A date has been set for Kenny Omega and El Hijo del Vikingo’s rematch.
At a press conference on Monday, Lucha Libre AAA announced that Vikingo will defend his AAA Mega Championship against Omega at Triplemania XXXI: Tijuana. The show is taking place on Saturday, July 15 and will be available live via Fite TV.
Omega defeated Vikingo in a non-title match when the two faced off on an episode of AEW Dynamite this March. The match was Vikingo’s AEW debut.
The Dynamite bout between Omega and Vikingo was billed as a first-time ever dream match. They were originally supposed to face each other for AAA in 2021, but Omega being injured prevented the match from happening then.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated prior to facing Vikingo for the first time, Omega said Vikingo is someone who is going to “change the way people think about wrestling and change the way we think about lucha libre.”
Vikingo has been AAA Mega Champion since December 2021. Omega held the title prior to Vikingo but had to vacate it due to the injury issues he was dealing with.
Triplemania: Tijuana is the second of three Triplemania shows that is taking place this year.
AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo’s run in the Tony Khan companies will continue on a special Saturday edition of AEW Rampage next week.
Announced during Friday’s broadcast, Vikingo will defend the title against Dralistico after Jose The Assistant offered up the challenge in a pre-taped promo.
The show will air at 10 PM Eastern Saturday, April 22nd due to the NBA playoffs at TNT.
While the two have worked in tag team matches both with and against each other, this will be their first singles bout according to Cagematch.
This will be Vikingo’s second match in AEW after his much-discussed debut against Kenny Omega on Dynamite last month. He’s gone 2-0 in Ring of Honor with wins over Blake Christian and Komander with the latter happening at Supercard of Honor.
Vikingo defended the title against Gringo Loco in a match taped this past Wednesday that is expected to air on this Thursday’s Ring of Honor TV show on HonorClub. He will also defend the title in a four-way at this weekend’s AAA Triplemania Monterrey against Swerve Strickland, Komander and Rich Swann.
Dralistico was unsuccessful in unseating AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy at last Friday’s Battle of the Belts VI. He is 1-1 in AEW which includes a December win over Blake Christian.
AEW Rampage will be taped after next Wednesday’s Dynamite in Pittsburgh.
AEW star Swerve Strickland will be part of the Mega Championship match at AAA Triplemania Monterrey.
Fite TV lists that the Mega title match at this weekend’s Triplemania event will be El Hijo del Vikingo defending against Strickland, Komander, and Rich Swann. The four-way bout has yet to be officially announced by AAA.
Vikingo has been AAA Mega Champion since December 2021. He retained the title against Komander in a singles match at ROH Supercard of Honor over WrestleMania week.
Vikingo made his AEW debut on an episode of Dynamite in March, losing to Kenny Omega in a non-title match.
In yesterday’s Daily Update, Dave Meltzer noted that Omega wouldn’t be Vikingo’s opponent for Triplemania Monterrey — but AAA hopes that a rematch between Vikingo and Omega will take place at one of their Triplemania shows later this year. AAA has Triplemania events being held in Tijuana this July and in Mexico City this August.
Triplemania Monterrey will be available live via Fite TV. Here’s the full advertised lineup for the event:
AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo defends against Swerve Strickland, Komander, and Rich Swann in a four-way match
Guerra de Rivalidades tournament: Alberto El Patron & Pentagon Jr. vs. Sam Adonis & Psycho Clown
Guerra de Rivalidades tournament: Rush & LA Park vs. DMT Azul & Blue Demon Jr.
Copa Triplemania
Lucha de Apuestas cage match: Laredo Kid vs. Parka Negra vs. Black Taurus vs. Villano III Jr. vs. Octagon Jr. vs. Argenis vs. Myzteziz Jr. vs. Aerostar vs. Antifaz del Norte vs. Abismo Negro Jr.
The final two wrestlers left in the cage match will face off a in mask vs. mask match
Thursday’s Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow as part of WrestleCon will officially open up our live coverage of WrestleMania weekend.
The show is headlined by AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo defending against both Komander and Black Taurus in a three-way.
United Empire’s Jeff Cobb & Aussie Open will take on Time Machine (Motor City Machine Guns & KUSHIDA) in trios action while Ultimo Dragon and Negro Casas do battle in their first match against each other in the U.S. since 1994.
“Speedball” Mike Bailey begins a busy weekend against Shigehiro Irie while Michael Oku goes one-on-one with Rocky Romero.
The show from the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles will feature a six-man lucha match (Rey Horus vs. Aramis vs. Galeno Del Mal vs. Toxin vs. Latigo vs. Arez); a Tokyo Joshi 10-woman tag team showcase match, and KENTA & Bryan Keith against Tom Lawlor & a mystery partner.
**********
The show opened with Mick Foley coming to the ring to introduce a video package for the late Mark Hitchcock. The video featured pictures of Hitchcock surrounded by a who’s who of the wrestling world.
This was followed by a five-minute intermission.
Blake Christian defeated Michael Oku
Do you remember when your mom would tell you, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? That’s where I am with this match.
After an opening handshake, this match quickly devolved into an acrobatics showcase. Christian offered a second handshake; this time, Christian attacked Oku out of the shake, gaining an advantage for the first time.
A kick to the chest let Oku fight back into the match. Christian was quick to respond with a 619 and a springboard kick. Oku responded with a pair of dives, one in the ring and one to the floor. Christian responded immediately with his own dive to the floor. On the floor, the count hit 10, and everyone thought the match was over, but there was apparently a 20 count. Once the count was broken, the pair continued to fight. Christian hit a suplex on the apron to secure a substantial lead late in the match. A second suplex to the apron should have pushed the advantage further, but Oku caught him in a half crab before hoisting Christian to the top rope almost as soon as he landed. From the top, Christian dropped Oku and immediately hit a springboard 450 to win the match.
After the match, the pair shook hands again.
Bryan Keith & KENTA defeated Tom Lawlor & Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels in daisy dukes was revealed to be Lawlor’s partner before Ken Shamrock was announced as a surprise special guest enforcer.
Keith and Daniels opened the match with a fun back-and-forth. As the match developed, Lawlor tagged in and prevented Keith from tagging out. Once the tag to KENTA came, Lawlor tagged back out.
KENTA beat down Daniels before passing the torch to Keith. Lawlor and Daniels were able to take the lead back while keeping KENTA away from Lawlor. Lawlor and Daniels eventually knocked each other down, but Lawlor left Daniels to fend for himself after KENTA tagged in.
A double tag to Lawlor and KENTA finally left the pair alone to fight. They traded blows before KENTA dropped Lawlor with a dropkick and double stomp. Daniels blocked the GTS, buying him enough time to steal momentum back.
A scrap on the mat left KENTA in control of Lawlor. Daniels hit the ring and attacked the referee just as Lawlor tried to tap out. Lawlor dropped Keith with a low blow, but special enforcer Ken Shamrock refused to count the subsequent pin. Shamrock dropped Daniels with a strike and pushed Lawlor into KENTA. KENTA rolled Lawlor up and won the match with Shamrock’s count.
After the match, Shamrock put Lawlor in an ankle lock and forced him to tap.
Ultimo Dragon defeated Negro Casas
Before the match, a Chris Jericho video was played. He hyped up both men while sporting a black eye.
All things considered, this was an incredible match.
The opening leg of this match was all seamless back-and-forth grappling. Eventually, Casas climbed to the top rope, where Dragon cut him off with a drop kick that sent the 63-year-old crashing to the floor. Dragon met Casas on the floor, where the pair fought for control. Casas won out, returned to the ring, and climbed to the top rope. Dragon caught Casas on the top and hit a superplex.
A sick smile manifested on Casas after being dropped to the mat. Casas was the first to recover from the high-impact superplex, but Dragon quickly answered with a Dragon sleeper. Casas passed out from the hold, leaving Dragon with the win.
Aramis, Galeno Del Mal & Rey Horus defeated Arez, Laredo Kid & Latigo
This was an incredibly enjoyable match.
Aramis and Latigo opened the match with a lighting-paced sequence of pin attempts. Arez and Horus tagged in for a creative sequence of their own.
A stray strike to Galeno got Arez into a world of trouble. Arez retreated, tagging out to Laredo. Laredo and Galeno had a typical lucha exchange, made all the more impressive considering the size of Galeno.
Arez, Laredo, & Latigo took control by rushing the ring. They were able to isolate opponents, establishing a make-shift numbers advantage for some time.
The babyface trio eventually were able to land tandem superkicks, setting Galeno up for a splash to take all of their opponents out. Aramis, Horus, & Galeno followed up with dives to the floor.
Back in the ring, Arez was able to strike down Galeno. The match broke down after this, as all the men hit the ring as they recovered to retake the lead for their team. Eventually, Galeno hit a bomb from the second rope, dropping Latigo to win the match for his team.
After the match, the crowd tossed money into the ring, and all six men stood tall in tandem.
This was a great look into the world of TJPW. The crowd ate everything up, and everyone was given ample time to shine.
Before the match could begin, Hyper tried to cut a promo. She said she could beat her opponents in two seconds. Instead, they rushed her, leading to a beatdown.
The match then began to escalate with multiple showcase-style exchanges, with most women showing off some of their signature offense/personalities.
Eventually, the two top champions of TJPW came to blows. Rika fell to a Mizuki double stomp and crossbody for a near fall. Rika answered by attacking Mizuki’s legs with the corner post. Watanabe hit the ring to help Rika finish, but Mizuki fought free, landing Whirling Candy to clear the ring. The match broke down again after a tag to Raku.
In the end, Mizuki won the match with a double stomp on Raku.
Shigehiro Irie defeated Speedball Mike Bailey
Everything from this match that made the stream was incredible. Great, great match.
Mere minutes after his Bloodsport match with Kota Ibushi, Mike Bailey made his second appearance against the ever-wonderful Shigehiro Irie.
The match’s opening moments were lost due to a stream failure, but when the feed picked up, Irie was in control after hitting something on the floor. Back in the ring, Irie hit a cannonball to further his early lead.
A strike exchange left Irie in a strong position after he landed a colossal lariat. A follow-up Samoan drop from the top rope seemingly widened his lead, but Bailey was able to fight back after the crash. Bailey flipped out of a suplex and landed a trio of kicks but missed the finish. Irie hit the beast bomber and locked in a choke, but Bailey escaped and answered with a green tea plunge.
A massive cannonball into the ropes and a second beast bomber scored Irie a near fall. Irie locked in another choke. After the brutal struggle for control during the choke, Irie transitioned into elbow strikes. The referee was forced to step in, leaving Irie with a win via referee stoppage.
As crazy as this match was, Bailey’s night is just starting. He has a match with Hiroshi Tanahashi on the NJPWxIMPACT show before he can rest.
United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defeated Time Machine (Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin & KUSHIDA)
This match opened with a reasonably typical feeling-out exchange between the teams. Eventually, UE established control and began to isolate Sabin. Once the tag came to Shelley, he worked with KUSHIDA to fight for control.
The match broke down, allowing UE to take advantage of the chaos. This time they worked to isolate Shelley. Once Shelley tagged to KUSHIDA, he was able to retake the lead.
The match continued to escalate with dives and control segments before a sudden half-and-half suplex to Sabain left Aussie Open free to land Corialis and win the match.
AAA Mega Championship: El Hijo Del Vikingo (c) defeated Komander & Black Taurus
This was a wild encounter. I barely captured any of the wild action in this match, so if you’re at all into hyper-athletic lucha, give this a watch.
Taurus opened the match by clearing the ring of both men, using Komander as a weapon, and landing a massive dive to the floor. Komander and Vikingo were forced to work together to take out Taurus, landing a pair of dives to subdue the giant. The pair then took turns landing moves on Taurus before turning to each other.
After wiping out Komander, Vikingo launched into an insane sequence against Taurus. Once Komander recovered, he led a crazy series of his own against both of his competitors. A pause from Komander allowed Vikingo to take advantage, landing an absolutely insane single-leg springboard dive to the floor.
Back in the ring, momentum spontaneously transitioned between all three men. Vikingo landed an insane 630 to the floor but missed the follow-up in the ring, so he dove to the floor before trying again. On his second attempt, Vikingo hit a wild top rope 630 before pinning Taurus.
John LaRocca and I are back with a brand new Fight Game Podcast.
We kicked things off with our thumbs up/thumbs down segment which included a long discussion on why Kenny Omega should be AEW’s top babyface star, followed by our big picture look at this past week’s AEW Dynamite.
Some of the topics discussed:
The Omega vs. El Hijo del Vikingo match
The show-long storyline around The Elite, the BCC and Hangman Page
Trying to understand the FTR vs. The Gunns stipulation
Adam Cole’s return and AEW All Access next week
The MJF angle from last week barely being followed up on
Then, Pro Wrestling Torch’s Zack Heydorn joined to talk about his new book project called Stunning: The Wrestling Artistry of Steve Austin which you can support at IndieGoGo.
You can subscribe to The Fight Game Podcast on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Spotify or click below to listen.
A day after his AEW debut, El Hijo del Vikingo has been announced for Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor pay-per-view on March 31.
In a match announced by ROH owner Tony Khan on Thursday, El Hijo del Vikingo will defend the AAA Mega Championship against Komander at Supercard of Honor. The bout will pit the consensus two best high-flyers in the world against one another.
Next Friday, March 31#ROH Supercard of Honor Los Angeles, CA, Galen Center
Vikingo made his AEW debut on this week’s Dynamite, losing to Kenny Omega in a dream match in the show’s main event.
Komander made his AEW debut in the Face of the Revolution ladder match on Dynamite earlier this month.
Four matches are official for Supercard, with another two — Wheeler Yuta vs. Katsuyori Shibata for the ROH Pure title, plus Athena vs. Yuka Sakazaki for the ROH Women’s World title — heavily hinted at, but not yet official.
Here is the announced lineup for next week’s pay-per-view:
ROH Supercard of Honor, Friday, March 31, 7 p.m. Eastern time on pay-per-view —
ROH World Championship: Claudio Castagnoli defends against Eddie Kingston
AAA Mega Championship: El Hijo del Vikingo defends against Komander
Reach for the Sky ladder match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship: Lucha Bros vs. Top Flight vs. The Kingdom vs. Aussie Open vs. Rush & Dralistico
ROH World Television Championship: Samoa Joe defends against Mark Briscoe
Dave Meltzer had nothing but praise for the El Hijo del Vikingo/Kenny Omega match that took place on Dynamite.
Thursday morning’s Wrestling Observer Radio had Meltzer talking about Wednesday’s main event, saying it was meant as a showcase for Vikingo, and it succeeded in that regard.
“Kenny Omega went in there with the idea that he was going to go out there and make a superstar in one match and my God, did he do everything in his power to do so,” Meltzer said.
Meltzer pointed out that Omega’s selling of his abdomen where he had surgery was top notch. He also said that he had gotten texts from people who don’t normally text him about wrestling matches praising the match.
“This was like Rey Mysterio’s debut in WCW,” Meltzer said. “Actually, it was more impressive than Mysterio’s debut in WCW.”
Meltzer thought that since Omega won Wednesday’s match, there could be another match in the future, possibly in AAA, for the AAA Mega Championship.
Dave Meltzer had nothing but praise for the El Hijo del Vikingo/Kenny Omega match that took place on Dynamite.
Thursday morning’s Wrestling Observer Radio had Meltzer talking about Wednesday’s main event, saying it was meant as a showcase for Vikingo, and it succeeded in that regard.
“Kenny Omega went in there with the idea that he was going to go out there and make a superstar in one match and my God, did he do everything in his power to do so,” Meltzer said.
Meltzer pointed out that Omega’s selling of his abdomen where he had surgery was top notch. He also said that he had gotten texts from people who don’t normally text him about wrestling matches praising the match.
“This was like Rey Mysterio’s debut in WCW,” Meltzer said. “Actually, it was more impressive than Mysterio’s debut in WCW.”
Meltzer thought that since Omega won Wednesday’s match, there could be another match in the future, possibly in AAA, for the AAA Mega Championship.
In what has been billed as a “dream match,” Kenny Omega faces El Hijo del Vikingo on tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
Vikingo, considered one of the top high-flyers in the world, will make his AEW debut on Dynamite against Omega.
Sting will return to the ring on the show for the first time since January, teaming with Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy against The Butcher, The Blade, and Kip Sabian.
One week ahead of his own return to action, Adam Cole will speak on tonight’s program.
AEW World Tag Team Champions The Gunns will defend their titles against Top Flight’s Darius Martin & Dante Martin.
Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley will take on Dark Order’s Stu Grayson.
Toni Storm of The Outcasts will face Skye Blue in a women’s division contest.
Hook will face The Firm’s Stokely Hathaway in a No DQ match.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
AEW Dynamite comes on the air with Hangman Adam Page backstage by an ambulance, as Excalibur told us The Young Bucks had been attacked. Kenny Omega & Don Callis are there on the scene, as Page decided to jump in the ambulance with Nick Jackson and head to the hospital. Callis held Omega back from going with, as Omega has a huge match later tonight. Excalibur said we hope to have more information on this later.
Sting, Darby Allin & AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy defeated The Butcher, The Blade & Kip Sabian (w/Penelope Ford)
(Happy belated Birthday goes out to the Stinger, who celebrated his 64th birthday this week. This was a fun opener with everyone looking good, the highlight being Sting using the mannerisms of Cassidy throughout.)
Cassidy had an O and C on his cheeks that looked like finger paint, which is incredibly fitting. This match stems from the House Rules show this past week in Troy, OH where Cassidy & Allin defeated Butcher & Blade and were attacked backstage post show. Sabian & Cassidy started briefly, allowing Cassidy to do his pocket offense until Butcher tagged in and Sting followed. Sting no sold strikes and lit up Butcher, who went to the eyes, tried a Stinger Splash and missed. Sting was able to connect with one of his own as the match broke down. Sabian tried a dive off the top on Sting, who channeled Cassidy and continued to roll to the opposite side of the ring before tagging Allin. A quick Code Red got Allin a near fall, but Ford ran distraction long enough for the Blade to blindside Allin and gain advantage into commercial.
Allin nearly got a tag, but Blade wiped Sting out on the floor, as Cassidy made the most lukewarm tag of all time, but proceeded to run wild. Cassidy was planted with a powerbomb neckbreaker combination by Butcher & Blade, as Sabian followed with a corner cannonball. Sabian foolishly played to the crowd long enough for Sting to make the tag and clobber Sabian and crew. Sting got the Scorpion Death Lock on Sabian, but was overwhelmed by Butcher & Blade. Allin fought them off with a double Coffin Splash, as Sabian hit a pump knee, but a Stundog Millionaire by Cassidy led to dueling dives on the floor with Allin onto Butcher & Blade. Sting hooked Sabian with a Scorpion Death Drop and got the pin. Post match, Cassidy put his glasses on Sting, while Allin was more focused on staring at the Double or Nothing banner as we saw a video package of all 4 Pillars of AEW brawling last week.
**********
-A quick video package on El Hijo del Vikingo & Kenny Omega is shown ahead of their match later tonight.
-Before the next match, Excalibur told us he received a text message from Brandon Cutler, who left in the ambulance with the Young Bucks and said it was the Blackpool Combat Club who attacked Matt & Nick Jackson.
The Gunns (Austin & Colten) defeated Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) to retain the AEW Tag Team Titles
(This match truly suffered from commercial break, as we barely got that much action during this. The Kingdom & Top Flight continue their feud from ROH TV, but the bigger story is what FTR laid out to get their Tag Team title shot.)
A fast start by Top Flight, who used their speed to send The Gunns to the floor and regroup early. Dante tried to spring off the ropes, but got hung up throat first by Colten, as Austin distracted referee Aubrey. That was all that happened before commercial, as Dante remained isolated throughout picture in picture. Darius made the hot tag right as they returned from break with a standing Spanish Fly on Colten for two. A blind tag by Austin led to a spinning slam from Dante for a near fall of his own.
Dante wanted a Nose Dive, but Colten cut him off, as Darius wiped him out with a dive. Dante managed to connect on the Nose Dive, but Colten recovered to break it up the last moment. Matt Taven & Mike Bennett hit the ringside area to attack Dante on the floor with referee’s attention turned. Dante fought back, rolled back into the ring right into 3:10 to Yuma to allow The Gunns to retain.
Post match, Top Flight brawled with The Kingdom to the back while FTR’s music hit and came to the ring. Colten said no one wanted to hear that song or see FTR. The Gunns don’t respect FTR, who are losers and will never get a title shot ever again. FTR said they’d never team in AEW again, but Austin didn’t bite. Harwood then said they’d quit AEW if The Gunns beat them again. Austin & Colten accepted quickly and spat in FTR’s faces before bailing.
-Renee Paquette is backstage with Jade Cargill, Mark Sterling & Leila Grey asking for her comment about the debut of Taya Valkyrie last week. Sterling issued a cease and desist letter saying Taya is not allowed to use Cargill’s finisher, as Cargill said she will give this to Taya herself this Friday on Rampage. Paquette talked about Stokely Hathaway wrestling next and Cargill and crew just laughed about it.
HOOK defeated Stokely Hathaway in a No Disqualification Match
(Poor Stokely was hilarious in getting beat up all over the place, as he tried his best to get out of the match, but to no avail.)
Hathaway is decked out in Nation of Domination colors for his ring gear and gave referee Bryce a hug pre-match. Hathaway said he talked to Doctor Simpson earlier, but he’s not cleared to compete and is retiring today. He handed Justin Roberts his doctor’s note, which is actually a receipt for Wing Stop, as the bell sounded and Hathaway bailed through the crowd. The chase was on as HOOK chucked Hathaway back ringside, as Hathaway was launched with an overhead suplex on the floor.
HOOK tossed in a railing from under the ring, as Hathaway sprayed HOOK in the eyes with a fire extinguisher. Hathaway got a chair, quoted Tupac to the camera, but HOOK blocked a shot and laid out Hathaway with the chair. HOOK launched Hathaway into the set up railing and instead of the pin, opted to get the REDRUM submission. Matt Hardy was backstage hyping up Ethan Page that he is the one who could beat HOOK for the FTW Title.
**********
Adam Cole Addresses His Return Next Week
(This was an excellent back and forth between Cole & Daniel Garcia, who had one of the best promos of his AEW career so far. I loved the subtlety of accidentally calling himself a pro wrestler, quickly correcting himself. This should be a great match next week.)
Adam Cole made his way to the ring to address the crowd ahead of his in ring return next week. Cole said he’s never been more ready to wrestle and said the big question is who his opponent will be, but before he could continue, Daniel Garcia’s music hit. Garcia said it’s Story Time with Daniel Garcia Bay Bay, as the crowd really let him hear it. Garcia said he’s a locker room leader with all the boys respecting him. Garcia is here to welcome Cole back and put him in his place. While Cole was at home playing video games, Garcia beat Brody King, Ricky Starks & Bryan Danielson. Garcia asked where his respect was as a pro wrestler, which made him stop and correct himself to say sports entertainer. Garcia asks what makes Cole special?
Cole said some day Garcia could lead the charge in AEW, but it’s the company he keeps, as the J.A.S. gives him a false sense of security. Despite not wrestling for nine months, Cole is still a multi time World Champion who has traveled the world. Cole said if Garcia is crazy enough to challenge him next week, he’s on. This isn’t just a return match for Cole; it’s a statement that Adam Cole is back.
-Alex Marvez is backstage trying to get a word with Don Callis & Kenny Omega about what happened to The Young Bucks. Callis asks Omega what the issue is, as he sent Nakazawa with them. This is the best thing that could happen to them, as it allows Omega to focus, as The Bucks can come back in a few months. Callis said Omega vs. Vikingo will tear the house down. Callis had zero regard for The Bucks during this and Omega didn’t seem too delighted about that.
Jon Moxley (w/Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) defeated Stu Grayson (w/Evil Uno, John Silver & Alex Reynolds)
(These two seemed to be on different pages for the opening minute or so, but they quickly fixed that and turned this into a fun match. Grayson, with the crowd behind him, showed a lot of heart, but Moxley was too much to overcome.)
After an early slugfest, Moxley wrestled Grayson to the mat. Both men awkwardly collided and a visibly frustrated Moxley chucked a chair ringside before heading back in the ring with a Saito suplex on Grayson, who was launched off the apron into the barricade outside. Back inside, Moxley locked on a Texas Cloverleaf, but Grayson escaped, hit one dropkick, only for Moxley to take over again. Grayson fought back and flattened Moxley before connecting with a spinning slam and twisting springboard senton for a near fall.
Grayson went up top, but was briefly distracted by Yuta. Dark Order & BCC exchanged words as Grayson took out the BCC with a moonsault, while Moxley took out Dark Order with a dive. Back inside, Grayson connected on a huge 450 Splash, but Moxley kicked out. Grayson called for Night Fall, but Moxley countered into the Bulldog Choke. Moxley drove knees to the head and got the Rear Naked Choke, as Grayson nearly faded only to cannonball in the corner with Moxley on his back. Grayson hit a back flip kick, but Moxley cut him off in the ropes with an Avalanche Death Rider to get the win.
-Backstage Renee Paquette is with Ricky Starks who had it quick and to the point, he is issuing a challenge to Juice Robinson this Friday on Rampage, as he’s tired of doing this back and forth with him.
**********
-The next installment of QTV is shown as Harley Cameron shows off footage of Powerhouse Hobbs beating Rey Fenix last week on Rampage. QT Marshall and crew laugh about Fenix losing as Aaron Solo mocks Penta not showing up to save his brother. Solo said he hacked into an “Observer Twitter” account tweeting about hotels. We learn that Hobbs will defend the TNT Title against Penta El Zero Miedo on Rampage.
Toni Storm (w/Saraya & Ruby Soho) defeated Skye Blue
(Fresh off her victory last night on Dark against 18 year old prodigy Billie Starkz, Toni Storm racked up another W here tonight with the only difference being she had help from Ruby Soho & Saraya.)
Storm rushed Blue early, but Blue made a comeback with strikes, face buster and dropkick to the floor. A nice hurricanrana off the apron to the floor followed, as Blue quickly climbed to the top, but was cut off and sent to the floor with a Storm hip attack. Saraya & Soho put the boots to Blue while the ref was distracted. Storm missed a chop against the post, as Blue clocked Soho, only to be planted with a Storm suplex on the floor.
It was all Storm during break until Blue fired up with a corner kick and top rope cross body. A tilt a whirl head scissors led to a spin kick to the head for two. Storm avoided Code Blue and hit a Thesz Press and spinning DDT off the ropes. Storm called for Sweet Cheek Music, but Blue avoided with a pump knee and Code Blue. Soho ran distraction with the ref, as Blue missed her spinning slam on Storm, who connected violently with Sweet Cheek Music, German Suplex and Storm Zero to win it. Post match, The Outcasts were about to attack Blue, but Willow Nightingale and Riho, with a steel pipe; hit the ring to chase them off.
-Doctors are backstage with Stu Grayson, as the Blackpool Combat Club show up and beat him down before walking off.
**********
Kenny Omega (w/Don Callis) defeated AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo
(An amazing main event, one of the best in the history of Dynamite in my honest opinion. Vikingo said he was nervous heading into this match, but he certainly delivered and didn’t let the nerves get the best of him here. This was Omega’s first singles match on Dynamite since November 3, 2021 against Alan Angels and my goodness was this a classic.)
I sure have missed Justin Roberts over the top intro for Kenny Omega singles matches. Vikingo hit multiple dives on Omega during his entrance, as a springboard dropkick back inside led to a forearm exchange. Referee Paul Turner officially started the match, as Omega missed a corner splash and Vikingo showed off his athleticism with an Implosion Hurricanrana out of the corner and corkscrew kick to follow. Omega was sent to the floor where Vikingo hit a Shooting Star Press off the apron. An incredible springboard 450 splash off the second rope got Vikingo a near fall back inside, as Omega battled back with a tilt a whirl back breaker and fisherman’s buster. Omega chucked Vikingo into the barricade and set up a table ringside.
Vikingo fought back on the apron with chops, but Omega hit a perfect monkey flip on the edge of the apron to give Vikingo a rough landing. Omega wanted a Snap Dragon off the apron through the table, but Vikingo sprung in the ring, leapt to the top rope and standing on the ring post hit a Dragon Rana on the apron to the floor. Back inside, Vikingo smoked Omega with a nasty corner kick, but as they fought up on the ropes, Omega tried a powerbomb, but Vikingo turned it into a hurricanrana in mid air and planted Omega on his head. Vikingo quickly followed with an incredible spinning Phoenix Splash from the apron second rope back inside for a near fall.
Omega caught a flying Vikingo in mid air with a powerbomb into pump knee, but Vikingo kicked out, as Omega followed up with a Snap Dragon. Omega hit a picture perfect V-Trigger, but Vikingo countered One Winged Angel with a Swan Dive Poison Rana that spiked Omega. As Omega found himself on the table, Vikingo hit his signature breathtaking 630 Senton off the ropes through the table to a huge pop, as the crowd are on their feet. Both men beat the count and start slugging it out on their knees. Omega fired off a V-Trigger, but Vikingo responded with a sunset flip bomb for a close two. Vikingo went to the top, but missed a 630 Senton, as Omega hit a V-Trigger and One Winged Angel for the victory in an incredible main event.
Post match, Tony Schiavone came to the ring to interview Omega as he called that a match for the ages. Before Omega could say much, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta all hit the ring to attack Omega. As the BCC put the boots to Omega, we hear ambulance sirens and see Hangman Adam Page drive up in the ambulance and 2×4 with nails. Excalibur said Page stole the ambulance, which I don’t believe is very legal. Page stormed the ring, but Moxley told his crew to bail. Don Callis went to spin Page around and ended up flopping like a NBA player, as Omega turned around and thought Page threw down Callis, which he didn’t. Page pleaded his case, but Omega left with Callis to boos from the crowd.
AEW Rampage 3/25/23 (special time Saturday 10/9c)
· Powerhouse Hobbs defends the TNT Title against Penta El Zero Miedo
· We hear from Ricky Starks, who has challenged Juice Robinson
· Taya Valkyrie vs. Leila Grey
· Brody King vs. Jake Hager
· The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) take on The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)
AEW Dynamite 3/29/23
· Adam Cole returns to action against Daniel Garcia
Wrestling Observer Live with Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about.
Topics include a full recap of NXT, which was full of wackiness two weeks away from Stand & Deliver. Plus a preview of tonight’s AEW Dynamite on TBS, Kenny Omega says Vikingo could “change the way people think about wrestling,” Hiroshi Tanahashi replaces Hiromu Takahashi against Speedball Mike Bailey, and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Kenny Omega says El Hijo del Vikingo deserves a “world stage” to perform on.
The long-awaited Vikingo vs. Omega match originally scheduled for Triplemania Regia II on December 4, 2021, will take place tonight on Dynamite. Omega spoke about his upcoming opponent to SI.com.
“Every Vikingo match has something embedded in it that we’ve never seen before,” says Omega. “It’s a very exciting time.”
Omega was forced to vacate the AAA Mega Championship and pull out of his match with Vikingo in late 2021 due to an accumulation of injuries that would sideline him until last August.
“I thought our eventual clash would happen in AAA on Mexican soil, but it’s an opportunity that fell into my lap,” continued Omega. “I’m not the booker, I’m not the matchmaker, I don’t make the rules, but I have been given a chance to wrestle someone that’s going to change the way people think about wrestling and change the way we think about lucha libre. There is a sense of pride to help with this introduction of a new power player in professional wrestling. The way Vikingo’s captured people’s attention and conquered AAA, he deserves a world stage to show what he has to offer.”
He continued to say that showcasing different wrestling styles was a “big motivator” in the creation of AEW.
“AEW is somewhat of a gateway drug for people that want to see new types of wrestling and these types of unique matches,” says Omega. “We’ll always be accommodating to any talent on the planet—it doesn’t matter where they’re from, their shape, size, color, gender—who can display pro wrestling at its best. Pro wrestling is not just one particular style. A big motivator in creating AEW was unity. Coming together for one common goal, an open door to a platform for the best pro wrestling.
Vikingo vs. Omega being advertised as a “dream match” received some backlash due to fans who do not follow AAA or Lucha libre being unfamiliar with Vikingo’s work. Omega addressed this during the interview by noting that he had never seen Rey Mysterio or Psicosis before they clashed in ECW or Great Sasuke and Taka Michinoku before they wrestled each other in WWF. He says that being exposed to the different styles of those four wrestlers helped shape the performer he is today.
“The two times I was most blown away were by individuals I’d never seen heading into the match,” says Omega. “One was Rey Mysterio versus Psicosis in ECW, and the other was Great Sasuke versus Taka Michinoku when they first appeared for WWF. That took me down a rabbit hole so far that it helped create the wrestler I am today. So the people that want to cast this match away because they’re not too familiar with the name Vikingo, I hope they give it a shot. Allow this young man to display what makes him so special. We’re going to more than earn our spot in the show, and you get to be part of that experience.”
While he faces Vikingo in singles action on tonight’s show, Omega might be at the very start of a new angle in AEW. On Being the Elite this week, Matt Jackson was shown creating a group text for members of The Elite, including Hangman Page. Nick Jackson and Page responded immediately to Matt’s text but a message was displayed on his phone showing Omega had left the group chat almost immediately.
It’s a brand new We’re Live, Pal! as Andrew Zarian and I talk the latest wrestling news.
We looked at all of the big matches for this year’s WWE WrestleMania and whether we think the builds are hot or not.
Then, we looked at this week’s AEW Dynamite lineup and the discourse surrounding whether Kenny Omega vs. El Hijo Del Vikingo is a dream match as it’s being promoted.
Lastly, we talked about free agent Bill Goldberg and if he would fit in AEW.
You can watch the show above or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts in addition to the link below.
Dave Meltzer discussed the new match announced for Wednesday’s Dynamite.
On Sunday morning’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer said that the match between Kenny Omega and El Hijo del Vikingo should connect well with the live crowd, but may struggle in the ratings.
“He’s a harcore wrestling fan’s name who follows lucha libre which is not enough people to sway ratings,” Meltzer said. “As far as a match that will be a great match on television on Wednesday night and make for a great show, it will probably be that.”
Providing examples such as Bandido and Kommander, Meltzer said that while unknown guys can get over to the live crowd, it will take time before the other metrics start to grow.
“These guys, they get over to the crowd when they come in and do this stuff,” Meltzer said. “But like everything else, it takes a while to build to be a player in the eyes of people who are casual viewers.”
Meltzer said that the match being added to Dynamite showed that despite recent troubles in the relationship, AAA and AEW are still willing to work with one another.
“After what happened in December with the FTR thing, the relations with AAA and with AEW, which were frayed, very much so at one point, are at least to work together, and I know 100% that AAA really wanted this match to headline a Triplemania, the logical thing to say that as show of good faith, you can have a rematch first.”
Dave Meltzer discussed the new match announced for Wednesday’s Dynamite.
On Sunday morning’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer said that the match between Kenny Omega and El Hijo del Vikingo should connect well with the live crowd, but may struggle in the ratings.
“He’s a harcore wrestling fan’s name who follows lucha libre which is not enough people to sway ratings,” Meltzer said. “As far as a match that will be a great match on television on Wednesday night and make for a great show, it will probably be that.”
Providing examples such as Bandido and Kommander, Meltzer said that while unknown guys can get over to the live crowd, it will take time before the other metrics start to grow.
“These guys, they get over to the crowd when they come in and do this stuff,” Meltzer said. “But like everything else, it takes a while to build to be a player in the eyes of people who are casual viewers.”
Meltzer said that the match being added to Dynamite showed that despite recent troubles in the relationship, AAA and AEW are still willing to work with one another.
“After what happened in December with the FTR thing, the relations with AAA and with AEW, which were frayed, very much so at one point, are at least to work together, and I know 100% that AAA really wanted this match to headline a Triplemania, the logical thing to say that as show of good faith, you can have a rematch first.”