AEW Collision 9-23-23 - Danielson vs. Starks Texas Death Match

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AEW Dynamite 9-20-23 - Grand Slam - Kingston vs. Claudio

It's been a rough month dealing with COVID, but I'm feeling better and have actually managed to stay up for about four hours in a row - which is a new record this week. This should be a hell of a show with a loaded lineup. I imagine we get the ROH Title match as the opener, women's title match as the hour one main event, and the AEW World Title match as the main event overall. Ian is on Dynamite for at least the Title vs. Title showdown with a great shot of NYC beforehand.

We start off with a big forearm exchange leads to them brawling outside and Claudio lands a massive standing gutwrench powerbomb. Slap from Kingston sets up a big release German by Kingston! Claudio in Misawa colors and Kingston's in the Kawada colors. Big back suplex off the apron-ramp to the rampway! Double stomp off the top on the arm of Kingston! He goes up top and misses a splash for an ad break. 

Claudio going Brody-like by registering the chops and then finally selling the shot to the jaw. Claudio hits the RUNNING UPPERCUT, a new finish and that's why getting a move over as a finish comes in handy - it makes the 2 count mean more. TWO URAKENS AND THE NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB GETS 2.9! KAWADA POWERBOMB GETS THE WIN! 

The Kingdom need with Roddy to make him feel better and spread Neck Health Awareness before Adam Cole comes in and ruins the vibe. They give off peak Brazzers vibes with the nurse before Roddy declines his bed in a way that sounds like a damn coffin lowering and Taz loses his shit. Christian cuts a promo on Darby for Rampage Grand Slam and challenges him for a handicap match I MEANTHREEWAY with he and Luchasaurus and him at Collision. Jericho vs. Sammy is up in the Implosion of the Inner Circle. Jericho is out first and Sammy is out in the light-up vest as an homage to Jericho and WM XIX-homage gear as well.

They start off with chops before busting out the Le Sex Gods pose and then Jericho lands a tilt a whirl backbreaker. Sammy gets 2 off a crossbody off the top. Jericho lands a nasty suplex to the floor onto Sammy! Tons of chops from Jericho until Sammy pops out and lands a codebreaker for 2. Jericho goes out and Sammy hits a big moonsault off the top to the floor! Sling wigs out a bit for me and now it's back with Sammy landing some chops. TOP ROPE LIONSAULT BY SAMMY and Jericho gets the knees up. Jericho bulldogs him and Lionsaults him for 2. GTH hits! SSP doesn't and Jericho codebreakers him to death for the win and Sammy's sell was on-point there. Sammy and Jericho hug and Jericho should know how this goes - Sammy in the XIX gear kicks his balls and DON CALLIS COMES DOWN FOR SAMMY!

MJF cuts a promo on Joe and says he'll choke him out before Cole takes a call from Roddy and leaves. Backstage, Sammy and Callis chat and run into Garcia. Fenix is out to face Mox for the International Title. They brawl for a while before Mox just forearms the shit out of his jaw and curb stomps him for 2. Mox chops Fenix on the floor before setting up a suplex no a DRAPING DOUBLE-BIRD DEATH RIDER! That gets 2 and a Fenix corner-to-center rewind cutter gets 2. Fenix frog splash gets 2.5! 

One advantage of doing so many title defenses for Mox (or anyone) is that it makes a reign seem a lot longer than it is. Gotch piledriver gets 2 for Mox. Springboard double stomp gets 2 for Fenix. Mox gets a nice 1-2 rib punch combo and Fenix rolls out right into a stomp! I love them using the rampway as part of the way they tell the story of this match. Delayed Terry Funk-style piledriver gets 2 for Mox! TWO FENIX DRIVERS AND FENIX WINS IT!? Wow! Mox did seem totally out of it on the second Driver tho - so this may have been an audible.

Toni gets a nice black and white intro and Saraya yells at her. Toni eats a slap and then overhand chops her tits off! They fight on the floor and Toni drops down to avoid Ruby's attack and attacks her with flats before loading a dress shoe in the back of her trunks and throwing a distraction shoe for the ref so then she can bonk Saraya for 2. Sunset bomb gets 2 for Saraya. Toni kisses Saraya and hits the snap piledriver before missing the corner hip attack and the elevated Knight Cap ends it. This was perfectly-built because they never gave it a chance to be boring.

It's time for Joe vs. MJF and they've built this up really nicely. Joe is main eventing in a giant TV match for the AEW World Title and I love it - he's had an incredible run. They do a Bret commercial homage and Excalibur says BRING THE WIFE for it. Joe is just a master of little mannerisms - like checking his nails in the corner during his intro.

Joe keeps avoiding the choke and trucks him with a lariat for 2. MJF has k-tape on his neck and was covering it with the jersey Joe tore off. MJF hits the KANGAROO KICK and goes back down due to the neck. APRON GAMENGURI AND JOE HITS AN APRON DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! Holy shit! Joe is such a great heel monster! He cackles and gets 2. ST-JOE through a table on the floor and MORE CACKLING!

Joe takes the mats off and MJF wants a piledriver on it but EATS ONE FROM JOE INSTEAD! Joe has a chance to win the title via doctor stoppage but wants the win and ONLY GETS 2.9! Joe is going to lose by his own doing at some point and I can't wait - it's going to be great, whatever it is, it's going to be great. MJF gets a Batista bomb for 2.5! MJF choke is countered and Joe gets low-blowed off his own choke. MJF busts out the ring and the ref catches him and the MUSCLE BUSTER HITS FOR 2.9999! JOE LOCKS THE CHOKE IN and Cole comes out! HE FIRES UP MJF! MJF recovers and Joe shoves him into the ref, leading to MJF choking Joe out with a chain and hiding it from the ref and WINNING! Joe shakes his hand and leaves. I love that little ROH touches really do wind up working out better. 

What an incredible show that was. AEW has been in a rebuilding phase for the past month, but they've got some pretty compelling stories to work with. MJF is nearing a year-long run - but his body's giving out on him and Cole is torn between MJF and the OGK. Joe is always a win away from being a threat anywhere and this was a master class from him and his best AEW/modern-era ROH match yet. Mox's injury is scary until further notice since his neck got rocked and they've got something brewing with Saraya and Toni.

AEW Dynamite 8-30-23 - Post-ALL IN Wembley Show

Dynamite is in Chicago to set up ALL OUT, with Cassidy vs. Moxley seemingly like the likely end result of the Penta vs. OC match tonight. Mox vs. Komander is up and makes sense with Penta being a possible lucha foe on the PPV. Komander shines pretty brightly with a torture rack, but falls to the choke and armbar. OC says he'll keep defending his title where he has to, when he has to and he tells Moxley he's not the same guy he was four years ago and he'll show him why. At ALL IN, BC Gold interrupt FTR and the Bucks and tell them to get out of the winners room with a NEW CARD-BLADE! Jay pitches an 8-man tag at ALL OUT. 

AEW ALL IN at Wembley Stadium 8-27-23

 

Skimmed through the pre-show due to time and loved the MJF/Cole title win and Hook vs. Perry was fun and used REAL GLASS before the Redrum tapout. The Real World Title starts off the main show and Joe gets post pyro while Punk gets a fisheye camera. Nice basic matwork to start before things escalate to the flying rana from Punk after he FAKES OUT THE FAKEOUT! Joe hits the swinging powerbomb THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE and flips the bird on him. Punk pays tribute to the late Terry Funk...which feels weird to write with the SPINNING TOEHOLD here in kind of a world title match. THE PEPSI PLUNGE RETURNS and Punk gets the win!

 

Golden Elite vs. Bullet Club Gold is up and it's crazy that KENNY OMEGA of all people is in the second match of this loaded show. Killer intro for the Bang Bang Gang with the entrance stage being used perfectly for Switchblade's entrance. Takeshita's non-theme is so great for big shows too - hearing it DC at Dynamite really made it shine. Kota's out and looks good.

Juice is great bouncing between Omega and Hangman on chops and sadly doesn't ask them to stop chopping him. Jay gets a headlock and Juice says BREAK HIS HEAD - okay that's brilliant. KOTA KICKS THE EVERLOVING SHIT OUT OF JAY WHITE and Nigel apologizes to Don for the fans chanting you fucked up. Omega hits the Terminator dive onto White and Takeshita! White grinds away on Omega with a chinlock to set up the Blade Runner. Hanger lays out Juice with the triangle lariat. Dives aplenty from hanger get 2

Golden Lovers go for the Cross Slash stereo moonsaults and...Ibushi slips and barely gets launched off the bottom rope. Well shit happens, but damn that's a shame for him on this kind of stage. Bridging half and half suplex gets 2.9 on White! Omega and Takeshita go at it! Goddamn Takeshita is fantastic in these striking exchanges. In another timeline, Takeshita vs. Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom would be a star-maker. AVALANCHE FALLAWAY SLAM BY HANGMAN TO TAKESHITA GETS 2! Nigel - We need water down here! And possibly a doctor. I love Nigel so much! I love Excalibur going over the history of all of Takeshita's moves - the blue thunder from Generico and the Akiyama knee that he got from Jumbo. Omega runs wild with knees but TAKESHITA BLINDSIDE ROLLS HIM UP AND PINS HIM!

Bucks vs. FTR is up and the Bucks start off with a Queen homage theme before Superkick Party and a low-key entrance for them. FTR is out with BRODIE, BRAY, and JAY armbands. Nick ranas Dax and Cash ranas Matt! Nick PK sets up a floor spear from Matt! RUNNING SUPERKICK TO CASH WHEELER! Draping swanton hits! FTR gets stereo sharpshooters! 

STEREO POWERPLEXES but the splashes meet knees! SPIKE PILEDRIVER HITS FOR 2.9! Meltzer driver setup but Dax gets a tombstone position instead and then eats a superkick and victory roll for 2.9! SUICIDE SPEAR TO NICK BY CASH! FTR TRIGGER AND THE SHATTER MACHINE HIT FOR 2.9! DAX GETS A SUPERKICK but Cash eats one too and gets 2.9! BTE TRIGGER gets 2.9 and...maybe Dax broke it up it was a kickout. SHATTER  MACHINE TO DAX! BTE TRIGGER GETS 2.9 ON CASH! 

Wow - this is unreal! SHATTER MACHINE OUTTANOWHERE WINS IT FOR FTR! Wow! That was an incredible match - probably the best big-stage tag title match since the All Out cage match. Time for Anarchy in the Arena, a rebranded Stadium Stampede due to the inability to do pre-tapes, and now back to being a Stadium Stampede. HEY STANTANA GETS A FIRST NAME OFFICIALLY! BIG TONY TAGS IN! Nigel points out BRITTLE Danielson so yeah, it feels like that was maybe planned for this. Mox is such a cool motherfucker.

I love that in-canon, it makes sense for OC to get giant pyro since he would just say "do whatever" and they take that to mean "use enough pyro to blow up the moon" Claudio and Eddie brawl and Nigel recaps what Eddie called Claudio- a James Blunt. SKEWERS TO THE HEAD OF MOXLEY BY PENTA AND THE MADE IN JAPAN GETS 1! Yuta xuplexes Chuck onto a guardrail backstage. 

Trent eats a barb wire kendo stick shot! Kingston jabs an umbrella in the jaw of Yuta! Nasty back suplex on a marble bartop! WE GET CLUBBERIN' TONY! Yuta eats an Awful Waffle for 2.9 before Claudio makes a save! Giant swing from Claudio to OC! Ortiz and Trent do a superplex off the top to the floor through a table and Claudio gets 21 rotations on the giant swing! ORANGE PUNCH! Orange vs. Claudio is a singles match I didn't know I needed but GODDAMN THEY RULE TOGETHER! He duct tapes his hand...tape side out FOR A GLASS ORANGE PUNCH! Okay. WE HAVE TAIPEI DEATHMATCH ORANGE CASSIDY! Eddie chairshots the hell out of Claudio! Uraken to Mox and Claudio! GLASS ORANGE PUNCH TO CLAUDIO WINS IT!

Womens title four way is up. Crazy to see Saraya go from nothing shows in England to Wembley. Saraya's out to "We Will Rock You" and her entire family - this is her house. TONI STORM GETS A CRAZY STARLET INTRO I LOVE IT! Britt is out in long gear and Shida is out being great. This new theme and tron setup for her works. 

Shida goes down and both Toni and Saraya want the pin and fight over it. Shida suplexes Saraya into Toni! OG Saraya holds Britt for a shot and TONI HITS OG SARAYA and THAT'S TOO MUCH FOR NEW SARAYA! Ruby tries to help them out and TONI SLUGS HER AND SHE SAYS SHE'S FINE! God Toni has such a great face for wrestling!

Scorpion crosslock. Britt takes out Shida and Shida lands the katana. Lockjaw to Shida and a cradle gets 2. SARAYA GETS THE KNIGHT CAP/Rampage and WINS THE TITLE! Garments out rapping Swerve's theme live in front of 80,000 - sure beats being an NXT mid-carder in front of 800. JIMMY RAVE ROBE FOR THE EMBASSY AT WEMBLEY! Creepy student film vignette in England. IT'S SHOWTIME. IT'S STING AND THEY GET METALLICA FOR STING! I always liked "Seek and Destroy" for him and it fits Wembley nicely.

Sting and Darby run wild with Stinger splashes and coffin splashes in the corner USING TACK JACKETS FOR EACH! Christian handcuffs Darby - IT'S TIME FOR EVOLVE DARBY HERE IN WEMBLEY! HANDCUFF LIONSAULT1 STING SPLASHES ONTO A TABLE TO SWERVE!~ AND IT DOESN'T BREAK SO HE JUST THROWS HIS WHOLE BODY ONTO HIM AND BREAKS IT! 

NICK WAYNE is out and eats a chokeslam from Luchasaurus ON THE SKATEBOARD! Sting puts Swerve on the coffin and THE COFFIN DROP ON THE COFFIN LEADS TO DARBY JUST SMACKING HIS BACK ON THE FUCKING THING. JESUS! Deathlock on Christian and SWERVE CHAIRSHOTS STING AND THAT DOESN'T WORK! SWERVE PUTS STING IN THE COFFIN but puts the bat in with him AND THE BAT STOPS THE DOOR FROM SHUTTING. Misdirection kick hits and Sting comes out of the coffin. Swerve misses the 450 on the coffin and EATS A DEATHDROP ON THE COFFIN! COFFIN DROP ON THE COFFIN TO SEND SWERVE IN AND IT'S OVER. THIS WAS PERFECT!

Jericho vs. Ospreay is up and we get Jericho doing his own goofy bullshit with Fozzy before the match. This feels like Jericho just jerking off in Wembley to be able to say that Fozzy technically performed in front of 80,000. At least doing the song down the aisle made sense. MASSIVE intro for Ospreay and what a story for him this is. Taz is in for Tony. 

Tieup and they go outside and a skytwister to the face of Jericho! They chop each other red and Jericho's bloody and they fight on the apron and Ospreay eats a German on the apron! This venue looks so great. I don't know if you do ALL IN every year, but as a once every five year show in Wembley, you wouldn't burn it out. Walls are on and Ospreay EATS A BAT SHOT FROM SAMMY and the Liontamer is on but OSPREAY COMES TO LIFE. 

Spanish fly gets 2 for Ospreay. CODEBREAKER HITS AND HE THEN HITS AN OSCUTTER ON OSPREAY! Low blow from Jericho and the Judas Effect hits for 2.9! Ospreay hits a...sorta Ligerbomb with a funky landing for 2. THE STORMBREAKER HITS FOR 2.9! HIDDEN BLADE HITS AND JERICHO FLIPS HIM OFF FOR THE STORMBREAKER WIN. Okay then - not sure why you don't just bill this as a UK Title match if Ospreay's going over. Sammy tells Jericho to show him some love and Jericho shoves him away. 

Nigel announces the attendance at 81,035. AEW really deserves a lot of credit for breaking down barriers for things like using shots of Bray in the Brodie tribute and that helping show WWE that you can just pay tribute to folks. If this was 2005, WWE would make them redub commentary for saying "Bray Wyatt" like they did for TNA when they'd say "X-Pac" ONCE in passing. 

Fun brawl before the scissor me timber spot to Julia, which is a fitting homage to them getting suspended for rapping about her vagina before. Billy avoids the end and hits the one and only. Grizzly Magnum chop to the back of Bowens by Brody! Three headed hydra hits Bowens and Brody goes for a chain shot and Malakai eats the shot when Caster throws him into it! THE ACCLAIMED HIT FAMEASSERS AND HE HITS ONE AND BUDDY BUMPS HIS ASS OFF FOR IT. JULIA HART PULLS Aubrey off and THE END HITS FOR 2.9! MIC DROP HITS FOR 1 ON BRODY KING!  ONCE AGAIN AND THE FAMEASSER HIT AND THEY WIN THE TRIOS TITLES! 

Cole is out and the new ROH tag belt looks great on him. MJF gets an epic devil entrance before they put their shirts on. MJF loses his shirt first and spikes him on a powerbomb for 2. SHEER DROP BRAINBUSTER ON MJF ON THE STEPS! MJF comes in at 9.9! MJF wants a tombstone on the announce table but HE CARES TOO MUCH ABOUT COLE TO DO IT. Nigel logically says hey, he just tried to take you out with a brainbuster on the steps!

DESTROYER HITS BY COLE AND MJF GOES DOWN AND SUPERKICKS HIM ON THE WAY DOWN! THEY CALL FOR A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE AND THEY DOUBLE-DOWN AND DOUBLE-PIN FOR A DRAW! WOW! Cole calls for five more minutes and just line in DC, he says no - but now it's because five minutes isn't enough - THEY'RE GOING TO A FINISH IN FUCKING WEMBLEY. They hot potato the chair and Bryce is down and MJF goes down after Cole goes fake down - but MJF put the chair around his neck. 

STRAIGHTJACKET GERMAN ON THE APRON FROM COLE! PANAMA SUNRISE OFF THE APRON TO THE FLOOR! Cole...somehow accidentally Panama Sunrises the ref and MJF gets the ring to clock him! RODERICK COMES IN AND DICK KICKS MJF! Panama Sunrise and the Boom! IT GETS A 2.9 WITH LONG COUNTS FROM BRYCE! Roddy-Bret moment as Cole wants to use the belt, but Cole throws it down and MJF USES BRYAN DANIELSON'S SMALL PACKAGE TO WIN IT! 

Cole is pissed and MJF tells him it's not just about the title but about them. Roddy comes out and is pissed that Cole is choosing MJF as is the Kingdom - but Cole and MJF each basically get the big show-closing exit and ALL IN WEMBLEY 2 is announced for next year. They've needed their 'Mania and ALL IN is clearly that event - so try it annually and see what happens. If it fails for year two, okay, it didn't work. 

It's a company that is fearless in the best ways - they weren't hot going into Wembley, took a big risk and in a way, they're taking a bigger one next year but with this event, they have their "Mania". Of all the things they bought from Sinclair, that name may be the biggest