Tag: Malakai Black

AEW Dynamite live results: Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black III

Posted on by Parker Klyn

Cody Rhodes and Malakai Black will square off for the third time in an AEW ring on tonight’s special Saturday episode of Dynamite. 

Black defeated Rhodes at Dynamite Homecoming in August, then beat him again at Dynamite Grand Slam in September. 

The AEW World title eliminator tournament continues with a pair of first round matches. Bryan Danielson will be in action against Dustin Rhodes in a tournament bout. Lance Archer will take on Eddie Kingston in the other first round matchup tonight. The tournament will culminate at November’s Full Gear show, with the winner receiving an AEW World Championship match.

The TBS Championship tournament will begin with a first round battle between Ruby Soho and Penelope Ford. Ford attacked Soho with a set of brass knuckles on Rampage last week to set up the bout. 

Bobby Fish will take on Anthony Greene. Dan Lambert will also reveal American Top Team’s stipulations for accepting a challenge from The Inner Circle for a five-on-five match. 

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time. 

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Show Report —

Bryan Danielson defeated Dustin Rhodes in the first round of the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament

This was great!

A deathlock and then a bow-and-arrow stretch allowed Danielson to attack Dustin’s legs early on. Dustin hit the drop-down right hand but was met with a tope suicida in return. Dustin popped up and landed a flipping senton off the apron for two. Danielson cut off Dustin’s attack by targeting his legs once more. Dustin used his power advantage to regain control with a German suplex.

Danielson turned his attention to Dustin’s arm with a key lock attempt. He pinned Dustin’s hand to the mat and stomped on the exposed elbow. They fought on the top rope, where Dustin hit a superplex. They then traded right hands until Danielson ran the ropes and was cut off with the snap powerslam. The Curtain Call followed for a near fall.

Dustin landed ten punches in the corner, flipping Danielson off in the process. Danielson countered the running bulldog and stiffed Dustin with a corner dropkick before laying in hard strikes. Dustin fought out with a flying clothesline for two, but Danielson transitioned out of the cover into a LeBell Lock attempt. Dustin got his foot on the rope before it could be locked on.

Danielson laid in the Yes kicks, but Dustin fired up and they traded strikes once more. Danielson countered the drop-down right hand into a backslide for a near fall, then dropped him with an enziguiri. He laid in repeated curb stomps and looked for the Busaiku knee, but Dustin surprised him with a lariat and a straight piledriver for a good near fall.

After another exchange, Danielson flew in for the jumping guillotine. After forcing on a body scissors, Dustin collapsed and the referee stopped the match.

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The Elite were backstage. Next week, they will face the Dark Order. Omega addressed Hangman Page, saying he was always championship material, but Page was just cosplaying as a cowboy. Omega knows Page’s insecurities: he’s afraid of failure. If the people knew Page the way Omega knows him, they’d be chanting “coward sh*t” instead of “cowboy sh*t.” 

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FTR and Tully Blanchard cut a promo on the Lucha Bros. They need the AEW World Tag Team Championships to cement their legacy as the top tag team of all time. They’ve been waiting for a year for their next opportunity. Penta responded, then Alex Abrahantes said “revenge is coming.” 

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Sting/MJF promo segment

This was also excellent. MJF is one of the only examples of legitimately entertaining “heat” in professional wrestling in 2021.

Sting was brought out by Tony Schiavone and asked about Darby Allin’s condition. Before he could speak, MJF’s music played and he interrupted. He said he wasn’t here to embarrass the Icon; he wants a gentleman’s chat. The truth is that Allin’s not coming back. He was drowned out by a “shut the f*ck up!” chant. 

MJF said that he’s trying to fool the fans with his face paint and attitude, but they’re easy to fool because they’re fat and products of incest. He said that Allin’s currently in the same spot as Sting’s old friend Lex Luger: in a wheelchair. Sting decked him, but the Pinnacle ran out. While Sting was able to fight them off for a moment, Spears and Wardlow overwhelmed Sting as the former laid in chair shots. 

We got a loud “Darby” chant, then an “asshole” chant. MJF addressed Allin and asked if they had broken him mentally. He demanded that Allin look at the incapacitated Sting. The fans can chant Allin’s name all they want, but he will always be second best compared to MJF. “I am the past, the present, and the future of professional wrestling.” MJF decked Sting with the Dynamite diamond ring to close the segment.

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Britt Baker was backstage. She addressed Tay Conti, who was confirmed as Baker’s Full Gear opponent for the women’s title. She said all Conti’s done since coming to AEW was show her ass, and she’d beat it at Full Gear.

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Ruby Soho defeated Penelope Ford in the TBS Championship tournament

Ford attacked before the bell. She dominated for a moment before Soho cut her off with kicks for two. Bunny skipped down to the ring to watch and took a swipe at Soho, allowing Ford to take her down ahead of the break. Once back, Soho landed a big backdrop suplex to start her comeback.

Soho countered Ford’s back-bend and they kind of got lost until Ford hit a cutter out of nowhere for two. Soho cut Ford off with a leg sweep, but Ford hit a back heel kick and a double-knee gutbuster for a near fall. Ford got a hold of the brass knuckles, but the official saw it and tossed them as Soho rolled Ford up for the win.

– After the match, Bunny and Ford cornered Soho, but Red Velvet ran out and they chased the heels out of the ring. 

Soho will face Kris Statlander next in the tournament.

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MJF was backstage with Spears. Wardlow walked up and confronted MJF about leaving him in the ring last week. MJF complimented Wardlow on his hard work, but said he needs an “accountabili-buddy,” who is Spears.

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Bobby Fish defeated Anthony Greene

Fish decked Greene right away, but Greene came back with a rope-walk crossbody. Fish landed kicks and a slingshot senton for two. Fish landed more impactful offense, administered the last rites, and landed a hard buzzsaw kick for the quick win.

– After the match, Fish continued to beat down Greene. He laid in ground and pound. CM Punk ran out to make the save.

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Dante Martin and Lio Rush were backstage. Rush is trying to take Dante to the highest heights possible. He has already set up their first match as a tag team — they will take on the Sydals next week on Rampage.

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Eddie Kingston defeated Lance Archer in the first round of the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament

Archer got knocked silly after landing on his head on a moonsault attempt, forcing this one to end early.

Kingston attacked during Archer’s entrance. They brawled at ringside, where Archer body-slammed a planted fan onto Kingston before chokeslamming him. They finally made it into the ring to kick off the match, and Archer continued to dominate until Kingston fought out of a Blackout attempt and locked on a dragon sleeper. Archer leveled Kingston with a lariat ahead of the commercial.

Archer continued to dominate until Kingston avoided a moonsault. Archer landed on his head on the moonsault attempt. Former WWE talent Tony Nese was shown in the crowd. Kingston rolled Archer up for three. 

– Kingston will face Bryan Danielson in the next round of the tournament this Friday.

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Dan Lambert, Men of the Year, and Sammy Guevara promo

Dan Lambert and the Men of the Year were in the ring. Page said “the Inner Circle sucks.” He ran down each member, comparing them to themselves. He and Sky are the future of this company, not the “PR nightmare” Sammy Guevara. 

Guevara came out and had had enough. “Will you please shut the hell up?” He worked hard to become TNT champion. The only person who cares about what Page has done since coming here is Page. Guevara called Lambert a “fat-faced dipsh*t,” and the fans obliged with a chant. 

Lambert said he was proud of Guevara for killing it on the mic. Maybe that will put to bed all the backstage rumors about him being a bad talker. At Full Gear, they will have the ten-man tag match — if and only if Guevara puts the TNT championship on the line against Page. If Guevara loses, he has to lose the Inner Circle forever. Guevara accepted, on the condition that if he wins, the Inner Circle gets to chose the members of America’s Top Team to face.

Sky and Page walked up the ramp to fight, but the Inner Circle (sans Jericho) ran out to chase the Men of the Year away.

**********

Jon Moxley was backstage. He’s supposed to be yelling and screaming about the tournament, but he’s thinking about his daughter. When he’s with his daughter, he realizes he doesn’t care about any of this — the ratings, the championships, anything. What he cares about is getting home in one piece. For that to happen, other people have to get hurt. This is what Moxley does. His message to everybody else in this tournament: “I’ll get you before you get me.”

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The Dark Order was backstage. They said a single loss wouldn’t stop them. Hangman Page walked up and apologized for everything that happened after he left.

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Jungle Boy defeated Brandon Cutler

Jungle Boy immediately sent Cutler to the floor and landed a wild tope. Cutler wanted Panama Sunrise, but Jungle Boy countered. Cutler landed a slap and was met with slaps from Jungle Boy before being powerbombed. The Snare Trap made it elementary from there.

– After the match, Jungle Boy called that match a warmup. He’s still feeling good, and he’s ready to go again. He invited anyone from the Elite to come out here and fight. Nobody came, so Jungle Boy locked Cutler in the Snare Trap.

Adam Cole came out and called Jungle Boy an embarrassment. He suggested that he and Jungle Boy fight right here and right now. Jungle Boy decked Cole but was blindsided by superkicks from the Young Bucks. They then hit the BTE Trigger on the ramp before letting Cole hit the knee to the back of the head. Finally, they mocked the SuperKliq kiss and tossed him off the stage through a ringside table.

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Dynamite lineup for Wednesday 10/26:

  • The Elite vs. Dark Order
  • TNT Championship: Sammy Guevara (c) vs. Ethan Page
  • TBS Championship tournament: Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb
  • CM Punk vs. Bobby Fish

Rampage lineup for Friday 10/28

  • AEW World Championship eliminator tournament: Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston
  • Lio Rush & Dante Martin vs. Sydal Bros

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Miro is continuing to lose his faith. God’s forsaken champion will become God’s favorite again, because he will leave no choice. 

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Cody Rhodes (w/ Arn Anderson) defeated Malakai Black

This was wild and supremely entertaining.

They briefly exchanged holds before moving into strikes. Black went for a quick knee bar. Cody stood up and stomped his way out of it. Black regained control with a back elbow. Cody went for the figure four, but Black gouged at Cody’s eyes and rolled to the floor. He grabbed a chair and threw it into the ring as Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson came out to ringside. The match then went to commercial.

During the break, Cody landed a Cross Rhodes through a table at ringside. Black was busted open, as was Cody. They took a really long time to recover, minutes even. Andrade El Idolo came out as his assistant José got involved. Arn hit José with a spinebuster but took black mist from Black. PAC ran out and he and Andrade brawled to the back.

Black hit a springboard moonsault, but Cody popped up and hit Cross Rhodes for a near fall. The crowd was 100% behind Black at this point. Black climbed the ropes and landed a top-rope double stomp, a rising knee, and a German suplex bridge for a good near fall. He then hit the spinning heel kick, but Cody collapsed in the ropes.

Cody was sent to the floor, avoiding a moonsault and landing a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Cody hit the Cody Cutter and the Cross Rhodes. The Tiger Driver ’98 finished it.

Danielson vs. Fish, AAA tag title match added to AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Three new matches have been added to next week’s AEW Dynamite.

Bryan Danielson will face Bobby Fish in a singles match. Fish made his AEW debut on this week’s show, losing to Sammy Guevara in a match that was for the TNT Championship. AEW confirmed his signing after the show.

The AAA Tag Team titles will also be on the line. Pentagon and Rey Fenix, who also hold the AEW World Tag Team titles, will defend the AAA titles against a mystery masked team who are Andrade el Idolo’s close friends. In a backstage promo that aired last week on Dynamite, Idolo issued the challenge, saying he was going to bring in two men to challenge the Lucha Bros..

The match between Dante Martin and Malakai Black has also been made official. On this week’s Dynamite, Martin had asked for competition, with Black appearing and taking Martin out, saying he accepted his challenge.

AEW will also reveal the brackets for their upcoming World Title Eliminator tournament, with the winner getting an AEW World Championship match. The finals will take place at Full Gear.

Dynamite will not air this Wednesday due to NHL coverage. Instead, it will air live on Saturday, October 16 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.

New PWG World Tag Team Champions crowned

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The team of Brody King and Malakai Black are the new PWG World Tag Team Champions.

The title win took place after King and Black defeated Black Taurus and Demonic Flamita at tonight’s Threemendous VI event at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles, California. It was announced prior to the start of the match that the winners would become the new champions. This marks the first time either Black or King have held the titles.

Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz were the previous champions, having won the titles back in April 2018, holding the championships for over 1,200 days. Both signed with the WWE in late 2020 and have since appeared on NXT television as Wes Lee (Xavier) and Nash Carter (Wentz), who have held the NXT Tag Team Championship since April 7 of this year.

PWG’s World champion, Bandido, will defend the title against former champion Davey Richards in tonight’s Threemendous VI main event.

Rosario Dawson appears on AEW Dynamite, Cody Rhodes returns

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Actress Rosario Dawson appeared on tonight’s AEW Dynamite and ended up attacking Malakai Black.

Black appeared on tonight’s Dynamite and said there is an enemy in their midst. The camera then showed Dawson, who was wearing Nightmare Family apparel. Black started to confront Dawson, but Cody Rhodes was seen entering through the crowd. As Black was distracted, Dawson jumped on Black. Cody then came and the two brawled outside of the ring and into the crowd.

Black and Rhodes have been feuding for the last couple of months, since Black’s AEW arrival in July. The two had a match on the August 4 edition of Dynamite, where Black quickly defeated Rhodes. After the match, Rhodes came out and seemingly announced his retirement, but instead was attacked by Black and was laid out with the black mass kick.

A match between Rhodes and Black will take place next week on the Grand Slam edition of AEW Dynamite, which will take place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

Dawson is a judge alongside Rhodes, DJ Khaled, and Jennifer Nettles on the second season of the Go Big Show, which airs on TBS. Rhodes’ absence on Dynamite for the last month was due to the Go Big Show’s taping schedule.

Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black announced for AEW Grand Slam

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two matches have been announced for the AEW Grand Slam edition of Dynamite that will take place on September 22.

Cody Rhodes will face Malakai Black, marking Rhodes’ return after taping Go Big Show’s second season. After Black attacked Cody to take him out last month, Black has defeated and attacked other members of the Nightmare Family, including Arn and Brock Anderson, Lee Johnson, and Dustin Rhodes, who Black defeated tonight on Dynamite.

Another match was established between MJF and Brian Pillman Jr.. While protesting his loss against Chris Jericho at All Out, MJF set his sights on Pillman’s aunt Linda, as well as his sister. Pillman came out and confronted MJF, which led to a brawl. Wardlow broke up the attack, but Griff Garrison came out to even the odds until Wardlow laid him out. Garrison was then held as MJF struck him with his diamond ring.

Later backstage, Garrison was being checked on by medical staff. Pillman said he went to Tony Khan and got the match for Grand Slam.

AEW Dynamite Grand Slam will take place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

Malakai Black vs. Dustin Rhodes announced for AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Malakai Black will continue his feud with the Rhodes family on AEW Dynamite. 

Black vs. Dustin Rhodes has been announced for Wednesday’s Dynamite in Cincinnati, Ohio. The match was set up on AEW Rampage. Black took on Nightmare Family member Lee Johnson. After teasing hitting Johnson with a chair, Black then tempted Johnson to use the chair on him instead. Johnson refused and ultimately lost the match. 

After the Black vs. Johnson bout, Dustin ran in to make the save. He grabbed the chair to threaten Black, but Black begged off. 

Black previously defeated Cody Rhodes on the August 4 edition of Dynamite in his AEW in-ring debut. He made his first appearance for the promotion a month earlier on the July 7 Road Rager edition of Dynamite, laying out Cody’s manager Arn Anderson. Black then defeated Arn’s son Brock on the August 25 Dynamite. 

Cincinnati’s own Jon Moxley’s homecoming has also been announced for Wednesday’s show. Dynamite airs at 8 p.m. Eastern time on TNT in the US.

PWG announces card for Threemendous VI

Posted on by Bryan Rose

PWG has announced the card for their next show, Threemendous VI, on September 26.

Bandido will defend the PWG World title against Davey Richards, who in the last year has made a return to the independent scene. Richards is a former PWG World Champion, defeating Kenny Omega for the title back on February 27, 2010 at As The Worm Turns.

Malakai Black and Brody King will face Demonic Flamita and Black Taurus in a tag match that was set up at Mystery Vortex VII earlier this month.

Dante Martin of AEW will be making his debut on the show. Alex Zayne and Jake Atlas, who were released earlier this month from WWE, will be making their returns. A six man tag match has been announced, with Martin, Zayne, and Jack Cartwheel facing Atlas, Trey Miguel, and Myron Reed.

Alex Shelley will also make his return to the promotion, facing Jonathan Gresham.

Here is the card for Threemendous VI, which will be held at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles:

  • Bandido vs. Davey Richards for the PWG World title
  • Malakai Black and Brody King vs. Demonic Flamita and Black Taurus
  • Alex Shelley vs. Jonathan Gresham
  • Dante Martin, Alex Zayne, and Jack Cartwheel vs. Jake Atlas, Trey Miguel, and Myron Reed
  • AJ Gray vs. JD Drake vs. Lee Moriarty
  • Aramis and Rey Horus vs. Dragon Lee and Laredo Kid
  • Evil Uno vs. Tony Deppen

AEW Dynamite live results: Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes

Posted on by Parker Klyn

AEW Dynamite: Homecoming airs live tonight from Jacksonville, Florida. The show marks AEW’s return to Daily’s Place after several weeks away on the road. 

Malakai Black will make his AEW in-ring debut against Cody Rhodes. Black made his first AEW appearance by attacking Arn Anderson following a Rhodes win over QT Marshall in a strap match on the July 7 Road Rager event in Miami. 

The Five Labours of Jericho series will continue. In chapter three, Jericho faces Juventud Guerrera. Jericho must win the match by hitting a top rope move. MJF will be on commentary for the match. 

The TNT Championship will be on the line, as Miro defends the title against “Big Shotty” Lee Johnson. 

Christian Cage will take on The Blade. Jungle Boy will be in Cage’s corner, while Matt Hardy will be in Blade’s.

The former Ever-Rise, Matt Lee and Jeff Parker, will team with Daniel Garcia in a trios match against Jon Moxley, Darby Allin and Eddie Kingston.

In an NWA World Women’s Championship eliminator match, The Bunny will face Leyla Hirsch. 

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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MJF joined commentary for the opener.

Chris Jericho defeated Juventud Guerrera

Jericho must win by hitting a move off the top rope. This is their first match against each other since 1999. Like many Juvy matches throughout his career, there were spectacular moments interspersed with some baffling sloppiness and miscommunication.

Juventud went right after Jericho and laid in chops in the corner. A diving hurricanrana followed, as did a diving tijeras. Jericho was sent to the floor, where Juventud took him out with another dive. A fourth straight dive followed back in the ring where a missile dropkick got two.

Jericho tackled Juventud to the floor and attacked with chops. Back in the ring, Jericho landed a diving crossbody for two (he can only go for covers on moves off the top rope). Juventud came back with a series of strikes, but Jericho took him down with a cross chop. Juventud hit a thrust kick for two, then a buzzsaw kick for two more.

Juventud went for a corner attack, but Jericho popped up with a shoulder tackle. There was some miscommunication, but then Jericho landed a diving axe handle for two. Jericho hit a backbreaker, but the official wouldn’t count because it wasn’t off the top rope. Jericho tore at Juventud’s mask, but Juventud fought out and they jockeyed for position up top. Jericho caught the top-rope hurricanrana and hopped down into the Liontamer, which counts because it was technically off the top rope. Juventud reached the ropes to break it.

A spinning neckbreaker and thrust kick from Juventud got two. He kind of turned a powerbomb attempt into a DDT, then hit the Juvy Driver for a near fall. Jericho hit the Judas Effect, but he couldn’t cover. He climbed to the top rope and hit a diving Judas Effect to get the win. 

– After the match, Wardlow attacked Jericho and hit the F10 on Juventud before hitting the Casualty of War on Jericho. 

MJF grabbed a mic. He mocked the crowd and revealed that Wardlow is the opponent for Labour #4, and MJF will be the special guest referee.

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The Lucha Bros and Alex Abrahantes were asked where PAC was, as he’s not at Dynamite. Abrahantes implied someone was interfering with their travel. Andrade and Chavo walked up and Chavo talked about what it could be like if they worked for him, but the Lucha Bros weren’t having it.

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The Dark Order were with Schiavone backstage. They were asked about losing the match last week. Hangman Page walked up and apologized for losing the match. The Dark Order were adamant that they have Page’s back, but Page suggested they go their separate ways. “For now, we’re done.” Page walked off, and Evil Uno said to give Page his space.

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Before the match, 2.0 and Garcia cut a promo that was hard to hear due to the mixing. As far as I could tell they just talked about calling out top guys in Moxley, Allin, and Kingston.

Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, & Darby Allin (w/Sting) defeated 2.0 (Matt Lee & Jeff Parker) & Daniel Garcia

2.0 are the former Ever-Rise from WWE NXT. Garcia and Allin kicked off the match with a cradle exchange. Lee tagged himself in and clobbered Allin, but Allin tagged in Kingston. Lee wanted a chop battle with Kingston, who was happy to oblige. Kingston beat Lee down in the corner, but a cheap shot from Parker allowed Lee to chop block Kingston into the commercial break.

Once back, nearly Kingston escaped to Moxley for the hot tag, but was cut off before he could reach him. Moxley had enough and took out Garcia on the floor. They brawled, but Lee was distracted by the legend Sting. Allin used the distraction to take out Lee with a tope.

Moxley got the hot tag and took out both of 2.0. He hit the Paradigm Shift on Garcia, then tagged in Allin for the Coffin Drop for the win.

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Brian Cage and Team Taz cut a dueling promo video. Cage said he’d destroy Team Taz, while Taz said it’s better to be in the group than out of it.

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The Elite were being wacky with a basketball backstage. Gallows and Anderson are going to defend the IMPACT tag team championships on Dynamite next week against the Dark Order. The Young Bucks said there’s nobody left to challenge them. Omega said Page blew it last week, and now he’s got no friends. Cutler cut down the net of the basketball hoop. 

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Christian Cage defeated The Blade (w/ The Bunny)

Christian attacked before the bell. Blade quickly gained the advantage in the ring, but Christian came back with right hands. Blade tried to flee and Christian made chase, but was stopped by the Bunny. Christian ignored the distraction and sent Blade into the barricade. Back in the ring, Christian climbed the top turnbuckle, but Bunny grabbed his leg. Leyla Hirsch ran out and chased Bunny to the back.

Blade tried to use the distraction to take control, but Christian had it scouted. Blade then took out Christian with a rope-rebound suplex ahead of a commercial. Once back, Christian avoided a corner spear and sent Blade shoulder-first into the ring post. He followed it up with a dive from the ring post to the floor.

Back in the ring, Christian hit right hands followed by corner punches. He landed the drop-down uppercut followed by a sunset flip for two. Christian went for the Killswitch, but Blade fought out and countered the tornado DDT into a powerslam for two. Blade hit a release suplex and a kick, then used the turnbuckle to distract the official and get the brass knuckles. Blade then walked right into a Spear, giving Christian the win.

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Santana & Ortiz and FTR cut a promo talking about their match the previous week. Harwood said he almost watched his friend die. Ortiz said this was “far from over.” 

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Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. promo

Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. and Rebel were introduced by Schiavone. Baker said it was right here, in Jacksonville, where Baker won the AEW Women’s Championship. Red Velvet’s music played and she walked out. She insulted Baker and said she wanted a piece of “D.M.D.” Baker beat Velvet in three minutes the last time they fought. 

Velvet may have been “enhancement talent” before, but she’s 22-4 now, and she’s earned a shot. Baker accepted, and the match will happen in Baker’s hometown of Pittsburgh for the AEW Rampage debut. 

Rebel tried to attack Velvet with the crutch, but Velvet had it scouted. Baker attacked and curb stomped Velvet before driving the crutch into her throat.

**********

Andrade El Idolo was about to cut a promo. Chavo found someone who’s going to work for him: Fuego Del Sol. Chavo needs Fuego to shine Andrade’s shoes, but he wouldn’t do it. Andrade had enough and attacked, tossing Fuego into a garage door. Chavo said that if the Lucha Bros keep working for PAC, they’ll never be champions.

**********

Hangman Page speaks

Page was about to speak to Schiavone about why he’s splitting up with the Dark Order, but the Elite interrupted. Omega suggested that Page could be out here to make a plea to re-join the Elite, but Page denied it. Omega mocked Page’s relationship with the fans. He considered giving Page a shot, but said Page wouldn’t fit in with the Elite anymore. “The elite doesn’t have losers in our group.” Page had enough and slapped Omega, but was quickly overwhelmed and taken out with a Magic Killer.

The Dark Order ran out to save Page, but Uno and Grayson stopped the rest of the crew. The Young Bucks hit repeated BTE Triggers. Frankie Kazarian ran out but was quickly beaten down as well. Omega crushed Page with a belt shot.

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Dan Lambert of American Top Team cut a promo about Lance Archer attacking him a few weeks ago. He said he’d bring backup next week for… something.

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TNT Championship: Miro (c) defeated Lee Johnson (w/ Dustin Rhodes)

This was very good. Johnson is one of the more underutilized members of the AEW roster.

Johnson ran right at Miro but was immediately dropped with a shoulder tackle. Miro shrugged off some strikes and caught a diving crossbody, turning it into a slam. He called for Game Over, but Johnson rolled to the floor ahead of the break.

Back from commercial, Miro had Johnson locked in a bearhug before demanding more shots from Johnson. Johnson countered a pop-up into a DDT, but Miro popped up. Miro was wobbly, so Johnson laid in more strikes. He dropkicked Miro to the floor and landed two straight tope suicidas followed by a tope con giro.

Johnson landed a diving crossbody, but Miro kicked out at one. Miro went for a German suplex, but Johnson flipped out and hit repeated thrust kicks. Johnson went back to the top rope and hit a frog splash for two. He tried to hoist Miro up, but Miro fought out and crushed Johnson with a high kick. Miro then called for Game Over and locked it on for the stoppage. 

**********

Next Friday’s announce team for AEW Rampage will be Excalibur, Mark Henry, Taz, and Chris Jericho.

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Christian Cage was backstage with Schiavone. He’s the new #1 contender for the AEW World Championship. Christian was asked if he will back up Leyla Hirsch after Hirsch ran interference during the Blade match, but Christian doesn’t just have friends, he has “Best” friends. He came back to cement his legacy and win championships. Christian’s been known to stir a little sh*t, and he’s not just good, he’s “Elite.”

**********

NWA Women’s World Championship #1 Contender: Leyla Hirsch (w/ Best Friends) defeated The Bunny (w/ H.F.O.)

They traded forearms right away before Hirsch hit something of a tope to the floor. Hirsch targeted Bunny’s arm, but Bunny pulled her hair to force a break. Bunny hit a backstabber, sending Hirsch to the floor, before following it up with a running dropkick leading into the commercial. NWA Women’s World Champion Kamille was shown at ringside.

Upon return, Hirsch hit a superplex. Nyla Rose was at ringside for some reason and she and Statlander exchanged looks. Hirsch hit repeated Germans before following them up with corner knees and a dropkick for two. She locked on the cross armbreaker, but Bunny pinned Hirsch’s shoulders to force the break.

Hirsch hit a big knee strike followed by missing her step-up moonsault. Bunny took advantage with a thrust kick and a Death Valley driver for two. Hirsch fought out of Down The Rabbit Hole and went for the cross armbreaker again, transitioning to the center of the ring and forcing Bunny to tap.

– After the match, Hirsch invited Kamille into the ring. Kamille dwarfs Hirsch, probably a foot taller. They exchanged words to end the segment. 

**********

Jade Cargill and Mark Sterling cut a promo. Sterling said Cargill hasn’t been wrestling because they’ve been exploring other ventures. Cargill’s back and ready to wrestle, and she’s got a match this Monday on Elevation. The sky’s the limit, because Cargill’s “that bitch.”

**********

Next week’s Dynamite lineup:

  • Jericho’s 4th Labour: Chris Jericho vs. Wardlow with MJF at ringside. There was definite miscommunication here because the announcers clearly said that MJF would be the special guest referee earlier in the show.
  • Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander
  • Impact Tag Team Championships: Good Brothers vs. Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson)

For the debut episode of AEW Rampage (August 13):

  • AEW Women’s World Championship: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (c) vs. Red Velvet

*********

Malakai Black defeated Cody Rhodes (w/ Arn Anderson)

Black hit a leg kick right away and looked to capitalize on that advantage. Cody went for the Figure Four, but Black broke it up by gouging at Cody’s eyes. Cody came back with an enziguiri, but Black took down Cody with a leg sweep and locked on a single-leg crab.

Cody surprised Black by going for Cross Rhodes, but Black fought out. Cody climbed the ropes, but Black kicked out his leg, sending him flying down through the timekeeper’s table. Cody barely made it back into the ring for the 10-count. Black then hit his spinning heel kick (formerly Black Mass) to pin Cody in about four minutes. 

– After the match, Schiavone walked to the ring to interview Cody. Cody talked about his early memories and goals in wrestling. He said he’s had so much fun in wrestling. He talked about starting AEW and how people laughed at he and the Elite for starting it. Now, AEW isn’t “alternative,” they’re competition. 

Cody’s been lucky, and he loves those EVPs and he will forever be tethered to them. “With all respect to Daily’s Place, to me, this is the AEW Amphitheatre. There is no better place.” He thanked the fans as they have made his life special. 

Stunningly, Cody then took off his boots and saluted the audience. Black then returned and took out Cody with a crutch he had been using. He stood over Cody to end the show.

Two surprise appearances at PWG Mystery Vortex 7

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A major angle took place at the end of tonight’s PWG Mystery Vortex 7 event that set up possible matches for next month’s Threemendous VI.

The angle had Super Dragon making an appearance, attacking PWG World Champion Bandido, who was already laid out by Black Taurus and Demonic Flamita. After Brody King and Malakai Black made the save for Bandido, he issued a challenge to Super Dragon. Black asked King if he was bust on September 26, the night of Threemendous. King said he wasn’t.

Dragon, one of the founders of PWG, has not wrestled since 2015, when a new version of the Mount Rushmore stable consisting of himself, The Young Bucks, and Roderick Strong, defeated Angelico, Fenix, Rich Swann, and Ricochet.

Tonight’s card consisted of matches that were not announced prior to the start of the show. In the main event, Bandido retained the PWG World Championship after defeating Taurus. Notable names that appeared on the card included Orange Cassidy,  Evil Uno, Jonathan Gresham, JD Drake, Tony Deppen, and Trey Miguel.

Four AEW wrestlers appear at PWG Mystery Vortex 7

Posted on by Bryan Rose

AEW stars appeared at tonight’s PWG Mystery Vortex 7 event.

In the co-main event, Orange Cassidy wrestled Evil Uno, with Cassidy winning the match. Elsewhere on the card JD Drake, part of the Wingmen stable in AEW, lost to ROH’s Brody King following a lariat on the second match of the card.

The main event of the show had ROH’s Bandido, who is both the ROH and PWG World Champion, defeat Impact’s Black Taurus in the main event. Malakai Black appeared at the end of the show following the match, where he helped Bandido and Brody King from an attack by a new group consisting of Super Dragon, Demonic Flamita, and Taurus.

ROH and Impact wrestlers also appeared on the card this evening, the first PWG show since late 2019. Impact’s Trey Miguel teamed with MLW’s Myron Reed to defeat Aramis and Rey Horus, the latter of whom also is a regular for ROH. Jonathan Gresham and Tony Deppen also appeared on the card.

Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes announced for AEW Homecoming

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes has been announced for AEW’s Homecoming edition of Dynamite on August 4th, announced during Wednesday’s Fyter Fest

The show is set for Jacksonville, Florida’s Daily’s Place — the first time they have returned to the arena since last month’s farewell show following the pandemic.

Black made his debut appearance on Dynamite back on July 7, interrupting an Arn Anderson promo. He knocked out Anderson with the Black Mass kick and when Rhodes went to check on him, Black laid out him out with the kick as well. 

The following week, Rhodes called out Black on commentary for what he did and then called him out to the ring. Black initially responded to Rhodes via video from backstage, telling a story about a man killing his horse because it was crippled. Rhodes challenged Black to come out and fight. The lights went out and when they came back on, Black was in the ring. The two brawled with security coming in to separate them.

This is the only match announced for the show at this point.

Malakai Black gives details on his AEW debut and character

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Malakai Black took to his wife Thea Trinidad’s Twitch channel on Thursday to discuss his AEW debut, offering details on his ideas for his character, ring music and future plans. 

h/t to Fightful for transcription.

Black said that only a handful of people knew that he was set to debut at the Road Rager episode of Dynamite, a fact only made possible due to a WWE clerical error that left him free to sign with another company. 

“Once I found out that my contract was a tad different than the usual, I just came up with this idea,” said Black. “We made it a thing to make it available to as limited people as possible because that’s how you keep it under wraps. Security, Cody Rhodes, and a few others. It may have been five or six total people.”

“It was all very last second. I feel like, in modern day wrestling, there are few moments to make a genuine surprise and get people to look your way. For me to sneak in, not be seen, dip and dive so they wouldn’t see me, that took some skill.”

Black said that his creative vision for his character involves playing a heel, an idea he had wanted to use since debuting in NXT. He said that Triple H envisioned him as a babyface in NXT, so the character was shelved. Black said that he has new entrance music and ring gear set to debut as well. 

Regarding the blackouts that teased his eventual debut during Road Rager, Black said that they were his idea. 

“I pitched that idea and said, ‘What if we do multiple blackouts throughout the show and insinuated the technical difficulties?’ Commentary did a great job getting that over and it came off great,” said Black.

“It feels good where I’m in a place where my creative mind can be utilized instead of stopped and controlled and knowing that things weren’t going to work.”

Black stated that his decision to go to AEW was made for a combination of reasons, and that his debut was one of the highlights of his career. 

“It was the right move for me to make for me, my family, my career, the state of mind I’m in. It’s just a really good company. I can’t say enough good things about it. They have a bright future.”

“Last night was top three one of my favorite moments of my career… It was the cumulation of months and months and months and having this big payoff was worth the pain, chaos, and perseverance,” said Black.

Black also spoke of AEW owner Tony Khan in glowing terms in response to a fan question on the Twitch stream. 

“My first impression of Tony is great. What a f—ing wonderful dude. Really nice guy. Loves his company, loves wrestling.”

An archived video of the entire stream can be found here.

Malakai Black/Aleister Black debuts on AEW Dynamite Road Rager

Posted on by Josh Nason

This story was updated at 10:50 PM Eastern.

The former Aleister Black in WWE is now part of AEW, debuting as Malachi Black on Wednesday’s Road Rager edition of Dynamite.

Arn Anderson was in the ring with Tony Schiavone and was about to say something when the lights went out for a minute. After they came back on, Black was standing in the ring and threw a Black Mass kick, dropping Anderson. 

Cody Rhodes then got in the ring to confront Black. After some shared words, Black motioned like he had no issue and then Rhodes also ate a Black Mass kick before Black eventually left the ring.

The announce team revealed his new name during the segment with Excalibur referencing their past matches 15 years ago when he was Tommy End.

Black was released on June 2nd along with several other WWE talents, but Dave Meltzer reported that he only had a 30-day non-compete. PWInsider reported the reason it was only 30 days was due to a clerical error as when Black got called up to the main roster, WWE didn’t adjust this contract to the standard 90-day clause.

Zelina Vega, Black’s wife, made her WWE return last Friday on SmackDown after being released last November.

Last month, Dave Meltzer reported that the belief was that Black was AEW-bound, but there was a chance WWE would make an offer to have him return after believing they may have made a mistake in releasing him.