March 9th, 2022
Fort Myers, 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
Chris Jericho begins the show with his thoughts on Eddie Kingston after his loss to him on Sunday at Revolution. Jericho looks young and sympathetic for once tonight.. I don’t know what he did differently. But yeah, he says he wants Eddie to come out so he can shake his hand because he respects the hell out of him for giving him one of the best matches of entire his career. Eddie comes out and says before they say anything, he wants it to be clear that he didn’t go into the match Sunday with anyone in mind, but the 4 people he met at Fan Fest the day before that said his players tribune interview saved their life. King said he didn’t want to shake Jericho’s hand on Sunday for him, he put his hand out for Jericho because he knows there’s something missing in there that caused him not to shake his hand. Jericho says he really just wants to thank and show respect to Eddie so they shake hands. 2.0 & Daniel Garcia run down and attack them both, but mainly Eddie. Santana & Ortiz run down for the save and JERICHO TURNS ON THEM AND BEAT THEM WITH A BAT. Some stuff shots in there too. This kinda fucking rules. Jake Hager is out next, he teases dissension with Jericho only to plow over Santana & Ortiz and maintain his alignment with Jericho. Hager power bombs Kingston off the apron through a table and it is NASTY. Hager, Jericho, 2.0 & Garcia do the Inner Circle middle finger pose. This angle fucking ruled and of course Jericho gives this new group a corny ass name.. “the Jericho appreciation society” … ima just pretend that part didn’t happen because otherwise this was awesome. Just call it Inner Circle 2.0 or something, dammit.
A video package airs on CM Punk’s victory over MJF at Revolution. Punk says if people thought they wanted the old Punk back, they should think again.
1) “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. Dante Martin - AEW World Championship Match
God damn son. This rocked. Dante never really had a chance, but seeing him pull out the flippy side of Hanger for this sprint was such a blast. The finishing stretch that led to the buckshot lariat was fucking sick. Hangman retains off of it.
Match rating - ***
After the match, Hangman Page calls Dante Martin back to the ring. He puts him over for overcoming his brother being injured last year and making it to this title match. Hanger says he’d love to do it again one day. They shake hands in a cool ass moment and are soon interrupted by Adam Cole. Cole clowns on them for their heartwarming moment and says he proved on Sunday that Page wasn’t untouchable. He took Page to his limit and his win was a fluke, and next time, he will be the one coming out on top. But next week, he challenges Page to a trios match with The Young Bucks and any partners of Page’s choosing.
2) Bryan Danielson & Jon Moxley (w/ William Regal) vs. JD Drake & Anthony Henry
Talk about making the most of your time.. this was great stuff. It seems Regal has definitely gotten Mox & Danielson on the same page. Drake & Henry are the perfect opponents for Mox & Danielson cause they can lay it in almost as hard. This was truly a slugfest from start to finish. Danielson & Mox get the victory after a paradigm shift on the floor and Danielson kicking Drake’s head in and locking him in the lebell lock.
Match rating - ***
After the match, William Regal cuts a promo on how he met Danielson and Moxley and what brought this new unit together. It drags a little bit in the middle, but all in all got the point across. Regal says Danielson & Mox are the perfect team and anyone who faces them won’t like the outcome. It’s either step up or get stepped on.
Backstage, The Dark Order is here. They’re asked what their relationship with Hangman is after Revolution. Hangman walks up and apologizes for shoving Silver. They forgive him quickly and ask who he wants to team with him next week. Page immediately gets weird and admits he already agreed to have Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus as his partners and awkwardly walks off. Anna Jay’s facial expressions were my favorite part of this.
3) PAC (w/ Penta Oscuro & Alex Abrahantes) vs. Wheeler Yuta (w/ Orange Cassidy & Danhausen)
I would have loved to see this go longer, but I understand why it didn’t. They still put on a good little match with the time they have. It made me want to see them lock up in the future again even more. These are two guys I’d watch wrestle any night of the week so it was really a breeze to get through. PAC hits a huge superplex and is soon on his way to the three count.
Match rating - **1/2
Backstage, Adam Cole is with ReDragon and The Young Bucks. He teases announcing the Bucks as his partners for next week and they decline because if it has anything to do with Hangman, they’re out. Cole pretends he wasn’t gonna pick them and says his partners next week will be ReDragon. I’m so bored of these segments.
Back from commercial, FTR & Tully Blanchard are here. Dax wants to call out ReDragon & The Bucks, but Tully interrupts. He says they need to focus on championships and not family. CASH TELLS TULLY HES FIRED WHAT THE FUCK. So random and in such a.. passive segment.
In the ring, Matt Hardy & Private Party are meeting with Andrade, Butcher, & Blade. They are trying to come to terms on how to mend the AHFO. Private Party votes for Hardy to stay in initially only to turn on him. They all team up and beat down Hardy. Cue Darby Allin & Sting. The numbers are still too much and HERE COMES JEFF HARDY. Perfect debut for him and it makes me so happy seeing him here. So fucking cool seeing him in the same ring as Darby as well. GIVE ME THAT MATCH NOW. Jeff hugs his brother Matt after cleaning house. JEFF HARDY IS IN AEW.
Backstage, Shane “Swerve” Strickland is here. He looks like a million bucks as usual and looks like a billion bucks when the most average human being of all time Tony Nese approaches. Nese challenges Swerve to a match on Friday. Swerve accepts and says he will beat his ass like he used to on Friday nights. Hell yeah. Should be a fun match.
Tony Schiavone introduces Wardlow when we return from commercial. THE FACE OF THE REVOLUTION IS HERE. He cuts a fantastic promo on why he chose to turn on MJF. He says he may be under contract to MJF, but he doesn’t give a damn. He’s out of the Pinnacle and he’s done watching MJF’s back. Wardlow doesn’t just want the TNT Title, after years of giving, HE WANTS IT ALL. ALL ELITE WRESTLING IS NOW WARDLOW’S WORLD. Hard as fuck.
Backstage, Keith Lee and QT Marshall have a segment about a common enemy in Team Taz. QT says the Factory has Keith’s back and Keith says his back is big enough without them and he’s good LMAO.
4) Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus (c) vs. The Acclaimed - AEW World Tag Team Title Match
Yo this was a hoot. I truly didn’t expect The Acclaimed to get much here, nor did I expect to bite on the near falls if they did get much. Well, turns out they got a good bit AND they made me bite on the nearfalls. JB gets isolated and Luchasaurus gets the hot tag. Things break down and we get some fun ass spots in the final stretch which made for some great nearfalls. Jurassic Express retains.
Match rating - ***
In a pre-tape, the TBS Champion Jade Cargill asks who’s next? Who’s next to take the kiss of death on tHAT BITCH SHOW?
5) Thunder Rosa vs. Leyla Hirsch - #1 Contender’s Match for the AEW Women’s Title
Rosa is so over. I love her. These two have a good little match here. I think we all knew the result before it even got going which may have taken away from it a little bit, but these two being two of the most solid in ring workers in the women’s division really was put on display here. Rosa gets the win with the Fire Thunder Driver.
Match rating - **1/2
After the match, Tony Schiavone announces that Thunder Rosa’s title match in her hometown against Britt Baker next week will be IN A STEEL CAGE. It’s also on the anniversary of her lights out match with Britt. ST PATRICKS DAY SLAM. BRITT/ROSA III. STEEL CAGE. WOMENS TITLE. LETS GO.
Also next week - Wardlow gets his TNT title shot. And on Rampage this week, Keith Lee vs QT Marshall, Swerve Strickland vs. Tony Nese, and Jamie Hayter vs. Mercedes Martinez.
Backstage, Britt Baker is with Rebel & Jamie Hayter. This trio is literally the best. She cuts an awesome promo as always highlighting how it’s fucked that Rosa is getting another title shot so soon and how unfair the Cage stip is. Vintage heel champion shit. Vintage amazing Britt Baker promo shit.
6) Sammy Guevara (c) vs. Scorpio Sky (w/ Ethan Page & Dan Lambert) - TNT Title Match
These guys are cramped for time and god damned if they somehow didn’t get me sucked in. I have no interest in either guy really. Sammy is just a plunder guy now and so him bringing a table out was funny, but then he eats absolute shit on a 630 attempt through it. Shit was deadass like an explosion. His girlfriend Tay Conti comes down to check on him and is on the verge of tears and keeps yelling at Page, Sky & Lambert. ITS GOOD SHIT. I’ve said it before, but she’s so good at facial expressions and emotion. Back from commercial, Sammy fights through the pain back into the ring. Sky works this really well, talking a ton of shit and tossing Sammy around, fully milking the rib selling of Sammy. He even jaws at Tay saying “you can’t help him” and “I’ll kiss him for you.” Tay goes face to face with Paige Van Zant at one point too which my mark ass popped for. Sky starts stretching Sammy and builds toward his comeback. Place goes nuts for it. Sammy hits the GTH, but Sky rolls to the ropes so Sammy goes for the shooting star, but SKY PUTS UP THE KNEES. Oh man. After some interference and Paige jumping the railing and beating Tay’s ass, Scorpio Sky pins Sammy Guevara to become the new TNT Champion. I enjoyed this more than I ever anticipated to. Great dumb dramatic TV main event.
Match rating - ***1/4
After the match, Paige signs her AEW contract on Tay and she celebrates with Scorpio, Page, & Lambert. Scorpio has his first title defense next week against Wardlow! What a night. This was really the perfect rebound show coming off a hot ass PPV.
No comments:
Post a Comment