Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish turned on The Young Bucks on this week’s Dynamite. Cole said that he came to AEW out of loyalty to The Young Bucks. He brought up the upcoming tournament for the AEW Trios titles. Cole told The Bucks that if they weren’t going to team with Fish in the tournament, then they weren’t going to compete in the tournament at all. This was when Cole and reDRagon attacked The Bucks, along with Brandon Cutler.
Cole set up a chair over Matt Jackson’s neck and was about to jump off the turnbuckle when Hangman Page came out to make the save. He helped The Bucks back up to their feet, then left the ring.
In recent weeks, The Young Bucks have been teasing reuniting with Hangman Page on episodes of Being The Elite, first with an unsent text message to Hangman about patching things up. On a recent episode, the Bucks were talking with Hangman Page when they were interrupted by The Dark Order.
AEW announced last week that a tournament for the AEW World Trios Championship would start soon. The winners will be crowned in a tournament final at All Out.
An AEW World Tag Team title match has been announced for next week’s Dynamite.
Jurassic Express will defend the titles against reDRagon. Additionally, a trios match pitting the Jericho Appreciation Society (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, and Daniel Garcia) against Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz has also been announced for next week’s show, which will take place at the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.
After retaining the titles against The Young Bucks and reDRagon at Revolution back in March, reDRagon have continued to feud with the team, at one point stealing their titles. On tonight’s show, Jungle Boy said they were going to be the ones to challenge reDRagon for next week.
Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz returned to Dynamite last week, attacking the Jericho Appreciation Society after they jumped the trio last month. Despite this, JAS were able to stand tall. On this week’s show, Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz retaliated by attacking the JAS backstage. They brawled outside the arena, with Jake Hager rescuing the rest of the group by helping them escape in a getaway car.
Current Dynamite lineup:
Jurassic Express vs. reDRagon for the AEW World Tag Team titles
Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz vs. Jericho Appreciation Society
reDRagon has secured a spot in the three-way AEW World Tag Team title match set for AEW Revolution.
Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly won tonight’s battle royal that put them in the Tag Team title match set for AEW Revolution on March 6 in Orlando, Florida. The finish of the battle royal had Matt Jackson eliminating Trent Beretta. While Matt’s back was turned O’Reilly, who was recovering on the ground, sprang up and eliminated Matt.
After the match, reDRagon and the Young Bucks argued about the finish. They were interrupted by Hangman Page, who went after reDRagon after they attacked him the previous week.
The third team for the Revolution Tag Team title match will be determined next week on Dynamite, where a casino battle royal will take place.
The current card for AEW Revolution is as follows:
Hangman Page vs. Adam Cole for the AEW World Championship
Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s World Championship
CM Punk vs. MJF in a dog collar match
Jurassic Express vs. reDRagon vs. a third team to be determined next week for the AEW World Tag Team titles
Image: @TheSamiCallihan. Report submitted by reader Brian Reznick.
This was a weaker PWG show, but it was still good and had one outstanding match (Lio Rush vs. Keith Lee). The show started around 8:05 and ended at 11:15 with the standard intermission. The crowd was not quite as hot as the best PWG shows, though it was still very good.
– Chuck Taylor defeated Trevor Lee
The crowd loved Taylor and hated Lee, but also weren’t as hot for the match as the wrestlers involved usually merit. They went about 15 minutes and Taylor won.
– Dezmond Xavier defeated Jason Cade and Jake Crist in a triple threat match
Fun match filled with high spots. Cade looked good in his PWG debut.
Early in the match, they set up a ridiculous series of continuous dives where one guy would dive onto the other two and one of the guys who took the dive would immediately get back in the ring and start another dive. They either did a run of three or four dives each and it was capped by Crist going to two corners and doing the Randy Orton pose before hitting a final dive to the outside.
Xavier pinned Cade after a variation of a top rope corkscrew splash. The crowd chanted “please come back” for Cade after the match.
– Keith Lee defeated Lio Rush
This was the match of the night. They set up an early motif where Lee would keep trying to tell Rush to “Bask in his…,” but before Lee could say glory, Rush would attack him. Lee fended off each attack, sometimes catching Rush in mid-air and one time putting his hand to Rush’s forehead and holding him at arm’s length.
Rush eventually landed a few strikes, and ended with a slap to the face. They then continued the pattern of Rush attempting a comeback, landing a little, but Lee slamming him around.
The crowd was very into the whole match with counter chants going, but a truly outstanding spot in the middle got a huge standing ovation. Both guys had ended up outside of the ring and were coming back in. As Lee came in, Rush hit him low, and laboriously picked him up for a Death Valley Driver. The crowd went nuts when Rush hit the driver and then went to the top rope for a great frog splash and cover, but Lee powered out at one, tossing Rush halfway across the ring.
Lee eventually flattened him, picked him up, flattened him, picked him up, gave him a huge Last Ride-style powerbomb and covered him for the 1-2-3.
– Unbreakable F’n Machines (Michael Elgin & Brian Cage) defeated War Machine
They had the second best match of the night. It was a great clash of the big guys. A highlight spot was Elgin holding Rowe for an extended vertical suplex, Cage tagging in, and Elgin handing Rowe off to Cage before Cage finished the suplex. The crowd counted this as 23-24 seconds.
Elgin and Cage got the heat on Rowe for a while before he made the hot tag to Hanson. Hanson did a fun hot tag, using a cartwheel and clothesline on both Cage and Elgin setting up the running clotheslines on each of them in the corners.
Rowe then picked Hanson up and scoop slammed him on each guy. War Machine were not able to hit Fallout and Elgin/Cage won after a middle rope powerbomb to Rowe from Elgin followed by Cage hitting the Weapon X. Loud chants for War Machine after the match.
– Sami Callihan defeated Matt Sydal
Quick, fun match following intermission. Sydal got the advantage early by hitting some hard leg kicks and strikes. Each guy took bumps onto chairs, but there were no chair shots to the head (which is good). Callihan won with his over-the-shoulder single leg crab. Callihan had legit heat with a good portion of the crowd throughout the match.
– Jeff Cobb defeated Trent Barreta
Another great “big guy” vs. “little guy” match. The story was Trent trying to get quick flurries of offense and Cobb repeatedly flattening him with every variation of suplex that has ever existed. Both guys looked great here and there were dueling chants throughout the match for each guy.
They fought around the ring and back into the ring. Cobb again began to take advantage with suplexes. Trent would keep trying to escape only to be grabbed and thrown again. Trent mounted a comeback by exiting the ring, surprising Cobb, and eventually piledriving him on the apron.
He got back in the ring and hit the Dudebuster for a near fall. Cobb came back with a series of suplexes before hitting the Tour of the Islands for the pin.
– The LDRS (Marty Scurll & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated reDragon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)
This match was very good, but it should have been shorter. They went 30-35 minutes, but should have gone 20-25 as there were points where the crowd was somewhat out of it. Scurll was the most over guy in the match, though the crowd was probably 60-40 pro-ZSJ.
The story of the early part of the match was that reDragon outwrestled the LDRS. In every combination between the four guys, they would grapple back and forth (great sequences from everyone), but reDragon would always end with a slight edge. reDragon mounted a comeback toward the end and hit Chasing the Dragon on Sabre, but he kicked out.
The finish came when Scurll hit Fish with the umbrella and Sabre got O’Reilly into his submission that looks like the Rings of Saturn and started kicking O’Reilly in the head. O’Reilly got an arm free and was trying to escape when Scurll walked in and did the finger break spot. Sabre then caught O’Reilly’s free arm and started kicking him more. I couldn’t tell if O’Reilly tapped or if referee Rick Knox decided he was out, but Knox called for the bell.
After the match, Sabre and Scurll started stomping reDragon and Chuck Taylor came in for the save (he’d been on commentary). Sabre and Scurll fled to the back. Taylor got the mic and challenged ZSJ for the title.
Taylor said that if he loses to Sabre, he’ll never get another title shot. Sabre came back out, took the mic, and said that Taylor was bad and other mean things.
Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish once again teaming up highlights the announced lineup for PWG’s May 19th show.
Fish and O’Reilly haven’t teamed since PWG’s Mystery Vortex IV back in December, which was around the same time that O’Reilly’s contract with Ring of Honor had expired. Fish’s contract has expired recently as well, though he is still working with ROH as a free agent. They will be facing Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle.
reDRagon will also be teaming up for PWX at a show on April 30th in Hickory, North Carolina prior to the match in PWG.
Two title matches are also set to take place on the show, which is titled “Head Like a Cole.” Zack Sabre Jr. will defend his PWG World Championship against Trent (Baretta), and The Young Bucks will look to regain the PWG tag titles as they face off against Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero M.
Other matches rounding out the card are Sami Callihan against the show’s namesake Adam Cole, Lio Rush taking on Mark Haskins, and Shane Strickland facing Michael Elgin. There will also be a battle of the Lees as Keith Lee takes on Trevor Lee.
Tickets will go on sale on April 27th at 8 p.m. PT.
Welcome to our Wrestle Kingdom 10 Preview Series, otherwise known (by nobody) as the #WK10PS! As January 4th nears, I’ll be bringing you previews of all the matches set to take place at the Tokyo Dome. Up first is the obligatory four-way tag team match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles.
I have to be honest: I was not looking forward to previewing this particular match. No offense to any of the guys involved as they’re all great! I mean, Rocky Romero is pretty much the best. Trent has great Bill Murray knee pads. The Young Bucks are the Young Bucks. Kyle O’Reilly is awesome and had one of the best matches this year with KUSHIDA. Bobby Fish has a mean moustache. Ricochet and Matt Sydal are a fresh tag team and do an assortment of very pretty flips. With this much talent involved, it’s no doubt going to be a fun, funny, chaotic, fast paced, Dragon Gate style match.
When I say I’m not looking forward to previewing this match, what I mean is that I’m not looking forward to trying to explain the storyline reason for this match But, before I endeavour to do that, let’s prolong the inevitable/get to know the participating teams a little better.
reDRagon
reDragon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) appear frequently in New Japan as part of the ROH/New Japan partnership. Along with being three-time ROH World Tag Team Champs, they are currently in their second run as IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team champs. Their first run came about after winning the 2014 Super Jr. Tag Tournament and going on to defeat the Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) for the titles. Their current reign started on August 16 at the G1 Finals when they defeated the Young Bucks. And yeah, they’re pretty great.
Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are another team out of ROH that are featured regularly in New Japan. They are also former ROH World Tag Champs and three-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champs. They enjoy doing superkicks and telling people everywhere to suck it. Despite the constant ordering to do so, I’ve never seen any actually take them up on the offer, and I thank the lord for that every day. They’re also in this little group called the Bullet Club. You may have seen their shirts.
Roppongi Vice, or sometimes, RPG Vice.
Roppongi Vice are the Forever(ish) Hooligan Rocky Romero and Trent “My Name Is a Question” Baretta. RPG Vice formed after Romero’s Forever Hooligan partner Alex Koslov retired, leaving Romero in need of a new partner. I wouldn’t have minded seeing Romero become a singles wrestler as he’s one of the best and most entertaining juniors on the New Japan roster, but it wasn’t meant to be. It all worked out in the end as the also very talented and underrated Baretta joined Rocky in March this year to form RPG Vice. The duo very quickly captured the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship(s?) from the Young Bucks at Invasion Attack in April (They lost the titles back to the Bucks a month later, but who hasn’t?). Their theme music, produced by Romero, is ridiculously catchy and refuses to get out of your head. Furthermore, if they ever produce a line of perfume, it will be called Roppongi Spice.
Matt Sydal & Ricochet (Air Puma?)
To enter the 2015 NJPW Super Jr. Tag Tournament, singles stars Matt Sydal and Ricochet joined (air)forces to become…Matt Sydal & Ricochet: Tag Team! The Crown Prince of Boyle Heights and former Evan Bourne defeated the Time Splitters, Young Bucks, and Roppongi Vice in the finals to win the annual tournament. The team has adopted a very effective double team finisher of stereo Shooting Star Presses. Besides making for a great visual, thanks to the pair’s impeccable timing, what I love about it is that it’s a double team move that takes out both opponents. Pretty much every other double team finisher I can think of is done to only one opponent, leaving the other open to make a save. I just think that’s pretty neat. Let’s carry on.
Well, I guess I’ve avoided this part long enough. So, just how did we get to this quadruple team title match?
Here goes! To start, reDRagon (Fish & O’Reilly) are the IWGP Jr. tag champs (just like they were this time last year) so obviously they’re in. Sydal and Ricochet earned a title shot by winning the 2015 Super Jr. Tag Team Tournament, so they’re in. Now, this is where it gets a little fuzzy. The Young Bucks felt, and rightly so I suppose, that they deserved their rematch for the titles after losing them to reDRagon back in August, so they’re in. Finally, RPG Vice defeated reDRagon in the semifinals of the 2015 Super Jr. Tag Team Tournament, so they felt they too deserved a shot at the titles, and thus, they’re in. And the rest, as they say, is history. It does make you wonder what the purpose of having a Jr. Tag tournament when 50% of the teams end up in the Wrestle Kingdom title match.
Of course, the simple version of the story is that four-way tag team matches for the IWGP Jr. Tag titles have seemingly become a traditional Wrestle Kingdom match. The last Tokyo Dome show that featured only two teams fighting for the titles was in 2011 at Wrestle Kingdom VI. Wrestle Kingdom 7 was a three-way, and since Wrestle Kingdom 8, it’s been four-ways.
Personally, I’d prefer a traditional 2-on-2 tag match for the titles at the Dome. Four-ways are fun, but when it’s teams who’ve faced each other again and again, it’s hard to make the match up feel fresh (at least the new pairing of Sydal & Ricochet help with that issue). They’re always very fast, with a nice mix of athleticism and comedy, and with the level of talent involved, the quality is always top notch. They’re basically a very good Dragon Gate match. I guess the other upside is that eight talented and deserving workers are getting a spot on the card for the biggest show of the year instead of 4.
Be prepared. There will be flips, splashes, superkicks, forever clotheslines, arm bars, guillotines, back rakes, Indytakers, Meltzer Drivers, Suck Its, and more! And if you blink, you’ll miss all of it.
