Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (12/19/23)
Dragon Lee VS…?
Who from Gulak’s crew steps to the plate?
Drew Gulak and his No Quarter Catch Crew stepped to the NXT North American Championship Open Challenge, but who will actually face Dragon Lee?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Fallon Henley VS Tiffany Stratton; Fallon wins.
- Men’s Breakout Tournament, Opening Round: Lexis King VS Dion Lennox; King wins and advances.
- Thea Hail & Jacy Jayne VS Kiana James & Izzi Dame; Kiana & Izzi win.
- NXT North American Championship Open Challenge: Dragon Lee VS ??? w/ The No Quarter Catch Crew; changed to…
- NXT North American Championship Open Challenge Triple Threat: Dragon Lee VS Charlie Dempsey w/ The No Quarter Catch Crew VS Joe Coffey w/ Gallus; Dragon wins and retains the title.
- Men’s Breakout Tournament, Opening Round: Tavion Heights VS Luca Crusifino; Heights wins and advances.
- Nikkita Lyons VS Tatum Paxley; Lyons wins.
- Hank ‘n’ Tank VS Gallus; Gallus wins.
- Ilja Dragunov VS Ridge Holland; No Contest.
PLAY BY PLAY
Fallon Henley VS Tiffany Stratton!
NXT Deadline was a wild night, but it wasn’t won by the Cowgirl nor the Wrestling Barbie. But it didn’t end the animosity between these two, either! Will Fallon go #YEEHAWB*TCH all over the Center of the NXT Universe? Or will NXT still run on Tiffy Time?
The bell ring, the shoving starts and fans fire up. Fallon waistlocks, Tiff elbows free and snapmares to run, but Fallon avoids the stomps to sunset flip! TWO, Tiff runs in but Fallon waistlocks. Fallon sits Tiff down but Tiff avoids the calf kick! Fans rally and duel as the two stare down. They storm up, knuckle lock, and Tiff kicks low! Tiff whips, Fallon reverses to ELBOW, snapmare, and CALF KICK! Fans fire up as Fallon runs, slides, but Tiff uses the apron skirt to catch Fallon! Fallon gets free fast and she ROCKS Tiff first! Fallon puts Tiff in, Tiff goes to a corner, and Fallon runs up to ELBOW! Tiff staggers, Fallon goes up, but Tiff SHOVES her down!
Tiff goes out after Fallon while fans boo. Tiff tells Fallon she’s a loser, SMACKS her off the apron, then puts her in the ring. Tiff drags Fallon up, bumps her off buckles again and again, then stalks her. Tiff talks trash, whips Fallon to a corner, and SPLASHES! Tiff whips corner to corner hard and Fallon bounces off buckles! The fans rally, Tiff CHOKES Fallon on ropes, but the ref counts. Tiff lets off to run side to side, HIP ATTACK! Fallon falls, Tiff covers, TWO! Tiff storms up on Fallon, pie faces her, and then stomps her. Tiff taunts Fallon but Fallon fires forearms! Tiff ROCKS Fallon back, but Fallon ROCKS Tiff!
Tiff whips Fallon to a corner, but Fallon dodges to then go up and rain down fists! Fans fire up as Fallon goes all the way to nine, but Tiff stops her! Only for Fallon to RANA free! And CHOP! Fans fire up, Fallon ducks ‘n’ dodges but into a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Fallon is still in this and Tiff is furious! Tiff drags Fallon up, fireman’s carry, but Fallon sunset flips! TWO, and Tiff high stacks! TWO and Fallon hast he sunset, FALLON WINS!!
Winner: Fallon Henley, by pinfall
Tiff gets caught, but she just DECKS Fallon! Tiff is a sore loser and she brings Fallon out to SMACK off the desk! And again, and again! Fans boo as Tiff dribbles Fallon! Tiff then THROWS Fallon into barriers! And drags Fallon by her hair! Tiff brings Fallon tot he back, throws her into a trash can and then throws things around! Tiff uses a mop to smother Fallon, calling her trash! Tiff DUMPS trash all over Fallon! Fans boo, the refs rush in, and Tiff says Fallon is in the trash where she belongs. But will Tiff come to regret making this personal?
Trick Melo Gang meets up backstage.
And Trick is all pumped up. Melo did his thing on SmackDown, and Melo is on to the US Championship contender semifinals. But Melo wants to talk about last week. He apologizes for what happened, that accidental title belt shot. But Dragunov, what he was doing, it- Trick says no need to apologize, they’re good. Accidents happen. But now Trick has a question for Melo. Trick was gonna ask last Tuesday, but he got hit in the head with the belt. Nah, just playing. But for real. Did Melo really see who attacked him? Does he really know it’s Dragunov? No, Melo got ambushed just like Trick. But Melo is just feeling it. The only one who could hit him that hard IS Ilja.
But Melo has something to ask Trick, too. It may be a long shot, but what if they made the NXT Championship match at New Year’s Evil into a Triple Threat? Trick asks why would they do that. Well, they don’t have to fight each other, but then it becomes Trick Melo Gang VS Dragunov, he isn’t making it through that, and they’ll both get revenge and take the title home with them. But Melo just said he doesn’t really know it was Dragunov because he didn’t see who it was. And plus, a Triple Threat? Trick won the Iron Survivor Challenge so that he could get the title shot. Yeah, no, Melo was just thinking, coming up with an idea. Doesn’t matter who wins, so long as they have it, right?
Trick says it does matter. When Melo won his titles, he won those 1v1. Now Trick gets his shot, and he wants it 1v1, just like Melo. Right, right. Melo just wants Dragunov to pay is all. That’s all good. Trick hopes Melo understands where he’s coming from. No, Melo does, he does. Trick’s gotta whoop dat trick. If they wanna do this, they gotta do this the right way. If Trick’s gonna beat Dragunov, he needs Melo to train him. Trick needs Melo by his side. Aight, Melo will help out. That’s what Trick’s talking about! Trick Melo Gang, baby! Trick heads out and Melo nods, will Trick be able to slay the Mad Dragon with help from HIM?
Ilja Dragunov is here!
The fans cheer as the NXT Champion heads to the ring and gets himself a mic. “I don’t know how I got caught up into this Trick & Melo saga. It almost feels like I’m the third wheel in some bad bromance movie. And this I did not have on my 2023 Bingo card. But what I did have was moving to America, chasing down and capturing the NXT Championship. This year, I showed the whole world who Ilja Dragunov truly is. A human who uses his body as a weapon. A human sacrifices himself . A human who puts every single gram of himself into this ring, just because this championship deserves it.” The fans cheer that.
And 2024 will start with an unpopular move as Dragunov defeats the fastest rising… Wait, Ridge Holland is here? Ridge interrupts but says he’s not here to cause problems or issues. For the past couple of weeks, he has bene struggling mentally. He needs to figure out who he is, where he’s going, and to rewrite his story. So here he is. Ridge Holland is back in NXT. Well welcome back. But what does he want? Ridge knows what it is to be seen a certain way. To be weighed down by stigma. Stigma? Yes, this situation with Trick & Melo. Fingers pointed at you from all directions. Ridge’s career to this point has been nothing but a series of unfortunate events.
One step forward, 10 steps back. Accident after injury, injury after accident. Ridge is here to prove himself! To redeem himself! Fans appreciate that. Ridge says Dragunov can help him not only prove himself, not only find redemption, but earn it. Ridge needs to prove he’s the kind of man who belongs in the main event. And that title right there, that makes Dragunov the measuring stick. So Ridge is honestly asking for a title match right now? Ridge has way too much respect for Dragunov and NXT just to walk in here and beg for anything, even a title shot.
But he needs to prove himself, so he’ll tell everyone back there that he’ll run through ever single one of them until he and Dragunov are having this moment again in the future. So listen to Ridge when he says, it will be inevitable, and it will be Ridge’s honor. This is the first chapter of the redemption story of Ridge Holland. Dragunov says he is tired of people getting in his face, threatening of him, questioning him, when he promised to bring unbridled passion as champion. So Ridge wants his chance at redemption? He wants to know where he stands? He won’t have to wait. He will find out where he stands, TONIGHT!
Fans cheer that! Ridge and Dragunov shake hands but also stare down. Will Yorkshire Grit make an impact in his full-time return to NXT?
Lexis King speaks.
“I’m already Breakout Star of the Year, and after I win this tournament, I’ll have the contract to prove it. So guys, excuse me while I take my first steps towards becoming a champion.” NXT’s Mad King took this moment away from Trey Bearhill, will he come to regret that move very quickly?
Trick finds Dragunov backstage.
And he asks what the hell. He thought it was the two of them at New Year’s Evil. Dragunov says Ridge will find out where he stands. He is the champion, Trick is the challenger, and so the champion dictates what the challenger does. Right, Dragunov is the champion. Until New Year’s Evil. Well, we’ll see. Dragunov looks to simply use Ridge as a tune-up, but will Trick be facing someone else in the New Year?
Men’s Breakout Tournament, Opening Round: Lexis King VS Dion Lennox!
The chairshot that changed the brackets pits the second generation superstar against a veritable Bruce Banner/Incredible Hulk. Will King be able to capitalize on his bold actions? Or will he get sacked out of the tournament by the former LA Ram?
The bell rings and the two circle. Fans boo King as he offers a handshake. Lennox slaps that aside so King kicks him low! And CHOPS! King headlocks, punches, then GRINDS Lennox’s face on the ropes! The ref reprimands, King lets off to clothesline and HCOP int he corner! King uses the ropes to get leverage for digging his boots in! The ref counts, King lets off, but Lennox fires off fists! King knees low, CLUBS Lennox then whips. Kitchen sink knee! And a KICK! King runs to BLINDSIDE LARIAT! Fans boo but King drags Lennox up just to push him around. Lennox snarls but King KICKS him! And KICKS him! Lennox fires up!
Fans fire up with Lennox, King pie face shim, but Lennox fires off the forearms! Lennox whips, King reverses but Lennox rolls him up! TWO, Lennox dodges to CLOBBER King! And LCOBBER him again! The fans fire up as Lennox DROPKICKS King! King staggers around, into a scoop and SLAM! The fans fire up with Lennox and he runs corner to corner, SPLASH! And then a clinch, for a NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO! King survives but Lennox snarls. King bails out, grabs the contract and tries to run away with it! Lennox runs up, brings King back, and SMACKS him off the apron! The fans fire up as Lennox SMACKS King again!
Lennox slides in after King, whips, but King reverses to POST Lennox! Fans boo but King grins as he reels Lennox in. Crossarm and SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Cover, King wins!
Winner: Lexis King, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
The Drama King has his #Coronation, but he is far from the Breakout star. He has Riley Osborne in the next round, but wait! Trey Bearhill is here, with a chair of his own! King runs away to celebrate, but Bearhill dares him to come back! King says Bearhill hasn’t earned anything yet. Then will Bearhill just have to wait to get his claws into King after the tournament?
Eddy Thorpe speaks.
“This year has been a trial by fire for me in NXT. And it put me directly in the fight of my life against Dijak. Each battle has been grueling on me, and heart-wrenching on my family. But to keep true to myself, I fight through the pain and I move forward without fear. Dijak, the universe has pulled us back together to settle this. You took me out of action, and I took the Iron Survivor away from you. And it appears that the ropes can’t even contain us any longer. So I want a match where that isn’t a factor. No ropes, no excuses. What do you say, Dijak? Next week, let’s finish this once and for all, in NXT Underground! Hoka hey!”
Thea Hail & Jacy Jayne VS Kiana James & Izzi Dame!
Chase U has their backs against the wall, but there’s also love in the air. And that makes The Calculator and her new sidekick sick. Will Kiana & Izzi be the newest bullies on the block? Or will Thea & Jacy put them in their place?
NXT returns as Kiana & Izzi make their entrance. The fans boo, but the teams sort out. Thea starts against Izzi and fans rally behind Thea. Izzi storms up, Thea gets around to heaadlock and trash Izzi. Izzi powers up and out, Thea wheelbarrows and arm-drags! Thea is even surprised, and fans cheer her on. But Izzi DECKS Thea! Izzi blows a kiss to Riley in the student section, but Thea jumps on froa THRASHING sleeper! Izzi backs upb ut Jacy tags in to CHOP BLOCK and KICK! And KICK again! Cover, ONE!! Izzi shows her toughness but Jacy taunts Kiana. Jacy CHOPS Izzi, CHOPS again, then eggs her on. But Izzi SHOVES Jacy to a corner!
Izzi runs in, Jacy dodges, and Jacy runs in to back body block! Jacy dodges Kiana’s cheap shot to DECK her! “SUCK IT!” Fans fire up, but Thea warns Jacy. Izzi runs in, Jacy gets around to crucifix but Izzi stays up. But Jacy swings, arm-drags, and covers, ONE! Izzy swings, Jacy slips around, backslide to a cradle, TWO! Izzi staggers up, Jacy kicks her low. Jacy whips, Izzi blocks and reverses, to LARIAT! Izzi talks trash, she tags Kiana, and Kiana stomps Jacy. Jacy tells Thea off then she brings Jacy up to knee low. And knee low again! And again! Jacy falls, fans boo, but Kiana runs to BOOT Jacy down! Cover, TWO!
Kiana drags Jacy up, taunts Thea, then whips Jacy to the corner. Kiana runs up to fire off hands and stomps, then tags Izzi. Izzi whips Kiana in to RAM Jacy in the corner! Kiana moves aside, Izzi reels Jacy in to fireman’s carry, and Izzi hits a FLAPJACK! Cover, TWO! Jacy hangs tough as a former tag team champion, but Izzi clamps on with a chinbar and armlock. The fans rally as Jacy fights up, and Jacy slips around to roll Izzi up! TWO, and Jacy ROCKS Izzi! Izzi scoops but Jacy slips free, DOUBLE LARIATS take them both down! Izzi crawls, hot tag to Kiana! Kiana drags Jacy from Jacy but Jacy hops and hops, hot tag to Thea!
Fans fire up as Thea rallies on Kiana! Thea runs to back body block Kiana! Thea waves to Riley, then clinches Kiana for an EXPLODER! The fans fire up as Thea SOMERSAULT SENTONS, then shakes the ropes! Springboard TRUST FALL! Thea fires up, stands Kiana up, but Kiana throat chops! The ref reprimands but Kiana hauls Thea up to scoop. Thea slips free, waistlocks but Izzi tags in before the O’Conner. Thea shifts to the KIMURA!! Kiana taps but Thea doesn’t know Izzi is legal! Izzi BOOTS Thea down!! Cover, Izzi & Kiana win!
Winners: Kiana James & Izzi Dame, by pinfall
Kiana’s new investment pays off, and it Izz what it Izz. Will Kiana & Izzi start building towards the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships?
The NXT Women’s Division watches backstage.
Arianna Grace admits, Izzi & Kiana make a great combination. But Roxanne Perez says she’s far from done with either of those two. Arianna says Roxie is still upset about Deadline. She understands, but Roxie needs to remember: it isn’t about wins and losses, but good sportsmanship, and how you play the game. Roxie wouldn’t want to fail at that too, would she? Actually, it IS about wins and losses. SLAP!! Roxie leaves Arianna crying, was that Arianna getting off easy?
Chase U plays a game of dice with Out The Mud.
Andre Chase rolls, and TEN! He’s on fire~! Bronco Nima isn’t sure whether to be impressed or upset that Chase is pulling this off. Duke Hudson says now that they’re up, they should go. No, Chase has the hot hand, he’s gotta keep going. Clack clack clack! EIGHT!! BOOM! Okay, okay, now let’s quit while we’re head. But Nima says Chase is a grown man. He can decide things for himself, can’t he? Y-Yeah, of course Chase can! In fact, doesn’t Chase tell Duke what to do? Duke gets heated but Chase calms him down. Scrypts says that this ain’t no bake sale or car wash. That’s a whole lotta money right there. He really should leave while he can.
But Chase says one more roll. Scrypts smiles, but then Chase has an idea. Or rather, a proposition for Scrypts. Okay, shoot. Next week, Duke & Chase VS Bronco & Lucien. If Chase U wins, Scrypts pays up double what Chase just won here. If Chase U loses, well, he walks away with what he came here with. Which wasn’t much… Scrypts says okay, but on one condition. When Chase U loses, OTM get a tag title shot. If Chase can swing that, wink wink. Yeah, Tony & Stacks aren’t gonna go for that. Chase tells Duke that they will. Because in walks Adrianna Rizzo. She sees Mr. Chase is making “wise” decisions again.
She calls The Don, and tells him that Mr. Chase is out here making promises. Chase says Tony knows he’s good for it. But The Done replies and she says okay, he is the boss. Tony has accepted the deal. Chase knew it! And so now, after next week, Chase U can pay in full. Chase drops the dice, and ends up with a SEVEN!? They would’ve won big already?! Well, luck aside, will Mr. Chase clean up his own mess? Or will he regret taking fate into his own hands?
The NXT Year End Awards are coming!
Vote on the superstars and moments you feel deserve recognition via WWE’s official website! The polls open tonight, 10 PM Eastern!
NXT North American Championship Open Challenge: Dragon Lee VS ??? w/ The No Quarter Catch Crew!
The Boy Wonder established his Open Challenge series last week, and Drew Gulak was more than happy to accept, on behalf of his entire team. The Philly Stretcher is playing shell games, but will Dragon Lee still win his own gamble?
Dragon watches Gulak and his goons closely, and it’s Charlie Dempsey stepping up! But wait, what is Gallus doing coming out here? Joe Coffey is dressed, and he didn’t hear a bell yet, so he’ll just get in on this while he can. Dempsey is upset, but the Iron King gets in. Joe tells Dragon has to decide between him or Dempsey. Dragon hears the fans, and he says it’ll be BOTH! TRIPLE THREAT!! The belt is raised along with the ante, who comes away now that the odds have drastic gone down?
NXT North American Championship Open Challenge Triple Threat: Dragon Lee VS Charlie Dempsey w/ The No Quarter Catch Crew VS Joe Coffey w/ Gallus!
The bell rings and the fans fire up! Dragon ROCKS Joe, dodges Dempsey and sends Dempsey into Joe! Roll up on Dempsey, ONE! Dempsey knees low, whips, but Dragon reverses. Dragon runs in, is put on the apron but he ROUNDHOUSES back! Dempsey staggers, Dragon SLINGSHOT RANAS! Dempsey hits buckles, fans fire up and Dragon runs back in. But Joe CLOBBERS him first! Joe whips Dragon in, Dempsey BOOTS him, then Joe scoops to BACKBREAKER! IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER for Dempsey! Joe goes up and up but Dempsey avoids the Vader Elbow! Dempsey waistlocks but Joe fights the lift!
Joe switches, Dempsey wrenches free but Joe HEADBUTTS! Dragon gets Joe but Joe ROCKS him first! Joe runs up but into a BOOT! Only for Gallus to grab at Dragon! So the ref EJECTS them! Wolfgang is furious but Markus drags him away. Now things are a bit more fair, and Joe runs into a SNAP GERMAN! SUPERKICK! Cover, Dempsey breaks it with a GUTWRENCH SUPLEX! Fans fire up while all three men are down, and NXT goes picture in picture.
Dragon writhes while Joe and Dempsey stir. Joe sits up, Dempsey follows, and they egg each other on. Joe shoves, Dempsey shoves, but Dragon is back up. So they DOUBLE ELBOW him down! Dempsey kicks low and HALF HATCH SUPLEXES Joe away! Dempsey drags Dragon up, wrenches and hammerlocks to wrangle Dragon. Dempsey goes after the other arm, throws down some elbows, then bends Dragon’s arm, and even the fingers! Dempsey twists the wrist, pushes the arm down, and even adds a leg for a modified Bow ‘n’ Arrow! But Joe is back to stomp Dempsey down! Joe stomps and stomps and stomps!
No Quarter protests but Joe whips Dragon to ropes. Dragon sunset flips, Joe rolls through and has the legs, BOSTON CRAB! Dempsey returns, and he has a GUILLOTINE on Dragon! Dragon endures, Joe lets go to get Dempsey with a SLEEPER! Joe thrashes Dempsey around, but Dragon is free to DRAGON SLEEPER Joe! Joe snapmares free, clinches, full nelsons, and SWINGS Dragon around! Dempsey runs up, Dragon BOOTS him and then drops down, victory roll! Dempsey breaks it! Dempsey KNEES Joe, drags Dragon up, and UPPERCUTS! Dragon goes to a corner, Dempsey fires off knee after knee!
Dempsey whips Dragon around into a corner, then UPPERCUTS! Dempsey facelocks and brings Dragon around in a cravat. Dragon endures the neck wrench, throws body shots and snapmares free. Dempsey staggers back up, runs to BOOT Dragon down, then drags Dragon back up. Dempsey whips Dragon to a corner, runs up and UPPERCUTS! Dempsey puts Dragon up top, NXT returns to single picture and Joe gets involved. Dempsey kicks Joe away, focuses on Dragon, but Joe still gets involved! TOWER OF DOOM!! The Superplex Powerbomb combo has the fans all fired up for “NXT! NXT!” Dempsey and Dragon writhe while Joe catches his breath.
Gulak is worried as Joe crawls after Dragon. Dempsey rises, but so does Joe. They work together to double whip Dragon, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges, and he uses Dempsey’s pop-up to RANA Joe! Fans fire up, Dragon dodges Dempsey and CLOBBERS him! Dragon has Dempsey in a corner, he JUMP KICKS and trips Joe, to COMBINACION DRAGON! Then Dragon aims, HYDRAULIC DROPKICK for Dempsey! HYDRAULIC DROPKICK for Joe! Cover on Joe, TWO! So Dragon drags Dempsey to a cover, TWO! Fans rally behind Dragon and he fires hands on Joe. Joe blocks the whip to reverse, then runs in. Dragon BOOTS Joe, then BOOTS Dempsey!
Dragon goes up and leaps, but the double DDT is blocked! DOUBLE NORTHERN LIGHTS! Dempsey covers, Joe drags him away! Joe covers, Dempsey stomps him! Joe stands, Dempsey UPPERCUTS, ROCKS, but Joe hits back! They brawl, Dempsey bridges to whip! Joe stops from hitting buckles, elbows Dempsey away, and goes up, up and CROSSBODIES into an UPPERCUT! Dempsey hauls Joe up, waistlocks, but Joe grabs ropes! Dragon is there to slingshot and sunset flip! Dempsey resists, Joe drags Dragon up! OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY GERMAN SUPLEX COMBO!! The fans fire up as all three men are down!
Dragon clutches his back, No Quarter coaches Dempsey, and “This is Awesome!” as Joe and Dempsey trade uppercuts! Dragon joins in with haymakers! Dempsey kicks, then he uses joe to kick off, TORNADO DDT on Dempsey! Dragon then staggers, runs in at Joe, but Joe pops him up for an UPPERCUT! Dempsey is up, Joe roars and runs in, GLASGOW SENDOFF sends Dragon into Dempsey! Dempsey falls out of the ring, Joe covers Dragon, TWO!! Dragon survives and Joe is frustrated. Joe drags Dragon up and to the top rope. Fans rally as Joe CHOPS, and CHOPS, and then climbs up.
The fans duel between Joe and Dragon, but Dragon trips Joe! Joe is in the Tree of Woe, so Joe gets WOE STOMPS!! Dragon then DIVES to take out Dempsey! Dragon brushes that off, gets right back in, and V-TRIGGER on Joe! Cover, TWO!! Joe survives and Gulak is relieved because it means Dempsey is still in this. Dragon keeps an eye on Dempsey, PLANCHA but into an UPPERCUT! Dempsey’s antiair pays off again, and he brawls with Dragon now. But Joe builds speed to FLY!! Direct hit on both men and all three are down at ringside! The fans are thunderous, and t hen Joe Gacy crawls out from under the ring!?
Gacy grins at Coffey, but then slithers back under. Coffey puts both Dempsey and Dragon in the ring, but Gacy drags Coffey down! Coffey can’t get away, Gacy brings him down into the Upside-Down! Dempsey runs in at Dragon, Dragon pops him up to SUPERKICK in the corner! Dempseys taggers, Dragon runs in, but Dempsey turns crossbody into FALL AWAY SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Dempsey hauls Dragon up to a full nelson, but Dragon breaks that! Dempsey still waistlocks to GERMAN SUPLEXE! Dragon lands on his feet! And dodges Dempsey to tilt-o-whirl, OPERACION DRAGON!! Cover, Dragon wins!!
Winner: Dragon Lee, by pinfall (still NXT North American Champion)
Coffey added to the mix certainly spiced this one up, but then Joe Gacy slithers back out from under the ring? What did he even do to Coffey while they were under there? And then No Quarter CLOBBERS Dragon! These sore losers want to beat Dragon down, but wait! THE LWO is here! Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde are back in NXT and they fire off fists! They TOSS Dempsey, clothesline Borne & Kemp out, then RANA Gulak! The fans are thunderous for LWO, and Dragon has some amigos of his own now! Will they humble No Quarter until they’re not even worth two cents?
Trick Melo Gang regroups backstage.
Trick still has no idea what Dragunov is thinking. Trick is supposed to be first to get his shot, and then Dragunov takes this match? With Ridge Holland?! And if Ridge wins, they probably make New Year’s Evil into a Triple Threat! Wow, really? Melo should’ve thought of that. Oh wait. But see, Trick’s gotta listen to Melo, Melo knows what he’s talking about. Trick says Dragunov can probably take Ridge. Dragunov’s been unbeatable, untouchable. But Trick is supposed to be the one to take him out. Trick is supposed to be the one that has done what no one else could, and take that title from Dragunov.
Melo tries not to be upset by that, but Trick asks if he gets what he’s saying. he does. That’s why they’re dawgs. Trick heads out and Melo is a bit frustrated. Will Trick stop worrying about Ridge and worry more about HIM?
Cora Jade walks into the women’s locker room.
“She’s baaack~!” Cora asks if they missed her, because she missed all of them. But don’t worry, the savior of the NXT Women’s Division is back. Who is she kidding? She’s the savior of ALL of NXT. And first thing’s first: pin the champion. Check. Secondly: reclaim HER locker. Check. She replaces the nametag on the wall, sorry not sorry to Karmen Petrovic. But feels good to be back. Cora also throws Karmen’s things on the floor and steps away. Gigi says some things never change. Karmen returns and asks if Cora really just did that. And disrespected her gi! Gigi says there’s only one way to deal with Cora. Karmen nods, understanding just what she has to do.
Men’s Breakout Tournament, Opening Round: Tavion Heights VS Luca Crusifino!
There’s one spot left in the semifinals, and it goes to the winner of this match! Will the World Wrestling Bronze Medalist look to go for gold? Or will the Legal Eagle OBJECT and win this one for himself?
The bell rings and the fans rally for Tavion. He and Luca tie up, Tavion trips Luca to a cover, ONE! They reset, tie up, and Tavion wrenches to a hammerlock. Luca rolls, slips around, wristlocks, and hammerlocks. Tavion switches that on to Luca, but Luca moves around. Luca elbows free, but Tavion ROCKS Luca! They clinch, Luca kicks low but Tavion shoves and scoops, tilt-o-whirl SLAM! Cover, TWO! Luca sputters but Tavion headlocks. Tavion spins and waistlocks, Luca grabs ropes and the ref counts. Luca stomps a foot! Then ELBOWS Tavion away! Luca runs up, clinches, and ROCKS Tavion!
Luca kicks the legs out and Tavion flounders. Fans boo but Luca CLUBS Tavion down! Luca eggs Tavion, throws hands, and has Tavion on the ropes. Luca whips, Tavion blocks to ROCK Luca! Luca ELBOWS Tavion then hits a NECKBREAKER! Cover, ONE!! Tavion is tough and Luca is frustrated. Luca whips, hip toss NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Tavion survives the Quick Draw but Luca CLUBS him down again. Luca fires hands at the ropes, then in a corner. Luca bumps Tavion off buckles, whips corner to corner, then storms up. Luca hip tosses, but Tavion handsprings through! Tavion hits a BIG Belly2Belly! Both men are down but Tavion rises first.
Fans rally up, Tavion fires hands and he DECKS Luca! And then whips to OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! Then a HIGH ANGLE GERMAN! Luca kicks, Tavion blocks and slips under, T-BONE BELLY2BELLY! Fans fire up with Tavion and he runs, RUNNING BELLY2BELLY!! Cover, Tavion wins!
Winner: Tavion Heights, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
And with that, the field is set! Riley Osborne VS Lexi King, and Tavion Heights VS Oba Femi! Will Tavion reach the highest heights in NXT? Or will he be thrown far, far away from the finals?
NXT takes a closer look at the coming Women’s Championship match.
“Two women crossed an ocean to be in NXT. But both have chosen very different paths. Lyra Valkyria, NXT Women’s Champion, left her native Ireland to chase a dream. Her opponent at New Year’s Evil, the Iron Survivor, Blair Davenport, went from New Zealand to the UK to Japan and back again in her quest for glory. Somehow, they have never crossed swords before. Even in NXT UK, they looked set to collide, but an injury to Lyra meant the WWE Universe was denied a chance to witness these two battle.
“Each woman is the polar opposite of the other. Lyra doing everything she could to fairly claw her way to the top of NXT, doing things the right way, beating her hero, Becky Lynch, and earning the respect of The Man in the process. Blair chose the darker route, hiding in the shadows, picking off her rival with sneakily savage skullduggery. At Deadline, Blair Davenport showed that she is virtually untouchable by beating four other women. Not just by showcasing her skill and intelligence, but by showing she can and will do anything to succeed.
“Will Lyra Valkyria’s virtuous journey keep her on track as NXT Women’s Champion? Or will Blair Davenport’s trail of destruction lead her to championship gold? Their paths will finally cross at New Year’s Evil!”
Lyra Valkyria finishes watching the video package.
And Nikkita Lyons walks in. She didn’t have a problem with creepy Tatum before last week, but then Tatum had to go and put hands on her. Lyra has no idea what is going on with that girl’s brain. Lyons says she’ll take care of their freak problem tonight, but just so Lyra knows, Lyons came back for Blair, but also for the title. Lyra understands that, but will Lyons roar her way into the new year?
Backstage interview with The Meta Four.
Kelly Kincaid can tell they’re all in the holiday spirit, but Noam Dar wants her to listen. Jingle jingle! Ho ho ho, Kelly! Happy holidays! Now, what is Noam’s answer to Josh Briggs’ challenge? Well, this is the time of year that we should think about the less fortunate. And Dar is nothing if not a man of charity with a heart of gold. Noam Claus! Oh, these guys are the best, aren’t they, Kelly? That was rhetorical. But Briggs has a Christmas miracle coming his way, for Supernova 11, Father Christmas, will be defending his Heritage Cup against “that little drummer boy.” Okay? Thank you, bye-bye, Happy Festivus!
Dar gives Briggs what he wants, but will Briggs give Dar what he deserves in another Clothesline From Hell?
Nikkita Lyons VS Tatum Paxley!
NXT returns as Tatum makes her entrance. The bell rings and the two circle. The fans are on Lyons’ side, and she does the splits as Tatum goes for a leg! Lyons wags a finger, then KICKS Tatum! Tatum bails out, but Lyons storms out after her. Lyons CHOPS Tatum and Tatum sits down in front of the steps. Lyons runs up but Tatum moves, the chop hits the steps! Tatum then SLAMS the bad hand into the steel! Tatum slithers into the ring, waits on Lyons, and she stomps the bad hand! Tatum stands on the hand against ropes! The ref counts, Tatum lets off and laughs at Lyons’ pain. Tatum snapmares Lyons, then runs up to SLIDING FOREARM!
Lyons flounders, Tatum clamps onto her and smothers her into the mat. Tatum rolls, Gedo Clutch into a bridging cover! TWO, Lyons cradles, TWO! Tatum runs up to kick low! Tatum wrangles Lyons and stomps the bad hand! And stomps it again! Tatum laughs as she drops a knee on the bad arm! Tatum taunts the pain, then JUMP ELBOW DROPS! Cover, TWO! Lyons is still in this but Tatum goes after the bad arm. Tatum bends the fingers, Lyons fights around, then she rolls Tatum up! TWO!! Tatum runs up but into an EDDY GORDO KICK! Tatum returns again, into a drop toehold! Tatum flounders, Lyons runs corner to corner, and KICKS Tatum down!
Lyons KICKS again, then fires off shots with both hands! Lyons shakes and DECKS Tatum! Then Lyons SWINGING HIP ATTACKS! And GERMAN SUPLEXES! Tatum staggers up, Lyons roars and SPIN KICKS! Fans fire up for the SPLIT LEG DROP! Cover, Lyons wins!
Winner: Nikkita Lyons, by pinfall
Lyons fights through the pain and takes the win! Will this stop Tatum from stalking Lyra or only make the obsession grow? As for Nikkita, will 2024 be the Year of the Lion?
Hank ‘n’ Tank talk backstage.
All they wanted was a shot. All they wanted was a chance to prove themselves against the best, and dammit, they’ve got it! Now, they are underdogs who flip the script on Gallus! When that bell rings, body shots become knockouts! Slug fest! They hit first, and they hit last! Hank ‘n’ Tank are all fired up, but will it still be Gallus Boys On Top? We find out, after the break!
Fallon regroups with Briggs & Jensen.
The guys cannot believe Tiffany would say that stuff. Is she okay? Fallon is embarrassed, humiliated and pissed. Tiffany has had everything in her life handed to her on a silver platter. She doesn’t know what hard work means! What it means to get your hands dirty! The last thing we see in Tiff is a hard worker, and Fallon is NOT done with her! Fallon storms off, and Jensen says he’s never seen her that pissed. But hey, on a better note, Dar took Briggs’ challenge, Heritage Cup on the line next week! Briggs is ready to rock it. How many times has Jensen said 2023 is gonna be their year? Like, 2023 times!
And Briggs is feeling like he’s gonna end 2023 as the NEW Heritage Cup Champion. Jensen says Meta Four will be ringside, so he’ll make sure he and Fallon are there to support Briggs and make sure Meta Four doesn’t cheat him. Briggs says he appreciates that. But… He needs to do this on his own. What? Why? Briggs isn’t sure he can explain it or if Jensen would understand. But Briggs just feels he needs to ride solo here. Alright. Good luck then, man. They shake hands and Briggs heads out. What is happening to the trio that is Country Strong?
Hank ‘n’ Tank VS Gallus!
NXT returns as Gallus makes their entrance, and Joe has miraculously returned from under the ring. He’s still wary of where Gacy might be, but he stays ringside for Markus & Wolfgang. The teams sort out and Hank starts against Mark. The bell rings and Hank runs in to run Mark over! Hank wrenches, Mark tags Wolfgang but Hank is ready. Wolfgang headlocks, Hank powers out and RAMS shoulders! And then Hank wrenches, whips, but Wolfgang reverses. Hank anticipates the back drop to whip and RAM Wolfgang down! SENTON! Cover, ONE! Hank wrenches, tag to Tank, and Tank takes the handoff.
Wolfgang ROCKS Tank, tags Mark, then Mark runs in but into an arm-drag! Tank has an armlock, he wrenches and RAMS Mark down, and the fans fire up. Tank wrenches and runs Mark over again. Tank wrenches one more time, but Mark ROCKS him! Mark whips, Tank goes up and over and keeps moving to UPPERCUT Mark down! Fans fire up with Tank, he whips Mark to a corner and SPLASHES! Tag to Hank, they double whip and double shoulder! Wolfgang runs in but into DOUBLE ELBOWS! Hank ‘n’ Tank DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE Wolfgang up and out! Mark staggers up, into a headlock takeover from Hank!
Fans fire up, Mark fights up, and Mark powers out. Wolfgang tags in, waits and trips Hank up! Mark KNEES Hank out, then Wolfgang POSTS him! Fans boo and Tank coaches Hank up but Gallus stands tall. Hank flounders, Wolfgang gets Hank on the apron and CLUBS away on the arm! Wolfgang slides in, clamps onto the bad arm and he grinds the shoulder. Hank reaches out, fights Wolfgang, but Mark runs up on Tank! That distracts Tank and he misses the tag! Wolfgang whips Hank into the Gallus corner, Mark tags back in and the Gallus Boys mug Hank. Mark snapmares then covers, ONE! Hank is tough but Mark stomps him down.
Mark stays between Hank ‘n’ Tank, whips Hank back to the corner, then runs in, but into an elbow! Hank ROCKS Wolfgang, ROCKS Mark, repeat! But then Mark ROCKS Hank! Mark whips Hank to a corner, but Hank rebounds to POUNCE Mark! Fans fire up and Hank crawls! Wolfgang is down from that last forearm shot, but Mark anchors a foot! Mark drags Hank, but Hank BOOTS him away! Tank tags but nowhere near the corner! The ref reprimands and stops Tank, Mark GAMANGIRIS Hank down! Cover, Gallus wins!
Winner: Gallus, by pinfall
Tank’s emotions got the better of him, he forgot the tag team basics! Gallus Boys On Top, but Gacy is watching from the crowd. Will Gacy rediscover himself by tearing the Iron King down?
Dijak speaks.
“Eddy Thorpe. What’re you thinking, my friend? NXT Underground with those injured ribs? Every breath you take more painful than the last. I don’t have to remind you that I put you in the hospital last time after our Strap match, leathering you right in front of your family. Now you wanna face me in a match with barely any rules? Yeah, you cut me last week. And then what happened? I snapped the ring ropes and mercilessly drilled the buckle right into your ribcage! That internal wound opened right back up. What’re you gonna do when nothing and no one can save you? The last NXT of 2023 will be your last match ever! See you in the Underground.”
Tiffany Stratton speaks.
She takes in a deep breath and says, “It feels good to finally put you in your place, Fallon Henley, where you’re supposed to be: A servant in society. But I’m sure you’re used to that, serving people like me, waiting on people like me. A person like me wouldn’t even set foot in your trashy bar. A person like Tiffany Stratton doesn’t even belong on the same world as Fallon Henley. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: You will never be me. No matter how many classes you take, no matter how hard you work, no matter what clothes you wear, you will always be trash! Something that you’re very familiar with.
“And you like to work, right? So I’ll put you to work. You VS me at New Year’s Evil. And when I win, you will become my servant, just the way it’s supposed to be. Tootles.” Tiffany is raising the stakes, but will her pride come before her fall?
Ilja Dragunov VS Ridge Holland!
The title isn’t on the line, but the Mad Dragon is still taking a chance facing someone as big and strong as Yorkshire Grit ahead of his match with Trick Williams. Will Dragunov prove #UNBESIEGBAR is still head and shoulders above Ridge’s level? Or will this Brawling Brute prove he is worthy?
The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, Draugnov headlocks but Ridge power sup. Dragunov holds on, Ridge powers out and they RAM shoudlers! Dragunov runs to RAM Ridge again! And again! Ridge rebounds to CLOBBER Dragunov! Dragunov is right up and he fires a flurry of forearms! Dragunov whips, Ridge reverses, Dragunov ducks one lariat but not the SOUTHPAW! Ridge snarls, he drags Dragunov up, and he scoops. Dragunov silps free, waistlocks and lifts, but Ridge fights that with elbows. Ridge switches, Dragunov headlocks and CLUBS away. ridge whips, but the CONSTANTINE SPECIAL comes in!
Dragunov then CHOPS Ridge, CHPOS, and MACHINE GUN CHOPS! The fans fire up, Dragunov lets off, and he CHOP- NO, Ridge blocks! And HEADBUTTS! Dragunov flounders away, Ridge runs up, but Dragunov blocks a boot to HEADBUTT inr eturN! Dragunov reels Ridge in, but Ridge is pretty big! Dragunov almost has him but Ridge powers up to Alabama Lift! ALABAMA SLAM! Ridge drags Dragunov by his legs, but Dragunov boots him away! Dragunov then JUMP BOOTS! And GERMAN SUPLEXES! Dragunov holds on, Ridge throws elbows to fight, but Dragunov GERMAN SUPLEXES again! Fans fire up as Dragunov drags Ridge up again.
Ridge throws elbows, Dragunov CLUBS and CHOPS him! Ridge ROCKS Dragunov, but Dragunov springs up to PELE! And GERMAN SUPLEX! The fans fire up more as NXT goes picture in picture.
Dragunov roars, waits on Ridge, and then runs up to CLUB him back down! Dragunov stomps Ridge, stands him up and CHOPS! Ridge CHOPS back! Dragunov CLUBS Ridge, and Ridge drops to his knees. Dragunov storms up to DROPKICK Ridge to ropes. Dragunov stomps Ridge, storms around, then CLUBS Ridge back down. Dragunov clamps on with a chinlock, almost a Bully Choke, but Ridge endures. Ridge fights up, torture racks, but Dragunov slips free to ROUNDHOUSE! Ridge staggers to a corner, Dragunov ROCKS him! Ridge SHOVES Dragunov away, so Dragunov comes back with a JUMP KICK! Dragunov snapmares Ridge and SENTONS! Cover, TWO!
Ridge snarls but Dragunov keeps after him. Dragunov drags Ridge up but Ridge resists the suplex. Dragunov wrenches to waistlock, but Ridge resists another lift. Dragunov still hoists Ridge up for another GERMAN SUPLEX! NXT returns to single picture and the fans are thunderous! Dragunov dares Ridge to get up, then kicks him. Ridge rises, Dragunov kicks him more. Dragunov kicks again, then CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Ridge snarls and ROCKS Dragunov! And bumps him off buckles! Ridge KICKS then CLUBS Dragunov down! Ridge huffs and puffs and slaps some sense back into himself. Ridge runs up to SPLASH in the corner!
Dragunov staggers, Ridge runs in again to SPLASH in another corner! Then clinch for the EXPLODER! Dragunov flounders, Ridge hurries to cover, TWO! Ridge grows frustrated but the fans rally behind Dragunov. Dragunov rises, Ridge takes aim, and Ridge waistlocks to half nelson. Dragunov fights that, elbows Ridge, elbow shim again, then CLUBS him! Dragunov runs, CONSTAN- NO, Ridge KNEES Dragunov tot he apron! Ridge drags Dragunov up, for… No, Ridge reconsiders using Sheamus’ Beats of the Bodhrain, so Dragunov CHOPS him! And CLUBS away on him in the ropes! Dragunov’s own version of Bodhrain, but Ridge ROCKS Dragunov in return!
Ridge then suplexes Dragunov up and in, only for Dragunov to DDT counter!! Both men are down and the fans are thunderous again! Dragunov drags Ridge back up, reels him in, and tries to lift him! Ridge fights to Alabama Lift again, but Dragunov sunset flips! TWO, H-BOMB FOREARM!! Fans fire up and want that “One More Time!” Dragunov drags Ridge back up, reels him back in, but Ridge back drops free! Dragunov returns to ENZIGURI! Ridge returns to BOOT! Push to a cover, TWO!! Dragunov survives and Ridge is stunned! Ridge snarls while the fans rally up. Ridge deadlifts Dragunov into the suplex, but Dragunov throws knees!
Dragunov has a GUILLOTINE, but Ridge makes it a bearhug! So Dragunov throws headbutts! Ridge stays standing, and he facelocks Dragunov, for a PACKAGE DDT!! Both men are down but the ref checks Dragunov. That shot really did a number on Dragunov, the ref has Ridge stay back. Ridge and the fans all quiet down, and the ref calls in medics. Ridge feels awful, he can’t believe he’s done this again! Refs and medics all hurry in to check Dragunov, who can barely move that left arm. A stretcher is brought in, as well as back board and neck brace. The medics secure Dragunov and Ridge is beside himself.
The ref assures Ridge that this comes with the territory, but that doesn’t do much to help. Dragunov is carefully slid from ring to stretcher and strapped in, and fans applaud as Dragunov is able to respond. The stretcher leaves, and fans cheer Dragunov on, but was Trick perhaps right about Dragunov taking a risk too close to the New Year?
My Thoughts:
A great NXT here as a combination go-home to next week’s NXT After Christmas as well as setting up more stuff for New Year’s Evil the Tuesday after. And just to address the ending moment now, do not worry. Given NXT still records in batches, it was essentially spoiled last week that Dragunov needing medical attention is all part of story, as confirmed by Sean Ross Sapp & Corey Brennan of Fightful. Perhaps a little controversial to kayfabe Ridge Holland being legit dangerous, but we’ve had Pretty Deadly use Elton’s arm injury for some comedic drama, and Bryan Danielson in AEW used his concussion history to fake out Kazuchika Okada, blurring the lines is nothing new.
But it does play well with the story building with Trick Melo Gang. Melo keeps trying to deflect that Dragunov is the one who attacked them both but Trick still isn’t buying it. And Trick doesn’t mean to, but he’s saying stuff that is getting under Melo’s skin, so it is only a matter of time until Melo just snaps and goes after him in the open with a very “It was ME, Austin! It was me all along!” moment at like New Year’s Evil. Then that sets up Trick VS Melo for Vengeance Day 2024, title optional because the story alone is enough to eat that match up. At the same time, depending on how they play this Dragunov angle, Trick could end up champion and his first defense is an incredibly heated defense because it’s Melo.
Great stuff from Fallon and Tiffany to open the night, but they made sure this wasn’t the blowoff by having Fallon win with a roll-up rather than a finisher. And now we get a grudge match, Fallon fighting for her independence against Tiffany in a borrowed idea from NXT UK where Xia Brookside and Nina Samuels had that Loser Works for the Winner match. Good promos from Fallon and Tiff, and good promos to set up Dar VS Briggs for the Heritage Cup. I’m also a little surprised Briggs doesn’t want Jensen ringside, it just makes sense someone should be there to keep Meta Four from screwing Briggs over. While I like the idea of Briggs winning because he wallops Dar, I could see Jensen still showing up ringside, that costs Briggs, and Briggs gets mad at Jensen.
Great tag match from Thea & Jacy VS Kiana & Izzi, but of course the Heels win that. Chase U as a whole is going through hard times, and Thea’s partially distracted by Riley Osborne. And good bit of Roxie slapping Arianna for her stupid platitudes. Roxie VS Arianna is def happening, giving Roxie momentum into one more rematch with Kiana James. Good promo of Cora being so obnoxious and disrespectful, and now getting on Karmen’s bad side. Karmen probably won’t win, but she can have a great showing against Cora. And Lyons beats Tatum, of course, but it feels like Tatum isn’t going to leave Lyra alone. Great vignette to hype Lyra VS Blair, but with Lola Vice and her Breakout contract, who knows who comes away as champion there.
Great stuff in the Men’s Breakout Tournament. Lexis King of course wins his match, even with as good as Lennox looks and how well he moves. And naturally, Bearhill returns, wanting after King. A little hard to say a single chair shot kept Bearhill out of this whole tournament when he didn’t even need to wrestle last week, given he’s up and chasing King now. But Bearhill VS King is a given for whatever event you want after the tournament is over. Tavion Heights looked awesome against Crusifino and that is a great choice to move to the next round. King VS Riley will be good stuff but Heights VS Femi will be awesome stuff.
Good promo out of Chase, Duke, OTM and Rizzo. I didn’t think shooting dice would be Scrypts’ idea, but perhaps I should’ve figured that. And it could’ve been part of Scrypts’ plan all along to get Chase high on himself and make him offer a title opportunity. I’m leaning towards OTM winning out, setting up a title match for New Year’s Evil, making it an even more stacked episode. Dijak and Eddy Thorpe have really good promos, and an NXT Underground match between the two of them is going to be awesome stuff for next week. They’ve gone back and forth, but it really depends on what the winner is going to move on to after this.
And great stuff with the North American Championship tonight. I like that they made it a Triple Threat, that really upped the excitement and it also allowed Joe Gacy to get his story beat with Joe Coffey in smoothly. Gallus wins against Hank ‘n’ Tank but maybe Gacy joins them in a Six Man Tag for whatever reason? And LWO returning to back Dragon Lee up is great, I would think Dragon Lee joins the faction not so much to replace Santos but because he actually respects Rey Mysterio. A Six Man Tag of Dragon, Cruz & Wilde VS any three of No Quarter has to be happening before Gulak goes for a title shot himself.
My Score: 8.9/10
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Coverage
Mitchell’s Road to Wrestling Dontaku Results & Report! (4/27/24)
Rural Revitalization continues!
Will Great-O-Khan be setting the table?
It’s Rural Revitalization in Hiroshima for the KOPW Championship! Can Yuya Uemura survive tires, lemons and a table? Or will Great-O-Khan conquer him for the United Empire?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Frontier Zone – Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano VS Rey Paloma & HANZO; Oleg & Yano win.
- Six Man Tag: Tiger Mask & Bishamon VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
- Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita VS Jeff Cobb & Francesco Akira; Cobb & Akira win.
- Six Man Tag: El Desperado, Shota Umino & Tomohiro Ishii VS The House of Torture; Desperado, Shota & Ishii win.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima VS Tomoaki Honma & Shoma Kato; Tanahashi & Murashima win.
- DOUKI & Taka Michinoku VS SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru; Sho & Yoshinobu win.
- NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships: TMDK VS El Phantasmo & Hikuleo; TMDK wins and retains the titles.
- KOPW Championship Rural Revitalization: Great-O-Khan VS Yuya Uemura; Yuya wins and becomes the new KOPW Champion.
- 10 Man Tag Elimination Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club War Dogs; LIJ wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships: TMDK w/ Zack Sabre Jr. VS El Phantasmo & Hikuleo w/ Jado!
Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls snatched the titles away during the Windy City Riot, but the Guerrillas of Destiny are getting their rematch! Will the Headbanga & Young Guerilla redeem themselves on the Road to Wrestling Dontaku? Or will they see The Mighty Don’t Kneel?
The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see if The Mighty stay NJPW Strong!
The teams sort out and Hysterical Haste starts against ELP. The fans rally up with the bell and the two circle. They tie up, are in a deadlock, but then Shane cording holds into a wrench and wristlock. ELP rolls, handsprings and wrenches back. ELP keeps Shane from ropes so Shane rolls, kips up, snapmares and KICKS ELP! The fans cheer while Shane shakes out his leg. ELP grimaces as he stands and shakes out the arm. The two reset, tie up, and ELP waistlocks. ELP goes for a chinlock but Shane standing switches. ELP switches, Shane switches again, and repeat. ELP headlocks, Shane powers out, then reels ELP in for a headlock.
ELP powers out, Shane runs him over, and then he sits ELP up to run. ELP drops under, hurdles over, but Shane shoves him. ELP rolls off Shane’s back to RANA! The fans fire up as ELP kips up and fixes his hair. The fans rally for “E L P! E L P!” while Shane is in a corner. Shane comes back to fire a forearm! ELP fires a forearm back! Shane fires another forearm so ELP gives it back. They go back and forth, faster and faster, and the fans rally up! ELP gets the edge, but Shane UPPERCUTS! Shane CHOPS ELP, whips him corner to corner, but ELP goes up and over and keeps moving. ELP fakes Shane out to avoid the dropkick!
ELP goes to ropes to LIONSAULT but Shane moves! ELP sits up but avoids the Penalty Kick! The two stand off and the fans cheer! Shane and ELP reset, and Leo reaches out. ELP tags him in and the fans rally up. Shane tags Mikey, and he circles with Leo. They get face to face, and Mikey pie faces Leo! They tie up, Leo shoves Mikey away, but Mikey comes back. They tie up, Mikey headlocks but Leo lifts. Mikey thrashes the hold, Leo powers out and they RAM shoulders! Leo eggs Mikey on so Mikey runs and they RAM shoulders! Leo runs, Mikey ELBOWS him! Mikey runs, Leo runs him over! The fans fire up as Leo flexes.
Leo drags Mikey up, suplexes, but Mikey fights it! Mikey tries to suplex but Leo’s so tall! Leo suplexes, Mikehy slips free to waistlock, but Leo RAMS him into a corner! Leo runs in, Mikey dodges, only for Leo to LARIAT outta the corner! Tag to ELP and the Guerrillas get Mikey up. ELP BLASTS Shane while Leo whips Mikey to a corner. Leo SPLASHES, ELP clotheslines, then feed to the SIDEWALK SLAM and FALLING AX HANDLE! The Guerrillas high-five, ELP covers, TWO! ELP brings Mikey up but Mikey fights the suplex! Mikey powers out, whips, but ELP BLASTS Shane! ELP dodges Mikey, waistlocks, but Mikey swings. ELP ducks, into a DDT!
The fans fire up while Mikey shoves ELP over and tags in Shane. Mikey brings ELP up to TOSS him out, and then Mikey BLASTS Leo! Shane whips ELP into railing! Shane flexes, fans applaud, and Shane drags ELP up. APRON BACK SUPLEX! Shane shoves ELP in, covers, ROPEBREAK! The fans rally as ELP stays in this but Shane grabs one of ELP’s hands. Shane stretches out the arm to then KICK ELP in the shoulder! Shane brings ELP up but ELP fires forearms! Shane shoves ELP but ELP ELBOWS Mikey! ELP fires off on Shane, whips, but Shane reverses and Mikey trips ELP up! Shane basement dropkicks ELP and he spins around into a HAYMAKER from Mikey!
ELP flops to the floor, Mikey claims the apron is slippery, but the referee reprimands him all the same. The ring count starts but Mikey puts ELP in at 4 of 20. Shane covers, TWO! Shane keeps ELP down with body scissors. ELP endures, reaches out, drags Shane along as he crawls over, and the fans rally up. Shane grabs ELP’s arm and brings him into a cover, TWO! Shane whips ELP away into The Mighty corner! Tag to Mikey, he sends Shane in, but ELP puts Shane on the apron! ELP BOOTS Mikey, ROUNDHOUSES Shane, then runs, but Mikey catches him! Mikey RAMS ELP back into the corner!
Mikey taunts Leo then digs boots into ELP. The fans rally up and ELP throws body shots. Mikey eggs ELP on so ELP CHOPS! ELP tries to get under but Mikey grabs a leg and drags him back! Tag to Shane, and Shane stomps ELP down. Shane kicks ELP around, kicks him more, but ELP fires off hands! Shane back drops ELP up and away! The fans rally while Shane drags ELP back to a cover, but Leo breaks it! Shane drags ELP back, tags Mikey in, and TMDK mug ELP. ELP sputters, Mikey tags Shane back in, and Shane sucker punches Leo! Mikey hoists ELP up but ELP BOOTS Shane! ELP backs Mikey into the corner, then goes up and over Shane!
Shane runs into Mikey but Mikey still pursues ELP. Mikey drags ELP back but ELP ENZIGIRIS free! The fans fire up, but Shane gets ELP’s legs! ELP BOOTS Shane away, hurries up again, but Mikey BLASTS Leo first! Mikey then brings ELP around to back suplex! ELP lands on his feet, but Shane back suplexes! ELP still lands on his feet, then he ducks under TMDK to hot tag Leo! The fans fire up as Leo UPPERCUTS Shane, swings on Mikey, but Mikey dodges, only for Leo to BOOT him! Leo scoops Shane for SNAKE EYES and a BOOT! The fans fire up with Leo while Shane and Mikey go to opposite corners.
Leo runs in to SPLASH Mikey! Leo keeps going but Shane BOOTS him! Shane runs up but Leo ELBOWS him down! Leo runs to drop the JUMPING ELBOW on Shane! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up and Leo watches Shane stir. Shane rises, Leo choke grips! GODS- NO, Shane slips free and Mikey fires a forearm! Shane UPPERCUTS, Mikey LARIATS, but Leo stays up! Shane runs to LARIAT! Leo roars, but TMDK double kick! TMDK reels Leo in, but Leo DOUBLE SUPLEXES them instead! The fans fire up and Leo watches TMDK bail out. Leo tags ELP and ELP goes up. Leo helps him walk the tightrope, to ARIHARA MOONSAULT TMDK down at the ramp!
The fans fire up again, and Leo goes out to get Shane in. ELP & Leo get Shane up to CHOP, straitjacket torture rack, and then Leo runs. BOOT into the spin, BRAIN SALAD! Cover, Mikey breaks it! Mikey fires forearms on Leo & ELP, runs, but ELP hurdles so Leo can DDT! Mikey bails out, the fans fire up, and ELP tunes up the band. Shane rises, into SUDDEN- NO, Shane dodges! Shane runs up, but into Leo’s hands! ELP aims, but Shane pulls Leo into SUDDEN DEATH! Shane UPPERCUTS ELP and DROPKICKS Leo! Shane KICKS ELP, BOOTS him, then reels him in for an INVERTED EXPLODER! Cover, TWO!!
ELP survives and Shane is surprised! The fans fires up, Shane and ELP rise, and ELP staggers to a corner. Shane puts ELP up top, ROCKS him with a right, then climbs up. Shane brings ELP up but ELP fires body shots! ELP HEADBUTTS Shane down but Mikey tags in! Shane goes up, ELP sends him back down, so Mikey UPPERCUTS! Mikey gives Shane the boost, and they get ELP for the SUPERPLEX BOMB COMBO! Cover, TWO!! ELP survives but Mikey powers up and runs, SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO!! ELP survives again and the fans fire up! Mikey grows frustrated, he drags ELP up and reels him in.
ELP slips free of the Blue Thunder to kick and tuck the arms! But Mikey trips ELP to jackknife bridge, TWO! ELP rolling clutches! TWO and Mikey has the cover! TWO and ELP ghost pins, TWO!! Mikey escapes but ELP dodges! ELP DROPKICKS Mikey down and the fans fire up! Both men crawl, hot tag to Leo! Leo runs to BLAST Shane, then he turns to look at Mikey. Mikey eggs Leo on, then fires forearms! Leo ROCKS Mikey with just one! Mikey fires another flurry, but Leo ROCKS Mikey again! Leo eggs Mikey on and the fans rally. Mikey kicks low, ROCKS Leo, then runs, but into a scoop! Tag to ELP before the POWERSLAM!
ELP goes up to SWANTON BOMB! And then LIONSAULT! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up, ELP tags Leo back in, and they tune up the band again! Mikey rises, but Shane trips Leo! Mikey ROCKS ELP, Shane UPPERCUTS ELP! Feed to the scoop but ELP slips free! ELP shoves Mikey into Shane, and Leo grabs them both! But both Shane & Mikey fight free of the choke slams! Shane KNEES, Mikey FOREARMS, but then ELP fires off on TMDK! ELP runs, but into a double trophy lift! THUNDER- DOUBLE DDTS!! ELP turns things around on TMDK, and the fans are thunderous! Mikey stands up into SUDDEN DEATH! ELP PLANCHAS onto Shane!
GODSEND for Mikey! ELP then climbs up the ropes, then climbs onto Leo! SUPER THUNDERKISS 86!! Cover, but Shane barrels through ELP to break it!! The fans are thunderous again but ELP is frustrated. ELP fires off on Shane, runs, but Shane LARIATS! Shane dodges Leo but runs into the POWER TRIP! GOD- NO, Mikey rolls Leo up!! TMDK WINS!!
Winners: TMDK, by pinfall (still NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions)
Leo is furious! He is sure Mikey pulled tights there! He stomps at Mikey, pushes past ELP and goes after Mikey on the outside! Mikey and Leo push each other around, but there’s nothing Leo can do about this one. Will he and ELP just have to fight their way back up to the top? As for TMDK, will they continue to rock ‘n’ roll through the ranks with all this gold?
KOPW Championship Rural Revitalization: Great-O-Khan w/ Callum Newman & Francesco Akira VS Yuya Uemura w/ Taka Michinoku & Taichi!
It’s Rural Revitalization 2: Hiroshima Style! The Dominator just managed to make it past Tanga Loa, will he make it through the Heat Storm? Or will KOPW soon belong to Just5Guys?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who can put in the work!
This first round is Mazda tire carrying. Each man has a big orange cone placed in their corner, so they simply have to go fetch the tires from the stacks outside. Whoever gets four tires first wins the round! The bell rings, Yuya kicks Khan then heads for ropes, but Khan reels him in for a BIG back suplex! Khan goes out now, hurries up the ramp, and grabs two tires at once! The fans cheer and Khan gets those tires in the ring. Then he goes back for more! A risky move but that means four tires are on play. Yuya DROPKICKS Khan and here’s where the risk is involved! Yuya aims to PLANCHA but Khan chucks a tire!
Yuya falls back, Khan gets the tires in then drags Yuya out. Khan CLUBS away on Yuya against the apron, then uses a tire to bind Yuya’s legs! Khan CLUBS Yuya more, and Khan even ties Yuya up in the ropes! Khan sacrifices two tires to trap Yuya! The fans cheer the creativity, and Khan STOMPS Yuya on the apron before heading for more tires. Yuya works to get free as Khan brings two more tires to the ring. Khan sets those tires in, Yuya gets free, but Khan has stacked two tires. Then three, but Yuya DROPKICKS him down! Yuya takes the tires off Khan’s cones, leaving him with just one. Yuya goes out to get the last tires remaining!
Yuya brings tires to his cone, then clears out some space. Yuya has two tires, steals Khan’s one, but then Khan grabs Yuya for an IRON CLAW SLEEPER! Yuya fights free, but Khan Mongolian Chops him down! Khan throws the tires off Yuya’s cone, then throws the cone! We’re back to zero and zero, and Khan whips Yuya into a corner, to then clothesline him! The fans fire up as Khan climbs up and sits on his throne! Khan then hops down to Mongolian Chop! And Mongolian Chops! And Mongolian CHOP! Yuya sits down, Khan takes a tire, but then THROWS it at Yuya! Yuya goes up and over and AX HANDLES Khan down!
The fans rally as Khan grabs tires and cone, and he starts stacking! Yuya has two, then three! He just needs to find one more! Yuya grabs one from outside, but Khan reels him in! Khan DECKS Yuya, then undoes some of the stack. Khan confiscates a tire, makes sure it’s nice and bouncy, but also works up quite the sweat. The fans rally as Khan aims and takes a swing, only for Yuya to counter tire with tire! They clash again, and again! Then they set up for TIRE SUMO! And again, TIRE SUMO! They run in again, and Khan RAMS Yuya! Yuya is disarmed, and Khan CLOBBERS him with the TIRE SUMO!
The fans fire up while Yuya is down and Khan grabs tires. Khan says he’s not done with Yuya yet. Khan starts stacking tires at the center of the ring, then drags Yuya up. Khan clinches Yuya into HITSUJIGOROSHI! Yuya endures, even as Khan throws knees! Khan then scoops to SLAM Yuya on the tires! That’ll leave some skid marks! Khan then drags Yuya off the stack, brings him up and around, to then put a tire around his head. And then another! Yuya’s two tired to stand but Khan makes him! Khan throws a BODY BLOW, then he TRIPS Yuya into a TIRE DDT! The fans fire up while Khan grabs the other tires.
Khan stacks tires on his cone, that’s two. Khan hurries to find other tires on the outside, and he has a third. Khan considers his options, and takes one of the tires from Yuya. But Yuya clings to the tires, so Khan stomps him! Yuya refuses to let go of the tires! Khan stomps Yuya more but Yuya defends the tire with his body! Khan claws at Yuya, they tug-o-war over the tire, but Khan pulls on Yuya’s ear! Yuya kicks low, kicks again, then SMACKS Khan with the tire, and DROPKICKS Khan down! The tire goes tumbling out of the ring while Yuya fires up! Yuya takes Khan’s tires, hurries them over to his cone, that’s three right there!
Now Yuya has to hurry and find another! Yuya goes outside, grabs the tire, but Khan intercepts! They tug-o-war again, but then Khan RAMS Yuya into a corner! Khan takes this tire, that’s one. Khan finds tires on the outside and brings them in! Yuya hurries to cover tires again! Khan stomps Yuya, still stacks three, so it’s all down to this seventh tire! Yuya and Khan tug-o-war yet again, the fans rallying behind them! Khan grabs Yuya’s arm, but Yuya slips around to a SLEEPER! Khan fights up but Yuya squeezes tight! Yuya then CLUBS away on Khan, runs, but into a TIRE SWEEP! And a BASEMENT DROPKICK!
Khan grabs the final tire, but Yuya schoolboys him away! Yuya rolls through, snatches the tire, and complete his stack! Yuya wins the first round!
Khan: 0; Yuya: 1
Just like with Tanga Loa, Khan drops the ball in the first round! But then, will history repeat itself here as we prepare for the second round?
The tarps are set down, the table is set, and it’s time to eat up some Hiroshima lemons! Khan makes sure the people watching at home and around the world understand that Hiroshima lemons are the best, which probably means they’re the most sour. Khan puts on his bandana and takes his seat at the table. He and Yuya get some wet wipes to clean their hands, and it all comes down to who finishes their one lemon first. Ready, set, EAT! Yuya starts fast and that face shows how sour these are. Khan says hold on, and he just takes a HUGE bite! Yuya is suffering but Khan is reveling in the sourness! Khan’s already halfway through!
Yuya can barely keep the lemon in, but Khan’s eaten it all up! Can he get it all down before Yuya? Khan is chewing and chewing, Yuya is practically shaking from how sour it all is! Khan keeps going and… Yes, Khan has it all down! Khan wins!
Khan: 1; Yuya: 1
Khan now lets his body feel the stinging sweetness, and he says it was delicious! But then, that leaves us with this third and final round. And this time it’s a TABLES match! Who will be feeling sour and sore after this one?
The bell rings, both men rush in, Yuya dodges to fire haymakers! Yuya whips, Khan reverses but Yuya CLOBBERS him! Khan gets up, but Yuya DROPKICKS him down! Khan bails out, Yuya aims and PLANCHAS! Direct hit at the ramp, and the Heat Storm fires back up! The table is there, so Yuya drags Khan right up! Yuya goes to suplex but Khan blocks! Khan fights with body shots, turns things around, but Yuya fights the suplex! They fight for control, but Khan RAMS Yuya into the apron! The fans rally, Khan drags Yuya back up, and whips him into railing! Yuya tumbles up and over into No Man’s Land!
Khan storms out after Yuya and he asks fans move aside. Young Lions help the fans clear out while Khan drags Yuya up. Khan brings Yuya around and reminds everyone, No Disqualifications! Khan BOWLS Yuya through chairs, and that’s definitely a strike! The fans cheer Khan as he stands on chairs, but then asks more fans to move aside! Khan stomps Yuya, stomps a chair onto Yuya, then tosses that chair aside. Sorry to whoever had that seat… Khan then drags Yuya up and brings him around, but Yuya throws body shots! Khan Mongolian Chops Yuya down! Khan drags Yuya back up, and BOWLS him into more chairs!
Yuya is stuck on the seats, that wasn’t quite a strike. But Khan stacks chairs on Yuya to pick up the spare. Khan SMACKS chair with chair! Yuya sputters while fans applaud, and Khan goes back to fetch Yuya. Taichi and Taka are there but so are Newman and Akira. The Empire keeps the two out of five guys at bay while Khan drags Yuya to the back of the crowd. Khan whips Yuya into the emergency exit! Khan then SLAMS railing down on Yuya, and then SMACKS railing with railing! Khan talks trash while Taka and Taichi coach Yuya up. The ref checks Yuya, but he’s somehow able to continue, so Khan drags him up.
Khan brings Yuya around to drag him through the chairs! Khan brings Yuya back to ringside, then into the ring. The fans applaud, and then Khan goes looking under the ring. Khan eventually finds another lemon! Khan takes a big bite and uses the citrus to power up! Then he DIGS the lemon into Yuya’s face! The citric acid burns but the fans fire up! Khan goes to fetch the table from outside, puts it inside, and then sets it up in a corner. The fans rally up as Khan stalks Yuya. Khan drags Yuya up, reels him in to scoop, but Yuya slips free! Khan avoids hitting table, but Yuya DOUBLE CHOPS! Yuya whips Khan into the blue corner, then DOUBLE CHOPS again!
The fans fire up and Yuya grits his teeth. Yuya roars, brings Khan up and reels him in for a BIG back suplex! The fans rally again and Yuya brings Khan up. Yuya clinches, but Khan fights the lift! Yuya still tries, but Khan fights it to a head ‘n’ arm clinch. Yuya gets around, headlocks, but Khan pops out to waistlock. Yuya fights being pushed around, then switches to get an arm. Khan clinches but so does Yuya. They fight for control, and Khan’s SAYANAGI takes Yuya down! The fans fire up and both men stir. Yuya flops out of the ring, but Khan crawls in pursuit. Khan drags Yuya up, then RAMS him into railing!
Yuya writhes, Khan goes looking under the ring, and he brings out another TABLE! Khan SMACKS Yuya with the table, then stands the table up at ringside. Khan drags Yuya up, SMACKS him off the apron, then climbs up. Khan drags Yuya up onto the apron, Mongolian Chops, then regular CHOPS! Khan UPPERCUTS, then clamps on the IRON CLAW! Khan scoops but Yuya fights free! Yuya DROPKICKS! Khan holds onto ropes to stay up, but Yuya hurries to run! Yuya LARIATS, but into the IRON CLAW!! Khan drags Yuya up and over, ELIMINATOR- NO, Yuya grabs ropes to fight that off! Khan kicks low, winds up, but Yuya traps the arm!
Yuya traps the other arm, takes aim, but Khan fights the Deadbolt with all his might!! The fans are thunderous as Yuya still tries! Khan BITES Yuya’s ear! And then POSTS him! But Yuya runs up, into a BOOT! Yuya falls back, Khan sits down, and the fans rally again! Khan undoes his hand tape, ends up pushing the table over, and then he folds it all up. Khan puts the table in the ring, pushes Yuya aside, and then he sets this table up again, in the blue corner. Yuya goes up top to CROSSBODY! The fans fire up as Yuya roars! Yuya has his choice as he hauls Khan up. Yuya traps the arms, but Khan makes it a BELLY2BELLY!
But Yuya rises back up! Yuya runs in, gets around, and GERMAN SUPLEXES! But Khan’s right up! Khan LARIATS Yuya down! The fans fire up as Yuya is right back up, and URENAGES! Both men are down again and the fans are thunderous! Khan flounders around, he and Yuya crawl to center, and Yuya fires a forearm! Khan gives it back! Both men stand, and Yuya fires a haymaker! Khan comes back to forearm! Yuya wobbles, but he comes back to HAYMAKER! Khan staggers, wobbles, but comes back to FOREARM! Both men stagger, but Yuya fires another haymaker! Khan fires a flurry of forearms, but Yuya haymakers!
Khan ROCKS Yuya, but Yuya DOUBLE CHOPS! And DOUBLE CHOPS! And DOUBLE CHOPS! But Khan throws an IRON RIGHT! The fans fire up again as Yuya falls! Khan roars with Monster Rage and he hauls Yuya up! IRON CLAW, and then ELIMIN- NO, Yuya slips free! Yuya wrenches, traps the arms, DEADBOLT SUPLEX through the table!! YUYA WINS!!
Winner: Yuya Uemura, 2-1 (NEW KOPW Champion)
Yuya slammed the Deadbolt shut on Khan and now he takes the title from him! The Heat Storm is rising, how hot will he make the KOPW Division through the Summer?
10 Man Tag Elimination Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club War Dogs!
These factions have been battling all over this Road to Wrestling Dontaku, but now they will fight ’til the last man! Will there be a roll call for Bushi, Hiromu, Takagi, Yota y Naito? Or will this alliance with the Good Looking Emperor, Jake Lee, help David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors & “Drilla” Dan Moloney shoot down LIJ?
Wait, it seems Naito has brought backup of his own? It’s SLYLY! The dragon-like mascot of Hiroshima Toyo Carp, and half-brother to the Philadelphia Phillies’ Phillie Phanatic! Well, Naito does love him some baseball. Tensions are running high, and Finlay throws his shirt at Yota. Yota balls that shirt up, and throws a fastball over the plate! The teams sort out, Finlay pushes Yota around and Gabe talks trash on Takagi. Red Shoes gets them all to settle down, and the War Dogs bark and put up the Too Sweet. Jake joins in at the end there. LIJ mocks the barking before they fist bump, and the fans cheer.
Things finally sort out and Finlay starts against Yota. The fans fire up behind “YO~TA! YO~TA!” at the bell, and Yota makes sure Finlay hears that. Finlay gets on the corner but the fans all boo. The two circle, tie up, and Yota uses his size to put Finlay on ropes. Finlay turns that around to grind forearms in Yota’s face and push him around. Finlay then backs up to SPIT at him! The fans boo but Yota CHOPS Finlay in return! The fans cheer, Yota headlocks, and Yota grinds Finlay down. Finlay powers up and out to headlock back, but Yota powers up and out. They RAM shoulders, Yota rebounds to run Finlay over!
The fans fire up, things speed up, but Finlay bails out. The fans boo but Finlay says he’s got time. Yota barks at Finlay but Finlay just mockingly applauds. Finlay returns, kips up just to show off, but then Hiromu wants in! Yota tags Hiromu, Finlay tags Drilla. Hiromu fires forearms on Drilla, whips, to ROCK, trip, KICK the ropes, then run and SHOTGUN Drilla down! The fans fire up while Hiromu barks. Hiromu runs corner to corner to clothesline, snapmare and basement dropkick! The fans fire up but Connors runs in to knee Hiromu low! Connors barks, runs, but Hiromu kicks low! Bushi dropkicks legs out so Hiromu can basement dropkick!
The fans fire up but Drilla fires hands and CHOPS on LIJ. Hiromu CHOPS back, he and Bushi double whip to TU LO SABE! Cover, TWO! Drilla stays in this but Hiromu fires Hiroshima up. Hiromu fireman’s carries, but Drilla slips free to RAM Hiromu into the corner! The Dogs mug Hiromu while Jake Lee runs up to BLAST Naito! Finlay and Connors help out in mugging Yota and Bushi! Things have pilled out into the crowd in multiple areas while Naito fights back! Jake kicks Naito, then whips him hard into railing! Naito tumbles up and over into No Man’s Land! Gabe and Takagi throw HEADBUTTS back and forth!
Finlay snatches a phone? He’s taking pictures of Jake stomping away on Naito! But then Yota attacks Finlay! Finlay POSTS Yota, a ring count starts, but the Dogs just keep beating LIJ down! Drilla finds his way back to ringside, Hiromu manages to make his way in! Hiromu crawls in at 17 but Drilla is there to stomp him! Drilla bumps Hiromu off Finlay’s boot! Drilla tags Jake in, they mug Hiromu, and Jake digs his boot in while Finlay pulls Hiromu’s hair! Red Shoes is busy getting everyone to stop brawling! Jake lets off but Hiromu fires off CHOPS! Jake just kicks low, whips, and then HIP TOSSES Hiromu down!
Hiromu staggers up but Jake clamps on a SLEEPER! Tag to Finlay and they mug Hiromu in the corner. Red Shoes reprimands and counts, the fans boo, and Finlay lets off at 4. Finlay soaks up heat, then he takes Hiromu’s Kamaitachi mask and THROWS it to the crowd! Finlay then BLASTS Yota off the apron! The Dogs CHOKE Hiromu more, mug him while Finlay argues with Red Shoes, then Finlay brings Hiromu up. Finlay fireman’s carries and goes to dump Hiromu! Hiromu clamps onto ropes, Bushi runs in to make the save! Connors goes after Bushi so Takagi makes the save! But Connors goes after Takagi now!
Finlay puts Hiromu on the apron but Hiromu rolls back in, SAFE! The fans cheer while Finlay is frustrated. Finlay storms up on Hiromu in a corner but Hiromu CHOPS and CHOPS! Finlay knees low, whips corner to corner hard, and Hiromu flounders all the way back to where he started! Finlay drags Hiromu up and over, the fans still cheering him on, but Connors tags in. Connors BLASTS Naito off the corner, then snap suplexes Hiromu down! Connors runs to ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Hiromu stays in this but Connors stays on him with a seated full nelson. The fans continue to rally for “HI-RO-MU!” as he endures!
Hiromu fights around, even as Gedo barks at him to give up. Hiromu still gets the ROPEBREAK! Finlay pushes the foot away and that distracts Red Shoes, allowing Drilla to join in and stomp Hiromu! Drilla & Connors double whip but Hiromu gets around to lift Connors and throw him at Drilla, FORCED RANA! The fans fire up but Connors keeps Hiromu away from his corner! Hiromu blocks a kick, and a punch, to DRAGON SCREW! The fans rally again while both men are down! Hot tag to Naito! Naito rallies on Connors, BLASTS Drilla, swings on Jake, but Jake gets away. Connors CLUBS Naito, whips, but Naito reverses to arm-drag!
Naito atomic drops, runs, and ELBOWS Connors down, to then basement dropkick! The fans fire up while Naito stares Jake down. Naito covers Connors, TWO! The fans rally, Naito drags Connors up and dragon sleepers, for the NECKBREAKER! And then, LEG HOOK NELSON! Connors endures but Gabe stomps Naito! Gabe BLASTS Takagi, the rest of the Dogs attack, and Gabe stomps away on Naito! Gabe tells off the fans but the fans boo. Red Shoes reprimands so Gabe steps away, and Connors drags Naito up. Connors UPPERCUTS, whips, but Naito reverses to TORNADO- NO, Connors powers out!
Connors dodges Naito, redirects and POUNCES! Naito is down but the fans rally up. Naito and Connors crawl, hot tags to Takagi and Gabe! The fans fire up for the NEVER Openweight Championship appetizer! They RAM shoulders, Takagi ROCKS Gabe then runs to RAM him! Gabe rebounds to RAM Takagi, but Takagi rebounds to RAM Gabe! Gabe fires a forearm, whips Takagi to a corner then runs in to clothesline! Takagi says that’s not enough, so Gabe UPPERCUTS! Gabe says he’s a madman, then whips, only for Takagi to reverses. Takagi runs in, blocks a boot, and clotheslines through! The fans fire up with Takagi, but Gabe shoves him!
Takagi kicks and CLUBS away on Gabe, but Gabe BITES Takagi’s forehead! Red shoes reprimands, but Takagi spins Gabe around to suplex high and hard! Cover, TWO! Gabe’s still in this but the fans rally behind “TA-KA-GI!” Takagi looks around, “Oi, Hiroshima! TOKI GA-” NO, Gabe CLOBBERS Takagi! It isn’t his time yet, and Gabe stands Takagi up to HEADBUTT again and again! Then Gabe suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO! Takagi’s tougher than that but Gabe shakes his head. Gabe scuffs Takagi, eggs him on and runs, but Takagi blocks the Rebounder to HEADBUTT! Gabe HEADBUTTS! Both men shake their heads, and then Takagi HEADBUTTS!
Gabe HEADBUTTS! Takagi HEADBUTTS again and again, but then Gabe HEADBUTTS again and again! Takagi fires a forearm, Gabe gives it back, repeat! The fans fire up as the shots go back and forth! Gabe gets the edge, but Takagi fires boxing elbows! Gabe CHOP! Takagi ELBOWS! JABS! Gabe UPPERCUTS and YUKON LARIATS! But Takagi’s right up to LARIAT!! Gabe rises and shouts! Both men run in, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! And again! Gabe fires palm strikes, talks trash, but gets a JAB, HEADBUTT, and a PUMPING BOMBER take takes both men up and out! DOUBLE ELIMINATION!!
Fans go wild as Takagi’s sacrifice play makes things 4v4! Bushi and Drilla jump in and Drilla fires off shots! Drilla ENZIGIRIS, ripcords, but Bushi dodges to RANA! And DROPKICK! Drilla bails out but Bushi builds speed, only for Connors to SNAP POWERSLAM! Drilla gets in, he and Connors get moving, SPEAR GORE COMBO!! Cover, TWO!! Bushi survives but the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions coordinate. Connors BLASTS Naito off the apron before he climbs a corner, and Drilla gets Bushi up. Drilla suplexes, but Bushi slips free! Bushi shoves Drilla into Connors, then runs back in to CODE-
NO, Drilla blocks and aims for ropes! Bushi slips free, dodges Drilla, but Drilla ducks the enzigiri, only for the REWIND HEEL to hit! Bushi whips Drilla up and out and to the floor, Bushi ELIMINATES Drilla! We’re 4v3 in LIJ’s favor, but then Connors SPEARS Bushi! Connors says this is it, and he reels Bushi in for- NO! Bushi turns No Chaser into a backslide! BUSHI ROLL! Bushi ELIMINATES Connors!! The Black Mask singlehandedly handles the tag champs and the fans fire up! But then Finlay CLOBBERS Bushi and rains down fists! Finlay roars in rage, then he drags Bushi up. Canadian Rack, but Bushi slips free to backslide!
Finlay rolls through to UPPERCUT! Jake BLASTS Naito, BLASTS Yota, and then Finlay gets Bushi up! Finlay POWERBOMBS Bushi to the outside, onto Naito and the rest! Finlay ELIMINATES Bushi! We’re back to 3v2 as Finlay still has Jake but LIJ still has Naito, Hiromu and Yota. And speaking of Yota, he gets in to brawl with Finlay! Yota whips, Finlay reverses but Yota flipping RANAS! Then he BLASTS Jake! Yota runs corner to corner to STINGER SPLASH Finlay! Yota keeps moving, he runs Finlay over to then run and SPLASH! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up with Yota as he smiles and paces around.
Yota brings Finlay up and fireman’s carries, but Finlay slips free. Yota kicks, runs, but Finlay ELBOWS him down, then SENTONS on top! Finlay barks as he aims at Yota. Yota rises, Finlay runs in, and UPPERCUTS at the corner! Then clotheslines! Then FALCON ARROWS! Cover, TWO! The fans rally for Yota but Finlay grows frustrated. Finlay drags Yota up, reels him in, but Yota fights the lift! Finlay CLUBS away on Yota, tries again, and he has Yota up, but Yota fights free of the bomb! Yota fires forearms, but Finlay UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS again! Finlay runs, but Yota backslides to KNEE Finlay down!
The fans fire up again as we pass 20 minutes, and Yota drags Finlay up. Yota goes up and up but Finlay shoves him over! Yota’s on the apron, he and Finlay brawl! Yota ROCKS Finlay, but Finlay gets in Red Shoes’ face! Jake grabs at Yota, Yota kicks him away, but Finlay BLASTS Yota down and ELIMINATES him! The fans boo but the Dogs have made this 2v2! Finlay and Jake stand together, and they dare Naito & Hiromu to join them. Naito and Hiromu oblige as they step inside. Naito stares Jake down, Hiromu stares Finlay down, and they start swinging! The fans fire up, but then Finlay fireman’s carries Hiromu! Finlay aims for ropes!
Naito gets past Jake to save Hiromu, but then Jake BOOTS Naito down! Jake scrapes Naito out of the ring and goes after him, but Hiromu fireman’s carries Finlay! Hiromu runs at ropes and dumps Finlay out! Finlay stays on the apron but Hiromu SUPERKICKS! Finlay holds onto ropes and wobbles, but Hiromu builds speed! Hiromu DIVES and SUNSET FLIPS, but Finlay still holds on! Finlay throws down hands, gets back inside, he’s SAFE! Hiromu is also safe because he went through the second rope. Hiromu runs back in, but avoids Blue Thunder to wheelbarrow! But Finlay turns that into an IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER!
Hiromu writhes, the fans rally as hard as they can behind him, but Finlay drags Hiromu up. DOMINATOR! Cover, Naito breaks it! Jake stomps Naito and TOSSES him out! It was all second rope so Naito’s safe, but Finlay talks trash on Hiromu. Finlay drags Hiromu up, reels him in, suplexes, but Hiromu slips free! Finlay UPPERCUTS, and UPPERCUTS, and UPPERCUTS! Flashback to the 23rd! Hiromu just takes UPPERCUT after UPPERCUT from Finlay, but he doesn’t stop! Then he SUPERKICKS! Hiromu runs, but into another UPPERCUT! Finlay gets Hiromu up, but Hiromu RANAS Finlay up and out to ELIMINATE him!!
The fans are thunderous as The Rebel is shocked! Hiromu mocks him, but then Jake runs in! Hiromu gets under the boot to get under Jake! Jake fights Hiromu off, snarls, and then runs up! Hiromu dodges to kick a leg! Hiromu runs, but Jake kitchen sink knees! Jake takes aim, runs up, and FACE BREAK SHOT! Hiromu tumbles up and out and to the floor, Jake ELIMINATES him! And now, at 25 minutes in, we’re down to just Jake and just Naito! Naito slowly rolls into the ring as the fans rally behind him. Jake watches Naito stand, and the two stare down. Jake runs in but Naito dodges to fire off forearms!
Naito whips but Jake reverses to KNEE low! Jake fires up but fans boo as he stands Naito up. Jake reels Naito in for a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! Naito protects the plate but Jake is aiming another heater! Jake waits as Naito stands, then winds up to choke grip! But Naito throws back elbows to get free! Naito then wrenches, TORNADO DDT! The fans fire up again while both men are down! Naito rises, he drags Jake up, and he throws those heavy back elbows! Jake crawls around, Naito brings him up, and Naito throws more heavy back elbows! Jake wobbles and staggers to the corner but Naito is right on him.
Naito brings Jake around for even more heavy back elbows! Jake falls over, the fans fire up, and Naito aims from the corner. Naito drags Jake up and in, but Jake BOOTS Naito down! Naito dangles off the apron! Red Shoes keeps the War Dogs from interfering, and Naito stands up. Jake aims, runs in, but Naito avoid the FBS! Naito drags Jake ot the apron, Jake elbows him back! Jake runs up, but into an ELBOW! Naito goes up and over, sweeps the legs, then BASEBALL SLIDE DROPKICKS! Jake falls, LIJ wins!!
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon, Naito as the lone survivor
It came down to the bottom of the ninth, technically speaking, and Naito just hit the walk-off homer! Jake is stunned and Finlay is frustrated, but Yota just smiles back at him. Finlay and Yota will have it out as part of Wrestling Dontaku Night One, who will be smiling then?
As for LIJ, they regroup in the ring and have their hands raised. Slyly’s even still hanging around! But uh, he’s a little too chunky to get in the ring, so he just settles for pumping up the crowd like he does at baseball games. Naito gets the mic to say that it was three months ago, the Splash Strong series back in January, since Naito was last in Hiroshima. Naito would like to thank the fans from coming here tonight, “Gracias, amigos.” The fans cheer, and Naito continues by saying, “Hiroshima is my second home. I really long to have a match at Mazda Stadium.” The fans love the sound of that!
Naito does preface that him saying that doesn’t mean there’s anything planned. So please, tranquilo, be patient, and look forward to the day that finally happens. So, shall they do it? The fans cheer again! So then, for the first time in Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall in a year and eight months, is everyone ready? The fans cheer because they sure are! Well then, the only way to close The Road to Wrestling Dontaku here in Hiroshima… Bushi! Hiromu! Takagi! Titan! Yota! Slyly! Y Naito! NOSOTROS! LOS! INGOBERRRRNABLEEEES~! DE! JA! PON!! Slyly gets in on the roll call! Will all of LIJ have success as we reach Wrestling Dontaku next week?
My Thoughts:
A great event to conclude Road to Dontaku before getting to Wrestling Dontaku itself. An unfortunate change in the card, Sanada fell ill and could not compete, so his match alongside Taichi against Tanahashi & Tomoaki was changed into Tanahashi and a Young Lion VS Tomoaki and a Young Lion. Hopefully Cold Skull gets well soon. Great tag title match from TMDK VS GoD, and while I figured TMDK was going to retain, I didn’t think it’d be in a shady way like holding tights. While ZSJ VS Cobb for the NJPW World TV title is still to come, I doner of GoD shift gears and ELP becomes a singles guy so Leo and Loa can team up. Then ELP can challenge ZSJ in a battle of initials while the Brothers Guerrilla get to take on Shane & Mikey.
Great Rural Revitalization again, they managed to pull off great comeback spots each round. I was very surprised Yuya won out, I felt like Khan could’ve done one more Rural Revitalization before losing. But at the same time, Yuya feels like the unofficial fourth Reiwa Musketeer behind Narita, Shota & Tsuji. Yuya getting a title, any title, ahead of the others is good stuff for him, and could even bring about a feud with one of the Musketeers for the Summer. And then a great 10 Man Elimination Tag. I again really like that NJPW allows over the rope eliminations even in a tag match like this to really mix things up. Jake Lee not winning out for the War Dogs is really surprising, but I feel like that means Jake will defeat Naito 1v1.
My Score: 8.9/10
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It’s a violent end to a legendary friendship!
Former Best Friends, Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor, have been through many Parking Lot Brawls, but this is their first time as enemies! Will there be broken bones to go along with the broken hearts?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Parking Lot Brawl: Trent Beretta VS Chuck Taylor; Trent wins.
- Thunder Rosa VS Deonna Purrazzo; Rosa wins.
- “Big Bill” Morrissey VS Trevor Blackwell; Bill wins.
- Katsuyori Shibata & Daniel Garcia VS Shane Taylor Promotions; Shibata & Garcia win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Parking Lot Brawl: Trent Beretta VS Chuck Taylor!
Years of friendship, thrown away, and why? Because #JustTrent had a problem with Freshly Squeezed having more success in AEW than them? Because #JustTrent had a problem with Cassidy as a person? Because #JustTrent turned out to be the selfish one in the relationship? Well, then will #JustTrent get his ass kicked? Or will he take advantage of how Chuckie T. is a Kentucky Gentleman?
Trent stares Chuck down while we hear the crowd of other wrestlers taunting him. Trent takes a swing, but Chuck dodges to fire off hands! The brawl is on, and Chuck gets the edge! Chuck ROCKS Trent, then SMACKS him off a car hood! And then off the car door! Chuck drags Trent up, but Trent RAMS Chuck into the car! And throat chops him just because! Trent gets space, runs back in, but Chuck dodges so Trent hits the passenger door! Chuck gets a trash can lid and he stands Trent up. Trent jumps through the open window but Chuck drags him back out. Trent kicks low, and he gives Chuck a CAR HOOD BACK SUPLEX!
Trent grabs the trash can lid, SMACKS Chuck right in the head and Chuck falls down! The crowd boos but Trent opens a car trunk to bring out a trash can, a dustpan and a baseball bat! Chuck storms up but Trent CHUCKS the trash can into Chuck’s face! Chuck flounders and Trent smirks. Trent SMACKS Chuck with the trash can, CLUBS him around, and Chuck is busted open! The white car has red polka dots on it now, and Trent talks trash, “This is what you wanted?!” Trent runs up, but Chuck POP UP POWERBOMBS Trent onto a car hood! Trent writhes, Chuck staggers around, and Chuck brings Trent around.
Chuck headlocks Trent before he SMACKS him off another car door. Trent goes around the back and then up onto a truck! Chuck follows, and he CLUBS Trent in the chest! But Trent slips under, and he CLAWS Chuck’s bloody face! Trent DECKS Chuck and Chuck falls through drywall sheets! Trent looms over Chuck as he crawls out of the wreckage. Trent stalks Chuck, brings him around and SMACKS him with the trash can lid! Trent hoists Chuck onto a car roof, SMACKS him again, then goes back to the truck. Trent climbs onto the roof of the truck, to FLYING ELBOW from car to car! Cover, TWO!!
Trent is furious, but Chuck is still in this as Rampage goes picture in picture.
Trent fumes, paces around, and goes back to the goodies. He brings out… Is that a screwdriver?! And he JABS Chuck in the head with it!! And then he DIGS it into Chuck’s forehead!! As if he wasn’t already bleeding badly!! Trent leaves Chuck behind, to fetch what looks to be a flat screen TV. Then he brings out a wood door!? Did someone visit Home Depot before coming here? Chuck CHOPS Trent in return then fires haymakers! Trent CLAWS Chuck’s face! Trent grabs that TV and CHUCKS it, only for Chuck to duck it! Rampage returns as TV screen hits windshield! Chuck kicks low to snap suplex Trent through the door!!
The crowd is losing its minds as Trent crawls. Chuck gets Trent’s legs, to CATAPULT him into the truck’s tailgate!! The crowd fires up while Chuck gets a sinister look on his face. Chuck takes a piece of that drywall to SMASH it on Trent! Chuck gets that trash can, he SMACKS Trent with it! Chuck sees the pile of extra goodies nearby, and he uncovers some light tubes! But first, he’ll clean up the mess, he SMACKS Trent with the dust pan! And SMACKS him again and again! And then one more shot with the trash can! Trent writhes, but Chuck drags Trent up. Chuck SMACKS Trent off the tailgate, then clears some space.
Chuck climbs up, but Trent ROCKET LAUNCHES him onto the light tubes!!! The tubes shatter under Chuck’s back! Trent sputters, he’s bloody now, too. Trent puts Chuck against the car hood and stands on him! Trent soaks up the heat, but Chuck TRIPS Trent! Trent writhes, Chuck reels Trent in, Canadian Rack, RAZOR’S EDGE onto a windshield!! Trent writhes while fans chant “HOLY CHUCK!” Chuck covers Trent on the hood, TWO!! Trent survives and hurries around the back of this sedan. Chuck snarls, goes up after Trent, and they meet on the roof. They’re both so bloody as they fire forearms back and forth!
The crowd cheers Chuck and boos Trent, and as the two swing wild, they end up HUGGING! You GOT to give the people what they want, right? They stand, Chuck ROCKS Trent and reels Trent in, but Trent LOW BLOWS!! Trent has Chuck now, PILEDRIVER ON THE CAR ROOF!!! And then, SNAKE BITE!! Trent is choking Chuck out!!! Chuck IS out, Trent wins!!
Winner: Trent Beretta, by submission
The Best Friends tore each other apart, but it is #JustTrent that stands tall in the end. He’s clearly lost the respect of his peers given how the other wrestlers are chanting “You Suck! You Suck!” But wait, Trent isn’t done? He has a monkey wrench!? Cassidy & Kris step forward to say no, this is going too far! Trent says this is all Cassidy’s fault! And SMASH, Trent hits Chuck’s leg with the wrench, and even shatters the glass behind it!! Chuck clutches the already recovering leg, and now Cassidy wants after Trent! Kris stops Cassidy, Trent’s still got the wrench! Trent escapes into the shadows of the arena, what darkness is living in Trent’s heart?
Don Callis is watching this.
And he seems to like the sadistic savagery he just witnessed. Trent may not have Best Friends anymore, but could he end up with a whole new family?
Backstage interview with Kyle O’Reilly.
Arkady Aura is with #CombatKyle and brings up his impressive showing in Dynamite’s Casino Gauntlet this past Wednesday. But we all want to know, what is next for her? Well, on Saturday, May 11th, AEW is coming to his hometown! Collision in Vancouver, British Columbia! The Rogers Arena, the same building an 11-year-old Kyle saw his first wrestling show ever. And at that show, Kyle told his dad that he was gonna do this one day. Papa O’Reilly said, “Oh yeah, sure you will, kid.” But somehow, Kyle pulled it off. 25 years later, he’s coming back home to do the one thing he’s ever been good at and that’s wrestling.
Kyle is going to take on the best wrestlers this world has to offer, right here in AEW, where the best wrestle. Kyle is ready for a fight, who will take him up on that in two weeks?
Thunder Rosa VS Deonna Purrazzo!
La Mera Mera and The Virtuosa could not coexist in the race for the AEW Women’s World Championship, and now they will Rampage against each other! Who will stand tall, ready for another shot at the title?
The bell rings and the fans rally up. Deonna and Rosa step up, talk a little trash, then Deonna pie faces Rosa! Rosa swings but Deonna catches the arm! Rosa avoids the takedown to knee low! They tie up again, go around and around, and Deonna puts Rosa in a corner. The ref counts, Rosa powers her way out but Deonna headlocks. Rosa powers up and out, but Deonna RAMS her! The two stay up, Deonna eggs Rosa on then kicks her low! Deonna whips, Rosa blocks the hip toss, but then Deonna blocks a hip toss! Rosa avoids the lariat to DECK Deonna! Rosa rains down fists but the ref reprimands.
Rosa sits Deonna up, clamps on a COBRA CLUTCH, and she grinds Deonna down. The fans rally but Deonna fights up. Deonna throws hands, then wrenches, but Rosa breaks free. Deonna BOOTS Rosa, then has the arm for the ARMBAR DDT! Deonna dusts herself off as she paces, then she KICKS Rosa’s arm. And KICKS it again! Rosa goes to ropes, Deonna pushes her down and ties her up in Paradise! Rosa is stuck, Deonna soaks up the cheers and jeers, and then runs to DROPKICK Rosa out of Paradise! Deonna stands Rosa up but Rosa ROCKS her first! Deonna stands, Rosa RAMS into her then bumps her off buckles.
Rosa goes up and up to leap, but Deonna blocks the rana and has a BOSTON CRAB! They’re in the ropes, the ref counts, and Deonna lets go. Rosa crawls to the corner, Deonna paces while soaking up the heat. Rosa stands, builds speed, and she WERCKS Deonna with a dropkick! Rosa fires up despite the pain in her back, and she kicks Deonna. Deonna stands, Rosa CHOPS her against the post! And CHOPS her again! Deonna ducks, Rosa chops post! Deonna SUPERKICKS Rosa down, and Rampage goes picture in picture.
Deonna steps on Rosa’s face, steps away, and Rosa staggers up to railing. Deonna storms up but Rosa kicks her low. Rosa then runs Deonna side to side to POST her! But then Deonna RAMS Rosa into apron! And SMACKS her off it! Deonna snarls, brings Rosa around, and she puts Rosa in the ring. Cover, TWO! Deonna clamps onto Rosa to pull her arms in, for a straitjacket stretch! Rosa endures, fights up, but Deonna turns that into a BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO! Rosa is still in this, and she is feeding off the energy of the fans! Rosa stands, and she ELBOWS Deonna! And body shots! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS again!
Rosa has Deonna in a corner to UPPERCUT! Rosa runs corner to corner and back again, but Deonna dodges! Rosa POSTS herself and falls to the apron! Deonna storms back over, brings Rosa up and wraps the bad arm against ropes! The ref counts, Deonna KICKS the ropes as she lets off, and Rosa clutches the elbow. Deonna returns but Rosa RAMS into her! Deonna CLUBS Rosa, has her in a corner, and HEADBUTTS the lower back as Rampage goes to break.
Rampage returns and Deonna runs in, but into an ELBOW! And then a BOOT! Rosa goes up to MISSILE DROPKICK! The fans fire up with Rosa as she rises up! Deonna runs in, Rosa dodges to fire forearm after forearm! Deonna shoves, Rosa ENZIGIRIS! Rosa runs, to SHOTGUN BOOT! Deonna flounders to ropes, Rosa pounds the mat and the fans rally again. Rosa runs side to side to DROPKICK again! Cover, TWO!! Deonna toughs it out while Rosa shakes out her arm. Rosa drags Deonna up, but Deonna SOBATS! Deonna runs to KNEE LIFT and RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Deonna wants the Fujiwara but Rosa rolls free!
Deonna BOTOS Rosa down, covers, TWO! Rosa is still in this and the fans rally up. Deonna is frustrated but she fireman’s carries Rosa. Rosa fires elbows, waistlocks, but Deonna pries the hold open! Deonna waistlocks, Rosa victory rolls and STOMP 182! The fans rally up again and Rosa covers, TWO! Deonna stays in this but Rosa stays on her. Rosa drags Deonna to a drop zone, goes to a corner and climbs. But Deonna rises and catches the leap! FUJIWARA ARMBAR!! Rosa endures, reaches out, pushes Deonna over to get a REAR NAKED CHOKE!! Deonna is in the body scissors but she fights around!
Deonna rises, to BACKPACK SENTON! Deonna is free, the fans fire up, and Deonna brings Rosa back up. Deonna SLAPS Rosa, then reels her in! Gotch Hold, but Rosa jackknife bridges! TWO, Deonna sunset flips, TWO! Prawn hold, TWO! FUJIWARA!! Rosa rolls it to a cradle, ROSA WINS!!
Winner: Thunder Rosa, by pinfall
Deonna thought she had the perfect formula but Rosa says she just beat her at wrestling! But then Deonna CLOBBERS Rosa at the ramp! The fans boo but Deonna drags Rosa up to RAM her into the bleachers! Rosa slumps down, but Deonna digs her boot in! Deonna SLAPS Rosa around, tells the ref to shut up, and she SLAPS Rosa more! So Rosa SLAPS back! They brawl on stage and then out to the ledge of the upper level! The fans fire up as they keep going! Security rushes in, the fans boo, but Deonna flips Rosa off! It seems nothing was settled here, will these two look to go Double or Nothing?
Backstage interview with The Undisputed Kingdom.
Arkady Aura is with Roderick Strong, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett as she notes Will Ospreay is the NEW #1 Contender to the AEW International Championship. Taven says hold on, before we get started here, “Not Lexy,” as three guys who care deeply about neck health, and as two guys who nursed someone from the brink of paralysis (aka Roddy), The Kingdom wishes a very speedy recovery to “the world’s greatest boss. TK, stay strong, buddy.” Roddy then shouts that “WILL… Ospreay. Congratulations, you did it! You have signed, sealed and delivered the downfall, demise and destruction of The Aerial Assassin at Double or Nothing.”
Roddy says the world can sing Ospreay’s praises, but none of that matters when you step in the ring with Roddy. Just like all the ones before, Roddy will dismantle Ospreay, he will BREAK Ospreay, and he will make Ospreay fall in front of The Savior of the Backbreaker. Roddy’s confidence is strong, but will Roddy be the one feeling the End of Heartache after taking on the #BillyGOAT?
“Big Bill” Morrissey VS Trevor Blackwell!
The human skyscraper says he wants to sit under the Learning Tree, but Chris Jericho’s gonna need a bigger tree if he’s to give guidance to Big Bill. Will Bill prove he is worthy of The Wizard’s sage advice?
The moment Bill is in the ring, he SPLASHES Trevor right in the corner! The bell rings, Bill runs to BOOT Trevor down! Trevor flounders around, Bill runs corner to corner and SPLASHES again! Trevor flops around, Bill wants Jericho to watch this. Bill said he’d show Jericho he is worthy, and we do see Jericho watching backstage, holding the FTW Championship on his shoulder and oddly still wearing a #LionHook shirt… Jericho nods as Bill CLUBS Trevor on the back! Bill then tells Jericho to watch him! Scoop and BIG BOSS SLAM!! Cover, but Bill lets off! Bill wags his finger, he wants Jericho to see more.
Bill brings Trevor up, reels him in, and short arm LARIATS! Cover, but again Bill lets off! Bill is having too much fun at poor Trevor’s expect. Bill says Jericho’s gonna wanna teach him. Bill hoists Trevor up for the SKYSCRAPER CHOKE SLAM!! One foot cover, a very Jericho move, and Bill wins!
Winner: “Big Bill” Morrissey, by pinfall
Trev might want to change his last name to Well-done, because he got roasted. Bill wants Jericho’s guidance, does he even need it when he can do all this?
BREAKING NEWS for Rampage!
Rampage won’t be following up Collision next week but it also won’t be back on Friday just yet. For AEW’s return to Canada, Rampage is going to be BACK TO BACK with Dynamite! Get ready for a truly All Elite Wednesday!
Katsuyori Shibata & Daniel Garcia VS Shane Taylor Promotions!
The Wrestler said during Collision earlier tonight that he was going to take on Shane Taylor Promotions by himself if he had to, but then the Dragonslayer offered his help. Now they’re both going to take on #TAIGASTYLE and Big Bad Shaney T. himself! Garcia wears basic trunks and boots to match Shibata, will The Wrestlers win out? Or will STP rumble, bad man, rumble?
The moment all four men are in the ring, Shibata CLOBBERS Lee Moriarty and then he and Garcia both go after Shane! The fans fire up as they stomp and kick Shane right out of the ring! Then they go out to keep after him! Shibata whips and BOOTS Shane into railing! Garcia fires off on Lee, then Shibata adds an UPPERCUT! Shibata whips and BOOTS Lee against railing! Garcia stomps Shane, Shibata snap suplexes Lee to the floor! Shibata leaves them behind to go into the ring and sit cross-legged! Garcia sits with him! The fans fire up and the two go out again. The brawling continues but Shane throws heavy hands!
Lee ROCKS Garcia, Shane puts Shibata in, and Shane storms in after Shibata. Lee sends Garcia into railing, but Shibata fires hands on Shane! Shibata KICKS and KICKS, but Shane blocks the boot! Shane JABS Shibata and Shibata falls back! Shane talks trash, the fans boo, but Shane drags Shibata up. Shane HEADBUTTS Shibata, tags Lee, and they mug Shibata. Lee stomps a mudhole in, lets off as the ref counts, but he sneaks mule kicks on Shibata the whole time! Shibata trips Lee, stomps him, but Lee gets up to RAM into Shibata! Lee brings Shibata around, suplexes, but Shibata slips free to waistlock!
Lee elbows free, kicks, but Shibata blocks! Lee KNEES Shibata but Garcia tags in! Shibata BOOTS Lee, Garcia LARIATS! Garcia DROPKICKS Shane, gets around Lee, TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! And then another TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! Garcia brings Lee up again but Lee suplexes! Garcia slips free, spins Lee and kicks low, to then TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! The trifecta is complete and the fans fire up! Garcia storms up on Lee, brings him up, and UPPERCUTS! The fans rally for Garcia, he CHOPS Lee to ropes. And CHOPS Lee against ropes! Garcia runs, but Shane trips him! Lee distracts the ref so Shane can DRAPING DDT to the floor!
Shibata protests but Lee mocks him by sitting cross-legged. The ring count climbs, Garcia drags himself up at 3 of 10, slides in at 5, but Lee stomps Garcia at the ropes! Lee drags Garcia up, bumps him off buckles, then tags Shane. Shane pushes Garcia against the buckles, to then CHOP! Garcia seethes and he fires forearm son Shane! The fans fire up, Garcia throws more shots, then leaps, but into Shane’s arms! Shane RAMS Garcia into a corner, then CHOPS! Shane runs up, but Garcia BOOTS! Garcia spins, but Shane ROCKS him first! And URENAGES! And then SPLASHES down! Cover, TWO!
Shane seethes but he keeps Garcia from Shibata, and Rampage goes picture in picture.
Shane mocks Garcia’s dance, drags him up, but Garcia CHOPS! Garcia staggers, but Shane fires body shots in the corner! Shane ROCKS Garcia, tags Lee, and STP mugs Garcia. Garcia flounders to ropes, Lee CHOKES him! The ref counts, Lee steps away, and he stomps Garcia around. Lee wraps an arm around the ropes, then fishhooks Garcia! The ref counts, Lee lets off, and Garcia feeds off the energy of the fans. Lee brings Garcia up but Garcia fires forearm sand CHOPS! Lee gets around, and GERMAN SUPLEXES! Cover, TWO! Garcia stays in this but Lee stays on him with a wrench. Tag to Shane, and Lee hooks Garcia up in a COBRA TWIST, just so Shane can KNEE Garcia down!
Shane has Garcia on ropes, ROCKS him with a forearm, then scoops him for SNAKE EYES! Garcia slumps down in the corner, Shane drags him back up, and TOSSES him out! Shane goes out to then put Garcia against railing. Shane ROCKS Garcia, talks trash on fans, then brings Garcia around to scoop and SLAM him to the floor! Shane talks more trash on the fans, Lee has him cool off, and Shane brings Garcia up again. Shane puts Garcia in, tags Lee, and then Lee clamps on with a top wristlock and stretches Garcia out! Garcia endures, turns to fight the pressure, but Lee CLUBS him down. Lee drags Garcia up, tags Shane, and Shane scoop SLAMS!
Shane runs to SPLASH Garcia again! Rampage returns to single picture, Shane drags Garcia to a drop zone, and he goes up a corner. The fans boo but Shane blows them a kiss. FALLING SPLASH FLOPS as Garcia moves! T he fans fire up, but Lee KICKS him down! Lee hurries back and tags in, then he drags Garcia up. Lee wrenches, wristlocks, but Garcia endures. Lee SNAPS the fingers! The fans boo Lee being so villainous, but he drags Garcia up. Lee bumps Garcia off buckles, Shane holds Garcia up, but Garcia fights free with boots and haymakers and elbows! The fans fire up, Garcia sends Lee into Shane!
Lee hurries to waistlock but Garcia switches, SAIDO! The fans are thunderous as Lee and Garcia crawl! Hot tags to Shane and Shibata! Shibata BOOTS Shane! Shane roars, Shibata runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges and BOOTS! Shibata whips to BOOT Shane in the corner! Shibata fires forearms, the ref counts, but Lee runs up. Shibata DECKS him! Garcia RAMS Lee into a corner, climbs up, and while Shibata fires forearms on Shane, Garcia rains down fists! Garcia goes all the way to nine, then DOES HIS DANCE! Shibata and Garcia coordinate, DOUBLE HYDRAULIC DROPKICKS! The fans fire up and Garcia stands Shane up. Shibata runs in to BOOT!
Shibata CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS Shane, then CHOPS, CHOPS and JABS! Garcia does his dance while Shibata JABS and CHOPS to the rhythm! The fans are loving this, as now Garcia runs in to KNEE Shane! Shibata & Garcia get Shane up, to DOUBLE SUPLEX!! Cover, ONE?!? Shane has power to spare, but Garcia BOOTS him! Shibata BOOTS him! They go again, but this time Shane DOUBLE SUPLEXES them!! The fans boo but Shane tags in Lee. Lee runs up to clothesline Shibata, and JAB! And CHOP! JAB! CHOP! JAB! CHOP! Shibata just scowls at Lee! Lee says okay, and he fires more JABS and CHOPS!
Shibata steps into the shots, so Lee eggs him on! Shibata ROCKS Lee! Shane runs up, HEADBUTTS, then Lee HALF HATCH SLAMS! Cover, TWO!! Shibata toughs it out and STP grows frustrated. Lee drags Shibata up, kicks then waistlocks, but Shibata fights the lift! Shane storms in, helps Lee put on the full nelson, and Shane promises to knock Shibata out! But Shibata BOOTS Shane first! Garcia jumps on for a SLEEPER! Shibata switches on Lee for a SLEEPER!! The fans fire up as STP start fading out! Shane fires up to RAM Garcia into buckles! But Shibata BOOTS him! And Garcia SAIDOS!! Shibata PENALTY KICKS Lee!! Cover, The Wrestlers win!
Winners: Katsuyori Shibata & Daniel Garcia, by pinfall
Shibata helps Garcia stand up, and Garcia is proud to have won alongside one of his heroes! And with the fans cheering him on, Garcia sets up… to DO HIS DANCE! Will this momentum help Shibata avenge Hook and take that FTW Championship off of Chris Jericho? Or will The Learning Tree have some things to teach Shibata?
My Thoughts:
A great Rampage here, though I was oddly more excited when I thought it was just Deonna VS Rosa and the Parking Lot Brawl. But even so, at least Bill squashing a dude was used in story. He was showing off, he’ll surely have Jericho’s blessing if he helps defeat Shibata on Dynamite, but a part of me almost wants this to be all a trap. Bill was teammates with Ricky Starks in a feud against Jericho, and if Jericho is being obliviously arrogant then maybe Bill is using that against Jericho, too. But either way, let’s just hope this story helps Bill get going rather than slow him down like the #JerichoVortex has always done.
The Parking Lot Brawl was moving maybe a bit fast for me, especially with how there were some obvious spots already set up when they arrived, such as the drywall draped across the truck bed. But they surely got bloody, and in the end, Trent won out because he was willing to sink to the lowest low. And then they’ve written Chuck off again with that monkey wrench to the shin, so Cassidy VS Trent is definitely a Double or Nothing match. And something is just telling me that if Kris is gonna turn out to be the villain in the Willow Nightingale story, she’s probably gonna screw Cassidy over to help Trent, too.
Really good match from Deonna VS Rosa, and with Rosa getting a quick pin then that brawl, we’re clearly getting more out of them. Good promo from Kyle O’Reilly to hype AEW’s newest Canada tour, and good promo from The Kingdom to tie in their old Neck Health Awareness gag to the Tony Khan piledriver angle. Roddy calling out Ospreay, I would definitely think Ospreay wins the title at Double or Nothing. And really good tag main event from Shibata & Garcia VS Shane Taylor Promotions. STP keeps getting great showings even in losing, but Lee took the loss here to keep Shane himself strong. Great win for Shibata but this just adds to the go-home math where Jericho retains the FTW Championship on Dynamite.
My Score: 8.7/10
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