AEW Dynamite 1/25/2023

AEW Dynamite 1/25/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/aew-dynamite-1182023.html 

Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara vs Ricky Starks and Action Andretti

I didn't like this one. These guys have been feuding and doing stuff to each other and they were all goofing around here and doing their normal flippy match with cute spots. Garcia got a cheap shot in on Andretti and that led to Sammy picking up the win here.

They had a nice tribute video for Jay Briscoe.

Darby Allin vs Buddy Matthews

Buddy had Darby style facepaint on here. Darby took a hard meteora from the top while Darby stood on the apron. Darby hit a top rope coffin drop to the outside on Buddy and Darby was slammed on the apron. The lights went out and the rest of the HoB appeared. Ortiz hit Brody King with a kendo stick then Sting helped out. Buddy ligerbombed Darby for 2 as we went to break. We came back and Buddy took a poisonrana. He then took a crucifix bomb for 2. Darby then took a buckle bomb and a curb stomo for 2 then came right back with a code red. Darby hit a tope rope scorpion death drop which again didn't end it. Darby then won it with a coffin drop while Buddy was bent over the middle rope.

I hated this one. There was no selling and they just did all kinds of unnecessary big moves to each other.

Tony went to interview Darby after then Samoa Joe got on the tron. He said he is coming to take everything from Darby and said Darby stole the title from him. He said he wanted to take back what was his.

Adam Cole did a recorded promo. He said he missed being in the ring and said he was not yet 100%. He said he didn't know when he would be back.

Ethan Page and Matt Hardy vs Hook and Jungle Boy

Matt Hardy came out then Ethan Page, Stokeley Hathaway and Isaiah Kassidy followed. Page and Kassidy argued over who was the star of the team.

Page took a headscissors from JB early and all four men had a stare down. JB took a double suplex from his opponents and we went to PiP break. We returned with Matt dropping an elbow off the 2nd rope onto JB. Hook got a hot tag in and hit a big lariat on Page and did a gutwrench suplex. Hook explodered him and Matt hit a side effect on JB. JB ended up putitng Page in the snare trap and ended up beating him by submission.

This was short if you cut out the break and it wasn't that special or interesting.

 Family Therapy Session with The Gunn's and The Acclaimed

The Gunn's said Billy was not around for most of their childhood and said Billy ditched them for the tag champs. He said they are always second to The Acclaimed. They said Billy is a failure as a father and Billy asked what would make them happy - The Gunn's said the tag title belts were it then they left.

This wasn't as good as it could have been. They had some room for some comedy here which all these guys love to do and they really didn't do it. It was also only a few minutes long, so it was short.

Adam Page was interviewed by Renee again. He said she asks questions the wrestlers don't want to answer. Page said he wants to knock out Mox in Ohio and said it would be impossible. Yuta said Mox will be ready and will accept. Yuta then challenged him for Rampage since Mox is not ready. Page then asked him why he thought what happened to Mox wouldn't happen to him. 

Bryan Danielson vs Brian Cage

Bryan took a nasty gorilla press into the buckles here then took a release german after getting a bunch of stuff in to start. Cage then backdropped him on the apron as we went to PiP break.

We returned and Bryan made a comeback with kicks. Bryan did a moonsault while running up the buckles and was caught for a shoulder breaker. Cage did his usual 2nd rope deadlift suplex then did a 2nd rope german deadlift suplex only for 2. Bryan then hit a top rope superplex. Bryan ended up taking a buckle bomb then a powerbomb and then reversed the 2nd powerbomb attempt into a pin.

They did way too much here without selling much and Cage might be big, but he certainly didn't wrestle like it. Cage should have never let Bryan superplex him. Cage also lost like he always does.

Cage beat up on Bryan after then MJF came out. Bryan got his arm put in a chair and pushed into the post. MJF beat up on Bryan. Konosuke Takeshita made the save and took out Cage with a flying knee to further bury him.

Renee interviewed Bryan as he was being worked on. The doctor said Bryan is injured and can't wrestle. Bryan said nobody is stopping him from wrestling. Bryan said he would prove that what is behind MJF's mask is a fraud and said he would show he should be the AEW champ.

Toni Storm vs Ruby Soho

 This was really interrupted by the break and wasn't anything special. Toni faked a nose injury then german'd her. Britt Baker came out to distract Toni and Ruby got the win in this waste of time.

MJF did a promo, bringing up being Jewish like he usually does and talked about how much he and Bryan wanted the AEW Title. He said he set up a match for Bryan next week with Timothy Thatcher. I'm not a TT fan. He's being brought in to lose and I doubt anyone knows or cares about him.

Jamie Hayter did a promo on Emi Sakura. she said she's a legend and said she needs to be in the ring with her. She said she will understand that Hayter hits hard. 

Jay Briscoe Memorial Match - Mark Briscoe vs Jay Lethal

I can't really do a true review for this. I appreciate both guys going out there and doing their best to honor Jay. Mark Briscoe ended up winning this one which should have been expected.

The whole roster came out and clapped after.

Overall thoughts: Another wrestling heavy show with everyone doing too much in their matches as usual. They did a nice little tribute to Jay Briscoe though.

WWE NXT 1/24/2023

WWE NXT 1/24/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/wwe-nxt-1172023.html

Grayson Waller was at the Performance Center and said we were going to have some fun with Bron Breakker. GW got into an argument with him and threw a water battle at him. Bron then speared him and thy had a fight that had to be broken up. All of this was shot on cell phone, with the mysterious NXT Anonymous being one of the cameramen.

Indi Hartwell interrupted Booker and the other announcer, saying Tiffany Stratton was going to get a whooping.

Indi Hartwell vs Tiffany Stratton

Tiff has a new entrance with lots of camera flashes and has some nice new gear.

Tiff was hit on the apron during her entrance then was thrown and dropkicked. Tiff was thrown out and landed hard on the floor then Tiff kneeled on the top rope and senton'd her. Tiff hip attacked her as she was on the ropes. Toff hit a cartwheel backflip back elbow in the corner then did a weak la silla for 2.

Tiff put her in an armlock then was spinebustered for 2.  Tiff took a running side kick to the head then Indi running facekicked her. Tiff went down and held her leg and they called a med tech out. Tiff then nailed Indi. she then hit a Finlay roll into a double jump moonsault for the win.

It wasn't great and the fake injury spot was not done well. Tiff did good though otherwise and her new look is an upgrade.

Jacy Jayne was interviewed. She said she has been carrying Gigi since day one and refuses to let her stop her form becoming NXT champ. She basically said the team is broken up and said we will see something we haven't seen before tonight. I hope they aren't breaking Toxic Attraction up and if they are, I think they could have come up with something better.

We went ot the Diamond Mine dojo with Taxion Heights, Drew Gulak, Myles Borne, Ivy Nile and Duke Hudson. They practiced wrestling. Drew told Myles to finish someone when they had him down then drew wrestled with Juilus. Julius got the better of him and tripped him then Drew pushed him for using a cheap shot. Drew then said it was a cheap shot and this isn't over.

Thea Hail Award Ceremony

Chase and Thea had graduation outfits on. Chase put over Thea for having no fear and finally getting a win. He gave her a diploma and Thea got a "you deserve it" chant. JD McDonagh then interrupted and asked if this is how far the standard has slipped. He called it a participation award. He said when you hang around with losers, every win means alot. Chase said Chase U means the world to Thea and him and then JD asked if Duke was included since his name wasn't mentioned. JD said to end the charade and get the crap out of his ring. He said Chase was dressed as a moron and Chase said he teaches his students to always be prepared. Chase said if you stay ready, you don't have to be ready.He then said he would give him an Andre Chase U sized @ss whooping then punched him out of the ring.

Andre Chase vs JD McDonagh

We join the match in progress. Chase was sent into the steps during the break then Chase hits a backdrop out of a sleeper. Chase hits punches then does a spinning sledgehammer shot. Chase then hits a russian leg sweep and does the C-H-A-S-E-U stomps. Chase then hits a side effect for 2.

Chase hits a backslide then takes a back body drop. JD then hits a nice lariat. JD pulls him and Chase hits a canadian destroyer for 2 as JD hit the ropes. Chase goes up top and gets crotched and falls over. Duke then walks out over it and Chase is pulled into a backdrop for the JD win.

Duke leaving didn't make much sense and you know how I feel about canadian destroyers not leading to a finish. This was short and there wasn't much to it.

Kiana James is with her assistant. She then meets up with Fallon and crew. They argue over who will start the match tonight.

Kiana James and Fallon Henley vs Diamond Mine (Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley)

No entrance for Diamond Mine.

Fallon hits Kiana in the head to tag herself in and they both try to go in/out in the same area and run into each other. Ivy does an arm roll takedown on Fallon then Fallon takes a double arm wringer. Tatum is on the middle rope and hits a nice dropkick for 2. Kiana hits a nice lariat on Tatum then Fallon does a rough looking side kick to the face of Fallon.

KJ beats up on Tatum then does a backflip into a nice corner spear. KJ puts her in the abdominal stretch and is hiptossed out of it. Ivy and Fallon get in and Ivy hits kicks and shoulder blocks. Ivy flying kicks Fallon then Fallon boots her in the face. Ivy has Fallon in the diamond lock but KJ distracts the ref and gets it broken up. KJ trips Ivy then Fallon does a bad shining wizard and wins it.

The match was short and certainly not the best it could have been, but I liked the storytelling with the Kiana/Fallon team here.

Fallon and Briggs complain about KJ's cheating after.

The New Day are goofing around in the locker room. Enofe and Blade then walk in and Blade does a dance. Edris asks for a title match then Schism walks in. TND asks if their tree is the tree in the locker room there. Woods then said they will have the New Day Tag Team Invitational. He said the winner of the match between Enofe/Blade and Schism gets in the tag title match at Vengeance Day.

Bron Breakker is arriving.

Apollo Crews is at Melo's Barber Shop. He is told Melo won't like him coming here. Melo and Trick then arrive and ask what he's doing here. Melo gets mad and said he is a better version of Apollo from 5 years ago. He said Apollo has the biggest, brightest star in his way. Crews says the N-A title looks good around Melo's waist, but looks better around his. Crews said they should have a 2/3 Falls Match at Vengeance Day and Melo agrees. 

 

Hank Walker and Drew Gulak vs The Creed Brothers

Julius throws Gulak around then trips him. Hank does some nice armdrags on Julius then Julius fireman's carries him. Brutus does the same to Hank  and Julius does it again. Hank does a big shoulderblock on Julius then does an airplane spin into a Drew lariat. We then go to PiP break.

We return and Drew is pounding on Brutus. Brutus does a nice release german on him then does his double hammerfist shots. Drew ddt's him and Julius hits a psinning heel kick on Hank. Julius does a release northern lights suplex on Drew then does a standing SSP on Hank. Brutus then standing moonsaults Hank for 2. Drew is lifted for a double underhook then Julius jumps over Brutus from behind and lands on Drew.

Julius and Drew trade shots. Drew is pounced by Brutus then Hank spinning drops Julius. Hank then does a neat wheelbarrow lift and slams him when he goes backwards. Hank armbars Julius then Brutus and Hank hit hard lariats at the same time. Charlie Dempsey comes to ringside to stare down Drew. Drew tells Hank to go get Julius. Julius hits a nice belly to belly on Hank then Brutus hits a cannonball elbow from the top and wins it.

It's good to see the Brutus cannonball back. This was a fun little match with some nice amateur wrestling and everyone looking.

The Creed's talk to Ivy in the ring. Julius said he's stubborn and hard headed. He says he takes this personal, but that's how he has to be. He said the last few months haven't been great and thanks Ivy for setting them straight. Brutus said she could have walked away then Indus Sher with Jinder come out. Jinder mocks them and said they are taking respect. Jinder says they are 100% and want to face them. This will be the 3rd time we were supposed to have this match.

Gigi Dolin is interviewed and is wearing new gear. she said she's not surprised Jacy had something to say and said Jacy is a bad person. Gig has a rose and asks McKenzie about the thorns on it. Gigi said like a thorn, she has nothing to hide and can't wait to give her a piece of her mind.

We see a Valentina Feroz/Elektra Lopez conversation. Lopez asks her to come see this first hand. 

Tony D and Stacks walk into a private room in a restaurant. tony D says the family is happy about the numbers and said the streets are talking about the new underboss. He said the first act is the best act. Stacks wants the biggest guy he can find and they namedrop AJ, who was the guy who was with Tony at Mania last year. They then toast over champagne.

Wendy Choo vs Elektra Lopez

Lopez pulls her down out of a lock up then side suplexes her. Feroz walks down and Lopez throws Choo's pillow at her. Choo ducks and Booker is hit with the pillow. Choo hits a Japanese armdrag then a running facekick. Choo then takes a swinging uranage. Feroz watches on then Choo takes a bodyscissors and is pulled by the hair. Choo does a sleeping crossbody off the 2nd rope for 2 thne Lopez pulls a weapon out of her tights. She knocks out Choo with it and wins it.

This was short and there wasn't a ton to it before the finish.

Feroz doesn't look happy about the cheating.

Briggs and Jensen congratulate Fallon. Jensen then said he went to Shawn Michaels' office and said Fallon and KJ will challenge for the NXT Women's Tag Titles. Fallon is mad, saying she wasn't even asked. Briggs tries to talk her into it and Fallon says she will have to think about it.

Fallon getting mad about getting a title shot was weird and I'm not a big fan of makeshift teams getting into the title scene.

Feroz and Lopez talk in the back. Lopez says it doesn't matter how you win. Feroz says she doesn't know if she could do this to Wendy. Lopez says she can keep her friends and she'll keep winning.

Stevie Turner isn't on the set for her interview but is live from her studio. She says she has a superchat with questions for her. Stevie says she debuts next week and wants to fight Roxanne, though she doesn't think she'll have her title past Vengeance Day. 

Grayson Waller talks in the ring. He said he proved he is tougher than him and everyone else in the building. Waller reveals an NXT title under his robe. He said Bron needs to win their match. Bron then comes down and spears him and a bunch of wrestlers follow to break it up. Bron is then sent head first through the rail and goes through it.

We go to the Gallus Pub. They said they are keeping their eyes on the prize and will show they are Gallus Boys on Top at Vengeance Day.

NXT Women's Tag Titles - Katana Chance and Kayden Carter vs Alba Fyre

Nope, that's not an error. This is a handicap match that Alba asked for.

Sol Ruca walks out as this starts and says she has Alba's back and becomes her partner.

Carter is lariated by Alba then Alba takes a sliding kick and a slingshot senton. Sol handstand walks over Carter's dropdown then flips out of a cutter and hits her own stunner. Chance is sent into the steps. We go to PiP break.

We return and Chance hits a step up enzugiri. Carter hits a combo dropkick + splash on both opponents then Chance does a top rope double stomp on Alba's back as she is bent over the 2nd rope. Chance gets on Carter's shoulders and is dropped down on Alba. Sol does a nice springboard splash on Carter then Chance slides through the ropes and headscissors Alba. Carter superkicks Sol then Sol takes the combo neckbreaker + 450 for the win.

Odd set-up and situation here. Chance and Sol did well and it still confuses me as to why Chance and Carter are not on the main roster.

Alba stares at Sol after then Alba kind of walks out with isla Dawn.

KJ and Fallon get on a riser and agree to a match with Chance and Carter at Vengeance Day.

Wes Lee goes up to Dijak in a room somewhere. Dijak says this is his last chance to hand him the title. Wes says becoming champ made him feel he can overcome anyone and he says he will keep his title. Wes says he will see him at Vengeance Day. Dijak says he doesn't deal in sob stories, he deals in justice.

Cora Jade is interviewed. She said Lyra needs to learn her place and she will be happy to teach her the lesson. She said Lyra will never be better than her. Cora then finds a feather in her locker. We are told something is going on in the parking lot and Nikkita Lyons is down holding her leg. Indi and someone else come to help.

We go to Chase U. Duke is asked what he did and said he did it because Chase doesn't trust him. Duke then said he demanded Chase and him be put in the New Day Invitational. Duke said he was told to talk to the New Day and said they invited him into the Invitational.

Well, this did little to explain the Duke thing earlier.

We then go to the Championship Summit for the women's title match. Gigi tells Jacy to tell everyone how great she is. Jacy said she carried her for the last year and said she wished the kick on her wasn't an accident. Jacy said she'd be living on the indies without her. Gigi says Jacy is insecure and says she pukes in a bucket before her matches. Jacy says she's a pathological liar.

Perez says she is enjoying this and said they made fun of everyone and made her life hard. She said this is karma and said it may be more of a real triple threat than a handicap match at Vengeance Day. Jacy says beating Gigi won't be hard and said there's Jacy Jayne then everyone else. Gigi said Jacy was a third wheel in T-A and it was the only thing that made her relevant. They argue then grab Perez and bang her head off the table. They then put her through the table in a fun swerve. T-A then holds the women's title together to close the show.

Overall thoughts: It was mostly all women's matches and those were only going to be at a certain level. The Duke Hudson angle sucked and the Isla/Alba storyline doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I didn't like all of the random challengers being thrown into various matches and I don't think the PPV they are building to looks particularly interesting. I guess I'm glad we will finally get Indus Sher/The Creeds, but this is attempt #3 for that one and I still have doubts that it will happen. This wasn't one of my favorite episodes of NXT.

WWE NXT Level Up 1/20/2023

WWE NXT Level Up 1/20/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/wwe-nxt-level-up-1132023.html

Matt Camp is new and is announcing with Byron.

Nikkita Lyons vs Jakara Jackson

Nikkita is on this show for the first time, though she did appear on 205 Live. Jakara has new silver and black gear here.

JJ avoids a back superkick early then Lyons kips up when taken down. Lyons armdrags her and trips her into a headlock. Lyons misses a kick and is brought down by her hair then JJ hits some knees to the body from the apron. JJ hits mounted punches then armbars her. Lyons lifts her from the position and I'm pretty sure some fan took a photo of her bent over. Lyons then hits a sloppy side slam. Lyons hits kicks and forearms then uraken's her. Lyons hits a big slam then superkicks her. Lyons then does her jumping split on her and wins it.

It was not good as I expected and JJ looked like she legit hurt Lyons during the armbar spot.

Damon Kemp was interviewed wearing a John Madden jersey. He asks who Tank LEdger is and then he remembers. He said he is a decorated athlete too and says he's got another thing coming if he tries to rock out on him. He said he's gonna stick him to the mat and walk out victorious. This was a good promo from Kemp and the best promo I've seen him do.

Damon Kemp vs Tank Ledger

This could be good. Tank is strutting and showing lots of energy here.

Kemp side headlocks him then does a nice headlock takedown. Tank drops down then Kemp walks over his back and struts over him. Kemp takes him down and poses more then Tank does a nice takedown into a shoulder. Tank side slams him and Kemp drops down and hits him. Kemp then neckbreakers him.

Kemp drops some elbows and the nneckbreakers Tank as he is seated on the middle rope. Kemp hits a nice overhead belly to belly for 2. Kemp does a grounded abdominal stretch then Tank makes his comeback. Tanke does a nice fallaway slam then cartwheels over him. Kemp gets his knees up on Tank's splash. Kemp drops down on a charge and hits a uranage backbreaker for the win.

This was fun. Nice little heavyweight battle here and Kemp showed some personality here for a change. 

Odyssey Jones vs Joe Gacy

I really want an Odyssey Jones vs Oba Femi match.

OJ knocks him over legit with a shoulder then shoulders him again. Joe gets picked up dropped into the buckles then slammed. OJ rolls on him then is tripped by Ava Rayne. Joe takes control and dropkicks him in the knee. Joe hits some shots while grabbing him by the hair and drops elbows on his back for 2.

Joe does a nice boot to the face and clubs him. Joe works over him on the ropes then is tripped into a chinlock. OJ comes back with shoulders then shoulder breakers him. OJ then does Mark Henry's slam for 2. Joe avoids a lariat and hits his handspring into a lariat to win.

This hsould have been better. It went a little long and the offense just wasn't as good as it could have been.

Overall thoughts: I did like Kemp/Tank but it wasn't one of the best editions of Level Up.

WWE NXT Level Up 1/13/2023

WWE NXT Level Up 1/13/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/wwe-nxt-level-up-162023.html

Oba Femi vs Von Wagner

Oba has some fun new trap music. Von showed up bigtime against Bron and was rewarded for it by not really being on TV since. This could be fun.

They lock up and Oba takes corner spears. Von shoulderblocks him then takes a corner splash and a running shoulderblock. Oba then gorilla presses him but Von escapes and pounds on him. Von hits a short arm clothesline and more punches. Von hits a backdrop for 2 then some kind of shot to the head.

Von chinlocks him and misses a corner charge. Oba hits a sledgehammer shot and a nice uppercut. Oba backbreakers him  and hits a stiff running euro. Oba misses another attempt then takes a nice running facekick from Von. Von then hits an F-U and wins it.

It could have been better but the first part and the last part had some fun hoss wrestling. Oba's not a Myles Borne type of prospect, but he's big, he can move and he's got potential.

Jakara Jackson is interviewed. She said she has never backed down from a challenge and said she's a goal digger. She said Ms. Jackson is bout that action. JJ tried but it wasn't great.

Isla Dawn vs Jakara Jackson

JJ has a weird drop in the water camera effect for her entrance. Sounds weird, I know, but just picture how a drop in the water looks and that's it.

I have no idea who is supposed to be the face here. JJ side headlock takedowns her then Isla headscissors her. JJ handstands out of the headscissors then shoulders her over. JJ hits a decent dropkick then has her head banged hard off the middle buckle. JJ then has her head banged off the mat and takes a meteora knee press into the mat. Isla yells at the ref and is rolled up then Isla hits up kicks.

Isla is rolled up again then she double reverse armbars her. JJ rolls through it and kicks her and slams her, yelling, "Sorry, Ms Jackson". JJ suplexes her for 2 then Isla does her dragon sleeper into a slice and wins it.

JJ was a little better here than last time but it was a tough match since neither one is particularly a face. The crowd had no idea what to do here.

Duke Hudson vs Damon Kemp

Kemp sidesteps a move then taunts the Chase U student section. Kemp does a nice armdrag then takes shoulderblocks. Kemp his a stiff knee to the gut for 2 then firemans carries him into an armlock. Duke does a nice leapdrog into a hiptoss and slam. Kemp hits a stun gun then a neckbreaker for 2.

They trade some shots and Kemp slingshots in and la silla's his back. Kemp then rolls him into a german for 2. Duke hits a german then Hulk's up off of Kemp's punches. Duke hits some bad shots and they botch a flying forearm. Duke then kips up and hits C-H-A-S-E-U punches with an elbow ton win it.

I thought it was kind of fun until the end when Duke's offense started looking bad. Duke's always a tough one because you never know if he's purposely being corny due to the character or if he is just that green. Kemp got a raw deal here going down to such a weak finisher.
 

Overall thoughts: It's Level Up. It's rarely ever going to be great but the opener was fun and main had some fun stuff to it.

AEW Rampage 1/20/2023

AEW Rampage 1/20/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/aew-rampage-1132023.html

Jungle Boy vs Ethan Page

This was slower and Page was throwing around JB for most of this. The problem is Page is about the same height and hardly a guy who should be throwing around JB. Hook's music hit and he came down then Matt Hardy helped out and JB grabbed the win. The dirty finish didn't add anything here to an unexciting match.

Ethan Page and Stokeley asked why Matt cost them the match if he's their friend after. Page then said Matt would make it up to him and they would do Hook and Jungle Boy vs Matt Hardy and Ethan Page in a match that the crowd did not pop for. Stokeley then said Matt Hardy is in timeout to cap off this dud.

Ortiz was interviewed by Tony Schiavone and was wearing golf attire for some reason. He said you don't hit a woman, which is why he stopped him and he called out Eddie. Ortiz said this was the only way to get Eddie's attention and said he didn't want to let him in the match last week. Ortiz said you don't hit a woman and said Homicide would call him a coward. Eddie then hit him with the chair and it looks like they are done. This storyline sucked. We are told they are so close and have fought all these battles on the streets amd they get broken up by Malakai Black of all people for pretty lame reasons. And why would you turn Eddie heel with how well he did this year (until they stopped booking him for no reason) as a face?

Darby Allin did a promo. He said he would fight until the wheels came off and called out the House of Black. He said he sent HoB home and said it's about proving that he can beat every single member of the HoB. He said he is issuing the challenge to Buddy Murphy and telling him to show up on Dynamite.

Wille Mack vs Brian Cage

It's Willie Mack's AEW TV debut. Will he lose? AEW has a million wrestlers who they don't use and choose to use outsiders instead.

Wille rolls and does a bad cartwheel and flip out of a wristlock. Cage then does a bad kip up and Willie does a bad leapfrog. Willie samoan drops him then misses his standing moonsault. Cage then flying kicks him and germans him. Cage pump kicks him in the corner then Willie takes a side effect on the apron as we go to PiP break.

We return and and Willie is all recovered and doing pump kicks. Willie then flying gamengiri's him and does a flying corkscrew elbow. Willie does a pop-up punch and a sky high for 2. willie kicks out of an F-5 then takes a powerbomb. Cage then hits his drill claw and wins it.

I hated this. The opening sequences were awful and they didn't care one bit about the apron side effect. Willie also lost in his TV debut in typical AEW fashion. 

Jade Cargill and Leila Gray vs Jaida and Jordyn Vanity

I don't know if I've said it or not, but AEW basically makes sure every Rampage has a match with only black people in it each week. It has happened so many times and you can tell it's not really natural considering they have few black wrestlers and it only happens on Rampage.

Leila dressed her hair up like Sasha Banks here. The Vanity Twins are small and thick girls. The announcers openly admit they have no idea who they are.

Gray takes one down and hits a weak flying shoulder. One of the twins trips when thrown into the middle buckle then Gray dropkicks her. Jade beats up one of the twins, banging her head off the buckles. Gray knees one of them then hits a neckbreaker. Gray then hits a facebuster on the other and goes for the pin, but Jade tells her she wants to get the pin. Jade then hits the Jade-end and wins it.

This wasn't good. Gray is very green and limited and the Twins are about the same. I'm pretty sure this only happened to check some checkboxes.

Action Andretti says he can't get the JAS off his back since beating Jericho. He said it doesn't change the fact that he beat Jericho. Garcia calls him a punk and says he's the new kid on the block. He said he was like that too and got humbled, and tonight, that happens to Andretti. Andretti said a wrestler beats a sports entertainer everytime and Andretti beats a b*tch every time. This was taped instead of live and I definitely wonder why.

Action Andretti vs Daniel Garcia

Man, this one is no dimes. Garcia charges him at the bell and mudhole stomps him in the corner with AA's jacket on. AA then handspring into the ropes and hits a back elbow. AA hits chops and then topes him on the floor. Garcia goes in and out then AA is lariated on the floor. We then go to PiP break.

We return and Garcia is footslapping AA. AA gets some forearms in and forearms, a clothesline and a neckbreaker. Garcia goes out and AA seated moonsaults him off the top rope on the outside. AA then split legged moonsaults him for 2. Jim Ross said it's Eddie Guerrero style and I don't recall Eddie ever doing that.  AA blind hangsprings and is caught with a grounded choke. AA rolls back for a 2 count. They trade kicks and Andretti hits a reverse TKO neckbreaker for 2.

AA springboards into a shotei shot from Garcia then takes a swinging side effect for 2. AA double jump tornillo's him then does a running SSP for the win.

Tey did do a little too much but it wasn't the worst thing ever and Andretti was an okay face here. I expected a slower submission match and they did not do that at all.

Overall thoughts: Pretty bad show. JB/Page wasn't good The women's match was bad and the Eddie/Ortiz segment sucked and Cage/Mack sucked.

AEW Dynamite 1/18/2023

AEW Dynamite 1/18/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/aew-dynamite-1112023.html

AEW All-Atlantic Title - Orange Cassidy (c) vs Jay Lethal

Jeff Jarrett and friends were in ringside seats since Dutt would be fired if he got involved. Danhausen dressed as an usher and tried to kick them out then Best Friends came down to the ringside seats too. Jeff Jarrett tried to give Lethal his guitar but Danhausen got it and played with it. It had the usual OC shenanigans with more from Dutt and Best Friends.

 

Singh went to chokeslam the Best Friends after but Dutt got him not to do it. JJ went to hit OC with the guitar and they argued over it. OC then did his stupid slow motion kicks after to really make sure you knew this was a joke.

We had a video for Darby Allin vs Kushida. 

Young Bucks vs Top Flight

It was exactly what you would expect with a bunch of goofy flips, big moves and kickouts without any real meaning to them or selling. Top Flight ended up getting the win which at least was good for them.

The Gunn's came out and said they were the best team in the world. They said The Acclaimed embarrassed them last week and they made The Acclaimed popular. The Acclaimed came out and got their rap cut off. The Acclaimed restarted the rap then ended up fighting with the Gunns. Billy Gunn pulled Austin off and said he was tried of this. He said they would have family therapy for them next week.

Adam Page was interviewed. He said he would beat Mox and he did. Page said if Mox had more to say, he could say it to his face. Page ended up asking Renee how Mox was. This was a pretty lame segment with the usual ho-hum Page. A lot of it was inaudible.  

Ricky Starks vs Jake Hager

Hager wore his hat during the beginning of this then Ricky put the hat on. Starks had a weird botch here where he tried to slide under the bottom buckle from the floor and hit his head and foot. Starks ended up getting  the win after failed interference by the JA/. Starks should be mad at these guys for putting him through a table but instead, this was mostly a joke with Hager and Starks both goofing around.

Adam Cole did a promo talking about how exciting coming back was and said LA did not disappoint at all. He said he will run AEW and run over anyone who stands in his way.

The JAS were interviewed. Jericho says it ends next week with Starks/Andretti vs Sammy/Jericho. Garcia said he wanted to be Jericho's partner instead and Sammy was proud. Sammy said if he beats Action Andretti on Friday, he can have his spot. Sammy then gave him new leather pants.

Bandido vs Bryan Danielson

It was a long wrestling match with Danielson doing his usual moves and Bandido bringing the flying. Bryan ended up winning the busaiku flying knee. I didn't think it was particularly special and I didn't like the top rope Ultimo Guerrero special not being the finish. There was no real story to it, just wrestling.

MJF got on the tron after. MJF said he'd be taking off his mask and said he'd find out that the unmasked MJF is not something anything wants to see. He said Bryan is not a dragon and is no match for the monster behind the mask.

Saraya, Toni Storm and Shida talked. Saraya ripped Shida for the failed kendo stick throw in last week and Saraya told Shida to stay in the back for their match next.

Brian Cage was interviewed about fighting Bryan Danielson next week. MJF then walked up to him and said he needed a machine. He gave him an envelope with money and told him to break Danielson's arm, win or lose. MJF then slappped him and Brian grabbed him by the neck. Brian was going to hurt him but Nana said, "the money". MJF said he learned there is no better motivator than hate and said he wants that for the match with Danielson. Cage looked like an idiot here, but what else is new?

Toni Storm vs Willow Nightingale

Toni beat up on Willow early then Shida came out when she was told not to. Toni hit a stiff hip attack on the apron and on the bottom rope here. Saraya got on the apron to argue with Willow then Toni rolled up Willow by the tights in a weird ending. Saraya then attacked Willow and Toni joined in, turning them heel. Ruby Soho then ran down and stopped them and Shida stayed out of all it. Saraya and Toni turning heel for no reason was really weird and the match wasn't too special. The heel turn was really bad.

Ethan Page and Stokeley did a promo on Jungle Boy. They said they aren't done with him and said it's embarrassing Big Bill lost to him. Page said the fun is done and said he will get payback for JB tapping our Lee Moriarty. I don't really like that match as someone has to lose and if they are interested in doing something with Ethan Page, this is the wrong time for it.

Konosuke Takeshita was interviewed. He said Bryan anielson is his hero and he learned so much .he said he wants to watch his back because he doesn't trust MJf, then talked in Japanese and said it means MJF is an @sshole. This is the problem with foreign talent - they can't do promos.

AEW TNT Title - Darby Allin vs Kushida

It was long and slow in front of a crowd who was not interested. Darby took a couple of his usual awful looking bumps here including a stupid top rope dropkick attempt to the outside. Kushida mostly stuck with the arm work for the whole match. They had a couple of sloppy moments here and it wasn't that great. We also had Kushida lose on his debut in typical AEW fashion.

Overall thoughts: This was a very heavy wrestling show and not that interesting. The Saraya/Toni heel turn was a disaster and Brian Cage was made to look bad like usual. Page's ho-hum character sucks and they had lots of cold matches here that were essentially time wasters. Wardlow wasn't even mentioned on this show either and maybe that's for the better after the Joe burial.

Power Slap: Road to the Title Episode 1

 Power Slap: Road to the Title Episode 1

I decided to check this out. For those who don't know this is slap fighting promoted by UFC. The fighters have to stand and keep their feet on the ground then take turns slapping the other. They can't step out of a box or miss or else they are penalized.

The concept sounded silly and stupid and on paper. After checking it out though, I can see why Dana White was interested. The fights are quick and they really hit hard. Multiple people were knocked out and I think knockout lovers are going to enjoy it. I don't know if the drama part is going to work out and I have doubts that anyone will buy a PPV of this, but as a TV product, I think it can work. Like all fighting sports, they have to find personalities and get them over. That's the key to selling this - not the knockouts and big slaps. If you have fighters that people care about, they will watch.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next show and I thought they did a great job here.

WWE NXT 1/17/2023

WWE NXT 1/17/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/wwe-nxt-1102023-new-years-evil.html

We saw clips from last week's show to start and they focused on Waller/Bron.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams vs Axiom and Apollo Crews

Trick had the Cien Caras mask on again that he was mocking Axiom with last week.

Ax headflips and rolls out of a move early and dropkicks Trick. Trick then shoulders him over and yanks him up for another. Trick then pop-up punches him. Ax jumps up on the top rope and armdrags both opponents. Crews does an up and over in the corner then headflips and hits nice dropkicks on both opponents. He then does a double Japanese armdrag. Melo rolls him then hits a nice pump kick into a la misticqa for 2.

Melo is german'd hard on his head then Crews gorilla presses Ax onto both opponents outside. We go to PiP break and return. Ax cradles Melo for 2 then they flying lariat each other at the same time. The heels take stereo german suplexes and Melo swings Ax's boot into Crews' face. Trick then holds Ax for a twisting Melo springboard crossbody.

Ax was irish whipped and dropkicked Trick in on the apron off of it then Crews got the hot tag in. Crews hit a jumping lariat then hits corner splashes. Crews hits an enzugiri then does a gorilla press into a standing moonsault. Ax flying kicks Trick off the apron then Crews pins Melo after ctaching him off the top.

It wasn't anything super special. Nothing wrong with it though.

Tony D and Stacks are on a bridge. Tony says its for business reasons. He says it represented the beginning and the end and he throws 2 dimes into the water to represent Two Dimes. Tony says Stacks did a lot of growing up this year. Tony said the Dijak thing didn't end like he wanted it to and Stacks lets Tony get behind him and tells him to do what he has to do. Tony said Stacks' days of being a soldier are over..it's time to become the underboss. Tony then gives him a leather jacket with a logo on it that he says is the family crest. They hug and walk away together. Very cool segment with nice throwback to Two Dimes. 

 

Toxic Attraction is headed to the ring.

Tiffany Stratton is interviewed. She said she didn't ask for this interview and tells McKenzie to get to it. We see footage of Tiff being locked out of her room and then we see Indi Hartwell in it. Indi said this isn't her locker room anymore and told her to go dress somewhere else. She then put up a sign that said it was the women's locker room.Tiff said Indi could fit her entire wardrobe in a garbage bag and said she would have to show that there's only one superstar in the WWE.

Toxic Attraction said they hate to say we told you so, but we told you so. They bragged about winning the women's battle royale last week. They talked about how they each tried to eliminate the other. They said they promised Roxanne Perez will regret becoming Women's Champ because they will see her at Vengeance Day. Lyra Valkyria then came out. She said she doesn't see a champion in either T-A members. They said they have been champs for a long time and told her to go back to the end of the line. Lyra said she sees two girls who can't beat Roxanne by themselves and then T-a jumped her. Perez came out to make the save wearing very pink shoes.

Diamond Mine is beating up punching bags then Ivy and Tatum walk in. Ivy told them to shut up and listen and asked what happened to their motivation and discipline. She said she knew they were going to lose to Jinge and Indus sher and go back to being the Creed Brothers. This storyline hasn't really been working and I don't like Ivy talking down to them like that.

We got another Stevie Turner segment. She said she would give her reaction to the battle royale last week. She said she didn't get why Feroz was helping out Lopez and then talked about Lopez eliminating Choo. She said the battle royale had joint winners and said she would have won the battle royale if she was there. She said she is alays two levels above and two steps ahead, then the stream went offline.

Sol Ruca vs Alba Fyre

Alba takes her down and rolls her up. Sol cartwheels out of an arm throw then Sol twisting crossbodies off the 2nd rope. Sol hits a backslide then Alba back rolls and grabs her leg for a takedown. Sol kips up, flips out of a hiptoss and facebusters her. Alba stomps on Sol and we are told Perez/Lyra vs T-A is tonight. Alba PK's Sol as she's down then Alba superkicks her. Isla Dawn appears on the rister then Sol hits her Sol snatcher out of nowhere and wins it.

I thought there was a chance of an upset here and there was. This was short but a good little showcase for Sol. Sol busted her mouth up here.

Dijak said Tony D and Stacks learned what hard justice is. He said Wes Lee is up next and will fill his bag with championship gold. He said Wes has no shot against him and said high justice awaits him.

Grayson Waller is interviewed. He said Bron beat everyone in his path but not him. He said Bron is as stupid as he thought and said he lost because of the ropes breaking. Waller then talked about the rope breaking and getting him counted out. He said he feels as much of a champion as Bron is and brought his own title out. He said he would take Bron, the title and Charlotte, North Carolina when he becomes NXT Champ at Vengeance Day.

Gallus walks in the back. They said it's Gallus Boys on Tops. Briggs and Jensen said there are no free ones on them and they will raise hell tonight.

Alba Fyre is threatening a ref with a bat in the back and Chance and Carter tell her to calm down. Alba says she doesn't know what is going on and Chance/Carter said look how long it took them to win the tag titles. Alba then said maybe it's time she tries to win the tag titles. Chance tells her she doesn't have a partner and Alba says she doesn't need one.

We get a package on Tyler Bate. He said he is back to face some new challengers and is here to stay in NXT.

 

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen vs Gallus 

Gallus has a new theme and it sucks. It's more country based with less of the "Hey Yeah's" and "Oh No's".

B&J go right after their opponents and Mark lariats Jensen. B&J double shoulder Mark then double slam him. Jensen runs into a Wolfgang knee from the ouside then takes a back elbow. Wolf then pounds on Jensen.

Wolf drops a knee on Jensen's neck and Mark trades forearms with Jensen. Jensen botches a leapfrog then Briggs lariats Wolf in the corner. Briggs hits a nice facekick and Mark trips Briggs outside. Mark backdrops Briggs on the apron then Gallus pulls up the ring mat outside.

Everyone fights outside and Briggs reverses a suplex and suplexes Mark on the mat outside. We go to break and return. Jensen gets the hot tag in and takes Mark's knee. Wolf gets tagged in and 2nd rope sentons Jensen. Mark forearms Jensen hard outside then is beat up more by Mark. Mark misses a shot on the buckles then Briggs gets in. Gallus go over the top then Briggs shoulders Mark off the apron. Jensen takes a back body drop on the exposed floor then Briggs top rope lariats Mark. Briggs hits an elbow and a splash and sees Jensen is out.

Jensen is checked on by medical staff then Briggs and Mark lariat each other. Kiana James comes out and pushes Fallon out of the way. Jensen yells at the trainers to get him up and Briggs takes on Gallus 1v2. Briggs takes an enzugiri into a powerslam ans Gallus wins it.

I didn't like Jensen getting up here or them not playing up Wolf being unable to tag out. The match wasn't too special thought it wasn't bad.

Kiana helps Jensen out to the back.

Chase U is out in the back and Duke is hyping up Thea. Thea said she's ready to throw up. Chase comes in and said his phone is blowing up. We then see hidden video  of Duke saying Chase U's losses lately aren't reflecting well on him or some of the other Chase U students. Duke says the conversation was taken out of context and Chase tells him if he has an issue to say something to him. Thea then asks to go. The audio was hard to hear for the hidden video camera.

Jensen is worked on by the doctor and says he is good. Fallon walks in and asks why Kiana was out there. Jensen defended Kiana and they argued about her. Fallon said Kiana doesn't like him and is just using him. Jensen says he likes her and she has to deal with it. Fallon said she won't help him pick up the pieces when she breaks his heart.

Valentina Feroz vs Thea Hail

No entrance for Thea, but Feroz oddly got one. Thea gets the better of her early and Feroz tries to escape a wristlock. Thea armdrags her then is shoulder thrown. Elektra Lopez comes out and Thea standing moonsaults Feroz. Feroz facekicks Thea and they collide with crossbodies in mid air. Duke and Chase argue then Lopez gives Feroz brass knucks. Feroz says she won't use them and gives them to the ref. Thea then does a twisting reverse neckbreaker on Feroz and wins it, not knowing what had just happened.

The match wasn't really too much to speak of and was short.

Melo and Trick are leaving then they walk into Apollo Crews. Crews mocks them for losing the tag match. Crews said he needs a fresh cut before celebrating and asks if they know a barber in town. Trick then says he ain't got no hair.

The announcers talk about Jay Briscoe passing away and they give their condolences. The news just came out during this show and it definitely brought it down some for me. The Briscoes were a great tag team and it sucks that they never really got to do their thing on a bigger stage. Rest in Peace to Jay and thanks for the memories.  It was very nice of WWE to do this.

Feroz is in the back and Lopez walks up to her. Feroz said she doesn't cheat and Lopez says she fights to win and get respect. Feroz says her and Sanga think the same. Lopez says you have to stand on your own to get ahead and tells her to watch her match against Wendy Choo next week.

The New Day came out. They said they are done with Pretty Deadly then asked who they would be up against at Vengeance Day if not them? Kofi said they would face Gallus. Pretty Deadly then came out. They said they were talking nonsense. TND said it's funny that they lost in the gauntlet match last week. PD said it's fair that they had to jump through hoops for them and TND said they should have made them do that. PD talked about Gallus then Gallus came out. Gallus said PD didn't deserve a shot at the tag titles and Gallus said they are back on top. They said The New Day is next and said they are about ruining everyone's good time. TND said they can tell they wanna fight and are ready when they are. PD then jumped both teams. The producers and refs tried to break up the fight and that was it.

Roxanne Perez and Lyra were interviewed. Perez said they are bonded by a common enemy and said they won't let T-A make their lives miserable. Javier Bernal then walked in witha  guitar looking for McKenzie. Javi said McKenzie bought his christmas album and Lyra told him to get out. We sadly did not get a song here. I didn't think it was the right time for this as it screwed up the build to the girls match tonight. 

Bron Breakker does a sit down interview. He said nobody wanted his match with Waller to end the way it did. He said he knows he is better than Waller but didn't get the satisfaction of beating him. Bron talked about what if's and said all questions would be answered at Vengeance Day. He said he is excited to face Waller in the cage as then he can't run and hide. He said he won't climb over the top to win, he will beat him in the middle of the ring. Bron said Waller's the best talker around and said Waller is selfish. He said Waller won't talk trash after he gets done with him and we will get a decisive winner.

Javier Bernal came out with a guitar, saying Feliz Javidad hit the Top 40. He sang a line then was interrupted by Tyler Bate.

Tyler Bate vs Javier Bernal

Bate pulls away his hand on a handshake then does his up and over and between the legs into a roll-up. JB puts a side headlock on him then Bate hits a dropkick and an armdrag. JB hits him from behind then hits a bulldog and clothesline. JB hits punches then is thrown on a bulldog attempt. Bate hits a flying euro then a flying euro from the 2nd rope. Bate exploder suplexes him and does a running SSP. JB is distracted and punched then Bate does it again. Bate then bounces off the ropes with a lariat. Bate hits a botched TIGER DRIVER 91 to win it.

This wasn't a big hit. I don't think people remembered or cared much about Bate. The match was short and kind of out of nowhere then the finish was botched. 

Chase U celebrates Thea's win in the back. Brooks and Jensen are bummed by Jensen said at least someone won tonight. Fallon said she is sorry but she wants what is best for Brooks. Fallon said she iwll try and make friens with Kiana. She then said she asked for a tag match and her partner is Kiana. They then hug and say drinks of Brigs tonight.

Gallus vs New Day vs Pretty Deadly is made official for Vegeance Day. Chance and Carter defend against Alba next week. Tiffany Stratton fights Indi Hartwell next week. We then have a Thea Hail Award Ceremony for next week.

Roxanne Perez and Lyra Valkyria vs Toxic Attraction

No intro for T-A which is shocking.

Everyone fights in the ring early and T-A rolls out. Perez dives on Jacy then Lyra dropkicks Gigi through the ropes. Lyra hits knees on Jacy and hiptosses Gigi. Jacy drops an elbow on Perez and pounds on her. Perez takes a cannonball then Gigi hits Kawada kicks. Perez and Jacy double facebuster each other.

Lya gets the hot tag in and hits lariats and kicks on Gigi then exploders Gigi. Cora Jade comes out and pushes Lyra off the top. Perez gets in and pounds on Jacy while lyra pounds on Cora. Gigi pump kicks Perez and Jacy accidentally pump kicks her own partner. Perez hits a russian leg sweep on Jacy and then hits a code red on Gigi to win.

Lyra was kind of good here and I liked that they had the T-A members nail each other. I didn't like T-A not getting an entrance though and this should not have been the main event.

Overall thoughts: It was a wrestling heavy show but nothing really stood out. There was a lot of build for Vengeance Day but the build wasn't that great and the eventual matches don't look that great either.

AEW Rampage 1/13/2023

AEW Rampage 1/13/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/aew-rampage-172023.html

AEW TNT Title - Darby Allin vs Juice Robinson

Darby took a brutal back body drop over the top rope and nearly did a header on the apron. Darby was then thrown into the rails and steps and Juice got a little more in before Darby hit a top rope coffin drop and won it. This was very slow and tame by Darby's standards and I have to assume he got injured over the last week due to how tame this was.

Sting came out after.

Powerhouse Hobbs says the phoenix rose from the ashes, but he took its head and is spreading the ashes over everyone he hurts in AEW. Like usual, I liked this segment and wished everyone did more of these.

The Acclaimed came out for their Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony. They had to do this twice as Max messed his rap up, though they only aired the 2nd take here. They went to put their hands in the wet cement then The Gunn's came out. They said they aren't stars and are only popular because they stole their dad from them. They said they deserve a Walk of Fame instead. Billy agreed and said they could then the Gunn's had their pants pulled down and had their butts pushed into the cement.

Mogul Affiliates were interviewed. Swerve had some rappers with him and said they would be the most violent, gruesome group we've ever seen in 2023.

The House of Black vs Ortiz and Eddie Kingston

Ortiz went even with strikes with Brody early then Eddie got in and demanded Malakai Black come in too. Eddie hit a big chop on Black then they each missed on spinning shots and sat down and talked trash with each other. We went to PiP break and returned with Brody hitting a cannonball in the corner on Eddie. Eddie and Ortiz argued during the break over a tag and Eddie hit a major german on Brody, dropping him on his head. Eddie passed over tagging in Ortiz then Eddie hit an exploder on Black for 2.

Black hit a nice jumping knee then knee'd Ortiz as he jumped off the top. Eddie hit a backdrop and a lariat for 2. Brody was knocked out of the ring off a uraken then Buddy Matthews and Julia Hart ran down to interfere. Julia interrupted Eddie and was almost hit with a chair. Ortiz stepped in and yelled at him over nearly hitting him then Black spin kicked Eddie. Black pushed out Ortiz and got the win.

Nothing wrong with this. They went for the story of Ortiz/Eddie having issues and furthered that here. Buddy grabbed Ortiz after then Black touched him and told him he did good.

Jade Cargill was interviewed with Leila Gray. She said Red Velvet was jealous that Leila was better. Jade said she's coming up on her 50th win and will get it without Red Velvet.

Paul Walter Hauser, a Golden Globe winner, came out with Renee in the ring. He said he loves wrestling and put his heart and soul into acting. He said if he has the chance, he always bypasses Connecticut (WWE) for Jacksonville (AEW), because in AEW, you never know what's gonna happen. Danhausen then came out. He said he won an award too - the #1 merchandise seller in AEW. He said he wasn't given a trophy though and wanted Paul's trophy. Paul asked if this award should be named Golden Globehausen then Jeff Jarrett and his crew came out.

Paul told JJ this is his turf and they aren't in Memphis. He said JJ looks like a woman who owns a Crunch Fitness and never plays his guitar. He then said his friends dressed like they were ready for a homeschool prom. Paul was then hit and then got nailed with a guitar. Lethal then took the Golden Globe and went to hit Danhausen with it when Best Friends came out. 

Ruby, Willow, Tay and Anna talked trash to each other. Tay said she lived the streets in Brazil and Anna talked about choking the Bunny with barbed wire. Ruby said they would end this.

There was no pre-match interview with Mark Henry.

Streetfight - Anna Jay and Tay Melo vs Ruby Soho and Willow Nightingale

TayJay were jumped during their entrances and beaten up on the stage. Ruby was rolled down the ramp then Tay went into the rails while Ruby was sent into the apron and post. Ruby had her head banged off the table/ringbell then was thrown into the stairs. Willow and Tay both hit their heads off the top rope and Ruby had her head put in a trash can. Tay then double stomped the trash can from the apron, busting Ruby open.

We went to PiP break and we had 2x2 rows of chairs. The girls forearmed each other while sitting them and Willow was superkicked out of the chair. Willow hit trash can shots on Anna then was nailed hard with a blindside forearm. Tay hit Willow with a kendo stick and then Willow took a gori special onto a trash can. Tay got barbed wire then Anna did a barbed wire sleeper on Willow. Ruby hit Anna in the head with a chain then Tay hit her with a trash lid.

We had a tower of doom spot with Tay getting landed on and everyone falling on chairs. The spot made no sense as Willow  got her own partner suplexed. Anna got busted open and took a botched throw into the bottom rope. Tay hit Willow with a chair then took a spinebuster. Willow cannonballed a trash lid into Anna for 2. Anna then took a sick death valley driver on the apron.

Willow and Anna fought on the ramp then Anna was powerbombed off the ramp onto the floor after the table was missed. Tay hit a gotch-style pileriver off the apron through a table on Ruby but of course, it was only worth 2. Tay brought out thumbtacks and Ruby threw a handful of tacks into Tay's face. Tay then took a blade runner into the tacks for the Ruby Soho victory.

What do you even say about this? It was violent and stiff. The girls did their usual screwing up with Anna nearly getting killed off the ramp powerbomb to the floor and Ruby hurting herself off of a kick on the floor. We had stuff that made no sense like Willow powerbombing her own partner out of the tower of doom spot and we had some horribly bad selling with apron death valley drivers and Ruby not being finished with a piledriver through a table. And we had lots of Tay Melo booty creepshots. It kept my attention, but this could have been done better and a lot more safely.

Overall thoughts: This was quite a diverse show. Juice/Darby was slow and un-Darbylike. The House of Black tag made sense and told a story and the girls streetfight was a lot of different things. I also did like the Gunns segment. Definitely make sure to check out the main.

AEW Rampage 1/7/2023

AEW Rampage 1/7/2023

Sorry for the lack of Rampage reviews. The 10PM start time is just a major problem as NXT Level Up is on at the same time.

Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson vs Top Flight

They got a little too cute at the end with various flips and superkicks for no real reason, but it was a decent match overall. The vets beat up on Top Flight most of the match and TF got a little shine in before losing.

Adam Page did a promo saying he wants to be cleared. He said he will make sure Mox remembers every second of their match and promised to beat him up good.

Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter vs The Renegades

The Renegades get beaten up early and one of them is beaten up outside. Jamie takes a shotgun dropkick and a jumping knee in the corner then another shotgun dropkick. Jamie tries to fight off a 2v1 in the corner then is pulled into a short arm clothesline. Jamie reverses a double suplex and hits one of her own.

Britt forearm flurries a twin and hits a bad slingblade. We go to PiP break then full break then Jamie takes an enzugiri and Britt takes clotheslines. Jamie and Britt take spinebusters then Britt takes a fisherman's suplex. Britt his a bad double underhook twist drop then Jamie hits a backbreaker. A twin gets a sandwich forearm then takes a sliding lariat and a curb stomp.

There were some sloppy moments here and it was not clear at all who the faces and heels were. The twins worked like faces even though everytime we saw them they were heels and the crowd cheered Britt and Jamie. Then they posed after like faces.

Malakai Black says he knew a fan who carried a gun because he didn't trust anyone. He then said the same man is asking why he didn't reply to him and follow the rules. Black says he misses the sadistic, violent Eddie and says he doesn't know this Eddie. They said they would turn his eyes black a year ago and waited for his reply. They said he's sick and they are here to help him. This was a lot easier to follow and understand than the usual hocus pocus nonsense they do, so that's a win for this.

Preston Vance vs Sonico

Vance won in maybe less than a minute here with a spinning clothesline. He then ripped the guys mask off after and posed with it. He then dragged him up the ramp some after.

Darby Allin was interviewed after winning the TNT title. Mike Bennett, Matt Taven and Maria then came up to him. Mike said there's entitlement issues around here but Darby doesn't have one. He challenged him for this show and Darby agreed. If we had actually seen Mike Bennett do anything, this might have worked better.

We had the usual pre-main event interview with Mike Bennett and crew and Darby. Mike said he has seen real darkness and will show Darby who he really is. Darby said Portland was where he had his first match and people told him he had no future. He said all that matters is the TNT title. 

AEW TNT Title - Darby Allin (c) vs Mike Bennett

They had a really stupid russian leg sweep spot off the apron that looked like it hurt both guys. It meant nothing as they went to break and came back fine after. Darby then did a dumb spot where he came off the 2nd rope on the outside to dropkick Mike, who was on a chair. Darby basically powerbombed himself on the floor to do this. Darby took a piledriver then ended up winning with a 2nd rope code red and a coffin drop.

I absolutely hated this one and it was total indy crap on top of having a pretty weak premise. Mike Bennett also kind of looks big on the indies, but he looks just like anyone else on live tv.

Overall thoughts: It was a one match show and not particularly worthwhile. I liked the BCC/Top Flight tag and not much else.

AEW Dynamite 1/11/2023

AEW Dynamite 1/11/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/aew-dynamite-142023.html 

Jon Moxley vs Adam Page

They do running attacks in the corner to start then Page flurries on him with forearms in the corner. They trade chops and forearms and go up top. Mox rakes and bites his back then superplexes him. Mox germans him and then Page exploders him. Page is knocked off the apron into the rails and Page hits a stiff lariat outside. They go in and Mox hits a stiff lariat for 2.

Mox then hits mounted punches and forearms as we go to PiP break. We return with Mox putting him in a front facelock. Page backdrops him, Mox no sells it then Page lariats him. They trade forearms and Page hits a fallaway slam. Page flips out of a release german and does a spinning lariat. Page facekicks him off the apron then moonsaults off the top onto him outside.

Page goes for a buckshot lariat but takes a death rider ddt for 2. Mox then does a downward elbow flurry and bulldog chokes him. Mox piledrivers him for 1 and sleepers him. Page then hits a deadeye which Mox no sells for a curbstomp. They trade slaps and Page lariats then buckshot lariats him to win.

There was some no selling here, but it was mostly just two dudes lariating each other and hitting each other hard and I did like it. Good stuff.

Doc Sampson checks on Mox after and Page kind of watches on before leaving.They definitely teased Mox was concussed or something. We were then told Doc followed Mox out after and checked on him in the back.

Adam Cole returned. He talked about being happy to be back. He said he had a torn shoulder and 2 bad head injuries. He said he'd get dizzy and would throw up in cars. He said he is back and not going anywhere. I did not miss Cole.

The Acclaimed do a promo said they are getting stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Firm (Lee Moriarty and Big Bill) vs Hook and Jungle Boy

Lee and JB trade corner chops then JB walks up the ropes, flips off them and armdrags him. He then dropkicks him and does a headflip. Lee takes a double back elbow then Hook does a neat trip into an armlock. Hook armthrows Lee and JB tries to tope Big Bill but gets caught. Big Bill punches JB and mocks him. Bill then facekicks JB off the apron and Lee drops a knee off the apron onto JB's neck.

We go to PiP break adn return with Lee putting JB in a triangle. JB powers out of it and powerbombs him down.  Hook gets the hot tag in and clears off the heels then northern lights suplexes Lee. Bill splashes Hook in the corner but gets kicked then JB dropkicks him in the back off the top. Hook release northern lights suplexes Bill and JB puts the snare trap on Lee to win it.

This was just kind of in the middle and nothing too special. Hook throwing Bill was cool but I think it hurts Bill to have that happen.

Orange Cassidy and Danhausen are interviewed. Someone named Walter Hauser has a gift box to give on Rampage. Chuck Taylor and Trent come in then they all put their hands in the middle. I have no idea who that guy was.

Renee says there hasn't been a best of 7 final match in this building since the Lakers and Pistons in 1988.

Konosuke Takeshita comes out then MJF comes out. MJF mocks him and says konnichiwa. He said he hasn't seen him at all and says his name is take-a-shit-a. He says try not to take one tonight in his pants because he needs to win one tonight. Takeshita says something in Japanese and said "and I thought Danielson was a bad public speaker". MJF told him we speak American and Takeshita said he told him to kiss his @ss. Takeshita pushes him and MJF tells him to get out of the ring. MJF says to ask your mom, sister and girlfriend if you think he can't last an hour with Danielson. He says Danielson and the fans are irrelevant then says Dr. Ken is here and mocks him for having his show cancelled. He then says he wished Freddie Prinze Jr. was cancelled as he is here. He mocked him for being in some Scooby Doo movie and said he's a Scooby Dooshbag.  he then said there will be no 1 hour ironman match then Danielson came out before he could finish his line. Danielson runs down to ringside and MJF runs away.

 

Bryan Danielson vs Konosuke Takeshita

KT shoulders over Bryan and they counter each other and do a stand off. Bryan surfboards him and they trade dragon sleepers and KT flying clotheslines him. Bryan hits kicks and a single butterfly suplex into an armbar. Bryan hits flying corner kicks then KT blue thunders him for 2.

KT hits chops and Bryan flips off the buckles over him and hits a flying elbow. Bryan has blood on his chest and we go to PiP break. KT hangs from the tree of woe and takes kicks. Bryan is lariated off the top and flips for it...of course only for 2. Bryan hurricanrana's him over the top rope to the outside then they botch a flying knee off the apron adn Bryan lands hard. KT then brainbusters him on the floor. KT springboard senton flips on his knees and Bryan golls him into a Lebell lock.

Bryan hits chest kicks They trade forearms and KT lariats him. Bryan goes for a victory roll but is caught an ddrivered then takes a german. Bryan flips out of a german and hits a flying knee. Bryan does a reverse curbstomp  and wins with an stf.

I didn't like this one at all. Just tons of no selling and people not caring at all about big moves. How do brainbusters on the floor and top rope lariats not finish a match?

Juice Robinson is interviewed after not being around for a while. He said he's here to kick @ss, take names and win titles. He makes an open challenge for Darby Allin's title on Rampage.

Toni Storm and Saraya vs Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter

Toni forearm flurries Jamie on the ropes then Toni shotgun dropkicks her. Toni hits a hip attack and knocks her off the apron then Saraya rolls off the apron onto her. Saraya hits knees over the middle rope and Jamie hits a double suplex on Toni and Saraya. Toni takes a spinning bridging neckbreaker to the floor and Saraya and Toni are thrown into the rails. Hikaru Shida comes out.

We go to PiP break and return. Saraya gets the hot tag in and beats up Britt. She hits Britt with a knee for 2. Toni tornado ddt's Britt and then takes a facekick from Jamie. Britt hits a 2nd rope air raid crash which doesn't finish Toni of course then Toni takes a sandwich forearm. Toni is then backbreakered by Jamie for 2. Toni germans and short piledrivers Jamie for 2. Britt hits some bad butterfly suplex variation then Toni and Jamie trade forearms.

Britt hits Toni with a kendo stick then Jamie hits a rainmaker on Toni and wins it.

I thought they did too much here and the last half was pretty much just a long finishing stretch.

Shida had a shocked face after all of this.

Eddie and Ortiz do a promo asking if they trust each other. Eddie said he is tired of the House of Black and tired of him not trusting him too. He tells him to be there Friday. 

The Jericho Appreciation Society come out. They namedropped PWG and said they appeared there this weekend. They said Anna and Tay will kick Ruby and Willow's butts in a streetfight on Rampage. Jericho said the Ricky Starks experiment is over then Starks came out.  Action Andretti is with him.

Starks says they couldn't get the job done last week. Jericho tells Action that he looks like an orphan and tells him to go back to the minor leagues. He tells Jericho he will shove the baseball bat up his @ss if he doesn't shut up. Garcia then tries to tell him to shut up and Action says he didn't think Sammy gave him permission to speak. He then says Tay Melo's hands wer between his legs last week. Starks tells Jericho to move to the side and says he is talking to Gilligan with the stupid hat - Hager. He says Hager is the village idiot and says he still has the dumb lisp. He then challenges him for next week. Jake says he likes the hat and calls him Little Ricky. He says he is twice his size and will slap his face off his face (no, really, he did say that). 

Best of 7 Series, Match 7 - AEW Trios Titles - Ladder Match - Death Triangle vs The Elite

They called this ladder match some stupid spanish name. It was what you would expect with lots of big spots. We had a one winged angle off a bridged ladder. We had Kenny do a tope con hilo onto a table. We had a Buck do a 450 off the top onto someone on a table outside and we had a package piledriver on top of the bridged ladder. It was a little tamer than I thought but it was still mostly all big moves and spots. The Elite won this to the surprise of no one.

Overall thoughts: Pretty wrestling heavy ep with them overdoing it in almost every match and not too much booking being done.