A new match featuring the return of Jay Lethal has been announced for ROH’s Supercard of Honor event.
Tony Khan announced tonight that Lethal will take on Lee Moriarity, with Matt Sydal in his corner.
“ROH Supercard of Honor. Next Friday April 1, Dallas Metroplex,” Khan wrote. “The Franchise of @ringofhonor returns as @TheLethalJay goes 1-on-1 vs @theleemoriarty, with his mentor + former ROH Tag Team Champion @MattSydal in his corner.”
Lethal left Ring of Honor when the company released all of their talent in October, signing with AEW the following month. He returned for ROH’s Final Battle event in December after the original main event of the show, Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham, fell through after Bandido pulled out of the show due to testing positive for COVID-19.
Here is the current lineup for Supercard of Honor, which takes place April 1, 2022 at the Curtis Cullwell Center in Dallas, Texas:
Jonathan Gresham vs. Bandido in a winner takes all match to determine the ROH World Heavyweight Champion
The Briscoe Brothers vs. FTR for the ROH World Tag Team titles
Sw3rve the Realest vs. Alex Zayne
Joe Hendry, Ninja Mack also announced for the show
Lee Moriarty will look for his second straight win and to start a new chapter as a singles wrestler on Tuesday’s AEW Dark.
Moriarty will face the former Asher Hale in NXT, Anthony Henry, in their first clash since 2019. Henry has appeared in a handful of Dark matches since being released by WWE.
The Gunn Club will look to continue their winning ways ahead of Friday’s challenge of Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express. Austin and Colten Gunn will take on Liam Gray and Adrian Alanis.
Tuesday’s show will also see Mercedes Martinez back in singles action days after she earned just the second DQ in AEW history when she hit Thunder Rosa with a pipe. She faces Dark regular Queen Aminata.
Here’s the full nine-match card, taped last Saturday at Universal Studios in Florida:
Lee Moriarty vs. Anthony Henry
Powerhouse Hobbs. vs. Gus De La Vega
Mercedes Martinez vs. Queen Aminata
Fuego Del Sol vs. Serpentino
Anna Jay vs. Kaci Lennox
Anthony Ogogo vs. Tony Vincita
Gunn Club (Colten and Austin) vs. Liam Gray and Adrian Alanis
It’s Monday and you know what that means: a seven-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Tony Schiavone, Mark Henry and Paul Wight were on the call.
Bobby Fish defeated Robert Anthony
Anthony used his speed to overwhelm Fish, but the latter’s striking balanced things out. Fish (2-0 this year) worked Anthony’s left leg throughout the match. He won after a combination of an exploder suplex into the ropes and a roundhouse kick.
Emi Sakura, The Bunny & Diamante defeated Heather Reckless, Queen Aminata & Skye Blue
Before the match started, Blue got one of the biggest pops of the show as she’s from Chicago. The heels tried to outsmart the babyfaces, but Aminata and Blue were able to fend them off. Bunny, Diamante and Sakura have had more experience as a trios unit which was a factor. One of the best spots was Sakura tying up both Skye and Reckless in a submission attempt. In the end, Bunny hit the Rabbit Hole on Reckless for the win.
Scorpio Sky (w/ Dan Lambert) defeated Stephen Wolf
This was Wolf’s AEW debut and basically a squash loss. Sky won after hitting the TKO to improve his overall record to 54-16. On commentary, Ethan Page talked about both his and Sky’s goal of winning the TNT title. Also, according to Page, the Men of the Year trim each other’s eyebrows.
Julia Hart defeated Arie Alexander
This was Alexander’s AEW debut. Since getting the black mist from Malakai Black, Hart has worked a more aggressive style and this match was the best example of that. She showcased her agility with a scorpion kick, winning after submitting Alexander with a leg scissors. She evened her record at 9-9 with the win.
Is Hart becoming more aggressive a sign that she’ll become the third member of the House of Black? We might find out soon when she takes her eyepatch off.
Dante Martin defeated Aaron Solo (w/ Nick Comoroto)
Solo is a very underrated guy and in this match, he made Martin look like a billion bucks every time he could. Comoroto, as always, intervened on Solo’s behalf, but Martin’s speed and agility were too much for both. He won with the always impressive Nosedive moonsault to improve his record to 39-19.
The Acclaimed & Gunn Club (w/ Billy Gunn) defeated Brock Anderson, Lee Johnson, Lee Moriarty & Matt Sydal
Max Caster and his opening rap made a reference to Chicago’s murder rate.
The heels tried to isolate Moriarty, but he was able to hold on his own despite the numbers game being against him. This was a good showcase for the Gunn Club and their act, especially when fans chant “ass boys.” This had a lot of things going for it and was the best match of the night. Austin Gunn won with a roll-up and the use of The Acclaimed’s boom box.
Best Friends (w/ Kris Statlander) defeated Chaos Project
Paul Wight mentioned on commentary that the reason Luther was missing these last few weeks was because he was in Egypt helping an archeological team regarding a mummy. He later said he was just messing around.
Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta started off strong to open things up, but Chaos Project and their gimmick of Luther using Serpentico as a weapon helped them turn things around. They isolated Beretta for a while and even did the Best Friends’ hug spot. Serpentico tried to slam Luther on Trent, but he failed miserably. Trent and Taylor (27-11) hit Strong Zero on Serpentico to pick up the win.
Final Thoughts:
For the third week in a row, Sydal and Moriarty were the MVPs of Elevation. Their matches are always the best on the show. Henry, Wight and Schiavone were really fun on commentary tonight, not on the same level of Taz and Excalibur on Dark, but fun in their own way.
This week’s AEW Dark matches were taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Anthony Agogo defeated Marcus Kross
Agogo cut a promo before the match citing his success during last summer, saying that he deserves to be facing top talent like Adam Cole and CM Punk.
Kross tried a headscissors early on, but Agogo caught it mid-air and tossed him back toward the ropes. Agogo took his time with Kross, throwing him around the ring in different ways before eventually finishing him off with his pop-up knockout punch and subsequent ref stoppage.
Penelope Ford defeated Angelica Risk
Risk delivered a elbow strike early on which prompted Ford to get nasty and start using underhand tactics. Ford dragged Risk’s face across the top rope and pulled her hair before centering her in the ring with a headlock. After struggling with a few comeback attempts, Ford eventually made Risk tap with a muta lock.
QT Marshall defeated Toa Liona
Marshall almost tasted defeat early on after taking some high powered offense from Liona. Marshall eventually took back control of the match after working Liona to the mat. Marshall began getting cocky which gave Liona the fuel to deliver a running shoulder tackle that resulted in a near fall. When Liona went to hit his next move, Marshall popped up out of nowhere with a diamond cutter for the win.
2point0 (w/ Daniel Garcia) defeated Kidd Bandit & Ish
Parker and Lee isolated Bandit early on with frequent tags and taking turns beating him down. When Ish was able to tag in, 2point0 did the same until he was able to tag back out to Bandit. Parker and Lee hit Two for the Show on Bandit shortly after the tag for the win.
Lance Archer defeated Jordan Costa
Archer quickly lifted up Costa for the Blackout, but Costa reversed it into a sleeper hold that lasted all of three seconds. Archer threw Costa around for a few more seconds before beating him with the EBD Claw for the pin.
Marina Shafir defeated Reka Tehaka
Shafir and Tehaka locked up a few times, but nothing came of it. Tehaka nailed her with a spinning back kick that resulted in a near fall. Shafir transitioned quickly into a few standing headlocks, but Tehaka fought out with a pair of headbutts. When Tehaka went for another spinning back kick, Shafir caught her leg and twisted it up to get the submission win.
The Factory (Nick Comoroto & Aaron Solo) defeated Dante Casanova & Cam Stewart
Solo dropped Stewart on his head with a back body drop before tagging out to Comoroto, who bulldozed Stewart with a clothesline. After some slow paced offense, Stewart got a tag but Casanova was met with the same fate, eating a backbreaker from Comoroto. Solo eventually came in and finished Stewart with a double foot stomp from the top rope.
Tony Nese defeated Zack Clayton
Nese targeted Clayton’s leg after wrapping it around the ring post early on. He was kept grounded by Nese’s consistent attacks which inflicted a lot of damage. Clayton did have a slight moment of hope where he delivered a suplex to Nese, but it wasn’t enough as he eventually fell victim to the running knee finisher in the corner.
Kiera Hogan defeated Mazzerati
Mazzerati charged Hogan in the corner with a forearm when the bell rang before transitioning to a chinlock. Hogan escaped the hold rather quickly, went to the second turnbuckle and hit a shotgun dropkick that sent Mazzerati flying across the ring. Hogan finished her with a roundhouse kick shortly after.
Dark Order (Alan Angels & 10) defeated Ariya Daivari & Invictus Khash
Angels and Daivari ran the ropes until Daivari ran into a lariat from Angels. 10 and Khash made their way into the ring shortly after and had a small exchange that resulted in Khash getting the upper hand. Daivari tagged back in and helped Khash isolate 10 using a few double team maneuvers.
Angels received the hot tag eventually, which lit a fire underneath both himself and 10. The Dark Order pair delivered a series of moves to both Daivari and Khash before 10 put Khash away with his signature full nelson submission.
After the match, The Factory beat down Angels & 10 after they refused to join their group.
Dante Martin & Matt Sydal defeated Bear Country
Sydal tried to scout a way to take down Bear Bronson, but was met with a shoulder tackle. Martin got a chance to square off with Bronson, but it didn’t end well for him either as he ate a powerslam. Bear Boulder came in soon after and delivered multiple backbreakers to Martin.
The crowd hyped up Boulder for a middle rope moonsault but he missed. Martin was able to make the tag, leading to Sydal coming in and delivering multiple kicks to the midsection of Bronson. Martin sprung up out of nowhere and hit the Nosedive on Bronson for the win.
Lee Moriarty defeated Joey Janela (w/ Kayla Rossi)
Moriarty slapped on a wristlock early, prompting Janela to break the hold with a rope break. Janela rolled to the outside in an attempt to lure Moriarty out which worked as Moriarty was planted with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on the outside.
Janela worked the back of Moriarty which included a fantastic diving uppercut to his back. Janela, being frustrated after not getting the win, told the referee that his knee was hurt. This allowed Rossi to hit the ring and deliver a top rope headscissors to Moriarty.
Moriarty tried to apply a octopus lock on Janela after recovering, but his back gave out. Thinking quickly, Moriarty quickly transitioned to a European clutch pinning maneuver which scored him the win.
Moriarty cut a post-match promo saying that he didn’t have time to be “The Future” of AEW. Rather, he has to be “The Now.” It was also made apparent that Moriarty will have a more focused attitude going forward.
Lee Moriarty will take on Joey Janela as one of the featured matches on Tuesday’s AEW Dark.
This will be Moriarty’s first AEW singles match this year as he has been focusing on tag team wrestling with Matt Sydal and Dante Martin as of late. Janela is coming off a loss to Eddie Kingston which snapped a three-match win streak.
Tuesday’s show also will see the aforementioned Martin and Sydal take on Bear Country as both teams try to pick up a win.
Lance Archer will continue his run of Dark and Dark: Elevation appearances as he faces Jordan Costa with his challenge of AEW World Champion Hangman Page looming in the distance.
Former WWE NXT wrestler Marina Shafir will look to win her second straight in AEW as she faces Dark regular Reka Tehaka.
Here’s the full 12-match card that was taped recently at Universal Studios in Florida:
2point0 vs. Ish & Kidd Bandit
Nick Comoroto & Aaron Solo vs. Cameron Stewart & Dante Casanova
Joey Janela vs. Lee Moriarty
Lance Archer vs. Jordan Costa
Dark Order’s Alan “5” Angels & 10 vs. Ariya Daivari & Invictus Khash
It’s Monday and you know what that means: a seven-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, with Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight and Mark Henry on the call.
Lance Archer (w/ Jake Roberts) defeated Chase Oliver
This was Oliver’s debut and it started with Archer dragging him to the ring. Archer (44-9) destroyed Oliver from beginning to end, beating him with the Blackout in a squash. This was another win for him ahead of his World title Texas Death Match with Hangman Page.
After the match, Archer cut a promo about coming back and wanting the World title and Hangman Page. Archer ended his promo with his iconic “Everybody dies” catchphrase.
Brandi Rhodes (w/ Arn Anderson) defeated KiLynn King
This was a homecoming match for Dark and Dark: Elevation regular King. She had the height advantage and used it to her advantage at the onset. Rhodes asked Anderson for advice on how to deal with King, but that didn’t work at all. Rhodes eventually targeted King’s legs to slow her down and change the flow of the match. Rhodes won with the Stretch Mark submission, upping her career record to 15-3.
Jay Lethal defeated Casey Carrington
This was the AEW debut for Carrington. Lethal started with a suicide dive, followed by the Ric Flair strut. Lethal dominated as Carrington was outmatched at every opportunity. A Macho Man elbow and the Lethal Injection got him his fourth AEW win of the year. He moves on to face FTW Champion Ricky Starks this Friday on Rampage.
Anna Jay defeated Nikki Victory
This was Victory’s AEW debut. Jay (24-11) won this short match by submission with the Queenslayer.
Dante Martin, Lee Moriarty & Matt Sydal defeated Aaron Solo, Nick Comoroto & QT Marshall (w/ Anthony Ogogo)
The Factory began by hitting Sydal, Moriarty and Martin from behind before the bell rang while their backs were to them. Sydal’s speed eventually forced Solo to tag Comoroto which once again changed the flow in favor of The Factory. Comoroto also showcased his strength by lifting Martin only using one arm.
Ogogo interfered in favor of The Factory until the ref kicked him out. The Factory then isolated Sydal from Moriarty and Martin and took turns beating him up. Sydal used an impressive tijeras to finally escape and tag Martin who cleaned house.
The Factory used a triple combo to almost win the match, but Martin was able to kick out and the crowd went nuts. Martin hit the Nosedive on Solo to pick up the win.
This marked the debuts for Navarro and Meyers while this was Soho and Rosa’s second straight outing as a team and that experience working together helped them dominate here. Meyers took both a Future Kick and a fire thunder driver as Rosa and Soho won the match.
After the match, Mercedes Martinez came out to stare down Rosa ahead of their Rampage match this Friday.
Penta El Zero Miedo (w/ Alex Abrahantes) defeated Serpentico
Penta got the best reaction of the episode as the crowd went bonkers when he came out. On a side note, when Penta did his first “zero miedo,” he cursed in Spanish so fans that speak Spanish will really pop for that. Serpentico also talked in Spanish and said “maldita sea” meaning “damn it.”
This match was a great showcase for the argument that Penta (and Fenix as well) could be great players in AEW as singles stars. Penta picked up the win after hitting the Fear Factor won the match, increasing his overall record to 58-28.
Final Thoughts:
This was an enjoyable episode of Elevation. The best match of the night was Moriarty, Sydal and Martin vs. The Factory, but Serpentico vs. Penta was also fun and another match to check out.
It’s Monday and you know what that means: an eight-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC. Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight and Mark Henry were on the call.
Leyla Hirsch defeated Brittany Blake
This was Blake’s debut. Hirsch (28-12) was rolling early, but Blake turned things around and had control until Hirsch countered a crossbody into a knee strike to end things.
Private Party (w/ Matt Hardy) defeated Action Andretti & Myles Hawkins
Private Party (27-17) isolated Hawkins and were on top until Andretti got a hot tag that was ended quickly. Marq Quen hit a shooting star press on Andretti to pick up the win.
For those interested, the commentary team once again explained Andrade’s 51% purchase of HFO, the faction name changing into AHFO and Matt Hardy remaining as CEO of the group. So, there you go.
Brandi Rhodes defeated Willow Nightingale
This was a good showcase for Nightingale who won the hearts of the crowd really quickly. Even still, Rhodes (14-3) won with a modified crossface.
Men of The Year (w/ Dan Lambert) defeated Logan Easton LaRoux & Mike Fowler
Scorpio Sky hit the TKO on LaRoux to win this squash. After the match, Lambert ordered Page to deliver Ego’s Edge to Fowler.
Red Velvet defeated Janai Kai
Kai’s gear paid homage to Bruce Lee’s iconic yellow/black jumpsuit from the movie Game of Death. Kai had a great showing, showcasing her Muay Thai-inspired kicks. Velvet (43-20) turned the tide with knee strikes and ended things with her new finisher (Just Desserts) for the win.
Ortiz & Santana defeated Breaux Keller & Goldy
This was the AEW debuts for both Keller and Goldy. They got in more offense than expected, but their advantage ended after Ortiz hit several clotheslines on Keller. Santana hit a devastating lariat on Keller to end the match and improve their record to 31-10. This was an important win ahead of their trios match with Chris Jericho against 2point0 and Daniel Garcia on Wednesday.
Ruby Soho & Thunder Rosa defeated Jordan Blade & Leva Bates
This was the AEW debut for Blade. Rosa won with the Peruvian necktie on Blade in a match that definitely took place.
Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs and FTW Champion Ricky Starks) defeated Lee Moriarty & Matt Sydal
Team Taz started out dominating thanks to Hobbs’ power. Starks and Hobbs isolated Moriarty for a while. Sydal got the hot tag and was able to turn things around, especially with his knee strikes and kicks. Sydal and Moriarty targeted Hobbs’ legs to slow him down, but it was not enough. Starks hit an assisted spear on Moriarty to pick up the win.
After the match, Starks cut a promo calling out Dante Martin. Martin came out and tried to clean house, but the numbers game was against him until Sydal and Moriarty evened the odds.
Final Thoughts:
Most matches served their goal of helping improve records for the AEW contracted stars. Both Kai and Nightingale had good showings and should definitely return for more matches. The main event between Team Taz vs. Sydal & Moriarty was the match of the night and worth giving it a watch.
Two AEW wrestlers are set to face off at the debut show for Jonathan Gresham and Baron Black’s Terminus promotion.
It was announced today that Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty will take place at Terminus’ debut show in Atlanta on Sunday, January 16. It will be the first-ever singles match between Lethal and Moriarty.
Terminus’ first show is taking place at Atlanta’s Kroc Center. “Modern Age Grappling” is the theme of the promotion.
It’s also been announced that Impact Wrestling Digital Media Champion Jordynne Grace will defend her title against Kiera Hogan at Terminus’ debut event. Here’s the updated card for the show:
Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty
Impact Digital Media Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Kiera Hogan
Moose vs. Alex Coughlin
Liiza Hall vs. Janai Kai
Gresham, Black, Daniel Garcia, Bandido, Dante Caballero, Fred Yehi, Joe Keys, JDX, Adam Priest, Tracy Williams, and Invictus Khash have also been announced for the show.
Lee Moriarty has been announced as the ninth entrant in the PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2022.
PWG made the announcement on Twitter this evening. Moriarty joins PWG World Champion Bandido, JONAH, Alex Shelley, Kevin Blackwood, AEW’s Lio Rush, AEW’s Daniel Garcia, Black Taurus and Jack Cartwheel in the tournament lineup. Battle of Los Angeles will take place on Saturday, January 29 and Sunday, January 30 at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
Moriarty accepted a contract offer from AEW at the Dark: Elevation taping in Cincinnati on September 8. The company officially announced the full-time deal on October 15. Moriarty faced CM Punk on the December 1 Dynamite, then competed in the Dynamite Diamond Ring Battle Royale on December 8.
A former IWTV Independent Wrestling World Champion. He last appeared for PWG in November at It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll), defeating Blackwood on that show.
A new match has been added to this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite as CM Punk will take on Lee Moriarty for the first time ever.
The undefeated Punk was also in action on last week’s show, defeating QT Marshall after engaging in a long promo exchange with MJF.
Moriarty was offered an AEW deal following a Dark: Elevation match against Daniel Garcia in September. The promotion then officially announced that he had signed a full-time contract on October 15.
In other matches already set for Dynamite, Cody Rhodes will take on Andrade El Idolo in an Atlanta street fight while the TBS Championship tournament continues as Kris Statlander faces Ruby Soho in the remaining quarterfinal.
World title number one contender Bryan Danielson will take on Dark Order’s Alan Angels, and Sting will also be in action on the show, teaming with Darby Allin against Billy Gunn and Colten Gunn.
Here is the announced card for Duluth, Georgia:
CM Punk vs. Lee Moriarty
TBS Championship tournament quarterfinals: Ruby Soho vs. Kris Statlander
Atlanta Street Fight: Cody Rhodes vs. Andrade El Idolo
It’s Tuesday and you know what that means. These matches were taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. After the last two weeks of Dark tapings that took place before hot crowds for live Rampage episodes, being back in the studio is kind of depressing.
Dark Order’s Alex Reynolds and John Silver (w/ -1) defeated Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo (5:12)
Sliver thwarted a double suplex attempt, but wound up on the receiving end of a double thrust kick. Silver caught Dean with a standing sliced bread and got the tag to Reynolds who took out both guys. Reynolds used a cravat neckbreaker for a near fall. Silver and Reynolds caught Dean with a rapid series of moves that ended with Reynolds getting the jackknife cover for the victory.
Riho defeated Karma Dean (3:21)
For some reason, the fans were really into booing Dean. Riho tripped her up against the ropes and hit the tiger feint kick, followed by a northern lights suplex and bridge for a near fall. Riho hit the diving foot stomp for the pin.
2point0 and Daniel Garcia defeated Gabriel Hodder, Adrien Soriano and Matthew Omen (1:55)
The double team Hot Shot took out Soriano, and Garcia finished the job with a sit-out scorpion deathlock. After the match, Tony Schiavone interviewed the winners. Matt Lee challenged a bunch of wrestlers they have no chance of beating right now like CM Punk and Eddie Kingston.
Kiera Hogan defeated Notorious Mimi (2:13)
Hogan hit a leg drop on Mimi and that popped Taz (“Hogan with a leg drop?”). Hogan finished her with a roundhouse kick.
Bear Country defeated Chad Lennex and Caine Carter (1:58)
Bear Boulder pressed Lennex over his head and dropped him. Bear Bronson hit an inverted tombstone with Craton onto Lennex. Bronson bodyslammed both guys at once and Bear Country combined for the big splash out of the electric chair drop (please, call it the Bear Country Jamboree) to get the win in a very fun squash.
Later, Lexi Nair interviewed the winners. Bear Boulder said it wasn’t enough for us to see Bear Country, we need to smell them and taste them, too. (Um, no thank you?) This was a pretty good promo and I want to see more of these guys. Just, maybe, not smell them.
Anthony Greene defeated Jameson Ryan (1:50)
Ryan does not look like he misses any days at the gym and spent a lot of the opening posing. This wasn’t much of a match though as Greene got the win with a crucifix driver. After the match, Schiavone interviewed Greene and let him know that he has a match on Dark next week against Adam Cole.
Speaking of not missing days at the gym, Janela looked to be in a lot better shape here which the commentators attributed to his relationship with Rossi.
Clayton got the advantage with a pair of dropkicks which brought Rossi up on the apron to distract Clayton. Clayton hit a delayed vertical suplex, but Rossi grabbed Clayton’s foot when he ran the ropes. This distraction allowed Janela to recover and come back with a charging forearm in the corner. He teased going coast-to-coast, but dropped down and choked Clayton instead.
After a thumb to the eye and a back suplex from Janela, Clayton came back with a powerslam and charging uppercuts in the corner. Janela came back with a superkick for a near fall. Janela dropped to the floor to grab the ring belt, which distracted referee Rick Knox. Behind the ref’s back, Rossi hit a standing moonsault on Clayton. Janela then came off the top with an elbow to get the pinfall.
Pencil led the crowd in a sing-a-long while Sakura got Rossi in a Rito Romero special. Rossi threw awkward punches. Her stance reminded me of that video of the WWE interviewer doing the crab walk to make sure he looked shorter than the talent. Rossi went for an inverted DDT, but Sakura countered with an eye rake. There was more singing from Sakura which meant singing from Taz, which meant bleeding in my ears. Sakura hit a spinning Vader bomb and the Queen’s Gambit (a double underhook into a backbreaker) for the pinfall.
Matt Hardy (w/ Jora Johl) defeated Brick Aldridge (5:39)
Hardy cut a promo on Aldridge before the match about his name. Hardy dumped him to the floor and Johl threw Aldridge into the ring post. Hardy hit a swinging neckbreaker and screamed “Say my name with reverence!” As far as catchphrases, I have heard worse. Aldridge hit a top rope headbutt on Hardy for a near fall. Aldridge fought out of a Side Effect and hit a shoulderbreaker. Aldridge missed a quebrada and then Hardy hit a Side Effect and the Twist of Fate for the victory. Aldridge looked okay here.
The Acclaimed defeated Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson (w/ Arn Anderson) (8:43)
Max Caster rapped about Johnson’s out-of-date hair and Anderson’s probably out-of-date lady friends. This was kind of a disappointment.
Johnson hit Anthony Bowens with a fantastic dropkick. Caster caught Anderson on the floor and drove him into the ring apron, injuring his back. Back in the ring, Bowens attacked the back with forearms and a back suplex for a near fall. Caster distracted the ref, so Bowens could choke Anderson from the outside. Caster hit a side backbreaker to keep working on Anderson’s back.
Caster distracted the ref to keep him from seeing Anderson get the tag to Johnson which allowed The Acclaimed to keep the heat on Anderson. Anderson hit the DDT on Bowens and caught Caster with a spinebuster, getting the tag to Johnson. Johnson his a flying neckbreaker on Bowens and an enziguri on Caster. Johnson hit a frog splash on Caster for a near fall, but Bowens broke up the pinfall.
Bowens passed the chain to Caster and distracted the ref with Johnson. Caster dropped Anderson with a gut punch with the chain to get the pinfall. This was an okay match, but I like the dynamic of the Johnson/Anderson team.
Wardlow defeated Rolando Perez (1:50)
Perez looks smaller than Marko Stunt. Predictably, he got killed. Four power bombs and a GTS from a press slam position and it was over. Wardlow hit a pair of F10s after the pinfall for good measure.
Lee Moriarty defeated Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo) (9:30)
These two did a good job with the big man vs. little man formula. The story of the match was Moriarty trying to stay evasive and avoid Comoroto’s power while he targeted Comoroto’s left arm. Comoroto caught Moriarty with a backbreaker for a near fall and dumped him to the floor so Solo could take some cheap shots. Moriarty tried to grab an arm ringer and one forearm from Comoroto put him down. Moriarty kept trying to work on Comoroto’s arm, but Comoroto kept overpowering him.
Comoroto got a near fall after a vertical suplex. Moriarty tried a chop and Comoroto sent him face first into the middle ropes. Moriarty countered another suplex attempt with a knee to the head and staggered Comoroto with clotheslines. A flying uppercut sent Comoroto to the floor and Moriarty followed up with an attack on the arm. Moriarty stretched Comoroto’s arm against the ring post and then back in the ring, he hit a spinning shoulderbreaker takedown. Moriarty went for the kimura lock, but Comoroto powered out and into a powerslam for a near fall.
The crowd was now behind Moriarty, chanting “Let’s go Lee!” Moriarty did more damage to the arm, but Comoroto caught him and tried to press him out of the corner. But, Moriarty went back to the armbar and while Comoroto was trying to defend, Moriarty rolled him up for the upset pinfall win in a good match.
Schiavone interviewed Moriarty after the match which was a good promo to end the show.
Final Thoughts:
Moriarty looked great here. The rest was standard Dark squashes that felt like they were trying to burn through the rest of the taping cycle from October.
AEW head Tony Khan announced the news on Twitter Tuesday following a report by Fightful that, along with Lee Moriarty, the indie standout had already signed a deal at some point.
On Twitter, Khan said that Garcia [sic] “came into AEW with a great reputation built through his hard work on the indies, & he’s continued to work hard here in AEW + he’s shown no fear, never backing down from anyone, even the best in the world. Thank you & welcome to the team Daniel Garcia!”
Garcia tweeted, “I told myself that I didn’t want to sign somewhere just to say I got a contract. I wanted to go somewhere that would help me become the best wrestler in the world. I know AEW is where I can become that. I plan on being a major player in this company for a very long time.”
Garcia has been one of the indies’ busiest talents this year, working all over the country against top talents like Minoru Suzuki, Christopher Daniels, Davey Richards, Alex Shelley, Jay White, Josh Alexander, Tom Lawlor, JD Drake, Moriarty and others.
The 23-year-old debuted on a September 2020 edition of AEW Dark, teaming with Buffalo, NY, teammate Kevin Blackwood in a losing effort to Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss. That was followed by another tag team loss to fellow Buffalo brethren The Butcher & The Blade.
Garcia returned in May 2021 with occasional appearances on Dark and Dark: Elevation before making his Dynamite debut in August 2021, teaming with 2point0 in a losing effort to Jon Moxley, Darby Allin and Eddie Kingston.
As his AEW career has evolved, he has remained aligned with 2point0 and has seen singles action against CM Punk, Moxley and Allin.
Fightful also added that the deal Moriarty was offered in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a full-time deal and he was given the option to sign the deal at that point. No reason was given why there was a six-week delay in the formal #AllElite announcement.
It’s assumed both will given the opportunity to fulfill any remaining independent dates.
More than a month after accepting a contract offer after a Dark: Elevation match, Lee Moriarty is now under a full-time AEW deal, announced by the promotion Friday night on social media.
Moriarty took a loss to Bobby Fish in the Rampage Buy In pre-show and has yet to pick up a win in five AEW outings (four singles matches, one tag team match).
During the September 8th AEW Dynamite/Elevation taping in Cincinnati, Ohio, Moriarty was defeated by Daniel Garcia but after the match, Tony Khan came out and offered him a contract. It’s unclear what type of contract it was at the time and what changed between then and now, but on Friday’s Busted Open Radio, Khan spoke highly of Moriarty and referenced him being under a developmental deal.
A pro since 2015, Moriarty has been in on the indie scene as well as for promotions like Ring of Honor and Major League Wrestling which have both used him this year.
PWG has announced changes to their upcoming Threemendous VI event.
The company announced tonight on Twitter that due to Jake Atlas stepping away from pro wrestling, Lee Moriarty will now be teaming with Trey Miguel and Myron Reed to take on Jack Cartwheel, Dante Martin, and Alex Zayne in a six-man tag match.
Moriarty was originally set to face JD Drake and AJ Gray in a three-way match. With Moriarty moving into Atlas’ spot, the three-way has now become a singles match between Drake and Gray.
Threemendous VI is set to take place September 26 at the Globe Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The new, updated card is as follows:
Bandido vs. Davey Richards for the PWG World title
Black Taurus and Demonic Flamita vs. Malakai Black and Brody King
Jonathan Gresham vs. Alex Shelley
Jack Cartwheel, Dante Martin, and Alex Zayne vs. Lee Moriarty, Trey Miguel, and Myron Reed
JD Drake vs. AJ Gray
Aramis and Rey Horus vs. Dragon Lee and Laredo Kid
MLW has revealed a new first-round matchup for this year’s Opera Cup tournament.
Bobby Fish will face Lee Moriarty in the opening round of the Opera Cup at MLW’s Fightland tapings at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday, October 2. The match will be Fish’s MLW debut.
Fish was released by WWE during a round of NXT roster cuts this August.
Moriarty’s MLW debut took place at July’s Battle Riot tapings. Earlier this month, Moriarty accepted a contract offer from AEW during a taping for AEW Dark: Elevation.
The opening round and semifinals of the Opera Cup will be held at the Fightland tapings. The finals will take place at MLW’s tapings at the 2300 Arena on Saturday, November 6.
Tom Lawlor vs. Davey Richards is also set for the first round of the Opera Cup. Alex Shelley, TJP, Calvin Tankman, and Matt Cross are the other wrestlers who will be taking part in the eight-man tournament.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lawlor were the winners of MLW’s first two Opera Cup tournaments.
Here’s the updated lineup for the Fightland tapings:
Title vs. title match: MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu vs. National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone
MLW Middleweight Champion Myron Reed defends against Tajiri, Aramis, and Arez in a four-way match
Nicole Savoy vs. Holidead
2021 Opera Cup tournament first round and semifinals
Fatu vs. Hammerstone and the four-way Middleweight title match will air on Vice TV as part of a one-hour Fightland special on Thursday, October 7.
