TNA X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali Graces the Cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated News / March 28, 2024 / by TNA Wrestling Staff X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali is the cover star on the latest edition of…
CONTAINS SPOILERS
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live ,from the Budweiser Gardens in London, ON!
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
Nigel McGuinness, Ian Riccaboni, and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
TNT Champion “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland kicked off Collision!
Copeland: “About a week and a half ago, I finally closed the book on Christian Cage. Now it’s time to start a new chapter and I decided to go back to the Cope Open, only this time the stakes are higher. Because this time I am putting the TNT Championship on the line. I’m not going to run like the Patriarch, I am here to fight!”
The Cope Open Returns! TNT Championship Match!
“The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland (c.) vs. “The Deathmatch King” Matt Cardona!
The match opened with a series of hip tosses.
“You can tell they know each other, using the same moves against each other. Cardona is facing his mentor and getting a chance to become TNT Champion,” said Schiavone.
Cardona charged at Copeland outside the ring, and Copeland caught him with a clothesline. Cardona gouged Copeland in the eyes and then shoved him off the apron and into the steel ring steps.
Cardona climbed the turnbuckles but Copeland yanked Cardona’s legs out from under him. Cardona fired back with a chop. Cardona was searching for a superplex, but Copeland countered with a bulldog off the top for a near fall!
Matt Cardona spiked Copeland with the Impaler for a two-count, hitting the champ with his own move!
Cardona slapped Copeland and said, “I’m the self-made superstar!”
Cardona went for the Radio Silence, but Copeland countered with a powerbomb for a near fall! Copeland tried for a spear, but Cardona stunned Copeland with the Radio Silence for a two-count! Cardona ran in for the spear but Copeland lured Cardona in and speared Cardona, scoring the pin and retaining the championship!
“What an absolutely incredible win on many fronts! Adam Copeland is still the TNT Champ,” said Schiavone.
As Copeland was celebrating his victory, the arena went dark! The lights came back on, and Malakai Black appeared in the center of the ring! Black smirked at Copeland and then Buddy Matthews blindsided Copeland. Mark Briscoe sprinted down to the ring to even up the odds, but Black kicked Briscoe and Matthews nailed Briscoe with a knee! Eddie Kingston ran to the ring and stood side by side with Copeland and Briscoe. The lights turned off again and this time Black and Matthews vanished from the ring.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview AEW World Trios Champs The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass!
Daddy Ass: “I’m a little pissed off. I’m pissed off at Jay White. I can get past you hitting me in the head with a chair, but I can’t get past you coming into my house, where me and my wife live. He also keeps talking about selling out Madison Square Garden. Hell, I’ve done that more times than I can remember. But if I recall, Jay lost that match. And he’s also going to lose next week. Because next week on Dynamite, it’s Jay White against Daddy Ass, and then we’ll see how good you really are.”
Max Caster: “Yo! Listen! This message goes out to Austin and Colten, those ass boys! Wednesday night, while Billy Gunn is beating down Jay White, if you guys believe in your boy Jay White and stay in the back, we’ll stay in the back too. So, if you have faith in Jay White, you’ll have no problem with that.”
Anthony Bowens: “And now a word from the Scissor King. I feel a lot better this week even though I shouldn’t. Billy’s home got invaded and I was proven right. Those three bullet bitches walked into his home and upon seeing Billy Gun, they ran like cowards. Next week the demise of Bullet Club Gold begins. Because they are looking at three different individuals! By the end of this, you are going to be looking at ‘Still the AEW World Trios Champions’ because everyone loves the Acclaimed!”
East Bracket: AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match!
FTR—Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler
vs.
The Infantry—Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo!
The winning team faces the winner of Top Flight vs. Starks & Big Bill.
Carlie, clearly having done his homework, took Dax off his feet with a couple of dropkicks. Dean came in and the Infantry hit FTR with stereo dropkicks.
Cash rocked Shawn Dean with European uppercuts. Dean body slammed Cash and then dropped an elbow on him. Cash caught Dean in midair and planted him hard on the mat. Dax tagged in and superplexed Carlie Bravo!
The Infantry hit beautiful tandem offense on Dax Wheeler, almost scoring an upset. Dean DDT’ed Cash. Dax inadvertently collided into Cash and Carlie rolled up a dazed Dax for a near fall. FTR recovered with the Shatter Machine on Carlie and scored the pin, advancing to the next round!
TNT Champion Adam Copeland, Mark Briscoe, and Eddie Kingston were backstage!
Copeland: “House of Black, I know my championship makes me a marked man! You want to get in my business? I’ve got some backup. Why don’t you face us April 21st at AEW Dynasty!”
Briscoe: “At Dynasty, House of Black, you guys picked the wrong three!”
Kingston: “House of Black, after Dynasty, you’re going to be spitting blood and teeth!”
Kyle O’Reilly vs. The Workhorsemen’s JD Drake!
“This is Kyle’s second match back after neck surgery,” said Schiavone.
Drake drilled Kyle with a dropkick. Kyle dodged a Vader Bomb from Drake. Kyle pummeled Drake with violent round kicks and then swept out Drake’s leg. Kyle smashed Drake with an ax kick. Kyle applied an arm bar and Drake tapped out!
“Now 2-0 on his comeback trail,” said Schiavone.
The Undisputed Kingdom got in the ring, hoisted Kyle on their shoulders, and helped him celebrate his victory.
East Bracket: AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match!
Top Flight—Dante & Darius Martin
vs.
“Absolute” Ricky Starks & Big Bill!
The winning team faces the winner of FTR vs. The Infantry.
“Boys, Starks and Big Bill are back to reclaim their tag team titles,” said Nigel.
Starks took down Darius with an arm drag. Dante tagged in and crashed into Starks with a clothesline. Big Bill grabbed a tag, but Dante used his quickness and chopped Bill. This only angered the monster, as Big Bill served up a chest chop of his own. Top Flight hit a double dropkick on Big Bill! They followed up with a double dropkick to Starks!
Starks grabbed Darius’ leg from outside the ring, tripping up Darius. Big Bill blasted Darius with a pump kick. Big Bill splashed Dante in the corner. Big Bill tried a second time, but this time Dante dodged it. Dante jumped off the top turnbuckle and wiped out Big Bill!
Darius tagged in and used the turnbuckles for a wallwalk moonsault on Starks. Dante almost scored with a headstand pin on Starks. Darius blocked a spear from Starks. Darius used Dante as a launching pad, spiked Starks with a DDT, and scored the pin!
Top Flight are advancing to the next round!
“What a win! What an incredible win! What a major upset this is!” said Schiavone.
“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels was backstage!
Daniels: “Now I’ve been AEW since day one but in this company, it’s not how long you’ve been here, it’s about who you’ve beat. Malakai Black, are you man enough for a face to face challenge? How about this Friday on Rampage, Christopher Daniels against Malakai Black?”
Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Frost!
Thunder Rosa chopped Lady Frost in the corner. Lady Frost fired back with a quick right hand. Lady Frost stomped Rosa in the corner. Thunder Rosa retaliated with a running lariat. Thunder Rosa used a drop toe hold on Lady Frost. Thunder Rosa blasted Frost with a running dropkick!
The fans chanted “Thunder Rosa! Thunder Rosa! Thunder Rosa!”
Lady Frost rallied back with a Chiller Driller for a near fall, almost scoring a major upset. Thunder Rosa retaliated with a backstabber and a Tijuana Bomb, pinning Lady Frost!
“Thunder Rosa with another win! And she earned that win, as Lady Frost came to fight,” said Tony Schiavone.
Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm, Mariah May, and Luther!
Renee: “Some breaking news, next week number one and number two in our rankings will be facing off against one another for a future shot at your AEW Women’s World Championship.”
Toni: “And?!”
Renee: “It’s Thunder Rosa and Mariah May.”
Toni: “Was this the plan all along Mariah? Is this what you’ve been plotting for months?”
Toni kissed Mariah on the lips.
Toni: “You magnificent bastard! Genius! I see myself in you and I love me! Thunder Rosa, you should have retired as champion. You will never get to sniff this leather again!”
Main Event Time! Trios Match!
“The MurderHawk Monster” Lance Archer & The Righteous—Dutch & Vincent
vs.
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Katsuyori Shibata!
Shibata jumped on Archer’s back with a sleeper. Archer chucked Shibata to the mat. Shibata ducked a big boot from Archer. Dutch tagged in, and Claudio entered the ring. Claudio powered Dutch into the corner. Dutch kicked Claudio and body slammed Claudio.
Claudio picked up Dutch, slammed him, and then stomped on Dutch. Bryan tagged in and slugged it out with Vincent. Danielson flew to the outside with a tope on Dutch! Danielson jumped off the apron with a diving knee to Archer!
Dutch body slammed Archer on Danielson. Archer body slammed Dutch on Danielson. Dutch planted Danielson with the Bossman slam for a near fall! Danielson tried to fight back with a shotgun dropkick off the top to Dutch. Danielson made the tag to Claudio!
Claudio and Archer traded lariats. Claudio took down Archer with a hurracanrana. Claudio was looking for the Giant Swing on Archer but the Righteous ran in to break it up. Shibata ran in and charged at both members of the Righteous with dropkicks in the corner. Shibata and Claudio hit tandem offense on Archer. Claudio captured Archer in the Giant Swing! Claudio locked Archer in the Sharp Shooter! Dutch jumped in and broke it up.
Shibata dumped the Righteous out of the ring. When Shibata turned around, Archer booted Shibata. Archer planted Claudio with a chokeslam. Vincent smashed Claudio with the Death From Above for a near fall!
Shibata lit up Vincent with forearms. Shibata suplexed Vincent and then applied a cross arm breaker. Dutch broke up the submission. Shibata applied a sleeper on Vincent in the center of the ring. Shibata clocked Vincent with the PK and pinned Vincent!
“Shibata, Claudio, and Danielson win the trios match! This is AEW! Where the best wrestle!” said Schiavone.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from DCU Center in Worcester, MA featuring:
-Thunder Rosa vs. Mariah May!
-A Battle of Wills: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Will Ospreay!
-Chris Jericho calls out HOOK!
-AEW World Trios Champ Daddy Ass vs. ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champ Jay White!
-AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinals: Young Bucks vs. Best Friends!
-AEW Dynasty Contract Signing: AEW World Champ Samoa Joe & Swerve Strickland sign on the dotted line for their AEW World Championship Match taking place at Dynasty!
Tickets On Sale Now! – www.AEWTix.com
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/W8bxCukt88k?si=6xxBDXP-MNch9BQ1
This Saturday COLLISION is back to its regular schedule, and with it comes a loaded night of action from the greatest professional wrestlers on the planet! It’s going down in London, ON, Canada at the Budweiser Gardens, and features two East Bracket bouts in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament, each involving a former AEW World Tag Championship duo! Plus Adam Copeland reignites the Cope Open, only now it will be with his newly-won TNT Championship on the line, and fresh off their excursion to CMLL on Friday night, The Blackpool Combat Club will be in Trios action against The Righteous and “The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer! All that, and plenty more, is coming your way this Saturday night as All Elite Wrestling heads down the road to DYNASTY 2024 in St. Louis!
The night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and fans around the world can get prepared by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to watch highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then come join us next Wednesday in Worcester, MA at the DCU Center stacked DYNAMITE featuring The Young Bucks versus Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta in the Semi-Finals of the World Tag Title Tournament!
EAST BRACKET: WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL…
FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. The Infantry (Capt. Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo)
***FACES WINNER OF TOP FLIGHT VS. STARKS/BIG BILL***
Though they owe a debt of gratitude to Mark Briscoe for helping to facilitate their victory over The House of Black in the Wild Card Round, The Infantry of Carlie Bravo and Capt. Shawn Dean find themselves in the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Team Championship tournament, and faced with one of the greatest teams in professional wrestling history. It’s the biggest moment in their entire tag team career, and it plays out before the entire world this Saturday on COLLISION.
FTR, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, had a Hall of Fame resume before they debuted for All Elite Wrestling, and since coming into AEW in the fall of 2020, have only bolstered that resume with two AEW World Tag Team Championship reigns, a ROH World Tag Team Championship reign, a AAA World Tag Title reign, and an IWGP World Tag Title reign. They are perpetually in the conversation of which team in AEW is the best, and have been on the hunt for a third AEW World Tag reign since Big Bill and Ricky Starks defeated them last October.
For both FTR and The Infantry, this Saturday night is a pivotal moment in their careers, and though it’s obvious why that is the case for Carlie Bravo and Capt. Shawn Dean, perhaps it’s less so for the case of FTR. The fact that they’ve already won so many championships in their tag team career doesn’t mean Dax and Cash aren’t always gunning for another run atop the division, it doesn’t make any victory mean less because they’ve been there before, in fact it’s quite the opposite. FTR know how much it means to be hold the AEW World Tag Titles, they know what that experience is like, and they crave having it once again by coming out on the top of this tournament.
So will we see FTR add more accolades to their championship resume, or will The Infantry find another way to upset the apple cart and move on to the Semi-Final round of the East Bracket? The winner of this contest will meet either Top Flight or Big Bill and Ricky Starks in that round, and it’s a safe bet who FTR would want to fight should they advance to the Semi’s!
EAST BRACKET: WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL…
Big Bill & Ricky Starks vs. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
***FACES WINNER OF FTR/INFANTRY***
Big Bill and Ricky Starks have not been seen inside an AEW ring since the February 7th edition of DYNAMITE when Darby Allin and Sting defeated them for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Starks, generally a prolific poster on his social media, hasn’t shared anything since February 25th, while Big Bill has only shared posts about upcoming AEW events. Overall they’ve been quite quiet, leading to a whole lot of speculation about their status in All Elite Wrestling, and their status as a team. They were never a duo made up of best friends, they aren’t brothers or related in any fashion, they were simply allies of convenience who ended up making a tremendous team, and tasted rapid success by claiming the AEW World Tag Titles from FTR in their second fight as a tag team.
Overall Bill and Ricky went 6-0 as a team prior to losing the titles to Darby and Sting, defeating two different BCC teams, The Dark Order of Reynolds and Silver, Jericho and Guevera, FTR of course, and won the FULL GEAR 2023 Ladder Match over three other tag teams, but one team they never faced during that time was Top Flight.
So given the silence from Big Bill and Ricky Starks, it came as a bit of a surprise when they were announced as participants in this tournament to crown new champions after Darby vacated the titles in the aftermath of Sting’s REVOLUTION 2024 retirement. But here the former champions are, ready to get back into the hunt this Saturday night on COLLISION, and they kick off this campaign to regain the titles with a first-time bout against Top Flight.
It’s been over a year since the lone AEW World Tag Title opportunity that Dante and Darius ever had, a loss to The Gunns on the 3/22/23 edition of DYNAMITE, and they would love to run the table on this tournament and finally rise to the top of AEW’s stacked tag team division! Will it be the former champions who advance on Saturday, or the two young men who’ve never held a championship in AEW or ROH? The winner of this one faces the winner of the aforementioned FTR/Infantry battle also taking place on COLLISION…
COPE OPEN TNT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Adam Copeland(c) vs. ????
He was battered and bruised, broken and bloody, but it certainly felt like Adam Copeland had rarely been happier than he was in the aftermath of his TNT Championship victory over Christian Cage. Making his former best friend, a man his children called Uncle, say the words “I Quit” brought a sense of relief and satisfaction to Cope, but also the realization that the work had only just begun. Everything it took to get the TNT Championship, the wear and tear it put on his body, the heartbreak it put on his family, it was all just part one of the journey.
Part two begins this Saturday night on COLLISION when Adam begins The Cope Open anew only now with the TNT Championship at stake! It’s a return to how the TNT Championship was first introduced, and how it was carried by nearly every champion not named Christian Cage. Men like Cody Rhodes, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara carried on an Open Challenge tradition for that belt, and that is reborn now that the title is around the waist of a stand-up competitor like Adam Copeland!
That question is who will step up to the challenge and try to wrestle the TNT Championship away from Adam in his first defense? Previous Cope Open competitors included Dante Martin and Minoru Suzuki, each pushing Adam in different fashions, so who will it be this time? Will it be another young talent trying to break through to the next level? Will it be a well-established warrior looking for a title they’ve never held? Or maybe someone from outside the auspices of All Elite Wrestling hoping to earn their way in as Ricky Starks and Eddie Kingston did in the early days of the TNT Championship?
It’s an exciting thing to speculate on just who may step up to the plate and take a swing at Adam Copeland’s TNT Championship, but will it be a gamble that blows up in the defending champion’s face?
TROIS BOUT…
“The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer & The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) vs.
Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli) and Katsuyori Shibata
https://www.youtube.com/embed/1G7tE_vacoo?si=MTb3dUN6VOtumN2Y
Two weeks ago on COLLISION, Claudio Castagnoli and Lance Archer met in a battle of AEW behemoths, but unfortunately the bout came to an unsatisfying conclusion for all as The Righteous assaulted Castagnoli just as he began to Giant Swing “The Murderhawk Monster”! Bryan Danielson tried to stem the assault, but he got dropped by The Righteous as well. It was only the arrival of Katsuyori Shibata, and the chair he had in hand, that sent Dutch, Vincent, and Archer heading for the hills.
That assist was a tremendous show of respect from “The Wrestler”, stemming from the fight he and Bryan had earlier in the night, and now that sign of respect has blossomed into a full-blown alliance, at least for one night, as he teams with Bryan and Claudio to take on Archer and The Righteous in Trios competition!
The two BCC members are fresh off a fight at Arena Mexico for CMLL’s HOMENAJE A DOS LEYENDAS event, having hopped on a flight to Canada early Saturday morning to get to London for this fight, but there are no excuses when it comes to The Blackpool Combat Club, and they will be ready to throw down on COLLISION! Archer and The Righteous have a slight experience advantage as a Trio, but is it enough to overcome the onslaught that Shibata and The BCC will bring to bear?
FIGHTING LIKE A CHAMPION…
Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Frost
Last time she set foot in the ring, Thunder Rosa accomplished something no one else had done since GRAND SLAM 2023 when she pinned Toni Storm’s shoulders to the mat for a tag team victory. It may not have sat well with Deonna Purrazzo, that forced tag that got Thunder into the match in the first place, but it was a win for their team nonetheless, though Rosa’s “when I win you can have the first shot” comment could be taken as rather condescending.
That’s an issue for another time though, right now is time for Thunder Rosa to prepare for another fight on her road back to the top of AEW’s Women’s Division, not to celebrate her seventh consecutive victory since returning from a near career ending injury. This Saturday she steps into the ring with Lady Frost, a woman she’s never faced in AEW and only encountered once in their careers back in May 2021, and someone who has been on the cusp of breaking out with her incredible combination of heart, skill, and athleticism. She’s gave Kris Statlander two tremendous fights in TBS Championship bouts, and one to Julia Hart as well, not to mention the battles with Mariah May and Serena Deeb this year, but Frost hasn’t quite been able to put it together for a victory quite yet.
Will Saturday night be the night Lady Frost finds the key to her first AEW win, or will she be another brick in Thunder Rosa’s road a championship fight with “Timeless” Toni Storm?
https://www.youtube.com/embed/eRQKx_wWgsE?si=809bOPDqLYhK4Aay
With two AEW World Tag Title Tournament Quarter-Final bouts, a TNT Championship contest, and The BCC in Trios action against The Righteous and Lance Archer, COLLISION is bringing a wild one to London, ON, Canada and the Budweiser Gardens! The night gets underway 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and fans everywhere can get ready for it all by swinging by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media outlets, to catch highlights from Wednesday’s DYNAMITE and Friday’s RAMPAGE, as well as the CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone! Then meet All Elite Wrestling next Wednesday at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA for a loaded episode of DYNAMITE featuring another Don Callis Family clash, this time between Will Ospreay and Powerhouse Hobbs!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/RGrTWzsUELE?si=1TTktPGv-ZapW9VH
CONTAINS SPOILERS
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC!
Your broadcast team was Excalibur and Tony Schiavone.
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
This…is…Rampage!
Grudge Match!
“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes vs. The Butcher!
Butcher escaped a back slide from Dustin. Butcher charged at Dustin, but Dustin used a low bridge to send Butcher out of the ring. Dustin followed up with a running lariat on the arena floor. Dustin wiped out Butcher with a dragon screw leg whip.
Butcher lured in Dustin and yanked Dustin’s arm over the top rope. Butcher kicked Dustin in the midsection. Butcher rammed Dustin shoulder-first into the turnbuckles. Butcher blasted Dustin with a shoulder tackle. Butcher smashed Dustin’s hand on the steel ring steps. Butcher whipped Dustin into the steel ring post.
Butcher planted Dustin with a back breaker. Dustin rallied back with a Code Red for a near fall! Butcher rammed Dustin with headbutts to the shoulder. Dustin retaliated with a running lariat. Dustin dropped to his knees and connected with an uppercut.
Dustin stunned Butcher with a powerslam! Butcher came back with a cross face submission, but Dustin used his long legs to get his foot on the bottom rope to force the break. Butcher booted Dustin in the left shoulder. Dustin drilled Butcher with the Cross Rhodes! Dustin smashed Butcher with the Final Reckoning and scored the pin!
“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rose!
Deonna backed Rose into the corner. Deonna took Rose to the mat with a side headlock takeover. Deonna wrenched on Rose’s leg and faceplanted Rose into the mat. Deonna picked apart Rose, working on Rose’s arm.
Rose had Deonna reeling with some strikes, but Deonna rallied back with a Russian leg sweep. Deonna punished Rose with chops. Rose tried for a roundhouse kick, but Deonna ducked it and clobbered Rose with a pump kick! Deonna wrenched back on Rose’s arm and forced Rose to tap out!
“Deonna did not even have to grab the other arm,” said Tony Schiavone.
“Rose had no choice but to tap out,” replied Excalibur.
Mariah May vs. Nikita!
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm walked out with Mariah, along with Luther.
Toni Storm: “Good evening. My name is ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm and I am your AEW Women’s World Champion. But unfortunately, I have some devastating news. I am not able to compete tonight. I have injured my hamstring, and I won’t dare tell you how. Nevertheless, my place is my protégé, Mariah May. On with the show!”
Mariah May hit a shoulder tackle on Nikita. Mariah yanked Nikita to the mat with a handful of hair. Mariah blasted Nikita with a shotgun dropkick.
Mariah May punished Nikita with another dropkick to the back. Nikita swung at Mariah with elbow strikes. Nikita chopped Mariah in the corner and followed up with a running bulldog. Mariah May headbutted Nikita for a near fall.
Mariah May squashed Nikita with a running hip attack in the corner! Mariah planted Nikita with May Day and pinned Nikita!
“Toni Storm is very appreciative of the efforts of her understudy Mariah May,” said Excalibur.
“She should be because at 6-0 Mariah May is a juggernaut in the women’s division,” replied Tony Schiavone.
Main Event Time!
AEW International Championship Eliminator Match!
The Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong (c.) (with ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)
vs.
“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard!
Strong took down Menard with an arm drag. Menard shoved Roddy and then rocked Roddy with an elbow strike. Menard followed Roderick outside the ring and swarmed Roderick with strikes. Taven and Bennett tried to distract Menard and as he was fending them off, Roderick snuck in a cheap shot.
Roderick smashed Menard with a back breaker right on the edge of the ring! Roddy whipped Menard into the barricade. Back in the ring, Roddy stomped on Menard. Roderick continued to target the taped ribs of Matt Menard.
Daddy Magic rallied back with multiple lariats to Strong, bouncing the champ around the ring! Roddy countered a piledriver with a back drop. Menard slipped behind Strong and cradled him for a near fall. Roderick Strong fired back with a rib breaker on Menard, but Menard kicked out at the two-count!
Menard put Strong in a Boston Crab, taking a page out of Rick Martel’s playbook! Taven jumped on the ring apron to try to distract Menard. Roderick charged at Menard, Menard moved, and Roddy stopped just in time, narrowly avoiding Taven. Menard rocked Roddy with a cutter and covered him, but Roddy got his boot on the bottom rope!
Taven and Bennett jumped on the apron again, and Menard wiped them out! When Menard turned around, Strong was there to take advantage of the distraction and caught Menard on the chin with a jumping knee strike! Roddy covered Menard and pinned him!
“The numbers were too great for Menard,” said Excalibur.
Taven and Bennett continued to assault Menard after the bell! Roderick brought in a steel chair. The Undisputed Kingdom were about to use the chair on Menard when Orange Cassidy and Trent ran down to even up the odds! Trent speared Bennett! Cassidy nailed Taven with the Orange Punch!
Trent and Orange hugged, giving the people what they wanted! And then EVPs Nicholas and Matthew Jackson—the Young Bucks, ambushed Trent and Orange with low blows! The Bucks bashed Trent and Orange with a double EVP Trigger, sandwiching the Best Friends with brutality!
“Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have gone absolutely made with power,” said Excalibur.
Don’t miss AEW Collision live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Budweiser Gardens in London, ON featuring:
–AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Big Bill & “Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. Top Flight!
-Kyle O’Reilly in action!
-AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: FTR vs. The Infantry!
-Trios Match: The Righteous & Lance Archer vs. Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Katsuyori Shibata!
-The return of the “Cope Open!” TNT Champion “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland will put his championship on the line!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from DCU Center in Worcester, MA!
Tickets On Sale Now! – www.AEWTix.com
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
This past Wednesday night AEW came to Quebec City for the first time, and what a tremendous night of action came with that debut! Katsuyori Shibata and Will Ospreay kicked off the night with a tremendous fight that truly tested the mettle of “The Aerial Assassin” en route to his victory, and the evening closed with another top shelf contest between Konosuke Takeshita and Swerve Strickland that earned Swerve the #1 Contender position to Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship!
In addition, fans watched both The Young Bucks and the Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta tandem advance in the West Bracket of the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament, and Willow Nightingale earn a TBS Championship fight at DYNASTY 2024 on April 21st!
Back on TNT at 10pm ET/9pm CT, RAMPAGE goes down this Friday night in Quebec City, and features the Undisputed Kingdom in action as AEW International Champion Roderick Strong takes on Quebec’s own “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard in an Eliminator bout, and Dustin Rhodes battles The Butcher, while both Mariah May and “The Virtuosa” will be in singles action! Before the fights begin, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media sites, to catch highlights from Wednesday night’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then be sure to join AEW this Saturday night in London, ON for COLLISION’s return featuring the The BCC & Shibata versus Lance Archer & The Righteous!
ELIMINATOR MATCH…
AEW International Champion Roderick Strong vs. “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard
At REVOLUTION 2024 Roderick Strong ended the second AEW International Championship reign of Orange Cassidy, but in the weeks since has not been in a championship situation. He, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett took down Action Andretti and Top Flight a few weeks ago, but Roddy has not been a situation where his title has been in the balance. That changes this Friday night on RAMPAGE when, in an Eliminator bout, Roderick Strong takes on Quebec’s own “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard!
An Eliminator bout means that if Menard can defeat Strong he will earn a future International Championship match, a first for his AEW career as Menard has never challenged for an AEW singles championship. That’s not to say he hasn’t been in this position before, he last fought in an Eliminator Match against Jon Moxley on the 10/28/22 edition of RAMPAGE, but he’s never managed to secure a title match in the singles field.
But with a strong home field advantage over Roderick, with Quebec City rallying behind him, this Friday night could be the night that “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard gets closer to achieving his own championship dreams!
ONE-ON-ONE…
“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes vs. The Butcher
Dating back to the earliest days of All Elite Wrestling, there have been issues aplenty between The Butcher and “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes. They first stepped into the ring opposite one another 1/15/20 edition of DYNAMITE, a Trios match uniting Butcher and Blade with MJF as they defeated Dustin, QT Marshal, and Diamond Dallas Page, but that wasn’t their last encounter. Butcher and Blade would fall to The Natural Nightmares in a Bunkhouse Match on the 11/11/20 DYNAMITE, and they would cross paths many times over the next three-plus years in Battle Royals, and even a wild eight-man tag from the 12/16/22 edition of RAMPAGE.
Yet in all that the two men never met in singles competition, but that changes this Friday night on RAMPAGE when the challenge made on DYNAMITE culminates in a head-to-head clash between “The Natural” and Butch! Rhodes, in many ways, is as good as he’s ever been, the vast experience and knowledge he’s gained over thirty-five years balancing out the things that age inevitably takes away, making Dustin just as dangerous a foe as he was twenty-five years ago!
As for Butcher, his experience level pales in comparison to “The Natural”, but he’s spent his entire tenure in AEW learning, growing, and honing his body into a crumb-crippling machine. Whether it’s in tag team competition with The Blade, or in his occasional singles bouts, The Butcher continues to grow by leaps-and-bounds with every fight, and his power may just be the key ingredient to pulling out a victory over “The Natural” in RAMPAGE’s opening contest!
ALSO FEATURING:
This Friday night RAMPAGE is back at its regularly scheduled time and network, 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, and what an hour of action AEW has in store for its faithful fans. AEW International Champion Roderick Strong steps into the ring to face “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard in an Eliminator Match, meaning if Menard wins than he will get a future title match with Roddy! Plus, as we saw in their confrontation on Wednesday night, Dustin Rhodes and The Butcher renew their old rivalry in a one-on-one fight, and both Mariah May and Deonna Purrazzo will be in singles competition!
Before the bell rings, drop on by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, to catch highlights from DYNAMITE, plus previous episodes of RAMPAGE and COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then join All Elite Wrestling this Saturday night in London, ON for an all-new COLLISION featuring the East Bracket Quarter-Finals in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament!
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CONTAINS SPOILERS
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC!
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!
“The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata!
Will shot in for a single leg but Shibata defended and mounted Will. Shibata grounded Will on the mat and went for a cross arm breaker, but Will got to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Ospreay and Shibata chain wrestled, British style. Shibata went for the PK, but Will dodged it!
Shibata cracked Will with forearms, but Will charged at Shibata with a dropkick, taking Shibata off his feet. Will battered Shibata with forearms and then dropkicked Shibata in the corner, taking pages out of Shibata’s playbook. Ospreay jumped over the top rope and connected with a crossbody press to Shibata on the floor.
As Ospreay was getting back into the ring, Shibata caught Ospreay flush in the face with a running front kick! Shibata suplexed Will on the arena floor and then blasted Will with a brutal round kick to Will’s back!
Shibata applied a figure four leg lock on Ospreay, but Ospreay was able to counter it and escaped. They got to their feet and Will chopped Shibata. Shibata answered with a suplex.
“This is a rematch seven years in the making,” said Excalibur.
Shibata whipped Will into the barricade. Will springboarded off the barricade and connected with a forearm shot to Shibata. Will followed up with another springboard forearm into the ring. Shibata nailed Will with a forearm and Will crumbled into a heap on the mat. Shibata jabbed and chopped Will, breaking him down in the corner. Shibata rocked Will with his trademark running dropkick in the corner.
Ospreay connected with a thrust kick. Shibata anticipated Will’s next move and countered with an STF. Will reached to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the submission. Ospreay intercepted Shibata’s PK. They traded forearm strikes in the center of the ring. Ospreay had a surge of adrenaline and smashed Shibata in the back of the head with a jumping high round kick!
Shibata locked Will in a sleeper and then suplexed Will. Shibata put the sleeper back on, but Ospreay fought out of it and stomped Shibata on the back of the head! Will smashed Shibata with the Os-Cutter but Shibata kicked out at the one-count!
Will hit a back drop suplex and then wiped out Shibata with a back elbow uppercut. Will walloped Shibata with a Tiger Driver and then finished Shibata off with the Hidden Blade, pinning Shibata!
“What a war we witnessed here tonight,” said Excalibur.
Renee Paquette was backstage with The Young Bucks—Matthew and Nicholas Jackson!
Matthew said they had some goals when they returned to AEW. The first was to retire Sting, and the second was to restructure the Elite, and they did that by bringing in Okada. Matthew said his biggest goal is to get their AEW World Tag Team Championships back. And they’re going to beat Private Party tonight to get one step closer to getting their titles back.
The Continental Champion “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada pulled up in an exotic sports car for the next match!
AEW World Tag Title Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
The Young Bucks—Matthew & Nicholas Jackson
vs.
Private Party—Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen!
Private Party wiped out the Bucks with stereo tope suicidas. Matthew whipped Zay over the barricade. Private Party fired back with the Silly String off the barricade onto Matthew. Nicholas planted Quen with a Falcon Arrow off the barricade! The Bucks were trying to win by count out.
Zay helped Mark Quen back into the ring, breaking the ref’s count. Nicholas suplexed Quen onto Matthew’s knees. Brother Zay got the hot tag, scored with a thrust kick to Matthew and then did a moonsault onto Nicholas who was on the arena floor!
Nicholas nailed Quen with a German Suplex. Nicholas planted Quen with a suplex on the edge of the ring. Private Party rallied back with the Gin & Juice on Nicholas!
“Perfection by Private Party,” said Taz.
Private Party hit the More Bang for Your Buck on Matthew, but Nicholas jumped in to break up the pin attempt! Nicholas grabbed the ring bell and brought it into the ring, but the ref pulled it out of Nicholas’ hands. As the ref was distracted, Nicholas kicked Zay with a low blow! Quen took one of the title belts off the podium and cracked Matthew in the head with it. Zay went to pin Matthew, but Nicholas grabbed Matthew’s leg and put Matthew’s foot on the rope to break the pin.
Quen attempted a 630 splash on Matthew, but Matthew dodged it. Nicholas tagged in and they blasted Quen with the EVP Trigger and pinned him!
“The Bucks move on, boys,” said Taz.
A video aired of Darby Allin with Tony Hawk, talking about how much skateboarding meant to them growing up, and the impact it had on their lives. Visit skatepark.org for more information on how you can help out.
Renee Paquette was backstage with FTW Champion HOOK and Chris Jericho!
Jericho said he’s never been in the ring with anyone quite like Hook. Jericho, with 33 years of experience in the ring, said he’d be happy to help Hook sharpen his skills and become the World Champion that he knows Hook can be.
“If you want my advice, I’m here for you,” said Jericho.
Hook: “I appreciate your praise, Chris. And of course I’ll take advice from you, you’re Chris Jericho. But you are Chris Jericho. I know who you are.”
Jericho: “Okay, and I know who you are. But more importantly, I know who you can be.”
Hook: “Let’s get it.”
Jericho: “Let’s get it.”
TBS Championship #1 Contender Match!
Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Skye Blue vs. Anna Jay
“The CEO” Mercedes Moné was on commentary for this match.
Skye Blue caught Kris out of the gate with a thrust kick. Anna caught Willow with a kick to the chin. Willow splashed Anna in the corner and followed up with a lariat. Skye Blue planted Willow with a DDT.
Statlander body slammed Blue and rocked her with a sliding lariat. Statlander went for a body slam on Anna, but Anna escaped. Statlander knocked Anna down with a shoulder tackle. Skye Blue tripped up Kris from outside the ring, but Willow was there to pounce Skye!
“A blindside pounce!” said Excalibur.
Willow was right in front of Mercedes when she pounced Skye. Mercedes and Willow locked eyes. Mercedes smirked at Willow, neither backing down.
Back in the ring, Kris fought off Skye Blue and Anna Jay. Anna Jay superplexed Kris and covered her but Willow hit Anna with a senton to break up the pin. Skye blasted Willow with the Code Blue, but Statlander broke it up. Kris cracked Blue with a back breaker. Willow walloped Anna Jay with a shotgun dropkick.
Skye shoved Kris into Willow. Willow countered a dragon suplex attempt by Skye on the apron by drilling Skye with a Death Valley Driver on the apron! Willow power bombed Anna Jay and pinned Anna Jay!
TBS Champion Julia Hart jumped into the ring, blindsiding Willow by smacking Willow with Julia’s championship belt! Julia held her belt high, and she and Mercedes had a stare down!
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview the legendary Dustin Rhodes!
Dustin said he’s started 2024 off with a bang. Dustin said at 55 years old, he’s just as passionate about wrestling as he’s ever been.
The Butcher interrupted Dustin! Butcher challenged Dustin to a match for Friday’s Rampage! Dustin accepted, saying Butcher will find out why Dustin is a “Natural born legend!”
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm paid a visit to the studios of Turner Classic Movies and Ben Mankiewicz, the host of Turner Classic Movies!
Toni told Mankiewicz to watch out for the shoe and then tossed it over her head as she walked off the set.
AEW World Tag Title Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
The Undisputed Kingdom—ROH World Tag Team Champs Matt Taven & Mike Bennett (with International Champion Roderick Strong)
vs.
“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta (with Chuck Taylor)!
Orange decked Taven! Bennett took Trent off his feet with a lariat. Trent flew out of the ring with a tope and took out Taven. Bennet jumped out of the ring and wiped out Trent. Orange took to the skies and jumped off the top turnbuckle, his hands in his pockets, and crashed onto Taven and Bennett!
Trent drove Bennett down with a double knee strike. Taven rocked Trent with a thrust kick. Bennett spiked Trent with a piledriver on the apron!
Orange Cassidy grabbed a tag and hit Bennett with a cross body press. Orange served one up for Taven! Orange blasted Bennett with the Stun Dog Millionaire! Taven came in and pulped Orange with a running knee strike! Taven and Bennett hit the Proton Pack, with Bennett covering Orange for a near fall!
Trent spiked Taven with a DDT! And Orange followed up with a DDT on Taven! Trent nailed Taven with a running knee strike! Strong jumped on the ring apron but Chuck Taylor pulled him back down! Roddy wiped out Taylor with his right hand! Roddy jumped into the ring to get away from Orange, dropped his title in the process, and jumped out. Orange chased after Roddy and connected with an elbow suicida!
The ref was removing the International Title from the ring when Taven and Bennett had Trent set up for their finisher. As the ref was distracted, Chuck knocked Taven off the turnbuckles. Trent rolled up Bennett with a jackknife pin and scored the victory!
“What a win!” said Schiavone.
“Interesting turn of events but congrats to Cassidy and Trent,” said Taz.
Orange, Trent, and Chuck were about to give the people what they want—the big hug, when The Bucks’ music hit! Nicholas and Matthew Jackson walked onto the ramp and stared at Orange and Trent!
Next week on Dynamite it’ll be the Young Bucks against the Best Friends in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinals!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Kyle O’Reilly!
Kyle said it felt good to rip the band-aid off with his return match and victory against “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith. Kyle said AEW has a deep roster and there’s no such thing as an easy match. He said he loves the Undisputed Kingdom but he’s going to prove he can do it without them again this week on Collision.
Main Event Time!
“The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita (with Don Callis) vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana)!
Swerve rolled up Takeshita for a near fall. Swerve was looking for the short arm scissors, but Takeshita got to the ropes. Takeshita connected with the Takeshita-line!
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe was watching the match on a monitor backstage, obviously having a keen interesting in this number one contender’s match.
Swerve blasted Takeshita with a diving European uppercut to the back of Takeshita’s neck. Swerve rocked Takeshita with a neck breaker over the middle rope. Swerve followed up with a backbreaker, but Takeshita fired back with a brain buster on Swerve!
Swerve nailed Takeshita with a German Suplex, but Takeshita got right to his feet and knocked Swerve’s block off with a devastating forearm! Swerve launched into a hurracanrana over the top rope and onto Takeshita on the floor!
Swerve followed up with a big diving cross body, but Takeshita kicked out at the one-count. Takeshita smoked Swerve with a knockout shot! Takeshita nailed Swerve with a running knee strike. Takeshita flipped over the top rope and landed hard on Swerve!
Takeshita hoisted up Swerve for a brain buster on the top turnbuckle, but Swerve fought out of it. Takeshita headbutted Swerve in the ribs. Swerve chopped out the legs out Takeshita with swift kicks. Swerve drilled Takeshita with a DDT off the turnbuckles! Swerve splashed Takeshita with a sky twister for a near fall!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Takeshita fired back with a reverse hurracanrana and followed up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall on Swerve!
“Takeshita can’t believe Swerve kicked out of that,” said Taz.
Swerve clobbered Takeshita with a straight right hand! Takeshita stunned Swerve with a jumping knee strike! Swerve planted Takeshita on the crown of his head! Swerve squashed Takeshita with the Swerve Stomp on the apron! Swerve returned to the top, jumped at Takeshita, but Takeshita countered with a powerbomb! Swerve escaped a brain buster attempt, but Takeshita was prepared with a wheelbarrow suplex to Swerve. Takeshita flattened Swerve with a Power Drive Knee, but Swerve kicked out at the two-count!
Takeshita was looking for an avalanche blue thunder, but Swerve knocked Takeshita down to the mat. Takeshita avoided the Swerve Stomp. Swerve countered a blue thunder bomb attempt, sending Takeshita into the corner turnbuckles. Swerve rocked Takeshita with the House Call kick! Swerve hit the Swerve Stomp, but Takeshita kicked out! Takeshita blasted Swerve with a jumping knee strike. Swerve countered a pop-up power bomb attempt with the Swerve Stomp! Swerve planted Takeshita with the Big Pressure and pinned Takeshita!
“Well, if that isn’t a 5-star match, I don’t know what is,” said Tony Schiavone.
Renee Paquette interviewed AEW World Champion Samoa Joe after the match, asking for his thoughts about facing Swerve Strickland.
Samoa Joe: “You should ask him how he’s feeling right now. Next week, Swerve, when you walk down to that ring and sign onto that dotted line, I am going to make sure that you understand what you are asking for. You think you’re ready. No, no, you’re not that man.”
“Swerve Strickland will face Samoa Joe at Dynasty for the AEW World Championship on Sunday, April 21st, live on pay-per-view!” said Excalibur.
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET!
Don’t miss AEW Collision live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Budweiser Gardens in London, ON featuring:
–AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Big Bill & “Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. Top Flight!
-Kyle O’Reilly in action!
-AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: FTR vs. The Infantry!
-Trios Match: The Righteous & Lance Archer vs. Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Katsuyori Shibata!
-The return of the “Cope Open!” TNT Champion “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland will put his championship on the line!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from DCU Center in Worcester, MA!
Tickets On Sale Now! – www.AEWTix.com
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/8ZcTzn-Y46s?si=UVZGy95wdSvAtFQy
Last Wednesday night was jam-packed with three hours of AEW programming, starting with our traditional two hours of DYNAMITE, then immediately followed by RAMPAGE as it aired on a special night! During those three hours, the AEW faithful witnessed Adam Copeland earn back the TNT Championship by going through a hellacious “I Quit” match with Christian Cage, and saw Kazuchika Okada defeat Eddie Kingston to claim the AEW Continental Championship! In addition, Skye Blue and TBS Champion Julia Hart beat Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale in a Street Fight, Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta won their Wild Card bout in the Tag Title Tournament, and FTW Champion HOOK defeated Chris Jericho!
This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, live from Quebec City, QC and the Centre Videotron, we will witness a rematch seven years in the making, one that many thought would never come to pass, when Katsuyori Shibata takes on Will Ospreay! Plus, Konosuke Takeshita will go head-to-head with Swerve Strickland, and the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Title Tournament begin when The Young Bucks meet Private Party!
Then join All Elite Wrestling in London, ON for Saturday’s COLLISION, live from the Budweiser Gardens, for The Infantry versus FTR in the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament, and so much more!
SEVEN YEARS IN THE WAITING…
“The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata
https://www.youtube.com/embed/3dQBznYxdtE?si=rrep4c1E74Wt3uSb&start=91
Eleven matches; that is how many times Katsuyori Shibata and Will Ospreay stepped into the ring between January 5th and February 11th of 2017. Seven of those times it was Shibata who came out on top, but only one of those victories came in the form of a singles match, the very last one at NJPW’s THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA 2017 event. The other ten matches were all fought in trios and multi-man bouts, all save that RevPro British Heavyweight Championship fight on February 11th won by Shibata, but unfortunately a rematch never came to pass as Shibata’s career came to an end just two months later after an IWGP Heavyweight Title fight with Kazuchika Okada at SAKURA GENESIS 2017.
Then the unimaginable happened; four years and six months later, during the G1 CLIMAX 2021 tour, Shibata shocked the world when he stepped into the ring with Zack Sabre Jr. for a five minute Grappling Rules contest! Two and a half months later, at WRESTLE KINGDOM 16, Shibata would get back into the ring with Ren Narita for a full-blow professional wrestling match, then ten months later, on the 11/4/22 edition of RAMPAGE, Shibata would make his in-ring debut for AEW in an International Championship loss to Orange Cassidy. Given the time between those two matches, it was reasonable to question whether or not Shibata was returning to full-time competition or if those were just a couple matches to test his own limits. The answer came on March 31, 2023 when, at ROH’s SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 event, Shibata won the ROH Pure Championship from Wheeler Yuta, and spent the next eight months tearing it up on both AEW and ROH events, as well as traveling to RevPro for their 11TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/yw0msvngt1U?si=cIJ-TtOxcPT0q3Aa&start=91
After losing the Pure Championship back to Yuta last November, Shibata returned to Japan, but made a monumental return to AEW action on the March 16th COLLISION when he battled Bryan Danielson in a certified Dream Match. Here were two men that both thought their in-ring careers finished at some point in the years prior, two men who defied the odds and the expectations of medical professionals, two men who were now fighting better than they had at any previous point in their careers, and they were going to war for the AEW faithful. Danielson ultimately won the fight, and there was another man watching on who took what happened as a test he needed to take upon himself.
That man was Will Ospreay, and with his own bout against Bryan Danielson set for AEW DYNASTY on April 21st, he felt the need to test himself against Katsuyori Shibata, to see if he could succeed in 2024 where he did not in 2017, and thus made a challenge to “The Wrestler” for the fight going down this Wednesday night! Can Ospreay follow in Danielson’s footsteps and score a victory over Katsuyori Shibata in Quebec City? Or will Shibata repeat history in this monumental rematch seven years in the making?
ONE-ON-ONE…
“The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita vs. Swerve Strickland
https://www.youtube.com/embed/qR0t_UoUs-U?si=hRYjIUi8py8SqwpY&start=281
Thus far in 2024, Konosuke Takeshita holds a record of 5-1 in singles matches, and 10-2 over the last twelve months in that field. That’s a run that includes victories over Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, Kenny Omega, Kyle Fletcher, as well as Rocky Romero this past Wednesday night, and has shown the world that “The Alpha” is one of the most fearsome competitors in All Elite Wrestling today.
Over the course of his last eleven one-on-one match-ups Swerve Strickland lost exactly one time, his Continental Classic Gold League fight with Jon Moxley on 12/13/23, and was taken to a 30-Minute time limit draw by Hangman Page on 2/7/24. It’s been an incredible run for Strickland as well, and even if you factor in his two Three Way losses in the Gold League Finals and at REVOLUTION 2024, it doesn’t change that run because wasn’t the man who took the fall in either of those matches. There are few men who’ve been on a hotter streak that Swerve Strickland, and that run has put Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship in Swerve’s crosshairs.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GtANpzbdjU4?si=TtA3PYbwiij2rnUr
For the very first time these two men, each at the top of their game, will lock horns this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, and there is certainly the possibility that the future of the AEW World Championship hinges on the result of this match! Both Takeshita and Swerve have reasonable claims to being the next challenger for Samoa Joe, based on their respective records and, in the case of Swerve, the fact he wasn’t defeated in the Three Way at REVOLUTION ’24.
As announced Tuesday night by AEW GM Tony Khan, this match will determine the next challenger for Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship! With that added factor, there is no doubt Samoa Joe will have his eyes on this contest as his next contender is determined!
AEW WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL MATCH…
The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen
On October 9, 2019, in the very first match of the original AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament, Private Party shocked the world when they defeated The Young Bucks to advance out of the Quarter-Finals. Though Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen would fall to The Lucha Brothers in the Semi-Finals, the impact was made, and the world had been forced to stand up and recognize Private Party.
A year later The Young Bucks would even up the score, pinning Isiah Kassidy to win a Four Way #1 Contenders match on 10/21/20, and would follow that up with a traditional tag team victory over Private Party on November 4th a few weeks later. Since that bout over three years ago, the two teams only met in one Trios match, though Isiah has a little more experience fighting the brothers Jackson with other partners during Marq Quen’s injury recovery, but not one other tag team match between Private Party and The Young Bucks since 2020.
That all changes this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when, in the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Title Tournament, The Young Bucks and Private Party meet again! Since Marq Quen’s return to action in 2024, Private Party is 2-2 in tag team action, though one of those losses came in a Three Way tag with Top Flight and Bryan Keith/Komander where neither Quen nor Kassidy were the ones pinned to lose the match. As for The EVPs, in 2024 they are 3-1 in tag team action, but to be honest about their record, two of those victories came over local competitors who frankly had no chance at actually beating the former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champions.
The Young Bucks have a mission of becoming the first 3-Time AEW Tag Champions while Private Party have one to capture those belts for the very first time, and only one team can get closer to their objective. Will it be The Young Bucks or Private Party who advances to the Semi-Finals? And will it be The Undisputed Kingdom or the Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta tandem who meets them there?
AEW WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL MATCH…
The Undisputed Kingdom (ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs.
Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta
https://www.youtube.com/embed/bsFXxqC8zjA?si=4pUUfuAsKg3si0vS
The AEW World Tag Title Tournament kicks off in full-force this Wednesday night with the aforementioned Young Bucks/Private Party match, and this Quarter-Final match pitting ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven and Mike Bennett against Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta!
Though OC and Trent have never faced this Undisputed Kingdom tandem in a tag match, Cassidy’s fight with Roderick Strong have made them all quite familiar with one another, in fact the former 2-Time International Champion beat both Taven and Bennett in singles matches on the road to REVOLUTION 2024. But on that same road, as part of their mission to remove Cassidy’s support system, The Undisputed Kingdom put a hurting on Trent Beretta, so that makes this tag team encounter as much a method of revenge as it is an opportunity to move forward in the tournament to face the winner of the Private Party/Young Bucks bout!
TBS CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDER MATCH…
Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Skye Blue vs. Anna Jay
***Mercedes Moné on commentary***
https://www.youtube.com/embed/4G3EGtMKy5I?si=-JS3-Wqqpa1E5_3d
The TBS Championship is a prize greatly coveted by the women of All Elite Wrestling, and this Wednesday night four competitors will clash to see who moves on to DYNASTY 2024 to face Julia Hart! All four of these women have plenty of story with Julia Hart, especially Statlander, Nightingale, and Skye Blue given their months of battle since FULL GEAR 2023, but Anna Jay has her own reasons for wanting another fight with Julia Hart.
Hart has been the bane of Anna Jay’s AEW existence, in three bouts it has been Julia who’s won each one, including a TBS Championship fight at BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX back in January. Statlander is the woman that Julia Hart took the TBS Championship from, though technically she did not defeat Kris to win in, but Statlander has yet to be granted a rematch. Coincidentally, Julia earned that title fight at FULL GEAR 2023 by defeating Willow Nightingale in an Eliminator Bout, and of course there’s the relationship between Hart and Skye Blue that’s blossomed since Hart misted Skye many months ago. At first they were at odds, but over time the two women became thick as thieves, and have come to operate as quite the fearsome tag team, actually beating Stat and Willow in a Street Fight last Wednesday night on RAMPAGE!
This is quite the intriguing Four Way, and it will be interesting to see how TBS Champion Julia Hart responds to the outcome of the fight, especially if it is Skye Blue who earns herself the DYNASTY 2024 title match!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/vSwqmBLuKmE?si=-8z5sDOjZr-yw-n7
Join us Wednesday night for DYNAMITE, hailing from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC, and featuring the first Quarter-Final match in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament between The Young Bucks and Private Party, Takeshita versus Swerve, and a rematch years in the making between Katsuyori Shibata and Will Ospreay!!!
The meets us this Saturday in London, ON at the Budweiser Gardens for the return of COLLISION featuring former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champions FTR taking on The Infantry in a Quarter-Final match-up of the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament!
