The show kicked off with hometown hero (villain?) MJF taking on luche libre technician Hechicero. This was a weird one as I expected it to go considerably longer, but MJF won in rather decisive fashion. I'm not sure if MJF really did tweak his shoulder here or was doing a convincing sell job, but he did not look like he was having much out there. I'm all about MJF returning to a more serious, more heel-ish presentation and not doing Kangaroo Kicks, but there was some joy and excitement in that babyface run that wasn't present in this match. Hechicero did an impressive hammerlock swing that probably did hurt like hell, but that was the only moment that stuck out at me from the Mad Scientist. At just 10 minutes, this felt more like a TV match than a PPV bout. (2/5)
A six-man tag followed as The Acclaimed and Tanahashi took on The Young Bucks and Okada. I've liked The Acclaimed/Young Bucks feud that has developed despite not being much of a fan of the Bucks. If MJF/Hechicero seemed joyless but also too short to mean much, this match had almost too much shtick and went too long. As I've seen very little NJPW wrestling over the years, I can't 100% say how far Tanahashi has dropped in terms of his technique and ability, but I figure its quite a ways down because he was not impressive here. I really like Okada's heel work and the Bucks know how to generate heat...but there is still a problem when a match is getting derailed with "CM Punk" chants nearly a year after the guy was fired. Okada won with a devastating Rainmaker and Tanahashi either really had his bell rung or he was selling it super well as it took him forever to roll out of the ring. Another not-so-great match. (2/5)
Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi in an Owen Hart Tournament match was next. A very good match, but not "must see." This is a match for the super wrestling nerds, I guess, but as I came into this match pretty cold, I wasn't super invested in the outcome. Danielson getting the victory was a foregone conclusion that I didn't question at any point in the match - even after Takagi kicked out of the Baisuku Knee. Speaking of Takagi, this was my second exposure to him (I saw his multi-man match from Dynamite earlier in the week) and I certainly see the hype. He has tremendous strikes, great facial expressions, and obvious technical skills. As has become something of a crutch (if you ask me), the match was once again built around Danielson possibly being paralyzed or at least seriously injured and then fighting through it. Building matches around Danielson's neck injury or concussion history almost seems like low-hanging fruit, though, on the flip side, it wouldn't make sense for his opponents to ignore it either - it just tends to get a bit repetitive when every match Danielson fights is all about how injured and beaten down he is. The first match on the show that delivered. (3/5)
The AEW Women's Champion, Toni Storm, defended her title against Mina Shirakawa. The story coming into this was that Toni's "understudy" Mariah May has been torn between the two women as she has history with both and Mina is attempting to not only take Storm's title but also "steal her girl." I thought this was a fantastic match and really showed that having a hot - or at least on-going and meaningful - storyline building up to a match is what separates a good match from a great one. Toni and Mina may not be stars on the same level as Danielson, MJF, or the Young Bucks...but there was emotion to this match that elevated it considerably above the three previous bouts. Plus, because this is AEW, the action was also very, very good. Some of Toni's hip attacks were ridiculous, as was the chokeslam-powerbomb off the top that she hit. I loved how much she sold the damage to her knee, even though it didn't play into the finish. Toni also hit a couple German Suplexes that looked terrific. The only element that was missing, for me, was a little bit more interaction between the combatants and Mariah May, who was such a crucial part of the storyline but didn't get involved. This match went only about 2 minutes longer than the opener and was a 5+ minutes shorter than Danielson/Tagaki but felt like even more physically taxing and brutal. I can see the argument that there was a little bit of finisher "spamming" and too many kickouts towards the end, but Toni did win with a single Storm Zero. During the post-match, all three women hugged it out and engaged in a three-woman kiss that got a big pop from the crowd. Not necessarily my cup of tea as I'm not into this "envelope pushing" nonsense to really excite me, but I can understand AEW wanting to differentiate itself from WWE with this kind of thing. Easily the Match of the Night up till this point and the crowd's enthusiasm was noticeably greater than in any match before it. (3.5/5)
Zach Sabre Jr. vs. Orange Cassidy was next up. Most people would've predicted that this match would be good; Cassidy almost never has a bad match (though mileage may vary on one's appreciation for his shtick) and Zach Sabre Jr. is rightfully considered one of the best technical wrestlers on the planet. This exceeded my expectations, though, as these two's chemistry was like peanut butter and jelly. I loved that Cassidy showed considerable restraint and came out to this match with real focus and intensity, while it was Sabre who was practically begging him to do his silly taunts. Loved that they built the match on so many wrenches and joint manipulations and, obviously, a ton of cool submissions. Cassidy doing his homework was evident as he nearly matched Sabre move-for-move. Of course, Sabre's bottomless bag of submission moves was still too much for him after an incredible pinfall sequence in the closing minutes. At 36, I am curious if Sabre will get a big run in the US before all is said and done, but he came across in this match as a very dangerous, vicious combatant who could stand toe-to-toe with anyone in the WWE or AEW. At the same time, though I hate to point to it out, I do think presentation-wise, he didn't look as good as he had in his pants as he was sporting some not-too-flattering tights and looked a little doughy compared to the last few times I've seen him. Still, nitpicking and body-shaming aside, this was an incredible match and the first "must see" bout of the evening. (4/5)
A six-man tag match followed pitting The Learning Tree's Chris Jericho and Big Bill, along with Jeff Cobb from NJPW taking on Samoa Joe, HOOK, and Shibata. A loud "Please Retire" chant rung out early and Jericho cut it off with a pre-match promo about how he is a hometown hero. I'm not as down on this gimmick as others, I'm not as down on Chris Jericho as many, but this match didn't need to happen on this card. The only two guys who seemed really over were Samoa Joe and Cobb, which is no surprise. There was some good action in this, but I'm not sure it needed all 14 minutes that it was allotted. (2.5/5)
At the previous pay-per-view, the Shibata/HOOK/Jericho match benefitted considerably from an "Anything Goes" stipulation that allowed the workers to utilize all sorts of weapon and furniture to elicit "cheap" pops from a crowd that was otherwise fairly antithetic to Jericho's shtick (and has also cooled considerably on HOOK). Unfortunately, the layout of the show meant that they'd be afforded no such crutch because the next match was the designated hardcore spotfest - a 6-man ladder match for the vacant TNT Championship between Lio Rush, "The Scapegoat" Jack Perry, Takeshita, Mark Briscoe, Dante Martin, and El Phantasmo. I was skeptical about this one coming in as the only true "names" in the match were Takeshita, Perry, and Briscoe, and the only one that I particularly go out of my way to ever watch is Takeshita. He was the clear MVP of this match and his dominant stretch was incredible and he also took one of the nastiest bumps when Briscoe sandwiched him between a ladder and a table and somersault-splashed him from inside the ring. I could definitely see Takeshita dethroning Briscoe for the Ring of Honor Championship sooner than later as it definitely seemed like those two ignited what could be a very, very good feud. Takeshita also got quite a few cheers throughout the contest as, again, it's just hard to not root for a guy that kicks so much ass. I understand putting Phantasmo and Rush in this match as NJPW/CMLL/international talents, but they felt out of place competing for a major championship as outsiders. This match seemed to wake up the crowd considerably, which is not surprising considering the number of ridiculous bumps that were on display as multiple guys took some gnarly crashes through ladders and tables. Not a "must see" match, but certainly a fun one. (3/5)
Mercedes Mone defended her AEW TBS Championship against NJPW Strong Women's Champion Stephanie Vaquer in a title-for-title match next. This match was maybe more interesting than good as Vaquer shined far more than Mone. Mercedes seemed to relish in getting to work as a heel more and more as the match wore on, though I really wish she would've found a way to go "full heel" and use some trickery to defeat Vaquer or, if not that, at least giving Vaquer the visual pin the same way she did with Willow. Mone claiming to be the best but not winning any of her defenses 100% clean would add more fuel to what seems to me to be a clear trajectory towards being a heel (especially when you consider the mega-pop that Britt Baker received upon her return in the post-match). Anyway...Vaquer was great and, at times, looked like she was in complete control. Highlights included Vaquer bashing Mone's skull into the mat with her knees, Mone cutting off Vaquer with an awesome dropkick as Vaquer came off the top rope, and a really good series of submission counters towards the end. Unfortunately, the crowd was dead for the first half of this and really only seemed to start caring for the match as it wore on and fans seemingly remembered that Mone is from Boston and that the Celtics and Red Sox are their sworn enemies. I wish they would've actually cheered or booed for the people wrestling the match, but at least they were chanting something. (3/5)
The IWGP Championship was on the line next as Jon Moxley defended against Naito. I've not seen Naito compete before - or maybe I have on a random episode of Dynamite or Collision - but he did not look good here. I liked him mocking Moxley early on, but that really only works when the pay-off is that eventually we're going to see him do some bad-ass shit, which, we didn't. There were some seriously ugly botches, including the finishing sequence, and there was also some pacing issues as every time the match seemed like it was going to hit the "next gear," Naito would slow things done in order to catch his breath or deliver another underwhelming strike. There was also some wacky moments involving famed NJPW referee Red Shoes as he seemed to make a slow count at one point - which would suggest that he was in Naito's pocket - but then when he had a chance to give Naito the DQ win (the title can change hands on a DQ), he prevented Moxley from getting himself disqualified by using a chair. I guess we're just supposed to think that it was a really, really long 2.9999 count, but it came across on TV like a full 3 before Naito managed to get a shoulder up. Mox's offense actually looked brutal at times; I dug the stalling piledriver, the inside-out suplex toss thing, the running knee, and the multiple Death Riders. They all looked good (as they should, considering they've all become trademark moves for him), but Naito didn't hit anything even remotely close to those so, by the end, his victory felt totally unearned. This was bad. (1.5/5)
Main event time - Swerve Strickland defending the AEW World Championship against Will Ospreay. After a video package that spliced Ospreay footage with that of Japanese legend Hayabusa, Ospreay came out with a Hayabusa-inspired mask before the champion made his arrival following an introduction from Dipset member Jim Jones. The crowd was very hot for this whole match and Swerve and Ospreay did not disappoint. Ospreay continued his streak of having absolutely incredible matches in AEW, each one either being "must see" or borderline "must see." I'd put this one in the latter category as I didn't particularly love the finishing stretch, which saw Ospreay having to do some acting on the outside (maybe th eone weak part of his game) and withstand maybe one too many finishers, really testing the credibility of the action beyond what we normally get from these two (who do have a tendency to go into sequences built on no-selling). Aside from those nitpicks, Ospreay and Strickland showcased tremendous chemistry and we saw some insane stuff - a hurricanrana off the barrier, a ridiculous Swerve Stomp from the top rope to Ospreay as he was halfway atop a table, an excellent Hidden Blade from Swerve (and a few from Ospreay that looked equally devastating), etc. These guys brought it and delivered a great match...if you're a fan of the style on display. (3.5/5)
Earning a Kwang Score of 2.8-out-of-5, this is the slowest rated AEW PPV that I've reviewed on the blog. That fact didn't surprise me when I looked it up; this is also the first AEW PPV with several matches that were outright underwhelming. The opener was not the great clash of styles it could've been and MJF didn't even seem motivated to be there despite working in front of a crowd that was very much behind him. The two six-mans felt like they would've maybe main evented a Dynamite or Collision episode but neither felt worthy of PPV minutes. The Moxley/Naito match was a huge disappointment and, hopefully, will put an end to Moxley months-long focus on international wrestling when AEW desperately needs him, his aura, and his overness to be a more crucial piece of the actual AEW product. The show was saved, however, by two good-to-great women's matches, a strong main event, an excellent Sabre Jr./Orange Cassidy the match, the bout I'd consider to be most "must see."
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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