Tag: Kyle O’Reilly

Kyle O’Reilly ‘really proud’ of Adam Cole for taking care of his health

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Kyle O’Reilly is proud of his friend Adam Cole for prioritizing his health and taking the time to get better.

Cole was scheduled for a TNT Championship defense against Kyle Fletcher at AEW All In: Texas this summer before the match was canceled at the last minute due to Cole suffering a concussion. At the pay-per-view, Cole made an appearance and gave an emotional address to fans, telling them he loves them and will be gone for a while.

This wasn’t the first concussion for Cole, who also battled concussion issues in 2022 that threatened his career. It remains to be seen when he’ll be able to return.

O’Reilly appeared on AEW Unrestricted this week and discussed how much he loves working with Cole. It’s sad that Cole is not able to compete right now, but O’Reilly is proud of him for how he’s handled the injury.

“It’s so natural and just so fun and just — we just have so much love for each other,” O’Reilly said. “It’s unfortunate that it had to sort of, not end the way it did because nothing’s ever over, but it’s just such a sad unfortunate circumstance what happened at All In. But I’m just really proud of Adam for making that call and for being the stand-up guy that he is and for taking his health into account and for starting that process to getting well again. Like, it’s huge. I’m just forever proud of him, man.”

Being friends with Cole has not only helped O’Reilly in his career, it’s made him a better human being.

“I would not have any career without Adam Cole,” O’Reilly said. “The man I am, let alone the wrestler I am today, [is] because of Adam Cole. So I’m eternally forever grateful for him and for everything he’s done for me, my career.”

O’Reilly and Cole have been linked together as partners and opponents throughout their time in ROH, NXT, and AEW. Their AEW faction with Roderick Strong is named Paragon.

Wrestling Weekly: WWE Crown Jewel predictions, thoughts on AEW Title Tuesday

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Today’s new edition of Wrestling Weekly features our predictions for WWE Crown Jewel as well as the countdown to Adam Page vs. Samoa Joe at AEW’s Wrestle Dream.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Heroes vs. Villans six-man, Ospreay & Swerve tag team match added to AEW Dynamite 300

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A Heroes vs. Villains six-man tag has been booked for AEW Dynamite.

Tony Khan announced Tuesday afternoon that Bandido will team with Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong to take on Konosuke Takeshita and The Young Bucks. The match will be presented by the new Superman film that releases in theatres on July 11.

Bandido has been making waves in CMLL as of late, defeating Mascara Dorada to retain the ROH Championship and even pinned Mistico in a tag team match. This past Friday, he was defeated by Mistico in a singles match. He will next defend the title against Takeshita at Supercard of Honor, which will also take place July 11.

The Young Bucks have embroiled themselves in a feud with Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland, the latter of which have issued a challenge for All In with The Young Bucks’ EVP status on the line.

Tony Khan announced later in the night that Ospreay and Strickland will team together to take on Dralistico and The Beast Mortos. This is also being billed as a Heroes vs. Villans match presented by Superman.

AEW Dynamite 300, Wednesday, July 2 —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
  • TBS Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Mina Shirakawa
  • Heroes vs. Villans six-man tag: Bandido, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly vs. Konosuke Takeshita and The Young Bucks
  • Heroes vs. Villans: Swerve Strickland & Will Ospreay vs. Dralistico and The Beast Mortos
  • All In men’s Casino Gauntlet qualifier: MJF vs. Brody King vs. Anthony Bowens vs. AR Fox

WOL: AEW KYLE-LISION Live, CM Punk, Night of Champions, SmackDown

Posted on by Jim Valley

Wrestling Observer KYLE.

Kyle Valley is back and talking about what it was like to be in the crowd for KYLELISION, plus backstage reaction to the crowd and the match.

Remember in 2011 how cool it was when CM Punk did something original like winning and then leaving with the WWE Title? Today, he’s doing WWE dress up skit #2,346 as part of “John Cena: This is Your Life”.

Plus, Night of Champions, Smackdown and more. Check it out.

Right Click to Save As

MJF retains Dynamite Diamond Ring, Undisputed Kingdom reunite at AEW Worlds End

Posted on by Bryan Rose

MJF has the ring, but Adam Cole gets the last laugh.

The former AEW World Champion defeated Cole to keeep the Dynamite Diamond Ring at Worlds End on Saturday, seemingly ending their year-long feud that started at the end of the 2023 event last December. The finish had Cole looking to use the ring as Matt Taven & Mike Bennett distracted the referee at ringside as they were being ejected. However, MJF responded with a low blow and pinned Cole after using the heatseeker to retain control of the ring for another year.

After the match, MJF attempted to injure Cole further by wrapping a chair around his injured ankle. However, Roderick Strong came out for the save. MJF attempted to leave, but was stopped by Kyle O’Reilly on the entrance stage, who proceeded to throw MJF back into the ring. They, along with Cole, Taven, & Bennett laid out MJF as they celebrated in the ring, officially reuniting in full.

Despite Cole having turned on MJF last year, Cole returned as a babyface going after MJF, who had turned back heel during Cole’s recovery. Cole and O’Reilly were the final two participants in the Dynamite Diamond Ring battle royal to determine who would face MJF next. The two faced off in the finals at Dynamite Winter is Coming earlier this month, with Cole emerging victorious.

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly for shot at MJF set for AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming

Posted on by Josh Nason

A match between longtime friends with implications for this month’s Worlds End is set for next Wednesday’s Winter is Coming edition of Dynamite.

Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly were the two final men remaining in Wednesday’s Dynamite Dozen battle royal, outlasting ten other men, and now will square off with the winner facing MJF at the Saturday, December 28th pay-per-view with MJF’s Dynamite diamond ring on the line.

Cole and O’Reilly eliminated Lance Archer and Brian Cage to win the match which also included Rocky Romero, Mark Davis, Evil Uno, Darius Martin, Action Andretti, The Butcher, Dante Martin, and Lio Rush.

On last week’s Dynamite, O’Reilly and Cole squabbled over Cole pursuing MJF which led to their inclusion in the battle royal — the latest chapter in an angle which includes Roderick Strong whom MJF injured at November’s Full Gear.

This will be Cole and O’Reilly’s first singles match against each other since WWE NXT TakeOver 36 when they competed in a two-out-of-three falls match.

In another match added at the end of the show, AEW World Champion Jon Moxley & PAC will team up against Orange Cassidy & Jay White. The match came about following White’s win over PAC that saw all the Death Riders get involved in addition to Hangman Page in another chaotic scene.

Here’s the current lineup for Kansas City, Missouri:

  • Continental Classic Gold league: Will Ospreay vs. Claudio Castagnoli
  • Continental Classic Gold league: Brody King vs. Ricochet
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May defends against Mina Shirakawa
  • Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly for shot at MJF at Worlds End
  • Jon Moxley & PAC vs. Orange Cassidy & Jay White

AEW Battle of the Belts XII results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kyle O’Reilly Continental title match

Posted on by Suit Williams

The Continental title is on the line in the twelfth edition of Battle of the Belts.

Kyle O’Reilly will get his shot at Kazuchika Okada for the title immediately following this week’s Collision. At WrestleDream, O’Reilly asked Okada for a title match. After Okada rejected O’Reilly, the two ended up brawling. After O’Reilly won his match on Rampage, he issued the challenge again to Okada, with AEW making it official later in the show.

Another match will see Mariah May take on Anna Jay in a title eliminator match for the AEW Women’s Championship. Jay has been wanting to prove herself after spending the summer in Japan in Stardom and confronted May on Dynamite. The two ended up getting into a pull-apart. Christopher Daniels attempted to break up the altercation but ended up getting a slap from Jay that was meant for May.

A match with the new team of Brian Cage and Lance Archer will also take place. Both are new acquisitions of Don Callis.

Join us for live coverage of Battle of the Belts at 10 pm ET.

Battle of the Belts began with the Blackpool Combat Club beat down of Top Flight that ended Collision. Castagnoli dragged one of the Martins up the ramp, but John Silver drilled Castagnoli with a chair. The Dark Order came out to fight, but the BCC got the upper hand as well.

Moxley took the microphone and told the Dark Order that he would give them a chance to fight for their lives. He offered the Dark Order a Trios Title match right now and ordered the referee to ring the bell. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call.

AEW World Trios Title Match – Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli, PAC & Wheeler Yuta) (c) (w/ Jon Moxley & Marina Shafir) defeated The Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno)

This was a unique and interesting way to hook the Collision viewers on for Battle of the Belts, and to make sure the BCC story is an overarching one across any and all shows. The BCC look dominant and unrepentant in their cause, and the babyface army is beginning to build against them. The story is that the man most equipped to be their leader, Orange Cassidy, isn’t interested in being a leader as he said on Collision.

It was a three-on-one beatdown on Silver to start, as his partners were destroyed on the floor. Yuta hit the rocket launcher on Silver, but Uno broke up the pin. Uno got dragged out of the ring by Castagnoli as the beat down continued on Silver until he caught PAC with a lariat. A taped-up Reynolds tagged in and fought hard, but Castagnoli caught him with a Gorilla Press into a gutbuster. Castagnoli snatched him into a Sharpshooter.

Yuta brought in a chair, and as the referee was distracted, PAC landed a double stomp to the back of the head. Reynolds tapped out, giving the champions their second successful defense in a half hour. The BCC laid out the Dark Order after the match, with Shafir drilling Silver in the arm with the briefcase that contained the AEW World Title. The babyface locker room came out to clear house, with Orange Cassidy looking on before walking away.

AEW Continental Title Match – Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Kyle O’Reilly

One of Okada’s better title defenses here, as O’Reilly worked hard and got the crowd to buy into his efforts to win the title. I’d recommend checking this one out.

Okada started slowly before O’Reilly came out of a rope break swinging. O’Reilly had an armbar blocked but transitioned into an ankle lock that forced Okada into the ropes. After a commercial break, Okada cut off a rallying O’Reilly with an uppercut to boos. Okada did a lot of crowd work as he worked over O’Reilly before O’Reilly dodged an apron tope and laid Okada out with his kick combination.

O’Reilly landed a hammerlock driver as the crowd did dueling chants. O’Reilly caught Okada with a dragon screw leg whip in the ropes, then hit a diving knee to Okada as he hung in the ropes. O’Reilly hit a diving knee to Okada’s thigh before locking on a kneebar. O’Reilly transitioned into a Figure Four style hold before Okada clawed at O’Reilly’s eyes to escape. Okada didn’t have the strength in the leg to pull O’Reilly up for a Tombstone, allowing O’Reilly to lay in kicks to the leg.

Okada caught O’Reilly on a corner charge, hitting a neckbreaker over the knee as we went to another commercial. Okada hit a shotgun dropkick to O’Reilly as we came back. As the 15-minute call came from the ring announcer, O’Reilly countered a Tombstone with a guillotine choke and a knee to the sternum. O’Reilly countered another Tombstone attempt with an ankle lock that forced Okada to the ropes.

Okada teased playing keepaway to run out the clock but caught O’Reilly on a jumping knee attempt and hit a DDT on the floor. Okada hit the elbow drop, but O’Reilly fought out of the Rainmaker. Okada caught O’Reilly with a short-arm lariat and a dropkick, but another Rainmaker attempt got fought off and countered into a guillotine choke. Okada pulled O’Reilly up into a Landslide, then hit the Rainmaker to retain the title.

Anna Jay had a pretaped promo. Mariah May had beaten her twice before, but she still felt that May had a receipt coming from all of her shady actions. She said that the Women’s Title had eluded her for four years, but she would earn her shot tonight in the eliminator match.

Rush & Dralistico were in the back. They said that they would destroy every single faction in this company. The camera panned down to see The Beast Mortos clawing at Hologram.

The Don Callis Family (Brian Cage & Lance Archer) defeated Jack Cartwheel & Jon Cruz

Cage murdered both guys, then tagged Archer in to murder them more. They had two awesome double-team moves, with Archer chokeslamming Cartwheel off of Cage’s shoulders and Archer hitting a Blackout into a Cage powerbomb.

The Undisputed Kingdom was backstage with The Beast Mortos & Lexy Nair. After offering the Beast some meat, they made it clear that they were disappointed with him joining La Faccion Ingobernable.

AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Match – Anna Jay defeated Mariah May

Anna Jay came back from her Stardom tour, she hasn’t lost since coming back, and she beat the champion to set up a nice little TV defense for Mariah May. A solid match, and a nice bit of lower card booking.

Jay worked on May’s arm until May fought her off and hit a John Woo dropkick for a nearfall. Jay sent May into the corner and hit a spin kick but May came back by raining down fists on Jay. This isn’t as hard to follow as the time Orange Cassidy wrestled Isiah Kassidy, but it’s close. May hit the Mariah-Go-Round sidewalk slam for a nearfall.

After a commercial, Jay evaded a corner charge before getting into a strike battle with May. Jay fired up, hitting a Dangerous Jay kick and a John Woo dropkick of her own for a nearfall. Jay took May down with a side suplex for a nearfall. Jay locked on the Queen Slayer choke, but May bit her arm and hit a pair of suplexes for a nearfall.

May hit a hanging DDT for a nearfall. May took Jay off the top rope with a headscissors and hit a running knee, but Jay evaded the Storm Zero and got into a pinning predicament. Jay caught May in a flash pin to score the upset win and a future World Title match. The title match was quickly made official for the November 2nd Collision in Philadelphia.

AEW Collision live results: Number one contender’s match for ROH World title

Posted on by Suit Williams

A match to determine Mark Briscoe’s next challenger will take place on Collision.

Saturday’s show taped in Calgary will have Roderick Strong take on Dalton Castle in a match that will determine Briscoe’s next challenger for the ROH World Championship at Death Before Dishonor on July 26. 

The two other members of The Conglomeration, Kyle O’Reilly and Orange Cassidy, will take on The Undisputed Kingdom’s Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. Despite having turned on O’Reilly earlier in the year, Roderick Strong is still looking to get Kyle O’Reilly to join The Undisputed Kingdom. O’Reilly has refused, instead joining forces with Cassidy and Briscoe.

Other matches set includ Konosuke Takeshita taking on Tommy Billington, the nephew of the Dynamite Kid. Skye Blue will face Harley Cameron, while Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty and Anthony Ogogo) will take on Top Flight.

Additionally, Nyla Rose and the Bang Bang Gang will be in action.

Join us for live coverage beginning at 8 pm ET.

We are live (to tape) from Calgary, Alberta with this week’s Collision. Sir Elton John is at the Stampede this week, as the show kicked off with Konosuke Takeshita’s ring introduction. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call.

Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington

An excellent opener, as Billington brought a ton of fight to Takeshita. The angle afterward was interesting, as FTR inserted themselves into Callis Family business. Could we see the Dynamite Kid walking out at Wembley Stadium?

Don Callis joined commentary, noting how his mentor Bad News Allen also mentored the original Dynamite Kid. Billington surprised Takeshita by taking him down with a shoulder block that sent him to the floor. Takeshita forced Billington into the corner, but Billington fired out with a dropkick and another shoulder block. Billington sent them both to the outside with a crossbody against the ropes.

Billington laid Takeshita out with a bodyslam on the outside, but Takeshita cut him off as they came back into the ring. Takeshita bit Billington before taking him off the ropes with the greatest superplex you’ll ever see. Billington’s feet came off the turnbuckles, and Takeshita basically deadlifted him up and over for the move. It was incredible. Takeshita sent Billington into the ring post as we went to a commercial break.

We came back from the break with Billington hitting a high cross to Takeshita on the floor. Billington came back with a Dynamite clothesline and a snap vertical suplex. Billington went to the top rope, but Takeshita took him down Flair-style. Billington avoided a boot in the corner and eventually hit a Tombstone but couldn’t make a cover.

The Calgary crowd chanted for Tommy as he went up for the diving headbutt, but Takeshita sat up out of the way. The two traded waist locks before Takeshita snatched him up for a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Takeshita kicked out of an O’Connor Roll and ran through a lariat before delivering one of his own. Takeshita put Billington away with the running knee, which Callis called the T-Trigger.

Callis had been praising Billington on commentary, and after the match, he got in the ring and praised him on the microphone. Callis showed pictures of himself with Bad News Allen, then showed pictures of Allen with the original Dynamite Kid. Callis offered Billington a spot in the Don Callis Family, saying it is what Allen and his uncle would want. Billington shook his hand but told Callis to kiss his ass.

Callis slapped Billington across the face, leading Takeshita to drop Billington from behind. Kyle Fletcher joined in the attack before FTR came out to make the save.

We got a video package highlighting Mariah May’s victory in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and her immediate turn on Toni Storm.

Bullet Club Gold (Juice Robinson, Austin & Colten Gunn) defeated London Lightning, Michael Allen Richard Clark & Shaun Moore

This felt like a way of getting the titles off Jay White without setting a Freebird Rule precedent in AEW. Meanwhile, Christian Cage has taken out members of two different trios in the past few weeks and is a step closer to getting the Trios Titles.

This was a quick squash, as the Gunns hit Clark with the 3:10 to Yuma for the win.

After the match, Colten Gunn took to the microphone and announced that Jay White was hurt by Christian Cage’s attack last week. Gunn announced that Robinson was now officially a Trios Champion, a claim Tony Schiavone disputed. Christopher Daniels disputed the claim as well, noting that replacement partners cannot be named when a tag team champion gets hurt. Daniels officially stripped the Bullet Club Gold of the Trios Championships.

The Patriarchy came out. Christian Cage demanded that the Patriarchy be awarded the Trios Titles. Daniels denied that request, saying they would wrestle the Bullet Club Gold for the vacant titles. Austin Gunn challenged the Patriarchy to the title match right now, but after taking a jab at the Calgary Flames, Cage turned them down.

We got a quick video package highlighting Jack Perry’s TNT Title win and his defense last week.

The House of Black was backstage. Malachi Black said they would be in Arlington, TX next week and start building the foundation of Wembley. Brody King barked.

We got a video package of Jeff Jarrett meeting with Martha & Oje Hart backstage at Dynamite. There is a full version of this video on AEW’s social media pages, which is well worth a watch.

ROH World Title #1 Contendership Match – Roderick Strong (w/Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) defeated Dalton Castle (w/ The Outrunners)

The winner of this match between these two former ROH World Champions will challenge Mark Briscoe for the ROH World Title at Death Before Dishonor on July 26th. Castle outwrestled Strong on the mat, forcing Strong to boot Castle in the face. The Outrunners fired up Castle by flexing at him, leading Castle to set Strong up on the ropes and hit a running knee. Strong tried to make space on the floor, but Castle hit a headscissors off the apron.

There were some distractions on the floor between the Kingdom and the Outrunners, allowing Strong to hit a baseball slide and a backbreaker on the barricade. After a commercial break, Castle caught a kick and turned it into a back suplex as he peacocked up. Whoops, this is on TNT, he Max’ed up. Castle hit a set of gutwrench throws and a high knee, but Strong came back with a backbreaker on the apron.

Strong tried to counter out of a Bangarang attempt, but Castle countered the counter and stuffed him for a nearfall. Castle went for another Bangarang, but Strong fought out and hit a jumping knee to score the win and a shot at becoming a two-time ROH World Champion at Death Before Dishonor.

We cut to video from Sandy Fork, Delaware, where we heard from ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe. Briscoe talked about getting a week off but using that week off to train for Blood & Guts. He warned the Elite that they may get Blood & Guts on their nice business suits. Then, two days after Blood & Guts, he had to defend the ROH World Title against Roderick Strong. He said a lot had changed since the last time he and Strong went one-on-one. He got a lot wiser in the time since and would use that wisdom to beat Strong. He wished his friends Kyle O’Reilly & Orange Cassidy good luck in the main event tonight.

We got another video teaser for Hologram, ending with the words “NEXT WEEK.”

Stokely Hathaway & Kris Statlander were in the back with Lexy Nair. Statlander said that she and Hathaway were petty haters and that the first match wasn’t the end of things between her & Willow Nightingale. Hathaway said that Nightingale was a con artist, preaching about how smiling through it would get her through tough times. It hadn’t worked out for Nightingale, as everything she earned was because of them. Statlander said that it would never be over.

Nyla Rose defeated Ava Lawless

Rose got a quick win with the Beast Bomb.

We got a video package of Bryan Danielson’s victory in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, along with Swerve Strickland’s words from Dynamite.

Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) (w/Action Andretti) defeated Shane Taylor Promotions (Anthony Ogogo & Lee Moriarty) (w/Shane Taylor)

The two teams traded the advantage until Dante helped Darius counter a suplex attempt, then hit a con hilo over the ropes. Ogogo caught Darius in the ropes, then took the referee as Moriarty booted his arm. After a commercial break, Darius countered a Moriarty uppercut with a German suplex, then tagged his brother. Dante ran wild, hitting a high cross on Ogogo for a nearfall.

Ogogo hit a pop-up punch to Dante to send him out of the ring. Moriarty caught Darius with a lifting lariat for a nearfall. Darius and Moriarty traded strikes before Darius hit a bulldog through the ropes. Taylor hooked Darius’s leg from the outside, forcing Andretti to hit him with a high cross to the floor. Darius countered a move from Moriarty and hit an F-5 into a DDT for the win.

After the match, Taylor jumped Top Flight and laid Andretti out with a right hand.

Deonna Purrazzo was backstage with Lexy Nair. Purrazzo spoke on her attack on Thunder Rosa last night on Rampage before Rosa entered the frame. Rosa challenged Purrazzo to a lumberjack match next week on Collision in Rosa’s home state of Texas.

After a commercial break, Nyla Rose was backstage with Lexy Nair. She noticed Mercedes Mone’s open challenge for a TNT Title match next week on Dynamite. Rose listed her accomplishments before accepting the challenge. She’s never driven a Mercedes but will be sure to break one on Wednesday.

Skye Blue defeated Harley Cameron (w/Saraya)

The last two matches have a strong “end of a double taping” feel.

A lot of cowboy hats are going around in this one. Cameron got the advantage with a gamengiri in the corner and a clothesline. Blue came back with a superkick in the corner and a boot off the apron. Saraya got in Blue’s face, allowing Cameron to drop her from behind as we went to a commercial.

After a commercial, Blue made her comeback with a rising knee and a neckbreaker. Cameron caught Blue with a sunset flip for a nearfall. Cameron hit a running knee for a nearfall. Blue held onto the ropes on a backstabber and got Cameron up for a TKO. Blue locked on something approximating a Dragon Sleeper for the win.

We got a video package of the Stampede Street Fight between Chris Jericho & Samoa Joe, with Jericho driving Joe through a wall.

Skye Blue was backstage after her win. She wanted some respect on her name and challenged Hikaru Shida to a match next week to get it.

The Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) defeated The Conglomeration (Kyle O’Reilly & Orange Cassidy)

A much-needed shot of energy here in this main event. These guys went 160 kilometers an hour to get the crowd into this one, and it worked to an extent. We had more converging stories here, as Beretta still hasn’t let go of his issues with Cassidy.

Roderick Strong joined the commentary booth. Both Taven & Bennett were reluctant to wrestle O’Reilly, so Cassidy tagged in and hit a dive onto both of them. Cassidy ran wild on them until O’Reilly got a blind tag in and teed off of Bennett with kicks. Taven raked O’Reilly’s eye, but Cassidy hit him with the Stundog Millionaire. O’Reilly got an ankle lock on Bennett, but Taven broke it up. Cassidy hit a dive onto Bennett, but Bennett caught Cassidy with a rebound forearm.

Bennett hung up O’Reilly on the ropes. O’Reilly held onto a sleeper hold, but The Kingdom hit the Proton Pack for a nearfall. More four-way action ended with O’Reilly hitting a double rebound clothesline as we went to a commercial.

After a commercial, Bennett hit Cassidy with a pop-up forearm for a nearfall. Cassidy fought and fought his way to the corner and made the tag to O’Reilly, who ran wild on both Kingdom members. There was a wacky double Dragon Screw leg whip before O’Reilly caught both of them in submissions. O’Reilly locked on a guillotine choke, but Taven caught him with the Kick of the King. The Kingdom hit the Neck Check for a nearfall.

O’Reilly catapulted Bennett into Taven, then tagged Cassidy. Cassidy got an Orange Punch cut off with a forearm. After O’Reilly fought off an interfering Taven, Cassidy hit a Beach Break for a nearfall. Strong left commentary to try to talk sense into O’Reilly when Tomohiro Ishii pulled him off of the apron and fought him off. Meanwhile, Trent Beretta attacked Cassidy and threw him into the barricade. That left O’Reilly alone with the Kingdom, who hit the spike piledriver to score the win.

Beretta shouted at Cassidy and went to lay the boots into O’Reilly, but the Kingdom pulled him away. Cassidy re-emerged with a monkey wrench and laid Beretta out from behind. The Kingdom backed away before Ishii laid them out with clotheslines.

The show ended with a hype video for Will Ospreay vs. MJF, which will kick off Dynamite 250 on Wednesday night.

Orange Cassidy & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Undisputed Kingdom part of AEW Collision lineup

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

The feud between The Undisputed Kingdom, Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly will continue on this Saturday’s AEW Collision.

Cassidy will team with O’Reilly to take on reigning Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett in non-title action from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. O’Reilly has been at odds with former pals Taven, Bennett and Roderick Strong since returning to action while Strong and Cassidy battled over the International title earlier this year.

Speaking of Strong, he will be in one-on-one action against former Ring of Honor World Champion Dalton Castle.

As announced last week, Konosuke Takeshita of the Don Callis Family will take on the new “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington in Billington’s second-ever AEW match.

Three members of the AEW Trios Champions The Bang Bang Gang — Juice Robinson and The Gunns — will be in action against opponents to be named.

After their trios bout on Friday’s AEW Rampage, Top Flight’s Darius & Dante Martin will continue their conflict with Shane Taylor Promotions’ Anthony Ogogo & Lee Moriarty.

Skye Blue will look to snap a three-match AEW losing streak as she takes on Harley Cameron who has lost two straight.

Former AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose will be in action against an opponent to be named.

Here’s the full lineup taped Wednesday after Dynamite:

  • Orange Cassidy & Kyle O’Reilly vs. The Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)
  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. Tommy Billington
  • Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson & The Gunns) vs. TBA
  • Roderick Strong vs. Dalton Castle
  • Skye Blue vs. Harley Cameron
  • Nyla Rose vs. TBA
  • Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin) vs. Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Anthony Ogogo)

Four-way tag team match added to AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Zero Hour

Posted on by Josh Nason

Another match has been added to Sunday’s Zero Hour pre-show for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view.

The bout will see House of Black (Malakai Black & Brody King) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Gabe Kidd & Roderick Strong.

Kidd & Strong teamed up on Friday’s Rampage for the first time, defeating The Infantry with Kidd taking umbrage with Strong’s celebration with The Undisputed Kingdom afterward.

This is the first time O’Reilly and Ishii have teamed up, but they have been on opposite ends of the NJPW ring twice before in 2016.

Black & King will be looking for their second straight win following the recent storyline injuries to Buddy Matthews while Quen & Kassidy are looking to rebound from a loss to The Learning Tree on last week’s Collision.

Here’s the updated card for Sunday’s PPV:

  • AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland defends against Will Ospreay
  • Ladder match for the vacant TNT Championship: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Jack Perry vs. Lio Rush vs. Dante Martin vs. El Phantasmo
  • Title for title: TBS Champion Mercedes Mone vs. NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer
  • AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm defends against Mina Shirakawa
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley defends against Tetsuya Naito
  • Owen Hart Foundation men’s tournament quarterfinal match: Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi
  • MJF vs. Hechicero
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Orange Cassidy
  • The Elite (Kazuchika Okada & The Young Bucks) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster)
  • The Learning Tree (Chris Jericho, Big Bill & Jeff Cobb) vs. Samoa Joe, Hook & Katsuyori Shibata
  • Zero Hour: Kris Statlander & Momo Watanabe vs. Willow Nightingale & Tam Nakano
  • Zero Hour: Owen Hart Foundation women’s tournament quarterfinal match: Saraya vs. Mariah May
  • Zero Hour: Mistico & The Lucha Bros (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) vs. Titan, Yota Tsuji & Hiromu Takahashi
  • Zero Hour: House of Black (Malakai Black & Brody King) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Gabe Kidd & Roderick Strong

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kyle O’Reilly announced for AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Ian Carey

A new match has been added to the lineup for this week’s AEW Dynamite.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Zack Sabre Jr. is now scheduled for the show.

Tony Khan announced the match on Tuesday, writing, “Before he fights Orange Cassidy at Forbidden Door, ZSJ will fight 1-on-1 vs 1 of AEW’s best stars + OC’s good friend, the great Kyle O’Reilly! KOR vs ZSJ on TBS TOMORROW!”

O’Reilly and ZSJ were on opposing sides of a tag match last week when the conglomeration team of Cassidy, Mark Briscoe, and Dante Martin defeated ZSJ, Roderick Strong, Konosuke Takeshita, and Kyle Fletcher.

AEW Dynamite announced lineup for June 26, 2024 —

  • AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland & AEW International Champion Will Ospreay vs. Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun)
  • Men’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament quarterfinal: Jay White vs. Rey Fenix
  • Saraya, Harley Cameron & Anna Jay vs. AEW World Women’s Champion Toni Storm, Mariah May & Mina Shirakawa
  • Kyle O’Reilly vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • MJF appearance
  • We’ll hear from Daniel Garcia

All-Star eight-man tag, Swerve/Ospreay face-off added to AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

An all-star eight man tag has been added to the next AEW Dynamite.

Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy, and Dante Martin will team together this Wednesday to face off against Roderick Strong, Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, and Zack Sabre Jr. The match was announced during an O’Reilly/Anthony Henry match on Collision. After O’Reilly won, he and Strong, who was doing commentary, had a staredown.

Briscoe, Martin, and Takeshita have all qualified for the upcoming ladder match at Forbidden Door that will determine the next TNT Champion. Cassidy and Sabre will meet at Forbidden Door as well after Sabre issued the challenge.

A face-to-face between Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay has also been added after the two confronted one another at the end of Dynamite. After Strickland said Ospreay couldn’t hold both the AEW World and International titles on his shoulders, Ospreay defied Strickland by taking the AEW World Championship and placed it on his shoulder. Strickland took the belt back, telling Ospreay he’s only standing now because they are friends.

Here is the updated lineup for Wednesday:

  • MJF vs. Rush kicks off the show commercial-free
  • AEW Tag Team title eliminator: The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens)
  • Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy, and Dante Martin vs. Roderick Strong, Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, and Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Toni Storm & Mina Shirakawa contract signing
  • Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay face-to-face

AEW Collision live results: Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Posted on by Suit Williams

Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly are set to face off on tonight’s live AEW Collision from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Both participated this week in a four-way to determine the next challenger for Will Ospreay’s AEW International Championship. Rey Fenix pinned Jay Lethal in the match, earning the shot against Ospreay this Wednesday. Cassidy and O’Reilly will battle to determine the winner between themselves.

FTR will look to get back to their winning ways as they face Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta. Making his return on this past Wednesday’s Dynamite after being out with an injury most of the year, Yuta (the ROH Pure Champion) scored the winning fall in an eight-man tag match, giving him some momentum.

Other bouts will see AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm take on Lady Frost in a non-title match, Dustin Rhodes against Johnny TV, Kris Statlander vs. Robyn Renegade, and Daniel Garcia against Tate Mayfairs.

Our live coverage kicks off at 8 PM Eastern.

**********

Sir Elton John welcomed us to Collision from Council Bluffs, Iowa, just outside of Omaha, Nebraska. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call as the entrances began for the opener.

FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) ended in a time-limit draw

(A rare time-limit draw to start the show, an interesting call with these teams. You figure that Yuta would take the fall as FTR was just in the PPV main event, but that wasn’t the case. I expect there to be grumbling about Elite stooge Cutler coming out after the match, but him taking the heat for denying the extension to the match is a smart way to avoid anyone in the match getting the heat for saying no. It also gave the crowd a pop to avoid ending that segment on a dour note. Pretty good opening to the show.)

If you squint, Harwood looks like Tomohiro Ishii in his new gear. After an opening exchange, Castagnoli hammered Harwood with an uppercut. The crowd gave support to both teams as Harwood starched Castagnoli with a chop. Castagnoli got the upper hand and tagged in Yuta, but a Wheeler distraction on a flying headscissors attempt gave FTR the upper hand.

After a short control segment, Yuta fought to his corner to tag in Castagnoli, who ran wild with uppercuts before getting a nearfall on Harwood with a big boot. Wheeler cut off a pair of Giant Swing attempts, but Castagnoli snatched him up in a Sharpshooter. Harwood caught Yuta in a Sharpshooter, and Castagnoli and Harwood traded slaps while holding submissions. They stood up and traded strikes before the match broke down into a Pier Six brawl as we went to commercial.

Castagnoli hit an avalanche gutwrench suplex on Harwood for a nearfall as we came back from the break. The two traded covers before Harwood dropped Castagnoli with a main event spinebuster. Harwood pulled Castagnoli up for the Powerplex, but Castagnoli got his knees up on Wheeler’s splash. Yuta went for a splash on Harwood but caught knees as well. As the match reset, FTR went for a Shatter Machine, but Yuta cut it off. That allowed Castagnoli to take Wheeler on the Giant Swing before Yuta cut him down with a dropkick for a nearfall.

Castagnoli went for a Neutralizer, but Wheeler fought out and caught him with a Shatter Machine for a nearfall broken up by Yuta. Wheeler locked on a Sharpshooter, but Castagnoli reversed it into a Sharpshooter of his own. Wheeler got to the ropes so Castagnoli hit Harwood with a Neutralizer. Wheeler hit Castagnoli with a piledriver for a nearfall before Bobby Cruise announced one minute remaining in the time limit. Castagnoli hit a superplex and a Neutralizer for a nearfall. Castagnoli locked on a crossface before transitioning into the Rings of Saturn, but the time limit expired.

Harwood grabbed the mic and demanded five more minutes, but Brandon Cutler came out on behalf of the Young Bucks. He said that the request was denied, as the contract specifically noted that the match had a 20-minute time limit. As he got in the ring to show them the contract, Castagnoli snatched him up in the Giant Swing, then vaulted him into a Shatter Machine. Castagnoli took the mic and said that while he wouldn’t shake their hands because of how cliché it is, they would finish their fight whenever and wherever FTR wanted.

Kyle O’Reilly was backstage with Lexy Nair. He was quickly interrupted by Roderick Strong & The Kingdom. Strong told O’Reilly that he had been good, but he was missing something. O’Reilly said that they’ve been down this road before and that he didn’t want their help, but Strong told O’Reilly to just remember what he told them when he returned from injury.

Kris Statlander (w/Stokely Hathaway) defeated Robyn Renegade

(An effective segment here for Statlander, with a clearly stated goal of winning the Owen Cup. Will Willow Nightingale take issue with that? Probably, they are feuding after all.)

Statlander had a new entrance, with a Hathaway voiceover noting that it was “Stat-urday Night.” Statlander won this match decisively with the Saturday Night Fever, doing a few push-ups after the match for emphasis.

Hathaway took the microphone and put over Statlander’s athleticism and intensity. Hathaway said that she would make history as the first woman to win both the TBS and Women’s World Championships. Hathaway announced that Statlander was the first entrant in the 2024 Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournament. Statlander would win the tournament and win the Women’s Title at Wembley Stadium because nobody could stop her.

After a commercial, Lexy Nair was waiting to get words from Willow Nightingale on the Kris Statlander situation. Nightingale announced her entry in the Owen Cup and hoped to see Statlander there. When asked why she was here tonight, Nightingale said she would keep an eye on the action.

Dustin Rhodes defeated Johnny TV (w/Taya Valkyrie)

Johnny had a good night last week against Claudio Castagnoli. He had a bad night tonight. Meanwhile, Dustin Rhodes did a great job of building up the Jack Perry match for Dynamite.

Rhodes spooked Taya on the floor before cannonballing into Johnny off the apron. Taya distracted Rhodes to give Johnny time to hit a corkscrew dive onto Rhodes. After a break, Rhodes fired up and hit the running bulldog and a powerslam for a nearfall. Johnny hit a neckbreaker for a nearfall, but Rhodes reversed an Alabama Slam into a Canadian Destroyer.

Rhodes hit the Shattered Dreams and the Cross Rhodes, but Taya put Johnny’s foot on the ropes. Rhodes confronted Taya and got her ejected from ringside, but that allowed Johnny to crotch Rhodeson the ropes – while kicking the wrong rope. Johnny went for Starship Pain, but Rhodes moved and hit a Shining Wizard. Rhodes hit the Final Cut for the win.

Rhodes took the mic and thanked the fans for sticking by him for over three decades. He thanked the production crew and Tony Khan for giving him the opportunity to speak here tonight. He then spoke on Jack Perry, a subject that pissed him off. They missed him when he left and were excited to see him back before he attacked Tony Khan.

He said that Perry was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had no clue what sacrifice meant. Sacrifice was getting fired from a job and taking two more jobs to make ends meet. Rhodes said that Perry was mediocre because he was a follower, not a leader. Quoting his father, when you are a follower, the view never changes. He announced that it would be Dustin Rhodes vs. Jack Perry on Dynamite, and that he would destroy Perry.

We got a video package highlighting the chiseled jaw and the technical ability of Zack Sabre Jr. In a voiceover, Sabre said he was coming to Forbidden Door to take care of some unfinished business from last year when he challenged for the International Championship. He challenged Orange Cassidy to a match for Forbidden Door.

The Premier Athletes (Tony Nese & Ari Daivari) (w/ Smart Mark Sterling) defeated Trent Jordy & Dante Leon

We got a recap of the Premier Athletes run-in with Hook & Samoa Joe on Dynamite. Dante Leon is a former GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion in Pro Wrestling NOAH, so this is technically a Forbidden Door entry. That didn’t help him here, as Nese pinned Jordy with Greetings From Asbury Park.

Scorpio Sky was backstage. He said that all of our heroes had fallen and that he would stand on the backs of those fallen heroes to become our champion.

Toni Storm (w/Luther & Mariah May) defeated Lady Frost

(The story here was Storm entering May into the Owen Cup, where the winner gets a shot at Storm’s title. If you did your homework and watched All About Eve, you would know that Storm may have just kissed her title goodbye.)

We got a recap of the run-ins Storm has had with her Forbidden Door opponent Mina Shirakawa this week, including the uneasy handshake forced by Mariah May on last night’s Rampage. Storm drilled Frost with a hip attack after a commercial, but Frost kicked out. Frost caught Storm with a cartwheeling Air Raid Crash. Storm cut off the Frostbite and hit a backstabber before scoring a nearfall with a Tree Slam. Storm countered another cartwheel into a Storm Zero for the win.

Storm took to the mic and sat with May on the apron. She noted how awkward the whole situation with Shirakawa must be for her, but Storm wants to give May all the opportunities that she deserves. She demanded that May get a spot in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Storm said that she would be there for her the whole way.

Top Flight & Shane Taylor Promotions were backstage with Lexy Nair. Next week, on the one-year anniversary of Collision, Dante Martin & Lee Moriarty will wrestle in a TNT Title Ladder Match qualifier. Martin noted that he was Moriarty’s first match in AEW, and the result would be the same. Moriarty said that the last time they wrestled, Moriarty won. Taylor called Top Flight glorified stuntmen, noting that Andretti was the only one of them with any heart.

Hook & Samoa Joe were backstage. I believe Katsuyori Shibata was behind the camera as I heard his Google Translator. They discussed lacrosse before jumping the Premier Athletes in their locker room.

Daniel Garcia defeated Tate Mayfairs

(Daniel Garcia has said over the past few weeks that he wants to challenge for the International Championship, specifically calling out Will Ospreay in the process. Fun fact: Dynamite and Collision will be in Garcia’s hometown of Buffalo, New York the week before Forbidden Door.)

Matt Menard was on commentary here, as always with Garcia matches. Mayfairs is a Progress Wrestling regular, with McGuinness noting that he watched him have a half-hour classic with Will Ospreay at Super Strong Style 16 last year. Mayfairs had the upper hand to start, but Garcia got his feet under him and got the win a lifting lungblower he calls the Red Cross.

We got a video package on Mercedes Mone’s opponent for Dynamite, Zeuxis. Excalibur explained that she made history in CMLL by winning the CMLL Women’s Tag Team Titles alongside Stephanie Vaquer, who will face Mone at Forbidden Door. Tony Khan explained on social media that if Mone loses the title to Zeuxis, the match at Forbidden Door between Mone & Vaquer will only be for the NJPW Strong Women’s Title.

We got a rundown of the card for Dynamite, with Jack Perry vs. Dustin Rhodes in a TNT Title Ladder match qualifier made official. We got a rundown of next week’s Collision, which is the show’s one-year anniversary. We will get a Christian Cage Father’s Day Celebration, the return of the House of Black, and Deonna Purrazzo vs. Thunder Rosa in a No-DQ match.

Orange Cassidy was backstage with Lexy Nair. He was frustrated that all his friends were gone and trying to hurt him, and now he’s got Zack Sabre Jr. knocking down his door for Forbidden Door. He left for the main event.

Orange Cassidy defeated Kyle O’Reilly

(This was an awesome match to main event this show. Cassidy proved that he could go toe-to-toe with a high-level technician ahead of his match with Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door. Meanwhile, O’Reilly’s story of being good, but not good enough continues. Cassidy’s lament in his promo about no one helping him out paid off here too, with O’Reilly and Willow making the save for him. A quality main event.)

The Undisputed Kingdom were in the crowd rooting O’Reilly on, as Schiavone noted that the Kingdom have jumped O’Reilly multiple times in the last few months. Cassidy escaped O’Reilly’s initial holds with his sloth-like movements. O’Reilly snatched up a double wristlock before Cassidy got to the ropes. The two got into a pinning predicament before O’Reilly locked on a grounded Octopus Stretch that forced Cassidy to the ropes.

After a commercial, the two traded and transitioned holds before Cassidy caught O’Reilly in a European Clutch for a nearfall. O’Reilly fought to keep Cassidy’s hands out of his pockets, but Cassidy succeeded in his endeavors there. O’Reilly chopped down Cassidy with kicks before working on Cassidy’s arm. O’Reilly ended up on the floor near the Kingdom, where Strong whispered something to him. O’Reilly then sent Cassidy into the barricade with a Dragon Screw. O’Reilly hit another Dragon Screw in the ring as we went to commercial.

After the commercial, Cassidy took repeated strikes before firing up and going after O’Reilly’s arm. The two traded German suplexes until they both collapsed. Both men traded low-impact kicks before turning up the violence. Cassidy went for the Stundog Millionaire, but O’Reilly caught the arm in an armbar attempt. Cassidy stuffed it by stuffing his hand in his pocket, then caught O’Reilly with a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall.

O’Reilly ducked a Penalty Kick and hit a big forearm, but Cassidy came back with a Penalty Kick. O’Reilly countered the Orange Punch, putting his hand in Cassidy’s pocket so he couldn’t counter the choke O’Reilly applied. Cassidy fought to his feet and hit the Beach Break for a nearfall. Orange went for the Orange Punch, but the leg gave way. Cassidy was able to hit a short-range Orange Punch, then caught a rebounding O’Reilly with a full-strength Orange Punch for the win.

After the match, Trent Beretta & Kyle Fletcher jumped Cassidy. O’Reilly came back to try to help Cassidy, but he got beat down too. Kris Statlander came out and shook hands with Beretta before going after Cassidy, but Willow Nightingale came out to a huge reaction to run her off.

Two new matches announced for AEW Collision

Posted on by Ethan Renner

AEW’s Tony Khan has announced two new matches for Saturday’s Collision episode.

After taking part in the International Championship number one contender’s four-way on this week’s Dynamite, Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly are set to square off in singles competition on Saturday’s AEW Collision episode. The match will mark the first one-on-one meeting between the two.

Also added to Saturday’s card, Women’s World Champion Toni Storm will face Lady Frost in a non-title match. Storm is set to defend her title against Mina Shirakawa at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view set for Sunday, June 30.

The two new matches join an FTR vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta tag bout in the lineup for the Saturday, June 8 Collision episode. The updated card:

AEW Collision, Saturday, June 8, 8 p.m. Eastern time on TNT —

  • Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O’Reilly
  • Toni Storm vs. Lady Frost
  • Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta vs. FTR’s Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler

AEW Collision live results: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle O’Reilly International title match

Posted on by Suit Williams

A match for the AEW International title is set for tonight’s AEW Collision in Palm Springs, California, as Will Ospreay defend the title against Kyle O’Reilly.

This comes only a few days after Ospreay won a Casino Gauntlet match to become the new number one contender for the AEW World Championship. He’s now set to face Swerve Strickland at Forbidden Door later this month.

Elsewhere on the card, NJPW’s Lio Rush returns to take on former International Champion Roderick Strong while Claudio Castagnoli will face Johnny TV while Katsuyori Shibata & Daniel Garcia will team up to take on The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry).

Other matches and segments will see Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty take on the West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Issacs) who appear regularly on NJPW Strong events, The Cage of Agony will be in trios action, Thunder Rosa will face AAA’s Reina Dorada, and FTR will speak following their loss at Double or Nothing.

**********

Sir Elton John kicks us off on this week’s Collision, as we are on the road to Forbidden Door. Would that be a walkway? We are live – to tape – from Palm Springs, California. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness are on the call, but Schiavone is in the ring to start the show.

Schiavone welcomed FTR to the ring, as we got highlights of Anarchy In The Arena. McGuinness made sure to note that Jack Perry pinned Bryan Danielson to win the match. Wheeler said that it was hard to accept their loss on Sunday, but the Elite hadn’t killed them off just yet. Harwood struggled having to see his partners get brutalized, but he would fight until his dying breath to defend AEW. He said that one day soon that Danielson, Allin, and FTR would be back to kick The Elite’s asses.

(A nice little promo to let everyone know that the war isn’t over yet.)

We cut to footage of Jack Perry after Double or Nothing. He said that blood, sweat, and tears were the bare minimum sacrifice needed to succeed. He got set on fire in the name of saving AEW. No one believed in the spirit of AEW more than he did, even when the company turned its back on him. He will keep fighting and sacrificing to shape the AEW’s future, through blood, sweat, and fire.

(Jack Perry has become a quality promo in his time away from AEW. It was the only hole in his game, and he’s proving weekly that he’s filled it.)

We got a recap of the TNT Title situation, with Adam Copeland having to vacate the title and the announcement of the ladder match at Forbidden Door. Konosuke Takeshita won the first qualifier match last night on Rampage over Penta El Zero Miedo.

Roderick Strong (w/Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) defeated Lio Rush

Pro wrestling is better when Lio Rush is doing it. Any time you get annoyed at his consistent absences, a match like this reminds you how capital-G Great Lio Rush is. Hopefully, he can find a consistent home on either side of the Forbidden Door. Meanwhile, the Undisputed Kingdom continues to putter on, even as their main rival MJF seems to have moved on from caring about them. I like all of the talent in the group, but there is no use in having this group exist anymore.

Strong quickly got a hold of Rush and stomped on him in the corner. Strong clubbered Rush around the ring, chopping him and focusing his offense on his midsection. Strong laid in some heavy running elbows before dropping Rush with a front slam. At ringside, Taven put on Rush’s puffy ring coat to big boos. Rush slid into the corner and picked up the pace, hitting a pair of suicidas to send Strong into the announce desk as we went to commercial.

Strong hit an Olympic Slam for a nearfall as he regained the advantage during the break. Taven laid in a boot to a floored Rush outside. Rush got back in the ring and evaded Strong long enough to hit a hurricane kick. Rush rolled through a kitchen sink knee for a roll-up nearfall, then hit a satellite DDT for another nearfall. After a Taven distraction, Rush hit Taven & Bennett with a springboard moonsault.

Strong came back with a baseball slide, but after a back-and-forth in the ring, Rush hit the Rush Hour stunner for a nearfall. Rush thwarted another distraction, but frog splashed into Strong’s knees. Strong transitioned directly into the End of Heartache to score the win.

We got a recap of Will Ospreay winning the excellent Casino Gauntlet Match from Dynamite to earn an AEW World Title match against Swerve Strickland at Forbidden Door.

We cut to Ospreay’s opponent and challenger for tonight, Kyle O’Reilly. He didn’t plan on having a great match tonight. Instead, he planned on beating Ospreay quickly and efficiently tonight. O’Reilly noted that in the first Casino Gauntlet Match, he kicked out of the Hidden Blade. Ospreay may have bigger fish to fry, but he’ll regret overlooking O’Reilly. O’Reilly said that he wasn’t leaving Palm Springs empty-handed.

Lexy Nair was backstage, looking to get a word with Roderick Strong. Strong blew past her to get to Tony Khan & Christopher Daniels. Strong noted that he was the next entrant in the Casino Gauntlet Match on Dynamite, but never got a chance to come out since Will Ospreay won the match. After complimenting Khan’s neck strength, Strong wanted a chance to win the World Title and get his revenge on Ospreay at Forbidden Door. Khan liked the idea, so he made the match official for Dynamite: Swerve Strickland vs. Roderick Strong for the AEW World Championship.

(I’m not a fan of Khan as an on-screen character. I am a fan of Strickland/Strong being booked for Dynamite. Strong being the next man in the gauntlet match and being mad that he never got to enter the match was a great bit.)

Daniel Garcia & Katsuyori Shibata defeated The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake)

This is the kind of match that makes me love Collision. The WorkHorsemen, a great team that never gets pushed, against two aligned babyfaces in Garcia and Shibata in a match that got some time to breathe and real energy from the crowd. As a long-time advocate for them, I’m so glad the WorkHorsemen were able to shine in a TV opportunity like this. I hope the reaction they got scored them more chances like this one. Meanwhile, Garcia scores a fall on his road to an International Title shot.

Matt Menard joined commentary for this one. We got a recap of Garcia’s interview from Wednesday, where he made his intentions clear for the International Championship. Henry mocked Shibata’s pose and lived to regret it, with both Shibata and Garcia laying into him with kicks. The Horsemen tried to isolate Garcia, but he fought his way free. The Horsemen tripped up Shibata, allowing Drake to hit a Shining Wizard on Shibata.

Drake rolled out of the ring and sat with the ringside doctor for a moment before getting back in the ring to tag in Henry. Henry hit Garcia with a pair of neckbreakers as we went to a commercial. After the break, the Horsemen clubbered on Garcia in their corner. Garcia fought through Drake’s chops to hit a Saito suplex and tag Shibata. Shibata ran wild on both Horsemen, hitting the hesitation dropkick on Henry. Shibata clubbered on Henry in the corner as Garcia danced to fire up before hitting running knees.

Drake snuck a tag in and hit a Magnum TA-style belly-to-belly. Henry hit running knees on Garcia before Drake hit a moonsault that brought Palm Springs alive. I’m shocked because he never actually hits that moonsault. Shibata broke up the cover, then helped Garcia isolate Drake. Shibata hit the Penalty Kick before Garcia got the win with his jackknife cover.

We got a recap of Kris Statlander & Stokely Hathaway turning on Willow Nightingale after her TBS Title loss at Double or Nothing. Hathaway & Statlander were in the back. They apologized to Nightingale with a gift, a bunch of garbage that reminded them of Nightingale. Statlander said that she would destroy anyone that got in her way, intimating that she would be in action next week.

Thunder Rosa defeated Reina Dorada

They noted that Dorada was a rising name in the independent scene in Mexico. Rosa hit a Dominator that Dorada kicked out of before scoring the win with the seated Cobra Clutch. Rosa had some words for Deonna Purrazzo, noting that their issues weren’t settled yet.

Cage Of Agony (Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage & Toa Liona) defeated Danny Gee, Danny Rose & KM

These poor dweebs got murdered by the former Mogul Embassy, getting the pin on Rose after just flinging him in the air by his limbs and letting gravity finish the job. I cannot emphasize how much of a demolition this was.

We got footage of Toni Storm, Mariah May, & Luther from Rampage. May told her opponent for Dynamite, Saraya, that she watched the movie on her life and wondered why they cut out her downfall. May said that they would have to make a sequel to it called S***storm, before Storm let everyone know that her Forbidden Door was wide open. Good to know.

Claudio Castagnoli defeated Johnny TV (w/Taya Valkyrie)

Johnny came out looking like late-career Randy Savage with the leather cowboy hat and duster. Castagnoli caught Johnny on a leapfrog with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Johnny tripped Castagnoli in the ropes before hitting a running knee to take control. Castagnoli reversed a neckbreaker into a backslide before hitting a double stomp to the guts. Castagnoli held Johnny up for a stalling vertical suplex before dropping him. Castagnoli went for the Giant Swing, but Johnny pulled Taya into the ring as a distraction. Johnny scored with a mule kick before hitting the Flying Chuck for a nearfall.

After a commercial break, Castagnoli reversed a hold into a vertical suplex. Johnny avoided another Swing with an inside cradle before hitting a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Johnny brought Castagnoli to the ropes to let Taya slap him, but the slap woke Castagnoli up. Castagnoli got in Taya’s face on the floor, allowing Johnny to hit a dive over the post.

Castagnoli cut off the Starship Pain and hit a reverse superplex before locking on the Sharpshooter. Johnny pulled Taya into the ring again, but Castagnoli caught the leg on a second mule kick attempt and hit the Giant Swing. Castagnoli hit a running lariat to score the win.

We got a hype package for the Premier Athletes – Josh Woods, Tony Nese, & Ariya Daivari – narrated by Smart Mark Sterling.

Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor) (w/ Anthony Ogogo) defeated The West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)

Due to a technical issue, I was unable to watch this match. I did see Ogogo knock out Isaacs after the match as Moriarty and Taylor stood tall.

The Iron Savages were in the back, noting that the trios division was full of vegans that didn’t want any of their beef. Thankfully, Killswitch entered the frame and killed these geeks.

AEW International Title Match – Will Ospreay defeated Kyle O’Reilly to retain

Another fantastic match from Will Ospreay. In other news, the sun rose in the east today. O’Reilly had another great title fight, adding to his stellar resume since returning from injury. He would be my pick to win the TNT Title ladder match at Forbidden Door, paying off how close he’s come in these title challenges. This was a stellar Collision main event.

Ospreay got the first win of the match so to speak, scoring with a headscissors and a plancha to the floor. After a commercial, O’Reilly cut off Ospreay’s handspring kick by kicking Ospreay’s arm out from under him. O’Reilly lasered in on Ospreay’s left arm as we got a look at Daniel Garcia & Matt Menard watching on in the back. Ospreay came back, hitting a springboard forearm with the bad arm for a nearfall.

Tony Schiavone noted on commentary that we would hear from Swerve Strickland tonight after the World Title match announcement for Dynamite. O’Reilly dropped Ospreay on the apron with an arm wringer before hitting a Dragon Screw through the ropes. Ospreay was tied up in the ropes, allowing O’Reilly to hit a flying knee off the ropes for a nearfall. Ospreay tried to catch O’Reilly with a sunset flip, but O’Reilly snatched on an armbar to force Ospreay into the ropes. O’Reilly forced Ospreay into a chair at ringside before hitting a running dropkick against the barricade as we went to another commercial.

After the break, Ospreay took O’Reilly’s guillotine attempt and turned it into a suplex before hitting a traditional Tiger Driver for a nearfall. O’Reilly cut off Ospreay on the ropes, avoided a 450 splash, and cut off an Oscutter, but lost a kick battle with Ospreay to put both men down. Ospreay went for another Oscutter, but O’Reilly caught him on the way down in an armbar.

O’Reilly transitioned between an armbar and a triangle choke, but Ospreay muscled O’Reilly up for a one-armed powerbomb. Ospreay hit a pair of head kicks, but O’Reilly countered the Stormbreaker with a leg-trap suplex for a nearfall. O’Reilly hit a Penalty Kick, but Ospreay rolled through to hit a desperation Hidden Blade. Ospreay went for another Hidden Blade, but O’Reilly drilled him with a knee to the chin.

The two men traded headbutts and forearms on the mat before O’Reilly dropped Ospreay with a rolling elbow. Ospreay countered a brainbuster with a Stundog Millionaire and a Hidden Blade, but O’Reilly kicked out of it again. Ospreay then hit the Stormbreaker for the win.

We got words from Swerve Strickland. He congratulated Will Ospreay on his wins at Double or Nothing and on Dynamite. Strickland felt bittersweet about Forbidden Door, noting that he was on the pre-show while Will Ospreay stole the show on the main card. Meanwhile, Ospreay hasn’t main evented an AEW PPV like Swerve had. It was like they complemented each other in that way. Strickland turned his attention to Roderick Strong, who thought a good win over Lio Rush entitled him to the champ’s time. Strong is no longer the bully who could take advantage of Swerve. Strickland would be the champion going into, and coming out of, Forbidden Door because it was Swerve’s House.