AEW BATTLE OF THE BELTS VII RESULTS (7/15): Cassidy vs. Archer for International Title, Luchasaurus vs. Spears, Storm vs. Valkyrie for Women’s Title

AEW BATTLE OF THE BELTS VII TV REPORT
JULY 15 , 2023
AT THE SADDLEDOME IN CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA
AIRED LIVE ON TNT
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Ian Riccaboni and Nigel McGuinness

Ring announcer: Dasha Gonzalez

– The opening of Battle of the Belts started with the end of Collision. Ricky Starks ran up the ramp and grabbed the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament trophy from Jushin Liger, who had come out to present it to Starks.

– Ian Riccaboni and Nigel McGuiness welcomed us to the show and ran down tonight’s card. Punk was walking around ringside still upset by the loss to Starks.

(1) ORANGE CASSIDY vs. LANCE ARCHER (w/Jake Roberts) – International Championship

Cassidy arrived with the title, which was initially taken away from him on this past Rampage. Archer immediately attacked Cassidy before the bell. Cassidy rammed Archer’s face into the turnbuckle but Archer immediately fought back and perched Cassidy on the top rope. Archer went for his finish but Cassidy fought him off. Archer hit a running knee strike as Cassidy sat on the top rope. Archer set up Blackout but Cassidy locked in a sleeper. Archer threw Cassidy down, then hit a shoulder tackle.

Cassidy rolled to the outside right by Roberts. Cassidy kicked Roberts softly in the shins as Archer made his way over. Cassidy came off the apron but Archer caught him and rammed him into the barricade. Archer attacked ringside officials before Cassidy hit a shotgun dropkick to take him down. Cassidy slammed multiple security guards down onto Archer but Archer kept fighting back. Both men got back inside the ring at the same time. Cassidy tried to slowly roll out but Archer caught him and attacked him in the corner. [c]

Cassidy went to the top rope but Archer caught him and threw him across the ring. Archer went for a chokeslam but Cassidy reversed into a DDT attempt that didn’t work out. Cassidy kicked away at Archer until he fell to the mat. Cassidy hit a superkick then went for Orange Punch but Archer caught it and nailed Cassidy with a huge elbow strike. Archer hit a sidewalk slam for two. Archer missed a clothesline as Cassidy rolled to the outside. Roberts went for a DDT but Archer called him off. Archer and Cassidy battled on the outside as Cassidy hit Archer with a DDT in front of Roberts. Archer and Cassidy fought on the apron as the ref counted. Cassidy knocked Archer off the apron and got in the ring before the ten count to win.

WINNER: Orange Cassidy in 11:00

(Moynahan’s Take: So glad to see Archer back in AEW, I just hope he is used more effectively this time around. And as far as the match goes, please go out of your way to see this one. It’s not a clinic, but it’s a fun battle from start to finish.)

– Tony Schiavone was inside the ring and welcomed The Acclaimed. Billy Gunn spoke first. He said Calgary loved The Acclaimed, and The Acclaimed loved Calgary. Max Caster said he heard QTV was talking a lot about them lately and said theft accepted their challenge at this coming Rampage. Anthony Bowens then took the mic and said they will be getting their rematch for the AEW Trios titles on next week’s Collision. Bowens finished by saying “everyone loves The Acclaimed.”

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(2) TONI STORM (w/Ruby Soho) vs. TAYA VALKYRIE – AEW Women’s World Championship

Storm attacked Taya right from the bell. Taya fought back and chopped xv hard across the chest, which sent her to the outside. Storm got back into the ring but Taya immediately went back on the attack. Taya hitting running knees then went for a pin and got two. Storm got her composure on the outside, then came back to the apron and dropped Taya across the top rope. The two battled on the outside with Storm getting the upper hand. Storm jaw-jacked with some friends of Taya’s at ringside. [c]

Taya took Storm down with a clothesline, then dropped her with a blue thunder bomb for one. Taya hit a hip attack, then covered again for two. [c]

WINNER: Initially unclear due to power outage, but was later announced as Toni Storm retaining the title.

(Moynahan’s Take: Well, the feed went out mid-match and last week’s Julia Hart match aired for a few seconds. The announce team acknowledged the outage and later confirmed that Storm had retained. There was a hail storm in Calgary that interrupted the feed.)

OWEN HART FOUNDATION TOURNAMENT WINNER CEREMONY

– Tony Schiavone welcomed the two winners, Willow Nightingale and Ricky Starks, then announced Tony Khan and Dr. Martha Hart. Chants of “Owen” rang out as Dr. Martha Hart spoke. Hart thanked Chris Jericho, Jeff Jarrett, and her children. She spoke of Stampede Wrestling and the careers that were launched by the company. She spoke highly of her husband, Owen, as well as his father, Stu. Hart congratulated Nightingale and Starks for their wins. She told them to carry their wins with pride as they will forever represent the kingdom of Owen Hart.

(3) LUCHASAURUS (w/ Christian Cage) vs. SHAWN SPEARS – AEW TNT Championship

Scorpio Sky looked on as the match kicked off. Ian Riccaboni confirmed that Toni Storm won between her and Taya Valkyrie earlier. Luchasaurus had the early advantage on Spears. [c]

Luchasaurus was driven to the outside as Spears hit him across the face, then did so again against the post. Spears turned his attention to Cage as Cage ran around the ring. Spears caught Cage as the ref broke things up. Luchasaurus caught Spears and chokeslammed him into the timekeeper’s table. Luchasaurus dragged Spears toward the ring, then threw him inside. Cage told Luchasaurus to finish things as Luchasaurus went for a chokeslam. Spears reversed into a pin for two. Luchasaurus hit the chokeslam for a close count as Spears kicked out. Cage put a metal chair in the corner but Spears rammed Luchasaurus into it and got a very close count. Spears was nailed by Luchasaurus with a clothesline from behind after being distracted by Cage. Luchasaurus covered for the win.

WINNER: Luchasaurus in 10:00

(Moynahan’s Take: A fine match but it felt rushed and I’m confused why this was the main event. It could have easily opened the show with Cassidy and Archer closing things out.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Well, aside from the short power outage and the completely useless usage of Jushin Liger, this was easily the best BoTBs to-date. Let’s hope these BoTBs continue to get paired with live Collisions. Please go out of your way to watch the opener as well as the Owen Hart trophy ceremony. Until the next BoTBs, stay safe everyone!

CHECK OUT WADE KELLER’S COLLISION REPORT: AEW COLLISION RESULTS (7/15): Punk vs. Starks, Soho vs. Willow in Owen Hart Cup Finals, FTR vs. Jay White & Juice

OR JASON POWELL’S REVIEW OF BATTLE OF THE BELTS VII AT PROWRESTLING.NET: AEW Battle of the Belts VII results (7/15): Powell’s review of Cassidy vs. Archer for the International Title, Storm vs. Valkyrie for the AEW Women’s Title, Luchasaurus vs. Spears for the TNT Title

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