Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (12/7/21)
Fallout from WARGAMES!
Grudge matches take the spotlight!
After losing out on the NXT Tag Team Championships, Von Wagner turned on Kyle O’Reilly, and now they’ll settle this inside a STEEL CAGE! Plus, Xyon Quinn settles the score with Santos Escobar!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Steel Cage Match: Kyle O’Reilly VS Von Wagner; Wagner wins.
- Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen VS The Creed Brothers w/ Diamond Mine; Briggs & Brooks win.
- Carmelo Hayes w/ Trick Williams VS Dexter Lumis; Lumis wins, by disqualification.
- Toxic Attraction VS Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon; Toxic Attraction wins.
- Xyon Quinn VS Santos Escobar w/ Legado Del Fantasma; Escobar wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Steel Cage Match: Kyle O’Reilly VS Von Wagner!
The odd couple tag team broke up, and Von tried to get the jump on Kyle! But as Von makes his entrance, Kyle gets the jump on him! Kyle shoves Von into steel steps, Von crawls into the ring and this begins already! The door is closed, the bell rings and Kyle BOOTS Von to a corner! Kyle fires off body shots, whips Von corner to corner but Von reverses, only for Kyle to come back with a clothesline! Von stays up to CLOBBER Kyle in return! Von RAMS Kyle into a corner, RAMS his shoulder in over and over, then lets off to reel Kyle in. Kyle slips out to wrench the arm! Kyle CLUBS the shoulder, wrenches the arm and YANKS it! And YANKS it again!
Kyle throws haymakers on the shoulder, wrenches again, but Von back suplexes Kyle down! Von runs but Kyle avoids the splash to rain down forearms! Kyle hammers and KNEES Von from all sides! Kyle runs to SLIDING KNEE, then runs to KNEE DROP! Kyle bends Von back against his knee while fish hooking the face! Von can only endure with no disqualifications in the cage. Kyle knees and elbows Von in the corner, puts a leg on the ropes, but Von shoves Kyle away. Kyle gets up but Von BOOTS him down! Von snarls, looms over Kyle, then rains down forearms. Fans chant, “You Suck!” but Von drags Kyle up to gut wrench suplex!
Von digs his boots into Kyle against the steel, lets off, then digs his boots in again. But Kyle makes it a HEEL HOOK! Von is caught because they’re in the ropes, but he hammers Kyle down! Von brings Kyle up, reels him in but Kyle slips under to fire off KICKS and KNEES! Von blocks a kick to scoop and SLAM! Von runs to FALLING HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO! Von waistlocks for a rear bearhug, but Kyle endures and fans rally up. Von rolls Kyle to a bridging cover, TWO! Von holds on, fans are behind Kyle and he fights up to his feet. Von SLAMS Kyle down and leans his weight on the bearhug. Kyle still endures, fights but Von rolls to another cover. TWO, but the bearhug stays on!
Kyle fights up, gets to his feet, and he throws elbows from both sides! Kyle wrenches, to an ELBOW BREAKER! Von staggers to a corner, Kyle runs in but blocks the boot! He puts the leg in the ropes, KICKS the other, and gives it a DRAGON SCREW! Von hobbles, Kyle KICKS him in the leg. And again! And again! And again! Von gets an arm to reel Kyle in for a LARIAT! Von drags Kyle up, POWERBOMB against the steel! But Kyle turns things into a DDT! Fans fire up while both men are down and NXT goes picture in picture!
Kyle and Von slowly stir, and Kyle sits up to throw forearms. Von gives the forearms back, so Kyle kicks Von. They stand, Kyle throws another forearm but Von waistlocks to SLAM! And the bearhug is back! Kyle fights up again to throw more elbows. Kyle backs Von into a corner and fires more elbows. Kyle whips, Von reverses and Kyle bounces off buckles! Von drags Kyle up, scoops him and hits a BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! And back to the bearhug! Roll to a bridging cover, TWO! Kyle fights back up again, throws more elbows, but Von KNEES low. Von has the bearhug back, Kyle throws more elbows so Von knees him in the back.
Von stalks Kyle to ropes, drags him back up, and whips him to ropes to CLOBBER with an elbow! Cover, TWO! Von grows frustrated but he CLUBS Kyle down, and returns to the bearhug! Kyle fights up, throws more elbows, but Von knees him again. Von scoops Kyle, Kyle slips out and KICKS the leg. NXT returns to single picture as Von DECKS Kyle. Kyle gets up to KICK the leg, Von DECKS him again. Fans fire up as Kyle gets up to KICK and KICK! Von choke grips, Kyle CLUBs free, but Von HEADBUTTS! Von runs, but Kyle sends him into steel! Kyle KICKS and KNEES and forearms! Kyle keeps on Von with strikes, he kicks a leg out to KNEE Von down!
Fans fire up, duel, and Kyle gets up as Von goes between rope and steel. Kyle runs and forearm smashes Von into steel! And again! And again! Kyle then climbs up to stomp Von from the top rope! Kyle drags Von through the ropes, DRAPING DDT, and a GUILLOTINE! Von manages to get out of the ropes, fights up, and powers out to suplex Kyle down! Fans chant, “You Still Suck!” as Von whips Kyle to ropes. Kyle ducks and dodges but Von LEG LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Fans rally up, Von stalks Kyle and drags Kyle up to- NO! Kyle slips out of the Olympic Slam to CLUB, AX ‘N’ SMASH!! Von is dazed, Kyle goes to a corner and climbs up. But Von gets him with a forearm first!
Von goes up top, choke grips Kyle, but Kyle throws haymakers! Von bounces Kyle off steel but Kyle KICKS and then SMACKS Von off the steel in return! Von drops down, Kyle takes aim, KING KONG KNEE DROP!! Cover, TWO!?! Von survives but Kyle fires up! Kyle drags Von around, Von LOW BLOWS! No disqualifications, after all! Von RAMS Kyle into steel! And then into more steel! Von underhooks, for the BUTTERFLY BOMB! Cover, Von wins!!
Winner: Von Wagner, by pinfall
Fans boo as villainous Von Wagner vanquishes Kyle! But he’s not done with Kyle! He puts Kyle on top the corner by the door, DECKS him into a Tree of Woe, and then steps outside, to SLAM the door shut on Kyle!! And again! The refs have Von stop there, but he comes back to SLAM the door a third time! Fans boo even more, but has Von just slammed the door on Kyle in NXT period?
Joe Gacy speaks.
“Hello, my name is Joe Gacy. And the outcome of the match at WarGames is not as important as our bigger vision.” What they did was far more important than the Cruiserweight Championship. They ended years of division, broke down barriers, and Gacy is working to change the name of a show that promotes such exclusivity. And speaking of barriers, Harland has faced them every day of his life. “People unfairly judge him for the size of his body, but they don’t consider the size of his heart.” Gacy accepts Harland. Next week, Harland makes his official in-ring debut. It is only a matter of time before everyone else accepts him, too. “Together, we can change the world.”
Bron Breakker heads to the ring!
The man who won WarGames for Team 2.0 is back and he gets the mic. “Last Sunday at WarGames, two teams went to battle, and I can honestly say, Team Black ‘n’ Gold is tough as nails. They built the foundation that NXT is today, and I can say right now, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Team Black ‘n’ Gold. BUT! Tommaso Ciampa! You pinned me at Halloween Havoc, I pinned you at WarGames, that makes us one and one! SO I’m throwing out the challenge right now, me and you, one more time for the NXT Championship.” But instead, here comes Diamond Mine! Malcolm Bivens has the music so he can talk to “LeBRON Breakker.”
Before the Creed Brothers destroy Briggs & Brooks, Bivens had to come out here and tell Bron, “Congratulations.” Bron is the real deal. BUT he isn’t the only one who was successful at WarGames. Roderick Strong had another incredible performance and has wiped the NXT Cruiserweight Division. The weight limit has been lifted, now he’s going to face the very best NXT has to offer. Bron says they have two seconds to get to the point before he throws Bivens’ ass to the fifth row. “LeBron, first of all, the Creeds are not going to let you do that.” Then, Bron says Black ‘n’ Gold build NXT. Well Strong gave them the blueprint!
Bivens knows Bron has his eyes set on Ciampa, but Strong is THE Champion in NXT! And he has his sights set on Bron! Oh? Then where is he? He’s not here! Don’t worry where Strong is at, he’s chilling. But when Strong returns, he’ll put an ened to the “unstoppable” Bron Breakker. Does he accept the challenge? Bron explains this: He doesn’t care who he has to run through to get at Ciampa. He accepts the challenge! See you next week! Bron pushes past Bivens, but will he be able to break through Strong to get to the champion in NXT?
And here come Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs to have that match Bivens mentioned! Will these good ol’ boys break Julius & Brutus to break through to the tag team titles?
Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen VS The Creed Brothers w/ Diamond Mine!
NXT returns and Brooks starts against Brutus Creed while Grizzled Young Veterans have appeared on commentary. And then, IMPERIUM make their entrance! The NXT Tag Team Champions appear from the perch, Brutus CLOBBERS Brooks! Brutus rains down forearms, slaps him around in the rear mount and pretends its the rodeo. Brooks gets up fast, and he DECKS Brutus with forearms! Brooks headlocks, Brutus powers out, Brooks runs Brutus over! Things keep moving, Brooks drops an elbow on Brutus! Brutus gets to a corner, Brooks CHOPS Brutus then clotheslines! Brooks snapmares Brutus to then forearm him in the back! Cover, ONE!
Brooks brings Brutus over to tag Briggs, they double whip to double shoulder Brutus down! Brutus EuroUppers, tags in Julius but Briggs DECKS him, then reels him in for elbows. Briggs whips, Julius reverses but Briggs CLUBS Brutus then SLAMS him down, for a SPLASH! Briggs fires up, tags in Brooks, and they both run to slide and HAYMAKER Julius off the ropes! High-ten, and then Brooks gets in to run at Julius, only for Julius to dodge! Hot tag to Brutus for an OVERHEAD Belly2Belly! Brutus drags Brooks, Brooks kicks but Brutus drops an elbow! Brutus grinds his forearm into Brooks, drags him back, tags in Julius, and Brutus rolls Brooks so he and Julius can KNEE him down!
Julius drags Brooks up, facelocks, clinches, scoops and SLAMS! Julius stares Imperium down, kicks Brooks around, then he wraps on a modified head ‘n’ arm triangle. Tag to Brutus, Julius feeds Brooks to the fireman’s carry takeover! Brutus returns the favor and Julius throws Brooks into the corner! Brutus drags Brooks up but Brooks boots back! Elbow to Julius, uppercut for Brutus! Brooks reaches for Briggs but Brutus CLOBBERS him out of the ring! Tag to Julius, he drags Brooks up to HALF HATCH SUPLEX to the floor! Briggs hurries over to check on Brooks, and GYV spring into action! They take away Briggs’ tag rope?
Brutus puts Brooks in, covers, TWO! Briggs reaches out, Brutus drags Brooks away. Tag to Julius, and he stomps Brooks, to then get the STRETCH MUFFLER! Brooks kicks with his free leg but Julius SLAMS him down! Brooks kicks Julius away, DECKS him, and fans rally up! Brooks crawls, Julius anchors Brooks, and Briggs looks for the tag rope! James Drake taunts him with it on commentary! Tag to Brutus, but the ref won’t let Briggs tag in! GYV get one over on Briggs, but Brooks slips out of a scoop! Brooks waistlocks Brutus but rams him into Briggs! Briggs goes down, Brooks O’Conner rolls, Brooks & Briggs still win!!
Winners: Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen, by pinfall
Despite GYV having the fix in, the good ol’ boys win! They ruin the Creed Brothers’ spotless record, will they soon look to ruin the reign of Imperium?
Backstage interview with Von Wagner.
We’re waiting on a medical update for Kyle O’Reilly, but Von asks everyone, “What did you think was gonna happen? Look! WarGames is over, Kyle is over, but my WarGames has just begun.” What does that mean? And what is Robert Stone doing here taking more notes? Is Von Wagner a potential recruit for the new Robert Stone Brand?
Xyon Quinn speaks.
“Santos Escobar, you said that reality was gonna hit me in the face? Let’s see about that. Elektra Lopez, hope you’re watching.”
Duke Hudson goes to the ring.
He’s clearly wearing a blonde wig to hide what happened to him at WarGames, and he says if the last 48 hours have taught him anything, it’s that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. Headlines claimed Cameron Grimes shaved Hudson bald at WarGames, yet here he stands, full head of hair! Fans chant, “You Look Stupid!” Hudson says he fixed what happened, it’s good as new! So what does that mean? It means Grimes is a disappointment to everyone in the WWE Universe, and to everyone in his life! His friends, family. Grimes is- Here! Hudson hurries to put on wrestling headgear to protect his hair.
Grimes knew Hudson would come out here and so something like this, but he didn’t expect this. We all saw it: Grimes shaved Hudson bald. Yet, here he is, denying it? Hudson put Grimes through a table! Hudson cut Grimes’ hair! And Hudson even embarrassed Grimes. But Grimes came out here and stood here like a man. But that’s cuz Grimes can’t change the way he is. But Hudson can’t handle losing. Losing?! What!? No! Grimes cheated! That’s the only way he could win! He’s cum and a lowdown- Dirty, trashy, grimy, etc. Grimes knows who he is and where he is from! It’s a lowdown, dirty town, but they handle things a little different there.
So if Hudson wants to go one more time, let’s throw out the rules so Grimes can’t “cheat.” Grimes wants it NO HOLDS BARRED! Hudson accepts! And then he goes for a cheap shot! But Grimes is ready, throws counter punches, whips but Hudson avoids the Cave-In! Only for Grimes to grab the headgear! Hudson gets away, but will he lose much more than just a wing when nothing holds these two back?
Briggs & Brooks celebrate backstage.
Another one in the books! Jacket Time come over to congratulate these two, but Ikemen Jiro might go a step too far with the smack on the butt. Kushida says it’s all to celebrate beating the Creed Brothers. These four all agree on that, they don’t like the Creeds. But GYV show up, saying the win only happened cuz of them! But Kacy & Kayden walk by and say a win is a win. They’ve got two extra tickets if the boys are interested. Briggs & Brooks call dibs. Brooks likes this place. GYV is up in arms, but Jacket Time hush them. “Very sensitive operation.” GYV start a fight with them! The refs hurry to stop this brawl, but will this have to be settled in the ring?
Grayson Waller checks his views.
He shows Tesha Price the gif of his top-of-the-cage elbow drop. Pretty brave, right? Plus, main event winner. But moving on from WarGames, what is she up to tonight? Oh she’s got something. She already has someone else. Huh? Who? LA Knight. Sup, Wally. Tesha leaves with the Megastar, and if Wally’s all about likes and views, how does he like this view? YEAH! Waller vows to get views, but will Knight not like it?
Carmelo Hayes w/ Trick Williams VS Dexter Lumis!
Team 2.0 may have won, but these two are worse for wear. However, the rib tape might only be the start of it. Will the Tortured Artist torture “The A Champion” for what he did to the hand?
NXT returns as Lumis makes his entrance. The bell rings and Lumis stares at Trick, who should’ve been in this match. Trick is shook, Melo headlocks. Lumis powers out, Melo rolls off LUmis’ back but Lumis DECKS him with an uppercut! Lumis stares at Trick again, but Melo rolls Lumis to the mat, they struggle for control and Melo has the clinch. But Lumis powers up, only for Melo to slip out and trip Lumis up. Cover, ONE, but the two stand off. They reset, circle, and Lumis corners Melo. Melo kicks low, throws forearms, then CHOPS! Melo headlocks, Lumis RAMS him into buckles! Melo falls, clutching his ribs. Lumis pulls at the tape to dribble Melo as he tears it away!
Lumis drags Melo up, scoops and SLAMS, and then he stares at Trick. Trick tells Lumis to hold on, but Lumis goes out to creep over. Trick hides behind commentary! Melo gets out but Lumis DECKS him again! Fans fire up as Lumis stares at Trick again. Lumis puts Melo in the ring, slithers in and brings him up to RAM Melo into buckles! Lumis RAMS into Melo again, and again! The ref counts, Lumis RAMS Melo again then lets off. Lumis frames the shot, runs in but Melo dodges! Lumis stops from hitting buckles, but Melo ducks and dodges to SPRINGBOARD LARIAT! Melo writhes but he manages to cover, ONE!
Fans rally but Melo stands on Lumis’ bad hand! Melo gives some payback and STOMPS the bad hand! Melo gets the arm, FUJIWARA, and he pulls at the bad hand! Melo CLUBS the hand, pulls at Lumis’ glove, but Lumis fights up. Fans rally, Lumis resists, and he throws a body shot to the bad ribs! Lumis clinches but Melo knees low! Melo whips, Lumis reverses but Melo ducks, only for Lumis to hit a THESZ PRESS! Running AX HANDLE DROP! Fans fire up for Lumis as he stalks Melo, and Melo gets to a corner. Melo kicks but Lumis digs his boots into Melo’s chest! Lumis lets off, brings Melo up and throws him out of the ring! Lumis then goes back to staring at Trick!
Lumis slithers out but Trick says don’t even! Melo BOOTS Lumis off the apron! Lumis’ obsession keeps getting the better of him, and NXT goes to break!
NXT returns again and Melo has Lumis’ arm but fans rally up. Lumis fights up, throws body shots but Melo throws Lumis down by his hair! Melo covers, and even hammers the hand at the same time, TWO! Melo wraps on a chinlock, fans duel, Lumis endures, but Melo stands on the hand. Lumis avoids the stomp this time, then throws body shots and uppercuts! Melo staggers, Lumis whips but Melo reverses to throw forearms. Melo KNEES the bad arm, then snapmares Lumis to get the arm again. Melo SLAMS the hand on the mat, and Lumis writhes and he clutches the wrist. Melo gets the hand again to SLAM it back down!
Melo storms over to Lumis in the corner to CHOP him! Melo whips corner to corner and Lumis hits buckles hard. Melo stomps Lumis, has him down and stomps him more. Trick talks trash to Lumis, but Lumis stares at him and scares him! Lumis kicks Melo away, Melo comes back to BOOT! Melo reels Lumis in and gloats, “What goes up, must come down.” But Lumis suplexes Melo instead! Lumis rallies on Melo now with clotheslines and an uppercut! Lumis runs corner to corner to clothesline and BULLDOG! Then a BIG back suplex! And a kip up to LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up and Trick breathes easy, but Lumis keeps his cool.
Lumis stalks Melo, reels him in, but Melo slips out to roll up! TWO, but Lumis ducks the roundhouse! THE SILENCE!! Melo falls to ropes, Trick SWATS Lumis!!
Winner: Dexter Lumis, by disqualification
Trick gets Melo out of the ring, but Lumis catches him! Melo saves Trick from the Silence, but will Lumis come back for revenge on them both with gold on the line?
MSK reveal the Shaman’s identity!
Bro, it’s Matt Riddle! And Riddle has been waiting for them to knock on his door for weeks! He watches NXT and loves it. But now that these stallions are here, let’s get to business. Nash Carter & Wes Lee sit with Riddle and Riddle asks what’ son their minds. Well, first of, Shaman Bro, sir, it is great to finally meet him. Carter says that when MSK came to NXT, they thought they were going to be the bottom of the totem pole, and work their way up. But instead, the debuted in the Dusty Rhodes Classic, won the cup, then the tag titles. Yes, congratulations on that. Riddle remembers when the Bro-serweights won the cup and titles, too. Riddle misses Stallion Pete. Such a beautiful man.
Wait, Pete isn’t dead… But anyway, MSK want to know if this is the peak. What happens when you accomplish your goals so quickly? Is this the end already? Riddle says life is a long journey? It is rough, hard, and won’t be easy. But when you hike up the mountain and get to the top, that view is chef’s kiss, bro. But Imperium beat them for the titles and have MSK’s number. Are MSK goofing too much? What needs to change? “Mah dudes, you don’t need to change. MSK needs to be MSK all night and all day. That rhymed, that’s pretty cool.” But they’ve been at the top and fallen together. They’ll climb up together, and Riddle will be there every step of the way, bros!
Wait, Riddle isn’t leaving? Nope. But under one condition. What’s in the bag, man? Sharing is caring, bros. By all means. Riddle looks inside and WHOA~! Will MSK learn much from Riddle on how to bring out their inner stallions and ride back to the championships?
Toxic Attraction speaks.
Mandy Rose starts by telling Vic Joseph to shut up on commentary, then says she’s the one talking,. When Mandy speaks, everyone else shuts their mouths. The NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne, have business to take care of. “Like real women. Not like these little girls with their ratty clothes and their hand-me-down sneakers and their stupid skateboards.” And boys, stop drooling. Yeah, Vic! But all those comments were directed at Cora Jade. Will #GenerationJade and friends have to pay for their victory at WarGames?
Persia Pirotta & Indi Hartwell talk backstage.
Did Indi know Dexter would be at WarGames? No, he’s full of surprises. But Indi’s so happy he’s back. Persia is, too, because now Indi can focus, they can get on the same page. Does Indi remember what it was like when they started in Australia? Yes, they did whatever it took to get to WWE. Indi got here first, got things going, and then the world finally opened back up so Persia could arrive. But then it was all about the engagement, the wedding, the honeymoon. If they want to be contenders, Persia needs her best friend at 100%. Indi needs to focus on the team and leave the love life at home.
Indi knows Persia is a committed friend, she wants to that while she’s committed to Dexter, she’s committed to the team, too. But then Dexter walks in and she jumps in his arms to congratulate him. And Johnny Gargano walks over. This is what he loves to see! The family’s back together! The Way is united, but is Persia feeling left out?
Toxic Attraction VS Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon!
Mandy said her team will handle business tonight, but not even Gigi & Jacy can be feeling 100% after WarGames. Will this be an opening for Feroz & Leon to pounce? Or will Gigi & Jacy prove they’re tough enough to fight through the pain?
The teams sort out, Feroz starts against Jacy and the two circle. Jacy’s arm is taped up, she and Feroz tie up and Jacy puts Feroz on the ropes to slap her around. Feroz shoves back, then they tie up again. Feroz headlocksd and grinds Jacy down, but Jacy throws body shots and pulls hair. Jacy wrenches, whips, Feroz goes up and over and goes to arm-drag, but Jacy blocks. Feroz victory rolls, TWO! Jacy kicks but misses, Feroz waistlocks and rams her into the corner. Tag to Leon, she fireman’s carry throws Jacy, then has the wrist. Jacy wrenches through, Leon handsprings and headlocks. Jacy powers out, Gigi tags in, Jacy trips Leon up for Gigi to KICK, and Jacy LARIATS!
Gigi drags Leon up, throws forearms, then she whips Leon to ropes to ROCK her with a forearm! Gigi fish hooks Leon, has her on the ropes and chokes her, but lets off at 4 to SLAM Leon’s face off the mat. Gigi taunts Leon to go make a tag then she CLUBS Leon on the back. Gigi whips Leon to the corner, runs in and BOOTS her, then tags Jacy. Jacy shrieks and CANNONBALLS! Cover, TWO! Jacy is furious and she wraps on a chinlock. Leon endures, fights up, and fireman’s carries! Jacy elbows free then ROCKS Leon again! Jacy runs, but into a fireman’s carry and ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Both women are down and fans fire up!
Jacy crawls, hot tag to Gigi! Hot tag to Feroz, she gets around, ripcord and arm-drag! Then another! Then a SHOTGUN dropkick! Fans fire up with Feroz as she goes up top, for a HUGE CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Feroz can’t believe it, but she hurries to bearhug! Gigi tags Jacy before the roll-up, Jacy hits a NECKBREAKER! Jacy DECKS Leon, then she runs and CYCLONE BOOTS Feroz down! Cover, Toxic Attraction wins!
Winners: Toxic Attraction, by pinfall
Gigi & Jacy rebound and Mandy gets the mic to speak again. “And that’s how it’s done. Here we stand, even after WarGames, as the baddest bitches in town and still got all the gold.” Mandy knows everyone wants a shot at them, they’re the talk of the town. Honestly, she doesn’t blame them. “When you’re this damn good, it’s expected.” But to get one thing straight, Toxic Attraction doesn’t run from anyone! So if there’s anyone who wants their opportunity, bring it on! Whether it’s little Cora jade, or Io Shirai, or Raquel Gonzalez, they’ll be waiting. “We are Toxic Attraction, and still the attraction.”
But here comes Cora! Her arm is in a sling, but she has a mic to say, “Aw, Mandy., Thank you for talking about me again. I don’t know if you remember or not, but um, two weeks ago, I beat you.” Mandy says Cora got lucky. But then Cora’s team won Wargames, so while Mandy is throwing shade, Cora wants to see if she’ll handle this face to face. Hate to break it to you, Cora, but you’re not the one. But if she wants Mandy to embarrass her, then get in here so they can settle this right now! But Raquel Gonzalez shows up first, with a chair! Toxic Attraction runs away from this fight! Will the champions have to put up or shut up?
NXT has another Tiffany Epiphany.
Daddy says she’s a natural born athlete. When she said she wanted to do gymnastics, Daddy got her a fulltime trainer to take her to the gym whenever. She dominated every competition. And of course, she ended up on Team USA. But he said she was too good to be on a team. She’s a solo star, just like in NXT. She will get a gold medal, in the form of the NXT Women’s Championship.
Backstage interview with Tony D’Angelo.
McKenzie says Team 2.0 had a great win at WarGames, but things got rather personal between him and Pete Dunne. Tony quickly notes that Tiffany is one nimble lady. But he said the heavy money was on 2.0, and he wasn’t wrong. Did things get personal between him and Petey Poppins? Eh. But he’s not someone you cross. He has Dunne’s mouthpiece on display. Normally he’d sell this to some stunatz, but- Andre Chase applauds. Tony might’ve won WarGames, but if Team 2.0 had listened to him, Tony would’ve been the star, not Waller. A star, huh? Look, “professor,” Tony would normally give Chase a beating right here, but he’s got collections to make.
So next week, why not meet Tony in the ring and we’ll see who the star is? Chase can’t believe Tony talks like that. That grammar would not be acceptable in Chase University. That right there is a teachable moment! But will Chase be the one learning some things from the street wise Tony D’Angelo?
Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzalez talk backstage.
Cora thanks Raquel for having her back. It’s been crazy since Cora got here. They won at WarGames, Cora pinned Mandy, and she might even become NXT Women’s Champion. Alright, take it easy, now. If anyone has that shot, it’s Raquel. Yeah, but Cora hasn’t been champion before. What if she won? Let’s talk about that later. For now, let’s relax. But then Kay Lee Ray walks over. Before they go, Cora might need this bat more than she does. Trust her. Okay, but then what’ll KLR use? Sweetheart, she’s got plenty. KLR might be crazy, but is Cora on to something about her title chances?
Xyon Quinn VS Santos Escobar w/ Legado Del Fantasma!
The Gentleman Fighter got on Legado’s bad side when he turned won Elektra Lopez. Will the Emperor of Lucha make him pay for that slight? Or will Quinn show everyone what happens when he gets angry?
NXT returns and Escobar is given his introduction. Quinn makes his entrance, gives a look to Lopez, then gets in the ring. The bell rings and they both look to Lopez before they tie up. Quinn slams Escobar down, glances at Lopez, and Escobar turns it around. Quinn kips up, Escobar throws body shots and windmilling haymakers! Fans fire up as Escobar CHOPS Quinn down! Escobar then goes corner to corner, into DOUBLE FOREAMS from Quinn! Quinn drags Escobar up, cravats and puts Escobar in a corner to scrape against ropes! The ref counts, Quinn lets go, and he CLUBS Escobar on the neck. Quinn scoops and SNAKE EYES Escobar down!
Escobar crawls, Quinn brings him up and DECKS him! Escobar throws body shots but Quinn CLUBS him again! Quinn stalks Escobar to a corner, throws body shots and haymakers, then CLUBS him to another corner. The ref has Wilde & Mendoza stay back while Quinn digs his knee into Escobar. Quinn lets off as the ref counts, and he throws heavy body shots. Quinn CLUBS Escobar down, then glances at Lopez. Quinn gets Escobar up, Escobar fires body shots but Quinn CLUBS him again. Fans rally, Quinn scoops and SLAMS Escobar, then goes to the apron. Legado lurks and distracts, Escobar BOOTS Quinn!
Escobar goes out but Quinn whips him into the desk! Quinn puts Escobar in the ring, but Escobar slips right back out to get a breather with Legado. Wilde & Mendoza are frustrated for Escobar as NXT goes picture in picture.
Quinn storms out but Escobar hurries away. Legado keeps their distance as Quinn stalks Escobar around the way. Quinn CLUBS Escobar and he goes tumbling to Lopez. Quinn refreshes the ring count, stalks behind Escobar, and drags him up to whip, only for Escobar to reverse and send Quinn into steel steps! Escobar refreshes the count now, drags Quinn up and puts him in the corner. Escobar gets in to stomp Quinn, step on him and then VADER BOMB Quinn’s back! Cover, TWO! Escobar CLUBS Quinn in the back, then brings him up to RAM him into the corner! Escobar stomps a mudhole, lets off as the ref counts, and then bumps Quinn off buckles.
Escobar climbs up to rain down fists on Quinn! Escobar rolls back and KNEES Quinn down! Escobar brings Quinn up, ROCKS him to a corner, then shoves Quinn to ropes to ROCK him with a forearm! Escobar takes a bow before he kicks Quinn around. Quinn is in a corner, NXT returns to single picture as Escobar DOUBLE KNEES him! Escobar turns Quinn around, runs in, DOUBLE KNEES to the back! Escobar clamps onto an arm and tortures it from wrist to elbow. Quinn endures, fights up, but Escobar CLUBS Quinn in the ribs. Escobar pulls the arm to stretch Quinn more. Quinn fights up, breaks free and fires off body shots and a HEADBUTT! Then he atomic drops to run and LARIAT!
Fans fire up as Escobar crawls to a corner. Quinn is on him and TOSSES him corner to corner! Escobar flounders, Quinn runs in to RAM a shoulder in! Escobar falls, Quinn covers, TWO! Lopez is hard to read, is she worried for Escobar or impressed by Quinn? Quinn runs in but Escobar dodges to fire off forearms and a GAMANGIRI! Escobar fires himself up, goes corner to corner again, DOUBLE KNEES! Then a fireman’s carry, but Quinn fights free to ROCK Escobar, fireman’s carry back, and SWINGING SAMOAN DROP! Lopez distracts Quinn by grabbing ropes, and Escobar shoves Quinn away. Quinn RAMS Escobar into another corner, and RAMS his shoulder in again!
The ref counts, Quinn lets off, then hoists Escobar up top. Quinn throws haymakers, ROCKS Escobar with an uppercut, then climbs up, but Escobar hits back! Quinn HEADBUTTS Escobar! Quinn brings Escobar up, but Escobar fights free to ROCK Quinn with haymakers! Escobar climbs back up, they’re on the very top, SUPER STEINER!! Fans lose their minds, and Lopez puts brass knuckles on Quinn’s hand?!? Quinn slowly comes to, he sees what she’s done, but will he use them? Wilde points things out, the ref sees the knuckles and reprimands Quinn! Quinn throws the knuckles to Wilde then DECKS him!
Escobar KNEES Quinn down! Fireman’s carry, PHANTOM DRIVER!! Cover, Escobar wins!
Winner: Santos Escobar, by pinfall
And that smirk says it all! Lopez cheated Quinn by making him think she was on his side! Will this be the end of Legado’s grudge with the Gentleman Fighter?
Diamond Mine heads out.
NXT Media asks about the coming match of Strong VS Breakker. Bivens says Strong will beat Bron because Strong is THE Champion in NXT. Oh no no, Melo ain’t hearing that. Melo says they can’t talk about who is THE champion in NXT without mentioning his name. Seriously? His name? Yes, his name. Melo doesn’t care if the weight limit was lifted, Melo is worried about checks and championships. Well listen up Melo ‘n’ Trick. Strong beat Odyssey Jones and Joe Gacy, and he will beat Breakker. How about that, playboy?
Melo says Strong is good. He is the foundation of NXT and the last man standing in that group. But you know what he isn’t? THE A CHAMPION. That’s all it is, that’s all it’s gonna be. Bivens angrily asks, “Why is everyone so disrespectful around here?!” Will the Cruiserweight Champion have to teach the North American Champion the true pecking order of the titles?
Boa speaks.
“Edris Enofe. You don’t understand the fire you have ignited. Once I become one with these powers, impending doom awaits you. As quickly as you came into NXT 2.0, I will take you out of it. Next week!” The power of Tian Sha is coming, will the Epitome of Excellence feel its wrath?
Johnny Gargano heads to the ring!
As he promised in a digital exclusive after WarGames, Johnny Wrestling will put his rebel heart on his sleeve and explain everything about his future in NXT. The CWC is fired up and he already looks emotional as he gets the mic. “Heartbreak told me I can go as long as I want. Chucky isn’t coming on at 10, I think London Has Fallen is coming up next but they can wait.” He was always more a Le Fem Nikita guy. But anyway, he loves the fans. Fans chant, “Please Don’t Go!” but he apologizes, this won’t be his most eloquent promo since he just wanted to live in the moment. If there is one regret he has these last six years, he didn’t enjoy this more.
He always worried if his match wasn’t good enough, if his promo wasn’t good enough, if he wasn’t good enough. He wanted us to have the best, they deserve things they can be proud of, and he hopes he gave us that. We have no idea what we’ve given him. The first time he was here was 2015 and a WWE tryout where he was told he would never be in NXT. He hasn’t been blessed with the best genetic gifts, but William Regal brought him back for a dark match against Apollo Crews. The fans at Full Sail chanted, “Johnny Wrestling!” so loud, they brought him back every single week, even though he wasn’t under contract. This is all thanks to the fans.
TakeOver main events, video games, action figures, all of that. The fans helped Johnny live a dream. In his heart is still that same, shy, chubby wrestling fan. He’s dealt with self confidence issues his entire life, and is dealing with them even now. But the only place he’s ever felt important or special is in the ring in front of all of the fans. And for years, people have sked why he’s been in NXT for so long. it’s because he loves it and believes in it so much. Fans chant, “We Love You!” back.
Johnny’s family may be in Cleveland, hi mom who is crying and hi dad who is sleeping. But he has family back there. Hunter, Shawn, others we don’t even really know, like Steve Corino, Matt Bloom, Terry Taylor, Sara Amano, Vic Joseph even right here is a best friend. JB, Jimmy, Dustin, all the coaches, so many people. “This is like my family here. This is my family, that’ll never change. And I know change is scary, but sometimes it needs to happen.” There’s one message Johnny wants to leave for us: you’ll never fail if you bet on yourself. He doesn’t know what his immediate future holds, that’s up in the air. He might do things here and there.
But he does know one thing: February, he’ll start the most important job of his life. He’ll be a dad. Fans chant, “Baby Wrestling!” and Johnny is sure his son will watch this back and thank them all. Johnny knows he’ll love that little guy so much. But he’s going to focus on Candice, and his son, and teach his son how to be the best man he can be. Fans are reacting to something but it isn’t Johnny! SMACK from a chairshot to the back! GRAYSON WALLER ruins Johnny’s moment!! Waller says this isn’t Gargano’s house no more! Waller throws Gargano out of the ring, brings the chair along and dares Vic to do something about his boy.
Fans call Waller an A-Hole, but he sits Gargano up. “This is your NXT?” Waller puts the chair around Gargano’s neck and RAMS him into steel steps!! “This is your house, huh!?” Waller pulls the desk hook off and clears the desk while talking trash to Vic. Waller gets Gargano up, reels him in, POWERBOMB through the desk!! Waller says if you want views, come to him! This isn’t Gargano’s house, it’s Waller’s! Fans boo and call him a “Piece of Sh*t!” but Waller just soaks it all up. Has Waller just broken the rebel heart of NXT?
My Thoughts:
A great NXT to follow up WarGames. The cage match opening was a bit of a surprise, but really good. Especially since we just saw a cage match on Raw last night. Von winning makes sense with Kyle on his way out, and him going even more Heel by using the low blow was a nice touch. Joe Gacy was clearly talking about 205 Live in his promo, and I am looking forward to the rebrand, since I’d been talking about that right up until I stopped doing 205 Live coverage a few weeks ago. I’ll definitely want to see what Gacy has in store for it, but I still say it should just become NXT Lite. I’ll definitely make time to cover the episode of 205 Live Gacy gets his hands on.
Bron Breakker having a detour to face Roderick Strong is definitely a good way to tie stories together, as is Bivens calling Strong “THE champion of NXT” and Melo countering. Melo VS Lumis was a great match, even with Trick “ruining” things. I’m pretty sure we’ll get Lumis VS Trick before we get Lumis VS Melo for the North American Championship. It would be awesome if Lumis got that title to start following in Gargano’s footsteps, but I feel like Melo’s going to hold onto the title until he can have a match with Strong. It still feels like Vince wants to do away with the Cruiserweight Division again, and Melo winning the belt off Strong could be a step towards that.
Briggs & Brooks winning over the Creed Brothers while Imperium was watching and GYV tries to cheat them was a great bit of tag team story interweaving. Pretty sure we’re going to get more of Europeans VS Muricans antics with a feud between Briggs & Brooks and Imperium. Handing off GYV to Jacket Time in that promo was pretty clever. But NXT 2.0 sure is a randy place, ain’t it? Almost everyone’s hooking up with someone somewhere. Briggs & Brooks go on a double date with KC Squared, Tony takes a liking to Tiffany Stratton and Knight snipes Tesha Price from Waller. I feel like there could be something that builds to the return of NXT Vengeance Day for Valentine’s.
MSK’s Shaman being Matt Riddle seems a bit like a cop-out to me, but I suppose it makes sense on some level. I would’ve liked if they brought RVD back but WWE took the easy road. And while Riddle is going to be with MSK along the way, he’s still Raw Tag Team Champion so he’ll be traveling a lot in real-life. He might just do more of these vignettes so that they can record them in chunks and debut them a week at a time. It’ll also be a good way to keep MSK building up without them in the ring since the NXT Tag Team Championships are very busy with all the other teams.
Toxic Attraction of course win their match, but it was all a vehicle to bring back the title conversations. Cora does have a point that beating the champ means she gets a shot, but I feel like Toxic Attraction will cheat her. I’m thinking KLR gets her shot, and not to be mean to Mandy, but I feel like KLR should go ahead and dethrone Mandy so KLR can join Rhea Ripley in history as having held both NXT UK and NXT prime women’s titles. Not quite sure on the tag titles, though. Quinn VS Escobar had a very good main event match, and Lopez doing the brass knuckle trick was very clever. But I feel like this extends things, and we might get the real blow-off at New Year’s Evil.
Gargano had a great closing promo. We were all sensing he was leaving NXT, and I figured it would be because of the baby on the way. But I don’t think he’s going to be gone just yet with that attack from Grayson Waller. Waller, being burned by Tesha and angered by Knight, is going for that top Heel spot by going after one of NXT’s true top guys. Gargano VS Waller is going to be awesome, could be for New Year’s Evil, and could be Gargano’s good-bye whether he wins or loses since the baby is due in February. Then who knows, maybe we’ll see Johnny Wrestling, the heart of NXT, return once again and accomplish stuff no other great NXT superstar’s done before.
My Score: 8.9/10
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The Maniac takes on the Powerhouse!
In the wake of AEW Dynasty, in perhaps Will Hobbs’ biggest match, he takes on IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Jon Moxley! Will the Don Callis Family have even more gold?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- AEW World Championship Eliminator: Swerve Strickland VS Kyle Fletcher; Swerve wins and denies Fletcher a title match.
- Mina Shirakawa w/ Mariah May VS Anna Jay; Mina wins.
- Casino Gauntlet: Will Ospreay wins and will challenge for the AEW International Championship at Double or Nothing.
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Jon Moxley VS “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs; wins and
PLAY BY PLAY
The Elite arrives at Daily’s Place.
They roll up together in the same SUV, showing off all their gold, from Kazuchika Okada still being the AEW Continental Champion to The Young Bucks being the NEW AEW World Tag Team Champions. Matthew congratulates The Rainmaker, and says he is so proud. Nicholas says he is proud of being the first-ever THREE-TIME AEW World Tag Team Champions. Wait, who is this pulling up next? It’s JACK PERRY! He just smiles at the cameraman, and Matt says alright, gentlemen, it’s a big night! They head in, but then security flags Jack down, saying he can’t be here.
Matt has security stop there, Jack is with The Elite. Hands off the merchandise. And cameraman, stick with The Elite, they’ve got some business to attend to. The Scapegoat walks with The Elite, just what will they do on this Homecoming night?
Orange Cassidy is here!
Daily’s Place fires up as Freshly Squeezed makes his way out, or rather is TOSSED out by Trent Beretta! Trent’s modified the old T-Shirt so it now reads, “Trent & Orange w/ Chuck Taylor win the big one.” Trent DECKS Cassidy down the ramp while fans boo the further betrayal! Trent DECKS Cassidy again, and Cassidy flops into the ring! Trent rains down fists, soaks up the heat, and then he gets a mic. “Chuck. Chuck, it’s time. Please get out here.” Trent waits, but tells the fans they have no idea what they’re talking about so please. Chuck walks out on stage and Trent apologizes? He is sorry…Â that he didn’t do this a long time ago!
Trent is sorry that Best Friends spent five YEARS hugging a narcissistic p*ick! Cassidy was brought in here to be their sidekick, yet somehow he made Best Friends into his lackies! Best Friends fought for Cassidy, protected him, did EVERYTHING for him, and yet Cassidy gave them NOTHING! Cassidy does NOT care about Chuck! Cassidy is NOT his friend! Trent looms over Cassidy while the fans rally for “FRESHLY SQUEEZED! FRESHLY SQUEEZED!” Trent tells Chuck that Trent cares about him. Trent IS Chuck’s friend. So please… Do the right thing and give the people what they want. Trent tosses the mic to Chuck so he can respond.
Trent holds his arms open, and then Chuck holds his arms open, to then stop and say he always thought Trent was a POS! Chuck DECKS Trent!! Trent tumbles away, gets back up, but avoids Chuck’s haymaker! The Kentucky Gentleman tells Trent he knows that they won’t clear Chuck for a fight in this ring. But Chuck doesn’t wanna fight in this ring, he wants to fight in the damn parking lot!! The fans go nuts hearing that! Trent shakes his head, but will he have no choice but to fight his former Best Friend?
Jon Moxley speaks.
“I am confident tonight that I will defend successfully my IWGP Championship, but I don’t want you to mistake that for arrogance, or ignorance, or an underestimation of my opponent, ‘Powerhouse’ Hobbs. I know exactly who ‘Powerhouse’ Hobbs is, what he’s capable of. A truck of a man who hits like one, too. Born and bred with a killer instinct, an instinct I can see and smell from a mile away. I’m acutely aware of what’s at stake tonight. I know it’ll only take one mistake for my entire world to come crashing down around me. And I know that this Callis Family put a hit out on my friend, so I know just how far they’re willing to go to get an edge to win.
“But nobody knows better than me what it takes to get to the top. More importantly, what it takes to stay at the top. So I know, honestly, for me, tonight’s gonna suck. It’s gonna be a walk through Hell. A march through mud and fire, slings and arrows, a march through Hell. But there’s no place I’d rather be, there’s no better way to feel alive. I don’t play golf, man. This is pro-wrestling, this is the king of sports, the greatest thing int he world. And tonight, I’m gonna remind the world just who I am, in case they’ve forgotten. When all the oxygen is pulled out of Powerhouse’s lungs and his carcass hits the canvas, they’re gonna feel it, from Jacksonville to Tokyo!”
The Maniac heads out, but will the Book of Hobbs’ next chapter be written in gold?
AEW World Championship Eliminator: Swerve Strickland w/ Prince Nana VS Kyle Fletcher w/ Don Callis!
Whose Dynasty? SWERVE’S DYNASTY! Because The Realest did dethrone the One True King of Wrestling Television to become the NEW AEW World Champion! Prince Nana leads the way with his dance as Swerve looks to be a fighting champion! Will Swerve snipe the Aussie Arrow? Or will the Don Callis Family already have a win on a world champion to start the night?
The bell rings and the fans rally for Swerve as he stares Kyle down. They circle, get face to face, talk some trash, and then Swerve goes for a leg! Kyle facelocks to fight the takedown, then slips around to a waistlock. Swerve switches and hammerlocks, but Kyle reaches back to headlock. Swerve cranks the hammerlock, but Kyle reaches for legs. Kyle manages to switch, snapmare and then ghost pin, TWO! Kyle headlocks but Swerve slips right out to hammerlock again. Swerve grinds Kyle down but Kyle fights to the ROPEBREAK. Swerve lets off and waits on Kyle. Kyle stands, the two reset, and they tie up again.
Swerve headlocks, Kyle powers up and puts Swerve on ropes. The ref counts, Kyle lets off but then takes a swing! Swerve ducks the chop, snapmares Kyle down and slips around to roll Kyle to a cradle, TWO! Kyle hurries after a leg, but Swerve spins around, victory roll and step over, SHORT ARM SCISSOR! Kyle scrambles around to stack, TWO! Swerve gets up, Kyle goes for a leg, but Swerve steps over. Kyle dodges the dropkick, but then Swerve avoids the Penalty Kick! Both men block the other’s kick, and the fans fire up as they both let off. The two reset, the fans rally for “Whose House?” “SWERVE’S HOUSE!”
Swerve and Kyle circle, Kyle kicks but Swerve blocks, only for Kyle to ROCK Swerve with a forearm. Kyle whips, Swerve goes up and over then JUMP SOBATS! The fans fire up as Kyle sputters, and then Swerve UPPERCUTS, snapmares, and goes up to FALLING UPPERCUT! Swerve hits the Griddy and the fans fire up! Swerve says “DU~VAL~!” and the fans echo it. Swerve goes for Kyle but Kyle gets to ropes. Swerve waits on Kyle, goes for an arm, wrenches, but Kyle whips Swerve out! Kyle runs to CALF KICK Swerve to the floor! The fans boo but Kyle snarls and Swerve checks his arm. Kyle goes out after Swerve, brings him around, but tells Nana to back off.
Swerve BACK DROPS Kyle away! Kyle writhes, Swerve goes to the apron and he tells fans to pay attention, get off their phones. PENALTY KICK and Kyle goes down! The fans cheer while Dynamite goes picture in picture.
Swerve struts around before he fetches Kyle, and whips him into railing! Swerve again tells fans to watch the show, not their phones. He fist bumps the front row, gets Kyle back up, and pushes him into the ring. Swerve has Kyle on the apron to CLUB him. Swerve then stalks Kyle to a corner, ROCKS him, then has him on ropes. Swerve UPPERCUTS Kyle, whips him to ropes, but Kyle reverses to scoop and SLAM! Swerve writhes while Kyle mockingly shouts, “Whose house?!” Kyle even gets on a corner to soak up the heat and tell Jacksonville up theirs! Kyle goes back to Swerve, Swerve throws body shots, but then Kyle swings. Swerve blocks to fire more body shots!
Swerve turns Kyle for a NECKBREAKER! Swerve drags Kyle around, covers, TWO! Kyle is still in this but Swerve clamps onto him with an armlock and chinbar. Swerve grinds his elbow into Kyle’s face, then grabs the other arm. Swerve wrangles Kyle into a CAMEL CLUTCH, but then makes it a SLEEPER STRETCH! Kyle still endures, fights free, and Dynamite returns to single picture as he stands. Kyle fires body shots, but Swerve grabs the arm. Kyle KICKS and KICKS but Swerve blocks, slips around, LEG CAPTURE BACKBREAKER! Swerve again grinds on the arms, pulls on back, but Kyle slips through to arm-drag free!
Swerve has the wristlock but Kyle fires forearm after forearm! Swerve swings, Kyle swats it to SLAP Swerve! Kyle whips, Swerve flips up and around but Kyle SUPERKICKS him! Then scoop and MICHINOKU DRIVER! Both men are down and the fans fire up! A camera is backstage, and we see The Elite plus Jack Perry walking right up to Tony Khan’s office. Matthew doesn’t even knock as he leads the way right in. In the ring, Swerve and Kyle rise while the fans rally up. Swerve goes to ropes, Kyle runs in, but is put on the apron! Kyle waistlocks to drag Swerve out, and half nelsons! Swerve fights that, slips around, APRON NECKBREAKER!
The fans rally for Swerve while he shakes out his arm, then he encourages them to get louder. Swerve goes up the corner, Kyle slowly sits up, APRON KILL STOMPS!! Swerve clutches a leg, that was a risky move that may have been double-edged! Swerve walks off the pain and fans rally up. Swerve pushes Kyle into the ring, hurries to another corner, and then runs up, HOUSE- NO, Kyle catches the foot! ANKLE LOCK!! Kyle THRASHES the foot but Swerve endures! The fans rally for Swerve as he fights around, reaches out, but Kyle drags him away from ropes! GRAPEVINE!! Swerve is caught, and Kyle is even stomping Swerve’s back!
Swerve endures, the fans are thunderous, and Swerve crawls to the ROPEBREAK! Kyle lets go but keeps his eyes on Swerve. Kyle brings Swerve around to KICK him in the chest! And KICK him again! And KIJCK again, but Swerve blocks! Swerve ROCKS Kyle, Kyle ROLLING ELBOWS! Swerve MULE KICKS, HAYMAKERS, and whips to HIP TOSS! Roll through to the deadlift, but the bad foot holds Swerve back! Kyle suplexes, Swerve slips around and half nelsons but Kyle breaks that. Swerve still O’Conner Rolls so that he can BOOT from below! Kyle wobbles, into the SOMERSAULT FLATLINER! Swerve rolls through again, for the BRAINBUSTER!
The fans fire up as Swerve crawls back to cover, TWO!! Kyle survives and Swerve is frustrated. Swerve snarls, drags Kyle up for a gut wrench, but Kyle flails and kicks his way to turn it around! But then Swerve flails and kicks to turn it back around! So Kyle drops, victory roll and deadlift, into the JUMPING TOMBSTONE!! Cover, TWO!! Swerve survives and now Kyle is frustrated! Kyle pounds the mat, Callis tells him number four, and Kyle nods. Kyle goes outside, looks under the ring, but then shakes his head. Kyle doesn’t wanna do number four, he awnts to do it his way! GAMANGIRI! He puts Swerve up top and climbs!
Kyle has Swerve up on the very top, lifts, but Swerve fights! Swerve throws body shots, haymakers, and then he ROCKS Kyle! Kyle ends up in the Tree of Woe, and Swerve hits WOE STOMPS!! Cover, TWO!!! Kyle survives but Swerve just reloads! HOUSE CALL!! Cover, Swerve wins!!
Winner: Swerve Strickland, by pinfall (denies Kyle Fletcher a title opportunity)
The Realest crosses Kyle off the list, and Callis is disappointed Kyle didn’t play things how he wanted. Are tensions rising in the Don Callis Family? Who will be next to step to Swerve’s Dynasty?
BREAKING NEWS for Dynamite!
As AEW returns to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, so will The Cleaner! Kenny Omega finally makes his way back to Dynamite, what will he have to say about The Bucks’ new Elite?
Backstage interview with Thunder Rosa.
Renee Paquette is with La Mera Mera and notes her being so close to winning the AEW Women’s World Championship, only to fall short. What does Rosa feel went wrong out there? Rosa says she can either stand here and complain about what happened, or she can move on. Honestly, Rosa could bring up who Deonna Purrazzo again got involved in her business, or how “Antonia Tormenta” kicked Rosa in the ovarios. But she won’t. She’s just proud of herself for- Oh, wait, Deonna walks in. The Virtuosa doesn’t get it. Rosa says she doesn’t wanna talk about Deonna, yet all she does is say her name!
Deonna dares Rosa to say things to her face, and Rosa tells Deonna en Espanol that she’s already told her before. The two start shoving, security rushes in, will we see these two have it out before one of them goes back for Toni Storm?
Mina Shirakawa w/ Mariah May VS Anna Jay!
Speaking of Toni Storm, her protege’s old mentor has been coming around AEW & ROH more and more, mostly because of Mariah May. Will Stardom’s Fighting H Cup Idol prove she’s elite? Or will Anna remind us she’s still the Star of the Show?
The bell rings and the two circle. They approach, Anna dodges and she takes a bow. The fans cheer, but Mina says okay, c’mon now. Then Mina dodges and shimmies! Anna mockingly applauds before she BOOTS Mina down! Anna brings Mina up to fire off forearms, then shows off her assets. Anna runs, but Mina dropkicks the legs out! Mina then runs to SHOTGUN Anna down! Mina grabs a leg to SMASH the knee! Mina steps over to SPLASH onto the leg, then struts around. The fans fire up as Mina brings Anna up, ties up the legs, and then DOUBLE KNEE SMASHES! Mina gets the legs again, steps through, but Anna kicks her away.
Anna runs in but Mina dodges in the corner. Mina ducks a forearm, ROCKS Anna with a forearm, then goes up to REBOUND ENZIGIRI! Cover, TWO! Mina stays on Anna while the fans rally. Mina dragon sleepers, but Anna fight the suplex! Anna swings, Mina dodges and tilt-o-whirls, to then RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Mina drags Anna by her leg, drops an elbow on the knee, and then another! And then another! And another! Mina shakes it up again and the fans cheer as she drops one more elbow! Mina steps through, FIGURE FOUR! Anna endures, crawls, and gets the ROPEBREAK! Mina lets go and Anna goes to the apron.
Mina lines up a shot, runs in, but Anna ducks to CLAW the eyes! Anna brings Mina into the ropes, give her a kiss right in front of Mariah, and HOTSHOT NECKBREAKERS! Mariah is upset but has to stay back, and Anna goes in to cover, TWO! Mina hangs in there while Dynamite goes picture in picture.
Anna CHOKES Mina, lets off as the ref counts, and then she drags Mina up. Mariah says boo Anna, but Anna puts Mina in a corner. Anna digs her boot in, lets off as the ref counts, and Mina sputters as Anna brings her around. Anna ROCKS Mina, brings her around and bumps her off buckles. The fans rally, Anna CHOPS Mina, then she struts. But Mina runs up to ROCK Anna! Anna CLUBS Mina, then pushes her around. Anna stands on Mina but that’s a CHOKE! The ref counts, Anna steps away, and she blows kisses at everyone. Anna brings Mina up, to snap suplex! Cover, TWO! Anna is frustrated but she brings Mina back to ropes.
Anna CHOKES Mina more, taunting Mariah to reach out, then Anna steps off as the ref counts. Mina coughs, Anna brings her up, but Mina fires body shots! Anna CLUBS Mina and has her in a corner. Anna drags Mina up, CHOKES her more, but the ref counts. Anna lets off, Mina coughs and sputters, but Anna soaks up the heat. Anna drags Mina up, cravats and snapmares, then clamps on a FULL NELSON! Mina endures, fights around, and Mariah cheers Mina on as she fights up. Mina throws elbows to fight the hold, but Anna holds tight! Dynamite returns to single picture as Mina breaks free and ROCKS Anna!
Anna comes back to ROCK Mina, but Mina ROCKS Anna again! The fans rally as the forearms go back and forth! Anna gest the edge, runs, but into a ROLLING ELBOW! Anna stands, into Mina’s URAKEN! Anna flounders to a corner, Mina roars and runs in, but Anna puts her on the apron! Mina knuckle locks, ROCKS and climbs up to FALLING KNEE DROP onto Anna! Cover, TWO!! Anna survives but Mina keeps her focus. Mina ROCKS Anna again, brings her in, but Anna wrenches out of the suplex to HOOK KICK! Then Gory Especial, GORY BOMB! Shoutout to Tay and Anna covers, TWO!!
Anna is beside herself but Mariah is also worried. Anna brings Mina up but Mina fights the STO! Mina gets free, blocks a kick, and DRAGON SCREWS! Then she steps through on the legs, FIGURE FOUR! The fans “WOO~” but Anna endures and fights to the ROPEBREAK! Mina lets go fast to go up a corner. MISSILE DROPKICK! Anna staggers back up, into the GLAMOROUS SWORD! Cover, TWO!! Anna survives Mina’s enzigiri but Mina drags her into the dragon sleeper! GLAM- NO, Anna slips free to have the QUEENSLAYER!! Mina flails, reaches out, but Anna is too busy staring down Mariah! Mina wrenches out to wrangle Anna!
Mina hooks legs, GLAMOROUS COLLECTION MINA! MINA WINS!!
Winner: Mina Shirakawa, by pinfall
Anna got cocky and got caught! Mariah brings in the champagne and glasses, and they toast the victory! But then Anna CLOBBERS Mariah and DECKS Mina! The fans are torn as Anna puts the QUEENSLAYER on Mariah!! Mariah flails, but here comes Toni Storm! The champ runs Anna off to protect her protege! “How DARE~ you!” Storm checks on Mariah, but wait! SERENA DEEB is here! The Professor of Professional Wrestling is looking rather glamorous herself as she struts out, tosses Storm’s shoes aside, and looks at the AEW Women’s World Championship! Deeb sits down beside it on the ramp and has the camera come in close.
Deeb says she could hold the title up, but she won’t. Because instead, she’s going to make the AEW Women’s Division a promise: the next time she holds the belt, it will truly belong to her as the NEW AEW Women’s World Champion. Deeb is undefeated, will she remain that way all the way through dethroning Timeless Toni Storm?
Kris Statlander & Stokely Hathaway are in the ring.
Dynamite returns as the Galaxy’s Greatest and #BigStoke are here, balloons at all the corners of the ring, and the fans cheering them on. Stokely says, “In 1977, Bill Withers created one of the greatest songs of all time, Lovely Day. And that’s exactly how I felt when one of my best friends became TBS Champion at Dynasty!” The fans cheer that! Stokely wants to know, is Jacksonville ready to partaaay~?! They sure sound like it! Stokely says Caprice Coleman is on commentary, Krissy Stat is right here, and she says this one’s for Willow.
“She is the Babe with the Power, and we are here to give her her flowers She reminds us that nothing matters and to smile anyway, because every time we see her, she brightens our day. I’m standing her in silver because she is our gold. And now, she has the TBS Championship to hold.” Stoke says with all due disrespect, that was two packs of ass! So let’s just bring out the NEW Face of TBS, “HOO! HOO!” WILLOW~ NIGHTINGALE! Coleman sings along with the theme song just like in ROH, and the Babe with the Championship makes her entrance. Willow gets the mic, Stokely says when this whole thing to started, he didn’t like her. Well she didn’t like him, either.
Stokely says Willow was like a fungus that they couldn’t cut off. But look at them now! Willow earned that title, and they are proud of her! Willow thanks Stokely and Kris, and is proud of herself, too. Because tonight in JACKSONVILLE~, the very place where she hit the big time. She’ll take us back to Spring of 2020. Willow was right here, in the front row, trying to get her big break. Then in 2022, she was in the ring, Tony Schiavone stepped in to join her, and on that big tron, we saw the graphic: Willow is All Elite! But tonight, Willow isn’t trying to catch a break, she is not a rookie. She is THE FACE OF TBS!! WHAT WHAT!
But wait, here comes The CEO. Mercedes Mone again steps on Willow’s moment, just like she did at Dynasty. But it’s already obvious why as she struts her way to the ring. Mone gets her own mic while the fans chant “C E O! C E O!” Mone tells “Jacksonviiiiille~” to say hello to the C E O. Willow tells Mone this has to be like the fourth time she’s done this. And this is Willow’s time! So it just feels like if Mone has something to say, then go ahead and say it. Mone says she just wanted to congratulate Willow! And to enjoy the celebration now, because in just 23 days, at Double or Nothing, you will be looking at the NEW Face of TBS, Mercedes Mone.
The fans are torn, but Mone says she just wanted to ask if Willow was the b*tch who attacked her in the dark two weeks ago! What? Why would she? Kris steps up to tell Mone that Willow got attacked just last week, so how do we know Mone didn’t do that? Well how do we know it wasn’t Kris?! They argue, Stokely speaks up and says while he hates getting up in women’s business, we all know it was Julia Hart. Willow says even before this whodunnit, it feels like there’s been a personal vendetta against her. Does Mone really think Willow meant to injure Sasha during the NJPW Women’s Tournament? Stokely says of course Mone thinks that, but then Kris shuts him up.
Mone asks Willow if she really just asked if Mone blames Willow for almost ending her career. Is Willow really asking if Mone blames Willow for all the pain and suffering Mone went through? Is Willow really asking if Mone was blaming Willow for taking away the one thing Mone loves most for a whole year? Willow doesn’t want the truth, she just wants to feel better about what she did to Mone. Willow says she genuinely feels so awful what happened. But there were a lot of questions and doubts for her, too. She went to hotel room, she looked at the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship, and she should’ve been smiling.
But the whole time, she wondered to herself, “Could I have beaten Mercedes Mone at 100%?” And then the next day, Willow saw everyone saying that online. She heard the locker room saying it! And so that NJPW Strong Women’s title reign has quite the asterisk next to it. But THIS title reign? This? There is NOT asterisk next to this! The fans fire up for that! So at Double or Nothing, Mone, Willow wants you at 100%! Because Willow wants to show Mone that she CAN beat her, and why Willow IS TBS Champion. The fans fire up for that! Mone says to enjoy it while she can, because they both know deep down, Willow CAN’T beat Mone.
The fans are torn as the two stare down, and then Mone says bye. Kris grabs at Mone, Mone turns around and mistakenly SLAPS Willow!! Kris has to stop Willow from retaliating, and then refs get out there to stop it! Kris’s mistake only just turned up the heat on this one! Will there be no holding back from the CEO or the Babe with the Power when it’s Double or Nothing?
Alex Marvez waits outside Tony Khan’s office.
Jack Perry is the first to exit and Marvez says they’ve been in there a long time. Is Jack reinstated in AEW? Jack doesn’t answer and moves on, so Marvez asks “Okada-san” if that’s the case. The Rainmaker just pats Marvez on the shoulder and follows Jack. Nicholas, is Jack All Elite again? Matthew, please, Marvez needs the scoop! Is Jack Perry once again in AEW? Matt wishes he had a better scoop for Marvez, but things are still uncertain. One thing Matt will tell Marvez is… Tony Khan literally just agreed to talk with Jack in the ring, live here tonight. That’s still a pretty big scoop! Will TK bring the Scapegoat back into the fold?
Casino Gauntlet!
AEW shuffles the deck and puts a golden opportunity for Double or Nothing on the line! This isn’t your typical gauntlet, either! It is “sudden death,” so anyone that scores a pinfall or submission wins, BUT! There are also timed intervals, so more and more competitors will be added, meaning things can get really crazy really quickly. One way or another, the AEW International Champion will have a new challenger, but who will it be when it’s the luck of the draw?
First out, it’s King Switch! Jay White leads Austin & Colten Gunn out as the NEW unified AEW & ROH World Trios Champions, but will Bullet Club Gold be adding even more gold to the collection? Second out, Top Flight’s Dante Martin! Will Angel Dorado get himself a golden ticket instead?
Jay White VS Dante Martin!
The bell rings, the two circle, and they tie up. White pulls hair to put Dante in the corner, but Dante slips free. They circle again, Dante waistlocks but White switches. White headlocks, Dante powers up but can’t power out as White holds on. White wrenches to wristlock, but Dante flips through and breaks free. White CHOPS, then CHOPS, then CHOPS again! Dante is stinging, the fans “WOO~” and White says guns up! White whips, runs in, but Dante slips out to the apron! Dante then goes up and around, GAMANGIRIS, then springboards. White gets under, Dante comes back, and turns hip toss into RANA! Then he DROPKICKS White down! Cover, TWO!
White bails out, Dante builds speed, and Dante FLIES, but has to handspring through as White moves! White CHOPS, CHOPS, and then brings Dante around. APRON- NO, Dante slips free of the suplex to JUMP KNEE! Dante puts White in, hurries to the apron, and then slingshots to roll, only for White to catch him! EXPLODERÂ out of the ring! But here comes the third man, PENTA EL ZERO MIEDO! The Man with No Fear now makes this a Triple Threat, will he be able to survive these odds?
Jay White VS Dante Martin VS Penta El Zero Miedo!
White storms up but Penta GAMANGIRIS him away! Penta goes up the corner, leaps, CROSSBODY! Penta runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges then SLINGBLADES! Dante returns, but into a SLINGBLADE! Penta whips Dante corner to corner but Dante reverses. Penta SUPERKICKS back, then pops Dante up on the corner, for another SUPERKICK! Dante wobbles into Penta’s fireman’s carry, and Dynamite goes picture in picture.
Penta spins for the SWINGING DEATH VALLEY! Penta then goes back to a corner, climbs up, but White SHOVES Him to the ramp! White then runs up, fireman’s carries, but Penta fights free! And SUPERKICKS! White flops to the apron, Penta uses him as a step to get up and in and hit a DESTROYER on Dante!! Fans lose their minds as Penta stands, and says “CERO! MIEDO!” Dante bails out so Penta goes after White. Penta CHOPS White, then hears the fans rally up. Penta goes out after Dante, gets him in the ring, and stands him up against ropes. Penta winds up, to CHOP! Dante grits his teeth, but White BOOTS Penta down!
White stands Penta up, CHOPS Penta, but Penta CHOPS in return! Penta hears the fans rallying for “CERO! MIEDO!” and he goes back to SUPERKICK White! Penta stands Dante up, whips him to ropes and SUPERKICKS him down! But then White gets Penta for a cradle, TWO!! Penta escapes, White UPPERCUTS him down! White snarls, stomps Dante, then stomps a mudhole into Dante at the corner. White drags Dante up, whips him to ropes, and back drops him away! White covers, TWO! Penta is after White but White scrambles away as Dynamite returns to single picture. Penta brings Dante up, but Dante fights the suplex!
White storms back in, CLUBS them both down, and next up is KYLE O’REILLY! Whoa, #CombatKyle is now #CleanKyle as his hair and beard are trimmed. Maybe he’s going back to those babyface assassin days!
Jay White VS Dante Martin VS Penta El Zero Miedo VS Kyle O’Reilly!
Kyle KICKS White down, KICKS Penta down, and KICKS Dante down! Kyle fires forearms on White, then wrenches. Dante gets up, Kyle BOOTS him away, then gives White an ELBOW BREAKER! Kyle wrenches Dante, BOOTS Penta, then hits an ELBOW BREAKER! Wrench on Penta, ELBOW BREAKER! Kyle whips, Penta reverses but Kyle goes up and over. Kyle also ducks Dante so Dante’s LARIAT takes down Penta! Dante runs up, Kyle blocks the kick and gives it to Penta. Then Kyle gets one of Penta’s legs, DOUBLE DRAGON SCREW!! White KNEES Kyle low, runs but into a KNEE from Kyle! Kyle snapmares White, runs, but feints to then SLAP him!
The fans fire up while White frowns. White gets up but Kyle fires off fast strikes! KICK, LEG SWEEP, and the fans fire up! Dante wheelbarrows Kyle, but Kyle drops that into the ARMBAR! White stomps but Kyle catches that, to a HEEL HOOK! White flails, ROPEBREAK! Kyle lets go, and now we add WILL OSPREAY! Will the Aerial Assassin take his momentum from Dynasty and make it Double or Nothing?
Jay White VS Dante Martin VS Penta El Zero Miedo VS Kyle O’Reilly VS Will Ospreay!
Ospreay storms right in, Kyle staring him down! They fire forearms and the fans are thunderous already! Ospreay fires up to fire off a flurry! Kyle KICKS, whips, but Ospreay BOOTS back! Ospreay goes up and out to springboard, PIP PIP CHEERIO! Penta runs up to KICK Ospreay’s leg! Dante gets in, he and Penta double whip, but Ospreay handsprings to DOUBLE PELE! But White SLEEPER- NO, Ospreay arm-drags free! These two know each other well and the fans are thunderous to see this one! White and Ospreay shake hands, but then White CLAWS Ospreay’s face! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS!
White clinches, but Ospreay fights free to CHOP! Ospreay whips, White holds ropes to bail out, but the fans boo. Dante kicks Ospreay and runs, into a SPANISH FLY! Cover, TWO! And out comes LANCE ARCHER! The Murderhawk Monster says #EverybodyDies, will that be the case in this sudden death gauntlet?
Jay White VS Dante Martin VS Penta El Zero Miedo VS Kyle O’Reilly VS Will Ospreay VS Lance Archer!
Ospreay shakes his head, but Archer storms right in! Ospreay gets in Archer’s… well, chest, but he fires off forearms! Archer DECKS him! Kyle returns, Archer LARIATS! Penta runs up, Archer LARIATS! White runs up, into a half nelson, dragon sleeper, but Dante jumps in! But into Archer’s hand! CHOKE SLAM DDT COMBO!! Penta jumps onto Archer, fires off hands, then whips. Archer reverses to CLOBBER Penta! Kyle gets up, Archer choke grips, but Kyle turns slam into GUILLOTINE! Kyle thrashes, but Archer THROWS him away! Kyle goes to the apron, Archer DECKS Kyle! Ospreay BOOTS Archer, goes up, but Archer STEP-UP KNEES!
Archer picks Ospreay up in the reverse crucifix! BLACKOUT BOMBÂ onto the others on the outside!! The fans are thunderous and Dynamite goes picture in picture!
Archer storms out to go looking under the ring. Archer brings out a TABLE! Daily’s Place loves it as Archer sets up the furniture at ringside. Archer positions that but Ospreay runs up to fire shots! Archer knees low, SMACKS Ospreay off apron, and then goes around to BOOT Kyle down! And CLUB White down! And get another TABLE! Archer drags that table over White, then sets it up with the other. Archer drags Ospreay up, but Ospreay fires forearms first! Archer RAMS Ospreay into railing! Archer CLUBS away on Ospreay, SMACKS Kyle off apron, BOOTS Dante, then CLUBS White. Archer brings White over, and SMACKS him off the table.
Ospreay fires forearms on Archer, then brings him around to SMACK off the apron. Ospreay goes up, takes aim, and FLYING- BODY CHECK!! Archer just has Ospreay bounce right off him! White ROCKS Archer, ROCKS him again, then brings him around to the tables. White fireman’s carries, but Archer’s too big! Archer CLUBS White, CLUBS him again, then ROCKS him! Archer BOOTS Penta, sends him into railing, then goes back for White. White fights the choke grip but gets an APRON CHOKE SLAM for it!! Archer roars, White dangles before he flops, then Archer goes back up the apron. Archer grins while Dynamite returns to single picture.
Archer drags White up to the apron, but next is KOMANDER! The AAA Cruiserweight Champion’s entrance distracts Archer so that White can CLAW the eyes! We’re now at a Lucky 7 Way, is this where someone’s luck runs out?
Jay White VS Dante Martin VS Penta El Zero Miedo VS Kyle O’Reilly VS Will Ospreay VS Lance Archer VS Komander!
Komander hurries to the corner, climbs up and tightrope walks, to FLYING RANA, but Archer blocks!! Archer brings Komander back up, only for Komander to RANA Archer down through the tables!! The Murderhawk Monster is hoisted on his own petard and even Komander is stunned! Komander hurries to springboard in at Ospreay, but Ospreay ducks! Komander rolls through, comes back and kicks, then runs, only for Ospreay to TIGER WALL KICK and- NO, Komander ducks the enzigiri, to TIGER WALL KICK back! Things speed up, Komander tilt-o-whirls around the world, DEJA VU DDT!! Cover, White breaks it!!
White clinches to URENAGE!! Cover, TWO!! Komander survives, but White goes back to Ospreay. But Ospreay flips up and through Bladerunner to LIGER BOMB!! Cover, TWO!!! White survives, but Ospreay takes off the elbow pad! White rises, but here comes JAY LETHAL! We’re at eight, how much longer can this go?
Jay White VS Dante Martin VS Penta El Zero Miedo VS Kyle O’Reilly VS Will Ospreay VS Lance Archer VS Komander VS Jay Lethal!
Lethal runs in, Ospreay is ready and they brawl! Ospreay kicks, whips but Lethal reverses! Ospreay handsprings through the arm-drag but Lethal still cartwheels to DROPKICK! Dante returns but into the LETHAL COMBINATION! Penta is back and he KICKS Lethal’s leg! Penta whips, Lethal sunset flips but Penta rolls through. Lethal dodges and handsprings, LETHAL INJECTION!! But White’s back to clinch! Lethal slips free, but swings into the SNAP SLEEPER SUPLEX! White hurries to clinch again, but Dante MISSILE DROPKICKS them both down! Lethal runs in, Dante goes up and over, then Dante dodges Kyle!
Kyle CLOBBERS Lethal, ducks Dante’s enzigiri, AX & SMASH!! Ospreay returns, Kyle fights the nelson to fire off strikes! KICK, KICK, but Ospreay BUZZSAWS and HEEL KICKS! Kyle yoyos to LARIAT, but Ospreay slips through to pick Kyle up! But Kyle slips free to ROLLING ELBOW! Ospreay SUPERKICKS! Kyle YOYOS into HIDDEN BLADE!! Cover, TWO!!! Kyle survives but Ospreay calls for his shot! Underhooks, but wait, he hesitates. Storm Driver 93 damn near destroyed Bryan Danielson, does he want to do that to Kyle? Kyle back drops free first! Then ARMBAR!! But Komander is up top! CIELITO LINDO onto Kyle!! Cover, HIDDEN BLADE!!!
Ospreay drags Komander to a cover, OSPREAY WINS!!
Winner: Will Ospreay, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the AEW International Championship)
The Assassin found a target and took them out! But here comes the Undisputed Kingdom, the Savior of the Backbreaker leading the way. Roderick Strong stares Ospreay down, with Mike Bennett, Matt Taven, Wardlow and Adam Cole all backing him up. Ospreay doesn’t back down, will he simply tear that gold away from The Kingdom?
Chris Jericho is here!
And as his new theme says, he is The Learning Tree. But what we see is that he is the NEW FTW Champion after cracking Hook in the head with a baseball bat at Dynasty. Jericho smiles and waves at the fans while he gets a mic, but they’re booing back. “Hey, guys! It’s true, I’m the new FTW Champion! It’s great, right? And there’s been a lot of negative connotation with the letters F T W. Does it mean F The World? Does it mean Forget The World? No, it’s none of those things, I’m changing it right here, right now. From now on, this means FOR The World Championship, because this was FOR all of you!”
The fans boo and Taz can’t stomach this on commentary. Jericho says “we” won this together! The whole world is buzzing and he knows why. Jericho is doing God’s work. The Wrestling God, that is, and that’s Terry Funk. Terry once told Jericho that it is now Jericho’s responsibility to teach the younger generation and take them to the next level, and that is what Jericho is doing! Thank you, Terry Funk, and thank you, fans. And thanks, Hook! What a great champion and a tough competitor in the ring. Hook beat the hell outta Jericho, but his only flaw is that there are still certain things he needs to take from The Learning Tree.
There are lessons Jericho wants to teach Hook, including how to get rid of the dead weight that surrounds him: Taz, Shibata, and all the clowns that support him. More importantly, Hook, you need to listen to Jericho when he says to stay down. Jericho told Hook to stay down but Hook kept getting back up. Even after two Judas Effects! Hook forced Jericho to hit him in the head with the baseball bat. So that’s on Hook. But Jericho knows Hook is listening, thinking on the lessons he learned, and that is exciting to Jericho.
What is also exciting to Jericho is the list of men and women who have been drawn into the #JerichoVortex and come out the other side even bigger and better stars! So many! Jericho is so excited- Wait! “Big Bill” Morrissey is here! Bill has a mic already as he steps to Jericho in the ring. Bill tells Jericho, “I have been in the back listening to you, and I only have one thing to say.” Jericho waits as Bill thinks on his words, and Bill says he needs The Learning Tree! The fans boo, they were clearly hoping for something else.
Bill says everyone knows Jericho is the Socrates of Professional Wrestling! Always willing to give advice, to lend a hand, and to take a less established guy and bring him up to the top with him. That is Chris Jericho to a T. Jericho nods, and Bill knows there is a long line of guys foaming at the mouth for the very opportunity to be under the Learning Tree. But Bill wants Jericho to take this into consideration: there is nobody bigger than Bill, nor better fit for the Learning Tree. Jericho knows it deep down in his heart that Bill is the very best fit for The Learning Tree.
Jericho does have to say, Bill, he has been watching Bill a long time. A fan of his for years. It’s partly why Bill is in AEW. But Jericho will think on what Bill said, and he’ll keep his eye on Bill to see if what he says is true. Bill says go ahead and do that, because he’ll do just that. Just watch him. Bill heads out, Jericho says he sure will be. Let’s celebrate together! Jericho waves and gives a thumbs up, but will Bill be The Learning Tree’s first true pupil?
Backstage interview with The Don Callis Family.
Renee is with Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher and Callis himself as she congratulates Ospreay on becoming #1 contender to the International Championship. Callis, the rest of the Family has had an evening of ups and downs, so- Callis “apologizes” for interrupting but he has to say, he is so happy for the “golden goose,” and now Ospreay will have the gold. An international star deserves the International Championship. The only note Callis has, that Tiger Driver 91, AKA Storm Driver 93. He had that all set up, why didn’t Ospreay use it? No, Ospreay doesn’t wanna do that anymore. Not after what he did to Bryan.
Callis doesn’t understand, what happened? Ospreay says we all saw what happened to Bryan because of his neck, and Kyle O’Reilly has a bad neck, too. Storm Driver has to go. Callis doesn’t care about any of that, Ospreay should win! Roddy’s got a bad neck, so what’s gonna happen if Ospreay shows weakness? Fletcher speaks up saying that Ospreay still won, and he’ll win at Double or Nothing, what does it matter about that move? Callis tells Fletcher shouldn’t be talking about winning after how tonight went. Ospreay WILL be International Champion because he’s gonna nail Roddy with Storm Driver, break his neck, and take his title!
Now, Callis needs to go find Hobbs, he’s gonna coach Powerhouse to a championship tonight, just like Ospreay will win at the PPV. Callis leaves Ospreay and Fletcher behind, Fletcher apologizes on Callis’ behalf. Are the former Empire boys still united despite how Callis is leading this “family?”
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Jon Moxley VS “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs!
It was a Windy City Riot when The Maniac took this title off Tetsuya Naito, and he made a point of saying he runs from no challenge. NJPW’s Ren Narita and Shota Umino are both waiting on the other side of this match, will they still get their shot at Moxley? Or will the Don Callis Family start to take over the wrestling world?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who makes history in this historic main event!
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The House of Torture gets another try!
Despite losing in the NEVER Openweight Six Man title tournament, the House of Torture get one more shot against Tanahashi, Yano & Oleg! But will shuffling the deck really help the King of Darkness trump President Ace?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Six Man Tag: Bishamon & Shoma Kato VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
- 8 Man Tag: El Desperado, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Katsuya Murashima VS TMDK; TMDK wins.
- NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg VS The House of Torture; Tanahashi, Yano & Oleg win and retain the titles.
- LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: Yota Tsuji VS Gedo; Tsuji wins.
- LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: BUSHI VS Gabe Kidd; Gabe wins.
- LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: Shingo Takagi VS Clark Connors; Takagi wins.
- LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: Tetsuya Naito VS “Drilla” Dan Moloney; Drilla wins.
- LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: Hiromu Takahashi VS David Finlay; Finlay wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg VS The House of Torture!
Don’t adjust your screens, this is not a rematch from Wrestling World in Taiwan. That’s because while The Ace, the Joker and the Rook won the tournament, they’re up against a different formation! The King of Darkness and Heel Master now have Tokyo Pimp as their third man, but will that change be enough to change the result? Or will Tanahshi-sachou and team be an undefeated combination?
The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see if Darkness Falls!
The teams sort out, and Oleg starts against Yoshinobu Kanemaru. The fans rally behind “BO-LU-TIN! BO-LU-TIN!” as he circles with Kanemaru, but then Evil & Yujiro attack! The fans boo, Tanahashi & Yano hurry in but Evil & Yujiro get them first! Kanemaru drags Oleg out of the ring to stomp him down while Evil & Yujiro have Tanahashi & Yano in corners. Yujiro fires forearms, Evil CHOPS, then the House all whips. But Oleg reverses and sends Kanemaru into railing! And Tanahashi & Yano reverse to send Evil & Yujiro into each other! Oleg returns to CLOBBER Evil & Yujiro! The fans fire up as now Yano & Tanahashi intercept Kanemaru.
Tanahashi & Yano whip Kanemaru to Oleg for a scoop and SLAM! The fans rally behind the champs as Oleg paces around Kanemaru. Oleg stomps Kanemaru, tags Tanahashi, and Tanahashi eggs Evil on. Evil tags in, Tanahashi kicks first! Tanahashi fires hands, UPPERCUTS, then tears away the “President Evil” shirt to TOSS it away! Evil is furious, he made that himself! Tanahashi throws a body shot, then whips Evil corner to corner. Evil reverses, runs in, but Tanahashi ELBOWS him! Tanahashi goes up to CROSSBODY! The fans fire up for the air guitar and Tanahashi tags in Yano! Yano unties a buckle pad, dodges Evil, then gives Evil the pad!
The ref reprimands Evil and confiscates the pad, and Yano SLAPS Evil on the head! Yano whips, Evil reverses, but Yano avoids the bare buckles. Evil runs up to SLAP Yano, and shove him into the buckles! Kanemaru & Yujiro BLAST Tanahashi & Oleg off the corner! Evil SMACKS Yano with the pad! Evil TOSSES Yano out of the ring, distracts the ref, and that lets Dick DECK Yano! Dick drags Yano up and puts him in the ring for Evil to cover. TWO! Evil is upset with the “slow count,” and he tags Kanemaru. Kanemaru runs to basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer but Kanemaru ELBOWS Yano in the head!
Kanemaru snapmares Yano down into a chinlock and drags him to the corner. The ref reprimands but Yujiro tags in. Kanemaru lets go, so that Yujiro can CHOKE Yano! The ref counts, Yujiro lets off, and he drags Yano back up. Yujiro whips Yano into the bare buckles! Yano suffers his own trick, and Yujiro brings him up to knee low. Yujiro snapmares, drops a leg, then drops an elbow! Then he drops a HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer but Yujiro tags to Evil. Evil BLASTS Tanahashi & Oleg off the corner! Dick distracts the ref so Evil can put Yano in the COBRA TWIST, and link up with the others!
The fans boo but the House gets away with that. Evil covers, TWO! Evil is even more upset with the ref, and he drags Yano up. Evil reels Yano in for a FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Wait, who is ringing the bell? Dick is ringing the bell, and Kanemaru is giving the announcement that they’ve won! The fans boo, this is of course a farce. Tanahashi & Oleg storm over, scaring off Dick and Kanemaru. Evil tags Kanemaru, then TOSSES Yano outside. Kanemaru drags Yano back up to whip him into railing! Then DDTÂ to the floor! Yano is down in enemy territory while Tanahashi argues with the ref.
The fans rally up but Yujiro puts Yano in. Kanemaru covers, TWO! The fans cheer but Kanemaru drags Yano around. Yano is dead weight so Kanemaru leaves him behind to BLAST Tanahashi! Kanemaru drags Yano up but Yano pulls hair! Kanemaru CLAWS Yano’s eyes! Kanemaru whips, Yano reverses and throws him down by his hair! The fans fire up as Yano crawls, hot tag to Oleg! The fans fire up as Oleg CLOBBERS Kanemaru, BLASTS Evil & Yujiro, then runs in at the corner. Kanemaru BOOTS Oleg, runs, but into a POP-UP BEARHUG! Kanemaru endures, but then Oleg turns that into a BIG suplex! The fans fire up as Oleg storms around.
Oleg deadlift gut wrenches, but Dick gets on the apron. Oleg drops Kanemaru to scare Dick off. But then Yano puts Dick in! Dick prays and begs for mercy, but Oleg just deadlift gut wrenches him! Shake, Rattle and THROW! And a kip up!? Oleg then gets Kanemaru back up, Shake, Rattle, and some more shaking, and THROW! Oleg roars, runs, and SPLASHES down! Cover, Evil & Yujiro break it! Then they BLAST Tanahashi & Yano! The House stomps away on Oleg, then drag him up. They double whip Oleg to a corner, then Yujiro BOOTS! Evil clotheslines! They snapmare, Kanemaru distracts the ref, and Dick goes up!
The fans boo but Dick hits the DICK CHOP! Kanemaru covers, TWO!! The fans fire up but Evil tags back in. Evil and Kanemaru get Oleg up to suplex, but Oleg fights it! Oleg DOUBLE SUPLEXES back! Hot tag to Tanahashi! Ace of the Universe meets King of Darkness, and Tanahashi runs to CLOBBER Evil! Tanahashi fires forearms and body shots on Evil, then scoop SLAMS him into a drop zone! Tanahashi goes up to SUNSET SENTON! Cover, TWO! The fans rally behind Tanahashi as he waits on Evil. Tanahashi runs, but Evil goes to the corner! Evil LARIATS Tanahashi down! Tag to Yujiro and he storms up on Tanahashi.
Yujiro brings Tanahashi up to knee low and fire forearms. Yujiro CHOPS then runs up, to BOOT! Yujiro then runs, to BOOT again! Tanahashi SHOTEIS! Tanahashi runs, but Yujiro TOSSES him out! Evil is there to set Tanahashi up for a whiskey bottle shot! Evil puts Tanahashi back in, then he and the rest go after Oleg and Yano! Yujiro gets Tanahashi up for an INCOLLE SLAM! Cover, TWO!! Yujiro goes for his pimp cane, but the ref stops him! That leaves Dick open to use the SPOILER CHOKER on Tanahashi!! The fans boo as President Ace suffers! Tanahashi fades out, Dick slips away, and Yujiro laughs.
Yujiro drags Tanahashi up while the fans rally. Yujiro reels Tanahashi in, but Yano gets in to grab Yujiro! Kanemaru gets in while the ref is distracted again! But Yano ducks, the WHISKEY MIST hits Yujiro! LOW BLOW for Kanemaru! But Evil LOW BLOWS Yano! So Tanahashi LOW BLOWS Evil! Dick gets in but Tanahashi kicks the ropes! Dick falls, Oleg returns, and he gets Yujiro up! Tanahashi climbs, Oleg hits the KAMIKAZE SENTON! Then Tanahashi HIGH FLY FLOWS!! Cover, Team Go Ace wins!
Winners: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg, by pinfall (still NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions)
The House of Torture tried their usual tricks, but Tanahashi’s team proved they could play that, too! The Ace, the Joker & The Rook stand tall again, will The House have to start playing a different game?
LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: Yota Tsuji VS Gedo!
While Los Ingobernables de Japon and the Bullet Club War Dogs have already done battle on this Road to Wrestling Dontaku, tonight is a best of five series! Will it be Gene Blast or Blacksmith that sets the tone for tonight?
The moment Yota hops off the corner, Gedo takes a swing! Yota dodges and GENE BLASTER!! The bell rings, Yota covers, Yota wins!!
Winner: Yota Tsuji, by pinfall
Well not sure about the tone but this sure set a new record! From bell the bell, that was FIVE SECONDS! Score one for LIJ already, and Yota helps roll Gedo out of the ring. Will LIJ make this a shut out? Or will the other War Dogs be a bit smarter about the pitches they throw across the plate?
LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: BUSHI VS Gabe Kidd!
Round two is here sooner than expected after what we just saw, and the Black Mask is up against the #WarReady Mad Man. Gabe vows to take back everything NJPW used to mean, but will he get War Dogs on the board? Or will Bushi keep things tranquilo?
Bushi climbs onto the corner and Gabe rushes him! Bushi jumps over, the bell rings and Bushi DROPKICKS Gabe down! Bushi whips, Gabe reverses but Bushi ducks ‘n ‘dodges to RANA! Gabe bails out, Bushi builds speed, but Gabe gets away. Bushi slides out, but Gabe kicks and CHOPS! Gabe UPPERCUTS Bushi down, then drags Bushi up to dig at Bushi’s eyes! The ref reprimands, Gabe storms around and mockingly calls upon the wrestling gods. Gabe runs but Bushi dodges, Gabe crashes into railing! The fans fire up while Bushi rises. Bushi brings Gabe up, fires forearms, then brings Gabe around. Gabe blocks the bump off the apron to whip Bushi hard into railing!
Bushi flounders and Gabe snarls while the fans rally up. Gabe storms out to open the way to the orange bleachers! Gabe ROCKS Bushi, brings him around and they go up into the stands. Gabe HEADBUTTS Bushi down, shouts “I’m a MAD MAN, y’know!” then continues up to the next level. Bushi fights the lift but Gabe CLUBS him! Gabe lifts again but Bushi still fights! Gabe CLUBS away on Bushi, CHOPS and HAYMAKERS! Gabe backs up, flips everyone off, and he runs back in, but Bushi dropkicks the leg! Bushi SMACKS Gabe off railing, then he goes up higher into the stands! Bushi stands on the ledge, to SUPER CROSSBODY! Down go Gabe and the Young Lions!
The fans are thunderous as Bushi rises, and he brings Gabe up. Bushi headlocks Gabe to bring him back down the bleachers. Gabe throws body shots but Bushi throws hands in return. Bushi brings Gabe back to ground level, then through the gate. They return to ringside but Gabe CLUBS Bushi down again. Gabe HEADBUTTS, then he puts Bushi in. The fans rally, but Gabe drags Bushi around to ROCK him again. Gabe has Bushi on the apron, CLUBS him again, then brings Bushi out. Bushi fights the suplex to throw body shots! Gabe HEADBUTTS again, but Bushi fires more hands! Bushi puts Gabe in and the fans cheer.
Bushi drags Gabe up but blocks his haymaker to spin and DDT! Cover, TWO! Bushi goes to a corner while Gabe sputters. Gabe stands, Bushi runs in, but no Code Breaker! Gabe ELBOWS, JABS and YUKON LARIATS! Gable copies Takagi, covers, TWO! Gabe flips off the fans, they boo, and so he just flips them off more. Gabe eggs Bushi on, taunts him, so Bushi CHOPS! Gabe dusts himself off, Bushi CHOPS again! Gabe CHOPS, says Bushi ain’t got nothing, but Bushi fires a flurry! Gabe CHOPS again, Bushi DOUBLE CHOPS! Gabe UPPERCUTS, then he gut wrenches! But Bushi slips free and shoves!
Gabe blocks one kick, ducks the enzigiri, but not the REWIND HEEL! Bushi reels Gabe in, for a DESTROYER!! Cover, TWO!! Gabe survives and flounders away while the fans fire up. Gabe flops right out of the ring but Bushi pursues. Bushi drags Gabe up, but Gabe HEADBUTTS him back down! Gabe rips away the LIJ shirt to tell them to suck it! Gabe SPITS on the shirt, throws it down, then goes back for Bushi. Gabe puts Bushi in, Bushi goes to a corner, and Gabe runs in to clothesline! Gabe suplexes, Bushi slips free, ducks ‘n’ dodges, and uses the ref as a shield! BLACK MIST!! Bushi gets the better of Gabe and hooks the arms!
Gabe fights the backslide, BOOTS the ref, so the ref can’t see the Bushi Roll! Bushi would’ve had this one! Bushi goes to check on the ref but Gabe storms up to HAYMAKER! Gabe shouts at the ref, drags him back up, and then storms over to Bushi! PILEDRIVER!! Cover, Gabe wins!
Winner: Gabe Kidd, by pinfall
The series is tied 1-1, and Gabe shouts for water to wash out the mist. LIJ VS War Dogs aside, Gabe now has momentum going into his NEVER Openweight Championship match with Shingo Takagi. Will the Rampaging Dragon be just as #WarReady as Gabe after tonight?
LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: Shingo Takagi VS Clark Connors!
Speaking of the NEVER Openweight Champion, he’s third up in the batting order, ready to drive home another run. Will the Rampaging Dragon score and soar towards Wrestling Dontaku? Or will he be struck out by 100 Proof?
Takagi and Connors get in each other’s face and talk some trash. Connors shoves but the ref has them both back down. Connors gets all fired up, Takagi says okay then, and the bell rings, only for Connors to bail out. The fans boo Connors trolling them, but he says tranquilo. Takagi paces while Connors goes around the outside. Takagi dares Connors to get in but Connors dares Takagi to come on out. The fans rally up so Connors goes back to the apron. Connors steps in, fires up, but then bails out. But Takagi pursues! They go around the ring, back in, and then Connors RAMS Takagi! But Takagi doesn’t fall!
Connors runs again, RAMS Takagi, but still Takagi stays up. Connors fires forearm after forearm after forearm, but then Takagi ROCKS, KNEES, CLUBS and CHOPS! And JABS! Takagi whips, Connors ducks ‘n’ dodges to RAM Takagi! Takagi rebounds, but Connors runs him over! The fans fire up while Takagi goes to a corner. Connors runs corner to corner to clothesline, then he reels Takagi in. Takagi fights the suplex, and he suplexes Connors instead! The fans fire up again but Connors bails back out. Takagi pursues, JABS, then SMACKS Connors off the apron. Takagi follows Connors around, POSTS him, and the fans cheer.
Takagi stomps Connors, Connors goes around the way but Takagi follows. Takagi runs up to BOOT Connors, then follows him. Connors uses a Young Lion as a shield, then shoves him into Takagi! Connors then whips Takagi into railing! Takagi leans against railing and Connors UPPERCUTS! Connor opens the gate and pushes Takagi into No Man’s Land. Connors brings Takagi around to SMACK off the wood bleachers! Takagi hits back, they brawl, and Takagi knees low! Takagi whips, Connors reverses and Takagi is sent into the wall of the hallway! Connors throws up the Too Sweet but the fans boo.
Connors brings Takagi back to SMACK into the gate, then POST! Connors reels Takagi in, to snap suplex to the floor! Takagi writhes, the ref reprimands but Connors wants the ring count to start. The ring count does start, and Connors scoops a Young Lion to SLAM him onto Takagi! And then he grabs another Young Lion to SPINEBUSTER onto Takagi! Connors slides into the ring at 10 of 20 while Takagi pushes the Young Lions off him. Takagi stands at 17, hurries up at 18, but Connors SPEARS him down! Cover, TWO!! Takagi is still in this and the fans rally, but Connors keeps on Takagi with a half nelson.
Takagi fights as Connors goes for the full nelson! Takagi reaches out but Connors keeps him from ropes. Takagi fights to his feet, powers up, but Connors keeps the nelson! The fans rally more as Takagi keeps fighting. Takagi powers the hold open, but Connors spins him to knee low! Connors whips, but Takagi avoids the snap powerslam! Takagi runs up to SLIDING- NO, Connors dodges, but runs into the ELBOW! JAB! YUKON LARIAT! The fans fire up and Takagi goes to a corner. Connors flounders around, rises up, and Takagi storms up to the corner. Takagi clotheslines, then JABS and CHPOS on repeat! Takagi JABS, JABS, JABS and CHOPS!
Takagi whips corner to corner, runs in to clothesline again, then short arm LARIAT! Takagi scoops Connors to SLAM him, then he goes up and up for the FALLING ELBOW DROP! Takagi hauls Connors up for a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! Connors is still in this but Takagi looks around. The fans rally with “OI! OI! OI!” and Takagi says, “OI, KORAKUEN! TOKI GA KITA!!” The time has come and the “OI! OI! OI!” continues. Takagi brings Connors up, pump handle, but Connors fights the lift! Connors throws elbows, then ROCKS Takagi! Takagi eggs Connors on, Connors throws another forearm! Takagi fires back!
Connors fires more forearms, but Takagi HEADBUTTS! Connors HEADBUTTS, but he’s the one wobbling! Connors ROCKS Takagi with a forearm, then eggs Takagi on. Takagi ROCKS Connors with boxing elbows! Takagi runs, Connors follows to LARIAT against ropes! Connors runs but Takagi follows to KNEE against ropes! Takagi keeps moving, Connors gets under to come back and POUNCE! Then a whip and SNAP POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! But Connors powers up and runs, to SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, ONE?!?! The fans fire up but Connors aims from a corner! Connors runs in to SPEAR!! Both men are down and the fans are thunderous!
Connors rises, Takagi stirs, and Connors brings Takagi up. But Takagi fights No Chaser! Takagi wrenches out to JAB! And HEADBUTT! Connors dodges the lariat, but runs into a SNAP POWERSLAM! Takagi runs up to PUMPING BOMBER! Then SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Connors shakes his head as he stays in this, but Takagi roars! Takagi pump handles for MADE IN JAPAN!! Cover, TWO!?! Connors survives and shocks Takagi, but the fans are thunderous again! “OI! OI! OI!” and Takagi powers up. Takagi runs, but Connors dodges! But PUMPING BOMBER still finds him! Cover, Takagi wins!
Winner: Shingo Takagi, by pinfall
We’re halfway done and LIJ takes the lead! Takagi has momentum for himself, too, but will the Rampaging Dragon be #WarReady for Gabe Kidd? Or will Wrestling Dontaku be the end of the road for Takagi?
LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: Tetsuya Naito VS “Drilla” Dan Moloney!
The Uncontrollable Charisma may no longer be IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, but we all know he never lets things get to him. Will he therefore stay tranquilo as he looks to win this series for his team? Or will he lose a shootout with the .44 Caliber?
As always, Naito takes his time with his entrance attire. Drilla mockingly asks what happened to his belt, but Naito doesn’t let that get his goat. The fans rally for Naito and that annoys Drilla. Naito puts the pants away, the bell rings, and Drilla runs up! But Naito puts him on the apron, and sweeps the legs! Then he DROPKICKS Drilla down! Naito goes out slowly to fetch Drilla, CLUB him on the neck, and then CLUB him again. Naito CLUBS Drilla more, cravats for a neck wrench, and even grinds Drilla against railing! The ref counts, Naito puts Drilla in, and the fans applaud. But Drilla comes back to WRECK Naito with a dropkick!
Drilla whips Naito hard into railing, and Naito gets stuck! Drilla dumps him over, tells fans off about cheering for Naito, then drags Naito up and around. Drilla CHOPS Naito, follows him along the way, and whips him hard into railing! The fans applaud the impressive speed and strength, but Drilla leaves Naito behind as Naito slumps into the front row. The ring count climbs, Naito sits up at 7 of 20. Naito finds his way around to the gate at 12, steps in at ringside, and rolls in at 15. Drilla throws Naito’s hat at him, then stomps away! Drilla drags Naito up, HEADBUTTS him, then has him on ropes. Drilla CHOPS and Naito staggers.
Drilla eggs Naito on so Naito fires forearms! Naito whips, Drilla reverses and ELBOWS Naito down! Cover, TWO! The fans rally for Naito but Drilla digs his knee into Naito’s neck! The ref counts, Drilla lets off to get in the ref’s face, but the ref reminds Drilla to respect his authority. Drilla kicks Naito around, steps on Naito’s head, then taunts the fans. Naito gets up to throw hands but Drilla hits back! They go back and forth, forearm for forearm, but then Drilla CHOPS! Drilla runs, into an ELBOW! Drilla rebounds, but Naito hip toss NECKBREAKERS! The fans rally as Naito rises and Drilla writhes. Naito drags Drilla up to fire forearms and kicks!
Naito whips, arm-drags, then he ELBOWS Drilla down to basement dropkick in the back! Naito turns Drilla for a NECKBREAKER! Drilla writhes, Naito pushes him to a cover, TWO! Naito keeps on Drilla with a cravat neck wrench. Drilla endures, fights around, and he fights up. Drilla breaks free, CLUBS Naito, then runs, but Naito catches him to a dragon sleeper, NECKBREAKER! Drilla fights the legs but Naito still hooks him into the LEG HOOK NELSON! Drilla endures, fights around, and has the ROPEBREAK! Naito again “forgets” how to undo the hold, so the ref pries the legs away.
Drilla is free and clutches his neck, but Naito paces around. Naito drags Drilla back up, but Drilla CHOPS! Naito fires a forearm in return! Drilla CHOPS! Naito forearms! The shots go back and forth, Drilla grunts and has a crazy grin. Drilla fires a forearm, Naito mocks the grunt! Naito fires back, both men grunt and fire forearms again! Drilla CHOPS, but then Naito ROCKS him, SPITS on him, and fires off more forearms! Drilla gets under, shoves Naito then hurdles, drops and DROPKICKS! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Naito and Drilla go to opposite corners, and Drilla runs corner to corner! Drilla blocks a boot but Naito SPITS!
Naito runs up, but into a SPINEBUSTER! Drilla horks up and SPITS a big one at Naito, then DOUBLE STOMPS! Cover, TWO!! Naito stays in this and Drilla is seething. Drilla slashes his throat and throws up the Too Sweet. Drilla drags Naito up, reels him in, but Naito fights the lift. Drilla ENZIGIRIS Naito, then gets him back up! Canadian Rack, but Naito arm-drags Drilla into the ref! The ref tumbles all the way out, Naito atomic drops Drilla and ENZIGIRIS! COMPLETE SHOT, and then PLUMA BLANCA!! Drilla endures, flails, is he tapping? But there’s no ref anyway! Wait, David Finlay rushes out here!
The Rebel taunts Naito while swinging the shillelagh! Naito lets Drilla go, only for JAKE LEE to show up!?! Talk about a CrossOver, the Good Looking Emperor is here in NJPW and he fires hands with Naito!! The fans are going nuts, but Naito gets the edge! Only for Jake to KNEE low! Jake puts Naito in a corner, takes aim, and runs in to HELLUVA KICK!!! Or as he calls it, #FaceBreakShot! Naito staggers into Drilla’s arms, for the DRILLA KILLA!!! Cover and the ref is back, Drilla wins!!
Winner: “Drilla” Dan Moloney, by pinfall
The Rebel gets the Madness Dark Side to help him screw over Naito, and now this series is all tied up again! But then Finlay & Drilla beat Naito down more! Jake steps in, and the War Dogs back away. Jake stands on Naito’s chest, then stomps away! Is Jake going to destroy Naito once and for all? But wait! Here comes Hiromu! The Ticking Timebomb ROCKS Jake, ROCKS Drilla, then fires off on Finlay! But then Drilla & Finlay mug Hiomru! They double whip, but Hiormu ducks ‘n’ dodges to DOUBLE SHOTGUN! Hiromu goes out after Finlay, but Drilla CLUBS Hiromu! They POST Hiromu, but what about the main event!?
Red Shoes hurries out here, the fans tell Jake and Drilla to go home. Jake literally kicks Naito out of the ring and then stands him up against railing. Jake gets space, takes aim again, and Finlay makes Hiromu watch the FACE BREAK SHOT that sends Naito into the front row!! The fans boo and tell Jake to go home. Jake smirks as he takes his leave with Drilla, the damage done. Is there an alliance between Jake’s Good Looking Guys and Finlay’s War Dogs? Is Naito just the first casualty of many?
As for Finlay and Hiromu, Finlay RAMS Hiromu into railing! And then RAMS him in again! Finlay RAMS Hiromu a third time, then he soaks up the heat. Red Shoes reprimands, but this isn’t officially a match yet. Finlay takes aim, he runs in, but Hiromu sends him into railing! Hiromu gets Finlay in, the bell rings, and it’s time to settle the score!
LIJ VS War Dogs Best of Five Series: Hiromu Takahashi VS David Finlay!
Hiromu fireman’s carries, CORNER DEATH VALLEY! Hiromu fireman’s carries again, but Finlay slips away! The fans rally for Hiromu as he eggs Finlay on. Finlay snarls, storms back up but Hiromu then SUNSET FLIPS! Finlay holds ropes to throw down hands! Hiromu staggers away, Finlay fireman’s carries him now! Finlay runs and THROWS Hiromu at a post! The fans boo while Finlay throws up the Too Sweet and taunts them all. Finlay leaves Hiromu behind, he tells the fans they look stupid, then he goes back to fetch Hiromu. Finlay slaps Hiromu around, drags him up, and throws him into the ring.
Finlay crawls to a cover but Red Shoes says nope, too many shenanigans. Finlay is upset, there were a lot of shenanigans both ways. But Finlay drags Hiromu up to suplex and TOSS Hiromu! Now things are fine and Finlay covers, TWO! Hiromu stays in this but Finlay mocks the “MOTO! MOTO!” Finlay whips Hiromu hard into a corner! Hiromu falls then crawls, and Finlay taunts him that it’s too easy. Finlay stalks Hiromu to another corner as the fans rally up, but Finlay makes Hiromu smile! Finlay says smile like Tsuji! Red Shoes reprimands, Finlay lets off, but then he drags Hiromu up to whip hard into another corner!
Hiromu staggers and falls out of the ring and Red Shoes checks him. Finlay waits on Hiromu while he writhes on the floor. Finlay mockingly says “Moto! Moto!” Red Shoes has Finlay stay back, and the ring count starts. Hiromu stands at 4 of 20 while Finlay lounges on the ropes. The fans rally, Hiromu rolls in at 10, but Finlay brings him back up. Finlay scoops and carries Hiromu around for a BACKBREAKER! Finlay says he’s strong AF, and then he kicks Hiromu around. Finlay mocks the fans chanting for Hiromu, and that makes them boo Finlay. Finlay pushes Hiromu around, so Hiromu CHOPS! And CHOPS!
Finlay dusts himself off, eggs Hiromu on, so Hiromu CHOPS again! Finlay felt that one so he knees low. Finlay runs, Hiromu follows, and Hiromu RANAS! The fans fire up while both men are down! Finlay flounders while Hiromu goes to ropes. Finlay runs up, but into a BOOT! Hiromu then has a HANGING HEADSCISSOR! Red Shoes counts, Hiromu lets go at 4 and he drags Finlay out to wheelbarrow FACEBUSTER to the floor! The fans rally up behind Hiromu and he goes to the apron. Hiromu aims as Finlay stands, FLYING SHOTGUN sends Finlay through the gate! The fans fire up with Hiromu as he pursues.
Hiromu smiles at TJP on English commentary, then gets a real “MOTO! MOTO! MOTO!” going. Hiromu gets Finlay up and in, and Finlay goes to a corner. Hiromu runs up to clothesline, snapmare and basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Hiromu keeps his cool and he kicks Finlay around. Hiromu drags Finlay up, fireman’s carries, but Finlay fights free. Hiromu takes a swing, but Finlay catches him to an IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Hiromu survives but Finlay scoops him, for the SWINGING IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Hiromu survives again and Finlay grows frustrated.
Finlay mocks Yota Tsuji as he powers up and goes to the corner. Hiromu rises, Finlay flips him off, and steals GENE- TRIANGLE D!! Hiromu has Finlay caught and the fans fire up! Finlay flails, tries to stack Hiromu, but Hiromu squeezes tighter! Finlay is fading and the fans fire up! But Finlay gets a second wind, deadlifts Hiromu, and POWERBOMBS him down! Finlay is free of D, but both men are down as the fans rally again. Finlay drags Hiromu up, reels him in, and lifts, but Hiromu RANAS to a cover! TWO!! Finlay escapes, kicks low and whips, but Hiromu slips free of Deep Six to wheelbarrow and COMPLETE SHOT!
The fans fire up while Finlay flounders! But Finlay sneaks his shillelagh into the ring! The fans rally for Hiromu while Finlay hides the shillelagh under him. Hiromu rises, Finlay shields the shillelagh from Red Shoes but Red Shoes is suspicious. Red Shoes sees the weapon! Finlay shoves Red Shoes away and takes a swing, but Hiromu dodges! SUPERKICK! Hiromu takes the shillelagh now! The fans are torn, but then Hiromu plays like Finlay did hit him! Red Shoes isn’t sure who to believe, but Finlay really is innocent this time! Finlay argues with Red Shoes but fans boo to help sell Hiromu’s trick.
Hiromu then runs to HIROMU-CHAN BOMBER! And then fireman’s carry! TIMEBOMB 1.5! Cover, TWO! Finlay is still in this but the fans are still with Hiromu. Hiromu fireman’s carries again, but Finlay fights free. Hiromu elbows, runs, but into an UPPERCUT! Finlay runs, but into a SUPERKICK! HIROMU-CHAN BOMBER, but Finlay stays up! Hiromu runs again, but Finlay catches him spins him, ROLLING ELBOWS, then runs! Into a SUPERKICK! Finlay returns, for another SUPERKICK! Hiromu runs to HIROMU-CHAN BOMBER!! The fans are thunderous and Hiromu gets Finlay up, suplex and INTO OBLIVION!! Cover, TWO!!!
Finlay survives his own move but Hiromu won’t let that bother him! Hiromu drags himself up, dragon sleepers Finlay, but Finlay fights the suplex with knees! Finlay suplexes, but Hiromu knees free! Hiromu runs, but Finlay LARIATS! Finlay hauls Hiromu up, Canadian Rack, DOMINATOR!! Cover, TWO!!! Hiromu survives and the fans are thunderous! Finlay goes to a corner as he thinks on what to do next. Finlay storms over to Hiromu, says it’s over now, and he drags Hiromu back up. But Hiromu slips out of the bomb to tuck the arms! Finlay wrenches out, but into TRIANGLE D!! Finlay flails, CLUBS at Hiromu, but he’s fading again!
Red Shoes checks, the fans rally up, and Finlay fights to deadlift again! POWERBOMB, but Hiromu just holds onto D!! Finlay is fading, flailing, reaching out, but Hiromu squeezes tight! Finlay deadlifts again! BUCKLE BOMB, and INTO OBLIVION!!! Cover, TWO?!?!?! Hiromu survives again and Finlay is beside himself! The fans are electric as Finlay shakes his head. Hiromu sputters but Finlay brings down the kneepads. Finlay slashes his throat and vows to end this! Finlay drags Hiromu back up, suplexes, but Hiromu slip free! Hiromu wrenches, pump handles, HIROMU-CHAN ROLL!! TWO!!! Finlay escapes and Hiromu is frustrated!
Both men catch their breath while the fans rally as hard as they can. Hiromu grits his teeth, pounds the mat, and rises up. Hiromu hobbles over but Finlay UPPERCUTS! Hiromu comes back, into another UPPERCUT! And another UPPERCUT! And another! And another, and another! But Hiromu stays on his feet, even as Finlay UPPERCUTS again! And again! And again!! Hiromu won’t stop, but Finlay won’t, either! The fans rally and Finlay eggs Hiromu on. Hiromu runs in, into another UPPERCUT! UPPERCUT! UPPERCUT! Hiromu roars, runs, but into an UPPERCUT!! Hiromu drops to his knees, and Finlay says this is it!
Finlay suplexes, INTOÂ OVERKILL!! Cover, Finlay wins!
Winner: David Finlay, by pinfall
Bullet Club War Dogs takes the best of five in the fifth and final round! It took much more than Finlay wanted, but Hiromu always gives it his all. Will the Timebomb be able to fire back up in time for the Best of the Super Juniors?
Wait, Drilla returns, and now the War Dogs mug Hiromu! But then Tsuji & Takagi return to run them off! The War Dogs egg them on and vice-versa, but then GABE KIDD runs in! He CLOBBERS Takagi, DECKS Tsuji, and the War Dogs beat up on LIJ! The fans boo but the War Dogs just keep stomping LIJ! Drilla stands Tsuji up for Finlay’s SHILLELAGH SHOT! Drilla gives Hiromu the DRILLA KILLA! Gabe hits Takagi with a PILEDRIVER! Drilla gets to hold on to the shillelagh so he can JAM Hiromu! Finlay gives Tsuji the OVERKILL!! The War Dogs stand tall over LIJ, but Finlay still gets the mic to talk.
“What have I been telling you people? I AM the Savage King! You all thought you saw cracks in my game, but that’s because I let you. You all thought you saw weakness in my War Dogs, but that’s because I let you. Time and time again, I have been steps ahead of everyone in this company. Time and time again, I have solved any problem that was put in our way. The only thing worse than fighting a man who knows how to hurt you is fighting a man who knows when. LIJ learned that tonight, didn’t they?” A young fan tells Finlay to shut up and the fans cheer the kid.
Finlay says you can strip him of championships, you can keep him from tournaments, but in the end, remember this: “HATE always finds a way!!” The Rebel has spoken, will he and his hateful War Dogs find a way to dominate all of NJPW whether we like it or not?
My Thoughts:
A great event for the Road to Wrestling Dontaku series. Great Six Man title match with Tanahashi’s team winning again, probably no more shots for House of Torture. Not really sure what House of Torture is supposed to do next, though. We’re seeing Narita go after Moxley and the IWGP World title, Jack Perry is technically back in AEW, Evil and Yujiro could try for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag titles but you know they’d lose to Bishamon. I’ve been thinking that House of Torture should join Jack in AEW for this stretch until Forbidden Door, have some interactions with The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada or something like that.
Really fun Best of 5 series, and it was hilarious that Yota beat Gedo so easily. Great wins for Gabe and Takagi going into their NEVER Openweight Championship match. For a moment, I thought LIJ was winning, given how badly the War Dogs beat up Naito with the help of their new pal, Jake Lee, a former GHC Heavyweight Champion and a big name in Pro-Wrestling NOAH. But then in the end, Finlay found a way to win against Hiromu, keeping him strong as he probably moves up from midcard titles to world title. If we go by the math, Takagi should win the NEVER Openweight title match, but it’d feed Gabe’s story better if he did get the title.
As for Hiromu, he probably gets a strong showing in Best of the Super Juniors, but since his streak of tournament championships was broken, who knows if he gets another one or if he puts someone else over.
My Score: 8.8/10
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