April Charlo, Kazua Melissa Vang & Vera Brunner-Sung Interview by Big Gold Belt MediaVera Brunner-Sung (director, writer and editor), Kazua Melissa Vang (producer and assistant director) and April Charlo (actress who plays Eddie, the Native woman…

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare review by Big Gold Belt Media with @CamsCollection-Synopsis:Based upon recently declassified files of the British War Department and inspired by true events, THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE is an action-comedy that…

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV!

Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!

AEW World Title Eliminator Match!

AEW World Champion Samoa Joe vs. “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes!

As Samoa Joe was making his entrance, Swerve Strickland ambushed the champ on the ramp! They brawled onto the arena floor. Swerve speared Samoa Joe through a table that Samoa Joe had propped against a guardrail. Security pushed Swerve back to the locker room. Samoa Joe eventually staggered to his feet and seemed to pursue Swerve.

Renee Paquette was backstage outside Orange Cassidy’s locker room.

Renee said that Orange would have a match on Rampage this Friday, and she was assured by Orange that he’d be addressing the heartless actions of Trent Beretta.

TNT Championship Match!

“The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland (c.)

vs.

Penta El Zero Miedo (with Alex Abrahantes)!

Penta speared Copeland and then stuck him with a diving double foot stomp for a near fall.

“Shock and awe right out of the box, trying to win the TNT Title,” said Taz.

Penta El Zero Miedo hit Copeland with a clothesline, knocking Copeland to the arena floor. Copeland got back in the ring and Penta greeted him with a chop to Copeland’s chest. Copeland rallied back with flying head scissors. Copeland and Penta El Zero Miedo both had the same idea, fighting fire with fire, clubbing each other with lariats and then high boots.

Penta El Zero Miedo had Copeland rocked after a sling blade. Penta flipped over the top rope with a dive onto Copeland. Back in the ring, Copeland found an opening, planting Penta face first on the mat.

Copeland applied a modified sharpshooter onto Penta El Zero Miedo, but Penta made the crawl to the bottom rope, forcing the ref to break the hold. Penta stunned Copeland with a stalling dropkick. Copeland secured the cross face on Penta, wrenching back, but once again Penta reached the ropes.

Copeland was looking for a Death Valley Driver on the apron, but Penta escaped. Penta charged at Copeland but Copeland power slammed Penta onto the apron! Copeland tried to spear Penta but inadvertently speared Alex Abrahantes. Penta got to his feet and clocked Copeland with a thrust kick.

Penta El Zero Miedo drilled Copeland with an avalanche Code Red! Penta jumped off the middle rope, but Copeland countered with a spear and pinned Penta El Zero Miedo!

After the match, the arena lights went out. The lights came back on, and TBS Champion Julia Hart was standing in front of Copeland. The House of Black’s Brody King blindsided Copeland and began to kick and stomp him. Brody smashed Copeland with a running boot. Brody applied a rear naked choke on Copeland.

Willow Nightingale sprinted to the ring and began to ground and pound Julia. Brody pulled Julia out of harm’s way. Copeland got back to his feet and decked Brody, forcing him out of the ring! Brody and Julia retreated, while Brody barked at Copeland.

Renee Paquette was backstage with ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe and “Mad King” Eddie Kingston!

TNT Champion Adam Copeland, Willow Nightingale, and Stokely Hathaway interrupted Renee’s interview.

Copeland said he wanted to make sure Briscoe and Kingston were good for their trios match against the House of Black at Dynasty. Briscoe and Kingston assured Copeland they were ready.

Stokely: “What about next week on Dynamite, you put that TNT Championship on the line against Willow Nightingale!”

Willow: “No, no, that’s not what we were saying Stokely. Brody, I saw you beating up on Adam. Julia, you tried to get me with the mist, but not this time. So Dynamite next week, what do you say we team up Adam?”

Copeland: “I’ve got an idea. Before Dynasty, before the three of us, the Rated Chicken Hawks, I just made that up, before we take out the House of Black, Willow, what do you say, me and you against Julia and Brody, next week on Dynamite?”

Willow: “Yeah!”

The Young Bucks—Nicholas & Matthew Jackson—were in their dressing room to present backstage footage from ALL IN: London 2023!

Matthew told Nicholas to set it up with a little context.

Nicholas said AEW has a massive pay-per-view coming up on April 21st, AEW Dynasty. Taking place at Dynasty will be the finals of the tag team tournament, featuring FTR against the Young Bucks. Nicholas said the last time they wrestled FTR was at All In, and he still has some wounds that haven’t healed.

Matthew said right before the match there was an incident backstage involving two individuals, “the first being the scapegoat in this entire situation, Jack Perry.” Nicholas interrupted Matthew and said the other individual “tried to make this entire show about himself. As a matter of fact, this individual happens to be good friends with FTR. Which got me thinking maybe FTR were the masterminds behind this entire thing.” Matthew said the incident threw them off their game and FTR’s win should come with an asterisk in the history books.

Nicholas said at Dynasty they weren’t shaking hands with FTR and called them pricks. “Be ready,” said Nicholas.

FTR—Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood—came out to the ring!

Cash: “Why are we showing this? What are you two hoping to accomplish other than having a built-in excuse as to why you lost at Wembley. I am sick and tired of hearing about this and talking about this. Everybody back there, us, we are ready to move on and put this in the past. But instead, we’re showing videos from eight months ago because the Bucks can’t let go that they lost to FTR. At Dynasty, we have to beat you. It’s not for legacy or history, it’s because I’m sick of you!”

Dax: “So that’s our bosses. Every interview they have they let us all know that without them, hundreds of people would be out of a job and without them AEW probably wouldn’t exist. The scary thing is I don’t necessarily disagree with them. Without the Young Bucks I might still be shaving Cash’s back.

“But because of the Young Bucks, we have something that makes them sick. We have eclipsed them as the absolute best tag team on this planet. And at one time the Bucks cared about AEW, but somewhere along the way, whether it was greed or jealously, you guys lost that. And now three other letters have taken over. The only thing you care about is what’s best for the EVPs. So, if it takes my last breath, on our backs, we will continue to build this place. We are building it for the future of all professional wrestlers. We are building this for every person who spends their hard earned money on one ticket to get lost in our drama and our action. We are doing this for you.

“And if the Young Bucks don’t want to be part of that AEW, grab your ball, go home, we got this. This ain’t about Wembley. This is about AEW, a company I love, an industry I love. But more importantly this is about the AEW World Tag Team Championships. Two teams walk in, one team walks out as the first ever three time AEW World Tag Team Champions. Young Bucks, you may have built this foundation, but we will put the roof on top of this house, just to blow it right off. Top guys out!”

Renee Paquette interview “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay!

Ospreay: “I’ve been thinking about this all week. There’s this rumor going around that I’m afraid of the grind. I’ll be honest with you, I have no idea where this conversation has come from. I travel every single week from the US to the UK and back and I’m delivering some of the best professional wrestling matches this world has ever seen. And normally I wouldn’t take the bait, but since the guy who said it is only in the position he’s in because he was grinding on the boss’s daughter, you are in no position to tell me what the grind is all about because you have no idea what I fight for. So let this be a painful little jab back that you do not throw stones at an assassin with a machine gun.

“Now Bryan, you said I’m stronger and faster than you, which I am. And you said the only way you have a chance at beating me is if you can ground me, but healthier and younger and better men than you have tried and failed. But Bryan Danielson, you are a living legend in this game, and I cannot say I am the best wrestler in the world until I pin you at Dynasty. This is AEW where the best wrestle! It’s my time, Mr. Danielson, to show every single person what I’m about and why I’m the ace of AEW! Bryan Danielson, you find out Sunday, April 21st, why my name is Will Ospreay, and I am on another level!”

Trios Match!

“Lionheart” Chris Jericho, FTW Champion HOOK, & Katsuyori Shibata

vs.

Shane Taylor Promotions— “The Guv’nor” Anthony Ogogo, Lee Moriarty, & Shane Taylor!

Jericho hit Moriarty with a shoulder block and then a lionsault for a near fall. Jericho battered Lee with short clotheslines in the corner. Jericho sent Moriarty for a ride with a hurracanrana off the top turnbuckle.

Shibata tagged in and mauled Moriarty with a forearm and then a round kick to the spine. Shane Taylor entered the match and Hook asked to be tagged in, so Shibata obliged. Taylor clubbed Hook with a lariat. Hook fired back with a German Suplex to Taylor!

Shibata tagged in and cracked Lee with a high boot in the corner. Shibata chopped down Lee and then decimated Lee with a running dropkick in the corner. Shibata went for a running kick to Lee, but Lee dodged it. Shibata inadvertently caught Jericho with the kick.

Shibata tried to tag out to Hook, but Jericho pulled Hook off the apron to prevent the tag. Jericho asked Hook what Shibata’s problem was. Hook and Jericho argued outside the ring, trying to sort things out. Shibata locked Lee in a sleeper. Shane Taylor ran in and clubbed Shibata with his right hand, and Lee grabbed the pin on Shibata!

“The argument between Chris Jericho and Hook left the door open for Shane Taylor to land that big right hand and put him out, setting him up for Lee Moriarty,” said Excalibur.

Tempers were flaring and Hook told Jericho to leave!

AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Christiano Argento!

Okada leveled Argento with a big elbow strike. Okada wasn’t even breaking a sweat. Okada smashed Argento with a dropkick and then the rainmaker to score the pin!

Okada: “Hey Pac, I accept your challenge! I’ll see you at Dynasty.”

“The Bastard” Pac’s music began to play. Pac walked onto the stage and paced back and forth, staring at Okada! Pac walked to the ring to confront Okada, but the Bucks ran out and hit Pac from behind. The Elite triple teamed Pac. The Bucks nailed Pac with superkicks. FTR sprinted into the ring and cleaned house on the Bucks! FTR wanted to hit the Shatter Machine on Matthew, but Okada jumped back into the ring with a steel chair and whacked FTR with chair shots!

The Bucks blasted FTR with superkicks and then the EVP Trigger! Okada cracked Pac in the side of the head with a steel chair!

Backstage we heard from the ROH Six-Man Champions the Bang Bang Gang!

They ran down a list of their recent accomplishments, including “Switchblade” Jay White putting a beating on Billy Gunn. Jay White said he wanted another match on Rampage, but he wanted the Gunns to find him someone besides Billy.

Up Next: AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm hosted a Charleston Championship Champagne Toast for Thunder Rosa!

Renee Paquette was on the ramp and introduced Thunder Rosa first. Renee then welcomed Toni Storm “Toni Storm, the floor is yours, toast away,” said Renee.

Storm threw a glass of champagne into Thunder Rosa’s eyes! Storm cracked Thunder Rosa in the head with a silver tray. Storm smeared Thunder Rosa’s face paint. Deonna Purrazzo ran out to the aid of Thunder Rosa, but Thunder Rosa pushed Deonna away! Deonna stormed off!

Mariah May vs. Anna Jay!

Anna ducked a shot from Mariah and fired back with a chop to Mariah. The two exchanged overhand chops in the center of the ring. Anna nailed Mariah with a neck breaker. Mariah headbutted Anna Jay.

Mariah May scored with a dropkick. Anna dodged a hip attack and rallied back with forearms. Anna charged at Mariah and clobbered her with a kick in the corner. Mariah retaliated with a running hip attack. Mariah rolled up Anna and pinned her!

After the match, Anna applied the Queen Slayer, not taking the loss lightly. Mina Shirakawa from Stardom sprinted to the ring, having the back of her former partner in Japan, Mariah May. Anna Jay retreated to the back. Mina brought in two glasses of champagne, gave some to Mariah, and then kissed Mariah.

Alex Marvez was backstage with “The CEO” Mercedes Moné!

Mercedes: “Double or Nothing! Five years ago, history was made when AEW had their first pay-per-view there. And I’m a history maker. And I decided to make history yet again when I head to Vegas to be the TBS Champion because Moné changes everything.”

Marvez asked if Mercedes would rather face Julia Hart or Willow Nightingale, but before Mercedes could respond, the lights went out! Someone attacked Mercedes in the dark!

Main Event Time! AEW World Title Eliminator Match!

AEW World Champion Samoa Joe vs. “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes!

Samoa Joe and Dustin Rhodes traded strikes. Samoa Joe whipped Dustin into the guardrail. Joe jabbed Dustin, but Dustin fired back with a lariat. Dustin Rhodes was taking the fight to the champion. Samoa Joe headbutted Dustin.

Samoa Joe rammed Dustin into the steel ring post! Dustin Rhodes was busted wide open! Samoa Joe bludgeoned Dustin with more strikes in the ring. Dustin turned things around with a powerslam!

Dustin Rhodes walloped Samoa Joe with a Code Red for a near fall. Dustin went for a running bulldog, but Samoa Joe countered with a lariat. Dustin Rhodes grabbed the World title and brought it into the ring. Dustin wanted to use it on Samoa Joe, but ref Paul Turner warned Dustin not to use it. Dustin put the championship belt down. Dustin nailed Samoa Joe with the Cross Rhodes for a two-count!

Dustin Rhodes charged at Samoa Joe, but Joe wiped out Dustin with an STO! Samoa Joe grabbed a steel chain out of the corner and wrapped it around his fist. It was the chain that previously belonged to Swerve Strickland. Ref Paul Turner removed the chain from the ring. As the ref was handing the chain to an AEW ring crew member, his back was turned, and Samoa Joe seized the opportunity to bash the championship belt into Dustin’s head! Samoa Joe covered a knocked out Dustin and pinned him!

Samoa Joe applied a sleeper to Dustin after the match, trying to send a message to Swerve Strickland. Swerve appeared out of nowhere and cracked Joe with the House Call kick! Swerve Strickland grabbed the steel chain and drilled Joe with a chain-wrapped fist!

The locker room emptied and kept both wrestlers apart! Prince Nana handed Swerve Strickland the AEW World Championship, and Swerve held it up, while Joe looked on, seething!

This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET!

Don’t miss AEW Collision & Battle of the Belts X live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Truist Arena in Highland Heights, KY!

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, IN!

AEW: Where the best wrestle!

Tickets On Sale Now! – www.AEWTix.com

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Nat Faxon & Ron Funches Interview by Big Gold Belt MediaMichaela Jaé Rodriguez (“Sofia Salinas”), Nat Faxon (“Arthur”), Ron Funches (“Howard”)-Synopsis:“Loot” season two kicks off a year after Molly Wells (Rudolph) settles her…

Joel Kim Booster & Maya Rudolph Interview by Big Gold Belt MediaMaya Rudolph (“Molly Wells,” Executive Producer) & Joel Kim Booster (“Nicholas”)-Synopsis:“Loot” season two kicks off a year after Molly Wells (Rudolph) settles her very public…

Matt Hubbard & Alan Yang Interview by Big Gold Belt MediaAlan Yang (Co-Creator, Director, Executive Producer), Matt Hubbard (Co-Creator, Executive Producer)-Synopsis:“Loot” season two kicks off a year after Molly Wells (Rudolph) settles her very public divorce…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/27PVPUHvDPU?si=_kM-23PTbrzl09OB

After a tremendous night of action on RAMPAGE, All Elite Wrestling continues on a hot streak this Saturday night with an all-new COLLISION! Emanating from Gas South Arena in Gwinnett County, AEW presents two hours of hard-hitting professional wrestling action with Bryan Danielson taking on Shane Taylor, the new Elite of The Young Bucks and “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada in action, Chris Jericho taking on AAA’s Titan, and Toni Storm’s 1st ever Toni Awards! Plus Mark Briscoe will team up with Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett for an Atlanta Street Fight against The House of Black, and Mariah May will step back into competition after her performance as Toni Storm last Sunday night!

The night gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the AEW faithful can get prepped for it 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! Then join us next Wednesday evening in Boston for DYNAMITE: BIG BUSINESS coming to you from the TD Garden, and already looking to be another of the biggest nights in AEW’s television history!

ATLANTA STREET FIGHT…

Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal, & Jeff Jarrett vs. 

The House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews, & Malakai Black)

Well, a week ago we all watched as Mark Briscoe attempted to use pyro to set fire to Buddy Matthews, and this week it looks like the situation is about to get even hotter because The House of Black is looking to burn Mark Briscoe’s world down around him! Yet in situations such as these, though he may seem like a fraying rope, Mark Briscoe is actually in his happy place…

Though will he be happy with Jeff Jarrett standing by his side? Can he put aside his distrust of Double J long enough to focus on the fight with The House? Can Mark take the trust he has in Jay Lethal, a man he has called one of his best friends, and apply it to Jarrett? If he can’t, then Mark’s trio is doomed for failure against the onslaught of Brody King, Buddy Matthews, and Malakai Black, but if Mark, Lethal, and Double J can get it together, they just might be able to burn The House down to its foundation!

THE NEW ELITE IN ACTION!

There had been a buzz around the wrestling landscape that “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada could be making his way to All Elite Wrestling on a more permanent basis. Sure he’d dipped his toes in the elite waters with the FORBIDDEN DOOR events, and even stepped into the DYNAMITE ring to team up with Orange Cassidy, but it wasn’t until this past Wednesday night that the world learned that Okada was indeed All Elite!

Unfortunately, as Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston learned the hard way, Okada wasn’t just All Elite, he was now also one of The Elite. That’s right, Okada came to AEW from NJPW and immediately signed on the dotted line with The EVP’s, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson! Now there’s a great deal of history between the three men dating back to 2010 with Okada’s first forays into the United States, as well as their engagements in NJPW several years later, but it was still quite a shock to see “The Rainmaker” standing over the fallen Kingston with those two individuals rather than fighting them at Kingston’s side.

Well this Saturday night on COLLISION it won’t be a sneak attack putting The Young Bucks and Okada together, it will be the first Trios match together for this new iteration of The Elite, and whoever steps into the ring across from them best be wary. Matthew and Nicholas are none too happy after the events of REVOLUTION 2024, and though the addition of Okada may have boosted their spirits, they are still looking for some poor unfortunate souls to take out their frustration.

ONE-ON-ONE…

“Lionheart” Chris Jericho vs. Titan

He has been the CMLL World Welterweight Champion for over 1,500 days, he is a member of Los Ingobernables de Japon in NJPW, and is one of the most exciting high-flyers in Lucha Libre today! He is Titan (pronounced Tee-tan), and this Saturday night he makes his AEW debut on COLLISION against “Lionheart” Chris Jericho!

As the original AEW World Champion, Jericho is one of the standard bearers, but his career has deep roots in Mexico with CMLL, including fighting a different man competing under the Titan name in his very first match. It’s where “Lionheart” was born as “Corazon de Leon”, and where Jericho learned much of the skills that bolstered him to international stardom in the first place. 

As was witnessed recently when Jericho took on Atlantis Jr., the involvement of CMLL in All Elite Wrestling has given “The Ocho” a new fire, a new outlet to focus his energies towards, though he is being pulled in multiple directions given his engagement with HOOK, and his perpetual issues with The Don Callis Family. If Jericho wants to have the same success with Titan that he had with Atlantis Jr, he better have his head in this particular game on COLLISION, or the CMLL World Welterweight Champion is going to add “Corazon de Leon” to the list of his fallen opponents!

SINGLES MATCH…

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Shane Taylor

This past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, the professional wrestling world witnessed a moment they’d been longing to see for years when “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson stood in the ring with “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay. It was a moment that seemingly would never happen, but then Ospreay officially signed on with All Elite Wrestling and it became a distinct possibility, though not one fans expected to see come together so quickly! Bryan’s intent in spoiling Ospreay’s moment at the end of DYNAMITE was clear, he wants a fight, but until we hear from the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion we can only assume he feels the same.

But that’s not the issue at hand, at least not for Bryan Danielson, his issue is the fight looming on Saturday night with Shane Taylor! Hopefully Bryan was paying attention when his BCC mate Jon Moxley went to war with Taylor several weeks ago, hopefully Bryan uses Moxley as a resource to learn what Shane T brings to the table, because what Danielson is going to get is a hellacious fight. Danielson has been hit by the hardest strikers in the world throughout his career, but he’s never been hit by the former ROH World TV Champion, and there are few men who can compare. After the war Bryan went through at REVOLUTION 2024 with Eddie Kingston, is he up to the task?

LUCHA LIBRE!

Mistico vs. Angelico

AEW fans have gotten familiar with Mistico since his epic clash with Rocky Romero last October first introduced CMLL to All Elite Wrestling while his bout with Matt Sydal, as well as the 8-Man tag that preceded it, helped further showcase his skills. This Saturday night on COLLISION, the current World Historic Middleweight Champion will return to AEW for a bout with a man with whom he shared the AAA ring a handful of times between 2014 and 2015: Angelico!

Between two Three Way tags, one being a AAA World Tag Title bout, and a Trios bout, Angelico’s teams hold one victory over Mistico’s, while Mistico’s hold none over Angelico’s, but this is a solo affair, and in that vein of professional wrestling Mistico has excelled. He is one of the best professional wrestlers on the planet, the most famous Luchador in modern wrestling, a man who changed the game for man, and now he’s back in All Elite Wrestling to give Angelico the toughest test of his AEW career! If Angelico can pull out a victory, it will be the biggest one of his career, the biggest moment of his professional wrestling career, and it will put Angelico on the map worldwide!

ONE-ON-ONE…

Mariah May vs. Trish Adora

She finally got it! After months of desperately searching for the approval of AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm, Mariah May finally got a bit of approval from her idol, she just had to cosplay as Toni Storm in order to get what she craved. Clearly the how of it all was of no matter to Mariah, all that mattered is it happened, and that just leaves one to wonder if this Saturday night on COLLISION, when Mariah is back in action against The Infantry’s Trish Adora, will she continue to dress the part of old Toni Storm, or if May will return to her own style? Whichever it may be, her head best be in the game otherwise the hard-hitting Adora is going to knock it off Mariah’s shoulders first chance she gets!

And speaking of “Timeless” Toni Storm…

1ST EVER TONI AWARDS…

After her victory at REVOLUTION 2024, it seems like AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm is intending to present herself with a Toni (with an “I” for legal purposes) Award for her performance! Mind you, it was clear as day to the viewing audience that Toni tapped out to Deonna Purrazzo during the course of the match, but the official missed the moment and thus it was not “The Virtuosa” who left Greensboro as new champion. So is Toni Storm actually deserving of an award? She certainly seems to believe so, and we will see if she actually celebrates herself this Saturday night on COLLISION!

COLLISION begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT this Saturday night on TNT, featuring Danielson versus Taylor, an Atlanta Street Fight, Mariah May, The Toni Awards, and more, so before the first bell, visit the official AEW YouTube channel, plus AEW’s other social media sites, to catch up on highlights from Wednesday’s DYNAMITE, Friday’s RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then meet us in Beantown next Wednesday for DYNAMITE: BIG BUSINESS at the TD Garden with Wardlow challenging Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship, Willow Nightingale versus Riho, and so much more!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/C3rmReJVUAE?si=1Jcso0cUIPNV8Cxr

We are finally here, the moment we have all been anticipating/dreading since October 18th when “The Icon” Sting announced to the world that he would bring his historic Hall of Fame career to an end at REVOLUTION 2024. That night he said to the world “The only thing sure about Sting is my retirement, REVOLUTION 2024, is for sure.”, and it felt like a seismic shift in the foundation of professional wrestling. 

We’d learn shortly thereafter that the site for this historic night would be the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC, a site very familiar to “The Icon”, a place where he fought “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair to a 45 minute draw over the World’s Championship, where he and Lex Luger won the 1988 Jim Crockett Memorial Cup, and where he stepped inside a Steel Cage with Mick Foley. The Greensboro Coliseum is where Sting found The Great Muta to a time limit draw, where he went to a Double DQ with Abdullah The Butcher, and where he was trapped inside that enclosed Steel Cage in 1991. After Sunday night, the Greensboro Coliseum will also be known as the location where Sting fought his final professional wrestling match, and where All Elite Wrestling’s first pay-per-view of 2024 took place!

While this Sunday night will obviously be historic as the night professional wrestling bids farewell to Sting’s in-ring career, it could also go down in history as one of the most unforgettable nights in AEW history! With so many championship matches on tap, the debut of Will Ospreay as an official member of the AEW locker room, the All-Star Scramble, and so much more, REVOLUTION 2024 goes live on PPV beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT, with the ZERO HOUR kicking off at 6:30p ET on the official AEW YouTube channel!

AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP TORNADO TAG MATCH…

Darby Allin & “The Icon” Sting(c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matthew and Nicholas Jackson)

13,978 days; 38 years, 3 months, and 7 days; that is how long it has been since the first night “The Icon” Sting stepped inside a professional wrestling ring for a match. In that time he has been an inspiration to fans around the world, one of the most beloved figures the industry has seen, a true Hall of Fame talent, a master of reinvention, and a worthy of that “Icon” tag. It was not all that long ago that, due to injury, it was thought Sting’s days inside the ring were over, but since coming to All Elite Wrestling he has proven that to be so far from the truth. 

It began at WINTER IS COMING 2020 on December 2nd, when Sting arrived at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, to the delight of the limited fans inside the arena. It was a cold night in Jacksonville but the electricity for Sting’s arrival, the excitement from the fans made it red hot, and at REVOLUTION 2021, when he teamed with Darby Allin for his first match in nearly six years, “The Icon” showed he was as good as ever. That Street Fight saw the Sting/Darby tandem score victory over Brian Cage and Ricky Starks, and thus began a streak of twenty-eight victories, fifteen of them in tag matches with Darby, that has included Street Fights, No DQ situations, a trip to Pro Wrestling NOAH, and even a Coffin Match at Wembley Stadium for ALL IN: LONDON! 

In the midst of all that, on October 18th, Sting told the world that at REVOLUTION 2024 he would close the book on his legendary in-ring career after thirty-eight years, he said that was the one thing about Sting that was for certain, but between October and this Sunday, there was still a lot to accomplish. Darby and Sting made an ally out of Adam Copeland, joining him in the fight against The Patriarchy, and even signed on with Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara to fight then-AEW World Tag Champions Big Bill & Ricky Starks and The Don Callis Family. Still, there was one goal, one thing that Sting hadn’t accomplished during his AEW tenure, one thing Darby Allin was adamant about making happen before the final curtain: an AEW championship.

That ultimately came to fruition on February 7th when Sting and Darby claimed the AEW World Tag Team Championship from Starks and Big Bill in a Tornado Tag. It should have been a moment of triumph, of celebration, but instead two petulant adults ruined the moment for Sting and Darby, as well as for the fans wanting to celebrate this monumental occasion. While the extent of what The Young Bucks did to Darby, Sting, and his sons was quite shocking, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they spoiled the celebration. 

After all these are two men who, after losing their tag team title opportunity at FULL GEAR 2023 to Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, had Brandon Cutler put out the message to “respect their privacy” as they took time away from wrestling, had Brandon Cutler tweet out that they were done with BEING THE ELITE, and on January 10th when Matthew and Nicholas finally came back to work to respond to the question of who Sting would face in his final match, also had Cutler put out that backstage morale increased tremendously due to their return.

The version of The Young Bucks that has taken up television time in 2024 can be summed up in three words: abuse of power. For the first time since AEW’s inception, the brothers Jackson are actively taking advantage of their power as EVPs in the company hierarchy, not only to threaten people with fines (as they did with Tony Schiavone) or to disrupt others moments (as they did with Eddie Kingston this past Wednesday), but also to put themselves into this position to challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Championship! The return of the rankings system was intended to provide deserving challengers with their opportunities, to have a system where individuals/teams earn their way to title shots with victories over other deserving challengers, but The Young Bucks arbitrarily decided how it would work for them. They came back, defeated a team of local hopefuls on the 2/9 RAMPAGE, cheated to beat Top Flight on the 2/14 DYNAMITE, and then declared themselves the #1 Contender’s to the tag titles. They didn’t earn that top spot through actual work, they didn’t win an Eliminator Match to get a title opportunity, nor are they answering any kind of Open Challenge to face Darby Allin and Sting; they are simply using the tools they were given as EVPs for selfish ends rather than to the boon of AEW.

The Young Bucks, as they have chosen to operate thus far in 2024, couldn’t be farther from who they were in 2019, and could not be any farther from the men they are facing on Sunday night. Since the day he set foot in AEW, Sting has been here for All Elite Wrestling, for the men and women in the locker rooms, and has been an example of how to enjoy a nearly 40 year career in this industry in a way that actually benefits all those around you. That isn’t just here in AEW though, the people who were around him long before AEW have testified to that being the way Sting has always conducted himself in the wrestling sphere, and it is also what Sting has told the world he sees in Darby Allin. Darby cares about AEW deeply, not just his own place in it, but in the entirety of All Elite Wrestling, wanting to see it grow and thrive, and thus he is utterly disappointed in the men The Young Bucks have chosen to be in 2024. They are not here for AEW, they are not here to benefit anyone else but themselves, and they obviously don’t care who they hurt in the process, and that is why this Sunday night at REVOLUTION 2024, Darby Allin and Sting have bad intentions for Matthew and Nicholas Jackson.

It’s about AEW, it’s about the Borden family, it’s about the bond Sting and Darby have built over the last several years, and for Darby especially, it’s about making sure “The Icon” gets the send-off from professional wrestling that he has earned. After thirty-eight years and a lifetime of sacrifice, of a career filled with the highest highs and lowest lows, of championships, and of blood, sweat, and tears, Sting bids professional wrestling farewell, but not before trying to teach one last lesson to The Young Bucks about humility, and the cost of their hubris.

AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Samoa Joe(c) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland

https://www.youtube.com/embed/2JiQTUOM-ac?si=W6i4ka_xZRFfPkeO&start=285

Two years ago, at REVOLUTION 2022 in Orlando, Swerve Strickland signed his name on the dotted line to became All Elite while Adam Page retained the AEW World Championship over Adam Cole. One year ago, at REVOLUTION 2023, as Adam Page beat Jon Moxley in Texas Death and Samoa Joe lost the TNT Title to Wardlow, Swerve sat in the back of San Francisco’s Chase Center stewing that he wasn’t involved with anything that night.

Now REVOLUTION is upon us again, this time hailing from the historic Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC, and Swerve Strickland is exactly where he has always wanted to be, in the AEW World Championship picture. Swerve has always felt, always known, he has the tools to be the man standing atop AEW as champion, but this is his first opportunity to become the champion, and he means to make the most of it. Over the course of his AEW career, specifically since the moment he chose to turn his back on Keith Lee, Swerve has shown a willingness to do anything, to go to any lengths, in order to accomplish his goals, and that is where Hangman Page enters into the picture.

This thing between Hangman and Swerve started innocuously enough on the September 6th DYNAMITE when Strickland interrupted Tony Schiavone’s conversation with the former AEW World Champion, but it quickly went south as Swerve ran down Hangman. Strickland swore it wasn’t personal, that it was simply a matter of wanting the spot Adam occupied, and it was that night Strickland said “if I would’ve gotten the opportunities that you’ve gotten, I’d be the first black AEW World Champion by now”. Maybe it wasn’t personal to start, but it rapidly became so as Swerve pushed every possible button he could to get under Hangman’s skin, the situation ultimately ending with Mogul Embassy member Brian Cage dropping Hangman with a Drill Claw.

Their first singles match at WRESTLEDREAM 2023 went Swerve’s way, but not without the assist of Prince Nana, while their second match at FULL GEAR 2023 produced one of the most violent, bloody, sadistic scenarios we’ve ever seen play out in All Elite Wrestling, and that too was won by the boss of The Mogul Embassy. Along the way Hangman made sure Strickland didn’t cheat his way to a TNT Championship opportunity, along the way Swerve thought it was a good idea to break into Hangman’s home, along the way everything that started as being about professional wrestling and a “spot” got very, very personal. Hangman swore he’d never let Swerve become AEW World Champion, and when the two men collided on the February 7th DYNAMITE to see who would go to REVOLUTION 2024 to fight for the title and it ended with a time limit draw, Hangman thought he’d accomplished his goal of blocking Swerve’s path to the title.

Unfortunately for Hangman, AEW GM Tony Khan had other thoughts, and it was announced just moments after the draw that both Hangman and Swerve would go on to March 3rd in Greensboro as the challengers for the AEW World Championship held by Samoa Joe. Yes, that was another thing that happened along the way; the most dominant World Champion in ROH’s 22 year history, the most dominant ROH World TV Champion in that title’s 14 year lineage, had now become the king of All Elite Wrestling after smashing through MJF at WORLDS END 2023.

Ask anyone who’s ever stood across the ring from Samoa Joe, or even stood in the ring as he made his entrance for that matter; the AEW World Champion is one of the scariest individuals to share space with inside the squared circle. There is an intensity that permeates the room when Joe walks into it, a feeling that you’re sharing space with one of the baddest men on the planet, a man willing to destroy you if you come for what’s his, and an individual to be feared. Samoa Joe’s arrival to ROH at GLORY BY HONOR 2002 changed the game for professional wrestling, his historic reign as ROH World Champion elevated ROH to that next level, and his fight with Kenta Kobashi in October 2005 elevated the entire sport. A man of Joe’s size wasn’t supposed to move like that, wasn’t supposed to be able to string together the furious combinations of offense that he did, but his presence on increasingly larger stages showed the wrestling world different, making his arrival to AEW two years ago one of the most exciting debuts in the company’s history. 

After all, there are few competitors in professional wrestling more legitimate than Samoa Joe, few men who force all those around them to be better, and that is what both Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page are going to have to be on Sunday night: better. They each need to find the best version of themselves to have a hope of dethroning Samoa Joe as the AEW World Champion, they both need to find a way to focus on that goal rather than on their hatred for each other, otherwise their mutually assured destruction will leave Samoa Joe reigning atop AEW. 

AEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

“Timeless” Toni Storm(c) vs. “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo

Deonna Purrazzo first showed her face in AEW as the ROH Women’s World Champion, but at that time she was obligated elsewhere in her professional wrestling career, and with Mercedes Martinez defeating her to claim the championship, it seemed the only time the AEW faithful would get to see “The Virtuosa”. 

Then January 3rd happened, and in the aftermath of Mariah May’s in-ring debut for AEW, “The Virtuosa” arrived on the scene in Newark, upstaging Mariah’s debut, and telling her to take a message back to AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm. Mariah took umbrage with the idea that she’s Storm’s messenger, slapped AEW’s new signee across the face, but immediately received a slap of her own from Purrazzo, followed by a kick to the jaw that sent Mariah reeling.

With just those few minutes, Deonna Purrazzo let the world know why she was here in All Elite Wrestling, but it would take a few more weeks before the AEW faithful learned about the history between Deonna and Toni Storm before there was a “Virtuosa” or a “Timeless”. It turned out that the two women were friends, former roommates, who even got identical tattoos to commemorate their bond. Their friendship ran deeper than two women who’d worked in Stardom together, or had been opponents in other companies, they were true friends in their pre-AEW days, but that didn’t stop “Timeless” Toni Storm from feigning ignorance to who Deonna Purrazzo identity.

Eventually Storm let the facade drop, and both women spoke to their history, Deonna looking for some glimmer of the woman she knew before “Timeless” took over while the AEW Women’s World Champion considered her past dead. It’s almost as if, between losing the AEW Women’s World Championship twice in less than a year and having her relationship with The Outcasts disintegrate, Storm just broke, deciding that she’d always been “Timeless”, and anything before her AEW premiere as “Timeless” happened to someone else.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/fMoMQtFd47Q?si=HIlXC6OL5FVV4hml&start=74

So Deonna did what she had to do in order to get what she wanted, she got to work inside the squared circle and earned her way to a championship fight. Starting with Red Velvet on January 13th, Purrazzo has racked up five singles victories over Red, Anna Jay, Taya Valkyrie, Madison Rayne, and Kiera Hogan, and did not hesitate to throw blows with her former friend last night on COLLISION. It seems Deonna Purrazzo has had to accept that the Toni Storm she knew is gone forever, so all that’s left to do is take away the championship she holds so dear, and see if perhaps that shock to the system jolts Toni Storm back to who she was before “Timeless” took over the reins.  

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

“The Patriarch” Christian Cage vs. Daniel Garcia

Daniel Garcia was at a point in his young career that many individuals could relate to regardless of their occupation; he was questioning himself, questioning his worth, and questioning if he should continue chasing his professional wrestling dreams. The frustration of one loss after another in the Continental Classic didn’t help his feelings, but when he finally got that victory over Brody King in their last match of the tournament, even if it didn’t matter by that point in terms of the standings, it mattered to Garcia and his dreams. It was a reminder of just how good he is bell-to-bell, it was a wake-up call to the rest of AEW that Garcia needs to be viewed as a threat to everyone standing across the ring from him, and a statement to the fans that the energy they’d invested in Garcia was one worth making.

It wasn’t a victory that led Garcia directly into a ripping streak where he’s stacked up W’s over everyone in front of him, but it bolstered his confidence, it led to his team scoring victory at WORLDS END 2023 when Garcia pinned Lethal, and to Garcia stepping up to aid FTR against The House of Black, notably being the deciding factor in their victory over The House in the Escape The Cage match several weeks ago.

A week later, Garcia followed that up by scoring the decision over Nick Wayne to get his trio with FTR  a win over The Patriarchy, and that moment is what brought him to this place on Sunday night’s REVOLUTION 2024 pay-per-view. That victory gave Garcia the confidence to call out Christian Cage for a TNT Championship match, it boosted Garcia when he accepted Adam Copeland’s challenge for a #1 Contender match on DYNAMITE. Sadly, though unsurprisingly, Christian Cage and The Patriarchy ruined that match, getting it thrown out as a No Contest when they interfered while Copeland had Garcia in a Crossface submission. Merely interfering wasn’t enough though, Cage and company tried to deliver a Con-Chair-To to Garcia, one Copeland stopped from happening, only to end up a victim of the devastating chair attack himself thanks to Mother Wayne hitting him in the groin.

So with Copeland on the shelf from that assault, Daniel Garcia was the man left standing, and he absolutely was not going to back down from this fight no matter what. He wants that TNT Championship, he wants revenge for what Cage did to him, Copeland, and Daddy Magic, and he will fight the entire Patriarchy by himself in order to get it! Unfortunately that just may be the scenario in Greensboro on Sunday night, Garcia versus Cage, Killswitch, and The Wayne’s, but if that’s what it takes to finally wear an AEW championship around his waist, than that is what Garcia will do.

There is one question though, if Garcia is successful in his TNT Championship bid at REVOLUTION 2024, how will Copeland handle that upon his return? It’s been his mission to be the one to take that title from Christian Cage, the entire point of the Cope Open was for Adam to play Cage’s game and earn his way back to contention with actual victories, so if Garcia is the one to swoop in and end The Patriarch’s reign as TNT Champion, how will Copeland respond?

CONTINENTAL CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Eddie Kingston(c) vs. “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson

Nearly 500 years ago the Pakistani Beggar King Hussein Nishah wrote, “Treat people the way you want to be treated. Talk to people the way you want to be talked to. Respect is earned, not given”, and those words, especially the final five, have permeated through history to this very day. Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone character in The Godfather spoke those words after a fashion, Ring of Honor even named one of its pay-per-view events RESPECT IS EARNED, it’s a mantra that many people live by, and one that Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston has taken to heart both in his wrestling career as well as in life.

He is the first man to admit that he wasn’t the most respectful of individuals as a young kid first getting into professional wrestling. He was an uncouth kid off the streets coming into a world where handshakes are an expectation, respect for those who came before you is demanded regardless of their behavior towards you, and “paying your dues” can be an arbitrary term for treating the younger generations horribly. It could be a world where respect was expected rather than earned, and that system did nothing to bolster those who struggled to find their place in it. Some were rigid in their expectations of adherence to pro wrestling’s precepts, and when an individual like Kingston, especially in his nascent years lacing up the boots, comes into that world it can bristle those who have lofty expectations. 

That is the relationship of Bryan Danielson and Eddie Kingston, one where the former gives the latter no learning curve and simply demands he be better. There’s no leeway given to the notion that Eddie, as he has owned, is his own worst enemy, that he’s guilty of walking away rather than fighting the preconceived notions of men like Bryan and Claudio Castagnoli. There are times when Eddie hasn’t pushed himself to be his best, that he’s allowed himself to be less than, but for some it just takes longer to find that self-belief, to create that self-confidence, that lends itself towards being the best version of yourself. 

Bryan and Claudio may entered into professional wrestling utterly confident about their abilities, completely sure of their choices, but that wasn’t Eddie. He was the man who took time to figure out his place in the world of wrestling, to learn who he is as a man away from the ring, and figure out why he kept handicapping his own career. It took time, it took making a lot of mistakes and creating a slew of enemies, it took losing friends and relationships, but eventually Kingston looked inward rather than outward, and began to make the changes. The reality is that this is an ongoing process for Kingston, one that will likely last his entire life, but at least it’s a process he pursues and won’t let himself give up on ever again.

Unfortunately that’s not enough for Bryan Danielson; Eddie’s desire to change, the work put in towards becoming a better version of himself, of living up to his fullest potential, none of that matters to “The American Dragon” because all he sees is who Kingston was, not who he is. He doesn’t see the hard work Kingston puts in every night, the gym hours, the diet, the mental healthcare, the pure passion Eddie has for professional wrestling; all he sees is who Eddie was fifteen, twenty years ago, a version of Kingston that Danielson has forever trapped in amber. For Bryan there is no such thing as growth, no such thing as change, no such thing as redemption; you are who you are and you’ll always be that.

So no matter what Eddie Kingston does, Bryan Danielson will never genuinely respect him, not as a wrestler or a man, it will never be earned no matter how many times “The Mad King” can best him. There’s a reason why the simple act of a shaking Eddie’s hand has to be forced upon Bryan, and it says a lot more about who Danielson is as a person than anything about Eddie Kingston. Perhaps the world can now see that no matter how good “The American Dragon” may be inside the ring, and make no mistake he is quite possibly the best to ever do it, outside of the ring he is a bully who relishes in the misery of others, and Bryan’s actions show he is the one who has not earned one ounce of respect. 

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Roderick Strong

Adam Cole made it abundantly clear on the DYNAMITE followings WORLDS END 2023, when The Undisputed Kingdom officially introduced themselves to the world as a unit, that Roderick Strong was on a mission to claim the AEW International Championship. There was no secret plan now that Cole, Strong, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, and Wardlow had stepped out from behind their masks, every card was laid out on the table, and Roddy did not hesitate to step to Orange Cassidy’s face on the January 17th DYNAMITE after he and Trent Beretta defeated Penta and Komander. To be clear though, while Roderick had no problem getting into OC’s face to declare his championship aspirations, he had no intention of fighting Cassidy that night even though the defending champion was more than willing to go.

Instead Roderick Strong made it known he would wait until REVOLUTION 2024 to take up this title fight, giving Cassidy plenty of time to prepare for the match, but also plenty of time to possibly lose the championship as well. After all, just because Roderick was willing to wait over a month for his title opportunity didn’t mean Cassidy wasn’t going to be the defending champion he’s always been. In fact, not only has “Freshly Squeezed” defended the belt since the confrontation with Strong, he’s done so three times, including traveling to RevPro in London to put it on the line in a Seven Way bout! 

But it looks like Roderick actually had a rationale behind his decision to postpone the opportunity, an actual plan to put into motion leading up to REVOLUTION 2024, and that plan meant removing a majority of Cassidy’s allies off the playing field. Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor, and Rocky Romero have all been put on the shelf by The Undisputed Kingdom, FTW Champion HOOK has been otherwise engaged in issues with Brian Cage and a fixation on Samoa Joe, and Danhausen, well who knows where his head is at. Suffice to say with Trent, Chuck, and Rocky off the table, the AEW International Champion is rather alone while Roderick Strong is always flanked by Taven and Bennett. 

If Cassidy had lost the championship between January 17th and March 3rd, it’s safe to say Roderick would’ve just moved his focus to whoever beat Orange, because for him this isn’t personal, it’s just about taking the International Championship. For Cassidy however, trying to take the title he’s poured his blood, his body, and his soul into for 471 out of the last 508 days is very personal, and taking down his best friends out of some misguided delusion that it will make him easier pickings is also very personal.

So while Roderick is fighting for the International Championship, Cassidy is fighting for that title as well as for those who suffered at The Undisputed Kingdom’s hands simply for the “crime” of being in Orange’s friendship circle. Taven and Bennett have already brought one championship to the UK fold, will Roderick be able to bring another on Sunday night? Or will Cassidy be able to continue chasing the records he set with his first International Championship reign?

THE FAMILY THAT FIGHTS TOGETHER…

Will Ospreay vs. “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita

https://www.youtube.com/embed/yOaijQExO6k?si=Y5jcO3un9QZlvCNU&start=285

In the twisted mind of Don Callis, pitting two of his own “family” members against one another seems to be a way for Callis to hype his own unit as the greatest group of professional wrestlers in All Elite Wrestling. It is a way for Callis to say he won regardless of if it’s Takeshita or Will Ospreay who comes out with the actual victory in the match, and it’s clear to see that Callis believes, no matter the outcome, his “family” bond will remain as strong as ever.

But will that be the case? Is The Don Callis Family on the same level as, say, The Blackpool Combat Club? Meaning can Callis’ crew fight one another with no problem, do they look at it as iron sharpening iron the way The BCC does, or is Don Callis setting himself up for disasterous consequences? 

However the aftermath of this battle plays out, there is no doubt it has the potential to be one of the greatest bouts AEW has seen its existence. Konosuke Takeshita is a true hoss in that ring, he’s powerful and fast, a hard-hitting beast who has grown to relish the pain he dishes out to his opponents. Will Ospreay, well there’s a reason many people, fans and wrestling pundits alike, consider him the greatest wrestler competing today. He can soar, he can strike, he can get on the mat and grapple, he can take punishment as well as dish it out, and the fact that this will mark his first official match as part of the AEW locker room only provides further incentive to make it a memorable evening. 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dYA59k3M37A?si=TH7__yLkW0tUnJGb&start=449

So while Don Callis may say that no matter what happens, his family wins, the reality is that no matter happens it is the fans who will win with this match!

TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH…

The Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley) vs.

FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3WPmdwHpxKE?si=d2F4xSzoY4IZDj9I&start=221

On the 2/21 edition of DYNAMITE, fans witnessed glorious combat as FTR and The BCC, represented by Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley, battled to a 20-minute draw. Though a phenomenal pro wrestling contest, it was understandably unsatisfying for either team, and they nearly came to blows in the backstage area shortly thereafter. Both teams wanted more, with the challenge laid out by FTR for a rematch, and that challenge was gladly accepted by Mox and Claudio, but not without their fair share of words denigrate Cash and Dax as clutching to the past of professional wrestling rather than creating the future.

The former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champions took umbrage with that statement, and their perspective came out after scoring a hard-earned victory over Shane Taylor Promotions last week on COLLISION, but things weren’t done yet that night. Bryan Danielson beat Jun Akiyama in a superb main event, but things went pear-shaped after “The American Dragon” kicked him right in the groin, bringing Eddie Kingston into the ring from the commentary position to pound Bryan’s skull in. Of course this brought Claudio Castagnoli into the fray, which in turn got FTR involved, sending the two BCC members scurrying away for higher ground. As COLLISION went off the air, it was announced that FTR and the Continental Crown Champion would team up to fight Mox, Bryan, and Claudio in a Trios match on DYNAMITE, a bout that got as intense as one would expect, and ended with Danielson putting Kingston down! 

So that brings us to this Sunday night on pay-per-view where FTR meet Moxley and Castagnoli in a tag team grudge match that feels as much about marking territory as it is about tag team wrestling. It’s about staking claim as not only the baddest dudes in AEW, but also taking ownership of All Elite Wrestling as the top dogs in the territory.

ALL-STAR 8-MAN SCRAMBLE MATCH…

FTW Champion HOOK vs. Brian Cage vs. Dante Martin vs. Chris Jericho vs. “The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer vs. Magnus vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Wardlow

***WINNER EARNS AN AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH***

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ltpMUc0QDnQ?si=V3he_FFxDrY8fK8D&start=221

Thanks to injuries, Meat Madness had to be put on the back burner, but in its stead, this Sunday night will see AEW’s first Scramble match! We’ve got four of the biggest, toughest men in All Elite Wrestling in Lance Archer, Powerhouse Hobbs, Wardlow, and Brian Cage, a guest from CMLL in Magnus, FTW Champion HOOK, the high-flying Dante Margin, and the original AEW Champion Chris Jericho all competing for a future shot at the AEW World Championship! There’s a whole lot of history mixed up in this match, like Hobbs being the one who ended Wardlow’s second TNT Championship reign on the 3/8/23 DYNAMITE and Wardlow reclaiming it from Hobbs forty-two days later on the April 19, 2023 edition of AEW’s flagship. 

Then there’s the issues between the FTW Champion and “The Machine” Brian Cage that have been the main focus of Cage for the last several weeks, not to mention their history with Team Taz. Also, it wasn’t all that long ago that Powerhouse Hobbs decimated Chris Jericho, putting him on the shelf for several weeks, and it was just last night on COLLISION that Jericho got laid out again by the former TNT Champion!

There is a litany of intriguing situations wrapped up in this All-Star Scramble Match going down in Greensboro this Sunday night, but only one man can earn their shot at either Samoa Joe, Hangman Page, or Swerve Strickland! 

ZERO HOUR

TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH…

TBS Champion Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs. 

Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale (w/ Stokely Hathway)

After losing to Skye Blue on Wednesday as a result of Julia Hart cracking her in the skull with the TBS Championship belt, Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale will have a chance to even the score this Sunday night during the ZERO HOUR! Stokely Hathaway’s insistence that Stat use a chain as a weapon may have provided a slight distraction to Stat, but it was Hart’s involvement that made the former TBS Champion vulnerable for Sky to hit a Code Blue for the pinfall victory. That gave Skye a 2-1 advantage over Statlander in their singles matches, but Willow beat Skye two weeks ago in their singles match, while Julia Hart holds victories over all three women, including her own partner. It was Willow that Julia beat to earn her TBS Championship match, it was Skye who Julia pinned to become the TBS Champion, and though she hasn’t beaten her directly, it was Statlander who Julia took the TBS Championship from at FULL GEAR 2023.

Ever since Hart and Skye have banded together, they’ve set their sights on taking down Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander, and between the events of Wednesday night, and this first-ever tag team meeting, they’ve certainly got their opportunity to rid themselves of Nightingale and Statlander. The presence of Stokely Hathaway may not help matters either, he hasn’t exactly been the best individual to have at ringside given his insistence on interference doesn’t quite jive with the entire oeuvre of the two women he’s allied with, but perhaps Willow and Kris believe they can bring out the best in a man who has only ever shown the wrestling world his worst. What they need from Stokely in this fight is to be on the same page, and not create another distraction that leads to defeat. Hart and Skye are obviously of one mind right now, perhaps an effect of that black mist Skye was exposed to months back, and that’s where Willow, Statlander, and Stokely need to get if they want to win this bout on ZERO HOUR!

12-MAN TAG!!!

The Bang Bang Scissor Gang (AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass and ROH World Six-Man Champions BULLET CLUB GOLD)

vs.

Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen), Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, & Willie Mack

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rlfCMoj4YDM?si=_mL_LsbxB_Lgu2VR&start=449

The final match in the legendary career of “The Icon” Sting takes places this Sunday night at REVOLUTION 2024 live on pay-per-view from the historic Greensboro Coliseum! In one of six championship matches taking place on March 3rd, Sting and Darby Allin will defend their AEW World Tag Team Championship in a Tornado Tag against former 2-Time champions, The EVPs of AEW, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, otherwise known as The Young Bucks! Plus, AEW World Champion Samoa Joe defends against both Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland, Orange Cassidy defends his International Title against The Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong, and “Timeless” Toni Storm puts her AEW Women’s World Championship on the line against former best friend Deonna Purrazzo!

But that’s not all; we’ve also got an 8-Man Scramble for an AEW World Title shot, a TNT Championship clash between Christian Cage and Daniel Garcia, FTR and BCC going at it in a tag team rematch, Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston battling Bryan Danielson, and two members of The Don Callis Family colliding when Will Ospreay meets Konosuke Takeshita!! It all begins with the ZERO HOUR, going live at 6:30p ET on the official AEW YouTube channel, and then REVOLUTION 2024 coming at you starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT! Do not miss out on one of the most historic nights in the history of our great sport as we bear witness to Sting’s final professional wrestling match!

To witness the fallout of REVOLUTION 2024, join us Wednesday night at the Gas South Arena

in Duluth, GA to see what shape All Elite Wrestling takes in the aftermath of this pay-per-view extravaganza!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xqrN6cnRydo?si=J7gricsG0E915YYC

The landscape of All Elite Wrestling keeps getting more competitive with each passing week, and the knowledge that new rankings will drop shortly has only exacerbated the drive to victory for the members of the AEW locker room. Wins and losses matter more than ever before, AEW World Champion Samoa Joe has made that abundantly clear each time he’s spoken, and plenty of people want that next shot at his title. That means they need to win, win, win, no matter what, and the same goes for the people pursuing Toni Storm’s AEW Women’s World Championship, and all the other titles under the AEW banner! 

Those fights continue this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, when AEW returns to the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans with a loaded edition of AEW’s flagship program! Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page will engage in a Dealer’s Choice scenario where each man hand-picks the others opponent for the evening. An old rivalry will pick right back up when Deonna Purrazzo takes on Taya Valkyrie for the first time in AEW, while another rivalry rages on as Chris Jericho battles Don Callis Family member Kyle Fletcher!

REVOLUTION 2024 is coming upon us fast, and this Wednesday DYNAMITE brings us one step closer starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans! Prior to that kickoff, 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, and more!  Then it’s time for the Elimination Trios Cage Match on Saturday night in Bossier City, Louisiana pitting The House of Black against FTR and Daniel Garcia!

DEALER’S CHOICE # 1…

“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Toa Liona

Last week it was laid out that “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland would be placed in a Dealer’s Choice situation; what this meant was that each man would choose the other’s opponent for this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE. It did not take long for the boss of The Mogul Embassy to lay out Hangman’s foe for the evening, keeping choice in the family, and selecting one-half of The Gates of Agony, the monstrous Toa Liona!

In his first televised singles match on AEW programming, the behemoth of the Mogul Embassy will attempt to massacre Swerve Strickland’s greatest enemy! Hangman has fought monsters and giants before, but likely not one with the sheer unrestrained savagery of Toa Liona, certainly not one whose sole purpose may not be to win the match but simply to maim the former AEW World Champ. One can only guess under what marching orders Toa will be dispatched into this fight, but whether he’s coming to defeat Hangman, or simply to hurt Hangman on behalf of Swerve Strickland, Adam Page is going to just lay down and die. He will give Toa Liona the toughest fight that man has ever had, and that is saying something considering what The Gates of Agony just went through in New Japan with Tag League. 

DEALER’S CHOICE # 2…

Swerve Strickland vs. ?????

While Swerve Strickland had no problem laying all his cards on the table to reveal fellow Mogul Embassy member Toa Liona as Hangman Page’s foe this Wednesday, the former AEW World Champion did not offer the same. 

Instead, playing his cards close to the vest, Page told Swerve he would have to “wait the whole f’n show” to find out his opponent for this Dealer’s Choice scenario. Now for any professional wrestling fan, that seems like a dead giveaway for who Strickland’s opponent will be; after all there is but one man in the wrestling world associated with Hangman’s chosen verbiage. That being said, Hangman could be throwing out a red herring, a misdirect to keep Swerve Strickland on his toes, expecting one opponent while he will actually be facing another. It looks like the AEW faithful will be waiting right alongside the boss of The Mogul Embassy to see who walks onto that stage to fight Swerve Strickland! 

ONE-ON-ONE…

Taya Valkyrie vs. Deonna Purrazzo

***TONI STORM ON COMMENTARY***

Taya Valkyrie and Deonna Purrazzo are no strangers to one another; they’ve battled each other in singles bouts, tag team competition, in the United States, in Mexico, and in multiple promotions; Taya is even the woman who ended Purrazzo’s 252-day reign as the AAA Reina de Reinas champion! Their last interaction inside the ring was nearly a year ago as part of AAA’s LUCHA LIBRE WORLD CUP 2023 event, a match won by Deonna’s team, but in one-on-one competition it is “La Wera Loca” who holds the advantage with two victories to The Virtuosa’s one.

This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, the two world-class competitors will renew their rivalry with their first clash under the auspices of All Elite Wrestling! Taya feels like Deonna is attempting to jump the line into a championship fight without earning her way there, somewhat ironic considering Taya’s fourth ever AEW fight was a TBS Championship match and this fight will mark Purrazzo’s third since signing with AEW, and fourth overall. 

So with both women championship contender hopefuls, can “The Virtuosa” even the tally with “La Wera Loca” and continue pushing towards a title fight with “Timeless” Toni Storm? Speaking of the champ, she will be joining the commentary team for this match and you never know what she will have to say about any subject at hand!

FIGHTING THE FAMILY…

ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher vs. Chris Jericho

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sigES7qGy_w?si=AkLix1zXYq2xfXtm&start=145

Don Callis and his ilk have been that thorn in Jericho’s paw for months now, ever since Callis chose to stab the man in the back rather than take him in as part of the Family. What’s always been ironic about Callis’ choice is that all signs pointed to the original AEW World Champion signing on with his long-time friend, but the perpetually paranoid Callis assumed he’d be stabbed in the back first, and decided to get Jericho first.

It’s led us down the path of Jericho and Will Ospreay having an epic collision, Jericho being destroyed by Powerhouse Hobbs, slamming Jericho and Kenny Omega into an unintended alliance, Chris going to DDT Pro Wrestling in Japan to fight Takeshita, and these acts of betrayal inadvertently causing a reunion between Chris and Sammy Guevara. Throughout the entire ordeal, Callis has never stopped trying to make life hellish for “The Ocho”, and that continues this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when Chris, fresh off his signature cruise, returns to AEW’s flagship to take on ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher!

Now Kyle’s on a tremendous run as of late, winning five straight singles matches, including Survival of the Fittest at FINAL BATTLE 2023 and three consecutive title defenses, with his last singles loss ironically coming at the hands of Takeshita back in October. With Jericho already slotted to face Takeshita next week as part of AEW’s return to Phoenix, is this fight more about a victory for Fletcher or about hurting Jericho for the rest of the Callis Family? A victory over Jericho would be huge for the ROH World TV Champion, but is that what Don cares with this fight? Or does Callis just want Kyle to soften up his former friend for the future fights?

MAKING THE RANKINGS…

Jeff Hardy vs. Jon Moxley

In a previous life, they dance in tags and trios, they were even been partners on a couple of occasions, but never before in their careers have Jeff Hardy and Jon Moxley gone one-on-one inside the squared circle. This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE that changes; for the first time ever, with the rankings set to make their return this week, Hardy and Moxley will lock up! Moxley has won eight of his last ten fights, as well as all three of his 2024 bouts, while Hardy is struggling to get himself back on track, both as a singles competitor, and as a team with brother Matt. Of his last ten fight, Jeff has won but three, and none of this in singles competition; In fact, Hardy has not won a singles match in AEW since beating Darby Allin in the 2022 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, though he has infrequently competed under those circumstances.

As he has made quite clear to the rest of the AEW locker room, Moxley considers himself (and the rest of The BCC) the measuring stick of All Elite Wrestling, and anyone who expects to ascend up the ladder is going to have to go through them first. Can Jeff Hardy do that and score a long-awaited singles victory, or will be the former 3-Time AEW World Champion picking up his fourth consecutive victory as the rankings return to prominence?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gNdxnPzqKLI?si=zRcpBfR-PdkbViNF&start=300

This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling is back in New Orleans at the UNO Lakefront Arena with a loaded-up edition of DYNAMITE, starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans! For starters, we’ve got Dealer’s Choice with Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page choosing the other man’s opponent for the evening; now we are already aware of Swerve picking Toa Liona for Hangman, but we will have to wait to see who Page chooses for Swerve until it’s time for that fight! AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm will be on commentary as Taya Valkyrie faces an old rival in Deonna Purrazzo, and Chris Jericho picks up his fight against the Don Callis Family with ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher! 

All that and more comes your way this week on DYNAMITE, so before the show gets underway, make a point 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, and COLLISION, as well as the newest edition of the CONTROL CENTER!  Then come on down to Edinburg, TX and the Bert Ogden Arena this Saturday for an all-new edition of COLLISION!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DzoAz2CgBKg?si=8pYhePGM_w5tHzqN

https://www.youtube.com/embed/_zaf_-jQ0KI?si=O4EtHoDLOaX5RchS

Last week as jam-packed with action as new ROH World Six-Man Champions were crowned in BULLET CLUB GOLD, Jon Moxley returned to AEW action, plus Adam Copeland was tested by Dante Martin only to find out he’s got Minoru Suzuki next on his dance card! Did The Bang Bang Scissor Gang became a real thing? How did Thunder Rosa’s return to singles competition go? How did Jeff Hardy respond to losing to Darby Allin? All of that, and more, went down last week, but now our eyes turn to the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA for an all-new DYNAMITE! Copeland versus Suzuki, Jeff Hardy battling Swerve, a battle for the AEW World Trios Championship, “Timeless” Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo face-to-face, Hangman and Penta, and so much more on tap for the AEW faithful in attendance, and those watching around the world!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/T1AuRQjQXsY?si=mKNi4UfzTySexNza

The road to REVOLUTION 2024 continues this Wednesday on DYNAMITE beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans! Before showtime, 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, and more!  Then it’s time for the Elimination Trios Cage Match on Saturday night in Bossier City, Louisiana pitting The House of Black against FTR and Daniel Garcia!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rXPq2dIAMfQ?si=4jUNKcq8oJy_N67s

AN UNEXPECTED CHALLENGE…

Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki

https://www.youtube.com/embed/QmYbXArA7us?si=Yx9qIDObCqB8SLUs&start=294

Yes, this is really happening; possibly the most unexpected of all matches thus far in 2024, possibly the most unexpected of either man’s career, Adam Copeland and Minoru Suzuki will do battle on DYNAMITE in the latest of the Cope Open Challenges! This contest will mark the fourth such challenge, but the first one where Adam knows in advance who he’s stepping into the ring to fight.

Griff Garrison, Lee Moriarty, and Dante Martin were all surprise opponents for “The Rated R Superstar”, men who stepped up on the night of the event, giving Copeland no time to prepare for individuals he’d never fought before while they had all spent their lives watching the Hall of Famer compete inside the squared circle. 

That’s not say Copeland didn’t have some awareness of each young man’s abilities, he is someone who watches everything and everyone as much as possible, but a couple years of tape on someone versus a couple decades is a huge difference. That being said, there’s no experience like actually sharing the ring with an opponent, it’s something no amount of tape study can prepare you for, and Dante, Griff, and Lee all learned that first hand.

But this Wednesday night will be a different experience because, as in response to Adam’s comment that none of the more seasoned fighters have stepped up to the plate, he will get one of the most experienced fighters in the whole of the professional wrestling landscape!

The legendary Minoru Suzuki is coming back to All Elite Wrestling for a fight with Adam Copeland, and is that a sentence anyone thought would ever be written, much less a match that would actually happen?!? In many ways, this is one of the most important fights of Copeland’s historic career, an opportunity to step way outside the wheel house, and take on a man as versed in submissions as he is striking, as willing to choke you unconscious as to knock you out, a champion everyone he’s gone, “The King of Pancrase”, Minoru Suzuki. MiSu has proven himself quite the sadistic, relishing in the pain of his opponents, but fans have absolutely witnessed that in Copeland over the course of his career. Will this one come down to a question of which man can be more wicked than the other? This is not to be missed!

WHO WILL BE NEXT?

Last week, in a hard-won fight against FTW Champion HOOK, Samoa Joe successfully retained the AEW World Championship. There were many moments where it seemed “The Cold-Hearted, Handsome Devil” just could not be put down, but ultimately he had no choice but to succumb to the overwhelming force that is Samoa Joe.

That defeat didn’t stop HOOK from exchanging words with Joe as he recovered from the beating, leading to the FTW Champ getting dropped with a low blow and another Muscle Buster, and even then, with the support of the ropes, HOOK pulled himself to his feet and kept talking at the champ. Luckily for HOOK, before Samoa Joe could inflict even more damage, Adam Page arrived to the ring to ward off the AEW World Champion. So with Swerve Strickland watching on from ringside, Hangman in the ring, and HOOK still conscious despite the beating, Samoa Joe walked away from the ring knowing who had him in their crosshairs.

This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, we will hear from the AEW World Champion about what is next on his agenda, or perhaps that should be who is next!

ONE-ON-ONE…

“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

Given that these two competitors have each been part of All Elite Wrestling since the very beginning, it is astounding that they’ve never once faced off in singles competition. They’ve danced in tag team affairs, a realm where their record is 1-1, and a multi-man affair from February 5, 2020, but no contact save several Battle Royals since their February 19, 2020 AEW World Tag Team Championship bout. Well that all changes this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when, for the very first time, these two AEW stalwarts will go one-on-one!

With Rey Fenix on the injured list, Penta has seen a bit more singles competition than usual, but that doesn’t make him a stranger this realm of competition; after all, he’s been a solo champion many times over throughout his career, just never in All Elite Wrestling. As for Hangman, his credential as former AEW World Champion speaks for itself, and he’s rolling into this having won his last three consecutive singles bouts with one goal on his mind: get the championship back around his waist. Clearly there’s a Swerve Strickland issue lingering in Page’s mind, but the end game is becoming 2-Time World Champion, and that means facing everyone he has to in order to get there. If the title is still around Joe’s waist when that time comes, all the better for Hangman, but no matter who is is, Page has a Buckshot Lariat with their name on it…provided he can show no fear and get past Penta El Zero Miedo!

FACE-TO-FACE…

Clearly AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm hasn’t completely parted ways with reality; as evidenced by the video embedded above, Storm actually does recall her history with Deonna Purrazzo, a relationship that dates back to their shared time in Japan’s Stardom promotion. That time together included bouts as both ally and foe, and even featured a championship fight over their SWA Undisputed Women’s World Title, but that wasn’t the end of their interactions.

They’d meet again in their life pre-AEW, but that didn’t stop Toni Storm from pretending like she had no idea who Deonna was when they finally shared space in All Elite Wrestling. So is this all a mind game from The Timeless One? Where does “Timeless” begin? Or should the question be, where does the Toni Storm we all knew for the first period of her AEW tenure end and this “Timeless” persona come into being? It’s certainly not the person that Deonna Purrazzo knew in Japan, or in the United Kingdom, and hopefully she realizes that as this situation continues to escalate towards the inevitable World Championship clash these women are destined for!

This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, we will all see how it unfolds when these two women are face-to-face on TBS! Will shoes be thrown? Will Mariah May and/or Luther be on-hand, and if so what will their presence mean to these proceedings? Tune in Wednesday night to see what else could possibly come out of Toni Storm’s mouth!

WHOSE HOUSE?

Swerve Strickland vs. Jeff Hardy

https://www.youtube.com/embed/E1Rl4SOBpH4?si=TdyL-AF9QIOsLi4E&start=264

As Swerve Strickland and Jeff Hardy prepare to fight for the very first time, take a look at where these two men currently stand in their All Elite Wrestling careers. Swerve is red-hot at the moment, on a mission to become AEW World Champion, and has declared his intentions, not just to the world, but specifically straight to Samoa Joe’s face. He has no fear about standing toe-to-toe with the AEW World Champion, no interest in anything that “Hangman” Adam Page has to say about their issues, but much like the former AEW World Champ, will do anything he needs to do, fight anyone he needs to fight, in order to make his championship aspirations a reality.

Conversely, Jeff Hardy has experienced a great deal of loss over his last year with All Elite Wrestling. With a record of 8-12 across 2023, seven of those losses came over Jeff’s last ten matches, with two singles losses to his 2023 record as well. While Jeff has not competed in a slew of singles matches, he has not won any since that victory over Darby Allin in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament creeping on two years ago. To add to that, though The Hardys long ago earned consideration as a premiere tag team, they lost six consecutive tag bouts in 2023 before scoring their lone victory in a non-televised match fighting the teams of The Butcher & Blade and Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard. Suffice to say, it’s not been a the best year for the multi-time World Champions, but they’ve declared that changed is afoot, and that was on full display when Jeff Hardy, after losing to Darby Allin on RAMPAGE, bailed out on Darby’s show of respect.

That brings these two competitors to this Wednesday night in Savannah where they will go one-on-one for the very first time! Both men have a goal for their careers, goals certainly at odds with each other, so who will prevail when they lock up on DYNAMITE?

TIME TO FIGHT…

The Undisputed Kingdom’s Wardlow vs. Best Friend’s Trent Beretta

Since unveiling himself as the man behind the devil mask, Adam Cole has repeatedly told the world that Roderick Strong was in pursuit of the AEW International Championship, that ROH World Tag Champions Matt Taven and Mike Bennett were coming for all the tag teams, and that Wardlow would be AEW World Champion. Of course there’s the comments Cole has made about “The War Dog” handing over the title when the time is rest, though that could also be tongue-in-cheek mocking how MJF used to talk to Wardlow when he was under Max’s thumb, but that’s a situation to be unpacked somewhere down the line.

For now, look at everything Wardlow does as in service of his championship aspirations, and should it be Samoa Joe holding the gold if and when that times comes, all the better given their history with the TNT Championship. The path to title contention has to begin somewhere, with someone, and for Wardlow that person is Trent Beretta, and that somewhere is this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE! This marks Wardlow’s first match under the Undisputed Kingdom banner, and in part it could also be looked at as part of Roderick Strong’s push towards challenging Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship match. After all, this is one of OC’s best friends taking on one of Roddy’s undisputed allies, so there’s more than one layer to this first-ever meeting between Trent Beretta and Wardlow!

AEW WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Daddy Ass & The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster)(c) vs. 

The Mogul Embassy (Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage, & Toa Liona)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ko50hxGfvek?si=TMdNrtum3QC0vLZb&start=264

Last week was quite a big one for both of the trios engaged in this championship fight on Wednesday night, and their moments are rather tied together as both involve BULLET CLUB GOLD. For The Mogul Embassy, it was watching the ROH World Six-Man Championship titles slip from their grasp on DYNAMITE as BC GOLD emerged from their clash as the new champions. The end came when Jay White caught Bishop Kaun with his Bladerunner to score the three count, but that triumphant moment wasn’t the last of the week for The Bang Bang Gang!

Come COLLISION, White and The Gunns had a face-to-face with the AEW World Trios Champions, the latter looking for a response to their proposition to unify forces in opposition to The Undisputed Kingdom. It came as a bit of a shock that the six men actually drew together, but under the circumstances it was likely the best decision for all involved, and certainly puts all three Gunns, Jay White, Max Caster, and Anthony Bowens at an advantage opposite anyone who tries them. It will be interesting to see where Juice Robinson stands on this decision, but at least Rock Card Juice Board is on the same page with everything.

So now all the events of last week come together on DYNAMITE when the recently-dethroned Mogul Embassy come calling on The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass with Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona aiming to fill the void left behind by the loss of their ROH World Six-Man Championship with the AEW World Trios Championship! This is the first time Prince Nana’s monsters have challenged for these belts and clearly, as 2-Time ROH Six-Man Champions, they have what it takes to dethrone the current champions, and disrupt this newly formed Bang Bang Scissor Gang alliance! It would be wonderful revenge for The Mogul Embassy to take these titles from BC GOLD’s new allies, can they pull it off this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE? Or will the BBSG kick off their new alliance with victory?

THE RESPONSE…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ilvU7g2X6w4?si=jomaifj97a108Cc4

The world heard what The Young Bucks had to say last week on DYNAMITE, their words about why they chose to step onto the stage in Jacksonville when Sting was asked who he’d be facing for his final match at REVOLUTION 2024(https://www.allelitewrestling.com/aew-event/aew-revolution-2024), but how much stock one puts into what Matthew and Nicholas had to say likely varies from person-to-person. Cataloging all their issues with All Elite Wrestling, and people who’ve come through the locker room, but then saying they don’t see Sting as one of those individuals just reeks of seeking justification for their actions.

Well this week we anticipate hearing from Darby Allin and Sting, and getting their response to what The Young Bucks had to say! Will this be the night that a match is officially made for AEW’s March 3rd  pay-per-view event? Do not miss out on what “The Icon” and Darby have to share with the AEW faithful!

A DYNAMITE RETURN!

Thunder Rosa vs. Red Velvet

https://www.youtube.com/embed/4LGwOH4VI38?si=0HgencDlesevsvP9

After sixteen months away, time spent recovering from injury, joining the Spanish announce team for COLLISION, and generally being unsure if a return to in-ring competition would be the payoff for all the pain, sacrifice, and rehabilitation, Thunder Rosa stepped back between the ropes on the final COLLISION of 2023. That night, on her home field of San Antonio, and with Abadon as her partner, Rosa was victorious in tag team action! It was a sign to the rest of the Women’s Division that “La Mera Mera” was back to claim her place atop the division, but she hadn’t been tested in singles competition since BATTLE OF THE BELTS III on August 6, 2022. 

Her second match back at DYNAMITE: HOMECOMING 2024 didn’t put that muscle to the test either, though that eight-woman tag also ended in victory for Rosa’s team, but four days ago there was no more postponing the inevitable. On last Saturday’s COLLISION, the former AEW Women’s World Champion stepped into the ring with rising star Queen Aminata, a woman who’d impressed in her AEW bouts with Kris Statlander, Mariah May, Hikaru Shida, as well as in ROH competition. Aminata, even in her losses, had proven herself to be a hard-hitting competitor, one not afraid to throw hands with her opponents, and proven herself capable taking former World Champions into rough waters. This was going to be a tough fight for Rosa’s return to singles competition, but in victory the former World Champion felt empowered:

Thunder’s road back to the top continues this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when, for the first time, she locks up with Red Velvet in singles competition! Red returned to AEW action last November after her own nine month layoff thanks to injury, coming back with aspirations of ascending to the top of the division, but was frustrated out of the gate by Julia Hart just prior to The House of Black member winning the TBS Championship. She topped Ruby Soho, but fell to Skye Blue in a TBS Title Eliminator match, and was beaten by Deonna Purrazzo two weeks ago on COLLISION. Suffice to say Red needs this victory as much as Thunder Rosa if she wants to get into contention for either of the division’s championships, and she’ aims to give “La Mera Mera” the toughest fight of her comeback thus far!

This Wednesday, AEW returns to the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA for a stacked DYNAMITE, getting underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com (https://www.fite.tv/join/aew-plus/) for international fans, and featuring one huge bout after another! Adam Copeland meets Minoru Suzuki in a match no one could’ve imagined ever happening, the AEW World Trios Title will be at stake, Jeff Hardy locks-up with Swerve Strickland, as well as “Timeless” Toni Storm going face-to-face with Deonna Purrazzo! All that and more is coming to the AEW faithful this week, so before the show gets underway, make a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorte social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest edition of the CONTROL CENTER!  Then join us on Saturday in Bossier City, Louisiana for a COLLISION featuring a Trios Elimination Cage Match between The House of Black and FTR/Daniel Garcia!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/M98j3dB9SQI?si=foYEnMvQIaUZpdk5

Wednesday night’s edition of DYNAMITE was loaded up with one championship fight after another, capped off with FTW Champion HOOK giving AEW World Champion Samoa Joe everything he had in an attempt to snatch the crown from Joe’s head. HOOK survived more than anyone, even Joe, thought was possible, but ultimately he succumbed to the onslaught of the World Champion. One team that managed to add a championship to their ranks was BULLET CLUB GOLD when they dethroned The Mogul Embassy as ROH World Six-Man Champions, but Dustin Rhodes was not so successful in his bid to take the TNT Championship from Christian Cage. We heard from The Young Bucks, from Swerve and Hangman Page, and watched Roderick Strong challenge Orange Cassidy for REVOLUTION 2024! Now the eyes of the AEW faithful turn to Friday night…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dezY7gSxosA?si=MfQM1Ldf_A3-c_M8

This Friday RAMPAGE airs from North Charleston, SC and the North Charleston Coliseum, getting underway at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, and featuring four tremendous contests! As seen on DYNAMITE, Matt Sydal has challenged Chris Jericho to meet him in singles competition, The Workhorsemen’s Anthony Henry will take on The Lucha Brothers Penta El Zero Miedo, Kris Statlander takes on a fight with Queen Aminata, and your the main event, in a rematch of the 2022 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, Darby Allin will take on Jeff Hardy! Before the show 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…

Chris Jericho vs. Matt Sydal

On Wednesday night we heard Chris Jericho speak on the events of BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX, and it certainly seemed like the original AEW World Champion was growing increasingly unhinged as he recounted the actions of The Don Callis Family. It was certainly unexpected to find Matt Sydal attempting to be the voice of reason, to talk Jericho down from escalating himself into a frenzy, but it was not a surprise that the end result of their conversation was a fight for this Friday night on RAMPAGE.

Now these two men are no strangers to one another; as a matter of fact, in another life Sydal scored six consecutive singles victories over Jericho, and actually holds an 8-2 record over Chris in their one-on-one encounters! While it has been over thirteen years since their last encounter, the memory remains, and perhaps that’s why Sydal was willing to challenge Jericho to this bout in North Charleston, SC.

Will this help Jericho refocus, to channel his rage into something positive rather than self-destructive, or will it be Sydal finding a way to recapture the magic he had in 2010 to score a seventh straight win over “Le Champion”?

REMATCH!

Darby Allin vs. Jeff Hardy

On May 11, 2022, as part of the inaugural Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, something of a generational dream match went down, the kind of match no one ever thought they would get to see, but discussed how it would play out if it was ever possible. That bout was Darby Allin versus Jeff Hardy, and it became a reality at UBS Arena in the First Round of the 2022 Owen, one contested under No Disqualification Rules, and ultimately won by Jeff Hardy.

Fast forward twenty months to January 19, 2024 and this Friday’s edition of RAMPAGE; for the second time in their careers, Darby Allin and Jeff Hardy will go one-on-one in the main event of the night! Now the entire wrestling world knows Sting’s end is approaching, but on Wednesday night he and Darby made it clear they have a desire to end that run as AEW World Tag Team Champions, a goal that The Hardys share as they aim to rebound from a rather downward spiral in their tag team career last year. 

Will Darby march towards REVOLUTION 2024 with a victory over Jeff Hardy to his resume, evening the score for 2022, or will Jeff make it a second win over the former 2-Time TNT Champion as he and his brother look to make 2024 their year?

SINGLES MATCH…

Kris Statlander vs. Queen Aminata

Though these two have met in the past, with Kris Statlander holding a June 7, 2021 victory over Queen Aminata, it is abundantly clear that neither woman is the same competitor she was at that point in their careers. Statlander stands before the AEW faithful a more confident competitor than she ever was in the past, a former TBS Champion, the woman responsible for ending the longest title reign in all of AEW history. Aminata, to her credit, has become a more seasoned competitor since that 2021 bout, one of her earliest in All Elite Wrestling. That experience has shown over the last several weeks in the Queen’s fights with Hikaru Shida, Mariah May, and Skye Blue, revealing her to be a particularly hard-hitting wrestler who enjoys going strike-for-strike with her opponents.

That’s the kind of fight Statlander needs, especially as she’s potentially distracted by all this nonsense with Stokely Hathaway and his desire to drive a wedge between Stat and Willow Nightingale. Though all that means this fight may be the perfect moment for Queen Aminata to score her first singles victory in AEW, and over a former champion no less!

ONE-ON-ONE…

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. The Workhorsemen’s Anthony Henry

Though Wednesday night’s tag team battle against AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta did not go as hoped for Penta El Zero Miedo and Komander, the former AEW & ROH World Tag Team Champion has a second chance to make his week a positive one! This Friday night on RAMPAGE, Penta will go into singles competition against another man more conditioned to tag team competition in AEW, The Workhorsemen’s Anthony Henry!

Henry, though generally a tag team competitor alongside JD Drake, has had his share of singles matches under the AEW banner, and though none of them have ended in victory, the experience he’s garnered has been invaluable. Fights with Darby Allin, Trent Beretta, Orange Cassidy, and Miro, just to name a few, have toughened Henry up, and his desire to fight has never waned as a result.

That’s why this Friday night Anthony Henry will wade into battle against this multi-time Tag Team Champion and give Penta El Zero Miedo every ounce of fight in his body. After all, that’s what it means to be a Workhorsemen…

Coming your way from North Charleston, SC, this Friday’s edition of RAMPAGE begins at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, and features Darby Allin colliding with Jeff Hardy, former TBS Champion Kris Statlander taking on the impressive Queen Aminata, Anthony Henry stepping up to a singles match with Penta El Zero Miedo, and Chris Jericho answering Matt Sydal’s call for a fight! Before the show begins, visit 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, BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/etz3a_e7uDQ?si=_4TewOETGOBwDi0b

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lvEbPwNhroU?si=zOY43tJl6sK2-Nh7

Winter is coming to Arlington, TX this Wednesday night when All Elite Wrestling debuts at College Park Center! All roads lead to Long Island for WORLDS END on December 30th, but the way there is increasingly fraught with peril for everyone in the Continental Classic, as well as AEW World Champion MJF, his scheduled challenger Samoa Joe, and anyone else around the champ!

Three more matches in the Gold League will go down on Wednesday night with Rush facing Jay Lethal, Mark Briscoe battling Jay White, and the two unbeatens, Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland, putting that on the line in their first-ever meeting! Plus Ruby Soho takes on the returning Riho, Roderick Strong gets back in action with a fight against “Hangman” Adam Page, and we will hear from the #1 Contender to MJF’s AEW World Championship, Samoa Joe! DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to watch highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: GOLD LEAGUE..

https://www.youtube.com/embed/goyQaKfWv1o?si=8XBYDQZvl6NqZ81a&start=7

Standings

Jon Moxley (9)

Swerve Strickland (9)

Jay White (6)

Rush (3)

Mark Briscoe (0)

Jay Lethal (0)

Jon Moxley (9) vs. Swerve Strickland (9)

One would be hard-pressed to find a man on a bigger role right now than Jon Moxley, he’s won 13 of his last 15 singles matches, including that Steel Cage Match with Kenny Omega and being the one to end Orange Cassidy’s historic first AEW International Championship reign. His two losses were quite painful to be honest, losing that same championship to Rey Fenix and failing to reclaim it from “Freshly Squeezed” in their rematch, but Mox has rebounded spectacularly with this three victories in the Continental Classic: Gold League thus far. RUSH, Mark Briscoe, and Jay Lethal have all fallen at the hands of the 3-Time AEW World Champion and even though we’ve all heard it from the horse’s mouth just how he is hurting, Mox is going to keep fighting until there’s no breath left in his lungs.

Swerve is also on quite a roll of his own, winning nine of his last ten singles bouts, the loss in that situation coming at the hands of Bryan Danielson and there is absolutely no shame in losing to “The American Dragon”. Now Strickland might put that loss squarely on the shoulders of Hangman Page, but the reality is that all the former AEW World Champion did was prevent Swerve from cheating to win. Now the nature of this tournament removed the Prince Nana factor from the equation, but rather than be a hindrance, it has instead allowed Swerve to prove just how good he is without the assistance of The Mogul Embassy. Victories over Mark Briscoe, Jay White, and Jay Lethal have bolstered Swerve already massive go, but also demonstrated that he’s got the ability to be truly great on his own. And now it will be put to the test this Wednesday night when the only unbeaten men in the Gold League go head-to-head for the very first time!

Swerve Strickland and Jon Moxley are both on the precipice of winning the Gold League, the only man that can possibly match them is Jay White, but he requires a lot of pieces to fall into place in order to make that happen, not the least of which is beating Moxley in their final League match. That’s a story for another week though, and another fight, this one will either set a definitive top dog in the Gold League with a three point victory, or leave things all tied up with a one point draw. One will have twelve points, or both will have ten, those are the only two ways this can go, and all eyes will be watching to see how it plays out.

Rush (3) vs. Jay Lethal (0)

With just three points to his name, “El Toro Blanco” is one of three men in this tournament on the outside looking in; mathematically speaking, there is no way for the head of La Faccion Ingobernable to move to the front of the line save both Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland forfeiting their last two matches. Even if two current leaders of the field went to a draw in their bout this Wednesday, and Moxley lost in his last bout to Jay White while RUSH beat Swerve in theirs, the best he could hope for is nine points to their ten. Still, stranger things have happened, and “El Toro Blanco” is fighting with the hope that one of those things takes place between now and the finals of the Gold League!

As for Jay Lethal, the “Franchise of ROH”, he has taken his zero point total very hard, and there was obviously not a whole lot for Jeff Jarrett or Sonjay Dutt to say about the matter. So while Lethal is eliminated from any possibility of winning this tournament, he can still score some sort of moral victory by winning at least one of his remaining battles, and in the case of Rush, he can do it with a win over a man he’s never beaten in RUSH. Their only singles encounter, a ROH World Championship match at the 19TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW in March 2021 ended with a RUSH victory, their one Four Corner Survival ended with neither as the victor, and their Eight-Man Tag ended with LFI having the upper hand. 

Coincidentally, before any of their matches against one another, there was a period of time in 2019 where the two men actually fought side-by-side, and even challenged for the ROH World Six-Man Titles together with Jeff Cobb. Yet now they stand as foes once again, Lethal’s first chance to redeem that 2021 championship defeat, and his second-to-last opportunity to put any points on the board before the Continental Classic comes to a close. Will Lethal be able to overcome his disappointing run so far, or will this be another night that drives him further towards the edge?

Jay White (6) vs. Mark Briscoe (0)

One month ago, just ten days before “Switchblade” Jay White fought MJF at FULL GEAR 2023 for the AEW World Championship, he went one-on-one with Mark Briscoe for the very first time. Now the two had some history dating back to Jay’s NJPW excursion spent with Ring of Honor, and even fought in a tag team affair as recently as June 2022, but that evening was their first singles bout, and after fourteen minutes, it went the way of Jay White. That sent “King Switch” to his championship match on a high note, not one that led to him claiming the title as his own, but a loss that has perhaps served to stoke White’s fires with this Continental Classic. 

With two victories under his belt, and two matches still to go, the possibility exists that Jay White could actually end up in a tie for the Gold League crown. He just needs to win out in this match, as well as in his final bout with Jon Moxley, and hope that, regardless of the Swerve/Moxley outcome, Strickland also blows his final match in the tournament against RUSH. The situation is possible, but it all hinges on “Switchblade” beating Mark Briscoe.

So knowing he’s completely eliminated from the tournament, what does Mark Briscoe stand to gain from these last two matches with Jay White and Jay Lethal? Well right here, with this “Switchblade” rematch, Mark has the opportunity to redeem his loss a month ago, and play spoiler for any hopes the head of BULLET CLUB GOLD has at winning the Gold League. If White loses this Wednesday night, all hope he had of snaking into a tie for the top spot will be so much dust in the wind thanks to the 13-Time ROH World Tag Team Champion! Can Mark do that? Can he find it within himself to score a win even though nothing is a stake save personal redemption? If there’s anyone in this tournament who has that heart, it’s Mark Briscoe!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: BLUE LEAGUE…

Standings

Brody King (6)

Andrade El Idolo (6)

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (3)

ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (3)

Daniel Garcia (0)

Andrade El Idolo (6) vs. Brody King (6)

This Wednesday night the Blue League of the Continental Classic will come to DYNAMITE for the first time, and with it comes a battle of the two top men in standings! On paper there may be a three tie between Brody King, Andrade El Idolo, and Bryan Danielson, but the reality is that Bryan’s six points are the result of three matches in the Blue League while King and El Idolo have had just two thus far. That changes on Wednesday night when those two warriors collide in their third Blue League match, the halfway point of the tournament, and a rematch of their June 24th COLLISION bout that ended with a DQ victory for Andrade El Idolo after Buddy Matthews interfered on Brody’s behalf.

That will not be the case on Wednesday since, as we all know by now, outside interference in the Continental Classic will not be tolerated, a rule that thankfully has been obeyed by all parties involved thus far. That leaves the powerhouse of The House to deal with the man who had him dead to rights back in June when Buddy’s involvement was the only thing that saved Brody from tapping to the Figure Eight. Will DYNAMITE see Andrade finish the job that was so rudely interrupted at the beginning of the Summer, or will Brody King continue his monstrous run through the Blue League competition to ascend to the top of the mountain with nine points?

ONE-ON-ONE…

Roderick Strong vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uvJIgsR3Xb4?si=ao2NdrD3gtcsoHRt&start=7

Hangman hasn’t stepped into the ring since his unforgettable Texas Death match against Swerve Strickland, a fight he lost, but will forever be etched onto Adam’s soul as one of the most life changing he’s ever had. Where does he go now? It seems his mission is to insure Swerve never achieves his own championship dreams, but now there’s also a little bit of MJF in the mix because, quite frankly, the AEW World Champion is seeing the devil in everyone…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CaXu6XTFPZQ?si=sAhvoclUmKc4vbeX&start=7

Roderick Strong, since being (questionably) injured by Samoa Joe in the Grand Slam Eliminator Tournament finals back in September, has only fought twice, both just about a month ago, and spent most of his time being wheeled around by The Kingdom while yelling quite unnecessarily. One of those matches, the fight with Action Andretti, saw Strong land rather painfully on that neck that he’s been nursing for three months, giving him further excuses to not fight, but it looks like Roddy is finally putting himself back in the mix!

There’s a rich history between Roderick Strong and Adam Page, one dating back to the earliest years of Hangman’s career, and even saw Page serve as Roddy’s young boy in Ring of Honor when Strong was part of a group known as The Decade. It has been nine years since their last one-on-one fight, ROH’s FINAL BATTLE 2014 event to be exact, and seven-plus years since they last shared at ring at ROH/NJPW GLOBAL WARS 2016. So much has changed for both men, especially for Hangman whose stock has risen so much from those young boy days to that of a former AEW World and World Tag Team champion.

This Wednesday night their paths merge once more as each forges ahead with their careers into the great unknown. Is their future the AEW World Champion? Is it something else neither has found yet? Page still has Swerve in his focus, Roderick is still rather obsessive where it comes to anything around Adam Cole, but is that all there is for them?

VENGEANCE…

Ruby Soho vs. Riho

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WZZrFjUAxS4?si=aN91IEfpK7Br_e14&start=166

When we last saw Riho inside an AEW ring it was as another victim of The Outcasts, when they were a united trio, after they’d already beaten her and Skye Blue in a tag team bout. Following the match, Riho was assaulted, spray painted, and dropped with a Triple Powerbomb, never getting a chance to even the score with her assailants.

This past week on DYNAMITE though, after Toni Storm’s victory over Skye Blue, Riho returned to the AEW stage and went straight for the AEW Women’s World Champion! Though Toni may longer have an affiliation with The Outcasts, she was still part of the scenario that put Riho out of AEW action, and the fact Toni’s the reigning champion furthers the incentive for Riho to target her first.

But that doesn’t mean the other women involved are in store for their own comeuppance as well, and that begins this Wednesday night in Arlington when Riho goes one-on-one with Ruby Soho! It’s the first time these two warriors have gone to battle since Ruby eliminated Riho from the 2022 Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament, given Riho even more incentive to even the score with this Outcast! Will Riho manage to do that this Wednesday night, or will Ruby have Saraya at her side to tip the scales?

JOE! JOE! JOE!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gwmpZ6s4s8I?si=B2n_MeC_QDSZnzZa&start=7

Samoa Joe had promised to keep Maxwell Jacob Friedman intact heading into their AEW World Championship bout, but it’s hard to do that when the champion is doing nothing to keep himself safe. He’s already banged up from his title fight against Jay White at FULL GEAR 2023, but that hasn’t stopped MJF from continuing to pursue a fight at every opportunity, especially where this Devil and his masked men are concerned. 

That’s what led to Samoa Joe standing in the ring waiting for the arrival of his temporary partner, saw him stuck in the ring while a group of masked men surrounded it, and then just as abruptly left all by himself to watch a video of MJF laid out, apparently with bottle smashed across his head based on the wreckage left around him.

So where is Samoa Joe’s head at after all that, knowing he’s only a couple weeks away from WORLDS END, and MJF constantly in jeopardy of not being up for the fight? We will hear from the most dangerous man in professional wrestling this Wednesday in Arlington!

THE GOLDEN JETS…

Coming off a hard-fought victory over “All Ego” Ethan Page, Kenny Omega was laid out by Big Bill and left for dead on the COLLISION stage, a message to Omega and Chris Jericho as they sit with a guaranteed AEW World Tag Team Championship match in their pocket. Both Jericho and Omega have paid physical prices for earning that shot, though Omega may have paid a more personal one given that it came at the cost of beating his supposed best friends at FULL GEAR 2023, and this week on DYNAMITE we will hear from the #1 Contender’s regarding Ricky Starks and Big Bill! Will this be the day they call their shot, and name the site of their title match?

DYNAMITE debuts in Arlington, TX this Wednesday night at the College Park Center featuring three more bouts in the Gold League of the Continental Classic! We’ve got a battle of the 9-Pointers in Swerve Strickland and Jon Moxley, the winless Mark Briscoe fighting Jay White, and Rush taking on Jay Lethal as the latter tries to stay in contention! In addition, former ROH Women’s World Champion Riho returns to action against Ruby Soho, Roderick Strong is back in the fight opposite Hangman Page, and Samoa Joe will be in the house after watching his WORLDS END foe get laid out apparently by AEW’s Devil.

The bouts begin at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, just be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for all the highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER!

Reggie Becton Short Documentary by Big Gold Belt Media & @abstractnative7493 -Step behind the scenes with Reggie Becton as he prepares to Perform at the Soulection: The Sound of Tomorrow Concert SeriesR&B’s “one to watch” Reggie…

Director Alberto Belli Interview by Big Gold Belt Media-Synopsis:In Upload Season Three, we pick back up with Nora and freshly downloaded Nathan as they navigate their relationship, while racing to stop the mysterious conspiracy that threatens…

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Tonight’s special 4th Anniversary episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, CA!

Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!

Renee Paquette interviewed Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega backstage!

Adam Copeland interrupted and shook Jericho’s hand, saying it was good to see him. He introduced himself to Kenny Omega and said it was good to meet him. Kenny said Copeland had kept him on the edge of his seat the other night during the WrestleDream pay-per-view.

AEW International Championship Match!

The Lucha Bros’ Rey Fenix (c.) (with Alex Abrahantes & Penta El Zero Miedo)

vs.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion The Young Bucks’ Nick Jackson (with Matt Jackson)!

Rey Fenix and Nick Jackson traded and countered a flurry of offense. Rey Fenix rolled out to the edge of the ring, checking on his injured back. Nick tried to powerbomb Rey onto the floor, but Rey Fenix countered with an arm drag off the post and onto the arena floor. Nick stood up clutching his back.

Nick took down Fenix with a hurracanrana off the guardrail. Nick nailed Fenix with a backstabber in the ring. Rey Fenix kicked Nick Jackson’s leg out from beneath him, with Nick landing on the crown of his head on the ring apron!

Fenix connected with a thrust kick, but Nick answered with two superkicks of his own. Both men had the same idea, Fenix with a strike, Nick with a round kick, and they knocked one another down. Fenix got a near fall with a hurracanrana. Nick blasted Fenix with a cutter on the arena floor!

Nick planted Rey with a facebuster for a two-count! Nick rocked Rey with a roundhouse kick. Nick drilled Fenix with an avalanche cutter but somehow Fenix was able to kick out! The fans erupted in applause!

Nick had Fenix rattled after a poison rana and then a destroyer, but Fenix kicked out at two! Nick nearly took off Fenix’s head with a running knee strike. Nick smashed Fenix with a BTE Trigger to the back of the head for a near fall!

Rey Fenix rallied back with a punt kick to the side of Nick’s head. Fenix used a frog splash on Nick Jackson for a near fall. Nick rolled up Rey Fenix, but Fenix countered with a roll-up of his own and pinned Nick Jackson!

“A tip of the cap to both men,” said Tony Schiavone.

Footage was shown from earlier in the day with Adam Cole visiting Roderick Strong’s house.

Roddy was there with the Kingdom. Roddy was rolling around in a wheelchair and had a scooter for Cole as a present. “I couldn’t be the only one on wheels,” said Roddy. They did laps in the house while the Kingdom watched on. Roddy said he had an emergency and wanted Cole to move some furniture for him. Again, the Kingdom simply watched as Cole did all the work.

Wardlow vs. Griff Garrison!

Wardlow charged Griff when the bell rang! Wardlow stomped Garrison in the corner. Wardlow powerbombed Griff! He hit Griff with a second powerbomb, and then a third! Wardlow powerbombed Garrison a fourth time! Griff was hearing the notes of the powerbomb symphony! After five consecutive powerbombs, the ref stopped the match and awarded the match to the returning Wardlow!

Renee Paquette interviewed Don Callis and Takeshita backstage.

Don Callis: “AEW has been shaken to its foundation by Sammy pinning Chris Jericho at WrestleDream. So much so, the crack AEW medical staff has deemed Sammy unable to perform. At the recommendation of Will Ospreay, I have requested Kyle Fletcher to be the partner of the ‘Alpha’ Takeshita tonight. I’m going to win this war, no matter what it takes.”

AEW Trios Championship Match!

The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass (c.)

vs.

The Butcher, The Blade, & Kip Sabian (with Penelope Ford)!

Butch dropped a leg on the chest of Caster. Kip Sabian moonsaulted onto the Acclaimed, wiping them out on the arena floor.

Bowens cleaned house on Sabian, the Butcher and Blade. Bowens dropped the Scissor Me Timbers on Blade. After tandem offense, Bowens pinned Sabian!

“Hard fought victory right there by the Acclaimed but they pulled it off,” said Taz.

Up next: We heard from Juice Robison and The Gunns after last week’s mysterious attack on “Switchblade” Jay White!

Austin Gunn: “Who’s ready for story time with the Bang Bang Gang? We came out to address the one they call ‘the devil.”

Colten Gunn: “You mean the people’s scumbag? Max, the reason you jumped Jay is because you’re scared. You know you’re about to suffocate when you breathe with the ‘Switchblade.’”

Juice: “MJF, get your ass out here! You’ve got some explaining to do! If you’re a man, you’ll come out here and face us like one. But you’re not a man, are you?”

AEW World Champion MJF’s music hit!

MJF: “Cut my music! It appears the devil has arrived in Stockton! And we’ve got an interesting trio here making a lot of accusations. We’ve got the assboys. And then we’ve got their best friend, Juice Robinson, aka talentless taint.

“Just call me mystic Max, I have a premonition that we’re going to have a dueling chant of ‘Ass Boys’ and ‘Talentless taint’. Stockton, I’m magic. Isn’t that nuts! It’s our four year anniversary of Dynamite, so I thought I’d list some of my highlights. I whipped Cody Rhodes with a belt. I threw Chris Jericho off a cage. And I almost got us kicked off TV when I called my boss Tony Khan a mark!

“I know for a fact that I didn’t attack your boy, Jay White. But if you don’t want to talk it out like gentlemen…I’ve got an idea. How about right here, right now, we have ourselves a Stockton Street Fight!”

MJF went to the ring and Bullet Club Gold backed out. “Switchblade” Jay White ambushed MJF from behind with the Blade Runner!

Jay White left with the AEW World Title belt!

“Switchblade” Jay White: “Max, I don’t know what type of caliber athlete you’re used to dealing with, but I’m a cut above. You got the best of me last week, but you’re not fooling anybody. We’re not buying what you’re selling. We use our brains. We know the real MJF. We know that MJF is a pathetic, dirty liar, a slimy gutless coward. And we need a truly elite champion. And you are not him, MJF.

“But hey, I’m a fair man. You want to prove me wrong. Put it all on the line at Full Gear! MJF versus ‘Switchblade’ Jay White for the AEW World Championship. You can try to prove me wrong, and you will fail. But don’t worry, I’ll lead by example tonight, and I’m taking this belt. And I’ve got two words for you: guns up!”

MJF: “Nah, you want me at Full Gear? Well, I’ve got two words for you: you’re on!”

Renee Paquette was backstage with FTW Champion HOOK and Orange Cassidy!

Orange: Hook is a great champion because he has a great championship.”

Hook: “It should be you next week against Rey Fenix instead of Mox.”

Orange: “Whatever.”

The Golden Jets—Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega

vs.

The Don Callis Family’s Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher!

Don Callis joined the broadcast booth for this match.

Takeshita hit Jericho with a shoulder block. Jericho got back up to his feet and traded strikes with Takeshita. Jericho fired back with a shoulder block of his own.

Omega tagged in and he and Jericho hit tandem offense on Takeshita. They double suplexed Takeshita. Takeshita blasted Jericho with the Takeshita-line.

Jericho drilled Kyle with a lionsault! Omega tagged in and Omega dished out Polish Hammers to the opposition. Omega hoisted up Takeshita, vaulted off his chest, and nailed Fletcher with a backstabber.

Fletcher sent Omega flying with a half and half suplex. Fletcher rocked Jericho with a thrust kick. Takeshita and Fletcher used a Blue Thunder-Michinoku Driver combo on Omega and Jericho.

Kenny planted Kyle with a snap dragon suplex. Jericho tagged in and dazed Fletcher with a running clothesline. Jericho sent Fletcher flying with a hurracanrana. Takeshita laid out Jericho with a lariat. Omega cracked Takeshita with a jumping knee strike. Fletcher fired back with a thrust kick to Omega and followed up with a brainbuster!

The fans chanted “A-E-W! A-E-W! A-E-W!”

Jericho and Fletcher had the same idea—going for lariats—and they knocked one another down. Omega tagged in and powerbombed Fletcher. He followed up with a knee strike to Kyle for a near fall. Omega got wiped out with a leg lariat from Fletcher. Jericho rattled Fletcher with the Code Breaker and Omega was there to finish off Fletcher with the One-Winged Angel, pinning Fletcher!

Powerhouse Hobbs ambushed Jericho and Omega after the match! He knocked them both down with lariats. Don Callis was smiling. Hobbs smashed Jericho with a spinebuster! Hobbs whipped Omega into the guardrail. Hobbs hurled Omega over the timekeeper’s table, over the barricade, and onto a row of chairs. Hobbs punished Omega out on the arena floor. Hobbs slammed a guardrail onto Omega. Hobbs trapped Omega’s throat in the guardrail.

Back in the ring, Don Callis taped Omega by the wrists to the top rope. Takeshita dropkicked Jericho out of the ring. Hobbs whacked Jericho with the chair, as Jericho was trying to take the bullet for Omega.

Hobbs was about to waffle Omega with the chair, but Don Callis asked for the chair. Callis smacked the chair over Omega’s head!

“Look at the dent left in that chair,” said Excalibur.

Renee Paquette was in the trainer’s room with AEW World Champion MJF!

Renee asked how MJF was doing.

MJF: “It’d be an easier pill to swallow if Adam was here.”

Max Caster snuck up behind MJF and MJF freaked out and told Caster to leave. “Stop stalking me!” MJF said he was going to call Adam Cole. The call went to voicemail.

“Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Skye Blue!

Toni hit Skye with a short arm lariat. Toni Storm whipped Skye across the ring by the hair! Skye fired back with a dropkick. Skye slugged Storm with a forearm. Toni sent Skye crashing to the floor with a hip attack.

Skye Blue was relentless with elbow strikes to Toni Storm. Skye connected with a high roundhouse and then a big cross body press for a near fall. Toni rattled Skye with a powerbomb.

Toni sent Skye flying with a German Suplex. Storm cracked Skye with the hip attack and finished her off with the Storm Zero for the pin!

Renee Paquette was backstage with Stokely Hathaway!

Hathaway said this Friday on Rampage there would be a four way match to determine the next challenger for Eddie Kingston’s ROH World Championship!

The Rated-R Superstar Adam Copeland made his Dynamite debut!

Tony Schiavone was in the ring and asked everyone to welcome to Dynamite— “The Rated-R Superstar” Adam Copeland!

Adam Copeland: “Tony, I grew up and your voice was the soundtrack to my childhood. So, to stand in the ring with you is a pretty big deal for me.

“I came out here to talk to you all. Let’s rewind back to 2011, I’m told I can never do this again. But guys, we’re in 2023 and I am standing in an AEW ring! There’s quite a few reasons why I came here. There’s one major one but I’ll get to that last.

“I’m pretty sure the AEW World Championship would look good around my waist. Check it out, we’re talking first ever matches. Adam Copeland versus Jon Moxley, Adam Copeland versus Kenny Omega, versus Miro, versus Powerhouse Hobbs, versus Juice Robinson. So those are all amazing reasons to be here, to challenge myself 31 years into my career.

“And I’ve already said this before, and this’ll be the last time I say it. The main reason I decided to come to AEW is I sat with my family. I asked my daughter Lyric, ‘Should I retire?’ She said, ‘You should go have fun with Uncle Jay.’

“So, I’ll call him what you all call him—Christian Cage. And I’d like him to come out here so I can tell him the real reason why I’m here. C’mon Jay.

TNT Champion Christian Cage came down to the ring!

Adam Copeland: “For 40 years we’ve been best friends. But it was this industry that made us realize we’d be best friends for life. And I know what you’re thinking. Why did I do those things at WrestleDream to Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus? And even though I know that about you, I still love you. That’s never gonna go away. But I saw you standing over Sting. A guy whose poster you took to the barber and put it on the mirror so she could give you the same haircut.

“And I see you standing over Sting. A man who has entertained people for four decades. My wife’s parents couldn’t speak English, but they loved Sting. I know that Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne are going to drop you like a bad habit as soon as they’ve sucked all the information from your brain.

“You’re so egotistical that you can’t see it. But Jay, it’s time. For the first time since 2011, for the first time properly in over 20 years, it’s time for you and me to team together again. To face a team like FTR. To face a team like the Young Bucks. To show an entire generation of fans why we are inarguably one of the greatest tag teams of all time! So, I am out here, hat in hand, and I am asking you, let’s do it. Let’s end our careers together as a team. Let’s show them all what we can do.”

Christian Cage hugged Adam Copeland.

Christian Cage: “Go to hell!”

Christian Cage walked out of the ring, leaving Adam Copeland behind.

Christian Cage: “Just a quick reminder of what you’ll be up against this Tuesday, live on Dynamite.”

Luchasaurus walked onto the ramp, with Nick Wayne by his side. They all stared at Adam Copeland!

This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT!

***Special night*** Catch AEW DYNAMITE: Title Tuesday on TBS next Tuesday live at 8/7ct from the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, MO!

***Special start time*** Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 7/6c from the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City, UT!

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

Recap review by @CamsCollection of Big Gold Belt Media-Today Hasbro celebrated the fans with Hasbro Pulse Con 2023! This year, Pulse Con was all about the products and Hasbro delivered with tons of new products and…

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The night is upon us; for the third consecutive year, All Elite Wrestling descends upon the historic Arthur Ashe Stadium for GRAND SLAM, and with it comes two hours of the greatest professional wrestling in the world live on DYNAMITE this Wednesday! After winning the Grand Slam Eliminator Tournament, ROH World TV Champ Samoa Joe will challenge MJF for the AEW World Championship while Toni Storm takes on her former Outcasts’ ally Saraya with the AEW Women’s World Championship on the line!

Plus, the long-standing grudge between Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston comes to the forefront when both men put their respective championships on the line in a title versus title fight, and two long-time friends collide for the first-time when Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara lock horns! And in his fourth championship fight in seventeen days, Jon Moxley will meet Rey Fenix in an International Championship fight!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WrX8VoFCEkg?si=gByaLBlLVmx4LymP

DYNAMITE gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to check in on the official AEW YouTube channel and watch the highlights from last week’s action during DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the CONTROL CENTER, and more!

AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

MJF(c) vs. ROH World TV Champion Samoa Joe

https://www.youtube.com/embed/b06LD-IYgSQ?si=w8psb5FxoBfqPvKS&start=237

In the span of five days from 9/8 to 9/13, the ROH World Television Champion conquered three of the toughest competitors in All Elite Wrestling on path through the Grand Slam World Championship Eliminator Tournament. It began with Jeff Hardy on the 9/8 edition of RAMPAGE, continued with Penta El Zero Miedo the following night on COLLISION, and culminated in a 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament rematch with Roderick Strong. Nearly thirty-five minutes of battle was what it took to get Samoa Joe to the precipice of the AEW World Championship, now he just has to complete the mission by taking Maxwell Jacob Friedman down this Wednesday night at DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2023.

For Joe, this is an issue that became more than just the desire to be AEW World Champion after MJF chose to attack Joe at ALL OUT 2023 following the ROH World TV Champion giving him a little shove as they crossed paths between matches. Given that MJF was coming out of a ROH World Tag Team Championship defense with a hurt neck, perhaps attacking the guy whose primary moves consist of either choking a man out or dropping them on their head with a Muscle Buster may not have been the brightest idea, but for Max it was about the insult of that moment, as well as an insult buried in their history.

As MJF tells it, and as video shows it, one day many years ago, long before Maxwell Jacob Freidman was a name on anyone’s lips, Samoa Joe showed him the kind of disregard that can often befall a rookie when engaging with their seniors. For Joe it was a moment he likely forgot about until MJF began to make his name thus leading the internet to incessantly share the clip, especially once Joe and Max came to share the same space here in AEW. But for MJF, much like his interactions with William Regal many years ago, it was not something that ever left his head space, and in truth something that helped to motivate Max to the heights he’s reached today. It’s pretty clear by now that MJF has had a career fueled by a mix of anger, self-loathing, a need for retribution, and false bravado.

In fact, it would be reasonable to say that it’s only through this friendship with Adam Cole that MJF has found a semblance of motivation based on more than just those things, based on discovering actual self-worth, and an appreciation for those who have supported him despite his massive shortcomings as a decent human being. So the fact that Joe chose to attack Adam Cole as his last statement to MJF prior to this fight, well that is something sure to push Maxwell back into his darkest places, deep into the devil inside, and to add those actions to the ones Samoa Joe committed in 2016 to further motivate his desire to smash the Samoan monster.

There’s just one problem: MJF’s neck, and that it represents a huge target for a man as merciless as the ROH World Television Champion. He will look to suplex Max on that weakened neck until MJF looks like a bobblehead, Joe will look to wrap his arms around that stem and squeeze it until no breath remains in the lungs of Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and he will aim to hoist Max from the top rope, his neck flush against Joe’s shoulder, and to drop the AEW World Champion down with a Muscle Buster to end the misery. Be it the Choke, the Muscle Buster, his signature Island Driver, a massive lariat, or even his underrated Brainbuster, Samoa Joe has a million ways to grind that injured neck of MJF’s to dust.

MJF is going to have to dip into every dirty trick he has in his book to survive this fight with the AEW World Championship still in his possession. Max’s devil will have to come out in all its wretched glory, and even then, it may not be enough to stop Samoa Joe from claiming his first AEW championship title. Just as was the case when he claimed the Ring of Honor Title on March 2003, it would be appropriate if Joe’s first AEW championship was the AEW World Championship, and at this point, in his condition, there may not be anything Max can do to stop Joe’s ascension.

TITLE VS. TITLE…

ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jzamizcxVu8?si=Q0f1r7in6hNcn3Da

This is a journey that has encompassed the last two decades in the lives of Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston, a journey that started during the dawning days of their wrestling careers, and with their first time sharing the ring somewhere in Indiana back in October 2004. They trained together, lived together, fought together, and most importantly, fought each other both inside the ring and out. From their first singles match back in January 2006, through eleven bouts across five different wrestling promotions, up to March 13, 2011, the scales tipped heavily in favor of Claudio with nine wins to Kingston’s two.

One of those bouts was a Respect Match where, upon losing, Eddie was supposed to tell Claudio he respected him, but instead Kingston told the man he did not respect him, and then leveled him with a spinning backfist. As Claudio lay there unconscious, Kingston’s last words to him as he left the ring were “I know you”, and later that night Double C proved Eddie right when he betrayed the entire promotion they were working for at the time, but this is why several weeks ago, Claudio claimed Kingston still owed him a handshake.

There certainly wasn’t going to be respect shown after what ended up being their last one-on-one bout for twelve years, not after the match ended with Claudio beating Eddie thanks to a chain-assisted European Uppercut, and then proceeding to whip him with a belt. Sadly for Kingston, there was a chance to rectify the situation as Claudio departed for “the land of make-believe” as Eddie called it, and did so in a fashion that only served to further infuriate “The Mad King”.

Thus when Claudio came to All Elite Wrestling to join The Blackpool Combat Club, making him an immediate ally of Kingston’s in the second Blood & Guts Cage Match, it infuriated Eddie and it was only due to his relationship with Jon Moxley that Eddie played nice throughout the bout. Still, the hate burned strong, the kind of hate that not time nor distance can quell, the kind of hate that follows both men wherever they go, even to ROH’s SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 event where Kingston failed once more to defeat Claudio when the ROH World Championship was at stake.

It was a fight Kingston took injured, an injury that kept him on the shelf for three months, but the hate brought him back for FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023 and even united him with The Elite, men he despises but strange bedfellows and all that, to defeat The Blackpool Combat Club. Just like that, the war with Claudio picked up right where it left off, just as it had after a dozen years apart, and now it has brought them to this point, on Eddie Kingston’s home turf, in front of his family and loved ones, where he will put his NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship on the line against the ROH World Championship of Claudio Castagnoli. Two titles are on the line, but after two decades, this is a fight that means so much more than words can encapsulate, they can only hope to convey a fragment of what it all means.

Will this be the end? Can there ever be an end with hate that runs this deep, with disrespect this ingrained in their dynamic, and bonds shattered so completely? Are Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli destined for mutually assured destruction, or will Arthur Ashe Stadium finally be the place where their demons are exorcised?

AEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Saraya(c) vs. Toni Storm

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0uZ6toXepEE?si=Yhm1xBttW-UtMkRW

Speaking of demons, just what has possessed Toni Storm in the weeks since she lost the AEW Women’s World Championship to Hikaru Shida, and had her psyche further fractured by the actions of her fellow Outcasts? Since their formation, it’s always been a lingering question of what may happen should multiple members of The Outcasts find themselves in contention for the AEW Women’s World Champions, and while Saraya, Ruby Soho, and Toni Storm all insisted that things would be fine between them, the reality reared its ugly head as ALL IN: LONDON drew closer.

Then that night, when both Saraya and Toni Storm were in the title match aiming to end Shida’s second reign as champion, it became clear as crystal just what mattered most, and that was getting the championship title around the waist of Saraya. It didn’t matter that Toni striking Saraya’s mother was completely accidental, a fight still broke out between the two Outcasts, and it didn’t matter that Ruby had done nothing in that moment but try to quell the situation, she still got laid out by Toni for her efforts, and it all ultimately led to Saraya pinning Toni to claim the AEW Women’s World Championship.

And then the wheels fell off, though The Outcasts seemed to keep it together for a few days prior to ALL OUT 2023, but that was clearly not the case as Toni Storm cost Ruby Soho the TBS Championship, or rather it be said, prevented Soho from cheating to defeat Kris Statlander, and instead made sure the playing field was a bit more level. That choice made it clear that Toni Storm was an Outcast no more, and her winning the Four Way Eliminator Match to earn this championship fight absolutely solidifies Toni’s excommunication from the group.

But what has Toni become in the last several weeks? She’s clearly not in the same head space she was prior DYNAMITE #200 when she lost the belt to Shida, but just what is this space Toni occupies now? Is this all a mind game? Is it something Saraya and Ruby Soho can even prepare for heading into GRAND SLAM 2023 for the champ’s first title defense? One has to figure that no one knows Saraya like Ruby and Toni, but do Ruby and Saraya know this Toni Storm? After working so hard to come back from a career-ending injury, and having the fans embrace her a year ago at GRAND SLAM 2022 only to turn their backs on what she brought to the table, walking out of Arthur Ashe still champion is essential to Saraya. Can Toni Storm crush that dream and become the first 3-Time AEW Women’s World Champion? Or will Saraya find a way to not only top her old friend, but also rub it in the face of all those who turned away from her since last year?

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Jon Moxley(c) vs. Rey Fenix

This Wednesday night, in a first-ever match-up, Jon Moxley will defend his AEW International Champion against one-half of the Lucha Brothers, a former AEW & ROH World Tag Team Champion, the incomparable Rey Fenix! As much as this is about the title, it’s also about revenge for Rey Fenix for what went down on the 8/9/23 edition of DYNAMITE between The Blackpool Combat Club and The Lucha Brothers, what was done to his brother in that match, and the injury that kept Fenix from competing in Stadium Stampede at ALL IN: LONDON.

Fenix has never held a singles championship in AEW, though he’s challenged Kenny Omega for the World Title, Hobbs for the TNT Title, Orange Cassidy for the All-Atlantic prior to its leveling up, even taking part in the Blackjack Battle Royale for the International Title at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023, but has yet to achieve that singles success to rival his tag team accolades.

So right here, this fight with Jon Moxley, it’s a chance to kill those two proverbial birds, Fenix can get his revenge for that Mox and The BCC did to him and his brother and claim his first AEW singles championship at the same time! Though Fenix prefers his competition honorable, he’s shown in the past a willingness to get down and dirty, even spilling blood in a fight with his own brother several years ago, so Moxley best be prepared for a man as willing to go there as he.

It is clear the defending International Champion intends to keep the same pace as the man he dethroned, likely aiming to surpass the lofty standard set by Orange Cassidy during his reign, but just like it did with “Freshly Squeezed”, eventually it will catch up to Moxley, the question is whether it will be sooner or later, and just who the man will be to lay him low? Will it be Rey Fenix this Wednesday night at GRAND SLAM 2023? Tune into TNT starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT to find out!

ONE-ON-ONE…

Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lvPQY-8xU7s?si=3WLD6dZfifFB7uu-

With a history dating back to the very first episode of DYNAMITE, looping from The Inner Circle to The Jericho Appreciation Society, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara have been through a great deal together, most of it standing side-by-side. They went through the introduction of concepts like Stadium Stampede and Blood & Guts together, competed for the AEW World Trios Championship and were early challengers to the AEW World Tag Team Championship together, and even fought each other over the ROH World Championship at FULL GEAR 2022.

Though Sammy walked away from Jericho and The Inner Circle when it was needed for his own well-being, he came back to the fold when The Jericho Appreciation Society was born, and even spoke of his allegiance to “The DemoGod” when all the others in The J.A.S. abandoned the man for how they felt he took them for granted.

But even with the closest of friends, between the dearest of partners, there comes a time when not all is right, and when even brothers come to blows. That is what is about to happen this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when, for the first time, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara collide in singles competition! Though they’ve expressed their desire to unite and pursue tag team success, their egos, and pershaps even some ill will for recent events, has made it difficult for the two men to stay on the same page, even in victory. Perhaps Jericho feels that Sammy is more underling than equal, perhaps Guevara feels the student has surpassed the teacher, whatever the case may be, these two brothers came to the conclusion that the only way past their issues is to confront them with violence done unto each other.

So like a pair of Cain’s without an Abel in sight, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara will lock horns inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, and we shall see if either survives to pursue their supposed tag team aspirations!

DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel and catch up on highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well the newest edition of THE CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

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This Wednesday night All Elite Wrestling returns to Cincinnati’s Heritage Bank Center for a brand new DYNAMITE that will continue to give form to GRAND SLAM 2023 on September 20th! The Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals are going down between Roderick Strong and Samoa Joe, Hangman Page will go one-on-one with “The Machine” Brian Cage for a third time in their careers, Le Sex Gods will be in the building to discuss their collision at Arthur Ashe, and Jon Moxley returns home to defend his AEW International Championship against Big Bill!

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DYNAMITE get underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to check in on the official AEW YouTube channel and watch the highlights from last week’s action during DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the CONTROL CENTER, and more!

GRAND SLAM WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR TOURNAMENT FINALS…

ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe vs. Roderick Strong

https://www.youtube.com/embed/c7y4I2kFBgQ?si=a76WawKXYgI-8tND

This is where Samoa Joe and Roderick Strong have spent the last week fighting to get to: the precipice of an AEW World Championship match, a first for either man, taking place at GRAND SLAM 2023 on September 20th. There is just one last step to take on this road, a matter of either Roderick Strong defeating a man he’s only beaten once in their eight singles matches, or Samoa Joe once more beating a man he only lost to once back in January 2005.

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Both Joe and Roderick have plenty of motivation pushing them towards victory, Roderick’s well-documented issues with Adam Cole’s friendship with MJF and Joe’s issues with the disrespect thrown his way by the AEW World Champion, but for both men that’s putting the cart before the horse. There’s a fight taking place this Wednesday night in Cincinnati that takes precedent, and while 87.5% of their fights have gone Joe’s way, Strong may have deeper reasons to fight than he ever has before, even when it was the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament that was at stake.

This is about the AEW World Title, ultimately that is the most primary reason to fight, but it’s also about broken trust and shattered friendships, it’s about respect and disrespect, and it’s about Roddy shaking the monkey off his back to finally defeat Samoa Joe, but if that neck is actually as hurt as Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett have claimed, than “Mr. ROH” is just one Choke or Muscle Buster away from ending up back on the shelf.

WOMEN’S WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR FOUR WAY…

Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose vs. Toni Storm

https://www.youtube.com/embed/GmPFhAjzuC0?si=UJQqAG0hIx_YVU_F&start=213

Take four former AEW Women’s World Champions, all with plenty of history binding them to one another, and throw them in the ring together to see what happens. Add in the additional factor of a World Championship match being at stake, and this is an explosive formula worthy of DYNAMITE. Baker beat Shida for her first championship, Shida beat Nyla Rose for her first and Toni Storm for her second, Toni Storm won a Four Way that included Britt and Shida to claim her first shot, and then there is the whole issue of The Outcasts and what they’ve been aiming for with the AEW originals since they first united. Now Nyla Rose may have been left alone in that Outcasts mission, most likely out of fear, but reclaiming the Women’s World Championship is something that’s always been part of Nyla’s own personal mission.

Speaking of The Outcasts though, it is abundantly clear that Toni Storm is on the outs with Ruby Soho and AEW Women’s World Champion Saraya, especially since she insured Ruby couldn’t cheat to beat Kris Statlander at ALL OUT 2023. So add in that drama, on top of that mixed in with these four women, and this is quite the intriguing bout set for this Wednesday night.

Which of these four champions will get their chance to reclaim the gold they once lost, or in the case of Toni and Shida twice-lost? Will Britt get to face down Saraya in the same venue where the AEW Women’s World Champion made her AEW debut, the woman who beat her at FULL GEAR 2022? Will Toni Storm end up in a fight with the woman who pinned her at ALL IN: LONDON to claim the title? Or will we see first-time fights in Hikaru Shida or Nyla Rose?

AEW INTERNAIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Jon Moxley(c) vs. Big Bill (w/ Ricky Starks)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/u7zjdmFNEt4?si=nx9JuJeHF_iVy7Z-&start=213

As he heads home to Cincinnati for his 3rd AEW International Championship defense in a week, Jon Moxley has to be feeling the effects of not only the two previous bouts, as well as the match at ALL OUT 2023 where he beat Orange Cassidy, but also the attack perpetrated by Big Bill on COLLISION while Ricky Starks choked the life out of Bryan Danielson with a BCC shirt just a few feet away.

This is the third year in a row that Cincinnati has welcomed AEW, the second at the Heritage Bank Center, and each year has presented Jon Moxley with a huge undertaking, but one in which he has proven victorious. The first year he fought Minoru Suzuki and walked away the winner after eight of the hardest-hitting minutes AEW has seen, while the second hosted an AEW World Championship defense as Hangman Page challenged Mox, with the challenger ultimately ending up on a stretcher after a vicious King Kong Lariat knocked Hangman out.

This year, with a new championship around his waist, Moxley comes home to face the indomitable threat of Big Bill, a man who laid out the International Champion with a single big boot last Saturday night. Now this isn’t their first engagement in singles competition, that took place in June 2019, but it is their first one-on-one encounter in All Elite Wrestling, having only met in a tag match during the HOUSE RULES: TROY event, some 75 miles north on I-75, back in March.

Moxley is hellbent on surpassing Orange Cassidy’s legacy as the best International Champion of all-time, which means defending the title more times than any champions in AEW history across all divisions, as well as holding it for more than 327 days (20 days shy of all three of Mox’s World Championship reigns combined). So that’s why Mox is on his third defense in a week, coming into it having won nine straight singles matches, and with an 11-3 record on the year in those ranks that includes a Steel Cage Match win over Kenny Omega.

As for Big Bill, most of his AEW competition has been in tag team and multi-man competition, but as a singles he’s run a 4-3 record on the year, including an International Championship loss to Orange Cassidy, and three wins in his last five bouts. Though he’s one of the most imposing figures on the AEW roster, Bill hasn’t tasted championship success yet in AEW, though he also united with Brian Cage to challenge FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championship just over a month ago. Given his dominating presence, his strength and stature, it seems an inevitability that Big Bill will hold a title in All Elite Wrestling before too long.

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Will that success come to Big Bill this Wednesday night in Cincinnati, or will Jon Moxley go three in a row in his hometown, as well as three in a row with International Championship defenses? Will Ricky Starks be the kind of presence in Big Bill’s matches the way Bill is in his? And if so, will there be any BCC at ringside to balance the scales? Tune into DYNAMITE this Wednesday night to see if we have a new AEW International Champion by night’s end!

HANGMAN/CAGE III…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y7oidTdrSBE?si=ZY7WHjd7nUdAGpZo&start=213

As mentioned above, the last time All Elite Wrestling was in Cincinnati Hangman Page did not leave the arena on his own two feet, instead finding himself carted out on a stretcher and hoisted into an ambulance after a Jon Moxley lariat knocked him unconscious. Though Hangman would recover shortly thereafter, the fact that his last time in town ended the way it did had to be scratching at his brain as this event drew closer.

Well now the former AEW World Champion has an opportunity to redeem himself before the Cincy crowd when he enters into battle with ROH World Six-Man Champion Brian Cage for their third singles fight! Back in the spring of 2021, before AEW returned to a touring schedule, “The Machine” shocked everyone, including Hangman, when he beat Page on the April 28th edition of DYNAMITE. The loss came at a time when many fans felt Hangman was on the path to dethroning AEW World Champion Kenny Omega months before he actually did so at FULL GEAR 2021.

Hangman would rebound from that loss a month later at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2021, beating Brian Cage in a twelve minute slobber knocker, and evening the score. Though the two would meet one last time in a tag match on the subsequent DYNAMITE, a match won by Hangman and Dark Order’s Ten it should be noted, they never had that rubber match to truly decide who was the better man.

Not until now at least; though Hangman was out there to address his victory in the Over Budget Charity Battle Royal, his presence in the ring last week turned into a confrontation with Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana, and ultimately an assault perpetrated by “The Machine”. So with that in mind, as well as the history between Page and his assailant, the rubber match between Page and Cage has been set for this Wednesday night in Cincinnati! Will this be a repeat of Hangman’s last trip to town, or can the former World Champion shake that monkey off his back and score a second victory over “The Machine”? The presence of The Mogul Embassy is all but certain, the only question is just how much of an impact they will have on this contest!

CALLIS’ REVELATION…

So what’s next for Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita, the man that Callis has proclaimed as the “New God of Professional Wrestling”? Don has already stated, despite steering Takeshita towards two pinfall victories over Omega, and assisting in Will Ospreay’s victory over him at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, that he’s not done utterly dissecting the life of Omega and anyone who supports him.

So what does that mean, and how does it pertain to this revelation Callis has promised for this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE? Who is their next target in this mission to bleed Kenny Omega dry?

One of The Elite seems the obvious choice, the most accessible targets possible, and it wouldn’t be improbable for Don Callis to throw his lot in with someone like Prince Nana to have his Mogul Embassy do the dirty work on Hangman. After all, he did it with BULLET CLUB GOLD and Kenny, but that’s just a bit of speculation about where Callis will attack next. Thankfully the guessing game doesn’t need last long and Don Callis will tell us himself in Cincinnati…

LE SEX GODS…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FJZaOaVEdRs?si=7LPRDwi__4EkMiLv

It is official that Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara, men who’ve been bonded since the very first episode of DYNAMITE back in 2019, who’ve fought together as members of The Inner Circle and The Jericho Appreciation Society, and who’ve been in Stadium Stampedes and Blood & Guts together, that they will go one-on-one at GRAND SLAM 2023 for the very first time.

Now they fought one another in a Four Way for the ROH World Championship at FULL GEAR 2022, and they’ve been on opposite sides of a few tag matches over the years, but they’ve never just straight up fought each other in a singles match. September 20th will change all that, but before we get to Arthur Ashe, these two men will both be on-hand in Cincinnati to address what is about to happen. Though this was presented as a way for the two men to get past their problems, and move onto being tag team championship challengers, there’s more than a little bit of ego at play, so it should be quite interesting to see what thoughts Jericho and Guevara have to share!

Come Wednesday night All Elite Wrestling brings to you the absolute best professional wrestling on the planet, this time emanating from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH and it will shape the face of both the GRAND SLAM 2023 World Title match as well as the Women’s World Championship bout! Plus, Hangman Page and “The Machine” collide for a third time, Le Sex Gods will be in the house with words before their singles bout, plus hometown hero Jon Moxley returns to defend his AEW International Championship against Big Bill!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/roS8VfK6l6c?si=Jv9NLJqhKga8lFpo&start=213

DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel and catch up on highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well the newest edition of THE CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

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Just seven days after the biggest night in All Elite Wrestling history, we are right back at it with our second pay-per-view offering in a week! ALL OUT has been at the heart of AEW since 2019 when Chris Jericho defeated Hangman Page to become the first AEW World Champion, and it has provided a lion’s share of memorable matches and moments every year since! The Chicagoland area has been home to this event every year save one, and 2023 will be no different, but for the very first time, ALL OUT will emanate from the United Center!

If you can’t be there in-person, click here for details on all the ways you can watch the pay-per-view event live no matter where you are in the world! Also be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the latest edition of CONTROL CENTER, highlights from ALL IN: LONDON, and more to get you up to speed for ALL OUT 2023!

AEW International Championship Match…

Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Jon Moxley

This past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, after Orange Cassidy bested Penta El Zero Miedo in his 31st International Championship defense, he was confronted by the next man scheduled to challenge for the title regardless of who won Wednesday night’s fight, former 3-Time AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.

Three years ago this would’ve seemed a largely lopsided fight, but in the time since Orange Cassidy fought his first AEW singles match at REVOLUTION 2020, coincidentally at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago as well as the same night Moxley won his first AEW World Championship, he has proven to be in a class all his own. There was never any question that Jon Moxley was at the top of the heap in All Elite Wrestling, he pretty much heralded that himself with how he arrived on the scene at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019, but Orange Cassidy has been questioned, doubted, bullied, and tested at every step of his AEW career.

It didn’t matter how he performed in that first fight with PAC, that he beat Chris Jericho in two straight matches, that he beat Adam Cole in a Lights Out Match, or that he took Will Ospreay to his limits at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2022, he was still doubted. But since the October 12, 2022 edition of DYNAMITE where he defeated “The Bastard” to claim the AEW International Championship, Orange Cassidy has done nothing but proven himself as one of the elite competitors in pro wrestling. His first two title defenses took place in Three Way bouts, he took on “The Wrestler” Katsuyori Shibata in his next, and from that point on, it has been a matter of fighting everyone who stepped up to the plate. Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, Big Bill, Jeff Jarrett, and Jay Lethal; they all fell before “Freshly Squeezed” and at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023 he really showed the world where he stood as champion when he took on 20 challengers simultaneously in the Blackjack Battle Royale. As a result of that many simultaneous challengers in Vegas, as Cassidy heads into this fight with Moxley, he has defended the AEW International Championship 31 times against 41 different men, and been champion for 326 days. He’s defended his title more times than any champion in AEW’s entire history across all divisions, and sits behind Jade Cargill’s 508-day TBS Title reign, Hikaru Shida 372-day AEW Woman’s World Championship reign, and Kenny Omega’s 346-day AEW World Championship run in terms of duration as champ.

And if that’s wasn’t enough to make the entire wrestling world stand-up and recognize the greatness of “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy, perhaps it should be noted that at 121 overall victories, he’s got more wins than any man in All Elite Wrestling, topping Jon Moxley’s 118 overall wins, though Mox does surpass OC as a singles competitor, holding 75 victories to Cassidy’s 68.

As if that wasn’t enough, Cassidy also has the longest active singles win streak in AEW with thirty-one consecutive victories, eclipsing Moxley’s run of 25 from 11/13/19-12/2/20 and HOOK’s from 12/10/21-7/19/23. All that put together, it could be argued that Orange Cassidy is the absolute best in All Elite Wrestling, that he is the measuring stick for the company, and that he is the one everyone else should be looking to as their litmus test.

Jon Moxley clearly is not a man who sees that to be the case, and after their engagement the last several weeks, including Stadium Stampede at ALL IN: LONDON, he aims to put OC to the test this Sunday at ALL OUT 2023! Mox aims to put Cassidy through the wringer in the process of proving that it is he and The Blackpool Combat Club who run AEW, and given the AEW career path that has brought both men here, this may be one of the most important pay-per-view matches in AEW’s history. It is also a night Jon Moxley could make history as the first AEW World Champion to capture another AEW singles championship!

OC has already made history during his International Championship reign, it started with being the man to level the belt up from the All-Atlantic to the International Championship, and has continued with each title defense he survives. But eventually the rigorous schedule Orange has kept will catch up to him, but will that point come this Sunday at the United Center? If there is anyone likely to push OC past that point, it is Jon Moxley, and if the defending champion can’t find an even deeper level to his reservoir of strength, he’s in for a rough night and most likely the end of his historic championship reign.

TNT Championship Match…

Luchasaurus(c) vs. Darby Allin

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nvFMQMMVsCs?si=gHpA5xJTY6YrFudb

As much as Christian Cage may claim otherwise, as much as he would rather have the fans believe an alternative truth, the reality is that Luchasaurus is the TNT Champion, not Christian Cage. Cage may carry the belt around, may consistently refer to the belt as “his” TNT Title, but it was Luchasaurus who won the belt from Wardlow, it’s been the former AEW World Tag Champion who’s defended it since that victory over “The War Dog”, and it will be Luchasaurus who faces former 2-Time TNT Champion Darby Allin this Sunday night at ALL OUT 2023!

But what condition is the challenger in? Like so many others at ALL IN: LONDON, Darby went through tremendous physical punishment, but the x-factor of the coffin elevated his to a whole other level. He was slammed on the metal lid, went for a Coffin Drop on Swerve while Strickland was draped across the top only for Allin to find no one home when he crashed down, he was battered and bruised, but ultimately victorious, though it also came at the expense of young Nick Wayne. Wayne, seeking to balance the scales of the bout, ended up being taken away by The Right Hand of Destruction, but that wasn’t the end of the story.

This week on COLLISION we heard Nick Wayne speak on Darby Allin’s actions pertaining to AR Fox, leading Darby out to the ring to publicly discuss the issue, but even that was interrupted by Christian Cage, who proceeded to say horrid things about Wayne’s mother, and of course promised destruction would rain down upon Allin’s head in his TNT Championship fight with Luchasaurus. Of course it wouldn’t have been Cage if he didn’t, yet again, imply he was the actual TNT Champion, but of course it won’t be he who steps into the ring to face Darby Allin, it will be the former AEW World Tag Team Champion.

Can Darby overcome the size of Luchasaurus, the numbers game that will be played by Christian Cage, and the injuries he sustained at ALL IN: LONDON’s Casket Match? If so, he will become the second man after Sammy Guevara to achieve 3-Time TNT Champion status, but if he cannot, and Cage has his way, will there be anything left of Darby to dust off and try again?

Singles Match…

“The Redeemer” Miro vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

https://www.youtube.com/embed/U-V_gYV6_7o?si=crR3wyOrsc4bjNUE

Forty-two days, in the span of 42 days between 3/8/23 and 4/19/23 Powerhouse Hobbs managed to defeat Wardlow to claim the TNT Championship, defend it five times, and then lose it right back to Wardlow. It was not the way Hobbs anticipating his championship reign going when he won the belt, and after it ended, he spent some time on the House Rules loop getting back on track, leading to a five match win streak, including a smashing victory over Powerhouse Hobbs in the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarter-Finals.

Unfortunately he ran into a familiar foe named Ricky Starks in the Semi-Finals, and “Absolute” would best his former Team Taz partner en route to winning the entire tournament shortly thereafter. Again, not the way Hobbs wanted his COLLISION career to go, but he rebounded and has since won six consecutive bouts, including an eight-second victory last night in Chicago.

As impressive as that streak may be, as rapidly as Hobbs has dispatched those foes, perhaps the most impressive thing Hobbs has done is have the gumption to call out “The Redeemer” Miro for a fight! A former TNT Champion himself, Miro is one of the most intimidating men in all of professional wrestling, and to call him out for a fight is to court pain and punishment. Thus he is also the supreme test for a men looking to redeem himself for the key losses he’s experienced in 2023.

Will Hobbs live to regret his choice to goad Miro into battle? Will he be humbled before “The Redeemer”, or will Hobbs instead find that redemption he’s looking for?

TBS Championship Match…

Kris Statlander(c) vs. Ruby Soho

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZQG1phgDsU4?si=4NUVHthSKNL6fd7L&start=180

The challenge was made by Ruby Soho, a woman that Kris Statlander has yet to defeat, and it appears a challenge born out of this Outcasts frustration at having never won a championship during the last 13 years. Just in All Elite Wrestling, after making her debut at ALL OUT 2021 by winning the Women’s Casino Battle Royale, she was frustrated in her first World Championship match at GRAND SLAM 2021 against Dr. Britt Baker, and sadly that would not be the last time Ruby’s dreams were dashed. A month later, in the inaugural TBS Championship Tournament, Soho would make it past Penelope Ford, Kris Statlander, and Nyla Rose but end up stifled in the finals by Jade Cargill, having to watch her claim status as the first TBS Champion. Even the AAA Mixed Tag Title alluded her and Ortiz at ALL OUT 2022 when they faced Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo on the ZERO HOUR, and finally at REVOLUTION 2023, in a Three Way where she and Saraya challenged AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter, Ruby was again turned away. The frustration is understandable, she is unquestionably one of the best wrestlers competing today, but has repeatedly failed to achieve the trophies that cement that fact in the history books.

That being said, it’s not as if Kris Statlander has had the easiest road to the status she now holds. Injuries have slowed her professional growth on multiple occasions since she first came to All Elite Wrestling, even her first AEW championship bout at REVOLUTION 2020 was tainted as Stat fought Nyla Rose with a debilitating flu that had kept her on bed rest for several days leading up to that night in Chicago. Even in the COUNTDOWN TO ALL OUT Statlander shared about her feelings as champion, a rather open look at the thoughts spinning around in her head despite defending her title eight times in the last 100 days on DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and on the HOUSE RULES tour. She has been a fighting champion from the moment she beat Jade Cargill at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023, and yet doubt still creeps.

It’s not an easy road for champion or challenger, both are driven to be the best, both have had their frustrations and setbacks, but only one has taken those challenges and used them to make herself a better version of who she was. Statlander has gotten tougher, she’s gotten stronger, and it’s led her to the status as TBS Champion whereas Ruby Soho has thrown her lot in with The Outcasts which in turn led her to watching both Saraya and Toni Storm become champions, although Toni’s current situation makes one question whether or not becoming a champion was worth the ramifications of losing it.

This Sunday, when Kris Statlander and Ruby Soho meet in their third singles match, it’s clear there is a bit more than the TBS Championship on the line for each woman. Pride, ego, legacy; they are all wrapped up in this fight between two of today’s best, but only one can walk away as champion while they other will have to find a way to handle with the disappointment and frustration…

Grudge Match…

“The Cleaner” Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita

https://www.youtube.com/embed/GUeppqfOU4A?si=bAJ3mScOKwz94jgp

Kenny Omega has been betrayed by Don Callis on so many levels since that Cage Match against Jon Moxley back in May, and yet this Sunday night at ALL OUT 2023 he will still come to fight in the face of that sting. Whether it was Callis throwing his support behind Will Ospreay at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, ripping Takeshita away from his growing alliance with The Elite, or signing up with BULLET CLUB GOLD, the man who was once akin to Omega’s uncle has done anything he can to wreck the former AEW World Champion’s life.

This all stems from some sense of ownership Callis has over Kenny’s career, some belief he is entitled to the credit though it is Omega who did the heavy-lifting of actually getting in the ring for the fight. Uncle Don may have shown a young Kenny the ropes, but it was Omega who did the work and earned monikers like “Best Bout Machine” and “The God of Pro Wrestling”. It was Kenny in the ring with Okada for their four matches that, over the course of three-plus hours, firmly established both men as the best in the world. It was Kenny in the ring with Chris Jericho at WRESTLE KINGDOM 12 and DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019 not Don Callis, and point of fact, the only actual accomplishment in Kenny’s career that Callis could take some credit for would be Omega defeating Jon Moxley to become the AEW World Champion. It’s undeniable that “The Invisible Hand” played a part in assisting Kenny’s championship challenge, but it’s certainly possible that it was Don whispering in Kenny’s ear that he needed his Uncle’s help to achieve that success.

That loyalty is simultaneously both Kenny’s biggest positive and negative, especially since his return to action in August 2022 after taking 10 months to recover from a litany of injuries collected over his wrestling career. Despite Callis’ entire oeuvre being a stark contrast to where The Elite stood as people in the fall of 2022, Omega kept Don by his side and Callis clearly bristled at the fact Kenny was not on the same page as he when it came to how to conduct business. Omega’s loyalty was that strong, his love for everything Uncle Don had been to him and his family was that strong, and yet Callis clearly grew unhappy with the fact he was no longer the primary voice in Kenny’s ear as he’d been during Omega’s championship reign.

All that anger and disappointment led Callis to betraying Kenny inside that Steel Cage, allowing Jon Moxley to get some revenge for Omega’s equally shady victories several years prior, and has taken us all down this path to ALL OUT 2023. It led Callis to put Takeshita inside the Blood & Guts Cage, and to pull him away from the fight when things weren’t looking promising for The Blackpool Combat Club, it led to the BC GOLD attack on Kenny when he sat down to talk to Jim Ross in Jacksonville, and now has Takeshita fighting Omega on Sunday night.

The relationship between Omega and Takeshita dates back to the earliest years of the latter’s career, so far back that Kenny was the opponent for the fifth match on record in Takeshita’s career, the first of their thirteen encounters in DDT Pro Wrestling between 9/30/12 and 10/26/14, all which posted them as opponents. It wasn’t until Takeshita first came to AEW in April 2021 that the two men fought as partners, and when he became a regular part of the roster one year later, it looked as if Takeshita would ride alongside The Elite as he pursued the growth of his own career.

Then Don Callis got in his ear, promising the sky, and turned Konosuke against those who’d supported him, leading to Takeshita’s impact on Omega’s face during Anarchy in the Arena at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023, and now here we are, four months later, with the two men colliding in their first AEW singles match, and their first head-to-head in a decade. It should be noted, though they were over a decade ago during Takeshita’s early days as a wrestler, Omega is 2-0 in their singles matches, but obviously Takeshita has grown exponentially since that time.

So should Takeshita fail in this singles match, will this be the end of Don Callis’ pursuit of Omega’s end? If Kenny walks away with the victory, will Uncle Don give up this mission to end his nephew, or is Kenny stuck in this infinite loop of Don Callis throwing everything at Omega just hoping he breaks until the weight of it all? And what is the future if Takeshita pins Omega as he did at ALL IN: LONDON? That is the kind of victory that potentially bolsters Takeshita up into championship contention, but what would it mean for Kenny Omega’s immediate future? The ramifications for this one will be felt for some time by all parties involved, but just looking at it as a fight, this one could possibly steal the show at ALL OUT 2023!

ROH World Tag Team Championship Match…

AEW World Champion MJF & Adam Cole(c)
vs.

Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aZg5OWcGD8g?si=rVeItcGbSfyT3iHd

After defeating Aussie Open at ALL IN: LONDON to become the new Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions, Adam Cole and AEW World Champion MJF were informed they’d have to defend their championship against the winner of a Tag Team Battle Royale at ALL OUT 2023. So, in typical MJF fashion, he took the week off to recover from his UK journey while Adam Cole came to work only to be confronted by Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett, including Roddy throwing his name in the hat for the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions and telling Cole he would do what Adam couldn’t: beat MJF.

While that is indeed a concern for Cole, the more immediate matter is the match this Sunday with the winners of the aforementioned Battle Royale: The Dark Order of Alex Reynolds and John Silver! Though they have been part of AEW since the earliest days of DYNAMITE, the pair have only challenged one time for the AEW World Tag Team titles, during the reign of Jurassic Express, and they were unsuccessful in that endeavor. Since coming into the ROH fold back in April, the duo has been embroiled in their own violent affair with The Righteous, one that culminated with victory in the first-ever Trios Fight Without Honor at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023. But none of that matters to MJF who, having some experience with both Alex Reynolds and John Silver early in his career, doesn’t have a bit of respect for either man.

Well Dark Order is quite the motivated, driven duo, one whose bond runs far deep than just the last couple months of this year, and they aim to break this championship drought on Sunday night!

Adam Cole and Maxwell Jacob Friedman have proven themselves to be a strong tag team duo, with a genuine bond that defies all logic and reason, but they are facing a team who’ve been together for over a decade, and who have a whole lot to prove to themselves and the world. Adam Cole and MJF are in for a fight, and they will have to pull out every Double Clothesline, Kangaroo Kick, and any other offense to keep these ROH World Tag Team Titles around their waists.

ROH World Television Championship Match…

Samoa Joe(c) vs. Shane Taylor

The history of Samoa Joe in Ring of Honor has been well-documented; for 645 days he reigned as ROH World Champion, elevating the title from a regional one to World Championship status, and engaging in legendary fights that proved influential to the modern wrestling scene. Even after that reign ended at FINAL BATTLE 2004, Joe remained integral to the workings of ROH, claiming the ROH Pure Championship from Jay Lethal at MANHATTAN MAYHEM, and keeping that for 112 days until he was dethroned by Nigel McGuinness. Even then, his influence on both ROH and pro wrestling at large was felt as he engaged in one of the hardest-hitting, most memorable bouts in modern wrestling history when he fought the legendary Kenta Kobashi at JOE VS. KOBASHI, and even after Joe first parted ways with ROH in March 2007, his presence loomed large over every individual who held the ROH World Championship in his wake. All World Champions were compared to Joe and his legacy, and every big man who ever entered into ROH competition was sized up against Samoa Joe’s shadow as well.

That was the world into which Shane Taylor entered when he first joined Ring of Honor in November 2014 at GLORY BY HONOR XIII, and though he reigned as a dominating ROH World TV Champion for 218 days, and a ROH World Six Man Champion for 295 days, the comparisons to Samoa Joe never ceased, but Taylor never had a chance to tackle those comparisons head-on until now.

When Samoa Joe re-entered the ROH landscape at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2022, the fanbase was excited at the prospects of all that could be, speculating on if Joe would pursue the ROH World Championship he lost, or who he may want to lock horns with inside the squared circle. It turned out his first mission was to claim a championship that he had no opportunity to hold during his original ROH tenure simply because it did not exist until 2010, the ROH World Television Championship.

Shortly after his arrival, Joe dethroned Minoru Suzuki to claim the title, and 508 days later, he is still standing tall as the champion with 13 successful defenses to his reign! This makes Joe the second longest reigning TV champion of all time, behind Jay Lethal, and put him just above Shane Taylor on the list of successful defenses, a list Jay Lethal is also at the top of, having retained the belt on 36 occasions during his 567 days.

So it shall be this Sunday night in Chicago that two of Ring of Honor’s most dominant forces, two of the most imposing competitors in professional wrestling today, will engage in combat for the very first time, a right Taylor earned with victories over Serpentico, Christopher Daniels, and Gravity in an Eliminator Tournament. This is a fight about the championship, about legacy, and about who will be the dominant force moving forward, and for Shane Taylor, with a visit to his hometown of Cleveland looming next Saturday, it’s absolutely about being able to go home a champion!

NO DISQUALIFICATION STRAP MATCH…

“Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FTOIjz-OYYY?si=yPI4zS_v0eAnHUku

Well Ricky Starks certainly did not anticipate getting the match he’s got to face on Sunday night at ALL OUT 2023, he was looking to fight a 70 year old “Dragon” in a Strap Match, but instead he got a date with a different Dragon, an “American Dragon”. This came as a shock to the AEW faithful in Chicago, as well as those watching at home, as no one was aware Danielson was cleared for competition following his injury in the Kazuchika Okada match at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023.

To his credit, Starks recognized the mistake he had made, and essentially told the world “if this is the bed I made, than I’m going to make myself comfortable”. After all, it’s a huge opportunity for the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament winner, the chance to spoil Danielson’s return to action almost two years to the date since his AEW debut at ALL OUT 2021, and continue to rise up towards the championship status he craves.

Will Sunday night be Ricky Starks night, or will it be the night “The American Dragon” roars?

Tag Team Battle…

NJPW STRONG Open Weight Champion Eddie Kingston & ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata

vs.

Blackpool Combat Club (ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta)

The bad blood between Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli has kept these two men bonded across many, many years, and even years wrestling in drastically different spheres did nothing to lessen the feelings of disdain. It’s spread from AEW to Ring of Honor and back again, putting Kingston inside Blood & Guts alongside The Golden Elite, putting him on the same side of Stadium Stampede as The Best Friends and Penta El Zero Miedo, and even putting him at odds with a man who was like a brother: Jon Moxley.

It’s been story of Eddie and his strange bedfellows, doing whatever he needs to do in order to get to Claudio, uniting with whoever has motivates that align with his, and hoping it leads to ending Castagnoli. This Sunday night in Chicago that means uniting with ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata to face the ROH World Champion and the man Shibata dethroned to claim that Ring of Honor title, the only 2-Time Pure Champion in ROH history, Wheeler Yuta!

The sad reality is that the animosity between Claudio and Kingston will probably never be satiated as long as both men are breathing. It’s shattered promotional boundaries, it’s bled across years and years, and sustained itself even when both men were on opposite sides of the wrestling world. Given that these men were once friends, roommates even, it’s a shame it’s gotten to this point, but that familiarity has bred contempt like none other. Is this a case of mutually assured destruction? Can either survive their own hate?

Eight-Man Fight…

AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

vs.

BULLET CLUB GOLD (Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, Jay White, & Juice Robinson)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9hub3SmDfiM?si=JR1UIjkmXMLUTJT1&start=180

It may come as a shock in 2023, but in 2020 The Young Bucks and FTR actually united on two occasions ahead of their first clash at FULL GEAR 2020. Neither ended up as positive moments for the four men, they lost both the eight and ten man tags in which they participated, and as history as shown, they’ve since fought it out in three landmark bouts. The first won by The Young Bucks at FULL GEAR 2020, the second by FTR on the April 6, 2022 edition of DYNAMITE, and the third also by FTR at ALL IN: LONDON just a week ago. Though the brothers Jackson walked away from the match without shaking the hands of Dax and Cash, a common foe had brought them together once again this Sunday night at ALL O UT 2023.

BULLET CLUB GOLD has been a thorn in the side of FTR since the inception of COLLISION, and have also inserted themselves in Elite business time and again, including Kenny uniting with Ibushi and Hangman Page in a losing effort to Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Takeshita at ALL IN: LONDON. Now all the worlds collide as FTR and The Young Bucks try to put aside their differences to fight BC GOLD live on pay-per-view! Is it possible? Or will BC GOLD celebrate in the Windy City tonight!

ALL OUT 2023: ZERO HOUR…

-AEW World Trios Championship Match: The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens, Daddy Ass, & Max Caster)(c) vs. Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, & Satnam Singh

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dGq4ROIquRk?si=Upw7ARLadTEDjKMw&start=180

-ROH Women’s World Champion Athena, Diamante, & Mercedes Martinez vs. Hikaru Shida, Skye Blue, and Willow Nightingale

-Over Budget Charity Battle Royale: Winner gives $50K to the charity of their choice

ALL OUT 2023 emanates from the United Center in Chicago, IL this Sunday night, and live on pay-per-view beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT! Make a point to check out the official AEW YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFN4JkGP_bVhAdBsoV9xftA/videos) to get up to date with highlights from the lastest episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the CONTROL CENTER, highlights from ALL IN: LONDON, and more to get you ready for ALL OUT 2023!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/KyCLNhPX91o?si=QPwQ2KWS5T-4isDt

Twenty-four hours before ALL OUT 2023 comes to pay-per-view, AEW brings COLLISION back to the United Center with multiple matches whose impact will be felt on Sunday night! Ahead of their meeting at ALL OUT, FTR’s Dax Harwood will collide with BULLET CLUB GOLD’s Jay White, new AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed will be their titles on the line against the former J.A.S, and the Four Way Women’s Championship from ALL IN: LONDON will mingle with the TBS Championship match set for Sunday night when all three Outcasts meet Statlander, Baker, and Shida in Trios competition! Plus, Ricky Starks will be in the house with a challenge for the legendary Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WsbFXgImDUs?si=6cjjePQpbuB0UHpu

The show begins at 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for AEW’s international fans, so make it a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest edition of CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

Singles Match…

AEW World Tag Team Champion Dax Harwood vs. Jay White

With FTR and The Young Buck set to team up against BULLET CLUB GOLD this Sunday at ALL OUT 2023, it looks like Saturday night’s edition of COLLISION is going to give fans a little preview of the action to come on pay-per-view! Dax Harwood and Jay White will go head-to-head for the very first time, and it stands to reason that these two warriors have gotten to know each other quite well since the premiere of COLLISION. These two men fought each other on four of the first five episodes of Saturday night’s premiere wrestling program, including two of the most memorable tag team matches in AEW history on July 8th and July 15th, but they’ve never met in one-on-one competition before.

Will it be Dax picking up the momentum for his unit heading into Sunday night, or will it by “King Switch” who gets the nod for BC GOLD?

AEW World Trios Championship Match…

The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens, Daddy Ass, & Max Caster) vs.

Angelo Parker, Daniel Garcia, & Matt Menard

At ALL IN: LONDON, The Acclaimed finally got the monkey off their back and defeated The House of Black to become the new AEW World Trios Champions. It was a rough road to get there, one that nearly brought an end to the in-ring career of Daddy Ass, but instead motivated Bowens, Caster, and Billy Gunn to championship status.

So after celebrating their achievement on DYNAMITE, and rewarding themselves with new custom championship titles, they declared they would defend the belts this Saturday night on COLLISION against any trio. The first men to step up to the challenge will be former Jericho Appreciation Society members Angelo Parker, Daniel Garcia, and Matt Menard who come into this with a 10-4 record in Trios competition.

It’s somewhat of a return to their roots for all three men, working as a trio with Garcia is how Parker and Menard started their AEW career, and it brought them victories over The Dark Order, Kingston/Ortiz/Santana, and many others. So with this return to those beginnings, with The Jericho Appreciation Society apparently behind them, can Parker, Menard, and Garcia end The Acclaimed’s run right out of the gate?

Trios Match…

TBS Champion Kris Statlander, Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D, & Hikaru Shida

vs.

The Outcasts (AEW Women’s World Champion Saraya, Ruby Soho, & Toni Storm)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tbO89GqGbr0?si=cCqcmz9UwdeQwBxn

With Kris Statlander set to face Ruby Soho this Sunday night at ALL OUT 2023, the TBS Champion unites with Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D and Hikaru Shida to face The Outcasts in trios competition! Now after the events of ALL IN:LONDON, there is undoubtedly a question of how these two units will function together. On one side, Baker and Shida have had two matches now where miscommunication has played a role in their fight while on the other side, it’s certainly uncertain how The Outcasts can even function. Saraya pinned Toni Storm at Wembley Stadium to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion after the two women came to blows during the course of a bout that also saw Ruby Soho and Toni have their own physical confrontation. It was certainly that seemed like a situation that would implode The Outcasts, but here they are, uniting on Saturday night for a fight.

Clearly Toni Storm isn’t sure what to do about all of this and seems to be unraveling a little more with every passing moment. How will all of these factors play into this Trios match, and how will its outcome effect the TBS Championship fight set for ALL OUT 2023?

An Absolute Challenge…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gXAV_W69-9A?si=4VzMJKTnd7xbYwbE

“Absolute” Ricky Starks is coming to Chicago with one person on his mind: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat! After putting the belt to the legendary World Champion, Starks was suspended as a wrestler so instead he turned his attention to managing Big Bill and whipping Bill’s fallen opponents after their loss.

Well this Saturday night, it appears that Starks is coming to lay out a challenge to “The Dragon” to meet him in a Strap Match at ALL OUT 2023! Though Steamboat has only wrestled one match in the last 13 years, it’s highly unlikely he’s just going to take what Starks did to him without wanting some measure of revenge, but is he up for a Strap Match with the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Winner?

ALL OUT 2023 comes to pay-per-view this Sunday, but before we get there, AEW returns to the United Center for COLLISION! This one is going to have a tremendous impact on Sunday night’s bout, so don’t miss out as FTR’s Dax Harwood fights BULLET CLUB GOLD’s Jay White, The Acclaimed defending their AEW World Trios Titles against Garcia/Menard/Parker, and Ricky Starks making a challenge to the legendary Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat! Plus, the TBS Champion and the AEW Women’s World Champion will lead their respective trios into battle as Statlander and Soho prepare to fight at ALL OUT!