Good day friends and acquaintances and welcome to another edition of rounding up all the happenings within All Elite Wrestling. On our journey this week we got to witness the continuation of the C2, MJF wore the weirdest suit possible, Toni Storm seems to have no recollection of her previous time in AEW and some absolutely amazing matches,

DYNAMITE

RESULTS

Live from the Sports & Entertainment Arena in Washington, DC, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur and Matt Menard are on commentary for the action.

Mercedes Mone vs Anna Jay – TBS Championship

I may not be a fan of Mercedes, but this was definitely one of her better matches. Anna Jay has improved so much since her excursion to Japan and continues to do so with every outing. At one point we almost had a new TBS Champion when Anna locked in the Queen Slayer, that was until Mercedes bit her, forcing her to release the hold.

WINNER & STILL TBS CHAMPION – Mercedes Mone

The Patriarchy vs Katsuyori Shibata & Hook

A decent match to continue the feud here. Christian uses his briefcase / clipboard thing on Hook on the outside of the ring and as per usual, Mama Wayne utilizes the distraction method for her son to pick up the pinfall on Shibata.

WINNERS – The Patriarchy

C2 Blue League – The Beast Mortos vs Shelton Benjamin

The first hald of this match felt like both men were a little bit off and still trying to find the right chemistry. Once they got into a rhythm that was where the match picked up. Shelton, for his age, is doing some of his best work ever, while Mortos is simply beautiful to watch in the ring. Mortos has had a great showing throughout the C2 and I can definitely see him moving into the TNT Championship picture once this tournament is over.

WINNER – Shelton Benjamin

C2 Gold League – Darby Allin vs Will Ospreay

If you were to choose one TV wrestling match to watch this year, this would be the one to watch. The pairing of Darby and Ospreay was simply amazing from start through until finish. There were the standard crazy spots from Darby as per usual, but Ospreay managed to match the intensity perfectly. While a lot of people complain about false finishes, this match executed them perfectly and left viewers on the edge of their seats. Unbelievable upset at this point of the C2 and a wild ride for sure.

WINNER – Darby Allin

DeathRiders vs Jay White / Orange Cassidy / Hangman

Theme of this match is how the 3 contenders for the AEW World Championship will cooperate with each other and can they get the job done. The short answer is NO. Hangman has appointed himself leader for this match and has told both Cassidy and White that Mox belongs to him. However, that doesn’t translate to well in the ring. As Mox is in the ring, White tags himself in off Hangman which leads to Hangman walking out on the match. Towards the end of the match Hangman comes back in and gets into the face of White which leads to Mox scoring a roll up on Cassidy. Further proving that their egos stand in their way.

WINNERS – DeathRiders

MY OPINION

AEW has been taking the steps in the right direction again and it is noticeable. The smaller venues are definitely helping with the aesthetics of the vibe. The action and pacing of this episode didn’t feel disjointed which is a great thing to see. They are experimenting with new techniques and new ways of working things into the shows, and it has made the product stronger. The story development heading into their last PPV of 2024 is clear and easy to follow.

RAMPAGE

RESULTS

It’s Friday night and we are once again at the Sports & Entertainment Arena in Washington, DC with a slightly different commentary team in Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni and Matt Menard.

Mark Davis / Powerhouse Hobbs vs Don Callis Family

Did someone order the meat? This was a very meaty match, and one would be forgiven for thinking they were at a BBQ instead of a wrestling show. Takeshita still shows why it was the right move in making him the International Champion throughout the match and both Davis and Hobbs are looking good after their recent returns to the company. If this was just a sample taste, then there is definitely room for a whole meal.

WINNER – Don Callis Family

Lio Rush / Action Andretti vs Goldy & Miles Hawkins

Insane pacing to this one. Rush and Andretti are obviously here to get the job done and move on to their Tag Team Championship match at Worlds End.

WINNER – Lio Rush / Action Andretti

Willow Nightingale vs Harley Cameron

Harley has been endearing herself to the Rampage crowd and slowly burning her antics in the psyche of AEW fans. There were a couple of rough spots throughout the match which hurt the flow of it. It was still entertaining to watch though.

WINNER – Willow Nightingale

C2 Gold League – Komander vs Brody King

Big bad Brody makes Komander look like a toy figure in size comparison. Komander being the high-flyer that he is struggles to ground the big man in this one, leading to Brody just dominating him. Most of the business end of the action in this one came towards the end of the match before the end of the show which hurt its overall appeal.

WINNER – Brody King

MY OPINION

Another week, another Rampage. Thankfully it has been announced by Tony Khan that for the foreseeable future, Rampage will no longer be a thing. It is sad to see the show go after it had such an amazingly strong start with Kenny defending the Impact World Championship on the debut episode as well as the debut of CM Punk in week two. I do hope that some of the talent who were major fixtures of Rampage will be able to find a place on either Dynamite or Collision moving forward.

COLLISION

RESULTS

A very special Christmas Collision this week comes to your homes from the historical Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. What an amazing choice of venue to use. The look of this place is amazing, and the crowd was enthusiastic as ever. The commentary team for this one is none other than Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuiness. We also have an appearance from Ian Riccaboni as well as the Costco Guys.

C2 Gold League – Will Ospreay vs Ricochet

A wild opening match of the show. The crowd in the Ballroom are not here to mess around and show Ricochet exactly how they feel about him by launching toilet paper into the ring. Since their original meeting just a few months ago, both men have undergone some changes and this match shows it. Ricochet is showing a side of himself as a cocky little bit arrogant guy who is not afraid of using tactics to get the upper hand. Ricochet bumps Ospreay into the ref causing Ospreay to miss his opportunity to get the win. As Ospreay takes it to the ropes, Ricochet taps the ref into them, forcing Ospreay to get crotched and leading to Ricochet hitting his version of the Hidden Blade for the win.

WINNER – Ricochet

Kris Statlander vs Penelope Ford

Statlander is out to make her way back to the TBS Championship and this match was going to be a proving point for her. In what has probably been Ford’s best match since her return to the company, the two women gave us as much as they could in the allotted timeframe. The crowd at Hammerstein was rightfully behind this one too.

WINNER – Kris Statlander

C2 Blue League – Shelton Benjamin vs Daniel Garcia

Garcia knew he was not going to walk out of this one as a winner if he just wrestled Shelton. Garcia attacked Shelton early on and this one gets going. Shelton and Garcia have a good chemistry together in the ring and it is definitely something I could see the company running back in the near future in a feud over the TNT Championship. The finish of the match did seem a little bit wonky and out of nowhere, but it also fit perfectly into the story being told.

WINNER – Daniel Garcia

C2 Blue League – The Beast Mortos vs Mark Briscoe

These two men are by far fan favourites in New York. Briscoe clearly has the nostalgia factor with the Ballroom and Mortos has clearly earned the trust of the fans to deliver quality matches. Briscoe’s run in the C2 this year is a lot stronger than he looked last year. If you want to watch a good solid wrestling match with no dustiness to it, then this is probably your match to watch.

WINNER – Mark Briscoe

C2 Gold League – Darby Allin vs Claudio Castagnoli

Claudio cannot even make it to the ring before Darby has done something absolutely insane. Darby and Claudio brawl outside before the bell can even ring and Darby climbs to the top of the entrance scaffold and dives onto Claudio with a cross body. As expected, this match is not going to a clinic of pro wrestling, but rather an extension of the DeathRiders vs AEW theme. At one point Darby is swung into the steel steps by Claudio as well as throwing him across the guardrails. The end of the match comes with Claudio going to the outside and grabbing a chair which the ref takes away from him, only for him to clock Darby with a set of brass knucks. Knocking Darby out.

WINNER – Claudio Castagnoli

MY OPINION

An absolute solid show. Great pacing and the matches all worked really well. The environment of Hammerstein was amazing, and it gave the vibe of what AEW is all about. The presentation and aesthetic of the show was great from top to bottom. Ospreay is doing an amazing job as a worker and putting over talent. The toilet paper spot was fantastic and if anything, I think that AEW should encourage this more and more towards Ricochet as it creates a unique opportunity for the fans to get involved in the show and hype up the product.

OVERALL

AEW stepped it up this week and heading into the PPV week. I hope that they keep this momentum up for the go home show of Dynamite which was taped on Sunday at the Hammerstein Ballroom to allow the talent to have Christmas Day off work. Will we see new champions crowned at Worlds End? Will we see more of what Moxley, and his crew have in store for AEW? Will we see a return or a debut? Make sure you tune in to find out.