Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music composers Giovoni Rios, Hendric Buenck, and Russell Emanuel Interview by Big Gold Belt MediaHans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music composers Giovoni Rios, Hendric Buenck, and Russell Emanuel all join together to discuss…

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

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

ONE-ON-ONE…

Chris Jericho vs. Matt Sydal

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

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

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

REMATCH!

Darby Allin vs. Jeff Hardy

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

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

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

SINGLES MATCH…

Kris Statlander vs. Queen Aminata

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

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

ONE-ON-ONE…

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

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

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

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

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

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After a loaded week of AEW action featuring FOUR massive events, the week begins anew with AEW’s flagship program returning to South Carolia! This Wednesday night DYNAMITE will emanate from North Charleston for the very first time, featuring three championship matches, including Samoa Joe’s first AEW World Title defense, Christian Cage’s first TNT Championship defense of his second reign, and a huge ROH World Six-Man Championship fight! Plus Deonna Purrazzo makes her return to DYNAMITE when she faces Anna Jay one-on-one, and so much more on tap!

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AEW DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, just make a point to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more!  Then we head to St. Louis and the Chaifetz Center for an all-new COLLISION on the road to REVOLUTION 2024!

AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Samoa Joe(c) vs. FTW Champion HOOK

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When Samoa Joe fought his first professional match, HOOK was less than one year old, and when the current AEW World Champion first began his historic 645-day reign as ROH World Championship on March 22, 2003, HOOK was almost four years old. When “The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil” had his first professional match, Joe had just began his twenty-second year in the sport, and yet despite those differences, in spite of his massive experience disadvantage, HOOK put himself out there as Samoa Joe’s first World Title challenger! 

HOOK may be a young man, just twenty-four years old, but he’s not a stupid one. He’s a man well aware of the advantages Joe has over him, very cognizant of the fact he’s coming into this bout as a massive underdog, but he’s also a man very confident in his own abilities. It isn’t luck that led HOOK to a twenty-five match singles win streak or his thirty-four consecutive wins overall, or brought him the FTW Championship two times over. It was hard work that brought him there, that put him behind only Orange Cassidy on that list of singles win streaks, and tied with Jon Moxley. It was that hard work that earned him the respect of the fans, and causes them to rise to their feet with the opening beats of “The Chairman’s Intent”. HOOK knows that he’s worked his tail off to get to this point, but it’s Samoa Joe he’s got standing across the ring from him on Wednesday night, and it’s going to take something extra to overcome that mountain. Perhaps that extra comes from the knowledge his father Taz holds from being rather close to Joe years earlier in their careers…

That knowledge isn’t experience though, that isn’t coming from someone who was in the ring with Samoa Joe and felt what it’s like to have him staring at you as you walk to the ring, or to have those roles reversed and be the one watching him heading your way. At no point was Taz an opponent of Joe’s, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t learn a few things about how the man ticks during his time with the AEW World Champion, knowledge he may have passed on to his son heading towards this showdown.

But once that bell rings, that knowledge has to be applied, application requires room to breathe, and Samoa Joe isn’t likely to let HOOK do that for very long. He will either look to end this quickly, or be the animal that plays with his food before devouring it, hoping men like Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page are watching to see the fate the AEW World Champion has in store for all who step to his title. Those are the moments HOOK needs to look for, the openings Joe might accidentally give, the spaces between that provide a moment to turn the tide; that is where HOOK will thrive, that is where he will find his successes. Create space, be relentless, and perhaps look for a roll-up victory given that Joe has proven susceptible to those throughout his career. HOOK may be an underdog, he may be the only one who believes he can pull this off, but self-belief goes a long way towards actualization, and given his track record of success in AEW to date, there is certainly a possibility we could be hearing the words “AND NEW AEW WORLD CHAMPION…” at the end of this contest!

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

“The Patriarch” Christian Cage(c) vs. “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes

TNT Champion Christian Cage sure knows how to make enemies, in fact all it takes to be labeled his enemy is to have any association with Adam Copeland, and “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes joined that field simply by teaming up with Copeland during DYNAMITE: HOMECOMING 2024. Now Rhodes wasn’t the only one at Adam’s side, Orange Cassidy and Preston Vance were there too, but Dustin is the only one singled out by Christian, and perhaps that’s because he’s the one without allies by his side. Dustin doesn’t have Best Friends, Danhausen, and HOOK like “Freshly Squeezed” nor La Faccion Ingobernable like “Perro Pelligroso”, he stands alone that majority of the time, and that can’t be a coincidence for why Christian Cage chose to single him out.

But this numbers game the TNT Champion plays, the intimidation factor of Killswitch at his side, it obviously doesn’t faze “The Natural”, after all with 35 years spent lacing up his boots, there’s very little Dustin hasn’t experienced. He’s been the victim of that numbers game countless times, he’s been up and he’s been down, experienced life as both champion and challenger, and still comes back to the fight every day. Still, there are some things he hasn’t accomplished during his illustrious career and one of those is the acquisition of the TNT Championship. Dustin was part of the inaugural tournament back in 2020, defeating Kip Sabian in the opening round before falling to Lance Archer in the next, and he unsuccessfully challenged Mr. Brodie Lee on the September 9, 2020 edition of DYNAMITE. Dustin also tried to fill the role of Interim TNT Champion when he fought Sammy Guevara on the very first BATTLE OF THE BELTS, but the title eluded him that evening as well. 

So now the possibility of finally acquiring AEW gold is upon Dustin once more as he faces Christian Cage this Wednesday night in South Carolina! One of the biggest wins in Rhodes’ career took place in this very venue twenty-seven years ago, can he add another one to his North Charleston record with this TNT Championship fight on DYNAMITE?

ROH WORLD SIX-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

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

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

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aeZcsA8nvdk?si=mbLvtDNOoyYaB0Hp&start=286

On the heels of defeating The Righteous and “The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer to retain the ROH World Six-Man Titles, Prince Nana actually stepped up to the plate and made the challenge himself for BULLET CLUB GOLD to fight The Mogul Embassy this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE! It wasn’t The Bang Bang Gang chasing after them, although they’ve definitely voiced those intentions, but the champions taking the first shot rather than potential challengers. 

“Switchblade” Jay White and The Gunns had no problem accepting the challenge, nor any qualms about mocking their opponents this week in South Carolina. While that may not be the smartest move, mockery is something in which The Bang Bang Gang is well versed, and frequently uses to play with their opponents before the big fight. These three members of BC GOLD have had a few weeks to rest up, something sorely needed by Jay White after his tour of duty in the Continental Classic, and are ready to bring some gold to their little clique, but to do that, they’ll have to survive three of the biggest, baddest monsters in All Elite Wrestling or Ring of Honor, as well as one of the craftiest managers pro wrestling has seen in the last twenty years!

THE BOYS ARE BACK HOME!

At the close of the night last Wednesday in Jacksonville, Tony Schiavone posited the question to Sting of just who he would face at REVOLUTION 2024 in his final professional wrestling match. Before “The Icon” could even take a breath, the all-too familiar music of The Young Bucks kicked in, and out walked the former 2-Time AEW World Tag Team Champions. Matt and Nick Jackson had been absent from AEW programming since losing their guaranteed World Tag Team Championship opportunity to Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho at FULL GEAR 2023. Brandon Cutler, often disparagingly referred to as their stooge, even tweeted to respect their privacy as they took time away. Then again, perhaps disparagingly isn’t appropriate because Cutler also tweeted that high-fives and hugs erupted upon their return to AEW last week…

Anyway, given the timing of their return, it is quite evident that The Young Bucks are propping themselves up as the REVOLUTION 2024 opponents for Sting and Darby Allin, aiming to be the ones who put “The Icon” out to pasture with a devastating loss rather than triumphant victory. Well this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE we will hear directly from the brothers Jackson about their intentions with that interruption. It’s the first time Matt and Nick have been on AEW programming in two months, so they’ve likely got plenty to say!

ONE-ON-ONE…

“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay

***AEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPION TONI STORM ON COMMENTARY***

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Last Saturday night two of AEW’s women had huge nights, but only one was successful! Deonna Purrazzo made her debut on COLLISION, defeating a very game Red Velvet, and sending a clear message to AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm about why “The Virtuosa” came to All Elite Wrestling; the title is what’s on her mind, and Purrazzo doesn’t intend to let anyone stop her from acquiring that championship!

Anna Jay, however, was less successful with her Saturday night fight as she came up short in a TBS Championship challenge opposite The House of Black’s Julia Hart. It was a very close call, alas not one that went Anna’s way, but that doesn’t mean she’s done striving for her first championship success! That’s why this Wednesday night, Anna Jay is getting right back into the fight and welcoming “The Virtuosa” back to DYNAMITE competition, her first since fighting Mercedes Martinez in May 2022, while the eyes of “Timeless” Toni Storm watch from commentary! 

As the AEW Women’s World Champion gives her unique perspective on this contest, will she also watch as her next challenger ascends to the top?

AEW World Champion Samoa Joe began his reign over AEW at WORLDS END, and will make his first defense of the title this Wednesday night when AEW debuts in North Charleston, South Carolina against FTW Champion HOOK! Plus, The Mogul Embassy will put their ROH World Six-Man Titles on the line against The Bang Bang Gang, Deonna Purrazzo and Anna Jay collide for the first time, and Christian Cage’s TNT Championship will be at stake when he faces Dustin Rhodes one-on-one for the first time since November 2009!It all begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s numerous social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more!

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

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

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

COLLISION

OPEN CHALLENGE…

Adam Copeland vs. ???

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

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

ROH WORLD SIX-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

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

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

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

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

THE VIRTUOSA COMES TO COLLISION…

“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo vs. Red Velvet

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

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

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

TRIOS GRUDGE MATCH…

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

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

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

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

BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX

AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP STREET FIGHT…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TBS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Julia Hart(c) vs. Anna Jay

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

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

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

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

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

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

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

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

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

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC!

It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!

Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair walked down the ramp at the start of the show, accompanying Sting and Darby Allin for the opening match!

Sting & Darby Allin vs. The Workhorsemen—JD Drake & Anthony Henry!

Anthony Henry blindsided Darby before the match began. Sting pursued Henry, but JD Drake tried to hit Sting in the back with a chair. Sting turned around and smacked the chair back into Drake’s face, only for Flair to chop Drake! Flair sent Drake ping ponging the other way into a lariat from Sting!

Anthony Henry swept out Darby’s legs on the apron. After wiping out Sting, Henry splashed Darby against the barricade. Henry powerslammed Darby and then Drake splashed Darby off the top turnbuckle for a near fall. 

Henry tagged in and nailed Darby with a backstabber. Drake grabbed a tag and chopped Darby. JD Drake cut off Darby from making a tag to Sting. Drake muscled over Darby with a belly to belly suplex. Darby dodged a moonsault and tagged Sting. Drake got splashed by the Stinger. Darby nailed Henry with a Coffin Drop from the top to the arena floor! Sting finished off Drake with a Scorpion Death Drop and pinned Drake!

Continental Crown Championship Match!

Eddie Kingston (c.) vs. Trent Beretta!

Kingston chopped at Trent and then battered him with kicks to the spine. Trent fired back with a tornado DDT. Trent snap suplexed Kingston. Eddie charged at Trent and blasted him with rapid fire chops. Eddie chopped Trent in the face and then got an earful from the ref. Trent may have suffered a broken nose as the blood began to pour. Kingston hit a suplex on Trent on the arena floor, not letting up at all. 

Trent’s mom, Sue, was sitting in the front row, concerned for her son. Trent stunned Kingston with a jumping knee strike. 

“Sometimes the taste of your own blood fires you up,” said Nigel.

Trent smashed Kingston with forearms. Kingston was on wobbly legs. Trent dropkicked Eddie, sending Eddie out of the ring. Trent flew out of the ring with a tope. Trent power bombed Kingston back in the ring for a near fall. Eddie came back with an Exploder and then a DDT for a two-count! The blood was flowing freely down Trent’s face.

Trent rocked Eddie with three consecutive German Suplexes! Trent crushed Eddie with a charging knee strike. Trent spike Kingston with a Gotch style piledriver for a near fall! Trent tossed Eddie with a half-and-half. Eddie retaliated with an exploder suplex. Kingston pinned Trent after a stalling Northern Lights Bomb!

Footage aired from an interview earlier in the day that Tony Schiavone conducted with Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander!

Tony Schiavone asked about the interest that Stokely Hathaway has been paying to them, especially to Statlander.

Willow: “You noticed that too, right, Tony? That was weird. Moving on, let’s focus on what we are excited about. In 2024 I’m only focusing on the hot start we’ve had. We had a victory last night. Let’s keep it rolling!”

Kris: “You’re right! Not only was 2023 huge for the both of us, you won the Owen Hart Cup Tournament, I won the TBS Title, and we’re just gonna keep that going. 2024 is going to be bigger and better than ever because we are two of the best wrestlers in AEW!”

Footage played of FTW Champion HOOK, who was issuing a challenge!

Hook: “My winning percentage in this company is second to none. I think it’s time to get after another championship. Samoa Joe, I’m coming for you and your World Title.”

ROH World Tag Team Championship Proving Ground Match!

Undisputed Kingdom (c.)—Mike Bennett & Matt Taven (with Roderick Strong)

vs.

Komander & “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith!

Bennett walloped Komander with chops and then rammed him into a turnbuckle. Taven tagged in and crushed Komander with a back breaker. Komander had his first flurry of offense with a hurracanrana to Taven. Bryan Keith tagged in and booted Taven in the face.

Bennett entered the fray and slugged the Bounty Hunter. Bennett and Taven used their tandem offense on Keith. Taven face planted Keith. Taven connected with a leg lariat. Bennett charged at Keith but Keith suplexed Bennett into the turnbuckles. Komander grabbed a tag and rocked Taven with a spinning DDT. Taven climbed to the top but Komander superplexed Taven from on top of Keith’s shoulders!

Keith flipped Komander overhead, with Komander flying over the ropes and landing on the Undisputed Kingdom on the floor! Keith grabbed underhooks on Taven, but Bennett ran and rocked Keith with a lariat. Bennett spiked Komander with a piledriver. Taven smacked Keith with the Just the Tip knee strike! After double teaming Keith, Taven pinned Keith!

Renee Paquette was backstage to interview Bullet Club Gold— “Switchblade” Jay White and Austin and Colten Gunn!

AEW Trios Champions The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass interrupted the interview!

Billy: “We were walking by, and I couldn’t help but overhear you saying how your dad had to save you again.”

Jay White: “Guys, this is none of your business. The whole thing started with Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom laying their hands on me. So, we’re going to be the ones who handle this and bang bang finish it.”

Caster: “We could put our hands on you right now if you want.”

The Gunns asked how well that worked out for them last time.

Bowens: “First off, don’t say it’s none of our business because they threw me through glass. But everyone calm down. It pains me to say this, and it may be a very crazy idea considering everything we’ve done to each other in the past, but I’ve been thinking about this the last two days. One thing I’ve learned since being in AEW is the only way to get to the top is through factions. I mean, Jay, look what you did with the Bullet Club in Japan. And look at a guy like Billy. Billy knows a thing or two about big factions. All I’m saying is I know it’s crazy. Think about it.”

They all went their separate ways, but not before Austin Gunn looked at Renee and said, “I mean, it made sense.”

“The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland came to the ring!

Adam Copeland: “So in case all of you missed Worlds End, Christian Cage and I beat the living hell out of each other. And I beat him for the TNT Championship. But this past Wednesday on Dynamite, I saw Christian Cage say that Adam Copeland goes to the back of the line.

“I think he’s forgetting that as former champion, I get an automatic rematch. But it’s okay. For our entire careers, he’s said that I’ve been handed all of my opportunities. I’ve had a rocket strapped to my back. Really what the issue is, I just work harder than him. You should be on your hands and knees kissing Killswitch’s ass. So, he wants me to earn my title shot, right? I am going to start doing that right here tonight. I’ll start from the very back. I don’t care. Because like I said, I work hard. I’m here in my gear. I’m ready for a fight. We’re gonna make this an open challenge. We can call it the Cope Open. I’m going to stand here in the middle of the ring and wait for someone to step up.”

Maria Kanellis walked onto the ramp with Cole Karter and Griff Garrison!

Griff Garrison: “I am Griff Garrison! And a lot of you may be asking who is Griff Garrison. Griff Garrison is a guy that steps up to the plate against a hall of famer! Hey bud, I’m over here. How about you look at me and show me some respect, since I’m the one who accepted your open challenge.”

Copeland: “Griff, you know I like you. You remind me a lot of me when I was your age. I appreciate you coming in here. But dude, you are stepping up below sea level to Mount Everest here.”

Garrison slapped Copeland in the face!

Copeland: “You know what, Griff? Strangely that makes me like you even more. But now I am going to have to beat your ass.”

Garrison was smiling but Copeland booted him right in the kisser! Copeland lit up Griff’s chest with stinging chops. Copeland backdropped Griff. Cope smacked Garrison with a running clothesline. Maria grabbed Copeland’s ankle, distracting him. Cole Karter tripped Copeland. Garrison took advantage of the distraction and cracked Copeland with a boot to his face.

Garrison used a hammer throw, sending Copeland hard into the corner. Garrison suplexed Copeland. Adam Copeland ducked a lariat attempt. Copeland climbed to the top turnbuckle and connected with a big cross body for a near fall. Copeland charged in, looking for the spear, but Garrison countered with a discus shot! Garrison climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Copeland hammered him. Copeland wore out Garrison with repeated head butts. Copeland superplexed Garrison! Copeland applied a submission and forced Garrison to tap out!

Cole Karter dropkicked Copeland from behind. Karter went for a 450 splash, but Copeland moved out of the way! Copeland speared Karter!

“Nature Boy” Ric Flair was backstage with Darby Allin and Sting!

Flair: “Next week, a really big week in Jacksonville! It’s where Sting returned to wrestling. AEW, his first match in six years. It’s where Sting and Darby united and became this entity that’s unbeatable.”

Darby: “26 and 0!”

Flair: “After next week, 27 and 0! Stinger, Darby, and the Nature Boy at Daily’s Place!”

Sting: “Yeah, I’m ready! I’m on my way to Jacksonville, Florida and Daily’s Place, and I’ve got a smack talking guy talking about how he’s gonna take us out! Don’t think, Don Callis and company, that the Stinger is just gonna coast his way through the last few weeks. No! That ain’t the case! I’m coming to Jacksonville and the only thing for sure about Sting is that at Daily’s Place, it’s gonna be showtime!”

Skye Blue vs. Kiera Hogan!

They locked up and Skye tripped Hogan. Skye applied a side headlock. Hogan pushed her off but Blue rammed Hogan’s head into the mat. Skye missed a slap, but Hogan connected with a slap of her own. Hogan hip attacked Skye.

Skye grabbed Hogan by the hair and then cracked her with an elbow shot to the back of the head. Skye stomped on Kiera Hogan, showing off more of her demonic side. Skye jumped off the turnbuckles with Kiera countered with a thrust kick, perfectly timed. Hogan dropkicked Skye. Hogan followed up with a neck breaker for a near fall.

Skye Blue trapped Hogan in the ropes and rocked her with a thrust kick. Blue used a fall away slam and then transitioned into a dragon sleeper, forcing Kiera Hogan to tap out!

A vignette aired showcasing the comeback of Serena Deeb, who is returning imminently!

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Andrew Everett!

Before the match, Claudio challenged “Hangman” Adam Page to a match this Wednesday on Dynamite!

Claudio hoisted up Everett and body slammed him. Claudio choke slammed Everett. Claudio put Andrew in the Giant Swing and hurled him halfway across the ring! Claudio whipped Everett into the turnbuckles. 

Andrew sent Claudio to his knees courtesy of a Pele kick. Andrew jumped off the ropes, but Claudio dodged him and spiked him with a piledriver. Claudio clobbered Andrew with a King Kong lariat and pinned Andrew Everett!

“See you on Wednesday Hangman Page!” said Claudio to the camera. 

Lexy Nair was backstage with the AEW World Tag Team Champions “Absolute” Ricky Starks and Big Bill!

Starks: “I know that everybody at Daily’s Place are waiting for the return of Ricky Starks. And how fitting that I made my debut there. And while I wasn’t successful, I return there as one half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions. And Sammy, all the history that we have, that goes out the window next week when I destroy you and cut the legs out from under you.”

Big Bill: “It’s Saturday night and neither of you are here. Next Saturday night, Norfolk, Virginia, for the AEW World Tag Team Titles, at Battle of the Belts, it’ll be ‘Absolute’ Ricky Starks and Big Bill defending against Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho in a street fight! That is, Sammy, if you make it past Wednesday.”

Main Event Time!

FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood 

vs. 

House of Black’s Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black!

Matthews pointed at Harwood’s daughter, who was sitting at ringside. Harwood didn’t take this lightly, to say the least! Harwood chopped at Matthews. Dax grabbed a tax and Buddy took him down with a wrist lock. 

Dax hit a drop toe hold and tagged in Cash Wheeler. Malakai Black entered the ring. Dax blocked a kick from Malakai. Dax flipped off Black. Malakai connected with a sliding dropkick. Cash came in and clubbed Black with a forearm, and then delivered a European Uppercut to Matthews. Malakai Black moonsaulted off the second turnbuckle and landed on Cash, who was on the arena floor!

Matthews and Black doubled teamed Cash Wheeler in the corner. Cash sent Black hard into Buddy. Cash crawled to make the tag, but Buddy cut him off with a kick! Dax tagged in and cleaned house…on the House of Black! Dax nailed Black with a brain buster for a near fall!

Black back elbowed Dax, after some assistance from Buddy. Black cracked Dax with a knee. Dax pulled Black down hard onto the turnbuckles as Black was climbing. FTR hit the power and glory suplex and splash on Black! Dax covered Black, but Matthews mauled Cash with the meteora, knocking Cash into Dax and breaking up the pin attempt!

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

Cash went for a tope, but the House of Black blasted him with stereo knees and then hurled him onto the announcer’s desk! Black grabbed a steel chair and brought it into the ring. Black was staring at Dax’s wife and daughter in the front row. While Black was taunting them, Dax drilled Black with a stiff shot, and then hit Matthews! FTR rocked Buddy with the Shatter Machine, but Black broke up the pin attempt they had on Buddy!

FTR spiked Black with a package piledriver on the apron! Brody King walked down the ramp, but Daniel Garcia chased after him, waffling Brody with a steel chair, helping FTR!

“What a standup guy Daniel Garcia is,” said Kevin Kelly.

As Dax was entering the ring, Buddy curb stomped him. Buddy power bombed Dax and went for the cover, but Dax countered with a pin of his own and scored the victory! After the match, the House of Black triple teamed FTR and Daniel Garcia! Buddy curb stomped Cash on the steel chair. Brody held a chair against Dax’s face and Black hit him with a spin kick, right in front of Dax’s family! TBS Champion Julia Hart rang the bell over and over.

“The bell tolls for thee,” said Kevin Kelly. 

“That was a ten bell salute from Julia Hart. Is this the death of FTR?” wondered Nigel.

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

-AEW World Tag Team Champion “Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. Sammy Guevara!

-AEW World Champion Samoa Joe will be in the house!

-Claudio Castagnoli vs. “Hangman” Adam Page!

-Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Sting & Darby Allin!

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

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

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

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

TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH…

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

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

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

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

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

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

AEW CONTINENTAL CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Eddie Kingston(c) vs. Trent Beretta

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

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

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

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

STING’S FINAL CHARLOTTE APPEARANCE!

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

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

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

ADAM COPELAND RESPONDS…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE CHAMP IS HERE!

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

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

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

THE DEVIL REVEALED…

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

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

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

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

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

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

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

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

THE DEBUT…

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

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

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

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

ONE-ON-ONE…

Swerve Strickland vs. Daniel Garcia

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

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

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

CHRISTIAN CAGE’S 2024 STATE OF THE UNION…

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

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

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

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

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

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ALKhUPQnlKY?si=TsrJJirQ1ljHTBah

The end of 2023 is upon us and this Saturday night marks the final event of the year for All Elite Wrestling! Appropriately entitled WORLDS END, this pay-per-view offering features multiple championship matches, as well as the finals of the historic Continental Classic, which itself is also a title fight as the winner will be crowned the first Continental Champion, as well as ROH World Champion and NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, creating an all-new North American Triple Crown!

Preceded by ZERO HOUR on the official AEW YouTube channel, WORLDS END begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT and hails from the historic Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island! Be sure to watch all the COUNTDOWN content to get up to speed for the latest happenings leading to AEW’s year-end extravaganza, and do not miss out as the stage is set for 2024!

AEW World Championship Match…

MJF(c) vs. Samoa Joe

https://www.youtube.com/embed/y3mVgI4K3Xg?si=Ct4giTEtXpTRiiij&start=45

Betrayal; is there any other way to encapsulate the last month of MJF’s life since he beat Jay White at FULL GEAR 2023? Samoa Joe stepped up, after vacating the ROH World Television Championship and declaring the AEW World Championship as his sole focus, and told Maxwell Jacob Friedman that no matter what he would chauffeur the AEW World Champion to WORLDS END intact. Joe took it upon himself to be MJF’s bodyguard, to protect the hot-headed AEW World Champion from himself, and insure Max made it to December 30th at peak physical condition so there would be no excuses if he lost the AEW World Championship to Joe live on pay-per-view.

But this past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, after Samoa Joe seemed to be taken out by The Devil and his lackeys ahead of a scheduled ROH World Tag Team Championship defense against said masked men, the entire situation went a drastic overhaul. MJF, as he’d done with The Righteous at WRESTLEDREAM 2023, elected to go solo in a tag title defense, only to be laid out by the superior numbers of The Devil’s henchmen, and watch the championship he’d earned with Adam Cole slip away just like that.

For MJF it was more than just losing a title, it was also breaking a promise to his best friend Adam Cole, the only man who’d given Max an opportunity to prove himself a better man than the scumbag he’d shown the world the last four years. After Adam Cole got hurt at GRAND SLAM 2023 while trying to come to MJF’s aid in his last fight with Samoa Joe, Friedman promised Cole he’d keep the ROH Tag Titles around his waist until Cole could return, but the machinations of this Devil made it a difficult situation, and the willingness of Samoa Joe to do business with the masked man turned it into an impossibility. As much heart as MJF as where it comes to Adam Cole, even he can’t overcome the multitudes willing to serve The Devil, much less Samoa Joe’s apparent willingness to do anything for an edge heading into WORLDS END this Saturday.

So with that broken promise to Adam Cole hanging over his head, with the various injuries MJF has sustained during his record-setting AEW World Championship reign, what chance does he have fighting the monster that is Samoa Joe? 

After all, Joe is the man who held both the ROH World Championship and the ROH World TV Championship longer than any man who came before him. He is the man who, unarguably, changed the landscape of professional wrestling for all those who came after him, and the man who broke the mold of what being Samoan meant as a professional wrestler. Samoa Joe traversed the independent landscape, battled across Japan, took Kenta Kobashi to his limit in game changing Ring of Honor fight, and tested a generational competitor like Brock Lesnar like no man before or since. Once upon a time Samoa Joe would look into a camera and unblinkingly tell the world “I am Pro Wrestling” in the same tone with which he now tells the world he is “The King of Television” and there is no doubt that he believes it with every fiber of his being. Ask anyone who has stood in that ring waiting for Samoa Joe’s arrival and they will tell you there are few individuals of this generation, maybe Jay Briscoe, who struck fear into the hearts of their foes before they ever stepped between the ropes. As soon as Joe steps before the people, the man standing in the ring knows he is in for the fight of his life, and that is what Maxwell Jacob Friedman has awaiting him on Long Island this Saturday night.

It’s not the first big-time fight of MJF’s AEW career, this is a man who has beaten Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and even Samoa Joe over the last four years, just to name a few, as well as the other Four Pillars of Jack Perry, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara. He’s been big-time for almost as long as he’s been in All Elite Wrestling, and although he has beaten Samoa Joe in the recent past, he’s never come at “The Samoan Smashing Machine” under these circumstances. Max is hurt, he’s fighting from behind, he’s got the specter of The Devil over his shoulder, but he’s fighting on his home turf and with everything to lose. His body may want to give up the ghost, but his spirit, that indomitable Fighting Spirit, isn’t ready to call it quits on this historic AEW World Championship reign just yet…

Continental Classic Championship Finals…

Gold League Winner Jon Moxley vs. Blue League Winner Eddie Kingston

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lTXNt4T0XQA?si=QnEoSdoKxmPTtByx&start=408

The AEW website took a deep dive into the history between Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston on Thursday night with “You Always Hurt The One You Love”, reflecting on the violence that has gone down between these two friends, these brothers-by-choice, ever since Kingston first came to AEW.

A dissection of their relationship can be read there, this is a look at the immediate history and what brought these two men to WORLDS END and the Continental Classic Finals! For Jon Moxley the road to Gold League success began on the November 22nd edition of DYNAMITE, one night before American Thanksgiving, with a match against Mark Briscoe. It was a first-time collision between the two men, and was every bit as hard-hitting as one would anticipate given their history as fighters. The end came with Mark Briscoe surviving one Death Rider, but eventually succumbing to a second, only after Moxley had to stomp Mark’s skull into the canvas: three points for the 3-Time AEW World  Champion.

Moxley’s second foray into the Gold League came against Jay Lethal, and that too went in his favor, but again only after stringing together a succession of moves that, under some circumstances would’ve put a lesser man away. Lethal survived a Paradigm Shift, a King Kong Lariat, and a piledriver, kicking out of the last maneuver at a 2.5 count, only to end up tapping out to Moxley’s Rear Naked Choke: two matches down, six points to his name, and three more to go.

For his halfway point Moxley welcomed a fight with RUSH, a man capable of matching Jon’s capacity for violence, but who ultimately fell to The Blackpool Combat Club member. In this case the leader of La Faccion Ingobernable survived a massive King Kong Lariat and Death Rider, kicking out just before the three, but could not escape the same choke that tapped out Jay Lethal a week prior. Unlike Lethal, RUSH never tapped out or said he quit, it was a matter of referee stoppage to protect the safety of the unconscious RUSH. It was a decision that did not sit well with RUSH, but it was final, and sent Moxley into his fourth bout with nine points to his name.

Enter Swerve Strickland, another man with nine points to his name, and one of the other favorite’s to win the entire Continental Classic. The winner of this bout would be etched into the Gold League Finals with twelve points, and though it was hard-fought by the head of The Mogul Embassy, it was Mox who squeaked out with a victory, but not with a lariat or Death Rider or choke, but rather via roll-up with a little pulling of Swerve’s tights. By hook or crook, Jon Moxley became the only man with 12 points to his name, and guaranteed himself a spot in the League Finals.

Then came the last night of the points competition, Moxley versus “Switchblade” Jay White, and perhaps it was the rigors of what had come the previous four weeks, but with this fifth tournament bout, Jon Moxley finally tasted defeat after being dropped with a Blade Runner. That victory by Jay, combined with Swerve’s over RUSH, meant the Gold League Finals would be contested in a Three Way match, and as we all saw this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE, it ended with Moxley’s hand raised after evening the score with Jay White as Swerve watched on from the outside. 

For Eddie Kingston, the tournament first began with him upping the ante from just the Continental Championship awaiting the winner to it being a Triple Crown situation involving both Eddie’s ROH World Championship and his NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship. It was a huge risk no doubt, and one that very nearly backfired in Kingston’s face as he dropped his first match with Brody King as well as his second with Bryan Danielson, sending “The Mad King” to the halfway mark with zero points to his name. He had to rebound with his third fight, a bout with long-time rival Claudio Castagnoli, and that’s exactly what happened after a series of counters ended with Kingston scoring the pinfall victory. 

There was a definite change in Kingston through this tournament, rather than a man beaten down by his losses, he was a man who fought through them, through the self-loathing that they could bring, and instead lived off the phrase “Humble in victory, humble in defeat”. It seemed his role as a dual champion had made an honest change to Kingston’s usual mentality, and it paid off as he racked up a victory over Daniel Garcia in his fourth Continental Classic match, and another in his fifth against Andrade El Idolo. Neither came easy, both took a toll on the champion, but he persevered through both and found himself, through hard work and determination, in the finals of the Blue League opposite “The American Dragon”. 

Despite the fact that he’d never beaten Bryan Danielson in their prior encounters, be it in AEW or elsewhere, Eddie Kingston latched onto the Fighting Spirit that had motivated him from the first time he saw an AJPW tape, powered through Danielson’s relentless punishment, and dropped the man many consider the greatest of this generation with that Kawada-style Folding Powerbomb that beat Claudio at GRAND SLAM 2023. 

With that victory it became locked in stone that Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston would fight at WORLDS END in the finals of the Continental Classic with ownership of the ROH World Championship, the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship, and the brand-new Continental Championship all at stake. It’s a modern-day North American Triple Crown, one that will belong to either Jon Moxley or Eddie Kingston in this battle of brothers by choice rather than blood, but can their relationship survive yet another blow after everything it has endured since Kingston first challenged Moxley for the AEW World Championship more than three years ago?

AEW Women’s World Championship Match…

“Timeless” Toni Storm(c) vs. Riho

https://www.youtube.com/embed/O67wxotbvCQ?si=KMqs2pF3soazKzzj&start=45

Over the course of the last several months the AEW faithful have watched Toni Storm spiral out; it began when Hikaru Shida ended her second championship reign back in August, and kicked into full gear (no pun intended) as Storm neared her rematch with Shida at FULL GEAR 2023 on November 18th. Now RJ City and Renee Paquette have had to endure the “Timeless” experience more than any others, while Luther has thrown himself fully into the experience as her…butler, but the entire Women’s Division has had to take a step back and question what has happened to Storm.

She seems trapped in a delusion of Old Hollywood stardom, of key parties, of celluloid dreams, and only vaguely aware of anything going on outside of her own head. Toni’s barely cognizant of Mariah May’s fawning presence, despite the former STARDOM champion actively helping her fight Riho, and only remotely aware of an entire division of competitors gunning for the title around her waist. That division includes women that Toni, as part of The Outcasts, made a point to verbally denigrate and physically assault, women like original AEW Woman’s World Champion Riho!

That “Timeless” moniker matters not to Riho, no matter what she’s called Toni Storm is still part of the Outcast trio that took Riho out of AEW action many months ago, and she returned with a vengeance to right those wrongs. It started with a victory over Ruby Soho, continued with a #1 Contender’s victory over Saraya, leaving just Toni Storm and her AEW Women’s World Championship to be conquered this Saturday night at WORLDS END!

Can Riho etch her name into the AEW history book as a 2-Time Women’s World Champion, or will “Timeless” Toni Storm continue to live out her fantastical delusions with the title belt securely strapped around her waist?

TNT Championship No Disqualification Match…

Christian Cage(c) vs. Adam Copeland

https://www.youtube.com/embed/-4WAjPlrWS0?si=1V7FZJZ55llJnbnD&start=294

What can possibly be said about this championship match that adequately encompasses what it means to the two men involved in the battle. Christian Cage and Adam Copeland have been part of each other’s lives for more nearly four decades, they have fought side-by-side and been champions many times over, they’ve even battled one another on multiple occasions, and each man has seen the other have to give up their professional wrestling dreams when their body decided enough was enough. 

Each man has also seen the other fight back against the body that betrayed their dream, has watched the pain and sacrifice the other has experienced to get back inside the squared circle, and celebrated the moment each returned to the ring to continue living the dream they’d each had for as long as they could remember. And that’s the thing about dreams like the professional wrestling one; no matter the championship successes, the time spent on television and pay-per-view, or the opportunity to step into the ring with the legends one admired as they came up themselves, it’s a dream that is never fully realized. There is always something more to dream about, though for Adam Copeland the culmination of that dream was ending his career standing alongside Christian Cage, the best friend Jay Reso he’d grown up with before either actually laced up a pair of boots, the man with whom he’d changed the landscape of tag team wrestling.

Christian had other ideas…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/XzQCnL4IzzY?si=g12hkWW_J5vWselF

So after saying he would never fight his brother, Copeland had to come to a hard realization that Cage did not feel the same way and, in fact, was willing to break Adam’s neck if that’s what it took to insure their relationship was quits. Christian invoked the names of Copeland’s wife and children to express just how much animosity he had towards the very idea of every reuniting the band, and it took “The Icon” Sting, a man quite familiar with betrayal by those he called his friends, to convince Copeland that the man he considered his best friend was anything but. That resulted in the two colliding in Montreal during a recent edition of DYNAMITE, and showed just how far Christian Cage would stoop in order to see that he remained the top man in the Cage/Copeland dynamic…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q_Z4gJPwYjg?si=YtN4RE_7Nq-v5bre&start=172

Whether it was something Cage expected or not, the choice Shayna Wayne made to align herself with her son’s surrogate father figure changed the landscape of the game, putting even more forces against Adam Copeland, and that one largely because of choices Adam made in the heat of the battle. After all, what mother could watch their son’s head get caved in with a chair and not choose to oppose the individual who inflicted the pain? 

So now we enter WORLDS END and Adam Copeland’s challenge to face “The Patriarch” Christian Cage in one more TNT Championship match, only this time under No Disqualification rules. It was made clear by how Copeland responded to the idea of a sit-down interview with his former best friend just how this fight is likely to go down. There’s no quarter asked, and none likely to be given, between these two men who’ve gone up-and-down the wrestling roads together. 

After this there will likely be no more family dinners, no more “Uncle Jey”, nor the possibility of ending their hall of fame careers standing side-by-side as AEW World Tag Team Champions. This TNT Championship match on Saturday night may indeed be the end of the Copeland/Reso world and regardless of if it’s Adam Copeland or Christian Cage who walks away from the battle as TNT Champion, both will have to ask themselves whether it was worth sacrificing something built over a lifetime…

TBS Championship Match…

Julia Hart(c) vs. Abadon

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7G-QxEwAdTk?si=qjYGnvPRgLAFy9eU&start=45

A darkness has fallen over the TBS Title, the shadow of The House of Black dimming the light once brought to this championship by Kris Statlander’s reign, replaced by something wicked, something intensely scary with the reign of Julia Hart.

Thus perhaps it is apropos that this Saturday night at WORLDS END the Princess of The House defends her championship against “The Living Dead Girl” known as Abadon! With just four loses on their singles record, they are one of the most successful competitors in the Women’s Division, with two of the longest singles win streaks in AEW’s history to their name, seventeen matches between 1/26/21 and 10/22/21 and fifteen from 12/21/21 to 10/27/23. Abadon has drawn blood from foes with their own teeth, struck fear in the hearts of even the strongest competitors, and even in those few losses, come so close to the AEW Women’s World Championship on two occasions. Hikaru Shida has been the bane of Abadon’s existence, responsible for three of those losses, while the other has Dr. Britt Baker’s name attached to it in a Trick of Treat Match two years ago. Other than that, Abadon has been largely untouchable and unfazed by any opponent who’s stood across the ring.

Their desire for the TBS Championship that’s built up over these past few weeks has even led to some very strange bedfellows as Skye Blue, after weeks of successfully fighting against the darkness Julia Hart spat into her soul, finally succumbed to the House and aligned with the TBS Champion against Abadon. In turn, that alignment brought Thunder Rosa away from the commentary table and back into active competition as the former AEW Women’s World Champion chose to stand alongside “The Living Dead Girl”. Their tag team victory over Skye and Julia during last week’s COLLISION certainly gave an edge to Abadon heading towards this PPV battle, even if it was Thunder pinning Skye to bring the win for their team. 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7G-QxEwAdTk?si=-w2xc8MNSHEEWyC8&start=172

This past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, Julia Hart played a decisive role in helping Skye Blue defeat Kris Statlander, as well as assisting in the post-victory assault on the former TBS Champion that only ended with the arrival of Willow Nightingale. As the two women fled the scene of their crime, Abadon appeared on the stage, essentially trapping Skye and Julia between the proverbial rock and hard place, forcing them to flee to the side of the stage to escape from any repercussions. 

But Saturday night there will not be any running from the situation, there will not be an opportunity to flee from this TBS Championship fight, no hiding from Abadon when the bell rings at WORLDS END! “The Living Dead Girl” has been a dominating force from the moment they debuted in AEW, only Hikaru Shida has really had their number, but a title has eluded Abadon thus far. Perhaps that will all change on Long Island, perhaps The House of Black will lose its hold on the only championship under its roof, and watch it fall into a different kind of darkness.

This will be a fight unlike any other Julia Hart has experienced during her time in All Elite Wrestling, but if she can survive Abadon, she will have proven herself truly worthy of the mantle she ripped away from Kris Statlander. This is the abyss staring back at The Princess of the Black Throne, will she blink?

EIGHT-MAN TAG…

Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, & Sting vs. AEW World Tag Champions Big Bill & Ricky Starks and The Don Callis Family (ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher & Powerhouse Hobbs)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lHfYiBHaMHE?si=iiw3Jwh4Tf10rRyp

Just a few weeks ago Chris Jericho was set to fight Big Bill and Ricky Starks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship with Kenny Omega as his partner, with the match scheduled for WORLDS END this Saturday night. Unfortunately Kenny Omega was struck down before the match, a diagnosis of diverticulitis forcing him away from the ring for an indefinite amount of time, and leaving Chris Jericho without his #1 Contender partner. Of course this made Don Callis extraordinarily happy, seeing his two former friends in pain and misery, even though the situation at that moment had nothing to do with him.

Unsurprisingly Callis chose to celebrate himself and, to a degree his “Family”, this past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE. He considered it a Boxing Day celebration, recognition of the holiday celebrated around the world, and chose to give each member of his Family a painting of himself, with them of course, but in each one Callis looked every bit a conquering hero. Still, he seemed quite surprised when one member of his family returned to the fold that night, one who’d been injured fighting for Don, and who’d also celebrated the birth of his baby during that time spent healing up; none other than “The Spanish God” Sammy Guevara!

It wasn’t all that long ago that Guevara chose Don Callis over Chris Jericho, turning his back on a history dating back to the very first DYNAMITE, but it only took a fraction of that amount of time for Don Callis to forget all about Sammy. That’s why Guevara said what he had to say upon his arrival, about how Callis leeches off the men he surrounds himself with, and uses them to keep himself in the spotlight rather than doing anything to bolster their careers. Perhaps the truth hurt because it only took moments for Callis to unleash his hounds upon Sammy Guevara, but “The Spanish God” was as shocked as everyone else to find Chris Jericho the man coming to the rescue, and it was not just because of his issues with Callis.

Guevara actually stood up and embraced Jericho, only for Ricky Starks and Big Bill to jump on the two men for a vicious assault, and then to the shock of the former Le Sex Gods, another save was made, only this time by Darby Allin and Sting! Considering that just six months ago Darby and Sting were beating up Jericho and Guevara in a Tornado Tag on DYNAMITE, it was absolutely a surprise to see them stepping to the assistance of these two. It wasn’t as if there was some pressing matter against Big Bill and Ricky Starks either, the bad blood between Sting, Darby, and Starks had been put to bed at REVOLUTION 2021 in that unforgettable Street Fight. 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/owgfbdGtSu0?si=ZBZd9Sqc8ges_nCS&start=196

Perhaps this is just Darby Allin and Sting doing the right thing, helping out two men who were being assaulted by an uneven numbers game, and offering their services as “The Icon” heads down the road to his final match at REVOLUTION 2023. It’s quite the intriguing scenario as this brings Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs back on the same side of the fence after their relationship soured some time ago, puts Darby and Sammy Guevara on the same side after years of back-and-forth, and gives Le Sex Gods an opportunity to heal their wounds in real time combat. 

This has all the elements to be quite explosive if tempers flare the wrong way, very combustible elements all crammed together in an unpredictable 8-Man tag! 

ONE-ON-ONE…

“Limitless” Keith Lee vs. Swerve Strickland

On July 13, 2022, during DYNAMITE: FYTER FEST N. 1, Swerve In Our Glory won a Three Way battle over Team Taz and The Young Bucks to become the 8th AEW World Tag Team Champions. Together Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee would reign over the division for seventy days, successfully defending on three occasions before The Acclaimed took the crown at DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2022. There partnership was tense, to say the least, as Swerve Strickland leaned towards a darker bent while Keith Lee wanted to travel the more righteous path. Those differences in philosophy made the partnership difficult, but yet successful, at least until the point it reached the point where it just wasn’t anymore.

That led to DYNAMITE: HOLIDAY BASH 2022 where Swerve and his new assembled Mogul Affiliates destroyed Keith Lee, leaving him easy prey for Strickland to Swerve Stomp a cinder block on the chest of “Limitless”. It officially marked the end of Swerve In Our Glory, but it never felt like Keith Lee got his chance to right the wrong done to him. Sure he partnered up with Dustin Rhodes to swing at The Mogul Affiliates, and later was able to team with Darby Allin, Sting, and Orange Cassidy for a shot at The Mogul Embassy, a conglomerate of Swerve’s Affiliates and Prince Nana’s Embassy, but satisfaction was never achieved. 

Even when the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament forced the two men back together for one night, it didn’t lead to a resolution for Swerve’s betrayal, or Keith’s need to avenge it. They both continued their mutual business, Swerve building The Mogul Embassy up, competing in the Continental Classic while Keith Lee stepped to Samoa Joe, dealt with his past with Shane Taylor, and let it be known after his FINAL BATTLE 2023 victory that it was time for “him”. Initially the assumption was that the “him” to which Keith Lee kept referring was Shane Taylor, but he quickly put that notion to bed following the Taylor victory.

A confrontation with The Mogul Embassy, sans Swerve Strickland, made it quite clear who “Limitless” was talking about, and a victory over Brian Cage got the man one step closer to that goal of finally fighting Swerve one-on-one. Of course there was the matter of the Continental Classic, but Swerve’s loss in the Three Way Gold League Finals this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE left him free and clear for competition at WORLDS END, and he wasn’t going to wait any longer to settle this score.

So while Keith Lee left the contract, Swerve still had to put pen-to-paper, putting the ball fully in his court as to whether or not this bout would happen. It should come as no shock that after being frustrated in the Continental Classic Gold League Finals, after seeing the match slip away when Jon Moxley pinned Jay White, Strickland was looking for a fight. Thankfully Keith Lee is ready to give him that fight and finally put this issue to bed like he did the decade-old one with Shane Taylor.

As 2023 comes to its close, so too will the saga of Swerve In Our Glory, but only one of these two men can walk away with the victory…

A FIGHT…

“The Redeemer” Miro vs. Andrade El Idolo

At ALL OUT 2023, after Miro defeated Powerhouse Hobbs, his wife CJ Perry emerged as Hobbs began a post-match assault. Perry delivered a relatively ineffective chairshot of her own to Hobbs, ineffective but providing Miro enough time to recover and smack Hobbs with a chair of his own. To say “The Redeemer” was surprised to see his “hot and flexible wife” would be an understatement, he half-thought she was a delusion come to taunt him for forsaking his God.

But CJ Perry was all too real, and if her husband was going to reject her as his manager, then she was going to find herself new clientele within the AEW locker room. Unfortunately Miro made sure that any competitor who even thought about taking on his wife as a manager paid a price for her consideration. Action Andretti, Ryan Nemeth, and Daniel Garcia all paid the price for showing interest in CJ Perry’s offers, but her most recent consideration was not one who’d easily suffer the same fate as those individuals.

Andrade El Idolo, heading into the Continental Classic, agreed to take CJ Perry on as his manager and even though she wasn’t allowed at ringside during those bouts, he excelled in the tournament with her working in that role. Three straight wins, nine points, and likely a fourth if Claudio hadn’t resorted to a low blow to get his victory; it announced to the world that Andrade El Idolo and CJ Perry were a combination to be reckoned with, but there is one man who wants that reckoning.

For “The Redeemer”, knowing his wife is overseeing the career of another individual has not sat well, and he clearly sees her presence as poisoning this well of professional wrestling. For Miro, that means expunging the poison from his life, i.e. removing Andrade El Idolo from the equation. No Andrade means no one for CJ Perry to manage meaning no reason for her to remain with All Elite Wrestling. That’s Miro’s logic going into this fight on Saturday night, with his mission to end the world as he knows it and begin something new where CJ Perry is not in the picture. 

ALL-STAR EXTRAVAGANZA…

Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, & Mark Briscoe

vs.

Brody King, Jay Lethal, Jay White, & RUSH 

What is there to say about this one? Eight of the best men in professional wrestling, all who fell short in the Continental Classic, battling it out on the final pay-per-view event of 2023! Some came within a blink of being in the finals, some left the field without a point to their name, but all are elite-level athletes who will unite this Saturday night in an all-star tag team battle! Will they all get along? Probably not, but victory is more important than the individual squabbles that may exist because of the Continental Classic, or perhaps existed before the tournament even started; either way, this is an all-star extravaganza of talent, and it can only be witnessed as part of WORLDS END!

ZERO HOUR

FTW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH/FTW RULES…

HOOK(c) vs. ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sL4V7e96a3Y?si=3mpl3EY4vevdQ07D&start=196

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDER’S BATTLE ROYALE…

ONE-ON-ONE…

Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale

WORLDS END emanates from the historic Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island this Saturday night, and live on pay-per-view around the world! Samoa Joe will challenge MJF for the AEW World Championship, former champion Riho will take on “Timeless” Toni Storm with the AEW Women’s World Title at stake, and TBS Champion Julia Hart defends against “The Living Dead Girl” Abadon! Plus, Christian Cage puts his TNT Title on the line against former best friend Adam Copeland in a No DQ Match, the FTW Title is up for grabs in a FTW Rules match between champion HOOK and challenger Wheeler Yuta, and the landmark Continental Classic comes to an end with ???? taking on ???? with the winner crowned the first Continental Champion, as well as ROH World Champion and NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, to form the new North American Triple Crown!

With ZERO HOUR beginning at 7pm ET on the official AEW YouTube channel, WORLDS END starts at 8pm ET/7pm CT, so make a point to visit that YouTube channel to catch up on the latest happenings leading to WORLDS END, including the COUNTDOWN special, as well as highlights from this week’s edition of DYNAMITE, the CONTROL CENTER, and more! This pay-per-view event not only marks the end of AEW’s 2023, but will set the tone as we move forward into 2024 and the first event of the new year in Newark, NJ! 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EV-DRnjamZA?si=RD8yXylXeNWAlyCG

https://www.youtube.com/embed/pKLg8JfgRAQ?si=f4jJQTiGpA2WhQka&start=45

On the final DYNAMITE of 2023, the AEW faithful watched as Samoa Joe stabbed AEW World Champion MJF right between the shoulder blades to cost him the ROH World Tag Team Championship to The Devil’s Masked Men! We also witnessed both Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston advance to the Continental Classic Tournament Finals taking place at WORLDS END, Sammy Guevara apparently reunited with Chris Jericho, Mariah May announce her in-ring debut for the first DYNAMITE of 2024, and so much more! It was an action-packed edition of AEW’s flagship as we barrel towards WORLDS END this Saturday night on pay-per-view!

There’s only one more sleep until WORLDS END, but before you close your eyes, there’s a matter of Friday night RAMPAGE! Coming to you from Orlando, the night begins at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, and features AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, Rocky Romero, and Trent Beretta in Trios action against Action Andretti and Top Flight, plus Ruby Soho goes one-on-one with Marina Shafir, but now with Harley Cameron apparently attached to her side! And less than 24 hours before he engages in a FTW Rules fight with HOOK, ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta puts his title on the line against former ROH Tag Champion Matt Sydal!  We will also hear from Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara after their moment with The Don Callis Family as well as AEW World Champion MJF after he was betrayed by Samoa Joe!

Before the show begins, drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!

TRIOS MATCH…

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, Rocky Romero, & Trent Beretta

vs. Action Andretti & Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)

For the second week in a row, AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy has taken the off-handed comments of someone as a challenge. Last week it was his own friend Rocky Romero, and this time around it is the high-flying trio of Action Andretti and Top Flight who “Freshly Squeezed”, and apparently Trent Beretta, assume are looking for a fight!

Well this Friday night on RAMPAGE, less than twenty-four hours before AEW’s last PPV presentation of the year, Cassidy and his friends will clash with Action and his in a huge Trios match! Andretti and the Martin brothers are coming off a hard-fought loss in their AEW World Trios Championship challenge last Saturday night on COLLISION, and are hungry to get another shot at The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass. A victory over the International Champion, Trent Beretta, and Rocky Romero would go a long way towards the three young men achieving that goal, and who knows, if they can get that victory by beating OC, it could even mean a future date with the AEW International Championship!

Knowing what these six men are capable of, this match is certainly going to be a wild one full of high-flying action, hard-hitting offense, and the finest trios competition you’ll see anywhere in professional wrestling today!

ONE-ON-ONE…

Ruby Soho vs. Marina Shafir

Well it seems whether she likes it or not, Ruby Soho has a…helper…in the form of one Harley Cameron. It’s quite clear that Soho does not want this, but Saraya is making it happen no matter what her friend wishes. Obviously that phone call from Angelo Parker was more important to Soho than anything Saraya had to say, but perhaps this is all the former AEW Women’s World Champion’s way of apologizing for her treatment of Soho the last several weeks.

It was only a couple weeks ago that Soho challenged Saraya to go it alone against Riho to earn the WORLDS END championship match with Toni Storm, and the former champion failed to rise up on her own merits. So maybe employing Harley is as much a birthday present as a mea culpa, but regardless of the reason, hopefully it pays off for The Outcasts and isn’t just another distraction for Ruby Soho. That’s the last thing she needs when having to deal with a problem like “The Problem” Marina Shafir!

ROH PURE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Wheeler Yuta(c) vs. Matt Sydal

Though Yuta has a FTW Championship match at WORLDS END: ZERO HOUR on tap, one contested under FTW Rules, he is set to take on a challenge to his ROH Pure Championship at RAMPAGE, less than 24 hours prior to his clash with HOOK. His opponent this Friday night in Orlando: former ROH Tag Team Champion Matt Sydal!

Though Sydal was part of the 2020 Pure Title Tournament that reintroduced the championship after a fourteen year hiatus, Sydal has never fought in a Pure Rules match, much less a Pure Title bout, making this uncharted territory for the veteran of the mat wars. 

Is it wise for Yuta to step into a championship bout so close to his FTW Rules fight with HOOK?  Is it worth risking injury, or worse, losing the Pure Championship before WORLDS END? Apparently for someone the mindset of Yuta, someone with The Blackpool Combat Club mentality, the answer is yes. Hopefully Yuta doesn’t go to sleep Friday night regretting his decision…

JERICHO AND GUEVARA REUNITED???

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lHfYiBHaMHE?si=DyYPVFudZGq4oVPk&start=294

The relationship between Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho, likely because it dates back to the dawn of DYNAMITE, has been quite tumultuous over the last four years. They’ve generally stood on the same side of the battle, though it has occasionally been a tense situation, justifiably so given the power dynamic of the relationship. Jericho has often seen Sammy as his understudy, as beneath him, while at a certain point the former 3-Time TNT Champion felt he’d proven himself an equal. It popped up during the dissolution of The Inner Circle, when Jericho was reigning as ROH World Champion, and blew up completely in the aftermath of The Jericho Appreciation Society. The final straw, or so it seemed at the moment, was Guevara choosing to stand alongside Don Callis in opposition to “The Ocho”.

Shortly thereafter “The Spanish God” suffered a serious concussion, and during his recovery from that injury, witnessed the birth of he and Tay Melo’s child, and it made a shift in where Guevara’s head is at. No longer dredging in the same depths as Don Callis, Guevara would’ve ended up another victim of a Callis Family assault if not for the arrival of Chris Jericho, followed by Darby Allin and Sting.

So where does that leave Chris Jericho and Sammy after that surprising save? We will hear what the original AEW World Champion has to say about the matter this Friday night on RAMPAGE!

It’s the final night before WORLDS END, and that means Friday night RAMPAGE is on deck! Emanating from Orlando, matches begin at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, and include Action Andretti and Top Flight fighting AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, Rocky Romero, and Trent Beretta in Trios action as well as plus Ruby Soho going head-to-head with Marina Shafir. In addition, Matt Sydal will challenge ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta just 24 hours before The BCC member steps into a FTW Rules match with HOOK!  We also anticipate hearing from Chris Jericho after what happened with The Don Callis Family and Sammy Guevara!

Before the show begins, drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!

First recorded in 1944 by The Mills Brothers in 1944, the song bearing the title of this retrospective has been covered by Connie Francis, Fats Domino, Ringo Starr, Michael Buble, and even Ryan Gosling in the heartbreaking film “Blue Valentine”. The lyrics include lines such as “You always break the kindest heart with a hasty word you can’t recall, so if I broke your heart last night, it’s because I love you most of all.”

It’s a song very easily projected onto a romantic relationship, but that’s just one type of love, and if nothing else, since the two men first became entangled in All Elite Wrestling, it’s been pretty clear that there is a lot of love between Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley. Love built on shared experiences, on treading common grounds, on time spent together both inside the ring and out, knowing each other’s families, not to mention spilling blood along similar roads en route to the promised land of AEW. 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7xFaEkZaWkA?si=Cr44zLuC9_9RQRQ-&start=137

Moxley got here first, making his impact on as grand a scale as possible in the closing moments of DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019, taking out both Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, and beginning the path that led him to his first AEW World Championship at REVOLUTION 2020, just weeks before the wrestling landscape as we knew it, as well as the world at large, became a different place under pandemic restrictions.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/hc9zLtDRvzk?si=4EFNOcqJfOM1UWLL&start=137

That’s the world in which Eddie Kingston was birthed into AEW, a world where fans were only able to watch from the safety of their own homes, a world where the hard-traveled Kingston was forced to sell his wrestling boots in order to make rent. So with nothing left to lose, and then-TNT Champion Cody Rhodes holding an Open Challenge for his title, Kingston took his shot and called out Cody during one of the few independent wrestling shows running at the time. This led to Eddie walking out on the stage on the July 22, 2020 DYNAMITE, no pomp or circumstance, and fighting Cody in a No DQ match for that championship. Eddie failed to become the champion, but he made such an impact on the AEW landscape that nine days later, Kingston got his “…IS ALL ELITE” graphic.

While Moxley went about building the AEW World Championship up with one of the most impressive streak of defenses amassed to date, Kingston drew men like Butcher, Blade, and The Lucha Brothers to his side, and when the opportunity opened up to take his shot again, Kingston didn’t hesitate to take aim at a man who had been his friend for years…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/skgfWPFhKgo?si=V5WjRGrRbVLLVSM-https://www.youtube.com/embed/UZ6swFRwGLo?si=ZzaG2JFxl_pow7wU

That fight did not go the way of “The Mad King”, but the aftermath of it set the table for the violent affair that would result at FULL GEAR 2020, a match that would turn out to by Moxley’s final successful title defense before losing to Kenny Omega at DYNAMITE: WINTER IS COMING 2020. Suffice it to say, the “I Quit” bout was twenty minutes of two men hurting the one they love, and came to an end with Kingston failing to claim the crown he’d risked destroying his friendship over…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yww6gAVlr_A?si=HkcxhsdT2C3fQyOz

Shockingly, despite how that fight came to its conclusion, when Moxley fought Kenny Omega in an Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match at REVOLUTION 2021, it was Eddie Kingston who came to the aid of Jon Moxley. That moment of sacrifice, Kingston’s choice to put his own safety at risk to protect his brother, that was a defining example of the core relationship between Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley. They were brothers, two men who cared about and supported one another, whose passion for pro wrestling bonded them, and whose capacity for violence mirrored one another’s. This reunion led Eddie and Mox into tag team competition, and a march towards The Young Bucks and the AEW World Tag Team Championship…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/5pyed4-IM3Q?si=qL-jsMZ4qm5adiNf&start=59

Though that DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2021 championship bout did not go in favor of Kingston and Moxley, it solidified their bond before the AEW faithful, and created a duo that continued on throughout the remainder of 2021, including a wild Lights Out fight with Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer at RAMPAGE: GRAND SLAM 2021. Then the FULL GEAR 2022 Eliminator Tournament began, and though the layout of the brackets meant Moxley and Kingston could collide in the finals, Mox having to pull out of the field ended that possibility, and Eddie losing to Danielson in the Semi-Finals nixed his hopes of challenging for the title. 

Moxley would return to the fold in January 2022, refreshed and ready for the fight, a return that would lead him into battle with Bryan Danielson at REVOLUTION 2022, and then into the formation of The Blackpool Combat Club alongside “The American Dragon” and William Regal. At the same time, Kingston was in the midst of battle with Chris Jericho, a battle he actually won at REVOLUTION 2022, but would only be the precursor to much greater wars as Jericho abandoned The Inner Circle in the aftermath and formed The Jericho Appreciation Society. The paths of Kingston, Santana, Ortiz, and The Blackpool Combat Club would converge at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022 when they and The J.A.S. went to battle under Anarchy In The Arena rules. Perhaps it should have been clear before the unit even stepped into Las Vegas that the inherent strife between Kingston’s side and Mox’s side would make success unlikely…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/GSQmwGSbo_0?si=FrjAOTWOhjPpM-vk&start=406

Still, the attempt was made, Kingston tried to work with Bryan Danielson as best he could, but in one of the most horrifying visuals in AEW history, it ended up with Eddie dumping gasoline on Bryan, as well as his foes, in a failed attempt to actually light them all on fire! Perhaps it was fate that Danielson got injured during the course of Anarchy in the Arena and was unable to compete in the Blood & Guts cage match that followed, but much to the chagrin of Eddie Kingston, his friend Jon Moxley would ally himself with yet another of Kingston’s hated foes, perhaps the most hated of them all, Claudio Castagnoli.

The history between Kingston and Claudio has been well-documented since “The Swiss Superman” came into AEW, suffice it to say that it took everything Kingston had in him to fight alongside Castagnoli rather than rip his head off and chuck him off the top of the cage. The fact that Castagnoli, in Eddie’s eyes, stole the victory for their team from him did not help matters, and it sent Kingston back on his own path, completely separate from Moxley, as Jon and The BCC pursued theirs.

But those paths would once again intertwine, as friendships often too, only this time the circle had come back around to their AEW beginning, and Kingston was standing alongside Moxley’s enemies in The Elite, men he himself could not stand and did not respect, but his hate for Claudio burned far hotter. Strange bedfellows indeed…

This animosity put Eddie opposite his brother-by-choice at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023 and during the course of that match, in unarguably the most emotional portion of the fight, the two actually came to blows. The scene would repeat two months later at ALL IN: LONDON, albeit with a twist, as Kingston allied himself with The Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, and Penta El Zero Miedo to fight Moxley, Yuta, Claudio, Ortiz, and Santana in Stadium Stampede! Eddie’s team actually won the fight, though he and Moxley would throwdown with one another yet again, and it certainly left a question as to the status of their relationship moving forward. 

For Eddie moving forward meant finishing his issues with Claudio Castagnoli once and for all, and that meant facing him at DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2023 with both Kingston’s NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship and Claudio’s ROH World Championship on the line. In front of his hometown, his family, and his loved ones, Kingston put the final nail in the coffin of his rivalry with Claudio Castagnoli, and became the holder of both the NJPW STRONG title and the ROH one!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aai5io9JX28?si=lKd3qj2S0ZL-jxr3&start=406

For Moxley moving forward meant capturing a championship of his own, one he’d never held before, the AEW International Championship held by Orange Cassidy. That came to be at ALL OUT 2023, though the triumph turned to tragedy quite quickly when Rey Fenix dethroned him just 17 days later, and putting Moxley on the injured list for the next few weeks. Moxley’s return to AEW competition meant failure in regaining the AEW International Championship, once again held by OC who’d beaten Fenix himself in Jon’s absence, but then finding a new focus as the Continental Classic was announced.  Another man who found focus in the tournament was Moxley’s brother Eddie, only he chose to up the ante on the entire game, putting both of his championship belts in the mix, to create an American Triple Crown Championship…

Thus on November 22nd, with the field split into two groups dubbed the Gold League and the Blue League, twelve men began their trek towards WORLDS END, the Continental Championship, and now both the ROH World Championship and NJPW STRONG Openweight Title. For Moxley the road began with Mark Briscoe, and was followed in successive weeks with fights against Jay Lethal, RUSH,  and Swerve Strickland. Four consecutive victories meant 12 points for the 3-time former AEW World Champion, and berth in the finals of the Gold League, all that remained was his final match with Jay White to either solidify his spot atop the Gold, or to turn the League Final into a more complex situation with a “Switchblade” victory. But that’s exactly what Jay White did, he squeezed out a victory to tie up Moxley at 12 points, then Swerve did the same against RUSH in their fifth bout, thus leaving the Gold League with a three way tie to determine the victor. As we witnessed this past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, Moxley would get his back on Jay White, and earn his spot in the Continental Classic finals this Sunday night!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/pKLg8JfgRAQ?si=QQq_7Jk097Qtas89&start=137

With Kingston slotted into the Blue League, there was a possibility that he and Jon Moxley could end up in the finals together, but the road to get there would be long and arduous for “The Mad King”. Though his two championship titles were not at stake in each of his five matches, each loss brought him closer to losing hold of them without technically being beaten for them in a title bout, but that was the risk Kingston took when he threw them into the pot for the Continental Classic. Unfortunately for Eddie, he started the tournament off on bad footing by dropping matches to Brody King and Bryan Danielson in his first two bouts, the latter especially stinging given the dismissive rhetoric Danielson has long used towards Eddie.

Those losses also put Kingston in a position where each match became a must-win situation if he hoped to have a shot at keeping the two titles in his camp, and gaining the Triple Crown he’d created with his choices. The third match of Kingston’s journey put him opposite Claudio Castagnoli, a man he’d only ever beaten once in their careers, and somehow Eddie found a way to make it two straight wins over this Blackpool Combat Club member. It was as if somewhere along the way, possibly the night he first held the ROH World Championship overhead in front of his mother and father, Eddie learned how to best handle his demons. He knew they were creeping up behind him, just waiting for him to slip up and stumble into their waiting arms, but instead of slipping, Eddie Kingston kept moving forward “humble in victory, humble in defeat”, and that made the difference as he rattled off a second victory in the tournament over Daniel Garcia, and secured himself a spot in the Blue League finals with a win over Andrade El Idolo.

That set Kingston versus Danielson as the match, and put Eddie in a situation where he had to do something he’d never done before: beat Bryan Danielson. Without a twenty-minute time limit hanging over their heads, the two warriors brutalized each other for nearly twenty-five, absorbing blow-after-blow, suplex-after-suplex, and surviving multiple submission attempts, before it came down to Kingston dropping Bryan with the same Kawada-style Folding Powerbomb that defeated Claudio at GRAND SLAM 2023 some months earlier.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lTXNt4T0XQA?si=xEEp_G5ADWJUhmAI&start=137

With their respective wins in the Gold and Blue Leagues, for the first time since FULL GEAR 2020’s “I Quit” match, Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley will go one-on-one at WORLDS END in the Continental Classic Finals with the winner walking away as a Triple Crown Champion, simultaneously holding the ROH World Championship, the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship, and the Continental Championship! It also means, if Eddie doesn’t want to see his last day as champion of the first two titles, he has to do something else he’s never done before: beat Jon Moxley. 

This Saturday night on pay-per-view, as part of AEW’s WORLDS END presentation, Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley will do to each other what they’ve done for years now, hurt the one they love, and in the end they will either embrace one another as brothers, happy for the success of the other, or they will see the rift in their friendship gutted even deeper. For as important as the championship aspect of this fight is, for as historic a contest as it is, this is undoubtedly the most personal fight of either man’s career…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/V2wQUTjEBvo?si=8jdkwiqvYAQCyEZ9

The end of the year is upon us, and All Elite Wrestling intends to close 2023 with a bang! The celebration begins this Wednesday night in Orlando with the League Finals of the Continental Classic and a ROH World Tag Team Championship match with huge implications for both the WORLDS END pay-per-view event going down Saturday night, as well this entire Devil mystery that’s been looming over MJF, and by proxy anyone around him, for the last couple months!

The final DYNAMITE of 2023 begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER, a wild HEY!(EW) with Danhausen, and more!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC LEAGUE FINALS…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/LU3wnm1bPS8?si=0FduJdMmtMZqim86

Final Standings

Gold League

Jon Moxley (12)

Swerve Strickland (12)

Jay White (12)

Rush (6)

Mark Briscoe (3)

Jay Lethal (0)

Blue League

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (10)

ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (9)

Andrade El Idolo (9)

Brody King (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (6)

Daniel Garcia (3)

BLUE LEAGUE FINALS

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson(10) vs. 

ROH World & NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston(9)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/j6aos9OJbgM?si=b9CqoTfFE790s3nU

There is a glee quite apparent in Bryan Danielson when he throws insults at Eddie Kingston, when he disrespects the ROH World Champion. It was there when he came out after Kingston’s extremely hard-fought victory over Andrade El Idolo, and it was there when Danielson provided his thoughts on the Finals after event ended. “Bum” is Danielson’s favorite label for the NJPW STRONG OPENWEIGHT Champion, and he intends to stomp that into the consciousness of the AEW faithful, as well as Eddie’s skull, this week in Orlando…

As for Kingston, he is the underdog, but he’s the one still standing, the one who is still here, and who takes pride in being “the king of the bums”. He is the man Bryan, as well as others, have judged harshly since the beginning of his career, and while some of that judgment has been warranted (Eddie himself is the first one to own up to his own mistakes), what those people have never done is accepted, or acknowledged, his growth as a person. They still see the same Eddie they met twenty years ago, not the man he’s become through his struggles and mistakes and problems, and thus they don’t see the fighter he has become inside the ring either. They don’t see the man who earned the ROH World Championship from Claudio, and won the NJPW STRONG OPENWEIGHT Championship over KENTA. They don’t see a man who, this year alone, beat Minoru Suzuki, Satoshi Kojima, beat SHINGO while competing in his first G1 CLIMAX tournament, fought in DDT Pro Wrestling alongside Jun Akiyama, and is the man responsible for Jay White being excommunicated from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Eddie Kingston is also the reason the winner of this tournament will walk away a Triple Crown Champion because he was brave enough to put his two championship titles into the mix…

With the Continental Classic Finals taking place as part of WORLDS END, all that remains is to determine the winner of each league, and this massive grudge match is all the remains of the Blue! Bryan Danielson has won all three of their previous singles matches, and was on the winning side of a 2009 Trios match that featured Bryan teaming with Claudio and Dave Taylor to take on Kingston, the late Brodie Lee, and Grizzly Redwood. Coincidentally, the only time the two men ever stood on the same side of the ring, Anarchy in the Arena at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022, they lost the battle when Danielson was choked out by The Jericho Appreciation Society. 

Suffice it to say there is a lot on the line with this battle, some of it going far behind the standard win and loss. It’s a berth in the finals at WORLDS END, it is Kingston’s status as the ROH World and NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, it’s the potential to challenge for the American Triple Crown, it is pride and respect and all the things that make professional wrestling the greatest sport on Earth!

GOLD LEAGUE FINALS

“Switchblade” Jay White(12) vs. Jon Moxley(12) vs. Swerve Strickland(12)

As the Gold League barreled towards its conclusion it became clear that Jon Moxley, due to the 12 points he carried into the last night of the points battle, would be part of the Finals taking place this Wednesday in Orlando. The only question was just who would Moxley be facing in the Gold League Finals, and what condition he would be in for that fight. The elusive concept of momentum was certainly on Mox’s side, he’d won four straight bouts in the tournament not to mention fourteen of his last sixteen one-on-one bouts, with two of those losses coming in AEW International Championship situations while the third was in a Three Way bout where Trent Beretta pinned Penta El Zero Miedo. 

Then the hammer fell in the fifth fight of the tournament, Jay White versus Jon Moxley, with Jay White’s tournament future hanging in the balance. If “Switchblade” lost, he was entirely dependent on Swerve Strickland falling to RUSH in order to have some hope of making it to the Finals, and even then he, Swerve, and RUSH would’ve been locked in a three way tie at nine points that wouldn’t have guaranteed White anything. So the end result of “King Switch” sliding out of a Paradigm Shift attempt to drill Moxley with a Bladerunner and score the pinfall victory was the perfect outcome for Jay White; it insured that he, at least, was tied with Moxley at 12 points while also holding a victory over the man. 

In the remaining match affecting the Gold League Finals, Swerve Strickland was able to rebound from his loss to Moxley the week prior and overcome RUSH, meaning Strickland was also part of the 12-point club, and forcing the League Finals to be contested as a Three Way bout. After all in the head-to-head battles, Moxley beat Swerve, Swerve beat Jay White, and White beat Moxley, meaning no one man had a definitive case for being selected ahead of the other as was the case in the Blue League where while Eddie and Andrade were tied in points, Kingston held the head-to-head victory on El Idolo. 

So that brings us to Orlando where Moxley, Swerve, and “Switchblade” will fight it out in a Three Way Bout to determine who heads to WORLDS END for the Continental Classic Finals! While the Blue League Finals are loaded with the personal issues between Danielson and Kingston, this fight is all about who will be the better wrestler on Wednesday night! It’s about the love of competition, the desire to be the best, and the grit to fight against all odds just to get one step closer to that American Triple Crown Championship awaiting the tournament winner on Saturday! This fight here, this entire tournament, is a testament to what professional wrestling can be and why so many strive to make it their profession. This is heart and love and passion and guts and glory all rolled into one tournament, and as it draws closer to its end, the world sees just who has the deepest well on the deepest roster of talented assembled under one roof!

ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

MJF(c) & Samoa Joe (Substitute for Adam Cole)

vs.

???????

https://www.youtube.com/embed/MfbA8lbQrOI?si=3Mf4nYG_pjOza0aW

For three months a Devil has lurked among the locker rooms of the arenas where All Elite Wrestling has traveled, first announcing their arrival with an assault on Jay White at the close of the September 27th DYNAMITE, and most recently challenging MJF to put the ROH World Tag Titles on the line this Wednesday night in Orlando. The details between those two events is where the Devil’s mystery has lived, making a victim of individuals who align themselves with Maxwell Jacob Friedman (such as The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass) just as much as those who oppose the AEW World Champion (Hangman Page and Jay White), and apparently even MJF himself, though as Samoa Joe pointed out, the assault on Max just happened to be the only one not at least partially captured by cameras.

We’ve heard Roderick Strong and The Kingdom shout at the top of their lungs to all who will listen that it’s all just MJF pulling a ruse, that he himself is The Devil and simply using the tools at hand to pull the wool over everyone else’s eyes. They’ve got a group of masked individuals carrying out the attacks, they’ve yet to stand in the same space as MJF much less breathe the same air, and all interaction between the two has been over a video screen that could just be pre-recorded. It’s not impossible for MJF to pull this off, difficult yes, but not impossible, and the fact he’s spent the vast majority of his time in AEW being generally detestable also makes it a bit more reasonable he could be the man behind the mask.

Yet MJF is answering the challenge for a ROH World Tag Team title fight this Wednesday on DYNAMITE despite the impending AEW World Championship fight with Samoa Joe on Saturday, or perhaps, to be more accurate, that should read Samoa Joe is accepting a fight with The Devil (or his lackeys or both) on MJF’s behalf. Up until that moment last Wednesday, Samoa Joe had tried to be a voice of reason, a cooler head, while the AEW World Champ was running off taking every fight he presented, or picking ones he didn’t need . Yet in that moment, it was Joe who threw rationality out the window and accepted this tag title fight against a pair of unknown opponents, presumably to finally remove it as a distraction from the AEW World Championship fight ahead.

So will we all finally get to see what’s behind the mask of the Devil? Or will this be just another part of the game as it was last time Joe and MJF anticipated fighting their masked men? Will the final DYNAMITE of 2023 bring MFJ’s final night as ROH World Tag Champion, or the final night of The Devil’s games?

MARIAH MAY & RENEE…

While “Timeless” Toni Storm may be perpetually unaware of who Mariah May is, it is very clear that the fans of AEW know given their response to Mariah stating she’s medically cleared and her wrestling license is good to go. They are aware of her history with STARDOM, her work put in throughout England, and are eager to see what she brings to the table for All Elite Wrestling’s Women’s Division. It seems it is just a matter of time until Mariah May makes her debut, and maybe Toni Storm will even be in attendance for it, so perhaps there will be some answers to be head when Renee Paquette is joined by the former Goddesses of Stardom (Tag Team) Champion! Will we finally get a date for that debut match?

A FRIENDSHIP FRACTURED…

Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

They were friends, allies, at one point, but Skye Blue being affected by Julia Hart’s black mist changed all that. She and Kris Statlander have drifted ever since that date, despite efforts Willow Nightingale made to keep fences mended, but perhaps Skye’s failure to capture the TBS Championship on COLLISION, and watching it go to Julia Hart on FULL GEAR 2023, fully broke the woman and turned her to Julia’s side against Abadon.

Now these two former friends will clash once again, but the status quo of their relationship is quite different now, meaning this one is going to be a bit more violent than the others. There is animosity, betrayal, and disappointment, and now they can have it out before the end of 2023!

The last DYNAMITE of 2023 comes to you from Orlando, FL this Wednesday with the Blue & Gold League finals in Continental Classic as well as a ROH World Tag Team Championship match with potential ramifications on the AEW World Championship match at  WORLDS END this Saturday! We will see Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson fight for the top spot in the Blue League while Jon Moxley, Swerve Strickland, and Jay White battle for leadership of the Gold League! Plus Samoa Joe teams up with MJF one last time to defend the ROH World Tag Titles against…someone…from the Devil’s camp. Could it be the Devil himself? More masked men? We will see this Wednesday in Orlando, and perhaps the mask will finally come off! 

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

https://www.youtube.com/embed/RFklO9-KTv4?si=YjU6p81ZgjjPcdzw

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

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

https://www.youtube.com/embed/XVr2C1uv2Jg?si=3NC52TzkurtlvMbu

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

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: BLUE LEAGUE…

Standings

Andrade El Idolo (9)

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (9)

Brody King (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (6)

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

Daniel Garcia (0)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A CHAMPION RETURNS…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AEW TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

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

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

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

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

ONE-ON-ONE…

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

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

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

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

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

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

All Elite Wrestling is coming back to San Antonio, TX this Saturday night for our debut at the Frost Bank Center, and with it comes an all-new, loaded edition of COLLISION! The Blue League battle for points wraps up this Saturday with Castagnoli versus Danielson, Kingston battling Andrade, and Garcia fighting King! Plus, the AEW World Trios Championship will be at stake when Daddy Ass and The Acclaimed return to action against Top Flight and Action Andretti, while San Antonio’s own Thunder Rosa returns after sixteen months to team with Abadon for a fight with TBS Champion Julia Hart and Skye Blue!  COLLISION begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and to get prepared for it all, drop by the official AEW YouTube channel to watch highlights from this week’s editions of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as events from the last COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!

“AEW: Worlds End” PPV Available in Select Out-Of-Home Establishments on Saturday, December 30

Dec. 22, 2023 – AEW and Joe Hand Promotions will bring All Elite Wrestling’s “AEW: Worlds End”

pay-per-view event to select out-of-home establishments including theaters and

bars/restaurants across North America Saturday, December 30 starting at 7 p.m. ET.

To locate a participating establishment, fans in North America can check the Joe Hand

Promotions website HERE.

The card for “AEW: Full Gear” includes the following match-ups:

• AEW World Championship: MJF (c) vs Samoa Joe

• AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Riho

• Continental Classic Tournament Finals: Blue League Winner vs. Gold League Winner

*Card subject to change

“We are thrilled to stand alongside AEW as they deliver another epic event in the form of Worlds

End,” said Joe Hand, Jr., President of Joe Hand Promotions. “Our commitment to the AEW

community remains unwavering, and we anticipate an unforgettable night of wrestling action on

Dec. 30. Whether you gather at select Dave & Buster’s locations or experience the event in your

favorite premier movie theaters across the nation you will witness the excitement and

camaraderie that make AEW events truly special.”

ABOUT AEW

Founded by CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan in 2019, AEW is a red-hot professional

wrestling promotion featuring a world-class roster that is injecting new spirit, freshness and energy

into the industry. “AEW: Dynamite” airs every Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. ET on TBS, “AEW:

Rampage” airs every Friday from 10-11 p.m. ET on TNT, and “AEW: Collision” airs every Saturday

from 8-10 p.m. ET on TNT. For more info, check out Twitter.com/AEW; Instagram.com/AEW;

YouTube.com/AEW; Facebook.com/AEW

ABOUT JOE HAND PROMOTIONS

Joe Hand Promotions brings fan communities from mainstream sports and entertainment into

the top corporate and independently owned bars and restaurants, theaters, casinos, and other

commercial establishments to provide the best viewing experience outside of the arena. As the

commercial content partner for some of the nation’s top live-sports media properties, Joe Hand

Promotions is the leader in the out-of-home live sports and entertainment media distribution industry. For over 50 years, Joe Hand Promotions has seamlessly connected commercial

establishments with live sports, which has successfully driven traffic and increased revenues,

time and time again. The Joe Hand Promotions team is more than the distributor, but also the

advisor in this fast-growing industry.

— Tonight’s “AEW: Dynamite” Continental Classic Matches Benefit the Tournament for Tots, Helping Families in Need This Holiday Season —

December 20, 2023 – During tonight’s live episode of “AEW: Dynamite,” AEW, Jazwares and TBS are celebrating their partnership with Toys for Tots, where during the holiday season, more than 50,000 AEW toys – valued at more than $1 million – were sent to families in need. The first-ever Tournament for Tots, as part of tonight’s Gold League matchups in the AEW Continental Classic, will highlight the charitable efforts by AEW, Jazwares, TBS and Toys for Tots to reach families ahead of the holidays.

Fans can still get involved and contribute to the campaign by making a donation at toysfortots.org. Last week, AEW Together brought members of the roster to Dallas to hand out toys to families in person, and several Marine families are visiting Oklahoma City tonight to enjoy “AEW: Dynamite” and help celebrate the partnership.

To learn more about upcoming community activations and how to partner with AEW Together, please visit AEWTogether.org.

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For the first time in AEW history, All Elite Wrestling heads to Oklahoma and the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City! With WORLDS END just ten days away, the last bouts of the Continental Classic Gold League will go down Wednesday night, setting up the Finals in Orlando next Wednesday on DYNAMITE!

Jon Moxley versus Jay White, Swerve Strickland versus RUSH, and Jay Lethal versus Mark Briscoe are all on tap for this Wednesday with the potential for some intriguing results to be explored shortly. Suffice to say, while Jon Moxley may not be as comfortable as his twelve points would make it seem. In addition, Roderick Strong goes one-on-one with Komander, Saraya faces Riho for the right to challenge Toni Storm on the line, and we will hear from both AEW World Champion MJF and his WORLDS END challenger Samoa Joe!

DYNAMITE gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER, and don’t forget to check out one of the best professional wrestling events of the year FINAL BATTLE 2023 over at ROH Honor Club (www.watchroh.com)!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: GOLD LEAGUE

Standings

Jon Moxley (12)

Swerve Strickland (9)

Jay White (9)

RUSH (6)

Mark Briscoe (0)

Jay Lethal (0)

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Jon Moxley(12) vs. Jay White(9)

For the last week, Moxley has been on top of the Continental Classic’s Gold League with 12 points, but as soon as the night begins on Wednesday, there’s the possibility that he will not get any higher and could even end up sharing the top spot depending on how RUSH/Swerve plays out. It’s a sure thing that Jon Moxley will end up in the Finals of the Gold League next week in Orlando, it’s just a matter of what things will look like once the former 3-TIME AEW World Champion gets there. The man who could stop Moxley from being the undisputed points king of the Gold League is none other than “Switchblade” Jay White!

Now White has managed, on his own merit and without BULLET CLUB GOLD involvement, to bounce back from his loss to Swerve Strickland and win his last two tournament bouts to net a total of nine points. Those wins have put him on the precipice of tying up the top spot with Moxley at twelve points, all “Switchblade” has to do is repeat the performance he had against Moxley in their 2019 G1 Climax bout for New Japan. That night, in the first and last singles match between the two prior to this Wednesday, it was White who took home the victory en route to his loss in the tournament finals against Kota Ibushi, and helped stifle Moxley’s strong push towards winning the B Block that year. 

Will this Wednesday be a repeat of that outcome with a “Switchblade” Jay White victory? Or will we see Moxley run the table, net 15 points, and head to Orlando to meet one of the several possibilities that await him in the Gold League Finals? What are those possibilities? Read on to see how this half of the Continental Classic could play out…

Swerve Strickland(9) vs. RUSH(6)

Undaunted; that is what Swerve Strickland appears to be following his loss to Jon Moxley last week, a loss that kept him from claiming the position as points leader in the Gold League, at least for the time being. Strickland seems to garner motivation from loses such as that one, loses he can learn from to become a better competitor, loses that push him to improve and come back stronger. When that loss comes against one of the best in the game, well there is a great deal to take away form it but it call comes down to if a competitor is capable of seeing their flaws and getting better, or if they’re only capable of placing blame elsewhere. In this instance, Swerve seems completely capable of seeing where he went wrong to insure he doesn’t make the same mistake when he and Moxley meet again, and the possibility is very real they could fight against next week in the Gold League Finals.

The match of it breaks down like this: Moxley is at the top of the field with 12 points but both Jay White and Swerve Strickland could move up to into a tie with the former 3-Time AEW World Champion, and “Switchblade” would be doing so at the expense of Moxley. Should Moxley lose to Jay White, and Swerve beat RUSH, then we have ourselves a three-way tie at the top with each man sporting 12 points. Should Moxley win, he is the undisputed points winner of the Gold League and it’s just a matter of whether Swerve or RUSH wins this fight. See RUSH saved himself last week with that victory over Jay Lethal, staying alive for another week, but entirely dependent on how others perform in these last matches to make it to the second spot in the finals, and even then he won’t be alone.

As stated, a Moxley win nets 15 and makes him the king of the Gold League in terms of points, whereas a “Switchblade” victory ties them up at 12. Should Swerve win to get 12, he’s either tied with Jay White at 12 or there’s a three way tie at 12, but if RUSH wins to bump to 9 points, then both he and Swerve sit at 9 with the potential that Jay White could also end up at 9, creating a three way tie for the second spot in the Gold League Finals. Either that or, worst case scenario for the two men in this match, White wins and RUSH wins, tying “Switchblade” up with Moxley at 12 points, and insuring a rematch between the two in the Finals. That’s just scratching the surface of what could happen without looking at the possibility of draws in either match!

There are a multitude of ways this could go down, but nothing will be for sure until the final bell rings on the last Continental Classic match of the night! The only thing we know for certain at this moment is that neither of the men involved in the third Continental Classic bout of the night will be a factor in the Gold League Finals…

Mark Briscoe(0) vs. Jay Lethal(0)

Here we have two men with, on paper, nothing left to fight for in the Continental Classic. They both lost their previous four matches, have scored zero points despite their best efforts, and yet in the face of what could be a depressing, heartbreaking situation leading either man to throw in the towel, Jay Lethal and Mark Briscoe have found something to fight for: honor.

The history of these two men dates back twenty years to the formative days of each man’s career, and even saw The Briscoes face the Special K duo of Lethal (then Hydro) and Deranged as part of a Gauntlet Match for the ROH Tag Team Titles at GLORY BY HONOR II in 2003. The two would have their first singles match of record at GATEWAY TO HONOR 2011, a Proving Ground match during Lethal’s 1st ROH World TV Title reign, and would go one-on-one several more times in ROH, with Lethal getting the victory in all but one situation, and only because that one time ended in a No Contest.

In AEW they’ve had one match, back on the January 25th edition of DYNAMITE, a bout to honor the late Jay Briscoe, and one of the most emotional matches ever presented on AEW television. Mark finally got a victory over Jay Lethal on that night, and as sweet as that may have been, ultimately the fight was about honoring the memory of our fallen brother more than about who actually won the contest.

Though they’ve had their issues, primarily stemming from Lethal’s choice to associate with The Jarretts, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh, Jay Lethal and Mark Briscoe are still bonded, through shared history, through the fights they’ve had together, and through their experiences with Ring of Honor. There’s something unique to those men and women who came through the ROH ranks during the first twenty years, especially those who were there in 2002 when The Murphy Rec Center in Philly was the home of honor. Mark and Jay are two such competitors, and it seems they found their reason to fight this Wednesday night by looking back to that history, focusing on those letters, and putting Honor before everything else.

ONE-ON-ONE…

Roderick Strong vs. Komander

Roderick Strong is clearly just picking fights now that he’s decided to get back into active competition; he did it with Action Andretti and now he’s doing it with Komander, a man who did nothing more than have the audacity to show up and show out at both FINAL BATTLE 2023 (www.watchroh.com) and on last week’s RAMPAGE. Komander may not have been on the winning end of either Survival of the Fittest 2023 or that epic Trios Match, but he absolutely showed he’s got the tools to be a top tier player in AEW or ROH, as well as add more titles to a mantle already holding the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship.

So it will be this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE that Roderick Strong and Komander go head-to-head in their first meeting, and there’s little doubt that The Kingdom will be close at hand. Wherever Roderick goes, so too do Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, and Komander might want to bring some back-up of his own to even the odds lest he fall victim to a piledriver and a…groin…punch from Bennett to soften him up for Roddy!

WORLDS END OR BUST…

Riho vs. Saraya

***WINNER FACES AEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPION TONI STORM AT WORLDS END***

When she last stepped onto the AEW stage Riho back in April, it was with the dual purpose of fighting for the AEW Women’s World Championship held at the time by Jamie Hayter and in defense of the AEW Women’s locker room in the face of The Outcasts. Unfortunately the former AEW Women’s World Champion failed in both missions, losing to Hayter on the April 5th edition of DYNAMITE, and being decimated by The Outcasts one week later following a tag match loss to Ruby and Toni Storm.

So it came as no surprise that, upon her return to the fold, Riho’s first order of business was last week’s match with Ruby Soho, a match that ended in Riho’s favor, and now this week it continues with a bout against Saraya. Not only is it a fight with the Outcast member, but it is also one upon which the future of the AEW Women’s World Championship hangs!

See to the winner of this contest on Wednesday night go the spoils of fighting “Timeless” Toni Storm at WORLDS END with the AEW Women’s World Championship at stake! So there is still the possibility for Riho to achieve one of the goals she first set for herself last Spring; as for the other one, well The Outcasts did a grand job of imploding all by themselves, starting with Toni Storm being blackballed from their stage, and continuing with this separation of Saraya and Soho:

So that will be the question this Wednesday won’t it? Can Saraya pull off this all-important victory by herself, without Ruby Soho in her corner, or has she pulled Anna Jay into her corner based on their mutual issues with the entire Cool Hand Ang/Ruby situation? After all, Anna was Saraya’s side a week ago when she interrupted Parker and Menard’s words before their tag match in Montreal…

THE CHAMP AND THE CHALLENGER…

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When last we saw AEW World & ROH World Tag Champion MJF, he was face down on the concrete after apparently being struck in the head with a beer bottle. The conclusion was made by Samoa Joe that the presence of the beer bottle meant Hangman Page was responsible, and the confrontation earlier in the night between the former AEW World Champion and the current further reinforced Joe’s beliefs.

Well the last time we saw Samoa Joe, he was standing face-to-face with that former World Champion and telling Page straight up that he knows Hangman was responsible for the attack on Max and thus, presumably, was also the man behind the devil’s mask that’d been stolen from MJF’s bags weeks ago. 

At the end of the night last Wednesday, fans all witnessed Hangman end up another victim of The Devil’s masked men, this time in the parking lot outside the arena, and essentially eradicating any notion that Page was still a suspect. After all, if it’s possible to believe Hangman staged his own assault, than one must accept the possibility that MJF staged his own, or Jay White staged his, or that even The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn stage theirs. Occam’s Razor would suggest removing any victim of The Devil or his ilk from suspicion, and looking elsewhere for suspects.

So perhaps this Wednesday night, when we hear from both champion and challenger, we will all get fresh illumination on the subject. Perhaps MJF saw something or heard something during his attack that points a finger in the right direction, any clue would help unravel this tangled web, and perhaps allow MJF to focus solely on this impeding fight with Samoa Joe.

DYNAMITE debuts in Oklahoma City, OK this Wednesday night Paycom Center and we’ve got the three final bouts in Continental Classic: Gold League on tap! Jay White and Jon Moxley, the winless Mark Briscoe versus the winless Jay Lethal, and RUSH fighting Swerve! Plus former ROH Women’s World Champion Riho battles Saraya for the right to move on to a WORLDS END championship fight with Toni Storm, Roderick Strong will be in action against Komander, and we will hear from both AEW World/ROH World Tag Champion MJF and Samoa Joe!

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

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Tonight’s AEW COLLISION: Winter Is Coming was broadcast from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX!

It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!

Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

Continental Classic Tournament: Blue League Match!

Andrade El Idolo (9) vs. Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli (3)!

Claudio Castagnoli locked up with Andrade and back him into the corner. Andrade powered out and rammed Claudio with a shoulder block. Claudio fired back with a standing clothesline. Andrade connected with a crossbody for a two-count. 

Andrade jumped over the top rope to Claudio on the arena floor, but Claudio countered with a European uppercut. Andrade used two dragon screw leg whips, but Claudio couldn’t be contained and blasted Andrade El Idolo with a pop up European uppercut.

Claudio hurled Andrade around the ring with the Big Swing! Claudio applied the sharpshooter. Andrade escaped and reversed the sharpshooter into a figure four!

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that!” said Tony Schiavone.

Claudio used his upper body strength to reach the bottom rope and force the ref to break the hold. Andrade climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Claudio met him up there. Andrade took down Claudio with a sunset flip powerbomb. Andrade charged at Claudio and crashed into him with a running knee strike. Andrade exposed the top turnbuckle but Claudio superplexed him. Andrade rallied back with two suplexes of his own. Andrade blasted Claudio with a pump kick and then a spinning back elbow for a near fall!

The fans chanted “A-E-W! A-E-W!”

Claudio knocked Andrade off the top turnbuckle and Andrade landed hard on the exposed turnbuckle. As the ref turned his back to put the turnbuckle pad back on, Claudio cracked Andrade with a low blow. Claudio followed up with a Gotch style piledriver and pinned Andrade!

“Claudio stays alive, and this tightens things up in the Blue League!” said Kevin Kelly.

Abadon vs. Jazmin Allure!

Abadon grounded and pounded Allure. Jazmin retaliated with a thrust kick, but Abadon absorbed it. Abadon ended things with the Black Dahlia and pinned Allure.

The arena lights went out! Julia Hart appeared in the ring and dangled the TBS Championship in front of Abadon. 

Abadon lunged at Julia and then nailed Julia with a running knee strike. Abadon picked up the TBS Championship. Skye Blue ran into the ring and attacked Abadon! Skye Blue held Abadon while Julia hit Abadon.

Thunder Rosa charged into the ring and hit Skye Blue! Julia Hart and Skye Blue retreated out of the ring. Rosa offered her hand to Abadon and Abadon accepted!

AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass were backstage with Renee Paquette!

Daddy Ass: “You know, Renee, I don’t mean to cut you off, but we have the problem. The problem is Daddy Ass and the Acclaimed are now pissed off. You might have knocked us down, but the problem is we got back up!”

Max Caster: “Calm down. What Billy means is we’re coming for whoever’s under that Devil mask. And MJF, we’re friends, but now I want nothing to do with you. Because you put us in danger, and you didn’t care.”

Anthony Bowens: “What it boils down to is there’s a group of individuals that tried to end our careers. So, consider this the Acclaimed’s search and destroy mission because we’re going to beat your goofy asses the second we figure out who you are! And on top of that, Renee, we’re going to get back to being the best damn Trios in all of AEW history because everyone loves the Acclaimed!”

Top Flight and Action Andretti interrupted them! They said they wanted to clarify that they weren’t the ones who attacked the Acclaimed. They issued a challenge to the Acclaimed. Bowens said he appreciated it, but “wrong place, wrong time. Challenge accepted for next week on Collision. Be ready to fight.”

AEW International Title Match!

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

Orange tried mind games, but Keith chopped at Cassidy. Orange ran off the ropes, but Keith countered with a boot to Orange’s head. Orange Cassidy fired back with a tornado DDT and then a tope suicida to Bryan Keith!

Bryan Keith headbutted Orange and followed up with an exploder suplex off the top rope. Orange countered a gut wrench suplex attempt with a Beach Break for a near fall on Bryan Keith! The Bounty Hunter fired back with a stunner for a near fall on the champ. Cassidy rolled up Keith out of nowhere and pinned him!

Orange offered his hand, but Keith slapped it away. Bryan Keith then tipped his hat at Orange out of respect. 

A vignette aired of “The Redeemer” Miro!

“I am the Redeemer. I don’t want to fight Andrade because he is my wife’s client. I want to fight him because he is an a——! His losing to Claudio in this tournament brings him one step closer to being eliminated. I am done avoiding people to please my wife. I am ready to kill everyone to please myself. I fought the light for so long that I let my darkness consume me. This is the word of the Redeemer.”

Lexy Nair was backstage with Komander to interview him!

They were interrupted by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom—Mike Bennett and Matt Taven!

Roderick Strong: “Hey, despite all the good things she’s saying about you, you didn’t win last night, and that’s not good. You see, I am a former Ring of Honor Television Champion. And a Survival of the Fittest winner.”

Matt Taven: “I won the TV Title my very first night under contract.”

Roderick Strong: “So I just wanted to let you know this. I myself am looking to get back on the horse, pun intended. And fellas, I think I found my next victim: Komander!”

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

Cash Wheeler: “House of Black, let me say first and foremost, if you have a problem with us, no more magic, no more sneak attacks. Come out here and speak to us face to face. I’ll tell you I think your problem is you’ve seen the success we’ve had in the past three years here in AEW. We came here and we’ve had the best run of our careers. 

“We have been the Ring of Honor, the Triple A, the New Japan, and two-time AEW World Tag Team Champions. And you two, you’re still just unrealized potential. I think you’re mad at yourselves. I think you see the success that Brody has had in the Continental Classic and you’re jealous of that. I think you’ve seen the success that Julia has had and you’re jealous of that. But you’re not going to take your anger out on yourselves. You’re not going to direct it at yourselves. You’re going to direct it at the living legends.”

Dax Harwood: “You can say we’re not the best looking, and that’s ok. You can say we’re not the flashiest. I’ve even heard we’re hard to do business with. But there’s one thing that you can’t say about FTR and that’s we’ll back down from a fight.

“I don’t mind taking an ass whooping. Half of my life I’ve fought men for money. And that’s ok but I do have a problem with a sucker punch from behind. And I’m going to lay out a challenge, first time ever. House of Black—”

Dax’s microphone went dead and then the arena lights went dark!

The House of Black appeared on the big screen. Buddy Matthews told FTR that they were here to prove a point that no one in the back has FTR’s back. “Mark Briscoe, he won’t save you. Dax, your wife, your kid, they won’t save you. Everyone you love won’t save you. But I want to direct this question to Cash. Who loves you? All these people love Dax, but who loves you? I’ll tell you who loves you. We love you. We embrace you. We welcome you. We welcome both of you. Be in our family.”

Malakai Black: “See there’s this thing, this constant here, that this is personal. It’s not personal. No, this is what happens when we have to prove a point so aggressively that it even hurts us. Because this is love. Because let me ask you this question. When we attacked you, who came to save you? No one. So, did we lie? No, we did not lie.

“And if I were to make it personal, I would have a picture of you, of your wife, and your daughter, and I would do this to it.”

Buddy held up the picture while Malakai lit it on fire. 

Malakai Black: “Symbolic. Like it or not, we’re your family now.”

Texas Street Fight Match!

Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez & Diamante!

Mercedes smashed a bottle over Willow’s head! Kris spiked Diamante with a DDT onto a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. Kris and Willow rammed Mercedes with a metal step ladder!

Mercedes cracked Willow with a crowbar across the back. Mercedes booted Willow in the head. Willow pounced Diamante and then smashed a board against Diamante’s back. Statlander rocked Mercedes with Saturday Night Fever for a near fall!

Diamante cracked Kris with a briefcase. Diamante opened the briefcase and dumped the contents all over the mat—shards of glass and thumbtacks! Mercedes dug Kris’ face into the tacks. Mercedes power bombed Willow off the apron and through a table on the arena floor!

Kris Statlander had her hand wrapped with a steel chain. Statlander hit the knockout blow on Diamante and then pinned her!

Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm and Mariah May!

Renee said whoever won between Saraya and Riho would face Storm at World’s End, and she asked Storm if she had a preference of who she faced.

Storm: “Not really.”

Renee asked Mariah if there was any update on who were debut opponent might be.

Mariah May: “Well Tony Khan helped me apply for my American wrestling license so very soon and Miss Storm you were sensational on commentary on Dynamite. And I was hoping you could commentate my first match.”

Toni Storm: “Darling, I am very busy.”

Mariah May: “That’s okay. Maybe you could check it out and offer some pointers.”

Toni Storm: “Darling, I am very busy but next time I hold a seminar you’ll be the very first to know. And as for Riho and Saraya, go ahead and go out there and slap each other around. Rip each other’s hair out. And at Worlds End I’ll be facing either one of two bland baldies. 

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion “The Machine” Brian Cage (with Prince Nana)

vs.

Kerry Wright!

Cage clobbered Kerry right out of the gate! Cage German suplexed Wright. Cage power bombed Kerry and then crushed him with the Drill Claw, scoring the pin!

“Who’s going to stop that monster?” asked Kevin Kelly.

Lexy Nair interviewed Brian Cage, the Gates of Agony, and Prince Nana backstage!

They said they were on a roll, this was Swerve’s house, but they were living in it.

“Limitless” Keith Lee interrupted.

Keith Lee: “Congratulations are in order. However, to celebrate, you can tell him, my patience runs thin, and time is running out.”

Continental Classic Tournament: Blue League Match!

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

vs.

Daniel Garcia (0)!

Matt Menard joined the broadcast booth for this match. 

Daniel Garcia and Eddie Kingston traded chops. Eddie used a back heel trip on Garcia. Daniel Garcia stunned Kingston with a dragon screw leg whip off the apron. Kingston fired back with a belly to belly suplex. Kingston nailed Garcia with a DDT.

Kingston blasted Garcia with machine gun rapid fire chops. Kingston was like a man possessed. Garcia mocked Kingston. Garcia got his second wind and broke through the defense of Kingston. Garcia applied a kneebar on Kingston, but Kingston managed to reach the ropes.

Garcia put Kingston in a leg lock, but Eddie grabbed the ropes and escaped one more time. Garcia charged at Kingston, but Kingston countered with an exploder and then a spinning back fist for a two-count!

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

Garcia rocked Kingston with a suplex. Kingston’s leg gave out and Garcia grabbed him and hurled him with another stiff suplex for a near fall. Kingston fired back with a half and half suplex and then a spinning back fist and scored the pin on Garcia!

Continental Classic Tournament: Blue League Match!

House of Black’s Brody King (6) vs. Blackpool Combat Club’s Bryan Danielson (6)!

Danielson kicked at Brody’s legs. Brody went after Bryan’s surgically repaired eye. Brody chopped Danielson in the throat! Brody splashed Danielson in the corner with a cannonball!

Brody smashed Danielson’s head across the announcers’ desk. Brody whipped Danielson into the steel barricade. Brody put Danielson on a chair and then splashed him, sandwiching Danielson between himself and the barricade!

Danielson was able to regain some momentum with a diving knee off the apron. Danielson hit a missile dropkick. Danielson returned to kicking Brody and inflicting damage to Brody’s knee. Brody retaliated with a lariat off the second turnbuckle.

Brody was looking for a cannonball, but Bryan tripped up Brody and applied a single crab. Brody kicked himself free, stunning Danielson. The American Dragon chopped away at big Brody with round kicks. Danielson grabbed Brody’s wrists and began stomping on him. Danielson switched to the hammer and anvil elbow strikes. Brody mustered the strength for a Death Valley Driver on Danielson for a near fall. 

Danielson used his trademark knee strike on Brody, but Brody kicked out at one! Brody smashed Danielson with a lariat for a near fall! Danielson smacked Brody in the face with the running knee and then caught him in the back of the head with another knee strike, finally scoring the pin on Brody King!

“What a battle,” said Tony Schiavone.

“Bryan Danielson has inched forward to nine points,” added Kevin Kelly. 

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK!

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

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

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

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: BLUE LEAGUE…

Standings

Andrade El Idolo (9)

Brody King (6)

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (3)

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

Daniel Garcia (0)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

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

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

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

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

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

All Elite Wrestling has called Garland, TX and the Curtis Culwell Center home since 2019, and for the first time we are bringing COLLISION action to town! The Blue League tournament action heads into its fourth round with Castagnoli versus Andrade, Kingston battling Garcia, and Danielson tackling King! COLLISION begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and to get prepared for it all, drop by the official AEW YouTube channel to watch highlights from this week’s editions of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as events from the last COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!

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

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

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

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

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: GOLD LEAGUE..

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

Standings

Jon Moxley (9)

Swerve Strickland (9)

Jay White (6)

Rush (3)

Mark Briscoe (0)

Jay Lethal (0)

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

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

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

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

Rush (3) vs. Jay Lethal (0)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: BLUE LEAGUE…

Standings

Brody King (6)

Andrade El Idolo (6)

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (3)

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

Daniel Garcia (0)

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

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

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

ONE-ON-ONE…

Roderick Strong vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

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

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

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

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

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

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

VENGEANCE…

Ruby Soho vs. Riho

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

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

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

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

JOE! JOE! JOE!

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

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

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

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

THE GOLDEN JETS…

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

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

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

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast from the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC!

It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!

Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

Continental Classic Blue League Standings:

Brody King (6)

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (3)

Andrade El Idolo (3)

ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (0)

Daniel Garcia (0)

Continental Classic Tournament: Blue League Match!

Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli 

vs. 

ROH World Champion/NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston!

Kingston cracked Claudio with a spinning backfist. Claudio left the ring and Eddie followed up with a tope suicida. Things were intense right out of the gates, with Kingston trying to finish Claudio early. Claudio pancaked Kingston, his face slammed into the mat, good for a two-count.

Claudio clotheslines Kingston, who was on the apron of the ring. Claudio connected with a big double stomp on the sternum of Kingston. Claudio ducked a chop and put Kingston in the Giant Swing! Claudio transitioned into the sharpshooter. Kingston reached the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold.

Claudio battered Kingston in the corner with vicious forearms. Eddie was dazed. Claudio blasted Kingston with a short arm lariat. 

The fans chanted “Let’s go Eddie! Let’s go Eddie!”

“Eddie may be out here. He can’t even get his hands up,” said Tony Schiavone.

Claudio pulled Eddie to his feet and hoisted him up onto the top turnbuckle. Claudio dug his fingernails into Eddie’s back and then superplexed Eddie! Claudio grabbed a waist lock suplex for a two-count on Eddie.

“Claudio just toying with Eddie, asking him to fire up,” said Schiavone.

Eddie responded with two exploder suplexes on Claudio for a near fall.

“It looks like Eddie has flipped the switch,” said Kevin Kelly.

Kingston fired off machine gun chops to Claudio. Kingston rocked Claudio with a lariat for a two-count. Claudio countered a knee strike with a suplex. Claudio applied an STF on Kingston at the 15 minute mark. Kingston crawled to the ropes and forced the ref to break the hold. 

Claudio went for the Ricola bomb, but Kingston tried to counter with a spinning backfist. Claudio ducked it and hit a clothesline for a two-count on Kingston. Eddie hit the half-and-half and then two spinning backfists for a near fall on Claudio! Claudio used a hurracanrana, but Eddie rolled up Claudio, pinning him with a cradle!

“Eddie Kingston stays alive! An incredible gut check win for Kingston,” said Tony Schiavone. 

Renee Paquette interviewed FTW Champion HOOK backstage about the consistent issues he’s been having with Wheeler Yuta!

Paquette: “What’s going on with you two?”

ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta walked onto the set and interrupted Renee before HOOK could answer.

Wheeler Yuta: “Renee, I’ll tell you what’s up. Hook you are a paper champion. Renee you shouldn’t be wasting your time with amateurs like this when you could be interviewing honorable guys like myself.”

Hook: “Yeah, real honorable. You kicked Shibata in the balls.”

Wheeler: “Hook, I pinned Shibata in the middle of the ring to become a record-setting three-time Ring of Honor Pure champion. I can do it under Pure rules, but I can do it under your rules too. And I am tired of dealing with you. You’re the one who started this. I’m ready to put you out. So, let’s do it under FTW Rules.”

Hook: “All right.”

Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez (with Diamante)!

Willow clocked Martinez with a clothesline. Willow clubbed Martinez with repeated shots and then a shoulder block. Willow splashed Martinez with a senton. Willow followed Martinez to the floor and Martinez rammed Willow into the edge of the ring. Martinez whipped Willow into the steel barricade.

“That is one vicious lady right there,” said Tony Schiavone. 

Martinez spiked Willow with a draping DDT off the timekeeper’s table! Back in the ring Martinez hit Willow with two vertical suplexes, but Willow countered with her own suplex and then face planted Martinez for a near fall. 

Willow smashed Martinez with a cannonball splash in the turnbuckles. Diamante jumped onto the apron, but Willow knocked her to the arena floor. Martinez used the distraction to her advantage and stunned Willow with a fisherman’s bomb for a two-count. Martinez followed up with a backdrop driver, and then another. Martinez hoisted up Willow and planted her, but Willow managed to roll up Martinez with a small package and pin her!

“How did Willow do it?” asked a shocked Kevin Kelly.

Martinez and Diamante attacked Willow after the match. Diamante pulled a ladder out from beneath the ring and slid it to Martinez, who used it on Willow. 

Kris Statlander ran to the ring with a chain wrapped around her fist! Martinez and Diamante retreated while Statlander checked on Willow.

Renee Paquette interviewed Daddy Magic, Cool Hand Ang, and Jake Hager backstage!

Hager was outraged that Danhausen had stolen his purple bucket hat. “I got bad hat fever!” said Hager.

Ruby Soho showed up and began to smile at Cool Hand Ang. Saraya and Anna Jay walked onto the set. Saraya ordered Daddy Magic to handle the situation. 

Saraya: “We’ve been looking for you all day. What are you hiding?”

Ruby: “Nothing. It’s cold.”

Saraya pulled Ruby’s jacket open and saw she was wearing a Cool Hand Ang t-shirt underneath. 

Saraya: “You’re an evil witch. You’re going to leave me just like her! You haven’t been there for me and I’m not going to be there for you next week when you face Riho, unless you prove to me that you still want to do this.”

Up next: Wardlow vs. Willie Mack!

“Willie Mack is AR Fox’s friend, but you’ve got to be some kind of friend to want to fight Wardlow,” said Kevin Kelly. 

Willie hammered Wardlow with some strikes but then Wardlow dropkicked Willie. Wardlow rocked Willie with uppercuts in the corner. Wardlow headbutted Willie Mack. Willie fired back with a standing moonsault, but Wardlow kicked out at the one-count. Wardlow caught Willie in midair and powerbombed him!

Wardlow powerbombed Willie Mack again and then walloped Willie with a lariat. Wardlow devastated Willie Mack with another powerbomb, and the ref stopped the match! Wardlow was victorious via ref stoppage!

The House of Black had a message for FTR!

Malakai Black: “So your best friend is gone. And the only people that truly seem to care about you, well, it’s us. 

“All Ego” Ethan Page vs. “The Cleaner” Kenny Omega!

“Ethan Page is not 100% right now, after being put through a table by Tony Nese,” noted Tony Schiavone.

Omega charged into Page with a shoulder tackle. Page wailed away at Omega in the corner with stiff shots. Tony Nese was seen scouting the match backstage. 

Ethan Page jumped through the ropes with a cutter on Omega out of nowhere! Omega immediately rolled to the outside, clearly hurt from the cutter. Page followed Omega and whipped Omega into the guardrail. Kenny put the brakes on and then hit a moonsault off the guardrail onto Ethan Page!

Back in the ring Page scoop slammed Omega. Kenny lured Page in and suplexed Page over the ropes and both men spilled out onto the arena floor!

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

Omega powerbombed Page and then targeted him with a V-trigger for a near fall. Page brought down Omega with an Iconoclasm and then a DDT for a near fall. Omega retaliated with a snapdragon suplex. Omega hit a second snapdragon on Ethan Page. 

Page rocked Omega with an avalanche slam off the top rope for a near fall. Omega tried for the One-Winged Angel, but Page countered with a cradle for a near fall. Kenny smashed Page with two V-triggers and then finished him off with the One-Winged Angel, scoring the victory over Page!

“Standing ovation here in Montreal,” said Nigel.

After the match, Big Bill blindsided Kenny Omega with a big boot to the head!

“So now the World Tag Team Champions have put both the Golden Jets down,” noted Kevin Kelly. 

Lexy Nair interviewed CJ Perry backstage when “The Redeemer” Miro interrupted!

Miro: “I am your husband, and I’m trying to figure out when was the last time you said so many good things about me, like you do about Andrade El Idolo? Why are you so mad because I told you to stay home? I am the bread earner and you’re my queen.”

CJ Perry: “Are you really that delusional Miro? I mean, you told me to stay home and cook, clean and listen. And then you denounce me. Make up your mind.”

Miro: “A lady needs to get her hands dirty every now and again. When my dad goes fishing, my mom cleans the fish. When my dad kills bull with his bare hand, my mom guts them. When I hunt, you clean. But don’t worry. I’m not going to touch your client Andrade in this tournament. But once it’s finished, so is he.”

Penta El Zero Miedo & Komander (with Alex Abrahantes)

vs. 

“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard & “Cool Hand” Angelo Parker!

The hometown crowd chanted “Daddy Magic! Daddy Magic!”

Penta El Zero Miedo punted Daddy Magic in the face. Menard offered his hand to Penta, shook it, and then blindsided him. Komander and Parker tagged in for their respective teams. Komander took down Parker with two arm drags and a dropkick. 

Komander and Penta used tandem offense on Parker. Menard charged in and was staggered but stereo thrust kicks. Penta monkey flipped Komander into Parker and Menard! Komander and Penta went for double dives but Menard and Parker crashed the party with stereo forearms.

Penta rallied back with sling blades to Menard and Parker. Komander and Penta connected with double thrust kicks to Parker and Menard. 

“The fans are chanting ‘This is awesome!’ and I would agree,” said Schiavone. 

Menard applied a Montreal Crab to Penta, but Komander charged in and broke it up. Penta picked up Parker for the Fear Factor and then Komander walked the ropes and crashed onto Parker, more than enough to score the pin on Cool Hand Ang!

Main Event Time! Continental Classic Tournament: Blue League Match!

Blackpool Combat Club’s Bryan Danielson vs. Andrade El Idolo!

“The crowd seems to be evenly split with respectful chants for both Andrade and Danielson,” said Kevin Kelly. 

Andrade had a tight side headlock on Danielson, putting pressure on Danielson’s surgically repaired orbital socket. Andrade shoulder blocked Danielson but Danielson came back with a suplex. 

Danielson kicked Andrade but Andrade countered with a dragon screw leg whip. Andrade tried to smash into Danielson with the double knees, but Danielson dodged it. Danielson rocketed out of the ring with a dive to Andrade. 

Andrade ripped off Danielson’s protective mask and nailed him in the eye with a forearm! Danielson was busted open. Andrade El Idolo applied a figure four to Danielson in the center of the ring. Danielson rolled and managed to reach the ropes. 

Andrade headbutted Danielson on the top turnbuckle. Andrade put his thumb in Danielson’s eye socket. They hit one another with open palm strikes. Danielson slapped Andrade off the turnbuckles. Danielson connected with a missile dropkick!

Bryan Danielson punished Andrade El Idolo with round kicks. Danielson tried for the LeBell Lock, but Andrade fought it off. Both men went down after they collided into one another with clotheslines. 

The fans chanted “Fight forever! Fight forever!”

Andrade superplexed Danielson at the 15 minute mark. Andrade grabbed a near fall after the three amigos suplex. Andrade climbed to the top turnbuckle, looking for a moonsault, but Danielson countered with an avalanche belly to back suplex for a two-count. Danielson applied the LeBell Lock and screamed for Andrade to tap!

Andrade escaped and caught Danielson with a spinning back elbow for a near fall! Danielson’s eye was swelling up. Both men peppered one another with stiff shots to the face. Andrade smashed Danielson with another spinning elbow and then rocked him with double knees in the corner. Andrade spiked Danielson with an arm bar DDT and pinned the American Dragon!

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have seen an unforgettable match here tonight,” said Tony Schiavone. 

Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta ran to the ring to check on Danielson. Claudio shoved Andrade away, but Andrade was merely trying to check on Danielson.

“The concern right now is the condition of Bryan Danielson,” said Tony Schiavone. 

Catch AEW DYNAMITE: Winter Is Coming on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the College Park Center in Arlington, TX!

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

https://www.youtube.com/embed/-GAJk5UbvqM?si=VnTaEho-5PATJejt

As we reach the halfway point, things are heating up with the Continental Classic in both the Gold and Blue League with both Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal eliminated from victory in the Gold, Daniel Garcia (depending greatly on Saturday night) stands on the precipice of suffering the same fate in the Blue following his loss on RAMPAGE, and Eddie Kingston could end up in the same position depending on his COLLISION contest! We are heading full speed toward WORLDS END on December 30th, but there’s a lot of story to be told before All Elite Wrestling gets onto Long Island, and Montreal plays host to the next chapter!

In a clash of Canadians, “All Ego” Ethan Page goes head-to-head with Kenny Omega in their first-ever contest, Willie Mack steps up to defend his friend AR Fox against Wardlow, an old rivalry renews between Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Martinez, and the Blue League continues with Claudio versus Kingston and Danielson versus Andrade!  The night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and to best get prepared for it, visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, to catch highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as events from last week’s COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: BLUE LEAGUE

Standings

Brody King (6)

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (3)

Andrade El Idolo (3)

ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (0)

Daniel Garcia (0)

ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Eddie Kingston (0) vs. Claudio Castagnoli (3)

The history between these two men is well-documented; former training partners, as well as former roommates, whose bad blood blossomed long ago and spilled all over the independent wrestling landscape in the years before Castagnoli left that landscape to ply his trade elsewhere. It was never laid to rest, never settled, and the truth was, even after Eddie Kingston finally defeated Claudio Castagnoli at GRAND SLAM 2023 to win the ROH World Championship, that animosity wasn’t going to fade away even if the two men planned on never fighting each other again. 

Unfortunately for Kingston and Castagnoli, their plan to never have to fight one another again became impossible as soon as the brackets were set for the Continental Classic and both were positioned in the Blue League. That made a conflict inevitable, whereas if they’d been kept in separate leagues then the finals would’ve been their only possible meeting place. Instead this Saturday night on COLLISION, in their third tournament matches, the ROH World & NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion will fight the man he dethroned for the former, only this time no title will be at stake, rather three points in the league and the potential for Kingston to be mathematically eliminated from tournament victory. That loss would be a blow more devastating than any other he’s experienced thus far because not only would it mean Kingston is out of contention in the Continental Classic, it also means that he has effectively lost both the ROH World Championship and the NJPW STRONG Openweight Title. 

He may have the championship sobriquet attached to his name until December 29th, but if Kingston is eliminated from this tournament before WORLDS END, its a meaningless distinction and he’ll only have himself to blame for putting both titles into the mix to create this modern North American Triple Crown! Can Kingston ward off elimination with a second consecutive victory over Claudio Castagnoli? Or will “The Swiss Superman” bounce back from his loss to Brody King with yet another victory over “The Mad King”?

Bryan Danielson (6) vs. Andrade El Idolo (3)

The last time these two men met in combat was on the October 21st edition of COLLISION, and also the last singles match Bryan Danielson had before the orbital bone injuries he sustained just four days later in that DYNAMITE tag team bout against Okada and Orange Cassidy. It took nearly 19 minutes of fierce battle, but “The American Dragon” managed to topple Andrade on that night to emerge the victor. Now this Continental Classic tournament has given Andrade an opportunity to even their score…

It’s common knowledge that Bryan Danielson comes into this fight still healing from that eye injury, but it didn’t stop him from defeating Eddie Kingston last week in Bryan’s first tournament bout, it didn’t stop him from beating Daniel Garcia on RAMPAGE less than 24 hours ago, and it isn’t going to prevent Danielson from giving it his all against Andrade either. Much like how Danielson had to be wary of Kingston’s spinning back fist when it came to protecting the eye, this time around he needs to be cognizant of that deadly spinning back elbow Andrade employs to knock his opponents senseless. If that connects, not only could it mean the end of Danielson’s bid for three more points, it could mark the end of his participation in this tournament as a whole thanks to another re-fractured orbital bone…

A CANADIAN CHALLENGE…

“The Cleaner” Kenny Omega vs. “All Ego” Ethan Page

For the very first time in their careers, “All Ego” Ethan Page and “The Cleaner” Kenny Omega will go one-on-one after Ethan challenged AEW’s only Triple Crown winner to see who was the better Canadian! Back in June, when AEW came to Hamilton, Ontario for the first time, Ethan stepped up to give AEW World Champion MJF a run for his money in an impromptu title bout, and now he’s making another stand in the Great White North by calling out one of the most influential athletes of this generation!

Omega has had a rough 2023, losing four of his last six singles matches beginning with the night Don Callis stabbed him in the head inside a Steel Cage, and constantly being on the wrong end of an assault from Callis’ Family, but he’s now won three straight in tag team and multi-man affairs, including beating his own best friends The Young Bucks to steal their guaranteed AEW World Tag Title match while apparently sending them off to lick their wounds.

In Montreal, will Omega continue to get himself back on track or will it be Ethan Page’s time to step up to the plate and knock it out of the park?

FOR A FRIEND…

Wardlow vs. Willie Mack

Willie Mack and AR Fox have ties that run deep, back some ten years to shows in Mexico, even include the two men reigning as champions together as part of a trio back in 2015, and those ties have led Wardlow to putting himself in the path of “The War Dog”! For Wardlow, the path ends at MJF’s grave, but the AEW World Champion has a whole lot on his plate and his former bodyguard is going to have to get in the queue. Until then, every one who slows Wardlow down from getting to his goal is going to suffer, and he intends to make Willie Mack the next victim!

TIME FOR A FIGHT…

Mercedes Martinez vs. Willow Nightingale

Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Martinez have a rivalry that has spanned a half-decade, crossed across multiple companies, and across the United States. It began in 2018 in the Berwyn Eagles Club and picked back up in 2022 at ROH’s SUPERCARD OF HONOR event when the two competed for the Interim ROH Women’s World Championship. Both those singles matches were won by Martinez, as was their first AEW bout, a tag team match on COLLISION in August where Martinez and Diamante topped Willow and Kris Statlander. A Trios bout on the ZERO HOUR of ALL OUT 2023 finally saw Nightingale, with Hikaru Shida and Skye Blue as her partners, get that first victory over Mercedes who had ROH Women’s World Champion Athena and Diamante as her allies, and she would score another win over Martinez in a tag match for the Kitsune Women’s Wrestling promotion a few weeks later.

But nothing has brought an end to this rivalry, and the insistence of Mercedes and Diamante to engage with the woman Willow calls friends has kept them in each other’s lives as well. So it comes to blows once again this Saturday night on COLLISION in the third singles match between Nightingale and Martinez! After scoring the last two victories in their rivalry, can Nightingale finally get her first one-on-one win over Mercedes Martinez?

The Blue League tournament action continues, Mercedes Martinez and Willow Nightingale clash, Wardlow goes into battle with Willie Mack, and in a first-ever battle, Ethan Page meets Kenny Omega! COLLISION gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and to get prepared for it all, drop by the official AEW YouTube channel to watch highlights from this week’s editions of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as events from the last COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!