Aussie Open have been forced to relinquish their IWGP Tag Team and NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles due to an injury to Mark Davis.
Kyle Fletcher appeared at Sunday’s Resurgence event in Long Beach, California and revealed that his tag partner Davis had suffered an injury that has forced the duo to vacate both sets of their Tag Team titles.
New Champions will be crowned at NJPW Dominion on June 4 in Osaka. A previously scheduled three-way tag team bout between Aussie Open, House of Torture, and Bishamon will now be House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) in a tag bout for both the IWGP Tag and NJPW Strong Tag titles.
Aussie Open had held the IWGP Tag titles since defeating Goto and YOSHI-HASHI for the belts at Sakura Genesis on April 8. They then defeated Motor City Machine Guns a week later at Capital Collision in Washington D.C. to capture the Strong titles.
Aussie Open are now double champions in NJPW, but not everyone was left unscathed after the match.
On Monday morning’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez discussed Hiroshi Tanahashi suffering a broken rib when he and Kazuchika Okada took on the Motor City Machine Guns and Aussie Open in a three-way for the Strong Tag Team titles at NJPW Capital Collision on Saturday. Alvarez guessed that the injury may have happened during a collision spot on the outside by members of Aussie Open.
“As [Tanahashi] fell, he kind of hit the ring apron, but didn’t hit it super hard or sold for it, so it may not have been that,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez also suggested that Tanahashi may have been injured in the combo cutter move that took place right after the collision spot. He said after that spot, it was clear Tanahashi was hurting and toughing out the rest of the match, including what he called “one of the worst high fly flows ever.”
Another spot Alvarez pointed out was when Kyle Fletcher did a moonsault and crashed hard into the barricade, saying at first he thought it was the legs but then saw he was draped over the guardrail. But despite the injuries, Alvarez had positive thoughts on the match.
“It was a really good match despite the injury and the near injury,” he said.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the death of Butch Miller, SummerSlam tickets, reviews and notes on New Japan this weekend, TripleMania, Smackdown, Rampage, Impact’s PPV, plus more news. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: More on Butch Miller’s death
2:18: SummerSlam ticket sales, Drew McIntyre still out
6:06: Mercedes Mone makes Stardom appearance, John Morrison wins boxing debut
10:55: WWE King & Queen of the Ring is now Night of Champions
12:40: Dana White mad at Clay Guida over retirement swerve
14:39: Impact Rebellion notes
19:54: NJPW Strong weekend shows recap
30:14: AAA Triplemania Monterrey recap
46:45: WWE SmackDown recap
54:24: AEW Rampage recap
1:04:58: Raw preview, Nick Khan on WWE/Peacock deal
Aussie Open will defend their NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles in the main event of Collision in Philadelphia.
An injury to Hiroshi Tanahashi forced him off today’s card and out of what had been scheduled as a trios match main event with Tanahashi, Lio Rush, and Tomohiro Ishii facing TJP & Aussie Open. Travel issues also prevented TJP from making it to Philadelphia for the show.
The new main event for Collision in Philadelphia features Aussie Open defending the Strong Tag titles against Ishii & Lio Rush. Aussie Open won a triple threat match last night in Washington at Capital Collision to win the Strong titles.
A tournament to determine the number one contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP United States title also kicks off today.
What had been advertised as Lance Archer vs. Juice Robinson will now be Archer vs. Fred Rosser due to a storyline suspension given to Robinson. The winner of today’s match will face either Tanahashi or Will Ospreay at NJPW Dominion in Osaka, Japan in June.
Today’s undercard:
Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi vs. KENTA & Chase Owens
AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy defends against Gabriel Kidd
Homicide & Rocky Romero vs. SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito vs. Tom Lawlor, Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs
Clark Connors vs. The DKC
ROH Pure rules match: Alex Coughlin vs. Tracy Williams
El Desperado & Volador Jr. vs. Delirious & Kevin Knight
Our live coverage begins at 5 p.m. Eastern time.
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El Desperado & Volador Jr. defeated Delirious & Kevin Knight
Delirious started things off by leaping at Desperado, but after missing, he had Volador tag in before tagging out himself. Knight and Volador had a competitive sequence before Desperado tagged back into the match to take the lead. Delirious grabbed Desperado by the leg, pulling his team back into the match.
A hot tag to Volador after an extended period of opposition control led to a strong comeback. Only by escaping to the floor were Knigh and Delirious able to stay competitive.
Eventually, Desperado tagged in, leading to a strike exchange between him and Delirious. A frankensteiner/frog splash combination nearly scored the Knight/Delirious team the win. After Volador broke up the pin, he hit a backbreaker, setting Desperado up for a match-winning Pinche Loco.
Pure Rules: Alex Coughlin defeated Tracy Williams
I loved this match. From the compelling mat work to the explosive transitions, this was pure wrestling.
The match opened with mat work that quickly escalated. Williams and Coughlin locked hands, trading pins, holds, and bridges. Once the grip was broken, Williams dropped Coughlin and landed a suplex from the top rope before returning to working on the mat. From the mat, Coughlin secured underhooks, which nearly ended with a driver, but Williams flipped free and landed a suplex.
Williams struck Coughlin down before locking in a sleeper. Coughlin stood out of the sleeper, landing a powerbomb to reset the match in his favor. A vertical suplex from Coughlin scored him a nearfall.
In the end, the pair looked to trade strikes. Coughlin ducked a Williams lariat, hitting a bridging German suplex to win the match.
Clark Connors defeated The DKC
Before the match, David Finlay cut a promo. He berated ELP and hyped Connors. Finlay then declared he would be the first Bullet Club leader who “gets the Bullet Club before the Bullet Club gets him”. His Bullet Club would be willing to make cuts to maintain a roster of “killers”.
DKC rushed the ring to start the match, scoring a quick, if short, lead. It didn’t take long for Connors to reverse momentum. Connors dominated DKC, taking his time to pick him apart. Conners ended DKC’s only attempt at a rally with four nice spears. Connors then pinned DKC to win his first match with Bullet Club.
Team Filthy (Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaacs & Tom Lawlor) defeated TMDK (Bad Dude Tito, Shane Haste & Zack Sabre Jr.)
This match was a ton of fun. Lawlor and ZSJ have crazy chemistry, and the rest of TMDK gel very well with the West Coast Wrecking Crew—a great match.
Before the match could begin, Team Filthy was caught with a metal carabiner, a tube of super glue, and a toothbrush. The referee confiscated all of their foreign objects.
The actual match saw TMDK gain a short lead that ended when Nelson landed a sudden backbreaker, and Team Filthy rushed the ring. Team Filthy then used their advantage to slow the pace while isolating Haste.
Haste reversed a move from the top rope into a superplex, buying him a hot tag into ZSJ. ZSJ locked Nelson and Isaacs in submissions simultaneously to establish TMDK control. Lawlor was forced to tag in to help his team stay competitive.
ZSJ and Lawlor went back and forth. When ZSJ landed a strike, Lawlor answered with one of his own. When ZSJ locked in a hold, Lawlor established on of his own. This stalemate forced a double tag.
Tito and Isaacs tagged in, traded bombs for a few seconds, and tagged out. Haste and Nelson tagged in and also traded heavy strikes, forcing another double tag, leaving ZSJ and Lawlor alone in the ring once more.
ZSJ and Lawlor went off on one another. ZSJ caught Lawlor in a cobra twist as TMDK played defense. Lawlor broke free regardless, leading to a match breakdown. After a chaotic war between the teams, Lawlor landed a knee to the back of Tito’s head, leading directly to the pin.
The match began with Rocky turning down a drink from Kanemaru’s whiskey. After this, SANADA and Homicide had a fairly uneventful back-and-forth to start the actual competition. Rocky and Kanemaru soon tagged in and had a mat-based exchange that Rocky left with the upper hand.
Homicide tagged into the match, but Kanemaru gained the upper hand, forcing Rocky to involve himself again. The match then spilled to the floor, where Rocky and Homicide gained a significant lead.
A tag to SANADA turned the match back to J5G favored. A dropkick to Rocky and Homicide allowed SANADA to tie Rocky in the paradise lock.
Rocky saving Homicide from Skull End resulted in a match breakdown. Homicide scored a nearfall over SANADA with a cutter. Homicide tried to close again with the cop killer, but SANADA reversed, turning it into a bridging pin to win the match.
AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) defeated Gabriel Kidd
This was another great match on this show and another great Cassidy defense.
Kidd rushed Cassidy to try for an early lead, but Cassidy was able to hold on through the blitz. Cassidy landed a dive that forced Kidd to slow down, much to his favor. Kidd landed a big chop that sent Cassidy to the floor. Back in the ring, Kidd taunted Cassidy with his own mannerisms.
During Kidd’s control, a camera revealed David Finlay and Clark Conners were watching on from the balcony.
Kidd’s taunting proved to be his downfall as it allowed Cassidy to gain a leg up. Cassidy landed a super kick, a Superman punch, a top rope crossbody, and a DDT for a nearfall.
Cassidy climbed to the top for another dive, but Kidd caught him with a brainbuster. Kidd then tried choking Cassidy out with a visually impressive choke from the top rope. Kidd missed the moonsault follow-up, but he hit a spinning tombstone piledriver regardless.
Cassidy caught Kidd with an orange punch, but Kidd bounced off the rope with a lariat. Kidd tried to follow up with a kimura, but Cassidy transitioned into a mouse trap pin, which scored him the win.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & KENTA)
The opening scramble saw LIJ rush Owens to establish an early lead. Once KENTA involved himself, Bullet Club was able to take control.
KENTA ended an LIJ rally with a DDT but failed to hit the GTS. Hiromu answered with a dragonscrew, forcing a double tag. Naito made quick work of most Owens resistance, but a Destino reversal into snake eyes allowed Bullet Club to maintain their lead. A running knee forced Hiromu to make the save.
Owens reversed another Destino, but Hiromu was quick to help Naito recover. Finally, after another team-on-team brawl, Naito hit Destino to win the match.
After the match, Rocky Romero walked to the ring. He asked Hiromu about an All-Star Junior Festival in the United States. On August 19th in Philidelphia’s 2300 Arena, the All-Star Junior Festival will make its U.S. debut.
IWGP United States Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Tournament Match: Lance Archer defeated Fred Rosser
Rosser came to the ring taped up following his brutal beatdown last night.
Archer cut a promo before the match. He threatened Rosser’s life before asking him to make this a Philadelphia street fight. He grabbed two kendo sticks, one for himself and one for Rosser. Rosser accepted for some reason.
This was a bad match.
Rosser was the first to strike, using the Kendo stick to the best of his ability, but Archer was able to wade the storm. On the outside, Archer slowly beat down Rosser, eventually fighting into the crowd.
At some point, they disappeared. The cameras couldn’t find them, and the fans chanted, “We can’t see.” Once the cameras did find them, they were meandering around the outside.
Archer continually attacked Rosser with kendo sticks, paying particular attention to his stitched head, eventually drawing blood. Archer then used a chair to continue his attack.
Rosser sidestepped an Archer attack, sending him crashing into a chair. Rosser took advantage, beating him with a kendo stick. After laying out Archer, Rosser locked in a stepover chicken wing. Before Archer could tap, Juice Robinson came out from the crowd and attacked Rosser, and because this was a street fight, there were no repercussions.
A loaded Left Hand of God from Juice and a lariat from Archer allowed the Murderhawk Monster to secure a win and advance in the tournament.
After the match, Archer cut another promo. He called out Tony Khan and Kenny Omega. He said Omega couldn’t beat without help. He then said Khan couldn’t protect Omega for long. Archer said he’d win the tournament in Osaka and dethrone Omeaga at Forbidden Door 2.
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship: Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) (c) defeated CHAOS (Lio Rush & Tomohiro Ishii)
The feeling-out process ended early, as Davis called out Ishii. Ishii and Davis traded blows, but Rush tagged in, which caused a short brawl favoring CHAOS. Once Fletcher recovered, he rushed the ring allowing Aussie Open to take the lead.
Rush avoided a senton, buying him the time to tag in Ishii. Ishii fought off both of his opponents, standing tall after a shoulder tackle. Fletcher blocked the brainbuster and sent Ishii to the floor in an attempt to rally.
Fletcher tried to hit a dive from the rope, but Davis stopped him from doing so. This distraction allowed Rush to hit a super rana and re-establish control. Ishii and Rush isolated Fletcher, hitting him with multiple tandem moves.
Once Davis recovered, he hit the ring, helping Fletcher to survive the Chaos attack. This led to another Ishii/Fletcher exchange, ending with an Ishii brainbuster. Ishii could not finish, and a Saito sent him to the floor.
Rush landed a dive to the floor, buying Ishii enough time to recover. Together, Ishii and Rush knocked Davis off his feet. Ishii scored a nearfall with a lariat, but Davis reversed his brainbuster attempt into a suplex.
Rush tried to pick up where Ishii left off, but Davis dropped him with a crucifix powerbomb. Once Ishii could help Rush, they turned things back around. Ishii landed a lariat into a Rush frog splash, forcing Fletcher to make the save.
Fletcher and Davis worked together to fight back against the CHAOS pair. A lariat to Rush marked the end of a team-on-team struggle, leaving all four men on the mat.
A double boot set Rush up for Coriolis, but Ishii made the save. Fletcher dropped Ishii with a piledriver, leaving Davis free to land a piledriver of his own on Rush. Then Aussie Open landed a lariat and Coriolis to close out their first Never Openweight Tag Team championship defense.
Fletcher cut the show-ending promo, which was primarily braggadocious, with a slight jab at FTR inserted.
Aussie Open are now double champions in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada and champions The Motor City Machine Guns in the main event of Saturday’s Capitol Collision event in Washington DC to win the Strong Tag Team titles for a second time. The finish of the match had Aussie Open isolate Chris Sabin in the ring, then pinned him after connecting with Coriolis.
After the match, Kyle Fletcher acknowledged that they deserved being champions. He declared Aussie Open the best tag team in the world. After the fans chanted FTR, Fletcher dismissed it saying they were going to begin their own collection of belts and finished the show by saying that they run the world.
This ends The Motor City Machine Guns’ run with the Strong Openweight Tag Team titles after 170 days, defeating Aussie Open at Rumble on 44th Street back on October 28 of last year.
Earlier this month at Sakura Genesis, Aussie Open won the IWGP Tag Team titles for the first time, defeating Bishimon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) at Sumo Hall.
It’s Saturday and that means it’s time for Wrestling Observer Live.
Does it feel like we’re in the middle of a post-WrestleMania lull? WWE is somewhat spinning its wheels waiting for the draft in two weeks and Backlash after that. It’s hard to tell what has consequence and what will be reset with the draft.
Meanwhile, it feels like AEW is awaiting the impending return of CM Punk.
Plus, I talk about Stardom, Friday’s SmackDown and Rampage, Sunday’s Impact Rebellion, and I remember the late Butch Miller from his time in Portland Wrestling. You’ll hear him like you probably have never heard him before.
Friday’s AEW Rampage will kickoff at approximately 9:30 PM Eastern or after the NBA playoffs coverage concludes on TNT.
In a featured match, IWGP Tag Team Champions Aussie Open will defend their titles against Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) as they look to join Orange Cassidy as a champion.
“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry will try to keep pace with the other “four pillars” in pursuit of AEW World Champion MJF as he faces the returning Shawn Spears.
AEW Tag Team Champions FTR will have some things to say in an in-ring promo. The show will also feature promos from Jeff & Matt Hardy and Angelo Parker, Matt Menard & Jake Hager.
Taya Valkyrie will hope to remain undefeated in her AEW career as she faces Emi Sakura.
The new and unorthodox foursome of Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh will be in eight-man tag team action
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Taped in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone on commentary. The show started shortly after 9:40pm EST after the end of the Heat/Bulls game.
Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) defeated Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship (9:24)
This was great opener.
Excalibur plugged the next title defense for whoever wins this match in New Japan, then ran down the history of the titles. Chuck Taylor hit both members of Aussie Open with a tope con hilo. In the ring, Beretta caught Fletcher with a high crossbody off the top for a near fall.
Aussie Open took the fight to the floor, where they dropped both of the Best Friends on the ring open back first. Then Aussie Open each grabbed one of their opponents and ran around the ringside area (in opposite directions) to collide on the other side of the ring. Back in the ring, Aussie Open punished Beretta with a delayed vertical suplex.
After a split-screen break, Fletcher caught Beretta with a cutter off the middle rope for a near fall. Taylor and Davis brawled around ringside, where Taylor sent Davis into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Fletcher nearly fought out of a superplex attempt, but Taylor gave Beretta the assist (in a variation of the stacker suplex spot). After that, the Best Friends had to give the people what they want!
Beretta came off the top with a knee strike on Fletcher (while he was on Taylor’s shoulders) for a near fall. Fletcher caught Taylor with a spinning tombstone pilerdriver, and Davis yanked Beretta up by his legs and into a standard piledriver. Aussie Open finished Taylor off with the Coriolis and got the win. Great stuff.
– Sonjay Dutt tried assuage Mark Briscoe’s concerns with his new teammates, but this isn’t what Briscoe signed up for. They tried to give Briscoe a new shirt with the faces of the team on it, but Mark’s face was all the way off in the corner. Briscoe did not look happy.
– Tony Schiavone interviewed FTR in the ring. Cash Wheeler announced they were resigned with AEW for four more years. After those four years, they’re done with wrestling. Yeah, okay. Wheeler wants FTR to be known as the greatest tag team of all time. Dax Harwood still hasn’t figured out why the crowd likes them. He decided it must be because the fans like their redemption story.
– Lexi Nair interviewed The Hardys, Hook and Isiah Kassidy. Jeff was somewhat humble about facing his demons and his path back to AEW. Matt announced that this team will take on The Firm at the Hardy Compound in what will be the Firm’s Deletion.
Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett & Satnam Singh defeated Manscout Jake Manning, Angelico, Luther & Serpentico (2:00)
Collectively, Angelico, Luther, and Serpentico are known as the Spanish Announce Project.
The heels jumped the Manscout’s team before the bell, even though Briscoe wanted to fight these guys fairly. And Jarrett continued to liberally cheat while Briscoe tried to face the Manning straight up. This match fell apart quickly. Singh dumped Serpentico onto the other members of the Spanish Announce Project, then gave Manning a chokeslam. Briscoe dropped the Froggy Bow for the pinfall. Briscoe left, disgusted with his partners.
– Recap of the feud between the Blackpool Combat Club and the Elite.
Taya Valkyrie defeated Emi Sakura
Valkyrie is undefeated and Sakrua’s only recent loss is to the Women’s World Champion, Jamie Hayter. Valkyrie got a near fall after a knee strike in the corner. Sakura tried to suplex Valkyrie, but she blocked it. Valkyire hit a clotheline for a near fall. Valkyrie tried for the Road to Valhalla, but Sakura blocked the move. Jade Cargill and Leila Grey came out to watch the match. This distraction allowed Sakura to get the advantage as the show headed to commercial.
During the break, Cargill and Grey ventured down to the ringside area. Sakura sent Valkyrie into the steel stairs, then tossed her back into the ring for a near fall. Valkyrie came back with a blue thunder bomb and a spear. Valkyrie dropped Sakura with the Road to Valhalla and got the pinfall.
After the match, Grey and Cargill ran in to attack Valkyire. Grey fell victim to the Road to Valhalla. Cargill and Valkyrie exchanged forearms, but Grey recovered enough to cheapshot Valkyrie, and Cargill dropped her with the Jaded Slam.
Everytime Cargill is on TV, she comes across as a star.
– Jose the Assistant challenged El Hijo de Vikingo on behalf of Dralístico for Vikingo’s AAA Mega championship. This match was made official for next Saturday’s Rampage.
– In the ring, Jericho Appreciation Society members Matt Menard, Angelo Parker and Jake Hager cut an awful rap on the Acclaimed. Jake Hager still loves his hat. The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn ran out to attack. The Acclaimed held open Matt Menard for Billy Gunn to cut off his nipples (with actual scissors!), but Parker and Hager made the save. The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn challenged Hager, Menard and Parker for Dynamite Wednesday. This match was made official later in the show.
New for Dynamite Wednesday: Jay White v. Kommander (in Jay’s first match as a full-time member of the AEW roster) and a confrontation between Adam Cole & Chris Jericho.
“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry defeated Shawn Spears (8:59)
In the pre-match promo, Mark Henry attempted to give this match a storyline by suggesting Spears was still a heavy for MJF. But, Spears shot that down. Spears is no longer an ally of MJF and wants to be the champion. Spears actually cut a very good promo laying out his intentions.
It seemed like Spears was trying to bring back the “Perfect 10” stuff from his NXT/WWE days. Both men teased dives to the floor early on. While Spears and Perry brawled around the ringside area, Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara were both shown watching the match in the back.
After a break, Perry fought out of a superplex attempt and caught Spears with a crossbody for a near fall. Spears hit a pump kick, but Perry came back with a pair of supericks. Perry hit his rebound lariat. Spears sent Perry over the top to the apron, but Perry caught him with an enziguri. Perry tried to spring back into the ring, but Spears caught him and drove him down with a draping DDT for a near fall. Spears went for the C4, but Perry countered and hit a leaping flatliner for a near fall. Spears came back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Spears went for the La Magistral cradle, but Perry shifted his weight and held Spears down for the three count.
After the match, Perry and Spears shook hands in a show of respect. Now Perry, Guevara and Alli are all 2-0 since they all stated their intention to take MJF’s AEW World title.
Final Thoughts:
This crazy idea of giving all the other pillars a bunch of wins in advance of a title match with MJF just might work.
Aussie Open will defend the IWGP Tag Team titles against Best Friends on Friday’s AEW Rampage.
Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor of Best Friends issued the challenge to Aussie Open’s Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles in a backstage promo on Wednesday’s Dynamite, and the match was officially announced for Friday’s Rampage episode.
Aussie Open defeated Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI to win the IWGP Tag titles at Saturday’s NJPW Sakura Genesis event.
The return of Shawn Spears has also been announced for Rampage.
Spears last wrestled for AEW in October in Toronto, teaming with FTR in a trios bout. On Rampage, Spears will face “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry.
FTR, the AEW World Tag Team Champions, have also been announced for a promo on Rampage.
Taya Valkyrie will take on Emi Sakura on Rampage in a women’s division contest.
Mark Briscoe will team with Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, and Satnam Singh on Rampage in an eight-man tag against unannounced opponents.
A promo from Matt Menard and Angelo Parker of the Jericho Appreciation Society has also been announced for Friday’s Rampage.
Rampage will air as early as 9:30 p.m. Eastern time this Friday on TNT, or immediately following the conclusion of TNT’s coverage of the NBA playoffs. Pre-game coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern time, with the game scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
Friday’s Rampage lineup:
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Aussie Open defend against Best Friends
Jungle Boy vs. Shawn Spears
Taya Valkyrie vs. Emi Sakura
Mark Briscoe, Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh vs. TBA
An all-star triple threat match for this month’s NJPW Capital Collision will see NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions Motor City Machine Guns defend against Aussie Open and Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada in a three-way.
The pay-per-view is set for April 15th from the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, DC.
The match was made following an angle shot after Thursday’s Impact x NJPW Multiverse United. Following his victory over Mike Bailey, Tanahashi was being interviewed backstage when he was confronted by the Machine Guns. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley respectfully asked for a match against he and Okada, but before Tanahashi could respond, Aussie Open entered the scene.
Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher said that they were next in line for a shot at MCMG’s titles, leading to Shelley then saying they would defend the belts against both teams in a triple threat.
Backstage after his Multiverse United main event, @tanahashi1_100 was confronted by Motor City Machineguns AND Aussie Open?!
An angle to set up KENTA’s Strong Openweight Championship match at Capital Collision also played out following Thursday’s show. KENTA was confronted backstage by Eddie Edwards, who asked for a title shot.
NJPW made the match official on Saturday.
Now official for 4/15!
After a challenge issued backstage at Multiverse United, Eddie Edwards will challenge KENTA for the STRONG Openweight Championship at Capital Collision!
Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal vs. Aussie Open is one of six matches announced for next week’s Ring of Honor TV.
After defeating The Outrunners on this week’s ROH TV, Daniels & Sydal were challenged by Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis of Aussie Open to a future contest. That match was made official for next week’s episode.
Ahead of challenging Samoa Joe for the ROH TV title at Supercard of Honor, Mark Briscoe will be in action on next week’s show against Tony Nese.
In a women’s division contest, Skye Blue will take on Lady Frost on next week’s episode.
Continuing the issue between Top Flight and The Kingdom, Darius Martin will be in singles action against Matt Taven next week.
The Trustbusters will face AR Fox, Blake Christian, and Metalik in a trios bout on next week’s show.
Also announced, Silas Young will take on Shane Taylor.
Next week’s lineup:
Ring of Honor TV, Thursday, March 23, 7 p.m. Eastern time on Honor Club —
Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal vs. Aussie Open
Mark Briscoe vs. Tony Nese
Skye Blue vs. Lady Frost
The Trustbusters vs. AR Fox, Blake Christian & Metalik
The following are spoilers from this Friday’s AEW Rampage and this Monday’s AEW Dark: Elevation, taped in Phoenix, Arizona Wednesday.
AEW Rampage
The Young Bucks defeated Aussie Open. After the match, the lights went out and The House of Black surrounded the ring. However, the lights went out again and when they came on again, they were gone.
Toni Storm defeated Willow Nightingale. Ruby Soho made the save after the match before Saray and Storm could use their spraypaint on her. Jamie Hayter entered the ring and attacked Saraya.
Lance Archer defeated Bryce Saturn. Jake Roberts was with Archer.
Sammy Guevara defeated Action Andretti
AEW Dark: Elevation
Emi Sakura defeated Rachelle Riveter
The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) defeated EJ Sparks and Aguila
Marina Shafir, Diamante & Nyla Rose defeated Mazzerati, Miss Anna May & Brittnie Brooks
Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Evan Daniels
The Firm (Ethan Page, Matt Hardy & Isiah Kassidy) defeated Watson, Action Braxton & Ice Williams
After returning to AEW during a battle royal on Wednesday, Aussie Open has their next assignment: former AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks.
Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis were eliminated midway through the aforementioned match with the Bucks’ match announced shortly thereafter.
While they have squared off in trios action, this will be their first-ever tag team match against each other.
In a related note, the House of Black have said they will go face-to-face with The Elite on Friday ahead of what is assumed to be a future Trios title match at Revolution.
Friday’s show will also feature former AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm against Willow Nightingale.
After going public with his frustration about not being used, Lance Archer will return to action against an opponent to be named.
After the events of last week’s Rampage, Keith Lee & Dustin Rhodes will share some thoughts. Lee returned to aid Rhodes after he was being beat down by Swerve Strickland and Parker Boudreaux.
The new additions join the previously announced Sammy Guevara vs. Action Andretti match.
Here’s the current lineup for Friday that is being taped after Wednesday’s Rampage:
Young Bucks vs. Aussie Open
Sammy Guevara vs. Action Andretti
Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale
Lance Archer in action
Dustin Rhodes & Keith Lee promo
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In the only new addition to next Wednesday’s Dynamite, FTW Champion Hook has been reinstated and will return to action against a member of The Firm chosen by Stokely Hathaway.
It joins the previously announced Casino tag team battle royale for the final slot in the Tag Team title four-way at March’s Revolution pay-per-view.
Impact Wrestling has announced four matches for Thursday’s broadcast.
A four-way tag team match has been added to the show. The Motor City Machine Guns will take on Ace Austin & Chris Bey, Aussie Open, and Raj Singh & Shera.
Tasha Steelz vs. Jessika and Rich Swann vs. Laredo Kid has been announced for Thursday’s episode as well.
Yuya Uemura vs. Andrew Everett is this week’s Before the Impact match.
Impact Wrestling on Thursday, November 17 was filmed on October 22 from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas. The advertised lineup for the show is as follows:
Steve Maclin vs. Tommy Dreamer no DQ match
Eric Young vs. Sami Callihan Death Machine’s Double Jeopardy match
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Raj Singh & Shera
Jessika vs. Tasha Steelz
Yuya Uemura vs. Andrew Everett (Before the Impact)
PJ Black vs. Black Taurus in an X-Division title tournament semifinal
Impact Over Drive takes place the following night on Friday, November 18 from the Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. It will air live on Impact Plus.
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defends against Frankie Kazarian
Last Knockout Standing match: Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Masha Slamovich
Impact Tag Team Champions Heath & Rhino defend against The Major Players
Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Death Dollz defend against Tasha Steelz & Savannah Evans
Mickie James vs. Taylor Wilde
X-Division title tournament finals: Trey Miguel vs. TBD
A three-way match for the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles is in the works for this month’s Rumble on 44th Street pay-per-view in New York City.
NJPW uploaded a video on Monday night where Strong Openweight Champions Aussie Open accepted a challenge from Kevin Knight & The DKC. But Aussie Open said The Motor City Machine Guns are first in line for a title shot. Aussie Open proposed a three-way title match for Rumble on 44th Street. It will be Aussie Open vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Knight & The DKC.
Motor City Machine Guns getting a shot at the titles was set up when they defeated Aussie Open in a non-title match on Impact Wrestling last month. Aussie Open said they’re desperate to avenge that loss.
Aussie Open were crowned the inaugural Strong Openweight Champions on NJPW Strong this summer.
The Palladium Times Square is hosting Rumble on 44th Street on Friday, October 28. A Halloween-themed event titled The Night Before Rumble on 44th Street is also taking place at the Palladium Times Square on Thursday, October 27. Both pay-per-views will air live via Fite TV.
Here’s the updated Rumble on 44th Street card:
NJPW Rumble on 44th Street (Friday, October 28) —
Kazuchika Okada & Eddie Kingston vs. Jay White & Juice Robinson
Provisional KOPW 2022 Champion Shingo Takagi defends against El Phantasmo
NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) defend against Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) and Kevin Knight & The DKC in a three-way match
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including AEW and NXT line-ups for Tuesday, the full RAW report for Monday night, AEW’s reality show, FTR vs. Aussie Open, ratings, Shocker arrested, MMA fighters no longer allowed to gamble on fights and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Triple H out with COVID, NXT and AEW lineups for Tuesday
6:15: AEW to film backstage reality show
7:30: Sammy Guevara in Dubai for Floyd Mayweather fight
12:32: Vince McMahon Vice documentary not airing on Tuesday, Territories
18:48: FTR vs. Aussie Open from NJPW Royal Quest II
24:52: Ratings
29:35: Shocker arrested
32:32: UFC fighters no longer allowed to bet on UFC fights
