Tag: darby allin

Darby Allin’s Mount Everest expedition leader: ‘Darby is doing great!’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Darby Allin’s climb of Mount Everest has begun.

Allin is making the ascent with Adventure Consultants, a New Zealand-based expedition company known for guiding clients on Everest and other high-altitude peaks.

Allin’s brother Zach and mother Michelle joined him for the trekking stage of the expedition, which involved hiking to Everest Base Camp and helping the body acclimatize to the higher altitudes. They began this stage on April 7 in Kathmandu.

Ang Dorjee Sherpa (with ‘Sherpa’ commonly used as a surname by members of the Sherpa ethnic group) has been documenting Allin’s journey on the Adventure Consultants website.

The team posted a photo from Namche on Friday, April 11, along with Dorjee Sherpa writing: “Darby is having an amazing time hiking with his mother and brother, sharing the journey with them along the way to Everest Base Camp.”

On April 12, during what was described as an “active rest day,” Allin and others in the group took a seven-hour hike to a spot above the town of Khunde known for its scenic views.

“Darby really enjoyed hiking with main team. On the way down we visited sir Edmond Hillary museum and school. The team really enjoyed watching short videos about how much Sir Edmund Hillary helped the people of the Khumbu valley. Then we can back Namche we had late lunch and then we rested until dinner. Everyone enjoyed our active rest day. Tomorrow we are going to Phortse which is 3,950m,” Dorjee Sherpa wrote.

On another active rest day, April 15, the group hiked five hours to Nakarsthang Ri, located at 16,665 feet.

“Yesterday we received blessing from Lama Ngawang Plajor. Lama gave us Rhunga which is a holy Buddhist necklace for good luck. After our blessing we had lunch in Pangboche and started our trek to Pheriche with the snow and wind hitting on our goretex jackets,” Dorjee Sherpa wrote.

The climb of Mount Everest officially began yesterday, as the Adventure Consultants group said goodbye to those — such as Allin’s brother and mother — who were only joining for the trekking stage. The team then hiked from Pheriche to Chhukhung.

“Darby is doing great! It took three and half hours. It was nice and clear day with great views. Tomorrow we are going to continue our acclimatisation with a hike Chhukhung Ri, a nerby hill which is at 5540m,” Dorjee Sherpa wrote.

Adventure Consultants are documenting Allin’s climb on their official website.

Darby Allin taking time off from AEW to prep for Mount Everest climb

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

Darby Allin is taking some time off from AEW in order to prepare for his attempt to climb Mount Everest.

Fightful first reported the news Saturday, saying the popular star isn’t expected back for “several months” as he prepares for a climb he originally was supposed to attempt last spring. However, he broke his foot in March against Jay White in the last match before his planned absence and had to postpone his excursion.

In a prior interview, Allin said he was planning to attempt the climb once again in April.

The 32-year-old was last seen on the final AEW Rampage in December being thrown down a flight of metal stairs by the Death Riders. His last in-ring action was going to a time limit draw with Ricochet in the Continental Classic on the Christmas night edition of Dynamite.

Climbing Mount Everest is extremely difficult due to the conditions with the total trip taking an estimated ten weeks according to some experts.

AEW Continental Classic results & updated standings

Posted on by Josh Nason

Four matches down, five left to go in this year’s AEW Continental Classic as the possibilities for the top four advancing to next Saturday’s Worlds End pay-per-view are still wide open.

Ricochet put himself in prime position by virtue of his somewhat checkered Gold league win over Will Ospreay that opened up Saturday’s Collision, giving him nine points. He will face Darby Allin this Wednesday who can only hope for a tie at this point.

Claudio Castagnoli also had a controversial win Saturday, knocking Allin out with brass knuckles to score the pin and also hit the nine point mark. He takes on Komander Wednesday who can only play spoiler as he has no points.

With some help, Ospreay remains alive for a potential tie if he can defeat Brody King this Wednesday. With a win, King could also potentially grab a tie for first as he defeated Komander on Friday’s Rampage.

In the Blue league, TNT Champion Daniel Garcia picked up a huge Blue league win Saturday in pinning Shelton Benjamin. Garcia now moves into a tie for second place with Kazuchika Okada at seven points a piece. On Wednesday, Garcia will face league co-leader Kyle Fletcher while Okada will take on Benjamin who is still alive for a tie with six points but will need some help.

Fletcher has a friend at the top in Mark Briscoe who defeated the winless Beast Mortos to earn three points and hit the nine point mark himself. Briscoe’s tournament is done, but he could earn a tie if Fletcher loses (he defeated Fletcher for the tiebreaker) and if both Okada and Garcia lose. Mortos’ tournament is also done.

Both Mortos and Komander are eliminated from either winning or finishing runner-up in their respective leagues.

The winner of the Gold league will face the Blue league runner-up and vice versa at Worlds End with those winners moving onto the tournament final that same night.

This Wednesday’s Dynamite:

  • Gold league: Will Ospreay (six points) vs. Brody King (six points)
  • Gold league: Darby Allin vs. Ricochet (nine points)
  • Gold league: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Komander (zero points)
  • Blue league: Kazuchika Okada (seven points) vs. Shelton Benjamin (six points)
  • Blue league: Daniel Garcia (seven points) vs. Kyle Fletcher (nine points)

Updated standings & potential outcomes:

AEW Christmas Collision live results: Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet

Posted on by Suit Williams

AEW will make their Hammerstein Ballroom debut tonight with a live Christmas Collision episode featuring the latest chapter in a rivalry that goes back years.

In the Continental Classic Gold league, Will Ospreay will take on Ricochet. Both men are in a five-way tie with six points as the tournament enters its final week. They went to a no contest in their first AEW clash back in October.

In another Gold league match, Darby Allin and Claudio Castagnoli (six points each) will meet in a rematch from November.

In two Classic Blue league bouts, TNT Champion Daniel Garcia will face Shelton Benjamin for the first time while Mark Briscoe takes on The Beast Mortos.

Adam Cole and MJF will have a face-to-face confrontation ahead of their Worlds End match while TBS Champion Mercedes Mone will also be on hand to share some thoughts.

The card is rounded out by former TBS Champion Kris Statlander vs. Penelope Ford.

**********

The final Collision of 2024 comes to us live from Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Ian Riccaboni, Big Boom AJ, and Big Justice started the show in the ring, running down tonight’s card before Will Ospreay made his entrance for the opening match. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call.

The final Collision of 2024 comes to us live from Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Ian Riccaboni, Big Boom AJ, and Big Justice started the show in the ring, running down tonight’s card before Will Ospreay made his entrance for the opening match. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call.

Continental Classic 2024 Gold League Match – Ricochet [9] def. Will Ospreay [6]

Ricochet is in the driver’s seat in the Gold League, getting to 9 points with some underhanded tactics. Ricochet has been getting real heat over the last few weeks with this try-hard character he’s been rolling out. Meanwhile, Ospreay is on the back foot, as with one match left, he’ll need a lot of help to advance to the Continental Classic playoffs.

Ospreay got streamers on his entrance, while Ricochet got toilet paper thrown at him to Ospreay’s delight. Ricochet bailed from the ring after the first exchange to big boos. Another exchange ended with Ricochet dumping Ospreay onto the top rope before following him to the floor with a Fosbury Flop.

After a commercial break, Ospreay got on offense, hitting a Phenomenal Forearm for a nearfall. Ricochet fought out of a Styles Clash, hitting an Angel’s Wings for a nearfall. Ricochet had an uncharacteristic stumble on a Best Moonsault Ever attempt, allowing Ospreay to move out of the way. Ospreay caught a cartwheeling Ricochet on his shoulders before transitioning into a Styles Clash for a nearfall.

Ricochet rolled to the apron when the Hidden Blade was teased, leading Ospreay to follow. Ricochet popped Ospreay onto his shoulders and hit a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Ricochet followed with a Shooting Star Press off the apron to the floor, followed by a springboard 450 in the ring for a nearfall. Ricochet hit a head kick and a lifting reverse DDT for another nearfall in this offensive flurry.

The crowd was firmly behind Ospreay as Ricochet loaded up the Spirit Gun. Ospreay ducked, and a series of counters ended with Ricochet catching Ospreay with a cutter on an Oscutter attempt. Ricochet hit another Death Valley Driver, but Ospreay countered the Spirit Gun with a Hidden Blade to put both men down. They both agreed to stand up and trade forearms, with Ospreay winning the exchange.

Ospreay went for the Stormbreaker, but Ricochet forced Ospreay into the referee. Ospreay hit the Stormbreaker, but the referee was out. Ospreay went to the top rope, but Ricochet booted the referee into the ropes and knocked Ospreay down. Ricochet drilled a recovering Ospreay with the Spirit Gun to score the win to big boos.

MJF & Adam Cole Summit

This is the closest this feud has felt to having any juice in a long time, so I’ll call it a success. I’m still not personally invested in it at all, but the crowd here did seem to at least play along with the promo.

Adam Cole & MJF came to the ring, with MJF coming out with security. MJF started by reminding Cole that he turned on MJF first. MJF took some pot shots, including saying that his dentist isn’t seeing him anymore. He said that Cole had several shots at the World Title before MJF won it but blew it like he blew out his ankle. MJF said that Cole used to be Adam Cole Bay Bay, but now he looks like a crack bay-bay.

Cole asked if MJF was done before starting on his own. He could talk about MJF’s hair replacement surgeries or his politicking to get his girlfriend a job, but he wouldn’t go in depth on it. He had some regrets, but he didn’t regret turning on MJF. MJF made friends and stabbed them in the back all the time, Cole just did it better than him and he knew it. Cole got in MJF’s face and said that he knew MJF would have turned on him anyway, and MJF admitted to it.

MJF said that last year at Worlds End, he was going to turn on Cole. He didn’t care about Cole when their team started, but he started to once they became friends. But then Cole got hurt and became a liability. Cole wasn’t the Devil, he just beat the Devil to it. He promised to end Cole’s world at Worlds End. Cole said that he would end this face-to-face and punched MJF in the face. MJF’s security got involved, and Cole bumped all of them before MJF kicked him low. He went to punch Adam Cole with the Diamond Ring before the Undisputed Kingdom ran him off.

We got a recap of Mercedes Mone defending both of her titles this past week.

Kris Statlander was backstage with Lexy Nair, who asked her about her attempted reconciliation with Willow Nightingale. Statlander said that the conversation between her and Nightingale was between them for now and promised to handle Penelope Ford tonight. Statlander turned her attention to Mercedes Mone, saying that her downward spiral this year began when Mone entered the company. She believed that getting the TBS Title back would lead her to getting back some of what she lost and challenged Mone to round two at Worlds End.

Orange Cassidy was backstage with Lexy Nair. He said that he couldn’t have a conversation with Hangman Page or Jay White, so he just asked them to listen. Jon Moxley couldn’t escape the three of them at Worlds End, and they all knew Moxley had to be removed as champion. He asked for a temporary alliance to take Moxley out of the picture, then the three of them could work out the title between themselves.

Kris Statlander defeated Penelope Ford

I’ll take another Statlander/Mone match. With Statlander getting back into Willow Nightingale’s orbit, I can see all of this leading to a big three-way for the title down the line no matter who wins at Worlds End.

Statlander went for a stalling vertical suplex, but Ford transitioned to a sleeper hold. Statlander maneuvered Ford back into the suplex before completing it for a nearfall. Statlander got Ford onto her shoulders and went to the second rope, but Ford knocked Statlander to the mat and hit a blockbuster for a nearfall. Ford hit double knees to Statlander on the apron as we went to a commercial.

After a commercial, Ford missed the double knees before Statlander dropkicked her off of the apron. Statlander hit a spinning Fisherman buster for a nearfall. Ford ducked a corner boot and hit a Perfect-Plex for a nearfall. Statlander caught Ford on a handspring elbow, and a series of counters ended with a Ford springboard poisonrana for a nearfall. Statlander came back with a pair of German suplexes before landing Staturday Night Fever for the win.

Mercedes Mone came out after the match. She was planning to take the PPV off but decided to grant Statlander another beating. She accepted Statlander’s challenge for Worlds End.

Big Boom AJ, Chris Jericho, Anthony Bowens Summit

Not sure why the Costco Guys are still here, unless it’s just because they’re local. It is interesting to see Bowens by himself cutting a promo with the ROH World Champion. He was fine on his own here, and maybe a short Jericho program could be a test-run for a singles run after the teased Acclaimed split goes down.

After a commercial break, Big Boom AJ & Big Justice were hyping the crowd up when The Learning Tree interrupted them. Chris Jericho asked if they had a permit to be there from Mayor De Blasio, and Big Justice called him a jackass. Jericho said that he spoke for all New Yorkers when he said that they didn’t want Big Boom AJ there. They didn’t even have Costcos in New York, they had bodegas. Jericho said that New York wasn’t about silly gimmicks like Boom, or guys in bandit masks – referring to Bandido after his run-in at Final Battle – or people who scissor.

This brought out Anthony Bowens by himself, who told Jericho to shut the hell up. Big Bill said that people who asked for silence were afraid of the truth, and his hometown crowd chanted his name. Bowens challenged Jericho to fight him now, but The Learning Tree bailed. AJ went to hit his line, but Bowens interrupted him and scissored with them instead.

Deonna Purrazzo & Taya Valkyrie were backstage with Lexy Nair when Technicolor Toni Storm stumbled into the frame to introduce herself to them. Purrazzo didn’t feel like dealing with Storm, so she challenged Storm to take on Valkyrie on Dynamite.

Continental Classic 2024 Blue League Match – Daniel Garcia [7] defeated Shelton Benjamin [6]

Garcia stays alive with a win over Benjamin. The finish played into Benjamin’s weakness of “playing with his food” as MVP often calls it, as Garcia survived Benjamin’s onslaught to get the win with his now-trademark jackknife flash pin. Both men are still alive for the playoffs going into Dynamite, with win-and-in scenarios against Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada respectively. The post-match was great, as it both worked as a Heyman Special for the next match and a reminder of the Swerve/Lashley feud.

With a loss or a draw, Garcia would be eliminated from playoff contention. Matt Menard joined commentary for Garcia’s match, as always.

Garcia jumped Benjamin at the bell after the Hurt Syndicate’s attack on Dynamite. Benjamin dumped Garcia over his head and pinballed him to the floor and around the ringside area. Benjamin controlled Garcia as the crowd chanted We Hurt People. Garcia tried to come back with chops before Benjamin chopped him down and hit a back body drop as we went to commercial.

After the break, Garcia took Benjamin down with a dropkick, but Benjamin came back with a pair of German suplexes. Garcia blocked a German suplex off of the apron, but Benjamin caught Garcia on the floor and dumped him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Garcia dropped Benjamin with a drop toe hold onto a chair and laid in the ten punches, but Benjamin dropped him with a lariat. The crowd helped Garcia back to his feet, and Garcia hit a Dragon Screw Leg Whip on Benjamin.

Benjamin came back with another German Suplex, but Garcia dodged the knee lift in the corner and locked on the Dragon Tamer. Benjamin transitioned into an STF variant and forced Garcia to the ropes. Garcia caught Benjamin in a small package for a nearfall, but Benjamin kicked out and hit a superkick for a long nearfall. Justified This Is Awesome chants rang out as Garcia caught Benjamin with the jackknife pin to steal the win and stay alive in the tournament.

With this result, Mark Briscoe is officially eliminated. That didn’t stop Briscoe from coming out to make the save as the Hurt Syndicate went to attack Garcia after the match. Swerve Strickland joined the fray, jumping off of the top rope and Swerve Stomping all of the security. Strickland took the mic and reminded everyone of his promise to get his hands on Bobby Lashley by the end of the year.

Continental Classic 2024 Blue League Match – Mark Briscoe [9] defeated The Beast Mortos [0]

Another energetic, fun match on this Collision. Briscoe technically leads the block right now, but he needs some help on Dynamite to advance to the final. Briscoe needs Benjamin/Okada to go to a time-limit draw. In that case, he will advance to the playoff in second place behind either Daniel Garcia or Kyle Fletcher. It’s unlikely, but it’s not impossible.

This is the final match of the tournament for both Briscoe and Mortos. A win would keep Briscoe ever-so-slightly alive, as he would need some help on Dynamite to advance to the playoffs.

The two traded strikes to start before transitioning to flash pin attempts. Mortos dropped Briscoe with a shoulder block before Briscoe vaulted Mortos to the floor. Mortos cut off a Briscoe dive attempt with a spear as we went to a commercial. Mortos was in control after the break before Briscoe ducked a rising knee in the corner and sent Mortos to the floor. Briscoe hit a baseball slide, then followed it with a tope con hilo.

Mortos cut off the tope chair hilo, but Briscoe dumped Mortos on the apron with a German suplex. Briscoe hit a skytwister press from the top rope to the floor before hitting the tope chair hilo. Justified This Is Awesome chants rang out as Briscoe went for the Froggy Bow, but Mortos got his knees up and hit the Banebreaker and a powerbomb over the knees. Mortos hit a pop-up Samoan Drop for a big nearfall.

Mortos fought out of the Jay Driller, but a Death Valley Driver and a Froggy Bow scored Briscoe a nearfall. A second Froggy Bow landed, and a Jay Driller scored the win for Briscoe to keep his faint tournament hopes alive.

Continental Classic 2024 Gold League Match – Claudio Castagnoli [9] defeated Darby Allin [6]

A solid main event featuring Castagnoli pinballing Allin around some more. Castagnoli’s frustration at not being able to put Allin down was the key point of the finish, resorting to brass knuckles to beat him. I expect Allin to get his win back over Castagnoli at some point in the new year as the Death Rider feud continues. As far as the tournament goes, Ricochet and Castagnoli control their own destiny as the outright block leaders and will clinch playoff spots if they win their matches. An upset will open the door for the winner of the Brody King/Will Ospreay to sneak in.

Allin dove onto Castagnoli to start the match. Allin fought Castagnoli to the top of the ramp before climbing to the top of the entrance structure and diving onto him. The two crawled to the ring so the bell could ring, and Castagnoli immediately caught Allin with the Swiss Death uppercut for a nearfall. Castagnoli got Allin in the Giant Swing for nearly a minute before tossing him to the floor.

After the commercial, Allin sent Castagnoli to the floor before diving into him. Allin hit another suicida before hitting a Coffin Drop to the floor. Castagnoli dove onto Allin’s back in a sleeper hold, but Castagnoli dumped Allin through the ringside table to escape the hold. Allin beat the count and ducked the big lariat, scoring with several flash pins before Castagnoli double stomped his chest to shut him down.

Castagnoli deadlifted Allin up and bodyslammed him from the ring to the apron. He then drove Allin into the ringpost back first before swinging him into the ring stairs. Castagnoli hit a big lariat for a nearfall. Allin countered the Ricola Bomb into a Sunset Bomb for a nearfall. Castagnoli set Allin on the top rope and went for a superplex, but Allin reversed it into an Avalanche Scorpion Death Drop. A Coffin Drop met Castagnoli’s knees, but a Ricola Bomb only scored a two-count.

Another Ricola Bomb got another nearfall. Castagnoli went outside and got a chair. The referee took the chair away, but that allowed Castagnoli to pull out brass knuckles and knock out Allin. Castagnoli scored the pin and went to do more damage after the match but Will Ospreay returned the favor to Allin from last week’s Dynamite and ran Castagnoli off.

Collision will return on January 4th, 2025, so I will take this time to wish you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Krazy Kwanzaa, a Festivus for the rest of us, and a Happy New Year!

Five Continental Classic matches set for Christmas night AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

The final Continental Classic tournament bouts before next Saturday’s Worlds End are set for next Wednesday’s Christmas night edition of AEW Dynamite.

Five matches are on tap that will be taped this Sunday afternoon at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

In the Gold league, Will Ospreay will face Brody King for the first time ever. Ospreay (pictured above) is part of a four-way tie that he hopes to break this Saturday on Collision against Ricochet while King has just three points.

Ricochet will face Darby Allin for the first time ever in Gold league action. Ricochet and Allin are also part of the aforementioned tie. Allin will be in action Saturday as well ahead of this match.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Komander will round out the night’s Gold league matches. Castagnoli is part of the four-man tie while Komander has zero points.

In the Blue league, Kazuchika Okada will take on Shelton Benjamin for the first time ever. As of Wednesday, Okada (seven points) has a one point advantage over Benjamin (one).

In what could be a dark horse for the tournament’s best match, TNT Champion Daniel Garcia will take on Kyle Fletcher in Blue league action for the first time ever.

Here’s the current lineup:

  • Continental Classic Gold league: Will Ospreay vs. Brody King
  • Continental Classic Gold league: Darby Allin vs. Ricochet
  • Continental Classic Gold league: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Komander
  • Continental Classic Blue league: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shelton Benjamin
  • Continental Classic Blue league: Daniel Garcia vs. Kyle Fletcher

Daily Update: Will Ospreay, Darby Allin, WWE Vault additions

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Latest Audio

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The notes of just how much of the young audience AEW has lost
  • All In at Globe Life Field both realities and perception
  • History of famous promotional wars and how they turned out and why
  • Why the few incumbents that lost did
  • The rise and fall of WCW
  • The finances of AEW
  • The issue with all non-Raw and Smackdown shows in the U.S. market right now not involving AEW
  • History of Saturday Night’s Main Event
  • High water marks for the show in the 80s
  • The Hogan vs. Andre match
  • Why SNME went away and its return and why that didn’t work as well
  • Preview of tomorrow’s show and betting odds
  • AEW Worlds End notes and WWE’s head-to-head show in Orlando
  • Full coverage of NXT Deadline
  • Full coverage of UFC 310
  • Tokyo Sports Awards, including unique things Zack Sabre Jr. has done and the history of all 51 MVP winners since 1974
  • More on the new Global Fight League, which features tons of post-40 UFC champions and major stars, to be debuting soon
  • For those outside the U.S. where the WWE Network moves to Netflix, what non-live shows will Netflix be airing and how little it is as compared to the WWE Network
  • Preview of both Tokyo Dome shows in January
  • The death of Karloff Lagarde Jr.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the U.S. TV shows, comparisons to one year ago, segment-by-segment and rankings for the night and week.
  • What CMLL star trained with the Olympic team only a few years ago
  • Pentagon Jr. update
  • Tag team tournament finals in Japan
  • Top star in Japanese group gets suspended
  • Another top star cutting down his schedule
  • International TV ratings
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • Tag team getting a non-wrestling national television show
  • Wrestling legend getting a non-wrestling TV show
  • Notes on the new season of Dark Side of the Ring
  • Willie Mack situation in GCW
  • What wrestler was GCW hoping to get for the Hammerstein Ballroom
  • Tessa Blanchard update
  • Lots of notes about the AEW on sale in Texas
  • Update on Rey Fenix situation
  • Most viewed streaming segments of AEW & WWE this past month
  • Steroids in BJJ
  • MMA Awards
  • Mark Shapiro talks future in WWE, UFC and even boxing ideas*WWE injury updates
  • Lots of notes about WWE shows on A&E in 2025
  • Son of sports legend makes quiet WWE debut
  • Janel Grant case updates
  • Dwayne Johnson movie updates

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Tuesday Update

WWE

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Ahead of his match against Ricochet at AEW Collision this weekend, Will Ospreay wrote on X: “Gentlemen’s agreement. If there is one minute before the time elapses. You & me stand in the middle of the ring and throw bombs till one of us drops. Holloway style. Stand & Bang. I ain’t drawing with you again.”
  • Darby Allin did an elbow drop through a table at a Nitro Circus event on Monday.
  • Backstage comments featuring Jack Perry and The Young Bucks following NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed.
  • Our own Tom Lawlor is set to take on Minoru Suzuki as part of the beIN Sports taping portion of MLW Kings of Colosseum on January 11.
  • Suwama and Shuji Ishikawa are establishing a new promotion called Pro Wrestling Evolution. Their first show will take place on January 29 at Shinjuku FACE.
  • TNA has released a new Chris Bey shirt, with all proceeds going to Bey.
  • Mance Warner will defend the GCW World title against Super Crazy at their January 11 event.

Darby Allin wants to plant an AEW flag on top of Mount Everest in 2025

Posted on by Ian Carey

Darby Allin has not given up on his goal of climbing Mount Everest.

Allin had planned to climb the mountain last April but suffered a broken foot in a match at AEW Big Business the month before he was scheduled to go, postponing his plans. During today’s AEW All In Texas media event at Globe Life Field, Allin reiterated his goal to climb Everest in April 2025 and said that he plans on planting an AEW flag at the summit when he does so.

Allin said:

“The cool thing with AEW is I can look at myself in the mirror and know exactly who I’m looking at. This company gives me so much. They let me do what I want to do out there in the ring in front of all of you, and they let me do what I want to do in my personal life. I am climbing Mount Everest in April, and I’m going to take that AEW flag and plant it on top of the goddamn world to remind everybody what AEW is capable of.”

“When I climb down from that mountain, I’m coming to Globe Life Field, and as a whole, AEW as a family, we’re going to remind the world exactly what this company is capable of. Because it doesn’t happen with just us, it happens with every single one of you. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you guys. So, thank you for coming out. Thank you for continuing to show the love. Globe Life Field, July 12th, is going to be very, very, very special, and we are not going to put on anything less than what you guys deserve.”

Sting made an appearance shortly after Allin’s segment at today’s press conference. He predicted that Allin will win the AEW World Championship next year.

Despite having big plans for 2025, Allin still has a lot on his schedule for the remainder of 2024. He’s currently entered into the Gold League in AEW’s second-ever Continental Classic tournament. His next advertised match is against Will Ospreay on the December 18, 2024, episode of AEW Dynamite.

AEW Collision live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kyle Fletcher Continental Classic match

Posted on by Suit Williams

Reigning AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada will face Kyle Fletcher as part of the Continental Classic on tonight’s AEW Collision from the GalaxyCon convention in Columbus, Ohio.

Okada comes into the Blue league match with four points while Fletcher is leading the pack with six. This will be their first match since Okada bested Fletcher in September.

In another Blue league match, reigning TNT Champion Daniel Garcia will take on Mark Briscoe for the first time ever. Garcia has four points while Briscoe has yet to score a single point.

The show will also feature Gold league action as Darby Allin and Komander meet for the first time ever with both in search of their first point.

In a semifinal of the AEW qualifier portion of the Wrestle Dynasty International Women’s Cup, Willow Nightingale will face Serena Deeb.

Mina Shirakawa will prepare for her challenge of AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May this Wednesday as she takes on Emi Sakura.

**********

This week’s Collision comes from Columbus, Ohio as part of the GalaxyCon convention. The show started with announcers Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness running down the card before throwing to a video package of the past week’s Continental Classic action.

Continental Classic Gold League Match – Darby Allin [3 points, 1-1 record] defeated Komander [0, 0-3]

This match intrigued me on paper and was a stellar match in execution. Allin using mat work to both allow Komander to shine in the air and catch him with a flash pin to win was a smart format for the match. More matches should end with flash pins to keep the fans on their toes, so I have no issue with the finish. Komander is essentially done as far as advancement, but I hope he gets a win to prove his worth to the fans.

This is essentially an elimination match for Komander, as it will be hard to finish in the top two of the Gold League with a maximum of six or seven points. The two started out fast, with Allin working to keep the match on the mat. Allin hooked on a Scorpion Death Lock to force Komander into the ropes. Komander had a ropewalk armdrag countered into a flash pin but came back with a springboard moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring, Komander hit a step-up Phoenix Splash for a nearfall.

Komander took Allin to the floor and hit a step-up forearm off of the turnbuckle. Allin dumped Komander into the ring steps and sat him on a chair, but Komander ducked the ensuing suicide dive and sent Allin into the chair with a disgusting crunch. After the commercial, Komander evaded a Coffin Splash into the barricade and hit Allin with a side kick for a nearfall. After a meeting of the minds, Allin came back with strikes and a Code Red for a nearfall.

Allin went to the top rope, but Komander followed him up and caught him with a little Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Allin cut off a Komander springboard and hung him over the ropes for a Coffin Drop. Allin hit a suicide dive, but Komander came back in the ring with a poisonrana. Komander hit a monkey flip on the apron before following with a dive of his own. Komander dumped Allin back in the ring and went for the ropewalk Shooting Star Press, but Allin moved and caught Komander with a version of the Last Supper flash pin to score the win.

International Champion Konosuke Takeshita & Don Callis were backstage with Renee Paquette. He began to brag about the Callis Family’s recent success when Powerhouse Hobbs entered the scene. Hobbs was angry that Callis never talked to him after he got hurt in the summer and challenged Takeshita for the International Championship. Callis noted that Hobbs did deserve better, but that Takeshita had multiple international bookings as champion and hurried him away.

International Women’s Cup Qualifier Tournament Semi Final Match – Willow Nightingale defeated Serena Deeb

This was a solid match. Hayter vs. Willow is a pretty big match in the women’s division, and it’s got some stakes with the spot at the Tokyo Dome on the line.

That prefix is a mouthful, so to put it simply: the winner of this match wrestles Jamie Hayter next week on Collision. The winner of that match will be AEW’s representative in the International Women’s Cup on January 5th at New Japan’s Wrestle Dynasty event.

Deeb came out with a shirt that said “Nobody Cares,” playing off of Britt Baker’s recent comments about her. I’m not sure how many of those will sell. The two went back and forth to start, countering each other’s finishers before Nightingale hit a Perfect Plex for a nearfall. Deeb came back with a neckbreaker in the ropes before dumping Nightingale to the floor.

After a commercial break, Nightingale made her comeback, scoring a nearfall with a Main Event Spinebuster. Deeb held onto Nightingale’s leg to counter the powerbomb before hammering Nightingale with multiple lariats. Deeb hit a hammerlock lariat for a nearfall. Nightingale countered the Detox into an Oklahoma Stampede for a nearfall. Deeb evaded a cannonball and hit the Detox for a nearfall. Nightingale came back with a Pounce before hitting the Babe With The Powerbomb for the win.

Next week on Collision, Nightingale will wrestle Jamie Hayter, with the winner going to Wrestle Dynasty on January 5th as AEW’s representative in the International Women’s Cup.

Thunder Rosa was backstage with Renee Paquette. Rosa noted that she had beaten both Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa the last time she faced both women and made her intentions on challenging the winner of Wednesday’s Women’s Title match clear.

We got a recap of Wednesday’s angle involving the Death Riders, Jay White, Hangman Page, & PAC.

Death Riders Town Hall

AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, Marina Shafir, PAC, & Wheeler Yuta came to the ring. Moxley said that nobody in the building wanted to be the AEW World Champion, even if they thought otherwise. They weren’t ready to make the sacrifices necessary to be champion, and they weren’t worthy of even looking at the title. Moxley ran down all three of the men that fought him off on Wednesday, calling Jay White a child and calling Hangman Page self-destructive. He said that Cassidy proved that he wasn’t the man his peers believed him to be, which drew “bullsh*t” chants from the crowd. He regretted allowing Cassidy to leave Full Gear with his skull intact, and told Cassidy that he would eliminate him if he kept getting in his business.

Orange Cassidy promptly came out and rolled into the ring unafraid of the Death Riders. Cassidy said that while he could live with never being AEW World Champion, he couldn’t live with Moxley as AEW World Champion. He promised not to stop until Moxley wasn’t the champion anymore, with the only way to stop him being to kill him. Cassidy threw his gear at the Death Riders and dared them to fight him.

Shafir hit Cassidy from behind with the briefcase containing the World Title before the Death Riders laid the boots to him. PAC and Yuta carried Cassidy to the back before the commercial break.

FTR was backstage. Cash Wheeler talked about the devastation to the Carolinas and the upcoming Fight For The Fallen event when they were interrupted by the Death Riders continuing their beatdown on Orange Cassidy. They were about to pour another bottle of chemical cleaner down his throat when FTR stepped up to break things up. They stared down the Death Riders as they backed out of the building.

Continental Classic Blue League Match – Kyle Fletcher [9, 3-0] defeated Kazuchika Okada [4, 1-1-1]

A stunning result here, and a real message that Fletcher is to be taken as seriously as possible as a threat now that he’s bought into the Callis Family. This result all but assures that Fletcher will be one of the two top point-getters in the Blue League. I didn’t like how quickly they went to a commercial for All In after the match, not giving the result a longer chance to set in.

The winner of this match will have the outright lead in the Blue League with two matches to go.

The two men started slowly, backing each other into the ropes before Okada hammered Fletcher with a forearm. Fletcher responded with a big scoop slam before posing to big boos. Okada came back with a low dropkick that sent Fletcher to the floor before dropping him with a DDT on the floor. Okada hammered Fletcher with uppercuts on the floor before Fletcher caught him with a draping DDT in the ring.

After a commercial break, Fletcher cut off an attempted Okada comeback with a leg lariat. Okada came back with a flurry, ending with a DDT for a nearfall. Okada locked on the Money Clip, but Fletcher fought out with a half-and-half suplex. Okada came back with a flapjack before setting up his big moves. Fletcher ducked the Rainmaker but ran right into the dropkick before rolling to the floor.

Okada followed Fletcher to the floor and went for his signature Tombstone on the outside, but Fletcher caught him with a half-and-half suplex on the floor. Okada beat the ten count, then kicked out of the Everest Powerbomb for a nearfall to AEW chants. Okada caught Fletcher with the spinning lariat, but Fletcher ducked the Rainmaker again. The two traded strikes before Okada incidentally sent Fletcher into the referee. Fletcher hit Okada with a low blow, then hit the Brainbuster to score the win. The announcers sold this result as a very big deal, as they should have. The only other person to pin Okada since he’s come into AEW was Bryan Danielson.

We got a video package hyping the big matches on the Winter Is Coming Dynamite this Wednesday.

The Beast Mortos defeated Aaron Solo

Mortos is in the Continental Classic, but he’s wrestling a non-tournament match here. Mortos killed this poor guy with the Bane-style backbreaker and the powerbomb over the knee before putting him away with the spinning lariat.

After the match, it was announced that Mortos would be wrestling Kazuchika Okada on next week’s Collision in Continental Classic action.

Top Flight, Lio Rush, & Action Andretti were backstage with Renee Paquette, who asked what happened between the four men in the Dynamite Dozen Royale with Cheese when Rush and Andretti dumped the Martins. Rush and Andretti were tired of the Martins losing every opportunity they had gotten, and wanted to go for the tag team titles themselves. The four agreed to a match somewhere down the line.

Mina Shirakawa defeated Emi Sakura

I’ve said it several times, but Sakura is a quality enhancement talent that I hope gets used more often. A solid enhancement match to set Shirakawa up for her title match at Winter Is Coming.

Thunder Rosa was in the crowd watching this match. Sakura whipped Shirakawa with her entrance jacket to get a jump start, but Shirakawa came back with kicks. Sakura clawed at Shirakawa’s arm to counter an Irish whip, something I’ve never seen before, then chopped Shirakawa repeatedly. Shirakawa laid in more kicks before Sakura caught her leg and bit it to cut her off.

After a commercial, Shirakawa came back with a pair of rebound kicks, with Sakura pulling Shirakawa’s hair to break the pin. Sakura hit a spinning neckbreaker before hitting a stalling butterfly backbreaker for a nearfall. The two traded strikes before Shirakawa hit a second-rope Slingblade for a nearfall. Sakura tried to pull the referee in the way, but Shirakawa vaulted over the referee to hit a spinning splash. Shirakawa hit another second-rope Slingblade for the win.

We got a Renee Paquette-narrated video package hyping the Mariah May vs. Mina Shirakawa title match at Winter Is Coming.

We got footage from Daniel Garcia & Mark Briscoe with Renee Paquette last night ahead of their Continental Classic match next. Briscoe noted that he had a terrible track record in the Continental Classic but would always pick himself back up. Garcia said that he was the same kind of guy and promised to bring the fight to Briscoe. They shook hands to end the interview.

Continental Classic Blue League Match – Mark Briscoe [3, 1-2] defeated Daniel Garcia [4, 1-1-1]

A good main event with two babyfaces looking to redeem themselves after last year’s Continental Classic. This result leaves Kyle Fletcher five points clear of everyone else in the Blue League, all but assuredly putting him in the playoffs at Worlds End.

A loss here would essentially eliminate Briscoe from contention.

Corbin Bernson of Major League and Psych was in the front row. Garcia went for a few flash pins to start, then got aggressive by piefacing Briscoe in the corner. Briscoe came back with loud chops before sending Garcia to the floor. Briscoe followed Garcia to the floor with a cannonball dive before planting Garcia on the apron with a backbreaker. Briscoe teased the Cactus Jack elbow to the floor, but Garcia slid in the ring and knocked Briscoe to the floor with a running knee. The two traded strikes on the floor, with Garcia hitting Briscoe with a shotgun dropkick on the floor.

After a commercial, Briscoe was in control, setting up a superplex. The two swung on each other before falling to the apron and the floor. They both got back in the ring and traded strikes before Garcia laid out Briscoe with a lariat. Briscoe came back before dragging Garcia to the floor and hitting the Cactus Jack elbow.

Briscoe hit a big lariat in the ring and strung some offense together, scoring a nearfall with a fisherman’s buster. Briscoe hit a Death Valley Driver to set up the Froggy Bow, but Garcia cut him off. Garcia hit a superplex and a piledriver for a nearfall. Garcia set Briscoe up for the top-rope piledriver, but Briscoe knocked him down and hit the Froggy Bow for a nearfall.

Garcia countered the Jay Driller with the jackknife pin for a nearfall. Briscoe fired up after a Saito Suplex. He cut off another suplex and pulled out the old Cut Throat Driver, an early finisher of his, to score the win and his first three points in the tournament.

Will Ospreay vs. Darby Allin Continental Classic match set for AEW Holiday Bash Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

The first-ever clash between former AEW International Champion Will Ospreay and former TNT Champion and AEW Tag Team Champion Darby Allin will take place in less than three weeks.

Announced during Saturday’s AEW Collision, the two will square off in Continental Classic Gold league action on the Holiday Bash edition of Dynamite, set for Wednesday, December 18th in Washington, DC.

The 31-year-old Ospreay was victorious in his Continental Classic debut, defeating Juice Robinson on Collision to earn his first three points in the tournament. His second Classic match will take place at the Winter is Coming edition of Dynamite on December 11th against Claudio Castagnoli.

The 31-year-old Allin was defeated by Brody King this past Wednesday in both men’s first bout.

Ospreay’s win was his first action since being defeated by Kyle Fletcher at last Saturday’s Full Gear. Allin has lost two straight, being defeated by King and then Claudio Castagnoli on the November 20th Dynamite.

Here’s the current lineup for December 18th:

  • Continental Classic Gold league: Will Ospreay vs. Darby Allin

Continental Classic matches announced for AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The first matches for the Continental Classic are now set.

Tony Khan on social media announced the first three matches of the tournament. In the Gold League, Darby Allin will take on Brody King while Ricochet will face Claudio Castagnoli. Meanwhile in the Blue League, Shelton Benjamin will face Mark Briscoe.

The twelve participants for the tournament were announced during a selection special that aired on Sunday. The wrestlers have been split up into two groups, the Blue League and the Gold League. The winners of each league will face off in the finals of the tournament at Worlds End, which takes place on December 30 in Uniondale, New York. Whoever wins the tournament will become Continental Champion, a title currently held by Kazuchika Okada.

Here is the updated card for Dynamite:

  • ROH World Champion Chris Jericho defends against Tomohiro Ishii
  • AEW Continental Classic Gold League: Darby Allin vs. Brody King
  • AEW Continental Classic Gold League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ricochet
  • AEW Continental Classic Blue League: Shelton Benjamin vs. Mark Briscoe

AEW reveals full list of participants for Continental Classic tournament

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The full list of participants for this year’s Continental Classic tournament have been revealed.

AEW gave details of the tournament on a Selection Special stream that aired on Sunday. It will kick off this Wednesday on Dynamite and will conclude at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Worlds End, on December 28 in Orlando. Similar to last year, the twelve wrestlers will be divided into two groups, the Blue League and the Gold League. The winners of both leagues will meet at Worlds End.

This year’s entrants include:

Blue League

  • AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada
  • Kyle Fletcher
  • TNT Champion Daniel Garcia
  • The Beast Mortos
  • Mark Briscoe
  • Shelton Benjamin

Gold League

  • Will Ospreay
  • Juice Robinson
  • Brody King
  • Ricochet
  • AEW Trios Champion Claudio Castagnoli
  • Darby Allin

Each match in the Continental Classic will be held under a 20-minute time limit, with everyone banned from ringside. A win is three points, a draw will earn both wrestlers one point, and a loss is zero points.

Eddie Kingston won the inaugural Continental Classic last year, defeating Bryan Danielson in the finals. His win briefly unified the AEW Continental, ROH World, and New Japan Strong titles.

Darby Allin appearing on ‘AEW Meal and a Match’ return episode

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Darby Allin is joining Renee Paquette & RJ City for the return of AEW Meal and a Match.

After debuting with only one episode earlier this year, AEW Meal and a Match is back for a new run of shows this fall. It was announced today that Allin will be Paquette & City’s guest for the return episode. It premieres on TBS’ YouTube channel at 1 p.m. Eastern time next Thursday (November 7).

They will be looking back at Allin’s Coffin Match against Brody King from August 2022.

Inspired by the TBS series Dinner and a Movie, the idea for Meal and a Match was formulated by hosts Paquette & City. The digital series features an AEW guest joining them as they share a meal and watch pro wrestling.

“RJ City and Renee Paquette look to prove we’ve been watching wrestling wrong as they look to break bread and break tables with some of the biggest names in AEW,” the description for the show says.

Eddie Kingston was the guest on the pilot episode that premiered in May.

AEW Collision live results: Tag Team title number one contender’s match

Posted on by Suit Williams

A three-way match on tonight’s AEW Collision will determine who faces the Young Bucks at WrestleDream.

Top Flight, Malakai Black & Buddy Matthews of the House of Black, and Private Party will duke it out in a three-way with the winners getting a shot at the AEW Tag Team titles at this month’s pay-per-view.

Private Party made it clear they want the next shot following their Wednesday win over the Iron Savages.

Darby Allin, who is looking for someone to face at WrestleDream, will take on Johnny TV. The Conglomeration’s Orange Cassidy & Kyle O’Reilly, who have been busy with The Learning Tree, will take on the Premier Athletes. Former CMLL Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale will challenge Trish Adora.

Other matches will see Wheeler Yuta take on BEEF, the Grizzled Young Veterans vs. The Outrunners, and a four-way match between Nick Wayne, Komander, Hologram, and Action Andretti.

Kris Statlander will also be in action.

**********

Collision came to us live (to tape) from Toledo, Ohio. Darby Allin made his way to the ring for the opening match. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call.

Darby Allin defeated Johnny TV

Johnny has had some rough showings lately but came together with Allin to have a fun opener here. Darby is one of the best television wrestlers in the world, finding a way to have cool, unique matches with anybody. Darby’s WrestleDream match is an enticing one, revisiting one of his best rivalries.

Allin controlled the early stage of the match until Johnny caught him with a poke to the eye. Johnny tied Allin in the ropes and hit a sliding German suplex for a nearfall. Johnny held control until Allin caught a climbing Johnny with a slap to the face. Allin brought Johnny down with a superplex, but Johnny followed up with a Side Russian Leg Sweep off the apron to the floor.

Johnny hit a rising knee to Allin on the steps, sending him to the floor. Johnny tried to hit a corkscrew splash off the steps to the floor, but Allin evaded it and hit a Coffin Splash to the floor. Johnny swept Allin’s legs from under him on a Coffin Drop attempt and hit a corkscrew kick to Allin in the ropes.

Allin evaded the Starship Pain, but Johnny caught him on a Coffin Splash attempt and hit a uranage out of the Razor’s Edge position. Johnny went for Starship Pain, but Allin evaded it and hit a Code Red for a nearfall. Allin hit the Coffin Drop to a standing Johnny to score the win.

After the match, Allin took the mic and challenged anybody to answer his open challenge. No one did, even after Allin challenged them to not let an opportunity to make their name pass them by. The challenge seemed to go unanswered, so Allin went to leave until Brody King bumrushed him down the ramp. King powerbombed Allin on the apron before pinning him to the post. He accepted his challenge and promised violence at WrestleDream.

We got an Outrunners video, this time with FTR training with them. Dax Harwood bleached his mustache, and they donned the Outrunners shades to complete the training.

The Outrunners (Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd) defeated Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson)

Look, I get that the Outrunners are hot right now. They’re selling merch, people are into the act, alright. Is there ANY other team they could’ve fed them other than the new guys who are actually a really good team? I don’t get why they even bothered bringing the Vets in if they’re never going to give Gibson time to talk and get them over, especially if they’re just going to do jobs all the time. It’s a confusing use of a really good team when the tag division is dry as a bone right now, but I guess I can’t kill them if they run with the Outrunners.

Magnum and Drake started, with Magnum scoring with an armdrag. Floyd tagged in and worked his way up from the mat on a lock-up and posed to a pop. The Veterans got control on an Irish Whip block, but another attempt got reversed by Floyd. The Outrunners ran wild with double team moves as we went to a commercial break. There was a commercial for something called a TrumpyTrout, a singing fish that impersonates the former president. Not sure who that’s for, but alrighty then.

The Veterans were working on Magnum after the break, with Magnum fighting for the tag and getting it. Floyd ran wild, pinballing the Veterans with bodyslams. They hit the Predator double elbow drop, but Gibson shoved Magnum off the top and isolated him. Floyd shoved Drake off the top rope on a Doomsday Device attempt, and Magnum caught Gibson in a victory roll for the win.

We got a video package for Britt Baker. Baker noted that she hadn’t had a one-on-one World Title match since she lost the title back in 2022. Baker challenged Mariah May to a Women’s World Title match at the Title Tuesday Dynamite.

The Conglomeration was in the back with Lexy Nair. Willow Nightingale said that Britt Baker needed to wait in line because she wanted Mariah May first. Mark Briscoe cut his wacky promo. The word of the day is diversification, and also sophistication.

Willow Nightingale defeated Trish Adora

Nightingale losing up to the Women’s Title is odd, as Mariah May noted on Dynamite. But if AEW feels the need to pull the plug on May’s lukewarm reign, Willow is a great hand to have up their sleeve. We’ll see how Britt Baker plays into all of this.

Mariah May was at ringside. Code of Honor adhered to before Nightingale hit her low crossbody for a quick nearfall. Adora scored with a kick, then split on top of Nightingale in an arm lock. Nightingale pounced Adora into a commercial break.

Adora had Nightingale twisted into a pretzel coming back from the break, before dropping her with a neckbreaker. Nightingale made her comeback, but Adora cut her off with a crossbody. Adora got a nearfall with a pair of suplexes, standard and German, for respective nearfalls. Nightingale booted away a clothesline and snatched Adora up in the Babe With The Powerbomb for the win.

After the match, May shoved the belt in Nightingale’s face and went to slap her, but Nightingale blocked the slap and bounced her around ringside. May escaped the powerbomb and bailed up the ramp.

Wheeler Yuta was backstage with Alicia Atout. PAC, Claudio Castagnoli, & Marina Shafir entered the frame, with PAC growling that he wasn’t Yuta’s partner. Castagnoli cleared the room and allowed Yuta to get his anger out. Yuta was upset about being left in the dark and the group turning on Bryan, asking how he could trust Castagnoli again. Castagnoli cooly responded by asking if he had ever steered Yuta wrong. He handed Yuta his Trios Title and said that he would always have Yuta’s best interests in mind.

(The Yuta substory of the Moxley/Danielson story is incredibly interesting, and more of the type of storytelling that I want out of this promotion. Yuta is Danielson’s protégé, but he and Claudio ended up being the tag team of the group, with Claudio getting Yuta his first AEW Title. It’s a logical dilemma, especially with Castagnoli and Moxley playing mind games.)

Mariah May was backstage with Lexy Nair. She was upset at everyone for coming after her and her title. Vice Principal Christopher Daniels entered the frame and booked Britt Baker vs. Willow Nightingale for Title Tuesday, with a title shot on the line against May at WrestleDream. I guess it’s title adjacent.

(This was May’s best promo since she turned on Toni Storm. There was actual emotion behind her words, instead of the cold femme fatale deal that just wasn’t working.)

Wheeler Yuta defeated Beef (w/Anthony Henry)

For the uninitiated, Beef is Workhorsemen Anthony Henry’s second cousin, tagging with Henry during JD Drake’s recovery period. Yuta came out hot, scoring with a Right Angle Slam as Jon Moxley & the Blackpool Combat Club watched from the crowd. Yuta dropkicked Henry off the apron, then laid in the hammer and anvil elbows before locking on the Cattle Mutilation for the quick win.

The Conglomeration (Kyle O’Reilly & Orange Cassidy) (w/ Rocky Romero) defeated The Premier Athletes (Ariya Daivari & Tony Nese) (w/ Mark Sterling & Josh Woods)

While this combination has been pretty repetitive, this was a very fun tag match. When the Conglomeration began teaming up, I wanted O’Reilly and Cassidy to end up being the regular team of the group. This match has only made me want that more, as they work very well together. I can see them as a highly useful team in the tag division.

The Athletes got off to a jump start, but O’Reilly & Cassidy quickly got on the good foot and ran wild. We got a dive train before we went to a commercial. After the break, Cassidy crawled through the legs of Daivari to get the hot tag to O’Reilly. O’Reilly ran wild until he got necked on the ropes by Nese, leading to a quick flurry from the Athletes before a 450 splash scored a nearfall.

Cassidy got the tag back in, taking both Athletes down until Daivari caught him with a lariat. O’Reilly got caught with Greetings From Asbury Park from Nese, but Cassidy countered it with a DDT. Sterling distracted the ref for Woods to pull Cassidy out of the ring.

Romero and Woods got into it before Sterling caught Romero with a low blow. Mark Briscoe came out to clear Woods out, and Cassidy punched Sterling out. Cassidy caught Nese with the Orange Punch, and as O’Reilly choked out Daivari, Cassidy got the win with the Beach Break.

Lance Archer was killing geeks again when Don Callis walked up to him. He asked if Archer was still being managed by Jake Roberts, and after killing another geek, Archer said yes.

(At least Archer in the Callis Family keeps him on TV regularly.)

Mercedes Mone & Kamille were with Lexy Nair. She put herself and Kamille over, calling Kamille “more than a woman.” Kris Statlander walked in, taking umbrage with them using her nickname. She said that “born-again Kristen” had a match tonight and told them to watch.

Hologram defeated Komander, Nick Wayne, Action Andretti

Hologram continues to win in this showcase of the depth of AEW’s roster. This was an incredibly fun four-way match with these great young athletes. Komander in particular was phenomenal in this match, but all four accounted for themselves very well here.

Oh boy. Wayne and Andretti cleared the ring before Andretti caught Wayne with a dropkick and a springboard tornillo press for a nearfall. Hologram sent Andretti to the floor, leading to Hologram and Komander doing good lucha things. Wayne cut off a Hologram dive before Andretti hit a handspring to Komander. Andretti hit a Rolling Thunder off the apron and a 619 to Wayne before a split-legged moonsault to the floor sent us to a commercial break.

Hologram was running wild as we came back, dropping Wayne and Andretti with a dual suplex/DDT combination. After a massive dive to Komander, a 450 splash to Wayne scored a nearfall. Komander hit a springboard headscissors to both Hologram and Wayne before sending Hologram to the floor. Andretti caught Komander with a Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Hologram caught Wayne with a powerslam before Komander caught Hologram with a Canadian Destroyer to reset everything.

Komander hit a sick twisting poisonrana off the ropes, then hit the ropewalk shooting star press. Wayne cut Komander off and hit Wayne’s World on him. Andretti took Wayne out before Hologram cut off a handspring with an enzuigiri. Hologram hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Andretti for the win.

The Beast Mortos was backstage with Lexy Nair. The Undisputed Kingdom walked in, upset that Mortos seemed to be lined up with La Faccion Ingobernable instead of them. They told him to reconsider, as Mortos growled.

Kris Statlander defeated Zoey Lynn

(Statlander is a babyface now, I guess. Mone vs. Statlander will be a good match, but it’s just a sudden switch. I think someone thought of the “born again Kristen” line and worked backward from there.)

Lynn jumped Statlander to no avail, as Statlander beat her quickly with Saturday Night Fever. Staturday Night Fever? After the match, Mercedes Mone & Kamille came out. Mone said that while she was impressed, Statlander needed to show her respect. She sicced Kamille on Statlander, who booted her down and dropped her with the Road To Damascus.

Darby Allin was in the back, where he challenged Brody King to meet him face-to-face on Dynamite. He noted that while he had beaten King in the past, he had never pinned him. He only beat him in a coffin match, but that wasn’t enough. He noted that he went to Tony Khan to get King a job, but if King wanted what Allin had, he’d have to work a lot harder.

We got a video package on Emi Sakura scoring a win in Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. It was announced that Sakura would get a title match against Mercedes Mone, for both Mone’s TBS and NJPW STRONG Women’s Championships. Hey, a title match on Title Tuesday!

AEW World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Three Way Match – Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) defeated Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin) & House Of Black (Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black)

(The crowd was pretty light for this one. I don’t know if it was because they were tired, or if it’s because they didn’t really buy any of these teams beating the Young Bucks. If Private Party were going to get this title shot, I wouldn’t have spent the last month having Jon Moxley and his crew murder them. It’s about now or never for those guys, so we’ll see if they can recapture the magic against the Bucks next week.)

Dante & Kassidy started off, matching evenly before tagging in their partners for a stand-off. Private Party scored with double dropkicks before scoring with dives, but the House of Black followed them out with forearms. Quen went for a dive but got kneed out of the air. Kassidy followed and took a double powerbomb on the apron.

Dante Martin was running wild as we came back from the break, scoring a nearfall with a frog splash. Quen took Dante down with a Pele Kick before they respectively tagged their partners. Darius and Kassidy evaded each other until Kassidy scored with a stunner over the ropes. Darius came back with a flatliner, but Private Party caught him with Silly String.

Black and Matthews tagged in and ran wild with strikes until Dante took them both down. All aboard the move train! The final stop was a Gin & Juice attempt foiled by Black holding onto his partner’s foot. Matthews hit Kassidy with a Jackhammer before Black followed with a double stomp for a nearfall.

Action Andretti came out and threw another bottle of water at the House of Black, with Dante getting a tag in the process. Kassidy hit a step-up dive to the crowd on the floor, then followed up with Gin & Juice to score the win and the title shot at WrestleDream.

Three-way Tag Team title eliminator match set for AEW Collision

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

The next challengers for the AEW Tag Team titles at this month’s WrestleDream will be determined on this Saturday’s edition of Collision.

Private Party, Top Flight and House of Black will vie for the opportunity to challenge the Young Bucks (pictured above) at the Saturday, October 12th pay-per-view. None of the teams have held the Tag Team titles before.

Private Party issued a challenge on this past Wednesday’s fifth anniversary edition of Dynamite and the Bucks feigned as if they were going to accept but then decided not to. That led to Jack Perry attacking Private Party from behind and the three heels beating them up until Katsuyori Shibata made the save.

Friday’s Rampage will feature the Bucks and Perry against Private Party and Shibata.

Top Flight have battled the Bucks several times in the past while House of Black feuded with The Elite over the AEW Trios titles in early-2023.

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Darby Allin will be in action against Johnny TV as the former is still looking for an opponent for WrestleDream after issuing an open challenge.

After getting into a scrap with AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May, Willow Nightingale will take on Trish Adora while Nightingale’s rival Kris Statlander will return to action for the first time since their All Out street fight against an opponent to be named.

Ahead of his tag team match alongside Bryan Danielson against PAC & Claudio Castagnoli on Tuesday, Wheeler Yuta will go one-on-one with Beef.

In what should be a high-flying four-way, Hologram will battle Komander, Nick Wayne and Action Andretti.

Two tag team matches are set as the surging Outrunners will take on the Grizzled Young Veterans while The Conglomeration’s Orange Cassidy & Kyle O’Reilly battle Tony Nese & Ari Daivari of the Premier Athletes.

Here’s the full lineup, taped Thursday night in Toledo, Ohio:

  • House of Black (Malakai Black & Buddy Matthews) vs. Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) in a three-way AEW Tag Team title eliminator match for WrestleDream
  • Darby Allin vs. Johnny TV
  • The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake)
  • Willow Nightingale vs. Trish Adora
  • Beef vs. Wheeler Yuta
  • The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Premier Athletes (Tony Nese & Ari Daivari)
  • Komander vs. Hologram vs. Nick Wayne vs. Action Andretti
  • Kris Statlander vs. TBA

Two title matches, Darby Allin open challenge added to AEW WrestleDream

Posted on by Josh Nason

Two title matches and an open challenge by Darby Allin have been made for this month’s AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view — all made during Wednesday’s fifth anniversary episode of Dynamite.

One of those matches will see Ring of Honor World Champion Mark Briscoe defend against Chris Jericho, made during a Jericho Learning Tree segment.

Jericho pinned Briscoe in a tornado trios match on this past Saturday’s Grand Slam Collision and then called Briscoe out Wednesday, offering up a challenge for Briscoe’s title. Briscoe came out and things got heated when Jericho evoked the name of Mark’s late brother, Jay. Mark laid out Jericho with an uppercut and accepted for the PPV.

This will be their first-ever singles match. Jericho will look to reclaim the ROH title he held for 80 days in 2022 while Briscoe is gunning for his fifth title defense.

Right afterward, Darby Allin was featured during a pre-taped promo — his first since losing his AEW World title shot to Jon Moxley on last Wednesday’s Grand Slam Dynamite. After discussing his disappointment about the loss, he offered up an open challenge for anyone in the locker room to step up and try to make their name against him.

After Katsuyori Shibata came out to aid Minoru Suzuki after his defeat to TNT Champion Jack Perry on this past Saturday’s AEW Collision, the two agreed to a title match for the Saturday, October 12th PPV.

Perry was entering the building when Shibata found him and used his phone to issue the challenge. Perry said he would think about it and then jumped Shibata, laying him out. With Shibata incapacitated, Perry then said he accepted.

Perry has five title defenses under his belt while Shibata has yet to win AEW gold. This will be their first-ever singles bout.

Here’s the current lineup for Saturday, October 12th in Tacoma, Washington:

  • AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson defends against Jon Moxley
  • TNT Champion Jack Perry defends against Katsuyori Shibata
  • ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe defends against Chris Jericho
  • Darby Allin vs. TBD