SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
HOUSEKEEPING
• Jimmy Jacobs departed the AEW creative team last week. Jacobs was well-liked backstage but there’s a feeling among some that this could be a good freshening up of AEW creative.
• Joe Koff, the former COO of ROH, died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. Koff was instrumental in turning ROH into a thriving company which helped produce a number of current AEW and WWE stars. He was also a big part of putting together the original All In, which of course led to the creation of AEW.
• Toni Storm topped the PWI 250 Women’s Wrestlers 2024.
• Rico, of Billy & Chuck fame, made a surprise appearance at WrestleDream in the corner of MXM in their match against the Acclaimed. It was nice to see him, but I sincerely hope it was a one-off.
• Konosuke Takeshita will defend his newly won AEW International Title against TNA’s Josh Alexander on Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling show on Saturday night.
• Powerhouse Hobbs confirmed that he has been cleared to compete after the knee injury he suffered in April.
• Speaking of returns, at WrestleDream, MJF returned from filming “Happy Gilmore 2” and was followed in quick succession by Adam Cole returning from his year layoff from his severe ankle injury. It’s likely the two will move into a proper feud with each other likely after Cole costs MJF a match against Daniel Garcia which will set Garcia up for a TNT Title match against Jack Perry. It’ll be interesting to see how they navigate the messiness and shifts in alignments of the MJF/Cole feud.
• Bobby Lashley’s AEW debut was held off of the WrestleDream event so that it didn’t have to compete with the returns of MJF and Cole as well as the end of the show. Instead, MVP and Swerve talked in the ring. Swerve acknowledged his history with MVP dating back to Defy and gave Shelton Benjamin his flowers for paving the way for Black wrestlers like himself. He ultimately said that Prince Nana is family and he doesn’t turn his back on family thus turning down MVP and kicking off a feud with the Hurt Syndicate.
INTRO
For the second and final time, the full-time career of the one of the (I believe THE) greatest to ever do this came to an end in front of a stunned audience in the Tacoma Dome. The first time Bryan Danielson retired, also in Washington state, it was forced due to injury. This time Jon Moxley applied a choke and referee Bryce Remsburg was forced to make the decision that Bryan was no longer able to defend himself. We’ll talk about the specifics of the match later, but suffice it to say that final bell ringing was surreal for the 8,000-plus in the arena and those watching at home.
Bryan Danielson redefined wrestling in Ring of Honor. In WWE, he gave us the most satisfying WrestleMania conclusion since 1998 and selflessly acted as the catalyst for Kofimania. When he arrived in AEW in 2021, he did so with a simple mission statement “to goddamn wrestle.” Did he ever. He took part in the best Iron Man match of all time with MJF. He beat Kazuchika Okada with a broken arm. He participated in the best strap match of all time with Ricky Starks. He engaged in two dazzling battles of technical wizardry with Zack Sabre Jr. He fought against Will Ospreay in perhaps the greatest match of all time.
He wrote one final chapter with his most legendary rival Nigel McGuiness. He headlined the Tokyo Dome and Arena Mexico. He also headlines Wembley Stadium in front of his family and 55,000 others where he finally won the AEW Title. He competed in no less than three Match of the Year contenders this calendar year, a remarkable feat for any pro wrestler. Bryan Danielson gave his all to pro wrestling. Now, as he goes off to repair some of the damage he accrued over time, it’s up to the Darby Allins and Orange Cassidys of the world to honor his legacy and avenge what happened to him at the hands of people who used to be his friends.
Overall, WrestleDream was another very good AEW PPV even if the majority of the card felt undercooked. It felt like a season finale of sorts, the end of the summer season of AEW and the jumping off point for some new storylines for the fall. If it help set the table for rejuvenated next few months for AEW, I’d say WrestleDream was a success.
Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson
Latest Developments
Jon Moxley defeated Bryan Danielson to win the AEW World Title and then orchestrated a gang-style hit that led to the American Dragon being stretchered out to close the show.
Analysis
Jon Moxley made his entrance first flanked by Marina Shafir. He looked like a man on a mission. For the last time (for awhile, anyway) the opening synth riff of Europe’s signature song brought out Bryan Danielson. As the crowd prepared to sing the “Final Countdown” chorus with Bryan perched on the turnbuckle, Mox attacked, thus depriving them and Bryan of that moment. Bryan and Mox engaged in a pre-match New Jack memorial brawl with the music still playing. Once the bell rang and the music stopped the match didn’t get any less violent.
Mox targeted Bryan’s battered neck. Marina went full Chyna-mode attacking Bryan at will behind the ref’s back. Bryan fired up and fought back but each time Mox would snuff it out. Eventually Marina was caught interfering and ejected from ringside. Mox survived three Busaiku Knees. He countered a suicide dive into a Death Rider on the exposed concrete floor. In the end, Mox applied a rear naked choke and referee Bryce Remsburg reluctantly called for the bell when it was clear Bryan was out. He immediately sold the gravity of his decision.
After the match, Mox’s crew stalked through the crowd to the ring. Mox took the title belt and put it in a black duffel bag Claudio brought with them. That’s when things got ugly. Marina handed Mox another plastic bag. That brought out Wheeler Yuta and a chair-wielding Darby Allin. Darby was holding the heels at bay with the chair but as soon as he turned around Yuta laid him out with a Busiku knee. Pac and Marina duct-taped Darby to the corner and Yuta put the bag over Bryan’s head. That brought security as well as Private Party and Jeff Jarrett all of whom were fended off. Claudio then placed Bryan’s head in a chair and stomped it. More babyfaces including Orange Cassidy, Danny Garcia, and Hook came out to finally chase away the heels.
Everyone in this match, from pre-match to the end of the show, played their role perfectly. Mox was the stone cold killer. Bryan was the beloved legend fighting form underneath to try and save his title and career. The crowd reacted accordingly throughout from being frenzied during the pre-match brawl to jeering Mox and cheering on Bryan to being stunned into silence and disbelief when the bell rang to angrily chanting “F— You, Yuta” after the turn, to raining down riotous boos on Mox’s crew after the hit, to sitting in concerned silence while Bryan was tended to by medical staff. Shout out to the front row fan in the Ricky Martin shirt who cussed Mox to his face during the match.
Bryce Remsburg sold the gravity of calling for the bell when it was clear that Bryan was unconscious through his facial expressions. Incidentally, I didn’t have a problem with this finish. As wrestling fans, we’re used to the dramatic drop the arm three times ritual, but in a UFC fight, the ref makes the call that the competitor is out by visually seeing that he’s not moving. That’s what happened here. The stunned silence brought on by confusion and disbelief was the intended reaction.
Wheeler Yuta was great here. Yes, he turned, but he sold the inner torment throughout. He clearly didn’t want to do what he did to Bryan but he felt he had to for Bryan’s own good. He wasn’t relishing any part of this. He literally begged Bryan to stop moving while he held the bag over his head. Since Saturday, he’s actually posted a couple times on Instagram apologizing to Bryan.
The commentators were strong throughout as they went through the gamut of emotions from excitement, to concern, to outrage, to sadness. Nigel, during the match, abstained from his usual vitriol towards Bryan because of the importance of the match and viciousness of Mox. Excalibur getting emotional to the point of tears might’ve been laying it on a little thick, but I appreciate the all in effort to sell the severity of the attack.
Mox and his crew didn’t just want to retire Bryan; they wanted to make sure he stayed retired. This hit set them up as a lethal, dangerous, uber-heel faction. It also set up a slate of opponents to defend AEW against them, starting with Orange Cassidy and Jeff Jarrett and likely ultimately concluding with Darby Allin. Darby was forced to watch what happened to Bryan. It feels like he’s being set up as the Sting to the BCC’s NWO. That’s not a bad place to be.
The focus of tonight’s Dynamite, though, needs to be providing the audience with some answers. Now that Mox has the title, secured in that duffel bag, and the symbolic power that goes with it, it’s time to reveal the plan and the mastermind behind it. No more riddles. We need clarity now. I’m sticking to my guess of Shane McMahon as the mastermind until otherwise proven wrong. This is AEW’s biggest story. They must hit with it. It’s imperative.
Grade: A+
Jay White vs. “Hangman” Page
Latest Developments
“Switchblade” Jay White defeated “Hangman” Adam Page clean with a Blade Runner.
Analysis
The story of this match was Jay White working the knee of Hangman for a good portion of the time. This included a gnarly shin breaker on the edge of the ramp. He was able to stagger out of position of the Buckshot Lariat a couple of times. When Hangman went for a third time, his knee momentarily buckled. He flipped into the ring, but the delay gave “Switchblade” just enough time to get into position to catch him coming in and hit a Blade Runner for the win.
This was a smart wrestling match. Jay White focused on a body part directly related to Hangman being able to hit his finisher and in the end it paid off for him. The finish of the match was impeccably timed. If they had been even two seconds off, it wouldn’t have looked as smooth.
Jay White going over was the right call. The last thing he needed was to return and lose again. Conversely, Hangman losing further adds to his mental deterioration. “Switchblade” has indicated that Hangman was the first of two people he’s looking to get even with. It’s been heavily hinted that Christian Cage is the other person and the two of them square off tonight. I fully expect unhinged, wide-eyed Hangman to make an appearance.
Grade: B+
Willow Nightingale vs. Mariah May
Latest Developments
Mariah May won a really good match over Willow Nightingale.
Analysis
These two women put on a very good match which Mariah won with a very snug Storm Zero, but there wasn’t much more to it than that. Like most matches on this show, it was thrown together on ten days build with minimal story. Coming out of it, though, I hope both women move on to bigger things. Mariah is in a weird spot in that it feels she’s destined to clash with Toni Storm in Australia early next year and thus all of her title matches will feel like foregone conclusions. She will hopefully move into a feud with Mina Shirakawa which will have a personal component that would mitigate the lack of intrigue as to whether Mina wins the title.
I’m guessing Willow goes back into the feud with Deonna and her mob family which may or may not end up including Dr. Britt Baker.
Grade: B
Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho
Latest Developments
Mark Briscoe pinned Chris Jericho with the Jay Driller to retain the ROH Title.
Analysis
The match was fine. It was easily Chris Jericho’s best straight up singles match in a while. Jericho hit a Jay Driller on Mark but Mark kicked out and Mark-ed up so to speak. He hit a Froggy Bow and a Jay Driller for the win. It was the only acceptable outcome given Jericho invoking Jay Briscoe’s name even though the feud no way merited that.
This was one of two matches that should have been cut from the show. The crowd wasn’t that interested and there’s simply no reason to have an ROH Title match on an AEW PPV.
Grade: C
Will Ospreay vs. Don Callis Family
Latest Developments
Konosuke Takeshita pinned Will Ospreay to win the AEW International Title after Kyle Fletcher turned on Ospreay.
Analysis
Takeshita, Ospreay, and Ricochet are all freaking ridiculous. The things that they were able to do in the ring sometimes verged on the superhuman. I loved that the match was constructed in way where Ospreay and Ricochet did some crazy spots and Takeshita just repeatedly blasted them with forearms and acted as the heavy.
Takeshita had the second best counter of the year when he caught Ricochet’s Great Muta-style handspring into what I assume was going to be a cutter and turned it seamlessly into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Ricochet was taken out the match a couple minutes later when Takeshita piledrove him off the apron through a table. Ospreay had the match won after wiping Takeshita out with a Hidden Blade, but Don Callis pulled the referee out of the ring.
Callis attempted to use the screwdriver on Ospreay but was easily thwarted and set up for a Tiger Driver ’91. That’s when a figure in a hoodie (obviously Kyle Fletcher) picked up the screwdriver and slashed at the back of Ospreay’s head. Fletcher lowered the hood and Ospreay looked up at him with the “Et tu Brute?” look on his face. This lingered 10-15 seconds too long before Takeshita lowered his kneepad and hit the PowerDrive knee for the win. After the match, Fletcher dropped Ospreay on his head with a Tiger Driver ’91.
The match was great. The finish worked brilliantly. Callis getting involved and Fletcher betraying his best friend helped get heat on Takeshita who was generating a lot of crowd support based on his immense talent. It set up an Ospreay-Fletcher feud and potentially a Takeshita-Ricochet feud since Ricochet wasn’t involved in the finish. For the first time in months, the Don Callis Family feels stable and Ospreay has feud to really sink his teeth into.
Grade: A-
Hologram vs. LFI
Latest Developments
Hologram defeated The Beast Mortos 2-1 in a best-of-three falls match.
Analysis
This match was both really good and a blast. Lucha when done well is so much fun to watch. That said up until last week the story between these two has taken place largely on Collision. I think this burgeoning lucha war needs to be featured more on Dynamite or at the very least recapped on a weekly basis so the audience can be engaged with it. About the two-out-of-three falls stipulation, it’s traditional in Lucha matches in Mexico so I understood its inclusion here.
Grade: B
Darby Allin vs. Brody King
Latest Developments
Darby found a way to beat the much larger Brody King, pinning him clean for the first time.
Analysis
The Darby-Brody match was exactly what most people expected. Darby got rag-dolled around the ring for the majority but refused to die. In the end Brody attempted to superplex Darby from top rope onto the steel stairs, but Darby fought back and knocked Brody off and onto the stairs. He followed it up with a Coffin Drop to a Brody splayed across the steps and then another Coffin Drop in the ring when Brody crawled in to break the count for the win.
The match was good. That bump Brody took on the steps was brutal. The outcome was never in doubt. There was no way Darby was losing in Washington. Now it’s time for him to begin his journey to the AEW World Title. As for Brody, I wouldn’t be opposed to a singles run, but I hope the House of Black at gets back in the trios mix.
Grade: B+
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OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: AEW Rampage results (10/11): Powell’s review of Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly vs. Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, The Butcher vs. The Beast Mortos, Kris Statlander and Lance Archer in action
(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com.)
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