The latest WWE and AEW News and Results
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Ahead of this weekend’s AEW Dynasty, we’ve got our official Wrestling Weekly predictions as well as a look at the latest with the Cody Rhodes and John Cena feud leading up to WrestleMania 41.
You’ll also get our thoughts on Naomi, Tiffany Stratton and how much you have to hate someone to be mad about getting yourself a WrestleMania main event.
Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!
Nearly a decade after the accident that ended Tyson Kidd’s in-ring career, Samoa Joe is still sick over what happened.
Kidd (TJ Wilson) suffered the career-ending spinal cord injury while taking a Muscle Buster from Joe in a WWE dark match in June 2015. Though it altered the course of his life, Kidd is lucky that he survived the injury and is not paralyzed. He remains with WWE as a producer and is highly praised for the work he does behind the scenes, especially helping agent matches for the women’s division.
The injury was a freak accident, but Joe told Chris Van Vliet that it remains the biggest regret of his career.
“To this day that probably remains the largest regret in my career,” Joe said on a new episode of Insight. “You know, just that that happened.”
Van Vliet pointed out that there is nothing he could have done differently, but Joe doesn’t think that matters.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t change things for Tyson,” Joe responded. “Doesn’t change things for a guy who is probably one of the most passionate people in the world of professional wrestling. For a guy who has an amazing mind for it. Like, really, WWE is fortunate to have him in their employ. Because even though he’s not in a physical role within the company, the finishes, his ability to put together matches and be a producer and agent — unparalleled.”
In the moment, the spot where Kidd got hurt didn’t feel any different to Joe. He only realized something was wrong when he saw that Cesaro (Claudio Castagnoli) was concerned.
“No, not at all. No. Didn’t feel any different. It’s just when I turned around and went for the pin and got back up, the only thing that even hinted that there’s something wrong is when Cesaro looked back up at me,” Joe said. “And I know when Cesaro is concerned and then I was like, ‘Oh my God, I hope everything is ok.’ Then we got in the back and he went to the hospital and everything got checked out. But, I mean, the whole circumstances regarding that and everything, it makes me sick to this day that that guy is not out there being the Tyson Kidd that I know that he is. He’s an amazing human being, you know what I mean… He’s a guy that, he has a great understanding of a larger picture. And, once again, when you talk about guys who are really great finish men, guys who can produce, he’s going to be heralded as one of the dudes here — if he isn’t already now.”
Kidd has said he has “zero animosity” toward Joe after the injury and wishes him nothing but the best.
Joe departed WWE in 2022 and is currently with AEW, where he is a former World Champion for the promotion.
It doesn’t sound like Samoa Joe has much time left as an in-ring competitor.
Though he doesn’t like using the word retirement because pro wrestling retirements never stick, Joe believes that the end of his in-ring career is “probably coming sooner than later.” He told Chris Van Vliet on a new episode of Insight that he does not want to overstay his welcome and hang on too long.
“Yeah, I do. A lot,” Joe responded when asked if he thinks about how much longer he’ll wrestle. “It’s probably coming sooner than later, which is fine. I think a lot of people from my generation, from what I’ve seen, if they have the ability, we’ve done our best to kind of save up and we definitely don’t want to outstay our welcome, because we may have been privy to a few people who may have done that in their careers. So I definitely don’t want to be that guy.”
The 46-year-old Joe said he does not have an age in mind for when he wants to step away, but his current AEW deal might be his last wrestling contract.
“I think it’s just really based on when my contract runs out [laughs]. I think exploring those options [re-signing] as they go. I hate just saying retirement, because how many pro wrestling retirements never stick? All of them,” he said. “So, yeah, I mean — I will do this for a little longer and then, yeah, I think the end is probably sooner than any new deal being signed.”
Joe has been a star for AEW, WWE, TNA, and ROH during his 25 years in the business. He told Van Vliet that — in 2022 after his second release from WWE — there was some interest in bringing him back to the company, but joining AEW was a “really nice fit.”
“I think the biggest thing was — at first when I left WWE, I just signed my deal with ‘Twisted Metal.’ And there was initially a little bit of interest again from WWE and maybe redoing it, but at that point, I had started talking with AEW,” Joe said. “And, you know, speaking with Tony [Khan] and understanding kind of what he was looking to do at the time, and really being able to work out with my filming schedule, it just was a really nice fit.”
Joe is a member of The Opps in AEW, a faction that also includes Katsuyori Shibata and Hook. His AEW run has included one reign as World Champion, lasting from December 2023 to April 2024.
Van Vliet asked Joe how much becoming AEW World Champion meant to him at this stage of his career
“It was fantastic, man,” Joe said. “I think being able to help kind of AEW along, especially at the time period, and be a champion for them and leading into Swerve’s championship. It was kind of a key time, I think, in the company’s short history. And I think — it meant a lot. It meant a lot to be able to go out there and represent the brand as World Champion.”
Outside of the ring, Joe stars as Sweet Tooth in Peacock’s “Twisted Metal” series. Season two of the show will premiere this summer.
A promo aired on Dynamite last night with Joe saying The Opps will be at AEW’s Dynasty pay-per-view this Sunday. Joe said he, Shibata, and Hook are looking to expand their influence in AEW.
Tonight’s AEW Collision from Huntsville, Alabama, will feature a Mid-South street fight, a three-way TNT title defense, and more.
Former AEW Tag Team Champions FTR will take on AEW World Champion Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta in a Mid-South street fight.
After the events of the last few weeks, TNT Champion Daniel Garcia will defend his title against Kyle O’Reilly and ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty in a three-way.
The AEW women’s division will be represented as Megan Bayne will compete in an AEW singles match for the first time since February 2022 while Harley Cameron goes one-on-one with Taya Valkyrie.
Former AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm will be on hand to share some thoughts about reigning titleholder Mariah May.
In a pair of tag matches, Samoa Joe & Hook will face Nick Wayne & Kip Sabian while Chris Jericho & Bryan Keith will face The Outrunners.
The card is rounded out by the first Max Caster open challenge and The Beast Mortos in action.
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Collision comes to us live (to tape!) from Huntsville, Alabama. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call.
Hook & Samoa Joe defeated The Patriarchy (Kip Sabian & Nick Wayne) (w/Christian Cage)
A lifeless, paint-by-numbers opener here. Joe injected some life into this Christian/Hook feud when he returned, but it’s time to get off the pot and get the trios match or the Christian/Hook blowoff.
Hook and Wayne started off, with Hook catching Wayne with a crotch-lift suplex. Tags on both sides led to Joe walking away from a Sabian dive. After interference from Wayne on the floor, Hook was your Street Tough-In-Peril. After a few minutes, Hook caught Wayne with a T-Bone suplex and got the hot tag to Joe.
Joe ran wild on Sabian and hit the Muscle Buster for the win. After the bell, Christian attacked Joe and Hook with his non-union equivalent Money In The Bank briefcase and left them laying.
Cope was backstage. He wondered if Jon Moxley even knew what his goal was, as nobody else seemed to know what it was. Cope called Moxley a malcontent, unaware that he may be the problem with AEW. Cope said that even when he was a young gun, he respected the veterans that made it better for his generations. He paid it back by helping make the business better for people in Moxley’s generation, but Moxley was entitled and didn’t respect that. He hated how Moxley hid the AEW World Championship away and was going to beat Moxley up to take it. The challenge was made for Revolution: Cope vs. Mox for the AEW World Championship.
(This was the big promo to set up the Revolution World Title match, and much like the Cope/Mox feud, it was very unfocused. Instead of the feud being about having pride in AEW or getting revenge for the weeks of attacks up and down the roster, Cope made it about respecting your elders? A messy set-up for the PPV match.)
The Beast Mortos defeated Adam Priest
Mortos killed Priest quickly, finishing with Chuck Taylor’s Awful Waffle – now renamed the Destination Hellhole.
Max Caster came to the ring to interrupt Mortos’ celebration. He congratulated Mortos but said that he wouldn’t stand a chance against the Best Wrestler Alive. Caster kicked off the first of his Open Challenge Series.
Max Caster Open Challenge Match – Rush (w/Dralistico & The Beast Mortos) defeated Max Caster
Rush killed Caster quickly, finishing with The Bull’s Horns for the win. After the match, Rush took the microphone and reminded Mortos that LFI was a family.
(Rush is back, and he’s good as usual. We’ll see how long it lasts.)
The Outrunners were backstage with Lexy Nair, and they cut their promo on The Learning Tree.
The Learning Tree (Bryan Keith & Chris Jericho) (w/Big Bill) defeated The Outrunners (Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd)
(I was ready to complain about another heel beatdown on AEW TV this week, but Bandido came back to make the save and get some shine here. I think the world of Bandido, as I think he has high-level star potential for AEW. I’m glad to see him back here.)
Jericho & Magnum started, and the Outrunners soon ran wild with atomic drops. They dumped Jericho & Keith to the floor, but a Big Boot from Big Bill took Magnum down on the floor.
After a commercial break, Floyd tagged in and ran wild with bodyslams. Keith cut off the Predator handshake, and Jericho got Floyd in the Walls of Jericho. Floyd got out of the hold and we got a Pier Six brawl, ending with the Predator elbow drop. Big Bill interfered again to break up Total Recall, and Keith got a small package to win the match. After the match, Big Bill laid out both Outrunners as Keith pulled out a table.
Big Bill had a double chokeslam set up when Bandido came out to make the save. Bandido ran wild on the Learning Tree, putting Keith through the table with a press slam to a big pop.
Kyle Fletcher & Mark Briscoe cut promos on each other ahead of their Continental Classic rematch next week on Collision. Fletcher was upset that Briscoe spoiled his perfect record in the tournament and wanted to get his win back before Grand Slam Australia, while Briscoe said he was going to prove his win wasn’t a fluke.
(Fletcher/Briscoe was on the short-list of the best matches of the tournament, and I’m glad we’re getting the rematch.)
Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada was backstage with Lexy Nair and was immediately interrupted by Buddy Matthews laughing at him. Matthews laughed at Okada calling himself a champion, and Okada laughed off another Matthews challenge. Matthews called Okada a b*tch and left.
Harley Cameron defeated Taya Valkyrie
Cameron was the most over babyface on the show to this point, and she finally got her first win in AEW. I was wondering if they would save it for Grand Slam Australia, but it looks like she may be Mercedes Mone’s opponent for the show.
Valkyrie jumped Cameron at the bell and landed double knees in the corner for a nearfall. After a commercial break, Cameron hit a Shining Wizard for a nearfall. The crowd chanted Feel The Wrath as Cameron brought Valkyrie to the top rope, but Valkyrie took Cameron out of the corner with a powerbomb for a nearfall. Cameron came back with a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall.
Cameron went for a senton off the top rope, but Valkyrie moved and hit a spear. Cameron kicked out at two, then rolled up Valkyrie with a crucifix pin to score the pin and her first win in AEW. Deonna Purrazzo was shown upset at her partner dropping the fall here.
During this match, Hounds of Hell vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher & Will Ospreay vs. A Mystery Member of the Don Callis Family was announced for Dynamite.
Ricochet Sit-Down Interview
A damn good piece of business to build the Dynamite match between Ricochet and Swerve Strickland. Strickland found a way to cut Ricochet’s early work down without cutting Ricochet himself down, and Ricochet found a way to hit a nerve on Swerve by bringing up Hangman Page.
Ricochet had a sit-down interview with Renee Paquette backstage. He listened to the fans that told him he belonged in AEW, and watched from afar as his peers did amazing things in AEW. But when he got there, the fans turned their backs on him and showered him with toilet paper. Swerve Strickland joined in with the mockery, and when Ricochet stabbed Strickland in the head with the scissors, he was doing it to curse at the fans as well.
Swerve Strickland entered the scene calmly, choosing to save the fight for the people in Atlanta. He shooed Paquette away and sat with Ricochet to talk. He talked about how they never saw eye-to-eye in their encounters, and how he didn’t want Ricochet in AEW to begin with. Ricochet pretended to be a superhero, and the fans rejected him for it. Meanwhile, Strickland accepted his role as the villain, and he got all the respect in the world for it. Strickland promised to show Ricochet that there was levels to this, and that Ricochet wasn’t on his.
Ricochet agreed that he wasn’t good at pretending and admitted that he never cared about the people. Ricochet said that ever since Hangman Page punked Strickland out, he hasn’t felt threatened by Strickland at all. Strickland responded by snatching the scissors out of Ricochet’s suit pocket and holding them to his throat. Strickland said that he would see Ricochet on Dynamite and left without incident.
Timeless Toni Storm Town Hall
A good promo from Toni here. I’ve…not been the target audience for this feud, but the crowd does seem to be into it, and the Grand Slam Australia match feels hot.
Timeless Toni Storm appeared on stage, announcing that she had spent the last six weeks playing the role of Toni Storm. She knows no one caught on because she was a good actress, but everyone bore witness to her metamorphosis. She didn’t do it for the fans, she did it for herself. She was embarrassed and ashamed when Mariah May stabbed her in the back and ran away from herself. She rebuilt herself from the ground up to look May in the eye, and she saw everything she needed to see. She cursed May and said that it doesn’t get realer than her. She promised that May’s time was over.
Harley Cameron was backstage with Renee Paquette outside of Mercedes Mone’s locker room. Paquette noted that Mone wasn’t there, but Cameron corrected her as Mercedes Mone entered the frame. She looked like a puppet and was connected to Cameron’s hand, but that may have just been the picture quality on my TV. Mone agreed to wrestle Cameron in Australia, and Cameron shook her hand to make it official.
Wait a minute, Mercedes Mone then walked into frame? Two Mercedes Mones? Is this a Dave Hebner situation? Saturday Night’s Main Event is back, after all. The actual Mone called Cameron a loser and said that losers don’t ride the Mone Train.
We got promos from all three competitors in the TNT Title match.
AEW TNT Title Match – Daniel Garcia (c) (w/Matt Menard) defeated Kyle O’Reilly, Lee Moriarty (w/Shane Taylor)
A solid TV defense here for Garcia, as they kept up the energy and didn’t fall into typical three-way issues. They worked hard to make sure everyone felt involved, and the result was a good match.
All three men locked up to start and broke up each other’s submissions with other submissions. O’Reilly caught Moriarty with a knee lift to send him out of the ring. Moriarty sent O’Reilly and Garcia to the floor before hitting a tope to both men as we went to a commercial.
After the break, Moriarty caught Garcia with a crossbody for a nearfall, then transitioned to a double wristlock. Moriarty hit a facebuster on O’Reilly while hitting an Eat Defeat on Garcia for a nearfall on both men. O’Reilly and Garcia teamed up to hammer Moriarty with strikes before turning on each other when Moriarty fell out of the ring.
Moriarty got back in the ring and all three men traded strikes before taking each other down with boots. Garcia took both men down with ten punches in the corner and a double clothesline. Moriarty hit a neckbreaker on Garcia for a nearfall. Garcia locked Moriarty in the Dragon Tamer, but O’Reilly caught Garcia in an armbar. O’Reilly transitioned to a triangle choke and caught Moriarty in an ankle lock.
Moriarty knocked O’Reilly loose and sent him out of the ring. Moriarty sent O’Reilly to the floor, then sent Garcia into the ropes for Taylor to punch. Moriarty locked Garcia in the Border City Stretch as Taylor held O’Reilly back. Garcia turned the hold into a jackknife pin for the win as O’Reilly was dealing with Taylor.
After the match, The Infantry came out to surround O’Reilly and Garcia. Angelo Parker joined Matt Menard to even up the numbers, and Adam Cole & Roderick Strong came out to make sure Shane Taylor Promotions left the scene. It was announced here that a three-way trios match was booked for next week’s Collision, as it would be Shane Taylor Promotions vs. The Undisputed Kingdom vs. Daniel Garcia & 2.0.
We got a video package for Penelope Ford vs. Thunder Rosa next week.
We got a video of Hologram walking the streets in street clothes. He had lightning in his fingers.
Megan Bayne defeated Hyena Hera
Bayne got a quick showcase win here with an F5.
Lio Rush & Action Andretti were outside earlier today. They weren’t in the building last week, and they weren’t there this week, so Top Flight would have to wait. Rush said that when they came back, he might take up Darius Martin on his challenge for a match.
We got a video package for Queen Aminata vs. Toni Storm on Dynamite, with Mariah May on commentary.
Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale were backstage with Lexy Nair. Statlander asked for this interview to apologize to Nightingale, but Nightingale wasn’t interested. Statlander pulled out her friendship bracelet and said that she never broke it.
(After the CM Punk/Drew McIntyre feud, I don’t want to ever see a friendship bracelet on a wrestling show again.)
Mid-South Street Fight – FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) defeated Death Riders (Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta)
This was a very good main event, as the babyfaces finally got their act together and stood together to take a chunk out of the Death Riders. The crowd was at their hottest here as well, making for a fun close to Collision.
FTR jumped the Death Riders as they came out. We got plunder and crowd brawling with ladders and trash cans. Moxley got the first nearfall on the floor by booting Harwood out of a chair. Harwood got beaten down in the ring with a chair, but Wheeler came back with a high cross and ran wild. Marina Shafir came out to send Wheeler into the post, and we went to the commercial break with Moxley clawing at Harwood’s nose with pliers. That’ll clear your sinuses.
After the commercial, Moxley laid out thumbtacks. Unfortunately, the Rule of Abyss came to be here as Moxley went into the weapon he set up. Wheeler powerbombed Moxley into the tacks and took Yuta out with a dive, but Moxley came back with a Death Rider on the floor. Harwood was by himself and fought hard, taking Yuta out with a brainbuster.
Moxley re-emerged with a giant hook – I guess he had a run-in with Captain Hook – but Harwood took it from him and crotched him with it. Shafir hit Harwood with a low blow and tried to choke him out, but Harwood backed her through a table. Harwood hit a piledriver on Moxley for a nearfall and locked on a Sharpshooter, but Claudio Castagnoli came out to cut him off. Harwood sent Castagnoli to the floor, but Moxley caught him with a cutter and hit a curb stomp onto a chair for a nearfall.
It was 3-on-2 on FTR before Jay White & Cope came out to help FTR. The fight spilled to the outside, and FTR hit Yuta with a spike piledriver through the announce table to get the win. The fight continued, with White hitting Castagnoli with the Blade Runner. Moxley was surrounded by the babyfaces and got hit with a Shatter Machine and a Spear. The babyfaces set up Moxley for a Con-Chair-To, but Castagnoli dragged Moxley to safety.
A Mid-South street fight will be one of the featured matches on this Saturday’s AEW Collision.
After making the challenge during Dynamite after running The Death Riders off, FTR (seen above) will take on AEW World Champion Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta in the aforementioned match.
The TNT title will be on the line in a three-way as reigning titleholder Daniel Garcia defends against Kyle O’Reilly and Lee Moriarty. The three men have been part of larger issues between their respective trios factions, setting this into motion.
After Samoa Joe made his AEW return for the first time since this past July, Joe will team with Hook against The Patriarchy’s Nick Wayne & Kip Sabian. Joe defeated Wayne this past Saturday in his return bout.
The Learning Tree’s Chris Jericho & Big Bill will take on The Outrunners while Max Caster will host his first open challenge match.
The show will also feature an appearance by Toni Storm and a Ricochet interview with Renee Paquette.
Here’s the current lineup that was taped before and after Dynamite in Huntsville, Alabama Wednesday:
Saturday’s Homecoming edition of AEW Collision featured a pair of challenges, a new Max Caster open challenge, and a trio of in-ring returns.
Challenges
Following he and Brody King’s tag team victory over the Gates of Agony, Buddy Matthews decided to challenge reigning AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada after Okada laughed at the newly-christened Hounds of Hell in a backstage segment.
Okada had no interest to which Matthews retorted that him being turned down made Okada a bitch which the champion didn’t care for. Earlier in the night, Okada defeated Komander in a champion vs. champion match.
Later in the show, Penelope Ford challenged former AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa to a match after they got into a verbal disagreement, and Darius Martin called out Lio Rush given the issues between their respective teams.
In all cases, no date or location was announced with this Wednesday’s Collision TV taping following Dynamite as a strong possibility.
The Max Caster open challenge series
After former AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed split up last week, Max Caster is now on his own and declared on Saturday that he is holding his own open challenge series. He called himself a survivor and he wanted to see who the other survivors are even though they can’t beat “the best wrestler alive.”
AEW continues to get healthier by the week with three wrestlers making their announced in-ring returns after long absences:
Don Callis Family expanding?
In a brief taped vignette before AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita’s title defense against Katsuyori Shibata, Don Callis noted to his family that there might not just be five of them, insinuating more members could be coming.
Tonight’s Homecoming edition of AEW Collision from Jacksonville, Florida, will feature several champions in competition.
AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita will put his title on the line against Katsuyori Shibata in a first-time-ever meeting.
AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada will face ROH men’s TV Champion Komander in a champion vs. champion bout.
AEW TNT Champion Daniel Garcia teams with Matt Menard and the returning Angelo Parker against the Undisputed Kingdom’s Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong.
The next contender for the TBS title will be made in a four-way between Yuka Sakazaki, Queen Aminata, Deonna Purrazzo and Serena Deeb.
AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May and Toni Storm will have a face-to-face session ahead of their February match at Grand Slam Australia.
Samoa Joe returns for the first time since last July as he takes on Nick Wayne while Powerhouse Hobbs squares off with Big Bill.
The show is rounded out by Buddy Matthews & Brody King vs. Gates of Agony.
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We got pre-roll promos from The Patriarchy, Toni Storm, Mariah May, & Samoa Joe. Tony Schaivone & Nigel McGuinness were joined by Jim Ross for this week’s show.
Samoa Joe (w/ Hook & Katsuyori Shibata) defeated Nick Wayne (w/The Patriarchy)
Good to see Joe back in a fun opener to continue the Patriarchy/Hook & Friends feud.
This match was originally scheduled for Dynamite, but Samoa Joe had travel issues due to winter weather.
The Patriarchy surrounded Joe before Hook & Shibata came out to ward them off. Joe took the fight to Wayne to start, peppering him with jabs in the corner. Joe had Wayne up for the Muscle Buster, but Wayne raked the eyes to escape. Wayne worked over Joe’s legs, hitting a moonsault to Joe on the outside.
Joe came back with the uranage in the corner, but Wayne clawed at Joe’s eyes to avoid another Muscle Buster attempt. Wayne hit a rolling Code Red for a nearfall. A Wayne’s World attempt got ducked, and Joe laid out Wayne with a sick lariat before scoring with the Muscle Buster for the win.
We got a recap of the angle from Dynamite with Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, & The Callis Family.
Champion vs. Champion Non-Title Match – AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada defeated ROH TV Champion Komander
This was a good clash of styles, with Komander having another good showing against a top-line star in Okada.
Komander refused to shake Okada’s hand and used his pace to keep Okada off balance to start the match. Komander hit a tope to the floor before Okada dropped him with a boot. Komander came back with a step-up armdrag to the floor but got caught on a headscissors attempt on the floor and dropped with a DDT.
After a commercial break, Okada tried to catch another headscissors attempt, but Komander caught him with an X-Factor. A wheelbarrow bulldog got Komander a nearfall, but Okada cut off a springboard and hit the neckbreaker over the knee. Okada hit the elbow drop and gave the big middle finger, but Komander ducked the Rainmaker and hit a step-up headscissors. Komander hit a springboard destroyer and hit a ropewalk moonsault to the floor. Okada caught Komander on a springboard and hit the Rainmaker for the win.
After the match, Okada finally got his handshake before jumping Komander from behind and cackling to the back.
We got a recap of last week’s run in that led to the trios match tonight between Daniel Garcia & 2.0 & The Undisputed Kingdom.
Powerhouse Hobbs was waiting in the parking lot for Big Bill. Bill arrived, chucking a brick at Hobbs’ head and pinballing him around. Bill laid him out with a big boot, but Hobbs ripped a fence door off and hit Bill with it before security separated them.
Big Boom AJ & Big Justice were backstage with Lexy Nair, who were interrupted by The Undisputed Kingdom. Adam Cole came in and did the Boom with them.
The Undisputed Kingdom (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) defeated Daniel Garcia, Angelo Parker, & Matt Menard
This is the best way to rehab the Undisputed Kingdom after the MJF feud, by having them earn back their cache in-ring. A solid match here to build a few issues in the midcard.
Shane Taylor Promotions were ringside. Cole & Garcia started off, with both teams getting quick tags in before Garcia laid out O’Reilly on the floor for a commercial break. After the break, the former Jericho Appreciation Society members were laying into O’Reilly in the corner before O’Reilly fought to his corner.
Cole got the hot tag and traded shots with Garcia, dropping him with a neckbreaker over the knee. Strong and Parker tagged in, with Strong running wild with backbreakers. O’Reilly and Strong laid out Menard with double forearms before pinning Parker with a Total Elimination. Both teams shook hands after the match as Shane Taylor Promotions glowered at the scene at ringside.
Max Caster was backstage, upset that his partner and his mentor turned their backs on him last week. He called himself a survivor and announced an Open Challenge Series, daring people to step up to the Best Wrestler Alive.
(I gotta tell you, I don’t like Caster’s chances.)
There was a blink-and-you’ll-miss it tease for Hologram, who has been out on paternity leave recently.
Top Flight was backstage with Lexy Nair. Dante was upset that Lio Rush & Action Andretti weren’t in the building, but Darius wasn’t surprised. He went off on Dante, noting that he never wanted Rush in the group to begin with. Andretti had helped them out while Dante was hurt, but Rush bailed on Dante when Darius got hurt prior to that. Darius challenged Rush to a match and promised to send him packing again.
(I’m intrigued by this lower-card feud, as it continues to evolve in a logical way and continues to keep these four talented guys on screen.)
Mariah May & Toni Storm’s Face-To-Face
I’ve been critical of this story, and I still don’t really understand why Storm pretended to not remember anything. But she got a big pop for the Timeless reveal and cut a good promo, so I guess all’s well that ends well.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to moderate the face-to-face between Toni Storm & Mariah May. May entered first, ready to get this s**t over with in her own words. May ran Storm down, calling her a joke and a meme before promising to humiliate Storm in her hometown. Storm said that she was May’s biggest fan, having followed her career from the UK to Japan to AEW. Storm said that she wanted to be just like May and gave her a hug. May reciprocated before slapping her in the face and laying her out with the title belt.
May went to leave, but Storm took the mic and asked why May thought she’d forgotten everything. Storm got back into her Timeless Toni voice and disrobed out of her rocker clothes, revealing that she was playing the role of herself and had given the performance of a lifetime. Storm fired up and said that she would rip May apart in Australia as the crowd went crazy.
We got a preview of a long form interview with Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli with Renee Paquette.
Hounds of Hell (Brody King & Buddy Matthews) (w/ Julia Hart) defeated Gates Of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
The House of Black is officially dead, and the Hounds of Hell are in their place. King and Matthews can be a cornerstone team in a rebuilt tag division, and can be a credible threat to the Hurt Syndicate moving forward.
King & Matthews came out with a new presentation and a new name as the Hounds of Hell. Matthews and Liona started off before King and Liona traded big shots. Kaun tagged in and helped Liona clubber on King in the corner. Matthews tagged in and took the Gates to the floor before hitting a big dive into the commercial break.
The Gates were running wild as we came back, dumping King over the timekeeper’s table before hitting a double tree slam on Matthews for a nearfall in the ring. King made his way back to the corner and got the tag, running wild on both Gates and hitting a DVD on Liona for a nearfall. Matthews cut off another tree slam, kicking off a move train. Liona no-sold a piledriver, but Matthews hit a Meteora to take him out. Matthews and King hit a corner cannonball/dropkick combination on Kaun for the win.
Big Boom AJ & Big Justice were backstage with Lexy Nair & Harley Cameron. Cameron didn’t know any of their gimmicks, and Deonna Purrazzo & Taya Valkyrie interrupted them all to talk trash to Cameron.
Penelope Ford & Thunder Rosa were backstage with Lexy Nair. Ford challenged Rosa to a match, and they talked trash to each other.
AEW TBS Title #1 Contendership Four Way Match – Yuka Sakazaki defeated Serena Deeb, Deonna Purrazzo (w/ Taya Valkyrie), Queen Aminata
The action came quickly, with all four women going for flash pins. No one had a clear advantage, with all the women laying in big shots. Sakazaki hit a big dive to the floor as we went to commercial. After the commercial, Purrazzo hit La Mistica on Aminata to lock on a Fujiwara Armbar, but Aminata fought out and they dropped each other with clotheslines.
Sakazaki hit a high cross on Deeb for a nearfall. Deeb came back with a flurry of suplexes and a short-arm lariat to Aminata for a nearfall. Deeb and Aminata brawled to the back, as Valkyrie got in the ring to help Purrazzo. Harley Cameron came out to take Valkyrie out of the match, and Sakazaki caught Purrazzo with a flash pin to win the title shot on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
The Hounds of Hell were in the back with Lexy Nair, with Buddy Matthews saying they barked as one. Kazuchika Okada was laughing at them off to the side, saying that they barked like bitches. Matthews challenged Okada to a title match, with Okada giving him a middle finger in denial. Matthews said that made Okada the bitch and walked off.
Big Bill was in the ring, calling out Powerhouse Hobbs again. Hobbs came out and bumped a bunch of security guards to get to the ring. Bill went after Hobbs’ knee and hit him with a backpack that contained a brick, Hobbs’ knee brace, and a set of handcuffs. Bill punched Hobbs with the handcuffs and bloodied him up as they made their way to the announce table. Bill drilled Hobbs with a chair. Hobbs came back and took Bill off the stage with a belly-to-belly off the stage through a table.
We got a pre-tape of the Don Callis Family meeting in Callis’ palatial estate. Callis noted that this was a different Kenny Omega, one that was bloodthirsty and ready to spill Callis’ blood. Cage brought up how they had the numbers advantage as it was five-on-two, but Callis reminded him that a barely focused Omega won three World Titles with Callis by his side. Callis said that Cage was wrong that there were only five of them, with the camera focusing on a sixth plate at the table.
AEW International Title Match – Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Katsuyori Shibata
An awesome main event here, as Shibata took Takeshita to the brink with Daily’s Place red-hot for it. Takeshita looked strong going into the big-time Grand Slam Australia tag match.
The two grappled to start the match, with Shibata almost scoring with the Penalty Kick. Shibata cornered Takeshita, but Takeshita fired out of the corner with a lariat. Takeshita took Shibata over the barricade and went for a running boot, but Shibata caught him with a boot and knocked him over a chair as we went to commercial.
Shibata hammered Takeshita in the corner as we came back from the break, landing the hesitation dropkick and the half-hatch suplex for a nearfall. Shibata teed off with kicks, but Takeshita came back with strikes of his own. Takeshita landed a big forearm, but Shibata came back with an STO. The two traded forearms before Shibata snatched on a sleeper hold. Takeshita tried to fall back, but Shibata held on to the hold.
Takeshita transitioned out of the sleeper into a Bastard Driver and a German suplex, but Shibata hammered Takeshita with a Penalty Kick as the fans chanted AEW. Shibata locked in the Cobra Twist as Don Callis went to ringside from the announce booth. The two men traded suplexes before Shibata got the sleeper hold on again. Callis cut off the Penalty Kick, allowing Takeshita to counter the sleeper with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a one count.
Takeshita ran through Shibata with a lariat and the Powerdrive Knee before landing Raging Fire for the win.
A match originally set to take place this past Wednesday is now official for this Saturday’s Homecoming edition of AEW Collision as Samoa Joe will face Nick Wayne.
Travel issues due to winter weather postponed the bout.
The former AEW World Champion made his surprise return on last week’s Dynamite to aid Hook against Christian Cage’s Patriarchy crew.
Joe hasn’t wrestled or appeared on AEW since last July when he lost to Chris Jericho in a street fight and was taken out backstage by a forklift driven through a wall by Jericho. It was a storyline to cover for Joe heading off to film season two of Twisted Metal for Peacock. Wayne is coming off a defeat to Hook on a late-December Rampage.
Here’s the current lineup for Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida:
Samoa Joe’s highly-anticipated return to the ring Wednesday had to be postponed due to travel issues.
After making his surprise return on last Wednesday’s Dynamite to aid Hook against Christian Cage’s Patriarchy crew, Joe was set to take on Nick Wayne in Knoxville, Tennessee.
However, AEW head Tony Khan tweeted an hour before the show that the match had to be postponed due to winter weather causing flight cancellations but that it would be rescheduled. However, it was not announced for either this Saturday’s Collision from Jacksonville, Florida, or next Wednesday’s Dynamite from Huntsville, Alabama, as of this writing.
None of The Patriarchy members or Joe appeared on Wednesday’s show.
Joe hasn’t wrestled since last July when he lost to Chris Jericho in a street fight and was taken out backstage by a forklift driven through a wall by Jericho. It was a storyline to cover for Joe heading off to film season two of Twisted Metal for Peacock. Wayne is coming off a defeat to Hook on a late-December Rampage.
Samoa Joe has returned to AEW after a hiatus of six months.
Joe made his return on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, helping Katsuyori Shibata save Hook from an attack at the hands of The Patriarchy.
The scheduled Christian Cage vs. Hook match broke down into chaos with a DQ finish after Kip Sabian and Nick Wayne jumped into the ring to attack Hook. Shibata was in Hook’s corner and jumped in to save, but the attack was still three-on-two.
Joe’s music then hit, with the former AEW World Champion entering to even the odds.
Samoa Joe has been absent from AEW programming since losing a Stampede Street Fight to Chris Jericho last July.
A subsequent stretcher angle in a backstage segment with Jericho pushing Joe through a wall wrote Joe out of storylines. It was reported at the time that Joe was taking time off to film another season of Peacock’s Twisted Metal, where he plays the role of Sweet Tooth, a character voiced by Will Arnett.
AEW star Samoa Joe is featured in the next edition of Sega’s hit video game series “Like a Dragon.”
The game — “Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii” — is scheduled to be released on February 28, 2025. Joe’s inclusion was revealed today with his character making a brief appearance in the game’s announcement trailer, showing up at the 6:30 mark.
Joe shared video of the trailer to his social media accounts. Kenny Omega, who is a fan of the series and appeared in a previous “Like a Dragon” game, sent out a tweet reacting to Joe being in the trailer:
Last November, the “Like a Dragon” series sponsored a street fight on AEW Dynamite where Omega, Kota Ibushi, Chris Jericho & Paul Wight defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Powerhouse Hobbs, Kyle Fletcher & Brian Cage.
Mason Madden of MxM Collection joked that he’s “never been more jealous” than seeing Joe in the trailer for the new game. It will be available on PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One when it releases next February.
Joe is a former AEW World Champion, holding the title for 113 days from December 2023 until April 2024. He’s been away from AEW programming since July due to filming for the Peacock series “Twisted Metal.” Joe plays the character Sweet Tooth in that show.
Samoa Joe has had great experiences everywhere, but — if he had to choose — he’d pick Ring of Honor as his favorite wrestling promotion he’s worked for.
Joe took part in a Q&A at Terrificon 2024 earlier this month. During the session, a fan asked Joe to name his favorite company that he’s wrestled for. He chose ROH, explaining that it’s an experience that happened when he was young and he enjoyed the pressure that came with being so involved with everything the promotion was doing.
“I’ve been asked this a few times. I’ve had super positive experiences in every company I’ve worked for. So, it’s like, I don’t have probably a lot of the hardship stories a lot of other wrestlers do as far as dealing with companies. You know — if it was really gun against my head, really got to come up with an answer: ROH, but it was only because I was so hands-on in everything that there was there and in the building,” Joe responded.
“You know, if I didn’t draw, the company was pretty much screwed. Or if we didn’t draw, the company was pretty much screwed. So it was a lot more kind of pressure on us. We were very much responsible for every bit of success that we had to garner out there. So I mean just from that environment and that aspect and being young and traveling — like I said, the punk rock atmosphere of the ROH crowd. Yeah, that’s something I really look back on and enjoy.”
Joe holds the record for the longest ROH World Champion reign in history, holding the title for 645 days from March 2003 to December 2004. He was one of four acts inducted into the ROH Hall of Fame in 2022. The Briscoes, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk were also inducted.
After Tony Khan acquired ROH, Joe returned to the promotion and had a run as ROH Television Champion. He’s also held the AEW World Championship once. WWE and TNA are among the other promotions Joe has worked for.
Joe is currently taking some time off from AEW programming due to filming for his role as Sweet Tooth in Peacock’s “Twisted Metal” series. The filming runs through at least October.
Also during the Terrificon Q&A, Joe named Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay as two people he wants to wrestle in AEW who he hasn’t gotten the chance to face yet.
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On AEW Dynamite last night, there was an angle where Samoa Joe was stretchered out following his Stampede Street Fight against Chris Jericho.
Jericho won the street fight by referee stoppage after Big Bill and Bryan Keith helped him take out Joe. The ending of the match was Jericho driving a forklift through a wall while Joe was on it. Joe then got taken away in an ambulance as part of the angle.
Dave Meltzer confirmed on Wrestling Observer Radio that the angle was done because Joe will be away filming the second season of Peacock’s “Twisted Metal” series, where Joe plays the character Sweet Tooth. PWInsider had reported that this was the likely reason for the stretcher angle. Their report said the show starts filming later this month and runs through at least October, but there will be breaks between certain episodes that could potentially allow Joe to show back up in AEW.
“The second season starts filming like in a couple of weeks and it’s going to be filming through I think October maybe,” Meltzer said. “That’s the deal. It was an injury angle to cover that he’s going to be out of action. That’s the situation. That’s why he lost the street fight. That’s why he’s doing the injury angle. And then when he comes back, he’s got a built-in grudge with Jericho to come back for.”
Joe physically plays Sweet Tooth in “Twisted Metal” while the character is voiced by actor Will Arnett. The show is based on the “Twisted Metal” video game series.
Image: AEW
A Stampede street fight between FTW Champion Chris Jericho and former AEW World Champion Samoa Joe has been added to this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The two have been involved in a feud for several weeks which has included Jericho’s Learning Tree members Big Bill and Bryan Keith in addition to Joe’s partners Katsuyori Shibata and Hook. The latter defeated Jericho, Bill and Jeff Cobb at last Sunday’s Forbidden Door.
On this past Wednesday’s Dynamite, Jericho, Bill and Keith attacked Joe, Shibata and Hook after their trios win over The Cage of Agony and left them laying. Later on, Jericho threw a fireball at Hook’s face following another attack.
The match is not for Jericho’s FTW title.
This will be their first singles match since an April 2017 edition of WWE Raw which was only the second time they have gone one-on-one.
Here’s the current lineup for Wednesday:
