AEW All In: Texas

AEW All In: Texas

Arlington, TX - July 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Jon Moxley was the AEW World Champion, the TNT Champion was Adam Cole, the International Champion was Kenny Omega, the Continental Champion was Okada, the AEW Women's Champion was Toni Storm, the TBS Champion was Mercedes Mone, the AEW Tag Team Champions were the Hurt Syndicate, and the AEW Trios Champions were the Death Riders (Claudio Castignoli, Wheeler Yuta, and Gabe Kidd). 

The opening contest was for the AEW Trios Championship with Gabe Kidd, Claudio Castignoli, and Wheeler Yuta challenging Samoa Joe, Will Hobbs, and Shibata. A solid opener in front of an enthusiastic crowd, but nothing groundbreaking or mind-blowing. With the babyfaces getting the clean win, this seemed like it could've been used as the first part of "writing off" the Death Riders for awhile, but them attempting to break Joe's neck after the match seemed more like a way to "write off" the Opps from the rest of the show so that them not being part of the eventual interference in the main event could be explained. Solid, but inessential. (2.5/5)

The Men's Casino Gauntlet Match was next. MJF and Mark Briscoe started things off and their rivalry ended up being the focal point of the finish with Briscoe clearly having Roderick Strong beat with his underhook piledriver and MJF "stealing" the win by tossing him to the outside and making the cover himself. It was a somewhat underwhelming finish after a match that featured some very good moments but lots of guys "disappearing" for minutes on end, including in the final minutes when the other half-dozen plus wrestlers in the match aside from Briscoe, MJF, and Strong completely vanished. (2/5)

Adam Cole came out in the next segment to announce that he would be unable to compete due to a health injury and that he was going to be out for a long, long time. I'm not a huge Adam Cole fan, but he's had to give too many of these speeches over the years and, as a person, he's always seemed like a cool dude. 

This also meant that the next match would be an impromptu Fourway for the now-vacant TNT Championship between Kyle Fletcher, Sammy Guevara, Daniel Garcia, and Dustin Rhodes. Rhodes and Guevara had already worked a dark match on this show and competed the night before, which means this was their third outing in 2 days. The crowd seemed a bit dead for this, which is understandable considering Adam Cole's announcement and the fact that half the guys in this match had already wrestled. I didn't love this match as it featured a few too many "cutesy" moments when it was obvious they had gone to the drawing board to come up with crowd-pleasing spots rather than treating this like a real competitive fight (for example, Garcia's trio of superplexes, which is just an illogical and long-winded spot). The finish came out of nowhere and I'm curious if the "plan" was for Guevara to break the pin by Rhodes and everyone else in the match - and maybe even the commentators - knew the actual plan was for Dustin to get the victory. Fletcher was the best part of this match, but I think the right man won because the crowd was so deflated from Cole's announcement that a heel win would have been a double-downer. Not my kind of match, but acceptable considering the situation. (2.5/5)

Next up - The Young Bucks vs. Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland. After Ospreay's entrance we got a shocking performance by Jo Jo Offerman, singing "Ain't Nobody" before Swerve's music blasted out. Cool moment there, even though I didn't get the connection. As expected, this was a fireworks show filled with ridiculous combo moves and one of the wildest Superkick party sequences I've seen. The difference between this match and the one before it was that the former had moments that seemed convoluted and purposefully "fun" while in the latter, the over-the-top quality moves all served the purpose of causing harm. That being said, the layout of the match, which saw the Bucks dominate for a lengthy stretch to start in something akin to the usual "Southern tag" formula, didn't necessarily build heat because the Bucks' offense is so visually exciting and action-based rather deliberate and purposefully "boring" to build up the hot tag. Great nearfalls towards the end and a very satisfying finish that, hopefully, allows the Bucks to step away from the EVP gimmick that ended up being an unfortunate creative dead end (like so many other Authority storylines since the Austin/McMahon rivalry of 20+ years ago). No problem calling this "must see" and worth viewing after a string of matches that didn't quite deliver. (4/5)

The Women's Gauntlet Match was next. There were some cool moments, for sure (arguably even more than the men's gauntlet), but the formula in these matches wears thin quickly and it being the second of its type did not do it any favors. Looking at the talent on display, I was not surprised to learn that AEW would be adding Women's Tag Team Championships to the mix. I'm not sure they're needed, but if it means more action from folks like Megan Bayne, Queen Aminata, and others, why not? Unfortunate finishing stretch between Mina and Thunder Rosa as they seemed to be a touch "off" with each other. I wasn't a fan of the big powerbomb spot on the floor either as it took out most of the pack and forced too many women to sell "death" when all they'd really done was catch an opponent and fall to the floor. (1.5/5)

The AEW Tag Team Champions, The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin with MVP), defended their titles against Christian Cage and Nick Wayne of The Patriarchy and the team of "Speedball" Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight (with FTR and Stokely Hathaway on commentary). I was glad to hear FTR on commentary as they've been doing excellent work with Stokely since returning, but seem to be in a weird situation where they're on the periphery of the tag scene and essentially just waiting for Copeland (Edge) to return to have a real storyline again. Speaking of that...Good match, lots of fun spots, but maybe a touch too "spotty" rather than feeling like a title match with high stakes and psychology. Speedball was the MVP of the match, throwing himself around (and getting thrown around) but everyone worked hard. The finish saw FTR get involved, eventually costing Christian the match to a Lashley spear. During the post-match, the aforementioned Copeland returned to save Christian from a Con-Chair-To being executed by Wayne and Kip Sabian. After making the save, Copeland told Christian to "find himself." (3/5)

AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm vs. AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone was next. Mone came into this match undefeated. Mone got a huge entrance, decked out in gear that looked inspired by Beyonce's semi-recent country girl look. This was arguably the second most-hyped match on the card but the crowd still sounded "small," an issue that had plagued all the prior matches too. Toni got her usual grand entrance and was met with a big babyface reaction. Once the match began, there was a surprising dueling chant as the women started things off with some lock-ups, even rolling out of the floor, up the stairs, and onto the apron. Toni played some mind games early, gave Mone a spanking, and landed a dropkick before doing a bit of dancing as Mercedes recovered on the outside. Storm followed it up with a hip attack and then a Luther assisted hair toss off the apron and onto the floor, which had to hurt. Mone cut her off and hit a Meteora onto Luther (who was holding Toni up) and then posed with the belt to milk the heat she got. Mone hit a sunset flip powerbomb and then another one that put Toni into the buckle and then one on the floor! Dang. Mone then did some of Toni's bits in the ring, rolling around and posing. Bringing Storm back into the ring, Mone applied a head scissors but Storm escaped only to eat a nasty german suplex and then another Meteora on the bottom rope for 2. Storm came back with a clothesline, a Lou Thesz press, and then a "Sky High" (sit-out chokeslam/powerbomb) before getting 2 with a Fisherman's Suplex. Mone regained control and began to work on Storm's wrist and arm on the mat but Storm managed to hit a backbreaker. When she went for another, Mone countered it into another arm bar attempt but Storm kept hold of her other hand, preventing Mone from fully applying the hold, and then, in an excellent move, catapulted Mone neck-first into the bottom rope to break it. Mone hit the Tres Amigos, which drew even more boos, and then attempted a frog splash but Storm got her knees up and nearly pinned her with an inside cradle. Storm hit a few german suplexes, all of them looking painful, before hitting the Hip Attack in the corner and then a Storm Zero for 2.8! Storm applied an awesome chickenwing, but Mone bit her way out! When Mone went for a Tombstone, Storm countered it and...to put it bluntly...rubbed her face in Mone's crotch to a huge reaction before Mone reversed it and started booting her on the mat. A strike exchange led to both women on their backs, selling and exhausted. Storm went for another german suplex, but Mone countered it into a ridiculous pin attempt, leading to a 2 count, a Playmaker, and then another 2.9! Good sequence there. At this point, Storm's nose was visibly busted and bleeding. Mone grabbed her by the hair and kissed her and went for another Playmaker but Storm countered it into a sit-out powerbomb! Mone locked in an interesting wristlock submission but Storm powered out, dumped her in the corner, and looked to deliver another Hip Attack. Mone came back on the attack but Storm hit a crazy-looking cutter! Not even sure what to call that one but it was nifty. Mone hit a Backstabber and went for her signature submission but Storm held on and turned it into one of her own! They rolled around a bit and Storm landed 3 successive Storm Zeros...but Mone kicked out at 2.9! Wow. The crowd bit on it hard and Mone's selling was excellent. Storm positioned her for a Hip Attack but Mone sprung up and nearly pinned her with an inside cradle before applying a Statement Maker and then an STF! Storm made her way towards the bottom rope and, after another sequence of pin attempts and counters, nailed the Hip Attack in the corner! Onto the top rope they went, leading to another kiss and then a Storm Zero off the top rope! Holy cow! Excellent, excellent finish that absolutely protects Mone and officially put Storm onto the next level. Absolutely great match. (4/5)

Kazuchika Okada, the reigning AEW Continental Champion, took on Kenny Omega, the reigning International Champion in a Winner-Takes-All match to crown the first ever AEW Unified Champion that followed. These two put on some of the best matches of all time years earlier so expectations were high. Omega got an over-the-top entrance with a live singer belting out what I assume was a slowed-down version of his theme song. Omega and Okada took some time to get started with the first big spot being an Omega crossbody over the top to the floor. Omega went for a second back in the ring, but Okada evaded it and went to work with some deliberate elbow drops into Omega's gut. When Omega went for a moonsault, Okada got his knees up and then went right back after Omega's midsection (leaning heavily into the story of Omega's bout with diverticulitis). To the floor they went, where Callis got involved and then Okada hit a nasty DDT on the top of one of the announce tables. Omega got back into the ring to eat another DDT for 2. Omega fired up and we got a strike exchange, but when Omega came off the ropes, Okada met him with a knee to the stomach for another 2 count. Omega came back with a head scissors when Okada came off the ropes and followed it up with his signature flying Terminator Dive and then a dropkick off the top to the back of the head for 2! Okada fought back with a cool Samoan Drop-esque drop as the match entered minute 11 or 12 or so. Both men ended up on the top rope with Omega hitting a nasty bent-knee superplex for another nearfall. Omega went for a V-Trigger but Okada sidestepped, hit a German Suplex, missed a Rainmaker, but nearly got a 3 with  roll-up. Omega hit a Dragon Suplex but Okada nailed a dropkick when he tried for a V-Trigger right after! Great sequence there that showcased their knowledge of each other. Okada hit a massive dropkick that sent Omega flying into the corner! That looked great. After a bodyslam, Okada hit an elbow drop off the top rope and went for either a gut-wrench or tombstone, but Kenny resisted and Okada had to settle for an axehandle to the back. Omega fought out of a second attempt and went for a bodyslam, but Okada countered it into an over-the-shoulder gut-buster. Wow. Love the struggle and counters and muscling to deliver a move there. Okada hit yet another elbow drop from the top, continuing to focus on Omega's gut. Okada went for the Rainmaker but Omega got his arm up to block, causing Okada to hit him in the gut instead. Okada played to the crowd a bit, building up the heat, but his lack of focus allowed Omega to come back with a series of punches and then a nasty knee to the chin! Powerbomb by Omega and a V-Trigger! 1...2...no! V-Trigger again! 1...2...no! V-Trigger in the corner as the match entered minute 20 or so! Omega hoisted Okada up to the top rope and hit him with some headbutts before delivering an awesome Avalanche Full-Nelson Suplex/Dragon Suplex! Okada was able to turn his body so that he didn't land on the back of his head, but ended up landing face-first instead. Cool. Omega hit yet another V-Trigger and went for the One-Winged Angel, but Okada countered it into a Tombstone! Rainmaker! 1..2...no! Okada went for another but Omega evaded it and hoisted Okada up for the One-Winged Angel but when that didn't work, he dropped him down and turned it into a German Suplex! Holy cow! Rocky Romero ran down and jumped on the apron but got taken out by Kota Ibushi! On the apron, Omega had to deal Callis and another member of the Family, but Omega then managed to hit the One-Winged Angel for 1...2...Callis pulled the ref out of the ring! Huge heat! The crowd was not at all happy with the bullshit going on. Omega called for another referee and out came Aubrey Edwards to a big pop. Omega signaled for another V-Trigger, hit it, and went for a One-Winged Angel but Okada countered it into a Rainmaker! 1...2...kickout! A "Fight Forever" chant broke out as they entered minute 26 or so (by my unscientific count). Omega and Okada traded forearms in the center of the ring, with Okada eventually hitting a dropkick and going for a Rainmaker - but Omega turned it into an inside cradle! 1...2..kickout! Okada springs up, hits a spinning slam, and then another Rainmaker! That does it! Wow. That finishing sequence was whiplash-inducing but very believable. Excellent, excellent match. I can understand some disappointment and some fans feeling underwhelmed if only because this wasn't an instant "Best Match Ever"-level bout, but that feeling only comes because of what they've done in the past and set an unrealistic bar for them to try to clear before the bell even rang. This was high-caliber stuff and easily Okada's best match in AEW. (4/5)

Main Event Time - "Hangman" Adam Page challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship in a Texas Death Match (basically guaranteeing that this was going to a bloody mess loaded with run-ins from Mox's Death Riders friends and the anti-Death Rider crew). Page came out to an absolutely awesome version of the theme from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly performed by a whistling lady that was followed by a loud "Cowboy Shit" chant. That's a +1 right there. Mox and Page traded forearms and fists early, stiffing the heck out of each other. I liked that, on commentary, Excalibur noted that their record against each other was 2-and-2, making this a "rubber match." Nice attention to detail there. Mox tried to use a fork early on but jabbed it into the buckle. Page brought one out and stabbed Mox right in the head with it repeatedly! Holy shit! JR did not seem to like it, calling them "idiots" as Mox was cut open deeply. Dang. That was insane. Mox pulled out barbwire and tried to use it to slice Page's mouth open, but then pulled it across his forehead instead. Marina Shafir then bit at Hangman's head (though I'm pretty sure Hangman took the opportunity to do an old-fashioned "blade job" as he sold in the corner). Mox grabbed hold of a chair (wrapped in barbwire) and bodyslammed Hangman onto it, drawing a huge reaction from the crowd. Moxley's ground-and-pound punches to the forehead didn't look too good, but his boot into the chair (into Page's face) made up for it moments later. To the outside they went, where Moxley pulled out a table and Shafir helped him set it up. Moxley looked to superplex him off the top rope and through the table but Page bit into Moxley's head, forcing him to hop down to the mat. Neckbreaker by Moxley and then Shafir gave him a bucket of glass to spread across the mat. Uh oh. Mox took a handful and smeared it all over Page's face before attempting to piledrive him into it. Page resisted, though, attempting a Deadeye, but Moxley rolled over and Mox dragged him through the glass by his legs! Yowzers. Piledriver into the glass! Page got to his feet and hit Moxley with some big slaps, but Mox regained control with knees and delivered a second piledriver before calling for a whole bunch of chairs from Shafir. The crowd chanted and cheered for Page as he tried to pull himself to his feet. Moxley grabbed hold of him in a front headlock, brought him up to the top rope, and attempted a powerbomb or piledriver through two unfolded chairs, but Page fought back, delivering a few headbutts, but when he tried to superplex him, Mox carved into his back with barbwire! Hangman spilled down to the ring as Mox turned around and Hangman, who had turned the chairs back-to-back, grabbed of him and hit him with a powerbomb onto the tops of the chairs! Nasty! To make matters worse, Mox rolled into the glass too! Barbwire forearm by Hangman! Then another! Wheeler Yuta with a chairshot to the back of Hangman, but Page no-sells it and nails him with a forearm to send him out of the ring! Mox attempted a Death Rider, but Page hit the Angel's Wings! Hangman skinned the cat to attempt a Buckshot Lariat but Shafir got on his back! Death Valley Driver through the table! I'm not sure Shafir didn't land directly on her head on the floor. Back in the ring, Page hit a Deadeye on the glass! But in came Castignoli to beat down on Page, hitting him with a series of forearms and stomps on the mat. Wheeler added even more boots as Claudio pulled out another table. But out came Will Ospreay to even the odds! Gabe Kidd came out and it became a 3-on-1, with Kidd piledriving Ospreay on the floor. Claudio then "Pillmanized" Ospreay's neck, just as he had done to Samoa Joe earlier in the show, instantly neutralizing him. Back in control, Mox attempted a piledriver on the apron (or through 2 barbwire tables), but Page countered it. Mox applied a choke, though, and landed a vertical suplex off the apron into the two barbwire tables! Great spot. Meanwhile, Ospreay was shown being stretchered out. Both Mox and Page beat the 10 count, but only barely. Mox was an absolutely bloody mess, as was Page, as they met in the middle of the ring and traded forearms once again. Mox hit a lariat, the Gotch-style piledriver, and then applied the Bulldog Headlock, attempting to put Page out so that he couldn't meet the 10 count. Mox released the hold, but Page began to show life at 7 and then stumbled into the ropes at 9.5! Great work there by Page. Mox set up another unfolded chair and hit him with a Death Rider, but the chair didn't collapse! Nasty. As Mox celebrated, though, Page once again broke the count at 9! Mox pointed to Claudio and demanded a plastic bag, the same weapon used to end the career of Danielson. Wheeler came into the ring with it and handed it to Mox, but before he could use it...Darby Allin appeared on the video screen! But instead of Darby, Bryan Danielson returned! Baisuku Knee from the corner to Yuta! Yes Kicks to Gabe Kidd and Claudio! Big dive to the floor! And down from the rafters comes Darby Allin! Staredown with Mox as the crowd chants his name! Buckshot Lariat onto Mox! Coffin Drop onto the Death Riders! A second Buckshot Lariat in the ring! Deadeye through the table on the outside of the ring! Mox has got to be dead. Page makes his way to his feet and slides into the ring. The count is up to 8...9...but Shafir gets Mox to his feet and gives Page the finger! Back in the ring, the Bucks have arrived! Double Superkick from the Bucks! EVP Trigger! Mox brings out a bed of nails to the ring and slides it into the ring. Oh shit. Mox looks like he's going for a Curb Stomp and he hits it! Paradigm Shift DDT onto the bed of nails! The Curb Stomp didn't look too great, but the DDT did. The ref counts...6...7...8...but Page somehow gets up at 9! At this point, Mox demanded the key that Shafir wore around her neck and to grab the briefcase as well. But when she went to grab it, she got handcuffed by Prince Nana! Holy shit! Swerve has arrived with Hangman's chain! He takes out the Bucks! He gives the chain to Page! Page uses it to nail Mox! He wraps it around the neck! He hangs him over the top rope! But Mox pulls him over too. Buckshot Lariat and Mox lands on the bed of nails! Page pulls him off and wraps the chain around his neck and tosses him over the top rope! Mox is forced to tap! Holy shit! Page has the briefcase and, with tears in his eyes, he pops it open and pulls out the AEW World Championship to a huge pop. This was the perfect end to the Death Riders saga and Mox's title reign, so good that it makes one forget just how bad Mox's past few title defenses were. (4.5/5)

Despite a run-time of SIX hours and a card loaded with 9 matches (in an era when a WWE PLE might max out at 6), AEW All In: Texas managed to earn a very strong 3.11-out-of-5 score. If you skip the Gauntlet matches and the TNT Championship bout (or take them out of the calculation), this show would've had a ridiculous 3.66 rating, but AEW is "for the sickos" and this show makes it clear what that means. What matters most on any PPV, but especially one like this (which is essentially AEW's WrestleMania-level event), is whether the big marquee matches and every single one of them was simply outstanding. Impossible to recommend as a whole as it is simply too long, but still one of the best and most rewarding shows of all time.

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote In Hand

Random Matches

Lioness Asuka & Chigusa Nagayo vs. Dump Matsumoto & Bull Nakano (10/10/1985, AJW): The crowd is electric for this and the Crush Gals look like real badasses standing up against 5 masked women with canes in their hands. When Lioness Asuka's name is announced, the amount of streamers that cover the ring is ridiculous. The heels outnumber and beat down on the babyfaces before the bell but the melee subsides rather quickly and Asuka goes at it with Nakano. A loud "Chigusa" chant starts up when she gets tagged in, clearly the sound of thousands of young women going wild for their hero. The referee forces one of the other masked women to reveal herself when its revealed that Dump Matsumoto is not in the match. This leads to another wild brawl all around the ring. Matsumoto takes off her mask but grabs hold of a kendo stick and just wails on Asuka! The heels maintain control and send Asuka to the outside for more punishment from their goons. Nagayo gets pulled in by Matsumoto and Nakano strikes her with nunchucks, working on her knee. Asuka comes in and gets a sling blade and then a chop to Nakano's gut! Vertical suplex by Asuka but another run-in breaks the count. Outside, some of the goons try to grab a table and get into it with one of the announcers! Back in the ring, more chaos! The heels grab hold of more weapons and then their henchman join the mix too. The bell rings and the babyfaces are rewarded the first fall by DQ, which makes total sense. The second fall begins with Nakano and Asuka as Chigusa sells on the outside. Asuka with some kicks and knees to get control and then an airplane spin for 2. In comes Nagayo for revenge, hitting Nakano with a series of headbutts and then a sharp jab and a punch to the gut off the ropes. Piledriver by Nagayo but it only gets 2. Off the ropes comes Asuka with an elbow to the back and then an awesome German suplex! In comes Matsumoto but she gets rolled up for 2 also. Matsumoto counters with a clothesline off the ropes and then hoists Asuka up. Doomsday Device gets 3! Asuka sells on the mat like her neck has been broken, which is a bit much but certainly adds to the drama. Nagayo is forced to come in to face Matsumoto. She manages to apply a headlock but Matsumoto grabs her by the foot and then brings her up in a fireman's carry just to drop her on the mat. Clothesline by Dump off the ropes but it barely gets a 1 count. In comes Nakano, who applies a front facelock and then also grabs a leg for a half-crab. Not alot of "moves" on display during this 3rd fall, but plenty of grappling, which is a bit surprising after how wild the first fall was and how much the 2nd, even with its brevity, was "off the mat." Dump grabs a garbage can but doesn't get DQ'd for using it and then chokes out Asuka on the top rope. Matsumoto wraps a chain around Asuka's injured neck! The Crush Gals' supporters huddle around them to try to protect them from any more punishment and the match collapses again with the Crush Gals gloating and strutting about. Not knowing Japanese, I have no idea what the ring announcement was, but the match continues once everyone gets cleared out. Dump delivers some stiff kicks to Nagayo's midsection and then applies a choke on the mat. Chigusa has a busted lip or bloody nose (hard to tell). Dump slams her but Nakano misses the leg drop! Nagayo with a spin kick off the ropes but Nakano is still standing and drops a leg on Chigusa's thigh. The heels take over again and continue to work on Nagayo's bandaged knee. Asuka runs in to protect her from any more punishment, as do their cornerwomen, with the referee calling off the match and awarding the final fall to the heels (which gets a huge reaction). Dump's gloating in the corner is incredible. Incredible match with lots of visuals and wonderful, wild storytelling. If one ever wondered how much heat Dump and Nakano had or how over the Crush Gals were, this match really sums it up. I wish there was more actual wrestling in it, though, as so much of this is "carried" by its atmosphere and the character work. Still, certainly worthy of one's time. (4/5)

Judy Martin and Donna Christianello vs. Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka (03/08/1986, WWE): I'm not sure how well-known The Crush Gals were in the WWE prior to this match (or even after), but the commentator team certainly didn't seem to know much of anything about them. Monsoon didn't even know which one was "The Lioness." Martin slaps Chigusa's hand away when she reaches out for a handshake and is clearly apprehensive about locking up with Nagayo, especially after she does a jumping spin kick to show her martial arts skills. They finally lock up and Martin manages to apply a wristlock before tagging in her partner, who also attempts a wristlock that Nagayo quickly counters. A "Boring" chant begins as the heels continue to keep their distance from the Crush Gals. Asuka comes in and, again, Martin avoids contact with a jumping kick before finally grabbing an arm. Asuka counters it and adds a series of kicks to the stomach that send Martin out to the floor to regain her composure. Martin gets some offense in, including a back elbow, but Asuka pops the crowd with a sunset flip. Christianello delivers a snap mare and then a boot and a forearm before Chigusa gets the tag. Christianello grabs a leg and tags in Martin, who catches Nagayo's crossbody but then gets sent on her back from a dropkick by Asuka! In comes Asuka as Martin goes to the floor. In comes Christianello but the heels take advantage and make some quick tags. Martin delivers a kick and drives Asuka's head to the mat. Another back elbow off the ropes but Asuka rallies with a kip-up and then another karate chop and in comes Nagayo. Big boot from Martin! Cool double-team backbreaker by the Americans. Nagayo applies a single-leg and then a half-crab onto Christianello but out comes Martin to break it up and the heels beat up Nagayo in the corner. Martin prevents her from making the tag and really works her over. Simple-but-effective storytelling there and in comes Asuka to a sizeable pop! Dropkick by Asuka and then a bodyslam for 2. Elbow off the top by Nagayo to another big pop from the crowd. Sharpshooter-like hold by Nagayo, but Martin gets to the ropes. Another quick tag and Asuka comes down for a clothesline but hits her own partner when Martin breaks free. Martin retakes control and whips Asuka to the ropes but Asuka comes back with a clothesline and then tags in Nagayo - Double Karate Chop off the ropes. The babyfaces with a series of big elbows and Danny Davis has lost control. Big slap to the face by Martin before she tags in Christianello - who is met by a double dropkick! Airplane Spin to a massive pop! Holy cow, that looked great! 3 count and the babyfaces win! This wasn't a great match, but the closing stretch was excellent. A fun match to watch just because of the novelty of seeing the Crush Gals get over in front of a Boston crowd that was probably not aware of how popular they were in Japan. (2.5/5)

 

Brodie Lee vs. Necro Butcher (02/27/2009, ROH): This is an "Anything Goes" match and it doesn't long for them to start breaking rules as Lee falls out to the floor and Necro grabs a chair. Butcher breaks a part of the guardrail off and slams it into Lee and then positions onto the apron. Butcher throws some chairs into the ring and then grabs a curtain to blind Lee so he can hit him with some stiff punches to the gut. Lee gets the guardrail into the ring but continues his assault on the outside before rolling him into the squared circle. Butcher with a big running foot (he doesn't wear boots) to the head and sends Lee into the guardrail repeatedly in the corner. Lee's right shoulder is cut but he connects with a dropkick and then german suplexes the Butcher into the barricade! Lee sets up some chairs and Butcher ends up sitting on one. Butcher wants to go punch-for-punch but Lee kicks him in the chest, which sends him back to the mat. Lee delivers some uppercuts and then grabs a chair. He goes to run it into his corner but Necro blocks it with his foot. Brodie with the big running boot in the corner. Lee gets a 2-count from a running lariat before stacking the chairs. Side slam on the chairs by Lee, but it didn't look too hot (which doesn't mean it didn't hurt like hell). Lee goes to the top rope but Necro catches him with a chair and then press slams back into the ring and onto the chairs. Necro with a series of chops and punches in the corner! Bulldog onto the bed of chairs (which is now covered by the barricade as well). Chair-assisted bodyslam by the Butcher for another 2 count. Butcher drives the top of the chair into Lee's midsection and goes for a senton but Lee moves and Butcher lands on the guardrail. Ouch. Strike exchange time. Big boot by Lee, but then a kick to the head by Butcher! In comes Jimmy Jacobs and then Delirious and then a woman I don't recognize. Jacobs accidentally spears Delirious. Chairshot by Butcher to the head of Lee to finish this one off. I wanted to like this more than I did as I like Brodie Lee/Luke Harper and I can get into a Necro Butcher match when it delivers the ridiculous hardcore, stiff brutality that was his bread-and-butter. This had some good, painful spots, no doubt, but it didn't go as far as it could've and the interference-heavy finish seemed to lead to an abrupt ending before the match went into that "second gear." Nothing worth recommending here, but not terrible. (2/5)

Eddie Guerrero vs. Fit Finlay (12/22/1997, WCW): This is from an episode of Nitro. Eddie Guerrero was a heel and the Cruiserweight Champion, I believe. Guerrero goes after Finlay's left knee early. Guerrero hits a senton early but misses a dropkick to the knee. Finlay takes control and lands a short-arm clothesline and then drops Eddie neck-first on the top rope. This match is basically wrestled in fast-forward as they jam pack it with signature moves and don't bother with many submissions or any real breaks in the action. With Finlay, you always get some unique brawling and he gets to do a little here. Brilliant superplex by Finlay towards the end, but an awful, awful finish as Guerrero takes the countout loss by walking out of the match. Dang. This was really fun until that lame finish. They "maximized their minutes" but it was too short to be great. (2/5)

Lioness Asuka and Aja Kong vs. Meiko Satomura and Chikayo Nagashima (GAEA, 04/20/2003): Aja nails a powerbomb early before tagging in Asuka, who is equally brutal with her wristlock on Nagashima. Satomura comes in and, immediately, the game changes and Asuka gets a bit cautious, very much aware of how dangerous Satomura can be. Asuka brings her to the mat and applies a rear choke. Satomurua grabs hold of an ankle, but Asuka goes for an arm. Asuka goes for a slam but Satomura counters it with one of her own. Back on the mat, Asuka applies a head scissors and drags her over to the corner. In comes Kong, who hoists Meiko up in a choke and turns it into a devastating powerbomb for 2. Kong absolutely murders Satomura with strikes, but Satomurua applies a headlock. After some back-and-forth, Kong delivers a nasty piledriver and a then a belly-to-back suplex. Asuka gets the tag and, after a brief flurry from Satomura, hits a powerbomb of her own. Satomrua and Nagashima make some quick tags, allowing Nagashima to hit a double-stomp from the top rope and Satomurua to land a frog splash. Bulldog by Nagashima on Asuka! But she gets cut-off by a clothesline off the ropes. A table is brought into the ring and Asuka powerbombs Nagashima into it! Ouch! Kong squashes her against it! Another powerbomb by Asuka, but this one looked particularly brutal. The heels keep the pressure on with Aja landing a big splash for 2, but seemingly choosing not to accept the victory. Kong goes for a suplex but almost gets caught in a tarantula. Nagashima attempts a suplex but Kong is just too big. Kong hits a brainbuster, but Satomura breaks up the pin. Kong misses a back elbow from the top and Nagashima misses a stomp. The heels clothesline eachother! Nagashima hits a German Suplex on Kong for 2! Head scissors by Nagashima for 2! Meanwhile, Satomura and Asuka are basically just standing around and watching (waiting for the next spot). Nagashima manages to pin Kong with a victory roll around the 12-minute mark. There was plenty to like in this match, but also some awkward moments, especially towards the end, when it seemed like Asuka and Satomura were locked together but just sorta "there" while Kong and Nagashima went through their sequence. (3/5)

Devil Masami vs. Lioness Asuka (04/05/1986, AJW): Asuka goes for the airplane spin right away and its a dandy! Great nearfall too as the ref catches that Masami's shoulder is off the mat. Massami comes back with a German Suplex right away to even the score. The next big spot is Asuka dropkicking Masami off the top rope and onto the floor and then crashing down on her with an awkward splash. It didn't look great, but it looked like it hurt. The bell rings and the first fall seems to be a double countout, though its hard to tell because I don't know Japanese. Anyway, great slapfight to start the next round and then Asuka controls until Masami hits an electric chair out of the corner. Great release front suplex by Masami but Asuka bridges out of the pin attempt. Asuka with a German Suplex but only gets a 1! Now its Masami's turn to bridge out of a second pin attempt. Figure four by Masami. Asuka finally grabs the bottom rope to break the hold and the two make their way to the top rope for a superplex by Masami. Once again Asuka bridges out! Back suplex off the ropes by Asuka followed by a series of dropkicks and then another big airplane spin! My god. These airplane spins are sick. 1..2...Masami with a foot on the rope! This match might have some of the best nearfalls I've ever seen. Piledriver by Asuka! Another great nearfalls as Masami somehow bridges. Asuka goes to the top rope and nails a huge dropkick, but Masami bridges. A punch-out ensues and Masami hits a devastating and not-so-fake looking piledriver that seems like it could've legitimately paralyzed Asuka. Another nearfall and a bridge by Asuka. Masami hits a fisherman suplex but only gets 2. Powerbomb by Asuka! Powerbomb by Masami! Not much in the way of transitions here, but I like that this has literally become "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better." Awesome belly-to-back suplex by Asuka with her also grabbing hold and tucking Masami's leg! Asuka goes for a vertical but Masami counters, only to get hit by an enziguiri! She almost gets the pin, but the bell rings. I'm guessing some sort of time-limit expired? Lioness Asuka looks pissed after the match. The referee raises both women's hands and Masami retains her title. The finish wasn't definitive, but the action was really good from beginning to end. (3.5/5)

Aja Kong and Bull Nakano vs. Akira Hokuto and Suzuka Minami (10/1989, AJW): Couldn't find much info about this match, but its pretty wild from the jump as Nakano and Kong, who has a much smaller look at this point, take out a fan at ringside before the match even begins. Crazy. Hokuto and Minami were known as the "Marine Wolves." Aja and Bull also bully the referee a bit before attacking the babyfaces and bringing them right outside the ring from the start of the match, Kong tossing Hokuto into the crowd before going after Minami in the ring. The early going of this match is incredibly fast-paced and even if Hokuto and Kong's work isn't as great as it would be in the upcoming years, the energy is certainly there. Highlights include Nakano's leg drop from the top, Minami's excellent and spirited bumping and selling, and Hokuto and Kong already showing flashes of their tremendous chemistry. The heels took the first fall when Minami missed a senton, but the babyfaces rallied during the second fall until Nakano started utilizing a strap. The fight went back into the stands, with Nakano bashing Hokuto's face into the guard rail and then, back in the ring, jabbing her in the face with a pen! Gnarly stuff that resulted in Hokuto getting some serious "color." She managed to make the tag, but the ref missed it, allowing Nakano and Kong to continue their attack. Kong struck her with a bucket and then did the same - which would've been a DQ anywhere else but in 80s/90s joshi for some reason? A bloodied Hokuto came back with a dropkick before dodging another bucket strike. Minami came in with a chair but it was Hokuto's missle dropkick that earned the babyfaces the 2nd fall. The 3rd fall begins with Kong going after Hokuto with a series of headbutts. Nakano hit some nice suplexes but ate a couple tilt-a-whirl backbreakers from Minami in return. The camera (and ref) missed a nifty German suplex on Bull, but caught Minami's second one on Kong. Awesome combo leg drop/splash out of the corner by the babyfaces! That reminded me of something the Rougeaus might've busted out. Nakano busted out some green mist, which was a cool visual, but missed her leg drop. German by Hokuto for 2! Sunset flip from the top for 2 by Hokuto! Nakano slaps on a sleeper off the ropes and brings Hokuto to the floor. Nakano hoisted Hokuto up with two arms in a choke - MIST TO THE EYES! Damn! That was sick. Double dropkick by the babyfaces, though! Nakano comes back with a clothesline on both from the ropes, though, and then spits MIST INTO MINAMI'S FACE too! Where did she hide that? Brilliant back suplex by Nakano to end the match. Wow. Very, very good match and worth watching just for how nasty and mean and scary the heels are in this match. (4/5)

Bull Nakano vs. Aja Kong (11/14/1990, AJW): I'm not sure what the storyline leading up to this match was, but does it really matter? Nakano and Kong were former tag team partners - at least based on the last match I reviewed - but were now set to beat the hell out of each other. Kong comes in with weapons-in-hand, while Nakano walks down the aisle all-business. Kong goes after her in the aisleway to start things, tossing her into a bunch of chairs. Kong tries to get to the cage but Nakano grabs her and tosses her into a bunch of chairs in retaliation. Into the cage they go, headbutts and fists start flying from Kong, but Nakano fights back with some kicks and a heck of a clothesline to the jaw. There's a lighting issue and it does seem to throw off the competitors, though, this match is so wild that its hard to tell what was planned and what was improvised. Kong's spinning backhands look like absolute death but Nakano keeps popping up for them! Wow. They don't all the hit mark, but they connect enough to look like they are legitimately breaking Nakano's nose. Unsurprisingly, she is busted open and dazed, but Kong continues to strike her with one after another! Kong goes to escape but Nakano grabs sort of metal pipe and hits her in the back with it. Back slap by Nakano! Another stiff clothesline off the ropes and two more pump kicks! Front piledriver by Nakano and then she hits Kong with a metal bin, but Kong feels no pain at first. Nakano wallops her with the thing a few more times to finally put her down. Nunchaku time! The initial strikes don't look too real, but that last one looks it brains Aja in the face! Nakano with another clothesline, a couple bonzai drops, and then sends her face-first into the cage wall. Headbutts by Kong to turn things around. Piledriver by Kong! Those always look nasty. Kong climbs atop her in the corner and hits her with a series of punches but Nakano shoves her off and eventually lands a legdrop off the ropes. Kong is busted open too at this point! Kong grabs the pipe-and-chain weapon thingy and then the metal bin, targeting Nakano's knee. One of Nakano's henchman slips her some scissors, though, and she stabs at Kong's arm. Dang. Then she goes for the face too! Too brutal for me, to be honest. Meanwhile, some of their supporters brawl outside the cage and into the crowd too. Love that. One of Kong's supporters tries to climb in the ring but gets jabbed too! Hey, I think that was Madusa! Madusa (I think) throws in a bunch of rope and Kong wraps it around Bull's neck. Nakano manages to break free and tie Kong up, but Kong escapes as Nakano is trying to climb the cage. Great bump from Kang back into the ring off the top rope. Nakano tries to climb but Kong shakes the ropes and she falls to the apron. Another metal bin gets tossed into the ring and used by Kong. A metal chain gets brought into the ring by one of Nakano's supporters and Kong ends up with it wrapped around her neck and arm. Nakano ties her to the rope and delivers a series of scissor kicks. The unfocused attack allows Kong to recover and grab hold of the pipe-and-chain thing and then superplex Nakano off the top rope after she tries to escape. Nakano hits a not-so-safe powerbomb but misses the leg drop from the top rope and Kong nails her with a huge german suplex. Madusa tosses Kong a huge wooden (?) stick to use on Nakano but when she tries to come off the top rope with it, one of Nakano's supporters grabs it from her. Back on the mat, Nakano drops her head-first with a powerbomb. Damn. How is she not paralyzed? Nakano with a LEG DROP OFF THE TOP OF THE CAGE! Holy shit! Nakano doesn't sell it much, though, springing up immediately and climbing out of the cage. You would think that delivering the move would hurt her nearly as much as Kong on the receiving end. The flaws in this match are that there's a bit of a break in the action - or at least nothing new and exciting happening - right before the finish as it seems like they'd basically run out of ideas and didn't necessarily have a plan on how to go from one sequence to the next. Also, as awesome as the leg drop off the cage was, I wish Nakano had also sold it as being damaging to her instead of popping right up and quickly climbing out. This is a tough one to rate because so much of it is excellent, but not enough to call it a true masterpiece. (4/5)

Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu (09/03/1986, AJPW): A heralded match between these two highly-acclaimed grapplers. Loved Choshu's back suplex early and using a fireman's carry to counter Tenryu's side-headlock into an armbar. Choshu showed off more of his submission game by grapevining Tenryu's neck on the mat minutes later. Tenryu escaped, though, and applied a painful-looking bow-and-arrow. Choshu slipped to the outside to collect himself. Choshu went for an elbow in the corner but it had little effect and Tenryu applied a wristlock/armbar of his own. Tenryu wrenches the hell out of Choshu's wrist and arm, but I could see modern viewers being a bit bored by this sort of action compared to what we see today. With these two, you know you're going to get some stiff clotheslines and strikes and slams and there are some doozies here - Choshu slapping the heck out of Tenryu's chest as he attempts to lock in a cloverleaf, a ridiculous back suplex on the apron from Choshu, Tenryu kicks to Choshu's ribs and gut in the second half of the match. Choshu lands an "avalanche" back suplex when Tenryu goes to the top rope and then follows it up with his third major suplex but only gets 2. Choshu sends Tenryu shoulder-first into the post and then follows him to the outside and whips him into another one, opening him up. Once Tenryu gets on the apron, Choshu knocks him into another post and then, when he gets in the ring, hits him with a nasty clothesline off the ropes. Tenryu is a bloody mess on the floor at this point but gets back into the ring to another punch from Choshu. Choshu goes after the ref, clearly having lost control. Tenryu strikes back with a heel kick and the fight continues with Choshu needing to be restrained in the corner. This match has a great reputation and there are certainly some really great moments, but the lack of a definitive finish keeps this from being in "true classic" territory for me. (3.5/5)

KANA (Asuka) vs. Kengo Mashimo (09/24/11, Kana Pro): I'd heard about Kana's intergender matches being good, but had my reservations as it is not a style I typically enjoy. As expected, Kengo uses his size to control early, but doesn't really go on the offensive until around minute 4, when he drops a knee to Kana's chest. Before and after, Kengo sticks to headlocks and bodylocks and doesn't look in danger at any point, even as Kana tries multiple submissions of her own. He eats a bunch of kicks and only half-sells them, grabbing Kana's foot and twisting her up rather than striking back with any of his own. When he does eventually hit back with a knee, he doesn't capitalize on it or continue his attack, allowing Kana to apply an ankle lock. Kana goes for a german suplex but can't get him up and he drops her with another knee to the chest. He goes a kick to finish her off but she grabs hold of his ankle again. Nasty german suplex by Mashimo! But, again, he doesn't make the cover. Kana gets up but gets splashed in the corner. Back to the mat they go to exchange armbars and wristlocks. Kana lands another big series of kicks and a spinning backfist and then manages to hit the german suplex, finally getting in some sustained offense. Another kick to the head but Kengo catches her  leg and tosses her overhead. Running knee by Kengo but it gets 2.9 (the ref's final count seemed a bit slow to me). Nasty overhead suplex by Mashimo! Another one! Again, we get a deliberate 2.9 count. Kengo seems like he's in full control but Asuka gets his arm! Kengo rolls out and applies an armbar of his own, no longer "taking it easy" on his opponent. He applies a devastating butterfly stretch and she's forced to tap. I can see why some people dig this sort of stuff - it is a believable story, there's nothing "cutesy" or comedic about it, and because it is not the "manhandling" one might expect, its actually more palatable and less offensive than the intergender wrestling I've seen before - but it still didn't do much of anything for me. (2.5/5)

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Keiji Mutoh (09/28/1998, NJPW): Mutoh tries to wear down Hashimoto early, trying his best to keep the big man on the mat. Hashimoto works his way back up and applies a headlock, hits a shoulder block, and throws a kick but Mutoh eats it and hits two jumping spin kicks of his own. Mutoh brings him back down with a keylock drag. Hashimoto breaks the hold by going at Mutoh's ankle. With both men back on their feet, Hashimoto hits a DDT that sends Mutoh out of the ring. Sound psychology here with Mutoh keeping his distance, trying to keep the match on the mat, and rolling to the outside to avoid one of Hashimoto's flurries of strikes. The men trade chops and Mutoh hits an elbow off the ropes, one of his signatures. Mutoh applies an armbar on the mat, sticking to his game plan. Hashimoto fights out but finds himself in the corner for a handspring back elbow from Mutoh and then a dropkick off the top. Mutoh follows with a backbreaker and goes to the top, but Hashimoto brings him down with a spinning heel kick. Uh oh. Hashimoto lays into him with two kicks to the chest and then a chop and another kick off the ropes. This is what Mutoh wanted to avoid. Another chop and a DDT for 2. An elbow drop gets another 2. Hashimoto unloads another series of kicks and a third DDT. Hashimoto goes to the top rope, but Mutoh meets him there and brings him down with a dragon screw leg whip! Figure four by Mutoh! Hashimoto reaches the ropes to break the hold but he is clearly in pain, selling the damage. Mutoh hits him with a dropkick and then allows him up only to dragon screw him again and re-apply the hold. Hashimoto reaches the bottom rope once more but struggles to get to his feet. Mutoh tries to chop block, but Hashimoto nails him with a chop! Hashimoto, selling the knee damage, hits him with a kick but Mutoh strikes back with a dropkick (that doesn't look like it connected too much). Mutoh hits him with another, though, and this time it sends Hashimoto into the post. Overhead chop by Hashimoto! Forearm by Mutoh! Strike exchange time. Mutoh wins it and hits Hashimoto with a series of right hands. Hashimoto blocks one, though, and delivers a bunch of overhead chops of his own. Mutoh blocks one off the ropes, but catches the next one on his shoulder and then takes a stiff kick to the chest for 2. Another DDT from Hashimoto for 2.5. Hashimoto comes off the ropes and Mutoh catches him with a hurricanrana into an armbar! Cool combo there. Hashimoto reaches the ropes with his feet to break the hold. Both guys sell the exhaustion and, while much of the offense in this match has been repetitive, its certainly been hard-hitting. Hashimoto tries to lift Mutoh up for a suplex but Mutoh catches him with a knee! Hashimoto springs back up and tries again, this time dropping him down with a brainbuster! I didn't love the finish here as Hashimoto sprung back to life with one last push of remarkable energy/"fighting spirit" out of nowhere after a match that, up until those final minutes, had such good psychology and selling. This wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. (2.5/5)

Aja Kong & Mayumi Ozaki vs. Meiko Satomura & Sonoko Kato (04/04/1999, GAEA): Kong and Ozaki's teamwork in the early going is brilliant - double-teams, quick tags, brutal offense. Satomura's bumping is tremendous too as she takes a nasty suplex from Ozaki and a big clothesline from Kong. She finally gets some offense in with a springboard forearm but soon after eats a splash from the top by Kong. Satomura makes the tag after hitting a kick on Kong, but the heels cut them off again soon after and Ozaki lands a stomp from the top. Aja with a splash to Kato's damaged knee/upper thigh! Nasty back suplex by Kong! Somehow Kato bridges out and you almost feel bad for her not just taking the pin here because this has been so one-sided. Ozaki comes in and continues to target the thigh of Kato. Satomura comes in to help out but eats a back suplex from Kong! A brilliant sequence follows as Ozaki misses a backfist, takes a kick from Satomura to the head, and then nearly gets pinned from a German Suplex by Kato. Holy shit, that was cool. Kato takes two powerbombs and then an inadvertant stomp from Satomura! Another powerbomb by the Ozaki! 1...2....and it should be 3, but the ref hiccups and allows Satomura to break the count. Kato gets murdered by a backfist and Ozaki does some gloating. Satomura tries to wake her up but gets bumrushed and kicked by the heels, who parade around the ring. Kato makes her way up and back drops Ozaki to the apron. She goes for a tag but Ozaki pulls Satomura off the apron! A brawl ensues on the outside with Ozaki landing a suplex on the ramp while Kong takes Kato into the crowd. Kato gets sent into a whole bunch of chairs and Ozaki hits a running knee on the ramp and then a powerbomb. Ozaki goes into the ring and allows Aja to continue the assault on Satomura and Kato on the ramp. Kong goes to hit a superplex on her own partner onto Kato, but Kato rolls out of the way! Splash from Satomura out of nowhere fo a nearfall! Satomura with a spin kick into an arm bar but Kong breaks it up with a splash. Meiko avoids a bunch of backfist but finally gets clapped with one and in comes Kong, who delivers a wallop of a clothesline and then another. Kong goes to the ropes, gets pulled by Kato, and Satomura nails a Death Valley Driver! Kong is back up quickly and hits a clothesline before making a cover that is broken up by Kato. Kato with a german suplex! In comes Ozaki! Another Driver by Satomura while Kato hits a reverse piledriver! No sell by the heels as they hit a pair of brainbusters in return! No transition there, which is unfortunate but very much "on brand" for joshi. Kong makes the cover, but only gets 2 while Ozaki gets the visual pin on the (illegal) Kato. Kong hoists Satomura up to the top rope but Satomura counters with a sunset flip powerbomb! Ozaki ties Kato up and Kong slaps the heck out of Satomura for another near fall. Kong goes for a suplex but Satomura counters it into a rear headlock! Outside the ring, Kato looks to choke out Ozaki and Kong is in trouble but is mere inches away from the bottom rope! Kong rolls over and Satomura runs out of gas, forced to break the hold out of exhaustion. Satomura with a NASTY DVD and a cover but Ozaki comes flying out of nowhere to break the count! Satomura hoists up Kong, but Kong strikes her in the face. Big kick by Kong and it takes out both babyfaces! Its an absolute melee and Ozaki accidentally backfists her own partner! Another DVD by Satomura and then another! Goddamn! Satomura has done it! Wow. In terms of action, physicality, and storytelling, that was a remarkable contest. Tremendous performances by everyone. The only thing that hurts this is some of the "no-selling"/lack of a transition when they started trading offense and the referee having no control (and a blatant slow count at one point). After the match, Kong nails Satomura with a cheapshot spinning backfist! Satomura is helped by her partner but Kong attacks again! Incredible match. Incredible post-match. There are some flaws in this match, but the good outweighs the bad and then some. (4.5/5)

Terry Gordy and Stan Hansen vs. Toshiaki Kawada and Genichiro Tenryu (12/16/1988, AJPW): With these four sharing the same space, you pretty much know what you're going to get: a fuck ton of brutal clotheslines, stomps, and maybe some nasty powerbombs too. These guys are visibly hyped and the crowd is loud as all hell. It doesn't take long for Hansen to send Kawada out of the ring and then for Gordy to whip him into the guardrail with intensity. Gordy comes in but Kawada nails him with a spin kick. Kawada makes the tag and Tenryu wants to go but Gordy ducks to the outside. Back in the ring, Tenryu hits a shoulder block and then a running stomp to the head followed by a big suplex. Strike fest between Tenryu and Hansen ends with Hansen hitting a bodyslam and booting Tenryu out of the ring. Back in the ring, Hansen hits a back body drop, an elbow drop, and then a knee to the back before applying a rear chinlock. Gordy comes in and chopfest time vs. Tenryu! In comes Kawada to hit a crossbody. Gordy tags out. Hansen gets dropkicked out of the ring and Kawada launches himself to the floor with a crossbody! Hansen recovers and uses the bottom rope to choke Kawada but Tenryu makes the save with some boots to Hansen's face. Kawada with a series of kicks to Hansen's chest for 2. Hansen and Gordy beat down on Kawada in the corner and Gordy lands back with a fireman's carry. Gordy goes for an irish whip but it gets countered and Kawada nails him with a stiff clothesline! Kawada mades the tag. Double jumping kicks to the head by Tenryu and Kawada! Running clothesline in the corner by Tenryu and a swinging neckbreaker for 1 before Hansen breaks the count. Tenryu applies a head scissors to slow things down. Hansen breaks it up with an elbow and then a series of chops to Tenryu's chest. Gordy with a running clothesline into the corner of his own to a big response. In comes Hansen, but Tenryu meets him with a clothesline. Chops in the corner by Tenryu and then a tag to Kawada and Kawada nails Hansen with a clothesline and then a whole ton of kicks and stomps before Gordy clocks him from behind. Hansen makes the tag but Kawada dodges a clothesline and hits a german suplex on Gordy! Hansen breaks up the cover and goes after Kawada's leg. Nice strategy there. Hansen clotheslines Tenryu off the apron and he spills over the guardrail. Hansen makes his way to the floor to continue to go after Kawada's knee. Hansen is booting everyone in sight, including a photographer! Hansen sends Tenryu into the ring to get punched out by Gordy on the mat. I guess there was a tag before Kawada spilled to the floor because Gordy gets a 2 count on Kawada. In the opposing corner, Kawada goes after Hansen but gets stomped on the floor for his effort. In the ring, Gordy gets 2 from a leg drop. Clothesline off the ropes by Gordy and another 2.5. Double shoulderblock by the cowboys and then Hansen drops a knee for 2.8. Hansen misses a chop and Tenryu tries to fight back but Gordy is right there to help cut him off. Hansen drops more knees and rolls him over for another nearfall. Outside the ring, Kawada gets attacked by Gordy and continues to sell the devastating damage to his knee. Hansen attempts a piledriver but gets back body dropped! Gordy comes in to drill him again with a chop and Hansen hits him with yet another knee. Hansen tags out and Gordy hits a powerbomb off the ropes! Hansen goes after Kawada on the floor, but somehow Kawada comes alive and breaks the pin attempt in the ring! Kawada beats down on Gordy, just pounding away at him! Hansen nails him from behind and stomps him back to the arena floor. Hansen twists and pulls on Kawada's foot and knee on the floor while Gordy goes for a bodyslam but gets rolled up up for 2! That was close! Hansen comes in and they hit a double vertical suplex for 2 with Tenryu barely kicking out. Hansen with some boots to the head of Tenryu but Tenryu rallies and brings Hansen down by the lower leg, twisting him up! Gordy breaks the hold and continues to kick at Tenryu's back as the ref tries to get him to return to his corner. Hansen with a nifty springboard back elbow off the bottom rope and then a standard one for 2. Kawada goes after Gordy on the apron! Hansen attacks his knee again, though, and dumps him over the rail. In the ring, Tenryu nails Hansen with a bunch of chops and slaps but Gordy comes off the ropes with a devastating lariat! Damn. He got all of that one. Tenryu somehow hits the enziguiri and then another on Hansen! Bodyslam by Tenryu and then he goes to the top for the flying elbow! 1...2...Gordy breaks it up and clobbers Tenryu into the corner. He ducks a clothesline and hits Hansen with a thrust kick, an enziguiri, and then a powerbomb but Gordy breaks it up! Powerbomb by Gordy! Gordy goes for the cover but he's not the legal man and the ref doesn't make the count. Hansen calls for the Lariat and he nails Tenryu off the ropes! This one is over. I'm not necessarily sure what makes this an all-time classic. Its not that I wasn't impressed with the stiff chops and clotheslines, the action-packed pace, or the strong, straight-forward storytelling - its all there and its all good - but I'm not sure what puts this head-and-shoulders above similar hoss battles. Excellent, yes, but all-timer, I'm not so sure. (4/5)

AEW All Out 2021

AEW All Out 2021

Chicago, IL - September 2021

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Champion was Kenny Omega, the TNT Champion was Miro, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were The Young Bucks, and the AEW Women's World Champion was Dr. Britt Baker.

Opening up the show - which was built around CM Punk returning to in-ring action for the first time in 6 years - was Eddie Kingston challenging Miro (Rusev) for the TNT Championship. Kingston got some offense in early, but Miro took over once they went to the outside. Kingston went for a crossbody off the apron but Miro caught him with a powerslam to the floor. Miro followed it up by lifting Kingston up and ramming him back-first into the post. Kingston tried to fight back but Miro kept the pressure on, applying a headlock to keep Kingston on the mat. Miro hit a beautiful dropkick but couldn't capitalize on it. Kingston hit an enziguiri and then a belly-to-back suplex before we got a strike exchange sequence. Kingston hit 2 more suplexes but only got a nearfall. Kingston went for the spinning backfist but Miro ducked to the outside. Kingston dived to the floor, sending Miro into the guardrail, and then caught him with a fisherman suplex for 2 in the ring. Miro went to work on Kingston's lower back in the corner and Eddie accidentally pulled off the turnbuckle pad. Miro hit a brilliant thrust kick and then applied his finisher, but the crowd would not let Kingston quit and he was able to grab hold of the bottom rope to a huge pop. Kingston surprised him with a huge spinning backfist and a DDT but the ref was out of position for the count! Kingston couldn't get Miro up for a piledriver and was prevented from using the exposed turnbuckle by Remsburg, who also missed Miro delivering a mule kick to Kingston's groin. Miro then hit a pair of devastating kicks to get the W. I thought this was pretty good with Miro's offense looking especially good. (3/5)

Eddie Kingston's good buddy Jon Moxley took on Satoshi Kojima in the next match. As I'm not super familiar with Japanese wrestling, I'd never seen Kojima compete before. This was good, hard-hitting stuff, but I didn't find myself emotionally invested. The debut of Minoru Suzuki in AEW during the post-match is remembered more than anything Kojima and Moxley do, which is a bit of a shame because they delivered a good, straight-forward contest. Nothing super special, which is why Meltzer giving it 4-stars seems awfully high. Nice and concise at 12 minutes. (2.5/5)

Dr. Britt Baker defended her AEW Women's World Championship against Kris Statlander in the next match. I wasn't expecting a great match here as Baker did not impress me much in her title win against Hikaru Shida at the previous show and, for ages, I'd heard that Statlander wasn't too great until recently. I ended up liking this quite a bit and would say that if Statlander was "hit or miss" at this time, she was "hit" on this night. Like the two previous bouts, this one went just a little over 10 minutes but felt more "complete" than either, building in suspense as it went along. It didn't start with "big fight feel," but, by the end, it felt like a major championship match. I'm never a fan of the Panama Sunrise, but it was a nice touch here considering who would be making their debut at the end of the night. Liked the Curb Stomp on the floor. Statlander's missed 450 was still unreal to see based on her size. Very solid match. (3/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line next as The Young Bucks defended against The Lucha Bros in a steel cage match. These two teams have such tremendous chemistry and are capable of so much that you know that you're going to get a real fireworks show every time they face off. I came into this not knowing who would win, but figuring that the Bucks were the obvious choice just based on how they'd been presented in the months building to this match (as rather dominant, ultra heel champions). This match delivered absolutely everything one would expect and more. Some of the high spots - and there were a ton - were unbelievable. Highlights included the best Canadian Destroyer I've ever seen (and it came off the top rope!), Rey Fenix getting drilled onto the apron multiple times, a great Superkick Party sequence that didn't feel hokey, Penta and Fenix both getting busted open by the Bucks' thumbtack-studded Air Jordan, and Penta sacrificing himself for his brother was a great moment. I don't think this falls into "masterpiece" territory but it is darn close and certainly worth watching if you're a fan of either team or just want to watch a really fun, spot-loaded, violent match in front of a red hot crowd. (4/5)

The next match was the Women's Casino Battle Royal. There were some good showings here and the crowd was very enthusiastic throughout the whole thing, but particularly vocal in their support of Skye Blue (a hometown favorite in Chicago), Thunder Rosa, and Ruby Soho, who debuted as the "Joker." On the heel side of things, Nyla Rose was treated as a huge deal, while Emi Sakura, Riho, and Hikaru Shida weren't (somewhat surprising considering Sakura's career and the fact that Riho and Shida were former AEW Women's World Champions). Some of the eliminations looked a little awkward as some competitors struggled to clear the top rope without bouncing off the bottom one (and, in some cases, it was quite noticeable). This also led to multiple "apron eliminations," which can get repetitive. The final two were Soho and Rosa and, while the crowd was happy to see Soho get the victory, in hindsight, Rosa probably should've got the W here as her and Baker were coming off a legendary Lights Out Match (still need to watch that sometime) and Soho, while a good hand and arguably the biggest "name" talent on the women's roster at the time, probably needed a bit more time to develop as an "AEW talent" instead of coming in and ex-WWE talent and getting an almost-instant title shot. (2/5)

The Battle Royal was followed by Chris Jericho putting his career on the line against MJF. Going nearly 20 minutes, with Jericho spending much of it selling on the mat or on the outside, this match struggled to maintain my interest after the admittedly excellent ring entrances. For a guy that tends to speak of himself as a creative genius, there just wasn't anything interesting about this match to warrant such a long runtime. In a sense, it made me think of how, in one of his books, Jericho listed out all the transitions and sequences in his match against CM Punk, trying to "sell" the match as an epic to the reader. As impressive as it looked on paper, it isn't a 5-star classic and I wouldn't consider it even among the top 10 or 20 matches of either guy's career (even back then). Similarly, on paper, maybe this match would come off as an amazing battle loaded with great long-term storytelling ideas (Jericho targeting MJF's lower back to set him up for the Lion Tamer, for example) and nifty twists on old favorites (MJF's Heatseeker on the apron), but it never really grabbed me and the audience didn't seem particularly hot until the false finish and the referee reversing her initial decision. Speaking of the "Dusty Finish," I actually thought it was one of the better-executed ones I've seen because there was a clear reason - to prevent Swagger and Wardlow from interfering - as to why a second referee was at ringside and able to see Jericho's foot on the rope. It was the best part of an otherwise somewhat disappointing match. (2/5)

CM Punk made his in-ring return after 7 years to take on fellow babyface and fan favorite Darby Allin in the next match. Choosing Allin as his first opponent was a wise move as Darby was already one of the best workers on the roster at this point. In fact, Darby's bumping here - specifically a wicked one he took into the ring post that sent him to the outside and the way he crumpled and fell out of the ring after Punk hit him with his first GTS - was really what "made" this match. That's not to say CM Punk didn't look good too and I especially liked how he wrestled with clear strategy and purpose (plus the subtle pseudo-heeling by not breaking the referee's count when he thought he might get the victory with Allin on the floor). Obviously, the atmosphere for this match also pushes it a bit closer into "should watch" territory. Very good. (3.5/5)

Big Show vs. QT Marshall was next. This was clearly designed to be a "piss break" match and the best thing that can be said about it is that it did, in fact, serve its purpose and not eat up too much time. I don't even think it went 3 minutes bell-to-bell. I'll give it a point for not overstaying its welcome. (1/5)

Main event time - Christian challenging Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship. The story coming into this match was that Kenny Omega, who had previously won the TNA World Championship by defeating Rich Swann, had dropped that title in his first major loss to Christian on the premier episode of Rampage in August. This made Christian the Number One Contender for Omega's AEW World Championship. The trouble with a match like this is that, despite beating Omega weeks earlier, it felt very predictable that Omega would "get his win back" here. With the finish not really in question at any point, Christian and Omega had to make this match work without the benefit of real suspense. What won the crowd over in this match was the quality action and the inventive spots. This was a 20+ minute fight, well-paced, well-wrestled, and thoroughly engaging. I'm not sure what else these two could have done to add drama as they pulled out all the stops and even through in some Elite fuckery at the end before Omega finished Christian off with a One Winged Angel from the top rope. Good stuff. (3.5/5)

What might be remembered more than anything else from this show, though, was the post-match debuts. First, after beating down Christian and the Jurassic Express (who came in to try to save him), Omega cut a brief promo about how the only people that are "on his level" are either not "here" (meaning, in AEW), tired (did he mean retired?), or dead (which was quite a statement). This led to the arrival of Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) to a huge ovation. Cole teased some awkwardness with Omega, but then booted Jungle Boy in the face with a superkick and got hugged (and kissed) by the Young Bucks, reuniting with his buddies. Omega grabbed the microphone again and said goodbye to the audience...only to be interrupted by the music of Bryan Danielson! Danielson came out to an even bigger ovation than Cole and, with help from the Jurassic Express and a recovering Christian, cleared the ring, hitting Nick Jackson with the Busaiku Knee for good measure. One of the best double-debut/post-match angles in AEW history that still made the hairs on my arm raise up even knowing what was coming and having seen it before. (+1)

With a Kwang Score of 2.83-out-of-5, All Out 2021 was an overall good show. Its important to note that if you take away the Show/Marshall match, the score shoots up to a very good 3.06, which should tell you how imperfect the science is behind averaging out all the matches on a show. The opener, the cage match, and both main events (Punk/Allin and the AEW World Championship match) all delivered what they needed to and the atmosphere of the show was electric from beginning to end. Take the Big Show match out, shave a few minutes off the Punk/Jericho match and throw Hangman on this card somewhere (I'm not sure if he was injured or just not pencilled-in) and I think it would've been an overall better show. Still, worth checking out.

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand

AEW Double or Nothing 2021

AEW Double or Nothing 2021

Jacksonville, FL - May 2021

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Champion was Kenny Omega, the AEW Women's Champion was Hikaru Shida, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were the Young Bucks, and Miro was the TNT Champion.

Double or Nothing 2021, the first AEW PPV in awhile to be held in front of a real live audience, opened with "Hangman" Adam Page taking on Brian Cage. Dave Meltzer went wild for this match, giving it 4-and-a-half stars, which, on my scale, would make it one of the top 50 or so matches of the decade. I was impressed by Cage's arsenal of moves - the superplex onto the entrance ramp, the F-5 off the top rope, his counters to the Buckshot Lariat attempts - and Hangman was his usual solid self, but they might've gone overboard with the near-finishes and arguably did "too much" to the point that the match lacked realism. The atmosphere was tremendous, based on the Cagematch reviews, seems to be why this match was so well-received as the crowd in Jacksonville had been starved for live wrestling and this delivered as much high-impact, hard-hitting "movez"-heavy action as possible in a 12-minute match. (3.5/5)

Next up - The Young Bucks, who had turned heel and joined Kenny Omega under the guidance of Don Callis, defended their AEW World Tag Team Championships against Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston. This match, like the opener, pushed the limits of credibility with the amount of bonkers high spots, false finishes, and superkick "spamming" it had. This match lasted about 21 minutes but felt even longer because the opening 3-4 minutes of "babyface shine" happened before the first bell. After getting beaten up to start things off, the Bucks took over and we had an extended face-in-peril stretch with Moxley taking a ton of punishment and getting opened up. I didn't like JR agreeing with Don Callis that the ref should stop the match to check on Moxley. If this were the first time Moxley had ever bled this badly, maybe...but he was an Exploding Barb Wire Death Match the previous show and JR should've known better than to count him out just because he was cut again. Kingston's hot tag got a huge ovation but I didn't necessarily think his execution was all that great as he delivered a bunch of AJPW-inspired offense. This match reminded me of those marathon battles the Four Pillars used to have - and that was clearly the inspiration - but wilder, with less attention to detail and logical escalation of violence or long-term selling. That being said, like the opener, the crowd was red hot for this and if the chief complaint is that they did "too much," that's because they worked their asses off to deliver a PPV-worthy Tag Team Title match and kept their foot on the gas the whole time. Not necessarily my cup-of-tea, but undoubtedly above-average. (3/5)

The Casino Battle Royal match was up next. Pretty unremarkable until the closing stretch as the crowd was hugely behind Jungle Boy, especially when it came down to the final 5 - Jungle Boy and Christian essentially taking on Matt Hardy and his stablemates, Private Party. The Joker reveal of Lio Rush definitely felt "lesser" than previous debuts, though, to be fair, previous debuts in these sorts of matches have never been "landscape-altering" (I'm thinking about Matt Sydal's botched debut, Ethan Page during the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match, and, if I'm not mistaken, Brian Cage at the first Double or Nothing show). (2.5/5)

Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo was next. As someone who was not following AEW week-to-week during this time, I was aware that this match and feud was not well-received at the time and, watching this match, I can at least see where some of the problems were. For starters, the positioning of Anthony Ogogo seems completely out of the blue as this was his first AEW PPV appearance and he was set-up to take on one of the company's biggest stars. I can definitely see how the talk of the "Codyverse" started up around this time as it does feel completely disassociated from the rest of the show's storylines. Then, you have the odd UK vs. USA elements, which probably seemed especially weird at the end of a global pandemic. But, really, its the match itself - and the commentary - that were maybe most confusing. Ogogo, a former Olympic boxer, got some good-looking body shots in (that Cody sold well), but really, he worked this match like most every other AEW wrestler, agile and speedy and capable of all sorts of cool moves that I don't think a boxer-turned-wrestler should really build their character around. What made things worse was that nobody on commentary seemed surprised that Anthony Ogogo was performing leap frogs and top rope splashes. This match felt much longer than 10 minutes because of how un-special it was. (2/5)

The TNT Champion, Miro (aka Rusev), defended his title against Lance Archer in the next match. This was good, but not great. I didn't particularly love Archer using a springboard moonsault in the early going as the announcers played up that this would be a "Hoss Battle." I dug Miro's belly-to-belly into the front row, even if it didn't look particularly pretty, and the heelishness he showed by tossing Jake Roberts' "snake" (the snake in the bag was never shown so I assume it was just some rolled-up towels) across the building. This match didn't build as much as it petered out. It was an improvement from the previous match, but not enough for another half-point to be awarded. (2/5)

Hikaru Shida defended her AEW Women's Championship against Dr. Britt Baker, DMD in the next contest. Baker was accompanied to the ring by Rebel, who was walking on a crutch. I can understand why the AEW die-hards (and that may include Dave Meltzer, who gave this match 3-and-a-half stars) would consider this a great match: there were lots of moves, the match went 15+ minutes (a considerable amount of time for a women's match in the US), and both Baker and Shida were over with a crowd that was very much into this show. The match had a "big fight feel." Unfortunately, it was tained a bit by a story that was hard for me to follow and some pretty sloppy moves. The match didn't have the hard-hitting peaks of Shida's similarly uneven match at the last PPV nor did Baker come off as particularly great or special. I was surprised to read multiple reviews on Cagematch praising the final stretch as everything after Rebel's crutch strike (which did not lead to a DQ somehow), there was multiple, visible hiccups as they went into a not-so-great Falcon Arrow and lazy pin (Baker's shoulders were nowhere near the mat as her head was clearly being cradled by Shida's thighs) and a clumsy Curb Stomp on the Championship belt. Too long, too sloppy. (2/5)

I wouldn't call it the Match of the Night - the opening contest, Tag Title match, and World Championship matches were as good or better - but Sting and Darby Allin vs. Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page was next and was quite fun. Sting was super over with the live crowd (no surprise there) and Allin, a high-spot and bump machine whose offense also looks great, was the perfect tag partner for him because he could do so much, get so much sympathy, still look like a tough-as-hell SOB, and then make the hot tag for Sting to come in and clean house with all his signature moves. This match was carried a bit by atmosphere, but the work itself was solid because Sky and Page are good hands. Loved Ethan Page launching Allin into the crowd from the ring. (3/5)

The AEW World Champion, Kenny Omega, put his title on the line against Orange Cassidy and PAC in the next match. I enjoyed most of this match, though I did think it took awhile to really get cooking. The finish was never really in question, but I'll give them credit - up until the last few minutes, there were some great nearfalls that had the crowd in the arena on that night thinking maybe Cassidy might be pull out the upset. The last few minutes is, unfortunately, when this match went from being borderline "must see" to a bit disappointing. There were so many tremendous spots and so many great sequences that I won't dismiss the match entirely, but the finish was so deflating that it ruined the "investment" that the match had built up from me. Sure, Kenny Omega deciding to just go ahead and start hitting PAC with his various championship belts got great heel heat but, because it was a No DQ match, it was perfectly legal all along (the same goes for Don Callis' interference), which meant the referee bump wasn't necessary and, ultimately, it just didn't come off as particularly inspiring or creative to me. Felt a bit "tacked on" like they didn't know how to finish the match in an organic way and just went with the first idea they could come up with, which is unfortunate because so much of the rest of the match was excellent, inspired work. (3/5)

Main event time - Stadium Stampede 2 with Chris Jericho's Inner Circle taking on MJF's Pinnacle. This was not nearly as fun, creative, or entertaining as the first edition, but it held my attention. Maybe that's because I was expecting, at any moment, for them to actually take advantage of the fact that this is a pre-taped, produced "package" and that, because of this, you can play with the presentation quite a bit. In the first Stadium Stampede, we had awesome moments like Jack Swagger staring down a horse, the barroom fight scene, the goofy Jericho football stuff, and Guevara getting chased down by a golf cart. There were multiple callbacks to those moments in this match, but nothing really fresh or new aside from MJF's spectacular performance. His brawling with Jericho was the clear highlight of the entire deal and was also clearly packed with the most "jokes" and viral moments. The finishing stretch between Spears and Guevara was meant to put Guevara over big time, but I feel like a match like this should end with your two biggest stars involved and neither Guevara or Spears fight the bill. (2/5)

I was surprised to see that this show has such a strong Cagematch rating as a whole - a whopping 8.64 - but it only earned a 2.56-out-of-5 Kwang Score. Too many of the matches on this show were disappointments due to either poor finishes, sloppiness, or lacking creativity. By this point, if you've seen one AEW PPV Battle Royal you've seen them all, even if they tend to end with great finishing stretches. The major stars - Mox, the Bucks, Hangman - almost always deliver the goods, but Mox, Cody, and Jericho could be hit-and-miss even back. The Tag Titles match was good (especially if you're into the Bucks style), but the Cody/Ogogo match is rightfully shit-on these days and the second Stadium Stampede was a very pale, poor sequel. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver