Will heads for the Tokyo Dome?

Gabe Kidd & Sanada won A Block handedly while Naito & Hiromu came out of B Block’s chaotic finale, but only one team can win World Tag League!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Tiger Mask VS Daiki Nagai; Tiger Mask wins.
• Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls VS Shoma Kato & Katsuya Mursahima; Shane & Mikey win.
• Bishamon VS The Filip Brothers; Bishamon wins.
• Six Man Tag: The United Empire VS Taichi, Taka Michinoku & DOUKI; Taichi, Taka & Douki win.
• Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club; LIJ wins.
• 10 Man Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, Tomoaki Honma & Jado VS The House of Torture; The Houes of Torture wins, by disqualification.
• Six Man Tag: TMDK VS Shota Umino, Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi; TMDK wins.
• 2024 World Tag League Finals: Gabe Kidd & SANADA VS Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi; Naito & Hiromu win.

PLAY BY PLAY

10 Man Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, Tomoaki Honma & Jado VS The House of Torture!

The Ace, The Joker & The Rook are joined by a couple knights of NJPW to stand against The King of Darkness and his army of scumbags! With WrestleKingdom on the horizon, which side of this war wins this crucial battle?

But as The House makes their entrance, Team Ace turns the tables by going after them first! The fans cheer as Tanahashi goes right after Evil and The House panics! Yano brawls with Narita, Oleg and Jado take care of Kanemaru and Yujiro, and Tanahashi headlocks Evil. Tanahashi brings Evil to ringside to POST him! Evil falls but Tanahashi drags him back up to wrench and whip into railing! The fans cheer more and Tanahashi CLUBS Evil. Tanahashi whips Evil at more railing, and Evil hits so hard that he tumbles up and over! The rest of the team keeps The House down all around ringside while Tanahashi fetches Evil.

Tanahashi brings Evil into the ring, then follows, and finally the bell rings! The fans cheer as Tanahashi stalks Evil to a corner. Tanahashi stomps Evil, throws forearms, and the ref counts. Tanahashi shoves the ref! The President is getting really rough with his employees, but he stalks Evil. Tanahashi drags Evil up to fire a BODY BLOW! And another! Tanahashi whips, Evil reverses, and then Evil gets in the ref’s face so Dick Togo can trip Tanahashi up! Then the House rushes in and BLASTS Team Ace off the apron! The ref reprimands everyone but Evil CHOKES Tanahashi with the tag rope!

The fans boo but The House beats up on Team Ace, and then Evil throws away the evidence of his crime. Dick passes the mic to Evil, and Evil grabs it so he can shout in Tanahashi’s face about just giving up now and sparing himself the embarrassment at WrestleKingdom! Tanahashi tells Evil he’ll never surrender, and the ref reprimands Evil. Evil stops choking Tanahashi and throws the mic away. Evil tags Narita and the Souled Out Son of Strong Style stomps away on Tanahashi’s legs! Narita then clamps on a KNEEBAR! Evil and Yano shout at each other, but Tanahashi fights his way to the ROPEBREAK!

The ref counts and Narita lets go at 4. Narita stomps Tanahashi more, then he tags Tokyo Pimp. Narita & Yujiro have the legs, and they split the wishbone! Yujiro then drops an elbow on the bad leg! Yujiro taunts Tanahashi, then ROCKS him with a forearm! Tanahashi ends up on ropes, so Yujiro ROCKS him, then CHOPS him! Yujiro stands Tanahashi up, Narita & Sho anchor Tanahashi in place, and Yujiro BOOTS him! The ref reprimands everyone but Yujiro snapmares for a cover! TWO, the fans rally, but Kanemaru tags in. The Heel Master YANKS the leg, then whisp Tanahashi to ropes. Kanemaru dropkicks the leg out!

Kanemaru hurries to step through, FIGURE FOUR! The House BLASTS Team Ace again! The ref reprimands and the fans rally up while Tanahashi endures. Honma clears Evil out, and he runs to FALLING KOKESHI on Kanemaru! The fans cheer as Tanahashi is saved, but Narita goes after Honma! The fans boo as Narita TOSSES Honma, but Kanemaru tags Sho. Sho stomps the leg, then DDTS the foot! The fans rally for Tanahashi but Sho scuffs him around. Tanahashi stands up and he fires forearms! Sho CLAWS Tanahashi’s eyes, but Tanahashi CLAWS Sho’s eyes! The ref reprimands them both, but Tanahashi blocks a kick! DRAGON SCREW!

The fans fire up as Tanahashi crawls over, hot tag to Oleg! The fans fire up as BARS CLOBBERS Sho! Evil gets away before Oleg can get him, and Yujiro attacks from behind! Yujiro & Narita double whip, but Oleg CLOBBERS them both! Kanemaru kicks and whips, but Oleg reverses to scoop Kanemaru! Oleg SMACKS Sho using Kanemaru! Then Oleg SLAMS Kanemaru, and gut wrenches! The fans fire up for the Shake, Shake, Shake! GUT WRENCH PLEX! Oleg kips up and the fans fire up! Oleg then deadlifts Sho for the gut wrench. But Sho bends fingers and wrenches free! Sho runs, SPEARS, but he bounces right off of Oleg!

The fans fire up and Oleg deadlifts Sho again! Shake, Shake, Shake! GUT WRENCH PLEX! And another kip up! The fans fire up with Oleg and he runs to BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO! Oleg drags Sho right up into his arms, then pops him to a fireman’s carry! But Sho CLAWS Oleg’s eyes! Sho slips free, but Oleg kicks Sho! Sho runs to dropkick Oleg’s legs! Sho whips, and TADA! Bare buckles! Oleg suffers The House Special, and Evil DROPKICKS Tanahashi! Sho & Evil double whip Oleg into the bare buckles! Oleg hobbles forward, into a DOUBLE- NO! Oleg fights to DOUBLE SUPLEX them first! The fans fire up and Oleg crawls, and Tanahashi is adamant about getting in!

Oleg isn’t sure about it, but he tags Tanahashi back! Tanahashi fires a strike fest on Evil, and goes an extra round before the SHOTEI! Tanahashi runs to SLINGBLADE! The fans fire up while Tanahashi stalks Evil to a corner. Tanahashi stomps a mudhole into Evil but the ref counts. Tanahashi is not stopping! He SHOVES the ref away! Tanahashi’s rage is getting the better of him as he UPPERCUTS Evil! Tanahashi goes corner to corner, runs back in, but Evil sends him into the ref! And then The House attacks again! Dick stomps away on Tanahashi while Evil recovers! The fans boo and tell Dick to go away!

Narita brings in chairs! Dick stomps Tanahashi more, and the House has all their favorite items! Dick has his Spoiler Choker, Narita with his pushup bar, Sho with the “Torture Tool,” Yujiro with the pimp cane, and Kanemaru with his whiskey bottle. The fans boo as Evil stands on Tanahashi’s face and The House closes in. Evil drags Tanahashi up, and Dick clamps on the SPOILER CHOKER! And then The House CLOBBERS Team Ace with all their weapons! Evil takes aim, but Tanahashi BOOTS him first! Tanahashi THROWS Dick away, but Evil JAMS him up! Tanahashi blocks the chair shot! Tanahashi kicks low, and he SMACKS away on Evil!

The fans fire up as Tanahashi breaks the chair on Evil’s back! Narita runs up, Tanahashi JAMS him first! And then he JAMS Yujiro! And he JAMS Kanemaru! And he JAMS Sho! Then Tanahashi uses the frame to SMACK Evil! The ref is back, he tells Tanahashi to stop, but Tanahashi shoves the ref again! Tanahashi’s rage explodes as he beats Evil down with the chair! Team Ace is DISQUALIFIED!!

Winners: The House of Torture, by disqualification

Tanahashi keeps beating Evil to serve justice, but Young Lions rush in and stop him! Evil writhes, but Tanahashi gets a new chair! Tanahashi SMACKS Evil again and again! His team isn’t even sure what to do, so they let him just BASH away on Evil! Tanahashi tells Evil this is what he gets! One more chair shot! AND THEN ANOTHER! Evil scrambles out of the ring, and Young Lions have to get in Tanahashi’s way to stop the beating! Tanahashi drops the chair to grab the mic, and he shouts, “EVIL, YOU BASTARD! Shut up about my retirement! Oi, oi, you want me to leave so badly? I get it. You want it a year earlier, huh?

“Then in our match on January 4th, I’ll put my career on the line right then!!” The fans are shocked, but Evil says good! And there’s no going back now that he said it! But Tanahashi adds that Evil won’t be able to rely on his goons! It will be a LUMBERJACK MATCH! Now YOU remember that!! Team Ace and The House will wage war once again in the Tokyo Dome! And given Evil only won tonight because Tanahashi lost his cool, will Tanahashi dish out his final justice?

Six Man Tag: TMDK VS Shota Umino, Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi!

Zack Sabre Jr. took the pin when he and Ryohei Oiwa faced Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma in the tournament, so an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match is set for WrestleKingdom! Will the Roughneck burn The Front Man again with the help of Funky Sauce? Or will we see even now that The Mighty Don’t Kneel?

The teams sort out and after Shota stares at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and his paper replica to compare, he steps up to the champ. The bell rings and the fans cheer as we get this WK19 preview. Shota and ZSJ stare down, the fans rally up, and it sounds pretty even between “SHOTA! SHOTA!” and “ZAKU! ZAKU!” Shota and ZSJ get their fans even more fired up, and then the two circle. They feel things out, knuckle lock, but then ZSJ rolls to wrench. Shota wrenches back and he WRINGS ZSJ out! ZSJ UPKICKS, and the two reset. The fans cheer and the two circle again. Shota avoids a leg pick but ZSJ avoids an enzigiri!

Shota avoids the Penalty Kick, then spins ZSJ to underhook! ZSJ flips that but Shota fights the scoop! ZSJ avoids the uppercut but Shota blocks the uppercut! Shota wants the backslide but ZSJ spins that around, only for Shota to arm-drag! But ZSJ headscissors! Shota kips free and the fans cheer the standoff! Shota dares ZSJ to take the leg, but ZSJ just pushes the foot away. The two reset and feel things out again. They knuckle lock, go forehead to forehead, but then each man kicks a knuckle lock apart. ZSJ and Shota back off, and ZSJ dares Shota to bring it. Shota steps back up, they go forehead to forehead, and then ZSJ offers a free shot.

Shota says no, the champ should take the free shot. ZSJ decides to tag in Oiwa instead. Shota says fine, and he tags Taguchi. The fans rally as Taguchi and Oiwa circle. They tie up, Oiwa headlocks, but Taguchi pries the hold. Oiwa clamps on tighter but Taguchi fires body shots. Taguchi powers up and out, but Oiwa runs him over! Things speed up, Taguchi hurdles and DROPKICKS Oiwa down! Cover, TWO! Fujita slides in but Zayne intercepts! Zayne kicks the Japanese Young Punk and then throws him out! Funky Sauce double whip Oiwa to then BULLDOG and BASEMENT DROPKICK! The fans cheer and Taguchi stalks Oiwa.

Taguchi HIP DROPS Oiwa again and again, then uses the ropes to go up, out, and slingshot back in, but he hip drops onto Oiwa’s knees! Taguchi hobbles away and Oiwa storms up to whip. Taguchi reverses, runs up, but Oiwa pops him up onto the top rope! Taguchi is stuck right on the Funky Weapon! The ref checks but Oiwa SHAKES the ropes! Taguchi suffer, then he slowly tilts to one side! Oiwa gut wrenches Taguchi off the ropes! Tag to ZSJ and ZSJ UPPERCUTS the butt! Then he UPPERCUTS the butt again! And again! Taguchi falls over and ZSJ tags Fujita. Taguchi backstrokes towards his corner, but Fujita stomps him down!

Fujita drags Taguchi up, CHOPS him, then whips him to a corner. Fujita runs up and CHOPS again! Fujita snapmares Taguchi to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! Taguchi stays in this and the fans rally up. Fujita drags Taguchi up, but Taguchi CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Fujita CHOPS back! Fujita runs, Taguchi jumps, but Fujita CHOPS the hip attack! Taguchi hobbles away while Fujita says he’s too smart for that. Fujita runs, but Taguchi somersaults to HIP ATTACK! Hot tag to Zayne and he fires forearms on Fujita! Zayne whips, hip tosses, then STANDING MARIPOSAS! The fans fire up while Zayne brings Fujita up.

Zayne fires more elbows, then a mule kick! Zayne runs to ROLLING AX KICK! Fujita goes to a corner, Zayne runs in, but Fujita BOOTS him away! Fujita hops up but Zayne comes back to JUMPING DRAGON RANA! The fans fire up and Zayne storms over to Fujita. Zayne scoops and B AJA BLASTS! Cover, TWO! Fujita survives but the fans rally behind Zayne. Zayne brings Fujita up, straitjackets, but Fujita fights free to CHOP! Zayne BOOTS! Fujita kicks but Zayne ducks! Fujita rolls off Zayne’s back and runs to GAMANGIRI! The fans fire up while both men are down! Fujita and Zayne crawl, hot tags to ZSJ and Shota!

The fans fire up as ZSJ BOOTS Shota, and Shota ROCKS ZSJ! Shota eggs ZSJ on so ZSJ UPPERCUTS! Shota UPPERCUTS in return! They UPPERCUT back and forth, harder and harder! The fans rally as they now go faster and faster! ZSJ gets the edge with UPPERCUT after UPPERCUT, but Shota roars! Shota UPPERCUTS again and again, ZSJ roars, but Shota UPPERCUTS him down! Shota hurries to FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect but Shota stays fired up! Shota clinches ZSJ but ZSJ fights the lift! ZSJ goes for the arm but Shota waistlocks. ZSJ spins around to FACELOCK GUILLOTINE!

Shota endures and stays on his feet, even as ZSJ has the body scissors! The fans duel as ZSJ thrashes, but Shota powers through to suplex ZSJ up and over! Both men are down and the fans fire up again. Shota rises, then he brings ZSJ up to dragon sleeper. ZSJ spins and PELES the arm! But Shota blocks a roundhouse to PELE! But ZSJ PENALTY KICKS! Both men are down again and the fans rally more! ZSJ and Shota crawl, but ZSJ tags in Oiwa! Oiwa runs in at the corner to DROPKICK! Oiwa has the single leg but Shota fights off the suplex! Oiwa swings but Shota clinches, so now Oiwa fights free!

Shota ROCKS Oiwa, spins, but Oiwa ROCKS Shota! Oiwa runs, into a clinch! EXPLODER! The fans fire up while both men are down! The fans rally, Shota and Oiwa crawl, hot tag to Taguchi! Taguchi calls to Zayne and then BLASTS Fujita! Funky Sauce whips Oiwa to a corner, then Zayne sends Taguchi in. HIP ATTACK! Taguchi goes up, Zayne RANAS Oiwa into the butt! Backslide, roll through, KETSUYE! Cover, TWO! Oiwa survives but Taguchi signals for that. Taguchi and Zayne use the power of Strong Style, and then “ITADAKIMAAAS~!” Oiwa stands, into a DOUBLE HIP ATTACK SANDWICH! Cover, Fujita breaks it!

Zayne ROCKS Fujita, he and Taguchi double whip, but Fujita ducks the lariats to shove Zayne into Taguchi! Zayne blocks a kick but not the DRAGON WHIP! Shota dropkicks Fujita’s legs! ZSJ BOOTS Shota! Shota roars, but ZSJ BOOTS him again! ZSJ whips, Shota reverses and TORNADO DDTS! ZSJ flounders away and the fans fire up with Shota! Shota tells Taguchi to finish it off, and Taguchi runs at Oiwa! And he sliding kicks! Oiwa tumbles, Taguchi grabs the leg to OH MY GAH ANKLE!! Oiwa endures, reaches out, but Taguchi drags him back! Oiwa gets up to LARIAT! Both men are down and the fans fire up!

Oiwa fires up and he brings Taguchi around. Oiwa whips, then clamps on a SLEEPER! But Taguchi slips right out! Taguchi has the headlock, but Oiwa slips out to hit a BIG atomic drop! Taguchi hobbles and Oiwa clamps on the SLEEPER! Taguchi flails but he’s fading already! The fans rally and Oiwa spins Taguchi, for THE GRIP!! Cover, TMDK wins!

Winners: TMDK, by pinfall

The Mullet gets the better of The Funky Weapon, but Shota still dares ZSJ to go for the leg. ZSJ ignores Shota’s bait and just gives him the paper belt. “This is the closest you’ll get to the effin’ title.” ZSJ SLAPS Shota with it! Shota says don’t be rude to the kids! A fan made that for him. Shota dusts off the paper belt, and claims that he’s gonna get the real deal soon enough. ZSJ says yeah, sure. ZSJ will make Shota a real nice toy belt himself so he can keep dreaming. ZSJ mockingly puts something together using his old wrist tape! Shota says wow, thanks. With not even a month left, who will win out when the real belt is on the line?

2024 World Tag League Finals: Gabe Kidd & SANADA VS Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi!

It’s the moment of truth as The Mad Man & Cold Blooded take on The Uncontrollable Charisma & Ticking Timebomb. There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the tag titles given Henare’s knee injury, but for right now, it’s time to answer one question: Who will be the 2024 World Tag League Champions?

As Naito enters the ring, Gabe stays right at the center, but Naito completely ignores him. Then Naito takes his time with his entrance attire, as always, but Gabe and Sanada both stay calm. Gabe paces but Sanada keeps his eyes closed. Hiromu fires up Kumamoto and Naito finally does away with the pants. The teams finally sort out, and Gabe eggs on “the Junior.” Hiromu grins, then he fist bumps Naito, and yes, it seems Hiromu and the NJPW Strong Openweight Champion will start! The bell rings and both men run in! They DOUBLE LARIAT, but it’s Hiromu who falls! Hiromu gets up to CHOP, but Gabe CHOPS!

The fans fire up as the CHOPS go back and forth already! Hiromu backs down, but for only a moment! Hiromu CHOPS again, so Gabe CHOPS again! The CHOPS go back and forth, but Hiromu backs down again. Gabe eggs him on so Hiromu CHOPS! Gabe CHOPS again! Hiromu clutches his chest but he CHOPS again! Gabe CHOPS again, then braces himself. The CHOPS keep going, then they get forehead to forehead. Gabe winds up to CHOP! Hiromu drops back, and Gabe kicks at him. Gabe eggs Hiromu on so Hiromu CHOPS, CHOPS and CHOPS! Gabe spins to CHOP! Hiromu backs down, but runs up to LARIAT!

Gabe stays up, so he and Hiromu both run, but to take out Naito and Sanada! Then Hiromu runs up to kick Gabe low! Hiromu CLUBS Gabe, CHOPS, and Gabe feels that one. Hiromu whips, Gabe reverses, and Sanada gets a cheap shot in! The fans boo and Red Shoes reprimands, but the War Dogs double whip. Hiromu grabs ropes to stop, and Naito runs in! Naito CLOBBERS Sanada and Hiromu kicks Gabe! LIJ mugs Gabe then double whips, to DOUBLE CHOP! Then they DOUBLE BASEMENT DROPKICK! Gabe flounders away while the fans cheer. Hiromu tags Naito and Naito storms up on Gabe.

Naito CLUBS Gabe again and again, then snapmares for a chinlock. Gabe endures the knee in his back, even as Naito digs it in deeper. Naito then shifts to have a headscissors! Naito pushes up to put on the pressure, but Gabe still endures. Naito lets Gabe go and Hiromu sits in the ropes. Hiromu assures Red Shoes it isn’t what he thinks, but then Naito bumps Gabe off Hiromu’s boots! It WAS what it looked like! The fans cheer but Red Shoes reprimands, and Naito tags in Hiromu. Hiromu CHOPS Gabe to a corner, then CHOPS again! Naito joins in and they double whip Gabe corner to corner. Gabe comes back, Naito drops down and Hiromu CROSBODIES!

Sanada storms in but Hiromu CROSSBODIES! Hiromu goes out and chases down Gabe, CROSSBODY! Hiromu keeps moving, and Naito sets Sanada up for the CROSSBODY! The fans fire up with Hiromu as he goes back to the ring. Gabe storms around in frustration, then pushes his way to No Man’s Land. He eggs Hiromu on, so here he comes! But Sanada was lurking! He attacks first, then sends Hiromu into chairs! Naito and Gabe brawl, and Naito CLUBS Gabe around. Fans are told to move aside, and Naito whips. Gabe reverses and he BOWLS Naito into chairs! Not quite a strike but Gabe just flips off the fans.

Sanada is beating Hiromu down somewhere in the upper deck, and Gabe drags Naito back up. Gabe UPPERCUTS Naito, but Hiromu fights back against Sanada! Sanada CLAWS Hiromu’s face! Hiromu stops the suplex, then suplexes Sanada! Sanada fights that, and he CLAWS Hiromu’s face again! As for Gabe, he BITES Naito’s forehead, then SMACKS him down! At least they’re at ringside. But then Gabe looks under the ring, and he brings out a table! Gabe sets the table up, but Naito fires forearms on Gabe! Gabe SMACKS Naito again! Gabe hauls Naito up to POWERBOMB through the table!!

The fans go wild as Gabe looms over Naito. Gabe slides in and mocks Naito’s pose! The fans are torn but most boo. Red Shoes reprimands Gabe, and it seems Sanada has retuned to ringside, with Hiromu somewhere in the crowd. A ring count starts, but Gabe SPITS at Naito! The count is 7 of 20 and the spotlight shows Hiromu is still so far away! We pass 10, then 12! Hiromu hobbles at 15 and he’s finally in the aisle! Hiromu runs and slides in safe at 19! The fans cheer but Gabe drags Hiromu up. Gabe CHOPS Hiromu in the corner, then CHOPS again! And then JABS! Tag to Sanada and he CLAWS Hiromu’s back while Gabe talks trash on Naito.

The fans rally for Hiromu but Sanada stomps him in a corner. Sanada digs his boot in, but he stops as Red Shoes counts. Sanada drags Hiromu up, TOSSES him out, and Gabe quickly runs Hiromu back to the back of the crowd and up the bleachers! Gabe ROCKS Hiromu with a straight right hand! Then SMACKS him again! Hiromu flops over and Gabe leaves him behind again. The ring count returns while Hiromu sputters. The fans cheer Hiromu on as he’s up, but he’s still so far away at 10! Then 15! Hiromu returns at 18 to slide in at 19.5!! Sanada is on Hiromu, but Hiromu dropkicks the legs out! But Naito isn’t at the corner!

Sanada tags Gabe and he stomps away on Hiromu in the corner! Red Shoes reprimands but Gabe drags Hiromu up. The fans rally for Hiromu, but Gabe whips him hard into the corner! Gabe eggs Hiromu on, saying he’s not “Despy” or Douki. Hiromu rises up to CHOP! Gabe snarls but Hiromu CHOPS again! Hiromu roars and he CHOPS! Gabe finally wobbles, but he keeps Hiromu from Naito! Gabe throws Hiromu down by his hair, then he WRECKS Naito with a dropkick! Gabe mocks the tranquilo and the fans boo. Gabe tags Sanada and the War Dogs bring Hiromu up. The fans rally but the War Dogs double whip, only for Hiromu to DOUBLE CROSSBODY!

Hiromu crawls, reaches out, but Sanada keeps him from Naito! Hiromu breaks free, blocks a kick, and a punch! Sanada CLAWS Hiromu’s eyes! Sanada runs but Hiromu bolts for the corner! Hot tag to Naito! Naito kicks and fires off on Sanada, but Gabe CLUBS him! The War Dogs double whip, but Naito reverses to send Sanada away! Then he sends Gabe into Sanada! Gabe falls, Naito dodges Sanada to arm-drag! And ELBOW! Naito keeps moving, basement DROPKICK! Gabe ROCKS Naito! Gabe whips, Naito reverses and runs up to ELBOW him down! Sanada runs up but is sent into the corner! Naito blocks boots to put Sanada in ropes, DRAPING NECKBREAKER!

Naito hurries to stand Sanada up, turn him, and stall for the NECKBREAKER! The fans fire up as Naito does the pose himself. Cover, TWO! Sanada is tougher than that but Naito drags him up. Naito dragon sleepers for another NECKBREAKER, and then it’s the LEG HOOK NELSON! Sanada endures as Naito puts on the pressure, and Sanada kicks around. Naito puts on more pressure, but Sanada has the ROPEBREAK! But of course Naito claims he needs a little help. Red Shoes counts, Naito lets the hold go, and he brings Sanada to a corner. Naito drags Sanada up, reel shim in, but Sanada stops Esperanza! So Naito BOOTS him!

Naito whips corner to corner but Sanada goes up and out, and even to the floor! Naito slides out but Sanada goes to the apron. Naito hurries back up, but Sanada KICKS ropes to jam Naito up! The fans boo and Red Shoes reprimands but Sanada tags Gabe. Gabe drags Naito up, has him in a corner, and CHOPS! HEADBUTTS! Repeat! Gabe wobbles a bit, but he rolls back and returns to LARIAT! Then SAIDO! Naito gets flung, Gabe hurries to cover, TWO! The fans fire up but Gabe drags Naito right up to suplex and BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Naito survives but Gabe seethes. The fans rally for Naito as hard as they can, which annoys Gabe.

Gabe drags Naito up, reels him in, but Naito fights the lift! Gabe CLUBS Naito but still Naito fights! Gabe DOUBLE CHOPS Naito’s back, then powers through! But Naito powers out and throws those heavy back elbows! Gabe SPITS at Naito! Naito SLAPS Gabe! Gabe rebounds, Naito dodges, tilt-o-whirl CRADLE! TWO!! Gabe SMACKS Naito, reels him in, “I’m a MAD MAN, y’know!” But Hiromu SUPERKICKS him first! Sanada DROPKICKS Hiromu! Naito dropkicks Sanada’s legs! But Gabe KNEES Naito down! Hiromu fireman’s carries Gabe! TIMEBOMB 1.5! Sanada runs up, into a wrench and FACLON ARROW!

Sanada flounders out and Hiromu brings Gabe over to Naito! BOOSTED TORNADO DDT! The fans fire up and Naito brings Gabe back up! Wrench and tilt-o-whirl, DESTINO!! Cover, SANADA YANKS RED SHOES OUT!! The fans boo Sanada but he just soaks up the heat. Hiromu goes to the apron and he CROSSBODIES Sanada down! Hiromu helps Red Shoes up, Naito wrenches Gabe again, DESTIN- NO! TOMBSTONE!! Gabe and Naito are down and the fans rally even harder! There is some dueling in here, but the “GABU! GABU!” is still overwhelmed by the “NA-I-TO! NA-I-TO!” Both men stir while Red Shoes returns.

Gabe clutches his neck while rolling away from Naito. Naito changes course and rolls for his corner, hot tags to Sanada and Hiromu! Hiromu dodges Sanada’s boot but Sanada blocks the lariat! Dragon sleeper, but Hiromu spins that around! Sanada fights the suplex so Hiromu dropkicks a leg out! Hiromu KICKS and fireman’s carries, and flips Sanada into the dragon sleeper! Sanada spins that around, but Hiromu fights a suplex! Hiromu suplexes but Sanada slips free to dragon sleeper! SKULL END! Hiromu endures but Sanada drops back into the body scissors! The fans rally and Hiromu fights around!

Sanada squeezes as tight as he can and Hiromu is fading! Red Shoes checks, Hiromu faintly comes back to life, but Sanada goes to his old ways! Sanada goes up and up to ROUNDING BODY PRESS, but onto knees!! Hiromu saves himself and the fans rally up! Hiromu feeds off the energy to fire back up. Hiromu runs to HIROMU- NO, Sanada dodges the lariat, but the HIROMU-CHAN BOMBER still finds him! Fireman’s carry, TIMEBOMB 1.5!! Cover, TWO!! Sanada survives and Hiromu grows frustrated. The fans rally up behind him and Hiromu drags Sanada up. Hiromu fireman’s carries but Sanada slips free.

Sanada waistlocks but Hiromu switches. Sanada grabs at Red Shoes, Red Shoes gets away, and Hiromu avoids the low blow kick! Hiromu SUPERKICKS Sanada, then runs, but Sanada slips around! Sanada shoves Hiromu at Red Shoes and Red Shoes almost ends up falling out of the ring! Sanada whips Hiromu to POP-UP LOW BLOW! And then O’CONNER BRIDGE!! Cover, NAITO YANKS RED SHOES OUT!! Naito returns the favor and grins at Sanada. Gabe storms in with a chair! Naito runs and shoves Hiromu out of harm’s way! Naito then dodges Gabe to POP-UP LOW BLOW!! Another bit of returning the favor!

The fans are thunderous as Gabe writhes and rolls out of the ring. Naito drags Sanada up, Hiromu helps, BOOSTED TORNADO- NO! Sanada slips free, but Naito sends him into a SUPERKICK! ENZIGIRI! HIROMU-CHAN BOMBER!! The fans fire up with Hiromu as he fireman’s carries Sanada, for the OG TIMEBOMB!! Cover, TWO?!?! Sanada survives and shocks everyone! Hiromu roars and the fans are with him! Hiromu clinches in a dragon sleeper, but Gabe BITES Hiromu’s face! Gabe DECKS Naito, then he drags Hiromu up. Hiromu CHOPS, CHOPS , and CHOPS! Gabe just UPPERCUTS!

Gabe scoops and SLAMS Hiromu, then goes up the corner! MAD MAN MOONSAULT! Gabe calls to Sanada to get Hiromu, and Sanada goes up! ROUNDING BODY PRESS!! Cover, TWO!!! Hiromu survives and Sanada is furious!! Red Shoes defends his count and the fans are electric for Hiromu! Gabe reels Hiromu in, PILEDRIVER!! Feed to the DEAD- NO, Naito CLUBS Sanada! Naito dodges Gabe, comes back, DESTINO!!! SHINING WIZARD from Sanada!! Sanada hauls Hiromu up but Hiromu pump-handles! HIROMU-CHAN CRA- NO! SHINING WIZARD!! Sanada roars, fans are torn, but he drags Hiromu up.

Sanada clinches, DEAD- NO, Hiromu slips free, wrenches, pump handle, HIROMU-CHAN CRADLE!!! LIJ WINS!!!!

Winners: Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi, by pinfall (World Tag League 2024 Champions)

Sanada cannot believe it, but Kumamoto absolutely loves it!! The War Dogs tore through A Block, but it was the team that survived the extra Triple Threat match that takes the whole thing! What does this mean for the combination of Gabe and Sanada in the future? Is there a future for them?

As for LIJ, Naito drags himself into the ring, crawls over to Hiromu, and master and student hug it out! Red Shoes brings them the trophies, and LIJ sets them side by side before they stand back up. Naito gets his hat back on while Hiromu rests on the mat again. And after a little water to refresh themselves, Naito gets the mic. “Buenas noches, KUMAMOTOOOO~!” The fans cheer, and Naito says, “The way things work, it should be Hiromu, the main event winner, on the mic right now. But it looks like he took some damage. In that case, I’ll say my part first.” The fans applaud that.

Naito thanks all the fans that came out to the Grand Messe Kumamoto for the WTL Finals. “Gracias, amigos.” The fans cheer that, and Naito adds that he won the main event here back in April of 2018. He sent a message to all the fans here that night. Does anyone remember what he said about “having the courage to take that step?” The fans applaud as it seems they do. Naito says, “Make no mistake, we won the World Tag League thanks to Hiromu.” The fans applaud again, and even chant for “HI-RO-MU! HI-RO-MU!” Naito says that Hiromu’s refusal to give up under any circumstance made Naito feel he had to take that step, too.

“And that step brings me to that singles match we were set to have before the pandemic.” Fans are intrigued hearing that. Naito says how about doing it January 4th in the Tokyo Dome? The fans cheer for Hiromu in support of that idea. Hiromu takes the mic now and asks if it takes Naito that long to take a step. The fans chuckle, and Hiromu stands. Hiromu says thanks to that, they were able to enter WTL and win it all. Hiromu thanks Naito for that, both arigato and gracias. The fans applaud, and Hiromu reviews the idea: January 4th, WrestleKingdom, Naito VS Hiromu. “The answer is, of course…! Let’s do it.”

The fans cheer as the match is now set! Hiromu thanks Naito for letting him know this is how he felt! “It’s important to say what we feel, isn’t it? Everyone, do you have something you want to say as well? It could to a friend, a lover, a parent, a teacher, a senpai, a kouhai! I’m reminded once again how important it is to share what we are feeling. Naito-san, do you mind if I tell you something, too?” The fans are again intrigued. “Naito-san, thank you for teaching me how to be a wrestler!” Hiromu bows and the fans applaud. Hiromu then says January 4th can’t come soon enough! “Everyone, we only live once, so enjoy it to the fullest!”

First, think of the life you wanna live, and then enjoy it to the fullest! And during that time, if pro-wrestling can bring you even a bit of joy, Hiromu will be satisfied! So then, let’s have more… The fans echo back, “Moto!” Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! MOTO fun in life enjoying pro-wrestling together~! The confetti goes off as the WTL winners must take a different route for WrestleKingdom. Will it be teacher or student who proves themselves the better man in the Tokyo Dome?

My Thoughts:

An awesome finale to WTL 2024, even with a lot of the other matches just kind of filler since there weren’t tag titles to be defended here and a lot of WrestleKingdom 19 stuff to be set up. I made sure to do the 10 Man Tag because it of course fed Tanahashi VS Evil, but I certainly didn’t see it happening that way. Tanahashi going wild because of all the frustration he has with Evil was some great stuff, and a Lumberjack match is a great move so that Tanahashi’s allies, aka all of The House of Torture’s enemies, are gonna be ringside with them. But moving up the retirement stipulation is a shock. Was saying 2026 would be when Tanahashi retires just a smokescreen so this would be more shocking? Or is this the smokescreen to put more drama on a match we’re pretty sure Tanahashi still wins?

The Six Man Tag of TMDK VS Shota & Funky Sauce was really good, and a really good win for Oiwa there. This was all still just secondary to building heat on Shota and ZSJ, but it was rather funny for Shota to have that paper (and I think soft foam?) belt and ZSJ mocking him with the wrist tape. If Shota ends up winning, I think NJPW is guilty of making him their “Super Cena,” their “Cena Wins LOL” guy, and that’s a disservice to Shota and especially Zack. Zack needs to make it through a WK with that belt, let Shota fight his way back up through the New Japan Cup or something.

And awesome, incredible main event with the WTL finals. I figured Naito & Hiromu were winning, just because Gabe’s got his NJPW Strong title and the Kenny Omega match for that Tokyo Dome weekend. Not sure what it means for Sanada, but I don’t think he’s leaving War Dogs already (as funny as that would be). And I suppose with Henare’s knee in question, they’re just going to leave the Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match for another time. Naito VS Hiromu, the World Champ VS Junior Heavyweight Champ match we never got four years ago for the anniversary show, is a great move for WK19. There’s no place better than WK for a match like that, and they can’t wait on this match with Naito having said he’s getting closer and closer to retiring.

That said, maybe Hiromu wins to put him over and get him into that next level where he’s going for big titles. Granted, NJPW is literal about the “heavyweight” part of the World Heavyweight Championship, and I don’t know if Hiromu’s going to be able to pull off a 205+ frame. He’s already ~195, he’s already 35, but hey, maybe he can get a short reign in just so he can say he was on top of both weight classes in his career.

My Score: 9/10

The Continental Classic is Relentless!

Darby Allin took a lot of damage from Brody King in his first Continental Classic match, but he’s back to try again! Will Darby get on the board? Or will Komander redeem himself from Rampage?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Darby Allin VS Komander; Darby wins.
• WrestleDynasty International Women’s Cup Qualifier Tournament: Willow Nightingale VS Serena Deeb; Willow wins and advances to face Jamie Hayter in the AEW Finals.
• AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Kazuchika Okada VS Kyle Fletcher; Kyle wins.
• The Beast Mortos VS Aaron Solo; Mortos wins.
• Mina Shirakawa VS Emi Sakura; Mina wins.
• AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Daniel Garcia VS Mark Briscoe; Briscoe wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Darby Allin VS Komander!

Both the Relentless One and the Commander of the Skies are without points, despite putting up a fight in their first matches. Someone will finally get on the board, but who ends up stuck at the back of the pack?

The bell rings and the fans rally up as we’re on the clock. Darby and Komander shake hands and the two tie up. Darby slips around to waistlock, then he spins Komander to a headlock and takeover. Cover, ONE, but Darby holds onto Komander. Komander fights up, powers up but can’t power out as Darby holds on tight. Komander powers Darby to a corner, fires body shots, then wrenches to whip. Darby reverses, Komander goes up and over, then Komander arm-drags! But Darby has the headlock right back! The fans cheer while Komander fights up. Darby grinds the hold, but Komander powers up and out.

Komander runs up, Darby sidesteps and FLYING ARM-DRAGS, but Komander handsprings though! Things keep moving, Komander sunset flips but Darby rolls it to a sunset, TWO! Darby hurries to clamp on with a chinlock! The fans cheer as Komander endures and fights to his feet. Darby hits another headlock takeover, but Komander headscissors. Darby rolls Komander, rolls back, and has a TEXAS CLOVERLEAF right away! Komander crawls forward and grabs the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer and Darby lets go. Komander goes to the apron but Darby runs up, only for Komander to GAMANGIRI!

Komander goes up, tightrope walks, and ARABIAN PRESS ARM-DRAGS, but Darby counters to WRING Komander out! Darby rolls into a LA MAGISTROL, TWO! Darby clearly watched Rampage last night, and he makes sure to keep Komander grounded with another chinlock. Komander fights up so Darby throws him out! Darby builds speed but Komander DUMPS Darby! Then ASAI MOONSAULTS! Direct hit and the fans fire up! Komander hurries to put Darby back in the ring, and the fans rally behind Komander. Komander aims from the corner, runs corner to corner, and goes up, up and PHOENIX SPLASH! Cover, TWO!!

The fans fire up as Darby survives, but Komander clamps on a chinlock. Komander grinds Darby down, but Darby fights up to fire body shots. Darby runs, but Komander SUPERKICKS him out! Komander goes to the apron, then runs up to the corner! CROSSBODY! Down goes Darby and Komander goes to the apron again, CIELITO- NO, Darby dodges! Darby then SHOVSES Komander into the steel steps! Darby grabs a chair, but he sets it up to make Komander take a seat. Darby fires hands, then he rolls into the ring. Darby has a wild grin and he builds speed, to DIVE! But he only gets chair!!

The fans lose their minds while both men are down, and Collision goes picture in picture.

The ref checks Darby as Darby clutches his lower back. Darby is somehow still okay to continue, so Komander shoves him into the ring. Cover, TWO!! Darby proves he’s still in this so Komander stalks him to ropes. Komander stomps Darby, clamps on, but Darby has the ROPEBREAK! Komander steps back, then he drags Darby from the ropes. Komander drops an elbow on the leg! Komander stalks Darby to a corner, stomps him around, then brings him up. Komander CHOPS, then reels Darby in for a PANCAKE BRIDGE! TWO, and Darby flounders away. Komander stays cool and he stalks Darby again. Komander drops an elbow on the leg!

Komander stomps Darby, eggs him on, then CLUBS Darby back down. Komander kicks Darby out of the ring, then goes back to the apron. Komander jumps down to STOMP Darby on the back! Darby writhes while Collision returns to single picture, and fans boo Komander! Komander ignores that to whip Darby, only for Darby to reverse! Komander hits railing hard! Darby runs up, but Komander dodges and Darby hits railing hard! Then Komander GAMANGIRIS! The fans fire up for “A E DUB! A E DUB!” while Komander puts Darby in the ring. Cover, TWO! The fans rally while Darby writhes.

Komander grows frustrated but he aims from a corner. Komander runs up, Darby dodges, both men turn around, and heads collide! Both men fall back, and the ref starts a standing count. The fans rally and Komander shakes out the stars. Darby and Komander both stand at 5 of 10, then Darby fires shots! Komander gives those back, but Darby SLAPS Komander! Darby then blocks a kick, flips Komander, then fires hands! Darby RAMS Komander, runs and hops on, CODE RED! Cover, TWO!! Komander survives and the fans declare “This is Awesome!” Darby hobbles is way to a corner, then climbs up.

Komander hurries to ROCK Darby first! Komander climbs, gives a short headbutt, then stands Darby up. Darby resists the superplex and fires body shots! Darby SHOVES Komander, Komander backflips through! Komander is right back up top, SUPER SPANISH FLY!! Cover, ROPEBREAK!! Darby survives by fingertips but the fans fire up with Komander! Komander goes to the apron, he slingshots, but Darby trips him up! Darby CLUBS and CLAWS Komander’s back! Darby then goes to the corner, climbs up, and GUILLOTINE COFFIN DROPS!! Komander flops to the floor, Darby builds speed! Darby DIVES, direct hit at the railing!

The fans are thunderous as Darby hurries to get Komander up and in! Cover, TWO! The fans rally as Darby grits his teeth. Darby drags Komander up to whip corner to corner, then he runs in, but Komander KNEES Him away! Then POISON-RANA! Darby flops to the apron but Komander goes after him! APRON MONKEY FLIP!! Darby hits knees first then flops to the floor! Komander DIVES! Direct hit at the ramp again! Komander puts Darby in, goes up, and the fans cheer on the tightrope walk! CIELITO- NO, Darby dodges! Darby catches a kick, drags Komander down and around, LAST SUPPER! DARBY WINS!

Winner: Darby Allin, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Komander earns 0)

The Relentless One gets his points and can finally keep pace with the league! But will he be ready for his Holiday Bash against Will Ospreay?

Backstage interview with The Don Callis Family.

Renee Paquette is with Don Callis himself, as well as The Alpha, Konosuke Takeshita. Things have been booming for the Family, but what is next after that big win on Ricochet at Full Gear? Callis says Renee needs to use more superlatives for Konosuke. Booming? This is domination! But then Will Hobbs steps in! Callis says hey, Powerhouse, welcome back! Hobbs stops Callis and tells him to back up. It seems Callis forgot Hobbs’ email, phone number, address, didn’t even think to check on him at all. Right? Right. So let’s keep this short and sweet: Hobbs wants what Konosuke has. Hobbs wants to be AEW International Champion!

Callis says hey, what is going on here? They have history! Hobbs is going to step to Konosuke? Duh. Well, okay, yeah, Callis admits Hobbs deserves a shot. Hobbs deserves better than what he’s been getting. But see, with all these international bookings coming up, Callis & Konosuke are going to Japan, to Portugal, all over. Callis will talk with his people, they’ll get back to Hobbs. Callis has Konosuke get going and says see ya later, but Hobbs grabs Callis’ arm! Hobbs tells Callis he better get back to him. Callis promises! Callis follows his Alpha out, but will Konosuke even come back from NJPW WrestleDynasty with a belt?

WrestleDynasty International Women’s Cup Qualifier Tournament: Willow Nightingale VS Serena Deeb!

Speaking of WrestleDynasty, the best women from around the wrestling world are fighting to be part of that inaugural card and this inaugural Women’s Cup! But with Jamie Hayter waiting in the wings, will it be the Babe with the Power or the Professor of Professional Wrestling that joins her for Winter is Coming?

The bell rings and the fans rally behind Willow. Deeb and Willow circle, tie up, and Deeb wrenches an arm to wristlock. Willow spins, slips around and waistlocks. Deeb fights the lift but Willow still SLAMS her down! Deeb floats out to facelock but Willow slips out to facelock back. The fans rally for Willow more as she wrenches, but Deeb rolls, rolls back, then spins to wrench and wrench. Deeb wrangles Willow with a wristlock but Willow headscissors. Deeb kips free, the two go again, and Deeb headlocks. Willow powers up and out, Deeb RAMS her, but Willow rebounds to CLOBBER Deeb! The fans fire up and Willow shimmies, shakes, and flexes!

Willow runs, Deeb stays low, but Willow avoids the armd-rag to Oklahoma Roll! TWO, and Deeb jackknife bridges! ONE, and Willow rolls to bring Deeb up! Deeb fights free to kick low and tuck the arms. But Willow backdrops free! Deeb sunset flips, but Willow stays up! HIP- NO, Deeb avoids the hip drop and rolls Willow into a ghost pin! TWO, and Willow brings Deeb up to FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect but Willow still smiles. The fans fire up and Willow has Deeb in the corner. Willow fires LARIAT after LARIAT, and goes all the way to nine! Then Willow runs up, but has to block a boot!

Deeb breaks free and KICKS Willow! Deeb goes out, baits Willow in, and catches her for a HOTSHOT NECKBREAKER! Willow staggers away while Deeb soaks up the heat. Deeb then RAMS into Willow, slides under and BOOTS Willow out of the ring! Willow tumbles to the floor, Deeb soaks up more heat, and Collision goes picture in picture.

Willow clutches her back while Deeb taunts the fans here in Columbus, Ohio. Willow rolls in but Deeb is right on her. Deeb UPPERCUTS Willow, bumps her off buckles, but Willow blocks the whip! Deeb kicks and stomps away, then UPPERCUTS Willow again. Deeb whips corner to corner successfully, then runs up to LARIAT! Willow flops down, Deeb pushes her to a cover, TWO! Deeb keeps on Willow with an elbow drop on the leg! Deeb then rolls Willow over and has the SEATED SURFBOARD! Willow endures as Deeb rocks the boat! Deeb then lets go of legs to reel Willow into a CAMEL CLUTCH! Willow endures, even as Deeb fishhooks her!

The ref reprimands but this is clearly a shot at The DMD. Willow SLAPS at Deeb, but Deeb smothers her! The ref reprimands so Deeb lets go, steps through, and traps one arm while pulling the other! Willow endures this modified Ground Cobra Twist while Collision goes to break!

Collision returns and Willow fights out of an Iron Octopus! SIDEWALK SLAM! The fans fire up while both women are down! Willow rolls away to the far side, both women rise, and then Willow runs up! Deeb swings, Willow dodges, and Willow LARIATS! And LARIATS! The fans fire up with Willow and she runs in, BODY BLOCK and LARIAT in a corner! Then a snapmare and BOOT! The fans fire up and Willow whips Deeb for a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Deeb survives but Willow has the fans behind her! Willow hauls Deeb up, gut wrenches, but Deeb fights it! Willow CLUBS Deeb, but Deeb slips under!

Deeb CHOPS, then CHOPS again! The fans “WOO~!” and Deeb LARIATS! Willow stays up so Deeb runs, LARIAT! Willow is still up, Deeb gets frustrated, and runs again. Deeb ducks ‘n’ dodges to LEAPING LARIAT! The fans boo but Deeb full nelsons! Willow breaks free, Deeb shoves her! SNAP GERMAN! But Willow is on her feet! Deeb hurries to hammerlock and PEPSI TWIST! Cover, TWO! Willow survives and the fans rally up while Deeb snarls. Deeb stands and she brings Willow in! Deeb tucks the arms, but Willow powers up and lifts Deeb! Willow pops Deeb around, OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE! Cover, TWO!

Deeb survives but Willow just huffs ‘n’ puffs and storms around! Deeb goes to the corner, Willow runs in, but Deeb dodges! CANNONBALL hits buckles! Willow clutches her back but Deeb is right on the legs! DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Willow falls, Deeb reels her back in! Deeb tucks the arms, lifts, DEEB-TOX!! Cover, TWO!! Willow survives and Deeb is beside herself! The fans fire up again as Willow rises up! Deeb drags Willow up, reels her in, but Willow wrenches out. Deeb dodges, dodges again, but Willow hits the POUNCE! PERIOD! The straps come down and the fans fire up! Willow gut wrenches, BABE WITH THE POWER BOMB!! Cover, Willow wins!

Winner: Willow Nightingale, by pinfall (advances to Collision: Winter is Coming)

And now the AEW Finals are set! Jamie Hayter or Willow Nightingale, who survives next week’s Collision to head for the Tokyo Dome?

Backstage interview with Thunder Rosa.

Renee is now with La Mera Mera and brings up how Rosa’s keeping a close eye on Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa. Yes, let’s do the math: the last time Rosa was in the ring with Mariah May, Rosa won; last time Rosa was in the ring with Mina Shirakawa, Rosa won. So therefore, she is 2-0 against them, so Rosa is pretty sure she deserves the next shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship, regardless of who wins. And yes, Mina is an excellent wrestler, it would be an honor for Rosa to face her again. As for Mariah, well, Rosa brings out a looong list, and though it’s all Espanol, it’s all bad. The point is, it will be so much fun to beat Mariah until she cries!

Winter is Coming and the title match can go either way, but one thing that won’t change is that Rosa is La Mera Mera! Women’s Wrestling in AEW is alive and well! And as long as the fans believe in Rosa, she’ll scratch, claw, and fight until she gets the title back! So tell this to everyone: Good luck, you’re gonna need it. Rosa heads out, all fired up, but who will she look to burn after Mariah and Mina have it out?

The Death Riders are here!

Jon Moxley, Marina Shafir, Pac & Wheeler Yuta make their way through the GalaxyCon crowd to go right to the ring. Moxley grabs a mic and paces around. “People wanna talk? Then let’s talk, Ohio. Let’s talk about people who don’t wanna be AEW World Champion. And there’s a lot of them. There’s not a single soul in this building that wants to be AEW World Champion. They think they do, they say they do, but they don’t.” The fans chant for “Freshly Squeezed!” but Moxley says no, “they are not ready to make the sacrifices necessary. They are not ready to shoulder the weight. They are not willing to put themselves in harm’s way.

“Yeah, they wanna hold the belt and shine it up real nice, hold it up over their head and take pictures with it. They wanna strap it around their waists, but quite frankly, none of them deserve tot even lay eyes on the AEW World Championship, and it is MY responsibility to make sure that they don’t!” Is that why it’s been in the briefcase this whole time? Moxley says he’s talking about guys like Switchblade Jay White. Jay White is one hell of a competitor, one hell of a wrestler, and Moxley has a lot of respect for him. But Jay White is a child! Jay White doesn’t know the first thing about what it takes to be world champion!

The fans boo, but Moxley says Hangman Adam Page is self-destructive, miserable and insecure. He’ll probably take himself out of the game before he even sniffs another world championship! The fans cheer for #CowboyS*it, but Moxley says none of these guys really want it. And then there’s Orange Cassidy. “We found out at Full Gear exactly who Orange Cassidy was. He was not the guy. His peers hoped that he was, but he was not ‘The One.’ He was not the one foretold of in the prophecy. He did NOT have what it takes to get the job done! My only regret is that I let Orange Cassidy leave New Jersey with his skull intact!”

The fans boo and call BS, but Moxley tells Cassidy one last time, and he’ll tell the world one time so they better listen! “In a business full of pretend, full of talk, full of a bunch of talk and no action, I MEAN WHAT I SAY, and I don’t bluff.” If Cassidy pisses Moxley off one more time, Moxley takes him off the board for good. Well here comes Cassidy! Cassidy walks to the ring and Moxley already has a headache. Cassidy rolls into the ring, right past Pac, and then looks at the briefcase in Marina’s hands. Cassidy then looks Moxley up and down, then he brings out a mic from inside the jacket.

The fans cheer Cassidy on, and he says, “I can live without ever being the AEW World Champion. But see, what I can’t live with is you as the AEW World Champion. So I’m going to do whatever it takes, I’m never going to stop, until you are not the AEW World Champion.” The fans cheer that! Cassidy says the only way he stops is if Moxley kills him. Cassidy then throws his mic down at Moxley, then throws his sunglasses! And then his jacket! And his shirt! Cassidy eggs The Death Riders on, but it’s Marina who SMACKS him down with the briefcase! And then the gang all stomps away on him!

The fans boo, but Moxley rains down fists! Moxley CLAWS Cassidy’s eyes, then has Pac drag Cassidy up. Pac TOSSES Cassidy out, then Yuta goes out to tell him this is what he gets! Yuta and Pac drag Cassidy from ramp to the side of the stage! And then to the back? Moxley & Marina follow, where are The Death Riders taking Cassidy?

FTR speaks!

The #TopGuys are backstage as Cash Wheeler says, “So it’s funny, because for the better part of ten years, we’ve done everything we could to go down in history as the best. We have fought to be the most decorated, fought to go down in history as THE best tag team to ever do this. And then, a few months ago, Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina, and it’s not about wrestling anymore, it’s not about tag team gold anymore. Now, we fight for the fallen.” Dax Harwood says on Wednesday, January 1st, it is a monumental day for AEW. The first time ever, on TBS and streaming for HBO Max, it will be AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen!

But even more than that, it is a big day for FTR as they spearhead the event coming to Ashville, North Carolina, to save people, save lives, raise money and raise awareness. And perhaps most importantly, FTR is building a… Oh, what’s going on? OH, the Death Riders are dragging Cassidy through here! Marina fights off security and staff, and Moxley has another bottle of cleaning solution! He says he’s gonna make this one count! Pac & Yuta hold Cassidy’s arms back while Marina holds Cassidy’s mouth open! Yuta has a funnel! Moxley says this time, Cassidy will get the message! But FTR saves Cassidy!

Cash & Dax dare the Death Riders to do something with them around, wielding steel pipes! Moxley has his team stand down, and he says they’ll learn the lesson, too. The Death Riders retreat, but will they find a way to take the Top Guys out?

AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Kazuchika Okada VS Kyle Fletcher!

The Rainmaker has 4 points with his one win and one time limit draw, but the Aussie Arrow is at a full six points from his 2-0 streak! Will the Protostar beat THE Continental Champion to have a definitive lead in Blue League? Or is this where Okada starts making his comeback?

The bell rings and the fans rally for “O-KA-DA! O-KA-DA!” Kyle and Okada circle, tie up, and are in a deadlock. Okada shifts to a waistlock but Kyle pries the hold open to wrench and wristlock. Okada rolls, trips Kyle, and has a toehold. Kyle claws at Okada’s face, then uses a leg to hook him into an ARMBAR! Okada clasps hands, rolls to stack Kyle, TWO! The two reset and the fans cheer the opening exchange. Okada and Kyle circle, feel things out, and knuckle lock. Kyle then kicks, wrenches and ELBOW BREAKERS! Kyle spins Okada to snapmare and chinlock. The fans boo but Kyle grinds the hold and leans on Okada.

Okada fights up, pries at the hold, and the fans rally. Okada rolls to bring Kyle down into a headlock! Kyle endures, fights up, and pulls hair to put Okada on the ropes! The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Kyle lets go at 4. But then he snatches the headlock! Okada powers up and fires body shots. Kyle holds tight as Okada goes to power out! Kyle thrashes Okada around but the fans boo more. Okada powers up again and puts Kyle on ropes. The ref counts, Kyle lets go and Okada slowly backs away. The fans cheer and the two men reset. Okada and Kyle knuckle lock again and have a proper Test of Strength!

The fans rally as Kyle puts Okada on ropes, and Kyle lets off slowly. Kyle fakes the chop to pat Okada on the shoulders. Okada brushes off Kyle copying him and the two tie up collar ‘n’ elbow. Okada puts Kyle on ropes, and then he slowly lets off. Okada fakes the chop, pats Kyle on the shoulders, then actually fires a forearm! The fans fire up but the ref reprimands as Okada fires more shots! Okada whips but Kyle reverses to scoop and SLAM! Okada grimaces while Kyle flexes, and the fans boo the Protostar. Kyle stomps Okada around, then has Okada on ropes. Kyle whips Okada, but Okada reverses and BOOTS!

The fans fire up while Kyle flounders to a corner. Okada storms up, throws a heavy elbow, then snapmares Kyle at the ropes. Okada runs side to side to BASEMENT DROPKICK! Kyle tumbles out and Okada pursues. Okada reels Kyle in, DDT to the floor! The fans rally up and Okada puts Kyle in the ring. Okada takes a moment since he has plenty of time, but then Kyle bails out the side! The fans boo but Okada pursues again. Okada drags Kyle up to UPPERCUT! Okada follows Kyle to the railing, then UPPERCUTS again! Okada puts Kyle in while the fans cheer him on. But Kyle snatches Okada in the ropes! DRAPING DDT!

Kyle strikes like a Viper but the fans boo even more! Kyle snarls paces around, and he soaks up the heat while Collision goes picture in picture.

Kyle takes his time stalking Okada, then drags him up. Kyle winds up to ROCK Okada! And then CHOP! Okada staggers to a corner but Kyle is right on him. Kyle traps the arms, and CHOPS Okada again! Kyle soaks up the heat while Okada leans against ropes. Kyle storms up, winds up, but then he CLAWS Okada’s eyes! Kyle stops as the ref counts so he can taunt the fans. Kyle mockingly pats Okada on the head, then runs up to KICK him down! Okada writhes and Kyle grimaces. Kyle covers his ears so he can ignore the fans taunting him. But then Okada gets up to fire off forearms! Kyle knees low, snapmares, and has a chinlock!

Okada endures as Kyle grinds him down. Okada fights up even as Kyle leans on him, and Okada fires body shots! Kyle KNEES low again! Okada drops to his knees, but Kyle KICKS him down! Kyle kneels for a cocky cover, TWO! Kyle clamps right back on with a chinlock! Collision returns to single picture as the fans rally up again. Okada fights up, fires body shots, then ROCKS Kyle with a forearm! Okada runs, but into a CALF KICK! Okada flops over and Kyle soaks up more heat from the fans. Kyle says it is done now, but fans chant, “You Still Suck!” Kyle stands Okada up, and Okada ROCKS Kyle! And ROCKS him again

Kyle fires a forearm in return, and then fires another! The fans boo but Okada shakes his head. The fans fire up as Okada fires forearm after forearm, then an UPPERCUT! Kyle kicks low! Kyle whips, Okada ducks ‘n’ dodges, then speed sup to ELBOW Kyle down! The fans fire up while Kyle flounders to a corner! Okada rises and he has a clenched jaw! Okada runs to ELBOW Kyle! Kick and DDT! Kyle sputters, Okada covers, TWO! Okada stays calm and he brings Kyle back up. Kyle breaks free, Okada catches his arm, MONEY CLIP! Kyle flails, reaches out, but he’s already really red! The fans rally up and chant “TAP! TAP! TAP!”

Kyle fights, reaches out, but Okada pulls him back! Kyle CLAWS Okada’s eyes! Kyle arm-drags free, but Okada comes back! Only for Kyle to catch him, SNAP HALF ‘N’ HALF! Okada flounders and Kyle snarls. Kyle fires himself up and he storms over to Okada. Okada slowly rises, Kyle takes aim and runs, but Okada FLAPJACKS! The fans fire up while both men are down! Okada rolls away to a corner, and he grits his teeth as he rises back up. Kyle is in the other corner, but he comes running in! Okada pops Kyle up, Alabama Lift and REVERSE NECKBREAKER! The fans fire up and Okada brings Kyle to his feet!

Okada scoops and SLAMS Kyle, then goes up the corner! MACHO ELBOW! The fans fire up more, and Okada brings out the Rainmaker MIDDLE FINGER! Okada brings Kyle up, ripcords, but Kyle ducks the lariat! So Okada DROPKICKS! But Kyle flounders out of the ring! The fans boo but Okada is just as frustrated. A ring count starts but Okada goes out after Kyle. Okada drags Kyle up and then gut wrenches! The fans fire up but Kyle fights free! Kyle half nelsons, HALF ‘N’ HALF to the floor!! Kyle rolls in at 6 of 10 but Okada is still dazed! Okada is at 8 of 10, but he springs to life to get in at 9.5! But Kyle’s right on him! LAST RIDE!! Cover, TWO!!!

The fans are thunderous and Kyle is furious that Okada survives! Kyle scowls as Okada goes to a corner. Kyle runs corner to corner, but Okada BOOTS first! Kyle flounders but comes back, into a KNEE! Kyle sputters, but he grabs at Okada. Kyle whips, runs up, and he forearm SMASHES Okada! Kyle takes another swing, but Okada blocks to spin and DISCUS LARIAT! Okada roars, and he brings Kyle back up! Ripcord and RAIN- NO, Kyle dodges to HAYMAKER! Okada BOOTS! Kyle SUPERKCIKS! Okada rebounds to SHOTGUN! Kyle is right up, swings, but Okada shoves him at the ref! Kyle avoids a collision, but Okada gets him again!

Okada ripcords, Kyle grabs at the ref! The ref cowers in the corner, Kyle blocks a kick to LOW BLOW Okada!! Maybe Okada was going for that, too, but it costs him! Kyle suplexes and BRAINBUSTERS!! Cover, KYLE WINS!!

Winner: Kyle Fletcher, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Okada earns 0)

The Aussie Arrow uses another cheap tactic to win, but in the end, he still dominates Blue League with NINE POINTS! Will no one be able to stop the Protostar from heading for Worlds End?

The Beast Mortos VS Aaron Solo!

With Claudio Castagnoli not here, there is no Continental Classic action for the menacing minotaur, who desperate needs points to stay in the running. Will he simply stay hot by taking out The Most Talented?

The bell rings, Mortos rushes in but Solo dodges. Solo runs up to GAMANGIRI, then he fires off furious forearms! The ref counts, Mortos SHOVES Solo and CLOBBERS him! The fans fire up and Mortos SLAPS Solo! Mortos whips, then tilt-o-whirls Solo into a torture rack! Solo fights free to DREAMCAST KICK! Mortos stays on his feet, so Solo runs, but back into the tilt-o-whirl! BACKBREAKER DROP! And then a gut wrench into a POWER BREAKER!! Solo writhes and the fans fire up with Mortos! Mortos aims from a corner while Solo rises, DISCUS LARIAT!! Cover, Mortos wins!

Winner: The Beast Mortos, by pinfall

This may not have been the C2, but Mortos didn’t need back-up to solo Solo! Now Mortos must prepare for Winter is Coming! He takes on Kazuchika Okada next week on Collision!

Backstage interview with Top Flight Airlines.

Renee is now with Lio Rush, Action Andretti, Leila Grey & The Martin Brothers. She needs to talk the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal from last Wednesday. There came a point where they were not all on the same page, what happened? Leila would like to know that herself! What was that move about? Leila is of course referring to Lio & Action being united in turning on Darius & Dante before the end. Leila says that was crazy out there! This is supposed to be a team, but perhaps Lio & Action don’t understand that. Leila gets annoyed when Lio & Action don’t say anything, so she calls out Action directly.

Action says yeah, okay, he and Lio took Darius & Dante outta the match. But it was a battle royal! If you aren’t aware, but that’s how it works! Every man for themselves! Darius says yeah, they are aware. But he and Dante were just confused why Lio went along for the ride. It’s interesting how they wore matching gear. Last time Darius checked, all four of them were a team! When did it suddenly become some combination of Action & Lio? Lio says it became a combination of them because Darius & Dante kept losing everything for them! So the way Lio sees it, he and Action are going to be chasing the tag titles, not Darius & Dante.

Dante says if that’s all this was about, they could’ve just said so. They didn’t need to go stepping on toes just to get there, stupid! Well, maybe it needed to happen. For what? Lio’s ego? Action asks who these “Minnesota Morons” are calling stupid! MORONS?! Leila shouts, “ENOUGH!” If they’re gonna fight, fine, just not back here. Action says it sounds like they’ll settle this in the ring. Lio & Action go one way, Darius & Dante the other, with Leila stuck in the middle. Which half of Top Flight will find themselves as the top team?

Mina Shirakawa VS Emi Sakura!

We know Thunder Rosa will be watching this Wednesday, because Winter is Coming. But will the Fighting Gravure Idol be bringing the heat to Dynamite? Or will a match with the Queen of Joshi turn into a trap game?

Actually, Mina spots Rosa watching from the audience here and now. Mina stares Rosa down but Rosa says to focus on Emi. And Emi proves her right because she attacks Mina from behind! Emi uses her robe to LASH Mina and the bell rings! Emi drags Mina up to laugh and TOSS her! Mina flounders, Emi drags Mina up by her hair and CHOPS! Emi laughs again, then CHOPS! And CHOPS! CHOPS! Emi whips Mina, but Mina comes back with a LARIAT! The fans fire up and Emi sits up in shock! Mina KICKS Emi in the back! Mina then KICKS Emi again, and again! Emi goes to ropes but Mina KICKS again!

Mina whips, Emi reverses to CLAW the arms! Emi then CHOPS, and CHOPS! Mina drops to a knee but Emi wrenches and CHOPS agian! Mina falls but Emi stands her up to CHOP again! Emi drags Mina up to CHOP again! But Mina ducks the next shot to spin and SOBAT! Mina runs, but Emi DOUBLE CHOPS her down! Cover, ONE as Mina goes Matrix! Mina does her shimmy and the fans cheer. Emi is annoyed and she storms up on Mina. Mina dodges, and she KICKS Emi down! The fans fire up but Emi sits back up. Mina brings Emi to her feet, but Emi SLAPS Mina down! Emi drags Mina up, to CHOP again!

The fans rally and Emi stands Mina up. Mina KICKS! And KICKS! But Emi blocks the next one, to BITE the foot! The ref reprimands, Emi lets Mina go, and then Emi wrenches, to BITE the hand! The ref reprimands, Emi stops, and the fans boo Emi while Collision goes picture in picture.

Emi drags Mina back up, CHOPS her again, then CHOPS her again! And again! Emi brings Mina around to bump her off buckles. Emi then CHOPS, CHOPS, and MACHINE GUN CHOPS! Emi winds up to CHOP one more time! Mina drops to her knees, but Emi storms up on him. Emi tucks the arms, lifts, and BUTTERFLY SUPLEXES! cover, TWO! Mina stays in this but Emi tucks Mina into the Paradise Lock! Emi sits on Mina to “sip tea,” then steps off to set Mina free. Emi taunts Mina, and Mina stands to fire forearms! There isn’t much behind those and Emi laughs. Emi taunts Mina, but Mina rises to KICK! That has something to it!

Emi KICKS Mina back, then BOOTS her in the face! And BOOTS, and BOOTS! Mina stands but Emi puts her in the corner. Emi puts Mina in ropes to bend her backwards! Mina endures, the ref reprimands, but Collision goes to break.

Collision returns and Emi has Mina down with a chinlock! Mina fights up as the fans rally. Mina RAMS Emi into buckles, then gets free. Mina goes corner to corner, but Emi DROPKICKS her first! Mina ends up back in a corner, but she dodges Emi! Mina steps in, goes up, and FLYING CHUCKS! Mina gets moving, another FLYING CHUCK! The fans fire up with Mina and she crawls to a cover, TWO! Emi pulls hair even! Mina is upset but she drags Emi up in a dragon sleeper! Emi fights the lift, and Mina just drops Emi down. Mina KICKS Emi, but Emi CHOPS and CHOPS! Emi dragon sleepers for a TWISTING NECKBREAKER!

The fans rally up while Emi huffs ‘n’ puffs. Emi says she is Our Highness, and she drags Mina up again. Emi underhooks and TIGER STALLING BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Mina survives and Emi is frustrated. The fans rally, Rosa watches intently, and Emi drags Mina up. Mina fires a flurry of palm strikes and a SLAP! Emi CHOPS, then LARIATS! Emi runs, but Mina is up! ROLLING ELBOW! Mina fires up and climbs a corner! Mina leaps to FLYING SLINGBLADE! Cover, TWO!! Emi survives but Mina drags her up! Mina CLUBS away on Emi, then whips, but Emi uses the ref as a shield!

Mina puts on the brakes, Emi pushes the ref down but Mina avoids the cheap shot! Mina URAKENS Emi down! Then Mina uses the ref as a pommel horse to SPLASH onto Emi! The fans fire up and Mina goes up a corner! FLYING SLINGBLADE again! Mina covers this time, and Mina wins!

Winner: Mina Shirakawa, by pinfall

Mina locks eyes with Rosa and Rosa does commend this match. Mina even toasts herself with some champagne! But will Mina be toasting the defeat of The Glamour this Wednesday? Or will La Mera Mera be going after Mariah May?

AEW shares footage from after Rampage.

Renee had a backstage interview with both Mark Briscoe and Daniel Garcia, they just competed in the C2 that night but would have to turn around to face each other on Collision. The TNT Champion has 4 points, the Sussex County Chicken still has none. Mark’s been in this position before, how will he close the gap this time around? Mark says this time of year, many people go through a tough time. But Mark personally, two years in a row now, he starts with zero wins two rounds in on the Continental Classic. Sometimes, he sits around, gets down on himself, and thinks, “Man, I sure do suck at Continental Classics.”

But no, that ain’t the case! He just ain’t applying himself! What Mark has to do is simply apply himself, and that is what he plans to do! Danny G is Mark’s boy, no hard feelings, but Mark has to do it to him! Mark NEEDS this W. Garcia says yeah, no hard feelings. That’s what he respects about Mark. Mark stays positive, even in the hard times. When he gets knocked down, he gets back up. Unfortunately, the same goes for Garcia. Garcia has 4 points, and another win makes 7, and he could potentially lead Blue League. (We know now that no, he’ll just be a clear second place) Garcia says he’ll just have to knock Mark down.

Garcia says he’s gonna give Mark everything he’s got, so Mark better do the same. Mark says you already know. There is respect here in this match, but who will respectfully kick the other man’s ass to get those crucial 3 points?

AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Daniel Garcia VS Mark Briscoe!

The bell rings and the fans cheer as these two shake hands. Then they circle and tie up. Mark headlocks, but Garcia pries at the hold and wrenches out. Garcia headlocks but Mark powers out. Garcia sunset flips, Mark rolls through and has the headlock back. Garcia headscissors, Mark kips free, and the two have a standoff. The fans cheer and Garcia copies the crane stance. Mark and Garcia reset, tie up, and clinch, Garcia drop toeholds and then Oklahoma Rolls, TWO! Mark runs up but into a trip and ghost pin! TWO! Mark stands up, is maybe a little frustrated, but the fans cheer as the two shake hands again.

Garcia and Mark reset, fans cheer on “Both These Guys!” The two tie up, Mark puts Garcia in a corner, but the ref counts. Mark lets off slowly, but then Garcia puts him in the corner! The ref counts again, Garcia lets off with a scuff from his forearm. Mark gets a bit riled up and the two reset. Garcia gives a playful pat on the butt, but Mark CHOPS him! Mark stares Garcia down, then stomps him! Mark brings Garcia up to CHOP! The fans fire up and Mark kicks low. Mark UPPERCUTS, then he brings Garcia around. Mark whips, Garcia reverses but Mark holds ropes. Mark ELBOWS Garcia and TOSSES him out!

The fans fire up as Mark builds speed, and Mark WRECKS Garcia with a dropkick! Mark gets back in, builds more speed, and he DIVES! Direct hit at the ramp and GalaxyCon is all fired up! Mark high-fives the fans, then he gives a nod to the Continental Championship. Mark drags Garcia up, UPPERCUTS again, then he hits an APRON BACK SUPLEX! Garcia writhes but Mark drags him down. The fans fire up and Mark climbs. BANG BANG, FOLEY- NO, Garcia gets in the ring! SLEEPER at the ropes! The ref counts, Garcia lets go and runs, to then BLAST Mark off the apron! Mark tumbles hard and the fans fire up again!

Garcia goes out after Mark, puts him against the apron, and he CHOPS! Then BOOTS! Garcia whips Mark hard into railing! The fans fire up and Garcia CLUBS away on Mark! Garcia refreshes the count, then storms after Mark. Mark CHOPS in return! Mark ROCKS Garcia, CHOPS him again, then whips him into railing! Mark BOOTS Garcia and Garcia takes a seat! Mark refreshes the count again and he runs up to BOOT Garcia! The fans fire up with Mark as he storms back up, but Garcia ROCKS Mark! Garcia makes Mark take a seat and he rains down fists! The fans count to nine, Garcia puts up his dukes, then he ROCKS Mark with the tenth!

The fans cheer as Garcia high-fives the front row. The dukes come up again, and he DANCES! Garcia then runs up to SHOTGUN Mark back down! The fans fire up again and Garcia revels in it while Collision goes picture in picture.

Garcia keeps the fans fired up, then he fetches Mark from around the corner. Garcia whips Mark hard into railing! Mark falls over but Garcia drags him back up. Garcia puts Mark in the ring, then stomps him down in a corner! The ref counts, but Garcia stands on Mark! Garcia steps off, runs side to side, and BOOT WASHES! Garcia scrubs Mark a couple extra times, then steps off. Mark stands up but Garcia fires body shots! Garcia whips but Mark sunset flips! Garcia rolls through, steps through, but Mark scrambles around! Mark fires shots from below, but Garcia drops back to have a FIGURE FOUR! Mark endures, Garcia kicks at him, and the two stand up.

Garcia and Mark storm up, and Mark CHOPS! Garcia sputters, but Mark CHOPS him again! Mark has Garcia and reels him in for a suplex! Cover, TWO! Garcia stays in this but Mark stays on him with a facelock. Garcia JAWBREAKERS free! Mark staggers to a corner, Garcia runs corner to corner, and Collision returns to single picture as Garcia LRAITS! Garcia whips corner to corner and LARIATS again! And then another whip, but Mark goes up to FLYING AX HANDLE! The fans fire up and Mark stands Garcia up. Mark gives Garcia a Mongolian Chop! Garcia goes to a corner, Mark Mongolian Chops again! Mark Mongolian Chops again!

Garcia goes to another corner, but Mark hoists him up top. Mark CHOPS Garcia, then fires up! The fans fire up and Mark climbs. Mark brings Garcia up but Garcia fights the suplex! Garcia fires body shots, some real fast hands, and then he RAMS Mark! M ark hops back, then returns to UPPERCUT! Garcia holds onto ropes to stay up, but Mark goes up after him! The fans fire up as Mark aims for the outside! Garcia fights with more body shots, but Mark ROCKS Garcia! Garcia ROCKS Mark, Mark ROCKS Garcia, repeat! The fans rally and both men DECK each other! They hit apron then floor and the fans fire up again!

Mark pounds the floor as he rises up, and a standing count begins as both men stir. Mark and Garcia drag themselves up with the apron skirt, and they both slide in at 5 of 10! The fans fire up as these two storm up and start throwing hands! Mark eggs Garcia on so Garcia ROCKS Mark! Mark comes back to ROCK Garcia! Garcia rebounds to ROCK Mark! Mark fires up and he ROCKS Garcia! The fans rally as these two get heated, but they still shake hands! They fire forearm after forearm and GalaxyCon is thunderous! Mark gets the edge, Garcia dodges the last one, and he CHOPS! Garcia fires a flurry in the corner!

Garcia backs off, runs up, but Mark dodges! Mark CHOPS, then ROCKS, then CHOPS again! Mark UPPERCUTS Garcia, then runs, but Garcia LARIATS! Mark flips inside-out and the fans fire up! “This is Awesome!” as Mark goes to a corner. Garcia runs up to LARIAT! Garcia whips corner to corner but Mark goes up and out! Mark ROCKS Garcia, then he YANKS Garcia to the floor! BANG BANG, FOLEY ELBOW!! The fans fire up and Mark drags Garcia into the ring. The fans fire up as Mark runs, LARIAT! Garcia is flipped inside-out now, and Mark crawls to a cover, TWO! Mark stays fired up and he runs up to LARIAT!

Mark reels Garcia in, EXPLODER! Garcia flounders away to a corner and Mark runs up, LARIAT! FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Mark doesn’t hesitate, h e fireman’s carries! But Garcia fights free! Garcia CLUBS Mark, reels him in, but Mark fights off the saido! Garcia shoves Mark away, but Mark fireman’s carries! ROLLING DEATH VALLEY, SLIDING LARIAT! Mark fires up and the fans are with him! Mark climbs but Garcia SMACKS Mark first! Garcia climbs up, but Mark fights off the superplex! Garcia goes to the very top, and he brings Mark up for a SUPER DUPER PLEX! AND ROLLS THROUGH! PILEDRIVER!!! Cover, TWO?!?!

The fans are thunderous as Mark survives! Garcia grits his teeth, he bumps Mark off buckles, and he CHOPS! Garcia puts Mark back up, climbs after him gain, and he reels Mark in! Mark fights the lift, and he UPPERCUTS! Garcia falls back, and Mark rises! FROGGY-BOW!! Cover, TWO!!! Garcia survives and the fans fire up again! Mark drags Garcia up and calls his shot! Underhooks and- NO, Garcia trips Mark, jackknife bridges, TWO!! Mark is free but Garcia runs up. Mark SLAPS Garcia! Garcia roars, ducks a shot, and then CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! The fans fire up as Garcia CHOPS again, then SAIDOS!!

Mark rises?!? The fans are thunderous and Garcia’s seen a ghost! But then he BOOTS Mark to a corner! Mark fights the saido by holding ropes, then he fires in RIDGE HANDS! Mark waistlocks, but Garcia fires elbows! So Mark has a COBRA CLUTCH, then torture rack! CUTTHROAT DRIVER!!! Cover, MARK WINS!!!

Winner: Mark Briscoe, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Garcia earns 0)

What a wild one! Mark said he needed the points, and he got those points! Mark and Garcia still show each other respect, and now we all move on to Winter is Coming! Garcia is still even with Okada at 4 points, so second place is still up for grabs! Who manages to move up and capture that semifinals spot for Worlds End?

My Thoughts:

A great Collision and great go-home to Winter is Coming. Very good promo from Rosa, and a very good hype package for Mariah VS Mina that I skipped, and a pretty good match from Mina VS Emi. It was a little clunky at first, and maybe that finish was also a little strange, but Mina was of course winning. Rosa wanting in on the world title scene, I would think Mariah retains so we get Mariah VS Rosa at Worlds End. Good promo from Top Flight, Dante & Darius VS Lio & Action will be really good stuff, and I think Lio & Action win to set themselves up as potential challengers to Private Party. They might even leave Top Flight to join Hurt Syndicate together, but maybe not.

Awesome match from Willow and Deeb, and Deeb wearing a shirt that says “Nobody Cares” and the arrow pointing up at herself, kinda taking Britt’s insult and owning it. Perhaps they still circle back to that feud just to help both women bide time.  Willow winning was the right move, and I would think Willow wins next week because Hayter and Julia Hart have their feud that’s building. Mortos destroying Aaron Solo just because was pretty great, but he’s of course losing to Okada at Winter is Coming.

Speaking of Okada, I am rather surprised he lost, but I suppose Kyle cheating him like he did Shelton Benjamin is fine. Well, “fine” in that it keeps Okada strong, but Kyle should really be building himself up a bit more. We got an awesome match Darby VS Komander, too, and I figured Darby was getting the win, but it’s still annoying that the rounds are all lopsided, not everyone having competed in the same amount of matches as the others. As such, it doesn’t sound like Darby’s competing again until December 18th, but Ospreay’s gonna be at Winter is Coming AND Holiday Bash.

But that aside, Garcia VS Briscoe was an awesome main event, and Briscoe winning was a big surprise. Maybe they’re making Blue League more about a race for second place, since we’ll be getting big semifinal matches at the start of Worlds End, and the tournament finals are later. I would think Okada gets the second spot in Blue League so he can at least “defend” his Continental Championship at the PPV. And with this win over Garcia, Mark and Garcia could have a rematch for the TNT Championship at Worlds End, too.

My Score: 8.8/10