Tuesday, September 9, 2025

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

AEW Forbidden Door 2025

AEW Forbidden Door 2025
London, England - August 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Heavyweight Champion was Adam Page, the TNT Champion was Kyle Fletcher, Mercedes Mone was the TBS Champion, the Women's World Champion was Toni Storm, the Continental Champion was Kazuchika Okada (who also held the International Championship, creating the Unified Championship), the Hurt Syndicate held the AEW World Tag Team Championships, and The Opps (Shibata, Hobbs, and Samoa Joe) were the AEW Trios Champions.

Forbidden Door 2025 opened up with Adam "Cope" Copeland and Christian reuniting against Kip Sabian and Killswitch (replacing Nick Wayne). The crowd was into this at the start but seemed a little bored at one point, no longer focused on the match and seemingly more interested in engaging in a sing-along. Nick Wayne not even being at ringside - and making no appearance at all during the match (when I think most would assume there'd be some sort of run-in) - may have been one of the reasons for this being a little low in the heat department as Sabian has really been a very minor character for almost all of his AEW run. I liked Christian not being 100% on-board with reconciling with Copeland, shirking away from a tag when they were in trouble and trying to avoid Killswitch. I was less into Killswitch blatantly setting up his own teammate for a Doomsday Device. I get that the story was that Sabian was disrespecting him, but that took things a bit too far for me. A decent opener. (2.5/5)

Kyle Fletcher defended his AEW TNT Championship against New Japan's Hiromu Takahashi. This was my first time seeing Takahashi and for all of Excalibur's selling on commentary, playing him up as NJPW's version of Darby Allin, I wasn't captivated by his presence or anything. This went a little long and it was fairly obvious that Takahashi was not known to most in attendance. The action was good, though, and Fletcher continues to impress me, as "surefire" as any young wrestler in the world right now but still a step or two away from being the complete package. Speaking of "Total Packages," I liked Danielson on commentary noting how good Fletcher's body slam is because it is very reminiscent of Luger's to me. (2.5/5)

The TBS Championship was defended in a four-way match as the champion, Mercedes Mone, took on Bozilla of NJPW, Penelope of CMLL, and Alex Windsor (representing AEW, but really the UK). Bozilla was the "star" of this match as even Mone seemed to take a backseat in terms of highlights and commentator focus. This is the first I'd seen of Bozilla, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the WWE try to sign her based on her presence and performance here (and the fact that she's just 21 years young). Loved Penelope's Razor's Edge on Bozilla, but didn't love the "double submission" moves. This was another "so-so" match that didn't really "wow" me or have my super invested because the finish was never in question and there wasn't a personal story driving it. (2.5/5)

Nigel McGuiness vs. Zach Sabre Jr. was the next match, a bout that was hyped as something of a "UK dream match" and was for the IWGP World Championship. Before the match, there was a fun video showing Nigel McGuinness playing chess against UK wrestling legend Johnny Saint. Daniel Garcia was at ringside to support Nigel. The 02 Arena was very into this match, which was unsurprising. The finish here wasn't really in question, but the appeal here was seeing two world-class wrestlers put on a mat classic. Very good catch-as-catch-can mat wrestling to start with Sabre showing off his tremendously smooth technique and joint manipulation skills. Nigel kept up with him until Sabre went to work on his shoulder and neck, targeting Nigel's vulnerabilities. I'd love to list some of the highlights, but so many of these moves and counters were brilliant, nasty arm wrenches and key locks and perfectly-placed stomps, which may sound like it got repetitive, but it was the opposite. This wasn't strike-heavy or a bomb-throwing contest or any kind of spotfest, but by not being any of those things, it stood out as very different than the usual AEW match. Now, that's not to say there wasn't the eventual uppercut duel or some big clotheslines - Sabre getting his nose busted up didn't come from a wristlock - but they weren't even close to the bulk of the match, which made them mean so much more. As the match got into its second half, Garcia's reason for being included in the match became clear as he and Sabre jawed on the outside, allowing Nigel to hit his Tower of London but eventually leading to a brilliant series of pinfalls and counters that cost him the match. Sabre showed Nigel a ton of respect as he exited the ring. Garcia raised his arm too, which had me thinking we were due for a heel turn. Thankfully, they let the 02 crowd just enjoy the moment and the fact that they'd just witnessed a very, very good match - easily the best on the show up to this point. (4/5)

After Tony Schiavone announced the night's attendance, nearly 19,000, we saw Thekla and Queen Aminata brawl their way from backstage down the aisle. Aminata got the upperhand but Julia Hart and Skye Blue ran down the aisle to help their stablemate. This then led to Jamie Hayter showing up to a huge pop and running the heels off. I really liked this segment as it was something we don't always get on an AEW show, which tend to just progress from match-to-match with no "filler" or "angles." 

Next up was the 3-way match for the AEW World Tag Team Championships - The Hurt Syndicate defending their titles against FTR and the relatively new team of Brodido (Brody King and Bandido). This was a 3-way match because the two challenging teams had a 30-minute draw on Dynamite a few days prior. The crowd loved doing the "We Hurt People" chant and also singing "Oh Fuck The Revival" to the tune of "Seven Nation Army." This was a wild fight at the start with all three teams brawling around ringside until Bandido and Dax got into it in the ring and the match took some shape. There was a lengthy stretch where Bandido worked as the face-in-peril after hitting a tope suicida on Benjamin. The Hurt Business tossing Bandido around like a bag of laundry at times and FTR refusing to tag in to save him was a highlight and led to the crowd chanting for Brody King. When King finally got the tag, he took out both members of FTR but couldn't put anyone away. They did a nice job building to the Brody/Bobby face-off, which had Danielson marking out on commentary and the crowd chanting "meat." This led to a great showcase sequence out of Shelton, who took everyone out (including King, with a trifecta of German suplexes). King and Cash delivered a Shatter Machine to take him out, though, in a great spot and the match continued as Danielson wondered who was even legal at this point (I doubt even the ref knew by this point). A big splash from Bandido to the outside led to the arrival of 3 masked men who attacked Lashley and Benjamin, taking them out of the match. Back in the ring, the babyfaces were able to score something of an unexpected upset win to end the match in disappointing fashion due to some mistimings and what appeared to be a "botched" sequence. Another reason why Brodido, for as fun as they might be, are maybe not 100% ready to be at the top of the division. I'm a bigger fan of Lashley and Benjamin than many so I'm not surprised that folks were disappointed they didn't really "put over" the new champions and that this was the unceremonious ending to their title reign. With a more solid finish, this would've left a stronger impression. (3/5)

Swerve Strickland challenged Kazuchika Okada for the AEW International Championship. As Danielson and Exaclibur noted on commentary, Okada is known to take his time, tiring out his opponent with cut-offs and counters and dropkicks and that was exactly what we got here. I really liked Okada's focus on Swerve's knee as the match went on and Strickland's selling throughout. There was lots to like here, but nothing I really I loved until Swerve's knee buckled on the top rope, which looked absolutely gnarly and was a great pay-off to a match that went close to (if not over?) 20 minutes. Okada attacked Strickland with a chair after the match and then Wardlow arrived to attack him too. It felt a little bit disjointed and unnecessary to me and I'm not sure what the point of adding Wardlow to the Don Callis Family is when Fletcher, Takeshita, and Okada are already there and each one of them is a better, more interesting worker than Wardlow has ever been. A good match, but not necessarily a great one. (3/5)

The AEW Women's World Championship was on the line next as Toni Storm defended her title against the Ring of Honor "Forever" Women's Champion, Athena. Athena controlled too much of this match to me. I like both wrestlers but seeing Toni narrowly avoid defeat - a similar set-up to the match she had with Megan Bayne several months ago - works better when her opponent is bigger, stronger, and more violent. Athena is really only the latter. This was hard-hitting, action-packed, and the performances were strong, but I didn't love the finish, which saw Billie Starks and Mina Shirakawa's fighting on the outside distract Athena and lead to her getting caught in Storm's chickenwing. Another good match that fell a little bit short of "must see" for me due to a bit of an out-of-nowhere finish. (3.5/5)

The AEW World Champion, "Hangman" Adam Page defended his title against MJF in the next match. The storyline and build-up to this match was a bit of a mess with MJF winning the right to challenge for the title but not actually using his open contract for this specific match, the title changing hands on a DQ/CO, and MJF being kicked out of the Hurt Syndicate and feuding with Mark Briscoe during the weeks that led to this match (as well as winning the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship). All this going on should've added more intrigue, but because Page has only been champion for a couple months, it was fairly clear that he was going to retain here. That being said, Page and MJF showed tremendous chemistry and delivered a very, very good Championship match that was easily the best or second best match on the show up till this point (their only competition for this distinction would be Sabre Jr./McGuinness). People might get nitpicky with whether Page or MJF deserved to be disqualified for their use of furniture outside the ring, but my only criticism would be that they didn't have the commentators explain that, in 2025, it has long been established that putting your opponent through a table or causing them to collide with a chair or barricade is not an automatic disqualification like it probably would've been in 1985. I liked the bulk of this match but felt like they dipped a bit too far into overbooking territory towards the end with lots of fuckery going on, including Mark Briscoe coming out, the ref initially "missing" a very obvious rope break, and then MJF and Page both using the clipboard as a weapon. Again, maybe in 1985 that would've been a legit way to knock someone out, but we've seen Adam Page go through much, much, much worse. (3.5/5) 

The main event followed - Will Ospreay teaming with Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, and Kenny Omega to take on the Jon Moxley, Claudio Castignoli, Gabe Kidd, and The Young Bucks in an Unsanctioned Cage match. Early highlights included Ospreay revving up the crowd and doing some high-flying, Darby hitting an awesome cannonball dive and The Golden Lovers and Young Bucks squaring off. The Bucks went to grab some tacks from under the ring but ended up dumping a whole bunch of gummi bears in the ring, which was maybe a bit cutesy for some but I dug it as it played into the continued "beef" between the ex-VPs and the production team. The Bucks then brought a ladder into the ring and took everyone out, even sending Allin into it with a powerbomb and then hitting him with one of their signature sentons while he was splayed across it. A very bloody Ospreay came in to try to help his teammate but got beaten down by the Bucks before essentially throwing his body into the ladder to take them out. Mox came in with a chair but Ospreay wrapped it around his neck. Gabe made the save with a devastating jumping piledriver that looked absolutely nasty. From here we got even more craziness with the heels hitting all sorts of ridiculous combo moves, the Bucks flying all over the place, and...Hiroshi Tanahashi basically invisible for minutes on end (which was arguably for the best considering how he's looked the past couple of matches I've seen him in). After Claudio tossed Darby out of the ring and into the cage, Tanahashi came in and got to look like a superhero before Mox put him down with a DDT. It was probably the best 10 seconds that one was going to get out of Tanahashi and earned Mox a bunch of heat. Darby came back in, bleeding from the side of his head, and got duct-taped to the chair and then stabbed in the ear by Mox with a fork! Holy Reservoir Dogs! It was an absolutely brutal spot. Claudio then lifted him (and the chair up) and body-slammed him to the mat in another great moment. Wow. The Bucks brought out a barbwire table while Marina Shafir stacked up a bunch of tables outside of the cage. Claudio attempted to carry Darby up a ladder, but he fought his way out. Back in the ring, Tanahashi nearly got sent into the barbwire table but, instead, it was Moxley who went fast-first into it (sorta...because Tanahashi was moving so slowly it looked more like Moxley just bent over and do it to himself). Tanahashi hit a series of sling blades, but then got Neutralized by Claudio and hit a BTE Trigger. Ospreay made the save on the pin attempt, covering up Tanahashi to protect him as the crowd sang his name. Mox pulled him by his neck, but Ospreay charged him through the barbwire table! In came Omega, who took out the Bucks and Kidd with a bunch of snapdragon suplexes. The Golden Lovers then hit stereo snapdragons on one of the Bucks and Mox to a huge pop. Omega hit the Terminator onto the heels on the outside, eliciting a loud "Kenny" chant from the crowd (which turned into them singing "Oh Kenny Omega" to the tune of "Seven Nation Army"). Tanahashi began to climb up a ladder but was prevented by his teammates in a funny moment and Ospreay climbed atop the entire structure instead, hitting a huge moonsault from the top of the cage onto all the heels on the floor. Totally contrived spot, sure, but undeniably a crowd-pleaser. In the ring, Kidd stared down Omega before they began trading blows with Omega rocking him with a few big knees before getting superkicked by the Bucks. This led to a sequence of individuals taking each other out in with kicks and slams and all sorts of offense, culminating with Ospreay hitting a Styles Clash on Kidd and then hitting a Hidden Blade/V-Trigger combo with Omega. Great stuff that reminded me of the spotfests of "early AEW," where matches were just overloaded with creative sequences and ridiculous moves and combos that nobody but the most well-versed wrestling fan had ever seen before. Mox climbed to the top of the cage, where Wheeler was waiting to help him. Darby chased him up and ended up sending Wheeler the announce table in a great spot (as contrived as it may have been). Darby dropped down to the floor and chased Mox with a kendo stick, wailing on him. Darby then put Mox between the stack of tables and climbed back on top of the cage. Shafir pulled Mox out from the tables while Gabe Kidd climbed a ladder up to the top of the cage. Kidd and Darby went crashing into the tables off the top of the cage as Kota and Claudio began to brawl in the middle of the ring. This led to the finishing sequence, which saw the babyfaces gain complete control and Tanahashi get the feel-good victory with a frog splash. Ospreay got to wave goodbye to the crowd before getting taken out by the Death Riders to close the show, getting a ton of heat in the process. I wasn't sure how this match would work as these sorts of multi-man cage matches are usually structured in a "War Games" fashion with countdowns and staggered entrances, but this was about as perfectly laid-out as it could be, managing to provide lots of high-flying, ultra-violence, and even some comedy while also managing to "hide" Tanahashi. (4/5)


While not as enjoyable overall as All In a few months back, Forbidden Door 2025 still brought the goods with the main event and Nigel/Sabre match being among my favorites of the year (though I do get the complaint that this year's version was rather light on inter-promotion dream matches). Some of the booking was questionable - the Hurt Syndicate not dropping their titles cleanly, the lackluster finish to the underwhelming Storm/Athena match, the most-likely-to-fail idea of putting Wardlow into an already-loaded Callis Family - but between the bells, most matches were good-to-great, once again demonstrating that AEW is a professional wrestling company for professional wrestling fans. 

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

TNA Sacrifice 2011

TNA Sacrifice 2011
Orlando, FL - May 2011

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the night's show, Sting was the World Heavyweight Champion, Kazarian was the X-Division Champion, Gunner was the TV Champion, Mickie James was the Knockouts Champion, Beer Money held the World Tag Team Championships, and the Women's Tag Team Championships were held by Rosita (a super young Zelina Vega!) and Sarita.

A bunch of the full TNA PPVs between the previous show I reviewed - Final Destination 2010 - and this one are unavailable on YouTube, so we're jumping forward a bit in the timeline. Between that show and this one, TNA hit a rough patch and the TNA World Championship changed hands a couple times - from Hardy to Ken Anderson back to Hardy to Sting. This is also when Jeff Hardy has his infamous flame-out on live PPV, coming to the ring inebriated and being "shoot pinned" by Sting. TNA - and Dixie Carter and Eric Bischoff, specifically - took a ton of heat for even having Hardy appear on-screen in the state he was in, but, if you believe their story, Hardy had shown up in fine shape and they didn't know he was wasted out of his mind until a few minutes before the main event (and, by that point, had no other options but to have him go out and lose quickly). The other big story was that the real-life soap opera drama between Jeff Jarrett, Kurt Angle, and Kurt's ex-wife Karen was being played out on-screen.

Sacrifice 2011 kicks off with a tag team match pitting Ink Inc. (Jesse Neal and Shannon Moore) against the team of Mexican America (Hernandez and Anarquia). Like the last match of theirs I reviewed - against Beer Money, if I'm not mistaken - Shannon Moore was the MVP for his team and did a bulk of the work, though Neal's hot tag wasn't terrible or anything. Hernandez had some real promise a few years before this, but he looks completely unmotivated and his character was staler than a 3-month old hamburger bun. I'm not sure what his contract situation was but had he gone to the WWE at any point in the previous 15 months, he may have become a star. Unfortunately, the Mexican America stable (with Sarita and Rosita [now Zelina Vega, though she's barely shown on-camera here]) was a tired retread of a better gimmick done by teams with better chemistry. Inoffensive is about the highest praise this can get. (2/5)

Brian Kendrick challenged Robbie E in the next match-up. Brian Kendrick was doing a weird gimmick that involved him wearing a white robe, mediating before (and after) his matches to get into a "Zen State," using big words in his promos, and trying to "save the X-Division" because it had strayed for its path as being a place for cutting edge wrestling and become nothing more than a space for undersized wrestlers to spin their wheels. It was a bizarre mix of elements that didn't work at all (and wasn't all that different from some of the nonsense and shtick that Kendrick had been doing months earlier, preventing it from really feeling "fresh" anyway). Robbie E wasn't/isn't the in-ring worker that Kendrick was, but his gimmick was timely and made sense in the context of TNA and didn't rely on a serious push or lots of promo time to make sense. Kendrick took a big swing with this but without the company or writing team behind it, it was DOA. The match they work is fine but Kendrick wrestles it the same way he almost always worked. Him getting his lip busted made the match seem more intense than it would've without the "color," a nice bit of happenstance that made the post-match even more creepy. Another "messy" match that didn't quite work and felt longer than its 7-minute duration (and not in a good way). (1.5/5)

Mickie James defended her Knockouts Championship against Madison Rayne in the next match. The additional stipulation here was that if James won, Tara would no longer be contractually tethered to Rayne as her bodyguard/assistant/henchman/whatever. This one goes 7 minutes, which feels about right, though the last 60 seconds are spent on a very poorly-acted "Will She or Won't She?" scene in which Tara must decide whether she is going to help Rayne or James when the ref is knocked out. I'll give credit to TNA and Russo here: I'm sure they were tempted to have Tara "turn" on James and reveal that she was on Rayne's side all along, but instead, they actually pulled the trigger and Tara decked her (in the chest? It looked weird) and helped James win the match. Tara and Rayne being "masterminds" that outsmarted James would have been supremely stupid but very much the "Russo Thing" to do here. Anyway, this was pretty bad. (1/5)

Next up - Frankie Kazarian defends his X-Division Championship against Max Buck (aka Matt Jackson of Generation Me/The Young Bucks). As one would expect, the execution and action and high spots are all good-to-great, especially a ridiculous sunset flip powerbomb on the floor of the Impact Zone towards the end. However, this is just heatless and Kazarian, as smooth as he is, is just someone I never find myself really invested in watching. Heel, face, or anything in between, I never care if he wins or loses, which makes a match where there was very little chance he was going to lose feel even more perfunctory. They go 11 minutes but it felt longer because I didn't care about any of it. (2/5)

Crimson took on Abyss in the next match. I wasn't familiar with any of Crimson's work prior to this match and was surprised to learn he's a Cleveland dude who used to work for Absolute Intense Wrestling. He was brought into TNA in late December 2010 as Amazing Red's younger brother and was then thrust into a major role in the Immortal/Fourtune feud. Despite considerable exposure and being teamed with popular babyfaces like Angle and Scott Steiner, Crimson did not seem over at all with the Impact crowd. Abyss tried his darndest to make Crimson look good here, but he was still clearly pretty green and stiff (not in his strikes or slams, but in how "wooden" he looked) at this point. Also, Abyss was really only good as a hardcore brawler and so, without any weapons or tables or tacks, his matches tend to drag. This match goes only a little over 10 minutes but felt like considerably more because of how slow-moving it was. Crimson maintains his impressive win streak with a weak-looking sitout slam (I won't call it a powerbomb because he never actually gets Abyss up too high). I'll give them some points for their effort as they were obviously trying to get Crimson over as a serious, credible big man, but his skills just weren't there and Abyss was not the guy to try to get a good match out of him. (1.5/5)

Beer Money defended their TNA World Tag Team Championships against the unlikely duo of Matt Hardy and "Wildcat" Chris Harris in the next match. I'm guessing Harris was brought in as a favor to James Storm, but the crowd was not kind to the returning ex-AMW member. Harris came in looking a bit chubby and was met with mocking chants of "Braden Walker," his brief alias when he flopped in WWE's ECW relaunch. Even Taz noted that Harris wasn't in "ring shape," which is not generally something someone says on commentary to get over a returning or debuting talent. Beer Money had carried Ink Inc. to a better-than-it-had-any-right-to-be match earlier in the year, but even they couldn't do much here with Hardy and Harris, who showed zero chemistry. I liked seeing Beer Money deliver the old AMW finish to get the win and there was some fun to be had watching Harris try to avoid Storm, but this was not PPV worthy. Another well-below average match. (1.5/5)

After a promo from Bully Ray, AJ Styles took on Tommy Dreamer in a No DQ match. Styles carried Dreamer to a decent enough "I Quit" match several months before before this, but I was still surprised that TNA opted to re-run this match considering Dreamer's age and abilities. This didn't start off too interesting but I'm willing to admit I wasn't 100% familiar with the storyline coming in and as to why Dreamer was somewhat reluctant and hesitant to compete and wasn't fully aligned with Bully Ray. Things get much better when they get away from the melodrama and just start beating the hell out of each other. I wouldn't call this an absolute carry job because Dreamer keeps up with AJ best he can, but seeing Styles do the subtle things to keep this one engaging and interesting is the selling point here. From ducking under the guardrail to deliver a Phenomenal Forearm on the guardrail (a nice little variation on the set-up that I'm not sure I'd seen before) to going full force into the frame of a stairwell in the crowd, Styles is great here. Unfortunately, the "schmozz" finish with Bully Ray costing him the match and Dreamer hitting a very ugly and awkward-looking piledriver through a table was a disappointment. Had Dreamer just gone with a DDT, it probably would've looked better. Oh well. This shouldn't be a Match of the Night on any show that people are paying for, but up till this point, it was the best this show had to offer. (2.5/5)

Jeff Jarrett and Karen Angle made their way to the ring for the next match as they took on Kurt Angle and Chyna. Chyna had debuted on TV a week or so before this as Angle's hand-picked "mistress"/mystery partner. Angle promised he would not lay a hand on the mother of his children, but teased that he knew someone who would. This is about what one would expect, which is a mostly "ga ga" match built around Angle (Kurt) and Jeff for 90% of its runtime as Karen Angle was untrained and Chyna was, well, not exactly a super worker even in her prime (which was a good decade before this). When Chyna did finally come in for the finishing stretch, she nearly botched a scoop slam (her vertical suplex looked considerably better but nobody would've mistaken it for a British Bulldog speciality). Chyna hit a pedigree on Karen. The crowd was into this but mostly because i think they just received to boo anything Angle did at this point as he was often the saving grace of a very poor show. (1.5/5)

Main event time - Sting vs. Rob Van Dam for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Ken Anderson came out to do commentary. Underwhelming match that was helped a little bit by some good brawling in the crowd. This was too slow and the finish was extra sloppy with Sting's first reverse DDT looking awful (and forcing him to hit a second one). Van Dam did not look motivated in the least bit at this point in his career and Sting also seemed to just be going through the motions. Anderson's commentary felt heavy-handed at times to me as he ran down both guys and didn't really "sell" any of the action. I get that he's a cocky character, but a World Championship match should be called with at least a little bit of recognition that Van Dam and Sting were the toughest competitors on the roster. (1/5)


With a weak Kwang Rating of 1.61-out-of-5, Sacrifice 2011 is one of the worst TNA PPVs I can recall watching and was a chore to get through. Even mildly interesting-in-theory matches like the Chyna match, Max Buck/Kazarian, and Kendrick/Robbie E. failed to deliver anything memorable and the main event was very lackluster.

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

Saturday, August 16, 2025

AEW Revolution 2022

AEW Revolution 2022
Orlando, FL - March 2022

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Champion was "Hangman" Adam Page, Sammy Guevara was the TNT Champion, the AEW Women's World Champion was Dr. Britt Baker, the TBS Champion was Jade Cargill, and the Jurassic Express were the AEW World Tag Team Champions. 


AEW Revolution 2022 kicks off with Chris Jericho taking on Eddie Kingston. This match was built around Kingston wanting Jericho's respect, but the in-ring action was basically a Greatest Hits of Japanese-inspired throws and strikes. They both brought their A-game to this match, delivering a whole slew of suplexes and backfists and elbows and all of them hit their mark. Liked how it started with Kingston hitting a half-and-half suplex as soon as the bell rang, but it was a very similar start to his match with Punk in that respect. This was a hard-hitting battle and homage to the AJPW style of the 80s and 90s that had the crowd on the edge of their seat and featured none of the "hamminess" of some of Jericho's other AEW matches. I didn't love the finish only because the Stretch Plum - a move made famous by Misawa, if I'm not mistaken - doesn't look like a super-deadly finish to me (even when Misawa applies it). (3/5)

Next up - Jurassic Express defending the AEW World Tag Team Championships against ReDragon (Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish) and The Young Bucks in a triple threat match. The story here is that ReDragon and the Bucks have agreed to focus on Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus as their friendship dates back many years. Of course, about a third of the way in they realize that this means they have to break up each other's pin attempts which leads to conflict which leads to this just becoming a wild spotfest that the referee can barely control. I thought this built up really well and was maybe most impressed by Perry and Luchasaurus. Having now watched a fair bit of Jurassic Express, I'm 100% confident saying that Jack Perry is a much, much better tag worker than he is as a singles and it is not remotely close. Not only can he take an ass-kicking as the face-in-peril, but his comebacks are terrific and his offense was really well-executed here. Because this is a Bucks match, they definitely dip into overkill territory with the kickouts and the superkick sequences and I do think this match would've been better if maybe they had shaved off a nearfall or two. This "more is better" approach ends up causing the match to "peak" a good couple of minutes before we get to the finish. (3.5/5)

The Face of the Revolution ladder match followed with the winner getting a future TNT Championship opportunity. The combatants were Powerhouse Hobbs, Christian, Ricky Starks, Wardlow, Keith Lee, and the MVP of the contest, Orange Cassidy. I believe Keith Lee had debuted not too long before this event but would have to look it up. He was super over. Some of Cassidy's spots were really clever and fun, though I am an unabashed fan of the guy. Danhausen showed up at a certain point, which felt a little "hat on a hat" to me as his shtick is even more goofy than Cassidy's. As with any match, there are some painful-looking bumps, including Lee and Hobbs getting shoved off the entranceway through a table (it looked to me like Hobbs crashed through the table first, meaning Lee basically just landed on the remains of the table and concrete). Nothing super special here, but no worse than average. (3/5)

Swerve Strickland made his AEW debut in the next segment. A loud "Swerve" chant started up after his music quieted down, but there's nothing super notable about him signing with the company. 

Jade Cargill defended her TBS Championship against Tay Conti in the next match. It started with a bizarre kiss "mind game" from Cargill to Conti, throwing her off her game right from the start. Cargill was wearing green and looking green, but she got good heat by mocking Conti's martial arts background. Conti's trifecta of jumping kicks in the corner looked great and were followed by a tornado DDT that looked like it could've legitimately twisted Cargill's neck (not due to Conti's poor execution but because of how awkward Cargill took the move). Conti took out "Smart" Mark Sterling with a front flip splash while Cargill booted Anna Jay into a table. Some not so pretty wrestling followed and Cargill ended up running into a chair held up by Anna Jay for a nearfall. Conti gave her another DDT and hit a nifty DDT but only got another 2 count. Cargill hit a wild Eye of the Storm spinning slam but the route to get there wasn't too smooth. Cargill landed a frog splash for another nearfall and Conti rolled to the outside. Cargill followed her to the outside and ate another kick from Conti, who rolled her back into the ring. Once there, Conti hit a piledriver and, again, Cargill looked like she took the move quite poorly. Conti went to the top, got shoved, felt face-first onto the post, and then got pulled off the ropes by Jade, who executed her finishing move to retain the title. Jade's offense looked good, but all the transitions and counters and bumping were pretty poor. They might've overshot things here, trying to hit sequences and moves that were a bit too advanced for what Cargill was capable of at the time. I'll give some credit for the effort. (1.5/5)

A Dog Collar Match between CM Punk and MJF followed. Punk came out to his old Ring of Honor entrance music and was in his old black-and-white basketball shorts get-up. Within the first 5 minutes, he was leaking blood all over his face, sporting the proverbial "crimson mask," but the fight was fairly back-and-forth throughout. The crowd was heated for this but seemed to be waiting on a "big spot" to bring them to their feet (I don't think the crowd was as "dead" as some reviews make it out to be), but they didn't rush anything, really getting over how grueling and tiring the stipulation was. Punk's tombstone on the apron was a clear highlight, as was the suspense built around the pair of big thumbtack spots,  but it was Wardlow's appearance in the closing minutes that garnered the biggest reaction of the match. This match is a bit overrated on Cagematch in my view, but I can understand the love in the sense that, for its time, in AEW, a match like this provided a stark contrast to the faster-paced, "movez"-heavy matches that Omega, the Bucks, and others were having. A good match, no doubt, and certainly a worthy chapter in the history of dog collar matches thanks to the focus on the stipulation, MJF's selling throughout, Punk's targeted attack on MJF's hand and MJF's work on Punk's knee, and the crowd-pleasing finish, still, if one were hoping for innovation or a creative twist on an old school classic, this wouldn't be where to find it. Punk and MJF executed a "traditional" feud-ending blood-soaked battle, nothing more and nothing less. (3.5/5)

Dr. Britt Baker, DMD defended her AEW Women's Championship against Thunder Rosa in the next match. If Punk and MJF managed to make 30 minutes feel like 15 because of how much emotion they put into every punch, Baker and Thunder made a 17-minute match feel like twice that. Baker and Rosa threw every move they knew into this fight but something was still "missing." Granted, they had to follow a very heated, main event-level grudge match, but its not like they didn't have time to get the crowd back into things or were facing a "cold" audience. Neither Rosa or Baker are the smoothest workers, but what this match really needed was a more interesting through-line, a story beyond just how evenly matched they are. The most heated moments of the contest were when Baker's cronies - Jamie Hayter and Rebel - got involved and Rosa got visual pins on the champ, but they took 12+ minutes to get there and nothing before really registered beyond "okay." Again, this is a case of two wrestlers knowing and delivering some very good moves - Baker's Avalanche Celtic Cross was great - but not structuring the overall match in a way that felt new and exciting. Baker can be a great heel, but didn't really draw much heat. When it was time for Rosa to string together a series of fiery comeback moves, they didn't look well-executed. This was a disappointment, but also a match that exposed Baker and Rosa's limitations at the top of the division and, more obviously, in matches that go deep in minutes. (2/5)

Bryan Danielson took on Jon Moxley in the next contest. The storyline going into this match was that Danielson wanted to team with Moxley, but Moxley said he couldn't trust a tag partner until they had gone to war against each other. That's about as good a set-up as you need and they do proceed to go to war against eachother. Danielson is really relishing in his pseudo-heel/Ring of Honor persona at this point, though I can understand why it may have been a bit jarring to those unfamiliar with his pre-WWE work. Moxley bleeds a gusher (because why not?), but he did practically guarantee it in all his promos before the match so you had to know he would deliver. Big strikes, great execution by Danielson with practically everything he does, Moxley taking a ton of punishment but showing how tough he is...its all good, but maybe never great. Like in the Punk/MJF match, I wouldn't say the crowd was "dead," but they certainly weren't mic'd well to capture the atmosphere. My biggest gripe would be the very poor finish. They took a big swing with the referee counting down Danielson's shoulders while he had a choke locked in, but it was captured terribly by the camera (which, from the angle we saw, Danielson's shoulder was very clearly off the mat, a fact that wasn't even noted on commentary). The post-match provided a great moment, though, as William Regal made his AEW debut, slapping both guys in the face and forcing them to shake hands. I wouldn't consider this "must see," but it was certainly above-average until the wonky finish. (3.5/5)

Next up - Sting, Darby Allin, and TNT Champion Sammy Guevara took on the team of Matt Hardy, Andrade El Idolo, and Isiah Kassidy (of Private Party). I wasn't expecting them to go as long as they did following the Danielson/Moxley war (which went a full 20-minutes without including the post-match stuff) but this Tornado Trios Match got over 10 minutes and they didn't waste much time getting to the good stuff, with some crazy high spots including a Spanish Fly from Guevara to Kassidy off of part of the entrance structure through a pair of tables (which didn't even fully break but more just collapsed) and Sting diving off a balcony to put Andrade through a whole stack of tables. The MVPs of the match, unsurprisingly, were Andrade and Darby Allin, though, the former giving the latter an absolutely nasty and perfect double stomp in the corner at one point. Unfortunately, Matt Hardy was out of position for the Coffin Drop finish, which is a shame because, had he hit it flush, it would've been a great closer instead of feeling like the perfunctory, pre-planned "go home" spot. (3/5)

Main event time - "Hangman" Adam Page defending his AEW World Championship against Adam Cole. I knew coming into this that I would most likely not enjoy this match. It was precisely what I expected - Page and Cole going back-and-forth, dishing out a ton of cool-looking moves and high spots, but never having me doubt that Page would prevail and never offering anything unique, different, or outside of each guy's wheelhouse. At this point in his career, based on what I've seen, Page was still very much a guy that would work his opponent's matches rather than one who had developed his own "brand" of in-ring storytelling. When the opponent was Danielson or Omega or even a fun, athletic powerhouse like Brian Cage, Page's ability to adjust his style led to good-to-great results. Here, though, he's wrestling Adam Cole, a guy who makes up for his lack of size or real presence with well-timed superkicks, backstabbers, and other big signature moves, including his Canadian Destroyer (a move I generally dislike no matter who is doing it). In the end, though, all the "movez" in the world couldn't make up for the fact that this felt like two guys "performing" a great match rather than having one. Even the eventual run-ins from reDragon and the Dark Order, as well as a Deadeye through a table, felt "by the book." They do so, so much in this match but none of it left an impression on me and, at 26 minutes, that is a lengthy amount of time to only be impressed by execution and not by storytelling. (2/5)


A bit of a mixed bag in terms of entertainment value, Revolution 2022 was a slight step down from the previous two AEW shows I've reviewed, earning only a 2.77-out-of-5 Kwang Score. While there isn't a single match I'd consider an all-timer (even the widely-praised MJF/Punk Dog Collar match), the show is at least interesting up until the main event. This show also highlights how AEW had, to some degree, "lost its way" a bit once CM Punk became the brand's centerpiece. The crowd was super into everything he did and his feud with MJF made for great television, but because his style was so far removed from the more flashy, "work-ratey" style of The Bucks, this version of Hangman, Omega, and guys like Sammy Guevara and Jungle Boy, it also led to shows like this that offered a fair amount of variety but didn't necessarily make sense as a "whole meal." This show also highlighted how relatively weak the women's division was, at least compared to what the WWE had going on around this same time. I can see a lot of people - especially viewers in 2025 - not loving this show based more on the viewing experience today than the experience at the time as guys like Moxley, Jericho, Jungle Boy, Cole, Matt Hardy, Ricky Starks, and even Punk have been a bit overexposed or, in some cases, "flamed out" a bit since this show aired. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

Random Matches


Kenta Kobashi vs. Samoa Joe (10/01/2005, ROH): The crowd is hot for this match right from the opening bell, popping huge fro Joe's first strike (a chest chop) and then Kenta's "receipt." A "This Is Awesome" chant breaks out before we even get the first suplex. Joe dropkicks Kenta into the barrier and then hits a suicide dive, which is met by a "Holy Shit" chant despite it probably being the dozenth one of the night. Back in the ring, Joe gets a two count and delivers a high body slam and then an elbow drop for a 1. Joe applies a rear headlock and a "Kobashi" chant starts up. Joe readjusts into Misawa's finish, but Kobashi reaches the ropes with his foot. Joe hits some chops in the corner but Kenta takes them and delivers a bunch of his own that sound like gunshots. Joe with a series of kicks and an enziguiri to put Kenta down. Joe with some Kawada kicks but Kobashi fires up with more chops and they do it again with Joe finally putting him down with a knee. Knee drop off the ropes by Joe. To the floor they go, where Joe puts Kenta into a seat by the barrier. Ole Kick! He goes for another but Kobashi catches him with a chop to the throat, and then another that seats him, and then a chest chop that sends him over the barricade! DDT on the floor by Kobashi! Back in the ring, Kobashi applies a front facelock, but Joe backs into the ropes. More chops by Kobashi. Those things could fell a tree. Kobashi hits a series of falling chops for a 2 count and then reapplies the face lock. Kenta goes for a suplex but Joe counters it with one of his own before collapsing back down to the mat. Kobashi with more chops but Joe nails him with a kick! Chopfest! Great exchange with Kobashi reigning supreme! Kobashi goes for the pin, but Joe is too close to the ropes. Kobashi applies an abdominal stretch but Joe reaches the ropes once more. Kobashi with another chop on the mat for 2. Kobashi applies a rear headlock and adds a chop to the forehead for good measure. Kobashi seems to be a bit lost, not sure what to do to maintain control, opening himself up for an uranage and a flurry of Joe offense! Joe with a series of strikes in the corner after a senton! After some struggle, Joe hits a buckle bomb! Joe with his signatue boots in the corner and then a big running boot from across the ring! Joe hits the Muscle Buster! 1...2...no! Joe is surprised but doesn't rest for a second, hitting another powerbomb and then locking in an STF! Kobashi is fighting, though, forcing Joe to re-apply and re-configure the hold multiple times. Really cool. Kobashi gets his foot on the bottom rope, though, and the ref breaks its up. Joe is on his feet first and looks for a big boot but Kobashi catches him with a strike and then hits him with a half-nelson dragon suplex. Not the prettiest move ever, but certainly effective. The ref counts both guys down and reaches 5 before they start stirring. Back on their feet, Kobashi with a spinning chop! Rapid fire chops in the corner! Classic Kobashi there! He must've delivered a good 40-50 of them! Three more two-handed chops bring Joe to the mat and then he adds another while he's seated. Kobashi delivers another half-nelson suplex and this one is perfect! Kobashi goes for the cover..1...2...Joe grabs the bottom rope! Kobashi brings Joe up, Joe uses the opening to deliver some chops, but Kobashi catches him in a sleeper and dumps him with a dragon suplex! 1...2...somehow Joe kicks out! Kobashi is enraged and frustrated. Kobashi bring shim up and Joe hits a series of strikes but eats a bunch of spinning chops to the face too! Kenta with a HUGE lariat off the ropes and that is it! Widely considered one of the best matches in ROH history, if not all history, this is a great watch and deserving of its accolades. (5/5)



Dean Malenko vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (05/06/1995, WCW): This happened on Nitro and, because of that, some of the middle of the match is cut-off due to a commercial break and the commentators spend a good amount of time talking about the Flair/Savage feud when Ric Flair shows up to eat a meal by the entrance way (which also distracts a large portion of the fans in attendance). The match is too short to be considered "must see," but there are some really cool spots and counters and it is always fun to hear Bobby Heenan and Mongo get blown away by the craziness that the cruiserweights would bring to the show. Malenko's reverse-powerbomb spot is awkward, but nearly everything else they do looks really crisp. (2.5/5)


Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo vs. Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki (03/20/1986, JWA): Asuka and Nagayo were known as The Crush Gals while Tateno and Yamazaki were the Jumping Bomb Angels, who appeared on various WWE PPVs in the late 80s and were the reigning WWWA Tag Team Champions. The Bomb Angels come out swinging with two huge crossbodies to the floor, but the Crush Gals are not afraid to work a fast-paced match either and we get some real nifty mat-wrestling once they get back in the ring. Body slams, high knees, Nagayo and Asuka applying all sorts of holds to keep the champions on the mat - its all good stuff and some of it is performed with such remarkable speed it had me wondering if I was watching the match at the wrong rate. Yamazaki finally gets the tag after a lengthy stretch of Tateno struggling to get any offense in and her running clotheslines are incredible. Yamazaki gets hold of Nagayo's wrist and applies an arm bar and then a wristlock before tagging in Tateno and having her take over. There's a weird moment when it seems like Yamazaki slipped or got pulled down off the apron - not sure what happened there - as Tateno applied a rear chinlock. Great back-and-forth follows, neither team able to sustain much of an advantage. Brilliant Hart Attack-esque move by the Crush Gals! Airplane spin by Asuka! Huge crossbody by Nagayo! A piledriver by Asuka wins the Crush Gals the first fall! The tape "jumps" a little bit to the start of the 2nd fall, with Tateno and Asuka squaring off. Again, the back and forth is incredible, with stiff strikes, kip-ups, rapid-fire counters and reversals and dropkicks. Nagayo is in trouble, though, and gets dumped on her head with a nasty German suplex to tie up the match at 1 fall a piece. I'm surprised Nagayo wasn't straight-up paralyzed with that suplex. The third fall begins with Yamazaki on the attack, going after Nagayo's neck. Brilliant missle dropkick by Tateno! In comes Asuka, but she gets caught in a piledriver too. Big back suplex by Tateno, but Asuka gets her foot on the rope. The Crush Gals mount a comeback with Nagayo hitting a big tombstone piledriver on Yamazaki for 2. Awesome german suplex by Nagayo! Somehow Yamazaki kicks out. Nagayo with a bodyslam. Off the ropes comes Asuka, but she misses. Another quick tag. Asuka with a huge bridging suplex on Tateno and then an airplane spin! Crazy camera angle! Its still not enough to end things, though. In comes Nagayo, who hoists Tateno up to the top rope. Tateno shoves her off and lands another big falling back suplex and then a leg drop and a piledriver for 2.9! Nagayo fights back and applies a Sharpshooter/Cloverleaf, but Tateno escapes and applies a Tarantula. In comes Yamazaki, but her offense is countered and Nagayo hits a double-underhook bridging suplex to win the match and the titles! Holy cow. Incredible match between two high-energy teams. There wasn't much extended selling and I could see the argument that there wasn't a clear structure - more "your turn/my turn" than a story built around an extended face-in-peril stretch or a babyface/babyface match where it starts respectfully and gets more and more heated - but when two evenly-matched teams do battle with this much intensity through three falls, it can still work. This worked for me big time. (4.5/5)


Dump Matsumoto vs. Chigusa Nagayo (04/05/1986, AJW): Matsumoto's pre-match Samurai outfit is BONKERS (as is Nagayo coming with a samurai sword of her own). Matsumoto is joined by Bull Nakano and the rest of the Atrocious Alliance, who try to attack Nagayo before the bell as Matsumoto watches. A loud "Chigusa" chant fills the arena as Matsumoto goes to work with a kendo stick, which, I'm guessing means this is no DQ? Nagayo is able to turn this into a wrestling match, but Matsumoto gains control early on, punishing her on the mat with a cloverleaf. Once they're back on their feet, Nagayo attempts some german suplexes but Matsumoto is too big and is able to grab the ropes. Nagayo applies a submission but Dump reverses it and then works on the ankle. Matsumoto attempts a german suplex but Nagayo prevents it by holding the ropes. Matsumoto with a suplex and then a fireman's carry that ends with her sending Chigusa to the mat. Outside they go, but not for long, as Nagayo sends Dump into the rail and then takes the high ground back in the ring. Nagayo with a series of big kicks but Dump lands a german suplex for 2! Nagayo gets the Sharpshooter locked in! Nakano runs in and so does Crane Yu, the Atrocious Alliance members breaking the hold and then assisting for a sloppy spike piledriver. The ref refuses to make the count and out of the ring they go, where Dump nails her repeatedly with a metal box. Chigusa's seconds cover her up to try to prevent more damage and have to take a bunch of blows for their effort before Dump rolls back into the ring. In comes Nagayo, but Dump pulls her by the hair and sends her into the post before gloating on the turnbuckle. Nagayo comes back into the ring and hits a sunsept flip for 2 and then an enziguiri for another nearfall, shocking Dump with her resiliency. Her offensive flurry doesn't last too long, though, as Dump regains control and jabs her forehead with a fork. Matsumoto goes for a cover, but Chigusa bridges out. Chigusa hits some kicks out of the corner and tries for a pin but Dump still has too much left in the tank. Spinning heel kick off the ropes by Nagayo! After a brief bit on the outside, they're back in the ring and Dump gets tied up in the ropes, allowing Chigusa to hit her with some chair shots. In comes the Atrocious Alliance with a huge metal garbage can! Matsumoto uses it on Nagayo, which gets a huge reaction from the crowd. She goes to the use it in the corner but Nagayo ducks out and Dump ends up losing her grip on it when she bashes the post. Nagayo comes around and nails her with an exhausted back suplex (you can see Dump help out by kicking herself off the turnbuckle) to get the W. After the match, Nagayo gets her head shaved and the crowd is basically flooded with girls' tears. It is one of the more emotional scenes I can recall seeing in pro-wrestling. There were parts of this I really loved and the overall performances were exceptional with both Nagayo and Dump playing their roles to perfection. I wish it would've had a stronger finish, though, and there weren't necessarily any true "holy shit" moments that separate a good/great match from an all-time classic. (3.5/5)


The Junkyard Dog vs. Nick Bockwinkel (06/11/1982, Houston Wrestling): Coming into this match, Nick Bockwinkel was the AWA World Champion, but he was challenging JYD for a crown that he had been given by the fans. JYD's entrance song was "Another One Bites The Dust," which is awesome, and he was in great shape at this point of his career. Bockwinkel sells and bumps with his usual enthusiasm, rolling to the outside to avoid anymore of JYD's blows. Bock takes over with some knees after a brief tie-up, but JYD springs right back up and Bockwinkel has to high-tail it out of the ring again. Back in the ring, Bockwinkel backs him into the corner and lays into him with some shots but JYD comes back with punches of his own  and a headbutt to the midsection off the ropes. JYD with a surprising Russian Leg Sweep! Wow. Didn't expect that. Bockwinkel manages to lock in a front facelock but JYD lifts him off the mat and tosses him into the corner. JYD applies a claw to his stomach and Bockwinkel has to break free with a headbutt of his own. Bockwinkel goes for a choke, but JYD counters with one of his own. Bockwinkel is able to make it to the floor, but JYD follows him out and slams him into the apron. Bockwinkel counters by sending JYD into the post and climbing back into the ring. Bockwinkel stretches his arms and waist as JYD recovers on the outside, which is nice attention to detail as he sells the damage to his midsection from earlier. Bock goes back and whips the Dog back into the post again, trying his best to prevent him from getting back in the ring. JYD rolls in but is met by Bock's boots. Bock goes for a pin but barely gets 1. Bockwinkel throws a bunch of fists and attempts a bodyslam but JYD cradles him! 1...2...3! Bockwinkel springs right back up and puts the boots to him but this match is over! Heenan comes in (I assume the stipulation was that if JYD won, he got to wrestle the Weasel) and tries to beat up on Junkyard Dog, but JYD makes a near-immediate comeback and gets his revenge, yanking Heenan around the ring by his tights until Bockwinkel comes in to save his manager. This brings Bruiser Brody out and it is absolute bedlam in the ring with the babyfaces running the heels out. All in all, a fun match but certainly not any sort of technical classic. This was a "character-based" wrestling match similar to what the WWE would end up doing a few short years later. A good performance out of Bockwinkel and a hot crowd make this perfectly fine, but I like more wrestling in my wrestling and JYD's limited moveset (and Bockwinkel being perfectly happy to just bump around and stick to punches himself) don't leave much of an impression. (2.5/5)


Toshiaki Kawada vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (07/17/1999, AJPW): I don't think I've seen much (or any?) Takayama matches before. He's a big dude. Great back-and-forth kickfest with Kawada early on before Takayama takes control with a rear choke. Takayama's strikes look devastating, dropping Kawada to the mat at one point and, soon after, causing him to have to roll out of the ring to recover. Kawada outsmarts Takayama by having him come to the outside and then gaining the advantage with a series of kicks and strikes once he gets back in the ring. Takayama regains control with a wristlock, but Kawada gets to the ropes. Takayama nails a series of knees, but Kawada comes back with a bunch of his own! Back suplex by Kawada and then a pair of enziguiris! A big kick to the skull by Kawada sents Takayama to the floor and leads to a countout finish. I was hoping for a better finish, even knowing that this was a sub-10 minute match. (2.5/5)


Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Yoshitsune (09/01/2007, Michinoku Pro): Yoshitsune comes out flying with some huge aerial moves to open the match and take control. Awesome hot start. Liger is basically dead before the match can even begin, selling on the floor and barely making the count. Yoshi hits a superkick and then a 619 and a 450 off the top rope but Liger kicks out. A bodyslam by Yoshi is followed by him going to the top rope but Liger brings him down with a guerilla press slam and then hits him with a clothesline. Liger with another lariat in the corner and then  a nasty Liger Bomb for 2. Brainbuster by Liger also gets 2. Liger puts Yoshi on the top rope, but he escapes by doing a cartwheel on the top rope and then hits him with a nifty 619! He makes the cover and scores the victory, which, based on the crowd response and the folks hoisting him up on their shoulders, was a major crowd-pleasing upset (though I thought Liger was a babyface?). For a match that went under 5 minutes, this was damn entertaining and I liked Yoshitsune's strategy of just throwing every bomb possible as quickly as possible to try to overwhelm the legendary Jushin Thunder Liger. (3/5)


Fit Finlay vs. Meng (01/10/1998, WCW): This is one from WCW Saturday Night. Meng strikes first with a series of blows, but Finlay comes back with an eye rake and then a dropkick. With these two, you know the battle is going to be back-and-forth stiffness and this does not disappoint. Finlay slows things down with a rear chinlock but Meng gets to his feet. Finlay with an elbow to the face but Meng counters with boots and a forearm and then a dropkick of his own for 2. Finlay grabs an ankle and tries to submit Meng, but Meng pulls on his hair and makes it to the ropes. Finlay relying on eye pokes to cut Meng off is brilliant and puts over how dangerous Meng is. Finlay goes to the outside to regroup and is met by chops and a backbreaker when he gets back in the ring. Another eye poke! Another elbow and forearm by Finlay, but Meng hits a back elbow of his own. Finlay regains control with forearms and then a strong clothesline for 2. Finlay goes for an arm bar but Jimmy Hart causes a distraction! Tongan Death Grip! Meng gets the 3. Really good TV match. All killer, no filler. Finlay showing why he is one of the best at what he does when it comes to working a smart, hard-fought match that gets his opponent over without sacrificing any of his own credibility. (3/5)


Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Abdullah The Butcher (04/04/1992, AJPW): Ogawa goes right after Abdullah, running into the crowd to attack him, which is an interesting tactic but not a very effective one. Abdullah whips him into a bunch of chairs by his hair, busting him wide open. Ogawa's blood is NASTY here. A few more uppercuts send him into a bunch more chairs. Abdullah pulls him over to ringside and sends him into the guardrail before leveling him with another big strike. Ogawa is an absolute MESS. Ogawa is barely able to roll into the ring and, as soon as he does, a shoulder block sends him back out. The Butcher follows him out and smashes a table over him. This is an absolute MAULING. Abdullah brings him into the ring and works on his forehead in the corner. Ogawa finally gets a strike or two in but Abdullah uses his power and size to back suplex him into the middle of the ring. Ogawa is basically dead at this point. Abdullah hits an elbow drop and gets the pin in under 6 minutes. Awesome squash match. (3/5)



Jumbo Tsuruta & Kenta Kobashi vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Yoshinari Ogawa (08/20/1989, AJPW): Ogawa is super young here - 23 years old by my mental math - which means Kobashi was 22! Ogawa and Tenryu were a team known as Revolution and are wearing some spiffy jackets. Tenryu and Jumbo start off for their sides and trade some chops before Jumbo applies a wristlock. Jumbo looks to make a tag but decides against it and falls prey to a heel hook by Tenryu. Jumbo gets out with a forearm to the face and then hits another before hitting his first big flying knee. Jumbo keeps on the attack, but Tenryu comes back with some strikes of his own. Tenryu hits an enziguiri and then some devastating forearms in the corner but Jumbo doesn't go down. Jumbo comes back with a series of forearms out of the corner and grabs Tenryu's ankle. Tenryu counters it with an ankle lock of his own and the ref breaks it up as a stalemate. Tenryu tags in Ogawa, which Jumbo treats almost as an insult. Ogawa with a big dropkick off the ropes but Jumbo cuts him off and then tags in Kobashi, allowing the youngsters to go to work. Kenta with a big dropkick! Kenta goes for a suplex but Ogawa slips out and they end up on the floor. Ogawa with a suplex on the floor after a whip into the guardrail! Good stuff! Love the story here of the younger dudes putting their foot on the gas. Back in the ring, they botch a counter in the corner, but they make up for it with a series of nifty nearfalls and counters. Ogawa tags out and in comes Tenryu, who waffles Kenta with a chop before tagging back out. Bodyslam by Tenryu and then Tenryu back body drops him onto Kenta! Ogawa with a boot to the head of Kenta, a right hand, and a chop but Kenta strikes back and hits a heel kick. In comes Jumbo, who nails Ogawa with a knee and then sends him into the corner and adds a couple of uppercuts for good measure. Jumbo lands a piledriver but only gets 2. Jumbo hits a double-underhook suplex for 2 and tags in Kenta. Double chop by Jumbo and Kenta and then Kobashi applies a Boston Crab. Tenryu comes in and slaps the heck out of Kenta, breaking the hold. In comes Jumbo to hit a big back elbow off the ropes for another nearfall. Ogawa manages to hit an elbow off the ropes and tag in Tenryu. Tenryu blocks a knee and hits a lariat for 2 as Kenta breaks up the pin. In comes Kenta and Tenryu nails him with a series of super stiff chops to the chest.1...2...somehow Kenta kicks out! Tenryu and Ogawa get a 2-on-1 in the corner as Ogawa gets tagged in and they pick up the pace but we get another "botch"/awkward moment when they collide. Ogawa hits a suplex and a leg drop but misses the second one, allowing Kenta to tag in Jumbo. Ogawa takes the fight to Jumbo, but Jumbo drops him with a big forearm! Really cool moment as Jumbo goes for the flying knee by whipping Ogawa into the ropes, but Tenryu catches him and shoves him out of the way so he can chop Jumbo instead! Ogawa tries to apply a rear headlock, attempts a roll-up, and even tries a sunset flip, but none of it is really effective or well-executed, causing Tenryu to come in and chop Jumbo down himself. Jumbo kicks out but ends up in the corner to eat a dropkick and then a running elbow. Jumbo takes the blows but comes out of the corner with a straight-up shove and then delivers a nasty back suplex, dropping Ogawa on his noggin. Kenta prevents Tenryu from breaking the count. In the post match, we see that Jumbo's nose was busted open. This was really sloppy at times, but still an interesting match. I loved Ogawa's energy and how fearless he was going against Jumbo, even as Jumbo continuously cut him off. I loved Jumbo and Tenryu's interactions and attitude towards each other and their partners. This is one of those matches you can go into with very little knowledge of any of the individual characters but "get" the story just because of the way they work it. Unfortunately, moments of sloppiness prevent this from being a real classic or even close to it. Cool match, though. (3/5) 


Kenny Omega vs. Rey Fenix (10/5/2019, AAA): This match was for Fenix's AAA Mega Championship. Some good mat wrestling to start followed by both guys showing their agility. The first huge dive comes from Fenix and it is an absolute doozy, the kind of move you want to/need to rewind to see what exactly he did. Back in the ring, after a Fenix nearfall, Omega hits a back suplex and then another on the ring apron and a third one on the guard rail. Back in the ring, Omega continues with some kicks to the back and then uses his foot to stretch Fenix through the ropes. Omega hits a backreaker but only gets 2. He applies a cloverleaf but Fenix gets to the ropes to break it. At one point, a masked woman makes her way down the aisle but doesn't draw the attention of each competitor. Fenix makes a comeback, springboarding off the middle rope and getting huge air for a cool splash. He goes for another off the top rope but Omega hits a dropkick as he's coming down and Fenix goes to the floor. Omega goes for the Terminator but Fenix catches him with a superkick beofore he can take flight. He hits another. But Omega hits the V-Trigger! Omega with a back elbow but then we get a series of counters and reversals leading to an awesome german suplex by Fenix for 2. Great sequence. To the top rope they go, where Omega strikes at Fenix's head and shoulders, but ends up eating a Spanish Fly off the top by Fenix! A strike exchange follows, but Omega hits the full nelson snap suplex to cut off Fenix's momentum. Then another! Then a third...but Fenix rolls through, springs up, and nails a cutter! To the apron they go, trading blows, until Fenix comes over the top with another neckbreaker. V-Trigger by Omega back in the ring but he doesn't make the cover, opting instead for a bucklebomb and a then a pop-up sit-out slam for 2. Omega calls for another V-Trigger, giving ample time for Fenix to recover, but he nails it! Omega tries for the One-Winged Angel but Fenix escapes and hits an over-the-shoulder piledriver! 1...2...kickout! By this point, Fenix's lip/nose is busted open (I'm guessing hardway) and the bottom of his face is a bloody mess. Its a great visual representation of how a match that started with a bit of an exhibition style has turned into an all-out war. Omega ends up on the top rope and Fenix attempts a hurricanrana but Omega powerbombs him off the top rope! 1...2...kickout by Fenix! Tiger Driver 98' by Omega! Another 2 count! Another V-Trigger and a One-Winged Angel! That ends it. I think what sets this match apart and makes it special is how flawless and impactful Omega's offense looks. This might be the smoothest Omega match I've seen and he's rarely sloppy. With Fenix, you don't necessarily get a ton of great selling, but his toughness shined through because Omega's offense looked so devastating and he ended up sporting a near-literal crimson mask. (4/5)



Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Akira Taue & Jun Akiyama (12/04/1992, AJPW): By my count, this is the 25th Misawa match I've reviewed and will certainly not be the last. Kawada and Taue start things off with some solid back and forth leading to a Kawada headlock. Taue tries to power out with an atomic drop but Kawada doesn't release the hold. Taue fights out and tags in Akiyama to a sizeable pop. Akiyama applies a hell of a headlock, but Kawada escapes by dumping him on his head with a back suplex. In comes Misawa to a big round of applause and we get a brief-but-spirited sequence of counters and escapes. Taue gets tagged back in and he gets Misawa on the mat with a kick to the back of the thigh before tagging Akiyama back in to do more work on Misawa's left leg. The focus on Misawa's leg gets huge reactions, which I'm guessing is because it was part of a larger story in the build to the match (?). After applying an STF, Akiyama tags out Taue who puts him in a very half-crab (almost a stretch muffler). Misawa rolls into the corner but eats a big boot that brings him back to the mat. In comes Akiyama, who delivers a kneebreaker and then applies a leg lock. Misawa manages to make the tag to Kawada, who hits a nasty spinning heel kick onto Akiyama for 2 and then a body slam and a super stiff kick to the back. He does it again before applying a painful-looking Boston Crab. Taue breaks it up. Kawada tags in Misawa, who delivers some forearms and then some jumping kicks before re-applying the crab, targeting Akiyama's lower back. Akiyama gets to the ropes so Misawa tags Kawada back in. Kawada applies an abdominal stretch, releases it, and goes for a vertical suplex. Akiyama counters it, but Kawada comes off the ropes with a big boot. In comes Misawa, who hits another devastating spin kick right to the head for 2. Akiyama tries to fight back with forearms, but Misawa clubs him and Kawada comes back in. A sunset flip by Akiyama gets 2, but Kawada hits a lariat off the ropes to maintain control. Misawa comes back in, hits a kick, and then a nasty flying clothesline for 2. Misawa delivers a gut wrench slam for 2 and then tags Kawada back in, who delivers another slam-kick combo and then a Sharpshooter. Akiyama reaches the ropes, but is clearly in a ton of pain. Kawada hits a powerbomb and makes the cover but Taue breaks it up! Taue goes to work on Kawada but the ref sends him back out. Off the ropes, Akiyama applies a not-so-great abdominal stretch. Kawada breaks out and hits a bodyslam off the ropes for 2 and then a running powerslam, but again Taue breaks the count. Kawada with the Stretch Plum but Taue attacks again and Kawada is forced to break the hold. Akiyama with a roll-up for 2 and manages to make the tag. A slapfest leads to Taue hitting a big boot off the ropes and then decking Misawa on the apron with a forearm! Taue with a knee to Kawada's midsection, but Kawada comes fighting back and hits a kick. Taue cuts off Kawada, slams his head-first into the mat, and then hits a powerbomb for 2! Taue attempts the chokeslam but Kawada resists. Kawada turns it into a Stretch Plum but in comes Akiyama to try to break it up! Why doesn't Misawa come in to help his partner? Kawada makes the tag and Misawa hits some forearms and then a DDT on Taue for 2. Misawa dodges some of Taue's strikes and kicks but takes a back body drop and in comes Akiyama. Akiyama with an offensive flurry of strikes, but Misawa hits a back elbow in the corner and a snap suplex. Misawa with a rear headlock but Taue comes in. On the outside, Kawada and Taue go at it as Misawa applies a rear headlock. DDT on the floor by Taue! Akiyama won't tap in the ring. Taue comes in and hits the Chokeslam on Misawa after breaking up the submission! Taue and Akiyama hit a two-man combo slam...1...2...Misawa somehow kicks out! High-bridging German Suplex by Akiyama but that only gets 2! Kawada gets rocked again on the apron. Another suplex by Akiyama for 2! They go for another combo move but in comes Kawada! Akiyama hits some dropkicks and goes for the inside cradle but only gets 2! Big forearm by Misawa before he hits a spinning back suplex. Akiyama kicks out at 2. Tiger Driver, but Taue breaks the count! Kawada and Taue go back to the floor to brawl. Another Tiger Driver and this one seals it! I know that my knowledge of Japanese wrestling "rules" and tropes is limited, but there was some parts of this match that did not click with me. They spend considerable time working on Misawa's leg but it doesn't lead to anything and, if anything, Misawa's longterm selling was really selling. Taue's run-ins to break up pin attempts are never balanced out by Misawa trying to help his partner in equal measure. Kawada's offense looked great, but also felt repetitive by the end. (2.5/5)


Meiko Satomura & Sonoko Kato vs. Aja Kong & Chikayo Nagashima (03/20/1999, GAEA): The heels control early with Nagashima locking in a guillotine on Kato before tagging in Kong. Kong's arrogance is great as she punishes the heck out of Kato with a half-crab and then some stiff kicks to the leg. Nagashima comes back in, which gives Kato a chance to fight back, hiting a back suplex and making the tag to Meiko. Nagashima hits an X-Factor for 2 before getting driven into the corner where she makes the tag to Kong. Kong hits a release vertical suplex and a big elbow for 2. Kong hits a powerbomb and makes the cover but Kato breaks the count. Kong applies a somewhat weird front headlock that I haven't seen before and then uses the top rope to try to choke Satomura out. Satomura gets some strikes in, but Kong continues to cut her off with big chops that drop her to the mat. Satomura comes back with some big forearms and a little bit of MMA style ground-and-pound before going to the top rope. She attempts a flying clothesline but gets booted. In comes Nagashima, who hits a series of dropkicks of her own. Satomura gets dumped to the outside and the fight goes into the crowd, with Satomura getting whipped into a whole bunch of chairs by Kong. The heels whip the faces into each other at one point and even roll Kato off a ledge and onto the concrete. It is a beautiful, violent show of dominance. Back in the ring, Satomura nearly gets her face booted off before getting hit with a dropkick. Kato comes off the top with one of her own and essentially tags herself in but ends up on the receiving end of more punishment. In comes Kong and Kato's work against her is incredibly spirited but still not enough, getting cut off by a crazy clothesline. The heels put the boots to her and then Kato delivers a nasty german suplex. A head scissors attempt is countered into a powerbomb but in comes Kong to cut off Kato's momentum again. Kong misses a back elbow from the top and Kato climbs onto her back to apply a sleeper. Kato hits a big bridging suplex for 2! Satomura with a flying forearm! Kato with a leg drop from the top! It only gets 2. Kato seems to go for a back body drop (which has to be one of the dumbest moves to try to perform on Kong) but gets powerbombed for her effort. She gets a shoulder up for 2 but then Nagashima comes flying in with a stomp from the top rope! Dang! Another 2 count and then Kong comes off the top with a metal box, but Kato dodges it and she nails Nagashima. Kato with a spinning Deadeye (reverse piledriver)! Woah. Crazy move for 99'. She goes for the cover but Kong throws Satomura into them to break it. Kato with a fireman's carry into a Satomura frog splash! Satomura with a Pele Kick! The pin gets broken up again by Kong. Headscissors by Nagashima gets 2.5. Kong bashes Satomura with the metal box and Nagashima hits a fisherman's brainbuster, but Kato makes the save! The rapid-fire high spots in this match are insanity. Kong hits a scoop slam and then allows Nagashima to use her shoulders as a launching pad into a pair of devastating double stomps! I have no idea how Satomura's ribs aren't broken from those. Big clothesline off the ropes by Kong, but Satomura somehow bridges out! Another huge clothesline by Kong and another bridge at 2.5! Kong goes for a suplex but Satomura applies a headlock as Kato and Nagashima fight on the floor. Satomura is trying to choke out Kong! Kong looks like she is legitimately losing oxygen here but continues to reach for the ropes. Meanwhile, on the floor, Kato locks in a sleeper of her own, but Kong rolls and gets to the bottom rope! Satomura's anguish and frustration is brilliant here. Kong dumps her on her head with another high back suplex but, again, Satomura bridges out. Now its Kong's turn to be completely pissed and frustrated. In comes Kato, but she gets clubbed with a clothesline. DVD by Satomura...1...2....I swear that was 3, but Kong kicked out. The ref's count seemed a little off (for the second or third time in the match by my count). Kong goes for her finish, but it gets dodged. Kong settles for a huge slap to the face and tries again but Meiko blocks it. Brainbuster by Kong! 1...2...Kato breaks the count again! In comes Nagashima to take her out. Another huge clothesline by Kong and another big slap to the face! Spinning back hand! That does it. Brilliant match with brilliant performances by everyone except the referee, though, to be fair, the ref may have been put in a tough position of not being entirely sure if the wrestlers were going to kickout or not (forcing him to do uneven counts). That slight issue aside, this was a terrific match and another case in the argument that women's wrestling from Japan is the best form of wrestling ever produced. (4/5)


Takeshi Morishima vs. Bryan Danielson (09/15/2007, ROH): I really loved the first bout between the two from a month earlier so I wasn't surprised that this was great right from the jump with Danielson (sporting an eye patch) taking the fight to Morishima, who was the Ring of Honor World Champion at the time, but getting cut off right away with big boots, kicks, and clubbing blows. Danielson turns the tide with a beautifully reckless suicide dive and follows it up with uppercuts and running knees and a triangle choke. Danielson tries to apply a surfboard but has to settle for a not-quite-there bow-and-arrow due to Morishima's size. Danielson applies a rear choke and Morishima is brought to the mat and nearly passes out, but manages to wrest free and hit a scoop slam. Danielson gets Morishima up to the top rope in the corner and hits an awesome back suplex for 1...2....2.9! Danielson hits repeated elbows, but Morishima gets to his feet, only to get brought back with a tiger suplex...1...2...kickout...but Danielson applies the Cattle Mutilation! Morishima won't quit so Danielson boots him repeatedly in the head! Danielson applies another choke, but Morishima powers out with a powerbomb. Very cool sequence. Danielson hits some strikes but eats a huge lariat from Morishima for another 2 count. Beautiful back suplex by Morishima, but Danielson gets his foot on the ropes! A dueling "Lets Go Dragon/Morishima" chant starts up before Morishima unloads on Danielson, even pulling off his eye patch. Small package by Morishima for 2! Another back suplex by Morishima! Morishima strikes at Danielson's eye to a bunch of boos from the crowd. The ref calls it! The crowd hates that finish, chanting "bullshit," and it is an unfortunate ending to a match that seemed to be building to a much more crowd-pleasing conclusion. Storytelling-wise, though, this is excellent stuff with no wasted minutes. (4/5)

Harley Race & Nick Bockwinkel vs. Mighty Inoue & Yuki Ishikawa (08/12/1984, AJPW): I haven't seen many (any?) Nick Bockwinkel tag matches, so I was curious how he would work alongside legendary tough guy Harley Race. Bock gets a babyface reaction from the crowd, as does Race. At a relatively scant 10-minutes, this isn't an "epic" but I wouldn't call it a "sprint" either necessarily. Ishikawa and Race start things off, with Race getting slammed right out of the gate before coming back with one of his own. Race hits a nice back suplex and then tags in Bockwinkel, who maintains control with a scoop slam and a headlock. After an Ishikawa hiptoss, Inoue comes in and we get a nice exchange with a series of counters and reversals leading to a Bockwinkel headscissors on the mat. Bock makes the tag and Race punishes Inoue with a knee and a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Inoue hits a flying shoulder tackle and a front-flip senton but Bock breaks the count. Race tags out and Bock connects with a dropkick and applies a front headlock. Inoue gets out with a back suplex and tags in Ishikawa. Ishikawa comes down from the top with a forearm and then lands a beautiful top rope leg drop. Double atomic drop by Ishikawa and Inoue but Bockwinkel manages to tag in Race. After another quick tag by Inoue and Ishikawa, Race seems to be going for a flying headbutt but ends up in a sharpshooter by Ishikawa! Bock manages to break it up and Race regains control, hitting a piledriver that leaves Ishikawa in the ropes. In comes Bockwinkel, who hits a piledriver of his own. Hart Attack from the top rope! Race hits a stalling suplex and Bockwinkel prevents Inoue from breaking the count to end this one. Solid match that was loaded with action and didn't overstay its welcome, but not particularly remarkable. (2.5/5)


Rey Mysterio Jr. & Juventud Guerrera vs. La Parka & Psicosis (12/15/1997, WCW): This aired on Nitro and is jam-packed with high-flying and counters and cool double-team moves. Early on, La Parka and Psicosis perform a move I thought was invented by the Young Bucks. Other highlights include a powerbomb from La Parka, Guerrera performing a nifty through-the-legs victory roll I'm not sure I've seen before, a crazy Juvi Driver from the top, Rey hitting a beautiful crossbody splash on both the heels, and stereo somersault splashes to the floor. The referee, Charles Robinson, has no control over the match after about a minute in, but this is meant to a fun, super-loaded match to pop the crowd as many times as possible in a 10-minute span and it absolutely works. There are some unfortunate moments of the guys positioning themselves for the next spot, but who really cares? And, wow, Juvi's 450 at the end might be one of the best I've ever seen. This isn't a match that needs to be analyzed in terms of storytelling, character work, and psychology; it is a match that needs to be enjoyed for the insanity and innovation and energy. (3.5/5)




Shinya Hashimoto & Naoyo Ogawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Keiji Mutoh (07/06/2003, ZERO-1): I found this on YouTube but because it was labeled in Japanese, I had to do some research to even figure out what this was. Kawada and Mutoh arrive first, followed by Naoyo Ogawa and Shinya Hashimoto. Love Kawada being a badass in the beginning, shoving Mutoh to the apron so that he can go right up against Ogawa. The crowd responses early are deafening as Ogawa and Kawada start the match. It's a bit of a stalemate with some wrestling on the mat and both guys throwing stiff kicks to the body and trading knees and forearms too. Kawada gets some sustained offense in, rallying after a series of knees to the midsection, but Ogawa comes back with a back suplex and in comes Mutoh and Hash. Hashimoto is selling a bit of a leg injury from the very start, which Mutoh attempts to target with a dropkick. Mutoh shoots the leg, but Hash uses his size to control and grabs hold of his wrist. Mutoh counters with a leglock, which brings Ogawa in. Mutoh hits two dropkicks into Hash's injured leg and then pulls him into the center of the ring for another leglock. Ogawa breaks it up again and Mutoh tags in Kawada. Kawada hits Hash with a series of kicks and barely gets a 2 count so he applies an ankle lock. Hash uses the ropes to pull himself up and Kawada clobbers him, but this only angers the big man, as he comes back with a series of overhead chops of his own! Kawada kicks him in the leg, which puts him on a knee. Hash with a bunch more chops, but Kawada seems unfazed...so he hits him again and again and now it's Kawada's turn! Epic staredown in the corner before Kawada starts throwing kicks. Hash catches his leg and tags in Ogawa, who targets Kawada's thigh with a series of kicks. Kawada returns the favor and tags in Mutoh, who uses a dragon twist to bring Ogawa down and applies a figure four. Ogawa gets to the ropes so Mutoh drags him back in and tries for it again. Ogawa strikes, though, and then hits him with a back suplex. Hashimoto comes in and, again, Mutoh uses a dragon twist to bring his opponent to the mat. Mutoh does more work on Hash's knee and applies a figure four but releases it rather quickly. He goes for a Shining Wizard but Hash blocks it and hits him with a DDT. In comes Nogawa, who brings him up and down with a series of hiptosses before applying an armbar. Kawada breaks it up, but Nogawa pounds on him before he gets back to the ropes. Mutoh dropkicks him off his partner, so Kawada rolls on top and he wails on Nogawa! In comes Hashimoto! The referee has lost all control and Kawada is a man possessed, just destroying Nogawa with overhand punches! I'm not sure how Nogawa's head was not split open by some of Kawada's punches because they looked stiff. Nogawa crawls his way to Hashimoto and we get another big strike exchange. Kawada connects with a bunch of kicks but Hashimoto powers up! He dodges one and catches Kawada in the back of the knee. Kawada comes back with another series of chops and Hashimoto is down again and looking exhausted. Kawada takes Nogawa out on the apron. Kawada tries an enziguiri but Hash blocks it with a chop! Kawada's leg is in trouble and Hashimoto targets it as Nogawa goes after Mutoh. Hashimoto applies a leglock but it doesn't look all that good and Kawada manages to make it to the ropes. On the outside, Nogawa whips Mutoh into the rail. Hashimoto reapplies the leglock but, again, Kawada gets to the ropes as Nogawa stomps around the ring and pulls him back into the middle of the ring. Mutoh comes in and dropkicks Nogawa and then hits him with a Shining Wizard. Mutoh with the ground-and-pound on Hashimoto, but he keeps the leglock applied. Nogawa is back up to handle Mutoh! Kawada is screaming in agony! Nogawa with a rear choke on Mutoh and Kawada and Mutoh's cornerman finally throws in the towel! I wouldn't call this "must see" as its really no better than what one may expect (which isn't really a knock against it as much as just a recognition that even a "lesser" match from Hashimoto or Kawada is going to feature certain undeniably great elements), but the Kawada/Hashimoto segments are brilliant. Mutoh and Nogawa are good too, but their gameplans are so focused as not to lack much variation or creativity and I kinda wish there was someone in the match who brought a different style or flavor because you can't really "outkick" Kawada or Hashimoto. (3/5)



Chigusa Nagayo vs. Dump Matsumoto (11/07/1986, AJW): Another wild, wild, blood-soaked fight between Nagayo, who delivers a tremendous babyface performance, and Matsumoto, who is an absolute psycho bitch. Before the match can even start, Dump bloodies the referee with her chain. This match is all about the atmosphere and Nagayo's deep crimson mask as Matsumoto dominates most of its 15+ minute runtime aside from the occasional enziguiri or dropkick. The finish sees Nagayo get a lucky roll-up, but its enough to put Dump in the barber's chair. Like their previous Hair match (reviewed above), there were certainly plenty of great visuals to make this match work as an insane spectacle, but I do wish there was more actual wrestling going on and, about 2/3rds of the way through, I found myself getting a little bored by it. (3/5)

Kenny Omega vs. Dragon Lee (12/01/2019, AAA): I really enjoyed the Fenix/Omega match from a few months prior where Omega won the AAA Mega Championship so I was curious what this defense would be like. I don't think Omega has quite the same chemistry with Lee as he had with Fenix, though they attempt many similar sequences. I really liked Omega's smug heel act but I didn't find Dragon Lee to be particularly great in the babyface role and wish he would've gone "bigger" with the emotion and character work and selling. As good as both guys' execution is - and Omega performs some breathtaking maneuvers in this - this did not hit any emotional beats for me and the crowd seemed a bit reserved in their reactions too. On their worst day, these two are so good at wrestling that its hard to call this "average," but that's what it felt like. (2.5/5)

Chigusa Nagayo vs. Lioness Asuka (08/25/1988, AJW): Chigusa Nagayo came in as the WWWA World Championship. I was very surprised that this match was not posted on Cagematch and didn't have a write-up on ProWrestlingOnly because it is a very memorable match and, though I'm far from an authority on the Crush Gals, seems like a major "event" match. While the Crush Gals had broken up a year or two earlier and had had other matches against each other, this one for the top singles title in AJW and features character-defining performances from both women. Asuka is on the attack early, surprising her long-time tag partner with a big kick at the bell and then a moonsault. Asuka is relentless in her attacks throughout the match, ultimately resulting in Nagayo suffering a shoulder injury. She consistently sells the injury throughout the rest of the match and is never really able to maintain control of the match. It is a clear story and a dramatic one, but I do wish there were a touch more "high spots" to keep things interesting. There really are only a handful of great moments in this match - the airplane spin, a straight-jacket suplex, Nagayo getting knocked off the top rope and bumping to the floor - but this one is more about the emotion and the overall story than it is about anything particularly spectacular in the wrestling department. With so much damage to her shoulder, Nagayo is unable to effectively hit a German suplex and the ref calls the match, awarding the match (and the championship) to Asuka. The post-match is an awesome moment as Asuka rejects the championship as she had not truly defeated the champion and then finds Nagayo backstage and embraces her as she is laying down being helped by her team. Cool match, cool story, great performances, very intensely and tightly worked, but not an all-time classic in my eyes just because there weren't as many sequences or big spots that wowed me. (3/5)