SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
INTRO
It’s Grand Slam Australia week and that card is looking mighty good for Saturday night. Tonight’s card isn’t too shabby itself with a big women’s AEW World Title match that should main event the show and a Tomasso Ciampa, in his first Dynamite match, defense of his TNT Title against Kyle Fletcher. Settle in and let’s enjoy some great wrestling.
Shock and Awe
Latest Developments
In a couple of dual shocks, Andrade picked up the win over Kenny Omega, albeit with the help of a low blow and Brody King squashed MJF in just over a minute to earn a title match at Grand Slam Australia.
Analysis
The title contender festivities technically began with “Hangman” Adam Page defeating Mark Davis. The match was fine but only existed so that Hangman could beat someone en route to Grand Slam Australia. The real action started with Kenny Omega and Andrade El Idolo. These two had a very good match.
Kenny is really back in classic form and Andrade is having quite the run, putting bangers like Steph Curry puts up 3-point shots.
Late in the match Don Callis panicked and passed his trademark screwdriver to Andrade. That’s when Swerve, trying to prevent a repeat of what happened to him, intervened and took the weapon from Andrade.
Unfortunately, in the ensuing commotion, Andrade caught Kenny with a low blow and the DM for the win. Andrade going over was certainly a surprise, though I do appreciate Tony Khan going all in with his push since his return. His modern-day Rick Rude ladies man persona is working for him.
The match between him and Hangman in Australia should be excellent and there’s some intrigue given the upsets that Andrade has scored thus far. As a spin-off of this it also looks like a Swerve Strickland-Kenny Omega match is being set up which is a nice placeholder for both men as they wait for another opportunity at a title shot.
The night concluded with the biggest surprise yet. Brody King squared off with MJF. As soon as the bell rang, Hangman’s music hit and MJF stepped out the ring to jaw with him. Brody wasted no time snatching up a distracted MJF up into his patented hanging sleeper hold. MJF passed out quickly. Brody dropped him, tossed him back into the ring, hit a cannonball and a Gonzo bomb, and pinned him all in 1:07.
This was tremendous. I don’t think a single member of the crowd felt like they got robbed of a match. There’s been much conversation about the speed with which MJF lost consciousness. Perhaps Brody should’ve held onto the sleeper for a few extra seconds, but that hanging sleeper has been established as a lethal hold.
Brody squashing MJF so emphatically made him look like a world beater and now there’s some intrigue in the title match on Saturday, moreso than if Brody had won a 15 minute back-and-forth match. While it’s still unlikely that MJF loses the title, there does need to be a off-ramp for Brody – especially with the momentum he generated from all the exposure following the loud and proud “F— ICE” chants that rang out before the MJF match.
Whether it’s Buddy Matthews returning and costing him the title or something else, Brody needs something strong to sink his teeth into and big match for Revolution in his hometown of Los Angeles.
Grade: B+
Strap Match Incoming
Latest Developments
Kris Statlander granted Thekla a rematch and then made it a strap match under contrived circumstances.
Analysis
Statlander announced that she was granting Thekla a rematch as part of a previously unknown agreement between the two that Thekla wouldn’t get involved in the Women’s Tag Team Title match. She then promised to reveal the stipulation on Collision.
When it came time for that segment on Saturday, Renee Paquette called Stat to the ring only for The Triangle of Madness to interrupt. Julia Hart and Skye Blue held Stat down while Thekla whipped her viciously with a belt. As the Triangle of Madness was leaving the ring, Stat got on the mic and made it a strap match. Later in the night, Thekla had a squash match which she won quickly and then proceeded to whip her opponent for good measure.
I’m good with a strap match. My issue is how they got there. It would’ve been less contrived if Statlander hadn’t mentioned announcing a stipulation at all. Thekla could’ve had her squash and whipped her opponent, which then prompted Stat to run out for the save only for to get whipped herself. At that point she could have made it a strap match. Yes, it’s quick, but it’s less convenient than how it was actually executed.
All of that said, I expect these two to deliver a very good strap match even if it’s not up to high bar set by Bryan Danielson and Ricky Starks a couple years ago.
Grade: C+
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Takeshita Last Stand?
Latest Developments
Konosuke Takeshita is set to challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW Continental Championship at Grand Slam Australia.
Analysis
Last week, Takeshita and Mox were on opposite sides of a trios match that saw Takeshita and the Don Callis Family pick up the win over the Death Riders by pinning Daniel Garcia.
Mox has made it clear he wants his win back from Takeshita. I expect these two to have an excellent match. I also expect that ÿ wins and retains his title. That loss should be the catalyst for Takeshita breaking from the DCF.
I could see Callis going full Bobby Heenan at WrestleMania VI and slapping Takeshita. That will be enough for Takeshita to go after Callis at which point the rest of the Family intervenes and turns on Takeshita until Kyle Fletcher comes out and, like Brutus in Julius Caesar, plunges a metaphorical knife into Takeshita’s back and sides with the Family. This needs to happen because this storyline is begging for progression.
Grade: N/A
Random Questions
– Did Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors go too far?
Early in the show, footage was aired of Gabe Kidd and Clask Connors assaulting and kidnapping Darby Allin by stuffing him in the trunk of a car. Later in the night, Excalibur noted there was a commotion in the back and then the cameraman found Kidd and Connors hijacking the production truck and forcing the producer to play a video hand filmed by Kidd.
In the video, Kidd and Connors were in the middle of the Nevada desert with body bag now attached to their car. Inside the body bag was revealed to be a bound and gagged Darby. Connors cut the line attaching the body bag car to the car with a machete and the two men drove off, abandoning Darby.
If you’ve been following PWTorch in the last week, you know how critical Wade Keller was of this, how much he thought this was out of bounds. I disagree with that opinion. We all saw Darby drag Gabe Kidd out of the ECW Arena in Philly in a body bag, so this feels like Kidd getting even to a degree.
I also appreciate that while the initial attack was not well set-up, the reveal later in the show were forced by Kidd and Connors and that the desert recording was done on Kiddos phone. It was nice attention to detail.
My issue is that the commentators failed to sell the severity of what they had seen and that there is likely not going to be any punishment levied – which was a point Keller emphasized that I agree with. Since neither Kidd nor Connors are under AEW contract I could understand them not being suspended; however, a substantial fine could be levied against them. Based on previous precedents though, that’s unlikely to happen.
If AEW wants to continue doing these heightened angles, they have to start doling out some consequences to the responsible parties.
– What’s up with the Brawling Birds?
Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor as team makes absolute sense. The Brawling Birds name leaves a lot to be desired, though. That said I think it’s important to point out that there’s something behind that name. “Birds” is British slang for women. It would’ve been nice if that had been explained without a Google search, but there is method to the madness.
– Are Copeland and Christian returning?
There is a three-way match for a shot at the AEW Men’s Tag Titles on tonight’s show. The participants: The Rascalz, The Young Bucks, and a mystery wild card team. I’m not sure what team it could he if not Copeland and Christian. Setting up a mystery like this feels like there needs to be a satisfying pay off. I can’t think of another team that would be as satisfying. Sure, they seemed to setup a FTR vs. Young Bucks match, but I think that could be a misdirection.
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