Good day friends and welcome to another weekly roundup of the happenings within AEW. Coming off a wild Full Gear PPV we head into the first rounds of the Continental Classic which promises us some exciting matchups as well as the continuing story of who is going to stop Moxley and his DeathRiders.

DYNAMITE

Dynamite kicks off with a recap of the events from Full Gear set to the theme of November Rain by Guns ‘n’ Roses once again. After the recap we are greeted with a breakdown of the Continental Classic which is starting here tonight at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

RESULTS

Before the match gets under way, we have Hurt Syndicate in the ring with MVP reinforcing that if he has given you a business card, then it is a golden ticket. MVP says that Hurt Syndicate is in the business of championships & more money. MVP and Lashley are forced to leave the ringside area as per the rules of the Continental Classic tournament as we get ready to kick off our first match.

Continental Classic (Blue League) – Shelton Benjamin vs Mark Briscoe – Some early chops by Briscoe but Shelton responds with a release northern lights suplex. Briscoe comes back with a boot that sends Shelton to the outside. We get a little solid back and forth between the two for the match before Briscoe ultimately succumbs to an exploder bomb from Benjamin giving him the win.

Winner – Shelton Benjamin

ROH World Championship – Chris Jericho vs Tomohiro Ishii – This match was by far one of the better Jericho matches of the year, even if it was a major chop fest for most it. There was a point that it looked like both men were going at it for real and Jericho even had his jaw busted. Ishii eats a couple of Judas effects and a couple of code breakers as well throughout the match.

Winner and still ROH World Champion – Chris Jericho

Continental Classic (Gold League) – Ricochet vs Claudio Castagnoli – Yet another PPV quality match given away on Dynamite. This was exactly what you would expect from these two men. Ricochet got to showcase why is out of this world and Claudio showed why he is a hitman within the DeathRiders.

Winner – Claudio Castagnoli

Wrestle Dynasty Qualifier – Jamie Hayter vs Queen Aminata – This match was determining who moved forward into the Wrestle Dynasty Women’s Cup and will represent AEW. A good and solid back and forth match from the ladies, however Hayter is definitely showing that she has been out of step for a while and is trying to get the momentum back. Aminata is going to be a future champion. I am not sure which belt, but she will definitely hold one at some point.

Winner – Jamie Hayter

Continental Classic (Gold League) – Darby Allin vs Brody King – This went about as expected. Brody gave Darby the opportunity to forfeit that match due to the injuries sustained in the car accident at Full Gear, but as per Darby’s insanity, that did not happen. A couple of coffin drops from Darby including one on the outside of the ring. Darby tries to hit a coffin drop off the top rope but lands into the waiting arms of Brody who locks in a rear naked choke and scores the win.

Winner – Brody King

After the match Claudio attempts to come to the ring with a chair, but in a strange change of pace, Brody stands over Darby and protects him while staring down Claudio as we go off the air.

My opinion – This dynamite was a great way to continue the stories that they have been building, as well as a great kick off for the Continental Classic. The pacing of the show was great, and it allowed for depth to what AEW is trying to build. I really enjoyed this week’s episode, and I am looking forward to the continued growth of the stories.

RAMPAGE

RESULTS

This week Rampage aired directly after Collision due to the Thanksgiving holiday. These matches were taped at the Santander Arena in Reading PA rather than filming in Chicago as to allow the talent some extra time off.

Thunder Rosa vs HarleyGram – Harley is growing as an in-ring competitor as well as a talent on the roster. She may not be perfect, but gosh darn she is getting there with her skills. It is a shame that this feud has been relegated to Rampage because I could easily see this as a fun little feud that could help the women’s division if featured on either Dynamite or Rampage.

Winner – Thunder Rosa

Top Flight & Action Andretti vs Katsuyori Shibata, Atlantis Jr & Mascara Dorada – If you like your wrestling Lucha style, then this is the match for you this week. No major substance to the match, more a showcase of the flashy stuff. Unfortunately, Top Flight have succumb to being that team that is given great matches, but hardly ever taking the win.

Winners – Katsuyori Shibata, Atlantis Jr & Mascara Dorada

The Beast Mortos vs Serpentico – Mortos doing Mortos things during this match. Serpentico does manage to get a little offence in, but it is ultimately for nothing as Mortos gets the pinfall.

Winner – The Beast Mortos

Hechicero vs Komander – Both these lucha guys have shown what they can do in the ring when given a chance and this match was definitely one of those. Hechicero moves amazingly for a bigger guy, and it makes you wonder how he can do it. The styles between both men works so well that I would be happy to see them go at it again sometime in the future.

Winner – Hechicero

My opinion – This episode was exactly as advertised. Very lucha styled but delivered some great quality matches. Storylines wise there was no real development, however I feel that is because AEW knows that Rampage is on borrowed time.

COLLISION

RESULTS

Collision this week is coming out of the Wintrust Arena in Chicago and has a special start time. We are going to start the show strongly with a continuing of the Continental Classic.

Continental Classic (Gold League) – Will Ospreay vs Juice Robinson – The crowd is divided for this match. There are fans who are 1000% behind Ospreay, but at the same time there are fans who have the back of Juice. Ospreay seems to have moved into his Punisher Era with what seems to be a running theme in his gear. This match could have easily gone either way with both men being popular with the crowd. Hidden Blade to the face and Ospreay picks up his first 3 points.

Winner – Will Ospreay

MxM Collection & Johnny TV vs Mistico & Private Party – This match kind of falls flat compared to what we know Private Party are capable of. It is interesting that instead of featuring in a tag team match, we got a trios match instead. Nothing too major to go over in this match.

Winners – Private Party & Mistico

Continental Classic (Blue League) – Kyle Fletcher vs The Beast Mortos – Fletcher is definitely a star in the making. As an Australian export, it is great to witness the growth and path he is taking. A strong competitor in Mortos for Fletcher in this tournament could easily have seen a different outcome. Mortos is a character that I feel the fans are going to get behind the more he is shown.

Winner – Kyle Fletcher

Outrunners vs Iron Savages – Probably the quickest match on the show. I expected to see a bit more of meaty action in this one, but it left me feeling like the barbecue was barely even lit before the meat was served. The Total Recall finisher is a good move, but at the same time, if the person taking it is getting crushed, it does not look good.

Winners – Outrunners

Hangman Page vs Wheeler Yuta – Page is in a very interesting spot at the moment. He is not quite hated, but he is not universally loved either. This was a great back and forth from the two men. Yuta has changed his game since he joined the DeathRiders. We get an appearance from the DeathRiders in the crowd but no interference in the match from them.

Winner – Hangman Page

After the match, Hangman jumps Yuta again and has a chair and threatens to break the ankle of Yuta. Moxley and his crew don’t seem too fussed about it but Jay White makes the save scaring off Hangman. White then hits a Bladerunner on Yuta.

Leila Grey vs Mina Shirakawa – A super quick match. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get a good chance to see what Grey or Mina are capable of in the timeframe given.

Winner – Mina Shirakawa

Continental Classic (Blue League) – Kazuchika Okada vs Daniel Garcia – Absolutely the right match to have as the main event. This match delivered on the action, and we got to see a bit more of what made Okada a top guy in NJPW. Garcia has grown so much in his time with AEW and it showed in this main event. This match went right down to the wire with the action and excitement. At one point it was like Okada was playing with his food in Garcia during this match. The final image of this match is absolutely perfect in execution for the story of this tournament and building the future.

Winner – Draw

My opinion – Heavy focus on the wrestling on this episode of Collision. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get any development of the storylines. The dynamic of the contenders for the World Championship is getting interesting and I like where AEW is playing here. I think that they have some amazing match ups that can come out of it especially with Jay White being in the mix.

All in all, a solid week of entertainment and wrestling from AEW. I believe that they are beginning to find their feet again after the downturn in the product over 2024. The Continental Classic is a strong showcase of the talent that are on the roster and also make for some unique matchups.