Project Lucha Underground Season One, Episode 7 (plus a Double or Nothing recap)

 

It's America's Sweetheart, Danny Trejo!

Good Morning!

Welcome back to Project Lucha Underground Season 1. Before we dive into Lucha Underground, and the promotion’s first-ever ladder match, I wanted to talk a little bit about AEW -- specifically, Double or Nothing. We watched it with my buddy who we watch every AEW PPV with, but added another couple. They’re not wrestling fans per se, but he’s been to the last couple AEW shows with us and had a good time, and he wanted a little context going into Fyter Fest next Wednesday. 

I loved everything on Double or Nothing on the night, but in rewatching it yesterday while getting some work done I realized the pacing and order of the matches was perfect too, because I zoned in on my work for every other match on the card. That means FTR vs Garcia and Nigel, Hurt Syndicate vs Sons of Texas, Storm vs Shirakawa, and the Callis Family vs Paragon got the short end of the stick as far as my attention went, but it also shows a good sense of scheduling on AEW’s part. Those matches were fine, good even, but the importance of giving your audience some time to recover between five-star matches shouldn’t be overlooked. After all, the best moments of wrestling almost always include a raucous crowd behind the action. 

My buddy and his partner enjoyed a lot of the show, but high points for them as newcomers were Anarchy in the Arena, “Speedball” Mike Bailey (my friend’s new favorite) versus Kazuchika Okada, and Ricochet versus Mark Briscoe. I think Willow Nightingale revealing her “BIG BLACK AND JACKED” shirt alongside Powerhouse Hobbs got the pop of the night from all five of us, although the surprised gasp when Hangman Page got the pinfall victory to end the show was a close second. It’s always fun to try to explain lore to a newcomer, but I can also see how the main event might not grab a new viewer as easily as a big plunder match or a guy who’s just gushing blood for ten minutes. The important thing is we all had a blast, and my friend’s got some context for next week’s show!

As for results, while I was thinking Ospreay was going to win, I enjoyed the uncertainty of the main event going in. The rest of the card, while good, did feel mostly predictable,  although I admit that I bit on a number of near-falls in the Okada/Speedball match. And I’m not mad about Hangman winning at all -- Dynamite showed we’ve got a good story to build going into Y’all In, and with seven weeks of shows before that, I think an all-timer of a card can be put together. 

I did want to write a preview for Double or Nothing -- as I’ve said before, previews and predictions are probably my favorite part about writing about wrestling -- but between finishing Mission: Mission: Impossible and some work stuff happening around here, it just didn’t work out. I’ve been trying to put together a list of things I need to take care of, and as a homeowner it’s easy to just keep finding projects that need doing. However, I think I feel a lot better after sitting down and writing in the office, whether it’s paid work or just a wrestling blog. So a better schedule would be nice, but I’m also kind of at the mercy of my wife’s schedule, which is fine but does make for some timing issues. 

But I digress! You’re not here to read about my home life! You’re here for episode seven of Lucha Underground, and I’m here to watch it for/with you! So, in the words of a wise man…let’s watch some wrestling!

Last Week On Lucha Underground

“The Key” gave us a lot in its 45-ish minutes of runtime. We got the introduction of Pimpinela Escarlata, exótoco and pal to Mascarita Sagrada, as he won in a match against frequent wrong-side-of-history-chooser Son of Havoc. We watched a Mil Muertes squash, a solid second bout between Drago and King Cuerno, and a main event that featured the team of Sexy Star and Fenix overcoming Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Pentagon, Jr. This week, we were promised a ladder match between Big Ryck, Johnny Mundo, and Prince Puma, with Dario Cueto’s briefcase full of cash suspended above the ring. 

We know at least one match on the card, but we don’t know what else awaits us in the Temple of Boyle Heights. So let’s get back underground!

All images El Rey Network

Lucha Underground: Season 1, Episode 7: “Top of the Ladder”

I really noticed the diversity in the opening shots for this episode. As a one-weekend-while-sick visitor to Los Angeles, I don’t know a ton about the city, but I do know that it’s sprawling and huge, and covers a lot of different kinds of land. The usual city flyover we opened with in past episodes had shots of the inner city and open land as well. Nice to see the other parts of this legendary city highlighted. 

We were welcomed by Vampiro, Matt Stryker, and a shot of Danny Trejo in the crowd as Vampiro put over how busy Twitter was with talk about the upcoming ladder match. That’s likely the main event, but we did get a cool overhead camera angle of the ring that looked past the suspended briefcase onto our ring announcer, Melissa Santos. 

Opening Match

King Cuerno versus Super Fly

This was Super Fly’s first match in Lucha Underground, and King Cuerno didn’t give him much time to acclimate himself in the ring before unloading a series of kicks and throws on the guy. Matt Stryker informed us that Fly was part of a four-man group in Mexico, but didn’t elaborate any further as he was distracted by Drago observing the match like a gargoyle (Stryker’s words but I like ‘em) from the perch above Dario Cueto’s office. 

Super Fly did get some offense in, but Cuerno dominated this match, posing to the crowd between knockdowns and generally looking like a badass. Cuerno did eventually spot Drago, and looked in his direction as he got Super Fly up for his finisher and the 1-2-3. Nothing terribly great or bad, so we’ll go 4/10 lucha libre masks for this bout. After the pinfall, both Drago and Cuerno called each other out via hand motions.

Skimming through Super Fly’s Cagematch career page shows a AAA wrestler that has taken a couple trips to Japan, booked the occasional match outside of his main promotion, and continues to wrestle occasionally today. The highest rated matches in his career are in multi-person affairs, but so is the lowest. Honestly, combing through the data and watching this match showed me a guy who’s good enough to stay employed without standing out. That’s not to say that he’s not impressive -- I mean, I’m not out there performing handspring dives over the ropes -- but he’s the kind of masked wrestler you remember more for his mask than his moves, if you remember him at all.

With AAA’s recent sale to WWE, I wonder how many of these performers who have made a career out of being enhancement talent/jobbers will still have work with the company, but I guess only time will tell. 

A video package about Pentagon, Jr. followed the opener, showing his ascension in Mexico and realization that he’d have to travel to Japan to become a more complete fighter. Samurai were referenced as we got traditional Japanese artwork interspersed with scenes of Penta taking down several guys in gis (gi-guys?) in a dojo. The segment ended with the narrator saying “He is Pentagon Jr. and he has Zero Fear” as our guy took down one last gi-guy and broke his arm. Good stuff, introducing the character’s history and establishing him as a badass.

 Match 2

Pentagon, Jr. (with Chavo Guerrero, Jr.) versus Fénix (with Sexy Star)

One of our main Lucha Underground stories continued with this match, with Vampiro telling us that Penta basically only joined forces with Chavo because he needed a rub from the Guerrero family member to help build his own name. We mixed up the competitors this time, but they each brought their tag team partners from last week’s main event, implying that we’re building to a big match between all four of these wrestlers. 

It just occurred to me that Lucha Underground never got into the pay-per-view model, instead just ending its seasons with a big Wrestlemania-style finale over multiple episodes. I know that’s practically blasphemy from both a business and historical standpoint, but I guess once we’re a few seasons in we’ll have a better understanding of what worked and what didn’t for this company. Until then, I guess I’ll be looking for mid-season events -- think, for example, AEW’s TV model, where every few weeks we get a big show like a Fyter Fest or Fight for the Fallen. I guess a big, pre-announced main event match like a No DQ or ladder match would count, making this week’s episode and episode five’s Boyle Heights Street Fight stand out.

Anyways, I’m getting sidetracked. Chavo’s a dick, Sexy Star stood up to him when he attacked Blue Demon, Jr., and that’s how we got into this rivalry. The crowd was split down the middle for this one, and the in-ring action reflected that with both guys getting a solid amount of offense and some near-falls to start. Chavo had a really impressive reversal of a Fénix meteora that he rolled into a single-leg crab, and Vampiro really leaned into the heel announcer role during that segment, begging Chavo to punish the less experienced Fénix for posing. Chavo worked Fénix’s legs and locked in several submissions to slow the high-flyer down, but Fénix would not be stopped. Unfortunately, Penta knocked Fénix off the turnbuckle, giving Chavo the opportunity to hit a Frog Splash and pick up the victory. A decent match with good storytelling will always cover up an interference victory for me, so I’ll call this 6/10. Cagematch went 5.95.

After the match, Sexy Star grabbed a microphone and let Chavo know that “he” was coming back, and coming back for YOU. 

Before we got to our main event, Stryker threw us to a video package introducing Cage to the audience. Cage narrated his own mini-movie, which showed him working out and wrestling in an industrial warehouse-looking area. He told us that he’s no superhero, and he doesn’t have warrior ancestors. He just wants to win more than anyone else. He’s not a man, he’s a machine. A machine with cool sideburns.

I poke fun, but you know Bryan Cage, right? He’s currently a part of the Don Callis family on AEW, but dude has worked practically everywhere, and he’s been basically the same guy wherever he goes. He’s gigantic, he likes Wolverine, he’s shockingly agile, and he seems like a good dude. His Cagematch page is insane -- in 2017 he worked 123 matches among 48 different promotions! At 41, he’s slowing down a bit, but even so, he’s always been a good worker that never quite broke past the upper midcard area. I genuinely don’t remember much about his run in Lucha Underground, and it’ll be interesting to see if he’s booked any differently than he has been elsewhere.

Main Event

Johnny Mundo versus Prince Puma versus Big Ryck in a Ladder Match

Big Ryck entered the arena first, and he came in through the alternate entrance -- there’s a hallway leading to the ring that is sometimes used instead of the stairs. Johnny Mundo also used the hallway, mostly because that’s where his leaf blower is stationed for his dramatic entrance. Prince Puma used the stairs and was accompanied by Konnan, and he was clearly the crowd favorite as the match got started. The little guys both went after Ryck as Matt Stryker gave a brief and welcome history of the ladder match, and Ryck took a quick powder, leading Mundo and Puma went after each other. I do love that the announcers keep calling Danny Trejo “Machete” when he’s on camera -- it’s a fun shout out to both his most popular character, and to their boss, director and Lucha Underground executive producer Robert Rodriguez. Stryker also took a shot at the Fed in the early going of this match, telling us that the briefcase doesn’t need to be airbrushed for us to all understand its significance. 

Puma and Mundo were the first to set up and climb a ladder, only for Ryck to give them the first ladder push off of it, before whacking both of his opponents with the ladder to send them out of the ring. As expected, Ryck then called in his buddies to climb the ladder on his behalf, but the good guys recovered in time to toss them off said ladder. Mundo ran up a ladder set against the ropes to flip onto the three baddies, and then set up a pair of tables near a corner of the ring. Mundo continued to assault Prince Puma while setting up a ladder near those tables, and dumped Mr. Cisco on those tables before heading up that double-high ladder. Puma intercepted Mundo by just standing on the ropes and punching Johnny in the head before diving at Johnny…who ducked and pulled down the top rope, sending Puma flying through the ladder and into Big Ryck! 

The baddies took control and slowed things down after Ryck recovered, getting chants of culero from the crowd as Big Ryck, Mr. Cisco, and Cortez Castro overwhelmed Mundo and Puma. Mundo and Ryck had a great standoff spot where they faced off with ladders before Mundo yeeted his at Ryck, pinching his fingers and using that opening to dropkick the big guy. Prince Puma then re-entered the ring and locked up with Castro, leading to Castro going through a table before Mundo took Puma down and … honestly, I cannot keep up with this move for move and I’ve watched it twice. Let’s skip ahead to the finish!

Big Ryck more than pulled his weight in this one

Johnny Mundo had Ryck and Puma down, and was climbing the ladder to grab the case, when it appeared that Pentagon, Jr. ran into the ring and knocked him down. He removed his mask and the announcers said that we’ve seen this dude hanging around the arena, so while it clearly wasn’t Penta, I have no idea who he was. He did check in with Ryck before getting pulled from the ring by Mundo, but by then Ryck was blocking Mundo’s re-entry while Cisco and Cortez began very slowly climbing one of two set ladders towards the case. Mundo knocked Ryck out of the ring, and saved some time by hopping to the top rope and springing from there to the top of a ladder, kicking the other occupied ladder over. That bought Johnny Mundo enough time to undo the little carabiner and grab the $100,000 briefcase.

Seriously, this is 1A in my favorite Lucha Underground matches to this point. And El Rey put the whole match on YouTube, so you have no excuse not to check it out!

I think this earned 9/10, with enough interference, plunder, cool spots, and brutality to make it great. Cagematch rated this one 7.89, and this is the first Lucha Underground match to feature a Wrestling Observer Newsletter rating as well -- Dave Meltzer gave it 4 ¼ stars! For the uninitiated, Dave is probably the best known wrestling journalist in the business, and has been doing it longer than anyone else. He’s generally well-respected, and his star reviews are the industry’s standard. If Dave gives you over four stars, you’ve put on a match worth watching.

After the match, Dario Cueto appeared and congratulated Johnny Mundo on his victory. He hoped that the two could resume a professional business relationship, on the condition that Mundo returned the “insurance policy” that Mundo took from Cueto -- the key. Johnny joked that it was the key to his little diary, and Cueto really sold that he was worried Mundo wouldn’t return it, and the key’s importance. After an interminable amount of time, Johnny just chose to knock Dario out instead -- although he did leave the key on Cueto’s unconscious body afterward, so I guess all’s well that ends well?

Closing Thoughts

What a show! We only got three matches, but the main event was an all-timer and the obvious “match of the show.” The video packages for Pentagon, Jr. and Cage were well produced and stood out for how different they were from each other, with Penta’s focusing on his Japanese influences and Cage’s showing his strength and work ethic. A lot of promotions use match footage for these little vignettes, and while that works, I think it’s cool to introduce a character with something more cinematic. We’ll see them in the ring once they debut, and unless they have a specific big moment that you can somehow score the rights to, it seems wise to save the big moves of your performers for their debuts. 

The Cuerno/Super Fly match was one of those extended squashes that served to further a storyline, in this case his rivalry with Drago, but it served that purpose well and still entertained. Chavo/Fénix ended in a DQ but it was good while it lasted, and that story must continue. Overall, this was a good episode of Lucha Underground with a tremendous main event!

So Long For Now

Follow me on BlueSky for updates and live watch-along commentary for AEW Dynamite (and occasionally Collision). And, if you’re looking into purchasing anything from a smart fridge to a new drill, check out the tech writing I do over at SlashGear -- my lists are heavily researched, and ranked after thorough aggregation of expert opinions, reviews, and my own experience as a professional auto mechanic, an unprofessional handyman and a somehow even less professional homeowner. 

Until next time…Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

Let's talk about expectations and Double or Nothing, Dynamite, Raw, AND KaQotR!

 

Good Morning!

A lot has happened since we last talked! AEW’s Double or Nothing was a success, a good and at times great show with some standout matches. We’ve also gone in some interesting directions since that show, both due to booking decisions and Adam Copeland’s nasty injury. 

Before we dive in, I want to talk a little bit about expectations, headcanon, and fantasy booking. After Wednesday’s Dynamite, I saw a lot of discourse about how disappointed so many fans are with the decision to have Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland square off at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view in a few weeks. Some folks are worried that it means Ospreay is already going to be taking the AEW World Championship off of Strickland; others feel like AEW is “blowing” this dream match by scheduling it so soon after Ospreay’s debut. And still others believe that Ospreay should be doing something with his newly-won International Championship, and staying away from the world title picture until he’s ready to win it. 

I agree with all those concerns, to a degree. I think I would have preferred Ospreay take on an international star, Hechicero or someone from NJPW for example. I would have liked Strickland to also have one of the performers that isn’t a part of the AEW roster to feature against the champ, since Forbidden Door is kind of an interpromotional exhibition. However, I don’t see any reason for concern.

When AEW brought Ospreay, Mercedes Mone, and Kazuchika Okada into the company, it was fair to assume none of them would be eating a pin anytime soon. However, it’s been a few months now, and with Okada being a part of the biggest heel faction in the promotion, and Mercedes playing a heel-lite role, Will Ospreay’s friendly, crowd loving character is the one to play the victim here. He’ll look strong even in a loss, the match will be incredible, and I imagine that we’ll see the storyline between Ospreay, Don Callis, and whoever distracts or interferes with Will from the Family develop further.

The problem that can happen when we get our hopes up, or talk ourselves into a certain story, is that we can get angry or frustrated when a promoter goes in a different direction. Because once we get started down those rabbit holes, it’s hard not to keep fantasy booking for months ahead. And if those plans are dashed by Tony Khan or Triple H, one can easily fall into the trap of being predisposed to not liking the direction simply because it doesn’t mesh with one’s own plan.

I’ve always been a firm believer in “letting it play out.” That’s not to say I don't get annoyed with booking, whether it’s Tony’s constant tournaments or Trips’ affinity for every bad guy being “cool and relatable.” In the end, though, it’s nothing to get mad about. I don’t have any stake in this stuff, and neither do you. It’s just wrestling, right?

Recapping Raw, King and Queen of the Ring, Dynamite, and Double or Nothing

I assure you, this won’t be the slog it sounds like. I don’t know why I think I’ll make time to write separate blog posts for all this stuff, but I think I bit off more than I can chew again. I watched both PPVs and Raw and Dynamite, but still haven’t caught up with NXT despite having most of the show spoiled for me (which is fine, I’m too old to know what a Sexxy Red is anyways). So we’ll kinda double up on results and where we’re going.

Swerve Strickland beat Christian Cage to retain his AEW World Championship, in a match that was really good despite its predictable outcome. That was kind of a theme for the weekend – apart from a few surprises, almost everything went according to expectations. Dynamite, however, sent those expectations out the window when Will Ospreay became Swerve’s next challenger. This is the part where I admit that, while I’m excited for that match, I almost never catch Forbidden Door. It’s not out of malice or spite, I just have happened to be out of town or busy when the show is scheduled, and it falls on a friend’s birthday this year. So unless I get out of it somehow (unlikely) I’ll be missing yet another PPV. 

Although, I mean, they expanded to like 12 a year and they’re fifty bucks a pop, I won’t die from not watching. You’ll catch me up, won’t you dear reader?

Liv Morgan was the big surprise, possibly the only surprise, on WWE’s Saudi show. She defeated Becky Lynch with a little Dominik Mysterio interference, and repeated the performance on Monday in a steel cage match. Dom was rewarded with a smooch for his “accidental” efforts, although one could argue that Liv was the kissER and Dominik was the kissEE. 

Gunther and Nia Jax became King and Queen of the Ring, with Gunther treating the crown like a bauble with a title shot attached and Nia fully embracing her new royal image. I love both of these decisions, and I can see Gunther facing Drew McIntyre after Drew wins the title from Damian Priest in Scotland. Both of those matches sound pretty fun!

What else was good…oh, right, Darby Allin set Jack Perry on fire before Allin was hung upside down in the middle of the ring. Anarchy in the Arena is always a good time, and this year was no exception. If you’ve got the means, that was one of the best matches of the night.

Adam Copeland went full Vampire Edge for his entrance, and he defeated Malakai Black despite Cope breaking his tibia in a poorly-executed leap from the top of the steel cage in which their match took place. That whole match was a bloody good time, and both guys put themselves through hell before beloved vampire Gangrel tore through the mat to attack the House of Black and help Copeland get the win.

That injury meant the Young Bucks had a reason to yank the TNT title from Adam Copeland, and they immediately did what we were expecting and gave the belt to their pal Jack Perry. However, new “interim EVP” slash Tony Khan mouthpiece Christopher Daniels said why would we give a guy a title when we could have qualifying matches and put on a LADDER MATCH for the TNT championship at Forbidden Door. We’re already getting my sweet Cinnabon son Konosuke Takeshita battling Penta el Zero Miedo for the first spot, and if all the matches are on this level I’ll be pretty stoked. 

Mercedes Mone got the expected win over Willow Nightingale, but she’s still doing her best to play tweener. She offered some supportive words to Willow on Wednesday’s Dynamite during her championship celebration, and a surprise match against Skye Blue was pretty good too!

More importantly, the match rocked. As much as I don’t like that finisher, it kinda made sense in the context of the match, so I’m willing to overlook it. I’m still not completely sold on Mercedes in AEW, but I’m sure I’ll be chanting CEO along with the rest of the crowd when Dynamite comes to Colorado next week!

Trent Baretta beat Orange Cassidy, and Konosuke Takeshita lost his eliminator match against Jon Moxley. I really didn’t like either call, and Dynamite only made me double down on that. Cassidy followed up his victory with a dumb “accept the contract offer from the villain” bit that led to Baretta signing with the Don Callis family. So, to be clear, Callis actually wanted to sign the guy who never wins when it counts, and not the guy who was undefeatable as International champ for months. 

And Moxley? Man, the guy can’t even lose a qualifying match? Who does that help? If anything, it made Take look worse, because Mox was playing the role of injured guy the whole match. He still beat Takeshita, a villain who desperately needs a turn or a real direction. And then he beat Rocky Romero (who, to be fair, hasn't had a singles win in AEW since Dark Elevation existed) in a second Eliminator match on Dynamite just to double down on how cool and tough he is. That annoyed me. I should have added Moxley to that intro, because he’s another guy AEW just can't allow to lose.

I like Moxley, I really do. But I'm not into his current character, and I don't like the Blackpool Combat Club as a unit. There's no reason for it, and the sooner Claudio abandons everybody to join Adam Cole as a full time streamer/part time wrestler, the better.

Oh, and MJF made his return! Shortly after Adam Cole popped up to re-establish that he's still a jerk, and still injured, a first-person video showed someone getting a scarf, a diamond ring, . Max offered a hug, followed up with a kick to the junk, and cut a passionate promo that let us know he's still a good guy (for now) but he's done with the cutesy friendship stuff. He wasn't around on Dynamite, meaning he was waiting for Loveland Colorado, home of AEW's most excitable fan base, to make his Dynamite return next week.

That feels about right, as far as covering the big happenings. Some folks won, some folks lost, and our PPV record for the weekend was 15/18. That’s not too shabby!

Closing Up Shop

And that’s it! I’ve been working on some house projects leading up to my wife’s 39th birthday extravaganza, but I try to make a point to post at least once a week. There aren’t any PPVs this weekend, but we’ve got qualifiers for the AEW TNT Championship ladder match and possibly the Owen Hart cup as well? Besides, I gotta pay attention this weekend so I know what’s going on when I go to the show on Wednesday. We’ll take pics, I’ll try to be observant towards what happens, and I might even try to talk with some other fans. It’s always a blast, and while this is a new location for AEW (its third since they started coming out here) I’m sure we’ll have a good turnout. 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me in the comments or on my social media accounts. And if you're feeling super generous, you can buy me a Ko-fi using the link on the bottom of the page (assuming it actually works.) I’ll be back sometime next week, but until then…Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

The Let’s Watch Some Wrestling Double or Nothing 2024 Preview

 

Good Morning!

Right outta the gate, let me tell you about some non-wrestling stuff. Sure, Sweet Saudi Money was fine, and every one of our predictions were correct. But, more importantly, our recruitment/tryout session of Dungeons of Dragons went great! It lasted longer than we planned – like, a solid five hours – but everyone said they had fun and my wife was amazing at running the game as our Dungeon Master. I got to contribute a little, too, playing as a Dwarf Fighter and acting as set designer for the tavern that got the game’s story in motion:

So we’re hoping this leads to a full-on summer campaign with another couple of players from our last group, meaning we’re gonna have to find a table suitable for 7-8 players. I built our current four-player setup using some online plans, and while it’s not perfect it does have cool features like dice trays, cup holders, and a drop-in center with a slot for maps to slide in. So, I guess I’ll look online and see if my creative juices get flowing again. But I digress!

We aren’t here for my D&D bullshit! We’re here for…

The Let’s Watch Some Wrestling Double or Nothing 2024 Preview

This five-year anniversary show is gonna be nuts. We’re looking at ten matches on the main card, and another three on the Buy-In pre show. New champions will be crowned, others will defend, blood will most definitely be spilled, and we’re gonna be exhausted by the end. So we better get this party started.

Thunder Rosa versus Deonna Purrazzo on the Buy-In

This should be good, although if I’m being completely honest I’m still waiting for the Deonna Purrazzo AEW match that is considered great. Maybe getting onto the biggest stage of AEW, albeit on the pre-show, is enough to motivate both of these women to just beat the living hell outta each other. Purrazzo is 10-2 on the year, per AEW, and Rosa is 10-1, so the records aren’t gonna help us predict a winner. I’ll go with Thunder Rosa because I think her constant vamping to the camera after her matches has gotta be leading to something.

The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass versus Brain Cage and the Gates of Agony on the Buy-In

I’ve been trying to think of a nice way to say that this match doesn’t matter but it will still be a good time. It was added on Collision, it’s a pre show match, and half of the guys involved are almost always booked to lose. This will be no exception, although I am interested to see if the rumors of a Bowens singles push will be proven right. Regardless, The Acclaimed should pick up the win here, unless that push is started tonight by way of miscommunication and a loss. But I won’t hedge my bet, my pick is my pick!

Trent Baretta versus Orange Cassidy

We’re on the main card now, with the only match that isn’t a championship match or a crazy stipulation, i.e. Anarchy in the Arena. Trent demanded a straight-up wrestling match against Cassidy to prove once and for all that he’s the better wrestler, and I’m really looking forward to what happens in this one. I could see Trent winning, either by distasteful means or by the interference of former partners Chuck Taylor and/or Kris Statlander. I could also see Orange fighting through all of that to pick up a victory, or for his victory celebration to be cut off by those same interfering forces. Don Callis’ involvement with Cassidy is also likely to be a factor – are we leaning into some kind of Callis/Citrus partnership? My fantasy booker brain goes into overdrive with all the directions this one could take. So we’ll keep the pick simple and go with Trent Baretta for the win.

Jon Moxley versus Konosuke Takeshita in a championship eliminator match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Are we finally at the point where Takeshita is going to be allowed off the leash? A win over Jon Moxley, setting up a future championship match, is exactly the kind of thing I’d love for my sweet Cinnabon son. This match is gonna be bloody and brutal, and with only a shot at the championship on the line, nobody is worse off if AEW favorite Mox eats a pin. He should lose, and lose clean, and I’d argue that Takeshita should take the belt off of him as well. But that whole run needs to start somewhere, and Take getting a solid win against the Ace of AEW is as good a place as any.

The Elite versus Team AEW in Anarchy in the Arena

I’m almost certain this will be the main event, but I always list the non-title matches before the championship matches so I have to remain consistent for you, dear reader. The build for this has been tremendous, and featured a substitution of arson enthusiasts when Eddie Kingston was replaced by Darby Allin due to Eddie’s leg kerploding. However, the go-home Dynamite proved that Darby isn’t afraid of a little fire-based anarchy, as the recently-Final-Destinationed wrestler proved with his flame thrower stunt on the show. 

So we will end with the chaos that is an Anarchy in the Arena match, featuring some of the best talent on the roster. There are a number of factors that make me question my pick for this fight, but they’re all on the side of the good guys. Tony Khan drove the minivan that brought Darby Allin into the arena on Wednesday’s Dynamite, but the whole evil EVP angle doesn’t feel like it’s run its course just yet. FTR don’t really seem like they are fighting for AEW as much as they are fighting against the Bucks, and Allin is more of a chaos gremlin than a rah-rah team guy.

So that leaves Danielson, a Blackpool Combat Club guy without the BCC backing him up. Claudio Castignoli straight up abandoned Danielson a few weeks back, Moxley has his own problems dealing with my sweet Cinnabon son Konosuke Takeshita, and Wheeler Yuta has been MIA for a while now. I’d personally love to see a BCC breakup, and Claudio versus Danielson isn’t something we’ve seen since pandemic-era SmackDown. But I digress! 

I think there are enough reasons that the slapdash Team AEW can fall apart to assume that The New Elite will take home the victory. And while I’d LOVE a Hangman return after the loss, I don’t think that’s in the cards (that’s a Vegas pun, baybee!)

Adam Copeland © versus Malakai Black in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match for the TNT Championship

If Cope loses here, he’s required to join House of Black. And while I feel like Copeland has a great AEW heel run in him, I don’t think this is how it starts. I know a lot of folks are hoping for a Glamazon sighting during this one, or at least a Gangrel appearance to support Vampire Edge, I’m mostly hoping for the sweet Rob Zombie theme song Never Gonna Stop to make its return. 

But sure, if we’re being realistic in this fight between a vampire and a Satanist, I’m leaning vampire. Beth Phoenix takes her husband’s ring back, the hero remembers that it’s his family that inspired him to make the move to AEW in the first place, and we’re back to being a good guy until the inevitable Cope and Cage Connection later this year. 

Roderick Strong © versus Will Ospreay for the International Championship

When the International Championship was introduced, I felt like it was just another championship. When Pac made it truly international by defending it overseas, it was interesting. And while Orange Cassidy cemented the belt as meaningful during his incredible run, I always longed for another cross-promotional star to hold the title and take it around the world. Will Ospreay is that star, and I’m hoping a win here allows him to travel wherever he wants to defend it. This match is gonna be insane, with Ospreay reversing out of backbreakers in ways that defy gravity and logic on his way to a victory. I’m really looking forward to this one. 

Bullet Club Gold versus Death Triangle for the AEW Trios Championship

A reunited Death Triangle with a motivated Pac and a jacked-looking Rey Fenix?! Sold. I know that AEW wants Jay White to remain relevant, and titles are an easy way to make folks look good on paper. While I’d rather White move into some singles stuff again, the Bang Bang Gang did just spend like a hundred bucks on that little wagon to hold their title belts. I wouldn’t want them to have wasted their money on that thing, so we’ll say White and the Gunns retain.

Chris Jericho © versus Katsuyori Shibata versus HOOK in an FTW rules match for the FTW Championship

If you’re the kind of person who follows me on BlueSky or Twitter, you might know that I have grown to dislike Chris Jericho. I’m tired of him being on TV, and I don’t love this bit he’s doing where he’s using legitimate criticism of him to remain on AEW’s shows when everyone, including Jericho himself, would benefit from a break.

That being said, he’s talked himself into this Learning Tree bullshit, and it’s going to keep him around while he builds yet another faction around him. So Jericho retains in what might be a fun weapons match given the quality of his recent one with Shibata. 

“Timeless” Toni Storm © versus Serena Deeb for the AEW Women’s Championship

Man, Toni has been doing so much with her character. The switch from my assumption that we’d do a straight-up jealousy turn involving her and Mariah May to an angle with May’s STARDOM pal Mina Shirakawa has me interested in the long-term developments of everything the three of them do.

Unfortunately, Storm also has to deal with the pesky problem of defending her title occasionally. And while the Deonna Purrazzo rivalry wasn’t incredible, at least it had some fire coming from both opponents. Serena Deeb, for all her talent in the ring, is just not that interesting as a performer. As a person, she’s got an inspirational comeback story, and a capable talker would be able to turn that into a successful face run. Deeb just isn’t that kind of wrestler. She’s a talented worker who has a flag as her personality. At least as a heel she can lean into the “I’m better than you at wrestling” thing. But trying to make her the good guy against an overwhelming character like Toni Storm is a waste of everyone’s time. Storm retains, and hopefully moves on to either Mariah, Shirakawa, or somebody who can keep up with her on the microphone.

Willow Nightingale © versus Mercedes Mone for the TBS Championship

I get that the big star probably has to win in her first match in All Elite Wrestling. I get that Mercedes is a multimedia powerhouse, having appeared in WWE, The Mandalorian, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. I just…don’t care that much. The decision to debut Mone months before she was going to wrestle a match has been to her detriment, as all she’s been able to do is cement that she’s not that great on the mic. 

Hopefully, tonight’s match reminds us why she was such a big signing in the first place. Willow is a good first opponent, and the story is built in with the injury Mone suffered during the pair’s match for the NJPW Strong title last year. But AEW has done such a great job letting Nightingale be a lovely person and champ that I have no reason to root for the new gal. The lack of Julia Hart involvement – nobody’s fault, mind you, injuries happen – has also kinda derailed the story they were initially trying to tell. I’ll be interested to see if they go back to that once Hart returns, or if AEW pivots the attack angle into a rivalry with Kris Statlander or someone else.

Mercedes will win, but I won’t be happy about it. 

Swerve Strickland © versus Christian Cage for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship

Swerve’s title reign has suffered from a bit of questionable booking right from the off. From the decision to hold his championship celebration on Collision rather than Dynamite, to the fact that the AEW champ’s rivalries haven’t had top billing over the whole Elite versus Tony Khan story, to Swerve looking beatable on multiple run-ins with Christian Cage and his pals, it’s been a rough start to the Strickland dynasty. 

HOWEVER, any questions I had about Swerve’s spot have been resolved with Strickland’s treatment of the EVPs in the last few weeks. And the entire Swerve sequence from this week’s Dynamite, from his “What up turds?” directed at the Bucks to Prince Nana’s triumphant return as a blockade to a fleeing Christian Cage was just perfect. I love how cool this guy is, I love that it’s reflected not just in his words but in his in-ring performance and in backstage segments, I love that he’s champ. Swerve’s reign has barely begun, and I’m excited to see how it progresses from here after he retains.

Closing Up Shop

…in which I say goodbye for now

And that’s it! Hopefully I will find the time to recap both of the weekend’s big shows on Monday or Tuesday. As always, I’ll post on the usual socials when I do.

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