While FTR will defend the AEW Tag Team titles against Adam Cole & MJF on Saturday’s edition of Collision, the next challenger will be determined on Friday’s AEW Rampage.
Announced on Wednesday’s Dynamite, eight teams (16 men) will compete in a tag team battle royale with the winner earning a future Tag Team title shot.
The teams are Matt & Jeff Hardy, Matt Menard & Angelo Parker, The Butcher & The Blade, Brian Cage & Big Bill, Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal, Serpentico & Luther, Ethan Page & Brother Zay, and Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh.
While they won’t be in the match, The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) will be in action against opponents to be named.
A long rivalry will be renewed as former AEW Women’s Champions Hikaru Shida and Nyla Rose will clash. Shida defeated Rose in a no DQ match at 2020’s Double or Nothing to kick off her first title reign.
After returning to action recently on Collision after a lengthy absence, Scorpio Sky will take on Kip Sabian. It’s Sky’s first match on the show since June 2022.
Here’s the card being taped after Wednesday’s Rampage:
Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose
Tag team battle royal for AEW Tag Team title shot: Matt & Jeff Hardy, Matt Menard & Angelo Parker, The Butcher & The Blade, Brian Cage & Big Bill, Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal, Serpentico & Luther, Ethan Page & Brother Zay, and Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh
AEW has announced three more matches for Dynamite.
Just days after returning and defeating Jade Cargill for the TBS Championship at Double or Nothing, Kris Statlander will be in action on Wednesday’s show. She will defend her newly won title against former AEW Women’s Champion, Nyla Rose.
Darby Allin & Orange Cassidy vs. The Gates of Agony has also been added to tonight’s lineup. It will be Allin and Cassidy’s fifth time teaming together in AEW. They are 5-0 with three of those wins coming on house shows.
A three way match pitting Swerve Strickland vs. Big Bill vs. Trent Beretta has also been added to tonight’s show. Strickland and Bill were two of the three final wrestlers left in the Blackjack Battle Royal on Sunday along with Beretta’s stablemate Orange Cassidy.
“After the Blackjack Battle Royal saw Swerve’s close call + his betrayal of Big Bill, + Trent taking a bullet for his friend, Swerve, Big Bill & Trent fight in a 3 way TONIGHT!” Tony Khan wrote about the match.
TONIGHT, Wednesday 5/31 San Diego, CA Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite Live on TBS at 8pm ET/7pm CT
The new TBS Champion Kris Statlander will make her first ever title defense vs former World Champion Nyla Rose on Dynamite TONIGHT! pic.twitter.com/Pyx4IWWLB7
Four matches were taped for AEW Dark: Elevation on Wednesday from the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California.
With the show emanating from Southern California, former SCU teammates Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels were reunited. Daniels accompanied Kazarian to the ring for his match against Serpentico.
Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Miyu Yamashita made her AEW debut at the tapings as well. She teamed with Skye Blue in a losing effort to Nyla Rose and Serena Deeb.
Other matches filmed for the show include the Nightmare Factory defeating the Dark Order and Death Triangle defeated The Wingmen.
AEW Dark: Elevation airs Monday at 7 p.m Eastern on YouTube. Full spoilers for the show are listed below.
The Nightmare Factory (QT Marshall, Anthony Ogogo, Nick Comoroto & Aaron Solo) defeated Dark Order (Alan “5” Angels, John Silver & 10)
Frankie Kazarian w/ Christopher Daniels defeated Serpentico
Nyla Rose & Serena Deeb defeated Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita
The Death Triangle (Penta Oscuro, Rey Fenix, & Pac) defeated The Wingmen (Peter Avalon, Ryan Nemeth, & Cezar Bononi)
AEW suffered a power failure during the Dark: Elevation tapings on Wednesday.
Two matches scheduled for the show were unable to be filmed. The problems started during a match between Cheeseburger and Max Caster and continued as Nyla Rose faced Skye Blue.
Our own Dave Meltzer addressed what happened on Wednesdays’ edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
“The entrance and the announcing place all of a sudden went dark,” Meltzer said. “So, they did the match, Max Caster won, and then they did another match that they announced which was Skye Blue and Nyla Rose and they just said, ‘This match is only for you fans in the arena, it will never air.’ Because they couldn’t tape it because they had the power failure, or whatever it was. Luckily, they got the thing fixed by eight o’clock and there was no problem with Dynamite.”
The scheduled Dark: Elevation main event between Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. Nick Comoroto & QT Marshall was then taped after Dynamite.
AEW: Fight Forever will be released on PC in addition to consoles.
Evil Uno hosted a Twitch video on Wednesday and revealed more information about the game as well. He confirmed it will be titled “AEW: Fight Forever” as Tony Khan stated during the company’s show in Pittsburgh last month. Uno also revealed the game will be available on PC in addition to consoles.
In-game footage of Kris Statlander wrestling Nyla Rose with Aubrey Edwards as referee was shown. Statlander’s model in the game was as her “Galaxy’s Greatest Alien” gimmick.
Previous in-game footage featured Darby Allin, Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Hikaru Shida, and Jungle Boy.
According to a report from Fightful, the video game is expected to be released in September. The roster size is believed to be around 50 wrestlers.
While not officially confirmed, Owen Hart will possibly be included in the game. In a press release last September, AEW revealed its collaboration with The Owen Hart Foundation will allow for, “the production of unique and original Owen Hart merchandise, including specified retail goods as well as the upcoming AEW console video game.”
The first match is set for AEW’s Battle of the Belts special airing on April 16.
In a bout announced during this week’s Dynamite, Thunder Rosa will defend the AEW Women’s World Championship against Nyla Rose.
Rosa won the AEW Women’s title in a steel cage match against Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. at the St. Patrick’s Day Slam edition of Dynamite on March 16. The following week, Rose attacked Rosa on the stage as Rosa was being interviewed to set up the feud.
Battle of the Belts will be taped the night before it airs as part of a live Rampage taping on Friday, April 15 at the Curtis Cullwell Center in Garland, Texas.
Rosa vs. Rose is the only match announced for Battle of the Belts to this point. On the first edition of the special in January, three matches aired, including a Sammy Guevara vs. Dustin Rhodes interim TNT title match, a Ricky Starks vs. Matt Sydal FTW title match, and a Baker vs. Riho Women’s title bout.
It’s Monday and you know what that means: a seven-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Mark Henry, Paul Wight and a returning Tony Schiavone were on the call for this week’s episode of Elevation.
Jay Lethal defeated Jorah Johl (with Matt Hardy & Jose)
Lethal started the match strong, but Johl was able to use his strength to put things in his favor for a few minutes. Lethal tried to go for Lethal Injection, but Johl was able to counter it. The second time, however, Johl was not lucky. Lethal’s record is 6-1 after this bout.
After the match, Matt Hardy cut a promo about Johl disappointing him. Hardy threatened Johl that he would delete him from AHFO if he doesn’t impress soon.
Red Velvet defeated Skye Blue
While Velvet and Skye were facing each other, Leyla Hirsch showed up and distracted Velvet. Blue used this for a superkick and a nearfall. Red Velvet connected with the Final Slice and was able to win the match and improve her record to 45-21.
Frankie Kazarian defeated Alan Angels
Paul Wight and Mark Henry mentioned on commentary that if they were in the ring facing Angels, they would rip off Angels’ earring to teach him a lesson. This was very funny.
Kazarian and Angels had a battle of small packages and it ended with both standing tall. Angels tried to use his speed to overwhelm Kazarian, but the experience of the latter played a factor in this match. Kazarian sent Angels flying with a Stan Hansen-esque lariat. Kazarian went for a flying leg drop, but Angels countered it into a reverse figure four. Angels tried to go for another small package, but Kazarian countered it into a chicken wing to win the match by submission. Kazarian’s record after his match with Angels was 64-29.
Diamante, Emi Sakura & Nyla Rose (w/ Vickie Guerrero) defeated LMK, Kayla Sparks & Paris Van Dale
This match was the AEW debut of Paris Van Dale. The heels started the match quickly by attacking the non-AEW wrestlers. Nyla Rose’s power in particular helped her team establish the early advantage. Diamante with a brand-new submission move (modified rear naked choke) was able to win the match for her team.
Lance Archer defeated Fuego Del Sol
Fuego Del Sol tried to outsmart Archer, but failed. Archer tried to go for a Blackout, but Fuego escaped at the last second with a flip. Archer spent most of the match toying with Fuego. Fuego tried to go for his famous Tornado DDT, but Archer countered it with a suplex. Archer on his second attempt was able to hit the Blackout and improve his record to 47-10.
Leyla Hirsch defeated Willow Nightingale
Hirsch started the match not taking Nightingale seriously. Nightingale used her size advantage to overwhelm Hirsch. Nightingale went for a beautiful moonsault but there was nobody there, allowing Hirsch to win the match by submission with an armbar. Hirsch’s record after this bout is 32-12.
Evil Uno & Stu Grayson defeated Chaos Project
Luther tried to use Serpentico’s back for an assisted cannonball on Grayson, but it failed miserably. Serpentico tried to go for a Lethal Injection, but Grayson and Uno countered it into Fatality to win the match. Their record is 25-7 after this match.
Final Thoughts:
The chemistry of the commentary team has improved a lot since day one, you could clearly notice this when Schiavone, Henry and Wight were talking about cupcakes. In terms of matches, Kazarian vs. Angels was the best match of the night, but Archer vs. Fuego is also a match worth watching.
It’s Monday and you know what that means: an eight-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, with Excalibur, Mark Henry and Paul Wight on the call.
Red Velvet, Tay Conti and Anna Jay defeated Freya States, Angelica Risk and Arie Alexander
Even with States clearly being the strongest member of her team, Velvet, Conti and Jay isolated her for a good portion of the match. In the end, Jay got the Queenslayer on Alexander to get the submission win for her team.
2point0, Daniel Garcia & Gunn Club (w/ Billy Gunn) defeated Dean Alexander, Dominic Garrini, Chico Adams, Ariel Levy & Kevin Ku
This was the AEW debut for former MLW roster members Garrini and Ku, known as Violence Is Forever. The heels easily dominated this ten-man with Garcia getting the submission with a scorpion deathlock on Adams for the win.
The Bunny defeated Kaitland Alexis
This was the AEW debut for Alexis. This was a squash match with Bunny hitting Down the Rabbit Hole to improve her record to31-20.
Andrade, Private Party and The Butcher & The Blade defeated Shawn Dean, Carlie Bravo, Jameson Ryan, Baron Black and Chandler Hopkins
AHFO controlled this match from the start and there was nothing their opponents could do to turn things in their favor. Dean did get a great hot tag and even planted Isiah Kassidy with an impressive DDT. Andrade used his El Idolo hammerlock DDT to help Kassidy get the pin on Bravo.
This was Butcher’s first in-ring action since last November following a torn biceps.
After the match, Matt Hardy appeared on the ramp and looked happy for what just happened. He had been disappointed with Private Party’s recent outings prior to Andrade coming on board.
Ruby Soho defeated Haley J
This was Haley J’s debut. Soho dominated early with several corner kicks, but one poke to her eye complicated things. However, the No Future kick ended it for Soho, upping her record to 16-4.
Lance Archer defeated Joey O’Reilly
This was O’Reilly’s debut and he got destroyed by Archer who won the match by ref stoppage. This was Archer’s first match (and win) after falling short to Hangman Page in their recent brutal Texas Death Match they had.
Nyla Rose, Leyla Hirsch and Emi Sakura (w/ Vickie Guerrero) defeated Skye Blue, A.Q.A and Kiera Hogan
The experience of Sakura, the power of Rose and the grappling from them were the deciding factors of this match. This was another good showing for Blue, especially when she was paired up with Sakura and Hirsch. Hirsch hit a running knee strike on Blue to get the win for her team.
This was A.Q.A’s second match in AEW after her debut two weeks ago against TBS Champion Jade Cargill.
Jay Lethal, Matt Sydal, Frankie Kazarian, Lee Johnson & Brock Anderson (w/ Arn Anderson) defeated Chaos Project and The Wingmen (Peter Avalon, Cezar Bononi & JD Drake) (w/ Ryan Nemeth)
Chaos Project and The Wingmen tried isolating and grounding Sydal, but his speed was enough for him to reach Kazarian. Nemeth tried to intervene in favor of the heels, but Arn Anderson took him out and prevented him from cheating. A combination of a spinebuster from Brock Anderson, a frog splash from Johnson and the Macho Man-esque elbow drop from Lethal on Serpentico was enough to pick up the win for the babyfaces.
Final Thoughts:
Something interesting on this week’s Dark: Elevation was the amount of multi-person matches: five to be exact. All felt quick and went directly to the point. The highlight of the episode was Archer just destroying his opponent and winning by ref stoppage.
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
Matches taped for WWE Main Event this week include Veer Mahan vs. Akira Tozawa and Liv Morgan vs. Doudrop.
Johnny Knoxville joined ESPN’s SportsNation to talk about his performance in the men’s Royal Rumble match on Saturday.
WWE’s YouTube page has footage of Rey Mysterio giving Bad Bunny his mask following the Royal Rumble match.
Bianca Belair and Summer Rae will be guests on this week’s episode of The Bump.
Nick Hausman of WrestlingInc spoke to Apollo Crews on who he’d want to face in NXT. “There’s a lot of talent down there,” he said. “This is a guy that’s actually another indie guy, but Pete Dunne, he’s so talented. Tommaso Ciampa is another one, he just lost the title, but these are guys I am more familiar with. I’ve had the chance to work with Pete Dunne, but it was in a multi-man match or something, but never anything that was one on one. Walter, he’s another guy, Gunther, sorry about that, I got that one wrong. Roddy, Roddy Strong. Those four or five guys I would love to mix it up with a little bit.”
Nyla Rose spoke to Sports Illustrated regarding her reaction to a transphobic sign that was held up during a recent match on Dynamite. “For the most part, people understood why that sign was wrong,” Rose said. “Maybe that person didn’t quite understand the gravity of what they were doing. You want to boo, that’s cool. But there is a line. People might feel it’s a conflict of their beliefs by simply respecting someone else, but it’s not. You don’t have to understand or even agree with somebody’s situation to show them simple respect and kindness, like respecting their pronouns and respecting their way of life. I’d love for people to be cool with it, but if that’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. But shouldn’t people want to treat their fellow humans with a little respect and kindness?”
Christian Cage took to social media to reflect on his return to pro wrestling one year ago. “1 yr ago today I took my career back. Man, 2021 was wild, I was involved in 3 PPV main events for 3 different companies & had some special moments. That being said, @AEW is my home for the rest of my career. So what do I want in 2022? The world, Chico, and everything in it.”
Atlantic City Weekly has a story on AEW’s upcoming show at Boardwalk Hall featuring comments from senior vice president of business strategy Chris Harrington.
Austin Gunn has filed a trademark for the term ‘Ass Boys’.
The memorial for Jimmy Rave will be held on Sunday, February 6 at the Lakepoint Sports Champion Center, which is located at 261 Stars Way in Cartersville, Georgia.
Dave Bautista will star in an ad for Nissan that will air during the Super Bowl.
Bret Hart has signed to star in the upcoming film “The Outlaw Murders”.
Tasha Steelz spoke to Denise Salcedeo about her current run in Impact Wrestling, including Mickie James and the Knockouts Ultimate X match.
EC3 filed for the trademark ‘Control Your Narrative” on January 26.
Jake Something wrote a Twitter post about fighting depression and urging others to not giving up, writing “Don’t give up. You’re stronger than you know.”
Ruby Soho vs. Nyla Rose has been officially announced for next week’s AEW Dynamite.
The match was set up on this week’s episode, as Rose challenged Soho in a promo segment with Vickie Guerrero. A video promo aired during Rampage where Rose mocked Soho playing air guitar during her entrance. The match was then made official.
In their previous AEW meeting, Soho defeated Rose in the semifinals of the inaugural TBS Championship tournament.
Rose is a former AEW Women’s Champion.
Dynamite will take place in Chicago, Illinois at the Wintrust Arena on Wednesday, February 2. They last ran the Wintrust for their Thanksgiving week Dynamite and Rampage in November, a show where CM Punk faced QT Marshall, and the Punk-MJF feud began in earnest with a lengthy promo segment.
Here is the announced lineup for Dynamite:
CM Punk vs. MJF
Malakai Black & Brody King vs. PAC & Penta El Zero Miedo
Nyla Rose has advanced in the TBS Women’s Championship tournament.
Rose submitted Hikaru Shida with a stretch muffler after interference from Serena Deeb, who attacked Shida’s leg. Shida continued to be competitive against Rose after the attack, but could not withstand the stretch muffler.
Deeb and Shida have been feuding ever since Deeb attacked Shida during a match with Shida’s 50th win trophy to prevent Shida from getting her 50th win that night. Shida then defeated Deeb in a rematch to advance past the first round of the TBS Championship tournament. Ever since, Deeb has appeared in the crowd for Shida’s matches.
With the win, Rose is the first to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. She will face the winner of the match between Kris Statlander and Ruby Soho. The matches to determine the other semifinal slot are Thunder Rosa vs. Jamie Hayter, which takes place on next week’s Dynamite, and Jade Cargill vs. Red Velvet, which takes place on Rampage this Friday.
Night two of AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest takes place this evening in Garland, Texas.
The AEW Women’s World Championship will be on the line as Dr. Britt Baker defends against Nyla Rose. Baker will have Rebel in her corner, while Rose will have Vickie Guerrero in hers.
Another title will be up for grabs as IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley faces Lance Archer in a Texas death match rematch of their NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 bout with the same stipulation.
Chris Jericho will be in action against Shawn Spears in chapter one of the Five Labours of Jericho. Spears will be allowed to use a chair, while Jericho will not.
Orange Cassidy will take on The Blade. Cassidy will have Kris Statlander in his corner, while The Bunny will be in The Blade’s.
“The Elite Hunter” Frankie Kazarian will face Doc Gallows of The Good Brothers.
Darby Allin will take on Wheeler Yuta. Sting will corner Allin, while Cassidy will corner Yuta.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
Show Report —
MJF joined commentary for this match.
Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Spears (w/ Tully Blanchard)
The rule was that Spears, whose nickname is the “Chairman,” can use a chair, but Jericho can’t. This was the first “labor of Jericho.”
Jericho knocked the chair out of Spears’ hands and took him down with a running forearm. Spears got some offense in, but Jericho tossed him over the top and then sent him to the floor, where Jericho whipped him into the barricade. Jericho grabbed the camera from the ringside cameraman and celebrated.
Spears grabbed a chair from under the ring and cut off a Jericho springboard. He targeted Jericho’s injured left arm. Jericho came back with an enziguiri and went to the top rope, but Spears popped up and took Jericho down to the mat. Spears continued to attack Jericho’s arm.
Jericho avoided a corner splash and took down Spears with a shoulder tackle. He landed a double sledge off the top rope. Jericho propped Spears up in the corner and landed ten punches before hitting a top-rope Frankensteiner. He ran into a Spears thrust kick for two.
Spears countered running offense into a spinebuster for two. He went outside for another chair and smacked it over Jericho’s back. He set up to smash it over Jericho’s head, but Jericho took him down and locked on the Walls of Jericho. Spears fought to reach the ropes, but Jericho brought it back into the center of the ring.
Tully distracted the official as Spears frantically tapped. Sammy Guevara ran out and sent Tully packing, but Spears grabbed a chair and whacked Jericho with it. He then hit the C4, but Jericho kicked out — the first time the C4 was kicked out of in AEW. Spears set up to hit a chair-assisted C4, but Jericho escaped and hit the Judas Effect for the win.
– MJF immediately grabbed a mic and said that Jericho’s not allowed to have anyone come out and help him anymore.
Next week, Jericho will have a No Disqualification match against indie stalwart Nick Gage for Labor #2. Gage showed up and got a major reaction.
**********
A brief Miro video played. The most notable part is that he was wearing a Bloodsport jacket.
**********
Doc Gallows (w/ Karl Anderson) defeated Frankie Kazarian
Kazarian went right at Gallows in the corner and followed it up with a missile dropkick. Gallows came back with a big boot as he established the advantage in the match. He whipped Kazarian to the floor, where the latter fell victim to a cheap shot from Anderson leading into the commercial break.
Once back, Kazarian avoided some shots and took Gallows down with a clothesline and a back suplex. A springboard leg drop followed for two. Anderson got involved again but was taken out with a leg bulldog. The distraction was enough for Gallows to hit a right hand and a sit-out tree slam for the win.
– After the match, Anderson attacked and the Good Brothers hit Kazarian with the Magic Killer.
Omega’s music played, and he walked out with Don Callis. He said that attacking Kazarian was a message: “This is what happens when you mess with The Elite.” Omega said that Kazarian had been a thorn in their side for months. “The Elite Hunter has become, uh, the Elite Hunted.”
Hangman Page’s music played and he came out with a beer in hand. Callis pointed out that the Elite have the four-on-one numbers advantage and asked if Page was stupid or drunk. Page struck but was immediately taken out by the Good Brothers. The Dark Order ran out to even the odds. Page hit a Buckshot Lariat on Anderson.
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A Team Taz video played where Taz said he was proud of Ricky Starks for winning the FTW Championship. Starks said that they’d have a championship celebration the following week.
Brian Cage was interviewed about it. He said the celebration works out, because he loves celebrations.
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Darby Allin (w/ Sting) defeated Wheeler YUTA (w/ Orange Cassidy)
Allin had heavily taped ribs after last week’s Coffin Match with Ethan Page. They performed some chain wrestling to start. NJPW’s Hikuleo, the son of Haku, was shown in the crowd.
YUTA targeted Allin’s midsection, striking it with a thrust kick and dropping him over the ropes. Allin came back briefly, but YUTA pulled him off the ropes and locked on an octopus hold. After Allin escaped, YUTA hit a German suplex bridge for two.
Allin pulled YUTA off the ropes and hit a superplex. Sting and Orange faced off outside the ring and did some Orange schtick. YUTA tried to take advantage with a cradle, but Allin hit a stunner and the Coffin Drop for the quick win.
– The Blade attacked Orange after the match with brass knuckles. They’re supposed to wrestle one on one later tonight.
**********
A video package aired recapping Jon Moxley and Lance Archer’s previous matches. Archer said he’d knock Moxley’s ass out. Moxley said “one way or another, it’s over.”
**********
A video recapped the Baker vs. Rose feud.
AEW Women’s Championship: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (c) (w/ Rebel) defeated Nyla Rose (w/ Vickie Guerrero)
This was Baker’s first defense of her championship. The crowd adores her but the action and layout here were not good.
She took Rose to the mat early on with a targeted attack on Rose’s left arm. Rose powered out but was rolled up for two. She caught a running attack from Baker and hit a press slam followed by a running senton. Rose perched Baker over the top rope, but Rebel pulled her off as Baker flatlined Rose into the turnbuckle.
Baker dominated throughout the break, meaning Rose essentially worked babyface in this match. Once back, Rose overpowered Baker and hit a backbreaker fallaway slam combination. Baker avoided a corner cannonball and hit a sling blade. She backslid Rose for a near fall, but Rose’s shoulder was up. The crowd thought it was three.
Rebel handed Baker the glove. Rose went for a chokeslam, but Baker rolled out of it for a two-count cradle. Baker tried for the Lockjaw, but Rose powered out and hit a Death Valley driver. She followed it up with her diving draping leg drop for a good near fall. Baker came back with two thrust kicks for two. Rose came back with a chokeslam for two.
Baker kind of hit a crucifix bomb for two. She then sloppily rolled Rose up for two more, following it up with two curb stomps for yet another near fall. Rose leveled Baker with a forearm strike, leading two a double down. Rebel distracted the official and tossed Baker the belt, who summarily did the Eddie Guerrero feint. Rose tossed the belt back to Baker before hitting the Beast Bomb for a close near fall.
Rose went for another Beast Bomb, but Baker countered out and floated over into the Lockjaw, forcing Rose to submit.
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Tony Schiavone moderated a press conference between FTR and Santana & Ortiz. Harwood was insistent that they were the same. Ortiz said that FTR’s just a pit stop on the way to tag team gold. Santana produced photos from his childhood and upbringing, talking about his mother. Harwood said the only thing left to do was show up and beat their ass. They will wrestle next week.
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Andrade El Idolo / Death Triangle segment
Andrade El Idolo was brought out by Tony Schiavone. He has a surprise for everyone. Schiavone introduced Andrade’s new “executive consultant,” Chavo Guerrero. Chavo said this is the place to be. With all due respect, he doesn’t see anybody with as much talent as Andrade.
Death Triangle’s music hit as all three came out with Alex Abrahantes. PAC said they heard Andrade bring them up last week. The Death Triangle hides from nobody. Andrade thanked them for coming. Loud “Cero miedo!” chants.
Andrade said some words in Spanish. Chavo translated for PAC. The Death Triangle is all talented, and they should be holding championships. If they want to change that, listen to Andrade.
“One question,” from Andrade. “Why do you work for PAC? Why not work for Andrade El Idolo?” PAC said that Penta and Fénix don’t work for him. The Death Triangle are family. Fénix said they were the real faces of Latinos. Penta said something, and Alex translated: “Penta says, ‘Why would we want to join a group with you when you’re not even on our level?'”
Death Triangle rushed the ring. Andrade told them to relax and the referee core came out to separate them.
**********
Earlier tonight, the Hardy Family Office had a fight with the Jurassic Express, and Christian Cage had their back.
They cut to Christian and Jurassic Express backstage. Christian suggested he team with Jurassic Express against Angélico and Private Party next week.
**********
QT Marshall, with Alex Marvez, said next week he’d apologize for dumping a protein shake over Tony Schiavone’s head.
**********
Orange Cassidy vs. The Blade (w/ The Bunny)
Orange surprised Blade after the attack earlier tonight. Blade fled to the floor and caught Orange upon re-entry to the ring. Orange took Blade down and laid in strikes. Blade acted like he was injured in the corner as Bunny checked on him. Blade surprised Orange and took him down, but Orange countered a suplex into a stunner.
They fought on the top rope, where Blade hit an insane gutwrench powerbomb on the top turnbuckle, leading to a break. Once back, a diving crossbody and satellite DDT from Orange got two. Bunny tried to get involved, but Kris Statlander stopped her. Orange went to hit Blade with a tope, but Blade pulled Statlander in the way. Orange then pushed Blade into Bunny.
Back in the ring, Blade caught a satellite DDT and dropped Orange over the top rope. A running lariat and spinning tombstone piledriver followed for two. Blade went for the Doctor Bomb, but Orange fought out and hit the Beach Break for two. Bunny distracted the official and tossed the brass knuckles to Blade, but Orange avoided a strike and hit the Orange Punch for the win.
– After the match, Orange grabbed the brass knuckles and hit another Orange Punch on Blade.
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Chris Jericho was asked about next week’s no disqualification match against Nick Gage. Jericho said he’d bring the most violent and demented version of himself next week: the Painmaker. He turned around and revealed the Painmaker face paint.
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Next week’s lineup for AEW Fight for the Fallen:
No disqualification: Chris Jericho vs. Nick Gage
FTR vs. Santana & Ortiz
Christian Cage & Jurassic Express vs. Private Party & Angélico
IWGP US Heavyweight Championship: Winner of Moxley/Archer (c) vs. Hikuleo
Elimination tag: The Elite (Kenny Omega, Young Bucks, & Good Brothers) vs. Hangman Page & Dark Order (Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver, & Alex Reynolds)
Tony Khan will announce a major new live event
In two weeks for AEW Homecoming:
Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black
**********
A video package hyping Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black played.
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IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Texas Deathmatch: Lance Archer defeated Jon Moxley (c)
Awesome hardcore main event with a hometown winner. This was no disqualification Last Man Standing rules.
Moxley went right after Archer before the bell and immediately grabbed a kendo stick. He repeatedly whacked Archer with it, but Archer shrugged off the shots. They traded forearms in the center of the ring before Archer cut Moxley off with a pounce followed by a running cannonball senton to the floor. Moxley sent Archer through a barricade with a running shoulder tackle.
They fought up into the stands and crowd. Moxley leapt off a structure and struck Archer, but Archer shrugged it off and used a planted fan as a weapon on Moxley. Back in the ring, Archer cut off a tope suicida with a forearm before exposing the concrete floor. Moxley fought out of a hold and planted Archer on the floor with a Paradigm Shift.
Archer was busted open. Moxley produced a fork and repeatedly stabbed at Archer’s face. During the break, Moxley set up tables on the outside. Once back, Moxley wrapped a chair around Archer’s leg and landed a diving stomp. Moxley tried to follow it up with a trash can lid shot but Archer punched it into Moxley’s face.
They traded right hands. Moxley bit at Archer’s face, but Archer fired up and went for a ripcord lariat. Moxley hit a release German, but Archer hit a big boot and a ripcord Black Hole slam. Archer set up chairs and went to hit a Blackout through them. Moxley fought out and hit a low blow, but Archer popped up and chokeslammed Moxley through the chairs.
Moxley made it up at an eight count and countered a running attack with a big lariat followed by a Paradigm Shift. Archer popped up at four and flipped off Moxley, but Moxley stabbed at Archer’s head with the fork once again. He produced barbed wire boards and propped them up on the tables outside. Moxley went for the Paradigm Shift through the boards and tables, which is how he originally won the title. Archer fought out using the fork and chokeslammed Moxley through the tables. Moxley couldn’t make it up for the 10 count and Archer won the championship for the second time.
– After the match, Archer and HIkuleo faced off. Hikuleo dwarfed Archer, which was an awesome visual.
A match for the AEW World Women’s Championship has been made for the second night of Fyter Fest.
Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero announced tonight on Dynamite that Rose will get her title shot on the second night of Fyter Fest, which takes place on July 21 in Garland, Texas. The two were hyping their match for this coming Wednesday, when Rose and Guerrero will face Baker and Rebel in a tag team match.
Rose and Baker reignited their feud on the Dynamite following Double or Nothing, when Rose interrupted Baker’s championship victory celebration by destroying her cheeseburger display. The war of words has continued in recent weeks, with Guerrero saying she got Tony Khan to make the Wednesday tag match for her.
AEW will be starting back on the road with Road Rager on July 7 in Miami, Florida. The first night of Fyter Fest will take place on July 14 in Cedar Park, Texas. AEW will then finish the month with Fight For the Fallen in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 28.
Three matches were announced for the June 30 edition of AEW Dynamite.
The show, which will be the final show at the Dalys Place before going back on tour, will include Miro defending the TNT title against Brian Pillman Jr., a tag team match with Britt Baker & Rebel facing Nyla Rose & Vickie Guerrero, and MJF vs. Sammy Guevara.
All three matches were set up on this week’s Dynamite. Miro attacked Pillman’s tag team partner Griff Garrison, causing him to retaliate. The two eventually had to be split apart by referees. Vickie Guerrero challenged Baker and Rebel, saying Tony Khan made the match as a favor to her after she brought in Andrade el Idolo to AEW. Guevara attacked MJF after MJF attacked Dean Malenko while he tried to stop The Pinnacle from attacking Chris Jericho and Jake Hager.
After June 30, AEW will return to live touring with a show in Miami on July 7 called Road Rager. A South Beach strap match between Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall has been announced for that card.
