Tag: minoru suzuki

WrestleCon Supershow live results: Mickie James vs. Maki Itoh, Minoru Suzuki vs. Butterbean

Posted on by Ryan Howard

The annual WrestleCon Supershow as part of WrestleMania week in Las Vegas returns from The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, airing live on Triller+.

Mickie James returns to action for the first time since September 2024 when she battles Maki Itoh for the first time ever. The 45-year-old James has gone into semi-retirement since departing TNA in October 2023.

In a bout that seems too strange to be true, Minoru Suzuki will go one-on-one with former pro boxer and occasional wrestler Butterbean with former UFC star and former WWE wrestler Dan Severn as special guest enforcer.

Two singles matches will see Mascara Dorada against Ninja Mack, and reigning MLW Champion Matt Riddle against Matt Makowski.

A fun trios bout is also on tap as TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr., Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste takes on Hechicero, Michael Oku & Flip Gordon.

There will also be a ten-man mystery tag team match.

Our live coverage begins at 6 PM Eastern.

**********

The WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow 2025 with Kurtis Adonis welcoming us to the show, thanking fans on behalf of the family of the late Mark Hitchcock before throwing to a very nice video tribute. Nick Knowledge & Veda Scott are on the call, as the Ten Man Lucha Libre Tag will open the show.

Arez, Latigo, Toxin, El Bendito & Canis Lupus vs. Gravity, Spider Fly, Aero Panther, Fight Panther & El Vengador

(The Lucha multi-man tradition continues for the SuperShow, as this was an action-packed opener to get the crowd going, as they showed respect in the post-match, throwing money into the ring. I wasn’t familiar with everyone involved in this match, but this certainly made me plan on seeking out the work of all the luchadores involved going forward.)

Vengador & Latigo open things up with a series of switches and quick pin attempts until a stand off led to Arez & Fight Panther really pick up the pace, blocking strikes a plenty before both flipped out into a double pose. Toxin in now with Gravity, who got a chant from the crowd before he moonwalked forward into an arm drag. Cazadora arm drag sent Toxin outside and bailed before Gravity could dive. Spider Fly & Latigo jump in, as Spider stood on Latigo’s shoulders, backflipped off into a wild dive. Lupus & Bendito try to attack, but Spider again did a springboard, but was caught and flung in mid-air. It was a 5 on 1 beat down on Gravity, who tried to make the save for his partner, as Latigo hit a launching senton for two. Vengador was lit up with chops before he finally turned the tide with a double handspring cutter and enzugiri to break free and tag Aero, who hit a TKO/DDT combo.

Aero & Fight Panther showed off their athleticism with wild double dives on Bendito & Lupus, as back inside, Arez, Latigo & Toxin hit a triple dropkick on Vengador. Spider & Gravity flew in with double arm drags that led to double dives, as Spider Fly just made it, narrowly avoiding clipping the apron on the way down. Vengador hit a crazy pop-up flipping Awful Waffle for a near fall on Arez, as locomotion corner attacks ultimately led to Lupus hitting a pop-up Code Breaker. 5-way superkick attempt was dodged, as the Panther brothers hit a Torture Rack into a flipping Code Breaker for two. Everyone fought for a suplex, which led to Arez & Spider climbing on the pile and hitting a corkscrew suplex onto everyone in a great looking spot.

Team Gravity went up to all four corners and hit stereo dives until Bendito put on the brakes, lost his footing for his initial dive attempt, but got it eventually. Lupus planted Fight Panther with a spinning sitout avalanche slam from the corner, as Aero made the save and hit a dive onto a pile outside. Toxin connected on a pumphandle neckbreaker, Arez followed a top rope double stomp on Spider to get the win.

Match Result: Arez, Latigo, Toxin, El Bendito & Canis Lupus defeated Gravity, Spider Fly, Aero Panther, Fight Panther & El Vengador

-Kurtis Adonis welcomed special ambassador Sean Mooney (who simply does not age) to the ring. Mooney said this show is always full of surprises, thanks the fans for being here and plugs his signings at WrestleCon and the WrestleMania 9 documentary on Peacock.

Ninja Mack vs. Mascara Dorada

(A lot shorter of a match than you’d expect, but they delivered on exactly what you’d hope, flips in droves. This almost felt like an appetizer of what these two were capable of against each other, but I assume both have more matches this Mania weekend.)

Much different start to this match than you’d expect, with lock-ups and armbars aplenty. The pace quickens, as both did handstands into backflip head scissors into a stalemate. Test of strength led to Dorada pulling Mack up to the top, neither letting go, until Dorada tried a super rana, only Mack landed on his feet. Both trade pin attempts and kip up into another stalemate. Pump kick sent Dorada outside, as Mack tried a double handspring flip outside, which Dorada side stepped and hit a corkscrew dive of his own. Up the stage they went, as Dorada hit a wild hurricanrana, sending Mack tumbling down the stairs. Big time air off the stage by Dorada, clearing three rows of chairs and fans.

Back inside, Mack connected on a desperation kick to regain control followed with a series of sunset flip attempts for near falls. Dorada floated over, tried a piledriver, Mack escaped into a sit-out powerbomb for two. No water in the pool, as Mack crashed and burned on a 630, as Dorada capitalized with a spinning facebuster, going up and hitting a Shooting Star Press for the win.

Match Result: Mascara Dorada defeated Ninja Mack

TJP vs. Cheeseburger vs. 1 Called Manders vs. Vaughn Vertigo vs. Mike D Vecchio vs. Super Crazy vs. ? in a Lucky #7 Sin City Scramble

Scramble rules, as every 2 minutes, a new competitor will enter the match, but no pins or submissions until everyone has entered. Vertigo & TJP start things off, as we get an exchange of head scissors, as Vertigo ultimately tried a pin attempt and the ref made the count, so I guess those rules are out the window already? Super Crazy was in 3rd and got a nice ovation before hitting a twisting elbow drop on Vertigo before folding him up like a pretzel. TJP broke it up, but was hit with another Crazy elbow drop for his troubles. Mike D Vecchio in 4th and quickly showed off his skills with a huge lariat turning Vertigo inside out and sprung out the corner to take out TJP. Vecchio connected on a stalling vertical suplex on TJP, who was saved by Vertigo and both dropped Vecchio with a double suplex. Fresh off his tour and Unified World Wrestling Title win in wXw, 1 Called Manders is 5th, as he & Vecchio collided like two bulls. Vertigo avoided an Oklahoma Stampede and hit a Swanton onto the back, but Vecchio returned to wipe Vertigo out. Crazy returned and hit a moonsault to the floor, until Vecchio one-upped him with a Shooting Star onto the pile. Cheeseburger in 6th to a huge ovation as Vecchio gave him free shots and Cheeseburger took them. Misdirect thrust kick led to a variation of Shotei’s handed out to everyone.

TJP & Cheeseburger slowly raise to their feet until lucky number 7 is Danhausen, who walks out with his jar of teeth. Many fans cheered Danhausen, but there were some boos as well. Danhausen tried to curse Cheeseburger, who fought off giving a Shotei to himself, as TJP tried a Tornado DDT, but Danhausen hit a Northern Lights into the corner. Danhausen hurt his own hand trying to chop Vecchio, so a foot stomp and dropkick was successful. Vertigo ate a GTS, as Danhausen cursed Manders, who collided with Vertigo and sent outside. Danhausen dumped the jar of teeth into Vertigo’s mouth, hit a pump kick and won the match.

Match Result: Danhausen defeated Vertigo to win the Scramble

Matt Riddle vs. Matt Mako

(I feared this would be strictly a comedy match with all the Matt chants in the early going, but it turned into a nice hard hitting back and forth battle. Mako put up a strong fight in this, as he had a series of near falls and submissions, but it was not meant to be.)

Matt Forever and One More Matt chants from the crowd to start, as both scramble on the mat, Riddle wanting a cross-arm breaker, but Mako was able to grapevine the leg into a pin attempt for two. Let’s Go Matt & You Suck Matt dueling chants confuse the competitors, as Mako ramps up the kick battle first, but switches to chops, busting the chest of Riddle open. Mako countered a chop into a spinning arm breaker, forcing Riddle to scramble to the ropes. Both exchange stiff forearms and chops until Riddle hits a gut wrench suplex and series of brotons. Fisherman Buster spiked Mako for two, as Riddle started a Matt chant, which only caused Mako to hulk up with forearms.

After the ref backed off Mako in the corner, Riddle was able to lock in a triangle in the ropes, before hitting a series of flying forearms and overhead throws. Riddle took Mako up in the corner for an Avalanche Fisherman’s Buster, as Mako is busted open pretty good under the eye. Flowing Bro twisting senton connected, but Mako kicked out. Riddle went for it again, but was cut off by Mako, who hit a Spanish Fly into a cross-arm breaker in mid-air. Riddle kicked his way free and hit the Gotch Style Tombstone for the win.

Match Result: Matt Riddle defeated Matt Mako

Mickie James vs. Maki Itoh

(I thought this would be a lot better, but whatever the heck that middle portion of this was, didn’t really do James any favors, as it just randomly turned her heel. Once they got going, it was ok, but that middle did a number on the fans and they didn’t seem to be all that into it going forward.)

Itoh sang and danced her way to the ring, as both she & James received strong ovations, but Itoh refused a handshake. Both trade takedowns and headlocks, as Itoh escaped a head scissors into a Cutest in the World pose. James easily won the test of strength and stomped on Itoh’s fingers before they exchanged wrist locks and standing switches into the stalemate. James again wanted a handshake, but Itoh refused, so James grabbed the mic. James said people came to wrestling to see some wrestling, but guys and girls in the back are looking for their 5-star notice. James said Meltzer has never put her over and won’t tonight, as she entertains. James said she hasn’t wrestled in a year, then did a weird shuffle and sort of put over Itoh as a Hardcore Pop Star. James told Itoh the fans wanted a sing-off, which only got a little applause, call me crazy, but I think they want wrestling?

Itoh took the mic and sang for the crowd acapella. She passed the mic to James, who had no idea what Itoh said, but assumes it was awesome. James did a version of her theme song insulting Itoh and got booed, as it was pretty bad, so she cracked Itoh with the mic in the throat (not sure how that wasn’t a DQ?). James hit a series of running boots, as Itoh flips her off, so James drove her into the buckle, which Itoh kept no selling. Itoh fired off a headbutt of her own and hit the Kokeshi for two. Itoh hit the face wash in the corner and hit a top rope cross body for another near fall. James countered a DDT into a flapjack, but missed a top rope Thesz Press, allowing Itoh to sink in a half crab. James pulled the hair to escape, so Itoh bit at the fingers, no sold a Mick Kick into a rolling headbutt. James escaped a fireman’s carry, they trade near falls, James hits a thrust kick and awkward DDT to win. James flipped off Itoh for good measure.

Match Result: Mickie James defeated Maki Itoh

Minoru Suzuki vs. Butterbean – Special Enforcer: Dan Severn

(Was this good, absolutely not, it was a trainwreck, but if you knew even half of the health issues Butterbean has gone through in recent years, this was incredible he was even able to do this amount. That said, give Minoru Suzuki all the awards possible, as he sold his ass off the best that he could. The highlight of this was the way too brief stare-down with Suzuki & Don Frye, which could be the best part of this entire show so far, hell, maybe the entire weekend.)

The Entourage of Rick Bassman, Tom Howard & Don Frye accompany Butterbean to the ring. Commentary reminds us that Butterbean is the reason we thankfully don’t do the Brawl for All anymore after he KO’d Bart Gunn at Wrestlemania 15 in 35 seconds. This match will be done in rounds, as Suzuki no sold some midsection shots before trading chops. Body shots from Butterbean until the end of the round, but Suzuki didn’t let go and Severn finally stepped in.

Round 2 was only 2 minutes, as Suzuki got a single leg takedown, as both held onto heel hooks for the majority of the round until time wound down. 60 second rest period we’re told, as Butterbean starts throwing shots to the midsection and Suzuki flew back to the corner. Suzuki pulled Butterbean to the outside and the two slugged it out until Suzuki grabbed a chair and Butterbean’s Entourage stepped in. Suzuki went back to the ring, but we’re told Severn counted both men out of the ring, the crowd was booing loudly.

Post-match, Severn & Bassman held back Butterbean as we got a briefly awesome face-off with Frye & Suzuki. The crowd chanted One More Round, as both men wanted it. Severen reminded the ring announcer it was a double count-out, which, again, got loud boos. That was just it, Butterbean’s music played and he walked to the back with his crew.

Match Result: Minoru Suzuki & Butterbean went to a double count-out

TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste) vs. Flip Gordon, Hechicero & Michael Oku (w/Amira)

(This action-packed main event was obviously match of the night, as everyone got in their time in. The only person to get booed at any point during the match was Gordon as the match went on, but I didn’t think he did anything actually wrong, his stuff looked good, as did everyone else’s. The fans got their Sabre & Hechicero interactions and we seemed to get a little Oku & Sabre tease to close the show.)

Bad Dude & Oku dueling chants from the crowd to start, but it was Oku who won an early exchange over Haste. Tito & Gordon in for a chop battle, until Gordon tried a Lionsault, was caught and mowed down by a Tito shoulder tackle. Sabre tagged in and called out Hechicero, who gladly obliged, taking Sabre down and wrenching the leg after escaping a key lock. The counters are fast and frequent, as Hechicero had a visible pin on a head scissors, but the ref never caught it. Sabre looked for a cross-arm breaker, but Hecichero escaped into a surfboard variation. Sabre easily escaped and stomped down onto the elbow violently. Hechicero backed Sabre into his corner, zoning in on Sabre’s left leg before tagging in Oku. Quickly up top, Sabre dodged a dive and clipped the leg during a leap frog attempt, allowing TMDK to make fast tags, keeping Oku grounded.

Haste punted at the shoulder of Oku before doing a Rick Rude hip swivel, as Tito followed with a slingshot senton and short arm lariat for two. Blind tag from Sabre, who lit up Oku with uppercuts, as Haste was back in to pick up the pieces. Oku fought his way free out of the corner and laid out Haste with a Tornado DDT that led to a Gordon hot tag, which was more lukewarm, as there wasn’t much of a reaction. Whole bunch of flips led to a springboard missile dropkick and springing side kick to Haste. Rolling fireman’s carry and moonsault for a near fall, as Haste fought back with a pump kick and a Falcon Arrow variation.

Tito makes the tag and cleans house, taking out Gordon with a huge dive. Back inside, Tito hit a Frog Splash for a near fall, but Gordon answered with a springboard Sling Blade and got booed for it. Hechicero tagged in with a running knee in the corner, but took too long to follow-up, allowing Tito to hit a combo of kicks that led to Sabre returning. Both countered each other so much, as Hechicero avoided the Euro Clutch and got a rolling cradle of his own for two. Both exchange heavy shots until Oku tagged in, was quickly flipped over, as Sabre wanted a Euro Clutch, Oku countered and sank in the half crab, but Sabre got the ropes.

Both up, as Sabre slapped the hell out of Oku, who faked a slap, but opted for a punt to the legs in response. Sabre answered by snapping the neck between his feet, but tried another and Oku countered with a dragon screw. Romero Special from Hechicero, as both Gordon & Oku hit a double face buster, as Gordon followed with a Lionsault for two. The match broke down, as Sabre countered a twisting Sling Blade into a cross-arm breaker, but Oku flew in with a Frog Splash. Haste & Tito tried a double press slam, but Oku countered into a double DDT. Gordon took out Sabre with a dive, Hechicero followed with one on Tito & Haste, as Oku finished with a Fosbury Flop. Gordon missed a 450 on Sabre back inside, as Sabre scrambled and violently snapped the arm back, causing Gordon to tap.

Post-match, Sabre shook hands with Hechicero & Gordon, but Oku wasn’t so accepting, as Sabre had his eye on Oku’s RevPro title, putting it on Oku’s shoulder before leaving.

Match Result: TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste) defeated Flip Gordon, Hechicero & Michael Oku

Butterbean vs. Minoru Suzuki announced for WrestleCon Supershow

Posted on by Josh Nason

The one and only Eric “Butterbean” Esch will return to pro wrestling as he will face the one and only Minoru Suzuki at next month’s WrestleCon Supershow.

The event is part of the WrestleMania 41 weekend activities in Las Vegas, taking place at the Palms Casino Resort on Thursday, April 17th.

To add a wrinkle, former WWE wrestler, former UFC champion and former NWA World Champion Dan Severn will be the special guest enforcer.

While Esch is best known for his incredible run inside a boxing ring and 35-second knockout of Brawl for All winner Bart Gunn at 1999’s WrestleMania IV, he has dabbled in wrestling here and there since then, including in March of this past year on an indie show. He also was part of the Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling TV show in 2008.

Esch returned to the spotlight in February 2024 for his work with “Diamond” Dallas Page who helped him lost weight, regain mobility and get his life back.

Matt Riddle vs. Minoru Suzuki announced for MLW TV taping

Posted on by Ian Carey

MLW has announced a new match for its show in Chicago next month.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Riddle is now scheduled for the TV-taping portion of Lucha Apocalypto on November 9 at Cicero Stadium. The match will air at a later date on BeIN Sports.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1848384981871071712

This match comes after Riddle made enemies with Suzuki’s Contra Unit at last month’s Fightland event in Atlanta. Following Satoshi Kojima’s title defense against Mads Krule Krugger on the show, Contra attacked the champion, leading to Riddle making the save.

MLW TV Taping lineup for November 9, 2024 —

  • MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima defends against Bobby Fish
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction match: AKIRA vs. Mads Krule Krugger
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Riddle

MLW x CMLL Lucha Apocalypto lineup for November 9, 2024 —

  • MLW World Middleweight Champion Mistico defends against Titan and Averno in a triple threat
  • Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., and Star Jr. vs. Barbaro Cavernario, Felino & Magnus
  • Esfinge & Kevin Knight vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Hechicero
  • Persephone to make MLW debut
  • Jesus Rodriguez to serve as the Master of Ceremonies
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1848102286557618294

Minoru Suzuki makes surprise appearance at AEW Collision Grand Slam

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Minoru Suzuki answered Jack Perry’s open challenge.

Saturday’s Collision Grand Slam saw Suzuki come out as a surprise, challenging Perry for his TNT title. The match ended in a countout after Perry connected with a DDT off the apron and a knee into the steel stairs, rolling into the ring before the count of ten.

After the match, Perry continued attacking Suzuki until Katsuyori Shibata came out of the save. The segment ended with Suzuki and Shibata hugging as Perry regrouped on the outside.

Perry won the TNT title back at Forbbiden Door in June, winning a ladder match for the vacant title. He has most recently defended the title against the likes of Lio Rush and Christopher Daniels.

Suzuki has spent much of 2024 away from New Japan, instead competing on independent shows in Japan and the United States, as well as MLW, where he is one-half of the Tag Team Champions with Ikuro Kwon. His last appearance in AEW was on the July 24 edition of AEW Dynamite, where he lost to Chris Jericho in a match for the FTW Championship.

Minoru Suzuki wins MLW Tag Team titles with Ikuro Kwon

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Japanese wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki is now a champion in MLW.

At Summer of the Beasts in New York City on Thursday night, Suzuki and his Contra Unit partner Ikuro Kwon defeated Satoshi Kojima & Okumura to win the MLW Tag Team titles. After Kwon blinded Okumura with mist, Suzuki pinned him with a Gotch-style piledriver.

Contra Unit’s Mads Krugger and Janai Kai joined Suzuki and Kwon as they laid out Kojima in a post-match angle. Krugger will challenge Kojima for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship next month at Fightland.

Kai also holds MLW gold as the Women’s Featherweight Champion.

Since debuting for the promotion in October 2023, Suzuki has made regular appearances for MLW. He’s currently working as a freelancer in Japan and the United States.

Summer of the Beasts saw former WWE wrestler Donovan Dijak make his MLW debut, promising to bring destruction and devastation. He mentioned Kojima, Suzuki, Matt Riddle, and Timothy Thatcher as targets and vowed to become the next MLW World Heavyweight Champion.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1829341467203993732

The full Summer of the Beasts event can be watched for free on MLW’s YouTube channel.

AEW Rampage live results: The Conglomeration vs. Undisputed Kingdom

Posted on by Matt Boone

The AEW Trios division will continue to heat up on tonight’s AEW Rampage between some rivals with serious grudges.

The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Tomohiro Ishii & Kyle O’Reilly) will team up to battle The Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett. Cassidy and O’Reilly have had their issues with all the Kingdom members with Ishii recently entering the fray to lend the babyfaces a hand.

Another NJPW star — Minoru Suzuki — will return to the rings of AEW against The Butcher. Suzuki will challenge Chris Jericho for the FTW title this Wednesday.

Jericho will be on the show teaming up with Big Bill against The Outrunners.

Two longtime AEW teams will clash once again as the Lucha Bros will battle Private Party. This will be their first match against each other since July 2022.

Former TBS Champion Kris Statlander will be in action for the first time since attacking Willow Nightingale during her Owen Hart tournament final match.

**********
The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Tomohiro Ishii & Kyle O’Reilly) defeated The Undisputed Kingdom (Roderick Strong, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)

Orange Cassidy makes his way out with Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O’Reilly. The Conglomeration trio settle inside the squared circle, where their opponents, The Undisputed Kingdom trio of Roderick Strong, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett are waiting for them.

Strong and O’Reilly kick things off for their respective teams in this trios opener. The two lock up and jockey for position. O’Reilly goes behind Strong and takes his back standing. Strong ends up on the mat on his back. O’Reilly looks for a submission but Strong defends and gets back up.

Cassidy and Taven tag in for their respective teams and the pace quickly picks up. Cassidy comes off the ropes with a ton of speed and runs over Taven before tagging in Ishii. The fans in the building chant the name of the Japanese legend as he goes to work on all three members of The Undisputed Kingdom.

Bennett and Taven attack Ishii from behind. They look for a double suplex, but Ishii defends it. O’Reilly and Cassidy join him in the ring and the three hit a suplex on Bennett and Taven at the same time. Ishii and Bennett are alone in the ring when the smoke clears.

Ishii goes to work on Bennett, bringing him into the corner of his team. O’Reilly and Cassidy come back in and the two hit some multi-person spots with Ishii for a big crowd reaction. The show then heads into a mid-match commercial break as the trios opener continues.

When the show returns from the break, Taven, Bennett and Strong hit multi-person spots on Ishii to shift the offensive momentum in their favor. Strong is left as the legal man with Ishii. He blasts him with loud chops in the corner that get funny reactions from the Japanese legend.

Fans try and rally behind Ishii, but to no avail, as The Undisputed Kingdom members utilize frequent tags and cut the ring in half, keeping him on their side of things. Ishii hits a German suplex on Taven, which buys him enough time to tag in O’Reilly.

O’Reilly goes to work on Taven as Cassidy hits a dive onto the other members of The Undisputed Kingdom on the floor. Cassidy hits a top-rope splash and pops up for a quick tope suicida to the floor. Ishii tags in and hits Chasing the Dragon for a two-count, after Bennett broke it up.

Cassidy hits Stun-Dog Millionaire on Bennett. Ishii follows up with a lariat. Taven hits a big splash off the top-rope for a super-close two-count on Ishii. Ishii and Strong trade shots back-and-forth. Ishii gets the better of things and stumbles back to tag in Cassidy.

We see Cassidy go for a dive through the ropes to the floor, but he is met by Bennett and Strong, who both slam him back-first into the ringside barricade. As The Undisputed Kingdom trio settle back into the offensive lead, the show heads into another mid-match commercial break.

After the show returns from the break, we see Ishii connect with a top-rope superplex on Taven. O’Reilly trades shots in the center of the ring. Cassidy hits a sunset flip off the top-rope but the pin attempt is broken up.

Cassidy hits a DDT counter off the ropes to Bennett. O’Reilly and Cassidy hit the high-low sweep and then Ishii and Strong each take the other out with a double clothesline. Taven goes for a roundhouse kick but spins right into an Orange Punch from Cassidy for the pinfall. Good opener to kick things off on this week’s show.

Once the match wraps up, Don Callis comes out and stands behind Cassidy in the ring. Cassidy turns and notices him and gets angry. He takes his arm pad off as he backs him into the ropes, but before anything can happen, Kyle Fletcher from The Don Callis Family attacks from behind.

ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe runs out to make the save, but ends up getting laid out by Roderick Strong. Strong takes Briscoe’s ROH World Championship and holds it high in the air as he poses over him with The Undisputed Kingdom as the commentators promote their title tilt coming up at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2024.

Saraya & Harley Cameron Backstage Interview

Backstage, Saraya and Harley Cameron are interviewed. Saraya talks about how they are trying to keep her off of the show at AEW ALL IN at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 25.

Harley says that would be like having Beverly Hills Cop without the Beverly Hills Cop. Great analogy, Harley. Saraya insists she will be on the show.

The Learning Tree (Chris Jericho & Big Bill) defeated The Outrunners (Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd)

We hear a super enthusiastic “Hi guys!” from the longest “For The World” champion in the history of planet Earth. On that note, The Learning Tree duo of Chris Jericho and “The Redwood” Big Bill make their way down to the ring for advertised tag-team action.

Already in the ring are their opponents, The Outrunners team of Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd. Bill kicks things off for his team while Jericho hangs on the apron with his FTW title still around his waist. He pulls out a cell phone.

Jericho begins texting someone multiple times as Bill easily handles both members of The Outrunners by himself. Bill stomps away at one of The Outrunners in the corner while frantically laughing like a psycho. Truth tags in and lands a shot on Bill, which changes his happy-go-lucky persona quick, fast, and in-a-hurry.

“The Redwood” gets serious now as he charges from one corner of the ring to the other, splashing Magnum and Floyd. After Bill finishes things off with his chokeslam finisher, Jericho finally asks for the tag and comes in with his FTW title still around his waist for a foot-on-the-chest arrogant pin.

Minoru Suzuki defeated The Butcher

As Jericho sends a text boasting about teaching people something tonight, he and Bill and Bryan Keith head to the back, but are stopped when Minoru Suzuki makes his way out for the next match of the evening.

The Japanese legend settles inside the squared circle after intimidating Jericho briefly on the entrance ramp. The commentators promote Suzuki vs. Jericho for the FTW title for next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. The show heads into another commercial break.

When the show returns, The Butcher is in the middle of finishing up his ring entrance. The bell sounds to get this one started. The Butcher and Suzuki stand in the middle of the ring and Butcher tells him he wants to trade shots to start things off.

They do and Butcher gets a little over confident. This leads in Suzuki going to work on him with flurries. Moments later, Butcher tries chopping Suzuki a few times, with one eliciting an audible laugh from Suzuki that pops the crowd.

Butcher says he’s going to break Suzuki’s back. He hits a big suplex and floats over for a pin attempt. After he kicks out, Suzuki chokes out Butcher and dumps him on his dome for the victory.

Mark Briscoe Reacts To Roderick Strong’s Attack

Backstage, the four members of The Conglomeration are standing by for a promo segment. As usual, ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe does the talking. He says today’s word of the day is “Miscombobulation.” O’Reilly asks for the country of origin, and Briscoe says America.

When asked to use it in a sentence, Briscoe says, “In the midst of my miscombobulation, Roderick Strong cracked me in the face with a knee and stood over me holding my ROH World title high in the air.” He tells him next week at ROH Death Before Dishonor, he’ll have something for him.

But before that, on AEW Collision tomorrow night, Roderick Strong will go one-on-one against Tomohiro Ishii. He vows that Ishii will show them how they do in The Conglomeration and then barks like a madman into the camera to wrap things up.

Kris Statlander (w/ Stokely Hathaway) defeated Syndi Winnell

Back inside the arena, the theme for Kris Statlander hits and out she comes accompanied by Stokely Hathaway for the next match of the evening. Already in the ring is her opponent, Syndi Winnell.

The bell gets things started and an overconfident Statlander is caught off guard by a ferocious onslaught and wild flurry of strikes from Winnell. This backs Statlander in the corner and Winnell unloads on her.

Schiavone jokes with Excalibur on commentary about how they are fortunate that Don Callis and Stokely Hathaway both came out tonight and they didn’t have to deal with either of them joining them at the desk.

Back inside the ring, Statlander takes over with ease and within seconds, hits her Stater-day Night Fever finisher for the pin fall victory. This is her 85th victory, according to Schiavone on commentary.

Stokely hits the ring to push the referee aside so he can raise Statlander’s hand. Statlander drops down and does push-ups while Stokely puts his foot on her back.

The Lucha Bros (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix w/ Alex Abrahantes) defeated Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen)

It’s main event time!

After the women’s singles match wrapped up, the show went into another quick commercial break. Upon returning, the catchy theme song for The Lucha Bros hits and out comes the duo of Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix, accompanied by Alex Abrahantes.

The popular masked duo settle inside the squared circle to a big pop and then their music dies down. The red velvet rope is set up at the top of the entrance ramp and out comes their opponents for tonight’s main event, the Private Party team of Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy.

Fenix and Kassidy kick things off for their respective teams. Fenix establishes the initial offensive lead, but Kassidy hits Rob Van Dam’s old step-through roundhouse kick to shift the momentum into the favor of Private Party.

Quen tags in and takes over. He goes to bring Penta, now the legal man for The Lucha Bros, into the ring the hard way, but Penta blasts him with a kick that knocks him silly. Penta enters the ring and nearly beheads him with a follow-up kick that sends him to the floor.

Penta fires up for a dive to the floor, but comes off the ropes into a cross-body splash from Kassidy. Fenix hits a missile dropkick off the top-rope immediately after that. As Penta and Quen are nose-to-nose in the middle of the ring, the show heads into a mid-match commercial break.

When the show returns, The Lucha Bros go on an offensive rampage (pun intended), hitting many of their trademark high spots. Fenix walks the tight rope top-rope for a big punt kick, which sends Quen into Penta for a big sling blade.

They go for a double-team spot off the ropes in the corner, but it gets broken up. Prrivate Party hit an insane double-team spot that pops the crowd and shifts the offensive momentum back in their favor. Fenix sends Quen into the mat with authority for a two-count.

Penta and Fenix sandwich him in between a pair of stereo super kicks. They follow-up with the fear factor double stomp double-team finisher for the pinfall victory. Good main event.

After it wraps up,The Lucha Bros celebrate as Excalibur does a speed-read through the updated lineup for tomorrow night’s AEW Collision. That’s how this week’s show goes off the air. Thanks for joining us and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter/X.

Chris Jericho vs. Minoru Suzuki FTW title match set for AEW Dynamite Blood & Guts

Posted on by Josh Nason

After promising to come for Chris Jericho and his FTW title several weeks ago, Minoru Suzuki intends to make good on that promise as part of next Wednesday’s Blood & Guts edition of AEW Dynamite.

Suzuki made a surprise appearance on this week’s show, interrupting a Learning Tree segment with Jericho, Bryan Keith and Big Bill. He then pulled out a contract and said, “Next week.” Keith then read the contract where it was revealed that both he and Bill are banned from ringside for the match.

Suzuki first made the challenge on the pre-Forbidden Door edition of Dynamite when Jericho thought he was going to join he and Bill at the pay-per-view in a trios match. Suzuki then surprised him by denying that offer and making his intent known: the FTW title.

The two have never gone one-on-one, but have been on the same trios team twice and on opposite ends of a trios match another time — all in AEW.

Jericho will be looking to defend the ceremonial title for the third time since winning it at April’s Dynasty.

Here’s the current lineup for Nashville:

  • Blood & Guts match: The Elite (Matt & Nick Jackson, Jack Perry, Kazuchika Okada and Hangman Page) vs. Team AEW (Swerve Strickland, Anthony Bowens, Max Caster, Darby Allin & Mark Briscoe)
  • FTW Champion Chris Jericho defends against Minoru Suzuki with The Learning Tree banned from ringside

Minoru Suzuki diagnosed with concussion after match stopped due to in-ring accident

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Japanese wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki has been diagnosed with a concussion after his match on Saturday was stopped due to an in-ring accident.

Suzuki wrestled for Tenryu Project at their Osaka Crush Night show on July 6. In a statement issued by the promotion, it was announced that the match was stopped at the referee’s discretion after an accident occurred with Suzuki. He was taken to the hospital, where he was examined and diagnosed with a concussion. Suzuki was allowed to leave the hospital and Tenryu Project said they will monitor his condition over the next few days.

The statement said Suzuki is able to walk and talk properly. He has not shown any significant symptoms and did not suffer any bleeding in the head or other areas.

In a social media post, the 56-year-old Suzuki assured fans that there’s no need to worry. He remembers everything about the match including when he “fell at the end.” Suzuki said a CT scan was done and there were no particular problems found.

The match was Suzuki, Kengo & YASSHI defending their Tenryu Project WAR Six-Man Tag Team titles against Tomohiro Ishii, Yuji Hino & Don Fujii. It was a two-out-of-three falls match that ended in a 1-1 draw when it was stopped. As a result, the champions retained their titles. Tenryu Project said they will do their best to arrange a rematch.

Referee Keigo Yoshino tweeted that Suzuki didn’t respond to calls before the start of the third fall and appeared to have lost consciousness. He regained consciousness and wanted to continue, but the decision was made to stop the match. Suzuki was able to joke around backstage after but was taken to the hospital to be evaluated.

Tenryu Project apologized for the match having to be called off but said they hope fans understand that protecting the wrestlers is the most important thing. The promotion thanked everyone who acted quickly to deal with the situation.

Minoru Suzuki issues challenge to Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Minoru Suzuki wants Chris Jericho.

Jericho showed a video on Dynamite expecting Minoru Suzuki to accept teaming with him and Big Bill at Forbidden Door following an injury to Bryan Keith. Suzuki, however, revealed that he didn’t want to team with Jericho, thrashing his Learning Tree persona. He instead challenged Jericho to a match for the FTW Championship

It was then that The Learning Tree’s Forbidden Door opponents Samoa Joe, Hook, and Katsuyori Shibata came out. After Shibata told Jericho that he sucked, Jericho threw a punch and a brawl ensued with Samoa Joe and company clearing house.

On social media, AEW on X confirmed that the trios match was still on for AEW Forbidden Door this Sunday. However, it remains to be seen who will team with Jericho and Big Bill.

Jericho has been feuding with Hook and Shibata for the last few months, defeating Hook to win the title and later defeated Hook and Shibata at Double or Nothing in a three-way match thanks to the help of Keith, who has since been named the ‘bad apple’ of the group.

Bloodsport Bushido live results: Josh Barnett vs. Jon Moxley

Posted on by Justin Knipper

For the first time ever, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport heads to Tokyo, Japan’s Sumo Hall with a loaded card featuring the brand’s namesake in action against reigning IWGP World Champion Jon Moxley.

It’s a rematch from 2021’s Bloodsport 6 when Barnett picked up the victory by TKO. Since then, Moxley has picked up two straight victories in the unique format.

Minoru Suzuki will return to the red mat once again as he challenges the always dangerous Timothy Thatcher.

Former UFC & PRIDE star Rampage Jackson will return to Japan and make his Bloodsport debut as he faces Hideki Sekine while the legendary Masakatsu Funaki battles Bloodsport veteran Davey Boy Smith.

Another legend — Kazushi Sakuraba — challenges Santino Marella while Konami goes one-on-one with Maya Fukada in a women’s bout.

The card is rounded out by Hikaru Sato vs. Hideki Suzuki, Takuya Nomura vs. Erik Hammer, and Fuminori Abe vs. Yu Iizuka.

Our live coverage begins at 2 AM Eastern/11 PM Pacific.

**********

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport: Bushido

The opening ceremony began with an elaborate Taiko drum performance on the mat. Since ABEMA produced this edition of Bloodsport, the overall production value for this is outstanding.  Attendance looked like it was poor, so only the floor section of Ryogoku’s Sumo Hall had proper lighting. The upper levels were tactfully blacked out for the duration of the show.

After the performance, an interview with Josh Barnett aired between past clips of Bloodsport. He explained his concepts behind Bloodsport, what it means to him and how it can affect combat sports. He also detailed why he wanted to have this special Bloodsport event in Japan today. 

Next, legendary MMA ring announcer Lenne Hardt introduced the full roster for today’s card as fighter walked to the ring to the Bloodsport theme song. The text of the names on screen and Hardt’s announcing were completely out of synch for this, unfortunately. 

If you’re not familiar with the rules already, Bloodsport victories are only the result of either a knockout or submission, not a three-count pinfall in professional wrestling. 

Fuminori Abe defeated Yu Iizuka (GLEAT) via submission

Iizuka is a very talented young wrestler from the GLEAT company and trained sambo with Volk Han in the past. Abe is a regular freelancer and actually appeared on the most recent Bloodsport event back in April. He’s one half of the tag team Astronauts; the other half being Takuya Nomura of BJW who will appear later on the show tonight.

Abe landed a dragon screw legwhip early on and contiuned to maintain an advantageous top position for a few moments. Izuka countered and locked in an an armbar before Abe had a cross facelock on Iizuka, wrenching against his mouth and nose, Snakepit style. 

Iizuka later peppered Abe with open hand strikes while he had Abe locked in a crucifix hold. 

Iizuka landed a high roundhouse kick; Abe answered with a jumping headbutt, forehead to forehead, before sinking in an achilles lock for the quick tap from the younger challenger, the 29 year old Mr. Iizuka.

Bloodsport Bushido Tournament First Round Match: Hideki Suzuki defeated Hikaru Sato via submission

Hikaru Sato wrestled the day before this—in his backyard, against Sanshiro Takagi et al. On the grass, in the sun. This is a rather different vibe. Sato sharpened his craft first with Pancrase before he became a regular freelance pro wrestler around Japan. Hideki Suzuki has been active this year in AJPW.

After about five minutes of high-level groundwork, it was Suzuki who caught Sato in an STF hold for the submission victory. He moves on to the next round in tonight’s tournament.

Bloodsport Bushido Tournament First Round Match: Erik Hammer defeated Takuya Nomura via TKO

Nomura is Fuminori Abe’s tag team partner in Astronauts, as mentioned earlier. Nomura is so perfect for Bloodsport and should probably be on every one he can make. Erik Hammer is a Bloodsport stalwart and Josh Barnett’s training partner.

Hammer darted at Nomura early and landed a few hard strikes. Nomura answered with a flurry of Penalty Kicks. Hammer was back in the mix moments later throwing hard knees. 

The match spilled out onto the floor. There’s a ten-count for this Bloodsport event. They would spill back onto the floor a minute or so later, rolling to the floor from 50/50 guard position as both pummeled for leglocks and footlocks. 

It felt like it was all Nomura until Hammer exploded at the end and flattened Nomura with a massive power bomb for the TKO victory. Hammer moves on to face Hideki Suzuki in tonight’s tournament.

Konami (STARDOM) defeated Maya Fukuda (GLEAT) via submission

This will be the first time a lot people will get to see Maya Fukuda. She’s a Kiyoshi Tamura project and trained her, though she has a previous martial arts experience. She’s been with GLEAT since the launch of that promotion, and has grown and improved a lot in a short amount of time. Fukuda also has more experience working this Bloodsport style in Lidet’s UWF. She fought with confidence tonight, though Konami did as well, which brought out a great match in both of them.

Fukuda’s karate background allowed her to be aggressive with her kicks early on in the match. Konami was eager to take the fight to the ground and worked over Fukuda with an armlock attempt before the younger Fukuda countered out of the hold and into Konami’s guard.

Moments later, both fought for a straight ankle lock until Konami cinched in a deeper grip, forcing Fukuda to break her hold. The two rolled to the floor while in the lock. Konami wrapped Fukuda in a single leg crab on the ground before the ten-count started.

Konami used a German suplex and kick to the face of her pink-and-white-costumed opponent, Fukuda, who answered back with a few flurries of kicks. She connected with a step-up enzuigiri kick to Konami’s head; Konami responded with an ankle lock, then rolled into kneebar variation. Konami adjusted her position and went for another German suplex but Fukuda clipped Konami with a Brazlian kick to the face.

Despite her fierce late rally towards the end, it wasn’t enough to take Konami out, and “The Submission Sniper” eventually tapped Fukuda with a kneelock hold for the win. It’s clear the idea was to get Fukuda over with the audience for trying her best. That often elicits a lot of empathy from the Japanese crowd who then go out of their way to support her over her career as she grows.

Masakatsu Funaki defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr. via submission

The MMA legend, the icon, the prodigy, the founding father of Pancrase, 55-year-old Masakatsu Funaki, took on Bloodsport regular and current AJPW guest, Davey Boy Smith Jr. It’s a special match for a number of reasons, like this being Funaki’s first-ever Bloodsport match, or Smith and his family’s legacy in Japanese pro wrestling but also as a pioneer of the current iteration of wrestling we are watching at the moment.

Funaki fought from the closed guard position. He made sure to control Smith’s wrists to make sure the 6’5″ Smith wouldn’t come down hard on him with punches or elbows.

On their feet, Funaki fought for a side waistlock, possibly looking for a back suplex, but DBS Jr. wrestled him back to the mat with a strong side headlock before smoothly transition to top guard and then to side control on the adjacent side of Funaki’s body. Smith was hunting for a double-wrist lock (we don’t call them Kimuras here, folks) but would soon move to a north-south position and letting go of the hold, returning to strong side position control. Funaki struggled to create a frame against the larger Smith, but Smith couldn’t settle into any offense either.

Smith stood up after conceding side control and invited Funaki to restart the fight on their feet. Funaki landed a few of his signature kicks to DBS Jr.’s body before Smith caught one of them mid-air. Smith then spun Funaki around and drilled him with a bridging back suplex. Since pinfalls aren’t an option in Bloodsport, Smith released his hold and went in to finish Funaki off with the Sharpshooter, but it was Funaki who would counter the submission attempt and lock in a kneebar of his own to score the victory. The fact that Funaki is 55 and looks and wrestles the way he does is amazing. He doesn’t look too different from how he was 30 years ago.

There was a brief in-ring ceremony between matches that featured guests Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Akira Maeda and Kota Ibushi. Fujiwara accepted an award and the three then posed on the Bloodsport mat together. Fujiwara, 75 years old, will appear on two upcoming shows for Pro Wrestling NOAH and will team with Kaito Kiyomiya & KENOH. A brief intermission followed.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson defeated Hideki “Shrek” Sekine via TKO

PRIDE & UFC legend, MMA pioneer, Quniton “Rampage” Jackson. If you’re of a certain age and remember Rampage’s unreal PRIDE fights back in the day, you’ll probably feel nostalgic like I am now as I type this. He’s the reason we now see the triangle choke power bomb spot so regularly in today’s pro wrestling. I believe he was the first person to TKO someone with a power bomb. Shrek is a burly grappling specialist and can be seen frequently working for AJPW. Sekine also has MMA experience in the past, just without the same success someone line Rampage Jackson experienced.

Sekine launched Jackson with a back suplex. Moments later, somehow, Sekine was on his back and Jackson landed a hard, flat stomp to the middle of Shrek’s chest.

The finish saw Rampage hammer the barrell-chested Sekine to the mat with a huge bodyslam and followed up with a series of punches and stomps. Shrek wouldn’t give in, but after a relatively long while, the referee did and called it: Rampage Jackson is your winner via TKO after a beating that went on slightly too long—just like an old PRIDE fight would.

Both Rampage and Barnett did special collaboration t-shirts with Baki the Grappler, an animation series that’s on Netflix in the US. He put on his shirt, put his signature silver chain around his neck and then thanked Japan and Josh Barnett for the opportunity. He shared a nice moment with Lenne Hardt at ringside, as well. Two very important pieces of the PRIDE story and to the story of Japanese MMA in general.

Kazushi Sakuraba defeated Santino Marella via submission

It was all business with Santino Marella tonight before his fight against another PRIDE and MMA legend, Kazushi Sakuraba.

Marella has actually competed for Bloodsport in the past, but for those who aren’t aware, Marella has a deep background in judo and is an important figure in the judo community even to this day. He also lived in Japan years ago where he trained with Yuki Ishikawa at the BattlARTS dojo. He sometimes shows up on commentary at big judo events as well, too.

For those who aren’t already aware, Kazushi Sakuraba’s theme song is actually a remix of the Speed 2 theme song. Saku’s a Jason Patric guy. Who knew?

This went to the ground almost immediately. Neither could gain an advantage because each fighter had an answer to the other’s offensive attacks. Marella used a fireman’s carry drop to slam Sakuraba to the mat, where Marella would attempt a few submission attacks from the north-south position before rolling into a kneebar that he couldn’t fully lock.

Marella then used a very tight baseball choke on Sakuraba.Later, Marella locked in another deep submission, a flattened arm triangle with his body fully extended and pressed to the mat, squeezing the blood flow to Saku’s head.

Sakuraba would punch through the choke try sticking Marella in a rear naked choke of his own.

Sakuraba teased the Cobra at Marella while the were stalemated on their feet. Marella would eventually slide himself into an RNC of his own but from a side angle, more against the side of Sakuraba’s body. This wasn’t successful, either.

It was more nonstop back-and-forth on the ground, lots of pummeling for leg locks and arm locks until, finally, in true Snakepit fashion, Saku cinched in his signature double wristlock for the quick tap.

The two hugged afterwards. Sakuraba got on the mic and told the crowd Marella was super strong and that he’d like to deliver more and more fights to the fans. I think this might have been the best of the night so far. I want more Bloodsport Santino Marella.

Minoru Suzuki defeated Timothy Thatcher via TKO

Thatcher has been a regular in Japan for a few years now for Pro Wrestling NOAH. He and Saxon Huxley recently had a run as GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.

About Suzuki: If you’re still reading at this point, I am going to go out on a limb and assume you are pretty familiar with Minoru Suzuki.

These two are integral to Bloodsport. Suzuki had the much-talked about 30-minute draw against Barnett at Barnett’s first edition of Bloodsport. Thatcher was on the same show and defeated J-MMA legend Minowaman.

As they grappled on their feet, Thatcher would fight for a standing double wrist lock, but Suzuki defended against it well. Their struggle would take them to the corner of the ring, and then out onto the floor with Thatcher still locked onto Suzuki at the arm. When Suzuki was out of the hold, he dashed across behind the guardrail and grabbed a chair from the audience. Thatcher went to the opposite side and did the same. They threatened a duel but thought against it, tossed the chairs to the floor and went back inside the ring.

The two had a long, violent battle of European uppercuts and forearm shots until Thatcher used an ankle-pick on Suzuki, taking him to the ground where he’d look for a straight ankle lock submission. Suzuki countered and used the hold on Thatcher before the two rolled back onto the floor again. Suzuki smashed Thatcher’s head into the Japanese commentary desk. Suzuki things.

Suzuki went for the Gotch-style piledriver, but Thatcher was able to counter that into a bow-and-arrow submission. Suzuki got out of that by ripping at Thatcher’s finger joints, wrenching it across the ring post and Suzuki’s own shoulder. This is illegal in Bloodsport and the ref demanded Suzuki break the hold.

They teased a suplex to the floor, but Thatcher was able to lock Suzuki in the modified bow-and-arrow STF but couldn’t finish it. I’m not sure when it happened, but Thatcher suffered a nasty cut or bruise across the left side of his back. It looks like from when he was slammed against a table or guardrail, or ring apron.

The fight got uglier as they traded holds on the ground. Nasty, mean grappling, nothing frilly or unnecessary. Thatcher yanked at Suzuki’s leg in a crab hold.

When Suzuki used an eye gouge, the crowd booed. Again, more classic heeling from Suzuki. Thatcher rallied back with a couple wind-up-uppercuts. Suzuki blasted Thatcher with more elbows that put Thatcher on his ass, then onto the floor.

The traded more shots before Suzuki finally able to spike Thatcher with the Gotch-style piledriver for the TKO win. “Mean” and “violent” are the two key words to use to really understand this match. Good stuff.

Afterwards, Suzuki went over to Kota Ibushi on commentary and challenged him to a match. Ibushi looked ecstatic. We also saw Suzuki and J-MMA legend Yuki Nakai exchange daps before our winner exited to the back.

Bloodsport Bushido Tournament Final Round Match: Hideki Suzuki defeated Erik Hammer

Collar and elbow tieup between the two to start. Hammer took Suzuki’s back but Suzuki easily Granby rolled out of it. The two were quick in their exchanges and upped the pace a bit compared with their earlier fights tonight. It wasn’t entertaining enough for one of the people at the Japanese announcers table, who was completely passed out while in full focus on the hard cam. This was awful. The production team finally noticed and adjusted the fixed cam position so that you couldn’t see the guy anymore. I can’t think of anything more rude to the fighters and the art. This was a horrible look.

Suzuki eventually tapped Hammer out with a toehold and they shook hands afterwards. Suzuki is the Bloodsport Bushido tournament winner.

Jon Moxley (AEW/NJPW) defeated Josh Barnett

This is their second Bloodsport main event. Barnett took the first bout in Florida a few years back. Mox is current IWGP Heavyweight champion and was wearing his NJPW warmup gear on in the opening ceremony.

Sleepy Guy was still sleepy during the main event, but he was more into playing with is phone for this one.

Barnett launched Moxley with a single-arm suplex just after the five-minute mark. He went for a north-south double-wristlock but would later transition to side control in what looked to be a head-and-arm hold with Mox’s own arm wrapped across his own neck and face. Barnett moved to attack the back next and would lock into a twister lock before Mox escaped and mounted Barnett from the top position. Moxley then locked in a head-and-arm choke but couldn’t finish a wriggly Barnett, who’d escape and move to his signature scarf hold, but still, no submission from Moxley.

Moxley has improved a lot at the Bloodsport style wrestling he did here. I really enjoy this version of Mox.

The fight kicked up the tension when it spilled out onto the floor. Barnett drilled Mox with a suplex on the floor. Mox was out on his feet but was able to summon up some burning spirit, shake it off and fight back, back and forth into the ring and out onto the floor onto Barnett. He’d wrap Barnett’s knee around the ringpost and pull on it as the ref started to count.

There sounded to be a number of either foreign fans or a small, loud cadre of Japanese Jon Moxley fans who’d sporadically break out into unfamiliar chants in support of him.

Towards the end of this, Barnett again drilled Mox, this time with a textbook vertical drop brainbuster. He’d then go in for a submission kill, but Mox went for a triangle choke. These two were soaking in sweat with five minutes left in the match, in Tokyo in July, no less.

Barnett would then use an airplane spin on Mox, whipping him headfirst into the steel ring post upon release. It looked really cool. Mox then reappeared in the ring, bloody as damn hell. Oh, Mox and your blood.

The canvas was a beautifully stained mess as the relentless Jon Moxley fought for an armbar as Barnett staved him off. I figured Sleepy Guy would be wide awake for this, but the production crew made sure that he wasn’t visible on screen. Smart.

With one minute to go, Barnett had Mox locked in a Fujiwara armbar, apropos of tonight’s affair. The visual they had in the ring looked amazing.

When the ring announcer made the 30 seconds left call, Barnett hoisted Moxley over his head for a power bomb. Mox tried punching his way out of it, but Barnett eventually smashed him into the mat, but it wasn’t enough and the time limit expired. Early in the show, they explained that overtime would come into play if there was not a winner by the end of certain bouts. So, we quickly moved into overtime.

Overtime: Mox came out of the corner running and caught Barnett with a flying knee that laid Barnett out. Mox was frantic in pace because he needed to finish overtime as soon as possible; he threw a German suplex. Barnett tried locking a single leg crab but Mox escaped. Mox continued landing knees to an exhausted Barnett. Mox spiked Barnett with a Death Rider. He’d follow up with a huge tiger driver, a jumping double stomp to Barnett’s chest, then unloaded strikes on Barnett until the referee called for the bell. Jon Moxley is your winner of this bloodbath.

Mox screamed into the ringside camera afterwards, shouting “I told you! I told you I could beat him! I’m not crazy!”

Barnett went up to Moxley and the two shook hands. Moxley flashed three fingers to imply a possible third match, a rubber match.

Moxley thanked the fans and called them the best fans in the world. “What you saw tonight is professional wrestling in its realest, rawest form. No bullsh**.” He asked the fans if they wanted to bring Bloodsport back to Japan. It was a spirited call to action for “the greatest sport in the goddamn world.” His words.

Final Thoughts: Go out of your way to check out tonight’s main event, which was a bloody good time. And make sure to watch until the end for Moxley’s promo, too. It left me with a good feeling. Hopefully they can bring this back to Japan again in the future.

Minoru Suzuki match added to NJPW Windy City Riot

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The full lineup is now set for NJPW Windy City Riot in Chicago.

NJPW comes to Chicago’s Wintrust Arena for Windy City Riot this Friday night. The final addition to the card is a singles match between Minoru Suzuki and Ren Narita. It will be the first time Suzuki has wrestled for NJPW in 2024.

Suzuki was previously a mentor to Narita, but Narita has turned against him and joined House of Torture.

NJPW wrote:

It’s been a chilly mid-spring in Chicago, but main card action will bring the heat from the jump when Minoru Suzuki goes one on one with Ren Narita. At New Year Dash 2023, Suzuki took a then recently returned from excursion Narita under his wing, promising that he could teach him the true essences of Strong Style that he sought to embody. Yet in the wake of a weak G1 Climax debut and a Best of Seven six man series that ended in a tie, Ren Narita secretly conspired to turn his back on Hontai and join with HOUSE OF TORTURE.

Ever since, Narita has proudly proclaimed that HOUSE OF TORTURE is the true embodiment of Strong Style, but has not had to meet directly with the consequences of his betrayal of Suzuki.

Windy City Riot is airing as a live pay-per-view on NJPW World. It’s priced at $19.99 and will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Friday.

NJPW Windy City Riot 2024 (April 12) —

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito defends against Jon Moxley
  • Nic Nemeth vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • NJPW World Television Champion Matt Riddle defends against Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Riot Rules tornado tag: Eddie Kingston and three partners to be determined vs. Gabe Kidd and three partners to be determined
  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Mustafa Ali
  • Jack Perry vs. Shota Umino
  • Four-way match: NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions Hikuleo & El Phantasmo defend against Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls, Tom Lawlor & Fred Rosser, and Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson
  • NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against AZM
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Ren Narita
  • Mina Shirakawa & Viva Van vs. Trish Adora & Alex Windsor (pre-show)
  • Matt Vandagriff vs. Zane Jay (pre-show)

Minoru Suzuki vs. Royce Isaacs announced for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X

Posted on by Ian Carey

A new match has been announced for GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X. 

Minoru Suzuki vs. Royce Isaacs is now scheduled for the show. Barnett announced the news on Monday, writing: 

Two men that need to no introduction to the Bloodsport ring. One a legend of Catch Wrestling, student of Gotch, a King and a pioneer of MMA. A man who has taken on any and all comers over his 30+ year career. The other – a man driven on a mission to find his highest peak. Moving the steel and iron to create a body filled with power and training with the best he can at CMMA, Hayastan Academy, and with the “Warmaster” himself. Will the legend be a summit too high to ascend or will the man striving for glory simply try to crush the mountain to rubble…only the Bloodsport ring can answer this question. Minoru Suzuki vs Royce Isaacs at Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport X Watch it in person or LIVE on @FiteTV

#BloodsportX

The event takes place Thursday, April 4, 2024, at The Penns Landing Caterers in Philadelphia, PA. It will be available live through Triller TV (FKA FITE). 

Isaacs has a record of 2-4 at Bloodsport events with wins over Alex Coughlin and Bad Dude Tito. His losses were to Calder McColl, Coughlin, Clark Connors, and Johnny Bloodsport. 

Suzuki is 2-1-1 at Bloodsport events. His wins were over Matt Riddle and Chris Dickinson. His loss was to Dickinson at Bloodsport 8 and he and Barnett went to a time-limit draw at the event in 2019. 

GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X announced lineup:

  • Josh Barnett vs. Johnny Bloodsport
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Royce Isaacs
  • Nic Nemeth vs. Mike Bailey
  • AKIRA vs. Matt Makowski
  • Timothy Thatcher vs. Axel Tischer
  • Takuya Nomura vs. Fuminori Abe

Josh Barnett, Minoru Suzuki announce Bloodsport Bushido event for Tokyo

Posted on by Ian Carey

Josh Barnett and Minoru Suzuki are bringing Bloodsport to Japan. 

At a press conference held on Wednesday, the two Pancrase veterans announced Bloodsport Bushido will take place June 22, 2024, at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. 

Similar to Bloodsport events held in the United States, Bloodsport Bushido will have shoot-style rules, with no ring ropes and matches only ending via knockout or submission. 

Barnett would later say they are looking for professional wrestlers and combat athletes from other sports to take part. Only Barnett and Suzuki have been confirmed for the show thus far. 

Barnett said at today’s press conference:

At Bloodsport, we want to express the purest part of wrestling. There are various shows in professional wrestling, and flashy performances are held all over the world, but there are so many different things out there. , athletes sometimes get lost. I want to express what I’ve learned from so many legends like Antonio Inoki, Karl Gotch, and Matt Hume. I do both combat sports and professional wrestling, but when I’m wrestling…I once thought, ‘There’s something missing.” I want to bring that spirit and heart back to professional wrestling, and I want to create a place like that.’

A translation of Suzuki’s comments from today’s press conference reads:

Actually, I’ve been participating in Bloodsport since the first tournament.Well, all I can say is that it’s just a normal match.It doesn’t matter if there are special rules or where it is. “Whether it’s on a moving train, in a field, in a ring with barbed wire, or anywhere else, it’s just one match for me,” he says nonchalantly. I don’t know if I’ll bring it with me? (lol) I use everything that’s there. That’s my style.

Barnett and Suzuki went to a 25-minute time-limit draw at Bloodsport in 2019. 

GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X is scheduled for April 4, 2024, in Philadelphia over WrestleMania weekend. Takuya Nomura vs. Fuminori Abe is the only match announced thus far. 

Fight Game: Vince McMahon lawsuit, WWE Royal Rumble preview

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and I are back with another episode of The Fight Game Podcast.

We kicked things off by talking about Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon. 

We then got to the rest of our Top 5 which included:

  • Thoughts on WWE’s deal with Netflix
  • Adam Copeland against Minoru Suzuki
  • AEW rankings being back
  • Royal Rumble betting odds & predictions

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

AEW Dynamite live results: Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki

Posted on by Ryan Howard

Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki headlines this week’s eclectic AEW Dynamite lineup. 

In a first-time meeting, Copeland will face Suzuki in a battle of veteran stars on tonight’s episode from Savannah, Georgia. 

The top two contenders to Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship will also be in action in separate singles matches, as Swerve Strickland faces Jeff Hardy, plus Hangman Page takes on Penta El Zero Miedo. 

The AEW World Trios Championship will also be on the line tonight as The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn defend their titles against Mogul Embassy’s Gates of Agony & Brian Cage.

Sting & Darby Allin are advertised for a promo on the show. 

Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm & top contender Deonna Purrazzo will have a face-to-face interview. 

Wardlow will be in action against Trent Beretta. 

Thunder Rosa will wrestle on Dynamite for the first time since August 2022 tonight as she takes on Red Velvet. 

AEW Dynamite comes on the air with Excalibur welcoming us alongside Tony Schiavone and Taz as they throw it to the entrance of the AEW World Champion.

Samoa Joe made his way to the ring, as commentary talked about how HOOK pushed him to the limit last week. Joe tells the crowd he stands before them the undeniable AEW World Champion, as no longer will title opportunities be given, instead they’ll be earned. Joe says anyone who earns a title match against him will suffer the same fate as HOOK last week, choked unconscious and everything taken from them.

HOOK’s music hit and he stormed to the ring, standing face to face with Joe. HOOK said last week, he lost and Joe won. HOOK shook Joe’s hand and pulled him in, saying he doesn’t know when or where, but he’ll see Joe again. The crowd didn’t seem to hear that line, as Joe said HOOK can get to the back of the line and for security to get the unworthy out of his ring. HOOK threw three security guards around, as Joe bailed to the outside with HOOK walking to the back. Joe stayed on commentary for the opening contest and questioned who raised that animal in there, which got a chuckle from Taz.

Hangman Adam Page defeated Penta El Zero Miedo (w/Alex Abrahantes)

(I really enjoyed the finishing sequence of this one, as it took Page a lot to finally put Penta away. I would’ve been shocked had Page lost here, who really stared Joe down multiple times, as it’s very likely that we’re getting a Triple Threat for the AEW Title with Joe, Page & Swerve Strickland. I did like the HOOK & Joe interaction to start the show, but they need to make sure HOOK does something before getting another World Title match, he can’t be doing nothing up until then.)

After both men trash talked one another, an all out slugfest ensued before each traded big boots until a series of Sling Blades allowed Penta to win the exchange. Page battled back with a fall away slam and running Shooting Star, opting to stare down Joe, allowing Penta to recover with a bounce back leg drop off the bottom rope. Excalibur was running down the card for the night as Joe told him to shut up so he could hear the echo of Penta chops on Page. Both traded clotheslines and superkicks before a colliding with a double clothesline that took us to picture in picture. During break, both men fought outside, right in front of Joe before Page once again stared him down.

Back from break, Penta dodged a slingshot Page dive and connected on a somersault dive to the floor. Back inside, Penta wanted a double stomp, but rolled through into a Death Valley Driver by Page for two. After ten corner punches in the corner, Page bit Penta, who fired back with multiple thrust kicks and spinning Death Valley Driver of his own for a near fall. Penta wanted to snap the arm and Joe once again called for silence, as Page fought it off and hit a sit out Liger Bomb. Both men fought to the apron, where Fear Factor and Dead Eye attempts were avoided as Page sent Penta back inside, tried the Buckshot, only for Penta to counter into Made in Japan for a close two. Penta wanted a springing Destroyer on the apron, but Page reversed into the Dead Eye and followed with a Moonsault to the floor. Penta ducked a Buckshot back inside, so Page leveled him with a standard lariat before hitting a proper Buckshot lariat for the victory.

-Renee Paquette is backstage with Orange Cassidy and asks his thoughts on Roderick Strong wanting to face him at Revolution for the International Title? Cassidy said sure, fine, but that’s six weeks away. Cassidy isn’t going to wait, he’s going to keep wrestling and asked Tony Khan to get his friends and enemies, put them together in a match on Rampage and the winner will get a title shot on Collision. Cassidy stood awkwardly before saying he has to go; Trent Beretta faces Wardlow next and asks if Paquette has seen Wardlow? Paquette said that’s a lot of meat as Cassidy agreed and just walked off.

**********

-The Young Bucks are shown arriving backstage in flashy suits and gets a rundown for the show from someone, before Alex Marvez walks up, asking them about their interview last week. Marvez asks what their first plan of action as executives are? Nick said first he can refer to them by their passport names, Nicholas & Matthew Jackson. Matthew said as the last two surviving EVP’s, backstage morale is through the roof and catering is also a big hit. Their jobs are for things to run smoothly, as they run into Top Flight and ask if they’re just arriving to the arena? Dante & Darius said they’ve been there since 1 today, as Matthew asks why they’re in their gear and asks for their credentials. Nicholas said next time; it’ll be a fine before laughing and giving them a fist bump. Matthew said they’re killing it. Commentary talk about how hypocritical this was, seeing as The Jacksons just showed up.

Wardlow (w/Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) defeated Trent Beretta (w/Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy & Rocky Romero)

(This was the most offense we’ve seen anyone get on Wardlow in months, so credit to Beretta, who showed off some aggression post match. Perhaps they’re planting seeds for Beretta to break off from Best Friends? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still hoping for a tag title run for Trent & Chuck.)

Wardlow mowed down Beretta with a shoulder tackle right at the bell, as a massive F-5 followed up. Wardlow wanted a powerbomb, but Beretta crumbled, playing possum, getting a small package for two. Beretta low bridged Wardlow to the floor and Beretta followed with multiple baseball slides, only to be swatted out of mid air during a slingshot dive attempt.

Wardlow dismantled Beretta during break, but when things returned, Beretta mounted a comeback, dodging a roundhouse lariat, hitting a big knee. Wardlow spilled outside and Beretta hit a dive through the ropes before cracking Wardlow in the back with a chair, as referee Rick Knox was arguing with the Undisputed Kingdom. Back inside, Beretta hit a DDT and piledriver for a close two. Beretta wanted a cross body, but Wardlow caught him in mid air and hit a spinning powerslam. Wardlow placed Beretta on the top rope and hit a stalling lifting knee before delivering a violent stalling Last Ride powerbomb for the win.

Post match, Wardlow went to inflict more damage, but was called off by Adam Cole and company, as Beretta shoved Cassidy away from helping him up, frustrated at what just happened. Beretta ultimately cooled down and apologized to Cassidy.

Timeless Toni Storm & Deonna Purrazzo Face to Face

Renee Paquette is on stage and welcomes Deonna Purrazzo to the crowd before Timeless Toni Storm is out next with Luther & Mariah May. They brilliantly had Storm’s side of the stage in black and white, while Purrazzo was in color, which was a cool visual. Paquette said this has been brewing for several weeks and tries to ask Purrazzo a question, but Storm interrupts and said she’ll talk first, saying she has a massage booked at 11. Storm said she believes Purrazzo was recently body shamed, which is ridiculous because there’s so much more to shame about her. Storm said they have a history, but that doesn’t mean their past friendship allows Purrazzo to just waltz in and get a title shot. Storm said Purrazzo might be the best technical wrestler in the world today, but if she steps in the ring with Storm, she’ll twist her lips so hard she’ll need an epidural.

Purrazzo said this is insane, she didn’t come to AEW to make friends, she came to become AEW Women’s Champion. Purrazzo has no problem earning a title shot, but this version of Toni Storm isn’t who she wants to wrestle, not this sham, but the Storm who moved here from Japan and lived in her house, the best in the world. Purrazzo begs Storm to find that version of herself and if she can’t look down at her ankle. We see that both have the same tattoos, as Purrazzo said Storm might have the world fooled, but not her. Storm said Purrazzo can take her tattoo and blow it right out of her bum hole. Both ladies took turns throwing shoes at one another before May saved Storm from getting put in a submission. Purrazzo charged at May, who dodged and Luther at a pump kick. May & Storm bailed, as Purrazzo held up the AEW Women’s Title.

**********

-Jon Moxley is backstage and said the Blackpool Combat Club has won a lot of matches and titles since forming, but the amount of victory parties they’ve had is zero. They don’t spend time patting each other on the back, as there’s always threats right around the corner. That’s what it takes to be the best, to be elite, something some people who have come to AEW have failed to realize. In 2024, Moxley is going to pulverize and torture anyone who can’t get with the program and keep up with him in the ring. Moxley said this Friday night he’ll cut his heart out and bleed if he has to for the fans that pay to see the best wrestling in the world. Moxley will do it every single time. We’re told Moxley will face Lee Moriarty on Rampage, as this was a great promo from Mox.

-Taya Valkyrie & Johnny TV are backstage and reintroduce us to themselves, the most TV ready couple in AEW. Valkyrie is pissed off that Deonna Purrazzo is trying to cut to the front of the line and Johnny said no buts, no cuts, not coconuts. Valkyrie challenged Purrazzo to a match next week on Dynamite.

Swerve Strickland (w/Prince Nana) defeated Jeff Hardy (w/Matt Hardy)

(Despite feeling a little slow to start, the second half of this match really picked up and the crowd were loudly into it. Strickland continues to stack wins and like I mentioned in the Page recap, both are destined for a showdown with Samoa Joe.)

Dueling chants from the fans, as Strickland tried a series of pin attempts to start. Hardy took his chain off and gave it to his brother before getting a pin attempt on Strickland, only this time, having a handful of tights. Strickland was caught off guard by the cheating, as he drove Hardy down with a backbreaker, wanting to snap the arm, but Matt ran distraction, allowing his brother to regain control. Hardy folded Strickland up with a pin attempt, but was then sent to the apron, where Strickland swept the leg and hit a slingshot double stomp. Strickland set up Hardy on a chair, mocked the Hardy dance, but took too long, as Hardy swept the leg. Hardy got a running start and flying leg drop off the ring steps against the barricade, spilling into the front row.

Strickland regained control during commercial, as back from break, both men fought in the corner and Hardy took flight with a Whisper in the Wind for the double down. Hardy caught Strickland with a spin kick and hit a Sling Blade variation to follow. Manhattan Drop and double leg drop hit Strickland low. Hardy went to the ropes, but Strickland shoved him to the apron and flung Hardy shoulder first into the post. On the floor, Hardy delivered a Twist of Fate onto the steps before back inside, Hardy missed a Swanton. Strickland delivered the House Call, but Hardy kicked out. Strickland mocked going for a Twist of Fate, but Hardy got a few pin attempts until three jawbreakers staggered Strickland in the ropes, as he lured Hardy in with a rolling Flatliner into a delayed suplex. Strickland went up top and hit the Swerve Stomp for the victory.

**********

-Renee Paquette is backstage with Hangman Adam Page, congratulating him on the victory tonight, saying at 3-0 in 2024 already, he has to be near to the top of the rankings once they’re released. Swerve Strickland interrupts immediately and said he’s also undefeated in 2024, asking who the last one to beat Page was? Page said its “New Year, New Me, Dumbass!” and argues someone is going to knock Strickland down the rankings. Page went to storm off, but Paquette told him to stay right there, as she got word that next week it’s Dealer’s Choice and each will pick the others match on Dynamite.

Thunder Rosa defeated Red Velvet

(This not only suffered from most of it happening during commercial, but when things returned, it felt very clunky, especially the finish.)

This is the first time meeting between the two, as both traded arm drags until Rosa was sent to the apron. Velvet drove Rosa face first in the corner and swept the legs out, staying in control before the match went to a quick commercial.

Rosa battled back during break and continued to run wild with double knees in the corner. Rosa followed with the charging low dropkick and Northern Lights for two. Velvet fought back with a series of strikes and cazadora into a double stomp. A running double knees in the ropes led to Velvet trying a springing bulldog, but Rosa avoided, took way too long to try her finisher, allowing Velvet to back drop out. Rosa rolled through; hit a shotgun dropkick and Tijuana Bomb for the win. Post match, Rosa looked into the camera and said “when is my time Toni Storm or…” and she couldn’t remember Julia Hart’s name and asked the camera man what her name was. I don’t know if that was intentional or not, it was odd regardless. The camera cut away to the Savannah Bananas baseball team sitting ringside before she could continue.

Sting & Darby Allin Talk About What’s Next

Tony Schiavone introduced Sting & Allin to the ring, as Allin brought up the impact that Sting has had on his career. Allin said Sting influenced him far before teaming in AEW and when Sting’s career was nearly cut short, Allin questioned if the same could happen to him. Years later, when Allin heard Sting was coming to AEW, he flew to Texas to train at Sting’s home and after training a bit, told Sting he’s still got it. We cut to a quick shot of The Young Bucks backstage in a locker room with headsets on. Allin said he & Sting are undefeated and at 27-0, with the rankings back, it makes sense to challenge Ricky Starks & Big Bill for the AEW Tag Team titles. Allin told Sting once again, he’s still got it and asks if Sting wants to end his career as AEW Tag Team Champions? Sting soaked in chants and simply said he’s in.

**********

-Ricky Starks & Big Bill are backstage and thank Sting & Darby Allin for having the respect to address them by name and AEW World Tag Team Champions. Bill said as far as their challenge goes, they accept. Starks said it’s fitting that Sting’s first match in AEW was against him in a tag match and promised Sting won’t make it to Revolution.

The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) & Daddy Ass defeated Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun w/Prince Nana) for the AEW Trios Titles

(The Bang Bang Scissor Gang were successful in their first outing as a super group, as the numbers were rarely not in the favor of the Embassy, who dropped another trios match in two weeks.)

Switchblade Jay White & The Gunns made their entrance before The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass, but just went backstage for the match itself. Caster showed off his speed to control Cage early, as Bowens made a fast tag, connecting with a series of forearms. Bowens opted to pose, resulting in Cage launching him to the Embassy corner and Kaun & Liona took turns dishing out offense. Bowens tried to fight out, but Gunn & Caster were both pulled away before a tag could be made. Bowens charged off the apron at Cage, but Liona connected on a Pounce that launched Bowens to the floor into picture in picture.

The Embassy controlled the entire break, as Bowens made his comeback right when things returned with a Blockbuster on Cage. Bowens finally fought free and Gunn made the hot tag, running wild with punches. Liona cut Gunn off from trying a Fame-Asser on Cage, as Bowens came right back in and planted with a Cage F-5. Everyone took turns delivering high impact moves, as Kaun hit a Pedigree on Gunn for two. Nana threw a chair in the ring, as ref Aubrey was distracted by Kaun. Nana then took the ref, Kaun wound up, but Switchblade Jay White appeared to take the chair away. Gunn hit the One and Only on Kaun, as Nana was carried off by Austin & Colten and powerbombed through a ringside table. White watched on at the stage, as Cage was dropped from behind by Bowens’ leg drop. A Fame-Asser, Arrival, Mic Drop combo connected to give Gunn the pin on Kaun.

-A quick vignette is shown for the upcoming return of Serena Deeb on Collision

Adam Copeland defeated Minoru Suzuki

(I can safely say no one saw this match coming a week ago, but I’m sure glad we got it, this was excellent. The no commercial breaks during the main event really help as well, as there doesn’t feel like any down time, making the match have more urgency. When Copeland said he’s never been hit as hard as this, I absolutely believe him, as Suzuki was beating the living hell out of him. Copeland hung tough and survived a really fun main event.)

Both men waste no time slugging it out with forearms and it was Copeland to crumble first, so he switched to chops. A misdirect from Suzuki led to another violent forearm that dropped Copeland yet again. Suzuki wanted the Gotch Piledriver, but Copeland backdropped out. Suzuki suckered Copeland into the ropes for an arm breaker attempt, but Copeland fought free, hit a big boot, tried a Spear, but Suzuki side stepped into a guillotine to the floor. Copeland charged and both broke through the barricade into the crowd. Referee Bryce got to nine and both dove in to break the count.

Suzuki rose with a smile on his face, as more forearms were thrown by each man on their knees. As they rose to their feet, the forearms continued before Suzuki switched to slaps this time, eventually both connected at the same time and collapsed. Suzuki rose first and lit up Copeland with open hand strikes before trying an arm bar, which Copeland spun out of into an Impaler DDT. Dueling chants from the crowd as Copeland wanted a Spear, but ran into a Fujiwara arm bar. Copeland got the ropes, as Suzuki wanted a Rear Naked Choke, but Copeland shook him off and hit a Spear for two.

Copeland couldn’t believe it, as Suzuki rose up like the Undertaker behind him and sank in a Rear Naked Choke. Copeland was fading, his face turning purple, but the arm dropped only once, as Copeland drove Suzuki face first into the corner. Copeland delivered a Killswitch and got the win. Christian Cage was shown watching backstage with a disgusted look on his face. Copeland post match got the microphone and said he’s never been hit that hard before in his life and offered his hand to Suzuki, showing respect. Suzuki just growled at Copeland and walked off. Copeland said he would’ve been a little disappointed had Suzuki actually shook his hand. This was a war and told Christian Cage he’s still coming for him.

AEW Rampage 1/26/24

· Kip Sabian vs. Komander vs. The Butcher vs. El Hijo del Vikingo for a shot at the International Title on Collision

· Jon Moxley vs. Lee Moriarty

· Konosuke Takeshita vs. Christopher Daniels

· Ruby Soho vs. Anna Jay

AEW Collision 1/27/24

· FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) & Daniel Garcia vs. House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King & Buddy Matthews) in a Six Man Escape the Cage Elimination Match

· Bryan Danielson takes on Yuji Nagata

· Orange Cassidy defends the International Title against the winner of the Rampage 4 Way

· Serena Deeb returns to action

· Mariah May vs. Lady Frost

AEW Dynamite 1/31/24

· Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie

· Swerve Strickland & Hangman Adam Page both compete in Dealer’s Choice matches

AEW Dynamite 2/7/24

· Ricky Starks & Big Bill defend the AEW Tag Team Titles against Sting & Darby Allin