Coverage
Andrew’s Pro Wrestling NOAH Back to Destination 2021 Results & Match Ratings: 2.12.2021
NOAH’s first show back in Budokan in nearly a decade! Huge generational match ups! Can Keiji Mutoh make history? #noah_ghc
After the death of Misawa, bad publicity with Yakuza implications and the poor visual of the Burning Exodus; NOAH lost a lot of momentum about a decade ago and it seems like last year helped to right the ship.
NOAH’s first show in Budokan in basically a decade, after Budokan was the home away from home for Golden Age NOAH. A few wrestlers are still around from that point, and this will be a fun combination of new school, old school and the middle generation.
Most people care about this because of the main event, Keiji Mutoh aka Great Muta vs Go Shiozaki for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. Can Mutoh make history? Only Kensuke Sasaki and Yoshihiro Takayama have held the IWGP, GHC and Triple Crown championships. Will Mutoh become number 3?
Ratings:
- Akitoshi Saito vs Kinya Okada: Saito wins via Death Sickle @5:10 – **
- Atsushi Kotoge, Daiki Inaba & Yasutaka Yano vs Kai Fujimura, YO-HEY & Hajime Ohara: Kotoge wins via Revolutionary Moonsault @7:52 – ** ½
- Shuhei Tanijuchi & Muhammad Yone vs Masato Tanaka & Masaaki Mochizuki: Tanaka wins via Sliding D/Sliding Kick Combo @6:58 – ***
- Sugiura-Gun ( Takashi Sugiura, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kazuyuki Fujita, Kendo Kashin, NOSAWA Rongai & Kazunari Murakami) vs KONGO (Masa Kitamiya, Haoh, Nioh, Tadasuke, Manabu Soya & Katsuhiko Nakajima): Sugiura wins via Olympic Slam @10:58 – *** ¼
- GHC Junior Tag Team Championship: Kotaro Suzuki & Hidaka Ikuto vs Stinger (HAYATA & Yoshinari Ogawa) (c): Ogawa retains via Headscissors Takdown Cradle @13:05 – *** ¾
- GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship: Daisuke Harada (c) vs Seiki Yoshioka: Yoshioka wins via Crash Driver @10:58 – **** ¼ – TITLE CHANGE!!!
- Jun Akiyama & Naomichi Marufuji vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura: Kiyomiya wins via Tiger Suplex Hold @18:12 – ****
- GHC National Championship: Kenoh (c) vs Masakatsu Funaki: Kenoh retains via Dragon Suplex Hold @10:10 – *** ½
- GHC Heavyweight Champion: Go Shiozaki (c) vs Keiji Mutoh: Mutoh wins via Hurricanrana @29:32 – **** – TITLE CHANGE!!!
Results:
Akitoshi Saito vs Kinya Okada
The usual veteran versus Young Boy match, so we all have ideas of how this will go. Saito being an original NOAH roster member is pretty special to be kicking off this return to Budokan. Kinya starts fast with strikes, slams and power moves; but the old veteran digs his heels in and starts making things difficult.
After failing on a Scoop Slam, Saito just gets merciless. Uranage, after Uranage, after Uranage, punctuated with a Claw Hold Slam, and then barking at the youngster to get back up. Kinya crawls to his feet just to eat an elbow and then fall to Death Scythe.
Atsushi Kotoge, Daiki Inaba & Yasutaka Yano vs Kai Fujimura, YO-HEY & Hajime Ohara
The fun dynamic here is really that Kotoge is the only one returning to Budokan, and there are two fairly young wrestlers involved here. We can also look into the fact that YO-HEY and Ohara are 2 thirds of the current version of Full Throttle, a group that Kotoge helped to start.
Just a lot of good fun, most of the heavy lifting was done by the youngsters Yano and Fujimura. Yano had a nice Crossbody Dive into the pile on the outside to help keep the opponents down while Kotoge dealt with Fujimura. Fujimura almost made a comeback before Kotoge put the brakes on that, rocked the youngster and then hit the old Revolutionary Moonsault for the victory.
Shuhei Tanijuchi & Muhammad Yone vs Masato Tanaka & Masaaki Mochizuki
The first match involving two veteran teams, which only leans to the M’s Alliance members since they have a more established history of success. Yone and Taniguchi trade shots and tandem attempts pretty well for about the first 5 minutes. But as soon as Mochi and Tanaka get a little momentum, things start to fall apart for the Funky Duo.
Mochi hits Ikkakugeri on Yone, which gives Tanaka the Frog Splash opportunity, but Yone kicks out. After Tanaka drops Shuhei out of the ring following the Rolling D, Mochi calls the shot and we get a Sliding Kick/Sliding D combination that Yone can’t recover from.
Sugiura-Gun ( Takashi Sugiura, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kazuyuki Fujita, Kendo Kashin, NOSAWA Rongai & Kazunari Murakami) vs KONGO (Masa Kitamiya, Haoh, Nioh, Tadasuke, Manabu Soya & Katsuhiko Nakajima)
This was gorgeous and chaotic how everyone paired off correctly and the moves had weight even during small bursts to further storylines. Soya and Fujita went at each other’s throats like two bulls and it was great to watch each have a moment of success, while Fujita still got the last word before the stereo tag outs.
We saw the Kongo Line of elbows from everyone, except Nakajima. Nakajima was off messing with Murakami. Kendo Kashin continues his inability to be useful, when he tries to get Sugiura to hold Kitamiya, but Kitamiya moves and we have some miscommunication. That continues when Nakajima does his corner pose chokes against Murakami, while Kashin tries to kick Nakajima off by doing a similar in the ropes move, but it appears to be helping Nakajima more than hurting.
Sugiura works a lot toward the end, taking on tandem strikes from Kitamiya and Nakajima, as they establish why they are the Heavyweight tag challengers, but as soon as Nioh got tagged in, you had to assume that wasn’t gonna work well. As The Agression work over Sugiura, Sakuraba shows up to choke out Nakajima, Sugiura takes out Kitamiya and then grabs Nioh in the Olympic Slam and grabs the win for Suigura-Gun.
GHC Junior Tag Team Championship: Kotaro Suzuki & Hidaka Ikuto vs Stinger (HAYATA & Yoshinari Ogawa) (c)
Kotaro and Ogawa start off with early trades of everything. They counter, they leg trip and pop up to face off, when one disrespects, the other returns in kind. You can tell this is a feud where they know each other very well and it’s just a clash of two alphas.
The fun part was how the partners complimented them. Hayata’s style is higher risk and a little flashier, but it’s not ridiculous, whereas Hidaka prefers a few cute tricks like his Rewind Waterwheel Kick he calls I’ll Be Back. Hayata made numerous saves during the match as Suzuki went through his laundry list of finishing moves. Funnel Blaster, Blue Destiny, Tiger Driver and Javelin were all hit, but Hayata found ways to get away from Hidaka to interrupt the pinfall.
Hayata runs out Hidaka, manages to distract Kotaro enough for Ogawa to regain his sense and go for a Headscissors Takedown that he turns into a cradle, and picks up the pinfall!
GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship: Daisuke Harada (c) vs Seiki Yoshioka
Lightning fast start, counters, attack ducks, rope runs, absorbing a few strikes and just coming back at others. Harada leads Yoshioka into the ropes, hits a Release German Suplex, hits the Release Belly to Belly into the corner, Henkei Knee Upper and even the Turn Over Knee, but only for a 2 count. After the legs started to slow on both, the haymakers flew. A match that went from jumping over leg sweeps and counter wrestling, turned into a war of attrition.
Yoshioka rocks Harada with a Thrust Kick and lands a Pumphandle Side Driver, but only for 2. Styles Clash set up, but instead of the Clash, he jumps and drives the opponent down onto their shoulders, CRASH DRIVER! We have a new Junior champion!
This was blistering pace of fun and excitement mixed with logical wrestling moves and felt important and not spotty. Damn good match.
Jun Akiyama & Naomichi Marufuji vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura
Akiyama started off for a while, since he wanted to size up both of these new generation members. NOAH was built around Akiyama, as a protégé of the Four Pillars and the unofficial fifth Heavenly King he is the remaining measuring stick to test the new generation out in the Giant Baba AJPW dojo style. And did he ever put them through their paces. Akiyama’s Sternness gimmick was back in full force as he challenged Inamura’s power and Kiyomiya’s spirit.
Inamura got the first feather in his cap when he was able to win the power struggle with Akiyama, but Kiyomiya wasn’t so lucky. Akiyama dismantled his arms and put him through the paces. Akiyama hinted towards the Exploder a few times, even hitting the normal version, never his signature Wristclutch variation. Marufuji on the other hand felt like he was the guiding hand to see what Akiyama felt. Marufuji’s moves were crisp, and he punished the younger wrestlers at time, but the tension and crowd got audibly excited when Akiyama mixed it up with any of them.
Kiyomiya managed to eat a True Tiger King, Hook Kick and even get out of the Perfect Key Lock before finding his second wind. Coming off the ropes, he connects with a Headbutt to Marufuji and NOAH’s Genius stayed rocked. A German Suplex set the stage and a Tiger Suplex Hold won the match.
After the match Akiyama had some words with both younger wrestlers, almost as if giving them his/Misawa’s/NOAH’s blessing to bring the ark back into a bright future. Really great match with a poignant moment afterwards.
GHC National Championship: Kenoh (c) vs Masakatsu Funaki
Kenoh is usually egotistical and dismisses his opponents but this was the first person he seemed to show respect to. Funaki showed off his wrestling prowess and the reason why he’s a former King of Pancrase. Single leg takedowns, shooting doubles, grabbing for limps and even going into Full Mount and slapping Kenoh around just to prove he has the superior ground game.
Funaki outwrestled Kenoh in every way possible. The match was nearly over when Funaki hits the Hybrid Blaster and sinks in a Rear Naked Choke, but it was too close to the ropes so Kenoh managed to grab out for dear life. Eventually standing back up, Funaki tried to strike the weakened champion into a position that he could take advantage of, but Kenoh got a small surge and unleashes a flurry of strikes and a Roundhouse Kick that landed with a hard thud. Funaki is groggy, tries to swing, Kenoh slips around the back and snaps off a Dragon Suplex Hold for the surprising victory!
GHC Heavyweight Champion: Go Shiozaki (c) vs Keiji Mutoh
The best champion of 2020, who finally had a title reign worthy of an Ace; versus the historic relic chasing history. Mutoh wants to be the third man to hold the IWGP, Triple Crown and GHC Heavyweight championships in his career, whereas Go; he wants to continue to prove himself as the spirit of NOAH in the spiritual home of NOAH.
There were great callbacks from both men in this match. Ironic callbacks when Shiozaki charges Mutoh on the ramp to land a move is cute. Mutoh went after Go’s legs to build off his victory from earlier this month. Shining Wizard stunned Shiizaki in the ropes, and then a Dragon Screw while he was hung up was clever. Mutoh lands an Emerald Flowsion for only two. The previous victories of a Figure Four from Mutoh and Moonsault from Shiozaki weren’t enough to win this match but build well.
Awesome sequence between Mutoh and Go!https://t.co/Y9q5Nv2qJC#noah_ghc #ノア日本武道館 pic.twitter.com/xenlSdzhZH
— Ciaràn (@CiaranRH) February 12, 2021
Toward the end of the match things did get dicey, but it’s hard to call them botches. Mutoh failed on the first attempt to Emerald Flowsion, but he failed on the initial scoop, so he dropped him and sold exhausted. Shiozaki had a scary Avalanche Brainbuster, but aside from looking dangerous was completely fine. Also we can look at the moment Mutoh half his the backbreaker and looked like he was going to Moonsault, but didn’t pull the trigger. Again, hard to tell if that was him not feeling like he could pull it off, so he audibled, or if it was supposed to get the crowd excited to see a Mutoh Moonsault post knee surgery.
As Shiozaki looked to end things, connecting with a Lariat and then winding up for a Gowan Lariat, Mutoh jumped, Hurricanrana and flash pinfall! Shiozaki’s reign ends to a flash pin from a legend and Shiozaki is beside himself.
Overall Score: 8.75/10
This was a beautiful blend of new generation versus the old, and a fairly balanced mixture on who was victorious in the pivotal battles as well. Kenoh getting a surprise win when he was losing 90% of the fight was great, Kiyomiya and Inamura getting the nod from Akiyama, all the way up to Mutoh making history with a flash pin.
With Kaito Kiyomiya coming out after Mutoh’s victory, that makes complete sense. Mutoh’s victory over Kiyomiya last year is what gave him the idea to make a run at the GHC championship. Speaking of ideas, if Kiyomiya is the first challenger, and fails…it’s definitely possible to see Akiyama challenge Mutoh. Akiyama didn’t eat the pinfall in the special tag, looked great and I could see an angle for him to want to return the belt to real NOAH wrestlers and not a legend padding his resume.
Either way, this show was great action from top to bottom and historical on multiple levels. NOAH’s return to Budokan and Mutoh becoming the third man to hold the major Heavyweight titles in Japan.
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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
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Rockin’ around the Christmas Collision!
The Continental Classic continues on Christmas Collision, with crucial points on the line this close to AEW Worlds End! Who will finally take the lead in Gold League?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Darby Allin VS Claudio Castagnoli; wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Shelton Benjamin VS Daniel Garcia; wins.
- Kris Statlander VS Penelope Ford; wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Mark Briscoe VS The Beast Mortos; wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Will Ospreay VS Ricochet; wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
[Coverage will begin once NCAA College Football Playoff coverage ends]
Here are the current Continental Classic Gold League standings!
Claudio Castagnoli: 2-1, 6 points
Will Ospreay: 2-1, 6 points
Ricochet: 2-1, 6 points
Darby Allin: 2-1, 6 points
Brody King: 2-2, 6 points
Komander: 0-4, 0 points [ELIMINATED]
Here are the current Continental Classic Blue League standings!
Kyle Fletcher: 3-1, 9 points
Kazuchika Okada: 2-1-1, 7 points
Mark Briscoe: 2-2, 6 points
Shelton Benjamin: 2-1, 6 points
Daniel Garcia: 1-1-1, 4 points
The Beast Mortos: 0-4, 0 points [ELIMINATED]
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
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Have a Holly Jolly Rampage!
The Continental Classic rolls on, and Brody King takes on Komander in hopes of grabbing three more points towards the top of Gold League!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage w/ Don Callis VS “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs & Mark Davis; Konosuke & Cage win.
- Lio Rush & Action Andretti VS Myles Hawkins & Goldy; Lio & Action win.
- Willow Nightingale VS Harley Cameron; Willow wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Brody King VS Komander; Brody wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Tony Schiavone is in the ring!
Schiavone welcomes out the Blue League’s current points leader, Kyle Fletcher, and of course… Don Callis. But they’re not alone as the rest of the Don Callis Family makes their way out to the ring. Wait, shouldn’t Brian Cage be in New York for Final Battle…? Well anyway, Schiavone says there’s a lot of gold and- Callis takes the mic, and he says, “I have something important to say.” The fans boo and Schiavone excuses himself as Callis says the Don Callis Family are the TRUE One Percenters of professional wrestling! They prove it each and every day!
Murder Machines: The most feared tag team in the world! “Don Callis’ favorite wrestler,” Kyle Fletcher, shows every day why he is THE One Percent! He beat Will Ospreay! He beat Kazuchika Okada! And now, he’s gonna beat Daniel Garcia and win the Continental Classic! Callis hands the mic over to Kyle and Kyle says it might be true that last Saturday wasn’t the best day for Kyle, but anyone watching that match saw the clear bias from the officials in this company! The fans boo as Kyle claims there is an agenda in AEW to see the Don Callis Family NOT succeed. But it doesn’t matter, it changes nothing!
Kyle WILL be the winner of the 2024 Continental Classic. That brings Kyle to Daniel Garcia. “You wanna talk about restoring the feeling, Daniel? I couldn’t care less about your feelings! All I speak are facts! And the fact is, I am the hottest young prospect in this industry, and I will be the future of this whole place!” The fans boo more but Callis says one last thing he wants to say, is when you’re the One Percent, you’re not like the other 99! They are not like all of these fans! They are not like “the boys in the back,” like Mark Davis & Will Hobbs, “a couple of scab workers!” They’re not even in the same business, Hobbs!
And Callis has waited to get Hobbs on a PPV so that the world could watch why they call Konosuke Takeshita “The Alpha.” And Hobbs, YOU are not in the same business as Konosuke, and you find that out at Worlds End! But speaking of, here comes the Powerhouse! Will he and Dunkzilla finish things with the Don Callis Family? Or will the AEW International and ROH World TV Champions get even for last week?
Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage w/ Don Callis VS “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs & Mark Davis!
The teams sort out and Konosuke starts against Hobbs to give the DC fans a preview of Worlds End. Hobbs and Konosuke step up, talk trash, and then the forearms go back and forth! The fans cheer for “MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!” and Hobbs ROCKS Konosuke! Hobbs even shouts “MEAT!” before he whips Konosuke. Konosuke ducks ‘n’ dodges but then so does Hobbs! Hobbs SPINE- NO, Konosuke flails free and Hobbs says it was that close. Konosuke says to cool off while he paces on the outside. Konosuke steps back into the ring, but he tags to Cage. The fans stay fired up for “MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!” as Cage and Hobbs circle.
Hobbs and Cage DOUBLE LARIAT! Neither man falls, so they DOUBLE LARIAT again! And again! And again! Cage kicks low, shouts, “Who Betta Than Cage?” But then Hobbs CLOBBERS him! Hobbs even gets Konosuke to back down with a glare. Hobbs brings Cage up to fire forearms, then he tags Davis. Davis & Hobbs double whip and DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE! The fans fire up as Davis stalks Cage to a corner. Davis CHOPS Cage, and CHOPS again! And CHOPS again! Cage sputters but Davis scoops to SLAM Cage down! Then ELBOW DROP! Cover, ONE! Cage stays in this but Davis bumps him off buckles.
Tag to Hobbs and he brings Cage out. Hobbs and Davis reel Cage in, fans chant “AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! MEAT MEAT MEAT!” but Konosuke makes the save! Konosuke swings, Hobbs dodges, so the elbow DECKS Davis! Hobbs ROCKS Konosuke, Cage ROCKS Hobbs! Cage clinches, Konosuke returns, KNEE RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP COMBO! Cage covers, TWO! Cage rains down fists, the ref reprimands, but Cage steps off. Cage drags Hobbs up, bumps him off buckles, and tags Konosuke. The Callis Family stomps a mudhole into Hobbs, but then Hobbs CHOPS Konosuke! Konosuke snarls, and he CHOPS in return!
Konosuke ROCKS Hobbs, climbs up, and he rains down fists! The fans count but then Konosuke BITES Hobbs on the forehead! The ref counts, Konosuke lets off, and Hobbs sputters on the ropes. Konosuke tags to Cage and the Family gets Hobbs up. They DOUBLE SUPLEX Hobbs! Cage covers, TWO! Cage drags Hobbs up but Hobbs fires body shots. Hobbs UPPERCUTS but Cage ROCKS Hobbs! Cage ROCKS Hobbs again, Hobbs fires back, repeat! The fans rally for “MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!” Cage gets the edge, then whips, but Hobbs KICKS him away! Cage swings, Hobbs bobs ‘n’ weaves, to then hit an EXPLODER!
The fans fire up while Hobbs crawls, hot tag to Davis! Davis fires hands on Cage, “MEAT! MEAT!” Davis DECKS Cage, then whips him to ropes. Cage reveres but Davis picks him up, BACKDROP! Davis SENTONS but onto knees! Davis writhes, Cage tags Konosuke! POWER- NO, Davis stops the knee! Davis takes a swing but Konosuke ducks that, to BLUE THUNDER BOMB!! High stack, TWO!! Davis survives and Konosuke snarls, but Rampage goes picture in picture.
Konosuke rains down fists on Davis, but lets off as the ref reprimands. Konosuke tags Cage and Cage drags Davis up. Cage ROCKS Davis, whips him into a corner, and Davis hits buckles chest first! Cage RAMS into Davis, and RAMS in again, then CHOPS! Davis staggers but Cage whips him to ropes. Davis reverses, to dosido with Cage, only for Cage to CLOBBER Davis! Cage BOOTS Davis down, covers, but Hobbs breaks it! Cage gets mad and the ref reprimands Hobbs, then Cage soaks up heat from DC. Cage stalks Davis to a corner and fires haymakers! The ref reprimands but Cage DECKS Davis! Cage soaks up more heat while he flexes.
Holiday Bash returns to single picture while Davis crawls. Cage storms over but Davis fires hands! Davis CHOPS, CHOPS, but Cage JUMP KNEES! Cage whips Davis, Davis cartwheels and swings on Cage! Cage blocks, waistlocks, but Davis switches! BIG back suplex! The fans fire up as Davis rises and reaches out! Davis crawls, as does Cage, hot tags to Hobbs and Konosuke! Hobbs LARIATS Konosuke, LARIATS again, then runs up to LARIAT in a corner! Cage runs up but he’s send into Konosuke! Hobbs SANDWEICHES the Family! Hobbs whips, Cage reverses, but Hobbs comes back to CLOBBER him! Hobbs scoops Cage for a POWERSLAM!
The fans fire up but Konosuke runs up! Hobbs scoops him, too! POWERSLAM! Hobbs pumps up and the fans are with him! Hobbs stomps and shakes the ropes, then he goes back for Konosuke. Konosuke rises, Hobbs pops him up, but Konosuke ELBOWS him! Konosuke fires hands, then ROLLING ELBOWS! Hobbs staggers, Konosuke whips him, but Hobbs reverses! SPINEBUSTER! Cover, Davis blocks Cage, but Cage SHOVES Davis onto the cover! Cage then TOSSES Davis out, and he goes back for Hobbs. Hobbs TOSSES Cage! Hobbs grins as he has Konosuke alone. The straps come down, and Hobbs runs up, only for Konosuke to dodge!
Konosuke runs, Cage tags in, and Konosuke BOOTS Hobbs in the corner! Cage runs up to UPPERCUT, GAMANGIRI, and then GERMAN SUPLEX! Hobbs flounders, Cage hauls him up, PUMP HANDLE FACEBUSTER!! Cover, TWO!! Hobbs survives and Cage is furious! Cage tags Konosuke, the Family gets Hobbs up, and they double wrench to double whip. But Hobbs breaks the double lariat and Davis tags in! Hobbs DOUBLE LARIATS Cage & Konosuke! Davis runs up, they STEREO LARIAT! Konosuke BOOTS Davis and Cage waistlocks Hobbs. Konosuke runs but Davis GAMANGIRIS! Cage SUPERKICKS Davis!
Hobbs SNAP POWERSLAMS Cage! ALPHA ELBOW from Konosuke! Davis GERMAN SUPLEXES Konosuke! Cage fireman’s carries Davis, F5!! Cage runs up on Hobbs but Hobbs dodges! Hobbs LARIATS Cage and himself out of the ring! The fans fire up while Davis rises again! Konosuke also stands, and they run up! DOUBLE LARIATS! Davis GAMANGIRIS, Konosuke ends up in the corner! Davis goes side to side, SLIDING FOREARM! The fans roar as Davis hauls Konosuke up! Konosuke fights the lift, dodges Davis, and comes back, DOUBLE LARIATS finally take both men down! But not for long as they both roar to their feet!
Konosuke swings, and he SWATS Davis’ enzigiri! Konosuke then POWER DRIVE KNEES!! And then, RAGING FIRE!! Cover, Callis Family wins!
Winners: Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage, by pinfall
The Alpha slam dunks on Dunkzilla, and now he has 8 days to prepare for the Powerhouse! Will Konosuke hold onto his International Championship against Hobbs? Or will taking that title be the perfect payback?
Backstage interview with Willow Nightingale.
Renee Paquette is with the Babe with the Power who is in action later tonight. But first, Renee wants to congratulate Willow to making it to the finals of the inaugural International Women’s Cup. She heads off to Tokyo very soon, how is she feeling about it? Willow is very excited. Inaugural WrestleDynasty, one step closer to the inaugural International Women’s Cup winner, and so it is mind boggling after how- Kris Statlander steps in. Kris tells Willow that there is a lot she should say, but for now, she’ll say good luck at the Tokyo Dome. #BornAgainKristen takes Willow by surprise, will Willow win tonight and have momentum going to the New Year?
Lio Rush & Action Andretti VS Myles Hawkins & Goldy!
The dysfunction in Top Flight Airlines led to The Bad Child & The Sight to See winning over Darius & Dante Martin, meaning they’re next up to face Private Party. Will this be little more than a tune-up for Lio & Action?
The teams sort out, Lio starts against Myles, but then Lio handspring kicks Goldy off the apron! Myles back suplexes but Lio lands out and then dodges! Myles falls out of the ring, Action handspring kicks him down! Lio DIVES onto Goldy! Action DIVES onto Myles! The fans fire up as Action puts Myles in fast. Lio joins Action and they mug Myles. Myles fights back with forearms and CHOPS! Myle runs, but Lio & Action split the difference. Lio spins Myles for Action to mule kick, knee lift and ROLLING ELBOW! Lio fires fast hands, then DECKS Myles! Goldy springboards but Lio & Action dodge! Lio eggs Goldy on, then he and Action split the difference again!
Action runs up, Goldy dodges, but Lio LARIATS Goldy on the other side! Myles whips Lio but Lio hits RUSH HOUR! Action torture racks Myles for a NECKBREAKER! Lio covers, Lio & Action win!
Winners: Lio Rush & Action Andretti, by pinfall
Fast win for this furious duo, but “Oh my gosh, is that Private Party?” Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy make their way out here and DC fires up! The AEW World Tag Team Champions call for “SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!” Lio & Action get their shot in the near future, but wait! Dante & Darius make their way out here? Private Party looks to the tunnels, but Lio & Action CLOBBER them from behind! Dante, Darius & Leila don’t worry about the champs, they stare Lio & Action down. Lio & Action hold up the belts, then throw them at the Martins. The refs keep this from getting any more physical, but will Lio & Action take those belts from Quen & Zay soon enough?
Backstage interview with Harley Cameron.
Renee is now with the “multifaceted” Harley and notes she’s in action against Willow Nightingale tonight. Harley says yes, she IS multifaceted. She wants us to appreciate ALL her facets! Renee says yes, but she has yet to earn a singles win in AEW. Fine, ruin her fun. But then Harley asks if some person off camera is gonna say anything or just stand there. In steps Penelope Ford, and Mrs. Superbad says yes, she was simply observing. But Ford couldn’t help but notice that she and Harley share a lot of similar… facets. Harley asks how much Ford’s cost. Uh, no, not those…
Ford meant that she hasn’t had such a good 2024, either. So from The Bad Girl to the… Harley doesn’t have a good nickname yet. Well, don’t worry about it. Ford will watch Harley’s back and Harley will watch Ford’s. Wait, is something on Harley’s back? No, Harley… Just good luck. FEEL THE WRATH OF HARLEY CAMERON! No, she was being nice to you, Harley. Right, don’t feel the wrath of Harley Cameron. There is nothing on your back, Harley, stop scratching. Wait! W-What? Nothing, sorry. But will Harley be feeling Willow’s wrath instead?
Willow Nightingale VS Harley Cameron!
The bell rings and the fans rally as the two tie up. Harley pushes but Willow digs in her heels to SHOVE Harley down. Harley comes back, she and Willow reset and tie up again. Willow puts Harley in a corner, the ref counts, and Willow lets off. DC duels between Willow and Harley, and Harley wants a Test of Strength. Willow accepts the knuckle locks, but then Harley kicks low! Harley runs, wheelbarrows, but Willow turns that into a BIG back suplex! The fans cheer as Willow runs, DIVING BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO! Willow bumps Harley off buckles, then fires LARIAT after LARIAT! The fans count al the way to TEN!
Willow brings Harley out with a smile, and scoop SLAMS her! Harley flounders, Willow storms up on her for another scoop and SLAM, right as Rampage goes picture in picture.
Willow storms around while Harley staggers up. Willow scoops Harley again, then carries her around to put her in the Tree of Woe! Willow stomps a mudhole in, then lets off to run up! But Harley BOOTS her while upside-down! Harley gets free, ELBOWS Willow, then runs to knee her low! Harley runs with Willow to HOTSHOT BULLDOG! Willow is stuck in ropes, and Harley AX KICKS her! Harley then headscissors Willow to CHOKE her in the ropes! The ref counts, Harley lets go at 4, and Harley soaks up cheers and jeers from DC. Harley stomps Willow, then drags her to the outside. Harley SMACKS Willow off the apron!
Harley paces while Willow flounders, and Harley has her against railing. Harley CHOPS Willow, then brings her around. Willow blocks the bump to SMACK Harley off the apron! Harley turns things around to SMACK Willow off the apron! Harley shoves Willow in, storms up on her, and stands her up for buckle bumps. Harley stomps Willow, digs her boots in, and she thrashes around! The ref counts, Harley lets off at 4, but Willow elbows her in return! Harley RAMS into Willow again and again, but Willow CLUBS Harley! Harley ROCKS Willow, whips her to ropes, and ELBOWS Willow down! Harley soaks up more cheers and jeers while Rampage goes to break.
Holiday Bash returns and Willow CANNONBALLS, but Harley dodges! Willow hits only buckles and she hobbles after Harley. Harley kicks, KNEES, and ENZIGIRIS! Harley roars, runs, and SHINING WIZARDS! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up but Harley grows frustrated. The fans rally while Harley waistlocks, but Willow switches! Harley kicks free to switch back, but Willow ELBOWS Harley back! Willow fireman’s carries, storms around, but Harley pops up! Harley fires down elbows, then victory rolls, TWO! Willow escapes and ROCKS Harley! Fireman’s carry, DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! Cover, TWO!
Harley survives but Willow roars! The fans fire up as the straps come down! Willow gut wrenches for the BABE WITH THE POWER BOMB!! Cover, Willow wins!
Winner: Willow Nightingale, by pinfall
Willow faced the wrath of Harley Cameron and she prevailed! But then PENELOPE FORD goes after Willow! The fans boo but Ford did say she’d back Harley up. They both beat up on Willow, but here comes Kris! Kris Statlander storms the ring, Harley & Ford run away! Willow is again surprised, but the fans want these two to “Hug It Out! Hug It Out!” Kris says no, she doesn’t feel like it’s the right time. Kris lets Willow have the ring, is this proof that the #BornAgainKristen isn’t just a nickname?
Team Triple J speaks backstage.
Standing alongside Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, as well as Jeff & Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt says, “They’ve asked us to look back and reflect on 2024, and Jeff, guys, what an incredible series of moments we’ve had in 2024.” The group agrees. From Wembley Stadium to Double J being in the Owen Hart Cup, some true career highlights that he will cherish forever. But Jarrett doesn’t like looking in the rearview mirror, he likes to look ahead. Next week, he’s not bringing resolutions, he’s bringing a game plan for 2025! What does the Last Outlaw have in store for himself and the team in the New Year?
AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Brody King VS Komander!
While the rest of Gold League stands at 6 points, these two men are struggling to keep up. Will the King of Death join that traffic jam at the front of the block? Or will the Commander of the Skies be a spoiler for Christmas?
The bell rings and we’re on the clock. Brody and Komander circle while the fans bark it up. There are fans who sing “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~” for Komander as the two tie up. But then Brody picks Komande up with both hands, and puts him on the to rope. Brody pats Komander on the shoulder, and the fans bark more. Komander hops down, not intimidated by Brody’s size. Komander then dodges Brody, DROPKICKS him, but Brody CLOBBERS Komander on the return! Brody eggs Komander on and then scuffs him. Komander gets mad and CHOPS! Brody grins and eggs Komander on. Komander CHOPS, but Brody wants more!
Komander fires up to CHOP, but Brody CHOPS Komander down! The fans fire up and Brody grins. Komander sputters, Brody paces, and Brody drags Komander up. Brody CHOPS Komander again! Brody bumps Komander off buckles, CHOPS again, and Komander flounders away! Brody stalks Komander to the corner, CHOPS him again, and Komander falls over! Brody hauls Komander up, whips him, but Komander goes up and over! Komander ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Brody BACKDROPS Komander! The fans bark while Komander writhes, and Brody drags Komander up. But Komander fires body shots and a CHOP!
Brody KNEES low and Komander drops. Brody CHOPS Komander again! Brody asks, “Are you done?!” Brody whips Komander, but Komander ducks ‘n’ dodges to then springboard, but Brody catches Komander with ease! Brody pops Komander up, but Komander pops free, sunset flip, ONE!! Brody drags Komander up and CLUBS him! Komander wobbles, Brody ROCKS him again! Brody drags Komander off the ropes, suplexes, but Komander slips around! SLEEPER! Big men still have to breathe, but Brody RAMS Komander into the buckles! Brody swings, misses, and that bad hand hits post! Komander fires KICKS on the legs!
Komander bobs ‘n’ weaves, kicks, mule kicks and ENZIGIRIS! Brody wobbles and the fans rally up! Komander knuckle locks, CHOPS, and he goes up and up and jumps around! But Brody breaks the grip and DOUBLE CHOPS Komander to the floor! The fans bark it up and the ref checks Komander while Rampage goes picture in picture.
Brody storms out after Komander, who is somehow still in this. Brody drags Komander up, and he whips Komander hard into railing! Brody revels in the DC dogs barking, and Brody stands Komander up. Brody CHOPS Komander off his feet, then refreshes the ring count. Brody drags Komander up, and whips him hard into railing! So hard, in fact, that Komander goes up and over! Brody hurries to haul Komander back up, and he suplexes Komander to the floor! Komander writhes more while Brody refreshes the count again. Brody goes back to Komander, scuffs him, and brings him back up.
Komander KICKS Brody, CHOPS, but Brody CHOPS him down! Brody revels in the noise from DC while he stands on Komander’s neck! The ref reprimands, Brody steps off and rolls into the ring. Brody again refreshes the count so he can fetch Komander. Brody puts Komander in the ring, covers, TWO! Komander is still in this but Brody is more amused than anything. Brody paces then brings Komander up. Brody CHOPS Komander to a corner, then revels in the noise a bit more. Brody then digs his boot into Komander, but lets off as the ref counts. Brody drags Komander up to CHOP, but Komander CHOPS! Brody CHOPS Komander down!
Brody digs his boots in again, but the ref counts. Brody steps away, then drags Komander to his feet. Brody ROCKS Komander as the Holiday Bash returns to single picture. Brody eggs Komander on, stands him up, and ROCKS him again! Komander flops against ropes but Brody dares him to keep fighting. Komander staggers up, but Brody CHOPS him! Komander is stinging but Brody ROCKS him! Brody whips, Komander ducks ‘n’ dodges to QUEBRADA, but Brody catches him! But Komander slips down into the STANDING BONE LOCK! The fans fire up but Brody powers up! Brody THROWS Komander right off! SENTON FLOPS as Komander moves!
Komander hurries to basement DROPKICK! The fans fire up as Brody and Komander both crawl to ropes! They both stand, Brody runs up, but Komander swings around, CRUCIFIX DRIVER! Brody flops out to the floor! Komander sees that and the fans fire up! Komander builds going side to side, and he goes up and up and CROSSBODIES, but Brody catches him! Brody RAMS Komander into the railing! And then whips him hard into more railing! Brody makes Komander take a seat, then CHOPS him! The fans bark with Brody as he gets space, and Brody runs back in, but Komander ducks! Brody CRASHES into railing!!
Komander has the fans all fired up as he rises! Komander rolls into the ring, the count is climbing, but Brody is rising! So Komander runs corner to corner to go up, up and AWAY!! Direct hit with that escalara cannonball! The fans fire up as Komander rises again! Komander and Brody both head for the ring while fans sing again, “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~!” Komander has Brody in the drop zone! Komander goes up the corner, but Brody CLUBS him first! Brody has Komander in the Electric Chair Lift, then goes up the corner!? But Komander fights, shifts, and SUPER SUSNET FLIP POWERBOMBS!!
Brody is in the drop zone again and Komander rises! 450 SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!! Brody survives and Komander cannot believe it! “This is Awesome!” as Komander rises and goes to another corner. Komander tunes up the band, runs corner to corner, but Brody SLAPS him first! Brody runs but Komander dodges, Brody POSTS himself! Komander is on the apron and he runs up, to SHOTGUN Brody to the floor! Brody sputters, Komander climbs the corner, and the fans are thunderous! Komander springboards to ARIHARA MOONSAULT! Another direct hit and Komander feels so close to his first points in the C2!
Komander hurries to get in the ring, but then slides out to start a new ring count. Komander climbs again while Brody rises. Komander watches Brody slide in, then tightrope walks to CIELITO LINDO!! But that was on Brody’s back! Komander pushes Brody but that’s a lot of dead weight to push! Brody sits up but Komander KICKS him! Komander roars, the fans fire up, handspring- TORTURE RACK! Brody flips Komander around, GONZO BOMB!! Cover, Brody wins!!
Winner: Brody King, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Komander earns 0)
If it wasn’t clear before, this was a painful punctuation mark, Komander is mathematically ELIMINATED from the semifinals. However, Komander’s final C2 match is Dynamite’s Miracle on 34th Street against Claudio Castagnoli! Can Komander be the biggest spoiler of this entire tournament? Can Brody prove to everyone in the Gold League that the House Always Wins?
My Thoughts:
A great Rampage here for Holiday Bash, though some clear redundancies from last week’s Winter is Coming edition. We got another group Don Callis Promo, and we barely got anything different from Callis and Kyle. The tag match’s only changes were Cage switching in for Archer, even though Cage is in reality defending his ROH World TV Championship in the Hammerstein Ballroom for Final Battle, and then the Callis Family wins this time so Hobbs and Konosuke can be even going towards Worlds End. Now, Konosuke could very well retain the International Championship at Worlds End because NJPW is totally open to Konosuke Takeshita VS Shingo Takagi being Winner Takes All, AEW International and NEVER Openweight titles on the line together.
Lio & Action of course won their match, but the real purpose was to get a confrontation out of them, Private Party and OG Top Flight, Darius & Dante. Good stuff, and it teases anywhere between a Triple Threat to Lio & Action VS Darius & Dante Round 2. Very good promo from Triple J to set up for something, anything really, for 2025. Fight for the Fallen can even be the start of whatever that plan is as part of the “mother of all streams.” And good stuff with the women’s division tonight. Ford & Harley makes a natural duo now given their names, and Willow and Kris could possibly reunite now that Kris is a Face again. That wouldn’t really make up for the weird fumble in the middle where Tony Khan just wanted Kris to get away from Stokely, but hey, this story itself could be really well done.
And great stuff out of Brody VS Komander, really got the drama going before the end. I mean, we all knew Komander was out of the running before tonight, and was most certainly taking the loss here, but Komander got to really show some grit. And now, five people at 6 points going into the final round, they’re really adding great drama to Gold League. Collision tomorrow and then Dynamite Miracle on 34th Street will be some great stuff, but I still think Ospreay should be one of the semifinalists, the second spot can be whoever they want.
My Score: 8.8/10
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