Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, MO!
Yourbroadcast team was Nigel McGuinness, “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard and Tony Schiavone.
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
This…is…Rampage!
Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli
vs. CMLL’s Mexican National Tag Team Champion Rugido!
Claudio’s power was too much for Rugido, chucking Rugido right down to the mat. Rugido fired back with a flying forearm shot. Rugido followed up with a tope suicida! Claudio clocked Rugido with a lariat and then began to stomp on Rugido.
Claudio dropped Rugido throat first across the barricade. In the ring, Claudio catapulted Rugido, Rugido’s throat hitting the bottom rope. Claudio arm dragged Rugido off the top rope for a near fall. Rugido nailed Claudio with a moonsault to the outside, shifting the momentum of the match.
Back in the ring, Rugido rocked Claudio with an overhead suplex for a two-count. Rugido headbutted Claudio, hammering away. Rugido powerslammed Claudio for a near fall. Rugido locked in an armbar, but Claudio escaped and transitioned to the Giant Swing! Claudio pummeled Rugido with hammer and anvil strikes and then planted him for the pinfall victory!
Claudio and Rugido shook hands after the match, but it was a trap, as Claudio kicked Rugido with a low blow! Magnus ran to the ring with a steel chair to even up the odds for Rugido, but Claudio retreated!
“The MurderHawk Monster” Lance Archer & The Righteous—Dutch & Vincent
vs.
Anaya, Luke Langley, & Vaught!
Vincent ran into Vaught with a boot. Dutch tagged in and power bombed Vaught. Langley tagged in but Dutch drilled him with a Bossman Slam! Archer entered the fray and annihilated all three members of the other team! Archer slammed Anaya off the top rope and down onto Langley, scoring the pin!
Riho vs. Trish Adora!
Adora rocked Riho with a shoulder block, Riho retaliated with a dropkick. Riho nailed Trish with a cross body press off the top to the outside!
Trish Adora spun Riho around with a neck breaker in the ring. Trish followed up with a back breaker, continuing to target that area of Riho’s body. Riho stunned Trish with a big cross body for a near fall. Riho took Trish down with head scissors. Riho hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Trish for a near fall.
Trish booted Riho in the head. Riho dodged a senton splash. Riho blasted Trish with a running double knee strike and pinned her!
“Riho won it, but she earned it!” said Tony.
“A hell of a battle,” added Matt Menard.
Alex Marvez was backstage to interview Ruby Soho and “Cool Hand” Angelo Parker before their date!
Saraya and Harley Cameron confronted Ruby.
Ruby: “What are you two doing here?”
Saraya’s brother Zak Knight ambushed Angelo Parker from behind, beating him down with a slapjack! Ruby screamed for someone to help Angelo.
Main Event Time!All-Star 8-Man Scramble Qualifier!
CMLL’s Mexican National Tag Team Champion Magnus vs. Matt Sydal!
Sydal wiped out Magnus with a hurracanrana. Sydal jumped off the top and to Magnus on the arena floor! Sydal followed up with a spinning kick on Magnus in the ring, and then a leg lariat. Magnus fired back with a back breaker for a near fall.
Magnus nailed Sydal with the Angel’s Wings for a two-count. Sydal attempted to springboard, but Magnus kicked the ropes, knocking Sydal down to the mat. Magnus attempted to superplex, but Sydal shoved him and clocked Magnus with the meteora for a near fall.
Magnus flattened Sydal with a leg drop across the throat. Magnus charged at Sydal in the corner and crushed him with a double knee strike, and then picked up the win via pin!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7cfeaturing:
-Ahead of battling for the AEW Women’s World Championship at Revolution, we’ll hear from champ “Timeless” Toni Storm & challenger “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo!
-We’ll hear from Chris Jericho!
-All-Star 8-Man Scramble Qualifying Match: Penta El Zero Miedo vs. “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith vs. Top Flight’s Dante Martin!
-We’ll hear from Wardlow!
-8-Man Tag: AEW International Champ Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta, FTW Champ HOOK, & Daniel Garcia vs. TNT Champ Christian Cage, Killswitch, Roderick Strong, & Brian Cage!
Catch all the fallout from AEW REVOLUTION 2024 on AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Gas South Arena in Duluth, GA!
Don’t miss AEW REVOLUTION live on pay-per-view on Sunday at 8PM ET/5PM PT from the legendary Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC!
With REVOLUTION 2024 just two days away, this Friday night’s edition of RAMPAGE comes your way from the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, MO, and drops at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT! The BCC and CMLL battles continue on as Claudio Castagnoli battles Rugido, the original AEW Women’s World Champion returns to take on rising star Trish Adora, The Righteous and Lance Archer will be in Trios action ahead of Archer participating in Sunday’s Meat Madness, and Rugido’s tag team partner Magnus will also be in action as he takes on Matt Sydal for a spot in the All-Star 8-Man Scramble on Sunday night!
Before the action begins, drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media sites, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER! All roads lead to REVOLUTION 2024 this Sunday night LIVE on pay-per-view beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT, with the ZERO HOUR launching on the aforementioned YouTube channel roughly an hour before showtime!
BCC VS. CMLL…
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mexican National Tag Team Champion Rugido
One-half of the Mexican National Tag Team Champions as Los Depredadores (The Predators) with Magnus, Rugido (Roar) comes to AEW with a style described as technical with a dash of high-flying, a description that could also be applied to the man welcoming Rugido to AEW: The Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli!
Though Claudio has his plate quite full with the impending FTR tag Sunday night at REVOLUTION 2024, not to mention the tremendous trios fight he experienced on DYNAMITE against FTR and Eddie Kingston, Claudio is never one to turn down a challenge, especially not if it gives him another opportunity to put down a CMLL luchador. The BCC have clearly made it a point to engage the CMLL contingent at every possible opportunity, taking affront to their mere presence in All Elite Wrestling, and even heading to Mexico in full force on March 29th with intent to infiltrate CMLL’s HOMENAJE A DOS LEYENDAS event for an Eight-Man 2/3 Falls bout against Blue Panther, Mistico, Ultimo Guerrero, and Volador Jr.
This is just the latest battle in the bitter war that’s erupted between The BCC and CMLL, one that has largely tilted in favor of Blackpool Combat Club thus far, but can Rugido be the first of his lot to score victory over a BCC member?
ALL-STAR 8-MAN SCRAMBLE QUALIFIER…
Mexican National Tag Team Champion Magnus vs. Matt Sydal
The other half of the Mexican National Tag Team Champions will also be in action this Friday night when Matt Sydal steps up to the plate against CMLL’s Magnus! Cousin of Mistico, the man who beat Sydal three weeks ago on RAMPAGE, Magnus has been fighting inside the squared circle for fifteen years despite being just thirty-one years of age. During that time he’s largely called CMLL his home, but has also competed across Mexico for various independent companies, partook of February’s FANTASICA MANIA 2024 tour with New Japan Pro Wrestling, and was even featured on a reality TV show called El Luchador that aired on A&E Latinoamericano.
He’s a powerful man, and Matt Sydal is going to have his work cut out for him with this battle, but if Sydal has proven anything, it’s that he does not back down from a fight. He gave Mistico everything he had three weeks ago, and he will do the same thing with Magnus this Friday night on RAMPAGE! Outside of BCC members, Matt Sydal has been the only man to step up to the CMLL crew in singles competition, something that speaks strongly to his character and desire to stand up for AEW, perhaps this fight with Magnus will pay off where the Mistico one did not!
And now the payoff has been boosted because, with the postponement of the Meat Madness match, an All-Star 8-Man Scramble Match has been announced for REVOLUTION 2024, six of the competitors have already been set, and the winner of this bout will earn the seventh spot in that fracas!
ONE-ON-ONE…
Riho vs. Trish Adora
The AEW faithful have not seen the original AEW Women’s World Champion since WORLDS END 2023 where she fell to Toni Storm in their title fight, but this Friday night on RAMPAGE, Riho is back home with All Elite Wrestling!
For her return to the fold, Riho is not taking it easy either, instead she’s stepping into the ring with the perpetually-improving Trish Adora! They first battled way back on the 11/22/21 edition of DARK: ELEVATION, a bout Riho won in 135 seconds, but to say that version of Trish Adora was unprepared for what the bright lights of AEW would bring was clearly an understatement. In the time since, Adora has grown immeasurably as a competitor, found support in The Infantry of Capt. Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo, and has been working tirelessly to build her name both in AEW and Ring of Honor competition.
Though she just found herself eliminated from the ROH Women’s World TV Championship Tournament by Mercedes Martinez, Adora doesn’t plan to stew on that elimination, instead looking to this fight with a former AEW Women’s World Champion, the original champion at that, as a means to show and prove. This could be the biggest night in Trish Adora’s AEW career…
ALSO FEATURING:
-Lance Archer & The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) IN TRIOS ACTION!
Springfield, MO and the Great Southern Bank Arena play host to Friday night’s edition of RAMPAGE, the last one before REVOLUTION 2024 and it comes to you beginning at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT! In addition to the return of former AEW Women’s World Champion Riho, we will also see The Righteous and “The Murderhawk Monster” in Trios competition as well as two AEW versus CMLL clashes! In one, Claudio Castagnoli takes on half of the Mexican National Tag Champions with Rugido, while in the other contest it will be Rugido’s partner Magnus fighting Matt Sydal one-on-one!
Before the first bell rings to start the show, drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE and COLLISION, plus the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then be sure to join us Saturday night for COLLISION and, most importantly, this Sunday night on PPV for REVOLUTION 2024 where we bid farewell to the in-ring career of “The Icon” Sting!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Propst Arena at Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL!
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!
Opening the show: “Hangman” Adam Page had an important announcement ahead of this Sunday’s REVOLUTION pay-per-view!
“Hangman” Adam Page came to the ring using a crutch.
Adam Page: “Looks doesn’t look like a promising start to a speech, does it? When All Elite Wrestling started it was a new endeavor for my friends, but for me it was something different. It was a goal. It was an opportunity to rise to people’s expectations, to make the most of the world that was laid in front of me. And I’d like to think I did that, and I’d like to think of winning the World championship in 2021 as the biggest accomplishment of my career. That’s why it hurts so much to have that opportunity in front of me again and have this crutch.
“When AEW decided at REVOLUTION the World championship would be decided in a three-way match, I said it was B.S. and I meant it. And I suggested the World championship should be decided in a singles match, but it looks like I had the wrong two competitors.
“So, I’m not going to apologize to Swerve or to Samoa Joe, but I will tell you, because I need to tell you the truth because I’m always honest with you that this Sunday at REVOLUTION I will not be able to compete.”
Swerve Strickland’s music began to play! Swerve walked onto the ramp with Prince Nana and then made his way to the ring.
Swerve: “These last six months, man, we’ve been to war. I tried to kill you, you tried to kill me. I didn’t expect this to happen. I targeted you because of everything you’ve accomplished in AEW. And to say I didn’t have the utmost respect for you because of that would be a flat out lie. But you suffered this unfortunate fate. And the thing about fate, you can’t escape it and you can’t stop destiny. And my destiny awaits for me this Sunday as I go on to become the AEW World champion.”
AEW World champion Samoa Joe walked onto the ramp with a microphone!
Samoa Joe: “Destiny? You boys are out here talking about destiny. What do we have here? Two of the most bitter enemies every trying to hug it out. A lot of lies being told out here so allow me to correct them and tell this audience a few truths. Week after week I watched you boys stare daggers into each other thinking that the destiny of this World championship was tearing the other man’s throat out. That’s only because you were avoiding making eye contact with me and realizing who the real man around here is.
“Secondly, though I don’t quite understand the little dynamic here and whether you’re in or not, ‘Hangman,’ or should I call you ‘Hop-along,’ I keep hearing about how you’re both young, hungry championship contenders but that’s ridiculous. You both are battle tested warriors in that ring. And there’s nothing new about you. No, you’re hungry accomplished wrestlers. But the only reason you’re hungry is because I’m starving your ass. Let me explain to you who I am and what you really need to be worried about. I’m Samoa Joe. I’m the AEW World champion. And whether it’s one of you or both of you come REVOLUTION, I’m going to whoop both your asses.”
Swerve: “Now you wait a second, Joe, because I’m going to explain to you who the hell I am! I am someone who has gone from being unemployed to headlining pay-per-views! I went from someone that went from being a cruiserweight to going after the World championship! I’ll do whatever it takes to become World champion! I’m not only a career maker, but I’m also a career changer! After I take the championship away from you, you’re not going to know what to do with yourself! You might want to go back to commentary wearing a poncho again. I am on the verge of making history! And this Sunday at REVOLUTION I will become the AEW World champion!”
“Hangman” Adam Page crack Swerve across the back with his crutch!
“Look at him! Hangman’s not injured at all!” said Excalibur.
Hangman bashed the crutch into Swerve’s head and Samoa Joe relished every moment from the ramp.
“Hangman was lying this entire time!” said Excalibur.
“He won’t be champion! I’ll be champion, damn it!” screamed Hangman Page.
“Hangman is saying he’s going to be champion so apparently it’s still a three way match this Sunday at REVOLUTION live on pay-per-view,” said Excalibur.
Hangman stormed to the back, no problem putting weight on his ankle, while a referee and Prince Nana helped Swerve get to his feet.
Footage aired from earlier in the day of EVPs The Young Bucks—Matthew and Nicholas Jackson—arriving to the arena. Renee Paquette was there to interview them and ask about their meeting with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair!
Nicholas Jackson: “The meeting went great and that’s all I’ll say about that.”
Matthew Jackson: “Renee, have you seen Sting at all today? Because as this is his final Dynamite appearance, we’re just dying to see him and thank him for all his contributions to this company. And more importantly, we just want to conduct his exit interview.”
The Bucks laughed as they held white baseball bats.
Nicholas Jackson: “Sting, where you at? Cameraman, you’re going to want to follow us to see what we do to Sting.”
The Blackpool Combat Club’s Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Jon Moxley!
Claudio was perplexed as Kingston knocked him off his feet. Dax and Danielson tagged in for their respective teams. Dax hit Danielson with a shoulder block. Cash and Mox grabbed tags. Mox and Cash traded strikes in the corner. Both teams began to brawl, and the match quickly broke down!
Mox punched Cash in the face as Danielson held Cash back. Moxley applied a leg lock on Cash. Cash was able to escape and wiped out Mox with a hurracanrana. Dax tagged in and rocked Moxley with left jabs. Dax nailed Claudio with a neck breaker. Dax cradled Moxley for a near fall. Mox connected with a crossbody press on Moxley for a two-count.
Dax drilled Moxley with a Tiger Driver, but Danielson ran in to break up the pin attempt. Moxley rammed Dax into the steel ring post. Danielson grabbed Dax’s arm and wrenched on it. Then Danielson took down Kingston and hit a sliding dropkick on him on the arena floor.
Moxley and Claudio tied up Dax so Danielson could hit Dax with a diving headbutt. Kingston managed to tag in, and he and Danielson traded chops. Kingston sent Danielson flying with an exploder suplex. Kingston served up an exploder for Claudio. Kingston and Moxley blasted each other with strikes. Danielson booted Kingston. Claudio put Kingston in the Giant Swing and then Danielson dropkicked Eddie! Moxley spiked Kingston with a piledriver! Danielson covered Kingston for the pin, but Dax jumped in the ring to break it up.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
FTR cleaned house on Moxley and Claudio! Kingston cracked Danielson with a spinning backfist. FTR hit a diving bulldog on Danielson and Kingston covered Danielson for the pin, but Claudio and Mox broke it up!
All six men paired off and began to clobber each other with strikes. FTR connected with the Shatter Machine on Claudio! Mox DDT’ed Cash! Dax stunned Mox with a brain buster! Danielson charged at Dax with the running knee! Kingston went for the spinning backfist, but Danielson ducked it! Danielson sent Kingston overhead and to the mat with a shoulder capture suplex! Danielson drilled Kingston with the running knee! Danielson grabbed Kingston’s wrists and began to stomp on Kingston’s head. Danielson trapped Eddie in a triangle sleeper. The ref stopped the match and Danielson wouldn’t release the hold! The BCC won via ref stoppage!
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to welcome Will Ospreay to AEW!
Ospreay: “Guys, I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I just want to thank you for the reception. My obligations are done with New Japan. I’m here to say I’m here for full time work, I’m All Elite! But some of you are forgetting this isn’t my first rodeo here. On my first pay-per-view match, I beat Orange Cassidy in the center of this ring. Then I went over to Canada and beat Kenny Omega in front of 13,000 of his own people! And if that weren’t good enough, I pinned the first ever AEW World champion Chris Jericho at Wembley Stadium!
“I’ve been rolling with the Callis Family, everything’s been going smoothly, and I’m ready to pick up where I left off.”
Don Callis came to the ring with Powerhouse Hobbs and Takeshita!
Callis and Hobbs hugged Ospreay. Takeshita glared at Ospreay.
Callis: “There’s nothing I like more than a Don Callis Family reunion. When I think about the talent, I think about Fletcher, Hobbs, Takeshita, and Ospreay, and it’s an embarrassment of riches. I love when you talk about all of those things we accomplished together. We top that by having the match of the decade, with the two best rope to rope wrestlers in the world, Takeshita and Ospreay!
“And people ask me how I can pit two family members against each other. It’s like when Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen would go hard against each other in practice, then they’d come together and win championships. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which one of you wins at REVOLUTION, the real winner after this match will be the Don Callis Family. Now shake hands, guys, this is going to be history making.”
Ospreay extended his hand and smiled, and Takeshita pulled Ospreay in. Then Takeshita tried to walk away but Ospreay pulled him. They smirked at each other, ahead of their match this Sunday.
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview the disrespected Eddie Kingston!
The Young Bucks interrupted, asking if Kingston or Renee had seen Sting anywhere.
Matthew apologized and didn’t realize they were live. Nicholas pointed the baseball bat at Kingston and said he had a bone to pick with Kingston. Nicholas said that Kingston was talking crap on Collision, and the next time it’d be a fine.
AEW International Championship Open Challenge!
“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (c.)
vs. Nick Wayne (with TNT Champion Christian Cage, Mother Wayne, and KillSwitch)!
Nick Wayne was looking for Wayne’s World early on, but Orange dodged it. Wayne followed up with a diving uppercut. Nick Wayne moonsaulted off the middle turnbuckle and landed on Cassidy on the arena floor.
Orange tried to put some distance between him and Nick Wayne, but Nick vaulted over the top rope again and crashed onto Orange. Nick Wayne and Orange Cassidy jockeyed for position on the top turnbuckle. Christian swept out Orange’s legs. The ref ejected the Patriarchy from ringside for interfering.
Orange Cassidy blasted Nick with a shotgun dropkick. Orange bounced Nick’s head off the turnbuckle pads. Orange planted Nick Wayne with a DDT for a near fall. Nick Wayne fired back with a fisherman’s suplex. Nick Wayne taunted Orange. Orange answered with a thrust kick. Orange pulped Wayne with a running PK! Orange rocked Wayne with a Beach Break for a near fall.
The Undisputed Kingdom—Mike Bennett and Matt Taven—showed up at ringside to mock Orange. Nick Wayne hit Orange with a dragon suplex as Orange was distracted by Taven and Bennett. Rocky Romero and Trent ran to ringside to even up the odds for Orange, brawling with Bennett and Taven. As the ref was dealing with the ringside brawl, Nick Wayne ripped off a turnbuckle pad. Daniel Garcia walked to ringside and began to argue with Nick Wayne. Garcia is set to wrestle Christian Cage this Sunday at REVOLUTION. Nick Wayne turned around and ate an Orange Punch from Cassidy, and Cassidy scored the pin!
Roderick Strong jumped in the ring, ambushing Orange Cassidy with a jumping knee strike!
Renee Paquette was backstage with the Bang Bang Scissor Gang!
They agreed they were gelling as a team, and on Collision this Saturday it’ll be Austin Gunn teaming with the Acclaimed.
Kris Statlander (with Stokely Hathaway and Willow Nightingale)
vs. Skye Blue (with TBS Champion Julia Hart)!
After an aggressive start by Skye, Kris flung Skye halfway across the ring. Skye escaped and body slam and yanked Kris down to the mat by her hair. Kris came back with a senton for a near fall.
Skye Blue cracked Kris with a knee to the face. Kris press slammed Blue over the barricade and onto fans at ringside! Back in the ring, they traded forearms. Kris hammered Skye with a lariat. Kris powerslammed Skye out of the corner for a two-count.
Skye came back with a neck breaker for a near fall. Statlander drilled Skye with a German Suplex on the apron! Julia Hart checked on Skye. Julia gave Kris a nasty look before Willow stepped up and got in Julia’s face. Statlander charged at Skye, but Skye countered with a drop toehold, bashing Statlander headfirst into the steel ring steps! Blue crushed Kris with a Canadian Destroyer! Skye rolled up Kris in a cradle but somehow Kris Statlander kicked out!
Statlander pulled Skye off the turnbuckles and down onto the mat with an iconoclasm! Statlander planted Skye for a near fall. Stokely offered Kris a steel chain to use, but Willow discouraged her from using it. As the ref was telling Stokely to put the chain away, Julia Hart jumped in the ring and hit Kris in the head with the TBS championship belt! Skye followed up with the Code Blue and pinned Kris Statlander!
EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson continued their search for Sting backstage!
They found Sting’s dressing room and went in! There were black baseball bats hanging from the ceiling, but no Stinger! Nicholas said Sting was playing mind games, and Matthew agreed, saying it was sick.
“Lionheart” Chris Jericho vs. CMLL’s Atlantis Jr. (accompanied by Atlantis)!
They slugged it out early on. Atlantis Jr. connected with a high crossbody press from the top rope. Atlantis Jr. sent Jericho flying with a monkey flip. Jericho retaliated with the Walls of Jericho, but Atlantis reached the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Jericho tried to rip off Atlantis Jr.’s mask but Atlantis Jr.’s fought back. As the ref was helping to tie the mask back on Atlantis Jr., Atlantis Sr. choked Jericho with a towel on the other side of the ring!
Atlantis Jr. hit Jericho with a tope suicida, sending Jericho crashing hard into the barricade. Atlantis Jr. catapulted Jericho into the steel ring post. Atlantis Jr. tried to powerbomb Jericho onto the steps, but Jericho reversed it with a hurracanrana!
Back in the ring, Atlantis Jr. sent Jericho down to the mat hard with an arm drag off the turnbuckles. Atlantis Jr. followed up with a wheelbarrow German Suplex for a near fall! Jericho and Atlantis Jr. fought on the top turnbuckle, and Jericho slammed Atlantis Jr.’s head onto the mat with a bulldog for a near fall!
Atlantis Jr. powerslammed Jericho for a two-count. Atlantis Jr. jumped over the top rope and wiped out Jericho on the arena floor!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Jericho battered Atlantis Jr. with shots on top of the head and then sent Atlantis Jr. soaring with a hurracanrana off the top rope! Atlantis Jr. avoided the Judas Effect from Jericho! Atlantis Jr. locked in his backbreaker finisher on Jericho, but Jericho countered with the Walls! Jericho sat back and Atlantis threw the towel in for his son, knowing his son had too much pride to tap out!
EVPs The Young Bucks, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, came to the ring with their white baseball bats!
Nicholas and Matthew were pointing their bats at Sting fans. Nicholas put his into the face of one Sting fan at ringside, but the fan removed his Sting mask and revealed himself to be…Darby Allin! Darby jumped over the barricade and took the fight to the Young Bucks, opting not to wait until Sunday at REVOLUTION!
Matthew grabbed Darby’s leg and anchored him while Nicholas cracked Darby with a knee strike! The Bucks had Darby outnumbered and began to double team him with a vicious assault, using their baseball bats! The Bucks held Darby in the ring, setting him up for the EVP Trigger and then sandwiching him with their knees!
“If the Bucks land the EVP Trigger this Sunday at REVOLUTION, we will have new AEW World Tag Team champions,” said Excalibur.
The Bucks continued their onslaught on Darby with their baseball bats! The Bucks called to the back and out came…
“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair!
Flair came down to the ring as the Bucks beat down Darby. Matthew handed a baseball bat to Ric Flair. “The Nature Boy” poked Nicholas in the eyes! Flair chopped Matthew but Nicholas connected with a low blow to Flair from behind! The Bucks stomped Ric Flair!
Sting’s music began to play, and the Bucks didn’t wait, deciding to walk up the ramp with baseball bats in hand!
“Sting is walking into a trap here,” said Tony Schiavone.
Sting descended from the rafters, repelling from the top! Sting turned the tables on Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, hitting them with his baseball bat! Darby nailed the Bucks with a Coffin Drop!
“Listen to this crowd! It has come unglued for Sting!” said Excalibur.
Sting drilled Nicholas with a Scorpion Death Drop!
“They were looking all day for Sting and the Bucks needed to look up…in the rafters,” said Tony Schiavone.
“Well Sting found them and exploded on the scene right here on Dynamite,” replied Taz.
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT featuring:
-All-Star 8-Man Scramble Qualifying Match: CMLL’s Magnus vs. Matt Sydal!
-Riho vs. Trish Adora!
-CMLL’s Rugido vs. Claudio Castagnoli!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c!
Catch all the fallout from AEW REVOLUTION 2024 on AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Gas South Arena in Duluth, GA!
Don’t miss AEW REVOLUTION live on pay-per-view on Sunday at 8PM ET/5PM PT from the legendary Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC!
Welcome to the beginning of the end; the first night in the final week for the legendary in-ring career of “The Icon” Sting! Fans around the world have been dreading this week since October 18th when the man first told us all about his intentions to draw the curtain with REVOLUTION 2024, and now we are only a matter of days away from that monumental night. But there is still a good deal of business to conduct in these next several days, and it begins this Wednesday night in Huntsville, AL!
The last time AEW was in Huntsville was as part of the HOUSE RULES tour last June, but it’s been since February 5, 2020 that this magnificent venue has hosted AEW’s flagship program! So for the final night of live action before REVOLUTION 2024, we make our return to the Von Braun Center for Sting’s final DYNAMITE! Plus, ahead of their respective matches on Sunday night, The Blackpool Combat Club will meet FTR and Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston in Trios action PLUS “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay makes his first appearance on DYNAMITE as an official member of the AEW locker room!
DYNAMITE gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so swing by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then join us this Sunday night for REVOLUTION 2024 for AEW’s first pay-per-view of the year, and Sting’s final professional wrestling match!
We are just four days away from REVOLUTION 2024 where FTR will clash with The Blackpool Combat Club and Bryan Danielson is set to challenge Eddie Kingston for the Continental Crown, but before that takes places, this two matches will merge into one for a huge Trios battle!
Last Saturday night we witnessed Bryan Danielson kick Jun Akiyama in the groin after the multi-time World Champion slapped “The American Dragon” across the face in response to Bryan disrespecting Eddie Kingston yet again. The brawl that erupted between Kingston and Bryan brought Claudio to the ring first, but he was followed quickly by Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, sending the two BCC members scurrying, but also forcing the hand of AEW GM Tony Khan to sign this Trios bout before COLLISION even went off the air!
This is one last chance to get an advantage before heading to Greensboro on Sunday, one last match before their respective contests to exert a level of dominance over your foe, and that is such an important aspect of what’s going on between these six men. For the FTR/BCC dynamic, there is a level of respect between the four men for their abilities inside the squared circle, but each team wants to prove themselves the better, and that supersedes all else. Cash or Dax getting the fall on Mox or Claudio heading into Sunday would be a huge statement, as would vice versa, especially after their frustrating time limit draw.
Now Bryan and Eddie is a vastly different story; just listen to the words Danielson spoke prior to his match with Jun Akiyama. There is no respect there flowing from “The American Dragon” to “The Mad King”, not one iota of it, conversely if you listen to the commentary Eddie provided during the match, he has a great deal of respect for Bryan Danielson’s abilities inside that ring. Kingston recognizes that Bryan is one of the greatest competitors to ever lace up a pair of boots, but what Eddie can’t abide is the judgment he feels Danielson has dumped on him over the last twenty years. It seems nothing Kingston does will ever change Bryan’s feelings, but what he can do is pin Bryan’s shoulders to the mat on Wednesday in this Trios match before they head into the fifth singles match of their careers on Sunday. It would serve Bryan right to suffer that fate after his actions on Saturday, but that being said, what would it do to Eddie to take the “L” before the championship fight at REVOLUTION 2024?
This is it; this Wednesday night, 1,183 days since his first appearance at WINTER IS COMING 2020, “The Icon” Sting will make his final appearance on DYNAMITE live from Huntsville, AL and the Von Braun Center! It’s been a decade since the last time Sting set foot in this venue, and nearly thirty-six since his first time when he stepped inside an enclosed Steel Cage alongside Lex Luger, Nikita Koloff, and The Road Warriors to battle The Four Horsemen. Huntsville is a city that has witnessed Sting fight for championships, both singles and tag team, as well as go to battle against men like the late Bam Bam Bigelow and Kurt Angle.
Now, with the AEW World Tag Team Championship around his waist and partner Darby Allin at his side, Sting will return to Huntsville one last time for his final DYNAMITE appearance! It’s sure to be a special moment for the champions, but one has to wonder if EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson will let the moment remain special or if they will attempt to ruin this one as they ruined Darby and Sting’s championship victory several weeks ago!
A LEGACY…
Chris Jericho vs. Atlantis Jr.
It has been almost thirty years since the last time Chris Jericho, then known as Corazon de Leon, faced CMLL legend Atlantis in singles competition. It was on 4/15/94 that Jericho fell to Atlantis in the first round of a one night Gran Prix tournament, but those matches against one another were not their norm. In fact, a great many matches that took place during Jericho’s CMLL tenure actually found him and Atlantis on the same team, often in trios with a rotating cast as their third. The last time on record that Atlantis and Chris Jericho united was September 10, 1995, some three years before Atlantis Jr. was even born, but this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, there will be somewhat of a reunion!
Atlantis Jr, the older of Atlantis’ two wrestling sons, was born in 1998, first began training for his in-ring career at the tender age of 12, and Atlantis Jr. has stated that his first-ever match took place in 2017. During the course of these last seven years, Atlantis Jr. has competed not only in CMLL, but also for NJPW STRONG as well as NJPW proper, not to mention numerous independent promotions around Mexico and in the United States. He currently reigns as the World Historic Light Heavyweight Champion, and up until February 5th was 1/3 of the CMLL World Trios Champions with Star Jr. and Volador Jr.
This Wednesday night, thanks to the partnership between CMLL and AEW, Atlantis Jr will make his way to All Elite Wrestling for the first time, and take on a man quite well known to his family in Chris Jericho; not only that, but Atlantis himself will be in his son’s corner for this bout against his former tag team partner! Now Jericho has been out of action since Konosuke Takeshita beat him back on February 7th while Atlantis Jr. is only recently returned from the CMLL/NJPW joint FANTASICA MANIA 2024 tour in Japan, and coming off a 2/3 Falls Victory on CMLL’s February 26th event in Mexico. Will those factors play a role in the outcome of this generational clash? Will Don Callis and his “family” find a way to insert themselves into Jericho’s life once more for the sole purpose of creating chaos? There are many questions that swirl around this legacy match, but putting those aside, this will be a piece of history watching Atlantis and Atlantis Jr come to AEW for a fight with El Corazon de Leon!
GRUDGE MATCH…
Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue
On the October 14th edition of COLLISION, Skye Blue stepped up to challenge Kris Statlander for the TBS Championship but came up short in her title bid. After the pinfall, the defending champion attempted to shake the hand of her opponent, at the time her friend, and Skye refused the gesture. Willow Nightingale came down to the ring to quell the situation, but it was clear that night something deeper was going on with Skye.
Fast forward to FULL GEAR 2023 and the Three Way championship match where Statlander defended against both Julia Hart and Skye Blue, only to see the title slip away when Hart stole the winning pinfall from Kris and stole her TBS Championship. The changes in Skye were evident that night when, upon her entrance, she threw down her trademark baseball cap, stomped on it, and replaced it with a crown, but the true depth of her transformation wouldn’t reveal itself until a few weeks after that pay-per-view extravaganza.
Heading towards a clash at WORLDS END, TBS Champion Julia Hart and Abadon were in the midst of a fight on the 12/16/23 edition of COLLISION when Skye Blue appeared, seemingly to help Abadon beat down Hart, but it became quickly apparent that Skye was there to assault Hart’s would-be challenger, cementing their unholy alliance at the expense of “The Living Dead Girl”.
On the 12/27 edition of DYNAMITE, Skye Blue and Kris Statlander would clash once again, no championship on the line this time, just the desire to settle a grudge after Skye turning her back on Stat and Willow Nightingale to align with Julia Hart. Unlike their first meeting which was one fair and square by Statlander, this outcome of this bout was directly influenced by the involvement of Julia Hart when she struck the former TBS Champion, leaving Kris vulnerable for Skye to hit an Avalanche Code Blue and score the pinfall victory.
Since that night the tensions between the two pairs of women have only escalated; at DYNAMITE: HOMECOMING 2024, Statlander and Willow were on the winning side of an Eight-Woman Tag that included Julia Hart and Skye Blue on the losing side, and Willow scored a victory over Skye two weeks ago on DYNAMITE, albeit with some unwanted assistance from Stokely Hathaway.
So that brings us to this Wednesday night where, in their rubber match, Kris Statlander and Skye Blue will go head-to-head one more time! During AEW’s last visit to Huntsville, Statlander successfully defended the TBS Championship over Lady Frost while Skye Blue was on the losing end of a Four Way AEW Women’s World Championship match with Toni Storm, Anna Jay, and Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. Will this Wednesday night be a repeat of that June evening for Statlander, or will Skye Blue turn around her fortunes from that summer stop at Von Braun to earn victory? And just where how will the TBS Champion, Willow Nightingale, and Stokely Hathaway play a role in the outcome?
OSPREAY IS ALL ELITE!
As Don Callis mentioned in the interview above from last week’s edition of DYNAMITE, he was personally traveling to England to scoop up Will Ospreay and bring him to the United States in advance of this Wednesday night. Though the AEW faithful have seen Ospreay on DYNAMITE before, this week in Huntsville will mark the first time the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has appeared as an official member of the AEW roster!
Ospreay has made it clear he’s coming to AEW with the intention of blowing away everything he’s already done in his impressive career, and that begins this Sunday night at REVOLUTION 2024 when he takes on fellow Callis Family member Konosuke Takeshita, but what will Ospreay have to say to the AEW faithful in advance of this highly anticipated bout? We will find out when he arrives at the Von Braun Center this Wednesday night for DYNAMITE!
ALSO:
DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER! Then make it a point to join AEW on Sunday night for REVOLUTION 2024 (https://www.allelitewrestling.com/watchrevolution2024) to bear witness to Sting’s final professional wrestling match, multiple championship matches, including Samoa Joe defending his AEW World Title against both Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page, as well as the first match for Will Ospreay as an official member of the AEW locker room!
The AEW Dynamite & Rampage previously scheduled for April 10, 2024 at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg has been rescheduled to May 1, 2024. Fans who have already purchased tickets will have their original tickets valid for admission to the event on May 1. Fans who cannot attend on the rescheduled date or who wish to seek a refund have until Tuesday, March 5 to request a refund from Ticketmaster or the original point of purchase. After March 5, all sales are final.
For more details about this event, or to purchase tickets click here.
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live from the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, MO!
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
No DQ Match!
The Don Callis Family’s Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Sammy Guevara!
“All members of the Don Callis Family have been barred from ringside,” said Kevin Kelly.
Sammy came out of the gates strong, hitting Hobbs with a cutter and then a lariat over the top rope.
“I’m a Collider now!” Sammy said, looking into the TV camera.
Sammy used the steel ring steps as a launch pad, however, Hobbs caught Sammy and planted Sammy with the World’s Strongest Slam onto the ring steps. Hobbs smashed Sammy onto the ring apron over and over again, manhandling Sammy with ease. Hobbs ordered Kevin Kelly to stand up and give him his belt. Hobbs whipped Sammy with the leather belt!
Sammy moved out of the way and connected with two thrust kicks to Hobbs. Sammy waffled Hobbs with a steel chair! Sammy nailed Hobbs with a cutter on the steps and then whipped Hobbs with the belt, turnaround being fair play!
Sammy pulled a table from beneath the ring and set it up on the arena floor. Sammy pulled a second table out and set it up beside the first table. Sammy climbed to the top turnbuckle and leaped at Hobbs, but Hobbs countered by smashing Sammy through the tables with a spinebuster off the apron!
Back in the ring, Sammy dodged a splash from Hobbs. Sammy hoisted up Hobbs on his shoulders and rocked Hobbs with the GTH for a near fall! Sammy grabbed a monitor from ringside and smashed it into Hobbs’ head. Sammy pulled out another table and placed it in the ring, but Hobbs was waiting for him with a lariat. Sammy fired back with a thrust kick. Sammy went for a cutter but got caught by Hobbs who countered with the World’s Strongest Slam.
Hobbs set up two tables at ringside. Hobbs picked up Sammy and charged at the ring post, but Sammy escaped and shoved Hobbs headfirst into the post. Sammy took two beer bottles from fans at ringside and cracked them over Hobbs’ head!
“I’ve never seen that, and I’ve seen a lot of stuff in wrestling,” said Schiavone.
Sammy pulled a giant ladder from beneath the ring and slid it into the ring. Sammy climbed the ladder and nailed Hobbs with a senton, crashing through the tables.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Sammy climbed the turnbuckles, but Hobbs shoved the referee who collided with Sammy. Hobbs hit the World’s Strongest Slam of the turnbuckles, smashing Sammy through tables and pinning Sammy!
Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley were backstage with some strong words from FTR!
Moxley: “You pissed us off. You want to challenge us at Revolution? You want to pay homage to the art of tag team wrestling? We accept. The four of us will show the world that all that history is just that. We are the elite of the elite, and this game evolves.”
Claudio: “FTR, if you want to live in the past that’s fine. But if you want to step into the future, that path is through us. All you have to do is just be better than Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli.”
FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood
vs.
Shane Taylor Promotions’ Shane Taylor vs. Lee Moriarty!
Cash hit Lee with a back elbow and took him down with an arm whip. Dax tagged in and dropped a running elbow on the back of Lee’s head. Taylor grabbed a tag and Dax slid under Taylor’s legs, taking a step back. Dax connected with a shotgun dropkick, but Taylor answered with a lariat.
Taylor cracked Dax with a knee strike to the head. Taylor followed up with a side slam. Taylor tried for a splash off the turnbuckles, but Dax rolled out of the way. Moriarty tagged in but so did Cash! Cash Wheeler cleaned house on Taylor and Moriarty!
Cash lifted up Lee for a vertical suplex, but Taylor tripped Cash. Taylor walloped Cash with a right hand from the apron while Lee rolled up Cash for a near fall. Cash picked up Lee and held him up for the Doomsday Device. Dax drilled Moriarty and scored the pin!
Cash: “So a few weeks ago Jon Moxley said step up and get stepped on. We’re like a couple of cockroaches. It’ll take more than a step on to kill us. If you have anything else to say to us tonight, you’ll know where we’ll be.”
Dax: “Jon and Claudio, you talked about how we’re a throwback to the past. That’s not what this is about. Mox you’ve been here since almost the beginning. For almost five years you’ve been the king. This is your castle. This is your house. And I see you and I see Claudio and I see Bryan and you walk around the back, and they cower because they’re afraid of you. I think you’re pissed off because we ain’t scared of you.
“If you are the king, if this is your castle, to be a king, you’ve got to kill a king. At Revolution we’re coming for your head. Top guys, out!”
Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Bird Monroe!
Thunder Rosa chopped at Monroe. Thunder Rosa drove a knee into Monroe’s face and followed up with a flying dropkick. Thunder Rosa planted Monroe with the Tijuana Bomb and scored the pinfall victory!
“You see this, I’m climbing the ladder. This is my time,” said Thunder Rosa.
Renee Paquette was backstage with Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, and Stokely Hathaway!
Stokely: “I don’t appreciate the hostility shown from Skye Blue and Julia Hart.”
Statlander: “Skye, you are looking for a fight. And you and I are one and one. So how about next week I beat your ass!”
Trios Match!
Bang Bang Scissor Gang—Jay White, Daddy Ass, and Colten Gunn
vs.
The Iron Savages!
Bronson was shoved into Beefcake Boulder by Billy! Colten dropkicked Bronson after getting the tag. The Iron Savages triple teamed Colten in the corner. Beefcake Boulder planted Colten hard with a vertical suplex.
Jay White tagged in and cleaned house on the Iron Savages. White chopped Jack in the corner. Jay White finished Jack with the Blade Runner and pinned him in decisive fashion!
Lexy Nair interviewed Bryan Danielson backstage ahead of his match tonight with Jun Akiyama!
Danielson said that Eddie Kingston was going to be on commentary and that Akiyama was Kingston’s hero. Danielson said he was going to beat Kingston’s hero! Danielson said he respected the legendary Akiyama.
Danielson: “Do you know who I do not respect? Eddie Kingston! He said if he wins our match at Revolution, I’ll have to shake his hand. I do not respect Kingston. He is not a professional. He has wasted his potential until the last year. Not only do I not respect him, his wasted potential pisses me off, and that’s why I’m going to beat him at Revolution for the Continental Crown!”
“The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith vs. House of Black’s Malakai Black!
Keith booted Black in the face. Keith followed up with strikes in the corner. Black caught Keith in the left knee with a round kick. Black smashed Keith in the head with a forearm.
Black blasted Keith with a straight kick, knocking Keith out of the ring. Keith got back in and wiped out Black with an exploder suplex! Keith followed up with a neck breaker across the knee for a near fall.
Bryan Keith drilled Malakai with a DDT off the turnbuckles. Keith clocked Black with a rising headbutt. Black answered with his own headbutt. Black crushed Keith with a double foot stomp from the top rope. Black stunned Keith with a German Suplex for a near fall.
Keith power bombed Black out of nowhere for a two-count! Keith charged at Black but Black smashed Keith with a spinning heel kick and pinned Keith!
The arena lights went out! When the lights came back on, Mark Briscoe was in the ring with a kendo stick! Buddy Matthews and Brody King sprinted to the ring, but Briscoe cracked them with the kendo stick! Briscoe pulled a steel spike out of his boot and tried to hit Black with it! Black dodged it and Briscoe stabbed the turnbuckle. Malakai Black retaliated with a roundhouse kick to Mark Briscoe’s head! Brody drilled Briscoe with Dante’s Inferno!
“The Professor” Serena Deeb vs. Lady Frost!
Lady Frost dropkicked Deeb in the back. Deeb knocked Frost to the mat with a shoulder tackle. Deeb hit Frost with a dragon screw leg whip. Serena Deeb stunned Frost with a swinging neck breaker.
Frost planted Deeb with the Chiller Driller, but Deeb kicked out at the two-count. Deeb ducked a spinning heel kick. Deeb clocked Frost with a clothesline. Deeb applied a single leg Boston Crab and Lady Frost tapped out!
Deeb: “The women’s division in AEW is heating up! I put the locker room on notice when I came back. Any single woman that wants to step in this ring or join this division, the Professor will be here waiting in the Deeb’s Dojo. Because I am here to elevate the women’s division. When the Professor is in the ring, I wrestle! And Serena Deeb is back to claim this division and put the wrestling back in All Elite Wrestling!”
Main Event Time! Blackpool Combat Club’s “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson
vs.
Japanese wrestling legend Jun Akiyama!
Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston was on commentary for this match.
They chain wrestled at the start of the match. Danielson stomped on the back of Jun’s knees. Jun transitioned to a cross arm breaker, but Bryan rolled through and escaped. Danielson went back to working on Akiyama’s legs. Jun gouged Danielson’s eye to escape.
Akiyama began to work on Danielson’s arm with a hammerlock. Danielson rolled, knocking Jun out of the ring. Danielson tried to capitalize with a tope suicida, but Jun countered with a forearm.
Danielson suplexed Jun on the arena floor. Danielson blasted Akiyama with a shotgun dropkick off the top turnbuckle. Danielson charged at Akiyama, but Akiyama countered with a lariat!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Danielson applied the Le Bell Lock! Akiyama reached the ropes with his boots, forcing the ref to break the hold. Danielson climbed to the top turnbuckle but Akiyama decked Danielson with a right hand. Danielson headbutted Jun. Danielson jumped off the top but Jun countered with a big knee and a piledriver for a near fall!
Akiyama went for a running knee strike, but Danielson captured it and put Jun in an ankle lock. Danielson sent Jun flying overhead with a release German Suplex. Danielson dished out kicks, but Akiyama fired back with an Exploder for a two-count.
Akiyama snatched Danielson in a guillotine choke. Danielson reached the ropes with his boot and the ref broke the hold. Akiyama nailed Danielson with an Exploder and then a knee strike! Danielson and Akiyama had the same idea—charging at one another with running knee strikes! Both men collided and fell to the mat.
“This is a classic that we are watching,” said Tony Schiavone.
Both men slugged one another, trading forearms in the center of the ring. Danielson went down in a heap. Danielson drilled Jun with a knee strike right under the chin. Danielson charged at Jun with the running knee strike and pinned Akiyama!
Danielson looked at Kingston and smirked. Danielson shook Akiyama’s hand and then flipped off Kingston. Akiyama slapped Danielson in the face after seeing Danielson’s sign of disrespect to Kingston.
Danielson offered to shake Akiyama’s hand again as an apology and then kicked Akiyama between the legs. Kingston jumped in the ring and grounded and pounded Danielson. Claudio Castagnoli hit the ring and smothered Kingston while Danielson stomped on Kingston.
FTR sprinted to the ring to even up the odds for Kingston! Danielson and Claudio began to brawl with FTR!
Tony Schiavone got word over the headset from Tony Khan that coming up on Wednesday on Dynamite there will be a trios match pitting FTR and Kingston against Mox, Claudio, and Danielson!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Propst Arena at Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL featuring:
COLLISION returns to the airwaves this Saturday night with a collection of tremendous match-ups as we near the end of the road to REVOLUTION 2024! This week, the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, MO hosts AEW’s Saturday night fights, and is going to be unforgettable, particularly when “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson steps into the ring with the legendary Jun Akiyama for their very first singles match! They’ve dance a handful of times in tag and trios in their Pro Wrestling NOAH days, but for the first time it’s one-on-one, and the eyes of Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston will no doubt be on this fight! Plus, coming off a heated time limit draw with The BCC on Wednesday, FTR gets right back in the saddle with a tag team fight against Shane Taylor Promotions, and we will see both Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb in action as each tries to climb back to the top of the mountain!
The night starts at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the AEW faithful can get prepared for the action-packed evening by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
ONE-ON-ONE…
“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama
Four times over the course of his career “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson has stood across the ring from Jun Akiyama, a man many refer to as the 5th Pillar of Heaven, placing him alongside Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, Akira Taue, and Toshiaki Kawada in the grand tapestry of All Japan Pro Wrestling. All four of their meetings came together under the Pro Wrestling NOAH banner, but not a one saw the two combatants square off in a head-to-head match-up. The first, taking place on 11/29/06 during Danielson’s ROH World Championship reign, saw Bryan team up with the late, great Bison Smith to actually defeat Akiyama and Makoto Hashi, but their next two meetings would not follow suit.
4/23/07, as part of Bryan’s month long tour of NOAH, they would lock up again, this time in Trios competition, with Bison again siding with Bryan, and the pair joined by Joe Legend. This time out Akiyama had former GHC Heavyweight Champion Takeshi Rikio and junior heavyweight legend Yoshinobu Kanemaru at his side, and this time around it was Akiyama’s unit that picked up the win. They traded another victory on April 4, 2008 when Bryan returned to NOAH, this time alongside the team of D’Lo Brown and Buchanan, collectively known as RO&D, to defeat Akiyama, the late Atsushi Aoki, and once again, Takeshi Rikio.
The final encounter between these two men took place a month later, May 17th at Differ Ariake, this time with Bryan and Bison being joined by Akitoshi Saito, to defeated Jun Akiyama and the same partners as the April fight. So when it comes to the numbers of their history, somewhat surprisingly it is Bryan Danielson who holds the 3-1 advantage, but that’s without a singles encounter. This Saturday night on COLLISION that changes because Jun Akiyama is coming back to All Elite Wrestling to fight “The American Dragon” one-on-one!
Bryan has already had a strenuous 2024 in terms of his in-ring activities; he began the year by losing to Kazuchika Okada at WRESTLE KINGDOM 18, followed by an 8-Man loss to TMDK at NEW YEARS DASH!! 2024 before he returned to the United States. Since coming back to AEW, Bryan has been on a tear, scoring a tag team victory over Continental Champion Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, singles wins over Yuji Nagata and Hechicero, and a trios victory over the CMLL contingent. A speed bump came upon Bryan’s return to NJPW for THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA 2024 when he fell to Zack Sabre Jr., but now he’s back home for the final leg leading to REVOLUTION 2024 where he will challenge Eddie Kingston for the Continental Crown.
Now there are already many ties that bind Kingston and Danielson, but Saturday will add one more as it was back in November 2021 that Eddie Kingston and Ortiz first welcomed Jun Akiyama to AEW. Akiyama won that tag team bout, but would fall to “The Mad King” in a singles bout at FULL GEAR 2021: ZERO HOUR the next night. The respect built between those two nights actually led Akiyama to bring Kingston to DDT Pro Wrestling, as his partner, for the March 2023 DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD! event in Los Angeles. What began as a relationship of Kingston looking up to Akiyama as an idol developed into that of one as peers, one whose respect is built upon the fight, and perhaps that is why Danielson chose to take this match so close to his International Championship challenge against Kingston.
Perhaps Bryan took this to spit in the face of someone Kingston respects, to use Jun Akiyama to send Eddie a message, perhaps even an opportunity for Bryan to show the current KO-D Six Man Champion the complete lack of respect he also shows Eddie Kingston. Bryan’s insistence that this is his last full-time year as an in-ring competitor has led to some fantastic matches, with certainly more to come, but it is also beginning to feel like it is Danielson’s way to bolster his ego, and prove beyond any doubt that “The American Draagon” is the best wrestler in the world whether he’s active or not. It feels like an ego trip concealed as a farewell tour, but Jun Akiyama is not the man to use for such purposes.
Not only does he hold that aforementioned KO-D championship, but he’s also a former 2-Time Triple Crown Champion, 3-Time GHC Heavyweight Champion, 7-Time AJPW World Tag Champion, and 4-Time All Asia Tag Team Champion, just to name a few. He’s wrestled, and beaten, legends like Stan Hansen, Misawa, Kobashi, Taue, as well as today’s greats in DDT Pro like Takeshita, MAO, and Rukiya. Akiyama is one of the last of his generation still competing, with only a few others like Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata springing to mind as Akiyama’s contemporaries still fighting at the highest levels.
All this is to say that Danielson should not approach Akiyama with the same disrespect he shows Eddie Kingston, or perhaps that’s the game Bryan is playing, showing respect to everyone he fights except the Continental Crown Champion. However this fight with Akiyama plays out, Danielson is going to feel it, and for his sake, he best hope it doesn’t compromise him for that championship fight at REVOLUTION 2024.
TAG TEAM THROWDOWN…
FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor)
Coming off a tremendous 20-minute draw with Moxley and Claudio on DYNAMITE, FTR are jumping right back into action this Saturday night with a fight against opponents not all that different from The BCC duo. Shane Taylor is a hard-hitting, smashmouth fighter from Ohio who has no problem calling it as he sees it, and letting the world know how he feels. Lee Moriarty is a supremely skilled grappler, capable of tying a man up in knots inside the squared circle, but has proven to be just at home throwing elbows as he is chaining together holds. Together, STP has a mission of ascending to the AEW and ROH mountain tops, and they’ve actively put out the call for others to join in their quest:
Well this Saturday night, when faced with the 2-Time former AEW World Tag Champions, the men who held AAA, ROH, and IWGP Tag Gold simultaneously for six months, Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty will have their chance to rumble with the best, and show the rest of the locker room why they are the team to ride with. After that unsatisfying result on DYNAMITE, and the potential for a rematch down the line, FTR is going to bring the fight to STP but best believe that STP will return it in kind. This is going to be a slugfest, of that there is little doubt, the only question is if what Dax and Cash went through on Wednesday has left them ripe for the picking or queued them up for more violence?
TRIOS MASH-UP…
The Bang Bang Scissor Gang (Colten Gunn, Daddy Ass, & Jay White) In Action!!!
Last week on RAMPAGE we witnessed The Bang Bang Scissor Gang compete in full force for the very first time, and they showed The Dark Order, Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, and Satnam Singh just what they are capable of when operating in the same page. After everything that’s gone down between The Gunns and their father, as well as The Gunns and The Acclaimed, it had to have been simultaneously strange and exhilarating to be working together, but magic was made, of that there is no question.
But this week on COLLISION, with the cowboys coming back to town, they’ve decided to do it Trios style once more, but rather coming in as one of the units they’ve become accustomed to, or even simply put The Gunn Club back together for the night, “Switchblade” Jay White has mashed it all up to put himself, Colten Gunn, and Daddy Ass together for some Trios competition! Will this blending of ROH World Six-Man and AEW World Trios Champions be as successful as all six fighting together? With fewer individuals in the mix to distract, will Billy and Colten Gunn be able to remain cohesive given their complicated history in AEW? And just who will step into the ring with these champions to try and upset The BBSG?
ONE-ON-ONE…
Malakai Black vs. “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith
It has been more than 610 days since Malakai Black competed in a one-on-one match in All Elite Wrestling, and 608 days since the last time he fought in a match that wasn’t some sort of tag, trio, or multi-man contest. Mind you, that focus on multi-man competition paid off, up until a week ago The House of Black were the longest reigning AEW World Trios Champions since the titles incarnation, and collectively they remain one of, if not the, most imposing units in All Elite Wrestling. The House may have lost the Escape the Cage match against FTR and Daniel Garcia, but it isn’t because Malakai Black tasted true defeat, in fact in the realm of singles competition only one man has put Black’s shoulders to the mat since his Summer 2021 debut, and that was back on October 23rd of that year.
Suffice it to say “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith, a man who only officially became All Elite three weeks ago, has his work cut out for him on COLLISION this Saturday night. Though he is coming into this fight off a RAMPAGE victory, that was in Trios competition and prior to that win, in his limited AEW experience, Keith had yet to score any victories, let alone in the singles ranks.
Will this be the night “Bounty Hunter” shocks the world and puts down the master of The House? Or will this night serve as Malakai Black’s herald, declaring to the world that he is stepping back into the singles ranks with the cruelest of intentions?
NO DQ, DON CALLIS FAMILY & CHRIS JERICHO BANNED FROM THE BUILDING, THERE MUST BE A WINNER!!!
Last night on RAMPAGE, Sammy Guevara called out Powerhouse Hobbs for a fight in response to being put through tables by the former TNT Champion. Unfortunately for “The Spanish God” the challenge did not go in his favor, as a devastating lariat, two spinebusters, and a World’s Most Dangerous Slam left Guevara a broken man at the feet of Hobbs and Don Callis. Yet he persists, despite the odds, despite the physical advantages Powerhouse Hobbs holds over Sammy, the young man persists in the fight. That should come as no surprise, after all this is the man who dethroned “The Redeemer” Miro to win the first of his three TNT Championship titles, Sammy clearly does not back down from a fight.
And a fight is what he will have this Saturday night on COLLISION when he faces Hobbs one-on-one, for the very first time, and in a No DQ match to boot! While this sounds like a situation just inviting the interference of the Don Callis Family, in an effort to level the playing field the entire Callis crew has been banned from the building, but so has Guevara’s main ally, Chris Jericho!
Will that ruling be enough for Sammy to knock down the mountain that is Powerhouse Hobbs? This No DQ situation may seem like the perfect playground for Guevara, especially looking at that fight with Jeff Hardy as a litmus test, but so too is it the perfect opportunity for Hobbs to become an untethered engine of destruction. This may be a situation of mutually assured destruction…
Both Serena Deeb and former AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa are on a mission, a mission to return to the top of the Women’s Division and claim (or reclaim in Thunder’s case) championship success. Both lost over a year of their careers fighting to get back into the ring, and both were able to return to the ring within a month of each other. For Rosa that moment came at the tail end of 2023 when COLLISION came to San Antonio right before Christmas while for Deeb it came in Bossier City, LA a month later, also on COLLISION, and for each it was cathartic. Imagine sitting on the sidelines for over year, watching others else be able to do the thing you love to do, while you are stuck struggling to be able to rejoin the fight.
Whether it’s professional wrestling, music, reading, writing, whatever; each of us has something we love to do so imagine if suddenly you weren’t able to do that thing, and even after you felt you could do that thing, you still weren’t allowed to do that thing. That is the space where both Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb have lived for far too long, but that longing to return to the ring has made each moment spent in it since their returns that much sweeter. This Saturday night on COLLISION the joy of competing continues for each woman as they step back between the ropes, fully cognizant that not too long ago it seemed an impossibility, and they get ready to fight whoever is standing on the opposite side.
After almost losing these moments for good, each woman knows these are now ones to be cherished, but the sweetest moment, the one that makes the year-plus struggles worth it, will be the one when a championship belt is handed over and lofted high overhead in celebration. Who will get there first, and will their paths cross once more on the road to their shared goal?
We are just eight days away from REVOLUTION 2024 where “The Icon” Sting will have his final professional wrestling match, and COLLISION returns on Saturday night, emanating from the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, MO with a loaded night of action! With a Continental Crown match-up on his future, “The American Dragon” welcomes Jun Akiyama back to All Elite Wrestling, The Bang Bang Scissor Gang mashes things up for Trios action, Serena Deeb and Thunder Rosa continue their efforts to climb back up the rankings, and Malakai Black returns to singles action for a fight with “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith!
All that, as well as FTR taking on Shane Taylor Promotions in a tag team fight, comes your way at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the AEW faithful can get prepared for the action-packed evening by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK!
Your broadcast team was Excalibur, “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard and Tony Schiavone.
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
This…is…Rampage!
3-Way Trios Match!
Action Andretti & Top Flight—Dante & Darius Martin
vs.
“The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith, Komander, & Penta El Zero Miedo
vs.
Matt Sydal & Private Party—Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen!
Sydal used a side headlock takedown on Action Andretti. Action fired back with a dropkick, taking Sydal off his feet. Bryan Keith tagged in and booted Darius Martin in the face. Private Party utilized tandem offense on Keith.
Penta El Zero Miedo entered the fray. Dante Martin grabbed a blind tag from Kassidy and then the match broke down with all three teams brawling. Komander paired off with Dante in the ring and took him down with head scissors. Komander hit Dante with an arm drag off the ropes. Penta jumped in and connected with a Sling Blade on Dante.
Bryan Keith nailed Action with a neck breaker. Action used a handspring elbow and rocked both members of Private Party! Keith blasted Darius with a running boot, sending Darius spilling out to the arena floor. Komander locked up Sydal in a flying surfboard on the apron. Sydal escaped and crushed Komander with a meteora! Penta El Zero Miedo was right there to grab Sydal and impale him on the apron with the Fear Factor!
Private Party attempted the Gin & Juice on Penta, but Penta countered with a Destroyer on Kassidy! Keith headbutted Quen, knocking him off the top turnbuckle to the arena floor. Komander flew out of the ring with a tornillo and landed on the pile of wrestlers outside the ring! Penta El Zero Miedo spiked Sydal with the Fear Factor and pinned him!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Saraya and Harley Cameron!
Saraya: I don’t give a s—t about Ruby Soho!”
Harley: “Saraya, breathe with me. Feel better?”
Saraya: “So I have some business I have to talk to you about, Renee. You know how my family is like this big family wrestling royalty in the UK? Well, I have a special announcement I have to make. My brother, Zodiac Zack Knight has just become All Elite! Baby brother, come in here! Yeah, he’s scary, and this could have been yours, Ruby! I was going to set you up with him! You messed it up to go with someone greasy and slimy.”
Harley: “Look at him! He’s hot! Your whole family is hot!”
Saraya: “Anyway, things are about to get really spicy around here, Renee.”
AEW EVPs The Young Bucks—Matthew & Nicholas Jackson
vs. Jonny Lyons & Cappuccino Jones!
Nick pummeled Lyons with strikes to the back. Matt tagged in and hit Lyons with a running forearm. Cappuccino grabbed a tag and ate a kick from Matt. Matt battered Cappuccino to the mat, shutting him down. Matt planted Jones with a DDT. Nick knocked Jones’ block off with a lariat. The Bucks spiked Jones with the Tony Khan Driver, then Matt pinned Jones!
After the match, the Bucks invited Tony Schiavone into the ring.
Nick: “We’re not going to attack you, Tony. More than a week ago you interviewed us in this ring. I swear to God I tripped on my shoe and accidentally knocked you down. I just wanted to clear the air and apologize to you right here. I am so sorry.”
Matt: “And to show you how sorry we are, we went and got you this $25 Amazon gift card. We love you. We are sorry. That’s not the only thing we’re sorry about. We’re also sorry that we can’t get Darby Allin and Sting’s bloodstains out of our $5000 white suits.
“There are a couple things we’re not going to be too sorry about, Tony. The first thing is going to be beating the hell out of Darby Allin at Revolution for all the trash he talked about us publicly on television. And the thing we’re going to be least apologetic about will be when we take Sting, and we pin him to the mat, and we say goodbye and we say farewell to one of the most legendary careers of all time.
“Stinger, you can call us Father Time. Because just like Father Time, we’re undefeated. And just like Father Time, we’re coming for you.”
In the next segment, Tony Schiavone interviewed Sammy Guevara in the ring!
Sammy: “Last week I got in the ring with my childhood hero, Jeff Hardy. But on the other hand, I’m mad, Will Hobbs put me through a table. Will Hobbs, I always said you had endless potential. But alone. You don’t need Don Callis sucking the life out of your career. But it is too late because I am mad. So enough talking. Get your ass out here now!”
Don Callis walked down the ramp!
Callis: “You’re back at work after nursing the child? The only thing you’ve done of note in the past six months is reproduce and you shouldn’t be proud of that. Dogs do it. Even these people can do it. You used to be a great athlete, Sammy. You used to be a guy I wanted in the Don Callis Family. Now you’ve become like so many. You’ve become weak.”
Powerhouse Hobbs jumped in the ring to ambush Sammy, but Sammy dodged Hobbs and drilled him with a thrust kick! Sammy flew over the top rope and wiped out Hobbs on the arena floor! Sammy smashed a steel chair into the spine of Hobbs! Sammy tried to hoist up Hobbs for the GTH, but Hobbs countered with a spinebuster! Hobbs hit a second spinebuster! Hobbs crushed Sammy with the World’s Most Dangerous Slam!
“The message has been sent and Hobbs will not rest until Sammy is done!” said Excalibur.
Skye Blue was backstage with some strong words!
Blue: “I had that match won if it wasn’t for some sad excuse of a man. I had that match won and I deserved it.”
TBS Champion Julia Hart walked up to Skye to comfort her.
Julia: “Skye, it’s okay. We shall get our comeuppance. And while getting our revenge, I shall dig three graves. One for Willow, one for Statlander, and one for Stokely. Now who do you want first?”
Skye: “I want whoever is going to step up and fight me!”
Mariah May vs. Anna Jay!
Mariah May went for a dropkick but Anna side stepped it and followed up with a neck breaker. Mariah fired back with overhand chops. Mariah rocked Anna with a knee strike! Anna countered the May Day with the Queen Slayer, but Mariah backed up into the corner, escaping the hold.
Mariah sent Anna soaring with a handstand hurracanrana out of the corner! Anna dodged a hip attack from Mariah. Anna nailed Mariah with a back breaker for a near fall. Anna applied the Queen Slayer, but Mariah hit Anna’s arm! Mariah annihilated Anna with the May Day in the center of the ring and pinned Anna!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Ruby Soho and Angelo Parker, who just returned from their date!
Ruby: “I think the date went really well!”
Parker: “It was incredible. I had a great time with you, Ruby.”
Ruby: “Saraya, you said you didn’t care about me. Here’s the reality of the situation. For the last year, you’ve told me that I needed you. But you needed me. You are sad and unhappy without me. But when you start talking about Angelo, we have a problem. I said I needed space from you. And in that space, I think I found something real in Angelo. Why don’t we invite everyone out next week, bring the crew, and we’ll shove this done your throat.”
Parker: “You’re very hot when you’re mad, by the way. Let’s go grab a drink.”
Roderick Strong (with ROH World Tag Champs Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)
vs. Jake Hager!
Strong booted Hager in the jaw. Hager hurled Strong halfway across the ring! Roddy dodged a charging Hager. Roddy battered Hager to the mat. Hager retaliated with a running lariat for a near fall.
Strong planted Hager with a suplex. Taven and Bennett were about to chase Hornsby, the Drillers’ mascot, when International Champion Orange Cassidy came out to even up the odds! Orange pulled out Hager’s purple bucket hat and tossed it to him! Hager put the hat on and walloped Strong with running clotheslines. Hager followed up with a belly-to-belly suplex. Hager splashed Roddy with the Hager Bomb for a near fall.
The numbers advantage was too much for Orange as Taven and Bennett got the upper hand on him. Back in the ring, Roddy connected with a jawbreaker on Hager. Jake Hager planted Roddy with the Doctor Bomb for a two-count. Hager applied the ankle lock, but Taven was distracted by Bennett and Taven, who jumped on the ring apron! Roderick Strong drilled Hager with a jumping knee strike right on the jaw. Hager crumbled and Strong won via pinfall!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, MO featuring:
-Thunder Rosa in action!
-FTR vs. Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty!
-Serena Deeb vs. Kiera Hogan
-Bang Bang Scissor Gang in Trios competition!
– “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith vs. Malakai Black!
– “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Propst Arena at Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL featuring:
On Wednesday February 28, in Huntsville, AL, co-holder of the AEW World Tag Team Championship Sting makes his final appearance on TBS after 36 iconic years on top!
This Friday night RAMPAGE hails from The BOK Center in Tulsa, OK, and we are back at our traditional start time of 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, and there is quite an exciting night of combat lined up for the AEW faithful! In the aftermath of his No DQ fight with Jeff Hardy last week, we will hear from “The Spanish God” Sammy Guevara, plus Mariah May locks up with Anna Jay, The Young Bucks will apparently be in action to prepare for REVOLUTION 2024’s fight with Darby Allin and Sting, Roddy takes on Oklahoma’s own Jake Hager, and let’s not forget the wild 3-Way Trios going down in Tulsa!
Before the night begins, drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!
ONE-ON-ONE…
Roderick Strong vs. Jake Hager
In one of the more unexpected moments of one competitor coming to another’s rescue, this past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE it was Jake Hager who arrived on the scene to help AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy as he once more fell victim to a Undisputed Kingdom assault. Without Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, or Rocky Romero anywhere in the vicinity to lend a hand, it seemed OC was destined to be battered by Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett, but with AEW being in his home state, Hager took it upon himself to do the right thing.
It may have been the first time since arriving in AEW that Hager actually did the right thing, but late is better than never, and it couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for Orange Cassidy, insuring he remained intact for his REVOLUTION 2024 championship defense against Roddy. But apparently good deeds do not come without consequence, and this Friday night on RAMPAGE Jake Hager faces his consequences in the form of a singles match with Roderick!
This will mark the first time these two men have ever gone one-on-one inside a wrestling ring, and just the second time they’ve even been in the same match in their entire careers. It’s liable to be a hard-hitting affair, but one that will likely see Matt Taven and Mike Bennett stalking around ringside. Can Hager counteract their presence at ringside? Will OC return the favor Hager did for him by attempting to neutralize The UK members? Tune in Friday night to find out how this one goes down!
SINGLES MATCH…
Mariah May vs. Anna Jay
Anna Jay is coming off a hard-fought loss to Queen Aminata last week on RAMPAGE, one that ended with a show of respect between the two women, a sign of appreciation for the fight they gave one another, and Anna’s recognition of Aminata finally scoring her first singles victory in All Elite Wrestling.
Unfortunately Anna Jay isn’t likely to see that same sort of respect this Friday night, regardless of how the match goes, because her opponent is Toni Storm’s biggest fan: Mariah May! Mariah remains rather desperate to get Toni Storm’s attention on her actual in-ring work rather than just on her slavish fan-girl devotion to the AEW Women’s World Champion, but there always seems to be a reason for Storm to not partake in viewing Mariah’s bouts.
That makes this an interesting bout to watch unfold as Anna Jay really needs a win to not only get back on track, but to also push towards joining the rankings. Mariah, on the other hand, has occupied the number five spot for the first two weeks of the reborn rankings, and a victory would not only keep her there, but also possibly boost her up towards the top spot. That is an interesting situation in itself, the idea of Mariah in the top spot, but one that can wait until after REVOLUTION 2024 to see where the AEW Women’s World Championship rests.
3-WAY TRIOS MATCH…
Action Andretti & Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) vs. Bryan Keith, Komander, & Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Matt Sydal & Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen)
With the rankings back, one segment of AEW that was never part of their original incarnation was the Trios Division. So while The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass sit atop the division as champions, there are plenty of men who want to ascend to the status of contender, who want that opportunity to score an AEW championship, and those willing to create their own trio could be in a prime spot to take over the rankings!
That’s what we have here this Friday night on RAMPAGE when these three trios, two of which are uniting for the first time, come together in what is sure to be a wild, high-flying affair! Action Andretti and Top Flight are obviously the most experienced unit in this contest, with victories over Isiah Kassidy (as he teamed with The Hardys), Penta and Komander (as they united with El Hijo del Vikingo), and the CHAOS trio of OC, Trent, and Rocky Romero. That being said, their foes in this Three Way are also quite experienced in their own ways, and then there’s the recent history between Private Party and Top Flight that plays into this dynamic as well. Which trio will rise to occasion on Friday night, and perhaps make enough of an impact to crack the rankings? Whichever trio it may be, all three are going to have their work cut out for them trying to score a win among the inevitable chaos!
The BOK Center in Tulsa, OK hosts this Friday night’s edition of RAMPAGE and we are back at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, with a wild Three-Way Trios match pitting Andretti & Top Flight versus Sydal & Private Party versus Bryan Keith, Penta, and Komander! Plus, Anna Jay battles Mariah May, The EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson will apparently be in action, and Roderick Strong will tackle Oklahoma’s own Jake Hager! We will also hear from Sammy Guevara following his No Disqualification battle with Jeff Hardy, and more!
Before bell time, swing on by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE and COLLISION, plus the latest CONTROL CENTER!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK!
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!
Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley
vs.
FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood!
Cash grabbed a single leg on Mox, and Mox returned with a forearm. Mox tagged out to Claudio and Claudio blasted Cash with European uppercuts. Cash swept out Claudio’s leg and tagged out to Dax. Claudio booted Dax in the midsection and then body slammed Dax.
Dax retaliated with a snap suplex on Moxley. Dax hit a leg drop across the bridge of Moxley’s nose, good for a two count. Cash tagged in and Mox went for a rear naked choke, but Cash lowered his hips, using Mox’s momentum to knock him out of the ring. Mox was infuriated and jumped right back in the ring, bowing right up to Cash head-to-head. They exchanged forearms in the center of the ring.
Dax headbutted Mox outside of the ring, but Claudio ambushed Dax with a European uppercut. Moxley flew out of the ring with a tope directed at Cash, but Dax shoved his partner out of the way, acting as a human shield, and Dax took the brunt of Moxley’s force. After Moxley landed, Cash shoved him into the steel ring steps. FTR pummeled Moxley in their corner with an onslaught of strikes.
FTR catapulted Moxley into the bottom rope, throat first. Moxley blasted Dax with a King Kong lariat and then tagged Claudio. Claudio smothered Dax with European uppercuts. Claudio managed to hoist up both members of FTR at the same time and planted them!
“Claudio with superhuman strength!” said Excalibur.
Outside the ring, Moxley spiked Dax on the arena floor with a stuffed piledriver when Claudio jumped off the apron with an assist! Back in the ring, Dax displayed his fighting spirit, dodging Claudio and tagged out to Cash Wheeler. Cash cleaned house on the BCC!
Cash countered a Paradigm Shift from Mox with a brain buster for a near fall. Justin Roberts announced that five minutes remained. Cash hoisted up Moxley and then Dax jumped off the top rope with a leg drop for a near fall on Moxley.
“That was super close there,” said Taz.
Dax superplexed Moxley while Cash went for a splash off the top rope, but Moxley countered by raising his knees into Cash’s ribs. With three minutes remaining, Claudio whipped Dax around the ring with the Giant Swing! Moxley dropkicked Dax in the head and covered him, but Dax kicked out at the two-count!
Moxley battered Dax with the hammer and anvil elbows and then applied a rear naked choke. Cash crawled back into the ring to try to break up the bulldog choke, but Claudio grabbed Cash and applied a rear naked choke on Cash. There were two minutes remaining.
“Dueling submissions,” said Taz.
Cash powered himself and Claudio up, getting to his feet, and then fell backwards on top of Moxley.
“Cash, out of sheer desperation, dropping his body weight and Claudio’s onto the pile to force Moxley to break his grip,” said Excalibur.
“Now that’s what you call multitasking. Good job by Cash,” replied Taz.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Dax took Moxley off his feet and applied the sharpshooter. Claudio tried to boot Dax in the head, but Cash ran interference and German suplexed Claudio. Justin Roberts announced there was one minute remaining.
Claudio wrapped up Cash in a sharpshooter, turned around and began to trade strikes with Dax, who had Moxley in a sharpshooter! Claudio and Dax relinquished their holds and began exchanging shots in the center of the ring! Dax spiked Claudio with a piledriver! Mox was there to cradle Dax with a crucifix, but Dax kicked out at two! Moxley went back to a rear naked choke on Dax, but Dax escaped. As Mox was looking for the King Kong lariat, FTR tried to counter with the Shatter Machine! As Cash lifted up Mox for his portion of the tandem finishing maneuver, time ran out and the bell rang!
The time limit expired, and the bout was declared a draw by Justin Roberts.
“I think if they had 10 more seconds, I think FTR lands that Shatter Machine and maybe wins the match,” said Excalibur.
“I agree, they were in the midst of a Shatter Machine, and the bell sounded, which stopped it,” replied Tony Schiavone.
Both teams began to brawl until security and wrestlers from the locker room sprinted out to separate them!
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy!
Renee wondered how Orange was doing after all of his matches these past few weeks, and if he was medically cleared to wrestle. Orange replied, “Well, that’s why Doc Sampson is standing here in the hallway. He’s going to let me know.” Doc Sampson said that Orange was cleared, barely, to compete.
Orange: “If I’m cleared, I’m gonna wrestle.”
Orange said he was taking Trent’s place tonight.
Alex Marvez was backstage to interview FTR!
Dax: “We came here to kick BCC’s ass, because they think they run this place. We don’t bow down to nobody. Revolution is coming up, we don’t have a match, they don’t have a match so what I say is—”
The Blackpool Combat Club interrupted the interview, and both teams were separated by AEW security and officials once again!
AEW International Champion “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy vs. ROH World Tag Champion Mike Bennett!
Orange charged at the Undisputed Kingdom as they were making their entrance and clobbered Taven with an Orange Punch! Cassidy stomped on Bennett in the corner. The ref pulled Orange back and Bennett seized the opportunity to hit Orange with a suplex.
Orange rallied back with a Stun Dog Millionaire and then he landed a DDT on Bennett. Roderick Strong ran down to the ring and jumped on the apron. The ref had to keep Roderick back and prevent him from entering the ring. As the ref was dealing with Roddy, Mike Bennett nailed Orange with a blatant low blow!
Bennett rocked Orange with a piledriver for a near fall. Bennett got overconfident and grabbed Tony Schiavone’s headset and began to insult Orange over the headset. When Bennett put the headset down on the announcers’ desk, Orange flew out of the ring with a tope!
“Bennett took his eyes off his opponent for a moment and paid the price,” said Excalibur.
Bennett fired back with a Death Valley Driver on Orange on the arena floor! Somehow Orange managed to clock Bennett with an Orange Punch!
“This guy is a machine!” said Taz.
Mike Bennett regained momentum with a Gotch style piledriver on Cassidy. Bennett hit two rolling elbow strikes on Orange. Bennett was looking for another piledriver, but Orange countered with the Beach Break out of nowhere and pinned Bennett!
Matt Taven jumped in the ring after the match and stomped Orange. Roderick Strong returned and was about to double team Orange when Jake Hager ran down to the ring! Hager cleaned house of the Undisputed Kingdom, coming to the aid of Orange Cassidy!
Tony Khan informed Excalibur over the headset that this Friday on Rampage it’ll be Roderick Strong versus Jake Hager!
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview Angelo Parker about his big date out tonight with Ruby Soho!
Ruby walked up to them smiling and told Renee she’d tell her all about it Friday night. Angelo offered his arm to Ruby and asked if she was ready to go. A white SUV pulled up and Ruby asked if that was their ride. Angelo said, “No, we’ve got a Lyft.” They walked away and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair exited the SUV!
Renee Paquette interviewed “Nature Boy” Ric Flair about Sting’s upcoming retirement match at Revolution!
Flair: “I’m disappointed. When I signed up for this, I thought I’d be a bigger part of the picture. I’m not upset with Sting, I’m just upset that I’m not more involved. I feel like I should be right in the middle of things, and I haven’t been. So, between you and me, I’m just going to explore some options. I’m not trying to put you in the middle, I’m just telling you the truth.”
Ric Flair walked away and knocked on a nearby dressing room door. The Young Bucks opened the door. Matthew Jackson asked Ric what he wanted. Ric asked if they had time. “Let’s talk,” replied Matthew, inviting Flair in.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview Daniel Garcia!
Tony said that after what happened to the “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland last week, Copeland is on the shelf and unable to compete. Tony said that at AEW Revolution, Daniel Garcia will get his shot at the TNT Championship against Christian Cage!
The fans chanted “You deserve it! You deserve it!”
Garcia: “A lot of the time I feel like I don’t deserve it, so thank you for saying that. I always felt like in this business I was destined for great things, but a couple months ago when I was at the lowest point of my life, I started to lose that confidence. I started to lose that feeling, I really did. But I knew that going through all that, three seconds is all I needed. And at the end of the Continental Classic, I got those three seconds. Those three seconds changed my life.
“Every single time I got down, y’all picked me back up. Every time I danced, y’all danced with me. And I can’t thank you enough for helping me restore that feeling. And Adam Copeland, no one knows how that match would have ended last week, but I have full confidence that if that match went on any longer, I would have made you tap out.
“It’s not over between you and me. But the next time you see me I will be holding the TNT title! And that brings me to Revolution. Christian Cage, I have a message for you. When you step in the ring with me, I am going to take you down—”
TNT Champion Christian Cage walked onto the ramp with the Patriarchy—Nick Wayne, Killswitch, and Mother Wayne!
Christian Cage: “Adam Copeland will not have another chance at my TNT Championship ever! Do you understand me? Daniel, what happened to you last week was just a by-product of you standing in the ring with Adam Copeland, but it worked out pretty well for you because now you’re the number one contender for my TNT Championship at Revolution.
“You’ve been on a hell of a run lately, but I have to say, as much as I’d love to step in the ring with you, I really don’t think it should happen at Revolution. And it’s not that I don’t think you’re worthy, it’s that I don’t think you’re ready. You just want to make these people smile and be entertained with your dance moves. I just want to leave the arena every night as the most dominant TNT Champion of all time.
“We both know why you’re the way you are, don’t we Daniel. I know something that these people don’t know. That you had a pretty dark childhood, didn’t you, Daniel? You didn’t have so many happy memories, did you? Do you know a Jackie Garcia that lives in Buffalo, NY? And can you confirm to me that Jackie was married to David Garcia And I understand that David Garcia is your father. And your father is dead.
“Now wouldn’t it be a beautiful fairy tale ending for you to walk into Revolution with my TNT Championship, raise it above your head in memory of your late, great father, but let’s be honest, your father wasn’t so great, was he? He was a loser that lost his life to the bottle. And unlike him, I don’t want to hurt you, I want to help you. At Revolution, I don’t want to be your opponent, I want to be your father.”
Garcia: “Since you know so much about my dead father, why don’t you come to the ring, and I’ll put you in the ground right next to him!”
Christian Cage sent Nick Wayne to do his dirty work! Nick Wayne charged right at Garcia! Daniel Garcia side stepped Wayne and put him in the sharpshooter! Killswitch came down to the ring next! “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard, out of nowhere, smacked Killswitch in the back with a steel chair!
“This backfired on Christian Cage,” said Taz.
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm (with Mariah May & Luther)
vs. Sydni Winnell!
Toni stormed Sydni and stomped her in the corner. Toni grounded and pounded Sydni. Toni splashed Sydni and then clobbered her with a running bulldog. Toni hit the hip attack and then planted Sydni with the Storm Zero! Toni locked in the Break a Leg submission and then released it. Toni opted instead for the Venus De Milo and won via submission!
“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo vs. Madison Rayne!
Deonna took down Rayne with a snap mare. Deonna wiped out Rayne with a pump kick. Deonna smashed Madison with a knee strike to the face. Madison rolled up Deonna, but Deonna kicked out at the one-count. Deonna applied Toni Storm’s Break a Leg and forced Madison to tap out, sending a message to the AEW Women’s World Champion! After the match Toni ran into the ring and tried to whack Deonna with a shoe! Deonna ducked it and countered with a pump kick! Deonna swung at Mariah May but Mariah May backed up. Toni grabbed Deonna from behind and locked in the Break a Leg on Deonna!
AEW World Tag Team Champions had an important message for the Young Bucks—Mathew and Nicholas Jackson!
Darby: “When you’re this close to the end, you look back at life and it really puts things in perspective. The fame, the spotlight, the material things that we chase that don’t mean a thing. We were looking at some old photos today. Sting, is it okay if we show them to the Young Bucks?”
Sting: “Yeah.”
Darby showed a picture of Sting with Sting’s sons when they were children. Darby said when the photo was taken, Sting’s sons were about the same age as the Bucks’ kids are now. “This is this man’s flesh and blood. This is the only thing in life that matters in the end. It’s family,” said Darby.
Sting: “You hit the nail on the head, Darby. Family is all that matters. It strikes a nerve right now because in all my years as a pro wrestler, no one has ever messed with my own flesh and blood until you, Bucks. Lots going on in my own personal life in the last couple of weeks. The Bucks attacked my sons, and only seven days ago, my own father passed away. He was like a hero to me. He taught me right. Makes me think a lot about my own mortality. I used to think I was so invincible. Sometimes I do feel that way still, but time catches up to everyone, and it caught me for sure. I know I am truly not invincible. But one thing I do know. Everything I have left in me, I’m bringing to Revolution. You have a fight on your hands, Bucks, the fight of your life.”
Tony Schiavone interviewed Wardlow in the ring!
Wardlow: “Get out of my ring before I knock you down again! I’m pissed! I’ve been pissed off for a long time! Two years ago, I had thousands and thousands of people chanting my name, city after city in a manner that hasn’t been heard or seen in decades. I was the next big thing, but apparently the rocket that was strapped to my back was put upside down, because ever since, I have been driven into the ground and screwed over and over again.
“You would think the one true homegrown day one original AEW megastar would have been the champion a long time ago. But I’ve never received an opportunity for the AEW World title and people back there need to be fired and thrown in jail for that fact.
“But let’s look at some of the people who have held it. There’s kings, there’s gods, so what does that make me? Because the best in the world, the real heavyweight champion? I beat his ass like nobody has in his entire career. His body is still falling apart from me. Which brings me to our former champ, the guy who’s better than us and we know it. I squashed him like an insect. Which brings me to the most dangerous man in the room. Our king, the current champ, Samoa Joe. Can somebody remind me when he and I were in the ring? Oh yeah, that’s right, I choked his ass out and I beat him too!
“So again, I ask, what does that make me? Because it sounds like I’m the best in the world. It sounds like I’m better than you and you know it. It sounds like I’m the most dangerous man in the room. I am the uncrowned king of AEW and it is time that I start eating like one, because I have been starving! And I am done begin fed scraps! I am everything a World champion is supposed to be! And there is no one back there bigger, faster, or stronger than me! There’s no one that can stop me! And if anybody wants to get in my way, just know this is no longer wrestling. This is war!”
The Bang Bang Scissor Gang were backstage!
“Switchblade” Jay White suggested that on the next Collision, he, along with Colten and Billy team up as the Collision Cowboys representing the Bang Bang Scissor Gang. Bowens said it didn’t matter about the combo, the Bang Bang Scissor Gang ruled the world.
Excalibur announced that Will Ospreay will be on Dynamite next Wednesday night!
Tony Khan informed Excalibur that Wardlow will be competing in “Meat Madness” at Revolution!
Renee Paquette was backstage with the Don Callis Family!
Renee asked Don how Will Ospreay against Takeshita at Revolution will benefit the Don Callis Family. Callis said because win or lose, the two best rope to rope wrestlers will still be a part of the Don Callis Family. Callis said he was on his way to the UK in a private jet to pick up Ospreay. Callis said that Powerhouse Hobbs was going to do damage in “Meat Madness” at Revolution. Don said that the Don Callis Family and Sammy Guevara had a score to settle at Rampage!
Main Event! Trios Match!
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe, “The Machine” Brian Cage, & Swerve Strickland
vs.
FTW Champion HOOK, “Hangman” Adam Page, & Rob Van Dam!
Samoa Joe and Hook started the match for their respective teams. They locked horns and Joe planted Hook. Hook ran off the ropes and hit Joe with a forearm, taking Joe off his feet. Samoa Joe battered Hook in the corner.
Brian Cage tagged in and isolated Hook in the corner with chops. Hook escaped and tagged RVD. Van Dam was looking for a monkey flip, but Cage rammed RVD into the turnbuckles. Swerve grabbed a tag and ate a kick from Rob Van Dam. RVD used his powerful legs to monkey flip Swerve.
Hangman tagged himself in and had a stare down with Swerve. They began to brawl and Hook and Cage had to peel their partners away. Samoa Joe tagged in and bulldozed Hook in the corner with strikes. Cage entered and rocked Hook with a delayed vertical suplex.
Hook stunned Cage with a DDT. RVD tagged in and cleaned house with his educated feet! RVD crushed Swerve with the Rolling Thunder! Rob Van Dam smashed Cage with the 5-star frog splash. Samoa Joe ran in to break up the pin attempt!
Samoa Joe splashed Rob Van Dam in the corner. Samoa Joe rocked RVD with jabs. Joe headbutted RVD. Rob Van Dam took Samoa Joe off his feet with a springboard kick! Hangman tagged in and dished out a lariat to the back of Swerve’s head. Hangman reversed a power bomb from Cage with a hurracanrana! Hangman jumped off the top rope with a diving cross body press, but Brian Cage caught him! Hangman slipped free and drilled Cage with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall!
Samoa Joe jumped in and booted Page. Hook entered the fray and blasted Samoa Joe with a lariat. Swerve grabbed Hook and planted him with a brain buster! RVD jumped off the top rope and nailed Swerve with a kick. Cage connected with a pump handle power bomb on RVD! Page was looking to hit Cage with the Buckshot Lariat, but he spotted Swerve on the floor. Rather than go for the win, Page climbed to the top rope. Cage climbed up to superplex Page, but Hook got up behind Cage and German suplexed Cage!
Hook locked Cage in the RedRum but Cage tagged Samoa Joe. Swerve grabbed Hook but Hook put Swerve in RedRum. Swerve escaped. Cage power bombed Hook! Swerve rocked Hook with the House Call kick! Swerve ducked the Buckshot Lariat from Page, but Page ended up walloping Cage with it!
Samoa Joe, Hangman Page, and Swerve Strickland met in the ring and glared at each other. Samoa Joe booted Page in the jaw. Samoa Joe followed up with a tope to Hangman, driving Hangman into the announcers’ desk. Swerve was on the apron and went to kick Page, but Page ducked, and Swerve inadvertently connected with Samoa Joe! Hangman Page grabbed Swerve off the apron and power bombed him through the announcers’ desk! Back in the ring, Samoa Joe ducked the Buckshot Lariat and countered with a powerslam to Hangman for a near fall! Samoa Joe tried for a Muscle Buster on Page but Page broke free! RVD jumped back into the ring, but Samoa Joe swarmed him in the corner. Hook snuck up behind Samoa Joe and sent him for a ride with a T-bone suplex! RVD headed to the top, looking for the 5-star Frog Splash, but Cage shoved RVD off the top! Cage wiped out Hook with a discus lariat! Samoa Joe locked in a rear naked choke and won for his team via ref stoppage!
“Wow, what a prelude to Revolution one week from Sunday,” said Tony Schiavone.
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, MO featuring:
-Thunder Rosa in action!
-Serena Deeb in competition!
– “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama!
& Much, much more!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Propst Arena at Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL!
This Wednesday night, for the very first time, AEW brings DYNAMITE to Tulsa, OK and the BOK Center! With REVOLUTION 2024 eleven days away, every fights matters as we barrel towards the Greensboro Coliseum, and do we have some serious bouts set for AEW’s flagship! Representing The Blackpool Combat Club, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli will go to battle with Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler of FTR! Plus AEW World Champion Samoa Joe forms an uneasy alliance with Swerve Strickland, one of the men he will fight on March 3rd, as well as “The Machine” Brian Cage, to take on the other challenger for REVOLUTION 2024 “Hangman” Adam Page, and his partners FTW Champion HOOK and the legendary Rob Van Dam! In addition, we will see both AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm as well as her pay-per-view opponent Deonna Purrazzo compete, and so much more!!!
DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans; just make a point to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then join us this Saturday night in Springfield, MO for an brand-new COLLISION where Bryan Danielson will battle Jun Akiyama, and we will see both Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb in action!
A FIGHT…
Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)
DYNAMITE February 9, 2022; Jon Moxley scores a tag team victory over FTR
RAMPAGE, September 9, 2022; Claudio Castagnoli defeats Dax Harwood in a ROH World Championship match
FINAL BATTLE 2023, December 15, 2023; FTR and Mark Briscoe defeat The BCC of Claudio, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson in a nearly 30 minute fight that AEW/ROH GM Tony Khan had to make a Fight Without Honor
DYNAMITE, February 14, 2024: Jon Moxley defeats Dax Harwood
Suffice to say that the bell-to-bell history between these to members of The Blackpool Combat Club and FTR tilts in favor of The BCC, but this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE will mark the very first time Moxley and Castagnoli have faced Cash and Dax in tag team competition. FTR is world-renowned for their prowess as tag team competitors, their 10 reigns with 7 different championships are testament to that, not to mention the fact they held the AAA, IWGP, and ROH World Tag Title simultaneously for six months. This BCC combination, while 10-1 in tag team competition and ranked #2 as of the 2/10/24, does not have that pedigree together, though there is plenty of tag team experience in each individuals back catalog.
Claudio, alongside Chris Hero, holds status as the 2nd longest reigning World Tag Team Champions in Ring of Honor history, while his resume boasts a total of 19 reigns as a tag champion across his career and Moxley carries nine different tag team championship reigns across his time spent in professional wrestling. That is certainly a great deal of experience in the tag ranks, but unlike FTR, none of that championship experience came together, in fact Claudio and Mox had very little experience working as a duo prior to Castagnoli’s entry into The BCC.
That being said, Moxley and Claudio are two of the best individual combatants on the planet today, so pooling their forces does make for quite the formidable team, and that kind of skill does help compensate for their lack of experience in tag team competition. Big Bill and Ricky Starks proved, at FTR’s expense actually, that a lack of experience working together doesn’t automatically put a team at a disadvantage. Those two barely knew each other’s names yet brought an end to Cash and Dax’s second reign as champions, and performed quite impressively as a tandem during their reign atop the division.
So don’t discount The BCC duo because of that advantage FTR holds over them, in fact the one thing that may work against Moxley and Claudio this time around is the one thing that usually gives them an edge over their foes. Their capacity for violence, their willingness to use Cash and Dax to send a message to everyone else in professional wrestling, that may be the thing that comes back and bites them in the end. Now Claudio and Moxley are dealing with two very angry men who want nothing more than to choke out The BCC and do them the way FTR got done. Cash and Dax are out for blood with designs on leaving The Blackpool Combat Club laying in a pool of their own Wednesday night.
PREPARATIONS..
Deonna Purrazzo vs. ???
AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm vs. ????
As these two women, former friends once as close as sisters, prepare for their impending AEW Women’s World Championship match at REVOLUTION 2024, each will be in combat this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE. This has been an interesting back-and-forth between Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo ever since “The Virtuosa” questioned Storm’s abilities as she’s spun out into this “Timeless” persona. It seems to have become something of a driving force for Storm, proving she is still as good bell-to-bell as the version of Toni Storm that Purrazzo has challenged to actually come out and play on Sunday night March 3rd. Storm fought Red Velvet and Queen Aminata just three days apart from one another after having refrained from in-ring combat for nearly 40 days following her victory over Riho at WORLDS END, and made it a point to create “Wet Ink” in order to show Deonna just how over their past relationship she is.
Deonna’s response, embedded above, was quite succinct, with her in-ring record also speaking volumes with victories over Taya Valkyrie, Red Velvet, Kiera Hogan, and Anna Jay, putting “The Virtuosa” at the number one position in two consecutive rankings. This Wednesday, as they did on the 2/10 COLLISION, it looks the two women will play “can you top this” once again as each will be in singles competition on DYNAMITE! With their championship fight a little over a week away, neither woman can afford to lose a bout, not just because of how it could affect the rankings, but also because of the psychological ramifications of fumbling the ball so close to the end zone…
TRIOS COMBAT…
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe, Brian Cage, & Swerve Strickland vs. FTW Champion HOOK, Adam Page, & Rob Van Dam
Some people could look at the situation before Samoa Joe and assume he’s a man behind the proverbial eight ball; those people clearly don’t know the AEW World Champion all that well. He is a man who smashed his way through every competitor Ring of Honor through at him during his 645 day reign as World Champion between March 2003 and December 2004. He is a man who took the label of longest reigning ROH World TV Champion from Jay Lethal, and carried it for 574 days, only relinquishing the championship to focus his pursuits on the AEW World Title now resting on his shoulder. Keep that mind: no one beat Samoa Joe, he willing turned over that championship to replace it with another. The odds don’t matter to Joe, be it one challenger or two, he should never be the one considered behind the eight ball or the underdog in the situation, Joe is always the man running the table, and should always be considered the odds-on favorite.
Even in this awkward situation where he’s paired with one of his challengers, as well as his challenger’s ally, Joe should be considered in control of the situation. It doesn’t matter that his other REVOLUTION 2024 is on the opposing team, or that Hangman has found two familiar faces as his partners. FTW Champion HOOK may have given Joe a good fight a few weeks ago, and completely bewildered the wrestling world when he kicked from a Muscle Buster just after the one count, but the bottom line is he still lost decisively. As for Rob Van Dam, it’s been over 11 years since he and Joe last faced one-on-one, and that October 2012 night Joe beat RVD, then in their final meeting a few months later, a tag team affair with Chris Daniels as his partner, Joe was again victorious.
Suffice to say Samoa Joe has every reason to be confident about this fight, and can rest assured that his partners, or at least one of them, has designs on something other than the championship Joe carries:
With that in mind, knowing Brian Cage is intent on neutralizing HOOK from this situation, Joe can focus on the other two men standing across the ring from him, and hopefully not have to worry about Swerve taking advantage of the situation to get a leg up on Joe before the title fight. Perhaps Hangman and Swerve will neutralize each other in this situation, leaving Joe with only one man to worry about in Rob Van Dam. There are a lot of variables at play here, ones that affect both this trios affair, as well as the AEW World Championship bout scheduled for REVOLUTION 2024, and the outcome of this fight is going to make quite the interesting fuel to the fire that is burning around Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, and “Hangman” Adam Page!
REVOLUTION 2024 is less than two weeks out and that means every moment counts on the road to Greensboro, NC! This Wednesday marks another stop on that journey as AEW comes to Tulsa and the BOK Center for the first time! We’ve got The BCC in action versus FTR, a huge Trios match involving the AEW World Champion and his two REVOLUTION ’24 challengers, both the AEW Women’s World Champion and her PPV challenger in action, as well as a great deal more!!!
DYNAMITE gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER! Then join us in Springfield, MO on Saturday for an all-new COLLISION featuring Bryan Danielson versus Jun Akiyama, as well as Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb in action!
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX!
Your broadcast team was Excalibur, “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard and Tony Schiavone.
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
This…is…Rampage!
No Disqualification Match!
Jeff Hardy (with Matt Hardy) vs. Sammy Guevara!
Jeff taunted Sammy, slapping him in the face. Sammy fired back with a slap of his own, refusing to back down.
“We’ve seen Jeff’s behavior change the past few weeks,” said Excalibur.
Jeff Hardy pulled a ladder out from beneath the ring, but Sammy dropkicked it into Jeff’s face! Jeff whipped Sammy into the guardrail. Jeff flew off the apron and wiped out Sammy on the floor!
Sammy connected with a knee strike on the apron. Sammy nailed Jeff with a thrust kick. Sammy followed up with a foot stomp on the apron! Jeff lunged at Sammy with a dropkick. Jeff moved the steel ring steps. Jeff charged, launched off the ring steps, and crushed Sammy against the barricade.
Jeff threw a steel chair at Sammy’s head. Jeff began to climb the ladder in the middle of the ring. Sammy met Jeff on the opposite side of the ladder. The two exchanged blows, perched on the ladder. Jeff stunned Sammy with a Twist of Fate off the ladder for a near fall!
Matt Hardy set up another table at ringside, along with a massive ladder. Jeff propped up Sammy on the table. Jeff began to climb the ladder, but Sammy got up and clubbed Jeff, preventing Jeff from ascending any higher. Sammy put Jeff’s head between a steel chair and then blasted Jeff with a cutter off the ropes! Sammy placed Jeff on the table at ringside. Sammy climbed the ladder all the way to the top! Sammy crashed down onto Jeff with a senton from the top of the massive ladder!
Sammy hit a shooting star press on Jeff Hardy. Jeff countered by raising his knees into Sammy’s ribcage, but Sammy’s knee smacked into Jeff’s face on the landing! Sammy reversed a Twist of Fate and scored the pin fall victory after the GTH!
Powerhouse Hobbs jumped in the ring after the match, ambushing Sammy from behind with a spinebuster! Don Callis was clapping on from ringside. Powerhouse Hobbs squashed Sammy with the World’s Most Dangerous Slam!
Renee Paquette was backstage with “The Machine” Brian Cage and Prince Nana, talking with him ahead of his huge match next Wednesday on Dynamite when he teams with Swerve Strickland and AEW World Champion Samoa Joe to take on FTW Champ HOOK, Rob Van Dam, and “Hangman” Adam Page!
Cage: “I got something to say. It doesn’t matter who are partners are. Hook, I’m going to be real with you. You don’t belong here. You come in here as some fad flavor of the month. And the fact that I go out there and they cheer you, it pisses me off. This is what I love. This is what I want to do. Everyone cheering for you when they should be cheering for me. I’m what a real wrestler looks like. I’m sick of taking a back seat to you. Next Wednesday you’re getting your ass beat!”
Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli were backstage!
Moxley: “You know what they say: you can’t fix stupid, but you can choke it. FTR—they are the standard bearer, they are the benchmark of great tag team wrestling. You don’t think we know tag team wrestling? You don’t think we are every bit the artists when it comes to tag team wrestling that you are?
Claudio: “We don’t walk around calling ourselves Top Guys. We don’t have to. We get results. We don’t play this. We are this.”
Renee Paquette interviewed Ruby Soho backstage!
Renee asked what she was expecting tonight now that Angelo Parker requested some time with her. Before Ruby could answer, Saraya and Harley Cameron walked onto the set.
Saraya: “I forgive you by the way.
Harley: “You know what? I forgive you too.”
Ruby: “You forgive me? Here’s the thing. I’m not sorry. I’ve known this whole time, every bad thing that has happened to me lately, you’ve been behind. I’m hoping maybe it was because you were doing what you thought was best for me. But I’m a grown woman. I know what’s best for me. And what’s best for me is space. Especially from you.”
Ruby walked off.
Saraya: “It’s time to really end that.”
Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs—Ross & Marshall
vs. Hitt, Shimbashi, & Romero Crews!
Dustin locked up with Hitt. Dustin nailed Hitt with a stiff strike. Ross tagged in and landed a dropkick on Hitt. Dustin came in and destroyed Crews with the Cross Rhodes. Ross and Marshall locked on the claws on Shimbashi and Hitt and Dustin finished Crews with the Final Reckoning for the pin!
Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm, Luther the Butler, and Mariah May!
Toni put Mariah in an arm bar! Toni: “Is this what you want Deonna No body likes a drama queen Deonna, so piss off!”
Anna Jay vs. Queen Aminata!
Aminata took down Anna with a side headlock. Anna Jay walloped Queen with a backstabber for a near fall. They traded chops but Queen Aminata wiped out Anna with a snap suplex. She followed up with a running PK to Anna Jay!
Anna Jay dodged a hip attack. Aminata avoided a kick and then annihilated Anna Jay with a boot slide for a two-count! Aminata countered the Queen Slayer with a jaw breaker! Queen Aminata headbutted Anna Jay in the abdomen as Anna Jay charged in. Queen Aminata scored the pin on Anna Jay!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Stokely Hathaway, Kris Statlander, and Willow Nightingale!
Renee asked Willow if she was happy with her victory over Skye Blue. Willow freaked out and questioned Stokely’s involvement in the match.
Kris: “This might have been my fault. We should have had a team meeting. I’ll make sure this won’t happen again. We’ll try this one more time.”
Willow: “Okay, Stokely, you’re going to shake on it?
Kris forced Stokely to shake Willow’s hand. “So, we’re all good here, right?” Kris asked.
Willow and Stokely nodded yes.
Next Renee Paquette interviewed Ruby Soho and “Cool Hand” Angelo Parker!
Angelo: “I know this is kind of a weird place, but I wanted to start off by saying Happy Valentine’s Day. Ruby, you have me feeling things that I don’t even know how to wrap my head around. I slipped you a note because I thought I lost you after what happened a few weeks ago with Harley, and you smashed the cake in my face. It was the only way I could get to you. Then I saw what you did last week on Rampage with Saraya, so I’m just going to go for broke and…”
Ruby: “Do you want to have a drink with me? I can’t tonight because I have a red eye. But how about next week?”
Angelo: “Yeah, yeah.”
Ruby: “Pick me up next Wednesday night, Cool Hand.”
The Bang Bang Scissor Gang—AEW World Trios Champs Daddy Ass & The Acclaimed—Anthony Bowens & Max Caster and ROH World Six-Man Champions Bullet Club Gold—Jay White & Austin & Colten Gunn
vs.
Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh, and Dark Order—Alex Reynolds & John Silver!
Lethal and White locked up first. Lethal used a side headlock takeover. Jeff Jarrett hit Jay White in the back with a knee when White ran into the ropes. Evil Uno tagged in, and Jay White served up stiff chops to Uno’s chest.
Colten grabbed a tag and splashed Evil Uno in the corner. Colten followed up with a dropkick. Caster held Evil Uno while Bowens nailed Evil Uno with the Scissor Me Timbers! Satnam Singh tagged in and hurled Austin Gunn across the ring!
Daddy Ass tagged in and cleaned house on the opposition! Billy bashed Reynolds with the Fame-Asser! Silver hit a flurry of offense on Bowens. Satnam tried for a double choke slam on the Acclaimed, but Colten launched off Austin and drilled Satnam with a flying forearm. Colten blasted Lethal with the Colt .45! Jeff Jarrett jumped in and stunned Colten with the Stroke!
Jay White entered the fray and walloped Jeff Jarrett with the Blade Runner! Alex Reynolds shoved Daddy Ass into Jay White and then rolled up Daddy Ass for a near fall. Daddy and Austin rocked Reynolds with the 3:10 to Yuma and then Daddy Ass scored the pin!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK!
This Friday RAMPAGE comes your way from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX, beginning this week at a special start time of 7pm ET/6pm CT on TNT, and is staked up with a quartet of tremendous match-ups! REVOLUTION 2024 is coming on fast and with that in mind, the wrestlers of AEW are fighting to earn their way onto that pay-per-view extravaganza! Jeff Hardy meets Sammy Guevara for the first time with the fight contested as a No Disqualification match, Queen Aminata goes head-to-head with Anna Jay, The Bang Bang Scissor Gang will be in action for the first-time as an six-man entity, and Dustin Rhodes welcomes Marshall and Ross Von Erich back to AEW for a Trios bout!
Before the night gets underway, drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!
NO DISQUALIFICATION…
Jeff Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara
All is not right in the world of The Hardys; part of it is the downward slide both Matt and Jeff have been on that began in 2023, and part of it is how they’ve responded to these losing efforts; that is to say poorly. Moxley, Darby, and Swerve all witnessed Jeff’s poor responses first-hand, but perhaps that will finally turn around for the death-defying veteran this Friday night on RAMPAGE when he faces Sammy Guevara for the very first time!
Now brother Matt and Sammy have plenty of history here in All Elite Wrestling, history that nearly ended the careers of both men at various times, so if there’s anyone to give Jeff Hardy advice on how to take this fight, it is most certainly his brother. Then there is the x-factor of this match, the stipulation that could sway it in either man’s favor, the fact that this is a No Disqualification contest where everything is legal!
This is a situation where we have seen Jeff Hardy thrive for years, the world of tables and ladders and chairs and the assorted weaponry stashed under the ring, but the AEW faithful have also witnessed Sammy Guevara commit spectacular acts when ladders are involved, when chairs are in the mix, and when tables are set-up to be destroyed. This first-time fight between Jeff Hardy and “The Spanish God” will be a sight to witness this Friday night on RAMPAGE, but what version of Jeff will we see if the bout doesn’t go his way?
ONE-ON-ONE…
Anna Jay vs. Queen Aminata
It’s been said before and repeated ad nauseam; Queen Aminata has been one of the most impressive women in All Elite Wrestling through these first six weeks of 2024. Her fights with Mariah May, Thunder Rosa, Serena Deeb, and Toni Storm have been superb, hard-hitting fights that demonstrated Aminata’s willingness to throw down against the best AEW has to offer without backing down.
Unfortunately, as impressive as the young woman has looked in each of those bouts, she has not scored a single victory in those bouts, and looking good in defeat is only going to get one so far. Yet Aminata perseveres, and continues to take enter the ring show-after-show, including this Friday night on RAMPAGE where she takes on the ever-improving Anna Jay!
With the drama of Ruby Soho and Angelo Parker behind her, Anna Jay is free to focus on what’s important, and that’s building her own resume up to the levels of title contention! Several weeks ago, Anna scored an impressive when over the aforementioned “Runaway”, and aims to continue building that momentum at the expense of the Queen!
THE BANG BANG SCISSOR GANG!
AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) & Daddy Ass
and ROH World Six-Man Champions BULLET CLUB GOLD (Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, & Jay White)
vs.
Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, & John Silver) & Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett,& Satnam Singh
Well these two forces came together in the new year, and though it doesn’t seem like a good fit given the history and the combustible elements within, thus far The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass have gelled quite well with BULLET CLUB GOLD! It seems that Daddy Ass and The Gunns have mended fences over their familial issues, ones that stemmed from Billy choosing The Acclaimed over his own kids in the first place! Then, of course, there is the fact that Austin and Colten dethroned Caster and Bowens as AEW World Tag Champions just about a year ago; suffice to say there is plenty of baggage wrapped up in this union, but yet they’ve found a way to make it work outside the ring.
But what about inside the squared circle? Can these six men make it work as a unit once the bell rings and they’ve got to tag one another, sync up as partners, and actually rely on one another for assistance? We will find out this Friday night on RAMPAGE when The Bang Bang Scissor Gang unites for the very first time!
ALSO FEATURING:
-Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs in action!
-We will hear from Ruby Soho & Cool Hand Ang!
Austin, TX and the H-E-B Center welcome back RAMPAGE this Friday night, and we’re starting early at 7pm ET/6pm CT on TNT, and we’ve got The Bang Bang Scissor Gang in action for the first time as a six-man unit! Plus, Anna Jay faces Queen Aminata, Dustin Rhodes brings The Von Erichs back to AEW for Trios action, and Sammy Guevara faces Jeff Hardy for the first-time ever in a No Disqualification fight!!!
Before the night gets underway, drop on by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the latest CONTROL CENTER!
