Match 6th, 2022
Orlando, Florida
AEW World Champion: Hangman Adam Page (since 11/13/21)
AEW World Tag Team Champions: Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus (since 1/5/22)
AEW Women’s World Champion: Britt Baker (since 5/30/21)
AEW TBS Champion: Jade Cargill (since 1/5/22)
AEW TNT Champion: Sammy Guevara (since 1/26/22)
Commentators - Excalibur, Jim Ross, & Tony Schiavone
Last night, I had a bunch of friends over for what turned out to be one of the greatest wrestling PPV’s of all time. LETS GET INTO IT.
Pre-Show / THE BUY IN:
1) Kris Statlander vs. Leyla Hirsch
I’m very glad these women got this chance. Although the feud has come off as a back burner thing, I’m thankful AEW has tried to put in effort and keep it going. PLUS, the ladies have killed it, even in the promo pre-tapes. I complain a lot about the booking of the women’s division, but this show has three women’s matches in total so that’s a step forward. Plus, this one doesn’t even involve a total. So, yes, very promising. And to no ones surprise, or not mine at least, this roooocks. Lots of good grappling early on. Leyla goes after the arm of Stat and sticks with it. Leyla is really and truly SOOO good. Stat sells it well. They stick with the story and hit some sick spots. Including some crazy ones on the apron and floor. In the end, even with the awesome limb work, Leyla can’t put Kris away so she resorts to using a turnbuckle bar from under the ring when the ref was distracted. This doesn’t get her the win immediately, but it leads her to it. I liked this match, a lot. I think both women came out of this looking better than they did going in as we got to see their roles & characters accentuated with how the match was booked.
Match rating - ***
2) HOOK vs. QT Marshall
This was your standard great HOOK performance. No one likes QT so seeing him get tossed around and out wrestled by HOOK was a blast. It was cool seeing the handsome young devil makes his PPV (sorta) debut and he does so in victorious fashion, continuing his undefeated streak.
Match rating - **1/4
3) House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, & Buddy Matthews) vs. PAC, Penta Oscuro, & Erick Redbeard
On paper, this looks like such a random match, but as we all know.. it kicked fucking ass. I’m going with quite a high rating on it and I’m sticking with it. This match just really set the room on fire at my house. A room that had hardcore fans, casual fans, and non viewers a like. And for me, it just blew away any of the other House of Black matches thus far. Malakai arguably looked better here than he ever has. Sure, he’s had some great, dominant showings and a big win or two. But as a wrestler, he popped off here and the crowd was losing it. Brody King and Buddy Matthews both made their presence felt as new roster members with absolutely spectacular showings. Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, Erick Redbeard worked his ass off and made me want to see AEW sign him instead of just giving him one-off’s because MAN. He busted his ass here and it all looked awesome. The crowd was feeling it, too! His showdowns with Brody King felt big and made me want to see a Dynamite singles match between the two. PAC put in his usual superb performance and Penta Oscuro returning to form came across so well. This went 17 minutes and they made every minute count, I loved this match. Let’s hope all involved can keep this energy going forward. House of Black gets the win.
Match rating - ****1/4
DA MAIN SHOW:
~the actual PPV starts here~
“WE ARE SOLD OUT AND LIVE IN… where are we, Tony?” -Jim Ross
4) Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Jericho
I am screaming just thinking back about this match. Eddie has had some stellar matches since coming to AEW, but somehow, this may be my favorite one. Maybe it’s because it’s the first one where Eddie is the true unparalleled underdog. Against Punk and Danielson, he had the grit of feeling made fun of and left behind and mistreated by them. But at the end of the day, Punk & Danielson were still cut from the same exact cloth as him. Jericho, however, is known largely as a WWE guy and a massive star. This is the biggest match for Eddie, yet. And on top of that, the story of him feeling like Jericho ruined his best friends’ Santana & Ortiz career just adds fuel to the fire. Therefore, when you see Eddie come fast walking down the ramp, taking his shirt off, straight up just ready to fucking fight.. it brings you out of your set. Bell rings and Eddie drops Jericho RIGHT ON HIS FUCKING HEAD for the first of MANY times in this match. I squealed. This was an Eddie match through and through in all the best ways. Kudos to Jericho for being so open to doing these things because man it fucking rules. These two just went haywire for 15 minutes, throwing bombs. Best Jericho match since the match with Omega at the dome. And arguably Eddie’s best AEW match next to the Punk match. And the icing on the cake? Eddie wins.. man. Eddie FINALLY FUCKING WINS. After falling to Mox, Punk, Danielson, Cody.. everybody. After a grueling battle where Jericho lined him up for the Judas Effect and yelled the words that he uttered in the weeks prior - “YOU CANT WIN THE BIG ONE, EDDIE. YOU CANT.” Eddie does. And the show begins with a heartwarming moment as Eddie taps out Chris Jericho with the stretch plum and looks to be in disbelief when his music hits and his hand is raised. We love you, Eddie and I loved this match.
Match rating - ****1/2
5) Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus (c) vs. The Young Bucks vs. ReDragon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) - AEW World Tag Team Title Match
This is a match that’s build I have shit on. A match that arguably, for those reasons, I wasn’t all too interested in, but boy oh boy did they exceed my anticipation. This accomplished everything that it should have and then some. The Bucks/ReDragon was at the forefront of a lot of this, but it did not overshadow the champions, Jurassic Express, in the slightest. You got a good story from all three teams and having the Bucks/ReDragon here arguably added to the quality of the match when you had spots where they ganged up on the champions, further stacking the odds against them. All these things come together perfectly in the end when the rightful team is victorious as Jurassic Express would indeed retain. Not before they go almost 20 minutes belting spots off in front of an insanely hot crowd. God damn.. so much shit was thrown in here. It’s so much better than the plunder trios match from Full Gear and I think it’s simply off the fact that they had a continuous story that they stuck to throughout. The Bucks matches are almost always gonna he spotfests when it comes down to it, but they can sprinkle in storytelling that almost makes it the perfect mix. Hence another reason why they’re the greatest tag team of all time :) but on this night, Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus scoop the victory to retain their tag team titles, in one of the biggest matches of their career. Awesome stuff.
Match rating - ****1/4
6) Wardlow vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Keith Lee vs. Christian Cage - Face of the Revolution Ladder Match
And the hits just keep on coming, baby. Much like House of Black/Death Triangle & friends set my house on fire, so did this match, oddly enough. It was interesting to me that almost everyone in this match stood out to the people here who didn’t watch wrestling normally. Keith Lee, Wardlow, Hobbs, & Orange Cassidy in particular. And this match seemed to oddly enough always come back to those four in some fashion. This wasn’t your usual high flying car crash ladder match, but they had some insanely innovative spots and moments that made for one of my favorite Ladder matches in AEW history. I thought the cast of characters for this match was an odd mix at first, but every single person delivered. EVERYONE. Wardlow gets his moment in the end, but everyone here deserves their flowers. Hobbs & Lee got chunked off the stage through tables by Wardlow, Starks got stuck on a ladder rung by Wardlow after eating a powerbomb onto a bridged ladder.. everyone ate shit here. Wardlow wins and the crowd loves it. GIVE THAT MAN THE TNT TITLE. Great, great match.
Match rating - ****
Next up, a break in the action.. or sort of. Tony Schiavone walks out onto the stage to introduce AEW’s latest signee. SHANE “SWERVE” STRICKLAND and brother, he looks like a fucking star. I never anticipated him to reach this level all those years ago when I first saw him in CZW, then, he hopped to WWE and had an underrated as run with some GREAT matches, and now, he’s here in AEW and I feel like the sky is the limit. The crowd is hot for him and knows his catchphrase. This promotion rules. AEW forever.
7) Jade Cargill (c) vs. Tay Conti - TBS Title Match
After three absolutely breathtaking, insane matches, well.. four if you count the pre-show. It’s time to calm things down a little bit with our queen Jade Cargill whooping some ass. Well.. I say calm down, but Jade starts this match off by KISSING TAY CONTI during their staredown. LETS GO! This was a good match. Every Jade match is better than the last and I believe in grading wrestling on a scale that takes things into consideration and the fact that she can go and have her first PPV match like this and it not be an actual complete disaster.. thats badass. Sure, there was a rough moment or two, but these ladies are growing and they need these experiences to get them to where they want to be. And for me, the positives far outweigh the negatives here. Just a blast of a match for me as I’m a big fan of both women. Tay’s facial expressions and selling continue to be on point and Jade is.. Jade, man. A fucking beast and an absolute superstar. Jade wins with JADED to retain. I cannot wait to see this ran back in a year or two when both women are even more seasoned.
Match rating - ***
8) CM Punk vs. MJF - Dog Collar Match
All I can say to open this is that I am so glad that CM Punk is back in professional wrestling. He just delivers moments and matches that arguably no one else in the game today can. Their first match was a classic and this turns out to be no different and arguably even better than their first encounter. For starters, CM Punk comes out to fucking AFI for the first time in 17 years. He’s wearing the same outfit he was on his final night in ROH INCLUDING THE XXX BASKETBALL SHORTS. So amazing. MJF is immediately scared, as if he wasn’t before. He starts pacing and glancing around. You can see it in his eyes, from the entrance to them placing the collars on their necks. The first MJF & Punk match went almost 45 minutes, this one wasn’t quite as long clocking in at nearly 30 minutes. This worked at a deliberate, slow pace. True CM Punk pre-WWE big match fashion. I honestly love it so much. I know it’s hard sometimes because we are so used to the work rate stuff or these slow portions building to a huge explosion of spots. Here, we definitely got those explosions, but those are even deliberate. This was nearly a perfect match. Punk bleeds BUCKETS yet again, assuming he opened up the same cut from Dynamite. This was the main match on the card that brought everyone in my house to the edge of their seats. Literally every single person here, wrestling fan or not, was in awe from bell to bell and that, to me, says a LOT. I was in awe, but am I just a Punk mark or was it this fucking good? Well I’d say both, but my point is that this was THAT FUCKING GOOD. Everyone was floored by Punk’s blood and wanted to see MJF taste his own and when he did, everyone popped. The tacks get involved and it’s messy. They tease big moves so fucking well all match, with what felt like 5 minutes worth of building towards one tack spot. This was just an old school, classic pro wrestling grudge match. Fuck, man. In the end, after a grueling 25 minute war, MJF plants Punk in the tacks with a super plex off the top turnbuckle. MJF calls Wardlow to the ring because he can’t put Punk away. MJF wants the ring, but Wardlow comes out and seemingly forgot it? Funny thing, though.. Punk recovers and WARDLOW HANDS HIM THE RING! Allowing Punk to win using the same means MJF used to cheat and beat him in Chicago. The story has come full circle and Punk gets his win back.. holy fuck. What a spectacle this was.. one of the best matches of the year and one of both men’s best of all time.
Match rating - ****3/4
9) Britt Baker (c) vs. Thunder Rosa - AEW Womens Title Match
THERES A NEW AEW WOMENS TITLE DESIGN! It’s badass. This match..is.. fine. But largely disappointing. The work is.. good? But the build has been lackluster because they let it drop for almost a year after their first epic and then.. you have the issue of them working a normal match here after their bloodbath last March. Despite all that.. take away all the prelude and the fact that this feels borderline flat.. the women worked a really good match. On top of the things I mentioned, I think this just succumbed to unintentionally being put in a bad spot on the card and the crowd was so worn out that they couldn’t muster to be over the moon about this. Which is a shame and something I never thought I’d say, but here we are. I am going to re-watch this match today or tomorrow because I believe it deserves another chance because they worked a very solid straight up wrestling match with some nice nearfalls in the final few moments. Rosa locks Britt in the lockjaw which was SO sick. I really thought that was the end of things. This really got hot near the end, I just feel it could have been so much more. A great effort from the ladies yet again, none the less, and their chemistry remains. Britt retains and not many people are happy about that. But I have a feeling we will see Rosa dethrone her in San Antonio in a few weeks.
Match rating - ***1/4
10) Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley
The crowd is worn out by this point which makes for an interesting atmosphere for this one. This was arguably what I was most looking forward to and I was worried the placement on the card would take away from it for me, but it did not at all. Moxley and Danielson went to absolute war. A different type of war than Punk and MJF, though. That was a personal issue. These two? They just like to fight and grapple. Who’s the better athlete? Who can take more stiff shots? Who can bleed and keep fucking going? This was a violent masterpiece and I don’t think you could ask for much more from these two. No selling, chops, headbutts, blood.. this was borderline .. fucked, lol. They just fought like hell and after blood began to pour, both men shifted toward submissions. I mean, you can only throw strikes that stiff for so long. They end up on the mat, lock hands, AND START KICKING AT ONE ANOTHER AGGHHHHHH I wanted to scream. These two give NO FUCKS. Fuck. They end up trading flash pins and Mox catches Danielson out of a chokehold counter for the three count. Amazing match.
Match rating - ****1/2
After this match, Danielson is fucking furious and HE & MOXLEY START BRAWLING AGAIN. Refs and security run down BUT THEY GET THEIR ASS BEAT AS WELL HOLY MOLY. WHO CAN SEPARATE THESE TWO? WILLIAM FUCKING REGAL!!!! REGAL IS HERE OH KY GOD. Regal comes in to the ring and gets in between the two. They still want to fight so REGAL SLAPS MOXLEY AND THEN RUBS HIS HEAD INTO HIS FACE. So fucking hard. Regal has blood on his forehead now and all. THEN HE SLAPS A SMIRKING DANIELSON HAHAHAHAHA. Excalibur is perfect on the call saying Regal’s message with those slaps was “you both were taught better than this.” Phenomenal moment.
11) Darby Allin, Sting, & Sammy Guevara vs. Matt Hardy, Andrade El Idolo, & Isaiah Kassidy - Tornado Trios Match
This was an absolute clusterfuck and in the best way possible. There are no tags.. just spots and more spots and STING DIVING OFF A BALCONY PLANTING ANDRADE THROUGH FOUR FUCKING TABLES. YES YES THAT SHIT HAPPENED. Butcher & Blade get involved here as well as Marq Quen. This was just actual insanity and if it’s the end of the A/HFO then they certainly went out with a bang. An amazing showing for both Darby and Sting. Sammy finishes it off for their team with a Spanish fly to Kassidy off one of the stages pieces through two tables. Fuck.
Match rating - ***1/2
12) “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. Adam Cole - AEW World Championship Match
God this must be such a tough spot to be in. After a night like we witnessed.. a card this loaded. How can you even plan out a match that can attempt to top everything we’ve seen? Well, the truth is, you can’t. But you CAN still have a great main event world title match that accomplishes what it needs to! And that’s exactly what they did here. I loved the early portions with Hangman showing his babyface dominance in the face of Cole being a dick and talking all kinds of shit. Cole’s chops and verbiage was good here as well. They go down the spots trail and it’s all good stuff. Bunch’s destroyers and lariats and stuffs. The crowd is somehow still super hot and behind Hangman Page, who I must mention is wearing pride colors since Florida recently passed a “don’t say gay” law. FUCK YOU FLORIDA LAWMAKERS. But yeah, Hangman begins firing up and goes for the buckshot. ReDragon comes down. This allows Cole to hit a Panama sunrise on Page on the floor. Page returns the favor later with a dead eye thROUGH A TABLE. Sick spot. Dark Order comes down to make sure Page is okay and runs off ReDragon. This allows Hangman to get the victory after a great match.
Match rating - ***3/4
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