L.A. Knight is out first and after he says “Let me talk to ya.” Paul Heyman interrupts and Heyman says for decades he has a knack for spotting the next big thing in this business and the next big thing is going to be L.A. Knight.
Heyman says his congratulations and his condolences because now that he has his attention the Bloodline is going to need to do something about it. Knight says “are you done running your fat jaws yet? It’s nice that you come out here and tell me all these great things about me and you’re a wise, wiseman for doing so, but let me check my receipt, no I didn’t buy any of your BS!”
Jimmy Uso then says shut your mouth. We are here to tell you to your face you ain’t making it to Fastlane. Solo and Jimmy start to get in the ring. John Cena’s music hits and Cena is out to stand by Knight. Heyman talks Jimmy and Solo down, and Knight says I got it you didn’t get permission from your little chief to be out here, well tomorrow night at Fastlane, we will take you on but tonight let’s have little wanna be chief Jimmy Uso against L.A. Knight.
The Judgment Day walked in with JD McDonagh and Priest asked why he was there, and Rhea said because I told him to be here.
Charlotte Flair & Asuka VS. Bayley & Iyo Sky
Flair hits natural selection on Bayley to get the win.
Winners: Charlotte Flair & Asuka
The Judgment Day walked into the Bloodline’s Locker room and Rhea said everyone out me and Mr. Heyman need to have a little chat.
Rey Mysterio VS. Bobby Lashley
The Street Profits laid out Wilde and Del Toro, Rey jumped on the Profits and then got back in the ring and got speared by Lashley and Lashley gets the pin.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
We see Heyman and Rhea and Rhea said come on you’re a wise man so make the wise decision we would be stronger together: the Bloodline and the Judgment Day. Heyman says he likes it and is upset he never thought of it himself. He is going to make a phone call and get this authorized. Rhea tells Heyman it’s authorized and Heyman says he needs to get in authorized by the Tribal Chief and Rhea said Paul, acknowledge me. Heyman tells her she is in the wrong locker room to say something like that. Rhea says you’re going to acknowledge me like your former boy Jey Uso acknowledged me on Raw or we are going to find out who is stronger the Judgment Day or the Bloodline.
Austin Theory VS. Dragon Lee
Grayson Waller comes out during the match. Waller slams Lee’s head against the apron and rolls him back into the ring as Theory goes for A-Town Down, Cameron Grimes comes out and rams Waller’s head into the ring post and Theory got distracted and Lee reversed Theory and pinned him.
Winner: Dragon Lee
Jimmy Uso walked up to Rhea Ripley and asked, “what is this all about” and could not hear what her response was as they went to commercial break.
Rey Mysterio, Zelina Vega and Santos Escobar talked about tomorrow and said it’s a six-man tag and there is no way they can go tomorrow, and Rey says let me go make a phone call.
They show a preview of Fastlane and the Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura last man standing match and we see Damian Priest watching a TV and looked down at his Money in the Bank briefcase.
Jimmy Uso VS. L.A. Knight
Solo Sikoa comes in during the match and attacks Knight.
Winner by DQ: L.A. Knight
John Cena comes out to help Knight, the Judgment Day then comes to the ring and Rhea and Heyman shake hands. The Judgment Day and Bloodline get on the apron and Cena and Knight stand in the ring and Main Event Jey Uso comes to the ring and immediately goes face to face with Jimmy. Cody Rhodes comes out.
Heyman is trying to pull Solo down and a fight breaks out. Cody dives out and takes out the Judgment Day then Jey dives over the top rope and takes them out again. Cena and Solo are left in the ring. Solo superkicks Cena, Knight comes in and clotheslined Solo out of the ring.
JD McDonagh in the ring, gets a superkick from Jey, a slam from Cena, then a fist to the face into an AA. Cody takes his weight belt off but hits a Cross Rhodes.
WWE is back on Peacock and WWE Network this weekend with Fastlane and with only five matches on the card, this could be a fast one!
We are presenting the early odds for tomorrow’s show and will update the numbers later on before the show starts. Remember, bet responsibly!
The WWE World Heavyweight title is on the line in a last man standing match as Seth Rollins defends his title against Shinsuke Nakamura for the second time in a row. Rollins remains the favorite to retain with 1/4 odds while the Japanese star is 5/2.
John Cena will team up with LA Knight as they take on The Bloodline’s Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. The faces are the overwhelming favorites for this match with odds of 1/20 while the heels have 13/2 odds.
The WWE Women’s title will be defended in a triple threat match as IYO SKY takes on Asuka and Charlotte Flair. SKY is 7/20 favorite to retain the gold while both her challengers are 4/1.
Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits will get a chance to shine against the LWO and the LWO are not getting much love from bookmakers with their odds at 15/4 while that of Lashley and The Profits at 1/7 and favorites.
And last and certainly not least, The Judgment Day will defend their Tag Team titles against the team of Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes. Balor and Priest are favorites with 33/100 odds and the challengers are at 2/1.
Smackdown tonight is the final stop before Fastlane and some of the big guns are coming to town from Raw as well.
WWE Undisputed Tag Team champions The Judgment Day will be in the house and they will be followed by their challengers Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso as well.
John Cena is also at Smackdown tonight as he continues his two-month run with WWE which is expected to end around Crown Jewel early next month unless it’s extended due to the strike.
Three matches have been announced so far featuring Asuka and Charlotte Flair vs Bayley and IYO SKY, Dragon Lee vs Austin Theory, and Rey Mysterio vs Bobby Lashley.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that both WWE and CM Punk are locked in talks over a potential return of the controversial star.
A few weeks ago while doing commentary for Cage Fury Fighting Championships, Punk said that he has time on his hands “for the next two months” which lined up exactly with WWE’s return to Chicago for Survivor Series.
Meltzer said that his sources noted that there is no deal completed and those close to CM Punk said that his intention is to return to the company he quit back in 2014.
Punk and WWE had a nasty divorce and WWE even sent his termination papers on his wedding day, something that WWE Chairman at the time Vince McMahon later apologized for.
A few months ago, CM Punk showed up backstage at Raw in Rosemont and talked to a few people including Triple H. He was eventually told to leave the premises after Vince McMahon got wind that Punk was there. Punk was still under an AEW contract at the time.
In a recent interview with ESPN, WWE President Nick Khan didn’t shoot down a return and danced around the question when asked about Punk.
“Listen, we only have respect for Phil. We appreciate his run here,” Khan told Marc Raimondi. “We appreciate what he did and tried to do with the UFC. Not many people can actually get in there and do what he did. So, when we have respect for Phil, we wish him nothing but the best.”
Nick Hausman of House of Wrestling, who is known to have a close relationship with those around CM Punk, also said that a WWE source noted that it is a “safe bet” that Punk will return to the company at the Survivor Series.
ROH Tag Team champion Adam Cole is expected to be on the sidelines for quite a while as he prepares to undergo two surgeries to repair his broken ankle and torn ligaments.
During a Twitch stream yesterday, Cole said that he is expected to be the owner of eight new screws and a plate in his ankle, needed to repair the damage.
“It’s incredibly painful, it’s the most painful injury I’ve ever had,” he said.
Cole suffered the injury at Dynamite: Grand Slam when he jumped from the entrance ramp to go cheer on his tag team partner MJF and landed awkwardly, with Cole calling it a freak injury.
He expressed his disappointment about the time he needs to be away from the ring, especially since his gig with MJF as Better Than You Bay Bay really caught on.
MJF is currently defending the ROH Tag Team titles on his own although that might not go on for very long if Cole is out for several months.
AEW drew 800,000 viewers for the fourth anniversary episode of Dynamite which also included Adam Copeland’s debut. That is down 55,000 viewers from the prior week and the least-watched Dynamite since May 3. The show had a 0.28 rating in the 18-49 demo, the same as the prior week and was #6 in the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
Much like WWE is doing, AEW is also loading up this Tuesday’s special episode of Dynamite which will go head-to-head with NXT.
Titled Title Tuesday, this episode so far features a total of two title matches and six other non-title matches, including the in-ring debut of Adam Copeland.
Saraya vs Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s title and Rey Fenix vs Jon Moxley for the AEW International title are two title matches announced so far while Bryan Danielson and Swerve Strickland go one-on-one in a TNT title number one contender’s match.
Also, Jay White takes on Hangman Page, Chris Jericho battles Powerhouse Hobbs, and Adam Copeland gets his first AEW match against Luchasaurus.
It will also be Tony Khan’s birthday so there might be something done for him on the show as well.
Both AEW and WWE are going all out – pun intended – with these two episodes in their first head-to-head encounter in a year.
Adam Copeland’s first Dynamite didn’t end as expected with his best friend Christian Cage telling him: “Go f*ck yourself!”
Copeland was in the main event segment of the show for an in-ring promo where he explained why he came to AEW and the guys he would love to get in the ring with.
He also said he loves new challenges and when he asked his daughters what should he do, if he should retire or or continue, his nine-year-old kid told him to go and have fun with “Uncle Jay.”
Christian came out and Copeland tried to talk some sense into him and told him that finally, for the first time in over 20 years, they’re together again and they could team up to face The Young Bucks, FTR, and others and show everyone why they are one of the best tag teams in the world.
Copeland handed Christian his mic and Christian went for the hug as fans cheered. And then came the swerve.
“Go f*ck yourself,” Cage told Copeland, and then exited the ring as a shocked Rated-R Superstar stood in the middle of the ring.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that Sammy Guevara suffered a concussion at WrestleDream and was not cleared to work Dynamite last night.
Guevara was originally scheduled to team up with Konosuke Takeshita to go against Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega in a tag team match last night but he was replaced by Kyle Fletcher due to his injury.
The match led to the angle where Powerhouse Hobbs attacked Kenny Omega following the ending and joined the Don Callis stable.
Speaking of concussions, Jon Moxley will be returning from a concussion next week on Dynamite Title Tuesday when he takes on Rey Fenix in a rematch for the AEW International title.
NXT drew 857,000 viewers for the post-No Mercy show this week on USA Network, up 121,000 viewers from the previous week. That was the most-watched episode of NXT since October 28, 2020. The show drew a 0.22 rating in the 18-49 demo, up 0.04 from last week, and placed #7 in the top 50 cable chart for the night, with MLB-related coverage taking all the top spots. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
WWE will be opening a Fastlane merchandise Superstore in Indianapolis tomorrow on Level 2 of the Circle Centre Mall.
WWE fans will have the chance to shop exclusive WWE Fastlane merchandise, including replica championship titles, WWE Superstar apparel, collectibles, mini-titles and so much more as well as meet a couple of WWE Superstars for free.
The opening hours are Friday between 11AM to 9PM, Saturday between 11AM to 7PM, and Sunday between 10AM to 2PM.
Shinsuke Nakamura will be meeting fans on Friday at 4:30PM, followed by Santos Escobar on Saturday at Noon, and IYO SKY on Sunday from 11AM.
Wardlow returned to AEW last night on Dynamite, his first match since the June 17 episode of Collision where he lost the TNT title to Luchasaurus.
Wardlow has been missing in action since then and at the WrestleDream post-show media scrum, AEW President Tony Khan said that Wardlow will return at the appropriate time when asked what happened to him.
The former TNT champ took just one minute and two seconds to destroy his opponent Griff Garrison, with the referee stopping the match and awarding the win to Wardlow.
It was never disclosed why Wardlow was kept off television for over three months.
Did you know that WWE betting is not legal? At least, it isn’t in US territory. This is rather peculiar due to the following this sport has on that territory: State gambling regulators have all banned betting on the WWE and other popular wrestling promotions. There is a reason behind that, and in this article, we will dive into this topic to find out more about it and shed some light on the matter.
Why is it illegal?
Wrestling betting would involve wagering on scripted matches instead of genuinely contested fights, such as what betting on the UFC entails. The main idea behind this is that betting on any event that has a fixed or predicted outcome is prohibited. In other words, if you already know how it is going to end, you should not bet on it.
Of course, there are many issues that come from scripted matches. For example, leaked results are not only common in online forums and wrestling publications, but they are also referred to as “dirt sheets” due to their enormous popularity.
The WWE is working to prevent match leaks, but this is still an issue and one of the main reasons behind the illegality of this kind of betting. Many platforms, such as Betway, have a broad range of betting options, and it would be great if wrestling could be implemented, but is there a chance this will happen at all?
Will it ever become legal?
Many sports enthusiasts would be more than happy to be able to bet on this sport; that is not even a question. But is there a chance that wrestling betting might really become legal, at least in US territory? Well, there are some states that seem to be closer to legalizing this practice, and these states are Michigan, Indiana, and Colorado. These states are more keen on legalizing this practice because they are among the few states that have legalized betting on the Academy Awards, which is another fixed-result event, just like WWE.
It appears that WWE has already registered with the Indiana Gaming Commission, which is great. At the same time, it seems that the Colorado Division of Gaming has stated that there is actually no current legislation on legalizing wrestling betting on fixed results. We know that WWE officials and the Michigan Gaming Control Board have held meetings on this topic, but we are not aware of their outcome.
As the WWE was purchased by UFC parent company Endeavour, which is the same multi-billion-dollar media agency that represents the NFL, the NHL, and even OpenBet, this can be considered a rather good sign of wrestling betting being one step closer to being legalized.
At the same time, nothing is set in stone so far; there is a long road ahead, and legislative processes are never as quick as they should be. At this point in time, we might have to wait for wrestling betting to become legal, at least until the end of 2024. After that moment in time, we will likely know more about it and have a more precise time frame.
In Conclusion
For now, all we can do is continue to follow this amazing sport and keep ourselves updated with the latest news on this matter. As we are in the middle of the digital revolution, perhaps the most recent technological advancements could help in the field of regulation and legalization of wrestling betting, but we do not know that yet. Wrestling is a sport that is reaching more and more followers with every passing day. It is a great athletic activity that merges history, showmanship, sports and fighting strategies all in one. No wonder it became as famous as it is today.
The world of betting, on the other hand, is always developing in new directions and ways to improve and create new venues and opportunities for people to predict outcomes in the field of sports. People are able to bet on a huge variety of sports and new activities, and even esports, which were at first not even recognized as a sports-related activity. This is to say that things change and that many people out there are confident in the fact that we will soon be able to bet on wrestling actively and without any legal issues.
Thank you for reading this article and we hope that it helped shed some light on the matter of wrestling betting and its legality. If you are interested in this topic, There are many more online sources that you can consult to gain more knowledge not only on the world of wrestling but also on the world of laws and sports betting. The last topic is quite complex, and to navigate it properly, a good level of knowledge is needed.
The main event for Full Gear was set up last night with MJF defending his AEW World title against Bullet Club Gold’s Jay White.
Last night on Dynamite there was a continuation of the angle which closed the show last week where four masked men attacked White, laying him out backstage, as another mystery person wearing MJF’s devil mask watched.
This time, it was MJF who was outsmarted as The Gunns and Juice Robinson set MJF up for an attack by Jay White and White took MJF’s title, challenging him at Full Gear.
This is the first match on the Full Gear card which is more than a month away and the first AEW World title defense since All In at Wembley Stadium.
AEW Dynamite tonight comes to us from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, CA. After last week drawing 855,000 & 0.28 in the 18-49 demo.
To sum up WrestleDream: great wrestling; bad creative, welcome to year five of AEW.
*****
Excalibur started the lying early: ‘we are absolutely loaded’. There are two matches announced. Two.
Before we cut to Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho backstage with Renee. Lot of blather about four years and the promotion patting itself on the back. They were saying nothing so Edge interrupted to a big pop. He said he plans on being here for the eighth and twelfth anniversaries.
Told Jericho he was glad to see him. Omega said it was nice to meet him and that Copeland ‘had me on the Edge of my seat’ Sunday (decent line, crowd laughed). If Edge needs anything he’s there for him. Edge told them to deal with Callis who he’s never liked.
Jericho and Renee then bantered awkwardly. This was several minutes tv just to tell us Edge is here. And a strange way to do it.
Rey Fenix vs Nick Jackson (International Title)
Backstory: Jackson won a triple threat last week to gain this shot
Matt accompanied Nick to the ring; Penta and Alex likewise. They really talked up Fenix’ physical condition. Crowd hot.
Then began working an armdrag the same way they did Sunday, Fenix headlock takedown, Nick kipped up, reset. Fenix shoulder block, nothing doing. Nick tried one, same result. Fenix swept the legs, ducked and dodged until the pair exchanged overhands. Fenix clearly getting the better. He countered a powerbomb into a sunset flip for two. Nick got two of his own.
Fenix began selling his back, rolling to ringside where Penta looked concerned. Nick ran over, hit an axe handle to the back and tried a sunset bomb off the apron. Fenix fought it off and landed an armdrag but was sent to the barricade back-first before sending Nick into the crowd as the latter ran at him. Nick avoided a barricade-walk punt, hit a hurracanrana outside then flung Fenix back in.
Rey slipped on the buckle and took a backstabber, again in agony with his back. Again leaving the ring, he avoided Nick’s apron punt, Jackson belted the ringpost then had his leg swept, landing head-first on the apron.
Break. Fenix is clearly still hurting; this is not the warp speed you might expect from these two.
Nick gamengiri in the corner, bulldog blocked, Nick superkick, Fenix kipped up, took another, both down, both kipped up, Nick with a roundhouse kick, both dropped; crowd to their feet.
Fenix hit a superkick of his own, Nick crumpled into the ropes, avoided a Fenix baseball slide, missed his apron moonsault and sold the foot he’d hit the post with earlier. Though rebounded to catch Rey with a ringside cutter.
Both to the apron, Nick hit his vaulting facebuster, spiking Rey for a near fall. Crowd chanting for Fenix, some for Nick. Who signalled BTE Trigger, Rey popped up, shook his head, Nick looked for a springboard armdrag, blocked again – like it was Sunday, Nick landed a roundhouse, hurting his foot again in the process, went to the top, Fenix met him, Nick hit a cutter with both on the top rope.
For another near fall.
Rey missed a wild swing, Nick a shot to the back and poisonrana, cool destroyer after both fought around the ropes. Fenix kicked out again. Nick beckoned Rey up, hit two running knees, BTE Trigger, Rey kicked out again.
Blocked a superkick, set Nick’s leg on the middle rope, drilled it with a superkick Rey hit a rope walk punt, glided back up top, gorgeous frog splash, 2.9. Springboard spin kick in the corner, he looked for the Fire Thunder Driver he beat Mox with, Nick rolled through into a pinfall, Fenix reversed his weight back to retain.
Didn’t expect Nick to win but doesn’t seem Rey’s long for this title given he’s clearly legit hurt. This was probably really good. Whenever I watch Bucks/Bros matches, love em; whenever I cover them, I’m just scrambling trying to keep up and don’t really take anything in.
So it’s probably worth watching.
Winner: Rey Fenix
We rushed away to replay Roderick Strong pleading for help from Cole last week (audio was really low. That’s four years of audio gaffs to celebrate!).
Cut to Cole outside Strong’s house. I’ll do my best but this is almost impossible to hear, it’s like being underwater listening to a conversation above you at poolside.
A bunch more really lame comedy with Cole chasing Strong around the house on a scooter with Strong in his wheelchair. Cole asked what the emergency was. I couldn’t hear what Strong said. He finally said ‘that’s what best friends do’ then Cole did a bunch of household chores while in pain. As some dance music played and the heels just watched. Strong said what Cole did was ‘awesome’.
Cole said he had to go get surgery. He was leaving when Strong yelled his name from a yard away and said he still needed his help.
This was diabolically bad. Excruciatingly bad. Cole’s actual surgery might be more fun than this. It might have been a plus not being able to hear it. Totally unfunny, corny as hell and Cole looked like a moron since it was so obvious he was being used. But AEW don’t know how to do subtlety.
Griff Garrison vs Wardlow
Backstory: None
Justin introduced Garrison’s ‘opponent’. No-one recognized Wardlow’s music at first which says a lot. Got a decent pop when he came out and a few reflexive ‘Waaardlow’ chants. He then beat a jobber with the Powerbomb Symphony via ref stoppage then left through the crowd. To no follow-up. No mission statement. So, what he’s been doing for at least two years.
Winner: Wardlow
They replayed the show-closing angle of WrestleDream – Nick Wayne turning, Sting coming out, Edge driving a car (they’re clearly very proud of that part) then coming out to save the day.
Ads.
*****
Callis and Takeshita with Renee. Callis said the company’s shaken to their foundations by Guevara beating Jericho so the medical people have said Sammy’s not good to go tonight. But there are no shortage of young athletes who want to show what they can do. Per Ospreay’s recommendation, Kyle Fletcher will partner Takeshita (few boos at that reveal).
Callis said he has what it takes to win the war.
*****
They replayed the Cole/Strong thing since the audio was so bad. Strong had bought him a scooter. The #1 contender for the world title acted like a kid on Christmas at this.
The ‘emergency’ was they needed him to move furniture. The Kingdom can’t do it cause they don’t know anything about interior design. I caught the rest of it the first time so you can piece it together.
I’d rather have watched two Jeff Jarrett matches than watch this twice. Seriously.
*****
We returned to Butcher, Blade & Kip Sabian at ringside.
The Acclaimed vs Butcher, Blade & Kip Sabian (Trios Titles)
Backstory: None whatsoever
The Acclaimed made their entrance; Caster made penis jokes about B&B’s bald heads then said Sabian looked better with a box on his. Excalibur announced in passing, after the match started, that this was for the titles.
The Acclaimed beat the heels round ringside, then scissored, then the heels came back and all six brawled round ringside. The Acclaimed politely stood still so Sabian could hit a moonsault onto them at ringside.
They then called for a break a little too early as the production snafus continue four years in.
Break.
Back to Caster tagging Bowens – chops and discus lariats for all three heels, snapping jabs, thrust kicks, over the top legdrop to Sabian, Butcher broke the pin. They ran through next Tuesday’s lineup so I was noting the matches; they finished as the match did. The Acclaimed won, Bowens pinning Sabian. Presumably via Arrival and Mic Drop. In just a few minutes.
This show absolutely sucks so far. Good god. You seriously do not need to see a second of it outside of that opener, big bunch of filler.
Winner: The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn
Final installment of Toni Storm: Portrait of a Star. Storm was breathing heavily by the window. City said she’s been wrestling 14 years. She snapped at this because time doesn’t matter. Grabbing him by the collar she talked about friends falling by the wayside and she can’t sleep at night worrying about what’ll happen next, the matches and ppv’s are all rolls of the dice.
City interrupted to yell ‘You’re not even old’. She had a revelation and kept repeating ‘I’m Timeless!’ with her arms out. A graphic then said ‘Timeless Toni Storm Premieres Tonight’.
Well, they finally got somewhere with this. She has a new moniker to fit her character.
*****
Danielson after WrestleDream. Fighting back tears he said he’s never wrestled like that. He’s upset because there wasn’t a definitive best wrestler since he had to knock Zack out to beat him. Sabre had a few comments to the same effect – nothing was proved, Danielson had to resort to striking. It was a really good package then just abruptly ended in what seemed the middle of it. Weird.
Much better than anything they did ahead of the ppv. They have their package good to go if and when there’s a rematch.
Of course there was no time to put over what an amazing match that was, there’s another segment to get to.
*****
Then Hangman talked about his match with Swerve. His arm’s messed up and he needs to go back to the drawing board.
*****
They replayed the MJF/Jay White segment from last week and the assault on White at the end of the show by a guy in a devil mask. MJF claims his mask was stolen from his locker room.
Juice Robinson’s music hit and he came out with the Gunns. Austin asked who’s ready for storytime? Colten faked an ankle injury. Austin said they weren’t here to make fun of Cole they were here for MJF. They made fun of Max’s ‘tofu’ line last week – ‘that was the best he could do in twenty minutes’.
The crowd were dead as this continued. Colten said Max couldn’t breathe with the Switchblade. Robinson yelled for Max to get his ass out here. He was saying Max wasn’t a man when MJF’s music hit. He came out to a nice pop. But remained at the top of the ramp.
Crowd chanted loudly for him. He did his ‘Devil has arrived’ line. He said the ‘Ass Boys’ and ‘Talentless Taint’ were throwing accusations around. Juice made a fist and said his taint was rock hard. Max confirmed he’s a fan of the Rock by saying we were gonna have one of the loudest duelling chants of all time: ‘Ass Boyssss/Talentless Taint’. The crowd duly picked it up.
He listed all his accomplishments after four years – throwing Jericho off a Cage, whipping Cody, injuring children with a dodgeball and nearly getting them kicked off tv by calling his boss an f’ing mark. He’s honest about his past cause he’s our scumbag.
Cue chant.
Finally he got to the point – insisting he didn’t attack White aka ‘tofu’ (that name is not his best work). He challenged the heels to a ‘Stockton Streetfight’ then headed to the ring, removing his clothes. All three heels fled as Max entered the ring, White appeared behind – Bladerunner.
The announcers said BCG ‘played the world champ… like a flute’. The heels celebrated. The crowd chanted ‘tofu’; White left with the title belt.
From the top of the ramp, White took the mic to say he’s better than what Max is used to dealing with. Max saying it wasn’t him might as well be a confession. Unlike everyone else, they use their brains. They know MJF is a liar, a gutless coward and the company needs a champ that lives up to the name ‘Elite’. And that’s not Max. If MJF wants to prove him wrong, he should put his title on the line at Full Gear.
And if he does, he’ll fail. They did their ‘two words… Gunns up’ thing. Max took the mic ‘Nah, Tofu’ (seriously, the dude just took your title and challenged you and you insist on continuing with that lame nickname?) – he has two words for White, ‘you’re on’.
It took twice the time it needed to but got there in the end. Nice angle with White laying out Max, White was good on the mic, much better than last week. MJF spoke for too long again, particularly given 90% of the content was lame, playing-to-the-audience comedy which the crowd admittedly seemed to like.
*****
Renee with Orange Cassidy and Hook. They came close to winning the tag titles. Hook said Cassidy should be getting the International Title match next week instead of Mox. Cassidy sarcastically said that wasn’t true since Mox had been champ a whole three weeks and he’d been champ for months so…
Almost seemed heelish.
They’d been eating chips as usual so Excalibur made an inside joke about Renee only eating ketchup chips rather than playing up the angle for the company’s secondary title. Ha ha.
Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega vs Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita
Backstory: 2/3 of a rematch from Sunday’s show where the heels won after interference
So it’s just over an hour into the show and what I had assumed would be the main event is up. They haven’t even told us any other scheduled matches so no idea what’s left. (Of course it’s Copeland, which they haven’t done a good job of pushing. At all)
That painting of Callis & Fam in the Last Supper on their entrance vid is wonderful. Callis joined on comms. Schiavone was disgusted by the painting, Callis said some people compared him to ‘Da Vinci’ (FYI, he’s called Leonardo, Vinci is where he’s from since he was a bastard).
Jericho and Takeshita started off, the Japanese smashed through the vet via shoulder block, Jericho threw chops, Takeshita fought back with rights until Jericho struck back with his own shoulder.
Kenny in, chops in the corner, crowd chanting his name as he worked over the youngster. Quick tag back out, Takeshita blocked a Jericho suplex until Kenny came in for a double. Jericho did his cocky pin for one.
Break.
Back to Jericho landing a Lionsault to Fletcher, crawling for the tag, Omega with hammers for both heels, Fletcher snatched into You Can’t Escape but did – Omega placed Fletcher on the middle rope, hit the first part of YCE to Takeshita into a backstabber on Fletcher, Takeshita fought out of a snapdragon with a vicious back elbow, Fletcher hit a half and half to Kenny then thrust kick to Jericho as he came in to help.
They set the faces in opposite corners and blasted both with running boots then hit stereo blue thunder bombs for a two count. Very nice work.
Omega blocked a gut wrench, and a kick, catching Fletcher into a snapdragon, tag out to Jericho, in with chops in the corner, ten punches punctuated via ‘rana from the top, Takeshita walloped him with a lariat, Omega took him out via V-Trigger, Fletcher him via pair of thrust kicks and brainbuster. Before collapsing, all four down, crowd clapping.
From their knees, Jericho and Fletcher threw chops, yay/boo rights, to their feet, both thought lariat, both down.
Another break.
Jericho landed an enziguri to Fletcher, crawled for the tag, Kenny in, fist fight in the middle, bit slow actually, finally upping the speed, Fletcher winning with a flurry until a knee strike, powerbomb, roll through, V Trigger bagged a near fall in a very fluid sequence.
Fletcher now struggling in the ropes, Takeshita in looking for a deadlift German; Omega countered, V-Trigger in the ropes and snapdragon sending Takeshita outside, Fletcher attacked from behind, Omega slipped free, Fletcher stumbled into a Codebreaker from Jericho, up into a OWA for the win.
Callis – who’d been talking all match about how much he loved Fletcher – immediately yelled ‘that kid screwed me’. Such a great heel. He yelled at Omega and Jericho from the top of the ramp; Will Hobbs attacked from behind. Callis smiled broadly as Powerhouse nailed Jericho with a spinebuster then flung Omega over the barricade into a pile of chairs.
Then choked Omega under a guardrail as Takeshita beat Jericho round ringside. Hobbs flung Omega back to ringside as the announcers called back to Callis promising to win the war. Excalibur explained the Bucks were at the hospital after Nick’s match and Hangman’s not here (nice work explaining why there’s no backup).
They tied Omega to the top rope with tape, Jericho tried to throw his body in front of Kenny but Hobbs nailed him with a chair to the gut. Hobbs wailed away on Omega who they never really secured in the ropes, his left arm was already free. Hobbs and Takeshita held Omega for Callis to hit a chairshot right to the head. This is a desperate company right now to risk Kenny’s long-term health in an attempt to get an angle over.
Callis stomped on Kenny some more then they left. Pretty much every segment so far has gone far too long. This too could have been cut in half.
Quite like the addition of Hobbs, though Takeshita already has the size to be the group’s ‘muscle’. It’s vital they follow up on this and he doesn’t disappear from tv like he usually does. Notable lack of reaction when he came out.
Winner: Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho
Max was getting a massage backstage when the Acclaimed snuck up behind and Caster took over the massage. MJF snapped on Caster for stalking him and ran him off – he and Renee talked about Caster’s obsessive and weird tweets (got no idea and they didn’t explain). Then he said he needed to talk to Adam Cole, tried calling, no-one answered.
I’m on the brink of just not caring how this all ends at this point. It’s been going for ages, feels like it loses momentum every week, it’s dominated by goofy comedy and Cole looking a complete idiot since it’s so obvious Strong’s playing him.
The only person who’s acted like a serious world champion/title contender tonight is Jay White.
*****
Samoa Joe package – suited, booted, cigar and whisky. He has all the comforts since he’s been a champion everywhere. He needs to regain his hunger. And has – he’s focused and ready to become AEW Champion. And ‘when I’m hungry, I always manage to eat’.
J’adore. Well that makes two dudes serious about the title. Glad Joe hasn’t fallen by the wayside.
Toni Storm vs Skye Blue
Backstory: Storm’s debut as ‘Timeless’
Storm had her black and white entrance, her lipstick and makeup were a total mess, she danced round the ring to her music, shook the ref’s hand then suckered Blue into a short-arm lariat. Hairmare to the corner, another across the other side. She posed and looked crazy/drugged-up again.
Blue fought back with a hairmare and dropkick to the corner, to the apron, she landed a forearm but was caught and hip attacked off it. Storm then pitched to the break from the apron – ‘very, very important sponsors’ – I guess a play on the way they used to knowingly put over products on old tv shows. She was saying something about ‘tits’ as we went to break. One way to maintain an audience.
Blue slipped out of Storm Zero for a roll up, flurry of rights, headscissors, step-up knee in the ropes, snapmare, low enziguri, Blue sent to the apron, roundhouse to Toni, cross body back in off the top, count of two. Storm came back via sky high for two of her own, glaring at the ref when he failed to count three. ‘Howwww dare you!’.
Blue used it to strike with a thrust kick for 2.9. Storm hugged her leg, flipped her round into a snap German, did a wacky ‘vogue’ pose, hip attack, Storm Zero, win.
Pretty good. Storm wasn’t as over as in New York.
Winner: Toni Storm
There are about ten minutes left as they mentioned Copeland’s next before running through the Rampage lineup.
Renee was with Stokely Hathaway. Who’s on the ROH board or something. He said Kingston will have to do commentary for a #1 contenders match on Rampage.
*****
The ‘Rated R Superstar Adam Copeland’ was out next to a nice pop. He ran the gauntlet slapping hands at ringside. Schiavone joined him in the ring to welcome him to AEW. Copeland said Schiavone was the soundtrack to his childhood. He jokingly heeled on Schiavone and told him to leave the ring. And started to talk but was interrupted with ‘Adam’ chants. He’s never heard that before and liked the sound of it.
In 2011 he was told he’d never wrestle again but in 2023 he’s stood in an AEW ring. There are a few reasons why he came. To start, the AEW title would look good around his waist, there are a lot of people ‘Adam Copeland’ would like to wrestle – he said he’s never referred to himself in the third person before and after hearing it, wont again. He listed Moxley, Omega, Miro, Hobbs, White and Robinson as guys he’d like to wrestle.
They’re all new challenges and the fans are helping make it happen. The main reason he came here is cause he sat down with his family and asked his kids what he should do. Should he retire? But his nine-year-old said ‘You should go have fun with Uncle Jay’ – Christian Cage – so he’d like to call out Cage to tell him the real reason he’s here
He waited. ‘C’mon…Jay c’mon’. (Eugh – is he Jay or is he Christian?) He finally came out. Excalibur explained to younger fans that these two began their careers together.
Copeland said they’ve been friends for forty years and Cage might wonder why he took out Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus Sunday. And it’s because he sees Cage like this, looking like more of a ‘dick’ than usual (they bleeped that). He still loves Cage despite his actions. But he saw him standing over ‘Sting… Sting… Sting!’ he said incredulously. The dude Cage wanted his hair cut like when he was a kid, a man who’s been around four decades – who’s made people ‘feel’ for four decades.
But he also did it cause he knows Luchasaurus and Wayne will drop him after sucking all the info they can from him. But also ‘I’m here because it’s time. It’s time. For the first time properly in over twenty years, to team together again’. To face teams like FTR, the Bucks, to show a new generation of fans why they’re one of the best teams of all time.
So he’s out here ‘hat in hand’ to ask Cage to end their careers together as a team. A ‘one more time’ chant started. Cage asked for the mic, held his arms out, they hugged, then Cage said ‘Go fuck yourself’ (I assume, they bleeped most of it again). And left. To boos. Copeland looked disappointed. The crowd chanted ‘asshole’. Loudly.
From the top of the ramp. Cage reminded him what he’ll be up against Tuesday. Luchasaurus came out with Nick Wayne to no reaction. They stood either side of Cage. Wayne, dressed in a sweater, honestly looked like a fan who’d snuck onstage.
They stared each other down and tried to make that match a big deal for next Tuesday as the show ended.
To get it out the way quickly, hated the reference to ‘Uncle Jay’. Why wud he ‘have fun’ with a despicable heel? It’s very hard to blend character and reality like that. It was also difficult not to get TNA vibes from the company’s fourth anniversary show being headlined by Edge and Christian. It was notable how little reaction there was for the AEW guys when they came out.
So it’s important Copeland is used to elevate current talent so that when he does finally hang them up, there are people to replace him. He certainly seems like a guy who wants to do that.
And was so relatable and likeable and seemed like a person rather than someone playing a character. Lastly, making fans want to see E&C back together from the get go is a good idea. Provided they have a plan of where to go and how to execute it. It shouldn’t happen anytime this year. And should be part of re-establishing the tag belts as something capable of headlining the show.
Swerve Strickland vs Bryan Danielson (#1 contender for TNT Title)
Adam Copeland vs Luchasaurus
Saraya vs Hikaru Shida (Women’s Title)
Rey Fenix vs Jon Moxley (International Title)
Powerhouse Hobbs vs Chris Jericho
Jay White vs Hangman Adam Page (Yes please)
Thumbs Up/Down
Kenny and Jericho vs Takeshita & Fletcher
Jay White’s attack on Max & Samoa Joe’s pledge to take MJF’s belt: wrestlers actually wanting to win the world title, what an idea! (Edge too at least mentioned it, as should every wrestler who debuts)
Copeland’s likeability and the tease of reuniting with Christian
*****
Didn’t begin to feel like an anniversary show – no hype and nothing big – in fact a lot of filler and importantly, not a single mention of the show’s past – no highlights, nothing
Cole/Strong ‘skit’
A ‘Title Match’ that wasn’t even announced as such until after the match began. How the hell are we supposed to take championships seriously?
MJF insisting on the ‘tofu’ thing after being laid out by the challenger. He clearly wants to be the Rock. Well, the Rock would crack jokes up to a point. But not after someone attacked him, because that’s business time, time to be too pissed off for clever lines, time to sell the match
Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Adam Copeland said that everyone in WWE is happy for him and none of them are mad for moving to AEW.
“I am so thankful for every aspect of my career, and I’ll be forever thankful for the WWE,” said Copeland. “It was the only place I wanted to work. We reached a place where we’d done all we could do together. And I guarantee you this – they’re not mad. I’m not mad.”
Copeland noted that he received texts from the office, from the travel department, from the talent relations department, from the music department, from the performers, from the big suits, and none of them were mad and everyone was happy for him.
“They’re going to continue to crush it, too. And I have more of an opportunity to help the entire wrestling business in AEW,” he continued.
Copeland listed the likes of Bryan Danielson, Miro, Claudio Castagnoli, Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Adam Page, Chris Jericho, Malakai Black, FTR, The Young Bucks, Darby Allin, Sting, and Eddie Kingston as people who he would love to work with and eventually even wants to wrestle at Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome.
He said that AEW President Tony Khan reached out to him once he became a free agent and expressed interest in working with him and offered him a lucrative offer to make the jump.
Dynamite will celebrate its fourth year anniversary tonight with a live episode from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California.
Headlining the show tonight, much to the surprise of nobody, is the debut of Adam Copeland on Dynamite who will be speaking to the fans for the first time since he left WWE and joined AEW.
Only two matches have been announced for the show so far and these are Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho vs Sammy Guevara and Konosuke Takeshita and Rey Fenix defends his AEW International title against Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks.
Nashville, TN (October 4, 2023): FITE by Triller today announced the addition of 20 classic, must-see-again-and-again, events from IMPACT Wrestling’s first 20-years to FITE+, the best value in streaming sports. The madness kicks off Thursday, October 5th with 4 amazing, complete events released, and follows every Thursday through the end of November with two new events a week.
The first week of the celebration on October 5th will feature two “firsts” with the first-ever NWA/TNA PPV, and Sting’s debut in NWA/TNA Weekly Episode 50. In honor of October being Bound of Glory month, and Bound for Glory 2023 coming to FITE PPV on Oct. 21st, FITE+ will also release Bound For Glory 2016 featuring EC3 vs. Bobby Lashley as well as Brandi and Cody Rhodes making their TNA debut. Fans will also get Kurt Angle’s TNA Impact debut from 2006. Coming next week: A tribute to Sting with two amazing events. The selection of Impact’s greatest was curated by Joel Arkin, Social Media Director, FITE.
All this exciting FITE+ action joins exclusive wrestling action from Major League Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, Wrestling Revolver, and Insane Championship Wrestling as well as archival shows from New Japan Pro Wrestling. The subscription also includes Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship events, other leading boxing, MMA and grappling promotions, and in select regions, AFC Champions League soccer. The subscription gives you unlimited on-demand access to the entire FITE+ library with over 4000 hours from more than 100 organizations from around the world.
PWInsider.com is reporting that Jade Cargill is expected to land on Monday Night Raw moving forward and be part of the red brand.
Cargill is keeping herself busy, starting her second week at the WWE Performance Center where she is undergoing further training, learning things the “WWE way.”
PWInsider also adds that she will also soon be making her WWE television debut, with sources believe it will come before the end of this month.
WWE has made a big deal out of her signing and commentators have put over Cargill big time, calling her a “game changer.” She is the second star from AEW to move to WWE following Cody Rhodes.
A few days ago she posted a tweet asking fans who they want to be her first “victim” and added the hashtag #WWERaw.
AEW has uploaded a video of Adam Copeland high-fiving everyone at ringside following his arrival at WrestleDream.
At one point, Copeland went through the crowd and walked around the arena acknowledging the thousands of fans and took selfies. The Rated-R Superstar was clearly having the time of his life and looked really happy to be there.
As he walked to the back, his over-excited friends Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood stood in the entrance way and embraced Copeland before he disappeared backstage.
Speaking of Adam Copeland, his wife Beth Phoenix has been confirmed as the one who says “You think you know him” in the remixed part of his Metalingus theme song.
