wrestling / TV Reports
Sambus’ AEW All Out 2024 Review
Image Credit: AEW
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Good evening, folks! Another weekend, another high profile wrestling PPV. We had All In two weeks ago, then Bash in Berlin last week, and now we’re being treated to All Out as AEW looks to keep the momentum going. Tonight, we see Bryan Danielson make the first defense of his AEW World Title against Jack Perry, as well as the continuation of the Hangman Page-Swerve Strickland feud, which has reached new heights. It’s going to be a big ol’ night, for sure, so strap in, and let’s go!
Location: Chicago, IL
Venue: NOW Arena
Commentators: Excalibur, Daddy Magic (Zero Hour), Tony Schiavone, Taz & Nigel McGuinness
[ZERO HOUR]
The Acclaimed vs Iron Savages
Bowens and Bear start this out. Neckbreaker from Bowens and the Acclaimed goad Boulder in, with a hurracanrana and a dropkick to send him to the outside. We see MxM Collection watching from backstage, with their necks hilariously strained to the side to watch the monitor, WWE style. Caster tries to lift Boulder up but can’t, and Boulder lands on top of him. Bronson with a suicide dive to the outside while Boulder gets a moonsault on Caster for 2! Body slam by Bear, who goes up top, but misses a diving headbutt.
Bowens tags in, elbow strikes to both Savages. Thrust kick and the Fameasser connect, Caster goes for the Mic Drop but it’s intercepted and he again goes to lift Boulder, but once again can’t. Boulder catches both Acclaimed guys and drops them with a front slam. Avalanche forward electric chair drop from the Savages, but it’s not enough. The Acclaimed get stacked up in the corner, double canonball from the Savages together but the Acclaimed dodge! Caster gets Boulder up and hits the DVD, tag to Bowens, the Arrival connects, followed by the Mic Drop for the 1, 2, 3.
Winners: The Acclaimed
Time: 8:07
Rating: **1/2 – Iron Savages got a decent show here, but this felt marginally out of place on a PPV night.
Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara, & Hologram vs Premier Athletes (Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, & Josh Woods)
Sammy and Nese grapple as the bell rings. Dropkick and a kip up from Sammy, Daivari tags in to take control. Knee to the face from Guevara, tag to Hologram. Nese back in, enziguri from Hologram, Woods in but a tijeras takes him down. Hologram hits the Trevor Lee flipping crossbody, and Josh Woods comes in with an anti-air knee strike. Backbreaker and lariat combo get a 2 for Woods. Body slam by Daivari, who starts jaw-jacking with Dustin on the apron.
Woods tries to lift Hologram up onto the ropes but they slip, so Woods shoves Hologram hard into the corner instead. Hurracanrana counter from Hologram allows him to make the tag to Rhodes. Drop to the knee uppercut and a powerslam connect for some vintage Rhodes. Canadian Destroyer! Sammy and Hologram are perched on the ropes for stereo moonsaults to the floor to take out all members of the Premier Athletes. Nese suplexes Hologram back into the arms of Woods, who plants him with a powerbomb. Olympic Slam/Neckbreaker combo on Dustin gets a 2. Dustin goes for the Cross Rhodes but gets distracted by Mark Sterling. Everyone gets taken out, until Rhodes is left with Woods and hits the Cross Rhodes. Hologram and Guevara bring Sterling into the ring, and Dustin gives him a Cross Rhodes too! Cutter from Sammy, Final Reckoning delivered to Woods for the 1, 2, 3.
Winners: Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara & Hologram
Time: 9:51
Rating: **1/2 – Fine action, and it seems like they’re trying to push Rhodes, Sammy & Hologram as a trio, so hopefully this leads to something rather than being a completely throwaway match.
Dark Order (Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vs Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, & Colten Gunn)
The Bang bang Gang triple team Reynolds until the Dark Order pull him out of harm’s way. Uppercut to Juice from Silver, Uno tags in, and the Dark Order all pose at the expense of Juice. Uno accidentally splashes his team mates in the corner, and Juice capitalizes with a canonball to all three. Austin tags in, sweeps the legs of Silver, jabs to Reynolds, looks for the Fameasser on Uno, but Uno delivers the Something Evil instead. Silver covers for 2. Colten in, dropkick to Reynolds, neckbreaker to Silver and a Full Nelson slam to Uno. Juice and Silver with a double clothesline, same deal with Uno and Austin. All six men are down.
Colten and Alex Reynolds launch off their partner’s backs, but again hit clotheslines to each other, knocking both men down. Jabs from Juice to Uno, DDT connects. 1, 2, 3.
Winners: The Bang Bang Gang
Time: 7:34
Rating: **3/4 – Another throwaway tag without rhyme or reason.
Tony Schiavone is on the stage to welcome…Skye Blue! She comes out on crutches and seems emotional to be back in the building where Tony Khan first gave her an opportunity for the Casino Battle Royal. Schiavone asks about her road to recovery, and she says that it’s a waiting game. And here comes Mariah May! May was going to come out for her championship celebration, but she doesn’t want to do that in Chicago. “Why do they call it the Windy City when nobody here has ever been blown before?” Tremendous. May kicks out the crutches from Blue and mounts her to deliver a series of right hands. She takes the crutches…but here comes Queen Aminata to run her off! Aminata checks on Blue as Mariah May hightails it backstage.
[Three-way Trios] Undisputed Kingdom vs. Top Flight & Action Andretti vs. Shane Taylor Promotions & The Beast Mortos
Taylor takes out Bennett as everyone decides who will start, and then focuses his attention on Andretti. Biel from Taylor, Andretti avoids it, enziguri in the corner, and Taylor tags out to Moriarty. Stereo dropkicks from the Martin brothers, Roddy in for a backbreaker on Moriarty for a 1 count. Mortos in to a good reaction, and he takes on all members of the UK. Press slam on Strong to take out Taven and Bennett, followed by a Samoan Drop. Enziguri from Dante, who springboards in to take out Mortos. Airplane Spin on Mortos, who tags out to Taven. Monkey flip by Dante, Taven comes right back with a nice suplex, grabbing the pants for leverage. Boston Bayonette connects on Dante for a 2 count. Shane Taylor in for a splash, and he headbutts Strong for good measure. Dante goes for another monkey flip on Moriarty, but opts for a diving bulldog instead. Darius gets the flatliner on Taylor, and Top Flight clean house.
German by Darius! Andretti goes for a dive but gets the legs taken out from under him. Taven hits the dive over the top rope instead. And now Mortos hits the tornillo through the ropes! Leila Grey says no to the takeoff, and then waves on Top Flight! They dive and take out everyone. In the ring, Darius gets a step up DDT on Taylor, running SSP connects from Andretti for 2. Mortos with a pop up headbutt! Andretti gets a satellite DDT on Mortos, spiking him. Taylor with the uranage, and now here comes Mortos with a huge spear to Andretti. Strong makes a blind tag, knee to Mortos, and Mortos drops Andretti in a powerbomb! Strong steals the cover, 1, 2, 3!
Winners: Undisputed Kingdom
Time: 10:55
Rating: *** – That was pretty fun, and I loved Strong completely stealing that win out of nowhere. Mortos has had a series of great showings on AEW TV as of late so we need to get him a decent win before too long.
[MAIN PPV]
MJF vs Daniel Garcia
Garcia attacks from behind during MJF’s entrance! Garcia’s head is taped up from the attack on Dynamite this past Wednesday, and MJF’s neck is taped up from receiving the Tiger Driver at All In two weeks ago. Garcia looks for a piledriver, but MJF backs him into the corner to break it. Dropkick from Garcia, but MJF comes back with a neckbreaker. Elbow to the back of the head, hammer throw into the corner, and MJF poses on the buckles. Garcia gets dropped across the ropes throat-first, followed up with a back suplex and a cravate hold. Cradle DDT from MJF just gets a 2 as MJF continues to target the head.
MJF looks for a brainbuster, but Garcia knees him in the head…and they topple over the top rope to spill to the floor. Garcia is in danger of getting counted out, but makes it back in the ring at 9. Both men to their feet, trading blows, until Danny takes MJF down. Twist & Shout from Garcia, and again…once more!Garcia looks for a piledriver again, but MJF escapes and back body drops him in response. Garcia goes for a hurracanrana, but MJF drops him with a powerbomb onto the knee! 1, 2, no. MJF bites the head of Garcia, hoping to re-bust him open. Elbow shots delivered, and sure enough Garcia is bleeding again. MJF gestures to the corner, looking to paralyze Garcia again. He sits Garcia on the top rope and heads up there with him, looking for the tombstone off the ropes! Garcia claps his boots together though and rakes the nose. Diving DDT from Garcia! Garcia’s face is a bloody mess as both men recover on the canvas.
Garcia positions MJF for a piledriver once more, but can’t hoist him up. Mule kick in the corner from MJF, and he follows up with the Panama Sunrise! 1, 2, NO! Garcia is firing himself up, ignoring the kicks of MJF. MJF spits in his face, and that’s enough to send Garcia into a frenzy. But a thumb to the eye cuts that off! Brainbuster called for, Garcia with an inside package for 2. Right hand by MJF takes both men down again. Rollups are traded, German on Garcia but Garcia rolls through and hits a German of his own, followed by a huge clothesline.
MJF drops Garcia and turns him into a Boston Crab, but Garcia manages to turn it into a LeBell Lock. MJF counters that into a crossface! Garcia manages to roll and lock in a Sharpshooter. MJF reaches for the ropes, but Garcia pulls him back to the center. MJF with the Salt of the Earth! MJF grapevines the arm, pulling back the second arm too. Garcia is pretzled but somehow manages to get a foot on the ropes to force the break. MJF positions himself for the Panama Sunrise again, but Garcia falls back flat on the mat…playing opossum! Jacknife, 1, 2, NO. HUGE slaps from Garcia, front chancery locked in….the arm is about to drop, but Garcia catches it, he wants to end this his own way. JUMPING piledriver!! 1, 2, NOOO!
Garcia tosses MJF into the corner, sits him on the top and heads up there with him. Piledriver off the top? MJF bites the ear to escape it. MJF pulls the ref in front of him, low blows Garcia while the ref isn’t looking, and gets the 1, 2, 3.
Winner: MJF
Time: 23:56
Rating: **** – This felt suitably heated and I was a big fan of it getting pretty technical towards the end with all those submission exchanges. Sick jumping piledriver added a great visual too. That finish just felt a little flat, even though it plays into the usual MJF playbook.
Post-match, MJF extends the hand to shake with Garcia. Garcia shakes his hand! MJF goes for another low blow, but Garcia grabs the leg and gives him one of his own! He drags MJF to the corner, gets him back up on the ropes, spits in his face and delivers the PILEDRIVER OFF THE MIDDLE ROPE!
[AEW World Tag Team Championship] The Young Bucks (c) vs Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta
It’s Yuta and Nicholas to begin, body slam and a senton from Yuta gives us the first cover of the match for 2. Castagnoli in, escalara from Nicholas takes both BCC members down. Double shoulder block in return, and Matthew tags in. Wishbone split on Matthew as the BCC make quick tags to make use of the 5 count. They keep tagging in and out, delivering wishbone after wishbone, and then a double wishbone as Nicholas gets involved. Atomic drop and a Manhattan Drop continues the assault on Matthew, but he knocks Castagnoli off the apron, and the Bucks hit the 15%. Double stomp across the knees of Matthew on Yuta. Nicholas delivers a wishbone of his own to Yuta now, neckbreaker across the knee gets a 2.
Backbreaker to Yuta and a springboard leg drop from Nicholas, which gets the Bucks a 2. Wheelkick from Nicholas knocks Yuta down, and the Bucks double team him, or at least attempt to but Yuta takes them both on and creates an opening. Tag to Claudio! Uppercuts in opposite corners to both Bucks, and Claudio keeps the train coming. Double clothesline eventually takes the Young Bucks down. To the floor, Castagnoli hits a couple of uppercuts against the railings, rolls Matthew back in and hits a crossbody off the top for 2.
Castagnoli calls for the Swing. But Matthew kicks him away, superkick to the legs. Claudio reverses the positioning, and Yuta throws Nicholas into the outstretched Matthew across the ropes. Seatbelt from Yuta, 1, 2, no. Claudio gets sent over the railings into the crowd. Superkick to Yuta, but he delivers one of his own and a German to Matthew for 2. Cattle Mutilation locked in! But Nicholas comes in to break it up with a senton atomico. Pop-up from Claudio, Nicholas with a hurracanrana escape, they head to the apron and he hurracanranas him to the floor.
Wheelbarrow X-factor and Nicholas moonsaults to the outside to take out Claudio in a classic Bucks spot. Crucifix from Yuta, 1, 2, no. Claudio tags in, springboard uppercut to Matthew! He looks for the Giant Swing, but the Bucks roll through and hit the EVP Trigger! 1, 2, Yuta breaks it up. The Bucks pump up their sneakers, SUPERKICK PARTY. EVP Trigger again, but Claudio catches the knees and lifts them! The Bucks escape the lift, but Claudio with a double suplex to both men. Suicide dive from Yuta takes out Nicholas, and Castagnoli finally gets the Giant Swing on Matthew! 1, 2, NO.
Castagnoli tags in Yuta, but Yuta receives a superkick. He is stunned on the ropes as Matthew heads up, but Claudio comes in with a rising uppercut. Castagnoli superplexes Matthew OVER Yuta to the mat, and then tosses Yuta onto Matthew, but Matthew gets the knees up! Nicholas holds back Claudio as Matthew snatches a rollup! 1, 2, 3.
Winners and STILL AEW World Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks
Time: 15:45
Rating: ***1/2 – The Bucks were back on form here, although it was the BCC who looked more impressive with some innovative spots. Claudio is a master at building up to high spots; he works so well in this sort of environment.
[AEW International Championship] Will Ospreay (c) vs Pac
These two last faced off in singles competition in 2019 in a fantastic match for RevPro, which sets the bar pretty high for this one. The fans are already on their feet as the bell rings. Pac attempts some snapmares, but Ospreay keeps springing to his feet. Hurracanrana attempt, same deal as Ospreay cartwheels and starts to look smug. Ospreay to the floor, Pac to the top, Sky Twister Press! Oh we’re not messing around here. Back in the ring, Ospreay sends Pac out and hits a Sky Twister Press of his own. Ricochet is watching intently backstage.
On the mat, both men kick away at each other, sit up and start slapping. They get to their feet and trade elbow shots and huge knife edge chops. Back to the floor, Pac whips Ospreay into the railings. Pac hoists Ospreay to the top rope, avalanche brainbuster! 1, 2, no.
They fight to the floor again, Ospreay with the springboard forearm from the guard rail takes out Pac. Sasuke Special wipes out Pac as he gets to his feet and Ospreay is firmly in control. Handspring corkscrew kick gets 2. Pac gets Ospreay back up on the ropes again, maybe looking for another brainbuster, but Ospreay avoids it. Moonsault by Pac but Ospreay CATCHES him!! No, Pac spins into a tornado DDT! Liger Bomb, 1, 2, NO! Pac climbs the buckles again but Ospreay rolls away out of reach. Standing Spanish Fly gets a 2 for Ospreay. Oscutter attempt, Pac buts the brakes on. Flapjack, Hidden Blade avoided, and Pac tries to capitalize. German suplex attempt blocked, OSCUTTER! 1, 2, nope.
Ospreay puts his hands behind his back and welcomes some strikes. KICK TO THE FACE by Ospreay, yowzers. They head to the apron, another heel kick right to the face. Apron Oscutter is caught…GERMAN SUPLEX ON THE APRON! Ospreay got folded in half there. And now a POISONRANA on the apron from Pac too! Brutalizer locked in in the center of the ring! Somehow, Ospreay gets a foot on the ropes. Ospreay is kicked and lands near the buckles as Pac heads up top…Black Arrow but Will saw it coming, gets the knees up! Ospreay cradles him, 1, 2, no. Hidden Blade countered into a backslide for 2. German by Pac as he rebounds off the ropes, Ospreay goes for a powerbomb but Pac with a DRAGONRANA and the Chicago crowd goes wild! Another poisonrana is delivered by Pac, and he goes for the Brutalizer one more time. Poisonrana from Will straight into the Hidden Blade, and he collapses into a pinfall, 1, 2, NO!!
Oscutter is called for, but Pac shoves him forward. Pac heads up to the top with him… POISONRANA OFF THE TOP but Will lands on his feet! Hidden Blade! 1, 2, NOOOO! I’m going to lose my shit here. Oscutter connects, and now Ospreay looks for the academic Stormbreaker, but Pac somehow counters into a hurracanrana! He’s still in this one! 1, 2, Ospreay rolls back and lifts him into the Styles Clash! The Hidden Blade is delivered once more as Ospreay finally gets the 1, 2, 3.
Winner and STILL AEW International Champion: Will Ospreay
Time: 20:36
Rating: ****1/2 – Good gracious, that was a clinic. I don’t know how either men have any vertebrae left after those neck drops. That ruled, plain and simple, and Ospreay has still not set a single foot wrong since landing in AEW. God-tier run.
[Chicago Street Fight] Willow Nightingale vs Kris Statlander
Tough call having to follow Ospreay/Pac, but a plunder-filled match is probably a good way to go. Statlander has a chair, but Willow nails a pounce from the off. Kris is down in the corner, canonball connects, 1, 2, no. To the apron, Willow looks for a DVD, Stat counters and tries a German, but Willow holds onto the ropes. Chairshot by Stat, and she powerbombs Willow through the announce table! That was a hard bump there as Willow basically hit twice. Stokely helps Statlander pull out a table and then sends Willow into the railings. She places Willow on the table and pulls off the turnbuckle padding for better footing. Statlander with a flipping senton off the top, Willow dodges so Stat goes through the table, but JESUS the back of her foot still cracked Willow in the head!!
Statlander gets up and is met with a POUNCE through the barricade! They are taking absolutely no prisoners. Both women head up the ramp now, and Willow floors Stat with a discus lariat. Stat suplexes Willow on the stage and shouts at Stokely to ‘get the stuff’. Stokely brings out a trashcan of goodies. A trashcan is driven into the spine of Willow, followed by a suplex, aimed at the trashcan but it slightly missed. Statlander has a barbed wire bat, swings and misses, but Willow has a bundle of lighttubes and smashes them over the head of Statlander!
They fight on the ramp again, Statlander takes a quick run up and SPEARS Willow off the stage through the production tables set up below. They work their way back to the ring, and body slams Willow, but Willow is back up for a body slam of her own. Willow has a chain wrapped around her fist and bashes Statlander in the face with it, before biting her in the forehead and licking the blood! German from Statlander and she grabs a bag, emptying thumbtacks on the canvas. Stat goes for the axe kick but falls…erm… crotch first onto the thumbtacks? Death Valley Driver onto the tacks, 1, 2, no. They head to the buckles, SPANISH FLY from Statlander off the top!! Statlander has the chain now, discus lariat with the chain, 1, 2, no. Statlander cuffs Willow with one end of the chain, and then cuffs herself to the other end (although it takes a helluva long time). Spinebuster from Willow. They trade strikes while being chained to each other. Tombstone from Statlander! Stat wraps the chain around the throat and mouth of Willow and rears back, and the referee calls for the bell.
Winner: Kris Statlander
Time: 14:57
Rating: ***1/2 – They set a fast pace in this one, and perhaps didn’t allow enough time for things to breathe as some of those big spots didn’t feel as effective as they could have. I imagine this match had time shaved off, and they took away the selling time to keep in all the spots. But damn, some of those spots were awesome, and the violence was fitting for the feud. Really great work from both women here, and I feel this would have been a sure-fire winner if it was given a few more minutes to let things settle.
Renee Paquette is backstage with Will Ospreay, who says Pac will go down as one of the best in the world. The one person he knows is watching is Ricochet. Ricochet shows up. Ospreay wants him to stop sitting there picking up a paycheck and get some wins. Ricochet says don’t you worry, he’ll get those wins and will see Ospreay soon.
[AEW Continental Championship Four Way] Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Orange Cassidy vs Mark Briscoe vs Konosuke Takeshita
Give me those Okada/Takeshita exchanges! We start off with an Okada/Briscoe and Orange/Takeshita pairing, and Briscoe and Orange are quickly sent out, leaving us with Okada and Takeshita! YES. Cassidy back in the ring, and he takes on both Takeshita and Okada with a double hurracanrana. Satellite DDT to Okada, 1, 2, no. Redneck Kung Fu from Briscoe to Okada, followed by a flying forearm. Takeshita and Briscoe trade running lariats in the corner, followed by some LOUD chops. Takeshita rakes the eyes, but Briscoe comes back with an enziguri.
Briscoe and OC face off as the Conglomeration implodes! But no, they come together to take out Okada, and then Takeshita. Stereo dives to take them out on the floor, and Briscoe hits the Cactus elbow off the apron, and OC does a sloth style elbow drop off the apron to Okada too. Back in the ring, Takeshita hits a suplex on OC, Briscoe does the same to Takeshita. Okada with a suplex to Briscoe, and then to Cassidy. Briscoe suplexes Okada, then Takeshita suplexes Briscoe as the suplex train continues chugging. Briscoe with one more to Takeshita, Okada with another to Briscoe, and Okada reverses one from OC to suplex him instead. They keep going with these suplexes, until OC counters with a stundog millionaire and then suplexes Takeshita.
Dropkick by Okada sends OC to the floor, and now Briscoe lifts Okada to the top and sends him outside too. Takeshita with a tope con hilo, and Briscoe sets up the chair for the assisted flipping senton. Now it’s Briscoe and OC in the ring, and they both go into a sloth-style strike exchange. They high five, and now we get a real strike exchange between them. Okada and Takeshita come in from behind and hit stereo German suplexes! And the crowd come to their feet as Okada and Takeshita face off. This smells like money. They trade forearms until Okada drops him with a dropkick. Rainmaker is countered into the Blue Thunder Bomb!! 1, 2, NO.
Takeshita lifts OC, but Cassidy knees his way out of whatever that was going to be. Takeshita heads up the ropes with him, superplex connects, but Briscoe is there to hit a Froggy Bow on Takeshita for 2, as Okada breaks it up. Body slam by Okada, followed by the diving elbow drop. Rainmaker Middle Finger Pose! Briscoe counters the Rainmaker, Okada counters the Jay Driller. OC looks for a DDT on Takeshita, can’t get it, and Takeshita hits the Bastard Driver followed by the German suplex on Cassidy. JAY DRILLER TO TAKESHITA! 1, 2, Okada drags Briscoe out, so Briscoe responds with an Exploder on the floor. Briscoe up top, Froggy Bow but Takeshita gets the knees up. Powerdrive Knee connects for Takeshita, 1, 2, OC makes the save. Orange Punch to Takeshita, NO Takeshita blocks it and hits a huge right hand. Okada dumps Takeshita to the floor, hits the Rainmaker to Briscoe. Cassidy with a rollup, 1, 2, no. Rainmaker to OC! 1, 2, 3.
Winner and STILL AEW Contintental Champion: Kazuchika Okada
Time: 14:59
Rating: ***1/2 – They briefly lost the crowd with all those suplexes, but quickly got them back with all that Okada/Takeshita greatness. I love that their exchanges were heavily teased, and they didn’t blow through everything, giving us just enough to whet the appetite for an eventual singles match (that Rainmaker counter into the Blue Thunder was insane). The pace went crazy at the end, and this was just a good fun time for everyone.
[AEW TBS Championship] Mercedes Mone (c) vs Hikaru Shida
Kamille is barred from ringside for this match. Mone grounds Shida and targets the knee in the early goings. Shida grabs hold of Mone on a dropkick attempt and applies a stretch muffler, but Mercedes crawls to the ropes. Low dropkick by Shida, and the challenger drapes Mone over the apron and hits a drive-by running knee. 1, 2, no. Back in the ring, a sunset bomb and the Meteora connects for Mone and gets her a 2. Haha Taz and Schiavone legit seem heated on commentary, they make me laugh so much. Double knees in the corner, and Mone locks in a rear chinlock. Shida gets draped over the middle ropes and Mone drops both knees to the midsection.
Shida shakes Mone off her back and nails a hurracanrana, following up with a knee strike to the back. They reverse each other’s hammer throws until Shida whips her face first into the middle buckle, and then delivers a top rope missile dropkick. Mounted punches in the corner, Shida runs the ropes and Mone catches her with an S-grip crossface out of nowhere. Shida reaches her leg back to touch the ropes. Shida in a show of agility gets back to her feet and hits a lariat to lay out both women. They work back to their feet, and Mone tells her to ‘bring it, bitch’. Shida does indeed bring it with a flurry of right hands. Knee strike connects, lungblower from Mone and a sunset flip powerbomb into the corner.
Mone delivers the Three Amigos, then goes for the Frog Splash but Shida gets the knees up. Falcon Arrow, and a second! A sitout Falcon Arrow connects, and she covers, 1, 2, no. Kitana is caught, knee breaker by Mone followed by a dragon screw. Backstabber connects but Shida comes right back with a German suplex and a running knee for 2. KITANA connects flush, goes for another but Mone kicks out at 2 and rolls to the outside. She grabs the kendo stick, but Shida grabs the other end and pulls her into the ringpost. Shida brings the kendo stick into the ring, thinks about hitting her with it and hits the canvas in frustration. Mone tries to capitalize but can’t. Meteora from Shida misses, and Mone hits the Mone Maker. 1, 2, 3.
Winner and STILL AEW TBS Champion: Mercedes Mone
Time: 16:30
Rating: **3/4 – Plodding at first and Mone’s offense still looks a little ‘weak’ and sloppy at times. That finish didn’t help either as it all seemed pretty convoluted. Shida is a great fiery performer though and always does well under the spotlight. Perhaps the frustration she showed in that kendo stick spot helps lead to her snapping, as we’ve had a few teases of that lately.
[AEW World Championship] Bryan Danielson (c) vs Jack Perry
The Scapegoat Van pulls up as Perry makes his way out, and he is accompanied by security to escort him down to ringside. Danielson gets the Final Countdown again as Tony Khan weeps in royalty fees.
Lockup, and it’s Perry who overpowers Danielson, shoving him to the mat. Perry even paintbrushes the back of Danielson’s head, and we see Dragon smirking at this, frustrated but slightly impressed. Arm drag from Perry, and he poses in front of Danielson, who lunges forward, forcing Perry to head to the floor to escape. Back in the ring, Danielson picks the leg to ground Perry and ties him up for the Romero special. Danielson reminds the ref that he has until 5. Surfboard applied, and he wrenches back on the chin of Perry before delivering some hard elbows to the side of the head.
Dragon thinks about kicking Perry’s head in, so Perry heads to the floor again. Basement dropkick connects, and Danielson hits the springboard dive to the floor! Old school Danielson at its finest. In the ring, Danielson stands on the top rope and hits the diving dropkick. Dragon goes to dive off the apron but Perry catches him with a thrust kick, and then delivers a hanging DDT from the apron to the floor. He sends Danielson into the barricade, takes a run up, and delivers a running dropkick. Cover, 1, 2, no. Perry gives Danielson a neckbreaker for another 2 count. They fire each other up with chops, but Perry goes to the eyes. He chops Danielson on the top buckle, but Dragon slips out and crotches Perry. Hammer and anvil elbows delivered while Perry is sitting on the top rope, and Danielson follows up with the big back suplex off the top!
Yes Kicks administered to Perry, but the roundhouse misses. Jackknife, Danielson bridges up. LeBell Lock. Looks for the Rings of Saturn, but Perry gets his foot on the ropes. Kicks and chops in the corner from the champion now, as Danielson delivers repeated right hands. Moonsault evasion in the corner, Perry has it scouted and goes for the Snare Trap. No, Perry with the Cattle Mutilation instead! Danielson works out of it, but the Dragon Suplex from Perry connects! Another Dragon Suplex! Perry pulls Danielson up on the apron and looks for a dragon suplex there too, but Danielson hooks his leg over the bottom rope to hold on. Danielson kicks the chest as Perry chops him. Danielson BUTTERFLY SUPLEXES Perry off the apron to the floor!
Danielson with a guillotine knee drop to the outstretched arm of Perry, and starts screaming at him ‘You wanna be tough?’ Yes Kicks, and the roundhouse connects this time. Busaiku Knee avoided, and Perry transitions into the Snare Trap. Comeback lariat from Perry, he gets Danielson on his shoulders but Danielson with a cradle for 2. Danielson is poised again, Busaiku Knee, but Perry pulls the referee into its path! Bryce Remsburg goes down. Danielson goes to kick Perry’s head in, but here come the Young Bucks to interfere. They grab Danielson and deliver the TK Driver! They pull him up and look for the EVP Trigger, but here comes Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta to run them off. Perry brings Bryce back to his feet, hits the running knee to Danielson, 1, 2, NO.
Now Perry looks to stomp Danielson’s head in. He delivers the boots to a chorus of ‘NO’ chants from the crowd, and now he gives his own Yes chant gesture with middle fingers. But Danielson meets him with a Busaiku Knee! They battle on their knees now, trading forearms. To their feet, Perry starts slapping Danielson in the face. The crowd tell him he’s fucked up. Big time slaps from Danielson now, kicks, Perry with a superkick. German suplex by Danielson, Perry avoids the impact and is up to his feet! But Danielson runs straight in for the Busaiku Knee! 1, 2, NO. Danielson kicks Perry’s f’n head in. Perry on his knees stretches his arms out as the scapegoat, as a final moment of defiance, before Danielson delivers one more Busaiku Knee to seal the deal. 1, 2, 3.
Winner and STILL AEW World Champion: Bryan Danielson
Time: 27:52
Rating: ***3/4 – I didn’t need the interference from the Bucks, plus this slightly suffered from the fact that no one bought Perry winning here, but this was still a great match with Perry holding his own against someone the calibur of Danielson. Seeing Danielson put on these kinds of matches like it’s 2006 ROH all over again is a sheer joy.
Killswitch appears behind Danielson and takes him out! Jurassic Express Reunion?! Christian Cage makes his way out and he has the contract for his title match from the Casino Gauntlet! But wait, Moxley has come from out of nowhere to stand in front of the ring in Christian’s path. Claudio, Pac and Yuta join Moxley as the BCC stand tall in front of the Patriarchy, and Cage thinks better of it, backing up the ramp. Moxley hugs Danielson in the ring, kisses him on the forehead…and CLAUDIO JUST UPPERCUTTED DANIELSON! HOLY SHIT MOXLEY PUTS A PLASTIC BAG OVER THE HEAD OF DANIELSON. Pac attacks Yuta too, holding him back and making him watch! Moxley is suffocating Danielson while Yuta is forced to watch. Marina Shafir is here too, directing traffic.
Medics attend to Danielson with oxygen once the ‘new BCC’ exit. What a tremendous piece of business there, I’M SHOOK.
[Steel Cage Lights Out Match] Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page
I did the live coverage for Full Gear last year, rating the insane Texas Deathmatch between Swerve and Page at ****3/4. I have no idea how you top the violence displayed there, but burning someone’s house down a few days before a Steel Cage Lights Out match is probably a good place to start.
The cage begins to lower but Swerve doesn’t want to wait, and he dives straight at Page. They battle on the outside and Nana starts pulling out tables. Swerve and Page try to hold each other over the apron as the cage lowers so one of them gets decapitated! They both escape at the last second, and the bell rings as the cage is tied down. They take it in turns to try sending their opponent face first into the cage wall, but both put the brakes on. House Call connects from Swerve, and he looks for Big Pressure, but Page escapes and nails a release German suplex. Hangman goes over to a yellow box and pulls out a staple gun. He staples Swerve in the chest, who keeps smiling anyway. Swerve grabs it and staples Page in the back repeatedly, following up with a backbreaker. Swerve pulls the staples out of his own chest without flinching.
Swerve has a photo of his family, so he staples it to the chest of Page, and another to his cheek, and then rips it off! Page is pulled onto the top rope, and Swerve drives a chair into his head, then pulls him onto his shoulders and hits a Death Valley Driver into the cage wall. They balance on the ropes as Swerve bounces Page’s head off the cage, and Page crotches Swerve on the top rope. Springboard lariat connects, and Page spots some of the barbed wire. He wraps it around his arm and hits a barbed-wire assisted springboard lariat.
Swerve is tossed into the cage wall a few times, before Page wraps the barbed wire at face height around the chainlinks. He tries to run Swerve into it, but Swerve nails a comeback lariat instead. Oh but Page drives him into the barbed wire at a second attempt. That busts Swerve open pretty heavily, and Page doesn’t let up, raking Swerve’s forehead back and forth across the barbed wire. Big boot connects, and Page wants the Buckshot lariat, but can’t get it because the cage wall is in the way. Swerve gets launched into the cage instead, but Page realises his arsenal is hampered here.
Hangman with a chair shot to the gut, and one to the back. Referee Paul Turner stands on the chair to prevent Page from using it for some reason? Swerve capitalizes with a House Call! And hits his own Buckshot Lariat on Page. Chairshot to the back of Hangman! And again. Swerve lawndarts Page into a chair wedged between the buckles, and he bounces along the ropes on his way down, rough landing! Swerve pulls out a cinder block and plants it in the center of the ring. Page counters, looking for a Dead Eye. Swerve counters again…VERTEBREAKER ONTO THE CINDER BLOCK! 1, 2, no. A close-up of Page’s back shows a huge gash from that cinder block, ouch.
Swerve sets up a table as the We Want Fire chants begin. Hangman is draped over the table, but Page gets up and crotches Swerve on the top rope. He smacks the back of Swerve’s head into the corner of the cage…and Page is thinking Fallaway Slam?! No, Swerve fights out of it. SWERVE STOMP THROUGH THE TABLE!! 1, 2, NO.
Swerve goes for another House Call, but Page counters with a Dead Eye! 1, 2, no. Page pulls out a big splinter from Swerve’s burnt house. He tries to drive it like a stake into the face of Swerve, but Swerve fights it and gets a cross-armbreaker. He grabs the splinter and tries to hit Page with it…and spikes him in the head with it! Swerve cradles the piece of his house, goes to hit Page once more with it, but Page low blows him. POWERBOMB ONTO THE CINDER BLOCK. Damn he hit that flush! 1, 2, NO! That seems to be a legit cinder block, by the way.
Swerve manages to powerbomb Page into the cage wall…House Call connects, slamming Page’s face into the cage too! House Call again, 1, 2, Page kicks out. Swerve goes to the top rope, but looks up to the top of the cage and starts climbing. Page meets him on the top rope…powerbomb off the top! Page is back up somehow, real cowboy shit. Dead Eye, 1, 2, Swerve rolls his shoulder up. Page grabs a chair and says he told him to beg. He wants Swerve to beg for mercy. Page continues to deliver shots to the head with the edge of the chair. Swerve keeps getting back to his knees, and now he’s laughing! He gets to his feet, but collapses at Hangman’s feet. Page pulls out the grills from Swerve’s mouth, and then gets a syringe. Oh God. He pierces the cheek of Swerve and administers the hypodermic needle, in theory with Novacaine. UNPROTECTED CHAIRSHOT follows and the referee calls for the bell.
Winner: Hangman Adam Page
Time: 31:21
Rating: ***3/4 – God, I honestly don’t know how I feel about all that. Real cinder blocks, needles, and unprotected chairshots to the head all make me feel a tad uncomfortable. I’ll repeat the same sentiment I had after Full Gear last year – wrestlers, please don’t try and top this!! The Texas Deathmatch had better pacing, but there’s no denying that this was damn memorable. I have to commend both guys for agreeing to take such punishment, even if I don’t think it was necessary, and they once again pushed the envelope on what we’re used to seeing in ‘mainstream’ wrestling.
Page looks vaguely perturbed at what he has done as he exits the ring and heads up the ramp, before letting out all the adrenaline with a scream on the stage. Doctors tend to Swerve and Nana is visibly upset as we fade to black. Good night everyone, what a show!
