wrestling / TV Reports
Hunter’s AEW Collision Review 9.12.26
Image Credit: AEW
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Image Credit: AEW
Hello, everyone.
Image Credit: AEW
Tonight’s episode of Collision will be a tribute to the late “The Butcher” Andy Williams, who tragically passed away last weekend after what appears to have been a cardiac event suffered during a wrestling match for Enjoy Wrestling in Pittsburgh. Williams was not just a big meaty man slapping meat, but guitar player in preeminent metalcore band Every Time I Die.
The Butcher and The Blade were one of my low-key favourite “undercard” acts in AEW. They had a great look, a physical style, and the Butcher always came across as just so fucking cool. They had a brief alliance with another one of my undercard favourites, Kip Sabian. I would have loved them having a trios titles run.
Another favourite memory of The Butcher in AEW was when he and “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard found themselves paired up in a Lethal Lottery style tag tournament. This was the tournament that forced Adam Cole & MJF to pair up, leading to BETTER THAN YOU BAY BAY. Despite only wrestling the one match together, Menard and Butcher as MAGIC MEAT got two t-shirts out of the deal.
Image Credit: AEW
The Butcher and The Blade also had the honour of being the FIRST AEW match of the Outrunners! The Youngest Men Alive were eaten alive by B&B, but that debut on AEW Dark was great fun. Eddie Kingston on commentary!
The Blade ended up on the shelf for over two years due to serious injury and surgery. Over that time, The Butcher would show up here and there to wrestle a solid singles match where he put over the pushed talent. I understand it, but I wished Andy Williams had received a bit more for himself.
The tributes since Williams passing have been in the hundreds, from colleagues in wrestling, former bandmates and other musicians, and countless fans who in even one interaction felt nothing but kindness, respect, and welcoming from Williams. By all accounts, The Butcher was a man who made everyone else around him feel better, brought energy, laughter, and joy to any situation. He was a man who made everyone who encountered him feel seen and appreciated.
As Excalibur said on Dynamite: “The world is darker for having lost you, but it is brighter for having had you at all.”
Image Credit: AEW
We open to a montage of photos and the memorial graphic for Andy Williams. Tony Schiavone on the microphone asks the audience to stand for a ten-bell salute. In the ring is a wreath for the picture, and a Gibson Les Paul guitar. Aw, fuck. =(
Image Credit: AEW
* Brody King speaks about Andy being one of his closest friends. He talks about he and
* Colt Cabana talks about how quickly he and Andy became friends during the isolation of the pandemic tapings.
(I might not be able to keep up with all of these)
* Penelope Ford says she was so lucky to call Andy her friends.
* Jeff Jarrett says that he wants to carry that with him every day, trying to be a little more like Andy.
* Kip Sabian says the last thing Andy said to him was “I miss you.” “I will always miss you. I love you.” Annnnnd I’m crying.
* The memorial graphic comes up again. Wight, Nigel, and Schiavone are the commentary team here tonight in Springfield, MA. Wight calls Andy just a class individual. Schiavone says that when you talked to Andy, he made you want to be a better person.
* The Butcher Battle Royale is tonight.. Also tonight, Jay White will take on Adam Priest. The Bang Bang Gang will take on the Dogs & Pac. The Lethal Twist will face the Conglomeration with Kofi & Creed on commentary. Queen Aminata will square off against Mina Shirakawa with AEW World Champion Mercedes Mone on commentary. And for our opening bout… Speedball Mike Bailey will challenge Jon Moxley in a Continental Title Eliminator match.
* With that, cue the guitar string scratch. The Continental Champion emerges from backstage to a huge ovation. Moxley looks fired up. Nigel puts Moxley over after their bout just a week and a half ago at ALL IN WEMBLEY.
* QUEBEC’S OWN! Speedball is here!
CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATOR: Jon Moxley (c) vs Speedball Mike Bailey
You will forgive me, 411maniacs; I was working on my opening and have only been half-watching this match. The crowd has been absolutely amped throughout. Moxley spent some time working on the fingers of Bailey, with Speedball turning the tide some before the commercial break.
MyAEW commercial action right now, Bailey working a leglace. Moxley makes the ropes. Big “SPEED-BALL” chants! People say “oh, he can’t promo.” Okay? He gets the crowd hugely invested with his personality and in-ring work. He doesn’t have to be world champion, but Bailey is absolutely a major babyface in AEW and rates a singles title IMO.
Bailey with a SUPER Frankensteiner to Moxley. Back live, Moxley cuts Speedball off. They are on the top turnbuckle… SUPER BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! The match has gone by ten minutes. Reminder, Bailey will earn a Continental title shot if he can defeat Moxley OR survive to the twenty minute time limit. I’d love to see Bailey earn a shot.
Moxley eats a forearm from Speedball and fires back, then asks for more. HEAD TO HEAD. Moxley sends Speedball down; Bailey fires back with thigh kicks. Bailey hooks the leg but eats fist. Arm-wringer and back kick counters Mox grabbing the leg! Both men down and tired.
Sorry, went back to finish the show intro. Bailey has managed to hit his SSP kneedrop in the ring and on the apron, and Arkady announces five minutes remaining!
Moxley dodges a dive but Bailey lands on his feet. Backslide for two! Moxley on his knees, and Bailey hits a couple big chest kicks. Moxley ducks, Bailey pauses and hits a third.
(Bailey should basically just use the YES kicks at this point. OUI!)
Bailey looks for — MOX CUTTER! Now looks for the Paradigm Shift, but Bailey collapses down. Moxley BITES the forehead and muscles Speedball into the corner. Charge MISSES! Moxley goes leg first over the second rope! HEADKICK! TWO! BAILEY UP TOP! SSP CONNECTS!!!
MOXLEY KICKS OUT! BAILEY IMMEDIATE GOES INTO A KNEEBAR!
MY TIMER IS AT SEVENTEEN MINUTES!
Moxley gets the ropes. Dammit!
Bailey perches Moxley on the top turnbuckle and hooks him for… not sure, but Moxley gets out. Bailey loops the arms, reversal, PARADIGM SHIFT FUCK!
ROLLUP BY BAILEY! TWO!
BAILEY AGAIN… ROLLS THROUGH! TWO!
GODDAMMIT MOXLEY STAY DOWN!
CURB STOMP OUT OF NOWHERE! Wrist control by Moxley, double underhook, DEATTHHHHH RIIIIIIIIDER!!!
WINNER: Jon Moxley
TIME: 18:07
RATING: ****
THOUGHTS: Oh, another Speedball four-star+ TV classic? Ho hum, what else is new? I kid. Every single time Bailey gets the opportunity to work a longish match with a top guy, he shows out. This was a fantastic back and forth match, with no outside BS, that showcased Moxley’s gritty toughness and Bailey’s resilience. I PERSONALLY would have loved a Bailey upset or time limit draw here, but Jon Moxley is stepping up to wrestle the WORLD CHAMPION at ALL OUT when he faces Will Ospreay, so there’s not much logic in beating Moxley prior to that. Moxley gets a victory en route to the PPV and Bailey once again looks fantastic.
* Backstage, Mercedes Mone, title belt on her shoulder, is WALKING.
* Nick Wayne is sitting on some equipment cases. He says youth matters, Chris Jericho. That’s why Jericho is threatened by Nick Wayne, the HOTTEST YOUNG PROSPECT in AEW. Nick is cocky lol. Nick is ANGRY that Jericho made fun of his pukha shells. “This necklace was with me when I signed my contract… this necklace is in the photo that countless women have swiped right on.” LOL! Nick is still working on it, but he is getting more comfortable talking and his arrogant young persona is good. Jericho v Nick Wayne happens this Wednesday on Dynamite.
* Commercial Break*
The Rascals v Nick Comoroto, Aaron Solo, and (who the fuck is) Griff Garrison
Is the Frat House no longer a thing? Myron Reed and Griff start off. Enziguri and tag made to Zach Wentz. Tag to Desmond Xavier. Some tandem offense! Garrison tags out to Aaron Solo, who has BIZARRE gear. He’s wearing… holsters? More quick tags by the Rascalz. Comoroto comes in, eats a kick. Eats a springboard dropkick. Dez nails a rolling kick. Reed with a crossbody onto Comoroto and Griff on the floor. In the ring, HOT FIRE FLAME connects on Aaron Solo in the ring for the win.
WINNERS: Rascalz
TIME: Sub five minutes
RATING: n/r
THOUGHTS: Man, Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto are still employed? Fun enough squash to give the Rascalz a win. Schiavone pointed out that (presumably in Trios?) the Rascalz have won four out of their last five. Here’s hoping a Rascalz PUSH is coming soon!
* Daniel Garcia remembers The Butcher. Danny says Andy was a big brother to him; Andy gave Garcia the “Red Death” nickname. You called Andy when you had a success or a loss.
* Willow Nightingale says Andy was this rock star, caveman dude, but was so kind and humble. No ego. He helped Willow more than he probably ever realized.
* Pac says Andy was an anomaly, too good for this world. “I love you man. I miss you my friend. Til we meet again.” Fuck, PAC is emotional? That just brought more tears to my eyes.
* The Butcher Battle Royale is coming up; the winner will be able to donate $100,000 to a charity of their choice in the name of The Butcher.
* BIG DICK MONE makes her way to the ring for commentary.
* Cue the audience clapping along, it’s MINA! Diablo Pepe approves.
* Resplendent in yellow, the QUEEN is here. Aminata! This should be a snug, hard-hitting bout.
Mina Shirakawa v Queen Aminata
Mone takes exception to Aminata calling herself a “queen.”
Schiavone points out that, as a TAG TEAM, Queen & Mina are six-and-oh in Ring of Honor! Which is nice, but maybe that should lead to something. It won’t, because ROH lol.
After some basic exchanges, Mina does her flaunty taunt. Aminata snatches a quick rollup off that! Irish whip, up and over, reverse, shoulder tackle by Aminata! Nice sequence. Mina says okay, bring it. BIG double chest slap from Aminata. Mina throws a forearm. Okay, okay QUEEN! Mina brings Queen to a knee, but Aminata counters the charge.
Mina in the corner eats a splash from Aminata. Snapmare. Chocolate Kisses! Mone: “NOT THE CHOCOLATE KISSES.” I know it’s kind of a sexual move, but Aminata also makes it look fucking painful lol. Mone cackles about taking Willow’s title and her smile. HAHA. Mone just called Wight “Show.” Wight puts over Willow, telling Mone just how much Willow pushed her at ALL IN.
Anyway, with Aminata on the floor, Mina flies off the top with a crossbody. Flaunt that bust! Commentary got a little distracted there with talking about Willow/Mone.
That takes the match to commercial. MyAEW live action. “WE WANT MINA” chants… wait a minute.
MINA DOES HER OWN CHOCOLATE KISSES TO THE QUEEN! Hot damn!
Mina has Queen in trouble, dropping an elbow on Aminata’s thigh. Mercedes says her brother Joshua loved her taking the title from Willow. LOL. Shoot, Mone’s love for her special needs brother is beautiful.
Back to live action. Aminata manages to snapmare Mina over, then hits a slam. Crowd is INTO THIS! Mone has a Bedazzled bandage over her broken nose LOL. Aminata hits a big lariat to Mina, then a nice snap suplex. Mina is sat in the corner, allowing Aminata to NAIL a big running facewash. Aminata covers for two.
Aminata wants a spinning something, Mina reverses. Mina hits a GLAMOUR DRIVER! Tony: “That’s here move!” Thanks, Schiavone lol. Aminata kicks out! (Weak) kick from Mina to Aminata. A second half-misses. Queen ducks. HEADBUTT BY QUEEN! Damn! Aminata runs at Shirakawa, eats a kick. Figure four attempt! Aminata kicks out! Mina gets a rollup, no, keeps going, looking for a submission. Aminata gets a pinning predicament for two! Mina gets back on top and NOW locks on the figure four! Aminata rolls it through, but Mina keeps rolling! Aminata reaching for the ropes, can’t quite get it… oh come on, she’s right there lol. Aminata makes the ropes for the break.
Mina pulls Queen back to the centre of the ring, looking to reapply the figure four. AMINATA CRADLES HER! ONE! TWO! THREE!
WINNER: Queen Aminata
TIME: 10:13
RATING: ***1/2
THOUGHTS: Really enjoyed this bout. Face vs face with a hot crowd rooting for both women, lots of back and forth, and they got some time. Aminata is someone I think is overdue for a title run in AEW, TBS or Tag. She works stiff/snug, she’s got presence and “cool”. Mina always brings the energy to her bouts, even if sometimes she is a bit sloppy; here, she seemed to elevate her game to match Aminata. Shades of Macho Man beating Ric Flair at Mania 8 in the finish. 😉
Mina is upset, but she and Aminata hug it out.
* Commercial Break *
* Backstage, PAC says tonight is “business as usual.” Clark Connors and David Finlay enter the scene. They want to know what the hell is up with Kidd. He was a “dog” long before he was a Deathrider. They wanna know where the NJPW Kidd has been. “Everytime Jon Moxley says he needs you, you come running!” OH SHIT MOX IS BEHIND THE OTHER RIDERS. Moxley goes nose to nose with Connors. He doesn’t need approval from ANYBODY. “I was in the trenches, building the future of this sport for youngsters like you when you were washing backs in the dojo.” Ohhhh Mox is PISSED. “People paid their hard-earned money for tickets to this show tonight, and they deserve EVERY SINGLE THING THAT YOU HAVE. You guys can WHINE, and you can COMPLAIN, or you can go out there and DOGWALK the Bang Bang Gang and show them who you guys are!!! YOU WANNA DO THAT OR YOU WANNA CRY?”
Kidd is FIRED UP!!!
… Jesus, that was FANTASTIC from Moxley.
* The best entrance in wrestling! BY ORDER OF THE BANG BANG GANG! The entire group is present for the entrance, but right now, it will be Jay White vs Adam Priest.
“Switchblade” Jay White vs Adam Priest
I don’t really understand TK’s fascination with Adam Priest. Hopefully this is quick; King Switch should NOT need too much time to put away ersatz-Crash Holly. First few minutes are primarily a showcase for White. Priest makes a comeback with some forearms and chops. He catches a kick from White for a Dragon Screw. German suplex! Priest looks for a single-leg crab but Switchblade kicks his way free. Chops exchanged. Off the ropes, Priest comes out on top with a lariat.
Corner chops from Priest, then he perches his man on the top buckle. White says nah and kicks Priest off. Charge, countered, swinging neckbreaker from White. Cover gets two. Commentary seems quite impressed with Priest, who connects with a DDT for another two-count. Priest once more looking for the single leg crab but Jay White rolls through, up, BLADE RUNNER outta nowhere!
WINNER: Jay White
TIME: 5:12
RATING: **3/4
THOUGHTS: Perfectly acceptable match. Priest got a bit of shine, but this was all about Jay White.
Switchblade gets the mic and calls for GUNS UP. He rattles off a bunch of nicknames for the Bang Bang Gang. COLLISION COWBOYS. White says rest of the Gang have their WORKING BOOTS on, so Deathriders! Dogriders! D-Riders, whatever, what better time than right now? And if you’re not down with that – make it loud for Andy – WE GOT TWO WORDS FOR YOU.
“GUNS UP!”
* PAC actually gets his sick-ass theme song tonight! Hell yeah. PAC and Kidd slap hands with the other Deathriders and enter through the crowd, together. Interesting…
* Connors and Finlay enter from the stage with the Dogs bafflingly terrible entrance theme. I am liking the friction within the Deathriders and Dogs the past couple shows, though.
* Moxley is joining the commentary team. Jay White steals the headset from Wight! White is calling out Moxley and wants a piece. Marina stands in the way lol. Plleeeeeease let Jay White be the one to take the Continental title from Moxley.
BANG BANG GANG (Juice Robinson, Ace Austin, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn) vs PAC and THE DOGS (Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, David Finlay
the Dog Pac (heh) immediately jump the Bang Bang Gang and there’s the bell. Heels work over Ace Austin to start, but Ace counters the big ol’ dog train, allowing the Bang Bang Gang to run a corner train on David Finlay! Man, Austin Gunn is so damn fast. Finlay is down in the corner. GUNS UP and there is the cannonball! Moxley: “Juice’s big ass right in his face!” HAH. I love Mox commentary.
Ace Austin has Finlay on his shoulders and proceeds to SQUAT. He’s up to seven… eight… nine… TEN! Then a slam! That’s how he gets those FAT THIGHS, baby! Schiavone sends us to commercial.
* Commercial Break *
* During the commercial, Moxley takes exception to the action getting close to Schiavone. “Leave Tony alone, he’s cool.” McGuinness: “Well, I disagree with that.” LOL
Back to live action, PAC has Juice Robinson down in the middle of the ring. Big GUNS UP chants try to rally ROCK HARD! Juice wants the tag… Pac sends Juice into the DogRider corner! Juice blasts the Dogs, looks for the tag, but Finlay sneaks in. Juice tosses Finlay. PAC off the ropes, Juice nails a big leg lariat. Moxley talks about how Kidd has bought in and become “part of the family.” Mox says Kidd is one of theirs.
HOT TAG AUSTIN GUNN! He hits the ropes SO DAMN FAST. Mr. Perfect style rolling neck snap! Colten in! Austin nails a hiptoss! Colten and Austin double-team PAC, DDT! Splash to Finlay! Colten with a reverse cutter. Dropkick to PAC! Slam to Connors, kickout. Man, Colten Gunn looks more and more like Billy every day.
The Gunns set Connors up for the finish, but Kidd disrupts that. Bodies everywhere, Ace Austin nails a double body press! We get a signature move sequence, everyone getting their shit in. JUICE WITH THE RIGHT JABS! JUICE! JUICE! JUICE! And he cold cocks Kidd! A big Southpaw shot on Finlay! Takes Connors down! PAC hits an enziguri! Kidd and PAC work together to hit a German suplex to Ace Austin. Moxley loves it! EVERYONE IS DOWN! Mox: “IT’S SATURDAY NIGHT, BABY!”
Wight wonders what the hell Kidd is doing as Kidd repeatedly headbutts the turnbuckle. Wight is all of us. We get a showdown and it’s a pier-six brawl! Moxley: “Pier eight!” Ace Austin flies over the top rope onto PAC and Gabe Kidd! IN THE RING! 3:10 TO YUMA ON CONNORS! ONE! TWO! FINLAY SAVES AT THE LAST SECOND!!
Finlay sends Colten to the floor, but Austin Gunn dumps Finlay. The Dogs in flapjack Austin. Connors runs the ropes for speed and NAILS the spear, and that’s enough to end this one!
WINNERS: Dog Pac
TIME: 10:50
RATING: ***3/4
THOUGHTS: Holey moley, that was a fast-paced eight-man tag. A great just under eleven-minute sprint with tons of action and in and out. You love to see it. More sprints, dammit. Looks we are revisiting the feud between the Dogs/Riders and the Bang Bang Gang, which semi-paused in the build to ALL IN. White getting in Moxley’s face before this match, the tension between Finlay/Connors and the Deathriders over their lovechild, Gabe Kidd, hopefully this leads to something more. The BBG looked great in defeat, the Dog Pac (heh) looked good, but the Bang Bang Gang badly need to WIN something meaningful.
* Chuck Taylor says Andy Williams was the coolest guy he has ever met. In college, Every Time I Die was Chuck’s favourite band.
* Darius Martin says you can’t describe what Andy meant to the locker room. He was a leader and the funniest storyteller ever.
* A teary Roderick Strong remembers him and Andy grappling in younger days. Thanks for being a good brother.
* Christopher Daniels talks about Andy being a gentle giant.
* Lee Moriarty says Andy was the best of professional wrestling.
* Kyle O’Reilly says that Andy was a beacon of light in the locker room.
* Tony Schiavone has a message from The Blade to read.
“Andy was the most talented person that I ever met. But I think we all can agree that he was an even better friend. Andy loved pro wrestling and loved the fans. Thank you to everybody for the support, and thank you to everybody at AEW for tonight’s event honoring Andy Williams. We love you, Andy.”
* Commercial Break*
* Last week, Tommaso Ciampa said it was TIME for the Psycho Killer to once again hold more gold. It’s time to go ALL OUT. He’ll see “YOU” in Chicago. Okada? Darby? Andrade? I would love to see Ciampa once again hold AEW gold.
* WE’RE ON A NEW LEVEL! 2/3 of the AEW World Trios Champions are here! Kofi and Austin Creed (We need Austin v Austin v Austin soon lol) are here for commentary. LOL, a lot of guest commentary this show.
* This brings out the (worthless) ROH Six-Man Tag champs, the Lethal Twist.
* Time to CONGLOMERATE! Video recaps how, a few months ago, Blake Christian helped The Demand defeat the Conglomeration for the AEW trios titles.
The Conglomeration (Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Orange Cassidy) vs Lethal Twist (Blake Christian, Lee Johnson, Jay Lethal)
ROH Six-Man titles are not on the line, of course. Kofi wants to know why Roddy is so serious LOL. Creed says Lee Johnson’s haircut is great, but he needs to fix the edges. Kofi says his family is here tonight! Oh damn, Austin Creed calls out that Jay Lethal was his tag team partner, years ago in TNA.
Lethal looks for an early figure four on Orange, kicked off. Both outside, Cassidy slams Lethal into the ring apron. Lethal retaliates, then stares at Creed. That allows Roderick Strong to attack Lethal with a big chop! “WHY SO HARD?” Kofi lol. Quick action follows, Lethal and Orange are in the ring. Blake Christian has stolen Orange Cassidy’s jean jacket! The Lethal Twist triple-team Cassidy, leading to a triple-strut. Annnnd Roddy Strong has no time for it. ANVIL like chops to each man, then a backbreaker to Jay Lethal!
Wight: “Don’t point at me, I wouldn’t chop anyone in the back!”
Kofi: “You’ve chopped me in the back multiple times!”
Fucking hell, Kofi is hysterical on commentary!
Sorry folks, this one is hard to keep up with. Lots of fast-paced action. The Twist are working Orange Cassidy over. Johnson fires away at OC on the canvas. Back to the Twist corner. “Vanilla Baby” tags in and puts the boots. Creed: “Roderick Strong, still angry.” Kofi: “He stays angry all the time!” And then we get a mustache pun. I can’t even LOL.
Christian dives in to prevent Cassidy from making a tag. WHOOO and Blake goes for a figure four. OC kicks him off!
We’re back from commercial, OC wants the tag, but Jay Lethal sneaks up and pulls O’Reilly and Roddy off the apron. Triple-team action to a cornered Cassidy, and then they take out Roddy. Stundog Millionare blocked, Johnson nails a half-and-half suplex. Cassidy kicks out. Creed points out the “mind of Jay Lethal” in the gameplan of Lethal Twist. Damn, Creed and Kofi actually LOVE the Lethal Twist.
LT looks for a series of corner attacks, OC ducks and dodges, and there’s the tag to O’Reilly! O’Reilly starts taking apart Jay Lethal, then lariats Christian. Johnson tries to attack, O’Reilly nails the combo kick/elbow. O’Reilly is a one-man wrecking crew! Kofi: “That boy smooth!” He gets the ankle lock on Lethal, Blake with a superkick.
Roddy hoists OC up and uses Cassidy as a weapon on the Lethal Twist! Roddy chopping the shit out of Blake. Johnson and Blake reverse and nail a tandem move. Lethal hits the MACHO ELBOW! O’Reilly breaks it up with a knee!
It’s Blake and Lee vs Roddy. Roddy fights it off, but the numbers catch up. Wait! Orange Cassidy stumbles in to protect Roddy. DOUBLE SUPERKICK TO ORANGE, but he leans against the kneeling Roddy! RODDY SENDS OC INTO THE SWIRL! Wow! We end up with Lethal and Roddy in the ring, O’Reilly with a running knee to Lee off the apron!
Strong with a SICK KICK! END OF HEARTACHE! The cover made, Lethal is done!
WINNERS: Conglomeration
TIME: 9:52
RATING: ***1/2
THOUGHTS: Another really fun, fast-paced trios match. Commentary, in particular Paul Wight, have been doing a great job putting over the chaotic nature of trios matches. Lethal Twist did a better job of playing heel in this match. ANGRY Roderick Strong is wonderful. But the commentary from Kofi and Creed was the best part of this one, constantly cracking up the rest of the commentary team, especially Wight. It truly is a NEW LEVEL!
Roddy points at the New Level. “You should smile after the match, you won! COME ON, RODDY! IS HE NEVER SATISFIED?” Goddammit, Kofi, lol.
Breaking news from Schiavone: BLOOD AND GUTS will be taking place NOVEMBER 4th, in Jacksonville, Florida! For the first time since the first B&G in 2021. That was Inner Circle v Pinnacle with limited fans, if I recall correctly.
* Backstage Megan Bayne and Lena Kross are FURIOUS. Lena wonders how stupid the Brawling Birds must be. Megan says they only succeeded because of the Wembly crowd. Imagine what Divine Dominion will be like when they’re HUNGRY. WHY would Jamie & WINDSOR WILLINGLY put weapons in the hands of Bayne and Kross!
* It’s time for the Butcher Battle Royale! We get the Deathriders sting, and the first men introduced are Claudio Castignoli, Daniel Garcia, and Wheeler Yuta.
* The Butcher has the all-time record for Battle Royale eliminations in AEW, with twenty-six!
* Commercial Break *
* Back from break. THE WORLD! IS COLD! “MAD KING” EDDIE KINGSTON (WITH ORTIZ) IS HERE
* EDDIE SPIES CLAUDIO
ON
FUCKING
SIGHT
FOREVER
BUTCHER BATTLE ROYALE
There’s the bell, hard to tell exactly who is in this. LOL Eddie charging Claudio basically triggered a huge brawl with everybody outside the ring, nobody is even inside. JAKE DOYLE gets in, Darius Martin and Dante Martin chargehim. AR FOX WITH AN APRON MOONSAULT TO LANCE ARCHER! Fox and Top Flight triple-team JOSH ALEXANDER. Ortiz is next. What the hell is Ortiz wearing lol? Puerto Rico colours, but hardly a flattering singlet. The Martins toss Ortiz up into a Fox Cutter!
BEAST MORTOS is in! HEADBUTT! SLAM! POPUP SAMOAN DROP! RAWRRRRR!
Fox counters a charge, hits a Tijares. Mortos and Fox not quite sure what was going on there, God though, Fox is so smooth and creative. Fox and Mortos having a singles match while a bunch of guys sell outside. MORTOS ELIMINATES AR FOX! Wheeler Yuta immediately from behind attacks MOrtos. Ortiz takes down Yuta. Claudio is in!
Schiavone says tomorrow they will be airing “The House Always Wins” Battle Royale from 2021, which was won by The Butcher.
Eddie Kingston is in the ring (let’s get Kofi vs Eddie Kingston lol). EDDIE AND CLAUDIO CHOP IT OUT! Eddie and Ortiz with a double-team on Castagnoli! STO/Russian Leg Sweep combo. Ortiz and Yuta exchange counters. Powerslam! Eddie tries to dump Wheeler, Claudio breaks that up. “FUCK YOU, YUTA!” chants. Wheeler hurts his hand on the head of Ortiz.
Daniel Garcia is in, the Deathriders go at it. The Deathriders hit repeated lariats on Ortiz, finally sending him out. Now they gang up on Eddie Kingston to a chorus of boos. Claudio and Wheeler whip Danny into Eddie. Claudio connects. Wheeler charges — EDDIE BACK DROPS WHEELER TO THE FLOOR!
Beast Mortos is in, gets double-teamed by the Martins. Beast charges them… they catch him and send him over the top rope! BOOOOOOOOO. lol. Eight men remain! I don’t even know who is even entirely in this! Commentary sends the American feed to commercial.
Nigel says Tony failed high school math. We have Archer, Claudio, Dante, Darius, Doyle, Eddie, Garcia, and Josh Alexander. I feel like I’m missing someone.
Nigel says a good strategy would be to lay on your back. Wight: “Yeah, we’ve heard you like to lay on your back.” LMAO.
Back from commercial as the Martins double-team Claudio. Nice tandem offense. Garcia is next! The Martins are going crazy and SEND JAKE DOYLE OUT WITH A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE! Lance Archer tries to dump Darius, but Darius just BARELY keeps his feet from touching the floor! However, Claudio eliminates Dante on the other side. Archer goozles Darius and chokeslams him to the floor!
CLAUDIO AND LANCE STARE EACH OTHER DOWN! MEAT CHANTS! Oh man, this is glorious, these two studs just clubbering the shit out of each other. Claudio TRIES to send Archer over the top. Another charge, Archer with a CROSS BODY to Claudio! GOOZLE TO CLAUDIO! Claudio counters by STANDING ON THE MIDDLE ROPE! HOLY SHIT! CLAUDIO LEAPS IN…RIGHT INTO A GOOZLE! Claudio breaks it! Reversal
GIANT SWING ON BIG LANCE ARCHER!!!
The Murderhawk Monster is dizzied, and Claudio is FINALLY able to eliminate ARcher! JOSH ALEXANDER FROM BEHIND ALMOST TAKES CLAUDIO OUT! Garcia saves! Garcia gets suplexed! European uppercut from Claudio. And NOW…
IT’S CLAUDIO AND EDDIE STANDING. EDDIE PULLS THE STRAPS DOWN.
Claudio with a huge chop. Eddie with one of his own. Forearm from Claudio. CHOP FROM EDDIE. FOREARM! CHOP! EUROPEAN UPPERCUT! EDDIE WITH REPEATED CHOPS
AND A FUCKING ENZIGURI!
THIS MAN
EDDIE FUCKING KINGSTON!
But Claudio counters a charge and he GIANT SWINGS EDDIE KINGSTON!
THIS IS FUCKING AWESOME!
Claudio is going to eliminate the dizzy Eddie, BUT LOW BRIDGE! CLAUDIO HANGS ON! BACKFIST! CLAUDIO IS OUT! CROWD ROARS
JOSH ALEXANDER DUMPS EDDIE KINGSTON OUT!!!!
Holy shit!!
It’s down to Danny Garcia and Josh Alexander! DANNY FIRES UP! Garcia and Andy Williams, both Buffalo natives!
They exchange offense. Garcia tries to eliminate Josh, can’t do it! A second lariat, DANNY WANTS IT! A third lariat — GERMAN SUPLEX!! Alexander with a PACKAGE PILEDRIVER! Garcia is so much dead weight. Alexander sends Danny over… DANNY HAS THE TOP ROPE! HE HANGS ON! THE FEET DON’T TOUCH THE FLOOR! Alexander stalks towards the ropes. Right hands trying to knock Garcia off, the crowd is SCREAMING for Garcia! “DANNY, DANNY!” Alexander goes to the eyes but Garcia will not relent! Charge from Alexander, GARCIA CATCHES HIM! BOTH MEN ON THE APRON! Alexander with a Fireman’s carry! Garcia wriggles free! BOOT! ANOTHER! Garcia falls BACK into the ring! RED DEATH CHARGES WITH A HUGE DROPKICK! ALEXANDER FALLS! Paul Wight is ECSTATIC! “DANIEL GARCIA WINS! DANIEL GARCIA WINS!”
WINNER: Daniel Garcia
TIME: 16:23
RATING: *****
THOUGHTS: This was a battle royale second, and a tribute to Andy Williams first. It was better than many battle royales, with lots of good action and everyone involved got to shine. Eddie’s feud with Claudio will never end. Garcia, Butcher’s fellow Buffalo native, getting the win, is a lovely choice.
Marina enters the ring. She and Garcia share a hug. Andy’s guitar is passed to Garcia, who raises it high in memory of The Butcher. A fan sign is passed into the ring. Rest in Peace, Andy. Garcia kisses the guitar and lays it in the center of the ring.
Garcia exits the ring, and the four Deathriders present embrace.
Schiavone: “There was none better than Andy Williams, who at age 48, passed away last week. Andy, we love you.”
Fade out, and we have a video package for The Butcher. Set to an Every Time I Die song, featuring footage and photos from both wrestling and live performances. This isn’t something to recap, but when it goes up on Youtube, please watch. Tremendous work from the AEW team.
We come back to the live action, looks like most of the roster are on the sage. The crowd chants Andy as everyone looks at the Butcher memorial montage. “YOU’RE ALL A BUNCH OF CRUMBS” (this pops Paul Wight) and then Butcher’s music hits. Fade out.
* * * * * * * * *
Before I sign off, I want to briefly talk about the REBEL HEART Dynamite from a few days ago. It was one of, if not the most respectful and beautiful nights I can remember in pro wrestling. Without diving into tribalism, any long-time wrestling fans knows that tragic real-life events too often are given short shrift — or worse, turned into angles for “heat.”
The single word that stands out in my mind regarding Wednesday’s program: dignity. The “Waiting Room” segment was put together in the same way the segments were a few years ago, when Rebel was still Britt Baker’s hilarious lackey. They kept the Reba joke. Despite ALS affecting her speech, there was no hiding it. It was embraced. Obviously, safety was paramount for her, but the “roll-in” to give Britt the glove was magnificent. Shida protected Rebel. Britt’s love for her friend shone through the “kayfabe,” and their ride up the ramp was beautiful and tear-filled.
AEW, as best as they possibly could, treated Rebel as the talented woman she is. They respected her dignity as a person. Sometimes, people with disabilities, illnesses, or those dying, people around them treat them as “less than.” When my mother was in her final weeks, the most important thing to my family and I was ensuring she maintained her dignity throughout. That looked like letter her try to do whatever she could on her own; letting HER ask for help. She needed to feed herself when she felt able, not have anyone – not even family – just assume she “couldn’t.”
Until a couple months ago, I did not really understand how devastating ALS is. As one of the 411 regulars commented on Wednesday’s live chat, “I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”
On an emotional week full of sadness, AEW twice presented a space to grieve together; a place to remember the good.
Sadly, Rebel had to take to Instagram this week for a less happy cause. From her Instagram (via Reddit):
“You’ve heard me talking about how important I AM ALS and their bill – the ACT for ALS – means to me. Renewing it will secure another $500 million for ALS research and treatment access. Even though it has unanimous support, Congress might keep pushing it off until the end of the year or longer. Please sign your name to this petition and tell them that’s not ok. ALS deserves your support, and needs it now. We can’t afford to wait. The ALS community needs hope and we need it urgently ❤️ Thank you for all your support 🙌🏼”
If you live in the United States, I encourage you to sign the petition to get this half-billion dollars for ALS research and treatment access renewed. These are urgently needed funds to help those affected by ALS and continue the work to find a cure for this horrible disease. Don’t let Congress push it off.
https://www.iamals.org/a4apetition/
Let your loved ones know that you love them. Be kind to yourself. Be a little bit of the Butcher in your life.
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