Your Big Gold Belt Podcast is LIVE talking the latest in pro wrestling!

-Sting’s Retirement: With Revolution 2024 set as his final bow how should things wrap up and who should be Sting’s final opponent?

– A look…

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Tonight’s special episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, TX!

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!

Penta El Zero Miedo (with Alex Abrahantes)

vs.

“Switchblade” Jay White (with Bullet Club Gold)!

“Massive reaction for Penta here tonight,” said Taz.

Jay White walked out wearing the championship he stole from rightful AEW World champion MJF.

Penta wiped out Bullet Club Gold, jumping over the top rope and crashing onto them as they made their entrance. Penta followed up with a sling blade to Jay White! Penta El Zero Miedo crushed White with a diving double foot stomp for a near fall.

Jay White spiked Penta El Zero Miedo with a DDT. Jay White hit a snap suplex on Penta El Zero Miedo. Penta connected with a thrust kick. Penta was looking for a monkey flip in the corner, but Jay White dodged it and then chopped Penta, sending Penta crashing to the arena floor.

Penta El Zero Miedo retaliated with two consecutive sling blades to Switchblade! Penta jumped over the top rope, landing on Jay White on the arena floor! Back in the ring, Penta and White exchanged chops. Penta planted Jay White with a spinning Death Valley Driver! Penta was looking for the package piledriver, but Jay White countered with a uranage.

Jay White drilled Penta El Zero Miedo with a brain buster for a two-count. Jay White nailed Penta with a sleeper suplex. Penta countered the Blade Runner with Made in Japan for a two-count! The Gunns distracted the ref while Juice clocked Penta with the left hand! Jay White smashed Penta with the Blade Runner and pinned him!

Jay White: “Cut my music! You know who sucks? It’s MJF. Because where is MJF? He’s not here. But you know who’s here? J-A-Y. Because I’m a real world champion. I’m a truly elite world champion. And Max, I’m still waiting on your answer to my very generous offer. I’m assuming you can’t find anyone who wants to team up with you to try to take back the Bang Bang Belt. Until then, I’ll lead by example.”

Juice Robinson: “Spoiler alert! Tonight, in your main event, the ‘stray bullet’ Juice Robinson is going to win the battle royal. After I win the right to face MJF for this Dynamite Diamond Ring, we’re taking his ring and we’re going to pawn it and I’m getting another gold tooth!”

Renee Paquette was backstage with the AEW World Champion MJF!

MJF: “I could have run out there like every single dumb good guy in the history of pro wrestling. But I’m not a good guy. I’m a scum bag. Jay White, I will get back my Triple B before Full Gear. Juice Robinson, I pray to God that you win tonight because next week it’ll be your left hand of God against the right hand of the devil!

“As far as an update on Adam Cole—”

AEW Trios Champs The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass interrupted the interview.

Max Caster: “If you want your world title back from Jay White, they said an 8-man tag, us three and you, we’ll get all the belts and we’ll scissor after we win.”

MJF: “How about no.”

Max Caster: “Then how about I get in the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale, win that, and then next week I’ll win your ring and you’re gonna have to put a ring on it!”

Daddy Ass: “That guy is such a scumbag.”

Max Caster: “Yeah, but he’s my scumbag.”

World Title Eliminator Match! “Student vs. Teacher”!

AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida

vs.

Emi Sakura!

Sakura ambushed Shida as Shida was entering the ring. Sakura collided into Shida with a shoulder tackle. They traded chops in the center of the ring. Sakura went for a running cross body, but Shida countered with a knee strike.

Sakura dropkicked Shida in the face while Shida was on her knees. Sakura splashed Shida in the corner with a running cross body press. Sakura sent Shida crashing to the floor after a running cross body as Shida was standing on the ring apron. Shida took down Sakura with a hurracanrana. Shida followed up with a missile dropkick for a near fall.

Emi planted Shida with a Tiger Driver for a two-count! Shida dodged a moonsault and blasted Emi with the katana! Sakura nailed Shida with a back breaker. Shida fired back with a Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Shida rocked Emi with a knee strike and pinned her!

Earlier in the day, the “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland was backstage with Renee Paquette and gave his Rated- R Rebuttal to TNT Champion Christian Cage!

Adam Copeland: “Things have not been going smoothly. I don’t understand what’s happened. The whole idea in coming here was to end my career with Christian Cage and team with him. And he sounded on board with that until it got real.

“I sat down this week and began replaying my relationship with him over the years. We’ve known each other since the 6th grade. We were best friends in high school and in college. We both entered an essay contest to get into wrestling school. I wrote in and he didn’t. Fast forward and I got the dream gig and I always said, to whoever would listen, you’ve gotta see my friend.

“For whatever reason, over the years, it’s always been Adam and Jay. And it’s stuck with him, and I feel it’s frustrated him. He said I had a rocket strapped to my back, but I worked hard. I’m surprised that this keeps repeating at this stage in our lives. He’s riding high right now. He came here first, and I didn’t intend to take away his spotlight. I don’t want his TNT Title. I’m not going to fight him. What that means for me, I don’t know. One thing I do know is eventually Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus are going to leave him high and dry. And I’ll be there to pick him up.”

Wardlow vs. Ryan Nemeth!

Nick charged at Wardlow but Wardlow powerbombed him. The ref stopped the match after a single powerbomb!

Tony Schiavone entered the ring to interview Wardlow.

Schiavone: “Everyone knows your back, but what are you back for?”

Wardlow held up his fist and showed off his wrist tape, which had the letters “MJF” written on it.

Schiavone: “Whoa. That says MJF.”

Wardlow left the ring, bumping into Tony and knocking him to the mat.

Renee Paquette was backstage to interview Kenny Omega ahead of his match tonight against Kyle Fletcher.

Kenny said maybe soon we’d soon the Kenny of old and he’d go after the World Championship.

AEW World Champion MJF walked onto the set.

MJF: “Kenny Omega, the measuring stick. World Champion, MJF. I’ve always been a massive fan of Kenny Omega.”

Omega: “I appreciate it.”

MJF: “So I just wanted to say I’d love to shake your hand.”

MJF leaned in as he shook Omega’s hand and whispered, “13 days, bitch.”

Omega: “13 days, huh? We’ll see about that.”

Footage was shown from earlier in the day from Roderick Strong’s humble abode!

Mike Bennett was playing the bongos. Matt Taven was listening with his plush giraffe, and Roderick Strong was resting on the other couch. Adam Cole brought Roderick Strong coffee.

Strong took a sip and spit it out, saying Adam knew that he hates hot coffee! Strong apologized and asked Cole to make them PB&J sandwiches. Strong then complained that Adam Cole left the crust on the sandwich.

Cole: “I have done everything I can to possibly help you! I haven’t talked to Max in weeks practically. And I need to get surgery. I’m done with this!”

Adam Cole left. Roderick Strong turned to the Kingdom and said he knew what he was going to have to do to get his best friend back. “I guess I’m going to have to be nice to that scumbag MJF.”

Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview Don Callis!

Callis walked to the ring with Powerhouse Hobbs and Takeshita!

Don Callis: “I’ve got something to say. Last week the Don Callis Family made history. Because in over 30 years in one of the greatest careers of all time, Chris Jericho has never been manhandled like he was last week. Because last week Will Hobbs broke Chris Jericho in half.”

Powerhouse Hobbs: “February 22nd, 1998, was supposed to be the greatest day of my life. I had the chance to meet my hero, Chris Jericho. My grandmother got me front row tickets to meet you. And you walked past that old lady, told her to shut up, and looked at me and told me to sit down. 25 years, Chris, I held on to frustration. I swore the day I got to whoop you, I was going to hurt you over and over and over.

“As I looked at you, Chris, you were lifeless. So, what did I do. I picked you up and gave you spinebuster after spinebuster after spinebuster. I loved it!”

Don Callis: “All Will Hobbs’ life, he’s been told by people who supposedly love him to bottle up the hate and violence. Well now Will has a new family, and we don’t tell you to bottle it up. We tell you to be what you are. And he’s a killing machine! And we are not done with Jericho. We are going to unleash Will Hobbs on AEW! We are on a roll! We are undefeated in four months except for one match, where Sammy Guevara was hurt by Chris Jericho.

“And I had to get a replacement. I had to get a scab worker to come in, a young man named Kyle Fletcher. He let us down. He screwed the Don Callis Family.”

Kyle Fletcher came down to the ring!

Fletcher got into Callis’ face, but Hobbs squared up with Fletcher.

Callis: “No, no, I want to hear this. Say what you gotta say, kid.”

Fletcher: “As far as I can recall, I did that match for you as a favor after Will Ospreay called and said, ‘Don Callis is on his knees begging me to do this match.’ And maybe I was the weakest link that night, but tonight I have another chance against Kenny Omega one on one. And I’m going to prove to everyone, especially you, that I don’t need anybody’s help to beat Kenny Omega.”

Callis: “You know what? I like the confidence. I’ll tell you what, Kyle. You beat Kenny Omega tonight, and you and I may have an opportunity to discuss next week.”

Kenny Omega’s music began to play, and Omega made his entrance!

Aussie Open’s Kyle Fletcher vs. Kenny Omega!

Fletcher got the jump on Omega as Omega entered the ring. Kenny jabbed Fletcher with stiff shots. Omega chopped at Kyle Fletcher.

Fletcher grounded and pounded on Omega. Kenny fired back with a vertical suplex. Omega jumped over the top rope with a cross body press down onto Kyle Fletcher.

Fletcher rocked Omega with a kick, knocking Omega off the apron and onto the arena floor. Fletcher whipped Omega into the steel guardrail, sending him over the barricade. Omega nailed Fletcher with a hurracanrana. Omega was looking for the Terminator Dive, but Fletcher grabbed Omega’s ankle.

Both men traded chops outside the ring. Kenny charged at Kyle, but Kyle tripped him, and Omega crashed into the barricade. Omega wiped out Fletcher with a middle rope moonsault. Kenny clocked Kyle with a dropkick from the top rope to the lower back.

Kyle spiked Omega with a half and half suplex. Fletcher followed up with a brainbuster for a near fall. Fletcher lawn darted Omega into the turnbuckle pad. Fletcher kicked Omega in the back of the head. Omega spiked Fletcher with a reverse hurracanrana and followed up with a powerbomb and a V-Trigger for a two-count!

Kenny went for the One-Winged Angel. Fletcher countered with a dragon sleeper. Omega escaped and planted Kyle with a snap dragon suplex. Omega rammed into Fletcher with a knee strike and then pinned Kyle with the One Winged Angel!

Don Callis: “This kid is such a miserable disappointment!”

“The MurderHawk Monster” Lance Archer vs. Barrett Brown!

Archer choke slammed his opponent on the ring apron! Archer suplexed Brown. Archer smashed into his opponent three consecutive times in the corner. Archer planted Brown and pinned him!

Prince Nana and Swerve Strickland were on the streets!

Nana: “Some of the top rappers have been here. And now you get to release the remix of the Big Pressure video this Friday on YouTube. What an exciting time!”

Swerve: “Why am I not excited? Because I should be celebrating my music video along with being the TNT Champion. There’s only one reason I’m not. It’s because of you Hangman Page. It wasn’t a personal thing. It was Swerve versus the opportunity. But now it’s personal and you couldn’t leave well enough alone after I beat you at WrestleDream. Nobody cares less about life than me. Just remember this. It’s not always you that pays for your actions.”

Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview Sting!

Sting: “Shall I say the word? Before I say the word, I want to reflect a little bit with all of you. That word makes me think about all the years traveling down the road with guys like Lex Luger, Rick and Scott Steiner, Buff Bagwell. I traveled up and down the road with these guys and we’d look at the generation ahead of us, guys like Dusty Rhodes. Dusty Rhodes being the most charismatic human being I’ve ever seen in my whole life.

“Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan transcended wrestling and I did learn something from the guy. But one of the guys I really want to give a lot to is the ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair. Thank you for all of the moments. I remember the Clash of the Champions 1988, the very first title match that I had with you, and you put me on the map. What a moment that was.

“We used to wonder though, what makes these guys want to come year after year, decade after decade, what more do they have to prove. Here I am all these years later. And I understand why they hung on. It is the roar of the fans. That’s what makes us keep coming back for more.

“So, getting back to that word. That word. It makes me, before I quite get there. I know what some of you are thinking. ‘He retired once already.’ I gotta tell you, that retirement in 2015 just didn’t sit right with me. Which brings me now to the word ‘retirement’ again.

“I want to address it live and in color on Dynamite. I started my very first match with AEW was Revolution 2021. And my very last match will be Revolution 2024. One more key thing that you all need to know. The only thing for sure about Sting is my retirement, Revolution 2024 is for sure.”

Jim Ross had a sitdown interview with Nick Wayne and Nick Wayne’s mom!

Jim Ross: “Nick, I can’t get over what you did to Darby Allin. He’s like a brother to you.”

Nick Wayne’s mom: “It was shocking to me J.R. I can’t make sense of it. Darby has been like a brother to you, Nick. This is just so out of character for you. And Christian? The things that he has said about your father, and to me! Nick, I don’t recognize you right now.”

Nick Wayne: “That’s enough! It was always about Darby Allin. I was always in his shadows. It was always him. They congratulated him for getting me here. It’s time for me to prove why I’m here. And I’m under a new father figure now. Christian Cage. A better father figure than dad ever was.”

TNT Champion Christian Cage walked onto the set and put his hand on Nick’s shoulder.

Christian Cage: “Are you ready to come home, son?”

Nick Wayne’s mom: “Nick, no!”

Nick Wayne: “Don’t touch me! You were a terrible mother!”

Nick Wayne got slapped by his mother!

She apologized and Nick said, “You’re dead to me.”

Nick and Christian left the room and Darby was there, laying them both out!

Darby hammered away at Nick, stumbling onto the stage! Luchasaurus snuck up behind Darby and cracked him with his forearm! Sting came out to even up the odds, sweeping out the leg of Christian Cage! Sting rammed Luchasaurus into the guardrail! Sting went to apply the Scorpion Deathlock on Christian in the ring, but Luchasaurus pulled Christian out of the ring to safety.

Main Event Time!

Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale!

The winner earns their shot to face AEW World Champion MJF for the Dynamite Diamond Ring.

“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes was the first participant out to the ring. AEW World Champion MJF joined the broadcast booth for the main event.

Matt Hardy slugged it out with Jake Hager. Jeff Hardy tried to hoist Juice Robinson over the top. Johnny TV and Daniel Garcia were about to have a dance off, but Menard stopped Garcia. Jeff splashed Menard in the corner.

Hager hurled Matt Hardy over the top rope and eliminated him. MJF walked to ringside. MJF offered cash to Dustin and whispered in his ear, wanting him to eliminate Juice Robinson. Dustin kicked Juice between the legs!

Komander hit a springboard dropkick to Hager. Menard and Garcia caught Komander and eliminated him. Trent suplexed Garcia. Dustin smashed Garcia with a Canadian Destroyer. Trent rammed into Hager and knocked him to the arena floor.

Menard eliminated Trent. Jeff Hardy was thrown over the top by Garcia. Daniel Garcia inadvertently collided with Menard. Garcia eliminated Dustin Rhodes. Caster tossed Garcia out of the match. Max was trying to push Juice out of the ring. Caster kicked Juice. Caster charged at Juice, but Juice speared him between the ropes.

Juice and Caster jockeyed for position on the ring apron. Juice gouged Max Caster’s eyes. Caster pushed Juice off the top rope. Caster hit the Mic Drop! Jay White ambushed MJF at the broadcast booth. They began to brawl on the ramp!

MJF grounded and pounded Jay White and got his AEW World Championship back! Jay White connected with a low blow to the champ. Juice Robinson dug into his pocket and pulled out his ring. Juice slugged Caster with the Left Hand of God with the ring on it! Juice eliminated Caster and Jay White took the championship belt back from MJF!

“Juice did it!” said Taz.

“And it is official. One week from tonight at Dynamite it’ll be Juice Robinson against MJF for the Dynamite Diamond Ring!” added Excalibur.

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

For Mexico’s Pound-For-Pound Crown!

CMLL’s World Historic Middleweight Champion, the Luchador Legend Mistico

vs.

CMLL World Historic Welterweight Champion Rocky Romero!

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA!

Don’t miss AEW Collision & Battle of the Belts VIII on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN!

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

https://www.youtube.com/embed/agb0ZK1xtG4?si=dpib56vvebzJ5MYR

All Elite Wrestling has made it abundantly clear that Saturday night’s alright for fighting, and this Saturday on COLLISION will be no different! With AEW’s debut at Toledo’s Huntington Center, there are three championship fights on tap with the TBS, the TNT, and ROH World TV Championships at stake. The first contested between Kris Statlander and Skye Blue with the second between defending champion Christian Cage and challenger Bryan Danielson, the man who defeated Swerve Strickland on DYNAMITE: TITLE TUESDAY to earn the opportunity! As for the latter, as Samoa Joe nears a championship record currently held by Jay Lethal, he welcomes the challenge of Willie Mack! These two hard-hitting big men are looking forward to throwing down in Toledo, and we know Joe also has his eye on the prize currently around MJF’s waist: the AEW World Championship!

COLLISION is back at its normal start time of 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT on TNT, so make a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest editions of CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Christian Cage(c) vs. “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson

https://www.youtube.com/embed/J2A8-uKBmio?si=UBRAusKhonnFbIkV&start=513

When last we saw Christian Cage he was trapped in Bryan Danielson’s LaBell Lock, with best friend Adam Copeland looking on, as DYNAMITE:TITLE TUESDAY faded to black. The efforts of Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne to bring harm to Adam after he bested Cage’s “Right Hand of Destruction” were ultimately for naught as a scene also involving Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, The Gates of Agony, Swerve Strickland, and Hangman Page played out until it was just Bryan, Copeland, and Christian left inside the squared circle.

Though there is clearly a level of respect between The BCC and Adam Copeland, the primary reason for Danielson’s involvement in this entire scenario is the TNT Championship. Earlier in the night, in the opening match of DYNAMITE, Bryan Danielson survived the fight with Swerve Strickland, with a little help from Hangman to prevent Swerve’s cheating, to earn this shot at the TNT Championship. Danielson, coming off victories over Swerve, Zack Sabre Jr. Ricky Starks, and Kyle Fletcher, not to mention defeating Kazuchika Okada with a broken arm, is operating on a level unlike any he has before. Perhaps it’s the knowledge that this is his last full-time year in professional wrestling that is driving him to that next echelon, perhaps it’s because he chose to share that information with the world that is really causing him to push himself harder than ever before.

Whatever the case may be, Christian Cage has to be prepared to deal with a version of Danielson unlike any with which he is familiar, and these two are rather familiar with one another. Though it’s been since February 17, 2014 that they last went one-on-one, they shared the ring here in All Elite Wrestling as friends on October 2021, and before either called AEW home, they’d been on opposite sides of the ring as far back as May 12, 2006 at Ring of Honor’s HOW WE ROLL event.

But just as this Danielson is unlike any version of the man Christian Cage has faced, so too is this TNT Champion version of Christian a far worse, far more vile, far more despicable man than “The American Dragon” has dealt with previously. Cage’s list of crimes and insults has been well documented, the official AEW YouTube Page even has a playlist detailing his despicable act, and his (ab)use of Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne has only made it even clearer how low Christian Cage will stoop to claim he is the greatest wrestler in the world.

Given that Bryan is frequently labeled with that G.O.A.T tag, Cage might consider this a battle of the greatest to do it, but that would require the TNT Champion to actually recognize anyone else as being close to his level, and the AEW faithful know that Christian gives credit to no man or woman other than himself. So on Saturday night, when COLLISION comes to Toledo for the very first time, can Bryan Danielson defy the odds and Cage’s willingness to cut any corners and finally capture his first championship in All Elite Wrestling? He was unable to do so at REVOLUTION 2023 when faced with MJF, unable to do so when he twice challenged Adam Page, and unable to do it when he fought Jon Moxley in the 2022 Grand Slam Tournament of Champions. With this being his first chance at claiming the TNT Championship, will it be the American Dragon’s night, or will Christian Cage somehow find another way to escape seeming certain demise with the TNT Title still in his possession?

ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Samoa Joe(c) vs. Willie Mack

Ten years ago; that was the one and only time Samoa Joe and Willie Mack ever shared a ring prior to this coming Saturday night, and on that November night in California’s City of Commerce, it was Samoa Joe who emerged triumphant. By that point Joe had already been a multi-time World Champion, had helped establish Ring of Honor as the most influential wrestling promotion of the 21st Century, had traversed the globe, and become one of the most feared competitors in pro wrestling. Willie Mack, six or seven years into his career at that point, was really building steam in places like PWG, APW, CWFH, and had begun to branch out beyond the West Coast in tournaments like CZW’s Best of the Best and AIW’s JT Lightning Invitational, but California would generally remain his home base.

Fast forward a decade later and the two men find themselves inside the same circles once again, competing for Ring of Honor and All Elite Wrestling, with Joe the dominant champion once again. With 549 days spent as ROH World TV Champion, Joe is just 19 days away from surpassing his former protege Jay Lethal as the longest reigning TV Champion of all-time, a feat that would give Samoa Joe that designation with two different Ring of Honor championships. While Lethal’s 36 successful defenses are likely a number that will remain forever out of reach, Joe has absolutely asserted himself with a dominance that no other Television Champion has before him.

Shane Taylor may be a close second in that regards, but the victory Samoa Joe has over him puts Joe on top of that comparison. So can Willie Mack be the one to step up to the throne and knock the King of Television off? Mack is a hard-hitting man just like the TV Champion, has no problem throwing down with fists and elbows, and it very well may be the biggest night of his wrestling career if Willie can actually be the one to end Joe’s reign. It is clear that, in addition to his duties as ROH World TV Champion, Joe still has designs on the AEW World Championship held by MJF, but before he concerns himself with Max, Joe best keep his eye on Willie Mack this Saturday night lest he find himself leaving Toledo short a championship title.

TBS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Kris Statlander(c) vs. Skye Blue

https://www.youtube.com/embed/qo-MnTn5GuY?si=88vvGx-DFY-80p3O

After defeating Emi Sakura Friday night on RAMPAGE, Skye Blue will get what she’s been chasing, a championship opportunity, this time in the form of a TBS Championship challenge against friend Kris Statlander! Though Skye has been a bit…off…since her encounter with The House of Black’s Julia Hart got her misted, it did lead to that victory, and now she’ll face Statlander for the very first time!

Despite their friendship, these two have never shared a ring with one another as friend or foe prior to Saturday night. Whether or not that is beneficial to either woman’s goal of being champion remains to be seen; neither has first-hand knowledge of each other’s capabilities making it a bit harder to prepare counters and counters-to-counters, leaving tape study as the best way to prepare for this bout, also the fact each has had barely 24 hours to game plan leaves both on something close to equal footing.

Will Statlander continue to push towards her goal of surpassing Jade Cargill as the most dominant TBS Champion in AEW history? Or will Skye Blue claim her first AEW title and begin to build her legacy?

THE RATED R SUPERSTAR HAS ARRIVED!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/PvXJ_H5VnCA?si=07F5Pb3CI2_YCiwb

Tuesday night on DYNAMITE fans witnessed Adam Copeland make his AEW in-ring debut with a victory of “The Right Hand of Destruction” Luchasaurus. While that moment was triumphant, Nick Wayne and TBS Champion Christian Cage did their best to make the remainder of the night a terrible one for “The Rated R Superstar”. Luckily Copeland had some support in the form of The Blackpool Combat Club, and even though the situation ended in chaos also involving Adam Page and The Mogul Embassy, ultimately Christian Cage ended up in Bryan Danielson’s LaBell Lock while Adam stood on and witnessed it.

This Saturday on COLLISION Adam Copeland will be back in the house to address what went down on Tuesday, and perhaps lay out what his next steps will be! Copeland made it clear that he initially came to AEW to reunite with his best friend Christian, but with the events that have gone down since his debut at WRESTLEDREAM, is that still Copeland’s goal?

ALSO FEATURING:

-AEW World Tag Team Champions Big Bill & Ricky Starks in the house!

-AAA Cruiserweight & AAA World Tag Champion Komander vs. “The Machine” Brian Cage!

COLLISION debuts in Toledo, OH at the Huntington Center this Saturday night and brings three titles fights to the dance! The ROH World TV Title is at stake between Samoa Joe and Willie Mack while Christian Cage puts his TNT Championship on the line against “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and TBS Champion Kris Statlander defends against Skye Blue! The bouts begin at a our regular time of 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT on TNT, so make a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week’s episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, the latest editions of CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/oddfkSLHpQ8?si=T0eyVpItEHYfsfmC

This past Wednesday night, AEW celebrated the four year anniversary of DYNAMITE, and ushered in the Rated R Era with the DYNAMITE debut of Adam Copeland! He confronted Christian Cage, attempted to reforge their long-time partnership, and was instead rebuked rather rudely. Fans also witnessed “Switchblade” Jay White challenge MJF to a title fight at FULL GEAR 2023, Roderick Strong and The Kingdom put Adam Cole to work, and AEW International Champion Rey Fenix top Nick Jackson in a title match!

This Friday the action continues with RAMPAGE, featuring a big 8-Man Tag teaming The Hardys with Best Friends to take on the former members of J.A.S, a shot at the ROH World Championship will be at stake in a Four Way bout, and TBS Champion Kris Statlander will team up with Hikaru Shida to face Marina Shafir and Nyla Rose!

The night gets underway at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences, so visit the official AEW YouTube channel before RAMPAGE begins to see highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, from WRESTLEDREAM, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE and COLLISION, plus THE CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!

EIGHT MAN TAG…

Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) and The Hardys (Jeff & Matt) vs. Angelo Parker, Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager, & Matt Menard

As they continue to search for their path separate from Chris Jericho’s machinations, the former J.A.S. members will unite in competition this Friday against the unique team of The Best Friends and The Hardys!

One thing all eight of these men have in common is a desire to find their path forward in All Elite Wrestling, and this is the kind of fight that can help them all towards that goal. Are there championship challenges in their futures? Is it a quest for something else? All we can say is that given the eight man involved in this bout, and the presence of Anna Jay with her quartet, this is going to be one unpredictable situation! How will The Best Friends and Hardys function as a unit in their first time out? Will the former J.A.S members prove as cohesive now as they once were when that “J” was still a party of their careers? Tune in Friday night to find out!

TAG TEAM TUSSLE…

TBS Champion Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida vs. Marina Shafir & Nyla Rose

https://www.youtube.com/embed/yjYuNNtIkDU?si=fn770QVqavwniPJe

Hikaru Shida is set to challenge Saraya for the AEW Women’s World Championship next week during DYNAMITE: TITLE TUESDAY, her shot at regaining the title she lost at ALL IN: LONDON, lost without being pinned or submitted by Saraya. But before she gets there, Shida will unite with TBS Champion Kris Statlander for the first time since 2020 to take on two of women who long to get a championship back in their camp.

Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir, the former having once held the AEW Women’s World Championship herself, would both love nothing more than to be challengers for either the TBS or AEW Women’s World Championship, and taking home a victory on Friday night would help them both get towards that goal. Pinning Statlander could set one of them up for a shot at her TBS Championship, pinning Shida would put them in a prime position should she defeat Saraya on Tuesday, and Nyla Rose would love nothing more than to get one over on the woman who ended her title reign back in 2020.

ROH WORLD TITLE SHOT ON THE LINE…

Johnny TV vs. Komander vs. Lince Dorado vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

Coming off his hard-hitting ROH World Championship defense against Katsuyori Shibata at WRESTLEDREAM, Eddie Kingston is ready to face his next challenger, and this Friday night on RAMPAGE, we will all find out just who that man will be! Four men will clash in a single fall contest, commonly referred to in ROH Land as a Four Corner Survival, and to the victor goes a bout with Eddie Kingston and a shot at his ROH World Championship.

To Eddie, both Johnny TV and Komander are unknown entities having never clashed with either in a head-to-head situation, in fact between the two he’s only set foot in the ring with Komander as part of the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match earlier this year. As for the AEW newcomer, Eddie and Lince Dorado have a great deal of history, dating back to 2007 with their shared days in CHIKARA, and Dorado actually being connected to some of the issues between Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli. Then, of course, there is all the shared history between Kingston and his best friend Penta El Zero Miedo. They’ve been allies, they’ve fought, they even challenged The Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Titles several years ago, so it’s reasonable to say they know one another better than any other men involved in this fight.

Which man would Kingston rather face? Well the ROH World Champion will be joining the team on commentary for this fight so perhaps we will all hear it directly from the mouth of the man himself!

RAMPAGE gets started at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences, so drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel prior to the show for highlights from Wednesday’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE and COLLISION, plus THE CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/-QItKifKIo4?si=uZNYuIQggOwmmxVg

Castlevania: Nocturne review by Big Gold Belt Media-Synopsis:France, 1792 – the height of the French Revolution. In a remote part of western France, the counter-revolutionary aristocracy has forged an alliance with a terrifying Vampire Messiah, who…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dM7cb4L6CCs?si=6LkKFF2RVB5Cx7Jh

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

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

AEW International Championship Match…

Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Jon Moxley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TNT Championship Match…

Luchasaurus(c) vs. Darby Allin

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

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

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

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

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

Singles Match…

“The Redeemer” Miro vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

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

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

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

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

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

TBS Championship Match…

Kris Statlander(c) vs. Ruby Soho

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

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

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

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

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

Grudge Match…

“The Cleaner” Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ROH World Tag Team Championship Match…

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

Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver)

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

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

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

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

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

ROH World Television Championship Match…

Samoa Joe(c) vs. Shane Taylor

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

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

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

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

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

NO DISQUALIFICATION STRAP MATCH…

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

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Battle…

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

vs.

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

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

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

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

Eight-Man Fight…

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

vs.

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

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

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

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

ALL OUT 2023: ZERO HOUR…

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

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

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

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

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

The biggest event in All Elite Wrestling history, ALL IN: LONDON, is so close and it is already quite the stacked event, but there’s still more road to travel before we get there, and the next stop on that road is a return to Nashville for AEW’s debut at the Bridgestone Arena!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gst_1Nsth70

The biggest event in All Elite Wrestling history, ALL IN: LONDON, is so close and it is already quite the stacked event, but there’s still more road to travel before we get there, and the next stop on that road is a return to Nashville for AEW’s debut at the Bridgestone Arena! This Wednesday night Chris Jericho will give his answer to Don Callis, the AEW World Champion and his ALL IN: LONDON challenger will discuss their bout, and The Young Bucks will battle The Gunns in the perpetual debate of who is the best brother tag team! Plus, Dr. Britt Baker and the returning Bunny will fight it out for the fourth spot in the AEW Women’s World Championship match going down at Wembley, Darby Allin and Nick Wayne will be in tag team action against The Gates of Agony, and Orange Cassidy will defend his AEW International Championship against Wheeler Yuta!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0q6ycYzycVM?start=283

DYNAMITE: FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN 2023 begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so drop by the official AEW YouTube channel to get caught up on highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the newest edition of THE CONTROL CENTER, and more! This year we are supporting those affected by the devastating fires in Hawaii, and encourage everyone to support the Maui Food Bank.

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Wheeler Yuta

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FNxAK1ocd0s

Six months ago Wheeler Yuta stepped into the ring with his former trainer, his former friend, Orange Cassidy and attempted to wrest the then-AEW All-Atlantic Championship from Cassidy’s grasp. It was a bout months in the making, the result of Wheeler turning his back on The Best Friends unit and aligning with The Blackpool Combat Club, and it would end in Cassidy’s favor. To this day, with 28 championship defenses to his reign, there are many who still consider this the best bout of Cassidy’s title run.

But being the opponent who took the champion to their limit doesn’t actually mean anything if you don’t win said championship, and that is where Yuta was at following their title fight. Each moved on with their life, at least for a short period of time, The BCC went to war with The Elite at Anarchy in The Arena and inside Blood & Guts, but along the way Yuta and company tangled with Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta in Trios matches. Orange continued to build his legacy, making history as the most prolific champion AEW has seen to date, defeating every single challenger that stepped up, no matter the cost to his body along the way.

But inevitably the paths intertwined once again as, in the aftermath of Claudio Castagnoli’s ROH World Championship match against PAC at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023, The Best Friends’ issues with Death Triangle would bring Orange Cassidy into the fray, and lead to issues between The BCC, Death Triangle, and The Best Friends. Escalation, there is always escalation, and it came with The Luchas winning a three way tag bout over their foes, then Trent pinning Penta in a Three way with Moxley, and then the epic Parking Lot Fight between Best Friends and BCC in Jacksonville. In that last one, Cassidy and Yuta would have that moment where a showdown felt inevitable, but instead it was a group assault by The BCC on Cassidy that left the International Champion, as well as Trent and Chuck Taylor, battered on the concrete at Daily’s Place.

It’s also why Orange was all alone when Wheeler, Moxley, and Claudio surrounded the ring following Cassidy’s championship victory over Johnny TV last Friday on RAMPAGE, but instead of assaulting the man 3-on-1, the former 2-Time ROH Pure Champion issued a challenge to Cassidy to face him this Wednesday night in Nashville, and put the International Championship on the line!

Through his reign as International Champion, Orange Cassidy has found a way to beat opponents of all shapes, styles, and sizes, but few of his foes have come with such a personal edge as Wheeler Yuta. Cassidy may have beaten Yuta six months ago in Phoenix, but OC has had 16 defenses since then, not to mention numerous other fights, that have taken their toll on his body. Yuta has been through Anarchy, he’s been through Blood & Guts, he’s been to battle with Kenny Omega, and he’s been banged up himself. But one thing these two men have in common, maybe something born out of how their careers began, is that they seem to grow stronger through this adversity. It doesn’t matter the pain they’ve experienced, or how they are hurting, both Yuta and Orange persevere.

Who will be the one to persevere through this championship fight on Wednesday night?

TAG TEAM BOUT…

Darby Allin & Nick Wayne vs. Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/4mvHb_ZYWMQ

This dynamic between Darby Allin and Swerve Strickland has become brutally personal, something beyond the wins and loses, something now soaked in blood and betrayal. AR Fox stabbed Darby in the back, apparently because of how he viewed Darby’s support of Nick Wayne, and throwing his lot in with Swerve and the Mogul Embassy was the best way to make Darby feel the pain.

Apparently the best way to share that pain with Nick Wayne was to visit his training facility and leave him a bloodied, battered mess, but what The Mogul Embassy didn’t count on was the return of “The Icon” Sting to the AEW landscape, nor the Casket Match that would be set-up for ALL IN: LONDON. So now Prince Nana’s men are on the offensive ahead of that Wembley date and trying to hurt Darby, and his allies, in any way they can. Brian Cage stepped up last Friday night in a losing effort against the 2-Time TNT Champion, and now his ROH World Six-Man Championship partners will take their stab at Darby and the returning Nick Wayne, the latter certainly with revenge on his mind after the assault at his school.

Can Darby and Nick Wayne keep the momentum building as AEW approaches ALL IN: LONDON? Or will The Mogul Embassy throw a speed bump on the path and get an upper hand before the Casket lids are opened?

ALL IN: LONDON WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER…

Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D vs. The Bunny

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The Bunny has been out of action since February when she faced then-AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter in an Eliminator Bout, but this Wednesday night she returns to the AEW stage with one of the biggest opportunities of her career! There is one spot left in the AEW Women’s World Championship Four Way at ALL IN: LONDON, and The Bunny has an opportunity to fight in her first AEW championship bout in front of the largest crowd in All Elite Wrestling history!

All she has to do is defeat a former Women’s World Champion, another individual whose been a part of the fold since the very beginning, Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D! Now these two women have only faced off one time in singles competition, a match that took place on the 2020 Jericho Cruise, and was won by The Good Doctor.

Aside from bragging rights, that was a fight with very little stakes, but this one has some of the highest stakes possible save the title actually being on the line. Can The Bunny make her return to competition a triumphant one, or will it be spoiled by Dr. Britt Baker’s mission to become a 2-Time champion like Shida and Toni Storm?

THE BEST BROTHERS…

The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. The Gunns (Austin & Colten)

Aside from the 2022 Battle Royales that shaped the REVOLUTION 2022 AEW World Tag Team Championship bout, The Young Bucks and The Gunns have had little interaction, but Austin and Colten’s insistence that they’re the best brother tag team is about to put them on a collision course. It won’t be the first time those claims have gotten The Gunn boys into a fight, they beat Top Flight and The Hardys to bolster their bragging, and now they’ve got the Brothers Jackson to tussle with on DYNAMITE.

The Young Bucks have a huge date with destiny on their plate at ALL IN: LONDON with the FTR rubber match, and their return to tag team competition last week, after months embroiled in Trios bouts and wars with The Blackpool Combat Club, proved quite successful when the bested The Hardys.

So for Matt and Nick it’s now about keeping the momentum going as they head to Wembley for one of AEW’s most historic events, and possibly the most important match of their careers. There’s a bit of irony here that The Young Bucks attempt to build momentum could be cut short by a team with BULLET CLUB affiliation, or that, should Juice Robinson and Jay White be on hand, the Jacksons could be cut off at the knees by the same actions they themselves once employed as part of that unit.

It could be a huge night for Colten and Austin Gunn, an opportunity to actually bolster their claims to be the best brother tag team in AEW, but it’s hugely important to The Young Bucks morale that they don’t acquire an “L” in tag team action before making the trip to Wembley Stadium.

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE DEATHMATCH…

Jeff Jarrett vs. Jeff Hardy

In conjunction with the release of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre game, dropping August 18th on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox, AEW presents the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch this Wednesday night in Nashville! Pitting Jeff Jarrett against Jeff Hardy, it has been twelve years since the last time these two clashed in a singles match, and their only AEW interaction took place when Jeff and his brother lent an assist to The Elite following their Trios Bout with Jeff, Jay Lethal, and Satnam Singh.

Now Jeff and Jay will rekindle their rivalry in this special bout, a match where anything goes, and who knows what kind of chaos will result from that! Only 20 miles from Double J’s hometown of Hendersonville, will he put that guitar to use across Jeff’s head, or will Hardy put away Double J like he has so many times before?

CHAMPION AND CHALLENGER…

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After last week, AEW World Champion MJF and Adam Cole are now set to pull double duty at ALL IN: LONDON, first taking on Aussie Open in a ROH World Tag Team Championship bout during the ZERO HOUR, and then colliding with each other during the pay-per-view proper with Max’s title on the line.

It was an idea laid out by Cole, an opportunity to claim a championship he never held during his seven year Ring of Honor tenure as well as add his name to the ROH Triple Crown list, and for MJF to get his first ever bout under the auspices of ROH. Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis were more than happy to accept the challenge last Friday on RAMPAGE, and that makes the situation for Wembley’s AEW World Championship match even more intriguing.

But that’s not all that’s complicating the situation, there is the entire matter of Roderick Strong and whatever is going on with The Kingdom of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. Clearly the former multi-time ROH World Tag Champs are in the ear of Roddy, offering Strong a shoulder to lean on as he watches his best friend repeatedly make terrible choices in this dynamic with MJF. Cole may be insistent that Roderick trust him, but it’s hard to do that when the man asking for trust keeps making questionable choices.

Well this Wednesday night, the AEW World Champion and his challenger will be on hands to discuss ALL IN: LONDON and the situations they are facing. Can these two new-found “brochachos” continue to bond with so much at stake in less than two weeks?

KENNY OMEGA AND JIM ROSS…

Kenny Omega has been through a lot in the last few months; he and The Young Bucks lost the World Trios Championship at REVOLUTION 2023, he was betrayed by Don Callis and quite literally stabbed by a man he considered family, betrayed by Konosuke Takeshita, and went through hell with Anarchy In The Arena and Blood & Guts. In the midst of all that, Kenny also lost the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship to Will Ospreay at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023; The Elite may have come out of Blood & Guts the victors, but Omega lost more personally than anyone else involved in the BCC war.

With all that in his heart and mind, Kenny Omega will sit-down with Jim Ross this Wednesday to discuss what the future may hold for the former AEW World Champion. Will he be in London? Will he look for vengeance against Don Callis? Where is Omega’s head at and what will it mean for All Elite Wrestling?

CHRIS JERICHO & DON CALLIS…

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And speaking of Don Callis, another of his pet projects watched as his unit disintegrated before his very eyes this past Wednesday night. Chris Jericho, after being propositioned by Callis to join his family, never gave a definitive answer one way or the other, and that was something that sat ill with the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society. Then when Jericho teamed up with Takeshita, another of Callis’ projects, to actually fight Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia, it infuriated The J.A.S, and to make matter worse, the way Jericho conducted himself in that fight, it essentially drove the final nail in the coffin of The Jericho Appreciation Society, leading to the mandatory meeting called to order by “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard rather than Jericho himself. So when every member of The J.A.S walked away from “The Ocho”, it left him, for the first time since the premier episode of DYNAMITE birthed The Inner Circle, utterly alone…except for Callis’ offer.

So what will it be? Will Jericho actually traverse the AEW landscape by himself, or will he surround himself with Callis, Takeshita, and whoever else may comprise this family Don is trying to surround himself with? Can Chris do it by himself, or is he afraid of standing among a locker room full of men he’s spent four years infuriating without a multitude of people insulating him?

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All Elite Wrestling returns to Nashville for a debut at the Bridgestone Arena and with it comes loaded up edition of DYNAMITE: FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN 2023, with donations being made to support the Maui Food Bank and those affected by the fires. On tap, The Young Bucks and The Gunns will meet in tag team action, as will The Gates of Agony battle Darby Allin and Nick Wayne. Plus, The Bunny returns to action to face Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D for the final spot in the AEW Women’s World Championship bout at ALL IN: LONDON, Wheeler Yuta challenges former friend Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship, and we will find out Chris Jericho’s decision regarding Don Callis’ offer!

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

Last week’s edition of COLLISION saw CM Punk and Darby Allin fall to Ricky Starks and faux-TNT Champion Christian Cage in tag team…

Coming off a tremendous night of action on Wednesday’s DYNAMITE in which burgeoning issues between The Blackpool Combat Club and The Best…

Tune-In today, Wednesday, July 5th to “AEW: Dynamite” Streaming Exclusively on ViX at 6 p.m. CDMX. July 5, 2023 – ViX, the world’s…

This week Collision features three Quarter-Final matches in the Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and plenty more!

When the FORBIDDEN DOOR is ripped wide open, there’s no telling what will unfold and who will walk through!

**CONTAINS SPOILERS** Tonight’s episode of AEW COLLISION was broadcast live from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON! Nigel McGuinness…

This week Dynamite features a Concession Stand brawl, a TBS Championship bout, Minoru Suzuki, Shibata & Orange Cassidy teaming up, and more!

This Wednesday night, DYNAMITE comes to you from the Viejas Arena in San Diego where the fallout from DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023 begins!

All Elite Wrestling returns to pay-per-view this Sunday night, live from Las Vegas and the T-Mobile Arena, with DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023!

All Elite Wrestling debuts in Austin, TX at the Moody Center this Wednesday night for a loaded DYNAMITE!

This week DYNAMITE features Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley locked inside a Steel Cage, 2 championship matches, and more!

It goes down this Wednesday night when DYNAMITE kicks off at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS!