AEW Dynamite Preview for February 7, 2024

AEW Dynamite Preview for February 7, 2024

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After an exciting week in AEW action, All Elite Wrestling returns to the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ this Wednesday night with a jam-packed episode of DYNAMITE! Beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, fans will see Ricky Starks & Big Bill defend their AEW World Tag Team Championship against the #1 Ranked duo of Darby Allin & Sting, just as the #1 Ranked Swerve Strickland and #2 Ranked Adam Page fight for a shot at Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship at REVOLUTION 2024! Plus, Red Velvet will fight AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm in an Eliminator Bout, Konosuke Takeshita steps up to fight Chris Jericho on behalf of The Don Callis Family, and The BCC battles the CMLL unit in Trios competition!

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REVOLUTION 2024 is a month out, and the pieces are falling into place for what will certainly be one of the most memorable nights in professional wrestling history! Part of that history-building will take place this Wednesday on DYNAMITE starting 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 join us Saturday night in Henderson, NV where AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy will defend his title against “The Stone Pitbull” Tomohiro Ishii!

AEW World Tag Team Championship Match…

Big Bill & Ricky Starks(c) vs. Darby Allin & Sting

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Together they are 14-0 in tag team competition, a streak that first began at REVOLUTION 2021 when Darby Allin and Sting defeated Team Taz in a Street Fight. That night it was Ricky Starks and Brian Cage officially fighting under the FTW banner, but let’s be honest, every member of the group got involved in that situation to try and shut down Sting’s return to professional wrestling, but they failed. 

Fast forward almost three years, the landscape is very different for Ricky Starks, the ally standing at his side hasn’t been a Team Taz member for quite some time, nor has the championship around his waist been the FTW Title. Instead stands Big Bill, one of the most impressive specimens in professional wrestling, and man that Starks proudly says is not his friend, just his championship tag team partner, and Bill will claim the same. They don’t know much about each other’s personal lives, Starks was even shocked when he learned who Bill is involved with, but that like of a personal relationship hasn’t prevented them from gelling into quite the impressive duo. They utterly decimated FTR to win the titles in the first place, survived a wild Ladder Match to retain the belts, and put down the tandem of Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in a Street Fight. They’ve been dominant because of their skills inside the ring, and how they compliment each other, not necessarily because they are best friends.

On the other side of this fight are Sting and Darby Allin; two men who, despite their difference in age and experience, have formed a formidable bond both personally and professionally. Ever since Sting first came to the AEW fold at WINTER IS COMING 2020, he and Darby have been thick as thieves, partners always, but giving space when needed, and quite unstoppable. No active tag team is even close  to their 14-match win streak, and no individual is even close to Sting’s 27-match win streak. There’s is a bond built on respect, built on friendship earned, something that runs deeper than that of Starks and Big Bill, but also makes them care about the other in a way the defending champions do not. 

Beyond the bond of holding titles together, it doesn’t seem likely Bill and Ricky care about the well-being of one another, whereas “The Icon” and the former 2-Time TNT Champion have that investment in one another. This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, with the AEW World Tag Team Championship on the line, we will all see which approach to tag team competition wins out. Will Big Bill and Ricky Starks add the first loss to Sting’s AEW resume as he heads towards his last dance at REVOLUTION 2024? Or will Sting and Darby Allin, a man “The Icon” calls the best partner he’s ever had, add one last championship to Sting’s trophy case before his legendary career is over?

Winner earns REVOLUTION 2024 World Title Match: 

(#1)Swerve Strickland VS. (#2) Adam Page

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It is a fact that the record books show Swerve Strickland has beaten “Hangman” Adam Page twice in the last four months; once at WRESTLEDREAM 2023 in a traditional singles contest, and then again at FULL GEAR 2023 in that infamous Texas Death match. However, what the numbers on a piece of paper don’t show is that both victories came about as a result of Prince Nana and The Mogul Embassy lending The Boss a helping hand. In the former, it was absolutely a case of cheating when Swerve used Nana’s crown to knock Hangman across the skull, but in the latter, when both Nana and Brian Cage got involved, it was at least in the purview of Texas Death Match rules. Still, neither victory came about as a result of Swerve working alone, neither win can be credited to Strickland alone, and that is the point Hangman Page aims to prove on Wednesday night!

That point of pride isn’t the only thing on the line come DYNAMITE though, with Swerve sitting atop the newest rankings, and Hangman at number two, this fight is also to see who will challenge Samoa Joe at REVOLUTION 2024 live on pay-per-view! Page is on a mission to regain the title he lost at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022, while Swerve aims to become champions for the first time, as well as make history as the first African-American AEW World Champion!

Which of these two warriors, both deserving of the opportunity, will win this rubber match and move on to face AEW World Champion Samoa Joe next month? Can Swerve live up to the challenge to do it by himself this time around? Or will that lack of Mogul Embassy assistance be all Hangman needs to get his first AEW World Championship opportunity since Jon Moxley knocked him out back in October 2022?

Trios Battle…

Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Jon Moxley) vs. Hechicero, Mascara Dorada, & Volador Jr.

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It began with Jon Moxley getting into it with the CMLL contingent during his fight with Jeff Hardy, and the assault they perpetrated on the former 3-Time AEW World Champion after his victory. It continued with Bryan Danielson’s hard-fought victory over Hechicero last Saturday night on COLLISION, a win that pushed Danielson to his limits as much as any match he’s experienced during his AEW tenure. It demonstrated to the AEW faithful the kind of threat that Hechicero is on his own, just as the CMLL contingent’s victory on RAMPAGE the night prior showed how good they are as a unit.

Well this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, they are going to be pushed to their limits as a trio when they face The Blackpool Combat Club of Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Jon Moxley! This will be the very first time Hechicero, Mascara Dorado, and Volador Jr. unite as a trio, just as it will be the first time Bryan, Claudio, and Mox will fight as a trio, and what a first-time outing it will be for each!

Moxley made mention about gang warfare several weeks ago in relation to his fights with Shane Taylor Promotions, and how it was avoided in that situation, but it looks like it’s upon him and The BCC now with these luchadors representing CMLL! With Danielson’s victory on Saturday, The BCC are up a victory over CMLL, will the luchadors even that score in Phoenix? 

Running The Callis Family Gauntlet…

Chris Jericho vs. Konosuke Takeshita

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Chris Jericho is essentially running a gauntlet match against The Don Callis Family, though he may not be battling them one after another on the same day, he is still in the midst of having to fight each one. The original AEW World Champion managed to best ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher in his first battle with the Family, but the road isn’t even close to done yet because this Wednesday night Jericho will face “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita!

Back in November, at DDT Pro Wrestling’s ULTIMATE PARTY 2023, Jericho traveled to Japan to defeat Takeshita on his home turf, and in their four other meetings as foes, it has been Jericho’s team that has come out on top three of those times! The in-ring momentum is certainly on the side of Chris Jericho, but aside from Sammy Guevara, is there anyone on the side of “Le Champion”? He had the assistance, temporarily, of Sting and Darby Allin, but they’re engaged in their own battle in Phoenix, so is there anyone to counteract the supreme numbers advantage held by The Don Callis Family? Will Jericho’s quest to take down each man surrounding Don Callis be cut off at the knees this Wednesday night, or will he get one step closer with a victory over “The Alpha”?

Eliminator Match…

AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm vs. Red Velvet

***DEONNA PURRAZZO ON COMMENTARY***

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AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm is officially on the road to REVOLUTION 2024 for a championship fight with “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo! After having her state of mind questioned by Purrazzo, and her abilities inside the ring placed in doubt, Toni Storm requested what she called “a public workout” this week on DYNAMITE. The reality, whether she realizes it or not, is that Toni Storm will be entering into an Eliminator Bout against one of the most capable competitors in the AEW locker room: Red Velvet! Red has been chasing an AEW championship for almost as long as she’s been part of the company, and though she’s come up short on several occasions, as well as tangled with injury stalling her momentum, none of it has stopped Red Velvet from perpetually pursuing her goals!

If she can pull off a victory this Wednesday night in Phoenix, Red Velvet will earn herself a future championship match, but she’s got some history to overcome. Nine times the AEW Women’s World Champion has competed in an Eliminator Match, and nine times the champion has been victorious, with the champion in question being Toni Storm in four of those bouts. Can Red Velvet be the first woman to win an Eliminator bout, as well as the first challenger since Eddie Kingston & Penta El Zero Miedo to win an Eliminator contest in any division?

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This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling returns to Phoenix, AZ and the Footprint Center with one of the most stacked editions of DYNAMITE yet! Starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, Darby Allin & Sting will challenge Big Bill & Ricky Starks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship, while Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page battle for an AEW World Championship opportunity at REVOLUTION 2024! AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm will face Red Velvet in an Eliminator Bout, Chris Jericho continues his fight against The Don Callis Family when he meets Takeshita in singles competition, and The BCC takes on the CMLL contingent in Trios battle!

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 Henderson, NV and The Dollar Loan Center this Saturday for an all-new edition of COLLISION!

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AEW Rampage Preview for February 2, 2024

AEW Rampage Preview for February 2, 2024

This Friday’s edition of RAMPAGE comes to you from New Orleans and the UNO Lakefront Arena, beginning at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, and includes some monumental match-ups! In your main event, the quartet from CMLL will take on the four men who assisted Jon Moxley on Wednesday night, and Willow Nightingale will throwdown with Queen Aminata! Plus, we will hear from AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and The Best Friends, witness a rematch between Private Party and Top Flight, and see AEW World Tag Team Champions Big Bill and Ricky Starks take on The Dark Order in an Eliminator match! 

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!

CMLL VS. AEW…

Hechicero, Mascara Dorada, Mistico, & Volador Jr. vs. Angelo Parker, Christopher Daniels, Matt Menard, & Matt Sydal

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When the announcement was made that four competitors from the CMLL promotion in Mexico would be appearing for All Elite Wrestling, the excitement level was through the roof. Mistico stoked those fires back in October with this 2/3 Falls bout against Rocky Romero, and the additions of Hechicero, Mascara Dorada, and Volador Jr, only amplified AEW fans’ desire to see their brand of professional wrestling injected into All Elite Wrestling.

Well on Wednesday night those four men certainly injected their presence right into the top of AEW by assaulting Jon Moxley following his victory over Jeff Hardy! Without the rest of The Blackpool Combat Club in the house, one would’ve thought Mox was a man on an island, but perhaps due to the amount of respect he’s built over the years, a most unlikely assortment of men from the AEW locker room hit the ring to stand by his side. Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, Angelo Parker, and Matt Menard all stepped up in defense of Moxley, as well as AEW, in the face of this assault by the CMLL quartet!

Well this Friday night, in the main event of RAMPAGE, those four AEW stalwarts will have another opportunity to stand tall for the land they love when they fight all four Luchadors in an eight-man tag! This comes less than twenty-four hours before Hechicero battles Bryan Danielson on COLLISION, and is sure to be a wild ride for the fans experiencing it in-person, as well as those watching on TNT! What will this CMLL contingent bring to the table, and will the AEW quartet be prepared?

ELIMINATOR MATCH…

AEW World Tag Team Champions Big Bill & Ricky Starks vs. The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver)

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Big Bill and Ricky Starks have a major challenge on their plate next Wednesday night when AEW returns to Phoenix and the Footprint Center for DYNAMITE. It’s not just that they’ll be defending their AEW World Tag Team Championship, it’s that they will be defending them against the unbeaten tandem of Darby Allin and Sting! There’s an irony in the fact that Sting and Darby began their alliance fighting Ricky Starks, and that they could win their first championship together by beating him as well, but that’s something “Absolute” will have to put out of his mind for the time being as this Friday on RAMPAGE, they’ve got potential challengers gunning for them!

The Dark Order of Alex Reynolds and John Silver have been on a bit of a tag team roll lately; they’ve won six straight tag team bouts dating back to November 1st, are 3-0 in 2024, and that record has landed them the number two position in the Tag Team rankings released Wednesday night! In addition, it has earned Silver and Reynolds this Eliminator contest where they could potentially score a championship match with Big Bill and Ricky Starks! The Dark Order has strong momentum heading into this one, but so do the champions, the only difference is Alex and John have nothing else to focus on while Bill and Ricky have Sting and Darby looking over their shoulders and lingering on their brain!

Can that be the key to The Dark Order earning themselves their first AEW Tag Team Championship match in over two years?

ONE-ON-ONE…

Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata

It’s been over two years since these two women last met inside the squared circle, but this Friday night on RAMPAGE, Willow Nightingale and Queen Aminata will lock-up in the first AEW meeting! On September 11, 2021 it was Willow who walked out of the match with the victory, but with how both have grown as competitors in the time since, it’s going to be very intriguing to see how this one plays out. Queen Aminata, though failing to score any victories, has impressed fans and pundits alike with her fights against Thunder Rosa, Mariah May, Hikaru Shida, and Kris Statlander over recent weeks, proving herself to be on the cusp of breaking through to that next level. She hits hard, and she can take the return fire, and that alone will take her right to the brink, but to truly become next level, Aminata has to start picking up the wins. 

Now with all the drama going on between Kris Statlander, Willow, and Stokely Hathaway (or should that be drama created by Stokely), this may be the most opportune time to score a marquee victory for Queen Aminata. If Willow is distracted by that business, especially with both Stat and Stoke coming ringside with her, then Aminata will certainly score her first major victory in All Elite Wrestling. 

TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH…

Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen)

Several weeks ago, when DYNAMITE swung through North Charleston, SC, Private Party scored a huge tag team victory over Top Flight in the former’s first match since December 2, 2022. It was a tremendous fight, one that showcased the skills of both young teams, and Private Party looked exceptional despite Marq Quen’s long road to recovery stalling their tag team momentum. Unfortunately, after being unable to put down the Martin brothers for a three count, Marq resorted to a rope-assisted pinfall in order to get the victory, somewhat dampening the overall feel of the contest, and what should’ve been a comeback to celebrate.

That’s not wholely accurate, Private Party has certainly been celebrating the victory like it was perfectly legit, like Marq didn’t mean to hook the ropes for leverage, and he and Isiah are certainly walking around like they proved themselves the better team. Well this Friday night on RAMPAGE, Private Party will have a chance to show once and for all who is the best between these two young teams because Top Flight is getting their rematch! Not only that, but this time Action Andretti has promised to be at ringside to make sure there are no more shenanigans from Isiah or Marq that cost Top Flight the bout!

OC AND THE BESTIES…

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On Wednesday night we saw The Undisputed Kingdom’s Wardlow decimate Komander, the latest ally of AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy to be targeted by The UK, and as if that wasn’t enough, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett were primed to continue assaulting the man after the bout. Thankfully Rocky Romero, Trent Beretta, and Orange Cassidy were on-the-spot to prevent any further damage from being inflicted on Komander, but rather than fight with them, The Undisputed Kingdom elected to leave the ring.

OC knows that Roderick Strong is trying to drag their potential fight out to REVOLUTION 2024, likely to see “Freshly Squeezed” get worn out the way he was before Jon Moxley ended the last International Championship reign, but Cassidy has made it clear he’s got no intention of stopping his way of doing business. That being said, this Friday night on RAMPAGE, we will hear from Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, and Trent Beretta about this situation!

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The UNO Lakefront Arena in The Big Easy is where the fights go down this Friday night on RAMPAGE, and it gets underway at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans! We will hear from AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and The Best Friends, as well as witness four of CMLL’s best take on four of AEW’s best, Willow and Queen Aminata go head-to-head, and The Dark Order attempt to earn a shot at the AEW World Tag Titles in an Eliminator fight with the champs! To top it all off, two of AEW’s most impressive young teams will dance again when Top Flight goes a second round with Private Party!

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Before the night gets underway, be sure to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the latest CONTROL CENTER!

AEW Dynamite Preview for January 31, 2024

AEW Dynamite Preview for January 31, 2024

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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

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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?

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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

AEW Collision Preview for January 27, 2024

AEW Collision Preview for January 27, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/embed/HdMqDN0dees?si=HLd8ccydWINUKxbu

This Saturday night All Elite Wrestling makes our debut in Bossier City, LA at the Brookshire Grocery Arena with what will surely be an unforgettable edition of COLLISION based on the Cage Match alone. That’s right, six of the best in the world, locked inside a Steel Cage together, The House of Black battling FTR and Daniel Garcia,  and fighting it out under Elimination rules! Plus, “Blue Thunder” Yuji Nagata returns to AEW to take on “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson in their first-ever singles match; they’ve got some New Japan history from two decades back, but never went one-on-one until now! In addition to those two huge bouts, Mariah May will be in action against Lady Frost, Serena Deeb makes her return to in-ring competition, and Orange Cassidy defends his AEW International Championship against Komander!

The night gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the AEW faithful can get prepared for the action-packed evening by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

SIX-MAN ELIMINATION STEEL CAGE MATCH…

Daniel Garcia & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs.

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

Since October, there has been a war going on between FTR and The House of Black, the details of which can be viewed in great detail on this Timeline presentation, and that war has also pulled in Daniel Garcia as an ally on the side of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler. See in their final match of the Continental Classic, Daniel Garcia defeat The House’s Brody King, his second singles victory over Brody in 2023 actually, and Daniel has suffered for that sin against The House repeatedly.

But that hasn’t stopped Garcia from stepping up against The House of Black, from aligning himself with FTR, and fighting them with every ounce of his being. He did it two weeks ago on COLLISION when he and FTR lost in a standard Trios bout to The House of Black, and again last week when he bested Buddy Matthews in their singles bout. FTR has done their part as well, tussling with House of Black as two of the teams in FULL GEAR 2023’s Championship Ladder Match, and beating the Buddy/Malakai combination three weeks ago, but every contest involving these six individuals seems to end up in a fight after the bell. 

That’s why this Saturday night on COLLISION, with AEW’s debut in Bossier City, all six of these competitors will be locked inside a Steel Cage! This will be the first time in AEW’s history a Trios battle will be contested under this circumstances, as well as the first Elimination Rules Cage match, and that could lead to very painful outcome for any one of these six men. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to find one man alone against all three House of Black members, or FTR going 2-on-1 with a House member; the Elimination factor makes this even more an unpredictable battle that it would be as a standard Cage Match. 

This will be a violent affair, of that there is no doubt, but will even this be enough to end the hostilities perpetually erupting between these six combatants? Or will the outcome just be adding more fuel to the burgeoning inferno?

DREAM (MATCHES) DO COME TRUE…

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. “Blue Justice” Yuji Nagata

The very first time Bryan Danielson stepped into the ring with Yuji Nagata was November 2, 2002 at the tail end of American Dragon’s very first tour with New Japan Professional Wrestling. That night, with Scott Norton and a man named Jack The Bull at his side, Danielson’s team bested Nagata, Masahiro Chono, and Heat (aka Minoru Tanaka). Over the course of the next two years, Bryan and “Blue Justice” would be on opposite sides of the ring a total of nine times, all in tags or trios, with Danielson’s side of the coin winning just twice, that aforementioned first match and their last on July 16, 2004, making Bryan 1-2 in tags and 1-5 in trios all-time against Yuji Nagata. 

What that means in the grand scheme of things is that this Saturday night on COLLISION, when Yuji Nagata returns to All Elite Wrestling nearly three years since he fought Jon Moxley over the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship! In the years since, Nagata reigned as All Japan’s Triple Crown Champion for 133 days during the course of 2023, competed in the NJPW’s 2023 World Tag League as Minoru Suzuki’s partner, fought in AJPW’s Real World Tag League and Royal Road Tournament’s in 2022, competed for DDT Pro Wrestling, GLEAT, ZERO1’s Shinjiro Otani Benefit Show, and even for West Coast Pro here in the United States; Nagata generally made his way across the wrestling landscape, and now the oldest 55 year old returns to AEW for this dream battle with Bryan Danielson!

We know Bryan has his eyes set on ripping that Continental Crown away from Eddie Kingston, a man he clearly does not respect in any fashion, but before that can become reality, “The American Dragon” has to contend with Nagata this Saturday night! 

ONE-ON-ONE…

Mariah May vs. Lady Frost

Several weeks ago, Mariah May made her much anticipated in-ring debut by scoring a victory over Queen Aminata. It wasn’t the easiest of wins, Amanita gave Mariah May a tremendous fight in the process, but it was a win nonetheless. Unfortunately for the former Stardom champion, not only did her idol Toni Storm neglect to watch the match, but Mariah’s moment was crashed by a Deonna Purrazzo more interested in challenging the AEW Women’s World Champion than in Mariah May.

This Saturday night, Mariah will have a second chance to make the night all about her as she gets back into the ring for the first time since January 3rd, and her opponent will be one of the more impressive competitors gunning for a spot at the top of the locker room: Lady Frost! While Mariah may be new to All Elite Wrestling, these two women that are no stranger to one another, each having been a part of a pivotal moment in the other’s career.

For Lady Frost, when she made her first excursion to the United Kingdom in November of 2019, the very first match she competed in was spent working as Mariah May’s partner, and the two were actually victorious in that bout.

For Mariah May, when she traveled to the United States for the very first time in March of 2022, the opponent standing across the ring from her that night in the South Philly’s legendary Arena was in fact Lady Frost! In that singles outing, it was May who came out with the victory, and Frost has been itching for another go for nearly two years.

Well she will have her opportunity this Saturday night on COLLISION when she and Mariah May lock horns under the AEW banner! May is still desperate for the approval and acknowledgment of the AEW Women’s World Champion, so she will be fighting as much for that as for herself, while Frost is fighting for to establish her position within the grand scheme of the Women’s Division. Will this rematch go the same way as the first, or can Lady Frost dim May’s spotlight?

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Komander

https://www.youtube.com/embed/o1ZEZaBEUUQ?si=vCwoWqWBJ5gcZbSS

Last night on RAMPAGE, Komander scored the victory on Kip Sabian in the “Freshly Squeezed Four Way” that also included The Butcher and AAA Mega Champion El Hijo Del Vikingo. With that pinfall victory, the AAA World Cruiserweight Champion earned himself a shot at Orange Cassidy’s AEW International Championship this Saturday on COLLISION! This will mark Komander’s first singles opportunity at that title, though he did participate in the 21 Man Blackjack Battle Royale at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023, as well as the first one-on-one encounter between he and “Freshly Squeezed”. OC does hold a tag team victory over Komander from the January 17th edition of DYNAMITE, and between a desire to even that score, as well as to earn his first AEW championship, Komander will no doubt go all out on Saturday night!

Something else that no doubt will happen on Saturday night is this bout having the eyes of Roderick Strong all over it. Roddy may have the patience to wait until REVOLUTION 2024 to fight Orange Cassidy, but with that willingness to wait comes the possibility it won’t be OC holding the International Title. That means the former ROH World Champion will also have to keep his eyes on anyone Cassidy faces between now and March 3rd, just to stay prepared for whoever may be standing across the ring from him in Greensboro, NC! For Roderick, that fight does not seem to be about the person, but rather about the prize, and it doesn’t appear to matter who he fights as long as they have what he wants!

ELIMINATOR MATCH…

Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston vs. Willie Mack

If wrestling is a matter of respect earned, then there are few men who’ve fought harder to earn it than Eddie Kingston, and not because he was seeking it out like some individuals may be compelled to do. Instead, that respect came from those who watched Kingston grind it out across the independent landscape for the last two decades before he earned his way into All Elite Wrestling. That respect grew in those who watched Eddie struggle publicly with his demons and his mental health, never denying he had issues to work through, and willing to fail in the process of learning. Eddie is respected by fans and most of his peers because he’s willing to be an open, honest man about himself, as well as those around him, but that kind of honesty can cut when it’s pushed towards someone who refuses to hear it.

That someone is Bryan Danielson, that someone is Claudio Castagnoli, and there is nothing that Eddie Kingston can ever do that will make those two men see him as any other than the street kid they first met twenty years ago. Even though they share the Blackpool banner with Jon Moxley, they will never see Kingston the same way Mox does, but after all these years of being ridiculed and derided by men like Bryan and Claudio, it doesn’t matter to Eddie. His love and respect, his time and energy, it will be reserved for those who have earned it, and that is where Willie Mack comes into the picture.

Just like Eddie, and many of their AEW compatriots, Willie Mack has been through the independent grind of little-to-no pay, long drives, small crowds, and yet he still stands, and yet he too has worked his way into fighting on the AEW stage. That is why Eddie Kingston is giving Willie this Eliminator opportunity on COLLISION; all he’s got to do is beat Eddie and a shot at the Continental Crown will be his! History isn’t on the side of Mack, the only Eliminator match in AEW history that’s gone the way of the potential challengers was actually the night Kingston and Jon Moxley beat then AEW World Tag Champions The Young Bucks, but if there’s anyone who can pull it off, it may just be Willie Mack!

TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH…

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

Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/5OZoqdRXdSY?si=R8LxyloxU__5X606

Short and sweet, after Jon Moxley defeated a very game Lee Moriarty last night on RAMPAGE, the two members of Shane Taylor Promotions did something very few men in All Elite Wrestling had done: left Jon Moxley laying in the middle in the ring. Perhaps it was frustration over both Shane Taylor and Lee taking an “L” from Moxley in the last week, perhaps it’s a bigger picture than just those two matches, either way it marked a new level for Shane Taylor Promotions, and with that leveling up (or down depending on your perspective) comes a whole new level of competition.

That is why this Saturday night on COLLISION, STP will have to answer for this assault and those consequences come in the form of a tag team fight against Blackpool Combat Club! Of the few men Jon Moxley has deemed worthy of partnership in his AEW career, Claudio Castagnoli has been one of his strongest alliances, the two marking an 8-1 record as a team (ironically the same record he holds with Eddie Kingston), whereas Lee and Shane T’s experience working as a team has all been under the ROH banner, but at least they are 4-0 in traditional tag team competition, including a 2/3 Falls victory over The Infantry. 

So will this be Shane Taylor Promotions elevating their game to overcome BCC or will it be, as Robert Southey wrote over 200 years ago, “Curses are like young chickens, they always come home to roost”?

SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION…

459 days; that is how long it has been since Serena Deeb stepped out onto the AEW stage and into an AEW ring to compete in front of the AEW faithful. For 459 days she fought with her mind, body, and soul to get back to a place where she was ready to step back between the ropes and do what she does best: wrestle.

As a former Women’s Champion, many times over, Deeb has made a career out of being spoken of as one of the best technical wrestlers in the game, a woman capable of breaking an opponent’s body down, treating a match like a complete dissection, and making sure her opponent left the match realizing they had a lot left to learn. Serena Deeb is “The Professor of Professional Wrestling”, a woman who teaches lessons in pain and suffering to those hapless enough to be across the ring from her, but one lesson she still has to learn herself is that of an AEW champion.

Despite the accolades she has earned across her career, Serena Deeb has yet to wear a championship around her waist bearing the letters AEW, but with this return to form “The Professor” aims to fix that blemish on her record, to make up for failures against Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa, and show that she herself learned the lessons taught from those championship losses. For all those women in the AEW locker room, and for whoever stands across the ring from Serena Deeb on Saturday night, this fight on COLLISION will be a warning that “The Professor” is back, and she has plenty of lessons to teach the division!

Bossier City, LA and the Brookshire Grocery Arena play host to COLLISION this Saturday night! The House of Black will be locked inside a Steel Cage with FTR and Daniel Garcia, battling one another under Elimination rules, in hopes that this violent affair will bring an end to their rivalry! Danielson versus Nagata, Serena Deeb returns, Mariah May takes on Lady Frost, and so much more in store for your Saturday night fights! The action gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the AEW faithful can get prepared for the action-packed evening by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

AEW Dynamite Preview for January 24, 2024

AEW Dynamite Preview for January 24, 2024

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!

AEW Rampage Results for January 19, 2024

AEW Rampage Results for January 19, 2024

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, SC!

Your broadcast team was Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, and Don Callis!

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

This…is…Rampage!

Chris Jericho vs. Matt Sydal!

They started with a collar and elbow tie up. The fans chanted “Jericho! Jericho! Jericho!” Jericho ran the ropes and sent Sydal crashing with a shoulder tackle. Sydal sent Jericho over the top rope with a clothesline. Sydal connected with a meteora knee strike off the apron! Sydal drove Jericho down in the ring with another meteora for a near fall.

“The only thing that would make me happier is if it was one of my guys in the Don Callis Family with their hands around Jericho’s throat,” said Callis.

Jericho regained momentum with knife edge chops. Sydal chopped away at the legs and chest of Jericho with kicks. Jericho countered Sydal and locked in the Walls of Jericho! Sydal used his flexibility and finally reached the bottom rope, forcing the rope break. Jericho dropkicked Sydal from the turnbuckles, and Sydal crashed to the arena floor.

Back in the ring, Jericho jumped off the top rope, but Sydal countered with a kick and then a standing moonsault for a near fall! Jericho fired his shoulder up at the last possible moment. Sydal power bombed Jericho for another near fall.

“What a back and forth matchup this has been,” said Ian.

Sydal jumped off the ropes and Jericho cracked him with the Code Breaker! Jericho played possum and then went for a lionsault, but Sydal got his knees up. Sydal rocked Jericho with an Air Raid Crash for a two-count!

Jericho sent Sydal flying with a hurracanrana from the top rope. Jericho followed up with the Judas Effect and pinned Sydal!

Jericho barely took a step through the ropes and Don Callis ran for the hills!

As Jericho was returning to the back, “The Alpha” Takeshita blindsided Jericho! Security came out along with Christopher Daniels and Takeshita wiped out Daniels before leaving!

Penta El Zero Miedo (with Alex Abrahantes) vs. The Workhorsemen’s Anthony Henry!

“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard joined the broadcast booth for the rest of the evening.

Penta El Zero Miedo walloped Henry with a stiff kick to Henry’s midsection. Anthony Henry managed to string together a flurry of offense on Penta. Henry charged at Penta, but Penta caught him with a thrust kick. Penta dropped Henry with a spinning Spiccoli Driver for a near fall!

Penta El Zero Miedo was looking for the Made in Japan, but Henry blocked it and hit a double stomp on Penta! Henry tried for a double stomp, but Penta dodged it and fired back with a suplex into the turnbuckles. Penta spiked Anthony Henry with the Fear Factor and pinned Henry!

Renee Paquette was backstage when Ruby Soho and Saraya walked up, arguing with one another!

Renee asked what was going on with them.

Saraya: “I don’t know! She’s paranoid!”

Ruby came back around the corner and this time she was holding Harley Cameron by the throat.

Ruby: “Why him?! Tell me!”

Harley: “To help you!”

Ruby: “To help me!? Are you kidding me?!”

Saraya was motioning to Harley from behind Ruby’s back.

Harley: “It was Anna Jay. She told me to do it.”

Saraya: “Yeah, that makes perfect sense Ruby. Let her go.”

Kris Statlander (with Stokely Hathaway) vs. Queen Aminata!

Excalibur noticed Willow Nightingale’s absence from Kris’ side.

Queen Aminata took Kris down with an arm drag. They both went for a pump kick and they both blocked each other. Statlander charged at Aminata with a shoulder tackle. Statlander swept out Aminata’s legs and then splashed her with a senton.

Statlander charged at Aminata, but the Queen ducked it. Queen Aminata took the advantage with a diving crossbody through the ropes. Back in the ring, Statlander trucked Aminata with a discus lariat for a near fall!

Queen Aminata rocked Statlander with a running knee. Statlander slipped behind and power slammed Aminata. Statlander planted Aminata, hooked the leg and pinned her!

“Stokely Hathaway seems to think he played a major role in Statlander’s victory,” said Excalibur.

Sonjay Dutt once again commissioned a camera crew to document his attempts to get his gang back on track!

Sonjay was backstage with Satnam Singh and Jay Lethal.

Lethal: “Where the heck is Jeff? I’m glad he’s not here. That way I can talk openly without him interrupting. I want to get back to what this company was built on and that’s great in ring action. I can’t do this in this group.”

Sonjay: “I got it. It’s time to kick Karen Jarrett out of the group.”

Satnam: “Whoa, whoa, we need to keep the best leader of this team. We need to keep Karen and kick out Jeff!”

Jay Lethal: “Guys stop! This is what I’m talking about. We’re arguing after stupid things. I don’t know how much more of this I can take! Maybe it’s singles gold I’m after!”

Renee Paquette was backstage to interview Kris Statlander after her huge victory!

Stokely Hathaway was standing beside Statlander.

Willow Nightingale rushed to see Kris. Willow was still in her street clothes. 

Willow: “I missed it! I’m so sorry.”

Kris: “Are you ok?”

Willow: “I’m fine but my flight was cancelled.”

Stokely: “Cancelled?”

Willow: “No, the flight happened. I just couldn’t get on it. Somebody cancelled my trip.”

Stokely: “Oh my, damn. But you know what? If you’re supposed to be her best friend and you love this business so much, you wouldn’t have been hopping on Soul Plane. Maybe if you would have picked a dedicated airline like United or Delta!”

Willow: “I wanted to be in your corner!”

Kris: “We’re going to figure this out.”

Stokely: “You mean we? Oh, so we’re a thing?”

Willow: “You’re giving him a chance?”

Main Event Time! 

Darby Allin vs. Jeff Hardy!

Jeff slapped Darby in the face. Darby fired back with a shotgun dropkick. Darby jumped from the top turnbuckle and crashed onto Jeff on the outside! Jeff Hardy whipped Darby into the announcers’ desk!

“Jeff Hardy showing a real mean streak here,” said Matt Menard.

Jeff hurled Darby into the barricade. Jeff jumped off the ring apron and connected with a big clothesline. Jeff ran and jumped off the steel ring steps, but Darby moved, sending Jeff crashing into the barricade. 

Darby clubbed Jeff with right hands across the jaw. Darby sat Jeff on a metal chair and then charged at him with a tope suicida, but Jeff dodged it! Darby was writhing in pain. Back in the ring Jeff hit a neck breaker. Jeff followed up with two more neck breakers. Jeff face planted Darby and covered him, but Darby kicked out at the two-count.

Both men jockeyed for position on the top turnbuckle. Darby raked Jeff’s back. Darby rocked Jeff with an avalanche Code Red for a near fall!

“How did Jeff Hardy kick out of that one?” wondered Excalibur.

Jeff stopped Darby from doing a Coffin Drop. Jeff countered with a neck breaker on the ring apron, with Darby’s feet elevated on the top turnbuckle! Jeff pulled a table from beneath the ring. Jeff rammed Darby’s head into the steel ring post and then placed Darby on the table. Jeff attempted a Swanton, but Darby dodged it and sent Jeff crashing through the table!

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Darby rolled Jeff back into the ring. Darby went for the Coffin Drop but Jeff raised his knees right into Darby’s back! Darby escaped a Twist of Fate, jackknifed Jeff and scored the pin!

“He’ll take those risks, but Darby is such a highly technical wrestler as well,” said Excalibur.

Darby tried to fist bump Jeff after the match to show respect, but Jeff wouldn’t reciprocate, simply choosing to leave the ring instead.

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA!

Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO featuring:

-House of Black’s Buddy Matthews vs. Daniel Garcia!

-Thunder Rosa returns to singles action!

-The “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland’s “Cope Open”!

-The Return of Jon Moxley as he goes one on one with Shane Taylor!

-Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Continental Crown Champ Eddie Kingston & Ortiz!

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

Loaded Lineup Set for TNA Wrestling LIVE in Orlando This Friday & Saturday – TNA Wrestling

Loaded Lineup Set for TNA Wrestling LIVE in Orlando This Friday & Saturday – TNA Wrestling

Loaded Lineup Set for TNA Wrestling LIVE in Orlando This Friday & Saturday News / January 16, 2024 / by IMPACT Wrestling Staff Get tickets TNA Wrestling returns to Orlando, Florida THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY,…

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AEW Collision and Battle of the Belts IX Preview for January 13, 2024

AEW Collision and Battle of the Belts IX Preview for January 13, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/embed/mHMcD0SIGZs?si=eFbCxasLF_YC69Eg&start=323

Saturday night is loaded up with All Elite Wrestling action as we present three loaded hours of the best professional wrestling action on the planet between two back-to-back programs! For the first time since October 26, 2022, AEW returns to Norfolk’s Chartway Arena and with it comes both COLLISION and BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX! The former will feature “Hangman” Adam Page coming back to Norfolk for the first time since November 2021 where he arrived the new AEW World Champion, Adam Copeland laying out another Open Challenge as he fights towards another TNT Championship opportunity, The Mogul Embassy defending the ROH World Six-Man Championship against Lance Archer and The Righteous, and Deonna Purrazzo making her COLLISION debut against Red Velvet!

For the ninth edition of BATTLE OF THE BELTS, Chris Jericho will use the title opportunity he earned at FULL GEAR 2023 when he teams with Sammy Guevara to challenge Big Bill and Ricky Starks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship titles! Plus, after Anna Jay’s team defeat Julia Hart’s on DYNAMITE this past Wednesday night, “The Queen Slayer” will face “The Princess of the Black Throne” for her TBS Championship title, and Orange Cassidy will put his AEW International Championship on the line against LFI’s Preston Vance!

The night begins with COLLISION at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, followed immediately by BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX, and fans can get prepared for the action-packed evening by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

COLLISION

OPEN CHALLENGE…

Adam Copeland vs. ???

https://www.youtube.com/embed/06o3F4wbp0c?si=AJXBTu4VjO1UiyyC&start=217

After being robbed of his TNT Championship triumph by Killswitch at WORLDS END, and then having to watch that monster turn his moment over to Christian Cage rather than capitalize on it himself, Adam Copeland is a very angry man. But as someone who understands taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves, Copeland can’t fault the former Luchasaurus from trying to seize his moment, but he can look towards Christian Cage as the target of his rage. Copeland may be able to claim a rematch as the former champion, but he’s chosen to play the game “The Patriarch” has laid out, start from scratch, and work his way back towards another shot at Christian and the TNT Championship.

It began last week when a brave Griff Garrison slapped Copeland across the face in response to Adam’s first Open Challenge, and although it ended with Griff tapping out, it showed a more aggressive side to the young man than we’ve seen in the past. This week on COLLISION, Copeland will lay out another Open Challenge and wait to see just who answers the call for a fight! There are plenty of men in the AEW locker room who dream of using the Hall of Famer as their own personal stepping stone, but all they have to do is ask Griff Garrison just how different that dream can be from the reality!

ROH WORLD SIX-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

The Mogul Embassy (Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage & Toa Liona)(c) vs. Lance Archer & The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) 

What an unexpected treat this fight is going to be! Six of the roughest, toughest competitors in professional wrestling locking horns with the ROH World Six-Man Championship titles at stake this Saturday night on COLLISION! The Mogul Embassy are in the midst of their second reign with the titles, having defeated The Elite back on the November 1st edition of DYNAMITE, and sending The Gates of Agony off to New Japan’s World Tag League Tournament on a high note. 

Upon their return, Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona reunited with Brian Cage at ROH’s FINAL BATTLE 2023 event to make their first successful defense of this second reign over TMDK representatives Bad Dude Tito, Kosei Fujita, and Shane Haste. The trio were back in action together this past Wednesday night during DYNAMITE: HOMECOMING 2024, only this time joined by a fourth man in Lance Archer, as they faced Preston Vance, Adam Copeland, Dustin Rhodes, and AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy. Communication broke down, Archer accidentally hit Toa Liona, which in turn led to Brian Cage and Lance Archer coming to blows, and the whole thing falling apart until Bishop Kaun got pinned by Vance.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/6mjKFVojJ_A?si=O8tYddTNOovq1YQW&start=232

So this Saturday night on COLLISION, the ROH World Six-Man Champions look to even the score with Lance Archer, but in order to do so they’ll have to put those titles on the line against the nascent team of The Righteous and “The Murderhawk Monster”! Under the guidance of Jake “The Snake” Roberts, they are a dangerous trio who could easily bring an end to The Mogul Embassy’s grip on this Six-Man Championship titles! Vincent and Dutch are familiar with them, having held the belts with Bateman for 224 days from FINAL BATTLE 2021: END OF AN ERA to DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2022, and would love to have them in their possession once again, especially with a behemoth like Lance Archer at their side!

THE VIRTUOSA COMES TO COLLISION…

“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo vs. Red Velvet

It was just over a week ago that “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo crashed the in-ring debut of Mariah May, declared herself to be All Elite, and made it clear her sights were set on “Timeless” Toni Storm’s AEW Women’s World Championship! It was the first time Purrazzo had been in an AEW ring since her ROH Women’s World Title fight with Mercedes Martinez on May 4, 2022, but back then she was not a part of the AEW roster. This Saturday night on COLLISION, when she steps into the ring against Red Velvet, Purrazzo will be an official member of All Elite Wrestling, and thus beginning her own march towards the title coveted by all the women under the AEW banner. 

Eleven times in her career Deonna has worn a championship around her waist, including that ROH Women’s World Title and the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship, but her aim to make the AEW crown her twelfth could very well be stifled by Red Velvet with their mutual COLLISION debut! In November, Red returned from a nine month injury layoff hungry to get back into a title picture, but she has instead been frustrated by the competitors she has faced. This moment that Deonna Purrazzo aims to make her own could be the one Red Velvet steals to put the spotlight back on her own quest to become the top women in AEW.

It’s a tremendous opportunity for Red Velvet, but the pressure is certainly on Deonna Purrazzo to deliver in her debut as an official member of the All Elite Wrestling roster! Purrazzo has the experience advantage, ten years already under her belt at just 29 years of age, but AEW has been Red Velvet’s home for nearly four years, and she intends to remind everyone just who stirs it up around here!

TRIOS GRUDGE MATCH…

Daniel Garcia and FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. The House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WooHNQJeWd8?si=aDg2BT3jUP2cYkbz&start=323

Last week FTR defeated The House of Black, as honored by Buddy Matthews and Malakai Black, in their very first tag team contest, but the meatier story was all that surrounded Dax’s pinfall on Buddy. Prior to the end, Brody King made his way to ringside to help his brothers, but was instead cutoff by a chair-wielding Daniel Garcia, the young man serving as equalizer for The House’s attempt to tip the scales in their favor.

What followed was an all-out assault by The House perpetrated on Dax, Cash, and Garcia, while TBS Champion Julia Hart rang the bell in what can only be likened to a ten bell salute. The message was clear, as was The House’s intent to bury these three individuals, and it looks like the former AEW World Trios Champions will have their opportunity this Saturday night on COLLISION! Aside from a common foe, the only crossing of paths between Daniel Garcia and FTR was a superb HOUSE RULES: TUPELO fight between Garcia and Dax Harwood back in June. They are an inexperienced trio fighting former Trios Champions who hold the record for longest reign in the history of the titles; there’s no doubt FTR and Daniel Garcia are at a disadvantage from the standpoint of working together, but their hunger for a fight, and for revenge after last week, may just be the x-factor that carries them to victory in Saturday night’s fight!

BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX

AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP STREET FIGHT…

Big Bill & Ricky Starks(c) vs. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara

https://www.youtube.com/embed/UV3EB0jr7ZI?si=IkKODBEKCD9uUHOt&start=217

Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara are no strangers to tag team competition, they netted their very first tag team victory on the second episode of DYNAMITE way back on 10/9/19, and unsuccessfully challenged for the AEW World Tag Titles a month later against Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian. All told, the pair are 7-5 as team since the inception of All Elite Wrestling, but this championship bout on Saturday night comes after a strained relationship turned to betrayal which in turn led to a reunion only a few weeks ago. Jericho and Sammy lived through The Inner Circle together, through the Jericho Appreciation Society together, and even after The J.A.S. fell apart, it seemed Guevara would at least be the one who remained a Jericho-supporter. Yet shockingly, “The Spanish God” did betray Jericho to ally himself with Don Callis and even fought Jericho at WRESTLEDREAM 2023 with Takeshita and Will Ospreay as his partners.

But that match would ultimately tell Guevara everything he needed to know about the poor choice he had made in picking Don Callis, not to say that Jericho himself was a saint over the course of AEW, but neither was Guevara. See “The Spanish God” suffered a serious concussion over the course of that Trios fight in Seattle, and while he was absent from AEW competition, so too was he absent from the mind of Don Callis. No contact, no care, Callis showed not the least bit of concern for Guevara’s health, and that became abundantly clear when Guevara did finally return to AEW during Callis’ self-congratulatory Boxing Day Celebration.

Guevara ended up on the wrong end of an assault from The Don Callis Family, not that it was a surprise Callis sicced his dogs on “The Spanish God”, but what was a shock was Chris Jericho rushing to the aid of his former friend. An even bigger shock was the two men hugging after the fact, Sting and Darby Allin helping them out when an Ricky Starks and Big Bill launched an attack of their own, and the foursome actually beating Starks, Bill, Takeshita, and Powerhouse Hobbs at WORLDS END. 

With that victory it was clear that Guevara and Jericho were back on the same page, and that in turn led Chris Jericho to choose Sammy as his partner for this AEW World Tag Team Championship bout! The title shot came about from Jericho and Kenny Omega defeating The Young Bucks at FULL GEAR 2023, but when Omega was forced to step away from AEW to handle his diverticulitis, that left Jericho without a partner to take advantage of the championship opportunity. After all, given everything he’d done to the men in AEW, who would possibly want to team up with “Le Champion” even with a guaranteed title match as part of the deal?

To look towards the future, Jericho certainly had to repair the past, and apparently make amends for what he’d done to Sammy Guevara, and presumably “The Spanish God” also making his apologies for those actions taken several months ago. So now that they’re back on the same page, now that the bond of friendship has been reignited, can they topple Big Bill and Ricky Starks? Unlike Jericho and Guevara, the defending champions are not friends, their relationship is not contingent on being best friends, in fact sometimes it seems like they barely know one another outside of the time they spend fighting side-by-side. The important part to Big Bill and Ricky Starks isn’t a personal relationship, but rather a professional one that keeps the AEW World Tag Team Championship in their possession as long as humanly possible, and if the day comes that it ends, the two men will bid each other farewell and head back onto their own paths. 

So in some ways, this fight is a question of which method of conducting your business proves better? Is it the bonds of friendship that make for stronger tag team success, or the bond of business? Will the history of Sammy and Chris be their key to ending the reign of Big Bill and Ricky Starks, or will all their drama over the last five year be their undoing? We will see this Saturday night during BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX!

TBS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Julia Hart(c) vs. Anna Jay

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cj6GocblbIw?si=fQ34jXmVlB3Ksm6o&start=217

This past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, TBS Champion Julia Hart and Anna Jay were on opposite sides of an Eight-Woman Tag, with the latter competing in memory of her late-mentor Mr. Brodie Lee. Perhaps it was Lee’s memory, perhaps it was being back in Jacksonville at Daily’s Place, whatever the case may be, it motivated Anna Jay’s team towards victory, with “The Queen Slayer” herself scoring the deciding pinfall over Julia Hart!

Clearly it was a very emotional situation for Anna Jay, but that victory has catapulted her into this championship situation on Saturday night during BOTB IX! Riding on the motivation of that Wednesday night victory, Anna Jay has to remember that Julia Hart holds two decisive victories over her, one in a wild No Holds Barred Match back on May 10th of 2023. Conversely, Anna Jay has no wins over Julia, not directly at least, just this multi-man pinfall over a member of Hart’s team on Wednesday night. In addition, this match marks Anna Jay’s fifth TBS Championship bid since the title’s inception at the beginning of 2022, will it be the night she finally claims it as her own?

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Orange Cassidy(c) vs. LFI’s Preston Vance

https://www.youtube.com/embed/6mjKFVojJ_A?si=tkhRQc6Pu3aML1Ga&start=323

On Wednesday night, as part of DYNAMITE: HOMECOMING 2024, AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and Preston Vance were on the same side of an eight-man tag bout, a match won by Vance when he pinned Bishop Kaun. As a reward for that victory, Orange Cassidy has offered Preston Vance an opportunity to vie for the International Championship this Saturday night during BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX, coincidentally also the last championship Vance challenged for back in October 2022. That night it was as part of a Three Way bout with RUSH and then All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy, with Cassidy in the earliest days of his historic championship reign, making his first defense after defeating PAC a week prior.

Fast forward some 15 months and these two competitors will meet again, only now in a singles bout, their first since September 30, 2020, and with the International Championship at stake! Can Vance take that next step in his career and rise to championship status? Or will Cassidy continue on in his goal to surpass the records he set with his previous title run?

The night begins with COLLISION at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, followed immediately by BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX, and fans can get prepared for the action-packed evening by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more! Between the two events, we’ve got an AEW World Tag Team Championship match, a ROH World Six-Man Championship Match, a TBS Championship fight, Adam Copeland in action, Hangman Page returning to Virginia, and so much more! Do not miss out on this loaded night featuring the premiere professional wrestlers of All Elite Wrestling!

AEW Dynamite Preview for January 10, 2024

AEW Dynamite Preview for January 10, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/embed/a3qJ6fopmEY?si=n4qpiXDHxnLbvF1y

It’s been 15 months since the last time All Elite Wrestling came home to Jacksonville, FL and Daily’s Place, but this Wednesday night the time is upon for a Homecoming! For some competitors it is a return to the familiar, for many it means a first time trip to AEW’s home base, one of those being AEW World Champion Samoa Joe. In addition to Joe’s first time live in Duval, “The Icon” Sting will have his final match at the place where his AEW journey began, two big singles bout, and two loaded eight-person tag matches on tap as well!

AEW DYNAMITE gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so make sure to swing by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more! This is just the beginning of a loaded week for AEW, capping off with BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX and COLLISION in Norfolk! 

THE CHAMPION ARRIVES!

The AEW World Champion is set to be in Jacksonville this Wednesday night, live for the very first time with that title over his shoulder, and he is willing to fight everyone who wants a piece of his AEW World Championship! He specifically mentioned Hangman and Swerve Strickland during the WORLDS END Media Scrum, but there is undoubtedly a slew of other competitors ready to step up as challengers. One of them let himself be heard loud and clear on COLLISION this past Saturday:

Currently reigning as FTW Champion for the second time, HOOK was less than a year old when Samoa Joe stepped into a wrestling ring for his first professional match, just shy of four years old when when Joe’s historic ROH World Championship began, and had his first professional match just after Joe marked his twenty-second year in the sport. Despite that experience disadvantage, both in life and in wrestling, HOOK is quite clearly fearless if he’s calling out Joe for a fight. Will Joe address that challenge on Wednesday night? What else does the champion have to share with the AEW faithful in Daily’s Place and those watching around the world?

ONE-ON-ONE…

AEW World Tag Champion Ricky Starks vs. Sammy Guevara

It has been five years since the last time Ricky Starks and Sammy Guevara went one-on-one inside the squared circle, just not an AEW squared circle. See theirs is a history that predates the existence of All Elite Wrestling, matches as far back as 2014 on the Texas independent circuit, but it wasn’t until January of 2023 that they ever met under the auspices of AEW. That night it was a tag team bout stemming from Starks’ issues with Chris Jericho, Guevara teaming with Jericho while Starks had Action Andretti in his corner, and it was The J.A.S. team that was victorious.

Ten months later at FULL GEAR 2023, Jericho stood beside a different partner, a former foe named Kenny Omega, and together they laid claim to the AEW World Tag Team Championship opportunity that belonged to The Young Bucks. While the brothers Jackson have not been seen since that November loss, Kenny and Chris prepared to face AEW World Tag Team Champions Big Bill and Ricky Starks at WORLDS END, at least that was the plan. Omega not only had to pull out of that match due to diverticulitis, but he had to step away from professional wrestling period in order to get the necessary treatment. That left Jericho with a championship match still owed him, but with no partner to claim it. That all changed the night Chris Jericho came to the aid of Sammy Guevara when “The Spanish God” was assaulted by The Don Callis Family; the former allies mended their battered fences, and are now a unified front barreling towards BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX and their Tag Team Championship opportunity.

But first, a stop on the road, to the place where Ricky Starks first appeared in AEW to answer the TNT Open Challenge of Cody Rhodes, and where Guevara went through the hell of two Stadium Stampedes, as well as the first Blood & Guts Cage. Guevara hasn’t competed inside Daily’s Place since December 2021, while for Starks it’s been since April of that same year, but it is still the place that shaped each of them as competitors and their AEW careers. This Wednesday night, when Starks and Guevara face off for the first time in AEW, it will also shape their impending AEW World Tag Team Championship fight 

A CHALLENGE…

Claudio Castagnoli vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

Claudio Castagnoli and “Hangman” Adam Page are no strangers to one another; over the course of this past year they were on opposite sides of a few of the most violent matches in AEW’s history. Between Anarchy in the Arena at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023, and Blood & Guts III in July, not to mention FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023 and other DYNAMITE fights, they’ve gone to war plenty of times in the last twelve months. 

But one thing Claudio and Hangman have never done is go one-on-one, but that changes on Wednesday night when Hangman returns to Daily’s Place, a site of both triumph and tragedy for his career, to take on “The Swiss Superman” for their very first singles bout! Hangman is on a warpath, looking to fight anyone and everyone, though much of his rage is focused on Swerve Strickland, and Claudio Castagnoli is more than happy to give Page that fight!

This is going to be a hard-hitting clash, of that there is no doubt, but will it be won by the anger of The Hangman or the focus of The Blackpool Combat Club? 

TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH…

Darby Allin & Sting vs. The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gXCPY5kldYM?si=_3y4IJqNgYxTCk95

Sting is on the highway to REVOLUTION 2024 and his final professional wrestling match, but with so much road between now and then, there’s plenty of stops along the way for fans to experience “The Icon” one last time, and for his foes to try and take one last stab at The Stinger! Over the last few weeks one of those foes, or rather a group of them, has set their sights on Sting and Darby Allin. It all began when the painted pair helped Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara defeat The Don Callis Family and the AEW World Tag Champions at WORLDS END, and continued last week on DYNAMITE when Konosuke Takeshita defeated Darby Allin in singles competition

Now coming off of a victory over The Workhorsemen on COLLISION, Sting and Darby Allin are ready to head back to where it all began again for “The Icon”, where WINTER IS COMING 2020 brought him to AEW for the first time, and started this magnificent 26-0 winning streak Sting has been on since REVOLUTION 2020. Being a man who loves to ruin everything around him, Don Callis has taken it upon himself (or rather put it upon his collection of combatants) to add that first loss to Sting’s record before AEW gets to REVOLUTION 2024. Can they pull it off at HOMECOMING 2024, or will The Don Callis Family be another victim of The Stinger/Darby Allin team?

EIGHT-MAN TAG…

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, Adam Copeland, Dustin Rhodes, & LFI’s Preston Vance

vs.

ROH World Six-Man Champions The Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun, & Toa Liona) and Lance Archer

Daily’s Place will always be a special venue at the heart of All Elite Wrestling; not only is it home base for the company, but for sixteen months it was our only home. It was the place where everyone involved in AEW bonded with one another, where AEW grew into a family, a building where every crevice of the facility was explored, where a lounge became known as The Dark Order Room, and became the location for so many memorable moments featuring Evil Uno, Stu, Alex and John, Anna, Alan, Ten, Cabana, Hangman, and others. But one of the biggest parts of what made that room special, what gave Jacksonville such life, was the presence of the late Mr. Brodie Lee. Just over three years since his passing, the shadow of Brodie still looms large over AEW and those who knew him, those who loved him, and returning home to Jacksonville, stepping foot back into Daily’s Place, it serves as another reminder of the great man we all lost way too soon. 

That is why this Wednesday night The Exalted One’s hand-picked pupil, Preston Vance, will forego uniting with his La Faccion Ingobernable brethren, and instead stand side-by-side three of the AEW fan’s favorite competitors! Just as he did on December 30, 2020 as part of the Tribute Show, Vance will team up with Orange Cassidy, only now their group will be rounded out by one of the men who went to war with Brodie over that TNT Championship, Dustin Rhodes, and one of the newest entrants into the AEW family: Adam Copeland.

Standing across the ring will be four of the most fearsome competitors on the AEW roster, ROH World Six-Man Champions The Mogul Embassy of Kaun, Toa, and Brian Cage, as well as “The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer! Preston Vance’s quartet certainly has their work cut out for them in this fight, but with the memory of Mr. Brodie Lee fueling them, they aren’t going to back down from the fight no matter the odds!

EIGHT-WOMAN TAG…

Anna Jay, Kris Statlander, Thunder Rosa, & Willow Nightingale

vs.

TBS Champion Julia Hart, Ruby Soho, Saraya, & Skye Blue

And speaking of those inspired by the memory of “The Exalted One”, Anna Jay was brought into The Dark Order by Mr. Brodie Lee as well, given the number “99” as a nod to the legendary Wayne Gretzky, and under his tutelage, she learned quite a bit in her earliest years as a professional wrestler. Now Anna Jay returns to the site where her AEW career truly began, having transformed from who “The Star of the Show” was in 2020, into a woman who truly embodies that nickname in 2024. Wednesday night she will team up with three other fan favorites in Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander, and the newly-returned Thunder Rosa to do battle with the rather intriguing quartet of TBS Champion Julia Hart, Skye Blue, and The Outcasts of Ruby Soho and Saraya. Hart and Skye have made quite the fearsome pair over the last few weeks since Skye Blue fully embraced the darkness the TBS Champion spat into her soul, but The Outcasts duo have not exactly been on the same page as of late. It felt at one point like Saraya was trying to pull Anna Jay into their orbit, and now it’s Harley Cameron standing at their side, though she’s acting like quite an unhinged individual.

On the other side of the ring, Stokely Hathaway has been trying, quite unsuccessfully, to drive a wedge between Willow and Statlander, while this is just Thunder Rosa’s second match since returning to action after 16 months rehabilitating injuries. It should be noted that the first match back for the former AEW Women’s World Champion was a tag team victory over Julia Hart and Skye Blue with Abadon at her side! So in addition to Anna Jay wanting to pay homage to her mentor and friend Brodie Lee, this one has a load of other threads wrapped around the eight women involved in this bout!

The era of AEW World Champion Samoa Joe began at WORLDS END, and for the first time-ever he will be in Jacksonville this Wednesday night for DYNAMITE: HOMECOMING 2024! In addition, AEW World Tag Champ Ricky Starks takes on Sammy Guevara ahead of their BOTB XI championship clash on Saturday, Castagnoli versus Hangman, two huge eight-person tags, and so much more on tap! It all begins again at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to swing by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aV_vLfXZWwQ?si=g5IbsQS2Bh1gDBT-

AEW Collision Preview for January 6, 2024

AEW Collision Preview for January 6, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/embed/v9x8utAq7iU

Coming out of ,,WORLDS END and kicking off 2024, All Elite Wrestling began a new chapter with Samoa Joe taking the helm as AEW World Champion and the revelation that Adam Cole had been The Devil in MJF’s life the whole time. Those two elements changed the landscape of AEW moving into the new year, and then there was the arrival of Deonna Purrazzo on the heels of Mariah May’s in-ring debut, but at least some things remain the same, like Orange Cassidy still AEW International Champion after his fight with Dante Martin Wednesday night, and Wheeler Yuta still ROH Pure Champion after Friday’s fight with Komander.

The new era for AEW continues this Saturday with 2024’s first COLLISION, but it comes with a mix of something old and something new! The rivalry between The House of Black and FTR has been simmering for months, and will explode in tag team warfare this Saturday night while Eddie Kingston defends his Continental Crown for the very first time against Trent Beretta! It comes with AEW’s return to the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC this Saturday night for COLLISION, live on TNT, begin at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT! Get prepared for the night’s festivities 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 moments from WORLDS END 2023, plus the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH…

FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. The House of Black (Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black)

On the October 7th edition of COLLISION, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood were decimated by Big Bill and Ricky Starks resulting in the loss of the AEW World Tag Team Championship. It was a heartbreaking, physical dissection of the defending champs, one that left FTR still feeling the bruises on October 21st when they returned to in-ring competition. Just a minute into that tag team match the lights in the arena went out, and when they returned Malakai Black stood opposite Cash and Dax. Before either could react, the lights were doused once again, and this time when they flared back to life, it wasn’t just Malakai standing there, he’d been joined by Buddy Matthews and Brody King, leading to a 3-on-2 assault on FTR.

It seemed a similar scenario would play out a week later when, after Starks defeated Dax in singles competition, the lights went out once more and The House of Black, who’d been watching the bout from a distance, appeared inside the ring. It was only the arrival of LFI that balanced the scales, leading  to the most unlikely of temporary alliances between FTR and LFI, but one that was destined to be short-lived as FULL GEAR 2023 put FTR, LFI of RUSH and Dralistico, as well as Brody King and Malakai Black, in a Ladder Match against Big Bill and Ricky Starks with the AEW World Tag Titles hanging in the balance.

Starks and Bill would retain, the end coming when Starks smashed one of the hanging belts into the skull of Cash Wheeler, but that did nothing to quell the fires burning between FTR and The House. Malakai and company were on the spot to make verbal allusions after FTR beat The Righteous, and when FTR came to fight The House after they defeated Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels, Cash and Dax were instead subjected to, first, an offer to join The House, and then a brutal assault they left both unconscious in the ring.

Then it got personal; three weeks ago, the December 16th edition of COLLISION, Buddy Matthews and Malakai Black put Dax’s wife and child into the conversation, burning a picture of the three of them, and telling FTR that The House was their family now. The challenge for this tag team fight was finally made when Cash and Dax came to the aid of Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard following Garcia’s victory over Brody King. 

So it all comes down to this Saturday night as former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champions FTR meet The House of Black as honored by Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews; the tension, the animosity, the vitriol between these two units has reached a fever pitch, and it will explode live on COLLISION come Saturday night! With as personal as their issue has gotten, the AEW official tasked with maintaining order is going to have their hands full… 

AEW CONTINENTAL CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Eddie Kingston(c) vs. Trent Beretta

https://www.youtube.com/embed/MjBqv_m4wKQ

This is a match full of firsts; not only is it the first defense of the Continental Crown since its creation at WORLDS END last Saturday night, it is also the first time Eddie Kingston and Trent Beretta will step into the ring for a fight! They stood on the same side of the ring at ALL IN: LONDON in Stadium Stampede, and both were part of the ALL OUT 2020 Casino Battle Royale, but this will be the first time they’ve ever been foes in a traditional match.

But this isn’t just a match is it? This is Eddie Kingston fighting for his life’s work, something he already put at risk when he laid the ROH World Championship and NJPW STRONG Openweight Title on the line to create, along with the AEW Continental Title, this Continental Crown. Every fight Kingston had during the Continental Classic Tournament put his status as a double champion at risk, but “The Mad King” persevered through adversity and loss to win the Blue League, capping it off with a victory over Jon Moxley in the Finals at WORLDS END.

There is no way Kingston will let this crown slip off his head easily, Trent Beretta is going to have to utterly incapacitate Eddie in order to win this match, but there’s just something about Beretta as of late that makes it seem like he’d be willing to go to such lengths. Fans have seen the man get down and dirty in Parking Lot Brawls before, so they know Trent Beretta is capable of the violence it may take to put Eddie Kingston down.

The thing with Eddie though is that he knew the second he beat Jon Moxley, he’d become a target for any individual striving for championship success. It’s not a matter of shattering a dream, Kingston isn’t a dreamer, he’s a fighter and one who knows that as long as he laces up the boots, the fight will never end. Every day someone will be gunning for him, after all he’s a man hoarding three different championships from three different companies, making him a target for people from every single one. Trent Beretta just happens to be the first, and even if Kingston makes it past him, there will be another and another and another waiting to take their shot at the Continental Crown upon The Mad King’s head!

STING’S FINAL CHARLOTTE APPEARANCE!

Darby Allin & Sting vs. The Workhorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake)

Ahead of their fight with The Don Callis Family on ,,DYNAMITE: HOMECOMING 2024 in Jacksonville, Darby Allin and “The Icon” Sting will be in tag team action this Saturday night! It’s a huge opportunity for The Workhorsemen of Anthony Henry and JD Drake, facing Darby and Sting, given the amount of respect and admiration the pair have for “The Icon”, but it’s also so much more than that. See this night at Bojangles Coliseum will be Sting’s last fight in Charlotte, a wrestling city synonymous with his career, where he’s fought Eddie Gilbert, battled inside War Games, as well as fought the likes of Sid Vicious, Cactus Jack, and yes, Ric Flair, for championship gold!

In fact, the last match Sting had in Charlotte took place at the Bojangles almost five years ago to the day, and featured him defending a World Championship! So now he returns to Charlotte, with both Darby Allin and Ric Flair at this side, to bid farewell to the fans of the Queen City, and give The Workhorsemen the kind of wrestling lesson that can only be given by someone with his experience! Join AEW this Saturday night in Charlotte as we continue on the Road to ,,REVOLUTION 2024 and Sting’s final professional wrestling match.

ADAM COPELAND RESPONDS…

At WORLDS END 2023 Adam Copeland managed to experience ultimate triumph and catastrophic tragedy within minutes of one another. In a vicious No DQ Match with Christian Cage, Copeland defeated “The Patriarch” to become the new TNT Champion but taking advantage of the situation, Killswitch brutally assaulted Copeland in hopes of using the TNT Championship match contract he’d earned during ZERO HOUR. Unfortunately for the former Luchasaurus, he was convinced by Christian to hand over the contract, and the ex-champion took back the TNT Championship he’d lost only moments earlier.

Well the world heard what Christian Cage had to say about the situation this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE, basically denying he ever lost the title and this is one continuous run, so this Saturday night we will hear from the other half of that equation! Adam Copeland has to have a lot on his mind about this situation, and we will get a piece of it on COLLISION!

All Elite Wrestling is back in Charlotte, NC at the ,,Bojangles Coliseum this Saturday night with the first COLLISION of 2024! In one of the most anticipated tag matches in recent memory, FTR will finally fight The House of Black as honored by Buddy Matthews and Malakai Black, and Eddie Kingston will defend his Continental Crown for the very first time against Trent Beretta after that Best Friend won DYNAMITE’s Four Way bout! Those two stellar contests, and more, are set to come your way when COLLISION kicks off at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT. All you need to do is get prepared by dropping in on the official AEW YouTube channel to watch highlights from this week’s editions of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as events from WORLDS END 2023, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/88BC1eIW23k

AEW Dynamite Results for January 3, 2024

AEW Dynamite Results for January 3, 2024

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ!

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!

Kicking off the first Dynamite of the new year… “The Devil” Adam Cole came to the ring to explain his shocking betrayal of MJF!

Cole was accompanied by Roderick Strong, Wardlow, and the ROH World Tag Team Champions—The Kingdom—Mike Bennett and Matt Taven.

Strong: “Everybody shut up and listen to my best friend Adam!”

Cole: “You guys don’t have sympathy for me? I find it ironic that so many people were shocked by what happened at Worlds End, which means you’re all stupid, and you don’t know right from wrong. You think we’re the bad guys because we betrayed MJF? The guy who has run his mouth about everyone in the locker room and all of you fans? If that makes me the devil, then buy me a first class ticket straight to hell.

“MJF is a narcissist. The only person that MJF cares about is MJF. And he’s had his claws hooked in AEW for far too long. And I think it’s a time for a change. Someday most of that locker room will thank me. Hell, someday Tony Khan will thank me because MJF is gone and he’s never coming back.

“There’s a lot of reasons why I did what I did. MJF would have done the same to me, I just beat him to the punch. Adam Cole never needed MJF. MJF needed Adam Cole. I sacrificed everything for that friendship. That’s how I broke my ankle. I’m the one that lost something! Not him!

“MJF needed Adam Cole. None of you would have been cheering for MJF without Adam Cole. Better Than You BayBay—that’s me. In the beginning this was all about the AEW World Championship. But then it turned out to be something more. This is about ripping out a man’s heart and bringing him to his knees. MJF is dead!

“I’ll tell you who is very much alive. That is the Undisputed Kingdom. And aside from our disdain for the guy who doesn’t work here anymore, that is to win championship gold. We have the ROH World Tag Team Champions The Kingdom. My real best friend Adam Cole who is going to go after the International Championship. And Wardlow, finally with a group who respects him, he will go after the AEW World Championship. And when the time is right, Wardlow will forfeit the AEW World Championship and give it to me.

“And speaking of that, congratulations to Samoa Joe. It was a real pleasure doing business with you. It was a pleasure to take out Hangman Adam Page. And by the time Wardlow is ready, I hope you are not the AEW World Champion, because it would suck to hurt you as a friend. AEW needed change and we gave it to you. The Undisputed Kingdom starts a new era, and the devil is here to stay, baybay!”

“Switchblade” Jay White walked onto the ramp!

Jay White: “My good friend Adam Cole, baybay. Or as we now know you to be, the Devil, huh? I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your edge after all. What I don’t like is being collateral for your cause and for making me the catalyst when you had your friends jump me. And I’m not alone.”

Colten and Austin Gunn came out and the Gunns and Jay White jumped into the ring and began brawling with the Undisputed Kingdom! Bullet Club Gold were outnumbered until The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass charged to the ring! The Undisputed Kingdom retreated!

“The Acclaimed came to the aid of Bullet Club Gold is not how I expected to begin this year,” said Excalibur.

AEW International Championship Match!

“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (c.) vs. Top Flight’s Dante Martin!

Dante and Orange exchanged pinning combinations at the start of the match. They continued to chain wrestle. Dante remained composed despite facing the veteran Cassidy. Dante applied a deep cradle for a near fall, and then Orange slid out of the ring to slow down Dante’s momentum. 

Cassidy baited Dante to the outside and then followed up with an elbow suicida. Orange rammed Dante into the steel barricade. Cassidy ran towards Dante Martin and dropkicked him. Dante reversed a suplex attempt and nailed Orange with a snap suplex onto the arena floor. Dante flew at Cassidy with a tope suicida, pushing the pace. Dante followed up with a springboard crossbody press for a two-count.

“When Dante gets up in the air it’s almost like time stops for a moment,” said Taz.

Dante began to play mind games with the champ, brushing him with light kicks and strikes. Cassidy had enough and connected with a thrust kick. Cassidy stomped at Dante in the corner, the intensity picking up with each subsequent strike. Cassidy spiked Dante with a DDT for a near fall!

“That was a crazy landing on that DDT! Talk about an exclamation point,” said Taz.

Orange blasted Dante with a diving DDT, driving Dante’s head down into the mat, good for another near fall. Dante ducked an Orange Punch. Dante escaped the Beach Break and then rocked Orange with a knee strike to the face! Dante hit a senton to Orange’s back. Dante climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Cassidy rolled, trying to get out of the ray. Dante walked the ropes and flew across the ring, splashing Orange! The champ moved out of the way of a senton. Orange crushed Dante with the Orange Punch and then pinned Dante!

FTW Champ Hook and Danhausen came down to check on Orange Cassidy, while Action Andretti and Darius Martin came to collect Dante. Orange offered his hand to Dante and shook it, showing good sportsmanship. 

Private Party—Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen made their returns!

Marq Quen: “Allow me to reintroduce ourselves! We’ve been keeping tabs on the tag division. The tag division has been missing some flavor! And most importantly the tag division has been missing Private Party!”

Isiah Kassidy: “We’re putting every tag team on notice. That means all of you, FTR, the Young Bucks, and the Hardys. We say new year, new champs!”

Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm and Luther the Butler!

Toni: “This isn’t New York. This is New Jersey. I belong on Broadway. So, I’m going to call it a night. I’m not going to watch Mariah May’s debut. She needs to pay her dues, and what better way than wrestling in New Jersey!

Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews accepted FTR’s challenge! 

The House of Black said if they beat FTR, Cash and Dax would need to disown their family and walk back with their new family—the House of Black! It’s set for this Saturday live on Collision!

Renee Paquette was backstage with Prince Nana and Swerve Strickland!

Prince Nana: “Daniel Garcia is a respected competitor, but does he know he’s getting into the ring with the boss of bosses?”

Swerve: “Earlier tonight Daniel was talking about big pressure. It’s not about making diamonds with us, it’s about making pain. And in 2024 I’m looking for championship gold. So, I guess it’s up to you, Samoa Joe, so be ready!

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata!

Mariah May blasted Queen Aminata with an open palm strike. Mariah chopped at Aminata. Mariah followed up with a solid dropkick. Aminata was tied up in the ropes and Mariah May blasted her from behind with another running dropkick!

Queen Aminata fired back with a few slaps to Mariah’s face. Aminata kicked Mariah in the spine and then followed up with a running knee strike. Mariah May exploded out of the corner with a sling blade. Mariah finished off Queen Aminata with the May Day and pinned Aminata!

Renee Paquette interviewed Mariah May in the ring after the match.

Mariah May: “I can’t believe it! I won my AEW debut! I’ve wanted to be a wrestler since I was a little kid, so the fact that I’m in this ring on AEW is surreal to me. And I hope Miss Toni Storm is watching wherever she is. This is the first Dynamite of the New Year and it’s all about Mariah. But my only regret is we had to do this in New Jersey.”

“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo walked down to the ring, upstaging Mariah May!

Deonna: “Renee, I’m sure you know this but I’m from New Jersey! And if Toni Storm doesn’t want to be here, then trust me, we all don’t want her here either. But Mariah, I have a message that you can pass along to Miss Storm. It doesn’t matter where she runs or hides, I will find her because Mariah I am All Elite! And we are in the Age of the Virtuosa!”

Mariah May: “Okay, well, Deonna, I’m not the messenger so tell her yourself!”

Mariah May slapped Deonna and Deonna slapped back, knocking Mariah off her feet!

2x TNT Champion Christian Cage gave his 2024 State of The Union!

Christian Cage came to the ring with Shayna Wayne, “the Prodigy” Nick Wayne, and Killswitch!

Shayna Wayne took the microphone from Tony Schiavone and addressed the fans. “You boo me? You boo a mother? How dare you? I demand you people get on your feet right now and pay respect to the greatest TNT Champion that ever lived, our father, “the Patriarch” Christian Cage.”

Christian Cage: “Tony, it has been 200 days since I won this championship on the very first episode of Collision. It has been an historic run for sure. And if you interrupt me again, I’m going to have Mother Wayne put you across her knee and discipline you.

“I went through a war at Worlds End and there are a few people I need to thank. First of all, Mother Wayne, for understanding the vision. A mother’s work is never done. Secondly, I’d like to thank my pride and joy, the apple of my eye, Nick Wayne, who put his body on the line. Adam Copeland tried to put Nick’s career to an end at the age of 18. I just want to say I love you, Nick. 

“And lastly, I’d like to thank the man that sealed the victory at Worlds End, the man that put the final nail in the coffin that is Adam Copeland. I would like to thank myself!”

The fans chanted “Luchasaurus! Luchasaurus!”

Christian Cage: “I’d like to address Adam Copeland for the final time. I’ve beaten you twice. It’s to the back of the line and there’s no more title shots for you. I could make fun of you and say you grew up without a father. Or I could mention how your mother is no longer with us. But all I need to say is Christian Cage is superior to you. I’d like to think we left a little bit of our souls in the ring at Worlds End, but the difference is, one of us doesn’t have a soul. And that’s why I stand before you as the TNT Champion.

“So, this is a warning for anyone that has eyes for my TNT Championship. What happened at Worlds End is just a glimpse at what I’ll do to hold onto my title! This is the most important championship in this company. And I will remain the TNT Champion for as long as I want until I decide to hand off this title to Nick Wayne to carry on my legacy. We are the faces of AEW, now and forever!”

Renee Paquette was backstage with Harley Cameron, Saraya, and Ruby Soho!

Ruby thanked Harley for her help this past Friday. 

Harley: “I’ll do anything!”

Saraya: “I said she’d do anything. I didn’t say she’d be sane.”

Saraya warned Harley to cool it. Renee wondered what was going on before the Outcasts walked off.

Darby Allin vs. The Don Callis Family’s Konosuke Takeshita!

Don Callis joined the commentary team for this match.

Takeshita grabbed Darby and planted him hard on the mat. Takeshita went for a wheelbarrow suplex, but Darby landed on his feet. Takeshita hit Darby with a big back body drop, with Darby arcing high into the air before crashing hard.

Darby rocketed out of the ring with a tope, but Takeshita countered with a wicked knee strike! Takeshita nailed Darby with a rolling German Suplex on the ramp! Darby managed to get to his feet and fly out of the ring with a tope like a human battering ram at Takeshita!

Takeshita countered the Code Red, planting Darby for a near fall. Takeshita was looking for a running knee strike in the corner, but Darby escaped the ring. Takeshita charged at Darby, but Darby dodged it, sending Takeshita crashing into the guardrail. Darby connected with a Coffin Drop on the outside!

“Darby will throw caution at the wind. He doesn’t care,” said Taz.

Darby was waiting for Takeshita as Takeshita entered the ring. Darby blasted Takeshita with a Code Red for a two-count. Darby went for another Coffin Drop but Takeshita lifted his knees, blocking the move and punishing Darby at the same time. Takeshita made Darby eat a lariat, dropping Darby. Don Callis signaled for Takeshita to finish it. Takeshita rocked Darby with a running boot in the corner. Takeshita hoisted Darby up on the top rope and followed up with an avalanche German Suplex! Takeshita connected with the power drive knee and then pinned Darby!

“A statement victory for the ‘Alpha’ to start the New Year,” said Excalibur.

After the match, Don Callis made a challenge! Callis invited Sting and Darby Allin to face Takeshita and Hobbs at Daily’s Place!

Continental Title Eliminator Match!

Trent Beretta vs. ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage vs. “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith vs. AAA Mega Champion El Hijo Del Vikingo!

The winner fights Eddie Kingston on Collision.

Danhausen was watching from ringside. 

Brian Cage plowed into Trent and Bryan. Vikingo connected with a tope suicida to Cage. Keith clobbered Trent with forearms. Keith connected with a high boot to Trent’s jaw. Vikingo used a big arm drag on Bryan Keith.

Brian Cage blocked a hurracanrana from Vikingo and then Cage hurled Vikingo overhead. Trent jumped over the top rope and landed on Cage with a cross body on the arena floor. Cage stunned Trent with a brain buster on the floor!

Vikingo dropkicked “the Machine” from the top rope. Vikingo climbed to the top, but Bryan Keith stopped him with a jumping headbutt. Cage kicked Keith in the midsection. Trent threw Cage with a release German Suplex from the top and then connected with a running knee strike. 

Cage power bombed Trent for a near fall. Danhausen jumped into the ring and cursed Cage. Brian Cage picked up Danhausen but Keith and Vikingo landed thrust kicks and took down Cage. Keith charged at Trent with the diving battering ram head butt for a two-count on Trent. Keith was looking for a Tiger Driver, but Trent countered, planted Keith and pinned him!

Trent has earned a shot at Kingston’s Continental Crown Championship this Saturday at Collision!

Renee Paquette was backstage with Daddy Magic to interview him when they were interrupted by “Hangman” Adam Page!

Adam Page: “A few weeks ago Samoa Joe had a bunch of goons put me through a car windshield. So, I am here tonight to beat somebody’s ass! And if I can’t find the World Champion, it’ll be Adam Cole. If it’s not Adam Cole, it’ll be you. I dare somebody to give me a reason!”

Main Event Time!

Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) vs. Daniel Garcia!

“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard joined the broadcast team for this match.

Swerve knocked Garcia to the mat with a shoulder block. Swerve rolled up Garcia for a near fall. Garcia sent Swerve spilling to the outside with a jumping knee strike. Garcia whipped Swerve into the barricade. Garcia and Prince Nana had a dance off! Garcia heard Swerve coming up from behind, but Garcia was waiting for him and rammed him into the ring post. 

Prince Nana grabbed Garcia’s boot. Swerve booted Garcia and then drilled Daniel Garcia with a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron! Swerve created distance with a European Uppercut. Garcia pounded Swerve down to the mat. Garcia dropkicked Swerve. Garcia grabbed a near fall after a stalling suplex on Swerve.

Swerve nailed Garcia with a back breaker. Swerve got into Daddy Magic’s face. Garcia bulldozed Swerve. Garcia put Swerve in the sharpshooter on the announcer’s table. Swerve managed to escape as they both rolled off the table and onto the floor. 

Garcia superplexed Swerve back into the ring. Swerve hung on and served up a suplex of his own! Swerve had the upper hand, but just barely. Garcia grabbed Swerve by the wrists and yanked him right into a knee strike. Swerve lured Daniel into a flatliner! Swerve connected with the House Call, but Garcia kicked out at the two-count!

Swerve climbed to the top and crushed Garcia with the Swerve Stomp for another near fall! Garcia rolled up Swerve with a crucifix for a near fall. Swerve cracked Garcia with the House Call and finished off Garcia with the JML Driver, pinning Garcia!

“Is 2024 going to be the year of Swerve Strickland? He put AEW World Champion Samoa Joe on notice,” said Excalibur.

Swerve offered his hand to Garcia, and as Garcia went to accept, Prince Nana clocked Garcia with a low blow! Daddy Magic had enough! Daddy Magic began to bludgeon Swerve with strikes until Swerve kicked him low. “Hangman” Adam Page stormed to the ring with purpose!  Page struck Swerve and they began to brawl, both men throwing bombs! Security tried to separate the two men! Page broke free and jumped on Swerve! Page was peeled off Strickland. Then Swerve broke free and lunged at Page until they were pried apart again!

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL!

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 Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC!

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

AEW Dynamite Preview for January 3, 2024

AEW Dynamite Preview for January 3, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/embed/iLhfgLwLuDs?si=mz5nydv2Mg7xBoii

WORLDS END proved to be exactly that for Maxwell Jacob Friedman as, in front of his hometown audience, he saw the AEW World Championship slip away to Samoa Joe and witnessed his best friend Adam Cole reveal himself as The Devil. Flanked by The Kingdom of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, Roderick Strong, and Wardlow, Cole watched as his associates demolished the dethroned champion. Why Cole and these men have traveled this path remains to be learned, though it’s been clear for months Wardlow’s wanted Max’s head, and perhaps we will find out more soon.

In addition, the bums around the world rejoiced as Eddie Kingston defeated Jon Moxley in the finals of the Continental Classic to not only retain his ROH World & NJPW STRONG Openweight Titles, but to also become the first Continental Champion, and the holder of the Continental Crown! It was one of the most emotional moments in AEW’s history, and likely the biggest in the career of Eddie Kingston. WORLDS END was also a night that saw the wildest TNT Championship situation imaginable, including the shortest title reign in history, and Killswitch make a surprising decision in the heat of the moment. Toni Storm retained her AEW Women’s World Championship, as did Julia Hart with the TBS Title, and so much more went down on AEW’s final PPV presentation of 2023!

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With a new year upon us, and a new AEW World Champion at the helm, All Elite Wrestling embarks down a new path but starting on familiar territory. The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ will host the first DYNAMITE of 2024 and with it comes an AEW International Championship Match where Orange Cassidy will defend against Top Flight’s Dante Martin! In addition, after two months of anticipation, Mariah May will finally make her in-ring debut this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE! 

The first AEW event of 2024 begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from WORLDS END, as well last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more!

THE CHAMP IS HERE!

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At WORLDS END this past Saturday, the longest reigning ROH World Champion and ROH World Television Champion of all-time added another accolade to his resume: AEW World Champion. Samoa Joe, after eighteen minutes of a tremendous fight, choked Maxwell Jacob Friedman unconscious to end the longest and most successful AEW World Championship reign experienced since Chris Jericho first won the crown at ALL OUT 2019. 

While the way the remainder of the evening played out for MJF will haunt him for some time, knowing that he is no longer the champion will likely linger the longest, especially as he watches DYNAMITE this Wednesday night, healing up from the various injuries sustained over his championship run, and sees Samoa Joe walk to the ring with the AEW World Championship over his shoulder. The added knowledge that the Triple B is in a dumpster somewhere on Long Island may just make it even more painful…

But that’s MJF’s burden to handle; the question at hand is where does Samoa Joe go from here? He made it abundantly clear in the Media Scrum that anyone can try to step to the champ, that he’d fight Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland and anyone else who wants a piece of the action. So who will be brave enough to be the first? We already witnessed Hangman and Joe have a confrontation in recent weeks, will it be him? Will it be Swerve who said his road to the title started December 31st? We will find out soon enough if anyone is willing to put it all on the line for a shot at greatness…

THE DEVIL REVEALED…

Why Adam? Why? That’s the question on everyone’s mind after seeing Adam Cole sitting in that chair Saturday night, surrounded by Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Wardlow, and Roderick Strong, with The Devil’s Mask tossed on the broken body of former AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman. After spending months tolerating Max’s behavior, helping him grow into a legitimately better version of himself, and seemingly driving a wedge into his relationship with Roderick Strong, why did Adam Cole put in all that effort to drive a knife between the shoulder blades of MJF? Has this been the plan since the Blind Eliminator Tournament over the summer? Since after ALL IN: LONDON? Or maybe after Cole got hurt at GRAND SLAM 2023 trying to help MJF in his first match with Samoa Joe? 

It’s all speculation at the moment, but tonight on DYNAMITE, we expect to get some answers from Adam Cole about why he donned The Devil mask and betrayed Maxwell Jacob Friedman!

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Top Flight’s Dante Martin

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CdGgD0Sl6cI?si=L4B9Vy3vdvQ8qfOW&start=110

The last time Dante Martin challenged for a singles championship was on the June 3, 2022 edition of RAMPAGE when he challenged Scorpio Sky for the TNT Championship. Obviously that was not his night to claim a singles title, but it was one of many nights that proved with getting experience under his belt, Dante was destined for success with his brother, as well as on his own. Unfortunately a freak injury at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 derailed Dante’s career for months on end, but in truth he’s fortunate the injury didn’t flat out end his wrestling journey.

But since returning from that injury with a November 29th Trios victory on DYNAMITE, Dante has looked superb both in AEW and ROH action. He’s racked up victories in five of the six matches he’s been involved in, the only loss coming to Daddy Ass and The Acclaimed in an AEW World Trios Championship bout, and seemingly hasn’t missed a step. Dante’s confidence is high, something that can often be lacking when returning from injury, and that helped boost his trio to a victory last Friday night on RAMPAGE over Roppongi Vice and AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy.

It may not have been a pinfall on Orange Cassidy, but it was still Dante scoring the pinfall win over his OC’s team, and as such the fighting International Champion is willing to give this half of Top Flight an opportunity to end the run! Can Dante begin the new year by marking the first title change of 2024? Or will “Freshly Squeezed” ground the man’s dream and move forward into the year with the title still in his backpack? 

THE DEBUT…

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

November 8th; that is the day All Elite Wrestling officially announced the signing of Mariah May. May, a standout from the Japanese promotion Stardom reigned as a Goddesses of Stardom Champion alongside Mina Shirakawa during her tenure with the company, with her primary motivation for touring there being to follow in the footsteps of Toni Storm. See “The Timeless One” called Stardom home from 2016 until 2019, and even reigned as the World of Stardom Champion for 258 days, so being thus inspired by the path of Toni Storm, it was an experience Mariah May had to take.

After wrapping up in Stardom on September 30th, May showed up in AEW with aspirations of meeting Toni Storm, becoming friends with Toni Storm, and just being in the proximity of the current AEW Women’s World Champion. Mariah’s even asked Toni to be at ringside for this debut match, but it seemed like “Timeless” couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge the request being made by a woman whose name she couldn’t be bothered to remember.

Still, even if Toni Storm can’t remember her name, it’s clear from the reaction of the AEW faithful in the arenas, as well as those online, that they know who Mariah May is and have been patiently waiting for her in-ring debut. Well that day is finally upon us, so it’s all on Mariah to make it a memorable one and leave an impression on the AEW Women’s World Champion, otherwise it will be Queen Aminata who makes her mark by spoiling the AEW premiere of “The Glamour”!

ONE-ON-ONE…

Swerve Strickland vs. Daniel Garcia

The last several months in the careers of these two men could not be more different; since WRESTLEDREAM, Swerve Strickland has been on an absolute tear in All Elite Wrestling, winning nine of his last twelve bouts, including that unforgettable Texas Death Match with Hangman Page at FULL GEAR 2023, and had the best pinfall ratio in the Continental Classic. After scoring three straight victories in the Gold League, Swerve experienced his first pinfall loss at the hands of Jon Moxley. Still, with a victory in his final points match-up, Strickland managed to work his way into a Three Way League Final with Mox and Jay White, only to see Moxley pin White to advance to the overall Finals. But with Moxley losing to Eddie Kingston in the tournament finals, that means Swerve was the only man in the entire Continental Classic to only be pinned one time, and he capped off his year with a win over Dustin Rhodes in lieu of Keith Lee being unable to compete.

As for Daniel Garcia, he’s experienced just three victories in his last twelve matches with two of those coming over the course of the last week. It’s been a rough road for the man as of late, a frustrating one that’s often put him at odds with friend Matt Menard, but when he pinned Brody King in their final Blue League match, it felt like perhaps it had all been worth it. That feeling was further amplified at WORLDS END where, as part of the All-Star Eight-Man Tag, Garcia actually scored the winning pinfall for his team, a unit consisting of Blackpool Combat Club members Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli, as well as Mark Briscoe. 

It was a triumphant way to end the year for both men, but DYNAMITE marks the beginning of a new one for All Elite Wrestling, and that means nose right back to the grindstone. Swerve stated in the WORLDS END Media Scrum that his mission of becoming World Champion began the day after the pay-per-view, and that means a fight with Daniel Garcia on his plate for Wednesday night! For both men this is the kind of fight that can shape the rest of the year, and neither wants to let 2024 start on a bad foot. This will be two men fighting with every thing they’ve got in their body and soul; may the best one win…

CHRISTIAN CAGE’S 2024 STATE OF THE UNION…

What on Earth just happened? That had to be the thought spiraling through the mind of Adam Copeland after seeing the TNT Championship ripped away just minutes after he pinned Christian Cage to claim it for himself. From the moment Paul Turner’s hand counted three to end Cage’s first TNT Championship run to the second it hit three to begin his second, just three minutes and thirty-two seconds had passed, officially making Copeland the shortest reigning champion in AEW history. It should have been a moment of triumph for Adam, putting to rest the toxic relationship with Christian Cage, but ever the opportunist, “The Patriarch” managed to take Killswitch’s moment and make it his own. Whatever Cage whispered to the former Luchasaurus was enough to make the monster surrender the TNT Championship match he’d earned earlier in the night into Christian’s hands after Killswitch had done all the dirty work to incapacitate Copeland.

So now Christian Cage walks into DYNAMITE as a 2-Time TNT Champion, and it looks like we will all have to suffer through him delivering a State of the Union-style address to the AEW faithful. It will undoubtedly be filled with heaping of self-praise, with little credit given to Killswitch for doing the actual work, and likely little acknowledgment of the fact Adam Copeland beat him in the middle of the ring at WORLDS END. The question Christian Cage should be asking himself as he prepares to deliver this speech is whether or not Adam Copeland will be watching, listening, waiting, for his opportunity to deliver much-deserved retribution?

A new era is upon us with 2023, the era of AEW World Champion Samoa Joe, and it begins when All Elite Wrestling returns to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ for the first DYNAMITE of 2024! On tap is an AEW International Championship Match pitting Orange Cassidy against challenger Dante Martin, as well as the greatly anticipated in-ring debut of Mariah May, and so much more! 

It all begins again at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from WORLDS END, as well last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wPjE6ABMmpQ?si=cJ0JRUsSCBbX9kTD&start=110

AEW Collision Preview for December 23, 2023

AEW Collision Preview for December 23, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9lBY-Tekqu8?si=nthJRciug-DfJhtt

After an exciting pair of nights in Oklahoma City for DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, All Elite Wrestling returns to San Antonio for the first time in a year when the Freeman Coliseum hosted the 2022 Holiday Bash! This time we are coming to San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center and bringing COLLISION to River City with us! With the Gold League coming to a head in a Three Way fight between Moxley, Swerve, and Jay White in next week’s finals, eyes turn to the Continental Classic’s Blue League to see who will advance from this group!

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This Saturday night, the final three matches in the Blue League take place to see whose points total puts them in the finals! The Blackpool Combat Club will be tested against itself when Bryan Danielson takes on Claudio Castagnoli for the first time in AEW, as well as their first bout in nearly three years! Andrade El Idolo and Eddie Kingston fight it out for the first time, and Daniel Garcia attempts to get on the board, and throw a monkey wrench in the works, by beating Brody King! The bouts begin at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the best way to get ready is to visit the official AEW YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFN4JkGP_bVhAdBsoV9xftA/videos), as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as events from last week’s COLLISION, the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: BLUE LEAGUE…

Standings

Andrade El Idolo (9)

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (9)

Brody King (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (6)

ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (6)

Daniel Garcia (0)

Bryan Danielson (9) vs. Claudio Castagnoli (6)

For the first time in All Elite Wrestling, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli will go head-to-head in their final match of the Continental Classic’s Blue League! These two members of The Blackpool Combat Club have quite a checkered past with one another, first coming to blows in September 2005 as part of the Ted Petty Invitational Tournament, fighting in multiple independents around the country, but it was their shared time in Ring of Honor that created both a strong rivalry and a mutual respect. Beginning with their June 28, 2008 match at VENDETTA II, the two men could lock-up in four singles matches, culminating in a No Disqualification bout at SOUTHERN HOSTILITY. Danielson won three of those four one-on-one bouts, including that final match, but their rivalry also included tag matches, Three Way fights, and Four Corner Survival matches. One of those Four Corner bouts, a ROH World Championship one, actually saw Claudio try to stomp Bryan’s skull in with a Steel Chair! The two had a few other matches after that No DQ bout, including a memorable Three Way at INSANITY UNLEASHED that also included Kenny Omega, but their final singles match as independent wrestlers actually took place in Germany for wXw on May 1, 2009.

Now that’s not to say their paths didn’t continue to cross over the next several years when the two occupied the same space once again, in fact from 2013-2021 they went one-on-one seven times, five of which were won by Danielson, with the last two going to Claudio. Prior to entering AEW, the two were actually working on the same page, and it’s that, along with the respect forged through their wars together, that likely led Danielson to bring Claudio into The Blackpool Combat Club! 

Since FORBIDDEN DOOR 2022 when Claudio first arrived to replace Bryan in the scheduled match with Zack Sabre Jr., we’ve seen how well the two work together, and how The BCC operates like a well-oiled machine, but this night we will get to see how they operate as foes! Claudio is on a mission to fight his way into the finals, a real possibility if he defeats Danielson, while Bryan is on the precipice of securing his position with a victory. Unfortunately “The American Dragon” may be coming into this as the underdog, not due to skill or ability, but because of the injuries he’s sustained over the last year. We know he’s not 100% recovered from the broken arm suffered at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, we’ve seen how foes in the Continental Classic have gone after the still-healing orbital bone injury, that eye patch serving as a constant reminder to his opponents of what to target.

So how will this play out? We know the phrase “iron sharpens iron” is embedded in the ethos of the Blackpool Combat Club, but does that mean doing whatever is necessary to win when it is one of your own group who is most vulnerable? Will Claudio follow in the footsteps of Andrade and Brody King and attack the weakest part of Danielson’s anatomy? Or are there some lengths the BCC members won’t go to in order to win? We will find out when Claudio and Bryan lock-up this Saturday night! As for the probable outcomes, let’s save that for a minute…

Eddie Kingston (6) vs. Andrade El Idolo (9)

The start of this tournament was not favorable to ROH World/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston. Despite putting both his titles into the mix to form, along with the Continental Championship, a modern American Triple Crown Championship, Kingston dropped his first two  atches to Brody King and Bryan Danielson. Fighting out of a hole heading into this three remaining matches, “The Mad King” rallied with victories over long-time nemesis Claudio Castagnoli and newer rival Daniel Garcia, to notch himself six points in the tournament. Those two victories restored some hope that Kingston could actually win this tournament but, in a tournament filled with the best fighters in the world, Eddie has what may be his toughest fight in this last fight.

Unlike Eddie, Andrade El Idolo started this tournament with three consecutive victories in large part as a result of his willingness to do whatever it took to win. He topped Daniel Garcia to begin his streak, took advantage of Danielson fighting with that eye injury to get his six points, and used an exposed turnbuckle to help defeat Brody King in their fight for nine points. It was only Claudio Castagnoli’s willingness to do the same in their fight that kept Andrade from hitting the 12-point mark, instead putting him in a tie for points lead with Danielson.

So that is what’s at stake here for Andrade, potentially a definitive lead in the Blue League depending on how Bryan/Claudio plays out, but for Eddie it’s a fight for survival, his survival in this tournament, and his survival as a dual champion. If Kingston loses here, he can absolutely say goodbye to his ROH World Title and his NJPW STRONG Openweight as well as he will be mathematically eliminated from any hope of the Blue League Finals, much less the full tournament. This is truly do or die for Eddie Kingston…

Daniel Garcia (0) vs. Brody King (6)

The one man in the Blue League who has no hope of seeing the finals in Orlando is Daniel Garcia, his inability to notch any points in the previous four matches guaranteed that, but there is still the possibility he can play spoiler to the aspirations of one Brody King. It wouldn’t be the first time Garcia surprised the AEW faithful with a victory over this House of Black member, he did it at ST. PATRICK’S DAY SLAM 2023 back in March, so it’s certainly possible for him to repeat that feat. It has to be incredibly frustrating for Garcia to have had this opportunity and get nothing more than experience out of these fights. So is one win redemption for the failures that have come before this Saturday night? Mark Briscoe certainly experienced something akin to an awakening with his lone tournament victory on Wednesday night, perhaps Garcia can have his own moment of clarity, his own personal epiphany about what the future could hold. Then again, he’s got to step inside The House to try and get to that moment…

As for Brody King, victory in this tournament is not yet out of reach despite his loses to Andrade and Bryan Danielson. This current situation putting Brody, Claudio, and Eddie in a three-way tie at six points is rich with possible outcomes, but any hope for making it to the Blue League Finals hinges on Brody winning his fight, as well as requiring either Eddie or Claudio to win their fight. Now this is where things can get complicated, given how close the scores are between the five men still in the race,  there are so many possible outcomes for this tournament.

The simplest outcome is that both Bryan and Andrade win, netting each 12 points, and putting those two in the finals next Wednesday night in Orlando. The outcome of Brody and Garcia is then irrelevant in the grand scheme of things because even with a win, the House of Black member has no choice with only nine points to his name. If Andrade and Claudio win, then El Idolo is the clear top man with 12 points, but the second place spot all depends on the outcome of King/Garcia. We could potentially see Bryan, Claudio, and Brody King all end up with 9 points to close the field, and that same situation plays out with Bryan and Eddie winning, only Bryan takes the top spot, while Andrade, Claudio, and Brody could potentially end with a three way 9-point tie.

There’s even one situation that could end the Blue League in a five-way tie! If Eddie Kingston, Claudio Castagnoli, and Brody King all win their respective fights, then everyone but Garcia ends this with 9 points to their name! It’s the wildest possible outcome, but given that we saw the Gold League end in a Three Way tie, anything is possible when athletes of this caliber are competing against one another. The most likely scenarios end with Bryan and/or Andrade in the top spot, but nothing will be certain until the bell rings at the end of each match! Who will head to Orlando next Wednesday to determine the winner of the Blue League?

A CHAMPION RETURNS…

TBS Champion Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs. Abadon & Thunder Rosa

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lo7tHbRmRGE?si=4MyJ-pwgkOc6oel8

We haven’t seen Thunder Rosa in action since the August 15, 2022 edition of DARK: ELEVATION where the then-AEW Women’s World Champion was victorious in a Trios match alongside Hikaru Shida and Toni Storm. Coming off a hard-fought title defense at BATTLE OF THE BELTS III against Jamie Hayter, and heading towards ALL OUT 2022, Rosa finally succumbed to a nagging back injury and was forced to relinquish her status as champion. Toni Storm would pick up that crown at ALL OUT 2022 in a Four Way with Dr. Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Hikaru Shida to begin her first stint atop the division, and from there the landscape has continued to shift in numerous ways in Rosa’s absence from competition.

That’s not to say Thunder has been completely AWOL from AEW, since the beginning of COLLISION she has served as one of the Spanish announcers for the program, but was still quite removed from any in-ring competition. During Thunder’s time away, she watched the title shift from Toni Storm to Jamie Hayter, saw Saraya become a part of All Elite Wrestling and form The Outcasts en route to experiencing her own time atop the division, and she saw Hikaru Shida become the first-ever 3-Time Women’s World Champion. 

Rosa watched Toni Storm become “Timeless”, watched Skye Blue rise up the ranks through hard work and grit, saw Julia Hart transform from cheerleader to Princess of the House of Black, and watched the TBS Championship go from the grips of Jade Cargill to the waist of Kris Statlander to residing inside the walls of The House. That’s not all the Women’s division has experienced during the sixteen months Thunder has been unable to compete, there’s been a great deal of talent who’ve stepped up, some who have departed AEW, and some new faces who have entered the scene. Through it all, Thunder Rosa has had both the luxury of being able to observe it happen while suffering with the knowledge that she was unable to be in the mix herself.

That is until last week; when Abadon fell victim to the somewhat surprising attack of TBS Champion Julia Hart and Skye Blue, it was Thunder Rosa who rose up as an ally for “The Living Dead Girl”, saving them from a further beating, and surprising everyone with the later revelation that she would step up as Abadon’s partner in conjunction with AEW’s return to the city Thunder Rosa calls home! The last time Thunder competed for AEW in the River City was the ST. PATRICK’S DAY SLAM 2022 Cage Match where she bested Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D for the AEW Women’s World Championship, but by HOLIDAY BASH 2022 in December, “La Mera Mera” was on the sidelines.

So while the fight of this match is largely about Abadon’s issues with Julie Hart, the TBS Championship, and now Skye Blue, the return of Thunder Rosa in her hometown is a huge moment in her life, and a major moment for the Women’s Division! Once this match is done, win or lose, then the questions can be asked about what plans the former Women’s World Champion has for her return to competition, but for Saturday night at least, there will be at least a moment for San Antonio to celebrate  the return of a champion!

AEW TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) and Daddy Ass(c) vs. Action Andretti & Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)

The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass, though reigning as AEW World Trios Champions since August 27th, have been out of action since the November 8th edition of DYNAMITE where they were taken out by The Devil’s masked goons in response to their willingness to help MJF. That doesn’t change the fact that with nine defenses they are the most successful Trios Champions to date, but it does mean they may not be quite ready to get back into action with a fight like this against opponents such as these high-flying young men.

That’s right; in their first match in 45 days, The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass will put their AEW World Trios Championship on the line against Top Flight and Action Andretti! Though his layoff was much longer than that of the champions’, and the severity of his injuries potentially career-ending, Dante Martin has recently returned to competition alongside his brother and Andretti, and has looked superb in his handful of bouts.

Dante is coming off a strong singles victory during Thursday night’s ROH ON HONOR CLUB presentation, while Darius and Action scored a Three Way Tag Team win of their own, and collectively this trio has picked up two big trios wins in the month since Dante’s return. Stepping up to challenge the champions is a huge undertaking for this young trio, but this may be the perfect time to knock The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass off their throne! Can the champions pick up where they left off before The Devil’s henchmen knocked them off the playing field, or did the time away stall the momentum they’d worked so hard to build and leave them easier targets for their challengers? We shall see this Saturday night on TNT! 

ONE-ON-ONE…

ROH World Six-Man Champion Brian Cage vs. “Limitless” Keith Lee

Following his FINAL BATTLE 2023 victory over former tag team partner Shane Taylor, Lexy Nair interviewed Keith Lee under the assumption that Shane Taylor was the “him” Keith had been referring to, but “Limitless” quickly corrected her. Of course this would lead to speculation just who “him” actually was, but Keith Lee did not let that mystery simmer for very long when, as witnessed in the video above, he confronted The Mogul Embassy on COLLISION, making it abundantly clear that it was Swerve Strickland who he’d been talking about all along.

Clearly Keith feels like he’s let this unfinished business with this former AEW World Tag Team Championship partner go unresolved, and is ready to bring it to a conclusion, much like he did with the decade-long simmering issues with Shane Taylor. But before Keith can get his hands on Swerve, and while Strickland is still wrapped up in the Continental Classic, The Limitless One has to deal with “The Machine” Brian Cage!

Over the course of their careers, Cage and Lee have gone one-on-one three times, all prior to All Elite Wrestling’s existence, with the last being nearly four years ago. Each of those contests went in favor of Keith Lee, but a pair of Three Way contests they were involved in both went in Cage’s favor. But here in AEW, the only shared ring time these two behemoths have experienced has been mutual participation in the Blackjack Battle Royale at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023 and an 8-Man tag in June won by Keith, Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin, and Sting.

So thus begins Keith Lee’s road to settle his score with Swerve Strickland, and if every member of The Mogul Embassy is thrown in his path, this is going to be a very rough journey indeed. But if anyone is capable of surviving that grueling gauntlet, it is “Limitless”, and if there is anyone capable of matching the combination of power and speed Lee possesses, it is “The Machine” Brian Cage! Can this ROH World Six-Man Champion stifle Keith Lee’s aspirations at the starting line?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/pQs1-0U0Kes?si=3sXjDcEFj-l-GM7L

All Elite Wrestling is coming back to San Antonio, TX this Saturday night for our debut at the Frost Bank Center, and with it comes an all-new, loaded edition of COLLISION! The Blue League battle for points wraps up this Saturday with Castagnoli versus Danielson, Kingston battling Andrade, and Garcia fighting King! Plus, the AEW World Trios Championship will be at stake when Daddy Ass and The Acclaimed return to action against Top Flight and Action Andretti, while San Antonio’s own Thunder Rosa returns after sixteen months to team with Abadon for a fight with TBS Champion Julia Hart and Skye Blue!  COLLISION begins 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!

Ego Nwodim Interview | Saturday Night Live

Ego Nwodim Interview by Big Gold Belt Media as apart of the @theaafcachannel2297 Roundtable interview-Synopsis:Ego Nwodim returns to “Saturday Night Live” for her sixth season as a cast member.Nwodim has entertained viewers with her standout impression…

AEW Collision Preview for December 16, 2023

AEW Collision Preview for December 16, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/embed/T1dOgrFCT34?si=vXjA5D6qaLe7-lxq

All Elite Wrestling returns to Garland, TX and our home for the last four years at the Curtis Culwell Center! It’s the first time COLLISION has emanated from this great venue, and with WORLDS END fast approaching, that means more Continental Classic action in the Blue League! We saw Brody King take his first loss in the tournament on DYNAMITE, falling to Andrade El Idolo in each man’s third League bout, and boosting El Idolo up to the top spot with 9 points.

This week the Blue League continues with Claudio Castagnoli taking on Andrade, ROH World & NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston fighting an old rival in Daniel Garcia, and Bryan Danielson facing the immense challenge of Brody King! The bouts begin at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the best way to get ready is to visit 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 events from last week’s COLLISION, the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: BLUE LEAGUE…

Standings

Andrade El Idolo (9)

Brody King (6)

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (3)

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

Daniel Garcia (0)

Daniel Garcia (0) vs. Eddie Kingston (3)

The Continental Classic is getting down to the wire, we’ve passed the halfway point, and unfortunately for Daniel Garcia there is no way for him to win the Blue League on points, nor even come in second in order to battle it out with the points leader for that spot in the Continental Classic Finals at WORLDS END. All Garcia can do now is play spoiler to those with hope in their hearts, and with enough points to potentially get them to the Blue League Finals.

One of those men who has to hold onto hope right now is Eddie Kingston, an opponent Garcia has battled many times over the last two years, because after dropping his first two Blue League bouts, Kingston finally scored his first three points last week over Claudio Castagnoli.

But with Bryan Danielson, as well as Brody King, at six points and Andrade El Idolo at nine points, Kingston finds himself with two must-win bouts left in the league, and also dependent on the failings of others. Save the possibility of a draw, either Danielson or King will walk out of Saturday with nine points to their name, and Kingston has lost to both of them already. With the other bout pitting Castagnoli against Andrade, either Claudio walks with six or Andrade with 12, the latter result puts that top spot in the league totally out of Kingston’s reach, with only a hope of second place to hold onto.

Now this is where things get very interesting, the possibility of ties and what draws could potentially do to shake up the entire Blue League, but the bottom line for the ROH World/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion is that he must defeat Daniel Garcia to have hope, he must defeat Andrade El Idolo in his next match to have hope, otherwise Kingston’s gamble with his two championship titles will have failed. 

But is it a failure to risk it all in order to achieve something greater? Is that willingness to fail actually what makes a person great? Is it brave or foolhardy for an athlete to look at their future and be willing to gamble everything at the risk of walking away with nothing? Only at the end of this road will Eddie Kingston be able to answer that question for himself…

Bryan Danielson (6) vs. Brody King (6)

In his first two matches in the Continental Classic, Brody King showed the world just how dangerous an individual he can be. Generally competing in tags and trios with his fellow House of Black devotees, Brody took it to Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli with a fierceness. That first match with Kingston kind of shook up the competition as many thought Eddie, as the ROH World and NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, would come into the tournament strong. Instead Brody dropped “The Mad King”, and moved onto Claudio Castagnoli, who was coming off a strong win on Daniel Gacris. Just as he did with Kingston, Brody King handed Castagnoli his first loss in the tournament, shocking the world once more with his dominance in singles competition, and with eyes on his third bout against Andrade El Idolo.

But Brody’s power and capacity for violence were no match for Andrade’s cunning as El Idolo took advantage of an exposed turnbuckle, cracked Brody’s head against the steel, and ended up with the victory of The House’s behemoth. Every man coming into this tournament did so knowing loss was a possibility, if not an inevitability, so King will take the defeat as a lesson and move forward with no excuses into his last two fights. For better or worse, Brody King has to meet former multi-time World Champion and Blackpool Combat Club member Bryan Danielson in his next fight.

Bryan has been through a bit of hell during 2023; from the litany of injuries sustained after REVOLUTION 2023’s Iron Man Match with MJF to his broken arm from FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023 against Okada to the fractured orbital bone suffered at the hands of both Okada and Orange Cassidy, the body of “The American Dragon” has gone through the ring.

And yet he never stops, Bryan Danielson never yields, and that is why he is a part of this tournament in spite of how much his body has endured. It seems with Danielson that no matter what his body may feel, his mind is strong, his will is iron, and his drive to compete is inevitable. That’s why he went through three Continental Classic matches in a week against Eddie Kingston, Daniel Garcia, and Andrade El Idolo. The first two were victories for Dragon, hard-fought, still victories nonetheless, but then came Andrade and his willingness to do something that the other two competitors did not: attack the eye.

With a relentless aggression, Andrade went after Danielson’s eye to the point that many wondered if Dragon would even be able to fight the match through to its end, but anyone who questioned that clearly doesn’t know the heart of Bryan. He fought through to the bitter end, taking the pain and punishment Andrade dished out, never stopping his fight, but ultimately succumbing. So now that the man who many thought would run the table with a perfect bracket has tasted defeat, what is his road to the finals? What is Brody King’s?

Obviously for both victory here is the goal, putting the winner at nine points in the Blue League, and potentially tied with Andrade El Idolo depending on how his battle with Claudio sways. If that’s the case, it comes down to the final match of the League for each, for Bryan that is actually fellow BCC member Claudio Castagnoli while for Brody King it is Daniel Garcia, someone who holds a victory over Brody from earlier this year. Win or lose, both men are still in the fight to win the Continental Classic, but whoever walks out of this with hand raised will be just a bit more comfortable in their position…that is if anyone is in position to walk away from this fight. Add in the fact that Bryan Danielson had a Fight Without Honor war last night at ROH’s FINAL BATTLE 2023 that ended with Mark Briscoe dropping “The American Dragon” with a Jay Driller to win the match, and it’s really questionable how Danielson is even capable of walking into this one, much less expecting to walk out the winner!

Claudio Castagnoli (3) vs. Andrade El Idolo (9)

Though some may have questioned whether or not Andrade El Idolo was wise to take on CJ Perry for his management, it’s hard to question the results as El Idolo is undefeated thus far, with victories over Daniel Garcia, Bryan Danielson, and Brody King just this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE. In each case Andrade has looked strong, dominant even, and as evidenced in both the Danielson and Brody King matches, willing to do anything it takes to secure that victory. In Bryan’s case it meant attacking that eye injury, and in King’s making use of the exposed turnbuckle, either way it ended with points for Andrade, enough to put him at the top of Blue League with just two matches left.

As for Claudio, he had a great first outing against Daniel Garcia to score his three points, but then ran into the brick wall of Brody King, and stumbled once more in his DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2023 rematch with Eddie Kingston. The latter likely stung greater than the former given the ill will between Kingston and Castagnoli, but the Brody loss is still a loss and Castagnoli finds himself in the same hole as Kingston.

Claudio’s path to possibly make the cut for League Finals means defeating Andrade and, in his final match, his own Blackpool Combat Club brother Bryan Danielson. Even that would only net him nine points, leaving The Swiss Superman also dependent on the outcome of other matches in order to be one of the last two men standing for the Gold League Finals in Orlando on December 27th. Andrade is obviously in the Gold League driver’s seat, but he could end up fighting for that second place spot if he drops this match and his final bout with Eddie Kingston. No one in this Blue League should let themselves get too comfortable…especially considering four of these six men fought at ROH’s FINAL BATTLE 2023 event last night. All but Andrade El Idolo and Brody King went through a fight, so it will be very intriguing to see how those may effect these three bouts!

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy(c) vs. “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith

Last night at FINAL BATTLE 2023, Bryan Keith came into ROH for the very first time with nothing more than an opportunity to qualify for the ROH World Television Championship Survival of the Fittest Elimination bout. “All” Kieth had to do was beat Jack Cartwheel on the ZERO HOUR to get there.

Well he did that, and in the span of the seven minutes that fight lasted, Bryan also won over the ROH faithful in Garland, TX. Then “The Bounty Hunter” stepped into the Survival of the Fittest Finals and hung in there for seventeen minutes, eliminating Lee Moriarty in the process before Kyle Fletcher took him out, and Bryan Keth solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with anywhere he goes.

Obviously someone took notice because Orange Cassidy, the 2-Time AEW International Champion, actually stepped up to “The Bounty Hunter” and offered him an opportunity to challenge for the title this Saturday night on COLLISION! Now Orange is coming into this off a fight of his own, teaming up with The Von Erichs on RAMPAGE to beat Cool Hand Ang, Daddy Magic, and Jake Hager, but that took far less a toll on the champion than FINAL BATTLE 2023 did to his challenger!

Can Bryan Keith upset the defending champion this Saturday night in Garland, and continue to show the world what he brings to the table inside that squared circle? Will OC’s own challenge backfire on him come COLLISION?

All Elite Wrestling has called Garland, TX and the Curtis Culwell Center home since 2019, and for the first time we are bringing COLLISION action to town! The Blue League tournament action heads into its fourth round with Castagnoli versus Andrade, Kingston battling Garcia, and Danielson tackling King! COLLISION begins 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!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/iU2f9k6xFo8?si=It9RW9st5dq1vkI_

AEW Dynamite Preview for December 13, 2023

AEW Dynamite Preview for December 13, 2023

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!