FOX Sports Mexico steps into the ring with All Elite Wrestling • FOX Sports Mexico acquires the multi-region broadcast rights to AEW, one of the hottest professional wrestling brands in the world. • AEW WrestleDream,<a href="https://biggoldbelt.com/reviews/tomb-raider-the-legend-of-lara-croft-review-2024-netflix/">…</a><p><a class="more-link" href="https://biggoldbelt.com/reviews/tomb-raider-the-legend-of-lara-croft-review-2024-netflix/">Continue reading →</a></p>…
Fox & Rob Rich Interview by Big Gold Belt Media “TIME II: Unfinished Business,” set to debut at the Essence Festival on Saturday, July 6, 2024.-Synopsis:”TIME II: Unfinished Business” is a gripping sequel to the Oscar-nominated…
Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms review by Big Gold Belt Media-Synopsis:After conspiring with a conniving fox demon to kill the emperor and seize power, King Zhou reigns as a tyrant so brutal that…
This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling brings DYNAMITE back to the Austin, TX area and our home at Cedar Park’s H-E-B Center! This has been one of the prime stops on AEW’s calendar since February 2020, with the fans inside the H-E-B always among the best in the land, and that will no doubt continue this time around as AEW brings the greatest professional wrestling on the planet back to town! With each man on the hunt for the TNT Championship, Adam Copeland and Daniel Garcia will clash in singles competition, and we will also see two former friend go to battle when Skye Blue meets Willow Nightingale inside the squared circle! In addition, we will hear from AEW World Champion Samoa Joe as well as his two REVOLUTION 2024 challengers, and The Young Bucks continue their goal of ascending the tag team rankings when they renew their rivalry with Top Flight!
With REVOLUTION 2024 fast approaching, everyone wants to be part of one of the sport’s most historic nights, and they are all chasing that opportunity this Wednesday on DYNAMITE! The night begings at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com (https://www.fite.tv/join/aew-plus/) for international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFN4JkGP_bVhAdBsoV9xftA/videos), 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, with no COLLISION this Saturday, we are back at it next Wednesday night in Tulsa, OK (https://www.allelitewrestling.com/aew-event/aew-dynamite-rampage–tulsa) for our debut at the BOK Center!
Having won all five of his matches in 2024, including four singles bouts, Adam Copeland is on the hunt for the TNT Championship, but more specifically the head of Christian Cage. As the third ranked competitor in the Men’s Singles division, “The Rated R Superstar” is right on the cusp of achieving his goal of one more match with his former tag partner and best friend. There’s only one problem blocking his path: Daniel Garcia!
See Garcia may not have the winning record of Copeland, he isn’t even in the rankings as of 2/10/24, but what he does have is momentum after winning four consecutive matches this year, including being the deciding force in the Escape The Cage match against The House of Black, topping Shane Taylor, and pinning Nick Wayne in the Trios Match against The Patriarchy. That final victory mentioned is the one spurring Garcia on towards a TNT Championship challenge, feeling that pinfall over Christian Cage’s “son” has given him reasonable justification for a championship bout.
Obviously this puts him at cross-purposes with Adam Copeland, and though Copeland respects Garcia’s ability and his gumption in wanting a TNT Championship match, he is adamant in showing Garcia he’s not on his level. Copeland’s may also be looking to use Garcia as an example for someone else looking to jump the line around the rankings. For both men, this match means a TNT Championship match at the expense of the other, and quite frankly, if Garcia wins, he should be wary of the consequences. Adam Copeland has proven throughout his career to not be the most stable of individuals when someone steps into his path, just ask Nick Wayne how his skull felt when he did it.
That being said, Copeland could also be impressed with what Garcia brings to the table if he proves victorious, and that’s not as big an “if” as it once was. Garcia is a former ROH Pure Champion, a man who holds a victory over Bryan Danielson, who learned under the tree of Chris Jericho, and now stands side-by-side with FTR. His growth since coming into AEW has been exponential, and this may be a case of perfect timing for Garcia to ascend to the next level of his career.
Will we see Adam Copeland earn his shot at vengeance, or will Garcia play spoiler to that goal and earn his own TNT Championship since January 2022?
Texas Death Match…
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy vs. ROH World Tag Champion Matt Taven
Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong are destined to fight at REVOLUTION 2024; though the challenge was made by Roddy weeks ago, and though he deferred Cassidy’s offer to fight any time, it became official during the last week that the International Championship will be at stake on March 3rd live on pay-per-view!
Though the fight is set in stone, that hasn’t stopped the Undisputed Kingdom from trying to take away Cassidy’s support system one man at a time. They started with Chuck Taylor, a man already recovering from injury, added Rocky Romero to that list, and then attempted to take out Orange ahead of the fight this past Saturday on COLLISION. With Cassidy worn down from his fight with Ishii, Taven and Bennett assaulted the International Champ, but thankfully “The Stone Pitbull” ran them off before the onslaught could get any worse.
Well Cassidy has had enough, and he aims to return the favor this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when he clashes with ROH World Tag Champion Matt Taven in a Texas Death Match! We’ve seen Cassidy get down right violent in the past, just look at his fights with Jon Moxley or the Stadium Stampede last year, and Taven has been in his fair share of brutal bouts, like the Fight Without Honor against Action Andretti & Darius Martin, but neither has been in Texas Death before now!
Can Matt Taven help wear Orange Cassidy down for Roddy Strong as REVOLUTION 2024 draws near? Or will the ROH World Tag Champion follow the path of so many before him and fall before the winningest competitor in AEW?
Singles Match…
Willow Nightingale vs. (#4)Skye Blue
Over the last two years, Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale have been partners in tag and trios, but more than that they have been friends with one another. In fact after Julia Hart first sprayed her black mist into the face of Skye, it was Willow who stood by her side as support while Kris Statlander questioned where Skye’s head was at. So imagine the feeling of betrayal Willow felt when Skye gave into the darkness and chose TBS Champion Julia Hart over those who’d been her supporters.
What’s rather fascinating about this dynamic is that it’s Julia and Skye who sought this fight out, but neither Stat nor Willow were going to ignore the challenge, and that’s why the original NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion laid this out for Skye Blue! Their first one-on-one encounter will go down Wednesday night as part of another stacked DYNAMITE, but there’s no doubt this is just the beginning of a new chapter in this rivalry between the TBS Champion, Skye, Statlander, and Willow!
FTR and The Blackpool Combat Club do not mess around; all it took was Jon Moxley challenging anyone to rise up to their level, telling any team that stepped up that they’d get stepped on, and out came the former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champs to answer the challenge.
Very few words were exchanged, certainly no back-and-forth duel on the microphone, all it took to push this confrontation into a pull-apart brawl was Mox pie-facing Dax Harwood. Mox is a smart man, he knew it wouldn’t take much to push the hot-tempered Harwood over the edge, and knowing Mox’s predilection for fighting, there’s little question about his intent. Security, as well as members of the locker room, came to separate the combatants, but that just made them each potential targets in the melee before the four men were removed from ringside.
Suffice to say there was no hesitation in making this first-time match for Wednesday night pitting two of AEW’s roughest against one another! Moxley and Harwood were on opposite sides of a DYNAMITE tag two years ago, and opponents for a Trios Fight Without Honor at ROH FINAL BATTLE 2023 just two months ago, but they’ve never thrown hands one-on-one before. That changes on Wednesday, and given the love of the fight each man has, neither is going to stop until the other is broken down!
Chasing the Champions…
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. (#3)Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
So The Young Bucks have decided to get back to work, throwing around their EVP status, and inserting themselves into the tag team championship picture once again now that Darby Allin and Sting are atop the division. It seems pretty clear that Matthew and Nicholas want to be the ones to end Sting’s run on a sour note at REVOLUTION 2024, but in order to get into that position, they’ve stated their willing to work up the rankings into a position of contention rather than play their EVP card to just slide into an AEW World Tag Team Championship Match on March 3rd. They started their journey up the rankings on Friday night’s RAMPAGE with a victory, but are taking a giant leap up in the quality of competition with a fight against some old rivals: Top Flight!
The last time these four men fought in tag team competition was just over a year ago, January 18th of 2023 to be exact, and it actually ended in a victory of the Martin Brothers. That, in turn, led to a pair of AEW World Trios Championship challenges for Top Flight & AR Fox, though neither resulted in the titles changing hands, and thus it’s been since February 17, 2023 that they’ve fought in any capacity. Overall the brothers Jackson hold a 2-1 lead over Dante and Darius in their head-to-head bouts, but there’s just been this whole new fire under Top Flight since Dante returned from injury at the end of November. They aren’t the unseasoned team of 2020 that The Young Bucks beat in Daily’s Place, they’re not even the duo the former AEW World Tag Champions beat on RAMPAGE in 2022, they’ve grown as individuals, as well as a team, and could very well disrupt the EVP’s plans the AEW World Tag Team Championship!
A week ago Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page, with a REVOLUTION 2024 World Championship opportunity at stake, engaged in one of the most memorable clashes in DYNAMITE’s four-plus year history. After thirty minutes of a breathtaking battle, the bout was ruled a time limit draw, and while Swerve Strickland was game for five more minutes, Hangman was content with being the man who blocked Swerve from a title bout with Samoa Joe. For Page it wasn’t a matter of winning the title match for himself, but rather about stopping The Mogul Embassy’s boss from getting the pay-per-view opportunity, and to Hangman a draw meant he was successful in achieving his goal.
Unfortunately for the former World Champion, AEW President Tony Khan had other ideas and ruled that as a result of the draw, both Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland would face AEW World Champion Samoa Joe at REVOLUTION 2024 in a Three Way Title Fight! It’s been nearly three years since the last time the AEW World Title was defended in a Three Way, and this Wednesday night we will hear from all three competitors involved in this situation!
Wet Ink…
All Elite Wrestling is back at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX with another awesome edition of DYNAMITE! For four years the Austin area has been a welcoming home to AEW, and this will doubtless continue this week when the AEW faithful watch The Young Bucks take on Top Flight, see Willow Nightingale clash with Skye Blue, and bear witness to Adam Copeland’s fight with Daniel Garcia! Plus, Toni Storm will premiere her latest film endeavor “Wet Ink”, and we will hear from all three men involved in the REVOLUTION 2024 World Championship match!
All that and so much more comes to you this week on DYNAMITE, just make sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest edition of the CONTROL CENTER! There is no COLLISION this week, but we will be back at it next Wednesday night when All Elite Wrestling comes to Tulsa, OK and the BOK Center for the very first time!
The Flying Swordsman review by Big Gold Belt Media with @AroundTheGeek-Synopsis:After a wicked plot to steal a hidden fortune results in the death of two renowned warriors, the map leading to the treasure’s rumored location inexplicably…
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast from the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC!
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
Continental Classic Blue League Standings:
Brody King (6)
“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (6)
Claudio Castagnoli (3)
Andrade El Idolo (3)
ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (0)
Daniel Garcia (0)
Continental Classic Tournament: Blue League Match!
Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli
vs.
ROH World Champion/NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston!
Kingston cracked Claudio with a spinning backfist. Claudio left the ring and Eddie followed up with a tope suicida. Things were intense right out of the gates, with Kingston trying to finish Claudio early. Claudio pancaked Kingston, his face slammed into the mat, good for a two-count.
Claudio clotheslines Kingston, who was on the apron of the ring. Claudio connected with a big double stomp on the sternum of Kingston. Claudio ducked a chop and put Kingston in the Giant Swing! Claudio transitioned into the sharpshooter. Kingston reached the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold.
Claudio battered Kingston in the corner with vicious forearms. Eddie was dazed. Claudio blasted Kingston with a short arm lariat.
The fans chanted “Let’s go Eddie! Let’s go Eddie!”
“Eddie may be out here. He can’t even get his hands up,” said Tony Schiavone.
Claudio pulled Eddie to his feet and hoisted him up onto the top turnbuckle. Claudio dug his fingernails into Eddie’s back and then superplexed Eddie! Claudio grabbed a waist lock suplex for a two-count on Eddie.
“Claudio just toying with Eddie, asking him to fire up,” said Schiavone.
Eddie responded with two exploder suplexes on Claudio for a near fall.
“It looks like Eddie has flipped the switch,” said Kevin Kelly.
Kingston fired off machine gun chops to Claudio. Kingston rocked Claudio with a lariat for a two-count. Claudio countered a knee strike with a suplex. Claudio applied an STF on Kingston at the 15 minute mark. Kingston crawled to the ropes and forced the ref to break the hold.
Claudio went for the Ricola bomb, but Kingston tried to counter with a spinning backfist. Claudio ducked it and hit a clothesline for a two-count on Kingston. Eddie hit the half-and-half and then two spinning backfists for a near fall on Claudio! Claudio used a hurracanrana, but Eddie rolled up Claudio, pinning him with a cradle!
“Eddie Kingston stays alive! An incredible gut check win for Kingston,” said Tony Schiavone.
Renee Paquette interviewed FTW Champion HOOK backstage about the consistent issues he’s been having with Wheeler Yuta!
Paquette: “What’s going on with you two?”
ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta walked onto the set and interrupted Renee before HOOK could answer.
Wheeler Yuta: “Renee, I’ll tell you what’s up. Hook you are a paper champion. Renee you shouldn’t be wasting your time with amateurs like this when you could be interviewing honorable guys like myself.”
Hook: “Yeah, real honorable. You kicked Shibata in the balls.”
Wheeler: “Hook, I pinned Shibata in the middle of the ring to become a record-setting three-time Ring of Honor Pure champion. I can do it under Pure rules, but I can do it under your rules too. And I am tired of dealing with you. You’re the one who started this. I’m ready to put you out. So, let’s do it under FTW Rules.”
Hook: “All right.”
Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez (with Diamante)!
Willow clocked Martinez with a clothesline. Willow clubbed Martinez with repeated shots and then a shoulder block. Willow splashed Martinez with a senton. Willow followed Martinez to the floor and Martinez rammed Willow into the edge of the ring. Martinez whipped Willow into the steel barricade.
“That is one vicious lady right there,” said Tony Schiavone.
Martinez spiked Willow with a draping DDT off the timekeeper’s table! Back in the ring Martinez hit Willow with two vertical suplexes, but Willow countered with her own suplex and then face planted Martinez for a near fall.
Willow smashed Martinez with a cannonball splash in the turnbuckles. Diamante jumped onto the apron, but Willow knocked her to the arena floor. Martinez used the distraction to her advantage and stunned Willow with a fisherman’s bomb for a two-count. Martinez followed up with a backdrop driver, and then another. Martinez hoisted up Willow and planted her, but Willow managed to roll up Martinez with a small package and pin her!
“How did Willow do it?” asked a shocked Kevin Kelly.
Martinez and Diamante attacked Willow after the match. Diamante pulled a ladder out from beneath the ring and slid it to Martinez, who used it on Willow.
Kris Statlander ran to the ring with a chain wrapped around her fist! Martinez and Diamante retreated while Statlander checked on Willow.
Renee Paquette interviewed Daddy Magic, Cool Hand Ang, and Jake Hager backstage!
Hager was outraged that Danhausen had stolen his purple bucket hat. “I got bad hat fever!” said Hager.
Ruby Soho showed up and began to smile at Cool Hand Ang. Saraya and Anna Jay walked onto the set. Saraya ordered Daddy Magic to handle the situation.
Saraya: “We’ve been looking for you all day. What are you hiding?”
Ruby: “Nothing. It’s cold.”
Saraya pulled Ruby’s jacket open and saw she was wearing a Cool Hand Ang t-shirt underneath.
Saraya: “You’re an evil witch. You’re going to leave me just like her! You haven’t been there for me and I’m not going to be there for you next week when you face Riho, unless you prove to me that you still want to do this.”
Up next: Wardlow vs. Willie Mack!
“Willie Mack is AR Fox’s friend, but you’ve got to be some kind of friend to want to fight Wardlow,” said Kevin Kelly.
Willie hammered Wardlow with some strikes but then Wardlow dropkicked Willie. Wardlow rocked Willie with uppercuts in the corner. Wardlow headbutted Willie Mack. Willie fired back with a standing moonsault, but Wardlow kicked out at the one-count. Wardlow caught Willie in midair and powerbombed him!
Wardlow powerbombed Willie Mack again and then walloped Willie with a lariat. Wardlow devastated Willie Mack with another powerbomb, and the ref stopped the match! Wardlow was victorious via ref stoppage!
The House of Black had a message for FTR!
Malakai Black: “So your best friend is gone. And the only people that truly seem to care about you, well, it’s us.
“All Ego” Ethan Page vs. “The Cleaner” Kenny Omega!
“Ethan Page is not 100% right now, after being put through a table by Tony Nese,” noted Tony Schiavone.
Omega charged into Page with a shoulder tackle. Page wailed away at Omega in the corner with stiff shots. Tony Nese was seen scouting the match backstage.
Ethan Page jumped through the ropes with a cutter on Omega out of nowhere! Omega immediately rolled to the outside, clearly hurt from the cutter. Page followed Omega and whipped Omega into the guardrail. Kenny put the brakes on and then hit a moonsault off the guardrail onto Ethan Page!
Back in the ring Page scoop slammed Omega. Kenny lured Page in and suplexed Page over the ropes and both men spilled out onto the arena floor!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Omega powerbombed Page and then targeted him with a V-trigger for a near fall. Page brought down Omega with an Iconoclasm and then a DDT for a near fall. Omega retaliated with a snapdragon suplex. Omega hit a second snapdragon on Ethan Page.
Page rocked Omega with an avalanche slam off the top rope for a near fall. Omega tried for the One-Winged Angel, but Page countered with a cradle for a near fall. Kenny smashed Page with two V-triggers and then finished him off with the One-Winged Angel, scoring the victory over Page!
“Standing ovation here in Montreal,” said Nigel.
After the match, Big Bill blindsided Kenny Omega with a big boot to the head!
“So now the World Tag Team Champions have put both the Golden Jets down,” noted Kevin Kelly.
Lexy Nair interviewed CJ Perry backstage when “The Redeemer” Miro interrupted!
Miro: “I am your husband, and I’m trying to figure out when was the last time you said so many good things about me, like you do about Andrade El Idolo? Why are you so mad because I told you to stay home? I am the bread earner and you’re my queen.”
CJ Perry: “Are you really that delusional Miro? I mean, you told me to stay home and cook, clean and listen. And then you denounce me. Make up your mind.”
Miro: “A lady needs to get her hands dirty every now and again. When my dad goes fishing, my mom cleans the fish. When my dad kills bull with his bare hand, my mom guts them. When I hunt, you clean. But don’t worry. I’m not going to touch your client Andrade in this tournament. But once it’s finished, so is he.”
Penta El Zero Miedo & Komander (with Alex Abrahantes)
vs.
“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard & “Cool Hand” Angelo Parker!
The hometown crowd chanted “Daddy Magic! Daddy Magic!”
Penta El Zero Miedo punted Daddy Magic in the face. Menard offered his hand to Penta, shook it, and then blindsided him. Komander and Parker tagged in for their respective teams. Komander took down Parker with two arm drags and a dropkick.
Komander and Penta used tandem offense on Parker. Menard charged in and was staggered but stereo thrust kicks. Penta monkey flipped Komander into Parker and Menard! Komander and Penta went for double dives but Menard and Parker crashed the party with stereo forearms.
Penta rallied back with sling blades to Menard and Parker. Komander and Penta connected with double thrust kicks to Parker and Menard.
“The fans are chanting ‘This is awesome!’ and I would agree,” said Schiavone.
Menard applied a Montreal Crab to Penta, but Komander charged in and broke it up. Penta picked up Parker for the Fear Factor and then Komander walked the ropes and crashed onto Parker, more than enough to score the pin on Cool Hand Ang!
Main Event Time! Continental Classic Tournament: Blue League Match!
Blackpool Combat Club’s Bryan Danielson vs. Andrade El Idolo!
“The crowd seems to be evenly split with respectful chants for both Andrade and Danielson,” said Kevin Kelly.
Andrade had a tight side headlock on Danielson, putting pressure on Danielson’s surgically repaired orbital socket. Andrade shoulder blocked Danielson but Danielson came back with a suplex.
Danielson kicked Andrade but Andrade countered with a dragon screw leg whip. Andrade tried to smash into Danielson with the double knees, but Danielson dodged it. Danielson rocketed out of the ring with a dive to Andrade.
Andrade ripped off Danielson’s protective mask and nailed him in the eye with a forearm! Danielson was busted open. Andrade El Idolo applied a figure four to Danielson in the center of the ring. Danielson rolled and managed to reach the ropes.
Andrade headbutted Danielson on the top turnbuckle. Andrade put his thumb in Danielson’s eye socket. They hit one another with open palm strikes. Danielson slapped Andrade off the turnbuckles. Danielson connected with a missile dropkick!
Bryan Danielson punished Andrade El Idolo with round kicks. Danielson tried for the LeBell Lock, but Andrade fought it off. Both men went down after they collided into one another with clotheslines.
The fans chanted “Fight forever! Fight forever!”
Andrade superplexed Danielson at the 15 minute mark. Andrade grabbed a near fall after the three amigos suplex. Andrade climbed to the top turnbuckle, looking for a moonsault, but Danielson countered with an avalanche belly to back suplex for a two-count. Danielson applied the LeBell Lock and screamed for Andrade to tap!
Andrade escaped and caught Danielson with a spinning back elbow for a near fall! Danielson’s eye was swelling up. Both men peppered one another with stiff shots to the face. Andrade smashed Danielson with another spinning elbow and then rocked him with double knees in the corner. Andrade spiked Danielson with an arm bar DDT and pinned the American Dragon!
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have seen an unforgettable match here tonight,” said Tony Schiavone.
Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta ran to the ring to check on Danielson. Claudio shoved Andrade away, but Andrade was merely trying to check on Danielson.
“The concern right now is the condition of Bryan Danielson,” said Tony Schiavone.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE: Winter Is Coming on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the College Park Center in Arlington, TX!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
As we reach the halfway point, things are heating up with the Continental Classic in both the Gold and Blue League with both Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal eliminated from victory in the Gold, Daniel Garcia (depending greatly on Saturday night) stands on the precipice of suffering the same fate in the Blue following his loss on RAMPAGE, and Eddie Kingston could end up in the same position depending on his COLLISION contest! We are heading full speed toward WORLDS END on December 30th, but there’s a lot of story to be told before All Elite Wrestling gets onto Long Island, and Montreal plays host to the next chapter!
In a clash of Canadians, “All Ego” Ethan Page goes head-to-head with Kenny Omega in their first-ever contest, Willie Mack steps up to defend his friend AR Fox against Wardlow, an old rivalry renews between Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Martinez, and the Blue League continues with Claudio versus Kingston and Danielson versus Andrade! The night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and to best get prepared for it, visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, to catch highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as events from last week’s COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!
CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: BLUE LEAGUE
Standings
Brody King (6)
“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (6)
Claudio Castagnoli (3)
Andrade El Idolo (3)
ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (0)
Daniel Garcia (0)
ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Eddie Kingston (0) vs. Claudio Castagnoli (3)
The history between these two men is well-documented; former training partners, as well as former roommates, whose bad blood blossomed long ago and spilled all over the independent wrestling landscape in the years before Castagnoli left that landscape to ply his trade elsewhere. It was never laid to rest, never settled, and the truth was, even after Eddie Kingston finally defeated Claudio Castagnoli at GRAND SLAM 2023 to win the ROH World Championship, that animosity wasn’t going to fade away even if the two men planned on never fighting each other again.
Unfortunately for Kingston and Castagnoli, their plan to never have to fight one another again became impossible as soon as the brackets were set for the Continental Classic and both were positioned in the Blue League. That made a conflict inevitable, whereas if they’d been kept in separate leagues then the finals would’ve been their only possible meeting place. Instead this Saturday night on COLLISION, in their third tournament matches, the ROH World & NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion will fight the man he dethroned for the former, only this time no title will be at stake, rather three points in the league and the potential for Kingston to be mathematically eliminated from tournament victory. That loss would be a blow more devastating than any other he’s experienced thus far because not only would it mean Kingston is out of contention in the Continental Classic, it also means that he has effectively lost both the ROH World Championship and the NJPW STRONG Openweight Title.
He may have the championship sobriquet attached to his name until December 29th, but if Kingston is eliminated from this tournament before WORLDS END, its a meaningless distinction and he’ll only have himself to blame for putting both titles into the mix to create this modern North American Triple Crown! Can Kingston ward off elimination with a second consecutive victory over Claudio Castagnoli? Or will “The Swiss Superman” bounce back from his loss to Brody King with yet another victory over “The Mad King”?
Bryan Danielson (6) vs. Andrade El Idolo (3)
The last time these two men met in combat was on the October 21st edition of COLLISION, and also the last singles match Bryan Danielson had before the orbital bone injuries he sustained just four days later in that DYNAMITE tag team bout against Okada and Orange Cassidy. It took nearly 19 minutes of fierce battle, but “The American Dragon” managed to topple Andrade on that night to emerge the victor. Now this Continental Classic tournament has given Andrade an opportunity to even their score…
It’s common knowledge that Bryan Danielson comes into this fight still healing from that eye injury, but it didn’t stop him from defeating Eddie Kingston last week in Bryan’s first tournament bout, it didn’t stop him from beating Daniel Garcia on RAMPAGE less than 24 hours ago, and it isn’t going to prevent Danielson from giving it his all against Andrade either. Much like how Danielson had to be wary of Kingston’s spinning back fist when it came to protecting the eye, this time around he needs to be cognizant of that deadly spinning back elbow Andrade employs to knock his opponents senseless. If that connects, not only could it mean the end of Danielson’s bid for three more points, it could mark the end of his participation in this tournament as a whole thanks to another re-fractured orbital bone…
A CANADIAN CHALLENGE…
“The Cleaner” Kenny Omega vs. “All Ego” Ethan Page
For the very first time in their careers, “All Ego” Ethan Page and “The Cleaner” Kenny Omega will go one-on-one after Ethan challenged AEW’s only Triple Crown winner to see who was the better Canadian! Back in June, when AEW came to Hamilton, Ontario for the first time, Ethan stepped up to give AEW World Champion MJF a run for his money in an impromptu title bout, and now he’s making another stand in the Great White North by calling out one of the most influential athletes of this generation!
Omega has had a rough 2023, losing four of his last six singles matches beginning with the night Don Callis stabbed him in the head inside a Steel Cage, and constantly being on the wrong end of an assault from Callis’ Family, but he’s now won three straight in tag team and multi-man affairs, including beating his own best friends The Young Bucks to steal their guaranteed AEW World Tag Title match while apparently sending them off to lick their wounds.
In Montreal, will Omega continue to get himself back on track or will it be Ethan Page’s time to step up to the plate and knock it out of the park?
FOR A FRIEND…
Wardlow vs. Willie Mack
Willie Mack and AR Fox have ties that run deep, back some ten years to shows in Mexico, even include the two men reigning as champions together as part of a trio back in 2015, and those ties have led Wardlow to putting himself in the path of “The War Dog”! For Wardlow, the path ends at MJF’s grave, but the AEW World Champion has a whole lot on his plate and his former bodyguard is going to have to get in the queue. Until then, every one who slows Wardlow down from getting to his goal is going to suffer, and he intends to make Willie Mack the next victim!
TIME FOR A FIGHT…
Mercedes Martinez vs. Willow Nightingale
Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Martinez have a rivalry that has spanned a half-decade, crossed across multiple companies, and across the United States. It began in 2018 in the Berwyn Eagles Club and picked back up in 2022 at ROH’s SUPERCARD OF HONOR event when the two competed for the Interim ROH Women’s World Championship. Both those singles matches were won by Martinez, as was their first AEW bout, a tag team match on COLLISION in August where Martinez and Diamante topped Willow and Kris Statlander. A Trios bout on the ZERO HOUR of ALL OUT 2023 finally saw Nightingale, with Hikaru Shida and Skye Blue as her partners, get that first victory over Mercedes who had ROH Women’s World Champion Athena and Diamante as her allies, and she would score another win over Martinez in a tag match for the Kitsune Women’s Wrestling promotion a few weeks later.
But nothing has brought an end to this rivalry, and the insistence of Mercedes and Diamante to engage with the woman Willow calls friends has kept them in each other’s lives as well. So it comes to blows once again this Saturday night on COLLISION in the third singles match between Nightingale and Martinez! After scoring the last two victories in their rivalry, can Nightingale finally get her first one-on-one win over Mercedes Martinez?
The Blue League tournament action continues, Mercedes Martinez and Willow Nightingale clash, Wardlow goes into battle with Willie Mack, and in a first-ever battle, Ethan Page meets Kenny Omega! COLLISION gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and to get prepared for it all, drop by the official AEW YouTube channel to watch highlights from this week’s editions of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as events from the last COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN!
Excalibur and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event. They were joined by “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson as a guest commentator.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
Continental Classic Gold League Match!
Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley vs. Jay Lethal!
Lethal and Moxley exchanged side headlock takeovers. Lethal slugged Moxley with a right fist. Lethal applied a figure four but Moxley rolled under the ropes and both men tumbled to the arena floor.
Jay Lethal rocketed outside with a tope suicida to Moxley. Jon Moxley fired back with a tope suicida of his own. Moxley was wrestling with a sense of urgency, while Lethal was showboating early on. Lethal retaliated with a knee breaker and a dragon screw leg whip, sensing Moxley tweaked his knee on the tope suicida landing.
Moxley scouted the Lethal Injection, but Lethal countered Moxley’s attempt at a jawbreaker with a knee breaker. Jay Lethal dropped an elbow off the top for a near fall.
“This is the Jay Lethal I want to see,” said Danielson.
Moxley nailed Lethal with a cutter. Moxley tried for a piledriver but Lethal pushed Mox into the turnbuckles. Lethal wrenched Moxley’s knee with a dragon screw off the ropes!
“This is a different Jay Lethal than we saw last week,” added Danielson.
Lethal and Moxley traded forearms. Moxley nearly decapitated Lethal with a King Kong lariat! Lethal blocked the Death Rider with the Lethal Combination. Lethal went to apply the figure four but Mox countered with a small package for a near fall.
Lethal locked on the figure four again. Moxley grabbed the ropes to force the ref to break the hold. Lethal swiped at Moxley’s knee with a kick. Moxley baited Lethal in and spiked him with a Paradigm Shift! Moxley hit the King Kong lariat and then a stuffed piledriver, but Lethal kicked out. Moxley transitioned into a rear naked choke and Jay Lethal tapped out! Moxley is the first man with six points in the tournament.
Tony Schiavone was backstage and announced Sting’s final match will be Sunday, March 3rd at the Greensboro Coliseum!
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair and Sting walked onto the set!
Sting: “March 1988, my very first World title match against Ric Flair, and I never would have guessed all these years later, I’d be standing here with Ric. The memories, that night, 45 minutes, draw, commercial free on TV. The big deal to me was I was in the ring with the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Thank you, Ric. He put me on the map. What a fitting place for me to end my career all these years later.”
Ric Flair: “Tony, just like before, the words cannot be spoken to the volume and the emphasis of what’s about to take place in Greensboro. Make no mistake. Sting made himself. I’m 74 years old, I’m lucky. I’m working for Tony Khan. I’m standing next to Sting. I’m honored to be there at your side. This will be one for the ages. Sting and the Nature Boy, and AEW, are coming to Greensboro. Wooooo!”
Sting: “It’s showtime!”
Continental Classic Gold League Match!
Mark Briscoe vs. LFI’s Rush!
Both men charged at one another and began to fight. Rush landed a big strike. Mark followed up with a running dropkick. Mark unleashed rapid fire chops. Rush returned the favor to his opponent.
Rush kicked Mark in the spine. Mark jumped through the ropes with a dropkick, as Rush was playing to the crowd. Rush whipped Rush into the steel barricade. Mark back dropped Rush onto the top of the barricade. Mark dropped the Cactus elbow off the edge of the ring.
Back in the ring, Rush sent Mark flying with a release German Suplex. Mark threw his whole body into a vicious lariat. Briscoe baited Rush in and caught him with an exploder suplex. Rush rallied back with a belly to belly suplex.
Mark speared Rush for a two-count! Mark followed up with a neck breaker. Rush slipped free from the Jay Driller. Mark dropped Rush with a kick to the back of the head. Rush suplexed Mark off the apron and onto the arena floor!
Mark Briscoe smashed Rush with the Froggy Bow for a near fall. Rush fought out of the Jay Driller, backdropping Mark. Rush baited in Mark and suplexed Mark into the turnbuckles. Rush followed up with the Bull’s Horns, right on target, and pinned Mark!
“Rush is on the board!” said Excalibur.
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm was backstage!
Storm: “I’m feeling very fatigued after the championship celebration. I’ll be fine for my match next week!”
AEW World Champion and one half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions MJF came to the ring next!
MJF: “December 30th, World’s End, it’ll be Samoa Joe against yours truly for the AEW World Championship. When it comes to Samoa Joe as a person, I don’t like him. But professionally, I respect him. I respect what he’s done for this industry, and because he didn’t come here to line his pockets, but because he believes in AEW.
“Now back in the early 2000s, I remember getting a poster in my mailbox for TNA Wrestling. I tuned in and I couldn’t be happier. I saw the ‘Samoan Submission Machine.’ He looked unconventional, and he didn’t seem to care, and neither did we. Now unfortunately, later on in his career, his talents weren’t fully recognized, and he was not afforded the opportunity to be a world champion in WWE. But what Joe did, for this sport, was bigger than that.
“Samoa Joe proved you don’t have to be a massive, male model body builder to be a top guy in this sport. Samoa Joe broke the mold. He proved alternatives matter. And because of the roads he paved, it has allowed a man like me to stand in the ring in front of you today. Without a guy like Joe, there might not be an AEW. As much as it pains me to admit, thank you.
“I’m not too shabby myself, now am I? I managed to pave a road of my own. I’ve helped build a new alternative and I’ve helped build this place brick by brick. And I did that by defeating some of the biggest names in this industry. Guys like Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, but of all the names I have had to face in this squared circle, the one name I look back on and say, not only was I lucky to be victorious, but I was also lucky to survive, that’d be you, Joe. Samoa Joe you are a wrestling legend. But December 30th is not about your wrestling legacy. December 30th is about my mine!
“December 30th is about can Max outlast the final boss of this sport one more time. So now, I’m going to make a promise. I’m going to make a promise to everyone watching at home and everyone in this arena. Joe, on December 30th, I don’t care if you beat me within an inch of my life, because I promise I am going to show the world it is not about the size of the dog in the fight, it is about the size of the fight in the dog! At World’s End, you are going to have to put me down!”
The arena went dark! Lights in the ring began to flicker. Men dressed all in black, their faces in black masks, with the devil logo on their backs, grabbed MJF and held him down. One of the men had a baseball bat and was about to use it on MJF!
Samoa Joe’s music hit! Samoa Joe sprinted to the ring and the men retreated!
A message on the screen read:
“In the shadows, our game begins. Next week, MJF & Samoa Joe…will you face the unknown in a tag match? Are you a hero, Max?”
MJF grabbed a microphone: “I’m so sick of your Scooby Doo BS! Let me explain something to you! I am not dealing with your crap when I’ve got Samoa Joe breathing down my back at World’s End. I am going to take out all of your men one by one. I am going to unmask you, you coward. And next week, you want a tag match? You’re one!”
Samoa Joe tried to calm down MJF and was upset when MJF accepted the challenge for next week.
Up next: Wardlow vs. AR Fox!
Fox jumped over the top rope and landed on Wardlow, but Wardlow seemed to shrug him off. Wardlow caught Fox and slammed him on the ring apron. Wardlow suplexed AR Fox back into the ring. Fox was sent flying from pillar to post!
Wardlow stalked his prey outside the ring. Wardlow threw AR Fox back into the ring. Wardlow tried to press slam Fox, but Fox escaped. Fox hit a 450 splash, but Wardlow kicked out right away! Fox booted Wardlow in the face. Wardlow absorbed it and then walloped Fox with a lariat.
Wardlow powerbombed AR Fox! Wardlow powerbombed Fox a second time! Wardlow climbed to the top and hit a huge senton on Fox! Wardlow powerbombed Fox again, and the ref stopped the match! Wardlow won via ref stoppage!
Trios Match!
Top Flight—Dante & Darius Martin, and Action Andretti
vs.
The Hardys—Matt & Jeff, and Brother Zay!
Jeff and Matt used tandem offense on Action. Darius and Brother Zay tagged in. Zay crashed into Dante with a shoulder tackle. Darius dropkicked Zay. Dante tagged in and Dante splashed Zay with a stalling senton!
Matt Hardy drilled Action with a Side Effect for a near fall. Action countered a Twist of Fate and clipped Matt with a combo of moves, including a kick to the back of Matt’s head. Dante tagged in and springboarded onto Zay for a near fall. Top Flight had a flurry of offense on the Hardys.
The Hardys hoisted up Dante on their shoulders and Zay dropkicked Dante for a two-count. Dante pinned Zay after a German Suplex! Dante is back and better than ever!
After a commercial break, Renee Paquette interviewed Dante Martin, Darius Martin, and Action Andretti!
Penta El Zero Miedo, Komander, and El Hijo del Vikingo interrupted! It appeared Penta challenged Top Flight and Action Andretti to a trios match!
TBS Championship House Rules Match!
House of Black’s Julia Hart (c.) vs. Emi Sakura!
Emi Sakura picked the stipulation: the match cannot be won by submission.
Julia bashed Emi’s head into the turnbuckles, battering her in the corner. Julia charged into the corner with a lariat to Emi Sakura. Emi chopped at Julia.
Julia rocked Emi with a spinning kick to the head. Outside the ring, Emi reversed an Irish whip and sent Julia crashing hard into the ring steps. Emi followed up with a splash, sandwiching Julia against the ring steps!
Emi stunned Julia with a stalling back breaker! Emi applied the surfboard to Julia and then dropped her hard. Julia dodged a moonsault. Julia locked in the Heartless, but there is no victory via submission tonight. Julia clubbed Emi in the back of the head with a lariat. Julia moonsaulted Emi and pinned her!
RJ City interviewed Mariah May backstage!
Mariah May: “I know I’m the new girl, but I just came here from Stardom in Japan. I’m dying to show AEW what I can do.”
Mariah knocked on Tony Khan’s door and walked into his office.
TNT Champion “The Patriarch” Christian Cage responded to Adam Copeland’s challenge for next week’s Dynamite!
Christian Cage was flanked by AEW security in the ring.
Christian Cage: “What I’d like to do right now is go ahead and invite the Rated R Superstar Adam Copeland to this ring right now. Adam, I know you’re back there. I just want to speak to you about a few things about what you said last week. If you don’t mind making your presence felt, it’d be very much appreciated.
“Adam, I would like to speak to you in the ring, if you wouldn’t mind. If the truck can hit his music, something. Maybe I should come back there and speak to him then.”
Adam Copeland’s music hit, and Copeland stormed to the ring!
Christian: “Management wanted me to have this security. It wasn’t my idea. We don’t need security here tonight. So, I’m going to ask you gentlemen to vacate the ring.
“Last week you challenged me to a match to the TNT Championship December 6th on Dynamite. I’m here to tell you that we’re not going to make it to Montreal next week. We’re not going to make it because I’m sorry. Now look, I know what you’re thinking, that I’m only sorry because I’m on an island by myself. Last week you took out the Kill Switch. You took out the “Prodigy” Nick Wayne.
“I was so mad when you hit Kill Switch with two con-chair-tos, I ran out of my house and drove with the windows down. I just needed to think. It turned into a road trip of soul searching, digging down deep, trying to figure out how I became this guy who does and says such unsavory things. And then on that drive, it started to remind me of those times we borrowed my mom’s car.
“We didn’t care where we went. We were broke. We were having the times of our lives on the road, and we were going to make it. And did we ever make it! We went on to become multiple times tag team champions. The greatest tag team that ever lived. We both became multi time World champions. Take the wrestling part of our relationship away and it runs even deeper.
“Everyone knows you grew up with a single mom, Adam. Everyone knows you didn’t have a father figure. Yes, I’m the patriarch of AEW, but I am your brother. You might not have had a father, but in turn, my father became your father. To this day, he’s still your biggest fan. I’m just going to say, we weren’t just two random guys that were thrown together. I love you, man. We are family.
“And listen to me, when your mom passed away a few years ago, that was the hardest time of your life. But sometime before she passed, she said, ‘What I wouldn’t give to see you guys in that ring tagging one last time.’ And on my drive, I thought, let’s do it for her, let’s go on this journey again. For your mom! Let’s do it for her, man.”
Adam Copeland turned around to contemplate what he just heard from Christian Cage. Christian charged at Copeland, trying to strike with a cheap shot. But Copeland saw it coming and kicked Christian with a low blow!
Adam Copeland: “Nice try, dumb ass. Sit up when I’m talking to you. Shine this belt up real nice, because next week, she’s coming home with me! Oh, by the way, I almost forgot, go f—k yourself!”
Main Event Time!
Continental Classic Gold League Match!
Swerve Strickland vs. Bullet Club Gold’s “Switchblade” Jay White!
Jay White went right after Swerve. White whipped Swerve into the steel barricade. Back in the ring, Jay White went after Swerve’s taped out shoulder. Swerve chopped Jay White. Swerve suplexed Jay right onto the top of the barricade.
Swerve jumped off the apron and stomped on Jay White’s spine. As Swerve was entering the ring, Jay White grabbed him and planted him with a DDT. Swerve got dropped on his head after a suplex from Jay White.
Swerve intercepted a chop and countered with a suplex to Switchblade. Swerve blasted Jay with a flatliner and followed up with a vertical suplex for a near fall. Jay White retaliated with a German Suplex. Swerve rallied back with a discus lariat!
“These two men! How incredible are these two men?!” said Danielson.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Jay White chop blocked Swerve’s knee. Jay White nailed Swerve with a uranage. Jay White applied an arm bar. Swerve escaped and blasted Jay with a kill shot to White’s arm. Jay White almost inadvertently collided with the ref. As the ref had his back turned, Jay White went for a low blow, but Swerve had it scouted! Swerve rocked White with a back breaker. Swerve hit the House Call on Jay White. Swerve connected with the Swerve Stomp, but Jay White kicked out at the two-count!
“You have to be impressed with Jay White’s resiliency here,” said Danielson.
Jay White shocked Swerve with the Blade Runner. Swerve was knocked out of the ring, perhaps a saving grace. Back in the ring, Jay chopped at Swerve, and Swerve fired back with his own shots. Jay White planted Swerve with a sleeper suplex! Swerve countered the Blade Runner, rolling up Jay White and pinned him!
“Impressive roll counter right there,” said Taz.
“Cerebral wrestling from Swerve,” replied Excalibur.
“That got him another three points to put him at six,” added Danielson.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC!
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, PA!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
Last Wednesday night the AEW faithful bore witness to the beginning of the 2023 Continental Classic with three first-time matches against six of the greatest athletes in AEW. In the Gold League, 3-Time former AEW World Champion and former International Champion Jon Moxley scored his first three points at the expense of 13-Time ROH World Tag Champion Mark Briscoe, former ROH World Champion Rush fell to former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White, and former AEW World Tag Champion Swerve Strickland topped ROH Grand Slam Champion Jay Lethal to get his three.
Then in the Blue League, House of Black’s Brody King beat ROH World/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion while former ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli beat former ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia. This Wednesday night in Minneapolis, with AEW’s return to the Target Center, the Gold League continues with three big-time singles matches, including one first-timer, and we will also hear from TNT Champion “The Patriarch” Christian Cage! And as a special bonus:
The night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, to get caught up on the action with highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and this week’s CONTROL CENTER!
Though both competed in Ring of Honor at the same time, though they actually worked together in CMLL, and fought one another in tags and multi-man bouts under the ROH banner, never before have “El Toro Blanco” and “The Sussex County Chicken” locked horns in a singles bout!
That all changes this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE as both men come into this fight having zero points to their name in the Continental Classic! In the case of Mark Briscoe, his loss came at the end of a hard-fought and bloody contest with Jon Moxley, one where Mark survived a nasty Paradigm Shift and came so close to scoring his first three points at the expense of the 3-Time former AEW World Champion. As for Rush, his loss also came at the end of a hard-hitting contest with “Switchblade” Jay White, but it came to an unfortunate end as a result of White’s underhanded tactics, proving he doesn’t need the rest of BULLET CLUB GOLD to find a way to cheat a victory.
This Wednesday night, in their first singles bout, one of these two men will likely lose their zero, and score their first three points of the tournament, although there’s that possibility of a draw and both leaving the Target Center with a single point..
In a rematch of their 3/30/22 DYNAMITE clash, Jon Moxley and Jay Lethal will lock-up in their second bouts of the Continental Classic! Mox is coming into this fight with a strong win over Mark Briscoe, one that did not come easy, but a win nonetheless, while Lethal heads to Minneapolis with a loss to Swerve Strickland on his record for the tournament.
So for Moxley it’s an opportunity to add to his point total, possibly ramping it up to six points with a victory over Lethal, at the very least to four with a draw, while it is Lethal’s moment to actually get on the board with a victory or draw. Between he and Claudio, The Blackpool Combat Club has started off this tournament with two victories, so can Moxley continue that streak for his unit, or will he be the first BCC member to taste tournament defeat?
Swerve Strickland(3) vs. “Switchblade” Jay White (3)
This one is quite intriguing as it is the first Continental Classic bout pitting two of last week’s victors against each other. As mentioned, Jay White got his in large part due to a low blow on Rush while Swerve, coming off that brutal Texas Death match with Hangman at FULL GEAR 2023, got his over Jay Lethal in a tremendous back-and-forth.
Wednesday night the two competitors will clash in their first AEW singles bout, a rematch of a March 12, 2022 NJPW STRONG battle won by “Switchblade”, and it either ends with one man having six, or both remaining tied with four. Swerve is certainly on the bigger role coming into this following his pair of victories over Adam Page, as well as those over Lethal, AR Fox, and Penta El Zero Miedo, while Jay White came up short in his bid to become AEW World Championship prior to finding a way to steal one from “El Toro Blanco” last Wednesday night. It’s going to be a fight for six, that much is for sure, will it be the leader of BC GOLD or the head of The Mogul Embassy who gets this one?
The world heard Adam Copeland’s challenge this past Saturday on COLLISION, he wants a match with TNT Champion Christian Cage on December 6th in Montreal and Adam wants the TNT Championship on the line so he can take Cage’s most prized possession away. It’s been more than 13 years since the last time these two lifelong friends got into the ring as opponents, with a vast majority of their singles matches won by Copeland, so will Christian Cage be willing to step into that ring once more, especially if it means putting the TNT Championship up? We will find out what he has to say this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE!
Just a few days ago on COLLISION Lady Frost attempted to dethrone newly crowned TBS Champion Julia Hart in a House Rules match, and she was shut down in five minutes by the viciousness of the defending champ. This Wednesday on DYNAMITE, just four days after turning back Lady Frost, Hart will once again open the doors of The House to welcome a new challenger to her dark reign.
What woman is brave enough to cross the House’s threshold this Wednesday in Minneapolis? None other than the Queen herself, Emi Sakura! The two women have only ever stood on the opposite sides once before, during a Trios match that took place exactly two years ago on the 11/29/21 edition of DARK: ELEVATION and saw Julia on the losing side of the contest.
The Black Hart of the House is an utterly transformed woman from who she was at that point, but Emi Sakura brings an experience to the table unlike any other competitor Hart has faced in her AEW tenure. Can she find a way to overcome that major disadvantage, along with whatever House Rule is concocted by The Queen? The defending champ does have a bit of home field advantage in Minnesota, but is that a balance for the decades Sakura has on her inside the squared circle?
AEW returns to the Target Center in Minneapolis for DYNAMITE, featuring the continuation of the Continental Classic’s Blue League with three big matches! Plus, TNT Champion Christian Cage will be in the house to address Adam Copeland’s challenge for Montreal, and so much more!
The night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, to get caught up on the action with highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and this week’s CONTROL CENTER!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
Continental Classic Match—The Gold League!
Swerve Strickland vs. Jay Lethal!
Lethal clocked Swerve with a big right hand. They traded strikes on the ring apron. Lethal yanked on Swerve’s right arm. Lethal drove Swerve into the barricade after a tope suicida. Lethal followed up with a short arm lariat.
Swerve targeted the knee of Lethal with a basement dropkick. Swerve tied up Lethal’s legs and wrenched on them, putting all of his body weight on them. Swerve kicked Lethal’s leg and then chopped it!
Swerve sent Lethal flying with a German Suplex. Lethal rallied back with a shoulder breaker. They jockeyed for position on the top turnbuckle, and Swerve brought Lethal down hard with a superplex. Swerve followed up with a flatliner and then a brainbuster for a near fall on Lethal.
Jay Lethal stunned Swerve with an elbow drop from the top rope worthy of a king. Swerve avoided a dropkick and applied a stretch muffler, but Lethal grabbed the bottom rope. Lethal cracked Swerve with a pump kick. Lethal went for the Lethal Injection but Swerve countered with a dropkick. Swerve hit the House Call and then the Swerve Stomp to score the pin on Lethal. Three points for Swerve!
Renee Paquette was backstage withAEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, FTW Champion HOOK, & ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata!
Wheeler Yuta interrupted Orange Cassidy and mocked him, Hook, and Shibata. Yuta told Shibata that he’d be taking his championship back!
Up next: AEW World Champion & ROH Tag Champion MJF came out with his ROH Tag Champion partner Adam Cole!
MJF: “Cut the music. Now ladies and gentlemen, it appears the devil has arrived in Chicago. After I just freshly beat an undefeated Jay White. I learned in those 30 minutes that you are truly one of the best professional wrestlers in the world. Fact. However, nobody is on the level of the devil. Chicago, I’m just gonna say what we’re all thinking: you’re looking at the greatest AEW World Champion of all time. Now none of that is possible without my brochacho for life, Mr. Cole.”
Adam Cole: “Who’s ready for story time with Adam Cole, baybay? It’s great that me and Max are still your ROH World Tag Team Champions with a little help from Samoa Joe, as well. My ankle is in really bad shape. I’ve got a long road ahead of me. But I’m going to work my ass off every single day to make sure I can get back her in AEW to do what I love to do.
“Max, I’m really worried about you. I wish for nothing more than to be here by your side, but I can’t. It feels like you’ve got the entire world gunning for you.”
MJF: “You don’t gotta worry about me, Adam. To the man behind my devil mask, I’m going to find you and the hell I send you to is going to feel like heaven.”
Someone appeared on the screen wearing the devil mask, laughing, and then the feed disappeared!
Samoa Joe’s music played and out walked Samoa Joe to the ring!
Samoa Joe: “This is a time for celebration, Max. Two massive victories over a weekend. You stand here today AEW World Champion. But you know what else happened? Earlier in the night, MJF, you went out there with Samoa Joe and defended your ROH World Tag Championship for the simple price of giving me my rematch. So, I’ve come to Chicago to ensure that honorable men honor their deals.”
MJF: “Maybe you should take a couple of steps back because you have bad breath. And secondly, I thought long and hard about our deal. And I feel I’ve come up with a reasonable mature response. My response is no!”
Samoa Joe grabbed MJF by the throat, but Adam Cole begged Samoa Joe to stop and listen to him!
Adam Cole: “Thank you! Max, you can’t do this, man. The new MJF, he’s a man of his word. I get it, Joe is a killer. Max, that’s why you are who you are. They don’t just love you because you’re a great wrestler. They love you because when MJF says something is going to happen, damnit it happens. Max, be a man of your word.”
MJF: “You know what Joe, you want to face me for this belt? You wouldn’t be the first Ring of Honor legend I’ve beaten in Chicago twice! So how about Samoa Joe versus MJF right here, right now in Chicago!”
Samoa Joe: “Absolutely not. Let’s discuss what’s really gonna happen. You’re going to get on the Internet tomorrow and complain that you weren’t 100% and it wasn’t fair. Boo Hoo. No, Max, I want the best version of you, I want the fully healed Max. So, I say by World’s End, you should be nice and chipper to get in that ring and defend that title.”
MJF: “Let me get this straight. You want to wrestle MJF at Nassau Colliseum on December 30th at World’s End? You want MJF in the main event for the World Title? Is that correct?”
Samoa Joe: “That is correct, Max.”
MJF: “You’ve got yourself a deal, Joe. But let me explain something to you. Wrestling MJF in Long Island, that’s about as bright as copping head from an alligator. But based on the way you’re looking these days, I bet you don’t have many options.”
Samoa Joe: “I understand what this is and I’m really great at picking fights too, Max. But Max all this worrying you’re doing about the devil goes away today. Because you see from now on, you’re considered my property. And people don’t touch my property unless I say so. I’m going to deliver the very best MJF to Nassau Colliseum and then I’m going to take your World Championship in front of your family and friends and everyone you know and love!”
Trios Match!
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, FTW Champion HOOK,
Before the match, Orange Cassidy said he had a Thanksgiving surprise. Very nice, very evil Danhausen made his return!
Hook hurled Menard overhead with judo throws. Hook sent Angelo Parker to the mat too! Hager hit Hook with a blindsided shot.
Parker clocked Hook with a running knee to the head. Hager nailed Hook with a Hager Bomb for a near fall. Hook fired back with a lariat to Angelo Parker, exploding out of the corner. Hook planted Parker with a T-bone suplex and then tagged out to Orange Cassidy.
Hager intercepted the Orange Punch from Cassidy and then planted him on the mat. Shibata tagged in and he and Hager traded forearms. Shibata pump kicked Hager. Shibata chopped down Hager in the corner. Shibata followed up with a running dropkick to Hager! Menard and Parker doubled up on Shibata. Hager went to powerbomb Shibata, but Danhausen jumped on the apron, distracting Hager with Hager’s purple hat.
Danhausen cursed Hager and Cassidy stunned Hager with a tope suicida. Shibata put the sleeper on Menard while Hook made Parker tap out with the Red Rum!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Adam Cole!
Roderick Strong and the Kingdom interrupted!
Strong: “I saw you were there on Saturday. I’m sorry I missed you. Friday, where were you? I was dropped right on my head.”
Cole: “Shut up! When are you going to get it through your thick skull that I am not your best friend anymore? Do me a favor. Back off and leave me the hell alone!”
Up next: TNT Champion Christian Cage rechristened Luchasaurus & Nick Wayne!
Christian Cage: “Now everybody knows a true champion is gracious in victory and humble in defeat. And as you all know this past Saturday at Full Gear, it didn’t exactly go as we planned. I can tell you that I did not lose that match. Nick Wayne did not lose that match. Luchasaurus lost that match! And that’s unacceptable to me.
“And I went home, and I thought, how do I get rid of this stench of losing. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. Since you’re both my children, it’s time that I recreate you both in my image. Luchasaurus, take a knee. I said take a knee. I’m not sure what you’re not understanding about this you moron. Take a knee right now!
“The name Luchasaurus to me will forever be associated with me with being a loser. I thought long and hard about your name and I came up with a name of strength. A name of toughness. A name that means certain victory. A name that has served me well throughout my career. You are my finisher. This Saturday on Collision you will have the chance to prove that you are worthy of this moniker because from here on out you will be known as Kill Switch!
“Nick Wayne, get on your feet. You don’t ever get on your knees for another person, do you understand me? You’re different, Nick. You’re special. You are my golden boy. I see things in you that I’ve never seen in another person. You are me. I love you, Nick. Nick, you are a golden boy, and you will be known as ‘the Prodigy, Nick Wayne.’”
Nick Wayne’s mother walked to the ring.
Christian Cage: “What the hell are you doing here anyway? You are a terrible mother! Maybe you love Nick unconditionally but that isn’t good enough. This kid is a prodigy. It’s a good thing that your husband is dead because Nick would have disowned his father because he knows his father was never as good of a wrestler that I am. So do me a favor and get the hell out of my ring!”
Luchasaurus stepped between Nick Wayne’s mom and Christian Cage and stared at Christian!
Christian Cage: “Get back on your knees! I didn’t stutter. Get on your knees Kill Switch!”
Christian Cage slapped Luchasaurus in the face!
Christian Cage: “Get on your knees or I’ll make you take off that mask!”
Christian shoved Luchasaurus, who inadvertently fell back against Nick Wayne’s mother, knocking her to the mat!
Nick Wayne left the ring and looked under it. Nick Wayne pulled out a steel chair and slid it into the ring. He pulled out a second chair and slid it into the ring. Shanna Wayne’s head was placed onto one of the steel chairs. Christian held up the second steel chair and handed it to Luchasaurus. “Be the Kill Switch! Be the finisher!”
Luchasaurus held up the chair and contemplated what he had just been ordered to do. Adam Copeland sprinted to the ring and speared Nick Wayne! Copeland booted Luchasaurus in the face! Copeland had the chair and looked at Christian Cage, but Luchasaurus pulled Christian out of the ring to safety. Copeland speared Nick Wayne a second time and then nailed him with the Impaler! Copeland propped Nick Wayne’s head on one of the chairs. Copeland cracked Nick Wayne with the steel chair, right in front of Nick’s mom!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Anna Jay, Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Jake Hager!
Matt Menard: “Renee, I don’t know what’s going on around here. Garcia with his dancing, Parker with his little girlfriend, someone tell me what’s going on!”
Hager: “And Danhausen with the hat!”
Anna Jay: “Stop, this is about me! I just want to wrestle. I am so tired of the losing, the infighting, and I don’t know if you guys are here to help me or hurt me.”
Parker’s phone rang and it was Ruby Soho calling.
Anna Jay: “Really? You’re in my corner tonight, right?”
Parker: “Anna, of course. It’s family first. You got this!”
Continental Classic Match—The Gold League!
LFI’s Rush vs. Bullet Club Gold’s “Switchblade” Jay White!
Rush and Jay White locked horns, with Rush backing Jay into the corner. Rush dropkicked Jay White and then stomped on him. Rush splashed Switchblade in the corner and followed up with a beautiful dropkick.
Rush rammed Jay White into the barricades. Rush pulled a cable out from beneath the ring. Ref Paul Turner threatened to disqualify Rush, so Rush dropped the cable. Rush wrecked Jay White with more chops to the chest.
Jay White suplexed Rush right into the turnbuckles. Rush took Jay White off his feet with a flying forearm. Rush cracked White with a massive elbow strike and followed up with a brainbuster for a near fall.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Jay White dodged a senton from Rush. Jay White nailed Rush with a brainbuster for a near fall! Jay White gouged the eye of Rush, but Rush answered with a rising knee strike. White fired back with a uranage for a two-count.
Rush escaped the Blade Runner attempt. Rush staggered White with a German Suplex. Jay White took down Rush with a dragon screw leg whip. Rush hurled Jay White with a belly-to-belly suplex into the turnbuckles. Rush went for the Bull’s Horns but White countered and tried for the Blade Runner. Rush escaped, shoving White, who inadvertently connected with the ref. As the ref had his back turned, Jay White hit Rush with a low blow and then pinned Rush after the Blade Runner! Jay White gained three points!
Footage was shown from after this past Saturday’s media scrum, with AEW World Tag Team Champs “Absolute” Ricky Starks and Big Bill attacking Chris Jericho, targeting his injured arm!
RJ City and Renee Paquette were on the ramp to present AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm with her championship!
Mariah May presented Toni with the title.
Toni Storm: “I didn’t have anything prepared. I would first like to thank Mr. Anthony Khan and the wonderful people at Warner Discovery. I would like to thank whoever trained me, and the little Toni Storms out there who want to be me. This is my spot. You will not take it. You will not make it. So, stay in school. Thank you!”
The celebration was interrupted as Skye Blue made her entrance for the next match.
Three-Way Match!
Ruby Soho (with Saraya)
vs.
Skye Blue
vs. Anna Jay (with Matt Menard & Angelo Parker)!
Parker and Ruby smiled at each other. Anna Jay rolled up Skye for a near fall. Skye took down Anna with a shoulder tackle. Ruby Soho suplexed Skye Blue, planting her on the back of her head.
Skye Blue took down both members of the opposition at once with creative offense. Anna Jay cracked Ruby with a thrust kick, after Ruby was flirting with Angelo Parker. Skye Blue connected with a diving cross body press onto Anna and Ruby.
Skye Blue rocked Ruby with two knee strikes. Skye Blue pump kicked Ruby off the ring apron, sending Ruby right into the arms of Angelo Parker! Anna Jay stunned Skye with a pump kick of her own! Before Ruby and Angelo kissed, Saraya pulled Ruby away from Angelo.
Blue escaped the Queen Slayer and followed up with a thrust kick. Skye Blue scored the pin after the cutter on Anna Jay! Saraya and Ruby argued with one another after the match.
Renee Paquette was backstage with Wardlow!
Wardlow: “The world doesn’t revolve around MJF. The downfall of the devil is going to happen on my time.”
AR Fox interrupted. “Hey man, I see what you’re doing here. Putting the blame on everybody else. I get it. I was doing the same to Darby.”
Wardlow: “Listen, I don’t need advice from anyone.”
Wardlow headbutted AR Fox and laughed.
Main Event Time!
Continental Classic Match—The Gold League!
Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley vs. Mark Briscoe!
Mox and Mark slugged it out in the center of the ring. Briscoe used his redneck kung fu, chopping Moxley in the throat. Moxley chomped down on Briscoe’s head. Briscoe nailed Moxley with a neck breaker off the apron and onto the arena floor!
Moxley smashed Mark in the mouth with a big boot! Mark was busted wide open. Moxley spiked Briscoe with a piledriver for a near fall. Briscoe tossed Mox with a suplex. Moxley applied an arm bar on Mark, but Mark got his boot on the bottom rope to force the break.
Moxley nailed Mark with the Paradigm Shift, but Mark got right up and dropkicked Moxley! Briscoe used a Death Valley Driver to set up the Froggy Bow, but Moxley kicked out at two! Moxley escaped a J Driller attempted and planted Mark with the Death Rider for a near fall!
Moxley hit Mark with a half and half suplex. Moxley curb stomped Briscoe and pinned him after a second Death Rider! Moxley earned three points!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN!
Special Programming note: this Saturday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 7/6c and then COLLISION at 8/7c on TNT from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA!
Joseph Sikora Interview “Tommy Egan” By Big Gold Belt MediaJOSEPH SIKORATommy EganSikora is best known for his fan-favorite role of âTommyâ in the STARZ smash-hit âPOWERâ. After its sixth and final year and given the success…
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live from the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, KS!
Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
AR Fox vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana)!
Fox attacked Swerve as the show was coming onto the air. They brawled onto the ramp. AR Fox jumped off the stage and landed on Swerve with a crossbody press! They made it to the ring and Fox flipped over the top rope and landed on Swerve on the arena floor, Fox clearly taking the fight to Strickland!
Swerve hip tossed Fox onto the ring apron, with Fox’s legs taking the brunt of the impact. Swerve whipped Fox into the steel guardrail. Prince Nana called down the Gates of Agony to ringside.
Back in the ring, Swerve flung Fox onto the top turnbuckle. Swerve superplexed AR Fox, with Prince Nana yelling for Swerve to finish off Fox. AR Fox fired back with an offensive flurry, including a 450 splash off the top for a near fall on Swerve!
“Look at the rotation and the added impact of the 450,” said Nigel.
Swerve stunned Fox with a neck breaker and then a kick to the back of the head. Swerve squashed Fox with a double foot stomp and pinned Fox!
“That is a lethal move, guys,” said Tony Schiavone.
After the match AR Fox was surrounded by the Gates of Agony, Swerve, and Prince Nana! FTR sprinted to the ring and began to brawl with the Gates of Agony! Ricky Starks and Big Bill came down to the aid of the Mogul Embassy. LFI sprinted down and helped clear the ring of the AEW World Tag Champs and the Mogul Embassy! FTR offered to shake LFI’s hands, but LFI declined and left the ring.
The House of Black were watching from somewhere in the arena.
Lexy Nair was backstage with a very angry Kip Sabian!
Sabian said the Workhorsemen are underrated, and if Mark Briscoe can find two partners, Sabian and the Workhorsemen will wrestle them tonight!
The Kingdom came out, wheeling Roderick Strong onto the ramp!
Taven and Bennett charged into the ring against their opponents, James McGregor and Brixton Nash! Mike Bennett nailed McGregor with a Death Valley Driver. Taven jumped off the top rope and they hit a spiked piledriver, quickly pinning their opponent. Roderick Strong jumped into the ring and connected to one of the Kingdom’s opponents with a jumping knee strike, and then quickly rolled out of the ring and back into his wheelchair.
Lexy Nair was backstage interviewing Mark Briscoe when FTR walked onto the scene and greeted their friend Mark!
Cash offered to pull double duty and tag with Mark tonight. Mark said he appreciated that, but he already had partners lined up for his match tonight.
Darby Allin vs. “The MurderHawk Monster” Lance Archer (with Jake “The Snake” Roberts)!
Lance Archer hurled Darby to the mat. Darby fired back with a big right hand. Lance Archer pounced at Darby Allin, sending Darby crashing outside of the ring. Lance followed up with a knee breaker.
Lance tried to walk the top rope, but Darby knocked him off. Darby rocketed out of the ring and right at Archer with a tope suicida. Lance Archer rocked Darby with a release suplex! Lance cracked Darby with a knee strike in the ring. Darby escaped a Black Out attempt and cradled Archer for a near fall.
Archer blocked Darby’s modified Coffin Drop attempt. Archer drilled Darby with a choke slam! Archer picked up Darby again and choke slammed Darby over the top rope and onto the edge of the ring! Jake Roberts was about to hit Darby with Darby’s skateboard, but the ref saw it and then ejected Roberts from ringside.
Lance Archer clocked Darby with a stiff right hand! Darby scraped at Archer’s back and connected with a Destroyer off the top rope, scoring the pin on Archer!
Jake Roberts came back out and had words for Darby! “You think I came to a fight with only one piece of artillery? No, I’ve got a couple more guys you may have seen on the street!” said Jake Roberts.
The Righteous walked onto the ramp!
Vincent: “Revenge is forever. It’s showtime.”
Archer grabbed a distracted Darby Allin and planted him with the Black Out!
Lexy Nair was backstage with TBS Champion Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, and Skye Blue!
Statlander and Willow had requested the time to speak with Skye Blue.
Kris: “You had us going there for a second, but you showed up and picked the right side. I wanted to say thank you for making the right decision.”
Skye: “You don’t have to thank me because I didn’t do anything for you. I did it for Willow because I always have Willow’s back. And good luck out there tonight, Willow.”
Kris: “I have your back too.”
Lexy Nair interviewed Alex Abrahantes next!
Abrahantes said he and Penta El Zero Miedo showed last night that lucha is life.
Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana interrupted.
Alex said it was disgraceful what Swerve did, invading Hangman Page’s house. Alex said the only thing Penta puts ahead of lucha is his family, and he challenged Swerve to a match against Penta El Zero Miedo at Dynamite!
Up next:The AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed’s 69 Day Championship Celebration!
Daddy Ass: “It seems everyone here is ready to have a little fun. We have been Trios Champs for 69 days!”
The fans chanted “69! 69! 69!”
Bowens: “It is a very special day because it’s been 69 days of the Acclaimed and we are fired the hell up. So, I wanted to introduce a little surprise. And that surprise is for Max Caster. Because he had a pretty good week. So, Billy and I got you a special gift. Roll the clip please.”
AEW World Champion MJF appeared on the big screen with a message for Caster. MJF said Caster earned his respect. “You’re starting to grow on me, Caster. I’m kind of starting to like the Acclaimed.”
Caster: “Thank you so much! I love it, Billy! Thank you, Anthony! It means a lot and this holiday means a lot to us because it’s a culmination of all of our hard work at the top of the Trios division. And that hard work is symbolized by that trophy sitting on the announce desk right there. As much as that trophy belongs to us, we couldn’t have done it without the people And since we are the people’s choice and the people’s voice, this trophy goes out to all the fans.”
Dalton Castle and the Boys walked onto the ramp, crashing the party!
The Boys grabbed the trophy off the announcers’ table and handed it over to Dalton Castle. Castle threw the trophy to the floor, destroying it! The two teams began to brawl!
Tony Khan made the match official!
Daddy Ass flung Castle overhead. The Boys dropkicked Billy Gunn. Bowens blasted the Boys with a double clothesline.
Dalton Castle was taken down with a fameasser from Bowens. Daddy Ass tagged in, and body slammed a Boy. Bowens jumped from the top with a Scissor Me Timbers. Caster crashed down with the Mic Drop and the Acclaimed and Daddy Ass retained the titles!
“That’s nine title defenses, one more than the House of Black,” said Kevin Kelly.
Lexy Nair was backstage with Andrade El Idolo, asking if he put any more consideration into CJ’s offer.
Andrade: “Next week I will give my answer to CJ face to face.”
Trios Match!
Kip Sabian & The Workhorsemen—JD Drake and Anthony Henry
vs.
Mark Briscoe, “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes, and “Limitless” Keith Lee!
Kip cracked Briscoe with a cannonball in the corner. The Workhorsemen came in, but Mark stopped Henry and then threw JD Drake out of the ring. Sabian hit an Arabian moonsault onto Mark Briscoe.
Mark threw Henry down with an exploder suplex and tagged in Dustin Rhodes. “The Natural” powerslammed JD Drake. Keith Lee powerbombed Henry onto Sabian. Mark Briscoe dropped the Froggy Bow on Sabian and pinned him!
Lexy Nair interviewed Mark Briscoe after the match!
Mark Briscoe challenged “Switchblade” Jay White to a singles match on Wednesday at Dynamite!
Willow Nightingale vs. Emi Sakura!
They rammed each other with shoulder tackles. Willow got the upper hand, her power knocking Emi to the mat. Emi slapped Willow in the face. Emi connected with a cross body, knocking Willow off the apron. Emi splashed Willow, sandwiching her against the steel ring steps.
Outside the ring, Willow smashed Emi with a Death Valley Driver on the arena floor. Willow followed up with a shotgun dropkick for a near fall. Emi clobbered Willow with a swinging neck breaker.
Willow dropped Emi with a spinebuster. Willow finished off Emi with the Doctor Bomb, pinning Emi!
Lexy Nair was backstage with ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe!
Samoa Joe: “No, I haven’t heard back from MJF yet. You need me to make moves on your behalf and to watch your back properly. Until you realize that man is me, you will continue to endure that pain week after week.”
Keith Lee walked onto the set and said Samoa Joe hasn’t beaten him yet. Samoa Joe said they could remedy that situation this Wednesday!
Keith Lee: “Count me in.”
Main Event Time!
Eight-Man Tag Match!
FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood, and LFI—Preston Vance & Rush (with Jose the Assistant & Dralistico)
vs.
AEW World Tag Champions Big Bill & “Absolute” Ricky Starks,
and Gates of Agony—Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona!
Jim Ross joined the broadcast team to provide his main event analysis.
Big Bill and Preston Vance locked up. Preston battered Big Bill with forearms in the corner. Big Bill walloped Vance with a lariat. Bishop Kaun tagged in and suplexed Preston Vance.
Cash Wheeler tagged in and jabbed at Bishop Kaun. Dax grabbed a tag and FTR hit Kaun with a drop toehold elbow combo. Toa Liona rocked Dax with headbutts. Dax answered with chops to Toa’s chest. Toa nearly knocked Dax out of his boots with a lariat.
Rush tagged in and rammed Ricky into the guardrails! Rush kicked Ricky in the corner and then powerslammed him for a near fall.
Big Bill blocked a discus elbow from Preston with a chokeslam. FTR were looking for the Big Rig, but Big Bill ran over them with a double clothesline. Ricky Starks speared Rush out of nowhere!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Ricky starched Rush with a thrust kick. Rush fired back and then tagged to Dax. Rush and Dax smashed Kaun with the Big Rig! Rush charged at Kaun and nailed him with the Bull’s Horns, grabbing the pinfall victory on Bishop Kaun!
“A demonstrative victory for the leader of LFI,” said Nigel.
LFI walked away without shaking the hands of FTR.
“Rush is a difference maker,” said Jim Ross.
The House of Black appeared on the big screen, with words of warning for FTR!
It was a ruse, as the House of Black blindsided FTR from behind in the ring!
Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta ran to the ring to even up the odds for FTR! Claudio tried to put the Giant Swing on Malakai Black, but Brody pulled Black out of the ring! The BCC and FTR shook hands.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Moda Center in Portland, OR!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
This Saturday night in Wichita, KS All Elite Wrestling makes its debut at the Intrust Bank Arena with a stacked up edition of COLLISION! The AEW World Trios Champions Daddy Ass and The Acclaimed will celebrate their 69th Day as the reigning champions and plan to celebrate it in style! Plus, Darby Allin and Lance Archer will clash in their first-ever bout, Willow Nightingale and Emi Sakura lock up in a rematch of their NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship match, and AR Fox looks for vengeance when he faces Swerve Strickland. But that’s not all, in addition there is a huge eight-man tag on tap featuring the unique pairings of FTR and LFI against the AEW World Tag Team Champions Big Bill and Ricky Starks and their partners in The Gates of Agony.
COLLISION is coming to you this Saturday night on TNT, beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT, so before the night begins swing over to the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, the latest editions of CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
At ALL IN: LONDON, before the largest crowd in All Elite Wrestling history, The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass defeated The House of Black to become the 5th AEW World Trios Champions and begin this reign that is already bordering on historic. In just 69 days, this trio has matched the number of successful defenses that The House achieved in their 175 days atop the division, leaving Billy Gunn and The Acclaimed just one victory away from being the most successful championship trio to date. In fact, aside from Billy and his sons 24-1 record, they are the winningest active trio at 19-2; in other words they have a lot to celebrate, and this Saturday night on COLLISION the World Trios Champions are having their 69-Day Celebration!
Join them in-person in Wichita, or live on TBS, for what will certainly be a one-of-a-kind party that only Daddy Ass and The Acclaimed could deliver!
SINGLES MATCH…
Darby Allin vs. “The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer
To date, the only interaction Darby Allin and Lance Archer have had inside the squared circle is their mutual participation in the ALL OUT 2020 Casino Battle Royale and the June 8, 2022 Casino Battle Royale on DYNAMITE. Besides that, they’ve never locked up in a tag, a trios, a singles, nothing, but that all changes this Saturday night on COLLISION!
For the first time, one of the most daredevil high-risk combatants in AEW’s history will clash with one of the most violent destructive forces AEW has ever tried to contain: Darby Allin versus Lance Archer. Archer’s last outings in AEW were when he challenged Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship at BATTLE OF THE BELTS VII and followed that up with the destruction of Barrett Brown on the October 18th edition of DYNAMITE.
Now fresh off challenging the Guerrillas of Destiny for the NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Titles at FIGHTING SPIRIT UNLEASHED 2023, Archer comes back to try and lay waste to Darby. Allin, coming into this fight, is possibly more banged up than he’s ever been, with a nagging shoulder injury that’s been affecting him since WRESTLEDREAM 2023 to the point that he hasn’t competed since that night in Seattle. Though he’s got a huge match on the horizon at FULL GEAR 2023, Darby is putting himself at risk to not even make it to the KIA Forum by taking this fight with “The Murderhawk Monster”. Win or lose, what condition will Darby Allin be in when he leaves Wichita and this fight with Archer?
Last week, after months away from the spotlight, the AEW faithful saw La Faccion Ingobernable return in full force on COLLISION to help FTR when Cash and Dax were faced with the combined might of Ricky Starks, Big Bill, and The House of Black. It was quite the surprising moment as one would anticipate LFI joining in on the gang assault of the former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champion, but instead Rush, Preston Vance, Dralistico, and Jose stood at their side to even out the numbers.
Well this Saturday night LFI will stand by the side of FTR once again as AEW World Tag Champions Big Bill and Ricky Starks are joined by The Mogul Embassy’s Gates of Agony for a big eight-man tag team battle! This is going to be a wild one with eight men who just love to fight, and may even have some implications on the future of tag team division. A pinfall on Big Bill or Ricky Starks could be the ticket to a championship challenge, but a loss to them could knock one out of contention as well. Can any referee manage to contain the chaos that this fight will be, especially given what we’ve seen out of LFI in their recent videos?
GRUDGE MATCH…
AR Fox vs. Swerve Strickland
It wasn’t that long ago that AR Fox stood side-by-side with Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana to invade the home of Nick Wayne for the purpose of assaulting the young man to send Darby Allin a message. The reality of it was simply Swerve using AR Fox, preying on his anxieties and worries, to drive a wedge between he and Darby, and it worked, albeit temporarily, but once it was no longer convenient, Swerve dumped Fox cold prior to ALL IN: LONDON.
Seeing the error of his ways, Fox attempted to make amends with both Darby and Nick Wayne, though only the former was willing to accept the apology, and perhaps that willingness of Allin’s played a role in Nick’s decision to join up with Christian Cage. That’s neither here nor there for tonight though, tonight is all about AR Fox setting his sights on revenge against Swerve Strickland for what was done to him. Though it was Fox’s decision to sign up with The Mogul Embassy, it certainly wasn’t with the expectation of being stabbed in the back as soon as his usefulness to Swerve was done.
So this is a night of hopeful redemption for AR Fox, a chance to wash away his sins, and begin anew free of the stain of the Mogul Embassy! Can he do it, or will Swerve stomp Fox’s chest in as part of his message to Hangman Page ahead of FULL GEAR 2023?
On the June 2nd edition of RAMPAGE, in her first defense of the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship, Willow Nightingale bested Emi Sakura in a hard-hitting bout indicative of what the newborn championship means to those involved. That wasn’t their first encounter, they’ve been on opposing sides of several tags and trios over the last year, but it was their only singles match to date prior to this Saturday night!
So with that June loss in mind, Emi Sakura steps back into the ring with Willow to try and even the score, while Willow has this week’s happenings with Skye Blue and Julia Hart, as well as her loss to Hikaru Shida, floating around her mind. As AEW makes its debut in Wichita, will it be Emi’s night or Willow’s night?
After making his return to All Elite Wrestling in Philadelphia last week on RAMPAGE, Mark Briscoe will be in the house this Saturday night to make his COLLISION debut! It’s been some time since the 13-Time ROH World Tag Champion has been in action, an injury keeping him sidelined for the last several months, so what brings him to Wichita this weekend? Tune in to find out!
This Saturday night AEW makes its debut in Wichita at the Intrust Bank Arena with a stacked night of COLLISION! LFI and FTR take on Big Bill, Ricky Starks, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona while Mercedes Martinez and Willow Nightingale go head-to-head, Darby Allin and Lance Archer lock up, AR Fox and Swerve Strickland go one-on-one, and so much more!
Prior to the night getting started, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, the latest editions of CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!