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Mercedes Mone (c) defeated Thekla to retain the AEW Women’s World Title
This was a match that was possibly floated as the main event for this show and, judging by what we got in the main event match, I wouldn’t have been mad at it. I liked this match, but I wouldn’t say I loved this match.
I thought the chemistry between these two wasn’t as consistent as I thought it was going to be. It was a great fight, but I thought it lagged in some areas. I think the small stature of Thekla may have been a factor in this match. I am so used to seeing Mercedes fight bigger opponents and get tossed around and fight back from behind. They just didn’t have the same chemistry as Mercedes and Athena have with both being of smaller stature. It started slow and never really got out of first gear.
This match for me was one of those “I wonder if they like each other and that is impacting this match.” It just seemed like there was something “off” about this match that I was really looking forward to seeing. I thought the best part of this match was Thekla’s entrance. I think Thekla’s dancing and no-selling after the match spoke volumes as well.
I would like to see this match one more time though to see if they can work out the kinks from this one. Right now, these are the two biggest stars you have in the women’s division, so I hope this isn’t a one off.
Where do we go from here?… For Mercedes, I’d like to see her start a longer program with someone. I’d like for AEW to build up another rivalry for Mercedes like they did with her and Willow Nightingale. I imagine that Mercedes is going to hold this title for a while, so I’d like to see more long-term storytelling with Mercedes. I think Thekla can be that, but it just seems like something is off between these two.
Thekla is too good to be off TV every week, so I’d like to see her continue this rivalry with Mercedes or go for another title, and I think teaming her up with someone else to go for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles would be a good idea. I haven’t been blown away by what the Brawling Birds have been doing. They got their Wembley moment, but they are not must-see TV for me like Thekla is.
Nick Wayne defeated Chris Jericho
I enjoyed this match way more than I thought I was going to. Nick Wayne is slowly – and I mean slowly – growing on me. I still think his heel tendencies are more cartoonish than menacing, and his Zoolander face when he comes out during his entrance is too over-the-top for me. Sometimes he gives me Sammy Guevara vibes, and you never want to give Sammy Guevara vibes. I also thought Nick Wayne’s entrance was a little clunky production-wise, and I think he may have missed a cue on his pyro. Nick Wayne also debuted new entrance music, and I really wish AEW would stop with the generic rap music entrance music.
At this point with Chris Jericho, you know what type of match you are going to get, and sometimes that’s not a bad thing. I thought it worked here. He has to stop doing that shrug of the shoulders move he does before he jumps off the top rope to the outside (We get it, you’re old and shouldn’t be doing this). I was just happy that he didn’t go blind when Nick Wayne spit that water in his eyes or, as Tony Schiavone said, “That could have been diluted alcohol.” I belly laughed on my couch when he said that. Just a totally ridiculous thing to say.
I enjoyed this match, but I didn’t think there was a great flow to it. I’m sure it had to do with the age difference in the match. Nick Wayne has to slow himself down in these matches with Jericho, and sometimes it looks like they are just going from planned spot to planned spot. I did love the ending, though, with Jericho wearing the cup and using his veteran savvy to stop the young heel. Overall, an enjoyable match, but I don’t need to see it again.
Where do we go from here? AEW can’t do that thing they do where they feature a guy heavily for a few weeks and then they disappear. Nick Wayne has been on TV a lot over the past month, and it’s time to keep getting him reps now. You can tell that he is starting to find himself and find a character, but that character needs work. It would be a disservice to him to not continue to feature him. I’d hate to see him put on the backburner now, but Jericho continues to get featured TV time. I’m good with not seeing Jericho until the new year now.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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The Young Bucks (c) defeated Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship
This was easily the match of the night like I thought it would be, and I think we should really enjoy these types of Bucks matches because we aren’t going to be getting these for years to come. I hope Tony Khan took notice of the “Kyle Fletcher” chants from the crowd. This was not a great crowd, in my opinion, and I thought they sat on their hands a lot during this PPV, but they made sure they showed their love for Kyle Fletcher.
These four guys put on a hell of a match, and they really got me with the brainbuster Kyle Fletcher hit after Kevin Knight hit the double Coast-to-Coast on the Young Bucks, I was like, “Oh! Damn, they are going to switch the titles here.”
It also continues to amaze me how high Kevin Knight gets in the air. His UFO splash at the end of the match where he basically went across the entire ring and swung his body 180 degrees was insane. He also had a beautiful dropkick in this match, and I don’t think I’ve seen someone get the amount of height he gets on these dropkicks.
The Bucks continue to put on Match of the Night candidates every time they are on the card. It’s amazing that they can keep doing this with the number of miles they already have on them. I know we will probably never get it, but I would love to see a Nick Jackson solo run before it is all said and done.
Where do we go from here? How much longer is Kyle Fletcher going to be involved in these mini feuds with other Don Callis Family members? I am just waiting for the eventual Ospreay vs. Fletcher match that we may not be getting for a while based on the results of the main event of this PPV.
I am ready for the Bucks to square off with New Level. Just give it to me already.
Persephone (c) defeated Queen Aminata, Dani Luna, and Hyan to retain the TBS Title
I enjoyed this match, and it was the best women’s match on the card in a huge upset. The crowd did this match no favors. Queen Aminata always shows up and puts on a good performance when she is given time. I will also give credit to Dr. Britt Baker for taking on the role of sidekick to Persephone. I’m sure this is leading to an eventual turn, but credit to her for working her way back into the fold and showing she can work this type of role. I’d like to see her get an eventual run again with some meaning.
Dani Luna is also another great English brawler that AEW has added to their roster.
Persephone was impressive as she usually is, and I enjoy watching her on this stage. She will be a great match for Mercedes Mone down the line, I think, and as I previously mentioned, I’d love to see them do another long-term story with Mercedes, and a rivalry with Persephone eventually could be very intriguing.
Where do we go from here? I would like to see Queen Aminata get another shot at another meaningful run in AEW. She always impresses me when she is in the ring, and she has a great look. I wouldn’t mind seeing Persephone drop the belt to a turning Britt Baker and have her move on to bigger things like a rivalry with Mercedes Mone.
Andrade (c) defeated Tommaso Ciampa to retain the AEW National Championship
I hated this match. The wrestling was great, but I am tired of Tommaso Ciampa allowing himself to look like a fool in these matches. There is always room for comedy in wrestling, but not in a title match. He did this in the Jericho feud, and now he is continuing to do this dumb shit in this feud with Andrade El Idolo.
Ciampa wrestling a pair of pants and going for a cover on them is absurd and stupid. The pants kicking out at a two count was also eye-roll-inducing and totally took me out of the match. It infuriated me.
To me, the Tommaso Ciampa character is a joke at this point. I’m supposed to take this guy seriously when he’s trying to pin a pair of pants in a title match. Get out of my face with this. He loses every big match and will now wrestle a pair of pants, and he can’t even get a three count on the pants. He doesn’t deserve a title. Aubrey Edwards counting the pin was ridiculous, as well. I am not sure what the Tommaso Ciampa character even is at this point. There has been a lot of damage done to this character.
Where do we go from here? Honestly, who knows with Ciampa. Get back to me when he’s not making a mockery of himself. As far as Andrade, it’s time to cash in your AEW World Title contract opportunity. The longer he hangs onto it, the weaker he looks, in my opinion. He should want to get his hands on that World Title as soon as possible.
“Hangman” Adam Page & Brodido defeated Swerve Strickland & New Level (c) to win the AEW Trios Titles
I don’t think the live crowd realized that this was a two-out-of-three falls match because after the New Level got the first pinfall, a big portion of the audience looked around stunned, like they thought the match was over after about 7 minutes. I also don’t think this match needed to be a two-out-of-three falls match. I feel like it took away some of the momentum that the match could have had.
I have not been overly impressed with the New Level thus far in AEW, and this match didn’t do much to turn that opinion. They are just “alright” in my opinion. There is nothing really special about them. I think the pairing with Swerve was a way to heat them up quickly, but I don’t know; it’s just “alright.” I wouldn’t be mad if Swerve broke away from New Level now.
On the other hand, I will never get tired of watching Swerve and Hangman beat the hell out of each other. I love that every time these two see each other in the ring, it is immediately hands being thrown. It is a rivalry that I hope is never settled.
I am a fan of Hangman and Brodido retaking the titles here, because honestly, what else is Hangman going to do at this point? This is why I hate the fact he can’t wrestle for the World Title anymore. He has to live in these trios rivalries because of it.
I was not a fan of Swerve taking the pin to lose the titles, but I was a fan of Swerve dropping the title at Hangman’s feet after the match. The hate these two have for each other is unmatched.
Where do we go from here? It’s time for New Level to set their sights on The Young Bucks. I think you just need to get this match on the books sooner rather than later. I’m not sure how much longer the New Level is going to be an attraction for AEW. I thought there was a good reason WWE let them go, and it’s starting to show in AEW, I think.
As far as Swerve goes, by the looks of the end of this match, I guess we are going back to Swerve and Hangman. I will never be mad at that.
Jon Moxley (c) defeated Mark Davis to retain the AEW Continental Title
This match was 10 minutes too long and was way too self-indulgent. Moxley was gushing blood early in this match, and honestly, I was getting borderline concerned with the amount of blood he was losing. There was one shot of the bottom rope after Moxley’s head hit it, and it was literally dripping blood.
These two guys had an absolute battle in the ring, and Mark Davis is a legitimate terrifying and imposing force, but I just felt like for what they were trying to do, it just went too long, and you could tell the crowd was drained by the end. I was drained myself.
I loved the ladder of emotions that Moxley went through during this match, and it was evident that he was still reeling from the devastating loss of Pac. They actually got me at one point, and I thought Moxley was going to quit at one point in the match. He did a really good job at tugging at my emotions.
Mark Davis doesn’t get enough credit, and he plays his role of an intimidating monster really well. His piledriver to Moxley on the apron was a great spot, and even though Moxley’s head was nowhere near the ring apron, it still came off as scary and impactful.
Moxley coming back and eventually choking out Mark Davis for the win was a great finish, but man did this match go on and on.
I thought Nigel McGuinness had a great line at the end of this match when he said “Sometimes you lead, and sometimes you are led” in reference to the Death Riders propping Mox up after the match.
Where do we go from here? If there is one thing I know about Jon Moxley, I know this… he will be on Dynamite on Wednesday, and he will be in a match defending the Continental Title again. He takes no days off. I really wish he would take that vacation that he talked about before CM Punk cancelled those plans.
Main Event – Clockwork Carnage
Will Ospreay (c) defeated Adam Copeland, Darby Allin, Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Ricochet, and Samoa Joe to retain the AEW World Heavyweight Championship
From what I’ve been reading so far, it seems like I liked this more than the average AEW fan. I will never dump on a wrestling promotion for trying something different as long as what they are trying is not absurdly dumb. I think the bones are here for a good idea, but debuting this on the main event of a PPV maybe wasn’t the best idea.
One of the biggest laughs I had in wrestling so far this year was the 10-minute stretch in this match where all of a sudden finishers in AEW led to an immediate pin for multiple wrestlers. I mean, you have got to be kidding me with that. I have seen this promotion allow matches where guys are kicking out of finishers four or five times, and now all of a sudden, a single coffin drop by Darby Allin leads to a 1, 2, 3 count… sure.
With all that said, though, I thought this was overall fun, and I think I enjoyed it more than most and more than the live crowd (Seriously, what was up with that crowd?). I also got a good laugh at the thought of Samoa Joe being like, “Sure, I’ll be in this match, but I’m coming in last.”
I was not a fan of Will Ospreay tapping out in this match at all. I don’t think your World Champion should be tapping out in this type of match, and I think he now needs to face Samoa Joe sooner than later to get a win over him to make up for that tap. I really hated that tap. If you had asked me what the ending of this match was going to be, I would have guessed the ending of this match exactly how it played out. I wish they would have gone with a less obvious ending other than Ospreay getting a win with no time to spare. I mean, what are the odds of that?
I am not sure where I land with Adam Copeland going on a retirement tour to try to win the World Title. I am a fan of Adam Copeland, but he can be very long-winded in his promos and can really be too corny for my liking. I worry that an extended run at the title will really get old with him. Oscar nominations are coming up soon, and he may try to go for one.
We have also seen the veteran on his last run going for the World Title so much over the last few years. I do not think that he should win the World Title. Taking the belt off Will Ospreay would be such a mistake; I can’t even express it enough. You still have a line of heels for Ospreay to go through, and I am a fan of longer title runs. I’m sorry, Adam, but you don’t need the World Title, and if you take it, you are only feeding into your own ego.
Where do we go from here? I would have Samoa Joe walk out on Dynamite Wednesday and challenge Ospreay for the World Title. He choked out the World Champion on PPV. If that doesn’t deserve a title match, then I don’t know what does. Also, Ospreay should be chomping at the bit to get his revenge over Joe. We will eventually get to a Will Ospreay vs. Adam Copeland match, but I think Copeland should put up a valiant effort and lose. We do not need an Adam Copeland title reign. Copeland’s final match should be against Christian or Kenny Omega in Toronto.
