4/23 notes
I ended up reviewing WWE Main Event and JCW Lunacy tonight. I will work on TNA Impact and ROH tomorrow. Hopefully I reviewed what you were looking for and if I didn't, I'll work on it tomorrow and maybe Saturday if I have to (Both shows will be over 2 hours and Smackdown will be 3 hours). JCW ran close to 3 hours and ended up taking too much time to do much else.
Juggalo Championship Wrestling 4/23/2026 Lunacy Episode 80
Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/juggalo-championship-wrestling-4162026.html
Note - This is a little more condensed version of Stranglemania from 4/17/26.
We see a car arrive. It throws someone out of the trunk that is wrapped in a garbage bag. We then cut away.
Violent J comes out. He thanks everyone for coming. He says welcome to Stranglemania.
Jasmin St. Clarie talks to Vince Russo. She asks about him saying how he would disband The Monster Corporation if they don't win tonight. Jas says prior to Russo getting here, they obliterated everyone in JCW. Russo says he's been here 6 months and hasn't seen it. He says maybe they don't have the chemistry and says maybe she's the problem. Jas issues an open challenge. She says they spread their name through pain.
St. Claire Monster Corporation (Beastman, Kongo Kong & Mr. Happy) vs George South & The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
GS has facepaint on. The Corporation attacks their opponents before the bell. Beast is held for shots from GS. Morton kneelifts Beast. Kong is whipped into Beast in the corner. GS tries to armwringer Kong but Kong is just confused. Morton joins in and eye pokes Kong.
Gibon armwringers Kong. GS hits Kong in the gut. Kong takes a double back elbow down. Happy lariats Kong on accident when Morton ducks. Beast bodyblocks GS. GS hits shots on Beast's gut.
GS is double teamed. Kong and Happy into each other on accident. Gibson comes in and hits The Corporation. Kong is sent into Beast. Happy then is whipped into them and thinks it's a game. Morton's team dogpile pins Kong.
Thoughts: It was really bad. Everyone moved slowly and everyone's offense looked terrible.
Jasmin gets mad after.
Kerry Morton is interviewed by Mac Davis. He says it's funny that Mickie Knuckles wants to get in the ring with him. Kerry says he has shown what he could do from day one. He says Russo thinks he can get rid of him by sending him to Japan. Kerry says this isn't a cakewalk and says Mickie is facing a Japanese legend. He says he will show what it's like when a grown man whoops a woman's @ss.
Kamikaze Chaos Match - Special Referee: Claude - Mickie Knuckles vs. Kerry Morton
Claude talks on the mic before the match but I couldn't understand what he said. Kerry Morton has girls dressed in kimono's for his entrance. Kerry talks on the mic and says he sees a few good looking women in the audience. He says women aren't allowed in his sport. Kerry says he will show the men what it's like to come from work and tell your wife what to do. He says he's gonna whoop a woman's @ss.
Kerry hits her before the bell. They trade shots and MK knees him. MK throws him out. MK goes for a tope and Kerry hits her with a trash can. Kerry throws weapons in the ring. MK grabs him by the crotch then does something like a suplex.
Kerry hits MK with a trash can lid then tries to grab her crotch. MK twists his hand to break it and hits him with a trash can lid. Kerry chairs her in the head and drops her. KM hits her with a trash can. MK hits him in the crotch. MK then bites him there after Kerry bangs MK's head off his crotch.
MK corner hip attacks him. MK dropkicks the trash can into his face. MK sticks her finger in his butt. MK hits him with the trash can. MK sits up a door bridges on 2 chairs. Kerry puts MK on it. They go up top and Kerry is pushed off the top through the bridged door. MK goes for the pin but Claude sneezes and won't count 3.
MK threatens him and Kerry flying knees Claude when he moves. MK suplexes Kerry around the northern lights suplexes him. MK tries to whip Kerry into a door but Kerry misses. Kerry suplexes her into a door hard and breaks it. Kerry hits her with a piece of a door. Kerry pumping knees her from behind then hits her with a trash can. Kerry then pins her while laying on the bottom rope.
Thoughts: I don't like intergender stuff but Mickie's entertaining. Kerry did what he was supposed to by being a jerk and cheating. MK did what she could to hang in there. I don't know what the deal was with Claude and Mickie. This was acceptable.
Barnabus the Bizarre talks to The Outbreak. He's making them pee to do a drug test. They pee and it's brown and black colored. Barnabus says he can't test these and asks what he's supposed to do with this.
The Brothers Of Funstruction (Ruffo The Clown & Yabo The Clown) vs. The Outbreak (Abel Booker & Jacksyn Crowley) vs. The BackSeat Boyz (JP Grayson & Tommy Grayson)
This started off as a 2v2 tag without The Boyz. Violent J then came on the stage and announced it would be a 3-way. One of The Brothers took a neckbreaker + top rope splash and got pinned here. It was short and really hard to follow with fast action and a lot of camera cuts. The Brothers mostly goofed around here, popping balloons in people's faces and tickling people with rubber chickens. I didn't get the reasoning behind bringing The Boyz back only to lose. I didn't like this that much.
The Outbreak grab the ref then pull out cocaine to snort as Barnabus throws a fit.
PCO is working out in the back. Vito interrupts. He says they have a big match tonight and says Vampiro has been disrespecting him for 30 years. Vito says he helped him when he needed help and says let's work together tonight. PCO gets mad. Vito offers him money. He says let's take care of Vampiro and he tells him to keep his hand off of him. Vito says it's a bonus. PCO puts the money in his mouth and says it's a bonus for his face. Vito says he already told him to keep his hands off of him. PCO is upset and leaves. Vito says PCO made the biggest mistake of his life. He says he's got someone who is cheaper and can do a lot more damage than PCO can.
JCW American Title Five Way Scramble Match - Facade (c) vs. Mecha Wolf vs. Ninja Mack vs. Disco Ray vs. Mosh Pit Mike
Ray gets a group dance started to start things off though Facade refuses to join. Facade is group stomped on. Mike canadian destroyers Mack. Wolf superkicks Mike. Ray spinebusters Wolf. Mack waistlocks Ray and Ray turns it into a dance. Ray ripcord elbows Mack.
Ray ear claps Mike with tamoborines then hits punches with them. Facade nails Ray from behind then stomps him. Facade handstands on the top buckle then double boots Ray off of it. Facade heel kicks Mike in the face. Wolf hits shots on Facade in the corner.
Facade springboard kicks Wolf. Mack superkicks Facade. Mack does a capoeira splash on Facade and Mike kind of joins in with a splash on Facade at the same time. Mike hits Facade with a boogie board then slams him on the board. Mike puts the board on Facade's back and pulls his arms back.
Wolf bottom rope tornado ddt's Mack then topes Facade. Wolf top rope splashes Mack for 2. Ray neckbreakers Wolf. Mack running euros Ray. Facade springboard dropkicks Mack. Mike facekicks Facade down then Wolf flying knees Mike. Mike side slams Wolf. Mike cannonballs 3 opponents. Wolf blue mists Mike.
Mack superkicks Wolf. Mack does the ninja special outside. Facade rolls up Ray for 2. Ray spinning flatliners Facade for 2. The Ring Rat brings a chair in, fights Ray for it then throws it down. The Rat then low blows Ray in a shocking moment. Facade throws a chair at Ray's head. Facade does a Sabu triple jump moonsault and pins Ray.
Thoughts: It was nice to see something that resembled more of a normal match here. It was mostly average with everyone getting some of their spots in. We had a bunch of flying here and people getting some offense in then switching out to the next guy. The Ring Rat turning on Disco Ray was out of nowhere.
We then see The Ring Rat and Steven Flowe hugging on the stage.
Vito is packing weapons in a suitcase including a gun. Violent J comes up to him. J says he's worried about the pressure and the fear running through Vito's head. He says he's worried about his soft marshmallow head too. He tells Vito not to interfere or cause chaos in Vampiro's match tonight. He says not to make it about him. Vito says it will be about him and says J can't do sh!t. J says he owns 50% of the company and can make him disappear.
Vince Russo comes in. He asks what Vito will do with a gun in a wrestling match? Russo says Vito used to be about honor and asks if it's asking too much for him to do that tonight. Vito says it is after Russo screwed him. Vito says they will make Vampiro shine and a star and tells them to get out and have a cream soda. Russo asks J if he believes him. Russo makes Vito shake J's hand. Vito shakes his hand and tells them to go back to their apartment and touch each other on the couch. Vito then tells Shane Mercer that he knows what to do. Shane says Vito is a dastardly SOB. Vito tells him not to forget it or it could be him.
The Green Phantom comes out but just waves to the crowd and stuff without leaving.
I will not be covering the JCW Women's Title match. J-Rod won.
2 Tuff Tony, Rob Van Dam & Willie Mack vs. KENTA & The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Tony drinks alcohol in the ring. Tony hammerlocks Karl then side headlocks him. Tony shoulders him over. Tony waistlocks Doc and Doc side headlocks him. Doc shoulders him over. Mack gets in and shouler battles with Doc. Mack flying knees him. Kenta gets in and wants RVD. That was a dream match in 2006.
Kenta ducks RVD's lock up. RVD punches him. Kenta is someone bleeding. RVD goes for rolling thunder and Karl pulls RVD out. RVD is sent into the post. All 6 go outside and fight and Kenta is clearly out of it.
Mack stunners Karl inside. Kenta low flying knees Mack. RVD flips off the top and flying elbows Kenta. RVD hits a van daminator on Doc. Tony lights his hand on fire and punches Doc. RVD top rope frogsplashes Doc and pins him.
Thoughts: It didn't go very long which was unfortunate. I don't know if RVD and Kenta ever fought before this and I don't know if they will ever again. RVD punched him and seemingly broke his nose on the very first shot and that was the end of RVD vs Kenta. This was a waste of these guys and we didn't even get to see all their finishers.
Vince Russo talks to Caleb Konley in the back. Russo asks if he's relaxed. Cal says he's as relaxed as he's gonna be. Russo asks if Cal's opponents are relaxed. Russo says he doesn't want him to be relaxed. He tells him to get up. He says there's no relaxing tonight, there's only fire, p!ss and vinegar. Russo says he doesn't see his killer instinct enough and doesn't like doubting himself. He says tonight is all killer instinct. He says they don't know when another title shot comes their way. Russo says this is his night. He says they will remember him forever or wake up and forget his name. Cal says he's doing his best night in and night out. Russo says that's the fire he's talking about. He then tells him to sit down and relax because he's got the match of his life tonight.
Thoughts: Huh? Does Russo want him relaxed or fired up?
Jeeves comes out and tells the crowd to make some noise. He says he's bringing out the special ref, who is EC3.
JCW World Heavyweight Title Elimination Match -Special Referee: EC3 - CoKane (c) vs. Nic Nemeth vs. Caleb Konley vs. Matt Riddle
Nic has juggalo facepaint on. Matt has purple hair. Russo is on commentary for this. Riddle seemingly gives EC3 money before the match.
Cal says f*ck you to his opponents and is thrown out. Kane uppercuts Matt. Matt knees him in the face and is facekicked. Matt karelin's lifts him. Cal throws Matt out then chops Kane. Kane spinning backdrops him. Cal chops Kane. Kane walks up the buckles and is tripped on the top rope. Cal top rope double stomps him as he hangs off the top for 2.
Kane chops Cal then is facekicked over the top. Nic flying lariats Cal then corner splashes him. Nic neckbreakers Cal. Nic elbow drops him for 2. Nic fameassers Cal for 2. Nic superkicks Kane. Matt cutters Nic. Nic superkicks him and falls on him for a 2 count.
Cal low blows Nic then uraken's him. Cal burning hammers Nic and pins him. Nic Nemeth is eliminated.
Matt hits running forearms on Cal and exploders him. Matt sentons him and PK's him. Matt pumping knees Kane then fisherman suplexes him for 2. Matt corkscrew swantons Kane for 2.
Matt cradle tombsones Kane. Cal low blows Matt then burning hammers him. Cal pins Matt. Matt Riddle is eliminated.
Cal slaps and punches Kane. Cal chops Kane. They trade shots. Cal uraken's him then superkicks him. Cal nails EC3 when Kane moves. Kane handspring cutters Cal. Kane grabs cocaine. Steven Flowe comes down and takes the cocaine from Kane. Cal low blows Kane then burning hammers him. Cal has the pin but EC3 won't count the pin.
EC3 and Cal argue. Kane does Undertaker's sit up then Kane does cocaine. Kane chokeslams Cal and pins him.
Thoughts: Caleb got put over as he picked up pins over Riddle and Nemeth. EC3 screwing him sets up an easy feud and it gives Caleb an out for losing. It wasn't great or anything but it was acceptable enough.
Russo comes in and shoves EC3 from behind. EC3 slaps him in the back of the head. Jeeves tries to separate them. EC3 and Jeeves then do cocaine angels on the mat.
Vito gets on the mic before his match. He tells the crowd to wipe the facepaint off their faces. He says he's here to make their lives miserable and hopes they all have nightmares for the rest of their lives. He tells them all to suck on the big one.
Vampiro's US Retirement Match - PCO vs. Big Vito vs. Vampiro
Vampiro comes out with The ICP. Vamp says it's cool that the fans are here so late. He talks about meeting ICP for the first time and says the first thing J asked him was where's the dealer? He thanks the ICP. He says PCO is a strange guy. He says he's a legend and says it'll be interesting. Vamp says to leave the other people in the match laying if they do anything they aren't supposed to.
PCO hits both opponents. Vamp and PCO chop each other. Vito takes a double clothesline and the chopping resumes. PCO corner splashes Vamp. PCO misses a charge outside and goes into the post. Vito sends Vamp into the post and hits punches. Vito and Vamp fight on the bleachers and Vamp punches a fan for some reason.
PCO joins the fight in the aisle. PCO's head is banged off the lighting rig. Vamp and Vito chop each other. Vito bites Vamp. Vito hits punches on Vamp and elbow's him in the head. PCO chops Vito and Vito chops back.
Vito his Vamp from behind. Vito is in the ring alone and Violent J gets in the ring with him. Vito boots and clubs J. He then rakes J with his knee. Shane Mercer comes in and tries to hit J with a chain but nails Vito. J lariats Shane over the top. Shaggy 2 Dope then hits Shane with the chain. PCO gets a 2 count on Vito.
PCO corner lariats Vito then ddt's him. PCO headbutt drops Vito then legdrops him for 2.
Vito crossfaces Vamp. PCO breaks it up. PCO stomps Vamp. Vito gets a 2 count on Vamp. Vito chops Vamp in the corner and uppercuts him. PCO lariats Vito. Vito boots Vamp in the corner. Vito shoves PCO. PCO chokeslams Vito. Vamp kicks PCO in the face. Vamp michinoku drivers Vito and pins him.
Thoughts: Vamp won here thankfully. The match wasn't that good as expected. All 3 guys are older and limited and Vamp may be the most limited of all 3. It didn't go too long at least and there wasn't a lot but punches and stomps here.
Streamers are thrown in for Vamp after. Vamp celebrates with the ICP. 2 Tuff Tony hugs Vamp and Vamp is given a lifetime achievement trophy.
Overall thoughts: JCW is best when it's storyline heavy, when it's shorter and when the in-ring work for most of the roster is kept to a minimum. This was a longer show with more wrestling and maybe 30% less storyline work. I knew what to expect going in and didn't really care for it. The show will no doubt be relevant for storylines going forward but it wasn't that good. The main, the opener, the Rob Van Dam match and the 3-way tag weren't good while the Knuckles/Morton, the JCW World Title 4-way and Facade's match weren't that bad. I'd say the JCW Title match was the best match of the night. The crowd was pretty dead for most of this and it wasn't the usual juggalo crowd. I wouldn't recommend it and would give it a 4 out of 10.
WWE Main Event 4/23/2026
Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/wwe-main-event-4162026.html
Blake Howard and Vic Joseph are on commentary.
Apollo Crews vs Mr. Iguana
Ig lays on the mat. He armdrags and legsweeps him. Ig then sits and poses. AC side headlocks him then dropkicks him down. Ig does his dead pose. AC delay suplexes him for 2.
Ig boots him out of the corner and 2nd rope crossbodies him. Ig backrolls into a spinning ddt on him. AC catches his plancha and rams his back into the post. AC boots him in the corner then short arm lariats him. AC chinlocks him.
AC gorilla presses Ig and Ig hurricanrana's him down. Ig grabs La Yesca and flying headscissors AC. Ig slaps Ac with the toy then Ig does a pop-up hurricanrana for 2. AC enzugiri's him then stomps La Yesca. Ig sits on his shoulders then bulldogs him down. Ig then pins him.
Thoughts: The finish wasn't that well built to at all. It wasn't anything too special with Iguana doing his usual antics and not a lot else.
Grayson Waller vs El Grande Americano Original
GW goes for shots and Grande takes him down. GW wristlocks him. Grande headflips out and trips him on the mat. Grande armlocks him. GW does kip ups and kip downs. Grande throws him by the arm.
Grande overhead belly to belly suplexes him. Grande triangles him over the top rope. Grande goes up top and is pushed down to the floor. GW slides out and lariats him outside.
GW rolls in and hits a flatliner for 2. GW does an up and over footstomp on him. GW puts him in tree of woe, teases a coast to coast dropkick but just stands on his crotch. GW comes off the 2nd rope and is caught with an exploder. Grande forearms him then russian legsweeps him. Grande koppo kicks him and does an reverse olympic slam.
GW rolls in and is caught with a german. GW flying knees him. Grande hits a chaos theory german on him and wins.
Thoughts: The crowd didn't know how to react here or didn't care. I can't blame them if it's the former. Grande's a heel in Mexico and was up against a heel here. While the Grande vs Grande has been hot in Mexico, it has died off some here. It was an athletic match. They slowed down a bit towards the end. Grande did some new offense here. It was alright.
Akira Tozawa vs El Grande Americano II
Vic Joseph plays it off like Grande just wrestled and can't figure out which one is which.
GA backshim up in the corner. Akira flurries on him there. Akira 2nd rope diving headscissors him. Akira doesn't get enough air on a flying headscissors and is dropped head first into the mat. GA stomps Akira and the ref makes him back off.
GA boots him in the corner. Akira hits mounted corner punches. GA eye rakes him the nsuplexes him for 2. Akira superkicks GA then GA blocks a corkscrew kick. GA rolling death valley drivers him for 2.
GA chinlocks him. Akira does a pop-up hurricanrana and shining wizard's him. Akira dropkicks him off the top. Akira topes him outside. Akira is up top and Rayo Americano pushes him while Bravo distracts the ref. Otis chases Los Americanos. Akira rolls up GA for 2.
Akira enzugiri's GA. Akira top rope sentons but GA gets his knees up. GA then taps him out with a surfboard.
Thoughts: It's Opposite Land here as Grande is the heel in the US while being the face in Mexico. What we got was acceptable. Akira got dropped on his head and thankfully lived to tell about it. The two worked okay together and Grande's crew cheated a few times to get the edge.
Overall thoughts: We had 3 new matches here. None were great or anything. Iguana/Crews wasn't that good with Iguana doing his usual antics and not much else going on. Waller/Grande Original was the best match on here but the crowd didn't react a ton. Grande II/Akira had a spot where Akira got dropped on his head but survived. There was a lot of cheating but it wasn't that bad. There's nothing you really need to see here and I thought it was average.
WWE Evolve 4/22/2026
Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/wwe-evolve-4152026.html
Cap Jones arrives. He says he's not in a good mood. He says Brooks Jensen woke him up and brought a new flavor out of him when he hit him with a bullrope. He says this is his bullrope match and he says he will savor the flavor.
Brooks Jensen says there's no coffee puns or escape tonight. He says there's no fun but pain tonight.
Wendy Choo comes out to talk. Choo says he was in therapy trying to find out who she was and found out last week when she won the Evolve title. She says we can call her "Champ Choo". She says this is where the work truly begins. She says the locker room is hungrier than ever. She says Timothy Thatcher told her she can choose her first opponent. She says she wants Laynie Luck to be her first opponent.
Laynie Luck comes out. Luck says Choo earned this and is honored. Luck says maybe her luck has turned around and says Sloane Jacobs turned on her last week in the match.
Nikkita Lyons comes out. She says Choo got lucky beating her with a roll-up. Lyons says she beat multiple girls in the match last week. She says both are running out of luck. Sloane Jacobs then comes in and nails Luck and Lyons nails Choo. The faces send the heels out.
We get a video on Romeo Moreno. He says wrestling is art. He says he will create moments, opportunities and his legacy. We then see him doing spraypainting. He says Evolve is his canvas.
Kam Hendrix and Harley Riggins vs Luca Crusifino and Tate Wilder
Tate's team jumps them during their entrance. Tate double lariats them. Luca topes Kam and Tate moonsaults Harley off the 2nd rope. Refs then come out to get them in the ring. Tate corner lariats HR then flying lariats him.
We go to break and return. HR spears Tate. Tate is held for shots in the corner. HR forearms Tate in the spine. Kam lariats Tate and HR low dropkicks Tate for 2. Kam flying lariats Tate and pounds on him. Tate's face is banged off the mat. Tate lariats Kam from behind.
HR throws Tate down backwards. HR stomps Tate then sleepers him. HR sleepers Tate. HR armlocks Tate. Tate goes for the tag but his partner is down due to Kam. HR running back elbows Tate then hits mounted shots. Kam legdrops Tate's arm then slams him.
HR slams Tate. The heels crossbody each other when Tate moves. Luca tags in. He hits punches on the heels then hits flying corner euros. Luca flying shoulders Kam then codebreakers HR. Kam showtime kicks Luca. Kam hits corner lariats on him. Kam rolls into a kick from Luca. Tate top rope moonsaults Kam for 2.
Luca is back body dropped out. Tate drops HR a few times then shoulders him over. HR head chops Tate. Luca flying shoulders Kam. Luca is up top and HR pulls him throat first onto the top. Kam hits a backdrop uranage on Luca and pins him.
Thoughts: It's not a good thing when Luca is already taking falls upon his return. I liked the match otherwise though. It was a standard tag match with them having good timing and both sides just doing what they were supposed to do.
Harlem Lewis does a video. He says his target is the Evolve Title. He says he has nothing bad to say about Aaron Rourke. He says Braxton Cole forced his way into his match with him. He says Cole is privileged but he can't talk his way into the title. He talks about his hard upbringing and says that's why he's aggressive. He says he has to be champion and says everyone will hear him announced as champ next week.
Layla Diggs vs. Kali Armstrong
Kali Armstrong talks before her match. She says this dancing stuff is over with. She says Layla laughed at her when she lost the gauntlet and says if she wants to get so funny, she (Kali) is about to get hilarious.
Kali grabs her then hits mounted shots. Kali hits corner spears. Kali running boots her in the face in the corner. Kali hits punches. Diggs rolls her up for 2 then tries another pin. Diggs flips out of a lariat then does a pump kick off of it. Diggs legdrops her. Diggs top rope moonsaults but Kali gets her knees up. Kali running shoulders her over and pins her.
Thoughts: It went as expected with Kali demolishing her. Diggs has kind of been jobber fodder and Kali's already an NXT girl. I'm not really sure why Kali is still on this show at this point.
Kali gets on the mic and calls out Tyra Mae Steele. Tyra comes out and a ref blocks her from getting in the ring. Timothy Thatcher comes out and says they aren't doing this. Tim says they are better than this. He says they will have a match next week.
We get a video on Braxton Cole. He says he's not privileged but went to the best schools and had a driver. He says there are expectations when you live like he does but no one expects people like Lewis to do anything special. He says Lewis' claim to fame is just signing a WWE contract. Cole says he's expect to be the next big star and says its the Ivy League expectations. He says he's what makes the perfect superstar. He says that's why he will become the Evolve champ next week.
Tate Wilder does a video. Tate says this is far from over with Kam and Harley. He says they think they are above everyone. He talks about them laying out the WWE ID guys then him becoming the next victim when he didn't help them cheat to win. He says they are scared and should admit it. He says they know he will whoop them when he gets his hands on them fairly. He says this isn't over until he says so.
Aaron Rourke says everyone is talking about the 3-way match with Cole and Lewis. He says they think they have what it takes to be champ but he knows he does. He says they might be bigger and strong college athletes but it drives him to be a better champ in WWE. He says they can figure out why he says, "clock it, period".
Bullrope Match - Brooks Jensen vs. Cappuccino Jones
Jacari Ball, Max Abrams and Santi Rivera are in the VIP Lounge.
BJ hits Cap before either get the bullrope tied to them. BJ hits him with rope punches. The bell rings and he drops him again with one. BJ boots him and clubs him. BJ hits kneedrops on his back. Cap hits punches and BJ knees him in the gut. Cap dropkicks him. Cap knocks him out of the ring. They tug of war over the rope then Cap topes him. Cap clubs on him and hits punches.
They double clothesline each other on the floor. BJ crawls under the ring and pulls Cap under with him. BJ comes out the other side and clubs and punches him. BJ yells at Max Abrams. Cap is thrown over the rail but he lands on his feed. Cap jumps over the rail onto him.
We go to break and return. Cap neckbreakers him for 2. Cap stomps him. Cap is then pulled off the top onto the top rope. BJ takes his boot off and nails Cap with it. BJ pulls off a turnbuckle connector pad. BJ then get pulled into it. BJ's arm is banged off the post several times. Cap hits him in the elbow with it.
BJ begs off and gets hit with punches inside. BJ is pulled off the 2nd rope via the rope. Cap corner dropkicks him. Max cheers on Cap outside. Cap flying corner lariats him. Cap top rope crossbodies him for 2. BJ goes to punch him and Cap blocks it with the cowbell. Cap fujiwara armbars him. Cap pulls back on his fingers with the rope. BJ eye rakes him.
BJ facekicks him. Cap pump kicks him and they trade punches. BJ hangs him over the back with the rope in Cap's mouth. Cap flips over his back and ddt's him. Cap misses a top rope froggy bow. BJ sitout double chokebombs him for 2.
BJ grabs a Slim Jim table under the ring and brings it in. They boot each other. The table is set up and BJ is superplexed through it. They each pull for the bell. Max Abrams comes in, steps on the rope and nails Cap with the cowbell. BJ then pins Cap.
Thoughts: This was a very good match and they did about as well as you could without blood or crazy spots. They threw tons of nice jabs at each other, they showed hatred and aggression and it was all brawling. I would say this was almost great. This is one of the better bouts either guy has been in. Jensen may not always be the most exciting guy, but he really does deliver when he gets the chance. This is worth checking out.
Max stomps on Cap after. Jacari and Santi seem surprised. They head in, laugh and help beat up Cap. It's GAL comes out loves it. CJ Valor then comes in and shoulders over Gal as he poses. Max, Ball, Santi and Valor then stand together and appear to be a new heel faction and they say they are the WWE ID 2.0 class.
Overall thoughts: The tag match was fine. Kali Armstrong squashed Diggs. We got some personality videos and then we got the main event bull rope match. Jensen and Cappuccino absolutely delivered and had an old school bullrope match. There wasn't any blood or any spots that were too wild but they threw great punches, they showed hatred and aggression and it was as good as they could really do given the format. I'd recommend checking that bout out. We also had a big twist at the end. I'd give it a 6 out of 10. It was a good show.
WXM Ground Zero 4/11/2026 Episode 16
Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/wxm-ground-zero-442026-episode-15.html
Jonny Loquasto and Dave Bradshaw are on commentary.
Raj the Maharaja has relinquished his title.
Avi vs JD Lee
Lee has Tokyo Jiro/Ikemen Jiro with him. JD throws his jacket in Jiro's face. Avi poses for Jiro and Jiro pretends to take photos of him.
JD poses at Avi and offers a handshake. They pose together then JD pulls him down. JD hits mounted shots. JD rakes Avi's hand on the 2nd rope and gets a 2 count. JD double axe handles him.
Avi hits punches and drops JD twice. Avi spin kicks him in the gut and boots him in the head. JD boots him out of the corner. Avi falcon arrows him. JD rolls him up for 2 and step up enzugiri's him. Jiro poses in the crowd and JD gets mad. Avi trips JD then pins his shoulders down with his feet. Avi wins.
Thoughts: It had a lot of shenanigans here with Jiro. It was a shorter bout and it wasn't much of note at all.
JD grabs Jiro after and yells at him on his way to the back.
The Shiekdom is in the back. Sheikha Suzu says they will raise high under her leadership and their family name will get the respect it deserves. Mila Smidt walks in with Emi Sakura. They say they need her help and says some girls have been a problem. Suzu agrees to help as long as The Zamindar has something to offer in return. Mila promises a mutual agreement will be made.
We see Dijak interrogating Bobby B (this is from last week). He says there's no way the masked man could have exited the building without being caught on film. Bobby pleads his innocence. Dijak says they can do this the easy way or the hard way. Bobby says there's more footage but he can't show him as he will lose everything. Dijak then slams his nightstick and says he loves when they play hard to get. Bobby cries.
Samrouf vs Charles Sterling
Samrouf is the head chef of WXM. He has a spatula and a chain. Lady Katherine is with Charles. Charles seems to run a British nobleman type of gimmick.
CS tells him he doesn't have a chance against him. They lock up and CS hammerlocks him. CS slaps him in the head. CS snapmares him then throws him by the arm. Katherine is pleased. CS shoulders Sam down then drops him with a punch. CS suplexes him twice then hits mounted punches. CS bites his head. CS backdrop uranages him and pins him.
Thoughts: It was a quick squash with Sam getting basically nothing in before going down.
Devi is interviewed about him and Mila. He doesn't want to talk about it and says he wants to punch the interviewer sometimes. Mila comes in and says she has a job for him. Devi complains about her ignoring him after some kind of date. She say she can't have this conversation and leaves.
Shakti is interviewed. She says things have gone well so far here and says she is getting a lot of support. Lady Katherine and Charles walk in. Charles says he didn't know this country had any wrestlers and asks where Shakti was when Katherine issued an open challenge. Shakti talks in her language and Katherine tells her to speak in the king's language. Charles and Katherine leave.
B2B (Regner & Suraj) vs. Sheikdom (Sheikh Al-Sham & Sheikh Shaheen)
The Sheikdom are middle eastern millionaires and one of them is carried out on 2 servant's shoulders. Suzu is with Sheikdom.
Shaheen ties up Suraj's legs and side headlock takeovers him. Suraj la magistral's him for 2. Suraj armdrags and dropkicks him. Sham yells at Suraj. Regner tags in. He tries shoulders on Sham. Reg upkicks him and dropkicks him. Reg dropkicks him in the corner then goes up and over. Sham hits a hard spinning lariat. Sham suplexes him.
Suraj top rope diving headscissors Sham. Shaheen is slapped on the apron. His servants stop him from falling off. Suraj then jumps off his partner's back and dives on his servants. Sham knees Suraj in the gut outside.
Suraj fights out of the corner and pulls Sham over the top. Reg is tagged in. Reg lariats Shaheen and spin kicks him in the gut. He boots him in the head then double underhook twisting drops him for 2.
Suraj top rope crossbodies Sham but is caught. Reg dropkicks them over. Dev runs down. B2B are dropkicked into the ropes and take a 619 + drive by combo from The Sheikdom. Suraj takes a 2nd rope superplex and a top rope Shaheen double stomp. Shaheen pins Suraj.
Thoughts: It was an okay bout here with B2B being the underdogs and going down. Dev likely just got paid off by The Shiekdom to help them here.
Shaheen is carried out by his servants after.
Dijak is still interrogating Bobby B (this is from last week). Bobby B begs and says he has a family. Bobby says he will shove him the video. Bobby then shows him the video. Dijak ask why he met with Skyler. Bobby says he found Skyler. He says Skyler is crazy. Bobby says he doesn't know about the masked man. He (Bobby) says everyone will suspect him now. Dijak says he was used as a pawn as he's a coward. Dijak says he's too small and weak to be the mystery man. and says he's free to go.
Sha Samurels is on the phone. He says bet's are off. Mila Smidt comes in and gives him an envelope from The Zamindar. Sha then tells his friend John that they are back.
Baliyan Akki vs. Jack Morris
Akki has Anthony Greene and Mei Suruga with him. Jack has Robbie X with him. Jack has a black eye going into this.
They lock up. Akki backs him up on the ropes and clean breaks. Jack slaps him on the break. Akki rolls him and shoulders him over. Akki slams him then corner facekicks him. Robbie X distracts Akki. Jack nails Akki from behind and stomps him.
Jack slams Akki for 2 then abdominal stretches him. Akki ropebreaks. Jack clubs him and boots him in the face. Akki suplexes him. Jack lariats him over the top then topes him. Akki back body drops him. Akki hits some shots and an enzugiri. Akki flying headscissors him. Akki hits punches.
Jack knees him in the gut then Akki spinebusters him. Robbie X gets on the apron and is facekicked. Akki high kicks him. Jack then puts his feet on the ropes and pins him.
Thoughts: It was another bout that was on the shorter end. What we got was average to fine and totally tolerable. They push that Green could have saved his buddy here but hesitated. Greene gives Akki his title after.
Jossan talks to Ladamel. Mila Smidt comes in and gives them an envelope. She says they will pay double if they take care of the problem known as Dijak. They say they can take care of it. Jossan throws the money and says he doesn't need it.
Bobby B calls Rishi and says they need to talk about Dijak. Bobby says he's great. Jeet comes in. He asks why Bobby hid the footage from him. Bobby says he was kidnapped by DIjak and says his life was in dangerous. Jeet says what he is doing is wrong and asks why Sha Samuels is in the tournament. Bobby says he won last week and that deserves an opportunity. Jeet disagrees.
Avi comes in to talk to Jeet. Jeet says he's improving in a short span of time. Avi says he knows he is young and says it's a dream to compete in the WXM Tournament. Jeet tells him to watch for the announcement at the end of the show.
Zack Sabre Jr. does a promo and says Kevin Malik is the future of WXM. Zack then gets attacked by a masked man known as Venomous
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Venomous
Zack facekicks him twice to start. Zack side headlocks him then Ven shoulders him over. Ven hits forearms in the corner and Zack euros him several times. Ven drops him with an uppercut. Zack trips him then pulls on his leg. Ven stomps him.
Ven hits a big punch. Zack triangles him over the top rope. Zack euros him against the rails then throws him in. Ven atomic drops him and lariats him. Ven hits mounted shots. Zack triangles him and Ven chokes him to escape. Ven hits mounted forearms.
Ven hits shots in the corner and drops him. Ven spinning suplexes him for 2. Zack pump kicks him and dropkicks him. Zack euros him in the corner then twists his head with his feet. Zack low dropkicks him in the back of the neck for 2. Zack cobra twists him and Ven fights out.
Ven hits chops. Zack chops back. Ven superkicks him for 2. Zack pele kicks his arm. Zack catches an enzugiri and does a grounded ankle lock. Ven ropebreaks. Ven slingblades him. Ven exuploders him. Ven top rope frogsplashes Zack for 2. Zack germans Ven then michinoku drivers him for 2. Zack PK's him and wins.
Thoughts: It was an okay bout. It wasn't great or anything but certainly watchable. Ven's not bad at all and this got enough time to play out.
Zack says he doesn't know what Ven's problem is with him or Kevin Malik but he's a tough b@stard. He tells him to stop trying to compare himself to Kevin Malik and to be his own man instead.
Mei Suruga, Miya Yotsuba and Angel Hayze talk in the back. Mei says they got attacked and wonders why it's always bad, bad, bad. She says she doesn't like it. Angel says she won't let it happen again. She says it doesn't matter if Suzu is recruited as they are the best team here and will win next week. Miya syas "Jigra Hai" with the toher 2.
Skyler talks to Mila Smidt next to a fire. Mil wants him to pledge his loyalty to The Zamindar. He says he will pledge his loyalty soon. He says he heard Dijak is coming after him. Mila says Jossan will take care of that. She then gives Skyler money in an envelope. Skyler says people are so afraid of fire but says fire reveals the truth. He then throws the money into the fire. He says no matter what you throw into it, he flames get bigger. He says he compares himself to the fire as he has an uncontrollable rage. He says he is the uncontrollable fire and has the rage he can't control. He says he resembles the fire and is the fire.
Jeet does a promo. He says Raj is out of the tournament due to injury and says a last chance gauntlet will be held to fill his place. He says entry will be decided by a draw.
Next week has Capitan Suicida vs Skyler, Mei Suruga/Miya Yotsuba/Angel Hayze vs Mila Smidt/Emi Sakura and Sheikha Suzu, Jossan vs Donovan Dijak, Lady Katherine and Neel vs Big Damo in a WXM Title Tournament match.
The Zamindar are holding a funeral for Raj the Maharaja (Jinder Mahal). They have photos him in the ring mocking him. The Zamindar Gang come out. Fateh (the leader) say it's a sad night for them and they are here for the funeral of Raj the Maharaja. They say Raj's era is finished now and says it's time for their era. Fateh says he's the best wrestler of this generation. Fateh says Raj won a lot of titles and was the best at one point but says his bleeding head was on their feet and Raj was begging them to spare his life. They tell Dev to say something about Raj. Dev says Raj got his hands on him and gave him a beating. He says Raj deserves what he got.
Dev says Raj was a hero for them and taught them how to be like him. Dev says he inspired all of them. He says they should be thankful. Fateh takes the mic from Dev. He says the next time Dev praises him, his photo will have a garland on it too. Fateh tells Dev to dress in black like the rest of them and tells him to get out of the ring. Dev goes but clearly doesn't agree. Fateh says to forget Dev and says it's time for a ten bell salute to Raj. They then ring the bell for Raj.
Jeet comes down and interrupts. He asks what Fateh is doing and asks who gave him permission to do this. He says to stop it. Fateh asks where he's been. He says it's The Zam's time because Raj is dead. Raj then appears and knocks over the photo. He chases Fateh and beats up The Zam's. Raj then chairs The Zam's and sends one of them into the photo. Raj then does a cobra clutch slam on a chair on another one of them.
Thoughts: It was a fun little angle with Raj interrupting his own funeral and getting some shots in on the heels.
Overall thoughts: This is my second time watching WXM. It was a good show. It has a Lucha Underground type of feel to it and it mixes decent wrestling with good storylines and some Indian flavor. They have subtitles up for everything and they have English commentary so it's easy to follow even if you are watching for the first time. This is a newer promotion but they are already way ahead of most US promotions and this is a serious professional company. This show is top quality and well worth your time to check out. I'd give this an easy 6 out of 10 and you can't possibly watch this show and not want to see another ep. Very impressive stuff here from the WXM crew. Bravo.
Reality of Wrestling 4/15/2026 GLORY Episode 23
The last show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/reality-of-wrestling-4102026-platinum.html
The Command talk outside. Tempo says they win every time they go out there and it will be no different. Tempo says EJ and Sam will fall tonight. Tempo tells Luther to just listen to him tonight and says it in a stern tone.
Mystii Marks vs Mia Friday
MM armdrags her and Mia armdrags her back. Mia side headlocks her and they collide with shoulders. Mia armdrags her then springboard armdrags her. Mia walks up the buckles, does rope tricks and diving armdrags her. Mia then pats her on the head.
Mia boots her. Mia is pulled down from the 2nd rope. MM boots her. MM punches her in the corner. MM slaps her in the corner for 1. MM running hip attacks her for 2.
Mia hits shots and MM knees her in the gut. Mia sunset flips her for 2. Mia backslides her for 2. Mia la magistral's her for 2. MM flying boots her in the chest for 2. MM arm and chinlocks her. MM misses a corner hip attack. Mia swinging facebusters her twice. Mia pumping knees her for 2. MM jumping legdrops her on the back of the neck for 2.
Mia step up enzugiri's her. MM pulls off the top turnbuckle pad. MM pulls the hair and neckbreakers her but the ref is busy with the turnbuckle pad. MM shoves the ref for not counting her pin fast enough and is DQ'd.
Thoughts: The finish was a bit weak here. I'd like to see MM up her offense a little. Mia was fine as usual as the face but it was average.
The announcer accidentally calls Mia "Mia Birthday" after. MM then chases the ref to the back.
Clay Roberts goes into Ivory Robin's office and complains about WWE ID. He says he's not getting a rematch. She says she saw the stunt he pulled with Mike Cunningham and has lost his mind if he thinks he can get away with it here. Ivory says he either fights Mike Cunningham in a rematch or leaves. Clay says he will beat Mike again and again.
Dick Meyers vs Savage King
This is Dick Meyers' TV debut.
They lock up. DM hammerlocks him and side headlock takeovers him. Kind uses the ropes to side headlock takeover him. King no sells a lariat and is dropkicked into the ropes. DM side headlocks him. He tries another takeover and is backdropped. King hits shots to the gut and chops him.
King corner lariats him. King boots him in the corner. DM boots him over the corner and leg lariats him for 2. King spinebusters him then drops him chest first on the mat. King pins him.
Thoughts: It was a shorter bout and it wasn't too much of note. DM didn't botch anything and King picked up the win.
Erik Lockhart and Rhys Maddox are at a restaurant making orders. Rhys goes to order and Erik orders him a bunch of stuff to bulk him up. Rhys says he wants to eat healthy. Erik says we bulk first then cut. Erik is asked if he wants to order anything and he says he ate already.
Baby Keef vs Jay Davis
They lock up. Jay waistlock takedowns him twice. Jay slams him. BK double throat thrusts him then Jay overhead belly to belly suplexes him. BK high kicks him then dropkicks him. Jay blocks a flying headscissors and hits a hard sitout powerbomb. Jay pins him.
Thoughts: Jay is a Bron Breakker/Scott Steiner type. He's smaller but built and he has a lot of explosive offense. He threw poor Keef around here before grabbing the win. It was a good showcase for Jay.
ROW Tag Titles - The Command (Terrale Tempo and Big Luther) (c) vs Sam Holloway and EJ Nduka
EJ pushes Tempo off the lock up and mocks his height. Tempo side headlocks him. They shoulder battle. Tempo euros him then hits a corner spear. EJ is held for a double chop from Luther.
Sam tags in. Sam forearms Luther in the back and chops him in the corner. Luther goes up and over then shoulders him over. Tempo shoulders Sam over. Tempo leg lariats him. Sam hits a big facekick on Tempo. Sam stomps Tempo.
EJ hits Tempo in the gut then slams him. EJ knees him in the gut then delay suplexes him. Sam elbow drops him off the 2nd rope. Sam lariats Tempo for 2. Sam knocks Luther off the apron. Tempo is popped up and dropped by his opponents.
EJ chin and armlocks Tempo. Temp jawbreakers him. Sam germans Tempo. EJ foot chokes Tempo in the corner. Sam dropkicks Luther off the apron. Sam and EJ facekick each other when Tempo moves. Luther comes in and hits corner splashes. EJ flying knees Luther. Luther stops a double chokeslam then hits his own double lariat. Luther world's strongest slam's Sam. Luther chokeslams EJ.
Tempo tags himself in as Luther goes for the kill. Luther shoves him. Sam nails Luther from behind and throws him out. Tempo fights off a 1v2 then takes a powerbomb + chokeslam combo. EJ pins Tempo.
Thoughts: I kind of figured The Command wasn't going to last too long as Luther got too popular and they seemingly set their break up here. We got a decent bout here which the big guys going at it.
Overall thoughts: There was nothing must see here but I think it will ultimately be Chapter 1 of The Command's break up. The first match was average. The 2nd and 3rd matches were basically squashes. Jay Davis looked good in his squash and seems like one to keep an eye on. We had a title change in the main event and the match was fine. I'd give this a 5 out of 10. I thought it was okay overall.
AEW Dynamite 4/22/2026
Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/aew-dynamite-4152026-spring-break-thru.html
We are in Portland, OR. Tony Schiavone and Excalibur are on commentary.
MJF comes out. He tells the crowd to show him the respect he has earned. He says last week will forever be known as "The Seattle Screwjob". He says he beat Omega then was told 3 days later he's facing Darby. He says he got hit in the nuts and the ref fast counted him. He says Darby's not the champ but a cheat.
He says Darby couldn't beat him if he's prepared. He says he's the most complete pro wrestler and has beaten every top name in wrestling. He says he's the best wrestler in the world. He says if Darby has dignity, he will come give him his title back.
Kevin Knight comes out instead. He says it's a different city but the same Max whining like a little b!tch. We then get a little b!tch chant. Kev says he had him pinned in the middle of the ring a few weeks ago and says if anyone got screwed, it's him. He says he should be Jet 2 Belts.
MJF mocks him. He says he beat him with a heatseeker in that match. MJF says he's the only person who should be champ. MJF says his TNT title fits him as he's a workhorse, an average joe and someone with a ceiling that will never be AEW champ.
Kev says he keeps running his mouth and he will have to slap the big nose off his face. Kev says he's an absolute gold mine. He says some of the best in the world held this title and it's no coincidence that MJF hasn't. He says MJF has had everything handed to him and he says he should hand him an @ss whooping.
MJF asks what he gets out of that. He says Kev made him want the TNT Title. He says he can tell how proud Kev is about the title and he says he'd love to turn the pride into depression. He says if the title is on the line, he's got a match. Kev agrees. He says we are in Rip City and he will rip him a new one. MJF says to get a ref out.
The ref holds the belt up then MJF goes out. MJF says Kev will dance with the devil next week.
Thoughts: Knight did fine here and AEW is clearly interested in seeing how far he can go as a singles guy. It's worth a try.
Renee interviews The Demand and Chris Jericho. Renee says there will be a 6-man tag on Collision and asks if Jericho knows his partners are. Ric says he doesn't know and Toa says he burnt every bridge. Jericho shows up a shirt mocking Ricochet' line about him and says he trademarked the phrase. Ric says things will go the same as he will beat him with a ricosault. Chris says he doesn't need someone who likes him, just someone who doesn't like Ric.
Brody King vs Lio Rush
Lio acts goofy in the ring and King drags him by the leg. Lio offer a handshake and King gives him one. King then doesn't let go so Lio bites the wrist. Lio is slammed off a crossbody attempt. King corner splashes him twice.
King gets chopped and chops him harder outside. King misses a crossbody against the rails. Lio jumps on him off the commentary table and is caught. Lio pushes him into the rail and post.
We go to PiP break and return. Lio hits some slaps. King backdrops him then lariats him. Lio stunners him over the 2nd rope. Lio eye rakes him then handspring kicks him off the apron. Lio low topes him outside. King crossbodies him outside. Lio top rope frogsplashes King's back for 1.
King black hole slams Lio. King corner cannonballs him then over the shoulder piledrivers him and pins him.
Thoughts: It went longer than it really needed to and King won as expected. I don't even know if Lio knows what he's doing but AEW seems interested in it. The work was fine but it was average.
Brody King says he will be keeping an eye on the world title match. He says congratulations if Ciampa wins. He says he's proud of Darby but not proud enough to not bring the violence.
Tomasso Ciampa is interviewed by Renee. He says he's been told what he's not his entire career. He say she's not told he's big enough, doesn't pass the airport test and isn't charismatic enough. He says he's a father, a son and a brother and has insane work ethic. He says tonight is about proving glass ceilings are imaginary. He says it's about the AEW Title. He asks if Darby wants this more than he needs it.
Adam Copeland does a promo. He says FTR told him that Cope and Cage won't get another title shot. He says he came up with a plan. He challenges them to a New York Street Fight at Double or Nothing. Cope says they will retire as a team if FTR beats them. He says he knows what their answer should be unless they know they aren't better. He says the ball is in their court.
Hikaru Shida vs Mina Shirakawa
Shida does an inset promo with Kris. She says AEW fans will get to see the great style of her and Mina and says may the best joshi win.
Mina side headlocks her. Shida blocks an armdrag then knees her in the gut. Shida hits forearms then Mina forearms back. Shida throws her and Mina throws her back. They try dropkicks at the same time. Mina kicks her off the buckles then slingblades her.
They trade pin attempts. Shida flying knees her. We go to PiP break and return. Mina flying headscissors her. Mina boots Shida off the ropes. Mina dragon screws her around the middle rope. Mina slingshot tornillo splashes her for 2.
Mina kneebreakers her. Mina dropkicks her in the leg. Shida reverse headscissors her into the steps. Shida walks up the steps with Mina on her shoulders. Shida b-drivers her on the apron. Shida top rope diving meteora's her for 2. Shinda knees her in the face for 2.
Mina drops her with a spinning forearm and both go down. Shida high kicks her and Mina urakens her. Mina top rope dropkicks her. Mina top rope diving slingblades her for 2. Mina figure fours her. Shida goes her kendo stick and Mina grabs it first. Kris Statlander takes the stick from Mina. Shida flying knees Mina then falcon arrows her for the win.
Thoughts: It wasn't really that good. It had a slower pace to it and the execution wasn't that good. The ref also did some terrible counting here. I was a little surprised to see Mina lose since she's been pushed harder.
We get a video on Takeshita and Okada.
Will Ospreay vs Mark Davis
Will runs at him and is shouldered. Mark shoulders him off the apron into the rails. Mark then runs him over into the rails outside. Mark misses a senton and takes a basement dropkick.
Will avoids being sent into the steps and then kicks the steps into Mark's knee. Will flying headscissors him off the steps. Will springboard forearms him inside for 1. Will hits Kawada kicks and Mark chops him down. Mark lariats him over the top.
Mark hits knees to the gut outside then pushes his face into the ramp. Will superkicks him from the ramp then cannonballs him off the ramp. We go to PiP break and return.
Will boots him out of the corner. Mark bridging neckbreakers him. Mark low running forearms him inside for 2. Will handspring corkscrew kicks him. Will running facekicks him then diving forearms him in the back of the head from the top. Will spin kicks him in the gut. Will sits up top and Mark hits a hard lariat to send him down. Mark does like a reverse olympic slam for 2. Will hook kicks him then standing spanish flies him for 2.
Will hits forearms. Mark punches him. Will spin kicks him in the face. Mark backdrops him three times in a row for 2. Mark enzugiri's him. Will hits a hidden blade for 2. Mark lariats him. Mark yanks him into a piledriver for 2. Mark piledrivers him on the apron.
The doc checks on Will and Don Callis does too. The ref then calls the match off as the doc says Will can't go.
Thoughts: I was surprised to see Mark win but they did a good job with it. Will didn't get pinned and they would have overdone it if they went any further. Mark hit some stiff shots him and powered him around while Will sold.
Mark grabs Will after and goes for a piledriver. The Death Riders surround the ring and Mox gets in. They all stare at Mark. Claudi then carries Will out through the crowd.
Alex Windsor is interviewed. She says she will rip off Thekla's legs. Persephone interrupts. She says she wants to kick some annoying @sses and will join Alex to fight them. Alex says to pick two members and they will fight them on Collision.
Samoa Joe vs Cody Chhun
This is Joe's return. CC and Joe trade armlocks. Joe fireman's carry takeovers him. Joe headbutts CC in the hand. CC hits a punch and Joe no sells it. CC hits punches and takes a back elbow. Joe hits punches and punch flurries him in the corner.
CC eye rakes him then Joe walks away from his 2nd rope crossbody. CC is thrown face first into the 2nd buckle. Joe muscle busters him and picks up the win.
Thoughts: Joe won as expected here. Cody got a few shots in before going down in this short squash.
Hook claps for Joe on the stage and they shake hands.
We get a Darby Allin highlight video.
Renee talks to Chris Jericho and asks who his partners will be. Jericho has The Hurt Syndicate come out of his room. MVP says it's never personal, just business.
Tony Schiavone interviews Darby Allin in the ring. DA says the title took everything. He says he had his first match in Portland. He says his reign could end in minutes when Ciampa comes out. He says it's just a 15 minute ride. He says the title isn't just for him but for his family and the fans. He says when the 15 minute ride is over, he wants to know who he is looking at.
MJF interrupts. He says Darby doesn't deserve sh!t. He tells him to give him his belt now. Darby says "no". MJF says to give him a rematch now and Darby says no. Darby says he won't give him a rematch until MJF puts something on the line. He says everyone deserves a shot at this. He says it starts with Ciampa now and tells him to get his @ss out of his ring.
AEW World Title - Darby Allin (c) vs Tomasso Ciampa
Ciampa stares at MJF as he walks down the ramp.
They hockey fight. TC chops and punches him in the corner. TC facekicks him. DA shotgun dropkicks him in the corner. DA top rope coffin drops him outside. TC pushes DA into the commentary table with his feet. DA is sent into the rails. We go to PiP break and return.
TC foot chokes him outside. TC catapults him throat first into the ring rungs. DA is sent into the rails. TC misses a facekick there. DA jumps off the post and plancha's him through the timekeeper's table over the rail.
DA then topes him. TC gets busted open big from it. DA is crotched up top. TC stomps him. DA reverse ddt's him and TC pulls the top buckle off. DA is gut first on the top buckle. TC chops him. TC does a very dangerous 2nd rope raid crash on the floor. We go to PiP break and return.
They trade forearms. TC chops him several times in the corner. DA double stomps him off the 2nd rope. DA is flipped off a back body drop. TC running knees him. DA code red's him for 2.
DA tries a coffin drop but TC grounded chokes him. DA gets a 2 count off of it. DA is then sent into the exposed buckle. TC pumping knees him for 2. TC powerbomb backbreakers him. TC pumping knees him for 2. DA blocks a scorpion deathlock. DA then scorpion deathlocks him. TC submits.
Thoughts: The 2nd rope air raid crash to the floor really should have ended it. That was too much and a pretty nasty bump. But they had to keep on going. TC likely got headbutted on a tope and did some serious bleeding here with his face covered. Darby got the win here as expected. I would have liked to have seen more work on the legs and back before Darby won with the sharpshooter.
Brody King comes out and help up Darby. He says he was serious when he said he was proud of him. He challenges him for next week.
Overall thoughts: Outside of the opening segment, it as mostly all wrestling. King/Lio was average. Mina/Shida wasn't that good. I liked Davis/Ospreay. Samoa Joe won a squash. Darby/Ciampa was a stiff match as expected and I thought they did too much in it. Ciampa bled like crazy during it. I'd give it a 5 out of 10. There wasn't a lot going on storyline wise and a whole bunch of people were missing and I really only liked one of the matches. I thought it was around with some highs and lows.
