Two new matches have been added to AEW Rampage Black Friday on November 26.
In a Black Friday Deal match, AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker will face former Champion Riho in a non-title match. Should Riho win, she will receive a future shot at Baker’s World title.
Also added, Orange Cassidy and Wheeler Yuta of Best Friends will take on Adam Cole and Bobby Fish in tag team action. Cole and Fish lost to Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus in a tag match on last week’s Rampage. Fish has not officially been announced as a member of the SuperKliq or The Elite, but his NXT association with Cole in The Undisputed Era group has been played up and Fish is depicted as a mercenary for Cole and The Young Bucks.
Already announced for the show, Eddie Kingston will face Daniel Garcia.
Additionally, more matches for next week’s Dynamite will be announced on Friday. To this point, a TBS Championship tournament quarterfinals match with Ruby Soho vs. Kris Statlander is the only thing announced for that show.
AEW returns to their recent set of Universal Studios tapings for Tuesday’s edition of Dark that will see former Women’s Champion Riho in action.
Riho will face Karma Dean and will be looking for her eighth straight singles win on her road back to what she hopes is another title shot.
Ahead of his challenge of Eddie Kingston this Friday on Rampage, Daniel Garcia will team with 2point0 against Gabriel Hodder, Adrien Soriano and Matthew Omewn in trios action.
Kiera Hogan returns to AEW action as she faces Notorious Mimi while former WWE 205 wrestler Anthony Greene faces Jameson Ryan.
Coming off a loss to Lio Rush and Dante Martin on last Wednesday’s Dynamite, The Acclaimed will look to get back in the winner’s circle as they face Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson of the Nightmare Family.
Here’s the full 12-match lineup for Tuesday on YouTube:
Emi Sakura vs. Valentina Rossi
Kiera Hogan vs. Notorious Mimi
Riho vs. Karma Dean
2point0 & Daniel Garcia vs. Gabriel Hodder, Adrien Soriano and Matthew Omen
The Acclaimed vs. Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson
Bear Country vs. Chad Lennox and Caine Carter
Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vs. Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo
A former AEW Women’s World Champion has been added to Sunday’s Casino Battle Royale.
The returning Riho has been announced as a participant for the Battle Royale. AEW GM Tony Khan made the announcement on today’s All Out media call. Riho returned to AEW in-ring action at Wednesday’s AEW Dark tapings after nearly two months away from the company.
20 participants are now official for the 21-woman Battle Royale.
Here is the updated card for All Out:
AEW All Out, Sunday, September 5, 7 p.m. Eastern time pre-show, 8 p.m. Eastern time main card —
AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Christian Cage
CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
AEW Women’s World Championship: Britt Baker (c) vs. Kris Statlander
AEW World Tag Team Championship steel cage match: The Young Bucks (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers
TNT Championship: Miro (c) vs. Eddie Kingston
Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall
21-woman Women’s Casino Battle Royale: Thunder Rosa, Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, Jade Cargill, Anna Jay, Riho, The Bunny, Big Swole, Tay Conti, Hikaru Shida, Red Velvet, Julia Hart, Diamante, Emi Sakura, Kiera Hogan, Abadon, Leyla Hirsch, KiLynn King, Jamie Hayter, Rebel, a mystery participant
The Buy-In pre-show match: Matt Hardy, Private Party & TH2 vs. Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Wheeler Yuta & Jurassic Express
The following are AEW Dark: Elevation spoilers for future episodes of the show. These matches were taped both before and after Wednesday’s Dynamite episode at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL.
Eddie Kingston did not join commentary for this episode as he had in recent weeks.
Emi Sakura defeated an unnamed opponent
Lance Archer defeated an unnamed opponent
Bear Country defeated The Wingmen (Ryan Nemeth & Peter Avalon)
Kiera Hogan defeated an unnamed opponent
Jon Silver & 10 defeated an unnamed tag team
Nyla Rose (with Vickie Guerrero) defeated an unnamed opponent
Anthony Bowens defeated Griff Garrison. Bowens won after Max Caster made his return and helped him win the match.
Red Velvet defeated an unnamed opponent
Dante Martin defeated JD Drake
Riho defeated Skye Blue. This is Riho’s first match since July 7th.
Eddie Kingston, Jox Moxley and Darby Allin (with Sting) defeated Chaos Project (Luther & Serpentico) & Rickey Shane Page
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that former AEW Women’s Champion Riho has been out of action due to a bad reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine.
He also noted that the 24-year-old is feeling better as of late and should be returning to the company soon. Riho’s last appearance for the company was on July 7th when she picked up a win over Amber Nova in Miami, Florida, in a match taped for AEW Dark: Elevation.
After an eleven month hiatus due to the pandemic, she made her return in Feburary as she participated in the Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament, losing in the semifinals to Thunder Rosa.
Aside from a few Dark matches, she was featured on both pre-shows for the Revolution and Double or Nothing pay-per-views. At Double or Nothing, she failed to unseat then-NWA Women’s Champion Serena Deeb in a highly-regarded match.
In a previous Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer reported that Riho was also in the process of moving to the USA full time.
Serena Deeb will defend the NWA Women’s title against former AEW Women’s Champion Riho on Sunday’s The Buy In, the pre-show for AEW Double or Nothing
The match was going to be announced on Friday’s AEW Dynamite, but an image was accidentally shared by an international announcer Wednesday morning on social media.
After a three month absence due to a knee injury, Deeb returned to action this month on Dynamite, successfully defending the title against Red Velvet — her first action since a mid-February loss to Riho in the AEW Women’s title eliminator tournament.
Deeb defeated Thunder Rosa for the title last October on an episode of UWN Primetime Live. She has five defenses of the title, all on AEW TV, but has yet to make any appearance on NWA Power since the show returned. She also doesn’t have an announced match for NWA’s upcoming When The Shadows Fall pay-per-view.
After returning to AEW after more than a year away, Riho defeated Deeb, lost to Rosa in the semifinals, teamed with Rosa in a losing effort to Britt Baker and Maki Ito, and defeated Ito on the first-ever Dark: Elevation on March 10th. She hasn’t been back since.
Maki Itoh appeared on tonight’s AEW Buy-In pre-show, replacing Rebel as Britt Baker’s tag team partner.
Itoh appeared as Baker’s partner, taking on Thunder Rosa and Riho. Britt Baker told Tony Schiavone in a video posted on social media that Rebel would not be able to compete due to being injured at the hands of Nyla Rose. Baker then came out before the match, saying that Rebel got a doctor’s note from a Jacksonville Jaguars doctor after Tony Khan rejected her original doctor’s note. She then introduced her tag team partner, who ended up being Itoh.
Itoh and Baker won their tag match, with Rebel hitting Rosa with her crutch. Baker then covered Rosa for the win.
Regularly appearing for Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Itoh was a part of the Women’s title eliminator tournament, taking part in the Japan bracket. She lost to the eventual winner of the tournament, Ryo Mizunami, in the first round that aired on February 15.
The Thunder Rosa vs. Riho quarterfinal in the AEW Women’s World title eliminator tournament will air for free on Bleacher Report on Sunday, February 28.
“The #AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament USA semifinal bout featuring former AEW Women’s World Champion Riho vs. former NWA Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa streams on Bleacher Report on February 28th on a free Sunday Special, one week before Revolution PPV!”
This will be the second AEW event to air on Bleacher Report this year, the first being the AEW Awards on January 27. That show aired exclusively on the Bleacher Report app. Khan did not make clear in his announcement whether the match would air on Bleacher Report’s website, or if it would also be exclusive to the app.
In the tournament, Tay Conti vs. Nyla Rose, plus Britt Baker vs. Anna Jay are the remaining first round matches and will air on the February 24 Dynamite.
Yuka Sakazaki, Emi Sakura, Ryo Mizunami and Aja Kong are the final four on the Japanese side of the bracket. Sakazaki vs. Sakura and Mizunami vs. Kong will air on AEW’s YouTube channel on Monday, February 22.
“This will be free worldwide for all fans on Bleacher Report, not BR Live for this show, back on BR Live domestic/FITE a week later for Revolution. It’s huge to get exposure on Bleacher Report available to millions of fans worldwide + a reminder Revolution is Sunday 3/7, not on Saturday.”
“With Bleacher Report’s 9.4M Twitter + 14.8M Instagram followers, it’s a huge opportunity to introduce AEW & our great wrestlers to new fans by streaming such a high stakes bout between 2 of the best as part of a free Sunday Special. Thank you Bleacher Report for teaming with us.”
Riho vs. Serena Deeb has been announced for the upcoming AEW Women’s title eliminator tournament.
AEW announced tonight during Dynamite that Rhio would be making her return to AEW to square off against the NWA Women’s Champion during the opening round of the tournament. It would be the first time Riho has competed in AEW since last March.
The company announced the upcoming tournament last week. No start date has been set, though the graphic AEW aired tonight saidthat the tournament would be coming soon. The winner will be next in line for the AEW Women’s title.
In Riho’s last AEW match on March 18, she lost a fatal four way match that involved winner Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Penelope Ford. She has been mostly working for Stardom during the COVID-19 pandemic, but finished up with the promotion in December.
Riho was the first AEW Women’s champion, defeating Nyla Rose in a tournament final on the October 2, 2019 edition of Dynamite. Rose later went on to defeat Rhio for the title on February 20th of last year.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AEW is working on bringing back former Women’s Champion Riho back to the promotion, possibly as early as February.
The 23-year-old hasn’t been on TV since a mid-March Dynamite when she was on the losing end of a four-way against Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Penelope Ford. Due to the pandemic, she has been in Japan and working mainly for Stardom since July. However, she hasn’t been on a Stardom show since a December 26th event, raising speculation she could be returning.
Meltzer noted that the issue is moving her to the U.S. from Japan to help avoid the two week quarantine from back and forth travel.
On this past week’s Dynamite, AEW announced a 16-woman tournament to decide the next challenger to the aforementioned Shida who has held the title since May. The graphic used indicates a U.S. vs. Japan angle to the tournament which would seem to be a natural fit for Riho’s return.
Riho became the inaugural titleholder by defeating Nyla Rose on the first Dynamite in October 2019 in the finals of a tournament. She held the title through February 12th of 2020 when Rose defeated her on an episode of Dynamite.
We look back at the good and bad of last week’s major events as well as where this all leads in the current issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We’ve got TLC coverage, looking at the card, with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
Also in this issue:
Our new feature of Performer of the Week and match of the week.
Tokyo Dome show as well as talk of the new restrictions and just how much money the restrictions are costing the company, the lineup of both nights and more stories regarding the show.
WWE Slammy Awards for the serious and not-so-serious.
WWE top star talking about wrestling becoming secondary to him and negotiate fewer dates, Notes on the most-watched Smackdown of the year, WWE’s next legends show, Flair & Hogan’s drawing power in the past, lots of new WWE TV show ideas, plans for 2021 Hall of Fame, WWE star wins major Jui Jitsu tournament, update on Pat McAfee and Ronda Rousey, U.K. TV ratings, how WWE & AEW compare to sports ratings, more on Bill Goldberg, Hulk Hogan new business, most-watched shows on the WWE Network and market value of WWE right now.
UFC’s final show of the year in detail with all the stories of the different matches.
Dragon Gate’s last big show of the year, with the match to lead to a faction being disbanded, rookies being pushed and thoughts on the handling of the Ben K concussion.
Kevin Greene, an NFL Hall of Famer who did several matches in WCW and picked up pro wrestling better than most athletes do.
Luis Carlos Borges, one of Argentina’s biggest-ever stars and the heyday of Los Titanes en el ring.
A feature on 1930s Bulgaria star Dan Koloff, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. This was scheduled for this year’s Hall of Fame issue originally. This feature by Phil Lions goes through his career and explains why he is a cultural icon in Bulgaria, where multiple books and even a major movie were done on him.
Detailed look at the television business, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back with Wrestling Observer Radio tonight taking Brodie Lee and other news as well as taking your email questions at [email protected].
I want to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas during a very tough last few days for the industry. You’ve all read a lot of Brodie Lee in the last 24 hours and am sure will read more to come. Jon Huber was a great guy who loved wrestling and loved his family. He did get frustrated when injuries took him out but always took solace in the fact that when he was injured it would be more time to bond with his two sons. He was thankful that his time in WWE provided him a great living but was also frustrated and had a point to prove as he turned 40, that he could be a top star. I think the shock of it being early October the last time we saw him on television in that brutal chain match with Cody Rhodes and this is what makes this so difficult to process.
There were only two combat sports related mentions this week in Google searches. Luke Harper was the name used and it was the second most searched topic on the Internet yesterday with 500,000. Kevin Greene was No. 3 on Monday with 2.05 million searches.
New Japan I believe will be selling Tokyo Dome tickets for one more day before putting a cap on them due to the government wanting to limit capacity for all events going forward.
Riho from AEW finished up with Stardom yesterday. Stardom wanted its talent to be exclusive and she is still under contract with AEW.
WWE
Carsten Schaefer, the long-time WWE German television announcer announced his retirement and said it was not by choice. He had not been able to appear at WWE shows in recent months due to COVID and they have German language announcers who live in the U.S.
The WWE website announced its 10 best matches of the year:
1. Undertaker vs. A.J. Styles Boneyard Match at WrestleMania
2. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley Hell in a Cell match
3. Edge vs. Randy Orton Backlash
4. Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns Survivor Series
5. A.J. Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Jeff Hardy ladder match Clash of Champions
6. Daniel Bryan vs. A.J. Styles Smackdown 6/12
7. Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre ambulance match Clash of Champions
8. Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov 10/29 NXT U.K.
9. Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair WrestleMania
10. Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly Takeover 31
UFC/MMA
The Fighters Only World MMA awards for the period of January 2019 to July 2020 were announced last night with the show airing on CBS Sports Network
Charles “Mask” Lewis Fighter of the Year – Israel Adesanya
Female Fighter of the Year – Amanda Nunes
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year – Jorge Masvidal
International Fighter of the Year – Israel Adesanya
Fight of the Year – Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Knockout of the Year – Jorge Masvidal over Ben Askren
Submission of the Year – Demian Maia over Ben Askren
Comeback of the Year – Stipe Miocic over Daniel Cormier II
Upset of the Year – Alexander Volkanovski over Max Holloway
Shawn Tompkins Coach of the Year – Trevor Wittman
Gym of the Year – American Top Team
Referee of the Year – Herb Dean
Ringcard Girl of the Year – Brittney Palmer
Leading Man – Dana White (12th straight year)
MMA Personality of the Year – Joe Rogan (sixth straight year)
Analyst of the Year – Daniel Cormier
Beat Promotion – UFC (12th straight year)
Media Source of the Year – ESPN
Best MMA Programming – Joe Rogan Experience
Journalist of the Year – Ariel Helwani (10th straight year)
The Manel Kape debut that was scheduled for 12/19 but pulled when opponent Alexandre Pantoja pulled out for undisclosed reasons, is now back scheduled for the 2/6 show. Kape was a star with Rizin in Japan before signing with UFC.
Manon Fiorot debuts in UFC on the 1/20 show against Victoria Leonard. Leonard was scheduled against Natalia Silva, but Silva withdrew due to a fractured ulna (elbow) in training.
Nassourdine Imavov vs. Phil Hawes is scheduled for the next UFC show, which is the 1/16 show that will air on ABC.
Joaquin Buckley, coming off two big finishes, is scheduled to face Allessio Di Chirico according to MMA Junkie also on the 1/16 show.
AEW
This has to do with Pac, who still lives in the U.K. Due to the new virus strain, all people traveling from the U.K. to the U.S. has to test negative for COVID within 72 hours of their departure. (thanks to Fred Morlan)
AEW is enforcing copyright violations with people looking to do videos of Dynamite, Dark, PPVs, BTE and Road Two going forward due to broadcast agreements. The company has told people that usage of any footage will be subject to demonetization and/or removal. Previously they had let this slide but in the last two days they have started cracking down.
OTHER NEWS
Jun Akiyama beat Konosuke Takeshita earlier today to win the DDT D-oh tournament and get a shot at Tetsuya Endo on 2/14 for the KO-D title.
Tito Ortiz in the Los Angeles Times for not wearing a mask as required in public meetings as well as public events.
Revolution Pro Wrestling from today in Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK: JJ Gale b Gideon Grey, Dan Molony b Rib Lias, RKJ b Brendan White, Gisele Shaw & Jamie Hayter b Skye Smithson & Zan Phoenix, Screwface Ahmed b Chuck Mambo, Charlie Sterling b Joel Redman. They announced Shaw vs. Hayter for the British women’s title would take place at the next show in a few weeks (thanks to Shannon Walsh and Wrestling with Demons)
KSW announced its first show of the year will be 1/30 in Lodz, Poland with former Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting Szymon Kolecki (8-1) against Martin Zawada (29-15-1) in the main event plus Salahdina Parnasse (14-0-1) defends the featherweight title against Daniel Torres (11-4). Kolecki won a gold medal in 2008 in Beijing as a super heavyweight lifter and has wins over former world’s strongest man Mariusz Pudzianowski and former Olympic wrestling bronze medalist Damian Janikowski.
Mybookie.ag lists Ben Askren at -150 against Jake Paul at +120, which is different from most places that have Paul as the favorite if such a boxing match happens. Askren said today that Paul’s people have gone silent ever since he accepted the fight. Sportsbetting.ag has Paul as a -200 favorite.
Leslie West, the lead singer of the group “Mountain,” who passed away on Wednesday, put out a 1985 song “Hard Times” and Jesse Ventura starred in their music video. (thanks to Ross Blair)
In the Wonder Woman sequel that came out this past week, Wonder Woman 184, Wonder Woman in her alter ego as Diana Prince visits a guy in D.C. who is a disorganized slob and in a shoot of his place there is a 1984 Pro Wrestling Illustrated issue with Jerry Lawler on the cover. (thanks to Eric Krol)
EPW in Australia will be running 1/22 and 1/23 in Western Australia. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Hurricane Pro Wrestling from last night in Beaumont, TX: Jordan Jensen & Tamu Ku b Jared Wayne & Johnny Lyons to win tag titles, Tyson Maddox b Chris Cnydel, Danny Limelight b Nathan Bradley, Miranda Alize b Low Rider, Renee Michelle b Myka Madrid, Ryan Davidson b Edge Stone (thanks to Shannon Walsh and Wrestling With Demons)
Roy Lucier at [email protected] is looking for a Spanish language version of the AAA When Worlds Collide PPV show.
Two title matches headline tonight’s AEW Dynamite and every champion in the promotion will be in action.
Cody will defend the TNT Championship against independent star Warhorse. Cody has made six defenses of the title since winning it in May at Double or Nothing.
The AEW World Tag Team Championships will also be on the line tonight. Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page will defend against Evil Uno and Stu Grayson of The Dark Order. Omega and Page have made seven defenses of their titles since winning them from SCU on Dynamite in January.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley will also be in action this evening. He will team with Darby Allin against Brian Cage and Ricky Starks in a tornado tag match. Moxley and Allin have each saved the other from attacks by Cage and Starks in recent weeks.
AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida will face Diamante in a non-title match. Diamante defeated Ivelisse on last week’s Dynamite, while Shida was last in action against Rache Chanel in a victory on last week’s AEW Dark.
Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, Best Friends and Orange Cassidy will face Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz and Jake Hager in a 10-man tag.
MJF making a “state of the industry address” has also been announced for the show.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Taz welcomed us to the show.
Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy defeated Santana, Ortiz, Chris Jericho, Jake Hager & Sammy Guevara
The babyfaces did some dives at the outset. Marko Stunt climbed on the back of Luchasaurus and they hit a double dive to the floor.
Hager cut Trent off with an illegal strike from the apron. Inner Circle worked on Trent for the bulk of the match.
Trent made a hot tag to Luchasaurus who ran wild with kicks. There was a Botchamania moment where Luchasaurus’s mask popped off.
The match broke down and everyone jumped in for a big move. Luchasaurus teased a chokeslam on Guevara. Jericho tried to jump in with a baseball bat. Cassidy stopped Jericho.
We got a distraction finish here. Guevara went to the top rope but got distracted by Matt Hardy’s music. Hardy appeared behind Guevara and shoved him off the top rope into a roundhouse kick from Luchasaurus for the pin.
The announcers said that Hardy and Guevara have unfinished business.
This match was not very good, plus the finished sucked. The announcing also sucked. There was no Excalibur to call moves so it was three guys playing the same role.
The only plus was that it was a heel that fell victim to the paralyzing other wrestler’s music distraction finish instead of a babyface.
**********
Jon Moxley cut a pre-taped promo backstage. He called Brian Cage and Ricky Starks “punk bitches” for attacking Darby Allin last week. He said he tries to mind his business and that he doesn’t start fights but he can finish them. This was a good promo.
Taz then said that Moxley was clearly scared of Cage.
The announcers previewed the rest of the card.
**********
TNT Championship match: Cody (w/Arn Anderson) defeated Warhorse to retain the title
This was a very good match. Warhorse is the real deal.
Both broke cleanly against the ropes after locking up. Cody turned his back and Warhorse clobbered him with a forearm. Cody tried a sunset flip out of the corner but Warhorse kicked out. Warhorse tried a jackknife cover but only got a two count.
They did a criss-cross spot which ended with Warhorse hitting a lariat. Cody took over during a commercial break. He used a superplex and a single-leg crab.
After the break, Cody used a figure four. Warhorse reversed the figure four and Cody forced a break. Warhorse hit a series of strikes. He sold the damage from Cody’s holds as he climbed to the top rope. Warhorse hit a double stomp off the apron.
Back inside, Warhorse hit a top rope elbow for a near fall. Warhorse blocked a figure four and used a small package for a two count. Warhorse blocked a sunset flip and sat down for a near fall.
Warhorse tried a double stomp off the top but missed and sold the leg on landing. Cody locked on a figure four and Warhorse submitted.
**********
Alex Reynolds and John Silver of The Dark Order ran in after the match and attacked both Warhorse and Cody. Arn climbed into the ring and acted like he was going to fight them.
Instead, an absolutley gigantic Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder in WWE, ran in for the save.
He cleaned house and embraced Cody after.
**********
Tony Schiavone was on stage to announce the next pay-per-view on September 5.
Inner Circle interrupted. Jericho said they’re pissed off tonight. Guevara called Hardy a son of a bitch twice.
Jericho challenged Cassidy to a debate next week with a moderator who will blow our minds and challenged Cassidy to a rematch on August 12. Jericho said when he beats Cassidy, Cassidy will give him seven thousand dollars cash to replace his jacket.
Santana told Jericho the jacket smells more like cat pee than orange juice.
**********
JR threw to a pre-taped FTR contract signing. FTR were about to sign their deal when Arn Anderson entered and looked over the contract for them, teasing an alliance there.
They have it in their contract that all the rules will be strictly enforced in their matches and only they will use tag ropes.
Hangman Page entered with whiskey to share a drink with FTR. Arn was offered a drink but declined.
FTR said that they asked Tony Khan to make August 12 a tag team appreciation night with them as hosts.
**********
Mr. Brodie Lee, Anna Jay and Colt Cabana came to announce desk. JR and Schiavone were unaware that Jay had joined Dark Order many weeks ago, maybe because we haven’t seen her since.
Cabana joined the commentary team.
AEW World Tag Team Championship match: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page defeated Stu Grayson & Evil Uno to retain the titles
This was a good match that a hot crowd could have taken to another level.
Page attacked Uno and Grayson before the bell. Omega slowly made his way to the ring and made the save as Page fell victim to a 2-on-1. Dark Order regained control in the early part of the match after turning it into a brawl around ringside.
Omega got sent into the barricade and Dark Order began working Page over during a commercial break. Page came back with a slam and tagged Omega. Page and Omega hit some tandem offense. Grayson sent Page to the floor.
With Page down, Uno and Grayson worked on Omega. Uno hit a senton bomb for a near fall. Grayson and Uno hit simultaneous offense with a 450 and a cannonball in the corner for a near fall. Omega hit Uno with a snap dragon. Omega hit a v-trigger for a two count.
The finish saw Page get a tag. Page and Omega hit the Last Call for the pin on Uno.
**********
After the match, Lee escorted Cabana and Jay to the back. He then came back to the stage and laid out Uno with a stack of papers.
Lee cut a promo. He said he noticed The Young Bucks were watching from the crowd. The Bucks made their way to the ring.
Lee said Page pissed him off by not joining him last week and now he will pay. Some jobbers in Dark Order masks jumped the rail and looked ready to attack.
FTR ran in with a cooler and laid out Lee on the stage before making their way to the ring and helping The Elite fight off the geeks.
**********
Tony Schiavone introduced Britt Baker. Baker said she’s going to give Big Swole a shot at her if Swole beats an opponent of her choice.
*********
Diamante cut a pre-taped promo. She said she’s been working hard on the indies for ten years. She said she’s trying to get signed and a win over the AEW Women’s Champion would get her a contract.
She said she’s willing to give her last breath in the match.
**********
The Deadly Draw women’s tag tournament was randomly announced during the next match. It will begin Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern time on the AEW YouTube Channel. More rules will be announced later tonight, according to Schiavone.
**********
Hikaru Shida defeated Diamante
They brawled back and forth early. The match spilled to the floor where Shida hit a knee lift with Diamante draped over the barricade.
Shida teased a superplex but Diamante snapped her neck over the top rope with a neckbreaker. Diamante tried to hit machine gun chops in the corner.
Diamante hit a wheelbarrow stunner. Shida took a great bump off the stunner. Diamante covered but Shida’s shoulders weren’t down. Another Botchamania moment tonight.
Diamante tried something resembling a destroyer into a cover but Shida’s feet were on the ropes. Another botch. Shida hit a delayed vertical into a falcon arrow for a two count.
Shida then hit a shining wizard for the pin.
This was a bad match and it was not Shida’s fault.
**********
The rules for Deadly Draw were announced:
The tournament is a random draw
All competitors must draw a color
Matching colors will become a team
Selections are final and cannot be appealed.
**********
Dasha Gonzalez was backstage with Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero. Dasha asked who Nyla was looking forward to as a partner. Vicke said it doesn’t matter.
Rose drew her color, purple. Dasha said that someone had already drawn purple as well.
Ariane Andrew, the former Cameron in WWE entered and said “Girl, hi,” a take on her WWE catchphrase.
My word.
**********
MJF’s State of the Industry Address
MJF was shown backstage. He made his way to the ring, passing “MJF 2020” campaign posters along the way. During a commercial break, he walked around ringside shaking hands and acting like a politician. MJF began his address from a podium.
MJF said that wrestling fans are dumb but he has been given ample time tonight to force feed the audience like you would feed a kid macaroni and cheese.
MJF said Moxley is not his champion and repeatedly called him “Dictator Jon.” He said AEW was supposed to be about change and opportunity but with Moxley on top it’s more of the old guard.
MJF made all sorts of insider references. He talked about how he draws more ratings than Moxley. He said Moxley and his like have brainwashed fans into expecting flips and dives. He said Moxley is cosplaying as Stone Cold.
MJF challenged Moxley for his championship and said he was going to carry this company for the next 25 years.
The delivery here was excellent and the content of the promo significantly improved towards the end.
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Cody & Matt Cardona vs. Alex Reynolds & John Silver, an MJF update, FTR & The Young Bucks & Page & Omega vs. Brodie Lee & Cabana & Grayson & Uno & Five & Ten and the Jericho/Cassidy debate with a special guest moderator were announced for next week.
The main event is next.
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Darby Allin was introduced. His music played but he didn’t enter. Moxley then entered.
Taz cut a promo backstage and said Starks beat Allin so badly last week that he couldn’t show up tonight.
Taz then bragged about Cage’s deltoids, traps and biceps. Starks then cut his own promo on Moxley and Allin. It was an excellent promo. They then made their way to the ring for the match. Taz rejoined the broadcast team.
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Starks and Cage made their way to the stage. Allin hit a coffin drop from the top of the entrance set. Allin and Starks paired off and Moxley and Cage did as well before the bell. To my knowledge we never got an opening bell, in fact.
Tornado tag match: Jon Moxley & Darby Allin defeated Brian Cage & Ricky Starks
Allin tried a dive to Cage. Cage was supposed to catch Allin but dropped him. Cage then picked Allin up. Moxley hit Cage with a suicide dive and all three of them crashed on the floor.
Moxley pulled a trashcan from under the ring. Cage cut him off. Cage and Starks continued working on Moxley. Allin hit a missile dropkick to Cage. Starks and Allin fought on the apron. Cage hit an impressive double powerbomb.
Moxley brought a chair into the ring and hit Starks with it. Cage hit a pump kick on Moxley. Allin hit a backpack stunner on Cage. Moxley hit a cutter on Starks. Cage hit Moxley with a lariat and all four were down.
Moxley hit Cage with a piledriver for a near fall then locked on a cross armbreaker. Starks broke up the hold. Starks and Cage dropped Moxley on the trashcan. Cage tried a buckle bomb on Allin but Moxley saved.
Allin hit a Coffin Drop on Cage. Moxley hit a dive to Starks. Cage kicked out. Allin hit Cage’s bicep with the trashcan.
The finish saw Allin pull a tack-covered skateboard from under the ring. He hit a double stomp with the tack board on Starks. While Moxley held Cage in an armbar, Allin pinned Starks.
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Allin pointed at Moxley after the match.
Schiavone announced that Moxley vs. Allin for the AEW World title was signed for next week.
The show ended with Allin and Moxley in a staredown.
Excalibur and Taz welcomed us to the show and ran down the card for the evening. These matches were recorded last week in West Valley City, Utah.
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Colt Cabana defeated Peter Avalon
This was a fun comedy opener.
This was all Cabana at the outset. Cabana hit a series of his trademark spots. Avalon used a shoulder tackle in the ropes to turn the tide. Avalon hit a dropkick, then a top rope high cross for a two count.
Cabana made a comeback. He hit flip, flop, and fly, then teased a top rope move to the apron. Leva Bates jumped on the apron to interfere. Cabana and Avalon played tug of war with Bates. Bates and Avalon teased making out. Cabana then kissed Avalon on the cheek and tossed him inside.
Cabana immediately hit the Superman pin to end the match.
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Angelico & Jack Evans defeated Brandon Cutler & Michael Nakazawa
Angelico and Evans attacked before the opening bell. They isolated Nakazawa in the ring and worked him over for several minutes. Evans used a double stomp for a near fall. Angelico used a variety of Navarro-style holds on Nakazawa.
Nakazawa reached into his trunks for a bottle of Turkish oil, which he liberally applied. Evans and Angelico couldn’t maintain a grip, allowing Nakazawa to tag Cutler.
Cutler hit a springboard forearm and a black hole slam on Evans for a near fall, then hit a leg slice to the apron on Angelico.
Cutler hit a tope suicida to Angelico, then used a springboard elbow on Evans for a two count. Nakazawa and Cutler hit some tandem offense.
The finish saw Nakazawa accidentally spit oil in Cutler’s face. Evans then hit a crucifix buckle bomb on Nakazawa and followed with a 630 for the pin.
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Penelope Ford defeated Riho
This was the best match on the show.
They opened with an exchange of strikes. Riho bridged out of a lateral press after a one count. Kip Sabian tripped Riho from the floor. Ford then used a matrix back bend and hit a stunner for a two count.
Ford hit a handspring back elbow in the corner, then used a delayed vertical suplex for a near fall. Riho came back with a 619 and a crucifix bomb for her own near fall.
Riho went up top. Sabian distracted her from the floor. Ford and Riho fought on the top rope. Riho kicked Ford off, then hit a double stomp for a two count. Ford hit a double knee gutbuster for a two count.
Ford mocked Riho by using a Kenny Omega taunt. Ford missed a V-Trigger, allowing Riho to hit a Northern Lights suplex for a near fall.
Riho went for a snap dragon suplex. Ford took the referee as Sabian jumped in. Riho hit Sabian with the snap dragon. Ford then hit a back handspring into a stunner, followed by a fisherman’s suplex for the pin.
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Referee Mike Posey ejected all the seconds before the match began.
Christopher Daniels defeated Stu Grayson
After a brief striking battle, they did an extended series of leapfrogs and drop-downs. Grayson continually evaded Daniels and rolled to the floor. Daniels hit a baseball slide and took control.
After a sequence of offense from Daniels, Grayson escaped a suplex attempt. He then hit a uranage to turn the tide in his favor. Grayson hit a shining wizard for a two count.
Daniels blocked an Irish whip and used a backslide for a two count. Grayson used a small package for a two count. Grayson hit a forearm strike for a near fall, then played to the crowd.
Grayson hit a slingshot senton to the apron. He missed a double stomp off the top, allowing Daniels to hit an exploder suplex into the buckle.
Daniels made his comeback with elbow strikes and an STO. He followed with a blue thunder bomb for a near fall. Grayson came back with a swinging DDT and a jumping knee strike for a near fall.
Grayson hit a Pele kick. Daniels answered with an enzuigiri. Grayson slid out of an Angel’s Wings and hit an F-5 for a two count. Grayson missed a BME, which allowed Daniels to hit Angel’s Wings. Grayson got a foot on the bottom rope to force a break on the pinfall attempt.
Daniels hit a flatliner, then used a clutch hold. A Creeper jumped on the apron which provided a distraction for Grayson. Daniels used a schoolboy for a two count. Daniels knocked the Creeper from the apron.
The finish saw Grayson try for Nightfall. Daniels rolled through into a crucifix hold and pinned Grayson.
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The Dark Order ran in after the match and went after Daniels. SCU and Colt Cabana ran in for the save.
Daniels cut a promo. He told Evil Uno that he was coming for him next, there is no Exalted One and when he beats Uno, the Dark Order will be done.
The Big News: Britt Baker finally defeated Riho, but it was in tag team action with loads of interference by Kip Sabian.
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This was a special pre-AEW Revolution episode of Dark. If you recall there was one unseen dark match on the night of the pay-per-view. Tonight we will get that and a whole bunch of exclusive interviews in a special condensed 20-minute episode.
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We started the show with a recap of Colt Cabana debuting during The Buy In and helping SCU run off The Dark Order.
We then went backstage with an interview with Cabana. He said he always brings his gear and was lucky to do it on Saturday. He mentioned wrestling with Matt & Nick Jackson, Cody, and Kenny Omega for decades and was happy to jump in.
Cabana said he’s at his peak and is wrestling in Japan, Australia, and now on TNT. He said the revolution has begun and challenged the Dark Order, saying he has SCU’s back.
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Christopher Daniels was talking to Lexi Nair elsewhere. He realized all the lies and half truths the Dark Order has been offering and the biggest lie is The Exalted One. The Exalted One is a lie and there is no one behind Evil Uno and Stu Grayson. SCU and Cabana will do everything they can to cut the cancer of The Dark Order out of AEW.
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Up next we checked in with Kris Statlander, who was disappointed about losing to Nyla Rose. Maybe today wasn’t the day the Galaxy’s Greatest took the belt, but maybe next time she’d be more down to earth.
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PAC was up next and told Lexi it was none of her business why The Lucha Brothers were out there. PAC said AEW matchmakers should be ashamed because the condition that Orange Cassidy is in is on their hands.
Jon Moxley vs. PAC next, amIrite?
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Dr. Britt Baker, DMD & Penelope Ford (w/ Kip Sabian) defeated Riho & Yuka Sakazaki
Sabian made Justin Roberts hold the ring ropes open for him and then just leaped over the top anyway.
Sakazaki attacked Baker at the bell, still angry about Baker forcibly removing one of her teeth last month. Sabian tried to get involved on the other side of the ring, but Riho took care of him. Riho and Sakazaki worked pretty well together and I’d love to see them wrestle as a team on Dynamite sometime.
Sakazaki was steamrolling Ford when Sabian tripped her from outside the ring. While the referee told him off, Baker ran in and did a curb stomp to Sakazaki before legally tagging in.
Baker and Ford worked over the jaw of Sakazaki, showing great psychology and playing off the prior match. Sabian distracted the referee again, allowing the heels to double team. The fans were not pleased and told Sabian that he sucked.
Riho finally made the hot tag and used one of the fastest crucifixes you’ll ever see. Sabian prevented Riho from diving, so Sakazaki dove over the top rope onto both Baker and Ford. Riho then dove onto Sabian on the outside. Inside the ring, Riho almost got the pin over The Doctor with a double foot stomp.
Eventually, however, Baker slapped on the Lockjaw on Riho for the submission. Riho was fighting it off, but Sabian ran in one last time and stopped Riho’s momentum, which allowed Baker to sink her move in deeper.
The show ended with the triumphant heel triumvirate standing tall.
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Final Thoughts: This very much had the feeling of the old post-TakeOver episodes of NXT. If you saw it, it was nothing special. If you missed it, you literally missed nothing.
She became champion during tonight’s episode of Dynamite. After a back and forth match, Riho was able to land several big moves on Rose, including two dragon suplexes and a northern lights suplex. However, Rose was able to hold on and eventually pinned Riho with a sitout powerbomb to win the championship for the first time.
After the match, Rose was shown walking to the back and accepting a hug from Tony Khan. She then exchanged words with Kenny Omega, who has been associated with Riho in storyline, before walking away.
Riho had been champion for 134 days, winning the title during the premiere episode of Dynamite on October 2. Coincidently, she defeated Nyla Rose to become the first AEW Women’s champion. Notable championship matches included Riho defeating Britt Baker on an episode of Dynamite as well as her mentor Emi Sakura at Full Gear.
Dynamite next week will take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
