Posted on 5/08/125 by Bob Magee
Hangman Adam Page Bears His Soul
We kicked things off with Hangman Adam Page, much to the
crowd’s delight.
And that confused Hangman, to some extent. He started by
wondering how, after all he’s done, any one of the
individuals in the crowd could possibly cheer him – a line
that was met by chants of “Cowboy ****!”
The past two years for Page have been a “special hell.” He
wanted revenge and justice for what happened to his family –
and he found it. He took from another man his hopes and
dream, and he nearly killed him. And Hangman thought that
after that, he would feel some kind of joy, some kind of
closure. But he felt … nothing.
And he thought for one moment, in that moment, that if he
went back to the ring and finished the job, maybe he would
get that closure. But he couldn’t do it. And the truth is,
he doesn’t know why he couldn’t do it. But since he couldn’t
find that closure there, he took that anger and bottled it
up and then unleashed it on anyone who got in his way. But
all that did was tear down everyone around him.
So he had to make a decision.
Page then addressed Swerve Strickland directly. He will
never forget, and he will probably never forget. But he had
to put that all behind him.
And when Hangman made that decision, he entered the Owen
Hart Cup. And he made the finals, where he’ll face Will
Ospreay – the person everyone says is the best wrestler in
the world.
Enter Ospreay!
Cue Ospreay’s music, as the Aerial Assassin made his way to
the ring, mic in hand, and apologized for interrupting
Hangman’s “therapy session.” As this was the first time they
had a chance to get to know each other, Ospreay said it was
a pleasure to meet Mr. Page. Ospreay has seen everything
Hangman has been through. He knows how much this means to
him. After all, one of Ospreay’s favorite moments in
wrestling is when Page took the misfits known as The Dark
Order and showed them leadership – and what it takes to be a
cowboy. And when Page won the AEW World Championship, it was
perfect.
But when he lost it, everything fell apart, didn’t it?
Ospreay saw something last week when Hangman beat Kyle
Fletcher, though – something people hadn’t seen in a long
time. Hangman smiled. And as much as Ospreay and everyone
wants to see Hangman go on to All In and reclaim his spot as
the “main character,” Ospreay has a problem with that.
Because he’s not losing at Double or Nothing.
Ospreay then turned up the intensity. Does he need to
mention all the people Hangman has destroyed, including one
of Ospreay’s best friends, Swerve Strickland? Or the fact
that Ospreay is the one doing meet-and-greets and taking
pictures with fans? Or the fact that when they ring the
bell, he shows everyone that he’s the best of the best,
where the best wrestle?
This isn’t about Hangman’s redemption, Ospreay said. Too
little, too late for that. This is about HIS ascension.
The Don Callis Family Interrupts
Flanked by Rocky Romero, Trent, Josh Alexander, Konosuke
Takeshita and Lance Archer, Callis shouted that every day,
Ospreay shows how stupid he is. That was enough for the
Aerial Assassin, who told Callis to send down his two best
guys to face Hangman and Ospreay together.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hangman balked at the idea – which
made Callis pounce. With those two unable to get along,
Callis was more than happy to send two of his family members
down to the ring next week at Beach Break, assuming Hangman
doesn’t have another breakdown first.
FTR and Stokely Confront Tony Schiavone
Stokely had a very simple question for Mr. Schaivone – does
he have a problem with FTR and Stokely? Because they have
apologized. They have made things right. Yet Schiavone
continues to run them down, even calling Stokely a snake in
the grass. And just as Stokely was about to tell Schiavone
what he really thinks about him, the legendary announcer
stood up for himself (literally).
At that moment, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler stepped
forward. First, Cash showed little sympathy for Daniel
Garcia or his questions about why FTR did what they did.
Then, Dax gave Tony a simple message – tell Nigel McGuinness
that FTR will see him tomorrow for a LIVE edition of AEW
Collision.
Time for … T&A?
Next up, we heard from the star-studded duo of Anna Jay and
Harley Cameron. Anna just wanted to make sure that Harley
“has her fat ass” again this week, which Cameron confirmed
with gusto. In fact, according to Harley, they have the T&A
– the tenacity, and the attitude!
Anna also pointed out that they have the other definition of
that term, but we digress. To the ring!
4-Way AEW Women’s Championship Eliminator
What a match this was! Anna Jay went right after Penelope
Ford, while Timeless Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa observed to
start, then tied each other up as the other two exited the
ring.
From there, Ford and Rosa had a bit of a tete-a-tete, with
Ford hitting a dropkick on a downed Rosa leaning against the
bottom rope. Anna Jay rushed in to break up the subsequent
pin, only for Toni Storm to return the favor when Jay
attempted a pin on Ford. The AEW Women’s Champion then hit a
bridging suplex on Jay for a potential pinfall, only for
Ford to hit a low blow on Storm, sending the action spilling
out of the ring once more – a situation Rosa took advantage
of with a high-risk move off the top rope.
The thunderous action only escalated from there, as Rosa
landed a stiff DDT to the floor, only for Ford to hit a top-
rope dive of herself to take out all three other
competitors. Back in the ring, Storm hit a splash in the
corner on both Jay and Ford stacked up in the corner,
followed by a hip attack, followed by Storm getting down on
hands and knees to set Rosa up for some tandem offense on
the downed women.
And then we saw Megan Bayne. After all, this 4-Way
Eliminator was No DQ, right? The Megasus laid waste to Rosa
and Storm, as Anna Jay stepped up. That was probably a
mistake, as Bayne destroyed Jay, finishing her off with a
power bomb – only for Harley to even the odds by running in
with a pipe to neutralize Bayne.
All the while, Ford was able to tie Jay up in a potential
submission. But before Anna could tap, Timeless Toni Storm
broke things up and seized the moment to lock in the TCM
Chicken Wing on Ford for the win to remain 12-0 in Title
Eliminator matches in her career. After the bell, Rosa and
Storm embraced.
The Hurt Syndicate Has Arrived
MVP opened with an official announcement from The Hurt
Syndicate. Standing to his right was the standard of
excellence, Shelton Benjamin. To his left, the Almighty,
Bobby Lashley. The AEW World Tag Team Champions.
So MVP had a question: This is where the best wrestle, so
where are all the best tag teams willing to step up to The
Hurt Syndicate? Who has what it takes to take the titles?
Apparently, the answer is Top Flight! Darius Martin admitted
that Top Flight has been on a bit of a down swing, but what
better way to rebound than to challenge for the tag titles?
Yeah, they know The Hurt Syndicate hurts people, but every
time Top Flight takes it in the chin, they get back up –
something MVP admitted he respects.
So, Darius wondered, was Motor City ready to see a miracle?
Turns out, it didn’t matter, as MJF jumped both members of
Top Flight, complete with taped fists. He bloodied Dante
Martin by throwing him into the ring steps, then appeared to
bite Darius, before wrapping it all up with a vicious
powerbomb to the apron on Dante.
MJF then entered the ring, extended his hand to be handed
the microphone, and when MVP obliged, delivered a simple
message directly to Bobby Lashley’s face: “I HURT PEOPLE.”
Lashley, with a smile on his face, simply replied, “I’ll
have an answer for you next week.”
Not on the Same Page?
With Ricochet and the Young Bucks set to face Swerve
Strickland, Mark Briscoe and Speedball Mike Bailey in a
trios match later tonight, the Bald One tried to talk some
strategy with Matthew and Nicholas Jackson. And while the
Bucks appeared to acquiesce, as Ricochet left, the Jackson
brothers pushed into the locker room where the Death Riders
were waiting.
The plot thickens!
Nick Wayne Faces Christian Cage’s Past — Rhino!
Earlier in the broadcast, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone
shared that we would see The Patriarchy later in the
evening, and that all we knew was that Wayne would put his
ROH World TV Title on the line against someone “from
Christian Cage’s past.”
That man? Well, it’d be more apt to call him a MAN BEAST.
It’s Rhino!
Rhino took an early advantage, but after gathering himself
on the outside, Wayne was able to even things out back in
the ring. That reprieve was short-lived, however, as Rhino
delivered a bounty of punishment upon Wayne from post to
post.
All it takes is a moment in professional wrestling, though.
And a missed Gore in the corner by Rhino left the legend
open for a Killswitch by Wayne for the pin. Just like last
week, Christian Cage seemed to insist on putting the ROH
World TV Title around Wayne’s waist. But at the last minute,
Cage pulled back, folding up the title and throwing it to
the ground.
All-Star Trios Time!
Get your popcorn ready, friends.
Mark Briscoe, Speedball Mike Bailey and Swerve Strickland
were out to the ring, followed by Ricochet and finally, the
Young Bucks.
The in-ring action started with Swerve and Ricochet standing
across from each other. Ricochet tried to make a change
there, but the Young Bucks were having none of it. That left
Ricochet to try to fend off Strickland – a fool’s errand, as
the former AEW World Champion dominated his reviled opponent
at first.
Once Ricochet was able to direct the action toward his
partners’ corner, though, the combined force of the Bucks
and the Bald claimed the advantage. Unfortunately for them,
their animal instinct to pose for the camera backfired, as
it gave Speedball, Briscoe and Swerve time to recover. The
Bucks and Ricochet went to the outside to regroup, before
Matthew and Nicholas Jackson sent their teammate to the
wolves.
It took a minute to recover, but the Bucks and Ricochet
managed to turn the tables, with Nicholas Jackson hitting an
incredible splash to the outside right as Ricochet landed a
450 on the prone Speedball.
The chaos allowed Ricochet to isolate Briscoe back in the
ring, taking control of the action – until Briscoe hit a
fortuitous enziguri that gave him just enough daylight to
make the tag to Speedball. The Bucks tried some tandem
distractions on Speedball, only for Bailey to send the two
crashing into one another. And that was reason enough for
even MORE chaos, as all six men collided in a cacophony of
bodies and blows, featuring a bit of mirror action between
Briscoe, the Bucks and Swerve.
As always, though, this was Swerve’s house. Strickland
loaded up both Bucks for a double suplex, then took out
Ricochet for good measure. That set up Briscoe and Bailey to
line up a Death Valley Driver and a Frog Bomb for the two-
count before the pin was interrupted.
In the ensuing madness, though, Matthew Jackson was able to
sneak in and roll up Swerve for the win.
MJF and Ospreay Aren’t Done Yet
Backstage, Will Ospreay was set to talk to Renee Paquette –
until MJF entered the picture. He’s a fan of Ospreay, Max
explained, and he wants Ospreay to beat Hangman. Because,
Max said, he wants Ospreay to win MJF’s World Championship,
so that Max can in turn get another easy win.
Ospreay’s retort? Well, why wasn’t MJF in the Owen Hart Cup
Tournament himself? MJF wasn’t entertained by Ospreay,
though, as Max promised to show the Aerial Assassin that no
one is on the level of the devil. Yet Ospreay wouldn’t let
MJF have the last word, reminding the loudmouth that Ospreay
himself is on an entirely different level.
Jamie Hayter Sits Down With Renee Paquette
Hayter got right to brass tacks. She wants to know the real
Mercedes Mone. Not the hype. Not the creature behind the
hype. But Mercedes herself. Because Hayter is insulted by
Moné’s implication that they are similar people. Hayter
doesn’t have Mercedes’ resume or star power, but what she
does have is integrity. Grit. Truth. And, now, more of a
reason to hurt her.
This isn’t about gold or glory. This is about showing Moné
that she’s not untouchable – that she’s not the Second
Coming.
As for Hayter’s back injury? That’s irrelevant. She’s good
to go. Mercedes, Hayter said, is looking past her …
… which wasn’t accurate, as the TBS Champion interrupted the
sit-down interview to assault her Double or Nothing
opponent. The fight spilled from the room where the
interview was happening out into the venue, with Mercedes
ultimately escaping once again – or, so it appeared. But the
crafty veteran returned shortly after seemingly disappearing
to the back, locking the Statement Maker on Hayter before
standing tall.
Willow vs. Stat Incoming?
Willow Nightengale was set to speak to Alicia Atout, but her
longtime frenemy Kris Statlander wanted to get a word in
with Willow. After the two were clearly not on the same
page, Willow said they could meet in the ring tomorrow on
Collision.
AEW Continental Championship Eliminator – Okada vs Kevin
Knight
Were you excited for this incredible matchup between an all-
time icon in Okada and a fast rising star in The Jet? Well,
the one and only RUSH had a different thought.
After calling out Knight earlier in the night, Rush attacked
Knight during his entrance, laying waste to the high-flyer.
Speedball Mike Bailey ran out to make the save. And despite
the damage, Knight insisted that he was still prepared to
have the match.
And so, referee Aubrey Edwards signaled for the bell to
ring, and we were underway! Okada scored an almost-instant
near-fall, but Knight went not go softly into the good
night. He fought back, despite the obvious pain in his neck
and arm, and was even able to seize the advantage over
Okada, battering him into the corner before a near-fall.
Yet all that pre-match abuse loomed large, with Okada
leveling Knight with just a few targeted blows – before the
Rainmaker flipped the bird to the capacity crowd in Detroit.
Okada hit an uppercut on Knight and went to toss him into
the ropes, but the Jet reversed and caught Okada with an
impressive dropkick.
Ultimate, however, the Continental Champion was too much for
a beaten-down Knight. A boot to the face, an uppercut, a
dropkick and, finally, the Rainmaker put Knight away. After
the match, Okada picked Knight up for another Rainmaker, and
would have delivered another had Speedball not run out once
again to chase off Okada.
The Don Callis Family Has Many Enemies
Oh, good! It was time to hear from Callis again. This time
was brief, as the leader of the Family simply wanted to put
The Outrunners in their place, saying his family would beat
the tag team back to Tennessee like it’s 1983.
The Hurt Syndicate Gets Counsel
Backstage, The Hurt Syndicate were asked why Bobby Lashley
wouldn’t just tell the world whether he was ready to approve
MJF’s entry into the group. MVP then introduced The Hurt
Syndicate’s legal counsel, who stopped Lashley. Because when
their counsel speaks, MVP explained, The Hurt Syndicate
listens. They’ll see us all next week.
Samoa Joe vs. Claudio Castagnoli
This one promised violence from the opening bell – and it
delivered. The action spilled to the outside of the ring
almost immediately, with Claudio showing off his strength by
slamming Joe to the ground. But when he tried to make the
most of the advantage, Joe was able to counter with an
uranage that rocked his Death Rider opponent.
Back in the ring, the two behemoths traded chops, with Joe
getting the better of the exchange and following up with an
enziguri to Claudio in the corner. Castagnoli managed to get
back to his feet and take a temporary edge over Joe, as the
two continued to rain punishing blows upon each other.
Things slowed down a bit from there. Claudio locked in a
slightly modified cobra clutch that clearly drained Joe,
although Taz was quick to point out that with Joe’s massive
neck, he would have gone for a straight rear-naked choke –
as the bigger someone’s neck, the easier it is to choke them
out, Taz said.
Joe struggled to his feet, with Claudio keeping the hold
cinched in until Joe was able to elbow his way out. And
while Claudio kept the upper hand for just a moment, all it
took was Joe to lock in the Coquina clutch to score the
victory.
The Death Riders then went to make their way to the ring,
but Joe saw it coming – and so did Powerhouse Hobbs, who
came wielding a chair and kept Yuta Wheeler, Jon Moxley and
Marina Shafir at bay. The Opps then more or less took
Claudio hostage, making the Death Riders watch as they sent
Claudio crashing ribs-first into the steel chair.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE BEACH BREAK live next Wednesday at 8/7c
on TBS and streaming on MAX from the NOW Arena in Chicago,
Illinois!
Tickets On Sale Now! – www.AEWTix.com
And remember… We are AEW—Where The Best Wrestle!