Tag: dustin rhodes

Ring of Honor TV live results: Mark Briscoe vs. The Beast Mortos World title match

Posted on by Jeff Moss

In one of the more highly-anticipated matches in recent Ring of Honor history, ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe will defend the title agains The Beast Mortos on tonight’s ROH on HonorClub show.

Mortos goes into the match on a five-bout ROH winning streak while Briscoe is gunning for his fourth defense.

Lio Rush will return to battle Tony Nese where a win by Nese earns him a future ROH title shot.

Angelo Parker will make his return after becoming a father to team with Matt Menard against Jacoby Watts & Nick Comoroto.

ROH men’s TV Champion Atlantis Jr. will team with Fuego del Sol & Serpentico against former ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Cage of Agony.

ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs will team with Sammy Guevara against The Undisputed Kingdom & Dark Order.

Angelico will take on Aaron Solo in a Pure rules match while Marina Shafir faces Tiara James.

Other stars in action include EJ Nduka, Komander, Abadon, Trish Adora and MxM Collection.

*****

It was a big 120 minutes of wrestling on ROH this week, so it was fitting that it started with a many, many-person match.

ROH Six-Man Champions Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs and Sammy Guevara defeated Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) and Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver)

Last week, the show ended with all eight of these competitors (plus Evlio Uno)  in the ring, brawling. Dark Order and The Kingdom got the upper hand and left Rhodes, Guevara and The Von Erichs beat up in the ring. So this mega-sized grudge match was sure to be, as someone used to put it, a Slobberknocker. 

(It should also be mentioned that Rhodes and Guevara won the ROH tag titles on Collision. So there’s that too).

The match started with Rhodes, the Von Erichs and Guevara putting the Iron Claw on their opponents. That lead to the deterioration of everything as a brawl broke out and all eight men brawled around the ring. Eventually, the match started officially with Marshall and Silver squaring off.

Rhodes found himself isolated in enemy territory as he took on Bennett. Taven tagged in, but Rhodes with a significant size advantage fought his way out. The Order and the Kingdom were reluctant teammates, each team kind of ignoring each other until it was time for all out brawls. Even Evil Uno got involved on the outside. Fortunately the Von Erichs and Guevara were ready and waiting and managed to drive the action back into the ring.

Rhodes tagged in Guevara who entered via the top rope. He cleared the ring and hit a springboard cutter on Reynolds. Marshall tagged in and showed off his moonsault skills on Silver. Another brawl broke out at that point, and the Rhodes/Guevara/Von Erich team laid out their opponents and were about to lock in the Claw when low blows were delivered all around and all eight men writhed in the ring.

Eventually Marshall found himself in the ring with Silver. Everyone assumed they were the legal men, and Marshall hit a Claw slam on Silver to end the chaos and get the pin to win the match for his team.

Cage of Agony (Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage & Toa Liona) defeated ROH TV Champion Atlantis Jr., Fuego del Sol & Serpentico

This match pitted a team of bruising behemoths (811 lbs collectively) against a high-flying trio of luchadores. After losing an ROH World Six-Man Championship match via DQ last week, Cage of Agony is right back into the fight tonight and was in a terrible mood. At DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, Brian Cage was pinned by retaining ROH TV Champion, Atlantis Jr. “The Machine” was definitely looking to even the score. A long-standing Trio, Cage of Agony had the size and experience advantage over their opponents, who were teaming together for the first time. 

Unlike the preceding match this one started off with just two men in the ring. Serpentico (in his classic green mask) started things off against Liona, who only had about 100lbs in size on him. Serpentico managed to land a DDT, but the rest was pretty brutally in Liona’s favor. Kaun tagged in to take a turn, and Serpentico made the tag to Del Sol.

Del Sol’s speed was a help as he was able to run circles around all three members of Cage of Agony. Kaun got on up on him though and isolated him in the CoA corner so Cage could tag in. Cage tossed the 200lbs+ Del Sol around like he was stuffed with packing peanuts until Liona tagged in. Del Sol appeared hurt, but that didn’t get him any mercy.

Del Sol finally made a hot tag to Atlantis, who headed straight for Cage. Cage was caught on his heels and Atlantis was all over him with power slams and superkicks. Even Cage’s Wolverine gear was hurting. Serpentico tagged in and hit a shooting star frog splash on the prone Cage, but it only got a two-count.

Cage caught Atlantis with a pop up powerbomb, and then caught Serpentico in midair to hit a massive driver and get the pin for Cage of Agony.

  • The MxM Collection joined us from back stage. Mansoor gave us great news: He and Mason will be in action tonight and were interrupted by their opponents: The Pillars of Destiny.

Abadon defeated Alejandra Lion

The Living Dead Girl, Abadon spent last week scaring the daylights out of the ROH Women’s Champion, Athena. Lion, didnt seem phased though until the bell rang and Abadon, for lack of a better word, pounced on her.

Lion fought back with some superkicks, but Abadon no-sold them and hit a cutter on her, before setting up a Gory Special. After that Lion, didn’t have much fight in her, and one Black Dahlia later, Abadon was the winner.

MxM Collection (Mansoor & Mason) defeated Pillars of Destiny (Hunter Grey & Paul Titan)

The guys of MxM have fast become crowd favourites in ROH. Pillars of Destiny were pretty much the opposite. Where MxM was all style and smoothness, the Viking-like Pillars were hard hitting and beastly. MxM offered their Tips to the Pillars, but Grey tried to bit Mason’s off.

Mansoor and Grey started things off, with Mansoor giving up at least 6 inches (not including the tip) to the bigger Grey, who resorted to biting at one point. Mansoor hit a big dropkick and tagged in Mason. The two of them double teamed Grey, focusing on the back.

Suddenly, the Collection ran to the top of the entrance ramp and posed, only to run down and spear their opponents. Tossing them back inthe ring, Mansoor and Mason pinned Titan to end the match,a nd begin the posing.

Who am I kidding? They posed throughout the whole match. A lot.

Angelico defeated Aaron Solo in a Pure rules match

Before the match, ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty and Shane Taylor joined us from backstage. Moriarty named this the Pure Era of ROH and Taylor called out Mark Briscoe, saying he was coming to get what was his.

This would be the first Pure Rules match for either competitor. Solo, a student of Lance Storm, is very technically proficient and now that his partner Serpentico has his mask(s) back, Angelico can get back to the style he’s very good at. Under Pure Rules, each man would get three rope breaks, and a panel of judges would award the win if there was no winner as the 15-minute time period ran out. A victory would be a step closer to a shot at Lee  Moriarty’s ROH Pure Championship. The judges would be Paul Wight, Jerry Lynn and Christopher Daniels.

Solo and Angelico work a similar lanky style, and they made for excellent foes. The two traded headlocks and whips off the top while the announce team talked very quietly. Like Golf.

Solo used his first rope break at 13:44 to get out of a submission hold. Angelico locked in a calf crusher causing Solo to use his second rope break just 30 seconds later at 13:04. With a lot of match left to go, Solo regrouped and took Angelico off his feet with a big ol’ punch to the face. That got him a warning from the ref at 11:57 for using a closed fist.

Solo used his third and final roper break at 11:09, while Angelico still had all three of his. Angelico caught a warning for a closed fist, which meant that if there was another one from either wrestler, the match would end.

Angelico got a standing grapevine into an ankle lock on Solo. Solo tried for the ropes but was out of rope breaks, leaving him no choice but to submit and give the win to Angelico.

Trish Adora defeated Erica Leigh

Infantry member Adora was looking to get back into the singles game after being eliminated in the first round of the ROH Womens TV Championship tournament by Mercedes Martinez. Leigh, a friend of the Outrunners, was a solid veteran in her own right.

Adora controlled everything off the top though. After a series of hammerlock and chickenwing forced salutes, Adora hit a snapmare and then a splits based submission move. Leigh set herself up for some chops, declaring loudly “I can take it!”

Ron Howard Voice: She could not.

Adora chopped her into next week and then hit a massive lariat to put Leigh on her back for good and get the win. She and the Infantry celebrated in their X-Men style gear.

-Backstage, the Righteous cut a rare promo. Vincent said that everything in ROH has changed. Egos and masks rule ROH now. Lance Archer stepped in and said “everybody dies” for no reason. I mean, he’s not wrong, but it made no sense. Vincent said that they have reached Nirvana, and then asked everyone in ROH how they could start, when the Righteous know how it ends?

Komander defeated KM

Komander had been out of ROH for the last little while, competing at AAA Triplemania 32 on August 17th, where he defended his Cruiserweight Title against Matt Riddle and Laredo Kid. UNfortunately for him, a BroDerek from Riddle cost Komander his title and now he’s back in ROH, trying to shake off the loss. 

KM’s deal was being huge. Like, really huge. He was twice the size of Komander.

Surprisingly though, KM was able to keep up with Komander’s speed, tossing the luchadore around like a rag doll. KM locked in a really creative submission move, but Komander was able to squirm out of it. KM got cocky though, and Komander ducked a corner splash to hit a senton from the top rope followed by a flip splash from the top to get a quick pin.

EJ Nduka defeated Deonn Rusman 

Former Toronto Argo and bodybuilder Nduka two weeks ago broke up a fight on a plane. Aside from hanging out with AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland, Nduka hasn’t had much else happen to him thus far in AEW/ROH.

Rusman clocked in a 6’3″ but Nduka towered over him. Both men had some speed in them though and the match moved really quickly. The two battled back and forth with neither on e gaining the upper hand until Nduka got caught in the corner and Rusman rained down a flurry of punches to the midsection.

Nduka fought back with some massive lariats and a huge bulldog before hitting an Exodus Drop and pinning Rusman with his foot.

The Iron Savages (Bronson and Boulder) and Jacked Jameson defeated Jay Alexander, Colton Charles and Rosario Grillo.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of the Savages/Jameson team, and this match was a pointless squash from the top. Charles was murdered right off the bat, and Alexander was taken to (sigh) Titty City before being crushed by a Jameson lariat. No one had any idea who was legal as the Savages triple teamed Alexander and got a pin. Grillo never even entered the match. Pointless.

Marina Shafir defeated Tiara James

Shafir has been making herself a problem for the ROH Women’s division. Her aggressive and punishing style has led to several weeks of squash and easily won matches. James has only been doing this for a couple of years, but already earned nicknames like “Top Tier.”

Shafir offered a slightly modified Code of Honor from her back in the center of the ring. Of course, this was a clever ruse and she pulled in James and sat on her. James fought out and threw some chops at Shafir that she no-sold and then answered with a vicious kick to the face.

Shafir dug into her Judo bag of tricks and repeated took James to the mat. Dragging her to the center of the ring, Shafir locked in a surfboard and then transitioned into a sleeper hold. James didn’t go for it though, so Shafir transitioned into an armbar and then the Mothers Milk choke. James passed out and Shafir’s win streak continued.

  • Angelico and Serpentico cut a smoky promo back stage in which Serpentico suggested that Angelico challenge for the ROH Pure Title. Angelico mellowed out and did just that. He challenged Lee Moriarty for a Pure Title match.

Cool Hand Ang & Daddy Magic defeated Jacoby Watts & Nick Comoroto

New papa Cool Hand Ang is back in ROH to join his longtime partner, Magic as th begin their climb towards the ROH Tag Team Titles, currently held by The Undisputed Kingdom. Watts and Comoroto have had a… different, relationship that seemed to be going one way then stopped dead in it’s tracks.

Watts ran his mouth off the top, but Magic shut it with a fist. Ang and Magic double teamed Comoroto, but Comoroto’s Hulk-like strength (and chest hair) made it easy to fight them off. Ang and Comoroto became the legal men while Watts cheered from the corner.

Ang drove Comoroto into Watts, knocking him off the apron. Magic tagged in and rained fists on Comoroto in the corner. Ang and Magic hit a double DDT on Comoroto and were able to get the pin on the big man.

Lio Rush defeated Tony Nese (w/ Mark Sterling)

Last week, Rush defeated Blake Christian, but possibly at the coast of an arm injury. Nese accompanied his Premier Athlete buddy Aria Daivari in a losing effort against Katsuyori Shibata. Rush and Nese were both heavily featured in the ill-fated WWE “205 Live” Cruiserweight division, so they have plenty of history and this looked to be a banger of a match, booked by ROH Board of Directors member, Paul Wight. Wight said that if Nese wins they can talk about future opportunities, but beating Rush (who arrived in a coat so big, I’m sure even HHH was impressed) would prove easier said than done.

The match was fire right off the top. Nese using his strength and and Rush his speed. Nese sent Rush out of the ring and distracted the Ref while Mark Sterling stomped Rush on the outside. Back in the ring, Nese tried a suplex, but Rush saw it coming and the pair ran thr ropes until Rush got a big lariat on Nese.

Rush laid in a flurry of offense, but Nese picked his moment and returned a superkick. Both men exchanged speedy moves until a collision, leading to Nese punching Rush UFC style. From there, Nese had control, slamming Rush and exchanging chops. Sterling caused a distraction and Nese landed a back elbow on Rush.

Nese tried a few pinning attempts, but Rush kicked out. The crowd rallied around rush as he fought out of a leg scissor lock. Nese missed a triangle moonsault, giving Rush an opening, but Nese hit a pump handle slam before he could capitalize. Rush hit a springboard cutter and followed it up with a huge frog splash to get the 1-2-3.

Ring of Honor World Champion Mark Briscoe defeated The Beast Mortos to retain

Mark Briscoe is a busy guy. ​​This summer, he participated in Blood & Guts as part of Team AEW, defended his ROH World Championship at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2024 two days later against Roderick Strong, then took on the Premier Athletes in a Trios Match just 24 hours later. Then, he was in an Eight-Man match, and a Trios match involving The Beast Mortos on July 31st and August 3rd respectively. As if that wasn’t enough, Briscoe beat Johnny TV last week on ROH, followed by a Conglomeration trios victory over The Butcher and The Outrunners one day later.

During the aforementioned Trios match on AEW Collision, Mortos managed to pin the ROH World Champion, marking the biggest win of his career (so far). That weighed heavily on Briscoe (and earlier in the evening, he even cut a promo to say so) and last week he issued this challenge to Mortos in the form of a Championship match. 

This match was great from the moment it was booked. Mortos is an incredible brawler an Briscoe’s Red Neck Kung Fu and absolutely unkillable spirit made for two really strong opponents.

Briscoe tried to go for the Jay Driller early, but Mortos was able to shake him off and land a power slam. Both men’s preference for violence led to some really hard strikes and really strong holds and submission attempts, but throughout, neither man could get the momentum on their side.

The chops from Briscoe began and Mortos was actually sent back on his heels. That’s a rare thing for the Beast, and Briscoe capitalized, continuing to pummel Mortos. Briscoe tried to pick up the pace, but that just unleashed Mortos’ unnatural speed.

After a fireman’s carry, Mortos climbed to the top rope, but Briscoe jumped up and joined him. The two exchanged punches and Mortos sent Briscoe flying with a big headbutt to the chest. Briscoe introduced a steel chair and used it to fly onto a prone Mortos on the outside. Briscoe climbed to the top rope and hit a corkscrew moonsault onto the Beast.

Back in the ring, Briscoe put Mortos on his back with a huge lariat, but couldn’t get the pin. Mortos staggerd to his feet and kicked off a Jay Driller into a Samoan Drop on Briscoe for a two-count. Mortos then hit a tilt-o-whirl backbreaker on Briscoe, but again, only a two count.

Mortos tried to get Briscoe up again, but he reversed it into a spiccoli driver. Briscoe climbed to the top rope for a Froggy Bow, but Mortos rolled away and caught him in a spear. Mortos tried a top rope move of his own and missed Briscoe who went for another Froggy bow, this time nailing it, but Mortos kicked out.

Finally, Briscoe managed to hit a Jay Driller and that was enough to put the Beast to bed, and retain the Championship.

Sammy Guevara & Dustin Rhodes win ROH Tag team titles on AEW Collision

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dustin Rhodes is now a double champion in Ring of Honor.

Rhodes, along with Sammy Guevara, defeated The Undisputed Kingdom (Mike Bennett and Matt Taven) on Saturday’s Collision to win the titles for the first time. The finish came when Roderick Strong and The Beast Mortos came out to interfere. The Von Erichs then came out and put them both in the Iron Claw.

Cage of Agony and The Conglomeration then came out as everyone brawled on the outside of the ring. Back inside, Guevara hit a springboard cutter to Taven as Rhodes hit the curtain call on Bennett. Guevara then won the match and the titles with a senton.

Rhodes and The Von Erichs have formed a partnership during AEW’s residency in Arlington, Texas. Together they defeated The Undisputed Kingdom at Battle of the Belts XI to win the vacant ROH Six-Man tag titles. Shortly after, Sammy Guevara made his return to AEW by appearing on ROH, saving Rhodes from an attack by The Dark Order.

Ring of Honor TV live results: Sammy Guevara returns, Tag Team title defense

Posted on by Jeff Moss

For the first time since February, Sammy Guevara will be in action as part of tonight’s Ring of Honor TV on HonorClub.

After making his surprise return last week to defend Dustin Rhodes from an attack by Dark Order, Guevara will team up with Rhodes against John Silver & Alex Reynolds.

The Infantry will get another crack at winning the ROH Tag Team titles as they challenge current champions The Undisputed Kingdom after issuing a challenge last week backstage. Bravo and Dean were unsuccessful at besting the champions earlier this year.

Tomohiro Ishii will make his return to the black and red brand against Tony Nese.

Rachael Ellering will also be in action while The Outrunners will go heads-up against Stephen Barrett & Wolf Brown.

Darian Bengston will make his ROH debut against NJPW’s Robbie Eagles.

ROH power couple Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie will be in action as TV battles Fuego del Sol while Valkyrie will take on Hyan.

**********

Ring of Honor opened with a quick rundown of a packed card and went right into a huge matchup:

Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara defeated The Dark Order (John Silver and Alex Reynolds, w/Evil Uno)

Last week, Guevara made a surprise appearance on ROH, saving Rhodes from a beatdown at the hands of a very cranky Dark Order. The Order, Uno specifically, feel like Rhodes is taking up a spot in ROH that they deserve. His winning the 6-Man Titles with the Von Erichs stuck in Uno’s craw and had Guevera not interfered last week, they would have taken out Rhodes. Guevara is the wild card here as he seems to have turned over a new leaf, but is still Sammy Guevera, so can he be trusted? 

Guevara and Silver kicked things off before Rhodes tagged in for a quick double team. Considering they had never tagged together, Rhodes and Guevara seemed very comfortable with each other and kept control of things through the opening portion of the match. Then my head exploded as Rhodes attempted a Spinarooni in the ring, an obvious homage to his former WWE tag partner, Booker T.

In an exchange with Reynods, Rhodes seemed to injure his knee (which had been worked over pretty well by Evil Uno last week). Rhodes got back to his feet and seemed to be ok, just in time for Evil Uno to hit the injured knee with a chair while the Ref’s back was turned. Silver and Reynolds tagged in and out, isolating Rhodes’ and brutalizing his knee as Guevara begged for a tag in the corner.

Rhodes finally got a hot tag to Guevara who literally leapt into the ring to crush Silver with a splash. Guevara went for a Spanish Fly, but only got a two count out of it. A GHT later though, and Guevara was able to get the pin on silver and win the match for his team.

-Backstage, ROH Women’s World Champion Athena had a word with Billie Starkz. Anthena said that she was getting used to Starkz disappointing her. She should not have lost her ROH Women’s TV Title at Death Before Dishonor, and Athena had to revoke her Minion Status, and demote her to Minion-In-Training again. Suddenly, the person that took that title, Red Velvet arrived with Queen Aminata. They called out the cheating that occured at Death Before Dishonor. Aminata said that she went to the board of directors and booked a tag match for all four women, tonight.

Taya Valkyrie w/ Johnny TV defeated Hyan

Valkyrie has had an interesting few months in ROH. She has been supporting her husband, Johnny TV, in his endeavours and having decent, but ultimately pointless matches within the Women’s Division. Is tonight the night she sets herself on a path to clashing with some of the heavy hitters in ROH? 

Hyan has been around ROH since 2021, but Valkyrie didn’t really respect her tenure, calling her “an embarrassment” to the crowd. Valkyrie had control over the match, landing some devastating knees to a prone Hyan in the corner. The two battled back and forth as “womens wrestling” chants broke out in the arena.

The sheer strength of Valkyrie was difficult for Hyan to keep up with and after a Shania Pain, Valkyrie pinned her for the 1-2-3.

-Backstage, Melissa Santos interviewed Griff Garrison and Maria backstage. Before it could begin though, the SAP arrived to interrupt. Serpentico and Angelico demanded one more match for custody of Serpentico’s old mask. Maria considered this and then agreed as long as Angelico was banned from ringside. Oh, and also, if he loses, Serpentico must unmask for the rest of his career! A confident SAP agreed to the stipulations.

ROH Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Kingdom (Mike Bennett and Matt Taven)  defeated The Infantry (Carlie Bravo and Shawn Dean)

The challenge for this match came from the Infantry last week, interrupting another Kingdom promo about how there is no one in ROH who is on their level. Bravo and Dean have been on a hot streak lately, a look to be worth foes for the Champions. They entered in their X-Men themed gear too, which was really fun to see.

The Kingdom jumped the Infantry off of the Code of Honor, but they were able to dodge the attack and send Taven and Bennett to the outside. The Kingdom tried to walk away from the match, grabbing their belts and heading up the ramp, but the Infantry caught them and brought them back to the ring. Taven and Bravo ended up the legal men, and Dean jumped in for some double teaming.

Dean and Taven worked each other in the ring, neither holding back and both wanting to end things early. Numerous pins were attempted, but it was kickouts all around. Bennett tagged in and caught Bravo in a sleeper, but he managed to wriggle out. The Infantry stayed on the offensive though, until Taven reversed favor with big suplex on Bravo.

The Kingdom then tagged in and out, pounding away on an isolated Dean. There was much mocking and strutting from Bennett as Taven continued beating up Dean, until he tried to get a hot tag to Bravo. Bennett saw it coming though, and knocked him off the apron before the tag could be made.

Bravo finally tagged in and went for a big salute splash and pin, but Taven broken up the pinning attempt on Bennett. A miscommunication between the Champs left Bennett alone in the ring and Bravo and Dean tried to nail him with Boot Camp. Taven returned though and broke things up, distracting everyone so Bennett could punch Dean in the junk. A Hail Mary later and Bennett got the pin to retain the ROH Tag Titles in a really, really good match.

Rachael Ellering defeated Brooke Havok

Not a lot has been said about Ellering lately. Ellering entered the inaugural ROH Women’s World Television Championship tournament earlier in the year, and faced her friend Leyla Hirsch in the first round but was unsuccessful. Havok was trained at the Nightmare Factory, so she wasn’t just a flash in the pan.

Ellering had a size and experience advantage over Havok, but but Havok was able to keep up with her off the top. Ellering seemed reluctant to really lay into Havok for some reason, but kept control of the match just the same. The crowd was absolutely dead for this, you could hear a pin drop.

Ellering managed to get agressive and bloody Havok’s nose. Havok drew some energy from this, but now that the gloves were off, Ellering had her right where she wanted her. An unnecessarily complicated dropkick attempt from Havok opened things up for Ellering, and she crushed her with a BossWoman Slam to get the win.

-The new ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty was joined backstage by Shane Taylor. Moriarty challenged Action Andretti to a match for the Pure Title to prove who was best. Taylor then called out Andretti’s friends Top Flight, saying they need to bring their best when they deal with Shane Taylor Promotions (now called STP apparently)

The Outrunners (Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd) defeated Stephen Wolf and Barrett Brown

The Lambo Duo! The Speedboat Dreamboats! The Youngest Men Alive! Whatever you call them, Turbo and Magnum have made The Outrunners a household name amongst ROH fans and one would have to think will be in line for a Tag Title shot in the future. For this episode  though, the Kings of “Spin to Win” (whatever that means) were up against Wolf anf Brown, a relatively low-tier team on the ROH roster.

This match was the exact right amount of cheese and schmaltz that the Outrunners always bring. Lots of big slams, posing and dancing about. The crowd loved it. After a refusal from their opponents, Floyd and Magnum gave themselves a Code of Honor to start the match.

Wolf and Brown were in this match for one reason: to get absolutely beat up, thrown around and crushed to make the Outrunners look good. And that they did. I thought that Wolf was broken in half after a big clothesline. Brown didn’t fare much better, falling victim to Magnum using Floyd as a weapon. The Outrunners hit Total Recall and pinned Brown, clearing the way for much celebration.

Robbie Eagles defeated Darian Bengston

Darian Bengston is a wrestler. So is TMDK’s Robbie Eagles. Ergo, it makes sense to have them wrestle each other. That was about all there was to this match, story wise. Bengston, a Nightmare Factory graduate, also studied at the prestigious London School of Lucha Libre.

Eagles took control off the top, working a very technical style. Bengston was able to keep up, but it was obvious to see that he didn’t have the experience level of Eagles. He did have a speed advantage on Eagles, and that was apparent as the two ran the ropes, ending up with Bengston eating a big double kick.

Eagles set up Bengston in the corner for a Rock The Bells, an absolutely devastating set of knees to the face. Eagles kept going for a Ron Miller Special, but Bengston countered every time. Bengston proved himself to be a really hard hitting striker, but Eagles finally locked in the Ron Miller Special and Bengston was forced to tap out.

Tomohiri Ishii defeated Tony Nese w/ Mark Sterling and Aria Diavari

This was a clash of the two biggest small guys I’ve ever seen. Premier Athlete Nese is ripped to the heavens and The Conglomeration’s Ishii is such a brutal domineering force that his body swallowed his neck. It was like The Hulk fighting the Juggernaut and everyone was excited for it. Sterling announced that he had gotten the rest of the Conglomeration banned from ringside to keep the match one-on-one.

The match started with both men, well, hitting each other a bunch. Ishii’s chops reddened the chest of Nese who responded with punches of his own. Ishii just took it and begged for more. Sterling distracted the Ref and Diavari pulled Ishii off the apron to the outside. Nese distracted the ref while Diavari and Sterling beat up Ishii on the outside before throwing him back in.

Nese took advantage, putting a Chinlock on Ishii. What he didn’t count on though was Ishii’s lack of neck, rendering the hold useless. Ishii fought back and knocked Nese around with shoulder tackles and chops. Ishii went for the Brainbuster, which put Nese on his back for the pin.

-Racheal Ellering was interviewed backstage about her win earlier in the night. Ellering was interrupted by Harley Cameron who had a suggestion for Ellering: Change everything.

Johnny TV defeated Fuego del Sol

When we last saw TV, he was being eliminated from the 6-man Elimination match for the ROH TV Title at Death Before Dishonor. Outside of that match and his prior feud with Dalton Castle, TV really hasn’t really been doing much. Hopefully tonight’s bout would set him on a new course in ROH.

This match was very by-the-numbers. Aside from watching two great workers wrestler there really wasn’t much going on. Sol got in flurries of offence and TV heeled it up as only he can. Valkyrie caused distractions, and the couple made out a lot (TV and Valkyrie that is, not del Sol. Though that would have been a great twist).

TV locked a sleeper on del Sol but the luchadore fought out of it and delivered several high kicks to TV’s cranium. TV regained the momentum, but crotched himself on the ropes trying a superplex off the top turnbuckle. TV recovered and managed to set up Starship Pain and win the match.

ROH Women’s World Champion Athena and Billie Starkz defeated ROH Women’s TV Champion Red Velvet and Queen Aminata

This unannounced main event was made earlier in the evening when tensions began to appear between Starkz and Athena. Aminata and Velvet were looking to end the Minion Reign for good, and it remained to be seen if a very dejected Starkz would be a help or hindrance in the match.

Athena soaked up the crowd’s adulation while Starkz sulked in the background. Athena started things off against Aminata, but immediately tagged in Starkz, avoiding Aminata altogether. Aminata and Starkz have history going back to the Women’s TV Title Tournament that Starkz won through trickery. Aminata didn’t forget and tossed Starkz around the ring while Athena disapproved in the corner.

Champion took on Champion as Velvet tagged in and peppered Athena with punches in the corner. Starkz cheered on her mentor and Athena tagged her in to lock in an armbar on Aminata and gnaw on her fingers behind the ref’s back. Starkz began to get a bit of her smile back ans she and Athena tagged in and out to beat up Aminata.

The match continued as Aminata planted Athena on her head. That brought in Starkz and Velvet, and Starkz bit Velvet’s arm. That enraged Aminata who tagged in and levelled Starkz. Athena tagged in and fall-away slammed Aminata AND Velvet at the same time! Starkz tagged in and tried to pin Aminata, but it was only two.

Athena called for Lexy to pass her a mic just like Death Before Dishonor, but Aminata intercepted it. The two had a tug of war over it, while Lexy handed the TV title to Starkz who hit Velvet with it to get the pin and win the match.

Starkz may have made her way back into the good books, but Athena still refused to high-five her after the match, so she wasn’t out of the Minion Dog House yet.

Daily Update: Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs, UFC 304 fallout, CMLL notes

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • July 29, 2024 Observer Newsletter: Big WWE & AEW summer events take shape, early NJPW G1 thoughts
  • The key stories covered are:
  • Update on SummerSlam and All In, lineups, possible additions, things expected to happen, business notes on both shows, ticket sales and where they will stack up in the all-time historical records. We also look at the stories behind the matches.
  • London Mayor Sadiq Khan meets with Nick Khan and Paul Levesque regarding bringing WrestleMania to the city.
  • Notes on the first week of the G1 Climax tournament, stories, standings, business and quality of the matches.
  • Notes on week two of G1
  • Part one of our story on the life and career of Canadian star Leo Burke, a Stampede Hall of Famer and how he shaped the career of Bret Hart, and trained some of the biggest names in wrestling
  • Vince McMahon’s lawyers try and shut down a motion by Janel Grant’s lawyers
  • TNA Slammiversary, its biggest crowd in years and how it was done, PPV numbers update, and full show coverage
  • Coverage of Dragon Gate & DDT’s biggest shows of the year
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the major pro wrestling shows, placings, competition and segment-by-segment
  • What the CMLL current era compares to in Mexican history
  • A look at the big matches coming over the next month including AEW stars and World Grand Prix participants
  • Stardom PPV shows this weekend
  • 50th anniversary celebration
  • One of the top legends of this era pushing his farewell tour
  • Bloodsport notes
  • Next few weeks of TNA television
  • Update on AEW TV negotiations
  • Lots of AEW injuries
  • Tony Khan talks about strippaing titles vs. waiting for champions to recover
  • Darby Allin talks current scene
  • Ticket sales for upcoming AEW & WWE shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Cung Le lawsuit update
  • Top ten male and female fighters of the 21st century
  • Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry and update on celebrity fights and how they are doing

This Week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Sunday Update

– We’ve got two new shows up on the site. My Friday show with Garrett covered all the news of the week in business and  Bryan and I did our weekend show this morning talking about Collision, ROH, Smackdown, UFC 304, Brock Lesnar, Friday’s Arena Mexico show and more. We’ll be back again Monday night after Raw.

– I so wish this promo from Dustin Rhodes & Marshall Von Erich after AEW went off the air is played on Wednesday’s show. I know it probably won’t be, but it’s so touching and real and worth going out of your way to see.

In a trivia note this current run was the first time a member of the Rhodes family has teamed with a member of the Von Erichs since a June 29, 1982, bunkhouse match in Tampa with Dusty Rhodes & David Von Erich & Harley Race vs. The Funk Brothers & Stan Hansen. It’s too bad no tape exists of this match.

– Pete Sanchez, the older version (there was a wrestler who used the name in the 90s), passed away yesterday. We don’t have more details past people like Bill Apter, Johnny Rodz and Davey O’Hannon noted it. Sanchez was mainly a WWWF prelim wrestler from 1963 to 1984, but had success in Texas as Gino Caruso and held tag team titles with Carlos Colon in both Stampede Wrestling and Puerto Rico. He was one of the original babyfaces in WWC when it started in 1974. He did lots of television enhancement work as well as prelim matches throughout the territory including many matches in Madison Square Garden. He got an undercard tag team push with Manuel Soto during the 70s. He’d be someone any WWWF fan of the 60s, 70s and early 80s would remember.

– We’re looking for reports from the ROH tapings today in Arlington, TX and from both of the WWE shows in Tokyo over the weekend with results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]. We’re also doing a poll on ROH Death Before Dishonor as you can leave a thumbs up thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

The Creed Brothers vs. Otis & Tozawa has been added to Raw tomorrow in St. Paul, MN. The show also includes Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed, Gunther vs. Finn Balor, Sonya Deville & Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark vs. Kayden Carter & Katana Chance & Lyra Valkyria and a segment with Seth Rollins as referee giving instructions in a face-to-face with Drew McIntyre and C.M. Punk. The show is on Syfy not USA.

– Collision on Saturday airs at 5 p.m. Eastern time in order to be over by the time SummerSlam starts. It’s taking a big ratings hit either way.

– Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer was added to Wednesday’s Dynamite TV show.

– A&E Biography tonight has a show on Ted DiBiase at 8 p.m.a and on Paul Heyman at 9 p.m.

– RevPro announced today that MJF will defend the American title against Michael Oku on 8/11 at York Hall in London. MJF also defends that title against Templario this coming Friday at Arena Mexico.

– The Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr. match with The Death Triangle on Friday night at Arena Mexico, sold out with more than 15,000 fans. Due to AAA copyrights, Penta wrestled under the name Lucha Bro and Fenix wrestled as King. Didn’t matter, everyone knew who they were. It was a cheap low blow and mask pull DQ finish when Pac pulled off Dorada’s mask. But the fans were fine with it  as they were there to see Penta & Fenix and got a long, excellent match with them. There were no post-match challenges and Fenix wanted to do mic work after and he wasn’t given the mic. The match was about what you’d expect. It was among the best matches at Arema Mexico this year. Penta was the star, with the crowd chanting “Cero Miedo” like crazy early on. The big heat was Mistico in with Penta and Penta was cheered far more even though Mistico got a great reaction.  

– Despite stories going around this week and speculation, Brock Lesnar’s WWE status is unchanged.

– Last night’s UFC show did 1.2 million searches which is a strong number.  It was the single most searched item of the day on Google, which is amazing during the Olympics.

– Tom Aspinall’s 1:00 win over Curtis Blaydes to keep the interim heavyweight title has definitely made Aspinall vs. Jon Jones as maybe the biggest UFC fight possible. Dana White said Aspinall will be asked to be ready for November in MSG in the event either Jones or Stipe Miocic is injured or can’t fight on that show. The winner of Jones vs. Miocic will be booked to defend the heavyweight title against Aspinall next unless they retire.

– Dana White said after increasing bonuses to $100,000 for last night’s show, said that he would never do it again and you can blame most of the fighters on last night’s show for it.  “I think tonight showed that we should not (increase bonuses in the future). Upping them doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make anybody fight any harder. It doesn’t change anything. I’m not doing this again. Ever. Today was the last day that I’m doing it. Not saying that in the future the bonuses couldn’t get (larger), but I’m not going to be at a press conference and say $200,000, $300,000.’  F***ing never again”  The show had seven straight decisions after the announcement before the show of doubling bonuses. The main card started at 3 a.m. local time in Manchester and there were fighters who said that the time change messed with them, including champion Leon Edwards who lost his welterweight title to Belal Muhammad in the main event.

– Paddy Pimblett ended up with $200,000 in bonuses last night.

– White also said that undefeated Muhammad Mokaev will not be back. Mokaev admitted that he set up a situation where he sucker punched opponent Manel Kape and dropped him during the week. When he said that, and had a boring fight with Kape, White said the matchmakers weren’t interested in booking him again and that PFL will have a great undefeated fighter.

– Abdullah the Butcher has been hospitalized with an intestinal issue for the past few days.

– UFC’s Oban Elliott said after the show that he had visited with WWE and had business to take care of in Berlin.

– Luke Jacobs won the Progress world title from Kid Lykos so the 8/24 match at the Copper Box with Oku vs. Jacobs will match the PrevPro British champion vs. Progress world champion.

– Bayley beat Meiko Satomuira to retain the WWE women’s title yesterday at Sumo Hall.

– Giulia will announce Tuesday when she’s leaving. Those in Japan say the end of August. It could be sooner but that was what they were told yesterday.  Either way, it’s a few weeks away.

– NJPW’s G1 Climax tournament continues at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning from Fukuoka with A block bouts with Evil (undefeated) vs. Callum Newman, Great O’Khan vs. Jake Lee, Shota Umino vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Shingo Takagi vs Gabe Kidd and Tetsuya Naito vs. Sanada.

– Lots of Stardom news from the two weekend PPV shows in Fukuoka. The Oedo Tai group is no more, and is being replaced by a group called H.A.T.E. which is an attempt to get real heels in the group.  Saya Kamitani, Thela, Konmai, M omo Watabne and Natsuko Tora are in H.A.T.E.  Kamitani distracted the ref allowing Tora to blow mist and hit a Death Valley bomb on Maika and win the World of Stardom title today.  Natsupoii captured the Wonder of Stardom title yesterday from Saori Aou.

– Bloodsport tonight from Brooklyn on Triller+

  • Heddi Karaoui vs. Brian Johnson
  • Charlie Dempsey vs. Royce Isaacs
  • Brutus Creed vs Tom Lawlor
  • Julius Creed vs Matt Makowski
  • Mike Santana vs. Homicide
  • Josh Barnett vs. Bad Dude Tito
  • Shayna Baszler vs. Miyu Yamashita

– WWE is looking for a new Vice President of Business Legal Affairs and Talent Relations & Talent Development.

– AIW runs Cleveland and Temple Live on Thursday, billing it as the start of SummerSlam weeknd in the city. Alec Price, Josh Bishop, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, KENTA, Anthony Greene, Heath, 1 Called Manders, Dom Garrini and John Wayne Murdoch are on the show.

– Eve on Friday in Walthamstow in London at the Penny Social has a street fight main event with Operation Strong & Sexy vs  Session Moth Martina vs  Safire Reed & Milie McKenzie & Zizi.  Eve & Tokyo Joshi Pro have a joint show on 8/24 in London at Conway Hall with a 2 p.m. Saturday show with Aja Kong, Mahiiro Kiryu, Miyu Yamashita, Alex Windsor, Nina Samuels, Martina and more.

Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs win ROH Six-Man titles at AEW Battle of the Belts XI

Posted on by Bryan Rose

New ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions were crowned Saturday.

Dustin Rhodes and Ross & Marshall Von Erich defeated Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett of the Undisputed Kingdom to become the new ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions at Saturday’s Battle of the Belts XI. The finish had Taven and Strong pulling chairs from under the ring, which led to Katsuyori Shibata coming out to put Taven in the Iron Claw. Kevin Von Erich, sitting at ringside, then put Strong in the Iron Claw. That allowed Rhodes & The Von Erichs to isolate Bennett, with Rhodes hitting the Final Reckoning for the win.

The post-match had Shibata and Kevin Von Erich celebrating with the new champions in the ring as the locker room came down to celebrate.

The titles had previously been held by Jay White & The Gunns, who also held the AEW Trios titles. They were stripped of both titles by Christopher Daniels two weeks ago on Collision due to an injury to White. When Juice Robinson & The Gunns lost to The Patriarchy last week, only the AEW Trios titles were on the line.

Rhodes & The Von Erichs earned the title match at Friday’s Death Before Dishonor event, defeating The Dark Order.

AEW Battle of the Belts XI results: ROH Six-Man Tag title match

Posted on by Suit Williams

New champions are guaranteed to be crowned at Battle of the Belts XI.

A match between the Undisputed Kingdom and the team of Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs will determine the new ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions. The latter team defeated The Dark Order at ROH Death Before Dishonor to earn the opportunity. It is unknown which members of The Undisputed Kingdom (Wardlow, Roderick Strong, Mike Bennett, and Matt Taven) will be their opponents.

The titles were declared vacant after The Gunns & Jay White were stripped of both the AEW Trios and ROH Six-Man titles two weeks ago on Collision. Last week, The Gunns & Juice Robinson lost to Christian Cage, Nick Wayne, and Luchasaurus in a match that had been only for the AEW Trios titles. 

Two title eliminator matches will also take place. Willow Nightingale, the new CMLL Women’s Champion, will take on Deonna Purrazzo. AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm will face Taya Valkyrie.

Join us for live coverage starting at 10 pm ET. The show will take place immediately after AEW Collision.

Battle of the Belts XI began with a recap of the big angles from Dynamite. We also saw an angle at Comic-Con, which saw Tony Khan make the TBS Title match between Britt Baker & Mercedes Mone official for All In: Wembley. We then got a recap of Darby Allin winning the Royal Rampage and earning an AEW World Title match at Grand Slam in September.

Toni Storm made her way to the ring for the opening match. Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, & Ian Riccaboni were on the call.

AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Match – Toni Storm defeated Taya Valkyrie

A fine opener for Battle of the Belts.

A sit-down interview with Mariah May was promoted for Dynamite during the opening moments of this match. After some shenanigans with Taya’s glasses, mirroring her husband Johnny TV’s match on Collision, Storm took control to start with Valkyrie’s glasses on. Valkyrie came back by hitting running knees into the ring steps.

Storm made her comeback after a commercial, hitting a Perfect-Plex for a nearfall. Storm hit the hip attack and hit a DDT for a nearfall. Valkyrie came back by tying Storm in the ropes and hitting a sliding German suplex. Valkyrie hit the Road To Valhalla for a nearfall, then locked on an STF. Valkyrie hit a curb stomp, called the Shania Pain, for a nearfall. Storm snatched Valkyrie up with a Storm Zero to score the win.

After the match, Storm took the mic and said that this tramp was still the champ. Storm said that Mariah May was perfect for her and was a better Toni Storm than the actual Storm was. Storm said that May made one mistake, and that was not cutting Storm’s head off when she had the chance.

Kip Sabian was backstage with Lexy Nair. He talked about losing his father and moving forward to be the best wrestler in the company. Sabian said that while he was willing to let his run-ins with the Patriarchy pass, Nick Wayne seemed to still have an issue with him. He told Wayne that he was back and that he would be easy to find.

CMLL World Women’s Title Eliminator Match – Willow Nightingale (c) defeated Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo worked on the mat to start, with Nightingale shutting her down with a bodyslam. There was a scary counter to a tilt-a-whirl armbar attempt, where Nightingale dumped Purrazzo on her shoulder. Purrazzo wrung Nightingale’s arm up on the ropes as we went to a commercial break.

After the break, Nightingale made her comeback and hit a main event spinebuster for a nearfall. Nightingale couldn’t attempt the Babe With The Powerbomb due to her worked-over arm, but she did score with a suplex. Nightingale went to the top rope, but Purrazzo cut her off. Purrazzo pulled Nightingale off the ropes right onto her head, but Willow was okay and hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall.

Nightingale brought Purrazzo to the top rope and hit a superplex, but Purrazzo held onto Nightingale and started a strike battle. Nightingale hit a lariat to reset as Taya Valkyrie walked out with a turnbuckle behind her back. Thunder Rosa came out to fight Valkyrie off, allowing Nightingale to hit the Pounce and the Babe With The Powerbomb for the win.

ROH World Six Man Tag Team Title Match – Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs (Marshall & Ross von Erich) (w/ Kevin von Erich) defeated The Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven, Mike Bennett & Roderick Strong)

This was a feel-good ending to the show, with the Von Erichs and Dustin standing tall in Texas with the six-man titles. The streamers hitting the ring was a nice callback to ROH history. With the talk from Tony Khan’s post-show presser last night about WBD having “many channels,” and talk of re-branding ROH into AEW ROH in the same vein as WWE NXT, I think this Arlington residency could be a test for Ring of Honor’s future as a TV property. Having the Von Erichs as its centerpieces in Texas would be a good start.

Paul Wight joined commentary, as he is the newest member of the ROH Board of Directors. Dustin and the Von Erichs earned their spot in this match by winning a match last night on the ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV.

Strong and Ross von Erich started, although Marshall quickly caught Strong with a big dropkick for a nearfall. Strong drove Marshall into the corner and triple-teamed him, but Marshall hit several hip tosses before tagging in Dustin. Quick tags led to Taven dropping Marshall with a dropkick, but Marshall came back with dropkicks before all three Texans hit boots to the Kingdom as we went to commercial.

The Kingdom was working over Ross as we came back from the break, with the announcers noting that Rhodes took a piledriver on the ramp that turned the tide. Bennett knocked Marshall off the apron as he was set up for a tag, but Ross hit the legal man Strong with a Sling Blade. Rhodes got on the apron and got the hot tag, running wild with powerslams and the Natural bulldog. Rhodes hit a Canadian Destroyer on Taven, and the Cross Rhodes and a piledriver on Bennett for a nearfall that the Kingdom broke up. Taven cut off the Shattered Dreams, leading to the Kingdom triple teaming Rhodes. Strong hit a Sick Kick for a nearfall broken up by the Von Erichs. The Kingdom brought the title belts into the ring to distract the referee, leading to Bennett hitting Rhodes with his own cowbell for a close nearfall.

Taven and Strong pulled chairs out from under the ring, which led to Katsuyori Shibata coming out to put Taven in the Iron Claw, which Kevin von Erich taught him on the ROH show last night. Kevin put Strong in the claw as well, leading to a triple team on Bennett. Rhodes hit the Final Reckoning on Bennett to win the match and the title. Fans threw streamers into the ring as Paul Wight and the babyface locker room hit the ring to celebrate with the new champions.

Dustin Rhodes says AEW contract expires this September, hopes negotiations go well

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dustin Rhodes’ contract is coming up soon.

The AEW star shot down speculation on X he wanted to leave the company, saying his contract is up in September and was hoping negotiations would go well.

“Wrong! Jeeze guys, do better. Yes my contract is up in September, and No, I am absolutely NOT DONE. Having the best matches of my life and hopefully, God willing I will get to retire on my own terms, respected with a full heart. Hopefully Negotiations go well because I am damn worth the world,” he wrote.

“The only things that matter to me are: taking care of my family first and foremost, and finishing up when I am ready, and how I envision my retirement,” he continued. “So hold off guys, This biz is my life and I love doing it for you, while still having fun and able. #KeepSteppin and thank you all for your continued love and support!”

Rhodes has been part of AEW since 2019, when he wrestled his brother Cody at the first-ever Double or Nothing event. It was later confirmed that he had signed a multi-year deal to be both a wrestler and a coach. When Cody left in 2022, Dustin remained with the company. His most recent appearance was on the June 12 edition of Dynamite, where he lost to Jack Perry in a TNT title ladder match qualifier.

TNT Championship qualifying match added to AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A TNT Championship qualifying match has been added to  AEW Dynamite.

Dustin Rhodes will face Jack Perry after Rhodes called out Perry on this week’s AEW Collision. After defeating Johnny TV, Rhodes called out Perry, saying that he was excited to see Perry back in AEW until he beat up Tony Khan. He said that growing up Perry had a silver spoon in his mouth and that he was mediocre because he was a follower, not a leader. Rhodes then announced the match, telling Perry that he would destroy him.

The match was later announced as being a TNT Championship qualifying match, with the winner advancing to the ladder match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door to crown a new champion.

Perry scored the winning fall at AEW Double or Nothing, pinning Bryan Danielson. Since then, he has focused on capturing the TNT title, congratulating Mark Briscoe on his qualifier win on Dynamite but insisting he would be the next champion.

Here is the updated lineup for AEW Dynamite:

  • AEW International Champion Will Ospreay defends against Rey Fenix
  • TBS Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Zeuxis
  • TV Time with Chris Jericho featuring Private Party
  • TNT title qualifyting match: Dustin Rhodes vs. Jack Perry
  • Rush in action

Dustin Rhodes: Cody is an ‘inspiration to me in all areas of life’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dustin Rhodes has nothing but praise for his younger brother.

The AEW star took to X on Saturday, writing to his brother Cody following his successful WWE Championship defense against AJ Styles at WWE Backlash.

He wrote:

Brother, there is nothing I want more for you than your happiness. We each have had our own path, we each have blazed our own trail and succeeded. We DO,when others WON’T.

You have become the man I always wanted to be. Whether you know it or not, you are an inspiration to me in all areas of life. Honestly, in everything I do, I think of you. I am your older brother and will always fight for you and my family. Family is all that matters to me.

You have done and continued to make unbelievable steps in your growth as a man, husband and father. I could not be any prouder of you Code!!

I love you more than you know!!

During WWE’s Backlash post-show press conference, Cody was asked if he had talked to Dustin following his WWE Championship win. He said that he had and that while it was short, it was one of their best talks. Cody said he is hoping that Dustin will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Dustin Rhodes: Cody Rhodes is ‘a superstar that has turned into a megastar’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Dustin Rhodes believes his brother went from superstar to megastar at WWE WrestleMania 40. 

He recently told Sports Illustrated that watching Cody Rhodes beat Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship reminded him of watching his father Dusty Rhodes celebrate after winning a title.  

Dustin said of watching Cody win the title:

That brought me back in time. I remember watching my dad celebrate with all the guys and all the champagne after he won. I remember him bringing home the belt. It was incredible, and it took me right back to that.

Watching Cody, that was emotional. I enjoyed the ride they all took us on. I watch everything and I study everything, and seeing him perform at such a high level–at the top, two nights in a row–it’s truly amazing. Cody pulled it off, and it was an incredible feeling. I’m very proud of him. He’s a superstar that has turned into a mega star.

Dustin continued to praise his brother’s accomplishments, but also mentioned how different the two are in some ways. 

He said: 

We certainly don’t dress alike. I’m a Texas redneck, and I wear jeans and t-shirts–and Cody wears these beautiful suits. I know he’s the younger brother, but I go to him for advice, too. We also learn a lot from each other. Cody stepping out on his own, starting AEW with the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega and Tony Khan, that changed everything. Our match at Double or Nothing changed the industry, and look at where we are now. Wrestling is booming.

What Dustin admires most about his brother, however, is not that he’s a world champion, but rather that he’s a “true gentleman.” 

It was an incredible weekend. But the greatest thing about Cody isn’t that he’s world champion–it’s that he has a genuine soul. He’s a proud family man, he’s in love with his wife and his daughter. Cody is a true gentleman. I love him to death, and I’m incredibly proud of him.

Dustin Rhodes will be looking to further his own story tonight, as he continues to chase winning a world title, something that has alluded him in his 36 years in the industry. Dustin will wrestle Samoa Joe in an AEW World title eliminator match on AEW Dynamite tonght. He’ll earn a future title shot if he can defeat or go to a time-limit draw with the champion. 

Joe’s a big, tough SOB, but I can’t wait to lock horns. I’ve been knocked down too many times to remember, but I’ve gotten back up every single time. I’m one tough SOB, too, and I’m going to fight with every ounce of energy in my body.

Dustin Rhodes set for action on AEW Rampage

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Dustin Rhodes is set for action on the Friday, March 29 edition of AEW Rampage. 

Rhodes will face The Butcher on Friday’s Rampage in a match set up with a backstage interaction between the two on Wednesday’s Dynamite. 

Butcher interrupted an interview segment with Rhodes & Renee Paquette, bringing up a Bunkhouse match that the two had years ago, before issuing a challenge for Rampage. Rhodes accepted, noting that he would not be a stepping stone for anyone at this point in his career. 

Rhodes & QT Marshall faced The Butcher & The Blade in a tag team Bunkhouse match on the November 11, 2020 Dynamite, a bout won by Rhodes & Marshall.

Rhodes is 3-1 in AEW competition in 2024, with his only loss coming in a TNT tite match against Christian Cage on the January 17 Dynamite. 

Rampage returns to its normal Friday, 10 p.m. Eastern time slot on TNT this week after airing live on TBS following Dynamite last week. 

Dustin & Cody Rhodes’ nephews to make pro wrestling debut

Posted on by Ian Carey

Two members of the Rhodes family are preparing to start their story. 

Dustin Rhodes has announced that his nephews Wyatt and Wayne Rhodes will make their pro debuts this weekend at the Rhodes Wrestling Academy Showcase event. 

The brothers will wrestle as The Texas Outlaws, borrowing the name from their grandfather’s tag team with Dick Murdoch. 

They will compete for the RWA tag titles in a two-of-three falls match on Sunday. 

Dustin Rhodes wrote:

The #Rhodes Legacy is strong and growing. Introducing my nephews Wyatt and Wayne Rhodes, #TheTexasOutlaws who will make their debut at #RWA’s showcase this Sunday March 24th at 7/6 central on #RWA’s @youtube channel in the main event 2out of 3 falls 30 minute time limit for the new #RWATagTeamChampionship Please tune in Sunday. #prowrestling #YouTube RT please!

The show will air on RWA’s YouTube channel here. 

The brothers are sons to Dusty Rhodes’ daughter, former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Kristen Ditto. Kristen has a blurb about her boys on the front page of her website. It reads:

But my most favorite job of all is being Mommy to my boys, Dalton Wayne and Dylan Wyatt (aptly named the “Texas Outlaws”). We live a happy life @ DK Ranch in the hill country of Lake Travis

Dustin Rhodes ‘honored’ to team with Von Erichs on AEW Rampage

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On AEW Rampage this Friday night, two legendary pro wrestling families are joining forces.

Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall Von Erich) are teaming together in a trios match on this Friday’s Rampage episode. The match was taped after Wednesday night’s Dynamite in Cedar Park, Texas. Spoilers from the show can be found here.

Teaming with Ross & Marshall was an honor for Dustin Rhodes, who made a social media post thanking Tony Khan for booking the match. Dustin noted that his father Dusty Rhodes and Kevin Von Erich only teamed together once during their careers:

A little history lesson for you. Our own @alexmarvez told me last night that their dad Kevin tagged 1 and only 1 time with my pops back in 1978. So you can imagine how special this meant to me. #VonErichsAndRhodes #TexasBoys whooping tail!! 

Trios anybody?

Thanks @TonyKhan for making this happen. Historical and honored. #keepsteppin and see you tomorrow night on #AEWRampage baby!!!#hookem

Rhodes & The Von Erichs faced the team of Hit, Romero Cruz & Shimbashi in the Rampage trios match. This was Ross & Marshall’s first time competing for AEW or ROH since December.

This Friday’s Rampage has a special start time of 7 p.m. Eastern. The announced lineup for the show is listed below:

  • No DQ match: Jeff Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara
  • Anna Jay vs. Queen Aminata
  • Bang Bang Scissor Gang in 12-man tag team action
  • Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs in trios action

Dustin Rhodes on WWE WrestleMania 40 main event: ‘This is Cody’s time’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Dustin Rhodes says he will be “pissed” if Cody Rhodes is not in the main event of WrestleMania 40. 

The 54-year-old spoke to Sports Illustrated ahead of his TNT title match against Christian Cage on Dynamite tonight. During the interview, Rhodes discussed his thoughts on The Rock possibly wrestling Roman Reigns instead of his brother. 

“I hope Cody’s in the main event spot against Roman,” said Rhodes. “Or it’s going to be The Rock. If it is The Rock, I’m pissed–this is Cody’s time. He is becoming the face of the company, and it’s paying off.

But I get it. If it is The Rock, it’s still good business. I understand that there are a lot of people who love seeing The Rock. But I still think it’s Cody’s moment.”

Rhodes also discussed his battles with substance abuse. He said that getting sober is the reason he’s been able to continue his career. 

“My sobriety, that’s my legacy,” said Rhodes. “And I understand it’s OK to have bad days. There will be better ones. Life has been an incredible teacher. I’ve learned a lot, and I plan on being clean and sober for the rest of my life.

“I wasn’t seeing clearly back in the day, and I paid for it heavily. Sometimes, I’m still trying to prove myself, even when I don’t need to. I came out the other side. The devil is still sitting here, right on my shoulder. All’s I need to do is walk with him. But each new day, I tell him, ‘No, I’m going to be good today.’ So I’m not going to drink. I’m not going to do drugs. I have my sh– together, and I’m fixin’ to get on with my life.

“It’s been a long road, but I’ve got back so much of what I lost. It’s the reason I have my career, too. Being clean, it’s the reason I’m still here. And it’s the reason I can still entertain.”

Rhodes defeated Willie Mack on AEW Collision on Saturday. It was his first singles win since defeating Bishop Kaun on the May 17, 2023 edition of AEW Rampage. 

Two matches added to AEW Collision

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

It’s also been announced that Hangman Page vs. JD Drake will take place on AEW Collision tonight.

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Tony Khan has made a new match announcement for tonight’s episode of AEW Collision.

Ahead of tonight’s show, Khan announced that Dustin Rhodes vs. Willie Mack has been added to the Collision lineup. Khan called it a match between two fan favorites:

2 fan favorites collide TONIGHT in a hard-hitting fight Mack vs Rhodes on a night featuring some of AEW’s rising stars + biggest stars!

Rhodes was part of an eight-man tag match honoring the late Brodie Lee on Dynamite this Wednesday. Preston Vance, Rhodes, Adam Copeland & Orange Cassidy defeated Lance Archer, Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona.

At AEW’s Worlds End pay-per-view in December, Rhodes lost a singles match against Swerve Strickland. Rhodes was a late replacement for Keith Lee in that match after Lee wasn’t cleared to compete due to injury.

Willie Mack’s most recent match was a loss to ROH Television Champion Kyle Fletcher that aired on ROH TV earlier this month.

Collision and Battle of the Belts are both taking place from Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia tonight. Collision begins on TNT at 8 p.m. Eastern time, then Battle of the Belts follows at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Here are the announced lineups for both shows:

AEW Collision —

  • Adam Copeland open challenge
  • Deonna Purrazzo vs. Red Velvet
  • FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) and Daniel Garcia vs. House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King & Buddy Matthews)
  • ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona defend against Lance Archer & The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent)
  • Hangman Page vs. JD Drake
  • Dustin Rhodes vs. Willie Mack

AEW Battle of the Belts IX —

  • Street fight: AEW Tag Team Champions Big Bill & Ricky Starks defend against Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara
  • TBS Champion Julia Hart defends against Anna Jay
  • AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy defends against Preston Vance