Random Matches

Chigusa Nagayo vs. Lioness Asuka (01/29/1989, AJW): Crazy, crazy amount of streamers in the ring for the introductions. Like, a surreal amount. I read a review that described this match as the most "slowed down" of all their battles and, though I haven't seen all of their other matches, this did seem a little more "intensity-fueled" than action-packed. There's only so many super-snug headlocks I can see in a match before I get itchy and this match, which goes 20+, had me feeling itchy at times for sure. While Meltzer (and other writers) have (correctly? I wouldn't know) described Nagayo as the biggest women's wrestler in Japanese history in terms of popularity, its the Lioness Asuka who I tend to watch more closely for her facial expressions, stiff kicks, and nasty suplexes. Not every clothesline connects, but the last 5-or-so minutes are incredible with Asuka's kicks to Nagayo's skull being specifically tremendous. (3/5)

Bull Nakano vs. Manami Toyota (07/21/1990, AJW): For a match that goes under 10 minutes bell-to-bell (the YouTube video is about 13), they pack a ton of action in, working at a much faster and more brutal pace than in the matches that I'd (perhaps ignorantly) would call the Crush Gal Era. Toyota puts forth a great underdog performance, surviving a bunch of Nakano's best power moves and dishing out plenty of punishment of her own. I'm not sure how Nakano became the WWWA Champion, colloquially referred to as "the red belt," as Cagematch just says the title was vacated by Asuka in late 89' and Nakano became champion in January. Great stuff. (3.5/5)

"Dr. Death" Steve Williams vs. Keiji Muto (07/14/2001, AJPW): The first few minutes of this match are cut-off so it "starts" with Williams in control and Muto already selling. I really liked Muto's selling of knee damage after hitting Williams with a Shining Wizard. There's some really smart work throughout the match from both guys despite neither being at their physical peak. Williams still has enough power and snap to his offense for it to look powerful and painful, while Muto uses his cleverness to keep the fight going even after an early injury to his knee (for example, when set up for a backdrop on the floor, kicking off the post to make sure Williams suffers from the landing too). I really liked them trading "Fuck Yous" in the middle of the ring, which they probably weren't the first to do but still felt a little "ahead of its time" in 2001. Williams throws a bunch of bombs, but Muto either counters them or kicks out. Muto has to use a whole bunch of Shining Wizards to put Williams down but eventually does it. I probably would've enjoyed this more if I was a bigger Dr. Death or Muto fan overall, but because they're both guys I enjoy but am not enamored with, this was just good to me. (3/5)

Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kenta Kobashi (05/24/1996, AJPW): Based on my reading, this is not considered their best work against each other, but does have its fans. It starts out hot with Kawada getting something akin to a visual pin, the ref actually counting all the way to 3 but Kobashi clearly having his foot on the rope. As expected, there are some great kicks and some wince-inducing back suplexes where both Kawada and Kobashi land hard on their necks. Still, whether its the subdued crowd or just the somewhat lumbering, slow style, this one didn't grab me the way other Kobashi or Kawada matches have. Like other AJPW matches I've seen, things start out fairly hot, slow down a bit, and then pick up considerably for the final few minutes. Kawada's clean, dominant win was decisive, but Kobashi looked very tough sustaining all the punishment he did. (3/5)

Akira Hokuto vs. Manami Toyota (01/11/1991, AJW): An interesting match as Manami Toyota is basically a vicious heel and Hokuto is the underdog, injured babyface (she comes in with a cast around her arm that Toyota targets immediately). Toyota was ruthless in her attack, but Hokuto kept fighting back and even hitting some big moves, including an awesome somersault splash to the outside. This is a very straight-forward match in terms of story and psychology, but it is carried by intense offense, great pained expressions out of Hokuto, and Toyota's frustration and decision to go "bigger and bigger" to try to put her opponent down. On ProWrestlingOnly and Cagematch you'll find people that consider this one of the best matches of its time, but I find that praise to be a bit too high. For such a straight-forward story, I don't know if this needed to be as long as it was as Toyota should've been targeting Hokuto's arm and able to force her to tap much sooner. It's almost too competitive a contest. Still, no worse than above-average and at least different than your run of the mill "epic" battle. (3/5)

Genichiro Tenryu vs. Keiji Mutoh (06/08/2001, AJPW): I'm not super-versed in the story here, but based on my minimal research, this was not only a highly-anticipated bout - as it was the culmination of a major AJPW vs. NJPW storyline taking place following Misawa's exit from All-Japan and creation of NOAH - but has become widely regarded as one of the best matches of the decade. I'm not sure I'm as high on it because I'm just not the world's biggest Keiji Mutoh fan (he's good, great even, but there's something that doesn't *click* with me the way it does for others), but this was undeniably thrilling from beginning to end. There's a slight "jump" on the YouTube video I watched after Mutoh's initial Shining Wizard, but its a small complaint of an otherwise excellent 20-minute viewing experience. Speaking of the Shining Wizard, between Mutoh never putting anyone down with a single one in the matches I've watched (though I've heard and read there are plenty of instances where it is treated like a killer finisher) and years of watching it used as a transition move in WWE, TNA, and AEW, I'll admit to "missing" the big deal of seeing him multiple ones in a match. All these small gripes aside, this was a heck of a match and I can even understand why the Observer voters named it 2001's Match of the Year. It is action-packed and there are some awesome, gnarly spots in the ring and out of it. For a match that goes 20 minutes, there's very little downtime and absolutely no "feeling out" period. The psychology is sound too as Mutoh focuses his attack on Tenryu's legs and Tenryu essentially turns it into a game of "Can You Top This?" (as Todd Pettengill used to call it), mirroring some of Mutoh's offense while also hitting him with stiff shots and neck drops. I can understand the criticisms of the lack of long-term selling as the match goes on, but I'm sorta used to that style 24 years later. (4/5)

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Masato Tanaka (03/02/2002, ZERO-1): This took exactly a third of a second to be great, which is unsurprising considering Hashimoto and Tanaka's styles. The slap exchange in the early going is awesome. Tanaka's clothesline minutes later is nasty and flying forearms have great energy. Hashimoto comes back with a big dropkick that sends Tanaka out of the ring and then delivers one of the craziest falling double stomps I've ever seen before delivering some of his trademark kicks. Minutes later he does another one off the top rope and while its not as devastating, its close. Tanaka shows incredible resilience by kicking out of a DDT but then eats an elbow and an awesome senton that gets a huge reaction. Hashimoto hits another DDT for 2.9 but Tanaka looks totally beat. Hashimoto goes for a brain buster but Tanaka slips through and clobbers him with a spinning forearm! Great nearfall there. Tanaka attempts a sleeper but Hashimoto basically just stands up and shakes him off. Hash nails him with a HUGE kick to the chest and yells at him a bit before delivering a dropkick and then a hellacious brain buster! It is over. Goddamn. Despite this being something of a "squash," this was awesome. My only gripe is that they even bother with fleeting limb work which ends up being cast aside and undersold anyway. This is a battle of badass wrestlers delivering devastating strikes and while most any match is going to feature at least a little bit of mat wrestling and submissions, its wholly unnecessary here. Hashimoto is terrific. Tanaka's selling and facial expressions and few comebacks are excellent. This is one of the best sub-15-minute matches I've seen. (4.5/5)

Yoshinari Ogawa and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima and Muhammad Yone (02/22/2015, NOAH): This one seems to be all about showcasing Zack Sabre Jr. as he is in the ring for the bulk of the match. Ogawa is a wrestler I really enjoy watching, but he is muted here. This starts off very "exhibition-y" with showy technical grappling that lacks realism. It doesn't feel like a fight until we start getting the real strikes and suplexes and the speed picks up about halfway through, at which point things get pretty good. Even an "average" Sabre match can be a breath of fresh air because of how much his style stands out. (3/5)

Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Jun Akiyama (11/27/1997, AJPW): As someone not versed in the history of AJPW beyond knowing that Misawa was the ace, Akiyama was his protege and "next in line," and that Hayabusa and Shinzaki were coming in from FMW, something of an "outlaw" promotion that partnered up with AJPW in the mid-90s to do some talent sharing. The mix of styles here pulled me in early as Hayabusa and Shinzaki bring more energy and high-flying to the mix while Misawa and Akiyama try to slow things down and work this like your more traditional AJPW tag match. To me, it works, though there is a lull in the middle and things don't really pick up until the last third or so when we start seeing the big suplexes and nearfalls. I wasn't surprised to read that Meltzer gushed about this match in The Observer, though most reviews of this match do note that it is not as good as the Hayabusa & Shinzaki vs. Taue & Kawada match from earlier in the year's Real World Tag League tournament. I guess I'll have to check that one out next as I thought this was pretty good. (3/5)

Jinsei Shinzaki & Hayabusa vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (11/23/1997, AJPW): I dig the theatrics of Hayabusa and Shinzaki's entrance, which, because of their ring gear, was so much more vibrant and colorful than the super-serious, sports-like presentation of the Four Pillars and the other stars of AJPW I've checked out over the past couple years. Hayabusa and Kawada start things off and Kawada goes right for the strikes, but Hayabusa cuts him off with a beautiful kip-up and then a dropkick and then a springboard dropkick soon after. Kawada strikes back with a body slam and a kick to the back and then tags in Taue (so Hayabusa tags in Shinzaki). Shinzaki strikes first with a heel kick and goes for a rope-walk but Taue pulls him down and nails him with a clothesline off the ropes. Kawada comes back in but doesn't get much offense in as the FMW guys take a breather on the outside. Kawada hits some stiff kicks to Hayabusa and nails a vertical suplex moments later before slowing things down with a headlock. Hayabuse escapes with a neckbreaker and then applies a front headlock of his own. Kawada powers out by lifting him up and putting him on the top rope and then tagging in Taue, who nails him with a huge kick! Wow. Hayabusa rallies, though, hitting a spinning kick of his own and a DDT before tagging Shinzaki back in. Shinzaki hits an impressive scoop slam and then a Vader Bomb for 2 before applying a nerve hold on the neck of Taue. Hayabusa comes back in with a slingshot legdrop and then delivers another dropkick. Taue bulldozes him into the corner and tags in Kawada, who unloads a number of stiff chops to Hayabusa's chest. Hayabusa manages ot shake them off and we get an awesome Big Boot Party sequence leading to Kawada dropping a knee and then dumping Hayabusa out of the ring for more punishment from Taue (who whips him into the guardrail). Taue exposes the concrete and hits Hayabusa with a DDT on the floor before sending his lifeless body back into the ring for a 2 count. Taue hoists Hayabusa up and drops him neck-first on the top rope but Shinzaki breaks up the pin. Kawada comes in and applies a Boston Crab and Shinzaki tries to break it up but Kawada holds onto it. Hayabusa reaches the ropes and Kawada tags Taue back in. Taue delivers a stalling vertical suplex for another nearfall as Hayabusa gets his foot on the rope. Taue hits a release atomic drop for another 2 count and then tags Kawada back in. Kawada hits more of his devastating kicks and attempts a powerbomb but Shinzaki breaks it up. Kawada with more kicks to Hayabusa's head and then attempts a powerbomb by Hayabusa counters it into a hurricanrana and Shinzaki nails him with a superkick! Hayabusa makes the hot tag and Shinzaki delivers  a big splash and then a headbutt from the top soon after for 2! Shinzaki goes for a piledriver but gets booted by Taue and Kawada nails him with a spinning heel kick before tagging out. Taue with a huge boot off the ropes and then a pair of big short-arm clotheslines for another near fall. Taue goes for the chokeslam to finish him off but Shinzaki backflips out of it and leg whips him! Hayabusa and Shinzaki hit a double bulldog! Shinzaki with a big body slam and Hayabusa follows it up with a senton! Shinzaki with a springboard knee! Hayabusa with a springboard moonsault! Superkick by Shinzaki into a German Suplex by Hayabusa! Hayabusa goes up top once more and hits a friggin' 450 for 2! Shinzaki brings Taue to his feet and we finally get some rope-walking, but Taue slaps the taste of his mouth and executes another neck-first drop on Shinzaki. In comes Kawada and he hits a pair of boots but Hayabusa saves his partner with a forearm from the top and Shinzaki hits a Pele Kick! Wow. Taue breaks the count. Kawada goes for a piledriver but Kawada back body drops him. Hayabusa with a flying forearm off the top and then takes out Taue with another. Shinzaki hits the powerbomb but he only gets 2! I love how they built up to that moment with so many attempts but that it ultimately was not the "match ender." Chopfest! Kawada hits a trio of jumping keel kicks to the back of Shinzaki's head! Kawada with a running boot off the ropes and then a submission, but Hayabusa breaks it up. Kawada hits a huge lariat off the ropes for 1...2....kickout by Shinzaki! I thought that was it. Kawada hits a powerbomb off his own and lays on top with a deep, deep pin to put an end to this. This was an excellent match that delivered everything it needed to; Hayabusa and Shinzaki got to show how tough they were and also, to some degree, what "the future" looked like, while Taue and Kawada played the tough-as-nails veterans who were still "the now" and knew how to handle business using the techniques that worked for them in the past. (4/5)

AEW Forbidden Door 2022

AEW Forbidden Door 2022

Chicago, IL - June 2002

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: The reigning AEW World Champion was technically CM Punk, but an interim AEW World Champion would be crowned on this show due to injury. The TNT Champion was Scorpio Sky (though he does not appear on the show), the Young Bucks were the AEW World Tag Team Champions, Jade Cargill was the TBS Champion, and Thunder Rosa was the AEW Women's World Champion.

The major storyline coming into this show, aside from this whole event being a bit unique with wrestlers from NJPW competing against AEW stars, was that CM Punk had suffered an injury and that Tony Khan decided to crown an AEW Interim Champion in the main event.

The show opened with Chris Jericho, Minoru Suzuki, and Sammy Guevara (with Tay Conti) taking on Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, and Shota Umino. This went a touch too long for me, but there were some cool moments and I liked the fact that they built the match around Suzuki being a total badass and Jericho being the cowardly, crafty veteran. Guevara got some times to shine with his high-flying and Kingston was the most over guy on his side. As I noted earlier, I'm not sure this match needed a full 20 minutes, but AEW rarely has matches go under 10 on PPV and this was "star-studded" in a way that other matches on the card were not. (3/5)

FTR vs. Great O-Khan and Jeff Cobb vs. Rocky Romero and Trent Baretta for both FTR's Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships and O-Khan and Cobb's IWGP World Tag Team Championships was next. Dax got taken out early with a shoulder injury, which led to a lengthy face-in-peril stretch from Wheeler. This was okay for what it was, but felt heatless at times becomes I don't think the audience was super familiar with anyone but FTR. The match picked up and improved considerably once Dax came back into it, waking the crowd up. I'm not usually a fan of phony mid-match injury angles, but I can understand why they went with it to try to tell a story that stood out from the other matches on the card, especially the multi-mans. Not bad, but nothing I'd necessarily seek out. (2.5/5)

The match to decide who would be the first AEW All-Atlantic Champion was next as PAC took on Malakai Black, Miro (Rusev), and Clark Connors (replacing an injured Tomohiro Ishii). A fun match because, at their best, PAC, Black, and Miro are all incredible workers. Connors won over a large segment of the audience by the end. Watching the match, it did make me curious what the layout would've been had Ishii been available as Connors is such a different type of wrestler (way more agile, quick, and explosive). The exchanges involving Black and Miro were great and both guys were well-protected, but one has to wonder if maybe both or either man was a touch disappointed in not getting to walk out with the belt considering both were much bigger stars in WWE than PAC. (3/5)

Fun wrestling is good wrestling and the next match was the funnest of the night up till this point - Sting, Darby Allin, and Shingo Takagi taking on The Young Bucks and El Phantasmo. From beginning to end, this match felt like it was all about making Sting look awesome while still allowing the other 5 men to "get their shit in." As someone unfamiliar with Takagi, I wasn't blown away by his performance or charisma - at least not compared to El Phantasmo, whose act was really attention-grabbing - but I can fully understand why he is beloved just based on his facial expressions, timing, and execution. The highlights of this match were Sting's, though, from the dive to start things to no-selling a double superkick by the Bucks to the Stinger Splashes on all three opponents, it all got huge reactions even if some of it was arguably too silly. Purists will hate matches like this and I would've loved to seen what CM Punk might've thought of this, but this was great for what it was. (3.5/5)

Thunder Rosa challenged Toni Storm for the AEW Women's World Championship in the next match. It is interesting to watch Toni pre-Timeless as she has become such a more complete Superstar over the past few years. Her in-ring work was always good and, even just in this match, its clear that she was way more polished and capable that anyone else AEW had on their women's roster at the time...but the crowd isn't in love with her the way they are now. There are good moments in this match, but the ending falls a bit flat as it comes a bit out of nowhere after a "you're turn/my turn" stretch and is based on a Thunder Rosa/Dustin Rhodes mentoring storyline that I barely remember them even exploring much further. (2/5)

Will Ospreay vs. Orange Cassidy followed. Ospreay was a heel at the time and was the reigning IWGP United States Champion (though the Bullet Club's Juice Robinson was holding the belt hostage). Ospreay was already a very good-to-great performer at this stage in his career, but its remarkable how much better he's gotten over the past few years and how much more the live crowds react to him. Here is where his AEW "legend" begins though and Orange Cassidy was the perfect opponent for him, more than capable of matching his speed (if not his superhuman agility) and enough of a beloved figure to the AEW audience that the crowd was much more alive for this match than they were the bout that came before it or the tag team triple threat. As one would expect, there were some dazzling sequences, Cassidy's shtick got great responses, Ospreay was very good as a jerk, and there are some nearfalls towards the end that blew me away. The post-match segment, with Katsuyori Shibata arriving in AEW for the first time, is an extra treat. There are places like Cagematch where this match is praised as one of the best in AEW history, which seems a little too strong to me, but this was very close to "must see." (3.5/5)

Bryan Danielson was unable to compete in the next match so he had to find a replacement to take on Zach Sabre Jr....and that replacement was noneother than Claudio Castignoli! The former Cesaro came out to a massive reaction from the Chicago crowd and proceeded to have an excellent bout against Sabre. Like the previous match, this one went over 15 minutes, but had the crowd's full attention for its entirety. Like the previous match, the finish was not really in question as it would've been very poor booking to bring Claudio in and have him lose his debut match. Then again, Sabre Jr. was promoted as the best technical wrestler on the planet going into this so I dig figure, especially as this entered its final stages, that it was possible we would see a time limit draw. Booking decisions aside, I loved Claudio's urgency and control early and his multiple feats of strength. Sabre was less impressive here than in some of the other matches I've seen him in, but only because it seemed like he was overshadowed by Claudio's energy and the fans' reaction to him. In most matches I've seen him in, Sabre is the "star attraction" because of his unique moveset and great character work, but here it almost seemed like he was just trying to survive. I wouldn't call this "must see," but its not that far from it and the atmosphere and the commentators' excitement for the action added to it as well. (3.5/5)

"Switchblade" Jay White defended his IWGP World Championship against Kazuchika Okada, Adam Cole, and "Hangman" Adam Page in the next match. Lots to love here, but nothing necessarily shocking or entirely new. White is a master of the 2.999 count. Okada's dropkicks are things of beauty. Page brought the intensity. Cole hit a nasty superkick on Page as he attempted a moonsault at one point. I can see why Meltzer would give this 4-and-a-half-stars in The Observer as it is absolutely the type of match one could love for its sequences and spots and, if you're familiar with the history between the four men, the fun nods to matches and stories from the past. It was smartly worked too, starting off a bit like a tag match with the heels - and tangentially Bullet Club-related stablemates - Cole and White forming an alliance against the babyfaces. Of course, things devolved and, pretty soon, every man was out for themselves and delivering signature moves left-and-right. I blinked and missed the spot where Cole suffered a concussion, but honestly, a dropkick from Okada would be enough to get a victory in any match that lasts 20+. A very good match, but another that I found fell a hair short of "must see" or Match of the Year level. (3.5/5)

Main event time - Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the Interim AEW World Championship. After winning the AEW World Championship at the previous PPV, CM Punk got injured doing a crowd-dive of all things and the rumored match against Tanahashi was changed to a match to crown an interim champion. Going in, most assumed Moxley would be leaving with the title (which took away a good bit of the suspense of the match). I'm not knowledgeable enough about Tanahashi to know when he was at his peak, lost a step, or what, but he looked pretty spent during the Lights Out Cage Match at Forbidden Door 2025. There was no hiding here and no reason Tanahashi really needed to as he was more than serviceable, especially as the match moved on. It was not a "fireworks show" like some of the matches earlier on the show, more deliberately paced so that when things picked up by the end, it felt more frantic and action-packed despite them probably working at a third of the speed that Ospreay and Orange did. People have criticized Moxley getting blood off what is essentially a clothesline (Tana's Slingblade), but I didn't find it too gratuitous or unnecessary (it was clear that the two wanted to throw everything they could into this match to make it feel like a true title fight despite the actual Champion not being in the match). Not must-see, but . (3/5)

The first Forbidden Door pay-per-view was an overall strong show with most of the matches being good-to-great (even if I wouldn't necessarily consider any "must see"). The Women's Championship match was a disappointment, but is an interesting watch if only to see pre-Timeless Toni Storm and how, as smooth she was as a worker and how good her offense already looked, the missing piece that connected with the audience and made her standout as something different than countless other women who came out in similar fashion with similar attitude was the Timeless gimmick. The Fourway Tag Match isn't bad and, to their credit, FTR tried to give it an interesting story, but I'm not sure the show needed it. The Orange Cassidy/Will Ospreay, six-man with Sting, and Castignoli/Sabre matches were my favorites, but the opener and the IWGP World Championship fourway were both action-packed and engaging from beginning to end. With a Kwang Score of 3.06-out-of-5, this was a solid show, especially considering it was a bit of an "experimental" one with so much of the talent not being super well-known in the US.

FINAL RATING - Watch It With Remote in Hand

AEW All Out 2025

AEW All Out 2025

Toronto, Ontario, Canada - September 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, "Hangman" Adam Page was the AEW Men's World Champion, Toni Storm was the AEW Women's World Champion, the TBS Champion was Mercedes Mone, the TNT Champion was Kyle Fletcher, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were Brodido (Brody King and Bandido), the AEW Trios Champions were Shibata, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Samoa Joe, and the AEW Unified Champion was Kazuchika Okada.

AEW All Out 2025 began with a very crowd-pleasing video of Adam "Cope" Copeland and Christian Cage walking backstage and running into hockey legend Wendell Clarke and Trailer Park Boys' character Bubbles, two Toronto favorites. It was fun stuff. Their opponents in the opening contest were FTR, the team who had put Copeland on the shelf for several months. Christian and Dax started things off with Christian hitting some big offense before tagging in Edge. Cash came in and tried to slow things down to take the crowd out of it but got taken down by a Lou Thesz Press and in came Christian to deliver a double-team move, the former Edge and Christian showing off why there were once among the best teams in the business. Wheeler and Dax re-took the advantage, though, as the crowd sang and sang. Cutting the ring in half, Christian played face-in-peril as FTR maintained control until Christian caught a lucky break and got his feet up on an attempted Vader Bomb by Wheeler. Edge came in and took out both members of FTR but took some time getting up. In a ridiculous and crowd-pleasing moment, Edge hit a big back drop in the center of the ring and then a Five Knuckle Shuffle and Attitude Adjustment for 2 (with commentary going silent and letting the moves and audience do the talking). It was a fun nod to the well-known Edge/Cena TLC match from Toronto 19 or so years earlier. Edge and Copeland looked like they were in control but Stokely got involved and drew their attention on the floor. Edge and Christian looked like they were going to pay homage to the Hardy's but got hit by the Power & Glory combo by FTR instead. They went for the Shatter Machine by Christian came in for the save with a spear and then Edge hit a big reverse DDT for 1...2...Stokely pulled the ref out! Stokely was then taken out by Beth Copeland! Edge hit a spear in the ring but only got 2! Beth carried Stokely down the aisle, neutralizing him. Wheeler attempted to nail Cope with the bell, leaving Dax alone in the center of the ring with Cope and Christian. They attempted a spike piledriver but Wheeler grabbed Christian and powerbombed him into the announce table! Dax hit Cope with the ring bell! Spike piledriver for 1...2...somehow Cope kicked out! I'm not sure that shouldn't have been the finish, even with this being in Toronto. Edge was left alone and FTR attempted a Shatter Machine but Edge hit a pair of Impalers! Christian was still selling on the outside as Edge looked to finish Wheeler off with a spear. But he ran into a Shatter Machine instead for 1...2...and, again, Edge kicked out! Then they hit another, but instead of going for the cover, FTR continued their attack. This opened things up to allow Christian to hit Wheeler with an uppercut and grab hold of Dax to leave Wheeler susceptible to a huge spear for the win. This was really, really good and a great way to start the match, though, I'm not sure we needed Edge kicking out of multiple finishers or the post-match moment of Mother Wayne and Nick Wayne distracting the babyfaces so that the heels could beat down on Christian, spike piledriving him while Edge was handcuffed in the corner. This led to Beth Copeland trying to fight off FTR but getting spike piledriven as well. If the goal here was to put a ton of heat on the heels, it was certainly effective, but why not let FTR get the win too? Booking decisions aside, this was great. (3.5/5)

Eddie Kingston made his AEW return to take on Big Bill (accompanied to the ring by Bryan Keith). This match had some TV build as Big Bill challenged Kingston because he was angry that Kingston was considered the tougher "New Yawker." I think most fans really wanted Kingston to come back on a bigger stage with a more meaningful story, but this wasn't a bad way to kick the tires. Unfortunately, the chemistry just wasn't there between these two. Big Bill has improved since his early days in the WWE, but is still a better tag guy than he is in singles and the departure of Chris Jericho, a blessing in some ways because of how stale and overexposed Jericho became, did Bill and Keith no favors at all because they were left rudderless. The finish of this - Kingston hitting his Awesome Kong-inspired backhand but clearly missing (as Tony Schiavone noted on commentary) - is what will be remembered most, which is a shame because while this wasn't a great match, the crowd was into Kingston and it wasn't terrible as a whole. The post-match, which saw HOOK make his return, was another poorly-executed decision that felt completely shoehorned-in for no reason aside from Kingston and HOOK being from the same city. HOOK's return, like Kingston's, deserved better than something you'd expect on an episode of Collision. (1.5/5)

Fortunately, things picked back up considerably with MJF and Mark Briscoe's Tables-and-Tacks match. This was a bloody, violent, but still smile-inducing fun match with MJF putting on a great old school heel performance with his reactions and viciousness and Mark Briscoe delivering a great performance in his own right and taking some hellacious drops into the tacks. My only real criticism was the super-suspenseful segment in the corner as MJF and Briscoe battled to see who could send the other through a table that MJF had covered in thumbtacks. They spent so much time building up to what was seemingly going to be a match-ending death move - a piledriver off the top like the one MJF gave Garcia, a Jay Driver (which would've been insane and could've likely led to someone getting paralyzed), or even a powerbomb from the top rope - but the teasing led to a comparatively pedestrian pair of elbows instead. Aside from that, this was great, but maybe a hair short of "must see" unless you're super into both guys and their feud. A surprise ending too, but one that made sense because, with so much emphasis on Jay Briscoe's passing, it would've been quite deflating to see Mark take the L. (3.5/5)

I wasn't expecting much out of the next match, but it was perfectly fine, helped a ton by the tremendous work of Ricochet as he paired with Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona (now known as The Demand rather than The Gates of Agony) to take on The Hurt Syndicate's Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP. The crowd was not super into this but I reckon that was because The Gates of Agony/Demand have been treated like low midcarders for years, aren't particularly great in-ring performers, and are in desperate need of a makeover in terms of their presentation (which should've absolutely happened now that they are under Rico's wing). You could practically hear a pin drop when Lashley and Liona had their "face off," which was clearly designed and laid-out to get a "Meat" chant going, for example. On the more positive side, Ricochet and Benjamin have great chemistry and they showed it off here, MVP's signature moves all got good reactions, and the finishing stretch really picked up nicely once they took the fight to the floor. (2.5/5)

The TBS Championship followed as Mercedes Mone took on Riho, who was the first AEW Women's World Champion. Mone's entrance was glorious as she has become a "belt collector" with a number of chiseled dudes each holding one of her championships for her. Riho controlled early, working on Mone's arm at first before eventually hitting her with a big 619. Mone rolled to the floor and Riho hit her with a nutso double stomp off the apron and onto the floor and then did it again off the announcer's table! They looked painful as all hell. Rihio went for a third in the ring but Mone evaded it. Riho hit a beautiful low dropkick and then a nasty crucifix bomb, the kind of offense that reminds you why she was the inaugural AEW Womens' Champion. Mone went back to the floor and pulled Riho off and behind the apron before bashing her into the announce table. Mone then hit a Meteora off the announce table and to the floor for 2. Dang. That could not have felt good on Mercedes' knees. Mone applied a submission in the ring, the match slowing down a bit after a very fast-paced, action-heavy start. Mone hit Riho with a dropkick that looked like it could've legitimately broken Riho's neck as her foot connected with the middle of her throat. Mone applied a surfboard, but Riho escaped and grabbed hold of Mone's leg, slamming her knee into the mat and then applying a half-crab. It wasn't the smoothest sequence of all time, but I'll give credit to them for the effort as the mat wrestling led to crossface, a roll-up, and then yet another nasty double stomp from Riho. A strike exchange followed with Riho dumping Mone on her head for 2 with a German suplex straight out of 90s joshi. Mone hit a dizzying number of vertical suplexes (after first hitting a superplex), no-selling any of the limb damage from earlier in the process. She went to the top for a frogsplash but telegraphed that Riho would get her knees up and then missed a Meteora in the corner. This led to one of my least favorite spots as Mone held herself up just so Riho could deliver another double stomp for 2.9. Mone came out swinging, though, hitting a "front-stabber" (?), a sunset-flip powerbomb, and then a Meteora in the corner. Again, the lack of selling was hard not to notice at this point, but hey, this was a "fireworks show" and the crowd was eating it up. Mone went for a Shining Wizard but Riho countered it into another submission. It was too close to the ropes, though, allowing Mone to grab hold of the bottom one to break it up. Mone hit a big knee to the face on the apron and came off the top again but got dumped on her head once again for 2 from a Riho German Suplex. Riho went to the top and hit a crossbody for 2 and then an overhead suplex for another nearfall. Riho went for what I assume was her finish, but Mone grabbed hold of the referee and countered it into her signature reverse powerbomb-into-double knees thing (I'm not sure what she or anyone else calls it) and then hit the Moneymaker to end things. The long-term selling was simply not there. There were some bits of telegraphing that were hard to ignore. The submission section and counters were not seamless. But...this was entertaining as all hell and further evidence of Mone being an exceptional, all-time talent that can go into a rather "cold" match and deliver a Match of the Night-caliber bout. Very good and, if the finish had been remotely in question, probably more "must see." (3.5/5)

A triple threat match for the AEW Unified Championship followed as Kazuchika Okada defended his title against Mascara Dorada and fellow Don Callis Family member Konosuke Takeshita. I'm an unabashed Takeshita mark so I knew going into this that I was likely to enjoy it. The match may have gone a touch too long, but it was a ton of fun and I loved the interactions between Okada and Takeshita. Dorada was the wildcard in this match but delivered some insane high-flying. I didn't much love his showboating at times as it took away from the urgency of the match, but without it, Dorada would likely be seen as "just another lucha guy" so I'll give him credit for trying to get the crowd behind him and keep them engaged. At Cagematch this has a whopping 9.11 score and I'm not surprised, but I'm also not going to go as high on it. As good as the action was and as good as the character work was, at a certain point, the crowd's interest seemed to have "peaked" and there was an audible dip in excitement as they may have simply done too much, loading up a 20-minute match with so many nearfalls and false finishes that the match reached its crescendo a minute or two before it got to its tacked-on finishing sequence. Still, one of the best mixes of wrestling styles ever put in the ring together as Dorada's high-flying, Takeshita's incredible striking and power, and Okada's expert timing and perfection of the "little things" came together beautifully. (3.5/5)

Jon Moxley faced Darby Allin in a Coffin Match next. You knew going into this that it would be brutal and violent and that the crowd was going to be 1000% behind Darby. However, what I wasn't expecting was one of the best returns in AEW history as PAC cost Allin the match, tossing him - in Razor's Edge fashion - from the ring onto a coffin on the outside. It was a hellacious and nasty bump and, as deflating as it was for the audience, it was a heck of a "capper" to this match. Other highlights included Darby going at Moxley's forehead with a fork, the crowd chanting "This Is Murder" after Allin attempted to suffocate Mox with a plastic bag (a great throwback to what he had done to Bryan Danielson at the start of this whole storyline), Allin using his body as a weapon to dive into Moxley into the coffin on the outside, and the aforementioned Danielson's impassioned commentary. What "moved the needle" for me compared to the previous match or the Riho/Mone match, which I enjoyed a whole ton, is that this had the emotional pull that those matches didn't offer and the feeling that this was the culmination of a heated rivalry (even if its finish did not offer the conclusion most were hoping for). (4/5)

"Timeless" Toni Storm defended her AEW Women's World Championship against Thekla, Kris Statlander, and Jamie Hayter in the next contest. There were some clunky moments sprinkled through this otherwise very good match. For every somewhat awkward sequence or small bit of telegraphing, though, there was something like Statlander's piledriver on Thekla on the floor, Storm's always-incredible hip attack in the corner, or Thekla's double-tarantula on the ropes. If this is the worst or second worst match on a 10-match card, you're probably watching one of the best shows ever produced and, up till this point, All Out 2025 was already in the conversation. Plus, the shocking, somewhat out-of-nowhere finish really worked here because, coming into the match, it seemed very likely that this was just another "showcase match" to highlight the rest of the division in a losing effort to dethrone the champ. Instead, we get an intriguing storyline development with Statlander getting the upset and seemingly under the mentorship of Wheeler Yuta. (3/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line in the next match - The Young Bucks, Hechicero and Josh Alexander, and "Speedball" Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight all challenging Bandido and Brody King in a 4-way Ladder Match. If you were looking for psychology and pacing and all that, this was the wrong place to find it, but some moments were particularly egregious (such as Brody King holding up a ladder with his partner on it and doing nothing to prevent Mike Bailey from crashing onto him or Bandido hitting a ridiculous sunset flip powerbomb onto a ladder rather than trying to grab hold of the belts to win the match later on). That being said, if you're into ridiculous spots, this one packed a ton of them into its 25-minute runtime including a few that I don't think I'd seen before, including Bailey hitting his backflip double knees onto Hechicero on a ladder (it was gnarly). It was impossible to be bored by this but I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea either. Personally, I can't watch ton of these matches in a row, but I like that AEW offers one at almost every big show and that they almost always deliver. (3/5)

The post-match saw Jack Perry return and it was...awful. I'm not an anti-Perry guy, but this had to be one of the dumbest return angles in wrestling history as Perry showed up to attack his former pals The Young Bucks and almost immediately got superkicked, falling prey to the numbers game because - duh - it was a 2-on-1 situation. This made Perry look like a total moron. Then, the lights went out and a video played of Perry "revitalizing" Killswitch/Luchasaurus. When the lights turned on, the Bucks were, inexplicably, still focused on Perry, their backs turned away from Killswitch/Luchasaurus because they'd seemingly never seen a pro-wrestling show before. Just woefully executed stuff. Luchasaurus gave them a double chokeslam and then hugged it out with Perry. Why did Killswitch return to TV several weeks ago at Forbidden Door in August? And as a heel? Why did Perry come out still in the same all-black gear he wore as a heel before he was taken off TV? Are we to assume that Perry's plan, all along, was to come out and get superkicked before playing a return video on the screen to explain why Luchasaurus was back on his side? Whoever was behind this segment gave it worse than zero thought, they gave it all bad thought. This would've been so, so, so much better if it had been a Dynamite segment of some kind where the Bucks were doing something heelish and the reunited Jurassic Express came out for the save out of the crowd or something. (-1)

After a commercial for WrestleDream, we cut to the back where Jon Moxley gave a eulogy to Darby Allin and then sent the Death Riders off. Allin then sprung out of the coffin and put Moxley in a body bag and looked to crack him in the skull with a pipe but decided instead to spray him down with lighter fluid and light the body bag on fire. 

Main event time - the reigning AEW TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher defending his AEW World Championship against "Hangman" Adam Page. Don Callis joined the commentary team for this one. Fletcher and Page did some mat wrestling to start things off before going into a chop duel that ended with Fletcher hitting a thrust kick to send Page to the ropes. The finish to this match was never really in question - this being Fletcher's first AEW pay-per-view and Page having only won the title in July - but the fun of this match was seeing if The ProtoStar could live up to the "main event lights" and have another career-defining performance the way he did against Will Ospreay earlier this year (or was it 2024?). They went to the outside where Fletcher hit a crazy dive over the barricade and onto the arena floor, doing more damage to himself than to Page. Back in the ring, Page hit a backbreaker-lariat combo and got sent to the floor moments later. Page went to the top to go for a moonsault, but Fletcher shoved him off and sent him crashing into the barricade. Fletcher hit a powerbomb onto the apron and then some boots in the corner, fully in control at this point. Fletcher pulled a table out from under the ring, which I'm not sure they needed (especially after the last bout), but in their defense, it was a call back to the build of the rivalry. Fletcher went for a brainbuster on the apron but Hangman countered and nailed him with a clothesline that sent him back into the ring. Hangman went for a Buckshot Lariat but Fletcher blocked it with a superkick and nailed him with a top-rope Hangman DDT. Fletcher followed it with a Michinoku Driver, a scoop slam, and then a huge leaping stomp to the back of the neck, everything executed beautifully. Fletcher hit a Savage-esque elbow drop from the top rope for 2 and then a high angle Boston Crab, not dissimilar to the Walls of Jericho. Hangman reached the ropes to break the hold, though, and Fletcher played to the crowd a bit instead of keeping his attention on the champion. Fletcher hit a devastating running boot in the corner and then another but got clobbered with a lariat on the third attempt. Dang. Hangman rallied from here, hitting a back body drop and then a pair of his trademark fallaway slams for 2. A great sequence followed as Page went for a Deadeye, Fletcher escaped, strikes were exchange and Page launched himself over the top with a stiff crossbody before returning to the top to hit the moonsault to the floor. He immediately tossed Fletcher into the ring and hit him with a powerbomb and then a pop-up Ligerbomb for another 2.5. This led to another great sequence of counters and reversals, a super stiff mule kick, and then an anti-air superkick by Fletcher and a massive Ligerbomb for another great nearfall. Damn. Back out of the ring they went where Page hit Fletcher with a tombstone piledriver to the floor, the kind of move that, 30 years ago, would've led to a months-long injury angle. Page followed it up with a Hangman DDT off the apron and on the floor for good measure, the crowd practically silenced by the brutality of it. Hangman went back to the top rope but Fletcher dodged the moonsault and then caught him with a running boot. Fletcher cleared the timekeeper's area and connected with a brainbuster through the timekeepers' table! Back in the ring, Fletcher hit a running boot in the corner to the back of Page's neck and then another to the front - both looking absolutely brutal. Fletcher then delivered an picture-perfect brainbuster in the center of the ring for 2.8. This led to the crowd chanting "You're Not Ready," which drove Tazz insane on commentary. Personally, I loved the story of Fletcher having all the physical tools and ability but constantly getting distracted by the audience and losing focus when it looked like he was on the brink of closing things out. Back to the apron they went, but this time it was Page who got to hit his signature move, a crazy Deadeye off the apron and through the table that looked like it could've paralyzed the challenger. Insanity. Page rolled Fletcher into the ring and went for a Buckshot but Fletcher collapsed before Page could hit it and Hangman ended up falling onto the mat as well. Both guys sold exhaustion on the mat but were able to beat the count at 9 by getting to the ropes. Hangman stared down the challenger, pointing his finger at him, and hit him with a V-Trigger and went for a One-Winged Angel - a brilliant callback to Fletcher putting Omega on the shelf - but Fletcher managed to escape and hit a superkick. Page recovered quickly and we got a series of counters leading to another Deadeye in the center of the ring for 2.9! At this point, an announcement was made that 30 minutes had gone by, but it had been so spectacular from beginning to end that it didn't feel like it at all (especially compared to some of the other matches on the show that seemed like they had gone a couple minutes too long). Fletcher hit a Hidden Blade off the ropes and went for a Tiger Driver but Hangman somehow countered it into an incredible Storm Cradle Driver/JML Driver (one of Swerve's signatures) for another crazy nearfall. Wow. A "Fight Forever" chant broke out at this point as Hangman went to the apron. Hangman went for another Buckshot but Fletcher caught him in a small package for 2. Another Buckshot attempt but Fletcher nailed him with the Brainbuster at 2.9! A loud "Yes!" chant broke out in reaction to Danielson losing his cool at ringside followed by a "This Is Awesome" chant. Danielson's enthusiasm was infectious as he was clearly floored by what he was watching. Fletcher hit some lazy kicks and some slaps, no selling Page's strikes and clotheslines with incredible cockiness. Fletcher hit another thrust kick and a lariat of his own before ripping off the top turnbuckle to expose the steel. Fletcher's told the ref to "shut the fuck up," hit a boot to the back of Page's head as he hung over the exposed buckle, and then went for a top rope brainbuster on the turnbuckle but Page fought out and hit him with a series of headbutts, slammed him into the buckle, and then somehow managed to hit him with a Deadeye off the top rope! This one looked even uglier than the first one. Page hit him with a Buckshot Lariat soon after but, by this point, it almost seemed like a mercy killing because Fletcher looked dead on his feet. The precision and execution of everything they did was just incredible and, though they continuously upped the ante with crazier and crazier sequences and spots, Page's selling of his damaged neck was great and, though one could argue they could've stretched things even longer, they did let things "breathe" as much as one is ever going to get in a match like this. Another performance out of Fletcher that makes it obvious that, if he can somehow not kill himself in the ring, will one day be the top star in the entire industry. An instant Match of the Year contender despite there not really being in question who was going to win, a testament to the story they told and Fletcher's performance. Incredible, incredible match. (4.5/5)

Earning a rather incredible 3.15-out-of-5 Kwang Score despite a runtime of well over 4 hours and a total of 10 matches, All Out 2025 is in the discussion of AEW's best ever pay-per-view events, especially if you can overlook the Jack Perry return angle or weren't too disappointed by Kingston's return match. The main event was an instant Match of the Year contender, both hardcore matches delivered the kind of ultra-violence that the WWE won't and can't and will probably never supply again, both Womens' Championship matches were good-to-great, the Edge & Copeland match wasn't an all-timer but was fun nostalgia and a hot opener for the local crowd, the triple threat match gave us a great clash of styles and furthered the Okada/Takeshita tension, and the tag team ladder match was the exact type of spotfest stunt show it needed to be. The only thing "hurting" this show was its duration and the fact that, at 10 matches, only an AEW completist would likely feel the need to watch every single minute. 

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

AEW Double or Nothing 2022

AEW Double or Nothing 2022

Paradise, Nevada - May 2022

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, "Hangman" Adam Page was the AEW World Heavyweight Champion, Thunder Rosa was the AEW Women's World Champion, the Jurassic Express (Jack Perry and Luchasaurus) were the World Tag Team Champions, the TNT Champion was Scorpio Sky, and the TBS Champion was Jade Cargill.

The show opens up with MJF taking on Wardlow, who had been his "muscle" for a couple years by now and was essentially fighting for his "freedom." Wardlow was pretty over at this point, but, as I write this, has been off-screen for months and months, filming American Gladiators and basically just "benched" for some reason or another. I'm curious if he'll be returning sooner than later and back to being paired with MJF as his singles run petered out fairly quickly. The other big story coming into this match was that the internet had exploded with gossip over potential issues between MJF and Tony Khan as MJF had no-showed the Double or Nothing Fan Fest held the previous day and it was unclear whether he was even in Las Vegas. I think, over time, it has become somewhat accepted that MJF no-showing the event, supposedly booking a flight out of Vegas, and not showing up to the show until mere minutes before the show began, was some sort of "work," but that's never really been confirmed. Anyway, this is a one-sided massacre of a match with Wardlow dominating it and power-bombing something like 10 times before he pins him. Its not a great match the way a Steamboat/Flair classic is, but it is an effective one and the fans were very much into it. The little bit of heeling that MJF did before he got beaten was good. Wardlow's powerbombs were okay. (2/5)

Next up - a match billed as a "dream match" despite it happening multiple times before in Ring of Honor and other indie feds - The Young Bucks vs. The Hardys. I'll give them some credit for not going the "easy route" and making this a ladder match or a TLC match for no real reason and, instead, going out there and working a mostly straight-up tag team match. The Hardys look a little sloppy at times, clearly showing their age (especially Jeff, who had trouble balancing on the ropes at one point due to a loose boot but was also "off" a few other times in his positioning), and the Bucks are definitely working a bit slower and leave out any of the go-go-go full-speed sequences they might put on with teams like FTR or the Lucha Bros. That being said, this was fine for what it was, inoffensive but not particularly memorable. (2.5/5)

Jade Cargill defended her TBS Championship in the next match against Anna Jay. This was very sloppy with lots of telegraphing, some moves being delivered in slo-mo, and the crowd mostly disinterested until Jon Silver showed up and Stokely Hathaway debuted towards the end. The weirdest, most noteworthy part of this might've been the debut of Athena on the AEW roster, the fairly big reaction she received, the way the commentators put her over only for her to...not really become a major player in AEW proper (she'd soon become a dominant Ring of Honor Women's Champion) for another three years. Crazy stuff right there that I'm not sure I'll ever understand. (1.5/5)

A Trios Match followed as Death Triangle (Penta, Fenix, and PAC) took on The House of Black (Buddy Murphy, Malakai Black, and Brody King). This was the first match on the show to truly deliver the goods as the opener was a one-sided squash, Hardys/Bucks was clearly a few notches below what it may have been if the Hardys were anywhere close to their prime, and Cargill/Anna Jay was a Rampage-level match at best. Unsurprisingly, this was loaded with cool sequences and some very innovative double-team maneuvers out of the Death Triangle specifically. Despite being so "spot heavy," there was some very good psychology on display too and the match did flow in a logical manner with the big moves actually being sold and the violence and risk-taking escalating as the match progressed from a somewhat staid opening minutes to an all-out war by the end. I wouldn't necessarily call this "must see," but it was well above-average and probably would've worked even better as an opening contest. I also liked the finish a good bit as Julie Hart debuted her new persona to cost the Death Triangle the match. (3/5)

Samoa Joe took on Adam Cole in the finals of the first ever Owen Hart Invitational Tournament. I liked this more than I've liked most of Adam Cole's matches but that might have been because he actually worked "small" here and had to use his cunning and some underhanded tactics to focus on Joe's injured shoulder and maintain any sort of control. On the negative side, the finish really did seem to come out of nowhere (as even JR seemed surprised by it on commentary) and didn't seem like it was adequately built up to after what was a solid 10+ minutes of action. I'm glad they didn't overstay their welcome and kept it simple, but for a tournament final, I don't think its unreasonable to have expected something a bit more special. (2.5/5)

Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho followed. This was the second half of the male/female Finals of the Owen Hart Tournament. Britt Baker had Fozzy's Rich Ward "play her out" - really just him being obnoxious with his guitar as her music play - while Ruby Soho had Rancid playing her theme song. It was a cool moment and, unfortunately, the peak of the match. Watching Baker's various matches on these PPVs over the past year, I've not been super impressed with anything but her character work. Soho is a solid hand in the ring but lacks a "punchy" offense or the real charisma to get the audience behind her. Unremarkable match that, like the Men's Final, seemed to telegraph its finish with the attire worn by the winner. (2/5)

After the Owen Hart Championship Belt/Trophy ceremony, in which Dr. Martha Hart gave a somewhat lengthy speech, it was time for the company's first-ever mixed Trios match: Ethan Page, Paige Van Zant, and Scorpio Sky taking on the team of Frankie Kazarian, Sammy Guevara, and Tay Conti. Scorpio Sky was the reigning TNT Champion and had been feuding with Kazarian and Guevara over the title. Of all the people in this match, I'd say I'm the biggest fan of Tay Conti, whose pump kicks in the corner are excellent. I'm hot-and-cold on Guevara as I dug his initial gimmick with the big placards during the screen-in-screen commercials on Dynamite and thought he was good as a cocky, smarmy heel (including in this match, which he fills with unnecessary strutting and lots of over-the-top T&A with Conti), but felt like the on-again/off-again relationship with Jericho went too long and has had too many heel/face switches for a guy who was a relative unknown when AEW started. "Pillar" or not, I've never bought him as a babyface that fans have really gotten behind. Anyway...this was pretty good and they wisely limited the in-ring time for Van Zant, who, as far as I know, was basically untrained and never wrestled again aside from this match. The closing minutes were particularly strong as Kazarian hit an awesome neckbreaker on Sky as he was pulled over the top rope off the apron. It was the kind of spot that made no sense in terms of physics and required full cooperation from the guy receiving the move, but it looked cool. Sammy Guevara's inadvertent superkick to Tay Conti looked great as well. (2.5/5)

Darby Allin took on Kyle O'Reilly in the next match. Things were a little sloppy to start (Darby's first dive to the floor looked like it could've paralyzed him), but at least it felt gritty and stiff. They only got 10 minutes of ring-time, but they loaded it up with physical, intense wrestling and the commentary team seemed to appreciate the work considerably more than some of the other bouts that came before it. You could definitely feel the crowd "wake up" as the match progressed and Darby, whose mouth got bloodied on basically the first strike of the match, took more and more abuse. Darby's Coffin Drop onto O'Reilly on the apron was a highlight, as were O'Reilly's ability to "catch" Allin into submissions both on the floor and in the ring. (3/5)

Serena Deeb challenged Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women's World Championship in the next bout. This got lots of love in the Observer and on Cagematch, but I didn't find it to be anything better than maybe, slightly above-average. The crowd was into it at the beginning, but the speed and intensity didn't pick up gradually and there were some clear bits of telegraphing that took me out of it. Deeb looked good here, but lacked a real character beyond just being a talented ring technician, while the most remarkable aspect of Thunder Rosa's performance may have been her Day of the Dead-inspired ring gear. They tried their best to put forth a straight-ahead title bout and have that be enough, but there was no "sizzle" to the "steak" as JR might put it. (2.5/5)

Anarchy in the Arena followed as Chris Jericho and his team of Sports Entertainers - Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, Jake Hager, and Daniel Garcia - took on the team of Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Ortiz, and Santana. This was much more bloody and violent and gritty than the Stadium Stampede matches from previous years, which were more "cinematic," surreal, and even silly at times. In the first five minutes, Menard was bloodied to a pulp by Kingston and, soon after, Moxley, Danielson, and Kingston were also sporting some "color." A match like this is a bit hard to follow with so much going on at the same time, but the production crew did a good job of capturing the big moments. Lots of tables. Lots of stiff shots and suplexes on the floor and whatnot. The crowd was super into everything. Liked the visual of Moxley de-constructing the ring and the usage of the turnbuckles to inflict damage. Danielson got great reactions for his kicks on Jericho towards the end. The visual of Eddie Kingston walking down the aisle with a can of gasoline to burn Jericho alive is an all-timer. I didn't necessarily love the finish as Danielson "passed out" in a mix of a Liontamer and a choke with the ring rope as his partners sold on the outside and were unable to help (even though Ortiz and Santana had basically been "out" for an exorbitant amount of minutes by this point). This was almost too wild and formless for me to consider it a truly great wrestling match with a clear beginning, middle, and end and raising of suspense, but it was good for what it was. I'm a bit shocked that it is so beloved on Cagematch and received a full 5 stars from Meltzer because it was very one-note until the final 5 or so minutes when Kingston arrived and the match actually became more dramatic and intriguing. (3/5)

In the next segment, Andrade was shown in an office talking to his manager and welcoming the newest member of his stable....Rush. This was followed by Dante Martin challenging Scorpio Sky for the TNT Championship. 

Next up - Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland and Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks challenging for the AEW World Tag Team Championships held by Jack Perry and Luchasaurus in a triple threat match. A bit of a mixed bag to start - Strickland's timing with Hobbs and Starks wasn't perfect, but I liked Lee's powerbombing Perry into Luchasaurus on the outside and Starks' rope-walking bit was great. There was a nasty spot where Swerve back body dropped Starks over the top and Ricky tumbled over the Jurassic Express and nearly landed directly on the top of his head. It was ugly and clearly unintentonal. Lee and Swerve took over from there, but Hobbs managed to fight back and hit a huge over-the-head belly-to-belly suplex off the top rope on Strickland. Luchasaurus came in and ran roughshod, earning a big pop in the process. This led to a moment when all three of the heavyweights in the match traded blows before Hobbs and Lee double-chokeslammed Luchasaurus in the center of the ring. Keith Lee hit a diving somersault splash to the floor. Minutes later, Starks hit his Spear for a great nearfall and then the Roshambo for another one. The referee essentially lost all control at one point, not even attempting to maintain order. Lee and Swerve hit a tremendous Swerve Stomp/Powerbomb combo but the pinfall got broken up by Hobbs. Starks nailed Lee with the FTW Championship belt and then tried to do the same to Jungle Boy, but Christian prevented it. Swerve and Jungle Boy continued to do battle with Luchasaurus eventually coming in to help his partner and the two landing a ridiculous back suplex throw-into-a-sitout Powerbomb to retain the titles. This was the best match on the show up till this point. (3.5/5)

Main event time - CM Punk vs. "Hangman" Adam Page for Page's AEW World Championship. There was some non-kayfabe tension coming into this match according to the gossip sites so this match had an extra element of "Will we see something crazy?" (which always adds more intrigue for me). I enjoyed the heck out of this match and both guys' performances. Hangman brought the stiff clotheslines and forearms and a ton of "Cowboy" energy and I loved the subtle and not-so-subtle heel work as the match went on. Punk, meanwhile, took an absolute beating but hung in there. The initial reactions to the match were that Punk looked like a tired and unable to keep up with Page's quickness and, later on in the match, "botched" two attempts at the Buckshot Lariat, but even if it wasn't purposeful, I thought his inability to hit Page's trademark move made for a great "real" element of the match and actually added to the story that Page, younger, healthier, and quicker was still unable to put Punk down because of his own obsession with embarrassing Punk and unwillingness to go "all in" to do whatever it took to retain the championship. (4/5)

Somewhat salvaged by a "must see" main event with a "big match" atmosphere and great performances by Punk and Hangman (it's a shame these two are reportedly not on good terms because they had undeniable chemistry), Double or Nothing 2022 is an imperfect show hurt by several matches that never went beyond average and at least one that wasn't even PPV worthy (Cargill vs. Anna Jay). A 12-match show where every match runs at least 10 minutes (and most going close to 20) is just not a recipe for a digestible watch (even if every match was spectacular, which was nowhere near the case). The second half of the event was finally when things started clicking - roughly from Allin/O'Reilly on - but the first half felt like a mid-level Dynamite at times, especially if you're, like me, not a huge fan of Adam Cole or the American Top Team (though I actually liked Dan Lambert as a referee). Earning a less-than-great Kwang Score of 2.67-out-of-5, this show falls in the category of...

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

WWE Clash in Paris 2025

WWE Clash in Paris 2025

Nanterre, France - August 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion was Seth Rollins, the WWE Champion was Cody Rhodes, the Intercontinental Champion was Dominik Mysterio, the US Champion was Sami Zayn, the WWE World Tag Team Champions were the Judgment Day's Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, Tiffany Stratton was the WWE Women's Champion, Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy of the Wyatt Sicks held the WWE Tag Team Championships, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair were the Women's World Tag Team Champions, Giulia was the Women's United States Champion, Becky Lynch was the Women's Intercontinental Champion, and the Women's World Championship was vacant due to Naomi's pregnancy. 

Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed was the opener. I don't think they needed to go 20+ minutes, but the crowd was into this and Reed was impressive in his first real spotlight PLE match in quite awhile. Reigns spent most of the match taking a beating, coming back multiple times only to get cut off by Reed's size, strength, and surprising quickness. I think they could've tightened things up a bit and it took awhile before they really got into a groove, but that's to be expected in a Roman match. The post-match saw Reigns get obliterated by Bron Breakker and Reed for several minutes before Jey Uso finally came out to try to make the save. With the pre-match introductions, the lengthy match itself, and then the 10+ minute post-match segment, this felt very longwinded to me. I'm guessing this was done to write Roman off TV for awhile. (3/5) 

The Street Profits challenged The Wyatt Sicks (Lumis and Gacy) for the World Tag Team Championships in the next match. The Profits came out in ridiculous Borderlands-inspired gear, including spiked codpieces and bizarre masks. From the very start they teased tension between them and it has been widely speculated that the Profits are heading for a split. Another good match that showcased both teams' chemistry. There were some nifty double-team maneuvers throughout, including Dawkins practically tossing one of the Sicks into a Montez back suplex and then a Doomsday Blockbuster minutes later. Ford eventually got hit with a Sister Abigail on the floor by Uncle Howdy, leading to Gacy and Lumis hitting their combo finish to end the match. A solid match. (3/5)

Nikki Bella challenged Becky Lynch for the Women's Intercontinental Championship match in the next match. Despite being the heel, Lynch seemed to be more popular with the French fans. This was never going to be a battle of technicality and it was generally decent until Nikki started slamming Becky's head into the announce table and Becky very lazily and obviously used both hands to "slap" the desk instead of even trying to make it look good at all. Back in the ring, Nikki missed Becky entirely with a jump kick off the second rope and looked like an idiot in the process. They got things back on track in the minutes that followed, though Nikki's lack of urgency was noticeable and some of the telegraphing was too. I liked Nikki trying to use Becky's own signature moves against her and Lynch eventually using an unorthodox pin to defeat Nikki (the same one that she used at Evolution according to Barrett), though, and thought that while the execution of some of the maneuvers and sequences were a little sloppy or slowly, both women portrayed their characters well and told a clear story that felt like a title match. (2.5/5)

The next match was billed as a Donnybrook Match (essentially make it No DQ) - Rusev vs. Sheamus. These two wasted little times throwing hands, brawling back and forth and out of the ring (where both men set up tables). Rusev used a kendo stick before the tables could be brought into play, raising some noticeably bright red welts on the Celtic Warrior's side and back. Sheamus came back with an Irish Curse backbreaker and went to work with the kendo stick himself. Sheamus brought some chairs into the mix but ate a heel kick before he could use any and Rusev struck him with some hard chair shots to the back and side before positioning one in the corner. Sheamus no-sold some kicks, blocked a chairshot attempt, and hit a huge running knee off the ropes to a big pop. After hitting his trademark blows on the apron, they went back to the floor and Rusev tossed Sheamus over the wooden bar...only for Sheamus to climb up and hit him with another 10 blows on the bar! Fun spot there. Rusev climbed over the barricade, but Sheamus hunted him down and hit him in the chest with 10 shilleleigh shots! Back in the ring, Sheamus delivered a Celtic Cross powerbomb for 2 and signaled for a Brogue Kick but Rusev ducked under the ropes to avoid it. Sheamus went for a splash off the rope but Rusev hit him in the chest with the kendo stick and then whipped him into the steps. Rusev nailed him with a section of the steps and then re-positioned the toppled-over bar, slamming Sheamus through the thing! Rusev slid him back into the ring and applied the Accolade, but Sheamus somehow got to his feet and fell back onto a pair of chairs! Good stuff there. Sheamus sent Rusev into the timekeeper's area over the barricade and then brought him up with him on a stack of whiskey barrels. Rusev pulled his feet out from under him and re-applied the Accolade on top of the barrels! Sheamus escaped with some elbows to the jaw and hit the White Noise off the whiskey barrels through the tables! Wow. Terrific spot! They managed to make it back in the ring where Rusev grabbed hold of the shilleleigh but ate a Brogue Kick! Sheamus made the cover but only got 2.9! Rusev hit one of his own signature kicks, ate a knee, and then hit another in the corner. Rusev nailed Sheamus with the shilleleigh across the back for another nearfall, breaking the thing, and then reapplied the Accolade for the third time (this time with the shilleleigh pulled across his mouth), forcing Sheamus to tap out. Clearly the best match on the show up till this point and maybe even a top 10 MOTY for the WWE due to how hard these two went at it and how fun some of the spots were. Worth checking out. (4/5)

John Cena and Logan Paul went at it in the next match. This was an epic “PWG style” match where Cena and Paul dished out every single move they both knew for over 25 minutes. I theorized that Cena was “washed” during his heel run, that he was physically incapable of performing this style of match. I was proven wrong here, though I do think they went a bit too far with how many times Paul kicked out of Cena’s AA. Speaking of Paul, if I had to nitpick, his first Hangman-lifted slingshot clothesline looked a little awkward with what seemed like a half-second hesitation and his Five Knuckle Shuffle made zero contact, but this was an excellent showing out of him and even suggests a possible babyface run in his future as he did not resort to any heel tactics or run-ins. I’m not sure the full audience will ever get behind him, though Paul vs. Lesnar could be the ticket (unless fans boo both) if they position him right. (4/5)

The night's main event was a Fatal Fourway for the World Heavyweight Championship held Seth Rollins as he took on CM Punk, LA Knight, and Jey Uso. This wasn't an all-time classic or anything, but I thought it was smartly worked with everyone gunning for each other and very "locked-in" on the stakes. Any time Punk, Knight, or Uso looked like they might for a brief alliance, they almost immediately cut each other off, which fits all three's personalities and histories with one another. I don't think anyone predicted a title change, but they made up for a lack of suspense with constant action and quality high spots (including a little bit of furniture damage and Rollins bringing a chair into the mix). The big story of the match was the finish, though, as a "mystery man" (revealed to be Becky Lynch) cost CM Punk the match with a low-blow. It got great heat and did feel like a genuine shocker while also being one that made a ton of logical sense as Becky has been a heel for quite awhile and has been brought up multiple times by Punk and on commentary as Rollins' wife. Not a must-see match, but a must-see angle and set-up with rumors that this is all going to lead to the return of AJ Lee (Punk's real-life wife). (3.5/5)

A much, much better show than most people may have expected, Clash in Paris showed that the WWE roster is still capable of producing great things in 2025 even when IYO SKY, Gunther, and Rhea Ripley aren't on the card. This show benefited considerably from the variety it offered: a rare tag team title match, a fun No DQ bout, a Fatal Fourway, a workrate epic in Cena/Paul, a hot opener (thanks to the star power of Roman Reigns) followed by a lengthy, heat-inducing angle, and a thrilling, shocking "capper" that made the next night's Raw a must-watch (though I didn't personally watch it till close to a week later on YouTube). Earning a strong Kwang Rating of 3.33-out-of-5, Clash in Paris 2025 was a strong show and hopefully the template for future WWE PLEs. 

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