save Steamboat from getting attacked by Ricky after the match, of course after Punk had already left the ring, necessitating Punk to come in with chair in hand to chase the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament winner away.
In addition, FTR retained their AEW World Tag Team Championship over Big Bill and Brian Cage in a hard-fought battle while Kris Statlander bested Mercedes Martinez in their TBS Championship clash only to fall victim to an assault from both Martinez and Diamante! The House of Black retained their World Trios Champions titles, Samoa Joe challenged CM Punk to meet him at ALL IN: LONDON, and Jay White was back in action as well!
This week all of those champions will be in action once again, six of them in the same match, as The House of Black defends their AEW World Trios Championship against the team collectively known as CMFTR! On top of that, TBS Champion Kris Statlander will team up with Willow Nightingale to face Mercedes and Diamante in tag team action, and speaking of tag teams, The Acclaimed will be back in the mix this Saturday night when COLLISION comes to Greensboro, NC and the historic Greensboro Coliseum! The show begins at 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for AEW’s international fans, so make it a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest edition of CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
AEW WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
The House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews, & Malakai Black)
vs.
CMFTR (AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR & CM Punk)
It was far from an off-week for all the men involved in this bout as all six defended their titles on COLLISION. The House of Black, unarguably, had the easiest night of them all, and that’s meant as no slight to Action Andretti, Lee Johnson, or Darius Martin, it’s just that they were a trio fighting in their first outing together, and while they pushed The House for nine minutes, ultimately they were left decimated by Brody, Buddy, and Malakai. Now the CMFTR side of this coin, they put in 35 minutes of ring time between their two respective matches:
Now Dax and Cash may have been facing a team rather inexperienced in working together, but who have been quite the destructive force in their limited outings as a pair. Big Bill and Brian Cage ran the table on the Eliminator Battle Royale to earn this shot, and that was after several impressive outings in the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament that earned MJF and Adam Cole their title opportunity. So while they may have successfully defended their AEW World Tag Team Championship against Big Bill and Brian Cage, Dax and Cash took quite a beating from the monsters in the process, and that was after facing MJF and Cole the week prior, going nearly an hour with Juice and Jay White two weeks before that, and nearly thirty minutes with that BULLET CLUB GOLD duo the week before that. Suffice it to say FTR has been putting in the work since the debut of COLLISION, as well as making their presence known on DYNAMITE several times, and thus they are feeling it coming into this Trios bout.
And the same could be said for their partner, the self-proclaimed “Real” World Champion, CM Punk. Coming off a tremendous victory over Ricky Starks in which he put in 22 minutes of ring time, Punk has to walk around knowing what happened to Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat in the aftermath of the match, a match he was responsible for bringing Steamboat into in the first place. On top of that, though he may have been off the week prior, two weeks earlier he and Darby Allin were topped by Ricky Starks and Christian Cage, the week before that he lost in the finals of The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament to Ricky Starks, and the week before that he took an absolute beating from Samoa Joe en route to squeaking out a win over the ROH World TV Champion. So yeah, Punk is feeling it too coming into this Trios Championship contest.
Perhaps that is where CMFTR is most dangerous, when they are worn out, tired, and exhausted from their fights, perhaps that is where they are most likely to risk it all to end this House of Black reign, but that is what they will have to do in order to have hope in winning. Brody King, Buddy Matthews, and Malakai Black have far more experience working as a trio, and their seven championship defenses are testament to that resume. In fact, in all of AEW, The Elite and Death Triangle are the only active threesomes with more matches under their proverbial belt, and no active trio has more victories, though The House and Elite are tied with 17 wins each. So it is going to take every ounce of fight CMFTR has left in their body after these last two grueling months if they hope to dethrone The House of Black and head into Wembley Stadium holding the AEW World Trios Championship Titles.
Of course, both Punk and FTR have other ALL IN: LONDON issues to worry about, FTR with an officially scheduled World Tag Team Championship match against The Young Bucks and CM Punk with a challenge laid out by ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe, so they’ve already got plenty to worry about without even adding these championship titles to their plate! Should they win, would these six men pull double duty at Wembley as MJF and Adam Cole appear set to do? And even if they do not win, the question remains who will step up to fight The House of Black should they too make the excursion on August 27th?
Perhaps Diamante took to heart the words Athena shared with her after their ROH World Championship fight, telling her fallen foe that she has what it takes, but she’s missing something, and needed to step it up to reach championship level. It certainly seems likely given that, just two days later, Diamante joined Mercedes Martinez in assaulting TBS Champion Kris Statlander following her title victory over “The OG Badass”.
Prior to that moment, there was little common ground between the women other than both had multiple losses to Kris Statlander on their resume, and that both had fallen to Athena when the ROH Women’s World Championship was at stake. Well after the events that took place following Mercedes loss to Stat, these two women can add another commonality, an enemy named Willow Nightingale!
Now both are familiar with the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament winner; her and Diamante have split a pair of singles matches in AEW while Mercedes bested Willow for the Interim ROH Women’s World Championship at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2022. But now “The Babe with the Power”, after her epic collision with Athena at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023, is primed to prove that she’s a dominating force in AEW, and siding up with Kris Statlander in this confrontation is quite the way to do just that.
Two top shelf athletes from Long Island facing two of the baddest women in pro wrestling today; it goes down this Saturday night on COLLISION and will no play a part in the future of the TBS Championship!
With Daddy Ass leaving his boots in the ring and apparently retiring from in-ring competition, The Acclaimed of Anthony Bowens and Max Caster will be stepping back into tag team action this Saturday night on COLLISION! As former AEW World Tag Team Champions, they know what it takes to get back to the top of the division, and although they’ve not been in a traditional tag team bout since the March 25th edition of RAMPAGE, they still have the most victories of any team in All Elite history with 54, and with 66 tag matches they’ve fought in more tag team bouts than any team in AEW history.
Will this Saturday mark the start of another climb towards the World Tag Team Championship for The Acclaimed? Or will their time spent in trios competition leave them a little out of practice from working the game from this angle.
AEW swings into Greensboro, NC and the historic Greensboro Coliseum for an all-new COLLISION featuring one massive AEW World Trios Championship bout pitting The House of Black against CMFTR, a tag team grudge match with TBS Champion Kris Statlander being joined by Willow Nightingale to face Mercedes Martinez and Diamante, and the return of The Acclaimed to tag team action! The night kicks off at 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for AEW’s international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from last week’s COLLISION, this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest edition of CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH!
Yourbroadcast team was Excalibur, Tony Schiavone & “The Ocho” Chris Jericho.
It’s Friday night and know what that means!
Darby Allin vs. The Mogul Embassy’s “The Machine” Brian Cage (with Prince Nana)!
Darby Allin attempted a tope suicida right away, but he just bounced off Brian Cage, who shrugged him off.
“He just swatted him off,” said Tony Schiavone.
Cage whipped Darby into the steel barricade. Cage brought Darby into the ring the hard way, suplexing him off the ropes. Brian Cage stomped on Darby in the corner.
Darby chomped down on Brian Cage’s hand. This angered Cage, who rammed Darby into the edge of the ring. Cage charged at Darby, but Darby dodged him, with Cage’s momentum sending him crashing into the steel ring steps. Darby was on top of Cage’s back and Cage ran toward the timekeeper’s table. Cage sacrificed himself by throwing Darby through the table.
Darby rallied back with a tornado scorpion death drop and then a double foot stomp onto Cage. But Brian Cage nailed Darby with two powerbombs for a near fall.
“Darby bounced like a ball on that one,” said Chris Jericho.
Darby pulled off his belt and used it to sweep Cage off his feet. Darby nailed Cage with a Coffin Drop! Darby connected with Code Red for a two-count.
“Cage fighting for his life. The tides have changed!” said Jericho.
Darby was on the top rope when Prince Nana jumped onto the apron to distract him. Cage tripped up Darby and then sent Darby for a ride, slamming him hard onto the mat. Cage hoisted up Darby, but Darby held on, cradled Cage, and pinned him!
TNT Champion Luchasaurus ambushed Darby after the match and spiked him headfirst onto the mat! A smug Christian Cage watched the devastation on a monitor from backstage.
Renee Paquette was backstage with Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., to discuss her upcoming match with the Bunny to determine a spot in the 4-way at All In: London!
Baker: “I consider the Bunny a friend. Unfortunately, I have to be the big bad bully and rain on Bunny’s parade. Because no one is getting in my way of the historical event that is All In: London.”
AEW International Championship Match!
“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (c.) vs. QTV’s Johnny TV (with QT Marshall, Aaron Solo, & Harley Cameron)!
Cassidy ducked a roundhouse kick from Johnny TV. Orange kept his cool…and his hands in his pockets. Harley jumped on the apron and distracted the ref. QTV tried to sneak in, but the referee caught them and ejected them.
Wheeler Yuta snuck out and distracted Orange long enough for Johnny TV to kick Cassidy in the head. The ref ejected Wheeler Yuta, but this created a crucial distraction, allowing Johnny TV to continue to batter Orange Cassidy.
Johnny TV dropped Cassidy by sweeping his legs out from beneath him. Orange fired back with an elbow suicida. Orange connected with a diving cross body. Johnny countered a DDT with a swinging neck breaker on Orange.
Johnny TV attempted the Superstation, but Orange Cassidy moved out of the way. Orange spiked Johnny with a diving DDT! He planted Johnny with a second DDT! Orange blasted Johnny with the Orange Punch and then finished off Johnny TV with the Beach Break, scoring the pin!
“19-0 in 2023 for Orange Cassidy,” said Tony Schiavone.
Orange Cassidy challenged Wheeler Yuta to come to the ring. Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley surrounded the ring like jackals.
Wheeler Yuta: “Orange you know just as well as I do that the BCC could get in that ring right now and make sure you leave Columbus in an ambulance. But I think that’s beneath us at this point. I just don’t want to hurt you physically, I want to hurt you mentally. I want to take the only thing you actually care about. So next week in Nashville, put that International Championship on the line, and I’ll walk out with it.”
ROH World Tag Team Champions Aussie Open—Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis
vs.
The Outrunners!
Aussie Open wasted no time going after the Outrunners. They sent Truth Magnum for a ride, sending him crashing down hard. Aussie Open picked up the Outrunners and sandwiched them.
Aussie Open nailed their opponent with a double lariat and then pinned him after the Coriolis.
Mark Davis grabbed a microphone after the match and questioned MJF and Adam Cole calling themselves a tag team. Kyle Fletcher said Aussie Open accepted MJF and Adam Cole’s challenge for All In: London.
“The Last Outlaw” Jeff Jarrett said there’d be a Texas Chain Saw Massacre Deathmatch between him and Jeff Hardy this Wednesday on Dynamite, in conjunction with the Texas Chain Saw Massacre Game!
Main Event Time!
Saraya (with The Outcasts) vs. Skye Blue!
The winner advances to All In: London and the AEW Women’s Championship 4-Way Match!
Skye Blue pushed Saraya into the turnbuckles. Skye used an inside cradle for a near fall. Saraya booted Skye in the midsection.
Blue connected with a cross body press onto Saraya. Skye jumped off the apron, but Toni saved Saraya, pushing her out of harm’s way. Skye Blue crashed and burned, hitting the arena floor hard!
Saraya charged at Skye with a knee strike. Saraya whipped Skye to the mat by pulling Skye’s hair. Skye Blue fired back with a kick to Saraya’s head. Saraya connected with a thrust kick.
Skye scored with a thrust kick and then the Code Blue. The Outcasts jumped on the ring apron. Toni distracted the ref on one side while Ruby sprayed Skye in the eyes with the green paint! Saraya DDT’ed Skye Blue and pinned her!
“With a massive assist from the Outcasts, Saraya will join Toni Storm and AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida in the AEW Women’s World Championship 4-Way Match at All In: London,” said Excalibur.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE: Fight for The Fallen on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday live on TNT at 8/7c from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC featuring:
Wednesday night’s edition of DYNAMITE saw so much of ALL IN: LONDON fleshed out as the AEW World Tag Team Championship bout between FTR and Young Bucks became official, as a Tag Team Coffin Match pitting Darby and Sting against AR Fox and Swerve was signed, and as Hikaru Shida defeated Anna Jay to insure her position in the AEW Women’s World Championship match! We also witnessed the end of The Jericho Appreciation Society, the apparent end of a friendship between Roderick Strong and Adam Cole, BCC defeating Lucha Brothers, and Jack Perry escaping RVD with the FTW Title still in his possession!
The push towards Wembley will continue this Friday night on RAMPAGE when AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy defends his title against Johnny TV, Darby Allin fights Brian Cage, ROH World Tag Champions Aussie Open are in action, and Saraya fights Skye Blue over the third spot in the AEW Women’s World Championship Four Way! The night starts at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences, so drop by the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus THE CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!
These are two men quite familiar with one another; Darby Allin and Brian Cage have history dating back to The Machine’s arrival at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2020 where Cage won the Casino Ladder Match, and actually injured Darby in the process. That led to tag matches, Darby getting dumped from the Casino Battle Royale at ALL OUT 2020 by Cage, their TNT Championship match in January 2021, and ultimately the unforgettable Street Fight at REVOLUTINO 2021 that pit Darby and Sting against Cage and Ricky Starks.
It had been several years since the two men had butted heads, but then came the merger of Swerve Strickland’s Mogul Affiliates and Prince Nana’s Embassy, and suddenly Cage was back in the life of Darby Allin by way of his long-standing issues with Swerve. That is why this Friday night on RAMPAGE, with Darby and Sting heading for a Coffin Match at ALL IN: LONDON against Swerve and AR Fox, Brian Cage will head into battle with the former 2-Time TNT Champion on behalf of The Mogul Embassy!
Darby needs this victory ahead of Wembley, a bit of momentum for he and Sting going into such a historic evening, whereas Cage needs nothing more than to hurt Darby on behalf of his associates. For Darby it’s about victory ahead of one of the biggest nights in AEW, as well retaliation for what was done to Nick Wayne, whereas for “The Machine” it’s about suffering and pain and perhaps a little revenge for what went down between the two men in 2020 and 2021.
AEW International Championship Match…
“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Johnny TV
He’s already made history by becoming the most successful champion in AEW history, across all divisions, with his twenty-seven title defenses, but there will always be records to chase and Orange Cassidy seems intent on topping them all! With 303 days as International Champion under his belt, he’s already the longest reigning current champion in All Elite Wrestling, but Orange is just over forty days away from eclipsing Kenny Omega’s 346-day World Championship reign to become the longest reigning male champion in AEW history as well! The Young Bucks had 302 as World Tag Champions, Darby’s 186 days still stands as the longest TNT Championship run, leaving only Kenny’s stand as the last milestone on the men’s side to surpass. After that, the chase is on to surpass Hikaru Shida’s 372 days as Women’s World Champion, and then finally Jade Cargill’s 508 days as TBS Champion. There is a lot of road to travel before either of those is possible, and a lot of potential foes, one of them being Cassidy’s challenger this Friday night on RAMPAGE: Johnny TV!
As a man who has traveled the world honing his craft for the last twenty years, and with the backing of the QTV contingent, Johnny TV is a certified threat to end Orange’s pursuit of history. Now the likelihood Orange is even aware, or cares, about his history making International Championship reign is debatable, but Johnny, Aaron Solo, QT Marshall, and Harley Cameron certainly know the importance of being the one to end it, and what it would mean for QTV as a whole to have a champion on their side.
Will Johnny TV be the one to end this epic championship run, or will “Freshly Squeezed” be the one to take the International Championship international and possibly defend it at ALL IN: LONDON? And regardless of who walks away from RAMPAGE as champion, who, if anyone, will step up to challenge at Wembley?
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) in action!
We all heard the challenge laid out by AEW World Champion MJF and Adam Cole, a ROH World Tag Team Championship bout during the ZERO HOUR of ALL IN: LONDON, pitting Better Than You Bay Bay against champions Aussie Open. This Friday night on RAMPAGE, Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis will be in action so perhaps we will get a response to that challenge from the United Empire representatives! Cole is the only 3-Time ROH World Champion, and a former TV Champion, but having challenged for them once in 2011 and once in 2015, he never claimed the ROH World Tag Titles. MJF, on the other hand, has never seen one bit of Ring of Honor competition, and although it’s quite clear he came up watching the product, Max has never been complimentary towards its existence.
But now that the challenge has been laid out, the possibility is there for both MJF and Cole to achieve something they’ve never done before, but will Aussie Open accept?
Winner Advances to ALL IN: LONDON Championship Match…
As seen in the clip above, AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida successfully retained her title against Anna Jay this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE, thereby securing her position as defending champion at ALL IN: LONDON in a Four Way that we also know will include Toni Storm. With two other spots to fill in the match, fans will see Dr. Britt Baker take on The Bunny this coming Wednesday night when DYNAMITE returns to Nashville, but first, this Friday on RAMPAGE, Saraya will be in action against Skye Blue!
Not only is Skye looking to advance to historic Wembley Stadium as challenger, but she is also aiming to even the score for a February 22nd loss to Saraya on DYNAMITE. As one of the women who has stood up to The Outcasts since they began their reign of tyranny over the Women’s Division, for Skye this is a fight with a whole lot of layers; it’s those two aforementioned items, it’s also keeping The Outcasts’ numbers down in the championship fight, diminishing the likelihood the title falls back into their clutches. Toni Storm already has her spot secured as the former champion, so a Saraya victory would make The Outcasts two-thirds of the challengers.
Can Skye Blue even the score with Saraya and thus secure her spot on one of AEW’s most historic nights? We shall see this Friday on RAMPAGE!!
This Friday night on RAMPAGE, with ALL IN: LONDON drawing closer, the AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy will fight Johnny TV with the title on the line, Brian Cage takes on Darby Allin, and we will see ROH World Tag Champions Aussie Open in action, as Skye Blue takes on Saraya with a trip to Wembley Stadium at stake! The bouts begin at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus THE CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!
