Tony Khan confirmed that following her surprise appearance at Forbidden Door, Baker would be appearing on Dynamite this coming Wednesday.
“Welcome back to AEW, Dr @RealBrittBaker DMD, tonight at #AEWForbiddenDoor!” Khan wrote on X. “See you Wednesday in Chicago on TBS at #AEWDynamite!”
Shortly after Mercedes Mone won the New Japan Strong Women’s title from Stephanie Vaquer, Baker entered the arena and had a staredown with Mone while she was still in the ring.
Baker has not been seen on television since September of last year. During a media call last week, Khan said that Baker “could be returning soon” after being out of action with an injury.
The announced card for AEW Dynamite Beach Break set for Wednesday, July 3:
AEW International Champion Will Ospreay defends against Daniel Garcia
Owen Hart Foundation men’s tournament quarterfinals: Jeff Jarrett vs. a wild card entry of The Young Bucks’ choosing
Owen Hart Foundation men’s tournament semifinals: PAC vs. Bryan Danielson
Owen Hart Foundation women’s tournament semifinals: Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale
After more than ten months out of action, the doctor is back in as Britt Baker made her return to AEW during Sunday’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view to confront Mercedes Mone.
Following Mone’s win over Stephanie Vaquer that brought her the NJPW Strong Women’s title in addition to her own TBS title, Baker’s music hit to a thunderous reaction from the Long Island, New York, fans.
Baker stayed on the ramp, but stared down Mone as the champ champ stared right back at her, holding both title belts in the air. She didn’t cut any promo.
The two have never squared off before with August’s All In at London’s Wembley Stadium looking like a strong possibility for that first-time-ever clash.
Baker has been out of action since a September 2023 loss to Kris Statlander in a challenge for Statlander’s then-TBS title in Baker’s home state of Pennsylvania. It is believed to be due to a back injury, but that has yet to be fully disclosed. She made waves on social media over the weekend by being photographed with the former Bella Twins of WWE fame.
In interviews this week including with this website, AEW head Tony Khan made a point to mention Baker’s name and intimate she was close to returning.
AEW head Tony Khan spoke to the media for an hour Thursday to help hype Forbidden Door, addressing questions about potential free agents, the status of Britt Baker, and a positive note about Sunday’s live gate number.
Asked about his interest in free agent-to-be Dijak and current free agent Becky Lynch, Khan joked that he wouldn’t be doing any negotiation on a media call. He never addressed either directly, but remembered that he told TBS people in 2018 that free agency in wrestling has never got back to the level as it did in the 90s. He thinks the movement between groups has been great for both fans and the business before putting over his recent acquisitions of Mercedes Mone, Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada.
While talking about injuries and getting back to full strength injury-wise, Khan said Britt Baker “could be returning soon” after being out with an injury. He also mentioned Kenny Omega, Adam Cole and Jamie Hayter as those he is excited to get back and bring the company to full strength.
He also said Sunday’s live gate is approaching $1 million and 10,000 tickets sold which would be the third time in the event’s young history it has hit that financial mark.
To close the call, Khan made some football analogies in saying they are close (in the “red zone”) to making their new media rights deal.
Baker, who hasn’t wrestled since September, took part in a panel discussion at SXSW on Monday. She was asked by Justin Barrasso if she feels the best is yet to come for her career. Baker responded:
Yeah, I do. Just growing as a wrestler and a performer and learning, and what works and what doesn’t work. And then just with all the new talent that’s coming in and new talent we have to work with, and new coaches and new people coming over from WWE, new brains and minds we get to pick.
You’re really doing yourself a huge disservice if you’re not constantly asking everybody around you for help. And I think the help in AEW is just growing and growing and for me personally, I can’t wait to get back in the ring, have one of these bad boys (microphone) in my hand and cut some promos. I don’t know. Just stay tuned.
Barrasso had earlier told Baker that he feels her vs. Mercedes Mone would be “must-see viewing.” Baker responded by saying, “Yeah, I mean, is that a question? Where’s the question?”
Tony Khan also spoke about Baker during the discussion.
Khan said:
Britt is somebody who has been there basically since the beginning, since our first event. She’s been out injured recently so it’s something people will be looking forward to, something we have to offer is when Britt comes back and we get these great return moments.
Bryan Danielson also participated in Monday’s panel. Near the end of the discussion, Danielson spoke about how, at 42, his goal is to “transfer stardom from one generation to another.”
Danielson said:
The idea is to pass on what stardom I have been given to try and pass it on to the younger wrestlers. I’ve had some people ask me or say things to me like, “Oh Bryan, you should be champion, or you should’ve been champion, or you should of this or you should of that. And the reality is to me, no, the champions that we’ve had have been great.
Hangman was a great champion, MJF was a great champion and it elevated these younger people to now these people are stars. You put Hangman on TV now and he draws a rating, you put MJF now on TV (and) he draws a rating. It would be easy to just take stars of the past and make them your champion and make them your top guy, that’s the easy way. It’s much harder to take somebody like MJF who hadn’t been on national television and turn him into a star that draws ratings. That was my bigger goal, is to transfer stardom from one generation to another.
In an interview with Ring The Belle, Britt Baker explained why she took a bit of a step back from the AEW spotlight in 2023.
After being the most pushed women’s division star since AEW’s inception, Baker had a reduced role last year. She didn’t hold a championship in 2023 and hasn’t wrestled since September.
Ring The Belle asked Baker why she wasn’t featured as much in 2023 as she was in prior years. Baker noted that she listens to the fans, and a lot of the fans were saying that they wanted less of Britt Baker.
Baker added the in-character statement that, when no one else on the roster is able to be the face of the women’s division, she’ll be back to do it all over again.
I think with our very passionate fans, they’re very vocal with what they want, what they don’t want, what they like, what they don’t like. And we listen — I listen. So if they are telling me they want more or less of something, then ok, I hear you loud and clear. And a lot of them said, ‘We want less Britt Baker.’ So if that’s what they want, ok that’s what they’ll get. Let me take a step back. Here’s the rest of the women. Someone else take the ball and run with it and make the women’s division about you, and you be the face of the women’s division. And when no one else can do that, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces and do it all over again.
When asked about what’s next for her, Baker responded:
AEW right now — there’s a new vibe, a new era to it. It’s just kind of figuring out when and how I fit into that, and taking over the women’s division all over again. It takes patience.
Baker did challenge for the AEW Women’s World Championship in a four-way match at All In in 2023. Though she wasn’t involved in the finish, Baker told Ring The Belle that wrestling at Wembley Stadium will always be a top moment in her career.
In her most recent match, Baker unsuccessfully challenged Kris Statlander for the TBS Championship on the September 16 episode of Collision.
Baker posted a tweet in November about not having any live promo time on AEW programming in 2023:
Tonight’s #AEWDynamite: MJF live promo time: 7 mins Christian Cage live promo time: 10 mins
All of 2023 #AEWDynamite: Britt Baker live promo time: 0 mins
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including AEW business, a big year in terms of gross income, Kevin Sullivan getting released, Britt Baker, the ratings report, a RAW with some very good wrestling throughout the show, mailbag and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: AEW business, Kevin Sullivan (production) released
12:29: Britt Baker, Jeff Hardy tweets; Bandido update
22:04: Ratings
25:15: World Tag League update, Kazuchika Okada a free agent in 2024
Britt Baker says CM Punk’s return to wrestling is one of the most historical things to happen in AEW history.
Baker appeared on the Maggie and Perloff show on Friday and was asked about Punk’s time in the company.
“CM Punk coming back to wrestling is one of the most historical things in All Elite Wrestling history and it always will be,” Baker responded. “You can’t take that out of the wrestling books.”
“I’m really thankful that we got to work with CM Punk,” she continued. “I’ve learned some stuff from him, he was always really helpful and willing to work with younger talent. It didn’t work out, it wasn’t a fit, but that’s still always going to be part of the AEW story. It’s just that chapter is closed for right now.”
“I think everyone wishes him well, I would hope to think he wishes AEW well too. It just didn’t work out but at the end of the day, how cool is it that CM Punk was in wrestling again for AEW? And got to wrestle in Chicago again too of all places.”
Back in March during an interview with Barstool Rassilin’, Baker described the All Out 2022 media scrum as “heartbreaking” and “embarrassing.”
“That scrum was heartbreaking and it was embarrassing and it was disappointing,” she said. “It just felt like, and for a moment in time, that this felt like very much a disaster and you never want that to happen.”
Baker hasn’t wrestled since being defeated by Kris Statlander in a TBS title match on the September 16 edition of AEW Collision. The match took place at the Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Baker’s alma mater, Penn State University.
LIVE on Maggie and Perloff: AEW Star @RealBrittBaker joins the show and makes NFL Picks.
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about in our full review of AEW Collision from Saturday night! There was some very good wrestling on the show, particularly the TBS Title main event, but also some very strange booking, and the continual beating of Britt Baker continues to baffle. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Two titles will be on the line as part of Saturday’s AEW Collision from State College, Pennsylvania.
FTR will look for the sixth defense of their AEW Tag Team titles as they face the Iron Savages, formerly Bear Country, who answered their open challenge last week.
After defeating former champion Jade Cargill on Friday’s Rampage, TBS Champion Kris Statlander will face another tough test in former AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker who is looking for her first TBS title run.
For the first time since 2009, Bryan Danielson will team with Claudio Castagnoli as they face current BCC antagonists Ricky Starks & Big Bill.
Andrade El Idolo will return to AEW action for the first time since his ladder match win over Buddy Matthews in a bout with former TNT & AEW Tag Team Champion Scorpio Sky.
Other matches include Anthony Bowens vs. Evil Uno and The Hardyz vs. The Righteous. Additionally, Jay White and Aussie Open will make appearances.
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Our cold open videos saw comments from Danielson & Castagnoli, Big Bill & Ricky Starks, the competitors in the TBS Title match, John Silver, & Anthony Bowens. Elton John played us in before Kevin Kelly & Nigel McGuinness introduced the opening match.
Big Bill & Ricky Starks defeated Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli
This was a hot opener. Big Bill fits right in with these top names as a formidable big man. Starks and Danielson have incredible chemistry in the ring together, and the finish of this match signals more from these two down the line.
The camera focused on Big Bill’s boots, which were still stained with Jon Moxley’s blood from Dynamite. Bill started the match with Danielson, overpowering him to start. Danielson hammered Bill’s leg with kicks before Bill shoved Danielson into the corner, where Castagnoli tagged in. Castagnoli matched Bill in power, hammering him with uppercuts. Bill took both Danielson & Castagnoli down with a double clothesline – no crowd call – before tagging in Starks.
Starks clubbered on Danielson in the corner before getting cocky. That allowed Danielson to fire up with heavy strikes in the corner before taking Starks down with a hurricanrana. Starks took Danielson down with a shoulder block before tagging Bill, who crushed Danielson with a splash in the corner. Danielson blocked a second splash, but after a Starks distraction, Bill booted Danielson to the floor as we went to a commercial.
Danielson dropped Starks with a running lariat as we came back from break. Dual tags led to Castagnoli clubbering Bill with eighteen lariats in the corner. After two earlier attempts, Castagnoli finally got Bill off of his feet and hit a TKO. Castagnoli teased the Giant Swing, but Bill fought out and hit a chokeslam for a nearfall. Starks tagged in, but Castagnoli caught him in the Giant Swing.
Castagnoli transitioned into a Sharpshooter, but Bill booted him off. Danielson sent Bill to the floor, leading Castagnoli to get a nearfall on Starks with an uppercut. Danielson tagged in and hit the body kicks, but Starks avoided the LeBell Lock. Bill got a cheap shot in, leading to Starks hitting a spear for a nearfall.
Castagnoli and Bill brawled over the barricade, leaving Danielson and Starks in the ring. Starks countered a back superplex for a nearfall. Starks pushed the referee and hit a low blow on Danielson before hitting the Rochambeau for the tainted win.
We got a recap of the recent history between The Elite & the Mogul Embassy before we cut to The Young Bucks & Hangman Page backstage. They accepted the challenge of the Mogul Embassy for a match at Grand Slam but raised the stakes by challenging for the ROH World Six-Man Titles. The title match was confirmed for the two-hour Rampage: Grand Slam next Friday.
Powerhouse Hobbs said the next chapter of the Book of Hobbs was titled Destruction. He wasn’t talking about armbars, he was talking about ripping arms off. No one was safe. I still don’t like the Book of Hobbs being a physical book, but this was a good promo.
Meanwhile, Miro said that he didn’t humble Powerhouse Hobbs, so their paths must cross again. He yelled at God for trying to tempt him with his hot and flexible wife – the yet-to-be-named CJ Perry – and said that anyone who got in his way would be destroyed.
AEW World Tag Team Title Match – FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) (c) defeated Iron Savages (Boulder & Bronson) (w/ Jacked Jameson)
Jacked Jameson talked trash to Harwood, leading to him getting hit with the Shatter Machine. The Savages quickly isolated Wheeler, hitting two splashes for a nearfall. They hit another combination that ended with a Bronson tree slam for a nearfall. Wheeler dodged a corner attack and tagged in Harwood, but Harwood got knocked down by Boulder.
Harwood got overwhelmed by Boulder’s strength. Boulder went for a step-up moonsault, but Harwood moved out of the way. FTR hit the Shatter Machine on Bronson before hitting the Powerplex on Boulder to score the win.
After the match, The Work Horsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry) made their way to the ring. They shook hands with FTR, signaling a future title challenge. Aussie Open was seen backstage watching on.
In a pre-tape that wasn’t cut at the beginning, Lexy Nair was backstage with Keith Lee. He was immediately interrupted by Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty. Taylor introduced Moriarty as the newest member of Shane Taylor Promotions before making it clear that he wasn’t scared of Lee.
John Silver defeated Anthony Bowens
Silver grabbed the microphone before the match started. He noted that The Acclaimed were scissoring wrong according to his research. He also noted according to the match contract, Caster and Gunn were banned from ringside. Bowens handled the match just fine on his own, forcing Silver to bail early on. Silver sent Bowens to the floor with a high kick before we went to the commercial.
Bowens took Silver down with a strike combination as we came back from the break. Bowens hit the jumping fameasser for a nearfall. The two men traded strikes before Bowens leveled Silver with a lariat. Silver avoided a corner charge and hit a strike combination that ended with a delayed fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall.
Bowens hit an Ushigoroshi and a rolling forearm that sent Silver to the floor. Bowens sent Silver back into the ring, but Evil Uno came out from under the ring to send Bowens into the post. Silver then hit a punt kick to score the win.
Eddie Kingston was backstage, talking about the history between himself and Claudio Castagnoli. Kingston said that Castagnoli left potholes in the road to the top, which is why he holds a grudge against him. He also said that he’s tried fixing the issues between him and Jon Moxley, but no matter those issues, he’ll finish the issues with Castagnoli in New York. New York has always had Eddie’s back, and they will have his back at Grand Slam. This was a great promo for Wednesday’s double-title match.
Renee Paquette was backstage with Hook & Orange Cassidy. They agreed to have a tag team match at Grand Slam while sharing a bag of chips.
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defeated PB Smooth & Wes Barkley
If you’ve never seen the Aussie Open/FTR match from last October, I cannot recommend it enough as it was one of the best tag team matches of 2022. It’s currently free on New Japan’s YouTube channel. AEW running the rematch in Seattle for WrestleDream should be fantastic. They got lucky with it landing on the exact one-year anniversary.
The two men weren’t named, but I’ve seen their work on the independent scene. Aussie Open scored a quick win, hitting Barkley with a pendulum spinebuster.
After the match, they called out FTR. They noted their quick wins as of late, winning on Rampage and tonight in less than a minute. Fletcher noted that they have won the same titles that FTR has won, both the ROH and IWGP Tag Team Titles. Fletcher made the challenge to FTR – titles or not – for WrestleDream on October 1st, one year to the day after their acclaimed match at NJPW Royal Quest II.
RJ City sat with Toni Storm in a sit-down interview. Storm complained about the lighting before noting that the business had changed. She thought wrestling was about being stars and making money, not signing every little girl with a sob story. Storm has been very funny in this role. The interview will be continued.
We got a short video from Scorpio Sky, who noted that returning from back-to-back injuries would be tough. Having been a three-time champion in AEW though, Sky wasn’t afraid to do the tough work.
Andrade El Idolo defeated Scorpio Sky
The crowd was audibly ignoring this match at the start, doing a Penn State chant as these two locked up. But these two got the crowd into things after the break. Andrade vs. Jay White is an intriguing matchup, and depending on Andrade’s affiliation with La Faccion Ingobernable, could lead to a big-time unit rivalry.
Sky got very little reaction on his entrance. The two went back and forth before Andrade tied Sky up in the ropes and hit a dragon screw leg whip. Andrade went to the top rope, but Sky shoved him down back-first on the apron as we went to the commercial.
Andrade fought out of a hold as we came back from the break. Sky booted Andrade down, but Andrade fired up and went after the knee with more dragon screws. Andrade went for the double knees, but Sky cut him off and hit a sunset flip for a nearfall. Sky hit a dive to the floor, but back in the ring, Andrade drilled Sky with a back elbow. Sky countered a hammerlock DDT with a small package for a nearfall, but Andrade went back to the knee. Andrade locked on the Figure Eight and scored the submission win.
After the match, Bullet Club Gold made their way to the stage. Jay White noted how Andrade had his eyes on Bullet Club Gold last week. White believed that Andrade wanted the Switchblade spotlight, so he challenged Andrade to a match to show that this was still the Switchblade Era. White feigned wanting a fight right now, but security quickly broke things up.
We got a video package on the history between Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega, and Konosuke Takeshita’s goal of taking out Ibushi to stick it to Omega.
Tony Schiavone was backstage with ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata. Imagine telling someone that five years ago. Schiavone noted that Shibata would be defending the Pure Title this Thursday on Honor Club against Nick Wayne. Shibata noted – through a translation app – that he would be competing at WrestleDream.
The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) defeated The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy)
The Righteous got some impressive heat in what was essentially their AEW television debut.
Vincent started with Matt. Matt drove Vincent into the turnbuckles before tagging Jeff. The Hardys low-bridged Dutch to the floor before hitting a tag team combination for a nearfall. They hit Poetry In Motion, but Vincent cut off a Twist of Fate attempt. Dutch made a blind tag before surprising Matt with a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall.
After the commercial, Jeff tagged in and ran wild on both men. Vincent cut off a Whisper in the Wind attempt, but Jeff hit a Twist of Fate. The Hardys sent Dutch to the floor before Matt hit another Twist of Fate. Dutch cut off a Swanton Bomb and sent Matt into the stairs. Vincent hit Autumn Sunshine on Jeff to score the win.
After the match, Dutch grabbed the microphone and introduced themselves to the booing crowd. Vincent said that the world was fooled by false idols and conmen. He said that they don’t believe in the Devil, and they don’t believe in the friendship between MJF & Adam Cole.
We got a rundown of the Dynamite: Grand Slam card, with Claudio Castagnoli talking about his issues with Eddie Kingston. He said that he was tired of being slandered by Kingston, and that Grand Slam will be their final chapter.
We then got a rundown of the Rampage: Grand Slam, with The Acclaimedvs. The Dark Order for the AEW Trios Titles added to the card.
Next week on Collision, Jay White vs. Andrade El Idolo was made official, as well as the AEW Tag Team Title match, FTR vs. The Work Horsemen. Rob Van Dam was also announced to return to the ring in his home state of Michigan.
For the WrestleDream PPV on October 1st, FTR vs. Aussie Open was made official before we got a video package for Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Tony Schiavone was backstage with Ricky Starks & Big Bill. He was upset at the video package between Danielson & Sabre and his lack of a match at WrestleDream. He challenged Bryan Danielson to a Texas Death Match for next week’s Collision.
AEW TBS Title Match – Kris Statlander (c) defeated Dr. Britt Baker DMD
This was a great main event, as the Penn State crowd was loudly behind Baker. The match itself was very good, with Baker scoring some close nearfalls before Statlander found a way to survive and retain. A quality episode of Collision.
Baker came out to a big reaction, as this show was on the campus of Penn State, her alma mater. Statlander overpowered Baker, forcing her to the floor. Baker came back and traded forearms before Statlander looked to jam her knee on an up-and-over out of the corner. Statlander was able to push off a Slingblade and hit a powerslam of her own for a nearfall as we went to a commercial.
Statlander fought Baker off of the top rope as we came back from the commercial. Baker moved out of the way of a moonsault and rung up Statlander’s neck on the top rope. Baker slammed both of Statlander’s knees against the ring post before hitting a pair of Slingblades. Statlander countered a neckbreaker with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Statlander hit a twisting fisherman’s buster for a nearfall.
Baker avoided a scissor kick and hit a curb stomp for a nearfall. Baker pulled out the glove, but received no love as Statlander rolled her up for a nearfall. Baker hit La Mistica and went for the Lockjaw, but Statlander grabbed the hand and fought to her feet. They traded forearms and kicks before Statlander took Baker down with a lariat.
Statlander forced Baker into the corner, but Baker avoided the running knee. Statlander countered a Panama Sunrise, but Baker hit a traditional Canadian Destroyer. She followed with the Angel’s Wings and another curb stomp for a nearfall. Baker went for another Panama Sunrise, but Statlander caught her in position for Saturday Night Fever. Baker transitioned into the Rings of Saturn before locking in the Lockjaw. Statlander rocked Baker back onto her shoulders to score the flash pin and retain the title. As Statlander was celebrating, Julia Hart was seen watching from the crowd. Statlander and Baker shook hands as we went off the air.
Britt Baker will be making an appearance when AEW Collision comes to her home state this Saturday night.
AEW has announced that Baker will appear on Saturday’s Collision episode in State College, Pennsylvania. The show is taking place at the Bryce Jordan Center, which is located on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. Baker is a graduate of Penn State.
On Dynamite this Wednesday, Baker is facing off against Hikaru Shida, Nyla Rose, and Toni Storm in a four-way match. The winner advances to challenge Saraya for the AEW Women’s World Championship at Dynamite Grand Slam on Wednesday September 20.
Baker is a one-time AEW Women’s World Champion. Her reign lasted from May 2021 to March 2022.
Saraya won the title by defeating Shida, Baker, and Storm in a four-way match at AEW All In this August. Shida was champion heading into that pay-per-view.
Saturday’s episode of Collision is also set to feature FTR defending their AEW Tag Team titles against The Iron Savages (Boulder & Bronson). It’s the first match in FTR’s World Tag Team Challenge.
The Grand Slam eliminator tournament continues on Friday’s AEW Rampage.
Samoa Joe will begin his quest to earn a shot at AEW World Champion MJF at this month’s Dynamite Grand Slam as he faces Jeff Hardy while Penta El Zero Miedo takes on Jay Lethal.
The winner of Joe vs. Hardy will face the winner of Penta vs. Lethal on Saturday’s Collision while Darby Allin will take on Roderick Strong in the other semifinal. The finals will take place next Wednesday.
The Young Bucks will return to tag team action as they face Matt Menard & Angelo Parker. Matt & Nick Jackson will be looking to rebound from their loss to AEW Tag Team Champions FTR at All In and win their third match in their last four.
In a trios match, former AEW Women’s Champions Hikaru Shida and Britt Baker will team with Skye Blue in trios action against Taya Valkyrie, Anna Jay & The Bunny.
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Taped in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone & Chris Jericho were commentary.
Penta El Zero Miedo (w/ Alex Abrahantes) defeated Jey Lethal (w/ Jeff Jarrett et. al.) to advance in the World Title Eliminator Tournament (10:39)
The winner faces the winner of tonight’s Samoa Joe v. Jeff Hardy match on Collision tomorrow night. It’s wacky now that they’re booking from show to show to show, where what happens on Dynamite and Rampage now impacts what happens on Collision. But I guess that’s a lot easier when you don’t have to worry about who’s allowed in the building or not.
Penta got Lethal hung up in the corner and came off the top with a double stomp for a near fall. Jarrett tried to trip up Penta and got his hand stomped on, and Penta sent Lethal to the floor with a gamingiri. Lethal caught a superkick trying to re-enter the ring. When Penta tried to follow up with a plancha, Sahtnam Singh caught Penta and smashed him against the ring post. Karen Jarrett tied up Penta’s mask against the bottom rope. The ref caught Jarrett and his crew doing this and sent them all to the back as the show headed into a split-screen break.
After the break, Lethal worked over Penta with chops in the corner. Penta came back with a pair of slingblades and hit Lethal with a tope con hilo on the floor. Back in the ring, Penta came off the top with a double stomp for a near fall. Lethal came back with the Lethal Combination for a near fall. Lethal tried to take off Penta’s mask again. Penta countered a Lethal Injection with a dropkick for a near fall. Lethal pulled off Penta’s mask, and he immediately covered up. Letha tried to grab Jarrett’s guitar, but Abrahanets grabbed and a tug of war ensued, which Abrahanes won. Meanwhile, Penta got his mask back on, and Lethal turned around into an attack from Penta. Penta used the arm breaker and the Fear Factor stuff piledriver to get the pinfall. Very good TV match.
– Sammy Guevara came out to interrupt a recap of the recent tribulations between Guevara and Chris Jericho. The crowd suggested they “hug it out!” They both agree they’re pissing each other off and would like to punch each other in the face. Even though they’re well on their way to being AEW World Tag Team Champions, Jericho and Guevara need to get over this animosity, and Jericho suggests a match between them at Grand Slam to “get all this crap out of [their] system.” Both guys shake hands and agree to the match. Very good promo segment.
– Recap of the Samoa Joe & MJF angle from Wednesday.
Hikaru Shida, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. & Skye Blue defeated Taka Valkyrie, Anna Jay & The Bunny (w/ Penelope Ford) (6:33 aired)
Shida & Baker will be in a four way on Wednesday (along with Nyla Rose & Toni Storm) to determine the challenger for Saraya at Grand Slam. So there’s a little bit of tension between them on the entrance stage.
Blue has a lot more confidence and presence than she did a few months ago. Bunny blocked an arm drag attempt from Skye Blue, but Blue turned it into a cradle for a near fall. She got into a striking exchange with Valkyire, but Valkyrie sent her into the mat face first.
After the break, Blue finally got the tag out (she’d been in the ring the whole match) to Shida. Shida racked Anna Jay, which Valkyrie broke up with a kick. Baker got the blind tag from Shida and hit a superkick on Bunny, then suplexed Jay. Bunny sent Britt into Shida, then hit a knee for the near fall. Britt got the lockjaw on Bunny and she quickly tapped out. After the match, Shida left, frustrated with her partners.
– A recap of Hook regaining his FTW World title with no mention or even a glimpse of who he beat. Jungle Berry or something? Anyway, Hook is glad to have the FTW title back where it belongs, in New York.
The Young Bucks defeated Matt Menard & Angelo Parker (w/ Jake Hager w/out his hat) (5:03)
Matt hung up Parker with a hangman’s neckbreaker, and Nick followed up with a senton. Matt came off the top with a double stomp on Parker’s arm. Matt gave Angelo a series of Northern Lights suplexes. And Parker was having a good hair day, too! Parker and Menard got the advantage on Matt Jackson while the crowd chanted “Where’s your hat?” at Hager. Parker dropped an elbow off of Menard’s back for a near fall while Jericho and Schivone got catty with each other on commentary.
Matt got the tag to Nick, who hit a crossbody on Parker and Menard. Parker tried the springboard elbow again, but sprung right into a superkick from Matt Jackson. A superkick took out Hager, and Bucks leveled Menard with the BTE trigger to get the pinfall.
– A promo from Mike Santana, who is breaking out as a single. He’s “not here to make friends, he’s here to make money.”
– Jon Moxley v. Action Andretti for the International Title, a Kris Statlander open challenge for the TBS Title, and an 8-man tag for Bullet Club Gold have been added to Collision tomorrow night.
Samoa Joe defeated Jeff Hardy (w/ Matt Hardy) to advance in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament (8:30)
The crowd still really likes Jeff Hardy. And they really do not like Samoa Joe. Hardy caught Joe with a low dropkick and a lariat off the middle ropes. Joe went to Hardy’s eyes to get the advantage, then hit Hardy with some jabs and kicks.
Joe continued to dominate Hardy through the split-screen break. The crowd got behind Hardy with chants, and Joe casually avoided a flying forearm from Jeff, which sent him flying into the ropes and to the floor. When Hardy got back into the ring, Joe softened him up with jabs and body shots, then taunted the crowd by applauding Hardy.
Hardy came back with Whisper in the Wind. Hardy hit a clothesline, an elbow and a forearm. Hardy dropped an elbow for a near fall. The crowd chanted for a swanton bomb, and Hardy caught Joe with a kick. He went for the Twist of Fate, and Joe quickly countered into the Kokina Clutch. Hardy quickly tapped out.
Samoa Joe v. Penta El Zero Miedo is now official for Collision. The winner of that match will face the winner of Roderick Strong v. Darby Allin, also on Collision.
Final Thoughts:
Star power and some good matches made for the most watchable episode of Rampage in a while. Everything on tonight’s show felt important.
Tension had been teased between the two Outcasts members throughout the match. Ruby Soho ran in and attempted to get between the two, asking Storm to think of Saraya’s injured neck. Storm ended up hitting Soho, who left the ring area shortly after.
The new champion was accompanied by her family during her ring entrance. The Knight family sat in the front row throughout the match and joined Saraya to celebrate after. At one point, Storm accidentally hit Saraya’s mother, Saraya Knight, while attempting to double-team Baker on the outside.
Saraya becomes the eighth wrestler to win the title and begins the 10th reign in its lineage. Shida’s second run with the title ends after 25 days and one successful defense. Saraya has now won the NXT Women’s Championship, is a two-time WWE Divas Champion, and is the current AEW World Women’s Champion.
Two title defenses and a women’s tag team match highlight the final AEW Rampage before this Sunday’s All In.
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy will attempt to secure his 30th title defense as he takes on QTV’s Aaron Solo. Cassidy will be in action Sunday as part of his first-ever Stadium Stampede match.
The AAA Latin American title will be defended for the first time on AEW TV as champion QT Marshall defends against Gravity. Marshall will also take time for a sit-down interview with Jim Ross.
Ahead of their four-way for the AEW Women’s title on Sunday, reigning champion Hikaru Shida will team with former champion Britt Baker to take on former champion Toni Storm & Saraya.
Reigning TNT Champion Luchasaurus will be in non-title action against an opponent to be named. His next challenge will come in the “all star” eight-man tag team main event of Saturday’s Collision.
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An In Memoriam graphic for Windham Rotunda opened the show.
Taped in Lexington, Kentucky.
Excalibur and Tony Schiavone were on commentary.
Orange Cassidy defeated Aaron Solo (w/ Harley Cameron) to retain the AEW International Title (9:12)
Kinda weird the International Title isn’t being defended on AEW’s second-ever international pay-per-view.
Tony Schiavone doesn’t understand why Aaron Solo is spraying his mouth with the breath spray, which kinda makes me feel bad for Tony’s wife. Cassidy worked a side headlock. Solo countered with a head scissors, which Cassidy escaped with a headstand. Cassidy put his hands in his pockets. Cassidy impressively gave Solo a hip toss while his hands were in his pockets. The fight went to the floor, where Solo used Cameron as a human shield. Cassidy gave her the “high impact” kicks, ducked a clothesline from Solo and hit a running tope. Cameron tripped up Cassidy to allow Solo to hit a modified uranage going into the split-screen break.
After the break, Solo and Cassidy were battling over a vertical suplex. Cassidy sent Solo headfirst into the turnbuckles, then came off the top rope with a crossbody. Lots of counter-wrestling from both guys, until Cassidy hit a Slumdog Millionaire and a spinning DDT for a near fall. Cameron started singing into the house mic, distracting Cassidy to allow Solo to hit a spinning kick. Solo followed up with a terrible looking suplex for a near fall. Solo came off the top with a double stomp for another near fall. Solo got Cameron’s boot and hit Cassidy with it for another near fall. Cassidy countered a pedigree attempt, then hit the Orange Punch and Beach Break to get the pinfall. This was fine, as Cassidy’s storied International title run continues.
– JR conducted a sit-down interview with new AAA Latin American champion QT Marshall. Marshall puts the “pro” in “professional wrestler” and wanted to dispel the notion that his relationship with Tony Khan gives him opportunities others dont get. After all, he had to go to another company to get a championship. He’s not just simply a guy who latches himself onto other guys like Cody Rhodes and Powerhouse Hobbs. Also why isn’t there a QT Marshall an action figure, but his mother can order 150,000 Excalibur figures? This was a good promo from Marshall.
– Promo for Samoa Joe/CM Punk at All In on Sunday.
QT Marshall defeated Gravity to retain the AAA Latin American Championship (8:46)
An updated look and presentation for Marshall, which emphasizes the pride Marshall has representing Mexico as a AAA champion. Marshall and Gravity exchange promos in Spanish before the match. Gravity started out fast with a tope con hilo that looked like it could have gone very badly. Marshall caught Gravity coming off the top with a forearm, then powerbombed him against the ring apron.
Marshall put Gravity down with a forearm. Gravity caught Marshall with a couple of pin attempts for near falls. Gravity countered a powerbomb attempt with a Canadian Destroyer for another near fall. Marshall caught Gravity with a combination backbreaker/flatliner. Gravity countered a powerbomb attempt with a rana, and hit a series of superkicks. Gravity used his brother Bandido’s 21-plex for another close near fall.
Marshall came back with a short-arm lariat. Marshall set up a diamond cutter from the top (Gravity was in a superplex position), but Gravity escaped. Now, Marshall was in the superlex position and Gravity Samoan-dropped him from the middle rope for another near fall. Marshall caught Gravity with a pop-up cutter, then finished him with the “Dirt Sheet Driver” (a vertical suplex into a sit-out powerbomb) and got the pinfall. Between the promo and the match, this was an excellent showcase for Marshall.
– The Dark Order cut a promo. They are back to being bad guys after Death Before Dishonor, last month’s ROH pay-per-view.
Luchasaurus defeated R. Jones (1:12)
Luchasaurus is the TNT champion, but he did not wear his belt to the ring. Chokeslam and a clothesline to the back of the end finished off Jones.
After the match, Christian was shown watching the match with the TNT Championship belt over his shoulder.
– All In promo for Adam Cole v. MJF.
– Rundown for Collision: new matches added were the return of Keith Lee and Alex Reynolds & John Silver v. Darius Martin & Action Andretti. Maybe Willow Nightingale v. Robyn Renegade, if that wasn’t announced on Wednesday.
– Excalibur also ran down the cards for All In and All Out, but nothing new was announced.
Saraya & Toni Storm (w/ Ruby Soho) defeated Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D & Hikaru Shida (11:52)
The heels attacked before the bell. Baker and Saraya fought in the ring and Storm and Shida fought on the floor. Soho tripped up Baker from the outside and Saraya took control. Storm hit a vertical suplex for a near fall. Saraya drove her knee into Baker’s midsection. Storm sent Baker to the floor with a hip attack. Soho pounded on Baker on the outside until TBS Champion Kris Statlander ran in and attacked Soho, then carried her to the back to even things up.
After a split-screen break, Storm taunted Shida with the Women’s World title belt, and Baker was still being worked over by the heels. Baker caught Storm with a neckbreaker and finally got the tag to Shida. Shida hit a jumping knee strike while the fans chanted “let’s go Shida!” Shida suplexed Saraya on Storm (say that five times fast) for a near fall. Storm and Shida exchanged forearms, and Shida caught Storm with a enziguri. Baker tried to run and hit a rolling elbow, but Storm caught her with a German suplex.
Saraya tossed Baker back into her corner and forced Baker to tag back into the ring. Storm hit another hip attack on Baker. Baker took a double-team powerbomb for another near fall, and soon all four women were down. They got back on their feet and started lugging it out. Shida hit Saraya with a Falcon Arron, and Baker gave Saraya the Twist and Shout for another near fall. Storm went to use the spray paint on Baker, but Shida saved Baker and took the spray paint instead. Shida, blinded, accidentally hit Baker, and Saraya hit her finish on Baker (the Nightcap, formerly the Rampaige) for the pinfall. This was clunky.
As the show went off the air, Shida was still blinded on the floor, and Storm and Saraya engaged in a tug of war over the AEW World Women’s championship belt.
Final Thoughts:
QT Marshall’s match and promo was a revelation tonight. They need to get rid of the QTV nonsense and give Marshall a more serious push. Nothing was at the level of last week’s opener, but the first two matches were good enough to make it a worthwhile hour.
A match that will set the stage for All In will main event Friday’s AEW Rampage as Britt Baker & AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida take on Saraya & Toni Storm.
The four participants will compete in a four-way Sunday for Shida’s championship.
After Shida defeated Storm for the title, a mini-tournament was created to find participants for the four-way. Storm earned an automatic bye due to her rematch clause while Shida, Baker and Saraya all had to earn their way in.
Rampage will also feature two title matches.
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy will look to keep his long winning streak going as he defends against Aaron Solo. With a win, Cassidy will hit 30 title defenses. Cassidy will be part of a Stadium Stampede match on Sunday.
AAA Latin American Champion QT Marshall will defend his newly-won championship for the first time on AEW TV as he takes on Gravity. Marshall will also have a sit-down interview with Jim Ross.
TNT Champion Luchasaurus will also be in non-title action against an opponent to be named. He is preparing to defend his title against Darby Allin at next month’s All Out.
Here is the lineup announced for Rampage:
Hikaru Shida & Britt Baker vs. Saraya & Toni Storm
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy defends against Aaron Solo
AAA Latin American Champion QT Marshall defends against Gravity
Britt Baker has commented on her match against Taya Valkyrie last month.
Baker defeated Valkyrie on the July 26 AEW Dynamite in Albany, New York. Many fans have been critical of the match and Baker was asked about the negative response during a recent interview with DAZN.
“I was really surprised by it,” Baker replied. “I think I’ve had way worse matches on AEW live TV. I’ve had better matches, of course, but I was really surprised. I think a lot of it came from people who just don’t like me on social media and I feel bad that Taya kind of got dragged into it.”
At one point during the match, Baker and Valkyrie had timing issues on a Road to Valhalla. Valkyrie can be seen having a bit of a laugh after they failed to execute the move properly.
“I think probably every week since then there’s been mistiming and miscommunications and messed up spots on every wrestling show and no one else got quite that much blowback and that’s fine,” she continued. “But these social media trolls need to realize who they are dealing with. I’m the DMD, I’m the face of the division for a reason.”
“You’re just gonna motivate me to be even bigger and better and that’s fine. I don’t think anybody should ever have to go through the bullying that these trolls do, and it’s not just me, it’s everybody. I think every wrestler goes through it. Everything from what you look like, to what you wear, to what your hobbies are, to then you’re wrestling and you don’t deserve the spot you’re in and it’s someone else’s spot. Something’s always your fault and you might not even have anything to do with it but because they don’t like you they automatically assume it’s your fault. It’s so frustrating because you want to just shout from the mountaintop, ‘Hey, this is the real story and now you guys can line up to apologize to me’ but you also have to think what’s best for business. It takes a lot of patience and self-control.”
Baker vs. Valkyrie didn’t receive a star rating from our own Dave Meltzer but currently holds a rating of 2.42 out of 10 on Cagematch. It’s the fourth lowest rating Baker has received on the website, only better than matches she’s had against Big Swole, Madi Wrenkowski, and a tag match with Rebel against Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero. It’s the second-lowest rating Valkyrie has received on the website, only beating out a gauntlet match at Impact Slammiversary in 2020.
Baker’s highest-rated match from Meltzer and Cagematch was her Lights Out bout against Thunder Rosa. It received four and three-quarter stars from Meltzer and 8.72 out of 10 from Cagematch. Valkyrie’s highest-rated match according to both Meltzer and Cagematch was 2015’s Aztec Warfare in Lucha Underground, which received four and one-quarter stars and 9.10 out of 10.
