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let-me-love-you-loki · 4 years

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An Ending Within-Ch. 14

Chapter 14

“Whips,” I said sitting on the top turnbuckle at Black and Brave. In the nearly three years I’d been with the school, my training routine had fallen into a comfortable pattern. The women trained with the men most of the time to learn the fundamentals. But a couple nights a week, they spent their time with me. Learning how to apply the fundamentals as a woman.

“Start in the middle of the ring. Whip your partner to the rope, spring off, wrist and pivot, exchange. Do it again.” I counted them off in pairs and called out the moves. One by one, the pairs went through the steps, sending their partner running into the ropes. The ring shook as they bounced off them and ran back to the center.

Over and over, one after another, they did it until they could execute the motion perfectly. When they’d mastered it, I hopped down from the turnbuckle and tested my leg. A glance at the clock let me know the class was almost over. I had twenty minutes before I had to close the building and pick up Sefina from Seth’s mom.

“Alright,” I said, rubbing my hands together. “One of the best counters to the Irish Whip into the ropes is to lock your arms around the top rope. Do it wrong and you will get hurt. Jackie, help me demo.”

A tall woman with strawberry blond hair and wide black eyes stepped forward. She had a few inches on me, but she was so nervous that she often forgot to use her height to her advantage. She wiped her hands on the side of her leggings as she got close.

“We’re going to do the whole sequence. You lead.”

Before she could reach for me, I heard the door swinging open. I held up my hands and dropped down, sliding beneath the bottom rope and landing on my feet. My phone was on a chair on the far side of the practice ring. Marek was already gone.

“Llane? Where are ya’, lass?��

I grinned and practically sprinted across the room. “Becks!”

Becky Lynch walked in the front door of Black and Brave with a grin on her face. She grabbed me up in a hug that rocked back and forth. I was crushed with the weight of how much I’d missed her.

“How’ve ya been, girl,” she asked, holding me by the shoulders. She laughed. “Other than lookin’ pretty for Jericho?”

I laughed in return and took her by the hand, pulling her toward the ring. A few of the women stood in awed silence as the two of us rolled beneath the bottom rope. Becky was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with high top sneakers and her red hair hanging free over her shoulder.

“We were just working on whip counters.”

Becky made a face and leaned into the corner. “Well, ladies, you’re learnin’ from tha best. Llane’s got a great counter.”

A thought. An idea. A desperately fun, slightly reckless idea.

I grinned. “Let’s show them, Becks.”

The redhead laughed and dropped into a quick succession of squats. She rocked her neck side to side and back and forth. Rolled her shoulders. Did a twist or two.

“Alrigh’, but remember you asked for it,” she teased.

The women around me crowded out onto the apron. Becky and I ran the ropes, moving quickly from one side of the ring to the other, bouncing off the ropes to propel us back across.

“Take it easy,” I said playfully. “You aren’t stretched.”

She looked out at the women on the apron and winked. “Already askin’ for a break.”

I cocked my head and jutted out my chin. We fell into a rhythm we’d known when we were in the ring together. For a moment, we faced each other across the ring. As one, we ran toward the center. I grabbed Becky by the wrist and planted my feet, pivoting on my inner leg to push her past me into the ropes. She bounced against them and pelted toward me. I softened my knees, automatically expecting her to throw her shoulder tackle.

Instead, she snatched me smoothly by the elbow and tugged me past her. She twisted her hips and shoved me toward the ropes. I turned and took the impact on my shoulders. My arms hooked back around the top and I pushed off from the canvas. Momentum carried my legs up and my core strength brought them the rest of the way over my head. An instant later, my feet were on the apron and already moving toward the turnbuckle. I had climbed to the second one before reality caught up with me.

Becky leaned against the ropes on the other side of the ring, a bright smile on her face. She nodded in approval.

Rushing white noise. The thump of my pulse in my ears. Vertigo swayed me.

Before I could blink, I was somewhere else. Back in that December night in an arena packed with screaming people. I saw the ladder rising up in front of me, the red and white of my title hanging just out of reach. I felt the hand around my ankle, the yank that set me off balance. The world swam in slow motion as I fell, my chin hitting the rung, twisting my neck unnaturally. A heavy, burning pain shot down my spine. And then… nothing.

It was over as quickly as it began. My fingers were wrapped around the turnbuckle pad so tightly that my knuckles were white. The skin stretched tight until I worried that the bones would split through the flesh. The air caught in my lungs, and I was suddenly reminded of the panic of being unable to control my own breath.

“Llane?” Becky said quickly, her tone serious and sharp. The ring rumbled as she raced over. “Sophie?”

I froze. Panic. Terror. A dizzying numbness.

“Alrigh’ ladies,” my friend called over her shoulder. “Class dismissed. Go!”

Becky stayed right in front of me as the women filed from the room. Shame settled in my gut. They paid for training. They should get it.

Once everyone was gone, Becky stepped through the ropes and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Le’ go now, lass,” she cooed. “I’ve got ya.”

My entire body trembled as she guided me down to sit on the apron. We stayed there for a moment before Becky helped me onto the floor.

I fell onto my back, barely keeping my head from cracking against the mats. Becky sat down cross-legged beside me. “Wha’ was tha’, Llane?” Her accent got thicker in the midst of her worry.

It took me a few moments to catch my breath. Air seared down my throat and into my lungs. The ache was almost enough to shove the oxygen back out again. No matter how hard I tried, I could still see the mat rushing up toward me. I could feel the crack as my chin hit the rung.

“I was back there,” I replied quietly. Every moment since that day replayed in my head at lightning speed. I relived every injury, every scare, every moment when I wasn’t sure if I was going to walk again. “I was back in that ring that night.”

Becky propped her chin on her knees. “There’s talk of her comin’ back,” she said slowly.

My eyes seared as if acid had been poured into them. All the fines in the world, all the medical bills paid for… none of it made up for the months of my life that had been ripped away from me. It wouldn’t soothe the terror I’d lived with in those days when I wondered if I’d ever walk or if Seth would be willing to stay.

“Of course. She’s licked her wounds from a loss like she always did. Now, they’re desperate to make up for the star power they’ve run off,” I spat. I thought of everyone who had walked away from WWE since Jon had gotten himself free. First Jericho, then Jon and me. Luke Harper, now going by Brodie Lee, and Gallows and Anderson had followed not long after. “Vince is hemorrhaging talent. Of course he’s going to throw his money at lady Lesnar.”

Becky snorted. “The locker room is rioting. Everybody. All three brands. People are threatening to walk if she shows up.”

“Don’t you dare, Becks,” I said, forcing myself to sit up. “You know how Vince is. He’s still being petty about the four of us who went to AEW. Don’t give him an excuse to go after you.”

“Easier said than done, lass. Seth and Roman are on a mission. They’ve whipped up everyone.” She grinned lopsidedly. “And, of course, I’ve been runnin’ the girls myself.”

The tears that beaded on my lashes this time weren’t from pain or fear. They were from gratitude. Becky was steadfast in her devotion and her friendship. Even though I’d walked away from WWE, Becky Lynch had refused to turn against me. In my absence, she’d done everything to prove her loyalty and her care.

“We’re not going to tell Seth about this,” I whispered. “Not right away. I’m going to call my therapist first. See if I can get in to talk to her. Maybe it’s stress.”

“My lips are sealed, Llane. But don’t wait too long.” Becky grinned sympathetically. “You know he gets.”

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#an ending within #hounds of justice sequel #sequel to hounds of justice #aew #aew fanfiction #llane black #FKA llane black #leighton black #seth rollins #seth rollins fanfiction #becky lynch #wwe #wwe fanfiction #ofc #oc #real person fanfiction #multi-chapter

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danwhobrowses · 3 years

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AEW Full Gear 2020: Review

Didn’t watch it live but I still have the time to review the next day, after the problems All Out faced Full Gear was definitely something fans were hoping won’t repeat the same mistakes, so it’s time to see if it delivered Spoilers for Full Gear of course

The Buy-In Most of the Buy-In was just the video packages save for a MJF and Kingston Family promo (though props to Alex for interviewing the Lucha Bros in Spanish, that was a nice touch), which I feel was a bad move. The promos were of course fantastic but my qualm was the video packages: the packages are on the countdown show anyway, there could’ve been 2 matches at least and a few segments that could’ve set up the TV feuds considering that it was over an hour. NWA Women’s Championship: Serena Deeb (c) def Allysin Kay (Submission via Serenity Lock) A solid pre-show match, Deeb and Kay are crisp given their veteran history. Kay worked on her height and strength while Deeb worked on her yoga-based flexibility. There was a lot of good chain wrestling as you’d expect from the NWA alums, a shift to an Octopus Stretch, Deeb working the Leg with a Dragon Screw and Kay still managing to muscle out of Deeb’s offence. After a Kay salvaged herself from what looked a bit like an elevated Styles Clash with a leg on the rope, Deeb forced her to tap with a Serenity Lock on the worked leg. While the match was fine the intrigue came after when Thunder Rosa wearing all the tassels she could to make Shawn Michaels blush came to the ring to challenge Deeb for a rematch. With Rosa gesturing the AEW ring it is clear that the AEW/NWA partnership and Thunder Rosa’s time with the Elite is far from over.

Main Card Of course with JR coming to commentary the main card is scheduled to begin. Unfortunately, I had been spoiled some results in advance (no thanks to Youtube or the 2 hour PC update that allowed the youtubers to reveal this while I was waiting to update) but a handful were in line to how I predicted them, so it didn’t fully harm the outcome. Don Callis though came out as well, they’ve hinted at it with Kenny but to actually see Don on commentary was definitely a surprise. AEW World Title Contendership Tournament Final Kenny Omega def. ‘Hangman’ Adam Page (Pinfall via One Winged Angel) Omega came out first the same way he’s done all the tournament, the cleaner dancers and the very long-winded braggadocios introduction. Pyro but no cosplay, Omega oozed confidence as proven by his plate as the leader in most victories in AEW. Page however paced towards the ring with nervous energy with the hilarious plate of ‘Focused Yeehaw Man’, less show but still drive, which really perfectly divulges the styles of both men as wrestlers. A snubbed handshake by Page did lead to back and forth, chops and counters as both men anticipated the stylist moves of the other. Hangman took over the early offence with strong moves, big boots, fallaway slams and a superplex did hint at some potential for the Hangman to gain the advantage. But then Omega with a moonsault from a railing put Kenny in control, Kotaro Crusher at 2 and a belated You Can’t Escape (he slipped after the first part but landed the sault after a pause) for 2 as well, then into the usual repertoire, the tope con hilo, the Back Head Missile Dropkick. Both men almost set up a One Winged Angel but then a V Trigger shut down a Buckshot but got bombed on the ramp after a series of counters, another pop-up bomb at 2 for Hangman. Trading blows, a Rolling Elbow was broken even by a V Trigger and then a Tiger Driver at 2 for Kenny. Back and forth as both escaped Suplexes, both hit Rolling Elbows but Hangman then got the clothesline, he lands the deadeye...but does not get the 3. Buckshot reversed to a crucifix but Hangman sits the pin for another 2, Dragon Screw and V-Trigger on the ropes for Kenny gives him the energy to roar back, ducks the vicious swing of the Buckshot and hits 2 V-Triggers, Hangman tries to fight out of the One Winged Angel but the move hits and that’s 3.

Destiny comes true for Omega, he had to fight for it though. Definitely a physical match, the emotional layer didn’t all reflect on the match but Hangman definitely reels in disappointment afterwards, more isolated, more alone, and set to descend to new lows as Omega returns to the main event picture.

Orange Cassidy def. John ‘4′ Silver (Pinfall via Beach Break) Two cult heroes for AEW, Silver on BTE and Cassidy on Dynamite, fighting as a side story to the TNT title picture, JR gets props for calling Silver a “Human Bowling Ball” as both men enter with their respective faction members. Silver continues to play to OC’s jokes as he protests OC’s pockets, before being annoyed by OC’s counter wrestling - especially screaming ‘It doesn’t hurt!’ to OC’s monstrous kicks. Silver literally depockets OC for monster heat - no seriously he rips the pockets out of OC’s jeans! A lot of bravado follows from Silver’s power moves, throws and kicks to keep the heat going. Silver’s power also impressively suplexes out of OC’s swinging DDT attempt but the crowd chants definitely get to Silver as OC counters Silver’s irish whips with some turnbuckle shots, a crossbody and the swinging DDT, Silver though powers back, a one-handed Gorilla press into the ropes, a back head boot as he sets up the Spin Doctor, but then OC gets the headscissors, Michinoku Driver for 2 as the wrestlers at ringside argue the count of 2 or 3 (Heels and Faces kept either side). Silver rolls up OC trying the Orange Punch, counters again but gets hit with the stunner, counters again and lands the Spin Doctor but it’s another 2! Silver motions to homage Mr. Brodie Lee with a discus but it’s dodged into an Orange Punch and Beach Break for 3. Best Friends come to the ring to give the people what they want, the hug with the rainmaker zoom. A nice fun match, it really gave Silver some props to hang with OC as both characters shone through. I was surprised that Dark Order didn’t try to get involved and no post-match stuff. TNT Championship: Darby Allin def Cody Rhodes (c) (via Pinfall) TITLE CHANGE! Allin rode in with a painted car and a half-painted driver before smashing his skateboard (with ‘The New Face of TNT’ emblazoned on it) into the windscreen. Sporting a veiny style of paint, no words are written on him like previous title matches, it’s all business. Cody (using his surname now) rolls in with his grandiose gates and pyro with Brandi beside him before being flanked by all the remaining members of the Nightmare Family - including Gunn Club and Lee Johnson. He’s also promoting a new shirt. Mike Chioda is announced as the Ref for this, giving a bigger fight feel to this title match.

Cody flaunts his strength advantage early on, knowing full well that Darby has never beaten him, but Darby is defiant to his insulting ‘politeness’ and cockiness - slapping Cody in the back of the head to wake the champion up. Encouraged to ‘muscle around’ Darby by Arn, he almost gets baited into a pin, he leaves the ring but gets suicide dived from his back (after a Ricochet-esque moonsault feint), in retaliation Cody just dumps Darby on back first on the ramp, harming Allin’s left elbow. Cody hones in on that injury with wrist locks and stomps, Darby also selling by being unable to use both his hands to pull the heavier opponent with an irish whip and being unable to lock the arm for a backslide - the latter getting him into another submission. Taunting the injury by exclaiming ‘that arm is trash’, Cody doubles down the arm, using it to ground any of Darby’s counter efforts. But every time Darby refuses, Cody grows more frustrated, an avalanche shoulderbreaker and a cross armbreaker attempt selling that Cody is using things outside of his usual moveset, but the missed moonsault gifts Allin a respite. Yoshi Tonic is Darby’s first signs of a rally but he’s shut down by a superkick, Darby pulls off the middle turnbuckle pad resisting Cody’s Cross Rhodes attempt and Cody is dazed by running into it but a rollup is at 2. Assured that he’s in control by Arn, Cody lands an Avalanche Cross Rhodes but Darby’s arm is under the rope, he counters a backpack sleeper by dropping from the turnbuckle which rolls Darby out the ring - Arn demands Darby stay down but he breaks the count. ‘Stay Down’ barks from Arn and Cody from continual powerslams but Darby refuses, even inviting Cody to continue. Frustrated, Cody brings that small white belt to the ring but is told by Chioda to not use it, dropping it behind him, Darby uses it to sweep Cody into a jacknife pin for 2, counters Disaster Kick with a Last Supper for 2, Flip Stunner and Coffin Drop follow, but also 2! Cody tries a Cross Rhodes but Darby counters with a Sunset Pin, Cody sits on him, 2, Darby rolls him, 2, Cody pulls back, 2, Darby rolls again, 3! Post-match, Cody hands Darby the title on one knee as Allin finally claims his first win over Cody and his main prize. Tazz however walks up to promo against the emotional moment as Cage and Starks blindside both men. However, dissension appear when both Starks and Cage both tussle for holding the TNT title, Tazz grabs it and gestures to Darby, with Cage carrying Darby outside of the ringside, Cody tries to fight back but fails, Darby thrown through a set piece and laid on the car he came in, they attempt to slam the door with Darby’s arm in between but Will Hobbs with a chair chases them down. It was a good title match, good narrative throughout. I think the finish could’ve been a bit more spectacular, Cody does seem to exude a Hogan-esque philosophy to losing at times, this one did feel like he wanted the loss to feel like a fluke. Darby’s win is deserved but the FTW shenanigans did dampen it, I expected Tazz and his crew to show during the match but in post-match it just kinda killed some of the wind in Darby’s sails. Interview Segment The Natural Nightmares - instead of backing up Cody - promo against Butcher, Blade and Bunny, specifically Allie for her using of QT to set up their Dynamite match, Dustin reveals that it’s gonna be a ‘Bunkhouse Match’. Dustin is a great promo but I have no idea what a Bunkhouse Match is, plus this is the segment you would see on the Pre Show. The Dynamite card is also revealed with Penta vs Fénix 2 as previously revealed and new match Conti vs Red Velvet. AEW Women’s Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) def. Nyla Rose w/ Vickie Guerrero (Pinfall via Knee Strike x4) Nyla rolls up with Vickie Bluetista style with a blue and cyan gear which really didn’t suit, Nyla’s gear has always been a mixed Bag The longest running Women’s Champion adds more colour to her Tifa Lockhart gear, her name plate finally on the belt (as detailed on her youtube channel, the name plate is more difficult to put on given its curved shape). Shida and Nyla are ready to go even before the bell as they trade blows, the Champion putting pressure on Rose with knee strikes and dropkicks but noticeably fails on the lift. Shida keeps her advantage of cutting Nyla down and landing the apron knee while Vickie screeches. The chair launch is cut off by a clothesline from Nyla but her attempts to pull a table is refused, giving Shida the chance to land the chair launch and sending her through the rail. Vickie though blindsides Shida’s knee with a kendo stick, giving the Native Beast the advantage she needs. Nyla uses the underneath frame of the ring to wrench Shida’s knee, then the ring post and a chop block to limit Shida’s use of the Tamashii (formerly called the Tamashii no 3 Count). Nyla continues to hone in on the leg, splashes and single leg crabs, even biting the knee to maintain her advantage. Shida rolls out of the senton and muscles a suplex for 2. The Tamashii is blocked by hitting the injured knee but Shida crossbodies, the knee continues to be the focus as Nyla keeps grasping and dropping Shida on it. My favourite Nyla Move, the Beast Knee is smashed into the injured knee for 2 as Nyla uses her weight against Shida’s injury. The champion pump kicks Nyla to the ramp after some turnbuckle shots for a corner dropkick, then a second in the ring at 2. The leg gives out on the Tamashii again so Nyla can powerbomb but foolishly pulls Shida out of the count, adding insult she lands the Tamashii, but only gets 1! A Back body press gives Shida the energy she needs, an Avalanche Falcon Arrow follows but Shida then breaks the pin, she tries the Tamashii but Vickie psyches her out (it was a botch but not a bad one), Vickie tries to kendo Shida while she’s hoisted and Shida just throws Nyla into Vickie. A half-hearted Falcon Arrow hits 2, Tamashii lands but another 2, second Tamashii and 4 Knee Strikes end the match. Being carried out of the ring by Aubrey, Vickie and Nyla are left in the ring as Guerrero screeches venom at Nyla, slapping the former Women’s Champion as she leaves.

In spite of it’s short build it was a good match, the final section was a little sloppy on the vicious vixens’ part but Shida sold her knee wonderfully. Expected Vickie to have more involvement and the post-match seemed to back out on Nyla turning on Vickie but maybe there’s more tale to tell. As a personal preference I hate when wrestlers willingly break their own pin, especially in a title match, it’s just a daft strategy but it was good to see that Shida’s stock has elevated to the point where she didn’t need the DQ stip to win like she did when she won the title, her early dominance would give her extra confidence and extra heat for who I think will be her usurper, Dr. Britt Baker DMD. Next time though, give Shida and her opponent Dynamite feud building. AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks def FTR (c) (Pinfall via Superkick, Matt to Cash) TITLE CHANGE! With Matt previously cleared to compete, the Bucks strolled up in Black, Yellow and Purple to their usual money rain, but the pomp and confidence is limited, Matt noticeably slower up the ropes as he nurses his ankle. The champions roll up in White jumpsuits with Tully - who the Bucks protest on since he’s banned from ringside due to his prior attacks, he does leave on his own accord. A nice touch from FTR are the star colours; red, blue, yellow and gold, aka tag champs in Raw, Smackdown, NXT and AEW. Mind games of ‘Greatest Tag Team of All Time’ as well also there to get into the Bucks’ heads. Matt was confident to show that his ankle was fine by going first, Cash going for the injury but being out-wrestled to his frustration. FTR’s quick tag action is halted by the Bucks rushing them to a stalemate in 2s. Nick and Dax trade some chain wrestling with again the Bucks frustrating them, the Bucks almost seem to be playing FTR at their own game plan, until Nick is punched in the face. Both teams take to the ring leading to the Bucks doing a Rana into a ground pound on the champs before sending them out of the ring with their patented tandem offence. Dax busts open his hand hitting the ring post after Matt dodged, reeling from the ankle attack, the Bucks relish the opening to equialize on Dax’s hand for catharsis. A bit of a miscommunicated spot followed where Matt’s moonsault was ‘dodged’ by Dax not paying attention, and his throwing Matt into the ropes looked ugly as fuck as Matt nurses his ankle and Dax tags out for Doc Sampson to dress his hand. When he returns he quickly goes for vengeance on the ankle in mostly a same manner as Nyla did to Shida prior. Cash jumps for Nick to pull him away from the Hot Tag which grants Dax the opening for a Superplex but Cash gets knees from the follow-up splash. The hot tag again thwarted after Cash hit the railing but Dax throws him in ring to tag in, the two men stand between the brothers as Cash flies over the ring post to the floor and Dax is baited into the DDT, Nick storms into the hot tag, wriggling out of FTR’s grapples with kicks and the dual clothesline/bulldog but is eventually caught by FTR who land the Hart Attack. Nick regains advantage with a Cheeky Nandos Kick when FTR were setting up the Powerplex, blind tags Matt who spears the baited Cash and gets a knee in the face, but it’s only 2. Matt’s involvement leads to the knee giving out on a lift, leading to an Electric Chair bulldog combo from FTR, they go for Goodnight Express but Matt superkicks Cash, then Dax, Cash rolls out of ring leaving Dax alone to the Bucks, 3-D! Twist of Fate! Swanton! 2! Lovely homage to the tag team greats. Superkick Party is called, but Cash sweeps Matt’s ankle and Nick gets a rebound powerbomb, but Matt is legal and get 2 on a sneaky pin. Dax gets overzealous with the Dusty Punches and uses his injured hand, but Matt also gets overzealous and uses his bad ankle, both men use their injured limbs for a punch/superkick trade-off, but Dax beheads Matt with a lariat. Homaging DIY they meet in the middle but only get 2, they try the Spike Piledriver but Nick throws Cash off, a tandem move and a swanton onto the ramp leaves Matt room to use a Sharpshooter on Dax, Dax gets to the rope but Nick superkicks the injured hand before Sharpshooter on Cash, FTR clutch each other’s hands but get pulled away but Matt’s ankle gives out to continue the hold. Matt pulls a finger break on Dax’s injured hand (an awkward spot given the scrutiny Marty Scurll is under right now with the SpeakingOut movement) leading to the BTE Trigger, but Cash cannons himself to break the pin. Matt brings out the chair but it’s not legal, Dax goads Matt to hit him but Nick tells him not to, Matt relents and sets up the Meltzer Driver but Cash grabs Nick for a Powerbomb through a ringside table, a very well done twist by Dax leads to the Spike Piledriver but the leg Cash hooks drops onto the rope. Furious, Cash takes Matt’s shoe off, leglock and stomp leads to an inverted Figure Four and ankle lock, but Nick is rising and Cash sees it! He tries the suicide dive but Nick ducks it, breaks the submission with a 450 but Matt only gets 2. Cash superkicks Nick out of the ring, gesturing Two Sweets to Matt before another superkick, but Cash keeps looking at the top rope, he misses the 450 and Matt hits the unbooted Superkick for 3. Kenny came to congratulate the Bucks afterwards as Hangman hovered by the tunnel - wanting to congratulate his friends but still feeling isolated. This is one where I would’ve benefitted not being spoiled, but thumbnails are a bitch. With the narrative that Bucks needed to win to keep on competing and were already at a disadvantage definitely sold the stage to be for Matt to shine. Personally I thought time would run out and there would be some semantic fenagling but it was clean as a whistle. A great match as well, definitely delivered on its build, FTR definitely lacked the presence of Tully to keep their heads in the game in a narrative sense, it’s a shame their tag reign was short but the story has always led to this moment, there was no way Cody AND the Bucks would not be able to challenge for their main titles. I would have one criticism though, the early stages of the match did feel like it was just 1v1s, the tag match needed more tag team offence. Elite Deletion: Matt Hardy def Sammy Guevara (DELETION via Pinfall) The cameras shift to North Carolina where Sammy rides ominously on a golf cart to the Hardy Compound, but Matt also seems to be sorting out business on the phone saying that Sammy’s on his way - fearing that he may need backup if the numbers go against him. Neo 1 confronts Sammy, providing a hologram of Matt welcoming him to the compound and disabling the golf cart. Having crushed a toy monster truck on the way in, Sammy’s face drops at the revving of a full sized monster truck next to him helmed by BROKEN Matt, who flattens the cart before exclaiming that the act was ‘orgasmic’ and ‘now that was a squash job’. Setting the zany tone, Sammy goes all around the truck and hits Matt with a trash can to begin the match. Moonsault off the Truck’s tire as he hammers Matt across the woods. Commentary kinda took you out of it as they tried to fill the silence with their ‘state the obvious’ as the fight sprawled to the front lawn. Sammy doing some great taunts such as saying ‘it’s my house now, daddy’s home!’ and trying to drown Matt in the fountain but Matt grabs the ‘Scepter of Mephistopheles’ to hit Sammy with, missing only the headshot as they go to a backyard ring. As Matt reminds Sammy that he asked for this, Sammy takes advantage with the ring work until a Side Effect is hit and a powerbomb through the table. The pin however is broken by Santana and Ortiz, who double on Matt. Through a walkie talkie though Private Party are called for support to negate the former LAX - though Matt gets hit by a Street Sweeper and a Twist of Fate in the meantime. ‘Roman Candles’ are next on Matt’s mind as he and Sammy both grab a few to fire at each other while PP and Santana & Ortiz tussle in the ring, PP using some of the patented offence of the Hardy Boyz. The latest ‘Sammy Run Away’ meme appears as Sammy is chased by fireworks before slipping in some mud, flattened by a Twist of Fate. As Matt prepares to throw Sammy into the Lake of Reincarnation, a Gangrel (yes, Gangrel! From the Brood) threatens The Hurricane (yes, Shane Helms, the Hurricane) as a hostage, claiming that Matt never gave him any loyalty while in the Brood, PP arrive to help free the superhero, who asked why it took 2 years - leading to Hardy to funnily quip ‘I’m sorry, long-term storytelling, I had to go to AEW just to finish this’ leading to Hurricane’s famous catchphrase. Hurricane almost gets Sammy with a chokeslam but he throws him in the lake, saying ‘What’s a Hero to a God? A Spanish God’ before trying to throw Matt in. Shane Helms the reporter then comes in, asking if the feud is cursed, but he gets thrown in too (this one seen as he flails around the shallows). Hurricane reemerges to help PP fight Santana, Ortiz and Gangrel but Santana saves Sammy by hitting Hardy with a pipe as the two wander into the darkness of the woods, the heel allies in control as they follow. Sammy stalks Hardy with a hammer with his friends also in view, but Hardy calls for Skarsgard, Sammy quickly rolling out of the way from the dilapidated boat’s all-or-nothing dive, Neo 1 is also in sight though, and Hardy commands him to lock Hardy and Sammy inside the ‘dome of deletion’, locking Sammy’s allies out. A ring, tables, ladders, chairs, mowers of lawns, wheels of chairs, a pram, a casket, the dome has it all, but Sammy instead unhooks the ropes to hit Hardy with the Turnbuckle bars, choking him with the middle rope. Sammy lays Matt on a Table near a ladder as high as the roof, landing the swanton but only gets 2. Hardy gets a Twist of Fate which seems to hurt his neck, Hardy then spears him into tables outside the ring, where we see Sammy with a small blood pool behind his head (a worked one, the camera angle on the dive ensured you didn’t see the concrete so it was definitely safe) Sammy struggles to stand as Hardy sets up a chair, hitting him on the head with the edge like his legit injury, telling Sammy ‘You made me what I am’ he cracks Sammy with a Con-Chair-To for the pin. After the match, Matt calls Private Party in to ‘take out the trash’, putting Sammy in a wheelie bin, a cut to the outside allows Sammy to be swapped out for kayfabe, as the bin’s loaded into the back of Senor Benjamin’s truck (Benjamin getting a huge pop) as Reby ends the match playing the piano to some highlights.Matt, PP, Skarsgard, Reby and Hurricane then celebrate to fireworks. As cinematic matches go it was good for ending the feud and continuing the Hardy Compound narrative, commentary did sometimes take you out of it and there were less supernatural stuff going on in this one, it was more found footage than the usual cinematic Deletion matches, but lots of quips, lots of fourth wall winks and both men did really well, can’t complain. Intermission Promo After the deletion match, commentary is told about Lance Archer being on a rampage backstage, which leads to a promo by Jake and Lance as he is wasting some jobber against the wall. Jake notes how they are tired of training and that they’re demanding that someone stand up to Archer, Archer waxes lyrical about his intent to break everyone in AEW because Everybody Dies. Archer’s promo game continues to be on the up, which will make you wonder about how long can the Snake coil around him? Right to Join Inner Circle: MJF def. Chris Jericho (Pinfall via Roll-Up) MJF claimed that he would do ANYTHING to beat Jericho, he began with the mind games by doing the Y2J pose in a fairy light robe, getting the fake pop from the fans who were expecting the Demo God. Jericho does get the pop by cutting MJF’s music short in a skull-themed spiked jacket as Diamante wins the ‘Incoherent Judasing’ moment of the night using Ivelisse’s hand as a mic. The chorus of Judas echoing as the limited crowd echo the arena to Jericho’s subdued delight. Sparing a thought for Aubrey though, who has to call this match despite both of them hating her XD MJF tries to start by feeding from the crowd, but the crowd only boo him and cheer Jericho, he gestures to a handshake amidst ‘You Suck’ chants but Jericho slaps him instead. Jericho held an early advantage but MJF got some advantage with a few clotheslines, but his adversity to the crowd once again gives away the advantage. Jericho pulls his camera middle finger spot after powerslamming him on the outside (shout out to KiLynn King as well for all her crowd enthusiasm). Dodging a Judas Effect leads to an injured arm to Jericho after his elbow hit the very busy today ring post, which he focuses on since it’s key for his Salt of the Earth, biting (which has also had a busy night) also ensues between both men but MJF capitalises on his counters and submissions. The heel nature comes out in Jericho with an eye poke, shoulder barges and a lionsault fire up the crowd and a Frankensteiner turning back the clock. MJF though returns to the arm with that double stomp while Jericho’s holding the rope, shoving the veteran as he spouts insults at him, a back and forth leads to MJF locking in the Salt of the Earth on the injured arm but Jericho shifts him into the Walls of Jericho as MJF chews the crawl to the rope. Aubrey’s enmity of both men comes into play when MJF uses her to shield him from Jericho’s kicks, a failed Heatseeker leads to a mid-rope Codebreaker instead from MJF, followed by a successful Heatseeker for 2. He tries the Lionsault but lands on his feet, and instead gets hit with Jericho’s Codebreaker for 2 as well. An Inside Cradle for 2 leads to Jericho trying the Judas Effect, but MJF catches it and cinches in the Salt of the Earth, but Jericho makes it to the ropes. Wardlow was noticeable absent from ringside at the start, having left after MJF’s entrance, but he was called to the ring by MJF to give him the Diamond Ring, his presence distracting Aubrey, MJF misses though and Jake Hager (who was also noticeably absent from the Elite Deletion) reveals himself on the other side throwing the Painmaker Bat to Jericho, Jericho winds up but MJF gives him the finger and drops Eddie Guerrero style. Aubrey turns to see the supposed outcome leading to Jericho turning his back, roll-up by MJF with a handful of tights gives him the win and membership.

Post-Match, Jericho cuts the music as MJF offers a handshake again, Jericho though this time takes it, hugs him and welcomes him and Wardlow to the Inner Circle. Wardlow holds the ropes for MJF, MJF holds the ropes for Jericho but nobody holds the ropes for Hager - who continues to stare off with Hager.

As a wrestling match it was good, for the situation I felt it was a little underwhelming. MJF said he’d do anything but we didn’t see anything outside of his usual tricks. Narratively it works to see MJF and Jericho stick together and we can only wait and see what stories will come out of it. AEW Revolution promo & Best Friends Interview The first PPV of next year is hyped for a February 27th showing. Dasha interviews Orange Cassidy asking his thoughts on his win, OC replies that he ‘has no thoughts’. Miro, Kip and Penelope however roll up as Kip demands an apology from OC for almost putting Penelope in harm’s way during a prior Dynamite. OC does apologise but Kip slaps him, saying that it wasn’t good enough, OC stops the Best Friends about to jump Miro and Kip and says ‘cool’ before walking away.

AEW World Championship ‘I Quit’ Match: Jon Moxley (c) def. Eddie Kingston (Kingston quits via Barbed Wire Bulldog Choke) Kingston rolled up in a shirt saying something that cameras failed to highlight despite his gesturing, (commentary later reveal that it was in homage to the late Tracey Smothers who recently passed away) his eyes like vengeance. Moxley struts in a Goldberg-esque entrance without the security, once again coming from the side of the stadium - this time no dumbass fan trying to charge him. Kingston stares daggers and shouts bloody murder at him during his entrance as Mox tries to get in his groove. Bryce Remsburg is also reffing this match, adding the personal level since Eddie revealed after his last Moxley match that the three go back.

Moxley got the first part of the venom, hammering punches until Kingston got to his knees, chops were traded as Moxley tried a takedown, only to get his ear bitten (biting man...) by Kingston. Slap trades follow as Kingston works on throws and cutting Moxley at the legs, Moxley hitting a tope when Kingston went to get a chair. Moxley then twists Kingston’s fingers key to his finisher, a suplex on concrete leads to the first ask but Kingston refuses, a Crossface/Bulldog Choke is countered by Kingston biting the arm. Throwing 2 chairs into the ring, a busted Moxley retaliates with the Barbed Wire Bat before kicking down the chair setup. Eddie also is busted in the mouth, then the forehead when the bat is pressed against his head - Moxley claiming that he ‘don’t wanna do this’. Kingston disarms Moxley with some Backdrops and throws a chair at Moxley, Moxley then gouges both eyes of Kingston but the Mad King throttles him. A small botch at Kingston was meant to drop Mox on the bat was rectified with more chair shots, Kingston hurts himself by wrapping barbed wire over his hand to pound into Moxley as he laughs maniacally, Uranken and a Kimura follows so Moxley has to break the hold the best way to hurt someone at Full Gear - Bite Him! Kingston restores the chair layout he had before, setting up for a suplex, Mox swaps though and lands Kingston on the flat of one chair. Kingston clotheslines Moxley to get time to get a black bag, which JR quips ‘well, it’s not a bag of chocolate’ - I mean you don’t know that JR! But alas, it wasn’t, it was your traditional thumbtacks, those silver hershey’s kisses (so hey it is a bag of chocolate), after trading suplexes Moxley snaps a vicious clothesline all away from the tacks, Moxley tries a Paradigm Shift on the tacks but Kingston does a twisting Urinage, planting him back first into the tacks - half on the elbow, half on the back. Kingston returns to the Rubbing Alcohol from Doc Sampson’s desk after learning that Moxley didn’t quit, low blows hurt Moxley but the champion only gives him the finger, Eddie then uses the alcohol on the punctured back (which I said at the same time as commentary). Kingston again hurts himself punching Mox with a handful of tacks, he goes for the barbed wire a second time but again changes his mind, going for the Bulldog Choke, Mox refuses still, with thumbtacks still in his head as Kingston lays in on the head shots, he dodges a knee and hooks in the Rear Naked Choke, turns him into the Suzuki Piledriver and then the Bulldog Choke, knowing that Kingston needs to be conscious Moxley changes to a Paridigm Shift, locating the Barbed Wire as he tells Kingston there’s ‘No Other Way Out’, asking him not to make him do this as he wraps his hand around the wire, Kingston only gives him the finger. Moxley considers turning away, but then launches into the barbed-wire enforced Bulldog Choke, Remsburg pleading with Eddie to quit as a vacant expression covers Moxley’s face, telling Kingston that ‘it’s done’, Eddie finally quits and Mox immediately lets go, a somber look on his face as his friend lays fallen.

Post-Match, Moxley tells the camera that ‘that’s what makes a champion: heart, blood and soul - Blood and Guts!’, whether that alludes to the special we were meant to have pre-COVID is yet to be seen. He then pulls Kingston up but Kingston sways away, leaving the ring on his own. Omega then comes out to the ramp to remind Moxley of his presence and their championship match in the due future.

A hard-hitting match, you knew that Kingston and Moxley would deliver on the hardcore level and a little on the emotive level. Sadly this match did suffer from WWE giving fans an inch-perfect I Quit Match in Hell in a Cell, so the bar was very high and it unfortunately could not reach that level. Again I’m surprised that factions didn’t get involved, Kingston’s family didn’t even go with Eddie to the ring, a surprise PAC appearance was hoped but we can’t be too torn up about that. Overall it was still a good title match, albeit an inevitable outcome given that Moxley and Omega have more history.

Conclusion Though there were a few small mistakes, there was not a weak spot in this PPV. On the other hand there wasn’t a match that blew me away, it was overall a well-done PPV: worth the money but there could’ve been more. There was meant to be a tease of a debut as well but I guess that was just rumor rather than an actual promise by the company. I will critique the Team Tazz stuff again because it really puts down Darby’s championship win, some matches could’ve ended more emphatically and the Buy-In needed more matches. Also just a personal thing but they overdid the biting spots, spots like those have a 2 match threshold at best on a card. But narratively we got a lot going on, a lot of consequences for the matches on the card including the Buy In and the Bucks did make good on their FTR promise by being Match of the Night. Elite Deletion and Silver/OC was a bit of light fun, the Women’s Match was strong, the opener hard hitting and we begin our build to Revolution.

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hazyheel · 5 years

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AEW Double Or Nothing 2019 Review

We started with the Casino battle Royal, with five guys in the ring. We had Sunny Daze, Michael Nakazawa, Brandon Cutler, MJF and Dustin Thomas. MJF had mega heat by attacking Thomas and calling him lieutenant dan, and then saying that Cutler was a favor to the young bucks. Nakazawa was oiling himself up like crazy, which was super weird to see because I do not know him. Next in was Brian Pillman Junior, Jimmy Havoc, Joey Janela, Shawn Spears and one more guy. Spears immediately went for MJF, and they beat each other up. Next in was Jungle Boy, Glacier, Billy Gunn, Mark Quinn and Ace Romero. MJF got a bunch of heat for eliminating Glacier, after Glacier frozen misted Sunny Daze. Adam Page was the final entrant in the match, and had a warpath. Stunt took a rough pump to be eliminated, as Romero shoved him out through the air and to the floor. Jungle Boy then eliminated Romero, Spears and Thomas had a bit of an alliance, until Thomas pulled him out over the top for the elimination. MJF eliminated crowd favorites Thomas and Cutler. Janela had a disgusting bump through a table on the outside from Luchasaurus, which was very terribble looking. Orange Cassidy showed up for no reason, doing his little kick spots to dreamer before being eliminated in a match that he wasn’t even in. Fun guy though. The final three were Luchasaurus, Adam Page and MJF. MJF hid on the outside, and Page eliminated Luchasaurus. He celebrated winning, but MJF ran in to try to throw him out. Page was okay, and hit the buckshot lariat, and threw him out to win.

Grade: C. This had a lot of fun spots, but there was very little connecting the action. I liked having Page get the win after his match with Pac was cancelled. I think there were a lot of terrifying things happening here, especially that table bump. Janela may be dead, but probably not. I liked the winner and there were some interesting things happening. A fine battle royal, but nothing specacular.

Then we had Kip Sabian vs. Sammy Guevara. This was a fun little cruiserweight match. There was a lot of misdirection based offense, like when Sabian faked a suicide dive only to hit a spring board somersault senton. Sabian locked in a cool looking submission at one point, Guevara went for a moonsault, landed on his feet forth another, only to land on his feet again and hit a standing shooting star for a near fall. At another, Guevara hit a 450 to Sabian while he was on the barricade. In the finish, Guevara went for the 630 senton, only for Sabian to get his knees up and hit deathly hallows for the win.

Grade: B. Fun little spotfest. I think both of these guys are super good, and they can put on some great matches in the future. I’m surprised that Guevara lost given how much emphasis he has had on BTE lately, but that is fine. Both of them are really good, and I’m sure that they will be big talents in the future.

We opened up with SoCal Uncensored vs. StrongHearts. Of course, SCU cut a promo shitting on the town and the LA crowd love it. Both teams were working together really well, with SCU isolating El Lindamen. The match quickly became a cluster of bodies, with each team desperately trying to support any person that they have in the ring. The match felt a lot like the multi-man matches in New Japan, with the partners covering the ring while people are being pinned. The Stronghearts hit an awesome combination of a pop up knee from T-Hawk, followed by an ensiguri from CIMA, a slam from T-Hawk and a german suplex from Lindaman. Everyone started really flying around with dropkicks, suicide dives and cutters. Daniels hit the angels wings for a near fall, followed by a splas hfrom CIMA for a near fall. In the final stretch, Daniels hit the best moonsault ever into the piledriver (called the best meltzer driver ever) for the win.

Grade: A-. Holy crap was this good. So fast paced, lots of action and people flying all over the place. This was a really great match, and if they continue to have tag matches like this one, I will definitely enjoy the tag division in this company. Awesome stuff.

Into the triple threat match, we had Kylie Rae vs. Nyla Rose vs. Britt Baker. However, as match began. Brandi Rhodes came out with her ring gear. She said that she didn’t want a great match, she wanted an awesome one. Awesome Kong then came out, and made it a four way. Kong and Rose immediately squared up and fought a bit. Kong was beating down everyone in the match, but left some room for Rae and Baker to fight. There was a cool spot where Kong caught Baker out of a splash, only for Rae to hit a suicide dive to take them both down. Kong had a huge tower of doom spot, and nearly powerbombed Baker off the apron in another spot, for Baker to fight out, Rae to hit a superkick, and then Rose to hit a spear into the steps. Baker was finally able to get the win with a superkick and the brainbuster on the knee.

Grade: B-. Another car crash of a match. Kong, Baker and Rae all really impressed me. Rose didn’t really impress me, but there were a lot of really nice spots here. I want to see a match between Baker and Rae one on one, that could really be awesome. Can’t wait for the AEW women’s Championship.

Next up was a tag match, Best Friends Chuck Taylor and Trent vs. Angelico and Jack Evans. Best friends went for a hug early on, but their opponents stopped that. Evans and Angelico worked on Trent’s legs, and really showed off their Lucha style of wrestling. Best friends hit a lot of awesome offense, such as a tornado DDT into a double foot stomp to the face. They then also hit a crucifix bomb into the cutter for a near fall. For another near fall, Angelico hit a cruicifix bomb into the corner, followed by a 630 senton, but Taylor broke it up. Taylor took out Angelico with a tope con hilo, and they pinned Evans with a Storm Zero.

After the match, The Best Friends asked for a hug. Angelico and Evans tried to do a handshake, but the Best Friends refused. They hugged, and then the lights went out. A new tag team had emerged after the match, but I didn’t know who they are. They went out again, and there were a bunch of minions that came out to assist. This new team beat down everyone. Evans was hit with a ripcord flatliner, and Trent was hit with a reverse electric chair facebuster.

Grade: A-. I loved this. It was another sprint of a match with a bunch of awesome spots, and some really good tag wrestling. I always had a soft spot for tag wrestling, and they did a great job here. I liked the attack afterwards, but I don’t know who they were. This tag division looks really great, and I cannot wait to see it start up in full. I felt like Best Friends made sense as the winners, although I predicted otherwise. They will be a united front for a while before picking up the storyline later.

Into the 6-woman Tag, we had Aja Kong, Emi Sakura, Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hikaru Shida, Riho and Ryo Mizunami. Ryo and Aja kong had a little strength vs. strength match, but Ryo really didn’t stand a chance against the legend of Aja. Riho and Emi had some good looking action, doing some technical wrestling before Riho hit an awesome armdrag. Kong drilled Riho with a awesome looking piledriver, but her team broke it up. Ryo drilled Yuka with a great looking deadlift suplex for a near fall. At one point, the ref was distracted, Shida and Kong dueled with a trash bin and a kendo stick. Somehow the kendo stick won. In the finishing stretch, Sakazaki took out Shida and Ryo with a plancha. Kong then accidentlly hit Sakura with a back fist, and then Riho destroyed her with a crossbody. Shida then ran into the ring to pin Sakura with a shining wizard.

Grade: B+. I didn’t know any of these people before the match, and I came out of it as a fan of every single one of them. Their characters are interesting, and I apologize if the review wasn’t great. I was trying to keep track of too many people and learn too many names. But it was awesome, and I hope that they end up joining the AEW women’s division.

Next up was Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes. Before the match, Brandi grabbed a sledgehammer for Cody. Cody then used it to destroy a throne on the stage, officially declaring war on the WWE (it was all a symbol for Triple H). Dustin came out with half face paint. The two circled each other for a while, and the crowd was chanting that it was awesome. Dustin absolutely laid into Cody with some crazy shots, and Cody almost walked away, but managed to get back in the ring. At one point, Cody distracted the ref a bit, which allowed Brandi to hit him in the head with a water bottle. The crowd was so loud for this match. At one point, Cody was set up for the kick to the balls that he used to do, and Cody removed the turnbuckle. Dustin saw, threw the turnbuckle in the crowd, but was then sent face first into it. This “busted him open,” so he bladed. Brandi then speared Dustin, and was thrown out, with DDP carrying her away. Dustin was absolutley gushing blood, and Cody nailed him with a curb stomp for a near fall. Cody nearly whipped Dustin with the belt, but threw it away, only for Dustin to grab it and whip his bare ass with it. Dustin was able to hit a superplex, followed by the final cut, but just for two. Cody then fought back and hit a cross rhodes only for two. Dustin then hit cross rhodes for another near fall. Cody was able to hit his back sliding piledriver, and followed it up with a Cross Rhodes to finish it.

After the match, Cody got on the mic and said that Dustin didn’t get to retire here. The crowd was chanting thank you, but Cody said that he couldn’t retire. He needed a partner for a match against the Young Bucks next month. He said that he didn’t need a partner, he needed a brother. The two started crying, and then embraced. They left the ring together.

Grade: A. This was much much better than I thought it would be. The crowd made the match a hell of a lot better. They were super hot, and it made the emotion and drama increase exponentially. They beat each other down, and the story accompanying it made the match that much better. This was awesome, and I hope we see more matches like this from Cody in the future. This was great, and I hope that it is evident of the type of story telling that will be around in this company.

Then we had the belt presentation, and Bret fucking Hart came out. I marked out like crazy. Hart cut a promo, basically just putting AEW over. He then called out Adam Page, who is one of the #1 contenders for the belt in a few months. MJF then came out, to an asshole chant. He said that they bought a ticket to see him, so they should shut up. He is a phenomenal heel. He called Page a horse, and said that when a horse had a bad leg, you shoot it. Then he said that Page should give up his title shot, and shit on Hart for having a bad catchphrase. Jungle boy then came out, to confront him. MJF called him a prepubescent teenager, and walked past him. Jimmy Havoc then came out, and he was stuck between all three guys. They kicked his ass, through the crowd, as Hart showed the belt for the first time.

Grade: A-. Jesus MJF can talk. He carried this segment, along with the awesome Bret Hart appearance. This was super good, and I hope that he becomes a big part of the product, because he is phenomenal. I love him. Bret Hart was a shocking appearance, and it was super cool to see him. The belt looks beautiful as well.

Then we had Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros for the AAA World Tag Team Championships. This was given a big fight feel. Young bucks weren’t completely on the same page, having some flubs together early on. Fenix and Nick seemed to be completely evenly matched. the Lucha Bros hit their signature offense early on. At one point, Fenix strung Nick up on the ropes, while using Matt to balance going up to the top rope. Fenix hit a superkick on the top rope, and then springboarded to hit Nick with the hurricanrana. Later on, Matt hit Fenix and Penta with several northern lights suplexes, and nearly locked in a sharpshooter but got shut down. The Bucks were able to lock in the sharpshooters at one point, and they barely got to the ropes. At one point, The Bucks hit a powerbomb and flipping over with a neckbreaker for a near fall. They then hit a flurry of kicks and chops until everyone fell over. At another, Fenix ducked so that Penta could hit a destroyer on the apron to Matt, followed by a Destroyer to Nick in the ring. Another time had Penta holding Nick in the package piledriver position, with Matt in the gory special, and dropped them down. Fenix followed up with a swanton to Nick for an incredible near fall. Matt then drilled Fenix with a brainbuster on the top rope, and gave Penta more bang for your buck for a near fall again. The Bucks then hit Penta with fear factor, and Nick ran to hit a plancha to Fenix, but still only a near fall. Penta then drilled Matt with the armbreaker and the pentagon driver for a near fall. Fenix started to work the arm, superkicking it, but got caught trying to continue. Matt pulled him up for a Meltzer Driver. Nick then superkicked Penta on the outside, and got up for the Meltzer Driver, and got the win.

Grade: A. This was a phenomenal match. The Young Bucks became a coherent team again, and went through hell to do it. I think that the kickouts at the end were a little much, I like a bit more buildup in my near falls like that, but it was still incredibly exciting. They flew around like crazy, and beat the crap out of each other. It looks like the tag team division in AEW will be awesome.

And finally, the main event. Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega. Winner faces Adam Page for the AEW World Championship. Jericho went through a bunch of his his gimmicks before actually making his entrance. Omega had some new music. They had a cracker barrel in the ring, probably a sponsor. They had trouble getting it out of the ring, so Jericho picked it up and shoved it through the second rope, and then yelled at the ref. The two started out with a slugfest, beating each other down. Early on, Omega tried to do a move off of the barricade, but Jericho pushed Omega into the crowd. Omega was busted open early on, bleeding from the nose. Jericho tried to introduce a table into the match, but Omega dropkicked it, and then a tope con hilo to both. Then he did a springboard double stomp to the table. That was when Omega started up the v triggers, destroying Jericho’s head from the back. At another point, Jericho started to fight back, and dumped Omega out of the ring and through a table. Omega went for a frog splash at one point, but Jericho countered with a codebreaker, but he waited too long for the cover and only got a near fall. Jericho nearly locked in a lion tamer, but Omega countered it and was able to hit a powerbomb for a near fall. Jericho was able to get the walls in, eventually transitioning into a lion tamer, but Omega fought out and nailed a v trigger. Jericho was able to hit yet another codebreaker, but did not go for the pin. Instead, he waited for him to get up, and hit a spinning back elbow called the judas effect for the win.

After the match, Jericho got on the mic. He yelled at them for booing him, and he said that he was the best guy in AEW, he owns the company. He is the biggest star through and through. He claimed that every success the company had was because of him. He demanded that the fans thanked him, and then, mutherfucking Jon Moxley showed up. He killed Jericho with dirty deeds, and then did it to the ref. He tried to hit Omega with hit, but Omega was able to tackle him out of the ring, and they brawled into the crowd. He eventually was able to climb on top of the giant poker chips, and he gave Omega a dirty deeds on the stack, and then slammed him off of it, onto a box that broke.

Grade: A. I bumped that up a grade after the post match angle. This was a great match, although not the best on the card, but that mammoth debut was awesome. In the match itself, it didn’t quite have the same feel as their first match, but they tore the house down nontheless. They were really really good, and I am really unsure of who will be winning the AEW World Championship when that time comes.

Predictions: 5/9. Imma say that I got the battle royal right, cuz I said that Page would win whatever match he was in.

Overall Grade: A-. I’m bumping it up a bit because of the historic nature of the show, and how hot they were coming right out of the gate.

Pros: Guevara vs. Sabian; 6-man tag; best friends vs. angelico & evans; 6-woman tag; cody vs. dustin; belt presentation; AAA tag team championship; main event; moxley debut

Cons: battle royal

Just throwing this in at the end of the review. I normally hate writing the tags for these posts, but I am genuinely so excited to say that I am writing an AEW review right now. Just saying

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iamchikara · 5 years

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Results for the 2019 Infinite Gauntlet under the cut.

Match #1: Young Lions Cup Defense #3 Still Life vs. Thief Ant Both competitors enjoyed their fair share of crowd support, with the reaction described as split. Still Life tossed the YLC at Thief Ant, taking advantage of the referee taking it away from him to hit a bulldog headlock before locking in the Venus de Milo, ending the match. WINNER: Still Life Match #2: Tag Contest Lucas Calhoun and Stray Kat (1 point) vs. Icarus and Travis Huckabee The question I posed regarding if Huckabee would ever have to wrestle himself was rendered moot, as Calhoun and Kat pulled out an upset victory and earned their second point after Calhoun utilized the Samoan drop to pin Icarus. Kat apparently hated the back tattoo just as much as the majority of us do, as she scratched at it at one point. WINNERS: Lucas Calhoun and Stray Kat (2 points) Match #3: Singles Contest Der Wildebeest w/Jakob Hammermeier vs. Missile Assault Man After having rushed several opponents to earn his way to a shot at the Grand Championship last month, MAM was unfortunately on the receiving end this time, as Der Wildebeest made easy work of him before finishing him off with a running crossbody. WINNER: Der Wildebeest (1 point) Match #4: Tag Contest Fire Ant and Green Ant vs. Cajun Crawdad and Merlok A hard-fought match that could’ve gone either way. The Creatures of the Deep representatives almost had the match won at one point with a top rope double stomp/Emerald Flowsion combination, but Green Ant made the save to keep his team alive. A tandem Beach Break secured the Colony the victory. Post-match, they were attacked by the Creatures, with commentary heavily implying that we will be seeing a Fire Ant/Cajun Crawdad grudge match sometime in the near future. WINNERS: Fire Ant and Green Ant (1 point) Match #5: The Infinite Gauntlet #1: Boomer Hatfield #2: Danjerhawk Unfortunately for Danjer, he went from being last year’s winner to being first eliminated this year, as Boomer had him pinned fairly quickly. ELIMINATED: Danjerhawk #3: Sonny DeFarge #4: Dasher Hatfield Dasher almost immediately clotheslined DeFarge over the top to eliminate him, then screamed at Boomer to eliminate himself. Boomer refused, and the father-son grudge match was on. ELIMINATED: Sonny DeFarge #5: Ice Cream Jr. Looks like Junior didn’t even get into the match proper, as he was dropkicked off the apron by Boomer. ELIMINATED: Ice Cream Jr. #6: Nytehawk Somehow, the Hawx seem to have caught a major nerfing, as Nyte was dispatched in the same way as Junior before him. ELIMINATED: Nytehawk #7: Kobald Dasher intimidated Kobald into exiting the ring of his own volition (though not eliminating himself), and the Prince of All Goblins took a seat in the crowd to watch the father-son grudge match and eat some popcorn. #8: Frantik Lured over by popcorn, Frantik joined Kobald in watching the match. #9: Fireman’s Carry Fray More watching of the father-son grudge match, as everyone learned from Junior and Nyte and were pretty content to leave the two of them to it. Everything Dasher and Boomer dished out, from a Yoshi Tonic from Boomer to a Jackhammer from Dasher, wasn’t enough to eliminate the other. #10: Cornelius Crummels #11: BLANK BLANK finally got everyone else up and away from the popcorn, persuading them all to charge the Hatfields en masse. This got Frantik and Crummels sent over the top rope and Kobald pinned, with BLANK following over the top rope not long after. ELIMINATED: Frantik ELIMINATED: Cornelius Crummels ELIMINATED: Kobald ELIMINATED: BLANK #12: Molly McCoy Fray was nearly eliminated, but landed on Frantik’s shoulders after sailing over the top rope, ending up in the bleachers (and surprisingly not eliminated), where he hid. Molly did not get involved in the family squabble, looking on as Dasher finally took his son out of the running. ELIMINATED: Boomer Hatfield #13: Volgar Boomer had to be held back from re-entering the ring, then caught a sucker punch from his dad. Volgar surprisingly came to Boomer’s aid, leaving Dasher begging for a timeout. #14: Snapmare Matt For those following the Crucible saga, you just might recognize this guy. On commentary, Sidney Bakabella passes off the presence of the CHIKARA-branded “enhancement talent” as keeping the costs down, but we all know better. #15: John Francis of Coronado Molly got into it with Volgar, attempting to put him to sleep and clinging to his back despite his attempts to shake her off. #16: Armbreaker Amir Amir, another from the Crucible, retrieved Fray from the bleachers, where the two joined with Matt to take on all comers. #17: Worker Ant Volgar managed to shake Molly for a few seconds, but she was right back on him. #18: Rick Roland Still seeking his pay, Roland immediately made a beeline for John Francis, while the Crucible trio targeted and eliminated Molly before dropping and dogpiling on Worker to send him out. ELIMINATED: Molly McCoy ELIMINATED: Worker Ant #19: Officer Warren Barksdale Barksdale was unfortunate enough to run straight into the Crucible trio, resulting in him being knocked out and eliminated. Meanwhile, John Francis eluded his former associate, sending him over the top rope. ELIMINATED: Officer Warren Barksdale ELIMINATED: Rick Roland #20: The Whisper Surprisingly, there was an impromptu alliance between Dasher, Whisper, and John Francis, which took out Volgar. This dissolved fairly quickly afterward, with Dasher attempting to take out his longtime rival, only for John Francis to reverse the attempt and send Dasher packing. ELIMINATED: Volgar ELIMINATED: Dasher Hatfield #21: Jawbreaker Josue Josue immediately joined with his Crucible brethren, and the four started looking under the ring while John Francis and Whisper fought. They soon settled on a strategy, with Matt loosening the top rope at one corner while the other three blocked everyone else’s view. #22: Oleg the Usurper #23: Bull James The Crucible quartet soon moved on to another turnbuckle and continued their sabotage, while Bull and Oleg squared off. #24: Unsocial Jordan And then Bull and Oleg decided to team. That would be interesting as a regular duo, I think. #25: Enzuigiri Evan Evan came in hot, eliminating Bull with a standing moonsault before joining his Crucible brethren. A four-way attack and subsequent dogpile got rid of Oleg. ELIMINATED: Bull James ELIMINATED: Oleg the Usurper #26: Hermit Crab Matt booted Hermit Crab’s head off and he got dogpiled as well, before the Crucible quintet returned to loosening the top rope. ELIMINATED: Hermit Crab John Francis, who had been left face-down on the mat at this point, soon attracted the attention of the Crucible quintet, with him being lifted by three of them into a powerslam from Evan... ...but they surprisingly decided against another dogpile, as the quintet lifted him back to his feet then moved off and let Whisper, who they had left completely untouched, eliminate him. ELIMINATED: John Francis #27: Shazza McKenzie Possibly seeing the threat before even getting into the match, McKenzie was able to drop the quintet back to a quartet by taking out Josue. ELIMINATED: Jawbreaker Josue #28: Razerhawk Another one who saw the threat, Razer made a beeline for the Crucible quartet, who had targeted Shazza and Unsocial Jordan after Josue’s elimination, taking both out of the match. ELIMINATED: Unsocial Jordan ELIMINATED: Shazza McKenzie #29: Duke “The Dumpster” Droese Razer unfortunately was next out of the match. (From what I can find, it was over the top rope, but it happened offscreen.) ELIMINATED: Razerhawk Droese protected himself from the Crucible quartet, taking out two in the process. The other two soon continued working on the top rope, which they had nearly detached at that point. ELIMINATED: Fireman’s Carry Fray ELIMINATED: Snapmare Matt #30: Hallowicked #31: El Hijo del Ice Cream Avenging his fallen brethren, Amir made Droese tap out, then got kicked over the near-nonexistent top rope by Hallowicked. ELIMINATED: Duke “The Dumpster” Droese ELIMINATED: Armbreaker Amir #32: Solo Darling Hijo at least lasted longer than Junior, but was made to tap out by Whisper. ELIMINATED: El Hijo del Ice Cream Evan picked up both Solo and Whisper, possibly attempting to protect both, but Hallowicked saw his opportunity and kicked Evan...except, probably thanks to the loosened top rope, not only did Hallowicked send Evan, Solo, and Whisper out, but his own momentum carried him over and out as well! ELIMINATED: Solo Darling ELIMINATED: The Whisper ELIMINATED: Enzuigiri Evan ELIMINATED: Hallowicked And then... #33: Ophidian Yup, Ophidian strolled on in, didn’t have to deal with anyone, and won the match thanks to the total party kill. WINNER: Ophidian Post-match, Boomer returned to the ring and called his father out, and Dasher returned to “Bad Dad” chants and a random countdown for some reason. (The following transcribed by FAN user lildude8218) Dasher: "Listen here, you little disappointment. I've wasted 12 years fighting for this. Fighting for these people and it was nothing but failure after failure. It wasn't until I started fighting for myself that I became a respectable champion. And until I get that through your thick skull you'll be nothing but a disappointment. You won't deserve to carry my bags, you don't deserve to wrestle in my ring, you don't deserve my last name, and you don't deserve to be wearing my mask." Boomer: "My entire life I've looked up to you. My dad taught me about sportsmanship, following the rules, and hard work. When I look at you I don't see those values anymore. I see a LIAR, I see a CHEATER, I see a BULLY. As far as I'm concerned, you're not my dad." Dasher attacked Boomer, and Bakabella intervened to calm them all down. Unlike certain past DoFs, he wasn’t about to tolerate their fighting and made a ruling then and there: on May 26th, it’ll be Dasher vs. Boomer in a Lucha de Apuesta (Mask vs. Mask match). Dasher then kicked his son in a very personal area before locking on a sleeperhold, and the tecnicos emptied out of the locker room to bail Boomer out. (For those of us following the Crucible saga, an episode of Heralds and Harbingers is in the post-credits. Enjoy!)

#CHIKARA #Infinite Gauntlet 2019 #Results

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