wrestling / TV Reports
Jeremy’s AEW Battle of the Belts V Review
Image Credit: AEW
Loading...Hello, everyone and welcome to our live AEW Battle of the Belts IV coverage on 411! I’m Jeremy Thomas, here tonight as we’re in a second hour of AEW television. The company’s TNT special is airing tonight right after Rampage because why not? Tonight’s show has three matches as The Acclaimed defend their AEW World Tag Team Championships against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal, Skye Blue is the latest to attempt to win the TBS Championship from Jade Cargill, and Orange Cassidy defends his AEW All-Atlantic Title against Kip Sabian. Should be a fun little show, and let’s just get right into it.
As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.
* We’re live immediately following Rampage and Darby Allin is exiting the ring, commiserating with fans as we start the show in Portland!
AEW World Tag Team Championship No Holds Barred Match
The Acclaimed vs. Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett
Max Caster raps about Jeff Jarrett being the new January 6th and Vince McMahon, while Lethal is chowing on Sanjay’s pencil. Portland is a Scissoring City — which should suprise no Portlander. (I’ll be making Portland jokes the whole hour.)
The match starts with a brawl as Jarrett slams Caster into the guardrail and hits him with a chair, while Lethal has locked in a figure four on the stage. Caster comes back and battles with Jarrett while Bowens reverses the Figure Four and rolls down the ramp. Jarrett grabs Bowns and rolls him in the ring, they start trading shots and Bowens takes over. Bowens goes into the corner, boot to Jarrett, flipping neckbreaker and cover for two.
Jarrett into the ropes but kicks Bowens, Lethal tags in and gets kicked in the gut. Bowens with repeated shots to Lethal’s head, he tags in Caster and they hit a double suplex. Caster cover for two. Caster sent into the ropes, he ducks and slides out of the ring, smacks Satnam, then back in for a dropkick to Lethal.
Bowens tags back in, double whi9p into the corner, Bowens and Caster both nail Lethal and he gets bodyslammed down. They go for the Wassup headbutt but Jarrett knocks Bowens off the top and Lethal dives onto Bowens. Jarrett in the ring with a rabbit punch to Caster to knock him out of the ring, Jarrett and Lethal showboat and we go to PIP break.
Back from break and Bowens is trading shots with Lethal in the ring. They go into the ropes and Bowens lariats Lethal hard. Bowens crawls for the tag and Caster’s in, Jarrett’s in. Caster runs wild, chop and superkick to Jarrett. Angle Slamfrom Caster followed by an ankle lock, Jarrett almost gets to the ropes but Caster pulls him back and locks it in. Lethal goes up top — and elbow drop to the ref!!
Billy Gunn is in now and clotheslines Jarrett over the rope, while Satnam Sing pulls Caster out and slams him into the ringsteps. Leg facebuster by Bowens, no ref to cover, a ref finally comes out and it’s only two.
Lethal has set up the guitar, Max takes him out but Jarrett has the guitar. He goes to swing but Billy is in. Low blow to Billy Gunn, and Bowens has the boombox! But Sanjay Dutt trips Bowens into the boombox!
Daddy Ass has the guitar! But Satnam Singh is in — he eats the guitar! Stroke from Jarrett to Gunn! Superkick to Jarrett by Bowens. Caster wipes out Jarrett — double choke slam from Singh! Choke slam to the referee! Singh destroyed everyone! Dutt is in the ring and he gets the ref jersey from Singh. Lethal with the Lethal Injection! Cover for two but Aubrey pulls Lethal out! Dutt and Edwards both enter the ring, and Aubrey snaps his pencil and shoves him! Arrival from Bowens and Mic Drop onto Lethal! That’s it!
Winner: The Acclaimed (10:57)
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: Wild, overbooked as hell and a lot of fun. I don’t mind overbooked messes when they’re done right and this wasn’t fantastic or anything but I dug what they did here.
The Acclaimed celebrate with some hipsters at ringside that probably like to lecture girls at Powell’s City of Books about some pseudo-philosophical nonsense, and then pose with the titles.
* Powerhouse Hobbs says the Book of Hobbs is sacred to him and every ounce of blood he’s shed, every ounce of pain is in it. And everything that’s happened to him is gonna happen to us.
* Ortiz is complaining about the House of Black speaking in riddles and notes that they didn’t mention him, asking Eddie Kingston about that. Kingston says that he can question after next Friday when they face House of Black.
AEW TBS Championship Match
Jade Cargill vs. Skye Blue
Skye attacks to start and slips out of a Hammer Throw, she comes off the ropes for a crossbody and gets caught. Jade swings her around but Skye turns it into a crucifix for two. Jade picks Skye up and gets caught in another pin for two.
Jade rolls out of the ring for a breather and brief talk with Leila Grey, then rolls back in. Skye pushes Jade into the corner and charges in, she gets put on the apron by Jade and knocked to the floor. Jade kicks Skye in the ribs then talks shit, grabbing Skye and choke slamming her onto the ramp.
Jade back into ring, Aubrey checks in Skye and then comes in to start the count. Mid-count, Red Velvet comes out and stares at Jade! Skye struggles to get into the ring but makes it at nine. Jade sends Skye into every turnbuckle in the corner as we go to PIP break.
Skye with a jawbreaker as we come back and hits a rana off the ropes. She charges into for a knee against Jade, a knee and an enzuigiri! Skye building some momentum, but jade sends her into the ropes and hits a big pump kick. Velvet walks to ringside and talks trash with Leila, slapping her as Skye gets into the ring. Jade-d countered into a two-count, big superkick by Skye! Code Blue for two!
Jade is in the corner, Skye charges in but gets put on the apron, she kicks Laila and then knees Jade over the ropes. Rana but Jade catches her, spins her around into Jaded for three.
Winner: Jade Cargill (9:15)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: Surprisingly even match — whish isn’t to say it was even, just that Skye got more than I expected. This was largely about the angle but Jade and Skye worked well together so good on them.
* Lexi Nair is backstage with Stokely, Big Bill, and Lee Moriarty. Stokely says Jungle HOOK are a few fries short of a Happy Meal and they are a force to be reckoned with. L.A. is where entertainers go to die, and they’re going to put their opponents in the dirt. I’m not sure trashing California is the way to go for heels in the only state that hates Californians more than California, but I’ll give it a pass.
* Excalibur rapid-fires the Dynamite card, plus Kingston & Ortiz vs. Kings of the Black Throne for Rampage.
* Ruby Soho says Tay and Jay are gonna feel pain, and Tay and Anna talk about how extreme they’re gonna go. Street Fight Time next week on Rampage! That should be violent.
AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match
Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian
I’ll say it now, this is a emo fuckboi and his goth girl against an absolute slacker and with his facepaint-wearing, magic-using weirdo by his side — this is the most Portland main event AEW could have come up with.
Cassidy with the Orange Punch to start but Kip ducks and knocks Orange down twice. Cassidy comes off the ropes and runs Kip over, back into the ropes and some counterwrestling into a three-quarter roll by Cassidy and mounted punches until Kip bails to the outside! Kip sits down and puts on some shades, singing “Zombie.” Orange is out and Kip slides in to escape, then rungs to the ramp. And here comes The Bunny to boot.
Orange slides out of the ring, Kip hides behind the girls and hits a cheap shot kick. Cassidy rolled into the ring and Kip follows for stomps in the corner. Whip across the ring, Cassidy goes over to the apron, Kip with a kick to the head and then an Asai moonsault. Bunny and Ford hug him for some showboating.
Danhausen is here for the curse! And Kip bites Danhausen’s finger while Cassidy dives through the ropes on Kip! Back in the ring, diving crossbody, Cassidy off the ropes for a DDT, Kip catches him but Cassidy turns it into a Stunner. Kip to the outside, Cassidy dives out for a DDT but Kip catches him and hits the neckbreaker off the apron. Kip rolls Cassidy back in the ring and follows as we go to PIP.
Back from PIP as Kip hits a cannonball senton to Cassidy in the corner. He backs up and goes for it again but Cassidy moves. Cassidy up top and pulls Kip up with him, Sabian is fighting back. He grabs Cassidy and goes for a powerbomb, but Cassidy grabs him for a Beach Break! Sabian blocks it with a shit and sets Cassidy up — Cassidy with the superplex!
Cassidy manages to get to his feet — THE ELBOW PAD IS OFF! Bunny grabs Orange’s feet, and the ref ejects her. Sabian and Cassidy change waistlocks, they charge at each other and collide. Here come the Butcher and Blade — and Danhausen fights them! For about a second before they wipe him out and head to the ring. Butcher and Blade go under the ring for chairs and take a seat on the ramp. Sabian with a mocking light slap — and Cassidy with an elbow strike! Sabian mocks Orange’s chill offense again, and Cassidy goes apeshit with elbows to Kip. Orange is ready to attack, Sabian lifts his hands — and headbutts Cassidy! Big knees to the head, cover but only two. Sabian with a Michinoku Driver, he hooks the leg — nearfall!
Sabian throws Cassidy out of the ring, Butcher and Blade set Cassidy up — here come the Best Friends! They take out Butcher and Blade! Cassidy is on the apron and stuns Sabian, Diving DDT countered, corkscrew neckbreaker by Sabian for two! Sabian puts the elbow pad on, takes it off — Orange Punch but Cassidy doesn’t go down! Cassidy off the ropes — spinaround DDT! PK! Beach Break! Cover for two!
Cassidy stomps on Sabian in the corner, gets backed off by the ref — he shoves the ref! Sabian rolls Cassidy up for two! CASSIDY WITH THE ORANGE PUNCH! And another! That’s it.
Winner: Orange Cassidy (16:01)
Rating: *** 1/2
Thoughts: Again, overbooked but in a pretty fun away and there was plenty of good stuff in the ring. Even as someone who’s appreciation of Cassidy is on the middle end of most, I really enjoyed the hell out of this.
And with that, we’re done for the night!
