Random Matches

Manami Toyota vs. Mayumi Ozaki (10/09/1993, AJW): There are highlights to this match, but not enough of them sequenced the right way to make this a great match. The early part has a lot of submissions and matwork and it is all snug, but this match doesn't really pick up till we get an awesome powerbomb and both Toyota and Ozaki take to the air and then to go out into the crowd. I'm still very early in my Manami Toyota viewing but I wouldn't say she blew me away here any more than Ozaki did, who I've seen a bit more of. For two women hailed as being among the best women's wrestlers ever, this wasn't the guaranteed classic I was hoping for. Oh well. Still good, but not a "must watch." (3/5)

Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Psicosis (06/12/1999, WCW): Psicosis, unmasked in this match, was a heel and was carrying some championship I didn't recognize (and don't think was the Cruiserweight Championship but may have been). Anyway, as this was on Nitro, they didn't get a ton of time so they went right for it, speeding through some great counters and reversals before Psicosis took a nasty bump to the floor. Liger followed it up with a baseball slide and then a big dive to the floor that Psicosis took rather awkwardly on his shoulder. Psicosis got a 2 count from a missile dropkick but then argued with Lil' Naitch instead of following it up. Back to the outside they went where Psicosis whipped Liger into the guardrail before rolling him back into the ring. Psicosis put the boots to him in the corner and then hit a hurricanrana off the top for another nearfall. Liger fought back, though, and hit a rolling kick and then a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Surfboard time! Psicosis slipped out, though, and got another nearfall. Liger whipped him into the ropes, kicked him in the back of the thigh and sent him into the ropes before rolling him up to get the W. I would've preferred a cooler, more definitive finish. La Parka added insult to injury by nailing Psicosis with a chair after the match. For what this was, it was...fine? I'm a big Psicosis fan, but it's almost like he has more charisma and character with the mask on compared to without it. Maybe it has to do with the mystique that the mask brings? Also, while Liger brought the goods - as usual - a sub-8 minute match is not the best context for him to really show what he can do. This just didn't click with me, but I'll give it an extra half-point for the La Parka cameo. (2.5/5)

Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi (10/31/1998, AJPW): Widely regarded as one of the greatest matches of all time, this one starts a bit slow with Kobashi in control and Misawa spending a good amount of time on the mat. However, Misawa uses his deadly forearms and experience to stay in the game. I wouldn't call this a rope-a-dope strategy, but Misawa's fighting spirit means that Kobashi is going to have to work extra hard to defeat the challenger. After setting the table for a grueling epic, the match slowly picks up in intensity and action until we start getting some incredible heavyweight spots - stiff chops to the neck, a Tiger Driver from the apron to the floor (in 1998 this was not something you'd see every month on TV), suplexes galore, a buckle bomb by Kobashi a good decade or so before they became commonplace, and the cringe-inducing Tiger Driver 91' in which Misawa almost paralyzes Kenta (who somehow kicks out of the move). The crowd was molten hot for all of this and it must be said that knowledge of their history and previous encounters would likely make this a more meaningful and enjoyable match than if you go into it cold (even after a year or so of trying to expand my viewing of Japanese wrestling, I'd still consider myself fairly ignorant of the story behind this match aside from it being two huge stars going at it for the top prize in the company). For example, it wasn't until I read up on this match post-viewing that I learned that Misawa was busting out moves he had not used since his Tiger Mask days, something the audience in attendance would have certainly recognized as a sign that he was being pushed to his limit. At close to 45 minutes, it is an epic for serious wrestling fans with serious time on their hands and, as noted earlier, it takes a little while for the match to "cook." Then, while the false finishes are all believable, the actual finish is something of a letdown after you've seen Kobashi nearly crippled with a Tiger Driver. (4/5)

Genichiro Tenryu vs. Ricky Steamboat (02/23/1984, AJPW): After really enjoying more and more of the Tenryu matches I've seen, this was the Tenryu that I guess I "grew up" on when he'd make occasional appearances in the WWE: kinda boring, unremarkable, slow. His submissions are snug and his strikes connect with impact, but seeing him and Steamboat spend a considerable time on the mat, trying to grind out a win, does not make for the most exciting viewing. Steamboat's top-notch selling is on full display but this match not coming alive until the final few minutes makes it a tough sell. I wasn't a fan of the somewhat abrupt finish, though I guess it did play into the idea that this was a straight-up technical match between two babyfaces and it was always going to come down to who could outsmarten or outwrestle the other. (2/5)

Bull Nakano and Condor Saito vs. Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo (10/??/1987, AJW): Nakano wasn't yet a "Best Wrestler on the Planet"-level star, but the aura and "It factor" was already there. This is a hell of a war in front of a crowd that was 10,000% behind the Crush Gals. I really liked Asuka's hot tag at one point as she went wild with stiff kicks to the heels. Saito did not leave a huge impression on me. Not a bad match at all, but I'm not surprised I couldn't even find a write-up for this on Cagematch as its not particularly memorable. (2.5/5)

Marc "Black Tigger" Rocco vs. Jushin 'Thunder" Liger (07/12/1989, NJPW): This one is wrestled in traditional European rules, meaning that the match is broken down into "rounds" (and one of the rounds is seemingly clipped). I haven't seen a ton of Rollerball Rocco matches but was aware of his reputation as being an all-time great. I wouldn't say this match wowed me, though. They cut a good pace and there were certainly some highlights - including an awesome splash to the outside by Liger - but overall, this was a bit forgettable. (2.5/5)

Bull Nakano vs. Chigusa Nagayo (02/04/1988, AJW): I couldn't find much about this match and it is not even listed on Cagematch, which is a bit surprising considering Nakano and Nagayo are among the two most well-known Japanese wrestlers of all time. Nakano was not yet a huge name but, within a couple years, would be a dominant champion in the company while Nagayo was the beloved babyface and one half of the Crush Gals. The match isn't very long, but it is a competitive one and Nakano is already quite good at selling the drama as a vicious rulebreaker. Of course, because this is AJW, blatant use of weapons and beating down on the ref don't get her disqualified. I really liked Nagayo bringing the timekeeper's hammer into the ring and just wailing on Bull with it. There were some good suplexes and we got a great visual of Nakano choking the life out of Chigusa on the outside after she gets attacked by Nakano's masked henchmen. Nakano hits two big suplexes towards the end but can't put Nagayo down as she springs up and hits one of her own to get the victory. Solid match. (3/5)

Bruiser Brody vs. Genichiro Tenryu (10/20/1983, AJPW): This was much duller than I expected. As I noted in my review of Tenryu/Steamboat, this is the Tenryu I remember not enjoying when I was a kid. Brody is okay, but I tend to enjoy him more in tags and when he's working against someone that can match his intensity and presence, which the stoic Tenryu couldn't or can't or doesn't do here. (1.5/5)

Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka vs. Itsuki Yamazaki and Noriyo Tateno (05/15/1988, AJW): The Crush Gals vs. the Jumping Bomb Angels put on an absolute war here in front of a very, very vocal crowd. Everyone is great. Loved the opening with one of the Angels getting airplane spun as soon as the bell sounded. These two teams beat the hell out of eachother with kicks and submissions and double-team maneuvers out of the Angels. Not everything looked great, but the intensity was absolutely there. (3.5/5)

Genichiro Tenryu vs. Randy Savage (04/13/1990, WWE/AJPW): This one is from 1990's Wrestling Summit show, which not only featured WWF and AJPW stars, but also stars from NJPW. This isn't an all-time classic or anything, but it is fun and further evidence of the greatness of Savage as a bumper and seller and all-around performer. Him and Sherri Martel are great villains here and Tenryu doesn't have to do much because of how over he is with the Japanese crowd. This one doesn't go long enough to tell much of a story, but it also doesn't waste any time and gets right to the action from the jump with Tenryu controlling early and Savage needing to use trickery to gain the advantage until he eventually falls prey to a Tenryu powerbomb (that Savage takes on the back of his elbows instead of on his back, which makes it look like he'd never taken a powerbomb before). I wouldn't call this "must see" - which keeps it from a 4 - but what is there not to like here? Great performances by Savage and Sherri. (3.5/5)

La Parka, Hector Garza, Super Kendo, and El Zorro vs. Fit Finlay, Norman Smiley, Johnny Swinger, and Kaz Hayashi (01/27/1999, WCW): This was part of WCW's relatively unknown Festival de Lucha show, filmed as a pilot for a potential Spanish-language show that would've presumably aired in Mexico and maybe even in the southwest (?). Before the match, Chris Jericho cuts a promo about how he had already defeated all the luchadores in the match and gave himself the night off because of that fact. Norman comes in and he's awesome, though, with this match featuring 8 men and only going about 8 minutes, its not like anyone gets anything more than a minute or two to shine. Super Kendo comes in and he is lightning quick and I really wish he'd been given more time in this match and more opportunities in WCW overall. Smiley comes in and him and La Parka have a Dance Off to the delight of the crowd. Good stuff there. La Parka and Smiley have a good exchange that ends with a nearfall and Smiley tagging out to Hayashi, who brutalizes La Parka with a kick to the face. The WCW guys beat down on La Parka in the corner and in comes Finlay, who hits a spear in the corner. La Parka gets tripped up by Jericho coming off the ropes and eats an elbow from Finlay and a European uppercut before getting choked again by the soon-to-be Y2J. Hayashi and El Zorro take over in the ring as La Parka sells on the outside and the heels are in full control. Hayashi goes for a splash but gets kicked  and then gets tombstoned by Zorro for 2 before Smiley broke it up. Finlay and La Parka are back at it, but so are Swinger and Kendo. There's some miscommunications and guys hitting their own opponents before Kendo and Parka hit double dropkicks. Kendo goes for a splash but gets caught by Finlay and Swinger. Parka takes them out with a suicide dive through the middle ropes! Back in the ring, Garza delivers a bunch of dropkicks to Smiley and then a bodyslam and a standing moonsault for 2. Emphatic kickout by Smiley and a finger poke. Smiley applies a great-looking sleeper and this one is over! Nothing here was must see, but Smiley, La Parka, Finlay, and late 90s Jericho all in the same match means you're going to be plenty entertained. (3/5)

Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo vs. Bull Nakano and Delta Dawn (04/11/1989, AJW): I could not find much about this match, which is a bit surprising because it is a wild one and there is quite a visual of Delta Dawn bringing a snake to the ring. This is barely a match, but I can see why it was included on a Best Of Bull Nakano DVD set because she is absolutely unhinged. Asuka and Nagayo try to make this an actual match for about a minute-and-a-half but attack the ref, kicking him, hitting him with chairs, really just showing no respect for the rules of this match. This feels like more an "angle" than an actual bout, but its fun for what it is and the crowd is as electric for the Gals as ever. (2.5/5)

Akira Taue, Jun Akiyama, and Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Mitsuharu Misawa, Tsuyochi Kikuchi, and Satoru Asako (02/21/1993, AJPW): This one starts out a bit staid but once Kikuchi gets riled up and we get to the big closing sequences involving Taue and Misawa, it cooks. I was surpised to see that this match wasn't written up on ProWrestlingOnly because it features so many relatively big stars of that era and ones that were still climbing the ranks. Kikuchi steals the match, which is really something when you consider it also features Misawa, a very game Taue, and Ogawa, who is a personal favorite and often shines in matches like this. I may have to add a bunch of Kikuchi stuff to my GWE Watchlist. (3/5)

Barry Windham vs. Genichiro Tenryu (12/5/1983, AJPW): I've not been loving these early Tenryu matches, but I went into this hopeful that Windham would bring the energy to make this work. Some good back-and-forth technical wrestling to start things off with Tenryu eventually grabbing hold of Windham's knee. Windham countered it into a body scissors but Tenryu kept his grip and started yanking on his ankle. Windham works hard to get out and starts throwing uppercuts and then hits a bodyslam and a legdrop for 2. Things pick up a little bit in the minutes after with some more slams and a swinging neckbreaker out of Tenryu, but then Tenryu brings things back down with a front headlock. Windham goes for an inside cradle and connects with a flying forearm for another nearfall. Windham lets out a huge groan as he hoists him up for a vertical suplex and then does it again when he applies an underhook suplex for 2. Windham hits a stiff back elbow as Tenryu comes back from the ropes but it is still not enough. This wouldn't be remotely good if it weren't for Windham's expressiveness and how smooth his offense looks. Tenryu takes over and goes for an elbow off the top but Windham rolls out of harm's way. He misses one of his own and Tenryu hits him with a chop off the ropes and then an enziguiri to a big response. Tneryu hits a backdrop suplex but barely gets 2. Tenryu comes off the ropes, but Windham catches him and attempts a bodyslam only for Tenryu to use his momentum to counter it into a pinfall of his own. That's a nifty finish. Nothing super special here aside from seeing prime Windham and how good he moved. (2.5/5)

Shinobu Kandori vs. Devil Masami (07/14/1988, JWP): A truly hellacious match that has a little bit of everything great about pro-wrestling - painful-looking submissions, brawling outside the ring, nasty strikes, targeted limb work, even a little bit of flying out of Kandori. There's also incredible selling out of both women and a hot crowd. What is there not to love? I've seen this match described as being "rookie vs. veteran" or "shooter vs. wrestler," but I enjoyed it just as two tough-as-nails competitors pushing each other with every possible strategy and form of offense they could think of until it eventually devolves into a straight-up bloodbath. Speaking of the blood, I really appreciated how long it took for them to get to that crescendo and they both bleed absolute gushers to get over the idea that they have been through hell. I even liked the false "draw" finish as, typically, when both women have their shoulders pinned to the mat, you get arguing refs or a straight up no-contest, but in this match, the ref decides to let them continue the match because even he isn't sure who was pinning who. Its a false finish that probably wouldn't fly in the US (as it certainly undercuts the referee's control, authority, and expertise), but in Japan, especially in women's matches, it kinda works because the refs often seem like bystanders anyway. The post-match was a cool moment too as, despite beating the hell out of eachother and both being covered in blood, Masami and Kandori rose eachother's hands in recognition of what they had put eachother through. Very, very good match. (4/5)

TNA Hardcore Justice 2011

TNA Hardcore Justice 2011

Orlando, FL - August 2011

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the TNA World Champion was Sting, the X-Division was Brian Kendrick, the TNA World Tag Team Champions were Beer Money Inc., the Knockouts Champion was Mickie James, the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions were Tara and Miss Tessmacher, and Eric Young was the Television Champion.

The show begins with a video showcasing Sting's "Joker" gimmick and the night's main event - Sting vs. Kurt Angle for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. I wasn't watching TNA weekly at the time - admittedly, I was never a weekly viewer aside from maybe a couple of months here and there - so I don't remember too much about the gimmick aside from Sting's Heath Ledger-inspired promos, where he would break into song and maniacal laughter (which, honestly, makes it maybe a bit closer to what Joaquin Phoenix did close to a decade later).

Anyway...Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley vs Brian Kendrick for Kendrick's X-Division Championship was the night's opening contest. Aries had worked in TNA years earlier as "Austin Starr," though I don't think that was referenced when he re-joined the company. Aries is not my favorite person and neither is Kendrick but their douchebag tendencies weren't widely known at this time. As expected, this is a fast-moving, action-packed match and the three combatants have great chemistry. Really liked Aries' heel work. Shelley's offense looked terrific and some of his submissions were really impressive. I was a bit surprised that Kendrick didn't "shine" as much as the other two, but his quickness, timing, and pinballing held the match together even if the other two shined more. What I also liked about this match was that it wasn't all high-flying and big spots as they devoted much more time and energy into establishing the story of Aries being the cowardly spoiler for the first half and Shelley and Kendrick basically wrestling a 1-on-1 match as Aries picked his spots. Towards the end, there seemed to be a "botch" when they were going for a "Tower of Sliced Bread #2" spot, but they played it off so well that I actually thought it added realism to the match. This wasn't "must see" or anything, but it was a fun, well-worked match and a good opening contest. (3.5/5)

The TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships were on the line next as Sarita (AEW producer/trainer Sarah Stock under a mask) and Rosita (Zelina Vega) of the Mexican America stable challenged Tara and Brooke Tessmacher. Unsurprisingly, Sarita and Tara do much of the heavy lifting for their teams, but Tessmacher isn't nearly as bad as I would've assumed based on her limited training. Vega might actually be the weakest link in the match, taking an ugly bump in the corner from a Tara chokeslam early on and delivering an awkward splash later on. Still, I'll give her credit - she throws herself into some of her falls and takes a hell of a Widow's Peak to end things. A decent enough contest. (2.5/5)

Devon (of Team 3D fame) vs. "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero was next on the card, a match that was part of the annual Bound for Glory tournament/series. The action was good, but I disliked the "drama" before it kicked off with Dinero cutting a promo backstage about how he was going to "do the right thing." Once he got to the ring and the bell rang, Dinero, who had befriended Devon's kids, wife, and even his mother, offered to lay down, but Devon wanted to kick his ass instead. If you're going to spend so much time on an angle or storyline like this, I feel like you need to go over-the-top with it and really deliver the unexpected. Instead, after initially trying to have Devon pin him, Dinero fought back and we got a good-not-great match between the two. Devon was competent as a singles wrestler, but its obvious he doesn't have any real buy-in from the fans as anything apart from being a member of Team 3D. Dinero, who was somewhat over a year earlier, was a midcarder-at-best by this point and, while giving him the clean W here was a step in the right direction of renewing his push, I would've liked to see some storyline progression that illustrating his cunning or that he was a dangerous, clever "puppetmaster" in a way that this match does not deliver on. Not bad, but nothing worth seeking out. Oh, Matt Morgan was surprisingly not bad on commentary. (2/5)

Mickie James defended her TNA Knockouts Championship against Winter (formerly known as Katie Lea Burchill). This was not good. They got 9 minutes but they had zero chemistry and there wasn't a single sequence or move that looked anything above mediocre. Looking over at Cagematch, it is mind-boggling that Winter somehow has a rating of 8 despite, to my knowledge, not once having a match or gimmick in the States that was very good. I tend to like Mickie's work, but will concede that she's at her best when she's paired with a dance partner that compliments her own mix of strong character work and solid (if not super flashy or innovative) in-ring skill. At this point, James' character was so basic and uninteresting that I've been mostly unimpressed with her TNA run up to this point and miss the days when she was pushing boundaries a bit in WWE and having one of the era's best storylines/feuds with Trish Stratus. "Hardcore Country" Mickie James was too vanilla and certainly not "hardcore" in any way. (1/5)

Crimson vs. Rob Van Dam followed, a match that was booked as part of the Bound For Glory series to crown a new number one contender for the TNA World Championship. Crimson, who was given something of a mega-push despite having less than 60 matches under his belt by this point according to Cagematch, was simply not ready to be doing more than squash matches on TV to build up his reputation and also get a better feel for how to play to the crowd and get them engaged. Rob Van Dam, as much as I think he's had some excellent matches over the years, is also like a kid in high school who is happy to be a C student as long as he can hang with his buddies and collect a fat paycheck. He's over, sure, and rightfully beloved for his undeniable charisma and the showmanship he brought in his prime, but 2011 Rob Van Dam is very different from 1998 or 2002 Rob Van Dam and the 2011 version is who we get here. Jerry Lynn ends up causing a DQ when it looks like RVD is going to take a loss. I'm hoping that RVD wanting to revisit his legendary feud with Lynn - after their generally well-received Destination X match from a month or so earlier (I haven't seen it, but it has a decent near-7 rating at Cagematch) - means he'll bring more creativity and energy to their eventual match. As for Crimson...I'm still waiting to see what the TNA execs saw in this kid. (1.5/5)

Fortune (AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Frankie Kazarian) took on Immortal's Scott Steiner, Abyss, and Gunner (also known as Jaxson Ryker). Gunner was the worst worker in this match by a few country miles and I'm certainly no Abyss fan or claiming that Steiner was working at even 25% of his former glory. Speaking of Abyss, him and AJ Styles always had such great chemistry and timing so putting them together in this match is sort of a "cheat code" for getting something halfway decent. Daniels and Kazarian are great technical wrestlers in terms of execution, timing, bumping, selling, high-flying...really everything except making me truly care if they win or lose, which, to me, has always prevented me from rating them very high. It was clear here that year and years of working with Steiner - in tags, in singles, in multi-mans - paid off because he does not look out of place or awkward or even "slow" against the X-Division guys. This isn't a great match or anything and I'd argue it goes a touch too long at nearly 15 minutes, but AJ, Daniels, and Kaz brought the energy to make this work. (2.5/5)

Bully Ray vs. Ken Anderson was the next match, a fight to figure out who was TNA's true "asshole." Both guys were heels, but Anderson was maybe more a tweener at this point despite joining Immortal. Anderson had won the TNA World Championship at Slammiversary but then dropped the title back to Sting on an episode of Impact. Anyway...this was surprisingly solid. I'm not a huge fan of Bully Ray as a person or a performer and Anderson has never been someone I considered a great in-ring worker, but they brought the intensity and kept the foot on the gas throughout this match, delivering a good fight. (3/5)

After a backstage segment in which Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff voiced their displeasure with Abyss, the Tag Team Championships were on the line as Beer Money Inc. defended the gold against Mexican America (Hernandez and Anarquia). This wasn't too terrible, mostly because Storm and Roode are/were solid hands in the ring and they had plenty of experience against Hernandez from his time teaming with Homicide in LAX, a much, much better team than the one he had going here with Anarquia. At 10 minutes, this one didn't overstay its welcome but still felt like a legitimate title defense. What this match could've used was an actual gimmick or stipulation and Brian Hebner sending Sarita and Rosita back to the locker rooms before the match even began meant that they had this get this match over with just the in-ring action (when the women could've been used better to build heat and suspense). (2/5)

Main event time - Kurt Angle vs. Sting for Sting's TNA World Championship. The storyline coming into this match was that Sting, who was in his "Joker" phase, was trying to keep hold of the TNA World Championship so that it would've fall into the clutches of Immortal as he was the lone defender against their takeover of the company and was trying to return Dixie Carter to power (somehow). Angle, meanwhile, was the Number One Contender and his sole motivation was winning back his cherished TNA World Championship. It was essentially a face/face dynamic and the match was fought cleanly by both men for most of its 15-minute runtime. I'll give credit to Angle too as he was definitely doing everything he could to make Sting's offense look great and spent most of the match bumping and selling rather than pushing the tempo or "gassing" the Stinger. The rating on Cagematch seems to be mostly based on the unpopular finish, which saw the ref go down from an errant enziguiri and then Hulk Hogan coming down with a chair (seemingly to attack Sting). Angle pulled the chair out of Hogan's hands and basically sent Hogan out of the ring before striking Sting with it himself and then hitting an Angle Slam for the victory. Personally, I thought the finish - while not great - made logical sense and did leave the show with an interesting cliffhanger as Angle proved he was willing to do whatever it took to win the title but didn't necessarily want Hogan's help to do it (even though that is how it worked out). I don't know where the storyline went from here, but I'm at least curious, which is a feeling I don't always have at the end of watching one of these TNA shows. (2.5/5)

With a 2.28-out-of-5 score on the Kwang meter, Hardcore Justice 2011 didn't feel "hardcore" at all and really could've used at least one or two matches with meaningful, enticing stipulations to make them worth sitting through. The opener was the best match on the show as nothing else on the card delivered anything above "alright." As much as I respect and enjoy so much of Sting's work in the early-to-mid-90s and even in AEW, his charisma could only carry him so far at this stage of his career and it showed in his output. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

AEW Full Gear 2022

AEW Full Gear 2022

Newark, NJ - November 2022

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, Jon Moxley was the AEW World Champion, the TNT Champion was Wardlow, the Women's World Champion was Toni Storm, the TBS Champion was Jade Cargill, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were The Acclaimed, Orange Cassidy held the All-Atlantic Championship, and the Death Triangle (PENTA, Rey Fenix, and PAC) were the Trios Champions.

"Jungle Boy" Jack Perry took on Luchasaurus (Killswitch?) in a cage match to start the show. Christian accompanied Luchasaurus to the ring but got tossed out about a third of the way through, which was a nice and smart way of keeping the focus on the guys feuding in the ring. Perry got busted early on and bled a gusher, throwing himself into the cage with gusto and doing everything he could to play the undersized underdog recklessly fighting from underneath to defeat his former best friend. There were some good spots here, including Luchasaurus choke slamming Perry into an unfolded chair and Perry somehow getting the big man up for a pile-driver. This may have gone a smidgen too long and I wouldn't say I ever got "lost" and fully engrossed in the match, but the effort was absolutely there. (3/5)

Next up - The Death Triangle (Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix, and PAC) defended their AEW Trios Championships against the returning team of The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega). This was everything one would expect, for better or worse. If you were/are a fan of non-stop action, intricate sequences, lots of high-flying and nifty counters, this had all of those things going for it. This was the Elite's big return bout following the "Brawl Out" incident some months earlier, which would explain to the uninitiated why the crowd's chanted "Fuck CM Punk" early on (there was a slightly quieter "Fuck Omega" chant minutes later), and felt very much like them delivering something of a "mission statement" about what their view of AEW - big, sorta corny entrances (Kansas' corporate rock anthem "Carry On Wayward Son" blared during the Elite's arrival), over-the-top, borderline "spotfest" wrestling, the "rules" of the match being thrown out the window so that all six men could enter and exit the ring willy-nilly to deliver yet another crowd-pleasing spot. The teams did hold some stuff back as this was the first match in what would be a Best of 7 series, though I don't think that was announced until after this match happened. I liked the finish as it was not only something of a surprise - this being the Elite's big return and all - but also told the story of Fenix not wanting to cheat until there was absolutely no choice. (3.5/5)

Jade Cargill vs. Nyla Rose for the TBS Championship was next. The story coming in was that Nyla Rose had stolen the physical belt. She was managed by Vickie Guerrero and they came out in a topless lowrider Cadillac ala Eddie Guerrero. Cheap or not, it got a reaction from the crowd and made this match feel "bigger." Cargill came out in Thundercats-inspired gear which was...a bit odd? This was sloppy at times, mostly due to Cargill. I really disliked the "Flying Nothing" transition as Cargill came down off the top rope directly into Nyla Rose's feet and its unclear what she was even attempting. Speaking of Rose, she was definitely "leading" here and looked much more impressive than Cargill in terms of the basics. I liked Rose getting the nearfall by hitting Cargill with her own finish, though I don't think anyone doubted the conclusion of this match as Cargill had been booked so dominantly for months and months and Rose was booked the opposite of that. At 8 minutes, I felt like this was the perfect length: enough to make it feel like a genuine title defense and that Rose was a real challenge, but not too long to expose them anymore than it already did. Had this same match happened in 2012 or 2002 or 1992 in the WWE (or TNA), it would've probably been considered average, but in 2022, this just wasn't up to par. (1.5/5)

Next up - a fatal fourway for the Ring of Honor World Championship between Sammy Guevara, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castignoli, and then-Champion Chris Jericho. Highlights included Danielson's dive onto Guevara on the outside early on, Jericho getting "pinballed" by uppercuts from Danielson and Claudio, the Blackpool Combat Club members hitting a two-man flapjack and turning it into a double half-crab, the slow burn of Jericho and Guevara coming to blows, and the Swiss Superman's usual impressive array of power moves.  The heat segment on Danielson went a bit long to me as it required Castignoli to play dead for way too long. I liked the LeBell Lock/Sharpshooter combo, as gimmicky as it may have been, and Guevara busting out Jericho's signature moves against him. I'm not sure Guevara shouldn't have won off the GTH and Shooting Star Press. Loved Danielson hitting the Baisaku Knee on Claudio after he'd just guerilla pressed Guevara out of the ring and onto Jericho. I was less of a fan of Danielson eating a Spanish Fly off the top and immediately going into the LeBell Lock (as loud a pop as it got). Guevara and Claudio had a great sequence soon after that capped off with the Giant Swing and Jericho delivering a jumping Judas Effect and then another to Castignoli to get the victory. This was good. (3/5)

Saraya (Paige from the WWE) made her in-ring return after 5 years out due to not being medically cleared based on a neck injury to take on Dr. Britt Baker in the next match. Saraya showed some rust, looking gassed at times and not moving with the speed and confidence that once made her one of the best female workers in the WWE (though, that's a bit of faint praise when you look at what the WWE's women's roster was made up of pre-"Divas Revolution" and how often they were permitted to actually show what they could do). Baker doesn't look all that much better and was similarly perceived as a much better, more capable in-ring performer in AEW when the roster was thinner and women like Toni Storm, Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, and others hadn't quite found their footing or were still relatively green. Anyway...I liked the psychology that Baker brought, targeting Saraya's neck, but didn't love the repeating finishers and finisher set-ups. The crowd was really flat for this too despite Baker's best effort to work as a heel and allow Saraya the opportunity to shine as a babyface. (2/5)

This was followed by the TNT Championship match as Wardlow defending his belt against Samoa Joe and Will Hobbs in a threeway. There were parts of this I really liked - Hobbs dominating in the early going, Wardlow's big comeback and always-impressive high-flying and powerbomb symphony, Wardlow crashing into Samoa Joe on the outside and putting him into the barricade, and Samoa Joe's expert timing throughout. What I didn't love was the tacked-on finish that saw Samoa Joe take the easy way out as he clobbered Wardlow with the championship belt (which is legal in a three-way for a reason I've never understood) and then forced Hobbs to tap. This match just sorta happened. (2.5/5)

Sting and Darby Allin teamed up to take on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in the next match. These sorts of matches always work well on these cards because they stand out as something different. This wasn't an all-time classic or anything, but it was smartly worked and featured enough big moments to make every second of its rather abbreviated 11-minute runtime work. Loved Darby Allin's Coffin Drop into the waiting arms of Satnam Singh (who then airplane spun him and sent him flying on the ramp), loved Sting's similar dive in the crowd minutes later, loved Jay Lethal's bump onto the ring apron from a Sting military press off the top, loved Jarrett's entrance and chickenshit heel work before the match started, loved the little bit of solid back-and-forth we got between Lethal and Allin in the ring...this was just fun. I wish the cameraman would've captured Jarrett hitting Allin in the back with a chair when he attempted a Coffin Drop better because we really didn't see the impact. Oh well. Good-not-great stuff. (3/5)

The AEW Women's World Championship was on the line next as Toni Storm (not yet "Timeless") defended her championship against Jamie Hayter. This match started out with some awesome straight-up wrestling, the intensity picked up when Storm got her nose busted, and then things went off the rails when they went into "self-conscious epic" territory and started loading things up with false finishes, ineffective interferences, and Storm eating a Curb Stomp (after being hit in the head with the championship belt) and a finishing move - I forget if it was Hayter's lariat or Hayter hitting her with a Stormbreaker -  and still got to kick-out in SuperCena fashion. To me, this didn't make Storm look strong, it made the match feel "scripted" and "fake" despite how hard-hitting and physical it was. Its like they baked a really good cake but then thought adding 3 more minutes in the oven would make it better when, really, it just dried it out. (3/5)

Swerve In Their Glory (Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee) challenged The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) for the AEW World Tag Team Championships in the next match. This was the rubber match of their feud with the storyline being that Swerve was willing to do anything to win the titles back, including mangling "Daddy Ass" Billy Gunn by cutting off one of his fingers with a garden pruner while Keith Lee wanted to win back the titles the right way. This match wasn't as good as the one they had at All Out, but it wasn't that far behind it. Keith Lee took a great bump into a barricade that Swerve had set up earlier in the match, but aside from that big moment, he was clearly not 100% in this match and we saw very little of the explosivity and gravity-defying agility that he was once known for. Max Caster was clearly the weakest link in this match, his hot tag offense lacking the precision in execution to bring the crowd up as high as they could've gone. On the plus side, Swerve and Bowens really shined in this match and it's easy to see that Swerve was ready to take the next step in his evolution by this point. The finish was a solid set-up to a Swerve/Lee feud that, unfortunately, never really materialized due to Lee's health. (3/5)

Main event time - MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. After All Out, CM Punk was suspended and Moxley ended up winning his third AEW World Championship in a tournament final against Bryan Danielson, a booking decision made to try to buoy the title picture as quickly as possible after a whole lot of nonsense throughout 2022. Anyway...the New Jersey crowd was split roughly 70/30, which could be expected considering MJF was more of the hometown guy. Mox struck early with a haymaker to the jaw right after the bell and took over early, gnawing at MJF's forehead at one point. Mox applied an STF and followed it up with a Falcon Arrow into a juji gatame, a nifty combo, but MJF got to the ropes. Mox got good heel heat by flipping off the crowd a couple times, smirking and arrogantly pacing the ring as MJF sold on the outside, and parading around with the championship. MJF set up a table at ringside but ate a cutter on the way back into the ring and then got his face stomped on. Onto the apron they went, where Mox went for a piledriver or powerbomb of some sort but ended up getting tombstoned on the apron! It wasn't the smoothest set-up, but it looked brutal. MJF immediately clutched at his knee afterwards. After a nearfall, they went back onto the apron and this time Mox connected with a jumping piledriver through the table! As cool as the two piledriver spots were, I didn't love the underselling of their impact. Back into the ring they went and, less than a minute later, the match became about a figure four leglock/MJF's damaged knee. MJF hit a nasty Heatseeker but couldn't hit another and Mox went to work on his knee as a "Fuck You Moxley" chant broke out. Up to the top rope they went where Mox hit hammer-and-anvil elbows and then a crazy Paradigm Shift from the top rope that looked awkward and dangerous as all hell. After selling on the mat for awhile, a strike exchange started up, but MJF pulled the ref into the fray and got bumped. MJF pulled out the Dynamite Diamond Ring, leading to Regal coming to the ring (teasing a big swerve). MJF took off the ring and then flipped Regal off, but the distraction allowed Mox to apply a choke and then a second ref bump! Mox reapplied the Bulldog Choke and MJF choked out but the ref didn't see it! Regal told Mox to wake the ref up but then slipped MJF a pair of brass knucks! MJF clocked Mox in the skull and this one is over! Unfortunately, Regal's heel turn didn't really go anywhere as he was out of the company relatively quickly after this, explaining his actions as his "last lesson" to the Blackpool Combat Club. Not a bad match at all, but far short of a "classic." (3/5)

Full Gear 2022 was an underwhelming show, loaded with matches that fell between decent-to-good but rarely great. The Match of the Night was undoubtedly the trios match, though your mileage may vary depending on your appreciation of Omega and the Bucks. Saraya/Baker and Cargill/Rose weren't very good, but I've seen far worse and at least neither ran too long. With a Kwang Score of 2.75, I'd consider most of this "inessential" but inoffensive and, simply because the talent of the roster is so high, generally above-average.

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

AEW WrestleDream 2025

AEW WrestleDream 2025

St. Louis, MO - October 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, the AEW World Champion was Adam Page, the AEW Women's World Champion was Kris Statlander, Kyle Fletcher was the TNT Champion, Mercedes Mone was the TBS Champion, the AEW Unified Championship was held by Kazuchika Okada, The Opps (Shibata, Samoa Joe, and Will Hobbs) held the AEW Trios Championship, and the AEW World Tag Team Champions were Brodido (Brody King and Bandido). 

WrestleDream opened with a match-in-progress we got the final minutes of FTR vs. JetSpeed. I really liked this concept - TK had hinted in a media scrum before the show that they were going to "try some new things" - as I'm not sure if I've ever seen a PPV/PLE start with one of the pre-show matches still happening. Even if this was done in the past, it was a fresh enough concept to work.

From there, we went to the "actual" opener: Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla. This was hit-and-miss and maybe a touch too long. I really liked Thekla's offense - especially her crossbody to the floor, which was immaculate - but there were noticeable hiccups throughout, awkward transitions, possibly one spot "repeated" due to a botch, missed strikes, and even a bit of telegraphing that hurt the match. I really wanted to like this match more than I did because Thekla is so impressive and seems like she's on the cusp of being a major player in AEW. (2.5/5)

The Young Bucks (who had a funny entrance that showed how they'd spent their last 500k and therefore couldn't afford a "real" entrance) took on the reunited Jurassic Express in the next match. Cagematch says this ran 23 minutes but it felt even longer due to the sheer amount of action and high spots they stuffed into it. This is another one of those matches that, if you're not a fan of what the Bucks do, you'll have no problem criticizing for its indulgences, but its hard to hate on something that, to the audience in St. Louis, was a clear winner. Luchasaurus was as over for this crowd as he's ever been. The Bucks' tandem offense, which included a callback to the Lucha Bros at one point, was as impressive as ever and even featured some new wrinkles (Perry countering one of their signature combo moves into a hurricanrana off the ropes was particularly great). Speaking of Perry, I'm not sure what the deal was with him untying the tag rope, trying to tie it the opposite corner, and then just tying back in the correct corner was as it didn't play into the match at any point, but maybe its something "meta" I didn't understand. There were probably too many nearfalls and false finishes that made Jack Perry look superhuman, but, again, that's "the brand" of wrestling this is and the real issue is that Perry is simply not over or credible enough to be surviving the same onslaught of finishers as, say, Will Ospreay or Swerve Strickland. As hard as they worked, the only thing I would've liked here was some editing. In the post-match, members of the Don Callis Family came out and attacked the JE as they were seemingly trying to give some of their winnings to the Bucks. The Bucks allowed it to happen, exiting the ring to boos, which led to Kenny Omega making his return and briefly questioning why they weren't helping out their old buddy. The Bucks shrugged their shoulders and moved on as Kenny ran in for the save, eventually running the heels out of the ring and celebrating. (3/5)

A trios match followed with Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP taking on Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona. They were an unfortunate position here having to follow a match where the Bucks and the Express had busted out every high spot imaginable and, maybe even more than their placement on the card, had to deliver what was something like their 3rd or 4th match over the past 8 weeks. Still, with Benjamin and Ricochet being so good and so capable of highlight reel moments, you knew this would be, at worst, just average. The match benefitted from "tornado" rules which prevented it from ever getting slow, but it also meant that there wasn't much structure or drama to it beyond just watching to see what the next "big move" would be. Highlights included MVP getting to hit his trademark "Ballin" elbow, Shelton Benjamin delivering an awesome cannonball tope towards the end, Ricochet bumping and selling like mad, and the finish, which saw Ricochet get saved by Kaun only for Kaun to eat a bunch of punishment and get pinned with nobody on his side risking their safety to help him. Not a bad match, but nothing to get excited about. (2.5/5)

Next up - the 5th match in the Best Of 5 series between Mark Briscoe and TNT Champion, Kyle Fletcher. I'll admit that I hadn't watched any of the previous matches. Callis joined on commentary. Things started relatively tame before Fletcher went to the outside for a breather and Briscoe followed him out and turned this into more of a fight, hitting with Fletcher with an elbow off the apron ala Cactus Jack. Other highlights included an awesome cannonball through the middle ropes by Briscoe onto Fletcher (who was seated on a chair), Fletcher powerbombing Briscoe on an upturned set of stairs, Fletcher countering the Jay Driller into a half-and-half suplex before connecting with the Last Ride powerbomb, a superplex from Fletcher that sounded like a bomb went off when they landed, a Jay Driller on the apron, a Froggy Elbow when Fletcher was lying prone on the top rope (as Schiavone noted, I'm not sure we've seen that before), and a whole slew of Fletcher kicks and running boots that looked and sounded tremendous. In a year full of remarkable performances, Kyle Fletcher once again proved he may be worthy of inclusion in the "Wrestler of the Year" conversation. The crowd desperately wanted Briscoe to get the win, booing heavily when Fletcher broke the count after a Jay Driller by putting one finger on the rope and popping just as huge when Briscoe somehow kicked out of a low blow and then Fletcher's brainbuster and running knee-to-the-jaw. Fletcher hit the brainbuster on the top turnbuckle to end things. Another very, very good match that was maybe just a hair short of "must see." (3.5/5)

Kris Statlander defended her AEW Women's World Championship against Toni Storm in the next match. While not the homerun they were clearly looking for, this was still quite good. This one suffered from some elements that had very little to do with the actual wrestling in the ring (which was almost all great). By this point, the crowd had sat through over two hours of wrestling, including two 20+ minute matches. If ever there was time for a fun squash match, this was the time for it, but instead, we got a very competitive tweener/tweener match. Tweeners, you say? I do. Storm is mega over and rightfully adored, but she's never been an out-and-out "good guy" who is fighting "for the fans." Her comedy chops and the fact that she was/is often slotted against heels has made her a de facto babyface more than anything in her actual character or presentation (pompous, egocentric, dismissive). Statlander, meanwhile, isn't too far removed from an ill-fitting heel run and, more recently, seemed to be getting recruited by the Death Riders. Statlander's super-serious, all-business persona doesn't scream "babyface" to me, though I do think this is the best presentation of her that we've seen. All of this to say the match felt a little quiet and "heatless" at times as there was not a strong face/heel dynamic for the fans to latch onto. This match was designed to make Statlander look like she has finally attained equal footing to the Storms and Mones of the roster and I think it did the job as well as it could've. Mone disrupting Statlander's post-match victory "moment" (and Statlander laying her out after the next match) seems to hint to a title vs. title match in the near future, though I'm not sure why they'd go that route when Statlander being Women's World Champion lends itself to so many other potential title defenses, including against her on/off buddy Willow Nightingale, Jamie Hayter, Thekla, and any number of international talent that TK might bring in. (3/5)

The aforementioned Mercedes Mone defended her TBS Championship while also challenging the Interim ROH Women's Champion Mina Shirakawa in the next bout. Like the prior bout, this one also suffered from elements that had very little to do with what we actual got in-ring. Shirakawa, as talented and fun as she is, had very little chance of winning this match and the audience was hip to that within the first few minutes. Speaking of minutes, this was not the right place on the card to put yet another competitive 15+ minute match. The crowd was arguably more into this match than the previous one - Mone's star power remains undeniable - but it wasn't by much. I think this match may have also benefitted from Shirakawa showing a different side of herself rather than her usual fun-loving, dancing self. This match may have had a totally different feel had Shirakawa come in with a more serious demeanor and eschewed the dancing and comedy antics to make it clear that she was taking this match more seriously than her previous challenges. There was enough good, especially in the final 3-4 minutes, to carry this into "average" territory despite feeling a bit meaningless and undercooked. (2.5/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line next as the champions, Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) defended their titles against the Callis Family's Takeshita and Okada. This was a very strong match with some very cool moments and exchanges (no surprise considering the talent involved). Okada delivering a shoulderbreaker to the massive Brody King was one particularly unbelievable moment. There was a sequence soon after that involved Takeshita and Bandido training reverse hurricanranas that was also mind-blowing. Really, this match just had way too many "Did you see that?" moments to bother naming them all and they deserve a ton of credit for reigniting the crowd's interest and energy as the show passed the 3 hour mark. Easily the best match of the night and maybe the best Brodido match I've seen yet. I'm very much looking forward to the Takeshita/Okada match that this match built towards. (4/5)

Samoa Joe challenged "Hangman" Adam Page for the AEW World Championship in the next match. You could tell by the speed of the entrances and pre-match announcing that the show was running long at this point, nearing the 4-hour mark. Page and Joe had a very good contest, though the finish was never really in question. I've watched a whole ton of Samoa Joe matches over the years and it really is night-and-day how much better he is when he is motivated and passionate about what he is doing on-screen (as compared to some of his pretty uninspired stretches in TNA in the early 2010s). There were some spots that looked a little awkward and I kinda wish they had just focused on beating eachother's brains in as I really liked the finish and how strong it made Joe look in a loss. The post-match heel turn by Joe and the Opps was a tremendous moment that got a great reaction from the crowd and was a genuine surprise to me as so much for the build-up had hinted to this being part of Joe's "last run." (3/5)

Main event time - Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley in an I Quit match. This was brutal, but maybe a hair less brutal than I expected (as I expected them to deliver the craziest match since the Swerve/Page series, which probably would've meant an actual televised murder). According to wrestling reporter Bryan Alvarez, the St. Louis sports commission put some semi-strict rules on how much gore they'd allow the show to have - though "hardway" blood was seemingly allowed as Hangman Page was clearly bleeding from the mouth in the prior match - which prevented Allin and Mox from putting on the bloodbath most folks expected. Even without the permission to slice each other or themselves up, this match still felt plenty hardcore and dangerous. There were wild dives and a Coffin Drop on the apron by Allin, Moxley stabbing Allin's fingers with wooden needles, Claudio Castignoli guerilla pressing Darby from the ring onto the announce table in an amazing feat of strength and PAC literally dragging his lifeless body back into the ring, and, in the most talked-about spot of the night, the use of an aquarium to try to drown Darby that led to the return of Darby's former tag partner Sting to take out the bad guys in a huge moment. Unfortunately, the actual finish of the match - a rather simple Scorpion Death Lock - seemed a bit tame (even if I do see why Moxley looking with a plain ol' wrestling hold showed that, all along, he's been a chickenshit hiding behind his stablemates and not really the "tough guy" he claimed to be). (3.5/5)

Overall, any show with an average rating of 3.06-out-of-5 probably deserves to be praised for consistently being above-average...but this show still felt a bit like it underachieved. The main event had all the makings of being an all-time classic, but will probably only be remembered for the aquarium spot. The AEW Women's World Championship was similarly on-the-brink of greatness but never quite there. The best matches on the show were the AEW World Tag Team Titles and TNT Championship matches, which came as a bit of a surprise on a show considering I wouldn't consider any of the men involved to be "bigger deals" than Hangman, Joe, Mercedes, Toni Storm, or the Bucks. 

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

AEW All Out 2022

AEW All Out 2022

Chicago, IL - September 2022

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Jon Moxley was recognized as the Interim AEW World Heavyweight Champion, Wardlow was the TNT Champion, the TBS Champion was Jade Cargill, the AEW Women's World Champion was Thunder Rosa, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland) and PAC was the AEW All-Atlantic Champion. 

The Casino Gauntlet Ladder match is the night's opening contest with Rey Fenix and Wheeler Yuta starting things off. The third man in is "El Toro Blanco," Rush, who hit an awesome somersault dive to the floor on Fenix. Andrade El Idolo was in soon after at #4 and the two men created a bunch of ladder "bridges" to punish Fenix rather than take the easy victory. This led to a sunset flip powerbomb by Andrade on Yuta which was as convoluted a spot as it was awesome. Claudio Castignoli came in next and, in a ridiculous feat of strength, essentially lifted and shifted two intertwined ladders with Andrade on top of them and dumped him to the floor. Dante Martin came in next and we got some impressive high-flying out of him, including a springboard off the ropes onto a ladder ala Shelton Benjamin. With another minute passing, Penta came in and wasted little time taking out Martin on the ramp and then Rush at ringside with a sling blade. Penta hit Claudio with a backstabber and then hit a Canadian Destroyer on Andrade on a ladder! Fenix hit a splash off the top rope onto Rush through a table for good measure as Claudio, Yuta, and Martin tried to grab the giant poker chip. Their progress was interrupted, though, with the arrival of a bunch of masked men in all black who took out the rest of the field. One of the masked men climbed the ladder, pulled down the chip, and unmasked, the reveal being that this was Stokely Hathaway and his team of midcarders - Ethan Page, Lee Moriarty, Big Bill, and the Gunn Club. The "Joker" came out next to the familiar tune of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" and Hathaway handed him the chip but "The Devil" did not unmask. This was an underwhelming match that felt like it ended before it got started. Its rinse-and-repeat structure prevented it from ever feeling like a real story was being told as each entrant came in, "got their shit in," and then made room for the next guy to do the same until we got to the disappointing, anticlimactic finish. Points awarded for some of the crazy spots, but I wish there had been more of a build-up with someone like Yuta or Claudio being on the brink of getting the win before the run-in. (2/5)

Next up - the first ever AEW World Trios Championship match with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks taking on "Hangman" Adam Page, Jon Silver, and Alex Reynolds. When the Trios Championship was introduced, most everyone believed it to be something of a vanity project for the Bucks and Omega. This was Omega's big return match after several months on the shelf and he got an awesome ring introduction and huge pop from the Chicago crowd. I really liked the character work and storytelling with Page trying to keep things sportsmanlike against his former buddies in the Elite and even preventing his partners from targeting Matt Jackson's lower back at one point. The crowd popped huge once Omega came in and locked up with Page, splitting between chants of "Kenny" and "Cowboy Shit." Silver and Reynolds came in and went to work on Omega's shoulder and neck. Hangman came back in and we got some cool high-flying from the Bucks in and outside of the ring. Controlling the match at this point, the Bucks cut the ring in half and Page played face-in-peril and the Elite delivered a nifty series of triple-team maneuvers. Page rallied with a Death Valley Driver on Omega and tagged in Silver, who took out most of the Elite single-handedly before getting caught with a mule kick. The Dark Order hit a vertical suplex-suicide dive combo on the floor on Nick Jackson and followed it up with more double-team moves on Matt on the inside of the ring, the crowd actually chanting "Alex Reynolds" at one point. From here, as one would've expected, the match's pace and action picked up and we saw a bunch of signature offense out of everyone (with Omega looking particularly great with both off his offense and his masterful bumping). Highlights included Page and Dark Order hitting a Pendulum Bomb, Omega taking out three guys with his Terminator dive, a 4-way superkick spot, a Tiger Driver 98', a brilliant BTE Trigger false finish, John Silver countering the One Winged Angel for another beautiful false finish, the crowd losing their shit when Omega and Page came to blows in the center of the ring, and the eventual final Buckshot Lariat, a perfect ending to an excellent match. Very much worth watching as this is a terrific mix of high-speed action, great character work and long-term storytelling, and a real raising of stakes and suspense from beginning to end. (4/5)

Jade Cargill defended her TBS Championship against Athena in the next match. For what this was, I thought it delivered...but I could see the argument that Athena deserved better and that Cargill looked awkward and overly choreographed at times. Athena threw all of herself into this, though, and she was very good. Her dropkick to one of the baddies into the barricade on the outside was awesome and the finishing sequence, which saw Cargill counter an O-Face attempt with a brutal anti-aircraft front kick looked nasty and like a legitimate set-up to a finish. I don't think adding more time or more offense for Athena would've necessarily made this any better than it was. This was a "tight" sub-10 minute match that told a basic story and told it well. (2.5/5)

Next up - Wardlow teaming with FTR to take on rivals Jay Lethal (with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh) and The Motor City Machine Guns. I did not remember the MCMG ever working in AEW, especially this far into "AEW/TNA" partnership (which I could've sworn was over by this point). Having another "trios" match on a show where the first trios match was as sensational as Elite vs. Hangman and Dark Order was a questionable booking decision, but everyone involved in this was good enough to keep it in the average-to-slightly-above-average range. The Guns are always a treat to watch because of their tandem offense and ability to play both plucky underdogs and obnoxious heels. FTR brought the tough strikes. Wardlow was super over with the crowd. Jay Lethal is always competent. This still felt like something youd' get on Dynamite or Collision rather than an PPV-worthy match, but that's not necessarily a knock against it. The post-match return of Samoa Joe brought a big pop as did Dax's 8-year old daughter Finlay (sp?) getting to pin Dutt after Dax dropped him with a big right hand. (3/5)

Ricky Starks took on Powerhouse Hobbs in the next match. Powerhouse controlled most of the match and then...it just ended around the 5 minute mark, seemingly due to a concussion or some other injury to Starks after a devastating spinebuster (though none of the review on Cagematch  mention any such injury). If the purpose was to give Hobbs the quick squash victory, it needed to be more impactful and violent - like Starks was overwhelmed early with a huge power move and then Hobbs just continued his attack to the point that it was seen as gratuitous and cruel. Starks doesn't get a ton of offense in but he gets enough to make it almost seem like he quits mid-match as compared to actually losing after putting in his best effort possible. A real misfire. (1/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line next as Swerve In Our Glory (Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee) defended their titles against the team of The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens with Billy Gunn in their corner). There was lots to enjoy here in terms of in-ring action, especially in the back half of the contest, but what was most memorable was how ravenous the crowd was for the Acclaimed and how well Lee and Strickland leaned into the moment and became more and more heelish as the match went on (to the point that the crowd booed the requisite post-match "show of respect" handshake). I also really loved the classic, simple-but-updated long-term selling of Anthony Bowens "tweaking" his knee when he attempted to come off the ropes, a detail that Bowens "worked" till the very end and played well into one of the factors that the champions had played-up during the build (that it was Caster who was the weak link). I still think giving The Acclaimed a run with the AEW World Tag Team Champions was the wrong move - they've always struck me as AEW's Bushwhackers or Too Cool (and that's not a diss) rather than being the best tag team in the company at any point - but one can see why they eventually got the straps based on how over they were here. A very, very good match. (3.5/5)

Toni Storm vs. Britt Baker vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida for the Interim AEW Women's World Championship (as the reigning champion, Thunder Rosa, suffered an injury) was next. A solid match and the crowd was more into it than one might've expected as it was possible they'd be "burned out" after the Tag Titles match. Speaking of the crowd, they were heavily behind Jamie Hayter whose partnership with Baker was the centerpiece of the match. In Guy Evan's Beyond Nitro book, he quotes Al Snow talking about how a match should really only have one "pop" - the finish - because everything is building to that moment. This match, to me, "popped" a bit early as they gave us one too many nearfalls and Hayter pinning Baker was "the pop" they should've ended the match on. Storm getting the sneaky win seemed a bit tacked-on in comparison. (2.5/5)

Christian took on "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry in the next match. Before the match, Jack Perry's mother slapped Christian to a huge reaction. Perry came out to a loud pop and got chokeslammed on the side of the stage, onto the pyro board, by Luchasaurus. Perry slid to the floor and then got carried towards the ring and put through a table for gead measure as Christian grinned and gloated in the ring. Luchasaurus dumped Perry into the ring, who, against his better judgment, opted to go on with the match. Christian nailed him with a spear right out of the gate but only got 2. He followed it up with a Killswitch and got the W. I'm glad they went with the smart booking here and didn't turn this into a 10+ minute match which would've completely buried Luchasaurus by making his pre-match beatdown look inconsequential. This was more of a "segment" than a match, but it was a well-executed one, which is why I'm going to go easy in my rating on what could be considered a "bait-and-switch." (2/5)

Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho followed. Jericho was in his "Lionheart" gear for this. Danielson's introduction was performed by a shirtless Elliot Taylor, which was...weird. Anyway...Danielson had most of the crowd's support from the beginning, though we were still a few years away from Jericho completely burning out his goodwill with the live crowds and getting told to go home by audiences. Regal was on commentary for this too, making for a crowded commentary table. They worked a slow, methodical pace to start, trading wristlocks and counters and keeping things on the mat. Jericho took control with a backbreaker and then a back suplex, slapped Danieson around a little and then dropkicked him off the apron. Jericho went for a splash to the outside but got met by a Danielson kick to the gut. Danielson hit his running knee off the apron and then a missile dropkick back in the ring. Danielson hit some Yes Kicks but Jericho dodged the third one. Danielson went for a hurricanrana off the top, but Jericho countered it into a Walls of Jericho! Danielson countered it into an inside cradle for 2 and then, after Jericho spilled out to the floor, hit him with a suicide dive on the floor. Danielson looked to hit another dropkick off the top but Jericho crotched him on the buckle. They brawled on the top rope with Danielson knocking Jericho to the mat with a headbutt, but missing the flying headbutt off the top rope. Jericho went for a Lionsault but Danielson got his knees up. Danielson applied the LeBell Lock but Jericho countered it into a catapult. Danielson skinned the cat and then we got a series of Tombstone counters ending with Jericho driving Danielson to the mat and hitting the Lionsault for 2. Jericho hit a running punt kick to the face but it didn't look great and Danielson certainly didn't sell it as a game-ender, hitting Jericho with a series of big kicks of his own. Danielson grabbed hold of Jericho's arms and hit him with his trademark head stomps before applying the LeBell Lock. Everytime Jericho got close to the rope, Danielson would turn him or twist him, but eventually he ended up caught in the Walls of Jericho himself. Danielson escaped with boots to the head and then applied a Triangle Choke. Jericho lifted him up, looking to powerbomb his way out of it. They eventually got to the ropes, where Jericho catapulted Danielson neck-first into the bottom rope. Both guys sold their exhaustion before trading blows. Danielson looked like he was about to rally, but Jericho nailed him off the ropes with something akin to a Codebreaker for 2. Jericho reapplied the Liontamer, but Danielson managed to get to the bottom rope. Jericho hit Danielson with a bunch of punches and then hit a release german suplex and some elbows to the chest. He went for another German suplex, but Danielson back-flipped out of it and hit the Baisaku Knee! 1...2...no! Danielson applied the Cattle Mutilation to a sizable pop, but Jericho rolled out of it. Danielson hit his trademark elbows to the chest and re-applied the Mutilation, but Jericho inched his feet onto the bottom rope. Danielson nailed him with a bunch more kicks to the back and chest and then a rolling elbow strike. Danielson once again hit the elbows and then attempted a Mutilation, but Jericho managed to catch him with a lowblow and a not-so-hot Judas Effect to end the match. This had really good components to it, but the ending was a real downer and even looked a little sloppy to my eye. The psychology and storytelling was there, but the execution didn't live up to it - which may be because, unless I'm mistaken, Jericho and Danielson did not work with each other extensively in the WWE (Cagematch says they had a few house show matches but mostly tags on TV). (3/5)

Sting, Darby Allin, and Miro teamed up to take on The House of Black - Buddy Murphy, Malakai Black, and Brody King in the third trios match of the night. Lots of fun stuff here as Darby Allin took some hellacious bumps, Sting had an awesome hot tag and square-off with Black, and Buddy Murphy showed off his still-in-2025-underrated blend of speed, high impact strikes, and expert timing. The finish was a surprising one as Sting "misted" Black in the face, allowing Allin to roll him over in a unique pin to get the win. I thought Black refused to do jobs? This was a very good match that was more character-based than the Elite/Dark Order one from earlier in the show and also featured much more "heavyweight" type action, which made it stood out more than the rather forgettable Wardlow/FTR vs. MCMG/Lethal match. (3/5)

Main event time - CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. Lots of dig into here...CM Punk had won the AEW World Championship, broke his foot three days later, and then came back to challenge the interim champion, Jon Moxley, on an episode of Dynamite. Moxley essentially "squashed" Punk, setting up this rematch in Chicago. Punk bleeds a gusher and "fights from underneath" for most of this match with the majority of the crowd rooting on him. However, there are audible chants for Moxley (and, during the post-match, MJF), which are even more interesting when you consider what was going on backstage at the time. Overshadowed by the events that immediately followed - dubbed "Brawl Out" in the wrestling media - this match felt a little slow and awkward at times, which added to the realism but was a bit out-of-step with what is considered the "AEW house style" of workrate/high spot-heavy battles. The transitions aren't smooth. There's no "no-selling" (a positive, but also a bit jarring when its sharing space with the trios matches we saw). There's really no sense of cooperation at all, but that also means we don't get those big, elaborate, memorable sequences or moments that Punk had previously had with guys like John Cena or Samoa Joe. Punk looked a little slow at times while Mox showed none of the unpredictability or unique character that once set him apart, flipping-the-bird a dozen times to get a cheap reaction like a middle schooler. This was a fine match with good things happening but I don't see it as anything truly special and was not at all a fan of the "false flash finish" sequence to start things off as it felt completely out-of-character for Mox to fall prey to it. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.68-out-of-5, All Out 2022 (and its follow-up PPV, Full Gear 2022) are interesting shows to watch in hindsight because of all the scandal surrounding them and the undeniably shaky/conflicting forms of wrestling and storytelling occurring on the same show. Some matches delivered character-driven, hard-hitting, "realistic" action (the main event, Danielson/Jericho, the two sub-6 minute matches and Christian/Perry) while others were all-out spot-fests, guys going 100 miles per hour and not really worrying about "burning out the crowd" or having too many false finishes (the Trios and World Tag Team Championship matches). I can enjoy both styles - I had the tag title bout as my Match of Night because I thought it offered the best of both worlds - but I can see why some fans, expecting the fireworks and epics of the indie world would be unhappy with the "WWE-ification" of AEW by way of intentionally having "filler" matches that were more about furthering a story than actually delivering competitive wrestling (the aforementioned Christian/Perry match and the confusing Starks squash). 

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