AEW 1/13/2024 Battle of the Belts IX

AEW 1/13/2024 Battle of the Belts IX

AEW Tag Titles - Street Fight - Big Bill and Ricky Starks (c) vs Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara

The show starts off with this in progress. All are outside of the building fighting. Bill is thrown into a production truck and Jericho throws a road block at Bill. Starks is sent into a truck. Jericho throws a trash can lid at Starks and kicks it at him. Jericho then hits him with a trash can. Jericho is sent into the truck then he is hit with a roadblock and a trash can lid. Jericho is chokeslammed into a bunch of leaves in a garden.

Car lights turn on behind Bill and Starks and it's Sammy hitting them with a golf cart. Sammy and golf carts have a long history. with him having an incident with one in a Stadium Stampede match. Sammy hits Bill with a sign then sends him into the truck.

Sammy and Jericho end up on the sidewalk and Bill nails Sammy with a bookbag filled with bricks. Bill throws a brick at Sammy, which ends up going through a car window. Sammy pounds on him and Bill's head is banged off a car.  Bill is suplexed on a car windshield and Rhett Titus comes out, saying that's his car. Jericho hits a judas effect on him.  

Starks is sent into a port-a-potty and a wall. Jericho and Starks head back into the building. Starks is hit with a caution sign then thrown into a hamper on wheels. Jericho pushes it into boxes with Starks in it. Starks chokes him with a blanket and pounds on him. Stakrs sticks a plunger in Jericho's face then hits him with a Christmas snowman.

Jericho hits him with a vaccum/mop then Jericho is sent into a rollaway garage door. Jericho sticks Starks' head in a copier and prints out a photo. Jericho puts a traffic cone on his head like he had done before and hits Starks with it. Sammy and Bill re-join the fight in the hallway. Jericho hits Starks with a drink then Jericho is thrown into a table.

Jericho hits Starks with a catering tray as we go to PiP break. Jericho claps him with it. Bill chokes Sammy with a sheet. Bill throws Sammy into a wall, Sammy flips off of it and superkicks him. Sammy sprays Bill and Starks with a fire extinguisher. Starks is sent into a wall and Jericho hits Bill with the fire extinguisher. Sammy is sent into the wall then Jericho sprays Bill with mustard.

They finally get into the stands where fans are. Jericho hits Bill with a kendo stick and a table. Jericho and Bill fight on top of a platform. Jericho nut shots him there. Konosuke Takeshita appears and kendo stick shots Jericho. Bill then powerbombs Jericho through two tables near the platform.

Sammy climbs a lighting rig. He jumps off of it, goes through crash pads and comes nowhere close to hitting Starks, though Hobbs did pull Starks somewhat out of the way. Starks then pins Sammy to win it.

The finish could have been done a little cleaner, but nobody died and that's most important. I really liked that this started off outside. That's where a street fight should happen. Jericho did his usual comedy bits that he does in these matches which hurt some of the seriousness and brutality of it. I liked Hobbs and Takeshita getting involved here as it furthers the Jericho/Sammy vs Don Callis Family issues and they were able to help explain some of the big spots. It was an entertaining match with a little bit of everything, but I wish Jericho would have treated it more seriously.

We get a video on Serena Deeb. She said the last 12 months have been hard but she's happy for all the lessons she learned. She said she's back to prove that she if the best's women's wrestler in the world and needs to capture gold. She said she is ready to return.

AEW TBS Title - Julia Hart (c) vs Anna Jay

Anna bangs Julia's head off the mat then forearms her down. Anna snapmares her then running headhunters her while she is seated. Hart running back elbows her and foot chokes her. Hart forward cartwheels but is dropped onto the top buckle. Jay spinning heel kicks her in the corner.

Anna's shoulder is pulled into the rope connector then she is thrown into the rails. We go to PiP break and return. Hart works the arm during the break, putting it between the steps and post and suplexing her. They shove each other and Hart is armwhipped down. Anna side kicks her then backcrackers her. Hart throws her down for 2. Anna puts her in a sleeper, Hart rolls back and puts her in a grounded sleeper. Anna flatliners her for 2.

Anna misses a side kick and is taken down. Hart puts her in heartless and wins via submission.

There was some arm work here but it wasn't that good and it had a slower pace to it. The majority of the armwork happened during the break when most people probably didn't see it.

Jay Lethal's crew argues in the back. Jeff and Jay can't get it together and Dutt is frustrated. Karen said they don't have a group photo or a team name for merch. Dutt says Jay only works here because of him. Jeff says Jay needs to get out so they can get on their winning ways. Satnam Singh walks in with snacks. He said his mom made it for Jay. Singh puts it in Jay's mouth, it gets all over his face and Jay isn't pleased. Singh said, "you didn't like it?".

AEW International Title - Orange Cassidy (c) vs Preston Vance

 

Strong, Taven and Bennett of The Undisputed Kingdom come down to watch this in chairs at ringside. They came in on Vance's interview on Collision earlier.

Vance spinning lariats him to start. OC goes out, is thrown back in then hits an orange punch on Vance. Vance boots OC in the corner then is hit. Vance 2nd rope shoulderblocks him then wheelbarrow germans him. Vance pump kicks him. OC rolls out in front of The Undisputed Kingdom. Vance suplexes OC for 2.

We go to a 4 minute PiP break. OC puts his hands in his pockets to break a full nelson then dropkicks him with his hands in the pockets. OC topes him then takes a spinebuster. Vance stomps on him in the corner. OC hits weak chops in the corner then stomps him. Vance does a ripcord cutter then OC hits his stunner out of the suplex. OC wraparound ddt's him.

Vance rolls out then OC 2nd rope crossbodies him. OC is caught and fallaway slammed into The Undisputed Kingdom. Vance and Strong have words. OC rolls up Vance then Vance full nelsons him. OC gets out then hits an orange punch. OC hits a beach break and wins it.

I didn't like this one as usual. It's a big title match with a title and money on the line and OC was goofing around. It was pretty much the same usual match from OC. 

The Undisputed Kingdom and Jose get in the ring after. Strong jumping knees Jose and Vance is thrown out. The Undisputed Kingdom opt not to beat up OC for unknown reasons and the show ends.

Overall thoughts: Only 3 matches here. The opener was a good street fight. The women's match wasn't anything too good and the most important parts of it took place during the break. The main was the usual OC shenanigans and match. I wouldn't recommend it though the street fight was a full-length match with them going all out for it and might be worth seeing.