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