An opponent has now been named for Kota Ibushi’s first AEW match since 2023.
AEW has announced that ibushi vs. Trent Beretta will take place on Dynamite this Wednesday night. The show is being held in Kent, Washington and will continue the build to AEW’s All In pay-per-view.
Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada are set to renew their legendary rivalry at All In on July 12, facing off in a match to unify the AEW International Championship with the Continental Championship. There was an angle on Collision this past weekend where Ibushi — one of Omega’s best friends — made his surprise return to AEW by fighting with Okada and the Don Callis Family.
Okada was recently revealed as the newest member of the Don Callis Family. Beretta is also a member of the faction.
A Japanese wrestling legend, Ibushi signed with AEW in 2023 but has only wrestled a few times for the promotion due to his career being hampered by injuries. This will be the first singles match he’s ever had for AEW.
No other match announcements have been made for Wednesday’s show as of now.
When Don Callis said last week that they were looking for new members to join his family, he didn’t waste any time in doing just that.
After Josh Alexander debuted on Wednesday’s Dynamite and later aligned with Callis, Thursday’s AEW Collision saw both the return of Trent Beretta and a Rocky Romero heel turn to round out the new crew.
Romero and Tomohiro Ishii were taking on Alexander and Konosuke Takeshita when Romero dropped off the apron in frustration after accidentally getting clotheslined by Ishii. Alexander pinned Ishii after he and Takeshita landed dual forearm strikes followed by a power bomb.
Afterward, Romero helped Ishii up when a hooded man entered the ring, later revealing himself to be Beretta, making his return after nearly a year away and nine months removed from neck surgery. He and Romero attacked Ishii before the rest of the Callis family joined them with Callis handing Beretta a wrench which he used to nail Ishii in the back.
The faction lost both Mark Davis and Brian Cage recently due to injury. Lance Archer remains part of the group but wasn’t out for the aforementioned angle.
Romero, Ishii and Beretta were part of the CHAOS faction in NJPW. Beretta last wrestled at May 2024’s Double or Nothing.
The 37-year-old AEW star posted a photo from his hospital room on Thursday, updating fans as to his status, indicating that he has undergone a revision surgery after first having his neck fused in 2021.
Beretta revealed that two of the screws from the first fusion broke and had to be replaced.
Trent did not reveal a recovery timetable.
He wrote:
“quick little american neck surgery. turns out I wrestled so hard that two of the screws from my neck fusion broke. very cool. very tough. screws have been replaced. next I will be doing revenge.”
Beretta was written out of AEW programming last month in an angle where Orange Cassidy hit his former Best Friends stablemate with a wrench. The two had been feuding for some time, including a singles match at Double or Nothing in May won by Cassidy.
Beretta turned on Cassidy in storyline this past April, then later joined The Don Callis Family as the feud with Cassidy continued to unfold.
Fightful Select reported on Saturday that Beretta has been out of action since Double or Nothing in May, where he lost to Orange Cassidy. They additionally noted that Beretta hadn’t been cleared to compete “for quite some time” and was due for a push prior to his injury.
Saturday’s Collision saw Beretta interfere in the main event, taking out Orange Cassidy and allowing The Kingdom to double team Kyle O’Reilly, leading to a win. After the match, Cassidy emerged with a wrench and struck Trent from behind, laying him out.
A storyline in recent months has had Trent turn on the Best Friends, first laying out Cassidy following a tag team loss. After Chuck Taylor sided with Cassidy, Trent took out Taylor by smashing his leg with a wrench following their parking lot brawl. In recent weeks, he has aligned himself with the Don Callis family after Callis teased interest in bringing Cassidy into his group, only to reveal it was a swerve.
The former Best Friends will face off next week in Las Vegas.
During Collision, Orange was wrestling Isiah Kassidy when Beretta appeared in the crowd. After Orange won, Beretta cut a promo where he called Orange a sociopath and challenged him to “a straight up wrestling match” for Double or Nothing. Orange then attacked Beretta but he was eventually held back by security. Tony Khan later made the match official for next weekend.
Don Callis was seen during the match, watching the action backstage. After Orange picked up the win, he smirked. In recent weeks, he has been attempting to get involved with Orange and Beretta’s feud, with Callis at one point walking away with Orange after the two had a confrontation.
AEW Double or Nothing, Sunday, May 26, 7 p.m. Eastern time on pay-per-view —
AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland defends against Christian Cage
AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defends against Serena Deeb
TBS Champion Willow Nightingale defends against Mercedes Mone
TNT Champion Adam Copeland defends against Malakai Black in a barbed wire steel cage
AEW International Champion Roderick Strong defends against Will Ospreay
Anarchy in the Arena: The Elite (Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada & Jack Perry) vs. Team AEW (FTR, Bryan Danielson & Darby Allin)
IWGP World title eliminator: Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita
AEW has made a new match announcement for tonight’s three-hour programming block.
Tonight, AEW Collision and Rampage are airing back-to-back live on TBS. Collision airs from 8-10 p.m. Eastern time. Rampage then takes place from 10-11 p.m.
Trent Beretta vs. Dalton Castle will be part of the Rampage lineup. It’s the second match Beretta has had this week. He’s coming off a loss to Orange Cassidy on Dynamite.
Cassidy outsmarted Beretta in their match and was able to use an exposed turnbuckle to help get the victory. After the match, Beretta beat down Cassidy. Don Callis, who was on commentary and is looking to recruit new members to the Don Callis Family, intervened to stop the attack.
Beretta turned heel last month in an angle where he betrayed Cassidy.
In storyline, Beretta is responsible for his former Best Friends partner Chuck Taylor potentially having to retire from in-ring competition due to injury. Beretta recently defeated Taylor in a Parking Lot Fight and attacked his ankle with a wrench after the match. Taylor is dealing with a legitimate injury issue. The belief right now is that Taylor won’t be able to wrestle again.
This will be Castle’s first match since defeating Johnny TV in a Fight Without Honor at last month’s ROH Supercard of Honor event.
The updated AEW lineups for tonight are listed below. The shows are taking place from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Collision —
TNT Champion Adam Copeland defends against Kyle O’Reilly
Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin)
Dax Harwood vs. “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington
Will Ospreay vs. Lee Moriarty
Thunder Rosa vs. Robyn Renegade
Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona in trios action
After dissolving their longtime friendship on Dynamite, former Best Friends Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor will do battle in a parking lot fight on tonight’s live AEW Rampage from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
The two were part of two parking lot fights as teammates in AEW. In September 2020, Taylor & Beretta defeated Santana & Ortiz in a match our Dave Meltzer rated five stars. In August 2023, they lost in a parking lot fight to Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli.
This match will be Taylor’s first since October 2023 after being sidelined due to injury.
After a partnership turned sour over the past few weeks, former AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa and Deonna Purrazzo will do battle tonight. This will be a rematch of their July 2021 match at TNA Slammiversary for Purrazzo’s then-Knockouts title.
The show begins at approximately 10:30 PM Eastern after the conclusion of Collision.
Live from Jacksonville, Florida.
Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, and Matt Menard were on commentary.
Trent Beretta defeated Chuck Taylor in a Parking Lot Brawl (10:10)
Beretta and Taylor were bumping into cars and the concrete a minute into the match. McGuinness suggested someone should get into one of the cars and just run over their opponent. Taylor was bleeding very early on when he powerbombed Beretta onto the hood of a car. Beretta and Taylor fought onto the roof of a pickup, and Taylor went through some drywall that had been set up in the truck bed. Beretta jumped from the roof of one car onto another to drop an elbow on Taylor for a near fall.
After a split-screen break, Taylor dodged a flying flatscreen TV, then suplexed Beretta through a door. Taylor broke more drywall on Beretta’s back and hit him with a trash can. Taylor beat on Beretta with a metal dustpan and a trash can. Beretta came back by press-slamming Taylor through some lighting tubes. At some point, Beretta got busted open, too. Taylor sent Beretta through the windshield of a car with a crucifix powerbomb.
Bloodied, both guys fought their way to the roof of a car. They exchanged forearms until. Beretta hit Taylor with a lowblow Beretta dropped him with a piledriver then locked in a gogoplata on the roof of the car. Taylor could not defend himself, and the ref ended the match.
After the match, Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander came out to check on Taylor, but not before Beretta hit Taylor in his ankle with a plumber’s wrench. Cassidy chased off Beretta while Taylor was tended to. In the back, Don Callis was shown watching and nodding approvingly.
This match did nothing for me, but Beretta with Callis could be interesting.
– Kyle O’Reilly cut an endearing promo about wrestling for AEW on May 11th in his hometown of Vancouver.
Thunder Rosa defeated Deonna Purrazzo (11:05)
Rosa leveled Purrazzo with a forearm. Purrazzo came back with an armbar takedown and started working on the arm. Purrazzo tied up Rosa in the bottom rope and hit her with a sliding dropkick. It looked like Rosa slipped off the middle ropes going for a dropkick, and Purrazzo quickly covered by putting Rosa in a Boston Crab. Purrazzo dropped to the floor while the ref checked on Rosa. The fight went to the floor, where Purrazzo caught Rosa with a pump kick.
After a commercial, the fight was back in the ring where Rosa caught Purrazzo with a dropkick off the middle rope. Purrazzo went for a german suplex, but Rosa rolled through and caught her with a stomp for a near fall. Rosa came off the top, but Purrazzo caught her with an armbar. Rosa transitioned into a choke. Purrazzo used her size advanatge to break the hold.
Purrazzo went for a piledriver, but Rosa countered that with a cradle, which lead to series of near falls off of cradle attempts. Purrazzo went back to the armbar, but Rosa countered that with a cradle and got the pinfall.
After the match, Purrazzo attacked Rosa and sent her into the steel barricade. Rosa and Purrazzo battled into the crowd until security separated them.
– The Righteous wished Tony Khan a speedy recovery (since they are experts at neck health), and Roderick Strong said Will Ospreay fall to him at Double or Nothing.
Big Bill defeated Trevor Blackwell (1:37)
Bill spent the whole match talking to Chirs Jericho (through the TV cameras) while destorying the poor kid, hitting him with a black hole slam, an short-arm clothesline and a chokeslam before pinning him under one foot.
Chris Jericho was shown watching from the back, clearly impressed.
Katsuyori Shibata & Daniel Garcia defeated Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty (14:56)
Anthony Ogogo joined the commetary team for the main event.
Garcia & Shibata wrestled in matching tights. The fight started out on the floor. It settled in the ring with Taylor and Shibata. Taylor dropped Shibata with a right hand. Garcia got a tag and hit Moriarty with the twist and shout. Taylor tripped up Garica as he was running the ropes and planted him with a hanging DDT on the floor.
Back in the ring, Garcia tried to make a comeback but Taylor floored him with a forearm. Taylor dropped Garcia with a uranage, then followed up with a big splash for a near fall.
After a spliot-screen break, Taylor missed a splash off the middle ropes on Garcia. Moriarty got the tag and worked on Garcia’s arm. Tony: “He could have broken his hand!” Nigel: “I guess he’ll have to use the other hand tonight.” I’m sure Nighel meant for the hot tag… which he soon got to Shibata. Shibata worked over Taylor in a corner and dropped Moriarty with a forearm.
Shibata and Garcia hit diving dropkicks in the corner. Shibata hit a running boot on Taylor in the corner. Shibata beat on Taylor in the corner with chops and jabs, while Garcia danced to the rhythm of the beating.
Garcia and Shibata then combined to suplex Talyor. Taylor then countered a second at a double suplex attmpt by suplexing them both. Moriarty tried to work over Shibata in the croner with chops and jabs, but Shibata no sold it. Taylor interfered, and Moriarty hit a facelock suplex for a near fall.
Moriarty locked Shibata in a full nelson for a right hand from Taylor, but Shibata escaped and he and Garcia locked both their opponents in sleeperholds. Talyor tried to back Garcia into the corner to escape, but Shibata caught Taylor with a kick, and Garica backdropped suplexed Taylor. Shiabata hit the PK on Morarity and got the pinfall. Fun tag match! I want more of this Shibata/Garcia tag team.
On Dyanmite Wednesday:
Kenny Omega returns!
We’ll learn the main event of Double or Nothing
Mariah May will take on Serena Deeb
Adam Copeland will take on a member of the House of Black (who is almost definitely Buddy Matthews)
Chris Jericho defends the FTW title against Shibata.
This was the most fun Rampage I’ve seen in awhile.
Stemming out of AEW Dynamite, two new matches are set for Sunday’s Zero Hour pre-show for AEW Dynasty as Trent Beretta will take on Matt Sydal while Orange Cassidy will team with Katsuyori Shibata against Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty.
Beretta threw a chair at Sydal’s head on Wednesday’s Dynamite as the latter tried to aid Cassidy from a post-match attack by Taylor, Anthony Ogogo & Moriarty.
While the two have shared the ring 16 times in the past, this will be the first-ever singles clash for the two veterans. The two actually teamed together in the AEW Blind Eliminator tag team tournament in July 2023, losing to Big Bill & Brian Cage.
Sydal is looking to snap an eight-match losing streak in AEW while Beretta has lost seven straight in AEW.
The tag match will see Cassidy attempt to gain a measure of revenge alongside Shibata who has also been feuding with Shane Taylor Promotions in recent weeks.
Here’s the current lineup for the pay-per-view in St. Louis, Missouri:
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe defends against Swerve Strickland
AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defends against Thunder Rosa
Ladder match for the vacant AEW Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks vs. FTR
TBS Champion Julia Hart defends against Willow Nightingale
AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada defends against PAC
AEW International Champion Roderick Strong defends against Kyle O’Reilly
FTW Champion Hook defends against Chris Jericho
Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay
Adam Copeland, Mark Briscoe & Eddie Kingston vs. Malakai Black, Brody King & Buddy Matthews
Pre-show: AEW Trios Champions Max Caster, Anthony Bowens & Billy Gunn vs. ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Jay White, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn in a title unification match
Pre-show: Trent Beretta vs. Matt Sydal
Pre-show: Orange Cassidy & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty
Tony Khan wrote on X that Beretta was sent home to recover following an attack that took place on last week’s Dynamite, where members of the Undisputed Kingdom attacked him and Orange Cassidy.
“After the attack last Wednesday during the Texas Death Match, as
@trentylocks
took steel chairs from the Kingdom + the knee to the head from
@roderickstrong, Trent has been pulled by @AEW
docs from #AEWDynamite and sent home to rest. @OrangeCassidy is being evaluated by docs now.”
Khan wrote in another tweet that Cassidy and Bennett didn’t know they were wrestling each other in a singles match until “hours” before the show started.
“2 total pros @orangecassidy vs. @RealMikeBennett + legitimately they had no idea they were doing a 1-on-1 match tonight on @TBSNetwork on #AEWDynamite until the doctors made the call today and had to send Trent home hours before the show,” he wrote.
Prior to their match, an AEW doctor announced on Dynamite that Cassidy was cleared to compete despite taking beatings in recent weeks not only in AEW, but also at RevPro over the weekend. Despite the toll on his body, Cassidy went on to defeat Bennett on Dynamite. After the match, Matt Taven and Roderick Strong attacked Cassidy until Jake Hager came out for the save. It was then announced that Hager will face Strong on this Friday’s Rampage.
Khan noted on X that this week “has been one of the most hectic weeks for injuries + unexpected unavailability that I can recall in @AEW, especially since the pandemic era.”
AEW Collision returns with a Continental Crown title match in Charlotte, North Carolina.
After a one-week absence, Collision returns for the first time following the events of last Saturday’s Worlds End. Eddie Kingston will make his first defense of the Continental Crown, taking on Trent Beretta. Beretta won a four-way match on Wednesday’s Dynamite to secure a title match for Saturday, defeating Brian Cage, Bryan Keith, and Hijo Del Vikingo in a four-way match.
FTR will also be in action, taking on The House of Black. The two groups have been feuding for much of 2023, rekindling their feud in recent weeks with The House of Black insisting that FTR no longer have any friends within the company.
Sting will also team up with Darby Allin on Saturday to take on The Workhorsemen. It is being billed as Sting’s final match in Charlotte, as he plans to retire after AEW Revolution in March.
Join us for live coverage of Collision starting at 8 pm ET.
*****
No pre-show promos tonight, as Sir Elton John plays us into the first Collision of 2024. Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, and Nigel McGuinness were on the call. Hometown legend Ric Flair makes his entrance to be at ringside for the opening match.
Darby Allin & Sting (w/ Ric Flair) defeated The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake)
A perfect match for Sting to have on his retirement tour. Sometimes, especially on PPV, they ask Sting to do a little too much for his age. This was just right, as he got to shine, run wild, and score the win in a great showcase.
Henry and Drake jumped Sting and Allin before the bell, with Henry dropping Sting with a chop block before hitting a charging leg lariat to Allin against the barricade. In the ring, Allin demanded to start the match, but the Workhorsemen took him down quickly with a powerslam/diving headbutt combination for a nearfall. Henry hit a double knee backbreaker for a nearfall as the Workhorsemen continued to clubber on Allin in their corner.
We Want Sting chants rang through the building as Drake knocked Sting off of the apron before hitting a Magnum-style belly-to-belly suplex. Allin avoided a Drake moonsault, allowing Sting to tag in. Allin hit a Code Red on Drake before Sting hit a Stinger Splash. Allin hit a Coffin Drop to Henry on the floor before Sting hit the Scorpion Death Drop on Drake to score the win.
We got a video package hyping this Wednesday’s tag team match, featuring Darby Allin & Sting vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs.
AEW Continental Crown Title Match – Eddie Kingston (c) defeated Trent Beretta
This was one hell of a battle. Beretta is getting used a lot more in these showcase scenarios lately, and he continues to answer the call in this gritty, bloody title fight. This was definitely a match to seek out.
During Beretta’s entrance, they reminded us that these two were part of the same team for the Stadium Stampede match back at All In: London. They traded strikes, with Beretta unsuccessfully trying to avoid Kingston’s chops. Beretta avoided a corner charge and hit a tornado DDT for a one-count. Beretta held control until Kingston countered an Irish Whip before hitting the Machine Gun chops in the corner. Beretta slapped Kingston in the face, with Kingston responding with a chop to the face.
Beretta came up with a bloody nose as Kingston sidestepped a plancha. Kingston dropped Beretta with a Saito suplex on the floor as we went to a commercial. After the break, Kingston hit Beretta with a face wash as Trent’s mother Sue was shown worried at ringside. Beretta went to the middle rope, but Kingston pulled his feet out from under him. Beretta came back with a jumping knee before punching Kingston repeatedly against the ropes. Beretta sent Kingston to the floor before hitting a dive to Kingston against the barricade.
Beretta and Kingston brawled on the top rope before Beretta pulled Kingston down into a powerbomb for a nearfall. Kingston came back with a strike combination, ending in an enzuigiri for a nearfall. Beretta came back with a trio of German suplexes before hitting a running knee and a Gotch-style piledriver for a nearfall.
The two men traded strikes as they fought to their feet before Beretta hit a half-and-half suplex. Kingston caught a charging Beretta with a half-and-half suplex of his own before hitting a backfist and a Northern Lights Bomb for a nearfall. Kingston then hit a second Northern Lights Bomb for the win. Sue gave her son Trent a thumbs up for a hard-fought match.
Earlier today, Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander, and Statlander’s pet Komodo dragon Boots were backstage with Tony Schiavone. Schiavone asked about Stokely Hathaway’s interest in both of them, but they blew him off. They talked about their accomplishments in 2023 and said that their focus was on keeping their good momentum rolling in 2024.
Hook spoke in a pre-tape. His winning percentage was second to none in this company, so it was time for him to go after more gold. He had an eye on a bad man who he’s been watching through personal connections. He called out Samoa Joe, saying he was coming for the AEW World Title.
[Whoa. Hook stepping up in class here is a long-awaited move, and I’m interested to see how the fans take to him going for the gold.]
Proving Ground Match – ROH World Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven w/ Roderick Strong) defeated Komander & Bryan Keith
This was a nice showcase for Keith and Komander, as the crowd got into his comeback and bought the idea of the challenger team winning. A strong, clean win for the new unit.
Proving Ground matches are non-title matches in ROH, where the challengers can earn a title match if they win or survive the ten-minute time limit. Bennett and Taven worked on Komander early on, clubbering on him in their corner before Komander caught Taven with a hurricanrana. Keith tagged in and laid in strikes to Taven. Bennett got a blind tag in and caught an unaware Keith with a forearm as we went to a commercial.
Bennett and Taven were clubbering on Keith in the corner after the break, with Taven scoring a nearfall with an elbow drop on Bennett’s knees. Keith sent Bennett into the corner with a belly-to-belly throw before Komander tagged in and ran wild. Komander hit a superplex to Taven off of Keith’s shoulders before Keith launched Komander onto the Kingdom on the floor.
Back in the ring, Keith caught a charging Taven with a knee, but Bennett cut Keith off with a lariat. Bennett dropped Komander with a piledriver as Taven hit Just The Tip on Keith. The Kingdom hit Keith with Rockstar Supernova to score the win.
Bullet Club Gold was backstage with Renee Paquette. The Acclaimed quickly interrupted, noting how they saved Bullet Club on Dynamite and their mutual problems with The Undisputed Kingdom. White said that The Kingdom was the Bullet Club’s problem to solve. Tensions got heated, but Anthony Bowens calmed everybody down. He said the only way to get anything done in AEW was through factions. He noted White’s history with Bullet Club in Japan and Billy Gunn’s history in factions, no doubt talking about the 4 Live Kru in TNA. Bowens told them to give his words some thought.
Adam Copeland Speaks
Adam Copeland made his way to the ring in his gear. He recapped the events of Worlds End, where he beat and lost the TNT Title to Christian Cage. He said that he was entitled to an automatic rematch as a former TNT Champion, but he was fine working his way to another title match. Copeland said that Christian believed that he was handed everything, but the difference between them was that Copeland worked harder than Cage. He noted that he was in his gear and issued an open challenge.
Griff Garrison, Cole Karter, and Maria made their way to the stage, making me wonder if I put Ring of Honor on by accident. Garrison introduced himself as a man who takes advantage of opportunities before getting into the ring with Copeland. Copeland said that Garrison reminded him of himself at that age, but Garrison was stepping up above his class. Garrison slapped him in the face, and Copeland booted him in his to get this impromptu match started.
Adam Copeland defeated Griff Garrison (w/ Cole Karter & Maria)
This wasn’t a particularly standout performance from Garrison in the big spot. A nondescript affair here to kick off Copeland’s road back to the TNT Title.
Copeland beat up Garrison with little resistance until Maria and Karter ran interference, allowing Garrison to hit a big boot. Garrison clubbered on Copeland for a while, hitting a wheelbarrow facebuster for a nearfall. Copeland came back with a baseball slide on Karter before hitting a crossbody on Garrison for a nearfall. Copeland went for a spear, but Garrison caught him with a rolling elbow for a nearfall.
Garrison went to the top rope, but Copeland cut him off with punches and headbutts. Copeland hit a superplex and the Impaler DDT before tapping him out with a crossface. After the match, Karter caught Copeland with a dropkick. Karter went for a 450 splash, but Copeland moved out of the way and hit a spear to leave both men lying.
Sting, Darby Allin, & Ric Flair were backstage. Flair hyped up Sting’s final match in Charlotte and their match on Dynamite against Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs. Sting warned Don Callis that he wasn’t going out easily and that it would be showtime in Jacksonville.
Skye Blue defeated Kiera Hogan
Skye Blue seems to be AEW’s Iron Woman, as she’s all over these shows.
On commentary, Kevin Kelly claimed that there was something interesting about Skye Blue. I would personally argue that point, but that’s neither here nor there. These two went back and forth before Hogan fired up with a pair of slaps, leading to an offensive combination ending with a superkick for a nearfall. Blue landed a pair of strikes to the back of the head before hitting a running boot as we went to a commercial.
Blue clubbered on Hogan as we came back from the break. Blue went to the middle rope before jumping into a Hogan superkick. Hogan made a comeback, hitting a Rick Rude-style neckbreaker for a nearfall. Hogan went for the ten punches in the corner, but Blue hit a head trap superkick. They traded superkicks before Blue hit a TKO. She transitioned into a Dragon Sleeper to score the submission win.
We got a video package hyping the return of Serena Deeb. Deeb used her technical wrestling ability to escape from a straitjacket.
Claudio Castagnoli defeated Andrew Everett
In a pre-tape during his entrance, Castagnoli called out Hangman Adam Page for a match on Dynamite. Castagnoli manhandled Everett, a seven-footer in his own mind. Castagnoli hit a chokeslam before hitting a charging uppercut against the barricade. Castagnoli got Everett in the Giant Swing, going for ten revolutions.
Everett came back with head kicks and a Pele kick, but Castagnoli moved out of the way of a Shooting Star Press. Castagnoli hit the Neutralizer and a short-arm lariat for the win.
AEW World Tag Team Champions Ricky Starks & Big Bill were backstage with Lexy Nair. Starks hyped his return to Daily’s Place this Wednesday against Sammy Guevara, where he debuted. He lost a title match on that night – naming Cody Rhodes as the man who beat him – but he’ll be returning as a champion. Big Bill made their title defense against Guevara & Chris Jericho official. It will be next Saturday night on Battle of the Belts, and it will be a street fight.
FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) defeated House Of Black (Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black)
A very good main event, although I would go short of calling it great. FTR feels like they have lost some steam as of late. Despite this match being in their neck of the woods, by the end of the post-match beatdown, there was a sizeable House of Black chant. FTR got cheered within the match though, and I do like seeing Daniel Garcia not forgetting about Brody King’s bullying of him after their Continental Classic match.
Harwood and Matthews started, fighting to a stalemate before Wheeler tagged in. Wheeler outwrestled Matthews, leading to an FTR double-team Russian Leg Sweep for a nearfall. Black tagged in, with him and Harwood evading strikes before Black sat cross-legged in the ring. Harwood sat with him, flipping him off in the process. Black exited the ring and walked towards Harwood’s family in the front row before FTR chased him away.
Harwood clubbered on Matthews in the corner, but Matthews caught Harwood on a corner charge with an elbow and got a tag to Black. The announcers had a great conversation about the history of wrestling in this building, with Schiavone noting the number of Flair/Steamboat matches he’s personally seen in this building. Wheeler tagged in and ended up getting his leg swept by Black on the apron before Matthews dropped him on the apron. Black hit a moonsault to Wheeler on the floor.
Wheeler got worked on in the House of Black corner before sending Matthews into Black in the corner. Wheeler fought off Matthews and Black in the attempt to make a tag, but Matthews booted Harwood off the apron to keep Wheeler in the ring. After a commercial, Harwood tagged in and ran wild, hitting a brainbuster on Black for a nearfall. Harwood had to fight two-on-one for a while, and it came back to bite him as Matthews caught him with a kick. That led to a Black back elbow for a nearfall.
Wheeler yanked Matthews to the floor, leading to Harwood getting a nearfall on an inside cradle. Harwood cut off Black on the top rope, leading to an FTR Powerplex for a nearfall that got broken up by Matthews hitting a Meteora onto the pile. Wheeler sent both Black and Matthews to the floor but got caught on a dive. Black and Matthews hit a lifting knee before sending Matthews over the announce table.
Black brought a chair into the ring before chirping to Harwood’s family at ringside. Harwood cut off Black with a punch and sent him out of the ring. Wheeler slipped back into the ring to catch Matthews with a Shatter Machine out of nowhere for a nearfall that was broken up by Black. FTR hit Black with a spike piledriver on the apron. Brody King made his way to the ring, but Daniel Garcia cut him off with a chair. Garcia rooted FTR on, but Harwood got caught with a stomp from Matthews for a nearfall. Matthews hit a powerbomb, but Harwood reversed the cover into a pin of his own to get the win.
The House of Black jumped all three men after the match. Matthews stomped Wheeler’s head onto a chair before Black hit the Fade To Black on Harwood with the chair in his face. King drilled Garcia with the chair, then hit him with the Gonzo Bomb as Julia Hart gave their fallen opponents a ten-bell salute.
Ring of Honor Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata will put his title on this line this Thursday against Trent Beretta as part of ROH TV on HonorClub.
Shibata will be looking for the seventh defense of the title he won at March’s Supercard of Honor while Beretta is looking for his first ROH title of any kind. This will be their first-ever match against each other.
Shibata rolls into Thursday with a 7-1 mark this year while Beretta is just 2-6. He is coming off a loss to TNT Champion Christian Cage on last Friday’s AEW Rampage while this is Shibata’s first match since a loss to Eddie Kingston at October’s AEW WrestleDream.
Also announced for Thursday’s show was a rematch between Tony Nese and Ethan Page. Nese recently pinned Page with his feet on the ropes to set up the rematch.
Here’s the current card with more expected to be announced soon:
ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata defends against Trent Beretta
For the second time in three days, Jon Moxley and Trent Beretta will be in a violent brawl as part of Friday’s AEW Rampage.
Moxley and Blackpool Combat Club teammate Claudio Castagnoli will take on Beretta and Best Friends teammate Chuck Taylor in a parking lot fight that was made after Wednesday’s anything goes three-way with Moxley, Beretta and Penta El Zero Miedo.
The match will take place at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
With the turmoil surrounding the Jericho Appreciation Society, Anna Jay will try to turn things around in her match against Skye Blue.
After their violent attack on Nick Wayne Wednesday that left the young prospect bloodied up in his own ring. Swerve Strickland & AR Fox will be in tag team action against local competitors.
In a trios bout, Keith Lee will team with Jeff & Matt Hardy against Kip Sabian, The Butcher & The Blade.
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Taped in Tampa & Jacksonville, Florida.
Tony Schiavone, Excalibur and Chris Jericho were on commentary.
The Hardy Boys & Keith Lee (w/ Ethan Page & Brother Zay) defeated The Butcher, The Blade & Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford) (8:54)
Matt & Jeff combined for “poetry in motion,” but it was more like “awkward stilted prose in motion.” Matt Hardy got a near fall on the Blade after a side effect. That mustache that Butcher is growing could get its own zip code. Matt sent Butcher headfirst all the way down to the bottom turnbuckle pad. Jeff Hardy went flying into the heel corner, taking a shot at Sabaian and the Butcher. Blade sent Jeff to the floor, and Sabian hit a moonsault on Jeff and Ethan Page.
The heels worked over Jeff during the split screen break. After the break, Butcher dropped Jeff with a backbreaker out of a half-nelson. Hardy caught Butcher with a jawbreaker and got the hot tag to Keith Lee, whoe entered the match for the first time. Sabian tried to slow Lee down with a sleeper, but Lee avalanched both Butcher and Blade in the corner, then tossed Blade out of the corner, all while Sabain was still on his back!
Lee went for a powerbomb on Sabian, but he flipped out and hit a kick. Lee then dropped Sabian with a powerslam for a near fall. Matt Hardy hit the Twist of Fate on both the Butcher and the Blade. Lee gave Sabian a one handed powerbomb, and Jeff hit the Swanton Bomb for a pinfall. Pretty standard trios match.
– Footage from Ring of Honor explained the history between Adam Cole and the Kingdom. They used to be close –Adam Cole even went to Mike Bennett’s wedding– but then Cole abandoned them.
– The Young Bucks declared they’d like to be back in the tag team division, and the Hardy Boys stepped in to challenge them. Pencil that in for Dynamite on Wednesday.
Anna Jay (w/ Angelo Parker and Matt Menard) defeated Skye Blue (7:08 aired)
Two minutes of the match took place during the split-screen break. After the break, Blue fought out of a surfboard, but Jay buried a knee in her midsection. Blue hit a back elbow and a cross body. Blue hit a knee strike and a low kick for a near fall. Jay hit a back kick and a flatliner for a near fall. Blue countered a Queen Slayer attempt into a rollup for a near fall. Parker jumped up on the apron looking for a kiss from Blue, but she slapped him instead. But this distraction allowed Jay to lock in the Queen Slayer and get the tap out.
– Kris Statlander is doing squats with Rene Paquette on her back. Statlander gave Mercedes Martinez a list of chores to do before tomorrow night, when “mama is coming home.”
– Tony Schiavone & Paul Wight gave an update from the site of the Parking Lot Brawl: PAC is injured, but the Death Triangle still wants to face the winners of tonight’s main event on Wednesday.
Swerve Strickland & AR Fox (w/ Prince Nana) defeated Logan Cruz & Tyshaun Perez
AR Fox wore a tank top stained with Nick Wayne’s blood from that heavy angle on Dynamite Wednesday.
Fox hit a top rope dropkick on both his opponents, then followed them to the floor with a top rope dive. Fox tossed Perez into a sitout powerbomb from Strickland. Fox hit Cruz with a cutter, Strickland dropped him with a brainbuster, and Fox hit a 450 to get the pinfall. Total squash, totally awesome. This better be the start of Strickland’s push to the moon.
– A QTV Segment: Johnny TV issues a challenge to anyone that’s been on television.
– Prince Nana, Big Bill and Brian Cage cut a promo on FTR in advance of their match tomorrow night for the tag titles. Everyone was great here.
Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor in a Parking Lot Brawl (18:00 aired)
They’re in a parking lot surrounded by cars, and the match can be won by “pinfall, submission or surrender.” Moxley and Claudio were checking all the cars before the bell to make sure Orange Cassidy wasn’t hiding in any of them. The parking area was also surrounded by fans.
Not even 30 seconds into the match, Beretta is bleeding from the forehead and Moxley is driving a fork into the cut. Beretta came off the top of a car with a crossbody on Moxley. Castagnoli beat on both Beretta and Taylor with a spoiler he ripped off of one of the cars. Moxley was also busted open less than two minutes into the match. The Best Friends flapjacked Castagnoli into an open minivan door.
The Best Friends sandwiched Castagnoli under a car hood. Moxley and Claudio came back and powerbombed Beretta onto a car hood for a near fall. Castagnoli gave Beretta the Giant Swing, and Moxley slid a garbage can into Beretta’s head. Taylor saved his partner with a street sign, backdropped Castagnoli into a car, and attacked Moxley with a fork. Taylor set up a safety rail, on which Moxley suplexed Taylor.
After a split screen break, Claudio and the Best Friends were brawling on top of a car. Moxley ran in and hit Taylor with a Paradigm Shift on the roof of the car. Beretta went for a cannonball, but the BCC moved out of the way and Beretta crashed into a car. Castagnoli press-slammed Beretta onto the roof of the car. Claudio went for the Ricola Bomb on the roof of a car, but Beretta countered it into a DudeBuster.
Back on the roof of another car, Beretta and Moxley were alternating between brawling and counter chain-wrestling spots. Moxley finally knocked Beretta to the ground, but Beretta popped right back up and brawled with Moxley again. Moxley gave Beretta a Death Rider through the windshield of the car.
Meanwhile, Taylor siphoned gas out of one of the cars to light a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire on fire. Wheeler Yuta popped out of a minivan and distracted Taylor, allowing Moxley to get the 2×4 and nail Taylor. Yuta worked over Taylor with a screwdriver, but Sue(!!!) drove in with Orange Cassidy on top of her minivan. Cassidy came with a steel chain to help even the odds.
Yuta dropped Cassidy with a Paradigm Shift on Sue’s minivan. The BCC chased Sue away, and I guess the match is now a trios brawl. Castagnoli ripped off one of the doors to the fan while Yuta and Moxley smashed up the windows with crowbars. Moxley curbstomped Beretta through a windshield, and Castagnoli covered Beretta for the pinfall.
Well, that was suitably wild. The Blackpool Combat Club came across as very dominant at the end.
After the match, Moxley continued to destroy Sue’s fan, to the jeers of the crowd.
Final Thoughts:
Seek out the parking lot brawl. Completely wild stuff. Outside of that, this was a pretty pedestrian Rampage.
This week’s AEW Dark matches were taped recently at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and was headlined by Trent Beretta vs. Tony Nese.
It also saw the AEW debut of the former Bodhi Hayward in WWE NXT.
Matt Sydal defeated Slim J (w/ Sonny Kiss & Jeeves Kay)
Sydal and Slim J started out with a shoving match. Slim J then bailed from the ring in frustration, but Kiss and Kay calmed him down before he got back in the ring.
Sydal and Slim J began to trade counters, but Sydal eventually caught him with a kick on the jaw. Later, Kiss and Kay proceeded to distract Sydal, allowing Slim J to take him to the mat and lock in a leg scissor submission.
Slim J would go on to further hurt Sydal, planting him with an impressive springboard reverse DDT. Sydal would respond moments later with a great roundhouse kick which went Slim J crashing to the canvas.
Sydal had momentum at this point, laying in a few more kicks. After nailing Slim J with two more roundhouse kicks, Sydal planted his opponent with a lightning spiral and picked up the win shortly after.
After the bout, The Trustbusters tried to further injure Sydal, but Top Flight and AR Fox made the save.
Julia Hart defeated Devlyn Macabre
Macabre was able to sneak in a forearm early on, which only sent Hart to a dark place. After stomping Macabre into the mat, Hart rained down about fifteen stiff elbow strikes into her chest and neck area. Macabre tried to regain her footing, but Hart tripped her and proceeded to submit her with her signature Heartless submission for her 18th straight win.
The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry) defeated Oliver Sawyer & Jay Malachi
Sawyer and Henry started out. After getting in a few licks on Sawyer, Henry tagged out to Drake, who did the same. The WorkHorsemen continued to work in tandem, tagging in and out frequently as they worked down Sawyer, who had got in no offense at this point.
Sawyer found some life as he moved out of the way of a Drake headbutt. Malachi, who came in off the hot tag, splashed Drake in the corner. Moments later, Drake sent Malachi over his head with a German suplex. Drake and Henry hit a double flatliner on him to get the win.
The Renegades jumped The Blairs as the bell rang. Robyn and Charlette exchanged tags as they beat down Peyton. Lizzy came in off the hot tag, but was immediately met with an assisted spinebuster combo from The Renegades for the pin and win.
Preston Vance (w/ Jose The Assistant) defeated Blanco Loco
Vance had control of this bout from the get-go as he squashed Loco in the corner with a number of running splashes. Loco was subject to a spinebuster moments, giving Vance the win.
Tony Deppen defeated Caleb Konley
Deppen laid in a few kicks and knee drops in the early going. Konley tried to fight back with a few chops, but Deppen gouged his eyes and shoved his head into the turnbuckle.
Konley would eventually find his footing, allowing him to plant Deppen with a fantastic fisherman’s buster. Deppen responded with a half and half suplex, which was followed up by a running knee strike and a pin for Deppen.
Iron Savages (Bronson & Boulder) defeated Chris Sandson & Terry Kid
Early on, Kid tried to jump on the back of Boulder, but he was thrown off by being cannonballed onto Sandson, who was taken down with a big boot. Seconds later, Boulder tagged Bronson in and assisted him with a splash onto both men, giving the Savages the win.
Brady Booker defeated Dak Draper
This was the debut for the former Bodhi Hayward in WWE NXT. Draper had control early on, hitting a nice cartwheel into a knee drop to punctuate things. He continued with his hard-hitting offense until Booker hit a powerslam counter to regain control. He eventually got the tapout after getting Draper in a torture rack.
Raju and Cannon started out, but Johl came in shortly after and ripped both of Cannon’s shirts off after planting him with a delayed suplex. Raju came back in the match, which gave Cannon the time to tag out to Springs. The former Impact X-Division Champion nailed Springs with a running knee strike, followed by Johl hitting him with his signature pump kick to score the win.
This was great as Starkz and Sakura made the most out of their time here.
Starkz quickly slammed Sakura into the mat after a lock-up. Sakura popped back up rather quickly and began to beat on Starkz after shoving her in the corner. Starkz responded with some heavy shots of her own, but Sakura doubled the intensity and responded with even heavier shots.
Starkz drilled Sakura with a pump kick which got a two count. Starks then tried to lift her up, but it was countered into a dragon sleeper from Sakura. After nearly passing out, Starkz popped up and planted Sakura into the mat with a tombstone piledriver which got another near fall. Starkz then landed on Sakura with a diving senton for yet another near fall.
Starkz lost her momentum when she tried to do another diving senton on Sakura on the apron after Sakura moved. After delivering a sliding knee strike to Starkz on the arena floor, Sakura got her back in and drilled her into the mat with a butterfly piledriver. Sakura ended the match after hitting Starkz with a moonsault.
The Wingmen (Peter Avalon, Cezar Bononi & Ryan Nemeth) defeated Jay Marte, Jarett Diaz & Rich Adonis
Avalon and Adonis started out, but The Wingmen quickly entered the ring and jumped all three of their opponents.
Bononi went to work on Adonis as he beat him down with various strikes. Nemeth came in and did more showboating than anything, which allowed Adonis to tag out to Diaz. Bononi came back in and slammed Diaz into the mat.
Seconds later, Nemeth and Bononi hit an assisted fireman’s carry driver on Diaz. Avalon came off the top rope with a splash on Diaz for the win.
Jeff Jarrett & Satnam Singh defeated The Boys (Brandon & Brent)
Jarrett and Brandon started out. After trapping him in the ropes and hitting his signature strut, Jarrett allowed Brandon to tag out to Brent. Singh came in and practically tackled Brent with a crossbody. Singh would proceed to chokeslam both Boys and double pin them to score the victory.
Trent Beretta defeated Tony Nese (w/ Mark Sterling)
This match lagged early, but once it got going, it was pretty good.
Beretta and Nese locked up at the bell, but Nese gained control after backing Beretta in the corner with ease. The match quickly spilled to the outside where Beretta beat down Nese with a few chops. After he was distracted by Sterling for a split second, Beretta had his face covered by Nese with the ring apron.
Nese took back control and with Beretta favoring his knee, Nese had a clear target. The tides turned for Beretta after Nese missed a springboard moonsault. Beretta would then launch Nese over his head with a suplex, but Nese responded by throwing Beretta stomach-first into the top rope. That was followed by Nese successfully hitting the springboard moonsault that he had tried earlier.
Nese tried to go to the top rope, but Beretta met him up there. After some back and forth, Beretta sent him crashing to the mat with a fantastic superplex. Beretta then hit Nese with his signature corner DDT, but Nese kicked out of the pinfall attempt at the last second.
In the final stages, Nese tried to hit put away Beretta with a frog splash, but the referee’s count came up short once again. Nese then tried to hit Beretta with a 450 splash, but he crashed and burned. Beretta put Nese away seconds later with the Dudebuster.
A match for the AEW All-Atlantic title is set for next week’s Battle of the Belts IV.
AEW confirmed on Friday’s Rampage that PAC will defend the title against Trent Beretta. A short promo aired with Beretta and the other Best Friends on Rampage, with Beretta saying he’ll take the title.
PAC last defended the title at AEW Grand Slam on September 21, where he successfully retained the championship after defeating Orange Cassidy. He is the first champion, having defeated Miro, Malakai Black, and Clark Connors in a four-way match back at Forbidden Door on June 26.
Battle of the Belts IV will air right after AEW Rampage next Friday, October 7, with both shows airing back-to-back in a two hour block. Set for next week’s AEW Rampage is 10 taking on Andrade El Idolo in a match where if 10 wins, Andrade has to leave AEW. However, if Andrade wins, 10 has to take off his mask.
Will Ospreay and other members of NJPW’s United Empire made an appearance on Dynamite tonight, laying out FTR and Trent Beretta.
Trent Beretta came out for a promo and asked FTR for another shot for the ROH Tag Team titles. FTR came out and agreed with Beretta, saying that he and Rocky Romero deserved another shot. Will Ospreay then came out. However, it was a distraction as Aaron Henare and Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) came out from the crowd and attacked Beretta and FTR. Ospreay then came to the ring and smashed Beretta with the hidden blade to the back of the head. The stable then posed to end the segment.
Other members of the United Empire, Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb, interrupted a FTR/Roppongi Vice match for the ROH World Tag Team title last month on Dynamite, laying out both teams, causing the match to be thrown out.
Ospreay has not wrestled since May 15, when he defeated Homicide at a NJPW Strong Collision taping. He has since been recovering from a kidney infection.
