GREAT Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli) vs Lucha Bros and Bandido

Bryan Danielson joins commentary for our opening contest, which is always a plus to any match. Both teams seem really over with this crowd. Bandido is wearing some really fun throwback gear, apparently a reference to a legendary Mexican wrestler, which is a nice tribute. The match starts with a brawl, with a triple suicide dive from the faces teased but cut off. The BCC decimate the faces on the outside before the match officially gets underway. Bandido and Wheeler Yuta have some fun early sequences, with Yuta really getting across a new found confidence. Bandido at one stage holds up Yuta in a stalling suplex for a count of 50, which is genuinely astonishing. The action here is fast, furious, and very entertaining, but the pace is slowed with Bandido picking up too much pace and being punished for it. Bandido gets worked over through the picture in picture, leading to the Fenix hot tag. The Lucha Bros run wild, hitting some incredibly fun double team moves as expected, but are cut off by Castagnoli. They tell a good story through commentary here of the BCC being a more cohesive team, which plays well into the finish, with the BCC working impeccably as a unit to wear down a beaten Bandido, with Yuta getting the final 3 count with a seatbelt pin. A really fun opening match, with the closing story of the BCC’s efficiency a great one to tell. This faction is on fire right now, and it is great to see Wheeler Yuta really get a chance to shine again in these last few weeks, elevating his stock further. A really good way to start Dynamite.

Results: Wheeler Yuta by Pinfall via Seatbelt

David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3.75 Stars

Alex Marvez interviews The Young Bucks and Adam Page. They put over the brutality of their Anarchy In The Arena match, but promise to come back stronger. They are interrupted by the Dark Order, who throw some passive aggressive love Hangman’s way, clearly irritated at him abandoning them for The Elite. Hangman abruptly ends the interview to follow them, clearly attempting to mend some fences. While this does feel like a neverending story between Hangman and the Dark Order, it is a good story and it does seem like their involvement with Page is their only ticket to TV time these days, so I’ll take what I can get. There is also perhaps a hint at something greater, with Page confirming Omega is ‘not in Canada’, perhaps hinting at a certain Kota Ibushi.

GOOD Bullet Club Gold Promo

Juice Robinson and Jay White come to the ring, as they get a good reaction from this San Diego crowd. Jay White is his usual charismatic self as he runs down Ricky Starks, before Juice Robinson calls out FTR to an amazing pop from the crowd. Jay White calls FTR slow and dumb, before they are interrupted by Dax and Cash. FTR are invited by Jay White to apologise and join Bullet Club Gold, but before FTR can respond, Juice Robinson hits Dax with a handful of coins and a brawl breaks out, ending with Bullet Club Gold laying out FTR with finishers. They are run off with a chair by Starks, who challenges White to a rematch next week. This was a pretty good promo, and I am incredibly excited for that tag match when it comes, but it doesn’t really make sense for Ricky to demand a rematch when he got himself intentionally disqualified in the last match between the two. Still I’m hoping for a longer match with a decisive finish, preferably with a win for Jay to build momentum to that inevitable BCG vs FTR tag title match

David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3 Stars

Tony Khan announces CM Punk will be part of Collision, to an INSANE reaction from the crowd, a combination of insane boos and insane cheers. Love him or hate him, the man draws reactions like you’ve never heard before.

GREAT Swerve Strickland vs Big Bill vs Trent Beretta

This is a match continuing some loose threads from the Blackjack Battle Royale. It feels like a random pairing of guys but they did all interact in the battle royale, with Bill eliminating Trent and Swerve eliminating Bill. Swerve ducks from the ring quickly, leaving Bill and Trent to duke it out, but Trent flies through the ropes to catch Swerve unawares, leaving him at an angry Bill’s mercy. Bill shows his power to a surprisingly strong reaction from the crowd. This is a weird match from a crowd perspective, as the crowd are into everybody despite two of the three competitors being heels. Beretta does play the primary face role though, and gets some great offence against both Bill and Swerve. At one stage, Swerve and Trent hit a double superplex on Bill which was amazing. The work in this match generally is terrific, with all 3 men working so well together. The match ends when Swerve hits a nasty looking Swerve Stomp onto Bill on the apron, before rolling up Trent with a crucifix for the win. This was a really great three way, showcasing three really good talents who AEW should focus more on. I wish we could’ve gone even longer, as with another 5-7 minutes added on and a more decisive finish it could’ve placed the match into that next level territory, but as is it’s still a really good triple threat and an overachievement from what I was expecting.

David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3.5 Stars

GOOD The Acclaimed Promo

The Acclaimed come to the stage for an interview, with Daddy Ass apologising for costing the team. Caster fires up the team and Bowens says the three men are coming for gold, specifying that Gunn deserves to get gold one more time for all he’s done. Really well delivered though very short babyface promo from all three guys highlighting their aims, and it appears their feud with House Of Black will continue. I am up for a proper build for a rematch, as I feel their Double Or Nothing match was undercooked by the lack of build, despite some terrific in-ring action. 

David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars

MUST WATCH Callis and Takeshita speak

Tony Schaivone calls out Callis and Takeshita to an amazingly hostile reaction from the crowd, booing the two men from the building before Callis can even speak. With every second the boos get louder and louder and louder. Callis blames Omega for everything, saying he may have lost a nephew, but he gained a son. Callis puts over Takeshita, and says he is better than a number of top  Japanese stars, including Kazuchika Okada, but most importantly, better than Omega. Takeshita cuts a promo in Japanese, ending by saying he will destroy Kenny Omega. Callis ends by saying that Kenny destroyed his family, so he’s built a new one, and that Callis will cut The Elite from All Elite Wrestling. That was absolutely tremendous, with Don Callis cutting one of his best heel promos, and Takeshita really getting over. This will be the best thing to ever happen to Takeshita, and the man is money all day long. The crowd was absolutely electric, and I had the biggest grin on my face through the whole segment. Not a ton of answers or progression here, just masterful heel work.

David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 4.5 Stars

Wardlow challenges Luchasaurus to a TNT Title match in a pre filmed vignette, which should be a very fun hoss fight.

AMAZING Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin vs Gates Of Agony- Watch The Match HERE

Huge reactions for Cassidy and Allin here, who feel like megastars with this crowd. The Gates Of Agony attack the faces early, with their ties to Swerve explained as the reason for the matches existence after Cassidy last eliminated Swerve from the Blackjack Battle Royale. Darby and Cassidy are both working injured and heavily taped, and the Gates of Agony provide a great heel base to batter both men around, Darby in particular first in the ring and then on the outside. No boredom at all through the heel work-overs either, as Darby flops, flies and sells like a madman, and the heels move with incredible power and speed. Darby keeps fighting, and is eventually able to outsmart the heels for a hot tag to Cassidy, who begins to break down both guys with his hands in his pockets, using his intelligence to outwit the heels. The two teams go back and forth with amazing sequences, before Allin wins with the coffin drop. It is tag matches like these on random Dynamites that can provide some of life’s greatest pleasures, and that is more than true here, with the four men working beautifully together. Four guys who look better going out than they did going in, and a terrific traditional face vs heel tag match which the crowd were really into. A match which further highlights how good Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy are as top babyfaces for the company.

Result- Darby Allin by Pinfall via Coffin Drop

David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 4.25 Stars

Post match, Sting emerged to fend off a potential Embassy attack. Great to see Sting back on my screen as always!

We see a backstage promo from MJF taken after Double Or Nothing, in which he further berates his lack of competition and again repeats that no one is on his level. Another expertly delivered promo from a master of the microphone.

Hook comes to the ring to speak, but is cut off by Los Faction Ingobernable, who beat him down. He is saved by Jungle Boy, seemingly setting up a tag match. I smell a Jungle Boy heel turn coming.

Backstage promo by The Outcasts, with Toni Storm talking about why she deserves to hold the title, and plugs her title defences on House Rules this weekend. I could do without Toni Storm having exactly the same character as MJF, saying no one is on her level and that no one else is fit to carry her bags, but Toni is a good promo and all three women delivered, though the segment was fairly pointless. 

GOOD Kris Statlander vs Nyla Rose- TBS Championship

This is Statlanders first Dynamite match in 9 months and is a rematch from Revolution 2020. This is exactly what you expect it to be, with the monstrous Rose providing a heel foil for the underdog Statlander. Taya Valkyrie is shown watching backstage, a sign she is not done with the TBS Title. Nyla works over Statlander for a period with some good offence, targeting Statlanders knee and shutting down comeback  until she misses a splash, giving Statlander a chance to fight back. Match highlights include a Blue Thunder Bomb by Statlander and a series of cannonballs by Rose. The finish comes when Statlander gets Rose off her feet and hits the 450 splash for the win. This was a good match between the two, and it shows off Statlander to any new fans after time away, which is appreciated. I just wish we could’ve had longer to let it really cook, which seems to be a common theme on this show. Still, a very solid first defence for Statlander, and totally functional and well executed.

Result: Kris Statlander by Pinfall via 450 Splash

David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars

GOOD Adam Cole and Britt Baker vs Saraya and Chris Jericho.

Jericho has an incredibly angry and punchable face tonight, which is always fun to see. Cole and Jericho kick us off with a wild fight of punches and slaps. Jericho takes advantage with a classic heel poke to the eyes, but it does little to phase Cole. Jericho tags out, giving us some fun wrestling between Saraya and Baker. As we go to picture in picture, Jericho sweeps Baker’s legs allowing Saraya to work over Britt. Saraya and Jericho heel it up to the crowd and are honestly pretty entertaining as irritating douchebags. A Jericho distraction brings out the Outcasts to attack Baker, but are fought off by Hikaru Shida. Jericho gets in Baker’s face but is slapped by Britt, leading to the Adam Cole hot tag. Cole and Jericho get a short sequence, but we quickly return to Britt and Saraya. Jericho tries to shield Saraya from a frog splash, but it is in vain as Baker hits it anyway. Huge ovation for Jericho as he puts Cole in the Walls Of Jericho, but Britt is able to get a lockjaw on Chris, though Saraya breaks it up. Jericho gets a nearfall from a Codebreaker, as it’s clear a singles match between the two would have been infinitely better than the mess of a match they had at Double Or Nothing. Jericho tries to hit Britt with a bat, but misses, and both Saraya and Jericho get double superkicks, before a Last Shot on Jericho finishes the job. After the match, Jericho has a silly looking temper tantrum . This was a big improvement over the Double Or Nothing match, and there was some simple and fun heel/face dynamics, but the mixed tag stipulation sometimes hindered it and the work was a little sloppy in places. Still though, revenge for Britt and Cole gives us a feel-good way to finish the show. 

Result- Adam Cole by Pinfall via Last Shot

David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars

The simple pleasures of a fun two hour wrestling show! I thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s episode of Dynamite. There was nothing tremendously groundbreaking, and I could’ve used some progress towards Forbidden Door, but it built next week pretty well and gave us some upcoming feuds and began the rebuilds of certain stars and feuds, even if there was nothing story-wise that would blow your socks off this week. We also saw the building blocks of a future star in Konosuke Takeshita while Don Callis reminded us just how good at crowd work he can be.  To top it off there was also some really fun wrestling to be had, with a terrific tag team match and some otherwise good to great action. Although the final two matches were my least favourite, they didn’t feel misplaced on the card by any means and did a good job at delivering exactly what they were intended to be, so I don’t penalise the show too heavily for its structure as a result. The crowd were electric, the promos strong, the action engaging and the announced matches for Rampage and Dynamite for the upcoming week exciting. It may not be a groundbreaking or monumental episode of AEW in the long term, but as a fan of good wrestling, this was an incredibly fun episode of weekly television. There was nothing I didn’t like!

Overall… 

Matches: 0.75/1 Stars 

Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars 

Atmosphere: 1/1 Stars  

Storytelling: 0.5/1 Stars 

Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars  

Overall Rating. 3.75/5 Stars   

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling – May 31st 2023

For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:

The post AEW Dynamite Review 31st May 2023 appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

GOOD Royal Rampage #1 Contender Battle Royal: Hangman Page and Darby Allin make their entrances. Tony Nese and Will Hobbs are already in the rings, and yes you did read that right, just like on Dynamite, there are two rings. Ricky Starks enters and he is assigned the red ring. Each competitor is assigned either the blue ring on the right or the red ring on the left. The Butcher is next for the blue ring where only Darby Allin remains. John Silver runs down to the red ring and evens the odds for Hangman Page against team Taz. Max Caster enters the blue ring accompanied by Anthony Bowens and Billy Gunn. Rush is up next for the red ring. I’m not sure what the intervals are, but people are definitely entering faster than they are being eliminated. Blade joins Butcher in the blue ring. The red ring is definitely the fuller of the two and Penta joins that one. Rush meets Penta on the apron but is caught with a slingblade. John Silver is eliminated by Ricky Starks right before Swerve enters the blue ring and immediately eliminates Max Caster. Keith Lee joins the red ring, which is interesting because most of the other teams have entered the same ring to this point. Dustin Rhodes enters the red ring, after Matt Hardy enters the blue ring. Penta and Rush trade shots on the apron where they eliminate each other. Frankie Kazarian joins the blue ring which is now the fuller of the two rings. Konosuke Takeshita enters the blue ring as well after Dante Martin enters the red one. Takeshita and Swerve hit a double german suplex on Darby Allin. Brody King enters as the last competitor in the red ring. Orange Cassidy will be the final entrant in the blue ring, and as expected he takes his time getting there. Once in the ring he is immediately met by Takeshita and a brainbuster. Dustin Rhodes is eliminated in the red ring right before Takeshita is eliminated by Butcher and Blade. Orange Cassidy is suddenly eliminated by Swerve at nearly the same time as both Hobbs and Keith Lee are knocked out of the other ring. Swerve is then eliminated as well as Ricky Starks and Hangman Page. Brody King is the final competitor in the red ring. Darby Allin eliminates both Butcher and Blade and it is down to him and Brody King. Brody lands a gigantic cannonball senton in the corner and then hoists Darby up on the top rope. Allin briefly counters but is caught in a sleeper hold and essentially he’s choked off of the apron. Brody King will face Jon Moxley for the interim AEW World Championship. 

Result: Brody King by Elimination

Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars

Hook Interview: As usual Hook does not speak, and he grabs Alex Marves by the tie and says, “that’s the problem Alex, most people don’t think.” Too short to rate.

GOOD Hiroki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi vs. The Young Bucks: Nick Jackson starts the match with Goto and Hiroki lands a huge shoulder tackle. Yoshi-Hashi comes in and they double team Nick with repeated forearms to the back. Matt is tagged in and he hits his signature locomotion Northern Lights suplexes. Nick hits an escalera to lay out both Yoshi-Hashi and Goto as we head to commercial. In picture in picture the Bucks continue to dominate the action. Goto is knocked off the apron leaving Yoshi-Hashi stuck in the ring with no one to tag in. When we return from the break Goto makes it back to the apron and he is finally tagged back in. Yoshi-Hashi jumps in and they hit a headhunter for a near fall. Both teams go back and forth with superkicks and clotheslines. Goto hits an ushigoroshi on Nick Jackson and then tags in Yoshi-Hashi who drills Nick Jackson with a superkick. They try to follow but the bucks send Hiroki Goto into the other ring. The Bucks hit a BTE Trigger on Yoshi-Hashi, and then Nick Jackson leaps into the other ring to lay out Goto. Nick leaps back into the other ring to hit the Meltzer Driver for the 1, 2, 3. 

Result: Young Bucks by Pinfall via Meltzer Driver

Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars

ABOVE AVERAGE Toni Storm vs. Nyla Rose: Nyla Rose is accompanied to the ring by Marina Shafir and Toni Storm enters alone. Storm is immediately met with a huge elbow from Rose but she uses her agility to evade more damage. She uses a drop toe hold to ground Rose and then works her over to the corner. Rose fights out of the corner and suplexes Toni but Storm is totally game and she immediately responds with right hands. Storm hits the ropes and while Nyla distracts the referee she is hit with a kick by Marina Shafir. During the commercial break Rose dominates Toni Storm while intermittently distracting the referee so that Shafir can get in more shots of her own. Toni is set up against the ringpost but she moves out of the way and Nyla hits it shoulder first. The opening allows Storm to return to the ring where unfortunately Rose continues to pour on the offense, hitting a spinebuster and then locking in a camel clutch. The majority of this match unfortunately took place during picture in picture. Out of the break Rose misses on a cannonball senton, and it allows Toni Storm to hit her signature hip attack. Shafir gets involved and it halts Storm’s momentum but she hits a double DDT on both Rose and Shafir outside the ring. Back in the ring Rose tries a Beast Bomb but it’s reversed by Storm briefly until Nyla Rose sits down right on top of her. They trade punches and in the corner Nyla Rose rips off the top turnbuckle pad. She sets Toni Storm up on the other side for a guillotine leg drop but misses. Storm responds with a German suplex and they’re both down. Marina Shafir climbs on the top rope for a distraction but nothing comes of it. Toni Storm hits a pendulum DDT and that is the win. Immediately following the match Shafir attacks Storm from behind, Thunder Rosa runs in for the save and once Storm recovers they clear the ring of Rose and Shafir. The show ends with Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm standing tall. 

Result: Toni Storm by Pinfall via Pendulum DDT

Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 2.75 Stars 

Overall tonight’s show was an entertaining hour of pro wrestling. The battle royal was exciting and it was cool to see the way they did it with two rings. Brody King as the winner was a nice surprise and given his size and skill set, he is a fun change of pace as a challenger to Jon Moxley. The Young Bucks looked excellent in their match against Hiroki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi. In the main event Toni Storm picked up the win against Nyla Rose and she may have formed a new alliance with Thunder Rosa. Oh yeah, Hook spoke, and it was really serious. 

Matches: 0.50/1 Stars 

Show Structure: 0.50/1 Stars 

Atmosphere: 0.75/1 Stars  

Storytelling: 0.50/1 Stars 

Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars  

Overall Rating. 3.00/5 Stars   

Photo Credit: AEW

For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here: 

The post “A New Challenger” AEW Rampage Review July 1 2022 appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

First, a 20-Man Battle Royale dubbed Royal Rampage will take place for the first time. The winner will earn the first shot at Jon Moxley and the Interim AEW World Championship. They will get the title in a future AEW show. All 20 participants have already been announced. Additionally, Nyla Rose will face Toni Storm in a singles competition. Finally, the Forbidden Door opens back up as The Young Bucks defend their AEW Tag Team Titles against NJPW’s Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI.

The updated lineup for Friday’s show can be seen below.

AEW Rampage (7/1)

• AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
• Nyla Rose vs. Toni Storm
• Royal Rampage: 20-Man Over The Rop Rope Battle Royal. Winner Receives Shot At Interim AEW World Championship.

The post Inaugural Royal Rampage And More Announced For 7/1 AEW Rampage appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

The issues started during a bout between Skye Blue and Nyla Rose for Elevation. The match couldn’t be filmed due to a power outage, which forced AEW President Tony Khan to call an audible and announce that it would be held for the in-house crowd exclusively.

Another production issue occurred around the entrance ramp and commentary area during a match between Max Castor of The Acclaimed and Cheeseburger. It was the second time a match would not be taped, which is unfortunate because Cheeseburger was said to have received a great reaction from the fans. 

Because of the continuous issues, the main event for Elevation was rescheduled for a later date. Luckily, everything seemed to be resolved before Dynamite went live. Dave Meltzer talked about the issues during the May 5th episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.

“Max Caster was wrestling Cheeseburger and Cheeseburger was very over, which was the second time they used Cheeseburger and he was very over both times. And then the entrance and the announcing place all of a sudden went dark. They did the match, Max Caster won, then they did another match that they announced, which was Skye Blue and Nyla Rose. They just said, ‘This match is only for you fans in the arena and it will never air,’ because they couldn’t tape it because they had a power failure. They got the thing fixed by eight o’clock and there was no problem with Dynamite.” (H/T WrestlingNews.com)

Whatever caused the outages, hopefully, they won’t continue to plague production any further. Perhaps Tony Khan will also reschedule the un-filmed matches as well so they can be seen online. This would be great as it would help Cheeseburger’s growing momentum. 

The post AEW Suffered Power Cut During AEW Dark Elevation Taping appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

Nyla spoke with The Battleground Podcast, where she referred to her thoughts on Cody & Brandi Rhodes’ departure from All Elite Wrestling, back in February of the current year. ‘The Native Beast’ also stated that she maintains a good friendship with both of them and that, even if she misses them, she is happy if they are feeling happy in WWE.

“If pro wrestling, I’m not even gonna say AEW, if pro wrestling is any indication, I can’t speculate. Anything’s possible, we’ve seen things this past year that have just come out of complete left field. Selfishly, I would love to see that. You know, I miss my friends. I miss seeing people that I like backstage. Cody and Brandi have been absolutely wonderful to me, I would love to see them more. But if they’re happy, I’m happy. Like I always say, if you like it, I love it.”

Nyla Rose was aiming to become the first ever 2-time AEW Women’s World Champion by challenging current champion Thunder Rosa for the title at this past Saturday’s AEW Battle Of The Belts II, where she was defeated with a roll-up pin. Nyla became the second AEW Women’s World Champion in history, since she defeated the young Japanese star Riho and would proceed to carry the title for 101 days, before losing it to Hikaru Shida at the 2020 Double or Nothing PPV.

H/T to Fightful.com for the transcription

Photo Credit – All Elite Wrestling (AEW)

The post Nyla Rose Reveals She Misses Seeing Brandi And Cody Rhodes In AEW appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

AMAZING Scorpio Sky vs. Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship: Sammy enters first accompanied by Tay Conti to a chorus of boos and thumbs down. I’m not sure if production did it intentionally or not but nearly every fan shown during the walk was treating Sammy and Tay as certified heels. Scorpio Sky enters second, accompanied by Ethan Page and Dan Lambert and the reaction isn’t positive but it isn’t nearly as negative as Sammy’s either. Dan Lambert is still wearing the second TNT Title Belt and Tony Schiavone and Tazz have a funny discussion about it on commentary. Sammy starts the match like a house of fire but Scorpio Sky lands a slick double-leg takedown followed by some ground and pound strikes to halt the momentum. The MMA influence from American Top Team is apparent as Sky backs Sammy into the corner for some clinch strikes to follow up the groundwork. Sammy slaps Sky straight across the face to reverse things in the corner, and he goes to work himself with heavy right hands while perched on the second rope. The flurry is concluded with an arm drag to return the action to the middle of the ring and these two start to work some more of their normal movesets. Sammy lands a back suplex to gain control momentarily, and the crowd is totally split in this one. “Let’s go Sammy,” chants are immediately followed by, “Sammy sucks,” all the while Mr. Guevara is in complete control of the action. After a brief flurry from both, Guevara re-establishes his dominance with a high-angle dropkick to knock the champion to the outside. He follows by driving Scorpio into the guard rail, but Sky is not only game, he’s prepared, and is able to land a uranagi-style flapjack sending Guevara’s face onto the top bar of that very same rail. Scorpio Sky briefly rolls into the ring to break the count by the referee but it allows Sammy some time to recover. Guevara climbs to the top turnbuckle while an unaware Scorpio Sky rolls back out of the ring, Sammy meets him with a moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the arena floor. Sky got the worst of it, but  Sammy is not in a good way either, and as the action moves back to the apron, Scorpio Sky hoists Guevara up in the fireman’s carry and connects with a TKO on the apron. Both men are down badly as we head to our first commercial break of the night. Out of the break Scorpio Sky is in control for the first time since the double leg takedown he scored during the opening moments of the match. Sky connects with consecutive, vicious, backbreakers and Sammy clutches his lower back in pain after each one. Scorpio delivers a third, and holds Guevara in the same position for an abdominal stretch all while still driving that right knee further into Sammy’s already compromised back. On the fourth try adrenaline takes over and Guevara is able to reverse. He follows with a clothesline and multiple chops to the chest of the champion. Sammy gives the sign for the 630 Senton and climbs to the top turnbuckle. Ethan Page rolls Scorpio Sky out of the ring towards safety as Sammy is still climbing, and Tay Conti confronts Lambert to a smattering of boos and cheers. Sammy is still perched on the top turnbuckle and as Conti gets out of the way he delivers a shooting star press to a standing Ethan Page as well as Scorpio Sky before rolling Sky back into the ring. Sammy then lands a cutter off the top rope but it’s only good for a close 2 count. Guevara runs his thumb along his neck to say it’s over but as he attempts to finish Sky, Dan Lambert is distracting the referee. Tay Conti lays hands on Lambert and quickly Paige Van Zant is running down the ramp to make the save. There is no discussion necessary as Van Zant and Conti get physical immediately, trading punches, but the distraction allows Sammy Guevara to deliver a low blow followed by a GTH. That is it, 1,2,3, Sammy, Sammy, Sammy is TNT Champion a third time. This match was awesome, storytelling wise we essentially had two heels, but what a job they both did. All the interference made sense, and the storytelling was outstanding in the ring. The two went under 20 minutes and told a well thought out story. It wasn’t perfect, but this was pro wrestling fun in a lot of ways and it was absolutely worth the watch. 

Result: Sammy Guevara by Pinfal via GTH

Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 4.00 Stars

AMAZING Jonathan Gresham vs. Dalton Castle ROH World Championship match: Dalton enters first with a classic, very dancey entrance as expected. The “Party Peacock” likes to live his life, “Deliciously,” and hey we can only hope this match is as, “Delicious,” as what Scorpio and Sammy just did. Jonathan Gresham makes his entrance, and yeah he’s wearing the Octopus mask that makes him look like the bad guy from the second, “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and I’m already having a hard time believing that Mr. Castle has even a semblance of a chance tonight. The contest starts slow but Gresham is going to work with a side headlock takeover followed by some arm lock techniques before Castle rolls outside the ring for a breath. Dalton Castle scores a single-leg take down and then back on the feet is able to power Gresham around for a series of pumphandle suplexes. In the corner Gresham shows his agility and leapfrogs Castle but is met with a big boot to the jaw from Dalton after attempting to hit the ropes. The Octopus recovers quickly and scores on a deep armdrag followed by a hurricanrana to take control headed into the commercial break. In picture in picture, Gresham works the left arm of Castle but Dalton is game and is able to counter for enough time to avoid major problems. While the champion may have the challenger grounded, Castle has not taken nearly as much long term damage as has been possible, and may very well still be fresh. Out of the break the two go back and forth in the corner, neither gets the best of each other and Castle is finally able to land a saito suplex to end the sequence. He follows with an overhead belly to belly, and then he grabs a front facelock on Gresham as they stand back up. Dalton picks him up over his head to attempt the Bang-O-Rang but Gresham has it scouted and rolls him up. The count is two before Castle reverses, and the count is two once again. Gresham then reverses the hold once again  for a 1 count of his own and they continue to reverse pinfall attempts until Castle is able to break his arms free. Back on their feet Jonathan Gresham grabs a hold of the Octopus Stretch and Castle taps out very quickly. Jonathan Gresham is still the ROH World Champion, and deservedly so, that match was so fun. 

Result: Jonathan Gresham by Submission via Octopus Stretch

Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 4.00 Stars

AMAZING Post match Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Satnam Singh run-in: They shake hands post match, but then  the music of Jay Lethal fills the arena. Mr. Lethal is accompanied by Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt. This is trouble, Singh throws Dalton Castle and “The Boys” into the steps as Jay Lethal drills the Lethal Injection on Jonathan Gresham. Lee Moriarty and Matt Sydal try to help but it is all for naught. Then Joe’s music hits, yep, that Joe. You know, the one of the Samoan variety. He’s carrying a steel pipe, and guess what? The bad guys hit the eject button and scurry up the ramp. No one wants any part of Samoa Joe, and who would, and better yet, why would they? Samoa Joe, the newly crowned Ring Of Honor Television Champion, cheerses belts with the Ring Of Honor World Champion Jonathan Gresham as they stand tall to end the segment. This was an awesome match with a great follow up, and there’s no reason we can’t look forward to Joe and Gresham vs. Lethal and Singh, because it’s interesting to say the very least. 

Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 4.0 Stars

AMAZING Thunder Rosa vs. Nyla Rose AEW Women’s World Championship: Nyla Rose enters first, and not only is she not accompanied by Vickie Guerrero, she is wearing war paint. Thunder Rosa, the champion, enters second and she is greeted by a thunderous pop, no pun intended. The bell is rung, and Nyla starts quickly with a shoulder block that knocks the champion to the outside. By the rail, Rose blasts Rosa with right hands and then throws her into the guardrail. As Nyla walks Thunder Rosa down the champion is able to counter with a bulldog against the apron before rolling the action back into the ring and climbing to the top turnbuckle for a shotgun dropkick. She follows the dropkick with a sliding lariat, but Nyla Rose is able to reverse the momentum by playing possum. Rose continues to use her size to her advantage to work Thunder Rosa against the ropes but as she attempts a clothesline the champion is able to pull the top rope down to send the challenger Nyla Rose back outside the ring. It is only momentary as when Thunder Rosa tries to capitalize, the ”Native Beast” catches her off the apron and delivers an earth shattering powerbomb on the pavement outside the ring as we head to our first commercial break of the match. Inside the break, Rose dominates the champion with a powerful side headlock, followed by a death valley driver. With the champion grounded Nyla goes to work on both her left leg/ankle as well as the back of her neck. Thunder Rosa is totally game and as we come back from break she fights her way to her feet and starts to lay in strikes of her own. As Nyla is about to stop the momentum Thunder Rosa scores with a Stone-Cold esque Stunner and the challenger is grounded for the first time in the match. Thunder Rosa delivers a basement dropkick through the bottom ropes and climbs to the top turnbuckle. She scores on a less than graceful, yet effective Tornillo to Nyla Rose and then rolls her back in the ring. Then, as she attempts a cross body, Nyla catches her for a powerslam but Rosa is barely able to fight out. Nyla connects with a forearm before she re-scoops her, and lays Rosa over the top rope to try to Drop The Hammer, but Thunder Rosa evades! She lands Code Red on Nyla but it is only good enough for a 2 count. Nyla hits a series of short arm clotheslines and lariats before hoisting Thunder Rosa up for a huge chokeslam. She tries for a splash off the top rope but Thunder Rosa stands up! Nyla lands on her feet and then delivers another huge lariat to Rosa and she’s grounded again. How Thunder Rosa is still in this match is incredible, but she is. On the apron Nyla Rose has Rosa set up for a leg drop but once again Thunder Rosa is able to get out of the way and Nyla crashes and burns on the apron. Back in the ring it is back and forth as the challenger is finally really hurt. Nyla Rose recovers, and attempts a powerbomb, but the ever resourceful Thunder Rosa has it scouted. It’s a Hurricanrana followed by the jackknife cover and the 1,2,3. Thunder Rosa is driven to the absolute brink of defeat by Nyla Rose, and she still manages to retain. What a match. What a way to end championship week in AEW! These two gave it their all and this was an incredible match. 

Result: Thunder Rosa by Pinfall via Hurricanrana 

Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 4.0 Stars

Overall Rating. 4.0/5 Stars   

Overall: This show may have been the best of the week for AEW in regards to balance and booking. On paper it didn’t look like the best, but I truly think it delivered above and beyond what was expected. Rampage was outstanding with the Page-Cole classic, and was a really fun show top to bottom. Dynamite was the most stacked card on paper of the week, and while it was really good, it seemed to leave some to be desired. Tonight, on paper, looked like arguably the weakest night of the week. It turned out not to be. Jonathan Gresham as the ROH Champion has a place on AEW television whenever he wants, in my eyes, and Dalton Castle looked incredible for a guy who has literally never wrestled on major television. Sammy Guevara and Scorpio Sky put on the best match either one has since 2020. It was so clean top to bottom, had great storytelling, and was the most shocking finish of the week by far. Oh yeah, Thunder Rosa is still the AEW Women’s World Champion, and if you’re asking this particular ratings writer’s opinion, I believe she is the best bell to bell women’s wrestler on the planet, and she proved it once again tonight. 

Matches: 0.75/1 Stars 

Show Structure: 1/1 Stars 

Atmosphere: 0.75/1 Stars  

Storytelling: 0.75/1 Stars 

Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars  

Overall Rating. 4.0/5 Stars  

Photo Credit: AEW

For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here: 

The post “And the Thunder” AEW Battle Of the Belts II April 16, 2022 appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham will defend against Dalton Castle in the AEW debut for both men. Gresham defeated Bandido to unify the ROH titles at this month’s Supercard of Honor show, with AEW/ROH owner Tony Khan saying ROH titles can be defended on AEW.

Gresham has been the titleholder since last December’s Final Battle. Castle, a former ROH World Champion, appeared on the Supercard pre-show and picked up a win.

TNT Champion Scorpio Sky will defend the title against former champion Sammy Guevara in a rematch. Guevara and Tay Conti have been pursuing the rematch since Sky won the title last month on Dynamite. Unfortunately, Sammy ruined Dan Lambert’s car and interrupted promos.

This will be Sky’s second defense, while Guevara will be looking for his third TNT title reign.

The two matches join the already announced AEW Women’s title match between champion Thunder Rosa and former champion Nyla Rose.

Here’s the card for Battle of the Belts 2

• AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa defends against Nyla Rose
• ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham defends against Dalton Castle
• TNT Champion Scorpio Sky defends against Sammy Guevara

The post ROH World Title and TNT Title matches set for AEW Battle of the Belts II appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

The feud between Best Friends and The Elite will continue as Adam Cole will continue to take on Best Friends member Trent Beretta in singles action. Shawn Spears will face Andrew Everett, and there will be a six-woman tag team match that’ll see Red Velvet, Leyla Hirsch, and Kris Statlander take on Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, and The Bunny.

Below is the lineup for AEW Rampage (1/14)

• AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (c) vs. Dark Order’s John Silver & Alex Reynolds
• Adam Cole vs. Trent Beretta
• Red Velvet, Leyla Hirsch, & Kris Statlander vs. Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, & The Bunny
• A Special Look At The Rivalry Between Thunder Rosa & Mercedes Martinez
• Shawn Spears vs. Andrew Everett

The post AEW World Tag Titles on the line and more for 1/14 AEW Rampage appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

Rush has always been known for being outspoken about his belief. He was said to have butted heads with multiple producers while in WWE, thus contributing to his departure as part of the talent releases WWE has made over the past two years. He currently serves in both a performing and managerial role on AEW television.

The post Lio Rush Says He’s Proud To Work For Tony Khan & That Positive Change Will Be Coming In 2022 appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

It has been announced that an AEW Wrestler will be writing an upcoming comic for Marvel next year.

Nyla Rose will be joining a team of writers to write GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: THUNDERBIRD #1 which will be published next year around April. Rose will be joint by writer Steve Orlando, art by Dave Cutler, and the cover designed by Ken Lashley.

The comic will be centred around the aftermath of the resurrection of legendary hero in the X-Men mythos—John Proudstar, AKA Thunderbird, who is mostly known for being the first X-Man to die in action. Check out the press announcement released by Marvel in relation to the comics announcement:

“At last, the news is out! GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: THUNDERBIRD is coming, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it! But this book wouldn’t exist without the incredible work of Nyla Rose and David Cutler, who are joining me on this blockbuster to tell a Thunderbird story that’s as raw, real, and riveting as possible,” Orlando said. “With their invaluable help, we’re taking Thunderbird on a two-fisted quest to reunite with his family and carve out a place for himself in this brave, new, Krakoan era. The world has changed while Thunderbird was away. The threats might’ve gotten more complex, but Thunderbird’s still sure there’s not a problem out there he can’t solve with his own two hands.”

(H/T – Marvel.com)

The post AEW Star Nyla Rose Writing Thunderbird Comic For Marvel appeared first on Wrestling Republic.