CONTAINS SPOILERS AEW COLLISION & BATTLE OF THE BELTS X was broadcast live from the Truist Arena in Highland Heights, KY! It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!<a href="https://biggoldbelt.com/reviews/bmf-black-mafia-family-season-3-episode-7-recap-review-get-em-home/">…</a><p><a class="more-link" href="https://biggoldbelt.com/reviews/bmf-black-mafia-family-season-3-episode-7-recap-review-get-em-home/">Continue reading →</a></p>…
Wednesday night the AEW faithful saw a bloody Dustin Rhodes give his all in a World Title Eliminator Match with Samoa Joe, watched AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm assault #1 Contender Thunder Rosa, and saw the long-simmering tensions between FTR and The Young Bucks boil over once again! Now, this Friday night, the red-hot action that began on DYNAMITE will continue with an all-new RAMPAGE beginning at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT! TBS Champion Julia Hart will defend her title against the returning “Legit” Leyla Hirsch in an Open House Rules contest, Orange Cassidy is in action after being betrayed by Trent Beretta, Jay White faces the challenge of Matt Sydal, and the hostilities between Zak Knight and Angelo Parker finally explodes!
Before the action begins, be sure to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFN4JkGP_bVhAdBsoV9xftA/videos), as well as AEW's assorted social media platforms, to see highlights from Wednesday night's DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then be sure to tune into TNT this Saturday night at 8:00p ET/7:00p CT for a stacked COLLISION/BATTLE OF THE BELTS X including AEW International Champion Roderick Strong versus Rocky Romero!
OPEN HOUSE TBS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Julia Hart(c) vs. Leyla Hirsch
It has been quite a long time since Leyla Hirsch has competed on the All Elite Wrestling stage, since the April 4, 2022 edition of DARK: ELEVATION as far as what was seen publicly, but fans who were in Agganis Arena in Boston on April 6th know differently. That night, during a match that would've aired on the April 11th edition of DARK: ELEVATION, Hirsch suffered an ACL tear that put her on the shelf for sixteen months!
Hirsch returned to action in July 2023, competing as part of the loaded Ring of Honor Women's Roster, challenging Athena for the Women's World Championship during ROH ON HONOR CLUB #32 last October, and made it to the Quarter-Finals of the ROH Women's World TV Championship. Hirsch has been exceptional during her Ring of Honor run those far, going 16-5 in singles competition since last July, just three of those losses coming in one-on-one competition, and now she returns to AEW competition with one goal in mind, ripping the TNT Championship away from Julia Hart!
The woman who's taken to calling herself “The Forever Face of TBS” was more than happy to accept the challenge, almost eager to welcome “Legit” Leyla into The House of Black, but from her actions this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE, one can't help but wonder if her focus is in the wrong place for Friday night.
So while Julia seems focused on Willow Nightingale, and to an extent Mercedes Moné, Leyla Hirsch is exclusively zeroed in on the TBS Championship around Julia Hart's waist. It's not about Julia for Leyla, it's not personal grudge of any kind, it is solely about the TBS Title, and that may make all the difference in this Open House match on Friday night!
ONE-ON-ONE…
ROH World Six-Man Champion “Switchblade” Jay White vs. Matt Sydal
After successfully retaining the ROH World Six-Man Championship titles at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2024 against Alex Zayne, Lance Archer, and Minoru Suzuki, the animosity between The Bang Bang Gang and The Acclaimed erupted once again. It's clear these six men are headed for a war down the line, but this Friday night on RAMPAGE it's only “Switchblade” Jay White who will be in action. He said he was looking for a fight and challenged any one to step up, and it looks like Matt Sydal is the man willing to do just that!
These two men may have never fought one another in a singles match, but they are no strangers to one another. Back in 2016, on several NJPW events, these two competitors stepped into the ring with one another across four different matches. Three of those matches put Sydal and a very young Jay White on opposite sides of the ring, with Sydal's side picking up all three victories, but one of those bouts did put White and Sydal on the same team, though their union was not a victorious one.
But that was a Jay White barely three years into his career, that was Jay White pre-excursion, before the birth of “Switchblade”, and before the IWGP Championship ever adorned his waist. In the nearly eight years since their last encounter, Jay White has grown by leaps and bounds, ascended to the top of the wrestling business, and so it will quite interesting to see how Matt Sydal tackles this challenge. Everyone knows how talented a wrestler Sydal is, what he brings to the table, but he's been quite frustrated over the course of his AEW career, and looking for the big victory that gets him back into discussions of championship opportunities!
ORANGE IN ACTION…
AEW fans watched in horror last week as Trent Beretta drove his knee into the skull of Orange Cassidy following their AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament loss, and walked away without a word, leaving Chuck Taylor utterly stunned. Even with Kris Statlander tried to get an explanation from him, all Trent could do was whisper something in her ear, and walk out of the arena.
Suffice to say that the usually imperturbable Orange Cassidy has been quite the angry individual in the week since that betrayal, and this Friday night on RAMPAGE we will get to hear him speak on the situation for the very first time! In addition, the former 2-Time AEW International Champion will be in action, looking for someone to take his anger and frustration out on in an official capacity! We don't have to wonder or wait and see just who will step up to fight OC on Friday, because The Dark Order's Alex Reynolds has raised his hand! It's Alex's first singles match of 2024, and he's hoping to take advantage of Cassidy's hurt and confusion to score the biggest singles victory of his AEW career!
GRUDGE MATCH…
Zak Knight vs. “Cool Hand” Angelo Parker
Angelo Parker has been looking for this fight since the moment Zak Knight entered into All Elite Wrestling to join sister Saraya om her endeavor to destroy the relationship between Parker and Ruby Soho. Knight avoided the fight in Canada, even though Parker wanted it more than life itself, instead choosing to play mind games with the man and make him wait for the fight.
Well the waiting is over, now that Angelo Parker has nothing left but the fight, the fight is finally upon him this Friday night on RAMPAGE! There is no question that Zak Knight will have his sister Saraya and Harley Cameron at his side while Angelo will be all alone, but nothing is going to stop “Cool Hand” from trying to exact a pound of flesh from Zak Knight!
It's an exciting week for AEW and it continues Friday night on TNT starting at 10pm ET/9pm CT with an all-new RAMPAGE featuring a collection of the greatest professional wrestlers on the planet! The House of Black's Julia Hart defends her TBS Championship against “Legit” Leyla Hirsch in an Open House Rules match, Orange Cassidy in action, Cool Hand Ang and Zak Knight finally meeting in the ring, and more!
Before the bell rings, check out the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's numerous social media outlets, to watch highlights from this past Wednesday's edition of DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then this Saturday night COLLISION is back at 8:00p ET/7:00p CT on TNT, immediately followed by BATTLE OF THE BELTS X, and an AEW International Championship Eliminator Match between Roderick Strong and Rocky Romero!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
AEW World Title Eliminator Match!
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe vs. “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes!
As Samoa Joe was making his entrance, Swerve Strickland ambushed the champ on the ramp! They brawled onto the arena floor. Swerve speared Samoa Joe through a table that Samoa Joe had propped against a guardrail. Security pushed Swerve back to the locker room. Samoa Joe eventually staggered to his feet and seemed to pursue Swerve.
Renee Paquette was backstage outside Orange Cassidy’s locker room.
Renee said that Orange would have a match on Rampage this Friday, and she was assured by Orange that he’d be addressing the heartless actions of Trent Beretta.
TNT Championship Match!
“The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland (c.)
vs.
Penta El Zero Miedo (with Alex Abrahantes)!
Penta speared Copeland and then stuck him with a diving double foot stomp for a near fall.
“Shock and awe right out of the box, trying to win the TNT Title,” said Taz.
Penta El Zero Miedo hit Copeland with a clothesline, knocking Copeland to the arena floor. Copeland got back in the ring and Penta greeted him with a chop to Copeland’s chest. Copeland rallied back with flying head scissors. Copeland and Penta El Zero Miedo both had the same idea, fighting fire with fire, clubbing each other with lariats and then high boots.
Penta El Zero Miedo had Copeland rocked after a sling blade. Penta flipped over the top rope with a dive onto Copeland. Back in the ring, Copeland found an opening, planting Penta face first on the mat.
Copeland applied a modified sharpshooter onto Penta El Zero Miedo, but Penta made the crawl to the bottom rope, forcing the ref to break the hold. Penta stunned Copeland with a stalling dropkick. Copeland secured the cross face on Penta, wrenching back, but once again Penta reached the ropes.
Copeland was looking for a Death Valley Driver on the apron, but Penta escaped. Penta charged at Copeland but Copeland power slammed Penta onto the apron! Copeland tried to spear Penta but inadvertently speared Alex Abrahantes. Penta got to his feet and clocked Copeland with a thrust kick.
Penta El Zero Miedo drilled Copeland with an avalanche Code Red! Penta jumped off the middle rope, but Copeland countered with a spear and pinned Penta El Zero Miedo!
After the match, the arena lights went out. The lights came back on, and TBS Champion Julia Hart was standing in front of Copeland. The House of Black’s Brody King blindsided Copeland and began to kick and stomp him. Brody smashed Copeland with a running boot. Brody applied a rear naked choke on Copeland.
Willow Nightingale sprinted to the ring and began to ground and pound Julia. Brody pulled Julia out of harm’s way. Copeland got back to his feet and decked Brody, forcing him out of the ring! Brody and Julia retreated, while Brody barked at Copeland.
Renee Paquette was backstage with ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe and “Mad King” Eddie Kingston!
TNT Champion Adam Copeland, Willow Nightingale, and Stokely Hathaway interrupted Renee’s interview.
Copeland said he wanted to make sure Briscoe and Kingston were good for their trios match against the House of Black at Dynasty. Briscoe and Kingston assured Copeland they were ready.
Stokely: “What about next week on Dynamite, you put that TNT Championship on the line against Willow Nightingale!”
Willow: “No, no, that’s not what we were saying Stokely. Brody, I saw you beating up on Adam. Julia, you tried to get me with the mist, but not this time. So Dynamite next week, what do you say we team up Adam?”
Copeland: “I’ve got an idea. Before Dynasty, before the three of us, the Rated Chicken Hawks, I just made that up, before we take out the House of Black, Willow, what do you say, me and you against Julia and Brody, next week on Dynamite?”
Willow: “Yeah!”
The Young Bucks—Nicholas & Matthew Jackson—were in their dressing room to present backstage footage from ALL IN: London 2023!
Matthew told Nicholas to set it up with a little context.
Nicholas said AEW has a massive pay-per-view coming up on April 21st, AEW Dynasty. Taking place at Dynasty will be the finals of the tag team tournament, featuring FTR against the Young Bucks. Nicholas said the last time they wrestled FTR was at All In, and he still has some wounds that haven’t healed.
Matthew said right before the match there was an incident backstage involving two individuals, “the first being the scapegoat in this entire situation, Jack Perry.” Nicholas interrupted Matthew and said the other individual “tried to make this entire show about himself. As a matter of fact, this individual happens to be good friends with FTR. Which got me thinking maybe FTR were the masterminds behind this entire thing.” Matthew said the incident threw them off their game and FTR’s win should come with an asterisk in the history books.
Nicholas said at Dynasty they weren’t shaking hands with FTR and called them pricks. “Be ready,” said Nicholas.
FTR—Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood—came out to the ring!
Cash: “Why are we showing this? What are you two hoping to accomplish other than having a built-in excuse as to why you lost at Wembley. I am sick and tired of hearing about this and talking about this. Everybody back there, us, we are ready to move on and put this in the past. But instead, we’re showing videos from eight months ago because the Bucks can’t let go that they lost to FTR. At Dynasty, we have to beat you. It’s not for legacy or history, it’s because I’m sick of you!”
Dax: “So that’s our bosses. Every interview they have they let us all know that without them, hundreds of people would be out of a job and without them AEW probably wouldn’t exist. The scary thing is I don’t necessarily disagree with them. Without the Young Bucks I might still be shaving Cash’s back.
“But because of the Young Bucks, we have something that makes them sick. We have eclipsed them as the absolute best tag team on this planet. And at one time the Bucks cared about AEW, but somewhere along the way, whether it was greed or jealously, you guys lost that. And now three other letters have taken over. The only thing you care about is what’s best for the EVPs. So, if it takes my last breath, on our backs, we will continue to build this place. We are building it for the future of all professional wrestlers. We are building this for every person who spends their hard earned money on one ticket to get lost in our drama and our action. We are doing this for you.
“And if the Young Bucks don’t want to be part of that AEW, grab your ball, go home, we got this. This ain’t about Wembley. This is about AEW, a company I love, an industry I love. But more importantly this is about the AEW World Tag Team Championships. Two teams walk in, one team walks out as the first ever three time AEW World Tag Team Champions. Young Bucks, you may have built this foundation, but we will put the roof on top of this house, just to blow it right off. Top guys out!”
Renee Paquette interview “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay!
Ospreay: “I’ve been thinking about this all week. There’s this rumor going around that I’m afraid of the grind. I’ll be honest with you, I have no idea where this conversation has come from. I travel every single week from the US to the UK and back and I’m delivering some of the best professional wrestling matches this world has ever seen. And normally I wouldn’t take the bait, but since the guy who said it is only in the position he’s in because he was grinding on the boss’s daughter, you are in no position to tell me what the grind is all about because you have no idea what I fight for. So let this be a painful little jab back that you do not throw stones at an assassin with a machine gun.
“Now Bryan, you said I’m stronger and faster than you, which I am. And you said the only way you have a chance at beating me is if you can ground me, but healthier and younger and better men than you have tried and failed. But Bryan Danielson, you are a living legend in this game, and I cannot say I am the best wrestler in the world until I pin you at Dynasty. This is AEW where the best wrestle! It’s my time, Mr. Danielson, to show every single person what I’m about and why I’m the ace of AEW! Bryan Danielson, you find out Sunday, April 21st, why my name is Will Ospreay, and I am on another level!”
Trios Match!
“Lionheart” Chris Jericho, FTW Champion HOOK, & Katsuyori Shibata
vs.
Shane Taylor Promotions— “The Guv’nor” Anthony Ogogo, Lee Moriarty, & Shane Taylor!
Jericho hit Moriarty with a shoulder block and then a lionsault for a near fall. Jericho battered Lee with short clotheslines in the corner. Jericho sent Moriarty for a ride with a hurracanrana off the top turnbuckle.
Shibata tagged in and mauled Moriarty with a forearm and then a round kick to the spine. Shane Taylor entered the match and Hook asked to be tagged in, so Shibata obliged. Taylor clubbed Hook with a lariat. Hook fired back with a German Suplex to Taylor!
Shibata tagged in and cracked Lee with a high boot in the corner. Shibata chopped down Lee and then decimated Lee with a running dropkick in the corner. Shibata went for a running kick to Lee, but Lee dodged it. Shibata inadvertently caught Jericho with the kick.
Shibata tried to tag out to Hook, but Jericho pulled Hook off the apron to prevent the tag. Jericho asked Hook what Shibata’s problem was. Hook and Jericho argued outside the ring, trying to sort things out. Shibata locked Lee in a sleeper. Shane Taylor ran in and clubbed Shibata with his right hand, and Lee grabbed the pin on Shibata!
“The argument between Chris Jericho and Hook left the door open for Shane Taylor to land that big right hand and put him out, setting him up for Lee Moriarty,” said Excalibur.
Tempers were flaring and Hook told Jericho to leave!
AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Christiano Argento!
Okada leveled Argento with a big elbow strike. Okada wasn’t even breaking a sweat. Okada smashed Argento with a dropkick and then the rainmaker to score the pin!
Okada: “Hey Pac, I accept your challenge! I’ll see you at Dynasty.”
“The Bastard” Pac’s music began to play. Pac walked onto the stage and paced back and forth, staring at Okada! Pac walked to the ring to confront Okada, but the Bucks ran out and hit Pac from behind. The Elite triple teamed Pac. The Bucks nailed Pac with superkicks. FTR sprinted into the ring and cleaned house on the Bucks! FTR wanted to hit the Shatter Machine on Matthew, but Okada jumped back into the ring with a steel chair and whacked FTR with chair shots!
The Bucks blasted FTR with superkicks and then the EVP Trigger! Okada cracked Pac in the side of the head with a steel chair!
Backstage we heard from the ROH Six-Man Champions the Bang Bang Gang!
They ran down a list of their recent accomplishments, including “Switchblade” Jay White putting a beating on Billy Gunn. Jay White said he wanted another match on Rampage, but he wanted the Gunns to find him someone besides Billy.
Up Next: AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm hosted a Charleston Championship Champagne Toast for Thunder Rosa!
Renee Paquette was on the ramp and introduced Thunder Rosa first. Renee then welcomed Toni Storm “Toni Storm, the floor is yours, toast away,” said Renee.
Storm threw a glass of champagne into Thunder Rosa’s eyes! Storm cracked Thunder Rosa in the head with a silver tray. Storm smeared Thunder Rosa’s face paint. Deonna Purrazzo ran out to the aid of Thunder Rosa, but Thunder Rosa pushed Deonna away! Deonna stormed off!
Mariah May vs. Anna Jay!
Anna ducked a shot from Mariah and fired back with a chop to Mariah. The two exchanged overhand chops in the center of the ring. Anna nailed Mariah with a neck breaker. Mariah headbutted Anna Jay.
Mariah May scored with a dropkick. Anna dodged a hip attack and rallied back with forearms. Anna charged at Mariah and clobbered her with a kick in the corner. Mariah retaliated with a running hip attack. Mariah rolled up Anna and pinned her!
After the match, Anna applied the Queen Slayer, not taking the loss lightly. Mina Shirakawa from Stardom sprinted to the ring, having the back of her former partner in Japan, Mariah May. Anna Jay retreated to the back. Mina brought in two glasses of champagne, gave some to Mariah, and then kissed Mariah.
Alex Marvez was backstage with “The CEO” Mercedes Moné!
Mercedes: “Double or Nothing! Five years ago, history was made when AEW had their first pay-per-view there. And I’m a history maker. And I decided to make history yet again when I head to Vegas to be the TBS Champion because Moné changes everything.”
Marvez asked if Mercedes would rather face Julia Hart or Willow Nightingale, but before Mercedes could respond, the lights went out! Someone attacked Mercedes in the dark!
Main Event Time! AEW World Title Eliminator Match!
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe vs. “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes!
Samoa Joe and Dustin Rhodes traded strikes. Samoa Joe whipped Dustin into the guardrail. Joe jabbed Dustin, but Dustin fired back with a lariat. Dustin Rhodes was taking the fight to the champion. Samoa Joe headbutted Dustin.
Samoa Joe rammed Dustin into the steel ring post! Dustin Rhodes was busted wide open! Samoa Joe bludgeoned Dustin with more strikes in the ring. Dustin turned things around with a powerslam!
Dustin Rhodes walloped Samoa Joe with a Code Red for a near fall. Dustin went for a running bulldog, but Samoa Joe countered with a lariat. Dustin Rhodes grabbed the World title and brought it into the ring. Dustin wanted to use it on Samoa Joe, but ref Paul Turner warned Dustin not to use it. Dustin put the championship belt down. Dustin nailed Samoa Joe with the Cross Rhodes for a two-count!
Dustin Rhodes charged at Samoa Joe, but Joe wiped out Dustin with an STO! Samoa Joe grabbed a steel chain out of the corner and wrapped it around his fist. It was the chain that previously belonged to Swerve Strickland. Ref Paul Turner removed the chain from the ring. As the ref was handing the chain to an AEW ring crew member, his back was turned, and Samoa Joe seized the opportunity to bash the championship belt into Dustin’s head! Samoa Joe covered a knocked out Dustin and pinned him!
Samoa Joe applied a sleeper to Dustin after the match, trying to send a message to Swerve Strickland. Swerve appeared out of nowhere and cracked Joe with the House Call kick! Swerve Strickland grabbed the steel chain and drilled Joe with a chain-wrapped fist!
The locker room emptied and kept both wrestlers apart! Prince Nana handed Swerve Strickland the AEW World Championship, and Swerve held it up, while Joe looked on, seething!
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET!
Don’t miss AEW Collision & Battle of the Belts X live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Truist Arena in Highland Heights, KY!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, IN!
DYNAMITE comes to you from the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV, AEW's first time back since August 17th of 2022, and with it comes a loaded night of action! AEW World Champion Samoa Joe faces Dustin Rhodes in an Eliminator contest, the TNT Championship will be at stake when Adam Copeland faces Penta El Zero Miedo, and AEW Women's World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm is apparently planning a Charleston Champagne Toast for Thunder Rosa. In addition, LionHOOK will team with Katsuyori Shibata to do battle with Shane Taylor Promotions while Anna Jay has a rematch with Mariah May, and The Young Bucks have promised to present backstage footage from ALL IN: LONDON! Then for those in attendance who get to experience RAMPAGE before the rest of the world, TBS Champion Julia Hart defends in an Open House match against “Legit” Leyla Hirsch!
All that comes your way this Wednesday night, live on TBS starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, but don't forget to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's various social media platforms, for highlights from last week's episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER!
Then join us Saturday night at the Truist Arena in Northern Kentucky for COLLISION and BATTLE OF THE BELTS X featuring Rocky Romero facing Roderick Strong in an AEW International Championship Eliminator Match!
ELIMINATOR MATCH…
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe vs. “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes
Aside from both occupying space in a Battle Royal on January 3, 2008, Dustin Rhodes and Samoa Joe have never shared the ring in any traditional match. Not a singles, not a tag or trios, nothing of the sort, but that will change this Wednesday night when the two competitors square off for the very first time! It began with a challenge laid out on the table by “The Natural”, the desire to fight Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship, but that challenge was rebuked by a champion who does not see Rhodes as deserving of a title match. Depending on how one views it, that's not an inaccurate response, after all Rhodes is 15-13 in singles matches across his AEW career, 2-1 in 2024, and not grouped in the rankings, but only taking that into account is very much a “what have you done for me lately” approach.
At 54 years of age, “The Natural” has been fighting inside the squared circle for thirty-five years of his life, and has won numerous championships throughout the course of that hall of fame career. He's battled everyone from Toshiaki Kawada to Scott Hall, from Giant Baba to Jeff Jarrett, and from Sammy Guevara to Bryan Danielson; he's been an inspiration and a teacher, a friend and a foe, but one thing he's never been is the World Champion, representing a company, holding the title as the man with a target on his back.
This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, with an AEW World Championship Eliminator opportunity in the palm of his hand, “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes can take the first step towards finally achieving that dream by defeating Samoa Joe. With that victory, as Samoa Joe said in his interview, Dustin Rhodes would become the top contender to the World Championship, jumping the line ahead of Swerve Strickland, who earned his title opportunity at DYNASTY 2024 on April 21st, as well as Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay, Orange Cassidy, and Eddie Kingston. It's a huge opportunity for Dustin, the closest he has ever been to challenging for the AEW World Championship, but can he take that next step forward and become the top contender? Joe hasn't been beaten in a singles match since GRAND SLAM 2023 when he fell to MJF in their first AEW World Championship match; that's nine consecutive wins, one in a Three Way Match, and eight of those were championship bouts. Rhodes has a tremendous mountain to climb in Charleston; will fans see him step up into the role of challenger after ascending to the summit?
Coming off a tremendous Cope Open TNT Championship defense against Matt Cardona, Adam Copeland was issued a challenge by former AEW World Tag Champion Penta El Zero Miedo for a TNT Title fight! Cope is certainly not going to walk away from any challenge, definitely not turning one down, one can't help but wonder if he knows what he's getting himself into with this fight?
Though most of Penta's All Elite Wrestling tenure has been in the tag team or trios divisions, he's had his fair share of championship challenges in the singles ranks. He last fought for the TNT Title March 25th of last year, falling to Powerhouse Hobbs on that edition of RAMPAGE, but he's also challenged Orange Cassidy for the International Championship, Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title, as well as been involved in multiple contender's matches over the last five years, and that's just in AEW!
Step outside of the realm of All Elite Wrestling, and one will see that Penta El Zero Miedo has had thirteen singles champion reigns across the wrestling landscape! Be it in the United States or Mexico, Penta has proven himself as singles competitor many time over, and depending on what homework Adam Copeland has done, that may come as a surprise to the defending TNT Champion. Now these Cope Opens have forced Adam to stretch himself as a professional wrestler, with fighting a wide range of styles from Minoru Suzuki to Cardona to Dante Martin one doesn't have much choice, and Penta El Zero Miedo represents another way Copeland will have to adapt his game.
Can the former AEW World Tag Champion win his first singles title since 2018, and his first-ever All Elite Wrestling one? Or will this fight demonstrate that Adam Copeland may be the most resilient, adaptable competitor on the AEW roster?
CHARLESTON CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPAGNE TOAST…
We know that former AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa will face current AEW Women's World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm at DYNASTY 2024 on April 21st in St. Louis, but what we don't know is just what Storm has planned with this Charleston Championship Champagne Toast. It's clear that this is a heated issue, the words exchanged between Storm and Rosa have been less than complimentary to say the least, so there's zero chance this toast will be a celebration of “La Mera Mera”, more likely the champion giving herself a toast ahead of her next title fight. But how will that play out on Wednesday night at the Charleston Coliseum? Is it going to break down to fisticuffs between Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm?
TRIOS MATCH…
LionHOOK (Chris Jerisho, FTW Champion HOOK, & Katsuyori Shibata) vs.
Shane Taylor Promotions (Anthony Ogogo, Lee Moriarty, & Shane Taylor)
Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty may have lost the fight to LionHOOK last week, but it certainly did look like it in the aftermath of the match, not when “The Guv'nor” Anthony Ogogo was throwing fists alongside the members of Shane Taylor Promotions. Having been absent from the AEW landscape for eleven months, Ogogo made a return to AEW screens during the ZERO HOUR prior to ALL IN: LONDON, but disappeared for another seven months until the tremendous impact Ogogo made upon Chris Jericho's face with this return following the LionHOOK victory over STP on last week's COLLISION. It was quite a shock to see “The Guv'nor” back in All Elite Wrestling after he'd been utterly silent for so long, but he wasn't just sitting at home doing nothing during his time away.
In fact Ogogo was doing the best thing possible for his career and putting in ring work outside of All Elite Wrestling. He's put in the work with RevPro and PROGRESS in England, competed for Southern Honor Wrestling in Atlanta, as well as several other United States independents, all to keep himself in prime fighting condition and garner more experience until the time came to return to AEW action. Well that call came from Shane Taylor ahead of this past COLLISION, and we will see if it pays off this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when Ogogo, Shane Taylor, and Lee Moriarty take on LionHOOK and their surprising third man, Katsuyori Shibata!
Now this will mark Ogogo's first match on DYNAMITE in nearly three years, as well as his first time uniting with STP in a match, but so too is it Shibata's first outing with Jericho and HOOK as his partners, though not his first time standing side-by-side with the FTW Champion. That took place last November when he, HOOK, and Orange Cassidy were victorious over Jericho's former JAS allies of Daddy Magic, Cool Hand Ang, and Jake Hager.
As much of a statement as STP made last COLLISION, Shane Taylor Promotions is definitely in need of a statement victory and one over LionHOOK and Shibata certainly fits that bill! Can they accomplish that this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE?
Coming off a tremendous victory over Stardom's Momo Kohgo at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2024 this past Friday, but still quite frustrated from her loss to Thunder Rosa last week, Mariah May comes to DYNAMITE looking for another fight, and it looks like she's got one waiting from Anna Jay!
It was only two months ago on the February 23rd edition of RAMPAGE that Mariah May defeated Anna Jay in their first meeting, so the memory is still quite fresh in the mind of both competitors. The question is which one will rise to the occasion Wednesday to take home the victory? Will it be Mariah May redeeming herself for the loss to Thunder Rosa, or will it be Anna Jay bouncing back from three straight AEW losses?
ALL IN: LONDON REVISITED…
This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling returns to the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV for the first time since August 17th of 2022, and with it comes a huge night of action and drama! AEW World Champion Samoa Joe fights Dustin Rhodes in an Eliminator Match, The Young Bucks are promising to show never-before-seen footage from ALL IN: LONDON, AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm is promising a Championship Champagne Celebration for Thunder Rosa, and her understudy Mariah May will face Anna Jay in a rematch of their April encounter! All that and more comes to you this Wednesday night live on TNT starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, but don't forget to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's various social media platforms, for highlights from last week's episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER!
Then Saturday night, from the Truist Arena in Northern Kentucky, AEW presents a huge night of action with COLLISION and BATTLE OF THE BELTS X including AEW International Champion Roderick Strong fighting an Eliminator Bout against a man he called ally many years ago: Rocky “Azucar” Romero!
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast from DCU Center in Worcester, MA!
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final Match!
FTR—Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler
vs.
Top Flight—Darius & Dante Martin!
The winning team faces The Young Bucks at AEW Dynasty 2024.
Top Flight used tandem offense on Cash, but Cash used his veteran experience, quickly rolling out of the ring. Dante used an arm drag to takedown Dax. Dante hit a sunset flip for a two-count on Dax.
Darius tagged in but Dax was ready for him. Dax tagged Cash and they rammed Darius with a double shoulder tackle. Dante was able to reach to Darius for a tag, but Cash chopped away at Dante. Then Dax hoisted up Dante, placing him on the top turnbuckle. Dante escaped and rolled up Dax for a near fall. Dante rocked Dax and Cash with dropkicks.
Dax lured Dante outside so Cash, who was lying in wait, could smash Dante with a clothesline. FTR catapulted Dante throat first into the bottom rope. Dax drilled Dante with a spinebuster for a two-count. Dax went for a superplex, but Dante transitioned midflight, landing on top of Dax!
Darius tagged in and went for a cross body press but Cash shoved Dax out of the way, sacrificing himself for his partner Dax. Darius got slugged by Dax, driving him to his knees. Darius cradled Dax in a small package for a near fall.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Darius planted Dax with a flatliner for another near fall! Dante went for a frog splash, but Dax countered by raising his knees right into Dante’s ribcage. Cash rocked Darius with a brain buster. FTR blasted Dante with the Shatter Machine and Cash pinned Dante!
“The winner between FTR and the Young Bucks at Dynasty will be the first ever three time tag champs,” said Tony Schiavone.
“The Bastard” Pac vs. Encore Moore!
Pac rocked Encore with a pump kick and then stomped him in the corner. Pac brutally assaulted Encore Moore in the ring. Pac snapped Encore with vertical suplexes and then hit a brainbuster on him. Pac wanted to make a statement, locking the Brutalizer on Moore and forcing Moore to tap out!
Pac: “All Elite Wrestling, I told you, I warned you, I am done waiting for opportunities that I deserve. So now, now I take matters into my own hands. Make no bones about it, I am on a mission. A mission to remind everybody exactly who I am: the best wrestler on the face of planet Earth. Therefore, Okada, Japanese superstar, champion, I’m calling you out, lad. Do you think you can survive the Bastard, because I don’t. I will eagerly await a response.”
“Pac has officially called out the Continental Champion Okada,” said Tony Schiavone.
LionHOOK— “Lionheart” Chris Jericho
& FTW Champion HOOK
vs.
Shane Taylor Promotions’ Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty!
Taylor muscled Jericho into the corner and jabbed at him. Taylor splashed Jericho in the other corner. Jericho tagged Hook and they double suplexed Shane Taylor!
Lee Moriarty tagged in, but Hook sent Moriarty flying with an overhead suplex. Hook tagged Jericho in, and Jericho lit up Lee with chops to the chest. Hook came back in and tossed Lee around with Judo throws. Hook jumped off the top with a double ax handle to Shane Taylor outside the ring.
Lee locked Jericho in the Border City Stretch! Jericho escaped and applied the Lion Tamer on Moriarty! Hook entered the ring and managed to suplex Shane Taylor! Finally, Lee tapped out to Jericho!
Anthony Ogogo sprinted to the ring and ambushed Jericho and Hook! Ogogo pounded away on Hook. Ogogo turned his attention to Jericho and stomped on him in the corner. Hook got to his feet, but Shane Taylor came in and knocked Hook down.
“There’s some kind of allegiance here,” said Nigel.
Lee and Shane held Jericho and then Anthony Ogogo knocked out Jericho with a devastating punch!
“What a blockbuster acquisition for Shane Taylor Promotions!” said Nigel.
Trios Match!
House Of Black—Malakai Black, Brody King, & Buddy Matthews
vs.
“Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal,
& “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith!
Keith cracked Malakai with forearms. Keith rocked Black with an exploder suplex. Black fired back with a rising knee strike. Matt Sydal and Brody King tagged in for their respective teams. Daniels came in and he and Sydal tried to chop down Brody with their kicks. Brody bulldozed them with a double lariat. Brody followed up with another lariat to Daniels, the legal man.
Matt Sydal tagged in and took down Buddy with a hurracanrana. Sydal rolled up Buddy for a near fall. Buddy hoisted up Sydal and caught him in the jaw with a knee lift! Brody drilled Sydal with Dante’s Inferno! Bryan Keith ran in to make the save. Brody nearly decapitated Bryan with a lariat! The House of Black triple teamed Keith in the corner.
The House of Black surrounded Christopher Daniels. Black blasted Daniels with a roundhouse kick. Matthews staggered Keith with a jumping knee strike and then pinned him after a pump handle slam!
“The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland’s music began to play. Black walked up the ramp, looking for Copeland. But Copeland blindsided Matthews and Brody from behind. Black sprinted back to the ring to attack Copeland. Mark Briscoe and FTR ran down to the ring to come to the aid of Copeland!
The Young Bucks—Matthew and Nicholas Jackson—came out, but FTR met them on the ramp and the two teams brawled! Back in the ring, Copeland speared Brody! Briscoe whipped a chair into Buddy’s head and Copeland speared Buddy!
Copeland, backed by FTR and Briscoe, had Malakai Black cornered. Black retreated, seeing the numbers were against him. Nicholas pulled Matthew out of the ring, saving his brother from being beaten at the hands of FTR.
The Infantry’s Trish Adora vs. Yuka Sakazaki!
Trish took down Yuka with a shoulder tackle. Sakazaki used a forward roll takedown and then a sliding lariat on Trish Adora. Trish grabbed Yuka and nailed her with the Blackhole back breaker.
Trish applied a cross face, but Yuka got to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Yuka rattled Trish with a dropkick from the top rope. Trish suplexed Yuka, countering an attempt by Yuka. Trish and Yuka traded forearms in the center of the ring.
Yuka planted Trish with a high angle drop. Trish rallied back with a full nelson sit out for a near fall. Yuka hoisted up Trish, spun her around and dropped her face first! Yuka splashed Trish from off the ropes and scored the victory!
“Yuka returns to AEW for the first time in almost 14 months with a win,” said Tony Schiavone.
“The Professor” Serena Deeb walked onto the stage, smiled and applauded Yuka.
“Deeb likes what she sees, but very soon school will be in session,” said Nigel.
Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli
vs.
The Butcher!
Both men locked up. Butcher chomped on Claudio’s head. Claudio fired back with a shoulder tackle and a scoop slam. Claudio squashed Butcher with a double stomp. Butcher blasted Claudio with a back breaker and a suplex.
Butcher battered Claudio with forearms shots. Butcher applied a cross face submission on Claudio. Claudio got to his feet, with Butcher on his back! Claudio drilled Butcher with a Death Valley Driver. Claudio walloped Butcher with European Uppercuts. Claudio hurled Butcher around with the Giant Swing! Claudio planted Butcher with the Neutralizer and pinned Butcher!
“Another win for a member of the BCC,” said Tony Schiavone.
Main Event Time!
Penta El Zero Miedo (with Alex Abrahantes) vs. Komander!
“Penta will have a chance to become the TNT Champion when he faces Adam Copeland in the ‘Cope Open’ this Wednesday on Dynamite,” said Tony Schiavone.
Penta El Zero Miedo and Komander exchanged a flurry of offense, countering one another to a stalemate at the start of the match. Komander chopped Penta and then cracked him with a kick. Komander went for a handstand elbow but Penta followed him and wiped him out before Komander complete the move.
Komander took down Penta with a hurracanrana. Komander jumped out of the ring with a tope, but Penta caught him and pressed him, dropping Komander hard onto the steel ring steps! Penta clocked Komander with an overhand chop. Komander rocketed out of the ring with a tope to Penta El Zero Miedo!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Komander jumped off the top turnbuckle, but Penta caught him flush in the throat with a thrust kick! Penta stunned Komander with a Sling Blade and then a Destroyer for a near fall! Komander rocked Penta with a Spanish Fly out of nowhere! Penta retaliated with a Destroyer on the apron! Komander had plenty of fight left in him and back dropped Penta on the ramp!
Back in the ring, it became a war of attrition, with both men trading strikes. Penta planted Komander with the Made in Japan, but somehow, Komander kicked out before the three-count! Komander splashed Penta with a tornillo for a near fall!
“What is it going to take to win this thing?” wondered Schiavone.
Komander moonsaulted off the ropes and onto Penta on the arena floor! Komander walked the top rope and flipped but Penta was waiting for him with a lung blower! Penta finished off Komander with the Fear Factor and pinned Komander!
“Penta wins it but there were no losers in this match,” said Tony Schiavone.
“Standing ovation here and both these men deserve it,” added Nigel.
TNT Champion Adam Copeland walked onto the ramp and smirked at Penta El Zero Miedo. Copeland and Penta had a stare down ahead of their match this Wednesday, with neither man backing down.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV!
DYNASTY 2024 is getting closer, and after this past Wednesday night the AEW World Championship was made official with Swerve's blood, one-half of the finals of the AEW World Tag Tournament were set when The Young Bucks beat Best Friends, Thunder Rosa earned her way into an AEW Women's World Championship match with “Timeless” Toni Storm, and that was just DYNAMITE! RAMPAGE brought The House of Black's Malakai Black topping Christopher Daniels, AEW International Champion Roderick Strong victorious in an Eliminator Bout, Serena Deeb taking home another win, and Daniel Garcia scoring a huge victory in that Final Four Elimination battle!
That brings us to this Saturday night for a loaded edition of COLLISION that gets underway at a special start time of 11:30pm ET on TNT! It features The House of Black in Trios action, the return of Yuka Sakazaki, Penta El Zero Miedo taking on Komander, and perhaps most importantly, the other Semi-Final match in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament between FTR and Top Flight! Fans around the world can get prepared for all the action with a visit to the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's various social media platforms, to catch highlights from this week's DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then come join us next Wednesday in Charleston, WV at the Charleston Coliseum featuring a TNT Championship bout between Adam Copeland and former AEW World Tag Champion Penta El Zero Miedo!
AEW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINAL…
FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
It's been more than sixteen monthssince the last time FTR and Top Flight locked horns in tag team competition, and in that match Dax and Cash were in the midst of their ROH World Tag Team Championship reign. In fact, that victory over Dante and Darius Martin was the final defense of FTR's title run before they were defeated by Jay and Mark Briscoe at FINAL BATTLE 2022's unforgettable Double Dog Collar Match. It was one of the many championship accomplishments that FTR has achieved over their careers, accomplishments that included the AEW World Tag Titles two times over, but now their mission is to make it a historic third time around, but they've got to get past Top Flight this Saturday night!
Now the career of Top Flight has been wrought with difficulties, Darius fell to an injury in February 2021 that kept him on the shelf for thirteen months, and then a month after his return, Darius fell to another injury that kept him out of action for seven months of 2022. Then, just as Top Flight seemed to be getting back into their groove, just four months after Darius' return, Dante suffered a near career ending injury at ROH's SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 event that ultimately put him out of action eight months! Yet they keep bouncing back, stronger than they were before, hungrier than ever, and now the Martin brothers are ready to take that next step towards becoming AEW World Tag Champions for the first time.
TAG TEAM BOUT…
Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty) vs.
LionHOOK (Chris Jericho & FTW Champion HOOK)
Chris Jericho may have once again adopted his “Lionheart” moniker, but FTW Champion HOOK is still wary of the original AEW World Champion because of his track record within All Elite Wrestling. Jericho may be doing his best to try and get HOOK to sit under his learning tree, to believe in Jericho as much as Jericho believes in HOOK. The 2-Time FTW Champ is on guard, but he is still willing to see what “Lionheart” has to teach, and set-up a match for their LionHOOK team this Saturday on COLLISION!
It's not going to be an easy night for Jericho and HOOK though because they've got a fight on their hands when it comes to Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty! STP is always primed for a fight, and though they are quite the imposing force once the bell rings, they've yet to get on the kind of roll a team needs to truly make an impact on the division. Knocking Chris Jericho down a peg while also topping the FTW Champion are certainly moves to build that kind of momentum, and that's what STP aims to do this Saturday night on COLLISION!
SINGLES MATCH…
Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Komander
As we heard this past Wednesday night, former AEW World Tag Champion Penta El Zero Miedo is on the hunt for his first singles championship in All Elite Wrestling, and as such he's set his sights on answering the Cope Open Challenge! That's right, next week on DYNAMITE, live from Charleston, WV, Penta meets Adam Copeland in a TNT Championship match, but before he gets to the Charleston Coliseum, Penta has to step into the ring with a man he's called partner many times over the last year, the high-flying Komander!
Well they've fought in a couple of Four Way contests (both for championship opportunities coincidentally), as well as a Three Way contest, this will mark the first time the two Luchadors have met in a singles bout. They've teamed in All Elite Wrestling, they've teamed in Ring of Honor, they even teamed up on the Jericho Cruise, but somehow they've never gone one-on-one prior to this late night Saturday COLLISION. With Penta stepping up to challenge for the TNT Championship for the first time since the March 25, 2023 edition of RAMPAGE, this fight with Komander has an added importance as a win here serves to build momentum while a loss puts the man fighting out of a hole at the worst possible time.
While not thought of as a singles competitor in the auspices of All Elite Wrestling, Penta is highly decorated in that role in his non-AEW endeavors, and just wants to add some more singles gold to that resume!
SINGLES BATTLE…
The Butcher vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Two tags, a Three Way Tag, and a Trios bout; that's how many times The Butcher and Claudio Castagnoli have stood opposite the ring from one another in non-Battle Royal matches, and in all but the Three Way Tag, it was The Blackpool Combat Club that came out victorious (that honor went to Top Flight). Yet in the nearly two years since “The Swiss Superman” made his All Elite Wrestling debut, the two combatants have never locked horns in a singles match, that is until this Saturday night on COLLISION!
When two of the biggest, most powerful men in the AEW locker room butt heads, you know it's going to be, as Jim Ross would say, a slobberknocker of a match! Who will win out in this battle of the big, bald, and bad?!?
AEW fans have not seen Yuka Sakazaki in action since the 2/13/23 edition of DARK: ELEVATION, but “The Magical Girl” returns to All Elite Wrestling this Saturday night on COLLISION! From the moment she made her debut at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019, Yuka has left quite the impression on the All Elite Wrestling fans, and the women she's fought inside the squared circle. She holds victories over Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D, Penelope Ford, Mei Suruga, Emi Sakura, and Billie Starkz, to name a few, boasts a 10-4 record in singles matches, and is 14-7 overall, but she's never had a championship opportunity in AEW, and isn't that the fight is ultimately all about?
Well with this return to AEW action, after taking a few months off from competition to heal from nagging injuries, perhaps Yuka can work her way towards a title opportunity, but first she must contend with the hard-hitting challenge of The Infantry's Trish Adora! Adora comes into this fight having just gone through it with Serena Deeb on RAMPAGE, but is ready to bounce back from that loss to spoil Yuka's return to All Elite Wrestling!
ALSO FEATURING…
-The House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews, & Malakai Black) vs. Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, & “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Ketih
The Semi-Finals of the AEW World Tag Title Tournament come to a close this week on COLLISION when FTR meets Top Flight, Penta El Zero Miedo battles Komander as he heads towards a TNT Championship contest with Adam Copeland, and the BCC's Claudio Castagnoli meets The Butcher in singles competition. As if that wasn't enough, Yuka Sakazaki returns to AEW competition to meet Trish Adora, LionHOOK battles Shane Taylor Promotions, and The House of Black will be in Trios competition!
The night gets underway a little later than usual, kicking off at 11:30pm ET on TNT, and fans around the world can get ready for it all at the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's assorted social media outlets! There fans can watch highlights from Wednesday's edition of DYNAMITE and Friday's RAMPAGE episode, as well as the CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone! Then join All Elite Wrestling in Charleston, WV at the Charleston Coliseum for a TNT Championship bout pitting Adam Copeland against former AEW World Tag Champion Penta El Zero Miedo!
After this past Wednesday, the paper is signed (in blood), sealed, and delivered for our AEW World Championship match at DYNASTY 2024 in St. Louis on April 21st, and we also know that The Young Bucks will be competing in the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Finals against the winner of FTR and Top Flight. In addition, we learned that AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm will have to face Thunder Rosain a title fight on that pay-per-view extravaganza, and we bore witness to Will Ospreay surviving Powerhouse Hobbs as his April 21st bout with Bryan Danielson draws near!
This Friday the action continues, first with ROH's SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2024 starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT, and then we continue our loaded week of events with an all-new RAMPAGE at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT! We've got a very intriguing first-time for AEW match between “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels, “The Professor” Serena Deeb in action as she continues to climb the rankings, AEW International Champion Roderick Strong in action, and a big Final Four Elimination bout pitting Action Andretti, Bryan Keith, Daniel Garcia, and Komander against one another!
Before the action gets underway, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel , as well as AEW's assorted social media platforms, to see highlights from Wednesday night's DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then be sure to tune into TNT this Saturday night beginning at 11:30p ET/10:30p CT for a loaded COLLISION featuring FTR versus Top Flight in the second Semi-Final bout of the AEW World Tag Title Tournament!
A CHALLENGE ISSUED…
“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels vs. Malakai Black
After seeing Malakai Black confront Adam Copeland after his Cope Open TNT Championship Match against Matt Cardona, “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels elected to make a challenge of his own to the master of The House of Black. This may be the first singles match in All Elite Wrestling between the two men, but it is not their first match against one another. In fact it was only four months ago that Malakai and Buddy Matthews topped Daniels and Matt Sydal in tag team action, but two years prior to that, on a Northeast Wrestling event in Poughkeepsie, NY, Malakai actually bested “The Fallen Angel” in singles competition.
So not only is this Friday night on RAMPAGE an opportunity for Daniels to test the mettle of Malakai in a head-to-head bout, it's also a chance to even the score with Black for that bout January 2022 meeting, and perhaps to catch the attention of the TNT Champion as well. After all, it was very clear from what happened on COLLISION that Malakai Black has eyes on Adam Copeland and that title, so if “The Fallen Angel” can get one over on Malakai this Friday, perhaps he can also work himself into a position to challenge for Copeland's hard-earned TNT Championship!
FINAL FOUR ELIMINATION BOUT…
Action Andretti vs. “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Komander
This is going to be a wild one Friday night as AEW offers up a little March madness of its own in the form of a Four Way Elimination bout featuring a quartet of the best young athletes in All Elite Wrestling! It's a combination of hard-hitting striking, tough as nails grappling, high-flying maneuvers, and good old fashioned wrestling when Andretti, Keith, Garcia, and Komander lock-up on RAMPAGE! A bit of an outlier for AEW multi-man bouts, this one is being fought under Elimination Rules rather than first pinfall, meaning there is no urgency in breaking up every pinfall that takes place because it behooves each man to let another get eliminated from the fray.
There are quite a few interesting dynamics at play in this Final Four Elimination as well, ones that could factor into how the game is played and how alliances may be formed to help whittle it down to two men. Take Komander and Bryan Keith, they have served as tag partners both in ROH, as well as in AEW on several occasions, and both were involved in the Elimination Survival of the Fittest contest at ROH's FINAL BATTLE 2023 event last December. Komander has been on opposite sides of several Trios matches against Action Andretti, while this will be the only time he's shared a ring with Daniel Garcia outside of Battle Royal situations. Speaking of Garcia, he was actually beaten by Action Andretti in January 2023, but this will mark the first time he's ever been inside a ring with “The Bounty Hunter” in any fashion.
So with all those little threads wrapping these men together, who will be the one to survive the Final Four and be the last one standing to cut the proverbial net?
SINGLES MATCH…
(5)Serena Deeb vs. Trish Adora
“The Professor of Professional Wrestling” Serena Deeb has defeated Lady Frost, Robyn Renegade, and Queen Aminata since returning to in-ring competition on the January 27th edition of COLLISION, with each victory in service of accomplishing a goal that eluded her prior to her 15-month absence: an AEW Championship. Those victories earned Deeb the number five spot in the March 27th Rankings update, but that spot isn't good enough, that spot isn't what “The Professor” came back for, she wants the spot Thunder Rosa occupies, she wants what Thunder Rosawon on Wednesday night, and Serena Deeb will break apart every woman in the AEW locker room in order to get there.
The work towards that goal continues this Friday night on RAMPAGE when Serena meets The Infantry's Trish Adora in their very first singles match! Like so many other young competitors, it feels like Adora is on the cusp of breaking through to that next level as an athlete, that she is just missing one little thing that enables her to get those big wins that get her noticed, get her into the rankings, and get her into conversations about championship fights. While Trish may have looked great in her 2024 fights with Mariah May and Riho, and while she may have given Julia Hart a run for her money in a TBS Championship match, the reality is Adora was only in that title fight because Julia made it an Open House Challenge. Trish Adora was not in a championship situation because of a stellar win percentage, or because she'd won a contender's bout, she was there because she was one with enough guts to enter The House of Black and fight its Queen on her terms.
Saying all that is no discount to Trish's abilities inside the ring, in fact it's meant as a credit to the fire in her belly, but also to illustrate that she has to find that element that makes her a contender because she earned her way into that spot with wins, by beating top competition, and showing that she's got what it takes to wear an AEW Championship around her waist. Facing “The Professor of Professional Wrestling” is a big step in the right direction, there are few women who can give Trish Adora that on-the-job learning experience like Serena Deeb, and if Adora can find a way to victory, it will be because she earned it the hard way.
So will Trish Adora be the next woman Serena Deeb steps on the climb up the rankings, or will she be the first woman in 2024 to put Deeb down for a three count?
ELIMINATOR MATCH…
AEW International Champion Roderick Strong vs. London Lightning
Last week in Quebec City, it was “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard who stepped up to the International Title Eliminator Challenge and faced Roderick Strong in a one-on-one contest, or at least on paper it was a one-on-one contest, with Matt Taven and Mike Bennett lurking at ringside the reality was more like a three-on-one situation. That numbers advantage directly led to Menard's defeat at Roderick's hands, and could've ended in a much worse assault had Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta not been on the spot to run The Undisputed Kingdom off.
Well this week on RAMPAGE, another individual is stepping up to the International Challenge in hopes of earning himself a title opportunity against “The Messiah of the Backbreaker”, a young man by the name of London Lightning. London is taking a huge leap in accepting this Eliminator Match, he's a kid with barely a year of experience under his belt, coming off a pair of losses in Ring of Honor to Lee Johnson and Evil Uno, but who is brave enough to take this unbelievable opportunity to score an AEW International Championship match!
There's no doubt Roderick has every conceivable advantage here, but any given night a match can wildly swing in unexpected directions, and that is what London Lightning is hoping to experience this Friday on RAMPAGE! If he can earn himself an International Championship match by beating Roderick Strong, it'll be an upset rivaling Action Andretti's over Chris Jericho, and a situation that immediately puts London Lightning's name in headlines!
This jam-packed week of AEW/ROH action continue Friday night on TNT beginning at 10pm ET/9pm CT with an all-new RAMPAGE featuring four tremendous contests! AEW International Champion Roderick Strong will be in action, as well “The Professor” Serena Deeb, and we kick the night off with “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels taking on The House of Black's Malakai Black in singles competition! As if that wasn't enough, there's also the Final Four Elimination contest where Action Andretti, Bryan Keith, Daniel Garcia, and Komander do battle to see who the last man standing will be!
Prior to bell time, make a point to check out the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's numerous social media outlets, to watch highlights from this past Wednesday's edition of DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER! And don't forget, this Saturday night COLLISION gets underway at 11:30p ET/10:30p CT on TNT with a stacked card highlighted by LionHOOK versus Shane Taylor Promotions and the second Semi-Final Match in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from DCU Center in Worcester, MA!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
TNT Champion “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland came to the ring to kick off the show!
Copeland: “I came out here to talk to all of you. I didn’t bring out my TNT Title. There’s been a lot of negative B.S. that has been spewed this week. Screw that! I want to talk about positives, and if you’re a fan of pro wrestling, it is a great time to be a fan of pro wrestling.
“If you’re sitting here, if you’re watching at home, you’re a fan of pro wrestling. I am a fan of pro wrestling. I grew up on WWF. I watched NWA. I watched Stampede. I devoured it all because I love professional wrestling. I know you’ve heard this before but for nine years I had this torn away from me, but I worked to get it back because I love it so damn much.
“When I thought about my career, because I’m closer to the end than to the start, I knew I needed to end my career in AEW. I will put our locker room against anybody. I can face Will Ospreay. I can face Kenny Omega. Hangman, Swerve, Joe, Moxley, Darby, I can face FTR, the Young Bucks, The House of Black, and by the way, those are all first time ever matches. How crazy is that? That happens in AEW.
“I’ve got a lot of friends in the industry. They call me and say, ‘Hey, it looks like you’re having a blast there.’ It’s because I am. This is the most fun I’ve had in my 32 year professional career. So, I celebrate AEW. I celebrate the men who started AEW. That means the Bucks, that means Kenny, that means Cody, that means Tony Khan. These guys are all fans, just like all of you. We love this! AEW has pushed this industry into a better place! It has gotten more people to do what they love for a living, and that should be celebrated. AEW makes pro wrestling better. AEW makes wrestling more fun. And AEW is where the best wrestle!
“Thank you for hearing me out. I had to get that off my chest. I asked for this time out here, so thank you. So now it’s time to move forward. AEW is walking into the future. There’s a reason Okada, Mercedes, Ospreay, and I came here! So let me introduce to you a man that symbolizes everything AEW is going forward. I give to you “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay!”
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay!
Don Callis joined the commentary team for this match.
Ospreay charged at Hobbs when the bell rang but Hobbs blocked Ospreay with a shoulder tackle. Will Ospreay fired back with a standing moonsault press onto Hobbs. Powerhouse Hobbs clubbed Will with a lariat.
Ospreay hit Hobbs with a clothesline, knocking Hobbs over the top rope. Will followed up by jumping over the top rope with a cross body press onto Hobbs on the arena floor. Ospreay tried for a springboard off the barricade, but Hobbs countered by grabbing him and nailing Will with a vertical suplex onto the steel ring steps!
Hobbs bashed Ospreay repeatedly into the apron with the World’s Strongest Slam. Hobbs flung Ospreay backwards, crashing onto the announcers’ desk! Back in the ring, Ospreay came back with a corkscrew kick, taking down Hobbs for the first time in the match.
Ospreay connected with a springboard flying forearm to Hobbs for a near fall. Will chopped at Hobbs’ chest, but Hobbs shrugged them off. Hobbs launched Will with a belly to belly suplex. Ospreay rallied back with a Stun dog Millionaire, but Hobbs cut the renewed momentum short with a powerslam.
Hobbs went for a frog splash, but Will dodged it. Will nailed Hobbs with an Os Cutter for a two-count! Ospreay connected with a heel kick, but Hobbs blasted Ospreay with a lariat!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Hobbs smashed Will with an avalanche powerslam for a near fall! Ospreay was clutching his midsection. Will hit a DDT on Hobbs and then crashed onto Hobbs with a Sky Twister! Ospreay wiped out Hobbs with the Hidden Blade and pinned Hobbs!
After the match, Callis had to hold Hobbs back from attacking Ospreay. Callis whispered something into Hobbs’ ear and Hobbs backed off.
“The MurderHawk Monster” Lance Archer vs. “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson!
Archer ambushed Danielson as Archer entered the ring, before the bell. Danielson was just trying to survive early on, as Archer battered Bryan with stiff shots and then whipped Bryan into the turnbuckles. Archer charged at Danielson in the corner, but Danielson dodged him and countered with a dragon screw leg whip.
“Great strategy taking the big man off his feet,” said Schiavone.
Danielson stomped on the back of Archer’s knees and then kicked Archer in the hamstrings. Danielson dropkicked Archer on the inside of the knee, going after the base of Archer. Danielson attempted a tope to the outside on Archer, but Archer caught Danielson and choke slammed Danielson onto the ring apron! Archer grabbed an AEW crew member at ringside and body slammed him onto Danielson!
Danielson showed the fire, bringing the fight back to Archer in the ring. Danielson charged at Archer, perhaps looking for the running knee strike, but Archer countered with a massive cross body press!
“This is brutality by the MurderHawk Monster,” said Taz.
Archer grabbed Bryan’s wrist and was walking the top rope, but Danielson shoved Archer, forcing the Lance to lose his balance. Danielson applied the Le Bell Lock, but Archer reached the bottom rope with his legs, forcing the ref to break the hold. Danielson jumped off the apron with a knee strike to Archer’s head! He got Lance back into the ring, knowing Lance was rocked. Danielson knocked Archer to the mat with a missile dropkick from the top turnbuckle. Danielson lit up Archer’s chest with round kicks. Archer choke slammed Danielson out of nowhere for a near fall!
Archer was looking for the Black Out, but Danielson knocked Archer away with hammer and anvil strikes. Danielson dropped Archer to his knees with a running knee strike. Danielson drilled Archer with three roundhouse kicks to the head. Danielson smashed Archer with the running knee strike and pinned Archer!
“What a battle right there!” said Taz.
Renee Paquette was on the ramp to interview “Lionheart” Chris Jericho!
Jericho: “Renee, last week I told Hook I had a proposition for him where I offered to be his mentor. And even though he agreed, he said something to me that’s been sticking in my head all week. That’s why I want to talk to him right now. Hit the Hook signal!”
FTW Champion Hook came out and was clearly skeptical of Jericho.
Jericho: “Last week you said you’d love by advise by ‘I know who you are.’ And I understand that but when you play the game at the highest of levels like Chris Jericho does, the rules are different. It’s true. And once you understand that you’re going to understand what I’m trying to teach you. I’m not asking you to trust me 100% right now, but I’m asking you to believe in me as much as I believe in you.”
Hook: “Yeah, Chris, I believe in you. I believe in you so much that I got us a match on Collision. But Chris, I’ll be keeping my eye on you.”
Shane Taylor Promotions’ Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty were backstage!
Lee said one surefire way to jump straight to the top in one night is to beat the golden child and the first World Champion in AEW. Taylor said on Collision, all they have to do is knock out “the Ocho” and Hook!
“On Collision, LionHook gets their ass beat by STP!” said Taylor.
AEW World Trios Champion Billy Gunn vs. ROH World Six-Man Champion Jay White!
Billy Gunn decked Jay White as Jay White was making his entrance! Billy Gunn whipped “Switchblade” Jay White into the barricade, not wasting anytime. The Acclaimed were backstage watching the match on a monitor. The Gunns were also watching backstage on a different monitor.
Billy went after Jay White through the crowd, ramming White into a trash can. Jay White hid behind one AEW security guard. Billy found him and bashed him into one of the hockey boards in the arena. Billy trounced Jay White all around the ringside area. Jay just could not escape the grasp of Billy.
Jay White escaped a vertical suplex attempt and shoved Billy into the guardrail. Billy hit Jay White back, dominating Jay White, nailing White with a lariat. Footage was shown of The Acclaimed backstage, who had been attacked!
Billy blasted White with the Fame Asser! Billy didn’t go for the cover, instead opting to inflict more damage on White.
“Jay White came in looking for a match. Billy didn’t want a match. He wanted retribution,” said Tony Schiavone.
Billy dropped another Fame Asser on Jay White. Billy grabbed a steel chair from outside the ring. Billy returned to the ring with the chair, but the Gunns jumped into the ring, shielding Jay White, pleading with Billy to show some mercy. Jay White used the opportunity to hit a low blow on Billy! Ref Aubrey Edwards called for the disqualification, awarding the match to Billy Gunn!
The Gunns held Billy down while Jay White was going to bash a chair against Billy’s head, but the Acclaimed’s music hit! The Acclaimed sprinted to the ring! The Acclaimed cleaned house on the Gunns! Jay White begged off the Acclaimed and retreated. Jay White tripped outside. The Acclaimed threw Jay White back into the ring. The Gunns were waiting, but the Acclaimed grounded and pounded the Gunns. Billy decked Jay White with a stiff right hand!
The Acclaimed set up the steel ring steps by the announcers’ table. The Acclaimed were about to suplex Jay White off the steps and onto the table when the Gunns grabbed White, pulled him down, and ran off through the crowd!
“This is far from over between these two teams,” said Excalibur.
We heard from Willow Nightingale, who will challenge TBS Champion Julia Hart at AEW Dynasty on Sunday, April 21st on pay-per-view.
Willow came out with Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander.
Renee Paquette asked Willow how it felt to have earned a championship match in a few weeks.
Willow: “I am feeling motherfluffin’ great! I really love this city because for years and years I was busting my butt in this town. Kris and I would wrestle in this town at a little place called the White Eagle. So many of us have had great nights there. This is like a home away from home. This is where I learned who Willow Nightingale is, where I figured myself out.
“Your cheers reassured me. This applause is what helped blossom me into the woman standing in front of you today, this woman who will be challenging Julia Hart for the TBS Championship at Dynasty. And I know I will be the smiling face of TNT!”
Stokely: “Last week Willow had a banger and knocked it out of the park. Week after week she impresses me and impresses the entire world!”
“The CEO” Mercedes Moné walked onto the ramp!
Moné: “Now Willow, I can’t wait to watch you tear it up with Julia at Dynasty. Because whoever is going to be the TBS Champion at Double or Nothing, I get next. Because in Vegas, Moné means everything!”
AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final Match!
At AEW Dynasty 2024 the winning team faces the winner of FTR vs. Top Flight.
Matthew suplexed Trent across the ring with Northern Lights Suplexes. Trent retaliated with a double knee strike. Nicholas swept out Trent’s legs, wiping out Trent on the apron. Orange attempted a tope suicida, but the Bucks blocked it! The Bucks power bombed Orange on the apron! Then they power bombed Trent on the apron!
Nicholas ripped the top turnbuckle pad off the corner. Orange tried for a double hurracanrana, but the Bucks blocked it. Matthew spiked Orange with a DDT. The Bucks were looking for the EVP Trigger on Orange, but Orange dodged it and the Bucks collided. Orange rocked the Bucks with separate DDTs, fighting through the pain. Orange blasted Nicholas with a diving DDT for a near fall!
Trent and Orange pulped Matthew with a modified TK Driver for a near fall. Nicholas was there to break up the pin attempt. Trent was looking for the crunchy on Nicholas but Matthew superkicked Trent, the momentum allowing for Nicholas to plant Trent with the Code Red! Matthew superkicked Chuck Taylor outside the ring, and then threatened Sue with a superkick but she spotted him, stopping him in his tracks!
“He was going to kick Sue! What’s wrong with that man?” yelled Schiavone.
Sue slapped Matthew and then Orange followed up with the Orange Punch! Trent rammed Matthew with a knee strike inside the ring! Orange wiped out Nicholas with a tope suicida! Trent had Matthew set up for the crunchy and Orange stomped down, adding impact to the move! Trent had Matthew tied up for the pin, but Nicholas jumped in to break it up in the nick of time!
“Wow, what a massive save by Nicholas,” said Taz.
Orange rocked Nicholas with an Orange Punch! Once again Orange hit a tope to Nicholas outside the ring! Matthew catapulted Trent into the exposed turnbuckle, grabbed Trent’s tights, and stole the pin!
“The Young Bucks have made it to the finals at Dynasty!” said Excalibur.
“What a victory for the Bucks. Like it or not, it was impressive,” replied Taz.
After the match, the Best Friends were about to give the people what they wanted with a hug, but Trent betrayed his partners and smashed into Orange with a running knee strike!
“What the—? What did we just see?” asked Taz.
“Chuck has no idea either,” said Schiavone.
Trent walked out on Orange, Chuck, and Sue!
Thunder Rosa (#1 ranked) vs. Mariah May (#2 ranked) (with AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm and Luther)!
Toni Storm joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Thunder Rosa chopped Mariah May in the corner. Rosa charged at May but May dodged her. Mariah May smashed Thunder Rosa with a hip attack in the corner! Thunder Rosa took down Mariah with a hurracanrana onto the arena floor. Thunder Rosa used a diving cross body on Mariah May against the barricade.
“I am getting worried here,” said Toni Storm.
Thunder Rosa jumped off the top looking for the foot stomp but Mariah May rolled out of the way. Thunder Rosa reversed the May Day for a near fall. Mariah May hit Thunder Rosa with a knockout shot. Rosa escaped the May Day with a backstabber. Thunder Rosa flattened Mariah May with the Tijuana Bomb and scored the pin!
“Thunder Rosa is the number one contender for ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm’s title,” said Excalibur.
Penta El Zero Miedo was backstage with Alex Abrahantes!
Penta El Zero Miedo challenged Adam Copeland to a match for the TNT Championship next week on Dynamite!
Up next: The AEW World Championship Contract Signing between Champ Samoa Joe & challenger Swerve Strickland!
It was time to make their AEW World Championship Match for AEW Dynasty official!
Samoa Joe sat down at a table that was set up in the ring. Swerve paced on his side of the ring. The World Champion signed the contract first.
Samoa Joe: “Now Swerve, we’re out here in front of a lot of people who seem to care about you. I think you’re working on bad information. I’ve watched your rise in AEW. How else could this fairy tale end but with a big victory and everybody celebrating a new champion? See Swerve, that’s the bad information you’ve been working on.
“I’m about to tell this man the truth. Signing this contract is a big mistake. Let me put into terms that maybe a rapper can barely understand. I’m going to beat you so bad, it’s going to make it seem like maybe you left the party too late. So now that you have the right information, why don’t you do the right thing?”
Swerve: “Before I sign this contract Joe, just know I’ve wanted this moment my entire life. My destination was full of a lot of obstacles, but when I arrived, that journey was sweet. It took me all the way to Dynasty. And we’ve built a Dynasty in AEW with signings like Okada, Mercedes, and Will Ospreay. Joe, I understand this championship is bigger than the both of us. I understand the dangers of facing you for it. You are the definition of a killer. But so am I. April 21st at Dynasty, I show you that I am every bit of that man! I grab the keys to the Dynasty, and I turn AEW into who’s house?”
The crowd answered: “Swerve’s house!”
Swerve: “Now run the fade on that, bitch!”
Samoa Joe shoved Swerve from across the table! Swerve answered with a devastating right hand strike! Swerve wrapped his steel chain around Joe’s neck! Samoa Joe turned around and headbutted Swerve! Samoa Joe wrapped the chain around his fist and walloped Swerve in the head. Samoa Joe rocked Swerve with more strikes, and Swerve was busted open! The refs ran out and tried to pull Samoa Joe off Swerve.
Samoa Joe began to walk to the back. Swerve grabbed the microphone, laughed and said, “I love this. That’s all you got? Then I’m taking this championship from you.”
Swerve took the pen, dipped in the blood and signed the contract. Samoa Joe jumped back into the ring, grabbed Swerve, and smashed Swerve through the table! Samoa Joe held his championship above Swerve and taunted him!
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET featuring:
-Serena Deeb vs. Trish Adora!
– “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels vs. House of Black’s Malakai Black!
-AEW International Championship Eliminator Match: Roderick Strong (c.) vs. London Lightning!
-Final Four Elimination Match: Daniel Garcia vs. Action Andretti vs. Komander vs. “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith!
Special Start Time This Saturday don’t miss AEW Collision on TNT at 11:30/10:30c!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV!
This Wednesday night, DYNAMITE hails from Worcester, MA and the DCU Center and we will witness AEW World Champion Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland sign their DYNASTY 2024 contract, The Young Bucks face Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta in the Semi-Finals of the World Tag Title Tournament, Thunder Rosa and Mariah May vie for the next shot at Toni Storm's AEW Women's World Champions, and The Don Callis Family continues to test itself with Will Ospreay facing Powerhouse Hobbs! All that and more comes to you this Wednesday night live on TNT starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, but don't forget to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's various social media platforms, for highlights from last week's episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER!
Then join Ring of Honor's Philadelphia homecoming this Friday night for SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2024 (https://www.allelitewrestling.com/aew-event/roh-supercard-of-honor-2024), live from the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University, and available exclusively on Honor Club (www.watchroh.com)! Eddie Kingston faces Mark Briscoe with the ROH World Championship at stake, ROH Women's World Champion Athena puts her title on the line against 3-Time AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida, the first-ever ROH Women's World TV Champion will be crowned when Billie Starkz faces Queen Aminata, Stardom will be in the house, and so much more coming your way this Friday night in Philly!
AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final…
The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta
After escaping their Quarter-Final match against Private Party with a suspect victory, The Young Bucks made sure to be on the spot at the first opportunity to take a shot at Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta ahead of their Semi-Final encounter. Leave it to Matthew and Nicholas to take those two Best Friends lending a hand to another individual, in this case “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard, and turning it into something terrible with their underhanded tactics.
Thankfully Orange and Trent don't have to wait long to even the score with The EVPs since this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE features their Semi-Final contest in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament! Now Trent Beretta is extremely familiar with fighting The Young Bucks, between AEW, ROH, NJPW, and PWG, they've fought countless times, but OC has only ever met Matthew and Nicholas in tag team action one time, and that was with HOOK serving as his tag team partner. This is a rather unfamiliar experience for the former 2-Time AEW International Champion, but that's part-and-parcel of being a professional wrestler, one won't always have experience with your foes, but that just means learning as you go, and that feels like a situation where Orange Cassidy can thrive.
History shows how strong a team The Young Bucks are, and recent history shows how low they will stoop to come out on top, but recent history also shows how strong a duo Trent and OC have quickly become, unbeaten in five straight matches, and coming into this tournament arguably with more momentum than any other pair. Can this Best Friends pairing continue to roll that momentum forward into a spot in the tournament final at DYNASTY 2024, or will The Young Bucks continue to dig down into new depths in order to get their much-coveted third AEW World Tag Team Championship reign?
Sign On The Dotted Line…
Last week on DYNAMITE, with his victory of Konosuke Takeshita, Swerve Strickland cemented himself as the challenger at DYNASTY 2024 for ROH World Champion Samoa Joe. It's the position Swerve has been fighting for ever since ALL IN: LONDON, that he went through vicious clashes with Hangman Page to acquire (including that unforgettable Texas Death match), and now has finally earned without having to worry about a third party as he did at REVOLUTION 2024.
This Wednesday night in Worcester, Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe make their April 21st championship fight official when they sign their names on the contract, but professional wrestling contract signings are notorious for turning into chaos. Just look at the last time Swerve was involved in one of them, and how he got stabbed in the hand with the very pen Hangman used to sign the deal! Will this contract signing see a similar breakdown in decorum, or will professionalism actually be the rule of the night with Samoa Joe and Swerve?
One-On-One…
(1)Thunder Rosa vs. (2)Mariah May
Intruder Alert…
AEW World Trios Champion Billy Gunn vs. ROH World Six-Man Champion Jay White
It wasn't all that long ago that a Gunn family reunion could be looked at as a joyous occasion; after months and months of Billy, Austin, and Colten being at odds with one another, the union of the Bang Bang Scissor Gang seemed like a way for fences to be mended, for a father and his sons to become a family once again.
Well that idea went to hell the moment The Bang Bang Gang decided that assaulting Darby Allin, that putting him on the shelf for an undetermined amount of time, was more important than keeping their six-man power group together. Perhaps it was a group destined for failure from jump street, given the egos and attitudes involved, but if there's life there is hope, and there's nothing wrong with hoping for the most favorable outcome.
Unfortunately that's not what The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass got for their time, for the willingness to trust the Bang Bang Gang, in fact Daddy Ass got a home invasion for his hopes of long-term reconciliation with his sons, so as a consequence of that, Billy Gunn has got a beating in mind for “Switchblade” Jay White!
Gunn doesn't often dabble in singles matches at this point in his career, preferring to ride in trios action with Max Caster and Anthony Bowens, but he's got decades worth of experience in that role to pull from when it comes to teaching Jay White a lesson in respect and humility! This is just the beginning of what is sure to be several heated battles between these two dominating trios…
A Battle Of Will(s)…
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. (4)Will Ospreay
For better or worse, Don continues to pit members of his family against one another inside the squared circle under the belief that the only way to get better is to fight the best, and that since his family is the best, they just have to fight one another to get better. While there may be some merit to Callis' thinking, we've already witnessed tension within the ranks with Ospreay fighting ROH World TV Champion Kyle Fletcher on DYNAMITE and Takeshita at REVOLUTION 2024, and now he's signed up to facing the monster of The DC Family, the strongest man in all of All Elite Wrestling, Powerhouse Hobbs!
Ospreay's schedule since fully devoting his time to AEW has been rather mad; in addition to those two matches, he's heading into this fight with Hobbs after just having faced Katsuyori Shibata last Wednesday on DYNAMITE and he's got the impending bout with Bryan Danielson at DYNASTY 2024! That's just the in-ring portion of his last couple weeks, it says nothing of his travel schedule back-and-forth between the UK, Canada, and the United States. That being said, Ospreay does have some experience with demanding travel schedules from his time in NJPW and weeks consisting of, as an example, five matches in seven days.
Ospreay's been through it, but fighting a foe like Powerhouse Hobbs is such a unique endeavor; the former TNT Champion possesses such a rare combination of power and speed, as well as strength and agility, plus a sheer ruthlessness to back it all up, that makes him one of the most dangerous men in All Elite Wrestling. He's a man who can throw around any individual in the company like they are rag dolls, just look at how he treated Paul Wight in the Like a Dragon Gaiden Street Fight last November, and while it takes a tremendous feat of strength to even rock Hobbs much less get him off his feet.
They may both be part of The Don Callis Family, but that doesn't mean Ospreay or Hobbs are going to take it easy on one another, in fact it seems the hope from Callis is that the exact opposite be true. He wants to see his men go to war with one another, to sharpen each other's iron so to speak, and to get one another at the peak of their game. Well, he will certainly get that this Wednesday night when Will Ospreay clashes with Powerhouse Hobbs as we continue down the road to DYNASTY 2024!
JERICHO CALLS OUT HOOK!
After falling to FTW Champion HOOK in singles competition two weeks ago, “Lionheart” Chris Jericho extended the offer to essentially serve as a mentor for the young man. Jericho himself pointed out he's never been a trainer, never ran a wrestling school, never been a manager, but yet he was willing to try to be those things for “The Cold-Hearted, Handsome Devil”. Now HOOK may be young, both in life and in terms of time as an active competitor, but he's not a stupid human being, as HOOK said, he knows who Jericho is. He knows the leader of the Inner Circle who caused Sammy Guevara to walk away from the group, and who tossed aside Ortiz and Santana as soon as they questioned how Jericho operated. He knows the Jericho who built his own Appreciation Society, but was ultimately abandoned by all of those associates because of his behavior as their leader. HOOK knows “The Ocho” and “Le Champion”, but what Chris seems to want to show him is the “Lionheart”, a man of integrity and worth who actually cares about the future of AEW, who knows it's bigger than just Chris Jericho, and who actually wants to see it grow beyond Chris Jericho.
So what is it that Jericho intends to call out HOOK for this week on DYNAMITE? Is it for a public workout? A training match? A lesson in technique? There are a great many lessons that a man with the tenure of the original AEW World Champion can teach to a young competitor like the FTW Champion, but what will that be this Wednesday night?
This Wednesday night, DYNAMITE hails from Worcester, MA and the DCU Center and we will witness AEW World Champion Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland sign their DYNASTY 2024 contract, The Young Bucks face Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta in the Semi-Finals of the World Tag Title Tournament, Thunder Rosa and Mariah May vie for the next shot at Toni Storm's AEW Women's World Champions, and The Don Callis Family continues to test itself with Will Ospreay facing Powerhouse Hobbs! All that and more comes to you this Wednesday night live on TNT starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, but don't forget to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's various social media platforms, for highlights from last week's episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER!
Then, this Friday night, Ring of Honor returns home to Philadelphia for SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2024, available exclusively on Honor Club, and featuring ROH World Champion Eddie Kingston battling Mark Briscoe, ROH Women's World Champion Athena and 3-Time AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida locking horns, Billie Starkz and Queen Aminata going one-on-one to determine the first-ever ROH Women's World TV Champion, Kyle Fletcher defending the ROH World TV Title against Lee Johnson, the women of Stardom coming to blow the roof of Liacouras Center, and plenty more in store for ROH's homecoming!
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live ,from the Budweiser Gardens in London, ON!
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
Nigel McGuinness, Ian Riccaboni, and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
TNT Champion “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland kicked off Collision!
Copeland: “About a week and a half ago, I finally closed the book on Christian Cage. Now it’s time to start a new chapter and I decided to go back to the Cope Open, only this time the stakes are higher. Because this time I am putting the TNT Championship on the line. I’m not going to run like the Patriarch, I am here to fight!”
The Cope Open Returns! TNT Championship Match!
“The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland (c.) vs. “The Deathmatch King” Matt Cardona!
The match opened with a series of hip tosses.
“You can tell they know each other, using the same moves against each other. Cardona is facing his mentor and getting a chance to become TNT Champion,” said Schiavone.
Cardona charged at Copeland outside the ring, and Copeland caught him with a clothesline. Cardona gouged Copeland in the eyes and then shoved him off the apron and into the steel ring steps.
Cardona climbed the turnbuckles but Copeland yanked Cardona’s legs out from under him. Cardona fired back with a chop. Cardona was searching for a superplex, but Copeland countered with a bulldog off the top for a near fall!
Matt Cardona spiked Copeland with the Impaler for a two-count, hitting the champ with his own move!
Cardona slapped Copeland and said, “I’m the self-made superstar!”
Cardona went for the Radio Silence, but Copeland countered with a powerbomb for a near fall! Copeland tried for a spear, but Cardona stunned Copeland with the Radio Silence for a two-count! Cardona ran in for the spear but Copeland lured Cardona in and speared Cardona, scoring the pin and retaining the championship!
“What an absolutely incredible win on many fronts! Adam Copeland is still the TNT Champ,” said Schiavone.
As Copeland was celebrating his victory, the arena went dark! The lights came back on, and Malakai Black appeared in the center of the ring! Black smirked at Copeland and then Buddy Matthews blindsided Copeland. Mark Briscoe sprinted down to the ring to even up the odds, but Black kicked Briscoe and Matthews nailed Briscoe with a knee! Eddie Kingston ran to the ring and stood side by side with Copeland and Briscoe. The lights turned off again and this time Black and Matthews vanished from the ring.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview AEW World Trios Champs The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass!
Daddy Ass: “I’m a little pissed off. I’m pissed off at Jay White. I can get past you hitting me in the head with a chair, but I can’t get past you coming into my house, where me and my wife live. He also keeps talking about selling out Madison Square Garden. Hell, I’ve done that more times than I can remember. But if I recall, Jay lost that match. And he’s also going to lose next week. Because next week on Dynamite, it’s Jay White against Daddy Ass, and then we’ll see how good you really are.”
Max Caster: “Yo! Listen! This message goes out to Austin and Colten, those ass boys! Wednesday night, while Billy Gunn is beating down Jay White, if you guys believe in your boy Jay White and stay in the back, we’ll stay in the back too. So, if you have faith in Jay White, you’ll have no problem with that.”
Anthony Bowens: “And now a word from the Scissor King. I feel a lot better this week even though I shouldn’t. Billy’s home got invaded and I was proven right. Those three bullet bitches walked into his home and upon seeing Billy Gun, they ran like cowards. Next week the demise of Bullet Club Gold begins. Because they are looking at three different individuals! By the end of this, you are going to be looking at ‘Still the AEW World Trios Champions’ because everyone loves the Acclaimed!”
East Bracket: AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match!
FTR—Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler
vs.
The Infantry—Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo!
The winning team faces the winner of Top Flight vs. Starks & Big Bill.
Carlie, clearly having done his homework, took Dax off his feet with a couple of dropkicks. Dean came in and the Infantry hit FTR with stereo dropkicks.
Cash rocked Shawn Dean with European uppercuts. Dean body slammed Cash and then dropped an elbow on him. Cash caught Dean in midair and planted him hard on the mat. Dax tagged in and superplexed Carlie Bravo!
The Infantry hit beautiful tandem offense on Dax Wheeler, almost scoring an upset. Dean DDT’ed Cash. Dax inadvertently collided into Cash and Carlie rolled up a dazed Dax for a near fall. FTR recovered with the Shatter Machine on Carlie and scored the pin, advancing to the next round!
TNT Champion Adam Copeland, Mark Briscoe, and Eddie Kingston were backstage!
Copeland: “House of Black, I know my championship makes me a marked man! You want to get in my business? I’ve got some backup. Why don’t you face us April 21st at AEW Dynasty!”
Briscoe: “At Dynasty, House of Black, you guys picked the wrong three!”
Kingston: “House of Black, after Dynasty, you’re going to be spitting blood and teeth!”
Kyle O’Reilly vs. The Workhorsemen’s JD Drake!
“This is Kyle’s second match back after neck surgery,” said Schiavone.
Drake drilled Kyle with a dropkick. Kyle dodged a Vader Bomb from Drake. Kyle pummeled Drake with violent round kicks and then swept out Drake’s leg. Kyle smashed Drake with an ax kick. Kyle applied an arm bar and Drake tapped out!
“Now 2-0 on his comeback trail,” said Schiavone.
The Undisputed Kingdom got in the ring, hoisted Kyle on their shoulders, and helped him celebrate his victory.
East Bracket: AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match!
Top Flight—Dante & Darius Martin
vs.
“Absolute” Ricky Starks & Big Bill!
The winning team faces the winner of FTR vs. The Infantry.
“Boys, Starks and Big Bill are back to reclaim their tag team titles,” said Nigel.
Starks took down Darius with an arm drag. Dante tagged in and crashed into Starks with a clothesline. Big Bill grabbed a tag, but Dante used his quickness and chopped Bill. This only angered the monster, as Big Bill served up a chest chop of his own. Top Flight hit a double dropkick on Big Bill! They followed up with a double dropkick to Starks!
Starks grabbed Darius’ leg from outside the ring, tripping up Darius. Big Bill blasted Darius with a pump kick. Big Bill splashed Dante in the corner. Big Bill tried a second time, but this time Dante dodged it. Dante jumped off the top turnbuckle and wiped out Big Bill!
Darius tagged in and used the turnbuckles for a wallwalk moonsault on Starks. Dante almost scored with a headstand pin on Starks. Darius blocked a spear from Starks. Darius used Dante as a launching pad, spiked Starks with a DDT, and scored the pin!
Top Flight are advancing to the next round!
“What a win! What an incredible win! What a major upset this is!” said Schiavone.
“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels was backstage!
Daniels: “Now I’ve been AEW since day one but in this company, it’s not how long you’ve been here, it’s about who you’ve beat. Malakai Black, are you man enough for a face to face challenge? How about this Friday on Rampage, Christopher Daniels against Malakai Black?”
Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Frost!
Thunder Rosa chopped Lady Frost in the corner. Lady Frost fired back with a quick right hand. Lady Frost stomped Rosa in the corner. Thunder Rosa retaliated with a running lariat. Thunder Rosa used a drop toe hold on Lady Frost. Thunder Rosa blasted Frost with a running dropkick!
The fans chanted “Thunder Rosa! Thunder Rosa! Thunder Rosa!”
Lady Frost rallied back with a Chiller Driller for a near fall, almost scoring a major upset. Thunder Rosa retaliated with a backstabber and a Tijuana Bomb, pinning Lady Frost!
“Thunder Rosa with another win! And she earned that win, as Lady Frost came to fight,” said Tony Schiavone.
Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm, Mariah May, and Luther!
Renee: “Some breaking news, next week number one and number two in our rankings will be facing off against one another for a future shot at your AEW Women’s World Championship.”
Toni: “And?!”
Renee: “It’s Thunder Rosa and Mariah May.”
Toni: “Was this the plan all along Mariah? Is this what you’ve been plotting for months?”
Toni kissed Mariah on the lips.
Toni: “You magnificent bastard! Genius! I see myself in you and I love me! Thunder Rosa, you should have retired as champion. You will never get to sniff this leather again!”
Main Event Time! Trios Match!
“The MurderHawk Monster” Lance Archer & The Righteous—Dutch & Vincent
Shibata jumped on Archer’s back with a sleeper. Archer chucked Shibata to the mat. Shibata ducked a big boot from Archer. Dutch tagged in, and Claudio entered the ring. Claudio powered Dutch into the corner. Dutch kicked Claudio and body slammed Claudio.
Claudio picked up Dutch, slammed him, and then stomped on Dutch. Bryan tagged in and slugged it out with Vincent. Danielson flew to the outside with a tope on Dutch! Danielson jumped off the apron with a diving knee to Archer!
Dutch body slammed Archer on Danielson. Archer body slammed Dutch on Danielson. Dutch planted Danielson with the Bossman slam for a near fall! Danielson tried to fight back with a shotgun dropkick off the top to Dutch. Danielson made the tag to Claudio!
Claudio and Archer traded lariats. Claudio took down Archer with a hurracanrana. Claudio was looking for the Giant Swing on Archer but the Righteous ran in to break it up. Shibata ran in and charged at both members of the Righteous with dropkicks in the corner. Shibata and Claudio hit tandem offense on Archer. Claudio captured Archer in the Giant Swing! Claudio locked Archer in the Sharp Shooter! Dutch jumped in and broke it up.
Shibata dumped the Righteous out of the ring. When Shibata turned around, Archer booted Shibata. Archer planted Claudio with a chokeslam. Vincent smashed Claudio with the Death From Above for a near fall!
Shibata lit up Vincent with forearms. Shibata suplexed Vincent and then applied a cross arm breaker. Dutch broke up the submission. Shibata applied a sleeper on Vincent in the center of the ring. Shibata clocked Vincent with the PK and pinned Vincent!
“Shibata, Claudio, and Danielson win the trios match! This is AEW! Where the best wrestle!” said Schiavone.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from DCU Center in Worcester, MA featuring:
-Thunder Rosa vs. Mariah May!
-A Battle of Wills: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Will Ospreay!
-Chris Jericho calls out HOOK!
-AEW World Trios Champ Daddy Ass vs. ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champ Jay White!
-AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinals: Young Bucks vs. Best Friends!
-AEW Dynasty Contract Signing: AEW World Champ Samoa Joe & Swerve Strickland sign on the dotted line for their AEW World Championship Match taking place at Dynasty!
This Saturday COLLISION is back to its regular schedule, and with it comes a loaded night of action from the greatest professional wrestlers on the planet! It’s going down in London, ON, Canada at the Budweiser Gardens, and features two East Bracket bouts in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament, each involving a former AEW World Tag Championship duo! Plus Adam Copeland reignites the Cope Open, only now it will be with his newly-won TNT Championship on the line, and fresh off their excursion to CMLL on Friday night, The Blackpool Combat Club will be in Trios action against The Righteous and “The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer! All that, and plenty more, is coming your way this Saturday night as All Elite Wrestling heads down the road to DYNASTY 2024 in St. Louis!
The night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and fans around the world can get prepared by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to watch highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then come join us next Wednesday in Worcester, MA at the DCU Center stacked DYNAMITE featuring The Young Bucks versus Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta in the Semi-Finals of the World Tag Title Tournament!
EAST BRACKET: WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL…
FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. The Infantry (Capt. Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo)
***FACES WINNER OF TOP FLIGHT VS. STARKS/BIG BILL***
Though they owe a debt of gratitude to Mark Briscoe for helping to facilitate their victory over The House of Black in the Wild Card Round, The Infantry of Carlie Bravo and Capt. Shawn Dean find themselves in the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Team Championship tournament, and faced with one of the greatest teams in professional wrestling history. It’s the biggest moment in their entire tag team career, and it plays out before the entire world this Saturday on COLLISION.
FTR, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, had a Hall of Fame resume before they debuted for All Elite Wrestling, and since coming into AEW in the fall of 2020, have only bolstered that resume with two AEW World Tag Team Championship reigns, a ROH World Tag Team Championship reign, a AAA World Tag Title reign, and an IWGP World Tag Title reign. They are perpetually in the conversation of which team in AEW is the best, and have been on the hunt for a third AEW World Tag reign since Big Bill and Ricky Starks defeated them last October.
For both FTR and The Infantry, this Saturday night is a pivotal moment in their careers, and though it’s obvious why that is the case for Carlie Bravo and Capt. Shawn Dean, perhaps it’s less so for the case of FTR. The fact that they’ve already won so many championships in their tag team career doesn’t mean Dax and Cash aren’t always gunning for another run atop the division, it doesn’t make any victory mean less because they’ve been there before, in fact it’s quite the opposite. FTR know how much it means to be hold the AEW World Tag Titles, they know what that experience is like, and they crave having it once again by coming out on the top of this tournament.
So will we see FTR add more accolades to their championship resume, or will The Infantry find another way to upset the apple cart and move on to the Semi-Final round of the East Bracket? The winner of this contest will meet either Top Flight or Big Bill and Ricky Starks in that round, and it’s a safe bet who FTR would want to fight should they advance to the Semi’s!
EAST BRACKET: WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL…
Big Bill & Ricky Starks vs. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
***FACES WINNER OF FTR/INFANTRY***
Big Bill and Ricky Starks have not been seen inside an AEW ring since the February 7th edition of DYNAMITE when Darby Allin and Sting defeated them for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Starks, generally a prolific poster on his social media, hasn’t shared anything since February 25th, while Big Bill has only shared posts about upcoming AEW events. Overall they’ve been quite quiet, leading to a whole lot of speculation about their status in All Elite Wrestling, and their status as a team. They were never a duo made up of best friends, they aren’t brothers or related in any fashion, they were simply allies of convenience who ended up making a tremendous team, and tasted rapid success by claiming the AEW World Tag Titles from FTR in their second fight as a tag team.
Overall Bill and Ricky went 6-0 as a team prior to losing the titles to Darby and Sting, defeating two different BCC teams, The Dark Order of Reynolds and Silver, Jericho and Guevera, FTR of course, and won the FULL GEAR 2023 Ladder Match over three other tag teams, but one team they never faced during that time was Top Flight.
So given the silence from Big Bill and Ricky Starks, it came as a bit of a surprise when they were announced as participants in this tournament to crown new champions after Darby vacated the titles in the aftermath of Sting’s REVOLUTION 2024 retirement. But here the former champions are, ready to get back into the hunt this Saturday night on COLLISION, and they kick off this campaign to regain the titles with a first-time bout against Top Flight.
It’s been over a year since the lone AEW World Tag Title opportunity that Dante and Darius ever had, a loss to The Gunns on the 3/22/23 edition of DYNAMITE, and they would love to run the table on this tournament and finally rise to the top of AEW’s stacked tag team division! Will it be the former champions who advance on Saturday, or the two young men who’ve never held a championship in AEW or ROH? The winner of this one faces the winner of the aforementioned FTR/Infantry battle also taking place on COLLISION…
COPE OPEN TNT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Adam Copeland(c) vs. ????
He was battered and bruised, broken and bloody, but it certainly felt like Adam Copeland had rarely been happier than he was in the aftermath of his TNT Championship victory over Christian Cage. Making his former best friend, a man his children called Uncle, say the words “I Quit” brought a sense of relief and satisfaction to Cope, but also the realization that the work had only just begun. Everything it took to get the TNT Championship, the wear and tear it put on his body, the heartbreak it put on his family, it was all just part one of the journey.
Part two begins this Saturday night on COLLISION when Adam begins The Cope Open anew only now with the TNT Championship at stake! It’s a return to how the TNT Championship was first introduced, and how it was carried by nearly every champion not named Christian Cage. Men like Cody Rhodes, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara carried on an Open Challenge tradition for that belt, and that is reborn now that the title is around the waist of a stand-up competitor like Adam Copeland!
That question is who will step up to the challenge and try to wrestle the TNT Championship away from Adam in his first defense? Previous Cope Open competitors included Dante Martin and Minoru Suzuki, each pushing Adam in different fashions, so who will it be this time? Will it be another young talent trying to break through to the next level? Will it be a well-established warrior looking for a title they’ve never held? Or maybe someone from outside the auspices of All Elite Wrestling hoping to earn their way in as Ricky Starks and Eddie Kingston did in the early days of the TNT Championship?
It’s an exciting thing to speculate on just who may step up to the plate and take a swing at Adam Copeland’s TNT Championship, but will it be a gamble that blows up in the defending champion’s face?
TROIS BOUT…
“The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer & The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) vs.
Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli) and Katsuyori Shibata
Two weeks ago on COLLISION, Claudio Castagnoli and Lance Archer met in a battle of AEW behemoths, but unfortunately the bout came to an unsatisfying conclusion for all as The Righteous assaulted Castagnoli just as he began to Giant Swing “The Murderhawk Monster”! Bryan Danielson tried to stem the assault, but he got dropped by The Righteous as well. It was only the arrival of Katsuyori Shibata, and the chair he had in hand, that sent Dutch, Vincent, and Archer heading for the hills.
That assist was a tremendous show of respect from “The Wrestler”, stemming from the fight he and Bryan had earlier in the night, and now that sign of respect has blossomed into a full-blown alliance, at least for one night, as he teams with Bryan and Claudio to take on Archer and The Righteous in Trios competition!
The two BCC members are fresh off a fight at Arena Mexico for CMLL’s HOMENAJE A DOS LEYENDAS event, having hopped on a flight to Canada early Saturday morning to get to London for this fight, but there are no excuses when it comes to The Blackpool Combat Club, and they will be ready to throw down on COLLISION! Archer and The Righteous have a slight experience advantage as a Trio, but is it enough to overcome the onslaught that Shibata and The BCC will bring to bear?
FIGHTING LIKE A CHAMPION…
Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Frost
Last time she set foot in the ring, Thunder Rosa accomplished something no one else had done since GRAND SLAM 2023 when she pinned Toni Storm’s shoulders to the mat for a tag team victory. It may not have sat well with Deonna Purrazzo, that forced tag that got Thunder into the match in the first place, but it was a win for their team nonetheless, though Rosa’s “when I win you can have the first shot” comment could be taken as rather condescending.
That’s an issue for another time though, right now is time for Thunder Rosa to prepare for another fight on her road back to the top of AEW’s Women’s Division, not to celebrate her seventh consecutive victory since returning from a near career ending injury. This Saturday she steps into the ring with Lady Frost, a woman she’s never faced in AEW and only encountered once in their careers back in May 2021, and someone who has been on the cusp of breaking out with her incredible combination of heart, skill, and athleticism. She’s gave Kris Statlander two tremendous fights in TBS Championship bouts, and one to Julia Hart as well, not to mention the battles with Mariah May and Serena Deeb this year, but Frost hasn’t quite been able to put it together for a victory quite yet.
Will Saturday night be the night Lady Frost finds the key to her first AEW win, or will she be another brick in Thunder Rosa’s road a championship fight with “Timeless” Toni Storm?
With two AEW World Tag Title Tournament Quarter-Final bouts, a TNT Championship contest, and The BCC in Trios action against The Righteous and Lance Archer, COLLISION is bringing a wild one to London, ON, Canada and the Budweiser Gardens! The night gets underway 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and fans everywhere can get ready for it all by swinging by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media outlets, to catch highlights from Wednesday’s DYNAMITE and Friday’s RAMPAGE, as well as the CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone! Then meet All Elite Wrestling next Wednesday at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA for a loaded episode of DYNAMITE featuring another Don Callis Family clash, this time between Will Ospreay and Powerhouse Hobbs!
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC!
Yourbroadcast team was Excalibur and Tony Schiavone.
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
This…is…Rampage!
Grudge Match!
“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes vs. The Butcher!
Butcher escaped a back slide from Dustin. Butcher charged at Dustin, but Dustin used a low bridge to send Butcher out of the ring. Dustin followed up with a running lariat on the arena floor. Dustin wiped out Butcher with a dragon screw leg whip.
Butcher lured in Dustin and yanked Dustin’s arm over the top rope. Butcher kicked Dustin in the midsection. Butcher rammed Dustin shoulder-first into the turnbuckles. Butcher blasted Dustin with a shoulder tackle. Butcher smashed Dustin’s hand on the steel ring steps. Butcher whipped Dustin into the steel ring post.
Butcher planted Dustin with a back breaker. Dustin rallied back with a Code Red for a near fall! Butcher rammed Dustin with headbutts to the shoulder. Dustin retaliated with a running lariat. Dustin dropped to his knees and connected with an uppercut.
Dustin stunned Butcher with a powerslam! Butcher came back with a cross face submission, but Dustin used his long legs to get his foot on the bottom rope to force the break. Butcher booted Dustin in the left shoulder. Dustin drilled Butcher with the Cross Rhodes! Dustin smashed Butcher with the Final Reckoning and scored the pin!
“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rose!
Deonna backed Rose into the corner. Deonna took Rose to the mat with a side headlock takeover. Deonna wrenched on Rose’s leg and faceplanted Rose into the mat. Deonna picked apart Rose, working on Rose’s arm.
Rose had Deonna reeling with some strikes, but Deonna rallied back with a Russian leg sweep. Deonna punished Rose with chops. Rose tried for a roundhouse kick, but Deonna ducked it and clobbered Rose with a pump kick! Deonna wrenched back on Rose’s arm and forced Rose to tap out!
“Deonna did not even have to grab the other arm,” said Tony Schiavone.
“Rose had no choice but to tap out,” replied Excalibur.
Mariah May vs. Nikita!
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm walked out with Mariah, along with Luther.
Toni Storm: “Good evening. My name is ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm and I am your AEW Women’s World Champion. But unfortunately, I have some devastating news. I am not able to compete tonight. I have injured my hamstring, and I won’t dare tell you how. Nevertheless, my place is my protégé, Mariah May. On with the show!”
Mariah May hit a shoulder tackle on Nikita. Mariah yanked Nikita to the mat with a handful of hair. Mariah blasted Nikita with a shotgun dropkick.
Mariah May punished Nikita with another dropkick to the back. Nikita swung at Mariah with elbow strikes. Nikita chopped Mariah in the corner and followed up with a running bulldog. Mariah May headbutted Nikita for a near fall.
Mariah May squashed Nikita with a running hip attack in the corner! Mariah planted Nikita with May Day and pinned Nikita!
“Toni Storm is very appreciative of the efforts of her understudy Mariah May,” said Excalibur.
“She should be because at 6-0 Mariah May is a juggernaut in the women’s division,” replied Tony Schiavone.
Main Event Time!
AEW International Championship Eliminator Match!
The Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong (c.) (with ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)
vs.
“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard!
Strong took down Menard with an arm drag. Menard shoved Roddy and then rocked Roddy with an elbow strike. Menard followed Roderick outside the ring and swarmed Roderick with strikes. Taven and Bennett tried to distract Menard and as he was fending them off, Roderick snuck in a cheap shot.
Roderick smashed Menard with a back breaker right on the edge of the ring! Roddy whipped Menard into the barricade. Back in the ring, Roddy stomped on Menard. Roderick continued to target the taped ribs of Matt Menard.
Daddy Magic rallied back with multiple lariats to Strong, bouncing the champ around the ring! Roddy countered a piledriver with a back drop. Menard slipped behind Strong and cradled him for a near fall. Roderick Strong fired back with a rib breaker on Menard, but Menard kicked out at the two-count!
Menard put Strong in a Boston Crab, taking a page out of Rick Martel’s playbook! Taven jumped on the ring apron to try to distract Menard. Roderick charged at Menard, Menard moved, and Roddy stopped just in time, narrowly avoiding Taven. Menard rocked Roddy with a cutter and covered him, but Roddy got his boot on the bottom rope!
Taven and Bennett jumped on the apron again, and Menard wiped them out! When Menard turned around, Strong was there to take advantage of the distraction and caught Menard on the chin with a jumping knee strike! Roddy covered Menard and pinned him!
“The numbers were too great for Menard,” said Excalibur.
Taven and Bennett continued to assault Menard after the bell! Roderick brought in a steel chair. The Undisputed Kingdom were about to use the chair on Menard when Orange Cassidy and Trent ran down to even up the odds! Trent speared Bennett! Cassidy nailed Taven with the Orange Punch!
Trent and Orange hugged, giving the people what they wanted! And then EVPs Nicholas and Matthew Jackson—the Young Bucks, ambushed Trent and Orange with low blows! The Bucks bashed Trent and Orange with a double EVP Trigger, sandwiching the Best Friends with brutality!
“Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have gone absolutely made with power,” said Excalibur.
Don’t miss AEW Collision live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Budweiser Gardens in London, ON featuring:
–AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Big Bill & “Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. Top Flight!
-Kyle O’Reilly in action!
-AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: FTR vs. The Infantry!
-Trios Match: The Righteous & Lance Archer vs. Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Katsuyori Shibata!
-The return of the “Cope Open!” TNT Champion “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland will put his championship on the line!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from DCU Center in Worcester, MA!
This past Wednesday night AEW came to Quebec City for the first time, and what a tremendous night of action came with that debut! Katsuyori Shibata and Will Ospreay kicked off the night with a tremendous fight that truly tested the mettle of “The Aerial Assassin” en route to his victory, and the evening closed with another top shelf contest between Konosuke Takeshita and Swerve Strickland that earned Swerve the #1 Contender position to Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship!
In addition, fans watched both The Young Bucks and the Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta tandem advance in the West Bracket of the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament, and Willow Nightingale earn a TBS Championship fight at DYNASTY 2024 on April 21st!
Back on TNT at 10pm ET/9pm CT, RAMPAGE goes down this Friday night in Quebec City, and features the Undisputed Kingdom in action as AEW International Champion Roderick Strong takes on Quebec’s own “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard in an Eliminator bout, and Dustin Rhodes battles The Butcher, while both Mariah May and “The Virtuosa” will be in singles action! Before the fights begin, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media sites, to catch highlights from Wednesday night’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then be sure to join AEW this Saturday night in London, ON for COLLISION’s return featuring the The BCC & Shibata versus Lance Archer & The Righteous!
ELIMINATOR MATCH…
AEW International Champion Roderick Strong vs. “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard
At REVOLUTION 2024 Roderick Strong ended the second AEW International Championship reign of Orange Cassidy, but in the weeks since has not been in a championship situation. He, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett took down Action Andretti and Top Flight a few weeks ago, but Roddy has not been a situation where his title has been in the balance. That changes this Friday night on RAMPAGE when, in an Eliminator bout, Roderick Strong takes on Quebec’s own “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard!
An Eliminator bout means that if Menard can defeat Strong he will earn a future International Championship match, a first for his AEW career as Menard has never challenged for an AEW singles championship. That’s not to say he hasn’t been in this position before, he last fought in an Eliminator Match against Jon Moxley on the 10/28/22 edition of RAMPAGE, but he’s never managed to secure a title match in the singles field.
But with a strong home field advantage over Roderick, with Quebec City rallying behind him, this Friday night could be the night that “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard gets closer to achieving his own championship dreams!
ONE-ON-ONE…
“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes vs. The Butcher
Dating back to the earliest days of All Elite Wrestling, there have been issues aplenty between The Butcher and “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes. They first stepped into the ring opposite one another 1/15/20 edition of DYNAMITE, a Trios match uniting Butcher and Blade with MJF as they defeated Dustin, QT Marshal, and Diamond Dallas Page, but that wasn’t their last encounter. Butcher and Blade would fall to The Natural Nightmares in a Bunkhouse Match on the 11/11/20 DYNAMITE, and they would cross paths many times over the next three-plus years in Battle Royals, and even a wild eight-man tag from the 12/16/22 edition of RAMPAGE.
Yet in all that the two men never met in singles competition, but that changes this Friday night on RAMPAGE when the challenge made on DYNAMITE culminates in a head-to-head clash between “The Natural” and Butch! Rhodes, in many ways, is as good as he’s ever been, the vast experience and knowledge he’s gained over thirty-five years balancing out the things that age inevitably takes away, making Dustin just as dangerous a foe as he was twenty-five years ago!
As for Butcher, his experience level pales in comparison to “The Natural”, but he’s spent his entire tenure in AEW learning, growing, and honing his body into a crumb-crippling machine. Whether it’s in tag team competition with The Blade, or in his occasional singles bouts, The Butcher continues to grow by leaps-and-bounds with every fight, and his power may just be the key ingredient to pulling out a victory over “The Natural” in RAMPAGE’s opening contest!
ALSO FEATURING:
MARIAH MAY (W/ TONI STORM & LUTHER) IN ACTION!
“THE VIRTUOSA” DEONNA PURRAZZO IN SINGLES COMPETITION!!
AND MORE!!!
This Friday night RAMPAGE is back at its regularly scheduled time and network, 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, and what an hour of action AEW has in store for its faithful fans. AEW International Champion Roderick Strong steps into the ring to face “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard in an Eliminator Match, meaning if Menard wins than he will get a future title match with Roddy! Plus, as we saw in their confrontation on Wednesday night, Dustin Rhodes and The Butcher renew their old rivalry in a one-on-one fight, and both Mariah May and Deonna Purrazzo will be in singles competition!
Before the bell rings, drop on by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, to catch highlights from DYNAMITE, plus previous episodes of RAMPAGE and COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then join All Elite Wrestling this Saturday night in London, ON for an all-new COLLISION featuring the East Bracket Quarter-Finals in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
“The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata!
Will shot in for a single leg but Shibata defended and mounted Will. Shibata grounded Will on the mat and went for a cross arm breaker, but Will got to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Ospreay and Shibata chain wrestled, British style. Shibata went for the PK, but Will dodged it!
Shibata cracked Will with forearms, but Will charged at Shibata with a dropkick, taking Shibata off his feet. Will battered Shibata with forearms and then dropkicked Shibata in the corner, taking pages out of Shibata’s playbook. Ospreay jumped over the top rope and connected with a crossbody press to Shibata on the floor.
As Ospreay was getting back into the ring, Shibata caught Ospreay flush in the face with a running front kick! Shibata suplexed Will on the arena floor and then blasted Will with a brutal round kick to Will’s back!
Shibata applied a figure four leg lock on Ospreay, but Ospreay was able to counter it and escaped. They got to their feet and Will chopped Shibata. Shibata answered with a suplex.
“This is a rematch seven years in the making,” said Excalibur.
Shibata whipped Will into the barricade. Will springboarded off the barricade and connected with a forearm shot to Shibata. Will followed up with another springboard forearm into the ring. Shibata nailed Will with a forearm and Will crumbled into a heap on the mat. Shibata jabbed and chopped Will, breaking him down in the corner. Shibata rocked Will with his trademark running dropkick in the corner.
Ospreay connected with a thrust kick. Shibata anticipated Will’s next move and countered with an STF. Will reached to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the submission. Ospreay intercepted Shibata’s PK. They traded forearm strikes in the center of the ring. Ospreay had a surge of adrenaline and smashed Shibata in the back of the head with a jumping high round kick!
Shibata locked Will in a sleeper and then suplexed Will. Shibata put the sleeper back on, but Ospreay fought out of it and stomped Shibata on the back of the head! Will smashed Shibata with the Os-Cutter but Shibata kicked out at the one-count!
Will hit a back drop suplex and then wiped out Shibata with a back elbow uppercut. Will walloped Shibata with a Tiger Driver and then finished Shibata off with the Hidden Blade, pinning Shibata!
“What a war we witnessed here tonight,” said Excalibur.
Renee Paquette was backstage with The Young Bucks—Matthew and Nicholas Jackson!
Matthew said they had some goals when they returned to AEW. The first was to retire Sting, and the second was to restructure the Elite, and they did that by bringing in Okada. Matthew said his biggest goal is to get their AEW World Tag Team Championships back. And they’re going to beat Private Party tonight to get one step closer to getting their titles back.
The Continental Champion “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada pulled up in an exotic sports car for the next match!
AEW World Tag Title Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
The Young Bucks—Matthew & Nicholas Jackson
vs.
Private Party—Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen!
Private Party wiped out the Bucks with stereo tope suicidas. Matthew whipped Zay over the barricade. Private Party fired back with the Silly String off the barricade onto Matthew. Nicholas planted Quen with a Falcon Arrow off the barricade! The Bucks were trying to win by count out.
Zay helped Mark Quen back into the ring, breaking the ref’s count. Nicholas suplexed Quen onto Matthew’s knees. Brother Zay got the hot tag, scored with a thrust kick to Matthew and then did a moonsault onto Nicholas who was on the arena floor!
Nicholas nailed Quen with a German Suplex. Nicholas planted Quen with a suplex on the edge of the ring. Private Party rallied back with the Gin & Juice on Nicholas!
“Perfection by Private Party,” said Taz.
Private Party hit the More Bang for Your Buck on Matthew, but Nicholas jumped in to break up the pin attempt! Nicholas grabbed the ring bell and brought it into the ring, but the ref pulled it out of Nicholas’ hands. As the ref was distracted, Nicholas kicked Zay with a low blow! Quen took one of the title belts off the podium and cracked Matthew in the head with it. Zay went to pin Matthew, but Nicholas grabbed Matthew’s leg and put Matthew’s foot on the rope to break the pin.
Quen attempted a 630 splash on Matthew, but Matthew dodged it. Nicholas tagged in and they blasted Quen with the EVP Trigger and pinned him!
“The Bucks move on, boys,” said Taz.
A video aired of Darby Allin with Tony Hawk, talking about how much skateboarding meant to them growing up, and the impact it had on their lives. Visit skatepark.org for more information on how you can help out.
Renee Paquette was backstage with FTW Champion HOOK and Chris Jericho!
Jericho said he’s never been in the ring with anyone quite like Hook. Jericho, with 33 years of experience in the ring, said he’d be happy to help Hook sharpen his skills and become the World Champion that he knows Hook can be.
“If you want my advice, I’m here for you,” said Jericho.
Hook: “I appreciate your praise, Chris. And of course I’ll take advice from you, you’re Chris Jericho. But you are Chris Jericho. I know who you are.”
Jericho: “Okay, and I know who you are. But more importantly, I know who you can be.”
Hook: “Let’s get it.”
Jericho: “Let’s get it.”
TBS Championship #1 Contender Match!
Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Skye Blue vs. Anna Jay
“The CEO” Mercedes Moné was on commentary for this match.
Skye Blue caught Kris out of the gate with a thrust kick. Anna caught Willow with a kick to the chin. Willow splashed Anna in the corner and followed up with a lariat. Skye Blue planted Willow with a DDT.
Statlander body slammed Blue and rocked her with a sliding lariat. Statlander went for a body slam on Anna, but Anna escaped. Statlander knocked Anna down with a shoulder tackle. Skye Blue tripped up Kris from outside the ring, but Willow was there to pounce Skye!
“A blindside pounce!” said Excalibur.
Willow was right in front of Mercedes when she pounced Skye. Mercedes and Willow locked eyes. Mercedes smirked at Willow, neither backing down.
Back in the ring, Kris fought off Skye Blue and Anna Jay. Anna Jay superplexed Kris and covered her but Willow hit Anna with a senton to break up the pin. Skye blasted Willow with the Code Blue, but Statlander broke it up. Kris cracked Blue with a back breaker. Willow walloped Anna Jay with a shotgun dropkick.
Skye shoved Kris into Willow. Willow countered a dragon suplex attempt by Skye on the apron by drilling Skye with a Death Valley Driver on the apron! Willow power bombed Anna Jay and pinned Anna Jay!
TBS Champion Julia Hart jumped into the ring, blindsiding Willow by smacking Willow with Julia’s championship belt! Julia held her belt high, and she and Mercedes had a stare down!
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview the legendary Dustin Rhodes!
Dustin said he’s started 2024 off with a bang. Dustin said at 55 years old, he’s just as passionate about wrestling as he’s ever been.
The Butcher interrupted Dustin! Butcher challenged Dustin to a match for Friday’s Rampage! Dustin accepted, saying Butcher will find out why Dustin is a “Natural born legend!”
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm paid a visit to the studios of Turner Classic Movies and Ben Mankiewicz, the host of Turner Classic Movies!
Toni told Mankiewicz to watch out for the shoe and then tossed it over her head as she walked off the set.
AEW World Tag Title Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
The Undisputed Kingdom—ROH World Tag Team Champs Matt Taven & Mike Bennett (with International Champion Roderick Strong)
Orange decked Taven! Bennett took Trent off his feet with a lariat. Trent flew out of the ring with a tope and took out Taven. Bennet jumped out of the ring and wiped out Trent. Orange took to the skies and jumped off the top turnbuckle, his hands in his pockets, and crashed onto Taven and Bennett!
Trent drove Bennett down with a double knee strike. Taven rocked Trent with a thrust kick. Bennett spiked Trent with a piledriver on the apron!
Orange Cassidy grabbed a tag and hit Bennett with a cross body press. Orange served one up for Taven! Orange blasted Bennett with the Stun Dog Millionaire! Taven came in and pulped Orange with a running knee strike! Taven and Bennett hit the Proton Pack, with Bennett covering Orange for a near fall!
Trent spiked Taven with a DDT! And Orange followed up with a DDT on Taven! Trent nailed Taven with a running knee strike! Strong jumped on the ring apron but Chuck Taylor pulled him back down! Roddy wiped out Taylor with his right hand! Roddy jumped into the ring to get away from Orange, dropped his title in the process, and jumped out. Orange chased after Roddy and connected with an elbow suicida!
The ref was removing the International Title from the ring when Taven and Bennett had Trent set up for their finisher. As the ref was distracted, Chuck knocked Taven off the turnbuckles. Trent rolled up Bennett with a jackknife pin and scored the victory!
“What a win!” said Schiavone.
“Interesting turn of events but congrats to Cassidy and Trent,” said Taz.
Orange, Trent, and Chuck were about to give the people what they want—the big hug, when The Bucks’ music hit! Nicholas and Matthew Jackson walked onto the ramp and stared at Orange and Trent!
Next week on Dynamite it’ll be the Young Bucks against the Best Friends in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinals!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Kyle O’Reilly!
Kyle said it felt good to rip the band-aid off with his return match and victory against “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith. Kyle said AEW has a deep roster and there’s no such thing as an easy match. He said he loves the Undisputed Kingdom but he’s going to prove he can do it without them again this week on Collision.
Main Event Time!
“The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita (with Don Callis) vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana)!
Swerve rolled up Takeshita for a near fall. Swerve was looking for the short arm scissors, but Takeshita got to the ropes. Takeshita connected with the Takeshita-line!
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe was watching the match on a monitor backstage, obviously having a keen interesting in this number one contender’s match.
Swerve blasted Takeshita with a diving European uppercut to the back of Takeshita’s neck. Swerve rocked Takeshita with a neck breaker over the middle rope. Swerve followed up with a backbreaker, but Takeshita fired back with a brain buster on Swerve!
Swerve nailed Takeshita with a German Suplex, but Takeshita got right to his feet and knocked Swerve’s block off with a devastating forearm! Swerve launched into a hurracanrana over the top rope and onto Takeshita on the floor!
Swerve followed up with a big diving cross body, but Takeshita kicked out at the one-count. Takeshita smoked Swerve with a knockout shot! Takeshita nailed Swerve with a running knee strike. Takeshita flipped over the top rope and landed hard on Swerve!
Takeshita hoisted up Swerve for a brain buster on the top turnbuckle, but Swerve fought out of it. Takeshita headbutted Swerve in the ribs. Swerve chopped out the legs out Takeshita with swift kicks. Swerve drilled Takeshita with a DDT off the turnbuckles! Swerve splashed Takeshita with a sky twister for a near fall!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Takeshita fired back with a reverse hurracanrana and followed up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall on Swerve!
“Takeshita can’t believe Swerve kicked out of that,” said Taz.
Swerve clobbered Takeshita with a straight right hand! Takeshita stunned Swerve with a jumping knee strike! Swerve planted Takeshita on the crown of his head! Swerve squashed Takeshita with the Swerve Stomp on the apron! Swerve returned to the top, jumped at Takeshita, but Takeshita countered with a powerbomb! Swerve escaped a brain buster attempt, but Takeshita was prepared with a wheelbarrow suplex to Swerve. Takeshita flattened Swerve with a Power Drive Knee, but Swerve kicked out at the two-count!
Takeshita was looking for an avalanche blue thunder, but Swerve knocked Takeshita down to the mat. Takeshita avoided the Swerve Stomp. Swerve countered a blue thunder bomb attempt, sending Takeshita into the corner turnbuckles. Swerve rocked Takeshita with the House Call kick! Swerve hit the Swerve Stomp, but Takeshita kicked out! Takeshita blasted Swerve with a jumping knee strike. Swerve countered a pop-up power bomb attempt with the Swerve Stomp! Swerve planted Takeshita with the Big Pressure and pinned Takeshita!
“Well, if that isn’t a 5-star match, I don’t know what is,” said Tony Schiavone.
Renee Paquette interviewed AEW World Champion Samoa Joe after the match, asking for his thoughts about facing Swerve Strickland.
Samoa Joe: “You should ask him how he’s feeling right now. Next week, Swerve, when you walk down to that ring and sign onto that dotted line, I am going to make sure that you understand what you are asking for. You think you’re ready. No, no, you’re not that man.”
“Swerve Strickland will face Samoa Joe at Dynasty for the AEW World Championship on Sunday, April 21st, live on pay-per-view!” said Excalibur.
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET!
Don’t miss AEW Collision live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Budweiser Gardens in London, ON featuring:
–AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Big Bill & “Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. Top Flight!
-Kyle O’Reilly in action!
-AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: FTR vs. The Infantry!
-Trios Match: The Righteous & Lance Archer vs. Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Katsuyori Shibata!
-The return of the “Cope Open!” TNT Champion “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland will put his championship on the line!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from DCU Center in Worcester, MA!
Last Wednesday night was jam-packed with three hours of AEW programming, starting with our traditional two hours of DYNAMITE, then immediately followed by RAMPAGE as it aired on a special night! During those three hours, the AEW faithful witnessed Adam Copeland earn back the TNT Championship by going through a hellacious “I Quit” match with Christian Cage, and saw Kazuchika Okada defeat Eddie Kingston to claim the AEW Continental Championship! In addition, Skye Blue and TBS Champion Julia Hart beat Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale in a Street Fight, Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta won their Wild Card bout in the Tag Title Tournament, and FTW Champion HOOK defeated Chris Jericho!
This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, live from Quebec City, QC and the Centre Videotron, we will witness a rematch seven years in the making, one that many thought would never come to pass, when Katsuyori Shibata takes on Will Ospreay! Plus, Konosuke Takeshita will go head-to-head with Swerve Strickland, and the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Title Tournament begin when The Young Bucks meet Private Party!
Then join All Elite Wrestling in London, ON for Saturday’s COLLISION, live from the Budweiser Gardens, for The Infantry versus FTR in the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament, and so much more!
SEVEN YEARS IN THE WAITING…
“The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Eleven matches; that is how many times Katsuyori Shibata and Will Ospreay stepped into the ring between January 5th and February 11th of 2017. Seven of those times it was Shibata who came out on top, but only one of those victories came in the form of a singles match, the very last one at NJPW’s THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA 2017 event. The other ten matches were all fought in trios and multi-man bouts, all save that RevPro British Heavyweight Championship fight on February 11th won by Shibata, but unfortunately a rematch never came to pass as Shibata’s career came to an end just two months later after an IWGP Heavyweight Title fight with Kazuchika Okada at SAKURA GENESIS 2017.
Then the unimaginable happened; four years and six months later, during the G1 CLIMAX 2021 tour, Shibata shocked the world when he stepped into the ring with Zack Sabre Jr. for a five minute Grappling Rules contest! Two and a half months later, at WRESTLE KINGDOM 16, Shibata would get back into the ring with Ren Narita for a full-blow professional wrestling match, then ten months later, on the 11/4/22 edition of RAMPAGE, Shibata would make his in-ring debut for AEW in an International Championship loss to Orange Cassidy. Given the time between those two matches, it was reasonable to question whether or not Shibata was returning to full-time competition or if those were just a couple matches to test his own limits. The answer came on March 31, 2023 when, at ROH’s SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 event, Shibata won the ROH Pure Championship from Wheeler Yuta, and spent the next eight months tearing it up on both AEW and ROH events, as well as traveling to RevPro for their 11TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW.
After losing the Pure Championship back to Yuta last November, Shibata returned to Japan, but made a monumental return to AEW action on the March 16th COLLISION when he battled Bryan Danielson in a certified Dream Match. Here were two men that both thought their in-ring careers finished at some point in the years prior, two men who defied the odds and the expectations of medical professionals, two men who were now fighting better than they had at any previous point in their careers, and they were going to war for the AEW faithful. Danielson ultimately won the fight, and there was another man watching on who took what happened as a test he needed to take upon himself.
That man was Will Ospreay, and with his own bout against Bryan Danielson set for AEW DYNASTY on April 21st, he felt the need to test himself against Katsuyori Shibata, to see if he could succeed in 2024 where he did not in 2017, and thus made a challenge to “The Wrestler” for the fight going down this Wednesday night! Can Ospreay follow in Danielson’s footsteps and score a victory over Katsuyori Shibata in Quebec City? Or will Shibata repeat history in this monumental rematch seven years in the making?
ONE-ON-ONE…
“The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita vs. Swerve Strickland
Thus far in 2024, Konosuke Takeshita holds a record of 5-1 in singles matches, and 10-2 over the last twelve months in that field. That’s a run that includes victories over Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, Kenny Omega, Kyle Fletcher, as well as Rocky Romero this past Wednesday night, and has shown the world that “The Alpha” is one of the most fearsome competitors in All Elite Wrestling today.
Over the course of his last eleven one-on-one match-ups Swerve Strickland lost exactly one time, his Continental Classic Gold League fight with Jon Moxley on 12/13/23, and was taken to a 30-Minute time limit draw by Hangman Page on 2/7/24. It’s been an incredible run for Strickland as well, and even if you factor in his two Three Way losses in the Gold League Finals and at REVOLUTION 2024, it doesn’t change that run because wasn’t the man who took the fall in either of those matches. There are few men who’ve been on a hotter streak that Swerve Strickland, and that run has put Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship in Swerve’s crosshairs.
For the very first time these two men, each at the top of their game, will lock horns this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, and there is certainly the possibility that the future of the AEW World Championship hinges on the result of this match! Both Takeshita and Swerve have reasonable claims to being the next challenger for Samoa Joe, based on their respective records and, in the case of Swerve, the fact he wasn’t defeated in the Three Way at REVOLUTION ’24.
As announced Tuesday night by AEW GM Tony Khan, this match will determine the next challenger for Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship! With that added factor, there is no doubt Samoa Joe will have his eyes on this contest as his next contender is determined!
AEW WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL MATCH…
The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen
On October 9, 2019, in the very first match of the original AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament, Private Party shocked the world when they defeated The Young Bucks to advance out of the Quarter-Finals. Though Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen would fall to The Lucha Brothers in the Semi-Finals, the impact was made, and the world had been forced to stand up and recognize Private Party.
A year later The Young Bucks would even up the score, pinning Isiah Kassidy to win a Four Way #1 Contenders match on 10/21/20, and would follow that up with a traditional tag team victory over Private Party on November 4th a few weeks later. Since that bout over three years ago, the two teams only met in one Trios match, though Isiah has a little more experience fighting the brothers Jackson with other partners during Marq Quen’s injury recovery, but not one other tag team match between Private Party and The Young Bucks since 2020.
That all changes this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when, in the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Title Tournament, The Young Bucks and Private Party meet again! Since Marq Quen’s return to action in 2024, Private Party is 2-2 in tag team action, though one of those losses came in a Three Way tag with Top Flight and Bryan Keith/Komander where neither Quen nor Kassidy were the ones pinned to lose the match. As for The EVPs, in 2024 they are 3-1 in tag team action, but to be honest about their record, two of those victories came over local competitors who frankly had no chance at actually beating the former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champions.
The Young Bucks have a mission of becoming the first 3-Time AEW Tag Champions while Private Party have one to capture those belts for the very first time, and only one team can get closer to their objective. Will it be The Young Bucks or Private Party who advances to the Semi-Finals? And will it be The Undisputed Kingdom or the Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta tandem who meets them there?
AEW WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL MATCH…
The Undisputed Kingdom (ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs.
The AEW World Tag Title Tournament kicks off in full-force this Wednesday night with the aforementioned Young Bucks/Private Party match, and this Quarter-Final match pitting ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven and Mike Bennett against Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta!
Though OC and Trent have never faced this Undisputed Kingdom tandem in a tag match, Cassidy’s fight with Roderick Strong have made them all quite familiar with one another, in fact the former 2-Time International Champion beat both Taven and Bennett in singles matches on the road to REVOLUTION 2024. But on that same road, as part of their mission to remove Cassidy’s support system, The Undisputed Kingdom put a hurting on Trent Beretta, so that makes this tag team encounter as much a method of revenge as it is an opportunity to move forward in the tournament to face the winner of the Private Party/Young Bucks bout!
TBS CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDER MATCH…
Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Skye Blue vs. Anna Jay
The TBS Championship is a prize greatly coveted by the women of All Elite Wrestling, and this Wednesday night four competitors will clash to see who moves on to DYNASTY 2024 to face Julia Hart! All four of these women have plenty of story with Julia Hart, especially Statlander, Nightingale, and Skye Blue given their months of battle since FULL GEAR 2023, but Anna Jay has her own reasons for wanting another fight with Julia Hart.
Hart has been the bane of Anna Jay’s AEW existence, in three bouts it has been Julia who’s won each one, including a TBS Championship fight at BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX back in January. Statlander is the woman that Julia Hart took the TBS Championship from, though technically she did not defeat Kris to win in, but Statlander has yet to be granted a rematch. Coincidentally, Julia earned that title fight at FULL GEAR 2023 by defeating Willow Nightingale in an Eliminator Bout, and of course there’s the relationship between Hart and Skye Blue that’s blossomed since Hart misted Skye many months ago. At first they were at odds, but over time the two women became thick as thieves, and have come to operate as quite the fearsome tag team, actually beating Stat and Willow in a Street Fight last Wednesday night on RAMPAGE!
This is quite the intriguing Four Way, and it will be interesting to see how TBS Champion Julia Hart responds to the outcome of the fight, especially if it is Skye Blue who earns herself the DYNASTY 2024 title match!
Join us Wednesday night for DYNAMITE, hailing from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC, and featuring the first Quarter-Final match in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament between The Young Bucks and Private Party, Takeshita versus Swerve, and a rematch years in the making between Katsuyori Shibata and Will Ospreay!!!
The meets us this Saturday in London, ON at the Budweiser Gardens for the return of COLLISION featuring former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champions FTR taking on The Infantry in a Quarter-Final match-up of the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament!
We are on the road to DYNASTY live on PPV April 21st, hailing from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO, and we already know Bryan Danielson will go to battle with Will Ospreay in a dream match for the ages! We also know that the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament will culminate that night, and on COLLISION fans witnessed The Infantry score a huge upset over House of Black to move past the Wild Card round. This Wednesday night in Toronto, All Elite Wrestling returns to the Coca-Cola Coliseum and with that comes another red-hot edition of DYNAMITE! We’ve got Adam Copeland and Christian Cage in an “I Quit” match for the TNT Champion, the Continental Championship on the line with Kazuchika Okada challenging Eddie Kingston, HOOK and Chris Jericho going one-on-one, and AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm teaming with Mariah May to battle Thunder Rosa and Deonna Purrazzo!
But wait, there’s more! Not only will the AEW faithful in Toronto get to experience AEW’s flagship, the whole world will also get to see RAMPAGE live, as it happens, immediately following DYNAMITE on TBS! That’s right, AEW is bringing three huge hours of action to TBS this Wednesday, and RAMPAGE will feature another Wild Card match in the Tag Title Tournament, as well as a Street Fight pitting Statlander and Willow against the TBS Champion and Skye Blue!
The show starts 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, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then join us next Wednesday night for DYNAMITE’s debut in Quebec, City and the Centre Videotron!
Three minutes and thirty-two seconds; that is how long Adam Copeland could claim to be TNT Champion after beating Christian Cage at WORLDS END. Then Killswitch, having earned a guaranteed TNT Championship during the ZERO HOUR, struck down the new champion to try and capitalize on the situation. Sadly it was Christian who got to take advantage of it all, convincing Killswitch to bequeath his title shot to “The Patriarch”, and ending Copeland’s TNT Title reign just 212 seconds after it began.
Copeland had every reason to demand a rematch, despite Cage’s insistence that he go to the back of the line, but instead Adam began his “Cope Open” to earn another shot, and took on every person who stepped up to the plate. Griff Garrison, Lee Moriarty, Dante Martin, and the legendary Minoru Suzuki all put Copeland to the test in their own fashion, but Adam beat each one, leading to a confrontation with another man in pursuit of Cage’s title, Daniel Garcia. Like true sportsmen, Copeland and Garcia agree to meet in singles combat with the next TNT Championship match going to the winner, but like a true scumbag, Christian Cage and his Patriachy stuck their nose into the fight, causing a No Contest result, and allowing Cage to put Copeland on the shelf with a Con-chair-to.
But they left Garcia intact, and though he didn’t claim the TNT Championship at REVOLUTION 2024, it’s really only because Nick Wayne and the Patriarchy were there to make sure Christian Cage survived Greensboro as champion. Take them out of the equation, and the AEW faithful would’ve been calling Daniel Garcia the new TNT Champion. It would’ve been quite fascinating to see how Copeland would’ve responded to someone else being the one to knock Christian off the TNT mountaintop, but that’s not how the hand played out, instead Cage has to actually deal with the repercussions of his assault on Adam Copeland with the future of the TNT Championship hanging in the balance!
Furthermore, the future of the championship won’t be decided in a regular match, not after everything that’s taken place between these two men since Copeland first arrived in AEW, the TNT Championship will be contested in an “I Quit” match this Wednesday night in Toronto! This is just the second such bout in the history of All Elite Wrestling, the first taking place at FULL GEAR 2020 between Eddie Kingston and then-AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, and coincidentally that too was a fight between friends-turned-enemies. That is about where the similarities end, neither Moxley nor Kingston threatened violence with a nail-embedded 2×4 for one, and though their bond had history, it isn’t thirty-plus years deep.
That’s what makes this entire scenario so painful, yet so intriguing; the careers of Adam Copeland and Christian Cage have played out before the world for the last twenty-five years, their lives have unfolded before the eyes of wrestling fans, their triumphs and tragedies have been public consumption, and a vast majority of it took place with them supporting one another. Even at the times they were on opposing sides, it wasn’t as ugly as situations have gotten here in AEW, it never seemed past the point of no return as it does now.
With AEW’s return to Toronto, one of these two competitors will be forced to say “I Quit” in front of the entire world. One man will have to capitulate to the others onslaught and give up their TNT Championship dream, but more than that, give up on the hope of reconciling differences with one another. Either Christian Cage or Adam Copeland will leave the Coca-Cola Coliseum as TNT Champion, that is certain, but what is uncertain is what the future of the relationship between these two men could possibly look like after the hell that’s been traversed over the last several months.
Five months ago, at NJPW’s RUMBLE ON 44th STREET event, Eddie Kingston and Kazuchika Okada stood inside the ring as allies, a tag team facing down the BULLET CLUB GOLD tandem of Jay White and Juice Robinson, though their ending came with “Switchblade” pinning “The Mad King”. Skip ahead to March 6, 2024 and Kingston confronting The Young Bucks in the middle of the ring as the two found a way to gloat about their loss to Sting and Darby Allin at REVOLUTION 2024 a few days prior. The two EVPs made a choice to assault the Continental Crown Champion, teaming up on Kingston after a low blow neutralized him for a moment, but it seemed that the arrival of Kazuchika Okada would bring an end to the attack.
Turned out it was all a ruse at Eddie’s expense, and Okada chose that moment to show the world that not only was he officially All Elite, but he was also now one of The Elite alongside Matthew and Nicholas Jackson! To say that choice by Okada was disappointing would be a gross understatement, but it certainly proved a successful alliance as this new unit managed to defeat Kingston, PAC, and Penta El Zero Miedo in Trios competition, with Okada pinning Eddie to secure the victory. Sure it took another low blow from Matthew to allow Okada to hit The Rainmaker lariat, but with the win secured, it set Okada up for an immediate shot at the AEW Continental Championship.
That title fight goes down this Wednesday night in Toronto, and it actually marks the first defense of the Continental Championship separate from the rest of Continental Crown, meaning it will be fought under Continental Rules, meaning absolutely no interference will be tolerated. Coincidentally, Kingston is also set to defend the ROH World Championship at ROH’s SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2024 event on April 5th, a match separate from the rest of the Crown as well.
This bout is also Kazuchika Okada’s first singles match as an official member of the AEW roster, though not his first in All Elite Wrestling; in fact he’s 0-2 in one-on-one matches over his limited AEW experience, meaning he may see this as the match to make a statement to the rest of the AEW locker room, as well as an opportunity to claim his first AEW championship in rapid fashion. After overcoming Bryan Danielson at REVOLUTION 2024, after getting “The American Dragon” to actually shake his hand and acknowledge respect for “The Mad King”, it seemed Eddie had found a way to channel his inner fury into a positive, controlled fashion, but this situation with Okada and The Young Bucks seems to have shaken that resolve.
The Kingston who got in The EVPs faces was not restrained, the man who fought in that Trios match was not as focused as he was in Greensboro; could that be his undoing this Wednesday night when the Continental Championship is at stake? Will we see Okada add another championship to his resume? Will it be Kingston who adds another victory to this impressive run of nine consecutive singles matches, a run that includes Claudio Castagnoli, ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, Bryan Keith, and two over Bryan Danielson?
Singles Match…
FTW Champion HOOK vs. Chris Jericho
FTW Champion HOOK and Chris Jericho recently found themselves with a common foe in The Mogul Embassy; in HOOK’s case it was Brian Cage in pursuit of the FTW Championship and for Jericho it was putting himself in the middle of that situation. When the original AEW World Champion elected to help HOOK when The Gates of Agony attacked him, Jericho became another target for Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona, and they didn’t wait long to let him know. It was only a few days between the attack on HOOK and the one on Jericho, and just as “Lionheart” helped “The Cold-Hearted, Handsome Devil”, so too did HOOK assist Chris.
That led the two men to actually team up against The Gates of Agony; not only did they team up, the unlikely pair actually won the bout over Kaun & Toa, but that was not to be the end of their association, in fact Jericho himself made the challenge for this bout taking place on Wednesday night! Now one need only look at Jericho’s history in AEW for enough reason to question the man’s motivations for wanting this bout, but his desire to test HOOK does seem legitimate, not like a cover for ulterior motives.
Interestingly it was just over 28 years ago that Jericho fought HOOK’s father Taz for the first time, actually scoring a DQ victory over “The Human Suplex Machine” that night in Philadelphia, so it is rather wild that Jericho is now fighting HOOK almost three decades later. It’s a testament not only to the longevity of Jericho’s career and how he’s operated at the highest levels, but also his willingness to mix it up with the younger generations when he could very well use his status to avoid ever having to lose face should he lose a bout like this.
It’s almost as if Jericho wants to make sure the landscape of wrestling is in good hands when the time comes for him to step away from in-ring competition, and perhaps that’s why the fights with Atlantis Jr, Titan, and now HOOK. It’s going to be interesting to see how this one plays out, will it be Jericho’s experience that lead to victory or will we see the youth of HOOK lead him to the biggest victory of his career? The FTW Champion tested Samoa Joe like few others in AEW have, can he do the same to Jericho?
Tag Team Grudge Match…
AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm & Mariah May vs. Deonna Purrazzo & Thunder Rosa
At one point during their REVOLUTION 2024 championship match, “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo had “Timeless” Toni Storm dead to rights, tapping out to her Venus de Milo submission hold, but the official was not in position to make the call thanks to Mariah May. Still, the world saw the AEW Women’s World Champ giving up even if the referee did not, and though it may not mean Purrazzo stands as the World Champion at this moment, it certainly gives her a viable claim to a rematch, and every justification to refer to herself as the “uncrowned champion” if she so chose. It’s quite clear Toni Storm wants to avoid a championship rematch with Deonna at this juncture, but unfortunately for Storm, she can’t dodge the tag team match scheduled for this Wednesday evening, a match she agreed to without even knowing who Deonna’s partner would be!
Turns out there’s another woman with some unfinished Toni Storm business, though it may be more accurate to say it’s unfinished World Title business, and that is “La Mera Mera” Thunder Rosa! Unfortunately for Rosa, due to injury she had to vacate the AEW Women’s World Championship in September 2022, a vacancy that was filled by Toni Storm at ALL OUT 2022 when she beat Dr. Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Hikaru Shida in a Four Way bout. It was the first of Storm’s three championship reigns, and though it lasted just 76 days before Hayter dethroned her, it fueled the fire (and possibly the personality break) that has led “Timeless” to where she is today. In the time Rosa missed, the landscape of the AEW Women’s Division shifted quite a bit and now she finds herself fighting for a shot at the title she never lost, and perhaps this tag team contest is a way to that end game. A victory over Storm could put Rosa into contention, after all she’s won six straight matches since her return to action, four of those in singles competition, and if she could pin Toni in this fight, well it would have to put her name into the running for the next title fight.
And that’s what makes this pairing of Thunder Rosa and Deonna Purrazzo quite interesting, they are two women with the goal of claiming the AEW Women’s World Championship from Toni Storm, but does that put them at cross-purposes as partners? Mariah May is obviously all in on supporting Toni and doing whatever she needs, can the same be said for “La Mera Mera” and “The Virtuosa”?
Last week on DYNAMITE: BIG BUSINESS, Mercedes Moné made a huge impact with her arrival in All Elite Wrestling! It wasn’t just the words she spoke at the top of the program, but also her actions at the end of the night when Moné lent a helping hand to Willow Nightingale as TBS Champion Julia Hart and Skye Blue assaulted her. She dropped Skye Blue, planted Julia Hart, and actually shared a moment of respect with Willow Nightingale despite the fact Willow beat her to become the first NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion last year.
Now we will hear from “The CEO of AEW” this Wednesday night live on DYNAMITE, and you know the ears and ears of Julia Hart and Skye Blue, as well as the rest of the AEW Women’s locker room, are going to be fixed on what Mercedes Moné has to say!
But that’s not all…
That’s right; immediately following the conclusion of DYNAMITE, we will roll right into RAMPAGE on TBS, for three straight hours of the greatest professional wrestling on the planet! The second Wild Card Match in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament is set to go down pitting The Don Callis Family against Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta, and it’s Street Fight time when Willow and Kris Statlander meet the TBS Champion and Skye Blue! Those two tremendous bouts, and a whole lot more, are coming to the AEW faithful immediately after the conclusion of DYNAMITE, making for one huge night of professional wrestling in Toronto!
AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Wild Card Match…
The Don Callis Family (ROH World TV Champion Kyle Fletcher & Powerhouse Hobbs)
vs.
Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta
***WINNER FACES TAVEN/BENNETT IN QUARTER-FINALS***
Last Saturday night on COLLISION, fans witnessed a tremendous upset when The Infantry defeated House of Black in the first Wild Card match, albeit with a little help from a revenge-seeking Mark Briscoe, meaning Capt. Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo move on to face FTR in the Quarter-Finals.
This Wednesday night during RAMPAGE the second Wild Card contest will take place when The Don Callis Family, represented by Powerhouse Hobbs and ROH World TV Champion Kyle Fletcher, take on former 2-Time AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta! As odd as it may be, especially with the OC/Trent pairing, neither of these teams are particularly experienced as a duo. The Callis crew have only teamed up once other time at RAMPAGE: WINTER IS COMING 2023, while the Cassidy/Beretta team only have 3 AEW matches and 1 ROH match under their belts this year, though to be fair OC and Trent have a wealth of experience working together in multi-man matches over the history of AEW.
The winner of this contest moves on to face ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven and Mike Bennett in the Quarter-Final round, and it’s quite difficult to pick a winner in this tag team affair. The power and precision of The Don Callis Family team versus the top tier all-around game of the OC/Trent pair; it’s quite the pick’em for the Wild Card round!
Street Fight…
TBS Champion Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs. Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale
As mentioned already, Willow Nightingale was the victim of an assault by TBS Champion Julia Hart and Skye Blue following her victory over Riho last Wednesday night. It was only the efforts of Mercedes Moné that saved the former NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion from serious injury, but it certainly left a question of where Kris Statlander was to help out her friend.
We would find out after the fact that the former TBS Champion was assaulted backstage, preventing her from assisting Nightingale, but on this Wednesday’s special edition of RAMPAGE it’s time for Julia Hart and Skye Blue to pay the piper in the form of a Street Fight! Willow and Statlander have already proven successful in that field, defeating Diamante and Mercedes Martinez last December under that stipulation, and now they’re prepared to bring the fight to the TBS Champion and her ally! This has been raging in one form or another since Julia Hart claimed the TBS Championship for herself at FULL GEAR 2023, will this be the night the scores are finally settled?
AEW’s three hour block of the best wrestling on the planet begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, in addition to AEWPlus.com for international fans, so visit the official AEW YouTube channel before showtime, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch highlights from previous editions of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the latest CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone! Then join AEW next Wednesday night for our debut in Quebec, City at the Centre Videotron for an all-new live DYNAMITE!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE: Big Business was broadcast live from the TD Garden in Boston, MA!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
Tonight’s episode kicked off with Seven-Time Women’s World Champion Mercedes Moné making her AEW Dynamite debut!
The fans were chanting “CEO! CEO! CEO!”
“I think the women’s division—everything—here in AEW has just gotten a lot more interesting,” said Excalibur.
Mercedes Moné: “Boston, I’m home! If you guys could feel my heart right now, it’s beating out of my chest. First thing I want to say is thank you. Thank you for having my back these past two years. Thank you for giving me the courage and the strength to be here. Thank you for sticking with me through all of my lows, my highs, my milestones, my titles, my history making moments, thank you!
“And trust me, we are going to be creating so much magic, and so many moments, together. Because every single one of you, you are the reason I’m here. So, thank you. I love you guys. And if you only knew how much tonight means to me, how much this means to me, how much wrestling means to me. In so many ways wrestling has changed and saved my life.
“Wrestling has given me hopes, a place to dream. My dreams got me to lead a women’s evolution. My dreams made me to become the first ever woman to main event a pay-per-view in this very building. My dreams started when I was only 10 years old. And when I was 13 years old, I dropped out of school to take care of my brother. And I had a dream to become the greatest women’s wrestler of all time. And I want you to know, if I can do it, you can do it too.
“So, let’s get down to business. You want to know why I’m here? Because I need to be here. AEW is the only place where this revolution can be global, and we are going to make that happen. I’ve been watching week after week after week, and everyone in that locker room, I can’t wait to tear it up with you.
“But let’s start with tonight’s main event, Riho against Willow Nightingale. Now Willow, you and I have a lot of unfinished business. But right now, at Big Business. Mercedes Moné is All Elite! So, to our chairman, Tony Khan, thank you so much for that tweet, to all the AEW fans out there, please say hello to your new CEO!”
“This is going to be a moment that we never forget here in AEW,” said Tony Schiavone.
“Big Business going down in Boston,” added Excalibur.
AEW World Championship Match!
Samoa Joe (c.) vs. Wardlow (with the Undisputed Kingdom)
Wardlow whipped Samoa Joe hard into the ringside barricade. Wardlow rammed Joe into the steel ring steps. Back in the ring, Samoa Joe chopped Wardlow, but Wardlow planted Samoa Joe with a spinebuster.
“Not often that Samoa Joe gets manhandled like that,” said Excalibur.
Samoa Joe tested the chin of Wardlow, jabbing away at the challenger. Samoa Joe chopped at Wardlow. Wardlow fired back with a shoulder block off the turnbuckles for a near fall. Samoa Joe slipped free of a powerbomb and followed up with a high boot and then a senton to Wardlow.
Both men slugged it out in the center of the ring but Samoa Joe powerslammed Wardlow for a two-count. Wardlow’s knee buckled. The ref tried to stop Samoa Joe so the ref could check on Wardlow. As the ref turned his back to back Samoa Joe up, Wardlow thumbed Joe in the eyes. Perhaps Wardlow was playing possum. Wardlow blasted Samoa Joe with a knee strike for a near fall.
“That is the first time anyone has survived that knee from Wardlow,” said Excalibur.
Wardlow attempted a senton atomico, but Samoa Joe dodged it! Wardlow retaliated with a power bomb out of the corner. Samoa Joe applied the rear naked choke and Samoa Joe won via ref stoppage!
“That was a great, great win for the champion,” said Tony Schiavone.
Swerve Strickland walked out to the ring with a steel chain! AEW security tried to stop Swerve, but Swerve knocked them out of his way. Samoa Joe left the ring, not wanting any part of Swerve tonight.
Trios Match!
The Elite— “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada & The Young Bucks—EVPs Matthew & Nicholas Jackson
vs.
Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston & Death Triangle—PAC & Penta El Zero Miedo!
Kingston ignored a fist bump from Matthew and tagged in “The Bastard” Pac. “The Bastard” wiped out Matthew with a step up hurracanrana and followed up with a back breaker.
Penta El Zero Miedo nailed Nicholas with a thrust kick. Pac grabbed a tag and hit Nicholas with a big pump kick. Pac and Penta clocked Matthew with stereo thrust kicks. Okada tagged in and traded strikes with Kingston! Okada took down Kingston with a beautiful dropkick. Okada and the Bucks triple teamed Kingston in their corner with triple kicks!
Kingston fought out of the corner, crawling to his corner for a tag, but Okada and Nicholas pulled Penta and Pac off the ring apron. The Elite continued to isolate Eddie Kingston. Penta grabbed a tag and cleaned house on the Elite!
Pac blasted Okada with a shotgun dropkick. Pac and Penta took flight over the top rope, wiping out the Bucks on the arena floor. Penta smashed Nicholas with a double foot stomp from the top rope. Pac then landed on Nicholas with a 450 splash! Pac rocked Okada with a German Suplex.
Kingston blistered Okada’s chest with chops. Okada planted Kingston with a DDT. Penta clocked Matthew with a Canadian Destroyer. Nicholas blind sided Penta with a superkick. Nicholas removed his belt, wrapped it around his fist, and charged at Kingston, but Kingston countered with a hot shot, guillotining Nicholas’ throat across the top rope!
Matthew went to strike Kingston, but Kingston countered with a strike. As Matthew distracted the ref in the corner, Nicholas hit Kingston with a low blow between the legs. Okada clocked Kingston with the Rainmaker and pinned Kingston!
“When Okada lands that Rainmaker lariat, it is all over for his opponent,” said Excalibur.
Okada held up Kingston’s AEW Continental Crown Championship aloft after the match!
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to talk about AEW Dynasty, live on pay-per-view, Sunday, April 21st and the match between “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay!
Will Ospreay came out to the ring to discuss the upcoming match with Danielson at Dynasty.
Ospreay: “On April 21st, this match means so much to mean. Bryan Danielson left it in the ring every night for all these people. I’m glad he’s a fan of my work. Bryan, allow me to remind you of what you said once upon a time. After my match with Kenny Omega, everybody was talking about one move: the Tiger Driver 91.
“You see, Bryan, while I respect you, this match means a hell of a lot more to me. Because the moment I stepped foot in AEW, there has been a phrase that has been following me. Restore the feeling. Bruv, I am the feeling! This match is about reminding people what AEW is. You put the best wrestler in the world against the best wrestler of the 21st century, and only one man walks out the winner.
“The one thing I learned from Bryan Danielson is I can have respect for the man standing across from me but the moment I walk into this ring, it’s your life or it’s mine, and I don’t plan on dying, bruv!
“April 21st, this is about finding out who is the best wrestler in the world. And let me tell you, my name is Will Ospreay, and I am on another level!”
“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo was backstage!
Purrazzo: “Toni Storm and Mariah, if you think this is over between us after Toni tapped out and you DDT’ed me on the ramp, then you’ve learned nothing about the Virtuosa. If this is a numbers game you want to play, then let’s play. I have no problem finding a partner and meeting you both next week in Toronto.
“And since you already have a tag team match this Friday on Rampage, maybe we’ll stick around and get a closer look. I suggest you watch for the shoe because it’s headed straight up your ass!”
“Switchblade” Jay White vs. Darby Allin!
Darby’s back was all bandaged up after his tag match with Sting against the Bucks from Revolution.
Jay White rammed Darby into the turnbuckles. Darby fired back with a shotgun dropkick. Darby climbed to the top and splashed Jay White with a back flip, throwing his body at Jay White. Darby rocketed back out of the ring with a tope suicida!
Jay White suplexed Darby onto a metal chair outside the ring! Jay White whipped Darby into the steel ring steps! Back in the ring, White chopped Darby in the back of the neck. Darby dodged a Stinger splash from White. Darby countered a Blade Runner with an over the top stunner and then a sunset flip for a near fall. Darby locked in the Last Supper, but Jay White managed to kick out at the two-count!
Jay White began to dig his fingers into Darby’s back. Darby retaliated with a scorpion death drop out of nowhere. Darby covered White but White got his feet on the bottom rope. Darby was looking for a Coffin Drop, but Jay White avoided it, and Darby crashed onto the edge of the ring apron!
“That was sickening,” said Taz.
Darby managed to jump into the ring, beating the ref’s count just in the nick of time, but Jay White was waiting for him. Jay White blasted Darby with the Blade Runner and scored the pin!
After the match, Jay White and the Gunns assaulted Darby Allin! The Gunns held Darby’s leg between a steel chair, and Jay White was about to smash it to smithereens with Sting’s baseball bat when…
The Acclaimed’s music began to play!
The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn sprinted to the ring to stop the Gunns and Jay White from hitting Darby’s ankle with the bat! The Acclaimed help Darby out of the ring. Billy Gunn took the baseball bat away from Jay White, but Jay White smashed a chair against Billy’s head!
Bowens and Caster turned around and saw that Billy Gunn had been knocked out. The Acclaimed jumped back into the ring but the Gunns began to club the Acclaimed with strikes.
“So much for the Bang Bang Scissor Gang,” said Tony Schiavone.
The Gunns bashed their championship belt into Bowens’ head. Austin Gunn broadsided Caster with the belt next!
“Bullet Club Gold showing their true colors here tonight,” said Excalibur.
The Gunns put Darby’s ankle back between the steel chair and Jay White walloped the ankle with the baseball bat!
LionHOOK—FTW Champion HOOK & “Lionheart” Chris Jericho
vs.
Gates of Agony—Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona!
Hook and Jericho hit a double suplex on Bishop. LionHOOK followed up with a double suplex on Liona. Jericho chopped at Kaun in the corner. Kaun ran Jericho over with a lariat. Toa tagged in and rammed into Jericho, who was hung up on the ropes.
Jericho connected with a lionsault on Kaun. Hook tagged in and bulldozed Bishop with a lariat and then a T-Bone suplex. Hook followed up with a Northern Lights Suplex to Bishop Kaun.
Gates of Agony regained momentum, but Hook put Kaun in Red Rum. Jericho dropkicked Toa and then Kuan tapped out to Hook’s Red Rum submission.
“For their first match together, boy, did they work well together,” said Tony Schiavone.
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview Kyle O’Reilly when he was interrupted by the Undisputed Kingdom!
Roderick Strong: “Kyle! You know how much respect I have for you. And if you want to do this on your own, do it on your own.”
Kyle: “Yeah, this Saturday, first match back, and I’m going to do it on my own.”
Riho was getting warmed up backstage ahead of her match against Willow when Mercedes walked by and introduced herself.
Mercedes: “I look forward to your match tonight.”
Renee Paquette interviewed FTW Champion HOOK and Chris Jericho backstage!
Jericho said that Hook showed him that he had future World champion written all over him.
Jericho: “But as much as I learned in the ring standing next to you, I still need to learn more. I need to know what it’s like standing in the ring across from you. That’s why next week on Dynamite, live from Toronto, I’m challenging you, ‘Lionheart’ Chris Jericho against HOOK in AEW for the first time ever. What do you say?”
HOOK: “Let’s do it.”
Main Event Time!
Willow Nightingale (accompanied by Stokely Hathaway & Kris Statlander) vs. Riho!
Willow connected with a running cross body. Riho rocked Willow with a running dropkick and then clocked Willow with a knee strike. Willow walloped Riho with a dropkick off the turnbuckles!
Riho hit a diving cross body on Willow for a near fall. Riho followed up with a Northern Lights suplex, but Willow kicked out at the two-count!
“Willow hit very hard that time,” said Tony Schiavone.
Riho climbed to the top turnbuckle and went for the diving double foot stomp, but Willow dodged it! Willow sent Riho flying with a running pounce! Willow tried for a senton off the apron, but Riho moved, sending Willow crashing on the arena floor! Riho ran off the apron and walloped Willow with the diving foot stomp!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Riho drilled Willow with a dragon suplex on the apron! Riho hit the double foot stomp again, but this time Willow kicked out at the two-count. Willow avoided a running knee strike from Riho. Willow landed a big lariat. Willow smashed Riho with the gut wrench doctor bomb and scored the pin fall victory!
After the match, the lights in the arena went dark!
When the lights came back on, TBS Champion Julia Hart was standing in the aisle! Skye Blue ambushed Willow, chop blocking her leg. Julia and Skye double teamed Willow in the ring! Skye held back Willow while Julia was about to crack Willow in the head with the TBS title when Mercedes Moné’s music hit!
Skye Blue charged up the ramp at Mercedes and Mercedes clocked her! Mercedes entered the ring and planted Julia!
“Mercedes Moné, wow, what a difference maker here tonight,” said Excalibur.
Mercedes turned her attention to Willow, and they smiled at each other, with Willow raising Mercedes’ arm.
“Great respect shown by Willow towards the CEO Mercedes Moné,” said Excalibur.
“There’s never been a better time to be a fan of AEW than right now!” added Tony Schiavone.
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET featuring:
-The AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Bracketology will be announced!
-Best Friends vs. Dark Order!
-AEW Women’s World Champ “Timeless” Toni Storm & Mariah May in action!
-Trios Match: Undisputed Kingdom vs. Top Flight & Action Andretti!
Don’t miss AEW Collision live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON featuring:
-Kyle O’Reilly vs. “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith!
-& Much more!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, ON, featuring:
– “Lionheart” Chris Jericho vs. FTW Champion HOOK!
-We’ll hear from Mercedes Moné!
-AEW Continental Crown Championship Match: Eddie Kingston (c.) vs. Kazuchika Okada!
– Christian Cage (c.) vs. “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland for the TNT Championship in an I Quit Match!
After weeks of anticipation, DYNAMITE: BIG BU$INESS is upon us, and the TD Garden is going to be rocking on Wednesday night! AEW World Champion Samoa Joe will defend his title against a familiar foe in Wardlow, the man who earned this opportunity in REVOLUTION 2024’s All-Star Scramble, and we will witness the first-time clash between Darby Allin and ROH World Six-Man Champion “Switchblade” Jay White! But that’s not all; The New Elite of The Young Bucks and “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada will battle Death Triangle and Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston in Trios action, Willow Nightingale takes on former AEW Women’s World Champion Riho, and FTW Champion HOOK unites with Chris Jericho to battle The Gates of Agony!! All that, and so much more, is on tap for the AEW faithful this Wednesday night for DYNAMITE: BIG BU$INESS!
The show begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then join us Saturday night in Ottawa, ON, Canada (https://www.allelitewrestling.com/aew-event/aew-collision-ottawa) for our debut at the Canadian Tire Centre for an all-new COLLISION!
AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Samoa Joe(c) vs. Wardlow
The history between AEW World Champion Samoa Joe and Wardlow runs a bit further back than just “The War Dog” winning the All-Star 8-Man Scramble at REVOLUTION 2024 to earn a World Title match. Back in the fall of 2022, for the better part of two months Joe and Wardlow operated as something of a tag team, even being dubbed WarJoe for their battles against The Varsity Athletes, Gates of Agony, and The Factory. It wasn’t the most stable of partnerships, but it seemed function enough until November 11, 2022 when all came crashing down after then-TNT Champion Wardlow told Powerhouse Hobbs he was going to take all the championships in the company while standing before then-ROH World TV Champion Samoa Joe.
Joe did not take kindly to that sentiment, cracked Wardlow with his ROH title belt, and slapped a Choke on the TNT Champion. This led to Joe becoming the TNT Champion at FULL GEAR 2022 in a Three Way with Wardlow and Powerhouse Hobbs, and then beating Wardlow in a singles match at NEW YEARS SMASH 2022 to close out the year. Darby Allin would beat Joe a week later to end that reign, but Joe regained the TNT Championship in short order, only to have Wardlow snatch it away at REVOLUTION 2023 in Joe’s first defense of that second reign.
The two parted ways after that, Wardlow getting wrapped up with Powerhouse Hobbs while Joe continued his epic ROH World TV Title run as well as began his pursuit of MJF’s AEW World Championship. For Wardlow that path led to triumph and tragedy, losing the title to Hobbs just three days later, before regaining it for a third time, only to have it ripped away by Christian Cage and Luchas…Killswitch. After that, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that Wardlow floundered. He disappeared from television for four months, came back and resumed decimating one individual after another while sporting MJF’s initials on his wrist tape, but it wasn’t until the masks were ripped away, and he was revealed as member of the Undisputed Kingdom that things came into focus.
Wardlow, along with Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett, accomplished their larger goal of destroying MJF’s life by helping to weaken him for Samoa Joe to take the AEW World Championship at WORLDS END. Following that, each man declared their individual goals, and for Wardlow that meant taking what he felt he’d deserved since destroying MJF at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022: the AEW World Championship. All Wardlow had to do was find his angle to a championship opportunity, and that came in Greensboro when he won the All-Star Scramble and earned a future title match, a result that occurred just a couple hours before Samoa Joe survived both Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland to retain the AEW World Championship.
With the title match in place, all that was needed was setting the date in stone, and that happened last Wednesday night on DYNAMITE following Joe and Swerve’s tag team victory over Wardlow’s partners in the Undisputed Kingdom, your ROH World Tag Team Champions Taven and Bennett. This Wednesday night, when AEW returns to TD Garden for the first time since BLOOD & GUTS 2023, it will be BIG BU$INESS, and there isn’t much that’s bigger business than the AEW World Championship! In this rubber match, Wardlow gets his very first crack at the most coveted championship in professional wrestling, and he does it knowing that the last time he met Samoa Joe one-on-one, he was the won who walked away with a championship title around his waist!
What’s rather frightening though is the difference between Samoa Joe circa March 2023 and Samoa Joe in March 2024; though he has always been one of the most intimidating men in wrestling today, the last 75 days have seen Joe unleash an intensity unfamiliar to AEW audiences. It was as if his pursuit of the AEW World Championship began to open a door he’d left closed for many years, and the first night he walked onto DYNAMITE as the AEW World Champion, said door swung wide open and the landscape of AEW quaked in fear. This is Joe unleashed, this is Joe with everything he’s wanted from the moment he came to All Elite Wrestling, and this is a Samoa Joe who will stop at nothing to make sure it remains his forevermore. It may sound trite to say that the person who beats Joe may have to kill him, but with one look at the way Joe carries that AEW World Title, it’s hard to not take that as his truth.
This Wednesday night in Boston, Wardlow is going to have to find a way to break Joe like no one ever has before in order to become the AEW World Champion, but if he can maintain that fury, if he can keep that righteous anger burning, then Wardlow may be able to do just that. All eyes will be on the TD Garden this Wednesday night, can Wardlow become the champion he’s longed to be in front of their gaze?
TRIOS BATTLE…
The Elite (Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson, & Nicholas Jackson)
vs.
Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston & Death Triangle (PAC & Penta El Zero Miedo)
Last week on DYNAMITE, “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada made his first appearance for All Elite Wrestling as a certified member of AEW locker room, and while that should’ve been a joyous occasion, it was marred by the former multi-time IWPG Heavyweight Champion signing on with The Elite following The EVPs official dismissal of Kenny Omega and Hangman Page. As if that wasn’t disappointing enough, Okada made that choice at the expense of Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston, and when Kingston tried for a measure of revenge on COLLISION a few days later, he paid for it then as well; at least until “The Bastard” PAC made his return to AEW
Now we come to BIG BU$INESS this Wednesday night at the TD Garden, and the challenge laid out by Kingston Saturday night. A Trios bout between this new Elite and the rather wild combination of the Continental Crown Champion, Penta El Zero Miedo, and “The Bastard”! One would have to go back nearly three years, to one of the finals events of AEW’s extended stay at Daily’s Place, to find the last time those three men stood together on the same side, coincidentally enough it was also in opposition to The Young Bucks, albeit with Brandon Cutler as their third. Kingston and Penta are close, though it hasn’t always been the easiest of roads, but PAC and Eddie aren’t exactly best friends. Still, they’ve proven they can function as a unit when driven by mutual goals, and eradicating this version of The Elite right out of the gate is certainly a goal worth fighting for.
Make no mistake, this is a pivotal fight in the careers of all men involved; it’s the first big match of Okada’s new endeavor as Elite, it’s PAC’s return to the fold for the first time since July 26th, and it’s AEW’s return to TD Garden! Who will rise in the face of the increased heat of the spotlight that’ll be shone on this match, as well as the entire BIG BU$INESS event?
Before the dust had even settled in Greensboro, before the crew had even finished tearing down the REVOLUTION 2024 set, AEW GM Tony Khan had announced that Darby Allin would fight ROH World Six-Man Champion “Switchblade” Jay White at DYNAMITE: BIG BUSINESS! At the moment Darby was informed of this, during the Media Scrum following the pay-per-view, he certainly didn’t look to be in any condition for a fight of this caliber, but anyone who’s paid attention to the career of the former World Tag Team Champion knows that he won’t let anything stop him from entering the fight, not even an impending trip to Mt. Everest on March 27th.
But will Darby Allin be in any condition to make that trip after this Wednesday night’s fight with “Switchblade” Jay White? After the words exchanged last week between Darby and “King Switch”, this bout has heated up quite quickly, and is a huge part of AEW’s return to TD Garden!
Given that Jay White is perpetually supported by The Gunns, Austin and Colten, the question has to be asked if they will get themselves involved in the bout? Or will the influence of The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass actually sway The Bang Bang Gang to fight on the up-and-up? As for Darby, what does his future look like in the post-Sting landscape of All Elite Wrestling? With so much of his last three years spent at Sting’s side, how will the former 2-Time TNT Champion move forward in his career standing by himself? This Wednesday night, as part of BIG BU$INESS, we will all see what the future entails!
SINGLES MATCH…
Willow Nightingale vs. Riho
A week ago former TBS Champion Kris Statlander stepped into the ring for a fight with original AEW Women’s World Champion Riho for the first time in four years, and though it was a hard-fought battle from Stat, it was Riho who took home the victory, moving herself one step closer to a potential championship bout.
But Riho and Kris Statlander aren’t the only women looking for a title opportunity, former NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale is also on the hunt for the TBS Championship around Julia Hart’s waist, and just like her tag partner, the road also goes through Riho! Prior to this, the only engagement between the two women took place on the November 14, 2022 edition of DARK: ELEVATION when they teamed up to defeat Emi Sakura and Mei Suruga, a match that coincidentally also took place in Boston, just four miles away at Agganis Arena.
Will Willow win out where Kris Statlander came up short one week ago? And how will Stokely Hathaway play a role in this bout because, let’s face it, he can’t help but find a way to insert himself into any match…
TAG TEAM BOUT…
FTW Champion HOOK & Chris Jericho vs. Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
It’s an unlikely alliance yet here we are; Chris Jericho and FTW Champion HOOK are set to stand on the same side of the ring with The Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) standing in opposition. All of this stems from the All-Star 8-man at REVOLUTION 2024, Jericho and HOOK’s participation in the match, HOOK’s rivalry with Brian Cage, and his victory over “The Machine” last week on DYNAMITE! It all coalesced into Jericho assisting HOOK, HOOK assisting the OG AEW World Champion, and now this tag team bout between The Gates of Agony and HOOK/Jericho. Jericho has some experience with The Gates after defeating them with Kenny Omega as his partner, but HOOK has never set foot in the ring with either Toa Liona or Bishop Kaun, and given that he and Jericho are entering into this unity for the first time, it’s going to be quite interesting to see how they function as a unit.
The Gates ended their 2023 as participants in the NJPW World Tag League, scoring four points overall, but in 2024 they’ve taken a step back from Mogul Embassy business as Swerve Strickland made it a point to pursue his AEW World Championship dreams without Embassy involvement. That’s done now; Kaun and Toa are back in business this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, and they aim to deliver a message to everyone in the AEW locker room by decimating the original AEW World Champ and the current FTW Champion!
DYNAMITE: BIG BU$INESS is finally here and the TD Garden better be ready for an epic night! The AEW World Championship will be at stake when Samoa Joe and Wardlow rekindle their rivalry, we will see Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston unite with PAC and Penta El Zero Miedo to take on The Elite, and FTW Champion HOOK tags up with Chris Jericho to battle The Mogul Embassy’s Gates of Agony! In addition, Darby Allin and Jay White lock horn, Willow Nightingale battles the original AEW Women’s World Champion Riho, and there is plenty more coming your way from Boston this Wednesday night!
DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so drop by AEW’s official YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch highlights from last week’s editions of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then on Saturday night we head to Ottawa, ON, Canada for our debut at the Canadian Tire Centre with an all-new COLLISION!
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast from the Gas South Arena in Duluth, GA!
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson
vs. Shane Taylor (with Lee Moriarty of Shane Taylor Promotions)!
The fans chanted “Let’s go Bryan! Let’s go Bryan!”
Taylor threw Danielson halfway across the ring! Danielson grappled Taylor to the mat and connected with hammer and anvil blows until Taylor escaped. Taylor rocked Danielson with a shot to the jaw!
Taylor blistered Bryan’s chest with thunderous chops. Danielson returned fire with kicks to Taylor. Danielson got Taylor to the mat and stomped on Taylor’s leg. Danielson tied up Taylor’s leg in the ropes and nailed Taylor with a running dropkick. Taylor blocked a kick and countered with a massive knee lift to Danielson, sending Danielson spilling out of the ring.
Shane Taylor squashed Danielson with a guillotine leg drop on the apron! Taylor cracked Danielson with another chop to the chest. Danielson charged off the ropes and dropkicked Taylor’s knee. Taylor tried to splash Danielson in the corner, but Danielson dodged it. Danielson wrenched Taylor’s leg across the ring post. Danielson blasted Taylor with a dropkick off the top rope. Danielson clobbered Taylor with kicks to Taylor’s leg. Taylor dropped to his knees and Danielson clocked Taylor with a kick to the head. Danielson covered Taylor but Taylor kicked out at the one-count!
Danielson got a head of steam and charged at Taylor with a running up-kick. Taylor retaliated with a lariat for a near fall on Danielson. Taylor headbutted Danielson in the chest and then hit a big splash for a two-count on Danielson!
“Did you see the look on Shane Taylor’s face? He hit Danielson with everything,” said Schiavone.
Danielson dodged a cannonball from Taylor. Danielson blasted Taylor with the running knee strike and pinned Shane Taylor!
“Bryan Danielson is amazing. You have to admit it!” said Schiavone.
“I have to admit nothing. He got lucky,” replied Nigel.
Will Ospreay’s music hit and Ospreay walked down to the ring!
Ospreay: “I want to have a chat with Danielson. Ladies and gentlemen, give a round of applause for the match we just saw. It’s so incredible watching you work, the number of years you’ve been doing this, and you’re still performing at the highest of levels.
“In the short time that I’ve been here, I’ve noticed a lot of things. The thing I notice when you walk up and down these hallways, people go, ‘Wow, that’s Bryan Danielson.’ You set the bar. You’ve set the standard here. On behalf of everyone, if you don’t mind, thank you for everything that you’ve done. But you interrupted me on my main event during Dynamite. So, I’ve got this warm feeling in my belly that maybe you have something you want to ask me.”
Danielson: “That’s about half right. I have something I want to ask you. And I have something I want to say to you. First, welcome to AEW! And secondly, I saw the match that you had with Takeshita at Revolution. Not only did you win, but that was one of the best damn matches that I’ve ever seen. But I also listened to you in the media scrum afterwards, where he said for years he’s been screaming that he’s the best wrestler in the world, and he came to prove it. Well, I want to give you the chance to prove it. What do you say? Bryan Danielson versus Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty on Sunday, April 21st?”
Ospreay: “Yes, bruv!”
Trios Match!
The Elite— “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada & The Young Bucks—EVPs Matthew & Nicholas Jackson
vs.
Jon Cruz, Liam Grey, & Adrian Alanis!
Okada wanted to start the match, so Nicholas Jackson tagged him in. Alanis struck Okada with forearms, but Okada returned fire with a beautiful dropkick! Liam tagged in and was rocked by the Rainmaker clothesline, and Okada pinned Liam in short order!
Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston charged into the ring and tried to strike Okada with his title belt! The Elite had Kingston outnumbered and began to stomp him. Penta El Zero Miedo sprinted to the ring and wiped out the Bucks with sling blades! Okada ducked the sling blade from Penta and countered with a neck breaker across his knee!
“And now it’s three on two. Penta and Kingston are at the mercy of our EVPs and Okada,” said Schiavone.
“The Bastard” Pac made his return! Pac stormed to the ring, dropkicked Matthew and the rocked Nicholas with a pump kick! Pac and Okada had a stare down. They traded forearms. Pac used his quickness, staggering Okada with kicks and then a vicious German Suplex! The Bucks pulled Okada out of the ring to safety!
Pac: “I’ll make this very clear for you. The Bastard’s back! And I promise you I’m just looking for trouble. So, if it’s trouble you’re after, you’re barking up the correct tree, you understand me? Boys, you want some, I’ll give it to you!”
Kingston: “Hey, Big Business, Boston, Dynamite, next week, six man tag. I’ll see you there!”
Mariah May vs. Trish Adora!
Mariah took down Trish with a side headlock takeover. Trish rolled up Mariah for a near fall. Mariah blasted Trish with a shotgun dropkick! Mariah tried for the hip attack, but Trish avoided it. Trish wiped out May with a pump kick and then a senton splash for a near fall.
Mariah grabbed Trish by the hair and yanked her down to the mat. Trish suplexed Mariah from her knees for a near fall. Mariah May clocked Trish with a headbutt and then pinned her after the May Day!
“Mariah May continues her undefeated streak. Now 5-0,” said Tony Schiavone.
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm appeared on the ramp to present the first annual Toni Award!
Mariah May was the only nominee…and surprise, surprise, Mariah May was the winner!
“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo ambushed Toni Storm from behind! Mariah May came to the aid of Toni Storm and spiked Deonna with a DDT on the ramp! Toni Storm presented Mariah with a shoe as a trophy.
The fans chanted “You deserve it! You deserve it!”
“Well, you know what they say, Toni, if the shoe fits,” said Nigel.
Nick Wayne (with the Patriarchy) vs. Adam Priest!
Nick Wayne hit a shoulder tackle and then a hurracanrana on Priest. Adam Priest rallied back with a European Uppercut. Nick Wayne dumped Priest onto the arena floor. Back in the ring, Nick Wayne nailed Priest with a fisherman’s suplex. Nick Wayne planted Priest with Wayne’s World and pinned Priest!
TNT Champion Christian Cage grabbed a sign from a masked fan at ringside and tore it up. The fan pulled Christian Cage over the barricade!
“Is this a luchador? Is this somebody from CMLL?” asked Schiavone.
The luchador took off his mask and revealed himself. It was the “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland! Copeland had the TNT belt in the ring. Copeland brought a case in the ring, too. Copeland opened the box, but Christian Cage back peddled.
“What’s in the box? Whatever is in the box has put the TNT Champion in reverse!” said Schiavone.
Copeland: “Get your stupid little mouth ready to say two words! Toronto, Dynamite, TNT Championship, Cope-Cage 3!”
“Lionheart” Chris Jericho vs. CMLL’s Titan!
Jericho and Titan exchanged chops in the center of the ring. Titan clocked Jericho with a matrix type kick. Titan followed up with a double springboard into a hurracanrana. Titan wiped out Jericho with a tope suicida.
They jockeyed for position on the top turnbuckle, but Jericho grabbed Titan by the mask and planted him on the mat headfirst! Titan rallied back with a PK kick and then dived over the top rope, landing on “Lionheart” on the arena floor!
Titan jumped back into the ring with a double foot stomp on Jericho. Jericho turned things around with a butterfly into a backbreaker for a near fall. Titan dodged the lionsault and then stunned Jericho with a spinning DDT for a two-count on Jericho.
Titan climbed to the top turnbuckle and rocked Jericho with a double foot stomp to the sternum for a near fall on Jericho! Jericho escaped Titan’s signature submission hold. Titan ducked the Judas Effect and stunned Jericho with a matrix kick. Titan nailed Jericho with a Death Valley Bomb for a two-count.
Titan attempted a springboard hurracanrana, but Jericho caught him and countered with the Lion Tamer, forcing Titan to tap out!
After the match, the Gates of Agony—Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona—ambushed Chris Jericho!
FTW Champion Hook came down to the ring with a kendo stick and walloped the Gates of Agony with the kendo stick!
“Hook and Jericho standing together. Jericho was being decimated by the Gates of Agony until Hook helped him out,” said Schiavone.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview FTR—Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler!
Cash: “I think it’s safe to say Sunday did not go according to plan for FTR. And that’s life. It happens. Life can knock you down and kick you while you’re there. But all we can do it get up, dust ourselves off, and keep moving forward. 2024 marks 10 years of FTR.
“So, with that being said, what is next for FTR? We just so happened to have an AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament around the corner. And if you didn’t know, now you know we’re officially throwing our names into the ring. And in doing so I hope we run into Mox and Claudio, any form of BCC again, and when we do so, they’re a stepping stone for us becoming the first ever three-time AEW World Tag Team Champions!”
Dax: “Tony, Collision has been built on the back of tag team wrestling. It would be easy for me to tell you we’re the greatest tag team of all time. But there’s one thing I’m not. I’m not a liar. You saw the pay-per-view and I can’t confidently say that FTR has been firing on all cylinders. And in saying that I have a little bit of self-doubt. I don’t even know if FTR should be in this tournament for the World Tag Team Championships.
“But if you’ll have us, I promise you we’ll give you every ounce of energy until we roll over and can’t get back up. And until then, hopefully we’ll become your first ever three-time AEW World Tag Team Champions. Top guys, out!”
The Infantry—the Captain Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo—came down the ramp and entered the ring! The Infantry shook the hands of FTR and said, “May the best team win, because we’re coming for your spot!”
CMLL’s Mistico vs. Angelico (with Serpentico)!
Mistico ducked a lariat attempt from Angelico and countered with a springboard back elbow. Serpentico jumped on the ring apron to distract Mistico, and Angelico seized the opportunity to crack Mistico with a pump kick. Angelico followed up with a side suplex on Mistico, but Mistico kicked out at the one-count.
Mistico used the top rope as a springboard to dropkick Angelico. Mistico jumped over the top with a plancha into a hurracanrana onto Angelico on the floor! Mistico hit a tornillo on Angelico back in the ring for a near fall. Mistico splashed Angelico for a two-count.
Angelico and Mistico traded running lariats. After a flurry of offense, Mistico applied La Mistica and forced Angelico to tap out!
Atlanta Street Fight!
House of Black—Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews, & Brody King
vs.
Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal, & Jeff Jarrett!
Jarrett carried plunder out to the ring, wielding a trash can at Buddy! Lethal lunged out with a tope suicida to Brody King! Mark Briscoe stomped a mudhole in Malakai!
Brody charged at Lethal, but Lethal countered with a drop toe hold, sending Brody crashing onto a steel chair. Mark Briscoe and Buddy Matthews brawled around the ring. Lethal used a chair as a launching pad but he launched into a big elbow strike from Brody King! Brody followed up with a running cross body, smashing Lethal through a table propped up on the barricade.
Brody shoved Mark Briscoe off the top turnbuckle and sent Mark soaring through the air! Mark landed on a pile of steel chairs on the arena floor! Brody power bombed Briscoe through a table. Buddy poured lighter fluid on a table. Malakai grabbed a lighter.
Sonjay Dutt hit Buddy from behind, but Buddy didn’t budge. Julia Hart walked out and handed Buddy a can of gasoline. Budy poured the gas on Sonjay. Karen Jarrett came out from the tunnel and hit Buddy with a low blow. Sonjay shoved Buddy of the ramp, sending him crashing through a table. Julia Hart blew mist into Karen’s eyes!
Brody and Lethal brawled on the apron. Jeff Jarrett smashed a guitar over Brody’s head, and Brody fell off the apron, crashing through the table on the floor. Malakai Black blasted Jeff Jarett with a roundhouse kick.
Malakai Black pulled out a spike and went to strike Mark, but Mark blocked it! Mark nailed Black with the Jay Driller! Mark had the spike, but Julia Hart grabbed Mark’s ankle. Mark Briscoe flipped over the top rope, using a steel chair as a catapult, but Malakai and Buddy caught Mark and power bombed him onto the apron. Julia Hart ignited the table and then Malakai and Buddy power bombed Mark Briscoe through the flaming table! They put Briscoe back into the ring and Malakai scored the pin!
“The house always wins,” said Nigel.
“But Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett proved to be good partners for Mark Briscoe,” replied Tony Schiavone.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE: Big Business on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the TD Garden in Boston, MA!
After a tremendous night of action on RAMPAGE, All Elite Wrestling continues on a hot streak this Saturday night with an all-new COLLISION! Emanating from Gas South Arena in Gwinnett County, AEW presents two hours of hard-hitting professional wrestling action with Bryan Danielson taking on Shane Taylor, the new Elite of The Young Bucks and “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada in action, Chris Jericho taking on AAA’s Titan, and Toni Storm’s 1st ever Toni Awards! Plus Mark Briscoe will team up with Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett for an Atlanta Street Fight against The House of Black, and Mariah May will step back into competition after her performance as Toni Storm last Sunday night!
The night gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the AEW faithful can get prepped for it 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! Then join us next Wednesday evening in Boston for DYNAMITE: BIG BUSINESS coming to you from the TD Garden, and already looking to be another of the biggest nights in AEW’s television history!
ATLANTA STREET FIGHT…
Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal, & Jeff Jarrett vs.
The House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews, & Malakai Black)
Well, a week ago we all watched as Mark Briscoe attempted to use pyro to set fire to Buddy Matthews, and this week it looks like the situation is about to get even hotter because The House of Black is looking to burn Mark Briscoe’s world down around him! Yet in situations such as these, though he may seem like a fraying rope, Mark Briscoe is actually in his happy place…
Though will he be happy with Jeff Jarrett standing by his side? Can he put aside his distrust of Double J long enough to focus on the fight with The House? Can Mark take the trust he has in Jay Lethal, a man he has called one of his best friends, and apply it to Jarrett? If he can’t, then Mark’s trio is doomed for failure against the onslaught of Brody King, Buddy Matthews, and Malakai Black, but if Mark, Lethal, and Double J can get it together, they just might be able to burn The House down to its foundation!
THE NEW ELITE IN ACTION!
There had been a buzz around the wrestling landscape that “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada could be making his way to All Elite Wrestling on a more permanent basis. Sure he’d dipped his toes in the elite waters with the FORBIDDEN DOOR events, and even stepped into the DYNAMITE ring to team up with Orange Cassidy, but it wasn’t until this past Wednesday night that the world learned that Okada was indeed All Elite!
Unfortunately, as Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston learned the hard way, Okada wasn’t just All Elite, he was now also one of The Elite. That’s right, Okada came to AEW from NJPW and immediately signed on the dotted line with The EVP’s, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson! Now there’s a great deal of history between the three men dating back to 2010 with Okada’s first forays into the United States, as well as their engagements in NJPW several years later, but it was still quite a shock to see “The Rainmaker” standing over the fallen Kingston with those two individuals rather than fighting them at Kingston’s side.
Well this Saturday night on COLLISION it won’t be a sneak attack putting The Young Bucks and Okada together, it will be the first Trios match together for this new iteration of The Elite, and whoever steps into the ring across from them best be wary. Matthew and Nicholas are none too happy after the events of REVOLUTION 2024, and though the addition of Okada may have boosted their spirits, they are still looking for some poor unfortunate souls to take out their frustration.
ONE-ON-ONE…
“Lionheart” Chris Jericho vs. Titan
He has been the CMLL World Welterweight Champion for over 1,500 days, he is a member of Los Ingobernables de Japon in NJPW, and is one of the most exciting high-flyers in Lucha Libre today! He is Titan (pronounced Tee-tan), and this Saturday night he makes his AEW debut on COLLISION against “Lionheart” Chris Jericho!
As the original AEW World Champion, Jericho is one of the standard bearers, but his career has deep roots in Mexico with CMLL, including fighting a different man competing under the Titan name in his very first match. It’s where “Lionheart” was born as “Corazon de Leon”, and where Jericho learned much of the skills that bolstered him to international stardom in the first place.
As was witnessed recently when Jericho took on Atlantis Jr., the involvement of CMLL in All Elite Wrestling has given “The Ocho” a new fire, a new outlet to focus his energies towards, though he is being pulled in multiple directions given his engagement with HOOK, and his perpetual issues with The Don Callis Family. If Jericho wants to have the same success with Titan that he had with Atlantis Jr, he better have his head in this particular game on COLLISION, or the CMLL World Welterweight Champion is going to add “Corazon de Leon” to the list of his fallen opponents!
SINGLES MATCH…
“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Shane Taylor
This past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, the professional wrestling world witnessed a moment they’d been longing to see for years when “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson stood in the ring with “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay. It was a moment that seemingly would never happen, but then Ospreay officially signed on with All Elite Wrestling and it became a distinct possibility, though not one fans expected to see come together so quickly! Bryan’s intent in spoiling Ospreay’s moment at the end of DYNAMITE was clear, he wants a fight, but until we hear from the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion we can only assume he feels the same.
But that’s not the issue at hand, at least not for Bryan Danielson, his issue is the fight looming on Saturday night with Shane Taylor! Hopefully Bryan was paying attention when his BCC mate Jon Moxley went to war with Taylor several weeks ago, hopefully Bryan uses Moxley as a resource to learn what Shane T brings to the table, because what Danielson is going to get is a hellacious fight. Danielson has been hit by the hardest strikers in the world throughout his career, but he’s never been hit by the former ROH World TV Champion, and there are few men who can compare. After the war Bryan went through at REVOLUTION 2024 with Eddie Kingston, is he up to the task?
LUCHA LIBRE!
Mistico vs. Angelico
AEW fans have gotten familiar with Mistico since his epic clash with Rocky Romero last October first introduced CMLL to All Elite Wrestling while his bout with Matt Sydal, as well as the 8-Man tag that preceded it, helped further showcase his skills. This Saturday night on COLLISION, the current World Historic Middleweight Champion will return to AEW for a bout with a man with whom he shared the AAA ring a handful of times between 2014 and 2015: Angelico!
Between two Three Way tags, one being a AAA World Tag Title bout, and a Trios bout, Angelico’s teams hold one victory over Mistico’s, while Mistico’s hold none over Angelico’s, but this is a solo affair, and in that vein of professional wrestling Mistico has excelled. He is one of the best professional wrestlers on the planet, the most famous Luchador in modern wrestling, a man who changed the game for man, and now he’s back in All Elite Wrestling to give Angelico the toughest test of his AEW career! If Angelico can pull out a victory, it will be the biggest one of his career, the biggest moment of his professional wrestling career, and it will put Angelico on the map worldwide!
ONE-ON-ONE…
Mariah May vs. Trish Adora
She finally got it! After months of desperately searching for the approval of AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm, Mariah May finally got a bit of approval from her idol, she just had to cosplay as Toni Storm in order to get what she craved. Clearly the how of it all was of no matter to Mariah, all that mattered is it happened, and that just leaves one to wonder if this Saturday night on COLLISION, when Mariah is back in action against The Infantry’s Trish Adora, will she continue to dress the part of old Toni Storm, or if May will return to her own style? Whichever it may be, her head best be in the game otherwise the hard-hitting Adora is going to knock it off Mariah’s shoulders first chance she gets!
And speaking of “Timeless” Toni Storm…
1ST EVER TONI AWARDS…
After her victory at REVOLUTION 2024, it seems like AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm is intending to present herself with a Toni (with an “I” for legal purposes) Award for her performance! Mind you, it was clear as day to the viewing audience that Toni tapped out to Deonna Purrazzo during the course of the match, but the official missed the moment and thus it was not “The Virtuosa” who left Greensboro as new champion. So is Toni Storm actually deserving of an award? She certainly seems to believe so, and we will see if she actually celebrates herself this Saturday night on COLLISION!
COLLISION begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT this Saturday night on TNT, featuring Danielson versus Taylor, an Atlanta Street Fight, Mariah May, The Toni Awards, and more, so before the first bell, visit the official AEW YouTube channel, plus AEW’s other social media sites, to catch up on highlights from Wednesday’s DYNAMITE, Friday’s RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then meet us in Beantown next Wednesday for DYNAMITE: BIG BUSINESS at the TD Garden with Wardlow challenging Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship, Willow Nightingale versus Riho, and so much more!
